Queensland Girl in the city…

So, back to my conference tales.

After a hugely long day of presentations we were all ready to let our hair down.

The second night started much like the first, at a bar for a couple of drinks.  Surprised me again how busy it was, also how many snotty, loud, screamy toddlers were running wild and free around the bar.  Obviously Sydney’s idea of a crèche…

Then a short walk along King St Wharf to our venue, a BOAT!  We were going for a harbour cruise.  I am an even worse sailor than I am a flyer so you can imagine my joy.  As it was a surprise there was no time to take travel sickness medication, maybe a good thing in hindsight, I would have slept through all the fun!

A seven course set menu, with matched wines and an open bar…OMG!

Lovely food, great wine and a few bourbons.  My plan was to keep eating and drinking the WHOLE time to counter the waves of dizziness and nausea assailing me.

Luckily my plan worked, the only dodgy moments were the choppy bits under the bridge and on the turns, easily overcome with another glass of sparkling wine!

I spent a bit of time on the top deck with all the smokers taking in the views, and the fresh air!  And before you ask, no, I did not smoke.

The weather was perfect, the skyline far prettier at night.

All too soon it was over, we disembarked without incident, rather amazing given that the 20 of us had been giving the open bar a real workout!

On to another bar then for more drinking, and some people watching.

A rather forceful young local “lady” took a liking to one of my female companions, much to her horror and our mirth, the expression on her face was GOLD.

I decided to leave somewhere around the third round of shots, things were getting messy and I am now of an age where I know my limits…I know that will surprise some of you.

So back to the hotel, and straight to bed.

Needless to say, there were even less of us at breakfast the next morning and Berocca’s were issued at the door of our meeting room.  It was my first ever Berocca, they don’t warn you that you should wear sunnies for that first pee! It was a quiet first couple of hours I can tell you!

Then we had another magnificent meal, with wine (of course) in the dining room attached to the very swish bank’s boardroom that was our conference venue.

Eventually it was time to say goodbye, a dash across town, a rather stinky train ride to the airport – it may be convenient but…do people not understand what a bin is? That chewie is not actually a decorating feature…that there is such a thing as deodorant? Anyway…

I was at Sydney airport for hours before my flight, luckily as airports go it doesn’t actually suck too badly.  As is often the way, I ran into several sets of Brisbanites that I knew.

It gave me the chance to people watch, one of my favourite things.  As I sat there like a fool with tears in my eyes watching the reunions it reminded me of the best bit of the movie “Love actually”…the closing credits. “Interesting” clothing choices abounded, and I’m sure I saw Chris Lilley…

And then was the horror of the flight home! I halved my medication and stayed conscious…not my best move.

Sydney it was fun, thanks.

A Queensland Girl in Sydney…

So, on what was one of the longest working days of my life, starting at 5am when I left for the two hour drive to Brisbane airport…through my adventures in air travel, sitting through half a day of presentations while stoned on travel sickness meds through to the evenings activities…

First to the Cargo Bar, King St Wharf for a drink (or two) to get the evening started. 

  

      

A nice venue, lovely outdoor area over looking King St Wharf. Lots of seating, surprisingly busy for a Wednesday (but i’m a country girl and out town shuts down on a wednesday night), a bit noisy for my taste. Magnificent hanging baskets…I must be getting old!

Then on to The Malaya, just a few doors up. Pleasant  décor with views over Darling Harbour.

The food was magnificent.  As I was part of a group a set menu had been arranged.  There was something for everyone, plenty of food, well cooked and very delicious.  For me the highlight was the Salt & Pepper prawns and the Curry Prawns with Roti Canai…gorgeous. Again I was amazed at how busy the place was,  despite this the service was great.  My only complaint would be the noise, and not ALL of it was coming from our table!  Hard to hear yourself think, or hear the conversational gold that is a bunch of weary business people after several hard hours of drinking on the first day of a three day conference!  Why is it adults with a “leave pass” from their ordinary lives just go nuts?

Eventually the place cleared out and we were the only ones left…the kitchen closed and the staff were stacking chairs and standing around cleaning glasses shooting meaningfull gazes in our oblivious direction. Eventually some not so subtle flicking on and off of the lights attracted out attention and we piled out, well after closing time.

I, in a rare display of common sense, went back to the hotel which was conveniently less than 5 minutes walk away.  I was sleeping sweetly for hours by the time some of my comrades piled back into the hotel in the not so early hours!

There were tales of slippery nipples, refusal of service, and a 100m cab ride, much hilarity and ill advised photos… all in all I am glad though that I am a bit of a nanna and went home to bed!

Stay tuned for day two…

Serious Business…

In real life I own a small business, maybe not a very exciting or sexy business to most, but it’s mine.

I provide risk (life) insurance advice to families and small business.  Again, not really exciting to most but it is something I love to do and a subject I am passionate about.

I have made a point not to blur the lines between my business and my personal blog but, as I am committed to making sure that families are protected please indulge me the odd post.

It is a fact that the majority of the Australian population are under-insured when it comes to life cover. That is both sad and frightening.  That means that most of the population have not taken steps to protect their family financially in the event that something happens to them… or if they have they haven’t been advised properly or educated enough about the options available.

Think about it for a second, you insure your house or your car without blinking an eye, but what about your income? What if you die, or can’t work for a period of time? What happens if you have to spend your hard earned savings on unexpected medical costs? That’s assuming you have savings to fall back on…

Life insurance is easy to arrange, doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, and despite popular opinion, most of you won't have to undergo medical tests or fill out lots of paperwork.

A broker (like me) works for you, not an insurance company, to find the best deal for your individual circumstances and budget.  I don’t charge you a fee for arranging cover, or for the years of ongoing service required, not even if you have to lodge a claim.

As with everything else, you really do get what you pay for when it comes to life insurance, but a broker will make sure that you have the best cover in the market for you and your family.

I encourage you to think about life insurance for your family, contact a broker and see just what they can do for you.

If you are interested in having a chat, or just getting more information, pop along to my website and see what it is all about.