Cuppacakes

I read a design blog called Bloesem , which always has really cool stuff. But who knew there was a whole section of design devoted to cupcakes!?

I love these. mmmmmmm




They're made my a Malaysian company called Wondermilk, which is also a shop/cafe in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia.

The Idiot Box

Not sure why I'm thinking about TV this evening, perhaps because I've had a pretty full on day - good day , but full on.

But anyway, thought I'd blog about my favourite TV shows...

Grand Designs (8:30 ABC Tuesdays, or on Foxtel all the time)
Ok so generally, renovation shows aren't all that good, and I basically disagree with the rampant materialist notions that guide them. BUT... I do love Grand Designs. I think because most of the projects are so fantastical that it's more about the process of seeing something so unbelievable come to fruition. There's also the drama that big architect-builds bring (pretty much every episode is over-budget and off-schedule). Interesting to see how people justify spending so much money on an object, particularly when it usually causes every other aspect of their life to spin into chaos. It also helps that the presenter is a dapper englishman ;) He is a great narrator, always turning the builds into stories. And he's not afraid to confront the owners with the negative side of their project.

Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (No longer on free to air!)
Yes, he's arrogant and insulting, but boy can he earn people's respect. I love this show because it's a great study of human nature. People have dreams for their restaurants that cloud the practicalities, so they end up broke and depressed. Enter Gordon Ramsay: he gives them a kick up the back side and tells them to face the reality. Normally they're really hostile at first and super defensive. Then when they realise he has their best interests at heart, they back down and LOVE him. I think Ramsay's a great example of commanding leadership. I think he needs to chill out and not be so personal sometimes, but generally, he is a great leader, particularly of men. I also like his show The F Word, but I like Kitchen Nightmares more. Not a fan of Hell's Kitchen.

The Cook and the Chef (6:30 ABC Wednesdays)

The ingredients are usually totally obscure (finger limes, sea cucumber etc etc) but they're such a cute duo. Maggie, the quintessential gourmet home cook mother figure, and Simon the rough diamond from the restaurant world. They always come up with yummy looking stuff, plus their theme song is hilarious - think high pitched operatics... Jo and I always try to sing along, and fail.


The Mighty Boosh
(see my previous blog post)


What are your fave shows?

Another secret out...

I really like AM radio!

At least, I like ABC 702, particularly James Valentine and Richard Glover. I could take or leave the rest of the presenters, but those two are just so clever. Particularly James - I love his offbeat humour, which is surprisingly popular. As an example, I remember a few months ago they had a whole segment about mythical creatures you wish existed and why. Ahhh AM radio.

The Mighty Boosh

So excited, the 3rd season of the Mighty Boosh began running on SBS last night at 8:55. So funny.

Is anyone else a fan?

It's basically a surreal sitcom, that can't really be explained. You just have to see it - definitely a love-hate thing. I love it. Especially their songs, otherwise known as crimping.

I personally have a massive crush on Vince's hair. Not so much his lycra suits!

My favourite moment from last night? The song about the eels at the end.

"eels up inside ya
findin an entrance where they can
eels up inside ya
findin an entrance where they can

elements of the past and the future combining to make something not quite as good as either..."

Bring on the storms

I love cold weather, but I really am looking forward to Spring. I'm also looking forward to Summer, and Summer storms.

When I was at high school I got really into science for a little while, well... pop science (Stephen Hawkings, Carl Sagan, that kind of science..). And one of the things that sort of came under that umbrella was a passion for stormy weather. I pondered becoming a meteorologist, until I realised that would involve data analysis in a boring office. What I really wanted was to chase storms. NOT Twister syle. But just to experience them. So when we were asked to do work experience, I emailed the NSW storm chasing society, asking if they were a profession, and could I tag along. I didn't actually want to pursue a career storm chasing, but if I could justify two weeks of chasing storms, then why not!? Well, the boring end to this story is they never got back to me. So I did work experience at a music magazine, and there began my interest in journalism. Slightly different career path to meteorology...

As parents do, mine latched onto my brief interest in storms and gave me this tragically bad dvd called "WILD WEATHER" for Christmas that year. It took me about 18 months to have the courage to watch it. I still have it, I just can't throw out something they gave me.

What phase did you go through? Did your parents buy you a matching present as bad as mine?

Gestures of kindness

Well, after last week's gesture of kindness from one of my students, who dropped by with a get well soon pack, I have been humbled again by a couple from church who would be embarrassed for me to identify them on here. But they made me a bunch of cookies, and wrote a beautiful card, for no real reason except to say thanks. Very sweet. And the cookies are really good...

Thanks guys, it's totally undeserved!

Snail mail

I love receiving mail. I experience pretty childish excitment when my name is on a handwritten envelope! I think most people do.

And I'm happy to say I've received a few cards and letters lately, and it's been so lovely. They're mainly from friends in Orange, which is so nice.

It's good to know in a world of constant, and meaningless communication, we can still hope for a tangible word or two.

ps. The term Snail mail reminds me of when we used to get snails in our mailbox.

The Last Supper

Tonight's our last big event in our existing church building. Next week the building work to expand the facility begins. We've called it The Last Supper, and we're going to be celebrating the ministry that's happened there since the late 1800s. It's going to be fun - thai food, and moments of nostalgia. And we're doing communion together, over dinner.

I took a few shots of our small staff meeting yesterday morning for posterity's sake. I took the wrong lense, so the photos aren't great. But anyway, here's a few piccies of the chapel area, which overlooks the church, and of the church being set up for tonight.

The front sign


Laterns in the chapel area hang from the roof (there from Cath's wedding last week, but fit with tonight's theme of Asian)





Having staff meeting yesterday morning


Dominic


Leanne


The church mid-set up

Am I just slow?

I have to say, I've been surprised how enthralled I've been with some of the Olympic coverage. I particularly enjoy the gymnastics. Anyone who can hold their body up with just some arm muscles while suspended in the air having competed on four other apparatus gets my vote.

But I just don't get the scoring...

You know, you're watching the dude swing round and round the high bar, doing a kick, a pirouette, a turn, and the commentators are all like "mmm ooh ahhh oohh mmmm" and making calls on things that are invisible to my eye. Sure, some things are obvious = you fall off, you lose. But in terms of what the judges are looking for I have NO IDEA.

Oh well, I just like watching them, go round and up and down. And round and up and down, and bam.

Unlike the Yo-Yo Craze, Unlike the Knucklebone Phase

I think I mentioned a while back that I bought tickets for some friends to see Peter Coombe for their birthdays, and I went along? Well I finally got the photo evidence from Jane. So here we are, me, Peter Coombe and Jo, my housemate. He was slightly drunk when we met him, and tried to say sophisticated, which didn't really come out right. Slightly weird meeting a childhood hero under such circumstances, but it was still pretty awesome!

NB: If you have no idea who Peter Coombe is I hereby de-friend you. No, just go wiki him here

Feeling a lot better

Thanks for all your messages of sympathy. Thankfully I can stop whinging, because I haven't had a temperature in 24 hours. YAY! I decided to rest today as well, just to make sure. I've still got a cough that sounds like I've been smoking for years, but that will go away.

I'm actually getting into the Olympics, funnily enough. Didn't think I would, but the swimming has been quite exciting, mainly because we're not guaranteed gold in every single event for once.

But the highlight of today was around 9:30am - I was in bed, but got a message from one of my students saying she was outside my door, was I home. I thought I'd messaged her yesterday to say I couldn't meet up with her, but said ok and answered the door. She knew we couldn't meet up, she'd just come to give me a get well soon present of soup, tea, chocolate, a little note and handmade earrings!! What a surprise. So lovely of her... awwww

Made my heart melt!

Slightly delirious

Sadly i'm still sick. And I have a feeling I'm not getting better. I made a bad decision yesterday and went to work, and then rushed to Cath's wedding yesterday (which was beautiful! and I didn't want to miss). But the whole day I was drugged up to suppress the temperatures I keep having. I ended up coming home feeling terrible, shivvering, but sweaty. Bad bad bad. I tried to keep a distance from people, but yeah I think I should've stayed home. But I so didn't want to miss the wedding.

Anyway, I'm paying for it now. Sitting here, sweating feeling so hot in the middle of winter. GARGH. Today was the first day since wednesday I didn't have a temperature during the day though. I slept for about 5 hours this afternoon, and I don't know if that means I'm getting better or not. But I now have this fever, even though I've taken two panadol.

I don't think I've been this sick before. It's like the flu, but worse than I've ever had it. I just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel at the moment, and I'm feeling quite despondent.

I don't want to miss church and work, but the Dr said I needed to rest. But when will it go away? He said the tracheitis virus that's going around lasts about 6 weeks. I just can't fathom that. And the Olympics just aren't doing it for me right now...

** The LOL cat is to cheer me up. See more at www.icanhascheezburger.com

ugh

I'm not very well at the moment, I've had a cold for about 3 weeks, and it's now turned into a nasty chest infection with fevers and everything.

But to make it worse, yesterday I broke my tooth, eating an olive! It had a pip in the middle, and I bit down hard. Luckily, the tooth isn't very sore, but it makes eating really hard.

Plus today I have to go the doctor, for this chest infection, and then the dentist. So not what I feel like doing right now. (I feel like sleeping)

Although, it'll be good to see a dentist for the first time in what feels like about 3 or 4 years! hah naughty..