Month: May 2019

Countryside Chills in the Southern Highlands

May 27, 2019

There’s nothing like getting out of the city for a weekend and breathing in that fresh country air. Last Friday I escaped back to the Southern Highlands for a few days to catch up with some friends in the quaint little town of Moss Vale which I called home for 4 months. Pic00002I’m always spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a trendy little coffee shop as the area is home to some fantastic spots to kick back and enjoy a cup of Joe. After strolling the shops and boutiques of Bowral, we soaked up the afternoon sun whilst sipping our coffees at Grand Bistro, another highly rated restaurant I’ve been keen to visit.

Edit 2.jpgWith winter closing in and that brisk chill in the air, we got the fire pit roaring in the garden and saw down the sun with a few drinks and some good old Australian yarns! Later on we ventured to the local pub in town where the drinks are cheap and you’re never far from a familiar face. It was great being back in the countryside leaving all the madness of city life behind me and just enjoying time spent with friends… ‘A good laugh and a long sleep are the best two cures for anything.’

Finding the Key to Happiness

May 21, 2019

With all of its ups and downs and unexpected plot twists, life is never going to be straight forward or easy. Maintaining happiness throughout this rollercoaster is something we all strive for and seems to be the most simple thing, yet it can be so hard to achieve when we’re constantly confined to the pressures and expectations of everyday life.

Edit 7.jpgListening to the podcast series The Highest Self with Sahara Rose, my eyes have been opened to the sad fact that we are all sucked into this whirlwind of modern life where we continue to push our boundries to reach such demanding expectations. Instead of feeling content and happy in the moments of greatness we do reach, we find ourselves moving the goal posts once again to battle on before setting the next target. Why is it we cut short that feeling of contentment and joy when things are simply just fine and life is all OK?

Edit 3Sahara Rose asks us to take a moment and think back 5 or even 10 years ago to reflect on just how far we have come. What we find is that every one of us is on a journey of growth and we are achieving wonderful things in that fact alone. I spent a weekend with my lovely Manager and close friend who has helped me to see the amazing things I’ve already accomplished at work and in my personal life. After our Sunday morning brekky date, we went for a beautiful bush walk to wind down, breath in the fresh air and just appreciate where we find ourselves at this point of our lives.

Edit 4‘The happiest people in life are those who are grateful for where they are now; living life in the present moment is true contentment.’ 

Event Planning: Work Hard Play Hard

May 20, 2019

Last week I got to see my hard work pay off as we hosted the quarterly year agency social at my office. After a month of planning and pulling together the team to organise our event, I was thrilled with how the evening went down. Taking inspiration from a traditional pub complete with a professional MC trivia host, we promised the agency a night of beer and burger fuelled tomfoolery! 

Edit 2As my first time co-ordinating an event, I learnt a lot in the process of organising through to executing a large party of this kind. Whilst I had the support of my team and delegated tasks to even the workload, there were a number of hurdles along the way. With a tight budget and over 50 employees to keep happy, we had to make cuts where we could. Consequently we decided to hold the event at our offices where we have a balcony on which the marquee was assembled. Once the tables were dressed and fairy lights were up, the setting was perfect and meant people only had to walk upstairs from their desks to join the party.

Edit 3After a hectic day of running around overseeing preparations and ensuring everything was in place, that first sip of bubbles was bliss and an absolute relief to finally be enjoying the evening myself. Everyone was so complementary of my efforts and following all the excitement of the trivia, celebrations and antics continued late into the night.

Edit 8Of course there were little touches such as the table layouts and presentation of food which I would’ve liked to have been more thought out. However with the budget and time frame we had to achieve all of this, I was over the moon with our success.

Edit 6Most importantly I learnt a lot from the experience and found the pleasure of seeing everyone enjoy the occasion even more rewarding… pass me the prosecco and cue the wobbly eyes 😉

Anzac Day Straya

May 4, 2019

In tribute of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during WW1, Anzac Day is one of the country’s most significant anniversaries. On April 25th every year, Australia marks this anniversary with a bank holiday on which those who fought for the country past and present are remembered. Following the dawn services, pubs open their doors early and host the traditional coin flipping game of ‘Two Up’. This draws in swarms of punters and results in bars across the country overflowing onto streets and achieving their best turnover for the year. As I was working in one of the Sydney pubs myself on last year’s Anzac Day, I was keen to experience the day from the other side of the bar and soak up the Aussie festivities. It was great fun bar hopping around Kiribilli with friends and later I joined my family in Paddington for a good old Aussie BBQ! With the sun shining and Sydney in great spirits, it was a truly great Anzac Day celebrated with friends and family.

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