Everyday Comforts

I don't think I can stress any further that you won't really appreciate the simple things and necessities you have until they are taken away from you..for an extended period.
We went on an extreme kind of camping (no toilet/faucet/shower) just the grand old bushes. And that alone was the entire challenge for me.
When I returned to civilization, I wanted to give my Toto toilet a bear hug.
Let's leave it at that.

Outdoor Cooking

I think it's really necessary for people to go out of their comfort zones in order to appreciate the daily given things that are often taken for granted.
Now I love cooking and trying out new dishes. This is an activity that I really enjoy ( I cannot classify it as a chore). It is a therapeutic and relaxing thing for me.
So when we went out camping a few weeks ago, I was looking forward to cooking outdoors. And it is FAR from relaxing. Who knew that something as simple as frying and cutting up onions proved to be arduous?

We forgot to take a table, so balancing a chopping board on top of cans was feat in itself. 90% of the challenge was shooing the thousands of flies away, and avoiding the quick ants.
Of course, it was windy and it was dusty and sandy so Im pretty sure we all wouldve eaten a fair amount of dirt and grain (that's texture for food)

Catching your next meal isn't easy as it sounds, nor does making fire from scratch (dried twigs, leaves, magnesium stick, and lots of patience!)

Overall it was a breath of fresh air that made me want to hug my stove, kitchentop, oven, and running water when I got back home. Needless to say there weren't any copper sinks in the bushes, so the nitty gritty of cleaning up dishes was left to the boys.

Looking back, looking forward

When I look back at this photo, i get a feeling of both nostalgia and relief. a year ago, we had been moving back and across states. half a year was spent packing, unpacking, claiming cover for travel health insurance and moving damages, looking for places to live, and settling in.

it was fun, exciting, and at the same time exhausting. i am glad to be back in a semi permanent place. while it was fun moving around , it really is better to be on solid ground and have a base to go back to.

So that was partly what my latter 2008 and 2009 was made of, lots of moving and traveling. and while there are a gazillion things i am thankful for 2009, i am quite over it and cant wait to see what 2010 will bring.

Red Velvet

I hope everyone's having a lovely Christmas. I'm having a quiet one--Christmas for two this year, and that's the way I prefer it. I'm the least Christmassy person around, and one way that I can survive that is by having a quiet one.
So I've been making a lot of cupcakes these days. Pictured above is my attempt at Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. It's just divine. Red Velvet is my weakness, and there isnt anywhere that I can get it here. So I decided to make one from scratch. It is not as simple as your average cupcake but definitely worth it!

Work-wise, we are currently recruiting for people to join our organization. If you have experience with government and corporate travel and have resumes on ready, PM me.

Now back to the holidays, I have 4 days off and I can't wait to shop tomorrow--it's Boxing Day, and I will start early!

Sandwiches and a Virus!

I'm thrilled to have finally bought:

a sandwich grill! how exciting. For some reason I always crave sandwiches for lunch , so the past months I've been looking for a good sandwich maker/griller. I chose the grilled type, as opposed to the flat one because then I can use it as a griller as well. double purpose.
Got it for a good price too. There was a massive Harvey Norman sale the other day, and along with that, we also got a Terabyte Hard drive, which we definitely need as this old chunky PC is definitely on the verge of dying.

Apart from the already full memory, the pc is slowing down even more with loads of anti-virus software that we've installed. I'm just fed up with these softwares that yes, they do filter out the virus but my how they can slow a PC down!

I'm glad to have come across Sunbelt Software--probably the first in antivirus software to think beyond just spam and virus protection. It is a next generation protection that does not hog the PC's resources at all without compromising on security.

This is definitely perfect for my senior-citizen laptop, and (future) netbook :)

When I Grow Up

So I just came back from a 4 day camping trip in Tocumwal, NSW. While it was fun, I just really can't take long car trips. I've never been fond of long car rides. So listened to music non-stop. (note to self next time have more than just 6 CD's in the changer, or better yet, get a new car that plays MP3)
We concentrated more on packing and making sure everything fit in the car. But music--music is just as essential as luggage sets when traveling.

Well one of the CD's we listened to over and over was a "best of" the Beach Boys.

Among all oldies, it is the Beach Boys that I like the best. Carefree, upbeat, and fun fun fun. No serious love, its all about flirting, getting in trouble with the parents, school, dating, crush, cars, beach, girls---it's all about being a high school student in the 1960's in California (where else). And that's exactly what I love about their songs. I hate sad and overly sentimental songs (as most oldies songs are) so I like that theirs is free of that heavy drama (that "Laura and Tommy were lovers...." song just drives me crazy)

I guess one of the more serious songs of the Beach Boys that's making an LSS (last song syndrome) ride on my head is "When I Grow Up to Be a Man"

When I grow up to be a man
Will I dig the same things that turn me on as a kid?
Will I look back and say that I wish I hadn't done what I did?
Will I joke around and still dig those sounds
When I grow up to be a man?

Will I look for the same things in a woman that I dig in a girl?
(fourteen fifteen)
Will I settle down fast or will I first wanna travel the world?
(sixteen seventeen)
Well I'm young and free but how will it be
When I grow up to be a man?

Will my kids be proud or think their old man is really a square?
(eighteen nineteen)
When they're out having fun yeah, will I still wanna have my share?
(twenty twenty-one)
Will I love my wife for the rest of my life
When I grow up to be a man?

Here they are performing it live in the UK ( I Get Around and When I Grow Up )

Book Craving

I'm so thrilled that Anne Tyler has a new book, "Noah's Compass". Anne Tyler is one of my favorite authors. Her works have that warm and witty appeal that I just cannot explain. Real feelings, real mundane situations. The feeling that I get when reading her works, I can compare to the feeling I get whenever I watch my favorite movie of all time, "As Good as It Gets". Simple stories with human reactions.

Her image could be misleading. Her book covers are all ho-hum and don't really give her words justice. But I'm ever so glad that I read my first Tyler novel 3 years ago, and haven't looked back since.

I have yet to get a hold of Noah's Compass. I have a ton of books in line on my to-be-read shelf tier. And honestly, it's been a long long while since I've read a book that really stayed. Paullina Simon's "The Bronze Horseman" was good, it probably is the latest hard-to-put-down book I've had in a while. But still, I'm craving for that book that will get me staying up late and give me voluntary dark eye circles.

I'm going camping for a few days tomorrow and will be taking with me 3 books (The Book Thief, Shantaram, and The Secret History). I know I won't finish them all, but it pays to have a 'back up'.

Jennifer's Body

should be more aptly called "Jennifer's (a) Bore" really.. I spent 2 and so hours watching this and I fell asleep. Great cast, great soundtrack..ridiculous plot. And boring as hell.
It's one long eye candy for sure. Only the best weight loss pill for Jennifer's body, brought to life by the foxy Megan Fox.

The plot is very R.L Stine/Christopher Pike--all great concepts and stories which as we all know, are best left to remain as printed words in a pocketbook than the reel.

The song in the movie, "Through the Trees" is very catchy though. It sounds very much like a Rico Blanco/Rivermaya composition. Hear it for yourself.

To Shop or not to Shop

Era (aka Princess of CJ) has very kindly given me a heads up to this link, opening up the idea that the Demi Moore cover of W Magazine , was not only photoshopped, but that Demi Moore's body was completely replaced by another woman's (supermodel Anja Rubik)


Well first of all, let it be said that ALL (and I mean each and every) magazine covers are edited and photoshopped. They are NEVER published in its raw image.
Save for this Women's Weekly issue which stars a non-edited/airbrushed photo of Sarah Murdoch: (which I think was still photoshopped just a TEENY bit)

Anyway, back to the Demi Moore cover. While the body angle is similar, and of course, they are wearing the exact same garment, I don't think that its been necessarily REPLACED.
Photoshopped, YES, but not superimposed.
For one, why do a complete superimposition when Photoshop trims and slims perfectly?
I think Demi Moore has made it worse when she tweeted the "real and untouched" photo of the cover (it was basically the same photo cover without text and titles).

I'm not a fan of bashing stars and celebrities just because they're beautiful or because they've had surgery or too much makeup, but I think they should also give credit where its due, and truthful (in this case, photoshop!)


I think Demi Moore is one of the most gorgeous actors of our time, and she may have had the perfect 10 body but even the most effective workouts, surgery, and best diet supplements cannot stop a human body from the natural process of ageing.