In keeping with the general theme of new beginnings and new experiences of this summer, I've decieded that the blog itself was in a state of a much needed upgrade. A revamped look to match my current sentiments.
The new design templates available is fantastic allowing techically challenged wonders like me to make changes without having to deconstruct HTML coding and the such. But the options are vast and I soon got very confused.
After 4 hours and multiple edits, this is what I finally decided on.
So, waddya think?
Showing posts with label Newbies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newbies. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Rabbie Woulda've Bin Proude O Mae
Today is Rabbie Burns Day. For those who don't speak Scottish, that is meant to be Robbie or Robert Burns, widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland; the very lad who penned such memorable ditties such as Auld Lang Syne which we've all at some point or the other sung drunkenly on New Year's Eve or A Red Red Rose which we've all listened to at some or the other wedding and wondered which drunken sod wrote those sappy lines. Now you know.
Anyway, January 25th is his birthday and an excellent day to celebrate all things Scottish, including of course a very Scottish dinner of haggis (sheep belly stuffed with unmentionables), tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (steamed and mashed turnips). Yes, they do go in for the gourmet meals here, don't they?
Sadly, my first Burns day in Scotland was spectacularly uneventful. Unless you count frozen pizza and watching Glee on TV as a celebration of sorts. However, in honour of Mr. Burns and Scotland in general, here's a pic from my very first tasting of their national dish when VBF and her friends had arranged a dinner and night out for me the very first time I visited in 2006. It wasn't the best version of the meal; for one, the restaurant "was out" of mashed potatoes and so they gave me a side of fries instead. And secondly, the meat was rather over cooked with the result a tad dry. VBF and friend spent most of the evening apologising on behalf of their chef! Note my expression as I'm trying to figure out if I like the concoction or not!
My second experience with haggis didn't happen until last weekend when I found out that Tescos and other stores actually sell ready made haggis-in-a-can that is supposed to be really very yummy.
In an attempt to suspend my disbelief, I tried some and the results were quite unexpected as it turned out to be very delicious indeed! And so easy to prepare! Open tin, mash up contents into bowl, pop bowl in microwave for 5 minutes, serve hot. The sides actually took longer to cook!
So, that is my contribution to Rabbie's Day. I will endeavour to do better next year!
Anyway, January 25th is his birthday and an excellent day to celebrate all things Scottish, including of course a very Scottish dinner of haggis (sheep belly stuffed with unmentionables), tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (steamed and mashed turnips). Yes, they do go in for the gourmet meals here, don't they?
Sadly, my first Burns day in Scotland was spectacularly uneventful. Unless you count frozen pizza and watching Glee on TV as a celebration of sorts. However, in honour of Mr. Burns and Scotland in general, here's a pic from my very first tasting of their national dish when VBF and her friends had arranged a dinner and night out for me the very first time I visited in 2006. It wasn't the best version of the meal; for one, the restaurant "was out" of mashed potatoes and so they gave me a side of fries instead. And secondly, the meat was rather over cooked with the result a tad dry. VBF and friend spent most of the evening apologising on behalf of their chef! Note my expression as I'm trying to figure out if I like the concoction or not!
My second experience with haggis didn't happen until last weekend when I found out that Tescos and other stores actually sell ready made haggis-in-a-can that is supposed to be really very yummy.
In an attempt to suspend my disbelief, I tried some and the results were quite unexpected as it turned out to be very delicious indeed! And so easy to prepare! Open tin, mash up contents into bowl, pop bowl in microwave for 5 minutes, serve hot. The sides actually took longer to cook! So, that is my contribution to Rabbie's Day. I will endeavour to do better next year!
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Friday Night Lights
When I moved to Scotland, I knew that I had to leave a lot of my old life behind. There were going to be many changes. The coins didn't have a polar bear on them, the streets would not be lined with Maple trees and there was no baseball team to cheer for. Instead, there was football - the soccer kind. And rugby. And when dating Beans. A LOT of rugby. Accordingly, we set off to My First Rugby Game on Friday night along with friends Skippy, Sab and JellyCake to watch Munster take on the Glasgow Warriors. Mac and I were instructed to cheer for the Irish team while Sabs and Skippy were firmly rooting for the local lads. JellyCake had been bribed into cheering for the Paddys with the loan of the infamous Paddywack Hat. Sabs was not impressed with that! It wasn't a very big crowd, but those that were there were cheering with all that they had. Munster was the far superior team on the pitch (is that a rugby term?) but not that night. Shoddy plays and downright stupid moves made the Warriors into kings.
From a virgin viewer's point of view, I saw a bunch of guys (in very short and tight shorts) run around on a field lovingly embracing the ball and very frequently, each other.
Mac made no bones about which side he was supporting. Then again, there wasn't any access to Warrior merchandise! Sabs growled about having to get him some "proper" gear soon. But I'm not sure if rugby jerseys come in a Moose size.
Beans gave me a watery smile for the camera, but we all could tell that he was dying inside at Munster's abysmal performance. Sabs on the other hand had plenty to smile about as his team bull dozered their way to a 29-09 victory.
As I watched the boys play, I wondered why the line out seemed so familiar to me. I had a nagging feeling that I had seen this somewhere before. But where? This was my first rugby game, and I hadn't even watched any on TV. It wasn't until the end of the game that it struck me. Ballet! The line out looked just like a pas de deux in a ballet recital. Don't you think??
Still, that was one observation I kept to myself. I did enjoy my first rugby experience and didn't want to be banned from the sport on my very first time!
From a virgin viewer's point of view, I saw a bunch of guys (in very short and tight shorts) run around on a field lovingly embracing the ball and very frequently, each other.
Mac made no bones about which side he was supporting. Then again, there wasn't any access to Warrior merchandise! Sabs growled about having to get him some "proper" gear soon. But I'm not sure if rugby jerseys come in a Moose size.
Beans gave me a watery smile for the camera, but we all could tell that he was dying inside at Munster's abysmal performance. Sabs on the other hand had plenty to smile about as his team bull dozered their way to a 29-09 victory.
As I watched the boys play, I wondered why the line out seemed so familiar to me. I had a nagging feeling that I had seen this somewhere before. But where? This was my first rugby game, and I hadn't even watched any on TV. It wasn't until the end of the game that it struck me. Ballet! The line out looked just like a pas de deux in a ballet recital. Don't you think??
Still, that was one observation I kept to myself. I did enjoy my first rugby experience and didn't want to be banned from the sport on my very first time!
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