a bill for health...

There's this story of a 20yr old aussie male who lost 80kg+ (half his body weight) over a year and how its going to cost $40k for a tummy tuck? and breast etc reconstruction all to remove the excess skin. Not being too happy about the bill and not getting anything? back on medicare...

If excess skin reductions were covered by medicare... do you think it would spur on weight loss of obese/overweight people? I think i'd be encouraged.... (however it doesn't encourage the thought of operation/stitches/weeping/infections... ive got enough stretch marks from weight and 3 pregnancies to disguise myself as a tiger if i painted them black after using too much fake tan LOL! would i even care if i had another that went 360 around me?)

I mean before we think of slimming down, cutting it off and now looking like a new person... its 7hours+ of surgery.... i remember watching one of those extreme makeovers and this huge woman had so much excess skin cut off everywhere it was a marathon surgery and yet this was round one for her. Each hour of surgery increases risk of infection (hence pass the bucket of iodine)

If it were open for medicare rebates.. would it not create a influx those who are just with a wee bit of excess skin that more weight loss would benefit more than just a nip & tuck? and make a waiting line huge that the people who do indeed "need it" (e.g half their body size) would have to wait longer?

I watched the biggest looser finale... up till 10.20pm so i didn't see the finalists weigh up, im not sure i even saw them come out? It was just crazy as usual the wait.. pointless... The eliminated people did really well all but the first couple voted off (my only criticism) Alot of them looked amazing.. one of the brother couple looked a bit like david hasselhoff i think the one who won the 30k? The most outstanding couple had to be the winning one, Tiffany and Bob? the father/daughter in law? couple. Well done and congrats to them!

Talent should have no face...

and what i mean is that talent as we see it... shouldn't be limited to people we judge to beautiful. Even with those annoying episodes of tv shows where they have beautiful girls whose character is that of a no-brainer.. all looks and no brains.. is the other kind... she looks quite normal in a way.. so why should she be able to sing?

I'm talking about Susan Boyle... and unless youve been under a rock for the last 2 weeks? you'd know who i was talking about.
Just go type "susan boyle" on youtube and you'l see just how massive she is... all those results and then all those views! 15million.. 2million.. crazy!!! (no one wants anyone to embed the vid it seems... what youtube trying to save bandwidth? or users trying to be the #1 susan boyle hit video? pfft!!!)

shes been called the next paul potts?!! even "paula potts" But I'm sorry, i think he is the next step up, perhaps it was just song choice..

I usually rush out when ET is on, the other day as i did i heard one of their stories coming up "Susan boyle and her new makeover". Something inside me groaned... something inside me thought "so shes pretty now? plastic surgery perhaps? already?!"

But when i saw pictures later online... of this "makeover" the eyebrows were tamed, a bit of lippy and maybe a hair colour? (can't remember exactly) You can still see that it is her, same unruly curly hair, flat face etc...

How does one handle "overnight stardom" Must be a thrill to ride and yet the crash? (i guess while youre having fun you wouldn't think about the end of it..)
So while im glad she didn't get a full makeover, botox, hair straightening, wardrobe etc.. i think if i was in the spotlight so much as she is... then wouldn't i be wanting it?! lol...

She has been invited on oprah... simon cowell has talked alot about her saying she should focus on winning, on doing better... i think after weve all ooo-ed and ahh-ed over her song we should be giving her space to breathe, to get on with it, to focus... 4 weeks till the semi final. Time will tell!!! :)

housing thoughts

I've been thinking about housing stuff recently. Hubby has been working on the plans for the "dream house" or "project house".. the dimensions have alot to do with phi. Its absolutely massive, lots of big rooms, entertaining, kitchen, kids bedrooms, indoor courtyard, our own private retreat (spa, kitchen, bathroom, wardrobe, lounge area, sleeping area) with an upstairs library.. on the block of land theres a office building, carpark, huge garage, gardens, indoor pool area. With alot of japanese stuff e.g decking around most of the house that can be shielded with moveable walls in case of rain etc) but enough about that (pending on project being finished & sold)

Shortly the lease on this house will be finished. And so weve been thinking do we need more room? Is there somewhere nicer and better that we could get and be happy with? or do we stay here and wait it out? or do we sign up and have the security of a lease again? (remember pending baby #3 in august)

If we move, i'd love to have great central heating! and even better a central heating that actually had the air conditioning side of it?!! *rolls eyes* I can remember looking at the central heating control panel and seeing "cooling" only for me much later to think.. now air conditioning they usually have a box on the roof or outside that does that... and we dont have one?! argh!!! No cooling!!!!

I'd rather be closer to the school than the shops now. Altho most of the houses (well flats) between here and the school are amongst public housing... Which means i'd have to be west of the school just not the beach zone area (like right on the water)

But then theres thoughts on buying a house... no longer having to worry bout being kicked out (e.g the landlord sells the house) no longer dealing with agents, no longer waiting on someone else to organize fixes etc (who then end up doing a cheap job anyways) I do think buying a house is waay out of reach still. Yes at the moment our government give $26k grant when buying your first home that you must live in for a year (so not for investments)But i have to wonder exactly, if the grant was gone would the house prices drop? Because lets face it, some houses are insanely inflated... theres million dollar houses in A.C.T, and they just look like a house!

Some say the grant inflated costs. Some say that it should be scrapped and those getting the grant could end up unemployed. Some say that the grant covers state taxes that should have been scrapped when the GST came into effect. The oldies say that they got no grants so why should anyone else (but then pfft to them... buying back when a house/land was actually affordable and those who bought for so little can now cash up and sell for tons more.) Some say its not creating more new houses, that land release is slow (usually in the middle of nowhere). Some say its a waste of money that it doesn't stimulate the economy, create jobs etc. Some say its a waste and should be spent in hospitals or roads etc..

but hey if i knew i was buying a house, i'd love every cent of that grant ;) and i guess that's what it comes down to! I mean people can go on about the baby bonus ($5k over fortnightly installments thanks to all the teen mums) mostly coz they aren't getting/going to get it.... and they'd be alot of people who missed out on it (late 1990's?) and there's people who recently reckon that australia should have a 1 baby policy to stop "environmental suicide" to cut Australia's population of 22million back down to a more environmentally friendly 7million... but that opens a big can of worms of "who should have children", "Who can come here as a immigrant" etc.. its nuts! (and when aren't the out-there greenies who believe a animal has more rights to live than a human?)

Bumper crop of tomatoes

(tia with the crop, just before easter)

So i bought a burke's backyard magazine awhile back last year? and it came with some digger club tomatoe seeds. And it was some big hearty variety which i can't remember! (Not at all a miniature or cherry type) I was excited with my first lot of digger club seeds. Bought some potting mix on cheap and some seedling trays from the reject shop (mistakes 1 & 2)

I made the mistake of thinking potting mix after its useby date is still alright... i mean it is just dirt in a bag isn't it?!!! But no... apparently after this useby date the potting mix its very water resistant and down right crappy!

With Tia being into mud, dirt, making a mess (like she has for the past 5.9years) i thought seedling trays on the deck out of direct sunlight they will grow... and they did. About 3-4cms high and then they stayed that way for 2 months or so.. i weeded out the seedlings. I hadn't expected that each seed would germinate! I thru these seedlings on the ground.... and left them

its now after christmas and ive forgotten about the seedlings in the tray... they are dead anyways..

after christmas we started noticing all these tomatoe plats growing. (the ones i had thrown out!)
and now we have alot of tomatoes!!!! and will have until the frost comes in or if we get alot of rain with snails and it rotts/gets eaten.So i had to do something with them. We would find more in a day then we would eat them! It seems i was just in time as some had over ripened and burst a bit And one had started to get a tiny bit mouldy. yuk! I followed instructions to what i don't remember.

Basically boil tomatoes for a bit. Put the lid on, take off heat. Then take lid off pot. Drain water. Let cool to touch. peel off the skin (which was so unbelieveably easy! and somewhat messy fun!)
Then boil off any excess water and there it is! What i'd usually buy in a tin. Fresh from the garden ready for my meatballs (when i get around to it) Instead of mucking with jars and water baths etc i just froze it! :)

The easter bonnet hat

Noooooooooooooooooo lil birdy don't jump! I found these cute lil chicks at the $2 shop! Painted some dollies(sp?) which was tricky, i'd forgotten how thin they could be. and then glued the edges and dipped it in pink glitter. :)Off to school!
Made the mistake of stapling the cardboard together then to protect her hair getting tangled i put clear packing tape over it and then painted it... so got some pretty tape from Smiggle that i had already.
These are taken after the hat parade. Tia's broke (the ribbon came off) as they were going back to class. Which was great because it meant i got to take it home.. instead of tia having it all day.
Luved the green chicks lol! The creche paper flowers were done at 1-2am easter hat parade morning! eep! Hubby found a website showing how to do it easily. If i started it sooner, perhaps i'd done some Martha stewart pretty flowers..
Tia's class of course was the last one... she also had a fill-in teacher for the week. She got up and said "My hat is pretty pink!". She loved and was so proud of her hat! :)
You could easily tell those whose kids had done their own hats and the ones the parents did... and then there was a few hats from the reject shop! lol... All the kids had a great time, they loved the easter bunny and got a egg and a hug each. Tia even had to tell her neighbour friend that she had in fact hugged the easter bunny!! (Not that we involve the easter bunny or santa here at home)

Zack and Miri make a Porno

* You can't judge a movie by its title *

First up. (keeping this PG as possible) There is as much full frontal nudity and sex scenes as in the Sex in the city movie. (For all the OHMYGAWDSEX people)

Secondly. Its one of those weird chick flicks that they are making more of these days that a MALE can go watch and not complain... (so its not all that chick flick, like kids movies these days they put in a adult joke or two that goes waaaaay over the kids heads yet the adults find it amusing/funny)

Thirdly. Its a weird movie, in that it has comedy, gross moment (poo), sex and a actual love plot line..... weirdly just like the sex in the city movie! (Charlotte poops her pants, not that u see the poo tho)

I did like the movie.. it had ALOT of swearing! But it had a sweet side that you don't see (or i didnt) coming. Zack and miri agree on making a porno (with other people doing the sex bit) after Zack buys ice skates & things instead of paying the rent, water and electricity (his month). Miri becomes a internet celebrity after she changes at Zacks work without her knowledge is filmed by some teens who can see her.. all they film is her topless (but from behind) with her HUGE "Granny panties" (Full control brief undies)

Zacks first idea is a Star wars idea but they get duped by the landlord. So Zack comes up with the idea of filming it at his work (beans n go. A coffee shop) With a coffee/cafe theme. Zack and Miri end up falling in love, the porno is never finished...