Body is number one.

Firstly, thankyou to all of you who showed your support via this blog or twitter or real life.  Even though it's a bit of an odd time, the amount of positive feedback I've received has honestly been overwhelming and a little unexpected.

I know I am definitely better off somewhere else, somewhere that will appreciate what I bring to the table.  It really is a shame though because I worked very well with my peers and stakeholders and respected them greatly.  So sad that a single person can be so negative that I would throw away all the other good relationships and work because of that.

So there's 3 of us who are leaving my small team of 10 on the same day in Feb.  Hopefully that's an indication to senior management that there's something seriously wrong.  Anyway, not my problem.  I'm moving onto bigger and better things.

What I actually wanted to address in this post are the health issues associated with stress.  If you are as lucky as me you'll have a plethora of physical ailments, top cover private health insurance is not only necessary but your best friend.

I had a pretty big argument with my Manager last Wednesday.  Thursday I started feeling unwell and Friday I awoke to the worst period pain in a decade.  I'm on the pill to reduce my period pain which also regulates my cycle; I always get my period on Monday night/Tuesday morning.  This month it came 4 days early on the Friday before.

All I could do on Friday was sleep, Saturday was slightly better and then Sunday was slightly worse again.  Monday was a mix of period pain and a headache.  What a waste of a long weekend!  I woke up on Tuesday with NO PERIOD PAIN (it's a miracle) but my body decided to tag team and a headache set in for the whole of Tuesday and Wednesday, then yesterday I woke up with a throbbing headache which developed into a migraine.  I tried hard not to throw up, the pain was so bad.

Today is the first day in 7 days I have woken up in no pain whatsoever and I feel like the world is lighter and brighter (how sad).  I think what I'm trying to say is no work stress is worth sacrificing your health over.  It has taken me 7 years to realise this but at the end of the day your health has to be your number 1 priority.  Invest in it; pay for good medical attention; listen to your body.

I go to the chiro once a fortnight, I see an acupuncturist for my period pain, I go and get massages frequently because I carry a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders, I go for a brisk walk if I have moderate period pain, and I need to start going to yoga regularly.

What do you do to look after yourself?

Kx.

The TMI tag

Stolen from Rhi who stole it from Michaela haha.  I'm also deleting some questions which I think are silly, no one cares what my favourite song is and to answer that question I don't have one.  Also I have no idea why the formatting is so off but it's too late for me to care.

1: What are you wearing? 
Umm just undies.  Just finished a shower and about to go to bed

2: Ever been in love? 
Hi Tom!

3: Ever had a terrible breakup? 
Yes.  Tears, begging, ahhhh 

4: How tall are you? 
I want to say 148cm and I think that's right

5: How much do you weigh? 
I want to say 43kgs and I'm pretty sure that's right

6: Any tattoos? 
3

7: Any piercings? 
Ears (7 or 8 or 9) and my belly button

13: How old are you? 
27

14: Zodiac sign? 
Pisces - someone tell me what Pisceans are like!

15: Quality you look for in a partner? 
Honesty, someone I can be silly and have a laugh with, patience (VERY important when dating me)

16: Favourite Quote? 
Ok I had to google it to get it right...

18: Favourite color? 

Fuchsia (did you know I misspelt fuchsia as fuschia until last year?  Mind was well and truly blown when I discovered that)

19: Loud music or soft? 
Loud

20: Where do you go when you're sad? 
I like to just go for a walk and clear my head, down to the water if possible

21: How long does it take you to shower? 
10 mins normally, or 15 if I have to wash my hair

22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? 
10 minutes flat

23: Ever been in a physical fight? 
Yep.  Do NOT push me on the dancefloor

24: Turn on?
A sincere smile

25: Turn off? 
Smoking, douches

27: Fears? 
Having all my teeth fall out (seriously I get recurring nightmares)

28: Last thing that made you cry? 
My Manager.  Refer to last post.

29: Last time you said you loved someone? 
My Mum as I hung up the phone to her on Tuesday

30: Meaning behind your blog Name? 
Actually I get asked this all the time because I have the same instagram/twitter username.  It's my vogue forum username which I got from searching around my parents' study for inspiration and I found a cap on it that had 'Hermosa' embroidered onto it.  Randomness!

31: Last book you read? 
Desert Flower by Waris Dirie - it's about female circumcision in African culture

32: The book you're currently reading?
Nothing :(

34: Last person you talked to? 
Tom, about my new tablet

35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted? 
Ling is my sister from another mister


36: Favourite food? 
Salad.  Most types


37: Place you want to visit?
Hawaii again and Europe again


38: Last place you were? 
Don't understand this question.  I'm sitting on a couch.  Prior to this I was standing in the shower.

40: Last time you kissed someone? 
1 hour ago

41: Last time you were insulted? 
Tuesday

49: Last time you hung out with anyone? 
With my sisters today!!  Love hanging out with my sisters

Unemployed.

So I resigned yesterday.  I had no intention of resigning when I went into work but events unfolded which made me realise I could not continue to work there.  No one should be bullied or threatened by their Manager and I, unfortunately, was subject to both.

My Director, seeing how poorly my Manager's treated me, has allowed me to work as a consultant for the next 5 weeks and continue to be paid my normal salary.

I have mixed emotions at the moment.  On one hand I am elated that I no longer have to face such an evil man who is completely unprofessional and acts like a child and feels the need to be mean to a 27-year-old.  On the other hand, it's a bit of a scary world to be paying off a mortgage and paying rent in Sydney.  Definitely no more shopping for the time being.

I'll spend a few days getting over this horrid experience and then I will jump on the "looking for work" train.  If anyone needs a Service Delivery Manager/Project Manager in Sydney let me know!!!

Out of control.

I don't know what's happening.  Is my intense job dissatisfaction creating this insatiable need to shop?  My credit card says yes.

 Camilla and Marc The Rosary dress

 Bloch ballet flats are THE COMFIEST!

Asos Chelsea booties 

 Some bold Asos dress

In completely unrelated news, I woke up with the worst period pain today.  Couldn't get out of bed.  More on that next time.

Kx.

Victim of the NAP sale

I have spent some dollars lately with Net-A-Porter APAC.  I decided I would venture into designer clothes (especially for work) and cut back on the cheap Asos stuff that only lasts a season or two.

Diane von Furstenberg silk-chiffon blouse

J Brand white skinny pants

Karl Lagerfield leather mini

Alexander McQueen peplum top

Michael Kors shirt dress

And some lingerie for good measure

Elle Macpherson

Stella McCartney

These things are going back as they don't fit :(

Michael Kors leather booties

Collette Dinnigan top

Family Fun Times.

Hosting an 7-person brunch in a small 2 bedroom apartment is not easy.  But I had a lot of fun and I'm glad my family was able to see me settled in my new place.  Tom was the barista, churning out the coffees while my Dad joked that Tom had a Plan C if his Risk Management job and band both fell through (and that's as close to a compliment one will ever get from my Dad).

I cleverly chucked hash browns, tomatoes and mushrooms in the oven so I didn't have to worry about them and all I did was fry up some spinach, haloumi and chorizo.

My best friend's Mum bought me this gorgeous table runner back from a trip to Sri Lanka and it matches my red-themed kitchen/dining rooms perfectly!

My Dad recollected that he used to go down to my closest ferry wharf for fishing back in the day and lamented that he didn't bring his fishing rod today.

After brunch we went for a walk down to the water where my Dad got cranky about being out in the sun so we put him on a park bench in the shade and the girls walked around to Luna Park for a different view of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

Everyone was in good spirits as we walked back to the apartment and my Dad even joked about buying a house in the area as he loves the water and my Mum loves the trees and parks.  I'm really glad my family came over for the morning and we just hung out and had fun without anyone being grumpy or arguing.

^ Repurposed Glasshouse candle jar

Introducing my Louboutin shoe closet

I have been wanting to do this for years but it didn't make sense in any of the previous places I lived.  Now that I'm pretty much settled in the new place I decided it was time for a trip to Ikea to buy the Billy bookcase.

I bought the 28cm deep shelf (other option is 38cm) because it's the perfect depth for my size 5.5-6 shoes and attached these glass doors.  Admittedly I don't like the wooden bar across the middle (would've preferred one uninterrupted pane of glass similar to this but without the Japanese cherry blossom print).  I also bought 2 extra shelves as my shoes are pretty small.

A few hours later I had an amazing looking shelf ready for my shoes but the weight of the glass doors tipped the entire shelf forward and I was worried the entire thing would smash on the ground.  You're meant to attach the shelf to the wall but being a tenant I can't go drilling holes wherever I want so I decided to attach hooks to the top of the shelf and using rope, attach the hooks to picture railing hooks above the shelf.  That seemed to help a bit and then once I started piling shoes onto the shelves it became even more sturdy.

Fast forward a few hours and this is what my second bedroom now looks like:

YES there are still some shoes that didn't fit in the cupboard sitting on the left

2014 so far.....

Is it bad that I feel like it's Feb already??  I have packed so much into the first few weekends of January that I'm literally running from one place to the next (and sometimes late, which I hate doing).

First weekend of Jan we bought a new TV - a Sony Bravia 50 inch Smart TV with Full HD.  She's so shiny and I love her.

FRIENDS is better on 50 inches

 Shopping has continued as per my last post.

.... and introducing my Lover dress.....

I've eaten some meals

And visited some places

And seen some things

 (on a side note I've taken over the Furnace and the Fundamentals instagram account which is loads of fun).

"Frugal Feb 2013" success; catching up in 2014.

What started as Frugal Feb last year turned into a year-long budgeting exercise.  I tracked all income and expenditure relating to fashion and made it within budget by $200 by 31st December 2013.  I realistically thought I would only last til March or April at a stretch but suddenly as I approached October and still in the green I thought maybe I can actually pull this off.

Having said that, being starved of the freedom to purchase whatever I wanted on a whim, I've started this year with a shopping bang.

My most exciting purchase in the last 10 days has been my Lover Horizon dress.  I decided late last year that I needed some Lover in my life, but due to my dwindling fashion budget  put this 'need' in a box and forced myself to stop thinking about it.  The start of this year coincided nicely with huge online sales and I nabbed this beautiful lace dress.

I also picked up a silk blouse from Seed Heritage on sale - hoping their clothes are true to size and the blouse doesn't drown me.

Of course I've also had Asos deliveries (yes that's plural) this year.  I'm returning about half of it, and keeping the below:

I'm undecided about this navy maxi - I bought it for a wedding next month but I'm finding it too 'booby' for my own liking.  I've got a bigger bust than the model above and feel too exposed.  Will try it on again and make a final decision.

What have you bought lately??

NYE 2013 at Opera Bar

Bit late I know but I STILL don't have internet at home :(

I was at Opera bar for NYE last year as Tom's band was playing there leading up to the midnight fireworks.  It's an amazing vantage point and nowhere near as crowded as public areas so quite enjoyable.  They had put up a fence thing, blocking half the view of the Harbour Bridge which was a little disappointing, although we had a good view of the fireworks that shot off the Opera House for the first time ever.

The theme was beach party again (I don't think it ever changes) and the setup was very similar to the year before.  Luckily they had a lot more food this year because I think they under-catered last year.  Anyway, enough chatter, here are some pictures.

Kx.