Kelp flat blog

Flat Night 06/05/09

tommo39 — Wed, 06 May 2009 10:59:20 +0000

Must be about time someone posted something. Someone remind me to bring up blogging at the next flat meeting.

Last night we watched a movie! I know, so original. We did it a little differently, moved the TV out of the nook into the lounge and hooked it up to my sound system. Still wish we had a projector, but hey.

We watched speed racer, it was pretty cool, looks like much of the movie is real actors over 3D set.

Might take a pic of our cinema set up tomorrow and post it here.

Super salad surprise

qwandor — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 10:17:01 +0000

On Monday this week we decided to have a picnic dinner. After some discussion Josiah and I decided that the best way to make use of the various leftovers in the fridge while also having something that we could easily take with us was to make a sort of crazy salad with (almost) everything in it — lettuce, tomato, sausages, lots of capsicum, apple, carrot sliced in various ways, bacon, shredded beetroot, and various other things we happened to have left from the past few days. We made this in our stock pot, as it seemed the most appropriately-sized container we have. We also grilled with butter some nice bread that Josiah had made a few days earlier.

Peter Shaw & the Blue 56

This done, we all (well, the four of us present) headed off to the soundshell at the Botanic Gardens to eat our dinner and listen to Peter Shaw & the Blue 56 playing (as part of the ASB Gardens Magic Concert Series of free concerts this summer). Peter joined us a little later.

Anyway, we decided to keep the nature of the meal a secret for those who were not involved in cooking it to guess. We carefully carried it to the Gardens covered (along with knives, forks and plates for everyone), and asked that they guess what it might be before eating it. The use of the large pot caused some confusion, with one guess being soup, but in the end the salad was revealed and duly eaten. We made quite a lot, so I was able to have some for dinner on Wednesday night too.

Super salad surprise

Super salad surprise: super because of the large range of ingredients, salad because it was, and surprise both for the surprise of finding sausages and bacon in a salad, and because we kept it as a surprise for people to discover what it was we had made.

Climbing, rocking, glowing

qwandor — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:10:20 +0000

Last Monday for flat night, those of us who were present went up to the Botanic Gardens and climbed a truly awesome tree. It is a great round tree, flat on top with a big hole in the middle where you can come up. There is plenty of room for people to stand, sit or even lie down comfortably, and the view is nice too. I have posted some photos to Flickr, though they do not really capture the awesomeness of this tree. It was also a bit dark, so I took a few more photos this morning in the sunlight.

Once it got too dark, we went down to the playground and enjoyed the flying fox and rocktopus, before heading back a different way and seeing a few glowworms. All in all, apart from the missing people, I think that it was a good evening.

Concert

qwandor — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:01:40 +0000

A number of us (Janice, Elaine, Peter, Josiah and I) went down last night to see Magnify play a free concert with Rapture Ruckus at Elim. It was mostly good, though shorter than I expected (just over an hour for the actual concert, though we hung around for a bit afterwards). It is nice to have a bit of free time for such things. Thanks to Josh for letting me know that the concert was on. Perhaps I will find time to hear more live music this summer.

This was the Facebook event, for completeness.

Hilarious Misadventures

j0siah — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:59:58 +0000

Last night’s flat activity was to go down to an event hosted by the debating society, entitled “Is God Dead?” Tim Mckenzie was one of the speakers so I was really looking forward to it. But rather then telling you about the debate, I’ll tell you about the trip down there (it was at Rutherford House, Pipitea).

The event was scheduled to kick off at 6pm, myself and James were down at the flat at 5:30 so that we could all go down together and get good seats, as had been communicated to each of us separately by different people. Ruth had just finished her thesis after pulling an all-nighter and was trying to get 10mins of shut-eye prior to the debate. Jan txtd to say she’d be late…

Meanwhile, up on the overbridge there was a discussion group facilitated by Ben, about God and Suffering. His car was blocking the driveway and he wasn’t responding to txt’s. James ran up to see if he could get Ben’s keys. When he arrived they were having a time of prayer and James thought it best not to interrupt. When they’d finished Ben checked his phone, offered to give some people rides and headed down the slow way.

The previous day, Peter had borrowed my bike, and had forgotten to return the clicker to open the garage.

Ben arrived, then departed. We ran around the back to open the garage from the rear, used the clicker in James’ car, and drove out. We didn’t get to the road, his car was making odd noises, and fumes from the exhaust could be smelt inside the car. He put the car back in the garage, ran back around the house and we headed off toward the cable car. Approximately 20 metres up the street Ruth realised that she didn’t have her bag, but thought it may be in the car. We ran back around the house to the car to check. James returned with the bag, and we again departed.

There was a reason for getting the car, after the debate James was going to drive Ruth to a leadership training thinga-me-jigga out in Jville. Ruth was anxious about getting there, she was sleep deprived after-all. She received a call from her church pastor saying he could give her a ride, they were leaving in ten minutes. Ruth was celebrating whilst there was a feeling of anger and frustration because this was a flat-night, and Ruth was bailing at the last possible minute, and that after all we had done to try to get there. (Which was forgiven and forgotten not long after).

James and I arrived at Rutherford House, went in the back door of the lecture theatre, in time to hear the last person, and the Q & A session afterwards.

Hopefully someone who attended the debate (in full) can fill all of us in on how it unfolded.

Self-saucing chocolate pudding, as requested

qwandor — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 09:28:29 +0000

Kelp hosted the third and final part of the VUWCU progressive dinner on Thursday 29^th May 2008, and I made a self-saucing chocolate pudding for dessert. There were a few requests for the recipe, so here it is. Choose your preferred format:
Krecipes
RecipeML
PDF

It should serve 30-40, depending on how much people eat. I suggest serving it with vanilla or chocolate icecream. Sorry this took so long to get online.

Pizza, and a successful new dessert

qwandor — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:52:43 +0000

Tonight I was assigned to cook dinner for the flat, and I decided to cook pizza. I cooked four more or less normal pizzas (two with wholemeal flour in the bases, for variety). For dessert, however, I and Jordan invented and made another less ordinary pizza. I made a pizza base as usual (a scone dough made from, with 2 cups plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 pinch salt, 25 mL oil and around 100 mL milk), and on this we put (at Jordan’s suggestion) some custard. I then layered 2 apples (unpeeled, but cored and thinly sliced) on this, and sprinkled a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon and mixed spice on top. This was then cooked in the oven like a pizza (200°C or higher until lightly browned).

We each but James had a piece, and it turned out to be nice. To quote The Surrealist’s eBay feedback generator, ‘Quality of item was resplendent! Would buy from again. Distinguished service. A++’.

Rhythms of KELP

chengjanice — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:17:28 +0000

It’s amazing how many people we can fit around the table despite having to edge it up near the built-in “chair”. 10 was our record so far, and we had 9 for dinner just now.

Dinner time conversations has always been interesting. We have fleeting moments of everyone at the table staying on the same topic, but very naturally and quickly those at the north of the table will find themselves talking about something entirely different from those in the south! But all’s good because eventually we have someone at the border lean over and ask: “So what are we talking about?”

After a scrumptious meal of spaghetti and meatballs topped with spicy pork and eggplant stir fry from our dear guest Felix, some decided to play with rhythms:

The Rongopai Easter Egg Hunt

the chocolatey one — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:23:36 +0000

Just before most of us headed off for Easter weekend, Elaine decided that the flatties should have an Easter egg hunt. Here are a couple of pics!:)

The VERY OVERDUE post

the chocolatey one — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:21:40 +0000

My first post! whoop whoop! This post is loooooong overdue but yet it’s kinda updated. It’s been about 2 months since the first few of us moved in and it’s been a whirldwind of activity ever since in Rongopai!:) I have to admit, living in a HUGE flat with 7 other people has pretty exciting yet daunting at times. I’ve had a couple of people come up to me and tell me that if they were in my position, they don’t think they would be able to handle living with 7 others. Learning about each others’ habits and quirks have ensured bundles of laughs and occasional voice raising. Well, all part of the bonding process, right?

But I have to say, I’ve been really blessed by my flatmates. The late night heart to heart chats no longer are just confined to the night but happen anytime of the day. The sharing of life-our joys,stresses, struggles, disappointments, hopes, dreams,passions,enthusiasm for life and most of all our love for God and passion for reaching others for God and impacting our generation for Him constantly remind and encourage me of the purposes God has for our lives. It was not by chance or coincidence that the 8 of us ended up staying in Rongopai; it was divine planning. Each of us bring a set of strengths and weaknesses to the table but I know that God is using each one of us to sharpen the other(iron sharpens iron). Looking forward to the awesome journey ahead of us

Just a quick update(if you didn’t know already ) the 7 in Rongopai have become 8.Here’s the newest addition to the flat!

WELCOME JAMES TO THE FLAT!!!