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Monthly Archives: September 2014

Sometimes our day just gets the better of us. Maybe it’s a lack of sleep or a change in routine, but by 2pm you’re feeling like you’d happily go straight back to bed and cancel all future plans, forever. In these cases, an afternoon nap can be a total game changer.

Research has recently shown that a “coffee nap” is the ultimate strategy for a quick snooze to boost alertness. By drinking a cup of coffee just before you lie down, you’ll really feel the benefits upon waking. The effects of caffeine are often held back by adenosine, another chemical in our body that causes drowsiness when we are awake. When we are asleep, our adenosine levels drop and our good friend caffeine can do his work. Hurray!

Here are some other top napping tips to ensure you’re raring to go after a snooze:

Plan a nap
If you know you’ll be up late or have a very busy evening ahead, be tactical and plan a nap for sometime between noon and 4pm. That way you’re boosting your body’s energy before you even begin to feel sleepy.

Keep it short!
Set yourself a 30 minute time limit. Any longer than that and your cat nap will turn into a deep sleep and you’ll just wake up groggy. If you’re seriously tired and have the time, try 90 minutes. That’s the average length of a sleep cycle, so you’ll still wake up refreshed.

Napping not an option? Get outside instead
A brisk walk outside, even for 10 minutes, can really wake you up and leave you feeling more alert. This might also be a little easier to squeeze in during office hours!

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Ah social media, it can be your best friend one minute, and your worst enemy the next – a lesson learnt all too well by whoever was manning the DiGiorno Pizza Twitter account the other night.

The #whyistayed hashtag has been trending on Twitter since a video of American NFL player Ray Rice assaulting his wife was leaked. People have been using the hashtag to raise awareness and understanding for domestic violence victims, for example:

DiGiorno Pizza, on the other hand, thought this was an opportunity for a HI-larious pizza themed tweet, and posted this:

Cue: the realisation of what the hashtag is actually about, profuse apologies late into the night, tweet deleted, and many more apologies.

We do feel sorry for whoever sent that tweet – we doubt they meant to cause such offense! And while most people forgave the company for their honest mistake, this was not the case for everyone….

Yikes! It takes more than an apology to calm this guy!

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Hmm, it seems all of that speculation was true!

When Ed Sheeran released his hit single, Don’t, everyone guessed it was about Ellie Goulding…but what about the other guy involved?

With Ed more or less admitting to Howard Stern that it was a member of One Direction, we can all cast our memories back to a time when Ellie was rumoured to be dating none other than Niall Horan!

While the fling may have been short lived between the two – it seems it may have happened around the time Ed was with Ellie. Poor Ed!

Although Ed didn’t admit that the guy in the song is Niall, he did basically admit it was a member of One Direction. When asked by Howard while discussing Don’t: “It was a One Direction guy, right?” Ed answers: “Well it depends which one you’re talking about.”

Ooh, mysterious.

Ed also went on to describe how he was friends with the person involved, and as we all know he is/was besties with all of the One D lads: “I just thought it was a bit disrespectful … It’s a difficult conversation to have … He was my mate so I was just a bit like, ‘Um not cool.’”

Not cool at all, Niall!

Thankfully, Ed and Ellie are now loved up…not together obviously! 

Ed is rumoured to be seeing Jamie Oliver employee, Athina Andrelos while Ellie is dating McFly's Dougie Poynter. 

We hope the lads have patched it up now, though Ed still talking about it doesn't exactly scream forgiveness, does it?! 

 

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Actress Lea Michele is getting very serious with her boyfriend Matthew Paetz. The pair have been together for just four months but Matthew has reportedly already moved in to Lea’s house.

This is Lea’s first serious relationship since the death of her boyfriend, fellow Glee actor Cory Monteith, last July. 

Sources close to Matthew said he packed up his stuff over the weekend and brought a moving van to Lea’s $1.4 million mansion in Hollywood.

In a standard I’m-totally-going-to-move-in-soon tactic, Matthew apparently already had a toothbrush and spare clothes at Lea’s place. We know that trick! In fairness though, the two of them have looked totally smitten in every photo we've seen:

We wonder if Lea’s going to have to whip Matthew into serious boyfriend shape – rumour has it he is a former gigolo who once earned $17,000 a week for his “services.” Hmmm!

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The midi skirt can be an awkward one to style – it's not quite a floor sweeping gown but it's not a Saturday night mini either. For that same reason though, a mid-length hemline can make for a really versatile look. Longer skirts are sometimes thought of as formal-only, but that doesn't have to be the case!

By dressing down your midi skirt, mixing prints and fabrics or just nipping it in at the waist, you can create an outfit with shape, structure and serious style.

Here are our favourite ways to wear long hemlines…

1. It's a cinch
Fuller midi skirts generally have a small, fitted waistband that really shows off an hourglass figure. For floatier fabrics, add a belt in a contrasting colour to cinch in your waistline and avoid looking too frumpy. Dita Von Teese is the tiny waist queen and this look suits her down to the ground, while this street style maven has added structure to an otherwise shapeless outfit:

2. Go casual
A midi skirt can tread the line between elegant and full-on Jane Austen. Dress down your midi with edgier pieces such as Jessica Alba's bomber jacket. We also love the idea of adding a chunky knit for a cozy but feminine look that's perfect for transitioning your midi into autumn:

3. Pencil perfect
A midi skirt doesn't have to hide your ass(ets)! A longer pencil skirt like Naya Rivera's or Sandra Bullock's is a great sexy choice that shows off just enough of your gorgeous shape:

4. Printed and proud
Don't just think florals – bright tribal and geometric prints are great options for midi skirts. We LOVE these two street style looks:

5. Sheer genius
Avoid looking too demure by showing off a touch of skin with a sheer fabric like Alexa Chung – or go down Rihanna's route and add sex appeal with a sultry satin number:

 

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Actress Ashley Tisdale got married to musician Christopher French yesterday afternoon, and she broke the news with a gorgeous wedding snap on Instagram.

The couple got engaged last November but had been keeping wedding plans under wraps.

The actress posted a picture of the happy couple with the caption, “Best day of my life! Introducing the new Mr and Mrs French, Sept 8, 2014.” Aaaaw!


Among the guests in attendance was Ashley’s bestie Vanessa Hudgens. The pair have been friends since working on High School Musical together all those years ago! Look at the fringe on Zac!

Vanessa also attended Ashley’s hen party on a yacht in Miami in May of this year… looks fairly tame if we're being honest!

 

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Every week The Line-Up takes a look across Ireland and picks the best events you won’t want to miss out on.

This week your Snapshot host Niamh Geaney talks tickling your tastebuds at the Waterford Harvest Festival, tackling some hotties (optional) at beach tag rugby, and laughing out loud with one our favourite comedians. All that and much more!

We’ll be back tomorrow with our movie show, enjoy!

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It’s something we all think and say on a regular basis. Phrases like “there aren't enough hours in the day,” or “I just don’t have the time” form such key parts of our vocabulary that we almost announce them without thinking.

There’s no denying that our generation is the busiest yet when it comes to careers and everyday life.  However, having a long to-do list is very different to not actually having the time to do something or meet someone, or make that phone call. When you break down just how many free hours we have per week – those that are not spent working, studying or sleeping, the figures just don’t add up.

Even on a weekday, if the average person spends, say, 9 hours at work and 8 hours asleep, that still leaves 7 hours of free time per day. That figure adds up to 35 hours per week – not including weekends. So why is it that with 35 hours of free time at our disposal during the working week, we still “don’t have the time” to Skype our friend who lives abroad, or get to the dentist about that worsening toothache, or call a relative who’s been a bit under the weather?

A good tip I have heard to adjust your thinking when it comes to managing time is to replace the phrase “I don’t have the time” to “It’s not a priority.” You do have the time to do that load of ironing – it’s just not a priority. And, most likely, if you’re like me, that’s true. But when you apply the same language change to a task such as grabbing coffee with a friend who you haven’t seen in weeks, or calling your mum back – it’s doesn’t feel so easy to say “It’s not a priority”, does it?

When we choose to spend our time in front of the TV or Facebook-stalking someone for an hour, we are making that activity our priority. I’m not saying that Netflix-bingeing isn’t a completely worthwhile way to spend a few hours – it’s one of my own personal favourite activities – but we do need to notice the difference between doing something because we want to, and doing it because we believe we have nothing better to spend our time on.

So perhaps instead of trying to cram hundreds of tasks into one day, we need to clarify what our priorities are in life – what’s most important to us. Those are the things that are worth our time. After all, what’s going to matter to you most 30 years down the line – the fact that you have strong relationships with friends and family, or the fact that you never once missed an episode of Great British Bake Off?

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Sometimes, life throws a curve ball at us. This little doggy wasn't going to give up when she broke her two hind legs in a fall, though. Nope. Instead, she taught herself to walk so that she could still get around.

Amazing! And we have to admit, it's also probably THE cutest thing we've ever seen.

This smart pooch is the picture of determination – worth a watch if you're in need of some motivation!!

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Former rugby star Brian O’Driscoll is expecting a second child with wife Amy Huberman, it was revealed today.

The couple already have one child together, one-year-old Sadie.

Congratulations Brian and Amy!

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Some people aren’t born with the most varied palette and no matter what they end up trying to eat they will always resort back to the same old same old. You might have had sushi before, but forwhat ever reason you just stick to what you know. Here are things only people with fussy eating habits will understand:

1. Eating salad still just tastes like eating leaves
You have tried to eat healthier and made yourself some salads, no matter what, it still ends up tasting like you’re eating leaves. You put some sauce on it and mix it in with some ham and tomato, but to no avail. You feel like a koala bear trying to eat salad and it just feels unnatural to you.

2. Your eating habits haven’t changed since you were a kid
If anything your eating habits have gotten even worse as you’ve gotten older. You really try to stay healthy and eat your fruit and veg, but you still have the same reaction to eating broccoli as you did when you were a kid.

19 Struggles Of Being A Picky Eater

3. You look up the menu of the place you’re going to eat and realise there is nothing you like
When you’re going to a restaurant you will always have to check the menu to make sure there is something on it you can eat. You don’t do fancy, so you’re screwed if it’s some trendy Moroccan restaurant that only does couscous.

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4. You don’t react well when someone tells you to try their food
There is a reason you got a burger and chips, it’s because that’s what you wanted . If you wanted the marinated duck you would have ordered it so stop trying to get me to try your food. You think that putting it in front of my mouth will change my mind, well it won’t so stop it.

19 Struggles Of Being A Picky Eater

5. It’s incredibly hard to order food when you’re sharing with someone
So you and your friend are a bit strapped for cash (what’s new) so you decide to order something then split it. You decide to go for Chinese but all you want is chicken fried rice while they want the Peking duck. You’re not having any of that so you just decide to get a pizza half and half.

6. People think that you don’t like food, but you actually love it
If anything you love it even more because you know what you like and you get such great satisfaction from eating the same thing. Being a fussy eater just means you don’t like certain types of food, and to you, nothing can compare to a good Chinese.

7. When you try something new and you don’t like it, you can’t hide your reaction

19 Struggles Of Being A Picky Eater

8. You would describe your favourite kind of food as American
Yeah, as sad as it may be your favourite type of food is American food, whether it’s burgers, pizza or fries it just suits you. You went on holiday there once and you couldn’t get enough of it. If youcould, you would have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

9. You always keep it simple when you’re buying a sandwich
You usually end up just choosing ham and cheese because it’s a lot easier than telling them to  take off everything from a chicken club. People will always give you a strange look when they hear you say no onions, mayonnaise or lettuce, so you just don’t bother.

10. You’re worried that there will be nothing that you will like when you go on holiday
It’s always a big step going abroad because you don’t know how to deal with the local cuisine. You might try one or two things, but anything that doesn’t resemble food you stay away from. You are just happy when you got to a restaurant that has some old fashioned grub.

11. The only dish you know how to make is an omelette
You learned how to make it a while ago and you were really proud of yourself at the time. You haven’t expanded it on it since and you love it because it’s so quick and easy to make. 

12. You always give up too easily and end up ordering a takeaway
So you come home and you feel a bit tired and so instead of putting the effort in, you just decide to go with a takeaway instead. You have stacks of takeaway menus around the place and always know how to mix things up.

13. The last time you tried to make a proper meal you nearly burnt the house down
So you watched one cooking show and now you think you can make a roast duck. You did exactly the same as they did, but instead you completely burnt the duck and almost set the house on fire. You’ve learnt your lesson and from now on you just stick to what you know.

14. You force yourself to try something new and it doesn’t work out too well

19 Struggles Of Being A Picky Eater

15. Your parents always give out about what you eat
They were always telling you to eat your vegetables when you were young and now that you’re older they always ask you to try something new. No matter what they say they will never get you to eat something because it always sounds like a chore.

16. When you actually do like something new it’s usually your friend who convinces you
Every now and again you come across something that you like that is a little different. It is nothing too out of the ordinary, you’re still a fussy eater, it’s just you don’t mind having a tikka masala every now and again for a change.

17. You always get really annoyed when you get the wrong toppings on your pizza
A normal person wouldn’t mind it that much and would still eat it anyway, you have to pick off all of the toppings you don’t like so it’s just a normal pizza. It’s even worse when you take a bite without realising that there is mushrooms in it, because you hate mushrooms, all fussy eaters hate mushrooms, that’s an actual rule.

18. You look disgusted at your friend when they eat a three bean salad
You don’t understand how something that looks like that could be in any way appetizing.  They seem to eat it all the time, which makes you even more bewildered.

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19. You don’t understand why anyone would eat something that doesn’t taste good
When you see someone eating tofu or quinoa you don’t really understand. Why would they eat something that doesn’t really have much of a taste. Their argument is always that it’s healthy, but you still can’t quite wrap your head around it.

20. When you have dinner at a friend’s house you just pretend to like the food
So your friend’s parents make dinner for youit’s quiche and you hate it so you just pretend that you like it. If you could, you would give it to the dog, but you know that you will get spotted. You just hope that next time it’s actually something that you like.

via our content partner CT

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Bill Murray must be sick of being asked if there’s another Ghost Busters on the way, so he was probably delighted when one journalist took a different slant on it and asked him who he’d like to see in an all-female version!

“Melissa [McCarthy] would be a spectacular Ghostbuster. And Kristen Wiig is so funny – God, she’s funny! I like this girl Linda Cardellini (Mad Men) a lot. And Emma Stone is funny. There are some funny girls out there.”

There sure are, Bill! We love his casting choices – the man has good taste! Melissa McCarthy, who is in a new film called St. Vincent with Bill, added:

“I think that somebody is really trying to do it, but nobody has talked to me about it.

“Listen, if the people I think are doing it are doing it, I must never question them.”

Hmmm… could she mean Paul Feig, the director of Bridesmaids and The Heat?! Fingers crossed!

 

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