Last week I was a super lucky duck because my company sent me to Auckland for its annual Graduate Development Conference. An all-expenses paid trip overseas to a country I’ve never been to before? It’s like winning the corporate lottery I tell ya. The conference itself was a little bit different than what you might assume conferences are like, because it was only people from my company in attendance, and more specifically it was all new graduates (from all of the Australian and NZ offices) who’d just joined the company in the last 2-8 months. The purpose of the conference was primarily for networking and getting to know our colleagues in other offices, but also to give us a good opportunity to hear from the company heads, which was pretty cool. Very informative, very jam-packed, and supremely fun!

The thing about being sent on a conference is that there’s a certain etiquette that should be followed, but since I’d never actually been sent to a work conference before, I didn’t know what that etiquette was. Luckily, neither did anyone else, so a good amount of winging it and a little bit of common sense helped me to get through the week just fine and in better shape than others (but more on that later). So upon reflecting on my whirlwind trip abroad, I thought I’d put together some guidelines for anyone else who may have the same opportunity to travel for work in the future. I’d really love any input from you as well – my one three-day trip does not an expert make, so please share your thoughts! Have you travelled for work events before? Where did you go? What did you learn? Luckily for me there were no real cultural differences, so those aside, here are my guidelines for surviving and thriving at a professional conference.

Preparation - This lesson I learned the hard way (kind of). We Melbourne people were on a flight to Auckland that didn’t get us into our hotel beds until 1:30am local time, while we had to check in to the conference at 8:15am. Yikes (and with the 2 hour time difference, that was more like a 6:15am check-in. Double yikes). Obviously it was unavoidable in this instance, but it really taught me the value of being well-rested and alert for the (extremely long) first day of a conference. Especially if many attendees are from out of town, there will likely be nighttime activities (dinner, drinks, etc.) that will require you to be awake and conversational for many hours. It’s best if you can function and be your natural friendly self at this point, and not a groggy sluggish version. It also goes without saying to make sure you do any necessary reading/writing that may be required prior to the conference. My fellow Melbourne grads and I were required to prepare a 10 minute presentation, and we were definitely glad to have had a few run-throughs back at the office. There is no time for that sort of stuff come conference time! Who wants to be practicing back at the hotel when everyone else is out socializing?

Dress Code - I also struggled with this one a bit. Our conference fell over a Friday, and at my office in Melbourne we have casual Fridays where jeans and sneakers are acceptable attire. I figured that since the actual conference was held at our company’s Auckland office, casual would be fine, but I decided to play it safe by keeping my denim a bit dressy (black jeans instead of blue) and by also bringing a spare pair of business pants in case. On Thursday I took a poll of about 6-7 other graduates and asked what they would be wearing, and decided that it was best to stick with business attire. When I showed up on Friday, there were definitely a few denim-wearers, but only about 5/150 people. Boy was I glad for my dress pants then! The moral here is that it’s probably best to dress as nicely as possible, even if the conference is at your own office. Just like in an interview, it’s better to be overdressed than under, and chances are that everyone else will be dressing up too. So going forward, I’m making a ‘no casual’ rule for conferences, unless it’s been explicitly stated to all attendees. Do you agree?

Networking - This is probably the most important part of any conference, not just ones like mine that were held for the specific purpose of networking. Even if your conference is purely about learning, the like-minded and similarly employed people you attend with are very important to get to know. Whether you make connections that will help your company or you meet people who can help you take the next step in your personal career, every connection you make at a conference can be important. For me, I’m not such a savvy ‘scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ networker. I prefer to start the conversation by asking people where they’re from and what their background is – it just seems more honest to me. After I get to know them a little bit, that’s when I move to the work-talk; work history, aspirations, roles, etc. Try to find people who genuinely interest you, and it will motivate you to stay in touch later. And the best way to end it all is to find them on LinkedIn and stay connected after the conference is over. Because what’s the point of making the effort at the conference just to lose touch once it’s done?

Representing… Yourself! - On the topic of networking, remember: you are your own commercial. If you stand out to someone as being tired, rude, or worse, you don’t stand out at all, what does that say about you professionally? I’m not the type of person who likes to be super attention-seeking in large groups, and I don’t feel super comfortable walking up to people and just introducing myself. I need to work on this, and conferences are the best place for that, because people (like me!) love it when you do this. Do your very best to be confident and courteous, and portray yourself in the best light possible (this also goes back to number 1: dress well!). If you feel comfortable, ask questions at the end of a speaker’s presentation. Don’t chit-chat during a speaker’s presentation (people did that at my conference and it drove me nuts). A conference can be like a group interview, where you’ve got the chance to make an impression on any number of senior managers. Use it to your advantage, and advertise yourself accordingly!

The Open Bar - As my conference was over two days, we had dinner and drinks with an open bar on the Thursday night, which I definitely saw as an unspoken test of the graduates’ ability to remain professional. Some people failed miserably – one guy fell asleep, I mean like head-on-table sleeping, in the front row of a client panel the following day! I ended up going home early that night because I was coming down with a cold, and based on the number of hung over colleagues I saw the next day, I was happy to have gotten my 8+ hours of sleep. The thing is, you may have made friends during the day, but professional events are really not the place to be free from inhibitions – sometimes inhibitions can be good! Personally, I feel like a few drinks is fine, enough to feel chatty and maybe a bit tipsy, but anything more than that is probably not a good idea. This is my personal preference, but I just don’t feel comfortable having my managers know as much about my drunken persona as my best friends do. She can be weird and pretty fricking loud. In the end, we’ve all been in a situation where we drink more than we intend to, and that’s fine, life goes on. But if that happens, if you’re so hung over/tired that you feel sick or like you just can’t stay awake, my take away from sleeping guy’s experience is to make an appearance for check-in the following morning and then excuse yourself out of the room to do what you need to do to get back into working order. I can’t imagine how much that sleepy grad regrets what happened last week, but I can do my very best to ensure that never happens to me.

All up, these guidelines may seem pretty intuitive, but it’s really a different thing when you’re in the room faced with the professional challenges that conferences present. Knowing what you should or shouldn’t do, and actually doing them, can be two very different things. If you’ve got your own tips or experiences to share, please do, but I think the overall lesson to be drawn from last week is primarily that I just don’t want to become ‘that loud drunk girl’ from the conference, thankyouverymuch. Because I already hold that title from university.

Images 1 // 2 via Wendy’s Lookbook

Whew, long time no post! I’m back from a lovely (albeit rainy) few days in Auckland, rested from the weekend, and feeling a bit more inspired to write posts. That’s always good, right? Although I didn’t take any photos in NZ due to the packed conference schedule, I do have some photos to share from this weekend as well as last, since I didn’t manage to get any up last week. And yes, there is a lot of flora involved.

Two weekends Luke and I trekked into the city to visit Prahran Market and stroll down Chapel Street. I might be stating an obvious fact to those who know Chapel St, but San Churro Chocolateria has officially the best hot chocolate ever. I got a dark chocolate ho-cho (to use my sister’s term for her favourite drink) with a peanut butter melt, which is a spoon dipped in PB and then coated in milk chocolate. Dunking that into my drink and slowly eating the peanut butter off was so indulgent, but for a pb + chocolate lover like me, it was totally warranted. And not even the only indulgence of the stop, because Luke and I shared a raspberry chocolate bomb between us as well. If you’re in Melbourne and haven’t been to San Churro before, get thee to Chapel St ASAP!

One of my favourite things about markets is finding really beautiful and affordable flower bouquets to put out around my house. Ever since we moved into our condo, I’ve kept a steady stream of fresh flowers all over the place. Back when I lived in my basement apartment in Vancouver, it was pretty difficult to make my home feel bright and lively, but now that I live in a place with such beautiful natural light, I can’t stop turning it into a terrarium. I decided this weekend to go out and buy some plants to repot and keep around the house, which is a little bit better on the budget than buying new bouquets all the time (although I do usually buy very moderately priced flowers anyway), and fun to take care of. I bought a shrimp plant and a lavender fern, which I’m hoping will give the place a great smell as well as being really pretty. I’m still working on decorating our place, waiting for the right pieces to jump out at me rather than buying in bulk and wasting money, so in the meantime the potted plants add a home-y feeling to the place. Do you guys have potted plants at home? I just can’t bring myself to buy fake plants, but maybe one day when my schedule gets too hectic and I forget to water all the time, I might have to resort to that. For now, I love knowing that everything is alive and thriving in my home.

I found an American/Canadian food shop in Prahran that stocks Clamato juice (mmm ceasars…), Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and canned pumpkin. You may not think canned pumpkin is that exciting, but I make my vegan mac ‘n cheese quite regularly, and roasting squash every time is time consuming and creates a lot of dirty dishes. Canned pumpkin doesn’t exist over here because nobody eats pumpkin pie. Like, nobody’s really even tasted it before. I know – insane. But Australia doesn’t have Thanksgiving, nor do they feast at Christmastime like we do back home, so in a way it makes sense. But seriously, you Aussies are missing out, because pumpkin pie is my faaaaavourite. I’m considering buying that shop out of their entire stock just to spread the pumpkin pie experience around. Have any of you Aussies reading actually had pumpkin pie? Thoughts?

I was granted my work visa last week, so I’m beyond happy this week that I have four more years in this lovely country. Hooray for getting immigration all sorted! And since I have my visa, I’m officially a permanent employee at my company. This prompted Luke and I to sit down on Sunday to create a budget for all of our expenses, which will give us a good idea of how much to save each month. We’re planning to go to Canada this year for Christmas, and are saving up for various other trips and investment opportunities, so sitting down and seeing it all laid out in excel was really great. I love budgeting, and I love saving my money – it’s so rewarding to feel financially responsible and independent. Is anybody else a budgeter? I have been pretty much my whole life, and I think it’s possibly one of the best life skills one could have. Agree?

Lastly, I haven’t said much about my conference, but that’s because I don’t even know where to begin. I’m going to dedicate a post to it for Thursday this week though, so be sure to check back then if you’re interested on more work-life. It was an amazing experience, and I feel so lucky to work at a company that gives that kind of opportunity to junior engineers. Phew, what a long recap of my week(s), huh? Happy Tuesday everyone, hope you’ve all had a fabulous week these past few days!

Just quickly checking in to say I’m going MIA for this week, as I’ll be travelling to New Zealand (I know!) for work until the weekend. Pretty psyched to have the opportunity to check out a new country and the lovely city of Auckland for a few days, and I’m hoping that the weather is nice enough to get out and explore a little bit between conference events.

In any case, I’ll be back next week with some fresh photography and inspiration. I’m hoping that I can keep up with Instagram (follow me here if you’d like!) while I’m gone, but it’ll rely on my hotel having wifi because I am 100% against paying phone companies for roaming fees. And if there’s no wifi, I will survive. I’ve got a few great books and some great coworkers to keep me entertained until I get back. Hope you all have a lovely week :)

Image from Clarks Summer 2013 Campaign via Matchbook

April’s beauty product favourites contain a good mix of items I’ve been using for a while now, and items I’ve recently bought and fallen in love with. Don’t you just get so happy when new items are totally worth the cash expenditure? What’s better is that all of these items are extremely affordable, save for one (kind of), so they’re effective without breaking even the tightest of bank budgets. The following products are a mix of things I’ve purchased in the US, Canada, and Australia, but as far as I know they’re available in all of those countries, or online if you’re in Australia, which is awesome because that means you guys can pick them up without much effort. How much does it suck when you hear of something awesome and it’s not available in your country? I hate that!

Formula 10.0.6 Keep Your Cool Breakout Calming Mask - I’ve mentioned before how much I love face masks, but I really miss the affordability of them since I’ve moved to Oz. There’s rarely a product at the drug store that costs below $10, and masks tend to sit in the $30+ price range. I came across the Formula 10.0.6 Breakout Calming Mask and picked it up along with the 10.0.6 Mud Mask, but the Breakout Calming  Mask has been an absolute standout for me. If you read here at all regularly you’ll know that I struggle with redness and acne scarring/hyperpigmentation, so the ‘soothing’ claims really sucked me in with this one. This mask is more of a leave-on treatment that you allow to soak in for 5 minutes, then wipe off, but when I saw how well it worked to calm my skin, I began using it every night instead of moisturizer, putting it on thicker on my problem areas and letting it soak in before bed. I’ve used this every night for 3 weeks and it makes a world of a difference. I’m never letting this stuff run out without buying more, and I can’t recommend it enough for anybody with any sort of skin inflammation!

E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit - I bought this brow powder/gel duo on a last-minute shopping spree in Washington right before I moved overseas. Elf products are insanely affordable in the US (I think this brow gel was about $3!), and still super reasonable online. Considering I’ve been using this since September and not even come close to hitting the pan, it’s an obvious hit for value-for-money. But aside from that, it blends in perfectly with my dark brows and stays put all day. It doesn’t look fake and drawn on like pencils can, and it’s pigmented enough to look natural while still giving my wacky eyebrows (that I should not have plucked to tiny lines in high school as they’re permanently patchy now!) some definition and more fullness. I love the E.L.F. eyebrow kit, and will definitely be buying more when I go to the US in December.

Tony & Guy Cleanse Dry Shampoo - I was using Batiste Dry Shampoo for ages (I stocked up and bought three cans in London), because it’s pretty cheap and works really well. I still love it, but what the Tony & Guy Dry Shampoo beats it at is that it doubles as a texturizer if you spray it on the ends of your hair. For someone with fine hair, I like a little bit of grittiness to hold my styles better, or just to give it a bit more of a piece-y look. And in terms of oil-absorption, it does just as good of a job giving your second- (and third… come on you’ve done it too) day hair new life. I’ll still use my Batiste, because I love that they have a dark hair formula, but when I’m wearing my hair down and it seems a bit floppy, I don’t know if the Tony & Guy Dry Shampoo can be beat.

Revlon Photo Ready Concealer - This stuff was sent to me as a Christmas gift from my mum and dad this year, and I when I opened it I thought I’d probably never use it. I have a bunch of high-end concealers that I bought to cover my dark-ish undereye area that I am pretty happy with (Bobbi Brown’s Concealer Kit and Lancome’s Effacernes). I decided to be adventurous one day and bust out the Revlon Photo Ready, and was immediately blown away. This concealer has amazing coverage, and can tackle not only my undereyes with ease, but some of the other angry-looking breakouts I get on the rest of my face. Especially when travelling on the weekends, this stuff is my holy grail, because it’s everything all in one tube, unlike the Bobbi Brown corrector/concealer that I still love, but is multiple products and requires a brush to apply. For the lazy girl that I sometimes am, this concealer is a jack of all trades, so if you can find a close colour match for you I highly recommend it.

Clarisonic Mia Acne Cleansing Brush Head - I know everyone and their mother raves about their Clarisonic Mia, so I won’t do that here (just know that I wholeheartedly agree). But I’d been feeling like it was a little ‘meh’ for my skin lately, and although I’d considered switching brush head types before, I was discouraged by all of the online reviews as well as a Sephora Sales Associate who insisted it would be the worst idea ever to use anything but the sensitive brush head. I’ve already mentioned before that my skin is pretty resilient, so I took the plunge and ordered an acne cleansing brush head from ebay (again, prices in Aus are unbearable), and it was the best thing I could’ve done for my problem skin. The acne brush head is so great at exfoliating without being too harsh, and really lathers up my cleanser to get the most out of each wash. I’m currently using it morning and night and my skin feels unbelievably amazing every time I do. If you’re using a clarisonic and feeling like you’re not getting the results that other people are singing about, try changing the brush head. I’ve also got a deep pore cleansing brush head that I’ll try next, so I’ll keep you posted on that one.

I’m feeling pretty happy with my makeup and skincare routines as of late, because so many of the products I’m using are really doing their job well. I’m not usually one to stick to routines much but how can you jump around when everything just seems to be working for you? If you’ve tried any of the above products and had less than amazing results, please share, because I’d love to know how universal they are or if they’re just suited to my combination/acne-prone skin. And if you’ve got any of your own faves, let me know (even if they’re not available in Australia), because I’m going to be placing an online order soon for a few wish list items. Does anybody have a good recommendation for a eye cream to help with dark undereye circles? I’ve been researching for ages but haven’t settled on any standouts yet!

P.S. I created a Facebook page for cupcakes+coffee breaks! If that’s your preferred method of following, you can check it out and Like me here. If you’ve got a blog, let me know and I can connect with you via FB. Happy Weekend guys :)

I’m not sure if it’s because I used to be an avid horseback rider, or because my current style is quite preppy and polished, but I am in love with tall riding-style boots at the moment. Worn with a pair of well-fitting jeans and a blazer (like the one I wore here), it brings me straight back to the outfits that horseback riders wear when competing in dressage. For those who don’t know horse-talk, dressage is the no-jumping, pretty-prancing show style, where riders are dressed to the nines in crisp jackets and top hats (like this, for example). I love everything about that prim and proper style of riding, so it’s only natural that my attempts at prim and proper personal style would incorporate my horsey past somehow, right?

Tall boots can take any casual outfit and make it look so put together. You don’t need to wear a blazer either; if you’ve got a loose fitting sweater paired with your favourite pair of jeans, you can pull on some riding boots and look insta-stylish. I tend to love brown riding boots more (like these which look pretty authentic), and again maybe that’s the horseback rider influence, but brown leather to me just looks so much more rich and lovely. Black definitely has its place though, and I think these hunter boots would go well with a pair of tan pants and a black top (FIND PHOTO). Actually, these ones combine the best of both worlds, since they’re black and brown. That’s definitely cost-effective in my book.

What defines riding-style boots to me, versus any other type of tall boot, is that they’re tight to the calf. I’ve found a few nice pairs of tall boots in the past, but they were a bit too loose around the calf, so they looked more casual than I’d like. Now that I have a bit more financial security, I think I’m going to save up and invest in a really nice pair of boots, maybe in the $200 range (and all except one in this post are under $200!), because I really do think they’re classic enough to be classified as an investment piece. Really, do they ever go out of style? Dressage riders have been wearing them decades, and being that they’re the influence for this style, I think it’s safe to say this particular trend is not going anywhere. So while I have bought a few pairs of cheaper boots over the years (<$80), they’ve worn out in a few months after I wore them daily in the colder months, so investing in a nicer pair that will last me a few years is a no brainer. I’m completely smitten by this pair because they’re pretty true to actual riding boot style, and would even consider this light brown pair  to wear with black denim. Hey, if you’re in North America, check these Sorels out — they’re totally practical! Contrasting boot and pants colour makes the boots stand out a bit more, which I love! Hey, if you’re gonna spend money on them, people should notice them, right? Is anybody else as enamoured by this style as I am? Where did you get your boots from, and how have they held up? Do tell, because I love to research my bigger purchases, and would love your insight!

Images via Kendi Everyday // Good Life // Tumblr

Aside from the concert on Sunday, I actually had a very busy weekend, yet failed to take even one single photograph (I did take a blurry Instagram shot though). I woke up early to go with Luke to his footy game on Saturday, where I missed the first half to go shopping and subsequently got lost finding my way back to the field. Thank goodness for Google Maps. If you ever move to a new city, that little robot voice will be your best friend.  Even if you have the worst day, you can complain to Siri and she’ll be all “there. ….. there.”

We caught up with a bunch of friends for dinner on Saturday, and then went out for drinks later to a little place called Brass Razu and had long island iced teas… served in a teapot! Aside from the fact that it was like getting hit with a brick wall of booze, it was a great night in one of my favourite little places in all of Melbourne (so far). The inside is so eclectic with these old fashioned chairs and photo frames and mirrors that I would kill to have in my own house (seen here). And they’re open for coffee during the day too — if I lived down on the peninsula, I would definitely be a regular there.

My last little delight of the weekend was after the Vance Joy show, strolling through the suburb of Northcote, which is so much like Commercial Drive in Vancouver (that is to say, très hipster), when we happened upon a coffee shop that doubled as a book store. All books, $10. Enough said. I’ve been on a reading spree lately, and just recently finished reading this book, which I’ve now added to my favourites list. I love killing time on my commute with a good read, so I’m always looking for more things to tackle — when books are cheap (or better, pre-loved!), it makes life so much better. As always, please let me know if you’ve read anything good lately. I’m always looking for more things to read!

How was your weekend? Did you have a lazy one or a busy one that went by far too quickly? Mine was definitely the latter. It’s already Tuesday and I still feel like it should be Saturday. Ah well, another one is only four days away, right?

Today is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, and not unlike Remembrance Day back home, it’s a day for remembering those who fought for and died for our country. Being that this is my first ANZAC Day, I’m looking forward to spending at least a part of it learning about what the day means to Australians, and the significance of it all, because it is a little different than our Remembrance Day (if you’re interested, read more about it here).

Regardless of whether we’re celebrating in April or November, this day reminds me how very grateful I am that I grew up in and live in countries that prioritise freedom and make it accessible to anybody, no matter what your gender, religion, or social class. Most of all, I’m very lucky that I’m from a country that men and women feel so passionate about that they put their lives on the line to defend it, and us. The bravery of those people is beyond anything I could ever hope to embody myself, and so for that, I am forever grateful to them.

I was terrified earlier this week to hear about a potential attack on one of the Via Train lines (they’re our version of Amtrak, or inter-city trains) in Toronto. This is extremely close to home for me — my sister takes that train to get back home to see my family. And not that I wasn’t able to appreciate the gravity of the recent events in Boston and Texas these past few weeks, but it’s certainly very different when you’re personally and directly affected, even if it’s only a ‘scare’. Please note that I said different, and not more sad. For the record, it was reported that the attack on the Via trains was under close surveillance for nearly a year, and that there was allegedly no chance that the attack would have actually been carried out. Still, we were a target, and that is scary.

I recently finished reading a book called The People Smuggler by Robin de Crespigny, which details what life was like in Iraq in the 90s. The things Iraqis were forced to experience and endure under the reign of Saddam Hussein is absolutely horrifying, and they lived in fear far worse than mine when I heard about the Via Train plot every single day. For years. I can’t imagine what it would be like to feel so terrified in a place that you call home, and I’m thankful every day that the place I call home is very stable, not corrupt, and as equal as a society can be in this day and age.

The fact that we have such a great, open-minded culture, whether in Australia, New Zealand, or Canada, is something I’m proud of and extremely lucky to experience. Regardless of age, gender, class or religion, we’re allowed the same rights and freedoms as the people standing next to us. And we have men and women who are willing to go out and defend those rights for us, which makes us even luckier. Today is a day about remembering those who fell for us, and who dedicated their lives to giving us this freedom that we now experience. I can’t imagine what it would be like to sacrifice so much, as those people do, but I can do my part as a civilian by paying my respects to those who have served, those who will serve, and those who have fallen in the name of our great countries. And today, that is exactly what I’ll be doing, along with the rest of Australia and New Zealand. Happy ANZAC Day everyone.

Image via In The City With Crystalin

Given that this weekend was generally uneventful, Luke and I decided that it would be an excellent opportunity to cook something completely out of our comfort zone for dinner, in order to keep things interesting. Does anybody else find this to be a perfectly reasonable way to spend a night in? Kitchen experimentation is far better than spending big bucks on a dinner out as far as I’m concerned, and far more rewarding when you’re making delicious dishes whose names you can’t even pronounce. What’d we make this weekend? Gua-ti-ta my friends. Guatita. Luckily my vegan latin cookbook, which was one of the bunch I bought and showed you here, also translated it into non-latino-foodie speak, which is ‘creamy potato peanut stew’. Phew.

It may have a foreign name, but guatita is not that hard to make. Well, the vegetarian version isn’t. I googled it, the meat version traditionally includes cow stomach so… you’re on your own with that one. But the potato, chickpea and peanut version is made of pretty easily obtainable vegetables and spices, and like any stew, just requires a liberal amount of cooking time. Also, it’s apparently an excellent cure for a hangover – but who’d be prepared enough to make this prior to a big night out? And hats off to you if you make this in your actual hung over state.

I don’t know whether it was because I scooped our rice into a measuring cup to plate it nicely next to the guatita, or because this potato peanut stew is straight up scrumptious, but eating it I felt like we were in a restaurant, it was that shockingly tasty. Who doesn’t love peanut-based sauces? (no seriously, I’d like to know. Is there actually anyone besides anaphylactics that don’t eat peanuts?) Another thing I love about this dinner is that it makes a lot of food, and you know how I feel about having enough leftovers for workday lunches.

Last thing, if you’re a vegetarian and you haven’t bought any cookbooks written by Terry Hope Romero and Isa Moskovitz, you’re crazy. Every single dish I’ve made from their books so far (including my vegan cupcakes, which are usually a direct version of or variation on their recipes) has been nothing short of amazing. Even if you’re not a veg and you’re looking to diversify your meals, I highly recommend their books. Alright already, let’s get to the good stuff, yea?

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs yellow-skinned potatoes (waxy skinned are best)
• 1 can cooked chickpeas
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 large onion (about .5 lb), diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/4 white wine
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1.5 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• 2.5 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 3 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped finely
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• 2 tbsp lime juice (we used 1 lime)
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• freshly ground pepper
• slices of avocado (optional garnish)
• hot sauce (optional garnish)
• 1/2 bunch of steamed kale (optional garnish)
• cooked basmati rice (optional)

Directions:

1. Scrub the potatoes, and without removing the skin, slice into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a bowl of cold water (this prevents browning — just drain the water before using the potatoes).
2. In a large pot, heat the 2 tbsp olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Fry until the garlic just starts to sizzle, about 30 seconds. Add the onions and pepper, and fry until soft, around 12 minutes. Deglaze the pan with wine and add the oregano, ground cumin, paprika, and 1 tsp olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the drained potatoes, chickpeas and vegetable broth. INcrease the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender.
3. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot broth into a small bowl. Add the peanut butter to the bowl and stir to emulsify the peanut butter to a creamy, smooth mixture, adding more broth if necessary. Spoon the mixture back into the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, nondairy milk, lime juice, and salt to the stew and stir. Taste and adjust the flavour with more lime juice or salt, if necessary. Turn off the heat, season the guatita with freshly ground pepper, cover the pot, and allow the stew to sit 15 minutes before serving.
4. To serve, mound the rice on the plate, and ladle the stew around it. Serve with the kale and hot sauce, if desired.

For some reason, this was the first time I have ever had plain steamed kale. I usually put it in fruit smoothies, but have stopped lately because it can be quite bitter. Steaming kale takes all of the bitterness away (as long as you remove the stems), and what you’re left with is the most naturally tasty veggie I’ve ever eaten. Holy cow, who’s been keeping this a secret?! If you’re not eating this on the regular, do yourself a favour and try it as soon as you can, preferably as a garnish to your guatita! It is delicious. And for once, something this yummy is actually good for you!

Recipe from Viva Vegan by Terry Hope Romero

I’m kind of proud of the fact that I have no tangible accomplishments as a result of this weekend. We didn’t really go anywhere, we didn’t do anything overly productive (unless you count laundry and vacuuming), and we made a special effort to meander around the house, and be really slow and inefficient. Sounds so stellar, right? Well smarty pants, it was.

Even though it’s coming into wintertime here in the land of Oz, the sunsets from our balcony are still beautiful, and even the cooler weather can’t stop the kite surfers in Sandringham, who we can see from our balcony. One day I’m going to try that sport, how cool would that be? Have you tried it? I imagine it’d be pretty similar to wake-boarding, sans boat motor sounds. Ah, serenity.

I also attempted oh, maybe my fifth batch of macarons. They weren’t perfect, but they were the most edible I’ve made, which meant I went with it and put them all together with some filling (just basic buttercream). I know what I did wrong, which is about 80% of the battle with French macarons, so next time I’m hoping for some nicely formed feet. They still tasted great though, so when it all came down to it, there were happy campers and happier stomaches in this little condo by the beach.

Finishing up the weekend with a lovely little beach-side stroll was just what the lazy lady ordered, and it kind of made me feel somewhat active on an otherwise slow-moving and aimless weekend. I feel like the last few weekends I’ve been telling you how we did nothing (oooooh, check out my interesting life!), but it still felt less than 100% relaxing because we weren’t spending it at home. There’s something to be said for lazing around in your own house, and not changing out of your pjs until 3pm. Let’s be honest, you can’t fully relax unless you’re in your pjs, right?

I did eventually change, and put on my latest clothing obsession, a new blazer from Zara (similar here or here; mine must be winter stock, because it’s not showing up in their stores online), which has elbow patches! L’amour doesn’t begin to describe my feelings toward blazers with elbow patches! And so, that was my weekend: lots of cooking, baking, and cleaning. Betty Draper would be proud. But in all honesty, that was exactly the ‘reset’ I needed to jump back into life this week, and to prepare for my first Aussie winter! No word of a lie, I’m loving the cool weather (it’s been ages since I’ve had some, and it’s been nice to break out the warmer jackets), but I can not shake the fact that it’s getting darker earlier, and I feel like I need to be Christmas shopping. Seriously, #NorthAmericanProblems to the max. Have a lovely Tuesday friendies!

1) LinkedIn + Other Online Resumes

First things first, tell me you have a profile on LinkedIn! If you’re unsure about it, or don’t understand why you’d need it, read this post. I’m going to tell you right now that refusing LinkedIn is like living in 1998 and thinking the internet itself is useless – it’s just wrong. Have a LinkedIn profile, and fill it out as completely and professionally (i.e. no status updates about your fun weekendzzz guyzzz) as you can. If you’d like an example, mine is here. Next, create your own personalized url for your profile (instructions here). If you’re into a more visual representation of your past experience, check out VisualCV, which is a much more customizable online portfolio that is great for more arts- and visuals-oriented professions, like web design, etc. But even science people like me can put something interesting together. Again, mine is here if you’d like to check it out.

2) Email Signatures

Once you’ve got your online resume(s) set up, and got your custom URLs, put together a professional email signature that can be included in all correspondence with anyone who could provide you with a potential networking contact, even friends and family. You never know where your next job could come from. One of my best friends got a job overseas and it all started with a random conversation on a bus in Vancouver. Moral of the story: cast your net wide and you’ll be surprised what you can reel in.

3) Networking + Developing Contacts

Once you’ve got your online CV ducks all in a row, it’s time to start talking to friends and family, and informing them of your job search and asking if they know anybody in your field. Your friends and your friends’ friends are an extremely valuable resource, but remember: you’re not asking them to get you a job. What you really want is someone in your field who you can talk to and ask questions of in order to get a realistic view of your industry, which is much more valuable than what they teach you about it in university. The goal here is to get to the point where you can email the contact initially to ask for a 15 minute phone conversation, meeting, or even just to keep exchanging emails with questions. But the result is that you’ll have your CV links attached in your email signature, and if you provide the links, people will click them.

4) Job Fairs

Offline, there are a number of other opportunities to hand out your CV, and surprisingly it can be done in a more tasteful manner than shoving your CV in any recruiter’s face. You can head to a job fair, and for that you should bring your paper resume, but always start a discussion with the employers first. Never offer up your resume and move on. In fact, keep your resume out of sight completely, because that alone will make you stand out from the crowd of desperate resume passer-outers. Start a conversation, ask them about the company and their role, and why they’re at the job fair today. What are they looking for? Is there an actual position to fill, or are they just looking for expressions of interest? Assess if it’s a good enough fit for you, and only after at least a few minutes of chatting, offer to leave your CV with them. Then, ask them for their card so you can follow up later – a quick email a few days afterward will remind them of your conversation, and will provide them with those links in your email signature!

5) Face-to-Face Coffee Chats

Last thing: if you can manage to set up face-to-face meetings with people (commonly known as coffee chats), take your resume along, but again, don’t bust it out right away. The purpose of any face-to-face chat that is not an interview is to glean information from the other person, not to be a job monger. Instead, when you can, tie what they’re saying about their role with your own experience (“I used to do something similar to ___ skill, I think that could be a good fit for me down the road”), and eventually they might ask you for a copy of your CV; oh, look, just happened to have one in a plastic sleeve in my bag right here! Imagine that! These rules break for an actual interview though, in which case you should pull your resume out right away and give it to your interviewer(s). If they’ve already got a copy, fine, use it to refer to as you speak about your past experience. Visuals, even just a piece of paper with words, can be a great help.

6) Link Tracking

In person you’ll know that people are going to at least take a glance at your CV, but online it’s a bit more difficult. For me, when I was emailing contacts in Australia while still living in Canada, I found it really helpful to use bitly to create links that track each time they’ve been clicked. I’d create a custom link URL for each email contact, and then monitor them to see if the recipient actually clicked on my CV links. If you’re interested, I can put together another post on how I made my connections and started my job search from overseas – just let me know if that’s something you’d like to read.

The key in all of these tactics is to get your resume seen by the right people, and in a way that is tasteful and personable. You want it (and you yourself) to stand out and to be memorable, which is why it’s best to start a conversation with the person before handing over your CV. They’ll be more likely to remember you if they had to ask for your CV, or if they’ve at least started to develop a bit of a connection with you. I’ll be honest, I’m still working over my irrational fear of asking people to coffee chats, because I’m a nervous mess when it comes to blind meetings, but in my friends’ experience, that’s the very best way to make connections and find out who’s hiring. If you’re looking for more resources on how to get that started, check out here and here and here, because I don’t feel comfortable giving out advice for something I’m too chicken to initiate myself. Hey, we’ve all got things to work on. But if you’ve got any questions, or any other great tactics for getting your name out there in the job market, please please share them below. I know my sister will be reading, and she’ll be glad for anybody else’s input. Happy CVing everyone!

Image via Bradley Agather‘s Style At Home feature on The Glitter Guide