Bokashi Mania!

In our bid to make a contribution to our dying environment, my sis C and I decided to adopt a Bokash Bin to our household..

How it works: put all your food scraps (you can put virtually EVERYTHING even citrus, eggs, and leftovers!) into the bin, spread on a bit of bokashi mix (full of microbes – apparently.. meaning little microscopic animals that breaksdown food and turns it into nutritious compost), pack it all tightly and put the lid back on. When it’s full.. take it out to the garden, bury it, and in a few weeks you’ll have a bundle of yummy compost (well.. yummy for the plants)!

we got our bokashi bin from the Environment House in Perth (they do a starter pack and also run workshops) or you can also buy them online.. we thought about worm farms or compost bins, but they just seemed like too much work for lazy bums like us.. plus the bokashi bin is compact and our bin lives in the pantry..

So, C and I would spring clean our cupboard or fridge without guilty thoughts of greenhouse gases or the starving children in Africa, coz we know it’ll all become good compost for my budding vegie garden. So decision process is simple.. I would hold up a bundle of dying lettuce, manky looking leftovers or piece of old bread to C, we look at each other, and with one synchronised firm nod, we say “Bokashi it!”.. so we’ve been happily bokashi this, bokashi that, and bokashi galore!

Amore Italia: Manual of Love 2

i enjoyed a wonderful saturday arvo with my fellow PhD comrade K, we caught up over coffee at the art gallery and went to see the Manual of Love 2 from the italian film festival in perth.. the long over due dose of culture gave me such a buzz..

there were some seriously good looking italians.. most of all i have a soft spot for monica bellucci.. she's not the typical hollywood stick animal specifically designed to make me feel bad about my 'fuller figure' Plus, she's got this magic around her.. and i'm completely mesmerised every time she appears on screen..

i really enjoyed the film. it was light, sweet, clever, thoughtful, funny and quirky.. it did make me rethink about love and what it means.. all the intricate subtleties of human relating.. a celebration of the fabulously flawed humanness that lies within us all.. that served with a side of giant coke and a small bucket of popcorn, it's just the most delicious way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon..

ahhh.. my deprived soul is satiated.. for now..

no news is bad news!

it's been AGES since i started my project plant more stuff..

as the days go on.. there's still no action from my herb seeds.. as i grew more impatient.. i went to check the seeds packet to see if i've followed the sowing directions correctly.... then.. in the corner of my eye.. i spoted the little blue stamp that shattered my hopes of a herb garden..

apparently i've sown seeds that are "best before 2001"..

in another words.. i've been watering buckets of dirt with old seeds for hmpphhh 3 weeks.....

S-I-G-H.... i had plans for those herbs..

Wanted: Tomato eating Crustacea

Weeks since sown: 2.5

Sprouts: 0

Tomato seedlings: 2 down, 4 left.

Since i started my "Project: Plant more stuff" I’ve lost 1 tomato seedling on day 2!! then on day 3.. I found another seedling down!! It died the same way the first one did, laying horizontally with a severed stem near the roots!

so notttt happy.. actually i was seething madddd.. So I decided to do a bit of a CSI - Sherlock Holmes style... I caught the culprit in the act half way chomping around the stem of my third tomato seedling!! Little grey black buggers with segmented scales.. took me a while of googling and rummaging through my garden books to find that these little buggers are called - SLATERS!!!!!

apparently they are scavengers, but in large quantities they can attack plants.. (yes, in my case, the little guy is either very popular or have one mighty big family.. may be they are enjoying the bountifulness of my newly buried compost material in my vegie patch).. so guess it's still my fault.. so with a dust pan and some encouraging prods with a broom.. i've moved the party to another compost spot..

so... my tomatoes are safe.... for now...

Ally turns ONE!

it felt like it was only yesterday when i visited YT's in the maternity ward and ally was wrapped up like giant witchetty grub with a pink face..

today was her first EVER birthday party!! ohhh how time flies!

YT made this cute cake for her plus coco rice things, and fairy bread.. and grandma cooked up a storm of curry chicken, bbq pork and duck, fried noodles, and lots of red eggs!

big mammal and i got ally the elmo giggle n' shake chair.. (which is sooo completely adorable)..
but baby ally seemed a little scared of this big red thing that makes all these noise and shakes.. and more interested in the frog that can sing songs that she was given by an aunty..

this sorta reminds me a bit of bart and his homer made krusty clown bed...

hmph!

more shopping!

Unfortunate for my credit card and my phd.. I’ve recently discovered the infinite joys of online shopping..

First ebay, then a flood gate of websites opened to me.. thanks to my colleague lil' k.. I’m madly in love with polyvore.com..

How it works: people post the combination of fashion items, or artworks.. and it also has the individual items listed for each combination with links to websites that you can purchase the items AND any other combinations using that particular item!!

The possibility is endless.. and so are the hours of my time that it devours.. but it’s all so pretty.. *like a fly to flourscent insect trap*

Love it love it love it!!

*shhhh.. btw, don’t tell big mammal.. he no like it when i engage in what I consider as artistic research. He seemed to think such activities falls under the procrastination banner.. sigh… artists are often misunderstood.. it’s one of the perils I guess.. :P *

it must be love love love..

my new babies has just arrived!

my sony flash drive (paid extra so i can get the pretty white one!)..

my oh-so-high-tech sony cybershot - DSC-T200!!

!!!!!!

tis so cool that it's hot! though they are both too small to hug, i'm making sure they are getting plenty of love and kisses!

check out this picture of me and the goodies dad has brought back with him..
ohhh the smell of stuff coming out of packaging.. it makes me highhhhhhh...


*dances off into the sunset*

addicted to ebay

i've been wanting to buy something pretty for ages.. but after a couple of frustratingly unsuccessful shopping trips later.. i turned to ebay..

and.. oh boy oh boy.. tsk tsk.. pandora's box would be a gross understatement.. let me just say.. a floodgate has opened and there's no turning back..

first i was just looking for dresses, then while i'm at it.. any item of clothing, then now.. the most dangerous of all my addictions.. JEWELERY!!! oh me gawwwddd.. so within a week, i've won 5 items, and the winning bid on 4 items, while hands itching to bid on another 3 items and obsessively checking newly listed items from my favourite stores.. of course, as a firm believer in combined postage, i always have to buy at least 2 items from each store.. sighhh..

*hyperventilates* think somebody needs to cut up my credit cards!!! ARGGHHHH!!!

oh but you gotta see what i bought!! it's absolutely fabulous!!! will post once i've received them.. *happy squeal*

feta-tastic!

on the weekend i wanted to make something other than soup with our pumpkin that's been sitting in the fridge for 2 weeks..

soo.. i made up my own savoury pumpkin muffin with feta, pine nuts, spinach and mushroom muffin! check out these hot muffins! think domestic goddess is an understatement!

i giggled quietly to myself as i break my fresh greek feta (from our local oh-so-posh-n-expensive european grocer) over my muffin batter... it was just sooo deliciously creamy and soft under my fingers, it puts up little resistance as it crumbles over the muffin batter.. think it's worth every inch of my left kidney that i traded in for the feta..

ooohhhhhhh.. soooo goooooddddd... gave me such a buzzzzzzz... mmmmmm..

the strangest things makes me happy..

What The?

ok.. may be i shouldn't make fun of other ppl's english.. considering i'm also an ESL..

but this is too cute to pass up!

lose dog eh? tee hee hee!

crime against fruit!!

crime 1: this morning as i did my garden surveillance.. i found one of the tomato seedling to be in a unnatural horizontal position with severed stem!!! *nawwwwwww!!* if i find the bird/ant/insect/slug/snail that did this.. there shall be blood shed, i promise!!

crime 2: after weeks of admiring my loquat tree laden with clusters of deliciously golden fruits.. i was really looking forward to a loquat feast! yet as i approached the tree for harvest.. i discovered a fruit fly epidemic!! plus those little f#$%ing buggers were very thorough and made sure EVERY single fruit is affected! so 1 heart wrenching hour later, with 5 massive bags of fruit in my garbage bin, lots of cursing of the fruit flies, RSI in my clipper holding arm, and endless heartache.. my loquat tree is now depressingly barren and sporting a sad looking home-made fruit fly trap with vegemite 'brew'.. sigh..

ooohhhhhhh the bontananaity!!

project plant more stuff!

after my last 'harvest'.. my thumb's been itching and there's little voice inside that says: MORE MORE MORE!

so yesterday.. i took advantage of the public holiday to make a quick trip to Bunnings (DIY Superstore complete with garden centre), 1.5 hrs, and $55 later... my garden is now sporting 6 new seedlings of window box roma tomato, a tiny rose geranium (smells gorgeously rosey!) shrub, a petite rosemary bush(which i feels compelled to rub and my fingers now smells like roast lamb), 2 trays and a tub of sown chilli, 'gourmet mint mix' and 'gourmet basil mix' plus some thyme and oregano..

man, my back was so sore from all that gardening though.. but i'm greedily looking forward to enjoying the fruits of my labour..

i woke up this morning to go check on my babies hoping to harvest some produce for my fresh tomatos tossed in fresh gourmet lettuce on the side of a fragrantly grilled herbed chicken.. mmmm.. *salivating*.... and.... SHOCK HORROR.. i found nothing! nothing but empty trays and tubs of damp compost and teeny tiny tomato seedlings....

those seeds packet says nothing about patience!