July Journal.

July. The first day of July was spent on a boat with old and new friends, driving around the Sydney Harbour, drinking beer and eating snacks on a clear and sunny winter's day. In terms of what Sydney has to offer, a sunny day out on the Harbour is very close to perfection. It rivals the constant stream of European Instagram posts that are flooding everyone's feed at this time of year. The ocean is a magnificent deep blue, and the vistas of the harbour are just as good as those looking back on Positano.

After such a busy June, I spent the early parts of this month trying to settle back into my routine that keeps me on track, but it didn't last for long. Mid-week events kept popping up and throwing me off course. In the beginning, I was resistant and frustrated with not being able to keep to the things I normally do. Routine keeps me on track with my exercise, nutrition and spending, but after a while, it does become repetitive and monotonous. With encouragement from my Co-Star app push notifications - there was something about shaking up routines - I eventually let go and ran with whatever came my way.

Levi's grandmother sadly passed away and we attended her funeral on the Central Coast on a Monday. That night we drove back to Sydney, returned our hire car, and took up the offer of free tickets to a Mark Ronson DJ set at The Star. After the day we had, it felt like a fun, freeing and frivolous way to shake off the solemn day we had.

I also went to see a play at Hayes Theatre, which is around the corner from our apartment, with Katie and Tash. We saw Razorhurst, a play set in Sydney in the late 1920s about the two women who ran the underbelly of the city and started razor gang wars between their two fractions. It was a fantastic two woman show that really pulled you into the tension and sinister nature of the time in Sydney.

We also had a trip to the Gold Coast. The occasion was to celebrate some dear friends who are having their first baby. At the end of the afternoon, after the co-ed baby shower had wrapped, it was just the six of us left - me, Levi, Rachel, Jackson, Sarah and Jay. We all lived and fell in love with our respective partners in the same house. It was our first home out of home, it was our very early 20s, it was the beginning of our lives. We share memories and moments that will intertwine us close to one another forever. Even though we don't live together anymore, we aren't each other's housemates any more, we share the same feeling that no matter what, deep down, we have one another, and despite times where we don't get to see or talk to one another as much as we'd like, we always have one another. The type of friends where you just pick up from where you left off.

Before and after the baby shower was spent catching up with all of our close friends who squeezed us in for a fleeting visit. I had breakfast with Ashleigh and baby Evie, we were also joined by my Dad. Mum was busy walking 60 km through the Gold Coast Hinterland for the Kokoda Challenge. Levi and I also got to catch up for coffee and croissants with our dear friends Meg and Ben before they headed off on a road trip for the weekend.

On coming back from the Gold Coast we had the week to be lived like we're in Europe on summer holidays and not at work, grudgingly trying to get through winter. We ate dumplings and had wine and beer at the cheap and cheerful Chinese Noodle Restaurant on a Monday night before seeing the ultimate high-summer vibe band Friendly Fires. They haven't released new music or toured in a really long time so the gig almost felt like a battle to win the crowd over. The crowd was all diehard fans who were in it for the long haul. Friendly Fires won us. It was the best concert I've been to in a long time. Then on the Wednesday night of that week we went back for more, this time starting our night at the new Mary's in Circular Quay. We had burgers before heading to the Opera House to see Tycho, an American producer who makes this wonderful ambient tempo driven music. In all of Tyco's older music there are no words, just instrumentals, and I often put it on to work to as it gets me into this really deep mode of concentration. Tycho were great however I didn't think the Opera House was the right venue for them, as my much as one loves the Opera House! It was too big, and it was all seated, and the music made you feel like you wanted something smaller and more intimate where you could move your body more.

To round out the busy month, my Dad was in Sydney the last weekend for a friend's party. He has been wanting to try Totti's since Merivale took over The Royal so this time I booked in advanced and we got a table, on a sunny Sunday out in the terrace no less. We were joined by our family friends Ross and Janine, and much to my relief, everyone loved the food, the service and the terrace.

After so much eating this month, I am straight back onto my trusty broccolini, mushroom, tempeh dish.

I have tried to stay on track with my budget as much as I can and I think I am doing OK. I know I splurged a bit last month but I figure that I'm not going on holidays any time soon so I may as well enjoy myself. After not buying clothes, I seem to buying more and more tickets. In some ways that's great, because it means I'm having more experiences, but they are also quite expensive and add up after a while!

My yoga practice has also taken a hit. I have been going where I can and feel this overriding guilt of knowing I should be going when I am doing something else.

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

Two new secondhand pieces from eBay, a Witchery knit top ($30) and a lovely white linen dress for summer ($40). Both are simple, in excellent condition and I know I will get  lot of wear out of both. I've stocked up on my knit jumpers now so I am happy with where my winter wardrobe is. The only thing that could improve it is a pair of black skinny jeans, but they're proving difficult to buy in good condition second hand!

~ Read, watched and listened ~

I saw The Lion King and Booksmart, loved both!

To Live and Die in LA podcast - I gobbled up this podcast over the course of two weeks. It's been some time since I've listened to a crime podcast and this one reminded me how incredibly thrilling they can be. In this podcast, you follow journalist Neil Strauss and a private investigator Jayden, into the disappearance of Adea Shabani, an aspiring young actress who goes missing without a trace. What unfurls is a meticulous real-time account that pieces together close to exactly what happened.

~ Eats ~

Despite all of the dining out this month, I managed to make a new recipe. We bought a box of risoni for this pasta salad I'm obsessed with but I was looking for what else I could do with it. I tried this Tomato Risoni with silverbeet, feta, walnuts and honey from Good Food. It was pretty good... Levi said it was a little confusing but it still tasted good.

x.

June Journal.

(All pictures this month edited with HUJI app)

June. My favourite month yet and I can't believe I just said that about the first month of winter, my least favourite season!

It all started off on the very first weekend of my Mum, Nana and my youngest sister Phoebe all coming down to Sydney to join Ruby and I for a long weekend to celebrate Mum's 50th birthday. We hired an AirBnb terrace house in Darlinghurst and set off exploring the city like tourists with local knowledge. I'm very proud that we didn't settle with tourist fatigue and give into eating at any tourist traps. Instead we made the bit of extra effort to go somewhere that was worthy of our empty stomachs and special to Sydney.

My Nana was the MVP of the whole weekend. On the first day she, with the rest of us, walked 15km around the city from Martin Place, to the Royal Botanic Gardens, then the Opera House and finally The Rocks. We stopped and scored a table on the rooftop of The Glenmore and ate our lunch under the warm winter sun. After heading back to the Airbnb for a rest, Nana came out and backed up all that walking with a stroll around Vivid. We decided to forgo all of the Vivid food carts, with their long lines and marked up prices, and head back to Darlinghurst. It was an incredibly chilly night and all we felt like was something warm and nourishing. It was the right time to try out #eatfuh on Victoria Street and it didn't disappoint. We each had a regular (more like a large) bowl of the most delicious pho I've ever eaten. The broth, which is what makes or breaks a pho, was light but warming with lots of star anise.

(l-r: me, Mum, Phoebe, Ruby & Nana)

(Nana walking to the Opera House)

The following morning we tried our luck to see if we could get a table at Bills in Darlinghurst. There was five of us, and everyone knows Sydney loves brunch, so I thought our chances would be slim. As luck would have it, we were seated after waiting only 10 minutes. Basically a miracle! We splurged on Bills' famous ricotta hotcakes and Mum had their scrambled eggs. From there, we took a ferry over to Manly and wandered around for a little bit. Although still full from the ricotta hotcakes, I really wanted to go to Rollers Bakehouse and try one of their pastries. I'd heard so much about them through my friend and colleague Hamish and they had also had a couple of good write-ups online. They had sold out of most of their pastries before we arrived but they did have some Monkey Bread left. Monkey Bread is the leftovers of their different kinds of dough, mixed with some herbs and cheese. It was to die for.

(Rollers Bakehouse, Manly)

(Happy 50th Birthday Mummy! In her element at Mr Wong)

(Deep friend ice cream is always the highlight of eating at Mr Wong!)

On the Saturday night, we tried our luck at getting into Mr Wong, during Merivale's 49% off drinks month, without a reservation. I love to roll the dice with getting into to restaurants without bookings. You never know where the night will take you. The restaurant fairies were on our side again, we scored a table, and had a one and a half hour window to make the most of all of the delicious food and the electric atmosphere. It's one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney and it didn't disappoint. Mum didn't stop talking about it for days so it really made her trip, like I thought it might.

The Sunday was very chilled. We checked out of the Airbnb and came back to my apartment to store everyone's luggage. We explored my new neighbourhood and had a lovely rest in Rushcutters Bay Park. Then just like that, it was time for Mum, Nana and Phoebe to head back to the Gold Coast. The weekend couldn't have gone any better. We had our way with everything we did, Mum gushed for the whole week after about how amazing her weekend was and even bought flights to come back down and see me in August. Nana had a great trip, her highlight was the Royal Botanic Gardens and her giant fish and chips on the rooftop of The Glenmore.

The following weekend, Dad came down, and it was his turn at all of the dining out and adventuring. It was also Levi's birthday that same weekend. Dad arrived on Levi's birthday, a Sunday, so we went and had a lovely brunch at Bills in Bondi. It was a beautiful sunny winter's day so we walked along the beach and up to the terrace at Bondi Icebergs where we scored a table overlooking the water. We had a couple of beers and marvelled at the beauty of Bondi Beach. I even saw a whale breaching out the back. It was the perfect afternoon. For dinner, we headed to The Corner House in Bondi, where I have heard so may good things. We shared pizza and a bottle of shiraz, Dad's pick.

The next day Dad came and saw my new apartment, then we went for a walk around Rushcutters. The weather wasn't as nice this particular day so we just sat in the park for a little bit before retreating back to my place where I made us lunch and then we do what our family does so well together, watched TV. I don't know if this is just with my family, but there is something that makes me feel so whole watching a television show or a movie with your immediate family members or significant other. To me it's not time wasted but time well spent, and it's times like that that I wish I could have all of the time because they are so simple yet hard to have with others who aren't your family members. I didn't buy enough food that day to make dinner so Ruby and I took Dad to #eatfuh and had big bowls of nourishing pho for tea.

During the week, Dad came over for dinner again and I made a few things from Smitten Kitchen. I found Smitten Kitchen through the Highly Enthused podcast and I am obsessed. The recipes are so easy, with simple ingredients, most of which you already have in the cupboard. So far, I've made: Perfect Garlic Bread, Cannellini Aglio e Olio (my new mid-week go-to), Cozy Cabbage and Farro Soup (made with brown rice instead of farro) and Quick Pasta and Chickpeas.

(Me, Dad, Ruby and her air mattress)

And just as quickly as it had come around that my whole family would be in Sydney over a two week period, it came to an end. For Ruby's last night in Sydney, we celebrated her (and her job offer!) with half-priced drinks at The Beresford, followed by a quick visit to Brix Distillery, and then dinner at Via Napoli in Surry Hills with two byo bottles of red wine. As predicted, Ruby leaving left a hole in my heart. I absolutely loved having her here and really miss her a lot.

The night after Ruby left I had a date with RUFUS DU SOL and it was just what I needed to snap me out of my homesickness. I met up with Hamish and his group of friends because I didn't know anyone going to the concert the night I went. It was so invigorating to have a good dance and release all of the energy that subconsciously builds up. I left with a huge smile on my face and made the trek home in the rain and wasn't bothered by it one bit... until the next day where I felt off, and then came down with the flu that would have me in bed for the next three days.

My recovery from my colds is always slow. In the past few years I've gone from getting throat infections to sinus infections which are not pleasant, nor subtle. It takes me a good three weeks to clear the passages. Thankfully I'm out the other side now and am feeling grateful that having a cold once a year is the only illness I suffer from.

To top off June, Levi and I celebrated our eight year anniversary with dinner at The Apollo. Eight years doesn't feel nearly as long as it sounds. In fact, I still feel like it's the beginning, and maybe that's why we've made it so far. Levi lights up my life. He makes me laugh every single day. Even the days we have that aren't our days, which are thankfully few and far between. Levi is smart, curious, free-spirited, creative, funny and fun. He makes me think, he challenges me and he always pushing me along to have new experiences. I'm not too sure where I'd be without him.

(Levi joking around and stopping us from having a nice picture together)

Looking back on June I can't help but feel so incredibly lucky for the love I have in my life. I have my person, and I have my family, all healthy and happy (including Jaja who is doing better than expected).

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

Yoga Mat Bag (new, not secondhand) - $65 from The OM Shop

So I bought something new... a yoga mat bag, for my yoga mat. BodyMindLife have a policy that all of the mats stored at their studios need to be inside bags. I had been storing my mat without a bag and getting away with it for a little while now. That was until they sent me an email saying my mat had been put aside for me to collect and I wouldn't be able to store it at the studio until I bought a bag for it. The problem with this is the mat I bought off Gumtree at the beginning of the year is actually huge and heavy. I had looked for a bag for it without any luck, and I knew if I had to carry it around with me everywhere that I'd just stop going to yoga, and I don't want to do that. So, after hours of searching the internet for a bag that would fit my mat, I found one. It's cotton, it's black and it just fits my mat. It also ties in with my all black activewear aesthetic that I'm going for.

Viktoria & Woods jumper - $50 from eBay

I'm desperate for some new winter clothes. I feel like I've been wearing the same five outfits on repeat weekly and I'm tired of seeing myself in them already! I also really needed a cosy knit after selling most of my knits in my market sale (which I now realise maybe I shouldn't have... anyway).

~ Read, watched & listened ~

RUSSH Magazine - The Soul Issue. There is a fabulous article written by my friend and former housemate Victoria on 'soul mates' and if they exist. I also loved the article on Vedic meditation.

The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (an Your Children Will be Glad That You Did) by Phillipa Perry - I ordered this book immediately after hearing Dolly and Pandora speak about it on The High Low. Whilst I don't plan on becoming a parent any time soon, the ideas that are explored around childhood and how your childhood experiences go on to effect you in later life is something I'd love to understand further.

~ Eats ~

After all of the above eating, I've been craving broccolini, mushrooms and tempeh with some tamari and brown rice. Easy, simple and healthy.

x.

May Journal.

May. The month flew by in an absolute blur. The kind of one that at the end of the month has you feeling shocked that it's almost June, and where has the year gone? Surely I'm not the only one who feels this way?

The last month of autumn was surprisingly warm, allowing us Sydneysiders to hold onto those warmer days before the damp cold sets in. We have finally settled into our new apartment. I'd forgotten how long it takes you to settle again after a change until you've had time to process and reflect - this always takes me around three months. Some things you just have to give time.

We had friends over for dinner parties to show off our new little home. We put a white table cloth over Levi's desk and used it as a dining table, and surrounded it with the chairs we bought from Lunatiques. I broke all of the rules of cooking for a dinner party and made dishes I'd never made before like whole roasted cauliflower, tomato and eggplant rissoni and a rhubarb and pomegranate tart.

Then there were the events: seeing Meg Wolitzer speak at the Sydney Writers Festival, attending the P.E Nation fashion week show through work and being invited to the RUSSH magazine F*ck Fashion, Let's Dance party at The Lansdowne by our dear friend Victoria. 

I was also incredibly lucky to be visited by my best friend Ashleigh, her partner Adam and baby Evie. We went to The Grounds of Alexandria on a Saturday morning (and survived to tell the tale). Despite the chaos that is The Grounds, we had an amazing catch up over coffee and pastries in the courtyard, lots of cuddles with Evie and took some freshly fried doughnuts for the way home.

Finally, my sister Ruby came to stay with us for a few weeks as she does one of her uni pracs in Sydney. I was apprehensive at the thought of having to share my space with someone other than Levi after so long living in a share house, but after Ruby arrived it was like we were teenagers again living at home. We are so similar and familiar with each others dispositions and nuances that very little is hard work between us. In fact it's so easy. I'm really going to miss having her here when she leaves.

May was exactly the month needed after April. It was and is everything I want from life; focused on the people, the places and the memories created from time being well spent with one another. And good food, of course!

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

I’m on a roll! There is nothing to add here this month! Although I am starting to feel the “just buy something” itch. I want to buy something, anything, but I don’t know what so I’m just observing the feeling and hoping it will pass, or that I find the something I’m looking for (a ‘going-out top’ and a weekend cross body handbag).

~ Read, watched & listened ~

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer – Like most good things I come across, I found out about Meg Wolitzer through The High Low (aka my favourite podcast in the world). Pandora and Dolly speak about Meg’s writing all of the time so I knew it would be amazing and worth checking out. To be honest, I haven’t read a lot of  ‘feminist’ reads so I was a little unsure what to expect her but once I got started, I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the characters so much (one of those ones where you wonder how they’re doing after you’ve finished) and also how the novel explored feminism in all different ways. It was both educational and an enjoyable read.

Killing Eve Season 2 – can I please have Villenelle’s wardrobe! Didn’t love the season as much as the first. Wasn’t sure about the ending, but will keep watching because I love the characters and the humour and spy drama/thriller shows!

Highly Enthused – a much needed breathe of fresh air in my podcast line up.  Although it’s a female duo, they have not blatantly ripped off The High Low’s structure and content and tried to make it their own, which so many other have done and it really makes me mad!  Highly Enthused is the kind of podcast I have been looking for. I really wanted to listen to something different but still about books, recommendations and maybe even food, and I’ve found it in spades with these two girls!  I love how passionate they are about the little things that make life richer, that’s exactly what I’m trying to be more about!


Joe Rogan’s interview with Russell Brand - my first time listening to Joe Rogan and he wasn’t what I was expecting. Throughout the  interview Joe and Russell would often differ with their views but managed to stay so respectful of one another and have a healthy, and insightful, conversation. It goes for about two hours but it’s worth it.

~ Eats ~

As mentioned above, the Good Food Rhubarb and Pomegranate Tart was so easy to make and heaven with some vanilla bean ice cream!

x.

April Journal.

April, hey. I don't want to start with the beginning of this month because it still hasn't sunk in. The world lost one of the good ones. One of the best ones. One of the ones who you look up to, want to be like, want to be their friend and are completely elated when you remember that you are indeed their friend.

It's still unfathomable to me that what happened happened. It's even more unfathomable that it happened to the least deserving person, and his most undeserving family and friends. There is no explanation. I'm not sure how you make sense of it. I still haven't been able to. I think about him every day. I think about his family and friends every, single, day.

It's hard to even admit that we said goodbye. It just can't be. It felt like yesterday since I'd last seen him, albeit it was nearly 12 months to the day ago. The farewell was solemn. The sky cried its own tears but the ocean was shined upon by the sun because that's where he was.

I have been reminded of the brevity of life. Some days I feel the fire in me, to do all of the things I want to do, to be all of the things I want to be. Other days I feel numb and can't get past the fact that 'nothing really matters'.

Mostly, I just want to be with my loved ones. I want to be with them, wholly present, enjoying the simple pleasures of our modern life. I want to remember every single moment that happened while we ate dinner, caught up over coffee or spent time together. I hug everyone a bit longer and a bit tighter because who is to say when it will be the last time. I am more self-aware than I've ever been, only wanting to give the best, most present, caring loving self to everyone I encounter.

I may not know what I want from my career, but I know what I want from life - to give and receive love. To be present. To show and feel gratitude for every second and minute that I get with those I love. To make the most of every interaction and opportunity. At the end of the day, that is all that truly matters to me.

With everything in focus, the hunt for possessions has never felt so foreign. Why would I want to waste my time doing that? Instead, I am eating, a lot, and taking in everything that surrounds me every time I go walking. I have got back into my yoga rhythm. I'm present enough to know how much joy it truly brings me instead of being something that you "do". I feel like I could do yoga all day and not be sick of it. And I've picked up reading again. It's something that makes me feel productive and productive feels good. These things, the little every day things, are all in my control and I have the choice to be mindful and observe them for how wonderful and joyful they are. I think if we're not showing gratitude for the simple things then we can't truly appreciate and enjoy the wonder of the bigger things.

-

My friend Jess and I did a market stall at Glebe Markets to sell some of our no longer needed clothes and bits and pieces. It was a beautiful, long day in the autumn sun. Tash, Nicola and Sam came to visit us. We watched all of the people come and go. After we finished our day of trade, we celebrated by catching up with our former housemates at a Mexican bar in the city. It was a really good day.

For Easter, Levi and I hired a car, rose early, and headed for nature and the ocean - Levi to surf, and me to breathe and read. We also headed into the only antique store that was open over the long weekend so we could finish furnishing our new apartment. I wasn't content to keep the TV collecting dust on the floor so we bought a mid-century Danish coffee table for the TV to sit on, and hide the hideous internet modems and cords underneath it. We also purchased four mid-century chairs which we're using as study chairs and dining chairs for when guests come over. All secondhand and vintage for extra feel-good measure.

I had a lovely girls Easter lunch that turned into a dinner. We drank organic wine and ate fresh hot cross buns from Bourke Street Bakery.

I got nostalgic for a time gone past and made a pizza from the restaurant where I spent nearly six years working as a high school and uni student.

I went and saw an indie play at a theatre in the back streets of Newtown with Katie and Tash.

For ANZAC Day, Levi and I went to the Martin Place Dawn Service for the first time. The service started at 4.30am. The crowd was large, but silent and still. It was so moving to be amongst so many peaceful and respectful people. Levi's parents were also down in Sydney and attended the service. We walked down to Circular Quay afterwards to see the sun rise and had breakfast at a touristy 24 hour restaurant. Later on in the day we walked through the Botanic Gardens and stopped in at the Plants With Bite exhibition at The Calyx. By 3pm, I was a complete zombie and passed out for a two hour nap.

To round out the month, Levi took me to see David O'Doherty at The Enmore for the Sydney Comedy Festival and I went on a $15 million super yacht for a work function.

~ New In - The Secondhand Edition ~

Four mid-century chairs
Mid-century danish coffee table

Both from Lunatiques

*Still haven't bought any new clothing!

~ Read, watched & listened ~

FINALLY FINISHED Principles by Ray Dalio - I have been reading this book on and off for a long time and I finally finished it this month. I need to go back through it and type up notes because there is so much wisdom in this book.

Ray Dalio, The Steve Jobs of Investing - The Tim Ferris Show podcast - I saw that Ray had done a podcast with Tim Ferris a couple of days after finishing the book so naturally I had to check it out and I'm glad I did. There is a lot happening in the book, a lot of dense information, so it was good to hear Ray talk at a high level without getting into too much nitty gritty.

After Life by Ricky Gervais on Netflix - I bawled from beginning to end of every episode. I also burst out laughing in every episode, which after sobbing isn't very pretty. This is the most beautiful television show I have ever watched and my life is better for having watched it. This isn't hyperbole.

Jameela Jamil on Emma Gannon's Ctrl Alt Delete podcast - I kept seeing Jameela Jamil pop up on my Instagram and wanted to know what the fuss was all about and have discovered my new idol. I've so far listened to two podcasts featuring her, have scrolled endlessly through her Instagram account, and her @iweigh account, and am teetering on the edge of a full on YouTube rabbit hole of Jameela Jamil videos. What a women, I could listen to her all day. She is so eloquent and smart and amazing!

~ Eats ~

A home made Mullumbimby Maddness (if you know, you know)

x.