January 2008 - Page 2 of 3 - Adventure, baby!

Black Watch and Go Organic

January 12, 2008 / Love, Sydney Food, Sydney Life / 1 Comment

Alec and I saw the National Theatre of Scotland perform Black Watch today as part of the Sydney Festival. The play came with rave reviews, so I went in with high expectations. It was lucky for me that the show really followed through. It was powerful, poignant and creative. I’ve never been touched by a play quite like I was by this one.

Black Watch tells the story of Scotland’s Black Watch Regiment, particularly focusing on their deployment in Iraq. The play reveals the harsh reality of the “war on terror” and the effects it has on soldiers mentally, both on deployment and when they come home and try to fit back into society again. I loved not only the content, but the creative staging. It’s an absolute must see.

After the play, we went to Go Organic on King St, Newtown, for late lunch. I left my camera at home, so these pics are taken with my trusty iPhone.

It was super expensive, but really tasty food. Hopefully the cost is improving me on the inside!

My muesli with yoghurt and berries, and mango yoghurt smoothie.

Alec with his berry yoghurt smoothie.

Taking time out on a Saturday afternoon.

From Prague With Love

January 11, 2008 / Shopping / 1 Comment

I ordered these hand-blown crystal candle sticks in September when I was in Prague. Four months later, here they are! I thought they had gone missing, so it was a super duper pleasant moment to have them appear yesterday, helping me deal with first week back at work blues.

Sale Shopping Bonanza

January 11, 2008 / Shopping / 1 Comment

I could also have called this “The big blow out of 2007”. When I look at how much I bought, it doesn’t look like a lot, but my credit card was screaming!

Here are my sales purchases – very badly photographed. I love end of year sales. I tend to go a bit nuts in my favourite store. Alannah Hill always has really good sales, where I stock up on things I’ve been lusting after for the past year. I also found some good things in Review – usually i find it to be way over-priced.

This top, which I am calling my disco diva look, was actually from a different sale but I got it on the day of the sales, and it only cost me $16, so I think it deserves to go in the bargain bin. I think I will wear it if I ever go clubbing again, or for fancy dress parties.

The Alannah Hill collection. This little cardi is super soft and made with cashmere.

This one actually has lots of little pink hearts all over it, but didn’t photograph well.

Just a little work top I loved. It does well with a black skirt I have been having trouble finding things to go with.

Review clothes – this jacket is more corporate than I would usually wear, but I thought I should have it for client meetings, and it was really reduced. I think I paid about $70 for it.

Review top for work. Again, not what I would usually wear, but I think I should have a few things like this so I look more like an adult, less like a uni student on work experience.

P.S. I Love You

January 8, 2008 / Sydney Life / 0 comment

I’ve been a moody emotional mess lately, so thought it was a good time to see a girlie weepy movie like P.S. I Love You with Emily. To quote Em after the movie “It’s a contrived crying movie!”. True, but Hillary Swank was really great, and I thought it was quite a beautiful movie.

Hillary Swank plays Holly, a young woman whose husband, Gerry (the divine Gerald Butler), dies of a brain tumour. The movie is really about dealing with grief and how to move on. Following her husband’s death, Holly receives letters from him helping her to get on with her life, but they also raise the question of if the voice from beyond the grave is really helping her or stopping her from starting over.

The movie is half set in New York, and half in Ireland, where there is some beautiful scenery, as well as some truly beautiful Irish men. Hillary Swank is in a class of her own. She’s just so great to watch on film – so believable and warm. The supporting cast was also great, including Lisa Kudrow as her best friend, adding comic relief, and Kathy Bates as her mother. I wasn’t as keen on James Marsters, who plays a friend – his accent sounded really bad and he overacted. I also wasn’t sure about Harry Connick Jr as a friend/love interest. He looks quite puffy and bloated these days, and his character was quite odd!

It was still a great girlie movie – one I will get on DVD to watch on days when I just need a good cry.

LCC Pizza And Dodgeball

January 6, 2008 / friends, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Mat and Aya came over for delicious LCC pizza and a movie – Dodgeball. I don’t usually like comedies like this one, but I love it!

LCC are my favourite pizza place, and do free delivery too. Wooo!

Pizza-tastic.

Alec’s Greek pizza.

Half dragon’s breath, half neptune.

My plain cheesey goodness.

The extra pizza pieces they threw in. Herbs and garlic. Yuuummm!

Wi Marn Thai Delivery

January 5, 2008 / friends, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

After a day of shopping, eating , hot chocolate and zombie movie, we all head over to Lisa and Matt’s place for Thai delivery and kitty cuddles.

One of my best discoveries while I’ve been sick is Menulog which is where I found Wi Marn Thai. They are located in Help St, Chatswood, have fresh, delicious food, and free delivery to Chatswood – or Wollstonecraft if you’re as persuasive as Beverly.

Alec poses because the girls asked him to. Bless you girls, look what he’ll put up with if you ask him nicely. Or offer a food reward.

Bev poses with kitty. Who’s cuter? It’s a toss-up!

Alec loves Thai. He especially loves it when I take pictures of him eating it.

Food lovers hoe in.

Who’s a crazier blogger?

Mmmm my fave dish, vegetarian fried rice.

I Am Legend and San Churro

January 5, 2008 / friends, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

After eating and then eating some more and shopping, Bev, Lisa and I went to Chatswood to meet up with Matt, Alec and Alec’s friend from work, Sean to see I Am Legend.

Beverly suggested the movie because she has a thing for Will Smith. I should probably have spoken up and said I don’t like zombie movies, but I didn’t realise how much of a zombie movie it actually was!

The general premise is that in the year 2009 a radical cure for cancer is discovered, but instead of being the miracle it is thought to be, it spawns a retro-virus that wipes out 90% of mankind. How this happens is skipped over however. There are quite a few plot holes and the exposition is told through random flashbacks that don’t quite fill in the gaps in the story.

There was a lot I liked, such as Will Smith looking buff and the cute dog, but also a lot that I didn’t, such as believing Will Smith masquerading as a scientist. The story could have done with more clarity around a lot of areas, such as the actual zombies and their intelligence. There seemed to be one who was smarter than the rest, but who he was and why he was smarter wasn’t explored.

After the movie we went to San Churro so Bev would try the magical churros.

Alec reluctantly posing for Lisa.

Must …. photograph … the … churros!!

Just William on Paddington St

January 5, 2008 / Sydney Food / 0 comment

A new chocolate shop! Of course it deserves its own post.

While shopping with Bev and Lisa, we passed this tiny little store just off Oxford Street. Did I feel like chocolate? Is that even a question!

I loved the pretty boxes. I will be back for presents – and for me!

Raspberry butterflies, strawberry hedgehog and caramel bombs.

Lisa can’t help herself.

The last chocolate to be eaten. Mmmmm.

Bite Me

January 5, 2008 / friends, Sydney Food / 1 Comment

To catch up with Bev, who had been in Singapore for three weeks, Lisa, Bev and I spent quite a jam-packed day together. We picked Bev up from the doctor (she had woken up with a swollen eye) and stopped in Paddington for lunch and to pick up a handbag from Belinda’s.

Bev loves Bite Me on Oxford Street, so it is now my turn to blog about it.

I loved the interior, hence the millions of pics about to follow. It has a kind of a retro diner feel to it, but 100 times funkier.

Jumbo menu when we walked in.

Can the world be a burger place? The eternal question.

The menu. I don’t know why I liked it enough to photo it, but I did.

Super-cute little wash towel thingy.

Crazy pictures on the walls.

Awesome attention to detail. I love the tomato sauce bottle.

Side-tracked. Cute magnetic bookmarks Bev brought me back from Singapore.

Poor Bev has a woe moment about her bad eye.

Who invited these crazy bloggers?

Bev defends herself from the dripping ceiling while slathering the chips in sauce. That’s dedication to the food.

My lentil burger with haloumi cheese, tomato and rocket. I would have preferred more of a stronger cheese, but it was still really tasty. It was also my first vege burger since going vego. Burgers were one of my favourite foods in my meat days, and I have missed them like mad. Was the vege burger just as good? No. Was it really tasty anyway? Yes, yes it was 🙂