Not such a good day afterall.

I've bored my flat mates with this so now I'll bore you with it too.

I thought today would be a brilliant day, feeling refreshed after a weekend at home and Paris only days a way, I was feeling good when I got out of bed.

That was until I screwed up my credit check for my new Blackberry in Carphone Warehouse by giving them the wrong billing address. Then in my attempt to make my self feel better about spending £100 on clothes at the weekend, I took back three gorgeous things to Topshop and in return have made myself feel even worse.

Why did I even take them back? Yes I get my money back but then I don't have the pretty things to enjoy. What's money if your not actually going to spend it on the things that make you happy. I actually want that jumper.

Annoyed at this and the fact I'm stuck with this stupid, battered phone for another month I headed right for the Krispee Kreme shop which actually made me feel better, however only momentarily. Krispee Kremes I might add are actually amazing, but really quite expensive. The £1.20 i spent this afternoon on one however was definitely worth it.

Although I took a few bits back I also swapped one of them for some shorts that I thought were lovely in Topshop, when I got home and tried them on again though I'm wondering if it was the right move. They are pretty but not worth the price, I still want the jumper which leads to the fact tomorrow I am taking them back and re - buying the pretty jumper.

God, I am literally the worst person to shop with - I am too fussy, I worry too much about the price of things and I cannot make decisions to save my life. Pretty much every time I go shopping I will take something back, either because I changed my mind or decided it's too expensive. 

I honestly wish I had enough money to have it all, even if I was only going to wear something once I would buy it if I could afford to. Which leads me to my other point - I need a job! I miss the days where I didn't have to worry about money or the price of things and know that I wasn't going to run out.

I gave that up when I decided to be a student though and I knew it would be like this. The funny thing is I know that come the summer I have a job waiting for me at home, regular, reliable and good pay but there's another decision do I go back to what I know and what I expect? Or do I wait it out here until something crops up and try something new?

Okay, So I've just discovered Sex and the City!

This may come as a suprise to a lot of people, but last night I watched Sex and the City for the first time ever! Okay, so I've seen snippets from the series but I have never actually sat down and watched it properly.

So last night I went straight in at Sex in the City 2 the movie and I actually loved it. Hence the inspiration for this blog. I was absolutely fixated from start to finish by the glamorous lifestyles of the four main characters, Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda. I just loved the witty comments, the flirting and the comical scenes!

Okay so the main character's are much older than I am and therefore there's no way I can relate to the situations in the film, I mean I know don't know anything about, marriage, children and careers, although I'm quickly learning about the latter. They are all meant to be in their 40's and 50's aren't they and I'm 19!

I don't think though, that that is such an issue with this film. It's more a case of looking up to these woman and the whole aspirational idea of wanting to be them when I'm that age. I'm not saying however I want to be Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City because she's absaloutely amazing.

Though I kind of am. I mean, she's writes for Vogue and has had books published - oh hello dream job. The other thing of course, look at them all! They look amazing for middle age right, if I look like that at 50 I'll be pretty chuffed.

In Sex and the City 2 in particular they just give this idea of a totally glamorous lifestyle that most people can only dream about. Carrie has her perfect apartment with Big, oh and that other apartment she never got rid of. Not to mention of course the thousands of pounds worth of pure vintage clothing - in both apartments!

The next thing of course Charlotte Jones is whisking herself and her friends away to Abu Dhabi in the middle east first class to an absolutely unbelievable hotel with their own bar and butler each. Living the life of luxury right - dinner reservations, personal cars and butlers, camel rides and strawberries and champagne in the middle of the desert? Can't be bad.

I can't go with out mentioning Samantha's hilarious care-free character. She's in her 50's, does anything she can to stay young and is quite honestly sex - obsessed. Her character brings such humor to the film and in turn her sexual nature in gets the girls in trouble causing an early return to New York.

Okay I don't necessarily want to be like the girls but it's nice to imagine it now and then. The film really is glamorous, inspiring and I actually loved it - especially as Carrie is a writer!

I will definitely have to watch more - seeing as I jumped straight to the last one however I might be watching slightly in the wrong order but somehow I don't think that matters with Sex and the City!

A little bit of direction.

After rushing to get the train from my lecture this afternoon whilst juggling my suitcase and two bags, I was hot, flustered and very stressed. I hate journeys.

As I settled in to my seat with my iPod however, I realised it isn’t journeys I hate it’s the stressful situations I manage to put myself in. Like allowing 15 minutes to get from Uni to the station, collect my tickets and find my platform. Oh and that’s all after I forget the reference number to actually get my tickets and therefore having to ring a flat mate at home and get them to access my emails to get the number!

Sitting on the train on your own, hearing only the music from your earphones is like you are somewhere else. As I watched Southampton disappear behind me I was thrown in to my thoughts – it’s like being in a movie.

Come on, admit it we’ve all sat in a car or on a train watching the world pass by and imagined we were part of a movie, travelling far away from all that we love – or something to that affect.

Well anyway, my point is when your sat on the train with just music and your thoughts for company, you get thinking. A year a go I could never have done this. This being travelled from one place that I feel I belong to another – home!

I had nowhere else like that to go. Nowhere that had a point I mean. Now though, there is a point, a point to my life and all that I do – a feeling I have been waiting for.

I was between phases a year ago, not quite sure what it was I was looking for but knowing there was something. I worked 5 days a week and lived for the drunken weekend nights – that’s what really kept me sane, nights with the girls and a bottle of wine.

I’ll keep this one short because I’m on the train and just one stop away from mine! My life and myself are completely different to this time last year and that’s because I know who I am and where I am going. I have that direction I was looking for. 

Love, Virtually - Review

Work we did in our 'Writing for the multimedia' seminar: 

Love, Virtually.
When I sat down to watch a show about online dating I thought it might open my eyes a little, oh how wrong I was.  Love, Virtually a 30-minute dramatised documentary aired on Friday July 23^rd 2010 at 7 O’clock in the evening on channel 4. 

Actress, Claire Wood plays Marie Claire blogger and 30 year old singleton, Lucy Robinson. The documentary follows Lucy on her journey of meeting potential partners through the exciting world of online dating. Lucy’s regular updates about her progress, setbacks and embarrassing dates set the plot, in which I’m sure you are expecting something quirky, comical and trashy TV like that we all love.  

The show begins with the struggle of a task of setting up your online dating profile. Knowing what to write is difficult, you don’t want to lie but you don’t want to sound boring and undesirable do you? Lucy then waits for me to “drop in to her inbox.”

Lucy goes on several dates, some unsuccessful and some ending in heartache. Through Claire Wood, the real life blog documenting Lucy’s dating life is re lived. Showing the truth about online dating, the men that lie, the fact that is most men remain single on their online profile even after starting a relationship. Something that they probably don’t think twice about but for women we all know, it’s the little things that matter. Lucy owns up to Facebook stalking, probably reflecting actions of half the Facebook population – lets not lie now. 

Although the truth that can be pulled from a lot of what Lucy discusses, Claire Wood makes a poor attempt at portraying a real life blog successfully. Her bad acting makes the whole 30 minutes look un – realistic, staged and a bit of a cringe. We know she isn’t the woman that wrote the blog but isn’t that what an actress is supposed to do? Get in character.
Initially the documentary grabbed my attention and I started to learn about that world of online dating and how real men and women can actually find love through the cyber world. According to channel 4, in 2010, 7 million people signed up for online dating and between them had 12 million dates, which shows that there is an increasing market for online dating.

However after 10 minutes in, the poor acting soon caused a loss in interest and I ceased to learn anything more. At this point I could have easily switched off and never thought about Lucy Robinson and her blog again. As for Claire Wood, choosing to watch anything with her in would be a huge mistake.

I strongly believe the blog itself is a compelling and inspiring read but with the acting throughout this show ruins these this and in no way helps to sell the blog. Claire Wood has done Lucy Robinson no favours at all. Channel 4 should be ashamed to air something of little intellect and disappointing acting when their documentary’s more commonly have such value and worth.

Love, Virtually may inform you of the ins and outs of the world of online dating but through a poor and disappointing display that is a waste of any ones time and effort, what a complete fail. 

Here is the link - you might not agree with my thoughts - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnikXEonqlg  

Quote...

I found this quote from the late, American poet, novelist and short story writer Sylvia Plath I love the truth in it:

"And by the way, everything in life is writable if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." 
- Sylvia Plath, 1932 - 1963

Paris, you inspire me.

I think  being able to blog about absolutely anything, is harder than being given one particular thing to write about. If you think about it, anything gives you way to much choice and it overwhelms you a little.

So instead of sitting here for even longer than I already have debating what to write I will say just one thing and let the photos say the rest: "Hello Paris." 

If you have to cry, go outside: Kelly Cutrone

In March’s issue of Company I read an interview with Kelly Cutrone. For the last few days I have been lacking inspiration, but this article seemed to motivate me.

Kelly Cutrone is a fashion publicist and star of The Hills. The article basically offers straight to the point, no messing around career advice for the readers of Company. The article offers this advice through comical stories of ‘drinking on the job’ and other mistakes that Kelly herself has made throughout her career.

I like the way that she heavily implies you have to make mistakes to get anywhere in life. It’s true though isn't it? No one does things perfectly right the first time. The best way to learn, is to do it wrong the first time, learn from it and get it right the second time…or at least closer?

Through the feature, I get the impression that Kelly is a no-nonsense kind of woman. The kind of person that would probably scare most young woman to death, but someone you would learn hell of a lot from.

Clearly as now an employer she knows the qualities employees should have, she mentioned in particular a simple quality of being able to take a telephone message, in which the article quoted: “So many new employees arrive in my office with a degree in Communications, but without the skills to take a phone message. I tell them to go back to university and ask for a refund.” Something that initially made me laugh, but don’t you think that when you are young and fresh-faced employers almost expect you to be enthusiastic but useless? This left me thinking about what I will be like when I actually venture out in to the world and it isn’t just sales assistant jobs I am applying for.

Something that Kelly also mentions in the article is travel. She says how she has learnt more from traveling, in particular to, India, Bali and Korea than anything else. Most people I know that have been traveling, to various different places in the world tell me time and time again: “It’s the best experience you will ever have.” Kelly says in the article: “If your scared about it ask yourself “What is it I’m really nervous about?” To see if it’s a reasonable fear.”

Travelling is something that for the past few years has been on my mind, but I have never done anything about it. So I have asked myself what it is that I am scared of? I don’t think it’s necessarily a case of being scared. I’m not scared of leaving home – I came to University and knew no one. I’m not scared of flying, being alone, being so far from home, the unknown. I think it’s more a case of money. So maybe that is a fear? I’m scared of not having enough? Or at least having enough to get there, but not to live, enjoy and get back again. It always comes back to money.

As well as that, I don’t feel the time has been right yet. Yes, I took a gap year but I spent that time working and saving for the next phase of my life: University. I feel the time will come, I will go travelling and I will see all the amazing things I have yet to only hear about.

The world is full of opportunities, Kelly Cutrone should know. Opportunities, I am yet to discover. For now I will await the arrival of Kelly's book: "If you have to cry go outside: And other things your mother never told you."

A need for change & excitement!

Before I came to University i couldn't wait to get away from home and for the first few months it was full excitement, new things, new experiences and new people.


Now however, the novelty has warn thin a little and now I can't wait to go home, spend a night in my own bed, have my mums cooking, maybe be spoiled a little and see all the faces that I miss a great deal.


Before University, I was stuck in a rut of continuous boredom and nothing ever happened to shake it up. That was until I moved here and obviously everything changed and that was exactly what I needed. I've learned now though, that boredom and a longing for change follows you everywhere.


I seem to need constant change, something I used to hate when I was younger, but I've learned that about myself. I need change and variety or I simply get fed up. Maybe I feel this way at the moment because I'm a little bit fed up of certain things, and I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend at home.


I think my love for Uni will come back soon. The fact I am going to Paris, during fashion week with all the Journalism girls at the beginning of March is definitely a reason to be excited. Something to shake up the normal, right?


Think it's just a case of feeling sorry for myself and having a lack of inspiration and motivation. Tomorrow is another day...

I blame it all on rainy days and broken umbrellas.

It would seem today is one of those days where everything goes wrong. Despite the fact I actually woke up in a really good mood, it just went down hill.

It's the small things like, you open the fridge and the butter falls out, you start to boil the kettle without realising it isn't even turned on at the wall, you pick your straighteners up by the hot bits and burn your finger - which incidentally really hurts. Then when you brave the pouring rain and wind, your umbrella blows inside and out and you get soaked.

By this point I definitely figured the best thing was to go back inside and try and have a constructive day of work, before I fell over in the park or got hit by a bus or something. 


So here I am,  my work scattered around me. Five potential news stories waiting to be written, except I have no quotes, I have no interviews and I am waiting on about five different people to email me and agree to let me write something about them. 


Don't get me wrong, I probably sound like I am moaning about the career I am heading towards but that's not really what I am doing. The thought of actually writing something and having people read it excites me, I guess that's why all of a sudden I am actually keen to keep this blog going.


So if I'm not moaning, what am I doing? I think just worrying to be quite honest. I am so scared of writing rubbish news stories, and so worried about ruining by degree that it's actually having that effect on me, what I am writing is rubbish because I think it is.


The other issue of course is that I can't stop coughing and sneezing and it is pouring with rain and therefore I am sat at home in stead of out researching my stories. There is only so much the internet can provide you.


I know all I need to do is just go and do it. So please Mr Weather man, make tomorrow a happy day?
I definitely blame weather for ruining peoples days and good moods. It's amazing what a little bit of sunshine can do. The summer cannot come quick enough, sunny days, long evenings, beach days, picnics, BBQs. The things that make summer! 


So while I sit here however and look at the rain beating against all the little windows of the halls of residence, motivation and enthusiasm is really difficult to find. Yet I am still so enthusiastic about the future and what it actually is I want to get to, but I have a long way yet and all these little hiccups and rainy days are just a few of many more to come.

I ♥ Tophop

 
 I walked in to Topshop today, just to have a little look and the truth is I wanted everything. Even more so when i saw the sale rail and all the gorgeous clothes that were hanging there calling my name.
   
Yet sale but still not so cheap, not when you pick up 8 items and spend about half an hour trying them on in the changing rooms, I was strong however and put everything back on the rail and walked away.


That is the thing about being a student, I'm sure your expected to keep up with the fashion, always look like you've stepped off a cat walk. At least that's what I see when I look at all the girls around the Uni campus and in the high street. 


How do they afford it though? We're all students right? Do they not eat? Do they not have a life? I can't quite understand it. If I didn't have to feed myself, enjoy myself and live I would look like the manikins in Topshop and River Island!
I have this thirst for clothes and fashion but it's one that I can't seem to satisfy at the moment. Sadly that comes down to the fact most of my money ends up being spent on food and you know, the things you need.


I am in love with colours of this season and worker boots. I must admit though, they were not my cup of tea to begin with but every day I walk around the city and see them on different girls - and i want them! The thing is though there are so many different types and styles of these boots, I'm a little bit overwhelmed and unsure of which ones I actually like.


It's become clear however, with the money situation I may have to take a rain check on the boots and wait and see what summer brings. The weather may actually get warmer - and then who wants to hide their feet in a pair of boots?



As i write this though I'm beginning to think to myself - Fashion is everywhere, just because you don't wear what the models are wearing and what Topshop says you should wear doesn't mean you don't have a fashion.


The world is full of so many different people and every single one of them is a different person. Yes - i admit i love the fashion that magazines say you should be wearing but there's probably someone not so far away from me that hates it. That's not to say however, they don't have style. They probably wear what they want to wear from the shops they want to shop in. So who's to say they don't feel fashionable just because their clothes are not from the likes of Topshop?


My point is everyone has their own fashion and style ideas, and when people may think someone else dress sense isn't fashion that's because it isn't their fashion. I don't think I need to elaborate too much about my ideas of fashion, just go Topshop if you have any doubts. Sadly however - I love it but I can't exactly warrant a shopping spree in there just now. 


You wait, when I'm earning the big bucks, I will be Miss Topshop. Until then, not so much.

Writing isn't just a skill it's a passion.

To  be a good writer you need passion. Not necessarily about the subject that you are writing about but just a passion for the words you put together and sentences you create.


Writing therefore is my passion. It's what is shaping my future. I mean, that's what I've based the next three years of my life on so if it isn't my passion then what am I doing in a three year magazine journalism degree?


There are probably people that question writing as a passion. It's just words right? A passion should be something that gets you angry or upset, makes you want to shout and scream and tell the world how you feel.


It doesn't make me angry, or make me want to shout or scream but it does make me want to tell the world, or at least show the world the way passion is expressed through words.


For longer than I can remember I've written stories, poems, articles and pointless mumble but that's what made me realise I want to write. You express how you feel and what you think without even realising.


Whether people see what you write or not, it makes things clearer in your mind and it all makes just a little more sense. Just a few words often say a lot.


I have put my passion to the test, is it just a passion or actually something I'm good at? I really do hope that a three year degree in Magazine Journalism & Feature Writing will bring out any talent I have because I am more than excited about the future ahead of me.


I never thought I would even make it to University. My parents never went, none of my close friends applied so I simply thought I wasn't the sort of person that went to University but how that changed.


With the first semester over and the second one well underway way I am determined to do well and make an impression. I want to stand out and I want to be noticed through my writing.

At the moment I am still trying to figure out how out of so many Journalism students, I am going to make any kind of impression.


It's my passion though right?