Easter. Plus a Ranty Mc-rant.

Hi All, and happy Easter/ Pagan Festival of Fertility or something...
{and a warning that some of this might be ranty and controversial}

It's been a quiet old weekend in Cilla-ville.
Thursday was a busy old day, but intentions were good to make hot cross buns in the Thermomix. By Thursday afternoon, HCBs were purchased for the event that I could not be arsed.

Friday morning - lo and behold, I could not be arsed, particularly not after Boot Camp!

Anywho, back to Thursday evening, I went out with a good girlfriend for a cheeky wine or two, a nice din-dins, then to the Princess Theatre for the comedy show, Puppet up.

It was basically a mix of Jim Henson/ Muppets-esque Puppetry, improvisation and lots of rudeness and swearing. It was cute and naughty and hilarious and very enjoyable.

Saturday involved house-hunting, traipsing through the same bunch of properties as a bunch of other aspirant home buyers.

The whole idea of house auctions depresses me a little. The ultimate sale price of a house often bears little resemblance to the estimated sale range given on the ad.

Give me a private sale any day.

Anyone with a good story of an auction can feel free to share it, though.

Then some shopping in Doncaster Shoppingtown, followed by a chillaxed dinner at Bar Fred. If you are down in Melbs you should come with me.

Kate and Wills and Bubba G are in the country.  Kate's frocks have been crashing websites.

I think this number was from LK Bennett. It distresses me somewhat that I know this. Plus she wore her hair up. She looked pretty.

Essentially she is an objectively pretty, non-threatening, lithe lady with great fashion sense who had very good luck with meeting a royal and squeezed out a photogenic male heir.

Why all the idolatry? Is this the metric by which women should be measured? (I think it is, but it should not be).

Does she add anything tangible other than a bit of sparkle? Are we that in need of a bit of sparkle?

The saddest thing is, she is far more interesting than Wills (Prince? What prince?), who is as boring as batshit. But he flies a chopper and (in theory) rescues people. That has to count for something

On a slightly different ranty vein, a relative of mine who recently had a baby said that having a baby is the highest blessing there is, and that it is "wrong" when children get sick, and on that basis we should all dig deep and donate to the Good Friday Appeal for the Royal Children's hospital.

This raised my hackles on a number of levels.

The whole "having a baby is the highest blessing" and "the hardest job there is" thing gets to me a bit. Those types put their child's photo up as their own profile pic on social media, but whinge about the trials of parenting. They hint at how their life has far more meaning now they have children. I probably sound a bit churlish here, but a few out there will see where I am coming from. I won't go into it too much.

Suffice it to say that the mothers I admire most are people like Sydney Shop girl, Faux Fuchsia and Mrs Woog. Their blogs inject the whole craft of mummyhood thing with a big dose of sanity, humour, joy and humility. Most of all, they retain a strong sense of themselves, and manage great careers, social lives and friendships. It is what I aspire to, if and when I am lucky enough to become a mummy.

It is indeed heartbreaking when kids get sick, unimaginably so. The RCH gets millions of dollars in donations. That is fair enough.

I work at the other end of the age spectrum and there are most certainly not those kinds of resources coming in. Without saying too much, it would be nice if this group, who are at the end of worthwhile lives and have paid taxes and borne children and seen hardship, got some of the same monetary resources, and a place in our consciousness.

Anyway, that is me for tonight.

In Bella-dog news, she has gotten very cheeky. She helps herself to the kitchen benchtop. She got her paws on some chocolate eggs (not too many, chocolate is no good for dogs) and hot cross buns. She also brings her bones inside to chew on, but, in the absence of bony chews, the remote control will do. The fella gets cross with her, and the dog gets very sheepish, but he can't stay mad with her for long.


Also, I have had this Johnny Farnbottom song in my head. It is kind of nice but kind of annoying

You are welcome.

Blog Tag!

 Hello, and happy Good Friday! I hope you are enjoying it, wherever you are. x
SSG put me up to this.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 


This morning, about 8:15, for Bootcamp. Got rained on.  
2. How do you like your steak? 

Medium.
With fancy herby butter, a hollandaise or bearnaise sauce, or some hot English Mustard (it cures what ails ya)
 
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? 

I saw Dallas Buyer's club on the 'plane to Malaysia. Great acting.

4. What is your favorite TV show? 

House of Cards. All the way. So brilliantly acted. You already know my opinion on Kevin Spacey.
So You Think You Can Dance
The Blacklist with James Spader.


5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? 

Somewhere near my loved ones. I am happy here in Melbourne. I love travelling but feel connected to Melbs.

6. What did you have for breakfast? 


Peanut butter and honey on Sourdough Multigrain toast. That cures what ails ya too!

7. What is your favorite cuisine?

Depends what I am in the mood for - French, Italian, South Indian, Vietnamese, Malaysian....But often I just love a bit o' simple home cookin'

8. What foods do you dislike? 

I can't think of any at the moment.....

9. Favorite Place to eat? 

So, so many!
For Breakfast - Julio, Fitzroy North. Great Bacon.
Near Work - Lip, Ivanhoe.

 

10. Favorite dressing? 

Good old olive oil and red wine vinegar, with salt and pepper.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? 
Hyundai i30. Red.

12. What are your favorite clothes? 

My witchery jeans, dressed up with heels, a nice top and a blazer.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? 

Turkey, Israel and Jordan.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 

Full- always.

15. Where would you want to retire? 

Near my loved ones.

16. Favorite time of day? 

The morning of a weekend - around 7 or 8 am.
17. Where were you born? 

Melbourne. I know. Melbourne Born and Bred.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? 

The tennis, in the summer.
19. Bird watcher? 

In Sri Lanka, I loved watching birds. But not generally.

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? 

Morning.

21. Do you have any pets? 

Bella Pumpkin. Such a lovely little girl, but doing sleep-farts at the moment. Yuck.


22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? 


Off to Europe in June.
I am in "pre-trying-for-baby" preparation - have had blood tests, pap smear booked etc. Need to buy those vitamins.

23. What did you want to be when you were little?

Architect, Doctor, Hairdresser.

24. Are you a cat or dog person? 

Dog.


25. What was your last drink? 
Coke Zero. I needed the buzz!

26. Always wear your seat belt? 

Yes, I feel funny without one.

27. Been in a car accident? 
Only little prangs.

28. Any pet peeves? 

Cold people. People for whom everything is everyone else's fault. Grumpy or hateful people. Inconsiderate people.

29. Favorite Pizza Toppings? 

Sausage and Broccolini, at 400 Gradi in Brunswick. It's the shizz.
Also at Bar Fred, they had a pizza with chorizo, pineapple, red onion, capsicum and chilli. That was also the shizz but they've taken it off the menu.30. Favorite Flower? 

Roses.

31. Favorite ice cream? 

Movenpick Vanilla Bean Icecream.

32. Favorite fast food restaurant? 

Fish and Chips. Or Fush and Chups as my Kiwi Fella says.

33. How many times did you fail your driver's test? 
Just once!

34. From whom did you get your last email? 

My fella. To catch up for a meal on easter Monday with friends.
35. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? 

I have not done that, but it would have to be a travel related spree - a luxurious guided tour in France or some such.
36. Do anything spontaneous lately? 


I am quite a spontaneous person. Some might say impulsive. But yes! This trip to the UK/France in June is a spontaneous thing.
37. Like your job? 

My word. It's stressful and frustrating at times, but I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else.

38. Broccoli? 

Broccolini.

39. What was your favorite vacation? 

Cuba. Sri Lanka. Had a ball.

40. Last person you went out to dinner with? 
Last night, my girlfriend M. We then went and saw a show.
41. What are you listening to right now? 

The whirr of my washing machine, the heater going. I like silence and white noise.
42. What is your favorite color? 

Dusky pink, Deep red.

43. How many tattoos do you have?

None.

44. How many are you tagging for this quiz? 


Hmmm...
Ruth at Clothing fixations.
I can't say Naomi (CSW) or Shauna, as they can't at the moment.
Heidi Apples


45. What time is it? 

3pm, good Friday.

46. Coffee ?? 

Always. Plunger in the morning, Moccona to build up a head of steam at work.


My favourite phrase of the week is "you can't put off what you have already done". With this in mind, I am going to finish off the tax/salary packaging stuff I was doing, plus some chores. 
Have a great one x

Funnies. First World Problems.

Well Helloooo!

I have been meaning to blog, but every time I go on the computer I feel I should be writing my thesis. Hence I have been staying away from my computer and having a nap instead.

But perhaps I can warm myself into thesis writing by writing a blog post.

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is on at the moment. I have been and seen a couple of shows - Colin Lane (of Lano and Woodley) and Tom Gleeson (of The Project fame). Tom Gleeson was probably the funnier, and he performed to quite a large room. Always good to have a good larf, though unfortunately I often start wheezing and coughing when I do that! First world problem....

I managed to catch up with Flora Fascinata on Monday, she was visiting from Brissie. We had a lovely lunch and chat. Always great to meet fellow bloggers in the flesh.

Things are moving forward with the work developments, and I am looking to go part time with the PhD. My fella said that doing a PhD was like running a marathon, and having run one I would say it was right - at the beginning you feel bullet-proof and like a bit of a hero; in the last third, it it just bloody hurts and you sometimes wonder why you did it.

Another first world problem.

I have managed to procure some help for the grunt work so hopefully that will free up some time for me to write....(not nap).

The fella and I have been discussing holidays, trying to get some time to get over to Europe and see some friends (some bloggy friends of mine...one of which is not too well at the moment...)

Yet another first world problem.

In amongst this excitement, we have been house huntin'! Did you know mortgage translates to Death Hand in French?

We moan about the costs, but we are mainly looking quite near to the city. We may have to suck it up in terms of location, price and "niceness" of the house. Again, this is a first world problem. A DINK problem.

The doggy is good. Her little personality is shining through. And I took delivery of my boots.

So, tell me about your first world issues...

Cilla's current picks.

Here are some bits and bobs I am loving at the moment....

1. Bella dog.

She is such a lovely little soul. Some people came around to visit and were very enamoured, despite the fact that she was a bit timid with them. She wags her tail when we speak to her, shakes paws and sits. She sleeps on her little dog futon during the day, and has doggie dreams, doing little woofs, twitches and leg movements in her sleep. I wonder what she is dreaming about. Probably chasing cats.

The dog has blossomed since she came to live with us. I have noted a change in my fella too - he can get quite stressed out with work, but the dog never fails to make him smile when he gets home. One of their favourite things to do on the weekend  is go for a long walk, then to the pub for a beer.

She is still a bit whingey at night when she sleeps outside, but she has found a little nest outside under some trees, where she has hidden some bones and toys for later use.

2. These boots

I got them on the net from Anthropologie. I have asked around for ideas to style them. I am very excited to take delivery of them.

3. Embellished Jumpers from Decjuba.

I picked up this one from The Iconic.
They may very well look good with the above boots.
And a close-up of the detailing:

I have been on the lookout for embellished tops recently. This one fits the bill for me nicely.

4. Exciting new directions in my work

As the PhD approaches its end, hopefully in about a year, I will have space to fill time, hopefully with more profitable activities. I have had some discussions here and there, and some exciting options have emerged. I will be seeking more details about them soon; it is still in the planning stage.

I am glad I did not go straight into full time work after getting fully credentialled - the PhD has given me a good bit of time to think about what I really want to do, how I want to work and how I want to balance it with more important things!

5. Boiled eggs as snacks.

Boil a few eggs on the weekend, and have them as snacks. Protein is much better than carbohydrates at filling you up. You will thank me for this later.

Eggs went out of vogue a few years ago, but they are now here to stay as the dietary paradigm shifts.

6. Cauliflower "rice"

This image from nom nom paleo

You whizz some roughly chopped cauliflower up in a blender/food processor/old skool with a knife till it is about rice-size. I then put it in a microwave container and zap for 2 minutes to cook. I then saute it with oil and add onion and garlic with fried-rice type ingredients, or I have it with worcester sauce and mustard. Feel free to add other vegies in too.

I am not a big fan of rice, I find it a bit bland and white rice lacks many nutrients other than carbs. I am quite happy to eat this in place of it.

Things I am less enthusiastic about:
-the humidity in Melbourne, and the return of summer.


What about you? What are you enjoying at the moment? Share!

11 Things.

I was put up to this by Ruth.

There is this thing going around blogland tagging people to share 11 random things about themselves.

Here goes.

1. I have nice strong shiny hair, but small, weak, brittle nails. I have had lots of ingrown toenails. A good manicure is an elusive thing. I have a nail related inferiority complex.

2. I had acne from the ages of 14 to 20. It was yucky and precluded much in the way of puppy love. This may explain why I did so well at school. It cleared up with a certain type of pill. Then a couple of years ago I developed perioral dermatitis. That cleared up after a dermatologist prescribed medication.

I am going through that awkward stage between 13 and 40.

3. My friends can rely on me to pick a good restaurant and a great bottle of wine at that restaurant. It's one of my talents.

4. I can't decide on a favourite food. I like most foods. I am not a big fan of fish, except the deep fried variety. I can do a little tin of tuna for lunch. I am also not that big a fan of Japanese food. My favourite cuisines at the moment are Mexican and south Indian/ Sri Lankan. My favourite food and drink match at the moment is Tiger Beer with Chicken Satay sticks - I had a few of these in Malaysia.

5. My favourite books are Shantaram, by Gregory Roberts, and Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides. I usually go for books on the iPad, but at the moment I am reading an old-skool paper book, Life after Life, by Kate Atkinson.

6. I don't watch much telly, but my favourite shows are Offspring, So You Think You Can Dance, Rake and The Blacklist. I also like to watch Bondi Vet with my fella, and we do voice narrations for the animals.

I am obsessed with House of Cards at the moment. I tried to like Breaking Bad but it is too depressing.

Ok that totally comes across as though I watch a bit too much telly. 

7. I never went on a plane till I was 20. It was a flight to Sydney, to a placement in country NSW. Despite this I have caught up, and have now travelled more extensively than most folks I know. On my wish list are Turkey, Israel and Jordan. I would also like to see more of Australia, seeing the top end and Kangaroo Island.

8. I have a British Passport, obtained through my father's UK birth. It was quite hard to get my hands on all the required documents as he had passed long before I was of passporting age. But I am nothing if not determined.

Anywho, it's really easy and quick to go through Heathrow.

9. I have a fondness for pickled vegetables. Pickled onions. Beetroot. Gherkins. Even Kimchi.

10. My first memory was of tying a knot in a big bit of foil and being super proud of myself. I might have been about 3 at the time.

11. My signature statement lip colour is Rebel by MAC. I also go a red lippy occasionally. If you had not tried Rebel on you should.


12. My first car was a 1976 Datsun 180B. It was baby poo mustard coloured and had a white vinyl roof. It had no radio, heating or air con. It only drove, and then only occasionally

13. I can't count to 11. I also like to break rules.


Our little dog has a bit of bronchitis. She is on antibiotics, bless her. She has dry skin and is a bit skinny but we will fatten her up a bit.

A New Family Member.

For a while now, the fella and I have been discussing getting a dog.

So we made an impromptu visit to the local dog shelter.

And I fell in love.

Introducing Bella Pumpkin.

She is a staffy x kelpie x lab??

She was very quiet at the shelter. Very shy. A bit timid and frightened of my partner. She moaned when, after we met her, she was locked back in her cage. I sat with her, and she put her paw up and we shook hands.

The fella was not initially taken, thinking she was too quiet and shy. I think they have made friends now, and she has opened up to both of us. We don't know her provenance but we know she was stray and she has had a litter of puppies and she is about 2 years old. She sits and shakes hands and is toilet trained. She whinges when she is apart from us. Instead of her tail being between her legs she now waggles it when we speak to her.

She has made herself quite comfortable, see?

Look at this cute little face:

I look forward to lots of adventures and cuddles.

In other news, I am making a few difficult but positive steps towards better health. Watch this space.

Greetings from KL

A quickie as I hate typing on the iPad!

Am in KL for the world congress on obesity. I went because a. I wrote a poster to present and b. my supervisor let me.

Most poster presentations are of little consequence, and mine was no exception. Though some really failed the "so what" test. Maybe they just wanted an excuse to travel, too.

My colleague, however, should have been given an oral presentation, as it is the culmination of her PhD, and the findings are paradigm shifting. She will aim to get it published in a big shot journal.

It has been nice travelling with some colleagues. One of them bought her dad along, he is nearing 60 and hadn't been os before. He is luffing it sick.

This is the 3rd time I've been to KL.
a few short and silly observations:
1. It is hoooooooomid.
2. They have sephora stores. Sephora rules.
3. I have noticed a few transexuals (male as female) about the place. It must be difficult to be transgendered in a conservative Muslim country, or indeed anywhere.
4. There is a covered, air conditioned pedestrian bridge going from outside my hotel to the convention centre, about 1km. How cool is that?
5. A lot of Malay words are very similar to English words.
6. Things are about 1/2to 2/3 the cost back home. By things I mean food and beer. Most other things are equivalent
7. We are all being encouraged to pray for MH 370. It is a lovely gesture- Norsemen in secular countries.

Anywho. Johnny Farnbottom was the bomb dot com. I had forgotten how good his songs were and I sung the shit out of them. I even got a bit emotional at "touch of paradise"- funny, I that wasn't ever my favourite of Johnny's!

Bye for now! Xx