May in Australia

I have been travelling heaps in May, Roadshow conferences all around Australia, five states in one month kinda thing. Totally exhausted. It has been jam packed with social things too and catching up with old friends and family that I hadn't seen in yonks.

Adelaide:

How gorgeous is this door?

Anyone missing a baby?

Sipped at sparkling ale whilst lamenting the disappointment experienced with the Malaysian  elections

Brisbane:

The only place I hung out at in Brisbane both nights I was there. I have great friends in  town and loads to chat about

Perth:

Gorgeous jazz concert next to Perth MOMA. A small consolation for not being to see the Dali and Van Gogh exhibition

An airport full of engineers and miners headed to work at 5.30a.m. in the morning.

Melbourne:

Didn't see much of Melbourne, but what's more Melbournian than AFL and Crown? 

Other than the pics above, I only have food pics of what I ate. But I might save them for restaurant reviews later. By the way. It has been a tough month the past two weeks especially. I feel like my passion has been turned into something really negative and through other people's inability to cope and adjust, I have had to suffer the consequences and the backlash and mortification. These two quotes I looked at everyday on my phone until it all subsided and the stress went away with time.

What I have learnt is:

Shit happens and its not your fault

To hell with hierarchy at work, those who play the games best prevails.

Now looking forward to travelling not for work.

Bespoke Summit

I work in the world of conferences and so it was logical for work to pay for my attendance to AFR's bespoke summit. Whilst we don't sell fashion or luxury, we did have a world-class brand and a keen mind for business, the place I work for. So I eagerly adorned myself this morning and made my way to the Sydney Opera House, not realising that I was in for quite such an entertaining program.
I expected to learn something, but I didn't expect to learn so much.

I learnt the power of a good story; building a good story that is uniquely yours and one that inspires those that listened. A full day of people of success and great stories that were original and honest, all flown in to this stage to collaborate in leading the business of luxury and defining what makes luxury. From the humble jean and surf to the elite runways and integrated resorts, the history of candle and perfume and the rise of the cultural and digital evolution of our present retail climate, nothing was left unaddressed. Everything that epitomises bespoke luxury was laid out raw and bare for us to scrutinise.

But it has always been that hasn't it? Luxury was pure industry, laborious craftsmanship creating well loved products/ services that brought with it great experiences. Touhami of Cire Trudon explains the purchase of luxury as the exchange of time. My time spent earning money in exchange for the time you spent on making the product. All that money and success and they never took away his ability to still call a spade a spade and to laugh at himself. Hats off to him (If I wore a hat).

Another European man today that inspired me today said these moving words in a beautiful Italian accent:

 “What I want to tell you in the end, after all this shouting, all these collaborations garner attention and make business sense ... It’s not charity, it’s just work. Thank you.” Simone Cipriani

Others who dazzled me today include the humble James Packer and his polished, quietly confident demeanour; Pallavi Sharda with her loyalty to her roots and the passion for her exuberant culture (making me vow to never cull my future children's eccentricity and affinity for a different culture when they are growing up, it might just become their identity); The Saturdays boys with their originality and boyish business acumen; Mr Net-a-Porter's clarity of comprehension of the male shopper preferences (made me wish he was married to my husband and so could explain him to me!). Also So sweet to see the husband and wife collaboration behind Coco Rocha and James Conran, to see so much love & protection from him of her brand.


All that in one jam packed day of information. A weaved collaboration of some of the best luxury players in the world to bring to Australia the ideas and insights of the industry. Now feast your eyes!

Premium catering by Matt Moran

Loved the eclectic introduction slides for Josh Goot

Fruit station for anytime you're in need of a snack

I go crazy for this trend of drinks in jars and strped paper straws

James Conran and wife Coco Rocha

Truly Sydney Panel

The brains and hearts of Sass & Bide

The man who encouraged us to not shy away from little digital experiments and to let your community build you

Selling their honest lifestyle, the Saturday boys lets their brand grow organically.

From the other side

Last week has been difficult because my manager's just come back from maternity leave. I don't mean to judge but watching her settle back in (or not) really makes me question a lot of things about what I will be like when it comes to my turn.

From my perspective: it really sucks being a colleague of someone who  has just come back from one year's maternity leave. It's hard for everyone at stake.

Here's the story, she comes back and she doesn't want to work full time any more but she wants the same role. While we think it's not possible but because we love her we divvy up her work and try to make sure everything goes on as normal. At the same time management tell us the extra workload will not be remunerated because that's how it's going to be if we want her back into the workplace, and they are putting all their resources into making sure she is supported, not us. Is that really fair on us? We don't want her to not come back but the truth is she can't work at the same capacity and it affects everyone else in the team, but she's the only one it seems that will get the support, not us, so management tells us.

So what does the workplace do to accommodate all these costs and intricacies of facilitating a working mother's needs? What do we do to accommodate/accept the decisions made?

What is right and just for her is the opportunity to actually be a mother and still work. And we want that for her because it means something for us too in our future with the organisation. But, somehow nothing was planned and everything is so haphazard now for her coming back. They really should have thought about this 12 months ago when she left to have her baby. Sigh. Mind you, settling in with the manager of the maternity contract was not even that easy and now we go into turmoil again readjusting to yet another change to the team.

Here's my notes for myself:
1) As soon as I fall pregnant, really start thinking about the current workplace and putting things in place so that I can go and come back with minimal impact to the team

2) Don't take that long off work because it makes it harder to come back (Separation anxiety with your kid apparently is easier to deal with when they're much younger) and harder for the team to adjust twice plus it stagnates their progress.


If you've been incredulous reading through this and maybe a little upset, I apologise, but I am noting these feelings because one day I will be on the other side and I have to remember what it was like for my team members now for when it's my turn then.

Also, I was raised very differently. In Asia, Maternity leave was a foreign concept. You get your confinement period to recover and then off you go again. My mother didn't have to worry about the business stagnating or adjusting to change. The mentality is Work is important and she has to put work first so we fitted around her time-wise and priority-wise. And it was acceptable. It was the way it was and it instilled in me a good work ethic myself.


My mum sent me this photo recently. I think she means to say she missed those days when we were little and still clung to her. I was surprised as I had never seen these photos before. I didn't remember ever taking breaks and family trips with my parents when we were little. I assumed they were so busy working that we never went.

But here it is, evidence that they still tried and gave us time when we were little and that the two young mum and dad did everything they could to provide money and care for us.

So the decision is mine, What will I do when it comes my turn?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Adelaide the city of Chocolate

Yeah, I meant what I wrote, I hereforth no longer will refer to Adelaide as the city of Churches. City of Chocolate seemed more apt. Two years ago, I travelled there with a real lady who pretty much gets whatever she wants. We were in a traditional pub and she got a craving for chocolate truffles and the bar-tender whips out a martini glass full to the brim with these handmade chocolate truffles that the Hilton Adelaide provides to their VIP staff. True Story. So there, if you can get chocolate truffles from a pub here, how else would you perceive the city?

I find Adelaide a place that's serious about produce and fooding. Why else would so many Adelaide contestants proceed so far in National cooking competitions? Who could forget 2012's MKR finals the battle of the South Australians Nic and Rocco v Leigh and Princess Jen? Or of Masterchef fame, Poh and Adam Liaw?

At this point, I am tempted to gush all about my dining experience in the Marquis here because it was real fine, but I will be reserved and keep that for another post. This one will just be about chocolate consumption whilst in Adelaide.

Behold:

Some of these you would have seen from my previous two posts, but oh my I tell you, these ChocoMe on the top right hand corner are a SA brand to watch. I would have had three bars to photograpgh except Mr.HEA devoured one before I could stop him. He ate the Strawberry and lemon myrtle bar and (ok I partook in some of the consumption) it was D-I-V-I-N-E.

Now tucking into my truffles from Haigh with a cup of hot tea, a spot of indulgence I now afford myself to remind me of the wonderful region of Adelaide.

Trip to Perth, the Pan Pacific

I had the fortunate opportunity to be sent to Perth for work last week, it was my first time being here and it was certainly refreshing to be in the other half of our two-speed economy I'll tell you that. For starters, there were no talks of doom and gloom. China was the focus, not Europe. And with the wealth, the biggest issue was coping with growth and not so much the sustainability of the business.

I stayed and worked at the Pan Pacific in those two days. And whilst the rooms weren't anything much to write about (the story is there is so little supply for accommodation in Perth that hotels can't bear to miss out on the revenue they are still able to command with these nineties styled Mod rooms).

What the hotel lacked in style and room facilities, it didn't exactly make up in the in-room dining either. I ordered the most indulgent dish on the menu, a squid ink linguine cooked in a white sauce with scallops and prawns. Whilst it presented really well, and the scallops and prawns weren't overcooked, the cheesiness of the sauce masked the freshness of the seafood. Furthermore, the linguine wasn't al dente and the whole dish was really just a cheesy mess.

 The White wine poached pear that I ordered was comparatively heaven with its chopped topping of strawberries and mint. The delicacy of the refreshing favours acted as the perfect palate cleanser, ridding my buds of all that nasty cheesiness.

Where I worked however, where the conference rooms had been refurbished merely a year or two ago, it was an opulent world. Black chandeliers and luscious leather chairs dotted the halls where we were to hold our cocktail function.

 It was gorgeous. I thought of writing too about the things I got up to in Perth, but perhaps will save that for a different post.

Stamford Plaza Brisbane treat

Doesn't this room look inviting after travelling interstate with a long work day ahead of you?




And I had come prepared for pampering with these Lush babies:



Vanilla Fountain



& Marzibain

After work, I drew a lovely scented bubble bath from these dessert-inspired bars and enjoyed the soaking




Whilst sipping on Strawberries & Lime Kopparberg premium cider.




And watching Free-to-air tv on my room's bathroom TV.




A little extra luxury for my relaxed , baby smooth and cake-like scented skin: Chanel Ultra Correction Line Repair anti-wrinkle eye cream and the Day cream substituting night cream.




Now relaxed and blissfully almost comatose, I am going to slip between the luxurious sheets and fluff the pillows beneath my tired head and slip away into some restful sleep dreaming about ham and mushroom omelette or smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel room service for breakfast.


-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cutesy Post from the zoo

Hah, we went to the Zoo on a sunset tour with work this week. I had never been to this one, having thought I was too old for that kind of stuff before, but since this was a work treat, I went along and well, was really pleasantly surprised. There's something about private tours that make the whole experience seem very special too and the animals were at ease too.

Pashing Giraffes

Baby Elephant *Swoon*

Bruiser the Tame

Lovely lizard posed for me!

We got to stroke the Enchidna

Beware the dropbear!

An intimate bonding session between Mum and cub

And this little Quokka really made my day when it came to eat at my peace-offering.

Now on to planning some din dins...how do you keep the hubby interested when you started his day with Battered Fish and Basil Toast Soldiers for brunch?

The Office Christmas Party

We had a fifties themed Xmas party on Friday and whilst researching for my costume I learnt a lot about the era that I had taken for granted. Turns out there are lotsa things about the fifties that I do love... In the fifties, strong vocalists such as Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra ruled the airwaves, not to mention a little phenomenon introduced as Rock'n'Roll, music that complemented the rise of the teenage consumerism we are used to today. It was post-war and the nation was spending again, rife with merriment at the joy of having the men back home. Images of Back to the Future's prom scene and Grease's Diner scene became my inspiration for costume.

Whilst researching the hair and makeup, I found that I would have loved the grace of the fifties. It was a time for young girls to get married because, of course, the boys were home. Hair was coiffed and quiffed...the Beehive was popular. It was common notion that women should be glamorous even while doing chores at home. I know it isn't popular today to let the men believe that it is a woman's place to be a homemaker and that it comes effortless to them. Yet, something about having the man around the house again instead of being off in foreign battle must have triggered the sense of real need to pamper and indulge the boys when they got home.

It wasn't just the hair, it was the makeup too. Flawless, bright-eyed looks with bright red lips, women were alluringly elegant with their styles and high maintenance wasn't frowned upon! Men wanted to have these lovelies on their arms to take to the Saturday night matinee, or down to the nightclub to dance with. Marilyn Monroe had convinced them that Diamonds were a girl's best friend and I'd quite agree that it would be worthwhile slaving away in the house and home and looking fabulous as long as the men appreciated your efforts and gave you little gifts and took you out. They just don't make them as they used to.

So anyways, the party was fabulous. The planning committee had the Rock'n' Roll theme in full swing beginning right with the Records and Guitar entrance to the world transformed beyond. We had a vinyl dance floor and a 8 person swing band and food was served in the pop-up Diner down the hallway where you could get mini-burgers with relish, mustard and shoe-string fries. If you stayed in the cocktail area, they brought around good old fashioned shrimp cocktails and warm apple pies. Everyone dressed up. We had girls wearing big flouncy skirts, halter/off-shoulder tops, back combed quiffs, long thick eyelashes and bright red lips everywhere. Men wore leather jackets, white t-shirts with their sleeves rolled up and blue jeans or they became the fifties husbands with hair slicked back and doned cardigans with elbow patches. Except for the guy in the picture below that came as the King of Rock'n'Roll.

 It was an awesome night. I now think dress-ups are fun. I hate getting the costumes cause I am never the best-dressed there, but I have learnt over my corporate years that if you do not get into the scheme with the theme, you are more likely to be side-lined in the silliness of the night. A little bit of effort and creativity will pay off and ensure you have a fantastic evening!