InBlogNito

This week’s task for Shai’s 52WoC project was to create a voice post… I was little anxious about this. For a start, I feel silly talking when noone else is around to hear me. Crazy, I know! But it’s weird talking to yourself (unless it’s swearing like a sailor cos something broke or whatever). So it was quite cool to push those boundaries a bit and do something a little different. It was great to see people doing video posts too! That would be pushing more boundaries, the technological ability boundaries . Hope you all enjoy hearing my voice…

http://www.utterz.com/u/utt/u-NTEwNDQ2NQ

Update: Argh, this stupid thing keeps deleting the html code for the embedded player, so you’re all just going to have to visit the link above. Sorry!

This could be the first and last of these…. at least on this particular day each year. However I was going for some sense of austerity for the occasion

This weeks task for Shai’s 52 WoC project is to find out more about your readers. I can look in the stats I collect (but rarely look at anyway) and see where you all come from, and those that comment, I can read your blogs and find out more that way. Even then, I try to remain largely anonymous, and some of you will be the same. For the most part you’re all rather mysterious, and sometime I forget that there is a real person who has sat at their computer and read my post and maybe commented. I’m trying to come out of my shell now, and encourage you to do the same. Please leave a comment, even if it’s just to say ‘hi, I’m here, I read your blog’ (no need to comment on the terrible writing skills I have tho!). If you’re up for it, tell me more: where you live, how you found my blog, link me to your own blog, and tell me an interesting fact about yourself, or about something interesting happening in your life at the moment.

Thanks, and I look forward to finding out more about you all! 

So…. I’m a tad over the deadline, but I have a very good excuse, the dog ate my wireless connection last night. And flatmate was using my PC. So seeing as it is still Sunday in some parts of the world, and Shai is probably still asleep (or only just going to bed!), I’m going to hope this is just in time to be included. This weeks 52WoC challenge is to give a Blog Star award. I knew right away who to give it to, and I’m likely not the only one (I haven’t checked, so I’m not copying anyone!).

So…… *drumroll* This weeks Blog Star award goes to…..

Shai!!! 

And now I present your badge to you….

Shai, you are simply inspirational, and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to take part in the 52 Weeks project right from the start. I love reading your blog, it’s so varied with everything from inspiration to practical tips. You’ve helped me become a more active part of the community with the project and Twitter etc. I am also constantly amazed that you are able to keep up your blog and several others you write for, work for your company, take beautiful photos, arrange self portraits that are always stunning, reply to your comments, twitter so often and many more things AND on top of all that you’re a dedicated mum and wife.

Congratulations!! 

Back when I was at primary school I learnt to play the violin for a year, but didn’t really get into that, so I picked up the clarinet instead. I ended up having lessons and playing in orchestra’s for about 6 or 7 years after that, but eventually dropped it half way through high school. I had much more important things to worry about, like who my friends were and how cool I was. Ditching the instrument didn’t help, I was still a geek. Still am in fact, but much prouder of it these days . Anyway, in the past 10 years I’ve picked up my instrument about as many times as there are fingers on one hand. Not many. When I returned home this weekend I decided to dig it out and have a go. I just had a half hour refresher, and even managed to get through the first few lines of Moon River, Unchained Melody, Silent Night and a few other tunes. It was tough starting off, but it was amazing how quickly my instincts kicked in and my fingers just knew what holes to cover and open as I read over the notes. I’ve always wanted to learn piano, and am still determined that I will one day. The local high schools here offer interest classes in the evening, so I might take that up later in the year. I’ll need to invest in a keyboard at the very least, but I’d also like to spend more time with the clarinet, learning the notes again etc., before starting anything new.

What about you? Do you play as well as Bach and Mozart? Or are you tone deaf?
Leave me a comment and let me know whether or not you play/ed and what instrument.

I tried to set up a poll, for the Week 6 challenge, but blogsome doesn’t like the html code I’m trying to insert

So… I got those signs I was looking for. I got home yesterday after a huge walk (that’s a whole other post in itself!) and found a missed message on MSN… then I opened up my iGoogle homepage and saw this post in my feed… then today I woke up to an email from Kari who said the suspense is killing her! We can’t have that, so….

…I admit, it was me! I sent Kari the Barnes and Noble gift card.

I had a bookmark clean out a little while ago, and found Kari’s wishlist. I think there was something i wanted on it, which is why I bookmarked it. There was no reason for me to keep the list now, but for some reason, unknown to me at the time, I didn’t delete that bookmark. Then when Shai gave some ideas about how to Support-a-Blogger for Week 3’s project, I thought ‘ah-ha! That’s why I kept that list bookmarked’. I wanted to say thanks to Kari for introducing me to the project, along with many other reasons, including those I mentioned more cryptically in the last post.

Thank goodness it arrived! I’m always nervous about buying something online, I’m not a big Amazon user because of my location (I once bought a book for $0.37. The shipping was about $10 lol). I don’t know why they stuffed up on the address, but thankfully it made it to you anyway! Enjoy shopping, and let me know what you end up getting Kari .

Despite my many downfalls (yea, I know I’m not afraid to be bitch!) I do consider myself a fairly generous person where I can be. Often the easiest way to do this is to buy a gift, especially when you’re as uncreative as I am! After being a student for almost 4 years and then spending the past year living from pay day to pay day while paying off some of the debt I accumulated, I’m finally in a place where I can be more generous with gifts and such like. For my brothers birthday this week I offered him flights to where I live (and free accommodation of course!) so he is going to keep an eye out for a good concert and will come and visit sometime soon for that. I was excited to be able to think of something a little more creative than the usual CD or DVD, especially as he sent me two gorgeous pieces of jewellry from London for my last two birthdays (he has returned home now, I don’t have to fly him here all the way from London!)

This week Shai set us the task of supporting a blogger by being generous. As soon as I was done reading the post I had just the thing in mind. I have thus far ignored the trust theme of Shai’s instructions, as I’m waiting for a sign that my generosity has been received. I sent a little something to someone to say thanks for sharing with me, and many others, their life, both the ups and downs, and for inspiring me to be a little more optimistic, to take the time and make the effort to get into the spirit of things and to make the most of the good times. That’s all I’ll say for now….

In addition to this, I have also spent the weekend baking for a friend who is a little closer to home. I have an online friend who I have been chatting to for many years now, though the chance to meet has never presented itself. He always remembers my birthdays and sents me a gift at christmas time, as well as helping me out in many other ways over these years. This week he sent me a new cord for my laptop charger along with some discs full of all sorts of funny clips and pictures that will provide hours of amusement! This is just one of many examples of his generosity. I bake quite often, and being a woman, am able to multi-task and chat online at the same time without burning everything! Anyone who’s ever tasted my baking has been completely won over (I can’t show modesty here, I rock in the kitchen, there’s just no two ways about it!), and N has always been intrigued by my love of baking but never been able to sample any. For my birthday last year he even sent me a cookbook full of all sorts of yummy things to make. This weekend I have tried out a couple of recipes as well as whipped up a batch of my infamous-and-never-fails-to-please russian fudge, and have prepared a package to send to N:

I checked the weather at his place for the next couple of days, and there’s a cold front coming through, so these should be ok on his doorstep for the day. I’ll send them on the overnight courier tomorrow (after walking carefully to work with them in my bag!). The chocolate covered balls are apricot truffles on the inside, they are yummy!

I’m looking forward to finding out how other people have shown their generosity this week, though of course the point is not to brag about it. Generosity should be accompanied by virtuosity and modesty, but it would be great to hear the creative ways in which people undertook this weeks task

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Now playing: Wu-Tang Clan Old Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya
via FoxyTunes   

So I’m a huge fan of anything pink. I wish my blog could be pink, but silly blogsome have a VERY limited selection of templates, and this is the only one I can live with. There are probably any number of ways of getting a new template that better reflects my style, but I’ve barely ventured past the whole writing a blog entry thing and installing a statcounter. Anyway, back to the topic of pink… while taking part in Shai’s 52 Weeks project, I came across Christina’s blog: eBeautyDaily, and found this totally hot bathroom:

You can read more about the bathroom by clicking on the picture, and don’t forget to check out more of Christina’s eBeautyDaily hints, tips and news.

Then I figured while I’m here promoting Christina, I’d promote a couple of other pink blogs that I love to visit, not only for their cute layouts, but their fantastic content too

First up is Not So Blonde. I’ve been reading her witty and heartfelt blog for quite some time now, in fact her blog was the first I ever read, and I was eventually inspired to create this not-so-pink, not-so-witty, more-angry-than-heartfelt blog! After relocating from her former pink blog and going through a few changes, I’m glad she’s finally settled back into pink:

Next up is a new one on my reading list, and who couldn’t love a blog with ‘pink’ in the name?! Check out My Love is Pink below, Laurie is a budding photographer and takes awesome photos and is brave enough to share some her experimental photos (and I definitely don’t mean that in a ’she’s actually really bad’ way!!):

And last, but certainly not least, we have Friglet. Thankfully she’s got her gorgeous pink layout on at the moment It changes frequently, but they are all awesome. I love the swirly bits at the top of this layout and the coffee cup (not to mention, it’s pink!):

Seeing as I move in a relatively small blog circle, you might already be a regular reader of these blogs, but hopefully with Shai’s fantastic community project, I’ll be extending that circle and sharing my old faves with some new friends. Happy reading!