Dizzy-Dee's deliciously delightful, dainty and dangerous, daring and dazzling dark dungeon…

Someone asked me if it is possible to fax from the internet to a normal landline fax number. I have never done this, and haven’t been able to find a service offering of the sort.

Do you know of a service like this? Obviously I need it to work to South African numbers, and preferably the service should be free

Let me know if you’re aware of something like this please?

I found a very interesting concept today: A printer which prints in pencil – and its got a built in eraser too!

If you’re interested to read more about this concept, read more at Yanko Design

Wow I had a hectic week, and I am so thankful that its weekend!!  I was SO pleasantly surprised when my husband came home with a bouquet of lovely roses on Friday!!  How romantic

Today its Sunday, and nearly time for the new week… I must admit I am not too excited about the new week, and would definitely not have complained if the weekend was a day longer!!

I am sooo looking forward to our beach holiday, but March is still some time away…  I know time will pass quickly, but can it ever pass fast enough if you’re heading for a holiday?

I thought the worm smoking a hookah pipe in Alice in Wonderland was interestingly far fetched, but I heard today that there’s a guy in Taiwan with a pet snake, which actually smokes cigarettes!?!

The owner of the snake smokes a packet or two cigarette per day, and the snake apparently went after a stub which the guy dropped on the floor, and took a drag!? Now the snake smokes one cigarette in the morning, and one at night.  This whole (very entertaining) story according to 5fm, on my way home this afternoon.

This is the picture which is suppose to prove it – I know its conveniently small!!  But its all that I could find.  Not sure if this is real – what do you think?  I think its BS!

What the heck is up with this day? As if it wasn’t enough that I wrote a post about how horrid it was, Wordpress just “swallowed” my post?!

I had such a long post explaining in detail how I was doing my make up this morning, talking to my husband, pointing in the air with my liquid eyeliner in one hand when the bottom decided to break off and spill all over my camel colored bedroom carpet, but then Wordpress decided that its a good time to just make my post disappear.

Well yes, I am probably overreacting, and being a drama queen, but you probably have not had liquid eyeliner on a carpet.

Okay, so lets try this again one last time, else I promise I will go straight to bed! So my liquid eyeliner bottle broke this morning – it must have had a weak spot, and my pointing was just too rigorous for it, so it broke. The bottom end holding the liquid went flying through the air, and ended up on the carpet. As if this wasn’t enough, I was also in a hurry because we had a lunch appointment!!

My husband scrubbed the stain for a while, but due to the “long lasting” effect of the eyeliner, it didn’t really want to come out of the carpet. Usually women buy make up because it lasts well and doesn’t fade during the day – I might have to rethink this. Reapplying make up is definitely worth it if it spares me from cleaning such a stain again!

We got back this afternoon, and I started cleaning the stain (again), and about 4 buckets of water later (which looked like ink every time I emptied it), and half a bottle Vanish stain remover, it appears to be clean. I’m not sure whether that which is left is just because the carpet looks darker when its wet, or if its still some of the eyeliner which is stuck there.

Honestly I don’t care right now. I will have to wash the carpets some time later in any case.

Amongst all of this, we also found that the Tropical fruit juice leaked in the car Now, I know its probably not as bad as milk, but fruit juice smells like puke if its spilt in a car. My husband cleaned this up (while I was cleaning the bedroom carpet – lol), and we just hope that the smell is not going to stick.

To top all of this off I’ve had a terrible headache since yesterday morning, and I cannot get rid of it!! Think I may go and lie down for a while to see if that helps.

Good things that happened this weekend? Luckily there was plenty of that too. My nephew came to visit us!! We watched up with him, and we went to play Adventure Golf! So I cannot complain too much!

Hope your weekend was nice too, enjoy the last little bit of it!

Okay so I got the message: Everyone is tired of staring at Kleenex boxes!
I have been so busy, and completely demotivated to blog I’ve been struggling to setup a blog at 000Webhost for a friend. After spending hours uploading the Wordpress install files & themes it couldn’t establish a database connection. I then tried the second domain, and after everything was beautifully for a few hours they disabled the account, and its now under review! How crazy is that? There was not even any content on there except a test post?

I went through the exact same process as I had for two other blogs, and they work perfectly fine, but this one I just can get right.

Then tonight, I read in a 000Webhost forum thread that they may have disabled the account because I exceeded the FTP quota? Not too sure how I could have uploaded more than 2000 files, but lets give them the benefit of the doubt. Wouldn’t it be good policy to inform me of this? I guess not, since they’re providing this service free of charge, they don’t owe any one an excuse or explanation. *sigh*

Like they say, nothing in life is free – in this case it’s free, but I’m not sure its worth the hassle?

I LOVE good packaging designs, and Kleenex fruity tissue box design is an excellent example of brilliant design.

I’d love to have one of these, pity I haven’t seen them in the shops yet! Aren’t they cute?

On January 12th, while we were all blissfully oblivious and entangled in our own lives, the people in Haiti were struck with the worst earthquake in two hundred years. So strange to imagine that its real, and though I heard about it on the news, the reality didn’t kick in until I saw photos at Boston.com.

Some of these pictures are a little too close to the bone, but I think its a good wake-up call all the same. Not that there is anything we could do to prepare ourselves for such a tragedy. However it made me realize again that we have to appreciate our loved ones, spend time with them and be thankful for the special times we share. You never know when its the last time you see that person.

Does honey ever go bad?
If it’s a tad too moist, honey might ferment and turn into mead, but barring that, honey kept tightly covered in a dark place can last indefinitely. Crystallization, which occurs more rapidly at lower temperatures, can be reversed by placing the container in hot water for fifteen minutes.
Fun facts: Honey can be used as an antibacterial solution, and reportedly edible honey was discovered in King Tut’s tomb. Children under the age of one should not consume honey, as it carries spores that can cause infant botulism.

Why do some potato chips have a green splotch?
Potatoes spend the majority of their life cycle underground, but every once in a while some part of the tuber catches a bit of excess light. This targeted photosynthesis results in a spot of bright green chlorophyll. Quality control in most plants tends to weed out the greenies, but every once in a while, things just get all spudded up.

What is that stringy thing in an egg white?
That white, slightly tough thing is the chalaza, which anchors the yolk in place.
Fun fact: Brown shells are thicker than white shells, and thus more crack-resistant, making them ideal for hard boiling. There’s no other differences between white and brown eggs — they just come from different breeds of hen.

Why can’t fresh pineapple be used in Jelly?
Fresh pineapple seems like it’d be ideal in a molded Jelly salad, but it contains a natural enzyme called bromelain, which degrades the protein in gelatin and keeps it from setting. There’s always room for canned pineapple, though, since it’s been heated to a temperature that denatures the enzyme. Other non-gelatin-friendly fruits include fresh ginger root, kiwi, papaya, guava and figs.
Fun fact: The same properties that nix bromelain as a gelatin add-in make it an excellent meat tenderizer. Pork and pineapple, anyone?

Why does the slam of an oven door cause a souffle to fall?
It’s not, as old cartoons might have you believe, the loud bang or vibration, but rather that the sudden drop in temperature causes the eggs’ still-forming air bubbles to collapse. Once the proteins have coagulated, they won’t re-inflate, and the top will stay a flop. Keep it closed for a high-flying souffle.

Where does cream of tartar come from and what does it do?
This baking staple starts life as a white sediment that lines the inside of wine casks after fermentation. This tartaric acid is scraped off, purified and ground down to the miraculous powder that lofts our pie toppings and allows our favorite cakes to let their frosting peaks soar. In a pinch, just sub in three times the amount of vinegar or lemon juice.

Where does cream of tartar come from and what does it do?
This baking staple starts life as a white sediment that lines the inside of wine casks after fermentation. This tartaric acid is scraped off, purified and ground down to the miraculous powder that lofts our pie toppings and allows our favorite cakes to let their frosting peaks soar. In a pinch, just sub in three times the amount of vinegar or lemon juice.

Why do some people say that cilantro tastes like soap?
Folks who detest the leafy herb are in pretty sophisticated company, as celebrated chef Julia Child professed to detest the stuff. While scientists have yet to arrive at a consensus, some studies point to the “soapy” taste interpretation of cilantro as being the result of a mild allergy. Others cite the possibly genetic presence or absence of an enzyme that affects how a person processes the flavor of cilantro.
Fun fact: The seeds of the cilantro plant are called coriander, and are a staple in cuisines from around the globe. The leaf’s lovers and loathers alike can find much to squabble about at ihatecilantro.com.

Why doesn’t water tame the burn of a too-hot chilli pepper?
A pepper’s blaze is brought about by capsaicinoids, which are odor and flavor-free, but act directly on pain receptors. The primary one, capsaicin, is an oil, so the frantic chugging of water following a too-hot bite just serves to slosh the pain to other parts of the mouth. Milk, on the other hand, contains casein, which surrounds and absorbs the fatty capsacin and washes it away.
Fun fact: Most of a pepper’s heat is found in its ribs and seeds. Strip this away (carefully, with gloves) to take the flame down a notch.

What’s the difference between baking powder and baking soda?
Both of them make baked goods rise, but they’re not interchangeable. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, which when combined with an acidic component will cause carbon dioxide bubbles to rise, and food to expand in the oven. Baking powder, on the other hand, is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, an acid and a drying agent. The most common format is a double-acting baking powder which, mixed with a liquid, sets off an initial reaction at room temperate, and a second one at baking temperatures.
Fun fact: Baking power cannot be subbed in for baking soda as it’ll introduce excess acidity, but baking soda, an equal amount of cornstarch, and double that quantity of cream of tartar can combine into a baking powder stand-in.

Do recipes really have to be readjusted for higher altitudes?
Indeed they do. Water actually boils at a lower temperature than it does at sea level, but boiled food takes longer to cook thoroughly. Baking can prove especially tricky above 3500 feet, as the air is thinner, and for the most part drier, so leavening agents, ingredient ratios and cooking times have to be calibrated accordingly. Consult your local county extension office to find the best adjustments for your area.

What is a nonreactive pan?
Let’s start on the reactive side. Copper and aluminum conduct heat incredibly well, but they react chemically with foods. Acidic food can pick up a metallic taste, and light-colored soups and sauces can be slightly discolored. Many copper pans are covered with tin to prevent reaction, but since it’s thin and scratches easily, the copper can easily be exposed. Cast iron pans are also considered reactive, but if they’re well-seasoned, the effects are not especially evident.
Popular non-reactive cookware materials include stainless steel, glass, enamel, clay and plastic. These don’t tend to conduct or retain heat as efficiently, but some stainless steel pans have aluminum or copper bonded to the bottom between layers of steel.

Who or what is a vinegar mother?
There’s a fungus among us, and it’s here to make vinegar. Micoderma aceti, a single-cell fungus related to yeast, comes to roost in solutions of limited acidity, a concentration of alcohol, and certain nutritive proteins — wine, for example — and form a grayish mass, which can be either whisper-thin or more solid. This “mother” draws oxygen from the air and converts alcohol into acetic acid. In a solution with water, this constitutes vinegar. The mother can be added to cider, wine, or other alcohols to facilitate the vinegar making process.

This weekend was so good, even though I left my laptop’s power supply at the office, and spent only 1hr online on Friday evening! Pity I couldn’t blog, but it was a good weekend with NO time online

We went for a “hike” to the Wonderboom Fort, cave & waterfall yesterday. Can’t really be classified as a proper hike since the paths are “built” all the way up the mountain, though it was still good exercise for those of us who don’t hike that often. We have been to the fort a couple of times before, but this was the first time we went to the cave, waterfall and the fort.

Here is the full album if you’re interested.