Bellissimo

For the very first time this year I volunteered at a charity lunch on Christmas Day. It was unexpectedly a fun and heartwarming experience. I tend to get a bit narky over the commercialisation of Christmas. The meaning and religious significance gets lost between Santa and trees and lights and tinsel. Sometimes you need to see a bit more clearly.

Although perhaps my tradition of stirring up Christmas cocktails blurs this a little.

The perfect (and easiest) cocktail - The Bellini.

1 Poached peach - pushed through a sieve to get a smooth puree

Sparkling wine - I used Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir

Cheers!

Christmas in NYC

Perth isn't as Christmassy as say New York City. Sure you find decorations in the CBD streets (which this year thanks to Mayor Lisa Scaffidi seems to have taken on a distinctly traditional Nativity theme), tinsel hanging in Coles and tacky santas and reindeer in shopping centres but nothing that comes as close as to how NYC celebrates Christmas.

In Dec '06 I was engulfed in the Christmas spirit in NYC. There were Christmas markets in every park we passed through. In Bryant Park we warmed up by eating cinnamon waffles and drank hot cider whilst watching skaters glide across the ice rink. On my 21st birthday I watched the NYC ballet perform the Nutcracker at the Lincoln Center, complete with falling snow on stage.

At Grand Central Station a very special holiday hologram display lit up the walls causing even the most rushed commuter to stop to take it all in. 

And then there's Madison Square Garden. Home of the biggest outdoor Christmas tree I had ever seen. There was a strange lull surrounding the space, everyone is smiling and you forget that its cold because...well it's Christmas.

This year at home it doesn't feel so Christmassy. We aren't hosting lunch and without visitors the mammoth task of putting up the tree and its hundreds of decorations has fallen by the wayside. But I can still reminisce on my perfect NYC Christmas visit.

Summer in Perth is

Summer in Perth is...

• drinking Fifth Leg White at the Raffles

• eating fish and chips at Fisherman's Wharf in Freo

• trying not to melt in your car during a 38 degree day

• drinking bubble tea (and discovering the wonders of mango pudding in a drink!)

• having afternoon tea at the Leaf Cafe in Cottesloe

• chasing after your dog as he decides to run around suburbia

• wearing strappy tops, shorts and sandals

• feeling like you have sunburnt feet

• writing lists of things that remind you why you stay in Perth in summer
  

Summer Concerts Calendar

Last year I saw this little indie movie called Once that absolutely gutted me. Its a melancholic, unrequited love story between a busker and a flower seller set on the streets of Dublin. The actors are part of the duo known as The Swell Season and sing (and wrote) each of the beautiful songs in the movie.

All their concerts at the Sydney Opera House are already sold out (!) and I can only imagine how awesome it would be to see them perform there. I'll be heading to the gig at Fremantle Arts Centre on the 25th of Jan. I cannot wait for this lovely little concert.

The next three I've booked tickets for are:

• Coldplay at the Dome on 28th Feb
  

Been playing Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love on repeat in my car each morning just so I can sing "dreaming of the Osaka sun...." whilst driving through the CBD

• The V Festival at Melbourne Showgrounds on 4th April
  

Hello The Killers, Snow Patrol, Kaiser Chiefs...I have a feeling that this may turn out to be one rowdy trip to Melby.

• PCD at the Dome on 30th May. Don't cha?
  

Just another twentysomething birthday?

I turned 23 yesterday and quite frankly before the event it was feeling like just another birthday. Perhaps I'm getting jaded and cynical. Or I'm dreading turning 25 and getting closer to that quarter life crisis.

I think most twentysomethings have a list of things that they just have to accomplish. When you're a Gen Y'er you usually cop a lot of flack, but I think that most of us are incredibly driven and know what we want out of life. I don't think this is a bad thing. 

We usually aspire to:

1. Having a challenging career
   
2. Being in a successful relationship
   
3. Being an adult (aka getting your shit together)
   

I believe that I've got 1.5 out of the 3 so I'm getting closer. 

I had a lot of (unexpected) fun this year, some of which is a little blurry, but I shall always remember being sung Happy Birthday to by a group of new and old friends whilst standing on a Northbridge corner at midnight.

On my actual birthday I perused Bazaar, pre-Christmas markets at Fremantle Arts Centre. It was very crowded at 11am and had a lot of lovely stuff, but nothing overtly said "buy me". 

Instead I stumbled through East Fremantle to discover the cutest cafe called Hubbles Yard on George Street. It's a quaint corner cafe that's a pretty rare find in Perth, with country-style cakes (big and the kind "Nanna" would make) and fresh and healthy lunches. I had a latte and a slice of the very nutty walnut cake.

Nearby was a specialist wine shop which also sold gourmet foodstuffs, wine paraphernalia, homewares and Christmas decorations (!). I'm guessing tables settings replace the Christmassy items during the rest of the year. I picked up a gingerbread angel for my Kris Kringle from The Wine Store which made me pretty happy...

Later in the evening I went to watch WASO's free performance on the Esplanade. There were a number of songs/sets from Aida (figures) but my favourite was Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. I was surrounded my picnickers and children happily waving their arms pretending to be conducters. Apart from it being a little windy it was a nice way for my 23rd birthday to come to an end.