because i feel like blogging.

Today I tried making curry rice for the first time. The curry wasn't as thick as I would have liked, but it was still yummy with rice. I'm glad I finally know how to make a dish that isn't baked!

I also tried making cookies using Belle's recipe (I now call them Belle's cookies, hehe), and they turned out to be very yummy! Soft on the inside, exactly like she said :) Although because I knew just how much butter and sugar had gone into the mix, I felt guilty to have eaten 3 or 4 of the 12 cookies that I made. I'm sure that most cakes and cookies have similar amounts of butter / sugar that go into their production, but mum always puts in less sugar or butter than the recommended amount "because you don't actually need that much and it's fattening / bad for you", so I've naturally adopted this attitude too.

It's really spooky, just how much of your parents' behaviour you adopt. I believe some of it is nature, and some of it is nurture. Especially if you've lived 20+ years with them.

I'm on a mission to obtain all the lyrics for Ben Harper's songs so I can learn them properly. I would also make this attempt with Dave Matthews Band songs, were it not for the fact that some of the words he sings are quite difficult to comprehend properly, and so I don't know how accurate the lyrics will be when I find them on the internet. In any case, by tackling Ben Harper's studio album discography I'm taking on around 100 songs so this will definitely be a gradual process.

I'd also like to learn more of Angelique Kidjo's songs. Shs sings in a variety of languages though, so tracking down the translations as well as the lyrics could be a bit difficult. I saw Angelique Kidjo in concert at the Opera House last night, as part of a double bill with Ayo (who was wonderful on stage with her band), and she was absolutely fantastic. She's got such a powerful spirit that it really seems indefatigable. The energy exuding from her singing and dancing was really uplifting to experience, and I feel so lucky to have seen her perform live.