31 Oct 2012

Eating Our Way Through London

I'm slowly getting through my holiday posts .. bare with me ... 

The only Saturday we had in London we headed over to Spitalfields Markets. For lunch we met up with another of my former colleague from CFS M and her husband D. They suggested meeting at a restaurant called Pizza East.

This place has a lively ambiance and could probably seat about 150 people, it was a vary big restaurant. Apparently this place also gets very busy and bookings are recommended to avoid disappointment.

Obviously the menu predominately had pizzas however they did have other options for those who want something else. Actually our friends didn’t order any pizza opting for a few sides instead. We had the pepperoni, mozzarella and chilli. It was wood fire baked so the dough was light none of that Pizza Hut crusts. The servings are generous definitely could share one pizza between two.

They also had a large selection of wines. M choose a bottle of red for us to share and it was so nice to drink that we had finished the bottle (and quite tipsy) before we knew it.

For dessert the waiter suggested we try their salted caramel tart. The restaurant has been recently reviewed positively for their tart on Timeout London so of course we had to try it and it did not disappoint.

After lunch Ian and I walked around the area some more. Unfortunately half the market was closed already or maybe wasn’t opened that day? Only a section seemed to be trading by the time we got there.

That evening we met up with E & S for dinner at Dishoom. This indian eatery also very popular with the locals and international guests, doesn’t take bookings so expect to wait in a queue if you get arrive during peak periods and surprisingly it is s a vegetarian restaurant. 


The restaurant served famous local Bombay indian street food so it was like a tapas style concept where you ordered several plates to share. I strongly recommend the fried okra … I love okra so having it an a form different to what I’m use to …. amazing!!



After dinner we headed over to a local pub for a few more beverages. I got to taste strawberry flavoured cider. Very sweet and refreshing perfect for a hot summer’s day. They really need to bring all the various cider flavours in Australia cause we have the weather and appetite for these kinds of beverages.

Where's your favourite place to eat in London?

Working From Home


Today and tomorrow I’m working from home. Long story short we thought we would be without a baby sitter this week but turns out my in laws arrive back from overseas earlier than we thought.

To allow me to actually do some work we’ve decided to let the little man stay with the in laws. So this means ..... I'm alone. 

I miss this feeling … have the whole house to myself ... getting some time to myself ... ahhh ....

Being one who likes to keep busy I do feel like I should multi task between working, doing the laundry and unpacking. I’m tossing up whether to go for a run now and do some groceries before 9am.

Or should I just sit in front of my laptop and multi task between checking work emails, online shopping, watching day time tv, blog and facebook since I don't have the luxury of not being disturbed all the time?

Hmm …. decisions ... 

30 Oct 2012

Week in Review

Last week was a pretty busy week for me and my little house hold.

Work .... well its always busy in that space. However I feel like I’m winning more battles now - well last week in particular. Tasks and deliverables wise I’ve caught up on all the work that was pigeonholed for me to do while I was on holidays and I feel I'm on top of everything again.

I've been able to gained the business confidence in the system more - which is half the struggle in this project. I’ve ran some demos of a similar version of they system they would be getting and provided an opportunity for them to speak out on concerns they had on how it will change their world. Running the demos provided a platform for me to stand out in this project not only from a system knowledge perspective but an opportunity to network.

I’ve caught up with friends a few times this week, which is very rare for a mum pressed with time these days. On Thursday night stayed out in town to have dinner at this popular Thai restaurant for A’s birthday dinner. Although her birthday was actually earlier this month a girly get together was long over due. I think last time we were all together was before we all went on our overseas trips ... that must be pretty long ago considering we all traveled at different times for a period of 3-8 weeks apart.

On Saturday was J’s farewell BBQ before she heads off to Asia for some travelling and then Canada to try working overseas. I know she’s been talking about doing this for several years now so I'm glad that she’s making it happen. 

On Sunday was M’s bridal shower. Theme was burlesques and her bridesmaid did an awesome job in keeping in theme not just in costume but creating a beautiful space at the home of where the shower was held at. There was obviously some thought put into the menu, the decorations, the cutlery and even the game prizes.

What tired me out the most was the big move on the weekend. On Friday we had removalists move our stuff from storage to our property and thorough Friday and Saturday we continued to move any of the items we had left over from my parents place. The pack and moving I think is the easiest part the unpacking is the painful bit. Finding a place (or lack of) to store the stuff we had accumulated. I did a cull of things before I packed cause I didn’t want to bring it to the new place unless I was going to keep it and while I was unpacking I decided to do another cull and again there was even more stuff to be thrown or donated.

During the unpacking we soon realised we didn’t have a lot of things we thought we did. I either offloaded it to my sister who moved out of home same time as I moved in or we must have gotten rid of it last time we packed for example I can’t find our kitchen scissors?

Not only is the effort tedious but also not that easy when you have a 15 month old baby who either wants to hang around your ankles and interfere with what you’re doing cause he’s intrigue. Or need to check up on every time he walks off into a corner and has gotten quiet cause he’s found something, usually something dangerous to play with.

What goes through my mind as I'm unpacking is I know this isn’t the last time ... that’s the annoying part. Knowing you got to do this again, don’t know when - but its gonna happen.

I started analysing that notion and reviewed how many times I’ve moved since being married and how long of a period between each move:
·      December 2009 – moved into CN
·      17 months later (June 2011) moved to SH
·      16 months later (October 2012) moved to RH

As much as we’re actually creating this place to be more of a “home” for us, (cause we own the place we’re living in for once) I dread pulling it apart for when we do eventually move out again.

On the plus side I love having free range to put what where, personalising our space and spending money organising and beautifying our home. When we were living in CN we lived in such a shoe box that we hardly purchased any furniture in fear it wouldn't all fit. Now that we have a bigger place we can finally purchase some of those big ticket we’ve held off.

Where am I suppose to put all this stuff??

Do you hate moving? When was the last time you moved and what advice can you give to minimise the pain of unpacking?

25 Oct 2012

OOTD - Recycle & Reuse

What I love about cleaning out your wardrobes is finding items you forgot you even had, items you can't believe you even bought and an opportunity to sneakily throwing away that ugly (faded) purple shirt your husband always wears.

During my audit I found a pair of dark denim jeans. The quality of the jeans were quiet good - unlike the jegging material you see these days and they looked like they've only been worn a handful of times.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhyphenhyphenM9SJpI7lhplrNgBMznngKjwgknyZRu0YgDPeEMqOpXZP8C3NWxoCaTOF0lMwhJJpAq7K53TZX8KQQEIzyXth3CYCimpaVWyOTM9ztHyPM8tB8MBl96PYqelyiYJBRFtSiwz3rtS0Q/s1600/photo-786868.JPG 

Initially I thought I would donate them to charity however being inspired by a fellow blogger, I decided to revamp them instead. I cut off the legs and turned them into shorts .. perfect for the heat wave we're experiencing lately. 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvpWEqRlh0FV5r4xPQeNxgucaKKDknX6lOpJU6LaALszBQH2DclcOaOA2qAhTPnOYD1yQi2VUwR4k1mdzMExNSPaj_zjup7DksnLZoUdR7Ikx7XK165Sst08jUxF2m0qE1n_EncI9J5g/s1600/photo-706775.JPG 

What do you think? 
I so could so never model. I look like I'm pissed off in my "natural pose"

24 Oct 2012

Finally Some Sun in London

We had lunch at Automat with E on our third day in London. Prior to getting here Ian and I took the tube to Piccadilly Circus to take some touristy photos.


We then walked from here to Green Park station where we were meeting E. What I love about London is everything is actually walking distance but there is still a tube station somewhere within 300m of wherever you may be.

From the station we headed to a brasserie called Automat. Apparently this place is very popular due to its quality tasting American food. The overall ambiance also had that American diner feel too but not the cheesy 70’s diner but more like an older period say 1940’s. When we arrived we were the first one’s there and by the time we left the place was full so obviously it’s a very popular spot.


We ordered the famous macaroni and cheese with truffle to share. I had the lamb rack, Ian had the smoked brisket roll and E had the fish. My rack actually 3 lamp chops but it was cooked perfectly. Ian’s brisket looked very appealing with the pulled pork and melted cheese oozing out of it. I was tempted to have the same thing but was feeling a little over meat after dinner at Meat Liquor the night prior. 




After lunch E gave us his walking tour of London. We walked through Green Park up to Buckingham Palace, half way down the mall, looped around Westminster Abby, House of Parliament and Big Ben.




Then we cross the bridge heading towards The London Eye. Originally we were going to ride massive ferries wheel but the queues were extra long that day (we figured because it was sunny) with waiting times up to an hour and a half so we decided to just leave it for another day.

We crossed the Hungerford Bridge and walked up to Trafalgar Square. Due to the Para Olympics this usually open public space was blocked off at certain parts to control the crowd flow. They set up large screens; food stands and seating areas so that public can watch and enjoy the olympic games coverage.


This was the first of many key tourist monuments that had something blocking its view. For some reason throughout our holiday at various cities many major tourist sites were going through some form of renovation or construction blocking half the view with scaffolding. At first it was annoying … towards the end of our trip we just found our luck to be hilarious.

From Trafalgar Square we walked to Covent Garden. Did a spot of shopping and then met up with my old colleague from BT, AM. She moved back to London, her home town about 12 months ago. After several pints of cider and catching up on all the goss we headed to Chinatown for some asian food.

I mean or should I say “oriental food”. FYI: in London Indian’s are considered Asian and what we call Asians here are called oriental there.

They say that the food in London is terrible, I disagree. We had some of the tastiest meals in London and most of them were cheap eats. However when it comes to asian food, London seems to miss the mark. They say its due to the geographic – London is too far from the asian/oriental spices. Their menus seem to have all the stock standard asian dishes, it looks like it but, it just doesn’t taste that great.

Walking around is a great way to see many of the sights in London, once you know your bearings. Its actually doable on foot to get to one area to another. It's always a great way to get off the beaten track and see parts of London you weren't expecting to see.

21 Oct 2012

Ikea Ideas

Today we headed to Ikea to get some ideas for the home. On Friday we purchased our massive flat screen tv. Ninong M's place of employment was having a staff sale and we were able to grab a brand new tv at half the retail price.

Going to Ikea can be hit a miss. I think if you become over whelmed by the options available, the amount of people in there, the frustration of unable to get any help, you walk out of there feeling annoyed at even wasting your time.

If you have a plan of attack regarding what you need to get and just head straight to those sections. Avoid any eye contact with cute lamps or fancy storage compartment ideas - you'll save yourself time and guilt realising you purchased something you didn't really need.

We knew we needed an entertainment unit, wall shelf ideas and a storage unit we could double as an ottoman. When we were living in CN we could never find an ottoman long enough for our 2m dining table. I figured since we're short on space and going with the whole maximising as much storage as possible, I came up with the ideas to use a storage unit as an ottoman. It will only get used as an ottoman when we do have guests over and every other time if can be tucked to the side of the room as a unit. Something like this ...


But not as wide ... and no glass on top. We would probably add cousins on top of the unit when it is used as an ottoman so its comfy and it has to have wheels so people can wheel in and out of the dining table when it is used as a ottoman.

We found the entertainment unit we want to get.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGESfXANz75XWqBupVLRosxFmZrfGrTibv_ejcJGXH2P5DXCs_9g03r57yNO_E0ft4Z6VGodlDbYk6ZFB1a-H3bYcVVpdny1lMK498NEl_eHs_xAq7XZUnhMaFBAyDO2Zn9xT7NrTZZso/s1600/photo-799713.JPG 
I think we will opt for the white gloss colour (as seen under the red one)

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrZc4BSEdudfw7F-tWSUqodXUULZkunJIHFuoFWNsD1fZH2F_kgV61WGWSTuWcuNC1ea_S-1maarapGkMSPLXpSrwYEbCj06fTKBnwkxNoeZncgtUIF6FBCxRr0XYQw2EVwrzaljRT3c/s1600/photo-783178.JPG
There is also a matching wall shelf with this range (as seen above the tv) which we probably will get too

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Wl36v9VktRxGZ0Q3DlU-sdWCSBieMqF_zjWkVIwTZC3oOpc-yQd-BQENkhWy4v3Yo3r4mMPERXirfDFoezICE4sWLuUoNhn2K0rSxdkbYB30cK2XLMxgZWl2TUcqRAyHSOVP8LnKPp0/s1600/photo-714670.JPG

Other wall shelf ideas options and ideas I saw. I'm thinking I want to have another long shelf that goes across the living room. I also want to put one in each of the bedrooms. Ian's not liking the idea of putting too many wall shelf's but in my opinion its either shelfs or bulky pieces of furniture to compensate for storage.

There's a massive kids area in Ikea. Our little man is too small to be left alone in there but he did notice the other kids. He watched in awe especially the ball pit area, again he kept saying "baaww".


Next time little man

19 Oct 2012

First Full Day in London

Our first full day in London and we decide to go hard on the sight seeing despite the gloomy wet weather that day. On the agenda Borough Markets, London Bridge, Tate Modern and St Paul’s Cathedral.

From Earl’s Court we had to jump two lines before we could reach Borough station. From memory I believe we got lost in the process, we caught a train heading in the opposite direction of where we wanted to go …. twice! Once we arrived at the markets the weather got worse. It was miserable, cold, windy and the rain increased. It was only 11am and a lot of the shops had only started cooking food at this point. So we thought we’d walk to the London Bridge to kill some time.

Borough Markets is on one side of the station and London Bridge is located on the other side of the station, pretty much across the road, just behind the office buildings. We didn’t bother crossing or climbing the bridge, I blame the cold weather as a factor. We took some snaps and then headed back to Borough Markets.


Upon our return the place still felt like it was setting up with vendors still cooking meals. The markets were running 7 days a week during our stay because of the Para Olympics.

The place in general isn’t very big. Most of the stalls there sold produce or food and the location of the market itself is very unique. It kind of felt secluded under a bridge but they had all these tables and chairs in random spots set up. The variety of food is amazing. You can have some good British food, delicious desserts, spicy curry, various (and smelly) cheeses, freshly squeezed juices, pimps and ciders. We noticed people did their groceries here arriving early to get in on the fresh produce before the masses arrived.

 Brownie tower

 Salted beef with pickles

 Freshly squeezed juices

After we stuffed our faces we headed over to Tate Modern Museum . If you walk along the side of the church you will see foot paths that take you towards Bankside which is a walkway along the river. Here you can stop by more restaurants and cafes if the food from Borough Markets didn’t fill you up. Actually walking towards Bankside there are also many restaurants to tempt you. Along the way you will walk past Shakespeare’s Globe and then finally reach the Tate Modern museum.

The building itself is a bit of an eye sore but that’s art right? Entry to the museum is free however there are exhibitions that require an entry fee. You can also hire audio guides so you know what you’re looking at. The floor guide / map is not free as I learned after I took one without paying. Technically they ask for a donation but I didn’t see the sign until I was leaving. The museum is filled with lots of modern art pieces (hence the name), and after a while everything seems like they’re blending into each other. I guess I don’t find broken bicycles spray painted black, art? There is free wifi within the building so you can google map your next stop if you don’t have a map, check in on Facebook or Instagram a new picture while you’re there.

After walking aimlessly through Tate Modern we walked back out to Bankside and crossed the Millennium Bridge to get to the other side of the river.
View of the Millennium Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral

About 100m on the other side you’ve reached St Paul’s Cathedral. It’s actually quiet an impressive church building. What appeals to me is the height of the church which still holds services everyday. To enter there is a fee however if you’re there for worship its free. We didn’t go in. We did take lots of photos outside the church and joined the locals who sat by the stairs to enjoy their lunch.

By this stage we were over sight seeing and needed to do some retail therapy. We headed back to the shopping district of Oxford Circus and did our bit for the UK economy. Unfortunately most stores at this stage were stocking winter fashion and I really wanted to buy clothing I could wear in the next few weeks.

At 6:30pm we were meeting our lovely friends again for dinner. We headed to this famous burger joint called Meat Liquor. OH MY GOD … they were unbelievably tasty, mind blowing burgers! My mouth salivates just thinking about those burgers. The dinner seating opens from 6pm by 6:30pm there is a queue of people waiting to be seated - the place does not take booking. They do bring out trays of complimentary food (appetisers) regularly to the waiting patrons just to get your appetite wet for what’s in store.


After 45 minutes waiting in the queue we were finally in .. the door! They have this smart herding process where they let you in, bring you to the bar and get you drinking cocktails (or non alcoholic beverages) for another 10-20 minutes before you are seated at a table. The alcohol drinks are on the generous side not measuring the alcohol portion in the cocktails they create.

 
Generous mijito's

The venue inside isn’t very big and probably adds to the queue time. The lighting inside is very dim and the room emulates this red light glow. Not sure whether its to create lighting or impact your subconscious mind, but I found it very odd.

We all ordered burgers, I had the cheese burger, Ian had the swiss and we also ordered a side of fries and onion rings to share. What I do recall was not being asked by the waiter how you would like your meat cooked. The reason why is they have already mastered cooking their patties for a perfectly delicious burger. I think what adds to the experience is the size of their burgers. They are proportional enough for you to finish and be satisfied. What makes you contemplate for a second serving is the taste. The onion rings were also mind blowing! Obviously it’s the batter that they use to coat the rings that sets it apart. At the time I was convinced they use tempura batter but I don’t know if that was the mojitos taste buds talking.

Photos don't do these bad boy's justice

After dinner we head over to The Social. Every Thursday they host hip hop karaoke. It’s a night where randoms can come up and sing to the crowd their favourite hip hop song. The party starts at 9:30pm, 5P per person entry fee and get your name on the guest list to avoid disappointment. You were aloud to get up as an individual or if you’re a little on the shy side sing as a group. There is an MC who mediates the concept and there is a no “boo-ing” , “disrespecting” or banging on the walls?? rules everyone must adhere to.

The funniest moment for me was after a male and female duo finished their performance the MC says “I’ve never seen someone hold a microphone so well before” cause they barely did any singing.

For me it was a cool and funny experience seeing people from various cultures, career background and ages get up in front of a crowd full of people and sing (usually out of tune) a fast pace hip hop song. Someone needs to bring the concept back ti Sydney if it's not already being done.

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child

Yes it does. But what if your elderly village people had other plans for their golden years? I think this is the dilemma a lot of gen-y couples/mum’s are facing … well certainly what I’m experiencing.

Today, most couples both work and generate an income. Living in Sydney … no living in Australia, where mortgages out weighs salaries the need for the mother to return back to work after having a child is no longer a choice but a necessity to be able to afford some of the simple and basic commodities.

For many gen-y couples their parents may still be in full time employment unable to assist in the minding of the grandkids forcing their hand down the childcare route. Which again in Australia particularly in Sydney is ridiculously overpriced. Centres charging anything between $75-$130 per child per day depending on the demographics of the area, services you require or they offer, location of the facility and age of your child. Then there is the waiting list due to the limited spots for some of these centres with some suggesting to pre register even prior to conceiving.

At this point in time I’m very fortunate to have both my in-laws retired and my mom who has been a stay at home mom since I was 15 years of age, and my dad who is looking to retire within the next 6-12 months. So you think I’d have a sweet deal? You should hear the envy from fellow mother’s voice when they say “You’re lucky!”

However it’s not as great as it would seem. Our parents belong to a generation … heck I don’t even know what they’ve classified their generation as? … a generation that want to enjoy their retirement cruising on a cruise ship through the Caribbean or travelling back and forth between here and some place warmer on the winter months. A generation who wants to enjoy a care free life in their senior years since they've sacrificed and worked hard during their younger years. They have even come up with a mantra "SKI" which stands for Spend Kid's Inheritance.

I'm not saying they don't deserve to enjoy their senior years nor am I saying they should be forced to look after grandkids. My parents and in-laws travel regularly and I don’t see them easing up but then the demand to watch over the Eli will only increase as he gets older as well.

I’m hearing complaints. Complaints about how difficult and demanding he’s becoming and how tiring it is to look after him. I could blog on dissecting those statements, get all defensive about my son, make comparisons to what they did when they were in our situation and bring culture into it … but ultimately they’re doing us a favour – a great favour.

I wonder whether I should just stick him in childcare and not have to deal with these issues. The plan was always to send him to a childcare centre just not until he was a little older and not five days a week from the get go. 

It’s such a difficult issue cause we want everyone to be happy and taking action could offend people and we don’t want to offend family. We don’t want to impose but of course we want the support.

What to do? Has anyone been in our shoes and found a situation that worked for them?

17 Oct 2012

Out & About in Old London Town

As I stated in a past post I wanted to put some effort in writing a detailed account of our recent Europe holiday.

We arrived to a gloomy and rainy London on the 29th August roughly around 1pm. We were lucky to have some close friends living in London at the time and really looked after us while we were there. We spent majority of our time in London hanging out with the recently engaged E & S. So within hours of landing we were meeting up with this lovely couple.

The first night we had dinner at Dehesa. A Spanish and Italian inspired charcuterie and tapas bar.


The restaurant itself is relatively small and has a cosy atmosphere to it. We were the loudest one’s there – what do you expect having pre dinner drinks and over 12 months of catching up to do. We ordered many dishes each one was deliciously made.

Afterwards we headed over to the china town side of town, which is actually close to the theatre district. We walked over to this building that seemed unusd and no indication that it was even open / functioning. At the door stood a girl with a clip board. E has our names on the guest list so we could get in. We had arrived at ECC – Experimental Cocktail Club. Upstairs was a 2 level bar serving a range uniquely inspired cocktails. We got our allocated table which we reserved and enjoyed a few more drinks, laughs, shouted at each other over the loud rnb music. If you’re looking for a trendy under ground place to have a few cocktails ECC is where to go. 

Streets of China Town 

In London to avoid the disappointment of being turned away at a decent restaurant, club or bar you have to book in advance. Don’t get me wrong we book tables in advance in Sydney too but it just seems very common even for lunch time meals.

Dehesa and ECC was a great way to start our first day (night) in London and got us very excited for what’s install for the rest of the leg … 

15 Oct 2012

My Baby Sister's Wedding


On Friday was my baby sister's wedding. I can't believe she's married ... in my eyes she's still the cute chubby baby that I remember. I guess also cause she's only 23 years of age, still a baby.

Unfortunately the weather didn't clear up in time for the big event so the ceremony took place inside one of the conference rooms but the room was dressed nicely regardless. It rained and snowed the morning of the wedding however it all ceased an hour prior to the start of the ceremony and the sun started to shine from that point forward. Which allowed them to take photos outdoors on the beautiful property.

The venue, Milton Park Country House was located in Bowarl about 1.5 hours from Sydney. The property had beautifully manicured gardens a real vintage feel about it.

I still can't believe my little sister is now married. To me she's still my little baby sister.

Congratulations D&K!! 




12 Oct 2012

OOTD

OOTD cause I'm gay

Yay!! Last working day of the week!

Weather's a bit gloomy though and it's raining.



Trench purchased in Hong Kong
Top from Top Shop
Pants from Zara
Shoes from Primark


Hope it clears up for the wedding tomorrow ...

10 Oct 2012

In No Mood to Work

I don’t know why … could be cause I know my little sister’s wedding is on this weekend but I’m in a bludgy kinda mode. Could also be cause I’ve been working my butt off since I returned back to work from holidays and feel I’m entitled to relax a little bit.

It could be cause I’m actually feeling fatigue which is ironic. During our holiday we would be walking practically all day and out at night, but back home I commute 3 hours of the day (usually sitting in a seat), sit at a desk all day yet I'm feeling exhausted and run down.

Whatever the reason I’m in no mood to do any work – for the rest of today.

I even didn’t go for a run and had a longer lunch with this hottie ...


Bring on the weekend!!

8 Oct 2012

Moving Out

On the weekend we cleaned our RH investment property. Note: need to add a post regarding that purchase.

Looks like we may be moving into the property for a little bit. Not the plans I had for this property or for us but trying to see the positive in the situation.

The positives include:

  • Being on our own as a family and all the joy that comes with that. We can do what we please, when we please and not think about bothering anyone else. We can leave the house as clean or as messy as we want to.
  • Decorating a brand new home!! I can’t wait to buy furniture and slowly decorate our home. I can’t wait to start hanging personal photos on our walls. I’m already starting to scope ideas online from all the excitement!! 
Here are some inspiration for our living area:




Going for a minimal, contemporary look with lots of storage possibilities. Minimal so we can hide everything from the little one who likes to grab everything he sees. Low maintenance is a requirement for me too so need storage options where I can dump the mess into places no one will see and give the impression of cleanliness. I want something that can be reused with different furniture and interiors for when we update and upgrade.

What interior style are you?

What We Parents Do


Eli can’t say balloon yet he says “baaww” instead … it’s so cute

On Saturday it was Mr V’s 2nd birthday party which was held at a local pub near us. I appreciate how these venues have embraced the need to be family friendly and have updated their facilities to cater for children. There is a dedicated play ground, games room and a jumping castle on offer for kids.

Through out the party Eli kept gravitating to balloons. First the balloons Mr V had then to the helium filled one’s from another party. One of the guests noticed he kept coming back to their table and gave him one. We attached it to his arm and he would grab it and try to bite it. I was waiting for it to pop in his face. He eventually realised if he let go of the balloon it would fly away from his hands so he kept a tight grip on the string.

This morning I get a call from home. It was my mum telling me the balloon escaped. Eli was with my dad at the front yard and he had his baaww with him outside. So of course the predictable would happen, the balloon flew away. My mum said after the incident he still kept asking for "baaww"

I called Ian and told him about the incident. That evening he had a new replacement "baaww" for him. A bigger, stronger and more expensive one too. 


Have you ever done something above and beyond to please your infant child knowing that they'll never remember it? 

6 Oct 2012

More Base2Stay Photos

Additional photos for this post.
Still sifting through all the holiday photos. Almost done culling the London one's and in the process found more pics of the accommodation we stayed at in London.



How I miss towel warmers ... best part of coming home from a cold and gloomy day in London town.

Back to Work

I returned back to work on Tuesday (post labor long weekend) after 4 weeks off, to find as I expected little progress since I left. No surprise the project roll out didn't commence in my absence, but will next week. Although the reasons were due to hurdles the project had to overcome, a part of me feels like they were actually waiting for me to come back.

Again no surprise, heard my name was dragged in the mud, because I'm not there to defend myself, cause it's never the PM's fault for anything as she deflects any admittance to any mistakes.   

Anyways I'm not going to commit a post about her - well not this one.

So leading up to the first day back I felt a sense of dread that I've never felt towards a job before. I think it was because I knew the mess I had left and was not confident it would be fixed while I was away. I think also knowing I would be continuing to work closely with her added to my feeling of dread. 

Luckily I had an even shorter week only working 3/4 days. It helped the transition back to work a little bearable ... just a little bit.

Returning back to work just iterate how much I don't find joy in what I'm currently doing. I'm sure the project and the PM plays a factor but I don't know whether looking for a new role is what I need to do. I think finding my own business is where I want to head more towards so I can work my own hours and be with my family most of the day. I need to stop being complacent and really start the process of working for myself.
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