iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Martin @mandab.com · 28/08/2026

In honour of Tim Curry

A beer can, standing next to a glass containing a pale amber beer with a white head of foam. The beer is Time Warp, a West Coast IPA from Urbanaut Brewing in Auckland. It was their entry in the annual West Coast IPA Challenge at the Malthouse pub in Wellington. This year the theme was musicals, hence a beer named after a song from the Rocky Horror Show.

Martin @mandab.com · 22/08/2026

The simple things done well can be transcendent. Garage Project's 90-day aged version of their BEER - a simple Czech style lager. Minimal ingredients, maximum skill.

Dimpled handled beer glass filled with pale gold beer. Dense white head. The glass is sat on a wooden table with a blurred background.

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Martin @mandab.com · 04/07/2026

Lovely afternoon spent drinking beer and eating pies with whānau and friends.

Glass of hazy beer and a pie cut in half to expose a bountiful meat filling.

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Martin @mandab.com · 28/06/2026

I managed to hit the $20 daily fare cap in Auckland for the first time yesterday, doing a pub crawl via ferry. Perfect day for it.

View of the Auckland city skyline from a ferry which has just departed from the downtown terminal. A cloudless blue sky.

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Martin @mandab.com · 14/06/2026

Continuing the theme of cooking things my wife wouldn't enjoy while she's away. Tonight was Brussels sprouts (aka Green Orbs of Death) with bacon and shallots.

Halved Brussels sprouts sprinkled with cooked bacon.

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Martin @mandab.com · 12/06/2026

While my wife is away in the UK and I'm cooking only for myself, I thought I'd try a few things that she wouldn't be keen on. I may have over-reached myself on this one: Sichuan spicy three pepper chicken from Woks Of Life. Hiccups were brought forth. 🍽️

Plate of chicken on rice with green chillies and dried chillies.

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Martin @mandab.com · 12/06/2026

Luna is somewhat confused at the absence of the Primary Hooman (she's in the UK for the next five weeks or so) but, after an exhausting day at daycare, Backup Hooman will suffice.

Black dog sleeping on sofa, with paws on my be-trousered leg.

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Martin @mandab.com · 02/06/2026

The best thing about winter is that breweries release lots of dark beers. Popped into the Garage Project Taproom in Kingsland after work.

A tray containing six small glasses of dark beer on a wooden table, with a fake fire in the background.

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Martin @mandab.com · 15/05/2026

Rocking my old #PinkShirtDay t-shirt (and a @pepperraccoon.com bandana) at the gym today.

Selfie at the gym. I'm wearing a pink t-shirt with the words "Speak Up" visible on it, and a green bandana, worn in a headband style.

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Martin @mandab.com · 03/04/2026

I think the winner of the #GreatHXBHunt might actually be these that I made today from a Recipe Tin Eats recipe.

A tray of a dozen homemade hot cross buns.

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Martin @mandab.com · 17/03/2026

This time of year is amongst my favourites for dog walking. Yes, we have to go out in the dark but we get to see the sunrise over Rangitoto.

View over the sea towards Rangitoto Island. It's pre-dawn and the light is mainly dark blues and purples, with some orange on the horizon.

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Martin @mandab.com · 28/02/2026

The best thing about gigs at the Powerstation is pre-loading in Galbraith's beforehand.

A plate containing a halved scotch egg (hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat). A pint of traditional British ale stands nearby.

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Martin @mandab.com · 28/02/2026

Hard to beat a full English for lunch.

Plate containing a full English breakfast: crispy bacon, poached eggs, fried mushrooms, black pudding, hash browns and grilled tomatoes. Mug of strong tea nearby.

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Martin @mandab.com · 21/02/2026

Tasty bowl of corn chowder for dinner. A bit of effort but worthwhile. With bacon, of course.

Bowl of soup with sweetcorn kernels, spring onion and bits of crispy bacon.

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Martin @mandab.com · 17/02/2026

Another plasma donation done. The center was fairly quiet tonight. I encourage more people to sign up.

Selfie of my arm, with a tube of blood plugged into it.

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Martin @mandab.com · 05/02/2026

Appropriate attire for a Waitangi Day dogwalk #ToitūTeTiriti

Selfie. I'm wearing a baseball cap with a Tigercow on it, sunglasses and a t-shirt saying Toitū Te Tiriti. The sky behind me is blue and cloudless.

Black dog wearing a pink harness. Her name badge says Luna. She's giving us a bit of side eye

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Martin @mandab.com · 23/01/2026

The Torbay Poetry Stand is bringing it strong today:

A poem printed on paper in a wooden frame. The text reads:
"Perhaps, this world is broken
on fire, doomed to expire
but right this second, somewhere
someone has flowers in their hair
to bring the light, and someone
sits awake, all night
just to hold a hand, take a look
there are people running miles
in silly suits, to show their care
and yes this world is shattered
everywhere, but there is glue
and it is me and it is you
picking up the pieces of each other
to get through
-- to all the people helping"

Author: Donna Ashworth

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Martin @mandab.com · 22/01/2026

Not generally what you'd expect to see in a Salvation Army op shop window.

Vivid green vinyl mini-dress with a black plastic chain, hanging from a coathanger in a shop window

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Martin @mandab.com · 17/01/2026

I spent the day judging the BBQ competition at the Kumeu classic car show. Great fun with a good bunch of people. We have some seriously good BBQ cooks in Aotearoa. This is my judging placemat from the ribs round, with the identifying entry numbers scrubbed out. Sleepy now.

Paper placemat divided into 6 squares. Each square contains a pork spare rib with a single bite taken out of it.

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Martin @mandab.com · 09/01/2026

Trying out a pizza stone on the BBQ. Seems to work OK.

Partly cokked pizza on a round pizza stone, sitting on the metal bars of a gas BBQ

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Martin @mandab.com · 03/01/2026

For the #cocktailhour tonight we have the French 75

Champagne flute on a white surface, containing a pale hazy cocktail

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Martin @mandab.com · 02/01/2026

What’s everyone getting sworn in on? Has to be The Good Beer Guide.

Front cover of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for 2025,featurung the fictional Woolpack pub from the UK TV series Emmetdale.

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Martin @mandab.com · 01/01/2026

Mai Tai O'clock. I might have to institute the Cocktail Hour in 2026, especially as I got a new cocktail book for Christmas (The Cocktail Codex).

Cocktail glass (a rocks glass, if you know what one of those is) on a wooden outdoor table. The contents are a hazy pale yellow and the garnish is a mint sprig.

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Martin @mandab.com · 31/12/2025

Early NYE dinner: glazed salmon with okonomiyaki toppings, plus a mocha pav. Not pictured: dauphinoise spuds and peas with the salmon. 🍽️

Whole side of cooked salmon sprinkled with spring onions, sesame seeds, seaweed and bonito flakes.

Pavlova covered in cream and sliced strawberries. The meringue crust is swirled with chocolate.

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Martin @mandab.com · 14/12/2025

Bloody excellent chicken cooked on the BBQ tonight. Cooked indirect at about 230C for about an hour and a half. Pepper & Me Spit Roast salt sprinkle. No smoke. 🍽️

Spatchcock chicken, golden brown. On a BBQ grate with a temperature probe sticking out.

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Martin @mandab.com · 03/12/2025

Live music is so awesome. Such an awesome vibe at the Garbage show at Auckland Town Hall tonight. Shirley Manson is so badass.

Shirley Manson, the singer from the band Garbage, onstage at the Auckland Town Hall. The stage lighting is mainly red, and you can see the pipes of the Town Hall organ in the background.

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Martin @mandab.com · 28/11/2025

Pizza Friday 🍽️

Homemade pizza. Also a beer (can poured into a glass). The beer is "I Spy With My Little Eye Something Beginning With S" from Garage Project

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Martin @mandab.com · 27/11/2025

Very happy with my gym session today, especially in the heat and humidity in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Gym session written up on a whiteboard:
Bench Press 5 reps x 5 sets at 79kg (Personal Best)

Boxing routine:
High/low punches - 30 sec
Kicks - 30 sec
Hard hits - 30 sec
Rest - 30 sec
Three times through = 1 round

Situps + punch x 10

Two rounds in total

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Martin @mandab.com · 26/11/2025

Post your warning label

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Martin @mandab.com · 25/11/2025

The view from my office window is quite distracting on days like today. The big old pohūtakawa down by the beach is in full bloom and I keep catching it out of the corner of my eye. #TheReddening

In the foreground are ferns, palms and other trees. In the distance is a bright red pohūtakawa tree against a clear blue sky.

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Martin @mandab.com · 24/11/2025

Hornet trap deployed. I sacrificed a beer to the cause.

A hornet trap made from a brown plastic bottle, the top third cut off and inserted in the rest. There's a fizzy liquid in it. Hanging outside from the eaves.

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Martin @mandab.com · 21/11/2025

Happy Friday. I hereby declare Beer O'clock.

Selfie with a background of bamboo and a beer in the foreground.

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Martin @mandab.com · 19/11/2025

Craft beer porn at a business meeting tonight

Two beer bottles: Russian River 'Pliny The Elder' and the Double-Dry Hopped version of the same beer.

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Martin @mandab.com · 18/11/2025

Tonight's dinner was very photogenic. Pea, leek and spinach soup with halloumi. 🍽️

A bowl of green soup, scattered with coriander leaf, black and white sesame seeds and a dollop of yoghurt. Lumps of golden fried halloumi are floating in it.

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Martin @mandab.com · 04/11/2025

Something about that picture reminds me of this other groundbreaking electric vehicle. I clearly remember these being launched. There is no way it can have been 40 years ago!

Sir Clive Sinclair (a balding ginger-haired gentleman) sitting in a Sinclair C5 - a white, low-slung electric tricycle, in 1985.

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Martin @mandab.com · 19/10/2025

And the finished product. A bit drier than I would have liked, but not bad for a cheap piece of pork from Costco. Super tasty. 🍽️

A rectangular glass dish piled high with pulled pork.

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Martin @mandab.com · 19/10/2025

Meat is done. Wrapped in butcher paper and foil, then tucked away in a chilly bin surrounded by towels to rest until dinner time.

A hunk of cooked pork shoulder. Various shades of red, orange and brown. Looks delicious.

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Martin @mandab.com · 18/10/2025

R2-D2's evil cousin is smoking away. It's a pulled pork kinda day.

Black barrel-shaped smoker with a domed lid and handle. Grey smoke is rising from it.

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Martin @mandab.com · 11/10/2025

Oktoberfest at Mythica in Wairau Valley. One of the best beer events of the year.

Smiling selfie. I'm wearing a straw trilby and holding a large glass stein of pale beer.

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Martin @mandab.com · 04/10/2025

Today's cooking project was lasagne bianco (no tomato) from a Sam The Cooking Guy recipe. Came out great.

Pyrex dish filled to the brim with lasagne. The top is speckled golden brown.

A rather messy picture of a portion of lasagne in cross section. You can see pasta layers, onions, white blobs of ricotta, bits of spinach and brown pork mince.

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Martin @mandab.com · 03/10/2025

You might be onto something there....

A glass of beer, stood next to the can it was poured from. The beer is Porch Pounder APA from Behemoth Brewing

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Martin @mandab.com · 03/10/2025

Fakeaways for dinner tonight. Pizza with sourdough crust and alfredo sauce. Smoked chicken, capsicum and mushroom.

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Martin @mandab.com · 23/09/2025

It's Negroni Week, so it's practically compulsory.

Tumbler glass full of ruby red liquid, with a large ice cube floating in it.

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Martin @mandab.com · 21/09/2025

Signs of spring in Tāmaki Makaurau. Kōwhai finally starting to bloom at Aickin Reserve in Torbay.

Closeup of yellow kōwhai flowers on a bush

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Martin @mandab.com · 20/08/2025

The road to Beervana begins with an early-morning bus. Taking public transport to the airport as a cost-saving measure (and an adventure).

View down a suburban street in Pre-dawn light. In the distance is Rangitoto Island against a sky of reds and purples.

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Martin @mandab.com · 15/08/2025

"Celebrating" current events with an appropriate beer

A glass of hazy yellow beer next to the can it came from. The beer is "Hazy Hop Buddies : Don & Vlad" from Behemoth Brewing

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Martin @mandab.com · 03/08/2025

I've been inspired by @totalcurtis.bsky.social and @pelliclemag.com to try a classic: Theakston's Old Peculier. It has made the journey to New Zealand pretty well.

Glass of dark brown beer next to the can.

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