Changes All Around Us

I'm amazed how much the Latin scene has grown in Sydney. Only a few years ago, it didn't take long to get into La Cita but last Saturday when we were leaving at around 1am, there was a crowded queue at least 10 metres long!

Another thing I noticed was the generation gap between us (the mid-20s) and the young 18-20 year olds by the fashion.

Amelia (aka The First March Girl), a friend of ours and I were all dressed in jeans and dressy tops (the common trend of many of our female peers on a cold autumn night). Whereas the majority of young girls were wearing barely there dresses (which as a rule could not be longer than where the legs started) and variations of the shoes made famous by Carrie in Sex and the City movie.

My brother brought a few of his friends to assist with my feeble attempt to introduce my friends to nice single guys. At least it was better than not meeting anyone at all or dancing with odd strangers. And a salsa club is just no fun without a dancing partner.

Dan and I danced as much as our sleep-deprived parent selves could. His parents were kind enough to take Caitlyn for the night and let us enjoy being young. (We never take these opportunities for granted.) It is unbelievable how much a night out without the baby can do to our moods. It's the energiser all parents need.

Confrontation - How I Met Your Mother Style

Jason Segel & Neil Patrick Harris'  (Marshall & Barney) version of the Confrontation song from Les Miserables. Hilarious!

From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhXsJjVdj1E

Unrequited Love

So we've all gone through it at some point right? Actually probably not. I think there are those of you lucky enough to not have suffered this pain. For those of you that have, here are some really relevant lyrics from one of my favourite songs by Jason Mraz, 'If it Kills Me', I love this song cos it expresses how I feel so perfectly.  I'll talk more about my situation in another entry.

Jason Mraz - If it Kills Me

Hello, tell me you know 
Yeah, you figured me out 
Something gave it away 
And it would be such a beautiful moment 
To see the look on your face 
To know that I know that you know now 

And baby that’s a case of my wishful thinking 
You know nothing 
Cause you and I 
Why, we go carrying on for hours, on and 
We get along much better 
Than you and your boyfriend 

Well all I really wanna do is love you 
A kind much closer than friends use 
But I still can’t say it after all we’ve been through 
And all I really want from you is to feel me 
As the feeling inside keeps building 
And I will find a way to you if it kills me 
If it kills me 

Well how long, can I go on like this, 
Wishing to kiss you, 
Before I rightly explode? 
This double life I lead isn’t healthy for me 
In fact it makes me nervous 
If I get caught I could be risking it all 

Baby there’s a lot that I miss 
In case I’m wrong 

Well all I really wanna do is love you 
A kind much closer than friends use 
But I still can’t say it after all we’ve been through 
And all I really want from you is to feel me 
As the feeling inside keeps building 
And I will find a way to you if it kills me 
If it kills me 

If I should be so bold 
I’d ask you to hold my heart in your hand 
Tell you from the start how I’ve longed to be your man 
But I never said I would 
I guess I’m gonna miss my chance again 

All I really wanna do is love you 
A kind much closer than friends use 
But I still can’t say it after all we’ve been through 
And all I really want from you is to feel me 
As the feeling inside keeps building 
And I will find a way to you if it kills me 
If it kills me 
If it kills me 
I think it might kill me 

And all I really want from you is to feel me 
It’s a feeling inside that keeps building 
And I will find a way to you if it kills me 
If it kills me 
If it kills me 
It might kill me

What Parents Want

Did a friend or a family member just give birth and you just can't wait to go the shops and get some cutesy tiny little thing for the cute tiny little bub?

STOP!

And think.

Other friends and family members are also probably just itching to run and buy lots of cute baby stuff so does the new mother and father really need another pretty little frilly dress?

Most likely no.

Here is your chance to come on top of the present buying well-meaning family and friends as the person who actually got something the new parents needed.

I've come up with a small list that might help.

• Most people will get clothes so if you also really want to get some doll outfit, go for the one without buttons on the back as that's the place babies spend their most time on.
  
  
• Also, babies do not need dresses or clothes with lots of frills, ribbons and buttons as they spend most of their time on their backs and just need something comfortable like a soft cotton bodysuit; something they can easily be wrapped in.
  
  
• If you want to get clothes for when they're older, take into account what season it will be when they're older and buy accordingly
  
  
• If you want to get some rattle for when they're little, buy something light as they usually end up being dropped on their faces when the baby gets bored with it.
  
  
• All toys will be put in their mouths so buy something safe
  
  
• Babies do not need 10 teddy bears
  
  
• Newborn babies do not need cute little ballet shoes
  
  
• A baby gym is great! (Even when they're too small for the gym activities, it's a good place for tummy time)
  
  
• Soft/plastic fold out books are great for when they learn to play with toys. Every time the baby moves it, she see a new picture which can occupy her for longer than other toys
  
  
• A baby bath such as Fisher-Price Rainforest Bath Center is useful beyond words
  
  
• Some soothing baby CDs to put them to sleep
  
  
• Anything that will help put the child to sleep
  
  
• Some bright books with nice rhymes
  
  
• A rocker such as this one
  
  
• Toys to tie up to the pram
  
  
• A sleeping bag with sleeves
  
  
• Toys that make noise and do lots of stuff to distract the baby when they're upset
  
  
• A musical mobile (or any mobile) for their cot
  
  
• A musical soother
  
  
• Did I mention anything to calm the baby into sleep?
  
  
• Wraps (for summer or winter) - you never seem to have enough
  
  
• Bibs (for when they start drooling). I liked ones without velcro.
  
  
• And the fail-proof present is just asking what the parents want
  

If you're a parent, what did you find useful?

Just Chopped

I get a haircut about once a year at Just Cuts and have always been satisfied with the results.

I cannot say the same for yesterday. I regret not being more specific about what I wanted but I gave a similar description last time and couldn't help almost skipping out of the salon and flicking my hair (similarly to those hair shampoo commercials).

They do have a 7 day guarantee policy where they can fix it within 7 days but I'd rather let it grow out a bit and get a different hairdresser to make it look more like a haircut rather than me going blindly at it with scissors.

I went to my regular mother's group aftewards and was met with, "Oh, you chopped your hair!" which pretty much summed it up. There are different length strands sticking out from everywhere.

My brother described it very accurately with, "You look like a mother".

For Parents Who Worry

If you are a parent, that is probably you.

As a new parent of a baby, I got carried away with seeing how she measures up to all the developmental milestones. Every tiny change that she went through was magnified to humongous proportions - "Did you see that?! She noticed a toy!!! She's never done that before! Isn't that amazing?! She's so smart!"

So when I noticed that many babies her age were rolling over, I started to get worried. I saw in some random poll asking parents when their babies first rolled over, the majority said four months. When she turned four, I was thinking "Why is my baby behind?!" even though of course she wasn't. I guess I saw anything above average as being behind.

Then I got carried away and read about babies who never rolled over and went straight to sitting which made me think, "Maybe Caitlyn is just too smart for rolling over. She's way above that silly nonsense".

I also read about parents worried that their eight month old still couldn't sit and a one year old who couldn't walk. Skimming through many parents' stories, I stumbled on one lady's comment, "My son couldn't sit until he was 9 months and couldn't walk until he was 18 months. He's 25 now and sits and walks just fine".

Now I have the whole baby development in perspective.

And to my surprise two days ago, Caitlyn rolled over. She has been repeating this manoeuvre ever since.

My List

Because I'd rather do anything than apply to jobs, here's a happy way for me to procrastinate:

Rules: Bold the things you've done, I've also written comments for some.

1.Started your own blog -- I think this one counts :)
2. Slept under the stars -- No because I refuse to go camping. Ever.
3. Played in a band - I wish!
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain -- Mt Kosciousko, although I was too unfit to make it to the top at the time.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - does it count if it was on SingStar?
11. Bungee jumping
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch-hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny-dipping
27. Run a Marathon - not yet but I fully intend to do the City 2 Surf if that counts as a marathon!
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - didn't get the chance when we were there sadly :(
29. Seen a total eclipse - of the heart maybe...
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise - but it was pretty short
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - I think we did in high school right?
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David -I saw the *real* fake version of it in Italy, which I think is almost the same right?
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - lol, is this common practice?
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58.Taken a martial arts class --Does high school count? Grab, twist and pull?

59.Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky-diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - I wasn't driving it though...
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Qur’an
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - ooh I've met a few famous people - Hamish & Andy (twice!), Jason Mraz, Pete from Evermore, Il Dago
92. Joined a book club - haha technically yes ;)
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

And that's my list, not that exciting, but it was entertaining. If you have the time or inclination, do one too and let me know how your answers compare :)

Bavarian Bier Cafe

Speaking of the Bavarian Bier Cafe, Dan and I had dinner there last Thursday. It was definitely a novelty type of experience.

As we walked into the dungeon (complete with huge old pans and pots hanging of the stone walls), the not so pleasant aroma filled our noses. We decided to not let that ruin our experience just yet.

The place was very busy and since we didn't book, we were seated at a table shared by another couple. A waiter dressed in traditional clothes came to us pretty quickly and explained the different types of dishes we weren't sure about.

Dan chose a selection of sausages with sauerkraut and mashed potato and I picked veal with German noodles and Gypsy sauce (which the waited advised was quite spicy).

We were really surprised with the taste. It was so much better than we expected. Dan loved the sausages platter and I couldn't get enough of the tender veal and soft noodles. The Gypsy sauce was not as hot as I expected.

We even tried one of the beers (considering the place was famous for that) - Bavarian Diesel (dark lager with Coca Cola). It was ok.

As we dined, we were entertained by musicians (also dressed in traditional clothes) who played some traditional upbeat tunes.

Overall, it was a great experience that I wouldn't mind repeating.

Some Thoughts on Shark Hotel

Hello readers (and I suspect there's only two of you at the moment lol), 

It appears it's been awhile since I've written in here. So what have I been up to, you ask?

Since I've been back at work I've had the chance to meet up with friends for the traditional after work dinner/drinks. Last week a group of us went to Shark Hotel (corner of Pitt and Liverpool St.). It advertised $2 steaks. I was immediately suspicious. 

One of my braver friends tried it, cos she just couldn't pass up a $2 steak. However the catch was you had to order a drink and the steak didn't come with anything else. She ended up ordering a salad as well which cost more than the drink and steak combined lol. She assured us the steak was fine and she didn't end up getting food poisioning (as she has been prone to in the past) so I guess it can't have been too bad.

I tried the chicken schnitzel which cost the princely sum of $6.95. I attempted to also get a cocktail but was told they didn't make cocktails during the busy period. For shame. So much for the toblerone cocktail I had imagined drinking.

My meal was ready by the time I had walked back to my seat which was suspiciously fast. It tasted alright, I have a feeling it was just heated up though. 

The guys (and one of the girls) went for the cheap beer, but cheap or not, I'm just not a fan of beer. Maybe I haven't found the right one yet? Next stop: Bavarian Bier Cafe.

Oh and as for the atmosphere, I was pleased we could hear each other talking without shouting, I'm told it's a different situation on a Saturday night, but we went on a Wednesday so it was all good :)

Not sure if I'd recommend it as a regular hang out or anything, but if it's a quick and cheap meal you're after, then it does the job :) Just make sure you're not in the mood for cocktails!

The vintage wonders of Etsy!

Hi girls, as I mentioned to you at Rosehill races a couple of weeks ago, I picked up my vintage butterfly net fascinator from a website called Etsy!

The site has received a lot of publicity lately, it's predominantly a platform for people to sell their handmade goods (clothing, jewellery, papercraft, everything!). But there are tons of quality vintage items.

In fact with the $AUD appreciating recently, I bit the bullet and bought a vintage 1950's gold and blue brocade hat that I've been eyeing for $24 including shipping from the US. It might look a bit weird, but I think I can make it work - brick red lipstick and stockings will be compulsory :)





Please reassure me it's not hideous! It's virtually impossible to find a quality milliner-made hat for under $300 in Australia so I think it's an okay deal.

Quick Baking Solutions

Every Easter weekend Dan's parents have a tradition. They invite all family to their house for dinner and exchange small gifts (usually made out of chocolate and in the form of bunnies or eggs).

To impress the in-laws, I always bake something (as they don't bake much themselves but love sweets). Being a busy and tired mother, I didn't have much time this year to make something from scratch so I obtained the help of Green's Chocolate Beanies Cupcakes pack.

They were quite quick to make (only 15-20 minutes baking time and 10 minutes preparation). The most time went towards icing the cupcakes because I was trying to be careful to do it neatly. For the seasoned baker, that probably wouldn't take that long.

I did find that there was too much icing and not enough dough (I expected the dough to rise higher than the cupcake holders).

Here is what the result looked like:

Here's hoping they taste good and the relos are happy.

UPDATE: They looked better than they tasted. I found them a bit dry

Budget skincare rants and raves

As you know Zoe I too recently fell victim to age paranoia and purchased the Nivea Q10 Eye cream!

I've been using it regularly and it's been working well. Superficially, anyway. But I did an analysis of the ingredients and found them to be not terribly effective! In case you don't know the higher in the ingredients list something is, the more the product contains.

Ubiquinone - or Q10, the supposed active ingredient - is halfway down, right after tapioca starch and Nylon-12 (whatever that's used for!).

What is most alarming is the silicone content. Cyclomethicone and dimethicone are right up the top. Silicone is used in shampoos and skincare as a film to seal the hair or skin over and prevent moisture evaporation. It's by no means a bad ingredient, but it's only a superficial temporary fix!

Finally, the sunscreen component is negligible. It has an SPF of 4! Why even advertise that? Thankfully the active sunscreen ingredient is Titanium Dioxide, a physical sunscreen rather than chemical absorber, as many commercial products contain. Chemical-based sunscreens have been shown to be far less effective than physical products, and can even deteriorate the skin's resistance to UV rays over time!

As a preventative anti-aging eye cream, this won't do. I am extremely vain. So I'm definitely going to have to upgrade to something with effective ingredients once the income starts coming in again!

On a different note, budget skincare is not all bad.

Of all things, Aldi's face cream range sparked a frenzy when it was released in the UK and is regularly compared to high-end brands such as La Mer and Sisley.

I've only tried the Night Cream version as it seemed to have the highest concentration of active ingredients - ubiquinone or Q10, panthenol which is vitamin B5 and retinol. It's also mineral oil-free! On the downside, it stinks like old lady perfume and is a bit heavy. I mainly use it on my forehead because that seems to have sustained the most sun damage over time.

I bought it for $4.99 about six months ago. I went to Aldi yesterday and it's $8.99! I guess they know they're onto a good thing.

Dearest Eyes,

I'm writing to tell you that I am sorry. You have served me well over the years while I used you excessively, thinking that you could handle anything. Now I realise, you are not getting any younger. While you are still far from being old, you definitely look tired and worn out.

In the last year or so, I have bought some creams to help you look and feel a bit better but they haven't really done much, have they?

I hope you like Nivea Anti-Wrinke Q10Plus Eye Cream. I think it stopped you from getting worse. But what I know makes you really light up is Natio Eye Brightening Cream. Even after a day of stress (e.g.heavy eye make-up/computer/TV), as soon as the smooth cream (and I have never tried a softer one that glides on so easily) is on, you feel and look totally refreshed. If I put it on before bed, when you wake up you look truly reborn.

Once again, I'm sorry for what I've put you through and most likely will in the future. I hope you understand and will do your best to not age too soon for your time.

Lots of love,
Zoe

Popular Baby-sitter

Caitlyn has not been as easy as she once was. She has been cranky and unable to be alone even for a minute, making it very difficult for me to do basic tasks such as brushing my teeth and taking a shower.

Personally, I think she has been getting bored because her cranky cries quickly turn to big smiles once I play something new with her. I searched on the internet for what other parents do to keep their babies occupied. I was surprised (even shocked to read) many gems such as "my 4 month old loves Disney cartoons. I just plop him in front of the TV and he can be entertained long enough for him to fall asleep".

Oh. My. God.

A four month old loves Disney? Does a four month old even understand what Disney is?!

Of course I understand that this clever mother probably meant that he was entertained by the colourful moving images but since when does a TV become a baby's nanny? Do these parents who use the TV so readily for babies even realise the damage it is doing to their poor babies' eyes? Why damage their eye sight so early in life when they can do it quite quickly when they're older?

To read that parents use the TV to entertain their babies (like it's a miracle cure for their need for stimulation) has really disturbed me. I guess I'll attribute this to their plain ignorance and not that they are too lazy to play with their kids.

No one said kids were easy to look after so if you made the decision to have them, you have to nurture them and not find quick fixes that make it easy for you, while not benefiting the kids in the slightest.

BRo Love

I know not everyone loves How I Met Your Mother as much as I do, but I found the sweetest video online about Barney & Robin so I thought I'd share it with you:

http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2009/04/barney_and_robin.html

It made me want to cry!

Another makeup sale alert - my credit card hurts

Howdy girls, check your e-mails the both of you, because I've sent details regarding tomorrow!

In a very disappointing development for my bank account, another American makeup brand has gone bust in Australia.

Cargo Cosmetics are 70% off at David Jones Elizabeth Street, plus an additional 10% off when you spend $75 or more.

To be honest I'd return all of my Flirt purchases and buy their Cargo equivalents if I were able to. Their quality is that good, and you're paying Maybelline prices for something a gajizillion times better!

I bought an eco-friendly lipstick in a shade designed by Lindsay Lohan of all people. The product is called PlantLove and it's so cute - proceeds from each sale go to charity, and if you plant the box it came in (yes as in plant in the ground) it grows into a bouquet of flowers!

It was $32 to start with, but I paid around the $8 mark and it was worth every cent (and then some).

Dreaming of Good Sleep

No one can ever possibly appreciate to a full extent an uninterrupted 8 hours of solid deep sleep and a slow awakening until they have a baby.

Sure you've probably had several nights in a row of little or no sleep but you always managed to have a restful long sleep to make up for it. Right?

With a small baby, the concept of good sleep is almost impossible. Sure it got better once Caitlyn stopped needing the night-time feed. However, that didn't stop her from waking me for other reasons, even if it was to give me a huge squealing grin. Yep, at 3am in the morning.

The best thing we did was hire a bassinet to put near our bed (as our room is too small to fit her cot). I don't actually have to get out of bed anymore to give her my full attention. Next week this bassinet has to be returned. I don't know what I will do, maybe squeeze a fold-out bed next to her cot?

I was hoping she'd be able to not wake in the middle of the night by this stage (as she has done on several occasions) but I'm not counting on it.

My mind has suffered, especially my memory. Only a few weeks ago, I was telling Dan how I thought my grandma losing her memory because she was telling me the same stories over and over again, to which Dan replied, "You already told me that."

Awkward Encounters of the Work Kind

While I still wholeheartedly support the unemployment cause, I've gone back to work at my casual job for a bit. I can still strongly relate to the unemployed because although it's career related, it's not exactly full time, nor is it what I want to be doing full time. That's on my 'to be decided' list still.

I wish I could write about the latest gossip at work but I'll probably get fired if I do that because I happen to work with people who are often publicly scrutinised and on the off chance this blog becomes popular, that would not bode well. Although that's a looong way away I suspect lol.

Anyway so today I ran into this guy in the lifts. He looked familiar but I couldn't quite place him. So I smiled at him politely as you do. Unfortunately for me he remembered exactly who I was and what I did. That made it awkward cos he seemed to know me a lot better than I knew him. I couldn't even remember how I met him. While he was asking about my job I was frantically trying to remember his. But I couldn't and so there was an awkward lull in the conversation,you know that pause when someone asks you about your life and waits for you to ask about theirs? That's what it was like. Him waiting for the question that would never come. Things weren't helped much when we both got out of the lifts on the same level and went into the same place. Luckily we finally went in different directions. 

Even now, several hours later, I still can't remember how I know him. Is it just me? Does that happen to other people too? I think I need to be more aware of everyone I meet.  

But the awkward encounters don't end there.

I also ran into the guy I went out with a couple of weeks ago. I didn't expect to be back at my old job when I went out with him, so I didn't really see it as a problem at the time. But as the saying goes, you shouldn't date people you work with. Cos it's awkward when you see them again. Very awkward. We managed to avoid any significant conversation beyond 'hi' and 'how are you' though. Mainly because I got out of there so quickly there wasn't a chance to say much more. It could have been worse. He even managed to look happy to see me, although I think that was just some good acting on his part. 

I have a feeling that was the first of many similar encounters to come though. It's inevitable. I will work on my acting skills. Or my running skills. 

Golden Slipper this weekend!

Hi girls. The Golden Slipper barrier draw was yesterday but they haven't set a timetable on the day yet - they'll do it this afternoon and I'll let you know later!

The track is likely to be rain-affected and I have a very unscientific way of betting on wet tracks - check pedigrees, watch the horses parade and box the ones with big feet.

If rain hadn't come into it I was very confident it would be a colt's trifecta. Probably a colt's first four. I don't know how he handles the rain-affected but Real Saga should put at least a length on Delago Bolt, Reward for Effort and Phelan Ready. Followed closely by More Joyous, Zikmann and Indian Ocean!