My trip to Old Trafford Cricket Ground

Having booked the tickets months ago I figured I wouldn't have had the need to take a coat and umbrella to watch the cricket at August bank holiday weekend, how was I wrong.

The weather had improved in the days leading up to Sunday before we went. It was feared it would just be rained off. On the morning's weather forecast it became more likely it would rain about 4 o' clock, and with it set to start at 2.30pm I thought well at least we'll get to see some cricket.

My brother and I tucked into a massive (and I mean massive) burger from one of the vans inside the ground and then went off to find our seats. It was cloudy and overcast but still relatively warm. Next to us on the right were some other England fans (one of whom I might add was dressed up as Wonder Woman, a man that is), to our left was some Aussie fans and as this game was England V Australia you can imagine the competition already was heating up! Behind us we had some people from New Zealand who actually didn't care who won!


Before it all started there was a parachute jump from the RAF Falcons which was fascinating to watch, although I thought they would never actually land in the ground the plane seemed so far away!


England selected to field, and although most people like to watch the team of their choice batting, my brother is a big Ryan Sidebottom fan (I think because of the name!) so I was pleased if rain was coming at least he would see him bowl. And so we did.


After the twenty overs Australia were 145-4. England came into bat and we were 4-2 in the second over before consistent rain caused the game to be abandoned. I might add my brother and I were absolutely soaked by now.

Although it was a shame to not see the game come to an end, at least we got to see some cricket. The second Twenty20 test yesterday never even got underway due to rain, although somewhat controversially I believe...

But overall we had a lot of fun and it was our first trip to watch live cricket and we'd definitely do it again, maybe for a test match next time though.

Amazing first giveaway from www.sweetshugahon.blogspot.com

Go to www.sweetshugahon.blogspot.com

What are the prizes?

1. One M.A.C Eyeshadow (of your choice)
2. One M.A.C Lipstick (of your choice)
3. One M.A.C LipGlass (of your choice)
4. One M.A.C Blush (of your choice)
(but be sure - you must pick the product thats only available at the M.A.C online Store http://www.maccosmetics.ca/) plus you will receive some goodies, it'll be a surprise!

How to enter?
Easy, all you have to do is leave a comment in this post and tell me the names of what M.A.C Eyeshadow/Lipstick/Lipglass & Blush do you girls want!
For example:

You must write..

PLEASE GIVE ME MY:
1. MAC (Smoke & Diamonds) Eyeshadow.
2. MAC (Costa Chic) Lipstick.
3. MAC (Florabundance) LipGlass
4. MAC (Pinch O' Peach) Blush.

and the link of this post on your blog.

RULES:
1. You must be a follower.
2. You must blog or post this on your blogspot and link to it.
3. Must be 18+ years old.4. write in the comment box, like the example above and the link where you have reposted my giveaway.

Notes:
>Everyone can enter anywhere in this world.
>Contest Ends Sept.15, 2009 ( you have lots of time to enter)

My Favourite ER Character

Whilst watching the repeats of the final season I was thinking about who my favourite ER character was and I was actually quite surprised when I wrote out my Top 5.

Ok in 5th place is...


Dr Mark Greene played by Anthony Edwards.

In 4th place...

Dr Tony Gates played by John Stamos. You can follow him on twitter @JohnStamos. Ok now this is where the surprise comes in I guess...

At No 3 is...


Yes, this even surprised myself! He's at No 3!

Now No 2 is...


Dr John Carter played by Noah Wyle.

And yes I bet now you're thinking who is No 1 because it's not Ross or Carter well...

No 1 is ...


Dr Simon Brenner played by David Lyons.

So why him? Well not only is David Lyons a hot Aussie actor (he is very similar to Simon Baker from The Mentalist) but I think Brenner's character is actually the most intruguing of all the characters on the show. David Lyons should have been nominated for an Emmy for the performance below when he tells Dr Morris about being abused by his Mum's boyfriend as a child.




I still can't watch that scene without crying it's so powerful and wonderfully acted.

And for those like me who are having withdrawal symptoms from there being no David Lyons on TV, he's coming back to our screens in Day One, a drama series which has been called War of the Worlds meets Lost. The trailer below is unfortunately quite low in quality but is intriguing.



Who is your favourite ER character? Any thoughts on Day One?

The Best Concealer!

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat 2.5ml

A take-anywhere pen-brush for adding a touch of light or banishing shadows and signs of fatigue from the eye area, the hollow of the chin, the contour of the lips and the sides of the nose.

This is by far the best concealer that I have ever used and have been using it now for years,nothing even comes close to just how good it is! Priced at £23 it is definitely a splurge item but it is worth every penny as you won't find anything else this good!

Feel Unique (http://linkbee.com/CS9CE) have got this in their summer sale for a bargain price of £15.55 with delivery free! Available in 4 shades, even No.2 which is hard to find in stores. I've just ordered another one and had a look at what else is in the sale and there are lots of bargains to be had and also I used this in the voucher code section VCODES25 and got a further 2.5% off my order. Every little helps!

Cool*er eReader Competition

Is this the greatest application ever for Football fans?

This could actually be my favourite application for my iPhone - the Sky Sports Football Score Centre.

It does all this;

• Live Scores
• Live Text Commentary
• Live League Tables
• Live Match Stats
• Live Match Photos
• Player Profiles
• Team Line-ups and formations
• Latest News
• Vidi-printer

There is also "my scores" section allowing you to select which games you want to keep an eye on more closely and they are saved onto another page, allowing for quick access back to the other scores.

Football fans can keep track of all the latest scores as they happen with live coverage of all domestic league and cup competitions in England and Scotland as well as international competitions and Europe's top leagues and cup competitions.

No matter where I am now I can always be kept updated on all the scores and another great thing about this application is IT'S FREE!

Self-esteem

After my last post I realised I raised a number of points that I would go into further detail and thought the first one I would go into was self-esteem.

We've all probably suffered from low self-esteem in the past and we all know how much better life can be when we live it believing in ourselves and our abilities - when we have a positive physical and mental self-image of ourselves, and when we have a sense of worth or inner confidence.

I took this self-esteem test here http://linkbee.com/CQYNK and before you think I'm posting this as a "I have great self-esteem", my results were 11 out of 40 which shows me to have moderately low self-esteem. Therefore those 11 are the things I need to work on to make my self-esteem better.

Let me know how you get on, and I'' be sure to let you all know how I get on too.

7 Tips to Help You Help Yourself Today

1. Make sure anger isn't spoiling your life!

Anger is an interesting emotion indeed. There are those who are angry at everyone and everything it seems (including being angry at themselves for past mistakes). And then there are those people who never seem to get angry. The thing is, though, bad stuff happens in life - to all of us! - and healthily expressing that anger, when the bad stuff occurs, is, er, healthy!

So make sure you are dealing with your anger in a healthy way.

2. Be more assertive!



I firmly believe that the world would be a better place if we were all a little more assertive. It would mean that people would say 'no' when they meant 'no', etc. It would mean that minor issues would be dealt with there and then - they would not, as often happens, fester for days or months or years to become something much less pleasant (and damaging, to all concerned).

I used to be an expert in not being assertive, so I realise being assertive isn't something you can just switch on, but assertiveness really is an important skill to develop nevertheless.

3. Learn how to communicate effectively!
 
Communication skills that we all should possess and develop include verbal skills, and non-verbal skills like written and body language skills. Chances are none of us are experts at all these forms of communication. So I say you should congratulate yourself on your good communication skills (but don't take them for granted) and develop those skills that you lack. Again, everyone benefits from clear, effective communication. Go to it! ;-)

4. Appreciate what you have, from time to time!




Personal development is all very well and good, but life is also about enjoying yourself in the here and now. Take time to recognise the many opportunities and friendships you have in your life right now, and enjoy them! Today. There really is no need to pursue happiness - you can actually let contentment find you.

5. Have a more positive attitude!



Positivity does not mean that you need to feel that everything is wonderful, all of the time. Clearly, we all have bad days. Having a positive attitude to life really is summed up by the words in this song, "Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative..." In other words, instead of always looking for what's wrong in a situation try and see if you can find what's right in it. You won't always succeed, but life will be more fun whilst you're trying. :-)

6. Love yourself, every day!



Ah, self-love, self -esteem and self confidence, 3 great qualities to possess. If you really love and believe in yourself, you really will achieve more in life and get more of the things that you think are important.

7. Don't fear success! Don't fear failure!



Fear of success and fear of failure are, apparently, fear of the same thing: fear of the unknown. So I say, don't fear the unknown! Everything is unknown until it is known. "There's nothing you can do, that can't be done": that's what John Lennon sang, and he basically meant that anything is possible - you just have to believe it, first.

Again, not fearing success (or failure) is easier said than done. It is still possible - just take the first step, and then the next...

Had a lovely day yesterday at Aldenham Country Park, especially going round the 100 Aker Wood. My favourite Winnie The Pooh quote is

"People who don't Think probably don't have Brains; rather, they have grey fluff that's blown into their heads by mistake"

Tonight is the end of The Mentalist Season 1 [DVD] [2008] on Channel Five, with the hour documentary beforehand and then the two hour finale. Thursday's won't be the same as already Lie To Me - Season 1 [DVD] [2009] has finished, although I believe both will be back on our UK screens again soon.

Has anyone been watching House Season 5 [DVD] [2009]? I think it's the best season so far, this Season we have seen a more emotional side to Gregory House that has only ever been touched upon in previous episodes. With the season finale coming up and I'm sure it will leave me waiting and wondering before Season 6 is on our screens.

My book planning is going well, have planned out the first 20 chapters (they are small I'm not writing a big big story). My book reading is still going good, The Monster of Florence is a very good read although quite harrowing in the descriptions of the murders. I will then be reading The Gun Seller and I found The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Standard Edition the other day that I still have not read.

On Sunday I started entering some simple competitions on twitter, most are simple retweets. I won my first prize later in the afternoon, a DVD! Yay to me! Ever since I've been entering a few more here and there, it's all fun really. Manchester United lost to Burnley yesterday and I keep reminding myself that the Premiership consists of 38 games and therefore there are 36 games left, and well we like to give others a helping hand! But humour aside Burnley played really well, and who knows Turf Moor may become a hard ground for all visitors as they are really making a focus on staying in the Premiership.

With the Ashes on at the moment and Formula One back at the weekend, hopefully I'll get round to leaving the TV but I doubt it...

Blogging made easy

I downloaded the BlogPress application for my iPhone and wow it's now so easy for me to post blogs without the need for sitting at my computer! Wowee!

BlogPress app is compatible with:

Blogger
Windows Live Spaces
Wordpress
Movable Type
Type Pad
Live Journal
Drupal
Joomla

I can do everything I would do normally sitting at a computer when writing a post, you can add photos, labels, signature and the best part once you're happy with your post and hit "send" an option comes up to see your blog post and there it is exactly as you imagined.




Available for the iPhone and iPod Touch it is a very useful tool for all bloggers! Love it! Get it here http://linkbee.com/2RYQ

Quote from Greys Anatomy "As doctors we can't undo our mistakes..."

The character Meredith Grey narrates this quote played by Ellen Pompeo;

As doctors we can't undo our mistakes, and we rarely forgive ourselves for them. But, it's a hazard of the trade. But, as human beings we can always try to do better. To be better. To right a wrong. Even when it feels irreversible. Of course, I'm sorry doesn't always cut it. Maybe because we use it so many different ways. As a weapon. As an excuse. But, when we are really sorry, when we use it right. When we mean it. When our actions say what words never can. When we get it right "I'm sorry" is perfect. When we get it right, "I'm sorry" is redemption.

Trying out iPhone blogging applications

Wonder if this will work? Hmm guess I'll soon find out won't I!

Tai Chi

So I have decided that in September I will be starting to learn Tai Chi. I have signed up for weekly classes and we shall see, I'm looking forward to a change in exercise, I use the Wii Fit and have had yoga classes in the past year or so. Although again have been pretty lapse on the Wii Fit and thinking about it I really should do some today...maybe...

Although I haven't actually put on any weight through not exercising recently, but that's a bad trend to get into right? So yes I will start exercising more regularly (notice how I'm trying to convince myself with this!)

This week I'm off to Aldenham Country Park; full of woodland walks, open fields, and lakes. There is a lovely animal area that you can walk around, but by far the best part is the Winnie the Pooh’s '100 Aker Wood’ trail where you can walk around to see if Winnie the Pooh or any of his friends are at home. Each house is made of wood and has a door knocker.

You can even play "pooh sticks" at the bridge :-) For more info have a look at
http://linkbee.com/COAHV

The Football Season Is Back (Yay!)

Finally the football season is back and it's not any season this year, this is a World Cup Year! As a keen Manchester United and England supporter the focus will be on one man this year, Wayne Rooney. He can fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo at United and can lead us to the World Cup in South Africa next Summer, but only if two things happen;

1. He must, must, must stay fit (Which is hard for someone who gives 100% every time he plays, and moans and argues at being rested)

2. His temper is controlled (No one can forget Ronaldo getting him sent off in the last World Cup in 2006)

Of course with Michael Owen now at Old Trafford too, there is a possible goal partnership of Rooney and Owen at international and club level. Things are looking up for United and of course England.

The weekend's opening weekend sprung a few surprises with Wigan's away win at Aston Villa and Arsenal's 6-1 demolition at Everton.

But for me the highlight of the weekend had to be the picture below, of all the clubs for a goal to be disallowed it had to be Crystal Palace. We all know what Neil Warnock is like and if ever more case was needed for goal line technology then this is another to add to the list. Warnock has already acknowledged that it happened to Aidy Boothroyd at Watford and he soon lost his job after a goal was said to have not crossed the line. Although it's only the first game of the season, points at any time are vital for a club and a manager's survival.



Maybe all the referee needs is a trip to Specsavers, they normally have offers on!

Adding music to your blog

I tried a few different ways of getting music onto my blog page and mixpod has been the best that I have found. The website enables you to share your playlist on blogger, myspace, bebo and more.

You can also choose what type of player you want and the colours, another chance to get your widgets to blend with the colour of your blog. They even have iPod and iPhone skins which are very cool but are very big, that's why I selected the little button choice (seen in the column on the right).

It is the best way of adding free music to your blog and they have a wide selection of music to choose from. So check them out today at http://52146e2c.zxxo.net or for a look at the sample skins see here http://3e2a4256.zxxo.net

What's on your playlist?

What Have I Been Doing?

First of all on my trip to ikea yesterday I was after a few things but mainly a new mug for my hot chocolate and soups and bought the one in the above picture, yes it is huuuuge! But I love it! Although it reminds me of the teacups ride at fairgrounds!

I rather stupidly have purchased Zoo Tycoon Collection (PC CD) and have become completely addicted, this version has the original Zoo Tycoon game with the additional expansion packs of Marine Mania and Dinosaur Digs. I used to have years ago Zoo Tycoon and Marine Mania, but Dinosaur Digs is all new to me and playing it makes me feel like I'm in Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Collection 4 DVD Boxset.

Another game that I have been playing again recently is The Settlers IV: Gold Edition (PC CD), although the dark tribe are quite a formidable force, I still enjoy the hours (and I mean hours) of preparation before you are ready to fight.

I'm thoroughly enthralled into The Monster of Florencebook, although it is a harrowing account of Italy's own Jack The Ripper it is written with such tension and detail that you want to find out more. Have read 3 chapters of this again today, should have it finished next week I think.

A while ago I posted a blog piece about having a notebook and the types of things that I write in mine, having seen this Go Stationery A4 notebook Blue Cupcakes, I am trying to write a lot more in my present notebook to use it up so I have the excuse to get this one! Looks good enough to eat!

At the weekend I will be making some banana cupcakes from my favourite cake book 500 Muffins and Cupcakes. Speaking of food I love my new cookery book arrival this week of Economy Gastronomy: Eat Better and Spend Less, has some great tips on how to spend less on your weekly shop and this doesn't mean dull meals.

I treated myself this week to something else purple...for my iPhone U-Bop Maclove Face-Off Series Rear Leather Feel Protector Patch For Apple iPhone 3G, 3GS (Purple) + U-Bop Invisible & Mirror DefenderGUARD Screen Protection Kit (Full-Face) "Twin Pack". So as well as purple on my new look blog here and on my twitter page (@blissbubbley), I also have purple iPhone. It does actually mean that I don't "misplace" it as many times as I have done recently!

I'm off hunting new things in the world of twitter and well life in general really. Speak to you all soon

Me and My New Friend

I have a new friend. She cannot speak and the only communication I have with her is for me to talk to her. Sometimes depending on how loud I speak she will go away as the noise has surprised her.

I only see my new friend when I'm in the garden, and she enjoys watching me plant out seeds, seedlings and even eating my tomatoes (!). I've never seen her at night-time and she does not come out when it rains. Today I have not seen her at all, I think she finds somewhere dry and undercover until its warmer again.

Anyone know what she is?

Some ideas for your blog

As well as having a change around on my blog page I found some other handy little tips and thought that I would share them with you.

I got this blog page template from http://www.allblogtools.com/ but there are many other websites to choose from. They have options for 3 and 4 column templates. They also provide help on how to make this template your own ie, colours, fonts etc it does involve knowing a little about html but they do guide you through what to do. I'm very pleased with this page and I do like purple as you can tell and even my twitter page has recently been taken over by purple too.

I got my twitter background from http://www.twitterbackgrounds.com/ but again there are many other choices.

Speaking of twitter I added a twibbon to my profile picture from http://twibbon.com/, Stephen Fry added the Norwich FC twibbon at the weekend (Yes that was before they lost 7-1 to Colchester and yes he still has it on his picture!). There are a lot of charity ones and a lot of choice and there is also an option to make your own twibbon! So for all you creative folk go give it a try!

Another tip I have found is to get your blog or website added on google search via their google submit page at http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl.

Also I found a website called Spottt! http://www.spottt.com. You show an advert of another Spottt user on your blog page and they will show yours. The amount that the adverts are seen depends on how many visits you get every day but is another free way to drive traffic to your blog/website.

As you have probably noticed I now have a signature at the bottom of my newest posts I made this using http://mylivesignature.com/mls_menu.php, you can design your own for free.