Tara's got a new home...

I've outgrown Blogspot...not in an up-myself kinda way...but in a "I need more features and better analytics that don't make my head hurt" way.

Blogspot was a great introduction to the blogging world, but there are bigger and better things around the corner (I'm sure of it).

So I've moved...you can now follow me at http://taragotblogged.wordpress.com

Please update your RSS feeds or bookmarks...I wouldn't want you to miss a single minute of the fun!

Ooops...again

I shouldn't be allowed around anything sharp.

I was singing and dancing in the shower this morning (Maybe This Time from Cabaret if anyone is interested) and also happened to be shaving my legs at the same time.

Can anyone else see where this is headed?

Somehow during a particularly high note and erratic arm gesturing I managed to slash my upper thigh. Not deep, but deep enough to cause quite quick and voluminous blood flow.

After the shower I limped into the kitchen to get a bandaid and tried to explain what had happened to Helen, our housekeeper. Suffice to say that my stupidity and lame attempt at humour didn't break the language barrier.

Sigh.

Anyone else have a moment of stupidity they would like to share?

Getting nude

So I saw that Spencer Tunick was down in Sydney for the Mardi Gras and he took a series of photos at te Opera House.

I have to say, I'm fairly bummed that I missed it (pardon the pun).

I would have loved to have been a part of it...his photos seem so liberating. Perhaps I'm only keen to participate now that I know I've missed my chance?

Did anyone brave the elements and pose?

Image from www.smh.com.au

Off to see the mummies

So recently I went away up north, it was a pretty cool trip, though a lot more "rustic" than I expected.

Our first stop was Kabayan, home of the Timbac Mummies. I love mummies, I think they are fascinating and the process around mummification is fascinating as well. The Timbac mummies are different from other mummies in that the internal organs were not removed and they were smoke dried with tobacco smoke to preserve them.

It's a  bloody good thing I like mummies because the only way to reach Kabayan is 2 1/2 hours over a single lane unpaved road carved into the side of a cliff. At least the bumpy road keeps the traffic going slowly, which means the trucks coming the other way are less likely to kill you.

The town of Kabayan is very small and located along one strip of road. Mobile phone reception is patchy at best, there is no hot water and the town literally goes to bed around 7pm every night.

The mummy caves are at the top of a massive mountain. The guide book says that the hike takes between 4 and 6 hours to reach the top. This is the mountain I thought I would tackle in my first attempt to become a hiker.

What was I thinking! I took one look at that big boy and said "no way!" So we took the cheat's way up in our 4WD and I started to reconsider my life as a hiker.

Our guide was Ramon and he was absolutely hilarious. He accompanied us up the mountain and was a wealth of knowledge, talking about the area and the mummification process.

It was also his job to unearth the mummies, opening coffins and unwrapping them for us to view. We later found out that he was supposed to offer a prayer of thanks to the mummies to keep their spirits happy. In true Filipino style, our guide, in his lispy voice, sang to the mummies.

Here's me...braving the suspension bridge.

If you want to see more photos you can check out my facebook album
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=188961&id=565144918&l=b7702bf25e

Ooops...

I'm such an embarrassment.

Came home from the gym today, sweaty and exhausted. As is my habit, I walked through the apartment shedding clothing, dropping it into the laundry for washing, and desperately trying to get cool.

I wandered around, stripping down until I was just in my undies, distractedly thinking about my afternoon plans and preoccupied with getting into the shower as quickly as possible.

So it was in this state of distraction and undress that I walked into our bedroom to find myself face to face with two very surprised Filipino window cleaners.

In my defence I did remember that our building was scheduled for cleaning today, but of course they had to be cleaning my apartment window at that exact moment.

Luckily I'm out of the house all day tomorrow. I don't think I could face them when they come back to do the windows in the living room.

Anyone have any embarrassing moments they want to share?