What I’m snacking on today… Onken’s Vanilla yogurt with chocolate flakes. So January’s over and new year’s resolutions to get fit have been dropped for another 11 months. It doesn’t mean we can’t mix a little healthy food in with our naughty treats does it? That’s what I’m aiming to do.
Onken has launched its latest flavour – Limited Edition Creamy Vanilla with Chocolate Flakes. It’s only on sale for a short period of time and hopes to be an alternative to the big-pot-of-fruit-yoghurt market.
So dessert style yoghurts are nothing new, with cheesecakes and fudge dessert style yoghurts floating around, so vanilla with chocolate flakes doesn’t seem all that adventurous. However, this product has something the others don’t…it comes in an enormous pot.
Apart from eating it on its own, you can pour it over fruit or mix it with muesli or granola. I would be tempted to eat it with chocolate fudge cake. Yep, diet definitely over.
The Onken Limited Edition Creamy Vanilla with Chocolate Flakes yogurt comes in a 450g big pot and is available from Sainsbury’s, Waitrose & Morrison’s in the UK, RSP £1.25.
Has your Valentine left you disappointed this year? Were you given a half eaten packet of biscuits or some sort of ‘meaningful’ pen? Or did they simply neglect to wash and shave for the fortnight’s run up to v-day and present themselves on your doorstep claiming to have renounced modern society and commercial holidays before muttering comments about sustainable living and raiding the contents of your fridge. If so, then it might be time to explore your options, and one London comedy club is intent on doing just that in a new slant on speed dating.
Up the Creek’s critically praised ‘Comedy Speed Dating‘ night in Greenwich begins again on Wednesday 23rd February and continues on the last Wednesday of every month. It’s a hilarious night of laid back dating followed by top notch comedy from the biggest names on the comedy circuit.
Tickets are just £5 and pre booking is a MUST as the night is extremely popular. Booking line is 0208 858 4581
If any of our readers do decide to go…let us know how you get along.
Sony has confirmed the worst kept secret in tech, the PlayStation licensed smart phone. The Xperia PLAY will be the latest model in Sony Ericsson’s Xperia range of Android based smart phones.
Said to deliver the smartphone functionality that the most serious power users could need, teamed with the immersive gaming experience that any gamer would want. The features will also include a 5 megapixel camera, a 4” multi-touch screen and social networking features, so it rivals most existing smart phones in the usual areas.
Slide out the gaming control and users enter a new world of immersive mobile gaming. The slide out game pad reveals a digital D pad, two analogue touch pads, two shoulder buttons and the four PlayStation icons: circle, cross, square and triangle. Qualcomm’s optimized Snapdragon processor with a 1Ghz CPU and embedded Adreno GPU graphics processor deliver 60fps play-back 3D mobile gaming and Web browsing with minimal power consumption so Xperia PLAY users can enjoy long hours of battery life and game time. How long? Up to 5hrs 35mins of game play time.
Xperia PLAY will run on Gingerbread (version 2.3) and as the first PlayStation Certified device it will have access to PlayStation game content provided through the PlayStation Suite initiative, currently under development by Sony Computer Entertainment and due to launch later this calendar year. There’s only a hint as to the games to be available so far but they include The Sims 3, FIFA 10, Guitar Hero, Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY will be available globally in selected markets from March 2011.
Here’s some specifications (and by ‘some’ I mean lots):
Xperia™ PLAY at a glance:
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY
Camera
5.1 megapixel camera
Auto focus
Flash / Photo light
Geo tagging
Image stabiliser
Send to web
Touch focus
Video light
Video recording
Video blogging
Music
Album art
Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
Google™ Music Player
Music tones (MP3/AAC)
PlayNow™ service*
Sony Ericsson Music player
Stereo speakers
TrackID™ music recognition application
Internet
Android Market™*
Bookmarks
Google™ search*
Google™ Voice Search*
Pan & zoom
Web browser (Webkit)
Communication
Call list
Conference calls
Facebook™ application (from Android Market™)
Google™ Talk*
Noise Shield
Polyphonic ringtones
Speakerphone
Sony Ericsson Timescape™***
Twitter™ application (from Android Market™)
Vibrating alert
Messaging
Android Cloud to Device messaging (C2DM)
Conversations
Email
Google Mail™*
Instant messaging
Picture messaging (MMS)
Predictive text input
Sound recorder
Text messaging (SMS)
Design
Auto rotate
Keyboard (onscreen, 12 key)
Keyboard (onscreen, QWERTY)
Picture wallpaper
Touchscreen
Wallpaper animation
Entertainment
3D games
Dedicated gaming keys
Flash Lite™
Gesture gaming
Motion gaming
Video streaming
YouTube™
Organiser
Alarm clock
Calculator
Calendar
Document editors
Document readers
E-Manual
Flight mode
Google Calendar™
Google Gallery 3D™
Infinite button
Phone book
Set-up Wizard
Widget manager
Connectivity
3.5 mm audio jack
aGPS
Bluetooth™ technology
DLNA Certified
Google Latitude™
Google Location Service
Google Maps™ with Street View
Media Transfer Protocol support
Micro USB Connector
Modem
Synchronisation via Facebook™**
Synchronisation via Google Sync™
Synchronisation via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®
Synchronisation via Sony Ericsson Sync
USB 2.0 high speed support
Wi-Fi™
Wi-Fi™ Hotspot functionality
* The service is not available in all markets.
** Requires Facebook™ application installed on the device.
Google™ services*
* These services may not be available in every market Android Market™ Client
Gmail™
Google Calendar™
Google Gallery 3D™
Google Latitude™
Google Maps™ with Street View
Google Media Uploader
Google Music Player™
Google Phone-top Search
Google Search widget
Google Sync™
Google Talk™
Google Voice Search
Set-up Wizard
YouTube™
Screen
16,777,216 colour TFT
Capacitive multi-touch
4 inches
480 x 854 pixels (FWVGA)
In-Box:
Xperia™ PLAY
Battery
Stereo portable handsfree
8GB microSD™ memory card
Charger
Micro USB cable for charging, synchronisation and file transfer
Last year Wonder Woman had her first outfit overhaul in 69 years and this year she’s bringing her kooky superhero style to M.A.C. cosmetics’ packaging.
Banish any thought of being a Plain Jane: M.A.C and Wonder Woman have joined forces! For Spring 2011, take a trip to Paradise Island with a legendary line up of super-sized Mineralize Skinfinish, bold Eye Shadow quads, Pigment, Opulash, Lipsticks and oversized Lipglass, jumbo-big Powder Blush and Penultimate Eye Liner, Nail Lacquer and Lash inspired by the larger-than-life Bold Babe. Dashing and dazzling, the iconic super heroine reminds us that inside every woman is a Mighty Aphrodite full of courage, confidence and charisma. Kaboom! Mission Accomplished!
Wonder Woman has always known the importance of astounding accessories. For her collaboration with M.A.C, we’ve infused her sense and fantasy and wonder into a vivid collection of awe-inspiring accessories as fierce and feminine as the heroine herself. Bright, bold, superhuman designs in Makeup Bags – from radiant Red to Bulletproof Blue, Utility Belt Brush Sets, and exclusively online, the WW T-Shirt and Invincible Mirror. Shazam!
What do we think?
Available exclusively at Selfridges nationwide and at www.selfridges.com from 17th February 2011 and at all M·A·C locations on www.maccosmetics.co.uk and 0870 034 2676 from 3rd March 2011
Below is a hilarious clip from Nat Geo’s newest series ‘Beast Man’ starring presenter Pat Spain (aka. the Beast Man), a 29-year-old wildlife scientist from the USA, and Pinkie, a frisky orangutan.
Following in the footsteps of his great uncle and famous paranormal investigator Charles Fort – the man who inspired the Fortean Times, Pat’s investigating whether legendary myths of monsters are real after all and is happy to get hands on in the spirit of the exploration!
In ‘Beast Man’ he travels to the world’s remote corners and uses cutting-edge technology to search for creatures unknown to science. Could monsters really be lurking in the wilderness? What monsters are we talking about? and why is Pat visiting Orangutans? I’m sure all will be revealed.
Beast Man airs from Monday 7th Feb at 8pm on Nat Geo Wild
A new sci-fi series, Outcasts, begins soon on BBC1. Created by Ben Richards who also created Spooks, it’s about a group of courageous pioneers facing a unique opportunity: the chance to build a new and better future on another planet.
A diverse group of individuals – led by President Tate (Liam Cunningham) with his core team of Stella (Hermione Norris), Cass (Daniel Mays) and Fleur (Amy Manson) – left their old lives behind in extraordinary circumstances. Promised a second chance at life, they created a society far away from their home, friends and family … and their pasts. They took charge and settled here first alongside expeditionaries Mitchell (Jamie Bamber) and Jack (Ashley Walters).
Settled in the town of Forthaven on the planet Carpathia, they are passionate about their jobs, confident of their ideals and optimistic about the future. They work hard to preserve what they’ve built on this planet they now call home, having embraced all the challenges that come with forging a new beginning. The planet offers the possibility for both corruption and redemption; whilst they try to avoid the mistakes made on Earth, inevitably our heroes cannot escape the human pitfalls of love, greed, lust, loss, and a longing for those they’ve left behind.
As they continue to work and live together they come to realise this is no ordinary planet. Mystery lurks around them and threatens to risk the fragile peace of Forthaven.
We meet the characters at a moment of incredible anticipation. They’ve lost all contact with Earth but the arrival of the last known transporter signals fresh hopes and dreams. Will Stella’s husband and daughter, who she heartbreakingly left behind, be on board? Why does Tate seem anxious about one particular passenger, Julius Berger (Eric Mabius)? Most nerve-wracking of all, will it land safely and bring a fresh perspective on the new world with it?
Creator and writer Ben Richards explains where the idea for Outcasts came from and what the series has in store:
“Part of my motivation in the drama was to counter the view that humans are doomed to failure, that we are born bad, that chaos and disharmony will always prevail. Outcasts is fundamentally about second chances – whether human beings are capable of living together in peace and building a better place for their children.”
“All of the principal characters are driven during the series by their belief that they can make Carpathia work in spite of considerable obstacles.”
The BBC’s just released a trailer of Episodes 1&2 today and we’re looking forward to seeing what this series will bring.
Would you like a free box of Graze snacks directly to your desk? January’s almost over and new years resolutions have been made, broken, restarted, broken again and then thrown out the window. Graze boxes have been gracing the post bags of many a postman delivering healthy snacks directly to your desk. Each box comes with four compartments of yummy healthy guilt-free snacks and a specially printed leaflet telling you the nutritional value of everything in the box.
Here’s the details:
Free Box of Graze and next one half price
How: Enter code 5GCRNGP on the homepage at www.graze.com and follow the instructions.
How it works: Not valid with other vouchers. New customers only.
Hot on the satin-clad heels of Black Swan, everyone’s keen to try ballet, but classical music’s not to everyone’s taste. Enter the latest ballet trend – Indie Ballet.
This shock new ballet style is all about the music – classic ballet pirouettes, pique and twirls blended with rocky indie tunes to make a totally unique style of dance, movement and entertainment. Professional dancers and public alike will be merging jaw-dropping splits to music from the likes of Razorlight, The Futureheads, Franz Ferdinand, and Gomez.
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Indie Ballet isn’t the only new trend out there. Some of the others that are tipped to be hot on the dance floor this year are…
Waaking. Originating from the US, the Waaking phenomenon will be sweeping our nation due to its cool new funk style. Inspired by Madonna’s ‘Vogueing’, this underground street dance movement is much faster and packs even more attitude, style and passion.
Heyday Dance. Rewind the clock – 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s – the choice is yours. End of war celebrations were the heydays, now this retro dance style is destined to be the top trend for next year. Heavily influenced by vintage fashion, think old skool dance halls, flappers, tea dances and Fred Astaire. It’s a classic with a twist for 2011!
Iconic 1980s. The Flashdance era is back! Big hair, loud clothes, leg warmers and dramatic movements form the basis of this iconic 80’s dance movement.
Cheerleading. Cheerleading? We say, Bring It On! With Glee hitting our screens to mass popularity and recent visits from the amazing NFL and NBA dance troupes, American cheering will be infiltrating dance studios across the country.
Move It 2011’s Creative Director, George Harper comments:
“The top trends this year really reflect the fact that people want to have fun and inject their workout with a new twist. If it is ballet, add a new soundtrack. Aerobics? Add an 80’s dance twist. Also people love dressing up so the vintage styles like Charleston and Lindy Hop really allow you to work a look while you workout. Cheerleading is my biggest tip – this is already a massive scene in the UK that few people know about. It will be THE craze in 2011 and it’s not just for girls – boys are getting in on the action too!”
