Foods my wife can't eat - Fructose Mal-absorption

About a year ago, my wife Fee was diagnosed with Fructose Mal-absorption.
It's a food thing.

It means she can't eat fruit, onion, flour, wheat and honey (but more on that in a moment) 


When she first found out, she cried. But once she got used to the idea that food wouldn't make her feel bad any more - but actually make her feel good, well we were on our way!

Fructose Mal-absorption isn't exactly front page news.Most people who we visit for dinner don't really know what Fee can or can't eat.
We don't blame you. We want to help you.

So, if we're coming round to your place for a meal, here's a quick list for you to reference so we don't have to kinda leave that awesome apple crumble. Sometimes it's easiest to say 'Gluten-free-plus-no-fruit-and-onion'.

1/ Stuff she CAN'T eat -

• Onion
• Flour (wheat flour)
• Honey
• Beans and Legumes
• Apples, Pears
• Lots of garlic (small amounts are ok!)

2/ Stuff she CAN eat -

• All Meats including fish
• Chocolate
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Gluten free breads
• Oats (ie. porridge)
• Gluten free pasta
• Gluten free cakes (yum)
• Rice
• Rice noodles
• Dairy
• Rice crackers
• Ice Cream
• Some fruits, like Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Pineapple & Bananas (if you can afford them)
• She can eat oranges, but she's allergic to them, so she doesn't.
• ... and vegies, like Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Potato, Corn, Mushrooms, Capsicum, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes
  (oh wait, is a tomato a fruit? doesn't matter, she can eat it anyway!)

3/ Traps for young players

• Most 'stocks' have onion or onion powder in them, which is a shame.
• Maple 'flavoured' syrup: The fake stuff is not good for Fee, but 'Real' Maple Syrup is great.
• Most dips, salsas and sauces are made with onion somewhere too, which is a bit sad.
• 'Dehydrated vegies': check the ingredients list for this one, this typically means it had onion.

4/ Choice meals

• Meat & Veg
• Gluten free pasta and sauce
• Curry & rice (no onion)
• Risotto (no onion)
• Eggs & Bacon

Dinner soon?

Update: [SOLD] Bianchi 928 Carbon Fibre road bike

## Update: A great young guy who will be racing in a school team in Human Powered Vehicles at the RACV Energy Breakthrough this year, came and picked up this trusty steed this morning. I hope he enjoys it as much as I have! ##


The time has come to sell my wonderful Bianchi 928 Carbon road bike.
I'm compiled an album to show it off in all it's (current) glory here...

I've really enjoyed spending plenty of hours on 'Fast Eddy' over the past 6 years or so. Whilst I have tried hard to keep it in good condition, there have been a few inevitable scratches and war scars.
I've only recently upsized to a larger frame and a newer rig, as this one was a bit small (56cm) for me.

I'm 186cm and can't quite believe that I rode a bike that was too small for me for so long. I'd recommend to get measured up really well before you buy any bike. Mine included.


The drive train was all replaced (front chain rings, chain and rear cassette) in late 2010, so that's all running pretty sweetly too.

Here are the overview...
It's a Bianchi 928 Carbon, not the one with the Celeste Green decals), with a...
Carbon Fibre frame, and it was...
Handmade in Italy

And here's the finer specs:
Size: 56cm seat tube, x 56 cm top tube (centre to centre)
Levers: Dura-Ace ST-7700 (9spd)
Wheels: Mavic Cosmos
Chain: Dura-Ace 9spd
Front Derailleur: Dura-Ace FD-7700 (9spd)
Rear Derailleur: Dura-Ace RD-7700 (9spd)
Rear Cassette: Ultegra CS-6500 (12t-23t)
Brakes: Ultegra BR-6500
Cranks: Ultegra FC-6500
Seatpost: BBB Alloy
Saddle / Seat: Bontrager Affinty2
Headstem: ITM Millennium Bianchi - 130mm
Pedals: Shimano 105 widebody (new, fresh out of the box)

And here's the album with all the pics:

For Sale - Bianchi 928 Carbon

What I do at World Vision

It's been a while between posts ... over six months in fact, but it's not because I haven't had posts up there in my head ready to come out.

Since my last post way back in November, I've changed roles, but have still kept in touch with the RACV Energy Breakthrough & HPV community. I've bought a new bike (expect to see an ad for my old Bianchi 928 here soon!), celebrated my 4 year of marriage to Fee and have been certainly a lot more active at work than my 'year of reflection' in 2010. I think I'm getting better at saying 'no' too.

Since November last year, I've been the Digital Presence Co-ordinator for World Vision Australia.
I prefer the title: Online Guy, the myself, but hey - organisations are good at making up big titles for roles like mine.

What do I do at World Vision?

World Vision Australia homepage

Within our Digital Team, I find and publish stories, help with campaigns and do some project work for the World Vision website - worldvision.com.au. 

Think of me as like a Magazine Publisher, I don't write the stories or take the photos, but I collate them, play a part in finding them and commissioning pieces and deciding on where they fit into the website structure. Once these pieces of content are published, my offsider Carlos and I let our Social Media Team know and they tweet and facebook out the articles.

I also look after content and advise on web projects like the 40HourFamine.com, Team World Vision and Connecting Lives.


Do I enjoy it?

Yes! I feel like I'm in the right place at the right time. The people I work with (like Richenda, Keith, Jeff, Carlos and Prarth - amongst a host of others) are wonderful, really colourful people and I have a sense that I am able to give my best for World Vision in this role. The opportunity to take stories of need or hope from around the world and bring them to an Australian audience where people can respond - financially or non-financially - is a great one. I hope I can do the people in World Vision's projects around the world proud.


So, really ... why no posts lately?
I think it's really challenging to spend all of my days online to come home and write a blog. There comes a point where there is just too much screen time for me and I can't take it anymore.

Let's hope that I've turned a corner and I get my act together to post a bit more often!

No Crap November

Well, it's a bit off the wall from 'Movember' or 'Oc-Sober' or 'Dry-July' - but for this November, my wife Fee and I embarked on No Crap November.

Basically, in the lead-up we weren't eating particuarly well - we weren't doing terribly but we wanted to avoid chocolates, cake, soft drink and desserts.

How did we go? 
Really well for the first fortnight, then we struggled big time once I got to the RACV Energy Breakthrough (right) and Fee had a Staff Retreat, then a meeting in Bendigo and then a Alpha Board meeting.

Once we broke the routine, it was all over. Once we were seperated (physically!) we couldn't keep it up.

We've never really been into diets, but this little insight into how we go at giving things up could really translate to lots of other areas as well - work, exercise, paying bills, getting enough sleep.
If you go it alone, we're less likely to get through. 

Now for Christmas!

Off to Sydney for the Australasian Fundraising Forum (2010)

Well, I know I've been very quiet of late here on my blog, but I've been really busy trying to keep my head above water with World Vision's 40 Hour Famine campaign (Aug 20 - 22).

This year I was looking after the website and social media. It's all gone really well (if I say so myself) but I've also found myself quite stretched by the demands of both website publishing and being part of an online community through social media.

It even led me to give up technology myself and resort to a diet of oats and rice for 40 hours last weekend (Aug 27-29). Thanks to Crowey, James, Steve, Nathan and Kim who kindly gave me a few dollars!

Off to Sydney for the Australasian Fundraising Forum (2010)

With all of this recent knowledge, I'm packing my bags for the Australasian Fundraising Forum in Sydney to talk about how we used social media and why. I hope I can shed a bit of light on the idea of what all those 'social media people' are doing all day.

It will be a new experience for me - I've not spoken at a professional conference on behalf of World Vision before - and yet I've spoken at many other youth events for our supporters.

After I get back from Sydney, I'll be heading off to Pt Lonsdale for a week without computers again.

We're really looking forward to putting our feet up and switching off.

March Mayhem

Sometimes everything seems to come together at once doesn't it?

Exactly where January and February went, well, I'm not quite sure - but we have found ourselves in March and a super busy one at that!

When I saw this recent post by Mark Sayers about his Mad March, I thought I could possibly do the same but call it March Mayhem so at least I'm not blatantly copying.

Sure, unlike Mark I'm not launching a book this month, but I will be on the road a lot more than usual.

If you happen to come my way (or I yours) make sure you say hello!

Where I'll be this March:

9th - Entries Open for the RACV Energy Breakthrough 

                (I manage the website, in my spare time)

STIR Sub-Editor Teleconference #3

11 - STIR Sub-Editor Teleconference #4

12 - At the Book Launch of Mark Sayer's new number: The Vertical Self

13 - Running a workshop for World Vision at the Victorian Christian Youth Convention (VCYC)

15 - STIR Session Perth at the WA Art Gallery

17 - STIR Session Adelaide at Higher Ground Theatre

18 - STIR Session Melbourne at the Melb City Convention Centre

19 - 21st - Joining up with young gun Lachy Hickey to perform some trackside 

announcing at the Wonthaggi Human Powered Grand Prix

23 - STIR Session Sydney at the Birrung Gallery

Hopefully, I'll get to have a coffee or two in the delightful Toby's Estate in Wooloomooloo

25 - STIR Session Brisbane at the Uni of Qld

Hang out in BrisVegas for a bit too, and catch-up with my friend Crowey!

28th - Enjoy the Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne 

(in case you didn't know, I LOVE Formula 1 racing. It's ok if you didn't - my wife didn't know until 

Then maybe I'll spend April collapsing in a heap and sleeping it off...

Winter Olympics: Every sport is better!

Like many Australians, I've been spending my evenings lately with the Collingwood FC President Eddie McGuire watching the Winter Olympics Games coverage from Vancouver.

What's struck me about the Winter Olympics is that every sport from the Summer Olympics is better.
It's faster, more exciting or more dangerous.
There's high risk of error and injury, the spray of the snow and the elite, model-esque athletes to admire.
Oh, and the outfits are cooler too!

Let me explain:

They've taken Gymnastics and turned it into Figure Skating

From Pole Vault to Aerial Skiing

(Image from the amazing Big Picture Blog / JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images)

In the Marathon - they give you a gun and it becomes Biathlon

Hockey becomes Ice Hockey (sorry Steve)

(Image from the amazing Big Picture Blog /AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

The Long Jump becomes Ski Jumping

Hurdles are Moguls

Track Running becomes speed skating

The Cycling Time trial is now the down hill skiing (They even had Phil Liggett behind the mic)

Even the newest Summer Sport - BMX - is outdone by Snowboard-X and Ski-X.

I mean, that's seriously good fun too watch!

Lawn bowls (ok, so it's in the Commonwealth Games) becomes curling... 

... hmm maybe the rule isn't universal after all.

(Image from the amazing Big Picture Blog /Clive Mason/Getty Images)

BUT, those northern hemisphere folks didn't stop there.

No, they added Luge, Skeleton and Bobsleigh too.

Yes, I think you'll agree - EVERY Sport is better, more exciting and more dangerous.
Are you enjoying it too?