I've just started reading Amy Poehler's memoir Yes Please, and I only got as far as the introduction before I wanted to share some of the incredible wisdom. That's the sign of a good book, I think. So what do I do? What do we do? How do we move forward when we are tired and afraid? What do we do when the voice in our head is yelling that …

It all started with this note from my Zombieland Film Watch post: 5:06 – Recognise that petrol station from that music video. Because there was a shot of a petrol station right at the beginning, when he was laying out some of his ground rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse. Now, I know what you're thinking - it looks like any petrol station ever, and... well, we'll get to that. …

James Corden continues to do fab and fun things for his late night US talk show, but his latest exploits with Queen grabbed my attention like no other. A faux battle between him and current front man Adam Lambert saw the pair having something of a riff off with Brian and Roger backing them on guitar and drums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUuuWyCkS_U I'm so jealous of the things James gets to do and …

A recent episode of Back to Work featured a brilliant quote from Merlin Mann. The conversation was actually about sending spam-like emails to people hoping they will promote your business in some way. But I actually think it's an interesting idea to consider in all aspects of your life. I want everybody out there who is a listener to think about this. What if everybody was doing what I was …

I thought I had given up this tea tasting lark, but I was walking through the tea aisle of my local shop recently and all the packaging is just so tempting. I figured if I was going to ease myself back into the world of fruit and herbal tea, I should probably do it cost effectively, so I opted for a box of mixed flavours. And given that it is …

Apple's limited edition January-only new year's activity badge worked it's magic in our household. The first available week, Mr C and I were both working on maxing out our activity rings each and every day, and it got a bit competitive. Turns out when a badge is limited edition, it really does have a motivating effect. We managed this January one in the first week... come on Apple, what's next? …

Evolving sports to appeal to new generations of fans usually involves adapting to shorter attention spans, and that is something that can cause plenty of debate amongst the more traditional sport lovers. I'm in favour of making sport approachable wherever possible, but there's likely room for all formats - long and short alike. Tennis is taking this approach, it seems, and I recently learnt about a new format. I've talked …

I love Demi Lovato, but I realised recently that she is an expert at picking songs to be featured on. Whilst her own work is plenty good enough, when she is featured on a song, it's always a brilliant one! Don't believe me? Let's review. First up, The Vamps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0go2nfVXFgA Yeah, you! Then she teamed up with Olly Murs for the catchy Up, and took on the myth created by …

Anyone who has been following this site for a while will know that at the end of each year, I like to hand over the reigns to Mr C to share his top five songs and films of the previous twelve months. Last year was an absolute disgrace as he was unable to narrow down his shortlist to five and after a full month of arguing about it, we ended …

Although I've stopped making specific New Year's Resolutions (for the most part), there's always one thing that I try and reboot each January 1st and that is being organised and staying productive. Whether it is trying out a new task list software, or actually finding a use for the notebooks I buy when I raid stationery shops, it is really difficult to end the year in the cool, calm state …

Over Christmas, the 80s TV show Pop Quiz returned for a two-part special, and it was brilliant! I've never heard of this show before, but was keen to give it a watch as it looked just like Question of Sport only about music. It even features genuine music acts, including Toyah Wilcox, some guy from Spandeau Ballet and other people I don't know but who were a lot of fun. …

It has been an incredible year for me, listening to 100 albums in total across 50 weeks and learning an enormous amount about albums, artists, and music in general. The biggest lesson, though, is that there is so much more to learn. This album listening thing will continue into next year, but it seems only right to wrap up what has been a brilliant 2016 of albums for me. Firstly, …

It has become a tradition in our household to watch Love Actually at some point over the festive holidays. It’s a sugary sweet treat, although usually ends up in both happy and sad tears, particularly as each year passes and makes us feel ever more closer to the characters involved. Anyway, we indulged this year and instead of the floods I was expecting, I actually found the whole thing to …

Apple have presented Watch users with a new challenge for January, hoping to encourage people to stick to their new year's resolutions and get active. A notification on the watch this week highlighted a new and unique badge that can be earned during January 2017 by completing the activity, stand and exercise rings for a full week Monday to Sunday. It's harder than it sounds, particularly if you've spent Christmas …

Earlier this year, I wrote about the return of Top Gear - the new and not-so-improved version with Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc. My basic conclusion of that show was that it didn’t have enough new things to make it worthy of the revamp name. I was keen to see what the Clarkson, Hammond and May trio would do in their Amazon Prime odyssey, and six episodes in, I …

A while back, at the height of my new-found Star Wars obsession, I realised I needed to find a way to watch the Star Wars Rebels TV show. I discovered the DisneyLife iOS app, which allowed me to watch the series, and as long as I watched it within 30 days (which I did), then I could cancel the subscription and only have been charged for one month’s use. I …

I’ve managed to read quite a few books this year, dipping in and out whenever I get a spare five minutes. I post my reviews over on Goodreads, but thought I would share those books I’ve enjoyed in 2016 for which I’ve given five out of five stars. Lucky Man by Michael J Fox I was hooked from the beginning, revelling in this calm and rational way of looking at …

I've been obsessed with novelty mugs for many years, and occasionally have taken time out to blog about some of my favourites. In fact, I'm surprised to find that I've written five posts before, and that it seemed to be an annual event up until 2013. Given that it's been a couple of years since I had a look at what's available on the hot drink container market, I figured …

That's the key, you know, confidence. I know for a fact that if you can genuinely like your body, so can others. It doesn't really matter if it's short, tall, fat or thin, it just matters that you can find some things to like about it. Even if that means having a good laugh at the bits of it that wobble independently, occasionally, that's all right. It might take you …

This coming weekend is the final of Strictly Come Dancing’s 2016 competition, and it’s been an epic run to the finish. I used to write about this show all the time but haven’t shared my thoughts since 2012. It must be a good series this year to get me back behind the keyboard! Rather than prattle on endlessly, I’ll just share five thoughts about the 2016 batch of amateur dancers: …

At the moment, travelling is like a distant dream - a wonderful idea full of experiences that would be fabulous, but that is just out of reach. Time, money, effort, life, all those things are getting in the way. But that doesn’t stop me letting the dream run wild, and I found an app that is such an incredible concept, I have to share, even if I haven’t experienced it …

At first glance, The Pandolly Podcast doesn’t seem like it would be a good fit for me. Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton, fashion and dating experts from The Sunday Times Style, get together once a week to review some of the big and little stories of the week. They recommend fashion items from sponsor River Island and Instagram accounts to follow, chat about celebrities, odd stories and bigger worldwide news, …

Now, you know I love James Corden and his antics, but combine them with the fabulous Hailee Steinfeld and you're on to a winner. This game, though, it is something mindbending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4dVjh5ETK4 Taking the first line of every song and repeating it for every line is so hard, have you tried it? Try it! A lot of fun though, and far more hilarious than it has any right to be. …

You know that meme where celebrities read mean tweets about themselves? Well, app developers have picked up on this and started reading one star reviews of their products. The end result is brilliant, if you're slightly geeky like me. https://vimeo.com/190276434 Love the people that are confused and say really nice things but then award one star. And poor Marco who gets all the personal comments and nothing about the actual …

Up until this year, when a certain motorsport game came out that replicates the 2016 F1 season, I called our Playstation 4 "the Tomb Raider box" because that's pretty much all it was good for. I'm not a big console gamer but Tomb Raider has always been a huge love of both mine and Mr C's, so it was only natural we grabbed the new Rise of the Tomb Raider …

I can’t believe it was three long years ago that I first wrote about the magic of the Duolingo language learning app. Three years of free French lessons (with a few hiatuses here and there) and I definitely feel like I know more of the language than I ever have before. What’s also amazing is looking back at my initial post, to see how the app has developed. It has …

The BBC recently published a short video that explained why some people respond better to having music playing when they're studying and others work better in silence. This is a topic that has been on my radar for a long time, because Mr C and I differ radically on our approaches to concentration. He can listen to music as he works and learns, whereas I don't favour silence but certainly …

I've been paying a bit more attention to my Apple Watch exercise rings again recently, and although I usually work on a week by week basis, I was perusing the history in the accompanying iPhone app. There, you can see how you've done each month and it's also a good way of comparing days, ie. seeing if you often take Fridays off. I was surprised, however, going back a couple …

I started watching 11.22.63 a long while ago, and have just, finally, after such a long time, gotten to the end of it. I was so looking forward to watching this series, James Franco goes travelling through time in an adaptation of a Stephen King book? It couldn’t really sound more perfect if it tried. The first episode was massively intriguing, and I forgave its slow pace as it was …

I’m not an American citizen, so am interested in their election only so far as what happens over there seems to affect us anyway. I’m not usually one to talk about politics either, because it always seems to be to be a topic that causes arguments and resolves little. Even so, I think it’s worth highlighting a presidential candidate who has set up her own podcast, called With Her, to …

I was superbly excited going into this year’s Apple Music Festival, even more so than usual. Previous years have seen me bouncing around in glee at the concept of a fortnight’s worth of free live music, streamed around the globe to be soaked up in the comfort of my own living room. This year, given my focus on musical education, I was looking forward to it even more! Plus, the …

This video is so gorgeous. Watch it full screen if you can. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qo78R_yYFA What's incredible is that we could very well be living through the moments that will be detailed in future history textbooks, when that billionaire changed the face of space travel as we know it. Incredible. There's a live stream with more info starting soon.

I've always been interested in the standing desk revolution but never really had the opportunity to investigate any of the options until recently. In my day job, getting a standing desk wasn't really an option, whilst at home, adding a motorised desk to the office would involve a significant reshuffle of furniture. However, a friend bought themselves a Varidesk and very kindly lent it to me for a weekend. The …

After a little bit of delivery drama, my new Apple Watch Series 2 arrived just in time for the weekend, and so naturally, I headed out to test out the one thing I've been looking forward to since it was announced - swim tracking! I had previously spotted a handful of people talking about swimming with their original watches, so I followed suit, but it was merely a matter of …

Amazon's continuing efforts to deliver consumables to your door before you've even realised you need them has seen a rapid expansion in the UK recently. Their Pantry service launched a few moons ago, their Fresh option has been gradually creeping across London presumably with desires to go further, and just a few week's ago, the Amazon Dash buttons were launched. If you've not heard of them, the idea is simply …

Passenger, playing at the Apple Music Festival this evening, perks up my attention. Me: "Who does he sound like?" Mr C: "Not sure." Me: "Is it Mumford & Sons, maybe?" Mr C: "Could be, the guitars and stuff." Me: "No, it's his voice, it's familiar." Mr C shrugs. We listen on. Two songs later, Passenger starts playing Let Her Go. "OHHHH, this is who he sounds like! This is the …

There are lots of productivity apps and habit trackers available on the iOS store, but I have become partial to Streaks. It’s such a simple app that can really make a difference – although admittedly my streaks have not been so fruitful lately. The app is really easy to use. If you have a goal in mind, something you want to do on a regular basis (most likely daily, but …

Criminal is part of the Radiotopia network, a selection of well-produced shows from hosts that all have wonderfully smooth and captivating voices. I have listened to a few of them over the weeks and months, and Criminal is one of the few that has stuck. They describe themselves as a podcast with a different take on crime. This, from the about page: Criminal is a podcast about crime. Not so …

I think Harry Potter & the Cursed Child was the first book that I pre-ordered, waited for midnight for the download to begin, and started reading that very same night. I didn’t finish it in one go, but was done by lunchtime the next day, and my feelings on it veer from one direction to the next depending what mood I’m in. I did love the story, because seeing how …

I wasn’t expecting much from this Olympics, I’ll be honest. It felt like there was no way Team GB could live up to their amazing performance at the home games in London, there was so much talk of drug cheats and athletes being banned, several athletes opting not go due to potential Zika/health problems, and on top of all that the concerns that Rio would be able to pull it …

I recently stumbled across an old note I made, after listening to an episode of Inside Science from the BBC. It's a fantastic space quote about setting up lunar fuel depots, discussing the prospect of solving the problem whereby you need to take off from Earth with all the fuel to get where you're going. If you can break that barrier, more remote areas of space become possible. Credit: NASA/Goddard …

I am confident that someday in the future The Rock, who was once a professional wrestler, will run for president of the United States, and I think that he will win. I have seen with my own eyes the power of The Rock. The Rock is a uniter, not a divider. When the BOP showed Walking Tall, the turnout for every screening all weekend long was unprecedented. The Rock has …

A long, long while back, I wrote my five reasons for not going to the cinema anymore, and occasionally if I’m ever asked why I dislike watching films on the big screen, I point people towards that post. All of it still holds true, and as I get more cranky and my TV setup at home gets more awesome, there’s less of a reason to fork out for cinema tickets …

My Life List has featured “watch a professional ballet performance” for a long time, and I’ve never quite got round to it. I’ve just recently realised why that is, considering how much I love the theatre and would grab any excuse to go. I have a weird obsession with ballet that manifests itself by me loving the behind the scenes activities – training and classes, rehearsal, choreography and dance schools …

Apple Music gets quite a lot of stick for its functionality and usability, and I can understand the complaints to a degree. However, I’ve used it constantly these past six months for my weekly album adventure and much more, so I’m listening to more music than I probably have before in my life. I’m comfortable with how it works and I love it being part of my iOS experience. There’s …

The 2016 Wimbledon Championships drew to a close this past weekend with Williams and Murray taking their respective crowns and bringing to an end two weeks of spectacular tennis. I've never felt quite so on top of all the Wimbledon action as I have this year, well not since I once took a whole week off to watch nothing but the tennis. There are two reasons why I've managed to …

Now, I have to be careful writing this post, because in our household there is one human who is utterly obsessed beyond comprehension with Taylor Swift, and just to be clear, it's not me. I like Ms Swift, I think she's very talented and pulled off an incredible feat switching from country to pop the way she did. 1989 is a really good album. I also like the stuff she …

I didn't realise I was eagerly awaiting the fourth series of Orange is the New Black, not until the Netflix Twitter account started to count down to its release date. Then I remembered how much I enjoy the show, and how long it has been since we were last allowed a glimpse of what was going on at Litchfield Correctional Facility. The release of series four coincided with a period …

I hadn't really been paying attention to the BMW Group's Next 100 celebration with concept cars ahoy - that is until I saw this video with their take on the future of Rolls Royce. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGqUnIaNUjE "Are you ready?" the breathy voiceover lady oozes. Erm, not sure that I am actually! I don't really like what they've done with the square tyres here, it looks angular and odd and generally leaves …

The BBC Good Food Show has been on my to do list for a while, and this year I finally managed to find time to attend the show for a few hours. It's bad timing really, because I haven't been cooking or baking as much as I used to, but even so, I'm still keen on seeing what the best of the kitchen world has to offer. In all honesty, …