Ever thought about ditching your house and that high-maintenance garden for the simplicity of inner-city apartment living? Interior decorator Toni Giannarelli wanted such a change and moved into her stunning Freshwater apartment in Melbourne a little more than a year ago.
It’s a spacious penthouse with floor-to-ceiling-windows in almost every room, offering breath-taking views of Melbourne and the city’s iconic landmarks.
It’s a stylish, fresh, modern interior which uses light tones, mirrors, silver and chrome to achieve its look of Hollywood glamour. But it wasn’t always the way. When Toni first moved in, the apartment walls were painted in dark colours, so she had it all re-done.
‘I wanted white to open up the place,’ said Toni ‘And the mirrors everywhere open it up even more. You get angles from the city reflecting in the mirrors which make it look even bigger.’
There’s a wonderful abstract painting of a grand piano in the dining room, which Toni cleverly placed at the opposite wall to the entrance, so you see the painting’s reflection when you first enter the room and can appreciate it again when seated at the table from the opposite direction.
The Hollywood feel is also brought about by the artwork – especially the piece in Toni’s study, based on the most famous female Hollywood icon of them all – Marilyn Monroe.
‘I commissioned the paintings from a friend of mine who owns Tutti Interiors. She has them commissioned by overseas artists who live in colonies,’ said Toni. ‘I just sketched up a few ideas and asked them to base the paintings on these and it worked beautifully.’
Toni’s taste hasn’t always focused on a modern look. Her last home was filled with antique furniture and knick-knacks. ‘Because I had an antique, timber look in my last house, I really wanted to go with a completely different design,’ she said.
‘Something more contemporary. Fresh for Freshwater,’ she said with a laugh. ‘And you can add colour to the room with accessories, like I have in one of my daughter’s rooms with the Missoni cushions. Overall, it’s a minimalist, clean look. It’s great not to have all those ornaments around which were just dust collectors.’
So how has the change from a home with a garden, to living in an apartment been? Toni describes it as liberating. ‘I love it. There’s less maintenance and I still have a garden on the tenth floor with nearly an acre of land, a pool and BBQ. And there’s the promenade at Southbank. Plus the security gives me peace of mind.’
As I was leaving, I noticed one collectable that came from Toni’s last home that she wasn’t able to give up. It’s an antique clock that was commissioned by the city of Paris for the capital’s annual art show back in 1890. It’s the one designer nod to her past. Given its exceptional beauty, it’s a completely understandable inclusion!
I’m good at keeping other people’s secrets but not so much my own. Which is why the past few weeks have been difficult – knowing it was likely I’d be starting a new career path very shortly and not being able to tell many people about it.
Thank goodness all was signed and sealed last Friday and then just yesterday, the lovely Luke Dennehy from the Sunday Herald Sun, ran this piece in the Confidential column, explaining all…
That sent off a wonderful chain of events, resulting in a busy day for myself on Twitter and Facebook and answering all manner of texts and emails. How lucky am I to have so many friends and associates who sent on all those fantastic messages of support! Thank you everyone!
To add to the above article, I would like to say that, yes, it has been great to work on other creative projects over the past few years, but lately I have also been missing that buzz you get from being involved in day-to-day news. So this opportunity at smoothfm couldn’t have come at a better time.
I love the immediacy of radio and the frequency of the updates at Smooth, means I’ll be bringing listeners the most up-to-date information possible. I’ll also be working alongside Mike Perso who’s extremely experienced and I’m sure will help me through my L-plates phase on-air, so that’s very reassuring.
I’m replacing the lovely Pip Mooney, who is leaving to spend more time with her young family and take on a new role as Media and Communications Manager for Lifeview Residential. Good luck, Pip! You’ve left big shoes to fill…
It really feels like this job is ‘meant to be’. My first official day on air will be March 31st which is exactly the same date I started at Ten many years ago, so I think that’s a good omen. I’ve honestly been a Smooth listener for some time now so to be offered a job with them is just fantastic. I love the music they play and the positive vibe that Smooth generates.
I’m not normally an early morning person, so that will present a few challenges I’m sure, but I’m so excited to be starting this job that, for the first time in my life, I’ll be looking forward to getting up early!
There are also a couple of other bonuses. One – I won’t have to make school lunches anymore. YAY!
And Two – I won’t have to wear a full-face of heavy make-up and worry about a single strand of hair being out of place while I deliver the news in the morning. Phew.
That doesn’t mean I’ll be any less professional in my news delivery. It’ll just be easier wearing a ponytail!
So tune in on Thursday when Pip is going to guide me through my first on-air radio news delivery and then I’ll be taking over solo from NEXT Monday.
And I’ll keep you updated here with how I’m faring with those early starts… Wish me luck!
Happiness is everywhere you look right now, isn’t it? And I don’t mean REAL happiness – but as a topic of discussion. It’s the primary focus of the zeitgeist – popping up everywhere in books, films and songs. Just look at Oscar nominee for Best Original song, Pharrell Williams with his catchy ditty, Happy.
“Because I’m happy… Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof Because I’m happy… Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth.”
The International Day of Happiness was established by the United Nations General Assembly in June, 2012 and celebrated for the first time last year, with the premise that ‘Happiness should be provided to every person in the world, no matter what.’
It’s a pretty tall order. How is it even remotely possible for happiness to be provided for EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD???? Dig a bit deeper and you’ll find the United Nations is really hoping every country will get behind the initiative by providing seminars and awareness days that will encourage and generate general happiness.
You see, happiness is no longer just a state of mind. It’s now a bona fide science and moneymaking industry. In the US, there’s a Happiness 1st Institute, an International Society of Happiness Professionals and even a Harvard University Psychology course titled, ‘Happiness 101’.
Unwittingly, I’ve drawn a minor study of the notion of happiness this year by taking on some reading material that focuses on happiness and success. So I thought I’d do my bit for the United Nations by sharing with you a quick summary of three books you might like to take a closer look at.
I’m not one of these New Age types who have a fetish for self-help books, but have found these three books to have practical tips and advice that really can make a difference.
(1) The first book I took on this year, which I’ve discussed briefly in an earlier blog, is WILLPOWER by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney. I was drawn to this title in an airport bookstore while wondering how to conquer my brilliant talent for procrastination. It seemed timely that this popped in to view, so I decided to buy a copy.
This book draws on a vast range of psychology studies and research to illustrate valid points about willpower and how better planning strategies and time management help bring about a less stressful life.
MAIN POINT: Get rid of temptation to achieve success
(2) The second book I tackled is called Life In Half A Second by Matthew Michalewicz. This was sent to me by Michalewicz himself and arrived out of the blue. Again, as a talented procrastinator, I was drawn to the sub-title ‘How to achieve success before it’s too late.’ I was skeptical, but thought I’d scan through it to see if it had any merit. As you can see from the coloured markers, there are plenty of pages I want to return to because of the advice offered.
The best part about this book is that Michalewicz instructs the reader to complete specific tasks at the end of each chapter to ensure you are on the right path.
He defines ‘Five Doors to Success’ that aim, firstly, to put you in a positive state of mind. Goal-setting and defining targets along the way are also paramount. Here’s an excerpt:
‘By knowing exactly what you want, wanting it badly and believing you can get it, you have primed your mind for success. You have given yourself the absolute best possible chance of achieving your goals. Clarity, desire and belief are working together on your behalf, night and day in your subconscious. You have presented your mind with a tangible, concrete problem: How can I get what I want? How can I achieve my goals?
Your mind is not drifting, wandering: it’s working on this problem non-stop, trying to solve it, trying to make it happen. Every meeting you have, every human interaction, every piece of information you put inside your head is now viewed against the contextual backdrop of your goals. You’re on your way!’
(3) The third book was recommended to me by a girlfriend (thanks, Sal!) and is called The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen. I love this book because it doesn’t make any wild proclamations about delivering AMAAAZING results in weeks. In fact, it spouts a message that’s completely the opposite. This book is all about taking lots of small steps every day to achieve your goals and to find happiness.
Like the book Willpower, it also draws on wide-ranging psychological studies and research to prove its point. Of all the books, this one is the most concerned with finding happiness. The philosophy it draws on is, of course, called ‘The Slight Edge’.
MAIN POINT: It really is better that you read the book yourself to discover what this entails, but in a very simplistic outline, I can tell you it involves doing five simple things every day. They are:
1. To write down 3 things you are grateful for every day.
2. Journal for 2 minutes a day about a positive experience you’ve had in the last 24 hours.
3. Meditate daily.
4. Do a random act of kindness every day.
5. Exercise for 15 minutes a day.
Olsen claims that if you do these five ‘Happy Habits’ every day for 21 days, they will become a habit. You will re-wire your brain and as a result, be much happier. Try it and let me know if it works for you. The only one I struggle with is meditation… One day I’m sure I’ll understand it, but not yet…
On a final note – a tip from me. Looking at happy photos will always give you a happiness boost. My favourite is this one of myself and my daughter, Veronica, when she was having a swimming lesson, aged 9 months. Her face says it all. Pure joy.
As a journalist and a blogger who doesn’t accept sponsorship to promote products, I always find it incredibly hard to write about stuff I think you might like to buy for yourself. I’ve never seen myself as a ‘sales person’, nor do I want to be. But I do like to share information I think might help others.
So when I DO find a product I think is pretty amazing, it’s a tricky challenge, because I want to share my discovery but still feel like I’m spruiking for an advertorial on one of those early morning TV chat shows.
I am sent a lot of products that I’m happy to accept as long as the sender/manufacturer understands I will (a) not necessarily write about it and (b) if I do, I will always give an honest evaluation.
So, with that in mind, here goes… I really HAVE discovered a fantastic new skin care range that I believe is making a positive difference to my face. It’s good enough that I would absolutely recommend this to others – the biggest reason being that it contains medically active ingredients.
The Regenerate Skin Care range was launched a year ago and is the brainchild of skin expert Mike Clague. He’s an aesthetic nurse with a Science Degree and has spent much of his career in various clinical roles at Allergan, the makers of BOTOX® and JUVEDERM®. Currently he’s a consultant to Galderma Dermatology Pharmaceuticals.
Working in the industry for more than a decade, Mike saw first hand how many of his clients spent a fortune on skin care that brought little or no results.
When he asked them why they bought a particular product, their overwhelming answer was because of the marketing.
‘This became very frustrating,’ he said. ‘I want my clients to have radiant skin, but they just don’t know what works and what doesn’t. With this in mind my business partner and I decided to create a medical skin care range that gets results and is purely sold online.’
Mike says the Regenerate range is something large cosmetic company marketing executives don’t want you to read about – but already it’s winning recognition in what is an over-saturated market.
Mike says medically active skin care is a part of his practice that he couldn’t live without. ‘You simply MUST use active ingredients to get the results you want,’ he said. ‘
The skin care industry is a huge business that grows every year. Cosmetics sales across the globe add up to approximately $290 billion USD a year. With this much profit at stake, naturally companies are vying for every customer and sometimes lies are told to get you to purchase.’
There are some important facts to remember if you’re shopping around for a new skin care product that you hope will actually make a difference. Mike says they’re only worthwhile if they use active ingredients such as Retinol, Vitamin C and Peptide serums.
‘You will see products at department stores costing over $250 for one small container, but unfortunately these products rarely contain active ingredients. If they do contain active ingredients you need to understand the percentages required to bring about a change in your skin,’ he said.
‘To actually work, vitamin serums need to contain a certain percentage of their active ingredient. Most department store products often fall short of the recommended 0.9 per cent for vitamin A and eight per cent for vitamin C and sunscreen should have 10 per cent or more zinc oxide.‘
There are a lot of reasons why Mike believes Regenerate products are better than the rest. They’re made with the highest concentrations legal in Australia by a high quality U.S. manufacturing plant, plus the entire skin care range is also paraben free, vegan friendly, and not tested on animals.
If you’d like to sample the range before committing to a new regime, there’s a sample pack called the Prevention Pack, for sale online for just $14. The link here will also take you to their website if you’d like to learn more.
I’ve given up smoking now for more than two years. That’s not to say I didn’t have a couple of ‘naughty’ odd puffs here and there along the way in the first year, but these days, I’m smoke free. Most of the time I feel pretty good about that. I’ve saved an enormous amount of money, my children and husband are very happy and my health is much improved.
Regardless, in the last month – (yes, I blame FEB FAST!!) – I suddenly and inexplicably started feeling like smoking again.
Perhaps it was being with friends who smoke socially? Perhaps it was because I wasn’t drinking alcohol that I was looking for something else that qualified as ‘naughty’? Whatever the reason, I was seriously weighing up the pros and cons of perhaps just smoking socially – and we all know where that leads – when I came across an anti-smoking ad.
This may be old news to some of you, but I hadn’t seen it until yesterday. And how timely.
It’s one of the most powerful anti-smoking messages I’ve seen. Such a beautiful teenager, vibrant and full of life, Terri had her first cigarette at 13 and became a full-time smoker at just 17. First diagnosed with oral cancer at the age of 40, she then survived ten cancer diagnoses before succumbing to an 11th – after a year of chemo – at the age of 53.
Terri spent much of her last years travelling across the United States speaking to adults and teenagers about the dangers of smoking.
Her message is still coming through loud and strong.
I cannot tell you how much happier I am this week, now that FEB FAST is FINALLY over. THANK GOD. Fletch and I celebrated over the weekend, starting with dinner at a Japanese restaurant on Saturday night where I ordered a JAPANESE MOJITO. I’d never heard of a Japanese mojito before, so I ordered it because I could and it was FABULOUS. Then late on Sunday we left the kids at home and wandered down to a nearby wine bar, which led to a pub-crawl on pubic transport to most of the liquor establishments within a five-kilometre distance of home. It was silly, juvenile and FUN. We even took SELFIES. (The kids will be SOoooo embarrassed.)
I’m not saying FEB FAST was all bad. It just wasn’t exactly a fun-filled month. I’m glad I did it to prove that I CAN survive without alcohol, but I don’t think I’ll do it again. I did one of those lists – pros versus cons – to weigh up its appeal: The Good Stuff about Feb Fast: 1. Time goes veeeerrrrrryyyy slowly… If you’re one of those people who always complains about time moving too quickly, DO Feb Fast and you’ll be amazed. It might be the shortest month of the year, but, but God, it will feel like the longest… 2. You save quite a bit of money. Probably because you don’t want to go out much because you can’t drink, you stay at home. You don’t spend money at bars, restaurants, or taxis OR shout all your friends drinks when you’ve had too much… 3. You meet all your work deadlines EARLY because there’s nothing much else to do… The Bad Stuff about Feb Fast: 1. It’s VERY, very boring. 2. You DO NOT lose weight. This was THE most disappointing aspect of Feb Fast. I should have listened to Linda, my hair colourist, who told me this would be the case and I didn’t believe her. But it’s true. When deprived of wine, you adopt the crazy rationale of, ‘Gee, I’m not drinking, so of course I can have that three kilo block of chocolate!’ Which goes to prove that you should ALWAYS listen to your hairdresser. 3. You don’t see your friends as much. Because you’d rather not join them at the pub where everyone is laughing and drinking while you stand there with a soda water feeling as bitter and twisted as the floating lemon in your glass. 4. There’s nothing to look forward to at the end of the day. Not that I drink EVERY day, but even the possibility is more pleasant than a definitive NO. 5. There’s nothing to ease the pain of a crappy day. 6. Did I mention that it’s very boring? See? I told you. It’s not worth it. And now I’ve now finished FEB FAST, I’m going to have to think about getting back on some kind of diet because I sure as hell ate more than my fair quota of chocolate over the last month.
At a recent girls lunch, I caught up with Emma the Guru (you may remember, Emma owns/produces THE MUESLI, which has no added sugar) and was again reminded of how important it is to cut sugar from our diets. Emma is proof. She’s consistently one of the slimmest of my friends and is not a yo-yo dieter at all. (bit annoying really… ) So when I went to the supermarket today, I started checking labels again. One product that’s very hard to find with low sugar content is TOMATO PASTE. Often I’ll buy home brand products but here’s proof why it pays to spend a few pennies more on a labelled brand.
And LEGGO’S contains 9.8 per cent per 100 grams. So even though I can’t seem to find a tomato paste that fits the UNDER FIVE PER CENT sugar rule, Leggo’s wins. And when it’s a product we use all the time and is a pantry staple, I thought it was worth pointing out. And spending the extra twenty cents on. Pay less, get more sugar. Food for thought indeed. If you have any tips about low-sugar content products, please let me know!
If you’re anything like me – obsessed with movies – then you’ll be pretty excited about the Academy Awards coming up early next week. That’s March 2nd in the U.S. but Monday, March 3rd for those of us in Australia.
The time difference presents a minor dilemma – watch it live at lunchtime or enforce a social media blackout – then have friends over that evening to watch it at night with a glass of wine. Which is a lot more fun.
I’m predicting it will be a sensational evening, not only because of the brilliant line-up of movies and actors vying for awards, but because the night is to be hosted by the witty and fabulous Ellen DeGeneres. And that’s GOT to be better than last years host Seth MacFarlane (comedy guy and creator of Family Guy) who stirred up quite a bit of controversy with his politically incorrect comments. And from all reports, he’d rather stick needles in his eye than go through such pressure again. Phew.
The next dilemma is trying to cram in actually watching as many Oscar-nominated films as you can before the big night, because of course, it will be that much more interesting if you and your friends can debate who is the most worthy recipient of each category.
I’ve done pretty well this year and have already seen ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, ‘Her’, ‘American Hustle’, ‘Gravity, ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ and ‘Philomena’. And only last night I watched ’12 Years A Slave’. I missed out on ‘Captain Phillips’ at the cinema but may still squeeze in a viewing of ‘Nebraska’ before the weekend’s out.
I’m not going to give you a review of each – rather three words that for me, sums them up best.
1. The Wolf Of Wall Street – Entertaining, pacy and morally bankrupt.
2. 12 Years a Slave – Heart wrenching, powerful and beautifully tragic.
3. Gravity – Suspenseful, unique and a little slow.
4. Her – Surprisingly believable, touching and fascinating.
5. American Hustle – Fast, entertaining and a costume extravaganza. (too much of Amy Adam’s breasts!!)
6. Dallas Buyers Club – Gritty, a brilliant script and performances, outstanding cinematography.
7. Philomena – Poignant, another great script and highly emotional.
As you can guess, yes, I really enjoyed them all. In particular, 12 Years A Slave, Dallas Buyers Club and The Wolf of Wall Street. But if I were to hand over the Oscar on the night, I’d have to give it to 12 Years A Slave. Interesting, isn’t it, that all three of these movies are based on real life stories?
And just for the record, I’d give the Best Actor award to Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buys Club (his physical transformation was astounding, as well as his performance) and to Sandra Bullock for Gravity. (Or Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine.But then again, what about Meryl’s brilliance in August Osage County? Hmm, that’s a toughie…)
I’d also hand Best Director to Martin Scorese for The Wolf of Wall Street. Even though the subject matter isn’t as visually appealing as the panoramic landscapes in 12 Years A Slave, it’s how he succeeds in making a mere office scene impactful and creative that shows off his genius.
So hurry up – you’ve only got four and a half days left to cram in some great quality movie viewing. Let me know which of the Oscar nominated films would win your vote?
It’s a wonder we get anything done on weekends at all. I mean, there’s so much reading to be done. First, there’s the Saturday newspapers and all the extra lift-outs featuring your favourite columnists, like Wendy Tuohy at the Herald Sun. Also from the Herald Sun, Anna Byrne’s fab fashion overview never fails to give me the shopping bug and I can’t put the paper down without scanning Leigh Paatsch’s movie reviews. Plus I’m a big fan of The Age Weekend mag.
Special mention goes to Leigh Paatsch this week for his line about John Jarratt’s performance in the newly released Wolf Creek 2. I can’t remember when I last read such a beautifully scathing sentence: “As for John Jarratt, watching him reel off his repertoire of guttural grunts and wince-worthy wisecracks is like being trapped on a crowded train next to a drunk, disturbed circus clown.” OUCH.
Having seen the movie myself at a special preview screening last Wednesday night, I can’t say I felt as strongly about Jarratt’s performance. Neither would I agree with Paatch’s half a star rating for the movie. Yes, Jarratt’s performance does seem slightly ill-fitting in some moments with it’s comedic bent, but on the whole he is a terrifying and believably insane serial killer.The movie itself does artfully manage to create nail-biting suspense and definitely delivers on the believable gore and vicious torture front. I’d give it two and a half stars.
Just for the record, horror is not my favourite movie genre, but I have a teen daughter who IS a big fan, so I succumbed to pressure and went along. Veronica loved the film and completely disregards any negative reviews, firm in her belief that the genre of horror does not win the respect it deserves. Each to their own.
But I digress. Back to all that weekend reading I was talking about… As well as newspapers, I’ve just discovered a fantastic Blog site that encompasses all the most popular Blogs in one spot. Called Blog Lovin’, this means you can quite easily whittle away a couple of hours in front of your laptop without noticing. Dangerous stuff. But highly entertaining. So if you’re on the look out for some new and entertaining reading, check out Blog Lovin’. You can sign up so you receive regular updates from your Bloggers without trawling through the internet too. So there’s a time saver for you to boot. Sort of…
Singer, actor, celebrity, charity worker – as if there weren’t enough strings to her bow, the beautiful Tottie Goldsmith has now added another. Several months ago, she became a qualified marriage celebrant.
Chatting with Tottie in her recently renovated bayside apartment, it’s clear this is a year of fresh beginnings – a new home, a new career and a revitalised trajectory for The Chantoozies, who are launching a new song and video clip.
But more about that later. Let’s start with the most recent career development – becoming a marriage celebrant.
What was it that inspired Tottie to be the one who blesses couples exchanging matrimonial vows? ‘Three people suggested it to me,’ said Tottie. ‘I’ve always had this belief that if you get a message from the universe three times, you must act on it. The first person to suggest it was my Dad, the second was a producer and the third was my sister-in-law. So I figured I’d better do something about it.’
But it wasn’t as simple as Tottie imagined. ‘The course isn’t easy at all. I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible but it took about seven months on-line and I worked at it constantly – even when travelling. But then the course I was studying with lost their accreditation so I had to sit for it again through the Attorney General’s office.’
That didn’t deter Tottie. She persisted, started from scratch, studied hard, graduated and then finally had cause to celebrate when she was granted her licence. ‘It was a really exciting day. I felt I’d achieved something. Just seeing the certificate with my name on it made me feel really proud. The first wedding I did, when I first said the words, “I’m a civil celebrant authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to the law in Australia,” it felt extraordinary.’
Performing a marriage ceremony comes naturally to Tottie. ‘It’s an incredible thing and I’m so glad I did the course.’ she said. ‘It really suits me. I love people, I love being involved in this sensitive but happy time and the response I’m getting from people is fantastic. I almost become a part of the family and I’m really honoured to be part of such a special time in their lives.’
Initially Tottie meets with the betrothed couple to see if they have the ‘right vibe’ between them and to talk about how the couple wants the ceremony to proceed. Then she sends them some ideas in an email with a template of how she thinks the couple might like the service to run. ‘I also like to see them a couple of times before the wedding to make sure we’ve covered everything and then we have a rehearsal.’
So was she nervous before conducting her first wedding four months ago? ‘I was a little, but because I’ve done so much MC work, I knew I’d be fine. I also rehearsed with a couple of friends of mine who played the bride and groom to practice the technical stuff – like when to pass the rings and juggle the microphone and it was all fine.’
Tottie is also a big supporter of gay marriage and is hopeful she’ll be able to conduct weddings for gay couples in the future. ‘In my family, I have a gay cousin and a gay aunt and their relationships are just as deep and profound as anyone else’s. Love is not gender specific. Really decent deep people rise above gender when it comes to love so I think that’s also a place in the market where I’ll be able to work well.’
A surprising twist to Tottie’s new career is that she’s also recently been asked to conduct funerals by families who don’t hold specific religious beliefs, but want a spiritual send-off for loved ones.
‘I was asked to do this,’ said Tottie, ‘I told the family I’d find someone else more suitable but they insisted they wanted me. It was an incredibly profound experience to sit with these people and talk with them about this woman I’d never met, but I felt I really knew her by the time we’d finished. Sitting with this family was an honour. I then went home and wrote up a condensed version of what everyone told me. We also talked about what music to play and how to structure the service, so it’s actually quite creative too.’
Like weddings, performing the funeral service was equally rewarding. ‘The woman who hired me rang the next day and said, “That was perfect. The whole family loved you. I think this is your calling.” I was really moved by this and it did feel right. Because I lost my Mum so recently, I really ‘got it’ and was sensitive to what they needed. I want to provide a safe, comfortable place for these people who are grieving.’
Of course the only problem for Tottie now is juggling her new vocation with her already established career as a singer. Especially as her band, The Chantoozies, has had a resurgence of popularity in the past year, meaning her calendar is heavily booked. With many weddings taking place on weekends, at the same time most venues want the band, how is she going to manage to continue doing both?
‘It will be tricky,’ she said. ‘There’s one day coming up where I’ve got a wedding at 2pm, then we drive out to a vineyard and I’ll have to get changed in the backseat ready to perform on stage. In one instance, I had to turn down a Chantoozies gig to do a wedding and in another instance, I turned down a wedding to do a music gig. So yes, it’s a juggle.’
But at the moment, the band takes priority. The Chantoozies are preparing to shoot a film clip for a new single they’re about to release so all Tottie’s energy is going in to that.
I’d love to tell you more about the new song, but Tottie says she’s sworn to secrecy. ‘We made a public declaration and put it on Facebook that we’d have a new single out by the end of March. It might be early April at this stage, but after having made such a big announcement, we’re determined to follow through with it.’
Tottie says she and her three fellow band members are all close friends. They don’t have management, because after so many years in the business and knowing each other’s strengths, they don’t need it. ‘We work really well together, ‘ said Tottie. ‘We’ve go an incredible sisterhood and an incredible work ethic and we’re better than any management team out there.’
So what does Tottie hope will happen with her song? ‘I’m hoping Smooth FM at least will pick it up. And other radio stations. I’m hoping the film clip goes viral, because it has an essence to it that could go viral and I’m hoping that once we get more attention, the venues will pay us double the money and we’ll have double the fun!’
Tottie said a recent session with a life coach made her realise just how important The Chantoozies are in her life. ‘If somebody said to me, you’ll never be able to sing with The Chantoozies again, I’d be devastated. It means that much to me. It’s that much fun. If we haven’t done a gig for ten days and I go to sound check and I’m on stage with my best friends surrounded by music that we love and it all pulls together and it happens, then I feel happy!’
‘There’s a lot going on right now, but I’m looking forward to all of it. It’s going to be a good year,’ said Tottie. Her smile says it all.
If you’d like to know more about Tottie’s work as a singer, actor or celebrant, check out her website which is at: www.tottiegoldsmith.com.au
Leading up to the beginning of the month, I was REALLY looking forward to starting Feb Fast. Along with Fletch, we both decided we’d had a pretty indulgent festive season and it was time for a healthy kick-start to the year. Time to give up the grog for a month. I was enthusiastic and ready for the challenge.
Now I KNOW Feb Fast is a great concept – especially because the money raised goes to helping young people and families who are tackling serious alcohol and drug issues – BUT I’ve discovered…
… IT IS REALLY, REALLY ANNOYING!!!!!
For many reasons. Which I’ll tell you about in a minute.
It started out really well. I felt energetic at the gym, was writing more, meeting my deadlines and waking up fresh as a daisy. If you’d like to get a clearer picture of all the benefits, just check out this graphic put out by the Feb Fast group. Of course, some of the statistics also relate to the other things you can give up in February if you’d rather keep drinking grog – like coffee, sugar and social media.
But that self-satisfied smug feeling about saying ‘NO’ to alcohol and being strong wears thin by about Day Four. After a crap day when it’s getting close to dinner time, all you can think about is wanting to crack open that lovely chilled bottle of chardonnay tempting you from the fridge.
So you say ‘NO’ to yourself and go back to sorting through emails or getting on with domestic chores. Then you sit down to watch some TV and again you can hear the chardy singing your name.
Still you say ‘NO’ but remark to your husband that you might be missing your wine. Just a little. Is he missing his beer? ‘No, I don’t think about it, really,’ he says, smiling. Shrugs nonchalantly. Of course, it’s easy for him. I’m just being silly.
GOD, THAT’S ANNOYING.
And I think ‘not drinking’ makes me a little irritable. Just a teeny, weeny bit. After 6pm anyway. It makes me cranky to think about that famous quote from Frank Sinatra – ‘I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.’
He’s right. It’s even worse at social events. Especially because just when you think you’re doing fine and enjoying yourself, someone notices you are NOT drinking alcohol, and wants to talk about it. Really annoying.
Then you get some people who look at you strangely when you tell them you’ve given up the grog. They listen for a bit and then nod sympathetically, and throw in a little comment or too that suggests the real reason they think you are doing Feb Fast is because you have a drinking problem.
Seriously? Some people can be VERY annoying. Like it isn’t possible to just want one month of healthy living?
But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Well, halfway through the tunnel in fact. Fletch has decided to buy himself a ‘leave pass’ this Friday night when we go out and celebrate Valentine’s Day. YES!!!! Well, I can’t let him drink on his own, can I? That will still make it TWO WEEKS without drinking which is more than I think I’ve done in about ten years. And we’ll go back to Feb Fasting on the Saturday right through till the end of the month.
Right now I’m feeling quite smug again as it’s the middle of the day and I can feel proud of myself that I’ve lasted ELEVEN DAYS without cracking. But I’m still dreading that witching hour at about 6pm when my mind drifts toward the fridge. Or back to when we were on holidays by the pool and I had this AMAZING passionfruit mojito…. Ah, memories.
