Meouw, Meouw MEOUW, MEOUW!!

My kitty cat Squeaky (real name: Galileo) is the apple of my eye.
He is 9 years old and I have had him since he was 7 weeks old.

I got him and his related brother Boomie (real name: Da Vinci)) together, but Squeaky was always the mommy's boy, while Boomie liked to explore.
4 years ago Boomie disappeared. He was never found.

Squeaky became my sole companion, save for a persian houseguest who lived with us for a few months.

I have moved house so many times with Squeaky that I have lost count.

I am now in my own place and I am so happy here. But Squeaky doesn't seem to be. All he does is cry...and cry... and cry.

Sometimes I will find him lying on the floor just meowing in general. It is beginning to drive me insane! I walk with him every night through the complex and I leave the door open for him (Brrrrr) until I go to bed.

As I type this, I can hear him meouwing as he walks around the complex.

The only time he stops is when I am stroking him or we are at the scratch pole together.

Could he be lonely? I am only allowed 1 pet, so a companion is out of the question. I work long hours. Maybe he is just really lonely?

I have consulted various animal behavioural sites and they say to ignore him when he cries. But what if he is crying because he is telling me that he is lonely?

He has never cried like this before. Even when living with the Persian cat, he was unhappy, but never this vocal.

It has been 3 months now.

What is going on??

Claudz's Cooking Challenge

The lovely Claudz is hosting a 6 week cooking challenge from next week.

What I love is that she has given alternatives for each week's challenge to suit most people's budget and experience levels.

Claudz has encouraged me to participate. (Quiet the laughter) We all know I am no cook. I'm the Susan of Desperate Housewives who ends up with a fire and food in my hair while crying in front of the pizza I was forced to order instead. My version of dinner is pre- cooked meals.  Heat.  Eat.  Enjoy!

My kitchen is a huge storage space for my beloved Nespresso machine (incidentally now a year old,  my birthday gift last year) and coffee pods.  I'm sure the staff at Nespresso rub their hands in glee when they see me approaching their shop in Sandton.

I would love to be able to cook and 1 of my Twenty Wishes at the beginning of this year was to cook/bake more, but where would I even begin?

If you 1 of the braver cooks out there,  add your name to the challenge here:  http://purplelipsandperfectsmiles.blogspot.com/2013/06/nothing-like-good-challenge.html

Good luck!  I look forward to watching and drooling and wishing!  :-)

Evernote - useful or useless?

In an age whereby modern technology thinks for us, are we becoming lazy and therefore forgetful?
Or are we forgetful because in these times we are forced to handle so much pressure and expected to do too many things at once?

I came across an interesting application called Evernote:

Think this is what you have been waiting for?

I have downloaded it and will be trying it out.

This app remembers everything for you. You install the app on your PC (or Mac) your mobile device and your tablet.

All info syncs automatically so that no matter which device you are using, you have access to the info you need.

For example:

I am browsing the net at work and I see an image of a bouquet of flowers for a work function. I save it into a folder (called a Notebook) called "Events"

I am at the shops and want to explain to the florist what the bouquet looks like. I quickly access the folder on my mobile (or tablet) and show the florist. Ta Da!!

This will be great for event and project management.

My Samsung is a very powerful device, but I know that I am not using the technology to the best of it's ability.

I also have to write down or email myself every little thing, otherwise just like a goldfish - I forget 30 seconds later.

My cellphone gallery is interspersed with work images, cats and hot men. I hope that Evernote will help me to keep work and personal separate.

There are a variety of applications within Evernote that you can download for free. 

Check out this handy feature to help remove cluttered web pages and read the page easily:

Evernote Clearly

Have you heard of Evernote? Does it work for you?

If you use the app, let me know how you find it, or else, download it and let's do it together! 

Click here to go to the site & download your applications

Noah in Parys

He is becoming such a big boy and I am loving being an aunt more than I ever imagined.
I still don't have those motherly urges, but at least I am not a cold hearted aunty.

I went to my parents side of the world for a birthday celebration the weekend after my birthday. As has become a yearly tradition, we go to Parys.

For some reason I took no photos except of my adorable nephew. He was 2 in February and he knows how to use a Samsung Galaxy S3 almost better than I do. He can count to ten and can recite most of the alphabet.
His nature is sunny and sweet and he laughs alot. He also loves it when I tickle him to death (yes he does) and blow "farts" into his tummy and bubbles into his face!

When you ask him for love he launches himself at you to give you a hug. What a darling!

He loves the camera