The Why's of Men

1. WHY DO MEN BECOME SMARTER DURING SEX?
(because they are plugged into a genius)
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2. WHY DON'T WOMEN BLINK DURING SEX?
(they don't have enough time)
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3. WHY DOES IT TAKE 1 MILLION SPERM TO FERTILIZE ONE EGG?
(they don't stop to ask directions)
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4. WHY DO MEN SNORE WHEN THEY LIE ON THEIR BACKS?
(because their balls fall over their butt-hole and they vapor lock)
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(You're laughing, aren't you?!?!)
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5. WHY WERE MEN GIVEN LARGER BRAINS THAN DOGS?
(so they won't hump women's legs at cocktails parties)
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6. WHY DID GOD MAKE MEN BEFORE WOMEN?
(you need a rough draft before you make a final copy)
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7. HOW MANY MEN DOES IT TAKE TO PUT A TOILET SEAT DOWN?
(don't know.....it never happened)
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(C'mon guys, we laugh at your blonde jokes!)
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And the personal favorite:
8. WHY DID GOD PUT MEN ON EARTH?
(because a vibrator can't mow the lawn)
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Remember, if you haven't got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart.
Then you are just an old sour fart!
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One for the ladies........
One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt.   Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me,
'What setting do I use on the washing machine?'
'It depends,' I replied. 'What does it say on your shirt?'
He yelled back, ' University of Oklahoma .'

And they say blondes are dumb.
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A couple is lying in bed.
The man says,
'I am going to make you the happiest woman in the world.'
The woman replies,
'I'll miss you.'
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'It's just too hot to wear clothes today,' Jack says as he stepped out of the shower, 'honey, what do you think the neighbors would think if I mowed the lawn like this?'
'Probably that I married you for your money,' she replied.
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Q: What do you call an intelligent, good looking, sensitive man?
A: A rumor
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Dear Lord,
I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him;

And Patience for his moods.   Because, Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death.
AMEN
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Q: Why do little boys whine?
A: They are practicing to be men.
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Q: What does it mean when a man is in your bed gasping for breath and calling your name?
A: You did not hold the pillow down long enough
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Q: How do you keep your husband from reading your e-mail?
A: Rename the mail folder 'Instruction Manual.'
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Property Newsletter courtesy of ARRP

Residential property prices in Australia are determined by supply and demand...


And, in recent years the demand has been strong. This demand has been driven by a huge surge in population growth, including the biggest increase in in-bound migration in history.


In some parts of the country, governments have increased land supply and rezoned land for housing. As a result dwelling starts are running above long-term averages.


But in other parts of the country, supply – new dwelling construction – has not kept pace. This has been mainly in NSW and Queensland.


And in Queensland building approvals have been weak. Approvals slumped by 15.9% in January alone, although it is expected that there will have been a modest lift of 4 per cent in the month of February.


According to new figures released by The Australian Bureau of Statistics a chronic undersupply of new housing is looming in the sunshine state.


Recently released information shows that there has been a 26 per cent fall in building approvals compared to the same period last year.


The Housing Industry of Australia has also warned that the situation could become even worse as the figures begin to take into account the impact of the recent floods and cyclones.


The HIA has reported that new home construction figures for Queensland could be as low as 21,000 for the coming year – a 15 year low when 40,000 to 45,000 homes are needed to be built each year to meet demand.


Capital City Outlook


Melbourne and Sydney will be among the best investment destinations for capital growth over the next five years, according to a new survey.


A Metropole Property Strategists' latest survey of 2,700 investors has highlighted the two cities as investors' preferred choice for growth potential in the medium term, with 26 per cent of respondents looking to Melbourne and 25 per cent leaning towards Sydney.


It is reported that many Sydney investors feel confident that a change of government will be good for the property market and is likely to renew confidence.


Brisbane was selected as the third most popular investment destination, with 17 per cent of respondents choosing it as their number one pick for capital growth.


This was seen as a promising sign that property investors are looking beyond the recent natural disasters and feel confident about investing in Queensland.


The survey also revealed that while two-thirds of those surveyed believed that the property market would continue through a period of consolidation, 64 per cent were still planning to buy an investment property this year.




Sense of urgency for first home buyers.


A recent survey has revealed that rising rents are the motivation behind more than 50 per cent of those surveyed wanting to buy in the next two years.


The Mortgage Choice Future First Homebuyer Survey revealed potential buyers were also keen to set themselves up for the future.


The biggest concern among those surveyed was the effect that increasing housing prices would have on their ability to enter the market. It seems that this is creating a sense of urgency with many thinking that it was time to seriously consider making a move or they may be left behind.


Many are thinking they need to get in soon or they may not ever be able to afford the type of home that they would prefer.


The rental market will also start to come under increased upward pressure due to the lack of new housing construction.

Rental vacancy rates remain tight


Rental vacancies fell Australia-wide in the month of February.


New figures from SQM Research have revealed that the national average vacancy rate had fallen to just 1.7 per cent in February, down from 1.8 per cent the previous month.


Canberra had the lowest vacancy rate at 0.4%, and Melbourne the highest at 2.4%

Statistics reveal an ongoing tight rental market nationwide, with some cities experiencing tighter markets than others resulting in higher than average rental growth per annum.


This is the case in Sydney, where rents have grown on a compounded basis by 8.8% per annum for the past five years.


This implies that again this year we will see rents grow faster than the rate of inflation as an undersupply of rental properties and increasing demand due to affordability exerts pressure on the rental market.




It's essential to have long-term investment views


When it comes to residential property investment you can be sure of one thing. It is not a get rich quick scheme, it is a long-term proposition.


The property market can take from around seven to 10 years to move through a full cycle.


This can include periods of low capital growth/high rental yield to high growth/low yield and back again.


Despite this, many property investors choose locations and property styles with little potential to survive and thrive throughout market fluctuations.


Some investors choose locations that lack the long-term underlying demand to drive capital growth, while others choose property styles that don't reflect trends in the way people want to live.


In other words, the property investment decisions that look good today may not prove so attractive in five, 10 or 20 years. It's essential to understand the nature of long-term economic and demographic trends, then select assets accordingly.

Let's stop and smell the roses

You hear this too often around you! So I ask you why do we stay in our jobs even though we hate it?! In a splash I get answers. "This job pays me well you know! or this job give me social standing!" It's crazy but true that we do not mind the whole day of misery for the sake of society and other stupid reasons.

This has become a contagious disease. Discontented and miserable people working in organisation are creating cascading effect of misery. It’s not just job that is making us miserable. It is our inner calling to break free which is making us miserable. It is our deep desire to something else and not able to do is creating frustrations in us. Very few people are able to say I enjoy my job really and invariably over the time they are also successful in their job.

I think we should all create an outlet for our energy. Don’t weigh everything in Money. Dedicate at least an hour or two everyday to start with for doing what we like. Maybe a run at the harbour, listening to music, investing, etc. We shouldn't feel guilty about it. If we do not give ourselves at least a couple of hours to ourselves everyday, then we are gathering MAD energy. We have to find a way to let go of our frustrations.

WOW

I was reading this online, and it just blew my mind:

Every year, roughly 576,000 babies die between 14 weeks gestation and one month of life. There are more deaths due to miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal loss than there are to cancer or heart attacks. And that is not even including the one in four who miscarry in the first trimester of pregnancy.

I seriously had no idea. 

Recipe - Muesli Fruit Loaf

Preparation time: 14 mins

Cooking time: 40-45 mins

Makes 8-10 slices

Ingredients:
2 cups self raising flour

1 cup Apricot, Date & Almond Muesli

3/4 cup raw sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 medium apple, peeled and grated

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk to 1 teaspoon lemon juice)

2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten

75g butter, melted

Crumble Topping

1 tablespoon self raising flour

1/2 cup Apricot, Date & Almond Muesli

1 tablespoon raw sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

30g butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180C conventional / 160C fan forced. Combine flour, muesli, sugar, cinnamon and apple in a large bowl. Sitr into dry ingredients. Spoon into lined large (21cm x 14cm) loaf pan.

2. For crumble topping, combine ingredients and rub through butter. Pat onto top of loaf mixture. Bak for 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve warm, sliced with butter and jam.

Recipe - Asian Chicken Chop

My mom used to take me to a little asian diner for chicken chop.  Honestly amongst all the chicken chops I have tried all these years, I have to say the little diner chicken chop are the best!

I have been trying to find an asian recipe for chicken chop for a long time now and came across this recipe. Though its nothing as good as the chicken chop I had in the asian diner I thought it was pretty good - well different good.

Ingredients:

1 pc boneless chicken thigh and chicken breast, cut crisscross line on chicken for even cooking. Season with a little kosher sat.

3 tbsp reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce (I used Lea & Perrins reduced sodium)

2 tbsp Shao Xing cooking wine (chinese cooking wine)

1 tbsp sugar

a drop of sesame oil

EVOO for pan frying

Method:

1. In a bowl, prepare the Worcestershire sauce, Shao Xing wine, sugar and sesame oil, set aside.

2. Heat up a saute pan or wok, add in EVOO and when hot, add in chicken chop, turn the heat to low and pan-fry until brown on both sides and almost cook inside. Cover if needed (for faster cooking time).

3. Add in the prepared sauce and let the chicken simmer in the sauce until the sauce thicken and the chicken is cooked completely. You can turn the chicken to soak in the sauce. Slice and serve with hot rice.

Our Trip to Zurich, Switzerland

I have always wanted to visit Switzerland – to experience the beautiful mountains and lakes. These days however, the largest city in Switzerland is known for two things above all else: a high quality of life and banking, which both Zurich and the rest of the country are abundant in to the point of obsession. The banking might be dull, but then again it’s probably a major contributor to that quality of life. 

Of course for the casual tourist like me and my husband, neither these things are of particular interest. Zurich is a beautiful city with pricey boutiques and a selection of enticing churches and museums. You can also find alluring sights around like exploring Lake Zurich. I have to say that Zurich is one of the most expensive spots in Europe and also lacks that one stand out attraction that makes it a must see. I guess most visitors love the city for its mix of well-maintained history and cutting edge modernity. 

It was an easy transition from Munich BHF to Zurich BHF. The train ride was about 4 hours and the view was quite spectacular as we moved through several of the quaintest towns along the way. The only disappointment was that by the time I would turn the camera on, the great views had passed. 

We reached Zurich Haupthahnhof and we exited into the sea of people. This Zurich landmark is the biggest in Switzerland and the busiest in Europe. Just above the main entrance is the statue of Helvetia, the national symbol of Switzerland. 

15 mins walk later with heavy luggage on our sides, we checked into Hotel Rotheus. Our hotel and room was facing the main street and we could hear the sounds of the street. It was a 3 star hotel a few minutes from the main city. The room was actually pretty nice. It was spacious and modern. The bedding was extra comfy (especially after sleeping two nights on the rock they call a bed in Munich) and really nice textured paint on the walls. The bath is also very spacious with excellent lighting. 

After checking in the hotel we were ready for some Swiss action and Swiss food. We freshened up (very so briefly) and took out our tour map and found ourselves a classy fine dining restaurant – Volkshaus. From the outside the restaurant looks like the average restaurant in Sydney. But once we walked inside, we were thrown away with the classiness of the restaurant. We looked down and realised how under dressed we were! I was in my scruffy jeans, a worn out top with a cardigan and a pair of Nike. The menu was in a foreign language so we did not understand a word of it. A kind waiter came over and tried explaining the menu to us. Since we wanted authentic swiss meal, the waiter recommended a fish dish for me and a steak meal for John. The meal was very average, unfortunately the bill wasn't. 

After dinner we stopped by a café for some hot chocolat – I have to say for a country which is known for chocolate, the hot chocolat I had was far too disappointing. We quickly paid the bill and walked back to our hotel unimpressed. 

After a long hot shower, I received a text message from our alarm system provider in Sydney. Apparently there was a glitch with the test alarm signal with our back to base service. Being me, I was paranoid and worried that our house was broken into. I called the alarm provider to understand more about the situation and they needed someone to test the alarm and phone line in the house. That just made my day a little more frustrated. Luckily we had Nikki. Nikki had a set of the house keys and quickly agreed to drop by our house to check later that evening. Everything was fine – but with my luck nothing is ever fine. Nikki forgot to switch off the lights when she left the house. Our neighbor contacted us soon to inform us that. So with that in mind, I got more paranoid that the house would burn down. 

After a very disappointing first impression of Zurich and a horrible paranoia night, we woke up fresh the next morning and decided to make our way to the main shopping street. Passing the Limmat River that splits the sity, we went for a brief walk through the town centre and grabbed a little something to eat and drink. Another disappointment was that I could not locate a café that serves chai latte (oh how I miss Sydney). 

After breakfast we went straight for the main shopping street – Bahnfostrasse to gaze at the windows. I turned to John and told him how middle class we were. There was nothing in Bahnfostrasse that we could afford. The abundance, the extreme wealth, the “over the top” while elsewhere in the world people murder for a slice of molded bread. 

Spotted a weird sculpture by Max Bill who is a famous Swiss architect, painter and designer. In the middle of the 20th century he was an influential figure in graphic design. This sculpture - Pavillon Skulptur is a granite sculpture that was installed in 1983. Its massive pillars from high arches which we can walk through represents Max Bill's bold concept of city design. We walked across the river and into Neiderdorf. It’s filled with narrow pedestrian areas with great architectural record of the city’s history. The details there are so beautiful that they remind of cake decorations. There are frescoes on the sides of buildings and throughout this area. I have started a secret love affair with beautiful European architecture. At one intersection we spotted the tall spire of the Peterskirche. We went up for a closer inspection. Construction of the church began on the 8th century but it has undergone many transformations since. 

Slowly we strolled to the east side of River Limmat and came across Zurich's Town Hall. The building overhangs the river with a bridge called Rathausbrucke located next to it. The main entrance is beautifully adorned with golden lions. In the 19th century, it was the seat of the cantonal and municipal parliament. We walked back down to the river and continue along it. The city’s great focus was obviously the Zurich River. Along the river there was a large gathering of swans and ducks. Burkiplatz is a popular attraction for tourists like us. From the promenade we admired the view of Lake Zurich's calm waters and the fascinating panorama of the Alps. There is also a statue of Ganymede and Zeus, in the form of an eagle being taken to Mount Olympus. By now Zurich doesn’t seem that bad. With the fresh air and all of this walking around, we worked up an appetite. 

In surge of a place to eat, we walked in a street parallel to the river on the Grossmunster side. The street – Niederdorfstrasse housed a lot of Italian restaurants. So many in fact, it looked like we were in the Italian quarter. In the end with a budget in mind, we picked Spaghetti Factory. We were treated with very friendly service. Our waitress spoke very good English. The quality of food was average, simple and classic. 

After lunch, we continued on with our tour of Zurich. We walked towards Heimplatz and spotted the Gates of Hell which was placed near Kunsthaus. Gates of Hell is one of French Sculptor Auguste Rodin’s most notable works. The sculpture is 6 meters high, 4 meters wide and 1 meter deep. It took the sculptor 37 years to complete this great project. We then strolled along Kunsthaus Zurich which was opened in 1910 and houses an important collection of both international and Swiss artists. Masterpieces of the Late Gothic, Flemish, Baroque and Modern era are displayed here including outstanding works by such famous artists as Van Gogh, Picasso, Claude Monet and many others. 

The next stop was at Grossmunster which is one of the most outstanding religious buildings in Zurich. It had an immense impact on the country’s Protestant Reformation. The construction of the monastery began around 1100. Its most famous feature is its twin towers, the symbol of Zurich. The interior of the church is amazing, with the organ and the stained windows. We walked back closer to the city to Paradeplatz which is located in the middle of Bahnhofstrasse. Parade Square is most often referred to as the money magnet of Zurich, due to its many luxurious boutiques, bank buildings, hotels and galleries. 

After another coffee break we decided to take a slow walk back to the hotel for a break before dinner. We returned to the city as the light grows dim. The city’s lighting is coming on and the mood changes to something more intimate. Sighh the Grossmunster is so dramatic at night. The lighting makes it look even larger and taller in the day. 

We decided to stop at Sam’s Pizza for some old fashion American pizza for dinner. John insisted that we order the family size pizza so when the pizza arrived we both gasped at the size of it. I thought to myself there was no way we could finish it..but we did. Well, John did. Yes, my monster as a husband finished 90% of the pizza as I was full after the first slice. After dinner we walked back to the hotel. I honestly have no idea how John made it back to the hotel after all that food. 

The only thing we bought in Zurich was a large bottle of Evian, Swiss cream cookies, several fridge magnets, a swiss knife (a gift for my boss) and a bottle of contact lens solution. I have decided from the start not to spend money shopping in Zurich (one reason being we blew our spending budget in the Swiss restaurant) and the other reason being how insanely expensive Zurich is. I came across a scarf that cost over 1200 CHF! We are talking here about $1400 AUD for a bloody boring looking scarf!! So did I enjoy Zurich? It was an experience yes but would I go back? Well the honest answer is no.