OH HOLY SHIRT!

Official Twilight teaser trailer released! HERE!

If I was trying to reach 100 books read by the end of this year, I'd be well on the way. I currently stand (and this count has no doubt excluded a handful of books that I can't remember the titles of right now) at having read 46 books already. =D

( The list - maybe there's something new for you here? Ask if anything catches your eye - or google, then asked me what I thought... )

I'm currently re-reading Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows (J K Rowling). I have The Thief Lord (Cornelia Funke) on audiobook for the drive home ...

I introduced eneit's youngest son to the pleasures of licking the bowl after someone has baked something sweet. At under one, just, he has been corrupted.

eneit and I were baking - her famous chocolate mudcake (viciousdisorder, in that post is my chocolate cupcake/muffin recipe*) and orange muffins. I dipped my finger into the bowl a few times and fed Daniel some of the mixture.

After the baking was complete, and we had moved onto the mudcake, we walked away from the table for a few minutes. eneit was mixing the mudcake, and I was ... well, I was probably checking out LJ.

eneit turned back to the kitchen and burst out laughing. Daniel had leaned as far forward as possible in his high chair and grabbed the bowl that the orange muffins had been mixed in, and the spoon, and was licking both!

Smart child.

*I keep wanting to mash the two words together ... but I don't like cupmuffin, and muffcake =X is just downright wrong. lmao!

When I stayed with ph8 and her man, a few weeks ago, something happened to remind me of the lovely thing about long term relationships.

What I really like is the way a couple who have been together for quite some time know about each other's "spoons".

"Spoons?" I hear you say.

Yeah, well, it seemed as good a word as any, and actually comes directly from the occurrence that sparked this post.

When a couple have been together for quite some time it usually follows that they know each other's little quirks and personal preferences, and usual cater to them for each other without needing a reminder or to be asked.

Case in point - we were serving up dessert (tasty, tasty, mini-pavlovas for those who must know) and I watched ph8 get out spoons. Two normal dessert spoons for herself and me. One teaspoon with an extra long handle for her guy. So .... "spoons".

I love it. I like that part about relationships. Especially when both people remember these sorts of things for each other.

I'm standing up in Jennifer Fallon's place for the christening this weekend as she's unable to attend. I'm her ... agent? Proxy? Representative?

I'm selling her soul.

Well, actually, we're not entirely sure if she has a soul, so I'm promising that she will provide a soul - ownership of said soul is irrelevant.

Anyway, Jenny has asked eneit to find me a sparkly, shiny ball of some kind to hold that will represent her soul. Last night, I dreamt about it.

I lost Jenny's soul, with ten minutes to go before the christening. Panic stations. I was tearing up and down the main street of Culcairn looking for a shop that sold shiny, sparkly glass balls or some kind, or even just a tiny tiny glass bowl that I could put a tea light in. Otherwise, no soul.

I didn't find one in time. But I woke up before I had to go into the church.

Whew.

I'm in the middle of re-reading Twilight (Stephenie Meyer). I'm enjoying it as much as the first time, but noticing a bit more that some of the development of the plot is a little abrupt or not as smooth as other more experienced authors ... and also I noticed one page where I think her editors should have been made to re-read the page a few more times than they did (although, it's a good indication of how much pull the story itself had that they missed it).

It's also a pretty good indication of the story and her tale telling that this first book of hers was picked up for a movie (due out 12/12/08 in the US) ...

I've discovered that the books are available in audiobook format. Yay. Unfortunately iTunes is not selling them in Australia, so I have to go through audible.com or emusic.com (I know the former definitely offers all three in the Twilight series so far, but not sure about emusic.com yet).

Also. The irony of marking my place with a few garlic bulbs (while pausing reading to help eneit with dinner) does not escape me.

Mmmm .... Edward Cullen. =D

Yay! I turned off my iPod, ran the batteries flat, and it seems to be working again after I recharged it. Woo!

Oh Sari, what fool thing have you done now? Why, I permed my hair on advice from my hairdresser...

The Whole Story:

Once upon a time, a Chinese man and an Australian woman of European-descent had a daughter. As a baby, the daughter had slightly Asian eyes. As she grew older, she resembled more and more her mother. In the tussle for control of physical features, Chinese genes battled Caucasian. In a less-then-well-planned move, the Chinese genes decided to launch their attack against the Caucasian genes at the base of the child's skull which was covered by her very, very curly hair. Unfortunately, the Chinese genes exhausted themselves battling against the Caucasian curly hair gene and the Chinese genes were not able to battle any further. Therefore, when the child grew up she looked completely Caucasian but for one lock of hair at the base of her skull that was dead straight.

Ok. Translation.

I have this one piece of hair that remains consistently straight and hangs beneath the rest of my hair which is (naturally) curly. It's almost as though the 50% of me that is Chinese tried to make my hair straight as a starting point for looking half Chinese but was so overwhelmed by the curls that it only managed one piece of hair and couldn't go on to make me look Asian anywhere else on my body =D

It is a source of frustration for me. I know it's there. I know it's hanging below and looks flat, or like I missed a spot when I was curling my hair etc. So, my hairdresser and I discussed it. We permed it to be much more in line with the rest of my curls.

Yay!

It's a little bit difficult to know what to get some people as thank you gifts sometimes. One person I want to thank is easily sorted. Two others, I don't know what to do. Arrrrgh. Except, I think I've just had a brainwave for one of those people. Yay!

Now just to nut it out for the last person. I saw something I thought was really pretty and lovely except it wasn't purple and an open flame in the garden is probably unwise. Sigh. I'll dream about those for when I have my own home.

Raaaah.

I'm looking for recommendations of authors I have or haven't read before, primarily their work that I haven't ready before. This is intended to give me a few names to search around for audiobooks for my return trip to Adelaide.

Currently looking at getting The Time Traveler's Wife. Any other suggestions?

The house my parents lived in, when I was born ... ( House! )

I had a simply brilliant weekend in Canberra. I stayed with the knowledgeable, entertaining and utterly loveable gillpolack. (Seriously, I laughed a lot! And I kept turning to Gillian and saying "I have a question that I think you will know the answer too!" and every time she did!).

There were various home-made liqueurs, salt & vinegar chips, lemon roast chicken (oh my tastebuds), chicken soup, a-tasty-but-unspellable Jewish pastry with honey, lemon and poppy seeds. There were dvds (Stardust) and anime movies (Spirited Away). There was reading, and more reading! And there was a Folk Festival that was attended with some dancing, a lot of watching people dance, a lot of eating (poor Kitten ended up with eyes too big for her stomach and couldn't finish her dinner - what a waste!) and a lot of browsing of stalls.

I left with more food than I arrived with (Gillian and I made chicken soup/broth/stock, I took some of the unspellable Jewish pastries - yum, and by the by still good, GP, because I knew you needed to know, plus the remaining food I had brought to Canberra originally). I took lots of awesome photos at the Folk Festival - one or two of which I shall post in the next day or so. I bought a beautiful amber necklace as a keepsake.

I also relished the opportunity to cement a friendship which had, until now, only been an online friendship. It was fascinating that a comfortable rhythm was settled into within half a day of being in Gillian's company. No photos were taken of us together, which was an oversight and is a shame! So, I will have to visit again and not make the same mistake.

Well, I will remember. I owe pictures of the house my family lived in when I was born. I owe pictures of some of the elements of the Folk Festival. I wish I had taken more random "location-y" shots rather than just shots of the performers ... but never mind. I am resigned - I do need a new camera as the shutter speed on this digibomb just doesn't cut it (for me) any more, even though it's only 1.5 years old. Must save.

Well, I've been bitten by something. I felt the sharp sting and within thirty or so seconds, I had a raised and tender red lump on my back just below my left shoulderblade. Ow. gillpolack to the rescue. She gave me ibuprofen (my first taste) and teatree oil. The swelling subsided, and even reversed to some degree, within ten or so minutes. Awesome. We've also have several very in depth discussions on allergies versus sensitivities ... and how to manage both. It's been very beneficial.

We noted that we have slipped into a comfortable elder-younger sister pattern. It's nice.

We plan to go to the folk festival tomorrow. Should be exciting. In preparation for being blissfully happy but probably very tired and sore, we have cooked Ming's Master Chicken Broth to be reheated and eaten with rice when we come home. It is less the bay leaves, as it's the only spice gillpolack couldn't locate, but the broth appears to be working anyway (as gillpolack said, in the scheme of things, it's probably the better spice to be missing - or words to that effect). Mmmm tasty.

I had anticipated, on my arrival, that I would probably be withdrawn and shy in the presence of gillpolack's other Friday night guests ... but to my surprise, it wasn't. Well, I was certainly more open and interactive with the first two guests, and then when the last two guests arrived, the group had increased enough for me to find it significantly less easy to make or develop a connection with the individuals. Still, it was very fun, and I kept up with the conversation - I was very proud of myself because there was quite some ranging and high-intellect-y topics touched on over the course of the evening.

Also, there was medlar liqueur (yum! and I and one other guest helped ourselves to seconds, a fact which seems to have pleased gillpolack immensely), kosher wine (...), and aged peach brandy (super tasty, I could have drunk it allllllll night). All very tasty. The medlar liqueur was in fact made by gillpolack and I am very impressed with it - she says that with more time, the bite of the brandy will mellow until (I think) is it s not bitey at all. I am impressed.

I just got to taste gillpolack's cherry liqueur. I'm honoured because she doesn't pull it out for everybody. In my mouth it lifted as though it was going to have bite but suddenly melted away softly to leave the taste of cherries and no sudden sharpness that you get with other liqueurs. It was an experience and ... a few minutes on, I'm still tasting the fading cherry flavour on my tongue and enjoying it.

It occurred to me that I should tell you all that I am safely at gillpolack's in Canberra. I'm loving it =D

Further to this post - http://kittygopounce.livejournal.com/292670.html - my answers are:

1. "...this is my life, it's not what it was before..." - Staind, So Far Away
2. "...I've been this way with so many before but this feels like the first time..." - Joshua Radin, Paperweight
3. "...live on the outside, I'll help you through your pain if you help me through mine..." - Little Birdy, Relapse
4. "...hold onto me please, don't you let go of me..." - Hurt, Danse Russe
5. "...but I don't want to sleep without, so I bid you goodnight..." - Coheed & Cambria, The Velorium Camper 1: Faint of Heart
6. "...but I've learned to go with the flow and thats what the flow wants to do..." - Lior, Autumn Flow
7. "...and she'll never cover up what we did with her dress..." - Marilyn Manson, Heart-Shaped Glasses
8. "...your smile rolls away for miles, and your kiss makes it worth the ride...." - Kyuss, Writhe
9. "...and it calls me back into the safe arms that I know..." - Powderfinger, Waiting for the Sun
10. "...my hours are slumberless, dearest the shadows I live with are numberless..." - Rezső Seress, Gloomy Sunday
10. "...can you feel the hype, can you feel it in your body-oh..." Black Eyed Peas, Feel It
11. "...I'm from the hard knock academy, automatically had to be..." - Sean Biggs, Never Gonna Get It
12. "...first time that I saw your eyes, boy you looked right through me mmm mmm..." - Fergie, Clumsy
13. "...take it back in time when forever was a minute, and eternity was a second..." - Alicia Keys, Wreckless Love
14. "...ridin' in the drop top with the top down, saw you switchin' lanes girl..." - Justin Timberlake, Summer Love
15. "...to see life as a fun and take it if we can..." - The Cranberries, Ode to My Family
16. "...last year’s wishes are this year’s apologies..." - Fall Out Boy, I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me + You)
17. "...nothing can compare to when you roll the dice and swear your love's for me..." - Finlay Quaye, Dice
18. "...come on closer, I wanna show you what I'd like to do..." - Jem, Come On Closer
19. "...well, well, what do I say, looks like what goes around comes around..." - Nelly Furtado, Well Well
20. "...I push my fingers into my eyes, it's the only thing that slowly stops the ache ..." - Slipknot, Duality

1. "...this is my life, it's not what it was before..."
2. "...I've been this way with so many before but this feels like the first time..."
3. "...live on the outside, I'll help you through your pain if you help me through mine..."
4. "...hold onto me please, don't you let go of me..."
5. "...but I don't want to sleep without, so I bid you goodnight..."
6. "...but I've learned to go with the flow and thats what the flow wants to do..."
7. "...and she'll never cover up what we did with her dress..."
8. "...your smile rolls away for miles, and your kiss makes it worth the ride...."
9. "...and it calls me back into the safe arms that I know..."
10. "...my hours are slumberless, dearest the shadows I live with are numberless..."
10. "...can you feel the hype, can you feel it in your body-oh..."
11. "...I'm from the hard knock academy, automatically had to be..."
12. "...first time that I saw your eyes, boy you looked right through me mmm mmm..."
13. "...take it back in time when forever was a minute, and eternity was a second..."
14. "...ridin' in the drop top with the top down, saw you switchin' lanes girl..."
15. "...to see life as a fun and take it if we can..."
16. "...last year’s wishes are this year’s apologies..."
17. "...nothing can compare to when you roll the dice and swear your love's for me..."
18. "...come on closer, I wanna show you what I'd like to do..."
19. "...well, well, what do I say, looks like what goes around comes around..."
20. "...I push my fingers into my eyes, it's the only thing that slowly stops the ache ..."


I stopped at 20 because I ran out of songs. The idea is, you look at the lyrics and tell me the name of the song it's from. Don't google the lyrics, that's cheating. Don't check the other comments of people who've already answered. That's cheating too.

I don't tag, but anyone who wants to do this can. It's fun =)

Friends of mine, a married couple, are in Sydney for their wedding anniversary. I collected them from the airport and delivered them to their hotel - not without some backtracking and the like (I knew there was a reason I avoided driving in the Sydney CBD). I parked at the hotel and then walked around the CBD and Darling Harbour a bit with them to help them find some dinner and see a bit of the place at night and bustling.

While waiting at a corner for my girlfriend to throw a street performer a few coins, my gazed wandered and I found myself glancing at the patrons of a bar/pub. Some of the patrons sat inside at the open windows, and some at tables outside.

At the table nearest to us sat two young men having a drink together. The one closest to me, young, cute, trim, looked up, held my gaze for a moment and then raised both of his eyebrows and grinned before winking at me. I blushed, I believe, and looked at the ground. But then I remembered a friend of mine had told me I ought to smile more, and that doing so lights up my face. I thought this young man deserved to at least be dazzled then. So I raised my eyes to his and then smiled at him for the brief moment before my friend finished with the street performer and the light to cross went green.

What an absolute ego boost. I wish I'd had the courage and thought to drag my friends into the bar for a drink to see if he would approach me... =(

I must be a glutton for punishment. I'm going to yoga again tonight. Well, also because I paid my $20 and it's "all you can handle" yoga for ten days. Ugh. I want to make use of it though. Sigh.

More. Yoga. Bah.

Well, my cousin talked me into taking a Bikram yoga class with her. I've been afraid of yoga for a very long time for (I am told) a very silly reason. I'm afraid I might accidentally fart. Aren't other people afraid of this too? (If any of you tease me about this fear, I will not be very impressed).

But my cousin assures me this won't happen. So, I'll give it a shot.

Also, today I did a few more units of my traineeship. There are some questions I can't answer. But still, I've done quite a bit. I just need to make myself focus and actually sit down to do it.

I'm hoping that exercising will make it easier for me to settle and focus more frequently. After all, the more I settle and focus, the sooner I will finish it! And that can only be beneficial for me (plus the exercise too, hehe).