Monthly Archives: January 2014

Being Australian

Australia’s national Day is January 26th. It is also the same day that the First Fleet landed in Australia in 1788, holds laden with convicted felons, to establish a penal colony far from the rectitude of upper class Britons. Perhaps … Continue reading

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Coming of Age

“Life is a game… play it with a light heart.”  I often think that perfect holidays are perfectly awful to write about. When everything goes smoothly, there is no drama, no humour, no adventure to give the tale an edge. … Continue reading

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Counting My Blessings

Welcome 2014, and with it, the inevitable string of resolutions, diets, and dramatic changes. My own resolutions included the inevitable weight loss, more time to read and write, and, most importantly, to remember to count my blessings. This morning I … Continue reading

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Creating a Cuisine from Scratch

Cuisine.  As it is in the Philippines, so it is in Australia: difficult to define. And like the Philippines, it comes in two parts: Before and After Colonization.  In the beginning there was a vast southern continent on which dwelt … Continue reading

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A Ritual of Renewal

“When the old year gives way to the new, we are emotionally manic.” I can’t even remember where I read this, but after a truly manic year, full of travel and drama, we decided that we would welcome in the … Continue reading

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