How is it that 1 more sleep and it's Christmas already? Not that I don't like it, it's my most favourite time of the year. The festive atmosphere, the cheer in the air and the love around is overwhelming. I did my last minute Christmas shopping and Sydney was just full of shoppers, I could barely moved. And now I'm broke haha. Not from the Christmas presents but from my holiday in Gold Coast, the kids were just high maintenance ;-))
Christmas is upon us and while my friends from the Northern Hemisphere are clothed in layers I am putting away my jackets, coats and fur vests in favour of playsuits and lace dresses. Luckily, there are outfits that can be worn for both sides and ends of the world and these are the velvet dresses and midi pleated skirts. Only a matter of styling and the kind of footwear to slip on one is ready to face the kind of day it will be.
One of the important things I learned as a mother is never to lose your inner child and that you can still have fun especially with your children. Sure, motherhood is a serious matter, raising and disciplining your children is a darn hard job but chilling out is equally important. Probably, that's why there are school activities that involve the participation of parents. Not only to raise money for the school :) but to also encourage social interaction among families. So we went to one of my sons' school fete where we stuffed ourselves with food and drinks and watched him take on many different rides. I wore this pinafore dress and cold shoulder top to go with the event.
By now you should know I'm a high tea addict :) Any excuse for me to indulge on sweets, bond with a friend and wear my most loved dress at that moment I will do in a heartbeat. And this time I wore my stash of the H&M Kenzo collection.
This time of the year is one of those in-between kind of weather where I don't know what to wear. Chilly in the morning and early evening but warm in the midday. I found this H&M Studio AW16 hoodie still lurking in my closet waiting to be worn. The intricate embroidery and beadwork of this hoodie is just mesmerising.
One good and distinctive attribute of High Tea is that it a not designed for one person. How lonely could that be if you indulge in High Tea by yourself? It probably looks alright if it's a buffet kind but it is more enjoyable if it's a seat-in and shared with somebody or with a group of friends.
Off-the-shoulder is undoubtedly one of the biggest trends this year and obviously I'm not over it yet. It seems exposed shoulders are the chicest way to show some skin. And for the denim department a trend that is hot at the moment is the fringe hem. An interesting iteration of the 'ripped' style the quirky fringe will have its place in the spotlight. It’s time to liven up the party, get with the maximalist times and rejuvenate our denim closets.
When shopping and good food are together in one sentence, it would definitely be worth checking. And this pretty much describes Fitzroy the oldest suburb of Melbourne which happens to be also one of the coolest and most hip. On my second day in Melbourne I was ready to jump in donning my unworn cobalt blue coat and white jeans but my Melburnian friends had something better in mind.
One peculiar thing Melbourne is known for is its spray-printed streets. The Graffiti Management Plan of Melbourne established permits for artists and endorsed their work in designated areas of the city. Right on the same day we toured the major CBD attractions, we detoured to the famous Hosier Lane.
 |
| Royal Arcade |
Spring is finally here and what better way to celebrate than staying outside and enjoying the warmer air. Along with that, wearing lighter clothes is the most awaited thing to do.
This would have been a perfect day if only it was sunny. Such a cliché but I decided not to dampen my mood with anything especially with factors not under my control. To be honest, I didn't really notice that Mr. Sun was not out that day all I had in my mind was to enjoy this tall ship cruise with my friends no matter what.
Wondered what Bondi beach look like in winter? Not deserted at all, people are still flocking since this is one of Sydney's hot spots. It's not like the only activity to do here is swimming/surfing, there are many other things anybody can do.
I am thankful that we don't have harsh winter down under but sometimes I also want to wrap myself up in some knitwear. I can actually get to do this in the early mornings and at night time but skip it during midday unless I want to toast myself. But for coordinated dressing up I am willing to compromise especially when I have beanies and gloves that completely rock the teddy look.
After sporting OTK boots on my previous post I've gone shorter this time with my knee-high boots. This is my favourite footwear during winter as it surely warms my legs and looks good in either dress or jeans. And because it has block heels I can walk for miles without complaining.
I've been waiting to wear these over-the-knee boots from Tony Bianco which I got at the end of summer to prep for the cold season. But there's just wasn't an occasion to strut them aside from going to the beaches and strolling the city. So I created an occasion and that was for hubby's birthday dinner in a restaurant. He's my photographer most of the time and he normally checks if I dress appropriately. But for his special day he can't say no if I dress like this :)
If there is no social media to post updates would you still bother to go outside and check the great outdoors? Honestly, I will probably do less than what I am doing right now. But every now and then we should not be a couch-potato and see what's out there.
When's the last time you went to an aquarium? My last visit was more than 10 years ago. I guess adults don't have an inclination to see the marine life in big tanks unless they are exploring a new city. To be honest, I only got to go to Sydney Sea Life Aquarium because I accompanied my mum and my niece who were visiting Australia. My previous visit was for the same reason and that was with my friend from America. Oh well, thank God for visiting family and friends, if not for them I wouldn't have found Nemo and Dory :)
The working days that I love the most are those when I'm attending training classes in another place. Much better if it's overseas but a few kilometres away is enough for me to feel ecstatic. Well, this time it's only in the other side of the Harbour Bridge but the training centre has 180 degrees unobstructed views of the harbour.
Unlike going to a picnic, fishing runs on a timetable if you want to be serious about it. Serious means to be able to catch the right fish at the right time. Apparently, fishing in Australia is a serious game. You need a license to be able to throw a line and the fish caught must be of a legal size else it has to be thrown and released back to the water.
It's finally winter down under and nothing can stop us from having a picnic. Honestly folks, a picnic is an almost forgotten fun event these days. I know, my boys would want nothing to do outside the house, with the crazy fun stuff they can do with online gaming who needs the outdoors.
 |
| The high and mighty Sydney Centrepoint Tower |
If your eyes are
