February 27, 2025 • 21 mins
Ever stumble upon a quirky hotel with zebra-themed decor? Listen as your friend chats about sipping inventive cocktails beneath a glass ceiling at a rooftop bar reminiscing about those Escher-esque tiles that make you question reality. Jacquie discusses more unique hotel design and themes, immersive atmospheres in lifts, and then tests out the latest skin care serum in her routine. Finally, the conversation flutters into a magical realm as Jacquie ponders the possibility that Currawong bird songs might unlock universal secrets. This episode contains a delightful tapestry of calm experiences that promise to enchant and relax the listener.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jacquie (00:01):
Welcome to the Day-to-Day Podcast, calm
Conversations with a Friend,spoken by Jacquie Joy, and you
are listening to Episode 12.
You decide to check yourmessages.
(00:23):
One new voicemail it's from oneof your friends.
You decide it's time to sitdown, make yourself comfortable
and have a listen.
Hey, hey, so glad to hearyou're back safely and that
(00:56):
you're able to disconnect andenjoy every minute of your
rather brief but sounds like avery relaxing holiday.
Thank you for all the pics.
Those incredibly ornate tileswere amazing.
I loved all the differentpatterns and it's hard to
(01:23):
imagine how much time and effortwould have gone into placing
and arranging those tiles manyyears ago.
I know they're very old, but Isort of felt they had a bit of a
modern feel, and I loved thevisual illusions that they
(01:49):
created, especially in some ofthe rooms inside of the house
where the walls had the tilesand the ceilings were crazily
shaped and curved, and itreminded me a lot of MC Escher's
(02:16):
artworks.
There was a couple he did.
There was a couple he did.
One was called House of Stairsand the other one, I think, was
(02:38):
called Relativity.
Anyway, in these two pieces,the perspective is super skewed
and sort of confuses the brain.
My favourite Escher work,though, is not a perspective one
.
However, it does show twopoints of view.
(03:04):
As such, it's called Hand withReflecting Sphere.
Are you familiar with Escher'sworks?
I'd be intrigued to know and,if you are, what's your
(03:28):
favourite design or picture?
But on your holiday it soundslike the food was extra super
spicy and luckily you and yourstomach were up for it.
(03:49):
I think I would have struggleda bit and would have driven the
waiters crazy, asking for supermild versions of each dish.
It sounds like lunch is theirmain meal of the day and I love
(04:15):
that idea.
Anyway, it sounds like you'rerefreshed and back into work
tomorrow, so I hope you have agreat first day back.
I think I was telling you lastmessage.
(04:36):
Yes, I was telling you that wewere away for an evening and we
had a bit of that in a fail, butI really enjoyed our hotel
experience.
The place had very funky liftswhich had different video
(05:03):
projections on the floor andceiling and all of the walls,
which was so much fun.
The projections had images ofanimals like unsurprisingly
(05:23):
koalas, of animals likeunsurprisingly koalas,
surprisingly zebras, and alsorandom patterns like the colors
and stripes I think I actuallysent you a picture of that and
also tourist attractions locallyand other places.
(05:47):
One of my favourites was theEiffel Tower and I think there
was a Leaning Tower of Pisa aswell.
One particular animal that wasfeatured in the lift was this
zebra.
One particular animal that wasfeatured in the lift was this
zebra and it actually seemed tobe the theme of the whole hotel.
(06:12):
So I had some fun playing spotthe zebra colours and stripes.
There were zebra-style dishesand plates and pens in the room,
striped black and white chairsthroughout the complex.
(06:36):
But my favourite was thezebra-inspired stripes on the
tiles stripes on the tiles onthe ceiling and walls and floors
of the spa area, and I'lldefinitely send you a photo of
(06:57):
that.
It certainly reminded me againof all that Escher perspective
craziness and it was a lot offun.
(07:18):
Another thing that was very funthat evening was the rooftop bar
and the hotel gave us a coupleof complimentary cocktails.
I was half expecting thatthey'd have a specialty zebra
style design drink but thatwasn't the case.
But they did have an extensivecocktail menu and it was very
(07:44):
hard to choose a cocktail from.
They were all so good.
The two we ended up choosingwere fantastic.
The first one was called aTropicalita described as
(08:13):
tropical, fun and zesty, and itcontained coastal gin, coconut
husk, pandan which is a fragrantAsian palm leaf and that was
sort of sticking out of thedrink Vanilla and refreshing
(08:37):
lime zest.
So that was a winner.
The other cocktail that wechose was called Liquid Sunshine
and that was described as silky, sweet and perfumed and that
(09:00):
contained vodka, strawberry,rose and saffron.
Yum, so the place was reallybuzzing and it was a perfectly
sunny afternoon evening, butinterestingly, there was a
(09:27):
really funky looking glass roofthat opened and closed, so it
was a weatherproof rooftop barwhich I haven't seen before
(09:54):
before that day.
We also went to the Japanesespa, but I'll tell you about
that next time.
I know you love a great spaexperience and this certainly
did not disappoint.
We actually went into a saltroom, which I hadn't done before
.
Anyway, I love our skincare chatand it sounds like your routine
(10:18):
is just super simple but reallyeffective and, as you say, if
you end up having a complicatedroutine, your skin can just get
confused in the end and that canresult in breakouts or feeling
(10:43):
too oily.
Okay, that's what happened tome last year.
I think my skin just feltoverloaded and strangely with
the amount of product I wasusing, it wasn't actually
feeling that hydrated.
(11:03):
Also, it got a bit confusing tome in the end, because I had so
many different bottles andtubes of things for different
parts of my body.
I did notice the smaller thetube, the more expensive it was
(11:31):
too.
How how does that work out?
It began feeling like almost apart-time job really.
So I love simplicity and, yes,this snail, I'm still using it.
(11:51):
It's great under my eyes and onmy neck and neckline, feeling
very hydrated, and it does feelglowy as well.
I don't know if that's actuallya word, but that's how I feel,
(12:14):
and so I probably don't reallyeven need the serum of plenty or
not on those spots.
Anyway, I think I can use it inother areas of my body as a bit
(12:34):
of a fix up, though,particularly on some areas of my
body that have seen a littleextra sun, like the back of my
hands.
It's interesting that thecustomer base loved this product
(13:01):
but weren't keen on the newformulation because it seemed
not to be as effective and theydidn't like mixing it themselves
at home.
Apparently, it's the sameformulation, but because they're
(13:26):
using this 15% of high-qualityvitamin C in the formulation
because it's very potent andeffective for especially skin
that is ageing, but it isunstable and without
(13:50):
preservatives it does tend to gooff rather quickly.
So by mixing it now, it shouldlast for about six months.
Some of the reviews are sayingpeople are getting initial
(14:12):
reactions, so I'm going to patchtest this first up today, and
also my plan with this is to useit on the back of one hand for
one month and see whatdifference it's making, and
(14:35):
that's actually what the companyrecommends as well.
So I'm going to get it out ofthe box.
I've got a towel here becauseI'm a bit messy.
Just I think I'm going to spillit.
I hope I don't, okay.
(14:58):
So I've got the activator andthe main bottle.
Apparently I need to squeezethe entire contents of the
activator into the plenty bottle.
Okay, that's step one.
Wish me luck.
(15:18):
The bottles are rather small.
Okay, the main bottle has a bitof a dropper and the other one
is the squeeze bottle.
Here we go, squeezing in.
Oh, it looks like the bottle ofthe vitamin C activator is
(15:43):
white and looks like liquid.
So, like it's, I expectedsomething clear and syrupy, but
it looks like cream.
So squeezing it in.
Okay, I had to pause thatbecause it took a couple of
minutes to do and then itbubbled over.
(16:06):
So now I'm on to step two andI'm shaking the serum bottle
apparently for 30 seconds toactivate and dissolve the powder
.
Oh, and step three is to use.
It's now activated.
(16:28):
I'll see what colour it is.
Apparently, from the reviews,it actually oxidises over the
coming month and starts turninga golden colour, but at the
moment it's looking sort ofquite clear with white bubbles.
(16:51):
I hope I've done that correctly.
Apply to clean, dry skin everymorning and or evening.
I'm going to put a couple ofdrops on the back of my hand.
There we go.
Okay, it feels nice and cool.
(17:13):
I'll rub that in.
Certainly feels very refreshingtoo, so I'll keep you posted on
how that goes.
Actually, that's very differentto the snail cream.
Actually, that's very differentto the snail cream.
The snail cream feels lovelyand velvety afterwards and
(17:38):
hydrating, whereas this has justsunk in very quickly and my
skin feels a little, not rough,but dry afterwards.
I must say I've just smelt ittoo and I don't like the smell.
It's sort of it's a bit stinky.
I'm not going to smell it againand describe it to you because
(18:02):
I didn't like it.
But the good news is I can'tsmell it if my hand's away from
my face.
So I don't know.
We'll see how that goes.
It will have to be very goodfor me to put up with that smell
.
You'd be interested in this.
(18:25):
Tilly just sent me a clip of acarawong call.
I'll dig it out.
The carawong is a medium-sizedbird native to Australia, and it
(18:47):
looks a bit like a crow becauseit's black, but it has yellow
eyes.
Interestingly, it has a verydistinctive call, which is
believed to carry messages fromthe spirit world, the spirit
(19:19):
world.
It's often seen as a sign ofguidance or protection from
higher powers.
Apparently, it also representsmagic and mysticism.
I love this.
Some people even believe thatthe bird holds the secrets of
the universe within its song.
(19:41):
So I'll play it for you, okay.
It for you, okay.
It's time for me to go.
(20:01):
I do have a lot more I want totalk to you about, but I'll have
to save that till next time.
I do need to get a little bitof work done today on my new
computer setup.
Also.
I think I'm going to have to goand wash my hands off or stand
(20:24):
outside for a while because Ithink I put too much of this
serum on my hands.
Looking forward to hearing howyour week goes, I hope your
recording goes well, take care.
(20:45):
Looking forward to chattingsoon and bye for now you.
Welcome to the Day-to-Day Podcast, calm
Conversations with a Friend,spoken by Jacquie Joy, and you
are listening to Episode 12.
You decide to check yourmessages.
(00:23):
One new voicemail it's from oneof your friends.
You decide it's time to sitdown, make yourself comfortable
and have a listen.
Hey, hey, so glad to hearyou're back safely and that
(00:56):
you're able to disconnect andenjoy every minute of your
rather brief but sounds like avery relaxing holiday.
Thank you for all the pics.
Those incredibly ornate tileswere amazing.
I loved all the differentpatterns and it's hard to
(01:23):
imagine how much time and effortwould have gone into placing
and arranging those tiles manyyears ago.
I know they're very old, but Isort of felt they had a bit of a
modern feel, and I loved thevisual illusions that they
(01:49):
created, especially in some ofthe rooms inside of the house
where the walls had the tilesand the ceilings were crazily
shaped and curved, and itreminded me a lot of MC Escher's
(02:16):
artworks.
There was a couple he did.
There was a couple he did.
One was called House of Stairsand the other one, I think, was
(02:38):
called Relativity.
Anyway, in these two pieces,the perspective is super skewed
and sort of confuses the brain.
My favourite Escher work,though, is not a perspective one
.
However, it does show twopoints of view.
(03:04):
As such, it's called Hand withReflecting Sphere.
Are you familiar with Escher'sworks?
I'd be intrigued to know and,if you are, what's your
(03:28):
favourite design or picture?
But on your holiday it soundslike the food was extra super
spicy and luckily you and yourstomach were up for it.
(03:49):
I think I would have struggleda bit and would have driven the
waiters crazy, asking for supermild versions of each dish.
It sounds like lunch is theirmain meal of the day and I love
(04:15):
that idea.
Anyway, it sounds like you'rerefreshed and back into work
tomorrow, so I hope you have agreat first day back.
I think I was telling you lastmessage.
(04:36):
Yes, I was telling you that wewere away for an evening and we
had a bit of that in a fail, butI really enjoyed our hotel
experience.
The place had very funky liftswhich had different video
(05:03):
projections on the floor andceiling and all of the walls,
which was so much fun.
The projections had images ofanimals like unsurprisingly
(05:23):
koalas, of animals likeunsurprisingly koalas,
surprisingly zebras, and alsorandom patterns like the colors
and stripes I think I actuallysent you a picture of that and
also tourist attractions locallyand other places.
(05:47):
One of my favourites was theEiffel Tower and I think there
was a Leaning Tower of Pisa aswell.
One particular animal that wasfeatured in the lift was this
zebra.
One particular animal that wasfeatured in the lift was this
zebra and it actually seemed tobe the theme of the whole hotel.
(06:12):
So I had some fun playing spotthe zebra colours and stripes.
There were zebra-style dishesand plates and pens in the room,
striped black and white chairsthroughout the complex.
(06:36):
But my favourite was thezebra-inspired stripes on the
tiles stripes on the tiles onthe ceiling and walls and floors
of the spa area, and I'lldefinitely send you a photo of
(06:57):
that.
It certainly reminded me againof all that Escher perspective
craziness and it was a lot offun.
(07:18):
Another thing that was very funthat evening was the rooftop bar
and the hotel gave us a coupleof complimentary cocktails.
I was half expecting thatthey'd have a specialty zebra
style design drink but thatwasn't the case.
But they did have an extensivecocktail menu and it was very
(07:44):
hard to choose a cocktail from.
They were all so good.
The two we ended up choosingwere fantastic.
The first one was called aTropicalita described as
(08:13):
tropical, fun and zesty, and itcontained coastal gin, coconut
husk, pandan which is a fragrantAsian palm leaf and that was
sort of sticking out of thedrink Vanilla and refreshing
(08:37):
lime zest.
So that was a winner.
The other cocktail that wechose was called Liquid Sunshine
and that was described as silky, sweet and perfumed and that
(09:00):
contained vodka, strawberry,rose and saffron.
Yum, so the place was reallybuzzing and it was a perfectly
sunny afternoon evening, butinterestingly, there was a
(09:27):
really funky looking glass roofthat opened and closed, so it
was a weatherproof rooftop barwhich I haven't seen before
(09:54):
before that day.
We also went to the Japanesespa, but I'll tell you about
that next time.
I know you love a great spaexperience and this certainly
did not disappoint.
We actually went into a saltroom, which I hadn't done before
.
Anyway, I love our skincare chatand it sounds like your routine
(10:18):
is just super simple but reallyeffective and, as you say, if
you end up having a complicatedroutine, your skin can just get
confused in the end and that canresult in breakouts or feeling
(10:43):
too oily.
Okay, that's what happened tome last year.
I think my skin just feltoverloaded and strangely with
the amount of product I wasusing, it wasn't actually
feeling that hydrated.
(11:03):
Also, it got a bit confusing tome in the end, because I had so
many different bottles andtubes of things for different
parts of my body.
I did notice the smaller thetube, the more expensive it was
(11:31):
too.
How how does that work out?
It began feeling like almost apart-time job really.
So I love simplicity and, yes,this snail, I'm still using it.
(11:51):
It's great under my eyes and onmy neck and neckline, feeling
very hydrated, and it does feelglowy as well.
I don't know if that's actuallya word, but that's how I feel,
(12:14):
and so I probably don't reallyeven need the serum of plenty or
not on those spots.
Anyway, I think I can use it inother areas of my body as a bit
(12:34):
of a fix up, though,particularly on some areas of my
body that have seen a littleextra sun, like the back of my
hands.
It's interesting that thecustomer base loved this product
(13:01):
but weren't keen on the newformulation because it seemed
not to be as effective and theydidn't like mixing it themselves
at home.
Apparently, it's the sameformulation, but because they're
(13:26):
using this 15% of high-qualityvitamin C in the formulation
because it's very potent andeffective for especially skin
that is ageing, but it isunstable and without
(13:50):
preservatives it does tend to gooff rather quickly.
So by mixing it now, it shouldlast for about six months.
Some of the reviews are sayingpeople are getting initial
(14:12):
reactions, so I'm going to patchtest this first up today, and
also my plan with this is to useit on the back of one hand for
one month and see whatdifference it's making, and
(14:35):
that's actually what the companyrecommends as well.
So I'm going to get it out ofthe box.
I've got a towel here becauseI'm a bit messy.
Just I think I'm going to spillit.
I hope I don't, okay.
(14:58):
So I've got the activator andthe main bottle.
Apparently I need to squeezethe entire contents of the
activator into the plenty bottle.
Okay, that's step one.
Wish me luck.
(15:18):
The bottles are rather small.
Okay, the main bottle has a bitof a dropper and the other one
is the squeeze bottle.
Here we go, squeezing in.
Oh, it looks like the bottle ofthe vitamin C activator is
(15:43):
white and looks like liquid.
So, like it's, I expectedsomething clear and syrupy, but
it looks like cream.
So squeezing it in.
Okay, I had to pause thatbecause it took a couple of
minutes to do and then itbubbled over.
(16:06):
So now I'm on to step two andI'm shaking the serum bottle
apparently for 30 seconds toactivate and dissolve the powder
.
Oh, and step three is to use.
It's now activated.
(16:28):
I'll see what colour it is.
Apparently, from the reviews,it actually oxidises over the
coming month and starts turninga golden colour, but at the
moment it's looking sort ofquite clear with white bubbles.
(16:51):
I hope I've done that correctly.
Apply to clean, dry skin everymorning and or evening.
I'm going to put a couple ofdrops on the back of my hand.
There we go.
Okay, it feels nice and cool.
(17:13):
I'll rub that in.
Certainly feels very refreshingtoo, so I'll keep you posted on
how that goes.
Actually, that's very differentto the snail cream.
Actually, that's very differentto the snail cream.
The snail cream feels lovelyand velvety afterwards and
(17:38):
hydrating, whereas this has justsunk in very quickly and my
skin feels a little, not rough,but dry afterwards.
I must say I've just smelt ittoo and I don't like the smell.
It's sort of it's a bit stinky.
I'm not going to smell it againand describe it to you because
(18:02):
I didn't like it.
But the good news is I can'tsmell it if my hand's away from
my face.
So I don't know.
We'll see how that goes.
It will have to be very goodfor me to put up with that smell
.
You'd be interested in this.
(18:25):
Tilly just sent me a clip of acarawong call.
I'll dig it out.
The carawong is a medium-sizedbird native to Australia, and it
(18:47):
looks a bit like a crow becauseit's black, but it has yellow
eyes.
Interestingly, it has a verydistinctive call, which is
believed to carry messages fromthe spirit world, the spirit
(19:19):
world.
It's often seen as a sign ofguidance or protection from
higher powers.
Apparently, it also representsmagic and mysticism.
I love this.
Some people even believe thatthe bird holds the secrets of
the universe within its song.
(19:41):
So I'll play it for you, okay.
It for you, okay.
It's time for me to go.
(20:01):
I do have a lot more I want totalk to you about, but I'll have
to save that till next time.
I do need to get a little bitof work done today on my new
computer setup.
Also.
I think I'm going to have to goand wash my hands off or stand
(20:24):
outside for a while because Ithink I put too much of this
serum on my hands.
Looking forward to hearing howyour week goes, I hope your
recording goes well, take care.
(20:45):
Looking forward to chattingsoon and bye for now you.
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