MOVING!

If you have made it to here it is because you don't know I've moved...
You can now find me on:

Creative Signe

See you there!!

Green Island

If you come to visit, I will take you to Green Island. That is a promise!
















Notice the water temperature














Nicola chillin in the shade












Nicola getting ready for some exploring



















The view looking one way













The view from underneath the tree












The view looking the other way...













We DID bring a gadget which was supposed to let us take pictures under water. It didn't work. I took a few pictures from the pier, to show some of the fish we saw under water, but it in no way does justice to the magical world in the ocean.



Mr Shark (bronze whaler)




















While in the water, I saw something I have never even heard of (sorry for not paying attention Mr Attenborough): the showelnosed shark! Let's just say I could not believe my eyes. I have never seen anything like it. We saw one, which I declare to be 3 meters long (fishermans gene) another a little smaller. There were many, many turtles, stingrays and other amazing animals... the pictures of the showelnosed shark and the turtle are from the Green Island website!

What goes around

I have had 48 hours of goodness exploding my way. I know the idea is that I do good things to others, but there sure are many people who do good things to me too.

It stated with a note in the mailbox saying I had mail (no, it started with us going to Green Island, but you don't want to hear about that):

Notice that it says 2 parcels are waiting for you! I got so excited I left my keys in the mailbox and forgot all about them.


One parcel I had ordered myself - which is slightly cheating - but WOW do they know how to make you happy with your order at T2 tea. I love that company and put it at the very top of "good things".

The second parcel was from my brother and contained our Christmas presents. I was so excited by the content that I forgot to take a photo once we had unwrapped the presents. I got TWO fantastic books - crime novels - by authors I have never heard of - woop woop!. I headed straight for the sofa, with the lollies only a Dane would cry in joy to receive.





I stayed on the sofa for the rest of the day (and night) and the supportive husband stated: I will make you something REALLY nice for lunch. Sit tight, its going to be amazing. Woo hoo, Italian cheffie go go go! With a massive smile and a "see what I did" face, he presented me with a hotdog! I decided to eat it in the spirit it was presented - it HAS to be a man thing (it was yummy).

This morning someone knocked quite persistently on our front door. Outside stood a young Chinese man with my keys: "I think you left these in your mailbox"

I don't care what anyone says! Today I'm listening to Justin Timberlake "what goes around, comes around, goes around, comes all the way back around'

What a difference a day makes...

6 am: Nicola keeps asking me if I want to sleep some more; I ask why; this picture is taken.
















9 am: I am sligtly more awake, posing nicely!













11 am: sitting in the shade, nice and relaxed

















3.15 pm: after 5 hours of total bliss, I might be leaving the island slightly high because THEN













3.16 pm: this happens. The cruise had a fotographer taking pictures of all of us. The MANY nice Japanese and Chinese tourists obliged and did their turist pose. I didn't. What was fun at the time.... they showed the pictures on 1 sillion screens on rotation every 5 minutes all over the cruise. By the time we reached Cairns 1 hour 15 min later I was talked about. This probably also had something to do with the husband and I shouting "... here she comes, here she comes, HELLO FATTY!" every time the picture appeared.
I'm not expecting locals discount next time we show up...

News from Greenland

Did you know that Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) has the highest percentage of internet users in the world? 92% of the population uses or know how to use the internet. Impressive and good news all around. They are also really savvy when it comes to engaging with electronic media, which holds them in high esteem in my world; not only because they are smart, but because it makes my daily read of News from Greenland so much more entertaining. Greenlanders comment on everything!!

Like today, when Sermitsiaq brought this lovely picture from Christiansborg (Danish parliament) where it was celebrated that our queen has been queen for 40 years.

Why read this? Because the commentators never fail me! Inuk Human Tittussen wrote: Ha ha Ellen Chemnitz (lady in the middle), you have a finger in your ear!

Hurray for Inuk Human Tittussen!

Friends with Dalai Lama

I'm friends with the Dalai Lama on facebook. Oh YES we are real close. I can actually brag that I have met the Dalai Lama twice (in Copenhagen) and been blessed by him on one occasion - I stalked him through the city and threw myself at him in a hotel lobby, but never mind (wouldn't that just have been so much more worth it if I was a Buddhist?)

ANYWAY! Mr Lama has a lovely facebook site, updated by other people, telling us what he says.
This is what he said yesterday: "The creation of a more peaceful and happier society has to begin from the level of the individual, and from there it can expand to one's family, to one's neighborhood, to one's community and so on."

We should have know this all along: Mr Dalai Lama IS the Happiness Project! If ever I needed an explanation for this whole mess, I should have known I could look to the East. SO! If you see me in orange and burgundy during the next year of hippie-happiness, don't be scared! It's just me seeking inspiration, taking drastic measures - or feeling an urgent need to expand to my community.

On 3 January 2012 Mr Lama said something that I find truly beautiful; sharing it with you is my good deed of today - I hope you spend some time thinking about it, just like I have:

"Compassion is something really worthwhile. It is not just a religious or spiritual subject, not a matter of ideology. It is not a luxury, it is a necessity"

Join a Cause?

Yesterday was a great day and I was good ALL day. The Problem is that I don' know if it counts.

Yesterday was the husband's birthday. I took the day off (because he had the day off) and he was pampered! But what kind of girlfriend (wife) would I be if I didn't? Does it count to be good on days where you are expected to be good? Even planned to be good for yonkers of time?

I don't know the answer to this question and was therefore really, REALLY pleased when one of my Facebook friends asked me to join a cause! It is the "stop Youtube accepting and showing cruelty to animals" cause; I signed up straight away - good deed done. Before I continue, let's not get confused: I would run an animal shelter if it wasn't against our rental agreement. BUT! A: Youtube is not 'showing' the videos, they are uploaded by dickheads. B: cruelty to animals is banned by law in most countries. The question therefore remains if the people who created the cause on facebook may have been slightly offbeat and it should have been the “stop Youtube’s solicitation of illegal animal cruelty” – cause; the “Dickheads who upload animal cruelty videos should be prosecuted” – cause; or the “Youtube needs more staff to screen uploaded crap” –cause.

ANYHOW, animal cruelty is animal cruelty and I ALWAYS support people who are good to animals! It also dawned on me that I now have a way out on all the days I haven’t been good! Join a cause, donate something, make awareness....I will have to make a list.

Leaving you with that thought for today, I will upload some pictures from yesterday:

Breakfast including: mango, dragon-fruit (with lime), Nashi pear and lycees.

Dinner of sushi, including sushi made with Japanese wagyu beef - and a picture taken during preparation, just to prove that I didn't pick it up somewhere.

AND TADA: the ultimate boyfriend birthday present: A day spent at Green Island, snorkling and swimming with the turtles. That is on Thursday.

Tropical menopause

I have NEVER had any problems with weather. What-so-ever. None. Ever. Nada. Those days are over. It has been 34+ in Cairns for the past month and I am ready to lay down and die.

What I failed to say yesterday was that I WOKE UP with heat-stroke. I didn’t even have to go outside! So while I did enjoyed our yam-cha, I can’t say I enjoyed the rest of the day. We drove to Port Douglas – and yes it was a gorgeous drive - but I was dizzy and wanted to vomit. I tried to hide it from the husband but he caught on pretty quick. ‘I just need a drink and some shade’ I said.

I look at the picture and I remember thinking: I do NOT want to vomit lemonade. I also remember seeing just one clip from a movie they were showing at the bar, a man collapsing in the snow, about to die from the cold and I thought “Oh to lie down in snow...”. The Port Douglas markets made it worse with stinky incense and ‘do you want a massage?’ A MASSAGE? You want to touch my body NOW? We left in less than 5 minutes.

Driving home the husband was really nice, only remarked once on how white my face was. MUCH better than the other day where he said: “maybe you are menopausing’ WHAT? He was so lucky I was still under severe influence of the happy-hippie-project side-effects. I just calmly said “you don’t ask that question” – end of that discussion. I can’t be in menopause – come on! I’m not even 40 - not until September anyway.

But it got me thinking: how do you know when you are going into menopause in the Tropics?

At the doctor: well, I feel hot all the time... yes... my feet swell.... yes... I can’t sleep properly... no, OK... I have trouble concentrating... yes... You can just hear the doctor thinking: IT IS FUCKING HOT – THIS IS THE TROPICS – GET OVER IT!

The good deeds from yesterday amounts to suggesting we eat yam-cha, the creative me looked at a thing I crocheted the other day and thought ‘fuck, there is something wrong with that’ and then we watched a movie. I leave you with a picture of what I WISH I had accomplished...

it says: be my guest, have a rest! For every tired husband ;-)

Are you being good now?

I got up a little early... had a few chats on facebook with friends, yay, and opted to wake the husband at 11 am. I presented him with the following options: should we go the city and eat yam-cha or should we drive to Port Douglas and go for walks on the many beaches on the way.

That was when he revolutionised the morning (not even half awake): why don’t we have yam-cha in the city and then drive to Port Douglas afterwards?

Shit me, that is what we are doing! I lay there in the bed for a couple of minutes and thought about how amazing he is, turned my head and said ‘do you know how much I love you?’ to which he responded ‘are you being good now?’ WTF? It took a second to figure out where that came from.

By the time I made it out of the shower, he had found this for me on youtube... since I now have the mega monster sofa bed, I can comfortably achieve this in his opinion... hmmm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0fISI7tYPE&feature=related

North Queensland Saturdays

Despite the prior described crisis, I have completed the 'do one good thing today' task with flying colours this lovely Saturday. Saturday is an eeeaaasy day for chirpy wellbeing, especially in Cairns.

Not only have I been hootchie-smootching with my husband most of the day, presenting him with healthy brekkie, swimming in the pool, making burgers for dinner, we also did a welfare walk in Palm Cove before dinner.







Here is what happened on the pier: I was asked not once, not twice, but three times to take pictures of tourists with their rod in hand on Palm Cove Pier (no fish). A breeze mate, sure thing, absolutely, smile, fantastic, got it!

Was I a happy participant? Are you kiddin? It counts extra in my book to do good things for strangers. Three point to me!


To finish the afternoon we strolled along the beach, found a bench and this picture is taken while I lean into the strong arms of my sweetheart. Wooptidoo I kid you not!







Unfortunately, the freaking Devil to the left cannot be quiet - he has to disclose that I almost started a nasty project for the blog, a photo-doc of the lovely people of Cairns. This was while queuing at Woolies where I met these lovely men. The picture, taken in secret, pretending I was an ass to use my phone, in no way captured their North Queensland folklore.... it also didn't capture the wife with three missing teeth and massive tattoos and a beer gut. The second picture in this photo-doc could very well be the family still-leben from Palm Cove Pier, daddy chucking down a stubby.... aaahhhh North Queensland Saturdays!

Side effects

I’m having a problem with the “do one good thing a day” happiness project; it is becoming a major hippie-hallelujah-we are the world-save the children disturbance.

Nowhere in the project is it written that you are excluded from thinking evil thoughts or being nasty the rest of the day, but it is somehow implied..... no?

Yesterday I received this email: “Hello Signe, I am Xxxxx Xxxxxx from Cairns Finance section of James Cook University and would like to process your claim for reimbursement of $117.00 for travel undertaken in October. Unfortunately your bank account details are not registered with JCU. Please complete the attached form and send back to me a.s.a.p in order for me to process your payment.”

In general terms I’m pondering what a.s.a.p means to someone who responds in January to a reimbursement claim from October. But other than that, had it been a normal everyday Friday I would have let this retard know (in a nice, polite but direct way) that I receive a scholarship from JCU AND was paid for a research project I completed in November. Hence my bank account details are somewhere to be found, but since she is a lazy, stupid cow here they are - similar to what I did with the other finance lady from James Cook University, who wanted to see the visa, which guarantees my work permit – that is the student visa, which the nice people at James Cook University gave me. Retard.

The hallelujah hippie can no longer do that. The fucking bastard angel on my right shoulder is going "no no no no, be nice to her, she is slow, but at least your taxes are not paying her welfare cheque – and you want your $117". I’m going to have to figure this one out soon, because the immediate consequence is that I have not responded to the email and have struggled with my ugly mind for 24 hours. The old me would have dealt with it in 5 min flat and gotten on to better things.

This has led me to the realisation that I probably also have to eliminate useful terms such as fuck-head, lowlife and bitch in 2012; the f and c words transformed to freaking and crikey. I’m not sure I signed up for that. This New Year’s resolution is proving to have severe side effects, much more severe than first predicted.

Retrospective Cinnamon Happiness

It turns out I didn't share the recipe for cinnamon rolls with enough people. Hope you all enjoy!











150 grams of butter

½ liter of milk

½ tablespoon of cardamom

2 dl of sugar (3/4 cup)

½ teaspoon of salt

1 kg of flour

50 grams of fresh yeast or whatever becomes that of dry yeast (the dry yeast from the Australian supermarkets has 7 grams in them – I used 4 packets)

For filling:

Lots of butter (I used 150 grams)

Ground cinnamon (2 tablepoons)

Sugar (2/3 cups)

You also need muffin cases

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melt the butter, pour in milk, and take it off stove when it is lukewarm. If you use fresh yeast, you dissolve it in the milk/butter.

In a bowl, mix flour, cardamom, sugar and salt. If you use dry yeast, you mix it in the flour.

Pour milk/butter into flour-mix and combine to make a dough (like for bread). Knead well and set to rise for 45 min.

Take out the extra butter from the fridge and leave to become soft.

Once dough has risen, give it a quick knead. Once this is done (for this portion) I find it easier to work with the dough by cutting it in two. Roll the dough into a rectangle. If you have cut it in two, you will have two rectangles of approximately 30x40 cm (do one at a time). The dough will be app 1 cm thick. Spread a nice thick layer of butter over the dough, dust with cinnamon (I use app 1 tablespoon per dough square) and sugar (I use app 1 dl or 1/3 cup per square).

Roll the dough on the long angle (so the roll is 40 cm long). Cut in pieces of 4 cm wide. Put each piece in a muffin case, cut side up, squish it a little to fit the case, and put on a baking tray, fairly close together (not squished). Leave to rest for 15 minutes. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes at 200 degrees celcius (392 degrees Fahrenheit the online converter tells me).