Sunday, February 27, 2011

Recap

I did say I was no good at blogging...

Although I am exceptionally good at reading blogs! Truth be told I sometimes find the blogging world, indeed the whole online world to be incredibly stifling and overwhelming. I feel suffocated by the vastness of it all. Sometimes it leaves me feeling elated and inspired; there is just so much being produced, in so many different fields, in music, journalism, cookery, politics, travel writing, personal blogging etc and being published online, often in such incredibly creative and insightful ways that I am often left spellbound and transfixed. However it can also work the other way; I sometimes feel exhausted and saddened by the sheer volume of material, information and knowledge there is to be digested. I will never know it all, I will never understand, see, feel and hear everything I would like to. I will never experience everything I could and I will personally probably never be able to produce something I am happy with, in terms of a blog. Quite simply, so much time goes into anything I am inspired by and I just don't have sufficient time and energy to do a blog (or other form of creative output) justice. Having said that, I do sporadically try. Although it feels like trying to swim against the current in terms of even trying to capture a tiny amount of everything I see online that I feel inspired by. But I do like to have some sort of virtual trail of breadcrumbs, if only for my own interest. Having said all that, I do sometimes truly feel, especially as I have to spend 40-60 hours a week at my desk in front of the computer, that sometimes the best thing for my mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing is to turn off the computer and go and live in the real world. It worries me sometimes, the amount of time we spend "online". But then, where would we be without the constant access to an incomprehensibly massive body of information we have become accustomed and very much addicted to...

On the topic of the good old internet, a very old, very dear friend, after a long chat via skype, sent me a list of his favourite websites/blogs/online sources of inspiration. So I am doing the same, in blog format. I thought it would be a good opportunity to revive my flailing blog. Aside from my (huge) workload and the Post graduate certificate I am attempting to do in my "spare" time, this is what's been keeping me busy and what's been keeping me sane.

Food/Cookery

Some recipes and food blogs I have become obsessed with. Because I eat Portuguese food out everyday for lunch, when I cook dinner I like to make something non-Portuguese and often non-European.

Recipes I love:

"Perfect" beef stew

An Armenian lentil and lamb stew

Vietnamese grilled beef patties

Vietnamese grilled pork with vermicelli

Sticky Balsamic Ribs

Portuguese octopus stew

Mushrooms, herbs and ricotta on toast

Incredible food blogs:

http://hungryoyster.blogspot.com/

http://www.weareneverfull.com/

http://www.amateurgourmet.com/