Style Unzipped

Looking for a Silver Lining In 5B

Posted on November 20, 2011 by atriffett

One of the feel-good moments I had was when my daughter surprised me with a visit from my beloved Boof!

I’ve just returned home after a 20 day stay at Le Hotel de Wesley (Wesley hospital). I really tried hard to remain positive and cheery but I have to admit there were many blue moments in between. There are no frequent-flyer points awarded for frequent or protracted hospital stays, and take it from me, the days are long and lonely with only meals, obs and visitors to mark the time and lift your spirits.

One of the things I’ve always done to get me through is shift my focus to other’s stories instead of dwelling on my own sad tales. Face-to-face connections really work best to distract from pain, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to the wonderful staff of 5B for their special touch and keeping me sane…

Which each change of shift I’d get so happy when I’d discover which nurse had once again been allocated to look after Bed 5 (then 10). I knew that the time would fly by ‘cos I’d have someone wonderful “visiting” me at any opportunity!

While these people took care of my physical needs every day, more importantly they took care of my spirit. They interacted with me on a personal level. They opened their own books and trusted me with a few pages of their stories. Sure, I asked. I’m good at that. But they could’ve given one-word answers and quickly left me alone. Instead they’d stay for a bit and truly brightened my day… Continue reading →

Posted in 365 Acts Of Kindness, Life & Lessons Learned, Social Commentary, Style Inspirations, Things I Like; Things I Don't Like, True Style, Uncategorized | Tagged coping skills, nurses, Wesley Hospital | 2 Comments

That Bitch in Bed 5

Posted on November 10, 2011 by atriffett

My daughter Elle visited daily & kept my spirits from crashing. She's a NIT (nurse in training) & got to practice her skills on me more than once!

I’ve been in hospital for over a week now. I’m still not sure when I’ll get out. But one thing I do know for sure is that no one will ever refer to me as “that bitch in bed 5″. It sure ain’t no fun being here, but hey, I’m a veteran and over the years I’ve worked out a few things about coping with pain/illness frequent hospital admissions. Want my top tips? I’m glad you asked!

1. Look for any and every opportunity to meet people you would otherwise probably never meet, and to learn something about those people – to listen to some of their story. In hospital you will meet many from so very many different walks of life. The nurses, catering staff, cleaners, student nurses, other patients, their visitors, even some of your more “approachable” new doctors! Ask how they are instead of waiting to be asked how YOU are. The payoff? You’ll make a positive impact and you may even be remembered for being a good listener. After all, isn’t feeling heard a basic human need for everyone? Continue reading →

Posted in 365 Acts Of Kindness, Life & Lessons Learned, Social Commentary, Things I Like; Things I Don't Like, True Style, Uncategorized | Tagged coping skills, hospital, illness, style under pressure | 2 Comments

There Are Some Things I Just Don’t Do.

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Alison @ Style Counsel

Most of us are afraid of something. Dentists & spiders are mine!

There’s something about me you don’t know. There are many things, actually…

But yesterday I actually went to the dentist. For. The. First. Time. In. 8. Years.
(Before that, it had been 12 years). Get the picture? Yep… I don’t do dentists.

Actually there are many things I just don’t do…

Drugs. Smokes. Spiders. Early mornings. Phones. Strenuous exercise. Diets. Annual Holidays. Sewing. Did I mention spiders?

What I’m alluding to here is that there are some things I don’t do because they simply frighten the crap out of me. And in between are the things I either simply choose NOT to do or don’t GET to do (but would like to!)… Continue reading →

Posted in Life & Lessons Learned, Things I Like; Things I Don't Like, True Style, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I am a Dag

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Alison @ Style Counsel

I'm showing my age, I know. But I really loved Judy and Don. Penny was also one to aspire to...

Just ask anyone who knows me. They’ll tell you. I am very much in touch with my inner dag. So much so, I’ll even pluck up the courage here to share with you a few of my guilty pleasures. Some date waaaay back. Others I continue to enjoy to this day:

I love Saturday Disney – yes, at my age! More specifically Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place and even a little of the Jonas Brothers thrown in for good measure!

I still love watching The Love Boat & I Dream of Jeannie; The Brady Bunch and I used to be avid fan of Nip Tuck!

I also love boy bands; Take That, Five, Backstreet Boys…love ‘em all. And I have some Michael Bolton, Cliff Richard, The Monkees and even a bit of really old Jason Donovan on my iPod!

I used to play “Lost In Space” in the playground at school. I always made my friends let me be Judy so I could be with Don. And the boy I always made play the part of Don just happened to be the boy I had a huge crush on – devious little thing, wasn’t I?

In high-school, I was so self-conscious about my skinny ankles Continue reading →

Posted in Image, Life & Lessons Learned, Styling Tips & Wardrobe Essentials, Things I Like; Things I Don't Like, True Style, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Just another one of those days. Winning.Not.

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Alison @ Style Counsel

Some days are white. Others, black. This proved to be one of my blacker ones!

It was just another one of those days…You know the type? You drag your sorry butt out of bed at 8am on a Sunday after falling into a fitful sleep at around 4am. You suspect you should probably stay in bed ’til 12, but you get up anyway. Why? “Because you still have SO much to do!”

You quickly begin to wonder why you did get up. Instinctively you just KNOW it will be better for all concerned if you’d just stayed in bed and given in to the fatigue…

Well this particular Sunday was just that kinda’ day for me. After a rough few days (another attack of Trigeminal Neuralgia if you really want to know) I’d remained wide-eyed all night – well at least until last check of the clock at 4am. And it all went downhill from there really… Continue reading →

Posted in Life & Lessons Learned, Social Commentary, The Good The Bad The downright Tacky, Things I Like; Things I Don't Like, True Style, Uncategorized | Tagged bad days, losing, winning | 3 Comments

Don’t Judge Me. I Can Do It ALL By Myself!

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Alison @ Style Counsel

We all judge books by their covers. But are things always as they seem?

A recent conversation with a Twitter follower has got me to thinking (yep, again!). She shared a preconceived idea of what/who I was. Don’t get me wrong – she wasn’t mean (at all) but her opinion of me was based purely on appearance and first impressions, because after all, that’s all anyone really has to go on – at least initially anyway!

Some people admit how nervous they are when they first meet me. They worry about what I’ll think of their clothing choices! I want to assure them of the opposite – I fear they will judge ME! That they will say to themselves “OMG! Look at what she’s wearing, and SHE’S A STYLIST!”

We all fear being judged harshly or incorrectly. We all fear rejection. We all crave love and acceptance. Don’t we? Well, at the risk of all the above, do you wanna know just how imperfect I am? Go on, admit it! You know you do! Continue reading →

Posted in Image, Life & Lessons Learned, Social Commentary, Things I Like; Things I Don't Like, True Style, Uncategorized | Tagged Alison Triffett, appearances, first impressions | 9 Comments

There Are Some Things I Just Don’t Do.

I am a Dag

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