Saturday, July 30, 2011

i hope your saturday is filled with warm tea and beautiful rainbows and maybe even if you're lucky a combo of the two.

t.h.e.h.i.v.e.s.

sweet lord i love this band.



if you have never seen the hives live before than i urge you, for the love of your unborn children... make sure you see them at least once before you die.

they never disappoint me. i've seen them the last two times they've been to australia - the last time being 3 freaken years ago - and each time i walk away just as in love with them as ever. i haven't been able to stop listening to them since thursday. i even stayed up super late after the gig to watch them on youtube.

 a band that comes out on stage in top hats and tails, tell the crowd to "shut the fuck up and let me speak!" and prance around hands-on-hips are always going to get my vote. and the fact that i could look at pelle almqvist all day always adds to the whole experience.

there was only one person in the whole crowd who had a better night that me and that's this guy:



how ridiculous is that?! getting pulled up on stage by the worlds greatest band to play bass guitar in their closing song. i don't know how to play bass at all but i was still very very jealous of him.

til next time hives, you sexy swedish rock lords. it better not be three years til you're back.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

recipe of the day.

this is not just a supreme recipe to eat, it is a supreme recipe to watch.



thanks for the beauty, tigerinajar.blogspot.com

91 days.


and counting.

whoops-a-daisy

for those of you in or near sydney, i don't even need to begin to tell you how rainy it was last week.

rainy.

miserable.

freezing.

slippery.


if anyone was going to get hurt it was going to be me.

yep, slipped over. in a dress. in the rain. wearing tights that added to the injury by giving me weird quasi-carpet burn. tights i then had to gracefully take off on the bus to stem the bleeding.

i am all class.

(pay no attention to that other scar. that might give you the impression that i fall over a lot. which is totally TRUE false)

just a little bit of iphone.


chim chimenny chim chimenny

a couple of weekends ago, i went to see mary poppins at the capitol theatre here in sydney will some of my loveliest friends - kat, benny and suzie q.

the theatre is always such a fun and exciting place to go. you buy your tickets months in advance thinking "man, that is forever away!!" and then all of a sudden... it's tomorrow.

and there's something to be said about a matinee. nothing like sitting in a dark theatre for hours, only to come out when the sun is still shining.

matinee also means an excuse to go out for a special lunch, and this saturday afternoon, we hedged our bet on the little queue - well, the littlest i've ever seen anway - at mamak for some malaysian delights. man that food was excellent. milky sweet teas, chewy roti and spicy curry sauce. and i don't think any of us could resist ordering the maggi goreng. like mee goreng except with good ol' aussie maggi noodles. i also ate a whole prawn. head and all. and afterward decided it was probably not meant to be in the chip i ate. oh dear. despite the randome baby prawn it was still well worth the 20 minute wait out the front for a table.




1. i dont know that other girl. 2. food 3. suzie q and her noodle.

now, mary poppins wasn't a huge part of my childhood personally (i was more of a wizard of oz kinda gal), so i was a little bit scared that some of it would go over my head.

all i can say is mary must have been able to read my mind and pick up on my nervousness. 


she had me at blue lemonade.

it was incredible, incredible show. the performers were brilliant (even that little short guy from sytycd who i think is a little bit annoying normally), the music was beautiful and i even knew most of the words. and anyone who says things like "just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down" is ok in my book.

actually on that point - rule number one in the going to a musical handbook:

i dont care how much you love the movie / know every single line of every single song - do. not. sing. out. loud.

if i didn't love my blue lemonade so much it could have ended up down someone's back.


practically perfect in every way.

Friday, July 15, 2011

hey, you two, stop growing up so fast

my little brothers max and tom sent boyfy and i a gorgeous card this week in the mail, inside, their newest portraits from school.

i love those two to pieces. and then some.

i love that i remember the days they were both born and now they're writing me cards ( !!! what happened to those little teeny, tiny babies?! ) and i love thinking about all the times people used to think they were my own little offspring. god bless those strong rowntree genes.

i love that they call boyfy "Bondi". with an i. like bondi beach. too cute.

i love that when i look at photos of the two of them, i see dad and em. and even though i'm a grown up now, i still wish i had my parents close, and i miss them a lot.


needless to say, this little baby is now taking pride of place on our fridge. and i'm beginning to think a weekend to adelaide might be in order.

thanks max and tom, for being the cutest little spunks i know.

love, bel x x

p.s. i love your photo xxx ooo

evidence!


in support of the statement "i do not eat junk food all day, everyday", i give you this*:


*photo also supports the statement "healthy food isn't very photogenic".

week in summary:


  1. sunday - i finished an entire book in one sitting by this little lady. it made me bawl my eyes out and every self respecting human should read it. delightful writing by an incredible young aussie author.
  2. monday - i had a bit of a yucky day at work and had to resort to the ol' faithful tea and bikkie to put the smile back on my dial.
  3. tuesday - i spent the day in brisbane for work, which isn't a bad place to be in the dead of winter.
  4. wednesday - we went to buy groceries and ended up having pizza for dinner. that's just how things work in our house. and i wouldn't change that for the entire universe.
  5. thursday - i baked for JDs birthday. i like being the dedicated baker in our team at work. takes the edge of work. and there's nothin' like a bit of sugar to bring people together in my opinion.
  6. friday - it's raining and i'm getting dinner made for me as i type. i am lucky to have a boyfy who thinks he is jamie oliver. i like him. ( x x )
... and tomorrow! i'm off to see mary poppins with some super lovely pals! not before a spot of china town lunch though. dumpling-time!!

bastille day

J'espère que vous avez eu une journée fantastique Bastille hier.. Je sais que nous ne vous.

pain grillé français pour le petit déjeuner et beaucoup de rayures nautiques.

c'est merveilleux.

x



loosely translated as...

i hope you had a fantastic bastille day yesterday. I know we sure did.

french toast for breakfast and plenty of nautical stripes.

how wonderful.

x

(thanks google translate)

Sunday, July 10, 2011

and if instagram/nashville ever fails me, i have a new app hero...


{pocketbooth. incredible.}

{not so black and white} sunday

so this weekend was a bit quiet. maybe really, really quiet.

maybe so quiet that in fact, boyfy and i went a bit stir crazy, got a bit cranky and got a bit fighty.

but that happens to everyone right? you kinda get on each other's nerves a bit and it gets a bit grumpy? then you talk it out and everyone apologises and you promise that tomorrow will be a bright, brand new shiny day to enjoy and to leave the moodiness and unnecessary grumpiness in yesterday? that's our remedy anyway.

and this bright brand new shiny day for us happened to be a pearler for just hanging out and appreciating each other. a sunday perfect for going out for eggs and coffee, macaroons and strolls through the city, pink lemonade in the park and one of our most favourite (nerdy) pastimes - new book buying.

what a lovely turn around.

enjoy your week! x

the little things.

this last week at work has been cray-zee. lots of heads down, lots of spirits down, lots of not-a-lot-of-fun-goin' down.

so in between eating cheeseburgers in the sunshine on friday afternoon, one of my dear work colleagues (and occasional real-life friend) began thinking about the little things. the little things that rock. the little, sometimes unexpected things that make you think - "hell yes. life is awesome"

and you know what? this actually proved to be a lovely distraction for some other weary colleagues nearby in the office.

and yes, yes, i know, some people on other blogs call these "happy lists" or "awesome lists" or whatever. but this is better than that. this list kicks all other happy lists' asses.

so here it is. the list of little things that kick-ass:
(wearing odd socks and no-one knowing about it is my ultimate fave because i do it all the time)


1.      Writing emails to Matt about non-work related things in work-speak e.g.
          Hi Matt,
          Thanks so much for the call, I really appreciate you getting back to me.
          If youd like to discuss anything I mentioned in my voicemail, or if you have any questions, please dont hesitate to get in touch with me.
          Best regards,
          Belinda
2.      People with amazingly loud sneezes
3.      Getting 7 nuggets instead of 6 in a 6 pack from McDonalds
4.      The toastie machine being pre-warmed by someone before you in the kitchen at work
5.      iPod shuffle being a legend
6.      ice cream on freezing cold nights
7.      having a highlighter in every single colour  actually stationery in general
8.      gum boots
9.      seeing adorable kids with wicked dress sense
10.     eating chips and chocolate at the same time
11.     the smell of rain on hot concrete
12.     red wine and cheese after a b*tch of a day
13.     the smell of petrol
14.     having a good typing day with minimal typos
15.     finally untying a massive knot
16.     fresh sheets off the line
17.     wearing odd socks and no one knowing about it
18.     having breakfast for dinner
19.     still knowing the words to east 17 songs
20.     only eating pink marshmallows
21.     handwritten notes
22.     laughing at birthday cards in the store
23.     gift wrap
24.     Christmas carols not at Christmas time
25.     Shower sting when you’re sunburnt
26.     Tracksuit pants

27.     free golf tees in a golf buggy when you play at a fancy golf course
28.     Free bread at a restaurant 
29.     An elevator that goes express rather than stopping all stations
30.     ditto for a train
31.     or tram
32.     A big one for me is looking at something when someone goes "how many marbles do you think are in that jar" and I guess the right number
33.     French accents when they are speaking english
34.     A good orange!!!!!!!!!!
35.     Hot chips at the footy
36.     accidentally winning bets
37.     tax returns
38.     getting a high score on video games
39.     when people trip over

40.     The smell of bacon in the frying pan.

41.     Harris Farm yogurt.

42.     Chips and Gravy.

43.     Hitting a swish from 3.

44.     A perfect out-swinger.

45.     2 seam fast balls.

46.    Middling a cover drive

47.    Free-kicks that hit the top corner.

48.    Double plays.

49.    Slippers with your socks on.

50.    Late night hot chocolate.

51.    Boston Celtics.

52.    The feel of a new t-shirt.

53.    Bagels + cream cheese.

54.    100gsm paper.

55.    HD movies/tv shows.

56.    Entourage.

57.    Triple Cheeseburgers.

58.    Saunas after a gym session.

59.    Bel's marc jabocs smelly stuff.

we got to nearly 60 without even trying hard.


what do you think is kick-ass?

if you do one thing this winter, buy a crockpot.

seriously.

friday lunch date.

the only thing that soothes the soul after a long week at work?

a friday lunch date with my two loves.

1. matthew christopher bond.

2. cheeseburgers.



the coldest night in sydney all winter, and we venture out for ice cream.

sometimes, i think me and boyfy have lost our minds.

scene -  at home, cooking up a delicious meal for dinner in the crockpot, watching french food safari which may or may not have been featuring the worlds most incredible vanilla ice cream.

all of a sudden - beanies on, scarves on, coats on, gold coins in pockets. before i know it, we're eating ice cream in 5 degree weather. and getting in a bit of NYC planning.


i can't explain it. 

everyone else was getting late night coffee and hot chocolates. not us.
not the crazy ones.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

i secretly love windy nights...

... tucked inside my roastie-toastie little house, slippers on, blankie on, snuggly on the couch with a big fat hot chocolate.

i hope everyone else is warm and safe escaping tonight's blustery wintery weather.

Monday, July 4, 2011

4th of july!

Happy 4th of July!

Hope you all did something really Americano today!

In preparation for our upcoming trip to the U.S in October, we got some practice in today.

I wore red, white and blue.

Boyfy cooked hot dogs for dinner.

(us aussies need to take baby steps)


you can always tell how awesome my weekend has been by the amount of photos of junk food i take.


This weekend I:

  • made mexican for dinner
  • watched a lot of 30 Rock
  • slept in a little bit, which was lovely
  • got a fresh mani pedi which is a bit of a luxury considering i'm well and truly in lockdown mode, saving my tail off for NYC in 4 months ( !!!!! )
  • ate some pizza and watched some marilyn monroe movies with a lovely gf of mine
  • ate lots of twisties and watched some marilyn monroe movies with a lovely gf of mine
  • ate cookie dough and watched some marilyn monroe movies with a lovely gf of mine
  • had sunday yum cha with my family and caught up over coke spiders
  • went to see bridesmaids with some *unofficial* bridesmaids :) it was so freaking hilarious. I hope Katrina's wedding/hen's party/pretty much everything turns out like that!
  • had dinner with boyfy's mamma for her belated birthday celebrations
Next weekend I:
  • will be a homebody
x x

Friday, July 1, 2011

just some iphone action.


and one small statement... if i may:

how the eff is it july already?!!!

i love her dearly, and together we had breakfast in the sunshine.

i had breakfast with ali on sunday. she is in my hottest 100.
i will miss her when she leaves for her big aussie adventure. a ton. x x

black and white sunday.

carrying over our excitement from collingwood's big win, i bring you this week's black and white sunday.

like most regular sunday's we did some paper reading in the sunshine - i swear HJ foley park was made for sunday papers, we did some giggling, we did some lazing. i think boyfy may have even done some washing. bless him.

there were a couple of things that weren't so regular about our Sunday though:

1. we had a blind tasting at our house. and not just any blind tasting. it was a mono-e-mono event between two feverish competitors. in the red corner, we had dr. pepper! and in the blue, cherry coke!
(in case you're wondering - our local IGA sells pretty much every single softie flavour ever invented. yes kim and ali, if you're reading this, even that increds strawberry fanta we had in greece. we love it.)
in essence, the challenge involved me assisting the boyf in tasting each can whilst he had his eyes closed. and, being the self-appointed dr. pepper connoisseur that he is, had to tell me which was the real dr. pepper and which was the cherry coke.
In summary, he thought cherry coke was dr. pepper!!! i don't know what that now means for humanity, but someone needs to practice drinking dr pepper. (i'm looking at you, bond). i personally liked the cherry coke better anyway, heaps sweeter and tangy-er.

2. sometimes we like to do really silly things and buy $10 creme fraiche. it came all the way from france. i love love love france but even i found it hard to justify spending $10 on french sour cream. oh well, best i take a photo of it.

football fans.

last saturday night was the saturday night i look forward to all year. we get the gang together, we wear as much black and white as we can, and we yell and cheer and boo and swear as our beloved collingwood magpies play the swans here in Sydney. it only happens once a year. (let us have our moment.)

there were a couple of things different about this year though. my partner in crime, katrina, is expecting a little bundle of love, so she was off the goon. we brought some new friends into the gang who were "behind enemy lines" (their words, not mine) as they were of the carlton (YUCK) and adelaide persuasions. lucky they're lovely or i'd really, really be re-thinking our friendship. another new addition into the fold was aaron's new blazer. handmade in vietnam, 100% awesome.

the night began with pizza and beer, the middle was made up of more beer and lots of laughing and the night was rounded out with mcdonalds sundaes and chicken mcnuggets.

final score: COLL 99 SYD 93. 



and a picture of some macaroons. just because.