Whatever happened to the Little Rascals?

Little Rascals then and now - with bad music

I want to see this

There is an OSCAR buzz about this film. Rose Byrne is one of my favourite actresses! And whenever you hear about her in the press journalists talk about how down to earth she is. 

bananarama pancakes

Since I can remember I have always loved cooking shows my favourite being Jamie Oliver, Nigella and the Cook and the Chef. The other day the Cook and the Chef episode was all about the simplicity of making food yourself as opposed to buying processed premade food. I know people who buy those pancake shake mixes but seriously making pancake batter and hence pancakes is easy peasy. 

This week I made banana and honey pancakes altering a recipe I found on taste. There are many ways to make pancakes - self raising flour, plain flour, buttermilk, butter but I adapted recipes to the simplest ingredients I could find.

200g (1 1/3 cups) self-raising flour

• 435ml (1 3/4 cups) milk
• 1 egg, lightly whisked (don't forget to whisk it!) 

Butter for the pan

Honey

Fresh Bananas

1.Sift your flour. Whisk in milk (you can use soy like I did) and egg (don't forget to whisk it!!)

Voila thats half of it done!

2.Put a small knob of butter on the bottom of your pan and use a spoon to ladle pancakes. Cook on one side until it is golden brown then flip. Repeat for each pancake.

3.Presentation is key unless you are really really hungry. So once pancakes are done layer them and spread honey between layers. Then with the top layer place slices of banana and drizzle honey on top (for a change try some organic honey).

Hey presto you just made pancakes!!

Once you gain confidence try making these 

When life gives you lemons

make lemonade - so the saying goes. Sometimes a walk through the gardens, sunshine and Vogue Living, chocolate eclair and macaron from my favourite bakery is ample cure to makes the gloominess go away. 

links

I have a bit of downtime at the moment. So here are a list of sweet websites I have been checking out lately:

*Since I've been reading the 2008 book Factory Girls: Voices from the Heart of Modern China by Leslie T. Chang I've been finding other amazing pieces written by the author who was a journalist, the Chinese correspondent for the Wall Street Journal who also wrote for major American magazines about the everyday person living in China. This is a piece she wrote for the National Geographic China's Middle Class

*Her husband Peter Hessler is also a journalist and Rhodes Scholar who lived in China for two years as part of the Peace Corps. He is a contributor to the New Yorker I recently read a light piece he wrote for the New Yorker, a hilarious piece on the perils of driving in Beijing and the four minor accidents he had. The other night I read this piece he wrote for the Atlantic on the Tibet issue from China's eyes from 1999. 

And on a less serious note,

*Want to get snapped by the Sartorialist, Refinery29 has a step by step guide

*Some fashion blogs that have been around for a while but I have only recently discovered Streetpepper, blushing ambition, sea of shoes,the stylish wanderer

YU currently likes

Enjoys reading Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang, Vanity Fair exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Mario Testino, Annie Leibowitz (best photography exhibition i've seen this year!),  New Yorker magazine, Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows, Tim Tams, leather jackets, Saturday night random street parties, hole in the wall cafes, English breakfast teas, Gossip Girls, floppy straw hats,  pancakes, Haighs freckle chocolates, twittering, Jonathan Aston Stockings, Ellery, Home magazines, going on mini breaks, road trips, Flight of the Concords (their lyrics are bottomless!)

Dislikes: Cold and flu season

Day 3

Jo

Benedict House is heritage listed and Janine tells me it was once a girls school

Love these old doors with a mail chute

Janine reading 1980s Vogue Living

Inside there is a weekly fresh produce markets and a small cosy cafe

Janine returns with a giant mushroom

Drive home with a clear sky and listening to Flight of the Concords

Canberra Day 2

The National Portrait Gallery as designed by Sydney architects JPW

I think I was shocked by the immensity of space and the lack of people given that most public servants don't work weekends. The scale of the clean open spaces seems to be modelled on what I imagine Washington DC is like except there are like barely any tourists.

The reason we are here

Outside the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). This gallery houses some important Modernist works purchased by the gallery including the infamous Pollock Blue Poles, a Leger, a Picasso, Monets. 

We all agree that this is a bit like Pemberley across the waters from Pride and Prejudice

This part of Canberra feels like a deserted college campus

In the afternoon we head to Manuca, a suburb in Canberra, one of the satellite cities in Canberra and have coffee, then Turkish for dinner followed by drinks at the Julep Lounge

It has pretty interiors hidden upstairs amongst cafes and restaurants

In the spirit of Harry Potter

A friend of mine from the states drew my attention to College Quidditch which is quite the rage in the US.

Canberra Trip Day 1

Jo

This dry patch in Canberra use to have a lake about 15 years ago!!!

There is a wind farm in the far off distance. What a great way to combat climate change.

Paragliders far off

Luckily they won't land on the road

Once we get to Janine's place, Jo puts her gold uggs on 

Today I gave Cat a small early birthday present: Finger puppets from Ikea.

23/6/09

On a recent trip to Brisbane: View from hotel window before leaving for airport DAY 3

I begin with DAY 2 down Ann St to Brunswick to check out the Institute of Modern Art (IMA)

Cao Fei's exhibition which also included several video works. The one called "my future is not a dream" is beautiful.

Grilled burgers near by

 

interesting architecture

Yan's street style

Didn't realise it would be really sunny so bought new sunnies

DAY 1

@ GOMA - hanging out in the Kids Gallery art room

Outside GOMA

this is why they call Brisvegas, Brizvegas

The main reason for coming to Brisbane

after walking around Queen St Mall a couple of times we finally came across a cool arcade which revived our faith in Brisbane style

Jackpot = noodles

This was from Malaysia or Singapore I believe and the Buddha was carved from some century old stone found around 2000 (its a bit of an eyesore)

-----You may have missed me in my absence. I have been deliriously sick (the whole of last Thursday) and also took a mini trip to visit a friend in Canberra and go gallery hopping-------

Old Skool

Present&Correct has the kind stuff I wish Office Works sold. Design and versatility to brighten up the day.

(via Poppytalk)

Its ON with Alexa Chung

Eyes lurch straight towards her shoes

Alexa's new show is more hipster than any previous MTV music show. There's an inner city cool about her guests.

Whitnnneeyyy

drools

Alexa Chung has a new show out on MTV in the US and it seems like she has scored a great gig interviewing celebs and musicians in her best role yet. It's fashion coupled with trashy US celebs (Heidi and Spencer anyone?) and plenty of games and antics. Not suprised she has moved across the Atlantic to take this on board and i'm sure she will probably have even more clothes thrown at her left, right, centre. Wish I had MTV just to see what its all about. Nice to see a new kind of presenter other than cookie cutter, mindlessly boring, perfect looking drones on MTV. Not suprisingly MTV have blogged about her outfits here

Images from flickr

Coco

Just back from the glory days and lace filled turn of the century sweeping shots in Coco Avant Chanel. It's simply divine and beautifully shot and Audrey Tatou is perfect as the young, Coco tailored to the nines like a dashing young gentleman. She was born to play Chanel and the resemblance is uncanny. I could definitely watch it again!!!

Ok news time, I've written a review of a recent MCA exhibition over at Pocketto zine issue #6 , be sure to visit.