A Beautiful Image

     

Image: Executive Dating by Misha

I was really inspired by this photo taken by Misha. It reminded me of something I learned from Trudy the matchmaker. Despite the numerous dating websites and apps available, I have several single friends out there struggling to find their perfect match. I think their work commitments get in the way of finding a good partner. They feel successful in their business pursuits, but have had too many disastrous -matches' on Tinder.

But that does not mean they have failed. They are still on a journey.

And this image reminds me of the wonderful journey of dating getting to know your true love <3

My personal war on weight

I heard on TV the other day that 1/3 of Aussies having gained weight over the pandemic.

That's a LOT of COVID Kilo's.

One thing that I've learned from reading this post by Anna Maria Lang about diet culture is that many of us might be vulnerable to getting caught in the "diet trap".

Today's diet culture tells us that that people are more or less good/moral/worthy based on their body size. 

I vehemently disagree that our body size reflects or worth. It is not immoral to have some fat on your body nor is it a bad or wrong thing to have gained weight.

Since learning this, I have just tried to eat intuitively. I eat from all food groups and use my sense of natural appetite. This has worked much better for me, rather than forcing food into my body (whether its healthy or unhealthy). I don't want the food I am eating to be a right or wrong thing.

That blog has definitely helped me make the right decisions, commitments and actions to achieve my health and fitness goals.

No other success in my life is as important as my health. I want to be around for my kids, grandkids and great grandkids.

And diet culture certainly wasn't helping me with that.

So here's an FU to diet culture!

Thanks for reading 

xo

Corel

Old school designers will understand

Shout out to the old school. Call me old fashioned, but I always try to buy classic style designs to support that aesthetic.

My old school designers will remember the CorelScript language being very vague.

Nowadays aspiring designers have moved away from Corel and on to tools like the Adobe design suite. They will never know the pain of using the Corel Photo-Paint's Recorder function to record activities. And everyone sharing their own tutorials on how to make it work -_- 

Delicious scrambled eggs

 

A delicious runny yolk egg beaten with 2 egg whites cooked with some fresh toast. A beautiful way to enjoy some eggs on another day of quarantine :)

At least golf courses are open now, so I will get a chance to get some sunshine and test out my brand new women's golf clothes. I'm sure I'll be a bit rusty and lose a few balls, but I'm really looking forward to it. My husband got a new golf hat and headcovers for Father's Day. Since the sun is finally out again, so he'll be hitting the links in that too.

I wonder if I'll beat him on that par 3 again? 😂

What have you all been missing out on in the last few months that you're looking forward to again?

ask these questions when exploring a new city

Due to COVID-19 international travel is a no-go for me...

But staycations and domestic travel are on the rise :)

And because most domestic locations have already been experienced by your friends, family and associates, you can ask them questions!

Genevieve from The Wander Bug put together the top 10 questions to ask a traveller and I <3 it.

Ask these 10 questions before you explore a new city:

1. Which was your favourite place you visited?
2. Was the country/city like you expected it to be?
3. What surprised you the most about how people live there?
4. Were you able to pick up some of the local language?
5. What was your favourite neighbourhood?
6. Did the places you visited remind you of anywhere else?
7. What was the most memorable meal of the trip?
8. What was the highlight of your trip?
9. Would you re-visit anywhere you went? Will you go back to see other parts of the country?
10. Would you ever consider moving there?

And even though there are a lot of convincing reasons to give up your car you can probably just drive to the destination (well, if its in your state anyways).

The are alternative transport options if you are sans-car, such as:

• train
• plane
• helicopter

of which many are starting to resume normal activities (particular at smaller airports).

We have a beautiful country here, and there's so many ways to see it. In challenging times, its best to travel locally and support our economy as many businesses are doing it tough at the moment with the lack of international tourism.

Safe travels!

Is it safe to go to the dentist now?

COVID19 has been a crazy time for all Australians, but we're getting through it quite well compared to many other countries.

One of the challeneges I've faced during this time are the regularly scheduled services that have been out of actions.

A few days ago a reminder went off in my phone to book in for a dental check up.

But is it safe to go to the dentist now? I decided to do some research....

According to the Australian Dental Association (ADA), dental practices already operate with a high degree of health protection. However, all of the staff will follow the government's guidelines, which will include the wearing of appropriate PPE equipment, social distancing measures, and regular use of hand sanitizer and hand washing.  Here's the official statement:

Australian dental practitioners have the highest infection control standards in the world and the safety of their patients and their teams is a cornerstone of Australian dental practice. Dentists are now at ‘Level 1’ restrictions; this means where appropriate, dentists may take extra precautions, and if required you will be advised of these. - ada.org.au

That's reassuring. I noticed my dentist seems to always have plenty of PPE on when I go there, so it didn't come as a surprise to hear that Aussie dentists have some of the strictest regulations in the World. So these reductions to Level 1 Restriuctions means that dentists are almost back to normal. Here's the full explainer for how the levels work: https://www.ada.org.au/Campaign/COVID-19/Managing-COVID-19/Practice-Resources/Dental-restriction-Levels/ADA-dental-restriction-levels-in-COVID-19-Publishe.aspx I've always tried to keep my home a cavity-free zone, so I'll need to book in the kids for a check-up too. I'm so grateful that children (under 18 years old) can access free public dental services in NSW. All children seen by public dental services receive the same high quality care regardless of their eligibility for CDBS and no fees are charged, even if CDBS benefits have been fully used up. Shoutout to the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) ✌️
Update: here's my recommendation for the best dentist in Wahroonga.

What cute ducks!

I recently came across an article which explained the benefits of having ducks in your home.

Why on earth was I looking this up?

Well, I came across this adorable video on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥🐶 (@ducksmakegreatpets) on Mar 11, 2020 at 8:21am PDT

The duck rasising blog Mother Duck Said has a bunch fo tips on how to raise ducks and benefit from these funny, egg laying birds.

Not convinced about raising a couple of these poop machines in your home?

Well according to the experts:

Duck hens bred for egg-laying ability can lay up to 350 eggs a year, each of which will weigh 20 percent to 35 percent more than a chicken egg. Furthermore, they will produce longer than a chicken, well into a fifth or even sixth season – long after chicken hens are ready for soup.

I also learned from a chef friend of mine that duck eggs are a specialty product among chefs who love them for their superior flavor.