KESC Review: Tensaya

• We went to this in October last year.
• Really lovely to have an authentic, reasonably priced Japanese restaurant in Kingford!! They greet you in Japanese when you walk in etc etc. I would definitely come here if I felt like having affordable and tasty Japanese nearby.
  
• Saw the sashimi dude run this hands through his bleached hair and then massage the fish. At least they use a fresh whole fish! I think Jess K was put off and vowed not to return. I've been back :D I still like it.
• Near the door there is a sign that says " I Heart Tensaya". I agree.

KESC Review: Wang Wang Shanghai Silverstar Restaurant

Speciality: whole fish in Szechuan sauce with noodles

Jellyfish

Chicken in wine (drunken chicken) at the back. Some pork dish with pancakes in the front. Latter was sweet.

Dumplings aka xiao long bao 小龍包

• They have seating upstairs, so can cater to slightly larger groups. We had nine peeps.
  
• They served us with disposable cutlery: wooden chopsticks, plastic spoons, plastic cups
• The tables looked quite new
  
• Their sizzling plate was not in the shape of a cow
• The food came quickly
• They were reasonably attentive with water.
  
• I didn't pay too much attention to the food, except that I was satisfied
• I was surprised to find the Szechuan fish a bit sweet. I am not familiar with Szechuan cuisine (except that it's spicy). Is it meant to be sweet?
• Very pleased to have three newbies join us
• Very pleased to see people try jellyfish
• They have dumplings and I squirted Hayley I think. I like pan-fried buns.Mmm...bunly goodness
  
• I quite liked it. I'd go again :) Next time I'd like to try more of the fried/oily stuff e,g, shallot pancakes, taro cakes/buns, pumpkin thingys and egg custard bun which is one of my favourite buns!
• Quite good value. I think it came to $84 for nine people? Can't remember how many dishes we ordered.
  
• ABCafe ran out of super fudge brownie ice-cream! So Dave and Felix got two scoops of another choice instead. Also you don't get a mini biscuit with a hot chocolate; only with a chai latte or coffee.

Hairdresser, style thyself.

Getting your haircut is totally a matter of faith, because if you were going to base the decision to let someone cut your hair on the hairstyle of the person with the scissors, no WAY would you trust them near your head. Hairdressers have the ugliest, unhealthiest, weirdest hair. And half of them don't know the definition of the word "trim". I place my faith ultimately in the unchanging truth that hair re-grows.

The one redeeming skill they have is that they can do amazing styley things with a hair-dryer, and I can only use it to dry my hair.

Mango cheesecake, Re: lack of.

Dear Sara

One week ago I was looking for a mango cheesecake. There are none. I bought a chocolate cheesecake, and it was very nice, but I feel that there is a hole in the market and if you developed a mango cheesecake it would be very popular.

I am in general a satisfied customer. Please accept my appreciation of your other fine dessert products, and consider my suggestion in all seriousness.

Regards,

Jessica

Write it out.

Tests have been done: worry takes up brain space. Writing about what you are worrying clears the brain before the worrying event, e.g. speech, exam, swim race or whatever. Then with a clear brain you perform better. It only works if you write about your worry, apparently.

This is proof, in my opinion, for the helpfulness of lists. Lists take things out of your brain and put them on paper, so you don't have to remember them anymore.

KESC: Wang Wang Shanghai Silver Star

Jelssie is your "someone special" this Valentine's Day. Join us at 6:30 pm on Monday 14 February at Wang Wang Shanghai Silver Star Chinese Restaurant, 476 Anzac Parade. Here's a penalty notice to put some thrill into your life, and a review or two.

Come on time or let us know beforehand you're coming otherwise risk being a nigel.

No news is good news.

I heard that the new channel ten all news all evening lineup isn't rating well. I could have told them. I'm their target market, and I don't want more news. Who wants more news? I watch a rare fragment of news on ABC or SBS, if it isn't about sport or anything depressing. Gen X and Y get a drip feed of news all day long, on the car radio and smart phone, and I personally don't want to sit down and watch the same news again at night, in a big block, with ads. Boring. I want to watch How I Met Your Mother or QI.

KESC 23. Tasty Eating House REVIEW

Monday night went off. Who would have known you could have so much fun on a school night? Monday morning we had 4, by the time we sat down we had 10 challengers, 1 a newbie.

This seems to be Chinese food.  They had no banquet menu so we just ordered off the menu: 2 entrees and 8 mains, I think. The rice came right away, then the mains interspersed with entrees, which was an interesting way to do it. I guess if you don't have to wait for your main the entree is redundant anyway. The staff were very efficient and fast, giving us chairs and water very quickly.

We ordered some Aussie fav dishes like mongolian lamb and sweet and sour pork, some more adventurous like a fried potoato and eggplant thing and cumin beef, and some special favourites like San Dong chicken and honey pepper pork ribs and salt and pepper squid. A few of the dishes were a little bit too salty or soy or oily, but overall they were tasty, as the name promises. They had lots of meat, but not much veggies: onion and capsicum was in every dish, must have been on special this week. The San Dong was good, although I prefer it with nuts as a garnish, not herbs. The cumin beef was unusual and a pleasant surprise, cumin not being a tradition Chinese sort of flavour.

We were in and out in an hour and it was pretty busy. It came to $13.50 each, so was good value, considering we all got to eat so many dishes. I think the last 2 thai places we went to were better, but this was at least 3.5/5, and one of the better Chinese joints on the street.

Kitchen real estate.

When you have a small kitchen or you share a kitchen with a flatmate who also has kitchen stuff, there just isn't much space to stack plates and pots, let alone store appliances.

There are essential appliances, like toaster, microwave, mixmaster, kettle. There are also so many appliances it's really handy to own, like a breadmaker, electric wok, rice cooker, food processor, cafe grill, slow cooker… let alone the novelty things like donut maker, milkshake maker, popcorn maker, deep fryer...

What do you reckon is the most useful appliance in the 'handy' category? I'm trying to decide. Grill? Slow cooker?

Bonus thought: I reckon a great idea for bible study dinners or something similar would be everyone taking turn cooking with a rarely-used appliance using the appliance cookbook. Soup from the food processor, skewers from the grill. Use those forgotten kitchen treasures.

Puma Love Run

Puma Love Run. Meet someone fit. The weekend before Valentine's Day. Love the concept!

Dessert/clothes analogy.

From lunchtime conversation with some members of the cheesecake club (a worthy alternative to Eat Street! just get together to cook and eat different cheesecakes):

Cheesecake is the dress of desserts. i.e, you wear a dress, which is an easy thing to wear because no matching the top and bottom, and you get compliments because you look a little bit more fancy than normal. Cheesecake isn't always hard to make, tastes great even if it doesn't work 100% (I have been known to freeze a chocolate cheesecake I messed up, and it was like a bavarian, whereas a failed normal cake is not really presentable), and you get MASSIVE kudos for having a go! Like dresses, they are expensive, because of the creamy ingredients. Like mud cakes they are best made the day before, rather than needing to be baked fresh on the day—I can't find a parallel dress analogy for that one.

Mud cake is probably little black dress, a trusty staple, non-spectacular but quality. Cupcakes are the high heel of desserts. Pretty but useless. Cookies are sneakers. Always loved, but don't have the fancy factor.

That's as far as I've got.

CNYE Dinner

When Chinese New Year comes around, it's a really big deal to have dinner with your family on the eve of the new year (think of it as the Chinese Christmas lunch or Christmas dinner). My family has started going out to Chinese restaurants for that meal since it's a lot less hassle than cooking up a storm. That's great for us, we get to gather as a family on an important date. But what about the Chinese restaurant workers who are serving us? Kinda ironic that in order for us to eat at said restaurant, they have to miss out on the same meal with their family and relatives.

Happy Chinese New Year. It's on 23 January next year.

Hot nights, cold cuisine

If you go out to eat during this hot weather, cold cuisine is definitely the best. Think Northern Chinese (cold jellyfish salad, cold mixed noodles, cold sliced meat) and Japanese (sushi, sashimi, seaweed salad, cold soba, other salads).

I don't think the Cantonese do cold food except for dessert. So you might want to rule out yum cha (but I guess you'd be in air-conditioned comfort).

Sydney should have a Cold Food Festival (you heard it here first). Cold desserts. Cold drinks. Cold mains. Get Sensodyne to sponsor the event. It'd need a jazzier name. Can someone make it happen?

Hair, no hair

I spent $2.50 on new hair ties. Then I went and chopped off my hair, so that those new hair ties are useless for the next five months. WHY?

Dressing for an Aussie summer

Summer's here and I'm wearing a lot of sleeveless tops because I don't like what I call the farmer tan (i.e. t-shirt arm tan line) and it feels cooler than wearing sleeves. However, I've noticed a lot of freckles, moles and sunspots appearing on my arms (even though I wear sunscreen sometimes), so I don't know if cancer scare and vanity will get the better of me and I start wearing long sleeves in summer.

I know I've mentioned this before somewhere, but I really feel we should dress like this in summer:



With sunnies.

If I weren't so self-conscious and I knew where to get an outfit like that from, I'd wear it.

Hmm...Jess can sew though...

KESC 23. Tasty Eating House

Monday 7th Feb, 6.30. Elsie's last proper feed before her wisdom teeth are ripped from her jaw.

Girly gigs

PROS

• No bad B.O.
• No fear of being squashed up against shirtless, sweaty guys
• No fear of drunken males

CONS

• Epic toilet queues

Have I left anything out?

Tea.

I'm a late-comer to the tea world. A year or so ago Wendy told me that if you drink green tea all day you don't get PMS or something, so I gave it a go and was obsessed for a few months. I tried to keep black teabags handy for my parents etc when they visited, but usually didn't. Then I discovered Chai Lattes, and it's like a hot chocolate version of tea. And then I discovered flavoured green teas and herbals with lemon myrtle and stuff. So I actually have 4 types of tea now. I now call myself a tea drinker. Pity it stains teeth and that's bad when you have braces, but oh well.

When I was buying some loose leaf chai at T2 (I had a theory of using nice tea as chocolate replacement therapy) I was advised to buy a T2 canister for it. I said no, I had tupperware, and was informed that tea should be stored air-tight in glass or metal, not plastic or the cardboard box it comes in (T2 and everyone sell it in cardboard, so it's ok for them, but not us). The ideal thing I've found is the small moccona coffee jar. It even fits back into the T2 box. But who drinks moccona instant coffee? Nobody. Not even my parents anymore. And who keeps jars in case they are useful? Also nobody. I'm waiting to scab them from friend's workplaces. I'm seriously considering buying some coffee if there is ever a quantity discount at Coles. I think they sell coffee near the tea. Will I drink the coffee, so I don't waste it? Then I might be a coffee drinker as well. That's going a bit far.

Nectarines are nectarines.

I have been under the impression for many years now that a nectarine was a cross between a peach and a plum. Many people have agreed with me. Last Saturday I was picnicking with Jess K and she disagreed. She was firmly of the opinion that it was a peach and an apricot. How silly. Plums have smooth skins, so that's where nectarines get their smooth skins, and the reddish colour, whereas peaches and apricots are hairy, so how could you get a nectarine from that? But nothing would change her mind, so as we wandered home we stopped in at Randwick fruit shop and asked the man stacking the nectarines what nectarines are made of.

His answer: nectarines are just nectarines. We were both wrong. Then he gave us each a slice of nectarine. We were only 50% convinced, and 50% still in favour of our own theory, so we vowed to google it: and lo, wikipedia backs up the fruiterer. They are in fact a sort of peach with a recessive gene for smooth skins, but they aren't a hybrid or anything. So there you go. Nectarines are nectarines.

Layer laws.

Very very sometimes I come across a person who is not wearing a shirt under their jumper or cardigan. Recently at the ABCafe one Eat Streeter pointed out to the rest of us that another Eat Streeter frequently flaunts nature in this way.

I had only ever half noticed it, until it was pointed out, but then I remembered past instances. It puzzles me. It puzzled many of us that night. A cardigan is a layer, not a main thing. No, that needs emphasis. It's a layer, not a main thing!!! It needs at least a singlet under it otherwise it's a knitted long-sleeved shirt, and who wants to go there? And even if you have a fashion-based comeback for that, or an excuse about saving time or washing (not to attack you personally, Eat Streeter who shall remain nameless), what about when it's hot and you need to take off your jumper? You can't! I can remember when I was little, my best friend was caught in that dilemma on a hot day—even if it had occurred to me to wear a jumper with nothing underneath, which it never would have because a jumper is a layer not a main thing, the problems inherent in such a practice were self-evident.

A Tasting of Age.

2010 was the year of 3 big changes, 3 significant steps into eating like a grown-up.

1. In an effort to slow down my chocolate intake, I switched to dark chocolate. My tastebuds adapted and were refined, so that I actually got really specific and ended up disliking some chocolate altogether (not a fan of Lindt, for eg), whereas in the past I liked all chocolate indiscriminately (apart from Picnic and Snickers and fruit and nut). This is quite a breakthrough.

2. This was incidental and surprising: I started to like olives! I can actually name the date that I went from disliking or just tolerating olives to looking out for them: I think it was when I had some tapas on Halloween in Newtown (the weirdest night to visit Newtown). I went out and bought some soon after.

3. Tea. I've been into green tea in the past because of various short-lived health obsessions, and Chai Lattes are a good alternative to hot chocolate, and when I was just at Summer School I drank about 25 cups of peppermint tea with honey because I was sick and it was cold. I've collected 4 types of tea and I now drink them for fun. My favourite sorts of teabag teas are Nerada. I favour herbal types over actual black tea.

More on tea later.

Regressive adaptation.

At the moment my mad cool talent is Missing The Bin. Missing the bin with my hand right over it, missing the bin when I sit right next to it. I've stopped even being annoyed anymore, I just drop my nectarine stone or whatever and before it hits the floor my hand is halfway down to picking it up again.

Junk love.

There is one nice thing about the temporariness of the renting situations we (don't) enjoy. One bright side to the rent increases, evictions, flat hunting, moving, flatmate changing, and generally living in run-down-looking neighbourhoods full of transitory young people in overpriced investment properties.

I love: The hard rubbish market. The easy availability of anything you need, passed from friend to friend around the Christian grapevine, and the practical way to help others by getting rid of something you don't need by passing it on to a new renter or leaving it on the verge for a stranger.

I just think it is wonderful. You can pick something up off a nature strip, an opshop or a friend moving away, use it for a couple of years, and donate it away again when you don't need it anymore. You never know if you'll be forced to move house or downsize next year, so there is little point being proud about your stuff. Easy come, easy go. As a designy materialist I would love to buy things new and matchy matchy. But junk love is cool.

It's as close as I think we could get to that verse in Acts where "everyone had everything in common". People who own houses full of things they got from Ikea or put on 24 months interest free at Harvey Norman are missing out.

A gentle nudge

In case you didn't know, I'm currently a student. As a student, I've noticed the general reticence of fellow classmates to speak up in class. Not all students mind you, but there is a general reticence.

Over the summer, I've been doing a course and I've gotten to know J better (which is one of the rare highlights of spending your summer in lectures). He's young (early 20s), from China, bright, studious, hard-working and his English is good. He taught me a lot when we did a study session together so I knew understood the material and had a good grasp of it. However, I could never work out why he wouldn't answer questions in class.

So during one class, while the lecturer was waiting for someone to answer a question, I gave him a nudge and whispered, "Go J!". The lecturer saw me nudging him and picked on him :) And J did brilliantly! He answered the question articulately and correctly (even if he didn't, good on him for having a go).

We haven't had classes together for the last few lectures, but he sent me an email saying, "btw, i answered question on recent classes, thanks for the encouragement before~".

Aww! Isn't it powerful when you believe in someone's ability and you encourage them to act on it? It was very clear to me that he was capable. He just needed a gentle nudge :)

Life lessons at the Ritz.

This is a bit out of date cos it was before I went away, but it's still interesting.

I saw The Kings Speech. I went alone: it's nice to see some movies on my own, and movies are a good thing to do on my own. The first time I went to the movies alone I missed having someone to make comments to, but now I enjoy it.

Anyway, I was by far the youngest person in the cinema. It was Sunday afternoon and there was a full-on queue of oldies waiting to get in. I went to see Dawn Treader a week ago, different crowd, I think TKS crowd came ready to laugh, and they cackled their heads off at that CBA ad about the woman who faints in her garden and gets fanned with palm leaves by CBA customer service, whereas DT people didn't think it was funny, maybe weren't the target market. The funniest part of the DT audience experience was a man next to me who randomly stated the obvious: "Rachel McAdams, she's gorgeous" and "I am Eustace!". I wasn't annoyed, it was funny cos it's the sort of thing I used to do, when I used to go to the movies with friends.

Back to The Kings Speech. Three ladies behind me shared tips on what to do if someone is stalking your daughter: redirect his calls to Maroubra Police Station. Useful tip. They were also talking about being menopausal in air-conditioned environments. I came prepared for the cold cinema, I had a light scarf stuffed in my handbag, and when I got goosebumps I whipped it out and wrapped myself up in it, and I heard a soft whisper behind me "that's a good idea!". I was pleased to that they could learn from me as I had from them.

It's a pretty good movie, anyway. Plummy accents. And I like it when an Australian is something other than a novelty Australian. Spot Mr Collins.

KESC review: In Chan Thai

Thanks to Georgina for her guest review below:

The first KESC for 2011 found 4 intrepid explorers ready to investigate the delights of Nasi Goreng. But not. Yes, you heard it, the challenge was issued to rise to the challenge and try every
restaurant in the Kingsford eating strip, and the 4 intrepid explorers (let the reader understand that only 3 made this fateful decision) decided to move on, to In Chan Thai restaurant.

As one explorer said, “We know we’re not going to get poisoned at In Chan”, not, it can be said, that any other restaurant might possibly poison us! (Insert legal disclaimer here). Apparently, it was “stuffy” and In Chan has air conditioning.

So, the 4 explorers headed to In Chan, where futuristic chairs were sat on, and food ordered.
We ordered curry puffs for entrée, and Beef Pad Siew Ew, BBQ Kai Yang chicken, and Sizzling Soft Crab. It was tasty. The Pad Siew Ew tasted differently, but good, the chicken was yum, and the soft crab amazing.

We gave it 4/5 (I think, actually I make that bit up).

----

I (Elsie) would like to add that we had an in-chan-ting Thai-me (enchanting time) ;).

Cool down yer porridge

My microwaved porridge was too hot and a tad dry. So I stirred in an ice-cube. It cooled it down and gave it a nicer consistency. Perfick.

Pintastic

I have this ripcurlgirl aqua skirt that I bought years ago (in my very early 20s). I never wore it very much over the years. It's a very stretch-y loose fitting skirt, so I can't wear it just as it is. I'm not handy with sewing, so I was thinking of different ways I could make it wearable for me.


I considered wearing it as a strapless top/dress, but it made for a very short dress and I wasn't convinced about wearing it strapless. So I ruled that out.

Maybe I could wear it higher and hold it up with a pin?


I used a Little Twin Stars pin that Karen gave me a few years ago, while helping her clean out/pack for a move. I really liked the pleat/ruche-ing it created.


Then I thought, why stop at one, when Karen gave me two pins??


Granted, that's a very untidy pinning of my skirt. You can definitely make it look neater and more even.

So here you go: a pencil skirt thanks to two pins. I like the pleats it creates.

I'm so chuffed to have found two wearable, easy solutions to this skirt AND to have put those Little Twin Stars pins to good use.

2011 is the start of something annoying.

Here is something you might not know about my job. I kern the year. 2011 unkerned above, 2011 kerned below. Kerning makes words more aesthetically pleasing by adjusting the spaces between the characters. 1 is a very bad number because it always has enough room to swing a cat, so 2011 looks all big and fat on the left, and all skinny and awkward on the right. Imagine 4 people of different sizes sitting on a bench and two of them are bumping elbows while two of them are unsociably alone. It's much nicer if everyone has the same amount of personal space. That's why I kern 2011. I will have to kern every year until 2020.

The 2011 above is unkerned, the 2011 is kerned.

Open house.

I'm really enjoying how my flat is at the moment. My new flatmate is very easy-going (and I've quickly relaxed to accommodate her!), so while it's not the tidiest flat in the East, it's the best place I've ever had for hospitality—I can just invite someone in for tea or dinner or sewing without especially checking or lining it up on a certain night. It's important to have time and space to withdraw, but personally my home is truly my home when I can share it. Not that I'm a kitchen queen, I just like to see the couches all sat in and all the cups out of the cupboard at one time.

I was surprised how many people I talked to before New Year were ambivalent about NYE. Some years I feel a little bit dreadful about NYE, cos I suspect that my nanna tendencies preclude me from doing really fun memorable things like kissing strangers and getting drunk on public transport (I think this is the sort of fun our culture wants us to get up to), but then I remembered that one of my favourite new years was when I watched fireworks on the hunter river with my mum. Low key can be sweet, so just do what you enjoy. And this year was weird cos it seems like people did whatever they wanted with 1 or 2 friends, no big group thing. So it was nice to set my own plan, not go along with others just so that I'm not left out. I was also surprised how many people don't like fireworks! I was happy this year because JK and I went to Coogee beach for the 9.30pm fireworks. I love fireworks. And it was just nice, watching kids throw glow sticks and run around with sparklers. Lets do it again this year, God-willing.

KESC 22. Nasi Goreng.

It's a weird time of year, but we seem to have a core of people around so we're going to slip a challenge in this Friday. Nasi Goreng needs to be got out of the way. We may get entree there, then jump across to one of the nicer places that opened behind us for proper dinner. 6.30

Australian writing.

Australia doesn't have very imaginative TV. I reckon the reason Australia pumps out such good actors is that they have to earn a living acting lame scripts. There are few well-scripted local shows, with complex characters in layered environments.

But by lack of imagination I also mean in the premise. Cop/Doctor shows and small town/family dramas is all. I would LOVE to see a mystery series (adaptation of Arthur Upfield stories, perhaps) or a science fiction genre series, or a modern Australian adaptation of Oliver Twist. Something with an interesting premise, using history and place and personality. And it shouldn't be too high-brow.

If I was a writer, I'd be trying to get into television script writing. It seems to me a more potentially dynamic field, it's got audiences, and it's such a collaborative creative process. Also, if I was a composer, I'd want to score films and stuff, because that's where the most people are the most exposed to classical and cutting-edge music. Is anyone listening? You should make an Oliver Twist set in Bowral and Newtown with a soundtrack by the Whitlams and Nigel Westlake.

Packaging rant.

Vita-Weat Sandwich size 300gram box. Box is 30% bigger than product. Waste of packaging, space in transportation, and misrepresents size of product to customers.

I have complained to Arnotts, who replied unapolagetically but promised to mention it to the packaging and marketing department. I considered complaining to the ACCC, but it's probably not that serious. I looked into Choice, but I couldn't see an easy email form. Maybe Today Tonight? But I might have to be interviewed and I don't want Arnotts to know it was me.

By the way. Isn't it interesting that they left the H out of the word wheat and it doesn't look weird? I think it is because it saves space, shorter words can be bigger than long words. Nothing I hate more on a book design brief than a word like Everlasting or Reformation in the title. (Because I'll have to set it pretty small to make it fit, and then the author's name has to be even smaller, and it will all be unreadable on a bookshop shelf.

Irrational

I engage in irrational behaviour and I'm not sure why.

The situation is this: I usually don't have any chocolate, biscuits or chips in the house because I am not to be trusted with them when I'm stressed.

So when I feel like doing some comfort eating, I will spend ten minutes in the kitchen opening pantry door after pantry door, opening the fridge door and freezer, several times. I basically go round and round in circles in the kitchen, opening door after door, looking for non-existent comfort food. I know it's not there because I haven't bought any and I know the contents of the pantry and fridge. Yet I still go foraging, in the vain hope I may have overlooked some biscuits. WHY?

When I finally give up, I ask, "WHY IS THERE NO CHOCOLATE/CHIPS/BISCUITS IN THE HOUSE???"

Counting the year.

End of Year is like Week of Birthday. All of a sudden I realise my life is slipping by, and it's a tiny bit depressing. A year goes so fast, you only get used to writing '2010' and you have to get ready to start writing '2011'. And what have I done? Nothing. Still me, just older. The end of the year is a whirl, which adds to the feeling of time slipping by.

But I know it's an illusion. A year is still a significant period of time. Most of the months moved at a normal speed. And a lot of things happened. Moving house, new flatmates, Eat Street, holidays in different places, new directions at work, different health things, spiritual growth, spiritual challenges, deeper friendships. And the start of 2011 will be a long, long summer starting with CMS Summer School, then just lots of swimming, eating fruit, work, church and friends.  It's a lot, really, when I take account.

KESC review: Taniphon Thai.

9 challengers. Too many for any of the shop tables so we were tabled in the back room. It has new tables and lighting, but needs new paint for it to be nice.

A ordered a green curry soup thing, JK ordered stuffed chicken wings, and the rest of us ordered either a noodle dish or a main each. I had roast pork in chilli and basil, very yummy, and enough for 2 meals, at a price of $12 I think, plus $1.50 for rice. Some of the meals were  $14, for duck or seafood.

The best thing about this place was that it was very meaty and verry tasty. They didn't pad out with bean sprouts and it wasn't bland. Which was a surprise, because I'm sure I had a lunchtime special here a long time ago and it was bland and stingy, JK had same experience. This time it was almost TOO strong and meaty. I added more veg to my leftovers the next day. Personally I'd give it a 4 out of 5. The value was pretty good and the service was good, quick with lots of water refills.
 

 
Now tragically ABC was shut, and won't open til mid-Jan. So at Elsie's persistent begging we went up to Papa Roti to try some gelato. They don't have very big scoops, and some flavours are a bit of a disappointment, like my choc mint that had no choc bits in it and tasted like toothpaste, and the shop isn't very nice to sit in, and they serve ice-cream in plastic cups not martini glasses (but you can ask for a cone as well). But they had classic music videos playing so we all sang along to Summer Rain. If you are going there, Ferrero flavour was by all accounts the best.

From little things.

I think my impatience is getting worse. The last few weeks I've noticed that I find waiting intolerable. Yesterday I found myself literally stamping my feet like a spoilt brat when I was being ignored at the chemist, and when I was finally served I was seriously fighting the urge to be the cranky customer. And it was a Sunday afternoon. I'd just been to church, and I had nowhere to hurry to! I should have been glowing with godliness and good manners. So I'm blogging the following paragraph because I just worked it out for myself, not because it's original.

Small trials—things that are just annoying, not even tragic—are excellent opportunities to grow in godliness. If I'm waiting, I should pray for patience, and then aim to be gracious to the person making me wait when my turn does come. If I'm doing a job I think is beneath me, I should rebuke myself for my lack of humility, and serve my co-workers or housemates with love. Small trials really are opportunities, because how am I going to remember to be humble if I get my own way all the time? And then I won't look as much like Jesus.

Reading on the go.

I'm a booky person, but I don't read often now. I think because it's effort to go and find a good book. I'm trying to be better at keeping some handy. My lunchtime read is now a book on Martin Luther I pinched from my parent's bookshelf (so it's pretty old and daggy but I like books with an old-fashioned tone).

I always forget how addictive novels are! How hard it is to stop and go to sleep at night. It ruins my perfect body-clock. If only I could read while at work too (which is what audio books are for).

I have also remembered the art of reading while walking. I saw Michael Morrow doing it one day and I was impressed: what clever multi-tasking, and also what a good way to create the illusion of romance or intelligence. A little dangerous, but with practice it is very comfortable. It took me a few weeks to get used to it: the trick is, keeping your peripheral vision alert beyond the boundary of the page. Warning: a heavy book makes your wrists tired after 30 minutes.

Underrated: Making things.

This guy explains really well why making things is so satisfying, if you are a romantic and slightly alternative person like me. I made a lot of stuff when I was homeschooled and I'm getting back into it now, and appreciating it. I like stuff which is unique, hand-crafted, and really belongs to me: hand-making does that. And what he calls "the story", that it's not just a shirt, it's a shirt I made, I chose all the bits and sewed them together and it's unique and it's mine. It's not just biscuits, it's Julia's recipe and I made them and they taste better than shop ones.

I think hand-me-downs are almost the same thing—like a shirt mum used to wear. There is a story, and it may be a unique item by the time you get it.

That's what friends are for

If I don't feel like going home after a day of uni, I sometimes call upon Jess. While veg-ing out on her couch, I have noticed she uses either a step ladder or milk crates to prop up her television.

Yesterday I noticed the perfect tv stand for her while I was at Salvos, so I barged into her office and told her to buy it. Pronto.

This photo is a photo of friendship: Jess bought the tv stand, I'm shielding her from the sun's rays because she forgot her hat, Jess K took the photo and helped Jess transport her new old tv stand home.

Tanaphorn Thai

Yo peeps. Just a quick reminder about KESC on Friday night.

Tanaphorn Thai
6:30PM, Friday 17 December
510 Anzac Pde Kingsford NSW 2032

Maybe we'll go to PappaRoti for dessert. They have quite a selection of gelato/ice-cream.

Lolly teeth.

Braces are really handy for sticking your lolly teeth in place. When did lolly teeth start tasting minty? Is it supposed to reinforce the irony of eating something teeth-shaped which is actually bad for your teeth, by tasting like toothpaste? I think I prefer whatever they used to taste like.

Of Transactional Analysis and Speaker Boxes.

Guest post by my mum. I asked for a brief guide to 'the voices' and she kindly obliged. 

Transactional Analysis (TA for short) is a helpful model that describes something of what internal conversations go on within each of us. Without wishing to imply that any of you dear readers ‘hear voices’, we do all have a whole range of messages that we ‘hear’, and that inform our decisions and actions. It’s a bit like those cartoons, where someone has an ethical dilemma, and we see the ‘angel’ sitting on one shoulder, and the ‘devil’ sitting on the other shoulder, and they’re arguing. So what are these messages, and where do they come from?

According to TA, there are basically three different sources of messages: Parent (Taught); Adult (Thought), and Child (Felt). Of these, two of the three can be further broken down: the Parent divides into Critical (CP) and Nurturing (NP); and the Child can be either Adaptive (AC) or Free (FC).

Our Critical Parent’s job is to teach us right from wrong – clean your teeth, put your seatbelt on, don’t steal, murder, lie, etc; the down-side is that it can be a very hard task-master. Our Nurturing Parent soothes us when we’re hurt, and encourages when we’re afraid; maybe it can be a bit soft on us, or a bit suffocating. Our Adaptive Child feels the hurt, anger fear, etc, and alerts us to what might be wrong or harmful for us. Our Free Child is full of fun, excitement, laughter, joy. Neither of our Children have much self-control, though, so AC can fly off into rages, become Victim, blame, etc, while FC can be terribly irresponsible. Our Adult is our CEO; it’s all in the head. This is the one that delegates, gives considered responses. Of course Adult can be rather like a whole box of dried fruit, sucking all the yummy juice out of life!

So maybe we’re a bit like speaker boxes: different speakers within the box give different sounds – bass, treble, etc. Sound technicians specialise in balancing all these sounds to get just the right mix. When one is too loud, it makes for terrible music. The same with us: if one or two parts of our psyche are over-functioning, if they are shouting too loud, we, too, make terrible music.

The two who tend to shout loudest together for most of us are Critical Parent and Adaptive Child. Try this exercise: write down 10 statements (more if you like) beginning with “I should….” Now read through your list again. How are you feeling as you writing and read all your ‘shoulds’? You have now heard your very own CP, and felt your very own AC! CP is all about ‘should’, ‘must’, ‘always’, ‘never’, ‘more’, ‘less’. AC is all about feeling guilty, sad, unworthy, angry, afraid.

It seems to me that ‘good’ Christians have most problems with our CP and AC. On one level, we know we are saved by grace, but on a much deeper level we also know we should be doing more, better; measuring up to God’s perfect standards somehow. There is so much ministry to do. How can I possibly waste time enjoying myself?!

I recently heard a sermon based on Deut 20:1ff, and the point was made that the kingdom and the battle is God’s! In this passage, all the fit, strong, brave (and even scared) young men were to be sent home from God’s army, so they could dedicate their houses, farm their land, marry their wives; they weren’t needed, because God would win the battles. And the first application? STOP running around like a headless chook and trust God! So now I’m wondering: if all I feel when I think of ‘ministry’ is tired and weighed down with guilt, maybe I’m listening more to my own personal, portable, Critical Parent rather than to my loving, gracious Nurturing Father. If this is the case, maybe I’m not really trusting in God to win his battles, but myself to do it for him.

Revelation and liberation

I had a revelation yesterday. I have been living as if my life's primary goal is to find a marriage partner, settle down and have kids (this may have been obvious to some of you, but I was blind to it).

What is the effect of this? It means finding a marriage partner takes up a lot of your thoughts, prayers and conversations. It means questioning God, "Where is my husband? Where are my kids? Where is my house in the 'burbs?" and doubting yourself, "Why haven't I settled down yet? Aren't I good enough for anyone? What's wrong with me?"

What (or who) brought about the revelation? Well, God, obviously, but as I've reflected on my life throughout the year, I've been continually thankful for my current life situation. Life is good. Hard at times, but good. I can clearly see that he's given me opportunities that I can take only because of my current season in life: single and unburdened by marriage, kids and mortgage.

Secondly, we studied 1 Corinthians 7 in Bible study last week. Some of you may feel like you know this passage inside out, and you've done it to death. When we went around summarising what we thought the main gist of the passage was, I said, "If you're married, stay married. If you're single, stay single, but you're free to marry. Live as God's called you." It only struck me yesterday that the practical application for me is that my primary goal is no longer "find a marriage partner" but "live as God has called you". Once I realised that, I felt incredibly liberated.

It's liberating because the issue of marriage doesn't have to dominate my thoughts, prayers and conversations anymore. I don't have to worry about whether God has or hasn't got marriage in store for me or whether I'm an unmarriable nutter. It decreases the attractiveness of dating non-Christians considerably. But the greatest liberty is being freed from WRONG thinking. It is a beautiful feeling and state of being.

Sure, I'll continue to pray for me and friends regarding marriage (if it be his will) and at times I may be frustrated by my singleness and I may eventually try internet dating, but earthly marriage is not my life goal. It is neither here nor there. I am free to marry or stay single. Both are good options in God's eyes. Just live as God has called you, whatever circumstance you are in.

5pm giggles.

It's the end of the day. I've been laying out a book called Robot Planet. I go to save a pdf of it, and I realise that I had totally unconsciously named my layout work Robot Chocolate.

My subconscious is trying to tell me something?

My test for sufficent digestion

If I can do 30 jumping jacks and not feel sick afterwards, I take it to mean lunch (or whatever meal or snack consumed prior) is sufficiently digested. It also helps if it's been at least 2-3 hours since a meal.

What's the significance of this? It means you can exercise. No more excuses.

More non-bread.

E: Gingerbread is actually not a bread.

J: No. It's sort of biscuit. Unlike banana bread/cake, it doesn't transition to bread by the application of butter.

Some is better than none

Sometimes, I set myself some lofty aspirations e.g. I'm going to do an intense hour of exercise or I'm going to study for six hours today. But your day doesn't always go to plan. So what do you do? Throw in the towel?

No, I remind myself that "some is better than none". So thirty minutes of gentle to moderate exercise is better than none. Two hours of study is better than none.

Then I remind myself, some days I can achieve my lofty aspirations and other days I can't. And that's okay.

As Geoff Huegill said in a recent Good Weekend,

To be your best, keep it simple. You can't be excellent every single day, but you can go out there and be the best you can be at that moment.

So on the days I am tired, I remind myself "some is better than none", and that I will have days when I can do more. On the days I have energy, I crank it to the max.

KESC 20 Review: Buck Me

There were 6 of us: unfortunately Elsie was struck down and absent. We were all rather tired, so it was sort of subdued, but still enjoyable.

Chicken Jellicoe

Indonesian style noodles. They don't do table service (other than bring out the food) and they don't have any free drinks at all, it's only bottled water I think. It was not air-con, which made us even thirstier. So they loose points there.

Mince Jellicoe

We ordered the house special, either mince or chicken in soup with an egg, a giblet, some wontons and some greens. It was nice and salty and a little spicy (I added chilli sauce to it). They were $8.50 each. Pretty good value. The chicken wasn't all that nice quality or taste, but the mince was OK. The fried wantons were nice.

A fried wonton

Chicken stir fry noodles

Overall, 2/5.

We proceeded as usual to ABCafe, and ate our favourite ice-cream. The sugar kicked in and we were way too giggly. Sorry Dave. Sorry couple sitting next to us eating a banana split. Sorry the second couple sitting next to us sharing Death By Chocolate. Thanks again, AB!

Next, Taniphon Thai, 17th Dec, our 21st Eat Street and probably the last before Christmas (apart from a possible bonus visit to Nasi Goreng).

Envelope Grocery Budget Challenge update.

I have over a week to go of my $2 a day budget (groceries only), and only $1.55 left in the yellow envelope. Before you laugh, or start donating tinned food, don't worry. I spent the money on food, and I still have food.

I did really well for the first two weeks, spending less than my budget. I was helped by a weekend at my family, a wedding reception, and an Eat Street. I haven't yet touched my frozen meat, but I have supplemented my cheap food with 2 frozen pies, 2 sheets of pastry (which I made lentil pasties with), eggs, and other random scraps.

I'm not eating much tasty tasty meat, but I'm feeling healthier with all the vegetables I'm eating instead. Homemade soup with homemade bread is cheap AND easy (after the initial evening cooking you freeze enough for many meals) AND very delicious. Lunch envy in the office.

Last week I ran out of cheese, and bought a block for $7. And then on the weekend I got a bit cravy and blindly bought some bacon, chocolate and stonefruit. That cleaned out my last $10 a little bit before schedule. So the next 9 days I'll be eating only what I have in the house. Which is OK, cos I have lentils, eggs, bacon, things to bake bread, frozen veggies, cheese, and one tomato. Only going a week without fresh fruit will be a challenge.

I love challenges. You get to act a little crazy. I have now lived without shampoo, eaten at 20 restaurants since October last year, and lived out of an envelope. I want to refine the envelope challenge and do it again next year.

It's good advice.

J: I found a hole in my tooth last night. Boo.

D: How do you find a hole?

J: I flossed.

Watches.

The phone was a near death blow to the watch. When my watch battery died, I started relying on my phone. But a watch is really more convenient, and it's a fashion statement now too. I think it's making a comeback. I'm getting the battery changed.

Gift giving.

I don't get too worked up about it. I buy for my immediate family, which isn't too hard, and I give to others depending if I find something or not, Christmas or birthdays. You might get an amazing hand-made card with Miss Bennet drawn sitting at a bay window looking through the carefully cut out panes, you might get a banana guard (I still have 3), you might get a vintage sewing machine, you might get a crocheted hand towel from a market, you might get nothing. Hopefully it all evens out over time. I'd rather give something interesting or nothing at all, rather than rush around in a panic or buy something token.

It's getting boring, I think.

Hanging washing: comparison of disadvantages.

Inside:

• Fills house with laundry
• Doesn't get that fresh air and sun feel
• Dries slower

Outside:

• Clothes fade in the sun
• May be ogled or stolen by neighbours
• Exposed to rain, bugs and birds

I definitely like to hang sheets and towels outside. Some clothes I want to hang inside so they don't fade. Drying outside at night is a good compromise, but they just need a little bit of morning sun to finish them off.

KESC 20 and 21

This Friday at Buck Me Jellicoe Noodles,

then,

Friday 17th at a place to be argued about. Should we skip Nasi Goreng where someone saw a cockroach crawl up the wall? It's a tricky one. On the one hand, we obviously don't skip places on the basis of probable bad hygiene, otherwise we would skip a lot. Kingsford Chinese combines possibly the best Shan Dong with possibly the worst food safety, and we won't skip that. On the other hand, a definite cockroach…

Ha ha tan line

Tan lines can be pretty funny. My flatmate (God bless her) has had a good chuckle over these two tan lines of mine:

Sock tan
Sock tans are pretty standard, but I have a sock tan AND a Birkenstock (sandal) tan at the same time (no, I'm not wearing socks and sandals together :P). You'd think one would cancel out the other, but no, I have both.

Elbow pit tan
You know where the needle goes in when you give blood? That's what I call the elbow pit. Now that it's (practically) summer, the mornings are sunnier. I came back from my run one morning and I noticed a ring of white skin in my elbow pit. I pointed it out to my flatmate and asked her, "What on earth is this?!"

Then I realised: it's from exercising in the morning sun. Think about it: you don't extend your arms fully when you go running, so my elbow pit doesn't get any sunshine, but the rest of my arms do. Thankfully it's only really prominent after a sunny morning run (which I'm now avoiding).

I don't know why, but tan lines just crack me up.

Kesc 19 tofu revu.

  Korean Restaurant Gourmet Tofu.

Jess:

This is why this is called a Challenge: we climbed stairs to eat tofu.

This upstairs restaurant is surprisingly much nicer than the average dining room in Kingsford. Spacious, with proper wooden dining tables. We sat at a window, and since it faces west it had a blind, but as soon as the sun dropped behind the buildings the waiter opened it up and it was really nice. There were a couple of other groups but it was pretty quiet on Monday night.

This seafood pancake was delicious, like a scallop filled with fishy bits.

 Elsie:

Gourmet Tofu Korean Restaurant in Kingsford is gooooood. Love the Korean pop music videos too.

There were 6 of us & we had four dishes: seafood pancake, bul gol gi (beef), sweet & spicy chicken & jap chae (sweet potato noodles). We also got special rice & lots of yummy side dishes incl kimchi, seaweed, 芽菜, fish, tofu hotpot. The side dishes come w the meal, you don't need to order it separately (I think). Yum!

 Jess:

I really liked the spicy chicken. The anchovies were crunchy. It was a good selection and it came to $13 each and we were plenty full. You can see in the photo all the hotplates, tofu hotpots that come along with the dishes, the rices, and the little condiments.

My one rule

This is a really handy rule if your family celebrates Chinese New Year (CNY or the Lunar New Year to cover all other cultures that celebrate it) and it's a big deal to them.

DO NOT COMMIT TO ANY FEBRUARY EVENTS UNTIL YOU'VE CHECKED WHEN CHINESE NEW YEAR IS.

Now the tricky thing to this rule is that CNY is not always in February, but it usually is, so to be extra safe, just don't commit to anything from January to March until you know when CNY is.

CNY is a big deal to my family. When I was younger, I didn't tweak that it was bad to be away during CNY, so I was away once. Now I know that CNY is like Christmas for Westerners i.e. you're supposed to go home and see family and friends (and collect money if you're single, ho! ho! ho!).

That's the weird thing about being a migrant child, growing up with two cultures. Parents assume you know stuff about their culture, that you somehow pick it up. Some stuff you do pick up, but wikipedia and google fill in the gaps. Oh internet, where would I be without you?

And to make this a community service announcement, it's on Feb 3 in 2011. So make sure you're at the parental home on Feb 2 for a yummy, yummy meat-filled feast, and there as well on Feb 3 for a vegetarian meal (no meat on CNY's day). At least those are the two important days to be at home for my family.

Watch me scoot!

I bought a foot scooter for commuting purposes, but then I got all excited about the fun of it. I basically bought a toy! That is such a novelty. I always want to completely justify my spending, and not spend money on fun things (movies only on cheap tuesday, etc). The scooter is a fully justified purchase (I worked out how many bus trips I had to take on the scooter instead to break even), AND it happens to also be a toy. This is why I imagine that everyone in cars is jealous of me. As transportation it's a bit pov, but just it's so much cooler.

Why Christmas should not start until December.

I wrote an email to the Prime Minister today. I think if she took a stand on this issue, it would really impress a lot of Australian voters. James Valentine did an excellent segment on the topic today, and I got all fired up.

Aside from the fact that Christmas decorations in October are plain stupid, my reasoning is: a long Christmas means a short year. When you see Christmas decorations and go "November already! the year went so fast!" do the maths: it has not been a whole year, it's only been 10 months. You lose 2 months from the year into the vortex of "End of Year". Less Christmas would mean more rest of the year.

If Christmas was compressed down into, say, 2 weeks, we could enjoy a peaceful, productive slide into summer, and then enjoy a mad rush of Christmas parties and shopping and food, do Christmas day, and it's over. Short and intense, not drawn out by 2 months of torturous carol muzac.

So I wrote to the Prime Minister. I'd sign a petition if there was one. If the people speak, the shops have to listen. Or, since shops can only focus on one feature event at a time, put something else just before Christmas, so that they can't get into Christmas until they have gotten through Schoolies or Back To Holidays or whatever happens in December. Fight fire with fire.

The media monarchy rant.

As soon as I hear some "big news", or something the Today show will think is "big news", I groan and go into media blackout mode. Royal engagement in this case. I like Royalty OK, but I am deliberately uninterested in the story because I'm kind of in rebellion against the media. Everything is over-exposed. There is no mystery. I know more than I want to know already. You've ruined the Royal family for me with 20 years of tabloid coverage, so now I just don't want to know anymore. Same in every case—nothing amazes me, amazing things just fill me with dread at the anticipated media bombardment of dull cliches and melodramatisation. Oh no, here comes Fairytale Wedding and Will Charles Be King Or Let William and Does Australia Want The Monarchy. Fingers in ears, nah nah na nah nah.

KESC 19: Gourmet Tofu

The date: MONDAY the 22 Nov.
The place: Gourmet Tofu, upstairs, opp IGA.
The time: 6.30pm.

Epic epic story.

Strong flatmate bonds are forged in the fire of battle. When invasion forces come against you, the trials of war and the emotional journey will shortcut months of "getting used to each other". Flatmates united against the terrors of evil. 

I speak, of course, of bugs.

At 11 o'clock last night, the new flatty and I confronted an enormous huntsman on the wall between our two bedroom doors. K is phobic. I'm alright with spiders but I'd rather have them out of the house before I go to sleep. As the least frightened, I was the frontline, while K was the tactical support.

There are 3 options. Squash, spray, or capture and release.

Squash is out, because Yuck. Squashed spider is no better than alive spider. Also, what if it's not a clean kill? I might injure or enrage it.

Spray is out, because it seems inhumane to spray larger bugs. Cockroaches I'll spray, but a big spider reminded me of the spider in Harry Potter that gets the Cruciatus Curse on it. All that writhing and pain. Also, all we have is surface spray. Can that be used directly on bugs to kill them? I'm not sure. Again, it might not be a clean kill.

So that left capture and release. K gave me a large 4L, clear decor container. And 2 cans of surface spray for backup. I stood there for 5 minutes moaning about how ugly it was and wishing I didn't have to be the one to do it, while K was moral support from the safety of the kitchen. Eventually logic kicked in: since the spider didn't move with all my screaming and jumping when I first saw it, I decided it probably wouldn't run around if I snuck up on it with the clean container. I covered it successfully, but when I bumped its foot to get it off the corner, it ran all around in the container and I screamed again. (It's interesting: I don't think of myself as the screaming sort, but it's an involuntary reaction I developed in my 20s.)

I got it outside, but in the dark I couldn't see if it was going out of the container. I was shaking it out and it was hanging on. I thought it was gone, picked the box up, and screamed again when I saw it on the box next to my hand. K leapt to my aid, providing backup again with a small book-light so that I could rescue my box in safety.

Such trials build unity and respect. Flatmates united against a common foe will be strengthened to withstand the smaller irritations of flat-sharing.

Quality of weekend life.

I think my life changed for the better… when I stopped doing housework on weekends. A little bit every couple of nights is the way. There is no reason why you can't mop a floor on a Monday night while the news is on TV. I have better things to do on Saturday.

Unless its something I will find satisfying, like fresh white bed sheets on the line, or organising books.

My other tip for having a better weekend is not to sleep in. Controversial, but still I stand by it.

I think I want a kick scooter.

An adult-sized one with bigger wheels, but still folding and light. Can ride on footpath, store in small place, not wear a helmet. I asked a random man riding one in Newtown if he liked his and how much he paid for it, and he was very positive. $300 is the minimum price for a Micro or a Xootr. That means about 100 3-5 section bus trips to pay it off. So if I ride it to church for 2 years, 100 one-way trips means I break even, anything else and I'll make a profit.

I wonder if I'd stick with it? It's hard to know if something is actually a good idea, when you're obsessed.

Counting down to the envelope challenge.

I've done a bit of research now. $60 a month doesn't get many results, but $2 a day gets heaps. 

Live below the line

I discovered a wealth of info here, where someone started a campaign to challenge people to eat for <$2 a day for a week in August. Now I've looked at some of the recipes and eating plans, it looks suspiciously like a lot of lentils. I'm not a stranger to lentils, I ate lentils all winter in 2009 for reasons of health, convenience and also I was a bit obsessed (I've noticed I get obsessed with things). I won't be able to afford to buy meat, but at least I can eat what meat I've got in the freezer. I suspect a one month challenge wouldn't be as challenging as a second month would be, when I've worked through my food storage a bit. But I'll still benefit from the discipline.

I've signed up to hear about the 2011 Live below the line campaign.

Tips for living below the line. From the stonesoup minimalist kitchen blog. I like these tips, good sensible advice. Foraging is going a little bit far.

Here's an extra $100 a week.

Wendy loaned me a book all about skimping on food spending. I don't think I'll be buying full cream milk, spreading it out over an extra bottle so that I can add 1/3 water and make my own lite milk. But there is a useful menu plan, if I feel like planning menus.

I like coconut biscuits, I like cheese and tomato sandwiches, I like baked veggies. This looks OK. It also include suggestions for what to do with the money you save (invest it!) and a helpful guide to flatulence.

Envelope Budget Challenge.

I don't know how much I spend on food, but some of my spending is pretty junky. I need an incentive to stop buying "a block a week (etc)". I want to make my diet more simple. And I want to keep track of my money better. I want a challenge!

This is today's brilliant idea:

I'm going to put $60* in an envelope at the start of the month, and my food purchases will come out of that envelope. Simple! I have no idea if that's a realistic budget, it's only $2 a day. I actually hope it's a challenge, I hope I'm forced to think creatively about what I eat and how I shop. I'm sure I'll eat through my freezer and tupperware. If I'm eating self-raising flour and tomato sauce at the end of the month I'll feel a great sense of achievement.

The escape clause is that social eating doesn't count, because I don't want to limit Eat Street and other social things. I believe single people need to eat with other people, not eat alone in front of the TV. And 3 or 4 eat-outs a month would take most of my envelope. Takeaway DOES count; if you eat it by yourself, it comes out of the envelope.

So those are the rules!

I get paid in the middle of the month so I'll start my month on 16th. That way the month challenge will be finished before Christmas (If I go away for Christmas and eat my family's food that would be be cheating!). I won't blog boring shopping lists, but if I learn anything profound, I will share it. Also keen to know if you are doing it with me.

Oooh, I'm excited about this one!!!!!

* I really want it to be $50, but I'm afraid I'd do one shop and spend half my envelope and freak out and not eat enough fruit and veg and meat for the rest of the month. $60 makes me feel like I can afford a balanced diet. If I have $$ leftover at the end of the month, I'll do something special with it.

Big dinner theory.

You eat some big dinners and it stretches your belly out, and you get really hungry for the next meal because normal sized meals don't fill you up now.

Sometimes, though, you eat some big dinners and you are less hungry. Last week I was starving for morning tea every day. I ate big dinners on the weekend, and today I'm not as hungry. Sometimes big dinners fill in the gaps of things you were deprived of, probably.

Hottie at work.

Yes, I have a hot water bottle at my desk. Every woman should have one. Overactive air-con, cold rainy weather, and of course monthly euphemisms. Such a good investment.

I also have a small fan heater under my desk for when my feet are wet or cold. I didn't bring it in, I just found it and put it to use. Thankyou, cold-blooded employee from the past.

Living in small spaces.

I like the small apartment life; the restrictions are, in a way, freeing. Less to clean, less reason to buy things which means less attached to worldly things. Renting makes me feel even more nomadic, which is a good thing to remember—heaven is home.

What I've noticed is, almost every inch is valuable. Putting these bars of soap here means more space here, note to self, do not buy soap in the medium future. Hanging those on hooks behind the door means more space in this drawer, note to self, stop buying stockings I never wear them. Having no bookshelf means more space in living area for table, less space wherever boxes of books can go, note to self, no more books while in this apartment. Space juggling. The best things to do are 1) don't buy things and 2) get rid of things).

But. One day, I want room for a piano.

A name by any other name.

I was brought up 'Jessica', didn't get to be called 'Jess' til I went to senior high and then it was always with my sir name hitched on because there are SO MANY JESSES the same age as me. Jess K pointed out that on her blog comments it looks like she's talking to herself, hilariously lame, but actually there are three of us. Anyway, getting abbreviated was a sign of peer acceptance, and the family followed.

But I've just changed my Facebook name to Jessica. I'm making some moves back towards the long name again. Bit fancier, bit more syllables, bit of a point of difference with all the other Jesses, maybe won't get the first name + last name as much if my first name is a bit distinct.

Apparently if you have your identity stolen repeatedly the only thing to do is change your name. I'd give that a go. I don't know what I'd choose but it would be fun to pick. Maybe something like Jenny which feels similar, or maybe something totally whimsical. I don't think I'd do it for no reason though, mainly for the inconvenience to others.

Gender theory

We often wonder why KESC is dominated by women. Last Friday it was six women and one man.

I've noticed the Tuesday morning runs is dominated by men. This morning it was me and five men. Usually there is one other female, and at the beginning of the year, I'm sure there were at least a couple more.

Are women less interested in running? Not true, I have a lot of female friends who like to run. Are men disinterested in eating? Surely not.

Here is my theory: KESC is organised by women, so it will tend to draw a female crowd, perhaps because our closer friends are female, and they are more committed to going to something organised by a close friend. Our male friends are not as close, so they are neither here nor there about coming.

Tuesday morning runs is organised by a man, so it will tend to draw men. What do you think? Is it that simple?

Inexplicable mis-purchases.

One thing that really annoys me is clothes I don't wear. I feel like I should get my money's worth out of everything I buy, and clothes which sit in the drawer till they go out of fashion is like food that goes out of date. Except the food will start to rot and be thrown out, but the clothes will sit there forever, still being 'good'. "I can't get rid of that, it's still good and I paid $40 for it." Guilt and clutter.

It's hard to judge in the shop if something is going to be worn. Some polyester opshop cardigan will get worn constantly. But you think something is lovely in the shop, and when you get it home you develop an insecurity about it: it has no pockets on the back and my bum feels weird without pockets on it, or it's too pretty—don't want to look too pretty. Or the worst case, no reason at all—nothing to alter, no reason to throw away. It just lingers on, unworn.