GIRLS NIGHT~

Those 2 little words bring so much excitement to ones weekend.
'Girls Night.'
Oh the mischief we get up to!
I'm not talking about a hens night.
What i'm talking about is getting together with your girlfriends, dressing up, wearing heels & painting the town red.
Any other colour would not suffice.
Last weekend, i had a long overdue Girls Night.
It started out good & just kept escalating into euphoria as the night went along!
Let me share my story with you~ this is purely from my perspective:
So i met up with 2 chicky babes & we scoped out a hot, new, pretentious restaurant in Melbourne.
Ofcourse, being as 'cool' as it is, they don't take reservations & were fully booked.
Feeling disheveled, we headed around the corner to this little bar i know to drown our sorrows with a cocktail until the rest of our group arrived.
Now, have you ever been to a bar & instantly noticed the hot bartender? Yes?!
Well this is one of those very rare occasions when all of the bartenders were insanely good looking.
I actually couldn't cope with life.
This one in particular.. oh. my. heart.
He was ridiculous. Ridiculously handsome. Mesmerising. Mysterious.
So. I try to be cool, calm & collected as i approach the bar & HE takes my order.
Ofcourse HE does.
I had to turn away because i couldn't deal with watching him make my cocktail.
He was so suave.
Eating strawberries in front of me, a toothpick hanging out of the corner of his mouth, a grin every now & then..
Yes, gorgeous man, please continue your showy display of excellence.. 
After standing there awkwardly for what felt like a millennium & trying not to look too much like a pervert..
He had finished mixing my drink. Finally.
You know when bartenders make a cocktail & they taste test?
He dipped a straw into my drink, taste tested & staring me down with a glint in his sparkling blue eyes, he said to me...
'Yummy.' *cue grin.
I died.
It took every ounce of whatever is inside of me, not to collapse right there & fall into a pile of 'Im yours, take me now!'
I needed to leave. My girlfriends thought i was crazy, but i didn't care!
We met up for dinner with the rest of our girls & then hit up another bar afterwards.
To say we got VIP treatment is an understatement.
7 Girls. All in cocktail dresses. Smiling. Giggling. ahem *strutting* ahem..
We took a chance & asked for a private booth behind the bar.. 'Yes girls, right this way!'
'Oooh, thankyou kind sir!'
'Here, take this booth.. right next to the DJ & here's a round of delicious chocolately shots for you all, on the house, but ofcourse!'
So many smiles ensued & so many giggles were shared!
It was so much fun!
'Here, have this cocktail.'
We had our own little dance party~ to the envy of onlookers, aka, commoners who did not have their own booth.
We danced our little bums off all night long~ Requested our favourite songs & boogied away!
Stopping for a breather, a random on the opposite side of the bar noticed myself & one of my other girlies & within a couple of minutes, he'd ordered us a shot & had it delivered by our bartender.
I've always wanted that to happen & it finally did! It was a first for me.
~it really is the little things that count, trust me~
After a few more freebies from some friendly people, we decided to call it a night.
Feet aching, hair messed up & purses still full of cash, we ended it on a high!
Lets rewind & repeat x infinity, yes?

The only real problem with a girls night is..
They don't happen often enough.
xox
ps- This is the highly edited version because we all know, what REALLY happens on Girls Night.. stays on Girls Night!

FACEBOOK - ERADICATION

I did it.
I actually did it.
After procrastinating for approximately 1 year & having the thought bubbling away in the back of my brain..
I got myself an injection of Dutch courage & did it.
Not a literal injection you crazies! It's a metaphor. Dutch courage comes from within oneself.
(All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage & something good will come of it. I promise. That goes for a lot of things actually... put yourself out there, take the chance & see where it leads you. Often you'll get pleasantly surprised & wonder why you never took the chance earlier.)
What the hell am i talking about?
Well.. if the heading didn't already give it away... *drum roll please
A little over a month ago, i deleted my Facebook account!
I've been dry for almost.. 6 weeks i think.
But who's counting?
The reasons i deleted it, you really want to know?
Let's get one thing clear straight up- it was nothing personal against anyone on there.
I definitely still love you.
This decision was purely because i wanted to remove myself from the equation & just have a bit of a break from the constant stream of information, sometimes useless information, which i was definitely guilty of time & time again!
I'm the first to admit this.
And also i much prefer receiving a text or a nice phone call instead of someone posting a comment on my wall or poking me. (Whether i wanted to be poked or not.. )
Then theres that whole scenario where you meet someone new for the first time & they exclaim 'OH! Nice to finally meet you, I see you on Facebook all the time!' (and what they don't tell you is '..and i have already prejudged you on what i have seen on Facebook.' Preconception. It's ok, don't give me a chance to give you a proper first impression in person. That's totally fine. You've clearly already made up your mind about me anyway.)
To the people who sent me a text asking 'OMG!! Did you delete your FB? Is everything ok?!'
Yes. I am totally fine, nothing bad happened. Thankyou.

***

My new addiction now that Facebook is out of my life?
I thought you'd never ask:
http://www.lookbook.nu/
*Gawk!
You didn't honestly think that after deleting Facebook i would be sitting here all day long just twirling my long blonde hair & sipping lattes now did you? As fun as that is!
Silly! You know me better than that.
Not even sure how i stumbled across Lookbook, but what i do know is that it was love at first sight.
Some of the outfits on there are out of this world! Gorgeous.
I'm only brand new to it & it's highly intimidating. Yes.
Did i just say that? I am intimidated.
Little old me who doesn't get intimidated by anyone or anything.
Or if i did, you would never actually know it because I'm too stubborn to let my guard down far enough for that to be revealed to you. A girls got to have some secrets!
Let me get something clear, it's not so much intimidated by peoples looks as such, although there are many beauties on there, it's more intimidation of their amazing style & creativity in putting outfits together.
Perhaps it's jealousy & intimidation mixed with awe & respect..
Check it out for yourselves.
Inspire me!

Having said all of that.... I'll probably be back on Facebook by the end of the month!

xox

L O V E~

Before you start snickering... I'll say it first...

I am definitely not an expert on this subject, that is for damn sure!
Constantly doing the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing & failing everytime = me!

(hey... atleast I'm consistent!)

Now that I've got that out of the way, you can stop laughing at me.

Today's blog isn't about my life/experiences.

It's about friends getting engaged :) being adorable & loved up.

In the last week, i have heard of 4 couples getting engaged.

FOUR COUPLES!

That's 8 people, 4 sparkly engagement rings, 4 nervous guys, 4 proposals, 4 ecstatic, amazing, beautiful women... & the guys are pretty good too!

To say that there is so much love in the air right now...

is a massive understatement.

It seems there is love in the air & the water & the food in Melbourne right now.

Everyone is getting an injection of it in their lives right now in one way or another.

Whether it's friends getting engaged & you're over the moon happy for them or if it is in fact YOU!

It's beautiful! There's an overflow of it.

I am seriously losing track of who's single, who's dating, who's engaged, who just got married & who's expecting their first kid!

It's actually ridiculous. Ridiculously good, ofcourse.

So this is a celebration for them!

To all the beautiful, gorgeous, loved up couples out there...

CONGRATULATIONS!

Huge hugs & kisses galore to you from the bottom of my heart.

Love. Love. Love. And happiness. To infinity.

xox

SYDNEY Vs 2x MELBOURNIAN WOMEN

What can 2 young, single women get up to with 5 nights in Sydney?
A lot. You would think.

Here are some short stories:

*After arriving in Sydney & turning on my phone, i noticed a friend had suggested cocktails.

I was off to a good start & i hadn't even collected my bags yet!

We went to Shady Pines Saloon~ it was cool.

Recommended is the Buffalo Trace bourbon, straight & shot, it will not disappoint. I promise. 

Follow it up with some Mexican & you've

had a brilliant night!*

~Upon leaving the Saloon, your friend informs you of a big celebratory night they recently had here & how they woke up with a mysterious permanent marker in their pocket the following morning. Random. But then a couple days later, you are reflecting on this conversation & realise that on this particular celebratory night, your friend sent you this picture:

'Get back in line' ...i can't help but wonder if this in fact was my friends handy work~

*I had very inconspicuously hidden a spare set of keys for my Smash friend, who was yet to arrive, under a sign post in the middle of the road outside our apartment. It was genius. Who would look in the shrubs for keys? Here is the link to our place, its fantastic: http://www.stayz.com.au/17128 ~this is our actual apartment. Totally gorgeous & i want to show it off to you!*

*If you check out that link, you'll notice there are windows in the bathroom.. all I've got to say is, it's a little bit awkward when you shower with the windows wide open to let out the steam & while you are conditioning your hair, you look out across the way & you spot a family sitting down to dinner. You think 'hmm, if i can see them this easily... there's probably a 100% chance they can see me & I don't want to put them off their dinner.' Windows closed.*

*We hit up a 3 day convention while we were in town which was very pleasant. On day 1, we got told we were 'Striking' & that we 'Stood out from the crowd because we looked different to everyone else.' As for the style in general, it wasn't exactly out of this world but to be honest, i would have to say people do know how to put an outfit together & look suave. Whether its a red leather tie or a pair of baby blue pants teamed with navy jacket,

it was nicely put together.*

*Then there were drinks at the Novotel. Being surrounded by the beautiful people & not knowing many there, definitely makes one feel insanely shy! Yes. That would be me I'm referring to. (As in, the shy one.. not the beautiful one) So instead of being all up in someone's grill, i chilled in the background sipping frangelico & lime while observing.*

*The Food: Mexican, Italian, Japanese. Win.

There is an amazing Japanese restaurant down the road from our place. In true Japanese style when you walk in, you are greeted with 'Irashimase!' (Welcome) & if you have ever been to Japan, you would know that when you walk into a shop, you are always greeted with that.

We found a nice Italian place called Love Supreme. And boy did we love it!

http://lovesupreme.com.au/

Get the YABASTA or ORECCHIETTE.*
~Although we didn't get it, apparently the Leone is also good~

*We ventured out into the glorious sunshine cruising around the city & Hyde Park. To our surprise, we got tan lines! We also hit up a pier right near the Opera House & Sydney Harbour Bridge. We soaked up the sunshine & were interrupted by an American guy asking us to take photos of himself holding up signs with mushy messages of love on them for his girlfriend! It was adorable! I wanted in on the cuteness so i jumped in a photo with him & made a love heart with my hands :) He then went on to tell us his name was Steadman & he was in a band who are playing a gig at Hisense Arena in Melbourne this weekend & he would get us free tickets.*

*Hitting up one of our favourite little spots- Gusto's at Fiveways- for breakfast/ brunch catch ups with a mate from Melbourne was lovely. It had been a long time between lattes.*

*How could i forget! The Lowenbrau. German Pub. German Beer. 2x Melbournian~European descendant women. Yes. It was as tasty as i rememebered. http://www.lowenbrau.com.au/

Sitting there minding our own business, a group of guys walked in. I took this poor quality, sneaky photo.. who needs pants? Seriously.*

*I think thats about it for now.

Thanks Sydney.

xox

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.

I have 4.

Yes, 4 loves of my life.

one, two, three, four.

Simple as that!

Does that sound just a *little* bit greedy??

I figure, what's better than having 1 love of my life? ...well, having 4 of them, ofcourse darling!

The catch is, I don't want to share them~ so i guess that would be classed as greedy hey.

(Although, I am talking about them with you on my blog.. does that count as sharing them? Giving insight into them? Into the workings of my psyche? Maybe im not so greedy afterall)

It's ok to have 4... isn't it?

Who are they?

I thought you'd never ask! :)

Let me discuss:

Every now & then, you will meet someone who will completely blow you away.

Instantly.

That first impression will often set the benchmark for your future relationship with them.

You had fun with them & they left a huge impact on you.

From then on, the friendship & relationship can

only grow stronger.

No question about it. You are enamoured by them.

You want to see them every day & spend every waking

minute with them.

They are constantly on your mind. Morning, noon & night.

You want to love them, you want to smother them in kisses, you want to protect them, you want to help them, you want to always be there for them, if you could give them the world you would.

Then they do a small, simple gesture.

They smile at you.

They might hold your hand or give you a hug.

A kiss.

Just that little display of affection can keep your heart smiling for days, weeks, even months to come.

Every time you see them, whether it's often or not, you always experience a warm buzzing feeling deep down inside your heart.

Instantly a rush of endorphins flood over you.

You could be surrounded by a crowd of people, but in that very moment, nothing else matters except them.

The world around you is insignificant.

You are caught up in the moment!

I am ofcourse, talking about my 3 nieces & my 1 nephew.

The 4 loves of my life.

The very instant i met them after they were born, i felt

all of the above & more!

Instant, unselfish love.

I would do anything for those kids.
Anything.
No questions asked.
***
Im sorry if you got the wrong impression.
But i guess thats your fault for making such a wild assumption that i was in love with 4 men!

Thats just crazy.

ps- xox

Girls are pieces of MEAT!

HA!

Just kidding.

No we definitely are not.

Surprise, surprise, we're actually people not just a nice piece of.... well, you get my drift.

Don't get me wrong, there is definitely something very nice, lovely & good about a guy who sees someone he likes & then
goes for her.

However easy or hard it may be.

Who knows where it could lead?

It could be the best gamble you ever make & if nothing works out, then atleast you've gained a friend from it.

In doing so, you'll gain her respect which I'm sure some of you guys don't care about just yet, but the select few who do care are the real gems out there.

Few & far between.

Before i go on, let me set something straight.

My dad is very traditional.

Man pursues woman.

The end.

Simple equation really.

That's what I have been brought up knowing.

Nothing makes you feel more desired than a guy who is confident enough to actually take that chance & pursue you & knows how to hold onto your attention once he's got it.

Oooh la la!

When you make her feel like this, she responds.

But.

It's when guys cross the line & feel they can treat you like a piece of meat & still win you over after doing so.

How dumb do you think we are?

(That's a rhetorical question by the way)

No thanks. Goodbye mate.

It's not the best feeling in the world.

Especially when random guys yell out obscene, rude things to you, wolf whistle at you (actually.. I must confess, I don't mind the old wolf whistle because it's nice to be appreciated when strutting down the street!)

Or when random guys grab you to dance with.

No thanks random grindy guy.

Get away from me. Yuck.

You want some love? Then don't treat me like trash.

I can hold out longer than you can.

Where has chivalry gone? Seriously.

When a guy is chivalrous towards me, it completely

blows my mind!

I never expect it. Ever.

So when it happens, it's always a lovely surprise & I feel like i owe him the world because he makes me feel that nice.
Actions always get a reaction ;)
Even if it's just something little like buying a drink for me, paying for a cab ride or bringing a bottle of wine to dinner.

Win Win Win.

It's just simple, nice & courteous.

For me, it really is the little things in life that count.

I don't need or want to be bought expensive things.

(Unless it's an engagement ring. Then, the bigger the better! Diamond. 9ct white gold please. You wont regret it.)

It makes you feel like a person, not just some piece of meat that can be used, abused & expected to still be there next time.

To my boy friends who just seem to 'get it,' you guys are champions.

xox

ps- You'd be surprised how far a little chivalry & respect 
will get you... yes. yes. yes.

THE DEVIL aka CANCER.

On a serious note.

Who hasn't been affected by someone who has had cancer?

I doubt any of you would be able to say 'Not I' to

the above question.

And if you can 100% honestly say that, you are one of the

luckiest people alive.

It almost feels like I've been around it my whole life.

Physically I haven't experienced it but personally I have.

A few too many times.

Actually you know what, I've been surrounded by death

my entire life.

Friends. Family. Loved ones.

~As I'm sure you can all relate to~

No one can escape it & no one can hide from it.

Recently i learned that someone who is very dear to me has just found out their mum has breast cancer.

I was choking back tears when i found out.

In that very moment, nothing else in my little

insignificant life mattered.

Nothing.

Not the stresses of work.

Not wondering if that cutie with the amazing smile actually

might like me.

Not a thing.

As I write the rough draft of this blog in my notebook (yes, I actually hand write it in a notebook first & edit it. Old school styles) I am currently sitting in a random cafe thinking & reminiscing about life & the people I've loved & lost.

Whether it's been because of cancer or another unforeseeable circumstance taking someone away too young.

MP3 player plugged into my ears drowning out the

world around me...

...Andrea Bocelli 'The Prayer' comes on.

Bloody hell.

The one song that makes me cry. Always.

*instant tears*

This is too much. I have to go.

Tell those who you love that you do.

To my darling girl friend.

Hang in there my love.

Infinity hugs, kisses & love.

You are not alone.

XOX

ps- I Love You.

'WOMANISER' / 'PLAYER'

Are you?

It's definitely not the most desired thing to be called.

So why the label/s?

Do people use these labels to degrade others in the hope that they will feel good about themselves?

To make them look like a better person?

Is there a higher authority that people reserve the right to use only at someone elses downfall/expense?

Who gives a rats.

In the grand scheme of things, who am I to judge the next person?

Seriously.

By judging others too soon, it makes us look shallow.
Answer me this truthfully- Do you REALLY feel better after dissing someone? You might be smirking on the outside, but deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, is your moral compass telling you it's not cool to do that..

Let's break it down & see what we come up with.

What makes a guy a womaniser/player anyway?

Perhaps it's just a perception that isn't based on fact.

He gets along well with the ladies? He's charming? He's charismatic? He knows what he wants & goes for it?

Wow. He sounds terrible. I'll take one!

(i must say.. it is a lethal mix if you have the right balance of each of those! see previous post discussing these: http://copesesque.blogspot.com/2011/05/confidence-charisma-charm-lethal-mix.html )

So what if he prefers hanging out with the ladies- we are nice to look at, we always smell amazing & hey- shock horror- we're kind of interesting too.

You feel comfortable hanging out with girls?

That's cool.

I feel comfortable hanging out with guys.

Exhibit A: a couple of weeks ago i was at a pub for a farewell. For about 2-3hours, i was drinking beer & playing snooker with the boys. No other girl played. Me & a range of different guys.

Hold up- am i a player because of this?

Surely not.

It does swing both ways.. although girls are more commonly known as maneaters or flirts.
Or worse.. but you don't need me to spell it out for you.

Either/ either.

Bottom line is, if a girl is dumb enough to believe everything she hears without working it out for herself, she's obviously not worth your time or energy.

What ever happened to 'Don't judge a book by it's cover?'

Personally, i take it all with a grain of salt.

If somebody exclaims 'He's a player.' In my books, that makes them look worse than the so called 'player.' Why the diss?

(Pretty sure i discussed this at the outset..)

A friend recently told me that he had been called a 'womaniser.'

What- is this now a black mark against his name? Beware girls!

I think not.

What is interesting is that I had been told this same person was a 'player.'

As much as i was never going to tell him about this, i fessed up.

It wasn't easy. But as he'd brought up the subject, i knew

it would be ok.

Those labels? Empty.

I never believed for a moment that he was.
At the same time, isn't everyone a little bit like this?

More often than not, after you actually get to know someone, they are nothing like the lies you heard at first & you'll discover something amazing- that they are actually a really

lovely person.

Those who believe everything they hear instead of working it out for themselves.. take a little time & work it out in your own head. Don't blab your empty lies to us.

Did i do the right thing by telling my friend?

xox

ps- This post wouldn't be complete without this, hahaa, enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWJhpFdiAXc

A CADILLAC, A CHEVROLET & A CERTAIN DODGE. aka one for the boys.

Now you may be wondering why i have decided to make this post about old cars... truth is, im not exactly sure why.

I just like them.

Who needs a reason for anything these days.

Nike got it right when they said 'Just Do It.'

So here goes.

This first picture is a Cadillac Eldorado.

You wouldn't believe how much fun i had 'googling'

images of old cars!

I can be really quite lame at times. Theres no denying that!

They are HOT!

My like of old cars probably stemmed from my 2 gorgeous, older brothers both having a love of them.

They always drove them & had magazines lying

around the house about them.

Even down to this day, if i ever see a really nice, done up old school car driving along, i cant help but stop & stare or watch it for as long as possible in my rear vision mirror.

There is just something about them.

Something that oozes an instant cool factor & instant respect for the owner of such a sweet machine.

Is it because the owner has taken so much good care of it & kept it in mint condition?

Or the fact that some of them are painted in such beautiful, bright colours & they just bring a smile to your face no matter what sort of day your are having?

Below, is a Chevrolet Impala.

*INSTANT CHICK MAGNET!*

If a guy came to my house to pick me up for a date (does that even happen anymore?) and he rolled up in something like this... well, what can i say.. bonus brownie points.

Big time :)

 ...and if he did one better and rolled up in THIS.. *sigh.

(below- Dodge Charger, darlings!)

It would make for a lasting impression.. to say the least.

Then theres the whole super charged, V8, turbo engine, SS, hotted up whatevers that are also around.

Dont get me wrong, they are fine.

But if you want classic style, you cant go passed older cars.

Unless you own a Lamborghini.

Pick me up at 8pm?