Lacquer Up this Winter 2010!

So, every 2 weeks I find myself at a small Nail Spa, in Crows Nest. It's become habitual and almost always has been for me, as a woman. It could either be the way in which I have grown up.... having a mother, who is the epitome of all things feminine and beautiful so it is just natural for me to always look after myself and my body and that means - manicures & pedicures.

After asking a few guys what they think of a woman with manicured nails, most men said as much as it doesn't bother them... a woman with manicured nails always comes of as one who "looks after herself." As Sydney creeps into the start of winter, nail polish choices change and I usually keep the summery, bright colours to rest. So, if you're wondering what to paint your nails throughout winter and need a few tips as I know how confusing it can be standing in front of a wall submerged in different nail lacquer bottles and you're thinking "hmmmmmmm, wonder if that will look nice on me?" Meanwhile, the lady manicuring your nails is reinforcing the pressure as she wants to get started on your nails so you settle for a colour under pressure. Now, even though these aren't life
altering or even remotely important decisions.... which woman doesn't love pampering herself and having a set of beautifully manicured nails?

The Winter Choice 2010 -

According to an artile published on the HubPages, titled Fall and Winter Nail Polish Colors states that, "Winter nail polish colors embody contrasts and boldness." So, a choice of colours one can go for are as follows.....

Sparkle Up - anything with glitter and sparkle is always great for winter as it is close to the festive season of snowflakes, christmas and holiday lights!
Silver & Opal - these two colours suit all different skin tones and are commonly winter colours that match with everything!
Winter Blues - A festive yet very suitable for winter, nail colour that even I am longing to try! I think it looks so arty yet beautiful especially on fair skin!


Never go back with Black - the most common colour that never ceases to run out of fashion is good ol' black. Either summer or winter, this colour always looks great and matches with absolutely everything! You can mix it up a little bit though, either a pure black, or a charcoal silver-ish black which is available in the OPI range and most other nail polish brands!

Red & Pink - Bright red and a pastel 'bubblegum' pink make great winter colours if you want to add some colour to your nails in winter!

Classic French - You can never go wrong with the classic french manicure, it looks beautiful and classy in summer, autumn, spring or winter and matches everything! The french manicure is still my favourite and the one I resort to if I really can't decide on a colour. If you have beautiful natural nails then you're lucky or else, french looks fab on gel nails!

The most trustworthy nail polish brands I rely on are Sally Hansen & OPI.

So go on and pamper yourself at the nearest nail spa near you!

- By Simran Sagar

The no pants rule!

What has happened to pants? They seem to have vanished into thin air. If we look closely around we will see leotards, teeny-tiny shorts and whole lot of lace stocking. Now don’t get me wrong I love all fashion and I do wear stockings and shorts but seriously would you wear these with no pants? Or skirts or some form of clothing that hides your cha cha. These form of clothing are all pretending to be pants! And there are not. Pants are pants! This new breed of outerwear is really just undies masquerading as fashion. Suddenly flashing the same amount of flesh as you would in the privacy of your own home has become cool. And not just on the dance floor, on the street, at the office and even on the red carpet.

This probably started with French vogue, who printed an issue of vogue declaring that a fashion revolution was to be upheld – declaring the no pants rule! All type of pants were out – jeans, trousers etc. French vogue dedicated an entire issue on how a small piece of fabric was now “in!” Call me old fashion but how can any one be comfortable in a small amount of fabric below the bellybutton and then be brave enough to step out in public? It was French feminism, as they declared it time for women to liberate their legs from those pesky things called pants. Sometimes fashion magazines throw out a crazy, ugly trend to see if it will catch on, and see whether or not there are brave or stupid people out there willing to try something new! The world is full of stupid people. And when it comes down to fashion, there’s definitely the crazies out there. By going pantless it requires a certain kind of crazy.

Defenders of the this trend will most likely say that Sienna Miller’s black opaque tights worn with matching knickers were genius! And earlier this year Katy Perry went for coffee in lace stockings and a leotard. I call this crazy but they call it cool, I mean come on people do you really want to see cameltoe casually strolling down the road. I think not! Interestingly enough the French are responsible for this so-called trend but the whole bloody sans pantalon wave, French women haven’t adopted it into their own wardrobes, they preferred to leave it to the Aussies and Yanks!

-By Severine Duval

"Life is short, have an affair".......... umm, really?

The infidelity stories never really come to an end do they? These sad stories of men cheating on their wives, or boyfriends cheating on their girlfriends, or vice versa get so glamourized in Hollywood!

But, what's really caught my eye while reading through Samantha's Brett's Column in the Sydney Morning Herald is learning of a website www.ashleymadison.com where the website's slogan, shockingly and very clearly reads, "Life is short, have an affair."......... Ummm, say what? I know back in the day when I was in school there were all sorts of sayings such as "life is short, make the most of every moment" etc, etc. But "life is short, have an affair" screams out controversy loud and clear.

So, firstly a little introduction to the Ashley Madison website, it was created by Noel Biderman in 2000. It is a website that grants a space for either married or simply dating men and women who are keen to fulfil their sexual needs elsewhere, because in other words they want to have the best of both worlds and are afraid to lose their partner. So, what's the solution for people like this? A website that grants that space to meet others, as the secret will always be kept safe between two cheating spouses. You can only imagine, that the response to a website such as this, falls under the negative category as it accuses "... Biderman of breaking up relationships and destroying famillies while making money of it" states an online article by Godwin (2009). Biderman is basically trying to say that marriages continue to fail nowadays due to the pressures of sex and monogamy. It's beyond my imagination that someone would genuinely think a solution to this is creating a portal for people to come together to make cheating emotionally or physically easier, without being caught out. It's literally gaining pleasure and $$ over another person's grief..... sounds pretty ridiculous and worrying to me.

It's websites like this, along with the portrayal of cheating scandals in the media and TV shows that glamourize cheating on a partner as something "exciting" "refreshing" and "new". What happened to good ol' values and trust being one of the most important factors in a relationship? When trust has been eroded, what is left? A broken heart and insecurities that one has to deal with for a long, long time.

In this online article on NewsBlaze, Biderman lastly states "For so many people, they love their spouses. Not everyone wants to leave their spouses. In the end, I'm providing an outlet." However, isn't there other safer outlets that life provides to deal with sexual or emotional issues in a relationship? I think a website like this, takes being open-minded to a whole new level and it's a little disturbing.

An interview in Time, quoted Mira Kirshenbaum who said "I really thought that affairs were fatal for relationships but they're not..." and "... many, many people are able to use the affair as a wake-up call and end up so much happier with a relationship that gives them what they need, instead of being on automatic and pretending that everything's okay." This applies, if both parties carry qualities of genuinely apologizing (the cheater) and forgiving (the cheatee). Now having read this, there are mixed feelings because I have seen this little theory work out between a couple. At the same time, I could never forgive someone for breaching my trust as those lessons have been learnt through some hardships encountered in the dating game along the past few years. There are couples on the other hand, where one cheats and apologizes as he/she waks up and realizes it's not worth it, and the other forgives, because they have a big heart. But, my question is..... how do you look your cheating partner in the eye? How can you love someone who has deliberately gone behind your back and found emotional support or physical affection in a woman/man that replaced YOU for those brief minutes or hours?

After reading about this Ashley Madison website, I honestly feel.... are all moral values in our society being eradicated one-by-one? There are wars and religious debates that have the world in a fix..... and are important matters. How do people find the time to strip human behaviour further by granting a platform for cheating partners?

- By Simran Sagar

Eat for your age!

So were in our 20s before we know it 30s and then the dreaded 40s so what can we do to stay somewhat young and healthy? Dietitian Zoe Nicholson shows us how to shake up our eating patterns to suit our age! Your wellbeing can take a back seat as climbing the career ladder and socialising become top priority! " Bone density is still increasing during your early 20s and adequate calcium is vital to obtaning peak bone mass". says Dietitian Zoe Nicholson She suggests two-to-three low mass fats serves of dairy per day, plus sardines and thinned salmon with bones- all good sources of calcium. Iron is also vital, and while lean red meat is best to ward off a deficiency, eat lentils and lots of green leafy vegies too!

Okay ladies as much as we dont wanna think about it will be heating our 30s soonish so Nicholson recommends:Many women in this age bracket find themselves juggling children, a career and house chores, which can be exhausting," says Nicholson. Her solutio? Boosting your carbohydrates and vitamin-B intake to lift energy levels. This means more wholegrain breads and cereals, beans, legymes and potatoes. Also, you should maintain your daily calcium intake with those two to three serves of dairy, plis sardines, or thinned salmons with bones and seeds

And before we know it were in our 40s!
"Calcium continues to be important due to rapid decrease in bone mass and because of lower oestrogen production." Says Nicholson. Continue with three serves of dairy and up your levels of vitamin D (a few minutes in the sunshine each day)to help with calcium absorption. If menopausal night sweats start, try eating more phytoestrogens (found in soy beans, legumes, tofu, oats and wholegrains.) As they may help soothe the symptoms and are beneficial regardless. So ladies bascially what Nicholson is saying watch out for our iron and calcium in our 20s so we can party the night away, boost up on our carbs and vitamin-B in our 30s so we can juggle those kids, our career and those dreaded house duties and finally when the big 40 comes along keep our calcium levels and vitamin D alive, all while trying to fight the dreaded menopausal symtptoms

Is it time to switch off?

Social networking hits a primal nerve for many of us. According to recent Nielsen poll, Australians are the biggest social media users in the world, with over 9.9 million of us regularly bleating our innermost’s to whoever’s out there listening. The survey illustrates that we spend, on average, six hours and 52 minutes each month sailing the social media seas- a full 43 minutes more than our nearest rivals in the U.S.

Face book is our preferred outlet, followed by MySpace and then Twitter. But what is all this web noise doing to our relationships and sense of self? Its hard to say- not that this has stop experts from saying it. Psychologists, media analysts and social commentators together have different opinions about the benefit or dangers of social media. In fact most will immediately post their hypotheses on their blogs or Twitter accounts via their Iphone. Some have argued the following; “It’s a poor substitute for real-life relationships!” “It’s a genius marketing platform and procrastinator’s dream.”

But when it comes down to it its simply another way to communicate. It does bring us closer together but at the same time is does drag us further apart. Most of us are comfortable with this form of communication. Now that its such a fixture in many of our lives, its important to assess our own use of social media to be sure it fits with out values and is doing each of us more good than harm. Social media would appear to be a harmless diversion, one that may strengthen our existing relationships. As psychologist Pamela Rutledge illustrates “when we contact people regularly, even though the contact may feel inferior to face-to-face for intimacy, the frequency creates a connection that facilitates face-to-face connections.”

Social media helps many who find it difficult to communicate. It helps those that are shy helps individuals to express themselves and builds networks.

It changes our lives, improves the way we do business, enhanced our relationships. But sometimes-social media sites reveal the saddest and ugliest sides of our characters. Here are five unsavoury examples I found in an issue of Madison May 2010, p. 70-73.

1. “A British mother jumps to her death from a fourth-floor balcony in Spain days before she due to give evidence against a former partner who was accused of assaulting her. She left a suicide note to her teenaged children on Facebook that read, “Please, I beg you, don’t hate me for letting you down now.” Her daughter spotted the message and replied. “Mum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! mum…I love you u 2 much, Please don’t leave….!!!!!!!!!!!” Alexandra Carlton

2. Us mother tweeted details of her son’s death. Two-year-old Bryson feel into the family’s pool after a fence was left unlocked. 34minutes after the paramedics arrived to try and revive the boy. The mother further tweeted “Please pray like never before, my 2 year old feel in the pool” Five hours later as her son was pronounced dead. She tweeted “ Remembering my million dollar baby.” Critics have said that perhaps if she was paying as much attention to her son as she was twitter her son may have never died.

3. “After her IUD failed and she become pregnant 27-year-old mother to be Angie Jackson tweeted her abortion using the “abortion pill”, RU-486. “I’m doing this so other women know, “Hey, its not nearly as terrifying as I had myself worked up thinking it was.” She said. “It’s just not that bad”.” Alexandra Carlton

4. “Facebook was force to apologies after a number of tribute sites to murdered Queensland children were defaced. Memorials to trinity Bates, an eight-year-old girl murdered and a 12-year-old boy alleged stabbed to death by a classmate in Brisbane, were flooded with obscene messages and images of murder and pornography. Police have said perpetrators will be punished though at the time of writing no charges had been laid. “Alexandra Carlton

5. “Anyone using Gmail was automatically signed into Google’s social messaging service Google Buzz. Instantly, their email contact list was revealed to anyone who wanted to look at it. One woman reported that her abusive ex-husband was given access to sensitive information, Journalist sources were revealed and details of affairs were made public. Google had to apologise for its breach of privacy and announced it would make changed to the system.

So is it time to switch off?

- By Severine Duval

Lets 'Er Rip!

I’ve always wondered how many precious minutes and hours of my life I’ve lost while been locked up in the privacy of my bathroom warming up my Sally Hanson wax pot, preparing to coif my seemingly uncoiffable bikini region. I usually wonder this while doing deep breathing exercises while wishing I had a glass of vodka to scull down and enjoying the last few precious peaceful seconds before pulling off the strip .

You probably know the rest of the story as this may have happen to you once or twice before. The strips comes off with three measly hairs, the wax gets caught on some hair that I wasn’t expecting to remove and your left with a Sally Hanson wax strip dangling between your legs. After enduring the pain of yanking that off, I realize that I now have a couple of bald spots in places I did not want to be bald.

So when my girl friend was talking about booking her next Brazilian wax I offered to come along and some what try it out. For years I’ve heard and read horror stories of the Brazilian wax. Getting out on all fours, raising a leg like a dog peeing on a tree, spreading your butt cheeks to allow a complete stranger to apply hot wax in the most private crevices of my body; this was not a thing I need to rush out and experience. But only leaving once I decided to go out there endure the un imaginable. Summoning my courage, I decided to join my friend and book an appointment.

The salon is located in St Leonards, upon arrival I was greeted by a friendly staff who led me to a almost private room. Inside the room I was told to strip down. As I began to unbuttoning my jeans I had assume I would be left alone to take my clothes off but instead to my horror I found that I had an audience, the friendly staff member was there watching my every move. “Shit!” I thought, “I have to undress in front of her! Kill me NOW!” I laughed nervously as I bounced from one leg to the other to remove my jeans.

There I was my womanliness fully exposed for a stranger on a table. As she prepared the wax, I had a horrible, sick feeling. I wont sugar coat the remainder of the story for you, the removal of my hair at the top of “V” hurt like a mother. But I had faith that the tiny little lady knew what she was doing and she did it quickly and as I later saw perfectly.
The next phase was something I dreaded even more. She’d be removing the hair further down, in the labia region. “Sweet Jesus, where’s the vodka when you need it?” as I thought knowing any minute now the wax would be pulled off! For this, she pushed down both my legs forming a somewhat diamond shape. I felt beyond exposed! I readied myself for the most horrible of my life, at this point I’m sweating bullets. As I felt the heat of the wax, I wished for a leather strap to bite on. I tried to play games on my phone… then rrriiipp to my surprise it wasn’t that bad nor was it pleasant! As I relaxed I assume the remainder of the waxing would be some what similar but boy was that an under statement! The following could not have hurt even more, I almost positive that this is what child birth would feel like! Ohh the pain! I felt as though my entire body was on fire, but this did not last long. Another couple of rips and I was done!

My learning is this: its not as bad as you think, sure it does hurt but its over before you know it. If you get your eyebrows, under arms, arms lips or any form of waxing you most likely withstand the pain on a Brazilian. If you’re remotely curious, I say go for it! But do a little homework and go somewhere either your friend have been or somewhere reputable so your not crouching down on all fours! I can confirm that It feel great to give this area a little care and love!

- By Severine Duval

Does every woman have a Mr. Big in her life?

Brought to life by fiction, most of you ladies must be familliar with Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth) The question is however, do most women have a Mr. Big in their life? Either currently, or someone in the past who still holds that very cliche, yet true... "special place in your heart." More like, we are the ones that are powerless and completely, utterly consumed by this successful, gorgeous, yet arrogant commitment phobic man :)

In Sex And The City (SATC) Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) falls in love with Mr. Big who clearly has commitment issues and is ever so fickle minded. Mr. Big in SATC is one of those men who shudders at the thought of commitment yet, cannot see Carrie Bradshaw (his on-again, off-again girlfriend) with anyone else without sparks of jealousy setting off. Now, how well can you relate to that? I certainly can! There are men that just don't want to put a label on it, yet still think they can push their weight around and call the shots when you show interest in someone else.

Personally, Mr.Big represents that one man in your life, who you fell for, pined for and for no good reason, but it remains to be one that you will never forget. In the case of Sex & The City the movie, Mr. Big leaves Carrie standing at the altar on her own but as the movie unfolds, they do eventually get married in the end.

So for the sake of entertainment they do find their "happy ending". However, in real life... to love a man like that takes patience and a woman that is not emotionally so driven. So, in other words it's highly unlikely for most women to get that happy ending with your Mr. Big.

There are women out there that would patiently wait for the man to eventually come to his senses and realize that it doesn't get better than this and voila! A very rare happy ending.

And what is it about Mr. Big, even in the TV show that makes him so sexy? He's always suited up, charming yet witty. There's something about a succesful man, a gentleman, yet one with edge that we find sooo irresistable don't we?

Now, speaking from personal experience though, in my most cases Mr. Big ends up being that "one that got away" or "that one that never realized how much you loved him". It boils down to women ultimately always pining for that emotionally unavailable man doesn't it? What makes them so darn sexy? It's as if we love rejection, we love to just give, give, give and feel emotinally disconnected. Or is it just because we always want what we can't have?

This video of Mr. Big jilting Carrie at the altar as he succumbs to commitment phobic issues had me stunned. Every woman's worst nightmare..... this is why, Mr. Big should remain in just the past :) But, you just can't help but forgive them over time can you?




Stay tuned ladies, to see what happens between Mr. Big & Carrie Bradshaw in Sex & The City 2, showing in the cinemas June 1, 2010.

- By Simran Sagar.

'The break'

So you’re on a break with your other half- how do you stay busy enough so that your mind does not wonder towards the worst-case scenarios. 80 per cent of us out there will probably let our minds wonder and wonder and just come to the worst conclusions. Next thing you know your on the phone to him begging him to come to a conclusion towards the relationship.

The first thing to remember is that Neediness is by far the biggest turn off, aside from nagging, farting, hair extensions and way too much fake tan and make-up (Samantha 2010) so don’t act needy. Guys need their space! And for us ladies sometimes this very difficult so here is a list of what you can do in order to keep yourself busy during 'the break'.

1. Clean out your cupboard! throw out what you don't need.

2. With all the extra space in your cupboard - you'll need some new outfits- so go out shopping with your girlfriends- there's nothing better then the company of your girlfriends.

3. Get DVD's and have a quite night in with your friends or family.

3. Read a book that you've always wanted to but have had no time to do so.

4. Start a Diary- its a good venting point, you can let out your feelings without literally screaming at your partner.

5. Clean the house- cleaning has been known as therapeutic!

6. Go out to dinner with your girl-friends! Try something new that you've always wanted to have never been able too.

7. Get your nails done!

8. Go for a facial!

9. Go for a massage

10. Have a old fashion sleepover- there nothing better then a night in with your besties bitching about your relationships!

- By Severine Duval

All TV'ed Out.

Why is it that we sometimes get so painfully addicted to a television show and sit at the edge of our seats for the new episode or season to be released on air?

If you haven't had withdrawls from a television show that you've been obsessed with, get hooked because there are so many great shows on air nowadays! Ofcourse, it completely depends on the genre that interests you most but there is no shortage..... from reality shows, to drama, to your everyday chick flicks, comedies etc etc. Ones that I have been so utterly obsessed with are Dexter (the best show ever!), Breaking Bad, Crash, Gossip Girl and 90210. Some of you might think shows like 90210 and Gossip Girl are of no substance, but that's what makes them fun!
Why do so many girls/women still continue to watch shows like Gossip Girl?


Because they transport you into this world that girls love to deny any association with, but hey admit it we all love to gossip or be let in when there is gossip! It unravels you into the lives of the elite that live in the Upper East Side of New York City. As a girl/woman you could easily relate to either/or both the protagonists, Blair Waldorf (played by Leighton Meester) and Serena Van Der Woodsen (played by Blake Lively.) SHOPPING and FASHION a common weakness amongst us women is played up in the entire show amongst the common catfights and guy trouble!
Not to mention, it takes us away into this fictional world where the cute boy-next-door is allowed
to take your breath away... and I'm talking about Chace Crawford (Nate) from Gossip Girl (left) and Matt Lanter (plays Ethan) in 90210 (right). It's amazing though how a television show, a gorgeous actor/actress that consumes and breathes this fictional character can take such a strong grip on you!
It's always intrigued me... why do we love our TV shows? I think apart from just merely being entertained it's because we don't have to go too far, we sit nice and comfortable in the safe surroundings of our humble abode where we get to watch people fall in love, get their hearts broken, make new friendships... etc. All circumstances that we at one stage might have been through and most importantly, can relate to. I got so engrossed in Gossip Girl that it made me want to go to New York even more, 90210 made me re-live the school days where there was a pocketful of drama, bestfriends, bitches and lots of boys.

So, what better way to relax and be nostalgic than be teleported into a different virtual world?

- By Simran Sagar

Hot Yoga

For you out there wanting to start something new i recommend giving Hot Yoga a try. Hot yoga involves a series of 26 postures conducted over 90 minutes. It begins with a breathing exercise to warm up, it then progresses through with 26 postures and it finishes with a toxin-eliminating breathing posture. This series of postures was scientifically designed to systematically work through the entire body. And boy does it work! I recently attempted a class a couple of weeks a go with a girl-friend at V Club. The yoga class was held in a hot room, which was 38 degrees. Doing hot yoga in a warm room allows for greater flexibility, it minimises muscle strain, reduces the chance of injury, promotes greater cleansing of the body and helps builds stamina and endurance. The room was mirrored to enable better body awareness and refinement and deepening of postures through easy self-correction. A lot of people ask why hot yoga and not normal yoga? So i decided to do some research and here is what i came up with from a site called Bikram Yoga.

Well the benefit of doing hot yoga is you constantly sweat which assists the detoxification process. Blood becomes thinner, clearing the circulatory system. Endurance is boosted through consistent practice. Your body turns fat more effectively: fat may be redistributed and burned as energy during the class. It is common to loose centimetres in a short time. Your metabolism speeds up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids! Your hear-rate becomes elevated, and the cardiovascular systems gets a thorough workout- hear and lung.

So when and where can you do hot yoga? there are a few places in Sydney and North Sydney. There is currently a studio in lane cove. Prices start from 20 dollars per class. But there are great deals and specials running all the time. Especially for students. Currently there are student passes going for 20 dollars for 10 consecutive days - unlimited yoga. A casual class at the moment is costing 16 dollars. If you do not feel comfortable doing hot yoga with a full class there are also private classes available. 1.5 hour private class involves about 1-3 people. So you and your besties can give it ago if you are too embarrass or uncomfortable to do it in front of people!

- By Severine Duval

Sex: just another factor that seperates the nature of men and women.

Can women really just enjoy sleeping with someone with no emotional attachment? Many would say yes there are some women who are strong enough to do so. But honestly, it does get tied down to the nature of the sexes doesn’t it?

Men are capable of having multiple partners to just enjoy the physical act with no emotional attachment whatsoever. But why is it if women take that road, they are considered trashy? That question has always had me intrigued. Just like men, we want physical attention but along with that physical what do we really want? We want to be made to feel beautiful. Do men score at the end of the night so that a woman can make them feel beautiful and attractive? Or do they simply want to score because of their basic need of just wanting to have sex and nothing more.

After a one-night stand a woman would often find herself asking questions like “is he going to call me?”, “was I up to his standards?”etc. But what do men think after? If there was no alterior motive to bringing a girl home, don’t they usually just go to sleep and block off any sentiment shared with a partner?

Men can have multiple partners and can innocently find nothing wrong with that as they are "living every single man's life". However, when we wind up with a boyfriend who has had x number of partners he has slept with we think of it as something so sinful. Is that because for us women sex is always more than just an act and we are always on a quest... for something more?

The fact is, women are always on the hunt for wanting more. No matter how many times we tell ourselves when we are single that we are doing it in the name of fun and there is no attachment, I don’t think our minds are tuned to cut out all emotional attachments no matter how hard we try. There would be no game, no fun, no mystery if both the sexes were emotionally disconnected when it came to the art of sex in the mating game now would there?

- By Simran Sagar

The Break-Up Blues.

Most of us have been through a break up at some stage or another and they have happened for different reasons and hence brought forward different reactions. It all depends on the circumstance doesn’t it? It usually depends on who’s breaking up with who and of course finally, it boils down to personality traits. What I remember distinctly through a lot of the really hard break-up’s is as women sometimes you simply just don’t know what to do. Where do you start? Some of us love to emotionally badger ourselves by caving in and beating ourselves up emotionally with self-reflective comments such as “I cant be without him it's just not the same". "I feel so alone" etc etc.

And I know it's easier said than done but seriously ladies, there is plenty we can do to pick up the little pieces that are sometimes left behind from break-ups. There were many times I wondered, wouldn't it be great if there was some sort of list of things you can do to get your mind off things? There have inevitably been many magazine features of this genre and the good ol' internet is full of worthy tips! But here are some which are fairly more "do-able" and don't just involve self-reflective changes to pacify that nasty break-up.

- The most common one is, CALL A GIRLFRIEND!

Get on that phone or meet up with a friend and just vent and get it all out of your system.

- Get to the nearest store that specializes in bath products, such as LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics that are available globally, and have plenty of stores in Australia. Their Bath Bombs are divine and the best way to pamper yourself with some aromatherapy candles and a relaxing bath!

I reccomend the Comforter Bubble Bar for only $10.50 which leaves you feeling relaxed and fresh!

- Read a book, there are so many good books out there and they are a great way of keeping yourself distracted and getting locked into something away from the real world. A few good reccomendations are, The Twilight Saga if you like the dark, mystic Vampire fictional romances. Shantaram by Gregordy David Roberts is a big book but highly recommended! And, Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis which is an autobiography by the vocalist from Red Hot Chilli Peppers! Those are 3 books that are top reads from my selection of books!

- Exercise!

One of the best ways to vent out all frustrations, keep yourself distracted and have it at your own full advantage! There are so many great things that are available at gym's now or even fitness DVD's you can do in the comforts of your own home. Such as Zumba, Yoga, Pilates, Body Combat and if you are keen to join a gym there is nothing as stimulating and relaxing than Bikram Yoga! The two great gyms in Sydney that offer a few or all of these classes are Fitness First and V Club.

If you aren't interested in any of those, just get out on the road or any cardio machine pump up your iPod to some fast, motivating tunes that you fancy and sweat it all out! I promise, you will leave feeling better!

- Get hooked onto a TV series of your fancy, they are always great at keeping you distracted and addicted! Here is a list of some great ones you can watch online on www.casttv.com, your television provider or on DVD.

• Gossip Girl
• 90210
• The Vampire Diaries
• Dexter
• Glee
• Brothers & Sisters
• Grey's Anatomy
• The Hills
• The City

- Lastly, just head out to the nearest restaurant/bar with your girlfriends and just enjoy good company of friends that always stick by you over some nice cocktails, martinis or even a pitches of good ol' sangria! Two of my favourite places in Sydney are Gazebo Wine Bar as they have amazing Sangrias!

And, North Bondi Italian, located on Bondi Beach as their food and their Skapino's (Vodka and Lime Sorbet) are to die for and are bound to get you in a good mood with the company of your girl friends!

So, do we really need a man, a relationship to hold on to in order to be happy, content, or what everyone sees as normal?

- By Simran Sagar