That one little action

Hubby's working late so I'm catching the bus. 

Step out in the rain runing my new shoes that I've only worn to work for the third time- I knew it was a bad idea to wear this today, why didn't I just listen to the voice in my heard that told me not to this morning. 

Our bus comes to a grinding halt at some point with the bus driver and a bunch of people looking out to the right yelling at someone. 

For some reason the bus moves forward,flies backwards then halts for the next 10. 

Turns out theres an accident and a cement truck is stuck on entrance to the bridge but our bus driver is adamant on getting across and now even if it means driving over the edge of the bridge. 

Well I'm not going to wait for the bus to fall into the sabeto river so I get off, in th rain, catch a ride to Lomolomo and wait for something to take me from there to Lautoka. 

There is no traffice coming from that side of the bridge. Twenty minutes later, we're still waiting when the police truck speeds by-real Fiji time. 

Another twenty minutes and the same bus comes and stops infront of us. 

The chinese in me starts arguing with the bus driver that he shouldn't charge me bus fare since I already paid him $2 from the other side of the bridge. Then why you giving me $3 he asks me, oh bloody hell...

He takes $2, I go sit down, the bus is gong through through viseisei village, great. 

We reach the bypass, the bus goes past FNU, the Big supermarket with the Ram in the front and then halts again. 

The bus driver looks to the back and tells everyone to get off and get on the bus in front. What?

Finally make it into Lautoka, get into a cab get home, pay the driver to drop the baby sitter home, walk up the stairs and close the door to realise that I had forgotten to pay her. right well...

Pick up the phone and call her number to tell her to come back and pick it up, I'll pay the extra cost only to have her phone answered by her mother demanding to know where her daughter is. 

I tell her she's just left but I forgot to pay her, we'll come down and drop it off only to have the phone slammed on me. okay!

By this time my little 3year old wants me to put him to sleep, I think I should take a shower first but then I look down at him..I was already late today so better not keep him waiting anymore. 

Climb into bed with him to put him to sleep. I look down at him tired and ask him if I can get a goodnight kiss.

He grabs me with his little arms and wraps himself around my neck, rubbing his little face up against mine. That one action threw everything, the bs ride, the babysitter, the old lady all out the window. Time had stood still and it was all about him now and only him

So Hilarious

Only Pacific Islanders can do it like this and get away with it

All that you've done for me

You're just amazing Lord and I just want to say thank you.

You always come through for us even though come through with be the wrong word to describe you because you're ever so faithful and you're magnificent.

Almighty maker of heaven and earth you never cease to blow us away with your faithfulness. 

Worthy is the lamb that was slain. Worthy is the king who conquered the grave.

This is amazing grace. This is the king of love.

You took my place and my cross father you did all that for me.

Thank you.

Dinner Surprise

Hubby surprised me with dinner again last nice.
Baigani lolo(eggplant in coconut milk with tinned corned beef )
It was to die for. So yummy, one of these days I really am gonna have to put on that canvas and go for that run.

Cut in long strips then fry eggplant separately
Cut and fry onions
Arrange in oven tray 
Pour coconut milk over 
Bake till eggplant is brown and crispy

Sick Boy

My little boy was sick all weekend. Started with the bad cough on Saturday which turned into fever for 15 hours...so scary...His body was so hot. I ended up having to put him in the shower to cool him down. Had to just fan him all night long because he didn't want to be sponged. So thankfully for God making Litty drop by at home and advise on the antibiotics to get him which totally worked by 5 am yesterday morning the fever left. I just wanted to be home to be sure he was definitely fine. He vomited out the flu last night which was just great. Thank you Lord for his healing. 

Lied today

I lied today. I'm not proud of it and I don't even know how it happened all I know was my mouth was moving and I could hear myself saying. OMG....how did I get this this place. oh father forgive me for I have sinned against you. Show me how I got here and help me move out of here to a better place. 

Log4net Update

Just mastered my first log for net code.
Very excited about it because it was literally easy once I found the right place to look.
Figuring our where to look was the worst thing because most urls provided by google only had the portion for adding to the app.config and not in the main code section.
This blog was the most useful : JustinRhinesmith.com on Log4net
All you gotta do is first download log4net package.
Save it somewhere and go to that saved location each time you want to add to your project.
Add the dll file in add reference section
Add the assembly in assembly.cs
Then add the log4net code to the app.config file.
I used the RollingAppender. Its most recommended because it keeps adding to the log file and you can set it to roll (create new) in minutes or in days.
Add using Log4net in the top using section
Then Add a static logger variable at the top of the class like this: private static readonly ILog log = LogManager.GetLogger(typeof(Program));
Now you can log anything and everything you want without worrying about halting your service.
To log do something like log.Info("Service has started"); depending on whether the information you want being logged is for your info or for warning or for debugging etc.
I had to install and uninstall my service a bunch of times before I could have it all working properly but that was mostly because of the eventlog I had initially had being created in my service install file.
Its alot easier to have manually install and until the service rather then doing a build install via visual studio mostly because the command prompt when installing gives thorough details of errors if they occur during installation which you can't figure out when installing via visual studio.
Now to find code on how to delete the logs after a number of days, yet to decide whether that will be 7 days or 15 days or the whole month.

Dinner surprise failure

Came home last night to find soup spewed all over the ceiling and floor.
Hubby's attempts to surprise me for dinner had failed because he had made the mistake of trying to use mummy's pressure cooker. I hit the room, mostly because I really was looking forward to his cooking after a long time. I guess I should have just explained to him that nobody can master mummy's pressure except mummy alone.

Update 15/4/2013
He made lamb neck and rourou for dinner and it was yummy yummy yummy...totally loved it and love him for making it. Too bad I forgot to pack it for lunch and the babysitter had finished the entire pot by the time we got back home.

Log4net Tutorials

I'm currently learning Log4net to add to my windows service for the logging portion. Resorting to learn this because when using the event log viewer if the the log file is full it completely halts my windows service. Luckily I found this out when I was testing out the performance enhancement changes I was doing to the service.
So I found a bunch of links on how to implement log4net. Some useful some completely useless. The download link itself was a nuisance. It turns out that everybody is more familiar with v2 1.2.10 which the website explains was an incubation version, had no idea what this was until I read on and to make matters worse there is very little to no documentation on v2 1.2.11. under log4net 1.2.11 you have the src.zip file. Don't download that. Complete waste of bandwidth. Download either the bin old key or new key depending on whether you have already used log4net before in your codes or if this is the first time. If this is the first time you are using log4net go ahead and download the bin new key zip file.
If you have used log4net before download the old key and read up on combining the old platform and merging with the new. Look up issues on 1.2.11 or 1.2.11 vs 1.2.10 you'll find clear instruction on stack overflow site, my favourite site for every time I get stuck in code.
This one's the best tutorial I found on how to learn log4net, easy as.

Log4Net Tutorial

 Now to find out how to enter my log details into a text file rather then console as in the tutorial. I got stuck a couple of times and had to redo both tutorial 1 and 2 all over again. Make sure to have the
[assembly: log4net.Config.XmlConfigurator(Watch = true)]  in your assembly.cs file also if you're using asp.net 4.0 then make sure that your project builds in .net framework 4.0 and 4.0 client

Shepherd's Pie last night

I really wish I had my camera to take pics of it.
It was deli -sh.
Fry Ground beef or mince as we call it in oil will onions and garlic and let brown
Boil potatoes separately and mash(no need for milk or butter due to cheese topping)
Once brown pour a few drops apple cider vinegar and let cook
When nearly ready pour can of tomatoes, mash tomatoes and mix into mince
When cooked spread over oven dish
Spread one layer of grated cheese on top
Spread mashed potatoes and top with more cheese
spread bread crumbs and top with diced celery.
Place into oven and leave until cheese is completely melted.
Cheesy but still healthy.
No need to be guilty about calories.

Lock and Key

This video made its way into my email and its such a good one. Love the analogy drawn between a custom in Germany and commitment in marriage. I'm locking and throwing away the key baby.
Lock and Key Video

Sonny Milestones

I was going through my baby center newsletters which mentioned milestones that I couldn't help documenting. Jaydon now counts to 14 then skips to 19 then 20, at this age; today just to get him to count to 3 is a big deal. My little boy is a genius and I want to put him in school. He can sing his ABC song so I'm trying to teach him about words that start with those letters but he already knows them most of the time trying to correct by saying no kite when I say kangaroo....genius. Dani said he was walking around the house yesterday going  "My name is Jaydon" amazing how fast this kid is growing.
He watches his favorite cartoons on YouTube. Tomorrow I am going to check on the kindergarten that Liti has Talei in. I was thinking to start with an hour everyday and see how we go from there. Mostly I'm worried because I know how he likes to hold his toilet and he might do that there being afraid to use their toilets.  I think it would be good for him to be around other kids. It would be even better for him to learn while at this age.

Mini Pancakes

Sometimes I have to get creative when it comes to food and Mr 3. So glad that kaki gave me that mini pancake maker. I can now make him pancakes just small enough for him. Just have to remember to decorate it abit more so he will eat more.
Found this recipe online that I tried and was yummy so am going to upsize it for when people come over for tea. Especially the chibibi squad.

1 1/4cup plain flour
1 1/2tsp baking powder
Mix together

1cup milk
2 tbs sugar
Mix with Egg yolk then beat into dry mixture above.
1 tbs oil stir in

2 egg whites
salt
Mix till fluffy then stir into batter above
Put into ketchup bottle
Wipe pan then pour into pan

The more the fluff the fluffier the pancake. When the batter is cooked the pancake will fluff up magically.
I failed that first time because I didn't read the recipe entirely and mixed everything one go. This made the pancake hard. Make sure separate the whites and the yolks and fluff up the whites.

Reading my blog

Looking through my blog stats I'm surprised to see people accessing from all over the world.
If you're reading my blog, please leave a comment.
I'm trying to analyse my blog traffic to see if it is enough for Google to give me money for it.
Please please please leave a comment.

Easy As cupcake Recipe

A friend of mine messaged me this recipe for Jaydon's birthday via facebook. I wanted to make owl oreo cupcakes but had no idea how to make cupcakes in the first place. Thank you Larisa, you saved the day.
Very mouthwatering it melts in your mouth.

2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup milk
125g butter, melted, cooled
2 x eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon Queen Natural Vanilla Essence
Sprinkles and lollies, to decorate
Icing
1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar
Pink food colouring, optional
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12 x 1/3-cup capacity muffin pan. Alternatively, line holes with paper cases. Combine flour and caster sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre.

Add milk, butter, eggs and vanilla to flour mixture. Using a large metal spoon, stir gently to combine.

Spoon mixture into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Make icing: Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add food colouring and water. Stir until smooth and well combined. Spoon icing over cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles and lollies.

Big Brother?

So you can now subscribe to receive reports from google on everything your gmail account did online this week from number of emails received and sent to number of google related products you have activated and used, number searches on youtube and watched along with your web history. Google also has a section where you can subscribe to how many times your name came up in searches and what were the results where all you appear online. Very big brother is watching like. Very shitty, very scary! yikes

Pork Mac & Cheese

After moving down to Lautoka my mac and cheese just couldn't seem to come out right. I remember making it in Suva and Jitoko loved it but when we moved here it became so pasty he probably wanted to throw it at me. Tried the mac and cheese last night with a little twist and wallah it came out perfect I packed it to bring to work for lunch this morning.

Follow the the same instructions in the box to make the mac i.e:

Boil 6 cups of water. 

Add mac

boil for 7-10 minutes or until the mac is soft.

Once the meat is ready add 1/2 cup butter (I only used quarter)

Add 1/4 cup milk

Don't add the cheese until everything else is ready.

Once the mac is ready add the cooked pork. 

This was so much nicer then the chicken but I think the bacon will also do. 

Stir through the mac

Make sure the pork is sliced very thinly, smaller then dice.

Fry then add the grated carrots, I started grating carrots so my son would eat them without making much of a fuss but I found the grated carrots really worked well with the mac and cheese because of the tiny size of the mac and the very thinly sliced pork.

Fry capsicum and and to mac and pork mix

Once everything is stirred nicely add the cheese and leave in oven for 5minutes or longer depending on how melted you prefer your cheese. 

Now that this was successful I intend to add mushrooms and broccoli or cauliflower depending on which one I can get my hands on. Wish I had my camera so that I could have taken pictures of it. We ate it with dalo and it was just delectable.

Prospective Ideas

I want to start my own business. Well actually I already have a business but I have yet to decide if I want o continue trading under the same name or I want to register my new ideas separately and how to expand, whether to remain in IT or branch out into clothing and accessories. Some of these ideas are so practical and so easy I think I could sell if not to friends then atleast on ebay. Just a matter of planning and putting things down into action. I have also gone through lesson 1 of the startup course I had been holding on to for so long. I did design my own dress after all and there is that lil itch at the back of my head to go back to designing things like these DIY jewellery and clothing ideas here. The first thing I'm gonna do when mum gets back is get her to teach me to sew. Later down the road I will purchase my own lil sewing machine and then try to persuade bin to buy from me. I could so do these:

http://www.fashiondivadesign.com/10-useful-diy-fashion-ideas/

For a Quarter

Got this in my email last week. I've gotten out of the habit of forwarding things but really wanted to share it because this really touched my heart.

Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change ..'

The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?' 

'Yes' he replied. 'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church.

When the preacher stepped off of  the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'

 Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test!

  

Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself  'Christian.'

 

Watch your thoughts ; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch   your actions; they become habits..

Watch your habits; they  become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your  destiny.

Found it

Spent a whole month trying to figure out what this song was because was only catching parts of it on the radio. Finally found it and am so in love love love with it. Now to find the ringback tone for my phone...

Dedicated to my baby...you're my mirror..I love you and miss you madly. Come home qickly