Bula...

Bula! We have been back from Fiji for a few days now, where we went to celebrate our one year (!) wedding anniversary (which is technically this Sunday). We stayed at the Radisson Blu resort in Denarau which was very nice, although sometimes a bit slow (1 hour, 40 minute wait for drinks that never showed up and 2 hour wait to get power fixed in our room, anyone?), with friendly service and immaculate gardens. We also took a half day trip to South Sea Island, I would have liked to take a full day trip but Derek wasn't keen as he doesn't swim, in the end he seemed to enjoy it and I definitely would have liked more time there!

Close enough!

The frangipanis smelled beautiful.

Sunset view from our balcony.

Port Denarau.

Sunset on the beach.

Looking up to our building and the water sports rental shack.

Beach outside the hotel looking towards the Sheraton resort next door.

Towel swans and flowers on our bed one night.

Looking up to the sky as the sun goes down.

Another sunset.

I wish I got the tree in focus and not the leaves in the foreground, whoops!

South Sea Island.

Still on South Sea Island.

Another view from the other side of the island.

Water sports on South Sea Island.

The sign says it all!

Leaving South Sea Island. There is a small 'resort' (more backpacker style) on this island.

Me and Derek on the boat heading back to the Port.

Outside our hotel by night.

One of the wood carvings inside the resort foyer.

 

The resort main pool and swim up bar by day.

Outside the resort by day.

Flowers and a bee.

Bula Bus. This was a shuttle around the island between all resorts and the Port.

Coconuts on the tree outside our room.

Adults only pool.

Lunch on the last day.

Have you ever been to Fiji? It was a completely different holiday for us as we are used to the busy holiday where we go sightseeing, get on trains, walk for hours, and do twenty things in a day, so it was nice to relax and do nothing in Fiji, however there is still so much more of the world I've yet to see and am desperate to see so I'm not sure when I will be back.

Werribee Open Range Zoo...

Yesterday Derek and I took my two cousins to Werribee Open Range Zoo. It's free for kids under 15, which is a pretty good deal if you have or know kids. I haven't been to Werribee Zoo since I was maybe 8 years old so I couldn't remember it at all and was keen to go and see how it compared to Melbourne Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary. These shots were taken with my giant lens on my DSLR, which got covered in dust on the bus ride around the open range exhibits.

Many camels.

Close up of the camels.

Two giraffes. 

One giraffe going for a stroll.

Apparently giraffes give birth standing up, so the baby has about a two metre drop to the ground when it's born. Welcome to the world! 

Zebra with antelope in the background.

Rhinoceros from the back.

The folds in the rhino's skin are pretty full on!

Hippopotamus.  

Leaving the water.

Going for a walk.

The lion was behind glass. He would have been at least 100 m away from me so I didn't get too bad a shot, really. Also, the polarising filter on my camera meant no glass reflections in my shot!

The bus was good as it went driving through the exhibits and the driver gave lots of information, however the walking exhibits, which had animals such as lions, gorillas, monkeys, and meerkats, was quite small and quick to go through. There was also an Australian animal walking exhibit but there wasn't an animal to be seen. All up we spent just under 3 hours at the Zoo but this included about 20 minutes for an ice cream stop. It's a nice thing to do but I won't be hurrying back. The ewather was beautiful and it was super busy.

What did you get up to on your weekend?

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!

Today I have gone on a spending spree. I have spent way too much money on clothes I want and don't necessarily need. First stop: Jeanswest:

I pick up a nice mint coloured t-shirt and it's $30.

Jeanswest Connie Self Stripe T-Shirt, mint, $29.99 AUD

I go to the counter and get told there's 2 for $35 so I should get another top for another $5. As usual, when confronted with the two for X dollars I can't find anything else I like. Therefore, I literally get two and get two of the same top, but in different colours:

...or two for $35.00 AUD.

I also purchase my favourite body wash from The Body Shop, where the sales girl is not too irritating and doesn't try and make ridiculous prying conversation with me as they usually do in The Body Shop and she doesn't ask me to donate my change to some random cause so the trip is quite stress-free:

The Body Shop Shea Shower Cream, 250 ml, $12.95 AUD

Later today, I go to Lululemon and spend way too much money on workout gear to make me feel good when I go to the gym. At the moment I have a good pair of crop pants for cycle and a good Lululemon tank but all my workout t-shirts are cotton shirts from Gap and get super hot and sweaty. I spend a lot of time deliberating on colours of t-shirts, whether to get crops or tights (I decide on crops because it's getting warmer), and eventually pick out more stuff than I planned on going in there because it's all nice and it feels comfortable and I have nothing bright and happy so go the hot pink, and hopefully this all won't make me feel quite so revolting when I go to the gym:

L-R: Lululemon Wunder Under Crop, black, $99.00 AUD; Race Me short sleeve, raspberry glo, $85.00 AUD; Run Swiftly Racerback, black, $59.00 AUD; Serene short sleeve, white stripe nimbus, $75.00 AUD

Lululemon is dangerous. The girls in the Brighton store are all super nice and friendly even though they're probably judging me inside their heads for being a fatty coming into their store and squeezing into their comfortable and flattering workout pants. They all have great accents, like one girl who has a cool South African accent (one of my favourite accents ever) and the two girls from Canada chatting to me today like we're old friends catching up (even though I can basically get the same accent right here in my lounge room if I listen to my husband speak as he's American, but for those in the know a Canadian accent is different to an American one). They're helpful and bubbly and seem genuinely happy for you for wanting to work out. They even offer free hemming (even though I have a sewing machine at home) because I'm a shortie and their crops are like awkward 50-something lady 7/8 ankle skimming pants when I put them on. I will (try to) ban myself from this and any further Lululemon stores until we go to Hawaii in January where I will still pay a ridiculous amount for a pair of leggings but where the amount won't be quite so ridiculous as it is in Australia, and where I will hopefully be able to size down because I will be working out like crazy because my cute Lululemon gear will drive me to go to the gym more often - because if I don't I'm spending heaps of money on not only a gym membership not being used, but overpriced workout gear also not being used!

After my temporary loss of self control in Lululemon, I come home and proceed to spend over $140 on Asos. Why? I don't know. The last time I purchased from there (the only time) I returned everything except a pair of tights. Hopefully I have more luck this time.

Other shots from my week:

I'm not much of a sunshine person, but I flicked through Glamour and Allure while I ate my lunch outside before it got overcast and started to rain.

I worked the election last Saturday. Had a busy but interesting day. A few people asked if I was a volunteer. Um, definitely not! The day was full of all kinds of things and happenings. You certainly meet all sorts working on the election!

PBTeen Island Floral duvet cover and shams, $115.00 AUD and $33.00 each AUD respectively, plus shipping.

I changed my sheets to this lovely and bright Pottery Barn Teen cover. I also purchased one in pink for my mum. However, PBTeen has sent me everything twice. So now I have two sets of the blue and two sets of the pink. Don't know what to do with them as it would be too expensive to be honest and return them to the US!

Chicken and prawn jambalaya.

Cooked jambalaya last Sunday night with some cajun spices my Uncle got me from the Northern Territory. It was good, but I prefer my seafood paella.

Maybe I've been shopping so much because a cousin and my sister have both announced they're pregnant this week. I have had to adjust to my sister's announcement because it's pretty close to me and we're not there yet. I feel like literally everyone is having a baby around me and I'm not. It's kind of depressing. I'm thinking of doing a Carrie Bradshaw and having a 'I'm not pregnant!' registry somewhere to cheer me up.

What's been happening in your world?

Updating and Catching Up...

I'm back! As always, I've been super busy at work. When I get home, I just want to do mindless things like flick through magazines, watch TV, or aimlessly surf the net.

Yesterday I went to a Vogue forums meet with some lovely girls in the Melbourne area. We went to a cafe in Prahran called Isit, which was reasonably priced, relaxed, and had good food (including plentiful servings) and good service. It was the first time I'd been to a meet but I was glad I did as I had a nice time. While we were there wen got talking about blogs and I mentioned I often think about my blog but am too lazy to work with the photos. I really need to make more of an effort.

Here is what has been going on in my life:

Glassons High Low Roll Sleeve blouse, $25.00 AUD

I purchased this comfortable top from Glassons. I tried on a very similar top in Sportsgirl which was $60 and didn't fit right at all. This one really hits in all the right places and isn't too high at the front. I want to back and get another colour! Back when I was a teenager and at uni I shopped at Glassons religiously, and was a big fan of their coloured tank tops I put under other t-shirts, but then one day they changed the style of them (made them shorter) and the material seemed to be lower quality and I stopped shopping there. About a year or so ago, my mum and I went in on a desperate search for something, and I got a nice white cardigan for a reasonable price. I hadn't really been back in since last week and got this nice top. I think I'll be adding Glassons back to my list of regular visits at the shops! Very impressed.

Canon Speedlite 430EX II, $369.00 AUD, teds.com.au

I have been sticking with the gym (although I could be a bit more frequent) and I reached my first weight loss goal so treated myself to a gigantic flash for my camera. I made myself not get this flash until I reached the goal which was a challenge in itself not to just spend as soon as I wanted! I got the flash last week and can see it will be a bit of a learning curve as this is what is on the back of the flash:

Back of the Canon Speedlite 430

Buttons AND a screen!! Gone are the days of the flash popping up, or the flash just going off when it needs to. This flash will do that but the fact there is a screen on the back of my flash is a little intimidating. I will be having a bit of a learn and play before I use it on anything important!

My beloved Acne Pistols came apart on the left boot at the back of the seam. Thankfully, although the manager wasn't in the day I went to sort it out, as they should last longer than 4 months at $570, they replaced them and had the new pair couriered to my work the same day with a hand written note. Very good service!

In two weeks we head to Fiji for our one year wedding anniversary - unbelievable! I am looking forward to doing not much of anything except go in the pools - how nice do the pools at our resort look?

Radisson Blu Fiji Resort

You may also find me at the swim up bar. Anyone been to Fiji and have any recommendations for a day trip? I hope to get on a boat cruise or something one day of the holiday.

I will try not be as lazy as I have been with this blog. What's been going on in your world?