To jog or not to jog...

Since I started my “wow-I-am-so-lucky-to-be-working-in-Monaco-job” last year, I gained 10 kilograms from sitting on my bum and doing nothing. I never had a corporate, sit-down job before and didn’t realize the consequences that mandatory sitting in front of a computer for 8 and half hours, plus 2 hours of train rides everyday and then sitting on my couch with my computer on my lap, could have on my waistline. Needless to say, the non-digested food got stuck somewhere between my waist and my thighs making me jump 4 sizes. Even Zara pants are becoming difficult to squeeze into despite the fact that their skinny jeans go all the way up to size 44 – although with that size “skinny jeans” are no longer considered skinny.

So, after failed attempts last spring to get my life in gear and lose weight, I decided to give it another try this time around in September. I am going to start jogging at least two times a week along Cap d’Antibes (not all the way through the coastline – for those of you who know the area, Cap d’Antibes is a pretty hefty distance) and do some ab and butt exercises.

My goal is to gain back my old silhouette in three months time. I haven’t decided how and if I should change my eating habits but I do have an iPod song list for my jogging (ad)ventures.

Bob Sinclair – Gym tonic
Yelle – Jogging
Jay Z – Dirt off your shoulder
The Drill – The drill

Sadly, I never get past the 4th song. My jogging is timed according to the duration of the song which means that if it goes on for 3 minutes, then I only run for three minutes. For now, that’s the best I can do but I do hope that my lung capacity will get better with time and lots of effort.

On a slightly happier note, the weather is still nice enough to dress as if it was the summer. So, here is Monday's work outfit.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in the magazine world. September issue of any fashion magazine is twice as thick as it should be due mainly to an unusual number of pages devoted to fashion spreads and ads. I always get so excited in September. This month – and please bear in mind that we are only half way into September – I bought a total of 15 fashion magazines, though I have a feeling that this number is going to increase considerably before the end of the month.

I am a self-confessed magazine junkie. I read anything I can get my hands on – starting with fashion magazines bien sûr to music, interior design, travel, politics and even those free airplane magazines that I sometimes forget to put back into the pocket of the seat in front of me.

My favourite September issue of all time – the one I long for with bated breath – is the September edition of American Vogue which, this year, sports a record-breaking 840 pages. What can I say? I loooooove Vogue. It is by far my favourite fashion magazine, though I am also fond of the French Jalouse and of course Elle.

When I first came to France three years ago and proudly purchased my first ever French Vogue, I was slightly disappointed to say the least. The only Vogue I ever knew was Anna Wintour’s American version and I always venerated that magazine as the fashion bible. When I discovered how drastically different French Vogue was from its American counterpart, I felt confused. Although American Vogue has a distinct style, even in terms of the fashion spreads, French Vogue is edgier, funkier, more rock’n’roll. I was disappointed because I realized that not all Vogues are the same but now, in retrospect, I’ve come to realize that it’s actually a good thing. It’s refreshing to know that wherever you go (wherever Vogue is available, that is) you'll always find something different.