Upon coming home, I enjoyed a cup of green tea infused with jasmine, by Lipton.

This was my first time trying it, and I found it a little sweet. I forgot to bring my stash of green tea upon coming home for the holidays, since no one in my family likes to drink green tea, but this infused one should be sufficient for the next few days - I wouldn't say I'm that picky!

Anyhow, my mom was planning on going to the public library to find a few books on knitting, so I thought I would tag along since I like borrowing magazines from the library. As we were about to leave, I suggested that we ride our bikes instead. And after a few minutes of talking her into it (she was reluctant as first) she finally gave in! So, before we headed out the door, I had a quick mini banana.

Isn't it adorable? I am not a big fan of bananas, so these are just the perfect size. I actually have never seen them in grocery stores before, so this was something that I found exciting to come across! And as you can tell, I am easily amused. Either way, in no time, we were out the door and on the trails to the library!

The bike ride to the public library was only around fifteen minutes, as most of the hills we were going through were to our advantage, as they were downhill. So, it took us just about thirty minutes to get back home from the library on our bikes, since we had to use way more effort to get up those steep hills! And I must say, I am noticing improvements! I only had to get off my bike and walk up very steep hills in less than a handful of times, and I was usually already more than half way to the top of the hill to! Overall, the bike ride was great, and I had such a fun time with my mom! She was glad that I ended up talking her into riding our bikes to the library, because even though she was exhausted when she came home, she knew it was so worth while! Now, I wonder if I can get my dad to bike with me one day!

Once we arrived home, I had half of a Think Protein Brownie Crunch protein bar and a few delicious handfuls of mixed nuts.

Afterwards, we decided to make a trip to the grocery store and upon coming back, I ended up having many - oh so many chicken wings and a few dinner rolls. I must say, I definitely need to reread Brian Wansink's book on Mindless Eating again! And later on, I had a some Pocky chocolate sticks.

I had some mindless nibbles here and there, which I should have taking note of. But today was such a busy day! For supper, I had a big bowl of my mom's homemade Chinese soup, and two bowls of supper, which was comprised of an array of turkey meat, tofu, beans, broccoli and all sorts of stir fry ingredients all on a bed of white rice. It was just too good that I had to have two servings! Yum yum!

And to finish off, I had some chocolate later in the evening, and since I noticed that I didn't really get much fruit servings in, I had a huge nectarine.

Overall, today was filled with some mindless nibbles here and there, and I think it was because I was just so busy. Although tomorrow will be a long day as well, I really hope my throat clears up, because I really don't want to be sick, especially since midterms are in a week's time.

Well, I better be off! I should try to read some Finance notes before calling it a night!

Shoppers do not always flock to the store with the lowest prices. At least that is what stores near Brooklyn’s new Trader Joe’s are hoping.

Situated on the corner of Court Street and Atlantic Avenue, Trader Joe’s opened on Sept. 26 and is the city’s third.

The California company is widely known for its low prices and its long line of in-house brand products.
Some nearby stores are worried. Carmine Cincotta, who works at Jim & Andy Fruit Produce on Court Street, says the effect will be “overall negative” because Jim & Andy “can’t compete with that kind of business.”

But on the prices of some commonly bought, Trader Joe’s did not show an absolute advantage over other stores within two blocks.

Key Food, less than a block away, stocks Tuscan milk at $3.79 for one gallon and $2.17 for a half-gallon. Trader Joe’s house brand milk is the same price for a gallon but $1.97 for a half-gallon.

Prices of Key Food brand cereals ranged from $2.49 to $3.49, while Trader Joe’s brand sold from $2.29 to $4.29.

Granted, many of the smaller stores cannot match Trader Joe’s range of products. For example, Atlantic Fruit & Veg Grocery on Atlantic Avenue sells mainly fruits and vegetables and does not stock milk or cereal.

Atlantic Fruit & Veg sells fruit in bundles, with strawberries going for $2.99 per box, Gala apples at 99 cents per pound, and a bunch of bananas for 69 cents per pound.

In contrast, Trader Joe’s sells strawberries at the same price, Gala apples at 49 cents each, and bananas for 19 cents each. Organic fruits cost more.

With Trader Joe’s, there is the flexibility of paying per unit, but with many other stores the product’s weight becomes the yardstick for measurement. Depending on how much shoppers buy, any store can be the winner of lower unit costs.

But price is not necessarily the determining factor among shoppers.

Nara Floreane, a regular Atlantic Fruit & Veg customer claims the fruits have “more quality” and are ‘natural” at Atlantic. Floreane has not visited Trader Joe’s and admits she would start frequenting it if it offered better quality products.

Some customers do not mind paying more for brands not carried by Trader Joe’s, according to Billy Solmaz, store manager of Pacific Green Gourmet Food. “What we sell, they don’t have,” said Solmaz, “and what we have, it’s better” than what Trader Joe’s  has.

Located opposite Trader Joe’s, Pacific Green carries brands such as Stonewall Kitchen, which produces oils and jams. These products come at a higher price, but customers still walk in.  “Because I sell these kind of brands, I have my own customers,” said Solmaz.

Gabriel Biderman turns to Pacific Green for fruits and vegetables, even though he is a self-proclaimed fan of Trader Joe’s. And he still patronizes nearby Sahadi Importing Co. for specialty Middle Eastern food. “I would spend a buck or two more to get better quality,” he said.

Unlike its sibling store in Union Square, the Brooklyn branch of Trader Joe’s does not carry wine. Heights Chateau owner Matthew Lasorsa is not worried even if it did. “We have a very strong reputation,” said Lasorsa, whose store sells fine wines and spirits, “that has been built up over 25 years.”

In a blender add all ingredients. Blend until the contents are smooth and the ice is like a slushy. Serves 4

Directions:

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add almond extract and blend again

Serve with your favorite fruit, bananas are great with this or sugar cookies!
Makes 2 cups

Due to the smelliness and the taste of the candy apples, the vampire hamsters decided to eat the chocolate covered bananas.

TBC...
(From the forum of the UTSC Shutterbugs)

To get back on her good side, I prepare her a soup made of chicken broth, noodles, bananas, cucumbers, and grapes.

****

Nanners has discovered the "true" list of books that Sarah Palin wanted to ban in Wasilla. In an effort to offend the crazed VP hopeful yet again, Nanners has taken it upon himself to find and read ALL of the books on that list, starting with Bill Clinton's "My Life."

It's gonna be a treacherous journey (have you read "My Life?" Ugh), but in the end, it's all for the sake of offending Sarah Palin. Morally, that is what is right.

Sarah Palin Video(s) of the Day --

Here's a rather funny swiftboat-inspired spoof ad:

And here's the story about the banned books, the true reason why Nanners fundamentally stands against Sarah Palin. This country does NOT ban books. Age restrict, yes. Outright ban, never:

I was craving something sweet but I am not one to keep cookies and sweets in the house because I will eat them all.  Usually to curb the craving for something sweet I will just have a bowl of cereal or eat an apple but I really wasn't feeling that either.  Then I remembered the Amish Cinnamon Bread that I had baked earlier this week.  There was still just a little left but it was getting a little hard.  Then I remembered one time when I had bananas pan seared in butter and brown sugar.  I decided to thinly slice the bread and nuke it for 30 secs.  I then spayed a skillet with butter spray and toss some sliced bananas in and sprinkled brown sugar over them.  I made sure they were coated on both sides and cooked them till they were soft.  I laid the bananas over the bread and lightly drizzled it with sweet condensed milk (very little) and sprinkled cinnamon over it.  I was perfect and I got to finish up the Amish Cinnamon Bread.  This would work over any sweet bread like spice bread, apple bread or well....banana bread.

I pretty much wolfed down the bowl, and was out the door in no time flat. But it did keep me full really well.

At the course, they had these evil, tasty cookies out for the coffee break. I had to have one of the white chocolate macadamia nut ones. Soooo good. I'm sure it was full of butter. Whatever.

I picked up lunch at the grocery store - I decided on some brown rice California Rolls and a Diet Coke. They were alright, a little too much mayo in the filling. But better than having the pizza or McDonalds that were my other options (since I didn't want a sandwich). Here's a horrible cell phone pic of the last 4 pieces:

They were having a Thanksgiving potluck lunch at the training place for their staff, and they *forced* us to have some of the leftover pumpkin pie and whipped cream on the next coffee break. It was store bought, so nothing spectacular, but the crust was acceptable for store bought. I'm still ridiculously full from today, and have no clue when I'll want dinner, or what I'll even bother making.

Just got a phone call from work - I'm apparently on standby to head over to Vancouver to be backup for some of our staff there, as we might be sending someone from there down to Westport. Ah, gotta love the crazy unpredictableness of commercial fisheries. There will be no boats anywhere for a week, then everyone comes in at once into too many places for us to properly cover. *Sigh* At least if I go to Vancouver, I can take the cat and we can stay at my parents house. Cross your fingers that I won't have to go though - I'm so not in the mood!

I'm now going to wait patiently for my phone to ring again.

Usually the fresh varieties are sold as freestone and clingstone is used for canning. The fruit inside these peaches is either yellow or white. The yellow is more acidic with more flavors, whereas the white is sugary sweet. The best fresh peaches are the ones that are soft to the touch, blemish free, with a good smell. The mildly fragrant peaches have a sweet delicious smell when fully ripe. Peaches are highly perishable, so buy only for immediate consumption though you can store the ripened fruit for a maximum of one week in the refrigerator. Many of the nutrients are found in the peel so it’s good to eat peaches along with its peel.

Would you like to have peaches for lunch or snack at your work place? There is a great option to get fresh fruits delivered at your workplace from Hi5 Produce's Corporate Fruit Delivery. It’s a place where everyone will find something they like with Hi5's excellent variety! Every Hi5 Corporate fruit basket is packed with at least 10 different types of fruit. The staples, which are available all year round, are oranges, apples (Fuji), bananas, and pears. The rest of the basket is dependent on season, preferences, and cost. They also have special fruit baskets prepared on request if they are informed earlier. Check their online website for more information http://www.hi5produce.com/

****

Nanners has decided to slight VP hopeful, and anti-abortionist, Sarah Palin once more by posing nude for 'Vanity Fair' magazine. Nanners is now nine months pregnant with Palin's unborn child. Here's a first look at that high-class photo shoot:

Nanners plans on keeping the child despite growing concerns that the child may, in fact, be "the spawn of some kind of moronic demon, possibly the anti-Christ," as one doctor stated.

Nanners had originally wanted to abort the unnatural humanzee child due to heath concerns, but he could not afford to do so after paying for his own rape kit (as you may recall, Palin raped Nanners silly in early January). Making matters worse, Palin insisted that Nanners and she be married, but in recent weeks, Nanners has backed out of the much-anticipated interspecies marriage.

Nanners is due in the coming weeks (probably the first week of November) and many decisions need to be made before that unholy day arrives. Wish Nanners the best of luck!

Sarah Palin Video(s) of the Day –

Here's a 'greatest hits' compilation of the all the recent Sarah Palin interviews!

...And because they are hysterical, another one of Sara Benincasa's 'Sarah Palin Vlogs'...this time, it's a post-debate vlog!!

If you love bananas, you will love this ice cream. The intense flavor is brought out by roasting bananas for 40 minutes in the oven with a bit of butter and brown sugar. After roasting, the bananas and the resulting caramel-ly syrup are pureed in a blender with milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. That's it, easy-peasy!  :P Even with out eggs, it's very creamy and smooth.

I am writing to you at the wee hours in the morning, as I am still wide awake, and have little else to do. Eventually one DOES tire of reading the never-ending commentary on the Obama-McCain debates, believe it or not.  (I don't understand why this is even news, honestly... Obama has already won, as far as I'm concerned.)  Eventually one just gets depressed and has to move on to something more inspiring, something like, say, listening to one's new mix of a totally awesome top-secret killer dance song that one made...  72 times on one's ipod... until one gets sick of that too and looks for something else to do.... I am kidding--  of course I'm not sick of it.  I love it more than anything in the world.  I'm just... taking a little break.  That's all... 

This is it.  This is the last time I can do this.  After tonight, no more.  No more.  God, this is so boring! The worst part about being up after 4 is the only people who are also awake are either drunks, weirdos, losers who don't have jobs (or have to work at night), or all the above, so you either have to sink to their level and hang out with them, or go on living like a hermit with no social contact (I generally pick the second category...).   But then, this late-night stuff, in a way it can be really productive too.  A squirrel can really get a lot done when she doesn't have all the interruptions of the daylights hours, like the phone ringing, people chatting outside the window, and, you know, light....  

But again, that also makes it so much easier to stalk people on Facebook and Twitter... then 2 hours goes by and Squirrely has accomplished diddley squat and feels her life is going nowhere fast... And then she gets so crazy she starts talking about herself in the third person singular in her new blog which was supposed to be AWESOME... Oh god... Next thing you know, Squirrely is going to the doctor to get a little pill with all the last letters of the alphabet in it (Does this say something of what the mental health officials think of those who suffer emotionally?  With everything considered, would you not have to be a bit psychopathic to not get a little sad every now and again?  Are we so bottom-rung that we only deserve to have 'x's and 'z's and 'y's in our drugs...??  Maybe I will just take an Aspirin... Just knowing there's an 'a' in there would make me feel a lot better actually... I'm worth higher-ranking members of the alphabet, damnit!)  Eeek!  No, can't go there.  No Zoloft or Zortex or Celexyl for this squirrel, thank you.  I am not depressed, I am just awake.  At the most inappropriate of hours.  Lately.  That's all...

I think I'm gonna go eat a banana.  Bananas always make me feel better.  I can't even tell you how much I love bananas.  The only thing I love more than bananas is, of course, trail mix, and my love for trail mix is so indescribable, it's unfathomable. Unfathomable!  (Good grief-- this just gets worse and worse, doesn't it?  WHEN will it end??) Oh man... one more hour and the sun will be coming up... I can go and get a coffee (or 5...) and do my laundry and shop and pretend like this night never happened and just get on with my life... Yes yes yes... I will I will... There is hope for me.  There really is.  

Until next time...

xoxox

SP

Well, you know when u read any recipe it will state duration and difficulty kan?haha..well this one, duration, erm.one day difficulty, erm.if you got patience, you do la,lol. :) Seriously, i mean, i started last nite with the Horlicks sorbet. It would be a lot easier if you have the ice-cream machine to make it, but i don't have kan, so have to do it manually la. How? haha, i asked my si Fu in my dream (lol..) Well according to him, sorbet its actually a kind of frozen water with sugar and in this case i used Horlicks, that is light and smooth when its being scoop out because of the amount of air in it. And its not a type of ice-cream cause there's no cream in it. Correct or not? :)  So, what i did was, as soon as the horlicks started to chill and frozen a little, i whisk it with a fork to incorporate more air in it. I have to do this a few times, every half an hour for about 3 times? yeah..so ppl, to make your life easier, invest in a sorbet making machine. :)

Next is the chocolate disc. The same way i prepare my chocolate tear drop. I cut a round shape (diameter of your choice)on a piece of paper, melt the chocolate over a simmering boiled water (obviously i use a mixing bowl that is large enough to not let any steam out la :D) and spread it evenly on the round shape paper. Now, before you let it cool (in the fridge) don't forget to peel it off and put it on a clean plate otherwise your round disc is not that round once its completely set. Trust me, i did it twice (sigh, chef konon..)

Then move on to the star of the recipe, the pisang :D, again, like i said most of the time, i just use what ever that i find in my house kan? So even the pisang/banana, also i pinjam from my mum..lol she bought it to makan so i ask "Mi ar, can i take one?just one..can ar?"heheh of course la she said can, only son ba kan.hehe..anyway..back to the recipe..(focus..focus..) I baked it in the oven with the skin on for about 15 mins on 180°C or until the banana turns black (i know some of you like it black kan?kan? kekeke) ahem..yes..back to pisang..so once it turns black, remove it from the oven and let it rest. Then, peel the skin (yes i got it rite this time kan the spelling..hehe) and you got yourself a purée banana texture.

Finally, its time to assemble everything together. This is the tricky part. I first do the meteor tail design (supposed to use a brush, but i don't have one) so i just use a spoon to spread it with some banana purée and sprinkle some crush toasted almonds. Then, i put the banana purée (i put into a round mould that i chill it in the fridge for about an hour or so) follow by the chocolate disc and finally with the oval shape horlicks sorbet top with drizzle of honey. :)

Moving boxes, bank account, medical checks, dental checks, personal safety items (ie pepper spray), suitable clothing, schooling, school clothing, housing, passports (with appropriate name changes), property management, drivers licenses, what to fit in a 2m x 2m x 2.3m crate, to sell or to donate, to keep or to throw, to take or to leave, pidgeon english books (where to find), new car (import from Japan), satellite for internet, phone, fax and sneaky austar connection, shipping companies that dont charge like wounded bulls (happily found Bollinger shipping), 6.6m Marlin Broadbill sale, Ford Territory sale, extra medical insurance, general insurance, do they have what wont they have, leave Lochy hear till the wedding take Lochy before the wedding. 

Add to that little lot about a million more questions, details, quandries and the fact that Russ is away for the next two weeks home for a few days and basically gone until we have to deliver our shipping crate to Sydney on the 21 November makes for an interesting time in downtown Merimbula at present.

The house still needs to have a few details polished off and I am unable to complete these alone.  We need to do a major 'tip' run and still need to decide upon a final 'to take' list.

To make matters worse when we tried to get new accounts with the ANZ - one of the only two banking Australian banking systems in PNG we have today been informed that gosh no the PNG systems are autonomous and do not link to the corresponding Australian systems.  So it really does not matter if we set up new accounts here because we cant utilise them in POM (Port Moresby).  Arrggggg this doesnt sound like a pain but without going into excrutiating detail it is, seriously a pain in the rear end.

Anyhow it is all fun and games at present and I am 100% certain it will all work itself out - with a little help from Trixie herself we should be just fine. 

Oh speaking of Trixie - my fabulous alter ego - the curtain goes up on our production of the Darstardly Doctor Deveraux this Friday night, ohhhhh it is very exciting and only slithgly nerve racking, just slightly.

So the bank accounts have not changed, the boys are disgustingly excited and our new buzz word is bananas.

****

In an effort to offer the American people one more choice, Nanners has decided, 'Hey, if Sarah Palin can get into office sporting a flag pin and glasses, and no experience, maybe I can too!'

So, from this day forward, Nanners has dedicated himself to being your third party VP candidate. If any of the third party folks want him, he's ready for the job. He DOES have his glasses and flag pin. That's all you need, right?* 

Plus, Nanners can debate like a motherf***er!!

*Please be aware that Nanners is, in fact, pregnant with Sarah Palin's child and may soon be giving birth to the humanzee antiChrist, but that shouldn't stop him from his duties--if Palin can poorly raise five children, so can he!!

Sarah Palin Video of the Day –

A classic spoof that melds the infamous 'Miss Teen USA' viral video with the Palin-Charlie Gibson interview...classic!

Plus, one more shout out to Sara Benincasa and her awesome parody, "Sarah Palin's Vlog!" Here's another installment:

Breakfast this morning was a waffle-banana-peanut butter stack, drizzled with maple syrup. Mmmmm.

Hanging out with the mango peach juice.

I think I'm going to get dressed and move my car (had to park on one of the side streets after work yesterday, cuz there was no parking in front of my house when I got home :mad: ). And I'm going to try and read, as long as my eyes don't water too bad.

I shared a taxi with an Egyptian woman on my way  home from work today. When she hopped in the taxi, she said Allah so many times it sounded like she was talking in tongues... Or maybe she was just nervous because my translucent leggings were showing off my knees? hehe. Anyway!

I noticed that out of freaking no where the taxi driver began talking about God too, but not actually talking about God, you know... just talking: "La ileh ili Allah... Al hamdulileh." ("There is no god but God.... Praise be to God.")

Then she would response, "Ya rubbina!" ("Our Lord!")... And they were going back and for, synchronizing rhythms and phrases. The foreplay of the pious. Then I noticed that he was staring very obviously at her completely covered body as she looked out the window. Get a room! .. A prayer room, I mean.

Fruits such as apples and oranges provide fiber as well as fructose or fruit sugar. Fresh fruits can also satisfy diabetics' cravings for sweets. Here are some of the factors to be considered by a diabetic while eating fruits -

* Keep portion sizes reasonable. A moderate inclusion of fruits such as a medium size apple or a cupful of grapes between meals can help diabetics maintain their blood sugar levels without creating sudden spikes.

* Some fruits have a higher glycemic index like watermelon, pineapple and ripe bananas. They need not be avoided completely but eaten moderately. Fruits with low glycemic index are cherries, apples and peaches.

* Avoid non-fresh fruits such as canned and dried fruits as they have higher sugar content.

You can check with your dietician or healthcare provider to work out a balanced fruit program for you. Once this is done you needn’t go looking for fruits in the supermarkets everyday as there is a great option to have fresh fruits delivered at your workplace from Hi5 Produce's Corporate Fruit Delivery. They will do this for you daily, weekly, monthly or as per your requirements. They deliver their baskets of fresh fruits anywhere in the United States. Hi5 Produce's Corporate Fruit Delivery is a place where everyone will find something they like. Every Hi5 Corporate fruit basket is packed with at least 10 different types of fruit. The staples, which are available all year round, are oranges, apples (Fuji), bananas, and pears. The rest of the basket is dependent on season, preferences, and cost. They also have special fruit baskets prepared on request if they are informed earlier. Check their online website for more information http://www.hi5produce.com/

****

VP hopeful and genuine crazy woman, Sarah Palin, decided to fling some mud at Barack Obama this week (Nanners prefers poo, but that's another story) in an effort to boost support of her Palin-McCain, err, McCain-Palin, campaign. She claimed that Barack Obama "pals around with terrorists." Harsh, misguided and disappointingly racist words.

Most thought Palin was referring to an old activist buddy Obama once met, a guy named Bill Ayers. In fact, Sarah Palin was actually speaking about Barack's PC tech-support relationship with Nanners, which is casual at best.

She has claimed 'off the record' that Nanners is nothing more than a "no good, two-timing towelhead--a true terrorist of America." Well, Nanners does like to wear a towel on his head, but that's just to be silly, or after a nice, hot shower. He hardly wears it for the deeply religious reasons various other cultures do.

As for being a terrorist, well, Nanners does support 'The Sea Shepherd,' which is widely considered a terrorist organization in some countries, but they fight to protect animals from extinction and to restore the balance of our unstable ecosystem. Perhaps being called a terrorist isn't always a bad thing?

Perhaps it depends on what the cause is--what's been done to determine such 'terrorist' action. Weren't our founding fathers considered 'terrorists' of Britain during our countries' volatile birthing pains? If Obama likes Paul Revere, does that mean he "likes terrorists?"

The way Nanners sees it, unless harm is done first by the organization, no harm should be caused. But he takes his 'terrorist' activities on a per-case basis, so Nanners suspects he won't be converting to any 'Extreme Islamic movements' in the foreseeable future. But if he sees eye-to-eye with a group that's hoping to restore balance, humanity and peace to our great nation, then he's all about being a 'terrorist.' 

Sarah Palin Video of the Day –

Comedian Sara Benincasa does an absolutely perfect imitation of Sarah Palin in "Sarah Palin's Vlog." Check them out, you won't be disappointed!

Day 1: Consume all seasonal fruits only except bananas. Recommended one is water melon.

Day 2: Consume only vegetables raw or boiled without spices. Start the day with may be a layered baked potato of medium size with butter.

Day 3: Consume only boiled mixture of vegetables except potatoes, and fruits except bananas.

Day 4: Consume only 8 bananas with 3 glasses of milk in whole day.

Day 5: Consume meat/ 6 tomatoes hamburgers and lots of water.

Day 6: Consume only meat or vegetables (boiled/ baked).

Day 7: Consume brown rice, fruit juice and vegetables raw or boiled.

Repeat this whole schedule for 3 weeks and then take a break for 1 week and then repeat this cycle every month. During this schedule the person should atleast walk every day for 2 kms or do running or brisk walking for a km.

In 2 months time, my friend had lost close to 5kgs. weight which itself is amazing.

****

Nanners, completely distraught by VP Hopeful Sarah Plain's wayward speeches that compare Barack Obama to a "terrorist," heads to the store "to get more patriotic." The result is a cross between a patriot, and a crazy-gay Elton John fan. Either way, it's bound to offend Mrs. Palin.

Sarah Palin Video of the Day --

Late-night talk show host David Letterman throws a few swings at the crazed potential veep: