Inspirational aspirations of stardom ★

Food, glorious food. Seriously, I’m one of those people who actually can’t get enough of it. Since coming to University eating out has become a luxurious state of affairs. They may not be the most glamorous of places but they still provide me with good food and good company. 

Nigella Lawson is my all time favourite celebrity chef. All her ideas are very unique and quite frankly I love how she doesn’t care about adding the lashings of cream, and pounds of butter to any given dish. For me she’s the ultimate goddess of food. There’s something about cuddling up on the sofa and watching her whisk up a dish in just a few minutes. That’s another thing, everything she does seems to be so very simple. Nigella seems to be someone who is all about the easy route but not compromising on taste. 

I know it’s bad but I haven’t actually tried many of her dishes myself. Possibly because I’m too scared I’ll set the kitchen on fire… a clear breach of my tenancy agreement I’m sure. There are a few recipes however that I am determined to try. Who knows, I may even share the experience if they’re successful.

With a collection of cookery books and several TV series’ already under her belt, Nigella is certainly an inspiration to anyone wishing to become a confident individual, be inspired to cook more or to turn their passion of cooking into a career.

My Favourite Recipes: 

• Banana Butterscotch Muffins  - One of the tastiest treats I’m sure.
• Sesame Peanut Noodles - So easy, you could probably do it with your eyes closed.
• Broccoli and Stilton Soup - Perfect warm up when you’re feeling a little under the weather.

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Picture: Telegraph

Possibly one of Starbucks most loyal customers, the thought of my favourite coffee chain ‘rebranding’ scared me. Many of you took to blogs to express your outrage about the new logo I posted a few months ago. For others it’s been a step in the right direction.

To celebrate 40 years of providing us caffeine addicts with our daily dose, the ‘coffee’ in ‘Starbucks Coffee’ is disappearing. 

Yesterday I took to the high-street to get my signature one-shot, sugar-free, skinny vanilla latte, and there it was the new logo! Actually, I quite like it, definitely the right move. It’s simple and minimalist yet still remains sophisticated. 

Along with the ‘Starbucks Siren’ inspired look they’re also offering some DELICIOUS

new food. ‘Petites’ look like tiny lollypops packed full of flavour and come in 3 varieties; almond cake pop, rocky road cake pop and a sparkle cake pop! Bad news is: they’re filled with calories, but the good news is they were free on Thursday March 10th if you download the voucher from the Starbucks mailing list! 

If you live in the states however, I do believe you have until Sunday to grab one of the new Starbucks Petites… FREE

So what are you waiting for? Head down to your local store and get a glimpse of Starbucks’ new look!

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www.Starbucks.co.uk

When I started the ‘inspirational person of the week’ post, I promised it wouldn’t just be high-profile celebrities. 

This weekend I saw a woman who was so inspiring I just knew I had to share her story with you all. Whilst picking up some shopping from Marks and Spencer’s my Dad pointed out a small, elderly lady holding some carrier bags and putting away trolleys. 

When you first look at her you’d instantly assume she was one of those ‘crazy people’ who have nothing else better to do. Up close however, you realise she’s just an ordinary person like you and me. When my Dad told me that the unnamed cleaner doesn’t even get paid for what she’s doing it kinda shocked me.

Thinking about your everyday life the majority of us would turn our nose up at work that

 isn’t paid. But when that work involves picking up other peoples rubbish and returning trolleys to where they belong really makes you think. If we were to be a little more proactive and put things in the right place and put the litter in the bin it’d surely make the world a better place. 

Apparently this inspiring woman is at the M&S store car-park every day. If we all tried
to live by her and be a little more selfless our world would be a much more pleasant place to live. 

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M&S logo  | Trolley Photo

March 2nd marked another moment of history with the launch of the successor to the iPad; The iPad 2 (how original). I already own an iPad myself but what I want to know is it worth trading in the old one for the new? Hopefully we’ll reach an answer. 

What’s new?

• Front and rear facing camera: Possibly the biggest new addition to the tablet computer. By adding a camera Apple is opening up the ability to capture moments by picture or HD video. Also, ‘facetime’ which is the Apple equivalent of Skype will mean you can video-call people from across the globe! Only catch is; they have to have an iPad, iPhone 4 or Mac. 

• Built in gyroscope: For all you technophobes this basically means the iPad 2 is a lot more sensitive to touch and movement than its predecessor.

• 1/3 thinner: Smaller than a typical pad of paper. It’s so thin, it’s skinnier than the iPhone 4. 

• Lighter: 0.2 pounds thinner… not totally amazing, but Steve Jobs said you’ll feel the difference. 

• 2 Colours: Black and white! I’m a sucker for all white gadgets and I must say, from the photos it looks beautiful. Never fear about delays of the white iPad 2 like the white iPhone 4. Mr Jobs has assured us it’ll “ship from day one”. 

• Faster processor: This means the skinny tablet will work up to 9 times faster. WOW!

All these new features have been added and Apple still promises 10 hours of battery life. 

Let’s Talk Accessories…

My Favourite things! Apple have introduced some cool accessories for the iPad 2. The first is a HDMI cable whereby you can link the iPad to your television and everything you do on the tablet, will appear on TV. This is an excellent plus-side for lectures and schools, allowing teachers and presentation givers to control everything from a paper-thin device. 

The second is the iPad 2 cases known as Smart Covers. This case clips onto the front

of the device magnetically. What makes it so ‘smart’ is that when you peal off the cover it wakes the iPad up, when you close it, it puts it to sleep again without a touch of a button. They also fold up as you can see in the picture; allowing you to raise the iPad for a better typing position, or stands up to watch a movie or facetime. 

When is it hitting the Apple Store? 

You can grab the iPad 2 in the UK from the 25th March. Two weeks after the USA. Let’s face it though, the majority of things these days come out in the States first. 

How much will it cost? 

The UK prices haven’t officially been released however, Steve Jobs did say that they are keeping the prices the same as the original iPad.

Overall, is it worth it? 

I think so. With all the new cool features added to the iPad 2 it’s a must for an Apple fan. However, if you’re just using the iPad for typing and surfing the web, maybe it’s not time to invest just yet!

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Images: www.store.Apple.com/UK