After Christmas detox breakfast

Quinoa porridge with almonds, Brazil nuts, dates, and dried apricots, originally uploaded by Shanti, shanti.

Here's a quick way to deal with all that merriment you've been embibing in over that past week or two.

Quinoa porridge with almonds, Brazil nuts, dried apricots and dates

1 cup quinoa
1.5 cups water
.5 cup of milk or soymilk (Any mix of liquid is fine as long as it equals up to 2 cups. I sometimes like more milk to make it creamier.)
half a handful of slivered almonds
5 or 6 of each of the following:
dried apricots chopped
dates chopped
Brazil nuts chopped

Rinse the quinoa a couple of times and sort out any tiny stones.
Bring quinoa and liquid to a boil and then add the other ingredients.
Turn down the heat to a simmer for about 15 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
You can tell when quinoa is ready because the little tales start to show (Yes, this is still a vegetarian recipe!)

At the table you might want to add more milk like you would with regular porridge/ oatmeal and possible some honey, agave syrup, etc. but it tends to be quite sweet naturally from the dates.

Serves one or two depending on how hungry/hungover you are.

Enjoy!

Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone!

I hope you all have a fantastic holiday and get some major relaxing in!

Feeling write-y

Itchin’. My fingers are itchin’ to write sommit. But they can’t do it without my brain. Where’s my brain? Where’s my head? C’MON BRAIN! Tell my fingers what to do. C’mon eyes! Give my brain sommit to think about so it can tell my fingers what to do. What do I have to do to get through to you lot? We want to write sommit here. We’re feeling creative. Channel. Channel. Maybe they are all feeling unloved. Forgotten. Taken for granted. OK, loving kindness meditation sending out some vibes. I love you eyes. I love you brain. I love you fingers. Anything? Look out the window, eyes. Maybe the muse is walking by. Typing. Typing. Typing…nothing. Doodle in your Molskine. What does it look like? Does it look like sommit to write about? Damn! Big breath. OK, now you’re ready to write. Readyyyyyyyyyyy GO! Damn!

Waiting for the Shinkansen

I'm waiting for the Shinkansen. Waiting for the starched suited man to salute the driver. Waiting for the engine hum to dull. Waiting for the white glove to point at alignment. Waiting for the rush of cold from the opening door. Waiting to walk through the cloud of smoke and into the non-smoking cabin. Waiting to settle and tuck in to an ekibento. Waiting to be whisked off to somewhere exciting.

Social networking-How it would work in real life

When I start reading a blog or a Tweet by someone I don't know and then click on one of their contacts' blogs or something else on their page, it seems I inevitably end up on the page of someone I know from Flickr, Twitter, my own blog readers, Matador, etc. How is that? Are we all getting our contacts from each others pages or is it just that the people you are friends with just have the same taste as you? I'd really like to see a drawing of the map I take when on the net and how it matches up with the map of others. Do they have that yet? I'm sure I'd be going round in circles and eventually passing through the circles of others. Anyway, I can see it in my head even if I can't explain it here. But what if social networking worked in the same way in real life?

Imagine this. In real life, I walk up to a friend who is talking to someone I don't know. But, hey, I really like how they think.

"Can I be your friend?", I ask.

"Sure" they'll confirm. And then we'll go on our merry way.

A couple of weeeks later I'll be watching a gig with my brother and a mutual friend of ours when I run into my new friend from the last conversation who is with her other friend that I don't know.

"Wow, how funny to run into you here!" she'll exclaim. It's like we're really old mates now.

"Yeah, this is my brother and our friend (who is really just an aquaintance we are doing a favour by taking to the gig)"

"Cool. Your brother's hot. Can I be his friend?"

"Probably, just ask him."

"Can I be your friend?" she asks my brother.

"Sure", answers my brother.

Then our aquaintance wants in on the game and he asks new friend, "Can I be your friend too?".

New friend: "Um,maybe not." and walks off.

Now, my brother is out one time and runs into the new friend and my original friend.
"Hey new friend. I like your friend here. New friend's friend, can I be your friend?"

"Sure", she replies.

Then the next time I'm out with my original friend, my brother walks up to us saying, "How's it going? Wow, I didn't know that you two knew each other."

I'm starting to think that there are as few degrees of separation on the internet as there are in New Zealand...and that ain't many. Do you ever end up on a good blog and think you want to follow it but then see someone you sort of know from another site you frequent is also a follower. But you don't want that person to think you are stalking so you don't follow the new blog, just in case? No? OK, I guess that's just me then.

Catching up

Souvenirs safely stowed in the overhead compartments, trays and seatbacks upright, my parents have finally taken off back to California and I am soon to be back on the blogging circuit. But for now, some well-needed sleep as I'm totally worn out!