Sunday 16 December 2012

Loving and letting go - 14th Dec 2012

Oxford Street at Christmas

Love Actually…oh how it makes me think of London. I stumbled across this little gem of a movie on TV tonight. I had no intention of watching it. I really did plan on getting up in the first ad break to do something else. But scenes of wintery London at Christmas hooked me in. I was there from start to finish, reminiscing about the lights on Oxford St, mulled wine and the fact Christmas finally makes senses, from a visual perspective, once you’ve experienced it in the winter months.  Suddenly the snow on the ground in the Christmas cards fits. So do the roast dinners and the festive but wintery decorations. London does Christmas perfectly.
A year ago this trip down memory lane would have thrown me into a fit of misery, lamenting the loss of the glory days and cooking up desperate plans to get back to London, stat. But something has changed. While I miss it, my desire to move back has gone. It seems that after three-and-a-half years, I have finally made my peace with leaving London. Huge moment.
I don’t know how big a part creating The Perspective Project has played in this progression, but I know it’s one of the things that has helped me let go and move on.  Almost one year since it started, I am grateful for the positive impact this little project has had on my life.  

Creative thinking - 13th Dec 2012

A different way of looking at things
I am buzzing. Following an afternoon spent in one of the most creative and innovative workshops I've ever taken part in, I am looking at the world through different eyes. I love the positive vibes that rub off from creative and passionate people. Today I am motivated, inspired and grateful for a trip outside the box. Life is  richer when you open your mind to the unexpected.

Wearing an invisible crown - 12th Dec 2012


Today I felt like I was wearing an invisible crown. I had one of those brilliant days where weeks of hard work finally came to fruition. Today I am grateful for the ability to bask in the little wins, wear my invisible crown proudly and blow my own little trumpet to myself.

Guardian Angels - 11th Dec 2012

Stop...and slow down


It's one thing to be racing so quickly through life that you forgot to stop and appreciate it. It's another to be so engrossed in the race that you run straight through a red light. Tonight I had a lucky escape and a huge wake-up call. I was racing to the Vet's after work, trying to get there before it closed. The traffic was shit and I was in a tight race against the clock. Two blocks from the Vet with seven minutes to spare, I was so fixated on getting through the intersection before they turned red, that I completely missed the set of lights before the intersection. They were red…and I ran straight through them. I only realised when the cars beside me came to a holt and I kept screaming ahead. Thank god nobody was coming the other way. I got a lucky break. I feel as though someone was watching over me today, and sending me a message at the same time. "Slow down, you are skating too close to the edge." Today I am grateful for my guardian angel.

Monday's inspiration - 10th Dec 2012


I am forever grateful to my parents for raising me to be a strong, independent woman. Today I want to celebrate the strength of successful women. Ladies here is a quote to inspire and kick start your Monday. 

The escalator of joy - 9th Dec 2012

Seriously, an escalator!
I hate going to home improvement/homeware places like Bunnings and Ikea. I'm offended by the feeling that any trip there steals minutes (and sometimes hours) from my cherished weekends. Today I am delighted to report a positive experience in a Bunnings store. 
It may have something to do with the fact this store had an escalator. Seriously, can there be that much stuff that you need two floors? Despite the excess, it proved quite a novelty. For the first time in Bunnings I had something to do while James looked at power tools. I went up and down the escalator checking out the displays on the top floor. Today I am grateful for surprises in unexpected places. There were laughs on the way home this time, not arguments. #winning

Northside Upside Part 2 - 8th Dec 2012

Hello, My Little Cupcake

And there it is, for the second time in as many days I am relishing the joys of northside cuisine. What a perfect way to start a Saturday – by realising that My Little Cupcake is now my local. This place makes incredible cupcakes with the most amazing icing. Hello. I’ve been know to drive across the bridge just to treat myself to these little gems. Now they are a hop, skip and a jump away.
Today I am grateful for a beautiful day spent with James and the puppies. We had a champagne breakfast in the park to celebrate Christmas with Vet HQ, and we snacked on cupcakes throughout the day. Oh, it's the simple things.  

Northside upside - 7th Dec 2012

Yum yum

The first benefit of living on the northside presented itself tonight. My local pizzeria is now the one that makes, what I believe, are the best prosciutto pizzas on earth. They are the one thing I’ve missed since swapping sides of the bridge for work. The Mad Italian is the northside upside. Tonight I picked one up on the way home. Divine pizza and Friday night in with my man. #heaven 

Everything you've got - 6th Dec 2012



Today I read this quote and it struck a chord with me. It also gave me the push I needed to keep going with my pet project. It’s no secret I desperately want to write the book I believe is in me. The plans have been many and varied, but most focus around me taking six months off to write. I like to think of it as my maternity leave.
But somehow life keeps getting in the way. We spend too much, the mortgage is still there, and career opportunities have presented themselves. I'm slowly coming to the realisation that I have to start the book while I’m working. It's not going to be the relaxing, inspiring sabbatical I’ve dreamed of. But that’s ok. This quote made me realise today, that I can make it happen, I’m just going to have to do it the hard way. Today I'm grateful that I’ve realised the hard way is better than not at all. 

Tiny, fluffy joy - 5th Dec 2012

So tiny and fluffy

I am incredibly grateful that my parents taught me right from wrong. Most importantly they taught me that stealing other people's property is not on. Today it took every fiber of my being not to steal the tiniest, fluffiest puppy I saw on the street. This picture does her no justice. She was so small she had to jump over clumps of grass because they were too big for her to step over. Divine!
One of the many things I’ve discovered during The Perspective Project, is the fact animals bring an incredible amount of joy into your life. Today was one of those days.

Setting the wheels in motion - 4th Dec 2012


Saturday 15 December 2012

I drugged our dog - 3rd Dec 2012

A doped out Cuba

Oh my god I feel terrible. I have become the dog equivalent of the parent who doses their kid up with baby Panadol just to get some sleep. It turns out Cuba is not adjusting well to the new environment. To make sure we, and the neighbours, are aware of this, she howls like a wolf as soon as she wakes at 5.30am each morning. One neighbour has complained, telling me he thought "a woman was being strangled." Oh the shame. I've resorted to sleeping on the lounge from 5.30am onwards so she will stop howling and I can get some sleep. I am at the end of my tether and ready to offer her to the RSPCA.
Today I went to the pet shop to buy some food. I got talking to the shop assistant. One minute I was contemplating letting Cuba sleep in my bedroom, the next I was memorised by the shop assistant’s talk of herbal tablets that relax dogs and calm their nerves. She was sure to tell me they were "all natural".  I didn't really care. Before I could say sleep deprivation, I was shouting "Yes yes, give them to me."
And so I did it, I drugged her. I laced her food with puppy Panadol. I feel bad. I am a terrible puppy parent. But, the change was remarkable. Within 15 minutes Cuba was flat out and asleep on the lounge. When she woke, she as so dopey she struggled to life her eye lids. She lasted 10 minutes and went back to sleep.
OMG, I feel so terrible. To ease my guilt I made a deal with myself. The doggy Panadol is only for very special occasions from now on. I promise. Right now, I am just grateful for the drugs and the sleep I will be getting tomorrow morning – in my bed no less.

Beers and Giggles - 2nd Dec 2012

Beers and giggles

Why are travel stories featuring unfortunate toilet incidents so bloody hilarious? I have several of my own that are too embarrassing to share in this blog. But it turns out I am not alone. Today I caught up with some good friends for beers. By the time I left my sides and jaw were aching from laugher. One friend, you will remain nameless, recounted a story about an unfortunate bout of food poising that landed her in hospital. The exact details of the story are too gross to share here, but lets say she unexpectedly covered the bathroom floor with action from both ends. Worst still, she had to explain to the nurse that no, in fact, it wasn’t all vomit. There has got to be a book in travel related toilet stories. I'm going to call it ‘Shits and Giggles’.

The blind elephant - 1st Dec 2012

The blind elephant

God I love Rocco, he is such a funny dog. His efforts regularly have me in stitches. Today’s laughs came courtesy of this obsessive need to rip the stuffing out of every toy and bed he can get his teeth into. The poor old toy elephant lost his eyes in today’s effort. I know it’s wrong, but just one look at the poor old elephant makes me laugh.

A belly dancer and belly laughs - 30th Nov 2012

Not the real one, but close


Work Christmas parties can be tricky affairs. They usually go one of two ways - a torturous affair which sees you stuck next to someone you have nothing in common with but with whom you are forced to make hours of awkward small talk, or surprisingly fund and raucous. I am thrilled to report that my first Christmas party at the new job was the latter. There was great conversation, plenty of wine, barrels of laughs and an unexpected belly dancer. In this moment I am grateful for unexpected surprises.

Feeling inspired - 29th Nov 2012

Oh, how I love a sweets bar

Tonight I am feeling inspired by some truly brilliant people. I was lucky enough to spend the evening at the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' awards and listen to the stories of innovative leaders who are chasing their dreams and changing people lives. The message I took away tonight is that you need to be your own biggest champion. Don’t wait for good fortune to smile on your or for your big opportunity to arrive. Go out there every day and make your dream happen. Make it your reality. Thanks for the inspiration, and the yummy sweets bar!

Creamy roses - 28th Nov 2012

Divine creamy white roses

Sometimes I sneak downstairs at work just to look at the beautiful flowers. I'm still flawed by the sheer beauty of flowers, particularly roses, on mass. I’m also still getting my head around the premise that I now work for a business driven by making people feel loved. It's a refreshing change from the corporate world. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a business focused on the bottom line, but there is something romantic and good for the soul about being surrounded by flowers. Today I suck down and was rewarded with the vision of hundreds of creamy white roses ready to go out to an event. They were simply stunning. My soul is still smiling at the thought of them. This job is so good for my stress levels.

Closed mouths - 27th Nov 2012


Oh, so true. How often have had wanted to close the mouth of a narrow minded, uninformed twit? This quote made me laugh out loud today. Humour in truth.

Life is short, by the shoes - 26th Nov 2012



There are just 29 days until Christmas. I am deliriously excited by this realisation. Right now I feel like I am running on fumes, and not much more. A week by the beach with the entire Gibbons clan is just what I need. So let the count down begin. In the spirit of Christmas I am choosing to focus on the excitement, not the exhaustion. "Life is short, buy the shoes," I say. 

Drowning under boxes - 25th Nov 2012

Despite labels, I can't find a thing

We did it. We are in. Every muscle in my body hurts and I'm so exhausted I could sleep while standing, but we achieved the massive feat of moving out and in. I haven't formed an opinion on the new place yet. My thoughts are drifting no further than sleep and my bed. But the dogs like the backyard, thank god.  
The annoying and hilarious task of trying to find stuff hidden in boxes that are yet to be unpacked has begun. Hindsight is a beautiful thing. Next time I am going to write a list of key things contained in each box on the outside. You see, three boxes marked bedroom are not that helpful when searching for deodorant you know you threw in one of them, somewhere near the bottom. Ahhhh.
Unpacking issues aside, today I am just grateful we nailed the move with no dramas, bust ups or door slamming walk-outs. Let the sleep begin.

Moving day - 24th Nov 2012

Moving day breakfast

The panic in my chest is being quelled by the excitement of an urgent project. I love a project. This random last minute move has me high on the fumes generated when one goes into organisational overdrive. The last 12 hours have consisted of throwing everything we own into garbage bags and trawling the web for moving boxes, bubble wrap and a truck! Right now we are working together as a high functioning team to pull this unexpected feat off in one weekend (before James catches a plane out on Monday). Let's see what tomorrow's post brings. This could get funny or ugly. In this moment I am just grateful for the excitement high.   

An unexpected move - 23rd Nov 2012

The drawcard backyard

Holy shit, we are moving. Double holy shit, we are moving over the bridge! Why the stress in my voice you may ask? Well, it's because in a fit of madness I agreed to move house this morning from a place I love, to a place I have never seen, tomorrow! Yes that's right – the world's biggest control freak agreed to this lastminute.com plan. With minimal forethought we are packing up our lives tonight and moving to a new place in the morning. WTF. Who does this!!! I knew it was an option, we’d chatted about it, loosely. But I was still in the thinking phase for god’s sake.
Why I hear you ask? In one word – dogs. The dogs need a backyard so Rocco can hopefully run his energy out instead of eating our furniture. At this point I would like to say that we got dogs because we don't want kids. Too much responsibility and restrictions on your life and all that. Right now you all have my permission to laugh big loud, satisfying belly laughs at our expense.
Despite my panic I am irrationally excited at the prospect of change. I love the fantasy of change. In this moment, I am thankful for fantasy. It is the only thing stopping this control freak from losing her shit. 


Something to aspire to - 22nd Nov 2012



Today's post is an aspirational one. I've said before that it rarely occurs to me that the world may not want to hear my opinion. Almost every time I have a thought, I share it. When I read this quote today and it forced me to shut my mouth immediately. I've been getting better at the first two this year through a dedicated effort. It's the last bit that still needs some work. I haven’t mastered the stop button. Today I am setting myself a new goal – to actively practice the art of stopping. 

This is why you marry your best friend - 21st Nov 2012

Laughs and love
Three years ago today I married the love of my life. It's not something I ever thought I would do, but I have to say, it's been all together lovely. I realise now my life long objection to marriage was more with weddings than with marriage as a whole. The thought of wasting all that money and being the centre of attention for a day was my idea of hell. So three years on, what's changed? Not much at all. I still adore my husband, I'm still a fiercely independent woman, and I still hope we end up laughing our way through old age together. Because that's what happens when you marry your best friend - even the shitty days have a silver lining. Today I am grateful for a happy anniversary celebrated with ice cream and my husband in the same time zone.


The true value of a moment - 20th Nov 2012


It's been almost a year since I started The Perspective Project. This realisation has led me to think back over of the fantastic things I have learned on the journey, some in the most unexpected of places. I'm in the process of compiling a list of the key insights from this plan to try and reinvigorate my soul. The Project has been turned out to be a thousand times more helful than I could ever have imagined. The one thing that hit me today: "Sometimes you will never now the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory." I am beyond grateful I got off my whinging bum and started this.

My very own criminal - 19th Nov 2012

My very own Chop Chop
You can imagine my delight when I drove to the airport to pick James up tonight after a few weeks away. Airport reunions are a fantasy of mine, full of hugs and kisses and gushes of passion. Not to mention they signal the return of my chef and co-pet-parent. 
Tonight my fantasy slammed into the hard wall of reality when I was greeted by my very own Chopper Read. Movember has a lot to answer for. While it is a great initiative for charity, it has a shocking impact on desire and romance. I'm not keen on getting it on with a criminal. Today I am begrudgingly grateful that my lovely husband has a social conscience. He responded flatly to my protects of "you look ridiculous, shave it off" with "get over yourself, it's for charity. My only worry is how much he likes the Mo. Thank god there are only 11 days to go.

Thought for the day - 18th Nov 2012


Wise works from the great Wayne Gretzky. "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." I love this quote and it is inspiring me to take more chances this week. The first few months in any new job are a balancing act. I'm still in the stage of being caught between taking things in, making assessments and working out where to exert influence and press for change. I will be keeping Wayne's words in mind this week. 

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Fratty Satty - 17th Nov 2012




Loving the leotard

Today I felt privileged to be part of a real life scene straight out of an American movie. My darling friend Tala had a fancy dress birthday in the park with the theme of 'Fratty Satty'. As the most brilliantly passionate American I know, celebrating everything that is sorority/fraternity was the perfect fit (BTW brilliantly organised Booker!).
What did I love the most about today? It's a close race between Tala's leotard and the fact I felt like I really was in a movie. There were drinking games, hilarious costumes and raucous carry on… just as it should be.
My one disappointment – I still don't know how to do a keg stand. Apparently Australian kegs are not made for this fine act, so I wait and wonder. Tala, thanks for making my sides ache with laughter today. 

Makeup malfunction - 16th Nov 2012

Oh the shame
Don't you hate it when you think you are rocking a hot look, then you clock yourself in the mirror. Tonight's sideways glance revealed my empowering red lipstick was in fact smudged across my face. More crack whore than confident woman. It was 5pm and I looked like I'd staggered out of a club in the pre-dawn hours. Oh the shame! 
The upside, I'm grateful said smudging occurred as I rubbed my face on the drive home tonight. Well, that's what I'm telling myself because I can't deal with the thought I may have been rocking the Courtney Love look in the office. Ahhh!!

My calm place - 15th Nov 2012

I could sit and watch this view all day
Normally my mental happy place is a million miles away on a tropical island with aqua water lapping a white sand beach. Today, I found one a little closer to home. This is the view from the end of the park in Rushcutters Bay where I walk the dogs. There is something about this view I find incredibly relaxing. I've always loved sitting on the stone wall listening to the little waves splash onto the beach and watching the boats swaying on the water. But tonight I realised that just a few minutes on the wall is akin to a mental detox for me. Staring out tonight cleared my mind and brightened my mood. It seems my brian likes a mental staycation as much as a vacation. How would have guessed?