Girls Talk - I Just Can't Get You Outta My Head!

It would be obvious to say that the words were taken right out of my mouth by this Kylie Minogue song. But this song is not my entry for this week's Girls Talk, where we talk about songs that simply get stuck in our heads. My choice for (er?) sticky songs would come from one of many that my ex (LOL), Enrique Iglesias, has been singing.

Enrique songs are normally catchy, energetic and very disco-like in tone. And I absolutely adore them! Not to mention that Enrique is also not bad to look at :-) I think I oggle at him a bit too much sometimes. Anyway.....

At the moment, his latest single, Tonight (I'm Loving You), has been hitting the airwaves quite regularly. I've been hearing it in my car radio on the way to and back from work almost everyday. And so, since I am most probably suffering from LSS already but don't know it yet, this song is most definitely my choice for today.

Note: This is the clean version of the song although the music video contains some explicit scenes.

For more songs to oggle at (er, I mean, get stuck with), visit Girls Talk.

Novice Blogging - Note #21 (Tweeting Blog)

I must admit that Twitter hasn’t made very much of an impression on me. I’ve seen most of what Facebook can do and Twitter, to me, seems very bland in comparison. Still, I have no doubt that like Facebook, it is one of the most powerful social networking tools around.

I signed up on Twitter and mainly use it to promote posts on my blog. Much like NetworkedBlogs, it helps me distribute my posts to my readers, whichever network or platform they are accustomed to.

To sign up for Twitter, you'll just have to be creative and choose a unique username. Once signed up, you can tweet away. Most smartphones nowadays are linked to Twitter and this is probably why a lot of people use twitter to be connected all the time, real-time.

As previously discussed, I've linked my NetworkedBlog blog post pull to my Twitter account so as soon as my post is published, it is pulled into NetworkedBlog (for Facebook posting) and then it is pulled into Twitter (as a tweet with a link).

I have yet to explore more about the other features that Twitter can offer. Anything for the blog, I suppose.

Can any of you provide some more Twitter pointers for me?

Weighing In: Week 2 For The Food Diarist

After last week's boring post, this week is even more dismal. Probably one of my worst week as I not only go into relapse, I literally come off the bandwagon. Started off so well when I went for that 2 hour gym session but it went downhill after that.

Monday - workout - 2 hours at the gym doing aerobics of all sorts (Zumba, VBox, Step, Funk Off)
Monday - breakfast - leftover pancit palabok and barbecued pork from previous night
Monday - lunch - 150g salty snack (Again. Can't believe I'm blogging about this.)
Monday - dinner - 7pcs KFC zinger wings

So it looks like I'm going worse as the long weekend draws to a close. I am sure glad that on Tuesday we will be back to normal. Although what is exactly normal? Feeling hungry all the time?

Plus, knowing that I've been naughty has made me even naughtier. Look at my menu...salty snacks? KFC? Really?

Weighed myself at the gym on Monday morning and sure enough, I am only down by 0.6kgs from my start-off weight. The 1.3kgs last Sunday was probably just a fluke. A very short-lived happiness.

Tuesday - breakfast - one white hotdog bun
Tuesday - lunch - one KFC breast piece + very hot potato wedges
Tuesday - dinner - brown rice and beef stew
Tuesday - snack - 100g potato stick snack

Wednesday - breakfast - Kellogg's All-Bran flakes + one banana + one plum
Wednesday - lunch - brown rice and beef stew (leftover, ugh!) + one Oreo McFlurry

Wednesday - dinner - 125g salty snack

Thursday - breakfast - Kellogg's All-Bran flakes + one banana
Thursday - lunch - 1/4 oven-cooked chicken breast portion + one plum
Thursday - dinner - white rice and pork tamarind soup (sinigang)

Friday - breakfast - 200g boiled peanuts
Friday - lunch - chinese takeaway consisting of roast chicken + spicy beef + fried calamari
Friday - dinner - same chinese takeaway minus the spicy beef

Saturday - breakfast - brown rice and sauteed mushrooms
Saturday - snack - 200g boiled peanuts
Saturday - lunch - spaghetti with creamy chicken mushroom sauce (2 servings)
Saturday - dinner - potatoes and 250g grilled rump steak

Sunday - breakfast - potatoes and 125g grilled rump steak
Sunday - snack - 75g salty snack
Sunday - lunch - 6pc McNuggets and some french fries
Sunday - dinner - potatoes and sauteed sousou (sayote)

So you can see....I have been very bad. Very bad indeed. Further, I have not been to the gym since Monday as my right leg has been acting up. Probably from too much aerobics action...or just plain lazy. Now what punishment can I give myself? (Although I think blogging about it is punishment enough.)

No weight report until my next trip to the gym scale. Till then.

VTT Postcard - Day 8 - Venice, Italy

We set off very early that morning as we needed to catch a boat going into Venice. We dare not be late.

It was a “renewed” morning for me. I felt very clean and fresh wearing my recently washed clothing. My new luggage was fast filling up with souvenirs and other stuff as well. Plus the weather was actually cooperating and we had perfect sun as we left Innsbruck. Here’s hoping that it carries through to Italy. But I spoke too soon.

It was another uneventful trip on the bus until we reached Venice. The bus dropped us off at the terminal where we were all ushered into a boat that was leaving for city centre. As we had arrived early, TM told us that we could walk around the city but make sure to be back for the gondola ride and the glass blowing demonstration. Here, I think Mother Nature started toying with her moods as the skies were threatening to open up with rain.

Girls Talk - I Gotta Feeling

The ultimate in feel-good songs as contained in The Soundtrack Of My Life. Who can resist not singing with the Black Eyed Peas?

This song holds a very special place in my heart. I remember when it became big here in South Africa, I was going through a rough patch at work. This tune became my anthem as I made the decision to move jobs. And through a lot of angst and stress, I made it out alive. I truly believe it was all because of this song and how it changed the way I felt about the whole situation. Of course, it doesn't hurt now to realise that I've made the right decision at the time.

So everytime I hear it on the radio on the odd occasion nowadays, it brings a very big smile to my face. I feel at peace, I feel positive, I feel really, really, really good.......and all because I got the feeling (Wooo-hooo :-))

For music that makes you smile, check out Girls Talk today.

DIY FYI: My Kitchen Needs A Facelift

Hubby and I have recently been mulling over whether to renovate or remodel our kitchen. This has always been my complaint when we first moved into our home. The kitchen was very outdated and looked dreary. Ugh!

We have now decided to rather remodel the kitchen as the quotes we got for renovating (meaning just adding a few extra cupboards and getting new doors) would cost just a wee bit less than for remodelling (meaning take out everything and start from scratch). There was really not too much of a difference. Heck! To tell the truth, the thought of getting a BRAND NEW kitchen excited me more than just replacing some cupboard doors. Really. There's no contest.

Weighing In: Week 1 For The Food Diarist

This past weekend (Okay,  it would be the last weekend before this past by the time I publish this post), my hubby broke the most cardinal of all sins. He commented on my ever-expanding hips. This is of course, a slight jab at the bigger picture, which is my weight gain.

Now to tell you the truth, I don't think that I look all that bad although some kind of insecurity is already starting to creep in. I've been slowly gaining weight through the years despite all my efforts which is leading to my depression and frustration. And my husband's words did not help any to drive this insecurity away.

So again this week, I start with my watch.

I am watching what I eat. Again. I am feeling hungry. All the time. Again. Ugh!

VTT Postcard - Day 7 PM - Innsbruck, Austria

A very uneventful bus trip as we made our way to Innsbruck, Austria.

Innsbruck is nestled just under the Alps and is best known to ski holidaymakers. We arrived at around 4pm. We went around the town and saw the Landestheater, the Hofburg, the Town Tower and of course, the Golden Roof.

The Golden Roof

My Morning Get-Go

Nothing gets me going in the morning these days then a packet of......(Are you ready for it? Brace yourself.)

....BOILED NUTS!

My hubby usually buys them from a local vendor near his workplace, whenever they are available. And then he brings them home for me. As they are very high in carbohydrates, I've realised the nuts should be more suitable to be eaten in the morning. So as to avoid putting on too much weight. As if. Haha...

Anyway. Each packet is 200g more or less. And I happily crack my nuts and chow down while I'm driving to work and back.

My get-go breakfast - nuts for the nut!

So what gets you going in the morning?

Girls Talk - Nothing Makes Me Cry

Finally! At Girls Talk today, we talk about songs that make us cry. I do not admit it very often but this is my favourite type of music. Songs so powerfully sung and beautifully written that they can draw the feelings right out of you.

Short of actually saying that I love crying, I do enjoy songs that sing about unrequited love and hardship in life. I know, I know, I am a little dark and sombre when it comes to this (sucker for punishment maybe? Or is my life trying to tell me something?!) but I just feel very emotional when the lyrics just hit the right key and touches a chord in my heart.

Novice Blogging - Note #20 (NetworkedBlogs)

Okay, so I may not have mentioned this in my previous novice notes, but I have been having problems with Facebook Notes. At first, I kept encountering an error each time I tried to import my blog. And after I successfully linked my blog to the Notes, I had further problems where the Notes simply did not pull through my posts at regular interval. I had to manually post my blog posts to my wall each time, which was kind of a pain.

So it prompted me to look for another application that could do the blog importing properly on Facebook. Thereupon I stumbled on NetworkedBlogs.

To register your blog, you need to logon to your account on Facebook, search for NetworkedBlogs the application. Once you’ve granted permission for the application to access your basic information, you can access a page where you can register your blog.

You can also do the registration on the NetworkedBlogs website (www.networkedblogs.com) but you’ll need a Facebook account. Once registered, you can link it to your Twitter, Facebook profile and Facebook page.

Now you’ve made your presence in the social networking jungle!

So how was your experience with NetworkedBlogs?

My Girl In Boxes

I was recently reminded of a picture of my eldest when she was young and loved playing in a box.

Eldest in her CARton box

VTT Postcard - Day 7 AM - Munich, Germany

In the morning, we were dropped off in the middle of Munich at Marienplatz and our TM handed us over to another tour guide. An American named Rob who had been in Munich for the last year guiding tourists (like us) through the city. His tour was presented in a very fast-paced way and so we lost some of the people in our group who had wandered off shopping.

Mommy Moments - Green Jacket

I just couldn't resist when I saw that the topic for Mommy Moments this week was Green!

I simply had to put these pics up. These were taken a while back when my youngest and I were playing around in a small room. I think it was in one of our family friends' old house. My youngest was then 4 years old.



Check her out trying to be cute in her light green jacket:

 

First off, we stretch a bit...

 

And then, we check the weather.....feeling where the wind is blowing now



Peek-a-boo! I see you....

Peace out!





Girls Talk - Luuurve Music

"I can feel the magic floating in the air. Being with you gets me that way.
I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I've never been this swept away."
                                                                                        - Faith Hill, "Breathe"

Just as there are so many lovers out there, there is equally an even bigger number of love songs floating around. When actions desert you and plain words fail you, when strong feelings threaten to break free from your heart.........love songs are always there to help you express exactly just how you feel.

I like love songs in general. And so, narrowing my search for just one is quite difficult indeed.

My Driving Pleasure

When I first moved up to Johannesburg a few years back, it has always been a big deal for people to talk about how far your workplace is and how much traffic you are going to encounter if you live in a certain area and you work in another. And since I came from a small town, I was a bit daunted and was one of those people. I had this pre-conceived idea that if you travel more than 20 minutes going to work that it is definitely not worth it.

But what I didn’t realize was that it takes a certain kind of person to do this everyday driving thing.

VTT Postcard - Day 6 PM - Munich, Germany

Before we got into Munich, our TM decided to stop over and show us the Dachau Concentration Camp.

The Dachau Concentration Camp was used during World War II to house Jews and other war prisoners. It was very heart-wrenching to walk through the halls of the camp and see the prison cells and living quarters. The grounds were big and at one end, still had the firing squad area.

Girls Talk - Metal Music Drives Me Dizzy

I am generally an avid music lover and so it is very difficult for me to find any sound that will drive me away. For one time in my life, I would have loved some song from one genre or another.

However, if I were to choose a genre I don't frequently choose or care to listen to, I would have to say that it would be heavy metal rock. The likes of Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and such are just too hard for my eardrums at times. I do like a bit of rock music but heavy metal is just....well, a bit heavy for me. Especially now that it has evolved into thrash metal, death metal and black metal (What the...? I don't know what they'll think up next. How about mega metal?).

Novice Blogging - Note #19 (Facebook Presence)

Aside from being a blogger, I am also a Facebook enthusiast. I see a lot of different angles that Facebook could be used for promotion although of course, I am not blind to the pitfalls that go with it.

Nevertheless, it is hard not to think about promoting a blog without utilising one of the most powerful online tools such as Facebook. And so, early on when I started my blog, I’ve decided to create a Facebook page for it.

Soundtrack Of My Life

I am sure this is just Volume 1 for me. I love music too much to not update this compilation every now and then when new songs I fancy come out.

Let me at that studio to play pretend DJ for today. Here is my list of songs that will make it to the soundtrack of my life:

1. Hand In My Pocket by Alanis Morrisette - This happy-go-lucky song definitely describes me to a T. It is my life anthem and therefore makes it to the top spot.

Fave line - "I'm broke but I'm happy, I'm poor but I'm kind,
I'm short but I'm healthy yeah"

2. Perfect by Pink - This song is my favourite anthem at the moment. I am not all nice and good but am definitely the only way that I can ever be.

Fave line - "Mistaken, always second-guessing,
Underestimating, look I'm still around"