How has blogging changed me - Vlog

Hey there!

It's time for another vlog for the Girl Behind the Vlog series. As usual Ashley from 5ohwifey is hosting and her co-host this month is Sarah from Racing Towards Joy. 

The topic is 'How has blogging changed you?' and this is my take.

It is probably good to note that there were actually 3 or 4 questions, but I filmed my vlog before I fully read Ashley's post on the topic. Guess I was just eager!

They are getting a little less awkward too, which is awesome.

Almost..

 Almost Spring. I can feel it in the air and the weather has been playing along, too.

We had a quiet weekend around here. It involved a dinner with friends Friday night and lunch on Saturday. The rest of the weekend, I studied.

I had an exam today and have spent the rest of the day relaxing. Just having time out, time to myself. This feeling of relaxation is my favourite. All it takes is a little sun, some good reading material and a cute pup at my side and I can be one with relaxation.

Teddy and I went for a walk along the bay today, which also involved a swim for Ted. He's really furry and needs a hair cut, so it's no wonder that the poor pup was panting and hot from walking 500m.

We sat in the sun to dry his fur because there was no way the sand covered pup was getting in my car like that, then we strolled back to the car and soaked in more of the suns rays.

I am a Winter person. I love the cold - adore it. But I welcome some warmer weather. Not too hot, not too cold, just right.

  

  

 

Which season is your favourite? 

What I am..

Laughing at.

Listening to.

Loving. 

Looking forward to. 

Being back here - Tokyo, Japan

Getting to know each other...better

I came across the Myer Briggs Personality test the other day and decided to fill in the questionaire to see which of the 16 personality types I fit in to. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical at first...There are how many people in the world and some person came up with a test so that we all fit in to 1 of 16 categories. Whatever.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. After finishing the 78 or so questions (yes/no answers), I was given my personality type which I promptly punched in to google. The personality type is absolutely me. It describes me better than I can and after reading all of the information I could, I just had to show Steve. He agreed, that the personality test gave me an incredibly accurate result.

Earlier in the evening, we had been walking the dog and talking about the sort of parents we wanted to be in the future. We talked about our roles as parents and how we wanted to parent as well as the type of presence we would have in the children's lives. We don't have plans to start a family yet, but I like to talk about these things. Planning the future if you will. With enough searching on google, we were able to find what sort of parents our personality type picked us to be and it was almost exactly described as what we were telling each other earlier.

When we got home, Steve decided he wanted to the test as well. The personality type he was given was also incredibly accurate. We read about his personality and delved deeper in to understanding each other. The test is great because it can tell you things about yourself that you didn't know and I found myself more than once saying 'so that's why I do that'.

Even though we've been together 5 years and know each other very well, I loved reading more about Steve and his personality and he has said that reading about mine has helped him understand me more. As fas as personality types go, ours are very different. I guess that is why we work together so well.

I am an ISFJ, what are you?

Me, Myself and I

2 posts in one day, go me!

I'm linking for the Me, Myself and I link up..because..well, I like linkups! Plus this one is really fun.

1. What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?

Hmm, that's a tough one. I pretty much attempt most things even if there is a chance I could fail. I guess this one could be learning to dance. I love watching people dance and seeing the graceful moves in ballet. If I was co-ordinated, this could be me!

via

2. If you only had six months to live, what would you do with the time?

I would spend it with my loved ones. I would take my dog on long, long walks each day and spend my time eating delicious foods. I might even take a month to travel and see sights I haven't seen before.

3. If a front page of a news article was written on you, what would the headline be?

Haha, who knows! "Girl from Sydney accused for loving her dog too much". Honestly, that is so unimaginative. I'm stumped.

4. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Inconsiderate people. They are everywhere and apply to everything. Light up a smoke in a busy street in Sydney while I am walking behind you? Inconsiderate. Pull out in front of me when driving without indicating? Inconsiderate. A bit of courtesy goes a long way.

5. What is your favourite chick flick movie?

I'm not sure if people would call this a chick flick, but I will for the purpose of this question - The Duchess. Hands down, the best film I have ever seen. Ever.

Money Balloons - DIY

Buying a Birthday gift for anyone is hard for me at the best of times. I umm and uhh over the many choices, not really knowing if the recipient will enjoy the present or file it away for a later day. I, myself like practical presents. Ones I will use and not just stick aside wondering when I can use it (of course, I am incredibly grateful for any present!).

Steve's sister D is super hard to buy for. She has a particular taste in everything and she already has a lot of stuff. Apart from the usual alcohol that is given at a 21st Birthday, we were out of ideas...that is until I remembered a blog post I had once read which had a gift of money balloons on it.

After shopping around and contacting a few party shops, I found that the idea may not be so feasible. One shop would only put one note per balloon and no confetti and another was going to charge me $25 per balloon. Um, no thankyou!

I turned to my old friend google to find other options and I came across a shop that sells helium balloon kits for only $45 which is what I ended up buying and using.

I ended up having to buy better quality balloons as the ones included were thin and flimsy. They were also coloured which meant you couldn't see what was inside the balloon - only the shadow. The new ones I bought were clear and a lot better quality, so if you plan on making money balloons, I definitely recommend good quality transparent balloons.

How to make the balloons:

Well, this could vary. I will give the instructions I used myself, obviously with my own helium kit. You will also need two people.

1. Chop up your confetti so it is tiny. I used streamers in blue and red and cut it up in to super small pieces.

2. Roll up 2 notes (inside each other) and whilst one person opens the spout (is that the right word?) of the balloon, the other puts the notes in and also some confetti. This may take a practice balloon before you figure out how much is best for you.

3. Put the balloon over the helium spout and blow up your balloon!

It's really that easy. The balloons are such a fun gift and everyone was really impressed.

It's Friday evening

..and I am a little late with Friday's letters. Better late than never, I say!

Dear Friday evening, 

Almost one cocktail down and it looks like I'm in for a good night. A drink and a Louis Theroux documentary - I'm set!

Dear Weekend, 

Two days of pure nothing planned. I am so happy to have NO plans...well except study for my exams.

Dear exams,

Two weeks away huh? Be kind..

Dear Work,

Thanks for the new computers. Can we please still have two monitors.. my life depends on it. Kind of... Not really.

Dear Nephew, 

 I can't wait to meet you in November. Your parents are wonderful and I am so pleased they are welcoming you in to this big wide world. Grow strong, little one. I have a few gifts for you already too!

Dear Bobbi,

My new blog layout is coming along SO nicely. I'm so glad we are working together to create an amazing blog for me! 

Dear Japan,

You, Me - again. Let's do this.

Happy weekend to you, friends.

Linking up with Ashley here.

It's Tuesday

Tuesday is a hard day to get through. The weekend is truly over and there are still four more days until the next weekend rolls around. Monday is easy.. straight after the weekend and usually I am eager to get stuck in to the pile of work I have. Wednesdays are easy too...It's hump day and the rest of the week flies.

But Tuesdays? They're hard.

So today, I will share with you all the things that currently make me happy. The little things I look forward to, to get me through the week and the little things that make me grateful.

I am looking forward to:

- A relaxing weekend. One of those weekends where the biggest decision I have to make is which film to put on next.

- Going for dinner with Steve tonight. At one of the best Japanese places in Sydney.

- Seeing my sweet pup at the end of the working day.
-Seeing my new blog layout in action.

I am thankful for:

- Steve. Words cannot describe what he means to me. He has a great soul and he works hard for our future.

Even when he tries to be taller :-P

- A little Pup that loves me endlessly. He is so excited to see me at the end of every day and that little wiggling bottom is just so cute.

At his happy place, the farm.

- My lovely Family that I think of every day.

- My little Nephew who is still in Utero. I can't wait to meet you, little button. Your parents will be amazing, I can see how happy they are already.

Life is full of wonderful things that we often miss. So today, tell me one thing big or small that you are thankful for or looking forward to.

A French Party

D (Steve's sister) turned 21 recently and her French themed 21st was over the weekend.

There are no better parties than those that include food, family, friends and fun (and maybe a little alcohol!). We stayed up until 3am and the night ended with us all trying to talk like chipmunks using the helium balloons! 

 I wore this dress that I made, with a red belt.

 Money Balloons (more on that later!)

 A dark photo; the cake was amazing!

 Birthday Girl and I

S's brother and I. This photo sums up our friendship...always teasing each other and being silly

S's cousin and I. She has become a very close friend of mine, love this lady! 

So much delicious food!

S and I - S was dressed as a Le Tour De France rider.

Busy Busy Weekend

This past weekend was so busy that I am ready for weekend number two. Such a shame that I have to work all week..sigh..

Friday night was spent volunteering for Down Syndrome NSW. We went to the Three Weeds pub in Rozelle where we had dinner and drinks and spent the evening chatting away. I love volunteering with such a great bunch of friendly people and most of the time I am laughing away at another joke that's been told.

Afterwards, Steve, his Sister and her boyfriend met me where a drink before we went for a drive to the city to try and get in to Baxter's Inn. As usual, the line was out the door and with a waiting time of about an hour, we canned that idea and went to Grasshopper instead; a cute little bar at the end of a very dodgy looking laneway. I actually spent most of the previous Friday night there too. I love their cute decor and the fun cocktails offered on the menu. A very relaxing venue for a Friday evening drink.

Via

Saturday was spent at a park for little M's (my Cousin's Daughter) 1st Birthday celebrations. Being the big kid I am, I was playing on equipment with the kiddies and also cuddled little M for about an hour and a half while she slept. I don't know if I have ever said this, but I love babies 11/10. Any excuse to cuddle a little one and I'm there! It's a shame for me though, that little M passed on her cold which I am now battling today.

Sunday I spent the day being a Domestic Goddess (ha!). I cleaned, cooked, washed clothes and did some Uni work before S and I went out to buy a new flash for our DSLR. Apart from that little outing and all that cleaning, I didn't do much else on Sunday.

And that's that. My busy weekend!

How was your weekend? 

Did you do anything exciting?

Sesame Pork

I am forever trying to find new recipes that I can make on weeknights to break up my usual dinners. I like something that isn’t too involved, doesn’t have too many ingredients and doesn’t take too long to make. On weeknights, time is scarce and to be able to fit in Uni work, going to the gym and making dinner, my meals can’t take longer than about 40 minutes to make.

I was searching the other day and came across this recipe which I subsequently tried (and altered a touch).

This was so delicious! The marinade for this pork is simple to put together and the result was really good. I thought I would share it as I know a lot of people have little time in the evenings to cook and also because it is a really simple recipe, so you don’t have to be a wonder-cook to re-create it.

I should also add, that I only used my pan to brown the meat and then cooked it in the oven.

Sesame Pork

Ingredients

4 pork cutlets (I don’t know what mine were called but they didn’t have bones on them)

2 tbs honey

2 tbs tamari (I used normal soy-sauce)

1 tbs tomato paste (I used pizza sauce since I forgot to get tomato paste)

1 tsp finely grated ginger

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tbs fresh chopped coriander

1 tbs sesame seeds

Oil (to cook)

Method

1.    Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius

2.    Combine honey, soy sauce, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, coriander and sesame seeds and mix well.

3.    Place your pork in an oven proof dish where they can sit flat (i.e. don’t pile them up)

Marinating

4.    Pour your marinade over the pork and let sit for about ten minutes (or longer if you have the time)

5.    Brown your meat in your pan (but leave some of the marinade in the oven proof dish). I used sesame oil here for added flavour.

6.    Place your pork back in the oven proof dish and spoon the left over marinade over it. I also sprinkled more sesame seeds over the pork at this point.

7.    Pop it in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until cooked. Remember to turn the pork about halfway so one side doesn’t dry out

8.    Serve over some Asian greens or rice. I used Bok Choy and some capsicum which I cooked in the pan with some soy sauce and sesame seeds.

And there you have it. All up it took me about 40 minutes to prepare and cook and it is certainly something I will make again! I altered the recipe a little bit, but I am sure everyone will have their own alterations.

Done