A new direction

Direction by nicole from Flickr

Happy 2012 to CCM readers!

Yes, it has been months since the last update. I have been through some challenging times and I needed a bit of time off blogging to recuperate. The good thing is that the dark clouds are gone and I'm living life to the full again.

During my time off I evaluated aspects of my life, including this blog. It has been so much fun blogging and engaging with you through comments and Twitter. However I wanted a change in what I blog about. As mentioned in this post, I am fascinated by how the internet and social networks change the way we shop, and after some consideration I decided to start a new blog to explore the topic. It will be a mix of news, reviews, interview and more. I'll still be writing about my various shopping conquests :-D

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your support and friendship (it's lovely meeting some of you in real life!).

Now, hop over to The Etail Queen and say hi!

xoxo

To the Nation's Capital

The Curious household is off to Canberra today - Mr C's work has an annual conference there, which is really a paid-for holiday for staff and their families. Mr C's dad lives in the area so we'll be spending a bit of time with him as well. It'll be TLG's first visit to his grandpa's house!

On the agenda - a morning at the AIS organised by Mr C's employer, dinners at the Australian War Memorial and Kingsley's Steak and Crabhouse (drool), and trips to the Floriade and Questacon.

Photo: Floriade Canberra 2011 by Galeforcesales

We're doing last minute packing now and will be off in an hour or so.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the week :-)

Thoughts from a Sydney shopping day

The Bathurst 1000 was on last Sunday. Of no particular relevance to me, except when Mr Curious said to me on Friday "I'll watch the race with TLG at home, why don't you go out, maybe do some shopping?".

I didn't need to be asked twice.

So on Sunday I caught the bus into the city and spent the day within a 100m radius of Pitt St mall. Almost 6 hours of browsing, trying on clothes, and of course buying. I will write about my purchases but that's not the focus on this post. Below are some random observations on shopping from the day.

• I arrived at QVB a bit after 10:30am and ALL THE SHOPS WERE CLOSED. I checked my watch to make sure I had the time right. The cafes must love it, they were doing roaring trades. I assume the decision to delay opening hours till 11am is based on the lack of sales during early hours, but I can't but think that with Myer, DJs and Westfields just a block away (or less) they may be shooting themselves in the foot.

• Full prices at high street stores are getting ridiculous. I went into Country Road and French Connection and I cannot picture myself paying RRP on any of the items. With the current economic environment they go on sale fairly quickly (I saw a pair of sandals I liked at Country Road the week before, and by this week it was discounted from $70 to $50), but with overseas online retailers like ASOS and Zara (more later) I wonder if a general lowering of price points with fewer sales is a better way to go.

• I went through both Myer and DJs looking for bargains. Didn't find anything at Myer (except some boys' underpants for TLG at the children section), the items on sale were not inspiring. I even went to Miss Shop to have a look (I was after some casual tops) and nada. It was more promising at DJs. There were racks and racks of discounted clothings to go through on both Levels 1 and 2, including some from Australian designer labels. Discounts were up to 75% for many designers. I didn't see clothings of similar calibre on sale at Myer. Where is Myer is offloading its unsold Australian designer stock?

• I almost bought this Shona Joy top (discounted to $39) but decided against it at the end - I'm a bit uncertain about loose fit tops.

Photo: ebay seller thelifeofafashionista

• I also tried on a lovely black Thurley dress (discounted to $149) but I need another black dress like a hole in the head.

• I didn't leave DJs empty handed - I bought this fun top/dress from Kirrily Johnston's S/S 2010 collection for $99 (down from $399). No, I did NOT buy the matching leggings.

Here's a photo without the embellishments.

Photo: ebay seller shoresy_7

I like that it can be worn two ways. There is a small button to gather the sides to form a figure hugging dress (as above) or you can undo the button and wear it loose.

• I know I'm super late but I went into Zara for the first time. I have been to Zara overseas so I knew what to expect. There were certainly lots of choices. I was tempted by some of the bright coloured jeans but the long line to the change room banished the thought. There is still a reasonable mark up between Australian and overseas prices, but not as much as other international brands such as Esprit. I can live with some mark up (Australia is a small market, far away and $A exchange rates can be volatile) but 100%+ mark up will stop me from buying. For all the hype at its opening, it is just another high street store with some nice stuff and some not-so-nice. I didn't buy anything.

• GAP is boring. For a store with good basics I pick UNIQLO anyday.

• I guess I'm never going to be a GASP girl - I bought something from Supre. Cute and a bargain at $20.

• I also bought another one of the bra I liked from the CK underwear store at 50% off. Nice customer service from the SA which is always a plus. Another loyalty card to add to my collection.

• I love online shopping but it IS nice to see, feel and try on clothes to see how they fit.

• With DVF available at shopbop with free shipping, will the store at Westfields become an expensive fitting room?

• Overall I'm lukewarm about the new-ish Westfields, I like the new labels that opened shop there but there is something about the layout that leaves me cold. ifc mall in Hong Kong is much more to my liking in terms of shopping centre design.

• Exception to the point above: I love the food court on Level 5. Great variety, good quality and not a fast food joint in sight. Must explore the restaurants soon.

• It feels like The Strand Arcade is slowly dying. It must have taken a big hit from Westfields. I didn't even go up to Level 2, half of shops looked closed.

• I went into Burberry on George Street for the first time also. I saw a pair of sunnies in Vogue's October issue that I liked. Unfortunately they didn't suit me. The layout of the store was underwhelming, I didn't feel it at all. I hope LV does a better job with its new flagship store a block away (corner of George and King Sts, opening 3 December).

• Shopping is exhausting. My body was ready for a lie-down by 3:30pm. I soldiered on until 4:15pm. As a form of exercise it was a fun one.

Blogging is exhausting too! Even this rambling post took almost 2 hours. Like shopping, it has been fun. I just need more hours in the day!

I have been thinking about writing a series of posts on shopping, especially on online shopping and the influence of social networks. This post may just get me started. Part of the series is a survey for you to complete - are you keen?

An open letter to a fashion thief

Dear Sportscraft

I was reading the latest issue of InStyle magazine when I came across this in the Summer Steals feature.

"Hey, it features a bag I own!" was my initial reaction. Until I looked closer and realised that it was not. You see, I bought this Michael Kors bag earlier this year.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to realise that the two bags look eeriely similar. The shape, the colour, the way that the shoulder strap can be worn two ways. Yes, the clasp of the Sportscraft bag is different and it does not have the tag and key, but putting them next to each other, no one would deny that the bags are almost identical.

I know the adage "Nothing is new in fashion", and that even major trends like the bold stripes from Prada's S/S 2011 collection ...

Photo: Team Peter Stigter

have been seen before.

Photo: Vintage dress on Etsy

Everyone understands how the fashion food chain works and for those of us who cannot afford designer gear day-in-day-out, it's a godsend. However there IS a line between "inspired by" and "blatant copy". That line is difficult to describe but it's dead easy to tell if someone crossed it. Witchery/Balenciaga anyone?

You may not care at all. Michael Kors is unlikely to take any action against you, and many people will be happy to cough up the cash for the bag, whether they know of the original design or not.

But you (must) know that you are a thief. You stole someone else's work, claim it as your own and profit from it. That's poor form.

I'll spend my money on high street brands that come up with their interpretation of the latest trends (or better still, with their own unique designs).

Yours sincerely

Ms Curious

Healthy Life Part 10: H2O

Read any article about healthy living and drinking water is likely to be high on the list.

I'm pretty good with my beverage choices. I only have an occasional glass of wine or champagne (I'm also partial to nice sake), and juices and soft drinks are once-a-week treats. My only daily "vice" is a skim cappuccino or two.

I drink a good amount of water, but the amount I drink varies based on where I am. I drink like a fish when I'm in the office, at least 1.5L even if I'm not exercising. However, when I'm at home I don't drink nearly as much.

So what caused the difference? I use a disposible water bottle at work and plastic tumblers at home. So I think the bottle is the trick.

I know that the bottle that comes with the water are not meant to be re-used. After some research online I purchased several 750ml Camelbak Better Bottles.

Hand modelling from yours truly to give you a sense of the size of the bottle.

The bottle is made with BPA free plastic, and the bottle is spill proof even if the sprout is out because of the "Bite-N-Sip" valve. You have to bite slightly at the valve to release the water. The biting was a bit strange at first but it was easy to get used to, and now it's second nature.

I'm happy to report that the bottle increased my water intake at home. I still don't drink as much as I do at work (I think the air conditioning makes me thirsty) but having a water bottle around at all times makes it much easier to take a sip here and there. In fact I just had a sip before typing this sentence.

I take the bottle out when I go outdoors so I'm not tempted by sugary drinks, and that works too.

If you'd like to drink more water I highly recommend getting a bottle to carry around (I bought the bottles from Wiggle).

Home made butter chicken

I haven't written a cooking post for what seems like forever. I have been cooking non-blog worthy food, partly because I was avoiding high-fat food, but mostly because I was lazy.

The lovely Ling tweeted about butter chicken a little while ago. I'm a big fan of the dish so I asked her for the recipe and kindly she sent it to me. I made it last night so finally there's something to share with CCM readers.

Ingredients
2 onions
cooking oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp ginger (I used ginger powder)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 small piece cinnamon
2 pods of cardamom
4 tbsp cashew nuts
3-4 tbsp (60-80g) of butter
3 large chicken thigh fillets - cut into ~1cm wide strips
1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp dhaniya (coriander) powder
300ml passata

Finely chop 1 big onion and pan fry with 2 tbsp oil until golden brown, then put in the fridge to cool.

Blend the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cashew nuts and onion into a smooth paste.

I mixed everything else first while the onion was cooling.

Before

After

After adding the onion and more blending it started to look like a paste.

Put the butter in a large saucepan in low heat (so the butter can melt gradually).

Chop the other onion lengthwise. Add to the saucepan and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken and fry it for a few minutes each side.

Add the above paste and fry for a while. Then add chilli powder, coriander powder, passata and boil until chicken is well cooked.

I let it simmer for 10 minutes in low heat after the chicken is cooked.

The final step is to garnish with freshly cut coriander and 1 tsp butter before turning off the heat, but I didn't follow it.

I served the butter chicken with roti and steamed green beans.

As you can see in the photo above, the sauce is thicker than butter chicken from Indian restaurants and takeaway. Maybe I'll add some water to the mix next time. It is also less sweet and a bit more spicy which I like :-D Even with 1 tsp of chilli powder only it was too spicy for TLG, I'll have to cook some without chilli for him next time.

What do you think? Are you going to give it a try?

My Saturday

Yesterday morning started with a glorious sleep-in (of sorts). Mr C went for an early morning bike ride. When TLG woke up I was half asleep in bed and ABC2 kept him company until Mr C returned. I stayed in bed for another nap and didn't get up until 9:30! Bliss.

The day's main event was a trip to Opera House with my friends S and E to see ex-High Court judge Michael Kirby as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. One of the few joys in my law school days was reading Justice Kirby's compassionate and well written judgments, and it was a pleasure to see him in person. As expected he was articulate and wise, and he knew how to entertain the audience.

He spoke on 3 topics:

• The importance of public education - the need for more funding (or re-balancing of funding between public and private schools) and for it to maintain a secular institution
• Animal welfare - he stopped eating red meat and poultry after reading a book in 2009 about the cruelty of animal slaughter
• Gay rights and same-sex marriage - he read out a letter sent to him by the Australian Family Association opposing same-sex marriage (and homosexual relationships in general) and he torn their arguments apart to the delight of the crowd. He talked about his love for this partner of 42 years, and that to deny his right to have a relationship with such a wonderful man is "evil" in his opinion.

His new book called A Private Life has just been published (he cheekily plugged his book many times during the talk). I'm keen to get my hands on a copy - maybe I'll do my FIL a favour and ask him to buy that for me for Christmas. Here's an excerpt of the book - oh if only I can write like that! And here's an interview with the ABC earlier this week.

On the way to the Concert Hall I saw some Gruffalo merchanises at the SOH gift shop. My sister gave The Gruffalo to TLG when we were in Hong Kong and he loved the book. So after the talk I went and bought him this cute apron.

I also liked the domino set - I think I'll get it for him next time.

We had lunch at Opera Bar. I had a delicious artichoke risotto and we talked (and talked), mostly about pregnancy and motherhood as E has a 4 month old boy and S is due for her first baby later this month. It was nice to have a good long chat with friends.

It was almost 4pm when we parted company. I headed to David Jones with the aim of buying a pair of sandals. I had no luck in that department, but a wander down to women's fashion led to the following purchases.

toi et moi cotton purple beaded throw

I have not heard of toi et moi before, it looks like a fun brand. This will be perfect with a black singlet and skinny jeans.

Diesel T-shirt

Brings out my inner rock-chick!

Antipodium Natural Urge dress

This photo isn't doing the dress any justice. Here's a maxi version that is sold out on ASOS.

Pretty, isn't it? And it was only $89 (down from $199). The sleeveless top in the same collection is on sale at ASOS for £65 so I definitely nabbed a bargain!

With a shopping bag full of goodies it was time to go home and spend some quality time with Mr C and TLG. TLG loved the apron and wanted to help me prepare dinner. I entrusted him with the important tasks of removing the husk from the corn cobs and spreading oil on the steaks, which he completed with aplomb. It was a lovely way to bond. And the dinner was yummy too.

Wishing you all an enjoyable end to the (for NSW and ACT readers, long) weekend!