Woman

How did you spend International Women's day? I worked at Hunter Valley. Ironically the people I worked with yesterday were all successful females in their own rights and we spent a lot of time talking about working as a woman.

One built a successful business and had four kids but was coping with her second divorce with four kids.

One other was a meek young Director who was working in a man's world and had to learn the art and science of the profession and make it her own world

Another was just trying to build her networks in her career and was grappling with the scenario of whether having drinks with a male client was appropriate networking and how could she handle that situation without losing the client but not overstepping the line.

Things seem so much harder in the corporate world for women. The lady in the first story was being judged for her marriage falling apart because she prioritised her business, How could she be so unfair to her kids, putting them through another divorce? The woman in the last story was not sure whether the scenario would be any different if she was a man. Whether she was reading too much into it, after all they were both married, and worried that the deal might fall through if she didn't agree to the drinks.

All with a variety of career paths but yet each struggling to find their own way and make their way through the world embracing their femininity. Just a lot to reflect upon really as to how far women have come in society, but yet how much further we had to go. How apt to wrap the night up watching SATC 2 on Gem. How many stages of my life have I aligned to these four women and found relatable scenes and quotes from the series/ movies? Did you remember when the four of them stood on the stage and belted out "I am woman Hear me roar"?





The last time I watched it I related to different things, having been just married and was nesting, I related to 'cheating on fashion with furniture' and also I related to the fear of losing the sparkle a lot more then. But this time around, the question of distance between a couple and how no one else looking in could ever really understand the relationship as those that were in it, hit close to the heart.

Scene in the movie where Carrie speaks with her butler who's warming her milk:

- It is fine. She is in India.
- Oh.
-I will see her in one month. I'm afraid if I apologize then, it will hardly make sense.
-So you work here and you travel back and forth?
-Yes. Every three months, when I have a break in work and can afford the plane fare.
- Isn't that hard?
- What, miss?
- Just, you know, being married and spending all that time apart.
-Time does not matter. When we see each other, each time, it is very wonderful. I'm a lucky man.

So with that, I happily ended International Women's day knowing that I will be fine. I am strong enough to get through it all, that others have gone before me and have survived. I have everything ( man, career, girlfriends) that defines me now and will eventually have those which will define my future. As long as I never stop believing in myself and never stop losing focus of who I am. A woman.

Dîner en Blanc Canberra

Perhaps one of the most exciting public social gatherings I have ever been a part of.

When I first found out about the Sydney Dîner en Blanc, I knew I wanted to be part of this magic. I stalked the page for any details I could find on the events around the globe and was stoked when they eventually released a new location with a date that I could make it to. This was my chance to get on the guestlist somehow, given that the first phase of registrations always goes to members and their guests, we had to register our interest and see if we get lucky. Membership was exclusive to each location too, so getting on the Canberra list didn't mean I get on Sydney's at all.

Well, what's Dîner en Blanc? It's hard to explain in one sentence because it has so many elements to it. Here's my take: it's a flash mob pop-up picnic in a secret location revealed to five different groups of people coming in together from different pick up points, dressed in the same dress code so that you can recognise each other. They setup, they eat, they drink, they dance and then they leave, as if they were never there at all.

How's that?

Attire:

• WHITE…WHITE only!
• ELEGANT… indeed very elegant!
• ORIGINALITY is always welcomed

Attire that Is NOT permitted:
• No t-shirts and sport tops
• No colored sport shoes
• No baseball caps
• No shorts

Dressing all in white can be daunting, and some people might think, pretentious, but its magical and if you had enough friends doing it together, it's really fun to be part of the secret!

• Bring a square folding table (60-90cm), two white folding chairs, a white tablecloth, a picnic basket with non-disposable utensils and plates, as well as, delicious food. Please no paper or plastic (except wine glasses. Wine glasses must be made of plastic material)

The forum set up for members was really helpful to help source these things. You could tell it took commitment and passion from all the members who just want to help each other get the themes right. Bringing along some strong guys is a great idea to help move things to and fro, but ultimately, you could get smart and use trolleys and shopping carts and you'd still be able to get there.

So what happens?

Evening Timeline - Dîner en Blanc Canberra

Date: Saturday 2 Mar 2013

5.30-6.00pm​ Guests arrive at designated departure point

6:00pm ​​Departure time depending on transport mode
6:30pm ​​Guests arrive at secret location
6:30-7.00pm ​​Guest set up (objective - 30 minutes table set up + hamper collection)

7.15 pm ​​White serviette waving to signify the start of the event

7.15-9.00pm ​​Dining commences, guests enjoy their dinner

9.00pm ​​Sparklers held by each guest

9.00 – 10.00pm​ Guests enjoy dancing, drinking, general frivolity and merriment. There was a DJ provided for the evening.

10.00-10.30pm ​​Guests pack up, clean up, dispose of refuse at the allocated area.
10.00-10.30pm​ Hire equipment dropped at collection point
10.30pm ​Guests continue on to the after party and buses depart transporting guests back to their departure points

The hired DJ was awesome! We grooved to strains of Dancing Queen, Love Shack, Gangnam Style and Prince amongst other cool tunes. Ending it with the Nutbush was wicked and it was the perfect close to a great night out. Like I said, one of the most exciting public social gatherings I have ever been a part of.

And here's the official video for the event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUgsvwojDVo&feature=youtu.be

February empties

Trudging along with my Project 100 Pan, this month's empties aren't as thematic as last month's. For one, they aren't just moisturisers this time and they aren't all one colour scheme.

First up was the SKII Facial Treatment clear lotion that is equivalent to the toner of the basic SKII range. I picked up SKII when I was 20 which was really young, but my cousin was 9 years older than me and had beautiful skin, so when she recommended it, I pulled out my college fund and bought a starter set. Since then, I have never lived without a bottle of the SKII essence handy. But its toner, well, I couldn't quite see equal benefits of relying on just this toner and so it will be a while before I need a replacement bottle. I still have a number of samples to get through anyhow.

Dermalogica's multivitamin thermafoliant was a microfine facial scrub that smells like eucalyptus and heats up your pores as it cleanses your skin of dead cells and buildup. Powerful stuff and a really long lasting tube suitable for daily use. Mental note that once I finish all the other facial scrubs I've accumulated, I am coming back to this one.

Crabtree & Evelyn's La Source Conditioner travel size tube nicked from the bathrooms of the hotel we spent a night in Maldives whilst waiting for our 6a.m. seaplanes. I love La Source's scent and so it was a no-brainer, packing with me the bathroom products with me.

Pantene's Split end fuser that comes in an array of 5ml tubes of leave on treatment. This was the last tube of the range. I rely a lot on leave on conditioner and one cannot underestimate the product packed in this tiny tube. I never use the full lot each time as I really don't have to. Half the tube (three quarters if you have longer/thicker hair) was always enough to allow for a comb to slide through those wet tangles in your hair.

Revlon's lip butter in Peach Parfait, a lipstick that's really gloss masquerading as lipstick. This is a really moisturising stick that isn't a very strong colour and so is really good for the girls who can't quite commit to rich coloured lipsticks yet, but still want that sexy stance when applying lippy. These sticks melt really easily in summer so I ended up digging up the lip butter with a lip brush towards the end.

Last on the list is Victoria Secret's Angel body butter in Dream Angels desire, a very very girly, sick floral scent that was a delight to put on, absorbs quickly but also leaves a good moisturised feeling for a good while after still. I bought this at a clearance sale in one of their outlets in America for get this, USD5! I haven't seen this in the VS store at our airport and I have looked, but this would be my favourite one from their range truly.

And so that gives me a total score of 8.333 proverbial pans hit so far in 2013.

Birthday post

I'm not going to lie to you, this year's birthday sucked a little bit because Mr HEA, he wasn't around. But my dear friends (bless their soul) they did everything they could to make sure I had a good time.

Celebrations began at work on Wednesday when we went to March into Merivale at Uccello at that Ivy pool bar. The March into Merivale $33 meal deal is a fabulous deal each year, for $33 you get a main and a glass of wine or a beer.

The three courses we could choose from this week included a choice between the
1) grilled pork neck, witlof, parsley, garlic

2) roast hapuka, lemon, capers, anchovy and rosemary

3) pappardelle, duck ragu

All delightful choices. You know I felt like we weren't in the city at all, that lunch we had, it was almost like we were in Florida somehow. Something to do with the Ridiculously tanned people sitting around the pool maybe.

Ivy Pool Bar

Then it was fast forward to Friday Where when I stepped into work in the morning my seat was festooned with balloons and streamers.

A handmade card signed by my team and the words telling me that my birthday present was inside it intrigued me.

Turns out my work colleagues had gotten me the lonely planet PDF guide Europe on a shoestring so that I could download it onto my Samsung tablet for when I next travel with Mr HEA. Handy for when I am planning the glorious summer trip to Spain and Italy. They had hidden a picture of the cover of the book in my card. No one really wants to lug around a huge guide book on their travels.

That wasn't just it, we got cupcakes too. You see my manager also had a birthday this weekend just passed and so the team was celebrating for us both.

I love my team at work.

I also went to the New South Wales Wine Festival Sydney Cellar door on Friday night but that wasn't really for my birthday. It didn't stop me from partying it up and drinking wine like it was though. *wink*

As you might know if you followed me on Twitter I went for a spa treatment Fully paid by Mr HEA for my birthday treat. A full body scrub, a heavenly facial and hot stone back massage for a full hour, that's the stuff we're talking about. It was enough to make up for the shitty weather on the weekend.

Thankfully on Sunday the weather cleared up. My Bestie and I headed down to the city for predinner drinks - cocktails all around for the ladies.

Spiced Pear on the right, Belle de Brillet Pear Cognac, Ginger and Pink Peppercorn Syrup, Fresh Lemon, Brown Sugar

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On the left Rosarita: Don Julio Blanco, Rose Syrup, Crème de Violette, Fresh Lime, Rose Petals

Dinner was at Gowing's Bar and Grill. A spectacular venue for its eccentric Decor.

Their steaks were cooked to perfection, and the alcohol selection was fabulous.

I even found they stocked a Pedro Ximenez to have with our Cheese platter! Love!

I am really blessed to have such great friends to keep me company whilst my husband is away. God knows how many of my birthdays will be without him, but I know this, as long as my friends are still around I will be okay. If you are one of those friends that helped make my day so special I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making the day a sunnier one. You know who you are.

Academy Awards 2013

I can't tell you how much I love this day every year. The fashion gets me all the time, and here's my record again, archiving my impressions for next year's notes.

Trailing on from last year's onslaught of white/blush/ivory gowns are the following selection. I love three of them, Octavia Spencer's Tadashi Shoji, Charlize Theron's and Jennifer Lawrence's stunning Diors.

White Gowns

The other spotted trend- shimmer (on black). I especially loved Naomi Watts' Armani Prive, Stacy Keibler stuns again this year in Naeem Khan. Can't say I quite like the others in this selection at all.

Metallic Gowns

The dresses that feature black and white, I only liked Zoe Saldana's Alexis Mabille Couture gown out of this repertoire, but I must say one of my recent purchases bear resemblance to Shaun Robinson's gown so I musn't have disliked it that much.

Black and White

They may not have won and academy award, but oh my have they were show stoppers on the red carpet. Amy Adams' Oscar de la Renta and Jennifer Garner's Gucci are just gorgeous. I think Sally Field has style too in her Valentino.

Ruffles Galore

A couple of polarising dresses. Most people thought they were stunning but I was disappointed that Anne Hathaway didn't wear Valentino as per the rumours. The Prada dress was too washed out a colour for her. But I forgive it because the  T&Co accessorising from her back was subtly sexy (check out the next pic). Jessica Chastain in Armani was also too pale for me, but I know many thought it was stylish.

Pale Dresses

No one liked Samantha Barks' dress on Twitter it may seem and I think the Real Housewife got it really wrong too. Plunging Necklines are really hard to keep classy and I am not a fan.

Plunging necklines

Other's that I liked

Kerry Washington's beautiful MiuMiu

Sandra Bullock improved significantly from last year in elegant Elie Saab

Reese Witherspoon in Louis Vuitton

And just about everyone's favourite couple on the carpet this year.