Birdie comes before par - this is the way it went in my case anyway... I got my first birdie recently at Elsternwick Golf Course on the 2nd hole (approx 128m). I teed off using (of all things!) a 7-wood.

I drew the club back about 90 degrees (I think - this expertise apparently comes from playing Tiger Woods on Playstation - and they say computer games have no real-world applications!)

The two guys who had just left the 2nd green stopped to watch.
I made contact.
I heard an expletive and joyous sounds from my partner. The two guys kept watching.
I saw the ball land on the green and thought "well, that's good. I won't have to chip."
The closer I got to the green, the more I started to realise what I had just done.
The ball was possibly a metre or more away from the flag.
But it was no gimme.
My brain went haywire.
I crouched at one end, then at the other. I think I was holding out my putter to line it up. Little did anybody know, I didn't quite know what the putter-holding was actually for. All I knew was that it looks good. Tiger does it all the time.
It was time to putt.
I took a deep breath.
Then another.
Then another.
I started to get lightheaded and decided to stop taking deep breaths.
"Stop looking at it and just putt!" I thought. I couldn't stop looking at it. Was there something I missed? A secret break? I didn't know. The importance of the shot started to weigh upon me.
"If you don't do it now you're going to freeze and f@ck up!"
I finally hit it.
The ball coasted on a straight line, then rolled towards the outer left of the cup. It was heading to lip out.
"Oh well," I thought "at least I'll get a par. I've never got a par before. I got a bogey once but that's not the same as..."
I heard a shout. My partner was practically levitating off the green. The ball bent neatly to the right and went in. I was stunned.
Nobody said anything for a second as we stared at each other.
"Rasthermathugraaaa!!!" I shouted.
"Woohooo!" he yelled.
"Yeaaaaahh!! Haaa!! Whooo!!!" I shouted again.
I celebrated Tiger Woods style by leaning back almost horizontally and pumping both fists in the air. Then I looked around, adjusted my cap like I do this all the time, and walked off with my clubs muttering "Haaaa!!" breathlessly.
We continued in a daze. I think it took me a few holes and many wistful "I got a f@cking birdie" repetitions for it to sink in.
If you pardon the pun.

And no, I still haven't got a par yet....

technorati tags: golf birdie elsternwick golf course

What are your experiences of makeup? Me, I'm a girly-girl in only one respect - I love my makeup. For a long time I have worn the standard liquid foundation (Revlon New Complexion) which in my opinion is the best of the gluggy bunch. This formula can look pretty unnatural and can mask the skin's radiance, giving you a pale or"'greyed out" look. This is why foundation has always been a bit of a grey area for me (pun intended).

The biggest problem with this kind of makeup is the dreaded 3:15 slide. That's the time when the coverage of the makeup wears off and the shiny stuff starts to show through. I, like many people, have "oily skin". It means that I get shiny in the afternoon and makeup finds it hard to stay on, which is why I found myself rushing to reapply a touch-up layer mid-afternoon.

I have begun trialling Musq Mineral Makeup for the past week. The first thing I noticed is that I no longer need to reapply. At 7pm I can look in the mirror and look the same as I did at 7:30am when I first applied the makeup. I no longer have to think about reapplying - I can use the time for other, more important thinking. Like golf for example....

The makeup contains concentrated natural ingredients with no talc or bismuth oxychloride. I have trouble remembering the oxymoron name but I do remember the ingredient is something you do not want on your face. It dawned on me that I may have been over-stimulating my sebaceous glands with the chemicals in my liquid makeup for an extended period of time.

The first day I tried the mineral makeup my skin felt a bit dry. It was a powder, after all. I thought "Oh well, it's not for me." By day two my skin had normalized itself and the look and texture had begun to improve. At this time I started to realise that I may be doing something good for my skin instead of irritating it with chemicals.

The powder is unlike any normal powder you might find in a compact. The ordinary powders feel as if they are weighing heavily on your skin. Conversely, this makeup is lightweight and feels like no makeup at all. It looks as if I am not wearing makeup but it has good coverage and the added protection of SPF 17-20.

I will be interested to see how long my container lasts. I was surprised that the container was listed as 5g but when it arrived, 5g of powder looked like more than I had imagined. If this container lasts as long as I think it's going to last, then it's good value. Remember - with mineral makeup, less is more.

technorati tags: mineral makeup musq

Buy leading cosmetics brands at reduced prices. Free shipping anywhere in the world.

My wonderful Kabuki brush arrived and I am happy to report it is a roaring success!!! No shedding, great coverage using mineral makeup and it comes in such a cute bag!

Total cost: $4.99 + $5.00 postage & handling = $9.99

I have saved approximately $30-40 on a name brand brush. This Ebay purchase is one of my biggest successes. Yippee!! I have now ordered a new Musq mineral makeup in the colour "Maldives" - suitable for asian skin with yellow undertones. Although I was born in Australia (blaaoordy oath mayyyte!! - sorry to everybody who didn't get that, it was an Australian reference!), I do seem to have a "where does she come from" kind of thing about my skin tone. Finally I have found a yellow-undertoned mineral makeup that feels natural and looks like I'm not wearing makeup. More reports to come...

technorati tags: kabuki brush mineral makeup

Buy leading cosmetics brands at reduced prices. Free shipping anywhere in the world.