You Want Exotic? Pt 1

Today I went to the Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist Temple in the Southern Hemisphere and only an hour out of Sydney. It is their Cultural Week, and there were all sorts of activities going on, including meditation sessions, lantern and face painting, dance exhibitions. Regardless of the buzz that the place had today, it is still such a peaceful, beautiful place. And its wonderful to photograph!

You Want Exotic? Pt II

For some reason, the photos arent loading... here's the only other one that i can upload.

Burning Incense

I'm Bitter And Twisted

Its not fair. My sister blog is a much more exciting blog these days. Yes, "ihaveaboat.blogspot.com" is actually reporting LIVE from mexico. On a boat.

Me? I'm reporting LIVE from oz. In the bedroom I've lived in for over 25 years.

The most exciting thing in my day has been the watching of the rain falling. Yes, it is a very exciting thing to have rain in this part of Australia. In fact, its important when it rains anywhere in Australia right now. We are in the worst drought period in 100 years.

The good news is that tomorrow I am taking my camera to somewhere exotic.

You will have to wait and see!

Legs Eleven!!!

What does a girl do when she is unemployed and has nothing else to do?

She goes to BINGO!

Thats right, ladies and gentlemen, today I woke up, got ready and off I went with a couple of mates to the local club's bingo day!

Yes, laugh away, I dont care - I completely underestimated the skill required for this game. You try and have up to one hundred numbers thrown at you at a rate of one number per second, and see how you go!!!

Sadly, I didnt win, and was bitterly disappointed having left the club without a meat tray, or voucher, but nevermind - there's always next week!

Why be skiing in one of the world's greatest ski resorts when you can be right here in Australia sitting amongst 50 elderly (and a few young ones) ticking numbers in boxes?

Live: From Australia

I'm waiting for guests to arrive, ready for Xmas lunch. Still havent opened the presents. We have a rule in our family that says no one opens their presents until everyone arrives. Arrival time? 1pm. Not fair.

Anyhoo, its time to introduce you all to an age old family tradition - the making of the Pavlova. Australians and New Zealanders have been arguing over who actually invented the Pavlova, b ut regardless of who invented it, its still a huge tradition here. The key is the topping of the Pavlova. It can often make the difference between a good Pavlova, and a bad one. Every year, I am in charge of making it, and I try and make the most bizarre, but aesthetically appealing topping as possible!

Wikipedia writes at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlova_%28food%29:

Pavlova is made by beating egg whites and salt to a very stiff consistency before folding in caster sugar, vanilla, and vinegar, and slow-baking the mixture to create the meringue. This makes the outside of the pavlova a crisp crunchy shell, while the interior remains soft and moist.

Pavlova is traditionally decorated with whipped cream and fresh fruit, notably strawberries, peach slices, passionfruit and/or kiwifruit. Raspberry is a popular topping in the United Kingdom, with the tartness of raspberries contrasting with the sweetness of sugar. Factory-made pavlovas can be purchased at supermarkets and decorated as desired, but rarely achieve home-baked quality. A commercial product is available that includes pre-mixed ingredients for baking the meringue shell, requiring only the addition of only water and sugar.

Leftover decorated pavlova can be stored in the fridge overnight, but will absorb moisture from the air and lose its crispness. Undecorated pavlova can safely be left overnight in the oven in which it was baked, to be decorated in the morning.

Pavlova is a common addition to the table for social gatherings, such as parties or for Christmas lunches. It is a popular to offer when sharing a meal at someone's home, where the host has requested each guest to "bring a plate".

Note: No diet or fat-free products were used in the cooking of this pavlova.


Step One: Buy the base from the supermarkets (okay, its cheating, but who has time to make it from scratch, really?)







Step Two: Beat the cream til it "peaks" (note: fighting often occurs when the licking of the cream off the whisks begins - theres only 2 whisks - we only had 2 kids in our family, so fighting was often avoided.)






Step Three: Even out the cream over the base. Oh, and then lick the spatula afterwards too (dont forget to wash the spatula should you use it again!)






Step Four: Once the cream is spread out, thought must then go into the design of the topping.








Step Five: Voila!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Well, my loyal readers, its time to say Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday! You have come from all walks of life to read my blog over the past 12 months, and I wish I could give you all a present, each and every one of you!

Lets all have a very safe couple of days, and... well, I dont want to get all "do-gooder" on you all, but lets spare a thought for everyone who is out there, away from their family (we all know how important family is!). Those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, all of those who are suffering in various parts of the world (Africa, Middle East, South America). Regardless of how low I feel sometimes, I always thank my lucky stars that I have so much in life - good family, good friends, a job, a roof over my head.

This sounds like an Oscars speech!

*puts on fake american accent* I'd like to thank Jesus Christ and all of those people who supported me through this amazing experience...(>insert a few "oh my gods" plus tears<) Without you all this would not be possible!

Ho ho ho.

Be good, and if you cant be good, be good at it!

K

A Christmas Present For My Readers

Seeing it is Christmas, and I am in the Christmassy mood, I am going to do the unthinkable. I am going to take off word verification AND also the restriction requiring commentors to be members of Blogger. What a present to give! (particularly to Bead, my "sister blog" at ihaveaboat.blogspot.com, who continually mentions her dislike for word verification). P.S I hang out with Bead because a) she's nuts b) she's more nuts than me c) she makes me look less nuts by being much more nuts.

"Ta-dah"

(p.s any filthy, distasteful comments from cyber-pests ie. superfly, alex, whoever will mean the present given to EVERYONE will be taken away and the cyber pest will be labelled as 'The Pest Who Stole Christmas, got it? You've been warned.)

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Ahhh..... no parking at shopping centres, petrol prices at extraordinary prices, RSI caused from wrapping too many presents.... okay okay, I will stop the negativity and tell you all the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I love Christmas. I'm just a bitter and twisted old soul who cant help but wish Christmas wasnt so complicated these days. People seem to be like Zombies in the shopping centre, buying because they have to, not because they want to. And half of them arent really putting that much thought into the things that they are buying.

Next week I am going to go down to Wollongong and stay there, get a bit of sun and surf. And maybe some photography. I havent done anything with it since returning from Whistler, and the beach is always good for that kind of thing. Going to play with the oil pastels again today, but yet to work out what to draw/paint.

This blog is going to get so boring now that I am not traversing the world. I suppose I will lose all of my regular readers to some exciting new travel journel belonging to someone else. I recommend www.travelblog.org for anyone who wants to leave me for someone else. :)

Ho ho ho (hum).

Ho Ho Ho (As In Christmas, Not.... Nevermind)

Health Update

Update on Ear: Still damn well blocked. Unlikely I will hear the person sitting on my right hand side at the christmas dinner table. Maybe Charlotte should sit on that side.

Update on Weird Virus: Gone, virtually. Still tired though. Will try and be back at the gym by mid-January. I need to get back. I've been a little lax with the eating since I got back (what pack of chocolate biscuits? Dont know what you're talking about).

I woke up this morning and had a shower and was drying off when I realised a rather peculiar rash on my arm. Looked down, and the peculiar rash was on my legs, tummy and feet. Off I went at lunchtime back to the Doctors (does it ever end?!!?) and I am now the proud owner of an allergy to penicillin (which I've been taking for the ear).

I can't win! No penicillin, no fixing virus. Take penicillin, get weirdo rash on tummy. Catch 22.

Still, the arms and legs work, the brain is still functioning, its all not terminal and I am in reasonably high spirits. I just have to try and not scratch my arms in public. People might think I have fleas. :)

Getting Ready for Christmas

This afternoon I was in a jovial mood and decided to get creative with some oil pastels. I ended up with a black square and three flowers. Hardly Van Gogh but hey, its alright for someone that doesnt ever profess to be an artist.... Dont look at it close up. It shows how badly its been painted!!! heheheh Agh well.




Been doing some christmas wrapping tonight. I dont wrap paper all that well, either. I am alright sizing the paper up and folding and so forth, but I dont do so well when it comes to the end bits that I have to fold. Also, wrapping things that arent square or rectangular dont end up being wrapped all that well. So I tend to always buy gifts that are simply shaped.





That said, I bought these funky shoes for Charlotte for Christmas (little sneakers like this are THE fashion item for bubs at the moment - apparently). They werent all that easy to wrap but I figure Charlotte will be more interested in the paper itself.

Workaholic

I have to confess, I have been doing some consulting at the law firm for the last few days because I am a workaholic. I hate sitting there doing nothing. The opportunity to go back and do a bit of extra work there came knocking and I couldnt refuse. I cant handle just sitting, not progressing. I feel like I need to always be doing something. Thankfully, the work I'm doing is not too onerous - just advisory stuff, administrative stuff.

My family and friends have been very surprised at how well I have bounced back this week. Last week was hard because I wasnt prepared to be back home. However, now that I am beginning to get out and about, go out with friends, get a bit of work done, the future doesnt seem so dim for me. I am so thankful that I have a job with my firm to return to and a very flexible arrangement at that. So I am in no hurry to make plans right now. I am just going to see whats on offer over the next couple of months, travel a little, relax a little (yeah right!) and just enjoy being home.

Good News

No glandular fever, which is a relief.

Bad news is that my ear is still not playing fair, and I am having to continue seeing the doctor for a couple of days for treatment. Damn ear. Its ruining everything.

I'm officially putting the wheels in motion to start work. I cant handle staying at home any longer. Its driving me insane!!!

Happy Birthday Dad.

Merry Christmas!

This was sent to me by Rob. There's a really scary guy at the beginning named Zipster (proof as to why so many children are scared of clowns), but if you can look past him, its hilarious. As Andy Warhol once said in 1966 "In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes".

Talent Scout

Cant say I am a big fan of talent shows, and Simon Cowell is a twat, but man, this girl can sing. And she won the UK's X Factor show. Check it out!

A Little Bit of Sadness

So I am a little sad tonight. Whistler has apparently had over 50cm of snow in the past twenty four hours and no doubt today was all about blue skies, sunshine and epic powder. I would be lying if I said I didnt miss being there. I'd be lying if I said I wasnt missing the great people that I met over there in those two weeks. *sniff* Even in the short time I was there, and although I couldnt go out much, I loved standing at the door of the unit, chatting to everyone as they came in off the mountain, listening as they told me how their day was. But I'm not there, I'm here. And I'm still sick. My right ear hasnt made any progress in healing and I am having to go to the doctors again on Monday. My glandular fever test results arrive this week. I'm still so fatigued. There was no way I could have gotten (or afforded) proper medical care over there. There was also no way I would have been able to have begun, or maintained, a job over there like this. It simply wouldnt have been possible.

Okay, I'm ending this entry now, before I get too sad. On a lighter note, I think Charlotte may take her first step in the next couple of weeks. Who knows, she may do it on Christmas Day!

Ho Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha

Something for y'all to have a laugh about:

A Newfie, let's call him Danny MacDonald, is driving home after downing a few at the local pub. He turns a corner and much to his horror he sees a tree in the middle of the road. He swerves to avoid it and almost too late realizes that there is yet another tree directly in his path. He swerves again and discovers that his drive home has turned into a slalom course, causing him to veer from side to side to avoid all the trees.

Moments later he hears the sound of a police siren and brings his car to a stop. The officer approaches Danny's car and asks him what on earth he wasdoing. Danny is telling his story of the trees in the road when the officer stops him mid sentence and says, "Fer Christ sakes, Danny, that's yer air freshener!

(borrowed from http://wonderinglost.blogspot.com/ - cause i think its funny)

My Usual Christmas Whinge

Today I went shopping with my mother. I am not sure if its still the fatigue I'm suffering, or its my bad attitude to Christmas, but I cant help but find this time of the year utterly unbearable. My main whinges include (but are not limited to) the following:

1. Why is it that people who wait for elevators have to stand right in front of the doors as they open? This always seems to happen at times when we have Charlotte in a pram. Getting out of the elevator is up there with Mt. Everest in terms of climbing difficulty. My advice - all you lazy people without prams and trolleys - USE STAIRS. YOU MAY FIND YOU ENJOY IT.

2. Why is it that people can wait in line to pay for their shopping, yet cannot for the life of them, wait in line to order a cappuccino?! Are they in that dire need for caffeine? My advice - BYO coffee.

3. Why is it that every B-Celebrity, "celebrity cook" or "famous sportsperson" always happen to complete the "stories of their lives" just before Christmas time? Maybe the need to write about your life is a seasonal thing. Ideas flow better during summer time?

4. Where the hell are people getting money from these days? People seem to buying, buying and buying some more. The likely answer to this "whinge" is that the banks are getting richer and richer. I feel terrible - my credit card debt has arisen from selfish crusades across far reaching places and exotic continents. These people's credit card debts are arising from buying their mothers in law cookbooks.

Decking the halls with bells of holly aside, when will people like me actually stop whinging about Christmas and simply stop celebrating it once and for all??

D-Motivate!

I'm a sucker for a good self-help book (actually, I could probably name the Top 100 out there). However, my sister showed me the most HILARIOUS website on this planet. From this website, I now give to you - Demotivation Posters. LOVE THEM! There are hundreds to choose from.

http://despair.com/viewall.html

Day Three of UnEmployment

Its the third day back home and I'm going insane. I'm already looking at contract work, maybe some legal stuff, just to keep me occupied until I work out my new travel plans. I've never done "nothing" before. Its a new concept to me. For pete's sake, I was home in November for three weeks before heading to Canada and I worked "just for fun".

Being the lady of leisure that I am at the moment, I spent the day with Charlotte and my sister, lunching a local cafe and taking Charlotte to get her Santa Photo taken. I will see if I can scan it and upload it for you all to see. She looked adorable, in her little denim skirt and pink polo shirt. She even smiled for the camera, the little munchkin.

I'm also spending a lot of time thinking about travelling (surprise!). Maybe my next step is Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam? Then Africa?

I'm The Generation "Y" Blogger

Over time, I have had some people (who know me well) come up to me and express their surprise and (in part) discomfort with my blogging. Some people are surprised that I am willing to share my daily life with complete strangers, and are uncomfortable with the idea that there are some things that should be kept to oneself.

So the question is - "why do I blog?"

Blogging is a Generation Y Phenomenon. Its the new form of journalism. Its the ability to express yourself to people collectively. Its a simple form of letter writing to those you wish to communicate. Is there a limit to what people put on their blogs? Of course there is. Can people go too far with their blogging? Of course they can. But I set out some rules when I blog :-

1. Never disclose information about people without their consent.
2. Try and avoid putting photos of people without asking them first (for the most part, I am successful here).
3. Never ever give away personal information about yourself which can assist a stranger in locating you.
4. Never talk disrespectfully about someone.
5. Try and not use this as a form to gain people's approval about my decisions in life (i've sometimes struggled with this one, but am learning).
6. Never disclose any matters with respect to my job (as a lawyer).
6. Avoid topics such as relationships.

Am I uncomfortable with people knowing about my highs and lows in life? The simple answer is no. Those people that know me know that if I have something to say, I say it. I am truthful, I have nothing to hide and I have faith in my own beliefs, opinions and decisions. There is nothing on this blog that I would not say to someone face to face. There is also nothing here on this blog that I write and then regret - It helps not to add too much emotion. I carefully think about what I put on this blog and I make sure it abides by my own rules. Sure, some of the things that I write about may seem to be deeply personal experiences. However, these are experiences which I am comfortable sharing. I put the information out there, I deal with the consequences that arise from doing so. I am not ashamed to say that some days I am feeling low, and some days I am feeling great. I am not ashamed to do it. Its carthasis for me.

Blogging is like talking non stop, and allowing those who want to listen to choose to do so. If people dont like what I write, then they have the choice not to read.

There is no neediness attached to this blog. I do not "need" to know that people are reading. I like the thought that there are people who care about my life enough to share its experiences with me, dont get me wrong. But I am not here to increase my readership. I'm here so that if anyone wants to know where I am, they can find me.

Some people can blog, some people cant. Some people can share their feelings easier than others. I share them, and I dont find it difficult. Its a Gen Y thing, whereas some Gen Xers dont really "get it".

I'm a blogger.

Photos from Whistler

I finally bit the bullet and took out my memory card from my camera taken during my time in Whistler. I realised that there isnt even a picture of me actually there. All I have are just a few random photos that I must have taken in the first day or so that I arrived... when I had the energy to get up out of bed to take them. Oh god, listen to me - such a sorry sad case I am! *sniff*

All the reminiscing about my travels has made me feel a little better today. I've probably bored you all to tears with it, but hey, its therapy for me right now!

Dooo-bai

There was definately something memorable about being in Dubai, UAE, during Ramadam.

Unemployed Enlightenment

I've worked out that there are two things wrong with being at home during the day:

1. Daytime Soap Operas; and
2. Incessant telephone calls by people trying to sell stuff.

I wonder just how bored I will have to get before I will actually enjoy those salespeople telling me how I happen to be their "lucky" customer today who has won a free seven night holiday (but only on the condition that I buy some overpriced timeshare apartment in Brisbane, or some high tech vacuumn cleaner).

I Heart Cinque Terre

Time to bore you all with some old holiday photies from Le Tour of Italia, October 2005 - possibly the best couple of weeks of my life.

Confessions of An Unemployed Drama Queen

Argh. I hate just sitting here doing nothing. I am such a terrible patient. I am bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Daytime television here in Australia sucks. I loved having cable in Whistler. I didnt start loving television until I got to Whistler and was confined to being indoors. I had two channels of ice hockey to watch. I had CNN, BBC plus a few other channels of news to watch too. Extreme sports. Dr Phil. Jerry Springer. Round the clock episodes of the Simpsons. Oprah. More Oprah. Even Tigger my cat is so bored watching TV with me that he's gone outside to find something more interesting to do. Even more depressing is the fact that come next week, I'll be stripped of all television shows on Channel Nine because of the Ashes series (cricket), hence limiting the already-poor choice of television shows.

I'm convinced that those who travel must find it harder and harder to keep themselves occupied in ordinary day to day living. What's more exciting than standing in the middle of Bangkok at 1am, the pollution grabbing at your lungs like an iron fist? What's possibly more thrilling than standing on a ledge, ready to jump with only a rope stopping you from crashing to the bottom? What is more pleasurable than standing at the waters edge of the Mediterranean with gelato running down your hands and into your lap? What will be more refreshing than skiing down a hill of luscious white powder, the icy wind hitting your face and the mountaineous scenery before your very eyes?

Right. Time for some more ear drops.

Time To Sleep But Eyes Wont Shut

I also suspect i'm jet lagged too! Heck, my body has been through so many time zones in the last 6 weeks, I think my body has said "to heck with you, i'm just going to make you generally feel like crap."

Right.

I need to go and scratch my ear.

Sing-A-Long

Sing it with me now..... "All I Want For Christmas....is my UK tax back, my UK tax back, my UK tax back .........."

I vote that the HMRC doesnt take Christmas Holidays until they've done my tax return.

My ear is itchy. I keep scratching at it. I need one of those big halo things that they put around dogs' necks to stop them from licking their wounds.. except I need one that stops me from sticking my finger into my ear.

Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Owwwwwwwwwwwww. *sob* Its like chinese water torture. The painkillers aint kicking in either. *groan* Gimme drugs. Gimme moooore drugs.

*sigh*

Postcards From The Edge... Kinda

The travelling may have momentarily stopped, but the memories sure havent!