Melbourne

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week and a Dutiful Husband

May

The first week in September marks the beginning of Spring and with that comes Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW).  Festivities are held downtown all week with both free and ticketed runway shows, workshops, fashion film and of course, lots of opportunities to shop. The vast majority of the designers are Australian and unfamiliar to me but I figure why not see what all the fuss is about.

My interests were peaked even more when I saw Lululemon and Arthur Galan on the week’s program. My infatuation with Lululemon is pretty well noted by my friends. I can’t seem to walk into one of their stores without purchasing something. It’s very dangerous for my wallet. Arthur Galan happens to be the one designer whose store we stumbled into on Chapel street a few weeks back. I basically fell in love with EVERY item in the store and Ben had to haul me out.

While I’m sure Ben did not want anything fueling my Lululemon appetite, it was a free show and he was oh-so-kindly willing to come along and “support me” (a.k.a. see the models perform in yoga gear).  We went to the show on Wednesday evening and got there early because it was open to the public. We somehow managed to get seated in the first row which was reserved for certain important persons of unknown identities who ultimately did not show up.

The show was entertaining with all the models performing down the runway with yoga, dance, acrobatics and pole performances.  I made note of things to add to my workout wardrobe while Ben made notes of… well, let’s pretend he made note of the men’s running wear for himself. To top it off, we also got to claim goody bags with our front row upgrade which contained generous gift cards. So it was a win all the way around and the next shopping trip won’t worry Ben so much 😉

After the show I made us some dinner – a couple steaks from South Melbourne Market with pasta and salad. In a way, it was to treat Ben for being such a good sport but somehow I think he got the better end of the whole night!

Thursday night came the designer show. Ben played the loving and dutiful husband and dressed up to escort me. I was excited to have another proper occasion to wear my birthday Louboutins.  There were 10 designers featured: Akira, Yeonjin Bae, Thurley, Jayson Brunsdon, Arthur Galan, Megan Park, Nicola Finetti, Calibre, Nevenka and Christine.

The show was great and Ben limited his Zoolander quotes. The goody bags were not nearly as exciting as the ones from Lululemon but all in all a fun night – likely more fun more me than Ben.

 

It’s Friday and the Sun is Out!

May

It is actually pretty warm today! It is getting towards 20 degrees C though not quite there (upper 60’s F) and with the sun out it feels much warmer… unless the wind blows. It’s a nice break from some of the cold rainy weather we’ve had.

Melbourne is said to be a city in which you can experience all 4 seasons in a single day. The clouds move quickly and the temperatures with them. People dress in layers and always carry an umbrella. All in all, it feels a lot like San Francisco during the colder months, with added rain. However, I’m dreaming of warmer days to come…. you can remind me of that if/when the weather gets above 100 degrees F.

On days like this I excitedly look towards the ocean from our balcony and the water looks so blue. I had to stretch my hand off the balcony to get the attached picture – don’t tell Ben! I hope it’s that blue up close. I can’t wait to explore the coastline but need things to warm up a bit.

In the meantime, the plan is to get out a little this weekend. We’ll do some shopping at the farmer’s markets and we’ve got tickets to our very first footy match! We’ll be seeing the Geelong Cats face off against the Hawthorn Hawks at MCG which is the stadium you can see from our apartment. I tried to take a more close up pic – it’s the open stadium with the big lights to the right of the tower structure.

It’s supposed to be a good match up and rivalry. I’m sure Ben will post more about it along with AFL in general. Footy is very popular here and people ask if we’ve picked a team yet – I guess we better get on it. Perhaps we’ll come out of this game a Cats or Hawks fan. Based on nothing more than the uniforms and logos, I think I prefer the Cats!

Here are a few fun Aussie phrases to carry you into your Friday. They don’t like to pronounce a lot of r’s and if a word ends in “er” then it’s often replaced with an “ah” sound. Stay tuned for weekend updates!

  • Whatta ya after? = What would you like to order?
  • How ya traveling? = How’s it going?
  • Give it a go = Try it
  • No worries = Your welcome or No problem
  • Rubbish/Litter = Trash
  • Fillet = “t” at the end pronounced – sounds like “fill-it”… we both agree, it’s just wrong
  • Coriander = Cilantro
  • Capsicum = Bell Peppers
  • Dinkum = genuine or true

 

 

Settling into Melbourne

May

Here we are in Melbourne, Australia. G’day mates! So let’s get some of the not-so-exciting stuff out of the way. The first couple of weeks were a bit of a blur fighting jet lag and trying to find a place to live, but we managed just fine.

  • Apartment
  • Cell phone
  • Appliances – fridge, washer, dryer
  • Utilities and Internet set up
  • Furniture….

We’ve moved into our new place and it’s great…except that the only furniture we own so far is a bed (for the guest room). Since our belongings, including our own bed, will not be arriving for another 3-4 weeks, we figured it would be important to have something to sleep on. So to all our friends and family who plan to visit, there is a bed awaiting you – you’re welcome!

Otherwise, we are getting ourselves situated. We’ve ventured out a little bit  in between getting all our essentials and logistics in order. However, with the colder [and sometimes wet] weather, we are looking forward to exploring the area as it warms up in the coming Spring. Among other things, the opposite schedule of seasons will be a new one to get used to.

We’ve embraced city living and have moved into a brand new high rise building equipped with all the bells and whistles – concierge service, large gym, lap pool, sauna, rec room, theater room, indoor and outdoor event spaces with full catering kitchen and outdoor grills, theater room, massage room and even a virtual golf room.  Our apartment is definitely fancier than we are. Good thing they didn’t charge us for the frills.

We are on the 35th floor of the building and have a pretty fantastic view. Our balcony faces away from the city center and looks out onto one of the AFL stadium and sports centers. On the far left, we get a glimpse of the Yarra River and on the far right we can see the ocean.  It’s especially pretty at night when everything is lit up.

Ben has started work and seems to have hit the ground running. The Aussie office has wasted no time in putting their new resource to work. I try to remind him that it’s a positive thing since he has a bit to prove with a new office and region and I have absolute confidence that he will blow them away.

I’m starting to think however that this was all a ploy to turn me into a housewife. I’ve spent the past week doing chores and making meals to be ready on Ben’s arrival. I keep telling him that this is not the “lady of leisure” image I quite had in mind. 😉