bronnie.org

This morning while talking to my friend Jacques on msn, going through multiple choice practice quizzes for our final exam this semester, Marketing. He sends me one to try:

Jacques says: If Nestle forced Coles’ grocery stores to place all of its products in the stores’ most favourable locations, it would be:
A. conflict.
B. captains.
C. leadership.
D. cooperation.
E. tying agreements.

Bronnknee says: i got that one wrong!!

Jacques says: the answer it says it is D

Jacques says: cooperation…

Bronnknee says: i think i picked E

Bronnknee says: its not cooperation when its FORCED
(split second after)
Jacques says: yeah but how is it cooperation if nestle forced

Bronnknee says: lol exactly
(split second after)
Jacques says: yeah exactly

Jacques says: lol

Bronnknee says: jinx
(split second after)
Jacques says: jinx

Bronnknee says: HAHA

Jacques says: hahah

Jacques says: that was random

Bronnknee says: haha

Bronnknee says: sure was

Starting to lose our minds. Bring on the holiday break! At 5pm tonight I will officially be relaxed, with a wine in one hand and some laughs with friends.

Someone out there in the world loves me so much that they have created personalised t-shirts for me that feature my name in all its glory.

How many can I put you down for? I’d like a few. Heh. Just kidding.
I have finally discovered what has been happening with my name recently… so many people googling “bronnie” and ending up on my website, which is very understandable I guess.
But really I think they are looking for:

These two guys from Make me a Supermodel, named Ben and Ronnie. We haven’t had this show here in NZ yet. I’m not entirely sure of the whole story. But will email them to thank them for my special t-shirts.

Now back to my game of marshmallow catching and throwing with Rob.

I read in the paper today and online that the original von Trapp villa located just out of Salzburg, Austria, you know… from the story behind the movie The Sound of Music, is now being turned into a hotel! You can stay there for 100 Euros a night, very tempting. Mind you, I’m not fussed if I don’t stay the night, but I’m definitely going to visit! They also have a chapel for people to get married in! Very romantic.
The von Trapp family lived there from 1923-1938. So it’s an old building with a lot of history and so beautiful! I love those sorts of things!
While browsing I also found that you can take a Sound of Music tour! Oh. My. God. I’m going on that too. Good luck trying to find someone who’ll go with me… hehe.

I haven’t watched The Sound of Music in ages, but as a kid I loved it. I know all the words to the songs and love the whole idea of the movie. It’s so magical.

Last night Rob and I were invited to go to the Auckland Cricket Association (ACA) Awards Dinner at Eden Park, in the function rooms. Not out in the rain on the pitch. It was awesome! I love free food and wine. We turned up at 6.45pm and were offered glasses of wine and beer as we entered the main doors. Spotted a few celeb players; Andre Adams being the one I recognised most. Then for an entree we had salmon, was delish! A few speeches and a couple more glasses of wine got us through to the main meal; chicken or lamb. I had chicken, it was so yum! I want the recipe for the mushroom risotto they served with it!
The guest speaker was an Australian, Kerry O’Keeffe. God, was he funny! A very entertaining speaker.
After more wine I was ready for a coffee and thankfully they must’ve heard my call and announced it as dessert and coffee time. Dessert was chocolate profiteroles, not good for the hips, but tasted delicious on the lips. I was good, I only had one and thoroughly enjoyed my coffee. Rob was bad, he had three and washed them down with a few more glasses of beer. It was a lovely night. It was quite formal, so we felt every bit the special invitees, out and about on a would-be normal Tuesday night rubbing elbows with the top cricket players in Auckland, with some even playing for the Black Caps.

In other news, I went to Albany mall today and happened to walk into Borders; because it’s my favourite shop in the world (so far). And what was staring straight at me? It made my heart stop - I couldn’t believe it! Marian Keyes’s latest novel!!

This Charming Man. I can’t wait! If you know me, you will know I absolutely love Marian Keyes’s books. I have read them all and have been checking her blog (- obsession?) for the newest one to come out. I love how her characters are very every day, they make stupid mistakes like all of us. I remember going away with a group of girlfriends on a road trip, we were 17, I was reading my first Marian Keyes book, Watermelon, while at the beach. I remember giggling to myself for ages about a certain part of the book. My friends all looked at me wondering what the hell was going on. But of course trying to explain it is never has funny. But once I have the giggles I never seem to be able to get rid of them fast. Even four or five chapters later, I’d remember the one line Marian had written that triggered me and off I’d go laughing again. She’s amazing.
I bought the latest book of course, it was $24.00, normally $38! Bargain! I had goosebumps from the excitement taking the book to the register. I just want to go home now and curl up with a coffee and dive right in.

But no, sadly I have three more hours of lectures to attend this afternoon and they’re hard classes, so I have to go.

Your confidence
Your self-esteem
Your attitude
Your sex life
Your outlook on life
Your whole physical being

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Tonight I was feeling like something a bit tasty tonight.

My sister decided she’d like to make herself and our Korean student, Jin, a hamburger. I was not feeling at all like a hamburger, but rather something with a lot of flavour.

So in came my recipe for three cheese pizza. 100% Bronnie copyrighted.

Ingredients:

Pita pockets
Tomato sauce with a garlic clove crushed in
Red onion
Salami
Cheddar cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Parsley

Throw it altogether and bake in the oven. They are delish!

I am absolutely thrilled that Westlife are coming to New Zealand in May this year. My sister and I have already decided we’re buying tickets. Can’t miss their concert! I have been a fan since they started in 1998. Although I do admit I have been less of a fan in recent year, but will always sing a long to their songs. I guess it doesn’t help that my CDs were stolen from my car a year back, so I haven’t been listening to their CDs recently - but every so often they come on the radio.

Those who have known me since High School will know that I was the biggest boy-band fanatic. Starting with Hanson. Haha. Whatever happened to those long-haired, gypsy boys? I think they’re all married with children. I also loved Backstreet Boys, the American version of Westlife.

I knew the day would finally come when a boy-band would visit New Zealand. Bit of a shame I’m not still in my fanatical stage (I had posters, videos (no DVDs then), scrapbooks of their pictures from magazines, all their CDs, I knew all their birthdays, favourite foods and colours - obsessed I tell ya!!). But now I have matured to the rich ol’ age of 23 and seem to have lost my flare for boy-band trivia.

I know when I get to the show I will know all the words and sing my little heart out and love every minute. Maybe the obsession will begin again and I’ll rush home and put posters up in my bedroom to the complaining noise of Rob refusing to sleep in the same room as a boy band.

As if weight loss wasn’t hard enough!! You try so hard and yet someone always tries to kill your buzz and put a damper on your mood. So anyone who has visited my blog in the last few weeks will know I’m on weight watchers (and happened to have had a successful week last week! yay!) and have the goal of losing weight. Which is the norm for weight watchers members.
I have been on track now for four weeks, with a few hiccups, but generally doing well.
You may have also noted my new addiction to diet coke. I have been drinking bottles and cans of it daily. Now according to weight watchers you can drink as much diet soft drink as you want, it’s point free! Which thrilled and fed my addiction.

Then today, I go shopping to the supermarket with my sister, we are standing in the aisle staring at all the weight watchers products trying to pick a sweetener for my coffee. An old(er) lady walks up as I’m holding one of the many sweetener options and says, “you shouldn’t use that it contains phenylalanine, you’re better off using real sugar”.
“What?”
Yes, I have heard of this phenylalanine stuff and I’ve heard it can give you cancer, just like everything else in the world that doesn’t prevent cancer.
My sister pipes up, “yeah it’s in diet coke and other diet products too”.
Oh thanks Mads! Who’s team are you on?
The women then goes on with her stories about how there’s been a big issue with this phenylalanine stuff on the news lately and I just need to learn to drink coffee with no sugar or sweetener. Hmm.. I have no idea how successful that will be!

So now I’m a tad confused. I vaguely remember my weight watchers leader having a discussion about this and saying it was all OK.

So I thought I’d wikipedia it to see what it says. It was all a load of gobbledy goop except this bit:

Phenylalanine uses the same active transport channel as tryptophan to cross the blood-brain barrier, and, in large quantities, interferes with the production of serotonin.

In the central nervous system, serotonin is believed to play an important role as a neurotransmitter, in the regulation of anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep, vomiting, sexuality, and appetite.

Nowhere does it mention cancer? Of course I know I shouldn’t completely rely on wikipedia but this is all I could really find.
If someone knows more, please enlighten me. I have decided to cut back on my diet coke though as I was drinking excessive amounts.
Today I managed to drink 1.5ltrs of water! Much healthier. I did mow the lawn in the sweltering heat, so that explains my thirst.

I did manage to find one exciting thing at the supermarket that has made my week! Little tubs of Cookies & Cream ice cream. YUM! It’s only 1.5 points a tub! And considering I get 21 points a day it’s not bad at all. It’s so good too!!
And before you ask, I checked, no phenylalanine present. Cancer free ice cream!