Eat, pray, love.

Welcome to winter!  It’s been cold and I feel like a hibernating bear at the moment just wanting to take refuge indoors and sleep.  I’m jealous of some of my work friends who have European vacations booked over the coming months…if only we could all go away somewhere warm and lie on a beach.

Cooler bag image via Kollab

It’s sale time and there are $5 bags to be had from Kollab if you enter passcode KOLLAB17 at www.kollab.com.au/warehousesale.  Nancybird currently have an online warehouse sale with up to 80% off while Sage and Clare are holding their warehouse sale on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 June.  There are some beautiful items from all these Australian retailers if you’re on the look out for some cold weather inspiration.

Image via Sage and Clare

 

The Ramadan Iftar Dinner 2017 is being held tonight at the Bell Street Mall in West Heidelberg with children’s activities and a light show from 5pm and a buffet halal meal at sundown.  All I do is feel like eating at the moment so I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to fast for a month.  Stay warm – I’ll be back next week.

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The Phoenix rises

It’s a double celebration for me this week given we celebrate both Australia Day and Chinese New Year in my household.  The Year of the Rooster starts on Saturday but I prefer the more impressive sounding Year of the Phoenix.  I also love the symbolism of the Phoenix who dies but then is re-born from the ashes of its previous incarnation – we all have the power in life to transform ourselves just like the Phoenix…

Image via Bell Street Mall

Tann‘s in Ivanhoe is having lion dance dinner performances for Chinese New Year while the Lunar New Year is also being celebrated with a twilight market and art projections in the Bell Street Mall, West Heidelberg on Friday 3 February.  While I have been to the city a number of times for Chinese New Year, I’ve heard it’s less crowded at Box Hill, which is celebrating the festival on Saturday 11 February – the same CBD lion dance performers from the Chinese Youth Society also feature at this festival.

Front entrance – Uncle St Kilda

Speaking of twilight, Zoo Twilights start this Friday Night at Melbourne Zoo while I also think the Melbourne Ska Orchestra at Shimmerlands, University of Melbourne this Saturday would be a lot of fun.

Uncle St Kilda – dessert

As for my past weekend, I actually spent last night once again in St Kilda catching up with my RMIT University friends from many years ago – most of who live in the south-east which means crossing over to the dark side!  I have to say it was worth the trip down Hoddle Street as the rooftop bar at Uncle St Kilda was pretty awesome.  We opted for the $50 per head banquet and the modern Vietnamese food (and rooftop dining) reminded me of St Cloud Eating House in Hawthorn – the food was very good but a greater variety of dishes (two chicken dishes came as part of the set menu) and some vegetables would have made it even better.  There is an Uncle Restaurant in the city if you are wanting to stay closer to home.