Dear Diary: 27/02/1996 (aged 11)

Woke up. Went to school and did times tables test. I got 46 out of 50 so that is fair. Had break and did english. Looks like I am going to have another penpal in america. I hope it's a girl! We are in new places. I am next to Ashley Urk Yuck Puke!!! At drama club Gemma got in a stress. Came home and did homework.

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Frisky & Mannish

Last night I felt something. I felt sad that I’d lived for twenty seven years of my live and never before experienced the intense rush of joy that comes from seeing a Frisky and Mannish show. Well now I have!

I have always been a big fan of pop music; I used to have Smash Hits delivered to my house every Saturday morning when I was younger (and cried once when it didn’t arrive, but let’s move on) and could regurgitate all kinds of ridiculous facts about the latest new group, to the chagrin of my friends. I’d say my musical tastes have broadened somewhat since then, although still mostly contained in the Top 40, but pop music has a special place in my heart.

Only too aware of this, my housemate (and good friend) bought us tickets to see Frisky and Mannish at the E4 Udderbelly on London’s south bank last night. This act is hard to describe, but I’ll attempt - a seamless mélange of cabaret and live music under a big canopy of PARODY. There.

Dear Diary: 13/08/1999 (aged 14)

I so totally Y Nick Carter that I want to MARRY him! Aheeheehee. Leo bought in a DEAD mouse. Oh no. It's Friday the 13th! Nothing went wrong for me today. I want to hear A1's new song desperately. Did I mention I Y Nick Carter?

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Email Home: 05/09/2011 (aged 26)

Kenya - Weeks 3 & 4

Hi all,

A quick note as the other volunteers have just arrived in the cafe next door for 'cake night', which is as amazing as it sounds. I'm foregoing 'Death by Chocolate' this week for a warm brownie on a sizzling platter topped with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce.

I'm now just beginning my final week in Kenya and it has just gone so quickly! This is the first week of 'term time' teaching, where we follow a set timetable and the days are much more structured (and longer). The classes are also much larger. As volunteers we teach the English and Science classes for our standard/grade, and I am teaching standards 5 (9-16 years old) and standard 1 (about 6-8). The huge age ranges arise since children can't progress to the next year unless they pass the year-end exam, meaning they can be held back (many years, it seems). The standard 1 children are mad, crave one-on-one attention and are very difficult to control so am lucky to be working in a duo. The standard fives are much calmer and the boys are generally more compliant than the girls.

From other volunteers and staff you learn how malnourished the children are. They never eat breakfast and dinner is generally deep fried potato (Kenyan food is VERY greasy). Many children come to school just for the free lunch (which itself is pretty crap, generally rice and boiled beans) so you do get a couple falling asleep in class before lunch as they're so hungry - at least that's what I tell myself. There are stories from other volunteers of children eating dried pasta from artwork and rice from musical instument shakers that were made because they're so hungry.

Dear Diary: 05/02/1997 (aged 12)

In Physics Mrs Espejo came in and started screaming at us for being so loud. It wasn't my fault though, I was working. She said who has been screaming and Chrissie started crying and she took her and Antonia out of the room! My heart was pounding in my chest and Charlotte and Anna were the ones being so loud.

Best thing today: Getting Superscape on the computer.
















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Dear Diary: 06/09/2000 (aged 15)

Went back to school today. It was ok, but we had to have lessons in the afternoon. Can’t wait till this weekend already. I look much, much better with a tan on my face. I hope it stays a while.

Can’t wait till my birthday but then again I don’t want 2 turn 16. For lots of reasons, none of which I can remember.

Rachel and I are going 2 C Scary Movie at the cinema. Lisa has had her hair cut. Looks ok:

Dear Diary: 28/06/2000 (aged 15)

Today was the worst day of my life. I felt like crying a lot. This is why:

1. BSB & Elton John are at Party in the Park
2. I left my school bag @ home & everyone laughed @ me
3. Broke pencil case
4. Couldn’t connect computer up to Hi-Fi.

1 good thing: I got Jessica Simpson’s new song Don Henley’s songs in MP3. I just can’t be bothered anymore! I SO BADLY want to get tickets to PITP!! Hayley is rubbing it in.

Love,

Katie Palladino

PS: In Smash Hits there was a picture of Nick getting a ‘tash! UHOH!!

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Dear Diary: 26/01/1997 (aged 12)

Today mum made me go to Church in the morning AND in the evening. I have NEVER been so bored. Catherine was in the Guide parade but I forgot to show her my NEW gold nail varnish. Its really cool.

Best thing today: NOTHING I WAS BORED!!!!!!

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Email home: 28/08/2011 (aged 26)

Kenya - week 2

Hello!

Thanks for the responses to my last update – am sorry I don’t have time to respond to all, but be assured I look forward to logging onto my emails! Where to pick up from last time….??

Last weekend a group of us went to Shimoni, which is on the south coast of Kenya. There's another GVI project going on down there (mainly wildlife and sealife conservation), so we met up with those guys on the Friday night. Saturday we went on a FIVE hour forest walk across the harshest coral and tree-trunk terrain - it was exhausting. We then got the boat over to an island where the majority of residents are Muslim (we had to cover our heads) where we had a Swahili cooking class and stayed there. The next day we went on a boat trip where we saw dolphins and then did some snorkelling before making our way back to Mombasa.

A Blog About Yog!

Having discovered Snog frozen yoghurt outlets last year, I'm now an enthusiastic follower of the 'fro-yo' movement. I adore mango or passion fruit flavour with raspberries dotted around the outside. I spotted this tub yesterday in Waitrose (the John Lewis food hall on Oxford St.) and prayed that it didn't melt on the bus home. Luckily it's fairly slow melting so was fine. 

This tastes exactly like the pumped stuff and the passion fruit flavour is Out Of This World. It's gorgeously exotic and best of all, it's fat free! Totally guiltless pleasure! I'm a huge fan and spent last night wrapped around this tub. Here it is, posing on my rug.


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My first cheesecake

Give someone a cake and they'll like you. Give them a cake you made, and they'll love you forever.

I like sharing the fruits of my labour with colleagues, so I asked for requests last week. The general consensus was a cheesecake with specific instruction to wait until next week, when S is back from holidays. Once I had the idea in my head, though, I couldn't wait!

I'm not a huge cheesecake fan, but after a wonderful past experience with a lime cheesecake (with a ginger biscuit base), I decided that was The One. I went for this recipe by foodforfriendsyeah which reminded me of the one I'd tasted before. It was really easy to make and tasted lovely! There's a nice contrast between the citric, slightly tart topping and the sweet, buttery base *drool*. I used half-fat creme fraiche so it wasn't quite as sinful, but the reduced fat content did mean it didn't set as hard as you would expect. Not a problem though.

NB: It looks like pond weed on the top, but it's not. It's lime zest.

The only issue now is that my impatience  has made its way to S, who is not happy that I couldn't wait for her return, so I have to face her wrath tomorrow (and possibly make another to placate her!).

I've made another one today at mum's! Nueva favorita!

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