Evolution ?!?

Since I moving into my new flat (May) and getting cable TV (June), I am increasingly watching more television. With that have come a steady stream of lusts. Worryingly I have realised when it comes to eye candy I have tended towards younger types...

Confused a bit with that one, as in my late teens obsessions always came in the shape of older men. There was the older boyfriend, Pierce Brosnan and Gabriel Byrne.













And now? First it was Ian Somerhalder, last seen in Lost but I noticed him first in the since cancelled Young Americans. That crush fueled further by his Adelaide born 'twin' whom I encountered in an Aussie bar in NYC earlier this year. He too was around the 24 year old mark.

Once Ian was killed off in Lost I came across a silly typical American TV series, One Tree Hill. All beautiful people, with fantastic clothes, flash cars ... like The OC but set in North Carolina.

It took watching an episode with my neighbour, to realise just how silly it all was. Since then I have found fab Australian series ... Tripping Over and Love My Way. Those I love to watch because of the Sydney scenery, which is inevitably sprinkled throughout each episode. I had not realised just quite how much I do miss the place. That one hour always puts a smile on my face, just by seeing some familiar landmarks, always against a sunny (and windy) background. Luckily the latest eye candy, Sam Worthington is 30! The interesting trivia about him is that he came close to being the next James Bond. Now I think he gave Daniel Craig a run for his money.

I think I am (finally!) past the younger man obsession which has plagued me this year. Hallelujah! Thank god for that!

K would be very pleased with this development. It means a stop to her needing to chaperone me in bars and even occasionally interrupting 'the spell' with a 'a barely out of the school' boy who thinks I'm the best thing since sliced bread. (Can't help that most guys I meet out think I'm under 25!)

Does this mean I have to start acting my age (28)? I think yes. Boo!

What Does One Do - Part 2

Update to this post ...

1. No way. The reason the Ex is just that is because he's an asshole. Remember that!

2. No longer on my mind. Seeing him made all that disappear. I hate having expectations

Encounters and re-encounters

I have always wondered, what would I do if I was ever to bump into one of the 'randoms'. There have been all kinds of nightmare scenarios played out in my head, none of which became reality.

So what does happen when you re-encounter a past encounter? I stared, he stared. There was a moment of recognition. Neither was brave enough to utter a word. Not sure what his excuse was. Mine ... I was busy staring dumbfounded. This guy is just too cute!!

Casino Royale

If you have yet to see the new Bond film stop reading now or I may ruin it for you. I have been a Bond fan for years and thanks to the Ex we were always there on opening nights. A new Bond film would be eagerly awaited and more importantly never failed to disappoint.

W organised the Casino Royale viewing on Monday following the opening weekend. The week before you could not get away from the editorials, reviews and articles on this film. Although I read quite a few, the film still left me breathless and as always did not disappoint. Far from it! It was an unmistakable Bond film, but somehow different from what I expected and am used to seeing.

• The Blonde Factor - Yes, he is blond. Wasn't too sure about that one myself. The scene of him coming out of the water. It was too short! The amount of editorial words dedicated were not positively correlated to the actual length of that scene!!
• Daniel Craig is sexy. In a manly kind of way. He isn't pretty or too smooth. He's a real man! Rough around the edges, one who looks like he can kill with his bare hands.
• Eva Green,as Vesper Lynd, is sexier . The classiest Bond girl so far. No slutty nemesis and she keeps her clothes on!
• Bond is sensitive. Now that was a new angle. For a few minutes there I was convinced he was more than a lover. He was in love! But then there was disappointment, which makes the Bond we already know all that much more believable. Once burnt ...

Brighton 10k Race

I am not one that is difficult to convince that Brighton is the best place for a relaxed Sunday. The occasion? One of my favorite people was running in the Brighton 10k last Sunday, and we were there to support (point and laugh) Patsy style ;-)



At 8.30am following a 3.00am finish the previous night, I boarded a train at Victoria, surprising myself and all those who know me. I was feeling good. A gorgeous, sunny, crisp winter's day.



The race was great to watch, and the favourite person did the course in 51 minutes, looking fabulous. Hoorah!


The rest of the afternoon was spent over lunch at the Ginger Man Restaurant at Drakes of Brighton (the hotel we wanted to stay at on the last Brighton Girl's Weekend). The hotel although fantastic, is not me. The choice we made was much more up my alley.

Lunch was traditional with a modern twist. I started with a salt beef salad - more beef than salad. The traditional Sunday roast came with the best Yorkshire pudding I have ever had. The cheese plate which came next was too good to miss in favour of a sweet desert. Plus there are always truffles on offer with the coffee :)

A view of London from the night bus

Everyone who has lived in London at one time or another has some interesting, mostly horrific, night bus stories. I have steered away for that reason and the last time I got on one was many years ago. Tonight was an exception. No cabs in site, and the N19 (which goes right past my house) was there so jumped on it!

What a pleasant ride! The streets of Mayfair were full of people and traffic! The city of London, which many say is dead compared to other capitals of the world, was alive at 1am! There were people laughing, some drunk, others just beginning their night. The West End was more of the same and even more buzz. I saw a fight, a couple cuddling tenderly, friends saying heartfelt (drunken) goodbyes.

It is nights like these that make me wonder if I will ever leave London ...

What Does One Do?

Well, after today I have reason to believe that the fever induced delirium I experienced this weekend was also combined with PMT. Now that my friends, is the best combination to throw an otherwise stable female into complete emotional turmoil. She wrestles with herself, emerging a few days later, battered and bruised! A month later when it descends upon again, she has no recollection of previous occurrences and is again thrown in, to ride the waves of femininity ... Alas

Now that I can be a bit more reasonable I will share with you some more of my random thoughts.

1. Should I see The Ex when I'm in Sydney in a few weeks?
It was passionate, temptious relationship which eventually settled into domestic bliss. Bliss that is until I decided it was no longer for me and I packed my bags for London. He obviously was not too pleased with my decision. There were tears, there were screams. From there it all went downhill. The last time I saw him, we shared a perfunctory hug in our kitchen in that beautiful house in Bondi. More like he hugged, I stood there rigid with the stress of packing all day. And I have not come face to face with him since. We have both moved on. He has found domestic bliss, has a daughter and me I am enjoying the life I always wanted. But there is something still niggling. I know he is not the one, so what then? He looked me up a few years back, there were emails and phone calls, some inappropriate things were said so I cut the communication. He was then going through the motions, the same ones I went through when I first arrived here. It is so true what they say about men ... such late bloomers. So why am I having these thoughts? Am I looking for closure (whatever that means) ??

2. Random guy is on my mind
Unfair to call him 'random', he is a friend or an acquaintance, depending on your definition of those two words. He has been around for a few years, never at the forefront, more on the sidelines. He is a keen player but never brave enough to step up on to the pitch. Recently have seen more of him, each time leaving me with a feeling I can't describe. The feeling is there, but then goes away. Finding out last week that I will see him again soon has brought more of that feeling on. He is on my mind and I don't know why!

State of Delirium and Random Thoughts

Slightly delirious in the previous post. You see I have spent the last two days holed up in my flat with a stomach bug. It started out with a dizzy spell at dinner on Saturday night, leading to a very early night. The next 24 hours were a blur. I recall waking up a few times, nightmares and next thing I know its 2 pm on Sunday. I am staring at the alarm clock rubbing my eyes. What is that heavy feeling in my head? Why can't I lift my head off the pillow? That would be fever!

Eventually I managed to get out of bed, shower and move to the sofa. This is where the previous post would make sense. Wow! I think in the last 48 hours I have received my money's worth from my Cable TV provider. There is so much stuff you can watch, all day, every day. And the TV ... well the TV... the sound, the colours ... Perfection! There is that delirium again.

In my many hours of semi consciousness I had all kinds of random thoughts entering and leaving my mind unexpectedly. One of them was a fantasy that I had someone taking care of me. This is one downside of the fabulous single life, when you are in the dumps you are usually alone. Thankfully I have had zero appetite and the 'no food in house' situation hasn't been a problem. But still it would have been lovely to have someone at my side assuring me that tomorrow it would all be better. I then indulged in reviewing my recent (last 5 years) lovers and their suitability for this task. The conclusion was that they are all the selfish type and wouldn't qualify anyway. Satisfied I passed out for yet another nap! Unlike many of the other random thoughts, this one was remembered and when I woke up I had a intuitive idea. Maybe I should really look seriously at the kind of guys I pick. One of these days I may actually need to rely on one of them ...

Eventually by earlier this evening I was feeling much better. At this time bored out of my mind, but still weary of leaving the flat. I managed to amuse myself with ironing! IRONING!?! That is my least favourite bit of housework! And I am not a fan of any of it! You know how some people like cleaning ... well, I'm not one of them! I'm definitely going to work tomorrow (even if it means getting high on paracetamol), before I find something else which needs to be ironed!!

I'm in lust ...

... with my new Sony Bravia LCD TV. A house-warming present from my parents, it arrived this weekend complete with installation. (Thank you, Dad!) It resides between the two sash windows, on one of those brackets so it can be pulled out when you are actually watching it. Indeed a sexy addition, to an already sexy room!

Black Tie and Flats?

The answer to that question ... I pulled it off!!

Fabulous evening at a grand ballroom in a Park Lane Hotel. I was truly a princess!

Fifteen

A much anticipated visit to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. A fitting location, set back from a busy road, a few streets away from buzzy Hoxton Square. Although I had walked past it on many occasions over the years, the inside still took me by surprise. The upstairs Tratoria had a welcoming warm feel, with tapas plates greeting you at the door. I almost wanted to reach and grab a marinated artichoke. The restaurant was downstairs and ultra modern. It reminded me of Sketch, but more down to earth and real. Clean lines and lots of mirrors. The open kitchen a feature on both levels. Sadly, Jamie wasn't there ...

The occasion, you ask? My dear colleagues took me there as a belated birthday pressie!! I LOVE pressies!!

We had the 6 course Tasting Menu. Everything was fab, just not memorable. The cuisine I would place at Modern Italian and some of the flavours did not make sense. Don't get me wrong I am a Heston fan and very much adventurous when it comes to food! While everything tonight was good, it is not a meal which will stick in my mind in many years to come. Maybe I'm just spoilt!

What was memorable was the company! These girls are hilarious. We started off with covering the office gossip and then moved on to our current dating stories. The highlights:

• performance anxiety and how he never wants to talk about it!!
• new word for slut - party treat (love that one!!)
• Is it ok to date the friends of the guy you like, even you do like them?

I saw David Cameron!!

He wandered into a Notting Hill pub tonight. On his own. Suited, crisp white shirt.
It was late. He was hungry and sat down for a burger and a pint on his own.
Lovely! I think this man is as sexy as English politics get. In the flesh he is much more endearing. I think I may need to get around to voting in the next election.

David Cameron* already looks like a prime minister!!
Could I be a political mistress?

* For my Aussie darlings who ordinarily don't pay attention to politics (this by the way is usually me 110%). David Cameron is the leader of the Conservative (Tory) Party. A fresh, relatively youngish politician, possibly the next prime minister.

I have finally discovered YouTube!

If you ever think you are having a bad day in the office ...

Stock Broker Fight

Fashionistas, I need your advice !!

Finding out about a black tie event a week beforehand = nightmare! What am I going to wear ??

One week is not nearly long enough to plan, re-plan and re re-plan an outfit. Although I am finding that I am getting better and better at this. There is an assortment of outfits and you can never go wrong if the following ground rules are followed (keep in mind I work in a conservative, male oriented industry):

• Work related (entertaining clients) - keep it conservative. Limit display of leg and cleavage. Afterall, you don't want any of your clients thinking they'll be getting more than the goody bag!!
• Work related (where you have been invited) - can be more riske. A bit of cleavage and leg never hurt anyone, plus you can spend the night enjoying yourself and chatting to people you actually want to speak to. Again though, aim to go home with just the goody bag or if feeling adventurous the table flower arrangement ;-)
• Any not fitting into the above - its time for that low cut number you never thought you would get to wear! Worries are out the window ... you are a princess for a night! Just make sure your prince doesn't turn into a frog

Now I have decided on the dress - a black strappy knee length Karen Millen number - the question is can I pull off a pair of flats - Marc Jacobs ballerinas? I am 5'11''

HELP!!