My new obsession: Wunderlist

Do any of you use Wunderlist? If you don't, you should, and if you do then why haven't you got me on to it before? Do you not know me at all?

Wunderlist is a free online list-making application. You create lists, then each lists has sub lists and those sub list items can have lists in them as well. You can set reminders and make notes, add images and I believe websites if you want. I've only had this app on my phone for three days so I haven't fully explored it but I am already a little co-dependent.

 

I am a compulsive list maker. I have lists for things to do today, this week, this month, shopping lists, life goal lists, places I want to visit lists. I am in an almost constant state of list-writing. Sound obsessive? Maybe. Or perhaps I just like to feel organised. Wunderlist allows me to easily keep and update all of my lists without needing to always be re-writing.

No screen shots of my own account because I don't need you all seeing the compulsive mess inside my head.

As it turns out, my latest discovery could not have come at a better time. I and my shiny new plus one have just started planning a big overseas trip for the end of the year and I am using Wunderlist to keep track of all of the important and minor details you think of when planning adventures. I can keep lists of places to visit and things to see, the details of bookings we've made, also lists of medications that we'll need to take and what I want to pack. All in one simple, easy to access and update place.

It's brilliant.

The only prob I've had is that when I open my lists through the website rather than my phone, it can be a little slow on syncing. But the website is better for seeing the bigger picture of your plans.

If you're a list-maker or making big plans for travel or other big changes, I would heartily recommend Wunderlist. It's free, flexible and easy to use. Just a really nice and well-thought-out application.

Five for Friday

Thanks to the Australia Writer's Centre Best Blogs competition, I've discovered a new travel website. Time Travel Turtle. This is what I wish I could do with my life! 

I love this; the Australia Christian Lobby did not renew their domain name, so it was bought by the Australian Cat Ladies. You really must check out their values. I think the logo should give you an idea.

Politeness reinforcement - does anyone else believe in this? Personally, I have made people move their bags so I could sit down on trains. Makes me feel righteous. 

Fantasy holiday homes. I have an important birthday coming up next year, maybe this could be an excuse to splash out? 

 Casa Passerini in Tuscany Italy, one of the properties on Hosted Villas.

And finally - Joffrey Bieber. Uncanny. 

A belated birthday gift from Heartbreaker Fashion

I love vintage clothing. Just about all my favourite items of clothing are vintage. I also love vintage re-creation, which is all about flattering cuts and fun fabrics that you don’t see on ‘fashionable’ clothing. Unfortunately, re-creation vintage can also come with a price tag that is out of my tight budget range.

However, a couple of years ago I found Heartbreaker Fashion, a vintage inspired clothing company founded by a Californian mother and daughter team. Their clothes are simple, comfortable and flattering. Unless you order from the ‘fancy’ ranges, the dresses are 100% good quality cotton, well made and perfect for the Queensland climate. Best of all, they are very reasonably priced. A friend and I each treated ourselves to two dresses as a ‘test run’ and are still happily wearing them a few years later.

My previous purchases; 

Super Spy Dress Anita in Black. Made of cotton knit, it is perfect for evenings out in Brisbane.   
Aimee dress, colourful and comfortable cotton. Mine is a different pattern.

 Images courtesy of Heartbreaker.

So when a good friend gave me some money for my birthday to spend on a ‘nice top’ I knew just what I wanted. I had seen this photo on the Heartbreaker website a few weeks before and been completely seduced. It was exactly how I wanted to look!

 Ella top in Turquoise Cosmic Dot. Image courtesy of Heartbreaker 

For good measure I threw in the same blouse in leopard print (because who doesn’t love leopard print) and I was very tempted to get this super-cheerful daisy top as well, but I chose to be restrained. 

 Ella top in Hip Kitty and Springfield.

They’ve only been around a couple of days but I am really happy with them. They are great for work and casual and are a great fit. Downside is I (theoretically) have to iron them, but I can cope with that in exchange for looking adorable. In fact, I can get away without it. Which I always will, if I can. Ironing sucks.

Me in my two new purchases, with appropriate shoes; leopard print on the left and turquoise frilled leather BCBG Max Azaria on the right. The latter bought at Retournez-vous second hand shop in Mooloolaba

The only negative was that it took 7 weeks for my two blouses to arrive. They ask for 7-10 working days to make the order, which is fine. But then the package was dispatched from the US and I watched in horror as the online tracker told me it had left the states, arrived in Brisbane, two attempted deliveries were made within 15 minutes on the same morning and then the package was on its’ way back to the states! WHY?!  

When it arrived back at Heartbreaker it was dispatched back immediately, first class. It still took 2 weeks to get here but nevertheless, it arrived on my desk safe and sound.

The delay in arrival was not the fault of Heartbreaker, rather the Postal Services, but that doesn’t make it any less irritating and of course the only people I could whinge to were Heartbreaker. They always responded politely to my emails and did whatever they could to fix the situation, which truth be told isn't a lot when the package is somewhere in transit over the Pacific.

Anyway, the package did arrive and I am delighted with the contents. So much so I rather want more of the same. Particularly as there is new one with a bee print on it.

Provided you don’t need anything in a rush, I would heartily recommend Heartbreaker for fun flattering summer dresses, simple vintage-inspired cocktail wear and now, cute blouse tops. 

Check out the Heartbreaker Fashion website or if you like them on Facebook, you can see latest design, what's cooking in their test kitchen and of course, sale items!

Review: Hoo Ha Bar

Hoo Ha Bar has taken a while to get from conception to opening but open they did last week, and with it being 10 minutes from my work I was very keen to check out this new arrival in the somewhat staid South Bank area.

My friend Gabi and I met there for breakfast on Friday morning. Nestled almost underneath South Bank station it’s mightily convenient for both bus and train, and you can park your bike outside no problem. Inside is open with the wooden sparse slightly-hipster decoration that is becoming the norm of Brisbane cafes. No complaints, I like it, and I think Brisbane cafes are starting to look different to any other cities’.   

The menu is interesting and a little off-beat, all about flavours rather than traditional breakfast fare. The prices are exciting, though. Fruit toast is $3, and the rest of the menu is between $7 - $11. Cheap for Brisbane, where no one seems to bat an eye at paying $12 for avocado on toast.  Reading the menu, you know everything on it is going to be tasty.

Gabi had the Cannellini bean smash, rosemary, chilli, orange, lemon and Grana Padano served with garlic croute, though in her instance she requested gluten-free bread, which was no problem ($7).

I had grilled eggplant, peperonata, Haloumi, rocket and hummus on focaccia (replaced with Turkish bread) ($9).

The food come out quickly and was very tasty. It was also of just the right size for breakfast, filling but not so much that it is an effort to get up off your chair. The coffee came out within minutes and was strong and rich.

I really enjoyed our breakfast date and would heartily recommend Hoo Ha Bar to anyone. At the moment, Hoo Ha is more café than bar but apparently the liquor licence has been applied for so there will soon be options for lunchtime beer and cider and maybe after-work tipples as well. 

Hoo Ha Bar
41 Tribune Street, South Brisbane
Open: Tuesday to Saturday 7:00 am to 3:00 pm

Cobbler opened in West End this week

Cobbler, a 'brother' bar to Pony Cat in New Farm and Kettle and Tin in Paddington opened its doors on Wednesday afternoon. Seeing as I had a bit of time to kill between work and dinner at Lefkas, I stopped by for a look. 

The bar is nestled comfortably into a large space along the street front of Browning Street, West End. It's a welcoming space, all wood, bricks and high chairs. One of the two guys behind the bar was the owner as well as the creator of the impressive cocktail menu. The cocktails were mostly whiskey and rum based, ochre drinks that read very temptingly but I settled for a perfectly made g'n't.

 My perfectly mixed g'n't.

The well-stocked bar.

The bar is well-stocked with liquors, particularly of the amber variety. Brilliantly, each bottle has its' price on an easy-to-read label, so you can sit and pick which of the score of whiskeys is in your price range without having to ask. They are also, unlike most bars, reasonably priced. My Hendricks g'n't set me back only $10. The guys next to me were sampling whiskeys, of which there are dozens, served with single ice cubes that filled their tumblers.

If you're a wine drinker there is a limited selection, but this is a cocktail and whiskey bar and if that's the tipple you're after I say give this place a try. These guys seem to know what they're doing.

Cobbler is at 8 Browning Street, West End opposite the Melbourne Hotel.

Five for Friday

The Australian Writers Centre runs an annual competition to find Australia's best blogs. See the 25 finalists on the AWC website, and vote for a winner!

Are we all enjoying watching the world gear-up for The Great Gatsby? Again? The fashion world is of course swinging in 20's revival. Brooks Brothers, along with Prada have released a Gatsby-inspired collection. Brooks were responsible for the mens' costuming and I for one and not ashamed to admit that I would melt for a man in this tailoring.

 

I kind of want to do this 5 minute DIY, thanks to Frankie Magazine.

Nine friends have been playing a game of tag for 23 years

Alison Brie (of Community and Mad Men) recreates internet memes with startling accuracy.

Book review: Unnatural Habits, a Phryne Fisher mystery by Kerry Greenwood

The Hon. Miss Phryne Fisher is an utterly delightful fictional character. She is an intoxicating combination of early female empowerment and a fantasy of the women you could be if you had beauty, brains, money and supreme self-confidence. In her pursuit of truth and justice, she is unfailingly gutsy and determined, venturing into dark and violent places and all the while staying collected and in control of the situation.

In Unnatural Habits, Phryne assists Detective Inspector Jack Robinson to investigate the kidnapping of young and foolhardy reporter Polly Kettle, who herself was after a scoop on the disappearance of three heavily pregnant young women from a lying-in house (read: a hostel where you can give birth without anyone knowing you’re there). The search takes Phyrne and her loyal band of helpers through the seedy underbelly of 1920s Melbourne as they investigate all the horrendous possibilities of where the girls might have been taken. Phryne visits brothels, bishops and poverty-stricken Collingwood to slowly uncover who might be interested in these girls when their families have rejected them for their ‘shame’.

Brothels can be dismissed. Even those that cater for ‘special tastes’ don’t have much use for girls in their third trimester. The Magdalen Convent and laundry is a distinct possibility, presided over by a tight-lipped and uncharitable Mother Superior, or perhaps the questionable ‘Jobs for All’ employment agency whose business is less secretarial than highly suspicious. And how does a fruit farm figure in all of this? As their investigations progress, it becomes clear that these are not the first girls to vanish suddenly. In fact young girls, blonde for preference and with no family, have been disappearing without a trace for months with no good or wholesome explanation. 

Unnatural Habits looks through the darker side of human foibles. At peoples strange or even illegal sexual preferences, at the way people are treated when they've 'sinned' against Church or society, and at the disgusting choices people make for a grubby dollar. If you want a detective story with a juicy murder and not much else, this is not the place to find it. Miss Fisher's investigations go to some dark and all too-real places as she uncovers child abuse, rape and white slavery. Greenwood deals with these realities with style and grace, as befits her heroine, and Unnatural Habits is a great read. As dark as the tale may seem, Phryne’s pro-active attitude and a stream of beguiling characters balance out the vile scroungers. In Phryne Fisher, Greenwood has created a character many of us might envy, with her intelligence and panache and immense capability to deal with any situation. Her mysteries are hugely enjoyable, not least for their historical depiction of Melbourne complete with slums, convents and comrades, and an age we’d all like to visit, if only for a while.

If you haven't read any Phryne Fisher before, this might not be the best place to jump in. Greenwood assumes the reader has a certain familiarity with the characters and their history. Descriptions and explanations of the key reoccurring characters are almost non-existent, so if you haven't read any previous book or watched the ABC TV adaptation, you're likely to be a little lost. If this is the case, go back and pick yourself up a copy of Cocaine Blues and Murder on the Ballarat Train and get started, because these are great Australian detective stories. 

Read what I thought of the ABC adaptation of Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries. A second series has been announced by ABC TV to be aired in 2013.


This review originally appeared on the Sassi Sam website.