What to Wear for a Night in the Casino

Casinos can be dressy places. Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to pick the right outfit. The right outfit will ultimately depend on the Casino itself. For example the bustling atmosphere of a big city establishment will be vastly different to the laid-back atmosphere of a sleepy island town Casino so be sure to do your research first. Many Casinos will have dress codes so plan ahead if you want to make it through the front door!

And now we come to the question of style.

If you really want to make an impression, you can go old school. Think enchanting: James Bond tuxedos, plunging evening gowns and dangerously high heels. This is wonderful in theory, but the idea of tripping over an evening dress and teetering on stilettos does not, in my opinion, make for a good night out.

Conversely, you can go for a more modern approach. This can be anything from tight chic pants and a slinky top to a light summery dress. Personally, I’d go for the more modern approach, mainly due to the comfort factor. When it comes to slinky tops I prefer sparkles. The more sparkles, the better. Who knows, perhaps they’re lucky as well!

Nevertheless, there are some dos and don’ts when choosing the perfect outfit.

Dos:
Be comfortable!
If you’re going to be on your feet wandering from table to table, wear sensible footwear. This doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing heel height, but test out your shoes to make sure they’ll go the distance.

Don’ts:
Fussy necklines and tops that are tight at the shoulders. If you’re going to be reaching down, counting chips, holding cards and throwing dice, then you need good range of movement in the shoulder area. Go for off the shoulder or sleeveless when it comes to tops.

Black seems to be the preferred choice when it comes to dresses but don’t be afraid to change it it up a little. Black can be a little boring on its own.

The main thing is to be comfortable. If you are having trouble to decide what to wear, you can always play casino online, where you don't have to check the dress codes, and most of all, you can have fun! You will get a great gaming experience and you will find even more games than in a real casino.

Pick of the Day - Zara Two-In-One Casual Knitted Top

Zara Two-In-One Casual Knitted Top

This top from Zara looks warm but sleek, perfect for winter.  It's sold as a casual top, and this may be the case if you pair it with jeans, however this top can easily be dressed up with a pair of slacks or skirt for a more formal approach.  Love this top and I will be stalking it relentlessly.

10 Smoothie Recipes and Green Smoothie Heaven - Magic Bullet

My late night infomercial watching has finally paid off.  I bought the Magic Bullet.

I normally don't watch infomercials unless I want a bit of a laugh.  Well, this Magic Bullet thing made me giggle, but it also made me think, hmmm... maybe I could use one of these things...

So I got it:

Magic Bullet Smoothie Maker

How to use the Smoothie Maker:

Tips to remember -

• Leave 5 or more cm from the top with nothing, not even liquid in it.  
• Make sure the lid is firmly secured
• Blend in quick bursts until desired consistency is reached
• Buy fruit and vegies in bulk, then cut up and freeze in individual Glad bags

For example, I bought an entire pineapple last week (one of those ones that has been cut and cored already).  I cut it up into little wedges (about a couple of cm wide), and froze in batches in individual Glad bags.  Whenever I want a pineapple in my smoothie, I just grab a bag and empty it in the blender.
Another good idea is to buy bunches of grapes, wash them and freeze in small amounts.  You can be creative and do what I did, freeze 5 grapes, a few pieces of pineapple, some papaya and a bit of banana in the same freezer bag.  That way you have a ready-made smoothie whenever you want it.


Ziplock Freezer Bags - your new best friend

LJP's Smoothie Recipes


Green Zinger

Little bunch of spinach
A bunch of pea sprouts, cut into sections
Some small cuts of ginger (
5 small pieces of fresh pineapple
5 red grapes
Coconut water

Blend.

This is a tasty, mild green smoothie.  The ginger and pineapple give it a tropical feel.



Red Papaya Slurpee

Large handful of frozen red papaya (bought fresh, then bagged in Glad ziplock bags)
Coconut water

Blend.

You will find that this recipe creates a smoothie with the exact consistency of a 711 Slurpee, without all the sugar and caffeine.


Pine-Green Smoothie

Little bunch of spinach
Large handful of pineapple
5 small cuts of ginger

Blend.

This one is simple, but tasty and healthy as well.



The following recipes are a guide for making smoothies that taste good and make you feel even better.   Don't use all the ingredients listed, there are far too many.
Instead, choose 2 - 5 ideas from the list (or as many or few as you need!) and mix and match.

Enjoy!


Mix & Match Smoothies

Adrenal Support
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Ginger
Sprouts
Leafy greens (eg. celery, Spinach, lettuce, parsley, coriander)
Almonds and / or pumpkin seeds / cashews / brazil nuts / pecans
Papaya or dark cherries
Banana
Raw cacao powder
Red and orange vegetables
Flax seeds
Coconut water or water
Or... Almond milk
Pinch of Celtic sea salt


Weight Loss
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Celery
Grapefruit
Tomato
Chilli
Asparagus
Spinach
Lettuce
Cherries
Grapes
Pears
Cucumber
Lemongrass
Ginger
Unsalted pistachios or sunflower seeds
Papaya
Coconut water or water
Organic coconut oil


Immunity Boost
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Garlic
Potato (organic)
Banana
Ginger
Brazil nuts
Sunflower seeds
Coconut water or water


Metabolism Boost
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Almonds
Grapefruit
Whey protein
Avocado
Chilli
Coconut water or water

Vitality AntiOx Shake
Blueberries
Dried Cranberries
Prunes
Strawberries
Cherries
Papaya
Brazil nuts / sunflower seeds / Pecans
Raw Cacao
Coconut water or water


Digestive Enzyme Booster
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Avocado
Papya
Yogurt
Fresh pineapple
Peaches
Green or red capsicum
Coconut water or water


Skin Glow Shake
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Cucumber
Celery
Avocado
Tomato / Red Capsicum / Red Chilli
Spinach
Berries
Carrot
Papaya
Apricot
Coconut water or water


Green Machine
(Use 3-5 Ingredients from list)
Kale
Spinach
Broccoli
Celery
Parsley / Coriander
Romaine lettuce
Cucumber
Coconut pieces
Strawberry
Ginger
Apple
Pear
Pineapple
Lemon
Coconut water or water

Image credits CC Public Domain

technorati tags: green smoothie, adrenal fatigue, immunity boost, weight loss, vegan smoothie, raw smoothie, smoothie, fruit smoothie

Gina Rinehart 200M Charitable Donation Email Spam

I received this lovely email from the kind hearted, generous Gina Rinehart.  Looks legit to me.

The only thing that clued me in was this line:  "...which I intend to use for CHARITY".

Gina Rinehart is notoriously tight with money, giving the tiniest percentage to charity compared with other billionaires (such as Bill Gates).  She also has the dubious distinction of withholding money from her own children until they reach the sprightly age of 75.  A great citizen of Australia indeed.

Did you know Gina Rinehart is also a poet?  Her 2012 poem "our future" was not widely acclaimed when it was released.  I can't imagine why.

I will attempt to analyse her poem. In some instances, I will try to interpret the true meaning behind this vast, meaningful work. In other instances I will use pictures. Wish me luck.


Our Future 

The globe is sadly groaning with debt, poverty and strife 
...due to the Global Financial Crisis thanks to Alan Greenspan, George W. Bush, Bernie Madoff and many others who are super rich and super greedy.

And billions now are pleading to enjoy a better life 
I am so glad that Gina has a plan for everyone who wants a better life.  Can't wait to hear it.  Hey wow, strife and life - a rhyme!  This must be a real poem.

Their hope lies with resources buried deep within the earth 
Ah, no.  Digging, exploitation, I knew there was a catch.  Freedom through slavery...  I think I've heard that somewhere before.

  Image credit:  Annabel's House of Books 

And the enterprise and capital which give each project worth 
Sorry, I ranted on so much there that I forgot to stop and appreciate the incredible wordplay of rhyming 'earth' with 'worth'.  This stuff is Gold!! - Pardon the mining pun

Is our future threatened with massive debts run up by political hacks 
Code alert:  She's talking about Labor.  How do I know?  Because I'm PSYCHIC!! 
...and because she is a right-wing redneck loon.
It was Labor who got us through the GFC and saved us from recession.
Then, in 2013/14, the LNP upped the national debt, spent twice as much as the Labor party per day, and even managed to get The Greens to approve this lunacy.  Expect many tears and stern punishments and finger pointing come budget time.  
So, ironically, over a year later, the answer is to Gina's rather prophetic question is "Yes".

Who dig themselves out by unleashing rampant tax 
The mining tax didn't dig anyone out of anything, nor was it rampant.  More like a small speedbump underneath an earth mover.  
I do however appreciate the use of the word dig.  
Incidentally, Gina Rinehart must really hate John Howard and his rampant GST.  

The end result is sending Australian investment, growth and jobs offshore 
Yes, because no billionaire wants to send jobs offshore.  Our billionaires want to exploit workers RIGHT HERE in good ol' Australia...  As long as they don't ask for Australian wages.  Or conditions. 

This type of direction is harmful to our core
Those mining puns again.  Dig, core, what's next?

Some envious unthinking people have been conned 
Code alert:  Envious = Not a billionaire.  
Unthinking? Oh, yes that's right, the people who thought voting LNP in 2013 would be a good idea. Predicting 2013 and 2014 events in 2012.  Gina Rinehart is some kind of Soothsayer!

To think prosperity is created by waving a magic wand 
No actually, it was salvaged by Wayne Swan.  Wow, that almost rhymed!

Now, about that magic wand.  You could try Gina Rinehart's method of prosperity creation:
Step 1.  Be born
Step 2.  Have a Dad who is a prosperous billionaire
Step 3.  Inherit all of billionaire Dad's billionaire assets
Step 4.  Get indignant about all those silly people who think prosperity is created by waving a magic wand


Through such unfortunate ignorance, too much abuse is hurled 
Those educated lefties, they are just so... unfortunate, and ignorant, and abusive.  And... hurly.

Against miners, workers and related industries who strive to build the world
Not so poetic.  Starting to lose the plot a bit here.  Plot? Earth? Did you see what I did there?

Develop North Australia, embrace multiculturalism and welcome short term foreign workers to our shores 
Okay, that's not a line of poetry.  That's some kind of wacky right-wing manifesto.  

Embrace multiculturism? Translation:  import people too scared to complain about conditions and remuneration, then stick them in a miners shed until it's time to rap on the corrugated iron.  But I'm pretty sure nobody has EVER been exploited on a 457 Visa.  They never mentioned it on SkyNews, anyway.

To benefit from the export of our minerals and ores
Read:  For MEEEE to benefit from the export of our minerals and ores

The world's poor need our resources: do not leave them to their fate 
...So we're going to exploit them for $2 a day!  Hey, that almost rhymed too. 

Let's see how contented a miner can be on $2 per 23 hour day.

Yep.  Everything A-OK.  No problem here at all. 


Our nation needs special economic zones and wiser government, before it is too late. 
It was a wise government that got us through the GFC, which was caused by the greed of super-rich people.  We now have Ms Rinehart's version of a "wiser government".  A super greedy, heartless, secretive, economically illiterate, batsh*t crazy, racist, sexist, violent, xenophobic, born-to-rule bunch of despots prone to cronyism and expense rorting.  
Hooray.

A cartoon from The Daily Blog sums up Gina's poem nicely:

Fun facts: Gina Rinehart was nominated for an "Australian Living Treasure 2012" award

Even more fun facts:  She didn't end up winning.




A Haiku by LJP

The ground tilts askew
Soot piles turn gold for Gina
The earth laughs later

technorati tags: Gina Rinehart Poem, Gina Rinehart email, Gina Rinehart spam, Australia, Australian politics, mining, LNP, Mining exploitation

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Avast ye landlubbers, get below deck or I'll keelhaul ye!

Arrrrrrrrrr!!!

Avast ye!!

Landlubbers!!

Keel.. haul...

Ok, that's about the extent of my pirate vocabulary.  For some reason my pirate impression is a little off.

However, for some unknown reason, if I try to imitate a Scottish accent, it turns out pirate.  Although sometimes I sound like a Scottish pirate with a slight Jamaican accent.  I'm pretty sure that combination isn't a common one, but it's the only one I can do!!

So...

In honour of "International Talk Like A Pirate Day":

The Pirate Ergonomic Keyboard

The pirate vocabulary is large and versatile.  Diverse, eloquent, meaningful.  Here is a short rundown:


LJP's Pirate/English Dictionary 

Arrrr:  Greetings, fellow pirate.

Ar:  Where is my parrot?

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr:  I am lonely at sea.

 Arr...?  I find you very attractive.

Arraraarar:  I am mad at you but I can't decide whether to keelhaul you or walk the plank.  This is a tough decision that I do not take lightly.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr:   Stand by to board incoming vessel.

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrragaaaaa:  Scuttle the ship me hearties!

AAAARHARHAHRHAHRHHAHHHAGGGGGGGGHHHHHAAWAWAWAAAAAAA:  Tony Abbott.

Pirate Memo Clip Note Holder


Hear ye, avast ye, and forget ye not, here is the best way for modern pirates to communicate with other pirates.  Plan raids, count your plunder and compare eye patches with this modern method of communication:  Sticky Paper!!  Arrrr.

Pirate Fancy Dress Costume

Remember, less is more.  Or is it more is more?  Maybe more parrots is more.  Less eyeliner perhaps, we've overdone the Captain Jack Sparrow thing.

It's well known that pirates didn't wear eyeliner, they wore blusher made from the blood of their conquests.  Or something...

Just remember, beardy, patchy and cutlassy and blunderbuss-y.

Also remember there is a veeeery fine line between seaworthy cred pirate dude and Adam Ant in the Higwayman film clip.  It's a fine line and I suppose it really depends what sort of party you're going to...  It's up to you...

Pirate Drinks Cooler

This is a contentious one because ice was in short supply on the high seas unless of course you managed to hit an iceberg.  And drinks that required cooling of any kind were a little impractical since the lower decks contained chained men, sheep's dung, one mouldy orange, a barrell of rotgut and a door that you never, I repeat, never opened.

I'm pretty sure pirates drank some kind of 175% proof Black Skull Label Rum that makes your eyes water and gives you the ability to see the past and future simultaneously while completely skipping the present.  It also assists you in understanding what your parrot is really saying to you.



And finally...

Pirate iPhone Case

Because pirates like, had so many like iPhones...  'cause GPS and stuff.  Like how would they have gotten around?  GPS app like I don't know, it was a really old one, like from the 80s?   Yeah, 'cause if they didn't have computers how did they steal series 5 of Breaking Bad?  Duh.. ... I swear... so dumb...

technorati tags: pirate, pirate iphone, international talk like a pirate day, pirate keyboard, pirate drinks cooler, pirate costume, Adam Ant, Tony Abbott, pirate iphone, talk like a pirate, arrr

Time To Find The Loan Arranger

You may have been watching the news recently and noticed with interest (hee hee!) that interest rates have dropped to an almost unheard of 2.5%, dropping 25 basis points.  This means that the interest rates of today, in 2013, are actually the lowest recorded interest rates since 1959.

So, what does that have to do with me, you might ask.  Well, there's this thing called the "Australian Dream", the dream of owning one's own home.  The advantages are numerous, including the ability to renovate at will, not having to keep shifting stuff from one place to another, and best of all, no inspections!!

But I digress.

What I actually mean is that this might just be a good time to get your first home loan and lock in a low interest rate with a building society with low interest rates like Newcastle Permanent.  Customer service reviews show that they actually answer the phone when you call so you don't have to speak to a robot every time you call up.  I appreciate that kind of attention to detail, it makes all the difference when you really want to get some information quickly.

At this point in time, you can get a fixed rate mortgage for your first home with a set period for the fixed rate of between 1 and 10 years.  Or you can go for the variable option, depending on your requirements, it's a very personal thing so it's really up to you which way you go.

For first home buyers, you need around 5-10% deposit of the total purchase price, which is a sensible amount, and first home buyers may also be eligible for the first home buyers grant scheme.  This grant provides a boost for anyone wishing to purchase their first home.

The site has a bunch of useful tools including a loan calculator and graph facility, to let you know what your rate and repayments would be over a chosen time period.  You can choose from 10-50 year terms, although a lot of people tend to fall somewhere in the middle of these numbers, for example 25 years or so.  It all depends on how quickly you want to pay off your home and how you can arrange your budget to do so.

For example, I tried out a hypothetical loan, $320,000 (which is a reasonable amount for a humble blogger such as myself), 10 year fixed rate home loan and a payment period of 25 years.  The results are below:

I think I could manage that quite nicely. And I suppose if I can do it, there's a high likelihood that you probably can too.

It's quite fun playing around with the options on the calculator. I estimated repayments on a 2,000,000 loan over 50 years, and then over 10 years. That's just how I roll.

You could try it yourself with figures that apply to your situation and see what the results are.

All in all, judging by the current interest rate situation, it is pretty clear that at this very moment in time, harking back to other golden era's in interest rates, now is probably one of the best time to set up your first home loan. After all, you only get two 1959s in a lifetime!

Astronomical Gifts

The theme today is "SPACE!"  What kind of space, you say?  Surface space?  Room space?  Yard space?

No, I'm talking about space itself.  You know, the great unknown, the heavens, universes, mutiverses, string theory, brane (M-Theory), quantum physics and did you know that we're not really here but exist in many dimensions at once and we're all made of material that fits on something smaller than the head of a matchstick.

...sorry, got a bit carried away there.  Back to the pretty stuff:

When I was a kid, I created a "Starlight Zone" display on my ceiling, replicating the solar system in orbit.


Can we possibly improve on this?  Um,... yes.


Japan Trend Shop and friends have come up with the R2D2 star projector.  Over 60,000 stars, X-Wings, Tie Fighters, Star Wars characters and hours of fun.  And it runs on AA batteries, just like the real R2D2 (?!?!?) tee hee!!

R2D2 Planetarium Projector

The lovely people at Vintage Confections / The Original Planet Lollipops have out-nerded the lolly gods and created a brilliant set of solar system lollipops.

The Original Planet LollipopsTM Solar System

And just when you thought the awesomeness had finished...


Some folks believe the earth is flat.  Still.  Well, they don't believe in climate change, anyway.  Some believe dinosaurs didn't exist, despite fossils and stuff.

Despite human stupidity, science has provided us with a few tips.  The earth isn't the centre of the universe, orbits are ellipses, not perfect circles, and a big-assed meteorite probably wiped out the dinosaurs.  Don't believe me?  Here's proof that stuff from outer space ends up hitting the earth at some point or other...

Meteorite

Apparently, some meteorites being sold online are not genuine meteorites.  I know, shocking, right?  So how do you check if your meteorite is the real deal?

According the the knowledgeable people at Aerolite, these are the things to look out for:

1 - If it sticks to a magnet, it could very well be a meteorite.  It's not a guarantee but it helps!
2 - If it has holes in it (or 'vesicles') or is porous/grainy it's probably not a meteorite.
3 - If is H-E-A-V-Y, much heavier than normal rocks of a similar size, it probably is a meteorite.

Otherwise, you might just have a normal rock that's been spray painted silver or a piece of hematite.  Which, although pretty, kind of defeats the purpose of having an extra-terrestrial rock in the first place!



What space stuff would be complete without the answer to one of the most important questions in the universe... "Are we alone?"

Yeah right, we live on a planet the size of a speck of specky specky stuff in a big specky ball of universe-y stuff and we think we're the only ones?

It's funny how the skeptics tend to lean towards us being alone in the universe/multiverse/multi-multi-megaverses when the law of averages says its more likely we're not alone.

Oooh, spooky.  No, not really, just logic.

Anyway, the truth is out there in the form of.... Alien soap!!!

The folks at Bubblegenius have come up with a rather amusing gift basket in the form of... Alien abduction!!!

Alien Abduction Soap Gift Basket

Please note that no cows were harmed in the making of this gift basket.  Literally.  It's vegan.  And they glow in the dark!  The cow doesn't glow because it hasn't been irradiated by the aliens yet.

I can't say that it's going to be a particularly vegan experience for the real alien abduction cows though... Did I just say that?  Uh oh...

Nothing to see here...

Thingy Whatsitcalled

***Zap!!!***

What was I talking about?

Dang...

technorati tags: astronomy, space, aliens, alien abduction, gifts, novelty soap, meteorite, how to spot a meteorite, galaxy, space theme