Voila!

It's no secret that I love a vintage, French-inspired find to adorn my home. I just can't get enough.

Well the other day, much to my delight, I stumbled upon a little stall on Pottinger St here in HK that was selling old picture frames for ridiculous prices. Of course I couldn't resist the bargain so I bought one for $20 HKD (about £1.60 or $2.50 AUD). Score! I then stumbled upon a beautiful concept store on Staunton St called Forest Bird which had the most lovely little homewaresy trinkets, a beautiful selection of clothes AND sold coffee on the top floor! Pretty darn good concept I say. Anyway, there I bought myself some black and white French postcards which I then stuck onto the photo frame and Voila!

Please note: This is about as creative as I get so enjoy it while you can (although I do have a master plan to zhuge* up a nasty Ikea cupboard we've got sitting in the desolate corner of our second bedroom - keep an eye out for that post. Should be interesting. A chance to laugh at my creative ability or lack there of if nothing else).

Introducing my most recent French (but not) bit of love for my not so French home.

*The husband and I spent more time than necessary debating how to spell "zhuge". For those that can't interpret my phonetic attempt at this perfectly descriptive but particularly hard to spell word - I'm referring to that attempt to revamp said cupboard, 'queer-eye-for-the-straight-guy' style.... Tu comprends?

Ooooollaaaaaa

These are a few of my favourite things....

Smoked salmon
Avocado
Potato
Hollandaise sauce

Stack them on top of each other and hello boys. This is the stuff that dreams are made of.

This was my late brunch delight care of my new favourite culinary destination in Honkers - Oolaa. That was certainly the sound that came out of my mouth when I devoured this little puppy. In a matter of seconds I might add. Not only was the entire menu to die for (think savoury mince on toast with parmesan and rocket - another hello boys), but the relaxed, chatter-filled London-style bistro end of the restaurant gave me that little hit of my old hood that I'm so craving at the moment. Just what I needed....in more ways than one.

A lot of love for living etc

There's nothing more that tickles me pink on a Saturday afternoon than to sit down with a cup of tea and a Tim Tam and open up a fresh copy of my all time absolute favourite magazine. It does hurt slightly that I now pay almost triple what I did in the UK for the pleasure, but to be honest, every dollar is worth it.

So this Saturday, I am grateful for simple pleasures. Especially this delightful assembly of pages that never ceases to put a smile on my dial.

I'm playing along with Maxabella's "I'm grateful for". This woman rocks. Check out her blog.

My first award!

While I was away, one of my favourite bloggers at ThisMid30sLife gave me an award! How special do I feel right now?! You can read all about the "awards ceremony" here. She had been given a multitude of very well-deserved awards herself and was passing some on to a few new blogs she'd discovered. And one of them was mine!

The last award I won was no less than 1st place for Religion in Year 12 at school. Yes, I'm laughing too. It was too long ago to remember how on earth I managed to score that glowing accolade but I'm quite sure that it had something to do with my exceptional ability to nap meditate in class. I'm not sure what meditation had to do with religion but you didn't hear me complaining. It was most probably our teacher's 'innovative' way to get us all to shut up when we clearly had very important gossip to catch up on from last Saturday night's pash at Mansions. I was pretty good at both those things at that point in my life. Meditating and gossiping that is.

Now there are some rules I'm supposed to follow for this award. I'm supposed to tell you a bit about myself and then answer some questions. A few posts ago I told you A LOT about myself, 50 things in fact, so I'm pretty sure if I tell you any more I'm likely to cross some sort of personal/private/cringe/shudder/I'm-no-longer-following-your-blog line that neither of us wants me to cross. So I'll spare us all and just answer the questionnaire.


Questionnaire

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it? 

I've never blogged anonymously. I can understand why people do it - the safety, privacy, security etc, but for me the best thing about blogging so far has been getting to know other bloggers and the things in their life that make them who they are, and that requires revealing a certain amount of information about yourself. I think once you get past the initial fear, you realise that it's quite liberating to be yourself, funnily enough.

2. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror? 

That I have a very good future with Mr. Botox.

3. What is your favourite summer cold drink? 

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter - a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Snap. 

There's something so affirming about an award and since getting this one from my new blog friend I feel all that and more. So thanks ThisMid30sLife for making me feel good, and special, and worthwhile, and part of something bigger than me, myself and I at my table on the 36th floor.

The Bali Finale

This post isn't actually about Bali itself but I couldn't resist the rhyme...

We spent the last 5 days of our trip on a little island called Gili Trawangan off the coast of Lombok. No cars, no scooters, no motorbikes - just pushies and horse-drawn carts. As you do. The rest of the holiday sort of went something like this......

Back to normal blog business tomorrow! Hope you enjoyed my little slice of Bali. I know I sure did.

Bali Bali Bali - Part 2

After surviving the chaos of the roads on two wheels I can tell you right now I was damn well tickled pink when we got in the car to make our way to Ubud. I am a four-wheel woman without a shadow of a doubt.

Ubud is the arty, crafty, markety area in the middle of Bali that everyone raves about, so of course we decided to check it out. We made it there (safely) care of the happiest man alive, our driver, Suwande. Our lovely Indonesian aunt organised for us to meet up with her relatives, who in turn organised for us to be driven anywhere we'd like in Bali at any time by one of their two drivers. Awesome? Ah, yes. Suwande was the man to take us around and although he spoke all of 5 words in English we all managed to smile and laugh through every car trip. Suwande and every other Indonesian we met had this relentless, beaming happiness that burst from their faces every time they looked at you and smiled. Their friendliness and warmth was one of the most memorable thing about the trip for me. There is no such things as can not in Bali.

We shopped till we dropped through the markets in Ubud, aggressively bargaining like seasoned pros and having a ball doing it. We had some amazing traditional suckling pig for all of $3 at a random, hidden restaurant that I know would make a certain someone drool - yes you BabyMac.

One of the amazing things we kept seeing, time after time all throughout Bali, were these petite little women with an astonishing ability to balance various rather large and inconvenient objects on their head. We saw these women moving coal from the road back to the temple behind, on their heads. 

And although these women selling their bits and pieces had the most annoying ability to be in your face after every step, you can't argue that Bali's Got Talent. There's a show in that Mr. Cowell.

We wowed at the rice fields for a while here....

And then wowed some more at this Hindu and Buddhist temple called Goa Gajah....

Another day, another adventure, another lychee martini. That night we went to a restaurant in Seminyak called Sarong on the back of many a recommendation. It was classy and casual with amazing Asian-fusion food which was exactly what we fancied after a day in the hills. Inconveniently, the wine was ridiculously expensive which meant we just had to make do with cocktails, which we did until we decided to ignore the price and get a bottle of wine anyway. That's what I love about holidays - reckless abandonment of all things logical and just going-with-the-flow. 

ps. I promise tomorrow will be the last post about the holiday. I am very aware that there is only so much one really wants to hear about anothers holiday but when there's inspiration for a post whacking you in the face you just gotta roll with  it. And now that I'm back in my ice-box in Hong Kong with the heater jammed against my thighs and taxi drivers irritating me beyond comprehension, I'm clinging onto the friendly, chilled out Bali while I can.

pps. HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY! I intend on having me some sort of sausage sizzle today followed by a Tim Tam, a packet of Twisties, an ANZAC biscuit, a Lamington, AND a Caramello Koala. No word of a lie.

Bali Bali Bali - Part I

I may be nursing a "Nasi Goreng Nasty" (as my friend so eloquently put it - thanks Lovejoy), but I am BACK!

Embarrassingly, it's only lunch time and I'm spent. It's been an action packed day so far - breakfast, unpacked, 3 loads of washing, clean kitchen/bedrooms, job hunt AND checked back in with my favourite blogs. That's about 3 days worth of activity in Indonesia that I've squashed into a 4 hour period. I'm in serious need of need a nap and a lunch-time cocktail.

We had a brilliant holiday and got up to quite a lot while we were away - Uluwatu, Jimbaran, Ubud, Tanah Lot, Gili Trawangan, diving, snorkelling, reading, eating, drinking, sleeping, swimming, bargaining, laughing, chatting - just generally having a damn good time. I think instead of writing a thesis today on this great trip, I'll write a thesis over a few days and give you a few snippets of our adventures....just to make it easier on all of us. Sound good?

Here's the first installment....

The Lost Souls

One day, Nick and I decided we'd take the plunge and hire scooters with the intention of making our way down to Uluwatu to watch the sunset over a temple perched on the edge of a cliff. That was the plan anyway. After I nearly crashed within the first 10 metres of our ride, sustained a significant cut foot and popped my toe-bit out of my thong, we calmly set off down the hectic, chaotic main strip from Seminyak where we were staying, towards Kuta. We were quite happily chugging along on our adventure, me tottering happily at the pace of a snail with white knuckles and a heart rate to boot, and Nick somewhat more coolly as only a 26 year old Aussie male would. Unfortunately we didn't anticipate the impact of this discrepancy in pace or nature. One minute he was there, the next, gone. And I mean gone. I stopped. Waited for him to come back. Kept driving. Stopped. Turned around. Went back. Stopped. Came back again. Groaned loudly in frustration. Went another way. Looked back, looked forward, looked sideways. Gone. Right. Great. Fabulous. So what the hell do I do? Oh and my phone wasn't working. For some reason I can't explain we hadn't really hatched a plan. We just thought it would be pretty straight forward. Get on the bikes and drive. Silly silly me. So. I sat there and thought about it for a while. The last conversation we'd had was - let's make our way down to Uluwatu. We were going to stop at the Kuta market but for some reason I didn't pay that slice of information much attention and so I decided the sensible thing to do would be to head back to where we came from. So I did. But half way there I realised I was in fact on my way to Uluwatu. Ah yes, wrong turn AGAIN. Well "bugger it" I thought. I'll head down there and surely he'll think to meet me at our final destination. TWO HOURS LATER - I'm still driving. Freeways, highways, byways - you name it. Eventually I had to stop for petrol and I somehow convinced an unsuspecting, non-English speaking local to let me use his 1989 Nokia to call my brother for a cheeky 50,000 rupees ($5). When I finally got through he nonchalantly relayed to me that he was quite happily waiting for me at Kuta market where we said we'd head. Yes well, hindsight is a wonderful thing. We ended up meeting down at Uluwatu and it was well worth it.

Monkeys had basically taken over the temple site and were everywhere. This delightful monkey-couple played out this ever-so-innocently-cleaning-my-partner's-butt-scene for us as we wandered through the temple. Now I know we've supposedly evolved from these things but let's just hope the human race can see where to draw the line, eh?

Of course what we felt like after seeing that, was eating. So we jumped back on the bikes and headed to Jimbaran for some seafood on the beach. On the way, we popped by the Rock Pool bar at the Ritz Carlton (literally a bar on the rocks that you had to catch a tram to get to - that white thing on the tracks there) to have a peek......did someone say fancy? Of course they wouldn't let us in because my brother had board shorts on. We felt like we were back with the power-tripping door-bitches in Sydney so quickly departed for something much more our kind of scene (as Bernard Fanning might say).

So we ended up at what I think was my favourite place in Bali. Relaxed, chilled, cheap, cheerful, beach, beer, seafood, sunset soaked Jimbaran. We arrived dripping in sweat from our gargantuan ride across what felt like the continent just in time for a swim as the sun was setting. Delightful. We then settled in for some lobster, prawns, squid, beers and chips and digested what had been a rather exhilirating day.

Amazing stuff. I miss it already!
Tune in tomorrow for Part Deux.

xx

Yes, another Lychee Martini please...

So, I've had a tough week at work. Slaving away for hours on end, dealing with my painful boss who earns far too much money and never gives me enough recognition for all the effort I'm putting in. My colleagues invited me out for the usual 'Friday Frolic' lunch today but being the diligent employee I am, I politely declined. I have far too many deadlines to even consider getting merry and somewhat off my trolley. No, no - I want my boss to know how serious I am about this job and it's high time he realised that just because I wear the odd thigh skimming skirt and peek-a-boo blouse doesn't mean I'm inviting him and his wandering eyes into my life. There is far more to me than that. I've outperformed all my colleagues this year and it just doesn't seem to be registering with Mr. Stare-a-Lot and well, I think I just about need a holiday......

WELL......we all know that's not really me. But I needed to fabricate some sort of viable excuse for the fact that I'm off to BALI tomorrow for 10 DAYS!!!!!! I haven't been working like a dog, have no colleagues to speak of nor been the victim of workplace harassment and this poor sod certainly sounds rather more deserving of a holiday than I do, but hey? I've decided that while this "free time" exists I'm going to take it by the balls and make the most of it. My younger brother and I are holiday-ing together for the first time in I don't know how long and I can't wait for some proper uninterrupted time to catch up on life. It's the first visit for both of us and we're dividing our time between Seminyak in Bali and Gili Trawangan, a tiny island off the coast of Lombok. Life for the next 10 days will be all about sunshine, reading, swimming, chatting, tanning, eating, drinking, laughing, snorkeling, diving, discovering and a whole lotta relaxing.
Bring. It. On.

This is our pool in Seminyak where I plan on spending rather a lot of time.....

And these are the Gili Islands off the west coast of Lombok - we're staying on the one furthest away from the mainland. Oh this is going to be goooooood.

And this here will be by bath every day. Need I say more?

This is my first holiday since I've been blogging and I feel like I'm leaving a part of me behind (as corny as that might sound). I'm not sure what my Internet access will be like, nor my inclination to blog after my daily dose of Lychee Martini's but know that I will (hopefully) be armed with many a story and many an envy-inducing photograph on my return!

Hope you all have a good 10 days and I'll see you a little more bronzed, well read, well fed and no doubt a few kilos heavier after the 24th! 

Lots of love, one very lucky Tai Tai x

   

Just because.

There seems to be some pretty horrendous things going in the world at the moment that are happening just because. It's not fair, it's not deserved, it's not justified. But they happen anyway.

The atrocity of the Tucson shootings is just too sad for words. I just watched a few clips of Obama "reassuring the nation" after tragedy struck in the form of a deranged killer who took the lives of six innocent bystanders at a political gathering on Saturday. One of the victims was Christina Taylor-Green, a nine year old girl who had just been elected to her student council and wanted to witness how the grown-ups did politics. She was born on September 11, 2001. How tragic that a such an innocent little person's life could be book-ended by such horrific displays of human contempt.

The floods in Queensland are blowing my mind and to be honest the force of "mother nature" scares the hell out of me, especially in a country where so many people rely on the "land" for their livelihood. It goes to show how powerless we really are. We think we've got life sorted managing work, families, relationships, the nuances of our lives, and then BAM. We look up and realise that a force so far out of our control has just changed everything.

This week a fellow blogger, Lori - a young mother with 2 young children, suffered enormously with the shocking loss of her husband. I can't fathom the heartache she's experiencing right now or the fear she must be feeling for the reality of a life she didn't choose. Losing loved ones is my biggest fear. It's been incredible to see the blogging community rally around her showing unconditional support and offering an ever-present shoulder to lean on. There's a hell of a lot to be said for technology and social media.

My uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer a few weeks ago. Hearing those words, coupled with "inoperable" were like taking a punch in the face from Mike Tyson. We'd only just gone through it last year with my auntie so this just felt like a royal kick in the guts. Twice in 2 years? You've got to be joking. Incredibly, he had his whole lung taken out a week later and it looks like he's been given the "all clear". Medicine blows my mind. He, and we all, are SO lucky.

So much in life happens that is out of our control. Everything I've just written about has happened just because. No rhyme or reason. Just because. All these tragic events are a harsh reminder that maybe exerting all that effort and worry and stress to control our little slice of life, just isn't worth it. Life is going to happen, run it's course, follow it's path and when we can we should try to remember that we can be happy just because as well.

I said brrrrrr........

I'm seeing far too many of these ugly but damn warm puffa jackets around at the moment (I may or may not own one myself). They are everywhere and why? For some reason this supposedly tropical island that held all my aspirations for a life bathed in sunshine all year round, has turned into a dreary, hazy, bloody freezing ice bucket. When I was advised 10 weeks ago on our arrival that we should really invest in a heater, I arrogantly smirked and dismissed the possibility of that reality here in Honkers. For some reason though, I took her advice and thank the maker - because as we speak, I have the saviour that is that manufactured heat blasting into my tracksuit-clad legs while my good old knee-high uggies deal with my frosted periphery.

I have a message for you Honkers. SORT YOURSELF OUT. Bring back the heat or else.

The Price Tag

Now call me ignorant or a bit late or just plain uninterested lazy, but until I had to take "Introduction to Economics" (I'm yawning just saying that) for my Masters a few years back, I wasn't aware of the concept of Opportunity Cost.

And before you quickly decide that 'No thanks, the last thing I want to read about on a Tuesday night after I've made dinner, put the kids to bed, done the washing, packed the dishwasher, had a fight with my husband and been forced to watch Top Gear, is the basic terminology of economics. I'm going to bed' - I like to think I've got a somewhat more interesting point to make later on so please, stick with me.

Opportunity Cost refers to the fact that everything comes at a cost, everything comes at a price, you can't have more of something without giving up a bit of something else. Now this made A LOT of sense to me and this example is probably why I understood it so.

I have £20 and I want 2 bottles of wine and some Cadbury's hazelnut chocolate. I want enough of both to get me through the night without wanting more. I can afford 2 bottles of wine but only a single bar of chocolate (7 pieces). Well that's just not going to cut it. Okay - well I'll buy one bottle of wine and a whole block of chocolate. Well that's just not going to cut it either. Sound familiar? Opportunity cost my friends.

Now - to my point. This concept permeates life and is about far more than just economics. I'm not sure if it's my situation at the moment and the circumstances that I'm in that are making me acutely aware of this sort of stuff, whether I'm growing up, settling into marriage or just questioning, observing, analysing more as I get older - but I'm noticing this concept everywhere I look. Life seems to be ALL about opportunity cost. Having something means giving up something else.

You can't move to an exciting new country without missing your old friends terribly.
You can't be unemployed and enjoy it at the same time.
You can't eat a block of chocolate and not feel guilty about it later.
You can't be a stay at home wife without losing your independence.
Having kids is joyous but you give up your perky breasts freedom as a result.
Being in love can mean giving up your dreams.
Breaking up a relationship can mean freedom but fear.

I'm finding myself at a point in my life where I have choices, which I am so grateful for, but choices which mean giving up a bit of something I want to hold on to. I'm by no means complaining about this as I know there are so many people, especially women, out there who don't have the luxury of choice. But in this day and age and particularly in a place like HK, there is so much to yearn for, so much to achieve, so much to want and all at such a young age that along with that comes a whole lot of pressure. It's easy to shrug it off without much thought but we're faced with this huge challenge to get it "right". "Right" by who? I guess yourself is the PC answer.....but I'm my toughest critic so how's that going to work?

Opportunity cost.....

50 random facts about me

There's a bit of "I might post that too" going on in blog world and I've decided to get in on the action. I got the idea from my new blog-pal Natalie at Diary of a Girl Abroad, who in turn pinched it from Mrs Kypo at Cupcakes, Frocks and Pink and Mrs Woog from Woogsworld. (I think all that godforsaken referencing throughout my years at university might have just paid off!).

So here goes - here are 50 random facts about me:

1. I'm six foot tall and feel like a giant most of the time, especially in Hong Kong
2. I watch re-runs of X-factor on YouTube far too often
3. I've got a random but very noticeable pulse in my stomach from an apparently harmless narrowed artery. It gets stronger when I'm hungry, when I'm full and when I'm lying down. As I said, random.
4. I miss my friends in London and Sydney every day
5. My first concert was Alanis Morrissette, my most recent was Powderfinger and my most memorable was either Andre Bocelli or Beyonce - I can't decide
6. I find it hard to get up before 8am in the morning - always have, always will
7. I come alive at 11pm at night. Think I may have been a vampire in my previous life (married to Jake from Twilight of course. Although that may be controversial as he is a wolf and I a vampire)
8. I have the most weird-ass dreams that make my husband cry with laughter when I tell him about them
9. I adore champagne
10. I get terrible hangovers
11. I've crashed a car more times than I like to remember
12. I cook amazing scrambled eggs so never order them at a cafe
13. My husband can dance like Usher and its one of my favourite things about him
14. I love dancing to Beyonce with my best friend - I smile on the inside just thinking about it
15. I walked down the aisle to Somewhere over the Rainbow sung by an American Idol winner (Kris Allen) 
16. Once I start eating Cadbury's hazelnut chocolate, I can't stop. Right now is a perfect example. Put...it....down....
17. One of my earliest memories is of my mum's crazy brothers making my dad laugh really hard at our old holiday house in Kincumber
18. I'm awesome at Ping Pong - my husband is scared of my backhand - and so he should be
19. And pretty good at Pool
20. I'm never happy with my body
21. I cry every time I watch Love Actually - the part where Emma Thompson gets the CD from her husband for Christmas instead of the necklace she'd found in his pocket and realises he's having a an affair (hysterical) - and the part where the little red-head is playing the drums at the school Christmas performance and the little girl he loves points to him while she's singing "all I want for Christmas" (he grins thinking she loves him back) and then she goes on to point to everyone else in the band. Don't know why but that makes me weep!
22. I desperately hope that one day I get the chance to live on a vineyard in France
23. I miss dancing in nightclubs for hours on end but there's no way I could stand doing it now
24. My favourite part of my body is my hands but in photos they often look like they belong to an alien
25. My dad's an accountant, my mum a medical secretary, my sister a teacher, my brothers a sports scientist, my husband a trader and I'm unemployed.
26. I want to drastically change my hair but I don't have the guts
27. I'm obsessed with furniture made with reclaimed wood
28. I was as blind as a bat before I had laser surgery 4 months ago - best money I ever spent
29. I miss wearing my glasses - I think they made me look intelligent
30. I'm paranoid that because I've got blonde hair people will assume I'm stupid
31. Now that I don't wear glasses, even more so
32. When I swim in the ocean I feel like I'm home
33. I was disappointed with Paris when I first went to visit, but the more I go back, the more I fall in love. And I'll give you the hot tip - I'm in love.
34. I miss taking a certain 3 year old with red hair to the Pirate Ship in Kensington Park. They were such happy times and he always makes me smile.
35. I worry far too much and am pretty sure I get that from my mum
36. I tend to exaggerate, so does my sister - we also get that from our mum
37. Someone once said to me "Thanks for saving my life"
38. I've loved Beverly Hills 90210 since I was a kid and that love has never faded. Dylan you rock my world.
39. One of my best mates once cooked our group of friends mashed potato. It was so unbelievably good we renamed it Whipped Heaven. The name has stuck.
40. I play the piano - well, technically, I don't really. I used to play the piano. My husband bought be a keyboard for my birthday last year which I love but I'm realising I lack the patience to practice.
41. I find it really hard to get to sleep at night. It sucks.
42. When I was a kid, I slapped my sister in the face when I found out she'd read my diary.
43. I adore Labradors
44. I hate cats
45. Some of the best times of my life have been having my incredible friends over for dinner - a compulsory champagne starter followed by some crisp wines, some delicious food and endless laughter
46. My old neighbours are some of the best friends I'll ever have (LG)
47. When I was in year 3, I always finished my maths work first so my teacher got me to mark the other kids' work
48. I wish I had a sexy French/Italian/Spanish/something/anything non-occa accent
49. I'm dreaming of the day I own a house, with a backyard, a dog and beautiful kids running naked through the sprinkler on a hot summer's day
50. I get nervous I might say too much on my blog!

Which way do I go?

It's no secret that I'm hard at it hunting for a job here in Honkers and that to my dismay - I'm not having much luck. I'm fortunate enough to have an infinite amount of time on my hands daily which means I've been pondering a few kind of big and sometimes scary questions about my career and its direction, which I'm not finding all that easy to answer.

I've enjoyed the jobs I've had so far (physio, very short stint in e-commerce, healthcare strategy/project management/relationship building/Public Health Masters blah blah) but I can't say I've ever loved my job. I've never jumped out of bed punching the air with excitement over my day ahead at work. Don't get me wrong, I've always found it satisfying knowing I was doing a job that was really helping people, supporting people to get the most out of their lives by being healthy, mobile, functional. I've had some life-changing moments which I'll never forget and I wouldn't change them for the world. But all in all and after 7 years in the industry (and I'm stealing this word from a few fellow bloggers because it just describes the feeling soooo well) - I just feel kinda meh about it.

I get oh so jealous when I hear people say how much they love their jobs - I just can't really imagine what that's like. I'm also quite sure there's a hell of a lot of people out there like me that are somewhat mediocre about what takes up rather too large a proportion of their lives.

I've been searching for jobs in the healthcare industry because that's the logical thing to do. It's where my experience is, what I have skills and knowledge of. So that is what I should do, isn't it? I've just invested a lot of time and money in my masters so I should really put it to use in the right industry, shouldn't I? But is it what I really want to do? Is that really what will get me air punching in the morning? Does anyone even do that? I get worried that I'm just one of those people that gets bored after a while and that needs a change of environment to keep me interested. So do I just need a new job in healthcare? Or do I need a whole new job in a whole new industry?

Oh so many questions and oh so zero answers.

I feel like I'm at a real turning point. I could decide that no - I'm going to be safe, stick with what I know, what I've learnt, what I've educated myself in and press on for a role in healthcare, in a pharmaceutical company, a hospital. Or I could decide that yes, I want a career change. I want to use my love for writing, my love for homewares, furniture, my love for being organised, for making things happen, for being with young and old, creative, inspiring people.

But seriously, how do I answer that question?

Lately I've seen a few friends of mine (hello BabyMac, hello NP) really change their lives, making big decisions, taking big risks, not really knowing how it was going to work out but knowing that something wasn't quite right AND being gutsy enough to do something about it. I really admire that quality in people and am starting to think maybe I should take a leaf out of their books?

New city, new life, new friends - new career?

Bringing sexy back

I'm just picking my jaw off the ground......give me a sec......okay got it.

I just saw this video of Tom Ford's Spring/Summer Collection '11 and nearly wet my pants. I'm sorry but I think I may have just had a visual orgasm. Not only is the backing song ridiculously sexy but the show features the hottest, sexiest celebrities (including the one and only Beyonce) and models swanning down a runway wearing his god-I-wish-I-owned-and-fit-into-everything-in-his-collection collection. I'm no fashionista and it is a harsh reminder how far the reality of my life is from such seductive glamour but I'm just going to pretend for 3 minutes while I watch this again and again and again.

.
Can the man do no wrong?

Fuel Espresso

I took myself off to a new-ish cafe the other day that I've been reading about on a few HK websites that apparently boasts some of the best coffee in Hong Kong. Now, I'm not the best person to be testing out such a place as I am ashamedly one of those annoying people who orders a decaf soy latte (yes, yes I know - what's the point). But I'll give it a crack anyway.

Needless to say it certainly lived up to its reputation! To start with, the brilliant name. Said with a sexy, lingering Italian accent - Fuel Espresso - conjures up some sort of image of a hot McLaren Formula 1 car (note I support McLaren, NOT Ferrari) powered by espresso coffee instead of petrol (both smelling equally good in my books) and driven by some striking Italian stallion who makes all of us, including the men, melt the minute he jumps out of his hot humming machine. Mmmmmm.....There's just something so enticing about it. Or am I getting coffee confused with Formula 1.....

The decor was superb. And this is all important in my books. Dark brown leather chairs with worn wooden frames, dark wood tables, lots of classy-looking bottles lining the shelves behind the bar, standing room for the suits to have their shots of espresso in between making millions - just subtle chocolate flavoured furniture as far as the eye can see. I tried to take a photo of the cafe but was abruptly ambushed by the wait staff with the oh-so-Hong-Kong catch phrase - CAN NOT! Supplemented with an X-factor-esque hand signal by all bar staff in case I didn't quite get the message. A little aggressive I thought.

Thanks for the demo Dannii. We still on for dinner next week?

My decaf soy latte came out after only a few minutes on the most beautiful little saucer, was barista'd to perfection and actually tasted like real coffee.

The Wifi was temperamental but eventually sorted itself out - essential for a job-hunting, blog-writing Tai Tai. There was eye-candy to boot for both the ladies and gents and the ambiance was relaxed and subtle, emphasised by the mellow jazz tunes playing at the perfect volume for the duration of my coffee - immediate brownie points from the nana who has started muting the ads of TV so I don't have to listen to the dribble.

A definite winner of a cafe in my books. Perfect for the local IFC suits and yummy mummy visitors. If you lady friends happen to be shopping at IFC it's the perfect place for a mid-spend banana bread and cappuccino recharge "darling". Let's just hope they consider opening up another branch a bit closer to home. Convenience is King in Honkers and the current 20 minute escalator ride is really pushing it....

Love your lazy Tai Tai x