Creative Energy

This last week has been a crazy week.  I was sick on Monday and woke up Tuesday morning wanting to buy a sewing machine.  Since Tuesday, I have hemmed two dresses, a pair of jeans and redesigned a vintage skirt and made an oversized shirt into a dress.  I dont know what has come over me but all I want to do is sew!  Has this replaced my obsession with Internet shopping? 

Happy long weekend...

Thursday Boho Chic

The mood is bohemian tonight.  A vintage crochet top teamed with a Lisa Ho Maxi skirt.  I am proud to say the vintage was a local find. :)

Road Rage has arrived in Port Moresby

I said I wouldn't talk about roads, pedestrians, cars etc., but since blogging about it I was in the middle of a stolen car chase this morning (while trying to take a photo from my car of an open NCD market - to see if I could analyse the shots and zoom in on any fresh vegetables that Boroko Foodworld are not selling), and then I was stuck twice today in traffic where cars are lining up km's away from service stations.  There is no fuel in stock, but still people hop in their cars and flock to the petrol station and of course people are beeping and abusing one another.  It doesn't make sense but that is the world of Port Moresby.  If there is still a shortage of fuel tomorrow, I will not go to work as I am on my last quarter...
It seems that everything is either running out, or fully booked this year in Port Moresby.  I finally got over to Boroko Foodworld this morning and my first item was olive oil, and of course they are out.  What is going on?  Are these multinational companies not ordering enough or are they stuck at the wharf waiting to be cleared whilst going off at the same time?  Port Moresby has not been the same since this gas pipeline project kicked off.  It is a catch 22, it's nice to have more flights in and out of Port Moresby, it's nice we have more businesses opening up and wage rates have gone up etc. etc., but I feel that PNG is really not ready for the changes and what will happen when the pipeline is functioning and there is no need for all these people that were employed to build it in the first place?  PNG could be much worse off than it started.  :(  I dont want to be negative but it is sad because I have spent majority of my life here including my family.  There is something special that has kept us here all along.
We are nearing the weekend and I hoping I will have some very blogworthy news to report. 
 

Wednesday style session

What does a girl do on a Wednesday night in Port Moresby?  Figuring out what to wear for the next dinner or event.  Pictured here is a beautiful Chanel bag with a Dianne Von Furstenburg dress styled together from my own little collection. 
Fashion is my passion and I am happy to share it. 
 

The mind of a Pedestrian in Port Moresby

I spend a lot of my time in the car which is where I do a lot of thinking and observing.  I have noticed something interesting but cannot figure out the correlation.  Why is it when it rains in PNG, the number of people walking around almost doubles?  You know it is fascinating to see the way pedestrians cross a road in Port Moresby.  I was always taught to look both ways before stepping out and only go when it is safe and clear, here, they are taught to walk first and look when they are half way across the road... then there is this big burst of laughter and they run.  Not sure what the laughter is about, are they happy they did not get run over?  It's fascinating.
When talking about PNG, people always ask me, 'Where is it?'... or 'Is it really that dangerous?'.  What a shame PNG has such a reputation.  This Country has a lot to offer - Lady Gaga would be inspired.
So, besides working, driving and trying to figure out the relationship between weather and pedestrians, I love to cook.  Cooking in PNG forces people to be creative, because you will start out with a recipe and then end up with a totally different dish because most of the ingredients were not available.  It is takeaway for dinner tonight - cheaper and easier for this busy and tired girl.
I promise to return tomorrow with a subject not related to roads.  How about some international blogging?  I saw a headline the other day about 12 people in Germany dead from killer cucumbers...

   

Road Safety in Port Moresby

I know I am not the only person that has noticed the traffic conditions in Port Moresby.  I heard that there are 300 cars unloaded at the dock each day.  So what are people doing about safety on the road?  I think the Taxi drivers are the most cautious... they drive ever so slowly, and if you notice most of them drive with one arm hanging outside the door - this is so that they can stop the car if their breaks fail.  Speeding is another concern, but I think the road safety commission have worked out that if they leave the pot holes alone, it will automatically slow down the traffic.  :) 

Now that I have taken up this new hobby of blogging, I decided to do some research on fellow female bloggers in Papua New Guinea and I found a neat blog originating in Lae.  Please do drop me a note if you like what you are reading, or you want to share your comments about my subjects.  I am also quite willing to answer any questions that you might have.

I did not make it to Boroko Foodworld today and I am wondering if they have any fresh vegetables and fruit available... the dilemmas of living in Port Moresby.  There really is a shortage of food at times.  Which brings me to the subject of restaurants.  I heard from some friends that the new Hog's Breath Cafe is open although the full menu is not always available.  Is anyone willing to comment?     

Lastly, you are probably wondering what I do for a living in Port Moresby.  I breath and exercise. XX

May 30 2011 - The beginning

Just call me Kau Kau Chanel. 

Welcome to the blog spot of a young (I like to think) expatriate woman working and living in Port Moresby.  For those of you interested in what I have to say, you are either an ex PNG resident, a current PNG resident, or you are intending to travel to PNG for work. 

I like to think my life is a little bit interesting even though there is not much to do in PNG except work, exercise, eat and shop on the internet.

I always wanted to write a book about the funny things that we see, hear and experience in PNG, but why spend years writing a book when you can publish it daily on line... no editing... ARRGHHH!!   I hope to bring you photos when I can figure out how to upload them.

Good night friends.