Dating Experience…..Mr. R

I wanted to share a dating story I've experienced. It would have to be an experience I was not expecting and a "you cannot make this stuff up" dating story. 

Firstly, let me take a step back and set the scene for you. I went out with girlfriends for a Sunday afternoon of music and drinks at a pub in Sydney and we met various people at the event which was a lot of fun as I love meeting new people. I got talking to this one guy, let's call him Mr R, and our conversation was going well where we were getting to know each other of "what do you do?" "where in Sydney do you live?" "what do you enjoy doing?" 

Mr R began to compliment me saying that he'd like to get to know me more and would like to take me out for ice cream. Yep, he had me at ice cream; I can never say no to an ice cream date! He was charming; saying all the nice things to make me giggle like a little girl and making me feel special....you know, one of a kind. Before I knew it, it was late in the evening and I was ready to head home, but before I did, Mr R said that he wanted to tell me something, "I've been in prison"….. "I served six months with two of my friends, we appealed and won so I don't have a criminal record"…

Not sure why, but I didn't question it too much. I just asked why and accepted the answer that it was for assault charges. I guess I initially assumed that boys are boys; they get into fights with each other. So, before I left, we agreed to meet the next day.  To add another element to the situation, the following day I found out through a friend that Mr R has a girlfriend and enough evidence was provided to me to confront Mr R about it. So, I questioned Mr R about his "so-call" girlfriend to which he denied and was upset that I was listening to my friends instead of confronting him about it face-to-face.  {I know, I know, a couple of red flags are flying right now}

So, I agreed. I agreed that we could meet face-to-face so that I can ask him directly to his face about his so-call girlfriend and what the story is there. We met afterwork for ice cream and at this point is when I asked him directly to his face "do you have a girlfriend?" to which is replied "No".  The only problem with his response was that his facial expression wasn't aligned and he couldn't look me in the eyes to confirm. I told him straight up that I still didn't believe him, his body language and face said otherwise and my gut was warning me.  For now, I let it go....for now.

We then went to a nearby pub for a drink. We sat in a lovely booth and shared a bottle of wine and talked more to get to know each other. He was telling me about his work and his plans to change direction with his career to stay in Sydney to be closer to his family; then suddenly, I had the urge to further question the reason why he had served prison time. 

It just didn't make sense to me. To me, for someone to serve prison time they would have to have gotten into a serious fight where they may have one-punched someone, put someone into a coma, paralysed them or accidentally killed someone (touch wood). If it was just a group of guys getting into a fight, I would assume that they would have received a warning, or a fine, or ban from the venue, or had to serve community service. My gut feel said that there was more than what he had told me, so I pushed and pushed for the full story and about about 10 minutes of pushing, Mr R finally told the full story.

Mr R and his two friends were charged with "assault" which was a "polite" word for rape!

Yes, you read correctly. I stared at him for a few minutes as the word echoed in my head and my insides just dropped like I was falling from a cliff. At first I thought I had misheard him but unfortunately, he was telling me the truth. What do you do? How do you react? What do you say? As I sat there in silence, I listened to his side of the story as he proceeded to tell me that he had no involvement but was charged for being an accessory because he was there.

The date didn't go on for much longer after that; we headed out of the pub to make our separate ways home. Mr R was keen for another date and even believed he should have gotten a kiss at the end of the night; but I kindly declined the kiss stating that I don't kiss on the first date.

What would you have done in this situation? What would you have said? Would you have considered another date with Mr R? For all I know, Mr R could possibly be telling the truth but I did have to question why was he in that situation? And given that he was in that situation, why didn't he stop what was happening. 

I'll admit, it's not a date I thought or ever imagined I would be in and I don't hope to be again. However, I'll give him credit for being honest with me and telling me the truth. This is a situation that he'll have to live with for the rest of his life and I hope he'll be honest with every girl he meets. You'll be pleased to know that I haven't and wasn't turned off dating again, but it was a situation or a dating story I never could have imagined telling....or even write on my blog.

Would you have given Mr R a second date? Have you been on an usual date? Share your story with me and others. 

Jo xo

Note - location and names have been kept confidential. 

"Moeloco" Dream Crazy

Most of you know I'm all for a good cause and a strong believer in helping those in need, where you can and when you can; whether it be through donations, volunteering or fundraising. I've previously written a post about my work with Oz Harvest and my joy of volunteering with them, which you can read here. 

So, when I heard about a new social enterprise in Australia, here in Sydney, that recently started I just knew I had to share this with you and support this local inspiring organisation. So what did I do? Well, in true Jo style, I went direct to the source! 

I contacted Kathy Wong, the Founder and CEO (Chief Energy Officer) of Moeloco - Good 4 Your Sole. I was lucky enough to ask her some questions but before I get into those, let me share a little of Moeloco with you. They design thongs (aka flip flops) with inspirational words on the sole of them so when you're walking in them on the beach the words are imprinted into the sand leaving lovely messages behind you for others to see, smile and be inspired by.

However, what I truly love about Moeloco is that it has gone one step further; they have built the foundation of parallel giving. What does this mean? It simply means that for every pair of Moeloco thong purchased, Moeloco will provide a pair of school shoes to a child in India as part of The Hope Foundation. Simple! You buy a pair and a child receives a pair of shoes - It's a win/win situation for everyone. 

There are over 300 million children without shoes and just by providing these children with a pair of shoes means that you'll assist them with attending school; it's amazing how a pair of shoes can help and encourage a child with attending school. Something that we, Australians, take for granted everyday. I remember when I attended school, there was never a thought about not attending because I didn't have shoes but for these children, it matters.

As I mentioned above I was very lucky to have the opportunity to ask Kathy a few questions about Moeloco:


WHAT DOES "MOELOCO" MEAN?

Moeloco is a combination of two words used to create its name. "Moe" is derived from the Hawaiian word Moehani, meaning "dream" and "loco" is latin for "crazy". Dream Crazy!

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PUT INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES ONTO THE THONGS/FLIP FLOPS?

There were a few reasons. I wanted a product that was something everyone easily recognised and had mass market appeal on a global scale (Dream Crazy). I knew that for me to have a maximum social impact I need to sell lots of product and I felt the flip flop could allow me to do this.

In Australia, the average Aussie has 5 pairs of flip flops. The shoes are also a great vehicle for my story. Here we are in western countries never thinking about shoes; its a given. We just have them, however, in India there are children who will never wear, have or own a pair of shoes in their life and some are dying from the consequences of not having shoes. 

Flip flops usually conjure up positive, good times, holidays, relaxation, the beach and this is a very different, almost polar opposite meaning for these children. From a creative perspective it's a wonderful surface area to work with for inspirational quotes. Moeloco is about inspiring people to chase those seemingly impossible big dreams and in doing so they will naturally make a difference as they affect others with their energy.

HOW DO THE CHILDREN RECEIVE THEIR SHOES?

Hope Foundation makes the decision of which areas of care they feel need the shoes the most at the time we are donating. Moeloco are also jointly being as fair as possible and distributing the shoes over several groups at a time.

WHAT'S ONE INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE YOU LIVE BY AND WHY?

"Be the change you want to see in the world." Because it's only that which will create change. It's the only difference between a change-maker and one who just thinks about change. The change-maker thinks and then does.

AS YOU "DREAM (BIG) CRAZY", WHERE DO YOU HOPE MOELOCO WILL BE IN 5-10 YEARS?

I hope Moeloco has global communities everywhere that have inspired people to start their own projects to create positive change in the world. We have to eliminate poverty by creating further opportunities that teach people how to rise above poverty through education. 

I'd like to personally thank Kathy for her time and inspiring change into this world. You can find out more about Moeloco by visiting their website www.moeloco.com and you'll be able to purchase a pair of inspiring thongs (they will forever be thongs to me) for yourself and at the same time a pair of shoes to a child in India. 

Jo xo

Note - This is not a sponsored post and nor was I rewarded. I simply believe in good causes.

Mum Fashion Styles

I recently wrote a post about my love of Instagram and a little bit of photo fun I want to start and share with everyone here and anywhere around the world to inspire each other and to remove the stigma that you must wear a suit if you work in a corporate office. Times have changed and so does fashion. Have a read of my post here and join in on the fun. 

I've since received feedback and comments from you and friends who are stay at home mums or even people who don't work in the corporate environment wanting to be involved. Well… YOU CAN GET INVOLVED. The great thing about this fun fashion photo is that there are no rules. For me I work in an office environment during the day so the word "corporate" came about but it doesn't matter what kind of work you do, where you work or if you work; I'd love for everyone, man or woman, to get involved and get creative with your photos and let people see what you wear in whatever profession you have chosen. 

To my many stay at home mums, I know that many of you have a great fashion sense; and even with kids, you still manage to go out looking a million dollars. Share this with others, inspire other mums to encourage and to show that fashion can be effortless. You can have an additional special hashtag of #dnsmummycorporatestyle

Fashionable mum (Photo Credit)

To those who have to wear a uniform for work, show us how you style it up or what accessories you add to make your outfit different. There are endless ideas and inspirations.

Katherine Sabbath is a school teacher by day & has an amazing style (Photo Credit)

So, let's get snapping, uploading and sharing and don't forget to use the main hashtag #dnscorporatestyle and follow me on @dreamsnsparkle so that I and everyone else can see what you're posting. 

Happy Instagraming! 

Jo xo 

Hotel Centennial

Last Saturday night was one of my bestie's birthday and to celebrate we had dinner at Hotel Centennial in Woollarha which over looks Sydney's beautiful Centennial Parklands. Hotel Centennial is a public house and dinning room serving amazing modern Australian food delicately designed by Head Chef Justin North (ex Becasse). He may have lost his businesses but you seriously cannot fault him as a chef; he is amazing in the kitchen. 

Each time I walk into the dinning room, I'm greeted with a friendly welcome at reception. This night was no different; I was greeted and kindly walked over to the bar. My friends were there waiting for me and had ordered a couple of nibbles and cocktails to start. I would tell you what the cocktail was but this was a specially made one from the bartender; all I said was that I really like whisky. Yep, this girl likes whisky! Along with our cocktails, we were delighted with Spanner crab roll up with cos lettuce and finger limes ($6 each) and Rice cracker taco with citrus cured tuna and crème fraiche ($6 each). 

They were both amazing and delicate but my favourite would have to be the rice cracker taco; I would definitely recommend that and will order that again!

After a couple of cocktails each we moved over to our table where we ordered the following starters to share; Broccoli salad with shipped lemon ricotta, green chilli harissa and smoked almonds ($17), Roast pork belly with charred Mediterranean octopus, sesame cucumbers and mustard leaf ($22), a couple of Goldband Pacific oysters eschallot and citrus vinegar each ($3.80 each), and the Centennial fried chicken with blue cheese and buttermilk dressing ($10). Yes, this was just the starter. 

Next, we moved onto our mains. Yep, we somehow managed to find space in our stomach. Same with the starters, we ordered the following to share; Whole Queensland barramundi with tomato, caper and herb vinaigrette ($68), Gippsland black Angus pasture fed beef fillet with spinach puree, creamed potato (the bomb) and sauce Diane ($36) and Grilled Milly Hill lamb cutlets with crushed Dutch creams, confit tomatoes, roast pepper and olive jus ($38) and had the following sides; Summer vegetables with basil and lemon ($8) and Swiss chard and macaroni gratin ($12).

WOW! I was in serious food coma heaven. The beef was so tender, the lamb was amazing and the fish was so meaty and soft at the same time. The creamed potato that came with the beef was devine - soooo creamy and buttery and I just simply couldn't stop myself from eating it all! 

Next, was obviously dessert….. I'm not sure how we did it but we did. We ordered dessert and managed to get every sweet morsel into us. It was heaven! When our waiter came to take our order, I already knew what I wanted - the butterscotch fudge ice cream! PLUS a serving of the Zokoko chocolate and caramel tart with muscatel and whisky ice cream ($15), the Centennial waffles with (more) butterscotch fudge ice creams ($14) and three selections of local artisan cheese served with apple confit and fruit toast ($22). 

I'm not normally a waffle person but the Centennial waffle is in a league of its own; I would go back and have it again, especially because it comes with a serving of the butterscotch ice cream. This ice cream had chunks of fudge throughout it that when you get a piece of the fudge, it clearly puts a smile on your face. 

We did, of course, have some amazing wine with our meal but I don't remember what we ordered. To be honest, I just left that part to my bestie to order since he knows so much more about wines than I do and has never disappointed. The meal here is absolutely amazing and I look forward to coming back again. 

If you've had the chance to go to Hotel Centennial, let me know what you thought about and what you had? If you have been, you must!

Jo xo

Hotel Centennial
88 Oxford Street
Woollahra NSW 2025

Instagram

Those who know me well know that I'm a big user of Instagram. I can't get enough of it as I love taking photos of the moments I experience and I love looking at other instagramers (if that is such a word) to see what they're up to and find out about things that are happening around me, my city and around the world. 

Although I have a blog, I feel that photos tell a thousand more words that words itself and visual images can help with transporting the person to another world and to help explain what it is your experiencing at that moment in time. If you're not aware already (which means you must seriously be under a heavy rock!), my blog "Dreams & Sparkle" has  an Instagram account - click on the link and follow my journey in square photos.

I tend to post more images in my Instragram account than I do on the blog as sometimes you don't need words to explain where I am and what I'm experiencing so if you're not already, please go and follow me @dreamsnsparkle and see what I get up to and let me know what you think about it. 

I've also been creating and thinking about expanding my @dreamsnsparkle account and have come up with a concept which I'd love for my readers and followers to join in if you have an Instagram account. If you don't, then I suggest that you set one up and this will be fun and you'll want to join in on the fun. I hope you do! Once you have your account set up or if you already have one, follow me and partake in the fun. 

As most of you know, I'm a young single Sydney girl living in the inner city and during the working week I work in a corporate office environment which means I have to dress "corporate" to the office from Monday to Thursday with Friday being "casual Fridays" (with corporate rules!). Anyhow, I'm not a suit type of girl as I find them uncomfortable,  restrictive and simply not really my style in fashion (however, I do think they look fabulous, just not on me).

So I've started a little project on my Instagram account where I post up photos of my "corporate style" outfit for the day and letting my followers know what I've put together and where I've purchased the items. I'm hoping to provide inspiration to others and also to remove the stigma that you must always wear a suit to the office. I believe that you should be able to wear something beautiful in your own style and still be work appropriate.

I'd love for you guys to follow me and post up your own "corporate style" and inspire others with fashion ideas and have a little bit of fun along the way. Below are the rules to the Corporate Styles:

• There are no rules!
• Have fun
• Be creative
• Inspire
• Use the following hashtags so I and others can find you: #dnscorporatestyle #dreamsnsparkle #corporatestyle
• Check out other photos and support each other by "liking" them
• If you have Twitter or Facebook, share your photos on there as well….share them everywhere!

Wearing: Top from Seed and Skirt from Zara #dnscorporatestyle

Wearing Calvin Klein for my Friday casual corporate #dnscorporatestyle

Come have some fun with me, help me grow this project and let's see where we can take this.

Happy Instagramming and happy Dreams and Sparkle Corporate Styles!

Jo xo

Hipster Cafe's

Have you noticed the amount of hipster cafe's that have been popping up around Sydney? I would have to say that 2014 was the year where many hipster cafes really boomed where you could to get great food and amazing food. I'm for one a hipster cafe follower and I'm sure, from reading many of my posts, you'll notice that I frequent many of these and I LOVE them! #sorrynotsorry

A good friend of mine, Camielle, who has her own blog, Gen-Y Mum, has written a fabulous blog titled "13 Ways You Can Tell You're at a Hipster Cafe". Here she provides a very good list to identify if you're sitting in one of these cafe's and for me when I was reading it, I was smiling, laughing and nodding at the entire list.

Photo Credit: Gen-Y Mum

I encourage you to click on the link and have a read of her post as I'm sure you'll also agree with many of the "ways" she has identified and you'll start to notice these things more as you go.

I hope that hipster cafe's continue to grow and expand in 2015 as I love brunching at many of these cafe's - somewhere where I can get great coffee and delicious food will always be high on my list and as I've mentioned before, I'm prepared to wait in line for a table!

What are your favourite hipster cafes? Is there something about them that you have notice; please share? Which hipster cafe do you think I should go try and experience?

I hope you enjoy the post from my friend, Camille, and if you enjoy what she writes about, I encourage you to follow her.

Happy reading!

Jo xo

Boathouse at Balmoral

My first post for 2015 and of course it's a post about food! I keep telling people and myself that I'm not a food blogger and I don't want to be, but at the same time food is my life….#FirstWorldProblems. On Sunday morning I caught up with my lovely friend, Cam and her cutie pie son, Eli, for brunch at The Boathouse in Balmoral.

The Boathouse is another one of my favourite places to go to for brunch; the cafe is located right on the beach in Balmoral over looking the stunning waters covered in lush boats and yachts (one day I'll have my own). I just love the casual atmosphere they have and the location on the beach on a beautiful summers day is just perfect; fabulous Sunday.

I've never been disappointed with their menu choices and always find it hard to decide on what to eat given that I love everything there but I just can't eat it all, not in one sitting, which is probably why I keep coming back. Not only is the food and drinks amazing there but the service is impressive; I've never had bad customer service there and the wait staff is always going out of their way to help you regardless of your request.

On this stunning Sunday morning we decided to have brunch and I ordered the Scrambled Eggs with Bacon, Roast Tomato and Sourdough Toast ($19), Cam had the Avocado plus Tomato on Charred Toast with Goats Curd and Basil ($18), Eli had the Toasted Banana Bread with Butter (pepe saya butter of course!), Honey and Mascarpone ($12); well, more like Cam and I ate his meal! We also ordered two coffee frappes and a kids chocolate milkshake which Eli managed to inhale with one breath.

As always, the food was amazing and so tasty. Even on a beautiful summers day, like Sunday, The Boathouse is always busy, however, they have found the perfect key to ensuring that everyone is able to find a table and get their food within a reasonable time. I've not had an experience where I've had to wait too long for either a table or for my meal; it just all seems to work well without the rushed feeling.

If you haven't experienced The Boathouse you really should and the awesome thing is that they have a few locations so you have plenty of options to choose from. They are located at Palm Beach, Whale Beach, Balmoral Beach and soon to open at Shelly Beach; so if you live on the northern beaches (or the north shore side of Sydney) then it's perfect and if you don't, it's worth the trip there. I recommend going especially in summer as all of them are located by the beach so pack your beach gear, head on up to one of the locations for brunch and settle yourself down at the beach for a day of relaxing and chilling.

Happy 2015 and to many more posts from me!

Jo xo