I was originally going to drop this as a feature on the Henri Lloyd collection that DJB is rocking but felt it’d use it to hype up something that we have in the works. I feel sometimes the site centres around Yang, DJB and I so I’m hoping this new idea that I came up will change things. Honestly love chilling with the Y&Y family – we’ve all got such diverse backgrounds and career paths so the conversations are never dry. More on the reverse.

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We shot this for fun after the Angela & Vanessa Simmons interview in November. After a bit of persuasion, DJB got his model on. You can just tell he enjoyed it after a while as his poses improved, slightly.

I’ve added all the blooper photographs for your viewing pleasure. For some unexplainable reason, Eni and Tahirah struggled with throwing leaves into my shot. That was an impromptu idea to make the shoot more ‘Autumny‘. How do you think it turned out? Would you like to see more of the family?

FAIL.

Have you seen our Features section? It’s our favourite part of the site and definitely the most enjoyable to create – full of original content. We’ve released around 18 features since launching the Y&Y version 2.0 – have a gander at few of our favourites after the cut. We’ve got content ranging from interviews with Russell‘s nieces, Donald Glover to restaurant reviews to styling challenges and much much more. Hop on after the cut to see some of our favourites.

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Let us know what you would like to see more of!

Introductions have never been as straight forward as people make out, the science behind human interactions *sigh*.  Over the years I have become an expert at predicting and sidestepping awkward encounters, the art lies in knowing when to offer a friendly yet possibly awkward embrace, a firm handshake & confident eye contact or simply a cheeky grin and a wink (The latter proving unsuccessful from personal experience).

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With the ever evolving landscape of social interaction, how does one introduce themselves to an invisible audience *ponders…light bulb…problem solved* – I’ll introduce myself through my series of posts rather than bombard thee with facts.

Currently working as a Creative Technologist @ Burberry, I’m obsessed with technology (not obvious from my job title) and more importantly I’m an art, fashion and literature junkie (without sounding cliche). I been blogging from early ’11 on a personal and now deceased blog titled ‘Project Lost’ showcasing discovery of Art and Style through photography before contributing to Fashion New Outlet and PardonMyBlog

Where are my manners… Happy New Year Guys, I hope your having a more successful attempt at pursuing your resolutions than I have. Managing my workload & preparing for my trip to Japan next week has undoubtedly burned all the calories gained over the festive period

Why japan ? I hear you ask…well in addition to my interests I stated above I also have a condition so term ‘Otaku’

Otaku (おたく / オタク^?) is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video game

Stay tuned for discussion of Style, Art and the occasional rant about Japan :]

It wouldn’t be a Y&Y birthday post if there wasn’t a little bit of exposure! Thanks for all your efforts on the site, Happy Birthday From Yin&Yang Family!

Yin – *jumps into post* sorry I had to butt in and say that I had nothing to do with the imagery in this post. You’re definitely the hardest working member of the Y&Y team, everyone knows that so I dare anyone to challenge that statement. Let’s make 2012 ours, hope you have a great day! I’ll leave you with a song – click here.

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2011 was great. I’m sure 2012 will be even better. It presents us an opportunity to have a fresh start if we need one. Going to keep this one short and sweet – 2012 can be whatever you make of it. Talk less and do more. Came across this lovely bit of wisdom on Twitter via Tahirah – ‘Today everyone tends to forget though, that EVERY day presents the opportunity for a new start.’ Amen to that. Peace & love from the Y&Y family. We’ll be back to regular posting habits soon…

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We’re a family. Not just a bunch of WordPress nerds who sit behind a mac all day blogging away – we actually do meet up once in a while. Honestly, the family is so diverse, we have developers, designers, writers, critics, music aficionados, marketing execs and more. What brings us together? Our love for London and it’s booming creative culture. It’s been a glorious year, bring on 2012 already – time to up the game with the relaunch. New content coming your way! Hope on after the cut to peep a few hilarious photographs of the family.

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Best part of meeting up with the family? The talks, seriously, the topics that arise up in our meetings need to be filmed. The discussions, mixed opinions and the debates sparked from them = amazing. Who knows, maybe I’ll start filming them in 2012…

P.S. Tis a shame I’m not any of the photographs. However it’s my fault for not letting anyone else hold my new camera.

Don’t kill me. Caught DJB off guard. Look at that rage!

Amon looks like he’s praying!

Currently in the process of changing hosts. It’s been a long time coming, better to get it done sooner rather than later. Having a few issues with DNS and old hosting etc, will get back to regular updates as soon it’s all fixed. Follow our twitter for regular updates @yinnyangtweets

*cries* Welcome to adulthood. Hope you have an awesome blessed birthday! in fact I hope you’ve taken a day off to enjoy your birthday properly and I know you’re like me when it comes to birthdays ‘just another day’. This year I realised its much more than that. I’m not going to get emo and sentimental in this post, I’ll save that for another time. I actually tried to get in touch with Alexandra Burke‘s people but bleugh, I got aired nicely. Only you will know the photograph I used above, look closely haha. HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY!

‘Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had, and what you’ve learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.’ Click here

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Only a few more weeks left of Festival Season 2011 and we’re giving away tickets to next weekend’s Relentless Boardmasters festival in Newquay. It’s on a BEACH – that should be enough for you to book the Friday off work and head over to it. The tickets are already sold out so this is a great chance for you to win a pair of tickets. Why not escape from the city life for a weekend away whilst enjoying some GOOD music and sipping on some vitaminwater? They have been sponsoring Festivals across the nation this year. In fact I need some right now. Going to look for some dragonfruit flavour from Boots. GET IN MY BELLYAH. Details on how you can win the ticket on the other side.

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vitaminwater also have a photobooth set up at the festival where you can embrace your vanity, snap away and upload the photograph to Facebook straight away to make your friends jealous. Do it! Anyway for your chance to win tickets courtesy of the lovely people at vitaminwater then read on.

What you win:

2 x VIP adult weekend camping tix to Boardmasters Fri 12th – Saturday 13th August, 11 Fistral beach & Watergate Bay, Newquay, BA4 6QN

What you have to do:

1. Like the Y&Y Facebook Fan Page and follow us on Twitter if you have an account.

2. Answer the following question correctly:

COMPETITION CLOSED

Terms and conditions:

1. vitaminwater are giving away 1 pair of tickets to Boardmasters which takes place from the 12-13th August, 2011 at 11 Fistral beach & Watergate Bay, Newquay, BA4 6QN
2. you have to like the Y&Y facebook fan page, follow the twitter* and answer the question correctly to win.
3. this is a competition for 1 pair of tickets to Boardmaster only, travel to and from the festival location is the prize winner’s responsibility.
4. by submitting your entry as outlined above you are giving your consent to be considered for this competition
5. each entry will only be used for the competition and will not be used for anything further without your prior permission
6. all submissions must be received by 5pm on friday the 5th August, 2011
7. we will contact the winner by 6pm on friday the 5th August, 2011
8. open to uk residents aged 18 and over
9. there is no cash alternative
10. any offensive tweets will be deleted from the comments and will not be considered in the competition
10. the promoter of this competition is beverage services limited (glaceau), 1 queen caroline street, london w6 9hq

Before we start, I recommend you read my post from last year –  click here. Adulthood has slapped me straight in the face in the last 2 months. I believed last year was my coming of age, quite funny how wrong I was. I feel I’ve grown up a lot since then, clearly changed my perception of the world and direction. My outlook on life is a hell of a lot different. Goals? Still the same. More on the reverse.

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I mentioned last year how I would do everything in my power to make my family proud – truly blessed to be able to do just that in the past 12 months by graduating with a 2.1 and starting my first job straight away. Till I buy them a house and provide them grand kids (not anytime soon!), my work here is incomplete.

I have lost a lot of friends in the past year, some of it down to final year and my busy-ness. People failed to understand why I was busy. Another lesson for me – relationships are key, they should always come first. So for the past few months, I’ve done my utmost best to catch up with friends. A lot of my older friends will always be there, I know that for sure though our interests are completely different nowadays. On the other hand, I have made some great friends and have managed to decipher who my friends are amongst my many acquaintances. All of them are smart, passionate and driven, three things I most admire and am inspired by. You know who are. Surround yourself with people who push you to work harder.

I gave up alcohol in November. That’s probably a significant accomplishment; the decision was sparked by something Jessie J said in our interview about basing your confidence on who you are, not off alcohol and drugs. I realised before every presentation, I’d drink. Heck I would even sneak a drink disguised as coffee into the class. I was far from an alcoholic but I liked the merry-ness to give me the extra bit of confidence whilst presenting. Other than that, I drank socially. Why do we have to? I don’t like the taste. Just a silly social requirement, a lot of people suffer from alcoholism as they use it as a means to forget their troubles for a few hours. Cost? It’s expensive, troubles will still be there and the paralysing hangover. Worth it? Nope, no thank you. Imagine seeing yourself drunk? I don’t think many people would enjoy that sight. Ha I’ve just gone and made myself sound like a bore but trust me, I’m having so much more fun sober.

Last but by no means least, I need to give a shout out to HER. She who has stuck by me for the past 10 months as I’ve gone through times of trial and tribulations – challenge after challenge. She who has inspired me through her love. I don’t want to get cheesy on here though. *sends 3 worded text*

So what’s next for Yin? Let’s just say I’m in for my most exciting year yet. You’ll see the fruits soon.

p.s. One photo from each month of the the past year. Clearly still refining the art of healthy narcissism.

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