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My Multicultural Palace

One of the major benefits of travelling, aside from the perma-holiday that it is at its core, is coming home with a global knowledge of architecture and building. I decided to build my own house, a lofty goal I know. I bought a cheap plot of land just outside of Melbourne and drew up the plans for my globally inspired dream house complete with a large swimming pool reminiscent of the old bathing pools in Italy. Unfortunately modern building regulations often dampen my dream of sprawling spiral staircases and open aired extensive swimming pools. It looks like I’ll spend my week perusing swimming pool fences, Melbourne apparently has some great options for ways to spruce up pool security and safety. The majority of my friends wanted me to go with glass pool fencing but I wanted to avoid the modern look. The company I was speaking to were fantastic and had an amazing range of pool fencing options so I could really fit it to the look I was going for.

The mosaic tiles on the pool floor would make the entire area look rather delicate and quaint so I felt massive slabs of frameless glass surrounding them would be a little too contradictory for the overall image. I settled on semi frameless pool fencing, Melbourne city isn’t too far from where I am based currently so I was able to co-ordinate everything first hand. The company sent out a pool fencing expert who conducted a free site inspection to come up with a quote. I wish all my building problems were this easily solved. Once the pool fencing goes in I have to go see a man about some fireproof walls. When I told the girls about my decision to go with semi frameless pool fencing they found it hilarious and bought me a pair of semi frameless glasses in an attempt to mock my construction choices.

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Prepare for your big day, by getting the pool fences ready

If you and your family want to ensure that your big day goes as smoothly as possible it’s better to have everything planned well in advance. It seems like common sense but trust me when I tell you that most people tend to forget something major  when planning their wedding.

Many times this will mean the catering, the venue and other essentials get overlooked. Always have a checklist that is kept up to date as talks get marked off. If you are having a wedding at home, then safety issues are also important. It’s highly important to make sure that all of your guests, especially children we, are as safe as possible during the wedding, and if you’re wedding is in the backyard, you need to ensure it meets all standards. This is particularly important if you have a pool in your yard.

This point is crucial if you have a pool on your Melbourne property, install a pool fence that meets currently safety standards. This couldn’t be more important when you have a heap of guests mingling in your garden. It’s easy for little ones to get lost in the crowd and forgotten.

This should be dealt with months in advance of the big day. it’s still important to pick out a dress, a suit, and the flowers, but without proper safety equipment that can prevent unwanted access to the pool, you will face much bigger problems.

This can be achieved relatively cheaply and easily with a replacement pool fence, installed by leading experts. Choosing the pool fence is one of the most important aspects, as it also has to match the theme of the wedding, to ensure it’s both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Aluminium pool fences in Melbourne are a popular choice, as they can go with most weddings, and offer a huge amount of safety against neighbour’s children and small dogs whose owners invite them to weddings of their friends. By installing a new pool fence, you can rest assured that your wedding will go as smoothly as possible, and as safely as possible.

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Air Conditioning, and…Other Stuff

People die when they are killed, and things explode when they are set on fire.

Video games have taught me many things, but what they CAN’T teach is the taste of cinnamon crunch. Also, air conditioning. All my mates think you can play some game and get really good at air conditioning repair, Canberra residents need some sterner stuff. Used to know a guy who went to fix the air con in Parliament House. He didn’t do it right, because he was running his own business and thought that because he was his own boss, he could do whatever he wanted. Show up late, take four hours to do one little thing…boom. They weren’t happy. And you know what they did next? They got rid of him…permanently…

No, they didn’t. But his business flopped and I’m pretty sure he now lives with his Mum, selling water coolers. Water coolers are fine, but it’s not air con repair. When you fix someone’s air conditioning, you get the look. That look of gratitude. That look that says ‘me and my family, if I have a family, will now survive the summer because of what you have done’. I kind of imagine that’s what it feels like to be a bodyguard jumping in front of a bullet, or like a medieval knight who gallantly rides in on a horse and saves his lord from an ambush of scoundrels. Doesn’t happen every day. Or, like, THAT doesn’t happen every day, but if you do air conditioning services and repairs, then it could happen for you, every day. Constant reinforcement that you’re in the right job, doing good, sowing good things wherever you go, even if that’s Parliament House. They’re making big decisions there. They need Canberra’s finest air conditioning to help them along. Personally, I’d hate the idea of trying to make laws that influence our nation whilst having the sweat rolling down my back. Gross. I can see why people love the air con repair guys so much.

-Louis

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Catch-ups and Needles

I finally got around to grabbing a coffee with the crew after my Pilates class this morning. I never seem to have time for that these days, so it was good to catch up on what everyone’s been up to. Shamita, the physiotherapist, told me she hadn’t been at the early morning class for a while – she’s been away doing a bunch of upskilling lately, with a view to opening her own physio practice.

As a massage therapist, I was pretty interested in hearing about this. Shamita said that just last weekend, she’d done a trigger point dry needling course in Sydney. I’d heard of this before – a couple of my colleagues are pretty into it – but I’m not all that familiar with the ins and outs of it. Shamita said she hadn’t been either, prior to doing the course, but now she’s feeling confident to administer the treatment.

I was surprised to hear that dry needling could be picked up over one weekend – I’d expected it to be a lengthier process than that. Shamita did mention, though, that you pretty much need to be trained as a physiotherapist in order to sign up for the course, so I suppose it kind of makes sense that it could be done in such a short span of time.

Anyway, it sounds like dry needling uses a technique that’s kind of similar to acupuncture in terms of the type of needles that are used. Shamita stressed to me, though, that it’s not the same as acupuncture  – it works on trigger points rather than energy meridians. This was interesting for me to hear, because although I have some clients who are all about their regular acupuncture sessions, I have others who are really cynical about it. I probably have more clients of the latter persuasion, which has kept me from investigating dry needling more deeply than I have.

Now I’m thinking that I should have more of poke around into the subject. I wonder what the go is with dry needling training in the Melbourne area? Maybe it’s time for me to invest in some upskilling.

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Junkmobile Needs Servicing

My brother, Sergei, is basking in the glow of owning his first car after buying a third-hand van from a mate of a mate a couple of months ago. At least, that was the case until this morning, when the actual reality of car ownership hit home. The junk bucket stopped working somewhere out near Mitcham while Sergei was on his way to have a surf.

This came as a surprise to precisely nobody, except for young S, who had been blithely turning a blind eye to the less desirable features of the van’s condition – I’m talking rampant rust and its disinclination to start. Honestly, I don’t even know how this thing has a roadworthy certificate.

Fortunately for Sergei, there are plenty of car mechanics in Ringwood, and he was able to have the issue taken care of with a minimum of fuss. The problem is that he’s now totally maxed out his bank account – he hadn’t anticipated this brand of expense, and didn’t have much in the way of savings tucked away for the cause.

In my opinion (that of the wise/smug older brother), budgeting for emergency car services is something he needs to come to grips with, especially if he insists on getting around in a van that’s coming apart at the seams. If he doesn’t do this, he’s going to expect me to help him out every time something like this happens, which – let’s be real – is going to be pretty regularly.

Besides that, what’s he going to do when his mobile pile of junk needs urgently fixed closer to home? I mean, in Ringwood, brake and clutch repairs, brake pad replacements and things of that nature can be arranged pretty easily, but who knows what the deal is out where he lives in Nar Nar Goon? I’m sure he’ll figure it all out in his own good time, by which point he’ll probably have upgraded to a vehicle that’s a tad more reliable.

 

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Those who live in glass houses…

Working from home presents a never-ending string of spatial puzzles to be solved. It’s an ongoing process of figuring out how to maintain separate areas for separate parts of life. This is hard when these spaces are, at the end of the day, physically adjoining. I’m looking into doing an office decor overhaul, and I’m taking it as an opportunity to improve the logistical flow of the space.

I receive clients in my home office on a regular basis, so it needs to look legit. I’m having one small problem with this. The space I’ve allocated for work is a stand-alone structure that faces the back of the house, which is essentially a wall of transparent glass. This means that anyone situated in the office can see directly into my kitchen, which I don’t feel is the best look (especially in light of my tendency to forget to do the dishes). I’ve been reluctant to do anything about it because I really love the big glass panels.

Someone has just put me onto the idea of getting window frosting. Companies in Melbourne, apparently, can do this, and it could be a way of making my huge windows less openly transparent while still letting in the sun from above eye level. It’s meant to look similar to sandblasting or etching onto glass, but is done with some kind of film – which means I wouldn’t need to get all my glass replaced.

I’m also keen to investigate the possibilities for adding some decorative window designs. In Melbourne, anything is possible when it comes to customisation. I reckon there’s someone out there who can set me up with a faux stained glass situation – maybe on some kind of high-tech film material?

It would be cool if there was a way of combine the window frosting with a stained glass aesthetic. I’m a marriage celebrant, in case you were wondering, and I believe something like this would contribute to setting up a mood that’s matched to what I do. At the same time, I’d be making my living quarters more private while creating a sense of spatial continuity between them and the office. Dreamy!

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A Bathroom Fit For My Clients

It’s been six months since I started teaching fitness classes in the converted garage out the front of my house. Time to take stock on how it’s been working out! I have to say, I’m really proud of how consistent business has been. I’m equally proud of my awesome clients – some of them have come a long way. And I’m stoked with the studio; the renovation worked really well.

One thing that’s missing is a dedicated bathroom for my clients. It bothers me that they have to come into my house to use the toilet, and some of them have expressed a desire to be able to shower after a particularly vigorous session. I’m starting to think that it might be worth investing in a bathroom installation. Melbourne has no shortage of gyms, studios and specialist classes in the fitness realm, so I really need to stay competitive. This could be worth my while.

I’m going for a particular aesthetic with this business – I want everything to be visually beautiful, with gentle lighting and high-quality surfaces and finishes. If I’m going to go to the trouble of installing a new bathroom, it’s got to be designed to work in with this vibe. If it’s done right, it could be an opportunity to showcase the unique look of the space in more depth.

The more I think about it, the more this seems like a great idea. Given that I’m going for a ‘luxury’ market, I should really be providing comfortable and beautiful bathroom amenities to my clients. I’m getting so pumped for this now! This being Melbourne, bathroom design services of the kind I’m imagining shouldn’t be too hard to track down. I’m thinking a custom cabinet that doubles as a wardrobe for guests to hang their work clothes in, with a full-length mirror, and some textured tiling.

It’s not going to come easily, but the whole ethos of my business is that quick fixes aren’t the answer. I love the idea of that being reflected in the smallest of details, like the bathroom design.

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Ditching a Razor for a Laser

I’m constantly late. I can’t seem to keep track of time, I need to plan in advance to get anywhere that requires an early morning or long distance travelling, and I absolutely hate having to let people down. For me, time management is a huge challenge and anything I can do to carve a few minutes off my schedule is warmly welcomed- which is why I LOVE laser hair removal. Melbourne is welcoming warmer weather; I’ve committed to swim squad completely, and that means more hours in the pool, and the squad I joined last year expects the best from me. Which means early mornings in the water and great average times.

I knew that when i joined, I’d need to shave my legs every swim day. Smooth skin helps you glide through the water, but my fuzz grows at a crazy rate and the problem is, I always forget to de-fuzz, even when I’m not running too late. For someone who doesn’t have the time and needs to be faster, you can see my predicament.

For a wiry-haired pale person like me, pain free laser hair removal was the answer to my prayers. I have a friend doesn’t swim, but like me has pale skin and dark leg hairs. She had a few treatments and amazingly, her leg hair is down to almost nothing. She showed me herself, there were only a couple of stray hairs hanging around, and she hadn’t shaved for over a week. So naturally, I booked, because shaving every day is just not going to suit my lifestyle.

My treatments have been a lifesaver! I am loving the freedom that laser hair removal has meant for me- no crazy razoring away before training and even better, great times in the water without having to constantly think about maintaining them. I’m completely sold.

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A Case for Taking the Cake

My sister recently started dating a guy who’s a pastry chef. Why is this remarkable? Well, because her dates and boyfriends have consistently – almost invariably – been property lawyers. Melbourne has its fair share of assorted men to choose from, so why this extreme trend of attraction to people from just one profession?

I’ve never understood it, even in light of the fact that my sister is, herself, a property developer. Some of our friends seem to think this serves as an adequate explanation for the whole deal. Is there something I’m missing here? Like the allure of discussing the finer points of medium density multi-unit developments? Or the hypnotic mood created by the registration of subdivision plans? Maybe there’s a feeling, unfathomable to the rest of us, that can only be captured through a shared awareness of Section 173 agreements.

It might also be something to do with sis’s need to finance her ever-growing personal collection of properties. She hardly needs a partner to help her out there. But I guess it would make sense if only someone in a property-related field could really get their head around why she needs apartments in three different countries.

Our brother used to work for a commercial law firm. Melbourne life ended up taking its toll on him – it was too quiet, apparently, and he buzzed off to London to work in international law. He ended up dating a guy who was a professor in international economics at a very prestigious university. Even our parents are similarly inclined high fliers within the same professional field. Dad’s a pilot and mum’s an aircraft engineer.

Really, I don’t know what it is about this family – it all seems a bit overblown to me. I’m kind of secretly hoping that this pastry chef will introduce her to some new ways of looking at things – and maybe provide me, his girlfriend’s sister, with fancy cakes. I’m pretty sure he has to, by law.

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Add Picking a Home to the List

So the girlfriend dragged me along to this carnival, which I have to say is pretty boring. The most interesting thing that happened- and I use the term pretty lightly- was when I went to see a fortune teller. Or…’fortune teller’. It was pretty theatrical, or whatever, so it wasn’t totally boring. Still, the most specific she could get was that ‘something is coming in your future! Something BIG!’

Well, yeah. We’re moving house soon, which we for some reason chose to do before the wedding. Not my idea. I mean, we’ve got one of Melbourne’s best property advocates helping us out with the search, but it’s still one extra thing to think about. Even if you get a buyers agent it’s not, like…nothing. I’m just waiting for the girlfriend to come to me one day and say ‘by the way I’m pregnant, or whatever’, and it’ll be the perfect storm. But that’s…unlikely. SO unlikely. I’m just not going to think about that. I already have like sixteen house options to go through, either because these people are too good at their jobs or because we didn’t give them enough search parameters. Well, I didn’t…she had a lot more to say that I did. I just don’t want our commute to be a nightmare, I want some space to have a family (if we decide to go that route, or whatever), a garden would be nice (although I’m fine with an apartment and…good. Just a good house. I’m not huge on DIY, so a functional place would be nice. Whereas the girlfriend had a list of demands that sounded way too long at the time. Looking at the list of places that we’ve got, I really don’t think it was. It’s our first time with a property advocate. Melbourne just has too many appropriate places for sale, I guess, so that’s one more list of stuff to go through and whittle down. Uh, why did we go to the carnival again? There’s way too much to do.