New Year’s Resolutions – the art of devising goals and aspirations for the year and failing miserably by the end that last year’s resolutions roll over to the New Year. At least this is my experience and if it isn’t the same for you – Kudos to you (teach me your ways!!!).

I know I sound like a failure already but I do try and keep my resolutions to at least January the 5^th!

Without further ado HAPPY NEW’S YEARS! 2015 – Year of the Goat, International Year of Light, Year of the Apple Watch. To be more specific the 15^th year of the 3^rd millennium, the 15^th year of the 21^st century and the 6^th year of the 2010s decade (thank you Wikipedia).

So many cute goats to choose from
on Google images wahhh!

So I thought I’d share you some of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2015 in the hope that they will inspire you to think more deeply and widely about your plans J  

1. Sprout some ABS –  Probably not as easy as sprout but this has nothing to do with Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s recent instagram bomb on everyone’s self confidence....ok maybe a little but hey, they worked for it and its time I made a more serious attempt so kudos to them!!

2. Get back into sports – I avoided joining sports clubs at uni because it just wasn’t organised like high school plus I didn’t want to look like a complete rookie amongst the elites! So this is the year I get back into Touch football and Netball, improve my stamina and of course make more friends!!

3. Don’t be lazy to go out – sometimes I talk myself out of social events with my friends! Don’t worry, I still go and have heaps of fun with no regrets but I just don’t know where the dreading feeling comes from!!! Either way its nicer to get out and be more worldly in your city!
4. Not use study as an excuse not to read – enough said cause I have a whole list of books to get through starting with "The VOGUE FACTOR" by Kristie Clements!

5. Be more relaxed, stress free, positive vibes - I sometimes over react and I know it! So this year I'm trying not to over inflate situations! What's the point of added headache and conflict?!

6. Look after my skin - this is what I always dreaded....a morning and evening face routine (10 mins everyday that I convince myself I don't have - pathetic I know)! Instead of always complaining about my skin maybe I should show it more love before I have to start using anti-aging creams by 23!! So exfoliates and SPF moisturizers come out = unholy beasts (dirt and oil) begone!

Pictures like these make me relax and feel good! Please tell
me you do this too or is this just me taking things too far? :

7. Read the news more often – not in a boring “let’s check out Business Daily” (no offence) but reading fascinating stories about advancing technology, science, NASA’s new projects, World News, stories capturing Human Nature and Art. You know, broaden a bit from the TV and entertainment news : P

8. Read more about World History – I never studied Ancient or Modern History in senior year and neither will it pop up in my course anytime soon but I always wanted to spend hours reading source after source on an endless tail of intriguing historical figures, events and decisions that shatter the empires and nations and the rebuilding of civilizations. I learnt that you kind of need an appreciation of the past to guide you in the present.

I came across a gallery for pictures and stories of the
 amazing human nature - worth a Google cause i didn't save the source

9. Have a FEEL GOOD morning routine - I feel like a grub when I sleep in so I'm usually up and very hungry within the hour! I always start with a cool seasonal brekkie of muesli and fruit in summer or a fruity porridge in winter! Either way it wakes me up, makes me less grouchy and gives me the energy boost to start on my errands/tasks for the day!!

Sadly his can be me in the mornings with hair on
point as well!!

So I know what you're thinking - you must suck so much at your New Years resolutions that this is probably an accumulation of 10 years and maybe your right! I'm hardly a perfect human being (don’t we all fancy ourselves one) and I'm still looking for balance and a sense of self accomplishment, satisfaction and self belief!

Good luck in the new year! New slate and new memories to be made so get your lazy butts off the computer and  couches under the aircon or heater (as  painful as this is for both of us) and get involved in life, new friends, new challenges, new experiences you an tell stories of! 

Shake it up Breakfast

Do it right and breakfasts can be the desserts of the morning (naturally sweet of course!!). We all know breakfasts are the most important meal of the day and if I ever have the chance to sit down and enjoy it most days, it’s my favourite meal of the day! Regardless of the weather I like to choose my breakfasts and ingredients seasonally and I do like to put in that extra effort just to start the day I want. You know you’ve achieved success when the plate looks instagram worthy and you’ve used mostly natural and minimally processed ingredients! Start healthy!

So here are some ideas to spice up the morning – of course you don’t need to be Jamie Oliver to accomplish any of these:

Added some stewed fruits after draining them
from the saucepan :)

1. Porridge – Maybe save this more for cold-cool mornings like from Autumn to Spring. While the sachets from the supermarket may seem enticing with all the fruity flavours (Porridge in 90 seconds they claim!!) I would rather see all the sugar that goes into these products and add them to their utmost minimum while still keeping it nice!

Start with your basic porridge then dress it up how you want (some of my favourites are suggested below):

¼ C quick oats
½ C skim milk or water
1. All in the microwave for 1 minute to begin with then 30 seconds thereafter until the individual oats have softened (watch out for the bubbling – cleaning the microwave dish after is the biggest trek!)
OR
Combine into a pot and cook on low-medium heat until oats look softened! Keep stirring when it bubbles (we don’t want a layer of porridge at the bottom – also very hard to clean!)


Serving Suggestions (The fun part)

Pantry Ingredients Sprinkle a pinch of desiccated coconut then drizzle with honey/maple syrup Sultanas, some flax seeds stirred through and drizzle of honey/maple syrup Crushed Brazil nuts (Low in GI, full for longer!) with drizzled honey/maple syrup Light dust of cinnamon with drizzle of honey/maple syrup (simple but good :D) Dried apples sliced , sultanas and a dust of cinnamon! 1 tsp cocoa powder stirred through porridge with a drizzle of honey/maple syrup and sprinkle of desiccated coconut (just like a lamington :P)

Fresh ingredients Flaked almonds, half a banana thinly sliced with a drizzle of honey/maple syrup Top with softened apple (slice into saucepan), drizzle of honey/maple syrup and dust of cinnamon! Diced peach slightly softened in a saucepan onto the porridge with a sprinkle of desiccated coconut! Small handful of frozen mixed berries with crushed brazil nuts! Caramelised pears (slice into saucepan with some water and sugar) with halved pistachios

Of course there are many more toppings and infusions!!

Take every opportunity to add seasonal  

2. Mixed Muesli and dried fruit with milk – Simpler and much more refreshing for the hotter days!
Most supermarkets sell already mixed muesli with the fruit which is such a time saver but feel free to customize your own with rolled oats, seeds and your chosen fruits and sliced nuts! Any milk will do, the sweetness of the muesli flavours it so well and I’m recently getting into having it with my soy milk – on point!

Personally I like to let my milk and muesli sit for about 3 mins before I dig in just to get the oats softened just that little bit J




3. All Natural Yoghurt with whatever the heck you want – So so so refreshing and addictive that yoghurt by the 2 kg load always stocks my fridge!

Let your kitchen become a yoghurt parlour for the morning! Load up on 4 tablespoons of yoghurt and then comes the toppings! Choose from fresh and dried cut fruits, nuts, bircher muesli, mixed berries, honey and fruit syrups (watch the sugar in these)!!

4. Brekkie smoothie on the GO – You can still enjoy a good brekkie on the run, just transition into the sippy kind with a straw! There is no one recipe for this since ingredients are seasonal! Just stick with the base ingredients – 1 cup of milk, 1.5 tablespoons of quick oats, sweet fresh fruits sliced up first (strawberries, banana, peaches, apples, apricots to name a few) all into a blender and watch it go like a kid in a candy store! I haven’t experimented with cocoa smoothies yet so I can’t advise you here!

While Up and Go’s were my best friends in my dark times of braces and early school mornings I would much prefer to mix my own in the blender before heading off! Up and Go keeps long for a reason – that’s right preservatives and emulsifiers! So how hard can it really be?

Add to the blender: 1 cup of skim milk (or any milk), 2 weetbix, 1 tablespoon of caramel syrup and a quick squeeze of honey. Optional: add 1 tsp chocolate powder and 1 tsp coffee powder for a mocha creation!

"Forever Alone" Egg Fritter with a green juice last weekend
Great meal to check your social networking to :D

5. Toast with mashed avocado- let's get one thing straight here, your avos are filled with all the good sorts of fats and are lower in carbs than a banana! From now on avocados will be your friend!

Just mash a small cut enough to spread over the whole toast (even the edges)! Crack over some salt and pepper or even a drizzle of honey/syrup and voila!







6. Egg fritter - this is one of my sisters creations (here she is) which we cook for one in this little "forever alone" (as we like to call it) saucepan we got from IKEA!

All you need:
- small portions of chopped tomato, chickpeas, diced ham (or any left over meat)
- 1 egg pre whisked in a bowl with a tbsp of milk and pinch of mixed herbs.

1. All into a small saucepan or egg template (toppings first for a little sizzle then egg mix last) with some canola oil spray!
2. Turn off heat and cover saucepan with foil to completely cook the egg.

Level up from scrambled eggs! Score!



That's all for now! Of course give these a go with your own personal spin and let me know what you think! For now I'll be working on how to master the overnight oats and incorporating tea infusions to the porridges! It all has to begin with some sort of disaster!

So stay cool for the summer and go find yourself some seasonal fruit to kick start your day! 

Home is where the jaffle is

Aren't the shapes just Art? Great if you like your
bread cut in triangles like me :P

We all have that distinct smell in our homes of a Saturday morning, when most parents are at home having a well deserved sleep in and the kids open one eye to catch the sunlight dancing on their bed, snuggling further into the recesses of their pillows and blankets. The house is serene, basking in the early sun almost like a lazing lizard on a spot of rock on this great earth. Paint begins to peel and flake on its exterior, signs of the Australian sun at work. For now the sun is modest, it rises above the trees to warm the leaves the pavement. For me, sunlight would explode into the bedroom and I would lie awake for a while watching the rays catch the dust swirling stealthily about the room. An occasional magpie would venture to perch on the window sill crooning over its shoulder into the rows of roses and pumpkins that was our garden below. The parents are already out of bed and that is when the first sounds are heard from the kitchen.

The time had come and was marked by the sweet smell of butter instilled in the air. The ingredients in their isolation smell of nothing until layered into the jaffle hot plate to pop out as crisp, golden sandwiches that break effortlessly to form triangle slices. The machine even imprinted neat lines on each triangle and you would know when it was ready by the flick of the green light and the sizzle as the edges finally gave way to the cheese.

Its contents ooze a little though the sealed edges, cheese comes first and maybe some toasted sliced tomato. We used to make ours with ham, cheese and tomato – simple yet it endured every Saturday, a welcoming change from porridge in winter and cereal in summers before school. It transcended all seasons and my sister and I would pick them up with little fingers and nibble cautiously in case the goodness scolded our tongues (yes too much goodness can harm you :P). You simply could not leave it on the bench to cool! 

I know what you’re thinking. It’s a jaffle maker, it makes jaffles (duh) and so what? Do we not link smells to a time in the past, an exact place and location? A place that may not be present or standing anymore as in my case? How times have changed when you look back and see how our breakfasts have evolved (just an odd thought), often the first smells and sounds of the morning amidst the rush to start the day. The fact is childhood memories manifest in different ways that we often don’t realise and recognise. Little does that magpie know that it is instilled in a childhood memory, wherever it may be now.

Nowadays I make the jaffles for the household. We used to call it “Breville” after the brand of our jaffle maker. “Breville” itself sounds kind of snug and homey just like the sandwich itself. Now in our teens we promoted ourselves to adding a little salami too but the classic from the past always has a place on the hot plates. I thought it was important to put this simple memory into writing – in a few decades it may be a lasting memory to sustain us all!

I’ll leave you with some thoughts for jaffle toppings I’ve tried in the past. You may soon realise the jaffle maker is one of the best kitchen investments you’ve made (no exaggeration here :P )
No more boring sandwiches and toast!!

Just top up one slice with either (you choose the ingredient portions):
- a few spoons of canned baked beans and some cheese :P
- a few twirls of canned spaghetti
- Tomato, diced (or slice of) ham and cheese (any cheese!)
- Avocado, tomato, ham and cheese
- leftover macaroni cheese (dare I say- which some like but I still can’t warm up to after trying!)

Nothing beats the "Big Cheese" everrrrrr!!

Well I hope the above won’t be the first quirky thought you’ve encountered today but I think its nice thinking about our childhood every now and then (even though I’m not that old yet!). Some we can recall with remarkable clarity – a chain of thoughts and senses that string together – and I love the excitement as you and your friends/family can fill in the details together and remember the exact same memory as it happened J

See if you can recall something from your childhood! The trick is not to think too hard!

Toodles for now!
Mimi

Week 4: To the Mekong!

"Bell Apple" fruit in one of the farms
pronounced in Vietnamese as Mận

We really got to see the agriculture and produce of the land in this last leg of the journey, exploring villages around the Mekong River that thrived on their production of coconut products. They had coconut everything, not a crack of the shell wasted. Coconut flesh = sweets and the shell = wind chimes, bowls and much more! The confectionery production line was definitely not something out of a monster factories episode! Nothing like a camera taking pictures of the bottom of every Coca Cola bottle to make sure it was perfect!! There's one person in the corner heating the mix in a large pot and spooning it into a basin that tilts to let the hot lolly run into template of a very long strip. Someone is waiting at the end to chop the long strip into identical squares like a sushi master. The squares fly across the table where some women flip them onto square sheets of paper and wrap them faster than you can say "my bum still hurts from the boat ride here!". I challenge you to give it a shot! The ladies were happy to teach us and watch us fail!


Coconuts are only  sweet around here. Nothing to deceive from the outside like some fresh food grocers!  With some other relos, we bought a whole branch with about 20 coconuts because 1. We can't do this in Australia and 2. We didn't want to waste the chance to indulge on some of the best coconuts ever!

As part of our tour we got to walk around a traditional Vietnamese fruit farm. No stone fruits and berries here - these were the real deal; fruit flies circled around bursting jack fruits and 'milk fruit' (as it is translated from the language and before you ask does not taste like milk but has a milk-looking juice) hung above our heads. Of course we took photos of us brandishing the jack fruit as though it were Simba on Pride rock and even played catch with one that had already fallen off the branch! Our flip flops were right on point with safety! :P

Got to keep up with the hot weather by
investing in the traditional hat!

So that was the 3rd and last tour we embarked on while in Vietnam. We returned to Saigon after to soak in the last what Vietnam had to offer especially coming into the Vietnamese New Year. We continued to feast on what Vietnam had to offer like giant Banh Xeo (Vietnamese pancakes) and cafe sua da since the days were still hot. But what's traveling without a few regrets! I regret not trying all the different Xoi (colored rice) that the ladies would sell by the streets, that I didn't get to catch another Saigon bus to a new district and definitely that one time I ordered spaghetti in a restaurant!

Travelling for that long deprives you of some things you used to do everyday back at home, so for me it was only natural to run straight out of the taxi and into the kitchen to whip up (as sad as it sounds) a bowl of porridge with good ol’ Australian honey (it gets sadder) and for lunch at that! 

Thanks for keeping up!
Mimi xx

This was a local School my mum attended before leaving Vietnam.
Note the "Lollipop BOY" taking one for the team and holding up the sign!

Forgot to share earlier in the first entry about Sapa but these
furry pups were playing on the village doorsteps = too cute to forget!!!

[above] Just a snap from Sapa in the more touristy region
and [adjacent] some Sapa locals heaving the firewood up
the windy paths up and down the mountain walking trails!

Week 3: The Middle Country

We were caught in a whirlwind journey the moment we waited in Saigon with the countless other tourists ready to embark our coach to explore the mysterious 'Middle' we knew little about. We explored caves, sculpture museums (where they carved stone right in front of you!!!), traditional confectionery factories and large Buddhist temples perched on the high hills and caressed by the cool air and clouds above. To be honest breakfasts were as western as you could get for the whole day and even that was rather feeble in comparison to home! But what's an adventure in another country if you confine yourself to the eggs on toast when you can have the congee, Pho, or sticky rice for a power brekkie? Energy was what we needed as we encountered many stairways and inclines to get to the checkpoints of our tour!

Lunch and dinner was traditionally rice with many accompaniments! Although it was a little too familiar by day 2 this was part of the Vietnam experience so we had to power on!

The more considered tourist-y spots were of course the mains: Hue, Da Nang and Hoi Nai which were always teeming with foreigners. My highlight was The Hue markets were we walked the night markets and observed the famous bridges from afar. For the sweet tooth like me, Che dessert in Hue was definitely the best. Take a regular store back at home with little bowls for you to choose your toppings and times that by 10. That is everything was in a large pot - sweet potato, taro, countless beans and jelly assortments. Ice and coconut milk were ready at the back to complete your customized creation and it was dirt cheap! More to feel less guilty about and something to sip while you explore all the knick knacks of the markets!

A typical Hoi Nai night - this photo is harder to take than it
looks with the intense bridge traffic so keep trying!!

Hoi Nai at night was kind of like that scene from Rapunzel (which I assume all of you have watched because it's just like Frozen right?) By night the restaurants were lit up with laughter and conversation, streets and stores framed the walkway with lanterns and flames that throbbed behind their colorful shades. It definitely felt like the village out of Rapunzel complete with boats releasing lanterns into the water. The lake was pitch black so the lanterns appeared to float lazily in a void! Buses taking tourists out were a mess so be prepared to wait! Don't get too hopeful because that may not be YOUR tour bus which caught me a few times! Three point turns and U-turns level 1000 seen here :)

When we were 'in between' places we visited a Buddhist temple which we could see all the way up the hill as we approached. The weather was cool but the place felt chillier. Maybe because the large (and  I mean large) courtyard was paved in a grayish white appeared smaller but for all the potted bonsai's and pond displays that stood orderly like soldiers awaiting command. A monstrous paved staircase led to a lovely lookout (so the height challenged can truly see how high up they are). It was like the home or play thing of a giant out of Jack and the Beanstalk. Located very high above the ground level - check. Eerily silent (but in a peaceful way) - check. Large temple/abode looming in the background of every tourist photo - check. You couldn't help but feel the air here was cleaner and that you stepped lighter as you explored the vast courtyards. 

Overall you could feel the difference in the landscape - the countryside flashed past in ochre, a blur of grinding stone fashioned into intertwined figures worshiping the skies and the stillness and unobserved murmuring of everyday life that surprised those like us familiar with the bustle of Hanoi and Saigon.

A trip to Bana Hills via the longest cable car trip - 5 km
Tip: buy popcorn at the bottom to have on board while waiting :)

Week 1: Saigon - Cafe Culture and Jack Fruits

Each morning began very early with women on the streets, gently sweeping with their brooms made of stiff grasses dried in the sun. It was a rhythmic drag of the grasses on the pavement as the throbbing hum of motorbike engines echoed down the street. I spent most of the month we had waking up in Saigon. The first morning I had woken up at 5am and in the house hung a strange aura. I was the only one awake and it gave me time to reflect about where I was – standing on a totally different space on the earth.  I was certainly not the first to rise in the district. Downstairs a pot of Bun Rieu (a classic Vietnamese Street food dish) was brewing and the children’s rides park right next door began playing its nursery songs to the near empty street. Standing there I absorbed the way the foot paths were endless pavement without a spot of grass and no parked cars, the children in their scout-like uniforms hugging their parents in front as they were driven to school, their feet dangling with sandals and multiple doors opening everywhere like an arcade game for their owners to wheel out their bikes. I was very far from the Sydney streets I called home and it was unreal just thinking of what could possibly be in store for the day. 

The Cafe Culture was something to behold in Vietnam giving Newtown and Balmain in
 Sydney a run for their money. Cafe Sua Da (Iced Coffee) was served everywhere not with fresh milk but condensed milk since it was first introduced into the country by American Soldiers fighting in the War. Here was where you could catch up with family and friends as one ALWAYS had time for coffee. It was enjoyed in various ways from lounging on your motorbike  to knocked knees on a low stool. Most importantly was to enjoy your drink while facing and watching the street. This was what it meant to watch the “day go by”. There was no need for the time-lapse option; the streets were an endless whirlwind of passing motorbikes and taxis, chickens strutting around their shop fronts pecking vigorously at the seeds in crevices and street sellers laying the pavement with their wares awaiting the night to finally pack for home.

Crossing the road abides by a few rules.
1. Besides looking for gaps in traffic you must walk with confidence like the locals next to you.
2. Women are more likely to show signs of slowing than men.
3. No designated pedestrian crossings in the outer districts so good luck finding one.
Even in the street, traffic pedestrians crossings still beg lone motorbikes to make the final break.
4. Traffic never stops just for you.
This is the thing - traffic immediately changes the second you step onto the road, a thousand internal calculations erupt around you as engines hum a little less and wheels slightly veer to the sides.
As amateurs we waited for locals to cross alongside other locals – a life skill I had yet to master on my own.

Every morning my dad would walk to the markets only to stop short at a little glass stand by the road where a woman would be selling the juiciest jackfruits a Vietnamese Australian like ourselves would ever taste and see. By the time we left the country (we said our good byes), she had known us to be her regular customers. Dad would come home with the produce and mum and I would begin the tedious and sticky deseeding process and eating the “less pretty ones”.  You couldn’t help getting strange looks on the street when you wore shorts, a t-shirt, your sneakers and tried desperately to cross the heavy traffic like a local. Not even the traditional straw hat could conceal the fact that you were a tourist returning to your roots and my did I reek of it.

Your average homemade dinner of wholesome food

"Embodying" a local next to the Jack fruit stand