When the Cheshire emerges...

That was meant to be my last cake for a while, but I needed to use up ingredients. After this I should stop or I'll make people fat.

Uh, how cool is Google's latest feature? Just sayin'.

The parents have been here with me for almost 48 hours now, making the 13 hour drive through a harsh sun and then electrical storms. All in one piece - and then some. The amount of stuff we unloaded from the car was absolutely ridiculous. I asked for some clothes, two pairs of boots, my Europe 2011 mementos and holiday gear, taking up two overnight bags, and also a mirror to hang up. Not too much. But then I look at the floor and see bags taking up half the space. Where's the carpet? Where's the caaaarrrrpettt?



It will be interesting to open these bags tomorrow - Christmas 2011 has somehow turned into The Katina Show.

My parents have also been quite indulgent as they insist on trying to spruce up my place and provide me with more utensils, which is huuuugely unnecessary. Dad bought me a crusher blender thing to make smoothies. They saw a little bit of frustration from me to say the least - now I have to use this thing!

But I'm glad they're here.

*****

In other Christmasy news, we published a Letters To Santa liftout last week where kids gave the paper their wishes for presents for us to pass on to the big man. And they were awesome. I'm going to write just a few I thought were great.

Lily, 6yo: I would like for Christmas an iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad and water bottle, necklace, earrings and ring.

WAY too many kids this age were asking for iPhones etc, cute but scary at the same time.

Xavier, 8yo, knew his spy lie detector was from BigW which I thought was observant. He's done his research.

Jorja, 6yo, wanted a baby kitten that had not opened its eyes...

Some of the older kids knew Santa had a big trip ahead of him...

Patrick, 8yo: I would like for Christmas a BMX bike please. Have a great flight around Australia, be safe.

Among other things, Maddison, 5yo, wanted "fake nails that you can nip off". She wasn't the only one.

Lara, THREEyo: I would like for Christmas some new high heels. SHE WAS THREE. HUH?


I want to know your opinion - are kids asking for too much too soon?

Merry Christmas everyone!
xoxox

Does anyone else out there feel as much of a satisfaction as I do when rediscovering your music library?

I took that wonderful voyage after I volunteered to make a playlist for my work Christmas party last week.

At the paper there's not just the journos and sub-editors, but also the sales, advertising and accounts people. Men and women of all ages who like different styles of music. And we were in an open space in the bistro part of a pub, not a function room. So a little bit of extra thought had to go into it.

Going through all the playlists I'd previously made on iTunes, and then all the downloads I'd ever gathered, I found some awesome songs.

What mainly struck me was that I was definitely aware of Gotye's talent before his huge 2011 success. Problem is, like with other artists, I nowadays hear a song on the radio but never retain the connection of the song name or artist. So with my delight I found 'Eyes Wide Open', and fell in love with the song all over again. That was thanks to my brother for giving me Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2010 early last year.

I ended up with a real mixed bag to try and cater for all the different age groups, about half a year or two old and the other half a mix of 70s/80s/etc. I warned the manager of the place that it was diverse; I actually felt a bit anxious that people would complain and have it taken off.

But it didn't.

I got a comment from said manager which I didn't know how to take but let it go: "you weren't kidding, it really is a mixed bag" (I understand it was being streamed to the front outside area, and consequently that may have been after Wham's 'Last Christmas' played - I HAD to do it, what's a Christmas list without that song?!).

I was rather proud of myself. Assimilating into Dubbo life. Making my mark in the workplace.

***

As a side note, listening to music as I cook has also revealed some forgotten gems on my iPod. Now depending on your musical preferences you may beg to differ, but I for one reason or another find the poppy songs resonate most of all.

The main one was 'Tell Me' by Christina Aguilera and P Diddy. What a strong, kick-arse r&b grind, totally love it. Then Holly Valance's 'Naughty Girl' at one point too. Wow, I could be vilified for admitting that. But this is her 'nice' song. Mellow.

To better Australian music, Killing Heidi's 'I Am'. That was used on the Spiderman soundtrack right? They were good. And I remember the song sounding a bit different for them at the time but it's great to listen to even now. Plus it makes you think of Spiderman swinging around the place ;)

What gems have you discovered on your iPod long hidden? Or have you found a song that you swear you don't know how it got there?

So the past two days have been hectic. Just a bit. No additional tasks were done yesterday because of commitments. However, my first stop of the day provided the perfect photo op: