tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35031496844624647692024-03-14T02:20:15.404+11:00Hermosa VogueKay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.comBlogger317125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-34460105751925711652015-12-05T08:48:00.000+11:002015-12-05T08:48:36.670+11:00Black Friday goodiesUK Black Friday sales are nothing compared to the US. But a tonne better than Australia.<br />
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After MUCH deliberation I ended up with the purple Ted Baker coat instead of the camel. As much as I loved the camel I felt like it was too similar to my skin colour and I have irrational neurosis about that.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Ted Baker Lorili long wrap coat</span></td></tr>
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Hopefully this 70% wool & 10% cashmere long coat will get me through London winter. It cost me a bomb but it was my self-gift for finally landing a job after 6 months of no income.<br />
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One of the first lessons I learnt when I moved to London was: always carry an umbrella in your handbag. The weather over here has bipolar and will change in an instant. After my cheap Prague markets umbrella didn't survive the freak hailstorm that came and went in 10 minutes flat I decided to invest in a Fulton umbrella.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fulton Minilite umbrella</td></tr>
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I'm embarrassed to admit I've been sleeping with just a doona insert on my bed. I deemed a doona cover one of those non-necessities that I could wait til I was earning pounds to buy. I'd wanted a plain navy one (was eyeing Ralph Lauren Home but hella exxy) but ended up with this from Sheridan:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheridan Newmark Sterling Duvet cover</td></tr>
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Side note - in the UK they call doona 'duvet'. I thought a duvet was something else entirely. I stand corrected,<br />
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I finally jumped on the NARS Audacious bandwagon - I "need" a berry lippie for winter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NARS Audacious in 'Fanny'</td></tr>
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The staying power is pretty good and I love the creamy texture with matte finish. Very happy with this purchase.<br />
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BOOTS. Cannot survive London winter without knee-high boots. Comfy knee-high boots.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faith black wedge boots</td></tr>
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Also picked up a cashmere beanie and some ear muffs - London winter come at me!!Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-32228164043149949282015-12-01T04:05:00.000+11:002015-12-01T05:09:04.338+11:00Settling inIt's taken three long months but I think I am finally settling into London life.<br />
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A HUGE part of that is finally securing a job - unemployment is an enormous factor in happiness when you're in a foreign country without your network of friends and family. And job hunting in London is so much tougher than it ever was in Sydney. For a contract role at a Telco I had 3 rounds of interviews, a psych assessment, a case study and a presentation. Only to be rejected for an internal candidate. So it's tough, but I have finally secured a contract with a retail bank in the UK and I start next week so I'm totally stoked. I can honestly say that since securing a job I finally had my first decent night's sleep since March.<br />
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I've been slowly making friends and getting out a bit more. Reformer Pilates has been my saviour whenever I've been frustrated with the work situation. I've been pretty diligent with my home life - doing laundry, cooking, dishes, cleaning. I have to admit I did let the eating habits slide a bit. I was eating out of boredom which resulted in eating 5 meals a day and eating chocolate, pastries, cookies - foods that I never used to eat back at home. It all came to a head a few weekends ago when I ate so much lunch I almost felt like throwing up. I decided immediately that I would get back to 3 reasonably healthy/normal sized meals a day and it was surprisingly easier than I expected.<br />
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I'm slowly learning the names of the different tube lines and roughly where the main tube stops are. I've started getting annoyed if I have to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus. BUT I haven't started complaining about the weather (give it a few more weeks) and I certainly am not used to queueing for everything. Brits love to queue. Everywhere. For anything. I don't know whether the queueing culture has created a culture of slow service workers or vice versa but it's bloody frustrating.<br />
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I had been keeping a shopping list on my phone and I said to myself I would reward myself when I finally got a job (and also because when you're unemployed for 6 months, how do you justify buying all the fancy things?). Of course my new job confirmation came at the same time as Black Friday and I may have gone a little crazy. That's another post....<br />
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I have a few things planned for my final week of unemployment and if I stop being lazy I will actually blog about it.Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-57952288295593791052015-10-20T06:40:00.000+11:002015-10-20T06:47:36.933+11:00Dubai / Abu DhabiIf I were to go back to the UAE I wouldn't go in summer. Yes it's hot which is annoying but because of the heat you really can't do much except leave your air-conditioned hotel to an ACed vehicle to an ACed shopping mall and then back home. Which, really, you can do in any city.<br />
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In terms of Dubai vs Abu Dhabi - Dubai is very glamorous; huge flashy commercial and residential buildings everywhere you look, 8-lane freeways, hotels, shopping malls. Dubai is quite small so everything is tightly packed. Sadly no character at all - apart from some signs written in arabic you really could be in any metropolitan city. Abu Dhabi somehow feels more homely - far less showy, more calm, and more real. It's more of a sprawling city and you can see huge empty sand-filled lots everywhere.<br />
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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - Abu Dhabi</h4>
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If there is only one thing you see in the UAE, make sure it's the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It is truly breath-takingly spectacular and absolutely free. You should know their dress code is <u>strict</u>. The website says<br />
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Long, loose fitting, ankle length trousers or skirts for women and men. Women must wear a headscarf.</div>
I thought I would be ok in ankle length pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt and scarf. But you actually need to be covered down to your wrists, so I was ushered into the basement to line up for an abaya which you just slip on top of what you're wearing (yes SUPER HOT). It may have been way too big for me but being in a mosque I actually found it comfortable. I would have felt out of place if I was wearing my normal clothes.<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px none; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; word-spacing: 1px;">
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<span style="text-align: start;">The mosque is made predominantly of a white marble with gold accents. The beautiful blue reflection ponds on the outside reflect the blue skies. The main prayer hall features humongous crystal chandeliers, beautiful carpet, stained glass windows and pearl inlays into the thick marble pillars. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I would most certainly go back again. I'd love to be there around sunset and get some pics with the lights on. I'd also like to do the free tour they offer 3x a day. I'm pretty sure this is just a tourist attraction and isn't actually used as a mosque but don't quote me on that.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Desert Safari</span></h4>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I did this in Abu Dhabi but you can also do it in Dubai. There's a few operators but I think they are mostly the same. They take you out to the dessert and do some 4-wheel-drive dune bashing. It was a thrill and super crazy at times but honestly it went for too long. I was done after 2 minutes but it it went for an hour!!</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Finally it was dinner time - a classic arabic buffet which was phenomenal (probably average by their standards). After dinner a belly dancer came out and wowed us with her hips. They move as if independent from her body!! Finally we ended the night with shisha (my sister choked on the smoke and couldn't stop coughing - hilarity ensued).</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Not to be a complete Debbie Downer but if you're pressed for time, I would just do the two things mentioned above. The rest of what we did was mainly to pass time (we were there for 4 days).</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Burj Khalifa</span></h4>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Here you go.....</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">That's all folks</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Friday Brunch</span></h4>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Friday is the first day of their weekend as their working week is Sunday - Thursday. Many expats will go for Friday Brunch which involves a late boozy lunch at one of the million hotels (alcohol can only be served in hotels in the UAE). It cost AED500 which is about AUD$180 so not at all cheap but it's a 3 hour all you can eat/drink fare with light entertainment. Great if you eat/drink a lot which sadly, I don't.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Emirates Palace</span></h4>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I only really went to see the ATM that dispenses gold bars. And I did. And then I was done.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Old Town</span></h4>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Well it was really bloody hot when I went (50 degrees celcius) so I really didn't last long. It's kinda like a ghost town there anyway. Beautiful, but ghost-y.</span></div>
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Dubai Mall</h4>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-auO72bi4lYY/ViVEIq7-2XI/AAAAAAAAYW0/b155iogyiro/s1600/DSC05517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-auO72bi4lYY/ViVEIq7-2XI/AAAAAAAAYW0/b155iogyiro/s640/DSC05517.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Everything in Dubai is grandiose and over-the-top opulent. Dubai Mall is a great example of that. Yes that is a real dinosaur inside the mall. Because why not. It's Dubai.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iIDebsvXyCU/ViVEnYYVvWI/AAAAAAAAYXE/ODrf6RAPq8c/s1600/DSC05514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iIDebsvXyCU/ViVEnYYVvWI/AAAAAAAAYXE/ODrf6RAPq8c/s640/DSC05514.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Also a huge aquarium inside the mall. Because why not.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hZqsg-0vFg0/ViVEUnteK5I/AAAAAAAAYW8/l-UTgc4Lhtc/s1600/DSC05525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hZqsg-0vFg0/ViVEUnteK5I/AAAAAAAAYW8/l-UTgc4Lhtc/s640/DSC05525.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Hierarchy is huge in the UAE. Expats are clearly at the top of the pyramid and migrant workers are at the bottom. Due to this, service is impeccable bordering on pushy. I had a waiter literally standing nearby staring at me til I finished my cocktail and before I could place the glass down he had already taken it out of my hands and offered me another. It's great in some respects but I found it quite annoying.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Cost of living is pretty high - at a nightclub they charged AUD$30 for a gin and tonic. I guess if you work here and don't get taxed it's not that bad but it's a different story for tourists.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">There is pretty much no crime but here is a freaky story. I remember reading in the SMH a while back that a local Emirati woman stabbed an expat to death in the bathrooms of a shopping mall. One morning my sister and I decided to pop into the tiny shopping centre round the corner for a coffee. At some point we split up and I found myself walking through the mall by myself and randomly, the story of the expat being stabbed just came to me. A few days later my cousin and his girlfriend were talking about the stabbing and how the perpetrator was executed and my cousin said to me "Oh yeah that happened at the shopping centre round the corner."</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Oh WTF. So creepy.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">That's the end of my UAE story.</span></div>
Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-44245240928217779352015-10-07T21:56:00.000+11:002015-10-07T21:56:26.235+11:00London PostcodesAt first glance, a London postcode looks so odd. They comprise of numbers and letters and have a space in between. Now that I've been here a few weeks I've kinda worked it out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Life/Accommodation/London/LondonPostcodes.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Life/Accommodation/London/LondonPostcodes.gif" height="604" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Life/Accommodation/London.htm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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London is neatly divided into different areas - the city centre and then radiating out from there are postcodes starting with N(orth), E(ast), and W(est). There are further breakdowns such as NW, SW, SE. <br />
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Here's a postcode I made up:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">N1 8JK</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">N1 refers to the area just north of the city. Strangely enough, these postal code areas don't seem to align with boroughs (think 'groups of suburbs' in Sydney speak). For example in the area in which I live (Angel), most of the suburb has a postcode starting with N1. However there is a part of the suburb towards the southern end that uses the city postcode EC1. I'll discuss city postcodes later.</span><br />
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There is then a space to indicate a break between the general area and the more specific area.</div>
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The letters after the space seem to be a random combination of letters and numbers that literally identifies the street in N1. In London all you need to do is know the street number (let's say 12) and the postcode N1 8JK and it's possible to find out exactly which building it is. Oh but of course there are exceptions. One street (depending on the length) might have a number of different postcodes.</div>
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Because postcodes are so specific, there is no need to list your 'suburb' or 'borough' on your address. London addresses commonly look like this:</div>
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Mrs Jane Doe</div>
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Flat 8, Amber Court,</div>
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London N1 8JK</div>
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<b>City postcodes</b></div>
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I expected the city postcodes to start with C. Instead, they are broken down into EC (East Central) and WC (West Central). There is no C (Central).</div>
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<b>Taxi Drivers</b></div>
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Apparently these guys go through intense training and have to sit multiple exams in order to work as a cab driver. They are tested on the aforementioned postcodes. Cab drivers will know from memory, exactly where to take you if you say '10 N1 8JK'. Insane.</div>
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<b>Outside London metro</b></div>
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As you can see from the diagram above, once you leave the London metropolitan area the postcode prefixes become less neat and orderly. They do, however, stand for what the area is called. For example above N is the postcode EN which stands for Enfield which is the area just outside London metro to the north.</div>
Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-36940739011448214632015-10-06T03:46:00.000+11:002015-10-06T03:48:45.261+11:00UNPACKEDA few days ago I was able to move into a flat and finally unpack after living out of my suitcases for the past 9 weeks. Relief is a huge understatement. Never before have I appreciated having a towel rack to hang my bath towel or hangers to hang my clothes up in my wardrobe.<br />
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The flat is a 2 bed/2 bath so I get my own bathroom. The room itself is smaller than any room I have lived in in Sydney but decently sized by London standards. There is a TINY built-in wardrobe, a bed, a chest of drawers and shelves. There is no way I could have lived like this in Sydney but having almost nothing in terms of material possessions in London, the storage in the room is more than enough.</div>
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The bathroom is absolutely huge, even by Sydney standards. I love the mirrors, the generous benchtop space, the stone tiles and the heated towel rack. </div>
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I bought myself this acrylic makeup storage from MUJI as a little housewarming present to myself.</div>
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The flat is in a gated area with concierge (who signs for all packages and I just pick them up whenever). There is also a Virgin Active in the complex so when I start earning pounds I will probably sign up. I really would have no excuse not to go to the gym given it would take me 20 seconds to get there.</div>
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I've moved to an area called Angel which is about 4km north of the main financial hub in the city where I will (hopefully) likely be working. I should be able to walk to work in 35 mins or so. The closest tube station is a 7 minute walk down the road. Being so close to the city also means buses are aplenty (and much cheaper at £1.50/ride instead of roughly £3 for a trip on the tube).</div>
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Angel itself is buzzing with activity. There are 2 supermarkets within a 30 second walk from my flat. There's a multitude of shops - H&M, GAP, French Connection, Marks & Spencer, Accessorize, MUJI, Reiss, Boots, Argos (which is a department store on crack). There's a few cinemas, I think 5 supermarkets in total, markets on the weekend, and a ridiculous number of cafes, bars, pubs, and restaurants.</div>
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Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-68063910868019229952015-09-26T20:36:00.000+10:002015-09-26T21:03:03.742+10:00London-isms<ul>
<li>They don't lay-by here. Fullstop. They don't even understand what the concept is.</li>
<li>Poundland only sells things for £1, unlike the Dollar Shops in Aus</li>
<li>"Hi, how are you going?" is ALWAYS met with a blank stare and silence. They don't know what you're asking. Try "Are you alright?" instead</li>
<li>UK gogglebox is terribly unfunny compared to the Aussie version. Also no eye candy.</li>
<li>Online shopping here is set up so well. You can buy online and pick up instore, you can have it delivered next day or elect a specific time and date for delivery. You can get your groceries delivered. You can get refunds for most things no questions asked. If you need to return anything there are multiple ways of doing this and they are all free for the consumer.</li>
<li>For someone who is petite with wide feet, I can actually buy clothes and shoes that fit me well here. A number of retailers have petite lines of clothing and wide fit shoes.</li>
<li>Food in general is pretty bland. For a good feed I'll choose an ethnic restaurant (any ethnic restaurant from Chinese to Lebanese to Thai).</li>
<li>Coffee is rubbish. I'm trying (slowly) to switch to tea</li>
<li>I know I've said it before but public transport here is reallllllly good and efficient and quick</li>
<li>You can pay for public transport by just tapping your credit card instead of tapping your Oyster card on the card reader things</li>
<li>Always take an umbrella. Always. Take. An. Umbrella.</li>
<li>There is so much on - every day. I absolutely love that. I've always been a big city person, can't ever imagine myself living in the country. And I often felt like even Sydney wasn't big enough. On a rainy weekend there wasn't much to do.</li>
<li>Oreos taste better in London.</li>
</ul>
Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-81149333468034129192015-09-16T05:58:00.001+10:002015-09-16T13:58:11.118+10:00London shopping list<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm not buying anything at the moment because I would have to pay for it I AUD at the current horrendous exchange rate, but I've been collecting a list of things to buy once I'm earning £ (please employment gods let that be soon).</div>
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Parka:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ukcdn.usablenet.com/img/c/gw_1/ttl_30d/width_870/1url_images.asos-media.com/inv/media/0/3/6/4/5814630/image4xxl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ukcdn.usablenet.com/img/c/gw_1/ttl_30d/width_870/1url_images.asos-media.com/inv/media/0/3/6/4/5814630/image4xxl.jpg" height="320" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Look Faux Fur Parka £39</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ukcdn.usablenet.com/img/c/gw_1/ttl_30d/width_870/1url_images.asos-media.com/inv/media/3/1/5/2/5062513/navy/image1xxl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ukcdn.usablenet.com/img/c/gw_1/ttl_30d/width_870/1url_images.asos-media.com/inv/media/3/1/5/2/5062513/navy/image1xxl.jpg" height="320" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asos Petite Ultimate Parka $55</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.missselfridge.com/wcsstore/MissSelfridge/images/catalog/34O08QKHK_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media.missselfridge.com/wcsstore/MissSelfridge/images/catalog/34O08QKHK_large.jpg" height="320" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ukcdn.usablenet.com/img/c/gw_1/ttl_30d/width_870/1url_images.asos-media.com/inv/media/3/1/5/2/5062513/navy/image1xxl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Miss Selfridge Khaki Parka Coat £69</td></tr>
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Black wedge sneakers:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.nike.com/is/image/emea/PDP_HERO_M/Nike-Dunk-Sky-Hi-Mesh-Womens-Shoe-644877_008_A_PREM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.nike.com/is/image/emea/PDP_HERO_M/Nike-Dunk-Sky-Hi-Mesh-Womens-Shoe-644877_008_A_PREM.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nike Dunk Sky Hi - £85 but seems to be sold out in London so I might have to stalk ebay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.ashfootwear.co.uk/images/products/medium/1406128550-13860400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://images.ashfootwear.co.uk/images/products/medium/1406128550-13860400.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ash Bowie suede wedge trainers £175</td></tr>
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Long down jacket:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://im.uniqlo.com/images/uk/sp/goods/128590/item/69_128590_mb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://im.uniqlo.com/images/uk/sp/goods/128590/item/69_128590_mb.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uniqlo long down jacket $79</td></tr>
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Long wool coat:</div>
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No idea yet - just a standard long wool coat in a boring neutral colour</div>
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PS - it seems we can finally post non square photos to Instagram. As much as I've been waiting for this day, now that it's come my OCD has kicked in and I want them all to be square #ocdlife</div>
Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-55750878590468166752015-09-08T22:42:00.000+10:002015-09-08T22:42:45.572+10:00London: the good, the bad and the downright uglyFirst impressions count. And unfortunately my first impression of London is lukewarm at best.<br />
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The Good:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Public transport - between all the different modes of transport London has got this down pat. You can literally get anywhere in London using public transport. It's easy, quick, reliable and reasonably-priced</li>
<li>Consumer's dream - customer service is much better here than Australia. With most online retailers you can get free shipping or pickup from one of their stores. Their sales are more impressive too. Not to mention a lot more variety/options.</li>
<li>Public spaces - they have loads of parks and public spaces where you can sit and eat lunch/read a book/people watch. Just a shame that it's not park weather for most of the year :(</li>
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The Bad:</div>
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<ul>
<li>At the current AUD/GBP exchange rate everything is soooooo expensive. From my AUD$7 small takeaway coffee to my AUD$850 500 thread count sheet set (also - bedding is hideously expensive here - no idea why).</li>
<li>It's cold. Yes I'm being a baby about it. But I caught a cold one week after summer ended. What is up with that.</li>
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The Ugly:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Ok. Where do I start. I am currently living in a room in a flatshare. I'm paying £330/week for a room that's half furnished, about 3m x 4m, in a flat that doesn't have hot water or wifi, has a broken (ie warm) fridge and broken furniture. Oh I forgot to mention the toilet that's blocked/when you flush it, it comes back up the shower drain into the shower. A fortnightly cleaner was promised who hasn't come in 6 weeks. The door to my room is broken and I can't close my bedroom door. I'm sharing the flat with an inconsiderate couple who have not washed their dishes in about 5 days, who leave yoghurt and ham out for days on end, who have made the floors in the flat black with god knows what. Not loving real estate agents right now.</li>
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Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-36770715426459558122015-09-04T08:50:00.002+10:002015-09-04T08:52:52.445+10:00New City, New HairIf I'm honest, I'd been wanting bright pink hair for some time. And what better time than when you move country and have a month off in between (so your investment banker manager doesn't have to reprimand you for the inappropriateness of your hair colour).<br />
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It was a DIY job and by that I mean I have an awesome sister who DIYed it for me. 2 rounds of peroxide and a jar of Manic Panic later....<br />
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Of course the colour faded after only a few days. By the time I reached the end of my month off, it looked like this:<br />
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<br />
As much as the pastel pink and peach hair was actually growing on me, I knew it was time for the chop.<br />
<br />
Had an interesting experience at the hairdresser. In London if you don't make a reservation you can just walk in and ask for the next standby appointment. I only waited a hour or so (went shopping and came back). Instead of paying the full £66 (haircuts in London are fucking expensive) I just paid £28. Not bad for a consult, wash, head massage, blow dry, cut and style.<br />
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Fresh to death and ready to attend job interviews with my lob!<br />
<br />Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-27766069908009965902015-07-27T10:47:00.002+10:002015-07-27T10:47:40.793+10:00It's only 24 hoursThis is what I kept telling myself to get through Saturday.<br />
<br />
Saturday was the day I was meant to walk down the aisle. It was the day I had been planning towards for over a year (and really, my whole life). I secretly hoped it would be rained out and freezing cold. At least that way I could pretend to be happy that I wasn't getting married in the cold and wet. But no it was a gloriously beautiful winter's day.<br />
<br />
I intentionally planned things for the day to distract me from thinking too much about it. But it was hard. The first thing I saw on facebook that morning was a friend had gotten engaged. I felt like a selfish bitch that my first reaction was hurt/pain/sadness before being happy for her. I knew I shared my wedding date with 2 other ladies and it was SO hard seeing happy wedding pics on facebook that day. <br />
<br />
I ended up avoiding social media at all costs and instead read a book (this is something I should electively do more often and not only when people are getting married). And whenever I started lamenting about "what could have been" I just told myself that the day would be over in 24 hours and I could get through it.<br />
<br />
Luckily I was tasked with taking my aunts (who are in town from HK for said 'wedding') around Sydney to see the sights. It actually worked out well because it gave me an opportunity to say goodbye to Sydney myself.<br />
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<br />
There was residual sadness yesterday but now I'm in the final week at my job and counting down the days/hours. My departure is getting scarily close and I just have SO much to get done before I go.Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-27807226754874145342015-07-20T12:32:00.001+10:002015-07-20T21:00:41.204+10:00Rise of the PhoenixIn the past few weeks as I prepare for the move to London I've found myself
ticking things off my Sydney bucket list, despite living here for 17 years.
It's good to have time to say goodbye to a country instead of hurriedly leaving
with a few days notice and not be able to say goodbye, not even to school
friends (leaving Papua New Guinea is a story for another time).<br />
<br />
One of the things I wanted to do was finish a tattoo I had gotten some 8-10
years ago (so long ago I can't actually remember how long it's been). I'll be
honest, it was not really thought out. I knew I wanted something to pay homage
to the country where I had lived the first 12 years of my life. So I took the
bird that's on their flag (google Papua New Guinea flag) and got that outlined
on. Why? Don't know.<br />
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Thankfully my cousin married a supremely talented tattoo artist who saved me
from a lifetime of embarrassment. I sent him a photo of what he had to work
with. I was pretty difficult, not having much of an idea of what I wanted and
giving him very little direction (stylised, I think. Maybe a bit phoenix-y with
a bit of colour. Not sure what colours). A few days later I was sent a hand
drawn draft. 'Rough' he called it. Beautiful is what I called it.<br />
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<br />
He was good enough to squeeze me in because he didn't really have any
openings before I left for London. He lay his drawing on top of the existing
tattoo and it literally fit perfectly - if that's not a sign, what is.<br />
<br />
The tattooing of the outline wasn't too bad. I had a few "outline"
tattoos so this wasn't much of a shock. Till he got to my spine. Oh sweet Lord
the spine was painful. But shortly after the outline was done and it looked
great.<br />
<br />
He mentioned he would start colouring in next. I asked "the colouring
in is less painful than the outline right?" He looked at me with this
uncomfortable 'should I lie to her' look and I knew I was in for trouble.<br />
<br />
He started to colour-in the dark edges of the wings. That was ok pain-wise.
He did the red tips of the plumes. Still tracking ok. Then he brought out the
light blue dye. Oh my gosh. It's like scratching into your skin in the same
spot over and over again. My whole body seized up till I got pins and needles
in my left arm. I had to take a break. I got up and walked around a bit to
relax and prepare myself for more pain.<br />
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<br />
Back for more. I started to regret it. I wondered if I could stop right now
and the tattoo miraculously wouldn't look like shit. Why am I doing this to
myself. I started sweating and tensing up again. I needed another break.<br />
<br />
As I wiped the tears from my eyes (I wasn't crying... My eyes were just
moist...) I noticed my hands were shaking. Legit shaking. It took me 5 minutes
to un-tense all the muscles in my body. In the background I think I heard him
say "home stretch" and then "ten more minutes". Ok suck it
up Kay. Ten more minutes, you can do this.<br />
<br />
Surprisingly the last 10 minutes weren't actually that bad. He was just
doing the yellow ink - beak, bit on the plumes and the 3 things coming out of
the head. "Done" was the sweetest word I had heard all day. I had a
look in the mirror. Wow. It was SO much better than I thought it could possibly
be. I was absolutely thrilled with it and actually a little proud of myself
that I did it (it's a bit sad, I know).<br />
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<br />
Got myself bandaged up (bepanthen and cling wrap became my best friends) and
checked my watch. It was 3pm. I had arrived at 10am with little more than one
slice of toast in my stomach.<br />
<br />
It's been a few days and I'm being super diligent about the after care.
Sleeping and showering are challenging and soon the itchiness is going to set in.
But I'm absolutely thrilled with it and so glad I did it. The clever Court mentioned how apt it was that my bird of paradise transformed into a phoenix, just as I am about to embark on a new chapter in life. Had not even thought about that myself but very fitting!<br />
<br />
(Note to future Kay: you are re-reading this because you are contemplating another tatt. Don't do it. This is enough!)Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-36159716196760304892015-07-11T22:59:00.000+10:002015-07-11T23:00:57.201+10:00When smashed blush happens to good peopleI'm super duper clumsy and really good at smashing makeup on my makeup table/on the floor. The item that fares the worst is anything pressed.<br />
<br />
I did some googling and found this method to re-pack smashed blush back to its original state.<br />
<br />
You need:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>broken blush / bronzer / pressed powder (basically anything that is meant to be but is no longer 'pressed')</li>
<li>stick-type object (I used a nail stick pusher thingy)</li>
<li>isopropyl that is 70%-100% alcohol (or rubbing alcohol if you can't get it)</li>
<li>tissue / paper towels</li>
</ul>
<div>
Ok the reason why I said use 70%-100% isopropyl alcohol if you can get it is because it has a higher alcohol content. Rubbing alcohol (Isocol is the main brand we have here in Aus) can have up to 50% water. I used rubbing alcohol the first time I did this and the blush crumbled again not longer after. I suspect this is due to the water content - I'm sure someone science-y can explain it.</div>
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Step 1</div>
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Ok this is going to seem instinctively wrong but just trust me. Get whatever stick you've chosen and smash up the blush until it is literally all loose powder. Do it.</div>
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Step 2</div>
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Add the isopropyl to the powder til you get a consistency like this...</div>
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At this point you are wondering what the fck you have done and you're trying to work out how to Ctrl-Z. Bear with me...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Step 3</div>
<div>
Once all the powder is integrated into the paste start to flatten it back into the tin and smooth down the top</div>
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<br /></div>
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Step 4</div>
<div>
Blot blot blot. Use tissue or paper towels to start blotting the mixture. You'll get some colour come off but this is normal. I used paper towels with a pattern embossed into them to give the blush an embossed finish.</div>
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<div>
Step 5</div>
<div>
Let air dry for some time. I'm not sure how long exactly but you'll be able to tell when it's usable again. Ta-da</div>
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(PS I cleaned the excess blush off the rim because I'm neurotic like that).</div>
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Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-78200098400045865352015-07-01T11:48:00.002+10:002015-07-01T13:10:12.099+10:00Grateful.The news of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck's divorce hit me hard this morning. I could almost feel a tiny sliver of what they must be going through and it's awful - I don't wish it upon anyone. However it did give me a good opportunity to put things into perspective. Unlike them, I don't have huge assets that I need to divide up, don't have a marriage I need to dismantle, don't have kids I need to look after or fight over. I'm not in the public eye so don't have thousands of people chasing me for a story or meet random people and have them not know what to say to me. <br />
<br />
It got me thinking about my situation and made me realise how grateful I am that my situation really isn't that bad (even if some late nights when I'm alone in my room it seems like my life has ended).<br />
<br />
I've also had so many amazing people around me who I have to take a moment to thank.<br />
<ul>
<li>My 3 beautiful sisters who dropped everything to help me move back home at 12 hours notice and provide unconditional support along the way</li>
<li>My parents who welcomed me home with open arms and made the transition so easy for me</li>
<li>My friend who sat with me every lunch break for a week, just sitting in silence and watching me cry on Martin Place steps</li>
<li>My friend who came over with pizza and de-briefed with me, answered all of my emotional text messages at odd hours of the day/night</li>
<li>My friend who was on standby to have lunch with me, have a drink with me, have a cry with me, whatever I needed whenever I needed it</li>
<li>My friend who I hadn't seen in over a year clear her schedule to help me move home</li>
<li>My friend at work who was happy to step out of the office whenever I just needed a sounding board</li>
<li>My other work friend who pulled me into the ladies bathroom when I burst out crying at my desk one day</li>
<li>The people who I had previously considered acquaintances but have shown more support than I ever imagined I would receive from them</li>
<li>All the texts from my cousins, friends, acquaintances - even though they were hard to receive at the beginning it was still lovely to know so many people cared about me and wanted to make sure I was ok</li>
<li>My twitter/instagram/blog families who don't really know me from a lump of wood but have been so supportive when they had no obligation to be</li>
<li>My Manager/Team Lead who I am leaving high and dry by moving to London 3 months before our huge project is going to be implemented - I'm sorry!!!</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br />
People aside, I'm grateful that:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I'm young enough to go to the UK on the 2 year visa</li>
<li>My situation isn't as bad as it could be (refer to Ben & Jennifer above)</li>
<li>I've been able to sell most of my crap which has been therapeutic as well as practical because I can't take it all to London</li>
<li>My sister also decided to move to London so I have a buddy with me every step of the way on this terrifying journey</li>
<li>My health has been improving after seeing an acupuncturist and chinese traditional medicine practitioner who has taught me to listen to my body and made me realise just what kind of impact stress has on my physical health</li>
<li>I've really been getting into Reformer Pilates which has been such a great outlet for me. I've even started back on the hot yoga but being very careful not to over-extend myself</li>
<li>I've had the opportunity to learn SO much about myself in the past few months. I've always been a reasonably strong, confident person but nothing can prepare you for having the rug pulled out from under you when you're not expecting it. I do think it's made me stronger and it's also made me look at myself and make some changes for my own benefit (have more patience, be more compassionate, push myself out of my comfort zone and force myself to do things I usually wouldn't do, learn to let go of things)</li>
</ul>
<div>
It's been an absolutely crazy few months. Hopefully once I get to London and am settled I can actually breathe for the first time without stress/anxiety/fear.</div>
</div>
Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-17368021373155135442015-06-30T19:13:00.003+10:002015-06-30T19:13:52.601+10:00Bucket ListI have added a new page under the banner of shoes called 'Bucket List'. The first is a Europe travel bucket list and it should be easier to tick items off when I move to London.<br />
<br />
The second bucket list is stuff I want to do once I've move to London. I feel as though my life has been put on hold for a year because of the wedding planning and now I'm getting back to 'life' and doing the things I want to do.<br />
<br />
If you have any recommendations that I need to add to either bucket list please comment and let me know :)Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-59365283865787238232015-06-26T14:41:00.000+10:002015-06-26T14:41:01.952+10:00You know what is super daunting?Knowing that you are packing all your worldly possessions into TWO suitcases, especially for a materialistic person like me.<br />
<br />
Thankfully I've been going through a huge purging exercise recently and have managed to get rid of more than half of my shoe collection, and made many trips to drop off clothes at Vinnies. I have literally bought TWO things in the last 3 months - a pair of work pants because my sister said my current work pants are so worn they look like jeans, and a Bulgari ring because.... well why the hell not. <br />
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Does anyone have any packing tips? What to take, what not to take, how to pack so that I maximise my suitcase space?Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-34709990317796516662015-06-16T23:01:00.003+10:002015-06-16T23:01:34.655+10:00My battle against Births Deaths and Marriages<div dir="ltr">
29 years ago my mother gave birth to her first child. My dad was tasked with registering the child's name. Being the great Chinese man he is, he misspelled his daughter's Chinese middle name (and people wonder why I'm not more Chinese...)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
3 months ago I decided it was time to rectify this mistake. I submitted the Change of Name form along with all the required documents. One week later my entire life plan changed and I decided to move to London. This meant I needed a visa, which meant I needed a passport. My passport was due to expire but because of my impending change of name I wasn't able to renew the passport but had to apply for a new one. I couldn't apply for a new passport until my change of name came through. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The very helpful people at Births Deaths and Marriages told me I had to wait the 8 week average turnaround time before being able to enquire about it. But I could pay a fee for it to be expedited. The expedited average turnaround time was also 8 weeks (seriously BDM someone needs to look at that). So I sat and waited patiently. The day after 8 weeks I called again. No one has even looked at it. But someone must have looked at it because my credit card was charged $174 I told her. Yes she admitted, my form had been opened but only to get the credit card number and then my form was closed again. </div>
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I escalated the case. One week later still no one had looked at it. Have I mentioned I love BDM?</div>
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I decided to pay them a visit. If I'm standing in front of them they HAVE to do something right? Wrong. "please come back on Monday at 8.30am PROMPTLY. do not be late" she said. </div>
So I was NOT late. In fact I was 10 mins early. I was rewarded for being early by sitting and waiting for 40 minutes. Finally my turn. After the male officer said "never trust a woman" and proceeded to check all the information given to me on Friday by said 'woman' he kindly informed me that my application was processed on Saturday and sorry for wasting your time coming down here. I love BDM.<br />
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So I have 6 weeks on the clock to get my new passport and a 2-year UK visa. Wish me luck. </div>
Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-44154907165082018712015-06-15T12:00:00.000+10:002015-06-15T12:02:37.705+10:00Four monthsSo. It has been some time. Four months to be exact. I don't even really know where to start but the past four months saw me:<br />
<ul>
<li>celebrate my 29th birthday (that sure crept up on me... last time I checked I was 26)</li>
<li>bury my childhood dog after 20 glorious years on this earth (yes this is the same naughty dog that ate <a href="http://hermosavogue.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/a-peppa-update-rat-poison-story.html" target="_blank">rat poison</a> a few years ago)</li>
<li>spend my 5th and final Valentines Day with the person I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Turns out that wasn't to be...... But on the plus side this means I....</li>
<li>made the decision to MOVE TO LONDON!! I am boarding a plane on 5th August and have no return ticket booked</li>
<li>conduct a major purging exercise to get rid of my worldly possessions in preparation for moving my entire life halfway across the world</li>
<li>plan a Europe trip to kickstart my move to London and make the most of the northern hemisphere summer</li>
</ul>
<div>
It's been a roller coaster ride and most of the time I've just wanted to get the fuck off. But life throws at you what it will and you just have to hold on for dear life til things settle down. And only now have I started to feel like things are settling down.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I need to give credit to all the amazing people in my life who dropped everything to help me out when I needed it and who held me up when all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and stay there for days. I'm not going to name them all individually as we would be here for days, but from the bottom of my heart<br />
<h2>
thankyou</h2>
</div>
Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-70686580426487407162015-02-10T19:55:00.002+11:002015-02-10T19:55:32.316+11:00Wedding shoesI think the most common wedding question I've been asked is what shoes I'm going to wear and let me tell you it's tough. It's like a mother choosing her favourite (Louboutin) child.<br />
<br />
I definitely did not want to wear white shoes. I'm just not that traditional. <br />
<br />
SO. I've decided on these babies for the ceremony and photos:<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rF6IJebq0wA/VNnEWj1fWpI/AAAAAAAAI-U/XiOEhjadWK4/s1600/178019_in_xl%2B(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rF6IJebq0wA/VNnEWj1fWpI/AAAAAAAAI-U/XiOEhjadWK4/s1600/178019_in_xl%2B(1).jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7vh1cfLBdO0/VNnEWzcfyII/AAAAAAAAI-Y/6vx2tNT64ks/s1600/178019_cu_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7vh1cfLBdO0/VNnEWzcfyII/AAAAAAAAI-Y/6vx2tNT64ks/s1600/178019_cu_xl.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
And then more reasonable/less neck-breaking heels for the reception. I can't decide between a pair of custom strass peeptoes or a classic nude peeptoe:<br />
<br />
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Opinions?Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-4340315451244923362015-02-06T18:01:00.002+11:002015-02-06T18:01:24.237+11:00Maxing out my credit cardHonestly this is a right of passage for most working women, right?<br />
<br />
Well it had never happened to me until this week. How has she managed this, I hear you ask. Well my monthly limit is $10,000. YES TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. In thirty days I spent ten thousand dollars.<br />
<br />
At that point I decided I should cut back on unnecessary spending. Then I had to get my car serviced and a pink slip ($1300). Then I had to get a new phone. Priceline has a 40% off sale? ARGH.<br />
<br />
In my defence (I do say that a lot, don't I?) most of the $10K went towards booking our Honeymoon flights and accommodation. Thankfully most of that is now booked and I don't have to worry much about it and can focus on the wedding.<br />
<br />
Speaking of wedding, are people interested in wedding plans and wedding decisions?Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-27975773235229944582015-01-22T18:53:00.002+11:002015-01-22T18:53:34.502+11:00Hello 2015I just realised it's been over a month since I last sat down to write something.<br />
<br />
Christmas came and went. NYE came and went. I worked throughout. Then I went to Bali and I came back. Then straight back to work. And then purely because the year is now 2015 I'm in mini panic mode about all things wedding and honeymoon. It suddenly seems a lot closer than when the year was 2014.<br />
<br />
Let me catch you up on the last 30 days...<br />
<br />
Christmas was same same but different - same Christmas Eve dinner with my fam followed by same Christmas Day with Tom's fam. However there wasn't the same festive mood that we usually see every year. <br />
<br />
NYE was quite low-key for me considering previous years have been spent at Opera Bar or Falls Festival. Instead I went down to see the 9pm fireworks around the harbour, then headed to a friend's place in Mosman to appreciate sweeping views from the Eastern suburbs to upper north shore.<br />
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<br />
36 hours later I was on a flight to Bali with my sister for a 10-day holiday. I'm not going to lie, the recent disappearance of the AirAsia flight did cross my mind a number of times throughout the flight (I took solace in the fact that Sydney to Bali is pretty much above Aussie land most of the way til the very end).<br />
<br />
Bali was.... a mixed bag. When we finally arrived at the hotel at midnight local time (3am Sydney time) I had such a bad migraine that I was borderline vom-ing. Pretty much didn't sleep that night. Did some cool stuff like white water rafting and aerial yoga though.<br />
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And now I'm back at work, back to wedding and honeymoon planning, and back to house hunting. I'm a sucker for punishment. Sucker.Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-78979384241494453792014-12-16T22:41:00.000+11:002014-12-16T22:41:03.152+11:00Sydney.Yesterday started like every other Monday morning. Snoozed my alarm as many times as possible before dragging myself out of bed, slapping on some makeup and having a mandatory morning coffee before the work day started.<br />
<br />
My work day didn't last long. At 9:50am my company sent out a mass email saying there was a threat at Martin Place and not to leave the building. We all heard it was an armed holdup at a cafe and I continued working, not thinking too much of it. In the next 10 minutes the facts started rolling in - guy with a shotgun... Lindt cafe... links to terrorism. <br />
<br />
My colleague in my small team of 7 has a friend whose son works at Lindt.... But what are the odds that he is rostered on right now? Well apparently higher than we all thought. It is absolutely gut-wrenching to see your colleague so worried about his friend not being able to contact his son (who was one of the 7 that ran out of the cafe at 2am).<br />
<br />
We abandoned our desks and seated ourselves in front of the tv at work. It was so surreal watching the footage on television - seeing police cars speed past the camera and hearing that same police car siren with your own ears.<br />
<br />
I was one block away from the Lindt cafe. Tom was right next to the Channel 7 building and opposite the Lindt cafe, watching it all unfold. My Mum works around the corner from Tom. For the first time since I left a poverty-stricken, violent 3rd world country 17 years ago, I feared for my life. Genuinely feared for my life. I haven't felt the same levels of stress and anxiety in a long time.<br />
<br />
They decided to evacuate Tom's building so he decided to try to get home. My building was still in lockdown but I walked out to join Tom. I definitely didn't want to be separated from him when we were in such close proximity. Some (ok many) people thought it was stupid to catch public transport during such a situation. In retrospect it was actually a good decision as we managed to catch one of the last trains going north before the shut down the harbour bridge. A few colleagues of mine/Tom's were too slow and ended up getting a water taxi to get north of the bridge.<br />
<br />
Walking to Wynyard station was so eery. Shops were all closed and boarded up. There were very few people walking the streets (mainly tourists who had no idea what was going on). I did see the police handcuff and arrest the man who was apparently in possession of a gun (but unrelated to the siege).<br />
<br />
The 3-minute train trip home never felt longer. I kept willing the train to arrive safely and I almost ran from the station as I just wanted to be in the relative safety of my home. I sat glued to the telly for the rest of the day. Facebook messages, whatsapp messages and emails came in from worried friends and family in the US and UK. They kept saying they half expect something like that to happen in their country but never in Australia. At 12:30am after 12 hours of television-watching, I couldn't watch anymore and decided to go to bed, dreading what I would wake up to.<br />
<br />
At 4am I jolted awake. I never wake up mid-sleep. Never ever. But this morning I did. Scrolled through facebook and I immediately sank. I tried to read as much as possible from facebook and twitter but knew there was no way I could go back to bed without watching footage on the telly. And then as soon as I switched the tv on I couldn't tear myself away. Suddenly it was 8am and I had to get ready for work. I felt like I had only gotten ready for work 12 hours before.<br />
<br />
A minor positive about the day was my colleague's friend's son was safe. Otherwise just a wretched wretched day. I struggled to concentrate. Walking through Martin Place and seeing the flowers, the masses of people there to pay respects, most of them crying, strangers embracing, was definitely not a sight I will forget.<br />
<br />
Please give your loved ones a cuddle and tell them how much they mean to you. Today is such a sad, sad day in Australia's history but we have had some small victories (#illwalkwithyou) and I know Sydney will heal in time.<br />
<br />
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<br />Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-71742911260509710192014-12-10T15:43:00.000+11:002014-12-10T15:43:20.161+11:00Hoarding.I hadn't intended to take such a long break from this place but lately found myself insanely busy with work (mainly), wedding plans, honeymoon plans, house hunting (yes, back to that). Over the past month I also decided to undertake what I thought would be a mammoth task - and it was, except I had the help and support of my sisters who made this task a lot easier.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I decided to clear out my parents house.</blockquote>
<br />
That sentence probably doesn't live up to the drama surrounding it unless you know that MY MUM IS AN OBSCENE HOARDER.<br />
<br />
No I don't watch that show The Hoarders because frankly, I feel it would be too real for me and that scares me.<br />
<br />
Here are a few of the many things that confirm my Mum's hoarder status:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>She still has some plastic bags that she brought with her when we moved to Sydney from Papua New Guinea SEVENTEEN years ago.</li>
<li>My whole family is on the short side and always have to take our jeans/pants up. Mum has kept seventeen years worth of jeans/pants cut-offs</li>
<li>She has spools of brand new cotton thread that just snap in half because they are so old</li>
<li>Her kettle broke so I bought her a new kettle. She put the new kettle out and put the old (broken) kettle in the garage in case the new kettle breaks and she needs a replacement.... even though the old kettle is broken!</li>
<li>She saves sweet and sour sauce packets from Maccas</li>
<li>She keeps those moist towelettes from fast food chains even though they have completely dried up</li>
<li>I found 20 sports uniforms from when I was in primary school. They were hand-me-downs from my cousin and were already out of date by the time I was in primary school</li>
<li>While cleaning up the study my sister found a leaf. A single leaf, flattened and dried and placed into a ziplock bag. A leaf.</li>
<li>When I told her I had managed to condense all 3 drawers of the filing cabinet in the garage down to one drawer her response was, "What filing cabinet?" If you don't know you have it, sure I can chuck it out???</li>
</ol>
<div>
We must've thrown out about 20 garbage bags of rubbish (thankyou to the council for taking it all instead of taking the 1.5 cubic metre you are obliged to take). Additionally we have electronic rubbish which we are disposing of this weekend (my parents house has 7 computer monitors!).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have no photos to show the cleaning out a 7 bedroom house of 17 years worth of accumulated crap so you'll just have to take my word for it that it's impressive!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Do you know a hoarder?</div>
Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-73993914028210804032014-12-04T21:44:00.005+11:002014-12-04T21:44:39.810+11:00theoutnet clearance sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The website is a bit temperamental as I'm sure loads of people are trying to nab some bargains but persistence pays off!</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdnd.lystit.com/photos/2545-2014/03/09/elle-macpherson-intimates-blue-lush-bloom-boost-bra-bras-product-1-18295652-0-419060317-normal_large_flex.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdnd.lystit.com/photos/2545-2014/03/09/elle-macpherson-intimates-blue-lush-bloom-boost-bra-bras-product-1-18295652-0-419060317-normal_large_flex.jpeg" height="400" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elle Macpherson Lush Bloom bra <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.8400001525879px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">£5</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/507543/507543_fr_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/507543/507543_fr_xl.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elle Macpherson Duo bra <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.8400001525879px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">£6</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://www.coolonsale.com/system2/pieces/pictures/005/915/684/detail/c4999c566nido.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://www.coolonsale.com/system2/pieces/pictures/005/915/684/detail/c4999c566nido.png" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Missoni crochet knit scarf <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.8400001525879px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">£31</span></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/481566/481566_in_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/481566/481566_in_xl.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Iris and Ink zigzag sweatshirt <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.8400001525879px; text-align: left;">£16</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/441490/441490_in_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/441490/441490_in_xl.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theory striped skirt <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.8400001525879px; text-align: left;">£35</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdnd.lystit.com/photos/4798-2014/06/12/vince-blue-silk-crepe-de-chine-top-product-1-20753453-0-811877907-normal_large_flex.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cdnd.lystit.com/photos/4798-2014/06/12/vince-blue-silk-crepe-de-chine-top-product-1-20753453-0-811877907-normal_large_flex.jpeg" height="400" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vince silk crepe top <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.8400001525879px; text-align: left;">£35</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/395388/395388_in_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/395388/395388_in_xl.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iris and Ink Color Block merino wool jumper <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.8400001525879px; text-align: left;">£45</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/482014/482014_fr_xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cache.theoutnet.com/images/products/482014/482014_fr_xl.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Helmut Lang Motion leather trim dress<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Good luck!!Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-6527762158877641652014-11-20T21:10:00.001+11:002014-11-20T21:10:02.149+11:00The curse of Asian eyelashesThere are infants..... male infants... who have longer lashes than me. That is an absolute true story. I have the curse of Asian eyelashes - short, stumpy and very very sparse. On a section (about 1/3) of my left eyelash line I literally have 2 lone lashes.<br />
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I've tried many different mascaras and I haven't yet found my holy grail, just using a Clinique one as that's the one I most recently bought. When Priceline announced their 40% cosmetics sale I thought I'd dig around for another lengthening mascara.<br />
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I came across this Mirenesse Instant Lash Transplant Lengthening Kit. My Mum introduced me to Mirenesse a few years ago and I loved their mascara and lip gloss. For some reason over the years I'd forgotten about them but when I saw the Lash Transplant product I knew I had to try it.<br />
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Step 1 is what they call transplant gel which to me looks like mascara.<br />
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Step 2 is the white fibres that attach to the transplant gel.<br />
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(sorry for the shocking photo but you get a general idea)...<br />
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Then you use the transplant gel again to make the white fibres black.<br />
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Step 3 is to comb out the lashes.<br />
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And voila!<br />
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I had some questions on Instagram....<br />
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<b>Are they extensions?</b> Hehe no<br />
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<b>How does it feel on? </b> I could definitely 'feel' it on my lashes but it didn't bother me throughout the day. I have particularly sensitive eyes though (hence not being able to put contacts in) and by night time I felt like I was ready to take them off. No need for makeup remover, just water was enough to wash them out - another plus.<br />
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<b>Where can I buy this miracle worker? </b>Jas they're an Aussie brand so I don't think you can get it in London. Maybe you can get a friend to send you a care package from Aus? Or I can do it if you want?<br />
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<b>How does it compare to Chanel Le Volume? </b>Actually never tried Chanel Deb, sorry :( It's better than any lengthening mascara I've tried though, from Clinique to Maybelline to Estee Lauder.<br />
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<b>What's it like on the transfer front?</b> No transfer that I noticed Q :)<br />
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<i>NB: not a sponsored post, just a great product.</i>Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3503149684462464769.post-52733485349014635902014-11-07T13:53:00.000+11:002014-11-07T13:53:16.589+11:00Head & Heart<a href="http://helario.us/post/99186440916/head-and-heart-september-2014" target="_blank">Helen</a> and <a href="http://www.chigarden.com/2014/11/head-heart-october-2014/" target="_blank">Teresa</a> have been posting these Head&Heart posts and I've just never gotten round to doing it for one reason or another.... til today.<br />
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What I've been grateful for ~</h4>
An amazing and happy <b>work </b>environment for the first time in almost 4 years! I have an incredibly supportive Manager and a great team who I enjoy working with. I'm being appropriately recognised and feel like an integral member of the team. Plus, they give me cake.<br />
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Also grateful for my <b>best friend</b> who is amazing and makes me not need a huge group of female friends because she is all I need.<br />
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What I've been thinking about~</h4>
<b>Pop</b>. RIP.<br />
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What I'm excited for~</h4>
<b>BALI</b>! Man this trip will creep up on me. Strangely not terribly excited for Christmas and NYE at the moment, although I'm sure I'll get there once the public Christmas trees start going up.<br />
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Also excited for Jan when I start a new role as <b>Team Lead</b> for my team. I think I'm up for the challenge.<br />
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What I've been doing!</h4>
Actually going to the <b>gym </b>on a regular basis and enjoying it. I wasn't able to go all week til Friday and when I got in I did a double session. It's helping me take my mind off work for a bit of time while I increase my fitness levels and I actually feel great afterwards (I know most people feel great whilst/after they exercise but I never have.... weird)Kay HermosaVoguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202003569315278841noreply@blogger.com12