Botanica bar and bistro and The Hangover Part III

The ladies and I went out to a lovely bar and bistro called Botanica in Innaloo today. It was all very convenient because we planned to watch The Hangover Part III afterwards and the bistro was right across the road from the cinema. 

The bistro/bar was so nice inside. It was a large venue and it was all class. I can't even begin to describe what a great place it was. There were gorgeous chandeliers and the chairs and tables were very fancy. We were seated next to the lovely fish tank which is situated in the middle of the restaurant area. Even if there wasn't food, I'd still pay just to sit in there and listen to the live music that they had playing.

The menu had plenty of choice, but wasn't very vegan friendly. Luckily, there was still one dish I could eat so it all worked out well in the end. I had a Mediterranean salad with green beans, orange and pine nuts. The salad came with a lovely tangy coconut dressing. I've never tried coconut with my salad, but it was a great combination. 

Some of the girls ordered steaks, and they all cleaned their plates so I'm pretty certain they enjoyed their meal. Actually, I think everyone enjoyed their meals. And the serving sizes were huge so I guess that makes up for the slightly higher prices. 

We also had a lovely bottle of Devils Lair 5th Leg wine to accompany our meal. 

I really liked doing dinner and a movie. I'm not so sure it would sit very well for people who get sleepy after eating, but I think it'll be ok if you're watching anything but a drama. You need something to keep you awake just in case the food coma starts to kick in. 

The Hangover was good. A very different vibe from the first two, but there were still laughs. The ending was great; that is, the ending after the credits roll. If you're planning to watch it, stick around a bit longer after the credits. It's well worth the short wait :) I give part III 6/10.

The outside area has lovely water features on the wall

The bar.

Starters: fries, salt and pepper squid with a garden salad.

Peri peri chicken tenders, zucchini fritters with avocado salsa.

I love how happy Ruth looks here :)

Sirloin steak with mushroom sauce.

My Mediterranean salad.

Just one of the many lovely chandeliers.

The Hangover and Lake Goollelal Part II

I did two new things today. I'll start with the first. 

I watched The Hangover Part II, which I thought it was a good sequel to the first. A lot of people that I spoke to said they liked the second one better, but I think I prefer the first one more. I think it's because I didn't have any expectations for the first one and so it was all totally new to me; whereas the second one had a lot of similarities and so it was a bit more predictable. But they're both pretty funny and a good watch.  I give part II 6/10 :)

The second new thing that I did today was run around Lake Goollelal twice. It took me years and years to reach a level of fitness where I was able to run around the lake once, but on my last run I found that I got home and wasn't feeling all that tired. It all comes down to just trying something to see what you're capable of. Most times you will surprise yourself and achieve something you didn't think you could; and if not, well then you'll have something to work towards. 

I have never pushed myself to run such a far distance before, and when I finished I had nothing but total respect for all you people out there who run marathons. After only 10km (6.2 miles), I felt like I was going to throw up last night's dinner, I had a blister on my foot and mega chaff burns from my shorts haha. 

Despite all of this, there is good in everything. I now know that I am capable of running 10km. If I can do it once, then I can and will do it again. I look forward to the day I finish my two laps of the lake and finish without feeling sick. I've learned some things today: to wear thicker socks, and to wear skins instead of shorts to prevent my thighs chaffing :)

One thing I love about pushing myself to the limit with exercise and fitness is that it's a great way to train your brain to think positive. A lot of the time it's mind over matter when it comes to exercise (this is also true for many things in life). 

Whenever I try to beat a new personal best, I spend the whole time cheering myself on. I tell myself that I can do whatever it is I'm trying to achieve. Over the years I have found that the more you cheer yourself on (in anything you do), the easier it becomes to listen to yourself and to believe in what that little voice is saying. Nowadays when I say "you can do this", the response is usually "yes I can".

The Hangover

My something new for today will probably not be something new for a lot of the blog readers out there, but as you will get to see, I'm notorious for not having seen many movies. 

My friend is organising to go and see The Hangover part III in a few weeks time and so I thought I better get going and watch the first one.

....yeah I hadn't seen any of the hangovers before today.

I wasn't sure what to expect other than that it would be a crude humour kind of movie, but I found that I actually really enjoyed it. It actually made me laugh out loud a lot. It's a fun movie. Even though I know people who probably wouldn't like this movie, I say it's not really all that offensive. It's definitely a great guy movie. I give it 7/10.

The Hangover part II is next on my watch list. Looking forward to the laughs.