Sideswipe: December 11: Season's cheatings

What Christmas is really about, according to That's Life magazine. (Via Stephen Fry on Twitter)

Taking another look at Tua's punchline

Let's not let the truth stand in the way of a good joke. In 2009, Adam Green from Mai FM's B-rocka's Bad Breakfast received a call from David Tua's wife and manager Robina Tua, who sets the record straight after 17 years of the "O for Awesome" urban myth. She says what David actually said was "O For Olsen", as in Olsen Filipaina, the famous Kiwi league player and good friend of the Tua family. "After some intense YouTube listening we wholeheartedly agree. But she did also say that O for Awesome being what it is now, they are happy to have it that way," Green added.

Mince mistake

Motherhood is disgusting. "My 2-year-old had been firing mince around the room all evening - he flung it far and wide - and once I had it all wiped up and binned I spotted what I thought was a morsel on his T-shirt. Without thinking I picked it off and popped it in my mouth. It wasn't mince. It was a bogey ... It could have been worse I guess."

Ewen? Wouldn't know him from Adam

John writes, "On Monday night's One News [was] a short segment on political quotes of the year with a photo montage of those being quoted. I was amused to see the head of comedian Ewen Gilmore in place of ex-National MP Aaron Gilmore included in the picture."

Upgrade downwards

Andre writes: "I purchased two Taylor Swift seated tickets in the centre of the floor space for the Sunday "seated only" show. Got a call from Ticketmaster that my tickets were upgraded and I must please re-print them. My original seats were taken up by sound engineers. To make matters even more farcical, when we arrived at our "upgraded" seats the camera was slap-bang between our seats and the centre of the stage. See photo."

Christmas spirit alive and well

A mother writes: "My son had a bit of a setback after major surgery, so back to Starship we went. Parking was atrocious, so after dumping him in the ED I set off in the pouring rain to park the car (after being told off by a security guard). I found a park across from the hospital and in the pouring rain tried to pay using my Visa. Try as I might the machine could not read my card - by this time I am a wet, dithering, crying mess ... to the lovely lady in the black and white dress who paid for my pay and display ticket, thank you very, very much and Merry Christmas."

Real Estate: A splendid house for sale in Bluff...(The toilet is something to behold)...

Art: "I was making my way down the new section of Daldy Street at Wynyard Quarter," writes Nick. "When I came across some unexpected Council road works on the footpath. I wonder if they applied for a Traffic Management Plan?"

Video: Ron Burgundy's Guide to New Zealand...

NZ film industry is alive: You've gotta admire those in the arts who are doing it for themselves. Like prisons and education, arts funding is being privatised and our creative industries are forced to panhandle online. It all takes a bit of getting used to, but it is working for some projects and is making sure New Zealand stories, which are disappearing off our TV screens, are still getting made. The Last Saint, a contemporary crime thriller from writer/director Rene Naufahu, is a story I want to see. Set in Auckland's underworld it is about Minka, a teenage Polynesian with his P-addicted mother who is going off the rails... Check out the trailer here...

Video: A new compilation from BatDad, a guy who wears a Batman mask and makes funny Vine videos with his wife and kids...

(Watch the whole series here)

Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz.