My new pedometer arrived yesterday from Ebay land. It is rather snazzy and very easy to set up. You just enter your weight, age, height and step length and it calculates how many calories you are burning throughout the day. I wear it clipped to my belt to remind me to walk more. It's a good incentive to walk instead of catching the tram one stop - you get to thinking "maybe I could add another k to my total!" It becomes a bit of a competition (albeit against yourself!)

Yesterday's tally: 8539 steps, 3.71km and 165.4 calories! - and I wasn't feeling too well that day!

Today so far: 3118 steps, 1.34km, 60.4 calories.

Apparently there were 200 calories in my breakfast banana. And my breakfast tamarillo had 40 calories. There is no danger in my eating more than one tamarillo because they taste a little - how should I say... tangy. I think that's how they are supposed to taste. They make me do the "just sucked on a lemon" look.

I think I could make a million by creating the "Tamarillo Diet" - it goes something like this:

Breakfast:
1 Tamarillo

Lunch
2 Tamarillo

Dinner
2 Tamarillo

Dessert
1 Tamarillo


I can just see the testimonials:

"I lost 50kg in six months!! And I no longer have a vitamin C deficiency!!"


Important note: Please do not try this diet at home. It is a joke. Then again, so are many of the other diets floating around Hollywood. The "Cabbage Soup" diet, the "eat nothing and pretend you're just really busy" diet, the "eat and then spend an unnaturally long time in the bathroom" diet, and then there is the diet followed by many a Hollywood celebrity which basically involves looking in the mirror for long periods and pouting.

It's probably more sensible to just eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, pasta and rice. And make sure you cook with extra virgin olive oil. After all, millions of Mediterraneans can't be wrong.


Pedometer price $4.95 plus $6.00 postage.
Verdict - Success!!

technorati tags: shop ebay pedometer walking exercise

The game was going so well. Elsternwick Golf Course, first nine holes. The sun was glinting from behind the clouds, my partner had just got his third ever birdie on the second hole and I was driving well. My short game was a bit sketchy but since this was our first game back after playing the Apollo Bay Golf Course, I wasn't too fazed.

Suddenly my scorecard showed consecutive bogeys. I was quite content. Another bogey on the seventh. Happy days.

We began the second nine with a relaxed and easy game.

And then it happened.

Before I go into the event in detail, I would like to make it clear that I am a normally well-adjusted person. I have been described as "even-tempered". Perhaps even "bubbly" at times.

Until my ball landed in the right side bunker at the 17th.

For some reason I had a feeling of dread as I approached the cavernous bunker. The lip seemed taller than me and for some reason I found this daunting.

"Remember the Jack Nicklaus book" A soothing voice said inside my head. I relaxed again. Then I seized up again. I couldn't remember. Whatever precious nuggets of genius Jack had imbued in my brain had somehow leaked out the other end, leaving a void of panic and terror.

I tried to remember as best I could - open the clubface, hit the sand behind the ball...

So far so good.

Then I struck the shot. My ball flew upwards, upwards and upwards.

Then it just stopped, cruelly wedging itself just below the lip of the bunker.

Something inside me snapped.

"Yaargh!" I ran up the side of the bunker and grunted, striking the ball hard enough to make it dribble back down into the position it had first landed.

"F@&#* ing sand!"
*THWACK*

The ball repeated its journey back down to my feet, leaving a rather pretty little bubble-pattern behind it.

For some reason this really offended me.

*THWACK*
*THWACK*
*THWACK*
*THWACK*
*THWACK*
*THWACK*

"Arrgh!! Yah!"



















In my mad fury of swinging and thwacking I realised that at least two of these particular shots were nowhere near the ball. They were aimed squarely at the sand for the sole purpose of revenge.

"Yiggh! Ack!! Raargh!!"
*THWACK*
*THWACK*
*THWACK*
*THWACK*
*THWACK*
*THWACK*

I could tell that my partner wanted to say something at this point but thought better of it.

"Graghph!!"
*THWACK*

Finally the ball came popping up out of the bunker and landed on the green, quite close to the pin. A lovely shot.

I took this as the final insult. I stormed out of the mangled bunker (apologies to the greenskeepers and other staff) and stood on the lip, panting maniacally.

"Ruh!"
I threw my cap down in disgust and stormed off to get my putter.

On this rather lonely walk back to my bag I was thinking "Wow... people actually do throw their hats down when they do a bad shot. Then I realised that I had done exactly fifteen bad shots and got mad again. I finished my putt and as we were walking to the next hole I muttered "What did you get?"

"A par." My partner replied. "You?"
"Eighteen."

I was almost immediately calm again. For some reason the sand was out of reach and so was my fury.

My partner sensed this was a good time to speak.
"Er, you know that thing... in the bunker?"

"Yes?"

"Your left arm was bent."

(*Argh!*)

Unfortunately I had managed to forget the most basic rule. "Keep your left arm as straight as you can". I must have looked like a deranged woodcutter.

I have learned so much from this experience. I have realised that you can't, simply can't lose your cool at any time on a golf course.

Not even to take out your revenge on an inanimate object.

technorati tags: golf bunker rage sand wedge elsternwick

If you are anything like me, you probably have a multitude of books lying around. It may be that there are some that are taking up valuable shelf room.

There are a number of options, various places you can Sell TextBooks both in the real world and online. If you are looking to sell your books quickly and at a guaranteed price, you may want to check out SellBackYourBook.com

It works like this:

You enter the ISBN number of up to 20 books in the box and click "price books"















You will then see a list of books and the prices offered. If you are happy with the prices, you can reserve the price and sell your books. I think one of the advantages of a site such as this is the immediacy of the offers. If I were to sell by other means I may be waiting a week to find out if someone is remotely interested in the books I have to offer. For example, there may be a rush on "The Secret" and the demand for crime and thriller books is down. The only way to find out is to check for yourself. I was surprised at some of the books that were and weren't in demand. For example, the latest Harry Potter book was not in demand. Neither was War and Peace or The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Strange. However the latest book about Sarah Palin (titled "Sarah") is in demand, so is "Change We Can Believe In - Barack Obama". The demand appears to change from time to time, as various books wane in popularity and then come back in vogue.

This post brought to you by Sell Back Your Book

If you are like me, you may have a bunch of clothing you just bought on Ebay - perhaps it's not the right size, right colour, or maybe it just doesn't suit you. I usually resell the clothing or donate them to the Brotherhood / Red Cross bins.

A post by Megan at Imaginif brought my attention to fund raising needs in Mapoon's isolated Aboriginal community in Cape York (far North Queensland, Australia).

Nai-Beguta Agama Aboriginal Corporation in Mapoon urgently requires donations of clothing and accessories in order to extend their Community Building. This will include room for a youth worker, counselling rooms and training space.

I will now be donating my extraneous Ebay purchases to assist this fund raising effort. If 1,000,000 items of clothing were donated and sold for $1, the target of $1,000,000 would be reached. I hope we can all work together to assist this effort.




















Send clothing and accessory donations to:

Imaginif,
30 James St,
North Cairns,
QLD 4870.

The clothing will be transported approximately 800km from Cairns to New Mapoon via Sea Swift, a shipping company servicing remote areas.

technorati tags: australia aboriginal community new mapoon raise funds donate

My dream Sunday Bag had a conniption recently. I was walking from the 10th to the 11th hole (really the 1st and 2nd as it was a nine hole golf course!) and it happened.

My 7 club bag had six clubs in the main compartment and a water bottle in the zip pocket but nevertheless the strap decided to give way.

*SPROIING!!*

So all of a sudden I am walking on a forty-five degree angle trying to keep the bag upright.

My partner looked at me quizzically.

I muttered "don't ask", loping along on the same forty-five degree angle.

For the rest of the round I had to grip the top of the bag to stop the clubs from falling out. My hand started to cramp by time we finished playing.

So, I visited a sewing store and bought the tools I will be needing for my repair job.

A canvas needle:













And extremely heavy duty cotton from Russia.













I don't know why it specifically needs to be Russian cotton but the lady in the sewing store insisted it was the strongest and best quality. And I don't want to take any chances of this strap breaking free and the same thing happening during a round.

In the meantime, my partner repaired my bag with black gaffer tape - he reinforced it crossways on the inside of the bag, then wrapped one long piece around the edge of the lip. To date it has held quite well, it even survived a round in Apollo Bay.

But now the time has come to get the needle and thread out and sew the bag back together. I only hope I can remove the sticky residue from the top of the bag in time for my next round.

technorati tags: golf sunday bag repair gaffer tape

Sometimes I like to get ideas from online shopping outlets and use the pictures to piece together a room or an area. This way I can see if certain objects work with one another in a certain space (the magic of Photoshop!). It might be finding the right Living Room Furniture to go with your walls or rugs, it could be Bedroom Furniture to suit a certain size or shaped room, or it could be setting up the spare room with Office Furniture to create your own space.















While I'm shopping or browsing online, I usually go to the clearance section first in case a bargain is laying in wait for me. Sometimes you can save hundreds of dollars just by checking out the online bargain bins!

The concept of a bargain bin is vastly different in an online context. At your standard city department stores you can fossick through the bargain bins and find a lot of junk for cheap prices. Very rarely have I found the item I want by sifting through a bargain bin. The online bargain bin is a different animal. You can fit a desk, a chair or even a bed in these virtual bargain bins. The concept of size is relinquished. Glass coffee tables can reside with wooden outdoor furniture and conference tables. The mind boggles. Sometimes bargain bin hunters can get free shipping or other deals. It just depends on when you look.

Dropper # of drops cheapdanny 31 1993 Honda Civic Blog 17 Lap Band Progress 15 Free Printable Fun 14 The house that Koen & Claire (re)built.com 13 The Inspired Self 12 Monkey Fables And Tales 11 QShifter Hobbies 10 Theme lib dot com 9 Nice2All 8

Thanks to all droppers! I have enjoyed visiting your blogs too! I think Entrecard works when people actually read the articles and leave comments rather than dropping like a mad panda. I have found a lot of new bloggers that would otherwise have been undiscovered - hooray for the Monkey!

Technorati Tags: top entrecard droppers

I like sleep. Many people have told me I sleep a lot. That's true. In fact, I could probably sleep for my country. I don't know if there's some kind of worldwide sleep off - I think I could probably bring back the gold. According to statistics, the average human spends a third of their time in bed. For me it might be a bit longer. So it makes sense to buy the right mattress. You don't want to find yourself with a crick in your neck or a Quasimodo walk ("The Bells! The Bells!") when you rise and shine to greet the world in the morning. You want to smile and bound out of bed full of energy and ready to go on that 1km run. Or in my case, swear, mumble and whack the alarm clock until it stops bothering me. So my next mattress will be a super amazing one, a luxury mattress. Life's too short to settle for second (or third!) best when it comes to something as important as sleeping. While looking for an affordable luxury mattress, I checked off the important features - motion separation so your partner doesn't disturb you when they toss and turn all night, durable springs and beautiful materials like cashmere and wool. This collection features Advanced Pocketing Coil springs for durability and flexibility to contour to your shape. For more information click here.

UPDATE: SCAM ALERT!

This turned out to be a nice idea right up until the time they stopped paying me. The website stopped receiving applications, stopped paying people and generally started acting scammy. At the time they closed up shop, they owed me around $250.00 

Avoid like typhoid...

Recently I trialled a passive income stream called freebies4webmasters that seems to have turned out to be profitable. I was skeptical at first - actually, I was skeptical right up until the time that the payment appeared in my account. Now that the money is there I can't argue with it.

The process is simple - you put a code on your blog displaying a rather unobtrusive ad on 3 different pages. If you have a blog with more than 3 posts or a website with more than 3 pages this is very simple. Then the fun begins.

Firstly, you are paid 10 pounds (Oh joy for the exchange rate!) for signing up.

Secondly, you are paid 5 pounds per month for leaving the ad code on your site. You don't have to do anything else.

You can put the code on multiple sites if they are approved, thus doubling your income or tripling it or more!

You have nothing to lose so why not give it a try? It's a good place to start if you have never earned money from your site.

SCAM ALERT!!!
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Despite initially making an initial amount money from this company, they have since shut down and hightailed it with around $200 still owed to me. Don't bother!!!

technorati tags: freebies4webmasters earn make money online monetize blog website affiliateads

Do you know what I love best about online shopping? It's probably best if I explain what I don't like about on-footpath shopping (yes, I may have invented a new word - copyright dibs!!)

1. Crowds
2. People in general
3. Crowds containing people and possibly animals
3. Shop assistants who answer "huh?" with a glazed stare when you ask them where the electrical section is.
4. Shop assistants who say "nup" every time you ask them a question (see previous post here).
5. Prams that hit you in the shin when you are holding a priceless crystal object
6. "Hoooy, can oooy help yooo?" (hold your nose while saying this sentence and it will sound about right)
7. Queues - I recently left a Melbourne store because the queue had a wait time of about half an hour or more. I really did want that CD - but not that much!
8. Carrying bags on public transport - there will inevitably be a huge milkshake stain on the seat where you want to put your new dvd player box.
9. Crying children. Tantrums. Ear splitting blood curdling screams. It's hard to concentrate on shopping when you are taken by a bout of fight or flight syndrome.
10. Those horrible sales where everybody rushes in as soon as the store opens. It usually ends in broken bones, scrapes and bruises, angry exchanges and tug-of-war fights. It's hard to be proud of your new found bargains when you're walking out of the shop like Quasimodo.

Now, for the positives. I love online shopping because you can click on say, "exercise equipment" and it takes you right to the correct department. So much easier than trying to follow some harried shop assistant's directions. The items are delivered to your door and all you have to do is click a few buttons.

Exercise equipment is next on my online shopping list. I need to turbo charge my exercise routine because some truths have become apparent to me:

1. Beer is not a vegetable

2. Watching the Olympics does not count as exercise (although I did lose 5cm from my waist during this time - explain that one!!)

3. Getting up to adjust the aerial does not count, nor does going to the fridge.

4. The weather is getting better and the days are getting longer - there is now no excuse.

5. I actually like exercising - it's kind of fun when you get into a routine.
















So I visited DealsDirect and went straight to their Exercise and Fitness Equipment section (no harried shop assistants here!) In previous posts I have delved into my exercise routine involving weights and walking briskly (and not just to escape rather large dogs!). Recently I have been considering the benefits of expanding my weights collection.

What I found was perfect for me:












Set of 3 Mini Dumbbell Set With Stand - 9kg Total

Today's DealsDirect Deal: $24.95
(RRP: $59.95)

The beauty of this contraption is that you can choose which weights to use, depending on the exercise and how you are feeling on a particular day. For example, I will start off the Spring exercise routine slowly so I will be using the smaller 1kg weights to begin with. I will then work up to 1.5kg and then 2kg after a few weeks or months of strength building.














I can also use the smaller weights for my some of my Pilates exercises. I can even use it as a small pommel horse. Perhaps I could use it as a newspaper and magazine holder. Or a wine rack. Whatever I do end up deciding to do with it, it will certainly be a good incentive to rediscover exercise and get ready for summer!

technorati tags: deals direct online shopping exercise equipment

Have you noticed that you can buy, say, 5 pairs of jeans - all of a certain size and when you try them on you find that a size 10 or a size 12 (Australian size) is not the same from one item to another? For example, I have purchased 3 new pairs of jeans:

The first pair is the perfect size, the jeans fit easily and comfortably.

The second is just big enough to get over my knees - perhaps.

And the third pair - well, I could go camping in them. Campfire and all. They are taller than me and many times bigger. Perhaps I could fit into one leg, I may try that - it could start an interesting trend. Or perhaps not.

The point is, they are all marked the same size. And I've checked that they weren't children's sizes or doll sizes or anything like that. So, this begs the question - shouldn't there be some sort of regulating body for the use of clothing sizes?

Otherwise people could get depressed by buying small versions of the next size up, not knowing that their actual size is the same and the clothing manufacturer has gotten a little creative.

Conversely, you could give yourself a confidence boost by buying a larger version of the next size down. Ooh, look, I dropped a size and I didn't even do anything! Again, this is false advertising - the person will remain the same size, they will now just happily leave the jeans lying around so people can see the size on the tag.

There needs to be some universal governing body that regulates clothing sizes. I have tried on a Korean made dress only to suffocate dramatically like a heroine in an old horror movie. Yes, I understand I am tall and perhaps the target market for this dress was short but there should be warnings on the label.

So, with my new found knowledge, I shall be referring to tape measurements only when I buy clothing to avoid any unfortunate mishaps in the future.

technorati tags: clothing shopping ebay sizes measurements

I'm sure a lot of people have experienced something similar when it comes to contractors. You call them, they say they'll be there. They don't turn up, you call again. Then you call again and find out that they won't be there for another three weeks. Meanwhile your tap is dripping, your roof is leaking or your toilet is overflowing. Unfortunately, when you need a contractor, it is often for a problem that cannot wait three weeks let alone three days. That's why you need a bit more assurance that something will be done quickly and properly. Again, guarantees are difficult to come by in this sphere - certainly in my experience the answer has been "she'll be right mate" and of course, it isn't.
You may be standing in your living room, avoiding a live wire, waiting for Electric Contractors to arrive. You may be clinging to your grand piano, praying that the Home Pest Control arrives before the termites reach that priceless heirloom. And you can just imagine the wait for the Plumbing Repair people to arrive. Very uncomfortable!
It would be nice for once to have some sort of a guarantee that the job will be done and done properly. This is the claim offered by DoneRight Home Improvement professionals. The contractors bearing this special DoneRight logo are screened tested for proficiency. Please note you must use the online form to register for this guarantee before engaging a contractor for work.

On a recent trip through a couple of train stations in Melbourne, I needed to visit the bathroom before the train arrived. I emerged from the cubicle to face the "mirror" which was, in this case a sheet of lumpy polished metal. I've never understood the purpose of those things. Why pretend it's a mirror? Why not just have no mirror at all? Perhaps they thought the wall looked bare, I don't know.

I mean, I look into this thing and I can tell yep, I'm still the same height.

And that pinky/yellow blob up the top - that's probably my face.

The halo of dark stuff is my hair I presume...

And that's pretty much all I can tell. It's probably me in the reflection but I'm not 100% sure.

I could have a streak of mascara running down the length of my face and have absolutely no chance of spotting it. The first I'd know about it would be if someone told me or conversely, if someone kept their mouth shut about it but sniggered uncontrollably every time I turned my back.

So, after NOT looking in the mirror I start to walk down the ramp near the platform, swinging my arms enthusiastically as it is known that swinging your arms while you walk burns more calories.

I'm swinging away happily and...

THWACK!!

Oh no.

The back of my neck goes cold.

I've somehow managed to swing my hand smack bang into some poor guy's goolies.

Oh my God.

What does one do in this situation?

What's the etiquette?

This is the sort of thing they don't teach you at finishing school.

I can't say "sorry" because that would expose the fact that I am prepared to acknowledge that I've just swung my hand into his nuts.

God, how embarrassing.

Say something? What would I say anyway? Er...

"No, that wasn't your imagination. I truly did just whack you in the nuts just now...
But the good news is I wasn't carrying my umbrella in that hand. Oh, and by the way, I'm not some weird-ass girl who goes around randomly smacking people in the nads just so I can apologise... because that would make me really... um... worrying."

On second thoughts, don't say anything.

Keep walking. Oh, God, why does this have to happen to me? What was he doing walking that close and on that angle? He saw I was swinging my arms... didn't he? Don't make eye contact. I don't want a face to put to this excruciating episode. I don't want to know what he looks like.

Walk faster.

Stare straight ahead.

Act nonchalant and blend into the crowd quickly.

Maybe this is God's way of telling me not to use public transport.

technorati tags: public transport nightmare embarrassing nad whack

I don't know about you but I find that surveillance and GPS tracking can be mighty useful. I just watched "Firewall" the other night. How does Harrison Ford find his kidnapped family? By following the dog's GPS collar microchip on his laptop screen.

Now, I'm not suggesting people should get themselves microchipped, but if your are wanting to track something (or someone! - ooo, play X-Files music here!), then this little device is quite nifty and could come in handy when you least expect it. Like when you're being pursued by aliens and you need to find the rendezvous hiding spot. Or if you are trying to find your dog because the end of the world is coming and you're in the car with Bruce Willis. Or any other situation far more plausible than the ones I just mentioned (but you never know!)

These easily concealed, pocket sized GPS Tracking devices get their signals from 24 Department of Defense GPS satellites and are accurate to 2.5 metres, updating every second (I told you this was X-Files-ish!!). Strong magnets inside make it possible to place underneath a car, and it is also water resistant. When you have the information you can turn on a computer (or laptop if you are speeding across the desert on a mission) - and plug in the tracking key into your USB port. You can then follow the progress in real time on your screen, using the existing technology of Google Earth.



This post brought to you by LandAirSea.

I have seen these t-shirts for sale previously - for those who want to wear their political affiliations on their sleeve (pun intended).

The donkey, symbol of the Democrats. The elephant, symbol of the Republicans. The t-shirts denote political leanings and separate the population into potential dates or...not.

Today I found this:





Perhaps its for swinging voters (haaaaaaaaaa!!!!)

It would be fun to wear this t-shirt just to confuse everybody. I guess it opens up the field a bit...

technorati tags: i only date democrat republican t-shirt shopping

I recently joined Twitter and realised my background needed work. I designed my own and now I've been having some fun creating a bunch of free Twitter backgrounds for you to use.

Feel free to share, etc.

- Click on theme and open in new window
- Save to desktop (or wherever you like!)
- Go to Twitter account
- Choose "Settings"
- Choose "Design" tab
- Upload your image from your computer
- Save!

2008 Beijing Olympics Theme



Golf Twitter Theme



A great way to design your own Twitter page is to start with free textures and go from there. Textures provided by:

http://www.imageafter.com/
http://www.cgtextures.com

Here are a couple to get you started:


Circuit Twitter Theme:



Smash Twitter Theme:





Have fun!

Related:

• How To Make Money Tweeting

Follow me on Twitter:

technorati tags: custom twitter layouts, backgrounds, free twitter backgrounds, free wallpaper,clip art

How to make money with Twitter - turn your tweets into profits. Free guide.


More Twitter Backgrounds

The last 'leather' belt I purchased on Ebay turned out to be 100% real vinyl, which is why it broke within about 2 months.

I finally snagged the perfect leather belt on Ebay. After delivery, on close inspection I found it to be real leather - yippee!!

These belts can go for $20-$80, I'm sure there are more expensive versions around.

$1.99 + $7.00 postage.

SUCCESS!!


...dig that funky bedspread!

technorati tags: leather belt ebay shopping

Last night, I was standing on the tram, holding my umbrella in one hand and holding on to the pole with the other.

I noticed an intriguing pamphlet sticking out of a document holder on the pole near the door. It said in big letters "DID YOU KNOW?"

I let go of the pole with my hand and started to pull it out, trying to get a look at the words underneath.

Suddenly the tram lurched forwards, causing me to fall backwards and hit the glass divider behind me.

The tram stopped again and I gathered myself together. I looked at the pamphlet in my hand.

What was so important and intriguing, I wondered, that the action of reading it had caused me to let go of the pole and fall over?

I held on to the pole firmly and read:

DID YOU KNOW?

...more people hurt themselves on trams than on a trapeze? But why?

...the answer is pretty simple - trapeze artists hold on.

...we care for your safety so

PLEASE HOLD ON WHILE STANDING

and stay safe on the tram.

technorati tags: tram safety leaflet

Owning your own home is just the beginning - you may find yourself up to your eyeballs in directories looking for general contractors such as flooring specialists, roofing specialists, tree loppers, heating specialists and plumbers. The question is, how do you know your expert will have the right qualifications?

The ClickSmart directory contains a listing for various contractors. The ClickSmart contractors are listed as certified experts and licensed in the state in which they do business. For example, the listing for Miami general contractors will be for contractors licensed in the state of Florida. The contractors are also required to be in good standing with the Better Business Bureau, which makes for a better experience when choosing the right person for the job. Remember to do your research before you commit and you will save yourself a lot of difficulty in the long run.

The train was into the second stop on the line when she sat next to me.

I was secretly annoyed because I was talking on the phone. One minute I was in full flight in a conversation and two seconds later I had a stranger sitting next to me.

Staring right at my face.

Now, far be it from me to call "weirdbag alert" but the signs were not looking good. So, suddenly I had to get off the phone from a conversation I was enjoying because I didn't feel comfortable with this strange woman listening in.

Stop 3 - I'm off the phone and thinking "oh, she's probably not a weirdo. Look, she looks quite normal." And she did, maybe in her 30s or 40s, normal looking as far as I could tell.

Then the smell hits me. Ammonia. Cat's p!ss? Human? Eeek.

Out of everyone on the train I get the lucky seat. The insides of my nostrils stung.

"Tough it out." I said to myself. "Is it coming from her?" I sniffed again, nearly gagging.

Yes it was.

She then proceeded to put her feet on the seats in front of her. The smell got stronger. That meant one of two things. Either she had stepped in... or....I didn't want to think anymore.

Then I realise something. I'm trapped in. The seats are three on each side. I was seated near the window, she near the aisle (do you call it an aisle on a train? That makes it sound so much more exciting). She had placed her feet on the seat opposite her so I was trapped in. I had to get her to move her feet in order to get out.

Okay, I'm trapped in. I thought. No! Even better, I'm trapped in and now she's got her eyes closed.

Oh, crap.

So I can't signal that I want to get out because she can't see me. But I must get out because if I don't, my nostril hairs will never be the same again.

Stop 4 - I start taking shallow breaths.

Stop 5 - I think I can make it.

"Wouhoughagh!"

She coughed so loudly it made me jump. What the hell?

Lucky me, the cough had been coming my way without a courtesy cover. Sh!t, now her eyes were closed again. I'm not touching her leg. That's just it.

The smell got so strong I started to absorb it through my eyes, nose and ears.

"Wouhoughagh!" "Cack!"

I saw my chance! She had just opened her eyes momentarily to make that horrendous sound. Without a pause I leapt up and stood for a second, not breathing, while she slowly lowered her legs from the seat.

I walked calmly, very quickly away from the area, stopping at the other end of the carriage. I will never forget that smell as long as I live.

When I got off the platform for some reason someone was smoking some green stuff at this very busy, very popular Melbourne station.

I stood with my nose in the air, taking very deep breaths.

technorati tags: train public transport weirdo

An article has been brought to my attention - tips for protecting yourself while shopping online. I found the article to have a number of good points, many of which could be elaborated.

I agree that the most important thing to notice is the URL bar and whether or not it says "https". Some commenters made additions to the shopping security checklist. For example, don't enter your credit card details from a public computer (ie. internet cafe). To add my own points to the article, don't send your credit card details through email - email is notoriously unsafe for this kind of information. Make sure you enter these details on a trusted, secure site.

technorati tags: shopping online safety

This latest purchase from an overstock outlet is testament to my rabid addiction to quality cookware. 18cm, 16/18 stainless steel and copper base for even and rapid heat distribution. And a lifetime guarantee.

It's perfect for such gourmet delights as macaroni and cheese and two-minute noodles. The first dish I cooked in it was macaroni and cheese. Since then, I haven't cooked anything else of note, I generally use it for heating sauces made in the larger pots. One of these days I'm going to cook something extremely nutritious - every pot needs a christening and in my mind, macaroni and cheese doesn't count. It really needs to be something home cooked. Fresh ingredients. That is, something that doesn't require the use of a noodle packet and a can of cheese goo.

retail price:$69.95
my price: $44.95 (hee hee!!)

Embarking on my cooking exploits I will need some inspiration. French onion soup is the one foremost in my mind. It's very easy - you basically need garlic, herbs, a bag of onions, vegetable stock and some bread. Perhaps some gruyere cheese. I can't stop thinking about food because I am really hungry. Here's a picture to prolong the torture.


I think I'll go trolling for recipes, see what I can dig up. I'd like to try an asian soup as well, maybe udon noodles or crazy mushroom dish. I'm fascinated by Chinese mushrooms - they're dried, weird and I'm terrified of them. But I am determined to use them. I once tried wood-ear fungus and seriously could have eaten the whole plate had politeness not been a concern. I will become proficient with the mushroom, no matter how long it takes!!

technorati tags: cooking baccarat saucepan shopping

Sometimes you find yourself needing a lawyer and may be at a loss as to who to use. It's a situation you don't want to encounter but sometimes it is necessary to get help. If you are in the Los Angeles area you can find Criminal Defense Attorneys in Los Angeles | Southern California Criminal Defense with as much as 50 years experience and top 5% law firms. My advice would be to find out about their win/lose record and go from there.

This post brought to you by Kestenbaum, Eisner and Gorin, LLP

Let me firstly say one thing. I hate packing. So I have to be anal-retentive about it. I write a list of things to pack, then on the other side of the page I write a list of things that are packed in the suitcase. That way I can't forget anything because its either on the list or in the bag. Clever eh?
Somehow I still manage to forget something vitally important like toothpaste.

The things I hate packing the most:

Shoes - why oh why are shoes so bulky? And why can you only fit one pair of shoes in your suitcase no matter how hard you whack everything into the corners? I always thought I was a minimal shoe person. When I pack, I find out that I have dress shoes, runners (for golf!!) and even my Maseur sandals need to follow me everywhere I go. Especially if the hotel has a communal bathroom. There's nothing worse than looking down at your feet and seeing someone else's hair or worse. Eeek! Thongs or sandals - mandatory.

Vitamins - for some reason when I go away I get the fear that I will die of malnutrition in the 4 or 5 days I will be gone. So I pack vitamins. B Complex, Ginkgo and Brahmi Complex, Women's Multivitamins, Ferro Grad-C, various protein supplements and Growling Dog energy bars. By the time I have packed all this I have room for about 3 socks.

Electronics/gadgets - my mp3 player, mp3 fold-out speakers, 2 small headlamps for reading/mood lighting, digital camera, batteries, batteries and more batteries. I end up with about 12 AAAs and 12AAs for the trip. Last trip even included a small 2000W fan heater my partner and I dubbed "Picachu". Why? Because its fins are reminiscent of Picachu, the cute little Pokemon character.


See the resemblance?

The upshot of all this packing drama is that I had to buy myself a new Skyway tote bag (shown above). The normal price was $59.95 but I happened to find it when it was on special for $39.00 at Strandbags. It fits my shoes, vitamins, toiletries and everything else I could possibly think of. It also fits nicely over my matching Skyway in-flight luggage by slipping the tote bag over the handle. Just don't change direction suddenly while you're wheeling it or you might find yourself walking like Quasimodo.

technorati tags: Skyway luggage shopping

Birdie comes before par - this is the way it went in my case anyway... I got my first birdie recently at Elsternwick Golf Course on the 2nd hole (approx 128m). I teed off using (of all things!) a 7-wood.

I drew the club back about 90 degrees (I think - this expertise apparently comes from playing Tiger Woods on Playstation - and they say computer games have no real-world applications!)

The two guys who had just left the 2nd green stopped to watch.
I made contact.
I heard an expletive and joyous sounds from my partner. The two guys kept watching.
I saw the ball land on the green and thought "well, that's good. I won't have to chip."
The closer I got to the green, the more I started to realise what I had just done.
The ball was possibly a metre or more away from the flag.
But it was no gimme.
My brain went haywire.
I crouched at one end, then at the other. I think I was holding out my putter to line it up. Little did anybody know, I didn't quite know what the putter-holding was actually for. All I knew was that it looks good. Tiger does it all the time.
It was time to putt.
I took a deep breath.
Then another.
Then another.
I started to get lightheaded and decided to stop taking deep breaths.
"Stop looking at it and just putt!" I thought. I couldn't stop looking at it. Was there something I missed? A secret break? I didn't know. The importance of the shot started to weigh upon me.
"If you don't do it now you're going to freeze and f@ck up!"
I finally hit it.
The ball coasted on a straight line, then rolled towards the outer left of the cup. It was heading to lip out.
"Oh well," I thought "at least I'll get a par. I've never got a par before. I got a bogey once but that's not the same as..."
I heard a shout. My partner was practically levitating off the green. The ball bent neatly to the right and went in. I was stunned.
Nobody said anything for a second as we stared at each other.
"Rasthermathugraaaa!!!" I shouted.
"Woohooo!" he yelled.
"Yeaaaaahh!! Haaa!! Whooo!!!" I shouted again.
I celebrated Tiger Woods style by leaning back almost horizontally and pumping both fists in the air. Then I looked around, adjusted my cap like I do this all the time, and walked off with my clubs muttering "Haaaa!!" breathlessly.
We continued in a daze. I think it took me a few holes and many wistful "I got a f@cking birdie" repetitions for it to sink in.
If you pardon the pun.

And no, I still haven't got a par yet....

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What are your experiences of makeup? Me, I'm a girly-girl in only one respect - I love my makeup. For a long time I have worn the standard liquid foundation (Revlon New Complexion) which in my opinion is the best of the gluggy bunch. This formula can look pretty unnatural and can mask the skin's radiance, giving you a pale or"'greyed out" look. This is why foundation has always been a bit of a grey area for me (pun intended).

The biggest problem with this kind of makeup is the dreaded 3:15 slide. That's the time when the coverage of the makeup wears off and the shiny stuff starts to show through. I, like many people, have "oily skin". It means that I get shiny in the afternoon and makeup finds it hard to stay on, which is why I found myself rushing to reapply a touch-up layer mid-afternoon.

I have begun trialling Musq Mineral Makeup for the past week. The first thing I noticed is that I no longer need to reapply. At 7pm I can look in the mirror and look the same as I did at 7:30am when I first applied the makeup. I no longer have to think about reapplying - I can use the time for other, more important thinking. Like golf for example....

The makeup contains concentrated natural ingredients with no talc or bismuth oxychloride. I have trouble remembering the oxymoron name but I do remember the ingredient is something you do not want on your face. It dawned on me that I may have been over-stimulating my sebaceous glands with the chemicals in my liquid makeup for an extended period of time.

The first day I tried the mineral makeup my skin felt a bit dry. It was a powder, after all. I thought "Oh well, it's not for me." By day two my skin had normalized itself and the look and texture had begun to improve. At this time I started to realise that I may be doing something good for my skin instead of irritating it with chemicals.

The powder is unlike any normal powder you might find in a compact. The ordinary powders feel as if they are weighing heavily on your skin. Conversely, this makeup is lightweight and feels like no makeup at all. It looks as if I am not wearing makeup but it has good coverage and the added protection of SPF 17-20.

I will be interested to see how long my container lasts. I was surprised that the container was listed as 5g but when it arrived, 5g of powder looked like more than I had imagined. If this container lasts as long as I think it's going to last, then it's good value. Remember - with mineral makeup, less is more.

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Buy leading cosmetics brands at reduced prices. Free shipping anywhere in the world.

My wonderful Kabuki brush arrived and I am happy to report it is a roaring success!!! No shedding, great coverage using mineral makeup and it comes in such a cute bag!

Total cost: $4.99 + $5.00 postage & handling = $9.99

I have saved approximately $30-40 on a name brand brush. This Ebay purchase is one of my biggest successes. Yippee!! I have now ordered a new Musq mineral makeup in the colour "Maldives" - suitable for asian skin with yellow undertones. Although I was born in Australia (blaaoordy oath mayyyte!! - sorry to everybody who didn't get that, it was an Australian reference!), I do seem to have a "where does she come from" kind of thing about my skin tone. Finally I have found a yellow-undertoned mineral makeup that feels natural and looks like I'm not wearing makeup. More reports to come...

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Buy leading cosmetics brands at reduced prices. Free shipping anywhere in the world.

I made the decision to get some web design qualifications early last year. As a result, I have been able to create websites using CSS, but most importantly I can create with confidence. It is reassuring to know that you have received the best possible training to advance your progress in your chosen area of IT - be it security, voice or wireless. I do not profess to be an expert in these particular areas, but I can see the value in learning and developing these skills.

There is a great demand for all kinds of skills in information technology. So many areas are growing so quickly that it takes some attention and application to keep up. It is important for IT professionals to become the supply that the industry is demanding.

Cisco certification provides all kinds of IT training - from entry level to expert/specialist. The site also provides information on IT careers and what it takes to be a "network security superhero". I am going to try my hand at the binary game, called "having fun with binary". I remember learning about binary as a kid, programming in BASIC and generally learning my way around computers. I must say that I have never used the word "binary" and "fun" in the same sentence but I'm willing to be re-educated. You may have noticed there are many "make money online" sites everywhere you turn on your daily surfing adventures. I'm not criticising these sites in any way, let me make this clear, but it is a well known (and tested) fact that if you update / upgrade your IT training, you can make way more moolah. And that's what we all like to hear!

I had the misfortune of being hungry at a well known Melbourne railway station yesterday. I had travelled for a long distance and felt ravenous from the journey.

I had even decided to go for the closest approximation of food I could find - namely Hungry Jacks (Burger King in the US). I eat at fast food restaurants perhaps once a year - if I absolutely can't avoid it.

This time there was no turning back. My hunger pains were leading me in the direction of HJs and there was no stopping me. My partner was starving also and we had already worked out our order.

I spoke to the bespeckled and bepimpled character behind the counter, who I shall refer to as "P".

Me: "I'll have a vegie burger small meal deal with one extra vegie burger."

P: "Okay... is that medium or large meal deal?"

Me: "A small. With one extra vegie burger."

P: "Anything else?"

Me: "Yes, I'd like another vegie burger and a large onion rings."

P: "So that's two vegie burgers..."

Me: "No it's three vegie burgers altogether." (I run through the entire order again)

P: "Okay, so that's two vegie burgers...did you want coke?"

Me: "No, three vegie burgers. Yes, coke is fine."

P: "Okay, two vegie burgers and a coke."

Me: "Three vegie burgers. Three altogether."

P: "Two vegie burgers..." (she is getting annoyed now)

Me: "Three."

P: "Yeah. That's what I said!" (hands on hips and glaring at me)

Me: ?!?!?!?


Meanwhile the lady behind me (who shall be known as "K") was declaring very loudly that this restaurant should be condemned by the board of health.

"It's filthy!" she argued with the same bespeckled 16 year old genius who had served me.

The 16 year old was indignant.

P: "Well we have been very busy."

K: "That's not the point. It's a health hazard out there. Somebody needs to clean it up. Can I speak to your manager."

The manager came out, sporting perhaps a whole extra year on "P" and a few less pimples. She sent out someone to "clean up" which consisted of walking around the area once and finally moving one high chair two inches. The floor was still littered with wrappers, bits of pickle, all sorts of hideous things. The seats outside were so bad that my partner and I opted for the comfy spot near the doorway where everybody coming in can crash into your suitcases.

We finally got our food and sat down awkwardly. Taking a bite, we both looked up at each other and sighed.

The burgers were cold. Not just a bit cold but stone cold.

I got up, gathering the burgers and trudged back to the counter. By now my hunger was a raging fever and all that was standing between me and some food was "P".

Me: These burgers are cold. Could you possibly make us some hot ones?

P: (stares sullenly at me, grabs burgers, disposes of the burgers, mutters and has a private conversation with a weird looking guy)

This weird looking guy eyeballs me. I give him an inquisitive look as if to say "yes, I'm the one fussy person that expects 'flame grilled' Hungry Jacks burgers to be hot. Since flames are hot and all that."

I watch as this strange and suspicious person goes back into the kitchen (which I hoped was not as disgusting as the "restaurant" itself) and grabs some ingredients.

He assembles the ingredients. I watched him to make sure he didn't sully the burger out of spite. So far so good. It's a new burger. Things are looking up.

Then he lifts the burger up and puts it straight in the microwave. My heart and my shoulders sank. What did I expect exactly? A real flame grill? Any sort of attention to food preparation whatsoever?

The burgers WERE hot. Straight out of the microwave.

Except mine. A small quadrant of the burger was still stone cold.

Perhaps they should get their flame grilled microwave fixed.

technorati tags: hungry jacks burger king fast food customer service

I have realised it's time for another spring clean. I bought a pair of jeans on Ebay and they are not quite right for me. So it's time to start selling again. I managed to sell two dictaphones on Ebay- one for $26 and one for $21 (inc postage). This is the first time I have actually made a profit selling on Ebay! Many items are best suited to a charity bin however I will possibly sell my old phone and various clothes that are gathering dust and contributing to clutter.

I have a plethora of computer equipment, cables, hard drives etc. and I must start organising and clearing. I am gaining inspiration from Decluttering for Geeks - he has an amusing and insightful take on the value of old computer components.

I am happy to report that my corduroy jeans have finally arrived. Sometimes I think the Ebay gods are listening when I complain on my blog. Now there's only one question. Where the heck is my kabuki goat hair brush?

technorati tags: ebay shop shopping clothing spring clean

In reviewing the site "Park Let" I discovered a number of points about London. Firstly, London is a well populated city, to speak in understatement. Secondly, there is a large amount of traffic flowing through London during peak hours and throughout the day. Thirdly, it would be a difficult place to find good any parking spots! So perhaps the best solution is to find a London Garage for Rent and rent it for an extended period of time? Many of the garages and parking spots advertised can be accessed 24 hours a day, which is very convenient if you work in the city and wish to visit at odd hours. The parking options range from open air car parking spots to security undercover, swipe card access parking spaces. It would be interesting to tally up the amount spent in a year in hourly or daily parking fees and compare it to the total cost of renting a car space or garage for the full year. If you are presently living or working in London you may want to do this simple calculation and find out if you would be better off with the single day option or the yearly option.


This post brought to you by ParkLet

Here is the part where I get to revisit the top Entrecard droppers on my blog. Will they be the same people getting the linky love or will there be some new faces?

Dropper	# of drops
Lapidary Queen Wannabees	25
cheapdanny	22
Heart of Wisdom Homeschool	19
Heart at Home Homeschool	18
SexyAdsBlog	12
Blogging 101 for Christians	12
THE PAPER VISION	12
Lap Band Progress	12
j o s h u a o n g y s	10
IXELA	10

Keep dropping your Entrecard here to make it on to the next Top Droppers list!

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