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?

Back from the wilderness...

Picking leaves and dirt from my hair I have stumbled back into civilisation with the decree that I am most certainly NOT a hiker.

The occasional mountain stroll is fine and dandy, and I won't even shy away from a bit of hill climbing or caving...but an entire holiday dedicated to outdoorsy pursuits...what was I thinking?

I'll post more detailed stories about my trip soon, still editing photos and trying to find ones of me not looking hideous in hiking clothes.

Right now, I'm dealing with a wedding issue...something I thought I was done with.

The lady who designed our invitations did an amazing job, however, she was incredibly slack with communication.

I have been chasing her regarding the design for our thank you cards and she has completely gone to ground. The most irritating thing is that we already paid her for the design...stupid I know.

There's nothing for it, she's clearly not going to come up with the goods, so I'm currently sourcing alternatives. Which is an interesting thing to do in Manila. And is taking up a little of my time.

So in short, I'm here, just not as prolifically as I thought I would be.

So, somewhere along the line I became a hiker

I think I became a hiker when I was trying to regain my sense of adventure, which has unfortunately been misplaced of late.

And when I say hiker...I haven't actually been on any hikes yet...but I plan to.

My dad arrives tonight and we are heading away to check out the rice terraces and mummies of Northern Luzon. We are even going to do some caving - so of course I needed some new shoes!

They are unattractive and practical and I love them.

But more importantly I love what they represent.

A newfound sense of adventure and willingness to try anything.

I'll be offline until Monday next week (some places don't even have power, let alone WiFi).

Don't miss me too much.

Calling my Australian readers...

Sometime down the track we will move back to Australia (some days we feel like we could be away for forever and some days I cannot wait to get back fast enough), and I don't want to have missed anything.

I'm pretty on top of news thanks to smh.com.au and news.com.au but the one thing I am missing is MUSIC.

So I need your help - what are you listening to at the moment?

What is popular in Australia at the moment...what is being played on the radio over and over again?

Summer is coming to a close - what was your summer soundtrack?

I have pretty diverse music tastes so feel free to suggest anything.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and help.

xx

It's like I'm growing as a person right in front of your eyes

Sumo Sam - the restaurant where I gave the slightly bad review on the customer feedback card - has become one of our favourite restaurants.

I always order the beef teppan with a side of teriyaki sauce and a coke zero. I know, I know, my creativity astounds even myself. So our waitress (yes we have a waitress) pretty much knows what I am going to order.

Reece on the other hand is a wild card, ordering all sorts of crazy things off the menu, which inevitably never work out and leave him eyeing off my juicy beef teppan with envy. And without fail I always mock him for his choices and tell him to just order the same thing as me.

So when we went for dinner last night, I could happily descibe our waitress as cocky. Which is not a typical trait in a Filipino.

She didn't listen because she was so busy showing off that she knew my order and she completely fucked up Reece's order. Poor Reece, after weeks of me berating him for not ordering the delicious beef teppan he ordered it, but didn't get to eat it, because she only brought him his entree.

The most amazing part is that I remained calm throughout the whole meal, didn't lose my shit once and remembered where I was.

I'm growing.

Heaven is...

...512 illustrated pages of pastry goodness.

Can I get a Fuck and a Yeah.

What's your idea of heaven?

Filipino Moment 3

Spotted at karaoke last Friday night...

Ummm...last time I checked, the song wasn't specifically dedicated to a white boy.

This country is so obsessed with whiteness!

It just wasn't meant to be

"OMG...Hamish Blake is single!!!" I exclaimed this morning.

"Yeah, I thought you already knew that," replied Reece.

"No I didn't," I replied indignantly, "And clearly you kept this information to yourself to stop me from getting on a plane and flying to his side."

*Sigh* My husband will do anything to prevent me from fulfilling my destiny of being with Hamish.

Sorry Hamish...clearly it wasn't meant to be. We are now literally oceans apart.

I want candy

More specifically, I want Shuna Fish Lydon's butterscotch whatever. Shuna writes the terribly fabulous Eggbeater blog and I am always enamoured with her writing style and immediately want to eat whatever it is she is describing.

Lately she wrote about butterscotch and how to make a Pot de Creme

"I worked for a pastry chef once who, after I asked nervously, "How do you know when they're done, when they're just set?" said, "You'll come to have a pot de creme sense. You'll know before the timer goes off. The oven will talk to you. Listen. The custards, and their corresponding ramekins, will teach you. You'll see.

And she was right.

But not everyone has it.

You have to be a student of the egg. You have to understand coagulation. You have to understand why. You have to be a Why Asker. You have to get quiet. Really quiet. Because when eggs talk, when eggs school, they do so quietly. Eggs are great whisperers.

All that warning aside. A pot de creme is worth it. Worth every worry, worth every every ramekin of wobbly, custardy joy, worth every pot de creme you have to dump immediately in the garbage bin because you waited 

1 minute too long.

Pot de creme is not forgiving. Overcooked pot de creme? Scrambled eggs. Literally. Not smooth texture. 

Overcooked pot de creme feeds the garbage gods, who laugh in your face. But you have to stare them down, even with tears streaming into their hungry, mean mouths, and get back on the pot de creme pony.

A perfect pot de creme will evaporate in your mouth faster than cotton candy. A perfect pot de creme will keep you from sharing. A perfect pot de creme will leave you wordless. Will humble you."

Damn I want butterscotch and I definitely want a Pot de Creme.

And most of all...just once in my life I would like to write about something with the passion that Shuna showed these Pot de Cremes...inspiring!

Welcome to the 1700s James Packer

I think you'll find it lovely here. There's no mod cons, like electricity, the internet or automated gambling, but you and your draconian ideals should fit in well.

James Packer, you are a fucking joke.

As you can possibly tell I was incredibly bothered by a story I read in SMH online today. You can find it here.

Among the congratulations that must be rolling in on the birth of their new baby boy Jackson, should be the congratulations that James' hardy male sperm found their way to Erica's fertile eggs, and happened to carry the XY chromosome.

So now we can all breathe easy because the Packer empire has a son and heir. Only...wait a minute...what about their FIRST child, that pesky girl-child Indigo.

 The idea that the Packer dynasty will only live on now that they have a son is appalling and unspeakably sexist in this day and age. Because, you know, god forbid that a WOMAN be entrusted with the reins of a multi-billion dollar empire. I mean, clearly, we shouldn't even be driving, let alone VOTING or WORKING.

I sincerely hope this is another example of shoddy reporting on the part of SMH.com.au and not an indication of the true situation...otherwise I think the Packers have a little explaining to do to Indigo.

Le sigh

It goes without saying that I miss things about home. My family and friends would be at the top of the list...but a very close second is a dishwand, you know one of those brilliant sponges with handles that you put dishwashing detergent in.

Like this:

Oh how I miss my dishwand...in fact I miss it so much that I googled it today to find out that it has a proper name, and that name is a dishwand.

I also miss Crunchies, Marie Claire, Delicious and GladBake. How do I know that I miss these things? Because they are what I asked Reece to bring back for me from his trip home this weekend.

Like anyone, I have days when I feel like its all too hard and I want to run back to Australia. I'm having an extended one of these moments right now, and am craving the comfort of home. My work is what is causing this, and I'm probably not ready yet to treat the subject with enough tact, so I'm going to refrain while I feel like this.

Suffice to say the thing I miss most, right now, is directness. I miss the straightforwardness of adults back home, I definitely miss adults acting like adults.

So anyway, that is my whinge.

When you are away for an extended period of time, what is it that you miss the most? I'd love to hear from anyone who has spent time in a very different culture...how did you handle it?

What's your dirty little secret?

I have many of them...they manifest themselves in many different ways and they all usually come out when I'm left alone.

Singing loud showtunes is one of them. So is plucking out every hair I can possibly find with a pair of tweezers.
Insanely I mutter to myself and occasionally have outright conversations with myself.

When I was a tween (ok probably as late as 14) I used to dress up in my mothers sheets and pretend I was in Rome. I was always a Roman Princess. And insanely fabulous I'm sure.

This afternoon I had my dinner at 4.30pm...and it was pancakes...and it was good. Pancakes are awesome, but pancakes at inappropriate times of the day are even better.

It's not that Reece will deny me pancakes at any time of the day...rather that when you have an audience sometimes your dirty little secrets can be rather shameful.

So fess up...any dirty little secrets you want to share?

Tara's got a brand new set of bangs

So earlier this week I booked in for a trim and regrowth touch up. And then in a fit of whimsy I decided at 3pm this afternoon that I was going in for a big change.

I vascillated between excited and nervous all afternoon...seeking advice from Reece, my mother and then Reece again while I contemplated a life with a blunt fringe.

Then Reece threw me a curve ball..."If you are going for the fringe I think it will look better shorter".

Hmmm...well up until now shorter wasn't really in the equation. But he got me thinking and well, it's nigh impossible to pull me back once you get me started.

So this is the end result...I now have hair that is way too edgy for me, will most probably be hideous when left curly and necessitated the rushed purchase of special equipment to maintain, namely a brush and straightening iron.

Despite the warning signs, I LOVE it. I'm in that phase of new hair when you keep finding shiny surfaces to stare at yourself in. I pout, and then grin, and then pout all over again. Pullling my "perfect" model pout...because really, hair this good deserves a model pout. It probably also deserves a model body but let's not take things too far...

Example A of poorly executed model pout

The funniest part though was my hairdresser Mary. She was a little stunned when I asked for a radical change, particularly cos last time I told her that more than 1cm cut off the ends was simply too much.

What bothered her the most though was that my husband married me with long hair and in her opinion I was moving the goal posts. "But won;t he be so disappointed. Men love long hair, they don't love women with short hair."

Somehow I think Reece will still keep me. Even though I am clearly breaking my marriage covenant.

Filipino Moment 2

Driving home the other day down the South Super Highway I couldn't help but notice the sounds of an ambulance screaming up behind us. This road is packed every day and night with cars swerving in and out, creating 4 lanes out of 3 and 3 lanes where there should really only be 1, typical Filipino driving to be sure.

So anyway...the ambulance is swerving in and out of traffic, sirens blazing, and not one car moved out of its way! Forcing it instead to swerve and merge around cars, buses and trucks with a serious sense of urgency.

It was a little disconcerting to say the least and made me secretly wish for good health over here more than anything else. The idea of not being able to get to hospital quickly because no-one recognises an emergency vehicle is truly terrifying.

We followed along behind it, going roughly the same speed on the Skyway. The Skyway is an elevated toll road that skips some of the traffic on the South Super Highway below. And it is a toll road, just like any other, with toll booths at the end.

And if I wasn't wierded out enough, the ambulance slowed and then came to a complete halt. In the tollbooth queue at the end of the Skyway.

WTF?

Remind me not to have a heart attack over here. I'll most probably die while the driver fishes around for the correct change.

No-knead bread

This recipe caused an absolute storm when it was first published by the New York Times in 2006. I have made this loaf several times and have always had the same, consistently great results.

This bread is, as the name implies, made with very little kneading. Time – in the form of 18 hours resting and rising – does the work of intensive kneading and also allows the bread to develop its flavour. It is very important not to rush this bread – with time comes flavour comparable to a loaf from the finest bakeries.

The second component of the recipe is the container the dough is baked in. All that matters is that it is oven proof to a very high temperature and has a heavy lid that seals well. Casserole dishes, cast iron pots, ceramic pots and even glass Pyrex containers can all be used as long as the two main criteria are met. In effect, what we are creating is an oven within an oven.

The last component of this bread is pre-heating the pot in the oven before putting the dough inside. This bread is made with a very sticky dough with a high water content and the idea is that the heat from the pot when it meets the water in the dough will create steam, which is trapped by the lid, and will result in a deliciously crisp crust that is golden brown and shatters when you bite into it.

Ingredients
3 cups plain white flour or 440 grams (doesn’t have to be bread flour, any high quality white flour will do)
¼ teaspoon instant yeast (once again, any yeast is fine, just whatever you have in your cupboard)
1 tablespoon salt
¾ cup tepid water

Method
In a large bowl combine 3 heaped cups of flour, yeast and salt. Add the water, and stir until blended – the dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 15 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature.

The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Punch the dough once or twice to knock out some of the larger air pockets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest on the bench for another 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape the dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal and put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let it rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before the dough is ready, heat oven to 23 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit). Put a 5-7 litre heavy covered pot in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that’s OK. Shake the pan once or twice if the dough is unevenly distributed and don’t worry, the loaf will straighten out as it bakes.

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Customer service feedback in the Philippines - how not to be a bitch (demonstrated unsuccesfully by me)

Have you ever been handed one of those customer surveys to fill out to rate your experience at a restaurant? Of course you have!

Have you ever filled it out and wondered if anyone even bothers to read it, and more so, if anyone ever acts on your ratings and suggestions? I know I have.

Well after tonight I will wonder no more...and will possibly be a little sheepish in the future.

First of all, let's call a spade a spade. When it comes to customer service I am a bitch. I am quick to judge, even quicker to be outraged, slow to forgive and more than happy to force my opinion and criticisms on anyone who will listen.

This is ok in Australia...land of rudeness directness. Not so ok in the Philippines.

We had dinner at a lovely Japanese restaurant in Powerplant Mall tonight (Sumo Sam for those of you reading from Manila). The food was excellent and the service was fine. What wasn't fine was that the first feeling you get when you walk in the restaurant is that you are an intruder and not good enough to be there. It's a little cold and disinterested.

At the end of the meal I was handed a customer survey form. I filled it out, rating the food as excellent, the value for money reasonable and the service as good. In the comments section at the bottom I wrote "The service at the entrance could be more friendly" and I handed it back.

Our waitress took the form and read it and hurried away into the kitchen with it. Two minutes later a woman who looked like the manager came out clutching the form and looking stressed. She proceeded to march to the front counter and brandish my form at the greeting staff.

After sufficiently chastising the two girls at the front counter, she came directly to our table.

"My name is Neah and I am the restaurant manager. Please let me assure you that I have met with the staff in question and they have been spoken to. I will also ensure that the rest of the staff receive your feedback. We can all hope to improve."

By now I wanted the floor to swallow me. I couldn't have felt more chastened.

After reassuring the manager that it wasn't a big deal, just a passing comment and that the food was so excellent that we were always going to come back, we paid our bill and I slunk out of the restaurant, past the strained smiles of one of the two girls at the front counter. The other girl ran off and couldn't face us.

Moral of the story...I am a terrible person.

So has anyone ever had confirmation that their feedback was listened to? If you have a story please feel free to share it in the comments below.

Eeew...

I was catching up on posts I missed from The Bloggess today and came across this gem on her sex column about 10 gifts that are probably worse than anything you got this Christmas..

Among other things, she lists the Artificial Virginity Hymen which is a truly ingenious hideous invention and the Giant Uterus Snuggle Pillow.

While perusing the VulvaLoveLovely Etsy page (purveyor of the Giant Uterus Pillow), I couldn't help but be slightly weirded out by this gem - Set of 4 Cloth Menstrual Pads in a lovely Dia de los Muertos print.

I don't know what's worse...the idea of a machine washable, reusable cloth pad made of flannel or the laughing skulls that will keep your vagina company all day and night.

Office politics

I have had to adjust to many things over here...too many to mention really...and not having a career has been a big one. It has been a great opportunity so far to step back and re-evaluate where I am heading and what I really want. I had an interesting year last year...lots of ups and downs and decisions made and then abandoned as I tried to work out what I really want. I knew I was tired but wasn't really sure what I was tired of.

This post is not about what I want to do with my future but rather a revelation that came upon me just this morning.

The thing that made me tired was office politics. Or more explicitly those personalities that make you dread going to work in the morning. We've all had them...the whinger, the nay-sayer, the lazy person, the bitch, the attention seeker and the silent assassin. There will always be one person in your office that rubs you the wrong way and that you have to work to be around.

Office politics invaded my little office-free Manila sanctuary this morning and I'm cranky about it. Just from one email I could feel my blood rise...but most of all I'm just over it, over the pettiness, over the bitchiness and over the adolescent posturing that happens in any office. Can't we all just grow up and do our best to get along?

I'm not ready to go back to that world yet, Im not ready for how draining it is. Give me another 12 months or so and maybe I will have forgotten. And for fucks sake, in the mean time, keep your petty world back in Sydney and leave me alone.

Filipino Moment 1

So I'm going to start chronicalling all of those little moment that make up life in the Philippines.

I decided to make bread, very basic bread with only 4 ingredients, one of which is yeast. The recipe is so simple that any yeast will do, it doesn't matter what kind.

So off I went in search of yeast.

After scouring the supermarket shelves with no luck I decided to ask.

After much consideration the lovely sales assistant handed me a jar of Vegemite.

Hmmm not exactly the yeast I was after.

The noughties

Let me say first up that this is a retrospective...it is going to be a long self indulgent post about the last ten years of my life...so if that kind of thing bothers you then its probably best that you turn away now.

So clearly I am now writing for myself.

On my recent trip back to Australia I caught up with a friend I hadn't seen for ages. It was a great catch up and in the course of the conversation she casually mentioned that this time 10 years ago we were in Germany.

Well that little fact has blown my mind to the point where I haven't stopped mentioning it to people for the past 10 days (sorry Reece). Though it was Reece who said "think of all of the things you have been through in the last 10 years" and got me all serious and sentimental so really it is all his fault.


In the summer of 1999/2000 I travelled to Germany on an exchange program with my school. I was only 15 years old and it was truly a life changing experience. It whetted my appetite for travelling and I think made me a very self reliant person. We were basically treated as adults and were expected to act accordingly (with a few notable exceptions).

Never in a million years when I was traipsing around in the snow in Nuremburg or Munich or Berlin would I have imagined that in 10 years time I would be married and living in a different country!

So here's my snapshot of the last 10 years

Grew up fast
Had knee surgery
Finished high school
Fell in love (mostly unrequited)
Started (but never finished) university
Saw my parents through divorce
Lost my grandmother
Lost my marbles
Lost some weight (put some on as well)
Travelled to crazy foreign lands for 6 months
Gained some amazing friends
Lost a couple along the way as well
Moved out of home...and then moved back home again
Learnt some valuable life lessons
Got up close and personal with depression
Started an amazing career
Fell in love again (this time for good)
Got married
Moved to another crazy foreign land

And somehow found the confidence to be myself along the way.

So sorry for being serious and self indulgent, and if you have made it this far I would love to know what your highlights were for the past 10 years.

Happy New Year to all! xx