Archive for January, 2009

Roundup: January 16th-31st

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

Please enjoy my latest rants across the web:

WISE BREAD
The Key to Happiness: A Case Study
This explores the lives of two very different people with an aim to discover what the key to happiness is. It may be simpler than you think.

TRANSITIONS ABROAD
Eight Ways to Become Part of a Community Abroad in Two Weeks
Drawing upon my [...]

Moving On…But Staying…But Traveling…

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

I would say that our time in Australia is coming to an end and that it is time to move on.
But that would be a lie.

In fact, quite the opposite: our time in Australia is not coming to an end. But it is still time to move on. Let me explain.

“Fair Dinkum” Explored: Meaning and Origination

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Fair Dinkum: (pronounced in true Aussie form as fay-ah ding-kum). Originally meaning “fair drinking” by a less-than-sober gentleman, “fair dinkum” is one of many intriguing pieces of Australian vocabulary that has only recently been explained to me.

In the course of a conversation with an Australian, various foreign words and phrases are regularly interwoven through sentences. [...]

Legendary Heat and Total Fire Bans: Welcome to Summer in Australia

Sunday, January 18th, 2009

The air is heavy (but not humid) as I step outside from the cool respite of our practically-air-conditioned-it’s-so-cold cottage. I walk into the sunshine, and even at 3pm I immediately feel its rays burning through the first few layers of my skin. Even a breeze on this calm day is too much, creating a sense [...]

Roundup: January 1st-15th

Friday, January 16th, 2009

‘Tis been a quiet few weeks in my neck of the woods…at least in my online neck of the woods. However Kelly & I have been as busy as ever, as we will be moving to some new digs shortly, and leaving Australia for a (very) short stint soon too! This is just a teaser [...]

Recipes From The Road: Chili

Monday, January 12th, 2009

Kelly has a thing about chili: He figures he makes the best chili, and that’s that. I guess we are all fond of our own chili the most. (It is kind of like being fond of your own farts the most…also a topic closely linked to chili. Hopefully unlike your own farts though, other people [...]

2009 Lonely Planet Travel Blogger Awards

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

Okay, a little bit of self-promotion tactics here: I recently discovered the 2009 Lonely Planet Travel Blogger Awards. (Cue in “oohs” and “aahs” here).
And since I do have the Best Travelogue in the world (ahem, there is no room for modesty in this cut-throat world of travel blogging), I am hoping that you, my dear [...]

My Christmas Present to Australia: Pumpkin Pie

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Australians love their pumpkin. As part of a standard “meat and three veg” meal, a slice of roasted pumpkin is often tastefully and deliciously included. Go to the supermarket, and you will likely find at least three different varieties of pumpkin, such as butternut squash, Japanese pumpkin (very yummy), and grey pumpkin.

And although roasted pumpkin [...]

Enjoying a Brown Christmas

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Further to my pre-Christmas rant about not having a white Christmas, nor feeling much of the Christmas spirit at all, I felt it only fair to follow up my Scrooge-esque premonitions with a dose of what my Christmas reality looked like.
I like warm Christmases!