~ Curious Charlie ~

On Holidays... but still busy? @ Monday, July 06, 2015

Monday 22nd June

Monday was an early start, awoken a nightmare I now don't recall at all (actually that's not true, I saw something terrible on the train, something that's next to murder in terms of sentencing). I have question, if you saw someone, a stranger, being attacked and you were on an express train (that isn't stopped for a while), what would you do? Knowing you if you say anything you're next. There are no guns here, only knives. If you call for external help they might know it's you, especially if you're fiddling with your phone. What would you do?

An early 9am start ended up stuck on the train due to a failed signal at Flinders. But we did get to the hairdresser and have our hair done. Epic fail where I didn't really see it (because it was on the back of my head, like squirrel and Voldemort) or take pictures. But I did get a picture of a lemon tart I ate there! It's on my instagram.

Went shopping and then lunch at Pallet Espresso, udon soup with two rice ball but in the shape of triangles, average with a hint of msg in the soup. Nothing more to say. We'll be visiting a couple times for a full review.

Home-ish, a 45min wait as the bus never came, followed by a new time record to make cupcakes, ice them and decorate. All for a meeting, which we hopped back onto a bus to get to.

Next to dance. The mormans are back (they were away for a week or so). Does it hurt your feelings when someone picks someone else over you? I'm sorry I did that, though I did dance with the 'second choice' most of the night after he pointed that out, no not the feelings thing, the being second. Though I did point out that he was his wife's first choice of a husband. :P That would have been O.o if he was her second husband.

Tuesday

The day started off early, with an interview on the other side of the river, hence we were going to have a quick lunch with morman (who lives on that side, during office hours). He had to cancel, which was ok, cause then we (me, and not him) went for free pho! It was ok, nothing I'd buy though.

One day we'll go drinking here.

The bridges looks so sad without the locks...

... though some have started to appear.

Free Lunch.

Foodinc Cafe at Melbourne Central, well in the lane where Kikki K is that goes to Elizabeth St, offers free muffins with purchase if you check-in on fb. We had a $3.30 small hot chocolate, made with powder, and it was one of the best ones we've had!

Monkey King aka the New Oriental Tea House at Melb Central have a good lunch offer. Mon-Thu, two sittings 12-1 and 1.15-2.15pm. $20. Start with soup + stir fries (like in a wok, not chips) then... Mon/Wed - Spring + rice paper rolls, ribs. Tue/Thu - Dumplings, bbq (skewers).

Fast forward, we got some stuff done then went to a meeting, first committee meeting for a new event, well new to me. It's a fashion event, I don't approve of fashion, but I approve of this one. Because it's about the everyday person and anyone can be a model, you don't need to be a stick insect to be one. Nor do you have to be a skyscraper or win the genetic lottery pool. It's about embracing diversity and real people.

We had a guest speaker come and speak about self-esteem. I wanted to leave. No, sit down we're not going anywhere. Le beau encourages me to challenge myself and this event will be challenging for me. Because I prefer the company of men and well, don't really work with girls or have any female friends. Ok, I may have one or two, but I won't have any bridesmaids.

While it can be argued and I think it's kinda true, self-esteem issues effect girls and boys, but I think it effects girls a whole lot more. My guy friends generally don't talk about it, other than the desire to loose weight, though purely through exercise, and they still go out and eat with me.

The reason I don't have any female friends is because I don't like 'girl world' and it makes me bitchy. Yes I am a mean girl and may have a problem with bullying, but le beau helps with that (by not encouraging it). But the 'head bitch' within me is not activated if I am not around other girls. Guys are pretty cool, they don't compete with me and aren't bitchy. When I was younger I went to model academy where you have to be a bitch to survive. If someone asks you where you bought something, they are making fun of you. Within that environment where I went five days a week I grew strong(er) and learnt how to be the ultimate bully. While I don't use their skills, if ever I need them, we have them.

In girl world there's a lot of self-esteem issues. And they like to talk about it. I don't. It's like the gender differences when faced with problems. Girls tell me about their issues, guys give it a brief one line note. No further discussion. They don't want me to respond. It's just a dot point over dinner, not what we talk about over dinner. We normally do an in depth discussion of the food over dinner. :P

It seems to me that girls love to put each other down and there's a really big bullying issue over there. Things that only exist in girl world include #thinspiration #sausagesorlegs, being thin and orange, the kadasions and other celeb stuff, trashy gossip magazines, cocoa vodka (see their instagram page, skinny (white) orange model-like girls in neon bikinis) and measures of being thin (thigh gap, bikini bridge, collarbone valleys). I don't like this stuff and so only ever heard about it when someone tells me. It doesn't pop-up on my feed on facebook or instagram.

Instead my instagram feed is full of food, flowers/nature and pretty arty craft things. I do not care what the celebs are up to, nor do I feel a need to be in with the latest trends and fashion (I have been told by a stylist that I'm not in fashion). I do what I want and while I do feel pressure to be thin (I get told I'm fat almost daily by mother) I'm not really doing much about it. Other than dancing 3 times a week and eating less crap, like processed foods and making better choices. e.g. Strawberry muffin over double choc.

Something new I learnt was that girls punish themselves by eating when feeling low on self-esteem. Wtf? I love food! I eat all the time (when I go out), and it's cause I'm hungry or craving food. If I was punishing myself I'd eat baked leaves and call it a kale chip, instead of real chips, or something. How is a baked leaf a chip anyway? O.o

Slightly related, while I know you can get ass implants did you know you could get chicken fillet like stuff - but for your ass. XD Don't think they're effective enough to cushion you butt if you fall while ice skating though.

On the way to dinner I was after a certain brand of juice though got distracted as I checked out with a sandwich, bagel and sausages. :P All for just $4 as everything expires in two days. Staff was judging me for that, though trying not to show it. No pictures because it was dark and I was on the go. The place was 'Gumtree Good Food' Thomas Dux but fancier. I'm telling you the name, so if you're nearly you might get lucky and score some end of the day deals too. I was there around 7pm on a Tuesday Night.

Dinner with Lola @ Maya Tequila & Bar. Yummy desserts, great pronunciations by Lola and a burrito that smells ... well lets just say it's how to ruin a date. And no I'm not dating her. Above is just a preview, we ate $112 of food together - no drinks included in the bill.

Thursday

Thursday night I'm roaming the streets alone. Lies I'm not roaming I know exactly where I'm going, though I feel empty. Not hungry empty but like something or someone is missing. Under the subway a guy plays a cello and tonight we or rather I, am going to a concert: Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Of which spring is the most well known, often played at well spring weddings at the ceremony as guests gather in the lobby.

Dinner at PappaRich involved a strip club performance, that was new.

The real event of the night and highlight of my week was a concert, Vivaldi's Four Seasons. A masterpiece, it was food for the soul, and just amazing and of course mesmerizing beautiful! I've never heard it live before.

Friday

Bus, bus, tram, bus was how we got to brunch, or rather lunch at 3pm. An exploration around the garden led to the discovery of these faux strawberries, though Esme googled baby strawberries, and they start of green. So these aren't strawberries, and yet they grow on a vine on the ground like strawberries.

I'm still quite amazed where food comes from, and farm animals too. Growing up we had the American Diet, peaches don't come from trees, they come in a can. Things like that. We didn't grow our own food, go to farms or anything.

While I romped through the gardens Esme sat on the bench and well, did stuff on her phone. And I can't help but think she's missing out on life. Not her in particular but everyone including me. All that screen time, it's like that picture where a boy is told to go play outside and he bring his console outside. Instead of sitting at the park you could read in the shade, watch the clouds go by, take pictures of flowers, or make arty crafty things.

A very late lunch at 'The Stables of Como'.

Pre-dinner drinks at Dex2Rose. After weeks of R&D Jesse has developed a unique set of accompaniments (?) and a way to serve hot chocolate, that makes it a delightful experience!

Prepare your fire extinguishers, along with being curious and a tendency to touch things, Charlie is also a bit accident prone. I see no fire extinguishers, but Esme's prepared with a bottle of water on hand.

Hot Chocolate Set $16

Featuring our own lightly spiced hot chocolate, with salted caramel gelato,

raspberry drupelets, and toast at your table homemade marshmallows.

A ceramic vessel with lightly spiced 50/50 milk/dark choc combo, poured into a glass infused with rosewater that reminds me a little of lychee too. I decided to add the bits of semi-frozen raspberry and toasted marshmallows.

The toasted marshmallows were awesome! We got to toast/burn it ourselves over a little contained fire with blue gel. I cautiously bought it near the flames, while Esme set the other one on fire. I wasn't prepared and so didn't get the picture...

You'd think from all those summer camps featured on tv that I've been camping, but nope. I've never been camping as I hate dirt, germs, portaloos and prefer nature at a safe distance. Also my signature cosplay is Little Red Riding Hood, a trip into the woods isn't a good idea.

And so toasting marshmallows over a mini fire was awesome! If you eat the blue gel you'll be fine by the way, Esme got too excited and literally stuck it right in there.

The salted caramel gelato was smooth, but sadly not sweet (my preference) but a good thing, as it was savory and balanced out the sweetness of the marshmallows, which were perfectly soft pillows of goodness, that Lucy would have loved. Sadly Lucy can't eat that, because she's a bunny and would be on a sugar high. But she loves soft squishy things. Yes my best friend and the love of my life is a bunny. :P

With everything except the gelato (which was consumed dipped into the drink) was placed into the hot chocolate, creating a unique sensory experience. The softness of melted gooey marshmallows, the tartness of semi-frozen/cold raspberry bits and the hot chocolate itself. Lightly spiced it was lovely, there was a hint of cinnamon. This hot chocolate was unlike the others, not just through presentation but flavours too.

Saturday

Pre-4th July High Tea @ The Providence Cafe

Welcome home, where the green stuff is deco only. Like that plastic grass on your sushi tray.

Afterwards we went shopping, saw a sequin dress that didn't suit me. Mother pointed out with my rolls of fat that I looked ugly in everything, why bother? We have tried her diet method that obviously didn't work, the starvation diet. She says it worked for the Jew didn't it? But then on the side whenever I went out I binge eat, knowing that we don't eat food at home. Or if we do it's snacks, American-style. If it's green it's a decoration and food doesn't come from nature, it comes from the freezer, in packets and cans.

We also checked out shoes. Now I love shoes, but it's looking at them that I love. Most shoes hurt, and with my special feet my feet are anything by dainty and Cinderella like, instead they spill over the sides. Habbot's beautiful glitter dance shoes hurt, with the sizes of my feet being squished. But their volleys are great! So comfortable, on my left, but too big on my right... I'll get some insoles and gel pads. Though I'm also hoping to get these ones on sale.

Boots, I found a pair that's wide enough, though I doubt at $80 it's leather. The base feels like plastic. Do you think if I use insoles and gel pads it would be better? Slipping back into my own shoes it felt like walking on clouds.

Sunday

Cosplaying as Sleeping Beauty we slept right through all the alarms and straight till 3pm! I was suppose to be up at 5am... Went dancing and was going to try the 'Create your Taste' system at McD, but someone forgot the camera. It wasn't that impressive anyway, as there's only 3 burgers you can customize. If I want chain burgers I go to Grill'd.

Service was iffy, the girl I got wasn't friendly just lukewarm. They forgot the toy.

McD has lost its magic for me, that or it tastes different here. As a child we ate at McD every single week after French lessons (that didn't amount to much, other than in fees). I had the complete set of every toy collection. If we ate out it was at McD, we never went to restaurants or anything. When father dies (most likely from health issues relating to food choices, as us Americans tend to do) and we want to remember him, we'll go to McD. Other may try to relive their relationship through perhaps fishing or camping, but we never did any of that stuff. Instead we went to McD every Sunday lunch, after church and the french tutor.

How was your week? Did you go to comic con?