The moment I realised I had the most fantastic of friends was the moment Big left Carrie on their wedding day. Not a great time for Miss Bradshaw but a defining one for me. Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte swooped in dealt with the situation just as it needed to be dealt with – kindly and efficiently with the perfect amount of sensitivity and I knew, if I was ever in the same situation, my best friends would do exactly the same for me. As I would for them. I found such pleasure and reassurance in a devastatingly sad situation that it occurred to me how genuinely lucky I am.

Friends fight. They bitch. And they don’t always agree. But they tell you the truth and they’ve got your back even in times when it seems they can’t possibly. The journalist and author Edna Buchanan once said:

“Friends are family we chose for ourselves”

which leads me to believe there is and can be genuine love between companions. They don’t have to stick around due to family ties, they stick around because they want to for reasons that could go on forever.

We make mistakes, say things we shouldn’t that can’t be taken back and sometimes we’re the worst person in the world. But by surrounding ourselves with the finest of like minded people we’re forgiven even though we don’t deserve it. They make us who we are. Without each friend of mine I would be both a different girl and a worse off one. We can tell to our soul mates things we wouldn’t dare speak of to our biological family all the while safe in the knowledge we won’t be judged (too much) and realistic help and advice on its way.

Despite the sex, the city, (the couture and the money) those four beauties have what we all want and what we all need to live a full and deserving life; a deep rooted friendship, respect and love for one another, encouragement and support in abundance. And lots and lots of hot, hotter and the hottest of men.

Katy Archer, Fashion Writer

It’s the beginning of a New Year.  And so come’s the one resolution millions of women will make over the next week, only to break them by the time the Easter eggs are gracing the shelves at Tesco. It’s time to dig out your sweatbands, because like everybody else, I’m tackling my waistline in 2012.

We’ve all been eating like maniacs over Christmas, giving up diets and avoiding looking at calories on boxes of Quality Streets. And that is definitely not a bad thing over the festive period. Unfortunately, it’s now time for the all important Resolutions- capitalised, because that makes it seem more serious, and therefore there’s more of a chance I’ll keep mine. Unlike the past 2 years where they have been broken by the middle of January.

My resolution, like a lot of people out there, is to lose weight and feel healthier and fitter. I hate road running, so I’m opting for a gym membership that I will definitely use at least 4 times a week. Fingers crossed.

Anyone who says it’s easy to lose weight is a complete liar. They annoy me as much as people who moan about not being able to put on weight. It’s not easy to dig your old sports gear from the back of your wardrobe. It’s certainly not easy to watch that standing order leave your bank account once a month. But the biggest challenge of all, when you actually get into the gym, is seeing people who are so much thinner than you already.

For me, I put the blinders on. Like a horse galloping to victory, I huff and puff away on the cross trainer, focusing on anything but my wobbling thighs and sweaty brow.But most of the time, relying on my psychological horse blinders is difficult. So I turn, as a lot of people do, to the magazines- and herein lies my biggest mistake.

For all my good intentions (perhaps if I’m reading Marie Claire, I won’t realise how long I’ve been running! And it hides the calorie counter on the machine, so the next time I look it’s shot up to 250 and I feel that Kit Kat I ate before I came is now justified) I always end up staring at pictures of beautifully thin girls. I try to avoid them, focusing on articles about war and current affairs, but I can’t escape them. Even the adverts show women casually modelling taut abs and skinny arms.

It’s demoralising. Especially if you then catch a glimpse of yourself, sweaty and red, in one of those massive wall mirrors men use to ogle themselves whilst doing their weights. It’s like Return of the Swamp Creature, but with fitness apparatus instead of a submarine.

The next time I go to the gym- which will hopefully be tomorrow morning, but will probably turn out to be next week- I am not taking a magazine. I will not be sucked into the confidence-knocking void of street style pages, what celebrities wore to award shows or how Kim Kardashian lost a load of weight but still managed to get away with eating a cake every day.

It will be just me, a treadmill, my iPhone and…the Ricky Gervais podcasts. No, seriously, here me out. They say laughter burns calories. So you may look like a crazy woman, laughing on your own whilst jogging for 20 minutes, but you might as well enjoy yourself while trying to lose weight.

At least that’s my theory…wish me luck!

It’s the New Year and one of the most common resolutions out there is the promise to join a gym, eat healthy or lose weight.

If it wasn’t bad enough the rest of the year that we have this pressure to keep in shape, then why does it seem to triple at the turn of a year…

We sit back and watch our favourite personalities publicly scrutinize themselves to the media… and if they’re not doing it themselves, the media will happily take over and do it for them.

It’s bad enough that we feel constant pressure to keep trim when we’re comparing ourselves to these airbrushed sorts (and even though we know that, it doesn’t stop us dreaming to look like it). So when you have the likes of Imogen Thomas tweeting that she needs to lose 3 ounces, it does make us feel like maybe we’re not taking our weight loss seriously enough!? With a body like that, it’s just making those that might actually need to shed a few pounds, feel bad, while ultimately making herself feel better because let’s face it, she’s going to get told she “doesn’t need to lose weight” or that she has a “beautiful figure” because she has… and she knows she’s not a ten ton Tessy. So results in her literally getting the praise she set out to receive from the www. Well done.

Imogen's Twitter updates last year...

Don’t get me wrong, picture diaries are very handy when wanting to see a change in your shape or size when sticking to a healthy eating and workout plan. But if you REALLY have a issue or hang up about your body, you certainly would NOT post it on Twitter, LEAST of all when you have nearly 235,000 followers! Which leads me to think that this is purely an attention seeking ploy to get herself in the papers. Again. Well done.

Her last tweet said:

 “I’m sorry if my ‘weight photo’ made ppl angry. I didn’t mean to- I have some body issues. Hope u all have a lovely day xxx” @Imogen_Thomas

I’m sorry Imogen, but if you have “issues” as you say, and they really were issues, you’d be keeping them to yourself. You can see that your weight updates are bothering people, so the simple answer here, is, stop doing them. You really don’t need to prove anything to the public. They can see your gorgeous, without you pushing for compliments.

Now please stop posting naked pictures of yourself, because we’re struggling to come to terms with the fact that your hot and we’re, well…not (right now).

Some things catch your attention for all the right reasons and ESPRIT’s new Christmas campaign, for me, is one of them. I first saw it while in Brussels last month and have recently started spotting the ads popping up all over London too. The campaign centres on wishes and what we would each wish for – for ourselves, for one another, for the human race and for the world. ESPRIT is inviting everyone to make their wishes, share them on the website and in February a jury will decide on the five winning wishes then take steps to make these a reality. This has the potential to be a hugely powerful campaign and wishes from all over the world have already flooded in.

One man’s wish is to have his book published. Another is for her parents to have eternal happiness. And when you really think about it if you had one wish would it be to be a trillionaire? Or to have sexy time with Tommy Bowe? (Actually mine probably would be). As much as we would all like those things they wouldn’t change the world or the lives of many and I imagine more people would wish for lifelong health and a fairer, safer world over material belongings such as an iPad2 or a Lamborghini Gallardo or even wishes relating to vanity like a smaller waist and thinner legs.

There are tonnes of things I would like in my life but my one wish would be for everyone to realise their greatness and potential and to become who they are meant to be. My second wish would be to do the Dirty Dancing lift with Ryan Gosling  à la Crazy Stupid Love. Wow.

I’ve submitted mine. Now it’s your turn…  www.esprit.com

1) Cosy cardigans, hats and ear muffs!
As the wind gets harsher, the roads get icier and there is more often than not even a hint of a snow storm, this can only mean one thing: it is time to layer up! The bikinis and lovely summer dresses that us women spent all of summer fake tanning ourselves to look nice in, can now be put to the back of the wardrobe and be replaced with the likes of a wonderful, thick, comfortable cardy, a bobble hat and a pair of fluffy ear muffs if gets really cold. There is no greater comfort than the cosiness of warm clothes, so snuggle up in them during the coming colder months.

2) Winter Food
Pies, parsnips and Sunday roasts are just a few of the delicious winter treats on the menu that can be enjoyed as the temperature starts to drop.

3) The best TV of the year
With both X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing battling it out on screen to be at the top of the ratings list, not to mention the up and coming Christmas specials and films – who needs to paint the town red on a Saturday night? It is time to cosy up on the sofa in your PJ’s and enjoy the epic , winter TV season.

4) Hot Chocolate (with marshmallows)
You can’t drink one of these in the summer (without looking like a weirdo) so make the most of it! The weather usually starts getting colder from around October onwards, so head to the shops and buy a sachet of either the fair trade or Cadbury’s hot chocolate, boil the kettle and add some marshmallows for the best result!

5) Hot Water Bottles (and a nice warm bed)
If your bed is a feeling a bit cold due to the decrease in temperature, do not fear – hot water bottles have been warming beds for many years and are one of the greatest winter comforts. Several shops now even sell microwavable animals that can do the trick just as well – you simply put them in the microwave for a minute (and seriously no longer – the results are traumatising) and then take them out to reveal a warm, snugly, cute little creature that will warm your bed up in seconds. Aww.

6) Snow days
With our increasingly changing climate meaning that the winters of the last 3 years have had large snowfall amounts widespread and very low temperatures; we can probably expect some more snow in the months to come (especially if rumours of this ‘big freeze’ are anything to go by). Snow, it has to be said, can be a pain in the backside but it does however mean that we tend to get a day (or two) off school and as travelling from A to B starts to become slowly impossible, what better excuse to stay inside all day and do nothing but watch TV? Or, if you are feeling really energetic, then venture outside with a carrot and a bobble hat and make a snowman. You’ve got to love a bit of snow, you know.

7) Baking
Whether you are baking mince pies, a Christmas pudding, or just some homemade bread, with all that biting cold air outside what better time of year is there to take shelter in your warm kitchen and get your culinary juices flowing?

8) Social Events With Christmas drinks, parties and New Year celebrations- winter holds all the exciting annual events that you can get dressed up for and look forward to.

9) Mulled wine, winter cocktails and sherry (you know, for Father Christmas…)
Tis the season to be jolly, so have a little head start with some wonderful winter bevvies.

10) CHRISTMAS
Best time of the year. Enough said really.

Katy Archer, Lifestyle Writer

It might be a little late for my analysis of the differences in these shows, what with one being finished and everything (sorry, SPOILER ALRERT!) Now that we all know Little Mix have added their names to the list of X Factor winners-  such as Leon and Steve (those memorable faces!), thoughts turn to Strictly, X Factor’s little rival that isn’t so little anymore.

In the past few weeks, ratings for Strictly have spiked whilst Cowell and Co stumble and falter on both sides of the Atlantic. What, then, is the secret of Strictly? What draws viewers away from singing teen idols and onto men in leotards?

I love a good list. Here are my reasons why Strictly is this years Christmas Star, versus X Factor’s Christmas Turkey.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (ish)
Every week on the X Factor, there’s talk of behind the scenes cat fighting between judges; Tulisa hates Kelly, Kelly hates Tulisa. Louis makes the same comments every week (‘You are the comeback kid!’, ‘You’ve got what it takes to go all the way’, ‘It wasn’t the right song for you.’) and Gary likes to gush about his acts even if they sounded like drowning cats.

On Strictly, everyone are friends! Everyone gets along! Even when Craig is being mean, he always gives constructive criticism. Bruno is like a man possessed, jumping up and down in his seat like an lunatic, arms flailing, head bobbing, and usually looking like he wants to get up and join in. Len is the king of the metaphor (‘If you’re not back next week then I’m a badgers Grandma!’) and Alesha…well, she always looks pretty, even if she doesn’t give particularly insightful advise. But half the fun is seeing her struggle to invent comments that aren’t ‘you looked very pretty, I like your dress.’ God help her if she went first, she wouldn’t have a clue if they were good or not.

Sexy men
If the sexiest man the X Factor could boast this year is a toss up between Frankie ‘I need a wash’ Cocozza, and Gary Barlow, then I think Strictly wins without much explanation needed. Just Google a picture of Brendan Cole in tight trousers.

Pretty dresses!
I LOVE SPARKLES!!

Tan-tastic.
A lovely, family friendly game can be played when watching Strictly. It’s called ‘THE TAN-O-METRE!’ Ola Jordan usually wins on a scale that starts with biscuit and ends with THE SUN.

Sparkly prize
Most of the time, the ‘winners’ of the X Factor get a number 1 at Christmas, if they’re lucky, and that’s about it. If they do go on to bigger and better things, they have to pay the X Factor a visit once a year anyway. Like a rash you can’t get rid of, the X Factor can haunt your career long after Dermot has announced you as the winner.

Not so with Strictly!! The people dancing are celebrities anyway, and most do it for a laugh. And the prize is a massive, sparkly disco ball on a stick. WIN!

Class vs Crass
Strictly Come Dancing is a class act. The live band, the classic dances, a bit of Bruce…it all adds up to a lovely evening of viewing pleasure. X Factor is the home of the sob story, the half naked dancers, the gimmicky acts from a certain member of the panel (we’re all looking at you Louis!)

No adverts
I hate interruptions during a good TV programme. They are annoying, especially at Christmas with all the strange adverts trying to get you to buy crap to put under the tree. There’s none of that with Strictly- the good old BBC see to that!

Brucey
Like marmite, you either love him or you hate him. And even if you love him, you’re begging he retires soon. But you have to admit, Strictly wouldn’t be Strictly without him. The puns, the catchphrases, the banter, the senior moments- all good, honest fun. X Factor have gone through so many hosts I can’t even name them all!

So all there is left to say, in the run up to the final this weekend is…keeeeeep dancing!

I’m a lover of art and I’m a lover of travel so my six day European trip last month to Antwerp, Brussels and Amsterdam proved to be the perfect combination of both.

My favourite piece of art is Damien Hirst’s ‘For the Love of God’ but it was while in Antwerp I discovered my second.

It screams heartache and desperation but it’s beautiful and the words are powerful. When I first spotted it I didn’t have my camera so traipsed back the next day, five companions in tow, to find and capture it. I love it. What makes it greatis my need to know more; who Benjamin is, what drove him to break the girl’s heart, is she desperate to get him back or is she wanting to seek revenge? Was it done one night under the shield of darkness or during the day for all to see? WasBenjamin mortified when he saw it? I wouldn’t be mortified, I’d be delighted unless it was done by a nutcase who you were never going out with in the first place. I want to know everything and that’s what makes it more than just words and sorrow. I want to know their tale of love and their story of breakup and heartache. The girl who wrote it may or may not be an artist but she created a beautiful piece of art; a piece of art I want and a piece of art I was determined to at least get a picture of. Art isn’t just about talent, skill and ideas. It’s about passion and emotions and the need for acknowledgment, good or bad.

Brussels and Antwerp are well kept, colourful cities combining the modern with the original seamlessly. Amsterdam however I cannot tell you much about, I smoked too much of the good stuff and fell asleep for the best part of a day and night. I’m sure they have lots of nice art there too though.

Lizzie Modla, Lifestyle Writer

This year has seen crafts becoming everyone’s new best friend. What with Kirstie Allsopp showing us how to do it every Wednesday (Kirstie’s Homemade Britain, Ch4). She shows that if you are interested in the craft world, or maybe just a little bit bored, you can make something out of anything. For instance, with a little bit of work and some paper, you can make a cocktail ring, or a beautiful handmade card for that birthday you forgot about.

But why not take it a little bit further this year…

With Christmas approaching and vastly tugging on our purse strings, crafts can completely alter that feeling of what to buy someone, or how to spend the least amount of money possible.

Got a scrap of fabric lying around, or maybe an old t-shirt? Sit yourself in front of the television and get sewing your own little hearts to make an original wreath for your front door. If you get bored on your lunch break at work, whip out the paper, fold and cut. We’ve all made paper snowflakes before.

Or how about this gorgeous looking cookie decorations. A perfect tree ornament, and even better if you are feeling peckish when wrapping up those presents.

Crafts made with love will amplify that homemade Christmas feeling. What are you making this year?

Sarah Connolly

He’s been called a creative genius, a visionary, an inspiring mentor and an amazing human being. Obama spoke of how he was; 

“Brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.”

On October 5^th that life changing man died.

All the news coverage during that week of his achievements and the kind words from fans and friends alike made the death of Steve Jobs even more heartbreaking. It got me thinking and it made me realise we need more people like Jobs and less like the cast of Geordie Shore.

Mankind needs people with drive and direction and the desire to be great, to make something of themselves and to change the world, to make life a bit easier and a whole lot more enjoyable. Steve Jobs was that man and there are millions more out there who have the ability and potential to mirror his success.

During his inspirational Stanford commencement speech in 2005 Jobs said these morbid but very true words about death;

“It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.”

We are the new. Jobs said it himself. Don’t live a life that gets cleared away without a second thought. We are who and what will make a difference if we want ourselves to. It’s possible. And it’s ok if you don’t have a dream or path right now, we’re not all born knowing what we want to do or what we will become. Mary Schmich, the writer of that famous article about wearing sunscreen put it very reassuringly when she said

“Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.”

Good to know because I didn’t feel passionate or half decent at anything until about eight months ago and I’m still not sure I’m on the right path but I’m trying and I’m keeping the faith and so far it’s going well. I’m starting to reap the rewards and they’re hugely satisfying.

I’m an enormous believer that you’ll get to where you need to be when you need to be there. We all will. Life is crap sometimes, we all have our down days which are made worse by stubbing your toe or realising you left your glasses at work and you can’t see the TV. Or worse again when you get home and there’s not a trace of chocolate in the house. Hell. But the good days far outweigh the bad ones and if they don’t make changes because they should.

You don’t need a PhD, a Masters or even a degree to be successful (Steve Jobs himself and Richard Branson are testament to that) and you don’t need money to make a difference. All you need is a good head on your shoulders and belief that you’ll get there. You’ll undoubtedly get knocked back a few times and think it’s all over but that will make your eventual success all the more sweeter because, without wanting to sound cheesy and American, you kept going and you didn’t give up. You wanted to show the world what you could do.

Don’t be a Winklevoss, be a Zuckerberg. Get there first and be the best. You can get there second and be even better if you want. Bow out gracefully when needs be and keep the lawsuits to a minimum. Be dignified. Do what would make your mum proud and become what you are worthy of being.

We are the difference. We are the next Steve Jobs. He deserves to know his legacy has been left to like-minded dreamers and go getters when he’s given us the world as we know it.

Would you be friends with Mark Zuckerberg? Would you be friend number 800,000,001?

I’m obsessed with the story of Facebook’s history; I’ve seen the movie, read The Facebook Effect as well as the book the film is based on. I’m a complete Wikipedia demon when it comes to the achievements of Mark and his co-founders. It fascinates me that a young man of twenty one was able to create such a monster of an empire and he, with no prior experience or knowledge, became CEO and President of this company and did it so well. Not without the help of others he was (incorrectly) crowned the world’s youngest billionaire. BILLIONAIRE. My God that’s a lot of money for anyone to have let alone a guy in his early 20s. I’d love a billion dollars. What’s encouraging is that it all started from an idea and we all have ideas, we have tonnes of ideas everyday. Facebook’s co-founder Dustin Moskovitz is actually the world’s youngest billionaire; he’s eight days younger than Mark giving Mark the number two spot.

Anyone who has seen the film or knows the story is aware that Mark Zuckerberg screwed over the Winklevoss twins and their friend Divya Narendra. Whether he actually did or not remains to be seen but he had to pay them $65million in damages which would suggest he did. After he screwed them over he then screwed his friend Eduardo over who was there with him from the start and who without there would be no Facebook and where would we be without Facebook?! Now, if I stole someone’s idea and I was in the same position as Mark was my mum would be so disappointed in me and I’d be pretty disappointed in myself. She’d sit me down and tell me to tell the truth and then give me the cold shoulder for a significant amount of time. I’d probably end up just telling the truth as the cold shoulder from my mum is not for the faint hearted, it’s hard work.

He’s sly, he’s shrewd and possibly a thief but he knows his trade and he’s doing extremely well for himself and for others involved.

So, would you befriend or work for Mark Zuckerberg, TIME Person of the Year 2010? Could you ever trust him? Trust him with your words, ideas, job or friendship? By all accounts he treats his employees well and it would be inspiring to work for such a controversial and world renowned company but could you do it? Would he lure you in to steal your ideas á la the Winklevoss years? He’s supposedly stolen intellectual property before, what’s stopping him doing it again? Are there really no friends in business?

I’d love the chance to work with Zuckerberg and witness his mind functioning but I wouldn’t like to be taken advantage of in exchange for his friendship or a job. Taking all the pros and cons into consideration I probably would be friend number 800,000,001 but I’d keep myself to myself, give nothing away and observe from afar. Having said that he can steal whatever idea he likes from me if I get $65 million for it – CHA CHING. The sly genius.