Book fix

Looking to fuel your apocalyptic fascination? After reading these dystopian novels, you’ll feel surprisingly reassured about life post-pandemic.

Station Eleven (Emily St John Mandel) – centres around Jeevan, one of the few survivors after mysterious flu quickly turns into a full-blown pandemic. This book is beautifully written.

The Hunger Games trilogy (Suzanne Collins) – focuses on a futuristic view of survival of the fittest. If you didn’t see the movies, grab these and cheer for Katniss.

Brave New World (Aldus Huxley) – published in 1932 – shares a future where citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarchy. Read it in the 70’s – scared the wits out of me!

1984 (George Orwell) – published in 1949 – depicts an imagined future, the year 1984, when the world has fallen victim to perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance, historical negationism and propaganda. The darkest of classics.

The Handmaids Tale (Margaret Atwood) – features a dystopian world that unfolds after a second American civil war, where a totalitarian society subjects fertile women, called ‘Handmaids’ into child-bearing slavery. I’ve been obsessed with the SBS series!

Series fix

Who doesn’t love a good marathon? This is an eclectic bunch with something for everyone, except the kiddies.

Ozark – centres on a married couple forced to relocate their family to the Ozarks following amoney-laundering scheme gone wrong. Darlene remains in my nightmares!

Mad Men – a classic about a womanising advertising executive, the plot tracks the people in his personal and professional lives, and as the series progresses, you’ll observe the changing moods and social mores of the US throughout the 1960s. Damn, I love you Don, you sexy beast!

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness – this “crazy true crime” documentary centres on Joe Exotic, grandiose big cat zoo owner (and country musician), convicted for trying to put a hit on animal rights activist Carole Baskin. Jaysus there’s a few cray-cray’s out there!

The English Game – set in the 1870s, football was once a sport for the wealthy British before a working-class star and his upper-class counterpart come together to change the Game forever. For a non-sporty girl, I loved this series.

Succession – centres on the fictional Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of a global media and hospitality empire who are fighting for control of the company amidst uncertainty about the health of the family’s patriarch. Gripping season finale – can’t wait for the next season! 

I know you’ll have heaps more – why not drop them into the comments box below. Meanwhile, enjoy!

Unseasonably warm isn’t it?  

Hello, lovelies. Christmas. I personally love it. Particularly the ‘we simply must have drinks before Christmas darling!’ spike in my calendar of events. But not everyone enjoys the socialising aspect of the festive season. “All that bloody small talk, I never know what to say, particularly at the office Xmas party where I feel obliged to talk to people I don’t even know!” cried one particularly distressed friend. I said gurl, I have just the thing for you and sent a link to this post, originally published in 2018.  Her response? “Babe you may have just saved my liver for I can now substitute gulping confidence-building alcohol with great conversation!” (love that reader!!) For all of you suffering the same fate – here’s a repost:

Ever found yourself plunged into the realm of small talk and struggling to come up with something more interesting than the weather? Stared at a dating site pondering witty/clever/  sophisticated questions to ask an interested party?  A co-worker in an elevator, an acquaintance at an industry event, a complete stranger at a networking event? It happens to us all. ‘Yes, it is unseasonably warm for this time of year isn’t it?’ Boring.

Let’s kill the small talk!

If you’ve found yourself talking about topics you have no interest in or have already discussed one too many times—just for something to say, check out this great little article by Aja Frost (making small talk so much easier). After reviewing, I started throwing a few out there and along the way, managed to learn fabulous things about people that I’d never have picked up in ‘normal’ conversation. No more awkward silences or boring small talk folks! Here’s a starter kit of unexpected, thought-provoking questions that will evoke more than a mere yes or no response. And there’s something for everyone!

For the culture cravers…

1. Are you reading any good books right now? How about shows? What would you recommend?
2. Do you have any podcast suggestions for my commute?
3. What’s the last movie that made you cry? Or laugh aloud?
4. Whom would you want to be your Amazing Race partner?
5. If they made a movie about you, which movie star would you choose to play you? Your family members? Why?

 For the foodies…

1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
2. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
3. What’s your go-to comfort food? Or the food your Mum always made for you on your birthday?
4. Does your family have any “secret” or famous recipes?
5. What’s your favourite restaurant that other people might not know about

For late-night reveries…

1. If you were in charge of picking the eighth wonder of the world, what would you choose?
2. What do you wish you had placed in a time capsule 15 years ago?
3. What’s the strangest compliment you’ve ever received?
4. Have you ever thought of a cool invention or company, only to discover someone had already invented or started it?
5. What would be your ideal superpower?
6. BONUS Q: If you could invite 5 people, dead or alive, to your dinner party, who would you choose? Why?

For the work buddies…

1. If you weren’t working here, what would you probably be doing right now?
2. What’s the craziest thing a boss has ever asked you to do?
3. Would you rather work four 10-hour days or five eight-hour days?
4. If you were guaranteed to be successful, what job would you want?
5. What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received? How about the worst?

 For the travel-hungry…

1. If you could fly anywhere for free, where would you go?
2. What’s the coolest road trip you’ve ever been on?
3. Where’s the last place you traveled? What did you do there?
4. If you could take a workcation or sabbatical, where would you go and what would you do?
5. What’s your favourite thing to do around here on the weekends?

For the daters…

1. What did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
2. Do you have any hidden talents or surprising hobbies?
3. What was the must-have accessory or item when you were growing up?
4. What’s the most unbelievable thing that’s ever happened to you?
5. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Bet just asking one or two of these questions and you’ll be engaged for hours. Best order another wine (sorry liver)!

What questions do you like to ask to jumpstart a cool discussion?