Best Life Australia

Some of its features include: Regular blog posts from resident writers/nurses, giveaways, forums, videos, and newsletters. There’s also a job board for those who’re keeping an eye open for the latest job openings in nursing.

You can meet different nurses from all NSW - and the rest of Australia (and the world). It’s a good way to network, vent, exchange ideas, ask for some feedback or help, and more.

So, if you haven’t visited yet, please do so today. You can register for free and take part!

Currently, the site is running a contest: the Refer-a-Friend Challenge. It’s open to all Australians. The grand prize is a holiday package at the Sebel Playford. There are also 8 consolation prizes (designer perfumes).

Also, you can join NurseUncut via Twitter (NU) and Facebook (NU). You can also add NurseUncut on LinkedIn and/or join NU’s LinkedIn Group.

First time I saw Windy Point was back in 2005. It’s one of the places that should be in a tourist’s travel itinerary when visiting South Australia. It’s a good 15-minute drive up the hills from the city of Adelaide.

Windy Point, though not the highest point in South Australia, is popular for the spectacular skyline view of the city and its surrounding suburbs. You can even see as far as to where the land touches the sea. If you’re a local, you can distinguish the bay havens, i.e. Glenelg, Henley, Grange, Brighton, etc, that litter the coastline esplanade. Adelaide is, after all, known for its easy access to the beach life, which probably explains why most folks there are so warm and wonderfully laid-back.

Though Windy Point is actually the name of the posh restaurant and cafe, young locals frequent the place for its friendly reputation; allowing folks to simply park their cars and hang out; tourists to enjoy and take photos of the view from the Windy Point Lookout, which shares the name.

Skyline View, Windy Point, South Australia | Best Life Australia

But it was only in January of 2009 did I discover that Windy Point is for chocolate lovers, too.

The Windy Point Dining Experience

Before heading back to Manila, I was treated to a full course meal over at Windy Point. It was quite unexpected since I was aware of the restaurant’s somewhat expensive reputation but I reckon it was a friend’s way of sending me off.

Stepping inside, the interiors were something I’ve only seen in magazines, and the service, in movies. I’ve had my fair share of fine dining experiences, but I never fail to be impressed by new restaurants I get to visit and dine in. The place offers a spectacular view of the sunset, casting warm light over the cityscape. The view in itself had helped create the unmistakable rich ambiance that patrons luxuriate in, topping it off with gorgeous modern architecture.

Having enjoyed a bottle of Stella Artois (Belgian beer) while waiting to be seated, my appetite to try everything — from the Windy Point Grilled Oyster (topped with double smoked bacon and Windy Point’s own spiced sauce) entree, the main course of Roasted Lamb Rack (served with Moroccan lamb shoulder brik, tahini yoghurt and pineapple chutney) to the Fruity Sorbet refresher — didn’t wane. Which was truly fortunate since everything was pleasure upon pleasure to my virgin taste buds. The experience was both enigmatically delicious and interestingly entertaining. I say entertaining because getting this opportunity to try something new had been quite a fun journey, filled with snickers and cry of delight in between bites. This opportunity to dine at Windy Point had indeed widened my taste palette. Something I really appreciate.

But the night’s not over yet till the fat lady sings dessert has been served. I had joyfully discovered the very thing that makes this Windy Point feature special. Allow me to introduce you to a Windy Point special dessert — Chocolate Mélange for Two.

Chocolate Mélange for Two, Windy Point, South Australia | Best Life Australia

Mocca panna cota
Hazelnut chocolate palet
White chocolate cheesecake
White chocolate & butterscotch creme brulee
Dark and white chocolate mousse
Chili chocolate parfait

A six-piece dessert that can be described with the same number of adjectives — sweet, creamy, spicy, cold, rich, and exquisite. A fantastic dessert choice to cap your full course meal at Windy Point. If you love chocolates, this is something you really have to try.

The Chocolate Mélange for Two dessert is priced at AU$ 32.00.

If you’re interested to give this restaurant a go, I suggest that you check out the full menu and wine list to make that decision more concrete.

Windy Point serves dinner only and is located at Windy Point Lookout, Belair Road, Belair, South Australia 5052.

Operation Hours:
Monday to Saturday, 6 pm to late

Christmas Day, Open for bookings only

For reservations, queries, and further information, you can reach them through (08) 8278 8255.

P.S. This (now) fat lady has sung and will happily sing again given the chance. SRSLY. Hehe.

Adelaide may be the smallest city in Australia, population numbering around 2 million, but this doesn’t disqualify it from being a great place to go shopping. In most of my visits, I’ve noticed how fashion on its streets accommodated global trends, translating them into a style that they can call their own. This is probably due to the fact that, on top of the major global brands, there are quite a number of Australian fashion brands available to the local fashionista. That said, the local fashion oligarchy surely reflects just how big a role the fashion industry plays.

As a tourist and an avid shopper, I was fortunate enough to have been able to sample what the place had to offer; having enjoyed price reductions and other sale events during the length of my stay. It’s true that you really just have to know when and where to shop in order to maximise your shopping budget. I did say I was a tourist, yes? I have to practice some form of frugality somehow.

Shopping in Australia: Adelaide | Best Life Australia

Listed below are some of the great places I’ve found which offers individuals a unique shopping experience. Hopefully, they’ll serve as a helpful take off points to your own shopping journey.

At the top of my list is Harbour Town. It’s the best place to shop, if you’re looking to spend as low as AUD$5 per item. Harbour Town is the premier destination to shop the outlets. It’s here you can find brands, both local and global, offering selections in apparel, footwear, accessories, bags, beauty, jewellery, and even homewares at very low prices.

Harbour Town is located at 727 Tapleys Hill Road, West Beach, South Australia.

Next up is Rundle Mall. A trip to Adelaide won’t be complete if you don’t walk the stretch of this pedestrian street shopping mall. On it are three (3) major department stores: Myer, David Jones, and Harris Scarfe, plus around 800 specialty stores, 160 of which deals in fashion. Here you’ll find most of the major global brands like: FCUK, Nine West, Max Mara, Converse; and unique specialty stores like Kookai and House of Obrigada.

Rundle Mall is located at the heart of the city, between King William Street and Pulteney Street.

Another is a trip to the Central Market. This is for the off-beat and hippie shopping experience. I wish I can remember the names of the shops but exploring the place is part of the whole experience. You may find quaint shops selling items that may suit your quirky taste. I reckon every trip to the place will pave the way to define who you are as a shopper. It’ll depend on your unique personal style. I do love this Asian boutique that sells ultra fabulous shoes. They come with a hefty price tag, though. Ouch.

Central Market is located at the heart of the CBD. It’s accessible by tram (Victoria Square stop), the free Adelaide Connector bus, and Adelaide Metro for bus or trains.

Rundle Street is one of my favourite places to hang out whenever I’m in the city. Not only does it boast of numerous places to wine and dine, it’s a fabulous place to gallyvant; exploring nooks and crannies (side streets) in the hopes of a fantastic fashion find. It is, after all, known to foster most of the up and coming local designers. If you’re an adventurous sort of a shopper, walking the length of this street will fill your heart with stylish joy, even when you’d end up empty handed. Oftentimes, the window shopping experience in itself is enough. Must see shops are: (on Rundle Street) Birdcage, (off Rundle Street) Varron Avenue, Ebenezer Place, and Union Street. And, btw, they have the Rundle Street Market, a mecca for great fashion finds, from 9am to 4pm every Sunday.

Rundle Street is located at the East End of the CBD; adjoining the southern end of Rundle Mall.

Glenelg is known for being one of the busiest bay areas in South Australia. It’s home to the Beach House, numerous pubs and restos, and, of course, the beach. However, the place also caters to beach-loving fashionistas. Who ever said that you can’t shop and go the the beach, too, yes? Yes, and that’s one of the bigger reasons why I love the place. It doesn’t hurt that I found a boutique that offer items at a bargain all year round! I’m talking about Sparkles. Brands offered by the store are: Filo, Forever Ebony, and Spicy Sugar. Of course, there are other quaint little shops on (and off) Jetty Road. This is a place that every shopper should explore in leisure!

All you need to remember is Jetty Road. But if you need more information on how to get to Glenelg, feel free to get them here.

There are other places to shop, of course. Shopping malls are scattered around numerous suburbs like Marion Shopping Centre, Westfield in West Lakes, and Tea Tree Plaza, to name a few. However, I reckon what makes a shopping experience unique to the place you maybe visiting are places you can shop that are off the vicinity of malls, save the ones that offers a different experience like Rundle Mall. This reminds me ou can also visit places like The Parade in Norwood, which offers a good — definitely, off-mall — shopping experience.

Listing of brands and stores available in (and some unique to) Australia:

Cue Clothing
Esprit Australia
Witchery
Valleygirl Fashions
Sportsgirl Australia
Portmans
Diva Accessories
Ultimate Factory Outlet Shop
Marcs
Brown Sugar Clothing
General Pants
Jay Jays
SABA
Ojay
Just Jeans Australia
David Lawrence
Wittner Shoes
Jeanswest
Zimmermann
JAG Australia
Colorado Group Ltd
Billabong
Collette Dinnigan
Lushous Clothing
My Cat Walk
Zip Fashion
Wicked Weasel Bikinis
Vamp Swimwear
Cotton On Australia
Route66
Noni B
Fluid Surf
Kokum Designs
Rivers Australia
Vicky Mar Fashions
Ugg Boots
Sue Rice Swimwear Australia
BeachHouse Creations
Herringbone
z3 kids clothes
PuddleBeach Children’s Clothing
CottonWool
2Roads Australia
Knitwit
YazKids Childrens Clothes
Wee Bee Kidz
Lisa’s Lacies
Baubridge & Kay
Aussie Bush Hats & Oilskins
Henry Buck’s Menswear
Walkabout Australia

Some of these brands/stores are available in Adelaide, while others are found in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Alice Springs, Canberra, and Brisbane.

Special side notes, particularly the best time to shop, are to take advantage of the Boxing Day (day after Christmas), end of season and mid-season sale events that are sure to be scheduled in major shopping districts in specified periods in a year. You will definitely enjoy fantastic deals on a wide selection of fashionable items. It’s also good to take note of the shops that have a steady sale rack available year round, i.e. Sparkles and Wittner Shoes.

So, put on your best shopping outfit, together with a pair of comfortable shoes (you wouldn’t want to tire yourself out with all the walking), and head off to Adelaide for a shopping trip that can go down in the books. It can be well-worth the trip!

Happy shopping!

Photos © 2009 Sasha Manuel

Rewards charts are known to be very useful tools in behaviour management for children. And, if you’re not quite sure on how to go about using them, here are some basic tips:

1. You can use rewards charts with kids who can only understand basic cause-and-effect relationships. If you can talk to your child about how an action can affect a reaction (e.g., tooth brushing can earn praise/stars/etc.), then using rewards charts may be useful. If they can’t understand these things yet, then it’s probably too early to use a rewards chart.

2. Set expectations as early as possible. When using rewards charts, make sure you identify the actual target task (e.g., eating vegetables for dinner). Once this is clear, explain what type of reward they will get (e.g., a star, a stamp, a sticker, etc) every time they complete the task. Then, explain how many times they will need to repeat the task in order to obtain a reward or treat (e.g., they need to eat vegetables 7 times and get 7 stars, in order to get the desired reward such as extra 30 minutes of TV time).

3. Make sure that task repetition is done at a reasonable time. For example, a younger child may need to have only 3 - 4x task repetition before he or she obtains a rewards, while on older child may be able to hold off for 8 - 10x task repetition before getting a reward.

4. Come up with clear and reasonable rewards. It’s important to make this as specific as possible (e.g., 1 piece of chocolate, 30 minutes trip to playground, a small toy aeroplane, etc). Also, don’t set up something too big, especially not in the first instance (no promises of expensive toys!). This will set the tone of your rewards programme. It’s more important to make it more about the desired task rather than the actual material rewards.

5. Provide a lot of praise! Kids love receiving positive feedback. If they’re finding it difficult to complete the task, make sure that you encourage them to keep going and be flexible with how well they can complete the task without ‘giving in’ too much. It’s important to make them feel that they’re making progress.

6. Display their rewards chart where they can see their daily progress. Talk to them about it when you get the chance, and let them know how close they are to achieving their reward. And, make sure to highlight what they’ve been doing right.

7. Celebrate the completion/attainment of rewards. Even if you’re planning to continue using the rewards chart approach, it’s always good to celebrate whenever the child achieves their goals.

8. Rewards charts are not permanent. Make sure to plan a phasing out programme. If you can see that you’ve generally achieved the desired behaviour from the target tasks, then it’s best to slowly phase out the rewards programme. You can use rewards again for the next desired behaviour change at another time.

If you’re interested in use free printable rewards charts, check out these free downloads of rewards charts at bubhub. They have about 6 different types of rewards charts available - with various task repetitions (some are 4, some are 9, etc).    

Some useful reminders when looking for a house to buy or rent.

Looking for a house to buy or rent can be a very stressful situation. After all, moving house is a major change. But, the process can be made simpler and less difficult with a little bit of planning.

Here are some tips that you might want to consider if you’re in the process of house-hunting:

1. Have a realistic plan on the kind of house that you’re looking for.

Consider the type of house, layout, number of rooms, features, and location. And, take in to account a workable budget - include things like first homeowner grants, available deposit, interest rates, stamp duties, and other fees in to account.

It’s easy to fool ourselves in to believing that we can buy something that we cannot afford. But, it’s best not to regret this types of decisions by setting realistic plans and expectations.

2. Get a provisional home loan approval.

Speaking of budgets, make sure that you only allow for a budget that you can access. Obtaining a provisional home loan approval is very useful for this purpose.

3. Give yourself a workable schedule.

When do you need to move to a new house? Do you have a deadline or is it flexible? How many houses can you realistically view during Open Days? How far do you need to travel when house hunting? Can you do some initial investigations on the internet first before making the trip to view a house?

These are just some things that you might like to think about when preparing a house hunting schedule.

Other schedule-related considerations: How long will it take for you to get your deposit and/or your home loan? Are the sellers/homeowners looking to sell or rent quickly - or can you take some time to make your decision?

4. Familiarise yourself with all the legalities of house buying and/or renting.

There are so many things that you need to consider and learn when buying or renting a house. So, even though the legal jargon may seem daunting to look at, it’s always good to know what they’re all about. If you feel the need to consult another knowledgeable individual, enlist someone to help and ask them to explain the legalities with you.

5. Get to know the houses that you like really well.

It’s really like entering a long-term relationship. You don’t marry someone just because you like the look of them, right? You get to know them and figure out if you’ll really be good together. Especially if you’re buying a house.

You might not have the same amount of time to know a house before you make the big decision. But, there are different ways you can get to know the house - from visiting it at different times of the day to checking its different facilities (open cupboards, turn on lights, check out sheds, turn on taps, etc).

Familiarising yourself with the house will enable you to know the house’s quirks and charms. It will also save you from a lot of heartache when you know early on whether it’s a house that you’d really want to live in or not.

6. Get to know the area.

Don’t just find out about the house. Learn about the area as best as you can. How far is it to the nearest shops? How long does it take to get to public transport systems? What kind of neighbourhood is it? What kind of amenities and community activities are there in the area?

Knowing these these things can also help you with your house-hunting decisions.

7. Have specialists lined up when you need them.

It’s good to have the numbers of accountants, solicitors, building inspectors/surveyors, cleaners, builders, and the like before you start getting ready to buy or rent a house that you like. This way, you’ll have a good set of people to call when you’re ready to move to the next step.

Hopefully, some of these tips helped you. If you have other useful house hunting tips that you’d like to share, please do.

Caffé Primo is probably one of the biggest café franchises in Adelaide. Without much knowledge on how the restaurant franchising works for this particular chain, a handful of bad experiences in a different location put me off the eating at Cafe Primo for a long time.

However, Ara Ohanessian, owner of Caffe Primo - Norwood, helped to change my views on the subject of dining at Primos. “Different Primos are run differently,” says Ara. “My goal is to run Caffé Primo in my own way and do my best. Hopefully, customers see that.”

This food lover and businessman showed a lot of passion for his work and his ownership of this Primo branch in the upscale suburb of Norwood. Looking at the place’s decor and layout, you can see that a lot of thought has been put in to its presentation.

Caffe Primo Norwood even offers some food that are not available in other Primos. And, it appears like they really try to keep the initial spirit of what made Cafe Primos successful in Adelaide in the first place.

With reports from Sasha Manuel.

Disclosure: Caffe Primo Norwood offered to sponsor a meet-up of the Adelaide Bloggers’ group last January 2009.