Hi, everyone!

I got a red Smart Bento for Christmas! I'm very excited about using it for the first time, and I was wondering if anyone on this comm has one. Its dimensions are quite narrow, so I'd be interested in seeing how people pack them.

But my main question is this: Are they microwave-friendly? The instructions that came with it are in Japanese, but there's a drawing of what looks like a microwave with a big X through it. I am not sure whether that means the whole thing is not microwavable, or just the lids, or what. I know that most bentos are microwavable without the lids, but I'd like to hear from someone who actually owns one of these particular boxes.

Thanks!

Banning those holiday treats and getting back to healthy eating.

Read more about this bento on hapa bento.

i hope everyone has been enjoying the holiday season who celebrates!

my parents aren't big on the gift giving--the way they see it, they'll get us what we need when we need it--but i did get some lovely things this year.

the haul:

i. a new pair of tall, chocolate uggs
ii. a beautiful shimmery purple scarf from the mother, which can be worn all year round
iii. "improvisation at the piano for classically trained pianists" from the boyfriend, who knows of my super sekrit desire to be a better improviser
iv. a mysterious gift still en route from virginia_bell :D
v. a new pair of jeans and a couple other necessities that will be gotten later this week at kohl's
vi. a round trip plane ticket from the parents to winston-salem, so i can see some college friends before returning to madtown

so i'm pretty happy!

the fam and i watched it's a wonderful life last night.
the ending still makes me cry.

and the boyfriend has invited me to come with him to his cousin's wedding in march, which will be in florida. i'd have to pay for my own ticket, but i make a couple hundred from gigs every other month, and this is something i'd really like to do. it's over spring break, so it'll be a fun trip, and i'm just really happy he's asked me!

also--it's 50 degrees today.

it feels like summer.

sad? probably...

Heading back to Cardiff tomorrow, so today is my last day of Christmas holidays, I guess. It doesn't feel like a Sunday! Got a couple of family-related visits today, but just relaxing, other than that. I think.

I need to:

* Finish charlieficathon fic. I think it's about done, though.
* Write a couple of Christmas RP drabbles.
* Couple of RP threads? Depends who's around!

Does anyone want to beta my fic? It's kind of due next week. I can give details if people want them.

Then once that is out of the way I can make a start on my wizard_love fic!

Happy Christmas, any of you who celebrate. Or Happy Boxing Day by this point. I have the Glee soundtrack! And Final Draft. So now I really do have no excuse not to write. (Also: Michael Chabon - The Final Solution; DWJ - The Magicians of Caprona; and The Middleman Complete Series. Which I have not seen, but am super excited about. Plus a scarf with pockets, and fingerless gloves. Squee!)

I have barely touched the Yuletide fics so far, given that AO3 still hates me. Probably in a non-specific way, but one can never know. Anyway it's moving too slowly for me to browse right now. But my two recipients who have seen their stories so far have liked them, and I've had a few other comments, so I'm not freaking out. I'll try again tomorrow.

I have, thankfully, read my own fic: Proper Management - Terry Pratchett's Discworld (Ponder Stibbons and Mustrum Ridcully). Post-Hogfather fic, with Ponder contemplating the faculty in general and the Archchancellor in particular :) I love Ponder, and this really gets the flow of his thought processes - an orderly inquisitive mind surrounded by some that really aren't like that at all... And the Archchancellor, who is always smarter than he's letting on. I love how this shows the difference in the way the two of them reason things out, and what they represent as part of UU.

If AO3 recovers from us all hitting it at once, you are welcome to try and guess what I wrote this year, with a ficlet for winners. (Jay probably shouldn't guess the one zie knows though!)

- two full-lengths and one short
- two TV related and one film
- one het, one slash, one gen
- some tags used across them: future fic, siblings, established relationship. Not all at once.

It has been a loooong day (small brother still likes the really early morning thing) and relatives are lovely but not conducive to relaxing. So I'm going to bed, but I'll try and be more communicative tomorrow. If I could stop being pre-emptively depressed about the fact I have to go back to Oxford on Sunday, that'd be nice too.

Let's sing it... "on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...."

Read more about this holiday bento on hapa bento's blog.

Title: The Pendragon Industries Family Christmas Party
Fandom: Merlin BBC
Characters/Pairings: Merlin/Arthur, Gwen, Morgana
Rating: PG-13
Length: 3,900 words
Disclaimer: Belongs to the BBC
Spoilers: None
Summary: AU fic (very late) for solookup for Fall Fandom Free For All. Prompt was 'Merlin/Arthur AU - Merlin is a magician (of some sort, ie. street performer, kids' party, etc)'.

( Read more... )

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday the other day. It was very much appreciated. ♥

So my birthday ended up a lot better than it started, to be honest. I got home to my parents' house and that was a relief, then my sister managed to make it home that afternoon after surviving the dreadful snow and lack of road gritting in High Wycombe. Got a few nice presents, including SJA series 2, which will be lovely to watch when I get back to Cardiff, I think. I didn't check to see if there were any special features. Then my parents too us out for all you can eat Chinese food. Yummy.

Caught up with my friends today and had our annual meal. So more good food. Just a bit weird to think that two of my friends are married now; their husbands are down here spending Christmas with the in-laws.

Tomorrow is family day. We have grandparents coming for lunch, but they won't be with us all day. I'm mostly looking forward to tomorrow's TV. :|

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I hope you are all able to spend time with the ones you love! After a grueling twelve hour trip out of the Midwest--it had started snowing in Madison and Chicago, and for a few hours I didn't even know if I was getting home at all until Friday--I am back and enjoying relaxing and spending time with the family, although I am missing Mike a lot.

I am just waiting on one more grade--the class I had to write the ten page paper for--but so far, I've got two As and an AB, so I'm at a 3.75 at the moment. Not too bad!

But anyway, happy holidays to you all!

This is also your last chance to request a drabble :)

♥ ♥ ♥

Wow it's been a long time since I last updated. Sorry for having disappeared for a while. I still read the updates in here but have not been posting or commenting much. As I have recently mentioned on my food blog, I pretty much went 'off' food for the past few months while dealing with morning (read: all-day-and-night) sickness and the exhaustion typical of early pregnancy. I did very little cooking and not many bento lunches were packed. Even when I did pack lunches, they were not very inspired and I did not bother taking any photos. I am feeling much better now halfway through my pregnancy (I am due at the end of April 2010) and it's been really good to get back to cooking and bento again. Here are a couple of them that made it to photos:

Chicken rice, cucumber slices, steamed chicken breast, char siew (Chinese bbq pork) and kai lan in oyster sauce.


Tuna pasta salad with sundried tomatoes, sliced red peppers and hummus


I am looking forward to getting back to more regular bento-making in the new year. I know that most people are probaly busy with holiday festivities now. Merry Christmas to you all and have a great new year ahead. Cheers to more bento ideas and may your Christmas stockings be filled with lots of bento kit and goodies!