Christmas Cooking!

When Christmas rolls around, I proceed to break out the baking gear, simmer, stir, create, bash and macerate (what the?) like there's no tomorrow! It is the only time I bake - not because I don't like baking, but because I have no self-control and eat far too much of the mixture whilst in the process!

I am still ever so proud of my creation from Christmas 2 years ago!



This year's creation are some sweet little Rum Balls, ready for tonight's Christmas bash!





Hope these little balls of love are a hit!

Michelle turns 34!

The good:

- A surprise party organised by my year 4 class!
- Dinner at our fave Thai restaurant overlooking the Dubai fountain
- Arriving home from above dinner to find birthday cake and a lovely card from a lovely new friend!
- Cards from family from afar
- The excellent "Weekend Breaks" book Matt gave me
- Going to India as part of my birthday present!
- Reflecting on what has been achieved in the last year - interviews in Sydney; accepting jobs in Dubai; finishing up at Endeavour; packing up our beloved house ready for rental; settling in to life in Dubai; travelling to Singapore, Dubai, new york and India in the last 4 months; managing to somehow stay kind of fit; living our dreams! (not a bad year in terms of satisfaction!!)

The not-so-fun:

- Not being with family for my birthday - i needed cuddles from babby
- When out for dinner, being given cake, complete with candles and singing, only to later be charged for the so-called complimentary birthday cake!! Too funny!
- After eating above cake, arriving home and then eating more cake (see above) cos I have no self-control!

Can only hope being 34 brings as many adventures, laughs and fulfilling moments as 33!

Summing up...

My love of travel and engaging with new places is something that is a clear feature of my life...I often think of it as a disease as the travel bug is one that can not be easily sated !

So...a week's break from school and the opportunity to travel to another destination.A trip to India is something I have dreamed about for many, many years. With this brings a sense of anticipation and excitement!

Now, with a trip to a country with over a billion people now over, it is time to pause and reflect...

Loved: Morning walks along Colva beach in Goa - watching the hermit crabs scurry and the patterns in the sand...watching our shadows playing in the sun...loving how simple, yet complicated, nature is...

Loathed: The uneasy feeling brought about by the extreme levels of poverty - how does one react to a young boy with a baby in his arms...such a feeling of helplessness on my part and even more so on his part I suspect. Such a disparity of living conditions on this planet...why?

Marvelled: At the stunning Indian women and their resplendent saris - the variety of colours from vibrant turquoise to deep turmeric colours was staggering.

Reflected: On the fact that we are living out our dreams of living and travelling. This is a good feeling!

Wondered: How the group of school-aged kids who repeatedly banged on our car windows while we were stopped at the traffic lights, begging for money, would ever be able to live their dreams and have them come true.

Enjoyed: Selecting a different curry for dinner each night...oh my...I am officially addicted to Indian food.

Hunted: For the lurking chillies in the meals! I made a big mistake on the first night thinking that the long green item that was part of the poppadoms sauce was a green bean! After munching in and having chewed 3/4 of it I discovered I had made a little mistake...it was a chilli! Burning ears are not fun people!

Haggled: At the stalls and then realized that the final price we had settled on was the equivalent of 40 Australian cents lower than the vendor's previous best offer. After feeling victorious about having secured such a good price, I then let the vendor keep the change - effectively rendering the previous 5 minutes of bargaining useless. I figured he needed the extra cash more than me...

Played: In the pool for hours on end - handstand competitions, backward somersaults, diving lessons! Felt like a kid again! Was fun!

Thought: About what a fabulous husband I have and how lovely it was to have time to have fun together! He makes everything so much more fun and it is amazing to have him to share all these incredible adventures with! I can still kick his ass at handstand comps though!

Smelt: A lot of things! Some good...curry; the beach; garlic naan, freshly cut grass; frangipanis. Some not so good...I'll leave those smells of India to your imagination!

Felt: Very content after a marvellous vacation of sightseeing, shopping, swimming and sunning...but also uneasy - I cannot reconcile in my mind how there is such a disparity in living conditions in this world...

Thanks to Rach for the inspiration for this blog!

A fountain of tears...

Crying in public is often not a good thing! Crying in front of 50 students is NEVER a good thing!

One of the fabulous teachers at our school is organising the annual Terry Fox Run. Now maybe it is just me, but I had never heard of Terry Fox. Maybe you are also in the same boat? So, let me share a little information!

Terry Fox is a Canadian man who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 19. While he was being treated, he became dismayed with the level of despair and suffering amongst other cancer patients. He knew he had to do something so that the hurting and pain could stop.

Despite having his right leg amputated, he decided to run a marathon for cancer. He started running the marathon across Canada, running a total of 5,373km.
He eventually stopped running when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died in 1981. Today, millions of people take part in the annual Terry Fox run with the goal of stopping the hurt and finding a cure for cancer.

So, there I was watching a video about this man with tears streaming down my face. And, in addition to this, feeling a sense of remorse because I was initially thinking "Oh 8.5 km is too far for me to run".

Let's just say if Terry could run all those kilometres with only one leg, then I think I am more than capable of running 8.5 km.

And you know what, learning about this man, made the tears all worth it.

What's in a name?

Oh the joys of blogging - a new phenomenon for me!

Step 1: Choose Blog Name! Easy right? No! Hard!

So I narrowed it down to:

Tread softly – I like this one cos it implies being gentle and peaceful in your interactions and it is also about journeying which is what I am doing and what a blog records!

Undreamed shores – part of a Shakespeare quote – I like this cos it is about charting what is happening / current goals with a mind to what is still to come (i.e. undreamed yet)

Stock of pleasures – I like this cos again, it is about taking stock of the good things in life


After seeking feedback from helpful sister, I decided on "Tread Softly"... I think I am happy with my choice!

Step 2: Think of something to write! I think I have just accomplished that!