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I’m having an affair with my boss’s wife

It all started at a cocktail party at my boss’s house. Rob (who is about seven or eight years older than me) had about 30 guests over to his apartment for what was meant to be a quiet birthday party. I didn’t know most of the people there and, as usual, I spent too much time standing over the punch bowl and drinking more than everyone else.

It was a pretty lame party and I’d just about had enough when somehow I ended up on a couch with my boss and his wife. My boss was telling friends of his about how well his business was doing when his wife — who I hadn’t met before — started to put her leg up against me. It seemed I wasn’t the only one at the party who’d had too much to drink.

Kylie introduced herself and got another round of cocktails. We talked, I made her laugh and she seemed to enjoy the conversation. As the room got darker and the party got louder, she started telling me things that I really didn’t want to hear — how Rob wasn’t a real man and he didn’t know how to treat a woman, etc. I didn’t know what to say, so I just smiled and finished my drink as quickly as I could.

I decided I should leave before things got out of control. I stumbled to the bathroom and was just about go to the toilet when I heard someone follow me into the room. As I turned around, my boss’s wife grabbed me by the head and kissed me. I got a bad feeling straight away. ‘Don’t stuff up a good job’, I thought as I ran from the bathroom and left the party.

I’d almost forgotten about the whole thing when she called me on my mobile at work about two weeks later. She told me that she wanted to see me. I asked how she got my number. She wouldn’t tell me. She persisted and I agreed to meet her at my flat (only because I didn’t want to risk seeing her in public).

She came around to my apartment the same day. I can’t really remember what happened but we ended up sleeping together. We had a glass of wine, Kylie promised me she wouldn’t tell anyone and then she went home. I spent the night worried about how I was going to look my boss in the face the next day.

Anyway, that was about six months ago.

For the last half a year, I’ve been having an affair with my boss’s wife. She comes over about two times a week, occasionally brings me presents and has even taken me out to nice restaurants a few times. One or two times she has come to the office when I’ve been “working back late”. I know it has to stop but I’ll probably have to look for a new job if I try and break it off with her.

It’s only a matter of time until we get caught but, the funny thing is, my boss just gave me a big pay rise. I’ve been walking around the office with a big smile on my face. The boss probably thinks I’m a happy employee, but he doesn’t know the real reason.

Picture posed by models.

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Jewellery to match

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Question

I’m 14 and am attending my auntie’s non-traditional wedding soon. I’m wearing a simple short white dress with silver heels. I was wondering, what jewellery would look best with it?

Meg, via email.

Answer

I would suggest to follow the direction of your shoe choice and keep all your accessories silver. Try to keep it simple for an effortless elegant look. Maybe a few silver bangles and silver necklace or pendant on a long chain.

There are some great stores that sell very affordable jewellery. Try: Diva, Equip, Sportsgirl, David Jones and Myer also offer a wide variety of great jewellery.

The AWW Fashion Team

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Summer corporate wear

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Question

I work as an executive assistant to the MD in a large corporation and need to look businesslike and corporate but find this extremely difficult in the hot and steamy weather. Do you have any suggestions on what I can wear that is both cool and businesslike? I am also a plus size.

Karen, via e-mail.

Answer

To avoid being stitched up in the classic suit and shirt, try some other combinations.

Replace the shirt with some comfortable and modern knitwear, there are so many different shapes and colours available. Perfect for the office with your suit skirt or even a pretty print skirt. Add a silk scarf, beads or pendant to complete the look. This will still look smart but be comfortable and cooler on hot days.

These stores specialise in plus sizes and offer many great options for work wear. Don’t be afraid to ask the shop assistants for help selecting styles that are appropriate for your shape and work, that’s what they are there for after all!

Maggie T, Ph: 1800 678 189 TS, Ph: 1800 620 694 Black Apple, Ph: (03) 9547 8211 My Size, Ph: (03) 8420 1000 BIB at Myer, Ph: 1800 811 611 Blue Illusion, Ph: 1800 208 209

The AWW Fashion Team

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Hats at weddings

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Question

Does the mother of the bride have to wear a hat? My daughter is getting married on Sydney Harbour later this month and I do not suit hats and I hate having ‘hat hair’, particularly if I need to take it off for dancing later.

Dorothy, via e-mail.

Answer

These days dress codes are far more relaxed. If you feel a hat is not your thing or not appropriate with your outfit, then it really is fine not to wear one.

My sister was recently married and my mother did opt for the hat option because she felt it completed her outfit and made her feel special on the day. She had a comb on hand to deal with hat hair after the ceremony.

Most importantly, you want to feel comfortable on this special day and not be worrying about a hat or your hair. This really is a case of each to their own.

The AWW Fashion Team

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Clutch bags

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Question

I’m attending a black tie function and I’m after a simple plain black clutch bag. I’ll be wearing a floor length black satin dress.

Kim, via e-mail.

Answer

Try the following bag companies. You can call them to find out your closest stockist.

Olga Berg, Ph: 03 9419 6711

Reidels, Ph: 03 9383 6644

Or have a look in the handbag department of Myer or David Jones.

The AWW Fashion Team

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Organising a wardrobe

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Question

I am 14 and I really want to decorate my room. The only thing I don’t know what to do with is my wardrobe. Should I organise it in sections, colours or what goes with what?

Jess, via e-mail.

Answer

We suggest breaking it up into sections. Try these sections which you can then organise into colours if you like. It is much easier to find things in sections and plan outfits by mixing and matching items from different sections.

  • Shirts

  • Tops — long sleeves

  • Tops — short sleeves and singlets

  • Skirts

  • Pants

  • Short jackets

  • Long jackets

  • Dresses

  • Evening/Party clothes

Shoe racks are also a great idea for keeping your room organised and your shoes tidy. A rack can easily sit under the clothes in your wardrobe. Howard’s Storage has a great range.

The AWW Fashion Team

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Moisturising

Question:

I have dry skin but working in an air-conditioned office is making it even worse! I apply moisturiser every day and drink water through the day — what else can I do?

Alison Slyns

Answer:

The best advice I can give you is to give yourself a moisturising mask once a week and a monthly facial. Another great way of keeping skin well-nourished is to apply a moisturising facial mist during the course of the day. Jurlique have a beautiful rose water mist that is very hydrating.

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After the tragedy

Loss and tragedy have tainted many of her relationships but Olivia Newton-John still believes in the power of love.

Olivia Newton-John dropped a bombshell on the world on August 22 last year. In a carefully worded statement, the multimillionaire singer revealed that her lover of nine years, Patrick McDermott, 48, had vanished nearly two months previously during an overnight fishing trip off the coast of Los Angeles. “I am hopeful that my treasured friend is safe and well, and I am grateful to the officials who are working so hard to find Patrick, whom I love very much,” Olivia said. “I ask anyone with information that could help to please, please come forward. For those of us who know and love him, it has been a truly heartbreaking experience.”

Olivia’s desperate appeal shocked her millions of fans, not just because it emerged that she had known of his disappearance for weeks and had said nothing, but because the case — soon shrouded in mystery and scandal — opened the tiniest of cracks in the sugar-coated armour with which Olivia has surrounded herself most of her life.

Was her beau the victim of a tragic accident or had he, as the papers were soon to speculate, faked his own death to escape a bitter ex-wife chasing child support?

“I love you,” Patrick McDermott had declared to Olivia on This is Your Life a year before. “The whole world loves you … You are the epitome of the word woman.”

However, within days of Olivia’s statement, some newspapers claimed that the couple had split months before Patrick disappeared.

How, one wondered, could Australia’s sweetheart — a woman who has faced divorce, the death of her parents and breast cancer with the greatest courage and dignity — find herself entangled in such a sensational mess?

Find out in the April issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly when we investigate the tragic love life of Australia’s evergreen sweetheart and tell why she’s always been unlucky in love.

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The hard facts on soft drinks

cola

Soft drinks are everywhere you look today. From vending machines to school canteens to TV ads or giant billboards as you drive to work, it’s hard for you (or your kids) to escape them. Recently, with concerns over childhood obesity, they’ve been deemed to be a bit too “cool for school” and most dentists will warn you of the effect of their acid and sugar on teeth. But what are the nutrition issues for adults? And what should you really choose to get your fizz?

Sickly sweet?

Soft drinks are the highest source of refined sugar (sucrose) in the diet of Australian children and increasing soft drink consumption has been linked to childhood obesity in one study. For adults, a can of regular soft drink can still be a big sugar load. On average you’re getting around 40g, or 10 teaspoons, of sugar per can alone. But it’s important to note that sugar is not ALWAYS bad.

The main concern with high sugar drinks like soft drinks is that they add kilojoules (and fluid) to your diet and not much else. Apart from an enjoyable sweet taste, you’re not getting any nutrients to speak of or any potent antioxidants. But it’s a myth that sugar causes diabetes and it can’t be blamed for the obesity epidemic. Sugar can certainly improve the palatability of highly nutritious foods like whole grains and is fine to have in moderation, especially if you are a healthy weight.

However, some soft drinks imported to Australia are sweetened with fructose (high fructose corn syrup) instead of sucrose. There are early concerns that a high intake of this type of fructose may lead to a greater storage of body fat according to studies performed on mice.

Are they safe?

There are many theories circulating on the Internet about the safety of alternative sweeteners in low sugar and diet soft drinks. These include scary tales of aspartame and cyclamate causing a range of health problems including cancer and multiple sclerosis. Plus, some studies have suggested that artificial sweeteners can increase appetite, but the evidence for this theory is inconsistent. All sweeteners used in soft drinks sold in Australia are closely studied, monitored and approved by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Hundreds of scientific studies have looked into the lack of safety claims and to date they have been fully refuted.

Bone risks?

There are also studies showing that cola drinks may lead to a decrease in bone density in women. The researchers have found that this is not due to women having lower calcium intakes from less milk consumption or due to the caffeine in soft drinks causing bone mineral loss. It’s thought that it may in fact be due to phosphoric acid in cola drinks which is thought to interfere with bone absorption of calcium.

Top choice?

Water is still the one, however, with zero sugar and virtually no kilojoules, while diet or “no sugar” soft drinks are the best soft drink choices for anyone watching their weight. And remember that diet cola drinks still contain caffeine, so try not to overdo it.

You can check out the ingredient list on the label of any soft drink to find the types of sugars and sweeteners it contains.

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Milk and mucus — fact or fallacy?

milk

Milk has had a bad wrap in the past. Dieters often skipped milk and other dairy foods in the mistaken belief that they caused weight gain. And many people believe that it’s best not to drink milk if you have asthma or a cold, as milk results in the production of mucus. We now know that dairy foods are an excellent part of a healthy diet due to their bone-building nutrients and research has shown that people who regularly eat dairy foods actually have an edge to weight loss. But what about the milk and mucus link?

Milk myths

It seems that this link goes a long way back in history to the 12th century, where dairy foods were reported to cause mucus-coated throats, clogged noses, annoying coughs and asthma. According to a comprehensive review in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, there is no scientific evidence for this.

After analysing the available scientific research on the topic, the authors concluded that milk intake was not associated with nose symptoms, cough or congestion.

Suspect symptoms

In one study, people drank either flavoured milk or a milk-free drink disguised to look and taste like flavoured milk. Interestingly, people who believed the milk-mucus myth tended to report more symptoms than non-believers. However, there was no difference in symptoms reported after the milk and the non-milk drinks — showing milk was not the cause. Some people know for sure that when they drink milk they do feel more ‘mucusy’ but it appears that this may be a chemical reaction between that person’s saliva and a milk compound. It is not dangerous and quickly disappears in the majority of cases.

Asthma triggers

The review also concluded that milk does not seem to exacerbate the symptoms of asthma. According to the National Asthma Council it is very rare for dairy foods to trigger asthma symptoms. Common culprits are more likely to be house dust mites, pollens, mould spores, animal hair or fur, tobacco smoke, viral infections and the common cold.

It’s very important for parents of children with asthma to continue to offer them a balanced diet. Dairy foods contain important growth nutrients including protein, calcium, riboflavin and niacin.

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