And then we came to the end

So that's it. It's all over.

As of today, I no longer work in the city. No more hour long journeys travelling to and from work in the make shift sauna that is the tube.

Although my lovely work chums did buy me a copy of The Piccadilly Line: An Illustrated History, so I will never really forget the fun times me and the old purple line had over the last one and half years.

I packed up my Whack It and was on my way!

And now I have four long days to start getting nervous about my new job...eek.

Can facebook groups bring about change?

I really wish I could put an end to poverty...


Aha!

I'll create a facebook group - that'll do the trick!

I don't know about you, but I seem to be getting invited to an increasing number of facebook groups that begin with the words 'I bet I can find 100,000 people who [fill in the blank]'. Typically these can range from grandiose worldwide humanitarian/political/ethical issues, to which BB contestant you hate the most (all of them).

Some of them no doubt are worthwhile in recruiting members and getting people to take action by signing a petition or writing to their MP etc. And if these groups get big enough to make it into the press - even better.

But some of them just seem to exist for the sake of it. Like, for example, 'I bet i can find 1,000,000 people against Abortion'. Yes, I bet you can, seeing as facebook has almost 124 million unique users. Pretty easy bet if you ask me.

Although after having a nosy around that facebook group, I do think that it opens a good forum for discussion and provides a place for people to air their views.

The real question is, can these groups really bring about change? I suppose time will tell...and awareness raising is the best place to start.

The Kellogg's Special K Overdose

The Kellogg's Special K Challenge has been bugging me for a long time - so I think a rant is long over due.

You must have seen the adverts encouraging you to get 'Slimmer for Summer'. If you haven't, I'm sure if you settled down to watch Loose Women or Home and Away, an ad will no doubt grace your screen.

Of course, with summer looming (actually, apparently it's here already - who knew?!) we're being bombarded with self-tanning, travel insurance and feel-good fitness ads left right and centre. Annoying, yes. But to be expected.

But the Special K Challenge is annoying for a different reason. To give you a quick summary, the challenge is to lose 1 inch from your waist in a mere 2 weeks. What a challenge, you cry! But you're wrong - it's not a challenge, it's a hoax!

I could accept the challenge if you had to tone up by exercising and eating healthily - that sounds reasonable to me. But all Kellogg's want you to do is eat their cereal for 2 out of your 3 meals in a day. So for a whole two weeks, instead of eating 28 meals (lunch and dinner) and 14 breakfast meals, you will now eat 28 bowls of Special K and 14 regular meals. And don't worry if you get bored of all the cereal, you get to break your meals up with 2 great tasting Special K snacks every day!

In the words of Alf from Home and Away, 'What kind of kangaroo court is this?!'

Of course if you substitute a proper meal with toasted rice flakes you're going to lose weight. It's really not rocket science. But in case you're not convinced, Kellogg's has even provided us with a 'science' section just to prove that it IS legitimate, it is, it is!

At least Kellogg's will always have the Crunchy Nut ads...

My last week: The countdown begins...

This is it. My last week working in the city has finally arrived. After a year and half of regularly complaining about the tube, the people on the tube, tube advertising - generally ALL THINGS TUBE - I can finally hang up (er, or remove from my wallet) my Oyster Card.

Yep, as of next Monday, my world will no longer look quite so much like this:



Courtesy of www.staynl.com.

But despite all my moaning, I think there are definitely some things I will miss about working in London (after the haze of B.O. and tube rage has lifted):

1. Being able to pop out at midday and choose from a wide range of worldwide foods for lunch.



2. Being able to meet up with friends who also work in London and are a short tube hop away.



3. Being able to stop at the giant Topshop on my way home from work.



4. Being able to go out for a quick drink after work at any number of bars that are on our doorstep.

So it's not all bad, I will be (a little bit) sad to leave...and I'm sure all this will kick in once I've settled into my new job. But for now, leafy 'burbs here I come!

Ever feel like you're having one of those days?

Father's Day Menu

Incase you've forgotten, or have been blissfully unaware of the massive increase in DIY and 'tool' adverts popping up on the telly, it's Father's Day tomorrow. Yep, that wonderful commercial holiday where we get to pay homage to our paps and fill the pockets of commercial giants like Hallmark.

I'm not quite sure if my dad even realises it's Father's Day tomorrow, but nonetheless, I'm taking the opportunity to knock a top notch Sunday lunch. I'm quite into my cooking, but just never really get the time to experiment.

For Mother's Day I went for something quite elegant and a little bit fancy:

Starter: Green-lipped muscles with a garlic breadcrumb crust

Main: Chicken stuffed with red peppers and pesto, wrapped in Parma ham. Served with pasta and roasted courgettes.

Dessert: Chocolate souffle

(she's that kinda lady)

But Father's Day has got to be a little bit different, something a little bit more hearty:

Starter: Warm salad of roasted squash, prosciutto and parmesan

Main: Beef stew with crusty bread

Dessert: Summer fruits and cream

*Drool* Starter and Main courtesy of cheeky chappy (and slightly annoying) Jamie Oliver.

I'm not really a 'stew' person...I'm not really 100% sure if I've ever eaten it, and I definitely haven't made it before. But it looks pretty scrummy and I think my dad will like it, but I guess we'll find out tomorrow...

The Konkans

The next book on my reading list is The Konkans by Tony D'Souza. Yup, 'D'Souza' not 'De Souza' - so he's a proper Goan.

I like to keep my postings fairly anonymous (which, I suppose, is all in vain because chances you probably know me anyway). Sure, you know I'm a StickGirl, I work in the city, blah blah.

But seeing as I read about this book in the Metro the other day, I now have to talk about my Goan heritage. Something which I actually know very little about.

For example, who knew that the Konkans are actually a 'marginalised group of Catholic Indians from Goa whose faith is the result of the brutal Goa Inquisition carried out by the Portuguese Catholic church during the 16th century'? (Yeah, I ripped the article out and brought it home with me). Who even knew that Goans are called Konkans?? Not me!

All this time I've been bumbling along thinking I'm a Goan, when in fact, I'm a Konkan! Sounds a little bit too much like 'conker' for my liking...

And sure, we all knew that Goa was a Portuguese colony - hence all the Portuguese surnames - but I wasn't aware of the savage conversion programme that took place in the 16th century.

Growing up in a Goan Catholic family, St Francis Xavier was definitely the big cheese, the ultimate big saint on campus. But now I'm discovering that he ordered this inquisition that, from the sounds of it, was pretty brutal. Oh those deceiving robes...

Ok, so obviously I'm not going to rely on the Metro for all the facts. But it's definitely made me more aware of my heritage, and the fact that I know so little about the history of my ancestors.

Plus it's inspiring to read about a successful and bestselling Goan writer (even if he's only half Goan) - who knew there was life for a Goan beyond accountancy?! Hooray, there is a light!

What do a couple of sirs, a prof and a feminist all have in common?

They've been paid loads to promote NS&I:



*yawn* what a boring advert. But let's face it, savings and investments aren't really that exciting.

You've got to admit though, what better way to endorse your product than to get Bob Geldof, Germaine Greer, Stephen Hawking and and good ol' Alan Sugar to give you the thumbs up?

The only shame is that those four have possibly lost a smidgen of credibility along the way...

Brains perform best when they're hydrated

A stroke of advertising genius:

StickGirl in the suburbs

Ok so there is a reason for the launch of my 'city vs suburbs' poll - which, by the way, has only been taken by one person. And it doesn't even really count because that person was me. Boo.

The reason being: I am moving to the suburbs!

Well not really, but my new job means I'll be going there every day. At the moment I live in on the edges of the London - not quite green enough to describe it as the 'leafy 'burbs', and not really exciting enough to call it the 'buzzing city'. A city/suburb limbo seems to fit the bill more correctly.

Anyway, all this tube rage has started to get a bit much. So I thought it's time to try out road rage. Yep, as of next month I will be driving through pleasant scenery (OK, the A30) to get to my new job.

At least now my rage can be contained inside my car, instead of just inside me. Hooray!

City vs Suburbs?

Ok time for a new poll. You were all very helpful in deciding who was more annoying, Kerry Katona or the Smug Car Giant man. But if you thought that was difficult...I've got a new one for you.

Where would you rather live:

the buzzing city



or green suburbia?



City life is fun, there's always something to do - bars, clubs, theatres, galleries, restuarants, museums. But what about the leafy suburbs? They have their plus points too - more space, less noise, friendlier people, cleaner air, cheaper cost of living. And I hear they have restaurants and bars too?!

My ideal is to live out of London, but still close enough to hop on a train. What do you think? Take the poll!

I think this StickGirl in the city is being converted to the surburbs...

Cosmopolitan please

Sex and the City THE MOVIE (eeee!) was released in cinemas on Wednesday. That was four days ago. And I still haven't seen it yet. BOO.



There is a reason. This coming Thursday I'm going to a special screening, packed with red carpet, discount cosmos and even the paps (this is supposed to be a selling point).

It's all in aid of Refuge, the national charity for women and children experiencing domestic violence (thanks to Accidental Scientist for the tip).

I'm sure it will be well worth the wait! The shoes, the cocktails, the outfits, the glamour...and who would have thought Kim Cattrall is in her 50s?! Amazing.

Plus, I want to see if the closing line beats the one in the final episode of season 6:

"...the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous"

We love the cheese.