Get Your Head In The Game

Cue revelation: I want to be an adman. Don Draper, but sassier (and in a pencil skirt).

So what have I been doing about this? How am I going to get my head in the game, work out exactly the position I want to go for and begin my first steps towards that garden of opportunity and creativity?

Once again I rang the bells of Google and my prayers were answered. I have discovered a HEAP of  advice on becoming the hallowed adman on various blogs:

AdMISSION

adgrads

adlads

Confessions of a wannabe ad man




I know a lot of people out there think, 'ok, so I'll get a degree and then get a job and my life will be sorted.'
Sorry guys but, WAKE UP!
You need more than just a degree to tell employers that you're an actual person that can do more than just complete assignments on time and work out their marker's weaknesses. It's no use applying for an art scholarship if no one has seen any of your work, why should a job be any different? What employers want is work experience and proof that you have drive, creativity and originality.

I've got a lot of drive, that is one thing I cannot deny. The originality part? Not so sure yet. So what I need to acquire now is the work experience and PROOF of originality and creativity.

Work experience: there are a number of advertising focused 'summer camps' that offer the opportunity to hone your skills and create contacts - once again Google (and IPA) helped me locate these.

In the meantime I need to get a portfolio underway. Some readers might be thinking at this point in time, 'woah, woah, woah! I haven't taken an ad course, I don't have a clue what I'm doing! How can employers expect me to come up with something that I've never even tampered in before?!'

This, my fellow wannabes, is your biggest mistake. You can do anything you want - if you want it enough.

 There are plenty of competitions etc out there that contain design briefs - even old, expired ones. You don't have to enter them into competitions (although there's no reason why you couldn't!), treat them as past papers and use them to build up a wedge of ideas that you could show to employers. 

'But why bother doing all of this now? I'm at uni - let me frickin' enjoy myself!' - of course you can enjoy yourself! Think about how much time you spend slothing around in your PJs, numbing your brain - you have so much more time than you realise. Believe it or not, companies want employees; and young people with fresh ideas are not exempt from being in this category. But without the work experience/ research in 2nd year, how will people know that you are one of those people? And you may end up wasting a lot of your third year in a state of panic.

Obviously, take my words with a pinch of salt - I'm not in the business, I'm a student who has just read a hell of a lot of blogs. There are other ways of going about things, and I'm learning something new every day.

To repeat my favourite expression:

You can be anything you want, as long as you want it enough. 

So chase that dream, readers, exceed other people's expectations, and most importantly exceed your own.

 Ciao! x

Wimbledon without Kirsten Dunst

So I was bimbling along the other day when I turned onto Capital FM to hear Seth Rogan and Lisa Snowdon having a grunt-off, Wimbledon style. Whilst chuckling along to myself at the double entendre a shocking realisation crossed my mind.

I was a failure as an Englishman, not only did I manage to avoid watching a single event in the Olympics that we recently hosted, but I have also avoided watching a single snippet of tennis this year.

I shall not start this entry on a false note, beyond the strawberries, champagne and Pimms, I have no interest in Wimbledon. It's shameful, I know. Wimbledon is something that seems to me stereotypically English, but despite that, I don't think I've ever watched an entire match that didn't involve Kirsten Dunst kicking someone's ass on the court. 

Wimbledon normally takes place during the time of year that everyone is either having or has had exams (in which case you normally find yourself still having to go into lessons with nothing to actually learn - something both you and the teacher tacitly recognise but only one of you will admit).

So during this period of the academic year we developed a  tradition, that every year we would watch Hollywood's interpretation of Wimbledon whilst sat on top of the tables. Due to this I can almost recite the entire film to you now. But do you know what? I'd watch it again - in fact I think I will after I've finished writing this.

Until next time, here's a list of my favourite things from this classic:

'If you say you're sorry one more time, you'll be sorry'

'er, sorry'

 Peter's agent - just everything he does really

Peter Colt's car (it's beautiful)

James McAvoy as the gambling addict

The old ladies at the tennis club

There are just too many hilarious moments for me to go into so, just watch it, ok?

Holland

This week I went to Holland on a Lacrosse Tour. The area we visited was called Rotterdam and despite the weather forecast predicting rain all week, the weather was blinding and fantastically hot.

My only regret of the visit is that we didn't get to spend more time in Amsterdam and experience the nightlife; I think it would have been pretty phenomenal! So the following post mainly talks of Rotterdam.

The nature of a sports tour is ofcorse to get drunk at every opportunity, a favourite passtime of mine, and such a state produced many realisations about the differences between the Dutch and the English. Here goes: 

1) English fashion is relatively whorey. 
A slight exaggeration maybe, but my point remains, when I was wandering through Rotterdam high street, despite the sweat-inducing temperatures, everyone was dressed very modestly. As a tourist, in my mini-shorts and cropped-top I felt pretty naked to say the least. The dutch people have a way of staring that made me change as soon as I got back to the hotel. Not in a pervy way, but a 'ew' kindof way. It seems strange that even though our country is colder, we wear less clothes in public - and even though Holland is slightly warmer than UK, the inhabitants wear more clothes in public and yet have a copious amount of naked health spas...





2) Jay-walking is a bad habit.
In London Jay-walking (crossing a road without waiting for the lights' instruction) is the only way you'll ever get to cross a road, but in Rotterdam and Amsterdam it's very much frowned upon. Does this mean that the English are more impatient? I don't know, one can only assume. Also trams - watch out for the frickin' trams!



3) The Rotterdamites work hard, not many play hard.
Amsterdam never really sleeps, however, Rotterdam seems to be asleep all the time. Most of the shops don't open until 11 and not a lot seem to stay out late. How do I know this? When in a large group, noise tends to escalate. We weren't being terribly loud in our rooms and yet there were several noise warnings issued about us, and multiple shouts out of windows to 'BLOODY GO TO SLEEP!' - it was only 11pm! Part of me just wanted to say, Chill, man....

Also, English students go out almost every night, or at least my uni does.... but the only night any studes were really about in Rotterdam was a Thursday, and by that time we'd all crashed anyway.


4) UK really needs to step up its architecture!
Rotterdam and Amsterdam had the most phenomenal architecture I have ever seen. I'm not normally a fan of modern builds, I usually prefer the classics, but the buildings in Holland were pretty awesome. Mainly because of the sheer creativity
and ingenuity involved in them.

4.40 am

We all like to write stories for ourselves. A dream in which we’re somebody else. One and the same; A Marilyn, a songbird with a mellifluous voice, the pen that inspired a generation of actors; I have been them all. Now, I peer around my heavy curtain to realise I have stayed awake until just before sunrise. But all of the world, apart from the rabbits in their dewy labyrinth, are asleep. It wasn’t my goal to stay up until tomorrow, but as I brush back the curtain, it feels as though it should have been – like this was the best idea I’ve had for months. To not fall asleep, unexpectedly, and immerse myself in a bed of stories…

 I look over the rim of my decadent glass; I see myself in the mirror. And as Eva sings of sunburnt hands I feel like I’m the heart-breaker. I am the girl shaped like a vase in a sequined dress, with a lunar complexion; the ‘most famous woman in the world’. But the vision disperses like confetti at an ill-timed wedding, and yet, most of me still wants the dream to be true. And a part of me believes it. 

On returning to my ruffled bed, wearing my striped duvet like a cape, I hope that I will dream of sweet nothings in my sleep, and I begin a silent argument to decide whether I remain awake until the sun soaks my irises, or not.

London Things

Whilst I may attend a 'University of London', it's not as close as you would think, so there are still many facets of the capital that I am yet to explore. Last weekend I expanded my knowledge of the city that little bit further. Close to my favorite place, the south bank, lies the London Aquarium, and so Prince Charming and I went on an underwater adventure.

With priority tickets at £21.33 you get a lot for your money if you consider the amount of maintenance required to look after the various fish and other creatures (oh yes - there's more than just fish!). If you're going to the aquarium I would definitely recommend buying online and going for the priority/ queue jump option, as the queues can get pretty huge; I still have nightmares of queuing up to go on the London eye, and let's face it, 'ain't nobody got time fo' dat'.

So once you've whizzed through the entrance and waved at all of the unfortunates who chose the wrong time to be spontaneous, you walk over a 'bottom-less' floor. For (not) the first time I got to pretend I was one of those millionaires with a glass-bottom boat in the Caribbean. This wouldn't have been quite so special if the first thing I'd seen wasn't a FLIPPIN' HAMMER-HEAD SHARK! I was a little excited...

So what kind of things do they have in this fascinating place other than SHARKS?
I was expecting something short of a large fish bowl with a few clown fish and tropical breeds that you'd see in pets at home. But I was pleasantly surprised, as you may have already gathered... 
They have rays, terrapins, huge amazonian fish, poison dart frogs and penguins. I'm a big fan of ugly fish - strange, I know - so the huge jungle fish were pretty cool (about 3 1/2 ft tall!), but for me the rays were one of the best bits. On entering the ray room you're presented with a large tank full of rays that wave their bellies at you through the glass.

 Please forgive the crappy quality - windows phones can only do so much (if you're thinking of getting one, don't).


And as if you need more reasons to go gawk at sealife and wonder how ugly they think we look, London aquarium has a whole section dedicated to Finding Nemo - what's not to love?

Is Gatsby a gaffe? (Part 1)

One of my favourite books is The Great Gatsby - it's decadent, it's set in the 20s and it focuses on a moody character who we spend the entire book trying to decode.

As I'm sure most of you are aware Baz Luhrman (director of Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge) has decided to sprinkle his magic over the book and make it into a film; and with a release date of only two days away (after being pushed back from December), I can honestly say I have been excited about it for MONTHS!


Christy Lemire criticises the film as 'all sparkle, no soul' - but is that really a bad thing? When I read the book I took from it that the reason Jay Gatsby isn't happy is because of the artificial and ostentatious nature it has adopted. Lemire writes that the presentation of Gatsby's parties is 'repetitive and ultimately numbing'. Isn't that the point?

As my soon to be owned t-shirt suggests, 'there aint no party like a Gatsby party'.

My interpretation suggests that Fitzgerald wants the reader to be disgusted by the lavish lifestyle that everybody in his city craves. The vougue-esque wardrobe of the film is the only wardrobe that would satisfy such a materialistic society as that which surrounds Gatsby and his profundity. Lemire claims that the book is symbolic of the American Dream and the film doesn't deliver. But what if it does? Fitzgerald attempts to reveal that when you finally drag that dream out from the mind's eye, you realise that in fact it was a nightmare. Like Daisy, like the expensive cars, like the luxury that swamps the pages, it is all just a hungry illusion; as Disney keeps trying to tell us, you can make yourself a beautiful world, but without your world, what is it worth?

Jay Gatsby has come from nothing and gained everything; or that's what we are led to believe. The 'deep' moments in the book inform the reader that in fact that is a load of bollocks. Like a lot of rich heroes he has lost the love of his life, and has very few genuine friends; ones that aren't in it for the champagne and to gain material for gossip. For no matter how much money Gatsby has, it's not enough to stuff the hole in his heart. So Luhrman's portrayal of a spinning world of parties, glitter and expensive dresses is meant to make us sick; so that the audience adopts an analytic view that sympathises with Gatsby, and not his garish guests.

But Lemire raises some good points; Daisy is an idealised character; that's what makes her so fascinating to her admirer. If Gatsby wants something, as previously mentioned, he gets it; but in the case of Daisy Buchannon he can't. Whether it be a straight answer or a complete revelation of her mind, Daisy holds it all back and Fitzgerald makes her a hypnotising mystery; tantalising and tempting.

As for the rest of Lemire's review, I can't comment on as I am yet to see the film. Let's hope it's as good as Rom and Jules, and not as heart-dashing as this particular reviewer claims...

You can see Christy Lemire's review here.

Drinking Games!

Last night reminded me that, despite Chaucer's best efforts, Medieval Literature is pretty cool - do you know why? Because it gave rise to the writers of Marvel to create Thor.
As you can probably tell, last night I watched Thor for the first time - I too am unable to escape the charms of Chris Hemsworth's mouth-watering body. Both this and the comic-book-sci-fi appeases the geeky and teenage girl side of me - so this new discovery is a winner.

Today, thanks to my equally weird boyfriend, I made an equally brilliant discovery:

Courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/thatstudentlife?ref=ts&fref=ts


I happened upon a Top Gun drinking game. This is amazing for two reasons a) I adore Top Gun -both the film and the fact that this is one of the only films when Tom Cruise can be considered attractive [interesting fact- in the erotic scene, he  had to stand on a box] and b) I am a fan of both drinking and games.

As I'm sure many of the pros out there have guessed, the above game is played whilst watching the movie. There are similar games for The Lord of the Rings - one which you won't finish - or if you do, your drinks aren't strong enough!

This gave me an idea - how about a Thor drinking game? And with the sequel coming out in a few weeks this seems like an ideal time to blog on this subject.

After much procrastination from essay writing, Dan (boyfriend) and I came up with the following rules:

Thor Drinking Game

Drink every time:

• Thor uses his hammer
• Thor roars
• he struts
• he makes a ridiculous request
• he says 'Asgard' or 'my friends'
• the sword enters the bifrost 
• Natalie Portman's assistant does something relating to her taser
• Loki is being 'a little bitch' as phrased by Dan.

(Mostly) home made fancy dress ideas

Whilst I was flicking through my photo albums I stumbled across this photo and thought to myself, 'oh wow I love fancy dress' - this got me thinking, why don't I do a list of fancy dress ideas? So here goes (please forgive the amount of selfies):

Above you can see a reprisal of my 'Dia de la Muertos' face paint for Halloween last year, as well as two additions; a dead Miss Scarlet (still don't know who did it) and a rag doll.If you look closely, you will observe a suspicious grey patch on my crotch. This is in fact spray painted bones. I cut a template for some bones out of a piece of paper and sellotaped them to my leggings whilst I was wearing them (not something I would advise). I used some white 'all purpose spray paint' purchased from 'EghamEssentials' which is my local anything-you-could-ever-want shop. However this was a very bad idea as, being a student, my leggings were purchased from primark and therefore not of the best quality, so when I sprayed my legs the paint also went onto my skin, underneath the leggings. Had this not been extra durable all purpose paint (most often used to paint walls and fences) I could have washed it off easily - but indeed it was, so I spent the next two weeks with bones painted on my legs that no maneuver of my nail scrubber/ loofah could remove.And so I have learned my lesson...

So as you will see below, I was invited to quite a few halloween parties this year (not to blow my own trumpet - there's always a party somewhere on campus) so I got the opportunity to dress up 3 times!

The second idea was Pocahontas/ native American (unfortunately I couldn't find a flattering photo), I'm not really sure how it was meant to be scary... maybe I was some kind of magicman/woman - who knows!
This was pretty easy to do, some bright blue Barry M eyeshadow and loads of liquid eyeliner - the rest is thanks to my facepaint collection (did I mention my love of facepaint?). I braided my hair in several loose plaits and found some feathers somewhere along my travels and entwined them in my hair. I also have a substantial collection of feather earrings so I took the opportunity to wear these also. I tried to find a full-length photo, but I'm either wearing coats or holding copious amounts of alcohol, so unfortunately this beauty was the only survivor.....

And to cap the weekend off I decided to go as the standard zombie cheerleader. But by this time Halloween was over - however the person throwing the party didn't seem to mind this and kept the theme anyway - so when we went clubbing post-party I was genuinely the ONLY zombie in the joint. Of course when you are fully aware of something, people all around you feel like you need to be informed of the fact over and over again, and that night was no exception.

Following on from the zombie post, the year before I went as a different kind of zombie:
This one was great fun to do - I got some fake blood from Tesco's (and black lipstick surprisingly) and spattered it all over myself and my dad's old shirt which I'd ripped the arms off. I also went to my local fancy dress shop and got some cat eye contact lenses. These were so cool, once I finally got them in that is. Although if you're driving I'd recommend you remove them as your peripheral vision is slightly decreased when they're in. As a non-glasses wearer I found it so difficult to take them out.
 To 'punkify' my Dad's shirt I ripped the back (from about a quarter of the way down), cut holes either side of it, and laced up the back - this works really well for any kind of top (given it's made out of a sturdy enough material for the holes not to snag) to add the extra vamp. Bonus feature: if you've a) been a strong-willed angel and lost some weight or b)accidentally bought something too big and can't be bothered to take it back, just cut a triangle out of the back instead of a slit (1point at the top, 2 at the bottom) and voila instant alteration without all the sewing know-how and patience.

On throwing a Tim Burton themed party I dressed as the girl from Tron (I forget her name).

For this one we went in all black, straightened hair, wore a lot of eye liner and got some blue cable tape to make our 'tron suits', thankfully my Dad is into DIY so I didn't have to source this one for myself, although you could probably pick some up from Halfords or a hardware shop - if in doubt, google it.

More embarrassing costumes include a flamingo (Alice In Wonderland), Lady Penelope and Wednesday (The Addams Family) which I won't upload for health and safety reasons.

Until next time....

How to throw a relaxed gathering without the awkward silence.

Unfortunately we all have those days when social situations are just a little bit awkward. On starting Uni I've found myself entertaining people I don't really know all that well, and potentially as much on the border of 'socially awkward' and 'almost-scarily kooky' as myself. So, on finally succeeding on such an endeavor I wrote down a recipe for a good gathering that Nigella Lawson would be proud of.

Firstly, preheat the oven. Put on some tunes to set the mood. As long as your friends aren't all musical snobs - everyone knows one - make sure you have some tunes going on in the background. It gives you something to listen to, other than your own breathing, during lulls in conversation and gives the room a little bit of atmosphere. Obviously this is going to require a playlist, so I have just recycled the one I used at the last house party I threw, which has the odd mix of Eminem, JT, Flo Rida, ACDC, Guns 'n' Roses, Pussycat Dolls, Ratatat - pick ones that most people will know, or will create the right vibe. Just, please, no more Carly Rae Jepson!
Even if there is a music devourer in the room, that's fine, they can just sit by the speakers and change the song half-way-through to their heart's content.


Next, get some drinks going (not necessarily alcoholic - but in my case usually!). You can begin to bond by passing drinks round etc, and due to my extensive collection of cocktail recipes I normally have some unusual drink doing the rounds.

Now I don't intend to get all Fanny Craddock on you, but games are a great way to get things going! 'Cheat' is a personal favourite of mine - and why? Well, it allows you a chance to accuse people you barely know of being stinking liars and to spew profanities at someone's face without them getting even mildly offended. If you have the family set of 'Jenga' or 'Cleudo' lying around, they also do the trick splendidly! If you fancy something slightly more adventurous then why not try 'Beer Pong' or 'Ring of Fire'.


And finally a legitimate addition to my already extensive culinary metaphor: 'picky-bits'. I like food, and like most people, if I am bored I eat. So put some snacks out. Crisps & dip, Haribo, Celebrations, whatever you fancy! That way those in size-too-small dresses aren't going to pass out on your floor or generally upset you with their 'full' flat tummies sat on the sofa.

In a relaxed gathering, a lot of people tend to play video games - that's fine - but whilst obliterating hundreds of Nazi zombies on the moon might be great fun for you and your fellow survivor, the people watching you might feel like they can't survive the rest of the night, never mind the apocalypse. The playstation doesn't necessarily bring all the sociable kids to mind, so make sure those who aren't so intent on conquering the virtual domain have something else to do.