Conceited

con·ceit·ed (kn-std)

adj.

Holding or characterized by an unduly high opinion of oneself; vain.

This has been bubbling for awhile now and I seriously feel as if I'm about to reach boiling point. What do you think is the difference between being confident and conceited? I did a little Google search myself, and I think having confidence is believing in your self worth and abilities but at the same time realising that everyone is equal and that you are no worse nor better than anyone else out there. It is an aura that comes from within and doesn't necessarily have to be voiced out. On the other hand, to me, being conceited is someone who has crossed the 'confidence' border and feel that they are somehow better than everyone and make this known. I think there is definitely an underlying insecurity beneath this though for said person to have to brag to others about how good looking/rich/smart/etc they are...

So I have this friend, let's call them X for confidentiality reasons. When I first met X a few years ago, s/he was a completely different person - easy going, friendly, great to talk to and humble. Fast forward a couple of years and I honestly don't know what's happened, but lately X has been getting to me. It started quite subtly, a few cheeky comments about how s/he liked what s/he was wearing, how many cute girls/guys there were at the party etc. X had gotten a good (well paid as well) job in a very short time - and I'm really happy that things turned out so well for him/her.

Fast forward a couple of months and it's now a completely different. Mind you, I hadn't seen X for awhile either so perhaps this is why I noticed the change. We caught up for dinner the other week and X told me about a new project s/he was working on and how s/he had been given extra responsibility, which I thought was fantastic - it would speak volumes on the CV! However, the whole night s/he talked mainly about him/herself. I hardly got a word in. Mind you, I'm the type of person who is generally the less dominant in a conversation - I will only speak if I have anything useful to say. But some people really need to understand that the world does not revolve solely around them, and that sometimes it's actually good to listen for a change.

Also... X recently moved out and asked me over for a dinner with his/her housemates. The flat was in a good area, and the interior was inviting and homely - which I had let X know many times already - yet X kept asking me over and over again whether I liked the place, how good it was blah blah blah. To be brutally honest, though the place is nice, my room is actually bigger than X's and I'm paying way less rent than them. And I don't live in a council flat. Anyway, I didn't want to say anything because we were all having dinner together and it was really kind of them to cook for me (I cleaned up by the way!) so I wasn't alone on Valentine's Day.

The icing on the cake? A recent outing or two really made me question how much I want to hang out with X. I think I have reached my limit. One night over a weekend, we went to a club with X and X's housemate. X kept saying how everyone was checking him/her out and was giving them ratings on a scale of 0-10 on looks. Okay then? Firstly, if someone checks me out do I feel the need to tell everyone who it is? It comes across as stuck-up and vain if anything.

And more recently, there was a party we went to in the city. Neither of us knew anyone at this party - and also there were LOTS of good looking people at the party...mainly tall, modelesque types. From the previous outing, X said how much s/he would like to accessorise with a tie next time we went out. There wasn't a tie this time so I jokingly asked why s/he wasn't wearing it. I'm not sure whether s/he was joking in his/her response but it came across as really rude and arrogant. X told me to "Shut up - I like how I look thank you very much. How about saying X looks great today instead?" I didn't even mean to offend in my initial comment?! I laughed it off but inside I was angry. The whole night I could tell how insecure X really was - s/he even commented on how much of an 'ugly duckling' (not to mention short) s/he felt compared to everyone else in the room. And my housemates' friend who was visiting was also there - I introduced them and they had a brief chat. After 5 mins X comes back and said that the friend was touching his/her arm the whole time. Again, wtf? Do you always have to brag about how many people check you out, flirt with you, how good looking you are, how much weight you've lost etc? I later saw the friend doing exactly the same thing with every other person of the opposite sex at the party. I felt a bit smug when I replied "Maybe that's how shes is, it's not meant to be anything other than friendly" and X shut up after that. One thing I have learnt after this experience is that whilst someone is conceited, they are generally trying to cover up or overcompensate for something (or are usually insecure). I have always admired people who are humble and confident - I have a friend like this who lives in Chelsea, has a fantastic job earning lots of money but is so down to earth. It's just refreshing to talk to someone who inspires you and has a quiet confidence about themselves.

Conceit is one of the most annoying and obnoxious traits one can possess - and I think it's only a matter of time before I say something about it.

Rant Over!

M xo

Valentine's Day

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day everyone! I actually wasn't alone at all this time...well not literally anyway. For lunch I headed over to Deb's place for home made pho which was delicious and filling. She had a few of her other friends over as well. Dessert was cheesecake, M&S teacakes and ice cream cake so it was safe to say I was full. Then I took the bus to Radrian's (haha that name is so going to stick now!) place in Fulham for a home made gourmet dinner of pan fried salmon, rice and asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. Mmm mmm! I was spoilt with good food and good company.

Funny though, I still do feel really alone at times. I guess it is really magnified during V-Day when you see lovey-dovey couples walk hand in hand on the street, beaming girls holding pink or love-heart shaped balloons and all the stores festively decorated (and overpriced!). It went a little downhill from there when it took me over 2 hours to get home because the N29 didn't seem to be running, I happened to be carrying 3 heavy grocery bags and it felt like sub-zero temperatures outside. Oh, and there were two couples at the Angel bus stop totally PDA-ing on either side of me :( The highlight of the night was when I lugged my three huge Sainsbury's grocery bags onto the bus on the way to Angel, and some guy volunteered to put some of my bags on his lap due to lack of space - hm. Perhaps that was a pick-up attempt? I was too tired to notice. Singledom can be a curse at times...

Moving along, today was a better day, not weather wise though! My housemate Marta was having a stall at the Battersea Car Boot sale, with her fellow CSM graphic design classmates. They were selling off their designs/quirky products which ranged from flannelette scarves (basically the top half of the shirt with the arms and collars that you wrap into a scarf), postcard holders, homemade chocolate mousse and Marta's screen printed canvas bags. It had been awhile since I trekked to the markets, so decided to head down and see what treasures I could uncover! Frankly, Camberwell market owned this one completely - no contest whatsoever! Lots of bric-a-brac, yucky unwanted clothes but none of those really funky, vintage wares that you find racks and racks of back in Melbourne. It was more like a suburbian junk fest really. Even Marta agreed that this wasn't the ideal place for their target market - more suited to Brick Lane. It didn't take me long to cover the entire market space, and I was lucky to pick up a cute Little House on the Prairie-ish (really inspired by the S/S trend forecast in Russh mag) peasant/crop top with puffy sleeves, frill neckline and tie waist...I don't have the abs to pull off a crop top but I can tuck it into something high waisted which would be much more flattering! And grand total was 50p! Finally, something in London that is actually reasonable!

Later I headed to Chelsea for a proper sit down lunch...just something nice to end the week (or start the week?). Went to one of my favourite cafe joints, Le Pain Quotidien is a lovely French cafe with branches on High Marylebone Street, South Kensington and Kings Road to name a few. Though it's a chain, it feels really boutique, but without the pretension. I had a Milano Salami tartine with ricotta spread, rocket and little chopped up tomatoes, as well as a skim hot chocolate which was yummy! Headed home to watch some DVDs - Hairspray (such a feel good flick!) and Shutter. Tomorrow it's Stardust and Fools Gold!

Off to work tomorrow for my first full week at Woman & Home.

Wishing you a great week ahead.
M xo

Aspirations

I started my job at woman&home today. I felt giddy, excited to be starting in a new role where everything is unfamiliar to me - but also a bit scared and apprehensive. Questions started drifting in and out of my head as I spent the whole day flipping through past issues and browsing the intranet. What if this is not the job for me? How can I progree further? How long will it take for me to reach my goals? Maybe it's the first day jitters making me feel uneasy, and perhaps I should be easier on myself. I have set high career objectives for myself that I don't think are impossible to reach - though it will take a lot of hard work and hopefully the right risks to get where I want to be.

Well, tomorrow is a new day and hopefully more of my questions will be answered as time progresses in my new role here.

After a hard days work (okay, so I started at 10.45am and spent the day reading mags...I doubt this will be a regular occurence!), all I wanted to do was make myself a nice pasta with a glass of wine. I was tempted to buy this Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food cookbook at this book sale I came across during lunch today. It was 10 pounds though, and I rationalised with myself...would I ever really use this book, considering I whip something up with whatever ingredients I have in the fridge? I don't usually follow recipies either. One thing I did take away from Mr. Oliver's fine food wisdom was to salt the water before cooking pasta. And that I did tonight! I am actually really proud of myself as I made the yummiest pasta ever!

Ingredients:
Organic brown spaghetti from M&S
Can of peeled tomatoes
King prawns
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Rocket, spinach and watercress leaves
Grated mozzarella cheese
Fresh chillies
Sea salt
Ground peppercorns
Olive oil
Half an onion finely diced

Heat pan, drizzle in some olive oil when the pan is hot and also the diced onions
Once the onions are clear and have softened slightly, pour in half - 3/4 can of the diced tomatoes
Sprinkle some ground peppercorns to taste
Mix in the fresh chillies (I bought a jar of pre-sliced ones from M&S that work just as well)
Stir and then add the prawns
Lastly, add the cauliflower and broccoli florets
Allow this to simmer for 10-15 minutes

Meanwhile...

Lay some of the spinach/watercress/rocket leaves on a plate

Prepare the spaghetti with some boiled water, adding sea salt which will add flavour to the
spaghetti once it's cooked.
Drain spaghetti and place this on top of the salad leaves

Once the sauce has been cooked, simply pour over what you want onto the spaghetti, toss and sprinkle a generous serving of mozzarella or whatever cheese you prefer. Bon Appetit!

M xo

Miroslava Duma

Stats:

Position: Russian 'IT Girl'/Special Event Correspondent for Harpers Bazaar Russia
Age: 24
Status: Married
Style: Birkin bags (actually, a whole collection of them, as well as Chanel quilted bags!), shawls, nipped waists and opaques. Wears lots of labels, is obviously very rich...but knows how to have fun with fashion and play with different looks.

My fave shot is the one where she's wearing the glasses. Such a natural beauty. And I love her hair too.

Good Night!
M xo

Greece is the word (+ I got a job today!)

Guess who's going to Santorini? Flights have been booked, next up is accommodation. So, do I go for boutique hotel or hostel? Never mind that, May is in 3 months which should give me enough time to get into beach body mode. A nice scenic photo of Santorini to give me some inspiration.


I've been looking on different websites on how to lose weight, specifically, one of my concerns is to stop overeating junk food. Though I stick to three healthy meals a day, I overindulge in the snack department. See, I have an all or nothing approach to food, especially when cakes, lollies, cookies, chocolate and chips are concerned. I lack self control, or at least I think I do and just give in to those evil cravings. I remember the good old days back in Feb 2007 when I was toned, tanned (thanks to 10 days in Hawaii!) and feeling great...since my move to London it is as if I have let go and adopted that 'cbf' attitude which has caused me to gain weight. I miss wearing my $60 high waisted black skinny jeans from Dotti! My trip to Santorini will not only inspire and encourage me to whittle away those pesky pounds and tone up, but also adopt healthier eating habits for life. I can have my cake and eat it too...in moderation! I thought the good old food pyramid would serve as a daily reminder. The delicious (and healthy) recipes I seem to come across the pages of my regular glossies do as well!



Completely unrelated to food and losing weight, but fabulous nonetheless - I GOT A JOB! It is a Marketing Executive role for woman&home magazine, which is one of the brands published under the IPC Media group. They also publish my other favourite magazines like Marie Claire and In Style. This was the opportunity I have been waiting for! One of the key objectives in my CV is to be a marketing co-ordinator for a "reputable and established luxury fashion, lifestyle or beauty brand or publication located in London." Whilst it is not exactly a fashion magazine like Vogue or Elle, I'm just happy that I have managed to get my foot in the door and taken a step closer to my dream. I start next Wednesday on an initial 3 month contract which may get extended. Fingers crossed that all goes smoothly, that I learn as much as I can and make the most of this fantastic opportunity. By the way, yes, that is a photo of a fabulous looking Tina Turner on the cover. I know it's been airbrushed but have you seen the legs on that woman!? And to think she's 69 years old!


And just to finish off...I am now having writers block trying to put together an article for SWSU. am writing a feature on Rani Jones, a modern and fresh new eco-label inspired by Brutalist architecture. It's been awhile since I wrote an article for the e-mag but I am still very keen on extending my portfolio! Check out one of the outfits from Rani Jones' S/S 2009 collection.


Oh, and I started reading Two Lipsticks and Lover ...it has completely changed my perception of French women. I'm currently through Chapter 9, which investigates the way French women view having children. Intriguing stuff!


So, after today's random musings, I bid you adieu and good night!

M xo

Hello, lover!

I received an update on Facebook about Lover's new S/S 2009 Northern Hemisphere collection, aptly named Sacred Hearts. The collection is a fusion of Little House on the Prairie chic crossed with Oxford scholar...light denim jeans, tailored jackets and waistcoats, with casual logo tees and cute sailor dreeses. Anyway, the photos speak for themselves! Now to find a stockist in the UK (and funds of course). Lover hits the spot EVERY TIME.

Enjoy.
M xo

The Reader

It's been awhile since I last read a book. The last one I was reading was The Life of Pi, a Pulitzer Prize winning novel which stopped capturing my interest by the time I reached Chapter 3. If a Pulitzer Prize novel isn't gripping enough, then is there any hope for me! I decided to take a test and find out.

Today, on my day off work, I decided to sign up to my local library which is in Stroud Green, about a 10 minute walk from my place. The library is small, cosy and there isn't the hugest selection of books but in a way that's good so I have all of my attention focused on a concentrated space. I had no idea what genre I wanted to read...and I am pretty much clueless when it comes to the best selling novelists, though I know of the well known ones like John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, that Patterson guy etc. So, I was pretty much open to anything. After about an hour - and Sainsbury grocery stop later - I arrived home with the following:

Atonement by Ian McEwan
On the hottest day of the summer of 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis sees her sister Cecilia strip off her clothes and plunge into the fountain in the garden of their country house. Watching her is Robbie Turner, her childhood friend who, like Cecilia, has recently come down from Cambridge. By the end of the day the lives of all three will have been changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had not even imagined at its start, and will have become victims of the younger girl's imagination. Briony will have witnessed mysteries, and committed a crime for which she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone.

Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helena Frith Powell
Why is it that French women look just as glamorous in a T-shirt and pair of jeans as in a sleek designer dress? How do they look sexy, chic and timelessly elegant from eighteen to eighty? Pencil-thin, stylishly dressed and impeccably groomed? In search of answers, travel and lifestyle journalist Helena Frith Powell goes behind the scenes to investigate the famous French je ne sais quoi. Talking to fashion gurus, beauty experts and It Girls, professional seducers, lingerie designers and personal shoppers, she discovers a whole new world. Indispensable wardrobe and beauty secrets; shopping done the right way and exercise routines promising lasting success; advice on sex toys, family life, relationships and clandestine affaires. French women, Helena realises, achieve maximum effect with the least amount of effort. And with the help of a few little secrets, you too can become impossibly French...

The Food of Love by Anthony Capella
A hymn to la dolce vita and the joy of food...a text that breathes authentic backstreet Rome from every page.

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
It's New York in the 1940's, where the martinis flow from cocktail hour till breakfast at Tiffany's. And nice girls don't, except, of course, Holly Golightly. Pursued by Mafia gangsters and playboy millionaires, Holly is a fragile eyeful of tawny hair and turned-up nose, a heart-breaker, a perplexer, a traveller, a tease. She is irrespressibly 'top banana in the shock department', and one of the shining flowers of American fiction.

Lipstick Jungle by Candice Bushnell
To everyone who's anyone in New York, Victory Ford, Wendy Healy and Nico O'Reilly are riding high, the beautiful faces of success in the city. Victory is the hottest new designer on the block; Wendy is President of Parador Pictures with a sure-fire hit in production and three gorgeous children; and Nico is the editor of Bonfire magazine, the city's style bible. To the outside world they've hit their prime. The trouble is, from where Victory, Wendy and Nico are standing things don't quite look that way. Nico is fitting in guilty extra-marital sex with an underwear model, Victory's last collection bombed and Wendy's twelve-year marriage to her metrosexual househusband is in freefall.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
This is the extraordinary love story of Clare and Henry who met when Clare was six and Henry was thirty-sex, and were married when Clare was twenty-two and Henry thirty. Impossible but true, because Henry suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. In the face of this force they can neither prevent nor control, Henry and Clare's struggle to lead normal lives is both intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

Can't wait to snuggle up in bed and be a nerdy bookworm.

M xo