Better late than never

I finally received my March Glossybox. Several customers seemed to have been affected by delivery problems, but to be fair, a replacement box was sent out immediately after I raised the issue with customer services.

This month's box is a Harrods special edition box. Not entirely sure what makes it a Harrods box, but overall I'm quite happy again. My gift voucher has now run out and I think I will sign up again for April.

Here's what I got:

• Fendi - Fan di Fendi Eau de toilette: never seen/tested it before, but I really like the smell
• Ojon - damage reverse instant restorative hair serum: I had a hair product in my last box, which I haven't yet used up and I generally don't bother to use these kinds of products (primarily, as things have to be quick in the morning...). It smells very nice and I'll test it tomorrow.
• Erno Laszlo - the Hollywood collection 5 piece cream gift set: a bit disappointed with this: 5 little sachets, which you can most probably can get as free samples in the shops. But nice to try something new.
• Burberry beauty - miniature lip cover rosewood no. 4: a very cute, tiny lipstick. I like the colour and I've just been looking for an every day lip colour, so this comes in very handy.
• Clarins - extra firming body cream: I loved the Clarins product I had in my January box, so I am looking forward to testing this one, too.

In the past Glossybox noted the products' (full size) prices and they didn't do that this time. Not sure whether that is covering up the actual value of the box. I think especially with view to potentially re-stocking on any of the items, I found it rather helpful to know the prices. We'll see whether they'll re-introduce this feature going forward.

And here some photos:

My least favourite colour so far - nothing beats pink!

And that's what was inside

Very cool packaging!

And to show the size: the Burberry lip cover next to a normal sized (benefit) lipstick

We asked a 100 people...

After extensive queueing we made it into the lovely ITV studio to witness the recordings of two All Star Family Fortunes episodes. Unfortunately, our seats were towards the back, so it was often easier to follow the action on a screen hanging from the ceiling - which made me question whether this was any better than watching at home on the telly. On the other hand, at home you miss out on all the outtakes - like the gang bang banter, bum squeezing, Vernon pulling faces and Stuart entertaining the audience in between the recording.

The lovely celebrities tonight were:

• Jane McDonald from Loose Women
• Mark Wright from TOWIE
• Martine McCutcheon, actress and singer
• Jermain Colin Defoe from Tottenham

They were all lovely and funny and I was particularly excited about Jermain, especially when he danced! I was only a little bit gutted when I saw on wikipedia that Robbie Savage is taking part in this series. Robbie would have just been THE BEST! I guess I will have to watch that one on telly instead!

Watching TV shows being recorded, it becomes much clearer that this is actually work for the presenters. With quite a bit of fun mixed in, I would think, but still work.

My bracelet that let me enter the ITV halls of fame (and my pink nails)

Victory through harmony

Today I had the pleasure of exploring the Emirates Stadium. I had arranged a site visit which came with a tour of all the cool places like the dressing room, the tunnel and the dugout.

The stadium offers stunning rooms, with lots of daylight, plush seating and loads of  bars. And it's really quite centrally located, so easy to get to. It looks perfect for reception and dinners and I would love to organize an event there.

Even though I am not an Arsenal fan as such, I do actually quite like Arsène (especially when he wears his massive winter coat). And I found it quite exciting to be able to visit the dressing rooms and to stand at the edge of the pitch.

Some impressions from today:

What a lovely day it was, too!

The stadium has a capacity of 60,355 and was opened in 2006

Apparently this is a rotating massage bench

Where all the victories are prepared

I think the shirt would fit me...

It would be the first time

Or more precisely: it would have been the first time.

Tonight I was planning on going to my first Comedy Club night. I've never been even though I am a big comedy fan, even of English comedy (or should I say especially?). The Camden Head (the one in Camden, not Islington) was putting on The Camden Comedy sessions - open mic AND free for all. Perfect!

As we had some time to kill, we wandered around the market stalls at Camden first, then had some unbelievable cheap Chinese and then headed to the pub. Even though it was already 19:30 (the alleged start time*), nothing was going on just yet and we were told that they often started late. So we settled down with a drink.

And that's it really. We just ended up chatting in the pub downstairs.
It was very nice - but I'm still a Comedy Club virgin.

Next time, maybe.



* Yes, I am German and I am still surprised when things don't start on time

Mmmmmmm, soup

A few weeks ago, I saw a ready made pea, apple and mint soup at the farm shop. Sounded a bit unusual to me, and I thought: I'm sure I can make that myself! So, I googled and came across this recipe.

And now I finally tried it. With a few changes (I added some potatoes). I didn't actually measure the ingredients, so I think I might have gotten the proportions a bit wrong. In any case, the apple taste didn't quite come out, so next time: more apples. I think next time, I might also put some fried bacon cubes in to make it a little more interesting.

But for a first try, it turned out quite all right.

Oh, and with regard to the blog entry title: do you know the episode of Friends, where Joey is auditioning for a soup commercial? Mmmmmm, noodle soup... Well worth watching (as any of the Friends episodes!).

Still steaming...mmmmm, pea soup!

To-dos

I love lists. And lists help me getting things done. The trick is to keep it to a do-able length.
Today's to-dos:

*1 hour at the gym - done
The gym was empty -as per usual on a Sunday - and I felt really good after the work out.

* laundry - done
The laundry basket was almost overflowing, so it was about time...

* change bedding - done
 Don't you just love the smell and feel of fresh bedding?

* cleaning the bathroom - done
Why does the (black) bathroom floor gather so much dust so quickly???

And I rewarded myself with a nice bath, listening to my Kuschelrock CD:

Unbelievable

Just now on Britain's Got Talent:
A guy comes on wearing a weird costume. Says his name - in a very strong German accent - gets asked where he is from, and when he replies 'Germany', the audience starts booing.

What the f*??? I hadn't realized Germans are (still?) so unpopular over here.

Ironically the audience then loves his (weird) performance of Evanescence's 'Wake me up inside', cheers him on and the judging panel also votes him through (including Simon Cowell!).

(Maybe I should stop watching so much crap on telly?!)

Inspired by TV

Iconic

Last Thursday Westfield Stratford City and Getty Images Gallery invited to an "exclusive" preview of Marilyn at the Getty Images Gallery. I don't think it was all that exclusive, and probably anyone who applied for a free ticket also received one - at least judging by the queues... While queueing, Wahaca provided Mexican market food from their restaurant round the corner. Despite numerous visits to Westfield Stratford City, this was the first time I noticed that Wahaca has a restaurant there... Food was delicious and reminded me how much I like Mexican food and that I really should cook it more often! And made the queueing more fun, too!

The collection ranges from the "early years as an aspiring actress through to her rise to international stardom". And the photos are absolutely stunning. Or rather Marilyn was absolutely stunning. Even though she was posing for most (if not all) photos, she looked very much at ease with the camera, very natural, very beautiful and sexy. The beautiful outside covering up her tragic life.

A Marilyn impersonator was present, too. Not particularly convincing and I also wonder what questions the reporter was asking her...

Also interesting was the little brochure that was handed out. It's got the size of a credit card and on the left picture you can see how it's held together by Velcro. Inside, is a list of all the activities that were going on that night.

I really liked this as a marketing idea. Very handy as small, but sufficient space for quite a bit of text.

Friday again

Where does the time go?
So glad it's the weekend - I am knackered after a busy and eventful week at work.

Good night to all

How did he do it?

Raising money for Sports relief, the English comedian John Bishop set himself a crazy challenge this year:

1) Cycling from Paris to Calais

2) Rowing from Calais to Dover

3) Running three marathons from Dover to Faversham, Faversham to Gravesend and Gravesend to London

And all of that in just five days!

It's tear-jerking, humbling and just amazing to watch him go on. He's hardly slept, is in incredible pain and utterly exhausted. But he made it. And so far, he has already raised more than £1,500,000.
Absolutely awesome!

They did it again

Series 8 of The Apprentice started today.

First task (and as tradition has it: it was boys against girls): each team had to buy blank goods, add value by printing a design onto them and then sell them from stalls on the streets of London. As per usual, all candidates showed themselves from their most arrogant and obnoxious side... TV cameras seem to bring out the idiot in anyone. And clever (?) editing adds to the entertainment as well as cringe-factor.

Today, the boys won the task. And Bilyana was the first apprentice to get fired. And as it has happened so many times before, she dug her own grave and talked herself out of the show. I very often find myself screaming at the telly: JUST STOP TALKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But they do it again. And again. And again...

I used to really love the show. But for the first time, I was getting a little bored with all the bitchiness and stupidity on display. I'm pretty sure that I'll find myself in front of the telly again next Wednesday at 9pm (and again, and again?!)

Let meeeeee ... entertain you

Another work commitment evening. Tonight a three course sit down dinner. With a surprising twist. During the main course, two of the "waiters" burst into song - which is why they are quite aptly called Singing Waiters. Starting with getting the dinner guests to sing Happy Birthday for one them, they then sang popular opera songs, while dancing and flirting with the ladies.

Not my kind of thing but the audience seem to enjoy it. And certainly something a little difference (until I found out that they had also had an appearance at a very similar event recently - so maybe not that unique... but still different for most people, I guess).

And on the menu we had:

*Chilled bean and garlic soup*

Chilled and bean soup did not sound particularly appealing to me, but it turned out surprisingly tasty

 *Rack of lamb with curly kale and potatoes*

The lamb was a little too rare for my liking and there was a lot of fat on it - so surprisingly disappointing

*Chocolate brownie with vanilla custard and chocolate sauce*

Chocolate overkill: two huge pieces of brownies - I could just about finish half of ONE! But nice

A boat but not a boat

Just back from an evening on the Tattershall Castle - a boat moored on the Thames. They have a number of rooms that can be hired for events and meetings as well as Pub that is open for business. The boat is directly opposite the London Eye, within walking distance of Waterloo and Charing Cross. Room hire charges are very reasonable, especially for central London and it offers something a bit different. Despite being moored, the boat does rock a bit and some people have indeed gotten seasick. So, better check with your delegates, that this won't be a problem. But otherwise, I can certainly recommend the place!

No washing up

From among all household chores, washing up is probably top of my hate list. So, one of the advantages of eating out, is that the washing up is done for you!

Last week, I went to Skylon for dinner. We had a great table, overlooking the Thames. Unfortunately, the photos didn't turn out that great due to the lighting - or rather lack of lighting. So, you will have to go yourselves to check it out. I would certainly recommend the place. It's a bit on the pricey side, but the food was delicious and the service very attentive and friendly.

One thing keeps astonishing me even after so many years in the UK: restaurants - no matter what price class - are just always so noisy. People seem to start shouting as soon as they sit down in a restaurant. It doesn't matter what time of day, it doesn't matter whether the place is full or empty. I don't know whether I am remembering German restaurants through rose-tinted hearing aids, but I don't think we get as shouty as the lot over here. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon?

And here's what I had:

Scallops and boudin noir

• pan fried scallops, black pudding, confit granny smiths, roast apple puree

Beef

• tournedos surf and turf, fillet steak with butter poached lobster, BBQ hollandaise, onion rings

Crepe Suzette

And this came with coffee - I was full by then, so couldn't eat another thing!

Dora the Explorer

After some bowling* today, we ventured to Greenwich. Along the Thames Path until we came to the Cutty Sark Tavern. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me. It's a really nice Pub. With a wooden staircase in the middle of it, with chairs and tables made of barrels and views over the Thames towards the Isle of Dogs, including the high-rise buildings over in Canary Wharf and the O2 Arena.

The food was good pub fare; we had the burger and fish and chips.

I can highly recommend exploring that area. The houses along the path are really nice. Just a few steps from the bustling Greenwich market, it's really quiet over there.


* needless to say that I lost all three games. I hadn't been bowling for years and had totally forgotten how heavy the bowling ball is...

Another week

I can't believe it's mid March already...
And now the weekend. A short one though, as I have to work on Sunday.
But it's all good.
And Hugh Grant will be on Graham Norton later tonight.

Have a great weekend!
 

Theatreland

I went to see Zach Braff's play All New People at the Duke of York's Theatre tonight. Zach is probably best known for playing JD in the American TV series Scrubs - of which I have seen every episode. I saw Zach on the Graham Norton Show some weeks ago, where he was talking about his play coming to London and I immediately had to buy tickets.

And tonight was the big night: we had brilliant seats in the 3rd row from the front. I have to admit that I get a little weird when it comes to celebrities: I just find it so amazing to see somebody so close up who I know from telly!

Theatre staff told us that Zach would come out to give autographs 15-20 minutes after the end of the play. So, together with a crowd of maybe 20-30 people we were waiting behind some barriers. And sure enough Zach came out and he was just so incredibly nice: he took his time to sign autographs, take pictures and receive hugs. And he looks exactly what he looks like on Scrubs. I felt like a giddy teenager when I asked for a photo - and I am just so so so excited that he took a picture with me (and my camera) and I got an autograph, too.

the very lovely Mr Braff

♥Me and Zach ♥

Go Chelsea!

4:1 against Napoli after having lost 1:3 in the first leg. Not as impressive as Bayern Munich's win against Basel - but then it doesn't happen that often that 7 goals are scored...

Singing and dancing

This song always makes me want to sing along and bounce around (a little weird maybe, given the lyrics...):

Swedish (?) humour

A few years ago The London Paper was distributed around central London's tube and rail stations. It was a free newspaper and having just googled it, it was actually published by News International. In 2009 publication ceased as it was running at a loss and shortly after the Evening Standard was distributed for free.

What I liked best in The London Paper was the Em cartoon, by Maria Smedstad originally from Sweden. Maria describes Em as a slightly younger version of herself and the stories seem to be autobiographical. You can still read her cartoons on her website. Whether or not this is typical Swedish humour I don't know but in any case I find Em hilarious! Check it out: http://www.emcartoons.com/

It's beauty time

This month' issue of Cosmopolitan comes with two complimentary Clinique products. I'm not a regular Cosmo reader- in fact, I only buy it once a year or so. But as I simply LOVE freebies (yes, I am aware that I paid £3.50 for the magazine), I had to get a copy.*

I chose the one that came with

the moisture surge extended thirst relief

and

the high impact mascara

You can use the moisturizer as a moisturizer (makes sense, right?) or as a moisturizing mask. It smells nice, goes on easily and does a good job of moisturizing. I don't feel it's got any added benefits compared to the (cheaper) creams I normally use. Maybe I need to test it a little longer.

The mascara is nice, but not as nice as the MaxFactor False Lash Effect Fusion which I am currently using. At least on my lashes, it doesn't have a 'wow!' effect. So, given its price, I don't think I will be buying this one either.

Nevertheless, a good buy (the magazine), as I like testing new stuff, especially stuff I wouldn't usually buy.

And some more beauty news:
Glossybox have revealed that they have teamed up with Harrods for their special edition March box! If I knew when the box was going to be delivered, I'd start counting the days! But as I don't, I just wait impatiently in a non-counting way.


*One thing I don't get is, why the issue that gets published in March is called the April issue

Some more football talk

Just watched Noel Gallagher's interview with Mario Balotelli:

Man City is "my" second club after Brighton, and I've got all fingers crossed for them to win the league this season (can't believe they lost again Swansea City today...). And I love Noel. I've recently seen him on the Graham Norton Show and just love his sense of humour and general attitude:

Pompey* came to town

Yesterday Portsmouth travelled to Brighton, bringing with them a decent crowd of fans. Decent in numbers, not so decent in behaviour...

When I first started going to watch games in the stadium, I was worried about violence and run ins between opposing fan groups. And I was positively surprised on how civil everyone behaves. There is of course the shouting and chanting, but it's restricted to within the stadium and it always goes both ways. It actually adds to the whole atmosphere.

Lots of security and police were around yesterday, making sure that Pompey and Seagull fans were kept apart. We were made to wait on the bridge that crosses the railway to the stadium, for a group of Portsmouth fans to go over first. There were only about 40-50 people, but most of them looking like proper hooligans: shaven heads, middle aged men - with hate in their eyes. I was rather shocked when they started shouting abuse at us, primarily making reference to all Brighton fans being gay - very original.** Fortunately, the Brighton fans decided not to react to it. I was getting a little worried about a brawl breaking out right there on the bridge.

I don't have a problem with rivalry - but I really think it should be restricted to the stadium during the game. But this just overstepped the mark from friendly banter to aggressive abuse. While making their way to the away side, two of the blokes couldn't keep their mouths shut. I don't know what exactly happened, but they got pulled out by police. I'm not sure whether it was punishment or a blessing in disguise for them: as they missed out on the Brighton boys beating Portsmouth 2:0. So, they are still bottom of the league. Too bad...
And Brighton remain unbeaten in the league in 2012! Good times!

And the hero of the day:

* According to the Welcome to Portsmouth website, it remains unclear where this nickname that is being used for both the city and the football club originates from.

** And I love the reply: You are too ugly to be gay.

Funny times

There are two TV adverts out at the moment that make me snicker every single time they are on. Very silly homour and I am in no way endorsing the products in question, but I thought I'll share the clips with you:

1) My favourite moment:
"We don't usually use more than one towel, Andy."

2) My favourite moments:
When he spots Richard and when he puts on his helmet:

Before and after

I have a long-standing love-hate affair with hairdressers. I love getting a new hair style, as it instantly changes your whole look. I love getting my hair washed (yes, I am lazy!) and I love getting my hair touched and tousled (Does the latter count as some kind of fetish?).

But I hate not knowing what I want and there is always a little bit of fear mixed in. Fear that the hairdresser won't be able to tell me what I want either! On many occasions have I sat in the chair with my hands clenched into tight fists out of sheer nervousness...

After 4 months it was the time of year again. So far I haven't found "my" hairdresser. I usually leave happy, to wake up disappointed. Not quite sure why... As a consequence, I show no loyalty whatsoever. Tonight, I made my way to Balham. I used to live there quite a while ago and had been to the salon for beauty treatments back then. So I thought I'll give it a try.

Things hadn't started that well, as the guy who was meant to cut my hair had just had a baby. Well, his wife did and she did so earlier than expected. This meant that he was now on paternity leave, and they had to allocate me somebody else and also had to slightly move my appointment backwards.

But no more glitches after that: even though I had such a late evening appointment, Nicola took his time to listen to my ramblings of not knowing what I wanted and came up with several suggestions. Contrary to many other salons, the hairdresser - and not some junior helper - washed my hair - and I can honestly say that it was one of the best if not THE best hairwash I have ever had. This by itself made it all worthwhile (for me)!

Whether or not I am happy with the result remains to be seen. I will have to (literally and figuratively) sleep on it.

Who would have thought

For the past two days, I have been attending International Confex, a trade fair for event organisers. This year it's being held at the ExCel Centre - about 5 minutes from my flat. Not only do I not have to put up with commuters for three days, I can also stay in bed for another hour!*

It's the first time I've attended Confex and I have found it invaluable. It's great to be able to meet with so many different venues, to make a face-to-face contact and find out about new technologies. For example, I love the idea of hiring a photo booth for delegates to use at an event. You can get it branded and delegates will have a great souvenir to take away. According to one of the suppliers, attendees get up up to all sorts of monkey business in the booths, too, forgetting that all photos are saved in the system (and not only on the actual photo that gets printed... - one to remember!).

In addition to the vast exhibition, there are also a number of talks. Olly Hicks was talking about "One man and his boat". In 2005 Olly rowed across the Atlantic and he is planning to row around the world next. He interestingly always talked about "we" and when I asked him after his talk, he confirmed that he refers to himself and his boat as 'we'! He said that he enjoyed the solitude on the boat but it is an adjustment to go on the boat as well as getting off again.
While I am personally not really interested in spending months on a boat all by myself, having to deal with sharks and hurricanes, I can totally see what an amazing, thrilling and unique experience it must be.

Karina Hollekim told about her life as a free skier and base jumper - before and after her accident, which broke her legs in an absurd number of places and paralysed her. In 2006 after her accident she was told she'd never be able to walk again - and in 2009 she was back on her skis! It was incredible how much positivity she exudes. When she was a child, her family was in a car accident. While they all survived, her mother sustained serious injuries. I asked her whether she had never felt bitter about her family having been hit by such awful accidents twice. She replied that in a way, she felt that she was better prepared for her accident than other people might have been, as she had seen her mother cope with the consequences in such a courageous way. And she had always been aware of the risks that came with the dangerous sport she was doing. Her message today was "Dare to dream".

The event has really exceeded my expectations. Who would have thought...


* I should check whether ExCel has any job openings going....

More colour

As mentioned before, I'm a little nail polish crazy. One of my most treaured beauty discoveries must be essie's "good to go" top coat. It dries the polish quickly, makes it last for up to a week (!) without chipping and you won't have to worry about bedding imprints. It's a super product in my books! Only very slightly disappointing feature is that about half way through the bottle, the polish gets a little viscous and doesn't work very well anymore. This happened to both the bottles I've had so far and I had to bin them. I've also read some other reviews that noted similar problems. On the other hand, even half a bottle lasted me a long time, so I don't mind all that much.


My nails from the past two weeks:

OPI Apricotcha cheating with a black flower stamping

OPI Lucky Lucky Lavender

Lesson for today

Don't worry.
That simple.

5 out of 6

That's a good score, I'd say.
I've now tried the Deep Sleep CD 6 times. And 5 out of the 6 times, I fell asleep before the CD finished. Actually, I fell asleep before the first part of the CD finished. The only time it didn't work was the first time.

I had read the reviews on amazon and one of them had slightly crept me out. The reviewer noted that she had experienced a nightmare while the CD was still going on in the background. While she had been aware that it was only a nightmare, she found it very difficult to wake herself from it. So, the first time I listened to the CD, I was rather worried that this would happen to me. This must have put me in an alert state of mind - and the CD did nothing to make me fall asleep. I listened to it right until the end and it didn't have any effect at all.

I gave it another try though, with very low expectations. And it worked. I thought maybe I was just very tired anyway. But it has worked a few more times after that. When I listened to it, I had the tendency to wake up around 4am, feeling quite awake. I don't know whether this is an indication that not only did I fall asleep faster, but that I also had a deeper sleep.

My first verdict: I can highly recommend this. It's less than a tenner on amazon. It might of course not work for everyone, but I guess it's worth a try if you suffer from insomnia.

Childhood memories

I know it's not exactly strawberry season right now - but when I saw them on offer at Sainsburys, I had to take a pack. When I was growing up, I kind of lived in the countryside. There were several self-picking strawberry fields around. During the season we (the whole family) would go on a day trip to pick strawberries. You were allowed to munch as many as you wished while picking (without paying for them). And after returning home with several bags full of strawberries, my Mum would always make some delicious strawberry-icecream-milkshakes.

And that's what I did today. The result (below) was nice enough, but it will be so much better, when strawberries actually are in season and taste of strawberries!

First this...

... and then this. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

I ♥ Reese

... and that's the only excuse I have for having gone to see "This means war" today.
I'm sure you've seen the trailer, but if not, the story is as follows: two CIA agents who are close friends, fall in love with the same woman. They get competitive and don't tell lovely Reese that they know each other. And she doesn't tell them, that she is dating two guys at the same time.

It has its funny moments. But overall it's boringly predictable and the ending is just plain terrible. I am surprised that it scored 6.5/10 on the Internet Movie Database.

Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are nice to look at, but I thought Chris' hair was too fluffy and Tom's lips too "lippy". My surprising highlight was Till Schweiger in the film. I ♥ Till

Oh, and once you've seen the trailer - you don't really need to see the film anymore.
And a film I will definitely NOT watch is Disney's new film John Carter. Having watched the trailer in the cinema, I'm not sure who the target group is for that one... Last but not least, that was the other disappointment: no good previews at the cinema today!

Not as grand as I expected

I've just returned from a two day meeting (work) in Brighton. The meeting was held at The Grand - the "iconic Victorian hotel" on Brighton's seafront. I wasn't as lucky as some of my colleagues who were raving about their massive rooms and incredible showers. Looking through the photos of their bedrooms on their website, mine isn't included. Certainly an alright room - but nothing special. In fact, the furniture looked a little tatty - especially in the bathroom. The shower seemed to have been installed in a way to ensure that the curtain in front of the window gets cleaned regularly (quite a weird concept in itself: the window had frosted glass - so the curtain was rather pointless. And surely must get soaking wet every time someone showers...). But not only did I have to basically press myself against the window to get some of the water, but the water was also close to boiling point and wouldn't go any colder. Besides, there was a constant noise throughout the night, which sounded like air conditioning - but wasn't air conditioning. Not quite what I would have expected at The Grand.

Luckily the meeting that I was attending had worn me out sufficiently for me to fall asleep quickly despite the noise.

Some impressions:

View from the 5th floor

Still the 5th floor - light flowing in from the dome

Shoes on hotel carpet