 Photo Credit
I found the above image rather fitting this morning, considering the heavens opened last night before I went to bed and it doesn’t seem to have stopped raining for more than a couple of minutes since.
This week I totally adore:
* Delicious treats from Marks and Spencer (I swear they do the best cheese scones in the universe) * Playing Angry Birds obsessively now it’s finally been released for WebOS * The latest episode of Leverage - “The Rashomon Job”, which was both brilliant and hilarious * Looking forward to a long weekend (during which we have a Miyazaki movie marathon planned) * Surprisingly fun days at work * Laughing with friends * Half-price champagne – it’s going to be saved for the weekend however * Achieving private, personal goals that really mean something to me * Artichokes, olives and sunblush tomatoes *
What’s making your week sparkle?
TiLT is inspired by Gala Darling
 Photo Credit
It’s no exaggeration (or big surprise) to say that I love living in the 21st Century. I love my gadgets, TV shows, films with great special effects and most importantly of course, the Internet and all the life-enhancements it brings. However, despite all the time I spend Online, despite the fact that I would be lost without a smartphone and a data contract, I still get called a “luddite” at times by those around me. Here’s why:
* I hate reading on screens. If there’s a long blog post, or an article I need for research, I’ll print it and read it on paper. (Amidst exclamations of “ugh, hard-copy” from the boy).
* I cannot envisage a day when I will be happy swapping my book collection for an ebook reader. My desire to own books and have a beautiful, colourful bookshelf far overrides my desire for gadgetry and the convenience of an ebook reader. Ideally, I’d like to see a day when the ebook comes with the physical book, perhaps as a QR code for a digital download generated at the point of purchase or something.
* I like cheap peripherals! I can’t be dealing with super-sensitive “gaming” mice, they drive me completely insane. I like a clunky old £5 basic mouse and a similarly clunky, cheap keyboard that has keys that click in a satisfying manner when typing. Soft-touch keys make my skin crawl.
* I like to match my bag to my shoes. Even my mother says this is old-fashioned!
* Most of the time, if I receive a text that requires more than a yes or no answer (and I know the sender won’t mind), I’ll call, rather than text back. I would much prefer to actually speak to someone rather than sending them a message I can’t be 100% sure they’ll receive / look at for ages.
* I like using the “correct” wine glasses for different types of wine, even when it’s cheap plonk on a Friday night in and nobody will see me.
* Even though at times I swear like a trooper and hold my fork in my right hand, I often find myself yearning for an era where everyone had “proper” manners, and meals, trips out, etc. were more “civilised” affairs than they tend to be nowadays.
Do you have any loves, traits or occupations that others find old-fashioned?
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I managed to miss last week’s TiLT due to an appointment in London and associated public transport nightmares that saw me arriving home around 3 hours later than expected. This week however, I love:
* Automatic transmission – I’m learning to drive at the moment and it never occurred to me to try driving an automatic instead of manual. Since my goal is to learn as quickly (though obviously also safely) as possible, it’s definitely the way to go. It’s so easy compared to before! I’m twice as confident now I don’t have to worry about changing gear all the time!
* Being a “Lady who lunches” – A friend and I went to a ladies lunch event at a local restaurant yesterday, and although the majority of the other diners had at least 30 years on us, we had a great time. Delicious food, good wine, a fashion show, raffle and some interesting stalls to peruse, it was a really fun afternoon and I even won a giant teddy bear that’s almost as big as me – thank goodness we had a lift home!
* Shoes – I struggle to buy shoes, and I’m terrible in heels, so when I decided to wear my Vivienne Westwood for Melissa 3-strap elevated shoes out properly for the first time yesterday, I was amazed when I didn’t need to change into the “emergency flats” I’d taken with me just in case! They’re so comfy, and I now need to buy them in other colours too!
* Windows 7 – I finally updated from XP (I decided there was no point in doing so until I wanted to run something that requrired me to upgrade) and I really like it. I have been wasting a lot of time playing majhong and putting widgets everywhere!
* Dressing up – There’s no confidence boost like one gained by dressing in one of your favourite outfits and knowing it’s well put-together and looks good. Getting complimented on it by strangers doesn’t hurt either!
* Lightly educational TV – I love shows that re-create historical periods for slightly educational entertainment, popular science, and dramatisations of actual events. It doesn’t seem so much like wasting time when one is learning something from it!
* Other – Playing Just Cause 2 (when I’m not yelling at the screen), experiments in creating vegetarian chilli, wearing glittery eyeliner, custard doughnuts, curling up in a slanket on the sofa (though it really shouldn’t be cold enough to do this in August!), listening to Zeromancer, drinking loads of water and feeling great.
What’s making your week sparkle?
TiLT is inspired by Gala Darling
 Photo Credit
This week I have some links to share that have been exceedingly valuable and inspiring to me recently.
Freelance Writing
Blogging
As you might have guessed, I’ve been thinking about blogging and writing a lot this week, and I’m working on quite a few things “behind the scenes” at the moment, including those design tweaks I’ve been talking about for months – they will appear at some point!
What’s inspiring you this week?
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Every weekday morning I sit at my desk at work bleary-eyed, achey in minimal make-up and a totally uninspiring thrown-on outfit. A cereal bar hastily thrown in my bag and consumed when I arrive at the office serves as my breakfast, and more often than not I arrive with wet and / or unstyled hair, and it takes me several hours before I’m functioning at full capacity.
I am not a morning person, however the time has come when I need to become one.
For the past few days I’ve been forcing myself to get up when (or at least soon after) my alarm goes off, setting it earlier each day. It’s early days yet, but it does seem to be making quite a difference!
* Not rushing in the morning means I get to work in a much better mood!
* I’ve been easily on time every day, no rushing up the stairs 2 minutes late, or running down the road when the bus stops further up than usual.
* I’m terrible for forgetting things when I’m getting ready to leave the house, but not now (fingers crossed that continues).
* I have time for coffee and something more substantial to eat than a cereal bar.
It’s also proving very useful as my new haircut means I now have to style my hair (at the very least, straightening my fringe) each morning, which I would never have had time for before!
Of course, I turned to the blogosphere for guidance, and exploring the archives found this excellent post from Yes and Yes, and also this one from Positively Present, full of tips that have been exceedingly valuable. I thought I’d hate going to bed earlier (I’ve always been a night owl) but then it occurred to me that I don’t really use my evenings properly anyway – I mess around Online, watch TV and generally waste time, so it isn’t as if I’ll suddenly find myself bereft of time to get things done.
The point of this post? It’s just my way of saying I seriously recommend trying this waking up early lark – it’s really working for me!
 Photo Credit
This week I love:
* Being Blonde – Yesterday I spent over five hours in the hairdressers having the red bleached out, toners and highlights put in and a fringe cut! I now have almost the same haircut and colour I had when I was 12 years old, and I totally love it! I can wear any colour I want without worrying about clashing, and M.A.C.’s Viva Glam Gaga looks so much better on me now! I’ll miss the red, but I can’t deny how much better this looks on me!
* Pink! – I can wear it without clashing now, and thus I have the urge to buy loads of pink tops!
* L’Occitane – I have a bordering-on-unhealthy obsession with this shop. I just adore everything in there, so I was thrilled to find a small selection of make-up in there on Friday, including a blush that’s the perfect colour for me. One thing I really adore is that they have ginger and lemon tea to drink whilst you browse, and once they even had sparkling wine for the customers!
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* Gaming – I don’t think I play enough video games to call myself a “gamer”, but I do enjoy immersing myself in them from time to time! I re-played Portalthe other evening, because I’m becoming impatient for the sequel!
* A Really Great Weekend – As much as I wanted to be at Sonisphere, I had a fabulous time anyway! Friday night I left work early, took a bus to Leicester shopped for a couple of hours then went for sushi with The Boy followed by a second viewing of Inception (in a good cinema this time – our local one is a bit rubbish). On Saturday I went to a birthday party, ate delicious barbecue food, met up with old friends I haven’t seen in a long time and was used as a plaything / piece of furniture by an adorable kitten obsessed with the zip pulls on my jacket!
* Music – I seem to be listening to a lot more music than usual this week, I think in part because usually when I’m blogging / messing around Online I have a TV show or movie on in the background, but I haven’t found my interest piqued by many of those this week. I’m listening to bands I haven’t heard in a long time and I’m loving it!
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* Other – Mini Milks – yummiest ice lollies ever, Seeing small weight loss results already, Managing to stay organised, Monster-fulled productivity, Mushroom stroganoff, tutus, Newport State of Mind (yes, I realise the whole world has seen it by now, but it’s still making me laugh), napping (I’m such an old woman!), the bottle of Chambord The Boy bought – we haven’t drunk any of it yet, but it’s so pretty!
What’s making your week sparkle?
TiLT is inspired by Gala Darling
 Photo Credit
Why don’t you:
* Try Lucid Dreaming, I’ve only tried a couple of times so far and been unsuccessful (as someone who rarely remembers her dreams I imagine it might be quite hard for me) but it sounds like an interesting experience and I’ll be trying again.
* Buy a gym ball (they’re cheap-ish and really versatile) and use it as a seat whenever you can (I use it when eating and watching TV, it’s a little low to use at my desk however) and reap the benefits when you’d usually be slouching!
* Cook something that’s a little out of your comfort zone and that you’d usually buy in – I’m thinking of baking some scones this weekend, or perhaps a full-size sponge cake as usually mine collapse.
* Make your own ice lollies, and experiment with interesting flavours! I’m tempted to try making bloody mary ice lollies (with tabasco of course), I hear the trick is to keep the alcohol content at 5% overall or under so that they freeze properly.
* Read:
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”The Pre-Purchase Quiz” on Already Pretty is something I could do with taking note of next time I go shopping.
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“Sancutary” is a post by Tavi containing screencaps of teenage girls’ bedrooms from various films and TV shows. It made me quite nostalgic about my own teenage sanctuary (complete with Titanic poster)!
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Since approaching the idea of writing about fashion and style, I have inevitably paid an increasing amount of attention to what I wear from day to day. I’ve identified the things I get right, but I’ve also identified plenty of areas that I think I would like to improve, in the interests of looking good and maintaining a “healthy” wardrobe full of pieces I love that fit well.
The following are some of the habits I feel I really must try to break:
* Shopping when I’m feeling a bit down about myself and buying clothing (particularly tops) because it hides the bits I’m feeling bad about and not because I actually like the garments.
* Buying more “evening” wear than I will ever go out in public in just because it’s pretty.
* Not buying shoes in any colour other than black.
* Keeping worn-out, faded, hole-y clothing because it’s comfortable and I can “wear it around the house”. This sort of stuff then totally takes over my wardrobe and I only wear the same 3 or 4 pieces most of the time anyway.
* Buying things I don’t need and only feel lukewarm about on eBay / in Primark just because they’re cheap (then only wearing them once).
* Owning multiple pairs of “aspirational” skinny jeans.
* Wearing all black due to laziness and total lack of imagination.
* Never clearing out my old clothing!
Do you have any “bad” style habits you’re trying to break?
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* Keeping busy – I’ve been sorting lots of “real life” things out this week, as well as planning lots of social events and generally getting on with things I’ve been putting off for a while. I feel rather energised and accomplished.
* Great shops – Or rather, realising that Loughborough really isn’t so bad after all, as there are a handful of really unique shopping havens including a couple of great vintage shops and a handmade chocolate cafe!
* Cooking success – Nothing particularly complicated or exciting, but it’s always great to make something from scratch and for it to come out tasting perfect. Last night I made a delicious shepherds pie, of which we still have half for dinner tonight, and earlier in the week I perfected my chicken yakitori recipe.
* Hair changes – I’m having the red professionally removed from my hair, and although I’ll miss it, I’ve dyed my hair for so long it’ll be a relief eventually to be able to leave it alone and let it recover from all the damage I’ve caused! It’s always nice to have a new style too, I’m tempted by a fringe (bangs), but I haven’t quite decided yet.
*Other – Gin and tonic lollies, reading zines in the sunshine, pink cava, fun days with friends, Inception – it’s brilliant!, Watching lots and lots of Farscape, watching the Farnborough air show streaming Online (in the office, when I should have been working, shhh!).
What’s making your week sparkle?
TiLT is inspired by Gala Darling
 Photo Credit
My desire to lose weight is a really big part of my life right now, but it’s also been something I’ve felt reluctant to blog about. There are so many negative connotations to being a woman striving to lose a few pounds these days. You can be accused of:
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Losing weight just because you want to attract men.
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Trying to conform to media stereotypes.
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Being shallow and placing too much value in looks alone., because obviously the only reason anyone wants to lose weight is because of how they look (and apparently this is a very bad thing).
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Trying to be something you’re not, not being proud of your shape, etc.
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Having low self-esteem.
Etc…
Personally, if trolls want to accuse me of any of the above, the can, however since my weight loss endeavours will probably creep into the blog a little here and there, I wanted to share my real reasons for wanting to shed some excess pounds. Also I wouldn’t want any of my readers to think that I believe everyone should be thin. I think peoples’ bodies are their own to do what they wish with however my advice to others if they asked for it would always be to strive to be as healthy as you can, whatever body shape and size that happens to come with.
I intend to lose around 30lbs. Two years ago, I was at my healthiest weight. Since then I’ve been working 9 – 5 and studying in the evenings so I’ve basically spent 24 months sitting at various desks. Boredom-snacking became the norm, so whilst I was still eating healthy, nutritious meals, the amount of sweets, chocolate, cakes and other comfort foods I consumed between meals increased massively, as did my waistline measurements! It piled on gradually, so as is so often the case, I didn’t really think about it much until one day I pulled out a pair of jeans I hadn’t worn in a while and couldn’t get them past my thighs.
I hope that losing this weight will:
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Increase my stamina – with my reduced lung capacity, every extra pound means my breathing muscles have to work much harder, and I get out of breath more quickly.
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Increase my vitality – I feel sluggish and tired a lot at the moment, and I’m sure it’s in part to do with my weight and health in general.
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Have a psychological effect – In feeling better I hope I won’t “need” to comfort-eat as much!
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Save me from having to buy a whole new wardrobe!
Of course, I am looking forward to looking more svelte too, but it’s not my primary concern and my healthy weight by no means meets the fashion magazine idea of “thin” anyway. If I lose too much weight I get really “knobbly” knees, and since I consider my legs my best feature, I don’t want to get to that stage!
For those that may be interested, here’s what I’m doing in my attempt to “battle the bulge”:
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Exercising portion control in my meals, and eating more slowly to allow myself time to digest instead of wolfing down a second helping then feeling over-full.
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Eating fewer processed carbohydrates by only buying wholemeal bread, avoiding sweets, etc. and snacking on fruit and veg, seeds, etc. rather than cheese on toast and Doritos!
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Never skipping breakfast.
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Drinking the low calorie alcoholic options such as white wine, vodka tonics, etc. rather than beer or sickly-sweet cocktails (except as an occasional treat).
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Drinking loads of water.
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Trying to walk more, when possible (i.e. when not under time constraints).
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Accepting any invitation to go out dancing that I can get!
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Sitting on a gym ball whilst watching TV (I haven’t actually done this yet, but I will do once I can find the pump for the ball!)
As you can probably tell, I’m not the gym-bunny type, though as my energy levels start to rise I’ll probably increase my exercise too.
I’m losing weight because I think it will improve my well-being. It’s for me, not for anyone else, and I really feel the need to emphasise this as I wouldn’t want anyone to get the impression that I was perpetuating any kind of thin = pretty = superior agenda. I simply know what size and weight I’m comfortable and healthy at, and it’s that health and comfort-level I’m trying to get back. If I felt healthier at the weight I’m at, I’d stick to it.
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