Jean Pierre Sanchos

I remember seeing a sign saying 'Jean Pierre Sancho - Patisserie & Boulangerie' on top of a shop being built on Hay Street as I drove by a few months ago, and then getting all excited that a French bakery/patisserie was finally opening in the Perth CBD.

So randomly about 2 weeks ago, on a casual lunch stroll with Kev, we had popped in and out the new apple store on Hay Street when I remembered seeing Jean Pierre Sancho, and then decided to take a trip further down Hay Street to have a looksee. It was open!

Everything is sooooo beautiful, dainty, and perfffffecct.

One breath and Kev and I just sighed in warm contentment. It just smelt like freshly baked breads. It was a refined smell, richer than the local bakeries. We just beamed and walked to the counter to see what they had in the windows. Augh! Everything looked so beautiful, elegant and so so so yummy! My jaws dropped when I saw the macaroons... MACAROONS! So colourful, so bite-sized, so mine.

Without hesitation, I bought the purple looking macaroon, which I think was blueberry. It was when I was served by the waitress and hearing her speak to the other assistants that I realised 'Hey, they are all French in this bakery!" Kevin also very excited, bought himself a Brioche. 

Walking out of Jean Pierre Sanchos, both with a paper bag in hand, we were so gleeful at our purchase. It was like as if the day just turn itself into one awesome surprise! My macaroon was perfect to my liking. The macaroon was chewy and did not crumble in my hand, the cream did not explode when I took a bite. It was so neat as well as being perfectly sweet without making you wince.

So, of course we returned... again, but for lunch with Kelvin and Benny too. We initially wanted to try the soup which is made daily and served IN a cob! But it was packed, and there were no table available, so we decided to have take away. Benny and I ordered the 'French Pancake' which looked like an omelette to me, whereas Kev and Kelvin both ordered a Baguette (I think). I also ordered a caramel macaroon for dessert whilst Kev ordered a snail.

My French pancake was sooooooooooooooooo good. Like it was soft and creamy. It was almost like creamy, cheesy egg with ham (I think... or it could be chicken... I'm not sure, it was just all round tasty). I would order it again, but when I can sit down, because the take away box started to get soft and would get caught on my fork each time I scrapped the bottom. (P.S the cutlery is all wooden!) Unfortunately I did not take any photos as I was too busy eating. The caramel macaroon was just as good as the blueberry one, and the snail was yummo. Was more bread based than pastry though.

The next experience was a lunch with Kev, Kelvin and Wilbur, and we got a seat this time, which allowed us to try the long awaited for soup! They serve 2 soups that day, one being the French onion soup, the other being potato and leak.

French onion soup is the choice for the day!

The French onion soup was the winner hands down. It was just all round tastier, which is definitely required when your soup is in a cob. The potato and leak just didn't stand out. We discussed that it other soups that would rock in this cob would be, tomato, pumpkin, minestrone or something  similar. Something with a strong taste. 

I also ordered dessert (because a meal is just not a meal without dessert!). Got the almond crossaint and a lemon macaroon.

ooooh baby... ooooh baby...

The almond croissant was really good. It was different to the almond croissant at South Perth's La Gallette de France (I think that is what its called from my google search.) It is on Mends Street tucked away behind a staircase. The almond croissant is to die for! Its chewy pastry, the ground almond paste in the middle awww... 

Ok. getting off track here. But yes, the almond croissant and Jean Pierre Sanchos was really nice. It was lighter than the ones at La Gallette de France, and instead of having a rich almond paste, it had a sweet, almond jam which was spread throughout the croissant. I honestly really like both... but due to my personal preference, I think the La Gallette de France version a little more.

As for the brightly coloured bumble bee of a macaroon, the lemon was very very sweet. A lot sweeter than the blueberry and the caramel. It made my mouth go "ziiiing!" I think I prefer their blueberry and caramel ones so far.

The most recent visit to Jean Pierre Sanchos was today! I walked there after work to wait for people to finish up and so we could hit drinks at the George. I was uber excited on my walk down. "Which macaroon shall I try this time?" I ruminated to myself, as I ignored the ridiculous line of people waiting to get into for the apple store for the new iPhone no doubt.

When I arrived, everything was almost cleared out =( 

Yes... that deserved a sad face.

I even asked the waitress if she had any macaroons hidden in the back. To my disappointment, no such luck, but I did end up getting a Brioche Mousseline which is similar to what Kev ordered first time round, but it had cream inside. 

Brioche Mousseline - indulge much? I think so!

It was definitely a splurge... and having a Brioche Mousseline for one, is not as good as when it is shared. I got quite full half way through it because it was rich. But I made sure I finished it, and enjoyed doing so.

If you feel like spoiling yourself:

Jean Pierre Sanchos

878 Hay Street

PERTH WA 6000

Telephone: 9226 2437

V Burger Bar is V Good!

I am a BIG burger fan. 

Ever since going to Melbourne in January 2009 and eating at Grill'd, and watching that episode of How I Met Your Mother when Marshall went on the hunt for the best burger in New York... I decided to embark on my own search for the best burger in little old Perth.

Burgers Burgers and MORE Burgers!!!

I have tried a lot of burgers in the past few years, and even more so within the last 6 months when a whole lot of gourmet burger joints have popped up all around Perth. From Jus Burger in Leederville, Alfred's Kitchen in Guilford, Flipside in Wembley, FAB Burgers in Hillarys, Burger Bristo in Shafto Lane, Grill'd in Mount Lawley, to the really really new joint called Branded Burgers in Northbridge. After trying all those places, I honestly thought that I had finally made up my mind of the order that I would extend my big love to these burger places in Perth.  I had decided on following order:

1. Grill'd - The burgers are made neatly, are easy to handle very little 'explosion' of the ingredients when you take a bite, plus the radish/capsicum thing they have in their burgers are extra extra tasty. Price range between $9.50-$15.50+ with the majority in the $11-$12 mark.

2. Flipside - Nicely made, tasty with the price range between $9 - $13

3. Burger Bristo - $12.80 - $16 with the majority sitting in the $14.50 - $15.50 mark. 

4. Alfred's Kitchen - For those cold late nights/early mornings... to sit in front of that bon fire hoovering down tasty home-made style burgers for a price range between $6.20 - $12.50.

5. FAB Burgers - Tasty, price range was between $11.50 - $19.95 ...bit too pricey for my liking, and would prefer going to Grill'd.

6. Branded Burgers - New burger join in Northbridge where Fishy Affair used to be. Burgers around the $10-$12 mark, very very very new. Some burgers were tasty, others were average. The service was extra extra slow. Waited around 30-40 minutes.

7. Jus Burgers - Burgers are over stacked, tasty, and a little too oily for my liking. Price ranging from $10 - $15+ with the majority of burgers in the $12-$14 range.

Then, somewhere along the grapevine I heard about a new burger joint called V Burger Bar which is located in Victoria Park.

V Burger Bar in Victoria Park is V Good!!!

After having my mind made up as to the burger places I would go to, going to V Burger Bar was well...more about the fact that they had a voucher in the Entertainment Book for 25% of the total bill. (And because I like burgers... but as I said before, I would have chosen Grill'd).

So on a late Saturday morning borderline lunch time, Kev and I trekked to Victoria Park to try this V Burger Bar and to save some money. It is a tiny place, with very little seating area. So Kev and I were lucky that it was pretty quiet when we arrived. We had a look through the menu noticing that all the burgers sounded quite good. I was tossing up between the Halloween, Crispy Crisp, F.B.A (Full Blooded Aussie) and the Med-Veg. The price range was pretty good, starting from $7.50 for a smaller burger up to $15, with the majority of burgers hanging around the $10-$13 mark.

The Halloween ended up getting my bet, having crispy breaded pumpkin, basil pesto, Danish feta and gourmet salad. Kev decided on trying the Crispy Crisp, which sounded crunchy to me. It was described as having a prime beef patty, cripsy battered onion, V relish, aoli and gourmet lettuce. Treating breakfast/brunch/lunch, and purchasing one Lipton peach ice tea, I ended up spending around $18 for the lot, thanks to my beloved Entertainment Book voucher!

The Crispy Crisp

Kev's Crispy Crisp was quite good! At a first glance I thought the burger looked over stacked. But Kev ended up squishing it to a manageable size and was able to start attacking it. He ended up taking out some of the cripsy onion to eat it alone to make the burger a little more manageable. But it didn't detract from the burger itself. The V Relish was also very nice, reminded me a bit of a tomato chutney...It was definitely  'Hrmmm' from the bites I had stolen from Kev.

The Halloween

My Halloween. Let me just say, that at first glance I was slightly disappointed. When I read 'crispy breaded pumpkin' I had imagined my bun being pumpkin based, almost like a panini with a beef patty and the usual burger ingredients. When the waiter brought it over, I thought that he had given me the wrong burger! It had this thick fried thing in the middle, and there was no chutney or anything... It looked really try to me, so I had that little sinking feeling in my stomach that "Boo, I chose a doozey again."

After watching Kev squash his burger, I did the same as the Halloween looked a bit over stacked too, and  then I just dove in. That first bite was like "WOW." I looked at Kev and said "this is really good," om nom nom nom "this is pretty good hey..." om nom nom nom... "I really like this..."

At my first "this is really good," comment, Kev quickly without hesitation quickly agreed with me with a "Hrm! Yea!" in between bites. He didn't really respond to my other comments, except for an enthusiastic nod, as I think he was enjoying his burger too much. The Halloween was really tasty. The crispy breaded pumpkin was indeed crispy, and unlike the usual battered fried foods, it held it's shape. The crisp did slip off like a loose sock when I pulled away from the burger. It stayed in tack with the pumpkin! It was also surprisingly sweet and not as oily as I had expected. The basil pesto reminded me a lot of a rocket and cashew pesto that I buy for a dip to eat with raw carrots and celery, and the Danish Feta... not as salty and over-powering as I was weary about when I saw the thick slab of it sticking out of my burger at my first glance. My burger was also very very neat to eat. I had no explosion or drippage from the bottom of my burger.

From the Hallween alone, V Burger has sky-rocketed up my list to take first place! The prices are pretty good, and Auuugghhh... I just drool when I think of it. I really want to go back and try the Med-Veg as I think they do their non-beef patties quite well. (Not that I have an issue with beef, its just if they do their non-beef patties better, then that's what I'm going to try.)

If you want to try V good burgers go to:

V Burger Bar

12/910 Albany Highway

VICTORIA PARK WA 6101

Phone: 9355 3702

High Tea by the Sea - Salt on the Beach

Photo taken by Chia Hui on her new SLR!

It has been a while since I've blogged. So there will be a flood of posts from me in the next few days because every time I have been out this month, I have still discovered and found new and interesting things that I have to share... because after all, sharing is caring!

So on a wet Friday in July I met up with my old friend Chia Hui to celebrate her birthday. Two old girl friends looking for some girly catch up time... what better way than the meal that is cute, petite and close to bite size so that us chickadees don't have to worry about over stuffing ourselves and still get a variety of both the savoury and the sweet? 

High Tea is one of those meals that are somewhat hard to find in Perth. So I googled it up, and stumbled across Salt on the Beach.

And what a lucky find! They were having a winter deal called "High Tea by the Sea" for a cool $26 per person!

On the drive to Salt on the Beach, Chia Hui noted that it was where the old Oyster Bar in Fremantle used to be, therefore it wasn't too hard to find. (I shall ignore the fact that we ended up looping a street twice... ha ha.. ha?)

Anyways when we finally arrived and got out of my car, winter by the sea hit us like a soggy wet towel. It wasn't the nicest of days (the forecast for that weekend was to be stormy), but believe it or not, it was still quite beautiful. 

Entering into Salt by the Sea Chia Hui commented on how she loved the interior. We decided that it reminded us of a holiday home that resided on the beach. A holiday home which I dreamed of owning one day and would visit on the weekends, and to walk around in track pants and cook some eggs, mushrooms on toast and eat outside on the decking looking out into the sea. As we walked to our reserved table by the window, I looked up and saw that the roof had "sail-like" sheets which were hanging with a somewhat casual elegance across the ceiling.

When our High Tea came out we were presented with this tier: 

The finger frolicking fine food that was up for offer at Salt on the Beach started with an open smoked salmon, crème friache, caper and dill sandwich next to a chicken, avocado and mayonnaise finger sandwich and a ham, cheese tomato baguette. The favourite on that tier was the open smoked salmon as it was refreshing as well as quite balanced by not being to salty. Unfortunately the chicken, avocado and mayonnaise finger sandwich was prepared with stale bread... which Chia Hui and I were quite disappointed about.

The next tier was by far my favourite!!! It had lemonade scones with a generous dollop of cream and strawberry preserve. I wish they gave us more... (Though admittedly I'd rate the scones at the Botanical Cafe in Kings Park over these scones any day. I will do a review on the Botanical Cafe in the near future... got to get me more of those scones!) Next to the scones were a pair of mini quiche and one citrus and poppyseed friand which was cut into half. The quiche was pretty nice and the poppyseed friand was tasty yet a bit too doughy for Chia Hui's liking.

By the time we reached the top tier, which had cute tiny lemon tarts and pairs of mini chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, we were both stuffed. We were not particularly fond of the sweets as they were too sweet (or we are just getting too old). 

Overall the experience was intimate and nice. We were there from 3pm till 5.30pm taking our sweet time, and never felt rushed or that we had to leave any time soon. We were able to witness the big storm rush onto the shores of Fremantle and enjoy the finger food, warm tea and each other's company.  I'd say that I still have yet to find 'the' place for High Tea, but... $26 High Tea by the Sea ... that is still pretty good.

If you want try out the High Tea by the Sea, you will need to make a reservation and pay in advance over the phone by credit card as the High Tea is not part of the usual menu and they will prepare it especially for you. (Side note, if you want to eat the normal menu, Salt on the Beach is in the 2010-2011 Entertainment Book.)

Salt on the Beach can be found at:

44 Port Beach Road

NORTH FREMANTLE, WA 6159

Phone: 9430 6866

Lululemon Brisk Arm Warmer

It is COLD!

I know I've been blogging about how cold it is, but I am not being a sook. I do like the cold weather! I wish it would get colder and then rain (aka snow!). I like it how there is a drastic change in weather allowing us to change up our wardrobes and adapt to the weather. Colder it gets, out comes the structured jackets, gloves (hoorah for gloves!) and scarves. But yea, it has been the coldest June in Perth on record. 

As a result, exercising in the wee morning at 1 degree or even slightly under that, is somewhat chilly. Last weekend I went for a run in 3 degree weather. It was sunny and there were no clouds in the sky, but the air was oh so...well, invigorating. I remember thinking 'Don't stop running, run faster so that you can get back to the house and not get sick!'  My arms hands and fingers were numb and my ears were stinging from the air. I did realise though, that once I returned home I was really hot.

I then had a little think about it. I don't want to get sick from wearing a singlet and shorts in extreme cold and it would have been nice to have worn long sleeves or a jacket. But, I was concerned that I would get too hot once I started running. Being a no-fuss-running person (I don't like holding stuff in my hands or around my waist when running), I knew that having to deal with taking off layers of clothing and then thinking of what to do with it on the run would bug me. I knew that it would eventually be one of those 'reasons' you make up for yourself to not exercise and to stay warm in bed. I then realised, it would be aweome if there was some sort of running/walking sleeve which you could roll up to cover your arms and then roll down once your hot.

Of course I had a look at my favourite store Lululemon and they they did not fail me! These Canadians really think of everything! 


Lululemon Brisk Arm Warmer

I gave them a whirl this weekend and they did the job! I ran under similar weather conditions as last week's chilly run and I was a lot more comfortable and a lot less scared of getting sick! I found that they kept my arms and hands warm without over heating me.

The underside is cool as it is made of a light/soft fleece for warmy goodness without the bulk, and soaking up sweat. The top part of the sleeve which goes up to your biceps is lined with soft rubber so that it does not roll down when you move your arms. Not only is it good for running or walking when wearing short sleeves or a singlet, but I found them quite good for keeping me warm when I played indoor beach volleyball. It is light, not bulky and it did not affect my digs.

Definitely another winter warmer for funky active girlies! (And boys if you are able to fit into the XL sizes and choose the blue or black coloured arm warmer.)

Lululemon Apres Sport Tweed Jacket

My current infatuation is with my new Lululemon Apres Sport Tweed Jacket. 

It was an impulse purchase (with some support and reassurance at the time).

I had not planned to buy a jacket given that I had already purchased two during this sale period. But this jacket was impossible to let it slip away.

Lululemon is one of my favourite stores. It is located in the Perth Enex100 building at the Hay street entrance to the right. You cannot miss the colourful aura and fun happy energy that comes from that store. 

I have had quite a few purchases from Lululemon, and I can honestly say that everything that I have bought has withstood the test of multiple washes, and me either sweating or just working the crap out of them. The quality and the ingenuity that goes into each garment or sport equipment is always surprising. After discovering the little 'secret' pockets of practicality that are hidden away, (which are only found when you are thinking to yourself "Hrmmm it would be nice if this had a blah blah blah" as you wishfully caress your hands in the area of the garment that you were thinking of, and find, to your surprise... that it IS there), you get that warm satisfaction in your tummy telling you that spending a little more at Lululemon really does provide you with the extra 'perks.'

This jacket definitely has more than what meets the eye.

At first glance, it looks like your typical long tweed jacket. I thought that a long tweed jacket was interesting. As I picked it up on the hanger, I saw it had a hood. 'Neato' I thought to myself, 'Whats the price?' I snooped out of curiosity. It happened to be on sale from $299 marked down to $149. So I 'had' to try it on. 

Music friendly

Once I had put the jacket on and looked in the mirror, the first thing I noticed was that it was comfy and that the hood is a good size. Second thing I realised is that the coat felt a little stiffer than I expected. I rationalised it being unworn and being new. Kevin, who was with me at the time, asked me what was on the inside of my jacket next to the button/zipper, near my neck. I had a look and saw this white rubber strip. I had no idea what it was. Kevin then informed me it was a headphone clip, and that got my attention. How did the headphones get to the headphone clip? We explored the jacket some more and found that the headphones come in through the left side pocket and out through an opening in the lining!

(P.S A lot, if not all of Lululemon's gear has this little "I belong to..." tag. How cute right?!)

It was around this time that the sales lady came up to us saying that the jacket was water resistant. YES! that's right, this 'tweed' jacket would keep me completely dry in the rain! (It dawned to me, that the jacket was probably a little stiff because it was water resistant). It was from that moment that I was completely sold. I really liked it, and it was so so practical. I then confirmed with my shopping buddy, to which he assured me that it was a good buy, and bagged that jacket up!

What a practical little jacket!

The jacket zips two ways from the bottom right up to the neck. The collar when zipped up, turns into a turtle neck which shelds your neck, nose and mouth from icy cold wind. The two way zip allows you to zip it all the way up, and to unzip the bottom part if you were sitting down and it was bunching or if you wanted a little more breeze but to keep the top part of your body warm. It also has zips in its side pockets, sheilding and preventing any items (such as a mobile phone, keys, cash etc) from slipping out.

In the alternative... there is always those clip bottons!

The jacket is super warm. It is lined with a fleece like material without it being too bulky and heavy. I like to think of it as... fine fleece.  I remember thinking it may be a little too warm for Perth winters, but the last few days and night have been really really cold, and the jacket has been loved and appreciated in the past week. Oh yes, and the pockets are lined with this fleece too... keeping your hands... hrrrrmm toasty.

For example, last night in Northbridge, I swear was so so very cold. We ended up watching a little bit of Shaolin Soccer which was playing at the big screen at the Piazza, I had my jacket on zipped right up with my hood up and hands tucked into my pockets... As we watched I just loved how my ears were not stinging from the air and my hood made me feel like I had a little roof over my head. It didn't just flop! I also enjoy... well there is no other word for it but shnuggling into the turtle neck part where the fine fleece just warmed up my lower face. Ahhhh... was very toasty, I still was cold, but if I wore any other jacket, I would have been complaining a lot earlier.  

More secret pockets of practicality?

And speaking about secret pockets of practicality. As I was wearing my jacket this morning in South Perth (it was also so very cold this morning) My hood which holds it shape, also caught the wind at times. "Aw Boo" I thought to myself. The one downer of this awesome jacket, that though I like that it holds it shape, I can't enclose the hood if it was really windy and rainy. I then sadly felt around the hood next to the side of my necks wishfully....

To my surprise, I felt two bumps in the material. I didn't know what it was at first but when I took of my jacket later on today and had a look, this is what I found:

What is it? Its a draw string which pulls the hood in if needed, and Lululemon have created a neat little pocket in the hood lining so you can hide the annoying 'nob' and it won't interfere in rubbing against your neck or danggling down your jacket (which is annoying at times when you are like at a table in a restaurant, and you lean over your dish, and the draw string from your hoodie goes into your drink, food etc).

Love love love love this jacket. I even told a workmate about this jacket, and she too did not want to spend any more money. But once showing her all the goodness this jacket provided and the awesome price, she walked out of the office and marched straight to Lululemon to get one too! I had bought the jacket in the brown and my work mate ended up getting it in the grey which is very similar but it has a grey tinge to it.

Lululemon may still have some, so I definitely recommend toasty-seeking-girls to get one!  

Update as of 4 July 2010
Just thought I'd post that I have worn this jacket everywhere and have an awesome tally of 3 friends who have purchased this jacket and who absolutely loooove it.

Birdsnest.com.au

Its sale time!

Everything is going on sale, and this year I had a list of things I really wanted and had wanted for a long time. I decided that this year, my sale shopping will be purposeful. Not that it isn't always purposeful, but I find that when I go shopping, though I buy things that I do need (and I stress that I really do need them.) They are things that I had not thought about or wanted for a long period of time. 

One of the things I have wanted for a while was a formal, yet not a 'suit up'  jacket like the ones I wear to work. Something that I could go out during the day, but dress up easily. So, this was one of the main things on my list. I have found that I love jackets, and hoodies, and have bought a few good timeless ones. Unfortunately, the jackets I always buy seem to be borderline trench, long coat or a bit bulky (for warmth), which clashes what I would wear for a more casual looking outfit.

So, I decided to find one of those trendy short suit-like jackets which had some 'funk' and fun to it. 

I had looked in the usual department stores and was unsuccessful. There were things that were similar to what I was looking for, but I wasn't in the mood of buying something that was 'almost' what I wanted.

Then one night I randomly started browsing the internet and found this gem of a online store. It is called "Birdsnest - For everything but the girl."

I was flabbergasted! This store had branded clothing, accessories and other items at a really good price due to the mid-year sales. 

Also the thing that really got me squirmish in my pants, was that the site provided suggestions of clothing for occasions and personality! The personality suggestions covers yummy mummy, corporate girl, classic woman, playful, study girl, party even yummy granny!!! So whatever 'girl' I felt like or was going for... was definitely catered for!

Not only that, I found that birdsnest also provided sugggestions for certain body shape ranging from pregnant, petite, big boobs, small boobs, voluptous bottom, big hips, a tummy, no waist, short legs, cankles, long body, size 16+ and big arms. This is exactly what I needed! Recommendations of items of clothing that would achieve the look I was going for!

The prices of all items are in Australian dollars and birdsnest sell brands such as Esprit, Ladakh,Wish, Ben Sherman and Living Doll.

I ended up buying a black short suit-looking jacket which was structured on my shoulders (yup, in other words it had little shoulder pads). I didn't realise how a little bit of padding on the shoulders could turn a ordinary suit looking jacket into a really versatile jacket with a bit of 'funk' and fun. 

What impressed me the most was the detail and personalisation the girls at Birdsnest put into my order. I do note that it could be because it was my first purchase, but what the heck, it was still nevertheless a special package to receive.

In my package I received my jacket folded nicely in a cotton birdsnest bag. I also received a loyalty card for future purchases which after a certain amount of purchases I would get a free gift or something. For me, this was quite a nice package to receive, as most items when bought online, are usually just thrown into the mail wrapped in some plastic bag, transaction complete.

But that was not the coolest part! A few days after my purchase I was folding the birdsnest bag to put away, thinking I may not use it despite how cool it was. As I was folding it, I heard something crumple, so I opened it up and found a little piece of paper at the bottom of the bag. I decided to have a looksee, and this is what I found:

There was a HANDWRITTEN note! How Sweeeet!

Have a closer look:

I thought it was mighty sweet, and birdsnest definitely won me over! I was already very happy with the jacket as it was really nice, and I was already impressed in how quickly I received my jacket, (I received it within 3 days, buying it on the Friday and received it on the Tuesday!).

So very very happy! I definitely embrace the approach birdsnest is taking in order to establish returning customers!  =D

Borders iPhone App

I (heart) Borders.

Borders is the place to be at lunch time, after you have exhausted all the willpower to read the endless paperwork and documentation that comes with the job. What better way to escape all that reading, but with more yet enjoyable reading!

So naturally when I was browsing through the iPhone Apps store and saw that Borders had its own App and that it was FREE, I ensured that that "FREE" quickly turned into an "INSTALLED." I assumed that this App was just another point of sale medium for the store, and I was not wrong. But was surprised me was that the App already had five e-books loaded for my reading pleasure. Five books that were also FREE! Those five books  being, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,  Dracula and Pride and Prejudice.

Lets have a looksee:

The first page is the "I'm Reading" page where it shows you your e-library collection. You have the choice of viewing it as a shelf or as a list. They pretty much look the same except that as a shelf they are arranged in alphabetical order horizontally, whereas as a list your e-books are arranged vertically. Once you have chosen the book that you want to read, reading it is as easy as flipping through the photos on your iPhone. With a quick flick with your finger across the screen from left to right, you turn your page just like a book. Even when you exit out of the App, a red Borders' bookmark is put in place so you know where you are at, and that page is re-opened once you re-enter the App and select your book.

Personalised Reading Experience
There are various options to make your reading session through the Borders' App a personalised reading experience. This screen shot contains the following options:

• You can choose to add or remove the bookmark by simply touching the little bookmark with the "+" sign next to it.
• The bookmark sign next to that is for the option to choose what bookmark you want to use, once you have purchased a few different bookmarks.
• "i" gives you a quick synopsis of the book you are currently reading.
•  "..." is a really handy option to remember. Here you can can elect to have your pages flip over, scroll or fade in or out to the next page. All of which are non-evasive and run quite smoothly with no 'chugging.'
• For those who require bigger or smaller font size, "..." also gives you options to change the size and type of the font to view your e-book with. The fonts available are Default (the font in all my screenshots) Georgia, Times New Roman, Trebuchet and Verdana.
• Brightness options under the "i" and "..." functions are useful for those who may find the screen too bright for their eyes.
• Under the Brightness options there is the half black and white circle icon that gives you 'Night Mode.' A mode that inverts the screen from the standard black text on white to white text on black.

Browsing and Purchasing Functions
Discovery Tab:

Simple to use. Touch the Discovery tab and you are given a list of categories of e-books ready for purchase from Borders. Once touched, the category of books are listed for you with a photo of the cover page and the price for purchase. Once you touch the book you are interested in, the Borders App gives you a small synopsis of what it is all about.

Browse Tab:

Just like the Discovery Tab, once you have touched the Browse Tab you are provided with a list of categories of e-books that are available in the Borders' catalogue. You can touch the category, and it will give you a list of sub-categories to eventually listing e-books that may interest you. Again, it will list the books with a photo of the front cover and price for purchase and once touched, it will take you to a quick synopsis. Purchasing is a matter of touching the book and logging into your account to complete the transaction.

Overall Jist
I think this is a good little App for those who like to read on the run. Especially for those who take public transport and do not want to carry another item in their bag such as a heavy book or an e-reader. The Borders App gives you quite a bit to work with to personalise your reading experience to make it more enjoyable, and so far from my experience the books quickly and seamlessly load and pages with very little "chug".

Admittedly I have not purchased any e-books to see how smoothly the application would work once one has an impressive e-library (I like my hard copies). But I assume it will work just as smoothly, if only with a little lag once more e-books are purchased (Here is me being optimistic). The only downside may be that if you read for a long time, it will use up your phone battery. Which is not a good idea if you did not have a charger handy.

I had a little play with Borders' new e-reader the Kobo, and from my experience I preferred the iPhone App over that. The text in the Kobo flashes in and out when it moves between pages and after a few seconds, that had already started to annoy me a bit. But I'm not completely writing off the Kobo, as a no go. It is a super light and super slim e-reader. The screen does not have a back light which for some, may be easier on the eyes (for those who get issues when looking at a bright screen for too long) and with no back light, the Kobo does not use as much energy to power it as the iPhone does. But this is not a review for the Kobo.

So before going on another random tangent, I'd close by saying that if you want a portable reading device, have an iPhone already, and are not going to miss the smell and feel of a new (or used) hard copy book, then the iPhone App is pretty good. Especially since its FREE.  Even if you want to be tight and not purchase any of the e-books, I find the Discovery and Browse Tabs allows me to have a look at what books Borders have in their collection which I may make note of to purchase the hard copy in the future.

Cute Heat Bags

It has all of a sudden turned into winter. Those bright sunny days where you could feel the heat pulsating off the pavement to warm your legs have turned into the deceptive 'bright sunny days' when the sun smiles at you mockingly as the dry icy cold wind rushes under your clothes and drapes its itself all over you. Leaving you with that deep chilled to the bone feeling. It has not necessarily been a wet one so far, (which is a boo for water levels) but yes, there has been rain. Oh, and lets not forget about that freak storm on 22 March 2010. What freak storm am I talking about you ask? Have a looksee here.

Anyways, I realised that like all other years I will have to take out the quilt and rug up on layers upon layers to keep me warm because heaters are a no go for me. Heaters just leave my mouth and throat dry. Eventually you get a dry throat which ultimately leads to the sore throat and well, we all know what happens then. You are dragging your feet into the pharmacy to get those trusty strepsils, and making yourself honey and lemon teas before you know it. All because you just wanted to stay warm.

I then remembered an old friend of mine letting me borrow her heat bag. I remember thinking that the heat bag was a only weird sack of 'stuff' which she would put in a microwave and go to sleep with. It never dawned on me then, but it rang so loud now that I could not, not look for one for myself. (double negatives... ew... I apologise). So I googled "heat + bags" and found that they are quite popular for not only keeping one warm, but for rehabilitative purposes from injuries. Physiotherapists use them and some pharmacies sell them. So why have I not heard about them before?! Another neato thing about these heat bags is that the insides are not synthetic or manufactured material, but are comprised of various dried plant products varying from of wheat, lupin, barley to buckwheat.

There are a few sites that are good sources for purchasing heat bags, all of which have various colours, shapes and sizes to cater for where you would like to place the heat bag, such as around your ankle, neck and shoulders and your back. You can try Heat Bags Plus, Wheat Bags Australia or Heat Wheat Products. 

Amore Gifts Heat Bags

For me, I really just wanted something to keep me warm and to cuddle a bit in bed. I then decided to try my luck at Ebay to see what I could find there. There are A LOT to choose from, but I ended up placing my bets on a new Ebay Seller called Amore Gifts. She provided handmade heat bags that were so cute and funky in colour and at such an affordable price. I ended up purchasing two bags at $10 AUD each!

Amore Gifts is based in Tasmania and so I was able to receive my bags within a few days of the purchase! Such a smooth transaction and the seller was so generous in offering to post my bags by express post at the standard post rate!

The two bags I purchased are the ones pictured. They weigh approximately 1kg each and are approximately 21x24cm, a good hugging size. I can easily place one in my front hoodie pocket and walk around the house keeping my hands and torso all warm! I bought two so that I could place one bag at the foot of my bed, warming up my feet, and the other one at the middle part of my bed to warm up everything else. They have truly made my winter so so toasty. Not to mention that they are so adorably cute! Amore Gifts do have other designs which are more toned down and masculine for the fellas, but like I mentioned earlier, Amore Gifts is a relatively new seller and will hopefully have more products and have her own website set up in the near future.

Benefits of Heat Bags

1. They can keep you warm all night without making your room overly hot and leaving your mouth and throat dry, by simply placing them in the microwave for approximately 1 minute (though it is recommended you reheat 30 seconds at a time.) 
2. They can be used as cold bags too! Just put your bag into a plastic bag and into the freezer. The recommended cooling time is 30-60 minutes.
3. The bags keep you warm and cool using very little electricity. Bonus points for being ECO-FRIENDLY!!!
4. Being able to be heat and cold bags and being malleable to fit around your body allows them to be great for treating injuries such as, well BAD ankles. Though if you were to use them solely for ankles or shoulders I would suggest to look into getting one that is made specifically for that area. Ankle heat/cold bags are a lot smaller and usually has a strap that wraps around the ankle and holds the heat/cold bag in place.