Sorry, but I’m too busy right now to write a ‘proper’ New Year’s Resolution update. I’m getting bored with the whole concept too. Twenty minutes till the official end of the day though – so I might just squeeze in a mini-update so I can feel I’ve stuck to the program. To some degree anyway…
Lindt balls(1) Sugar free challenge (apart from wine) – Not good. I found an open box of Lindt chocolates one night after drinking wine, (which of course drastically reduces one’s will-power) so I scoffed what was left in the box. Which was about four of those scrumptious round balls. God, they tasted good. FAIL.
(2) Not to play I-Phone Games – No Good. I couldn’t sleep one night so downloaded Spider Solitaire on to my I-phone at 2am and played that for about half an hour. And I haven’t deleted it yet either. FAIL
(3) To tidy my office before the end of March – Not yet. But I still have time. An easy TICK for this one.
(4) To go to the gym at least 3 times a week – YES!!! I have a new trainer who I have to meet twice a week at the gym and this is fabulous. I’m going to introduce you to Ross tomorrow. Plus I did three spin classes and have lost half a kilo. I think it was the Lindt balls that did it. TICK.
(5) To NEVER smoke another cigarette again – I actually felt like one this week for the first time in ages. On several occasions. I think it has something to do with stress????? But I remained strong and did NOT smoke. Big TICK.
Overall, checking the scorecard – that’s three ticks out of five at the end of week six. Not brilliant, but hey, I’m only human after all…
My apologies. I’ve been a bit light on with the blogging stuff over the last few days, but I have been VERY busy. You see, being a very-important-committee member of a very-important-charity-event is VERY time consuming. I don’t need to bore you with WHAT I’ve been doing. Suffice to say Thursday night’s cocktail party – organised by The Sisterhood – is going to be bloody good fun. And if you haven’t bought a ticket… hurry up!!!
If you can’t make it, at least you can read about what you won’t be able to buy or win because you’re not going to be there. And the prize list is pretty fabulous.
There’s THREE ways to get cool stuff on the night.
(1) Buy a $50 raffle ticket which also scores you a divine glass of Laurent Perrier Champagne and be in the running to win either:
– A TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR DIAMOND FROM BENSIMON’S JEWELLERS
OR
– A CROWN METROPOL PACKAGE which includes one night’s luxury accommodation, with full buffet breakfast for two at Mr Hive Kitchen and Bar, valet parking and complimentary access to the peaceful Isika Day Spa.
(2) Buy a $50 or $100 LUCKY DIP TICKET with the chance to win prizes such as Eclecktica earrings, a Cactus Jam voucher, a Microcloud Pillow, a Marie Claire subscription, spray tans from Body Bronze, one of my Booty Up products, a Breville Pizza Oven, a Liberty Belle Facial voucher to the value of $750 or even a Kaya Gym Membership valued at $1035. And that’s only naming a few…
(3) BID AT THE AUCTION. There’s only six items up for grabs and they’re all wonderful. Here’s a sneak peak…
(a) A HOLIDAY ON MAGNETIC ISLAND -Five nights luxury accommodation at ‘ONE BRIGHT POINT’ Magnetic Island Luxury Apartments. Featuring the ultimate ocean front accommodation, these apartments are located on the beautiful heritage listed Magnetic Island, just off the Tropical North Queensland coast. Magnetic Island is the sunniest location on the Queensland coast with an average of 320 sunny days per year. It has over 23 beaches, huge National park, shops, cafes, local galleries and golf course.
Nicole Kidman at the Swisse marquee at Flemington(b) SWISSE EXPERIENCE – 2 Tickets to the Swisse Marquee on Oaks Day, including transfers to and from the track, with overnight accommodation and a $500 Arthur Galan voucher to pick the perfect racing outfit.
(c) A BALLOON RIDE – valued at more than $600
(d) FOUR TICKETS TO THE FOOTY SHOW This award winning and sometimes controversial TV show is still going strong after 19 years. The Footy Show, starring Sam Newman, James Brayshaw and Garry Lyon is still so popular that there is more than a year’s wait for tickets. Four tickets are up for grabs to one of the live shows this coming AFL season. It’s a ‘money-can’t-buy’ experience.
(e) PRESIDENT”S DINNER FOR TWO – COLLINGWOOD VS CARLTON This Round Two match takes place at the MCG on April 7th. It’s one of the biggest games of the year. With one of the longest lasting and strongest rivalries in the AFL, Collingwood versus Carlton games are always blockbusters.
The Collingwood President’s lunch is a five-star way to enjoy the game. At over 400 dollars a head, the most ardent fans gather for a 3 course meal and afternoon tea at half time. As well as the blockbuster game, fans are treated to entertainment and a rousing speech from club president Eddie McGuire.
(f) A signed COLLINGWOOD FOOTBALL JUMPER – These are extremely rare nowadays, with Collingwood restricting the number of jumpers released that are sign by the entire team. This one is signed by each of the 2013 team members.
Hot-air balloon ride
So as you can see, there’s a tonne of very cool stuff up for grabs and given it’s not a massive function, if you can still get a ticket (and they are limited) then it’s likely you’ve got a pretty good chance of winning a TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR diamond. I know I’ll be buying a raffle ticket for that one.
Hope to see you there. If you DO want to buy a ticket to our Valentine’s Day event (for couples and singles!!) at The Deck at The Prince in St Kilda, click on the link below.
To book tickets:
http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=39386
It’s hard to admit, but yep, Tom was right. At the tender age of fifteen, he knew straight away from the title – The School Of Life – that something was awry. (see Tuesday’s Blog)
Being a huge fan of the author and philosopher Alain de Botton, Fletch had learnt that a branch of this wise man’s school was opening in Melbourne and thought it would be nice for us to go along to an event. It sounded fascinating. A chance to discuss interesting topics with a bunch of smarty-pants types over a feast of food. Maybe I would walk away with new insights into how we live our lives and how to make the world a better place? Surely I’d absorb some of the scholarly vibes through osmosis and magically transform into an intellectually superior being?
It didn’t start well. The floral chair covers sounded warning bells straight away. We arrived after most of the guests were already seated and were told to find a place. Anywhere. Sit with anyone. No nametags and no place names on the tables. Big shared tables. Now, I don’t mind meeting new people, but I’d thought we’d have our own table and the discussions on the night would be mediated by the MC. In a public forum.
Dinner with EpicurusSo we joined a table and introduced ourselves. Me, knowing full well, I’d forget all eight names in five seconds. Already I needed a drink. The only wine on the table was sauvignon blanc. As any chardonnay lover knows, you might as well offer a prime rib to a vegan. EWWWWWwwww. I asked a harried waiter if there was an alternative. Looking very put out that I’d even ask, he said there wasn’t. That always, without fail, puts me in a bad mood. A pre-paid set menu dinner and no decent wine. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who knew what was up and quickly raced to the bar to buy bottle.
Dinner menu and programI picked up the program on my bread plate and read some of the topics. Fascinating stuff. We’d be hearing about things such as:
– Should we try to be happy? If not, what else is there to aim for?
– Is pain ever pleasurable to you, or sadness somehow happy? Why?
– Is love ever really unconditional?
– Does work have to involve drudgery as well as joy?
– When has failure helped you?
And that was just for FIRST COURSE…
Then Damon Young, the Melbourne philosopher and writer employed as MC on the night, began with his introduction. Erudite, witty, pleasant – he kicked proceedings off to a good start.
What I DIDN”T like was discovering that after Damon read out the topics for discussion, we were supposed to chat AMONG OURSELVES. With our new best friends. Over some of the North Firtzroy Star’s fairly ordinary food.
I’m sorry, but you have to know a bit about someone before you get into whether pain is ever pleasurable for them – don’t you? So here’s what I don’t GET about nights like this. Unless the mediator calls for discussion in the room, the guests at the table probably AREN’T going to stick to the topics because they are too busy edging their way around who is who, and who does what, before getting into the deep and meaningful.
So, quite frankly, I couldn’t see the point of any of it. I would have preferred a night out with my friends. I don’t need new friends…. much as the people on our table were very nice.
Me with MC Damon YoungDamon Young was nice too. And an excellent MC. I just think The School of Life needs to look at how they run these nights because I didn’t get anything out of it. Alan said he managed to have several fascinating discussions that stuck to the topics. I missed those.
Guess I’m going to just have to save that program with Epicurus on the cover for our next dinner party and use it as a conversation starter then. Interested?
My apologies to overseas and interstate readers – this story isn’t going to be much help to you, but I couldn’t resist this one. It’s so hard these days to find original, quirky and PRICE FRIENDLY gift ideas, that when I stumbled across RED PROJECTS, I knew I had to do write a story. Especially with Valentine’s Day around the corner.
Red Projects – 112a Acland Street, St Kilda
For those who might be able to make it to St Kilda, it’s definitely worth a visit. I was walking down Acland Street – deliberately to buy one of those amazing sugar-free yoghurt treats I mentioned on Tuesday – when I stopped to read some amusing metal signs featuring astrology traits, which were sitting outside a shop.
Aries dark side – all signs $24 each
In fact, it was the Aries description that caught my eye, (you can buy both negative and positive versions for each star sign) because that’s supposed to be about Fletch. Which clearly it isn’t. Self-centred? Bossy? Never. There’s only one word that applies and that’s probably Too Much Information. (guesses welcome in the comments section)
Melbourne canvas – $75 (80 x 140cm)
Next to the star signs was a canvas that also appealed. I was looking for something masculine and neutral for Tom’s bedroom, and wondered whether the Melbourne locations board might suit. At a sale price of just $75, I thought that was pretty good value so decided to check out what else was inside the store.
Red Projects owner Carolin Hemingway
And there I met Carolin, who said she’s had Red Projects for about seven years. She started up in Port Melbourne but moved to St Kilda when the rent became too steep.
‘It’s a smaller space,’ said Carolin.’ But I live in St Kilda and I love it here, so it’s great to live and work in the same suburb.’
The shop might be small, but it’s jam packed with hidden treasures. Carolin says she never buys anything for the shop that she wouldn’t buy herself.
Her love of St Kilda is reflected in the shop’s wall mural, painted by local artist Greg Irvine, which highlights all the local landmarks.
St Kilda mural by Greg IrvineSilver heart pendants – $75
Given Valentine’s Day is just next week, I asked Carolin what her best suggestions were for gifts. There’s plenty of jewellery to pick from – an appropriate piece for next week being these sterling silver heart pendants – designed by Carolin herself.
Carolin says she loves being in the gift business. ‘ I love to shop. It’s great because I get to go to the trade fairs and it’s like shopping for myself, except I get to buy multiples in every colour!’
Bells for favours – $12
These bells are also a popular gift, (and very economical!!) but Carolin says they don’t come with guaranteed results.
I asked Carolin how she deals with difficult customers who don’t know what they’re looking for.
‘It is a challenge and it’s difficult,’ she said. ‘But if I really can’t find something for the customer myself, I leave them to look on their own and generally they always find something.’
FOR THE WALL…
Small wooden signs – $14.95
It would be hard NOT to find something that suits. Carolin is also big on SIGNS. There are signs everywhere – wooden, metal, big small – all featuring quirky sayings or pearls of wisdom. One set of smaller wooden signs comes from a couple that live in the country and make them by hand. Mostly they’re about pets.
Bathing Beauties – $38
There are also canvases of all descriptions featuring photographs. My favourite is the black and white ‘Bathing Beauties’ from a 1950s snap.
Handmade butterfly pictures – $99
If you’re after an original art piece, these hand-made butterfly pictures come in all types of patterns, and each one is unique.
HOMEWARES
I could write forever about the number of home-wares in Red Project, but here are two that caught the eye – both bargains!
Aqua glass decanter – $49.95 Hanging rust chimes – $18
QUIRKY
Phrenology head $49.95 and palm-reading hand $28As for QUIRKY, there’s plenty that fits the bill here… How about a Phrenology head or china palm-reading hand???
But the weirdest ones of all are the Vegetable Pets. I’m not sure who would actually buy them, but there are fascinating… and quite ugly. I mean, a Cauliflower dog? Seriously? At least they’re cheap…
Cauliflower Poodle – $20
Cabbage fish and sweet potato guinea pig- both $15
VINTAGE
Carolin is also keen on vintage designs. If you’re looking for extra special gift cards, these classics are priceless. Made by an artist in Byron Bay, they feature vintage images on balsa wood, which is then pasted to the card. Beautiful!
Vintage cards – $6.95 Vintage Paris Wall Clock – $22
FOR THE KIDS
Plush microwave toys (bed warmers) $29
For the kids, my fave are these plush microwaveable soft toys that act as bed warmers. So cute and cuddly! I’m sure I’m not too old to have one…
Owl trio – small, $18 and large, $24
But no. I need to grow up. Learn the great lessons of life and bestow that wisdom upon my children. Luckily there are dozens of different wise owls hanging around Carolin’s shop so I browsed and I browsed….
Owl Pair – large $44.95, small $24.95
…and I settled on this pair. They now live happily in our sunroom. I can feel the wisdom. It’s coming….
If you’d like to visit RED PROJECTS, head to 112 Acland Street, St Kilda.
For enquiries, phone (03) 9525 5255
Sometimes I wish I’d done an official computer course. The longer I write this Blog, the more I’m finding out about how websites operate and how much I NEED to learn!
For instance, after meeting with my lovely website consultant a few days ago, I only just discovered how the ads on my OWN website work… Pathetic, I know.
Supersprint adI just thought they sat in the side bar, so that people could look at them and know where to go if they wanted to follow up on something. Like a billboard that gives you something to look at if you’re stuck in a traffic jam on Punt Road. (Which happens all the time…)
BUT I learnt that if you actually CLICK on these ads, they give you a lot more information, by taking you to that companies actual website. Durhhh…
SO, for instance, if you want to go to the Guns and Roses concert, you just click on the ad on my Welcome page, or when you’re reading a story like this one, and it takes you straight to the place you need to go to buy tickets.
If you want to enter the Australian Grand Prix Run on March 10th, click on that ad. Or if you’re needing a fab haircut, check out the glamorous Salon Golightly salon ad and book in with Justin.
For bridal couples looking for a unique car, check out Pete’s Garage and hire a really cool Mustang.
Pete’s Garage adThere – just thought I needed to share that with you.
And another thing. So I can attempt to make a living from writing, there will be more ads appearing shortly on this Blog. This is good news because it means the Blog is growing rapidly in popularity and I now have great figures to justify ads. But I promise NEVER to EVER allow any of those nasty, loud, in-your-face, POP-UP ads that drive people insane. Me, in particular. I HATE those. They’re scary…
If anyone is interested in placing ads on our website, please contact Kelly at youguys@catacombcreative.com for a quote.
