So, it turns out I want to be a surgeon…

In early January of this year, I discovered the most intense television series of my life and have since wondered how on earth I survived without it for this long. Serious kudos to the writers of this show because I have never felt so engaged with characters and hooked by story lines. I am THIS close to packing up my career in PR and going back to Med School so I can intern at Seattle Grace to become a WORLD CLASS SURGEON/meet my very own McDreamy/Denny Duquette...

I am not a massive TV lover, but I do love a good box set and I have to say that Grey’s beats them all…HANDS DOWN.

It has got to the point where I am now up to date with the current series and my days of Grey’s Anatomy marathons are slowly coming to an end. I thought that in celebration of this genius show, I would share a very extensive list of some of the hilarious wittering’s that I have found from other sites as well as some of my own so all you fellow Grey’s fans can comprehend quite how incredible (and obsessive) it can get!

P.S: if there is anything on this list that you don’t get, you are not a true Grey’s fan. Sorry.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A GREY’S ANATOMY FAN WHEN….

You've decided you want to be a surgeon despite your lack of science skills (a B at GCSE science just won’t cut it!)

You start McNaming all your McFriends and everything else in your McLife.



You can randomly quote Grey's anytime, anywhere (“Are you two lesbians?” “Us two?! NO! We screw boys like whores on tequila!”)

You think “George O’Malley” EVERYTIME you hear 007, instead of James Bond (possibly the most painful moment of my life..)

You know the code to open the drugs cupboard is 1221, haha!

You think it'd be a sin for Meredith and Derek not to be together 

You want to cut open Rose with a scalpel

You suggest that you and your boyfriend should get a post-it marriage

You get asked to do something at work and you automatically want to say “isn’t there an intern that can do that?!”

You get the hiccups and you think you are going to die



You cried when Meredith almost died (even though it would make no sense if she did)

You would marry Denny Duquette (ohhh yes, my favourite!)



You now know what not to do when disarming a bomb from somebody's body cavity.



You talk about Grey's ALL THE TIME to everyone, even if they have NO idea what you are talking about



You tell your friends about what happened in the latest episode even though they're not listening- and you usually end up being pissed off at them



You get emotional everytime you hear 'Chasing Cars' on the radio

You will never look at a ferry boat the same way again

You shudder when you hear the name Gary Clark

You wish you had an Anatomy Jane doll growing up

You hear Arizona and think of the Paeds surgeon not the state

You know more about aneurysms than you ever thought possible

You refer to children as "tiny humans"

You find yourself asking: "What Would Bailey Do?

You lie on the bathroom floor when you're depressed



You hear a song that was in an episode and you immediately say "OMG that's from Grey's Anatomy"



You wish you were best friends with Cristina Yang



You tell your friends you've watched someone perform open heart surgery in an elevator


You're officially naming your children Addison, Meredith, Izzie, George, Derek, Bailey, Alex, Owen, Callie... you get the idea



You wish Dr. Addison Montgomery was there to deliver your baby



You have dance parties in your living rooms to get over a crappy day at work/argument with a friend



You constantly refer to your best friend as your 'person'

You have a Grey's playlist in your iPod/mp3 (every single song!!!)



You go to every movie with Patrick Dempsey in it, just so you can get your McDreamy fix




You wish you could be admitted to SGH when you're sick

The shooting was possibly the most terrifying, intense and mind-blowming moment of your life!



You wish they were as bad-ass as Bailey

 

You hate it when McDreamy is being a McAss

You have all five of Bailey’s rules memorised

The word LVAD brings up such sad memories that you want to cry….oh Denny..

Standing on air vents helps you relax

You want a sparkly red pager

You class people as heavy drinkers if they are on par with Meredith and her tequila drinking

When Ceviche is a patient, NOT a seafood dish!

You have a headache, so you think it could possibly be a tumour

You want a pair of Arizona’s roller skate sneakers (haha!)


 

You wish you and your friends could hang out at Joes Bar

You wish someone would look at you like the way McDreamy look at Meredith

You know that the 5 second rule doesn’t just apply to food

The word “Ass” is your go to insult



You want to go to the hospital just to check out hot doctors, hopefully you'll find someone like McDreamy, McSteamy, Evil Spawn or Bambi



You think surgeons are the coolest in the medical profession (obvi..!)



You want to have ALL the characters as your roommates (well okay maybe not all...living with the chief and Bailey may not be fun...)

You question your dr.s diganosis, because that's not what mcdreamy would say.

You have lost weekends watching episode after episode….after episode (my record was 28 episodes in one weekend…#proudmoment)

You suddenly have a thing for ferry boats

EVERYTHING relates to and reminds you of Grey’s Anatomy

And finally, If someone interrupts you during Grey's they should fear for their life.

Peace,

O x

Ramblings of a Londoner…

It has been one of those days today and I really need to vent.

I am currently working on a post about my personal favourite spots in London having been a resident for quite some time BUT because today has not been the best day, I am going to have a healthy rant about the city that brings me joy and laughter but also anger and annoyance!

So, below are a few things that just seem to become acceptable when you live in London; some funny, some irritating but ALL scarily true….

ENJOY.


Unwelcome friendliness from strangers is met with you avoiding eye contact at all costs or looking directly at the floor, because let’s face it they’re either going to ask you for money or tell you about God


£200 per week is an acceptable price for a box room above a newsagents

You start to accept queuing as a way of life

You expect men to make an effort in their appearance. They actually style their hair (using hair products) and to wear decent clothes. Jeans and a t-shirt are no longer socially acceptable- we are not in Loughborough anymore, Kids!

It is entirely acceptable to go out on a week night. In fact, every night is fine to go drinking. Even Sunday...

You pay £12 without blinking for a cocktail that blatantly cost the bar 28p

Scoffing at people who live in outside of Zones 1-3, even though you were raised on an Island with a population of 77

You hate to say that someone jumping underneath a tube is actually rather inconvenient to your commute

You block out loud noises- you just don’t hear sirens anymore or the obnoxiously loud neighbours praying at  precisely 6.45am who strategically have placed their lounge above your bedroom (I hope you are reading Mr Patel!!! It is just rude…)

You wouldn’t want to live anywhere else but a city….until you get married

You say ‘mate’ constantly (most annoying habit I have picked up)

And lastly, Anyone not from London is a ‘wanker’

Rant over,

Peace,

O x

Welcome to the REAL WORLD...

Having graduated without overdrafts or loans thanks to the support of my wonderful and very giving parents, I thought that living in London as a working girl would be a chance to give something back to them and to say goodbye to the poor student days of coupons and crappy food and instead branch out on my own and enter the adult world where you could buy a cheeky Mulberry once in a while, eat out regularly and maybe, just maybe SAVE. 

Oh how wrong I was.

Instead, I have become twice as strapped for cash as I ever was, choosing a career for enjoyment as opposed to money. It has got to the point that over 70% of my monthly income is on outgoings, which leaves me with around £50-50p/w to live on (that includes having to buy food!!!). I am very thankful to my parents who have helped me out at times when I literally had 0.01p in my bank account a fair few times...

So, for all the graduates who are thinking of moving to London, whatever you do, SAVE before you make the move. Make the most of living at home and not having to pay extortionate amounts on accommodation. Make the most of lovely home-cooked meals. Make the most of chats with the family and spending time with your parents.

But if you do decide to do it, here is a few handy tips to help you budget and save!

Plan your Meals

Always do a weekly menu plan before you do a big shop. This way you will only buy what you need and resist those promotions for things you won’t really eat! This also helps with planning meals that can carry on to the next day to save money & waste, for example, I make a huge Spaghetti Bolognese in the slow cooker so I can have spag bol one night and the next night I will use the remainder to make a lasagne or have it with something different like rice.

I usually do a big meat/fish shop once a month and spend around £35. I will buy mince, chicken breasts, fillets of sole/cod/haddock etc and then I will portion them into sandwich bags and freeze. Then I do a grocery shop every 3-4 days where I will spend between £5-10 on fresh produce so that I don’t waste any food. I also do a shop purely for the food I eat whilst I am at work. I spend around £10 for the week, which will consist of Muesli, Yoghurt, Salad leaves, Veg and Lunch meat (chicken breast chunks, ham etc).

Don’t spend more than you have!

A simple one but one so many people fail to stick to and fall into the cycle of going into overdraft every month! Make a budget and stick to it so you know all your outgoings for the month and what you estimate to have left over for extra’s. I generally make sure that all of my outgoings go out the same day I get paid so that I know exactly what I have to last on for the rest of the month.

Put some away

As soon as I get paid, I pay my rent, bills, phone bill etc and then try and put around £100 into a separate account that I don’t have a card for so would need to transfer it by going online or into the bank. That way I can try my best to survive on what is actually in my bank account and because it isn’t physically there to spend at the touch of a button, I usually resist. It is good to have there at the end of the month, just in case you desperately need something. Like food, or…new shoes? I jest. I haven’t bought a pair of shoes in at least 6 months….#depressing.

It might also help to get a savings jar and put your spare pound coins in there. I would suggest a "jar of dreams' because you have to smash it to get into it so it is a good one if you lack will power!! 

Make a wish list

Last but not least, I always make a small wish list that I will treat myself to on pay day to celebrate my hard work. I am not talking about the latest iPad, a Mulberry bag or some new KG’s, instead just some, affordable useful things that repay you for your hard work. I usually make quite a large list and then carefully select between 3 and 5 items which make the cut. This month, I am going to treat myself to a new cookbook (sad I know), a new Lipgloss (much needed), some magazines and a nice pair of shorts I spotted in Topshop.

I don’t mean to put you off the big city people, but just be realistic. If you have the chance to live at home, I would really recommend it whilst you are job-hunting, interning and even when you land your first job for the first year or two. You will then be able to live somewhere lush and enjoy all that London has to offer without worrying where the next penny is coming from.


A massive thanks to my parents for supporting me nonstop through my move, but mostly for teaching me how to budget and do things for myself. 

O

x

Calories, Calories, CALORIES

Over the last few weeks, I have got somewhat obsessed with calorie counting and what I put into my body. There are a fair few myths out there about health and nutrition but having trying a few of the fad diets, I realise that these methods are abit of a “cop-out”. A very wise and trusted source told me a fair few tips to eating healthily and I have since adapted the philosophy that everything is okay in moderation and that permanent change is the only thing that will make a difference and withstand the test of time! No more DUKAN diet that’s for sure.

I have since brought carbs back into my life! But not naughty carbs like fries, instead I have opted for good carbs like oat bran, sweet potatoes and wholemeal/grain bread. It has simply been a case of swapping out the naughtiness for a load of nutritious goodness to cut down on calories, high salt intake and unnecessary bad fats (which cause cellulite ladies!!!).

Some top substitutions:

Swap cream and cheddar cheese for cottage cheese- You will save about 15 grams of fat in the process, assuming you use low-fat cottage cheese, you will significantly boost the protein content of this meal. Sometimes it can be hard to adjust to the taste, so if you need more flavour, try drizzling on some low-sugar maple syrup or sprinkling cinnamon over the top.

Swap French fries for homemade chips- instead, you can thinly slice fresh potatoes, spray with cooking oil, sprinkle with salt and herbs like chili flakes, basil or oregano, or freshly ground pepper and bake! Yum!! Even better is to substitute baked sweet potato fries. Sweet potatoes are full of fibre and beta carotene which is an added bonus.

Swap flavoured yogurts for plain non-fat yoghurts- flavoured ones are high in sugar, and unless you buy non-fat, they have a substantial amount of fat. Choose plain non-fat yogurt and add your own flavours with sliced fruit and chopped nuts, and a splash of vanilla extract. Use organic honey as a sweetener or even a bit of fruit jam- yum!

Also, if you have over indulged ever so slight, why not try a fun way of burning some calories! I read around this and some of these really made me laugh so I thought I would share!

Give them a go!

1. Swing a lasso over your head 375 times.

2. Do 250 breaststrokes (about 10 minutes).

3. Alternate between cat pose, cow pose and downward dog 13 times, holding each for 30 seconds.

4. Walk up 33 flights of stairs- for those of you with a bungalow of one floor flat….sucks to be you.

5. Lift and lower a soy sauce bottle 170 times with your right hand and a wok 170 times with your left.

6. Take a leisurely walk in the park for 51 minutes.

7. Sing the "Grease" original soundtrack from start to finish.

8. Degrease by scrubbing in the shower for 15 minutes, then spend seven minutes shaving, three minutes toweling off, four minutes moisturizing, and 20 minutes blow-drying and styling your hair.

9. Wiggle while you watch TV for 40 minutes: Fidgeters burn up to 350 more calories a day than couch potatoes

10. Relive the '80s: Lip-synch George Michael's "Faith" 16 times

Happy eating lovelies!

O

x

Free Starbucks!

So, free Starbucks? You are thinking…what’s the catch,right? Well actually it was just a very clever little stunt to get people talking about the new friendly and approachable Starbucks service that is being implemented in all stores. Personally, I have never been bothered that they called out “Tall Skinny Latte” instead of “Olivia” because I am after a simple morning coffee buzz. I mean, it would be different if that method was used at a Drs surgery where they called out your procedure or problem instead of your name…can you imagine? But when it comes to coffee, I expect a smile but not to become best friends with the Barista. I find it a little bit invasive actually and a little over-familiar. I don’t want every Tom, Dick and Harry knowing my name in the coffee shop. I have made an executive decision to come up with a new name each time I go…keeping it interesting!

PR wise, I think it worked pretty well. There was talkability and most certainly increased footfall into the stores. I read on BBC News some of the Twitter reactions, these are a few of my favourites:

• When the barista in Starbucks asks you your name so they can write it on your free latte, I dare you to say 'Costa' - @martinsaunders
• So Starbucks is giving away coffee if you tell them your name. Who's got the best fake Starbucks name? Anyone told them your name's Robocop? - @DonnaBow
• The whole Starbucks name thing is a real test for my paranoia. I now need an alias for buying coffee - @PoppyD
• What will staff in Starbucks do if public refuse to give name? Not serve, stand like broken automata, cry? - @phuplate 

Anyway, enough of that!

ITS FRIDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

Have a great weekend all!

O

x

Midnight in Paris

Well hello there lovely people! Sorry I have been somewhat absent from the blogging scene but I was busy sauntering down the Champs-Élysées, chewing on Escargot and window shopping in Cartier in sunny Paris. So, rather obviously, I have decided to blog about my long weekend to one of Europe’s most beautiful cities with my friend, Sophie.

Friday, 3.45am- alarm goes off. I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON, so getting up at this time offends me. However, seeing as I was getting up to go to Paris, the ridiculously early morning was somewhat cushioned by little pangs of excitement churning in my stomach. About 15 minutes later, a quiet toot from the taxi driver outside signalled that it was time to leave cloudy London and venture to London St Pancras to start our weekend. We got to the station and check in as normal and once through security, I treated myself to a Café Nero breakfast baguette. The Eurostar journey went very quickly, with me asleep the majority of the way.

Before I knew it, we pulled into the Gare du Nord  station where we were greeted by scorching sunshine! The sun was out and the Ray-Bans were on…we had arrived! We hopped in a cab, checked into our hotel, got changed and then headed out to see the Cathédrale Notre Dame. We roamed around taking pictures and then we ventured into the Cathedral itself. Even though I am not really religious, the Notre-Dame Cathedral itself was a truly magnificent site!

Later that day, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower and its surrounding gardens where we came across a group of extremely talented dancers. We watched them for around an hour as they all took turns to show off their moves…think Step Up but with less attractive French people. In all seriousness, they were incredible and it was a definite highlight of the trip. That evening, we went to an Italian and had Calzones with some Gin on the rocks (not our choice…) and then headed to bed.

The next day we decided that it was time to have a little look at the other lovely touristy sites in Paris so we ventured to the Arc de Triomphe! If anyone has ever been there, you will know that once you get off the metro you will have no trouble finding the Arc itself. HOWEVER, it is quite confusing to actually get to it. We ended up walking around it for about 20 minutes and then realising that you had to go in an underground walkway to get to it. Entry was free for under 26’s which was a massive bonus so we made our way up one flight of stairs. Then two, then 5, then twn, then what felt like 100!!!!! We finally reached the top, legs like jelly, out of breathe and breaking into a slight sweat but still, we were at the top. Unfortunately, it was a little cloudy do the view from the top wasn’t fabulous but it was still rather lovely to get a view of the “golden triangle”.

We then sauntered down the Champs-Élysées and looked at the shop windows at all the things that we couldn’t afford. I made a cheeky pitstop in H&M and found a fair few bargains. I got some black and white humbug cropped trousers, some snake skin leggings and my personal fav- an incredible hot pink blazer (my best of buy of 2012 BY FAR)- win! We stopped off at a lovely little café for a late brunch and walked the glamorous people of Paris walk by.

It was dinner time, so what is more fitting than a traditional French meal….snails and all! Yes, I did, I tried escargot (snails for those who aren’t familiar). And it was bloody lovely- albeit a little chewy. We ate Rillettes, Steak and Mussels and washed it down with Champers and some questionably strong Long Island Ice Teas. We had a fabulous waiter and he taught us how to eat everything properly and even fed me snails at one point. He was also wearing an England Rugby shirt, what a lad!!! We ate so much that we had to wait over an hour before we could even attemp to walk home!! At around midnight, we then waddled back to the hotel to bed, too full to move.

The best day had arrived. It was DISNEY time. We arrived at 10.30am and went straight to the souvenir shop to deck ourselves out with Disney gear. We decided on the Minnie Mouse ears and much to the a lot of peoples dismay, walked around with them ALL DAY on our heads. We met Goofy, the Rat from Ratatouille, The Incredibles AND Tweedle Dee- still pretty star struck. The funniest part most definitely where I tricked Sophie into overcoming her childhood fear of rollercoasters. I insisted that the Rockin Roller Coaster (Aerosmith ride) had no loops or corkscrews and was simply a rock tour where you sit in little carts. Ohhhhh but it wasn’t- it is probably the BEST ride there with loops and corkscrews a-plenty! Pretty sure she nearly had a heart attack as it started but secretly, she LOVED it!

On our last day, we made our way to Montmarche and grabbed a Corona in the sun- what a great end to a great trip.

The only negative side of the trip is that we felt rather unsafe at times. There are large groups of men and they can be very forward and have no boundaries or clue on personal space. I would suggest if you are a girl, to not make eye-contact or respond to any of their jeers/comments- it just encourages them. If any of you have seen the film “A Midnight In Paris”, I am afraid to say it is quite the opposite at midnight. I didn’t bump into Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dali or Picasso- bummer! Midnight in Paris should definitely not be spent outdoors walking around!!

But all in all- a wonderful city.

Bisous!

O x

Let’s talk….adverts

Last week at work, we had a review of all the best and most influential ads and viral videos for this past quarter and it got me thinking about some adverts that struck a chord with me, personally. I actually don’t watch a huge amount of TV as I am big on streaming and watching stuff on my iMac online (4OD, iPlayer etc) so adverts are something that I tend to skip or not see that often. Saying that, if I am in the mood, I am partial to a good advert or two. So I thought I would share with you some that really made me think, laugh or ask questions….

VW- The Bark Side

The first which really caught my attention was the Volkswagen advert which was played during the Superbowl a few weeks ago. This is Volkswagen’s second go at the Star Wars theme for the big game day spot which last year’s advert featuring a child who very desperately wanted to be Darth Vader. To say it was successful is an understatement – more than 48 million hits on YouTube (!!).

It’s no surprise then, that VW wanted to match that success this year and that they did! The fact that it continued the theme worked very well, going viral within hours. Take a look for yourselves with the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ntDYjS0Y3w&feature=player_embedded

D&G- The One Sport

The second was a personal favourite of mine purely because this man cannot get any more beautiful. He is literally the most incredible man I have ever seen in my life. I love a man who is into sport and keeps himself healthy and this guy is SO buff but without being an absolute beefcake. His face, his body, his EVERYTHING. Check it outttttttttt ladies (or men, if you are that way inclined…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTnyzfSYPtg

REN skincare

A last but not least, a slightly….provocative entry! The REN skincare brand video came to my attention whilst I was working at my last agency who was working with the brand at the time. It is a very bizarre concept but I think it works. I have a funny story about it actually….

I HAD to share this with work collegaues so I showed one or two people. The reaction then caused quite a stir in the office and after 5 viewings and a crowd of about 20 blushing ladies and 10 aroused men, I got a phone call from IT. They had received notifcations that I was viewing and searching for pornographic content on the work system and that it would have to be reported to my manager. I LEGIT nearly died, on the spot. How do I get out of that one?! I explained to my boss, showed her the video and all was sorted but I do have the slight reputation that I am the office pervert…brilliant.

Anyway, enjoy…!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjSDmtfl638

Peace,

O x