Tag 2 of 2

Thank you Azra, for the tag and sorry for taking so long! I've been a bad blogger of late - and I blame work, fully!

Enough of that, though...here goes:

1. What is your favourite saying, or motto?
Face the sun and let the shadows fall behind you. - Not sure who said this.

2. What is your dream job?
A travel writer for National Geographic, or an established author of fairy-tales, science fiction, fantasy and other weird stuff.

3. What part of the world do you have little interest in travelling to? And which part of the world is next on your “list”?
I have no interest in places that are overly hot and too humid - that counts out most islands for me! I would love to do see the Northern Lights next.

4. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
London or New York.

5. When you travel, do you prefer to go to the city or the countryside?
Both.

6. What is the last thing you think about before falling asleep?
About my day, I suppose.

7. Are you a gardener, or a garden admirer? You can be both!
A little bit of both - I have a potted garden at the moment.

8. Do you enjoy cooking? If so, what are some meals you like to prepare when you entertain?
I adore cooking - it actually helps me to de-stress! :-/ I cook within my vegetarian diet, but folks do enjoy it. I often get asked for recipes. :)

9. Do you parallel park or drive around the block?
Drive around the block, so I can find one bay to alley dock into.

10. If there were 7 people from any time period you could invite to dinner, who would they be?
Jane Austen, Gregory David Roberts, Neil Gaiman, Pocahontas, Leonardo da Vinci, Desmond Tutu, Joss Whedon.

11. Have you ever written or would you like to write a short story, memoir, or novel?
I have scribbled down a few things, and yes, I would love to write a novel. There is only that pesky lack-of-time-and-discipline problem.

12. What kind of music helps you unwind?
Soft, soothing music.

13. When was the last time you cried?
Last week Saturday.

14. Which lyrics aptly describe your love life?
Okay, this is going to be corny and schmaltzy! S.O and I are getting married soon. I've never wanted to get married, so this entire experience is rather weird. Nevertheless I noticed, it has brought us closer. And we have both overcome many personal and joint problems to get to where we are. I am so proud of how S.O got his life back together, I feel astounded by his progress. I guess, Lonestar's Amazed are the perfect lyrics for now:


"I don't know how you do what you do, I'm so in love with you, It just keeps getting better, I want to spend the rest of my life, With you by my side, Forever and ever, Every little thing that you do
Baby, I'm amazed by you..."


15. What do you most enjoy about blogging, and what advice would you give new bloggers?
I enjoy blogging because it is a release from the daily grind. Sometimes the daily grind gets too much and I put blogging aside for a short while. I love the sense of community and the bonds formed. I love to share what I find interesting, to vent if need be, to share my opinion on matters. And hey, coming across like minded people!

New bloggers should start, and keep at it, when and where they can. Write from the heart!

Cupcakes and playlists in Japanese

The Red Velvet cupcakes for S.O's Bday.

The S.O* had his birthday recently. I decided to bake Red Velvet Cupcakes with a Cream Cheese Frosting to celebrate the occasion. This was the first time I had ever attempted to bake such cakes. Usually I stick to my go-to-quick-and-easy eggless cake recipe, so trying this out was a bit of a risk. Added to that risk was that the recipe called for eggs (I do not eat anything with eggs) so I used Egg Replacement. I was terrified it was going to be a huge flop, but thankfully it did not. The only problem was that they rose beautifully, but sunk a little after baking. Thankfully the icing covered it up! Since I do not usually eat desserts (eating only eggless goodies limits my options), I found the icing much too sweet. Other than that, they were yummy.

The playlist in Japanese. 

On a different note, I recently bought a CD - yes, some people still do that. As I ripped it to my computer, this is the music titles that came up. Who else understands Japanese? Bizarre and curious, don't you think? Has something like this ever happened to you? And here is the other strange part of this story: the music came on two CDs and the second CD pulled through the English music titles!

*S.O = Significant Other 
P.S: Happiest of birthdays to S.O. Celebrating this special day with you for the past 11 years has been beyond awesome.