I Have Moved

Hi Everybody,

It has been a long time since I have added a new post to this blog, and this will be my final post on this platform.

The sole purpose of this post is to let you know that I have moved to a new, self-hosted domain. Come check it out here: www.simplysolelyme.com

I will be updating the blog over there a lot more frequently, as I've decided to become a lot more committed to the cause once more.

Please feel free to follow me!

- A

It's been a While

Hi Everybody,

It has been a ridiculously long time since I've written a post here (about 3 months I'd say), so I've decided to pick up my little blogging project once more, in order to learn more about driving traffic to sites, and gauging interests of different topics.

I will sit down and write a proper, longer post during the course of this week, when I have more time to gather my thoughts and decide on something which is not boring, or a short read.

For now, here's a quick update on the past few months of my life:

Work has gotten rather busy and taken up some time outside of my usual work routine, in order for me to get things done. I'm really enjoying my job, and am being given more and more responsibility as time goes on. In the career department, I can't really ask for more at the moment, I am happy!

I have booked a total of 3 holidays with my boyfriend this year, 2 in May (Morocco and Home), and one in December (3 different Greek Islands). I'll be sure to report back to you all on various aspects of the gloriously warm holidays I'll be sure to have. Definitely can't wait for summer, sun and cocktails!

I decided to begin setting up my very own company in January, but haven't gotten further than buying a web domain and hosting package (no, I have not even built the site!!). I've started making a gant chart in order to plan my time more wisely, and begin with the designs and content creation for the site, in order to get it up and running, and fast. I don't want this to be money down the drain, so I really need to get going on that. I also need to get going on a proper business plan, which will take me a fair amount of time to get through as well.

My new-years resolutions have slowly faded into nothing, I have not lost much weight, and have not done any charity work thus far, what with eating a load of pizzas, watching friends in bed for the 3rd time running, and making up excuses to just not leave the house. Worst! Determination! EVER! I have a plan to go back to the gym on Tuesday (Once the boyfriend is on a business trip, and my 5-week flu/cold thing has disappeared). I also aim to have a spring dump out of old clothes, which I would like to donate to charity (I know it's not much, but it's a start, right?)

If anybody out there, living in the UK, knows any good volunteering programs for charity, which happen on a weekend, give me a shout, I am really having trouble knowing where to begin.

That's all from me for now, how have you all been?

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

PS: just a quick message with regards to my "Life Throws a Curveball" Blog - I have not been able to commit to 2 blogs at once, and have decided to take this particular blog and it's content offline for the time being, until I have written a few more chapters and can add content without needing to write it first. I will let you all know once it's ready again, however it may take a little more time than previously thought.

Snow is Falling, All Around Me!

Hi Everyone,

In the spirit of the current weather, I thought the Obligatory Snow photo would only be fitting:

Snowy View from my Window

Not the best view, I know, but I am still loving the amount of snow that is falling, and has been falling since I've woken up this morning (Okay afternoon).

I hate it when the snow is falling though, but once it has stopped falling, especially when you've decided to go on a walk in the countryside, everything becomes really calm and quiet. It's amazing how relaxing and fun a walk in the snow can be.

I do have to say though, that people don't seem to cope very well with the snow here in London, everything tends to just come to a complete stand-still. There are a lot more 'snow days' here than back in my home country - don't get me wrong, I do love me a lazy day - but when you need to get work done, it can get pretty annoying.

Anyway, that's all from me today, I hope you're all enjoying the winter fun, and for everyone not in the vicinity of snow, I hope you've had an amazing weekend!

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

New Year, New Aspirations

Hi Everyone,

It's been a ridiculously long time since I've posted something on this blog (over a month!!). Now that the new year is here, I've got some new aspirations brewing in my mind.

This is the year that I want to start planning and setting up my own business for real. I have spent too much time dreaming and thinking about it, it's time to act. If a 12-year-old boy can set up a hugely successful website/business, then so can I, right?

I also want to start researching into an MBA (yes I know it's a lot to take on, but I have to get to it). I've always wanted more than the average Bachelor's degree, and as I gain more work experience, I will be in the position to apply for such a program. I've therefore decided to look into which MBA program to join and where, and obviously plan the funds for this.

I also want to bring more to the table at work. It's time to step up and bring in some ideas. I want to progress as I have finally found a job that I enjoy and want to succeed in.

So, with by big life goals now out on the table, what are your goals, and what are you doing to achieve them?

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Next Trousers and Recent Updates

Hi Everyone,

Today's post is all about Next Trousers and recent updates, as it's been a ridiculously long time (over a month!) since I've last posted something.

Here are some updates:

I have recently taken on a second job, which I'm quite excited about. It's similar to what I'm currently doing, but a little more related to what I want to be going in the direction of in the future. The job will take up 10 hours of my time, every week!

I have moved homes, I now live in the centre of London, as opposed to outside of the city. It takes me 30 minutes to get to work compared to 1 hour, and it's really convenient to go places during the weekend or after work! The flat is a lot bigger and very modern, and I love it (despite the fact that everything runs on electricity and the bills will give me several heart attacks over the next year)!

I've pretty much completed most of my Christmas shopping (just the boyfriend's parents left now!) and everything is looking pretty good.

The company I work for is in the process of changing, and the clothing policy has changed - it's all smart and professional dress now, which I quite like as I like a little businessy dress or trousers and shirt. - By the way please do drop me a line if you know any good retailers for business clothing, so far my business wardrobe consists of Next and (I dare say) Primark! Any tips will help as I REALLY need some new tops to go with some very unique trousers, see the following pictures:

Next Grey Check Trousers

Next Check Trousers

Anyway, the main issue I'm having is finding a nice black suit (preferably with trousers but could buy both trousers and skirt to match the jacket). If anyone has any tips (for tailored fits) please, please let me know!

That's really it for today.

As Always, Stay Tuned!
- A

The Christmas Cheer is Near

Hi Everyone,

It's that time of year again: Christmas!
In all honesty it's my favourite time of year. The all around atmosphere of love and joy, the sitting in front of a warm fire drinking hot chocolate, or even those long walks in the snow with a loved one, it can't get better than that! Of course I also love the shopping aspect of it, and walking along Oxford Street with the gorgeous Christmas lights blinking and glistening against the crisp winter air - just gorgeous!

This year, I'll be spending Christmas with my sister, in my gorgeous, new, central London home (yes, I am moving in 2 weeks and am VERY excited about this)!

When I was younger and spent Christmas with the family, we used to celebrate it on the 24th of December, and we would have 3 days of food feasts, and another feast on New Year's Eve! I really want to make this year's Christmas similar to those, so any good Christmas recipes would be very much appreciated.

In terms of gifts, I'm always at a bit of a loss at what to get the boyfriend. The last present I got him (for our 2-year anniversary) was an expensive pen pouch, which he wasn't very happy with (much to my anger).

So for Christmas, it's got to be something practical, yet not overly expensive. Anyone have any good ideas?

In terms of Christmas presents for women, here are a few things she might like:

Although I'm sure your wife doesn't hate the Christmas jumper you seem to love getting her every year, she would most definitely prefer something like this gorgeous Tiffany & Co. bracelet:

Your sister probably likes the usual fashion jewellery that you tend to get her every year, but I'm sure she'd love you for this amazing French Connection dress, which is perfect for a New Year's Party:

And then of course, there's your mother, who I'm sure loves those bath products you seem to give her for every special occasion, but would absolutely adore you for buying this stunning pair of Swarovski Earrings for her:

For other Christmas present ideas, have a look at sites like Buy a Gift. In turn, if you've got any good ideas, I always appreciate the help!

Hoping you're all going to enjoy the festive season!

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Venice - The City of Romance

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to the third and final part of my 3-part holiday post! This one is all about Venice, the city of romance!

Now I love a bit of romance (as most girls do), and I must say, if there is ever a place for romance, Venice is definitely it!

Unfortunately, we had a bit of a hiccup when we first arrived. We had spent all night on an overnight train from Rome to Venice (arriving at around 5am), including a snoring, rowdy old man who constantly went in and out of the cabin and turned on the lights, and screamed down the phone at around 3am.
Once we arrived in Venice (in the dark), we went to the hotel and found that it was shut, and not opening until 7am!!! We rang the bell and got a sleepy, angry owner on the line, telling us to come back at 7. So with heavy suitcases in hand, we set off down the road to find an open cafe. Two hours of eating pastries and drinking delicious coffee later, I was exhausted and could only think of a comfortable bed! So we headed back to the hotel to check in and sleep, only to find that, yes, we were able to check in but no, the room was not available until 2pm!!! I'm sure you can understand my aggravation, and they did not even offer a shower for us to freshen up. We left out suitcases there, and set off to wonder around the city.

The city is like a bit of a maze, so it's easy to get lost. But everywhere you go, there are lots of shops selling the famous Murano glass (made on Murano island), gorgeous masquerade ball masks, and lots of other quirky little things.
Once 2pm finally came around, we headed back to the hotel and went to sleep for about 4 hours!
The good thing of being up at around 7am, was the fact that we were able to see the gorgeous sunrise above the little streets and canals of Venice. The bad side? We were falling asleep on a bench, somewhere in the middle of Venice, watching a duck trying to steal a bin!

Overall, there are 5 other islands to see, but we only went to three of them - Murano, Burano, and Lido.
Murano was amazing, we went to see one of the many glass factories (and I have to say, I feel sorry for the people working there. Outside it was already 30 degrees C, inside it must have been so much worse!!). We watched two men making a gorgeous glass vase, and after a short while decided to have a little wonder around the island. Murano is much smaller than Venice itself, but the amount of shops selling Murano glass are multiplied by about 10.

After Murano came Burano, the island of colourful houses and lace! I have never seen such a pretty place to live, the colours of houses varied from bright blue, to green, to pink and red! The island is probably the smallest amongst this group, and it probably only takes about 10 minutes to walk from one end to the other. It has a pretty main square, where all the restaurants are. We decided to have lunch here, which was a bit of a fiasco. The amount of waiters standing outside and trying to get you to their restaurant is slightly overwhelming. We finally decided on a place and, after about 15 minutes of waiting to actually be served, decided to walk off and go to a different restaurant. Maybe they shouldn't try to get people in, but focus on the ones that are already there!
After lunch, we had a look around the shops. Here, the abundance of lace shops was pretty amazing. I really wanted to buy a nice, thin, pink scarf, but they are (obviously) very expensive, and I decided not to.

Once we left Burano, we headed to Lido. Lido is one of the bigger islands, and we had been told that the island has a beach!! We walked from one end of the island to the other (the width, not the length!) and found the beach. Unfortunately, by the time we got there it was about 6 O'clock, and getting rather cold. I tried to sunbathe, but it was pretty much impossible at that time.
I did, however, gather a few small seashells, to remind me of the island  - they are currently sitting on my windowsill.

The islands took up one whole day of being in Venice, the other was spent visiting St. Marks Square, and all the sights around the square. We didn't end up going up to Campanille, as it started raining quite badly when we were in the queue outside. Maybe next time!

All in all, the holiday (despite a few minor hiccups), was super fun, but pretty exhausting.
Beach holiday next, please!

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, But it was Visited in Two!

Hi Everyone,

So it's been over 2 weeks (!!) since I last posted, and I am well aware of the fact that I promised a three part post about what I did on my holiday in September. Therefore, I'd like to apologise for my delay with this post, but here is the second part to my holiday shenanigans:

The fifth day of our holiday, it was time to go to the airport (at 5am I might add) to fly to Rome. We got there at around 12pm, and it was gorgeous! The weather was so hot, and as we were driving towards the city on one of the airport shuttles, I instantly fell in love with the gorgeous houses sprinkled all over the little towns of Italy.

As soon as we got to the hotel, we checked in straight away. The room we had was the best of all three rooms we stayed in. It was fairly big, had a good, big shower, and was nice and quiet, away from the hustle and bustle from the street. The hotel itself was just a two minute walk from Termini Station, which is where we had to get our night train from on our way to Venice two days later. There were lots of restaurants around, and quite a few sights were within walking distance.

Unlike Paris, Rome was a lot smaller, and we were able to walk to different places pretty quickly, meaning we didn't use the public transport too much, which I thought was a little confusing anyway.

My favourite part of Rome? I know it's cheesy but, once it turned 7pm, you would see lots of brides and grooms taking their wedding photos at places like the Colosseum, which was pretty amazing. I'm a typical girl in the sense that I was looking at all of their wedding dresses, imagining myself in them.

The food in Rome was pretty good too, being Italian, I was pretty happy. I do have to say though, that Italians seem to eat a lot for dinner. Their menus included three courses, the courses each being huge, like a full plate of pasta for first course, and a big steak with veg. and chips for the second course. I must have gained a good 5 Kilos whilst I was there.

The other thing which was slightly annoying in Rome (and Venice too, as a matter of fact), was the amount of people selling fake designer bags and sunglasses and wallets on the streets. They did like to hassle you, and try to get you to buy one of their bags saying they were just like the real thing (when in reality they didn't look anything like the real thing).

When we went to the Vatican, I was almost not allowed into St. Peter's Basilica, because they are so strict with dress codes. A woman is not allowed to show her upper legs, her shoulders, her midriff,  or have a top which is too low cut. I understand it of course, with the Basilica being so religious, but I had covered my upper legs, and quickly put on a cardigan. So after a short 2 minute discussion with one of the security guards, I was okay to proceed.

Rome is also the best place to see the Roman ruins (of course), and my boyfriend and I spent about 3 hours of one day walking around all of the ancient ruins. As I was looking at different things, I was imagining what it must have been like to live in Rome in those days. We tend to take a lot of things for granted with it being the digital age and so on, but people in those days must have had quite a few difficulties with various things.
I do think the history in Rome is really cool and interesting, as (in my opinion) it is one of the most historic and cultured cities in the world.

Anyway, that is all I've got to say about my time in Rome. For a first time visit, it was pretty amazing.

The last part of my 3-part post will come soon (I promise to write it before the end of next week!!), and will be about: Venice - the City of Romance.

As Always, Stay Tuned.

- A

Oh la blah - Disappointing Paris!

Hi everyone,

It has been quite a while since I've last written a post, so the plan is to write a 3-part post over the next few days about my holiday adventures from the beginning of this month!

First up: Oh la blah - Disappointing Paris!

So my boyfriend asked me a few months ago, what three places I'd like to visit most in Europe. My answer: Paris, Venice and Rome.

The outcome of this discussion was, that he booked a 10 day holiday weekend for us to go and visit all of those places. First up was Paris.

Now, my expectations of Paris were huge, especially since everyone says that it's 'One of the most romantic cities on earth'!

Upon arriving, we ended up in a rather rough area of the city. Picture army people walking around with machine guns, full grown men walking around kicking bins over out of anger, and a whole lot of alcoholics sitting on benches, drinking and gawking at anything that had legs. And that wasn't even the worst of it: the Metro had a constant smell of wee about it, which was rather unpleasant after a romantic dinner in the nice part of town.

Don't get me wrong, there were also a few nice moments in the city, like a boat tour on the river, climbing up the Eifel Tower, and seeing it glitter and sparkle every hour, on the hour, as it was lit up with shining lights. But was this my favourite place on the holiday? No!

The city has put me off of French food, one particular restaurant served something which resembled a mix between chicken, and pressed organs, but was actually meant to be fish - I still feel sick thinking about it now!
In another particular restaurant, the waiter was actually trying to tell us that a corking bottle of wine was, in fact, not corking at all but that the 2009 wine was just quite old...
On the bright side, I have quite a few funny stories to look back on, after stripping away the aggravation, aching feet (from hours upon hours of walking around the city, going sightseeing and more), and the smell of wee!

Other things that happened in Paris? I met my boyfriends cousin, who took us to some dodgy looking (and smelling!!) "underground" bar. The bar was covered in graffiti inside and out, but the cocktails (although strong) were pretty good.
I had breakfast on the Champs Elysees (which I've always wanted to do), I saw and climbed up the Eifel Tower, I went up the Arc de Triomphe, went to see Notre Dame cathedral, and saw various amazing views of Paris by day and night!

All in all, even though I didn't love Paris, it's still worth a visit and definitely an interesting experience.

Next on the 3-part post: Rome Wasn't Built in a Day - But Visited in Two!

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Social Media - help appreciated!

Hi Everyone,

So it's been just over a week since I've last posted, and the heat wave still hasn't let up - amazing!
It did rain a little bit earlier, but that's pretty much it.

In terms of what I've been up to, honestly? Not much! I've been writing my first chapter for Life Throws a Curveball (check it out!), and otherwise I've been working lots. The annoyingly stressful client at work is currently reviewing our work, meaning I've got a bit of time to relax - a little like the calm before the storm!

On to the main part of this post:

So I've been trying out various types of social media to promote this blog - I've used everything but Facebook to get some more traffic in, and whilst I've gotten it up to quite a few page visits, the number of unique visitors is (apparently) only around 54 for this month.

What do you guys suggest I do - should I make an anonymous Facebook profile and start promoting it there too? Are there any blogging communities you could recommend which work well?

In terms of Google analytics, how do you embed the code on your blog on blogspot, so that it works best - I've had a bit of trouble getting it to work properly, does anybody have any suggestions?

I'd be really happy if you could help me out here, I really need to know a few more things, especially as I'd like to start promoting my new blog, which I'm hoping to generate a lot of traffic for.

Thanks in advance.

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Summer Daze

Hi Everyone,

So the last few days have been a perfect Summer Daze! Warm mornings, hot days, and gorgeous, summery evenings.

Of course most of my day was spent at the office (oh the joy!), and I was so busy that I didn't manage to leave the office before 7.30 in Wednesday.

My weekend isn't looking any better, as most of last week was spent working on just one client, meaning I have loads of work to catch up on!

Anyway, enough work talk, and on to the more interesting stuff now!

I've decided to try something new, a Book Blog called Life Throws A Curveball. The concept is this:

• The blog will take the shape of an online book, and will be the length of a novel.
• Each post will make up one chapter of this "book".
• Posts will take between a week and a month to come out (depending on how much spare time I've got outside of my full-time job) - I'm hoping, of course, that posts will take closer to a week to come out, to keep everyone interested.
• The story will most likely take the form of a chick flick!

Please do have a look at the blog, and if you like it, spread the word - and don't worry, I won't abandon this blog - I intend to keep posting here at least once a week!

Now, just to quickly round up this post, here are some of my favourite fashion items from this week:

Aqua Kimono Maxi Dress - ASOS

Jimmy Choo - Candy Printed Acrylic Clutch

Alexander McQueen - Unicorn Skull Embroidered Satin Box Clutch

Christian Louboutin - Alti 140 Spiked Patent-Leather Pumps

Alexander McQueen - Skull-Embroidered Suede Pumps

Giuseppe Zanotti - Swarovski Crystal-Embellished Contoured Wedge Pumps

Anyway, That's all from me today - I hope you are all enjoying your Summer Daze as much as I am!

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

What would you wear on a date with a celebrity?

Hi Everyone,

I'm dedicating today's post to a hypothetical thought I had this morning, and of course, what's been happening in my life for the past two weeks (sorry for the lack of posting!)

So as I woke up for the third time this morning (at 9am believe it or not!), my boyfriend had gone to work, and I had a particularly random thought.

Hypothetically speaking, if you had a date with a celebrity (say Chase Crawford or Taylor Lautner), what would you wear?

I would wear this:

Paprika Bodycon Dress

But instead of those shoes and that bag, I would wear these:

Love by Moschino Clutch

Christian Louboutin - Yolanda Patent Heels

Now on to you - what would you wear on a date with a celebrity?

Anyway, onto the second part of this post - it's been quite a while since I've posted something, over two weeks as a matter of fact!
Quite a bit has happened so I will just recount the highlights quickly -

• Last Friday I went for a few drinks with my colleagues at the pub accross the road from work, which is always a laugh! I then went home to watch the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, which I have to say was pretty cool!
• Saturday I went to watch the Men's bike race (or a part of it) and in the evening, I to see the Wizard of Oz at the Palladium in London, and had a nice meal with my boyfriend. I quite liked the Wizard of Oz, definitely a classic and a must see (they even have a real dog on stage - a highland terrier - which was pretty cool)!
• On Sunday I went shopping with the boyfriend and just chilled.
• This last week I've just been working away, and the week flew by pretty fast. I'm enjoying work a lot these days, despite some annoying colleagues making a fuss about really unimportant issues in their lives. 
• I finally got my shiny, brand new iPhone 4S (the white one!!), which I'm pretty excited and happy about. 
• This Friday, I went straight home from work to spend some time with my boyfriend, as he went to watch an Olympic football game yesterday, and is working today, meaning I don't get to see him

So that's all from me today.

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

My Saturday Night

Hi Everyone,

This post is dedicated to my Saturday night from last week.
I'd gone back to the old house in South East London, where I used to live, for a house party. 3 of my old housemates, and a the girl who moved into my room after I'd left, are moving out of the house simultaneously, so they had a leaving do.

Now, two of them are moving out because the landlord has basically decided he doesn't like them, and doesn't want them living there. One of the girls is moving to Australia (so awesome), and the fourth is moving in with her boyfriend!

So back to the party. I got there at around 7.30 (after leaving my house about an hour later than I'd actually planned to, and not realising how the long journey actually was). We all sat around in the garden, drinking and chatting, waiting for everyone else to arrive, and from then on everything started turning into a bit of a blur, but here are the key parts:

• We decided to have a little fire in the garden, which we put in a broken shower base - cracked from a previous fire. 
• I found my old door leaning against the garden fence (the landlord had obviously been a bit lazy in getting rid of it), which totally helped keep the fire going after dark. 
• It started raining, just when we decided to light some flying lanterns. We got a few going, and I really hope they didn't land somewhere and burn down a house or a tree, but I didn't see anything in the news, so I think we're safe.
• I managed to cut my hand in three places, on the screw top of a wine bottle.
• I drank a good bottle and a half of wine
• Someone spilled wine all over my (gorgeous) Top-Shop Blazer (dry cleaners please!!!)
• I talked to a lot of people about how they proposed/were proposed to (apparently the marriage talk comes out when I'm drunk).
• and the best of all, my old housemate (the only one staying in the house) decided to take pictures, complain to the landlord, and call the police because she didn't want to join the party, which is around about the time when I left.

After I left the party, I walked to the bus stop at about 1am (completely drunk I might add). Once I got there, I had a rather unpleasant encounter with a man - which I can only laugh about now. 

I called my boyfriend about 20 times and left 2 horrible voicemails and sent 3 horrible texts to him in my distress of not knowing how to get home (I should mention I was actually planning on leaving the party at 11pm, rather than 1 am!). 

Eventually, I made it home at 3am, a long bus journey and taxi ride later, McDonald's bag in hand!

Even though the journey was a bit of a pain, and I ended up getting ill from running around in the rain for hours, and ruining a perfect pair of white shoes with mud, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was happy to see my friends. 

I will leave you with this quote:

That's all from me today.

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Life Roles Reversed

Hey Everyone,

Have you ever found yourself in a situation with someone, where your roles are completely reversed, compared to how everything used to be?

Well I'm finding myself in this situation now. Back when I was at uni, and living with my friend Amy (not so much my friend now, but still a 'Facebook acquaintance'). She had a boyfriend at the time, and they were one of those couples that only ever did things by themselves. She barely had any friends, and she thought I was crazy for constantly going out clubbing etc.

Looking back now, I am in her situation, with a boyfriend, and hardly seeing my friends (which is more due to the fact that they live quite far away from me), and Amy has a new boyfriend, and is constantly out clubbing, and really not doing much with her life.

I'm glad I got all the clubbing out of my system back at uni, however, because it means I can focus on my career and not have the whole "what if" situation floating around in my head.

Thinking about the whole situation, I can really see how people can change so dramatically over a short period of time. 

Anyway, it's a short one from me again today.

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

PS: for those of you who haven't tried it - Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Frozen Yoghurt is a MUST HAVE!

Writing Inspiration - Kicking in!

Hi Everyone,

Today's post is dedicated to all you writers out there.

Isn't it strange, how inspiration can kick in at any time of the day?
For instance, I was walking along a busy road in London on my lunch break the other day, and all I heard was an American girl, uttering one sentence, a sentence that, when taken out of context, can be built into an entire story.

I went home and began to write, and plan a new story. I'm hoping this may be the big inspiration I was waiting for.

I must say, for anybody who is stuck, or has writer's block, take a walk along a busy road like (for example) Oxford Street in London, and just listen to the noise around you. Listen to people talking, take in the scenes, and you might actually come home with a few ideas to even just begin a new story or chapter of your book!

I know it's just a short one for today, but:

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Dress Your Age?

Hi Everyone,

I stumbled across this article earlier, which asks the question, should you dress your age, meaning should you leave "younger" styles for the younger generation?

The article has been made public by Twiggy (aged 62), and discusses the fact that "dressing your age" is not the right way towards finding your own fashion style. Breaking the rules every once in a while is what we should all be doing. Fashion is about experimentation and confidence. According to Twiggy, if you decide to wear a bright red or purple colour every day, it will look good, as long as you show confidence in your style, which is the key to success.

Anyone will believe you look good, if you choose colours which suit you, and have the confidence to wear colours such as this:

River Island

How do we know which colours suit us? Well we can't, really. The best way, I find, to figure that out, is to go shopping with one of my best friends, and her for her honest opinion.

If they really care about you, they will tell you if something looks bad! The fact of the matter is, if you're not an expert on fashion, or you're just not sure, a second opinion can always help.

I don't usually trust sales advisers, as they want to sell you things, however a personal shopper is not a bad road to go down. They know what they are talking about, and they will pick out styles and colours which will really suit you - which is a great starting point for anybody.

What do you think, should you dress your age?

This is all from me today.

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Jersey Boys - The Musical

Hi Everyone,

I've had a fairly good week - I went to see Jersey Boys, the musical, the other night, which I thought was pretty amazing.

For those of you who aren't aware of the musical, it is about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The entire show is about how the Four Seasons band was started, and how all members went through hardships, right through to a point where the band split up, and Frankie Valli became the only remaining member, thus forming "Franki Valli and the Four Seasons" with four other people.
The music is addictive, the actors are amazing, and the entire show has been put together and executed so smoothly, that it's impossible to be bored for even just a second.
If you are a theatre fanatic and love musicals - this is a must see! I loved it so much I'd happily go and see it again!

My favourite song from the musical was:

My Eyes Adored You - Jersey Boys in Concert

In terms of the rest of my week, I went for a Mexican meal the other night, with my boyfriend, which was pretty good - not as good as my all time favourite Mexican restaurant back home, but still pretty good!

Last weekend I stayed at my boyfriends parents house with him, and he showed me where he went to school, and all kinds of other places around the area he grew up in. It was pretty cool walking around and finding out some new things about him - I thoroughly enjoyed it. Another plus point is the fact that my sister currently lives near the same area, meaning I got to see her, and a few of her friends as well, and finally got to introduce my boyfriend to her.

That's all from me today.

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Life Forms in Outer Space

Hi Everyone,

Today's post is about the past few days, and the possibility of life forms in outer space.

I had a long bank holiday weekend (Saturday through till Tuesday), last weekend, which was amazing. I went to Westfield in Shepherd's Bush on Saturday and bought a few gorgeous things, then I had a day to relax on Sunday, as my boyfriend returned from France that day.

On Monday we both went to Westfield in Stratford, which is absolutely massive! I bought a pair of wedges, which I love! On Tuesday, I was meant to enjoy some Jubilee celebrations but unfortunately got really ill, which is annoying of course, so I ended up spending the day in bed.

Other than that, I've been working as always, however did have to take the day off today, due to being ill.

I was having a look for some interesting articles earlier, and found something on Digg about famous UFO sightings. This leads me to my main topic of this post - Do you believe in UFOs?

I've always been intrigued by the possibility of another form of life existing somewhere in this universe. There is no doubt that it could be true, after all, a few years ago, bacteria from Mars had been found, proving the existence of other life forms.

Have you got any views about this?

As Always, Stay Tuned,

- A

Summer, Sun and Maxi Dresses!

Hi Everyone,

it's finally warm, which means summer, sun and lots of Maxi Dresses! Here's what I've been up to in the last two weeks:

Mostly, I've been working, so nothing extremely interesting has happened, but on Friday this week, I had a really fun social at work. We all went for a picnic in the park, with lots of drinks, food and games. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone a little better outside of work, and am looking forward to more of the same experiences.
I recently got voted onto the company's social committee, along with two others. The three of us get to decide on what socials the company has, and when. I'm quite excited about this, as I love organising events and things like that.

Moving on, I've been going for a run with my colleagues every Wednesday for 3 weeks now, which has been great. I'm starting to build up endurance (and leg muscles!!)! I've forgotten how much I love running, but have started to run by myself as well. I've already managed to run 3 miles, which I know isn't that much, but I haven't been running in 5 years, so 3 miles after only 4 runs in the last 3 weeks is not too bad, I think.

I've decided to set aside a small chunk of my salary this month, for some serious shopping. I'm thinking of going shopping next week, as I really want a nice maxi dress. If anyone has any suggestions as to where I can find nice maxi dresses (which actually reach the floor!), please feel free to comment! - I found a gorgeous one last year and am gutted I didn't buy it, as I can't find anything near as nice now...

Prints and styles similar to the ones pictured below are what I'm looking for:

AX Paris Floral Maxi Dress

Glamorous Border Print Maxi Dress

Anyway, that's all from me today, hoping everyone is having a lovely, sunshine filled weekend!

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A

Summer Fashion

Hi Everyone,

so the sun is finally out, and the short sleeved shirts and sunglasses have made an appearance.
I've been looking at the gorgeous summer fashion for this year, and am still looking for the perfect summer dress. Last year I was unable to find something because, for some reason, the browns and beige's did not really take my fancy.

This year, however, it's all colours, and bright colours at that, so inspiration is striking and I'm loving the different styles, meaning I will have a difficult time trying to decide on what I'd like to buy. Here are some examples of what I fancy:

New Look

H&M

Zara

The above three dresses are just some of the types of dresses I've been looking at, and really wanting to buy! I do actually have a dress which is pretty similar to the one by Zara, but I just love those types of dresses - they are so cute!

Anyway, this is all from me today, as it's time to enjoy the sun!

As Always, Stay Tuned!

- A