A party without cake is just a meeting

A couple of weeks ago, I celebrated my BIRTHDAY. It always reminds me of how blessed I am to have such thoughtful friends and family. So many people stopped me at the office to wish me well, and left birthday messages by text or Facebook. It's seems small and birthdays are not a big deal to me, but it made my day that people took the opportunity to connect and re-connect with me. Thank you!

This year, my birthday fell on a Friday and I spent the majority of it at the Office. But I was looking forward to it, because my classmates have become like family to me this year and the Office feels like home. I knew that celebrating with them would be special.

As per office tradition, we shared birthday cake and banter - both contributed by my wonderful Office famiglia.

Birthday fast biz:

My friend drew a picture of me. Super cool!

Cake is always my favourite birthday present. This Reese's peanut butter cup birthday cake was baked by my little sister, and has pushed my Choc/PB obsession to a dangerous level. The cake lasted only three days before I ate it ALL.

This is such a great birthday gift: a Pooh Bear onesie so I can be Pooh Bear forever <3 

My Swedish-inspired Birthday dinner was home-cooked by Connor and shared by Melissa, close friends from Disney. Meatballs, lingonberry, potato pancakes, pickled beetroot... tack så mycket! I adore dinner parties and home-cooking, and I loved this. Yum yum yum!

The house was decorated in birthday balloons and they all ended up in the backseat of my car, still there (unfortunately for everyone who I have given lifts to. I have to tell people to put the balloons on their lap)!

A Reminder To Be Thankful

Bake Sale!

You can't be sad when you're holding cake.

I don't usually like Mondays but today there was a bake sale at school! There were so many cakes and muffins and cookies.. and my favourite dessert, JELLY SLICE! Stoked :)

Click on the link for the recipe I used to make my Nutella-stuffed Browned Butter Cookies using these ingredients for Aussie conversion (the recipe is American):

• 2 1/4 cups of plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 250g unsalted butter
• 1 cup of dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of caster sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon of plain greek yoghurt
• 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips
• 200ml of Nutella chilled in refrigerator
• Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

You'll also need to bake them at 190C.

They take a little bit longer to make than normal cookies but they were a hit at the bake sale and it is fun to try new things! Enjoy :):)

EDIT: After you have rested the cookies and they have set, pop them back into the oven for about 5 minutes at 180C to warm up again. Serve warm in a small bowl with a scoop of ice cream topped with chopped hazelnuts = Delicious warm cookie sundae! You can do this any time after the cookies have set. I have been eating these in front of the TV every night. Yum!

Let them eat cake

"People who love to eat are the best people" - Julia Childs

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love food a lot more than the average person does! One of the best things about food is that it creates community. My best relationships always involve crazy eating challenges or cooking and sharing meals, and there is nothing I love more than a dinner party!

I'm at a new school this year and one of the ways my class is getting to know each other is by eating together. Every week, at least one person brings in a spontaneously-baked cake into the office to share. We will all break from work and bond over morning tea. Everyone else in the office who sees the cake will always ask if we're celebrating a birthday, but we're not... we just bring cake! It's my favourite thing about the office.

I was so excited to share my cake this week! In fact, my sole motivation for coming to school today was to have carrot cake with my class. Yum!

I am realising that food is a really great way to reach out to others. And I love making it! I will try to share cake with at least one person I don't know. One day I should bake an entire cake to give out to people that I don't know...

Thrift Shop

Thrift shop-themed party:

Straight to Childrenswear.

What is the use of a book without pictures or conversation?

...the same should be asked about life.

It was so refreshing to take ONE night off from homework. I felt like I hadn't rested in ages.

On this night we ate dim sims and chips by a quiet quarry near my house. Even though we are in the middle of the suburbs, this place makes me feel like we are the only people in the world. For the first time in weeks, I don't think about the law or school, and I start to feel like me again.

It's simple but this is what makes me happy!

 

Freestylin feat E Coli

I've done lots of fun things this summer. It's finally feeling good to be home.

I recently read an article in the local paper about the dangerously high E Coli levels in the Yarra, the main river that runs through Melbourne. 

A few weeks earlier, my friends and I had been swimming at a section of the river where the bacteria levels were reported to be three times higher than healthy rates. This was one of the better sections of the river, running through a quiet town in the mountains east of Melbourne. It's tranquil out there, and scenic; and tall trees shade the river banks keeping it cool on a hot day. The locals have attached a strong rope from one of the trees so that you can swing off and jump in. 

I copped a mouthful of the water too! It did taste a bit funky. I didn't get sick, but that might be the first and the last time I try swimming in the Yarra... as fun as it was :(

...and this is me trying to shield myself from the swarm of march flies:

Tennis of Oz

I have had so much fun hanging out at the Australian Open tennis this week. There are lots of matches to watch, places to chill and things to do.

My sister earned a lot of ticket vouchers over the past few months, for doing some online product/service surveys in her spare time. She is MAD about tennis and whenever she wanted to go, she would get me free tickets to go with her. I have an awesome sister! We were able to go several times and it was always fun - even the days that were dangerously hot. I braved it and took a long bath in a tub of sunscreen before I went outside on those days.

I hope Novak Djokovic wins! I was excited to catch a glimpse of him on the practice courts.

One year, I met Rafael Nadal there. He was 15 and still playing in the juniors at the time. We took this terrible, terrible picture with him after my friend heard a rumour that he "might be good one day."

All of this has inspired me to to get out in the sun and have a few hits myself.

Happy Disneyversary

Starting life at Walt Disney World this time last year feels like yesterday but at the same time, it feels like a lifetime ago because the wonderful things and friendships I gained are now such a huge part of my life that I can't imagine a time where I ever lived without them.

Happy one year anniversary to the January 2012 Disney International/ College Program!

2013: My New Year's Resolutions

2013 began for me in a small coastal town on the Great Ocean Road, with a few friends (dress code: hats), sparklers and some guitar/ukelele sing-a-long. It's a good way to start.

It's a brand new year and I love the idea of fresh starts and new beginnings. It's the perfect time to try and rub out some of my bad habits and I've picked a few things to specifically work on for this year.

My New Year's Resolutions for 2013:

1. To be present and attentive to the moment I am in... by not using my phone when I'm around other people.

2. To be a better listener... hearing people out without interrupting them. 

The age of advertising and endless interruptions has shortened our attention spans and led us to think that no message is as important as the one we have. This is narcissism at its worst. If we're not careful, we can rush through an entire conversation without  ever really listening. And what happens if the other person does the same? 

3. To drink more water.

How are your New Year's resolutions going? Don't give up!

For the inspiration behind this post and some other things I'll be trying in 2013, see: 5 Ways to Slow Down in 2013 (Relevant Magazine).