Learn to Fly

Its been a week of sorts.  Thursday night shenanigans turned out differently than expected.  Went out to dinner with the boyf to Vons Restaurant  which is a lovely little place down in Hardware Lane and this is what I thought:

I had a voucher for this place and loved it! Situated on Hardware lane, were greeted upon entrance and was going to be seated outside, however, i asked for inside (should have gone outside). The place was cosy, warm and inviting. Ordered some lovely Sav Blanc and boyf had Coopers. Ordered the Trio of Dips which was Taramasalata, Eggplant and Beetroot dips with foccaccia bread which was delicious. For main I ordered the Vons Lamb Backstrap and the boyf ordered Scotch Fillet with potatoes and salad. The presentation for both meals was superb however, I was a little disappointed with my meal in that because it was served on a salad and had a tzatziki sauce, the meat went cold quickly and my meat was a bit tough. However, the Scotch fillet was lovely and tender and the mushroom sauce was beautiful. We both had Creme Brulee for dessert which had a berry coulis on top. The berry coulis was slightly sour but the Creme Brulee was absolutely delish! The atmosphere was nice and relaxed and I loved that Michael Buble was piped through. However, should have listened when they tried to seat us outside as a live jazz band was playing in the lane and would have had a great view but next time I will be prepared.


However, we were supposed to go to the Queens of the Stone Age gig at Palace Theatre but we were soo full from dinner and exhausted from going in Myer and Target to find the boyf a cheap jacket that we couldn't be bothered going.  So we ended up selling our tickets for $80 each(apparently I am banned from negotiating ticket prices as I could have got them to pay a lot more than this). 
 
Friday was a little better, was rocking a new top from Temt, had done my hair in an awesome up do with a plait and was meeting some old work mates for dinner.  We ended up at the Imperial Hotel and this is what I thought:
 
Went here on a Friday night with a few work mates for dinner. The main bar was absolutely packed with After Work drinkers and we decided to sit in the dining area until we were ready to eat. The place had your typical pub vibe and was decked out accordingly. Prices were typical of a pub and was impressed that it catered for Gluten Free (which one of mate needs). We all ordered different things, Prosciutto Salad, Stuffed Mushrooms and Fish and Chips. Whereas my friend and I ordered the Scotch Fillet. However, we read the menu wrong and thought we were ordering the cut that had vegies on the side instead of chips and salad and were a little disappointed when it arrived but this did not stop us eating it. I had gravy with mine and the meat was lovely and tender. This place would be great if you worked close by and wanted to catch up with friends from work.


Was good to catch up with old work mates and bitch about Chuck and Miso and their crazy shenanigans.  I also got complimented on my eye make up which made my night as I was trying to start wearing make up again.  The whole reasoning behind the new make up is that I have been feeling down in the dumps as of late and I thought if I could look good on the outside it might make me feel a bit better on the inside so we shall see how that goes. 

Had to work on Saturday which put me behind with my studies.  Did some secretarial work for a partner and senior associate but both are a bit retarded with their communications and i ended up sitting around for an hour doing nothing and then got told off because I didn't do a tape sigh!! I also ate 4 charity chocolates which is not a good substitute for lunch.

Pretty much wasted the rest of weekend cleaning and feeling crook when I should have been studying.  However, did manage to do a bit of shopping and got Chuck Season 2!  This is an awesomely funny show which I have been having withdrawals of as it is not aired on free to air here.  Sanity had it for $20 which is a bargain! 

Yesterday was a nice relaxing boring work day but I did get to see my trainer and had to have the fat pinch test!  I have gained a little weight :( but I have grown 1.5 cm!! Looks like the Osteo did me good!  Did some very intense exercises which I am giving my own names for. 

First off, Air Ab Punches which is where you sit on a bench but lean back 45 degrees and hold a 3kg weight in one hand and punch up diagonally and bring the opposite arm back then bring weighted arm in and punch the other arm out.  8 reps then swap the weight to other hand and do 8 reps. 

Secondly, did lunches whilst having a different leg on step boards holding a 5kg weight with both hands.  Then swapping legs so right leg is in front and did about 8 reps on each side.

Thirdly, did funny push ups, but elbows along side body whilst on knees then doing a half push up with hand resting on step boards but on your feet.  Did 4 reps of this and then repeated the whole set.

Finally, did some resistance band wood chops 8 reps each side and lunge rows with resistance bands 8 reps.  Then repeat the circuit again.

Had a lovely massage as well afterwards for 30 mins which was awesome!

Anyhoo I better try and do this thing called readings for uni before I get even further behind.

However, have a gripe for today, Chuck is apparently been made to look bad as he couldn't get through on our help desk line.  It looks like someone changed the phones but it wasn't us and he was directed to switch which he wasn't happy about.  NOT OUR PROBLEM!  I can't control who changes the phones unless I did it myself which I didn't but he will be grumpy at us the rest of the day now.  The funny thing is, he has been sucking up to us of late because our firm has instigated a review your boss survey and he probably wants us to give him a good report when he doesn't deserve it. I decline to do it because he always whinges about the results, especially if it is honest. You made that bed now you lie in it Chuck!!!

Anyway, listen to some old school Foo Fighters for me.

Til next time :P

PS Miso is wearing the most hideous being wedge peep toe shoes I have ever seen and she look way funny when she walks.  What a clown!
 

The Nurse

OMG!! I bowled absolutely awesome last night!!! Bowled a 245 which is my highest game ever!! Now my team is on top of the ladder and I am the top bowler for the females!! Yay now I should be able to win an award and compete in bowler of the month tournament.  The bowler of the month tournament prize is that your league fees are paid for, for the rest of the year....for the rest of the year!!!! Fingers crossed!

Saw my Osteo yesterday as well and she said my shoulders and neck are basically buggered and she did this thing where she cracked my neck and held a pressure point or a muscle to try and relax which which absolutely caned!!  I have more new stretches to do. 

So far my stretches are:

Back rocking - Lie on your back and tuck your knees into your chest.  Grab onto your legs and hug them and then slowly rock back and forward for a minute.  The rock side to side for a minute.  This is good for your lower back.

Bum stretches - Sit on a chair/bench/bed with your feet on the ground.  Put your right ankle on your left knee and pull the knee a little to the left and towards you until you feel a stretch in your butt and hold for 30 seconds.  Repeat with other leg.

Dehunch stretch - Lie on a rolled up towel on your spine, on your bed and have your head supported by a pillow.  Stretch arms out like you are trying to show someone how wide it was and stay there for 1 minute and gradually build up to 5 minutes.

These feel awesome!! and I highly recommend them for people with bad backs. 

Also today has been another freebie day.  I competed in a competition for Primped which involved a treasure hunt so I toddled off to my local David Jones and got to sample (and take home) the following awesome products:

Estee Lauder DayWear  Advanced Multi Protection Anti Oxidant Creme SPF 15+ (phew what a mouthful) which is a delightfully fruity smelling moisturiser which is making my skin feel smooth as we speak.

Also got to trial two products by Yves Saint Laurent.  Perfect Touch Foundation and Touche Eclat highlighter.  The lady who tested these on me was very helpful in helping me select the right colour foundation and how to apply these products properly! 

However, not everything is hunky dory and my gripes for today are:

Stupid bank taking out interest on my credit card and made me overdrawn so I couldn't pay for my uni books.  I think I need to not use this anymore and try and pay it off.

Secondly, one of the really really expensive uni books is not in stock and wont be until next week!! So this means I will be behind in my Recordkeeping subject already! 

Thirdly, missed out on get a free plant for my desk!  They were give them out in Fed Square today but I was no where near the area :(. 

Fourthly, had to have a stupid meeting with my dorky boss and HR.  He even brought out a graph which shows my trend of sick days and annual leave days are improving! 

Lastly, the boy is working late tonight so might not be able to see him :( but that does give me time to cook dinner, wash my hair and do some more uni study uninterrupted. However, that means no cuddle breaks for me :(.

Anyhoo, I don't want to leave on a downer so I am recommending that everyone listen to the Nurse by the now defunct White Stripes (was devastated that they broke up!). 

No, I'm Never, No, I'm Never, No, I'm never

Gonna let you down now

Very appropriate to the ones that I love!

Until next time :P

Lifelines

Well what a semi depressing weekend I had. Had a very very dark day on Saturday. So dark that even though I was being good and going for a walk to keep up my new fitness regime, I was so upset that I refused to leave my bed for a few hours and the world appeared very grim indeed.  I am starting to think I might need to go to a Counsellor or something as some of my dark thoughts on the weekend kinda scared me.  Maybe it was pre uni blues or end of Summer blues but either way, crying is not fun.  However, I was feeling better by the end of the weekend.

Bought some new make up which kinda cheered me up some new Rimmel Lash Accelerator as this was recommended by Primped! 

Also bought some cute Rimmel I heart Lasting Finish in Perfect Plum which I can't wait to try. 

Also watched a few movies too including True Grit:

I had no idea that this was a remake until I logged into here to do my review! This explains a few things now. I wonder if my father would like the new adaptation or not considering the original was made over 40 years ago and starred John Wayne! I watched this movie with no expectations other than a recommendation from a colleague to watch this and that it was a Western. However, I was left with a feeling that something was lacking from this film. The story is a typical Western story of avenging the murderer of a teen's father. Maddy (Hailee Steinfeld) is magnificent in this film from the start as a learned teen who knows the way of the world of bargaining and not taking no for an answer. She enlists the help of a US Marshall (Jeff Bridges) to help her avenge her father's death. Along the way she meets a Texas Ranger (Matt Damon) who is also looking for the murderer. Jeff Bridges was very very hard to understand throughout this movie with his southern drawl and Matt Damon's character almost seems unnecessary until the end sequences. However, I was impressed with the banter of Maddy and anyone she encounters and this was quite violent but not in a western shoot out type of way. There was only two Western type shoot out scenes throughout the whole movie and I was not impressed with the ending and thought that it should have ended differently. I did like it but not sure I would watch this again.

and Red:

I again, had no expectations about this film other than it was about retired spies. I did enjoy this film but only because it had Bruce Willis and John Malkovich. The film's plot was a little hard to follow in that it jumped from one strain to another one without much fluidity. However, this scene had some awesome outrageously over the top action scenes that kept me suitably entertained. Bruce played his usual gung ho action character but was surprised at how funny John Malkovich's character was. Helen Mirren added a little bit of class to the movie and the overall plot of the movie was revealed at the end but like I said they went the very long way about it when telling it. Not sure if I would watch this again... 

But Monday was definitely the day of stress.  Uni started!  However, was very annoyed that I had to buy textbooks for this (which cost me of $170!!!) even though the OUA site stated there was no prescribed textbooks :(.  So started the readings for my Introduction to Libraries and have printed the billions of readings for Record Keeping Concepts and Practice so I might not be able to do as many posts on here as I like due to the copious amounts of reading I will have to do.  Did read an interesting tidbit that Librarians should engage in "personal intercourse" with clientele in order to improve service to individuals which makes is sound like we are working in a brothel! 

But luckily the boy made a delicious Meatlovers Pizza for dinner and even made me lunch for today whilst watching new episodes of Modern Family!! Best show ever.

Today is a day of freebies!  I got selected to trial a new Maybelline Foundation which I should get either this week or next which I am excited about!  Also I got given a really really cute Pink/Grey/Black/White stripey vest from a colleague at work which will go with everything in my wardrobe!! 

Did an amazing Body Balance class at lunch and scored my free Fitness First magazine!! (have i told you that I have a penchant for magazines??)  I am looking forward to seeing the Osteo tonight and then onto Bowling (hopefully another 200 game will happen!).

Until then, my song of the day is Lifelines by the Doves so give it a listen.

Until next time....

I'm Bringing Sexy Back Yup!

Well it has been a busy week and a bit!

Firstly, the boy didn't get the job so no moving to Canberry which I am now slightly disappointed about as I was kinda getting used to the idea. Maybe some change for us would be good but until the boy gets a job, no moving for us.

Secondly, I got some bad news that my bestie is not well and might be seriously sick so she is having a biopsy done today.  My fingers and toes are crossed for her that it is nothing serious.

Thirdly, my bro is seriously sick again :( (double whammy) and is waiting to get an appointment to operate on his throat.  He has been sick for about a year now and having issues keeping food down due to his oesophagus spasming and had some treatment last year which worked for a little bit but has now stopped. He will have to have some invasive throat surgery to see if they can fix this which is not good.  He has only just gained all the weight back from losing it when he was hospitalised last time.  Hopefully we will know when he is booked in soon so I can go visit and cheer him up.

Now that the bad news is away I can talk on a lighter issue.  Weirdos on trains again.  Saw a funny one on my way home last week.  Got on the city loop and a man got on two stops later who looked like a typical hobo on top (bucket hat, messy hair, goatee and polo shirt) but down below, was wearing a leather skirt, leggings and knee high boots!! Looks like someone was getting their cross dressing on!  I wish I had my camera with me but that might have been a bit obvious... Anyhoo, it was even more hilarious was that this guy obviously didn't want anyone to know at his travel destination that he was inclined to cross dress and surreptitiously changed into a pair of pants and runners whilst on the train! Hilarious.

Went to a Engagement party on the weekend where I had the most fabulous dress ever which I bought on sale from Sportsgirl and is very on trend. A nice little black sleeved lace dress.  Definitely brought my Sexy back with this one and had an absolute blast on the dance floor with Shorty!  However, I did see some friends from high school that I haven't seen in a while and who the boy had not met before.  Wasn't the most pleasant experience as I got bagged pretty bad by one particular person who doesn't really know me that well now and only really knew me well for the first couple of years in high school.  She made it out that I was the biggest bitch and psycho at school.  Whilst I admit I wasn't perfect and I did have to put on a front so people would leave me alone, the stories she told I didn't remember happening and it gave the impression that I was a rough slut.  The boy was not impressed by this and said he didn't like hearing stories about my past.  I had to convince him that I had no idea what she was talking about and no I wasn't a slut in high school.  I then had to also explain that my friend was a very judgemental person and was a paranoid jealous person.  I think she seemed to dwell on the bad rather than all the fun times we had and it kinda got to me.  Not sure how I should tackle this... It makes me wonder how many other people saw me in this view and I had to explain to boy that he should talk to Bestie and GuyBestie for a proper opinion on what I was like.

Apparently, our office had the busiest week in the last year for library work! GO TEAM GO!! Makes all our hard work seem a little bit more worth when we get an acknowledgement.

Anyhoo on another lighter note, things I rated this week are:

After months and months of reader's blog, I have finally finished Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities and this is what I thought.

Basically a book of short stories about criminals that co-incided with the Underbelly series. Brings to light some unsightly crims, what they are willing to do for money and how they can use that money to influence and corrupt others. Some of the scenes set in the books were slightly familiar and made this a bit close to home. However, the Underbelly series have glamorised this type of gangland crime but it is still scary to find out that people in power can be easily corrupted or terminated.

Also, I was sick on Monday and stayed home and watched the end of season 5 of Dexter. 

Which kept me on the edge of my seat and loved that it guest starred Julia Stiles.  However, it did leave me slightly sad at the end but still eagerly anticipating Season 6!

Whilst recovering, I also managed to watch Black Swan and this is what I thought of it:

One of the best movies I have seen in a while. This is definitely not a girly movie! It started off as a typical Centre Stage movie in that a girl who has been in a company for a long time and worked her butt off has made it to a lead in the company's upcoming Swan Lake. This is where the typical ballet film ends and the psychological thriller begins. Natalie Portman is magnificent in this role. She had o totally transform herself into a ballerina physically including dropping a whole lot of weight to make dancer size and learning the choreography. Her transformation from sweet, innocent, fragile and naive girl from the start into the Dark swan at the end is mesmerising. The whole time it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. Mila was also breathtaking and refreshing at the same time and her character didn't take the whole ballet scene too seriously. Finally, praise should be given to Winona Ryder, who plays a ballerina who is forced to retire and is bitter about it. She taunts Nina and it is never quite clear who put her in the hospital whether it was herself or Nina. The scene in the hospital is quite horrifying. My boyfriend didn't like this movie at the start but ended up really liking it in the end. A must see!

I also did a bit of shopping on the weekend and found my new favourite shop, Temt!  They had a lot of stuff on sale and I bought a whole stack of clothes for work and upcoming events for under $80. Checkout Temt for their latest range.  I bought the cutest long skirt that came with a belt and a whole heaps of other awesome clothes.

I'm also loving two products at the moment:  Paul Frank Squeezy Lip Smacker in Julius Strawberry Banana which is saving my dry lips at the moment and Biotherm Aquasource Non Stop which I received a show bag for a function that went too.  The lip smacker smells and tastes absolutely yummy and has a slight pink tint and definitely assists with dry lips.  The moisturiser is my life saver at the moment as my face is really dry, especially my nose.  This has a gel feel and a slight citrus smell and smooths very well and is absorbed really quickly.

Also made an awesome Lamb Kebab from an old Women's Weekly Menu Planner which are old tried and true recipes that never seem to fail.  The garlic yogurt sauce is absolutely awesome!

Finally, I have discovered Catch of the Day and bought a whole bunch of stuff from there including Star Wars Pez!! Apparently it was 3 randomly chosen ones and we got Yoda, Chewbacca and R2D2!

Can't wait to get home and eat all my Pez after my workout with the trainer tonight!

Until next time, listen to Justin Timberlake and get your Sexy Back on!

Calling Dr Love

Miso got her hair cut.  She looks like a reject from a Harry Potter movie.  Came prancing over expecting compliments, she got carefully structured conversation changers lol. Enough said.

Friday was interesting, with the news that there is a chance of moving to Canberry, I decided I had better see if there are any suitable jobs available or places to live.  Not so much on the job front for an unqualified Library Assistant but plenty for a fully qualified librarian (only 3 1/2 years away for me) and I could do graduate work at the National Library of Australia!!  That is library porn.  It is required by law (by law!) that every single book published in Australia (not sure about the rest of the world) has to have a home there!  Found a couple of places to live that are pet friendly and suit all my needs (i.e. airconditioner, 2 car parks) but I will investigate furhter once I hear (hopefully at some stage today) whether the boy has got it or not. Made an awesome Zucchini and Bacon Frittata for dinner and watched Shutter Island. This was a bizarre film. Kept me guessing right until the end. Surprisingly, was not a fan of Michelle Williams until she played this role. She was so believable, it made me not want to let her near kids. Love a good mystery and the psychoanalysis is awesome. Scorcese never fails to please.

Saturday was spent mostly on the couch as I had a bit of a cold but the boy was lovely, sitting with me watching bad dvds. Watched Black Sheep and it is not one of the best movies I have ever seen. But it was good to see one of Chris Farley's final movies. If you like slapstick, you will enjoy this. The plot of Mike's brother running for candidacy and the opposition trying to sabotage and discredit Mike and his brother in the proces is a tried and true formula but doesn't quite hit the mark with this one. The highlight of the movie is Farley's energy levels and wild antics. Also watched Definitely a boys film. Does Michael Cera know how to play any other character apart from a nerdy, eloquently speaking teenage boy? It did have its funny moments, pretty much any scene with Seth Rogen but not something I would watch again. If this is what a Judd Apatow movie is all about then I would have to pass. Also managed to make myself a Mixed Vegie Frittata which was yummy and finish Season 5 of Supernatural (I heart Jensen Ackles) and now I am dying to watch Season 6. 

Sunday I barely made it through shopping as was still feeling crap but managed to cook up a storm.  Made some super healthy and really tasty Peanut and Choc Chip Cookies and Upside Pear and Raspberry Cake!!  Also made Kangaroo Burgers for dinner which weren't the tastiest things I have ever made.  Who would have thought Skippy was bland tasting?  Watch Scott Pilgrim v the World. Bizarre film. A cross between a video game, a musical and a comic. I liked it. I loved the special geeky touches like Zelda music playing everywhere and that when someone was defeated, there was gold coins to collect and they were in the outline a dead person. Michael Cera was not believable as a guy with special powers and could see that his fight scenes, a stunt double was used. Loved seeing Brie Larson in it and hopefully that was actually her singing in it. Knives Chau was a cute character as well.

Valentines Day yesterday!!! Got a really really awesome present from the boy, a trip away to Portsea!! I have already booked it for Easter weekend and will be counting down the days for my Brown Signs Extravaganza (Brown signs are Points of Interest signs that you see alongside the road or freeway).  However, the rest of my Valentine's Day was slightly ruined due to the boyf hurting his back so no picnic, no shopping and no going out for dinner.  Instead we watched the Star Wars trilogy (the original and my first time watching it) which wasnt too bad and got pizza. 

Getting nervous that Uni will be starting soon and not sure if I will cope with the workload, work, keeping fit and eating healthy.  Something will be lost there I know it.  Also nervous for the boy and eagerly awaiting his call to see if he got the job or not. Fingers crossed!

Weird encounters near train stations

Some days, something totally unexpected and weird happens.  One the way home from work yesterday evening, Metal Chick and I were using the escalators going to the station when bloke who was going down the esclators next to us proclaimed "I'm not smiling...... I'm not smiling!.... I'm really not smiling" all the while he had the biggest gap tooth maniacal smile I have ever seen.

This morning on the train, I was with my flattie and he noticed a particularly strange looking person who we couldnt tell if they were male or female as was very androgynous in clothes, hairstyle and make up. It took us the whole train ride to guess that it was a girl (poor girl).

My workmate in Syd is awesome and made my day by sending me a souvenir magnet with a cute little elephant on it from her trip to the USA. Yes I know I am lame, I collect magnets.

Went to the gym and did a particularly difficult Body Attack class, must get my fitness up again after missing this class last week.  I still look very unco and red when I do this class....

The boyf had an interview today!!! Yay!! but its for a position in Canberry :(.  Might have some difficult decisions to make soon and whether my library career (which is only just kicking off) and my uni studies might have to wait.  He will find out on Monday about whether he gets it or not and then I will decide about whether or not I am prepared to give up everything for my boyf (just quietly, I probably would...).

Anyway, I don't want to leave on a bad note so I will leave you with this interesting tidbit, Quinoa is pronounced kin wah.

So high the climb...

I know it has been awhile but a lot has changed since my last post.

King Prima has left! Now there is only Miso to annoy the shit out of me, and that she does well :(.

I have quit smoking, change uni degree (to a librarian degree!) and embarked on a stricter lose weight regime (more exercise).

So now I have no idea what to write about anymore.

Who am I kidding, I can blubber on for hours. 

Starting from last week, the weather has been shit.  Not only all around Australia with floods and hurricanes but the Friday night of humid stickiness to endless rain for the rest of the weekend and quite cool weather thus far which is certainly not summer weather!  How am I supposed to get a bit of colour now?

Speaking of last Friday, had the boy's mate over for dinner (Sweet N Sour Meatballs) and watched Kick Ass which was awesome!  One of the best movies I have seen in a while with awesome graphic fight scenes and quite funny as well.  Hit Girl is my new hero lol.

Saturday was a dreary day with non stop rain which made my cat go crazy coz he was cooped up all day. Ended up have a very rare drunken stupour night by drinking far too much wine and champagne, watching Yes Man (hilarious), making a yummy Lamb and Pepperonata and throwing up so much that I ended up blocking up my toilet and my sink (gross!). 

Sunday was my recovery day.  I didn't last very long shopping but I managed to get my car fixed which was good but nearly threw up eating breakfast.  Will never eat food from New World Cafe again....  The rest of the day was spent watching Modern Family which is my new favourite show.

Don't remember much of Monday except I felt crap all day and I had leftovers from the night before with heaps of quinoa (which is surprisingly tasty for something that looks like a cross bewteen sago pudding and little worms). 

Yesterday was a little better, got to see my parents for about 45 mins, got money of my Grandpa for absolutely no reason which was nice, did a Body Balance class as i hadn't exercised since the previous Tuesday (very very bad!) and went bowling with my bestie and won all 3 games and got a over 200 game!

Today started out annoying, my ipod died on the way into wake today so I had to put up with listening to school kids idiotic conversations.  My cat also had a spaz attack before I left the house and decided to head butt my mouth so I have a fat lip. But my shoes that I ordered offline came and my boyf had to open the box and send me a pic of him trying to eat them! He is soo silly sometimes but that is why I loves him.

Anyhoo, hopefully I have something more interesting to blog about tomorrow.

Later :P