The Friday

Oh Lord Jesus it's a fahr FRIDAY. 

There are big things happening at the Sydney Daily HQ this weekend, mainly a painting party (a.k.a giant piss-up with rollers) so we can get our new studio space ready for action. Then hopefully we'll be able to show a bunch of stuff not just tell you about it (brilliant as I've no doubt your imagination is).

Sydney is primed for a great weekend and it's all about Rock & Roll. Venues on our hitlist this weekend:

Frankie's Pizza, the newest in a line of CBD basement bars that have been enjoying a lot of attention lately.

Why go:

• Open late
• Serve Pizza
• Have pinball machines 
• Chet Fakers Beard was there last week

Bulletin Place, another CBD gem in the Quay getting rave reviews all round. From what we hear this place is all about the drinks - they have a menu that changes daily and quantities are limited.

Why go:

• Intimate
• Creative drinks menu
• Hype

Vasco, new rock & roll bar in Surry Hills. My source tells me (don't sue) they hit a cymbal every time someone walks in the door. I'm going - you can't stop me

Why go:

• Fender bar stools
• Smoking area
• Hot dogs
• Cymbolic fanfare

If you've not punched anyone in the face by that stage check out the Cake Wines pop up bar at 77 George St (til midnight).

Fitness First Kings Cross - The Greatest Gym on Earth

Woah woah woah. Now before y'all go shouting at me about Fitness First (because I know you're about to start) I want to tell you a little bit about my experience.

I started my ahem... "relationship with fitness" at Fitness First in Neutral Bay (in the aforementioned step classes) and quickly moved onto St Leonards where I did aerobics with the now-famous Shannon Ponton (Biggest Loser). He was a bloody hottie and all the Mums at the 10:30 aerobics class would be swooning and pulling sex faces at him... my mother and I included. Tip: His happy visage now appears on 99c water bottles you can buy at Priceline. That's a bloody hydrating bargain.

I moved through the Sydney Fitness Firsts of Dee Why, North Sydney and Darlinghurst to settle on what has to be the best, Fitness First of all time. The BEST, Fitness First of all time (cheers Kanye). Fitness First Kings Cross is a dance party. On a Saturday morning you can find an aerobics crew fresh from ARQ ready to get busy. There's clapping and whooping and dancing... The excitement in the room is palpable and the communal energy of everyone drives you to perform harder and harder... I defy anyone to try a Saturday morning Body Attack class and not have the time of their life. And when you're done with the aerobics head upstairs to drool at the masses of beautiful men pumping iron. Kings Cross Fitness First is the place to be, and be seen. Two words:

FABULOUS

DARLING

Henbo's Australia Day White Peach Sangria

Serves: However many glasses in a big soup pot

Ingredients:

1 x 800-ish gram can peaches in syrup
1.5 cups vodka
3 x punnet strawberries - sliced
3 x peaches (or nectarines or whatever fruit you fancy) - sliced
2 x 750ml bottles dry white
Lemonade
Soda Water
Fresh lime

Method

Blend the peaches in their syrup and ass (or add) this to the strawberries, peaches and vodka. Soak overnight. In the morning add the white wine, lemonade, soda and lime to taste. If I were to guess I'd say I used about 2 cups each of lemonade and soda and squeezed in 3/4 of a fresh lime. I left the skin in for flavour. Bon drinketit!

'Straya

Australia Day Sat 26th January saw the team and I heading to the Dirtybird showcase at The Ivy. Well what a strange day indeed. We arrived after numerous tankards of my White Peach Sangria and made it in to find ourselves amongst one of the strangest crowds I've ever experienced. There were 18y/o grommits fresh from Dee Why. There were 50y/o women clutching vodka's with a gaggle of friends. There was a table of oldies playing chess. Lots of girls with coloured hair. One lady had a mangled looking peacock outfit on, complete with a dismal looking tail feather display. The toilet queue was abysmal. the best part about the whole thing was Claude himself. I'm not very crowd tolerant but my friends up the front were given beers and vodka from the man himself, who not only played at Chinese Laundry after the Ivy but also somewhere else after that. The man clearly knows how to partay.

Chinese laundry is smaller that I remembered - like when you go back to visit primary school and you giggle at the tiny wee toilets. It was so loud I was having heart palpitations - NOT due to my age I checked. I managed to snap this pic amongst my wandering around half cut. Good day :)