Eastpak Artist Studio London Launch

Here's the video from the Eastpak Artist Studio launch where nine UK creatives customised three Eastpak Padded Pak'r bags to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The auction finished yesterday and we're waiting for the grand total but in the mean time check out the video from the launch event at Mol's Place in Covent Garden. Was a brilliant night

Rise of The Competitive Woman

My alarm went off at 7:20am this morning which meant it was "run o'clock". I thought 'sod this' and reset it for 8:20am. Three minutes later I sat bolt upright in bed and was like 'what are you doing!!' and swiftly got out of bed, donned my running shoes and got my ass out the door. Thirty minutes later I was back at my front door and feeling all the better for it.

I then started reading Stylist magazine when en route to a meeting and read an article called 'Rise of the Competitive Woman'. It involved examples of women who use their spare time to push their bodies to the limit and commit themselves to hardcore physical activities like Triathlons and cycling 20 miles after work. They quote Sue Tibballs who is the Chief Exec of the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation who says that she's witnessed a trend in professional women seeking competitive, goal-orientated experiences outside the workplace over the last two years.

It's not just the physical advantages that the article mentions, it talks of the mental boost that exercise brings by pumping oxygen into your system that upsets the natural resting state of your body's blood sugars and how your body responds by over-compensating which boosts energy levels to prevent you feeling fatigued.

From my experience over the last few days I can definitely relate to this as I find that I'm more motivated when sat at my desk and feel alert and high spirited throughout the day as I've exercised in the morning and released all of those good endorphins. Also, this feeling motivates me to get up and go for a run before work just so that I can keep the buzz alive.

This article came into my life at the right time as it only concludes my thoughts and feelings and spurs me on to keep going!

Run Forrest Run!

You'll be pleased to hear that I did as I said and have started my health kick. Now those of you that know me are aware that I'm not a huge fan of cooking. I LOVE to eat but hate to cook. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and created the above gastronomic delight on Friday. It involved chicken stuffed with extra light Philadelphia and pesto wrapped in parma ham served on a bed of spinach and veg. I'm not one to blow my own trumpet but it was bloody yummy! On Saturday morning I then went for a run (see pic number one) where I was pretty chuffed with running for over 3 miles on my first attempt. I actually enjoyed running outside much more that I thought I would. I wanted to run yesterday morning but was recovering from a cold but managed to survive a run this morning where I ran less distance but at a quicker pace. I was told to use a great app called 'Map My Run' which uses GPS to track your running route, how long you're running and at what pace. It's awesome and you can upload them to your profile so you can keep track of everything. I'm so in the zone at the moment and am determined to look fab and amazing in time for my 27th birthday in June. Keep watching this space.......

Getting My Ass in Shape

HUMMINGBIRD BAKERY = BAD

FRUIT & VEG = GOOD

FOLDING BIKE = GOOD

I don't know what's happened but I've woken up today feeling inspired to finally get my ass in gear and start sorting my life out when it comes to my health. I was supposed to be involved in the whole 'new year, new you' debacle but that never really worked out for me. I can't afford to be joining a gym so I'm going to utilise the great outdoors. One of my good friends is training for the marathon and keeps inviting me on her running sessions but I keep making excuses - well not anymore!

I feel that if I write it on my blog then I have no excuse and MUST do it. You guys have permission to abuse me if for some stupid reason I don't hold up my end of the bargain. Now it's in writing it's like a contract with myself and I'll end up looking a fool if I don't do it.

I also want to invest in a good folding bike so I can cycle the two miles to work which will not only help with my fitness but save me a fortune on bus fairs (needs to be folding to store in my flat).

So here it goes guys, the food diary was started this morning (480 calories consumed so far including pineapple, sugar snap peas, tuna and a low fat yoghurt) and I plan on eating chicken and veg for dinner.

No alcohol either......tough I know.....but I'm determined.

WATCH THIS SPACE!

adidas evil eye halfrim pro launch

For those that don't know me, I wouldn't say that cycling is my forte (check out my previous cycling experience that involves the Golden Gate Bridge here). But, for those that do know me, I'm always up for giving things a go! My client adidas eyewear are launching a new mountain bike frame called the 'evil eye halfrim pro' so we went to test it out on a glorious day (btw, that comment is dripping in sarcasm) which involved, me, warm clothes, a helmet, the evil eye and a mountain bike. An award winning combination it must be said. We went to Cannock Chase in Stafford for the full 'off-road' experience and I must say that I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more that I'd initially thought! We rode loads of trails and learnt the art of using our peripheral vision and maintaining our focus straight ahead instead of looking at the ground in front of us. The instructors from Cycle Active were amazing and very patient (mostly patient with me as I started off not being able to get in the right gear....) but the trails were really fun, very tight with plenty of logs and trees in VERY close proximity but I'm proud to say that I survived! The lenses in the evil eye were absolutely incredible - you couldn't even tell you were wearing sunglasses and they filtered the light beautifully. As you can see from the pics above, I was pretty much all the gear, no idea (as per usual!). There are three pics of the pro's showing you how it's done, then one of me taking a gentle peddle through the countryside....I don't look very hardcore do I?? Oh well, the day ended with a lovely group shot and we literally just missed the snow by about 5 mins. I was extremely relieved to be in doors afterwards....oh AND I managed to give my £3000 bike a puncture......

Eastpak Antidote Tour Comes to London

Friday 29th October was definitely a night to remember for me. The Eastpak Antidote Tour came to London at the HMV Forum and the build up to the show was amazing. When I arrived at the venue there was girls that had been queueing since 6am (pictured above - still smiling!) and the next pair in the queue had come all the way from Spain for the show! We did tell them that the tour was coming to Spain but they said that London was best (who can blame them!). The line to get in was going right around the building which was incredible to see. The show went without a hitch and all of the bands were really well received. First up were Veara and I was pleased to see a huge crowd ready to cheer them on. Next was The Riverboat Gamblers who again rocked out hard and put on a very energetic show. For me, the highlight was The Black Pacific (ex-Pennywise front man Jim Lindberg's new venture) and he showed the same spark and natural frontmanship (made up word but it works!) that he did in his Pennywise days. He had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand and they definitely gained a legion of new fans after their performance. Headliners Sum 41 appeared on stage last and it's safe to say that the crowd were thrilled to see them. Deryck did the usual by bringing some lucky fans up onto the stage to give them a night they'll never forget! I couldn't stay long to see them as I had to head to the after show to make sure it was all set up and beautiful before our guests arrived. And I must say, I was very pleased with how it looked. We had the tour logo's on vinyl stickers all over the venue (the red mouth's you can see above) and it was then a case of waiting for the red London buses to arrive with all of our guests! My good friend Leigh Shorter hit the decks first and proved invaluable throughout the night and even had to help Cone from Sum 41 as he was unsure of how to DJ through his ipod (bless!). Photo's above show The Black Pacific and Sum 41 being interviewed at the after show and I had my pic taken with the lovely Jim Lindberg (I was pretty happy at this point!). It was an absolutely awesome night which I enjoyed thoroughly (til way gone 4am) and I hope the rest of the tour continues to please fans up until the last show in Germany...

Vintage Seekers Launches

This month saw the launch of Vintage Seekers, the first premium online platform to sell 20th Century design and collectibles in a unique lifestyle context. With the mantra ‘desirable, stylish, authentic, often iconic and always original’, Vintage Seekers curates the finest examples of design, fashion, motoring, memorabilia, watches and wine and celebrates the enduring appeal of the most covetable objects of the last century. Even though the items they sell are a pipe dream for someone like me, I have to admire the beauty of what is on offer and I can aspire to own a timeless piece of fashion one day.


Items for sale at launch include collector’s quality Ossie Clark and Biba, prices ranging from £575 to £1200 within the Fashion section, a 1978 Rolex Daytona at £25,000 in Watches and Edith Head’s original sketches of Audrey Hepburn’s costumes for the film Sabrina, at £15,000 within Memorabilia.


Go admire the collections at www.vintageseekers.com