Archive for the ‘life’ Category

St Martin’s Lane Hotel x Gymbox

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

St Martin's Lane Hotel

Last weekend, I was invited to St Martin’s Lane Hotel in Covent Garden for a little overnight staycation, followed by a personal training session at Gymbox. It’s not often I have an excuse to stay in a hotel five or six miles from my house, so I thought, what the heck, count me in! Living in London’s East End, I try to avoid the madness that is central London and as lovely as Covent Garden is, the tourist factor and sheer number of people can make it a stressful zone to go into. But my night at St Martin’s Lane made me want to take regular staycations there. And by ‘regular staycations’, I of course mean, ‘move in’.

(more…)

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in life | 9 Comments »

Is it Sexual Assault if…?

Monday, March 18th, 2013

Stop Sign

In last week’s episode of Girls, there was a really disturbing scene. I’ve been trying to process it since. It made me feel all manner of uncomfortable things and anger and sadness and disappointment and disgust. A woman was sexually violated in a pretty awful way and when the scene ended, you were left thinking, what the hell just happened? Except it’s clear what just happened. Then you go online or talk to friends and hear debates about it and realise that not everyone shares the same view of what should be pretty cut and dried. Except it isn’t. Because rape is still one big grey area. And with each new debate, we realise just how much more conversation needs to happen. We need to talk about rape.

(more…)

Posted in life, relationships | 18 Comments »

Tick the Box Dating

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

IMG_1616

Ahh love. We all want it, nay, need it (according to John Lennon). But it sure is complicated, ain’t it? Finding it, staying in it, navigating it – no one ever said it was easy. But you know what? When you find the right one, it clicks – sure there are still ups and downs, but when you find your partner in crime, the two of you get in a groove and it works. But in the process of getting there, people often make lists of things they require in a partner. Many people list themselves right into a corner. Stick to your list all you want, but you may just miss out on ‘the one’ purely because they don’t quite tick all the boxes.

(more…)

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in life | 10 Comments »

Curating Our Lives Online

Monday, March 11th, 2013

Bangs and a Bun

We’re all putting ourselves out there online, some more than others. We share through blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the like. There are apps where we can share what we’re reading, how we’re working out, how many calories we’re ingesting, what images we like, the videos we make. We are really leaving no stone unturned in our sharing these days. We’re sharing each other’s successes, likes and dislikes and in some cases, some of this is turning into us straight up resenting people. It’s important to remember, now more than ever, what we share may not actually reflect the reality. To all extents and purposes, we are essentially curating our lives online.

(more…)

Tags: ,
Posted in life | 20 Comments »

Happy International Womens Day

Friday, March 8th, 2013

mama

All my layyyydeeeeezzzzz!

Today we celebrate how far we’ve come and reflect on how much further there is to go.

I’m surrounded by incredible women and have been lucky enough to meet women along my journey who have given me their time, energy and insight, which has in small or life changing way, contributed to who I am and who I’m becoming.

My mother and grandmothers (one no longer with us, one still kicking ass) have been a constant source of strength – these towering beacons of power who have wrapped me up in love, taught me, guided me and shown me the way simply through living their lives day to day in an inspiring way. You can’t move a mountain every day but these women have, chipped away at life, overcome hurdles, headed up their families and paved the way for me to live my life the way I do. I show them gratitude daily but on days like today, I reflect on it more.

(more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in life | 2 Comments »

Happiness is…

Tuesday, March 5th, 2013

BangsandaBun

Finding that warm spot on the floor as sunlight streams through the window

Having a nap in the middle of the day

Laughing so hard your face aches

Dancing like no one’s watching (but asking them to join in if they are)

A hug for no reason at all but just at the right moment

Giving up your seat on the tube for someone and seeing the relief in their face

Spending time with like minded people

Running a half marathon with the sole aim of simply enjoying it

Running a half marathon and seeing your friends pop up at random points on the course to cheer you on

Sending flowers to someone you know is going through a hard time and knowing you may have lifted their spirits even slightly

Sharing a laugh with a stranger

Random acts of kindness

Dancing into the wee hours with your friends til your feet hurt and your legs give in

Texts from your parents that can say nothing at all but are steeped in love

Finally being comfortable with yourself

Giving your time and energy to someone who needs it

Turning the pages of a book you love

Releasing the bad stuff to make room for more good

This moment right here…

Tags: , ,
Posted in life | 11 Comments »

How to Blog: Idea Generation eCourse

Monday, February 4th, 2013

e-course

I often get asked how to blog. Beyond simply creating a site, there’s the upkeep, staying organised the constant content creation. When you start out, you think you’ll have loads to say, but guaranteed, every now and then, you’ll fall flat. Well, my good friend and mentor, Jo Gifford, has created an eCourse to help kick start your creativity and set you on the right path to blogging success. I’ve taken the course and can tell you, she has some really great tips to share. Take a look at what the course covers:

(more…)

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in life | 8 Comments »

Green Eyed Monster

Monday, January 21st, 2013

Long Hair

Let’s talk a little about jealousy. It’s a bit of an uncomfortable topic. No one likes to admit they’re jealous. We’re all like to think we’re above it, that we have ourselves together and are far too mature to stoop to such lows, letting such a silly emotion as envy creep into our lives. But let us all collectively dismount our high horses for a second so we can have an honest discussion about it. Jealousy can rear its ugly head over the most trivial of things and can be such a toxic feeling. It’s important we acknowledge it and find a way we can manage it within ourselves.

(more…)

Tags: , , ,
Posted in life | 8 Comments »

How Do You Make Friends As An Adult?

Wednesday, January 16th, 2013

Beach exercise

Making friends when you’re a kid is so easy. Basically the only entry requirement is liking the same colour – as long as you have that much in common, you’re best friends forever. You can bond over that shiznit for hours when you’re seven, breaking down the infinite shades of emerald that bring you joy and that’s enough for a lifelong bond. That person often ends up quite literally being your friend for life. But as you grow older, leave high school and university and find yourself in all these new situations, all of a sudden you’re late twenties/early thirties feeling like, ‘hold up, how did I ever make friends?’ It’s something that is rarely discussed, but seriously, how do you make friends as an adult?

(more…)

Tags: ,
Posted in life, relationships | 31 Comments »

Top 5 Articles You Should Read Right Now

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

Bangs & a Bun

I’ve been reading a lot of great stuff on the net recently. Just when you think the internet has become nothing but cat videos and pictures of food, some excellent wordsmith pops up and restores your faith in the art of the written word. I love coming across articles that give me plenty of food for thought and I have revisited the following articles many times, drawing on their wisdom or just marveling at how well written they are. So, naturally, because I love you guys (group hug?), I thought I’d share the links here so you too can benefit from their greatness. You’re welcome.

(more…)

Tags: , , ,
Posted in life | 5 Comments »