So...how did I do?

For my first five things, I set myself some pretty ambitious tasks to achieve and within half the time. Maybe I was just setting myself up for disaster?! Either way, I managed to get two out of my five crossed off...sort of.

1 Make homemade ravioli
I had great intentions for this; it was all going to be perfect. I'd googled a bazillion recipes and settled on making two types (I was all up for being adventurous): a wild mushroom filling, and a prosciutto, basil and mozzarella filling. Eventually I quickly realised that even I'm not quite at culinary goddess stage, and chose to just make the latter. 

It all started so well! With a glass of wine in hand, I shredded basil leaves and mozzarella, added just the right amount of sundried goodness...and then completely failed to get the (fresh) pasta sheets to do what I wanted. I almost cried, I drank more wine, I almost threw all my progress in the bin...before some bright advice from my mum see the dish transferred into an impromptu (and very delicious) cannelloni. That I'll definitely be making again.

3 Watch something being filmed/put on/recorded
I'm going to use last night's comedy crawl for this one. It was my second time at a stand-up night - my first was years ago at The Comedy Club in Leicester Square, with Andy Parsons making an appearance. I love the buzz and the vibe and some really great wit...and if the act's a little off? Well, that's all part of the fun.

Come up to the Bedroom

Yesterday was great. I spent the majority of the day working on three proposals for potential clients, and by the time 5.30 came round, I was decidedly ready for a drink.

I met a couple of pals in the Golden Lion in Soho, before we caught the bus East to Shoreditch. We stopped in at Floripa - a Brazilian bar/restaurant, formerly Favela Chic - for a drink. Its a place I've passed many a time but never ventured into before, despite favourable reviews. We were a little too early to catch the band but sat at a big wooden table, took in the vibrantly decorative walls and atmosphere, and naughtily ordered a Bloc Party Punch.

It came flaming, in a brilliant 'vintage' suitcase. Advertised as ideal for five to share, it's described as 'firecrackers, feathers, warm sun and drums spring to mind for that holiday-carnival feel. Finlandia Cranberry vodka, Liquor 43, citrus juice and cassis, with a generous topping of sparkling wine'. The four of us dove straight in with straws, and the boozy blend of flavours definitely shouted summer.

We moved on to the main event of the night - the Comedy Cafe Theatre at the Bedroom Bar in Shoreditch. A free monthly showcase of new comedians, the room was packed. We managed to nab some seats that weren't in the conspicuously empty front row, and in true stand-up style, were glad we had. As well as MC Jimmy James Jones, there were eight aspiring acts ranging from the good (Lynn Ruth Miller), the bad and the downright weird (Mr Beige).

My favourites were the slightly-known Gatis Kandis (of Britain's Got Talent fame) and Prince Abdi (of Show Me The Funny), that had us roaring with laughter. Although honorable mention has to go to the guy who had us in hysterics with blue cats.

After that, we fancied another drink so flitted unsuccessfully from Cargo (quiet and couldn't make us a mojito) and Callooh Callay (too busy) to Barrio East. Here we had more success; with yet more Latino vibes, we sampled a Ram Berry Jam ('Forgot your subtle flute of fizz, this baby's got edge!') and the Tropic Plunder ('a treasure of a recipe cooked up in our Caribbean holiday home'). Even for a Wednesday night it was buzzing in all its fluoro-glory. 

We called it quits soon after - after all, it was a school night. For midweek, this cocktail-come-comedy-crawl was definitely one to repeat.

Illamasqua I'mPerfection

The Illamasqua I'mPerfection collection is all about 'standing up and showing the world what makes you perfectly imperfect'. There are sixteen products in the collection - including powder and blusher duos, a brilliantly fluoro lipstick 'Immodest' and a lipgloss in Pantone-colour-of-the-year emerald, 'Shoot'. But what really caught my eye, right from a snapshot on the internet to seeing the collection in Selfridges, were the five limited edition nail polishes. Taking their influence from nature, the mottled egg-shell shades are an all-in-one flip on the glitter polish trend. I chose the blue - Fragile - (although was very tempted by the nude and dusky pinks) and couldn't wait to get it on. 

Illamasqua I'mPerfection in Fragile - £14.50

I'm in two minds about this nail polish: I'm absolutely smitten with the colour, the effect and how it looks on my (pale, pale) skin... However, it has near-to-no staying power and I've found myself reapplying every day. Within a couple of hours of its first application (two coats over a base coat, topped with a top coat), all ten nails had chipped quite dramatically. And its happened on the two other applications since. 

For a nail polish retailing at £14.50 a pop, I was a little disappointed. I adore the aesthetic but with its chipping disposition and its higher-than-average price tag, its made me think twice about snatching up the other shades I was coveting. 

Sunday links #2

1 Doorditch
'Doorditch is an instagram project showcasing the doors of Shoreditch'. Keen-eyed snappers post photos of doors that look as if they have stories. Whether they're graffitoed,  flyered or just simply intriguing, the idea is to create the story behind each one. As some of these doors are on my very doorstep (hmmm), I've been keeping an eye out and hoping that I'll find one like these that lead to Narnia...

2 Al Green, live at the Apollo
An absolutely astounding performance that I just can't stop watching...a perfect bit of soul for a Sunday. 

3 Coveting Lily's nails
Lily has a knack for posting nails that I can't help but covet. My recent favourites are these - a vibrant turquoise-toned green with an overcoat of mixed pieces that gives the ever-popular glitter trend a new lease of life.

4 Guacamole and chips...
A colleague showed me this fab little animation, making guacamole out of 'household' items. I say, 'household' but I'm not so sure everyone has an avocado hand grenade just hanging around their kitchen... I love how well-observed it is, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me peckish.

5 Christophe Jacrot
And finally this week I've been falling in love with these atmospheric shots of cities around the world. My favourite is Christophe's 'The sound of rain' series, with perfect images of urban spaces observed from 'sous la mousson'.

Chanel Coco Noir

Chanel's Coco has always been a huge part of my childhood - its distinctive fragrance instantly takes me back to my childhood, watching my mum get ready for many a glamorous evening. It filled the house long after my parents had left and I was in bed, under the watchful eye of a babysitter. 

I was lucky enough to be given the newest addition to the Coco family yesterday...and I'm already in love with it. The packaging is equally seductive as its scent - grapefruit and bergamot topnotes, rose and jasmine and patchouli middle notes and a sandalwood, tonka bean and white musk base - and I've been fawning over the jet-black bottle ever since I unwrapped the perfectly pristine Chanel bag.

Chanel Coco Noir(*) is available at Selfridges for £75.00 for 50ml

I'm definitely not one for sweet or florals - my signature perfume being the original Dior Addict - and so Coco Noir is right up my street. The fragrance has real lasting power, with the different notes    giving way to each other as the day progresses. Whilst Coco may lack No. 5's-bottle-sold-every-five-seconds prowess, its little sister Noir definitely makes up for it with sultry, seductive sex appeal. 

Sunday links #1

Five fab links from this week.

1 Girls
After this week's episode, there were a lot of column inches written about the so-called implausibility of Lena Dunham's character, Hannah, meeting and spending the weekend with impossibly handsome doctor, Joshua. I thought this article put these nay-sayers into perspective a little.

2 Lizzie Kaplan being a hipster
This brilliantly silly mini-movie is actually an ad for clothing company, Viva Vena. 

3 Space
And with all this week's talk of meteors, this blows my mind.

4 Wanderlust
As always, any well-shot landscape has me itching to pack a bag and jump on the next plane. The Sony World Photography Awards are no exception. The exhibition opens at Somerset House on 26 April.

5 Goats yelling like humans
This video had me crying with laughter at work this week - goats yelling like humans. I think my favourite's at 1.15 or right at the end. What's yours?

Happy Valentine's

Happy Valentine's Day. I've spent my afternoon in a client meeting with lemon and ginger tea, and cream and fresh strawberry scones. I'm spending my evening with cocktails and girls. 

Imagery #1

Decadent weekend | Breakfast in bed | Recently rediscovered photo of my mum 
 Wagamama lunch | 2manydjs hanging out on my road | Homemade nachos 

Five for...February

Back on my Tumblr, I wrote about 'doing more stuff' this year and, of course, mid-month February seems to a logical time as any to start... So I'm setting myself an ambitious five things to do each month (with a typically risible half-month disadvantage) starting with these prime examples. I might as well throw myself in headfirst, right?

1 Make homemade ravioli
I'm a total sucker for pasta and I'm drawn to anything Italian-inspired on menus, so I think its high-time I put my culinary skills to use and try and make my own. Seeing as I have a house of at least three (often more) hungry/willing/brave participants to test my new-found creations, I've got no excuse.

2 Drink at Portside Parlour
Living in the heart of London Fields, two streets behind Broadway Market, I'm spoilt for bars, restaurants and a fab Saturday market or two right on my doorstep. There's never any shortage of places to go - Pub on the Park, Bella Vita, I'm looking at you - but this week a pop-up has, well, popped up and being rum-based, it's right up my street... Portside Parlour is apparently hidden behind a secret door, manifesting itself as an old-fashioned WC, lit by candlelight and serving killer cocktails. Perfect for combatting a bit of midweek prohibition.

3 Watch something being filmed/put on/recorded
Its been a while since I've had a good dose of live culture. Easy to say, but there's definitely nothing like the ripple of expectation and atmosphere when you're part of an audience. Living in London, there's always something going on - from the classic Les Miserables on the corner of my road at work to a literary salon at Shoreditch House - and its about time I took advantage.

4 Go see a DJ
This is something that's long overdue. I used to spend a huge part of my university life dancing the night away but, having graduated and now working full time, this is something that's - shamefully - fallen off the radar. Dancing at Vogue Fabrics, Efe's or The Dolphin is not the same, and New Year's Eve's love-in with Stanton Warriors was a whole six weeks ago...

5 Treat myself
I've been at my current job eleven months today (and I'm already surreptitiously planning my 'birthday' next month). Just before Christmas, I was promoted and received a payrise...and a couple of weeks ago, I got a further payrise. I'm incredibly lucky and grateful to be in a job I really enjoy with lots of amazing opportunities (and renumeration), and apart from saving for a fabulous summer holiday, I'm going to treat myself with this month's paycheck. Just what on, I'm not quite sure yet.

So...my first five. Here's to doing more stuff.