It's the end of an era today, with Friends being shown for the last time on E4 - no more reruns of Ross's tan ("I'm an EIGHT!"), Phoebe's Smelly Cat or Monica's hoovering of hoovers. It is a sad day. 

Even if you own the boxset, it's not quite the same as the reassurance of knowing that if there is nothing good on TV then there's a good chance you can catch an episode of our favourite guys and girls thanks to E4 and its +1 buddy. Better dust off the DVD player then...

Along with the rest of my team (thankfully also Friends fans), I quote Friends daily. It has something that can be applied to any situation, whether it's a tan gone wrong (see above), trying to speak French (Joey), or metaphors (Rachel, 'You're a shoe you're a shoe you're a shoe!'). 

So, in honour of my favourite ever TV series and its last day on our screens, I thought I'd post a few of the best scenes... I think Ross is coming out as the most memorable. What's your favourite clip?

Ross and the tan

Ross and the leather pants

Ross and PIVOT!

Ross and the MAJOR SHAMPOO EXPLOSION!

Phoebe and the fire alarm

Phoebe stuck in a jumper

Monica and Ross 'The Routine' dance

Monica and the flu

Monica's 'seven'

Joey speaking French

Joey 'I'm sorry'

Chandler dumping Janice 

Chandler and 'whipped'

Rachel - It's not a cat!

Rachel's first proper kiss with Ross

Goodbye Friends, we'll miss you.

I miss Ibiza. I mean, really miss it. My poor friends and colleagues and Twitter followers and Facebook friends and generally anyone who listens will know this already, since anytime I hear a song that may or may not have been played during my week out there, I mention that I miss it. Again. 

So, though I am hoping to pop back for a weekend before the season's up, I am doing anything I can to bring a bit of Ibiza over here to London. I listen to music whenever I can, daydream a little and am keeping the social calendar full of nights out to combat the Ibiza withdrawal symptoms. Then, I heard about Shakedown.

Shakedown festival is near my hometown in Brighton, and the line up looks ah-mazing. Example, 2 Many DJs, Kissy Sell Out, Razorlight, Zane Lowe... the list goes on and on! Obviously, I shall be there with bells on (and probably glitter, neon paint and a headband, naturally) so I thought I'd share the Ibiza-inspired love. Tickets are only £35 at the moment so if you're already bopping along to the DJs in your head, get booking! I'll definitely post a review after the event too. Happy partying...

Info

When: Saturday 17th September 2011, 

Opening times: 2pm-Midnight

Where: Stanmer Park

http://www.shakedown.co.uk/

A month or two ago, my friend returned from a trip to South Korea gushing about their beauty habits. Apparently, their nail varnishes last longer and chip less than ours; they understand the importance of skincare and realise that tanning is skin damage; and they use something called Blemish Balm, or BB Cream as it's known, to look flawless while looking after their skin. Well, lucky them.

Straight away, I took to Twitter and asked the beauty bloggerati if they knew of it or whether you could get it here - and judging by the reponses, it was very new on the scene in the UK but word was slowly getting around. I discovered you could get it on eBay but thought I would wait for a few more reviews before buying it. 

So what is it? Well, given that it's important enough to have a Wikipedia page, it's pretty special. As said in the text there and as explained to me by my friend, it was developed by a doctor in Germany and started out as something dermatologists used to help their patients heal and protect their skin as well as cover scars, acne and blemishes after laser therapy. It's sometimes tinted so basically acts as a foundation, primer and skin treatment in one. It also can have a whitening effect which is, I'm told, quite big in Asia. So we Brits want to look brown and they want our pasty complexions - are we ever happy?! 

Anyway, news got out about this fabulous stuff and it's become far more mainstream - and now, it's here. Everyone I follow on Twitter appears to be trying it, ordering it or just plain raving about it - and I ordered mine from Superdrug last night. I don't wear foundation but I have been hunting for a decent primer, and absolutely swear by wearing an SPF daily (currently using my Avene moisturiser).  I can't wait to try it out - though I have to say, SPF 15 is not exactly protection. Hopefully they'll up the SPF when more of them come out...

For before and after pics, check out this blog - thanks @Tsunimee for sharing! Have you used it yet? Does it live up to expectation?

I love the look of false lashes. Dramatic, fluttery, movie-star-esque... but I cannot stand the faff. I am not a faffy girl. I don't do heels, I don't do lipstick, and as much as I love fashion it has to feel good for me to wear it. That's why my love affair with false lashes began and ended at a  New Year's Eve party - I felt like I had an irritating feather placed over my eyes and couldn't wait to get them off, yet had to keep re-glueing them to save from 'what's that furry thing on your cheek?' embarrassment throughout the night. Now, I stick to mascara and what dear old (stingy) Mother Nature gave me. 

A girl's search for the perfect mascara is a lengthy one. We want them long but thick, separated but plenty of them - our lashes, that is. At the moment I swear by Max Factor's Lash Extension mascara mixed with the Masterpiece Max, but move over Max Factor: there's a new mascara must-have in town. 

Benefit, one of my favourite beauty brands, are about to unleash the They're Real! mascara and from the look of some tried and tested posts on beauty blogs such as Lipglossiping and these videos, it's going to be big. It claims to give you lashes that look so good people will think they're fake. The recipe itself curls so you can ditch your scary looking eyelash curler, and it has long and short bristles on the brush so even the tiniest of lashes are reached. It also has bristles on the end of the brush to give extra lift. 

Convinced? These babies go on sale from 13th August but they are having a flash sale on Saturday 6th August if you just can't wait - see the flyer below. Happy fluttering, and let me know what you think! 

As a 5'10 singleton in London, I've got my work cut out for me when it comes to meeting a man. Well, not men in general obviously, just ones I'd like to date. London is notoriously a difficult place to find love anyway because we're all far too busy running around working stupid hours, commuting on sweaty trains (so sexy, we Londoners) and then moaning about both over much-needed but massively overpriced cocktails (while checking our BlackBerries).

Add on top of that that I can see over the top of most men's heads, and it's near impossible to find someone to date in this silly city of suits. Or even just to find a guy to talk to without being able to check out their bald patches as they speak to my chest. 

On the rare occasion that a man attempts to chat me up, the first deal breaker (or of course maker) is height. If he's not taller than me - even by a couple of millimetres, I'm not asking for a giant here - then it's an instant no (in my head - out loud I am far more polite, honest). 

A few friends have given me a disapproving lecture for my slightly heightist ways, but given that they are all 5'6 or under and petite size eights (aka pint sized), they really have no idea. And given that they have all said they 'think it's great to be tall, but wouldn't want to be tall', they probably shouldn't be judging.

I'm not saying short men aren't datable - after all, to a shorter girl, a short man is tall, right? They're just not for me. I don't want to feel 'big', in any sense of the word - around the man I fancy I want to feel cute and feminine and like I can depend on him to give me a decent hug, not to be an armrest. I think that's fair...

What are your dating deal breakers and makers, or aren't you fussy? (I mean that in a nice way).

It's been two weeks since I got back from Ibiza, and I still can't get it out of my head. I have a revived obsession for music, I keep bopping away to myself in public places such as on escalators and train stations, and I have a fairly permanent smile on my face despite hating people that do that.

As mentioned previously, I've realised how much I needed this holiday - though this year has been pretty good so far, I'd forgotten what it was like to actually relax and not be near a phone, Internet connection or piece of technology in general. I'm surprised my hands aren't permanently fixed in typing position and that I can still hold a pen. 

It usually takes me a couple of days to get into the holiday spirit, but thanks to very sensibly turning off all data on my phone so that the phone bill when I got home didn't give me a heart attack, I switched off - in all senses - as soon as we landed. And then it was time for seven days of laughing, dancing, chatting, sunbathing and face painting...

I'd been to Ibiza three years ago for the first time and as much as I loved the island, I couldn't quite dive into it as much as I wanted thanks to the break up from hell and feeling spaced out from graduation. This time, I was single, happier, and ready to make the most of the gorgeous island (and maybe even practice a little Spanish). Here's how we did it, with a few tips along the way...

Sunday - Space

After just two hours sleep, we got our flight at 5am from Gatwick and touched down just in time for breakfast. We found our Sunshine Apartments in San Antonio Bay (which I would highly recommend - it's under new management who are very professional), threw our bikinis on and headed out for breakfast by the beach. On the beach you will get approached by club reps, trying to sell you tickets for that night. After a few too many interrupting our sunbathing, some girls eventually convinced us that there is nowhere else to be on a Sunday than at Space for their We Love Space night. We did a package which got us 2 hours of all inclusive drinking at Active bar, followed by a bus to Space and entry to the club. We didn't last much past 3am thanks to the lack of sleep but it was a damn good start to the holiday.

Monday - 'Quiet Night'

With a hangover (we made good use of the two hours) and thinking we needed to budget, we decided to have a 'quiet' night. What actually happened is we went to my now favourite bar in Ibiza - Ibiza Rocks - where they drew moustaches on our faces and we discovered they were fairly reasonable for drink prices. We then went on a bit of a bar crawl, including Hed Kandi Bar (just as good as the one here in Clapham, but with Hed Kandi promo girls wearing diamante nipple tassles and not much else), Soul City (a bit messy) and eventually Hush (apparently one of the better West End bars). I always claimed to hate the West End, or Puke Street as I call it, but if you go to the right places you'll be fine. Our quiet night ended with us getting lost and not climbing into bed until about 7am. Brilliant.

Tuesday - Pacha

Tuesday was my best night because we decided to check out Pacha for the first time for their Flower Power night. If you ever go to Ibiza, you have to go to this - it's a retro night with old music that will get you moving (I did the twist!) and everyone dresses as hippies. We hadn't known about the dressing up until the day, so we used my many coloured eyeliners to graffiti ourselves in flowers and general sparkle. Pacha is stunning as a club, but don't drink anything except water - we paid 35 euros for 'a bottle of wine' which was so small we barely got a glass each out of it between two of us. And make sure you check out the terrace - the perfect way to end a night if the sun's coming up.

Wednesday - Ibiza Rocks

After such a high the night before, we didn't think it could get better - but then we got tickets to see Friendly Fires at Ibiza Rocks Hotel. The hotel is the other side of the West End so we started in Amsterdam Bar, because they offered us this: a bottle of champagne, two drinks each of our choice, a huge pitcher of Sex on the Beach, and a shot each all for ten euros. Needless to say, we didn't need a lot more after that. Friendly Fires were amazing; Metronomy and Kissy Sell Out were also on and the crowd was buzzing (or was that just my head?!). We also met up with the guys we'd met at Pacha and carried on to the after party at Ibiza Rocks bar for a very very funny night...

Thursday - Amnesia

After another amazing night, we woke up smiling, laughing at everything that had happened the night before (together with photographic evidence, of course) and planned to have a 'quiet night' again as we were very quickly running out of money. Then my sister, who used to work out there and was texting me constantly to find out where I was so she could live vicariously, text me to say I should go to Cream at Amnesia. There goes the budget. We decided to go and did another deal - this time with drinks at Linekars (not a nice bar, but hey ho) followed by a bus to the iconic club. Be warned you're not allowed cameras in there and will be charged three euros for the privilege of them putting it in a cloakroom-for-cameras. Feeling a little hungover and grumpy, I decided alcohol was the way forward and promptly spent 18 euros on a vodka and lemonade. Followed by another one. And a shot of vodka to add to it. And a shot of Jäger (not my idea) to top it off. Then, I danced. Until around 6am. With flashing heart-shaped glasses on. I really suit Ibiza.

Friday - Sunset Cafes

It was my friend's birthday so after present opening, lunch and sunbathing, we went out for dinner at Mint Lounge which is along the sunset strip. Pete Tong was playing over at Cafe Mambo's and it was a really chilled out evening for the first time that week. Of course, one creepy clown/magician and some indoor fireworks later, we decided to get more wine in Mambo's, then walk home... via Ibiza Rocks Bar. Here we bumped into our Pacha/Friendly Fires friends and ended up on dodgems (best idea ever, well done Lee) where I got a lot of bruises that were 100% worth it for the sheer amount of giggling. For some reason we then ventured back to the West End despite it being about 4am, danced for about five minutes and then walked home. A very random but very fun night that ended with an old man near our apartments showing us his wallet and undoing his trousers before we ran away...

Saturday - Es Paradis

Our final day on the island was bittersweet - we were still having fun but knew it was coming to an end. But, we decided to forget about our overdrafts and have a good night out to say goodbye - with my much loved Hed Kandi. This year, the night is being held at Es Paradis, with a pre-party at Ibiza Rocks Bar - a pretty perfect combination. The Lovely Laura came down on a giant glittery moon (as you do) which we were almost directly under, and the night really kicked off. Sparklers were being handed around, promo girls were rolling around in roller boots and it was exactly what you'd want for a final night out. 

Covered in glitter still, we went straight from the club to our apartments, grabbed our bags and went to the airport. I won't bore you with how exhausted I was but let's just say I completely missed take off because I started snoozing the moment I sat down - and every time I came to I thought we were still on the ground. But it was so worth it - my body clock was ruined for a good week or so but I also have a lot more energy because I had so much fun and feel happier than ever. We're already planning on going back for a cheeky weekend before the end of the summer...

Quick tips

OK, so it's been a while. My plan of writing more while also living more wasn't so well thought out since, well, both take time. Well done me. But, while the inspiration for this post is the reason I've been so slack on the blogging front lately, it's also given me plenty of ideas, hastily scribbled on anything nearby - so prepare for a few posts coming your way. 

Lately, I have been putting myself first (and the site second, evidently). For the past few years I thought that that was what I was doing; surely, that's what you do when you're single, right? But throwing yourself into work, doing the sensible thing because the scary thing is downright terrifying and being the responsible one in the family isn't, as it turns out, the same as being a little selfish. I'm not saying I've been a cow, as my thirteen year old self would say - I've just been doing a little more of what I want and learning how to make decisions that cheer me up. 

So it probably wasn't the sensible thing to spend a further £200 that I do not have on Spanish Level 2 - but I get so much out of it, that I did it without even a moment's hesitation. Oops. And yes there is a pile of washing-up downstairs that requires my attention (they are yet to invent the dishwasher that loads itself, apparently), but I've realised I had come to resent Saturdays because I spent the majority of the precious free hours cleaning, so it now comes second to whatever I want to do. I can still be a Monica, but it fits in around my fun time. 

I've also realised that despite work commitments and the ever decreasing bank balance (or should that be ever increasing overdraft fees?), holidays are necessary. Holidays make the world go round. Taking time out is so underrated, particularly when moaning about the packing and organising that goes into it - but after my recent best-holiday-I've-ever-had-ever holiday in Ibiza (post upcoming), I've been so much happier, more positive and just feeling pretty damn good about life. 

Of course I am now back and missing it like crazy, but I also have hundreds of great memories that keep me going. In those party-filled seven days, I felt more like myself than I had in years; I took risks (good ones), danced all night every night, fell in love with music again, fell in love with the island again and had enough girl talk to last a lifetime (though there is always room for more).

So, 2011 is still going strong... and there's plenty more fun to be had. What about you - how do you make sure you put yourself first every once in a while?

This is a random little post, but I just wanted to share this fantastic video I came across thanks to Punch Bowl Blog.

I am a huge fan of Beyonce and always have been; having grown up loving the queens of power ballads like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey (who in my opinion have since gone pretty downhill), when Destiny's Child/Beyonce came along I could marry my adoration of strong soulful voices to my love of R'n'B - and Beyonce became my idol.

Anyhoo, enough with the gushing - the video speaks for itself. This is Jay-Z filming his wife in rehearsal singing 1+1, and unsurprisingly she sounds abso-bloody-lutely amazing. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Just noticed this video was removed... rubbish! You can see her perform 1+1 in her Glastonbury performance though - it's when she's sat on top of the piano.

I was one of the hard workers at school. I was in top set for everything, I didn’t get anything below an A for any of my GCSEs, and I always got my homework in on time. Great, you might think. I must be really smart thanks to all those years of learning. Hey, I even have a degree – I must be super clever, right?

Well, wrong. I don’t feel smart. Because no matter what grades you get at school, they neglect to teach you about the fundamental things you will have to deal with in later life. In school we are repeatedly taught about osmosis. Henry VIII. Trigonometry. Now I don’t know about you, but I haven’t needed to work out the lengths of the sides of triangles since, ooh, year eleven, and while Henry VIII had a fascinating life that I’m sure could inspire a great horror movie, he has not helped me to understand how the country works and how to be a grown up. So, if the government happens to be reading – can you add these to the curriculum, please? It’s too late for me, but let’s give the kids a head start.

1.    Tax
The inspiration for this post and the most mind-numbingly painful task you will ever have to endure is completing a self assessment tax return. Oh. My. God. The deadline may be January 31st, but I only got mine sorted a few months later thanks to a system that makes no sense, appalling customer service and a complete lack of help available. After spending hours, and I mean hours, on the phone to people who should not be working for HMRC if their advice to me to pay two grand more than I owed ‘or else they’ll fine you’ is anything to go by, I eventually got through to someone who knew their job and told me what I needed to do in two seconds flat. Now, if school included a few lessons explaining how the tax system worked, I would not have a massive phone bill and raised blood pressure, and the tax office would have had their money much sooner. Smiles through gritted teeth all round.

2.    Politics
I used to be one of those people who thought, ‘I don’t do politics’. To me, it was boring, not relevant and far too complicated to understand. Then I grew up a little, went to uni and started to learn the basics about elections, parties and the way the media works to support them, and suddenly it became relevant. I also developed opinions of my own and left my conservative hometown behind. Don’t get me wrong, I still find it a little yawn-worthy and don’t know as much as I probably should – but I wish I knew more and that I’d been taught about how our country politically ticks along back in school. Even an explanation of how the voting system works would have been handy…

3.    Banking and money
Surely, surely this is something that they could squeeze into the curriculum. They could teach it in Maths along with Pythagoras and standard deviation. Just a few lessons on credit ratings, how to get a mortgage, pensions… money makes the world go round but no one tells you this stuff. A friend of mine is about to buy her first house and has been relaying the complicated saga of getting a mortgage, and I feel incredibly stupid just hearing about it – so I suppose it’s a good thing that I’ll probably never be able to get on the property ladder. But still, I’d like to know how it all works. I like learning.

I could go on – useful skills such as basic mechanics (my first car broke down a lot), IT (now that we live online) and maybe even a bit of plumbing (my boiler exploded a bit) would be more useful than learning about photosynthesis and sketching the physical changes to a potato when it’s kept in the dark (seriously, did I go to a stupid school?).  Plus, it would make the homework a lot more interesting. ‘Daddy, where are the keys to the car…?’


(And yes. That's me throwing my hat in the air.)

Well, what's the point in making resolutions if you're not going to keep them? Or, more to the point, why blog about them for all to see if you're not going to at least have a go? You may remember I had five little life to-dos back at the start of 2011 (can you believe it's May already?!) so I thought I would write an update, if anything to motivate me to keep going. It's definitely been a better year than the last so far, and being 25 is treating me pretty well. Here's why... 

Resolution 1: Get me healthy

Still a work in progress - that doctor wasn't listening carefully enough - but I am taking my health into my own hands. I've tried out meditation with a wonderful lady who contacted me through Wahanda, and am probably going to sign up to her online membership (Julie records all her sessions and puts them up online so those of us who find it hard to fit it in can still take part). I am also power plating my way to (hopefully) abs that could be mistaken for J-Lo's, and power walking around the block whenever I get the chance. It's still not enough but it's a start, right?

Resolution 2: Get me outta here

OK, this one is a little harder to do in a short amount of time. But, I have just got back from a family trip to Swanage and am planning a girl's holiday for fun in the sun next month. Plus, my best friend just moved to Dubai (sob) so I am already plotting to go and visit once it cools down out there. As for the rest of the global travel to-do list, who knows... 

Resolution 3: Get me writing again, properly

Those tiny nagging inklings of doubt are still lurking, but I am trying to blog more these days and am still enjoying it - so that's the main thing. I seem to be most inspired at around one in the morning after watching a few too many episodes of Sex and the City, which makes it difficult to get stuck into writing anything solid (unless I want to be up all night), but I have written a few intros to stories that I am pleased with - I just haven't finished them yet. Maybe I'll start with short stories instead of a novel! On the upside, I did write my train etiquette post after one painful train ride too many, and it got picked up by a transport website as well as turning me into an official Grumpy Young Woman - so I am pretty proud of that...

Resolution 4: Get me a life

This one is going fairly well if I do say so myself. I booked myself in for Spanish lessons and am around halfway through. I am loving it. Not only is it great to be learning again (I am such a geek, I LOVE learning), but the language is as pretty as I thought it was and the people are lovely. If I can afford it, I'll be doing level 2 without a doubt and carrying on for as long as I can. I've also got my eyes on a few creative writing courses, am trying to find a cheap piano teacher in London and am generally busy every night of the week these days. I might be a bit exhausted when it gets to Sunday night, but it's so worth it. 

Resolution 5: Get me happy

This one was always going to be the hardest because I tend to compare myself to others with a glass-half-empty mentality - positive thinking doesn't come naturally to me. But, doing all of the above is certainly helping and I am keeping busy enough that I'm enjoying London more (separate post on that to come), feeling more active and, most of the time, looking forward to those slightly blurry goals rather than looking back with regrets. I've just finished reading Eat, Pray, Love - the film of which I've watched around ten times already - and it definitely inspired me to just start living. 2011 is already a big year and it's going to get bigger - so hopefully I will grow with it. Wow, that's cheesy. But true! 

Oh, and the photo is one of me and my sisters that my dad dug out - it makes me laugh every time I look at it. I'm the one in the middle. And I own a pair of sunglasses just like them now, at age 25 - so things can't be all bad!

What about you? Have you kept to your New Year's resolutions?