Test

My first test finished. I was exhausted from studying. It was so long I couldn't finish! Now I am writing an essay on New Zealand's Zero Waste Strategy.

The days are getting shorter but this week has been oddly warm. The rain finally poured in the afternoon. I think it's only fair that other people should stay in while I am stuck indoors reading notes.

I changed my blog layout again. It's like getting new clothes, for free. So don't be surprised if you can't recognise Swritches next time you visit!

Unite For Hunger And Hope // Bloggers Unite

Unite For Hunger And Hope // Bloggers Unite



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Swine Flu: Implication for New Zealand

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen regularly in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Most commonly, human cases of swine flu happen in people who are around pigs but it’s possible for swine flu viruses to spread from person to person also. - Centre for Disease Control and Prevention

|| Fashion in the City || Girls Night Out || Aurora Australis ||

Fashion in the city was a catwalk show in Centerplace and Downtown Plaza. Girls Night Out was a shopping event. The five of us went to Coyote for some food. I went home for an early night because of a test on Wednesday.

Frou Frou Fashionista is a luxury lingerie blog. The elegant intimates store Faire Frou Frou is a mother-daughter team based in Studio City California.

I would like to leave you with Aurora Australis images from Environmental Graffiti. The opportunity to see the Southern Lights is fast disappearing due to light pollution. These wistful and haunting images would be great backgrounds.

I made a palette from the photo by Paul Moss. The colours I chose were 'Aurora purpura, granne, castanea, nephritae' and 'gold sequin bright'. The first four were original meaning purple, green, chestnut and jade in Latin respectively. (I stuck to the scientific binomial nomenclature!)

Aurora_Australis
Color by COLOURlovers

I also made a plaid pattern with the five colours.

Southern_Light
Color by COLOURlovers

Feijoas, come one, come all.

The feijoa season is upon us. I had three today! When my family moved to New Zealand, we had never seen feijoa trees before. The neighbours told us how the fruit is ripe when it falls. Now I know it's autumn when feijoas fall. They remind me of the move to New Zealand and guavas in Taiwan.


Whole feijoa and cross-section, by a HortResearch photographer.

Feijoa sellowiana is an evergreen from South America. The green ellipsoid tastes sweet, has a gritty texture and smells sweet due to its methyl benzoate. Nutritional data states the fruit is low in cholesterol and sodium, high in folate and is a good source of vitamin C. If you have interest in growing feijoa, check out the New Zealand Grower's Association in what you need.

Feijoa can be used in (source: Wikipedia Entry):

I pick up the fruit, cut it in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. How do you eat your feijoa?

Lighthearted

If my paternal grandfather posted on The Problem with Young People Today, he would have said similar things. I agreed with many of Don's points and hope that does not make me old. Maybe just traditional.

I am watching the space taken up by Urf. Be warned this comic is for adult readers.

Westie Sillhoutte


Westies have shadows suitable for silhouettes. I created this using paint and GIMP.Original photograph by Randy son of Robert, some rights reserved.
The Essential West Highland White Terrier

Concerning the Art of T-Shirt Folding

I read the post by Subversive called "How an engineer folds a t-shirt". The Youtube video is embedded below. Could it be overthinking?

Earth Day // Bloggers Unite

Earth Day // Bloggers Unite



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Star Trek


I did not follow the TV shows but want to see the prequel. The main reason is Zachary Quinto's portrayal of Spock with the eyebrows.

Mangroves

Mangroves grow in saline habitats. The plant generally belongs to the family Rhizophoraceae, or specifically in Rhizophora.

Mangroves

By Christolakis, some rights reserved.

New Zealand mangroves are called manawa. They can be found as far as 38 degrees south, that is, Raglan harbour to the west and ends at Ohiwa harbour near Opotiki. There are many benefits of having mangroves around.

Original Article from physorg.com.

Via Discovery Earth

The Strangest Beasts to Ever Die chronicles extinction through the ages. Can the resulting evolution be called punctuated equilibrium? Some of these creatures are familiar, such as the trilobites and the T-Rex. Others I read about the first time.

The pristerognathus hails from South Africa. They have elongated reptilian jaws and striped coat. The winged lizard quetzalcoatlus flied like albatross. Parapropalaehoplophorus septentrionalis has armadillo-like plates even though its size rivals that of the modern VW Beetle. The giant ground sloth got a mention. That reminded me of Sid from Ice Age.


The original article from Discovery Channel.

Auckland Trip

My long weekend in Auckland seems ages ago now. We were there to visit N and celebrate M's birthday. The plan was to do city centre, Viaduct Harbour, Mission Bay, New Market and Devonport.

Friday

Drive up to Auckland

We strolled through Dress Smart to wait for N to finish work. I got a scarf and top from the Glassons outlet. R waited while I pestered a man selling belts. I got a motorcycle buckle for Richard.

In which Watching TV could be Bad for You

N made capsicum curry for us. Her assortment of Indian spices were kept fresh in a round container. We watched the episode in which Monk gets a cold. R promptly got the snuffles so we decided that was a bad omen. L brought Disney's Lady and the Tramp. I jumped at the chance to watched it again since I had forgotten most of it.

Viaduct Harbour night life

Lenin is a Russian bar. We got lemon, lime & bitters. L took photos of Minus 5 made of ice. I liked Lenin's ceiling lights and those affluent patrons pretend not to shiver next door.

Saturday

Parnell La Cigale French Style Market

I got strawberry-raspberry crepe and Turkish delight to go. M and L recommended almond croissant for lunch. I was dubious about the icing sugar on top. (Reminded by Audrey Hepburn's dislike for those pastries).

Picnic at Mission Bay

We all had sandwiches filled with avocado, egg and tomato. The almond croissant turned out to be the best I've had in my life thus far.

Cake x2 on Dominion Road, Eden Valley

We paid a visit to Well Done Bakery (Taiwanese) and The Gateau House (Korean) on Dominion Road. M's work shout was a chestnut sponge from Well Done with OTT icing. Our less extravagant affair was mango flavoured with fruit garnish from Gateau. I picked out custard crust bun, sun and wife cake from Taiwan to take home. We hurried home to save melting cakes and have mushroom Pasta.
"Mango mousse made with French mango puree mixed with crème anglaise. Generously topped with French mango puree and decorated with seasonal fruits and hand crafted chocolate." - Gateau House.

Skycity Casino

R and I had never been to Skycity so we took a gander. I'm no fan so stayed outside with N. We eventually joined the others in the VIP lounge for supper. L bought a DVD called I'll Never be Your Woman. Unlikely title for a chick flick. I thought it a bit funny and a bit dumb, just right for winding down. We had cake at midnight!

Sunday

Yum Cha

The dim sum dishes were carried on huge platters and pushed around the packed restaurant. The tea helped with digestion. I had delicate shrimp dumplings, various shu mai, chicken feet and sesame seed balls. I was too full by the time the taro croquette came around.

Devonport Outing

The bumpy sea took some getting used to. We got a Clydesdale carriage tour of the town. I was embarrassed because people knew us by sight when we walked around later. I bought a double sided sponge/scrub, tumbleweed bunny, Easter cookie cutter and a turtle for Linda.

Afterwards...

I almost lost the ticket on the return trip. I was drained of energy. The trip home was quiet and I was sad at the prospect of not seeing N for yonks.

The Daily Show Makes You Think

Jon Stewart always makes me laugh at the end of a long week day. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at Comedy Central official website.

If I have to be a camouflaged animal I would be...



If I have to be a camouflaged animal I would be a cuttlefish! Sepia latimanus are invertebrate mollusks that belongs to the cephalopod group. Pigmented skin cells allow camouflage in colours and patterns. The NOVA documentary on the cuttle fish contains an interactive presentation.




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The Independent -- The dark side of Dubai

This article is from The Independent.

The wide, smiling face of Sheikh Mohammed – the absolute ruler of Dubai – beams down on his creation. His image is displayed on every other building, sandwiched between the more familiar corporate rictuses of Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders. This man has sold Dubai to the world as the...

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Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn is my idol. The slideshow below contains Audrey Hepburn photos on Creative Commons.





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Faint-Hearted Scholars Missing over Edge of Paper

Procrastinators beware: PHD comics pokes fun at graduate student life.PHD (not to be confused with PhD) stands for Piled Higher and Deeper. It is a graduate student comic strip. If you prefer reading text, Cecilia's Blog is updated occasionally.

Think Global, Act Local

Explore Encyclopedia of Life online aiming to document more than 1.8 million species on Earth.


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