image source: www.catsthemusical.com

Last month I went with my mum to see CATS the amazing show based on T.S Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" the tickets were a gift and I am not sure we would have gone otherwise which would have been a total loss. I used to go to musicals a lot during high school because I was studying drama and that was part of our course (a perk of our course actually!) - any kind of stage production was a total dream to me and I enjoyed every single one I went to, particularly "The Man from Muckinupin" which coincidentally (or not) was a production we actually performed at school in my final year and of which I had a major role. 

The Tickets!

We were lucky to have the seats we had as we had an incredible view of the stage, which was dressed with a set that was absolutely purfect and was designed in such a way that it consistently surprised us throughout the show with new additions or amazing stage entrances! Whoever did the set design really did an amazing job and it added tenfold to the performance itself. The musical was held at a common place for stage performances and productions - Burswood Theatre at the Crown Casino. I have gone to many shows at this location and have enjoyed them all, but none surprisingly as much as this one. I had no idea what I was in for, so seeing the stage dressed the way it was was meant nothing to me and I was excited from the get-go. 

Terrible quality photo, but our seats were great & the set design was incredible.

The set is a larger-than-life junkyard that the cats all come to play at. The cats are actually Jellicle Cats and they all come out to play at a particular time of the year for something that is known as the "Jellicle Ball" - different cats have different stories and each story is crazier than the next, with singing (musical score by Andrew Lloyd Webber) and absolutely awe-striking costumes and dancing their voices ring out and make music in your ears while their beautiful, catty costumes really enhance the performance. Each cat performs for their leader, the wise Old Deuteronomy and there is some hilarious wit and jokes throughout the entire performance. 

Image source: www.catsthemusical.com 

 Delta Goodrem had been confirmed to play the Australian shows, however it was not Goordrem who played the role of Grizabella in Perth, it was in fact Delia Hannah and she was absolutely amazing. I had thought I would have preferred Goodrem purely because I enjoy her music and voice outside of musicals, but I was pleasantly surprised at the way Hannah portrayed Grizabella and sang her heart out. Hannah's performance of Memory was the only part of the entire production which I was expecting as I had heard about it many times, and even knew the song prior to the show, however her performance was above my expectations and really swept me away with the intensity and rawness of the entire song, it really left me quite emotional.

While all the cats and performances were incredible, including that of Grizabella it was none other than Mr Mistoffelees, played by Christoper Favaloro, who took my heart and impressed me the most. Mr Mistoffelees performed a magical conjuring act, he is an illusionist cat who dazzles the rest of the Jellicle Cats and absolutely enchanted me with his surreal tricks. I was awe-struck watching him dance, with absolutely insane choreography, and Favaloro made it look so easy! When I left the show I was in love with Mr Mistofelees and his song was stuck in my head for days afterwards. There was never a cat so clever as Magiacl Mr Mistoffelees!

Image source: www.catsthemusical.com

If you hadn't seen the show, I feel sorry for you, because it was incredible and if you still have the chance to see it, I highly, highly recommend it. I give it 4/5 stars!

Now, I leave you with Goodrem's performance of Memory, the most iconic of all songs.

Sunset by the pool, over the beach.

It was a nice surprise when we got to go to Bali earlier in March, however much I am afraid of flying. I suffer severe flight anxiety so even the short trip (3 or so hours) was terrifying for me and the thought of being in Bali and away from home was also a cause for my anxiety to rise and lodge itself in my throat. Instead of the build-up to my trip being exciting, I was not counting down the days, instead I was panicking about the flight ahead. When I arrived I had a great time, until I realised to get home I'd have to board a plane again! Despite my flight anxiety, it was a really great trip albeit seriously humid. 

The climate in Bali is tropical and the weather was incredibly humid - the wet, sticky kind of humid. It was beautiful except for the fact I felt like my lungs were full of water and my hair was frizzy (which never happens??) but since I spent most of the time in the pool, this did not matter a great deal. Makeup and nice clothes were definitely optional due to the humidity but I was not out to impress, just relax! 

Below are some photos of my time away, it was beautiful!

View of the beach from the hotel restaurant

Hello waterfall! 

I had to take a photo of this little boat.

Why so Koi? 

Obligatory "Legs in Shot" by the pool!

Today's post is focused around a cute little date I had with my mum and future sister-in-law. We were cupcake tasting at a cute little boutique coffee shop in Victoria Park in Perth, WA. It is called the "Sassy Cookie" and the owner is a lady who bakes all her own cupcakes, cakes, tarts, biscuits - basically she bakes everything she sells, and she also does cupcakes, biscuits and cakes for events, such as weddings! 

We had heard about this little cafe online, and I had called to enquire about cupcakes and biscuits for my future sister-in-law's kitchen tea we are having pre-wedding! The lady was so lovely and we said we'd pop down to try out her cupcakes and biscuits before we ordered anything! We found the place, nestled in bushes and down a few stairs - the cafe is a little house that has been converted into a shop-front and cafe, while the other half is still a house! As you walk in, you immediately feel at home and feel really special! The girls working there are super friendly and there is a big board displaying all their coffees, teas, smoothies, milkshakes etc while the fridges at the front are stocked with cupcakes of all flavours, tarts, biscuits, breads - it's pure heaven for cake-lovers and sweet-tooth's alike! 

My mum ordered a tim-tam milkshake, which is basically tim-tams blended with milk and ice-cream. It was absolutely rich and delicious, it definitely wasn't something you'd drink if you were watching your calorie intake for the day, that's for sure. My sister-in-law and I ordered an Oreo milkshake (if that's on the menu, would there be anything else you'd get??) which again was literally (well, it tasted like it anyway) just Oreo's crushed up with milk and ice-cream. It was heaven, absolute Oreo h e a v e n! We also decided to order some cupcakes to try out before ordering any for the Kitchen Tea as sometimes you just can't be sure that they'll be as delicious as you'd hope or as you'd make (we are big bakers in our family and love making cupcakes and cakes, just lack the time). We ordered a basic vanilla cake with pink icing on the top as a standard thing to try, as that's the most basic. We also ordered a white chocolate mud cake with some vanilla icing on the top and we also decided to splurge and try a very decadent chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing on the top. We cut them up into threes and we devoured them in minutes! By far our favourite was the white chocolate mud cake, and our least favourite was the chocolate cake, as it was just too rich and too strong for us! These cakes and the milkshakes were absolutely amazing, and I feel like I'd visit this place every often, if it weren't for the distance / the high calorie intake (haha). If you live in Perth I would highly recommend giving this place a go - you won't regret it! Needless to say, we ended up ordering cupcakes for the Kitchen Tea and will post plenty about that event here soon! xoxo