Popcorn and Paper Cranes

Shopping Wish List

2010-11-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Since starting a new full time job has opened up a whole new avenue of shopping avenues for me. This is kind ofo both a good and a bad thing.

But it has allowed me to indulge in a whole bunch of new baking gadgets which has been totally awesome. I've really enjoyed progressing my baking skills (or.. lack thereof?)

Some of the new baking products I've picked up recently include

-a heart shaped spring form cake tin (picked up quite cheaply on a brandsexclusive sale along with a few other things...)

-star shaped cookie cutters (from chalet. these are great because I can use them not only with cookies -i've made gingebread with them so far-; but also cake decorating. i used them for a friend's birthday cake on the weekend (fondant stars) and they looked and tasted great)

-proper icing bag with different tips (from chalet. turns out a proper icing bag and the right icing texture makes a huge difference). i've been having lots of fun experimenting with different kinds of buttercreams. i'm keen to try out swiss meringue buttercream, but i'm still a bit too chicken because of the raw egg factor..

-three same sized cake tins from Aldi. i bought these for about $3 each which was a great bargain, but because of the way they are designed, cake gets stuck in the ridges of the tin everytime i use it and was nearly impossible to clean properly, so i ended up tossing them after two uses.. fail! However, it did give me some good experience with layering and stacking cakes. I've tried torting the cake layers before, but i didn't do it right and the icing soaked into the cake, creating an overly sweet, strangely marbled cake. I will hopefully stock up some more of these cake tins, but the proper ones this time.. Which don't appear to be too expensive, fortunately!

A couple of things I'd love to add to my collection sometime soon

-A cake turntable. Buddy from Cake Boss says that these are essential to cake decorating and I can see why. Something like this but I've seen far cheaper models around on the net.

-Proper cake tins so I can do stacked and layered cakes with ease. Some of the best bake blogs I've seen online swear by the cheap ones (as in, non spring form and non loose base).

A bit more fancy tools that i've been drooling over include

-a fondant imprint mat. I love that you can create beautiful designs so easily> And since I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to that sort of thing, imprint mats are quite appealing. $50.90 is a bit overpriced for an imprint mat though, I've seen them going for about $20 on other sites.

-Letter shapes (for cookies and fondant). I'd also like them to use on buttercream so I can trace letters (again, icing noob.. i swear my icing writing always comes out awfully messy..)

-A fondant smoother to smooth up ruffles.

I had the fun of experimenting with fondant for the first time the other day. I had planned on making an NRL themed cake for a friend and was planning on buying the canned fondant stuff (the Orchard brand) for Coles to make that part of the plan a bit easier on myself. Somehow I ended up at a shopping centre with no Coles and only a Woolworths and for some odd reason, Woolies does not stock any kind of fondant or similar. I ended up making a panicky phone call to a friend to ask her to google how to make marshmallow fondant (which I had previously read about as being quite easy to make). Apparently it consisted of only marshmallows and icing sugar - pretty easy right? So I stocked up on marshmallows, sugar and food colouring and went home with, well, the best of intentions.

Ok, so the end result was pretty good. It tasted great, coloured well and gave a fairly smooth finish.

The problem was getting there. I melted the marshmallows, as per The Internet had informed me, stirred in blue dye, added the due amount of icing sugar and mixed. And mixed. And mixed. It was still waaay too sticky. At this point, The Instructions had said, it should be too difficult to mix and should seem somewhat like a sugary dough. My mixture was still goopy.

I added half a cup of icing sugar. Made no difference. Abandoning all hope of being neat, orderly and properly measured about this, I threw the rest of the icing sugar from the whole bag into the bowl. It was hard to mix. That should do it, I thought, pleased. The instructions told me to put the mix onto a flat surface and knead with icing sugar until smooth and no longer sticky, like bread dough. Sadly, since I was doing this at my boyfriend's house and I do not trust any surfaces to be hygenic enough to actually lay food on, I had to do this all on a small, freaking chopping board.

"Ok, I can do this", I thought.

I dusted the 'dough' with extra icing sugar, ditto my hands.

Idiotically, I dove in with both hands. and attempted to knead it.

I came away with two covered in blue goop hands. It was very hard to wash off.

I sighed and added another half a cup of icing sugar. Still not much success. Finally, I broke off small pieces of the marshmallow fondant and kneaded them separately with icing sugar until I finally reached a desired consistency.

By this time, both I, the kitchen stove and all the heating elements, the floor and the bench were all heavily dusted with the dust that is powdered sugar. There was probably some sweat and a vague sense of failure mixed in with that too.

Finally, I got to the stage of rolling out the fondant to cover the cake. First batch stuck hideously to the chopping board (which I had lined with baking paper to try and avoid this, surprise, surprise - it did not work), so I threw out that piece of paper and tried again. This time with a slightly more insane amount of icing sugar on top of the paper. This batch rolled out with slightly more success. Finally! Using a rolling pin (just like they do on TV!) i laid the fondant over the cake. There were a few cracks (unavoidable.. sadly also unfixable) leaking chocolate icing, waay too much fondant on one side of the cake and a bit less on the other, bit ruffly bits and yes, the cake layers were tilting (this is what happens when you don't have even layers and runny icing.)

Disaster? Possibly. Do I need more practice? Absolutely. Do I still love it, despite the constant setbacks? Of course! Bring it on, baby! Here's to not being so disasterfull in the future :)

Been about a year..

2010-11-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been about a year since I've posted in this blog. It's been a bit of a big year. I've graduated uni and started working full time, which has been responsible for the big abyss where all my free time used to be. I'm currently on a lunch break that will be ending soon. Hopefully i'll be able to keep this blog still updated and running (alongside my cooking blog, cookingcrusade.com).

I can't believe I'm going to be 23 in a few weeks - scary!

Continuation of a birthday list...

2009-11-14T05:11:00.000-08:00

I know I said that I didn't want much for my birthday, but today I stumbled across this AMAZING cake decorating supply site. Originally, when I had a look around the site, I assume that it was American (thus placing all of it's amazing products afar, far out of my reach due to enormously ridiculous p&h fees), but after awhile I realised that it was in Australia!

hurrah!

And on top of this, they ship anywhere in Australia for $10, up to three kilos!!! -sigh-. pure, total happiness.

By the way, in case you were wondering, the site is CakeDeco.com.au.

They have some seriously awesome stuff on there.

I've been drooling over these choice kitchenery items...

A Collapsible Cupcake and Cake carrier..... I saw this on an American site the other day and it looked awesome! And they have it here, in Australia!! Oh pure, pure joy.

This Wilton's Dessert Decorator looks like it would making icing and decorating cake's and cupcakes a breeze. Since I'm a mega-noob at icing things prettily (and sooo want to be able to do it properly), this would be awwwesome. I've tried the pipe-bag method before, but .. it didn't go down all that well. (this could be because i bought crappy cheap bag + the icing I made was properly too runny..) but really, WHO KNOWS? I know, i'm a victim to capitalism, better products will totally make my life better.. *cough*

the most glorified kitchen item of all... the kenwood stand mixer. At a cool $700.00 AUD, I think it's pretty shiny-ness makes it oh-so-alluring. I don't know how much I'd *really* use it though.. My mum bought one ages ago (a similar brand) and she *NEVER* uses it unless she's making a cheesecake. I also do really like mixing things by hand. But I do also have a pair of electric beaters (I was so excited when I bought them, FINALLY I could make lemon delicious, souffle's and whip meringues and cream..).

I also really want a baker/pastry blade. I know you can buy them at King of Knives (they had something similar on cakedeco.com.au, but not exactly what I was after..) and I"m not sure of its technical name .. But I could use it to easily cut butter and brownies and cakes, as well as use it for a scraper (for scraping things. obviously. duh.)

Cakedeco.com.au also have all manner of brownie accessories (pans, cutters, hand held batter blender, tins..) oh, all kinds of things.

Another cool thing I've seen at cakedeco.com.au and also I saw them in Cherrybrook Alfresco Emporium are these amazing metal bundt pans that have these really amazing intricate designs on them. You can make all kinds of shaped cakes, like, a rose cake, or a train cake, a castle cake... all sorts of things.

You can check out some of their range on their site. Some of the stuff I was talking about is listed in their Bundt Pro-Cast Bakeware - Core Basics page and there are more on their Platinum Collection Cast Aluminum Bundt Bakeware - Core Basics.
You can also find them on the cakedeco.com.au site.

Although these look amazing, already I can see three (or maybe four..) problems I would have with these bundt tins.

1. You couldn't line the pans with foil or baking paper. It just... it just wouldn't work. And I like lining my tins with paper or foil before I bake away because it's easier to clean, the cake lifts right and peels really easily off the foil/paper.
2. You'd have to super grease the tin before pouring a cake mix in and what if the cake batter didn't align properly with the tin? It would be misshapen. On top of that, I can easily see how tins with such intricate design would accidentally break off smaller parts of the cake when removing (especially without step one.) That would be annoying as well as totally ruin the whole point of the tin.
3. How do you ice these cakes? I guess you don't always ice bundt cakes, but it would be nice to have the option. Even dusting with icing sugar or cocoa would probably distract from the original design. This takes away from any creativity you may have when making cakes (which I think is half the fun...)

Finally, I think it would annoying having this cake tin. It's expensive, and I like to get my money's worth out of my kitchen's utensils. But I mean, how often are you *really* going to be making a cake shaped like a rose or a castle or a train? Even if you make cakes routinely (which I often do, for church), it loses it's special-ness if you're always making the same design. Anyway, that's just my thought on those tins, as awesome looking as they are..

Another thing that would be useful, would be a shopping trip to Kathmandu. I'm planning for a trip to Japan in Feb and it's going to be freeeeeezing. I'm going to be there for a whole month, so I'm going to need some cool travelling stuff (since I'm planning on taking my backpack) and some stuff to keep me seriously warm!>

Hm, I suddenly feel very tired. I was out with the boyf getting chicken and lamb souvlaki for dinner (joyy.) but consequently am now very.very.very full. We got a litre of french vanilla ice-cream from the shops with the intention of going home for dessert with brownies, but am now waaay too fulllll =)

gooodnight bloggerland. xo

Keepin' Cool

2009-11-03T04:29:00.000-08:00

Phew!

Spring seems almost certainly over and Summer is definitely making its presence felt.
It is heating up like crazy -they say it reached 37 degrees C today here in Sydney and boy, was I sweltering...

To minimize the heat, I've tried a number of things (since unfortunately neither my parents' place in Harbord or my boyfriend's in Croydon have air-conditioning...) to cool down.

making lemonade! by: combining equal amounts of lemon juice + caster sugar, microwaving it for about two minutes, adding a couple of tablespoons to cold water and ice cubes. deliiicious.
drinking copious amounts of iced water
walking through air-conditioned buildings to get to class at uni instead of walking outside
surrounding myself with miniature frozen cold packs, until they melt, or placing them inside my t-shirt
taking quick, cold shower
taking up residence in front of the fan or in deliciously cool air conditioned trains
fanning myself desperately with a piece of paper or with my hands
lying in wait, hoping it will storm and break the heat
sleeping with no doona, just a sheet
ice-cream, ice-cream, ice-cream! if there's ever been a better time for it.. if i had those make-at-home ice pole sticks, I would probably be making frozen fruit juice.. mmm.

Some of these have been fairly successful, some ... less so.
How do you keep cool these summer days?

22nd.

2009-10-21T02:58:00.000-07:00

Vasectomy Vs. Tubal Ligation

2009-07-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

When it comes to a point in your life, you may think about considering Tubal Ligation (tying the fallopian tubes) or a Vasectomy in yourself or your partner as a form of permanent sterilization.

There are quite a few pros and cons of each.

Pros of a Vasectomy
Chance to reverse the procedure (However, this can be quite expensive - cryogenic freezing of sperm is more recommended).
Offers between 0.1 and 0.2% of pregnancy occuring (higher than Tubal Ligation).
Generally minor, quick and painless surgical procedure
Cheaper than tubal ligation
Extremely low chances of death during surgery (about 1 out of a million will die during a vasectomy)
Can have it done at the hospital after a birth, if wanted

Cons of a Vasectomy
Post-Vasectomy Pain Syndrome - between 5 to 35% of men experience multiple forms of groin pain from their vasectomy (which can last for a lifetime.)
Approximately 5-11% of men regret their vasectomy
Some men experience depression and anger at the loss of their reproductive ability
Short term bleeding and bruising may occur
Sexual desire found to be diminished in approx 10 (or more) percent of men who have undergone a vasectomy
Does not protect against STDs

Pros of a Tubal Ligation
Extremely low chances of death during surgery (about 4 in 100,000 - still higher than a vasectomy).
Can be performed during a C-section (tubes are exposed during surgery)
About 99% effective in the first year after the ligation
Reversable in about 98% of cases

Cons of a Tubal Ligation
More invasive form of surgery opposed to a vasectomy
Slightly higher chance of death during surgery in comparison to vasectomy.
Does not protect against STDs
Can affect menstrual cycle, hormone production and libido

So, vasectomy or a tubal ligation? Only you can decide (along with your partner and doctor) what is the best decision for you to make.

sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubal_ligation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasectomy

My Fave Accesories

2009-07-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

Every girl has a few key accessories in her wardrobe that she can use as true classics again and again. Here are a few of my faves.

I'm a university gal and I'm always on the run and don't really have the time, money or effort! to bother putting together a really sleek, elegant look. So comfort is one of my main motivators. That means no heels, eye or lip makeup (or any makeup, generally..) and most jewellery.

One of my fave accessories is a simple black headband with teeth. I get mine from Sportsgirl for 5.95. The reason I love it so much is that it pulls back my hair when its on its second day of washing and is getting a bit lank. It's also fab for the gym when I'm throwing punches in the Fitness First body combat classes I attend every week and keeps the hair out of my face.

Mine looks a bit like this -->

With the exception of teeth, which I find is important to grip my hair back properly.

Another wardrobe fave is black tights.

Since it's been quite cold lately, I've been out and about in my tights quite a bit. They're perfect to add to most outfits, shorts, skirts, under a tunic or longer shirt, or just by themselves. They also go perfectly with my fave pair of cowboy boots, which is next on my list.

I got my boots from Rubi for about $50. I have always found it rather difficult to find boots that fit my legs properly, so i was delighted to find a pair of chunky cowboy boots that are incredibly comfy and look good, too.

Why pay lots for hair clips to pull your hair back? I found a bunch of cheap hair clips to help you curl your hair with at Priceline (about $3 or so for 4 clips) which are just as good as regular clips that are twice the price for just one Octopus clip. They also have the added bonus of helping you curl your hair ;)

One last accessory that I've been liking at the moment are black beads. They're cheap, you can get them from $2 stores, or you can go to costume jewellery stores and pay a bit more (even though it's the same thing.). Easy to wear and a fun accessory, I've always liked beads.

Some other handbag essentials at the moment include :
Chapstick.
Alcohol gel hand wash.
A small bottle of sunscreen.
[occasionally] some hand-cream.

What's in your handbag? What are your fave accessories? :)

My week so far...

2009-07-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Came home after M and the others picked up the washing machine and the bedside tables back to Croydon.
W and J came over - I met J at the mall intending to cook later, but I never did. We spent five hours transferring files to each other - pure nerd-ness.

Monday:
Spent time at the apartment measuring stuff.
Went to combat at FF in DY where there was a new teacher, who was surprisingly good. It's always fun to have a change.

Tuesday:
Didn't do much today. Met up with Luke for coffee (by which I mean, hot chocolate) at Gloria Jeans' at the mall. Chatted for awhile and then I picked up some ingredients for a slice to make for J's for Wednesday night and some other random things (including a new acrylic -ergh- jumper and the first Sookie Stackhouse novel) which was rather exciting. So far, it's an excellent read, and the series appears to have done a fantastic job matching the novel. Later on went to Vinnie's, where I picked out a hilariously tacky late 80's / hopefully early 90's shirt that I'm going to wear to T's 90's farewell party on Friday. It's a technicoloured nightmare with massive tacky, puffy sleeves. My mother begged me not to wear it, but I reminded her that it had to be tacky (after all, there's no point going to a 90's party looking *good*... or so I assume.)

Wednesday:
Made slice in the morning, but I used too much butter / condensed milk and the caramel was waaaaaaay too runny although it still tasted the same. Note to self: keep practicing. Mind you, the last 2 times it was perfect. Everyone thought it was fine, and someone commented it seemed more 'desserty' as a microwaved form. Interesting. Also, massive sugar overload. J made a spag bol and we watched Hocus Pocus, followed by bits of Hairspray, which is always fun to watch. Was a bit sad, because it was the last dinner we would have with T, who's moving to Perth for a couple of years for her degree this coming Monday. She will be very sorely missed =(

Thursday (tomorrow.):
Possibly meeting up with Dad for lunch in the city, although haven't had a call from him since yesterday. After that, I should be meeting up with Mike and maybe seeing Bruno. Might have to go grocery shopping in Burwood.

Friday:
Meeting up with S and my gorgeous god-baby. Won't be at church this week because I'm going to visit a friend in Canberra for her 21st but I'll still get to see them.
Run back to my area to J's place for T's farewell 90's party.
I need to remember to get a card and a present for R's birthday, and maybe a farewell card for T. R's party is a dressup for musicals, I'll probably need to get something for that as well...
After T's party, get back to J's and stay the night.

Saturday:
Leave for canberra.
Go to R's birthday.

Sunday:
Drive back to Sydney.

Monday & Tuesday:
Probably start doing apartment stuff..

Holidays seem to go so much faster when I have stuff to do..
Hope everyone is having a good holidays, or if no holidays, a good work week! xo

Filipino Food Wish List

2009-06-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

Although I'm Australian grown, I was born in Hong Kong to a Filipino mother and an Australian father. Since my humble beginnings in 1987, I have since been exposed to quite a bit of Filipino culture (whilst visiting the Philippines quite a bit over the years with my mother). To my ultimate shame, I don't speak Filipino. I'm also not one of those people who can't speak the language but can write or understand it. I fail. I only get a few words and my cousins laugh at my failed attempts to communicate with them. Fortunately some of them speak English.

Anyway. This post is about Filipino food. I love Filipino food. It is the best stuff on earth. I grew up with quite a bit of it, although since my mother didn't spend a lot of time with her parents and siblings in the village, she didn't really learn how to cook much traditional Filipino food. But she has made a few things. Otherwise I have to wait until I go back to Pampanga to experience the real stuff from my aunts.

Over the years, I've resolved to teach myself to make some of the basics, but it's quite difficult - a lot of the super important ingredients aren't available in Sydney Australia. What's more, a lot of Filipino food contains some form of pork. Since I'm a Seventh Day Adventist, i tend to avoid pork and other pig meats. And unfortunately, some Filipino foods just can't be substituted with another meat. Fortunately there are a few foods that I can nom to my heart's content..

Here is a list of some of my Fillo faves ;
Pancit canton (Chicken and vegetable noodles with a delicious sauce based on the Filipino lemon - calamansi. Can also include seafood and pork, which I omit).

Chicken adobo (can also be made with pork or beef. chicken broiled in a tasty sweet/sour sauce based on soy, garlic and vinegar. can also include potatoes and onions. delicious with rice)

Pancit palabok (tasty thin rice noodles topped with an orange sauce (which i've prevs only used a packet to make.. seriously not sure what is in it, i do mean orange as in colour, not the fruit) and then topped with other tasty ingredients such as boiled egg, shallots, and then shrimp, dried fish flakes, various other seafood iteams and then sprinkled with pork chicharon (deep fried pork crackling, ground up).

Sinigang na baboy (literally means sour pork soup. fortunately, this is easily subbed with fish. sinigang is a sour paste that is made of tamarind. filled with tasty vegetables, actually quite healthy).

Pancit bihon (noodles with chicken and vegetables, similar to pancit canton but different noodles and different sauce base)

Marinated bangus (milkfish).

Caldereta (a beef dish made tomato paste.)

Lugao (filipino version of Chinese congee.. yum).

Filipino desserts:
Leche flan (Filipino version of Creme Caramel, made of many, many egg yolks, condensed milk and evaporated milk, poured into an alfoil tin with caramel/toffee crusted on the base, then baked or steamed.)

Halo halo (combination of icecream, filipino canned fruits, leche flan, jackfruit, sweet beans, crushed ice and coconut, milk. seriously delicious. Chowking make.. possibly the best halo halo.)

Bilo bilo (small dumplings made of rice flour and cooked in a sweetened coconut soup. can also include banana turon or sweet potato such as taro or just a red sweet potato.)
can also be called / other alternative : Ginataan (with more ingredients.. e.g. sago, jackfruit

Maja Blanca or Maja Blanca Mais (coconut pudding with or without corn. basically coconut milk, thickened with corn flour and sugar, with creamed corn if you like.. deliciousss).

Halayang Ube (purple ube jam). Grated / pureed ube with condensed milk.

Bibingka Cassava (delicious cassava baked cake).

Palitaw (small rice cakes dipped in a mixture of coconut / sugar &/or sesame / sugar)>

Cassava cake.

Turon (small sweet bananas with brown sugar and jackfruit wrapped like a spring roll in pastry and deep fried).

I don't recall ever seeing / these in the Philippines, but i seriously love ube. So these sound great..

It is one my goals to one day perfect each and every one of these.. wish me luck !

Hair Perm

2009-06-22T07:05:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't want lusciously gorgeous goddess curls?
Personally, I'm after something like this :

Obviously it would be fantastic if I could just wake up being as gorgeous as Kim Kardashian, but unfortunately, life ain't that easy.. =P

I would love to have some gorgeous curls.
However, I do not have 1) any idea how to use a curling iron properly 2) proper curling iron 'tools' for the job 3) the patience to sit down and spend ages curling each hair perfectly.

so it seems like a perm would solve all these problems.

hopefully i'm going to research more into it and figure out a solution ; watch this space! :)

here are some useful perm links to look over if you're interested.
Some basic rules to go buy when thinking about getting a perm.

A whole bunch of tips and information on hair perms.

=)

My First Baked Cheesecake

2009-06-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

the other day i went to a barbecue with my boyfriend and I decided it would be a good time to make my first baked cheesecake. the picture isn't that great, and it wasn't the best cheesecake i've ever had, but hey, i'm still learning, right? it was still pretty good. i like having room to improve. the best thing about it was that it was super super easy.. Unfortunately I don't have my requisite step-by-step tutorial photographs, but that's because I ran out of time, because Mike and I had to rush to Tripod.
either way.. i present for you..

Super Easy, Delicious Cheesecake Recipe!
This recipe is incredibly versatile. I used some canned blueberries (but you could also fill it with other fruits and berries e.g. stoned cherries, cooked apple) to shake it up a bit.

Some other suggestions include:

Serving cheesecake plain, topped with fresh fruits (e.g. peaches, kiwi fruit, passionfruit, all manner of berries..)
Serve with a fruit compote.
Infuse plain cheesecake filling with lemon (or another citrus fruit) rind and topping with lemon sauce or lemon butter
Serving with chocolate curls.
Serving with a simple berry sauce (I like to crush/blend berries such as blueberries and raspberries, etc with lemon/orange juice and sugar, heating (microwaving / or on the stove) and then straining the seeds out. To thicken, simply warm sauce and add a mixture of cornflour and water. If the sauce is too sweet or thick, simply add some water and mix to combine.) Berry sauces are also lovely with ice-cream or other cakes and desserts.
Other options include serving it with cream and ice-cream but I don't really think it's neccessary for cheesecake. Cream and ice-cream is best with warm fudge brownies or a mud cake to even out the richness, but I think cheesecake is fine with just fruit or a fruit sauce.

Anyway, on to the recipe!

Biscuit base:
250g arrowroot biscuits (you could also use Nice biscuits, or add some caster sugar if you were after a sweeter crust, or chocolate biscuits for a richer base, but personally I don't it's neccessary).
125-150g butter (you can experiment with how much butter holds together the crust together for you.)

Filling:
750g softened cream cheese (to soften leave out in room temperature for about an hour, or just microwave for about 10-30 seconds)
about a cup of caster sugar
3 eggs
(i used) 1 can of blueberries

For crust, crush biscuits finely (using a food processor). If you do not have a food processor, you can use a blender or simply seal biscuits in a sandwich bag and go to town with a rolling pin (although this takes a lot longer and won't produce as fine crumbs.) But that's fine. Mix in melted butter with crushed biscuits. Press crumb mixture into a lined springform cake tin on the base and up the sides of the tin. Refrigerate for about an hour (or in my case, chuck in the freezer for about 5 minutes, lol.)

Beat together cream cheese with sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating on a low speed (incorporates less air and lessens possibility of cracks in cheesecake while baking). Pour filling into biscuit base. I then poured in the blueberries and berry juice in and attempted to swirl the juice in with the cheesecake filling in an attempt to create a marbled effect, but it was too runny & didn't really work.. oh well! probably try to thicken the juice next time. You could easily replace the blueberries with frozen berries (usually better quality anyway).

Bake in a preheated oven (at about 160-180C) for about an hour or until the cheesecake is firm, slightly browned at the edge and wobbles slightly in the middle. I also baked in a shallow dish filled with water to stop cracks from forming and to avoid burning the cheesecake.

Serve & eat with friends =)
Enjoy!

Tripod at the Sydney Comedy Store

2009-06-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

My lovely boyfriend spoiled me the other day and took me to see Tripod (who I am a massive fan of) at the Sydney Comedy Store. We had been to church in the morning and then after lunch, headed home on the train, where I had to quickly rush and make a blueberry cheesecake (which takes over an hour to prep and bake.. it was also my first cheesecake! huzzah) for a friend's bbq on Sunday and then dinner (Chicken and Gai lum in oyster sauce with thin egg noodles) - which was awesome and we'll have to definitely make it again. We had dinner with the latest episode of Naruto, which has FINALLY finished a filler arc and is back on to the regular storyline (phew!). Naruto Shippuudden has had quite a bit of filler since its beginning. So after dinner and cheesecake making, we drove the Sydney Comedy Store and got there at about 7.45pmish (the doors were meant to open at 8.30, but they opened at 8). We got drinks and sat in the bar for a bit, but I started to get nervous that a big line was going to start forming at the door (there was already about 3-4 people there) so we downed cranberry and pineapple juice at the speed of light and then lined up, which was fortunate, because about 3-4 minutes later, a massive line of people formed behind us. Surprisingly, they started letting people in at 8pm, although the tickets said they would open at 8.30, so it was lucky we lined up early. The people in front of us started letting their 'group' join them (which basically means about 6 or so people pushed in front of us) - which was annoying. The position we were in the line meant that we should have been sitting in the front row (since it was a first-come first-served basis) and since I'm a huge Tripod show, I've been in the front row for them almost every show I've been to. However, the seating for the Comedy Store was configured so that only a group of 4-5 people could actually sit in the front row, so we were stuck in 2nd with people in front of us. This really annoyed me, especially since they put people in front of us that were quite behind us in the line and I steamed about this for a bit, but eventually I got over it and it was actually good, because usually when I'm in the front row, I'm too nervous to take photos (since we're essentially less than 1-2 metres away from them, it's kind of obvious I'm taking heaps of photos, and as previously mentioned, Tripod aren't averse to heckling audience members..). So in second row, I took a good 90 pics and about 3 vids. Previously i've only been able to take about 5 pics or so, so this was great.

they played
Hot Girl at the Comic Shop
the Hot Dog Man
Mary-Anne (first time I've ever heard it live, which was cool)
Charlie (?) I'm not sure I'd heard this one before
I'm not sure that I (by Yonny) which I'm not sure I've heard before
Cuckold (which they asked the audience if they knew definition of. I replied 'Yes' and yelled the answer and they heckled me for knowing and asked if I'd had experience with it before) -- to be a cuckold is to be someone who has been cheated on, btw.. lol.
a Sea Shanty (which I may/may have not heard before..)
Scod singing a song about being Beautiful.. lol
Gonna Make You Happy Tonight (which I requested when they came back for an encore and they played it! .. after heckling me. lol. but yaay!) I talked to Scod after the show and I thanked him for playing it and he said "Thanks for requesting it! It was a good song to end with." -sigh-

And they were great. Man, I love hearing them live. The guitar and their voices are just simply fantastic. Tripod have fantastic harmonies. Forgetting the comedy, all three of them have awesome voices I could just listen to all day. I used to have a massive crush on Gatesy when I was younger and he still holds a teensy bit of attraction for me (especially the way he plays that guitar.. and his voice is gorgeous.)

I was tempted to grab the song sheet like I did last time, but I forgot and ran out to the merchandise table instead, lol - talk about being unable to concentrate..

I got my requisite pic with them as well, adding to my collection :)
Mike also got me a copy of one of their albums I don't have yet - the Songs from Self Saucing which has the following songs for $30;

Autistic
King Kong
Tall Man
Too Many Remotes
Lingering Dad
Theme from MASH Guy
No Daughter of Mine
Forgive me, Father
Suicide Bomber
Gonna Make You Happy Tonight

I am really loving this album at the moment (Self Saucing was a great gig which I unfortunately lost my DVD of lol), especially 'Autistic' and 'Suicide Bomber'. I also got it signed, which is always fun, but I always get a whole bunch of stuff signed by them. I think I have less unsigned Tripod gear than signed, keke. I think I still have my 'vintage' (first Tripod shirt) "If prostitutes don't kiss then why should I?' t-shirt tucked away somewhere in my room. =)
C

Staying Warm In Winter

2009-06-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Now that winter has arrived, it's been a bit chilly in Sydney.

It seems like a good idea to write a list on some ways to keep warm.

Things that will keep you warm this winter:

A good cup of hot chocolate, or tea. I love a good chai or peppermint. Even a cup of boiling water with a slice of lemon is quite nice.
Hot soup with warm, crusty bread. Pumpkin is always a fave.
Snuggling up in your bed under warm covers. If you've got a special someone in your life, cuddles under blankets are a lovely and practical way to keep warm.
A nice warm bath or shower.
Going to the gym always heats me up, especially during a warm-up session!
A roaring open fire to roast marshmallows, in a fireplace or a bonfire with friends
Baking. Seriously, staying in the kitchen with the oven on can get quite toasty.
A good hug (but can also depend on the duration of the hug.)
Layers and layers and layers of clothing. Ugg boots around the house. And old comfy jumpers, mmm. Scarves, beanies, mittens, extra thick socks - we only get to wear them once a year!

I nearly got a slow cooker the other day (but they sold out). So much for making plenty of hot soups and stews this winter, guess I'll have to keep resorting to 'borrowing' my Mum's Le Creuset pots. Hopefully will be posting up some yummy things to keep you warm this winter :)
Stay warm everyone :) xo
C

How to stay hydrated in winter

2009-06-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

Winter is here, Sydneysiders!
And you know what that means.

The sapping of moisture from our skin and our lips. Chapping and drying out of our skin and lips tends to happen a lot more in the cooler weather. This is because there is a lot less moisture in the air, and can also be attributed to factors such as
*heaters drying out the moisture in the air
*taking excessively hot showers, which saps oil from your skin (so it is better to just take warm showers.)

So how do we stop our skin from drying out?

Keep moisturized. Moisturize at least twice a day with quality moisturizer. Not just girls, but guys too! You have no excuses now that L'Oreal, Nivea, Clinique (and many more) have a large 'male' range of skin products.

Take warmer (instead of hotter) showers. The excessively hot showers (in an effort to warm up), strip the oils from our skin. Always moisturise after showers. Pat yourself dry instead of rubbing, which can also remove oils from the skin.

Cleanse with a non-drying cleanser (one that's not designed to strip the oil from your pores, a big NO-NO.) Suggestions include cream-based cleansers, which can be used in the shower or tissued off (which tends to keep the most moisture). I suggest a mild cleanser is generally best for most skin types. An excellent cleanser for guys and girls is Cetaphil, which is very gentle and not too expensive. It's also a good hand wash and can be used for babies.

I'm also a big fan of the OCM (Oil Cleansing Method) which is an awesome way to keep moisturised with all year long.

Avoid soap based body cleansers. Toss that bar of soap and switch it for a creamy liquid body cleanser. Its easier to apply and it doesn't strip those essential oils!

Taking essential oils and omega 3's have also been shown to improve skin condition, as well as assist with a whole other host of bodily functions, sounds good to me! :)

Keep your lips moisturized with a good lip balm or cream. I suggest Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour cream, (although this can get a bit pricey, around $50ish for about 50mls?), but there are other good options out there, such as Lucas Paw Paw ointment (which comes in tubs and conveniently sized tubes that last forever) which are a lot cheaper, and just as good. If you can't find either of these (which you'd be pretty hard pressed to do anyway), a tub of Vaseline or a plain Chapstick will do good for your chapped winter lips :) A good way to exfoliate your lips (and get rid of some dead skin / peeling skin) is to gently rub an old, soft toothbrush (after running it under warm water for a few seconds) on your lips for about 5-10 seconds, although I don't recommend this for cracked lips.

Use sunscreen. Just because there are more clouds about, doesn't mean that sun isn't shining through them. Sydney-siders should know that a sunscreen is an essential part of a good beauty routine, all year round. That sun can be a killer. Try and find one that's non-comodogenic (which means it doesn't clog your pores.) A sunscreen moisturizer will specifically list this. I tend to find that a great deal of facial moisturizers with sunscreen can tend to be heavy and quite greasy, a quality I highly dislike in a moisturizer. It might be quite difficult to find a non comodogenic sunscreen, but i'm quite sure that Neutrogena made (or used to make) one..

Drink plenty of water. The best way to hydrate yourself inside and out. While studies have shown that the 8 glasses of water a day is best is actually a myth, it is a good idea to keep hydrating yourself throughout the day. It's not hard, just keep a water bottle near you, whether you're working, studying or working out, keep your bottle filled up and you have no excuse :)

Apply a hand cream occasionally. I really dislike the feeling of my hands drying out, so lately I've been keeping a tube of hand cream in my handbag, along with my EA 8 Hour cream. It is very important to keep your extremities moisturized! You can find really cute tiny bottles to toss in your handbag at Priceline for under $5, so get going! A good foot rubdown with a minty lotion wouldn't hurt, either :)

Apply a body cream after showers. I like Palmer's Cocoa Butter which smells like cocoa (fantastic!) and feels silky smooth and gives my skin a soft, luxurious texture.

Happy hydrating! :)

Holiday Goals

2009-06-14T00:51:00.000-07:00

Things I want to do on the holidays:

Clean out all my old clothes / books and donate them to Vinnies or something.
Go to the gym a lot.
Try and eat a lot healthier.
See friends.
Make some kind of recipe scrapbook.
Look for work / money. Need.
Stock up on winter clothes. Organise old summer clothes and fold them away neatly.
Learn some Japanese!

I've done this already on Facebook.

2009-06-12T08:09:00.001-07:00

But i'm going to do it again.

'25 truths about me'.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.

1. One of my greatest fears is growing old without having actually experienced anything. Don't even ask me to define what 'experiencing something' actually is.

2. I desperately want to learn a second, third.. hell, tenth language.

3. I love learning about culture. I find anthropology interesting, enrapturing and inspiring, although I didn't when I first began it as a subject. I wonder if everyone else is like this.

4. I have no idea what I'm going to be going after I finish uni. Some would call that an opportunity. I call that 'terrifying'.

5. I really love shopping, especially for clothes and books. I enjoy wearing new personas and seeing myself through a different lens with different pieces of clothing I try on. I can imagine myself to be someone else, or choose an identity with every different piece of clothing or accessory. I believe that's a huge attraction for shopping for clothes/etc. for many people.

6. I love photography and taking macro shots and videos. I like re-watching old videos I took of family, friends and of Mike later on - it's the most real way of keeping the past. I secretly wish others would take more pictures and videos of me, so I can remember what I used to be like when I'm older. I don't like the idea of taking videos of myself and I hate the sound of my own voice.

7. I've always been extroverted and loud spoken. Teachers would always write that I never stopped talking in class on my school reports, even in kindy. Lol.

8. I love baking, but I don't like washing up =P

9. I am obsessed with organising and planning things although when others are involved I find it difficult to make decisions or to choose because I'm afraid I'll make the wrong decision for others, although I am fine by myself.

10. I would love nothing more than to be a ninja on Naruto.

11. I like to think that I can make good use of my time when I can. But I waste a great deal of it. I procrastinate a LOT during uni semester because I'm afraid of failing (even though this is fragmented logic).

12. I wish I could be smarter.

13. I'm allergic to polyester. So many things come in polyester. It sucks.

14. I reaaaally want a pair of ear-muffs, a woollen cap, mittens, fisherman pants and a cat-ear headband.

15. I love body combat. And get withdrawal symptoms when I miss a class.

16. I have a weird relationship with food.

17. My mood changes drastically depending on the level of stress I'm under.

18. I don't think I look Filipino at all.

19. How I was even born at all seems like a sheer miracle in retrospect.

20. I think I'm a pretty terrible writer. I wish I could write well, but can't bring it upon myself to string together words in a pleasing manner. In some ways I prefer writing essays to fiction since they're of a more analytical point of view, but I still think they sound awful.

21. Parts of me miss piano but I also realise that I was never really passionate about it, and I very rarely got to enjoy the perks of impressing other people; I was terrified of playing in public and used to panic and have a massive meltdown. However, I am proud of the fact that I manage to score two 'A' marks for my 5th grade of AMEB, and one was from a particularly narky adjudicator.

22. I really dislike 'teen' movies like Twilight. High School Musical. Hannah Montana and I can't really pinpoint *why* exactly. Maybe its the crotchety old grandfather in me, waving a canestick who shouts 'in my day, we didn't need crappy teen movies!' I remember watching 'not another teen movie' when I was younger, but it wasn't really anything like HSM or Hannah Montana..

23. I have long opinions on the following;
FGC.
Why I am not a fan of Twilight.
Advertising directed at children.
(most) Disney movies.
Abortion.
Human Rights.
and other stuff I can't recall right this second.

24. I have an intense sweet tooth and love things like cheesecake, brownies, fudge and pavlova, cookies & chai lattes. I wish I could be healthier and fear getting type 2 diabetes.

25. I don't drink, or smoke. I've only ever tried either less than the fingers on my hand.

I could probably keep going. But it's bed time. Till next time, suckas!

Kawaii!

2009-06-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

I'm planning going to Japan in Feb, 2010 with some friends.

Here is a list (which I may update) from time to time of things I want to do / see / foods I want to try.

Go to Osaka Castle & Aquarium (with a whale shark!)

Foods to eat..
Ramen noodles!
Dango!. Naruto made me want to eat ramen noodles and dango, except dango is meant to be like mochi and (from what I've eaten in Sydney), mochi is preeetty delicious.
Mochi..
JAPANESE CURRY. Possibly one of my most favorite foods since I went to Tokyo 2 years ago, I crave this delicious stuff. The best place I've found it in Sydney is a tiny Japanese restaurant is on Oxford Street in Darlinghurst (dondon.) Seriously. Awesome. Curry. Aside from that, I haven't been able to properly find (or cook .. that well) Japanese curry. I can't wait to go back and drown myself in it.
Katsu chicken .. and good teriyaki chicken. mm, Japanese food. Too bad I really hate

obsessed with food much? *cough*

ANTH380: Anthropology & Human Rights; What I've learned.

2009-06-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

I've just finished uni for the semester. in the end, I feel that you only retain so much from each $900-1000 subject.

So what did I actually learn from ANTH380? (aside from the fact that a lecturer is a hottie?)

1) Human rights & Anthropology are actually opposing forces.
Anthropology (when you really get right down to it) is simply the observing of other cultures, comparing it to our own and going 'well hey now. how about THAT. that's pretty interesting.' and walking away. it kinda talks about how in the past, particular cultures that have tried to change other cultures because they didn't like the way they were, or simply didn't view them correctly have ended in disaster, or at least had very long reaching effects (e.g. Orientalism, trying to change FGC without studying why it was in place originally, even the Jewish Holocaust). Hence, ANTH is all about a live and let live and observe approach.

THUS:
When we as the West see human rights violations occurring, we tend to march in either with our own government or with some kind of international crime court and demand that things be set right. But this is hardly an anthropological approach. demanding that 'wrongs' be 'righted' may be a kind of cultural relativism from the West's point of view. That is, Westerners are unable to see or perceive things from another culture's POV and thus cannot stand by while what they see as 'terrible things' to occur, even though they may not be considered 'terrible things' in the actual culture. A good example of this is FGC (female genital cutting). Who are we as any kind of culture to be able to tell what another culture should do? Are we somehow infringing inequality and dis-empowerment to another culture by insisting that they have failed and that a more "Western" approach is necessary? Surely that cannot be right. Since we as humans, are guaranteed to intrinsically fail things a great deal in our lives, it also seems incredibly hypocritical for us to point out the failings of others. Not just as individuals, but as a whole country. Take America for instance. Guantanamo Bay + pushing human rights on other countries = EPIC FAIL.

I really think that children and adults today should be more educated about exactly what is in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. People today really aren't aware about the kinds of rights they have and I think that's wrong. If I have kids, I'm definitely going to be pounding the UDHR into them.

(post unfinished)

What effects has the internet had on the character of the public sphere?

2009-06-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Since I practically killed myself writing this, I present to you my uni essay for my sociology subject: The Public Sphere. Enjoy.

What effects has the internet had on the character of the public sphere?

The public sphere has come a long way from its humble beginnings. New technologies have surrounded and lifted up the public sphere to new heights that reach various actors from all over the globe that was never possible before. In particular, this essay will focus on the technology of the internet in relation to the public sphere in regards to key sociological theorists such as Eva Cox, Jürgen Habermas and others.

Though the internet has not fully brought about a perfected public sphere, it has certainly built upon it’s potential (Gimmler 2001: 22); as well as brought about new ways for younger actors in the public sphere to interact. This essay aims to discuss the new phenomena of Facebook groups and the internet as a tool for young users to discuss public life, thus sustaining the public sphere for another generation.

To discuss the public sphere at length, it seems beneficial to have a key description of what the public sphere is. The public sphere can be defined as individuals who come together to discuss political, social and current issues in order to form opinions through the exchanging of information, and with the aim of gaining political influence (Bell 2007: 1). Trust and respect is an integral part to enable these discussions to run smoothly for the possibility of new ideas to integrate and develop with new actors. Eva Cox says that this mutual trust engenders an ‘affirmation of self that comes from working with others in a group’ (1997: 5) for the individual actor, which is brought about by the discussion of new and old ideas.

The public sphere began around the 1800’s and was formed in coffee houses, where men, rich and poor alike, would come to share opinions of art, literature, economic and political issues of the time (Habermas 1989: 31-33). However, the public sphere today has much progressed from the 18th C. Some theorize that it has come close to being almost completely disintegrated (Lumby 1999: 220-221). It seems that younger generations are taking less and less interest in public and community life today (Putnam 2000: 15). Some blame capitalism and the media (Lumby 1999: 220-221); Eva Cox (1997: 56) blames the lack of importance placed on social bonding today. However, undoubtedly, the public sphere has been slowly eroding over time. Does the internet build on or corrode the potential of the public sphere? Though there are many arguments that believe that the internet takes away from the public sphere, this essay theorizes that the internet has created a new niche for younger actors and the public sphere to flower in.

Limitations of the public sphere and the benefits of the internet

One particular way the internet has revolutionized the public sphere is it’s ability to integrate what used to be ‘minor’ actors in the public sphere, whose opinion may not have been valued in the public sphere 50 to 100 years ago. Women, who were once so excluded from the coffee houses, now have a much larger scope of the public sphere. Eva Cox (1997: 2-3) stresses the need for a stronger opinion of women in the public sphere. She argues that their exclusion takes away important aspects of the female point of view from an exclusively ‘male’ public agenda that was so integral in the older public sphere. This will be discussed in more detail in relationship to Facebook below. Actors from various religion, ethnicity and age whose opinion may have gone ignored in the past, can now also contribute to all kinds of online thought today due to the mass availability of the internet.

Using the internet as a discussion forum for the public sphere avoids some obvious flaws of the ideal face-to-face communication of the old public sphere. Some of the new avenues that the internet opens up for the public sphere is the opportunity for young people to create a personal spaces (e.g. blogs, Facebook groups) to participate in discussion of political issues (Vromen 2008: 79-80). The internet is a space that younger people can feel more comfort and ease within, where political online discussions are open are to debate for everyone, unlike many offline political communities and organisations, where younger people may not feel at ease in. Vromen (2008: 88) discovered in some of her interviews, that younger people admit to feeling more at ease with self-created online communities instead of local communities that are run by older people. Vromen also discusses in her paper that studies have shown younger internet users tend to be attracted to ‘novel, mixed media forms of political expression’ and ‘peer to peer networks and discussions’ (2008: 81). She also argues that younger users are attracted to organisations that are generally non government or profit led, and are created by users of a similar age (or was made with younger users in mind (Vromen 2008: 83)). Facebook entails all of these objectives.

The public sphere previously may have had problems with the congregating of actors in one space to discuss face-to-face, political and social issues. However, the net today eliminates problems associated with time and space in the public sphere. Conversations and discussions can be made speedily with an unlimited amount of people that were previously unreachable, across any nation (Norris 2002: 208). Eventually, physical public sphere interactions must end, and gathering with the same or another group of actors for further discussion may prove difficult. This is another problem solved by the internet, where discussions online can last, days, weeks, months. There is no possible set date for or need for, the end of a discussion, unless it has been fully culminated by the individuals involved.

The net also sharply reduces costs of interacting with larger audiences (previously only possible with television, publishing costs & media costs, etc (Bohman 2004: 134-135). Anyone with a computer can start up a blog, post an opinion, create groups or websites for very little cost (Bohman 2004: 134). This is another benefit for younger actors who may not have access to money, credit cards or credentials that are often required for spreading opinions to large audiences in the offline world.

The internet also provides access to all kinds of differing media, newspapers and blogs (Vromen 2008: 81) that allow access to thousands of opinions that an actor can use to make more informed choices with when discussing issues with others.

Facebook

Facebook.com is a social networking website that was created by a then 20 year old Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 that was used initially for Harvard university students. It became progressively more popular until it became the immense social network that it is today. Facebook boasts over 200 million active users as well as being one of the most visited websites in the world, giving sites such as Google and Yahoo a run for their money for website with the most traffic (Wauters 2009). Users generally use the site to connect with friends. Reports have shown it to even connect online users with long lost relatives and friends (Lewis 2009). As talked about above, the internet opens up a new niche market for previously unheard from actors, such as women, who were previously excluded from the public sphere. Interestingly, statistics show that female Facebook users are actually more prevalent than male users. What’s more, Facebook female users are growing larger and larger in almost every age group (as of 2^nd of Feb, 2009, statistics from InsideFacebook.com (Smith 2009)). Facebook members also come from all over the globe. It is available in over 50 languages, with 40 currently being developed. Though it was originally made in America, 70% of Facebook’s users originate from outside of the US (Facebook 2009). It is thus evident that Facebook then reaches many actors previously unreachable in the offline public sphere.

Though it was never created specifically for the public sphere, one aspect of Facebook has opened up a new niche for online users to discuss political and social problems. This aspect of Facebook is the joining and creating of groups. With the increase of technology on the rise, younger generations have less and less motivation to leave their computers since contact with others is easily achievable with online chat such as Msn Messenger, Skype and Yahoo Chat, as well as a plethora of websites that offer online chat. Combined with the advent of email and sending messages via Myspace, Facebook and Twitter, Eva Cox theorizes that Australians could eventuate into a ‘nation of agoraphobics’ (1997: 72), thus ending all optimism for community groups and public discussions outside of the home and the private sphere.

However, there is hope for younger generations and the public sphere. Facebook provide a way for younger generations to communicate and discuss all kinds of current issues that bother them in today’s society. Creating and joining groups is a new way for actors in today’s public sphere to create solidarities with other users and exchange opinions about all kinds of subject matter in order to influence political decisions. Though groups can be made about any given topic ; (e.g. dating & relationships, to food & drink, to hobbies & crafts), quite a few groups pertain to political interests of Facebook users. Facebook has over 500 political groups, with the first 500 having a minimum of at least 13,000 members, with the largest group boasting over a million users. Some of the most popular groups today (as of 8 June 2009), are mostly centred on American politics (e.g. Barack Obama: One Million Strong for Barack’ (abbreviated to BOOMSFB) which has over 1,000,000 users and ‘Stop Hillary Clinton: One Million AGAINST Hillary’ which has around 800,000. Clearly, a great deal of Facebook users are committed to expressing political opinion.

Satire and humour has become another form of expression that is greatly used by Facebook users to bring across opinions, an ideal which is not lost on political groups (e.g. group names such as ‘I have more Foreign Policy Experience than Sarah Palin’, ‘I’m a fan of the great hero who hit Bush with his shoes in Baghdad !’, to ‘Intelligent Women Against Sarah Palin’). This form of creative expression is used in a way for younger users to express their feelings about serious political matters in a comfortable and humorous way which they may be able to share with friends and family Facebook users who may not be as politically minded. Another example of younger users using satire in the political world is the popular website punditkitchen.com, where users insert political images with humorous captions. Political figures such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin tend to feature quite heavily, however, images generally tend to be influenced by current issues in the media. Political discussion is often sparked by comments that are posted in relation to each posted image and the caption author can respond to positive and negative discussion. However this is just another new way for younger people to discuss and respond to politics online.

Facebook users who join groups may have the option to post up support, arguments or general comments on the group ‘wall’. Depending on group privacy restriction settings, members may or may not have the option to upload photographs and videos, which are again, new ways to explore and discuss opinions with other Facebook users. Facebook users are also able to upload events, some of which can include public events and rallies for support of their group cause. Therefore, face to face interaction and discussion is not entirely cut off from the online public sphere. Online options such as chatting with other members, links to prevalent sites and info, videos and images have been shown to serve the public sphere well for other organisations and social movements in the past (Norris 2002: 209).

Creating and joining to show support to a group for their particular social or political ideals is only the beginning of the public sphere in Facebook. Facebook users also have the option to publicize their joining of a group on their page, which other users may comment on (another possibility for political discussion). Bohman stresses that a for a public sphere to have any kind of democratic significance, it must place importance on some kind of forum, ‘that is, a social space in which speakers may express their views to others and who in turn respond to them and raise their own opinion and concerns’ (Bohman 2004: 133). Democratic discussions of social and political issues occur mainly in the Facebook group discussion ‘threads’. Members of Facebook groups can begin discussion threads they feel they need to discuss with other users relative to the group name or topic. Often users can ask questions or make statements which they expect will spark conversation between themselves and other users. It is this political and social discussion between many different online users that creates the online public sphere. Discussion topics are used extensively and are created quite frequently. Taking the popular Barack group (BOOMSFB) into account, BOOMSFB currently has over 78,000 discussion threads, most of which receive active replies from online users every few minutes (Javed 2009).

Bohman (2004: 133), as well as Eva Cox (1997: 55) stress the need for mutual respect in any kind of debate in the public sphere. Since many users often approach sensitive and controversial subjects in the discussion threads, other group members have the potential to be offended which may result in non-respectful and open minded discussion. Fortunately, this is why many group administrators/creators put up a list of rules to prevent personal arguments from developing. A few of the rules BOOMSFB (Javed 2009) put in place include:

· No curse words in topic titles or used against other groups or members are allowed

· “All members of the group must be respectful to one another, even to those who aren't Obama supporters. You are welcome to speak in support or opposition of the topics presented, but always make sure you are attacking the issue and not the person.”

· Excessive disruption of topics not allowed

· Discussion topics must be relative to politics / world affairs unless specifically marked, or they risk being deleted

· Topics must have some sort of argument, or present some sort of relevant information

· No false attacks on members or politicians without evidence

· No harassment of other group members

Breaking of any of these rules could result in temporary or permanent loss of group membership. Evidently, these rules are put in place to facilitate and preserve respectful and analytical political conversation between group members. Considering our definition of the public sphere early on as the gathering of individuals to form opinions through the respectful exchange of information in order to order to gain political influence, it seems evident that Facebook group discussions clearly embody the public sphere.

However, do these groups attempt to influence political decisions? Vromen (2008: 81) stresses the importance of young users ability to have power in influencing and changing political and social decisions as a means of attraction for participation in the online public sphere. Vikki Bell (2007: 1) also talks about the desire from individuals in the public sphere to be able give meaning to their political discussion by implementing change that they feel is necessary.

Quite a few Facebook groups are quite proactive in getting attention to their political views. One example of this is ‘Petition: Contraception is NOT Abortion’ group which lists ways to assist their cause. The ‘Recent News’ feed informs group users that they can sign a petition, invite extra friends to the group, post up the group on their profile (which increases visibility for friends of the member which the group may gain new members from) and deliver petitions to political members who have the power to change legislations (Green 2009). Another group, ‘Let’s collect 1.000.000 signatures to support the Palestinians in Gaza’ (Slh 2009) supports Gaza against illegal action against its citizens. They enlist the help of members to

Enlighten friends about their cause
Contact the media in support of Gaza
Contact elected officials to support Gaza and put pressure on Israel
Contact the UN Security Council / other agencies.

This particular group has also provided international and American specific letters to President Obama pleading their cause as well as providing 25 translations of their group mission into different languages. Though this is just one political group, there are many similar groups who seek to get their cause in the media to increase awareness about their ideas and eventually gain political recognition.

The combination of political discussion among individuals and an evident desire to gain political recognition in an equal, democratic setting shows that Facebook groups are indeed a new way for younger (and older) generations to participate in the public sphere. Though this method is significantly different from older methods of the public sphere, it also eliminates problems associated with time, space and the exclusion of certain actors. Though it may lose some of the original character of the public sphere,

whatever the argument, one cannot deny the immense potential that the internet can possibly bring. Though it currently cannot claim to have ‘fixed’ all it’s problems, the internet has certainly built new avenues for the public sphere to be explored in. For it to reach full potential online requires a careful execution of those involved to maintain continual and democratic discussion of current political and social issues to keep the public’s view top priority in the state’s mind. It is clear that websites such as Facebook has given a way for new generations from demographics the world over the public sphere potential that previous generations have never seen before.

References:

Bell, V (2007) ‘The Potential of an Unfolding Constellation: Imagining Fraser’s Transnational Public Sphere’ Theory, Culture and Society 24(4): 1-5

Bohman, J (2004) ‘Expanding dialogue: the Internet, the public sphere and prospects for transnational democracy’ in Crossley, N and Roberts JM (eds.) After Habermas: new perspectives on the public sphere Oxford, UK: Blackwell, pp.131-55

Cox, E (1997) A Truly Civil Society Marrickville: ABC Books

Facebook (2009) ‘Statistics’ http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics, downloaded (10/6/2009)

Gimmler, A (2001) 'Deliberative democracy, the public sphere and the
internet', Philosophy and Social Criticism 27(4): 21-39

Green, A (2009) ‘Petition: Contraception is NOT Abortion!’ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=66bb558d4ecf564e0109574a2a440f32&gid=35731530029&ref=search downloaded (10/6/09)

Habermas, J (1989) ‘Social Structures of the Public Sphere’ in Habermas, J The Structural Transformations of The Public Sphere, Cambridge Mass: MIT Press

Javed, S (2009) ‘Barack Obama (One million strong for Barack) http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=ts#/group.php?sid=e0ba4c717edb78d02c6fb5e624e2945f&gid=2231653698&ref=search downloaded (10/6/09)

Lewis, P (2009) ‘Mother Finds Son after 25 years via Facebook’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/29/woman-reunited-son-facebook-paros, downloaded (10/6/09)

Lumby, C (1999) ‘Media Culpa – democracy and the postmodern public sphere’ in Lumby, C Gotcha: life in Tabloid World Sydney: Allen and Unwin pp.220-249

Norris, P (2002) ‘New Social Movements, Protest Politics and the Internet’ in Norris, P Democratic Phoenix, Reinventing Political Activism Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, pp.188-215

Putnam, R D (2000) ‘Thinking about Social Change in America’ in Bowling Alone, The Collapse and Revival of American Community New York: Simon & Schuster pp.15-28

Slh, R (2009) ‘Let’s collect 1.000.000 signatures to support the Palestinians in Gaza’

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=054babaee7aaa0b6a5475e38309250c2&gid=8454730966&ref=search downloaded (10/6/09)

Smith, J (2009) ‘Fastest Growing Demographic on Facebook: Women Over 55’ http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/02/02/fastest-growing-demographic-on-facebook-women-over-55/, downloaded (10/6/2009)

Vromen, A (2008) ‘Building virtual spaces: Young people,
participation and the internet’ Australian Journal of Political Science 43(1): 79-97

Wauters, R (2009) ‘Compete: Facebook US Traffic Nearing Google, Yahoo’ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/09/AR2009060900625.html downloaded (10/6/09)

How to say 'I love you..'

2009-06-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

How many ways can you say I love you?

For some French influence in your love life...
'Je t'aime' (basic for I love you)
or 'Je t'adorer' (to adore you)

For some geisha lovin'..
Ai shite ru means I love you in Japanese. However, this phrase is very rarely used and has very different connotations in Japan than in the West.
Dai suki means I really like you (and sometimes translate as 'I love you')
For more info, click here.

For those Pinoy and Pinay lovers out there..
Mahal kita; basic I love you phrase.
Mahal means 'a lot', kita, oddly enough can also mean 'earnings' or 'salary. Mahal can also be used as a term of endearment to someone 'close to your heart'.
Iniibig kita also means 'i desire you'.
To say 'mahal na mahal kita' also means 'I love you a lot.'
Minamahal kita means 'I'm in love with you'.
Mahal mo ba ako? Do you love me?
Lab kita? (slang) "lab" being the Filipino pronunciation of love.
Gusto na kitang pakasalan; I want to marry you
Gusto kitang makasama habang buhay: I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
Tatanggapin mo ba ang alay kong pakasalan kita? Will you marry me?
Ikaw lamang ang aking iibigin magpakilanman; You are the only one I will love forever.
Ang pag-ibig ko sa iyo ay tunay. I love you truly.

see source for more romantic Tagalog phrases.
source: http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Tagalog_Homepage99/tagalog_romantic_phrases.htm

For more ways on how to say I love you in 100 languages, see this page for more.

Red Meat. We were 'meant' to eat it.

2009-06-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of interestings ads Sam Neill has featured in recently to encourage the eating of red meat:

The original ad:

The 'sequel'

and the final advertisement stressing red meat over chicken

Increasing studies are showing that excessive consumption of red meat link to all kinds of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, as well as obesity, type 2 diabetes and arthritis, and a whole host of others.

Wikipedia says:
"Recent studies show that red meat could pose an increase in cancer risk. Some studies have linked consumption of large amounts of red meat with breast cancer,colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, lymphoma, bladder cancerand prostate cancer. Furthermore, there is convincing evidence that consumption of beef, pork, lamb, and goat from domesticated animals is a cause of colorectal cancer.Professor Sheila Bingham of the Dunn Human Nutrition Unit attributes this to the haemoglobin and myoglobin molecules which are found in red meat. She suggests these molecules, when ingested trigger a process called nitrosation in the gut which leads to the formation of carcinogens.^{"

Some more interesting Wikipedia facts:}Red meat consumption is associated with cardiovascular diseases, possibly because of its high content of saturated fat.

Red meat is the largest contributor of saturated fat in the Western diet.

As this smh article says,

"People under 50 are experiencing an alarming rise in bowel cancer, and a diet of too much meat and fast food may be to blame, cancer experts in the United States say."

Studies have shown that an excess of much red meat has also shown lower sperm counts in men.

Red meat can also slow fertility for women who are trying to get pregnant.

Now, I'm not one to completely denigrate red meat. I love a good beef burger, lamb chops, corned beef, lamb roasts, beef stroganoff and a good spag bol just like any other person. It just seems like its a better choice to cut down to maybe 5 times a month and replace red meat dishes with chicken, turkey or fish. not only are they delicious, they're lower in calories.

(post unfinished).

healthy desserts.

2009-06-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

i eat a LOT of chocolate.
however, i'm trying to cut back on processed sugars.
obviously this doesn't mean that I'm never going to have processed sugar (that's too depressing) just .. a lot less, hopefully anyway.

so i'm trying to find healthy desserts to fill in the gaps and its not that easy.

i found a recipe for chickpea blondies that look pretty good (as well as being vegan.. vegan things are usually pretty healthy..) - Click here for the recipe.
that I'm tempted to give a try. Still looking for more good healthy desserts!

Fact of Today: World's Largest Paper Cranes

2009-06-08T19:25:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the world's largest paper cranes:

2005 Guinness World Records reports that the largest paper crane made in the world was made in Japan 2001 in Odate. It had a wingspan of about 78 metres.

The largest crane in the world folded from a single piece of paper was 7.1 metres long, and was folded by American students in a Japanese high school class. The paper required was 2 metres square and was then sent to a sister Japanese high school.

source: http://www.recordholders.org/en/list/origami.html

Fact of Today: World's Largest Popcorn Ball

2009-06-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

The world's largest popcorn ball was made in Sac City.

It was reported to have weighed about 3100 pounds, or around 1406 kilograms.

source: http://www.uniquedaily.com/worlds-largest-popcorn-ball/

Uni: What I've Learned.

2009-06-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

What I've learnt about Essayin':
Always alphabetize the References Cited List.
Always include page numbers.
Always double space your text in the actual essay.
Harvard referencing is king.
Two weeks is a good time to start an essay, but it usually happens a week or less in advance.
Procrastination is almost unavoidable. At least, for me. Look what I'm doing right now.

The amount of effort you expend in an essay will almost never result in the marks you expect.
E.g. expecting to fail may end up in a disctinction, whereas, putting in two weeks of hard work while your fellow students don't bother will probably end up in getting you the same mark as they did.

Do Your Readings. I know its boring. I know I spent a great majority of time not doing mine. But I noticed that when I made an effort to do them, my marks actually rose. Sure, I spent a whole semester not even opening my reader, and I surprisingly scraped a bare pass. But lecture material isn't enough. The readings supplement and help you learn so much more. Understandably, a lecturer will often subscribe seriously terrible readings, but a good tip is to highlight the stuff you don't understand and talk to the tutor about it in class. Chances are if you don't understand it, the other students won't, so you're not going to look like a moron asking what seems like a basic question. Some good lecturers go through the difficult parts in class and break them down. Those guys are gold. And if, fair enough, I can't say I haven't had my fair share of awful lecturers and tutors, if they don't explain it for whatever reason, then my friend, you always have Wikipedia to break down difficult terms (terms like 'technological determinism' and 'occidentalism' and 'orientalism'). Sure, Wikipedia isn't accepted as a source in many/any essays, but it CAN give you a simplistic definition of what you're learning about. Plus, the supplementary links at the bottom are an excellent source for finding better sources to use in an essay (but don't tell your lecturer!)

(more to come.)