Me on FMS.

Like many bloggers, I've been reading the delightfully addictive blog Fat Mum Slim for some time... and now I'm ON it! This is not unlike being published in Vogue Magazine, hehe.

Check it out - Five Things I Love.

Thanks Chantelle, you are a rockstar of blogging and inspiration.

Guess what, peeps?

I'm sick. Poorly. Fluey. Banged Up. And abroad.

Does everyone know the TV show Banged Up Abroad? If not, that last joke will not make sense. Which wouldn't surprise me, because I'm unwell, which makes for bad joking behaviour.

My mum and step-dad left on Monday night and I woke up this morning with a rip-roaring cold and a truckload of work to do.

So, while I promised myself I'd blog tonight, I just can't do it. I want to lie in bed. And eat chicken soup fed to me by my boyfriend. And watch Gossip Girl. And True Blood. And then maybe another Gossip Girl.

I promise to be back writing soon.

In the meantime, have you read any of these previous posts? If you feel that you need to read something, you are cordially invited to check out this one, this one, this one, this one and this one.

Love,

Sundays are for...

Sleeping in the sun.

Baking coloured cookies.

Kissing in the rain.

Trying on shoes.

Loving lollipops.

Taking photos.

Counting blessings.

My Asian cooking journey.

As I've mentioned on this blog before, I'm not a natural cook. I'm a good cook (I think) but not a natural one... I need recipes, clear quantities and photos, otherwise I panic and get heart palpitations.

"Season to taste"... With what? How much? Tell me, please!

"Just throw in what you think would taste good with it"... Like what?

How much? Tell me, please!

But, if I have a good recipe to follow, it usually comes out rather delish.

So, while shopping with my mum in Hong Kong this week, I was thrilled when she picked up a recipe book called 'Asian: One Step at a Time' by Judy Vassallo.

It is utterly brilliant paint-by-numbers cooking... each recipe has large photos of what the ingredients should look like before, during and after. It's totally idiot-proof and the perfect way for me to finally learn how to harness Asian flavours and cook food from my new region. It's also available on Amazon.com, alongside other step-by-step themes by Judy.

So, I have vowed to cook at least one recipe from this book each week, until I have cooked each and every one. I'll blog about it and hopefully post some of the recipes, although I'm scared Judy Vassallo might sue me for copyright infringement.

Judy Vassallo? Please don't sue me, I think your book is true genius. If I overstep my bounds with blogging about these recipes, just send me an email or post a nasty comment.

Yours,

I heart Hong Kong.

Ten guilty pleasures.

I deliberately didn't call this post 'My ten guilty pleasures.'

That's because that would imply that these are my only ten, or even my top ten.

The truth is, I have waaaay more than ten guilty pleasures. Probably too many. Definitely too many.

So here's a random blend of ten of my indulgences:

1. Peanut-buttered flavoured desserts, or anything incorporating both peanut butter and chocolate. I am particularly in danger when Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are nearby. The decadent mix of salty and sweet gets my tastebuds geared up for a ferocious battle every time. Mmmmm.

2. Cigarettes. Yes, ciggies, smokes, darts, cancer sticks, whatever you call them. I used to be a full-time smoker (damn you, peer pressure!) and "quit" many years ago. I say "quit" with those inverted comma thingys because I still scab them, on occasion. I can't help it, they're addictive. Ciggies are most addictive thing I've ever tried, not that I've tried many addictive things.

3. Popcorn. I've blogged about my powerlessness over the popcorn before, you can read about it here.

4. Clothes (and accessories). I'm female. 'Nuff said. Oh and I live in Hong Kong. Even more 'nuff said.

5. Gossip Girl. Those who've been reading my blog for a bit will know that I have succumbed to this plastic, pretentious, scandalous and utterly unrealistic TV soap aimed at teenagers (I'm 31). I can't help it; the guys are cute, the girls are gorgeous, the clothes are OMG and the storylines are sexy. I'm sure my intelligent boyfriend thinks GG softens my brain, but that's ok. I just reassure him it's just chewing gum for the eyes. And my eyes like gum. And Dan Humphrey.

6. Wine. And Mohitos. I'm Australian. Does that explain it? I'm bad at saying no and brilliant at saying yes. There's not usually much of a debate going on. Except in the morning hours, when I wonder why why WHY?

7. Potato chips. Another salty snack that regularly makes me offers I can't refuse. If they're cut thinly and doused in salt and vinegar I'm really in trouble. Trust me, it's just easier to give up and start crunching. I'll worry about my thighs later.

8. Holidays. I take way more than I can usually afford. When I say holidays, I mean vacations in exotic locations or foreign cities. I'm a journalist, which means I'm a natural "sniffer." I need to sniff out interesting places and people, otherwise I feel stifled. This is particularly appealing in exotic locations and foreign cities. Hence the way more holidays than I can usually afford.

9. Sleeping in. This is a guilty pleasure I actually do refuse much more than I want to, because the guilt of lying in bed when I could be achieving something overwhelms me. But, I can't deny the bone-crunching desire to zip up my eyes for most of the morning. It's in my DNA. Getting up early feels utterly foreign and wrong to me. But I still do it every morning, as I work freelance and I need to be self-disciplined. I made my bed. And now I can't lie in it.

10. Reality TV. Especially the series that are as mad as a cut snake, like the ones where women have to convince their families that they're really marrying a slob, or challenging wannabe superheros to risk their lives to do good deeds. Why do I find this utter trash so entertaining? When you find out, please drop me a line and let me know. Because I've popped open the reality TV jar and now I can't stop.

What brings out the devil in you? What are some of your guilty pleasures? ;)