The Day Zero Project

Like lots of other people, I like to sit down at this time of year and make a list of resolutions. I do this every year, without fail. The thing is (unlike lots of other people), I usually keep my resolutions. I think of new year's resolutions, and list making in particular as a new opportunity, another chance, a fresh start- like being presented with a brand new copybook. Clean white pages and one thought- don't mess it up.

My resolutions tend to be, for the most part, practical. Realistic. Achievable. Some might say boring, but I disagree. I include lots of nice things to do for myself, taking the edge off the usual January penance.

That is why I loved the idea of the Day Zero Project (which I first heard about on Jessica's blog). You write a list of 101 things you want to achieve in the next 1001 days. You can then record all your goals and track your progress by setting up an account on the website (the website is down at the moment, but once its up and running you will be able to see my list here). The website counts down the days for you and you tick off your goals as you complete them. Simple.

Here's my list:

1. Complete a crossword
2. Run 10K
3. Spend a rainy day watching movies in my pajamas
4. Go on a road trip
5. Buy a good camera
6. Learn how to take good photographs
7. Stay at a 5 star hotel
8. Make a new friend
9. Visit London
10. Join a book club
11. Don't complain about anything for a week
12. Buy an original piece of art
13. Perfect 5 signature dishes
14. Perfect 5 cocktails
15. Be debt-free
16. Do a parachute jump
17. Build something with lego
18. Get something pierced
19. Attend a book signing
20. Give up something for Lent
21. Go to the beach in November
22. Watch the sunrise
23. Watch the sunset
24. Learn 3 clean jokes
25. Drink 2 litres of water every day for a month
26. Write and send a letter
27. Make my own ice-cream
28. Spend the day at IKEA
29. Visit the dentist
30. Buy fresh flowers
31. Have a BBQ
32. Be on the cover of TIME magazine
33. Cut down to 2 sugars in my tea
34. Visit a museum
35. Hand-make a present
36. Go camping
37. Learn a card trick
38. Host an old-fashioned slumber party
39. Do a charity swim on St. Stephen's day
40. Visit Northern Ireland
41. Watch a rugby match
42. Babysit
43. Go to a concert
44. Work in another country
45. Spend the day at a SPA
46. Learn to play Chess
47. Complete a make-up course
48. Lose 7lb
49. Spend a day with my Mam
50. Spend a day with my Dad
51. Become a vegetarian for a month
52. Sell something on ebay
53. Join the libary
54. Drink champagne to celebrate nothing
55. Make my own jam
56. Get all my photos developed
57. Visit Paris (again)
58. Host a themed party
59. Spend Sunday morning in a café with the papers
60. Attend an art exhibit
61. Detox
62. Climb a mountain
63. Find the perfect pair of jeans
64. Go to a comedy gig
65. Read 101 books
66. Watch 101 movies
67. Do an at-home facial
68. Rent bicycles for the day
69. Make my own candles
70. Buy a pair of designer shoes
71. Perfect 5 different 'looks' with my hair
72. Be able to hold a short conversation in French
73. Go on a picnic
74. Buy nothing unneccessary for a month
75. Spend a day watching Disney movies
76. Create my own work of art
77. Go to the cinema on my own
78. Bake cookies
79. Redecorate
80. Start a tradition
81. Attend a 'Hot Yoga' class
82. Watch every episode of Sex and the City (in order)
83. Take my parents out to dinner and pay for it
84. Host a dinner party
85. Attend a fashion show
86. Make money doing something I love
87. Have a staycation
88. Make a birthday cake for someone.
89. Put together the perfect make-up kit
90. Spend the day in the libary
91. Don't use my car for a week
92. Follow a skincare regime
93. Go to the theatre
94. Join the gym
95. Spring clean
96. Make my own Christmas cards
97. Keep my room tidy for a whole month
98. Plant a tree
99. Inspire another person to make a Day Zero list
100. Donate €5 to charity for each achieved goal
101. Blog about each achieved goal

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone! See you soon x

All I want for Christmas...

Scrap my other list! All I want for Christmas is a husky.

The little t guide to... Being a foodie

Do you know what this is? It's a sushi Christmas tree of course- isn't it cool? I found it here.

I don't know too much about cooking (hence why I've never tried to do a recipe post), but what I am good at is talking about and eating food. And isn't that what being a foodie is all about?

I know what you are thinking- poor talentless little t- anyone can talk about and eat food. ANYONE. But no! It takes years of practice- keeping up to date on the newest food trends (Sushi Christmas trees?), hours of labourous trawling through food blogs for the latest must-eats, watching reruns of The Restaurant and mimiking Tom Doorley... the arduous list goes on.

Never fear! I've done the legwork for you and when it comes to that all-defining moment in a foodie's career- the complicated menu- here is my little t guide so that you too can avoid pointing at the menu like a simpleton...

The top ten mispronouced foodie words (and how to pronounce them):

Bruschetta (Broo-skeh-tah)
Gnocchi (Nyoh-kee)
Gyro (Yeer-oh)
Huitlacoche (Wheet-lah-koh-chay)
Pouilly-Fuisse (Poo-yee-fwee-say)
Mole (Moh-lay)
Paczki (Poonch-key)
Pho (Fuh)
Prosciutto (Proh-shoo-toe)
Sake (Sah-kay)

Which foodie words do you have issues with pronoucing?

Fun Pix Fridays #6

My day so far...

Arrive in work at 8.30am on. the. dot. Remove coat, hat and scarf.

Need to get a padded envelope. Trek all the way down to the warehouse. Walk past about 50 people on the way down. Walk past the same 50 people on the way back.

Now I need pritt stick- that's at my old desk. Dammit. Walk past 30 people on the way down. Walk past the same 30 people on the way back.

My interviewee arrives at 9.30am. Go to Reception, greet him and lead the way to the conference room. Conduct the interview and see him out.

Return to my desk. Stretch. Realise my dress is not zipped up at all at the back. Die of embarassment.

Inspiration: Eva

Eva Fontanelli is editor of Elle Italia.

All photos via The Sartorialist

New Shoes #3

This year, Forever 21 finally opened its doors in Ireland, but as its only in Dublin I have yet to venture inside. I didn't mind one bit when I realised I could shop online- these boots were my pilot purchase.

They arrived on Friday and I was very pleased- sufficiently high, but cushioned with a hidden platform in the front. Fit is perfect (I'm a UK4, but the sizes still haven't been converted on the website so you add 2- I ordered a 6).

Delivery outside the UK is a standard €6, easily justifiable by the prices of the clothes/ shoes/ accessories and the super-fast delivery (Mine came by courier in 2 days). I would highly recommend a peek on the website here!

I'll be wearing the boots with my turkey pants (pictured) on Christmas day. The last time I wore these out they were mistaken for pajamas, but I just love them.

Retro

Okay, so I know this blog is getting totally random, but I when I found these pictures of Obama (circa 1980) I just knew I would be sharing them with you. Isn't he cool?



And this hilarious book (probably around the same era) on keeping fit with John Travolta.

Fun Pix Fridays #5

Must reads

Recently, while compiling our Christmas Wishlists, Fiona and I found it very difficult to find (online) a list of must-read novels. Of course, there are tons of lists- books to read before you die, 100 best books of all time... On these lists, amongst what I would consider some good finds, there were the obligatory pretentious classics that don't interest me right now (Ulysses, Jane Eyre, War and Peace anyone?).

It got me thinking, how does one seperate the un-put-down-able books (the ones you LOVE, the ones you try to savour towards the end as they are beginning to 'run out', the ones that after reading you thrust upon all your friends threateningly) from this kind of literary snobbery?

I've decided to put an end to this, and tell you about some really good books, which I've actually read and had I seen you just after I finished them, I would have strongly advised you to read them too.

Here's my top 20 (in no particular order):

1. We need to talk about Kevin, by Lionel Shriver

2. The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy

3. The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd

4. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

5. The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafos

6. A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley

7. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

8. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne

9. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

10. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

11. The Chamber, by John Grisham

12. A Painted House, by John Grisham

13. A Map of the World, by Jane Hamilton

14. Bonjour Tristesse, by Francoise Sagan

15. The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink

16. Matilda, by Roald Dahl

17. To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee

18. Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay

19. Breakfast at Tiffanys, by Truman Capote

20. Sleepers, by Lorenzo Carcaterra

Just the list for now- I can review them in a little more detail later if you like. What are your favourite books?

Red lips

I've shyed away from red lips for quite a while, but last halloween red lipstick was an essential part of my sailor costume (scary, I know!). I surprised myself by loving it and now I've come to this conclusion:

Red lipstick is magic.

Its gives an instant glamour and can lift an otherwise boring black ensemble (of which I own a lot). It also eliminates the need for complicated eye make-up, thus cutting down on time needed to prepare for a night out.


The next time, I'll be focusing on achieving a flawless base (I recommend Laura Mercier secret camoflage concealer, Chanel Pro-Lumiere base and MAC Mineralise Skinfinish powder). If you need blush, I think a very neutral colour like Sienna's or a very small amount of bronzer works best (I like Georgio Armani in 04). All you need on your eyes is some black liner (I use Bobbi Brown Long Wear gel eyeliner in Black Ink, and find it easy to manage) and lashings of black mascara (try Dior Show if your budget will stretch). For the red lipstick itself, my favourite colour is Topshop's Rio Rio (you might remember from my Christmas Wishlist)- just apply to well moisturised lips and top with a clear gloss. MAGIC.

Wellies

Fiona laughed when I told her I was considering buying a pair of wellies: "Wellies? You?... It's funny, that's all".

Okay so wellies are not very glamorous or elegant- even the word 'wellies'! But on a practical note, given the kind of weather we have grown accustomed to here in Ireland... and how damp feet permeate a cold, miserable feeling throughout your whole body... and how cool they look here...

... Shouldn't we reconsider? How does everyone feel about wellies?

More things to be happy about (6)

A towel warmer in the bathroom; repositioning the christmas lights so that no two of the same colour are together; wearing safety goggles outside science class; a chance to sleep in; cheeks all aglow with the outdoors; dogs leaning against your leg; the ability of parents to guide their small children around my the tops of their heads; book clubs; self-encouragement; Aladdin and his wonderful lamp; the freshest of ingrediants; coming up with ideas; toast turning the required shade of gold; a rendez-vous; shorelines; smoky eyes; sitting in a special position before a shocking scene in a movie; dressing up to the nines; pick-up-sticks; Hollywood love lives.

Oh, and if you're in the mood to feel good about life, you should read this post from Styles n' Cream.

Fun Pix Fridays

Last night, Roisin and I watched Fade Street and One Night Stand and toasted mini marshmallows over four tea lights (in the absence of an open fire, we improvised).

This weekend, I am looking forward to getting dressed up (tonight) for the unofficial start to a month of parties/ nights out, NOT spending the weekend driving- and finally getting a chance to enjoy the snow, ticking more items off my Christmas shopping list, turning our apartment into a mini-SPA for DIY treatments on Sunday and extending the fun by taking Monday off work and (hopefully- weather permitting) spending the day in IKEA.

Happy Friday everyone! x