Margot's journalism blog

You have a date with the Internet!

2012-01-14T04:18:00.002Z

Cloud Girlfriend. Ever heard of it? Nor had I until about 16 hours ago. And it would seem that most of the Internet has not heard of it either. This is one of the Internet's flops. And once you learn about the concept, you will probably wonder why the idea was not aborted in the early stages of its conception.

Cloud Girlfriend was supposed to launch as a service, which you would pay for, that provided you with a Facebook girlfriend. Basically, you would create the ideal woman and she would post messages on your profile in a way to hopefully prove to your friends you are not some lonely freak. Now that idea, people, is a good idea! It might not be the best idea in the world, and the concept might be rather sad, but at least it was interesting. And the Internet seemed to think so too. Unfortunately, this concept had to be dropped before the launch off the service as it violated Facebook's terms of services (profiles have to belong to real, living people). Instead, Cloud Girlfriend became a new online dating website. With one strange concept, let me tell you that!

You register through Cloud Girlfriend with your Facebook account, this is used to verify the age of the participants and their gender. You are then brought to a page where you can make up your profile. First you need to select a profile picture —you are given quite a broad selection of good looking girls— and once that is done, you may select traits of your character and those of your ideal partner. You even get to make up a fantasy biography. And you can get as creative as you want, something I have witnessed on other people's profiles. Once all of this is done, you are ready to meet some (fake) girls! Because, technically, there are only girls on Cloud Girlfriend. Indeed, all of the fake profiles are girls. Internet dating has just got a whole lot weirder.

Judging from the number of dates I have had (zero), I can tell the website is not popular. And frankly this does not surprise me. Although it was entertaining to invent myself as a brand new person, it quickly got boring and I moved on to better things.
I have no had a single conversation through the website, and I am kind of glad I didn't. Reading other people's biographies made me want to close the tab and erase my Internet history as quickly as humanly possible.
What kind of sick people use this website to find dates? Probably the same who hope to meet the ideal partner on Omegle or expect to be shown a sunset happening on the other side of the world on Chatroulette.

I tested out this service out of sheer curiosity, and also because the name led me to expect something completely different. Had the concept remained what it was supposed to be, this would have been an interesting service to use, you know, just for the fun of it. But looking at what it is, I will save you the the disappointment: stay away from this website! If you really want to waste your time, download angry birds or something.

Katawa Shoujo, a gem produced by the Internet

2012-01-09T16:18:00.000Z

Visual novels. Dating Simulations. You may have never heard of these terms before, and who could blame you? It seems as though the European public has been kept far away from this type of game. In this day and age, we are bombarded by sexual images from every angle. You cannot escape sex, it is an inherent part of our world today. Yet, when you come to think of it, this does not seem to be the fact in most video games.
Let's take a moment to ponder this. Video games have a bad reputation for being violent and at times sexist, but rare are the games that focus solely on sex, or even dating. Even the Sims get under the covers for crying out loud! In Europe and the US, nudity and sexual themes are much less tolerated than violence. That's one way to send out a confusing message to people all around.
In Japan, however, these games with sexual connotations are much more popular. The concept is usually quite simple. The main character is a guy, usually quite good looking, and he is surrounded by beautiful girls, left, right and centre. The game resembles that of a novel, as you do not do much except read the text, look at the beautiful images and, every now and again, choose one of two (or three) options. The stories and graphics are polished and the games are really quite enjoyable.

Visual novels are a completely different style of gaming to what we are used to, here in Europe. And unfortunately, they seem to stay very alien to most gamers, and members of the general public. On top of this, a certain stigma is attached to these games. Indeed, simply dating a girl and avoided a bad ending is not enough, most visual novels offer some sort of hentai content. Hentai, if you are not familiar with the term, designs pornography in animes and mangas. Now I bet you flinched at that word. Your thoughts are probably the following: "ugh, a porn game? What kind of perverts play these things!?"
Of course, who could blame you? This is the way you were brought up to think and react in these situations. But being put off a game because of there are scenes of sexual nature is silly. You don't avoid films that have sex scenes in them, do you? Nor do you call the people who go see them perverts. So why act differently about the games? Probably because they are different from what you are used to, and the unfamiliar is frightening. So do keep an open mind for what comes next.

Katawa Shoujo was developed by Four Leaf Studios. You have never heard of them, either? That is not surprising as they are a brand new studio, made up of people from around the web. Indeed, the particularity of Katawa Shoujo is that it was not made by a professional gaming studio, but by people from the notorious image board 4chan, and other Internet communities, with a real interest in making a visual novel. Although it took five years in the making, the result is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately for the game, on top of carrying the stigma of being a visual novel, it also is deeply associated with 4chan.

If you have never heard of 4chan, I would like to know where you have been hiding all your life? 4chan is the deepest, darkest place of the Internet, and probably one of the most notorious. Many Internet memes come from 4chan, and so does the infamous Anonymous group. 4chan has many boards, but the best known is the random board. You can find everything and anything there, mostly pornographic images and racial insults. But if you look past all of the unpleasant stuff, you can find some real gems.
The people who worked on Katawa Shoujo found each other on another board though, the anime and manga board /a/. And although they might have decided to start the project on 4chan, they are completely separate and people should keep on open mind when thinking about Katawa Shoujo.

It is unfortunate that the game has not received wider recognition. Not only are the story lines interesting, the illustrations are beautiful and the music delightful. In the game, you are Hisao Nakai, a young man seemingly normal, but who suffers from arrhythmia. His disease has stopped him from returning to his old school, and instead he has transferred to Yamaku High School, a school which bears the particularity that it is primarily for disabled students. You will get to meet 6 girls, 5 of which you can actually date, and depending on the choices you make, the story will go one way or another.
Each route is divided into several acts and it will take you an average of 8 hours to get through an individual route. The gameplay is simple, you really just need to read the text that appears in the box at the bottom of the screen, and every now and again you will be prompted to make a choice between two proposed actions.

All of the characters were thoughtfully designed and their stories are all rich and interesting. Of course, you will eventually come to prefer one character over the rest of them —the Internet is full of threads debating which storyline is the best— they are all worth a play. Being a visual novel, there are of course some scenes of sexual nature, however these are not numerous and are all done in a tasteful way. None of the images are overly graphic or disturbing, and the texts that accompanies the scenes give a real sense of tenderness and love rather than crude lust. There is also an option to disable the adult content, skipping the scenes altogether; thus the hentai label should not be what discourages you to play the game.

The game is free to download and versions exist for Windows, MAC OS X and Linux. Four Leaf Studios has since ceased to exist, as the sole purpose of the studio was to create Katawa Shoujo. They worked without any money and all of the efforts were done on a purely voluntary basis. If you are interested in downloading the game, you can find it here: http://katawa-shoujo.com/download.php
It would be silly to let a preconceived notion stop you from playing Katawa Shoujo, thus I would strongly recommend you try it out for yourself.

Book Review: Rough Cut by Owen C. Jones

2012-01-06T14:27:00.001Z

Article first published as Book Review: Rough Cut by Owen C. Jones on Blogcritics.

In Midnight in Paris, Marion Cotillard tells Owen Wilson she is already hooked after having heard the first sentence of his book. Now, you may think the film was a cinematographic masterpiece or not, that is not the question, but you have to agree that a book that hooks its audience after only the first sentence is a book worth reading. I have not read a lot of books that can boast having done this to me, butRough Cut was, surprisingly, one of them.

I genuinely love detective stories and books that have a real rhythm to them, and who does not? With his book, Owen Jones has found the perfect recipe: Rough Cut is cleverly written, will grip you from the very beginning and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. To be quite honest, I did not put the book down once. I read it in one go, omitted going to sleep, fought against my tired, heavy eyes to finish reading it as soon as possible.

The story centers around Carter Jefferson, synthetic diamond specialist, whose help is enlisted by the Federation of International Diamond Traders after a number of high quality fake diamonds are found in the middle of a batch of real diamonds in New York. Soon old friends seem to be connected and Jefferson needs to travel to Europe to find out what is really going on.

The characters are well thought through and likeable. And they all have a real dimension about them. I think there is nothing worse than reading a book with flat characters who don't seem to have any sort of history to them. The intrigue is rich and will make you move from one country to another. And there is even romance, but thankfully not the ever-so terribly predictable kind.

If you like a murder mystery along with dark family secrets and enthralling romantic stories, then Rough Cut is definitely one to check out the next time you are looking for something to read. One thing is for sure, once you start reading it, you might want to tell your friends and relatives you will not be seeing them until you have turned the final page.

A Very Green Idea

2012-01-02T20:20:00.001Z

Exki is a belgian chain of fast, fresh food restaurants, which started in 2001 and has been growing ever since. The popularity of the chain is such that restaurants have opened all over Belgium and have even invaded countries outside the borders, such as Italy. There are even talks of talking the franchise to the United States!

Not only does Exki offer quality, fresh food on the go, in its newest restaurant in Brussels at La Bourse (the Brussels' stock exchange) clients can pedal to charge their phones and/or laptops. Indeed, placed near a big window in the corner or the room, four strange looking bicycles are attached to a central table-like piece of equipment. So, once you have bought a sandwich or even a piece of pie and a coffee, you can sit down, pedal a bit and enjoy electricity and Wifi. The idea is genius and makes perfect sense ecologically and economically. And I will let you in on something: it's pretty good fun, too.

I tested out the device myself, and once you get passed the fact that you have to pedal whilst eating and drinking, it's all pretty enjoyable. The seat is much more comfortable than that of an actual bicycle, thankfully otherwise the level of fun would be seriously diminished. And it all worked well. You have to start pedaling for a few seconds before you get any energy, but once you get going, there is enough to power up your battery.
To make sure you are not exercising for nothing, LED bulbs light up. But do beware, the second you stop pedaling the power does switch off. If you have time for a coffee, but can never find the time for a short burst of exercise, this could reveal itself to be quite handy.

Hopefully we will see this type of device appear in more places, and not just in Brussels! After pay-per-use internet in cafés, it might be time for pedal-per-use electricity.

Charlotte Clarke Interview

2011-12-13T02:27:00.000Z

A documentary radio profile by Margot Huysman

Coming to the University of Winchester in January is a brand new lifestyle magazine. This is an initiative by third year Journalism student Charlotte Clarke. I met up with Charlotte to learn more about her experience as editor and the concept behind the magazine.

Charlotte Clarke Interview

Charlotte Clarke, 3rd year editor of the student
magazine.

Fall and Winter wellbeing series: Chestnut pie

2011-11-27T13:19:00.001Z

I wanted to do something a little different with this series and include some recipes. I love cooking and, with the colder weather coming our way, I spend a lot of time thinking about what recipe I will be trying out next. On top of being good fun, cooking permits you to stay near the hot stove and keep nice and warm.
Yesterday I tried myself at a chestnut pie and may I just say, it is amazing! Really good and super easy to make. Plus it doesn't contain any meat, so vegetarian friendly.

To make this pie you will need:
1 big red onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
450g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
200g chestnuts, cooked and peeled
2 medium sized potatoes, peeled, cooked and cut into pieces
330ml ale
seasoning to taste
Puff pastry

You can make the pastry yourself, and normally I would, but I have been swamped with work recently.

Preheat your oven at 200°c. Start by sweating the onion in some olive oil in a deep pan. After about two-three minutes, add the chopped garlic. Once the onions start looking translucent add the mushrooms. Toss everything for a few minutes and add your seasoning. I like adding a bit of salt, some black pepper, a mix of herbs and a little chili powder for an extra kick. Add the chestnuts, potatoes and ale to the mix and let it all simmer gently for about five minutes, stirring every now and again.
In the meantime, roll out your pastry. You can either have pastry underneath and on top, or just on top. I had way too much pastry and knew I wouldn't have another use out of it this week, so instead of letting go to waste I just doubled it.
Once the beer has somewhat reduced, you are left with a wet mixture. I know this does not sound appealing, but trust me, it tastes incredibly good. Spoon it into a pie mould, either on top of your pastry or just into the container, and then cover it with the pastry. You can either brush your pastry with some egg yolk or some soya milk. If you go for this option and make sure you use vegan ale and vegan puff pastry, this makes this recipe completely vegan friendly.
Put it in the oven for about 25 minutes at 180°c and check up on it to make sure it does not burn. Once it is done, you have a lovely meat free pie.
I hope you enjoy!

The £10 Challenge - The Aftermath

2011-11-20T21:39:00.001Z

It's all over. The £10 challenge is finally behind me. And I celebrated today by having lunch in town with a friend. And I spent the whole time thinking to myself: "god this is so overpriced!"

I could have had coffee, but I resisted. I went into a shop and bought just what I needed. Didn't even take a look at the magazines. Went for a long walk with my housemate, and just appreciated the time we spent together and the beauty of the trail.

There are many things I learned through this challenge, and I think they were all positive. I discovered that integrity and ethics mean a lot more to me than I previously thought. And that I just could not let myself cheat. I felt I had a real duty to report the truth and only the truth. And that is why, now, I am completely okay with the fact that I failed the challenge. I might have failed the challenge, but I did not fail you. And I did not fail myself. I was honest and stuck to my principles and that is all that matters.

I learned that a lot of people will tell you to cheat. So maybe I was being incredibly old fashioned by refusing to cheat. Or maybe the world is just backward these days. But it was enlightening and that is why I do not regret trying.

I also learned some people are incredibly generous and charitable, and they definitely make the world a better place. And giving, just for the sake of giving, without expecting anything in return is truly a wonderful act! And of course, I learned to my expenses that life just happens sometimes. Unexpected things come up and you just have to put up with them. You cannot budget for everything, or so it seems. Even though I thought I would be able to go through the whole week without any major problems, I was apparently wrong. I just did not expect things to happen, but they did and I just had to take responsibility. So I am very grateful toward my parents to have provided me with a comfortable life; without it I might not have been able to send that letter in time, and then god knows what would have happened.

Now for the realisations I am sure the challenge wants you to come across; life is expensive. Stupidly so. I did not have any meat during the whole week, except for my lunch on Tuesday. I was not able to afford anything nicer than soft cheese. If you like soft cheese, no offense, but it isn't really cheese, is it? I had one fruit during the week. Diversity in my diet was non-existent. I am sure I could have had more diversity had I really tried, but the truth is, it's hard to organise yourself to spend only £10 in a week. You definitely have choices to make.

I have a feeling one of the lessons to be learned concerns waste. Our modern lifestyle can be quite wasteful. But I am not sure it applies to everyone. It certainly does not apply to me! I make sure I do not throw food away, I freeze everything and I do not mind having the same dinner twice in a row. I buy just what I need, never too much. If you were to look into my fridge right now, you probably wouldn't find much. I have just the bare minimum. But the challenge certainly has taught me about prioritising. Buying pasta and fruit and vegetables was definitely far more important than buying a magazine. And it taught me about the things I used to take for granted. For example, when I go out with a friend or just am walking in town, I would never think twice about buying a cup of coffee. I didn't ever think it was a special treat. I do see things differently. But these realisations do not all concern food. There are things we do every day that are completely unnecessary, yet we see them as important. For instance, I change my nail polish every three to four days. Is it necessary? Not really. But it sure is nice. I spend a lot of money on hair products I do not really need. And I patting expensive serums onto my skin. All of these things seem completely natural, and yet they wouldn't if you were to live on £10 every week.

We lead very privileged lives, and maybe we should stop and think about that every now and again. I am not saying I am going to change my habits completely, but there are some things that are going to just go. And I will think twice before buying certain items or having an overpriced cup of tea somewhere.

Why phones are dumb, even the so-called smart ones

2011-11-18T10:04:00.001Z

This morning I woke up in my housemate's room. We watched a film last night and ended up falling asleep. And as I opened my eyes at 7, I found myself waking up to a terrible buzzing sound. It would appear that I forgot deactivate the alarm on my phone and it was going off. The buzzing stopped after about one minute and all went back to being silent. That is until, five minutes later, the same buzzing started up again.
Naively I thought this buzzing would be the last round of that the phone would "get the message" so to speak. Well it would seem it did not. The buzzing went on two more times. Unhappy to be woken up so early and unable to go back to sleep, even if it was just for twenty more minutes, I finally got out of the bed and went up to put an end to it. The damn thing had vibrated so much it had fallen onto the floor.

Now, we live in a world where technology never ceases to amaze us. All sorts of applications exist for phones and they are even able to understand us when we speak to them, or at least the iPhone 4s does. So how come, in this incredible world, no one has invented a program which would enable phones to analyse our alarm turning off habits and thus stop after a while, instead of buzzing incessantly?
You would think that someone, just someone, could think about it?! The phone would monitor the time it takes on average to switch the alarm off and convert it into some kind of mathematical formula to then know when to switch itself off if no one does it.
This would be the end of the crazy, early morning buzzing when you are not in and would even avoid waking other people up, in the case where you left your phone in a common room.
And in the possibility where this option is actually available, please let me know, I would love to get a hold of such technology!

The £10 Challenge

2011-11-13T21:21:00.001Z

And so it begins. First day of the challenge and I can already say it's been tough! Not even 24 hours in and I have been tempted to cheat so many times. This just goes to prove the challenge isn't so much monetary as much as it is psychological. It is mentally difficult. I have been thinking things like "well, who would know if I cheated?" and "meh, nothing ties me down to this challenge. Failing wouldn't kill me". But I vanquished all of these thoughts. Even my housemates tried to convince me to abandon so that I could go out with them this week. No way, Jose. I will finish this challenge and I will feel proud of myself for doing so.

Before I tell you all about this first day, I would like to rectify something. I had completely forgotten about hand soap, deodorant and toilet roll! My bad, I did not think of those things as I was crunching my numbers. So we will say that I have £1.27 left before the challenge even starts. Great way to start the week, really. So, with this in mind, let's begin.

13/11/11
First day of the challenge. Got up, had a small bowl of porridge (nothing on it, how sad) and a satsuma. Two big glasses of water before going out of the door. Went to the gym (I pay for the gym monthly, so technically it is part of the bills, which are not counted in this challenge). After exercising, walked back home and had lunch, which consisted of two pieces of bread, toasted, some soft cheese and lots of lettuce. Again, followed by a big glass of water. Did a bit of work, then a friend came over. We had two cups of tea. I calculated and a cup comes to about £0.05, so that's £0.10 off of the total left, £1.17 and counting. Thankfully the long conversation took my mind off of the fact that I was starving. For dinner I had pasta with a homemade tomato, courgette, carrot and tuna sauce. Not that bad actually. That's a good thing considering this is going to be my dinner for the rest of the week. And my housemate made apple crumble. I figured a small bowl set me back about £0.12, so I still have £1.05 in my pocket!
I think this first day was hard because I kept on craving chocolate. Knowing that I couldn't buy it made me crave it. This is how mentally challenging it is. Thing is, if I honestly only had £10 in my pocket to last me a whole week, I would be able to do it. But because I know I have a debit card with money on it and nothing stopping me from using it but myself, it is awfully hard. But I do not want to cheat myself, or other people for that matter, so I will power through and finish the challenge with my head held high.
Over the course of the week I will be updating this particular article, instead of making multiple posts, so be sure to check this space for more news on how this is all going.

14/11/11
Second day of the challenge, and not a whole lot different! Woke up early, had breakfast (porridge and satsuma), went to university, did some studying, went to the gym, had lunch (soft cheese and lettuce sandwich), went to the library to pick up a book, had a class, had a chat with a tutor and went home. The day was relatively uneventful apart from the many debates I had in my head. All of them concerned ethics. I was tempted to cheat many times, to just abandon the challenge, but I fought all of these thoughts and held on tight to my moral principles. And I think I got out of it feeling prouder than ever! The problem with university work is that it makes you want to eat, constantly. Because you are sitting down, reading a book or researching a particular topic, you are easily tempted to just buy something to munch on. But I persevered and I feel like a better person for that reason.

One of my major concerns is how easy it would be for me to cheat. After all, if I did buy something, no one would have to know. I could just keep it to myself and go on as if nothing had happened. But I feel like I have more integrity than this. And it is for this reason that I come forward and admit to you: I had a cup of tea AND a cup of hot chocolate today. Now, before you gasp, I would like to point out that I had them at home. So technically it cost me £0.25. Still, that is 25p that are gone from my budget. I am left with £0.85 as we speak. The tea is excusable, but the chocolate was just a weakness. I had a long day, was tired and really needed an emotional pick me up. I have to say though, it tasted amazing, better than usual! Now, I could have had my hot chocolate and just not told anyone, but instead I came clean and officially took it off my budget. Because I am an ethical person. Otherwise, I might as well just take up-the-skirt pictures of girls and hack into people's voicemails, you know, all unethical stuff.

This brings me to a little dilemma, actually. Tomorrow I am having lunch with my grandmother. I completely forgot to ask her to postpone it until after the challenge and now it is too late. Now, she is paying for the lunch and it is not like we are going anywhere fancy, BUT it almost feels like cheating. Having your meal paid by someone else is a bit of a grey area in this challenge. Buying a chocolate bar and not deducting it, that is cheating. But having lunch with someone and having them pay for it, without explicitly asking for them to do so... well I don't know where I stand. In my opinion, it is not really cheating. Why? Well, it is not like I am spending money and if I could have cancelled it, I would have. Also, if this were a challenge running in the long term, there is no way I could avoid such a situation. And because there aren't clear rules concerning this issue, I am going to go with the assumption it is not cheating as long as it only happens once. Of course, some people will label me as a cheat, but I hope you can appreciate where I am coming from. I have been honest thus far and I don't expect to stop it now.
Anyways, apart from my ethical dilemma, I have had dinner, same as the night before, and it was nice. I also had a lot of water throughout the day. Every time I thought of spending money on food, I had a gulp of water. It helped a bit, psychologically more than anything, but it helped anyway.

15/11/11
Yesterday was the third day of the challenge. Don't think my lack of update is the sign that something bad has happened. Out internet is down at the house, and I had no idea of this when I left university, so unfortunately I was not able to post. But I got up extra early and here I am to fill you in!
The third day was actually not a bad day. Woke up, had my eternal satsuma, glass of water and porridge and headed out of the door for a long day. I had a class until 11, which allowed me to not think about food or spending money. Then I did some work in the library before heading to town to meet up with my grandmother. Ah, the moral dilemma lunch! Well, I had a burger, a glass of water and half of a cheesecake. But the more I think about it, the less I feel like I cheated. Since this lunch is a weekly habit, it almost counts as a bill, really! So, please let me off the hook.
The rest of the day was filled with more university work and, believe it or not, I did not think of food until 8 o'clock that night. I got back to the house at 6, discovered we didn't have internet, had a cup of tea (£0.80 remaining) and then passed the time until I decided to cook dinner. Dinner was exactly the same as usual, except I added a spoonful of soft cheese to the sauce; indeed, I have just realised I only had to make another 4 sandwiches with the cheese and, well, there was a lot left. I guess dinner was enjoyable, though I managed to cut my middle finger on a can of tuna and now I feel great pain in typing.
I declined an invitation to go to the pub quiz, considering you need to pay £1 to enter, and went to bed relatively early with a film on. Now, I would like to say I am not going to bed early simply because I have nothing to do and am awfully bored. No, I simply went to bed because I was insanely tired and was in need of a good night sleep.
I guess this third day was not as challenging as the others. I may just have cracked my mental weaknesses and finally moved on from thinking of all the things I cannot have to concentrate on life as it is happening. Live in the moment, that is what I learned today.

16/11/11
Amen, internet is back up. For a while there, I thought I would not be able to blog tonight. But all is resolved, or so it would seem.
Fourth day today. Satsuma, glass of water and porridge first thing in the morning, same as usual now. I have come to really appreciate my satsuma. Fruit has never tasted so nice. Went to university, did some work, caught up with my emails and all of my social networking. Went to the gym for an hour and had lunch after that. Again, soft cheese and lettuce sandwich. I am so used to it now, but then again it is food, and I am hungry, so I just eat it.
My afternoon ended up being quite emotionally draining. I had some bad news come through and so I gave in. I bought a chocolate bar. Poof, 60p of my budget gone, in one go! I never realised how unhealthy my relationship with food is. I don't eat badly at all, I eat healthily even. I usually have a very diverse diet, filled with fruit and vegetables. But my eating habits are closely linked to my emotions. I never stopped to think about this, but it is true. I eat when I am bored, and I eat when I am emotional. If something is going wrong in my life, I seek comfort in food. Hopefully now that I have realised this I will be able to control it and deal with the stress instead of just eating it away. But unfortunately today, I just gave in. I wanted to cry, so instead I just grabbed chocolate. I didn't even enjoy it that much, what a waste of 60p really.
I did more work before heading home. Had a cup of tea, meaning I only have £0.15 left of my budget. Chilled with the housemates, watched a bit of television and then had dinner. And now I am off to a movie night over at a friend's house before going to sleep and hopefully letting the stress evacuate. I am sure the £10 challenge is supposed to make people come to grips with all sorts of realities concerning them, but I was not expecting this much. It has been quite an interesting journey so far.

17/11/11
So terribly sorry for the tardiness of this update! Last night was quite hectic and I ran out of time to write. But I am here now and I can sadly announce that I have failed. The worst part about this failure? It was not really my fault! Life just happens to be full of unexpected events. Yesterday I had to send a letter of recommendation to America and, unfortunately, this could not wait until the end of the challenge.
I am going to go through with the rest of the challenge, and continue it until the end. However, I am truly saddened to say that I was not able to successfully go through with it.
Since I failed, I also donated some money to a charity, might as well do something good.
Anyways, Thursday was a smooth day in terms of the challenge. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all the same as previously in the week and I had a cup of tea. So, technically I would have £0.10 left, enough for a cup of tea today and one tomorrow.
Now the reason I want to continue it until the last day is because I committed. And if the circumstances surrounding the letter were not exceptional, I would have stayed 100% committed. I was going to say that the lesson I learned yesterday concerned charity, but actually it concerns life; life is unexpected and there is nothing we can do about it. I am lucky to have money in case something happens, but some people in those situations are simply stuck. I have a newly found appreciation for my luck in life, and I will definitely never look at money the same way.

18/11/11
Apologies for the lack of update in a timely matter. I have been very busy until now.
Friday was a smooth day for the challenge. I had breakfast, lunch and dinner, all the same as the rest of the days, and didn't cheat. I had two cups of tea, so this is leaving me with exactly £0.00 for the very last day, but then again one day without tea is not going to kill me.
I met up with a friend and went to a free gaming night near the train station. A great way of spending a fun, yet economical night out. In the original £10 challenge written for The Guardian, Stuart Jeffries went to bed, bored out of his mind, very early every night. The challenge might be a little restrictive, but there are still ways of entertaining one's self without the need to fork out a load of money. And seeing friends is definitely one of those options. Now, add old school video games and you have got yourself a winning night.
We also went for a walk around town beforehand, to see the Christmas lights. No need to spend a penny and it was still a very enjoyable moment. Spending time with people you appreciate is definitely undervalued these days, or so it would seem. Now, I did talk my friend into buying me a bar of chocolate, which was quite wrong really! So big shout out to him for doing it, it was incredibly sweet and very much appreciated.
As he mentioned to me, quitting chocolate is a bit like quitting smoking. The first days are really tough, and then it gets easier before you just go back into it. Ah, if only Wispa bars were less enjoyable! Just to clarify though, I do not have chocolate on a daily basis. This whole piece has portrayed me as chocolate obsessed when, on a day-to-day basis, I am not!
Anyway, I am very close to finishing this challenge. And although it has failed because of one of life's unexpected events, I hope you will read my final piece summarizing the whole experience! And, of course, the next and final update will be posted here later on.

19/11/11
And it is it, well almost! I have had my very last meal on the £10 challenge and am getting ready to hit the pillow as my eyes struggle to stay open.
Today was a good day. Probably a little bit of a boring day, but a good day nonetheless. I had my lovely porridge and satsuma breakfast, accompanied by a glass of water. Resisted the temptation of a coffee as I went into Starbucks with my housemates, and worked so hard at my essay I actually ended up skipping lunch! So I had my lunch with my dinner this evening. This sums up my day, really. Not incredibly eventful.
Now that the challenge is about to finish, I can look forward to eating whatever I like again, going into a coffee shop and actually have a cup of coffee, and do all the little things I could not do this week! There are not a lot of things that I have missed, but I am looking forward to changing my nail polish as it is completely chipped! And wear perfume every now and again, I just happen to me in a perfume mood these days. Wash my face with my cleanser and put on some serum. I find that my skin is in a dreadful state! And have honey on my porridge. Oh, and have a cup of hot chocolate and possibly eat a cooked apple for dessert tomorrow.
There are a lot of things that I have learned through this challenge, about me, about other people and about the world we live in. And there are things that I am proud about, such as my integrity and also how not wasteful I am! I would imagine that this challenge opens the eyes of the people doing it about how wasteful our lifestyles can be. But I am not that bad, actually. I only ever buy what I need when it comes to food, and I use it up. I freeze the leftovers and will happily eat the same meal twice in a row. But, enough for today. You will be able to read all about this tomorrow, in another post. Thank you for those of you who followed my experience, and I will be on the lookout for other challenges I could set myself. And if you have a suggestion, by all means, please post it in the comments!

Book Review: Blah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don't Work by Dan Roam

2011-11-12T20:56:00.001Z

Article first published as Book Review: Blah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don't Work by Dan Roam on Blogcritics

Dan Roam, author of two very successful books, The Back of the Napkin and Unfolding the Napkin, is, in my opinion, a brilliant man. In his latest book, Blah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don’t Work he talks about the big problem in today’s society: communication. Or should I say, miscommunication.

Our world is filled with technology, which wants us to communicate with one another on a regular basis — from Facebook to Twitter, and so on — we are encouraged to interact with others. Yet, most of the time, we completely misunderstand the point that is being made to us. The same applies to our own ideas. The whole problem originates from the fact that we are told, from an early age, that we need to use long, complicated words to sound smart. Let’s face it, we all do it. We over-complicate every single thing we say and end up losing track of the main point. And surrounding us are people who think the same thing and overcomplicate their own ideas! We are locked in a cycle of Blah Blah Blah.

Dan Roam, through his book, explains all of this to us and puts forward a simple solution: think in pictures and de-clutter our vocabulary. Through the clever use of anecdotes and little drawings, the author leads us to the promised land of vivid thinking.

Blah Blah Blah is divided in 13 chapters, throughout which we learn what Blah Blah Blah is and how to avoid it for good. As Roam explains in his book, to understand one another we need to have a clear image in our heads of the ideas that are being exchanged. We have lost our ability to link ideas to pictures, but getting back to this is the easiest way out of miscommunication.

I was very excited to get my hands on this book, and it has not disappointed! The more I read, the more I could relate to the issues highlighted. Being a college student, I can no longer point out the number of times I have come face to face with overly complicated theories, all of which are written using such complex words they lose their meaning. By being so caught up in this Blah Blah Blah, we end up taking all meaning out of sentences. This is a trap I would like to avoid falling into in the future. And with the help of Blah Blah Blah, I think it might just be possible. The method is simple, yet effective. And the images and stories used to illustrate the points do their jobs perfectly. And guided by Roam and his book, I am now finding myself visualising my ideas and refraining from sharing them unless I can picture them clearly in my head.

I can only recommend this book, as it is a real lifesaver in today’s world of miscommunication. Not only is a very useful tool, it is also well written and a very pleasant read. If you have ever felt confused by what a person is saying — whether it be your boss, colleague, or even the President — or have had a hard time communicating your ideas to others, then Blah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don’t Work is just the book for you. Soon enough, you will be on the path of vivid thinking — and miscommunication will be a thing of the past!

The £10 Challenge - The Day Before

2011-11-12T16:50:00.001Z

In less than 24 hours now, I will be starting the £10 challenge. Although I am sure there are more challenging things in life, I am somehow really dreading this challenge now. To make sure it would start off well, I went shopping today. Food shopping that is! And the total of my trip comes up to £6.97. This includes all that is needed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But it excludes shampoo, body wash and toothpaste. All of these things are relatively inexpensive, especially when you consider the number of uses you will get from just one pack. But they do count towards what is used within a week. So, to be completely fair, I will deduct another £1,15 from my budget, leaving me with £1,88 to spare. Now, where did this £1,15 come from you ask? Simple! I calculated the cost per use for my shampoo, shower gel and toothpaste, multiplied those numbers by the numbers of times I will use them and then voilà. Of course, this is probably not completely accurate as I had to guess the total number of uses for each product, but in my opinion it is quite a good estimate. The main point is: I really am trying to be as honest as possible in this experiment.

I am guessing one of the main points to be learned during this challenge is how wasteful we are and how much our whole lives revolve around buying things. Well, simply by going grocery shopping, I can tell you I learned a few things. Firstly, how hard it is to resist a cup of coffee. Indeed, the second I set foot in the supermarket, I just HAD to walk directly into the attached Starbucks and "treat" myself to a cup of Toffee Nut Latte. My reason for this? The £10 challenge starts tomorrow, it is the beginning of the festive season (red cups!) and I haven't had coffee in a while. But at least I thought about it. A week ago, I would have gone in and not even thought about questioning my actions. Progress has been made. The other lesson I learnt was just how expensive food is. Although I do have a weekly budget, it is not that tight and if I go a little overboard, it is okay. But wanting to stick to the rules, I was very strict and did not allow myself to cheat. Well, let me tell you, I had no idea cheese and meat were THAT expensive. I have a big love affair with cheese, but not at that price, let me tell you that. I had to settle for £1 soft cheese, which, let's face it, is not really cheese.

I don't think living on the £10 challenge is impossible. A lot of people around me have been telling me how they have been living on about £10 a week as well. But how healthy is it going to be? I am guess not very. I was only able to afford one type of fruit - clementines, because they were on offer - and the amount of protein that will be in my diet is scarily low. Sure, a week of this is not going to kill me, but when I think some people live like this on a daily basis, it frightens me! Or maybe people are just better than me at finding cheap food.
I also have a feeling that my suppers are going to be terribly repetitive. Considering the variety of what I bought, it will be a miracle if I end up not eating the same thing every single day. But then, variety is overrated, right?

In all honesty, just thinking about the challenge has let me reflect on my lifestyle. And you know what? At the end of the day, I think I do live a wasteful existence. Hopefully though, throughout this week I will be able to tell what parts of my consumeristic habits are just plain useless and what parts are actually not that bad. And who knows, maybe after this week it'll have had a positive impact on the way I think and the way I consume. I hope so, at least.

Every day of the week I will be posting updates on the blog, little summaries of the days really. If you are interested in a day-to-day updates on how the challenge is going, then don't forget to check the blog.

The £10 Challenge - Can A Girl With Expensive Taste Do It?

2011-11-08T03:00:00.000Z

Today, I was reading a very interesting article about the £10 challenge when it struck me: why shouldn't I try it?! The challenge is relatively simple: living for a week on £10, bills excluded. The idea behind trying myself at this crazy challenge is quite straight forward: however well written the article, I felt it lacked real punch. The reason? The cheating! No offense to Stuart Jeffries, but his version of living on £10 for a week consisted of riding the bike to work, going to sleep early and, more notably, eating food from his pantry and thus, technically, not spending a penny. But let's face it, if you are going to attempt a challenge such as this one, you should go all out! So starting Sunday the 13th of November, for a week, I will (or attempt to) live on just £10.

This challenge comes straight from China, where people have embarked on a "one hundred yuan" challenge in response to the recession. The initiative was thought by Wang Hao as a way to encourage big earners (and thus big spenders) to cut down on their living expenses. Just to point out, Hao failed the challenge, so this sets the tone. Although this whole story dates back to 2009, I think it is still very relevant today (the economy has not changed that much in two years, and some might argue it has got worse) and frankly, it seems like a great journalistic assignment! I would like to be the kind of writer who experiences things, the kind of writer who will write about mountain climbing from the top of the Mount Blanc, who will work in a kitchen for a month to tell you all about the hard work of the catering industry; a writer who has experienced the world and not just from sitting behind a desk.

This might not look like much of a challenge for some of you; god I am a student, I am probably surrounded by people who live on a super tight weekly budget; but to me, this all sounds like hell. I have expensive taste, especially when it comes to food. I was brought up on homemade food and quality ingredients. My parents buy mostly organic and about 90% seasonal. Growing up, we never had soda in the house. We also never had pre-packaged food or other "bad" things. And we almost always had brands. And so I think this is where I get my food standards from. When shopping in a supermarket, I will go for the brand most of the time, if not every time. If I can afford it, I will buy the organic version. And usually, I am in love with expensive food items. Ever since moving the the UK, I have had this strange obsession with European food. Let me explain: I only buy UHT French milk. Not the English milk, no no, I want the imported one. I buy French butter, French Cheese, Belgian chocolate, Belgian beer and French wine. When I see something labelled French, I buy it. It's obsessive and ridiculous, but I cannot help myself. I am a consumerist.

My expensive lifestyle does not stop at food, unfortunately. I enjoy splurging on expensive makeup and shoes. I am not big on clothes shopping, thank the lord, but my love for shoes is enough to scare any sane person. I sometimes joke saying that if the world was full of people like me, then there would be no financial crisis! I buy, I buy, I buy, it is like a disease. But we are not here to discuss my addiction to shopping. We are here to look at this challenge.

For the challenge, I will be using my £10 to pay for the food I will be eating for a week (be prepared to be very unimpressed) and hopefully a little treat at some point. My aim is to do this the most sincerely possible, without any cheating. If I do end up using something that I already own, I will have to deduct a 30p penalty fare (or more depending on what it is I am using). I will avoid getting things bought for me, nor will I steal food from my housemates. I will also update this blog every day with a summary of how the day went and will be as honest as can be. Although I do have my doubts concerning the success of this challenge, I am excited, as well as nervous, to try it out. Hopefully this will open my eyes on how wasteful my lifestyle really is.

A Day in the Life of a Pair of Shoes

2011-10-31T13:00:00.000Z

A documentary photographic profile by Margot Huysman

This photo assignment focuses on a day in the life of a person, but looked at from the angle of a pair of shoes. Shoes are an essential part of our outfits; they may be dressy, casual, high heeled or flat, we wear shoes on a day to day basis. In today's society, shoes say a lot about a person; they can reflect on personality, wealth, social status and even, in certain cases, health. Shoes are fascinating. And because of this, they deserve to be showcased.

10 a.m. getting ready to start the day

11 a.m. after a browse around town, stopping at the market to get a bouquet

2.30 p.m. coffee on the lawn of the cathedral, a ray of sunshine helping to relax

5 p.m. the problem with high heels would have to be the friction against the skin of the heels. Nothing a five minute break cannot fix

9.20 p.m. a long day of shopping, dinner and a movie. Time to go home, really

10.40 p.m. finally time to take the shoes off and soak off the day in a lovely bath

Disclaimer: all pictures were taken by me.

Fall and Winter wellbeing series: BodyBalance

2011-10-22T22:37:00.000+01:00

I don't know for you, but I always find exercising and keeping healthy in the fall and winter is a heck of a lot harder than during the summer months! It is most probably linked to the sun and the number of hours we actually get to see it. That and the weather. Going out to the gym when it is freezing cold requires a lot of motivation. But then, when you are, like I am, on a quest to a more healthy self; getting up and battling against the elements to get to the gym are part of the daily requirements! One way to make it a little easier is to find happiness at the gym! If you are looking forward to your workout, it will really help you brave the cold winter mornings and get working out!

Having moved back to my university city, I have had to join a whole new gym and go through the process of electing what workout classes I want to attend. This process consisted of a lot of trial and error (Zumba here is definitely not the same!), but I think I've finally found a selection that pleases me. One think that
this gym offers me is Les Mills classes. Actually, my mother has just informed me that my gym back in Belgium has just introduced Les Mills workout classes as well. But anyways, to get back to the main point of this post, I have tried out a few Les Mills classes and they are not half bad! I have yet to try BodyPump and BodyCombat, but I am planning to do so to report about them here.

Being a new fan of stretching (yes, I have an obsession with it for some reason), the first class I wanted to try was BodyBalance. It is described as a mix between pilates, yoga and tai chi. The description is enticing indeed and I have found myself craving it. Indeed, like one would crave a chocolate cupcake or a tub of ice cream, I have been craving BodyBalance classes. The class goes on for about 55 minutes and includes 5 minutes of relaxation at the end: bliss. The routine is the same for 3 months, so that your body has time to adapt to the moves. This also enables you to track your progress; throughout the weeks, you will notice how much stronger and more flexible you have become, and see how further you can push yourself. I have been going to one class a week, and although it has only been three weeks, I can really tell the difference! I can go further in the moves and go deeper into the stretches. But do not be fooled, BodyBalance is not just about stretching. With some moves being based on pilates, BodyBalance reinforces your core muscles and helps you achieve that lean look you might be after. And as the name suggests, the class also helps with strengthening your balance, notably through yoga poses.

I am completely sold. I love it and would not miss it for the world. I would suggest going to two classes a week, rather than one, but I also attend a pilates class, so that does the trick for me. Not only is BodyBalance a great, calm workout, which really tones you up; it is also a great mental workout. It really allows you to concentrate on your body and relax your mind. And the five minutes of relaxation at the end just accent these benefits. I leave this class feeling so refreshed and good about myself; exactly what you want after a long day of work or even as a preparation for a long one!

Having tried yoga, pilates and tai chi at separate times, I really feel that BodyBalance takes the best of all of them to give a great workout. You get the work on your muscles, core especially, the benefits of stretching and the total relaxation of the mind. This is also a great way to get into exercise because it is gentle, yet effective! If you have a chance of trying it, and this sounds like your kind of thing, I would highly recommend it. However, if you are into very intensive workouts, this might not do the trick for you!

This Fall and Winter wellbeing series will be like the Summer fit series, in the sense that I will write about the different workouts I try and recommend what I like. I will also share with you a few recipes to keep you warm during these cold months! Hope you enjoy it.

Book review: Repeaters by Erica Ferencik

2011-09-28T19:24:00.000+01:00

Article first published as Book review: Repeaters by Erica Ferencik on Blogcritics.

Kim is a beautiful and young blind woman. She has perfect grades, studies marine biology with a full scholarship and has found the love of her life. Things could not be better for her in life. Her mother, Astra, who abandoned her when she was six; is just as beautiful as her daughter. However, under her perfect appearance, a secret is hidden. Indeed, she is a repeater. A soul that comes back after death, and starts all over again; until love is finally found.

The first thing I thought when starting the book was: oh no, not another perfect main character! I feel that this book is primarily aimed at teenagers and young adults; not that an older audience could not appreciate it, and books aimed at this particular market are usually filled with perfect heroes and heroines. You know, the type which have a perfect physique and are intelligent, get good grades at school or have an amazing career, and who, to top it all, are amazing at sports. Now, in what world do these people exist? The world of teen fiction, apparently. And sure, it’s great to read a book with a likeable main character, but perfection usually disables the human side of the characters. Without flaws, they seem to lack that humanity.

Anyway, back to the book! It starts off with the description of this beyond perfect, perfect girl. She’s blind, yet she lives life like a normal person — more power to her — and, on top of her beauty, she is super smart. If you like that kind of thing, then you won’t have a problem getting into the story; if you are, like me, researching for maybe a little more realism, just bear with it. I promise you, it gets better.
Repeaters is written in an elegant, but somewhat crude style. And this is what makes the interest of the novel. The story is interesting and gripping, but the sometimes almost raw descriptions are what make it stand out from the many teen fantasy novels. One example that springs to my mind would have to be Twilight, the style of which is very safe. Erica Ferencik takes risks by being so explicit, and it pays off as it adds dimension to the novel. This style of writing makes up for the earlier reproaches I had concerning the perfection of her characters. You actually end up accepting the perfection of most characters and grow to really like them; or in the case of Astra, fear them. Because Astra is definitely one of the scariest, most monstrous villains ever to have been written. She gave me some pretty frightening nightmares.

One of the themes addressed in the book is reincarnation. Indeed, Astra is a repeater, a soul that comes back and starts a whole new life. Repeaters come back as long as they haven't found love, or when they have been murdered. Repeaters usually come back once or twice, which is enough to learn about love and find it. But Astra is no typical repeater. Indeed, she has come back hundreds of times and has experienced all sorts of lives, from that of animals to slave master. And if you thought reincarnation seemed like a cool idea, you might want to rethink that as, from Astra's point of view, it looks quite awful. Do you imagine coming back for centuries, trying desperately to find love, without ever getting a break? To me, that sounds like endless torture.

All of this, of course, makes Astra a very rich character. Although she is described as having a size six body and being incredibly beautiful, she is flawed, deeply flawed. And she is fragile, though she hides behind what seems like a strong and cold personality. This makes her the most complex and most interesting individual of the book. The reader can definitely connect with her, and actually come to feel sorry for her.

The story is also very rich in plot twist. Every time you think you know what is coming up, something unexpected happens. Right from the start, you know that when Kim and her fiancé, Constantin, go to spend the weekend with Astra, something bad is going to happen; yet what happens is probably ten times worse than you had anticipated in your mind. A story like keeps you on your toes, makes you want to read more and more, to know what is going to happen next, how all of this is going to finish. And the author keeps you on your toes until the very end. Erica Ferencik concludes her story with a brilliant ending.

The overall feeling I had when closing the book was positive. If you love fantasy novels, this will be right up your alley. Although I find it is aimed at a young adult audience (maybe end of teenage years as well), it can easily be appreciated by anyone. Erica Ferencik’s pleasant writing makes for an enjoyable read.

Earthquake in DC!!

2011-08-23T21:10:00.003+01:00

Tuesday 08/23, in the early afternoon, earthquake shocks were felt from North Carolina all the way up to New York City. With a magnitude of 5.8, this is a very unusual event for the East Coast of the United States.
The earthquake's center is situated at about 4 miles from Mineral, Virginia; which is around 83 miles away from the US' capital city.
The Pentagon was quickly evacuated, as well as most building in downtown DC. Even in Staten Island, evacuation of government buildings were evacuated. In New York City, the DSK court ruling press conference had to be put on hold for a little while due to the quake.

The National Cathedral, in DC, has been damaged by the shocks. Indeed, the top stones have fallen off and the cathedral's central tower is said to be leaning. Apart from this, no other building seem to have been damaged. Seven nuclear plants have reported unusual happenings; but apart from all this, so far no deaths have been declared.

A first aftershock has been felt around 3:30 pm EDT and was measured with an magnitude of 2.8; more aftershocks should be expected in the upcoming hours.

As of 3:35pm EDT, employees of the White House and other federal buildings have been aloud to return into the buildings.

Still no deaths have been reported, but a number of people have been injured. Numbers have not been given to the press yet.

Source — Source — Source — Source — Source

Book Review: Invisible Snow by Quinn Barrett

2011-08-09T13:36:00.000+01:00

Article first published as Book Review: Invisible Snow by Quinn Barrett on Blogcritics.

Kate Delacroix has everything you could dream of. She lives in a beautiful mansion, has three wonderful children and enough money to never be in need again. Although her life seems idyllic from the inside, her reality resembles more that of a nightmare.

Kate's husband is an egocentric, spoilt man who treats his wife and kids as if they were his property. After 19 years of marriage, things are about to change when Kate discovers divorce papers in her husband's secret room.

Invisible Snow is Quinn Barrett's first novel and a pretty good one at that. Not everyone is able to write a novel, but Ms Barrett has shown to be very capable and I hope to see another novel signed by her name in the future.

Nothing from the setting of the book to the characters let me think I was in for a great ride. Novels focusing on unhappy marriages or relationships are not exactly rare, but what is rare is to find one that is so well written and has such insight into the life of the characters. Ms Barrett knows each and every one of her characters to a T and none of them feel incomplete. This insight comes from the abundance of details in the writing, but also from the very numerous flashbacks present in the book. The author does not focus entirely on Kate and allows the reader to follow the actions of the other characters, permitting the audience to really grasp the situation and already make guesses as to what is about to happen next.

One reproach I do have to make is that the novel has a slow start. Quinn Barrett's writing is abundant in detail, making the beginning a bit tedious. The beginning of a novel is always a critical point, it either makes or breaks a book. How many times have I not abandoned a book because of a slow start? Too many, probably. A good rhythm is needed to keep the reader flipping the pages, and I always feel that too many details from the start can be detrimental to the pace of the story. It did take me a little bit of effort to pass those first few chapters, but once you are into the primary action, that is it! Putting the book down was impossible. The story was so gripping, and the attachment one has for the lead character was so great, stopping my reading felt like torture. The author has a great mind, and the storyline is incredibly rich, with a profusion of diverse characters; all of this escalating towards a truly terrific ending.

If you do find, as I did, that the beginning is just a bit dull, my advice to you is this: persevere! I promise, it gets a whole lot better.

Because of the intrigue and the main characters, anyone in a bad relationship or having a difficult time can relate easily to the feelings Kate experiences throughout the book. She is described to the reader in such a human way, attachment and sympathy are easily felt towards her. But she is also annoying and irritating at times; this is all normal and goes to show how richly depicted she is.

Her husband, in contrast, only triggers disgust and antipathy. Quinn Barrett's writing is so skilful, she makes her audience go through a wide range of emotions as they read. You most certainly will not stay stoic whilst reading this novel, and there are some good chances you will become very engaged with the story; maybe even to the point of finishing it in a day!

For a first novel, Invisible Snow, is a success. A perfect book for the summer; agreeable to read, but not overly serious or philosophical. Fantastic to get your mind off of things and indulge in some good writing.

Summer fit series - Instructors 101

2011-08-08T14:04:00.001+01:00

To clarify, I am not going to write about how to become a sports instructor! No, actually, I am just going to talk about instructors, good and bad, and how they can affect your motivation and your workout!

Until recently, I have been very lucky to have only met good instructors. Every single class I have taken has been led by a wonderfully nice and able person. That is until last week's Step latino and body sculpt debacles.

Last Monday, I decided to abandon my usual U-bound for something a bit more exotic sounding: Step latino! I remember "stepping" when I was in high school, so I knew that I couldn't be all that bad. And the latino part simply added to the interest. I went to the class, all motivated and keen to start, only to be horribly disappointed. The instructor was probably the worst instructor ever! Let me make things clear, he was a very nice person, no doubt on that. Super smily, thanked all of the new people for giving his class a try, made little jokes throughout the hour... a nice guy. But being nice is not exactly the only quality one needs to make a good instructor. One must be capable of explaining things in a clear manner. Well, on that level, the guy was completely and utterly awful!

The stepping part of Step latino was the easy bit, as a matter of fact, it was the exotic latino part that was truly disastrous! Having the coordination of a rock (I couldn't think of better image, sorry) I should have guessed this was not going to be an easy task. I tried and tried again, but failed miserably to understand and perform any of the footwork! It was a disaster. And to add insult to the injury, the instructor was incapable of showing what he was doing at a slower pace, or even to just section up his moves. That was enough to put me off that class for good!

The body sculpt fiasco was a smidgen worse, and I will tell you why. The problem with the Step latino was the inability of the instructor to teach me the steps. But at least he was nice. Body sculpt was just pure torture. I was able to do all of the exercises, but I did not want to. And to me, that is worse than anything! The instructor was the most obnoxious person I have ever met. And she made the class extremely boring. Enough to, again, never make me want to go there again. Not only was she disagreeable, but she was also extremely patronizing, talking down to anyone who was struggling with the workout.

The problem with bad instructors is that they make the class unappealing. Suddenly, you are put off the workout and don't really want to give it another go. Since then, I have tried step latino with another teacher and I loved it. Don't let yourself be discouraged by one bad experience. Try the sport or class with a different instructor, if possible, and maybe you will love it! It would be really sad to abandon something just because of one bad instructor. And yes, you are aloud to blame someone else for your dislike of a class or sport. I thought I hated step latino until I tried it again, and now I can happily say it will be part of my new weekly routine; I disliked it because the instructor and the way he gave the class did not suit me!

On a side note, Step latino is a great, fun workout and if you like classic step classes, then you might really enjoy the latin twist.

Summer fit series - total body circuit

2011-07-31T14:24:00.001+01:00

Today let's talk circuit training, as I just went to a circuit class.

When you go to the gym, if you don't like classes, or just want to have a machine and weight day, you can take part in a circuit. You can either have a coach put it up together for you, or you can just do your own. If you go to the gym often and always use the same machines, you are pretty much building your own circuit. Or you can do what I did this morning, which is attend a body circuit class. I'm not sure this is an option available everywhere, but why not try it if you have the possibility?

So, this morning, I decided to be adventurous and try for the first time a "Total Body Circuit" class. I had never tried it before because the name scared me. I had images in my head of super buff guys, all pushing themselves above and beyond their limits and making fun of my level of fitness. So, I always steered clear from the circuit classroom and did other things on a Sunday morning. But after 6 long weeks of the same routine, I decided it was time to shake things up a bit. So I decided to dismiss the images in my head and go to a circuit class.

I was positively surprised when I entered the class, only to find three other people. And none of them were big bodybuilders. The session I took part in was divided in two 12 minute cardio workouts and then some weight resistance training, to finish off with some abdominal exercises and some stretches. The cardio workouts are completely different. The first one consisted of 12 minutes of endurance. As you are able to choose a machine, there are good chances you know what will suit you and hopefully go through the whole thing without abandoning. The endurance part almost had me crying. As you increase resistance every minute, you have to push through and try to keep a constant speed throughout. This is more of a mental workout than anything else. If you are very strong, you will be able to push yourself through mental exhaustion. But I'm quite weak, and I lack motivation. If it weren't for the encouragements from the instructor, I would have quit after 5 minutes. The second cardio workout is based on intervals. 30 seconds of high speed, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. Much easier than the endurance part, yet still physically demanding. The weight resistance part takes place on traditional resistance machines; machines you would find normally at your gym. And as the name of the class indicates, the resistance training exercises target the whole body. The whole hour went by without me noticing; and once I got my motivation back, every single exercise felt good to perform and the class was, dare I say, fun!

Of course you can have your own circuit at the gym without having to perform it with other people. But I lack motivation a lot of times, that is why I love exercise classes! They keep my morale high and I don't have time to talk myself out of doing certain things. In a class, an instructor tells you what to do. And you just do it. Alone, you need the discipline to do it by yourself. Plus, I am not a big fan of machines in general. Running on a treadmill or using the elliptical machine bores me to death. I like resistance training, but it can quickly become boring if you are doing it all alone. So, a circuit class is optimal for people like me! You get a good dose of cardio AND resistance training, but without being completely alone. You have someone pushing you to do better. Considering hiring a personal trainer is expensive, a circuit class is great and hopefully free if it's included in your gym membership.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised to not find big buff men going to the class. And having an instructor motivating you is the best way to really push yourself and your limits, making your workout extremely beneficial; just be sure not to push too hard and injure yourself, that would be completely counter-productive. All you need for the class are some gym clothes, gym shoes and a bottle of water (or a sport drink). And a towel to sponge off the sweat, but that is about it.

I liked the class so much, I decided to change up my routine and add it twice a week. A great way to continue raising my heartbeat but also include resistance training!

Summer fit series - Aqua aerobics

2011-07-25T22:56:00.000+01:00

I love Zumba and Ubound, but in the summer heat (not that we have had much of that lately), nothing beats aqua aerobics!

The concept is really easy: a swimming pool, aerobic movements and music blasting. And if you really love Zumba, there even exists aqua Zumba classes.

What is great about exercising in water is that you never get too hot. If you start getting a little flushed, all you do is splash some water on your face and there you are refreshed. One of the downfalls, I feel, is that you do not hydrate yourself whilst exercising. Sure, you are not sweating masses, though how could you tell if you were, you are in water; but you do not drink until after the session. You could bring a bottle of water, but from what I've experienced, you are continuously in movement and don't have time to take a hydration break. So, I would suggest drinking before and after the workout.

The other great thing about water is it supports your weight! You feel lighter and thus the workout feels easier. Having said that, aqua aerobics is usually great for working out the core muscles. Indeed, when you are performing certain moves without touching the floor of the pool, your abdominal muscles are engaged. And may I say, it is one hell of a workout for them!

Aqua aerobics don't feel as cardio as exercises performed outside of the water, yet they really are great to strengthen your heart. And if you have joint issues, you may be able to actually workout in the water as the water makes it easier on your joints. Of course, ask your doctor about working out when you do suffer from joint pain or other issues.

Water doesn't only support your weight, it also creates an extra resistance! Indeed, most arm movements are performed against the resistance of the water. This might slow you down, but it intensifies the workout! And with some simple accessories, you can fully make use of this resistance. Aqua aerobics are great because they are always diverse. I go to a class twice a week, and every time we do different moves and use different accessories. Foam "noodles", plastic dumbbells, ankle weight cuffs, these are only some of the available extras to make your workout a bit more diverse! Foam noodles are probably the funnest to use, in my opinion! My favorite exercise to perform using them is to sit on them and then peddle in the water, going forwards and then backwards. Truly hard, but truly fun.

Other advantages of working out in water is the decreased pressure of appearances. Let's face it, I hate going to the gym and being surrounded by toned gym bunnies, wearing über-tight gym clothes. It shouldn't, but it does make me feel self conscious about my body. In the water, once you are in, no one judges your body. Or at least, not as much as you can hardly see anything that is in the pool. When I am in the swimming pool, I forget all about what I am wearing and what I look like whilst performing the exercises. Plus, aqua aerobics is great as you don't have to invest in a sporty swimsuit. You can if you want to, but you can also wear any type of swimsuit. I have been wearing my bikini and haven't experienced any problems with it.

Finally, the water feels so good against my skin, it almost massages it and it help alleviate stress. I always feel more relaxed after an aqua aerobics class.

If you enjoy water and want to try something different whilst still staying in the cardio zone, aqua aerobics is a good workout to consider! It won't make you sweaty, you will come out looking pretty fresh and it's great especially in the hot summer months. Thanks to interior pools, though, it's a great year-round workout. It's excellent to keep your heart fit and really does make your abs sore at the end! Also, forget about the stereotype of only older ladies partaking in this activity. It's a real form of exercise, and it's not easy, and I have seen men come to the classes.

Mark of Love reviewed

2011-07-23T23:05:00.000+01:00

Article first published as Movie Review: Mark of Love on Blogcritics.

Adapted from an English play titled I love you! ...And you...and you, Mark of Love is a sweet independent film, which I enjoyed watching on a Thursday night along with a glass of wine and some chocolates.

Mark (Bryan Price) is a young man, very unlucky when it comes to relationships. When his latest one hits a wall, he decides to occupy his time by taking a karate class. However, there is no karate class; instead, a group of five women meet up every week, hoping to partake in a session of speed dating. The women are so desperate to get men, they pay Mark to give them advice. But it turns out, they might just be giving him more advice than he is giving them.

The plot line, for an independent film, is quite unusual; replace the lead actors with famous Hollywood faces and you could well be watching the latest Touchstone Pictures production. This is not a negative remark, at all! Simply an observation.

The style and camerawork of the film are so polished, the film has a mainstream feel, and not the expected typical, low-budget artsy esthetic. This makes the film, in my opinion, open to a much larger audience.

The film gets off to a rocky start, acting-wise that is. Some of the performances, such as Kelly Erin Decker's who plays Lisa, the desperate females' group leader, are a bit forced and unnatural. Thankfully Bryan Price, who plays the protagonist, brushes up his game and, after a rather unsteady start, his acting finally picks as the film goes along. His character is so human, you cannot feel detached from what is happening to him. Price surely is a raw talent, one that, with time, will mature into something very interesting and strong. In this film, he is the pillar that helps everything stand together. He has a charm and a little je ne sais quoi which makes him very enjoyable to watch; his chemistry on screen with actress Caitlin M. Schultz, who plays Claire, one of Mark's exes, is remarkably believable. The rest of the cast is overall okay, with some being weaker than others.

Mark describes to the women his past relationships and these present themselves as flashbacks in the film. This made me think a lot of the 2008 film Definitely, Maybe starring Ryan Reynolds. The concept is similar, except instead of telling the story to his daughter, as Ryan Reynolds does in Definitely Maybe, Mark confides in five women he barely knows. And the comparison does not stop there; indeed, both endings are surprisingly alike. But this simply goes to prove that when it comes to making romantic comedies, the possible endings are usually quite restricted and all go towards approximately the same result, i.e. finding true love.

Although you will not be hit by an earth shattering storyline; like all good romantic comedies, Mark of Love entertains. Some of the lines might come out as cheesy, but this just adds to the charm. The actors are all likeable and the global esthetic of the movie is very polished. Altogether, the film is a cute rom-com, something good to watch when you are in need of an emotional pick me up. The genre of the film makes it available to a wider audience than the typical artsy independent film, so this is all to its advantage. If you are big on the romantic comedies, this will be a good addition to your collection. For everyone else, this is still a very pleasant film to sit through.

Mark of Love is distributed by Cinema Libre Studio and will be out in the US on DVD on July 26.

Summer fit series - Ubound

2011-07-18T23:22:00.001+01:00

You will sweat the life out of yourself. That is the first thing you should know about Ubound. Sweat will be dripping from every single part of your body. Sounds glamourous? Yeah, didn't think so. But it just goes to show how truly intensive working out can get.

You should know one thing about me, not only am I unbelievably uncoordinated (as you might have read in my post on Zumba), until trying Ubound, I had an irrational fear of trampolines. I was scared I would lose control of my bouncing and would fall and hurt myself terribly. So, trying out a workout which is an hour long on a trampoline was not ideal, at least not at first.

Aerobic on a personal trampoline, sounds appealing, doesn't it? Well, that is exactly what Ubound is! And thankfully, it helped me get over my crazy fear and actually bounce away for an hour.
So Ubound is a personal trampoline, aerobic moves and some pumped up music. And my gosh, it is hard, it is intense, it will make you sweat and it might even make you cry! The first time I tried it, I almost gave up within the first 20 minutes. I had tears coming up to my eyes and sweat dripping down my back (and legs, and arms and face!). But I don't like to quit midway through a workout, so I decided to stick through it and judge after a full session.

Because of the trampoline, all of the moves feel a little harder than if they were performed on the floor, however not hard on the joints, just hard on the muscles which work in a different way. The bouncing make for a more entertaining workout than traditional aerobics, at least in my opinion. I would not say it is as fun as Zumba, at least not for me, but it's not boring either!
I am lucky as my instructor is brilliant. He motivates the group, but also comes up to individuals and makes sure everyone's form is good and performing the moves in the correct way. A good instructor will make the class much more fun!
Ubound is truly intense. Because it is a cardio workout, expect to sweat and feel your heart racing. But what makes Ubound really good is the bursts of high intensity moves. So you will be doing a series of exercises and then suddenly, on the spot, you have to accelerate and sprint on your little trampoline, faster and faster before calming down. Or you might have to bounce up and down at a very fast pace. These bursts are only about a minute long, but those are the longest minutes ever. But the results are fantastic. High intensity training is great to get quick results on endurance. You really get your heart pumping and this helps you build stamina. Although intense, the workout is never boring and you don't really see the hour go by, which is always positive on my watch! There is nothing worse than being in a class and staring at the clock.
And although this is only the second week of trying it out, I can already say it is getting easier. I don't sweat as much as the first time and mentally, I can push myself that little bit further. There is some footwork, I must admit, that is still a little tricky, but I am hoping within a few weeks I have mastered Ubound.

In terms of clothing, I don't wear anything particular for Ubound. A good workout bra, but this goes without saying, a racerback top, some running leggings (most comfortable things ever!) and some fitness shoes to make sure my ankles have a minimum of support (my ankles roll easily, not taking any chances). Do take water with you. You will be sweating, a lot, so you'll need to replace the fluids you are losing. You don't necessarily have to buy a sports drink, I personally feel fine with water and then a banana after the class. You might want to take a towel or something to pat yourself dry with as you will get very sweaty, to the point where you have to wipe it off! Maybe an extra pair of underwear? Don't laugh, but my underwear was soaked the first time so I decided to take an extra pair with me for after the shower.

I had never heard of Ubound before joining my gym and it does not seem to be available everywhere. If you do, however, have the opportunity of trying it, do! It's a fun experience and exercising on a trampoline feels very different, in a nice way.

I found a video on youtube of Ubound, this way you can have a good look at what it is exactly! And you can find out more on the Radical Fitness website.

Summer fit series - Zumba!

2011-07-16T22:44:00.001+01:00

Zumba seems to be everywhere these days. From DVD ads on TV to actual group classes in gyms, you cannot escape from Zumba. And why would you want to escape from it? Because I can say, hands down, it is the most incredible and fun exercise session I have ever done!

Zumba is a workout inspired by latin dance moves and my gosh, it works you out like nothing else and it is actually fun! The first time I went to a Zumba class, I had no energy left in me and was covered in sweat — sounds so glamourous, right?! There are different levels of Zumba available and that makes the process of learning the steps much easier!
Because the Zumba classes are made of dance steps, basically, repeated and choreographed on some pretty darn catchy music, you do need some basic levels of coordination. However, I am the most uncoordinated person ever! Seriously, the first time I tried salsa dance, I wanted to cry as I could not, for the life of me, coordinate my arms and legs. So, I bet you are thinking this was a recipe for disaster and tears. And surprisingly enough, it was not! Sure, some of the moves in the choreographies are a little tricky, but as long as you take a bit more time and make sure you get them right, you can easily replicate them at a higher speed.

A Zumba class starts off with a short warming up choreography before you get into the full-on workout. You do a combination of steps on a track of music, then take a mini break (to sponge the sweat off and gulp a bit of water) and you continue onto the next song. Songs last for approximately 5 minutes, with some being a little longer. I have never actually stopped to see how long a song is, but I'd say it's a fairly typical song length (Zumba fans, correct me if I am wrong!). I would say you go through 8 to 10 songs during a whole class.
The steps are quite easy to follow, and even the trickier ones only take you a little while before you get to perform them correctly. So frankly, I'd say virtually anyone could try out a Zumba class. And because the choreographies are so much fun, you hardly see the time go by! The first time, I honestly thought only half an hour had gone by. And yet, I was drained of all energy and sweated like I had never sweated before! But I had a blast. And it made me want to go again. And again.
You can also tell how you are getting better over time. I go to the gym about 6 days a week and do diverse workouts, not just Zumba. But week after week, I can tell things are getting easier and I am not as puffy as I was in the first session. I know it is not all because of Zumba, but it does help ameliorate my stamina! And after the second week, I was able to follow all of the moves without fail!
So far, I have not yet come across a song and a choreography I did not like. All of the moves are fun to execute and make for a great workout. I honestly am never bored at a Zumba class.
At the end of the workout, there is a cooling down session and some stretches, all on music. This feels so good after an hour of intensive exercising and is a very nice finishing touch.

Gear-wise, I don't wear anything fancy to Zumba, just some exercise leggings, a sports bra (a must with all of the shaking haha), a workout top and some fitness shoes. Definitely have comfortable shoes with you and a good bra, ladies! I could not stress that enough, but you really need one here! Do have a bottle of water with you, because you will want to hydrate yourself in between songs. Zumba, as long as you really push yourself and try to keep with the pace, is an intensive workout. A towel is a good extra to have on hands, because you will be sweating, guaranteed.

A the bottom of the line, I could not recommend Zumba enough! It is a great, fun, accessible and yet intensive workout. Chances are, you will enjoy yourself at a class and come back for more. Apparently there are special classes for the older demographic as well as for the younger one. And there even is aqua Zumba (I wish my gym offered that class)! So try it out at least once, because it is a great experience.

Check out their website to find out more on Zumba.

Summer fit series - a few tips for a good workout

2011-07-14T00:29:00.000+01:00

Now that you have joined a gym and are all geared up, let's go through a few simply points concerning your new workout routine.

It goes without saying but do not go too hard too quickly. It's a cliché, but it's a cliché for a reason. If you join a gym and go from zero physical activity to suddenly three hours of cardio every day, you are going to die. Okay, maybe not, but you are going to get very tired very fast. You need time to build stamina and take on more. Start easy, it will keep your motivation levels up and hopefully not exhaust you to the point of wanting to quit.

Another point, and ladies I am looking at you, resistance training is important! Resistance training has been linked to an increase in bone density, which is positive, especially for women who are more prone to osteoporosis. And it will help you change your body and speed up your metabolism. Indeed, through resistance training you build up muscle mass, this same muscle mass which uses up more energy than fat. You need to build your muscle mass to lose weight, it goes hand in hand with cardio. Women especially are reluctant to lift weights or use resistance machines. Many of my friends can't believe I do it. Why? Because they are persuaded this means the only possibly result is looking like the Hulk. Well, may come as a shock ladies, but this is highly improbable. For two reasons. One, women do not produce as much testosterone as men, meaning they do not bulk up like men. And secondly, women don't usually train like bodybuilders.

A tip when working out with weights, do choose a weight relatively heavy for you. It shouldn't be too heavy that you can barely lift it, but if you are doing all of the exercises with too much ease, it could be that you are not exercising to your full potential. So don't be afraid of the weights!!

Don't expect sudden changes. If you are joining the gym to lose weight or change your body, don't expect anything to happen too soon. Changes will operate slowly, but surely and in a healthy way. Don't look for shortcuts, because there aren't any when it comes to this. This week is my fourth week of gym and I am now benefitting from a few changes. Not anything major, but it's good to know things are starting to shift. Firstly, I have more energy and that is pretty great. Secondly, I have more stamina. I don't get as tired from a workout as I did four week ago. My strength has augmented. I can now lift heavier weights and this is probably the most noticeable change. And finally, I have toned up a bit already. I can see it on my arms, my waist and my thighs. I should have measured myself, but I didn't think of doing that.

This actually leads me on to my next point. The scale should not influence you! People these days seem obsessed with their weight when it doesn't even mean that much. When monitoring your efforts, do not concentrate on the scale and actually measure yourself instead. You'll see more improvement on that side. Why? Because when you are working out, you are getting rid of fat, but also building muscle. And muscle is naturally heavier than fat, so that means that the scale can actually go up instead of down. And if you are super focused on your weight, it may discourage you.

Finally, be healthy! If you do want to lose some fat, you'll probably have to change your eating habits. We're not talking major changes here, just limit your consumption of empty calories such as sodas and alcohol. And don't eat too many sugary and fatty foods. But don't cut out all of the fat and sugar from your diet, you still need diversity! And be aware that there are healthy fats that your body needs to function properly, notably olive oil and nuts. And don't starve yourself. Eat healthy portions and eat diversely!

Summer fit series - joining a gym!

2011-07-14T00:02:00.001+01:00

I
t's summer! Just make abstraction of the rain and the fresh temperatures (at least over here) and I assure you, it is indeed summer.

Now, along with summer usually comes the time for beaches and bikinis. Well, maybe not in everyone's case, but let's face it, I'm sure google suddenly gets a lot of requests on how to get bikini ready and fast. Well, although this sounds like it is yet another one of these articles claiming to own the miracle solution for immediate weight loss, it is not!! All the contrary, this is a health focused series concerning the gym and all of the activities that you can partake in one of them.

Let's face it ladies (and men), when it comes to weight loss, there are not quick fixes. Patience is a virtue and should be applied in this case. I am not going to do a series on how to lose weight or manage a weight loss; I am very far from this! No, instead I am going to share with the world my knowledge and experience concerning ... the gym!

Because it is summer, I have more time; more time to sleep, more time to watch crappy reality tv and more time to actually get my butt off of the sofa and shake it a bit! So yes, I decided I would join the gym this summer. I don't consider myself to be fat, however I do want to start leading a healthier lifestyle and notably get a little toner and fitter.

So, joining a gym, sounds like a pretty easy thing to do, right? Can't do much wrong, can you? Well, actually, you can! When you join a gym, you should always do a tour of the place before actually committing to anything. Make sure you feel comfortable and not too intimidated. If you are a woman feeling self-conscious working out in front of men, you might want to consider joining a women only gym, or at least a gym which offers a special ladies' corner. Also, do make sure your gym is not too far from where you live. If it takes you an hour just to get there, chances are your motivation to go break a sweat will be seriously diminished just by the thought of the journey.
Also, check out the opening hours and make sure they work with your schedule. There is no point in joining a gym if you cannot go there more than once a week; that would be quite the expensive workout, would it not?
And don't forget, you do not have to join a gym to work out, you can very easily do it in the comfort of your own home or in the streets (running and walking are free activities, as far as I am concerned). But if you need to be surrounded by other people working out to be in the mood, then a gym is definitely a good place to go!
Once you have found a place you like, think about commitment. Don't take a whole one year plan if you're unsure about committing fully. Maybe do a trial of a couple of months, so that if after a while you are not satisfied, you know you'll be able to change soon. A lot of places offer one month trials or three months packages, might be good to check them out.

Now, once you have joined the gym and are ready to hit the treadmill (or the static bike, or whatever tickles your fancy), think about a few things you should invest in. Getting geared up for the gym does not need to be expensive. No, you do not need all of the latest fancy outfits companies come out with. If you have the cash to spare, knock yourself out; otherwise, simply invest in a good pair of fitness shoes and a pair of shorts/tights/whatever. If you are a woman, however, please please please please please, PLEASE, invest in a good sports bra for your own sake! Although usually on the pricey side, a good sports bra is as important as a good pair of shoes; it will make working out so much more comfortable. And let's face it, when your breasts are under control, it looks much better than when they are bouncing all over the place, or at least it does in my opinion.
Apart from basic gear and some motivation, you don't really need much. Apart from water! I once forgot my bottle of water and god, never ever again. I felt like I was slowly dying. So, yes, water is definitely a must. You don't need a fancy sports drink, water and a banana afterwards is all you need. And forget about protein shakes afterwards, a cheaper option is simply milk. Naturally full of protein and rich in calcium too!