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 #168 - @CanadaGoneKiwi

Moving home is one thing.  Moving country is another thing.  Selling your house and shifting your entire family to the other side of the world is really take a gamble.  Well one delightful family from Canada has done just that.  Sarah, her husband and their little man packed up their life in Canada, put pretty much everything they own into a shipping container or two and set sail across the seas.

Auckland is the city that @CanadaGoneKiwi and family have picked to be their home base for now.  I assume they are waiting for their stuff to arrive on the boat so they can get some sort of normal life again.  

How new are they to NZ?  Well this tweet was published on July 4th -

"What?! It's Thursday?! Our first week in NZ is officially through."

Reading through the tweets you find lots of interesting tidbits that we kiwi's just take for granted and don't realize are either special or quite different.

For example - 

"Husband and I have decided: we are only eating fish and chips from now on."

Seriously.  And - 

"We also saw sheep! Just grazing around One Tree Hill, amongst joggers and people pushing strollers. Awesome."

Things that those of us who live here assume to be completely normal.  Maybe they aren't?  Maybe going to the park and sharing a walk with what could potentially be a menu item on your dinner table isn't all that normal?  Who knows...

Anyway.  Even though Sarah and family are from another country they too have the same day to day concerns and thoughts that we do.  Like is there actually anywhere realistically affordable to buy a home in Auckland?  How do you manage a baby with a high temperature?  Whats the best place to buy groceries - the dairy or the supermarket?

One thing that all people need when they move to a new place is friends and advice.  I applaud Sarah for taking the risk of joining twitter and seeing where it takes her.  From what I have seen so far twitter has helped her.  So come one New Zealand - lets continue the trend and help this delightful family who are determined to call here home.

So if you're looking for a completely brand new and fresh perspective on both life and New Zealand then Sarah is just the lady for you to follow.  And I need to say thank you to @wendywings for tipping off twitter that Sarah had arrived and was on twitter.

Random follow #66 - #tarawera

For one day of every year some of the most elite join the average punter and attempt to run, walk, crawl and cover 100 kilometers of forest trail.  People from all around the world descend upon the small city of Rotorua and converge on a network of trails that sees them travel from Rotorua through to a very small rural town called Kawerau.

This event is called the Vibram Tarawera Ultra Marathon (VTUM).  It is a 100km race that is an absolute icon of the New Zealand trail running scene.  In 2013 the VTUM turns 5 years old.  That is 5 years of some the worlds absolute best runners running through some of New Zealand's most scenic countryside.

This year the official hashtag for the VTUM is #tarawera.  There will updates throughout the day from a few different sources watching all the action as it occurs.  And this race is not just about the elite runners.  There are plenty of them.  This year there are runners with personal bests in the marathon of 2:16.  Runners who smash world records and kick butt.

One kiwi elite runner is kiwi girl @annafrosty.  She is a professional athlete who gets flown around the world to compete in all sorts of races.  She is also a very determined, hard headed and single focused person for whom anything less than giving more than her best simply isn't good enough.

It is also about the everyday kiwi getting out there and giving it a go.  Kiwis that I know of that are involved one way or another with the event are -  @imapping, @sarb, @piphyde, and a big supporter of the run @darrenashmore.  And @gr8dairynobull have a runner out on course as well.  These guys

And the man himself.  The one with the dream that he wanted to create an iconic ultra running in event in Rotorua - @trailrunnz.  Paul is a really great guy.  He is super humble, doesn't get too flapped about things and is an amazingly nice guy.

As for me I myself am going to be out there on course working at the aid stations.  Ensuring runners have water, food and energy supplies to aid them through their day.  And I tell you what - it is going to be a simply amazing day!  This is an one off event that is totally NOT TO BE MISSED!

Random follow #63 - @TickledNZ

"Excels at being awesome"

Ladies and gentlemen of twitter I present to you the one, the only @TickledNZ!

When someone's twitter bio says that about them then there really isn't much more I can add that may convince you that Toni is a fun loving, big spirited, adventurous, genuine lovely lady.

She is incredibly attractive, enjoys her fitness and therefore looking good physically and she is also just really nice.  And being a kiwi away from home she also likes to tweet those from home who can help to remember some of the reasons why New Zealand is such a magnificent place to live.

Even when kiwi's leave the nest and head overseas - home is still home.  And there are some things that we just can't live without.  Here are a couple of item's that Toni has mentioned missing -

"@PeopleofNZ mince and cheese *sighs* #pietalk"

"Less than 5 mins to go. Come on Chiefs!!"

"Today marks 10 yrs away from home! Apparently u should all be buying me pressies of the tin variety. May I suggest cans of watties tomato sc"

As with all ex-pat Kiwi tweeters that tell you about things happening in their general area that they don't realise are quite different that what we at home experience.  For example -

"On a train to Glasgow. Boy with the drinks cart forgot we are in the best position to see him adjust himself & the lads are talking football"

"And how did Scotland help me celebrate such an achievement? By enveloping me in freezing cold Haar! O second home, I love ur sense of humour"

Toni's tweets are sweet and normal.  And they just appear.  Like out of nowhere they are just there.  I quite often have to do a double take when her tweets come up 'cos she quite often tweets at normal times for New Zealand.  Here is one that made me do a double take - 

"Very much looking forward to seeing the mega awesome@Ginger_82 in Jekyll & Hyde tonight! x".

Why the double take?  Because my first thought was 'why didn't anyone TELL me Jekyll & Hyde is on in New Zealand!!!!!!'.  (Yes it is one stage show I must see in this lifetime).  

And in my mind it is that fact there which sums up @TickledNZ the best.  After 10 years of being away from home she still sounds, talks and tweets like a genuinely lovely lady from the land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa.