Food or Halle Berry's bod?

Halle Berry is hot.  Period.  End of sentence.  But how the hell does she do it??

This picture of Halle on the beach came out a few days ago and now everyone is talking about how amazing she still looks after a kid and being a few years shy of 50.  So what is her secret??? Don't eat anything that isn't good for you, including sugar, rice, cheese, flour, and pasta, according to her trainer in this Us Weekly article: http://www.usmagazine.com/healthylifestyle/news/how-halle-berry-maintains-her-sexy-bikini-bod-at-45-2011168

Now I am all for eating healthy and taking care of myself and I absolutely know that it works.  In fact, about 5 years ago I got down to my skinniest ever by eating nothing but salad, chicken breast, almonds and low fat cereal.  Mostly, I looked great, but more than a few people said to me "whoa, are you ok?" because the weight loss was so obvious.  I was happy with my new body, but my face looked a little gaunt and my boobs a little deflated.  And you better believe that after about 6 months of such a restricted diet, I could not go near a chicken breast on a bed of lettuce.  I was so done with eating so healthy that I found my cravings for "unhealthy" food like pasta were very intense.

My point is, there is a tradeoff when you want to look Halley Berry hot and I guess it's up to the individual to decide how extreme of a diet is manageable.  One of my favourite things to do is go out for a good meal or prepare a good meal, so I will live with my less than perfect abs and thighs for now!

SATC Back to TV?

Is it true?  Could it be that one of my all time favourite shows is potentially coming back to television?  There is major buzz right no that our favourite 4 fabulous ladies from Manhattan will be back on the small screen soon.  Ultimately it's up to the show creators and producers, but already SATC fans (including me) are daydreaming about the clothes, shoes and men that could possibly be featured in a new series.  Most encouraging is the buzz that this will pre-empt the "prequel movie" that was going to star Selena Gomez, the mere thought of which mortified many die hard fans like myself.

I have no idea what this new series might look like, given that when the first series started out it was about 4 single friends navigating the dating world in Manhattan.  The last movie ended off with some of their marriages being a bit rocky, but ultimately enduring the ups and downs.  I guess we will have to see, but for now I'm jumping for joy at the thought. 

What I loved most about the series and the movies was it's true depiction of female friendship.  It is rare to see this on television now and I miss the realness of that.  My favourite scenes were always their Sunday brunches together.  It reminds me of the brunches I have with some of my closest female friends.  Good food, friends and laughs will never go out of style, so I have my fingers & toes crossed that the new series is just as engaging as the first one!

Goodbye Twenties!

Yes, it's true.  I am turning 30 soon.  In fact, I'm in my last month of being in my twenties.  Part of me is a little daunted by the thought of this.  Turning 30 is a milestone, an apparent marker of something big in one's life.  What that is, I don't quite know.  Does it mean the end of being considered hip?  Does it mean that I should just resign myself to the fact that it's all downhill from here, both physically (wrinkles! sagging body parts!) and mentally (memory loss!)?  Does it mean that it will get harder and harder to find a good guy to settle down with because the dating pool automatically shrinks when you are a 30 year old single woman?

A lot of my friends have already turned 30 and none of them have gone through any sort of big change.  It's true, they all mourned for some amount of time about no longer being in their 20s.  But no one ran out to get botox, get the tattoo they all thought they should have got when they were 23, or dated someone wayyyy younger as an act of rebellion.  Maybe this means my friends are boring...or maybe it means that 30 ain't no thing.

I can't see myself changing much about my life after I turn 30.  Earlier this year, I admit, I thought about a tattoo to mark the occasion.  Then I changed my mind and decided I would look at a new piece of jewelry.  Now, I'm thinking that celebrating another year of life with good friends, food and wine is all I really need to mark the big day.  Yes, I do feel a bit more pressure to maintain my current appearance, but other than that, I want to keep taking one day at a time, because, if anything, turning one year older helps you realize that life is too short to not enjoy.  

Also...these celebrities who turned or are turning 30 this year seem to be doing well, so 30 can't be all that bad!

Alicia Keys

Justin Timberlake

Sienna Miller

Goodbye twenties, bring it on 30!!!

Just an Ordinary...Duchess?

It was bound to happen soon, but the first Duchess of Cambridge criticizers have come out of the closet.  And though they don't come out swinging at Kate Middleton's style, they definitely have some strong feelings about how she presents herself.

Designer Vivienne Westwood made some remarks recently about how Kate is not an ordinary woman, so she doesn't understand why she would dress as such.  As a follower of Kate's fashion choices, it is an interesting thought to ponder.   Should Kate stay "high street" instead of "haute couture"?

Like any woman, her style will likely develop over the years and yes, her tastes might get more expensive as she realizes she is now living a life of privilege.  I can see this happening, but I also hope she can continue on to be a "people's princess" like her husband's mother was most famously known as.  Both Kate and William seem pretty grounded now, so let's hope things stay that way.

Pintrest!

Have you joined Pintrest yet?  Have you?  When will you?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about and why I'm so excited, let me explain.  Pintrest is like a virtual scrapbook.  You can use to "pin" items that you find online into themed boards.  The opportunities are endless.

Whether you want to play around with fashion or favourite places, or whether you are planning an event or project, the coolest part of Pintrest is you can drag a "Pin it" icon to your bookmarks bar and use that to "pin" items to any of your boards.  Brillant.

I just started my boards the other day, but I highly recommend Pintrest already.  Check out Pintrest at http://pinterest.com and my boards at http://pinterest.com/lady_n_charge/.

Happy pinning!!!

H&M Like (Not Love, but Definite Like)

H&M is not my favourite place to shop, but I do like how affordable their trendy pieces are and the fact that sometimes you can find some great classic pieces too.  That's why I was pretty surprised to read this article that basically dismissed any and every item that you could buy there.  After reading it, I thought, what's left to buy there???

http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/what-not-to-buy-at-h-m.html

My most recent finds at H&M were a dark purple and navy butterfly printed dress as well as a tomato red summer dress.  Both great material, affordable and cute.  I agree, you do have to be careful of what you buy, but like any retailer, there are good and bad items.  If you are a discriminating shopper you can figure this out pretty quickly.

Anyway, if you are looking to shop at H&M soon, here are some of my picks:

Adorable and perfect for summer.  If you wear a blazer over this,  you can even rock it at work.  http://www.hm.com/ca/product/92753?article=92753-E

Now this dress could never look good on my body type, but it is gorgeous and the perfect shade of honeysuckle pink.  http://www.hm.com/ca/product/93545?article=93545-B

A cute printed blouse for work or play or a night out if you dress it up of course.  http://www.hm.com/ca/product/93402?article=93402-A#article=93402-C

Every wardrobe needs a belted trench in a neutral colour, and this one is a steal at $59.95.  http://www.hm.com/ca/product/92385?article=92385-A

I rest my case.  H&M is affordable, cute and practical.  So there writer at Yahoo fashion!

Buzzing Brain

I am one of those people that is constantly thinking and analyzing.  My brain almost never turns off.  Even if I am physically exhausted beyond all measure, my brain will still be humming with lists of things to do, opinions I have on issues and why, what's going with my favourite tv show, what I should pair with the latest pair of shoes I bought, why my last relationship failed, etc, etc.  My brain is like the Energizer Bunny, it just keeps going and going.

The great thing about this is that I remember a lot of details and I'm a great planner for this reason.  I also am very empathetic because I take note of the little things about people and try to relate to them because of these small things I notice.  The bad thing about this is that I often care too much about the things I need to get done or the people in my life.  It can take a toll, especially if you are a type "A" perfectionist personality like me!

But, that being said, I am who I am and this is the brain I have (for now, LOL)!   I think over the last year and a bit I've learned to let go of certain things and try not to control every situation in my life.  A while back, I got pretty ill because I let the stresses in my life get to me so much that I did physically exhaust myself.  I know now that I have to put me first and take good care of my health, otherwise I'm useless to everyone, including myself.