As you know, I am a big fan of Patricia Cornwell. In fact I generally like books that involve mystery, death, intrigue and dark themes. That doesn't mean that I am unbreakable when it comes to Romance Novels. I have actually read some romance novels in my life, just not as many as books about forensics and serial killers. That aside, a good romance novel can be like chocolate without all the calories. A bit of escapism sitting alone on the beach, in a park, or in a cafe wistfully wondering about that someone special. I have encountered some people who are addicted to romance novels. Like I said, I am not one of these individuals but I remember seeing bookshelves lined with these titles at one of my relatives' place. I also remember sneaking a look at one of these books - I think it might have been written by Susan Meier, and (as kids always do) I found the rude part straight away. I think it was on page 112 or something. I remember chuckling and thinking how funny it was. I suppose when you are a kid you think a lot of things are funny that adults enjoy. It certainly can be nice to escape into a fictional world for a while, even if it is kind of unrealistic and fluffy, but it's all harmless fun.

Here are the shots from the Birthday round at Elsternwick. One of my favourite features of the course is the family of ducks that walk across the fairways and swim in the water hazard. They also fertilize the course!

The last photograph features a cockatoo of some description. I know it's not a sulphur-crested cocky because it has a few reddish-pink markings. Love to find out what it was exactly.

(Click to enlarge)

It was my birthday yesterday. My partner took me out to a lunch that ended up lasting all day and we had a brilliant time. We were planning to go to the Zoo but it got rained out. So we had to take a raincheck. (haaaaa!!) I had to make that joke, I'm afraid.

On my partner's birthday (last week), we went for a round of golf and found the most incredible bargain - A Greg Norman "Shark" Tiburon Titanium Driver for $40.00 The price sticker was still on the shaft reading "$249.00".

Incidentally, "Tiburon" means "Shark" in Spanish. Interesting bit of trivia. I couldn't find an exact photograph of this particular driver but here is a newer model:



















For this particular round, the new balls of choice were Maxfli D-Tec (High Launch) - said to be the "longest and straightest" - I can confirm they are definitely straight. It is hard to compare these balls to the Srixon Distance (see Field of Dreams post). There doesn't seem to be a lot between them. I noticed the Maxfli D-Tec were especially good for putting. The prices are comparable so it's really down to personal choice. I'd recommend both balls for those who shoot in the 90s or 80s.



















I will post a couple of pics from the course in 2 days, as soon as I get hold of the cable to download photos.

If you own a small business it can be difficult to take time out to set up an intranet system, in fact it can often be the thing that sits at the bottom of the "to do" list for time immemorial.

Some business owners prefer to work from home and to set up a system in one step would be a major boost for convenience for small business owners and employees. It would be handy to have secure file-sharing and on-line project collaboration, especially for those (I know!) who wish to spend more time in the country or combine work and various other activities.

Intranet Software UK provides the information necessary to set up an intranet system for your business. The site offers ongoing technical support and the pricing seems to be weighted based on the number of users who will be using the system. If you are interested in setting up this kind of system for your company, this may be an option for you.


This post brought to you by Intranet Software UK.

It started happening last week. A mysterious phenomenon in which I proceeded to go "beep" every time I passed through a security barrier. Supermarkets, Chemists, you name it, I went "beep".

I searched my mind for the cause of this sudden anomaly.

Well, I say searched...I actually spent a lot of time saying to suspicious checkout staff:

"It's okay! I went beep when I went in!"

Strangely, this has been quite sufficient as an explanation. Had I been an actual shoplifter this would have been quite a dastardly plan...

"I went beep when I went in! It's okay!" (with a bag stuffed full of...well...I'm not really sure what. Why would someone want to rob a supermarket? Unless you're really into groceries - perhaps extremely hungry?!?)

Another thing recently occurred to me - the security barriers don't seem to pick up on actual groceries. I know this beacuse I bought an item at one supermarket, then later in the day realised I needed something from another supermarket from the same chain (eg. Coles). I brought in that very bag with my item inside (with the receipt in the bag, of course!) - and nothing. The machine didn't go beep.

These machines are however brilliant at detecting people who have bought a C5 notebook and have forgotten to remove the packaging.

Yep, that's right - mystery solved. I forgot to take the plastic off my little notebook and it happened to contain something very similar to this:












I remember I went for an entire year going "beep" without realising that the nivea moisturiser in my bag had one of these silver microchip whatchamadoodles stuck to it.

It got me in quite a bit of bother when I tried to fly overseas. Luckily one of the security staff took pity on me. It was quite obvious that I was not armed and was quite clueless as to why I went "beep". I actually started to think that I may have swallowed something metal. Had I been a conspiracy theorist I would have thought aliens had given me an implant... or replaced my brain with liquid metal like that guy in Terminator 2...

Anyway, go figure. These supermarkets might want to recalibrate their machines.

technorati tags: shopping

Aaargh!!!

Watch out for this one. I clicked on it. It got me. Now I have probably given over my soul to the Evil God of Spam.

technorati tags: spam ebay powerseller

I think I'm getting back on track with my shopping exploits. After a number of weeks of nail-biting (being an Ebay seller is not for the faint of heart), the buyer responded that the item finally arrived. Phew! You know, I don't think I'll try that again for a while. Sometimes I think it's a good idea and I get all optimistic about selling stuff on Ebay, and then the reality hits when I have to buy stamps, postpacks, send stuff with the unpredictable Australia Post and... pray.

So I'm in the clear. Yippee!! Now I can get back to my "buy one item of clothing per week" plan. It's a great plan and it's been working really well so far. It also makes me more likely to eject clothing I have not worn for over 5 years. I think that's probably a sign.

You know, the dress you wore to that wedding and now don't have a use for? (is that bad English? I think SMS texting is messing with my syntax).

And the pair of shoes you wore to that job you hated (or is that just me? Sometimes I get the impression that everyone else is blissfully happy and 'okay' with stuff. They are best of friends with their ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. They still talk to their old bosses that used to treat them like sh!t. They love everyone they went to High School with. I've got one thing to say to them. Bollocks.) But I digress. Again. Where was I?

Oh yes, getting rid of old clothes and making room for the new.

I found this pair of corduroy pants for 0.99c! Hee hee! And the postage was $5.20 so the total of $6.19 (if my maths serves me correctly)...




















They seriously arrived the day after I paid for them. So fast! I love it when that happens. It's like getting presents every week.

Can't wait to wash them and try them on... (always a good idea to wash these things - I tried on a top straight from the postpack and spent the rest of the afternoon sneezing with dust up my nose...)

technorati tags: clothes shop shopping ebay

If you don't believe me, check this out...

You can't delete your account - they keep your personal information. You are allowed to 'deactivate' your account but it won't be deleted - people can still send you friend requests and add you and whatever else the sh!t people do on Facebook, or the Matrix if you like - you are continually plugged in whether you like it or not.

So what is my experience of facebook?

I got lot of friend requests - wow! I must be so popular!

Except the friend requests were from people who I avoided, hated or didn't even talk to in High School.

Creepy guys who used to follow me around, or those bitchy girls who backstabbed me and hated my guts....made my life hell...

...want to be my FRIEND on facebook?

WTF!?!?!

I think Facebook obscures the reality that if you really liked these people you would be calling them and catching up. You would probably have their number already.

Oh, you think it helps people "get together" as the slogan says?

No, it helps F*CKING STALKERS find out your personal details.

NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

And legally, if you want to delete your account so you don't get stalked by that guy who would never leave you alone in High School, or Uni or whatever, YOU SHOULD HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO.

Oh, and not to mention people you just don't ever want to see again - like ex-boyfriends. Yep, they pop up WITH PHOTOS. Aarrgh!! The horror. That's right, if you happen to accept a friend request from a stalker friend from High School and they happen to belong to a group containing a bunch of weirdos including that pesky ex-boyfriend, then you pop up on his radar. Which is something that most of us don't want. Ever.


Here's a nice trick I learned from the comments on this blog - Create a new account with a new email address. Use another name but not one that is too 'out there'. Once you have activated your new account, change your email to the old email you used on Facebook in your original account. It will ask you to confirm you are going to delete all the info associated with this email address.

Say yes.

Then deactivate that account and opt out of emails. I hope this worked for me - I just tried it today. If this doesn't work you can try emailing them and request that they delete your account. They may give you the runaround but persist and it should work.


Unplug from the Matrix.

Oh, and if anyone is reading this, it's a warning. Don't sign up. And if you want a good scare, read their privacy policy.

Facebook are evil and deserve to be shut down.

technorati tags: Facebook Evil

I wish I was joking, I really do.

The tofu arrived, it was named "deep fried five spicy tofu".

It looked nice enough, it tasted pretty good, but you know what? When I got to the last piece of tofu, SOMETHING was hanging from its edge.

I examined the something.

It was a hair.

Short.

Curly.

Coarse.


AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The images that ran through my mind. That are still running through my mind. There was of course only one way for it to get there.

Oh God, the humanity.


When I told the lady at the cash register, she rolled her eyes as if to say "not again" and thanked me profusely.


Hang on....you mean to say this isn't the first time?


I will never eat there again.

I should have asked for a refund.

And a mint.

technorati tags: tofu restaurant pubic hair

Unless you are living under a rock or in a cave, you know the Australian 2007 Federal Election has been called for Saturday 24th November.

Here is the all-important date (remember, if you don't enrol to vote by 8pm Wednesday 17th October you won't be able to vote in this November election.


*** Deadline for new enrolments 8pm Wednesday 17th October ***


"Compulsory voting

Compulsory voting means that every Australian citizen (18 years or older) is required by law to enrol and vote. If a person does not vote and is unable to provide a "valid and sufficient" reason, a penalty is imposed. Compulsory voting is a distinctive feature of the Australian political culture..."*


Here's an easy way to check online to see whether you are currently enrolled to vote: Check Enrolment Details

If you can't find your details, you can call 13 23 26 to find out if you need to enrol. Please note: you only have 2 days!!!

Make sure you check your details and make your vote count!

:-)


*source: http://www.aec.gov.au/Voting/index.htm

technorati tags: Federal Election Vote Australian Electoral Commission

I have also made another stunning realisation this week - saving money is completely boring. But what is more annoying is having a credit card debt and no savings whatsoever.

The other thing I have noticed is that it is no longer fashionable to save money in a bank. It seems it is more important to look as if you have money rather than actually having it. Which is stupid. Going into debt to look like you are wealthy...er...DUH!!

So what is fashionable? Buying a $500 pair of shoes that you will wear once? Shrewd investment, that one.

I tried to find out the source of the problem. Many people say "TV" or "Magazines" which can be a factor, definitely. But I often laugh at these ads and say "wow, check this new kind of watch out...if you buy it you get a free yacht and bodyguards."

The hardest form of advertising is this kind...

Person 1: "Hey guys, howzit going?"

Person 2: "Hey, I got one of those new iPhone/camera/movie player yesterday."

Person 3: "Me too! I got it for $400."

Person 2: "Hah, I got it for $370."

Person 1 (thinking): "Is my life complete without one of these? Everyone else seems to need one. I'm going to look like I'm not good enough if I don't have one. Sh!t, I don't have $400...or $300 for that matter. I do have a credit card though...."
(insert diabolical laughter here)


The next day Person 1 has a new iPhone/camera/movie player thingy. And a $400 credit card debt. And still no money in the bank. They take it home and unwrap it, waiting for the satisfaction and sense of achievement to sink in.


Person 1: "Err... what do I do with it?

*Thinks hard*

How about that! I don't think I wanted the dang thing anyway.

But it's the latest upgrade...and so and so has one and now I have one and now I can....

Er....

Sh!t."

Technorati Tags: saving money

I have made an amazing realisation.

To buy clothes, you have to fit into clothes.

To fit into clothes, you have to do stuff. Like exercise.

After this incredible epiphany occurred, I made a decision. I am going to walk every day. No matter what. This weather is driving me nuts - no daylight savings, there are heavy rains, stupid winds, blustery, wind chilling, bone chilling and hand freezing days.

Brrrrrrrr.

Well, I''ve had enough. I'm going walking. Nobody is going to stop me.

Mantra to self:

"The more you exercise, the greater the number of clothes look good on you. The more you exercise, the greater the number of clothes in your wardrobe suddenly become options. The more you exercise, the less grumpy you are about not being able to wear that horizontally striped top."

Wish me luck :-)

Technorati Tags: walking exercise hand weights

It's amazing what you can find on Ebay:























Bush Sticky Notes

Innovative idea. Usually when I want to say something stupid I just write it in a blog post...

Although it does beg the question, what would you write on them?



It just sprang to mind since we recently had the "OPEC" summit here in "Austria".

Technorati Tags: weird ebay silly auctions George W Bush

It seriously took me 2 hours to get through my emails this morning. Over 100. That doesn't even include my other email account with Hotmail. Argh!! I got so many of those "FROM THE DESK OF..." or "READ VERY CAREFULL." Drives me mad. Why oh why would anyone fall for that sort of thing anymore? Although there is always the one person who ends up on A Current Affair saying "I thought they were legitimate...I just can't believe they did that to me!!" It is horrible. Those people should be put in jail. Also, people shouldn't be allowed to be that naive. There should be some kind of worldwide education campaign to stop people being foolish with their money and personal details. I don't quite know how it would work, perhaps it should be included in school curriculum. "Internet Privacy and Scam Issues 101". Perhaps people like me have to do it as a public service announcement.

Anyway, here's the latest one to look out for. It is very sneaky. I knew it was a fake immediately because it was sent to an email address that has nothing to do with my PayPal stuff. But...for some people they will send it to the address that IS registered with PayPal and you really don't want to absent-mindedly click this one...


























The really sneaky bit is this part:

"Note:
If you haven't authorized this charge ,click the link below to dispute transaction
and get full refund"

That is so low. They make you think you have been charged for a transaction you didn't make (which of course, you didn't!) then they give you a chance to "dispute" the transaction. Bad bad people I hope they go to hell and are forced to spend lots of time with a bunch of fascist dictators that want a new person to "play" with.

By the way, if you get one with "CONTACT UPS FOR YOUR PARCEL", note the part that mentions the "...cash payment to avoid losting this funds..."

I think I'll take my chances on losting this funds.

Technorati Tags: spam email

My wardrobe is filling up slowly. I have slacked off from my "buy 1 item of clothing per week". Why? I don't know. It was going so well. Ebay is like Chi or something, if one bit gets blocked, everything falls on it's bum. I could have been more scientific about it but there it is.

My latest purchase sort of stopped me in my tracks. Surprisingly, it's yet another pair of corduroy jeans in brown (yes, I am a fashion goddess).

The problem with this last pair is not the fit (although they are a tad too big), not the style, but the colour. It is too light! In the photo it looks kind of mid-brown but when I opened the package, it was sort of a light cappucino. Not my thing, really.





















I suppose I'll have to sell them now and I don't know what it is but I haven't had much luck with selling anything. I sold a $40 music instruction book for 0.99c and it just goes on from there.

My latest sale - the guy had a wrong address registered on Ebay, I sent it to the registered address and surprise surprise! It didn't get to him. He seemed quite miffed. Then it came back to me, boomerang-style. Then...(grrhrhrrh)... he asked me to post it to him again, to another address. Guess who had to pay the extra postage?? Now he hasn't bothered to contact me so I don't know if it has reached him or not. Nor has he left feedback. I might give up selling and start donating more to charity or something.

technorati tags: Ebay clothing

I can't really find the words...so...I thought I'd give you this....
















The Key To My Heart

In the description, it seems to indicate that you might melt if you received one of these. I think they meant barf.




This one is kind of interesting until you think about it...














Misspelled Ebay Items

You know what? I don't think I trust any of these people enough to buy their Iod. Or their Nitedo. If they can't spell it, I don't want it. Attention to detail is pretty important. And it doesn't bode well for the hassles of sorting out payment methods and delivery.

P.S. Nice touch with the fake software box. It's actually a toolbar...probably loaded with spyware...I'm not going to buy it to find out...




And of course, who can resist a listing that starts with

"dear hopeful lottery winner..."

Hmmm. Promising.









Cheat Lottery System

Question - why would someone who has the clairvoyant / scientific / bullshit ability to cheat the lottery system be needing to sell anything on Ebay for ten bucks? Hmmmm.....

Oh I know...

"...because of my amazing discovery, I just couldn't sleep until I shared the idea with the world because it makes me happy to be helping people....yada yada yada




And finally....
















Exploding Money Box

That's right, kids. This is seriously funny, scare your friends, film them and put it on YouTube. Oh, no, hang on. Isn't that dangerous? And sort of mean?
But...it's YouTube. Oyeah it's like...sohot.



Yes. That's right. I am a tad irritable today.

technorati tags: weird ebay youtube

I don't know why but I am ravenous this morning. I even paid $5 for a pastie at a bakery this morning because I couldn't bear the thought of not having one. I paid the very patient lady in 10c pieces because that's all I have at the moment. Thankfully she didn't think I was too weird. She just had a bit of a wry smirk at the corners of her mouth. I didn't mind. I got my pastie. I actually wanted quiche because it happened to be the nicest quiche I have ever tasted but this turned out to be the one day when they didn't have any quiche. At all. Argh!@$%#

So I'm still hungry even after the mushroom pastie. I found myself trawling through recipe sites with big, hungry eyes.

I found a brilliant recipe blog called 'Simply Recipes' with lots of pictures. Yum! I went straight to the vegetarian section (of course!) and coveted potato bakes and quiche. I'm learning how to make quiche. I'm obsessed. I think it will be a mushroom and capsicum quiche with cheese. Quiche. Argh!! I need help!

I'm going to put a picture of quiche here to further torment myself:














*stares longingly*

You think you've seen it all. Then this happens...




















Holy Toast Stamper

That's right. So you can make your own "holy toast". Can someone please explain to me how and why the Ebay obsession with toast thing got started?


















Nutri Grain E.T.

This happens to every second nutri-grain that I've ever eaten. But, come to think of it, it kind of does look like the little guy.



Oh, yeah, check this one out. For the extremely tolerant and / or masochistic:














Rotating disco ball alarm clock


I can just see it now. This is how it would go on its first day with me.


Me: Zzzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzzzz

Disco Ball Alarm Clock: Ddldldldldldld wheeee doo doo (insert 70s disco tune here)
Flashing lights. Oh yeah, you are feeling funky....

Me: F#$%!!!! Mph? What the F#$%?!?!?!? Is there a fire? (sees clock)

**SMASH!!!**

Disco Ball Alarm Clock: Bwwwwww dzzzz mooooo (dies)

Me: Zzzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzzzzz Zzzzzzzzzzz

Technorati Tags: Ebay weird

Feel like crap. Don't know why. I presume Mercury is in retrograde but I can't be sure. Or perhaps it was the lunar eclipse. I don't know. I need cheering up and shopping just isn't going to do it today. I need silly.

I know I bagged out Dean Koontz recently but something he wrote in "Midnight" has ironically come back to haunt me. The character in the book has three things that keep him alive (ie. stopped him from ending it all)

1. Guinness
2. Good Mexican Food
3. Goldie Hawn

I've just noticed they all start with "G" but that's probably just a coincidence.

The character in the novel repeats these three things like a mantra when things get bleak. Well, things are bleak. I need my own list. Might be a bit longer though.


1. Good Italian Food. Quite partial to Mexican and Indian food also. And Chinese. And Greek...okay I'm running out of room here.

2. Father Ted - you just can't buy this sort of comedy. Forget "The Office", "Little Britain", all that stuff. This is the real deal. Sheesh! It's like listening to Nirvana after a day of listening to Good Charlotte and Sum 41.















3. Beavis & Butthead - Bunghole! bunghole! bunghole! Lake Titicaca! Sometimes I wonder if all of us don't have a little Beavis & Butthead inside. Or is that just me? Actually it probably is just me. I still make Year 10 jokes. And laugh.

















4. This little guy is called the "Slender Loris". Doesn't he look kind of annoyed? Maybe he has little man complex. Or perhaps he's plotting to take over the world, either way he's very cute!!




















5. Steptoe & Son - they could discover old DVDs of this show in 100 years and it will probably still be funny then! "You dirty old man!"





















6. Good books - ie. Patricia Cornwell, reading a bit of Thomas Harris recently, Stephen King, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Crichton is pretty good too, if I'm in a nerdy mood. What am I saying? I'm always in a nerdy mood!

7. A good film. Gordon Bennett! (sorry, still thinking about Steptoe & Son) Is it that hard to find a good film? I nearly committed videocide when I saw "The Lady in the Water" by M. Night Shammy Man. Good grief. What a load of horse bollocks. Don't get me wrong, I loved "The Sixth Sense", it was great. But seriously, who let him do this one?

All time great films - Die Hard (even though I saw Bruce Willis on an interview and he is a kind of gun-toting card-carrying Republican Global Warming Skeptic. I'll let that slide for now. Because it's a good film. Seriously, though, his political analysis is so bizarre. Kind of like GWB.)

Star Wars - Okay, I'm obviously going to need to clarify here - I mean Episode IV - A New Hope, Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. The new ones? I don't know. Is it a Y-Gen thing? I didn't get it. All set and no action. Blah! I didn't hate Episode III - Return of The Sith. That was ok. Still not as good as the ones made first...that are the later episodes. Good grief.

by the way, if you want to see something funny, check out the machine translation effort here:
Episode III - The Backstroke of the West

In a chase scene, one of the pilots says:
"They're all over me" which somehow translates to "He is in my behind"

You get the idea.

That brings me to another favourite of mine - direct Chinese to English translations. I don't know why it's so funny but it always brings tears to my eyes. My sister sent me this picture when she was in China. I know what they meant but really... there must be a more dignified way....
















Oh yeah, other good films. Hmmm. Bit thin on the ground at the moment. Good TV shows - "Curb Your Enthusiasm". If you don't think this show is funny then...well I don't know.
Larry David is a genius. There. I said it.




















I think....

I think I'm starting to feel just a tiny bit better.

technorati tags: movies books TV food

The theory behind R.G. Skin Revitalizer is to nourish your skin from the inside out. The concept is one that has been around for some time - to take care on the inside and outside. And theoretically it would make sense to include diet, exercise and nutritional supplements as part of a skin care regime. This is not a product I have tried myself, however the idea of taking antioxidants and beta-carotene does not seem too far fetched. It is widely known that a lot of skin products don't really work, but that Vitamin A / carotenoids do appear to have some effect when used in a skin care regime. A nutritional supplement is known to be good for the eyes, this is the standard information given from most vitamin handbooks and websites. It is also known as an antioxidant and an immune system booster. Obviously, everybody's needs are different and it is a good idea to check with your doctor, naturopath or TCM practitioner to find out what kinds of supplements would be beneficial to you. You may want to try this product, you may not. I am not necessarily advocating the purchase of anything without the proper research and checking that is vital with any new exercise or diet regime.

This post brought to you by R.G. Skin Revitalizer

I found this clip through David W. Boles’ Urban Semiotic ™

I like Pink already so I didn't need convincing. Protest songs. We need them. I agree...

Here it is - Pink "Dear Mr President":

technorati tags: Pink Dear Mr President

Thanks to Ann from A Nice Place In The Sun and Christy from Totally Fabulous for this award.

I'd like to thank my partner, my family, my greengrocer, various Ebay sellers, God, my toy stress pig, um...

if I don't stop now I'm going to do a Gwyneth!
















Yay!! How fun!

I'd like to nominate the blogs that I believe are fabulous. Here we go (drum roll, please)
the winners are:

Maryannaville
A Diva's Dressing Room
Handbag Showcase
Indie Shopping
Kyesi

Congrats to all!
:-)

Technorati Tags: Fabulous Award

I know it sounds cliche but spring cleaning actually exists. I am struck down my this motivating cleaning bug at almost exactly the same time each year. Big big garbage bag of unwanted clothing went into the Red Cross bin this morning. But there are some things you just don't want to give to charity. Because they have rips, weird stains and other strange anomalies. Also, some things you just don't want other people to have. Sometimes you want to burn something, or let it rot in a hole in the ground. Stuff that reminds you of things you would rather not be reminded of. I think it's best to do what is right for you. If I really want to get rid of something I throw it in the bin. It gives me great pleasure to know that something that I have held on to for far too long will decomposing in landfill, returning to the earth, returning to nature.

It's nice to get rid of the old and make space for the new. It's amazing how many clothes hangers I have now. Just waiting for new clothes....

hehehehe.

I'm off to check out some new clothes on Ebay.

Technorati Tags: spring cleaning Ebay clothes

Art Deco Detail Wardrobe




















I love old art deco stuff. It's such a refreshing change from those "I want my house to look like a cold steel veterinarian's workspace". Current styles suck. Wood is warm and old things are just better. I don't know why, they just are.

more info-


Twin Handled Tray















I've always liked these for some reason, maybe one of my grandparents had one, I don't know. There's something warm and fuzzy about food being served on a wooden tray.

more info-


Metal Dancing Figurine




















I love these dancing figures. This one looks like she's getting something off her foot rather than dancing. Still love it, though.

more info-


Art Deco Vanity




















You can find this nifty art deco dresser on Ebay for 0.99c at present with just over 3 hours to go in the auction. It doesn't quite go with the garage bricks but you get the idea!

more info-


Art Deco Chairs




















According to the description, these need a little restoration but for $34 for 5 chairs it could be a bit of a steal, actually. They look pretty comfy too!

more info-

technorati tags: Art Deco Ebay shopping shop

Hold the phone, dim the lights, here we go! Very soon, savesavesave will have a completely new look. You might not even recognise it. But, it's still me, same wacky shopping adventures, same bat place, same bat time.

xox :)

It's taken me a long time to write more about Hobart. Apologies. I have been very stressed and busy with various things. Back on track now...the story continues...

We arrived at Salamanca Market with a triple hangover. The colours and sounds of the vibrant market jarred my nerves until the second Guinness kicked in (see picture below). I held an unlit cigarette in my hand to quell the craving, knowing that lighting it would start an unstoppable chain reaction of nausea. A meal would fix us up, we thought, heading to Irish Murphy's. Little did we know of the culinary crime waiting in store for us.


Pictures:
1. Parliament House, Hobart
2. The surrounding gardens / entrance to the market
3. Salamanca Market
4. The Guinni (plural for Guinness)




























































The tradition of lasagne has been carefully passed down through Italian families for generations. That is, until it reached Irish Murphy's. Hungry and hungover, we waited 45 minutes for this abomination to the Italian tradition, and food in general.

Exhibit A: The Vegetarian Lasagne
















I don't know if the scale is apparent here but check out the size of the fork, then the "lasagne". The "lasagne"was two small halves of stuffed capsicum, each half the size of my palm, or even smaller. The chef had decided to buck tradition by including no pasta nor any recognisable lasagne ingredients, except cheese. This $12.00 morsel contained carrot, capsicum, a tiny bit of cheese, all swimming in a splat of Heinz Big Red Tomato Soup. Nevertheless we ate it hungrily and laughed about it for the rest of the trip.

I must say, the chef's attempt at Nouvelle cuisine, with the focus being on flavour, tasted no different to any bizarre concoction I have made for myself after a night on the piss.

Irish Murphy's beautiful sandstone pub was made by convicts many years ago. The Irish theme is entirely apt for the colonial atmosphere. The sign out the front proudly boasts "The Best Craic In Town". Perhaps they were referring to the vegie lasagne.

The staff were friendly and warned us about the size, we should have realised. They gave us free salads which was just as well, I was nearly crazed with hunger. The Guinness and the perfect shamrocks were a nice touch as well.

I will leave you with some images of Salamanca Market and Kelly's steps on the way to Battery Point. The whole experience was very European - if you are not planning on going to Europe, this is your next best bet! The last image is a street performer we dubbed "The Angel of Salamanca". It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

technorati tags: Hobart Salamanca Market Food Stalls Historical Parliament House

I will now point out the wrongness of anyone even thinking about responding to the following email.

I received it today.

Twice.

That would probably be the first reason for becoming suspicious.

I will translate as we go...

FROM MR AMADI SALAM
ADB. OUAGADOUGOU,
AFRICA DEVELOPMENT BANK.
BURKINA FASO.
EMAIL: amadi_salam100@yahoo.fr

(A banker with a generic Yahoo France address?? Hmmm...prestigious...)

DEAR FRIEND, (isn't it nice to be called "friend" by a complete stranger who spams your inbox)

PLEASE THIS IS IMPORTANT AND VERY URGENT I HAVE AN URGENT TRANSACTION OF $8 MILLION USD TO TRANSFER
TO YOUR NOMINATED ACCOUNT,I AM MR AMADI SALAM

(In a search for Amadi Salam in Google, the first result found was "Email Scam, Fraud and Phishing Resource" Probably not a good start)

,I AM AN
AUDITOR,WITH ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT,ADB HERE IN
OUAGADOUGOU,BURKINA FASO IN WEST AFRICA.
AFTER GOING THROUGH SOME OLD FILES IN THE RECORDS,I
DISCOVERED THAT IF I DO NOT REMIT THIS MONEY OUT
URGENTLY IT WILL BE FORFEITED FOR NOTHING THE OWNER
OF THIS ACCOUNT UNFORTUNATELY DIED IN THE PLANE
CRASH OF UNION TRANSPORT AFRICAINS FLIGHT BOEING 727
IN COTONOU,BENIN REPUBLIC ON THE DECEMBER FRIDAY
26TH,2003.YOU WILL READ MORE STORIES ABOUT THE CRASH
ON VISITING THIS WEBSITE BELOW:

www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash/

(Hey wow! This is a real story. If this guy links to a CNN article, he MUST be legit!!)

NO OTHER PERSON KNOWS ABOUT THIS ACCOUNT OR ANYTHING
CONCERNING IT,THE ACCOUNT HAS NO OTHER BENEFICIARY
AND MY INVESTIGATION PROVED TO ME AS WELL THAT HIS
COMPANY DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ACCOUNT
AND THE AMOUNT INVOLVED IS ($8 MILLION USD)
EIGHT MILLION UNITED STATES
DOLLARS.

(Well, that's not exactly true. Nobody knows about this account because you're not a real banker/auditor and you made up $8million fictional dollars. Conversely, EVERYBODY knows about it because you just did a mass email.)

I WANT TO TRANSFER THE ($8 MILLION) EIGHT
MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS
INTO A SAFE FOREIGNERS ACCOUNT ABROAD,BUT I DON'T
KNOW ANY FOREIGNER,I AM ONLY CONTACTING YOU AS A
FOREIGNER BECAUSE THIS MONEY CAN NOT BE APPROVEED TO
A LOCAL BANK HERE,BUT CAN ONLY APPROVED TO ANY
FOREIGN ACCOUNT BECAUSE THE MONEY IS IN US DOLLARS
AND THE FORMER OWNER OUR DECEASED CUSTOMER IS A
FOREIGNER TOO.

(Thank goodness the money can be APPROVEED here. I feel much more confident now.)

I KNOW THAT THIS MESSAGE WILL COME TO YOU AS A
SURPRISE AS WE DON'T KNOW OUR SELVES BEFORE,BUT THE
REST ASSURE THAT THIS IS LIFE TIME BUSINESS FOR BOTH
OF US EVEN FOR OUR GENERATION TO COME.

(Actually, I'm not surprised. I get these every day. What makes you so special? Oh, yes, that's right. "The rest assure that this is life time business for both of us even for our generation to come...")

WITH THE BELIEVE IN GOD THAT YOU WILL NEVER LET ME DOWN IN THIS BUSINESS.YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON THAT I
HAVE CONTACTED IN THIS BUSINESS,SO PLEASE REPLY
URGENTLY SO THAT I WILL INFORM YOU THE NEXT STEP TO
TAKE URGENTLY,SEND ALSO YOUR PRIVATE TELEPHONE AND
FAX NUMBER.
I WANT US TO MEET FACE TO FACE OR SIGN A BINDING
AGRREEMENT TO BIND US TOGETHER SO THAT YOU CAN
RECEIVE THIS MONEY INTO A FOREIGN ACCOUNT OR ANY
ACCOUNT OF YOUR CHOICE WHERE THE FUND WILL BE
SAFE.WHENT THE MONEY IS SUCCESSFULLY TRANSFER INTO
YOUR FOREIGN ACCOUNT,YOU WILL SEND ME AN INVITATION
LETTER SO THAT I WILL COME TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR
SHARING AND AFTER WITH MY OWN PERCENTAGE YOU WILL
HELP ME FOR INVESTMENTS IN YOUR COUNTRY.
I AM CONTACTING YOU BECAUSE OF THE NEED TO INVOLVE A
FOREIGNER WITH FOREIGN ACCOUNT AND TO STAND AS THE
BENEFICIARY OF THE FUND.

(Blah, blah blah. If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. And bad grammer. And really dodgy spelling.)

I NEED YOUR FULL CO-OPERATION TO MAKE THIS WORK
RESORT TO GOOD FOR US BECAUSE THE MANAGEMENT IS
READY TO APPROVE THIS PAYMENT TO ANY FOREIGNER WHO HAS THE CORRECT INFORMATION ABOUT THE DECEASED
CUSTOMER'S ACCOUNT,WHICH I WILL FEED YOU WITH,IF YOU
ARE ABLE AND WITH THE CAPABILITY TO HANDLE
TRANSACTION IN STRICT CONFIDENCE AND TRUST ACCORDING
TO MY INSRUCTIONS AND ADVICE FOR OUR MUTUAL BENEFIT
BECAUSE THIS OPPORTUNITY WILL NEVER COME AGAIN IN MY
LIFE.
I NEED TRUTHFUL (gullible!) PERSON IN THIS BUSINESS BECAUSE I
DON'T WANT TO MAKE MISTAKE (get caught),I NEED YOUR STRONG
ASSURANCE AND TRUST (not to inform the police). WITH MY POSITION NOW IN THE
OFFICE I CAN TRANSFER THIS MONEY TO ANY FOREIGN
RELIABLE ACCOUNT,WHICH YOU CAN PROVIDE WITH
ASSURANCE THAT THIS MONEY WILL BE INTACT PENDING MY
PHYSICAL ARRIVAL IN YOUR COUNTRY FOR (kidnap, robbery, fraud) SHARING AND YOU
WILL DIRECT ME ON WHAT KIND OF INVESTMENT I WILL DO
WITH MY OWN PERCENTAGE IN YOUR COUNTRY.
AND I WANT YOU TO REMIND YOU THAT YOUR SHARE HAS
BEEN CALCULATED TO 35% OF THE TOTAL SUM (...get out your calculator. See the dollar signs....) I AM WATING
FOR YOUR URGENT REPLY SO THAT I WILL GIVE YOU MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS DEAL. PLEASE REPLY BACK THROUGH MY MAIL ADDRESS.THANKS.
EXTEND MY GREETINGS TO YOUR FAMILY AND HAVE A NICE
DAY.
WITH BEST REGARDS,
AMADI SALAM.

(shit. I left the caps lock on)

technorati tags: africa bank email scam phishing fraud

Yep, got me some more. I can't stop! Must...buy...more...clothing...

yikes. I write a shopping blog on how to save money and then I turn into a compulsive shopper. Ha! Not really. I don't think buying 10 items in 8 months really qualifies. And considering I ignored clothes in general for 10 years or so I think I have some catching up to do!















Bargain time. This sports top cost me $4.25 on Ebay with $5.00 postage. The ironic thing is that I haven't exercised since I got it. I have got a lot of compliments thanks to this top. But I did buy it for walking in, not parading around getting compliments. Extra walking this week to make up for last week.

P.S. notice how the photo was taken in 2003? Has it been hiding in a closet all this time? Languishing?
















These shoes are brilliant. Good quality leather. They cost me $15.10 on Ebay with $10.50 postage. Tip: buy leather shoes. They last. I bought a pair of not-so leathery shoes from Target for $39.95 and I have already worn them out. That's only a few months' wear. Crapola. Go with quality even if it costs a little more. Better still, go with quality if you can get it cheaply. Hehehehehe

technorati tags: clothes shop shopping ebay