Oh No Voodoo

Look what happened!?

Something went wrong in the mysterious world of codes and html and my previously very nice and fancy blog template get royally messed up.

Originally I was going to cancel everything - forget about blogging, and sink into vast recesses of the Internet - but some people have told me they actually read this thing.

Now, while I figure out codes and voodoo, I'll leave it pretty plain.


I'll be back later with a real post. Now that I've got more initiative.

While you wait, please enjoy some lovely Christmas photos that my friends and I took. We waited until Santa was off-duty at the mall and then raided his little house.

The baby is the piece de resistance.






Here I am being the ghost of Christmas past...

Tales from a family vacation...

So I went to Victoria, like I said, and I did eat at The Noodle Box. It was very delicious I promise.
I also got to spend some quality time with an entire side of my family that I never see. This included a family reunion with 18 participants.

Some highlights:

- going on a short hike to the top of Mount Erskine with a few cousins, my parents and some aunts and uncles, getting lost on the way back, hilarity, stumbling home four hours later.
- my uncle getting a rainbow pottery rock cod fish from his brother on the west coast and my mother on the east coast. Hilarity. My grandfather looking around the table and proclaiming, "This is why the call me the cod father."
- A wonderful dinner with my granny at a pub called the Canoe, getting 'the Fleet' which consisted of 6 different beers and splitting them all with her.
- Spending a lovely evening with my cousin, drinking homemade apple cider with his friends, enjoying the Fantastic Mr. Fox (which all of you should go see! Its a Cluster Cuss!)

A family tale through photos:

My Dad, on the way to Salt Spring,

Cod Father!

Mount Erskine,

Family,

I'm Alive!

I promise! I was away in beautiful Brittish Columbia for a week, and collecting myself over these past few days. I have pictures coming of course - of my trip and of my doilies. Christmas would not be the same without snowflake doilies.

So stay tuned - until about 5:00 Atlantic time when I get my act together.


Until then, please enjoy my my not so strict tradition of Tuesday's with Indonesia and I will share with you my new discoveries.


First of all: Indonesia is a go! I have finally booked my tickets through my grandmother's 'magic' travel agent, who definitly had some kind of sorcery going on to get me these prices. Flying out of Vancouver March 2 (after I train accross Canada) to Bangkok. I have no idea what I'll be doing and where I'll end up in Thailand but my goal is to be in Jakarta two weeks later. I fly out of Jakarta and back to the love of my life April 18th.


I have had to narrow down where I want to be in Indonesia, and I think Sulawesi will be my main destination.
This area includes the Togean Islands. Which among other things include a couple dozen tiny islands to explore, and apparently beautifully deserted beaches.

They also are home to this beast: the coconut crab.

I am attracted to these islands (more than the multiple other islands that have pristine beaches and barely there tourist industry) mostly because they have 'deserted resorts' and volcano islands that I could easily wander around and have some misadventures in.

Finally, I am looking into volunteering somewhere. As I am not too keen on Englishteaching (which tends to be the primary focus of many 'community development' programs...) I have been trying to find environmental organizations to help out. I originally wanted to wwoof but that seems nearly impossible given there is no national wwoofing organization.

But I found the Indonesian Wildlife Rescue (which happily operates out of northern Sulawesi). For a international volunteer program, its actually pretty inexpensive, and they clearly state how they use your donation. It seems like a pretty excellent option - I'll get to look after (aka shoveling shit)some beautiful animals...

Bentu and Is

Spotty the leopard

Things I did, at some points in time....

So I really have been crafting.
I swear.


I made this hat. It was supposed to be slouchy, but I never really listen to yarn size and thus, it turned into a beanie. In the end I re-did it, trying to alter the pattern in an attempt to make it more slouchy - but it was even uglier.
So I gave it away.


I also found a bunch of really old dried up red peppers in the back of my fridge. I decided I'd try to plant them and see what happened. This is what happened! Now mind you we haven't gotten any peppers yet, but nearly all the seeds sprouted into nice, spicy, little plants.




Also, Jean Poutine, my kitty, is going to be little forever! Thank you crack house upstairs! The vet told me that because he had what you might call a deprived childhood he is stunted!



A dream come true - really. Although the vet did give me a funny look when I said that.

I'm (kinda) a model! But who isn't...

So this may be a little different than what I've been posting on here (Indonesia. Indonesia. Indonesia.) And I would be posting about the Indonesian Togean Islands right now but I couldn't find the pictures I wanted (to steal) and got fed up with the whole idea.

I haven't been posting many crafting things either - I'll get to that I promise.

In anycase, my friend Maria came over last night to take pictures of me. Since she is a 3rd year photography student, and I am nearly always around, I tend to be called on to be a 'model' a lot. In fact people who work at the Craft College stop me and say "Are you that girl from the City Hall exhibition?" or "Do you know Maria?"

I'm not saying I'm any good at it, I'm just saying I'm in a lot of photos. Maria is really whats awesome about these photographs, and I thought I'd share some of her talent on here.

I'd give you here website or something, but she doesn't have one.






(Now I'd like to point out I was wearing a top here - I can't explain where it went in this picture. But I was wearing it for sure)

I did a nude-y photoshoot with her too. Not really scandalous at all. But I don't want those pictures out there so much on the internet at large. Not that I'm showing anything other than my back and bit of crack (not even my face!). My mother always said, "Never take photographic images of you naked or doing drugs" and considering all the scandals out there lately I think thats really good advice. Thanks mom! I'll appreciate it when I'm president!

....Wednesdays with Indonesia?

So I recently found out that Lonely Planet will come out in January with the first book on indonesia since 2007 - my copy. Good think I bought it....

In anycase, I'll probably by this new one so I'll actually know how giant babies, terrorism, and earthquakes have affected prices. I need to know if I can still get by in beach huts for 5$ a night.

This weeks little snippet is filled with my dream islands. The Alor Archipelago. These islands are remote - even farther East than those islands I talked about last week. They are right beside East Timor if you need a better geological reference. They were still headhunting up until the 1950s. Pretty exciting.

In anycase I have a really big interest in Lamalera - the people that surprizingly still hunt whales and even more surprizingly are allowed by all the environmentalists and anti-whaling organizations.

But if everyone hunted whales like this than I imagine a lot more people would be allowed to:




Now I don't really plan to go there and have a go at stabbing a whale. But I just thought this little tid-bit was pretty interesting - and I think I've already fallen in love with the Alor's - even without seeing it.

Although I do understand the problems with Lonely Planet guides - and believe me they are many - I can see that parts of this Indonesian one are very humble. Many times sections actually refer you to 'Mr. Jim' or 'Dive-Master Dave' or any number of famous local personalities that are aparently the best source for information. When hotel/guest house listings mention how 'Baba Yosef' is a really excelelnt chef - it sort of makes a difference. I automatically are more drawn to these places - they seem far more personable than the resorts and 'Hotel Florida's' that seem to be everywhere. I suppose it's all probably different now - but I can dream.

Boxes of noodles

I'm going on a little trip with my family in late November, to my favorite city on the West Coast - Victoria, BC!

All I have been thinking of (I mean besides seeing all my relatives...) is The Noodle Box. I just want a stomach filled with multi-culturally influenced Asian food as soon as possible. The end of November is too far away. I have a ridiculous plan to stuff my face at least once, and to bring at least 3 take out boxes home with me as carry on. Is that even allowed? I've seen people bring live lobster... so I assume I'll be able to bring dead (but delicious) noodle boxes.

I blame this obsession on watching an unhealthy amount of Top Chef.



These are the three menu items I've already started drooling over:

SPICY PEANUT BOX (available with rice)
Indonesian style peanut sauce, wok fried with peppers, Asian
greens, crushed peanuts, herbs, sprouts, coconut milk and
lime on ribbon noodles.
NOODLE BOX CHILI PLUM (available with rice)
Hokkein noodles, wok fried with peppers, Asian greens,
sprouts, and green onion, tossed in our own sweet chilli plum
sauce.
CAMBODIAN JUNGLE CURRY (available with rice)
Spicy curry broth with rice noodles, simmered with ginger,
mushrooms, peppers, asian greens, sprouts and finished with
mango, herbs and lime.

As a side note, my grandmother house is beside this beautiful ravine. Last time my family went for a little visit it was in the spring... so here is a little picture I found of my dad in the BC jungle.