Women taking a 'leap' of faith this year

Now as there are only two days left of February (yes, two days, not one, as 2012 is a leap year) I would like to discuss the trend of women proposing to men when this occurrence happens once every four years.

According to Australian wedding website the knot.com.au women weren’t allowed to propose to men except on one day (February 29 on a leap year). 

The website says:

The tradition dates back hundreds of years, to when the leap year was not recognised by English law; the day was simply "leapt over" and ignored. Since it had no legal status, formal traditions did not apply on this day. Consequently, women who were not content to wait for a proposal took advantage of this anomaly and popped the question themselves. It was also thought that since leap year corrected the discrepancy between the calendar year (365 days) and the time it takes for the earth to complete one orbit of the sun (365 days and 6 hours), it was an opportunity for women to correct a tradition that was one-sided and unfair.

I love marriage proposals – mine was the most wonderful moment that I will cherish forever. When my husband got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife was honestly the happiest day of my life (apart from actually marrying him!).

In my head, there is just something a bit wrong about this picture if it were me down on bended knee.  

I am not a feminist or anything and I do believe that women, if they have enough balls to do it, have every right to ask their man to be their husband.

I’m just not one of those chicks.

The way I see it is this – women get the amazing experience of giving birth to children, so shouldn’t men get to do something awesomely special as well? The ladies can’t go hogging all the good stuff in life! 

Another thing is this, if he hasn’t asked you, he’s probably not ready for marriage – don’t think that beating him to the chase is going to do yourself any favours, because you might end up dejected and woefully embarrassed.

I just think that it’s up to the man to ask. I guess I am a bit of a romantic and I am a sucker for happily ever after stories, but there is something to be said for a man who loves a woman and just wants to make her his. I think that if I had asked my husband to marry me that he would probably felt just a little less masculine…

So, I’ll say this – it’s not for everyone, but if you’re a lady and wanting to take matters into your own hands – then good luck to you! I really hope it works out for you and that he says “yes!”.

Appointments with attitude

Hey lady, don't have attitude with me!

So yesterday I spent most of the day in the waiting rooms of several doctor’s surgeries.

Apart from the creepy smell that always comes with anything medical, one thing I always notice when I am in waiting rooms is the antics of the receptionists behind the front counter.

In particular, yesterday I was in a radiologist’s office in Southport for quite some time and I found myself eavesdropping in on the conversations of the four women taking calls and making appointments.

Honestly, these women spend half their time gossiping and fluffing around. While I was waiting, one woman got up to have her break. After she left her spot behind the counter, two of the other women started saying things like “she always smells when she comes back from her breaks of cigarettes”.

Another thing I noticed was when the two male radiologists came in to pick up their job sheets for the next round of patients, one woman in particular would gesture towards them and start whispering to each of the men in a way that told me this was the only kind of intimacy she experiences each day – the attention of her male colleagues.

A young guy who left after getting scans done was particularly tatted up. As soon as he was out the door, one lady just HAD to tell the others how much she despised tattoos and how ugly they were blah blah blah… to stop your work and just talk about rubbish like that while people in the waiting room can hear you is unacceptable.

So it surprised me when patients – most of them elderly – went up to the counter to pay their bill or make another appointment, that these women were so rude to them. Given that they weren’t doing much work at all, you wouldn’t think there would be a need for such impoliteness.

“I’m not finished what I’m doing just yet, so you’ll have to wait,” said one woman to a mother and her daughter who just wanted to pay their bill and leave. I felt like saying, “Why? All you’ve been doing is bitching about your other female colleague for the past 10 minutes about her smoking habit, surely you have time to look after this patient?”.

There is no need for this kind of attitude and what surprises me is that I seem to see it quite a bit, no matter what doctor’s surgery I go to.

Once when I arrived for an ultrasound appointment, I waited for about six minutes while the two girls behind the counter finished their personal conversation about what happened on their weekend, before they would acknowledge me. It wasn’t until I blatantly interrupted them that they rolled their eyes and checked me in.

Seriously, for all you people who work behind reception desks in medical offices, think about the people coming in for appointments – a lot of them aren’t well and are in pain. It’s your job to serve them and if it’s not too much trouble, do it with a smile.

Beach bound

Can't wait for our five-day beach getaway to Mooloolaba! My pictorial blog is inspired by all things beach today

Trying to be good hurts (the hip pocket)

So in our bid to be healthier and treat our bodies better, I have told my husband that I am going to be buying more free range and organic products in my future visits to the supermarket.

My family has a history of Coeliac disease (basically living off a Gluten-free diet). I have been used to eating GF products, but eating organically is something different.

I already prefer to buy fruit and veg from the local markets if I can (and give farmers the direct benefit of my dollar, rather than going to the head-honchos at the major supermarkets) but the thing is, I am rather time-poor at the moment and the supermarket is just around the corner from my place…

So if I have to buy stuff from the greedy, mainstream stores, then I’ve decided I want to buy free-range and organic where I can.

What really sucks is that what’s better for us, and really, MUCH better for the animal, fruit and vege crops, costs SO much more than the standard stuff, which includes pesticides, synthetic hormones and a whole load of nasty additives, colours and preservatives.

Buying fresh produce from farmers' markets means you're supporting their industry and buying food that is better for you - ask them what (if any) pesticides they use as not all farmers are organic.

And another thing, buying products that are made in Australia also come with a higher price tag. It’s ludicrous! I know that supermarkets are competitive and try and keep prices as low as possible (without missing out on their margins) but I am not sure that they are doing as much as they could be.

Not long ago I saw Dick Smith on tele advertising his new General Store that he opened after his dismay at our farmers going broke because we opt to buy chemically enhanced food that is grown and packaged overseas. Hey, it’s cheaper and a lot of people can’t afford to be choosy when it comes to grocery shopping for their families.

Dick’s shop is filled with Australian grown and packaged products from some of our country’s best gourmet food producers, as well as his own branded wares (I happen to LOVE his crunchy peanut butter) but they are that bit more dearer than other products.

For instance, I’ve compared a few products that you can buy from the supermarket and make the choice between organic or normal – the price difference is astronomical.

ORGANIC PRODUCTS                                 NORMAL PRODUCTS

Organic corn chips 200g	$3.20	CCs corn chips 200g	$3.17
Organic rolled oats 750g	$4.83	Homebrand rolled oats 750g	$1.28
Organic cashew nuts raw 250g	$8.91	Sunbeam cashew nuts raw 250g	$6.99
Organic pasta sauce 375g	$4.29	Five Brother’s pasta sauce 500g	$3.75

This is only a small sample, but as you can see, you pay more for what is essentially, better for you. In some cases, you get much more product (see the pasta sauces) for a lot less cost.

Essentially in order for me to eat free-range, organic, gluten-free and pesticide free, I have estimated that I will basically have to spend about $25 extra to do this every week. That’s $1,300 extra per year to eat products that are much better for me and my family and support our own Aussie farmers in the same hit.

This shit is crazy and doesn’t make sense!

Anyway, if you want to side-track the supermarkets, here’s a link to the Australian Farmers’ Markets Association website – you can find your closest market by clicking the ‘Find a Market’ tab http://www.farmersmarkets.org.au/

Wish me luck on my quest to eat healthier and support our food growers – I might go broke in the process but at least I’ll feel better for it.

Don't let anyone tell you what you should be - follow your inspiration and be a dreamer, don't conform to society's expectations. Take some time out everyday and count your blessings and be in awe of what you could achieve in life. Surround youself with people who are happy for you and fill your soul with warmth. Nothing is impossible - you can do anything if you really want to. You deserve unrelenting and fulfilling love - no one should make you feel bad for the choices you've made or for the person you are today. Life is a journey after all and today, right now, you are in exactly the position you are meant to be.

A Veivers 2012

Doing it her way

I love myself some Gwenyth Paltrow. My favourite Gwennie movies are definitely Great Expectations and Shakespeare in Love. And whether or not you're a lover, a hater or a GOOP reader, I'd like to just post some love for one of my fave actresses.

I have always admired this classy, gorgeous blonde woman and want to share some snippets from her recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar US where she discussed Botox, marriage, family and fashion.

On marriage:

Not a day goes by when we don’t read about yet another celeb couple calling it quits. Gwyneth’s refreshing stance on her nuptials to Chris Martin show why they are still going eight years strong.

‘I think you do fall in and out of love and you just keep going, and every time you go through a really difficult phase, you rediscover something new and it just gets better. We’ve been married for more than eight years now, and we’re still into it.’

She is quoted crediting her father for offering practical marital advice and admires his 30-year marriage he had with her mother, Blythe Danner.


On Botox and diets:

With her gorgeous complexion and killer bod, you’d think that she was privy to a few cosmetic enhancements here and there, but it’s all down to eating things in moderation and her desire to age gracefully.

When she’s not detoxing, Gwenyth says she lets herself splurge now and again – she doesn’t have any strict rules that she adheres to.

‘I eat whatever I want. I like bread and cheese and wine, and that makes my life fun and enjoyable.’

And she definitely won’t be turning to synthetic injectables in her bid to keep her youthful looks.

‘I’ll take my wrinkles. I don’t like the Botox thing,’ she says.

 

On fashion:

Something she wants to pass on to her daughter Apple, is her fashion and style – she has kept some of her most cherished red carpet looks for her little girl.

‘I've been saving my clothes for her since before she was born,’ she says. 

'She likes anything that's pretty, pretty, pretty or has a bow or a ruffle or is pink.'

The March edition of Harper’s Bazaar comes out February 14.