THEATRE: Titus Andronicus, Etcetera Theatre, Until May 27th

Shakespeare’s bloodiest play – complete with severed heads and mutilated tongues – makes a welcome return to the capital this week; with a celebrated production at the Etcetera. Here, director Zoe Ford transports the action to 80s London; all twisted post-punk and pent-up rage. Expect ripped jeans, bovver boots, tattooed skin-heads … and a whole lot of carnage.

ART: Vauxhall Art Car Boot Fair, Vauxhall, Sunday 27th May

A rare opportunity to get your mitts on a limited edition creation by the likes of Tracey Emin, Sir Peter Blake or Polly Morgan. All works will – as the title suggests – be sold out of the boots of classic or vintage cars. In addition to the art on sale there’ll be plenty to keep you amused; including live music and a disco playing 1970s classics. Early arrival is highly recommended – last year, one thousand people were queuing at the gates.

MUSIC: I’ll Be Your Mirror, Alexander Palace, 26th-27th May

I have always been a fan of the wonderful ATP – yet again they prove worthy of my adulation. Taking the name from a Velvet Underground song, the two day festival plays out at the beautiful Alexander Palace. This year’s celebrations are co-curated by ATP and the inimitable Mogwai. An incredible line-up boasts influential legends – such as Slayer (performing Reign In Blood), Melvins, Dirty Three and Mudhoney – alongside relative newcomers, such as Tennis and Yuck. Of course, the festival also offers a few wildcards . . . . including Lord Sinclair’s Rock N Roll Bingo. Highly recommended.

FILM: A Matter Of Life And Death, Rio Cinema, Sunday 27th May

You, Sunday Morning and a classic Powell and Pressburger … what could be a finer combination? An admired gem of British cinema, A Matter Of Life And Death is an extraordinary, innovative and spectacular feature – detailing a fantastical World War romance. A witty, glorious, life-affirming must-see. Not forgetting, of course, the major draw of the Rio Cinema – a beautiful auditorium, comfy seats and the best vegan cake going.

WILDCARD: Luxury Camping At London Zoo, Regents Park, 22-23rd May

This recommendation had me jumping around my kitchen in a state of unparalled excitement: camping at the zoo! Camping. At. The. Zoo. In the bizarre case that that is not tempting enough, the evening includes a torch-lit tour, animal and conservation talks and dinner.

Try these three to get started, but don’t forget to incorporate cardio into your weekly routine for the quickest all-over fat and weight loss.

Floor Dips

Hate that wiggle under your arms when you wave? Who doesn’t? For women especially, the tricep muscles must be targeted to keep them strong and sexy instead of soft and squishy. Floor dips can help!

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and hands at your sides, directly underneath your shoulders. Hoist your hips off the floor (so that shoulders to knees are parallel to the floor). Bend your elbows and lower yourself toward the floor (without touching it), then straighten your arms. Try 2 sets of 12-15 reps.

To progress, try dipping from a sturdy chair or bench instead or raise one foot at a time off of the floor as you dip.

Dips tips: Again, engage your core as much as possible. Keep elbows facing behind you to focus on those triceps. Don’t let your bum touch the floor- that’s cheating!

Press-Ups

Press-ups are great because they do wonders for your arms, back and shoulders, but work your core as well. If a regular press-up is too challenging, try a modified press-up with knees on the floor, ankles crossed, and feet up. Another option is to use a sturdy table or desk to press-up at an angle before challenging yourself to traditional floor press-ups. Set your first goal at 2 sets of 10 press-ups (which ever style you choose) and build from there.

Press-ups tips: Keep your abs engaged throughout to protect your back and to add to the workout. Your body should be in a straight line from shoulders to feet (or knees for modified press-ups) – no bums in the air! Vary arm placement to work different muscles (for example, bring arms closer to the body with elbows facing back to work triceps!)

Half Moon Rotation

This one sounds simple, but it works your shoulders, biceps, and triceps- guaranteeing gorgeous guns! Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms straight out to sides at shoulder height, fingers together and palms down. Rotate your thumbs back until palms face up. Return to starting position, keeping arms lifted throughout. Try for 30-40 reps. Too easy? Add weights, but be sure to start light and build up if you haven’t been lifting.

Half Moon tips: Keep your arms straight but be sure not to lock your elbows. The challenge comes in keeping your arms up and extended, so don’t let them drop! For maximum benefits, guess what? Engage your core!

To combine your cardio and arm-specific strength training, try exercises that do both- swimming or rowing, for example. If you’d rather workout with a group to keep you inspired, why not challenge your arms to a kickboxing or ballet barre class?

Happy Summer… bare your arms with pride!

Photogrtapghy by ~ggvic~, mikebaird and rickpilot_2000

Every year an estimated 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke. That’s one person every five minutes. Sadly, around 50,000 people will die and many more will be left with a permanent disability. In fact, stroke is the biggest cause of adult disability in the UK today.

Anyone can have a stroke, no matter your age, gender, race or social background. The chances are, you will know someone who has been affected by stroke. Whilst most people who have a stroke are aged 65 and over, thousands of children and babies also suffer strokes every year, not to mention the thousands of men and women of working age that are left high and dry by their devastating brain attack. Stroke is often the biggest challenge a person will ever face. It also impacts dramatically on the lives of family and friends.

The Stroke Association believes in Life after Stroke. It is the only UK wide charity dedicated to providing practical, emotional and financial support to stroke survivors, and it does invaluable work in communities across the country to make sure stroke survivors make the best recovery and live the best lives they can. As well as providing over 400 different services to stroke survivors, the charity campaigns for better stroke care and funds research into new stroke treatments and ways of preventing strokes.

This May, The Stroke Association launched their ‘Life After Stroke – Struggling to Recover’ awareness campaign, which coincides with the charity’s 20th anniversary and Action on Stroke month. ‘Struggling to Recover’ tells the story of UK stroke survivors who struggle to overcome the many barriers that stand in the way between them and a suitable recovery.

We at Groupon were touched and inspired by some of the stories we heard about stroke survivors, leading us to approach the Stroke Association to offer support. In conjunction with them, we will also be bringing you the stories of two stroke survivors over the next week. These stories highlight the challenges survivors face after their stroke, and how they have fought their way back to a life after stroke.

So without further ado, let us introduce you to Becki…

Becki’s Story – Part 1: ‘A year over due…’

Today, a year later than I was supposed to, I handed in my dissertation. I’m 22 now and this is my second attempt at my third year of university. Last year, half way through my final year I collapsed on the way to work, it was completely out of the blue and I woke up in hospital to find out I’d had a major stroke.

I was completely paralysed down the left side of my body and I knew that I would have to drop out of university but had no idea when I would be able to return. I worked hard with my rehabilitation and with the encouragement from a lovely lady called Anne at The Stroke Association I decided to return to university in October, just 8 months later.

In the summer I had spoken to my physiotherapy team about returning to university and I was told that to be able to do that I would have to ‘get an electric wheelchair as the tiredness would be too much’ This didn’t sound right to me, I could walk short distances with a walking stick or frame, albeit slow and often unsteady but I lived right next to a bus stop that went direct to my university so what would the problem be?

I e-mailed Anne to get her opinion. She suggested that I should do what felt right for me and encouraged me to apply for a grant not for a wheelchair, but for a ‘saebo flex’ a piece of equipment that would help me use my hand again. If it wasn’t for this support I can’t imagine being where I am now, I knew an electric wheelchair wasn’t right for me I couldn’t help but feel it would have hindered my recovery.

7 months later and of course I have had my tired days but I can walk a little bit further on steady feet and I stopped using any walking aids a long time ago. Anne’s advice had helped me get to where I wanted to be, she had taken the time to get to know me, to listen to where I was with my recovery and gave me based on my personal experience – not a generalised assumption of stroke survivors, many of whom are much older than me…

Photography and Images Courtesy of Stroke Association

I flick through fashion magazines on a regular basis and linger on the lingerie adverts thinking how nice it must be to get away with wearing some of the really beautiful sets on display. From pastel florals to bold and alluring I’m just in awe of them all. It must be nice to be able to wear any style or cut and look great in it, but the reality for most of us isn’t quite so easy.

You see, the problem is that we’re all different shapes and sizes – literally! What might suit someone with an A cup would be utterly unsuitable for someone with a G cup and vice versa. I’ve been a variety of sizes myself thanks to a fluctuating weight over the past 8 years (hence I always get measured properly) and each time my size changes I have to go for a different style. But then a lot of it is down to how you want to look. The more amply endowed among us might not want to advertise ourselves by wearing a plunge bra, however the same might apply for those with less top-heaviness. It’s all a matter of personal choice and, well, fashion.

The last time I went to get measured I bought two new bras. One ‘everyday’ one and a fancier set, but the fancier set ended up being more comfortable than the everyday one and soon got relegated to the ‘greying strap’ pile *sigh*. I should know better though, comfort will always win over style for me. It’s the foundation to a comfortable outfit so if the undies aren’t right then I’m not right. My bra HAS to fit well and my bottoms must NOT cause a VPL. There’s nothing more cringe-worthy than seeing a woman with an ill-fitting bra which she’s clearly bursting out of or even worse than that, the old thong-sticking-out-of-jeans. Sorry ladies, it’s just not a good look and not one I would ever sport myself.

For every day wear, I prefer underwear which isn’t noticeable at all and which, once I’ve had it on for 10 minutes I completely forget is there. I don’t want to be continually adjusting myself through the day and it’s hard trying to snatch a hidden moment to do so privately.

Comfort, comfort, comfort. That’s my recommendation. Save the fancy pieces for when they count, but for trolling back and forth from the daily grind, for heaven’s sake ladies – make sure you’re comfy and make sure it fits!

***Groupon Giveaway***

Fancy winning a pack of 3 practical and stylish comfort bras? We have 5 packs to giveaway to 5 lucky winners!

Entry for the giveaway closes 10am on Friday 25th May 2012. Good luck!

Photography By Mangiu, outofmytree and Helga Weber

As well as the usual rollercoaster ride of entertainment the show provides, it gave an interesting insight into to the process of how these deals are struck and the hard work that can go into each one.

In the conclusion of the show, Gabrielle and Stephan were heavily criticised for ‘running around like a couple of headless chickens’ throughout the task and failing to find enough high end luxury deals suitable for the website. This ultimately lead to both of them hearing the dreaded words – “You Fired!”

Over 6.2m viewers saw the latest firing, with 2.29m tuning in to catch the ever popular BBC Two spin off show The Apprentice: You’re Fired!. For those of you who watched You’re Fired! last night you would have seen the two newly-fired candidates receive a grilling in front of a studio audience from host Dara O’Brian, and the panel consisting of Karen Brady, Ed Byrne and Groupon‘s very own Tobias Tschoetsch – Managing Director of Groupon UK.

If you missed it then check out the episode on the BBC iPlayer webpage, or click the image below to take you to the episode directly.

Photography courtesy of tedits & The BBC

The Platine Hotel is one of the most wonderful of places I have stayed in, mainly because it is inspired by one of my favourite icons – Marilyn Monroe. The hotel it is quite famous in the capital and is regularly used for fashion magazines photoshoots – I instantly felt like a star!

The best way to travel to London definitely is the Eurostar. Contrary to any airline, you can check-in up to 30mn before departure, there is no weight limit to your luggage and yes, you can carry liquid and normal size toiletries in your bags. Even better, you arrive in the heart of the capital and just can jump in the Métro to go to you hotel rather than having to consider a long transfer.

There often is a long queue for tickets at the Gare du Nord tube station but you can buy a lot of 10 on board of the train. Paris being a lovely city to walk through, you will find this often is more an advantage than buying a day travelcard and if you have some left you can use those at another visit, even a year’s time from now.

It took me exactly 25mn by Métro to go from the station to the Platine Hotel and although arriving close to midnight, the staff offered a warm welcome. They had all the paperwork ready on their side and took the time to explain everything I needed to know about the place.

Stepping in the lift, I was surprised to find a TV there playing some of the best Marilyn Monroe’s movies. So captivating I missed my floor!

My room opened on a giant portrait of the actress, smiling at me, filling the whole wall behind the bed. Extra comfy mattress, mountain of pillows – pure heaven. The bathroom was fabulous too – styles like it had been taken out of and old Hollywood movie. It was all very glamorous indeed.

Breakfast is served in the most adorable 1950ies diner in bright colours with chairs dedicated to famous stars. Nearby is a lounge with design armchairs and an honesty bar for rainy evenings.

In the morning just walk down the street – within two minutes you will be along the Seine, overlooking a secular island known as Ile de la Cite. Now this is a little Parisian secret, a lovely promenade with vintage style benches, trees bending towards the water – a really soothing place indeed.

A little bit further along the river, you will reach the Eiffel Tower. So very iconic you cannot resist stopping by, even if you have visited it several times before. There is something so fascinating about the metallic lace, which makes you gaze upon it with such awe.

5 minutes from there the tower you can find Quai Branly Museum – loved for its ethnic art collection. It also hides a wild garden, where birds and butterflies happily shelter. There is no fee to visit that part of the building so get a drink for the café and sit under the shelter covered in roses for a while. Beautiful!

If you cross the river at the next bridge, you will soon be at Le Grand Palais, with its glass dome. The artist Buren had added lots of colours to it, giving it a Warhol style feel to the area – worth seeing, even just for the inside architecture. Finish on a sweet touch with a decadent pastry from Lenôtre and a perfect finale on the Champs Elysées – a truly trip unforgettable.

P.s Although there isn’t a deal running for the fabulous Platine Hotel today, it is well worth subscribing to the Groupon Getaways newsletter so you dont miss out next time the deal is available.

In the mean time, you dont have to go abroad to have a great holiday and with the weather the way it has been over the past couple of days there are some great deals closer to home, which would make for a wonderful weekend away this summer. one of my favourites is for this fanatstic offer for a trip to Eastbourne: One Night Stay For Two With Wine and Breakfast for £55 at The Big Sleep.

Resting on a reputation as one of Eastbourne’s quirkiest establishments, the Big Sleep Hotel brings fresh design to the classic Victorian seafront style. Separated from the ocean by a small expanse of parkland, this Eastbourne retreat offers guests a laid back and fun stay, with a games room for light competition and the provision of cutlery and crockery for those who would rather stay in with a takeaway than dine out in town.

Photography by Platine Hotel and Robert S. Donovan

Double Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 6oz / 175g Butter or Cooking Margarine
• 6oz / 175g Caster Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 3 Tbsp Milk
• 6oz / 175g Self Raising Flour
• 18 Strawberries
• 6oz / 175g Cream Cheese
• 4oz Icing Sugar
• Red Food Colouring
• 3-4 Digestive Biscuits

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and pop 12 cupcake liners in a muffin pan. Cream together your butter and sugar until well combined.

2. Next add your eggs and milk and mix thoroughly until you have a runny mixture. Add the Self-raising flour and mix a final time for a nice thick cake batter.

3. These cupcakes have strawberries baked inside so you will need to start by spooning a small teaspoon of cake mixture into each cupcake case. Get 12 of your strawberries and cut off the tops, then place a strawberry into each cupcake case and push into the cake batter.

4. Finish the cupcakes off by spooning the rest of the cupcake batter in, covering the strawberries, then pop into the oven for approx 20 minutes.

5. Once golden brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool. To make the icing, gently mix together the cream cheese and icing sugar, adding a few drops of red food colouring until you have a pink colour.

6. Spoon the icing over your cupcakes, the cupcakes may have dipped in the middle slightly where the strawberry cooked so just let the icing fill the void!

7. Crush your digestive biscuits and sprinkle the crumbs over each cupcake. To finish them off, slice the leftover strawberries in half and place on top!

I hope you enjoy these yummy treats!

p.s There are two fabulous kitchen/cooking related deals available on Groupon today and I really couldn’t decided which to share with you, so I thought I’d go ahead and share both. The first I came across is for a Four Blade Kitchen Magician: One (£19.99) or Two (£38.99) Processors from BioEnergiser with up to 51% off.

This Kitchen Magician is armed with a cutting edge assortment of four blades to satisfy all preparation needs from slicing and dicing to grating and crushing. The manual sous-chef has been created with an easy-to-use design, including detachable blades for a quick chop and change as well as a hassle-free scrub. Accompanying the processor is a large mixing bowl.

The second deal I have found for you is for a Set Of Five Cooks Professional Stainless Steel Coloured Knives With Acrylic Block for £19.99 – with 60% off the original price.

Taking a vibrant approach to chopping and dicing, these rainbow-inspired knife sets are colour-coded for perfect preparation. The set comprises five different knives suitable for carving and slicing, with each item boasting an ergonomic ‘secure grip’ handle to ensure safety is always a cut above the rest. A stylish acrylic block provides a home for the knives when not in use and all are friendly enough to be put in a dishwasher without unwanted scuffles ensuing.

Recipe & Photography by Iced Jems

Did you know that there are loads of household objects you can use as part of your beauty regime? Let me explain the spoon eyelash curling trick. It’s not actually as weird as it sounds; the curve of the spoon is a perfect surface for curling and the metal heats up as you hold your lashes in place which keeps them curved for longer. You hold your eyelashes between your thumb and the curved (under side) of your spoon for a few seconds, you can move the spoon from the outer eyelashes to the inner eyelashes effectively working on separate sections if you only have a small spoon.

One of my most used products is Baby Powder in place of dry shampoo – it’s just a matter of dusting some onto the palms of your hands and patting onto the roots of your hair and it’s fine to use on dark hair too, just make sure you give it a good brush at the roots so that it doesn’t end up looking like you’ve gone grey.

You can moisturise your cuticles with lip balm or olive oil; just rub a small amount in like standard cuticle cream. And I bet you didn’t know this but if you’ve run out of eye make-up remover or forgot to take it with you on a trip away, you can just rub a tiny amount of moisturiser over your eyes to get rid of any panda eyes. I’ve also used baby oil in place of eye make-up remover – but use it sparingly you don’t want to get it in your eyes or you will have blurry vision.

I’m sure a few of you have done this – used fake tan sans gloves and ended up with brown palms? Oh well, I’ve done it, I did it by accident last week. I thought I was using moisturiser with fake tan built in and then noticed the stains on my hands. It was not a good look but thankfully it only lasted about 2 minutes because I used this old trick; toothpaste on accidentally fake tanned hands or ankles works like magic. You basically just squeeze the toothpaste onto the offending area and rub which causes a mild abrasive action that removes the tan. I have also used my daily facial scrub on my hands in a fake tan emergency and this worked fantastically.

Clear nail polish is great for a few things, like stopping runs in your tights, just dab the polish onto the ladder and it will stop the ladder from getting any bigger. You can also use it to stop rust stains from shaving cream cans getting on your shower basin or bath tub – just paint the bottom of the can and it will stop the rust from forming in the first place.

Run out of shaving cream? Just use any kind of moisturiser you have kicking around or hair conditioner, I’ve done that loads of times.

So there you have it some beauty tips for using standard household items to do something other than what they are meant to be used for.

p.s Those of you who have read my previous posts will know that one of my number one beauty tips is also one of the simplest – drink plenty of water. Water is the number one thing you can put into your system if you want great looking skin as it flushes out your body and the more you drink, the better your skin will look. So with that in mind I’ve had decided to share with you a fantastic deal available on Groupon today for a Water Filter Jug With Six Month (£15), One Year (£24.99), or Two Year (£32.99) Filter Pack with up to 69% off.

These Aqua Optima Galia jugs use a five-step filtration system, to help reduce unwanted impurities, as well as unwelcome chlorine flavours. The filters contain no added salts and also helps to hold the pH balance steady. With a generous filtered capacity of 1.5litres, but a slim-line shape to fit securely in fridge doors, refreshingly cold and clean water can flow freely.

Photography by Artnow314, Maya83 and Cait Vaughn

THEATRE: Globe To Globe, Shakespeare’s Globe, Until 3rd June

It’s the final weeks of Globe To Globe, Shakespeare’s Globe’s epic festival which is putting on all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays – in 37 different languages (Portuguese! Urdu! Turkish! Gujarati! British Sign Language!) – over 6 weeks. It’s a crazy, ambitious and joyful undertaking celebrating the best of the world’s theatre. King Lear comes particularly highly recommended, as it’s performed by the astounding Belarus Free Theatre (Thursday 17 May, 2.30pm, Friday 18 May, 7.30pm). Top Tip: you can get two yard tickets for £5 by quoting ‘PCDYARD241’ when booking; or the best seats in the house (worth £35) for only £10 for any matinee by quoting ‘PCDMAT10’.

MUSIC: Bleached, Birthdays, Tuesday 22nd May

Upset The Rhythm have programmed (yet another) phenomenal line-up for our delectation. Headliners Bleached were formed from the remnants of the wonderfully wayward Mika Miko. They make glorious, grunge-fuelled pop-punk – brimming with 60’s tinges and hard edged harmonies. Think Pins or Vivian Girls. Excellent support is provided by the lo-fi loveliness of Paws and Weird Menace. It’s also the perfect excuse to check out Birthdays; the new jewel in Dalston’s cooler-than-thou crown.

FILM: Film4 Summer Screen, Tickets on Sale Friday

Although screenings aren’t held until August, I thought it best to give you a heads up as tickets – which go on sale on Friday – invariably sell-out. Held in the courtyard of the sumptuous Somerset House, Film4 Summer Screen provides an atmospheric out-door viewing experience. This season they have out-done themselves, with a season of premieres and cult-classics. Highlights include ‘On the Road’ (Walter Salles’s new film of Jack Kerouac’s celebrated novel, a month before it hits cinemas), ‘The Birds’, ‘Paris, Texas’, ‘Apocalypse Now’ and Gaspar Noe’s controversial ‘Enter the Void’.

ART: Museums At Night Festival, Across London, 18th-20th May

This weekend boasts the capital’s Museums At Night Festival; an annual after-hours event across London’s major (and not so major) museums and galleries. Many venues have extra-special programmes planned so booking is highly recommended. Friday night at the Brunel museum looks particularly intriguing, with a live performance from Living Room In London. The music act features Björk’s percussionist Manu Delago alongside a string trio with musicians from the Solstice Quartet and the London Symphony Orchestra. The Brunel will undoubtedly provide an extraordinary concert experience … 50 feet below the ground.

WILDCARD: Toujours Et Près De Moi, The Print Room, 14-26th May

Opera Erratica’s new production – Toujours Et Près De Moi – is a striking fusion of technology and tradition. A mesmeric collision of puppetry, physical theatre, movement and music; it mixes video projection and live performance with Victorian illusion. Stylishly genre clashing, this is well worth investigating.

Photography by Dysanovic

The first question is what to take and how many? Women tend to add more than needed “just in case”. The key is to put one set of clothes on your bed per day you will be away to avoid taking 6 tops for a 3 days escape – simply because after a while, you just forget what you have piled up in the suitcase. Go for easy matching colours rather than patterns and select a jacket that would fit each and everything. A beautiful silky scarf or pashmina will be quite a multitasking accessory – more glamorous than a vest, perfect to shelter from the wind and the sun, can be tied up as bag. (Look for Liberty folding tutorials on YouTube)

As for shoes, two pairs usually prove enough – trainers and some dress shoes. If you are travelling for business and know your days will be filled with meetings and every minute will count – bag each set separately rather than have to empty half of the case in a rush. Same goes for a late arrival, especially after a long flight – pyjamas and toothbrush packed on top to gain precious minutes of sleep.

The best tip I have been given is to start with the trousers. Lay them down with the legs still hanging outside. Then place everything, covering them at the very end with the remaining part of the trousers – they will be impeccable on arrival. Another trick is to place sheets of bubble wraps or silk paper in the shirts: these air pockets will limit the creasing. Place the shoes in plastic bags – nothing worse than a delicate dress damaged by a heel or Velcro!

Since I have found myself quite a few times without a comb or conditioner, I now keep a separate bag for toiletries with the samples often given with magazines. I only use those for travelling so the kit is always complete. These small sizes mean they prove ideal for plane cabin too. Add some paracetamol and plasters in advance too.

A few other things that can be lifesavers on a trip:

• A big Tupperware: It probably brought a smile to your lips. It is particularly handy to bring fragile items back: wrapped in a shirt and contained by the box, they will be well protected from shocks. Think of it for chocolate too – you never know whether you flight might be delayed and your suitcase parked somewhere too hot for its content.
• A sewing kit: a very basic but clever one. A couple buttons. And a length of black and white thread already passed through the pin.
• An extra bag, folded: because you never know how many souvenirs you will want to bring back. If you are flying low cost, always keeps an extra one in your handbag. I have been told a few times, at the very last minute, that it was “too large” and should be booked as a separate piece of luggage. But kind strangers travelling lighter took over part of my extra and gave it back to me once on the plane.
• Always scan your passport and driving licence to your email address. If you ever lost them and had to go to your local embassy, this would save you an incredible amount of stress.

How about you? Can you travel light or do you end up with oversized bags?

P.s. Seeing as were on the theme of travelling around the world I though I’d share with you a delightful deal which has been available on Groupon for a few days or so. Now I’m not suggesting that you try packing these in your suitcase when off on your holidays but a Choice of Art Maps on Medium (£30) or Large (£35) Canvas with up to 79% off would be a wonderful arty addition to any wall.

These unique earthly pieces of art come in a choice of 11 different designs to liven up walls with urban watercolour, butterflies, old sheet music, typography and more. A nifty kit is included, enabling the canvas to be mounted and framed, using pre-taped bars and clips. With a choice of medium or large and a premium canvas finish; these would more than make for a stylish focal-point in any room.

Photography by Foxtongue, sflovestory and mbaylor

I’ve had both of these bags for quite some time now – the green suede one for over 10 years in fact, and they’re both in great condition. However I think it’s time to add to the collection so I’ve been doing a bit of hunting around for something to invest in. I don’t object to spending a little more on a decent bag if I know it’s going to last me well and is going to comfortable to wear.

I have two caveats when it comes to buying bags – firstly it has to be leather. The reason for this is simple – it lasts longer. A leather bag is far more robust than a cloth/synthetic one and I have a tendency to chuck my bags around and leave them on the floor and all sorts so leather just makes perfect sense for me. The second caveat is that it has to have a strap long enough to sling across my shoulder. Aside from a recurring injury I have thanks to a rather idiotic accident involving me, my bike and some tarmac, I’m just not comfortable scrunching up my shoulder to try and keep a bag on it and it’s just so incredibly bad for posture so a shoulder strap is a must.

14-inch British Vintage Style Satchel hand-crafted from Pillarbox Red Leather – The Leather Satchel Co.

My absolute favourite kind of bag ever is a satchel. Retro goodness and leather loveliness. The Leather Satchel Company make some stunningly simple satchels like this pillarbox red one but they do a dazzling range of colours from gold to yellow to green to purple, you name it! They provided a variation of their satchel as the goodie bag given out at the recent CybHer conference in London, to the utter delight of the delegates!

Cambridge Satchel Backpack – The Cambridge Satchel Company

For even better shoulder-saving sensibility, fellow satchel maker The Cambridge Satchel Company make this backpack version of the old school classic. I love backpacks, being a bit of a hiking fan so this would be ideal for me and looks cute as a button.

Large Leather Pushlock Satchel – Jade – Topshop

The high street is a fabulous place for bags though and I’m increasingly seeing more and more good quality leather bags making their way onto the racks. This large clasped bag from Topshop is a gorgeous colour and is plenty big enough to fit all of my bits and pieces in along with all of my notebooks and stationery for uni.

Tan Perforated Flap Leather Across Body Bag – Betty Jackson.Black at Debenhams

Much as I love the three bags mentioned above, my heart has been well and truly stolen by this beautiful Betty Jackson.Black at Debenhams bag in brown leather. I adore the vintage style purse clasp fastening and perforated detail on the leather. Just my kind of style and won’t lose its charm when the next fashion trends hit the high street.

Investment is key for me. I try to live by the old adage ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ as I’ve fallen into the trap countless times before and it’s an unnecessary wastage of my hard earned money. Take your time selecting a good quality, comfortable to wear bag and it’ll last you well past its worth.

P.s It’s no coincidence that I have decided to blog about bags this week as I put my hands up and admit that as a bona fide Grouponatic; I’ve already jumped upon this Groupon deal for Leather Bags: One (£17), Two (£30), or Three (£40) From a Selection at Urshu – with up to 62% off!

With a rainbow of colours and designs great and small, these handbags pack oodles of style and function into various different styles. Choices include a snake leather shoulder bag with three separate compartments for keys, wallets, and jelly babies; or for simple style, a brown leather shopper gives those who struggle to travel light a bit more space.

Photography by Liverpool Design Festival

I used to go at least once a week to get my fix of feature length action, thrills and adventure; which looking back on it was probably a little too much. So instead, I chose to save the money and invest in a 52” Flat Screen TV and a surround sound system and create my own personal home cinema.

It was amazing! I already had my LazyBoy chair (well, a cheaper knock-off version) and signed up to LoveFilm (before the amazing Groupon LoveFilm discounts…damn!) and had the world of film at my fingertips.

I was quite content at first even though I wasn’t watching all latest films, as it gave me the chance to catch up on all the great films I never got around to watching – which was a good as watching the new releases to me. I think I was watching close to 7 films per week and loved every minute of it. However, I soon exhausted many of the films I really wanted to see and there was a film being released in the cinema that I really wanted to see opening night – ‘The Dark Knight’.

So we decided to get some advanced preview tickets and squeezed ourselves into a packed cinema. I looked around to see a sea of people and had a feeling it was going to be one of those showings where people would be talking throughout, and phones going off left right and centre. I almost longed long to be back in my LazyBoy watching the film at home by myself. But after 15 minutes or so, I realised that no matter how large my TV was or how loud my surround sound was – I could never match the experience of the cinema.

Although I was probably well into my hundredths in trips to the cinema, and it not being deepest of movies ever; this 15 minutes may has just been the most poignant for me regarding my relationship with cinema and film in general.

There were 200 of us in the cinema all thinking and feeling the same thing, immersed in the film, feeding off each other’s energy. Say what you will about the film, but the experience was one I could never duplicate at home or anywhere. For the first time in a long time my enjoyment of the film was enhanced by those around me, indirectly sharing the enjoyment and with one another. As much as some people may annoy me in the cinema, I realised that watching a film in the theatre cannot be topped.

The cinema really can be a magical place. A lot does rely on the quality of the film in front of you but when the film is right, there’s nothing better that diving into some popcorn (sweet or salted…doesn’t matter), getting a drink so large that you can’t hold it with one hand, and losing yourself in a fantasy world for 2 hours or so. There’s really not much I’d rather do!

You may have seen it previously on Groupon but to the sound of a theatre full of rapturous applause; the ODEON cinema deal has returned offering you Cinema Admission from £5 at ODEON.

So whether it’s a nail-biting thriller, teary-eyed drama, or a film for some family fun; cinema-goers can watch the story unfold in the comfort of their auditorium seat. Surround sound technology, the sweet smell of popcorn and the reactions of fellow film lover added to the occasion.

Photography By achassignon, marvelousRoland and derrickcolins