Things I like

The Following - are you watching this show (it airs on Sky Atlantic)? If not I strongly advise that you get with the programme (lol- I'm loving that)! No but honestly it's my favourite programme currently available to watch on British tv. Every week I think it can't get any better, that any new twists would be farcical; but no each week I'm drawn back in. My only fear is that it could go the way of Prison Break post series 1 - where you start to think 'come on now' and stop watching - well I did. The Following definitely has the Nadie says rubber stamp of approval.

Scandal - I haven't shared my Olivia Pope love with you all. But if I'm in on a Friday I make sure to catch up with the antics of Olivia Pope and Associates. I have been known to have panic attacks if I can't find a working stream! I'm rooting for Fitz and Olivia and the boiler cupboard moment was fire. More 4 I totally couldn't wait for the show to air here, so currently watching online and trying to figure out what I'll do when the series ends.

Daley - so not sure how I totally missed all of the Daley buzz. It's a year late but I'm seriously in love with everything but the song he did with Jessie J. To be honest I refuse to listen to it as I feel the same way about Jessie J as I do marmite.

Bruno Mars - Treasure. There is definitely more to Bruno than the songs he released from his first album. Treasure one of the songs from the second album will be added to my summer chilling in the park mix - when I get my new iPod or fix the old one.

The gym - so I needed to tone up. I'm not as young as I used to be which means that a week or two of salads isn't enough to resolve my crisp addiction and the resulting flab that they turn into. So just after Christmas I joined a new gym and have been going on average 2 or 3 times a week as well as going to yoga and Pilates classes at the yoga studio during my lunch break and to my surprise I actually like going. I feel much better when I've been; I'm looking more toned -if I do say so myself and I'm fitter RESULT.

Other things I like:

Valentino Exhibition at Somerset House think it's closing soon but if you like fashion then worth seeing.

Harrison's in Balham had a lovely dinner there last week with some girl pals. Everyone loved what they ate and it was reasonably priced.

Parmesan potatoes - tried these with a duck recipe I found on Tesco's website - yummy.

My new red boots.

Busuba Ethai - they need to introduce a loyalty scheme. I'm sure I'm due a free meal by now.

Living positively

At the moment I'm annoyingly positive if you tell me something negative I'll send you a positive email or text. I see other people's points of view in lots of situations and generally I look at my life through rose tinted glasses.

I haven't always been this way actually last year I had a pretty rough time, shit seemed to happen all at the same time and I generally wasn't a happy bunny. And then I had a session with my department that looked at how you could work at your optimum; and honestly it was like I turned a corner. Things looked much brightest I understood why I hadn't been at my best in my personal life and at work and I decided that I was leaving that all behind.

Are things tonnes better not really (they are not bad) but my perspective on them is as if I'm looking down on my life rather than being weighed down by things. I have to remember that I've had adversities and I've lived through them and if I can do that once then I'm sure I can do that again. I honestly believe that you are only given crosses that you can bear.

A new found respect for Bey

So I've watched the Beyonce interview and the doc; I've always been a fan of the music but I didn't connect with her as an artist. In the last year with her tumblr and instagram account we've all got to see another side to Beyonce perhaps a different version than the Papa Knowles managed one - a woman in love, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a bff and a mother. Not the brand or the persona but the woman she has become.

In Living a dream Beyonce showed that by taking a risk and showing some of her most intimate and private moments that she like many of us are; is a mixture of strength and vulnerability, independent but in need of a shoulder to lean on. This was a woman I identified with. She no longer needs her alter ego because as she has grown the aspects of Sasha that she needed whilst in the limelight have become embedded in the woman she now is.

Things that happen in our lives change us profoundly and Beyonce shared some of these moments with her audience. I'm in awe not of her work ethic or her success but by the way she seems to juggle her life and her career. Beyonce seems to be blessed with career success, the support of a loving husband and living her dream; the things that many women strive for in their day to day lives - I know that's what I want. Like Oprah said 'just with more sq footage and better shoes'.

Baddiebey thanks for sharing with us all.

Nadie

PS Oprah stop hogging the interviews we want to hear what your guests have to say - not as bad as The Kardashian interviews but still not great.

Harvey Nicks - black girls wear red lippy too

So today I received this email from Harvey Nicks. I fell in love with Harvey Nicks aged 18 when I went shopping with my mum and she convinced me to buy a Christian Lacroix jacket.

I like Selfridges, but there is something about Harvey Nicks that I love, I've actually had dreams about the shop. So I was kind of disappointed when I received today's email (probably yesterday's actually - as just going through my emails after midnight) which suggests red lipsticks for women and only provides suggestions for pale i.e. blondes and olive i.e. brunette complexions.

Now I've got to be honest it would have been nice to include options for darker complexions, maybe not my skin tone (I can tell they are taking baby steps) but a caramel or cafe au lait would have been a great start. You can't go wrong with a great lipstick - and there's a red that suits every one of us, even if you are green.

So Harvey Nicks get with the program, you have some of the best disruptor marketing out there - so I expect more!! Let us all know what amazing treasures you have in one of the best beauty departments I've ever had the good fortune to spend money in.

Note to self reduce the use of so in one post.

Have you heard the new JT song, yes JT is back

So I just heard the new JT song and realised that I was seriously missing Justin musically. His acting is ok at best and music is his true calling so glad to see he is back in the studio. His new song Suit & Tie is produced by Timbaland and features Jay-Z, once you get passed the intro it's classic JT and I like it! Can't wait for more from him.

Destiny's Child the same cannot be said of Nuclear, if contracts stipulate a release please try and make it a decent song!

You can check out the new Justin track here http://globalgrind.com/music/justin-timberlake-jay-z-suit-and-tie-new-music.

Let me know what you think.

How are you doing with your 2013 resolutions?

So today was my first day back to work and so far i'm not doing too badly with my 2013 resolutions:

I didn't make it to the gym today as I left my padlock at home - fail; but have already been 3 times in 2013.

I didn't get to work before 9.30am - fail.

But I did drink lots of water - result.

I did take off my make up before I went to bed and have done so every night since the new year begun - result.

I've only missed taking my vitamins once.

Although it hasn't been a resounding success I'm going to keep on at trying to make these habitual actions that become a part of my day to day. I'm off now to pack my padlock in my gym bag and get an early night.

Just say NO to sugary cereals

I'm not a fan of the nanny state and so reports that Labour MP Andy Burnham is suggesting that supermarkets shouldn't sell sugary cereals to help prevent childhood obesity just seem stupid to me. I'm a parent and throughout my son's childhood he ate one of the following for breaking before going to school, Weetabix with hot milk and a teaspoon of sugar (blame my mum for the introduction of sugar), ReadyBrek, Rice Krispies sans milk with a pot of yoghurt or toast - no surgery breakfast cereals there. Yes he did ask for them and occasionally I would buy Cocoa Pops or chocolate spread but that would happen maybe once every year - I'm a believer in everything in moderation. But the key factor in all of this is as the parent I said no - if he decided not to eat it, I used to take fruit with me on the way to school or bread and jam, and low and behold hunger pangs overwhelmed him and he ate them.

Now I think rather than blaming supermarkets, tv advertising and food manufacturers for obesity, childhood or adult; we should be real. We (society) are overweight because we mainly lead a sedentary life, eat and drink too much and don't engage in enough exercise to ensure we maintain a weight that is ideal. So rather than suggest we shouldn't eat sugary cereals or ban them lets get our children to do more exercise. The Government could better help to reduce obesity by:

1. Subsiding sport for children, swimming lessons, football coaching and clubs, and tennis lessons - all of which I've coughed up for are expensive. I had to say no to cricket not because of cost but with the schedule above it was impossible to fit it in, and even at 4 my son just wasn't interested in gymnastics which he said was for girls.

2. Looking at food costs (supermarkets control of this) the poor weather and general economic situation means food continues to get more and more expensive, and reports are that it's going to get much worse. Reports are that apples alone may go up by 25%, when you can feed a family on a £10 bucket of chicken with fries, fizzy drink and sides and you don't have to cook - some parents will choose this option. I'm not sure how you will change this.

3. Improved food education, the British diet is generally unhealthy lots of carbs - bread, potatoes, fried foods etc. Years ago people wouldn't have been able to eat the abundance of food we have now, they may have had one good meal and snacking was a myth; they also worked hard. Basically we need to eat less - if you child ate a sugary cereal once a week as a treat say Saturday I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem. We also need to consider that it's not just portion sizes that need to be reviewed but some people may actually need cooking classes. And what is the British fascination with chips with everything, chips and lasagne, curry with rice and chips, pizza and chips - carb overloading.

A simplistic look at cereals as the cause of the problem is ridiculous, it's vital that a healthy lifestyle that incorporates exercise and a varied diet is offered to children at school and at home; but if the parents do not have a proper understanding of what this should include then banning cereals won't make a difference.