Everyone that knows me will say I’m a super geeky gagdet junkie. I love my shiny new things. I already have an iPhone, but I knew I wanted to buy an iPad when they came to Canada. So when I saw the Brain Park contest, I thought it was perfect! I entered and… I guess the title of this post ruins the end of the story so I’ll just post some iPad porn:

(click on the images to embiggen)

I was so happy/surprised when I got the call and won! Many thanks to Brain Park (who are awesome and are even reimbursing me for the insane customs charge that UPS wanted.)

For those wondering about my awesome wallpaper, it’s from Taiko Drum master/Taiko no Tatsujin/太鼓の達人 (wallpapers from Konachan.com)

Hello! I’m Dualla. You may have noticed that I’m a troll shaman. It sounds primal – but I’m not as savage as you think. (My tusks are short, like diplomatic tusks) I like to drink honeymint tea and relax by the Dalaran fountain. Maybe fish up a coin or two if I’m waiting for my friends to join me.

I’m peaceful but I’m also a very skilled fighter. I excel in combat, especially in very close quarters. I’ll get right in your face. If I can’t reach your face well… I think I can still hold my own. When I’m stuck in a fight, I’ll defend by friends to the very end. I die sometimes, but it’s ok.. I can reincarnate myself.

I enjoy collecting things. I have a very lovely bunch of tabards, but they’re all loose and scrunched up in some backpacks somewhere. I’m not much for ironing, so I don’t mind wrinkled tabards. I also collect wild animals to carry me on my journeys across the world. I’d say that my favourite is an old, spindly, tan coloured talbuk I got when I was young. It’s been with me for a long time now.

Lately I’ve been taking a break from all the fighting, so I’ll just hang around. I visit the cheese shop from time to time. I also enjoy just relaxing by a cozy fire and maybe cook up some Rhino Dogs to munch on. I never run out of chilled meat, it stores great for those long trips. (either by sea, air, or by being sucked through the nether) Some days when I’m feeling restless, I’ll walk over to Archmage Lan’dalock and see what he’s up to. He usually asks a favour of me. I don’t mind, it’s always nice to have people owe you one.

Let’s get together sometime, even if we just sit in The Legerdemain Lounge and chat about the old days. ‘Til then!

(pictured, my sister and her dog Manchu)

I’m going to be MIA for a bit, we haven’t had internet at home for over a month. I regret all the lovely photos of delicious food I haven’t been able to post. Still, I’m looking forward to an awesome summer!

ttfn

This Grilled Chicken Pesto pizza was my attempt to copy my favourite pizza at Manhattan’s in Guelph. (with a few variations) I was pretty liberal with the cheese, but anyone that knows me will say that I am cheese-obsessed.

Yes, honey on top – Do it, it’s amazing! It adds the little touch of sweet that is just perfect. I used store bought fresh pizza dough, in a pinch it works great. I wish I could eat a slice of this right now with a tall beer. Happy Days!

I’m being quite blunt because this post is not written for you; it’s written for your mother or your grandmother who is browsing Craigslist right now looking for a new couch.

I’ve been accused of worshiping the Internet at the same level of Awesome Tiki Fire Gods™. Even I need to remind myself that the internet is not always 100% right. Therefore it is not always trustworthy.

Case in point. My hunt for a new apartment.

I’ve been searching for a new apartment. Out of sheer curiosity, I expanded my search to Craigslist. Not really the best place for apartment hunting but I wanted to find something new. Suddenly, I found it. The Apartment listing that was too good to be true. Brand new and really REALLY cheap. I’ve included a screen shot of the original post below.

(Click on any image in this post to enlarge)

I already knew that it was too good to be true. But I just couldn’t pass it up. I wrote a very succinct 1 line email to the guy who posted it. I simply asked if it was a sublet or full lease. (sublet would explain the price..) At this point, I was a little suspicious but also hopeful.

And then I got his reply. I laughed out loud to myself and read it again. All the red flags went up in my head. ABORT MISSION!

Yep, I knew it. Too good to be true. I’m going to begin dissecting his email just to point out some items which might help some of you spot a scam email if you ever get one:

• Spelling/Grammar

  The mistakes aren’t really horrible but they are there. Mostly, the inability to create plural words. I understand not everyone can write a nice email so this is forgivable.

• Life story I really didn’t ask for

  Seriously, I wrote him a 1 line email asking him if it was a sublet or not. I don’t really care about your world travels or the fact that your kids are going to University in Cyprus.

• Inconsistencies

  He stated that he is currently in the UK, but 2 lines later says that he is “here [in Canada?] with the keys to the property”. ummmm no.

• Weird fucking signature

  The Sun and the Moon and the Stars want you to STFU.

So.. you might get an email like this and suspect it is a scam. Not sure yet? Here is a short lesson.

How using google for 5 seconds can save your ass

1. It is not really at a good sign when google autofills his name with “scam” beside it.

2. A quick search of his name, and I’ve found a linked in profile. No offense to Nigeria but I don’t trust anyone on the Internet from your country.

In short, I’m still looking for an apartment.

Fancy enough to serve to guests, or just for yourself!

I don’t remember the recipe I followed originally, so now I just made up my own and it seems to work nicely:

First, add the rice to a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the rice well and add it back to the pot. Add the coconut milk, sugar and cinnamon stick. Simmer on medium low for another 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Keep an eye on it, short grain rice does not take long at all. It should be nice and creamy by now!

Cut up the mango, serve on top of warm rice and eat immediately. In the photo I garnished mine with fresh mint from our plant and a cinnamon stick for fun. So tasty!

The recipe I orignally posted has yielded some even more delicious results. This bread is by far the best bread I have ever eaten. No lie! Picture yourself at your favourite fancy restaurant. You sit down, order some wine and maybe try to resist filling up on bread. Warm, squishy and slathered in butter, Yum! If you make this bread yourself at home, it will be 100x better than that. (Mind you, this can be dangerous to keep around the house if you’re on a no-carb diet.) In an attempt to eat healthier, I’m trying not to make this every week – but it’s just so easy to make!

This time around, the dough was a little wet, so I added more flour and just let loose on a metal sheet pan coated in cornmeal. I also topped the loaf itself with tons of cornmeal which added a much better texture than last time. (I just used plain bread flour before) It was more of a free-form loaf which was nice for dipping into various things.

My favourite way to eat it is plain with butter. We were a little fancier this time and opted for extra virgin olive oil and some balsamic vinegar. We also had honey maple turkey sandwiches the next day.

This bread let me tell you, makes the best sandwiches if you’re looking to die happy in a carb induced coma.

For only my 2nd time baking bread, i’ve been very happy with the results. Time to expand out even further now! For my next baking mission, I’ll try to make something that isn’t bread.

I began searching online for recipes that would be easy for a first time bread baker like myself. At first, it became evident that 80% of the recipes I found involved a mixer or way too much kneading. I don’t have a mixer and I certainly don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen preparing dough. After further investigating, I found this recipe for an easy ‘No-Knead’ bread. Simple! My first attempt baking bread was a success.