Random follow #300 - @PorridgeFish

The @peopleofnz account has unearthed and given a spectacular platform for some of New Zealands best undiscovered twitter talent in 2013.  One of those persons who absolutely excels at the social media game is
@PorridgeFish.  This fine lady has immense talent when it comes to tweeting and hails from the North side of the Harbour Bridge.

She keeps her account slightly mysterious.  But that is a point of both difference as well as appeal.  Knowing but not knowing who someone is allows a sense of security to them the user and helps keep a healthy barrier between what occurs online and what happens in real life.

@PorridgeFish is a very active tweeter.  Being a school teacher and not having 27 children to talk to all day must be hard.  So I presume twitter is filling the gap at the moment (jokes).  But she does tweet a lot, to a lot of different people, about a whole lot of different things.  She has a very broad world view and can pretty much discuss at length any topic you wish to.  For example -  

Cooking is one of her face topics - 

"Awkward, having to text your dinner guest asking them to bring an onion. How did we have no onions ..?"

Learning new things and expanding her horizons are also topics of interest - 

"Have been learning to juggle. I am getting rather good, at least with two. Transition to three not promising. I also suck at skipping now."

She does give away one or two little secrets though.  Here's what I mean - 

"Man Thing also in cute mode nap time position, which for a Man Thing consists of planting tiny sleepy kisses on my neck while I try to ipad."

Man Thing is actually the content for some really great tweets.  If there were a # for ManThing tweets it would totally be a thing.

@PorridgeFish is the sort of tweeter you just can't help but like.  She is an incredible cook, loving partner, owner of at least one cat, daughter to a fantastic mum and an incredibly warm, patient and generous person.  All the very best things in life for sure.  

This newly crowned teacher is off on a new adventure in 2014 and will no doubt, or I hope at the very least, will share with us some of the ups and downs and bits and bobs of a teacher with an entirely new class of kids who is finding her way.

I know that I will be watching with interest how her year goes and I wish her all the very best for her new adventure.

Random follow #290 - @genkibeth

There is no secret sauce when it comes to be a great tweeter.  It all comes down to being interactive, being engaging, tweeting about interesting stuff and talking to people.  Thats all there is to it.  @genkibeth does each of these and does them well.  Actually she does them more than just well - she does them excellently.

Beth is a Wellingtonian with taste.  Taste for food and flair.  And helping others to find food with flair as well.  Coffee, ginger crunch and many many other delightful treats await you should you peruse her tweets.  Well those things and many more.  Such as -

"Why do people say "Man power" when "People Power" just sounds better. Consonance man, it's writing101"

Its always good when someone makes it clear about where they stand on an issue but are able to do it in such a way that you're left with a smile on your face.  Beth is quite good at that and I imagine that in real life she really knows how to string people along with the very interesting approach to life that she has -

"I've been vetoed against living in a big commune with my friends, but how the else will I ever own a house, big veggie garden and a goat?"

And as we quickly approach the end of the year there is a slice of reality that we are all having to deal with at the moment -

"Who ever called this time of year the "wind down to Christmas" clearly NEVER HAD A DAY JOB."

Beth does so much more than just tweet like this though.  She also has some really great pictures and lots of really great suggestions that relate back to one of her fave topics - food.  Not just food for foods sake but the recommending of some of the finest eateries, coffee suppliers and all the other fineries of life.

@genkibeth is a perfect example of your really great tweeter.  She doesn't give too much away, jumps in and out of conversations with ease and over all is a really fun person.  If you're looking for someone normal to follow then you won't go wrong by hitting the follow button for Beth.

Random follow #249 - @larkslarder

Food glorious food! If there was ever a reason to be on social media it's for two things either food or cats.  @larkslarder is the queen of the kitchen.  Her twitter account is completely dedicated to food - savouring it, creating it, seeking out new recipes and treating others to a feast.  (And she occasionally shares a cat picture or two as well....)

Emma is absolutely devoted to food and everything about it.  It is the pictures that really make you salivate with their goodness and luciousness.  Often times someone's twitter profile page can tell you everything about them.  This is very true of Emma.  The first photo you will find is of chocolate balls (for lack of a better description).  They look so good you almost want to lick the screen.

When someone has a passion for a particular thing then that passion oozes out of them.  And it is that passion that you will find in spades in Emma's tweets.  To be fair though telling you about her tweets can in no way really describe to you just how good her timeline is.  Because it's the photos that set apart from anyone else that I know of.

Here are a few random tweets that will hopefully have you savouring more -

"Sunday roast at my mum's tonight. Mum food is always the best food!"

"Enjoyed whipping up some scones this morning to take to work."

"First of September means the first day of whitebait season down here on the coast. Looking forward to whitebait patties!"

Emma is still relatively new to the twittersphere with just a hundred tweets or so.  But what great tweets they have been so far.  It goes without saying that @larkslarder is one tweeter who will absolutely have you coming back for more.  And if you her twitter account just isn't quite doing it for you then her food blog is absolutely second to none.  So give her a follow.  Check out her blog.  Let her know how much you enjoy her work.  Because one helping just isn't enough when things are this good.

Random follow #201 - @VisitWaiheke

Auckland is located on an isthmus.  This means that there are two large water expanses on either side and the city itself is located on and around that very narrow strip of land.  The two expanses of water on either side of the city are two harbours.  One harbour is smaller and has its entry/exit point heading towards Australia.  The other harbour is a huge body of water that has many, many islands and other features about it that make it.  One of those islands is the beautiful island of Waiheke.

Personally I have only actually ever been there once and that was over 20 years ago.  From what I understand it is a mixture of playground for the rich and famous mixed with the original culture of creative types and the quintessential hippy personalities.

So it pleases me greatly to see that this little island paradise has its own twitter account.  If you are looking for a quick and quiet get away for a weekend then @VisitWaiheke is the ideal starting point for ideas about accommodation, food and things to do while you are there.

Whats neat about this account is that it isn't strictly a sales account.  Instead it is an insiders view to life on the island.  Photo's of beautiful beaches and boats, ferries and fish.  House boats abound on Waiheke giving a whole new meaning to the term 'mobile population'.  When home owners tire of the view they simple sail away, around the corner and to a new location.  Sounds like magic to me.

Waiheke is also an island of artistic talent and culinary magic as well.  The climate on the island is such that they are able to grow grapes which are then turned into classic and limited edition selections of wine.  Couple that wine with an abundance of fresh seafood and you have a connoisseurs paradise.

So what can you expect from the rest of their tweets?  Well they RT local businesses and points of interest about the island.  They also RT other tourism accounts when they have something to say.  And then there are the photos.  I really love following an account that posts photos of the beach.  (Because where I live is land locked so seeing the beach is something of a treat for me).

If your timeline is wanting a bit of a refresh and you're looking to combine photo's and stories from an exotic location with some ideas about how to get there and where to stay then @VisitWaiheke is the account for you.

Random follow #169 - @Mikeyceviche

There are some people in life who just make their way happily along.  They don't cause a fuss, they are nice and no-one ever really takes much notice of them.  Those people are called wallflowers.

Then there are other people who for whatever reason are really polarizing.  Either people like them or they don't.  And today's tweeter is just that sort of person.  This account is actually the second or third profile this person has used.  Why?  Because there are only three things in life you can be certain of.  Death, taxes and change.

@Mikeyceviche is one tweeter for whom I have profound respect.  He is the most straight up guy you will ever find on twitter.  And it is that direct approach which some people just can't handle.  Mikey doesn't sit around waiting for permission before he says what he thinks.  If he thinks it - he will tell you.  Simple enough.

So whats there to like about him?  Well he is a kiwi who last year made the move from New Zealand and shifted his family to France.  So he tweets about the cuisine, the architecture, the beautiful women.  Oh yeah and pictures of his next child who is currently in his wife's womb under development.  So this latest version of Mikey is all about the beautiful things in life. 

Be warned!  There are no limits with Mikey.  Be it his colorful use of language or his calling people out you'll soon find out what I mean with tweets like these - 

"Some days I feel like breathing fire again. Blowing out those bullshit twitter accounts like a beneficiary eats noodles. MikeySmokes style"

"I fillet the fish with one stroke, the French watch me, saying "hes japanese" my knives are sharp I knock your girl up with one poke"

"Unfollow if you have some drama. Lord knows we been down that road 98765 times before"

"The name Nelson Mandela will be synonymous with self sacrifice, humility and most importantly forgiveness for a long time to come."

"That odds shift on Houston to win the NBA is ridiculous. Praise be to Allah #puntingAintEasy"

So as you can see he covers off a whole range of topics.  There is a whole lot of breadth that he covers.  Sports, food, boobs, family and f.....s.  Mikey is a man of passion and fire.  It is that passion and fire that fuels his tweets and his approach to life.  I followed the old account for years and I will follow this account for a few years as well.  Cos I really genuinely like his style.

If you want to follow someone who is straight up, calls it as it is and quite frankly isn't all that worried if you follow him or not then @Mikeyceviche is the person you're looking for.  This no holds barred account will either infatuate you or infuriate you.  Either way the choice is yours to follow or not.  if you don't like what you see - then go away and find someone you do like.  Because this brother is all about keeping it real.

Last word - go Mikey - 

"Personally, I never had any fear of anything. No man, woman or creature of this world scared me. But the fear of shaming my Mother is real"

Random follow #142 - @fastfreshtasty

How about having a twitter account that is useful?  Not useful like keeping you entertained because you're bored.  But a really useful account.  An account that is designed to help you when you get stuck thinking of ideas for food to cook.  An account that comes up with recipes and ideas, ingredients and propositions.  Now that is a twitter account worth having.  And what about having an account that is both useful and fun?

Well guess what? One already exists!  @FastFreshTasty is an account run by a very friendly lady called Emily.  It is a really friendly, interactive and useful account that is quite active.  And whats really cool is that they supply new ideas every day.  So if you are someone who plans out your menu for the week in advance then this account is great.  Alternatively if you're looking for some inspiration in the kitchen then you can quickly access their website and get some ideas.

If you're into watching reality shows that feature cooking then you are going to LOVE @FastFreshTasty.  Because when #MasterChefNZ is on the television - Emily is on the twitter!  And there are a few reviews of a restaurant or two as well.

Here are a few tweet examples so you can see what sort of content Emily is tweeting -

"Anyone in #wellington off to @TheFoodShow today/tomorrow? Tip: get there early, go to cooking demos: @JoshEmett @Simon_Gault @RayMcVinnie"

"I'm off to talk to rotary tonight - wonder what's on the dinner menu? #IWentToSchoolToEatMyLunch"

'#mothersday why not #mothersweek ? cook her dinner for a whole week! 170+ ideas right here http://www.FastFreshandTasty.co.nz/getfft "

So there you go.  A twitter account that is - a) useful, b) fun, c) interactive.

And so there isn't too much more I can say that I haven't said already.  This account is for anyone and everyone who enjoys food and more importantly preparing your own food.  There is an app you can download that will make your life easier in the kitchen - so why not?

(Disclaimer - as with every Random Kiwi Tweeter recommendation made so far this year - the account holder had no idea this post was going to be written about them in advance.  As always this blog is put together for the love of it.)