Archive for May, 2007

Pinata! Pinata!

I’m in the process of planning my bday party and i’m thinking about having it mexican themed with lots pinatas!

As you can tell by the video, the last party I had with a pinata was great fun and so I want to ramp it up a bit and theme the whole party around them.

Here are some interesting pinata facts:
The Spanish word piñata comes from the Italian word pignatta[1], a pinecone-shaped clay pot (from pigna, “pinecone”).

In the Mexican Catholic celebration of Christmas, the piñata is traditionally shaped like a seven-pointed star which represents the devil and the seven deadly sins, while the contents are the goods or blessings he is withholding. Striking the devil with faith, symbolized by being blindfolded, releases the blessings.[citation needed] While hitting the piñata the following rhyme is sung:

Dale, dale, dale,
No pierdas el tino
Porque si lo pierdes
pierdes el camino.

Dale, dale, dale
Dale y no le dio
Quítenle la prenda
¡Porque sigo yo!!

¡Se Acabó!
¡Sigo yo!

which translates as:

Hit it, hit it, hit it (or Go, go, go)
Don’t lose your aim
Because if you lose it (your aim)
You will lose the path.

Hit it, hit it, hit it (or Go, go, go)
Hit it, He didn’t hit it
Take away his token
Because it’s now my turn!

It’s Over!

Check out wikipedia for more pinata facts

And here are some fun pinata photos at a pinata wedding party

And here is a rad video game called viva pinata on xbox 360 – Dan highly recommends this one!

I’m thinking about having the party on Saturday June 23 in the city – central for most people. I’ve sent an email to most of you, but if you didn’t get it can you email me and let me know if you can come?

I’m also wanting to find a venue in the city that would allow pinatas to be hung and hit, so i’d love some help finding a place :)

Hit it!

Mothers Day 2007

A Happy Mother’s day dinner at E’cco bistro in Brisbane

Mothers Day 2007

As I had a wedding to film on Sunday, I didn’t get a chance to catch up with Mum for Mother’s Day. Instead, I took Mum and my youngest sister Amanda (who is a mum-to-be), to E’cco bistro for dinner.

It was an amazing menu they had there, definately one of the best restaurants I’ve been to, if not the best.

For entree’s, Mum and I had soup and we all shared…

Sautéed prawns, celeriac panna cotta, crisp prosciutto, shimeji mushrooms & hazelnuts.

and

soy-braised wagyu beef cheek, thai herbs, crispy shallots & garlic.

Then for our mains we had:

Amanda:
1824 grain-fed sirloin, pomme wellington, sauce soubise& wilted spinach.

Mum:
Margaret river lamb loin, roast jerusalem artichokes, baby carrots & garlic cream.

Me:
Grilled white fish, potato écrasée, watercress, fried white bait, preserved lemon & sauce gribiche.

We didn’t have room for dessert, but next time we know to not get carried away with too many entree’s.

The plates were all presented beautifully and the service and atmosphere is great. I highly recommend E’cco for anyone looking for the highest quality food and service in Brisbane City.

Prices: The entree’s were $21.95 and the Mains were $36.95 – definately worth it if you appreciate fine dining.

Happy Mother’s Day Mum! and you too panda!

My First Ever Podcast – Yay! Featuring Anna Weatherup

I’ve just spent a day with my close friend in Anna Weatherup, I helped Anna with setting up her website, her myspace page, audio clips and image conversion.

As it was a rare day off for me, I took the opportunity to also do something I’ve always wanted to do and that is create and setup a podcast. I’m using a plugin for WordPress (this blog platform) called PodPress. Like most plugins for WordPress it is open source and works seamlessly with the WordPress admin control panel.

Anna recently launched her first CD in Townsville and my last post about this promised a podcast so I’m happy to say, i’ve finally got it here live.

I recorded on video our conversation for you to view, i’ve provided both the video and audio here for download, please feel free to make any comments, criticisms or give feedback about my first take of podcasting.

Here are the files for you download or play – You may either stream or download the AUDIO version or you may download the VIDEO version. Let me know what you think!

[display_podcast]

Feel free to check out the site I setup for Anna at annaweatherup.com and add Anna as your friend at myspace.com/annaweatherup.com