Out and About

Is it getting hot in here?

November 5, 2013

SO! *High pitched voice* Guess what I’m doing this weekend?!

Perth Firemen Calendar 2014

I’m going to the Perth Firefighter Calendar Party!

Eyes down here people, I’m still talking.

To raise money for the Princess Margaret Children’s Hospital Total Burns Care Unit the Perth Firefighters are putting on a “show” to launch their 2014 Calendar.

I believe there are still tickets left. Tickets are $40 per person and you can purchase them online here.

*Serious voice* It’s for a very good cause. It’s for the kids.

Just to give you an idea of the kind of talent you’ll see… these pics are from the 2013 calendar.

Perth Firefighter Calendar 2014

Oh my, what a terrible traffic accident!

Perth Firemen Calendar 2013

Wow. That is a very big hose.

So to make things a bit more interesting, I have also been invited to go backstage to… um take photos? Chat to firemen? Make them cups of tea? Massage their feet? Help them with costume changes?

I’ll keep you updated!

In the meantime…

Please Buy a Calendar!

If you can’t make it to the show, you can buy the calendar – for yourself and all your girlfriends this Christmas!

You can buy them online from the PMH Online Shop for only $10.

As I said.

It’s for a very good cause.

The Biggest Rainbow Vomit Ever…

November 3, 2013

I attended The Color Run with a bunch of girlfriends this weekend!

If you haven’t heard about it, it’s a 5km run… where you just have a fun time getting covered in colour. It’s not a race and it’s not actually about running.

There were THOUSANDS of people at the event, children of all ages, scooters, prams, even wheelchairs… so there wasn’t much running happening. It was more of a walk :)

Along the 5km course, there are different colour stations, where coloured powder-dust is thrown at you. The event volunteers (who are throwing the colour) try to aim at your white clothes, but the dust just goes everywhere – your face, hair, ears, arms, legs, shoes.

Everyone was very keen to get completely covered in colour, so by the end, some people were rolling on the ground and sliding around in the coloured dust. It was crazy and fun!

I took these photos approaching the end of the event: coming up to the finish line and at the concert – where the organisers got everyone to throw their packets of colour into the air. It looked awesome!

I stood back to take these photos, because I didn’t want my phone camera to get stained or clogged with the colour dust.

This was me, covered in colour and dancing away in front of the stage :)

Yes I had a great time!

After I took this photo, someone nearby threw a packet of dark green dust in the air. So I had dark green colour on my face, which outlined my sunglasses, so I looked like I had green eye bags, nice! I had also wiped under my nose and gave myself a purple moustache! And I had orange hair!

By the end of it, I had an old-lady moment, where I looked at myself, completely covered with dusty colour… and I felt really irritated and precious, “Ugh, what am I doing here?! I don’t actually like getting dirty! I’m disgusting! Now I have to go clean myself!” Haha.

Anyway… overall, the whole event had a really fun and happy vibe. It was great for kids too.

Would I recommend the event? Yes. But get a big bunch of friends, get dressed up in some silly outfits (crazy coloured socks and tu-tus) and really get into the colour craziness and dancing – while raising money for charity.

xxx

His Royal Sweetness

October 5, 2013

I took my kids out to the Perth Royal Show (an annual agricultural show with amusement rides) and spent 8 hours hanging out with them and having a fantastic day!

My 8 yo and 10 yo were utterly thrilled by the rides, the carnival games, the showbags, animals and the crowds!

They played laser tag, did some abseiling, shooting, rope climbing, footy drills, ball throwing, commando crawling, they sat on a ghost train, a spinning ride, they rolled around in a huge inflatable ball thing, they made a grass head, and they stalked a Star Wars Storm Trooper.

We had so much fun!

And while all that was going on, my 4yo would find a quiet corner and preferred to do stuff like this…

He coloured in a free activity book. He did a maze. A word puzzle. A bit of craft. Made postcards.

And the kid wrote me a love letter!

He’s such a sweetie!

Secrets of the Afterlife

September 26, 2013

Last weekend, it was a wet, cold, rainy weekend. The kind where you wake up in the morning and think – Oh god, how am I going to entertain these kids today?!?!

Well, that morning, a crazy part of me thought – Oh why don’t we go to the WA Museum today?! That’s indoors. I have been meaning to catch the most recent exhibition about Ancient Egypt.

So I bundled my three kids into the car and off we went.

What was I thinking?!

The exhibition was called, The Secrets of the Afterlife, in collaboration with the British Museum. I say “was” because this day turned out to be THE LAST day of the exhibition. I was lucky to see it!

It was a journey into the ancient Egyptian world of magic, mummies and mystery.

The artifacts were AMAZING!

The preservation of the materials. The ritualistic decoration. The intricate beading. The craftsmanship. It was jaw-dropping.

This is the surface of one coffin. The paintings were so detailed, clear, precise, and vibrant. I was in design heaven.

If you consider that most of these items are dated back to 1500 BC… that’s over 3000 years old!

It was completely mind boggling. And I was filled with spine-tingling awe.

Then came the jewellery and I almost lost it. I was so excited.

The lizards symbolised the renewal of life (based on the creature’s ability to re-grow new limbs or tail). The beads on the left necklace are shaped as poppy seed heads.

These pieces are over 2000 years old. Made from gold, carnelian gemstone, glass. Gaah how beautiful!

On the right is a heart-scarab amulet, with spells from The Book of the Dead inscribed at the base.

On the right are a collection of make-up containers. The tube-like containers are kohl eye paint holder, and the little semi-circle box is for storing cosmetics. How beautiful!

These items are dated between 1500 – 1069 BC.

Yup, so all this was very lovely, but what REALLY happened during the outing?

I wish I could say that I had a wonderful experience soaking up and appreciating history and the creativity of our ancient ancestors… but in reality, I had to RACE through the exhibition. I only had 2 seconds to look each item. I literally just stopped at each piece, went WOW, took a photo of it, took a photo of the information plate, then rushed on to the next piece. Literally. It was shameful.

Why?

Because my 4 year old was shouting things like “If these are the mummies, WHERE ARE THE DADDIES?? BWAHAHAHA!!!” over and over again.

He was knocking things over. Jumping around. Falling to the ground. Banging on the glass. Banging into other people. Shouting really loud. Licking the glass. Putting his hands over the information panels when people were trying to read them. Ripping up the brochures and sprinkling the paper all over the floor.

He was holding my hand, but jumping and pulling in all directions, so I was jerking around, and being pulled to the ground at random times. I was constantly scolding him, warning him, punishing him, and of course, trying to engage him in the exhibition to no avail.

Ooooh it was hard work. I was pretty pissed off that I couldn’t enjoy the exhibition, but really, it was my own fault! Why did I do this to myself? I was swearing inside. And shaking my head at the whole BITTERSWEET EXISTENCE OF PARENTHOOD! I was close to tears.

That is…

Until right at the end… we reached the last little nook.

I wanted to take a photo of the last exhibition piece… so I asked my kids to wait against a wall. It was actually a wall with a connected partition that created a 20cm gap. My 4 year old giggled naughtily, “Tee hee, I’m going to squeeze through this gap and I’ll see you on the other side mum!!”

(I thought what he said was quite witty and profound, since this was an exhibition about the afterlife…)

I bent down to him and said very sternly, “DO NOT put your head through that gap. You are NOT to squeeze through to the other side, do you understand?!”

He said yes.

I turned away. I was about to snap my photo, when I heard him say, “Er, help!”.

Oh god no.

Yep. He put his head between the wall partition.

My son got his head stuck in the wall!

HIS HEAD!! STUCK IN THE FREAKING WALL!!

And yes. Since I had a camera in my hand, I took a photo of him.

Oooooooh, dear internet. Do forgive me, because I could not stop myself from laughing. I had to press my lips together and bend my head into my chest to hide my smile. It was a serious and dangerous situation for my child, yet I giggle uncontrollably. I had pangs of guilt but oh my, it was sooooooo funny.

He was saying things like, “Um, mum. I think my head is stuck. Can you help me?”

Sigh. Ok.

I put my camera away. And began to think. How to get my son’s head out?

I held his head and tried to pull him out gently. Nope, stuck.

I pressed his ears tightly against his head, then pulled. Nope. Hmm, definitely stuck.

I smooshed his temple/cheeks/face/ears together in my hands (oh god I was trying not to laugh!) and pulled a little harder… then he started to scream in pain! Good grief, now everyone was looking at us.

I asked my other boys to find an attendant for help. Maybe they could move the wall partition?

But my boys started to have an argument about WHO was going to do the asking. They were going back and forth with their bickering, while my little one cried louder and louder. I turned to them and growled, “WILL YOU STOP ARGUING!! I NEED SOME HELP AND I NEED YOU TO GO FIND SOMEONE WITH A BADGE!!”

In that moment, Liam seemed to have twisted and turned, and -POP- out came his head. He was free.

Thank goodness!!

I certainly calmed down after that. And I wasn’t so grumpy any more.

I smiled knowing that I had great photos of the exhibition (and my son with his head stuck in a wall). And that I could soak up the creativity of our ancient ancestors (and my son)… forever.

Universal Studios Singapore – Best. Day. Ever.

August 2, 2013

During my family trip to Singapore, we went to visit Universal Studios at Sentosa.

The Singapore Tourism Board kindly gave me and my 3 children entry tickets into Universal Studios. We purchased my husband’s ticket and our express tickets upgrade ourselves. More on the express upgrade later.

It was absolutely fantastic. My kids voted it to be the best experience ever! It is definitely a MUST-VISIT attraction if you are travelling to Singapore with children.

First up, let me lay it straight: it is not cheap. You kinda have to think of the whole thing as a “once in a lifetime” experience and something worth saving up for.

We spent the whole day there. We arrived at 9:45am (doors open at 10am) and we left at 6pm, because we were all too tired to go on.

It was an epic day :)

The Rides

My kids, aged 10, 8, and 4 enjoyed the rides the most. There were also shops, street theater and movies/shows…but my boys (and my husband) were totally focused on thrill seeking.

The whole park was divided into themes – Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi, Ancient Egypt, Lost World, Far Far Away and Madagascar. And in each theme there were 3-4 rides and attractions.

We arrived early and did the big Sci-Fi rides first. This was a good move for us, because later in the day the queues for the rides became really long. Plus my bigger kids were instantly happy because we got the glamorous and famous rides out of the way.

My favourite ride (and my 8 year old’s) was The Transformer Ride. It had 3D screens, a clever storyline, it was jaw-dropping, brilliant and so much fun!

I also really liked the Jurassic Park Rapids Ride too.

Pictured above is the Battlestar Galactica Ride. I looked up at it, saw the tangle of metal tracks and nearly fainted! Unfortunately the ride was closed that day, due to technical difficulties. The boys were sooooooooooooooooooo disappointed. And I was soooooo relieved that I didn’t have to join them!

This was outside The Revenge of the Mummy Ride.

My 10 year old liked this one best, because there were lots of steep falls and parts of it was in complete darkness!

The visual design of everything was so well done and impressive. Nothing looked shoddy or old. It was all so clean and well looked after. Even the toilets were soooo clean.

My 4 year old couldn’t go on any big rides, because he was too short. You have to be taller than 102cm or 125cm to go on most rides. But even IF he was tall enough, I wouldn’t let him go on the bigger rides, because I knew he would be too scared of the themes and the rollercoaster swerves.

But… there were LOTS of rides suitable for younger kids, like the Sesame Street Space Chase (pictured above) which was just a cute ride with lots of Sesame Street scenes.

And he also went on the Mummy Returns Treasure Hunter ride, a Jurassic Park flyer ride (this was quite high and he loved it!), a flying dinosaur ride, a Madagascar ride, a Madagascar ferris wheel and a Shrek themed mini-rollercoaster. He enjoyed everything and he didn’t feel left out at all. Even my bigger kids enjoyed those rides.

There were also lots of “family” experiences that he could go on too – the fake Hollywood set (the fake fire and hurricane made him cry though) and a Shrek 4D Adventure Movie.

And this was the Waterworld Show… a live action-packed show with stunts, explosions, boats, jet-skis, fake gunshots, flare guns and lots of splashing water. It was funny AND exciting.

The Queues

I have to be honest and say the queues were really, reeeeallly long… even though we specially scheduled our trip to Singapore to AVOID school holidays and weekends.

Some of the waiting times (there were digital clocks to warn people of the long wait) were 20 minutes, 45 minutes, 50 minutes, and one was even 70 minutes!!

BUT. Each ride and attraction had TWO queues – one for regular ticket holders and one for express ticket holders. See the photo above! Do you notice the EMPTY Express Lane?! And the people who appear to be camping semi-permanently in the regular lane?

We purchased 5 x Universal Express Tickets at $40 each. This is in addition to the basic ticket price. This allowed us a once off express pass to EACH of the rides.

We would arrive at a ride, show our Express Ticket, and then walk up the express lane past *literally* HUNDREDS of people who were waiting (and had been waiting for 30 minutes!), and were immediately allowed to get onto the ride after a 1 minute wait!

I felt a bit bad for them.

But it was SO WORTH IT. My justification for this extra $200 cost was that…it was a small extra price compared to the whole cost of going to Singapore, and it meant that we maximized our fun time.

As I said, we arrived at 10am, ate lunch, we did ALL the rides and attractions in the park, had time for dinner, and finished at 6pm. And this was with a 2 – 5 minute wait for all rides. I would think that if we had long waits, we would have had to miss out on a lot of the rides.

This was us in the Far, Far Away Land, where everything was Shrek themed. It was 4pm and my kids were getting a bit tired. Not meeee!

Some tips on how to have a great day:

1) Bring sunglasses, hats and sunscreen.

2) Wear good walking shoes.

3) Bring your own water bottles. There are water fountains everywhere and you can refill your bottles very easily.

4) Bring some snacks. There are lots of places to buy food, but it was just handy to have a few muesli bars to munch on for extra fuel.

You know, as a parent, I strive to give my children as many different experiences as I can… particularly focusing on how to appreciate the fine, simple and delicate pleasures of life – like building sandcastles, collecting autumn leaves, finding driftwood on the riverbank.

But spending all day in this highly contrived and artificial environment… and seeing my kids EXPLODE with sheer happiness, exhilaration, excitement and utter glee after stepping off a roller-coaster ride – oh man, I felt that I’d gone to the other extreme of super parenting and YUP I FELT LIKE A GOOD PARENT TODAY HAHA!

Overall, yes, it was a fantastic day!

We had been talking about this family trip and planning a visit to Universal Studios for many months… and it was just wonderful for us and the kids to enjoy it SO SO MUCH!!

…

The Singapore Tourism Board kindly gave me and my 3 children entry tickets into Universal Studios. We purchased my husband’s ticket and our express tickets ourselves.

Lights, Camera and Action at Blue Waters

May 23, 2013

A friend of mine owns an amazing old house, called Blue Waters. It is in an art deco style, built by a rich family in the 1950s. It is like walking back in time as the house has been restored back to it’s original splendour… and my friend makes it available for hire for special events, parties, weddings, a photography location or for holiday guests to stay.

I’ve been to several special events there, charity functions, glamorous dress up parties, an exquisite dinner party and so on, but right now, it is being used to shoot a movie! It is a thriller by John V. Soto, starring Jonathan LaPaglia and Luke Hemsworth. It’s called “The Reckoning” and it is about a detective who is on the trail of a killer, and who is looking for two young runaways whose video footage contains the identity of the murderer.

So when my mate Dave asked me if I’d like to pop in to see how the movie was being made, I couldn’t resist the invitation!

Of course, I know about lighting, special effects and other movie trickery that are used to make things seem more fantastic…but I’ve never actually seen it happen.

So I turned up at sun set, to see the outside of the house being filmed for an “establishing shot”.

They were filming Blue Waters at sunset, to capture the dramatic, golden light. It was great to see the house look so luminous and big!

A lot of people were standing around, watching the house, and nothing much seemed to be happening. I somehow expected for there to be lots of people running around with someone else shouting at them. But it was all so quiet, and professional… with everyone just quietly doing their job.

There are a lot of official procedures on a film shoot. I had to be taken over to the office site (where all the actor’s caravans were parked, where the crew and actors have their meals, etc) to get myself officially signed in.

The whole thing was so organised and seemed to run like clockwork.

When I walked around on the set… what struck me most though, was, just how CROWDED it was, even in the big house. There were close to 30 specialists standing around (just waiting to do their job at a moments notice, I’m sure) make up people, stunt guys, action coordinators, lighting guys, director and associate producers and directors.

Also there was so much equipment EVERYWHERE! Cable, lights, clamps, stands, weird and amazing lighting thingies, microphones, props, make up kits, bags of coloured tape and lots of stuff I’ve never seen before.

Another thing that surprised me was how quiet it was. Everyone seemed to know what to do and when to do it. And when they were about to start filming a take, the whole house went deathly quiet. I didn’t even dare take a photo during that point, because I knew my DSLR camera would click loudly.

For one take, the main actor had to simulate being shot in the shoulder (I think) and falling to the ground (on a mat). It was pretty intense. The gun shot sound for the actor to respond to was actually someone shouting “BANG!!!!!!!!” and it was SO LOUD AND SO SHARP, that in the quiet house, I thought it was an actual gun because it echoed off the walls and floor. Interesting. I’m sure a real gun effect will be put in later in the editing.

I’m now quite astounded to realise how DIFFICULT acting is. The actor had to do this take several times, with everyone in the room looking at him. And yes there was this huge expectation TO GET IT RIGHT.

I stood there thinking, imagine if they were shooting a steamy sex scene, with so many people watching… how awkward would that be?!? (Apparently, when they do, most of the crew leave the room so the actors can do “practice their craft” in a little more privacy!)

After the take, I spied on the sound guy. He was watching the replay and checking the sounds.

I found it funny that he had completely taken over the kitchen and placed himself near the bowl of fruit.

Then I went upstairs and found some other actors waiting for the next take.

The upstairs room at Blue Waters is usually a party and dancing room. It is usually empty, except for a few bits of icon furniture: a fireplace, a chaise lounge, a baby grand piano. But today it was turned into a cosy and inviting bedroom.

Last of all, I made my way outside to photograph the huge balloon light they set up outside the house. The light was 2 storeys tall! It was very cool!

So, it was such an interesting experience to see how a movie is made. And most of all…I didn’t realise how labour intensive AND time consuming it is to make a movie. No wonder movies are so expensive. It’s an amazing business.

If you are interested in following the making of the movie, you can go check out The Reckoning Film Facebook Page. They have been shooting for 3 weeks around Perth, at locations such as Jandakot Airport, Leeming, Como, South Perth.

Red Balloon Experience: V8Race Car Driving

May 14, 2013

Red Balloon have been providing me with some amazing experiences for me to blog about – experiences that I choose, based on what I’m interested in and what (I believe) my readers would possibly like to try. I’ve been flying, paddling, ballooning, cooking, dining, etc.

One of their top selling experiences, happens to be V8 Car Racing – where you get to drive a super-car around a race track at mind numbing speeds.

Red Balloon have suggested (several times) that I could give the experience a go, but each time I would decline politely. Because I have absolutely NO interest in driving a car very fast, in circles. I’d be bored, dizzy, beyond stressed, and terrified! Why would I do that? Especially when I have the option of choosing a day spa experience!

However, MY HUSBAND loves cars and loves the thrill of speed. He’s a totally unique man with the heart of a typical little boy :) Haha aren’t they all?

So when Red Balloon asked me yet again if I’d like to drive a race car…. this time I proposed that maybe my husband could do the drive? And I can capture the experience for my blog? And who knows, maybe my readers might like to buy this experience for their husbands, or hey, even try it out themselves? They said yes and it was a done deal.

Phew. I got outta that one!

You should have seen the smile on his face when I told him about it. It was his birthday present and his anniversary present all rolled into one :)

Anyway, as we drove to the event, he was acting all cool, because of course, he is much too grown-up to be excited like, say an 8 year old boy.

He was matter-of-factly explaining to me car facts… and things like why it is called a “V8” car – which is apparently because the engine has 8 spark plugs and they are arranged in the shape of a “V”.

Instead of pointing out that I didn’t care, I foolishly asked how the arrangement of the spark plugs could make the car go faster… and unfortunately that led to a long, detailed explanation of how it is not the arrangement of the spark plugs that make the engine powerful, but rather the size of the spark plugs and that the arrangement of them merely makes the powerful engine compact enough to fit inside the car. WHATEVER!

But then he stopped talking – which rarely happens. So I asked him if he was okay. And he said that he was – “getting in the zone”. Eh? I suspect he was actually just trying not to wet his pants with excitement.

We arrived at Barbagallo Raceway in Wanneroo, which is about 15 minutes north of Perth City.

We stepped into a visitor’s lounge, found the registration desks, and got ourselves signed in. Then we mustered on the viewing platform with 50 or so other people, while we waited for our session to start. We watched dozens of cars zoom by. And they all sounded like they were broken… they were so noisy! We were at least 50m from the racetrack, and the cars were so loud that the water in my drink bottle was vibrating! Even I had to admit, the sound of roaring race cars revved up my adrenalin.

We were greeted by a friendly guy, who led us to our briefing room. Only the drivers needed to attend this briefing, all spectators just waited at the viewing platform or the grandstand. But I was allowed to tag along, because I was taking photos for this blog post. I felt a little special – and totally out of place!

25 men (and me) sat down in the briefing room. They were aged from their early 20s to 60s, all wearing sneakers, jeans and big smiles on their faces. Everyone of them looked like an excited 12 year old boy to me :)

The walls of the room were wood-paneled, covered with signatures of famous race drivers, team hats, championship cups, framed photos of car racing guys… it was all very charming in a man-ish way!

The briefing was excellent. The guy in the picture turned out to be Greg, the founder of V8Race, and he was great. He went through the goals of the experience, the particular aspects of driving to focus on, what gears to use at what corners, the track map, showed us a quick video of a typical driving experience… and all their safety protocols.

It was professional, systematic, very (VERY) thorough and at the end of it… even I felt completely confident that I would not crash the car.

My husband was again cool, calm and excited.

We walked down to the crew pits on the track. My hubby is the guy in the blue jeans – walking towards fulfilling one of his childhood dreams haha.

Ah the smell of burning rubber and petrol fumes :P

As we entered the tent… a team of people helped all the drivers get into their fire-resistant suits, hairnets and helmets.

They were really attentive, constantly giving the divers safety checks and tips.

The men lined up and sat down to wait their turn.

We waited too, watching and listening to all the cars blast by. SO LOUD! And when a car pulled up to change drivers… the brakes were so hot from all the braking, that there was smoke coming out of the wheels! The ground was peppered with little tiny bits of black rubber that had been shredded from the tires. It was all so – extreme.

My husband was going to have the “6 Driving Laps” experience. Whereas some people were having “3 Laps Ride Only ” or “8 Driving Laps ” or even “Drive and Ride 12 lap Combo”.

Hooray, when it was my husband’s turn… he was introduced to his driving coach and they hopped into the car.

A crew member helped him get buckled up, briefed him about safety, and then several other people did further safety checks of the safety checks. There were two guys just directing the cars safely in and out of the pits. It was all very well organised.

The inside of the car was as bare as could be, and most of it was taken up with a huge spiderweb of metal pipes all welded together – the safety cage, in case the car crashes.

He started the engine and then he was off!

While he was having a “slow” warm-up lap, I walked up to the viewing platform to take some action shots.

Holy moly! It was soooo loud and fast!

My husband was driving at 240km/hr or something crazy like that!

Each time he came by, I could tell he was getting faster and faster. It was pretty cool to watch.

But I did wonder how they stopped people (like my husband) from crashing the cars!

After what seemed like ages (to me), my husband finally finished his last lap and he pulled into his bay.

He stepped out with a HUGE SMILE and looked so so SO thrilled and pleased with the whole thing.

Just like a sports journalist, I was immediately in his face asking, “So how do you feel?!”

Well… no more Mr Cool. He described it as a SENSATIONAL experience! Bloody brilliant! He would definitely do it again. It was one of the best experiences he’s ever had, ranked alongside swimming with whale sharks! Best. Present. Ever. So good, he would do it AGAIN!

And I stood there dumbly, going “Are you serious?! For real?! Driving around in circles?! Wow. Ok.” — I just do not understand!

But you know what, I guess I don’t have to understand… I was so happy to see him soooooo happy! :)

My hubby also discovered from his coach that the coach has an emergency brake and engine-kill switch – so that is how, if it all goes wrong, nobody gets hurt. The coach literally teaches the driver how to go faster and faster during the session, and makes sure that, if it is necessary for one car to pass another, that this is done safely.

We also purchased a USB in-car recording which shows a view of the whole thing from inside the car (which was very cool), and there is also a souvenir framed photo.

This experience is perfect for guys (or girls who love cars!) as gifts for significant birthdays, anniversaries or any special occasion! V8Race is Australia wide, with experiences available in VIC, NSW, WA, SA and NT.

It was a fantastic experience!

And I drove home, at a very comfortable 60km/hr, thank you very much.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

The team at Red Balloon are offering my readers a special promotion!

Receive $30 off when you spend $129 or more on ANY experience.

To redeem: Visit www.redballoon.com.au and enter the promotional code REDKC13 at the checkout to receive your discount.

Terms and Conditions: Offer valid until 31/12/13. Promotional Code can only be used once per person. All purchases are subject to RedBalloon T&Cs, for full details read here.

Riding my bike on the FREEWAY!

March 24, 2013

This morning I woke up at 4am to participate in the RAC Freeway Bike Hike for Asthma :)

It was a huge cycling event where the South-bound freeway was closed off and 10,000 cyclists rode distances of 10km, 30kms and 70kms.

I rode the 70kms distance, starting at Mandurah and riding all the way into the city. It was my first time doing this event and I was super keen to do this ride – particularly because I’ve always wanted to ride on the FREEWAY!

As I said, I woke up at 4am… then I had a hot shower (because I’m precious ok?). I gathered my things and made my way to a Southern train station to catch the 5:45am train to Mandurah.

Unfortunately there were a few hold ups. The trains were running a bit late because of the sheer number of cyclists.

We stood on the crowded platform for 1 hour. It was soooo cold (14°C I think). Everyone else seemed so big, buff and stoic in their skin tight, short-sleeve lycra tops and little cycle shorts. But my teeth were chattering and my hands were shaking. I had to walk around to stop my body from shaking.

Eventually the train arrived. Everyone seemed to know HOW to fit hundreds of cyclists into a 4 car train carriage. I just went with the flow.

Everyone lifted their bikes to a vertical position, and wheeled them in slowly, while shuffling along clumsily, as if they were negotiating a baby pet giraffe.

We all sat there, crammed together, shoulder-to-fricking-shoulder, holding our vertical bikes between our legs. We were so close and tightly packed, that I wondered what would happen if the bikes fell like dominoes.

My handlebars were bumping into my head. My bike saddle was pushing into my chest. And my water bottle was dripping onto my shoe. It was a really strange moment.

However I thought that the bikes made a beautiful pattern, like a woven wheel herringbone.

We arrived at our destination.

Word got around that the start time was going to be a little later than planned, because of the train delays. So I zipped off for a quick toilet stop. Unfortunately, about 50 people had the same idea.

I joined the queue to the women’s toilets… and I noticed – for the first time EVER – that the queue for the MEN’S TOILETS was longer than the queue for the women’s toilets.

The ride went off smoothly. And I had an AMAZING RIDE. It was just bloody brilliant :)

Flat, flat, FLAT, super smooth roads for 70kms straight!! The weather ended up to be perfect (29°C), and there was a light breeze coming up behind us, pushing us along. It was one of the nicest rides I’ve had, to date.

I didn’t ride in a group this time. I wanted to cruise along at my own speed, as I hadn’t really trained up for doing 70kms in one go, and I wasn’t sure how fast or hard I wanted to push myself. Besides, I enjoy riding by myself. And I did join some strangers and chatted to a few people during the ride, so it was a lovely balance.

At one point I rode 15-20kms cruising at 28-32kms/hour… which is the longest I’ve ridden at that speed. So I was pretty happy.

I cycled 60kms straight without stopping once (have never done that before). I stopped for 2 minutes to get a water bottle refilled and to adjust my bike computer. And finished the last 10kms with ease.

As I approached the finish line, I felt so pleased!

I rested up, ate some food, enjoyed the sunshine, then instead of riding home, I caught the train again haha.

I wanted to do it all over again next week :) Unfortunately, the government only makes the freeway available ONCE a year.

So, I’ll definitely be doing it next year, maybe with a group.

The event raised an estimated $150,000 for the Asthma Foundation WA – very cool!

Peacocking and Swanning at the WA Fashion Awards 2013

March 22, 2013

I was invited to the glamourous WA Fashion Awards 2013 held at Brookfield Place in Perth City.

I wrote a blog post about my last-minute “wardrobe dilemma” and how online boutique Frockaholics, saved the day!

WA Fashion Awards 2013

This year the event welcomed 400 VIP guests to walk the red carpet.

Fashion designers, models, stylists, photographers, makeup artists, fashion business owners, sponsors, and the media… all came together – in their most fashionable attire – to celebrate this year’s most outstanding members of the local industry.

Everyone had gorgeous hair, amazing make up, incredible tans and were sporting statement outfits and hot designer labels.

It was fun to be a part of it and watch the crowd swirl around like a flock of birds.

WA Fashion Awards 2013
Photo by Perth Photography

This is Annie, owner of Tu Boutique, and I.

I was wearing a lace dress by Eileen Kirby (from Frockaholics), clutch by PeepToe and shoes by GlamRockShoes.

Annie was wearing a stunning leather and silk gown by The Butcher and The Crow.

WA Fashion Awards 2013

This is hot stylist Mikey, and even hotter Lisa of Generics Accessories.

WA Fashion Awards 2013
Photo by Miss Mon Bon

This was my sexy back :P

It was such a warm and humid evening, you’d think that having a bare back would count for something? Nope, I was still sweating and glistening like everyone else. Not so sexy.

And here are some of the well-deserved winners and fashion friends that I’m super proud of!

WA Fashion Awards 2013
Photo by Stefan Gosatti

Shane Newton (centre) won the Designer For Tomorrow Award – he totally deserved this award for his label Zsadar. Ange Langton (left) was last year’s winner of Designer For Tomorrow Award, and Greg Caust (right) from the Commonwealth Bank.

WA Fashion Awards 2013
Photo by Stefan Gosatti

Alvin Fernandez (Ae’lkemi) won the Most Innovative Designer Award, Teagan Sewell (Sewellery) won the Fine Details Award and Illustrator Pippa McManus won the Creative Edge Award.

I had a great time catching up with fashion friends, doing a whole lot of fashion spotting and celebrating with the winners.

But alas, I couldn’t stay for the drinking, partying and possibly debaucherous fashion activity that went on afterwards. Only kidding. I’m sure everyone just went home by 10pm, it was a school night after all :)

Crust Pizza Mt Lawley Turns 1 (Pizzzzaa Comaaaa)

March 18, 2013

I was invited to celebrate the 1st Birthday of Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar in Mount Lawley.

Now this wasn’t just a regular Crust Pizza outlet… this particular store is run by popular food blogger, Michelle and her husband Joe, who not only knows her food, she know how to throw a good party.

There was live music, cupcakes, balloons, and of course, bucket loads of pizza. There was a really lovely atmosphere in the air and the pizza bar was overflowing with friends, family and pizza lovers.

In fact, when I first arrived at the party, I couldn’t get inside because there were so many people there.

As I squeezed into the venue, I bumped into this guy.

Someone said that he was part of the “entertainment” for the evening.

My eyes widened, “They have MALE ENTERTAINERS at a pizza bar??”

Well, no, not that kind of entertainer. No no no. Turns out that he was an artist, drawing cartoon caricatures for the party guests. Phew.

Caricatures! Much more family friendly! What a fun idea! I’ve never had a caricature drawn of me before.

So I waited in line for my turn.

When I finally sat down for my caricature… I suddenly I felt so awkward!

This guy was looking at me intently, my face, my eyes, my chin, and he was busily sketching away.

And it was so weird, I wasn’t sure where to look. I thought that I should at least FACE him, because he was, after all, trying to draw my face. But I went all shy. I didn’t really want to LOCK EYES with him, stare into the windows of his soul and share an unspoken moment with a total stranger.

Anyway, I ended up looking everywhere else but at him.

And I did what I always do when I don’t know what to do. I got my phone out and started to fiddle with it. How lame!

I did take a photo of him.

I posted it up on my Facebook page saying “This guy is drawing a caricature of me!” and asked my friends, “Do you think he’s hot?”

But before I got any replies, it was over!

My cartoon caricature was so cute! Aww and the artist was so kind with my flat Asian nose and wonky eyes. I look cuter, younger and prettier as a 2D line drawing :P

Maybe that’s what happens when you don’t look straight at a caricature artist.

Anyway.

By the time my drawing was finished, I was soooooo hungry.

Thankfully I love a good pizza!

Every time I sink my teeth into a gourmet pizza, my mouth quivers, my eyes roll back and my chest sighs with pleasure. It’s heaven.

This pizza was the Oregano Verdi Base and Parmesan Squares.

It was a “Starter Pizza”, so it’s slightly smaller in size and priced at $7.50.

Omg you must try it. The flavours were so simple, yet it was so so soooo tasty.

This next pizza was the Italian Sausage Pizza, with Italian sausage, bacon, Kalamata olives, tomatoes and garlic, garnished with fresh basil on a tomato base.

Again, it was absolutely delicious!

I stood there in the crowd of guests, and as the wait staff walked by with a plate of pizza, I threw out my arm out like a frog’s tongue and snatched up a pizza slice before they all disappeared.

I ate pizzas until my belly was about to burst.

I don’t usually eat so much wheat and cheese nowadays, but haha this was totally worth it.

Crust Pizza have recently launched their brand new menu, with new pizzas, desserts and more. Head over to the Crust Pizza Bar Mt Lawley Facebook Page to find out more.

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