Even I wouldn't watch a Lara Bingle reality TV show. And that's saying something.

I love reality TV - when it's done properly and showcases entertaining people. But even I wouldn't sink as low as watching Lara Bingle in her own Kardashians-style reality TV show, as The Daily Telegraph is reporting today.

What is this talentless bimbo even famous for? Starring in a TV ad when she was 16, hooking up with an Aussie cricketer then dumping him, shagging a few D-List music and sporting stars and generally hanging around in Bondi thinking she's a fashion diva. From previous reports, she's dumb as a bag of rocks, can't act, is too short to model and is incapable of making it as a TV presenter because she can't remember a script or deliver lines. This doesn't leave much to work with if you want to make it in the entertainment industry. So logically, the next step is.... to star in a fly-on-the-wall show covering one's vacuous life.

There's a lot wrong with the world when girls like this think they can become famous for doing so little.

It was bad enough that she was wheeled out on the recent series of Australia's Next Top Model to mentor the model wannabes on "the perils of fame" and "dealing with the paparazzi". Here's a tip Lara: do something worthwhile with your life instead of chasing paparazzi and fame. Get a real job and pay your own way through life.

Daniel Craig recently gave an interview to GQ magazine about the rise of the talentless reality star who invites the public into their personal lives. As he so succinctly said:

"You can't buy it back - you can't buy your privacy back. Ooh I want to be alone. F*** you. We've been in your living room. We were at your birth. You filmed it for us and showed us the placenta and now you want some privacy?"

Bjork and a polar bear

Bjork just shared this picture on her Facebook page (become a fan to follow her musings).

I just love this image! Bjork can do no wrong.

My Shanghai: grocery shopping

One of the things that has taken a bit of getting used to since moving to Shanghai is grocery shopping. Unlike Australia, Singapore or the UK, there is no one-stop shop like Cold Storage, Woolworths or Sainsbury's. Here, you can spend HOURS and HOURS shopping for your groceries from a combination of sources. Fortunately, Shanghai is really, really into online shopping and home delivery. You could literally get one lemon delivered to your door. If you were really lazy, that is!

So here is my shopping hit list:

Fields - For some reason I avoided using Fields for a long time. But recently they have improved their delivery times. For example, if you order before midday, you can have delivery between 4 and 6pm; if you order the night before, you can have a delivery between 9am and midday. And I'm sure their prices have dropped slightly. Their fresh fruit and veggies are great quality - and most of it is organic. As is their meat. I've not tried their seafood, but will do at some stage. I find their website very easy to navigate, so this is now my main go-to place for a weekly shop of fresh goodies.

Feidan - this is my closest shop (left) within walking distance that I can pop into for import goodies. Perfect for milk, cheese, yoghurt, wine, cereal - whatever I've run out of, really. And best of all, they stock the Financial Times weekend paper (from 5pm on Saturdays). And they will home deliver if you spend over 200 kuai.

City Shop - I usually shop regularly at two of their branches - the Shanghai Centre on Nanjing Xi Lu or Huahai Lu (near Shanxi Nan Lu, downstairs from Sephora). You can also order online, however it's actually quicker to pop in and do a shop yourself and pay at the checkout as they will then deliver it within an hour or two. They stock loads of imported brands and have a decent selection of fresh fruit & veggies and sometimes meat and salmon. Remember to check the prices before buying. This place can add up!

The Avocado Lady - I don't know what this lady's real name is, but she's known around town by this moniker and it has stuck. She has a fruit & veggie stall on Wulumuqi Lu (about 10 mins walk from my place) and always has a queue of laowai (expats) and locals running out the door. She stocks more than just fruit and veg; she also sells imported cereals, wine, olive oils, olives, sardines, anchovies, capers, muesli, tinned chick peas and a good selection of fresh nuts and herbs. She also has a fridge full of cheeses that you can buy by weight. Best of all: she is CHEAP! And she's honest to boot. She'll often throw in free herbs with my veggies. And if she thinks the raspberries aren't going to last well, she'll tell me to eat them that day or not bother buying. A smart lady. And she almost always has avocadoes in stock.

Dia - is located directly opposite The Avocado Lady on Wulumuqi Lu. Apparently it's a cheap chain run by Carrefour (but don't quote me on that). It's good for stocking up on essentials like toilet paper, soap, shampoos and the like as their prices are considerably cheaper than the import-heavy supermarkets like City Shop and Feidan. I give their "fresh" fruit and veggies a wide berth as they look like about as fresh as Lindsay Lohan after a night on the tiles. They don't do delivery (or if they do, I can't figure it out), so bring your own bags and muscles for the walk home.

Baker & Spice - this is my favourite bakery. It's on Anfu Lu, just a hop, skip and a jump from Feidan. I absolutely adore their baguettes and mixed olive sourdough bread. And I'm quite partial to their zucchini and carrot cupcake, jam doughnuts and raspberry/chocolate tart. Oh and their lemon meringue tart and pain au chocolat. And their parma ham and rocket panini. You get the drift. It's all good. There's always a queue here. You can eat at the big communal table (or out on the footpath on a stool - no tables) but I prefer to take-away and avoid the crowds.

Sunflour - this bakery (left) only opened recently (at the Wukang Lu end of Anfu Lu). Their croissants and pain au chocolate are better than Baker & Spice and definitely worth trying, as are their cakes, particularly their chocolate mousse cake. I've not tried their bread, bagels or pretzels yet, but am sure they are delicious. It's nice to see B&S with some competition. It can only be a good thing for the consumer.

Marks & Spencer - I really got into M&S when I was living in Singapore, mostly for their frozen foods  particularly their quiches, curries, fish, sea scallops and pasta (I love their spinach and ricotta ravioli). We pretty much stock up here at least once a fortnight and fill our freezer for easy mid-week meals (for those nights you don't really feel like cooking from scratch). I also throw pasta sauces, tea bags, canned soups and biscuits into the trolley. And don't forget to stock up on their wine. If you buy six bottles, you get a discount. The store is located on busy Nanjing Xi Lu but there's a metro station next door - or you can get taxis fairly easy at the front door (but avoid rush hour).

Ikea - it might sound odd, but I visit this Swedish furniture store to stock up on their food. It's only two metro stops from my place and they have some great products: crispbreads, condiments, cordial, salmon, chocolate and their famous Swedish meatballs.

Carrefour - if you have a death wish, you can shop at this big French supermarket chain. Prices are cheaper but you have to get yourself to Gubei (about a 25-minute taxi ride from my place) then battle crowds, hideous muzak, more crowds and yet more crowds. But if you want to buy wine, toilet paper, a live fish, a duvet, a billboard-size TV and an electric scooter, you can do it all under one roof. They also have a good selection of organic veggies and their wine selection is vast. But there's a catch: there's no dedicated taxi queue. Good luck finding a taxi and battling the crowds on the footpath while wrestling with your heavy shopping bags. You can also shop online, but the site is clunky, takes hours to navigate and then when you do press "buy", a message appears: "we'll deliver sometime in the next three days. Cash on delivery". So you're then house-bound for three days waiting for the delivery. Burned once and never again.

GL Japan Plaza - this is a new supermarket to my repertoire. Located in Xintiandi, it's a basement-level Japanese supermarket chock full of imported goodies, fresh meats, fruit & veggies, a bakery and sushi counter. The prices are good (particularly with a member card) and the experience is entirely pleasant as the shop is clean, easily laid-out and spacious. I've never encountered any crowds here and it's never a problem to get a taxi on the street. If I'm down Xintiandi way, it's an easy supermarket to pop into.

Wet markets - I do know that some of my friends shop here for their fresh veggies - and some meat. I don't. Since falling pregnant I am extra careful about what I buy and where. Mostly because of pesticides and health standards. Prices are much, much cheaper, but for me, it's not worth the risk. Particularly when I see meat that's been sitting out for hours and from dubious origins. My Chinese teacher once said to me: "We Chinese believe that every food is poisoned, so we just eat a little bit of everything rather than a lot of one thing. Just in case." 'Nuff said.

Things to remember when grocery shopping in Shanghai:

1. Cash is king. With all home deliveries, you will need to have cash for the delivery driver. Some places accept PayPal (for example, Fields) but most don't. So you always need to have a cash supply handy.

2. Meat comes frozen. If you want to cook dinner tonight with the meat you're having delivered at 4pm, think again. It will be frozen. Plan ahead.

3. Not everything is in stock. Most places will give you a heads-up phone call if something you've ordered online is not in stock. But if they ring me at 3:55 for a 4pm delivery and I placed the order at 9am, they can expect me to be annoyed. More often than not if I get suitably outraged, the item magically appears at 4pm.

My Shanghai: favourite weekend afternoon pub

One of our favourite spots to hang for a few hours on a weekend afternoon is Boxing Cat Brewery. They have a couple of locations in Shanghai, but we prefer the one nearest to our place on Fuxing Xi Lu, near Yongfu Lu. In the warmer months, it's lovely to sit outside on the terrace. But in winter, it's just as lovely inside, either at the bar or nearer to the fireplace.

They have their own beer on tap, but really, it's the food we love - Southern comfort food. Think sweet potato fries, pulled pork sandwiches, grits, biscuits and gravy. I cannot call myself an expert in this style of cooking, however I can tell you, I love Boxing Cat's menu, particularly their snack menu. We often pop in here for a late lunch/afternoon snack or with friends if we've done a bit of a mini pub crawl in the area. Top of the list: "Fists of Fury". Chicken wings with an incredibly spicy sauce. And by spicy, I mean lip-burning spicy. I can usually only manage about three wings before my lips fall off. But it's worth the pain.

Boxing Cat Brewery
82 Fuxing Xi Lu (near Yongfu Lu)
复兴路82号, 近永福路

Cooking at home: pesto eggs; Moroccan cottage pie, spicy cauliflower, fish tacos and apple crumble

The combination of cooler weather and my growing bump has led to me being a major nesting mode lately. As a result, I've really been enjoying cooking at home more.  I've been ordering up a bunch of fresh veggies each Monday so I can have a stocked fridge to inspire me.

First up: Sunday brekky. Usually I have my eggs poached, but I couldn't be bothered with the faffing about, so I opted to just fry them up. I popped some sourdough bread in the toaster, squeezed some fresh orange juice and cut up some organic tomatoes and topped with some basil pesto I'd made the day before. (I also put some on the toast under the eggs). It was all on the table in less than five minutes.

Home-made pesto is super easy. A bunch of basil, a handful of parmesan, a handful of pine nuts, olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Whizz it all up in a food processor and give it a taste and adjust if you need. It keeps for days in the fridge, or you can freeze it. I have it for lunch with wholewheat pasta (I just drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil through it to lube it up a bit more and shave some fresh parmesan on top, and toasted pine nuts if I can be bothered). It's a good way of using up leftover herbs and nuts. You can also substitute coriander for basil (hold the parmesan) or macadamia nuts for pine nuts. Have it as a dip or a pasta sauce or a spread. Whatever you fancy, really.

Second up: mid-week dinner. I've been trying to eat less meat lately, however it hasn't gone down too well with my meat-loving husband. I came across this recipe in one of my cookbooks and thought I'd give it a go. It was super tasty! And a really easy recipe. Perfect comfort food. And I loved that we had our own individual portions. I actually froze half of the mince. So next time, I'll just heat it up and make some fresh mash. In fact, next time I might even double the recipe and freeze three batches. It's that good.

Moroccan Cottage Pie

Adapted from "Delicious: Quick Smart Cook" by Valli Little

Serves 4-6 (in one big dish, or small individual dishes)

For the pie

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

650g lamb mince

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground turmeric

2tbs tomato paste

150ml red wine

150ml beef stock

½ cup roughly chopped pitted green olives

1/3 cup chopped mint leaves, plus small leaves to garnish

For the mash

2 extra-large potatoes, peeled and chopped

knob of butter

dash of milk (or ½ cup sour cream or crème fraiche)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the lamb mince and cook, stirring, for 5-6 minutes until browned. Add the dry spices, reserving 1 tsp turmeric for the potato mash) and the tomato paste and cook for a further minute. Add the wine and stock, bring to a simmer, then decrease heat to low and cook for 15-18 minutes until the meat is cooked and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the olives and mint. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish (or small individual dishes) and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the potato and remaining turmeric in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain well, then mash well. Season with salt and pepper, stir in butter and milk. Spread the mashed potato over the mince, and garnish with mint leaves.

I'd also bookmarked a recipe a while back on a food blog I read regularly, but I'd never got around to actually cooking it. I was looking for a side dish to the cottage pie that would complement the flavours but also add some veggies to the equation. Enter: Spicy Cauliflower.

I modified it a bit as I didn't have all the ingredients to hand, but it didn't matter. Even without the sesame seeds and jalapenos, it was a winner. I'll give it a go with those ingredients next time, but for my money, it actually didn't need it. What's more: the dish was even better when I ate the leftovers cold a few days later for lunch.

Spicy Cauliflower Recipe
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


1 teaspoon cumin seeds


1 big yellow onion, finely sliced


A pinch of turmeric


Sea salt

1 medium cauliflower, thinly sliced

4 dried red chilies, stemmed and halved


1 garlic clove, grated

4 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated


2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds and cook until they begin to crackle, just 30 seconds or so. Stir in the onions, along with the turmeric and a few pinches of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions caramelize a bit and turn lightly golden, roughly 7 - 10 minutes. Add the red chilies, garlic and half of the ginger. Continue to cook for another minute. Add the cauliflower and stir well. Cover the pan and cook the cauliflower over low-medium heat for 3 - 5 minutes, until just tender. (I added some water to the pan here to hurry along the steaming of the cauliflower). When the cauliflower is nearly cooked, remove the lid, increase the heat, and stir in the remaining ginger. Salt to taste, sprinkle with cilantro and enjoy.

Weekend dinner: Fish tacos!  I had some frozen cod fillets in the freezer and some tortillas that needed using up, when I remembered a recipe I'd bookmarked a while back. It's from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook (ugh Gwyneth!) and was a pretty great recipe. I actually made the fish two ways. One following her recipe (beer battered and fried - kinda surprising for health nut Gwyneth) and another more healthy choice (marinated in lime juice and coriander, then grilled).

The picture above is of the beer battered version. It was pretty fantastic. I followed the recipe pretty faithfully. You can read it here. I've made pico de gallo and guacamole before (I add chopped red chilli and lemon juice to mine) but I've never made salted cabbage. It was so easy and really very, very tasty. It definitely added a new element to the dish.

Lastly: dessert!  I have never really had a sweet tooth, but my pregnancy seems to have brought out the dessert lover in me. I had bought some fresh green apples and had not used these cute little single-serve ovenproof dishes we'd bought. Hey presto: apple crumble. 

I used this recipe as inspiration but I don't measure anything and substitute rolled oats instead of flour for the topping. I find it tastier - and I think it's healthier? Minus the two scoops of ice-cream! Whoops. But what's crumble without vanilla ice-cream? The dish I used fitted one green apple perfectly. You could of course make a bigger crumble in a bigger dish, but I like having my own plate!

Apple Crumble

Adapted from BBC Food

For the crumble

Rolled oats

A little bit of plain flour

Some brown sugar

Knob of unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature

For the filling

1 green apple (per head), peeled, cored and cut into 1cm pieces

Handful of brown sugar

Handful of plain flour

1 pinch of ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the rolled oats, flour and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Taking a few cubes of butter at a time, rub into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Place the fruit in a bowl and sprinkle over the sugar, flour and cinnamon. Stir well being careful not to break up the fruit. Spoon the fruit mixture into the bottom, then sprinkle the crumble mixture on top. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the crumble is browned and the fruit mixture bubbling. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.

5 DVD box sets you need to own. Or at least rent.

1. Friday Night Lights - we have just finished watching all five seasons of this show. And by watching, I mean devouring! We couldn't get enough of it. The premise is simple: follow the lives of a high school football team in a small town in Texas. But the execution is complex: strong scriptwriting, great acting and directing, shot on location with three cameras and no marks, no rehearsals. You don't need to like or understand American football to like this show. It's all about the characters. And you'll be talking like a Texan in no time, "y'all".

2. The Wire - another show that was seriously overlooked by audiences and award shows during its five seasons on air. Set in the crime-addled streets of Baltimore, the show follows both sides: the drug gangs and the police. Every season is fantastic. The acting and scriptwriting is incredible. And you'll be talking like a Baltimore drug dealer in no time, "a'ight".

3. Sex and the City - this show was groundbreaking in its day and it still stands the test of time. This is like having coffee with a girlfriend. I've seen every episode at least five times, maybe more. It never gets old.

4. Breaking Bad - this show is still on air so you can only buy the first four seasons. The fifth and final season returns next year. Set in Albequerque, New Mexico, it follows the exploits of Walter White, a former high school science teacher turned terminal cancer patient turned crystal meth dealer. It's a drama but with darkly comic undertones. The acting across the board is superb.

5. Mad Men - another show still on the air, but if you haven't already, you must catch up with the first seasons. Set in New York's advertising industry in the late 1950s and 1960s, the central character is one Don Draper, a character you should hate but can't help but be captivated by. But Mad Men is more than just Don Draper: the acting from all cast members is killer. As is the scriptwriting.

What else is on your list? I need a new season to get into. Am thinking In Treatment or Sons of Anarchy. I also need to go back and get into a few shows I completely missed the first time around, The West Wing, The Sopranos and Six Feet Under.  So many series, so little time...

The sexiest man alive? He's wearing a cardigan!!

I'm liking the choice of Bradley Cooper as People's "Sexiest Man Alive". But I'm not loving their choice of cover image. He doesn't look sexy at all. Bad angle, bad outfit. Daggy grey cardigan.

My Shanghai: home sweet home

Home is my sanctuary. This apartment has a different feel to anywhere we've ever lived - and I loved it the second I saw it. Apparently the block is only a decade old, but it's been built to look "grand" and "Parisian" with art deco light fixtures, polished floors and detailed mouldings. Unlike a lot of expats, we don't like furnished apartments and prefer to move with a shipping container of everything we own. Having your own things around you makes a rental property feel like a home instantly, particularly when you're living overseas. I love the juxtaposition of the art deco feel of the apartment and our retro, modern furniture.

Our Banksy artwork leads the way to our Eames rocker (from Living Edge Sydney)...

We have one huge living/dining room where I spend most days. It overlooks a beautiful tree-lined street and the floor-to-ceiling windows let in a lot of light. I particularly love the polished floors, although I popped a wool rug in the living room part of the room to make it more cosy. We had the dining table made to order here in Shanghai through Elm Workshop. It's solid walnut and I am totally in love with it. The white side table is a huge piece of lego that I bought in Singapore at Trolley for my husband's birthday last year. He LOVES Lego and when I saw it, I had to have it. 

The artwork is called "Assault Lolly" and is a limited edition print from Jamie Hewlett (best known for Gorillaz and Tank Girl) that we picked up at Outre Gallery in Sydney. We bought the 1950s sideboard from Penny Arcade in Sydney's Surry Hills and our sofa from King Furniture in Sydney. 

We bought these book cases in Shanghai at Casa Casa on Anfu Lu. They're from a designer called Sean Yoo and are actually made from polypropolene, so they're light as a feather. I can pick them up with one hand (when they're empty!). I had seen them in the shop and fell in love with them. A few days later I took my husband to the same shop to see what he liked. He picked them out instantly. Sold! Because they're a modular design, we'll be able to repurpose them easily in any of our future homes as room dividers or separate shelves. 

I've popped a few of our favourite things on top: (from left to right) our pet pig from Casa Pagoda on Taikang Lu (I'm obsessed with pig ornaments lately and this is the first of my collection); a Kozyndan "Uprising" print (from Outre Gallery in Sydney); a bakelite phone that I tracked down years ago on eBay as a present for my husband's 30th birthday; a watercolour original painting of my old neighbourhood Woollahra in Sydney by my beautiful friend, the talented Erin O'Connor, Kozyndan "Taka on Acid" print (again, from Outre Gallery), a red wooden doll we picked up on travels in Takayama, Japan; a red vase I bought for $5 from the Bondi markets about eight years ago; and my bone china high top sneakers from Have You Met Miss Jones, owned by my fabulous friend JJ.

Another collection of much-loved items: a wedding present from my Pop - it's his father's (my great-grandfather's) railway light from when he was the station master at Corinda Railway Station in Brisbane in the early 1900s; an original Kozyndan etching (from Outre Gallery) ; a globe/paperweight we picked up in Tokyo last year (at Barneys New York); and some art books from various travels.

 I absolutely love our bedroom, particularly the two windows which let in such gorgeous light. We splashed out on a new king-size bed (a long-held dream!!) when we moved to Shanghai and I bought a mattress from Slumbermaxx which is soooo comfy to sleep on. My husband has been wanting a dark brown leather armchair for years and years. Finally, he spotted what he wanted this year and after about ten trips back and forth, he finally bought it. It's from Little Dragon on Changle Lu. And it's mega comfortable. The perfect reading chair.

Our guest bedroom has seen lots of visitors this year. I'm sure they're not just visiting us but really coming to see this beautiful bed runner that my Mum made for me about seven or so years ago. She knew I loved Japanese fabrics, so she hunted down this gorgeous vintage kimono silk. She was a wonderful quilter and this is just one of the few that she made for me. Although she said this one gave her grey hairs! Apparently the silk was very temperamental. It's something I will treasure always.

And this is a pic of what it looked like BEFORE we moved in (with the landlord's furniture). It's a bit too formal, right?!

Bump watch: week 24

I'm now six months pregnant. The second trimester has been really very enjoyable. I can't really complain about my first trimester all that much either if I'm really honest. I was fortunate enough to avoid morning sickness but did have incredible fatigue. So much so that I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and put on a small dose of medication. Thankfully, by week 13, my fatigue lifted, to be replaced by a daily headache. But nothing too bad. Just annoying really.

Week 13 to week 19 is a strange time. You're not really showing all that much and all the pregnancy symptoms disappear. As a result, you're left wondering: am I really pregnant? So the week 20 ultrasound was a godsend. Hearing the heartbeat is the best thing. It calmed all my nerves and confirmed that yes, there is a baby in there. And then my bump started to grow!

Now that I'm at week 24, I definitely look and feel pregnant. I am loving my weekly pre-natal yoga and aqua aerobics classes. I'm enjoying reading up on birth (am particularly loving the practical tips in Juju Sundin's book "Birth Skills") and stocking the nursery. The weather is changing up a bit here so I can really wear comfy clothes and throw a coat, boots and scarf on and look more dressed up than I really am! I'm getting some pain in my tailbone that can be pretty damn painful and annoying. Seems my baby is pressing on a sciatic nerve.

But all in all, I can't complain. I love being pregnant. I love having a bump. I love imagining what I'm going to have. Will it be a boy? Will it be a girl? What colour hair will it have? What colour eyes? Will it have my husband's cute dimple? So much anticipation and excitement. Change is a-coming!

Step by Step: roasted vegie salad

I'm loving my organic vegies lately. They're just so damn tasty. And they're good for my growing baby. Best of all: they really don't require all that much work to deliver a tasty meal. Here's an idea for a quick lunch/dinner.


STEP ONE ("We can have lots of fun!" Go NKOTB)
Pre-heat the oven to about 180°C. Chop up the vegetables roughly (this will take about five minutes, tops). I've used pumpkin, red onion, zucchini, carrots and whole garlic pieces, but you can use whatever you like. Normally I leave the pumpkin skin on, but today the skin was a bit too dirty so I chopped it off. A bit of a shame as I love when the skin caramelises.

STEP TWO ("There's so much we can do!" Ok I'm going to stop)
Pop the vegies into a roasting tray. Cover with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper and some freshly-chopped rosemary. Pop in the oven for about 30 mins. Walk away. (See, easy.)

STEP THREE ("It's just you and meeee..." Sorry couldn't help it)
Pop the vegies into a bowl or on a plate, then drizzle with a salad dressing (I used a mix of dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil - all shook up) and scatter with fresh parsley, sea salt and pepper.

Yum, yum and yum. And healthy to boot.

And for those who have no idea who or what NKOTB is, here's a flashback (go to 2:45). You could play this while you're chopping your vegies! Dance moves and bad fashion are optional.

A cracking new music video from The Black Keys

I love The Black Keys. And I love this video! Check it out.

How can that not make you dance?!

I can't wait for their new album El Camino, which hits stores on December 6. I'm ready for a new album after flogging their 2010 release Brothers for the last year. If you've not got into them before, you'll love this Ohio rock duo for their mix of blues and indie rock.

My Top 10 Tips for Tokyo

I am just back from a week's break in the Japanese capital. I visited for the first time last year, so it was lovely to go back again. I felt I knew the subway system, the areas I liked, the places I wanted to re-visit and the food I wanted to eat again. I do love visiting new places but there's something comforting and less stressful about already knowing the ropes. You can relax a little and just go with the flow. And being almost six months pregnant, I was craving a bit of a slower pace.

So, here are my Top 10 Tips for Tokyo:

1. Invest in a Suica/Pasmo travel card. Taxis are expensive but the subway and JR railway system is exhaustive, super clean and super efficient. Last year we had a Japan Rail Pass as we were visiting other parts of Japan. This entitles you to travel on the JR line. This year, we were sticking to Tokyo, so I just used the Tokyo subway system and my Suica pass. You can top it up as you need and swipe in and out at the barriers.

2. Bring your appetite. Tokyo is my idea of food heaven. I love love love Japanese food. I technically couldn't eat sushi or sashimi on this trip, although I did slip on one occasion. (They killed the fish in front of me -- you can't get fresher than that!) But there are plenty of other options than raw seafood. Tempura, yakitori, ramen, tonkatsu, takoyaki. Get in there.

3. Keep your eyes peeled. For me, Tokyo's street life is one of its most interesting attractions. I just love all the fashions you see on the street. On one train carriage you can see a suited businessman next to a Harajuku girl sitting beside a lady in a kimono, a hip teenager and an older woman in Issey Miyake. I just love the diversity.

4. Get used to wacky addresses. One of the most difficult things about navigating this city is that addresses are written in a far different way to what we may be used to. See this video for an understanding:

I find it best to do a little bit of homework before I hit the city for the day. You certainly don't want to walk around with a map and a Lonely Planet guide and look like a tourist! Be cool. I have an idea of where I'd like to eat or shop and I look up online for some specific directions on how to get to that place (what subway exit to use, how far I should walk, landmarks, etc). A good site for foodies to bookmark is http://www.bento.com. You can search by area or cuisine and they handily provide maps and pictures of the exteriors of restaurants. It's a lifesaver. Sometimes I make reservations (get your hotel concierge to do this), sometimes I don't.

5. Just do it. See what I said about doing research in point 4. Well, sometimes you need to just throw caution to the wind. If you see a restaurant or eatery that looks good and has a menu and a vibe that appeals, don't think twice. Walk in, ask for a table and get eating.

6. Lower your expectations on hotel room size. Japan doesn't have much land. Therefore their hotel rooms are small. And by small, I mean tiny. Last year we stayed in Shinjuku (see here) and our room was compact but reasonable. This year, we stayed in Ginza (see here - and don't let the pictures fool you!). I swear if we swung a cat in that room, it would have been black and blue and bruised all over. We seriously couldn't even open our carry-on suitcases. It was tight. But it was clean and in a fabulous location. If you want to enjoy your hotel room, you will need to pay more. A lot more. But if you want to explore the city during the day and simply sleep at night, be prepared to sacrifice space.

7. Explore as many different areas as possible. Tokyo's neighbourhoods all have their own flavour. Shibuya is loud, fast and in-your-face, Harajuku is quirky, Ometasando is fashionable and busy, Aoyama is quiet and chic, Ginza is stylish, Naka-Meguro is chilled, Akasaka is easy to navigate with an appetite, Ebisu will quench your thirst and Maranouchi is upscale and refined.

8. Indulge in some culture. And not just pop culture. My favourites: Nezu Museum in Aoyama (as much for their beautiful gardens as their exhibitions) and Mori Tower in Roppongi for the Art Museum and Observation Tower.

9. Allow an hour or more to get to or from the airport. This time we caught both methods of public transport from Narita airport - we caught an airport limousine bus directly to our hotel and on the return journey, we caught the NEX express train. Both are good. But I prefer the limo bus as there's less mucking around with bags, escalators and stairs.

10. Bring your wallet. Tokyo is expensive!

Next time, I'll post all the details about where we ate.

Gotta love the UK tabloids for their attention-grabbing headlines

This one from The Daily Mail particularly made me chuckle.

Yikes. Donatella has to know she looks BAD. Right?

Check out this pic of Donatella Versace with Jennifer Lopez at the Glamour Awards in New York last night. That is one scary face. It's seriously getting worse. I didn't think it was possible. Are we sure she's not really Miss Piggy? The Muppets think so.

This is what she looked like before she slammed a frying pan in her face.

RIP Heavy D

Sad news. Heavy D died overnight in LA.  He was only 44.

I absolutely LOOOOOVED his song "Now That We Found Love" so much when it was on the charts. Well, it was 1991 and I was 14.

I just re-watched this video and so many memories came rushing back. Mainly about how I thought I knew the lyrics at the time. Obviously not! I just looked them up. Check them out in full here. Man, they're hilarious. And clearly I had no idea what I was singing about. The opening lyrics should have given me an idea:

One two, tell me what you got

Let me slip my quarters inside your slot to hit the jackpot

Rev me up rev me up

My little buttercup

We can tug sheets snuggle up and get stuck

RIP Heavy D. Thanks for the memories.

Whoopsie, I got divorced

I just watched this hilarious skit from Saturday Night Live about the Kardashian divorce. It's so perfect. I almost cried when Bruce Jenner appeared.

An interesting article on Shanghai

Australian financial journalist Alan Kohler recently travelled to Shanghai and shared his views on the city and the growth of China.

He has made some acute "newcomer" observations. Namely:
- Taxis don't have seatbelts and Shanghai's freeways can be a white-knuckle ride
- At one end of a street you will find touts and beggars. At the other end you will find Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton
- There is a massive domestic internal migration movement happening in China
- "1.3 billion people are getting themselves organised very quickly, making it up as they go along – building cities, setting up rules, making mistakes, and most of all making an awful lot of money."
- "How often do you get to witness the creation of a modern society from the ground up?"


I also found the reader comments to be just as interesting. There were some informed comments from recent residents of Shanghai:


"It is a fascinating and completely contradictory place to live - the divide between the old and new, East and West, Confucianism and Capitalism, and the rural and urban areas means that it is a city in a constant state of growth and flux. And development occurs at an astonishing pace. Near our apartment in downtown Shanghai, I spotted some shops that were being completely gutted. The next day they were being rebuilt and finished and by the end of the week they were open for business. Kohler captured the energy and contradictory nature of Shanghai very well."


"If you have visited Shanghai, you have not visited China. It is like going to LA and declaring you have visited the USA. China has 400 million desparately poor. For those who decide to try their luck in Shanghai, life to tough; really tough. Collecting rubbish to recycle cardboard and plastic bottles is much more common for these internal migrant workers, than providing massages to well-healed tourists. Many resort to crime, the grey economy or return home, penniless and broken. Whilst Shanghai may be thriving, its focus on commerce hides detention without trial and extreme media censorship. Corruption is endemic."

"If you would like to find out what life is like in China, hire a translator and sit down with the guy squirting stuff on your shoes, the pizza delivery boys, or the people cleaning your friends houses."

Mostly I was a little surprised at the level of negativity from some of the commentators - many who've never stepped foot in China. For example:

- "Shanghai is today what it was during colonial and imperialist days: a testament to greed."

- "Shanghai is a polluted city with no rest, little equality and no natural environment."

- "you say "interesting place this china" Well remember the old chinese curse, may you live in interesting times. In this case .... may you live in interesting places. I'm glad i'm in oz and not china."

- "Makes me realise how lucky I am to live in Australia. And that's where I shall stay."

These last comments are disappointing. I am the first to admit that I live in a bit of an "expat bubble". However, it troubles me that so many people jump to conclusions from afar without any experience of visiting, let alone living, in China. It's easy to say, "I'm glad I live in Oz", but it's also rather blinkered. There's a whole world outside our doors.