What a day at Sportsgirl

Every time I go past the shops, it is tempting to see what new clothes are in season. I have noticed lately that shops consistently update their stock more and more. This is most likely a marketing tactic to entice the shoppers to keep coming back such as myself.

Anyway, it has been a while since I have stepped foot into Sportsgirl so I decided to have a look what was in stock. There was a wide array of clothes from basic to preppy to very stylish. I really wanted to try on the tiger t-shirt but I decided that I had way too many already in my closet. Instead, I decided to try on some basic styles as well as a dress that I would not normally wear. As much as I love Sportsgirl, I cannot wear every piece as it does not fit well.

The first item I tried on was the polka dot dress. Although this is not normally my style, it did not look as bad as I thought it would.

However, I don't recommend that you try dresses on with singlets underneath.

The second item was an dress overall with a basic white tee. I would have preferred to have a black basic top underneath as it breaks the lightness in my opinion.

Maybe sometime, I would like to purchase the dress overall if I can think of something to wear with it from my wardrobe. I guess it could also look great with short boots too.

Petite shopping at Sportsgirl

• Not every item is going to fit perfectly lengthwise if you are under say 165cm so this may mean alterations. It may be easier for jeans and pants rather than certain styles of skirts to be altered.

• The sleeve length may be too long on some items so be sure to try tops and knits on before purchasing it. I find this especially with S to M size.

• Dresses are not too much of a problem but some can still be slightly large regardless of whether it is an XXS or a 6. 

It would be nice if Sportsgirl could do a petite range sometime similar to Topshop. 

Has anyone had a trip to the clothes store lately?

Until next time,
Laura xx

Quest for Healthy Food at Service Stations

It may seem as if I am over blogging but I think this issue needs to be addressed.

Last week as I was returning home on the coach from Melbourne to Sydney, there were two meal break stops. Unfortunately both meal stops seem to have a lack of healthy food options. As I was reading the menu, it mainly seemed to have consisted of wedges, pies, chiko rolls and chips. Surely, these foods contain high calories, transfats and sugar which can lead to diseases such as heart, stroke and diabetes. In addition to this, eating a diet of fast food may be the cause of some cancers. It may be easier for us as passengers at the service stations as we may only need to take the coach once in a blue moon but what about the coach drivers who have to eat at service stations a few times a week. Also not only bus drivers but truck drivers and other people who need to access the service station as well.

The only healthy options that I saw at the Service Station was some fruits and vegetables. Although fruits and vegetables can be healthy, it may not always be a substantial meal for long distance trips. Unless you buy a dozen and eat them along the way of course.

Perhaps providing healthier options at service stations such as vegetable stir frys or even freshly made sandwiches can be a great alternative although the cost may increase significantly. Unfortunately in many cases, food that is less healthy seems to be cheaper and more accessible which can be very costly on the health system but that is another rant for another time.

Alternatively, if you happen to stop at a major town or the coach you are travelling on does, it may be better to find a nearby cafe or restaurant that serves healthier and more nutritious meals. You may even feel better afterwards.

Until next time,
Laura xx

Train trip of the year

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to see my friend up on the Gold Coast. Instead of taking the conventional route to Brisbane and fly, I thought that a good old train trip would be a great way to get there. The tickets were marginally cheaper as well as I am a student.

The train to Casino left at 7:15am which is quite early for me but nevertheless it is better to travel during the day as it is much easier to see the scenery. Although the board will say that the first stop is Broadmeadows, it will make quite a few stops in between but that is mostly to pick up passengers.

As I have travelled on the Shinkansen throughout Japan, I was not used to the train going at a snail's pace but at least it was a great day to see what the countryside had to offer. It took around 3 hours to arrive at the first set down stop and by lunchtime, the train was only at Taree which is about 300km from Sydney.

The countryside around Dungog.

The staff on Countrylink or should I say Trainlink will take your orders around 12pm but lunch will not come for about an hour so I hope that you have some snacks on you while you wait. There were a few selections to choose from but I chose the Teriyaki Beef. If you are vegetarian, the buffet also offers a few vegetarian options such as the Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni. 

When it was time to pick up my meal, it was not what I had expected but it was good enough nonetheless.The train continued its journey on time until it was about 10 minutes from Kempsey. Unfortunately, we had to wait for a Sydney bound XPT train which was 13 minutes late. I know it was not a long wait and there are much worse delays. After the delay, the train journey was pleasant passing through the North Coast towns of Kempsey, Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Urunga, Sawtell, Coffs Harbour and Grafton before arriving at Casino. 

Although, there is a direct service to Brisbane on Trainlink from Sydney, it only runs once a day which is an overnight sleeper. At Casino, I had to look for the coach service that was headed for Brisbane and it was sort of confusing as there were about 5 coach services headed for different places. The coach service that I had needed was at the front so it had made it much easier to find. Additionally, it is the one that has the most passengers as well. 

After leaving Casino, I had an expectation that the coach would stop at every stop en route to Brisbane but it only ended up stopping at Lismore which was great as it meant that I would arrive 20 minutes earlier into Roma St than expected. 

The train trip was definitely a great way to see what the North Coast of New South Wales had to offer but I would not recommend travelling from Sydney to Brisbane in one day. If you have time to spare, it may be better to spend overnight at one of the towns on the way. Plus you would get to see what the town has to offer and be well rested the next day.

Just past Coffs Harbour

Until next time,

Laura xx

La Mesa Restaurant

Finally Chinatown has opened up a restaurant that blends East and West cuisines. La Mesa Filipino restaurant. This is their second restaurant as the other restaurant is located in Dee Why. Since I like to try new restaurants, I thought I give this a go. By the way, La Mesa is next to Mamak and it is where the Sichuan restaurant used to be located.

I hope that most of you are physically fit as you have to climb up the stairs to get to this restaurant. I am not sure if they have lift facilities. 

Anyway after sitting down, I decided to have a look at the menu and see what they had to offer. Mum and I decided on Lumpiang Shanghai which is spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce. The spring rolls took about 10-15 minutes to come but it was well worth the wait. It was delicious but I found it a bit greasier than what I was used to. I'm a spring roll lover don't get me wrong.

Lumpiang Shanghai

The next meals to arrive were the Pork Adobo and Sinigang but it took a long time and we were hungry. I don't think the service was necessarily unsatisfactory but it was certainly understaffed. Other patrons also waited a while to receive their meals. 

The Pork Adobo was the first to arrive. I did take a photo but unfortunately the photo did not upload successfully on my iPad, grrrr!! Nevertheless it was delicious but I wonder if that was my hungry self talking. It certainly did not lack flavour.This version of Adobo is a bit different from Latin America by the way as it uses soy sauce. However, it lived up to its name of using peppers. 

After a while, the Sinigang also arrived. It is a tamarind based soup by the way. Similar to the Pork Adobo, it did not lack flavour but was cold as the chefs must of have forgotten to notify the waiter. 

Sinigang

Wow, the food certainly filled us up. I was hesitant to order dessert as I could not eat anymore but mum decided we would order dessert anyway as we may not be back at the restaurant for a while.

The dessert was Halo-Halo which may look similar to the Malaysian/Indonesian Es Cendol. I had one sip of the dessert and it was creamy. I didn't get to taste the beans though but oh well can do that next time. Again, similar to the Adobo, the photo of the dessert did not upload. 

Overall, the restaurant experience was good but here is a detailed analysis.

Positives:The food was delicious as it did not lack flavour, the staff were polite and the restaurant was clean.

Negatives: Although the service was great, unfortunately it was slow. The restaurant need to hire more staff but as I think this is a family owned business, that may not be possible. They also may want to consider facilities for those with disabilities unless it was hiding from me and I didn't see it.

Do try it if you can!!!

Until next time,

Laura xx

Photo Editing Apps

The name Adobe Photoshop may sound very familiar to many of you but have you ever tried to edit photos using your iPhone or other mobile devices instead?

I have to admit that I struggled with using both of these photo editing apps that I'm about to tell you as I have never owned a Photoshop program before. Maybe I live under a rock but I have never purchased Photoshop due to its price.

Rakuga Cute App

Rakuga Cute App is sort of like a mobile Purikura. It gives users a chance to edit their photos by applying cute backgrounds and stamps to enhance the photos. However unlike the Purikura machines, the eyes do not seem to change. The app itself is free contrary to other reviews but if you want the additional backgrounds such as the ribbon backgrounds, then it comes at a price.

Overall this app is not too bad but it definitely does not beat the real thing.

PE Fotolr

PE Fotolr is another photo editing app I have been using lately. Unlike Rakuga Cute App, this app allows you to edit photos by adding additional colours. You can even edit the hair and eyes if you want to although the photo looks strange post edit. I think the main highlight of this app would be to adjust the size of the photo by using the QuickEdit. QuickEdit can also edit the brightness of the photo as well as the rotation. Similar to the Rakuga App it is also free.

I just decided to keep it simple and used a bit of blush to edit the photo.

For me, this app is better than Rakuga App but I think it is time for me to purchase Photoshop.

Until next time,
Laura xx

Review of the Hotel Monterey Ginza

At some point, many of us have stayed in hotels whether it was for leisure or for a business trip. The hotel experience may of have been better at some than others.

Recently on my third trip to Asia, I stayed at the Hotel Monterey Ginza. I had stayed here previously and decided to stay here again on the last trip as many of the other hotels were either sold out or a bit out of my price range.

This is the front of the hotel. As you can see the architecture is French influenced. It almost feels like I was in Paris but not quite.

Now down to business. The review of the hotel. I will tell you both the positives and negatives.

Positives: 

Location: The location itself was great as it was close to both Ginza and Ginza-itchōme stations. However, beware if you are coming from Ginza station as the hotel may be difficult to find. It is advisable to exit from A13 of Ginza station as it is the closest exit to the hotel.

Service: The service here was quite good as the staff spoke English quite well. Additionally unlike some of the other hotels on the trip,I did not have to ask them to ring for a taxi when I was leaving for the airport.

Day Passes: Day passes for the Tokyo Metro can also be purchased here for ¥600. 

Negatives:

Rooms: The rooms here are quite small. Sometimes it is difficult to find room to place the suitcase. The space in the elevators are also quite small.

Food: Unfortunately the food here is not the best. Maybe that is because I'm a difficult eater but nevertheless the breakfast choices here are not as good as the Dai-ichi for example. I don't think they even served miso soup.

Although it is only a picture of the bed, you can see how small the room is. 

Overall I would stay here again but it would not be my first choice. I would like to see what the Mercure is like down the road from the Hotel Monterey. 

What has your hotel experience been like?

Until the next post,
Laura xx

Children's section and the Petite Woman

I know, I know, I'm guilty of browsing the children's section of the department store. Sometimes I may find a bargain there that I may not find anywhere else or perhaps something that I fancy.
However as much as I like some of the styles there, they are not always appropriate for petite women. One reason is because the styles are not always age appropriate and the fit may not always be right. I have decided to try on a couple of pieces from Bardot Junior to see if this is the case.

This is a Size 14 denim jacket from Bardot Junior. It may look like it fits right which it does for the most part except for one minor thing. Can you guess what that is?

If you had guessed that it did not fit correctly in the underarm then you are correct. It was slightly tight but nevertheless, it would have been a great bargain.

This is another top from Bardot Junior also in a Size 14. Again, it looks like it fits but it is a bit high around the chest area. Additionally unlike the last item, the shirt is also a little short.

Overall, I'm not against shopping at Bardot Junior or any other children's store but one must be careful when purchasing. For example it is best to try all items on as it may look like it fits but when you put it on, it doesn't fit the way you want it to. Also the styles may not always be age appropriate. In my experience, it is much better to buy the children's pants rather than the tops. Sweaters and jackets may also be ok. Have you ever shopped at the kids section of the store?

Until next time,
Laura xx