I named my brain tumour Justin Bieber

Justin as a name seemed fitting for my tumour- annoying but nonetheless stuck in my head.

Tomorrow is Justin's farewell concert: that is he's getting removed and well I am bricking myself.. I am absolutely terrified.  I've had about a month to get use to the idea that my new deafness wasn't hereditary, earwax, blocked sinus or caused by one too many times standing by a night club speaker, it was a nasty disgusting brain tumour thing called an epidermoid.

Apparently Justin Bieber's been squatting in my head since birth and its taken 33 years to make a difference and what a difference he's made.

I can't really hear properly in my left ear, I mean I can hear noises and mumurs but I can't really distinguish much. When I put a phone to my left ear the person on the other end sounds like a slow mo man robot.  Its made all social situations a blast- If I am not looking directly at a person while they're talking to me then I'm a lost cause.

And loud music- forget it altogether. It can throw we so off balance I have to walk out doing some sort of interpretive wobbly knee- I need someone to hold my hand to guide me outta here dance which is well when sober quite embarrassing.

I don't know if I'll regain any hearing in it now, the new neurosurgeon I met last week during my preadmission appointment, said I wouldn't and boy that was a bad day. I am a little bit hopeful though, I read other blogs of other people's experience with this kind of tumour and some have regained their hearing so you know fingers crossed and fingers crossed the only thing I need to worry about in the hospital is if I get jelly for dessert....

Long time no blog

I became one of those people who judged other people who "blogged", I would roll my eyes on the inside secretly judging them in my smug little: "blogging was so 2010" way.

I know my judging mcjudging came from petty jealously. I hated those "bloggers" who not only kept up the habit but made a conscious decision to commit to it.

My internal eye rolling was clearly an internal self defence mechanism kicking in placating my guilt and jealousy.

"I had a blog back when it was cooler" my inner Morgan Freeman narrator would say- "I was a Eurasian taking pictures of my food before Instagram" he would spout.

I've been lazy....years and years of blazy (blog lazy) has meant I've not posted. I've wanted to, I've been a lot of places, I've eaten a lot of things, I've cut and grown my hair umpteen times!!!!

And here's the truth....I've been well - kinda busy, busy changing careers, moving house, playing house and even studying again. My love of small decorated baked good and ash blonde foils has taken a proper back seat.

I've been feeling too serious, too old, too passé to blog the last couple of years. Seriously I thought, can a woman now in her thirties be talking about flans and weaves....Morgan Freeman's resounding answer would always be "yes you are too old to be talking about flans and weaves Amy"

So I stopped.

And then I got diagnosed with a brain tumour. A 3cm one that's made me lose my hearing, my balance and  Morgan Freeman's inner narration.

I've been feverishly googling "brain surgery hair cuts", "brain tumour"+ sex+"recovery times" "tumour+peroxide use" and have been given so much comfort reading people's experiences.

 I felt so much relief when I found the everywhereist who gave me a list of things to expect before and after surgery.

I found stay sudsy who told me to  save myself from post surgery hair palava and cut it off before I go in (which is a week today) and those two blog posts have really helped.

So here I am again, rebooting Cupcakes and Cornrows hoping that someone might find some help/relief/distraction from the post brain surgery constipation through reading about my experience with it all here.

No doubt there will be days when I'll be terribly confused and typing absolute nonsense but hey, it'll be real and I promise to tell it like it really is, one staple and steroid at a time.


 (These are not brain cupcakes, they're soaps!! Cool huh, you can get them here http://www.etsy.com/listing/52918765/gooey-brain-cupcake-soap-halloween)

Love and Riots

Aw love (and hormones) It is a grand thing no?

This pic taken during the Vancouver riots has made my day today- hope it does yours too!

The Dip @ Good God

So I've been quiet lately for two main reasons:

1. I've been lazy

2. I haven't been excited enough about Sydney eats to blog about them

Until now! Good God, that cool bar/danceteria in Liverpool st, you know the one that hosts hip hop karaoke and throws fun parties for cool cats and all round funky people? well its just about to open its brand new kitchen The Dip, making the place 100 times more fun to be at!

More fun? Crazy right but its true. The Dip headed by Sydney DJ Levins and Sydney Foodie Bianca is serving up seriously delicious grub with their take on American diner and BBQ treats.

We are talking about pulled pork sandwiches, salsa fries, grilled corn, beans and slaw and a stack more good time food.

And for me as non pork eater, The Dip's kosher hot dogs are just the greatest.

The Dip opens tonight! I'd say get in quick to make a reservation, this place is going to be pretty busy for a while.

The Dip @ Good God
55 Liverpool St

Weds & Thurs 5pm-11pm
Fri & Sat 5pm-Midnight
email: do@thedip.com.au



*pics from thedip.com.au

Funk It Up About Nothin'- Platform Hip Hop Festival

It's hard to get hip hop theatre right, it's either emcees who are trying to act or actors who are trying to rap - sometimes it can be all a bit too uncomfortable to be good.

Funk It Up About Nothin' an urban twist on Shakespeare's Much ado about nothing isn't one of those uncomfortable hip hop shows. Created by Chicago's Q Brothers, this slick urban take on one of the most performed Shakespeare plays is clever, fast and yep-funky.

Tight rhymes, a great set, a good looking cast and a story that doesn't deviate from its original had its opening night audience in a head bopping frenzy.

Kids, grand parents, hip hop heads and 'Bard-o-holics' were all throwing their hands in the air in appreciation. The cast was congratulated for their efforts with a standing ovation, a rare sight in Sydney Theatre audiences.

The show is touring Australia for the first time after a successful run internationally. Playing at CarriageWorks as a part of Platform 4 Hip Hop Festival, Funk it up shouldn't be missed.

If you like your entertainment quick and sharp (the whole show is less than 80 minutes) or if you'd just like to see an old tale mashed up, than Funk it Up about Nothin' is for you. 



Funk It Up about Nothin'
March 17-26
CarriageWorks