No words are needed...

I managed to snap this photo of the usually camera-shy Andreaus as he looked out the window this morning. I racked my brain for the entire day trying to come up with something catchy to say about it. But as the old saying goes 'a picture is worth a thousand words' and I think this photo speaks for itself...

~CC

The boys

A long overdue post on my 3 little boys...

Mr. George Puggles (aka Beast/Pugman/Pug-zai/Sultan Puggles)

I met Mr. P for the first time while working as a vet assistant at an animal clinic. He was a patient there at the time and suffered from seizures, pneumonia and bronchitis. He was the sweetest little patient, always sitting quietly and staring out between the bars of his cage with his big brown eyes. I remember he was always the easiest one to medicate, lapping up each drop of his strawberry flavoured antibiotics with his little pink tongue. To make a long story short, Mr. P's family did not want to deal with his illnesses, they gave him up and he got to come home with me!

Nowadays, Mr. P lives in Canada with my family and no longer suffers from seizures. He still has a tendency to have respiratory problems due to his breed. He had a mild case of pneumonia just this past Christmas but did well with a course of antibiotics. Most of the time, Mr. P enjoys sleeping on one of his many luxurious beds at home. His favourite food of all time is Chinese preserved sausages. Time really flies but Mr. P will be 6 years old this April!!! I can never get enough of this little guy.

Andreaus (aka Brutus)

One of my little stepsons in Australia, Andreaus is a Staffordshire bull terrier. I've only known him for about a year but love him to pieces already. On the outside, he's all muscular and bulky and looks like he will eat you if he had the chance. On the inside, however, he has the kindest heart and will never hurt a fly. Andreaus is the most affectionate dog I have ever known and he will push and shove his way through just to get as close to you as possible.

Like Mr. Puggles, Andreaus has also gone through rough times as well. Last year, he was hit by a car and almost lost his life. He had thoracic and abdominal trauma and had to receive plasma transfusions for shock. He suffered fractures in his pelvis which luckily did not require surgery. After spending a few days in ICU followed by strict confinement for 8 weeks, he was slowly rehabilitated and now he's back to his normal self!!

Antonio (aka Munchkin/Little One)

My other stepson in Australia. This little one is full of energy and personality. While he may be the smallest of the bunch, he sure doesn't act like he is which is typical in Jack Russell Terriers. He spends most of his days either bullying Andreaus or bossing him around. He is secretly obsessed with a toy which consists of two large tennis balls connected by a thick rope and is up for playing fetch with that thing any time of the day.

This little munchkin does not care much for affection. He will most likely try to run away the moment you reach out to touch him. He also prefers sleeping by himself on the floor while the rest of the family snuggles on the couch. A secret trick to get him to sit still? Make him wear his doggie sweater, he'll stay as still as a statue as long as that thing stays on his body!

~CC

Satisfied

Ahh, my purchases after a day of shopping at Doncaster shopping centre. As usual, I gave in to my 2 nemesis, makeup and accessories. After using and loving my Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in 'Black Ink' for months now, I decided to purchase a new colour. I picked it up in 'Forest Shimmer Ink', a dark olive brown colour with gold flecks in it. I figured it'll be nice as a liner as well as a base for eyeshadow (MAC's sumptuous olive, perhaps). This stuff does not dry out in the pot and will seriously last all day on your eyelids. I love it!!!!

I also bought a cocktail ring and 'dreamcatcher' earrings from an accessories store called Diva. I've loved the jewellry from Diva for quite some time now. There's a lot of variety and everything is affordable; the ring was $9.99 and the earrings $14.99. The best way to describe the store, I guess, would be an up-scale Claire's. I'm not sure why but I've always thought that they were a North American brand, which they're not (after conversing with sissy about it). Anyways, while browsing through the Diva website to find out where the brand originated, I came across this....an elephant pendant necklace, how cute!! Oh, and I just realize I never did find out where the company originated from....

~CC

Silver keys, engraved hearts

Visited the Tiffany's store in Melbourne for the first time today. There were two items which continue to linger in my mind tonight. One, of course, is the new and popular Tiffany key. The other, also really popular from the return to Tiffany's collection, is the heart shaped design on a long chain.

Valentine's day is coming up soon, maybe I'll get lucky this year...

~ CC

Love.actually.is.all.around

'Life is full of complications and interruptions...'

One of my favourite movies of all time, Love Actually, was on TV last night. Even though I must've watched it about 30 times by now and pretty much know every single line in the movie, it still somehow manages to captivate me every time. For anyone who's seen the movie, there is always a particular story line that is especially adored. My personal favourite story from the movie is the relationship between Colin Firth's character, Jamie (whose girlfriend cheated on him with his brother) and Aurelia (his Portuguese maid).

I think everyone should see this movie at least once in their life!

~CC

A memorable scent

Perfume has never been something I've deliberately gone to shop for. Thinking back, the fragrances I do own have always been purchased either because it was a memorable scent worn by someone I know or simply because a sample being handed out at a department store appealed to me. And so, for the past 5 or so years, I have been wearing Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue almost everyday after smelling it on a co-worker. It's light and refreshing with a citrus-y scent to it and I think I must have gone through 4-5 bottles by now. I absolutely love it and cannot even count how many times I've been complimented on it or the number of times people have asked me what scent I'm wearing.

A few weeks ago, a new fragrance stumbled into my life as they have always done in the past. I was handed a sample of the new Chloe perfume (Eau de parfum intense) while shopping for makeup and immediately fell in love with it. Knowing that perfume can smell differently on everyone, I quickly spritzed some on my wrist to see how well it gelled with my skin. Let me tell you, I could not stop smelling my wrist for the rest of the day! It can smell a bit strong at first but settles nicely about 5 minutes later into a light floral-y scent. It was feminine and fresh at the same time. I quite liked the design of the bottle as well, simple and classic. The only major downside was the price for one of these babies. I was lucky enough to get mine as a Christmas gift. Thank you mom and dad!

For now, this Chloe perfume has definitely become my new favourite scent but don't worry little bottle of Light Blue, you'll always have a place in my heart!!

~CC

A thing or two about Australia

I realized today that 2010 will be my 5th year in Australia! I moved here 5 years ago knowing absolutely nothing about the country or the culture. While I most certainly am no expert on the ways of the Australians, I can say that I have definitely learnt a thing or two about the land down under over these past few years. Here are some random facts about everyday life in Australia that I have found interesting and some which still bewilders me to this day (eg. #1 and #4...)

1. Makeup is very pricey in Australia. Brands like MAC cost double to triple the price in Canada and drugstore lipsticks cost around $20-$25 each! WAaaHHhhhh...

2. On the other hand...Jurlique is an Australian skin care brand and they make the BEST hand creams.

3. Tips are generally not required at restaurants unless you're at a very fancy one.

4. Don't be alarmed when you see people walking around the city with no shoes on, it seems to be an acceptable thing to do around here. O_O Nicole Kidman proves my point!

5. Coffee is excellent here! Aussies don't drink percolated coffee (ie. the huge jugs of pre-made coffee sitting behind starbucks counters that everyone orders in N. America) so be prepared to be questioned on the type of coffee (eg. cappucino, latte) you would like when you stroll up to a cafe counter and order a 'coffee'.

6. The weather is crazy in Melbourne! It can go from 40 degrees to 25 degrees in a few hours. Oh, and when the forecast predicts rain, expect rain for a total of 15 minutes that day.

7. Don't speed when driving, there are speed cameras everywhere! I found this out the hard way...

8. Staffordshire bull terriers, or Staffies, are a common dog breed kept as household pets here. While they're considered to be under the Pit Bull family, they're some of the friendliest, most affectionate dogs I have ever met. There should be more of them in Canada!

9. There are no pennies in the Australian currency. Yet prices at supermarkets are set to the 0.01 decimal point (eg. $10.97). So what happens at the cash register? Your total gets rounded up or down!

10. The potato chips are so good here! The variety is huge and there are so many yummy flavours!

This was officially my first blog post, hope it was an interesting read!

-CC

A blog on random things and the 2 obsessions of my life: makeup/cosmetics and my 4 legged friends. Enjoy!