Archive for December, 2007

Feeling Fat, Frumpy and In Need of a Detox?

Yeah me too!…although I was very virtuous and went to the gym on Boxing Day for a very tough 20 minute interval sprint session and some free weights. Helped work off the excesses of the previous day when we’d been force-fed unlimited Veuve Cliquot and all sorts of exotic fareon the beach at the Ritz [...]

Yeah me too!…although I was very virtuous and went to the gym on Boxing Day for a very tough 20 minute interval sprint session and some free weights. Helped work off the excesses of the previous day when we’d been force-fed unlimited Veuve Cliquot and all sorts of exotic fareon the beach at the Ritz Carlton…

However, if you’re not quite at the stage when you feel like venturing to the gym or actually doing some kind of exercise, then why not get yourself into that mood by checking out this rather fantastic new ebook, Crunches Are Not Enough?

Full disclosure: Yes, this is one of my latest ventures although I didn’t actually write it, I was one of the editors.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Photo by cyrus
I’m up, I’m up, I’m up…it’s Christmas morning and I woke up bright-eyed and excited to give everyone (all 2 of them) their gifts.
An hour later and I’m still waiting because they’re all still in bed!! Daniel went to a party last night and we had a cosy night in so there’s no [...]

Photo by cyrus

I’m up, I’m up, I’m up…it’s Christmas morning and I woke up bright-eyed and excited to give everyone (all 2 of them) their gifts.

An hour later and I’m still waiting because they’re all still in bed!! Daniel went to a party last night and we had a cosy night in so there’s no excuse. WHY AREN’T THEY UP?!??

We’ve got bacon sandwiches and Bloody Marys (D’s idea of course) lined up for this morning to help stretch our stomachs before our super extravagant feast at the Ritz Carlton for lunch and then an afternoon of blobbing on the beach.

Enjoy your day, however you’re celebrating it!

P.S. If you want a little gift, hop on over to the LIP blog, let me know what you’re doing and you’ll get a copy of my ebook, X Marks The Spot! Merry Christmas :-)

Dealing With Unpleasant People

I can safely say that last night I met one of the rudest people I think I have ever met. We (my brother, J and I) had decided to have a small mince pie and mulled wine soiree so Daniel (the brother) invited a few of his friends around and we duly had fun making [...]

I can safely say that last night I met one of the rudest people I think I have ever met. We (my brother, J and I) had decided to have a small mince pie and mulled wine soiree so Daniel (the brother) invited a few of his friends around and we duly had fun making the mulled wine, putting the mince pies in the oven and making chocolate cake (Daniel’s party piece for the evening).

The unpleasant person arrived first dressed to the nines (in a cocktail dress, little lace shawl and spiky high heels) and was clearly intent on cornering Daniel on his own for some gossip.

Now there’s a sub-plot to this story and it’s this…

This girl was, until recently, seeing this guy but they split up. The guy let the girl stay in his very nice apartment and moved out to rent somewhere so the girl could sort herself out. She got together with some new guy so the old guy obviously asked her to move out which she did. The sticky part is that they’re both part of the same circle of friends – although the guy seems to be more “in” than she does (and it’s not hard to see why).

So, her appearance last night was predicted because she is obviously trying to stay “in” the group. Anyway, here is a list of some of her unbelievably rude actions:

• She made no attempt at small group conversation and insisted instead on speaking only to one person at a time commandeering them and whispering in hushed tones even when there were only 5 of us in the room.
• She came into the kitchen at one point to ask if there was anything to eat, to which Daniel replied “Yes, mince pies and chocolate cake”. She then had a nosy round the fridge and ended up cooking herself some instant noodles.
• She moaned about the mulled wine (I’d made it).
• She moaned about being cold but when Daniel got her a sweater to wear she refused to wear it and instead wanted a blanket.
• She spent the rest of the evening (about 2 hours) out on the balcony with one other person, came back in and left within 10 minutes.

I was not impressed. But here is what I always try and remember….

People who behave like that or behave unpleasantly usually do so because fundamentally they are not happy. Whilst it may not always be our job (especially with strangers) to get to the root of the unhappiness, help resolve any pain and help them feel better; it is our job to see past their behaviour and understand perhaps what motivates it.

This girl is clearly unhappy; whether it’s the break up (she broke it off), the fact that she’s feeling very insecure about her place in the group and her circle of friends or something else in her life, I’d like to think that it’s these things behind her behaviour, not just the fact that she is simply a deeply unpleasant person.

Last night I had no time for her at all; if I ever meet her again however then perhaps I’ll see whether I can prove it’s the former and maybe even try making her feel a little better.