Laura

Your new late-night spot is here. - Laura

All your artisan food favorites are now online in one place. - Laura

Sometimes it’s really challenging to be courageous. When you can’t predict the outcome, it can be scary to put your neck on the line, be vulnerable, or take a leap of faith. But the second part of being a true leader is demonstrating courage. “One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with [...] - Laura

Today I am so pleased share this interview with Bailey Schneider, well-known radio and tv personality! She is well known in Johannesburg, South Africa as a radio presenter on 94.7 Highveld Stereo. She also voices adverts for radio and television, corporate videos and animation and does work as a presenter and emcee. Bailey blogs over at Vanilla Blonde where she shares snippets of her personal life and all the things that make her sparkle! Take it away Bailey… What I… KNOW I know that being happy is a choice – life happens to each and everyone of us. Good things; bad things and it’s how we choose to deal with them that molds who we are and builds our strength and characters. There’s a reason I’m called Little Miss Sunshine – it’s because I choose what affects me and what doesn’t. I know ... Ensure you don't miss any posts, sign up to receive a daily email from Becoming you in your inbox here. - Laura

Before I even begin to write about North End Grill I want to come clean....I am a huge fan of Danny Meyer. He is not only a brilliant business man he is a nice guy, great father and wonderful husband.... - Laura

Good morning shrinkers! If my calendar is right, today is Wednesday and that means it’s a weigh in day. It might be a check in day, if you are one of those lucky people who are already at your goal weight. It is hard to believe that there are only two weeks left in this [...] - Laura

It’s time for an exercise in caffeinated aestheticism. - Laura

If you are someone who knows anything about fashion you will by now be aware that it is currently New York Fashion Week! I have been keeping my eyes peeled to see which designer is speaking my style and finally came across my New York Fashion Week Favourite – Oscar de la Renta. His Autumn/ Winter 2013 range features pretty princess-style gowns which I love! Perfect for the upcoming Oscars, don’t you think??? Ensure you don't miss any posts, sign up to receive a daily email from Becoming you in your inbox here. - Laura

Boys! I’m sorry, but the bar has just been raised, and how! Just when you thought a bouquet of one dozen long-stemmed roses would be enough to win your girlfriend’s heart, some guy comes along and changes the rules. On Valentine’s Day yesterday, Xiao Fan got down on one knee and asked for the hand in marriage of his girlfriend Yin Mi. but it wasn’t just any other proposal, he took into consideration his girlfriend’s love of fashion and had a dress made of 9,999 red roses sewn just for her! This breathtaking feat took place at Guangzhou amusement park where they met three years ago when Yin was being crowned Miss Bikini 2009. This remarkable garment includes delicate rose-petal shoulder straps and a sweeping five-foot train made from individually stitched blooms. Yin paired the dress with a white shrug and a bouquet of yellow orchids, which symbolize love, beauty, and fertility. Dressmakers toiled endlessly to get this garment ready in time, and Yin Mi patiently waited as it was... - Laura

Rock Gods KISS – wild, hardcore, and just a little insane! Hello Kitty – cute, cuddly, and very very adorable. What do you get when you mix these two cultural icons? Yes, even I was a little terrified of what this unholy union is bound to produce. But one look at the released images and my mind is at ease. The result is a range of the most fierce and kitschy Hello Kitty yet. Four plush figures reimagine the four KISS band members, as they appeared on the jacket cover from the band’s Dynasty album. Kitty masquerades as each of the four members of the band, down to Gene Simmons’s long tongue. Sanrio and KISS also displayed key holders, cases, and other character goods. They plan to sell the Hello Kitty merchandise at the band’s concert venues, and the band is considering developing the collaboration overseas as well. The KISS and Hello Kitty collaboration merchandise make perfect gifts for that sweet girl with a hidden dark side; or maybe if your girl is just KISS fan! It is expected to... - Laura

Workstations have always had to live with the curse of being big, bulky, and ugly; a price they had to pay for power. But all that might change when people see the new sleek design of HP’s Z1 Workstation. HP claims that this powerful machine is the world’s first “all-in-one” PC with a 27-inch diagonal display. A revolutionary design, the display of the new HP Z1 Workstation snaps open so users can easily swap out parts and make upgrades without any tools required. The main attractions of the Z1 are that it delivers workstation class performance with NVIDIA Quadro graphics, ECC memory, quad-core Intel Xeon processors, tool-less chassis, high storage, 27-inch white LED diagonal display supports more than 1 billion colors, high-fidelity audio, high-definition webcam and HP remote graphics software and performance advisor. There are also different options for storage: 7.2K and 10K SATA, SSD, optional RAID configurations, removable drives, a multiformat media card reader and optical drives... - Laura

True beauty starts at the fingertips. - Laura

If you run your own business, chances are you’re not entirely a one-woman band. You may have staff, but even if you don’t employ anyone, you probably rely on a variety of other people to help your business succeed – […] - Laura

Do you love being the life of the party? (Translation: loud-mouthed and obnoxious). Do you love being the centre of attention and that guy who likes to get everyone worked up and in the party mood? Now you don’t have to wait to be a few beers down to start the fun! Let your Loudmouthed Talking Can Holder do it for you! This entertaining gadget clips “mug handle style” on the outside of a standard 12oz soda/beer can and acts as a handy handle for you to drink with. Once the beer holder is on tight, press one of the 8 buttons on the side of the handle to hear a hilarious sound effect. Each button makes a different sound. The different sound effects preloaded into the holder are Cheers, Ringing Bell Sound, Chug! Chug! Chug!, Irish Drinking Limerick, Beer Here…!, … Start Your Drinking!, Oktoberfest Music and Burp. The Loudmouthed Talking Can Holder also keeps your beer colder for longer. Whichever button you choose to hit, it is sure to result in a whole lot of laughter. Buy this... - Laura

Gamers everywhere are always on the lookout for the next best thing in gaming technology. Nothing is every powerful enough. No one understands this better than the computer manufacturers themselves. Origin PC has announced the launch of their new gaming laptop – EON17-X. Touted as the “world’s most powerful laptop”, the people from Origin are actually calling this a desktop replacement! This powerhouse of a machine features the latest Intel X79 chipset, 2nd generation Intel hexcore processors, and overclocked NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M graphics cards in SLI. It is also the first Origin PC laptop to feature a customizable backlit keyboard with two lighting zones. This laptop is marketed towards gamers, artists, enthusiasts, and professionals; but they will really have to be able to appreciate graphics and processing power above mobility and thickness. This laptop has a 17.3-inch screen with full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080, a thickness of up to 5 cm and a whopping weight of up to 5.5 kg.... - Laura

Ten winter bargains chill and thrill. - Laura

A modern, asymmetrical twist on a classic bun. - Laura

Kick the ponytail up a few notches. - Laura

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D therapy does not improve heart health in people with chronic kidney disease, a new study indicates. - Laura

Do watch the video where John Stewart and Samantha Bee discuss the right-wing take on women in the military. But can't the anti-feminists finally make up their minds what feminists really want about women in the military? On the one hand are the Ladies Against Feminism (as portrayed in the video) who argue that it's the horrible feminazis who are ruining men's war games by insisting that women be included. On the other hand are the weirder types of Men's Rights Activists (MRAs) who argue that feminists don't want equality because they don't push for women to be given combat roles and such. So what is it that we do? Destroy the military by insisting on women's participation or destroy the lives of certain types of MRAs by keeping women out of wars? Probably both. Multi-tasking, you know. - Laura

Go avant-garde or go home. - Laura

See your name in paper. - Laura

Thanks to UPrinting we’re thrilled to offer one lucky reader 250 Professional Business Cards – $54 – $64 value! UPrinting.com, a leading socially responsible online printing, marketing and technology firm, has established itself as a major player in the industry with its distinct vision and clear approach to helping small businesses grow. Features Include: 250pcs [...] - Laura

He studies well but makes silly mistakes. “She understands everything, what happens to her in exams?” These are the most common remarks that a teacher hears at parent teacher meetings. The reasons for these are lack of attention, lack of observation, lack of relaxation, no good role model, etc. They all probably play a role in contributing to the common problem. Everyone wants to get good marks. You also want your child to be No.1. But how can we do this? There are a number of qualities which your child must possess if he or she wants to succeed in - Laura

At CHICK we have had a common theme brewing beneath the surface. Fear. Or more specifically kicking fear’s ass. Fear incapacitates us, we freeze. We lose focus.  So how can we overcome this fear? Do we just punch it in its proverbial face? Do we ignore it? This month our Kick Ass CHICKs In Fiction [...] - Laura

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When Adele gave her Grammy's acceptance speech for "21" being awarded album of the year, for her, a solo artist - she had a pretty big team around her on the stage. There's no doubt that Adele dominated the awards that were given out - and each time she got up to accept one of her six awards she had different people to thank. From her doctors, producer, musicians, mother etc.etc she had a lot of people to thank for helping her achieve personal career success. It's great that she thanked them all. But what I like even more is that she acknowledged how the people around her had helped her learn about herself and be better as a result of their input. Whilst I, who sings flatter than the flattest tack is in awe of Adele and her abilities, it struck me that there is a real analogy her for business careers. So often we think we need to do it all ourselves. (Or is that just me?) But in fact, we do so much better work when we surround ourselves with an "A" list team. Be they mentors,... - Laura

My husband is a Church History professor and keeps a finger on the pulse of religion and culture in the media. Recently he showed me an op/ed piece from USA Today titled Religion and Science Aren’t Friends. read more - Laura

Pregnancy is a normal physiological process but often not free from aches and discomforts which are directly related to the biomechanical effects of the growing uterus along with the hormonal changes. The fact is also true that pain associated with pregnancy is a truly subjective phenomenon with a lot of factors affecting and modulating it. Cultural factors and social circumstances, age, fear and anxiety, personality, fatigue, expectations, and distraction from pain can affect how a female perceives pain and copes with it. As a matter of fact, all women (including the non-pregnant) in India are susceptible to back pain. It - Laura

As Somalia's transitional government and various stakeholders meet Wednesday to discuss the inclusion of the country's clans in the new government, women politicians have called for a greater role in the leadership of this East African nation. - Laura