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Today I had a beautiful meal in one of my favourite local restaurants. It is Japanese, and is one of the only places I trust for fresh sashimi. The food was great, but the best part is watching to see what other people eat.

The Australians of course, completely over-ordered. They had sushi rolls, sashimi and meat dishes – mixed together with their bowls of rice drowned in way too much soy sauce. Of course, all of this was washed down with a Coke Zero.

And to make it worse, there was so much waste. Now I know it’s a great idea to not need to finish everything on your plate, but the overindulgence just seemed wrong. And the part I really didn’t like was seeing all of the small accompaniment salads untouched.

The Japanese on the other hand, took a very different approach. I saw one man come in, sit down and eat one salmon and avocado roll. It is cut into four bite sized pieces, and we would consider it a small starter. But the slim Japanese man ate each piece slowly, sipped his tea, then left. Now even if it was a small snack for him, not his main meal of the day, the point is that most Westerners would have still ordered two.

It was also time for the staff to have their meal. Two at a time, they sat down to their beautifully cooked late lunch. It consisted of a big bowl of lettuce, a plate of something that looked like cooked cabbage, and also a plate that contained vegetables cooked with a small amount of meat.

They did also eat some rice, but unlike us, they ate it without sauces. Of course, this was washed down with plain water. And naturally, the portions were a lot smaller.

I love watching people in restaurants. It shows so much about people, cultures and our attitudes towards food. And I always learn something new.

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As the weather becomes warmer, the swimming pool beckons, so use it to your advantage with an aqua workout!

Unless you have taken some choreographed classes, you may be feeling a bit lost about what exercises you can do in the water. The easiest thing to do for a great workout is to just have fun! Jump around, swim a little crazily, kick and bounce with the enthusiasm of a child. And with the added resistance of the water, you will be getting an even better workout than you would on land.

Here are some other tips for aqua exercising:

1. Doing laps is great for you, but it can be a bit boring so try to mix up your strokes. This is also great for working all areas of your body.

2. It is also an idea to count the number of laps you do, so you can push yourself further next time and gradually build up your strength.

3. A great workout for the legs is by doing a stroke like backstroke, but using a fast kick for speed instead of your arms. So float on your back, leave your arms by your side and start kicking as fast as you can. Just mind your head at the other end!

4. Leg lifts are also a really easy pool exercise. Back and forth, or side to side - all directions will give you a great workout.

5. The jump and twist is a fun aqua move. It’s like doing the twist, so as you jump up your arms swing one way, and your legs swing to the other side. This one exercises your whole body.

6. Depending on the edge of your swimming pool, you can also try swinging your legs over the side, then keep your body afloat with the help of your core muscles.

7. The sides are also great for arm exercises. You can try water pushups by facing the wall, placing your hands on the edge about shoulder width apart, and lifting your body up and down for a great chest and arm workout.

8. You can also try tricep dips, where you face your back towards the wall, place your palms on the edge and start lifting your body out of the water and back down again.

9. For another great workout, lean back against the side of the pool with your arms supporting your weight, then with your legs together, weave them back and forth through the water in a figure eight. This one is good for tightening the waist.

10. And finally, if all of this bores you, grab a pool pony or another energetic pool toy and reminisce about your childhood with some old fashioned pool fun! You could even grab a group of friends for a game of marco polo. Kids stay fit by enjoying themselves. Who can beat that for exercise!

At first glance, you may think these are just nice paintings. But take a closer look - you may be surprised by the materials used by the artist!

The countryside landscape has broccoli for trees, potatoes for rocks and basil and herbs for the grass. The path is made from nuts, while the basket is bread with a mushroom wheel. The balloons were crafted out of apple, mango, a strawberry, bananas, garlic, lemons and a lime.

The hills are brought to life with a carved slab of cheddar, while breadsticks form the jetty and garlic cloves bob on the lake as sallboats. The steamer is made of bread with a celery funnel.

The photographs are courtesy of Carl Warner, a man who obviously loves his fruit and vegetables. He thinks up a landscape, makes a rough sketch then goes to buy the ingredients. Very clever!

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Well, I think we can say the festive season has officially begun. The decorations are up, shopping is well underway and Christmas parties have already started. 

It is a great time of the year, but there is no reason you have to choose between your diet and fun. There is a way to balance them both. So here are some tips for staying slim over the festive season while still enjoying yourself!

1. STILL EAT WELL
For starters, you must still eat your regular meals. Many people are looking to reduce their calories in the holiday season, so they take out their proper meals in order to eat and drink guilt free at their parties. Do this and you are looking for trouble! Instead, you need to be eating loads of good food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also, be careful about developing bad habits like eating the left over chocolates and lollies for breakfast, as this is just setting you up for a day of bad eating. If you have to do it (after all, we know you will!), try to start off with a banana, some eggs, avocado and baby spinach and then you can attack the chocolates.

2. MODIFY YOUR FITNESS PROGRAM
It is crucial that you tailor your fitness program to suit the festive period. It might mean you have to get more creative, but the changes will be fun. Instead of just going out for lunch, why not catch up with friends over a game of tennis? You can also try to meet friends in a local café or park so you can walk there instead of taking the car. You can also exercise at home if you don't have time for your regular walk or gym session. Fitness DVDs or a mini trampoline make very convenient workouts, and even 10 minutes done regularly will make a huge difference.

3. GET RID OF THE GUILT!
If you combine good eating with the occasional indulgences of the party food, there is no reason to feel guilty. So don't! Because feeling guilty will only lead you to eating more of the wrong foods. It is a lovely time of the year where you do get to spend quality time with the special people in your life, so it is important to place more emphasis on having fun. And by doing this, you will also remain happy, balanced and in control of your eating.

A sign of the times for Christmas 2008....

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“It was actually…like, almost exactly the same!”

I heard a girl speaking those words to someone on her mobile phone today, and it gave me a little giggle. Now I’m sure I personally have uttered something close to those words too at some stage, especially as I am a big user of the word actually. Actually, the other word I use too often is absolutely, but I won’t digress.

Anyway, at the end of the day, it made me think about the latest research out of Oxford University where they have listed the top 10 most irritating phrases, and surprisingly, ‘actually’ and ‘…like…’ didn’t make the list. These ones did:

1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science