So rumors circulated that Samsung paid their fine of $1 billion to Apple in coins. What an awesome thing to do, but sadly it is a hoax. Oh internet! I wonder who started this? Kudos to them. I also hope that in the future we will live in a world in which a company will actually do this, note to my future rich self.
I will forever associate durian with Taiwan. I remember when I first arrived it was the start of summer and that is when these bad boys hit the supermarket. It is a smell like no other. In some places there are signs that say no durian allowed and with good reason. I decided to buy one of these to try it out. You know when in Rome. My new roommates and I had one bite and that was that. I placed it in several plastic bags and then placed it in the trash. Now here is the catch. We were working late, and at that particular apartment we had to take the trash out when we heard the tell tale Fur Elise that the garbage truck played. We missed the trash for like a week. I had to place it on the roof outside of my window so that we wouldn't die. It smelled terrible. Eventually we got rid of it.
Yesterday my momsi arrived for dinner, so I decided to make a chicken pie. I had never made one before and with the help of my sister and roommate, we whipped up an amazing chicken pie! It was a such a great afternoon, you know one of those late lunches that carry on into the night. Here is how to make one of your very own.
You will need:
chicken cut up into bite sized pieces
an onion, finely chopped
some garlic
mushrooms
two rolls of puff pastry
one packet on brown onion soup
1 tablespoon of flour
a knob of butter
1 cup of milk
a handful of grated cheese
What to do:
Saute the onions and garlic
Add the chicken and brown
Add the mushrooms, and cook until softened
Melt the butter in a separate saucepan
Add the flour and stir until you make a nice ball
Add the milk and then use a whisk to stir continuously
Once thickened, add the cheese
Stir until melted and removed from heat
Make the brown onion soup according to the packaging
Add the chicken to a large mixing bowl, then add the brown onion soup and the cheese sauce
Place a sheet of pastry on the bottom of your dish
Add the chicken mixture
Add another sheet of pastry on the top and paint with egg
When I first started teaching my youngest class (the kids were about 5 years old), I had to teach them about global warming. Yes, global warming. Our principal didn't want us to sugar coat it, so after my lesson, one intelligent young kid asked me with a look of sheer horror on his face "The polar bears will die?" Lesson learnt.
Called Save the last Polar Bear by John Tibbot on Society 6. Pretty cool! Ice ice baby.
I remember the first time that I saw a shark while diving. All of sudden everything went very quiet and all of the other fish disappeared. Lurking in the distance I saw a shark come closer and got scared. This one was probably only like 1m a wide, but wow did it have a presence. And just as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared and the buzz of ocean life started up again.
Fact 1: Sharks are not as deadly as you think. I blame Jaws.
Looks like the Great Whites are the ones to look out for. See more of this infographic via Trend Hunter.
Fact 2: Myth Busted, sharks do get cancer
Fact 3: Sharks can do something super cool called tonic immobility
Sharks typically enter a natural state of paralysis when inverted. This state is called "tonic", and the shark can remain in this state for up to 15 minutes. Scientists have not yet discovered why sharks do this, but they think it has something to do with being turned over that causes them to become unbalanced.
Fact 4: Sharks are killed for their fins
I first became aware of the awful practice of finning while watching a documentary on sharks. I never even knew people did this. I still have images of people grabbing a shark, slicing off their dorsal fin and then throwing a torso back into the water, leaving the shark to drown. Don't intentionally eat shark fin soup! While teaching in Taiwan I was always respectful of the culture, but this was one thing that I would not tolerate. I went crazy on the kids explaining why they should not eat shark fin soup. It is tasteless! I know this because while at a wedding, I accidentally ate it. I had no idea it was shark fin soup until someone brought it up.
Fact 5: Hammerhead sharks are awesome
These are my favorite sharks! I just love their hammer shaped heads or a shape called a "cephalofoil".
This beauty of this site is that it gives you some motivation when you need it most. And if one video or saying doesn't do the trick, then there are loads more to choose from. Made by David Li for urlesque.
Struggle to get up in the morning? Remember this:
Puts things into perspective doesn't it? Check out more awesome memes here.
Need motivation at work?
And finally....
Made by the very talented Kongoriver. I luff a Dr Seuss.
When I was in Taiwan I lived on Thai Curry for about a year. I just couldn't get enough of it. I would make vegetarian versions, chicken versions, green and red curry ones. My favorite has to be Thai Green Curry. Last night I had my BFF over for dinner and whipped up this. It was the best version I have ever made. Here is the recipe.
I just love Little Britain. Haven't watched it in a while, but my favorite skit has to be the Fat Fighters one.
Cake Fails
Sexual Harassment cake. An office hit?
An awesome site called Cake Wrecks, that showcases the best of the worst. According to the author, "A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it."
Realistic Reptillian Cake? Yup!
Had to do a double take when I saw this one. It looks so real!
On Saturday a few of us decided to check out the Irene Market. You can go every second and last Saturday of each month. It is situated in Jan Smut's House and has some awesome stuff. We tried some amazing pannekoek, chilli chocolate fudge and some weird custard pie things that we thought would be good, but they were not.
Old tins and a new one (ben 10).
Awesome record cover.
Why yes this is a toilet roll holder.
How much for the cat?
I was just saying how awesome one of these would have been when I was a kiddie, when the people behind us said the same thing.
These are so South African!
And yes there were camels.
Bottle cap magnets.
Piggy Banks: the ironic thing was that these cost so much it seemed pointless to buy one to put your pennies in.
But is it art? Coca Cola crates.
The definition of class, a box for your papsak (box wine).
When I was a chidler I loved these books. So it came as no surprise that I bought a collection when I was teaching in Taiwan. I got given a young class, and because I am one of those people that speaks to kids like adults no matter what their age, I decided to let the 4 year olds find Wally. They loved it! I gave them no clues and they loved proving how smart they were because they could find him.
