Welcome to AmazingAnnMary.com!
Ok maybe amazing is taking it a bit far. Interesting, stylish, witty... yes, but none of those words had the alliteration i was after. So amazing it is. I consider it more an aspirational statement than a stated fact. I'll get there.
13 July 2011 So... am back to being sick again. this is my second round of cold/flu in a month....Not happy Jan. Not wholly unexpected though considering the fabulous and busy weekend. AA and i did all my favourite things... the Art Gallery of NSW for a highlights tour, walk along the finger wharf at woolloomoolloo, a lovely rose at the Tilbury and much much more. Dinner at the wine library is also worth a mention. what a great little place. they dont take reservations and even though we were there very early, there was only space at the bar. Thankfully i love sitting at the bar... more energy! Work has slowed down to a very slow crawl now that i have handed in my notice. Which is fine as i am still completely unorganised for NY. where to stay? what to do? aaahhh!
08 July 2011 You will all be happy to hear that my US skpe number including forwarding is up and running which means i am getting calls in the middle of the night from people who are confused why i sound so sleepy.
Dealing with narky real estate agents this week. turns out wanting to end your lease 6 weeks early is a costly and exhausting exercise even though i found someone who is happy to lease the place at the incresaed rate. The stress has driven me back to carbs and chocolate... my 2 best/worst friends. Lunch at the good Pizza today. Pizza guy had made my favourite as requested by me earlier in the week. i am now in a food coma. NY stuff still up in the air. Had a lovely but not very productive chat with JT who will be heading to NY at end of August to set up a US branch. He will be the entire office for at least the first few months. Not quite my bag.
AA coming into town to hang out this weekend. Also, catching up with CV in surry hills on sunday. The 5 dates in 5 days experiment did not go well. He is now pining after ex gf... oh brother!
29 June 2011 Had a lovely night out with CV. First to Aurora (where we almost crashed a speed dating event being held in the upstairs lounge) and tehn onto our old haunt...Chambers where i had a very mediocre bit of salmon. CV was in fine form after recently ending it with GF of almost 1 year. He is on a mission and set himself a challenge to meet and ask out a girl a day for 5 days. He was only on day 1 so not much to report. i'm looking forward to hearing the report after it's all done. In other news, i burned the back of my thigh in a a comical way a few days ago. If it didnt hurt so much and i was able to sit down without screaming i think i would find it very funny indeed. As it is. i am sitting very strangely on my chair in the office and trying not to get papaw ointment everywhere. Aside from injury, have been spending my lunchbreak setting up my skype. AS from PGC called this morning and suggested i set up a US number and get in forwarded to my mobile. The former was easy, but the latter i have found to be impossible(at least out of my depth) i can forward easily to my AU work number but when forwarded to mobile, get busy signal and mobile does not ring. What is going on? Tech Support required!
27 June 2011 so birthday weekend was great except for the fact that i had the flu and spent most of it in bed. brief escape for lunch with the family. was floored when mum pulled out my bday cake. It was a giant cupcake. Was a work of art and it seemed a shame to eat it. but it tasted even better than it looked! I was feeling better by sunday eve so AA took me for a couple of drinks at the BBC. It's our "usual" so i wrapped myself in my winter woolies, grabbed a large box of tissues and headed out. When i went up to the bar to buy a round, the bartender asked me if i was on tv or something as i looked very familiar. i was shocked.... i hadn't heard a line like that in a while and besides i was pretty much looking my worst.... ugg boots, hoodie, no make up. I'm sure i said something stupid(as he's quite good looking) and staggered back to our booth where i told AA all about it. I have to say it made my day!
23 June 2011 took some brief respite from NY planning to head to Hip Hop Karaoke at GoodGod last night. I used to go to these monthly nights when i was living in London. They were at the social on little portland street and it was always full of Hip Hop loving peeps who were not afraid to get up and give it a shot. While last night's one in sydney has a similar format, attendance was exteremly low. i mean maybe 25 people at the peak. Only half of those even gave it a shot on the mike. I am happy to say i was one of the brave ones! Did a little rendition of TLC's Creep that killed!! scored a 4th place prize too. Despite poor attendance me and my peeps had a blast and will definately be back for another round at teh next one on 20th July. C'mon Sydney. We need to support events like this!! HHK
22 June 2011 flights booked. now i'm cleaning house cleaning house
21 June 2011 neglectful? yes i have been and i apologise. I have been distracted by NY plans. My self nominated deadline is fast approaching with no sponsor in sight... so im packing up the whole show and taking it across the atlantic. Once they see me in the flesh surely they will be powerless to resist and the offers will come in thick and fast.... right? well we shall soon see. Flights have been booked. notice has been handed in. furniture is being sold and dream apartments have been put back on the market. Will i make it in the big apple or will i come home in a month deflated after giving it my all?
15 June 2011 dukkan'd it up last night when i made a fabulous sausage and bean casserole. not having read the book, i'm assuming this was on the "allowed" list. Tasted awesome and i've leftovers for lunch! also made myself a frittata for breakkie. very yum but would love a sour cherry danish to go with it! SA from real estate came to do an inspection on the apartment last night. As i am extremely house proud, i did a tidy before she arrived and even burned some rose geranium essense. As a final touch i had some diana krall playing and was reclined on the sofa with a glass of taylors 2008 chardonnay(one of my fav's) when she knocked on the door. She was suitably impressed. Email from SR. can't help getting my hopes up.
14 June 2011 So mums been going on about the dukkan diet for a while. It's basically meat, meat, meat for the first week. strictly no yummy white bread. I lasted about 12 minutes until i went to get a coffee this morning and there was a avocado, ham & cheese ciabatta staring at me from the display case. zero will power + addiction to carbs = disaster. anyway, i'm now in post carb, gluten fuelled haze. In other news, was up early to talk to SR re NY but couldn't reach him.
13 June 2011 happy birthday queenie! Despite the foul weather enjoyed the tail end of the long weekend. Went to AA's and watched the hangover on DVD. Pleasantly surprised. I mean yes there was a lot of toilet humour, but Bradley Cooper is very good looking so all in all it was a fair film.
12 June 2011 enjoyed quality time with sofa on friday night. Got in loads of 24. The show is terrible but i can't help watching it. Saturday morning step class with S as usual. It really is one of the high points of my week. Miserable weather so stayed in with more 24 and reorganised various drawers and did some tidying ahead of apartment inspection on tuesday. When MH came to pick me up for our evening in the burbs, cabin fever had reached dangerous levels. After driving in the rain for what seemed like hours(but was in fact 30 mins) we were at AY's place in beverly hills. Her place is lovely and she has 2 gorgeous cats... M&B. We braved the elements to get some grub at the local RSL. $3.70 for a glass of chardonnay? sign me up. The portugese chicken burger was an ... honest.. meal. Then back to AY's for more wine and some DVD action. AY has this VERY comfy recliner which i had to share with M the cat... i didn't mind
10 June 2011 TGIF peoples. This whole working in an office thing is such a drag. but in all honesty i'm not sure what i'd do with my days if i didn't have that structure in place. i have visions of myself climbing mountains and taking up art classes, but im sad to say the reality would more likely be me on the couch watching golden girls. i mean, not working isn't that great when all your friends are working. Ok, need to lighten the mood. Finally checked out the "fancy" food court at the new westfields at lunch yesterday. MS was my guide. Now for those that know me well... Food courts are NOT my thing. but in the spirit of adventure i thought i'd give it a try. It was not terrible. i think thats mostly owing to the absense of McDonalds. Bratwurst, chips & coke @ snag stand set me back $17. Fair value ? No. But alright for a once off. I'm glad to have been, but in no hurry to return. Besides you can't go past Goood Pizza for lunch (Martin Place Shopping Circle) (sorry NH.... im addicted!) Had a double serving today as Pizza guy had made my favourite...proscuitto, eggplant and boccocini. I was in carb and cheese heaven. After festivities of last weekend, im looking forward to a quiet one. DVD's and champers this evening... weather is wet and cold so really perfect for planned activity. MH & AY want me to get the train to beverly hills tomorrow night(don't see it happening though)
07 June 2011 just back from lunch at GPO wine & cheese room with JM. Had the braised beef with a very mellow grenache.
06 June 2011 Wow, what a weekend. Had LE over from Brissie, so was packed full of entertainment. Before i met up with her on friday night i went for dinner at my aunty J's place in the burbs. she's indian and cooks the most delicious indian food. Masala Dosai, Sambar, Rice, pineapple rassum, rice pappadum... soooo good. So after i'd filled my belly i got back on teh train and headed back to town. LE was already at mine. After a big hug we hunted around darlo looking for somewhere still serving food(it was only 10)...no luck. So we headed to Opera bar for some food and to check out the vivid festival. The light show projected onto the Opera house from the overseas passenger terminal was stunning. Was great to lie back against the concourse wall on a cushion and watch. Soon LE's friend A arrived. It was midnight so was not at all surprised to find A and his friend were completely toasted. He had tickest to the Avalanches gig @ Opera House(studio). We headed back to darlo and went for a few cocktails at Eau de Vie. The "mixologist" Daniel used to be at bowery in brisbane so he and ES bonded instantly. A few Dark n Stormys EDV closed and we headed to goldfish. i called it a night soon after but ES & A (who had caught us up with us at EDV) continued on to iguana(?).
Brunch on saturday at gardenlife cafe in surry hills was brilliant. Had the eggs in a nest which was delightful! Left ES to her own devices and spent the afternoon at Ikea with MH. Reconnected with ES for dinner @ Assiette in surry Hills. Tres chic'. Very frenchy and yummy. I had the cured kingfish and the roast pork. Took a gamble with the pork as the last bit of pork i had was at Lupa in NY and it was dissapointingly and dangerously undercooked. No such issues at Assiette... Pork was cooked perfectly and the side of green beans was also perfect with slivers of almond and a drizzle of olive oil.. Sommelier recomended a lovely resiling(normally not my favourite variety). some pet peevs.... the waiter reached across me to place breadroll on my side plate even though there was plenty of room for him to place it from behind. Also our table was too close to the kitchen. I despise tables too close to kitchen or bathroom!
01 June 2011 went to my first ever book club last night @ the dolphin. the book was room by emma donaghue. A very compelling read. i was pleasantly surprised when there was so many different and vocal responses to it... some loved it, some hated it. I was one of the former. Next month's book is "the corner" which was made into a HBO series by the makers of "the wire". Big fan of those guys. In other news... i really have to ween myself off the goood pizza. Had it for lunch again today... even though i bought in a perfectly good vegie soup.
31 May 2011 too much happening peoples. firstly managed to survive without smartphone. Have researched cost of new iphone to be $850. Contracts = Committment so i'm inclined to pay the ridiculous price rather than be locked into a 2 year contract signed in blood. for the time being am using my brothers old Nokia E71. It's quite blackberry-esque. Now to recent activities.... Friday was the big Deloitte Bollywood Charity Fundraiser Dinner. Having been to a few of these charity events in the past i was not surprised at all about the number of speaches and firm propoganda so all in all it was a pleasant evening. It was TJ's first one and all things considered i think she did a lovely job of it. Annoyance on trip home: man stole my taxi right in front of me outside the watersedge restaurant where the event was held. If i hadn't been in heels and full bollywood attire i would have given him a piece of my mind. as it was, i stood there open jawed and silently cursing him until the next cab happened along in 5 mins (felt like 5 hours though!) Onwards and upwards... hada bit of a headache on saturday morning courtesy of the open bar the previous night. Had a 7.30am call scheduled with PMK and she was right on time. I felt the call went well. Next onto saturday am step class... C was on instead of S. He is lovely, but S is amazing. Then off to erskinville to meet up with SL & MH and head to the suburbs for C&L's housewarming BBQ. There was an abundance of food and fabulous cocktails. We laughed and carried on and played singstar for hours! Everyone was there... E&T, JL&TN (up the duff!), JD - who has just started up with a new GF, C + loads more.
Sunday headed home for some family time and a decent feed...very relaxing
26 May 2011 Where to start? drinks and dinner with KC last night. we were supposed to go to sticky bar for their yummy wednesday sticky roast. After a few drinks at MPB we tried in vain to get a cab along Elizabeth Street. After 20 mins standing in the rain without an umbrella, we tried a few other taxi hot spots to no avail. completely drenched and very hungry we ended up at the ivy. It is my venue of last resort in the city, but by that point anywhere out of the rain seemed irresistable.
burgers in the ivy bar were OK... a tad undercooked for some strange reason but lovely fat chips on the side made up for it.
Woke up this morning and sprung into action as cleaner was expected... did some pre-cleaning and high tailed it out of there with my iphone in my jacket pocket. Got a cab to work as usual. At work, went to get my phone out of my pocket. The pocket was empty! Have rung every cab company that services the city but nothings been handed in. I'm certainly not holding my breath. Have already been to optus and picked up what might be referred to on "the wire" as a burner. strictly calls and texts only.. so no words with friends for a while :-( Also no calls from PMK yet.
23 May 2011 Was lovely to catch up with JM on friday even though the office is not a fun bar. MS was there too along with a lot of ex-colleagues from B. Onwards to drinks at chambers. Thought i would try to meet some new people.... the crucial thing i forgot was that i dislike people. High tailed it out of there without a concern for politeness. As usual taxi home was sub par. the taxi's are getting so dirty and worn down, that i'm thinking of taking buses. i mean ...really? Saturday started well with BS @ KX w PK. What a workout. Then took care of the weekly shop at Harris Farm Markets, where i was puzzled and dismayed by the absense of my favourite miniture cos lettuce.... "what do you mean there's none left??". Ended errands on a high note with brunch @ Latteria. The evening's festivities kicked off with cocktails at the passage and then some dinner+ karaoke @ Juju's for MH's bday. I sang "you give love a bad name" with SL... we were FABULOUS. Before i know it... i'm here back at the office enjoying my favourite workday lunch of Goood Pizza. today its proscuitto, sundried tomato and mozzarella. yum!
20 May 2011 It's been a busy week. work has been hectic as the RFP responses were due today and they have all arrived in the nick of time, well except for one which we've been advised by the rep, is imminent. some progress on NY after speaking to P. Had Lunch with NK yesterday... He is lovely and we always have a fab chat. we are both obsessed with "the goood pizza"- yes good is with three o's in the Martin place shopping circle. The eggplant, salami and blue cheese is sublime!. Meeting JM at the office shortly, then onto chambers. To be honest i'm already looking forward to being home in my PJ's having a cup of tea but that seems a way off :-(
16 May 2011 Had a bbq with some family friends yesterday. It was at K's new place which was lovely and involved plenty of grilled meats and board games. i came out on top in balderdash but wasn't quite up to the task in taboo. as usual... monday morning came around too soon. Just had lunch with IK today at GPO. She's lovely and a gun at UI type stuff.
14 May 2011 lunch with RF @ MPB yesterday. I was surprised to find that he was not gay. We had a pleasant lunch and he gave me some good tips re NY. Had to be back earlyish for meetings though. Enjoyed my saturday morning step class.... S was away so we had A... she was fab! then was onto lunch with LS in crows nest... went to fabulous greek place. lots of buff "guido's" :-) (yes, i know i watch too much jersey shore) off to LG's 30th @ burdekin this evening. LG is fabulous and there will be costumes so should be fun!
12 May 2011 so my quiet night in didn't eventuate. Forgot that i had scheduled drinks w KC. We went to Ambar then MPB. She was lovely and we had a great time. Wearing my new Michael Kors bag into work today and feeling fabulous. Drinks with EM this evening. will be short though as have a 7.30 conference call...boo
11 May 2011 Went to the US Consulate today.... thought i would just "pop" by and have a chat. The place was like fort knox. you have to clear security just to get to the next level of security to get to the reception desk. Very intimidating. Quiet day otherwise...had a caramello koala, listened to a little barbra. Looking forward to a quiet evening in.... there may or may not be pizza involved.
10 May 2011 Lunch @ verandah today. Its been years since i've been there so i was pleasntly surprised that they still have their tuesday special... Chicken Schnitzel + chips. My diet was a casualty as i drowned the deep fried morsel with gravy and added a large dollop of mayo. I washed it down with a nice glass of SSB. Now i'm feeling very full and sleepy. Extermely tiresome documentation i'm working on is not helping in my efforts to stay awake at my desk. At any rate, it was great to catch up with SA and JD. JD has recently started his own small business and i enjoy getting updates on his entrepenarial adventures.
09 May 2011 Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day. I've never seen so many people carrying oversized bunches of flowers on public transport. Another unusual sight was 2 young normal looking girls(not homeless) walking around with no shoes. At any rate, the excitement of the weekend is over and i am back in the mundane abyss of the office. My only comfort being a slice from the goood pizza at lunch...todays special... salami, eggplant and blue cheese. yum.com peoples. very difficult to stop at just one slice.
05 May 2011 So there's 2 reasons why i haven't made any updates for a while. Firstly, not much has been going on. Secondly, i'd forgotten my password. I've migrated from post holiday blues to reality blues. Weekend was great... but exhausting. in our anti-celebration of the big wedding the girls and i went for pizza @ gigi. it's worth the trek to newtown for that delicious cheesy goodness. then onto Corridor. It's another non descript small bar (i.e. narrow, bad lighting and fittings, great wine list). The makeshift ice bucket (old tub of olives) was cute in a predictable way.
29 April 2011 first day at the gym in over 3 weeks. considering what i have been eating and drinking during that time i knew i was in for a world of pain. PK was cross at my absense but happy to see me. She has a rockin bod and is a very fun and motivational instructor. By the time we got to to track 3(out of 9) i was ready to hurl. normally that sensation doesn't hit me until track 7 or 8.
28 April 2011 Just come back from boozy lunch at GPO with PG. He is tooo gorgeous and such a pleasure to be around. Meanwhile i am completely useless at the office after 2 glasses of wine. AM bought in some easter eggs which i had the will power to refuse prior to boozy lunch. Now the wrapping littered around my table is a reminder of the vast quantity of chocolate rabbit i have consumed. Now i have to get busy looking like i am working.... oh brother.
26 April 2011 NY on my mind: what a great trip. A friend asked me yesterday what the highlight of the trip was. I couldn't answer. sometimes you visit a city and get a sense of familiarility even though you've never been there. i think NY has that for a lot of people because so many movies and tv shows that we grew up with were shot there. For me it was also because it reminded me of London, where i lived for a few years. The city that never sleeps exceeded all my expectations
stuff i read
http://www.ted.com |
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/ |