I was very unhappy to find a notice in my letterbox yesterday informing me that I have been chosen at random to be on the jury duty list until July 2027. Blaaaaaah. The last time I was on the list for Downing Centre purgatory was back in 2018, when I thankfully wasn't chosen for a... Continue Reading →

I was not expecting a bloke to write an insightful and moving Facebook post about menopause, but social media continues to surprise me. The post was by a Scottish-Australian author called Zen Prem (also known as Noah David), who wrote something a few years ago called "Menopause: A Man's Guide to Not Being a Complete... Continue Reading →

I'm a bit late to the party with this news, but I discovered yesterday that my workmate Eliott Constable won Race Around the World. OMG! Go Elliot! Elliot is such a sweetheart. He always manned the barbecue for our social club sausage sizzles and was incredible kind to everyone he met. He was so excited... Continue Reading →

I can’t decide if the world has reached peak event sponsorship madness or genius following my discovery that Vaseline has been named the Official Nipple Protector of the TCS Sydney Marathon. It certainly grabs your attention and while it sounds naughty, it’s actually tackling a very painful issue. I was horrified many years ago to learn... Continue Reading →

The IT department made me switch to a new laptop last week because my old one was out of warranty. I don't like the new one. It only has one USB socket. I need three sockets - one for my mouse, one for my keyboard (my laptop sits on a stand and acts as my... Continue Reading →

Facebook had me chuckling again yesterday when I saw this headline from The Hollywood Reporter: "How to Ignite an Internet Frenzy? Give Alexander Skarsgard a Wicker Penis". Forgive me if you've already heard about Alexander's latest out-there movie, Wicker, but it's based on author Ursula Wills-Jones’ short story The Wicker Husband and follows a Middle... Continue Reading →

Facebook has moved far away from its original purpose for me. I mostly use it to send messages or read funny or insightful articles written by strangers. Once upon a time I would scroll through my newsfeed to catch up on friends' holidays, family occasions and other milestones. Some of that stuff still exists, but... Continue Reading →

Writing yesterday about my fear of getting sacked remained on my mind throughout the day ... especially after a very robust discussion with my boss. The last few years have been empowering on that front. It has felt like a safe environment to express my views, feel that I am heard and engage in healthy... Continue Reading →

I decided to put my own spin on Marry Me Chicken over the weekend and call it Marry Me Alana Chicken. Have you heard of the dish. According to legend it got its name because it’s so delicious that anyone who eats it will immediately want to propose marriage. The original recipe was developed in... Continue Reading →

Helloooo! I'm back from another whirlwind trip to Melbourne. After taking DD as my plus one to the US Consul General’s residence last week for dinner, we switched things up on Friday night - I was his plus one for a banquet at Flower Drum restaurant. He works for Melbourne-based company, which was celebrating a... Continue Reading →