Sydney Home Show

Another event for this already busy weekend is the Sydney Home Show - Australia's No.1 Building & Renovation Expo.

This is for the builders, renovators, home designers out there. Or for whoever is thinking about to make some home/office improvements.

On what's said to be Sydney's largest and most popular Home Show, you will find the following:

- Latest products- Best prices directly from exhibitors
- New industry trends- Free expert advice
- Competitions and giveaways
- Sustainable living speakers
- Cooking classes

Entry is free to trade professionals (upon presentation of their trade identification). Also, buying a Home Show ticket, you get a free ticket for the Mind Body Spirit Festival happening at the same time next door.

When: Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 May 2013
Where: Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre
What time: 10am - 7pm
How much: $16 online; $20 at the show; free for children under 18

Sydney Events This Weekend

This will be a busy weekend in Sydney with four events going on:

Mind Body Spirit Festival

When: Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 May 2013 & Thursday 31 - Sunday 3 November 2013
Where: Hall 1, Sydney Entertainment & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour
What time: 10am - 7pm
How much: Adults (tickets online) $16; Adults (tickets at the show) $20; Concession/Student $16; Children under 18 free.

- Products Samples
- Free Seminars
- Live Performances
- Meditation Centre
- Psychic Readings
- Food Demonstrations

I have to confess that I found myself a bit disappointed with this festival when I went there back in 2010. It was too crowded, not the relaxing environment I'd expected. But checking their websites, I see that they have a lot more features now. And hopefully a bigger and more organised space. I would definitely give it another go.

Fashion Weekend Sydney

When: Thursday 16 - Sunday 19 May 2013
Where: Royal Hall of Industries, Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park
What time: Friday 12pm - 9pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am - 5pm
How much: Silver $20 (just shopping); Gold $40 (shopping + seat in catwalk); Platinum $50 (shopping + front row seat in catwalk).

- Designer pieces at discounted prices
- Trend talks and styling advice sessions
- Model scouting by Chic Management agency
- Catwalk shows

I went to this one with a friend two years ago. It's a nice idea for a girls night out. But be prepared to shop, because there isn't much else to do. The catwalk shows are cool, but you have to pay extra to see them. When I went back in 2011, I paid only $25 for 2 tickets on a promotion I was offered. And I still didn't think it was worth it. This should be if not a free event, at least a cheap one, because all you have to do there is spend more money. This is a good event mostly for two groups of people: those who work or want to work in the fashion industry (networking time!) and those who think paying $200 for a t-shirt that was $300 is a bargain.

Home, Food and Wine Weekend

When: Friday 17 - Sunday 19 May 2013
Where: Byron Kennedy Hall, Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park
What time: 9am - 6pm
How much: Free (you just have to register for the sessions)

Never been to this one, but it looks cool. Lots of information, learning, talking, demonstrations, products etc. What attracts me here is that there are things of my interest and of my husband's. The sessions are free, just need to register in order to attend. Some cool ones:

-How to transform a room from ordinary to extraordinary
- Inspiration to give your floor a makeover
- Beauty tricks
-Phil and Amity from The Block All Stars talking about their time on the show
- Family dishes with simple ingredients
- How to make tasty recipes with nutritious food

Pyrmont Festival

When: Saturday 18 - Sunday 19 May 2013
Where: Pirrama Park, Pyrmont
What time: 11am - 5pm
How much: Free

Never been to this one either, but looks nice. It's free, outdoors, in a well located park, with amenities, live music, wine tasting, gourmet cuisine, art and much more. Get your picnic rug and go for it! ;)

The Big Meet - Helping you to find a job!

The Big Meet is a free event that offers the opportunity for both graduates and undergraduates to meet up to 100 of Australia's leading employers.

The organisations offer a range of options:

- graduate employment
- voluntary work
- gap years
- international internships
- vacation work
- postgraduate education
- teaching
- travel
- overseas opportunities

Besides being a FREE event, the organisers promise to offer "fun, free stuff and a range of fabulous prizes".

I've never been to this event, but if you are on the lookout for a new opportunity, I guess it won't do you any bad to go to a place that at its worst will be a great place for networking.

Guns N' Roses - An Unforgettable Experience!

So this week started like any other. No big plans ahead... Until my brother-in-law comes with this silly question: would you like free tickets for Guns N' Roses tomorrow? Oh well, I'll have to think about that... Nooo, of course I don't need any thinking. Even before he'd finished the question, I was already: yes, yes, yes!!!

Some things in life are better late than never. Better unexpected than planned. Better free than paid. Better in Sydney than anywhere else. Better in family than by yourself. And, no doubt, better VIP than not.

Groupon Voucher Giveaway!

If you are a reader of This Australian Life blog, you're already half way to win a A$50 voucher from Groupon. Now you just need to go to This Australian Life Facebook page and give it a LIKE. That's it! Easy, hey?

You need to be located in Australia to participate in this one. The winner will be picked randomly on April 10th and will be notified via Facebook.

Writing posts on a brand new way!

Ok, I just created the best way for myself to focus and produce content. When I am at home on my free time, which is also when I can blog, I can get distracted easily (and who doesn't these technological days, right?). So it's good for me to have some kind of ritual that puts me in the "working time" mood.

Soundwave Festival 2013

Soundwave 2013 was the biggest yet. It had everything you'd expect from a big festival: 9 stages, more than 70 bands, around 75,000 attendees, market stalls, many food outlets, bars and toilets spread out in the huge Olympic Park space.

My Top 10 New Year's Resolutions

Last post I mentioned my New Year's resolutions and now I just realise that I hadn't published it yet… 

Reviewing the unpublished post, I notice that I can actually summarise all my resolutions in just two words: time management.

There you go, my biggest challenge this year is (once again!) manage my time in order to accomplish all the things I want to, and they are not just a few… They involve things I want to start out, things I want to return to and things I want to keep on.

This Australian Life with a new face

blog new design

Ooops, I did it again... It's been more than 2 weeks since my last post, and having as a New Year's resolution to publish at least once a week, this is not good. 

But at least this time I have an excuse. And a good one!

Australia Day and its controversy

Australia Day is a day of celebration with lots of barcecues going on and cold beers and waving flags and painted bodies and all that.

But as all public holiday dates, this one was also chosen for a reason. And that’s when the controversy begins. Not everyone, particularly the Indigenous, agree that Australia Day should be celebrated on the date that the English arrived in the country, back in 1787. Aborigines call it “Invasion Day” or “Survival Day” (acknowledging the fact that the Indigenous people and culture have not been completely wiped out).

Big Day Out 2013 (Review)

Since I've been living in Australia, Big Day Out line up has had Rage Against The Machine, Neil Young, The Prodigy, Artic Monkeys, Powder Finger, Muse, Lily Allen, Calvin Harris, Lupe Fiasco, Birds of Tokyo and many more, but only Red Hot Chili Peppers made me want to go (well, to be honest, I really wanted to go in 2008 to see Rage Against as well, but I was not able to at that time).

A 2012 Wrap-Up

(The ship that took me to the Pacific Islands in 2012. More from this trip on my Flickr Account)

Before letting you know of my New Year's resolutions, I thought I'd first give you a 2012 wrap-up. After all, it was a year that I shared very little on this blog... But lived fully, as always!

Ellen DeGeneres is coming to Australia!

What we (Ellen fans based in Australia) were all waiting for has been announced: Ellen DeGeneres is coming down under!

The end of This Australian Life?

(Photo taken in Lake Conjola. More on my Flickr account)

2012 is behind us. The world did not end. Neither this blog. But last year I wrote measly 13 posts. Less than in 2011 when 21 posts were written, which was less than 2010 when I posted 28 times, which was less than 2009, year that I started the blog and wrote a total of 114 blog posts.

Vivid Light Festival 2012 (Photos)

If you've missed this year's Vivid Sydney, you've missed beautiful enlightened buildings around the city, good live music and interesting talks. If I were you, I'd put down on your diary the dates for 2013 already: May 24th to June 10th.

For now, you can stay with some of my shots of this year's Vivid Lights: