Grand Designs Live

Shaynna Blaze & Claudia Sorace 

Are you a young couple searching for your first home? Maybe you’re a retired engineer looking to downsize with your wife, now the children have fled the nest? Possibly you’re an investor or a property developer hunting for your next property to add to your portfolio. Or perhaps you are one of the crazy; perfectionist or obsessive elitists that want to create their own original, Grand Design.  

The Foxtel ‘Lifestyle’ group of shows, appeals to a wide demographic. It’s definite to say, that because of this, when they hold a live event, it’s a pretty big deal.  The scale is gargantuan and there is a niche of crazed, home/architectural-obsessed based fans that will fight you, albeit to the death, for a photo with Kevin McCloud.

My mother had attended the year previously, to the ‘Grand Designs Live - Australia’ and the experience was so inspiring she wanted to return this year with me (I would have attended last year, but I was slumming at London Fashion Week 2012). So what is the event all about? Well, everything you could want for your home; new technologies, eco friendly living, the latest in home and interior design is all clustered under the one roof in a single exhibit.

Kevin McCloud & Claudia Sorace

Yet, I still haven’t begun to discuss the ‘Grand Design’s Live’ celebrities. Firstly, and of course, there is Kevin McCloud from the Grand Designs series UK. Upon meeting Mr. McCloud in the VIP room, it is apparent why he is considered such a legend in his field. Kevin McCloud has an exceptional narrative voice, and he is genuinely humble and somewhat selfless.  His sheer intellect and wit, as I, a sapiosexual, made me weak at the knees.

The crazed ‘Lifestyle’ fans brought him props to wear, spent considerable time asking him questions (that I’m positive he’s been asked a million times before). Kevin McCloud however, doesn’t waver in his interest in everyone he meets, he could stand there bored as hell, but instead he tried on the props his fans brought him and answered every question thrown at him.

Andrew Winter & Claudia Sorace 

Luckily, I was then able to literally stumble into Shaynna Blaze. This woman is incredible. Not only is she an interior design extraordinaire, but also she is a wonderful television presenter. Of course when I met her, I couldn’t help (like a crazed ‘lifestyle’ fan) compliment her achievements. Shaynna Blaze however, wanted to know about me. The day prior to the event I was discharged from hospital due to a medical condition. When Shaynna Blaze after prompting me, discovered this information she said “You stand tall and without doubt. You hold your shoulders back and be proud of who you are!”. She is inspirational and upbeat, it makes total sense why she has become so successful. 

Whilst discussing her show “Selling Houses Australia” I did mention that Andrew Winter was my favorite television celebrity. What was to come literally blew me away.

Shaynna Blaze arranged a private meeting for Andrew Winter and myself. It was incredible. Not only is Andrew Winter a lecturer in his field, but also he, unlike his television persona, is a man of sharp wit and hilarity, not as grumpy as one would have thought.

Bryce Holdaway & Claudia Sorace

Not only that, but soon after I had the honor to meet with Bryce Holdaway (Location, Location, Location Australia). Bryce, along with Kevin McCloud, Andrew Winter, Shaynna Blaze, Chalie Albone, Peter Maddison (Grand Designs Australia) all gave lectures in their field. Not only did I, as a person who hasn’t bought into real estate yet, learn an immense amount about the value of what to look for when buying, but also the eco living and interior design methods can only be learnt truly by these legends.

If you are a fan of Grand Designs and these neighboring programs, I urge you to, in 2014 attend this event. The event runs in Sydney and Melbourne, daily all of the stars listed above and more from the Lifetsyle Channel attend, giving a schedule of timed lectures. You may have the opportunity to meet them, and if you splurge a little, the VIP package gives you access to a hideaway with the stars, free flowing wine or champagne, canapés and the chance to mingle with people who are all there to appreciate one thing; design, architecture and style.  

MoTivation for flavour

Food Critic without a face Alex Beazley,

almost makes dining at MoVida a religious experiance. 

 Hi, my name is Alex Beazley, and I’m a Movidaholic.

MoVida (the original, at 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne).

Rain, hail or shine (in this case rain), whenever I touch down in Melbourne, I make tracks for MoVida. I maintain I hold the quickest Airport to Movida time bar none. I am also well and truly happy to fight it out with the plethora of lonely planet guide holding Scandinavian tourists, the various and ethnically diverse wedding processions rolling down Hosier Lane, the hooded graffiti artists, and finally the horde of regular Movidaphiles usually lining out the door. I don’t even get a table. But by hell or high water I will be squeezed onto a bar stool, next to a drunken Irish man, and between a pair of too cool for school Melbourne-ites. Yes, I really do rate this place quite highly.

Eating at Movida should be easy, but many people get it wrong. The less time you spend faffing about the better, it’s a busy place and the staff, despite being excellent, have a lot on their plate. This is how I do it. Sit down, yes you heard me, bums on seats please, the toilet, phone call, domestic disturbance outside can and will wait. Ask for a glass of dry sherry/beer/white wine, whatever is good/would usually take your fancy. Next, ask for one of every tapa on the menu. It’s that easy. Suddenly, despite being the most recent person to sit down, you will have a drink, bread (for $1, which is donated to charity) and tapa with banging flavours arriving all around you. This will be much to the envy of those ‘indie’ hipsters beside you who decided to google translate every Spanish word on the menu. Sure thing buddy.  

Technically, the food and the flavours are not overworked or overcomplicated. It’s not ground breaking stuff, but rather consistent, flavoursome and genuine food. Since my last visit earlier this year the menu had changed and yet all of my favourites had remained. Perfect. My favourite Movida dish by far is the Caballa Ahumada ($6) or cold smoked mackerel with pine nut gazpacho sorbet. The smoky, nutty, sweet thing going on here is something I can still taste to this day. The Sopa ($4) or garlic soup with calamari was not nearly as garlicy as it sounds, and the Anchoa ($4.50) or anchovy crouton with smoked tomato sorbet was another main stay menu item for all the right reasons. Braised salt cod tripe ($4) is not for the faint hearted and for a small dish packs in the flavour. All in all there were 11 tapa on the menu as of late September, and none of them disappointed. My sampling of the larger dishes included the Bistec Tartare or wagyu tartare ($18.50) and Pulpo or chargrilled octopus ($25.00). These were equally successful in the taste department and certainly reasonably portioned. I did, and much to the amazement of staff, splash out on a further 3 desserts, of which the salted chocolate and olive oil ice cream was the one I remember most fondly. 

It would be easy for a popular place like MoVida to start slacking on the little things, but as far as I could see, the toilets were clean, the cutlery and crockery polished, the food was simple but well-presented and the staff remained cool, friendly and informative from start to finish. If you haven’t eaten at MoVida yet, I’d hop to it. And for those in Sydney, I hear the MoVida there is just as good!

Final words:

Bookings for a table is essential, but ‘walk-ins’ (let’s say no more than 3 people) can often find bar space.

MoVida Bar de Tapas - 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne Open lunch and dinner 7 days a week: 12pm to late For bookings: +61 3 9663 3038 - See more at: http://movida.com.au

Come to Carnaby...

Carnival in Carnaby Street

London has lots of places to love. The historic hotels, the grand anesthetics of a city so old, but has had the gusto to encompass the new. London is that kind of place. They say if you are sick of London you are sick of life, whoever ‘they’ are, they’re probably right. Upon my recentvisit to London, I was lucky enough to do things that I haven’t done before.

However, the most understated afternoon was shopping in Carnaby Street. I found myself in a little square, in a restaurant that did the largest and most incredible nacho’s and further more, had a run in with a very handsome medical student. Carnaby Street harbors the most eclectic and popular shops. Carnaby Street is where the cool kids hang out. This is further confirmed because; a pretty cool chick took me there.

It was a 34-degree day, it was hot, but we had tried to alter our threads to be heat tolerable; and yet still fashionable. Being a manic tea fanatic, I was offered the privilege to have the ‘Great Taste Gold 2012’ winners ‘Camellia’s Tea House’ experience. You can’t top the amount of tea’s that are supplied here.

My friend, The Jew (as he doesn’t mine being referred to, if you have read previous blog posts) is a pretty hotshot lawyer, and evidently lives with an immense amount of stress due to his profession and ever-working entrepreneurial mind. I was able to bring him back some ‘stress less’ tea concoction, and from what I hear, apparently it’s working. If you are visiting Carnaby Street any time soon, have a typical English afternoon tea here, and peruse the tea selection while you’re at it.

There is also the famous and ever well known ‘Liberty’ department store, which if the Tudor frontage doesn’t give you an architectural-gasm, I don’t know what would. As I had my little Starbucks Orange-Mocha-Frappuccino (It was actually a strawberries and cream Frappuccino, fittingly) in hand, and the hot English Summer beating down, I realized this was the city of happiness.

If you like hilarious, cute and Japanese inspire pajamas and tees, head to David and Goliath clothing. One of my dear friends ended up buying sushi inspired pajamas, which can only compare to Australia’s Peter Alexander’s. Shopping bags in tow, the City of London was handing out bottled water, and the day ended up on such a high that we ended up in hospital. That’s right heat stroke, who would have thought it in this city!

Before that though, Carnaby Street was a stroke of awesome. If you are heading to London anytime soon, divert off Regent Street, head down Beak Street and there you’ll have a Carnival in Carnaby.

Camellia's Tea House http://www.camelliasteahouse.com/

David & Goliath Clothing http://www.davidandgoliathco.com/stores.html

Carnaby Directory http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/46455-carnaby

Me and Mr. Browne

Phillip 'Smooth' Browne 

Everyone loves the old hits. You know them, the ones that everyone can recite the lyrics to. The kind of songs that could captivate any varied audience of age, demographic and race. Some songs are just timeless; and only few legends make the average everyday person take a mental snapshot and allow the singer to remain, quintessentially timeless, joined with those lyrics forever.

I recently had the privilege to see ‘West End Star’ Phillip Browne. Born in England, with a past resume that could captivate an audience with anecdotes, Phillip Browne started out as a humble bus driver. 

Phillip Brown wasn’t your everyday bus driver. Firstly, he’s a gentleman. Upon meeting him, instantaneously you can envisage him helping old ladies onto the bus, whilst belting out his best rendition of Tom Jones’ ‘She’s a Lady’.

One day, Phillip’s friend, told him that a London, West End Production Company were holding open auditions for ‘The Lion King’. Fast track the process and the story goes as this, he got the part and then got multiple other parts, and now? He is the acting pearl in his own, personal worldly oyster.

Phillip is touring like a mad man; he seldom takes time out from using, reverberating and projecting his velvet voice. Phillip and I became friends throughout our few meetings, and as much as I can plug his voice, that somewhat brings to mind the love child of Michael Búble and Barry White, it will simple not be enough.

The rule I’m imposing here is, that you make an effort and honor yourself the sheer privilege of seeing Phillip Browne live. If you do see him live, take your mother and your sister. Because, if the voice, personality and passion isn’t enough, the gun show through his white shirt and tailored vest will set all hearts blazing.

I first met Phillip after I witnessed his performance for the first time. Jokingly I asked, “Do you have to have tailored shirts made for those arms? Where the hell do you shop man?” in which he wittily replied, “No, I just shop at Zara Buff...”.

 

Mr. Browne’s cd is playing in my car; every morning lusty-lyrics wish me good morning. Order his CD ‘The Journey’ for you or someone who appreciates all of the good hits.

Browne sings with conviction and again not to over mention his muscular arms; it appears lives with a somewhat physical conviction also! When Browne and I said 'Goodbye' he promised he would sing my personal favourite 'The Lady is a Tramp' and that he did.

My mission now? We bring him down under (to Australia). 

Which let's face it, thats where all the ladies want be, when it comes to Mr. Browne!

To Follow Phillip:

http://www.phillipjazz.com/

Topform at Topshop

 Stuck in my office for most part of the last few weeks, pouring over the latest Marketing strategies and social networking tactics; I didn’t have much time for fun and games. Refreshingly so, Saturday rolled around and I had the absolute delight of returning to the relatively new, Topshop at Highpoint on the ‘West Side’. Saturday wasn’t just myself taking a break from everyone; it was a mother and daughter shopping date that included ice cream and pretzels and a hefty credit card bill.

I wandered around Topshop for at least an hour, gathering items I found appealing and well suited to my body type. However, I was soon greeted by a friendly (albeit stunning), tiny woman called Faiza, who complimented the style of boots I was trying on. Faiza wasn’t your usual kind of assistant; she maintained her own private style and didn’t hammer that usual shop assistant tone of “Oh my god girlfriend! Those boots are so totally cute! Want me to put them through for you right away, also would you like to join our loyalty program?”.

Faiza knew her shoppers; she could see that that like my Mother who has always, for the record governed high-end style, I liked shopping. That the experience I desired was different to say someone, who might look a little lost. Faiza and I got talking, and soon our conversation tipped it’s hat to my work in fashion and PR. I’m soon asked to skip the gargantuan line at the main registers and was escorted to the private ‘Personal Shopper’ nook at the back of the store. Topshop know how to possess ‘cool’, they could practically do it while sleeping. Topshop’s store entrance greets you with a cool DJ who plays the kind of music you could equal with a top nightclub. The store is well laid out; Topshop have considered their market well; adding petit and tall sections (and when you boarder on the smaller, fun size like I do, the petit section proves simply wonderful; eliminating my trips to the alterations seamstress).

Faiza then hands me on, to a bubbly, well-dressed and again very visually striking stylist, ‘Simone’. Simone is busy at first attending to another personal shopper, but she can ascertain I’m certainly not in a hurry.  While she attends to the shopper; I soak in the atmosphere. It’s comfortable and elegant, slightly bold but not bewilderingly so. The room looks like a chic, modern, yet glamorous lounge room. There are two generously sized dressing rooms; where the assistant stylists will assist you, provided you need it.

As I am now in the final stages of my Topshop experience, Simone decides to bring her A-game. Simone, just like Faiza – knows her clothing, and she knows how I liked to be treated. These women are savvy, and not in an underhanded or overbearing way.  Simone and I share excited conversation; about trips overseas and the rag trade. Both girls were utmost professional in their approach, and cleverly they know they are creating me the ultimate experience. Whilst standing at the private register, I am asked if I would like to sit down throughout the transaction (I don’t), instead I converse more with Simone about her experience in styling. It is evident that Simone knows, as well as I do; of the importance in individual style.

Upon my farewell, Simone opens up a glass cake tower and asked me if I would like a cupcake. Figuring that, for research purposes I should take one I’m spoilt with a chocolate and vanilla crunchy cupcake. It is the simple things sometimes that excite you. Without going overboard; I was pleased to be treated the way I was. Topshop staff are consumer focussed, and for the experience I had; I would certainly return for an afternoon of fun, stimulating conversation, great clothes and yummy treats.