I’m Self-Publishing A Book!

Hi everyone, I’m not sure if this will reach any of you as I literally haven’t blogged in YEARS but I am going to give it a shot anyway!

Since my blogging days in Japan, Europe and the United States, I moved back to my hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand where I returned to Canterbury University and become a NZ qualified Early Childhood Teacher…

Flash-forward five years…

Early this year, I was inspired to write the stories of some of the unforgettable children whom I’ve been fortunate enough to teach during my time as a preschool teacher. When I finally put pen to paper, or should I say, fingers to keyboard, the stories wrote themselves. Now, I have completed 20 stories based on 20 incredible little humans which I hope to self-publish into a wee collection, and to share with YOU, my original followers!

My main costs include: 

1. Editing 

2. Printing costs 

My savvy husband recommended I start a Kickstarter campaign in order to raise the necessary funds to make this project possible.  I have put the target at $2000NZD, with the proposal that if you contribute at least $25NZD, you will receive an early copy of Maisie and Dot: and Other Stories from a Preschool Teacher, hot off the press! 

Your support means the world to me!

Thank you, thank you, thank YOU,

Anisa 


PS I have no storage left on my blog so I can’t add any pictures. But, if you click the Kickstarter link, you can see some more info (and pictures) there :D

Review no34 (I started counting again) Talmary in Chizu

One thing I’ve noticed about Japanese restaurants is that more often, no meal checking is done. In hospitality lingo, meal checking is basically that, checking, after the second or third bite (not too early nor too late) if everything, with the food, is alright. Wait did that rhyme? My Japanese friend reckons this is because, Japanese people are too polite to comment even if they’re unsatisfied. Which is really honorable and all… but, no.

Now, I don’t like/want to be writing bad reviews – as one angry Lower 9th Diner fan/most-likely-employee hate mailed me once: I am not even “certified”.

So, I’mma keep this short cos I don’t want to offend too many people and I don’t want the entire village after me nor to be even more singled out. So , without further ado…

Newly opened Talmary (Chizu) is a beautiful and creatively set out restaurant. It used to be a pre-school which means the majority of the decor centers around little folk, making it salty and original. At the moment, two rooms are in use. They feature comfy couches, packed book cases, a children’s corner, so you can take a break from entertaining your little one (for a while), a log burner and FREE wi-fi. If I weren’t writing this review and so, able to return at some other time, I could totes spend an entire day because the ambience is just that nice. BUT, that, is where my praise stops.

I used to work at an Italian restaurant. And not any restaurant but THE best restaurant in all of NZ. No shit. No bias. Cafe Valentino has the best pizza I have ever tasted and I’ve tasted too many pizzzzas. In other words, I know good pizza. You could even go as far as saying I’m pizza certified. But let’s not. Unfortunately Talmary though, isn’t. Which is a real shame and a true waste because their pizza oven is SO nice (see picture above).

Ah, how I wish I had been meal-checked so that I could have told them, there and then that the dough was RAW (snow white) and clearly needed more time.  And the flavor? Null. Except for perhaps the soy mayonnaise on the first pizza, but like come on, all mayo tastes nice…

*insert sick green emoticon*