Four things

Having been tagged by Gervy and dragged back into blogging. I start my blog again in the new year (although now March) with a Meme.

1. Four places I go to over and over:

a - Fitness First Gym. Sadly not to work out as most people do, but to use the shower and dressing facilities after I ride to work each day. Am trying to prod myself back into visiting for a workout as well, but other things seem much more exciting.
b - Woolworths Marrickville. Our nearest supermarket. We seem to spend a lot of time, and coincidently, money, there. Which is very annoying as they keep ending lines, or not stocking the brands we like. This weekend just gone we visited three times and spent well over $200!
c - Browns Ave, Marrickville. Home of Merlin and Panda, two super cute and friendly Persian cats that actually recognise us now and come trotting out for pats.
d - Liquorland, Marrickville road. I try not to drink during the week, but most weeks I get to Thursday and think "stuff it!" and pick up a bottle of sav blanc on the way home. They don't have the best selection, but at least it's reasonably priced and only 3 minute cycle from our house.

2. Four people who email me regularly:

a - Dons touches base for chats, forwarding on chain emails, planning nights out, or to gush over cuteoverload.com
b - Facebook sends me alerts and notifications of wall posts, photos, events. Infact, I think facebook mails me the most!
c - Kevin, although mostly as responses to my emails, which I have pestered him to answer.
d - Google calendar, everyday at 5am, it tells me what I'm doing that day.

3. Four places I would rather be right now:

a - Bed. With the nights nice and cool and with daylight savings not yet ended, the mornings are lovely and dark and I really don't want to get up.
b - Tauranga at my folks place. With our big trip later this year, Kevin and I have not had a summer holiday. Thus I am really craving some chill out time at my folks, eating avocados and drinking in the views.
c - The beach. It's a lovely day today with a nice temp of 27C, perfect weather for a swim and laze around. Of course this beach could also be in Thailand and that would be acceptable too.
d - At a waterfront pub or restaurant, catching up with friends. A gorgeous day for socialising today!

Chilling out in Tauranga, Christmas 05.

4. Four of my favourite places to eat:

a - Crust pizza at home in front of the TV
b - Doytao Thai on King St in Newtown, superb Thai food!
c - Newtown's Bank Hotel, in the Thai restaurant, Sumalee Thai (see a trend?).
d - Cafe Ism on Wilson St, MacDonaldtown. Although the food has gone downhill, nothing beats sitting outside on one of the small stools and soaking up the village atmosphere or taking a coffee across the road to Kevin's favourite park, Hollis Park.

6. Four TV shows I watch over and over/never get sick of:

a - Project Runway. Having had 5 years of dressmaking/Clothing & Textiles studies at high school, I feel I have a real appreciation for how talented these designers are, and how much hard work they really do on each challenge. I love seeing their creations and I've actually been so inspired that I want to get a bernina machine and start sewing again!
b - Sex and the City. I've seen every episode at least 5 times and there are repeats on several times a night on foxtel. And yet, if I catch one, I always enjoy it.
c - Any documentary made by Dr Robert Winston - Fascinating stuff!
d - Bridezillas! Fabulous AND bitchy darling. Need I say more?

Christmas with a Cat

Zeus looking cute with light up pressies behind him

Cat, box, you know...

Like an Angel (or Devil) at the top of the tree

Baking with a Bengal around

Not cat related, but this is what I was baking - Baubled Christmas Cupcakes for morning tea

The potential hazard of the Door Zone

If you are a cyclist, you will well know what the "Door Zone" is, and hopefully it is only regarding its hazards, not having intimate knowledge.

However, it is incredibly worrying as Sydney's cyclists continue to rise, that many car drivers have no idea what the "Door Zone" is. And that is where the problem lies.

Imagine you have parked your car. You open your door to get out, or worse, kick it open. A fraction of a second later, a cyclist crashes head first into your door, or horrifyingly, is propelled out into the lane of traffic.

Get it?
Basically, if you're getting out of your car, check behind you before you open the door please. You might save someone a very painful experience, and certainly some damage to your car.

Repurposed from Royaltech via KTC's post on the dangers of the "Door Zone" and the new campaign in Chicago alerting car drivers to it. Pass it on.

Christmas Wishlist

So it is the silly season is here and I have been rushing round like a headless chook and realised that I have not posted much.

For those few readers I have, especially those from the Northern Hemisphere, December Down-Under is extremely silly indeed.

Work wise things kinda slow down, but they also getting very busy as clients and colleagues push for stuff to be done so they can go on leave in peace, knowing that two months of invoicing, planning and work has been completed in a one week period.

Weekends and even weekdays become so full that one cannot accept any invitation without triple checking the diary to ensure it does not conflict with the four other things they might have on that day.

Trying to get the Christmas decorations up is a two evening process as one feels exhausted after sticking all the fake branches on the fake tree, and doesn't have the energy to hang the lights and baubles too.

The liver takes such a beating this time of year. Not only for the multitude of social activities, but also due to the lack of recovery time as you cannot rest the next day, as there's another party/gathering. And if no group activities have been booked, you just KNOW that you HAVE to go gift shopping.

So to echo Gervy, I am posting here what I would like for Christmas. It might help a certain someone to order online as he probably won't make it to the shops due to the aforementioned silly season issues.

1. Perfume

I got to try the lighter, fresher Chanel No. 5 last night - Eau Premiere. I likey! I wear Chanel No. 19 usually in the summer, but this seemed an excellent different option.



However, I also know a certain someone really likes Narciso Rodriguez on me. And as I have run out, I wouldn't object to a bottle of this either.



2. Electric Hand Beater

I love baking for friends at Christmas but I have been put off this season by having whisk everything. My wrists just can't handle the RSI. And as much as I love the aesthetic of the Kitchen Aid cake mixers, we just don't have the money or, more importantly in this case, the storage. So a decent electric hand beater would be perfect. The below Breville one looks the business.
4. New Bicycle Tyres

After getting a flat tyre twice in one day, I am currently commuting by train. The streets are currently littered with glass for partying Sydneysiders and at $12 a inner tube, I can't afford to continuously have punctures. After chatting to those in the know, it was agreed that after six months of inner city commuting, the tyres should be replaced. I would like those that have kickarse gel inlaid. Like the Schwalbe Marathon's Kevin has. I don't know what kind I should get, but the boys at Cheeky Monkey can sort it :-)



5. Esty finds

I have become ADDICTED to this place. I haven't actually bought anything yet, but I was showing my other half as ideas for his sister, and realised it was another excellent place he could buy things for me!

There's the Gold Map Money Case. Perfect to protect my new microchipped passport from thieving electronic readers whilst at the airport.



My Macbook must be protected in a Antique Map Labtop Sleeve with zipped compartment for the powerpack.
Any one of numerous favourited clutches from RedRubyRose. Favourites include:

Peacock tones, printed and embroidered




And the Yellow Peony


Finally there's what I will be definitely buying one way or another. The Chloe Peacock Head Piece. I need it for my teal bridesmaid dress that I will be having shortened to wear for wedding season next year.


I reckon that's enough to get him started? Don't you?

Zeus – The Saga

Apologies for being off radar for so long, but it has been very full on recently. However, the biggest news has been that Kevin and I are now parents!

To a furchild.

Meet Zeus Sevin

When our rent was raised, I decided that it was a good time to broach the terms of our lease and ask permission to have a cat. We got a yes!

Next stage was finding a cat. This was made a bit tougher and K has never had cats, has allergies and really loves dogs. Even though I love a good ol' moggie, Kevin is new to cats and cannot read them like I can. We met some fostered cats, and sadly they were very disturbed by their very hard lives. We also visited the Cats Protection League who do a marvellous job, but sadly the potentials would turn from a purry monster, into a swiper. I even had a very friendly mix-oriental be smoochy one minute, then lunge at me twice. Understandably, these cats had huge trust issues, and while I could probably read them and work with them, Kevin has limited experience and could not. So we decided a pure bred cat where we could select according to personality trait would be better. However, I was emphatic that I did not want a kitten. I wanted an adult. That throws up dilemmas, as we were to discover.

At first we decided to go the Burmilla route. Kimba, our guest cat, is a Burmilla and although dopey, is very cute, cuddly and Kevin had gained tolerance of Kimba with his allergies. However, Burmillas are a relatively new breed and most breeders were way out of town. However, we did get in touch with a breeder in Southern Sydney who had a 2 year old girl that was originally going to be a breeder, but didn’t take to it. Upon meeting her, she was on heat, hopefully for the last time. But because of her physical condition, she really had no interest in us. However, the breeder’s two pet burmilla’s were super cute, climbing into our laps, and gazing up at us adoringly while purring. Damn it! This was the cat I actually wanted.

Another Burmilla, a 3 year old boy, came up on Gumtree. But his owner (at the time) didn’t return my emails, even to say he’d been adopted.

Then I got onto http://www.petlink.com.au and discovered breeders finding homes for ex-breeder cats, and people looking for homes from their cats due to changed circumstances. After the Burmilla on heat episode, I decided it was too much of a risk taking on an ex-breeder. So I decided to look at cats needing homes from changed circumstances.

I enquired about two moggies, and a tonkinese. One of the moggie’s had already found a home, the owner of the other had decided to take the cat with her to NZ anyway. We actually went and met the Tonkinese but the owner was not ready to let go and we suspect, was probably desperately trying to get her mother to take him while she moved to the UK for her working holiday visa.

I kept a look on the site, keeping a look out for Rex’s, Burmillas, Burmeses, and Bengals.

Then up came an advert for a 2 year old Bengal boy, desexed, needing a new forever home. What really impressed me was it was the breeder that had posted the advert.

Lisa's pix from the advert

I called her straight away and had a great chat about Zissou. Turned there had been a marriage breakdown and Zissou was sadly stuck in the middle. Lisa, the breeder, always took back her cats, no matter what. Which I thought was excellent and very responsible. I was the first to call, and everything she could tell me, “he’s used to being an indoor/outdoor cat, he’s friendly, not too bothered by rush and bustle, loves the kids etc etc…” sounded like he was the cat for us.

So we had to wait an agonising week to meet him. I rang Lisa on Thursday to confirm us coming on Saturday morning and she said she really hoped it was a good fit and if so, we could take him home with us straight away.

We arrived to meet Zissou and met Lisa and her family. What a fantastic breeder! Zissou was very sweet, completely obsessed with the birds outside, but happy for pats. He was absolutely gorgeous! Turns out Bengals have pelts rather than fur as such. In my research I found out that Bengals were good for people with allergies as their dander contains a lot less of the Fel d 1 chemical that most cats have. It is this Fel d 1 that people get allergic to, especially with longer fur that carries more dander.

Anyway, Lisa gave us a tour around the cattery and it was immaculate. Lots of room, very clean and we were very impressed. We also got to meet some cute 6 week old kittens, both stripped and snow.

So after hanging with Zissou a bit more, we all agreed it was a good match. K was VERY impressed and I thought that was a great sign. So we paid our $250 (cats at shelters go for $175, and Bengal kittens are $800, so we thought this was a great price), we all piled in the car and headed back to Sydney.

Due to Bengal’s DNA, sadly cat tranqs don’t work, so we had to put up with yowling pretty much all the home. Kevin sat in the car with the newly christened Zeus while I rushed round the very understocked Petbarn in Alexandria buying stuff (they are very dog orientated apparently). Then we got our little man back to the house quick smart.

Zeus rushed out of his carrier to check out the house. No fear here. And the first night he was super cute, sitting on the couch with us and sleeping on the bed.

However, that first week, being locked up inside two different places in two weeks, with all new people, took its toll. Although he was having supervised walks outside after work, I noticed he was using his kitty litter A LOT, and it seemed to be turning pink. A quick google search and we were off to the vet for a suspected, then confirmed Urinary Tract Infection.

Three weeks after arriving at Casa Sevin and everyone’s much happier. Zeus gets to hang wherever he wants during the day. He’s curfewed at night after his wet meal, and sleeps on the couch until 6am in the morning when he comes and joins us. There were way too many feet attacks at midnight for sleeping with us to be a full time gig.

Zeus seems to know his new name, chosen because it was similar to his old one, but easier to say and tell people. He also gets super excited when we come home from work, as demonstrated on Friday evening when we got back at bit later than usual. I called for him in the front yard, he appears across the road and came trotting across at pace, miaowing hello. Awh! Made me proud.

So that’s it for now. Just lots of insufferable pix and vids :-D

New shoes makes one happy

My experiences with buying shoes through ebay have been mixed. My first experience was so good, Bally slip on courts/loafers in black that have been brilliant. I also bought a pair of Chloe heels that were originally samples. Due to them being samples the shoe and sole are leather and superb, but the crappy plastic heels then snapped. So I had to get them completely reheeled and then also decided to have the heels covered in leather. However, the result was so nice and enhanced the original shoe I didn't mind it costing more money as they have been worn lots.

On the other hand, the Chloe boots I bought earlier this year needed a lot of work, but sadly I'm still left with a pair of boots that I can't wear as they are a size too big and due to the relining of one boot, too tight on my cycling left leg. It's my own fault as my other Chloes are a 39 and fit perfect, yet the ebayer declared that they were too small on her cause she was a 40 and the 40 size of the boot must really be a 39. Nope, they are a 40.

Nevermind, I haven't been put off.

Recently, thanks to a bit of support from the Dons, I bid on and won these Andrea & Joen boots that I wasn't sure about due to the silver heel. (Dons said "go for it!")

They showed up earlier this week and turns out they are brand new, never been worn! They also fit real good and the silver heel is good as it prevents those heel kick marks I would have got if they were in the pinky/taupe colour like the rest of the boot. These boots are also a better length for Sydney as the winter really isn't long or cold enough for justifying a knee high pair at the moment. Currently they are being worn with my grey skinny jeans and look fab!

I also just found out I have won these.

They are Bally again and although slingbacks (I do find wearing slingbacks a little strange due to my splay footedness) I thought they were so cute and would go with long shorts, linen trousers and skirts for the summer. As I have just won and paid for them, they haven't arrived yet. Fingers crossed they are another excellent win to make up for the Chloe boot debacle.

P.S - I've just realised all my links have disappeared when I tried to tart up my look (and failed miserably), very sorry to all. Will fix soon.

25 most played on my iPod

For LBR who asked me to do this meme, these my 25 most played on my iPod. My recently played list doesn't update very well, so this list is a little more accurate.

1. Learnalilgivanlovin - Gotye
2. Signs - Justin Timberlake and Snoop Dogg
3. Defying Gravity - Idina Menzel (from the Wicked Broadway Soundtrack)
4. Get together - Madonna
5. Not the Same - Ben Folds
6. Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
7. Jump - Madonna
8. It's on - Nesian Mystik
9. Amazing - Alex Lloyd
10. Hung up - Madonna
11. Ooh Scissor Sisters
12. La Noyee - Yann Tiersen (Amelie Soundtrack)
13. The Fox - Nickel Creek
14. Last Man Standing - Clarksville
15. Seasons of Love - Cast (Rent Soundtrack)
16. Wandering Soul - Alex Parks
17. Long time Coming - The Delays
18. One Heavy February - Architecture in Helsinki
19. What is this feeling? - Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth (Wicked Broadway Soundtrack)
20. What you waiting for? - Gwen Stefani
21. Paul McCartney - Scissor Sisters
22. The Only Way - Gotye
23. Superstylin' - Groove Amarda
24. Spinning around - Kylie
25. Landed - Ben Folds

What is interesting about this list is how representative it is of why I first got my ipod and my daily journeys when I worked on the Dark Side - Madonna, Gwen, Scissor Sisters, the Wicked and Rent soundtracks...

Weirdly two of my favourite artists, Ben Folds and Gotye don't feature as heavily as I thought they would. But good to see that Wally takes my no. 1 spot (as he should) with his great soul tune as well as 22, and Mr Folds takes out spot 5 and spot 25.

Couple of oddities, at least I think so, are how much I must have listened to are Kylie, Nesian Mystik, and Justin and Snoop. I listen to them a lot awhile ago, but they still feature very prominently which shows how much I must have thrashed them. I also don't understand why from my Architecture in Helsinki listenings, One Heavy February features and Where the Owls Go doesn't. Also not there are It'5 and Do the Whirlwind which I know I thrashed when I first got the In Case We Die album.

12, 13, and 14 are some of my favourite tracks ever! La Noyee is from the Amelie soundtrack and fills we with joy. A great, classic composition that builds and builds. The Fox is a fun twist on a children's traditional and showcases the the talents of Nickel Creek. The now defunct Clarksville tune Last Man Standing is a great travel song and reminds me of driving across the Desert Road of NZ, which is probably why I played it over and over.

I hope this list shows diversity in my listening habits. I'm pleased that two Aussie artists appear, but not featuring is my Kiwi bands and singers, nor any of my classical albums, especially Puccini, who I adore.