Category Archives: Lifestyle

Recapturing the Ballet

Posted on 30 March 2015 by sheg4184

Ballet classes began when I was seven years old. I loved them.  The teacher placed me in the back row where my lack of co-ordination and heaviness of foot wouldn’t distract the star pupils at the front. I was completely … Continue reading →

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The Scottish Bard

Posted on 6 February 2015 by sheg4184

“Fair and full is your honest, jolly face, great chieftain of the sausage race!                                                     … Continue reading →

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Purging Dr Zeuss

Posted on 23 January 2015 by sheg4184

Remember that children’s book, ‘Are You My Mother’ by P.D. Eastman? It’s that one where the baby bird hatches only to find he is all alone, so he bravely leaps out of the nest, and sets off to find his … Continue reading →

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Tea & Tranquility

Posted on 28 December 2014 by sheg4184

“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things.”   ~  Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog. It is almost Christmas and the streets and shopping malls of Makati … Continue reading →

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Umami: The Fifth Taste

Posted on 19 November 2014 by sheg4184

Salt, sweet, sour, bitter. I am assuming we have known about these four taste categories since Sesame Street was a dirt track through the woods. Each one tells our taste buds about what we are putting in our mouths, and … Continue reading →

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Culture Shock or “How’s the Serenity?”

Posted on 3 November 2014 by sheg4184

Culture shock can be a complicated, confusing, disorienting experience.  It is defined as the individual’s sense of dislocation when attempting to settle into a new environment. Moving cities can be hard enough. Moving countries requires you to adapt to foreign values, mannerisms, mind-sets … Continue reading →

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It’s Not Easy Being Green

Posted on 8 September 2014 by sheg4184

“It’s not easy being green. It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things. And people tend to pass you over ’cause you’re not standing out Like flashy sparkles in the water, or stars in the sky.” So … Continue reading →

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Manila Schools: part III

Posted on 14 August 2014 by sheg4184

Parents have many different priorities when choosing schools for their children, and it becomes a particular concern when resettling families in a foreign country. Some want to find exactly what they feel their kids lost on leaving home, others want … Continue reading →

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Walking to Coogee

Posted on 9 August 2014 by sheg4184

Bondi. That iconic beach on the south east coast of Australia. In the summer, it swarms with surfers, sunseekers and swimmers. Today the sand is clear of bathers, but tents are being erected for the City to Surf fun run next weekend. It … Continue reading →

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The Power of Pasta

Posted on 11 June 2014 by sheg4184

  “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” ~ Federico Fellini, Italian film producer I love that quote. As an Anglo-Australian, pasta was never a significant part of my culinary upbringing – we were more of a meat and … Continue reading →

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