The Greek.

Recently I've been reading My Sisters Keeper, a book (& now a film) by Jodi Picoult.
The books basically about a child who was genitally made in order to save her older sister, who has leukemia. It raises several different & difficult issues regarding morals & ethics surrounding things like test-tube babies, stem cell research, etc.
The book overall, I thought, was good in that it taught me a lot about the legal issues regarding morals & ethics, as well as the medical concerns about things such as stem cells, as well as how diseases like leukemia are treated.
 The only problem I had was that you could see the logical ending to the book, which stopped me from enjoying it as much as I could have. However, it was very well written & because there were a couple of unanswered questions which did keep me reading 'till the end.
 One thing that I did really enjoy about the book, was that the father was a keen armature astronomer & every now & again, it would tie-in a story about greek mythology.
One of the stories I enjoyed most, I have decided to share here;

Fire & hope are connected. The way the Greeks told it, Zeus put Prometheus & Epimetheus in charge of creating life on earth. Epimetheus made the animals, giving out bonuses like swiftness and strength & fur & wings. By the time Prometheus made man, all the best qualities had been given out. He settled for making them walk upright, & he gave them fire.

Zeus, pissed off, took it away. But Prometheus saw his pride & joy shivering & unable to cook. He lit a torch from the sun & brought it to man again. To punish Prometheus, Zeus has him chained to a rock, where an eagle fed on his liver. To punish man, Zeus created the first woman - Pandora - & gave her a gift, a box, she was forbidden to open.

 Pandora's curiosity got the best of her, & one day she opened that box. Out came the plagues & misery & mischief. She managed to shut the lid tight before hope escaped. It's the only weapon we have left to fight the others.

This, I like. I think the Greeks had a lot of really cool stories to explain things they didn't understand. I might have a look at some more sometime.
Whaddya think?
xo

Shit my Dad says.

On Twitter I follow an account called "Shit my Dad says", & have always thought it's absolutely hilarious! (twitter.com/shitmydadsays)
The story behind it all is pretty simple - a guy (Justin Halpern - who is also, as Wikipedia refers to him, a "semi-employed comedy writer"), who lives with his 74 year old father & tweets the funny things his dad comes out with!
A small sample of the delightful quotes you can expect;

"I don't want your advice, you're 27 fucking years old...Fine. I don't want your advice, you're 29 fucking years old."


"I didn't say you were ugly. I said your girlfriend is better looking than you, and standing next to her, you look ugly.


"Don't mess with him...Trust me, you don't fuck with a man that sleeps next to a woman he never screws. They're unpredictable."


"The worst thing you can be is a liar....Okay fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but THEN, number two is liar. Nazi 1, Liar 2"


Ahh, I could read these all day. But I should probably stop now. 
Okay, one more...


"I turn the kitchen faucet on and the shower burns you, yes, I get it...No, I'm not gonna stop, I'm just saying yes, I get that concept."


Lovelovelove it! Get a'followin' now! (& if you fancy it, follow me at the same time - twitter.com/starry___eyed)


Oh! I just remembered the original point I was going to make about all this - not only has Justin Halpern written a book (with the same title), but there is now going to be a TV show based on the Twitter feed, starring William Shatner!! Absolutely mental. 


Honestly, I'm not too sure if it's going to be any good or not, but I guess I'll just have to wait 'till it comes on TV over here slash is available for downloading!  


This is the trailer:







What do you reckon? Gonna be any good?

xo

Ps. Have just found the website - definitely worth a look - shitmydadsays.com

Polyvore

I've just spent a while window-shopping, online stylee!
It's super fun, in a slightly geeky way.
But this is what I would get for summer, if I was rich;

Ahh, I can't wait 'till payday!

xo

Four Lions

I went to see the new Chris Morris film (Four Lions) a couple of days ago, & thought it was really good!

When you hear it's a comedy about suicide bombers, it does sound a tad odd, to say the least. However, when you factor in who it's made by, it all makes sense. Having watched programs such as Brass Eye & The Day Today, I suppose I knew what sort of humor to expect. If you have seen these programs & enjoyed them, see the film! & I suppose vice-versa. 

 I think the best part about the film was the balance between portraying the men as human, & 'real' people planning to do these horrific things, but at the same time making people laugh. 

 The only problem I now think, looking back on it, is that the supporting characters sometimes verge on being so 'comical', they can almost seem more like caricatures. Also, a review I read in a paper today pointed out that it would have been good to find out some back story - especially with the main character Omar (Riz Ahmed), as he had a wife & a child, but not a lot was mentioned about them, which seemed like a bit of a shame. 
Oh, & on a slightly side-tracked note, the character Waj (Kayvan_Novak) (AKA Fonejacker) has had a haircut & looks pretty cute! 

If you've seen the film, let me know what you thought - 'cause I would definitely say it's worth seeing! 

xo

The Bees Knees.

Scientists have recently discovered a rare, solitary type of bee that makes tiny little nests by plastering together flower petals. Each nest is a multicolored, textured little cocoon - a papier-mache husk surrounding a single egg, and protecting it while it metamorphoses into an adult.

!


xo

More Video Love

I guess I'm a bit of a sucker for cute youtube videos...




Any you'd recommend? 


xo

Internship tips...

Wowee!
I just read an entry on Disneyrollergirl's blog that she posted a while ago, but re-posted, and wow! It may seem like pretty simple/obvious advice, but it's really good to read & remember.
So I thought I'd share it with you guys too!

People are always asking me how I became a fashion editor and the truth is, it was so long ago I cannae remember! I jest but believe me, when I was starting out, the competition for styling and fashion editor jobs was nothing compared to what it is now. When people watch the Devil Wears Prada or Ugly Betty I don’t know what happens but they become completely deluded that being a fashion editor is about strutting the streets in high heels, swingy ponytails and Phillip Lim jackets (oh wait, it is if you work at Teen Vogue*).

The reality is rather different. If you live for fashion the job is certainly fun, creative and varied but make no mistake, it’s flipping hard work as well. And the hardest part is getting that Miu Miu-shod foot in the door. So for all you wannabe Emanuelle Alts out there, here’s my fool-proof guide to beating the competition.

Work for free
Unfair though it is, if you want a job in any creative industry – film, TV, magazines, fashion – you have to be prepared to work for nothing. Why? Because if you don’t there’s always some eager beaver behind you who will happily fill your shoes. Hell, things are so crazy now that even getting a work experience placement or an internship is like applying for a paid job.

Be profesisonal
Before you’ve even set foot in the Vogue/Dazed/Bliss office, you’ve got to make a good impression so for Gods sake be professional about it. Find out the person’s name who will end up being your direct boss and address them by their name, nor Dear Sir or To Whom It May Concern. (Clue: You’ll find it on the ‘masthead’, the list of names within the first few pages of the magazine.) Please spell their name correctly, bad-spelling and typos are unforgivable if you work in journalism.) Make your letter brief – one of two paragraphs will suffice. Tell them why you will be an asset to their team (not what they can do for you) and don’t be afraid to kiss ass. All bosses love to have their egos stroked so pepper your letter with sincere-sounding compliments. If you’re emailing your application, whatever you do, don’t type in text speak. And if you’re sending out multiple applications and have copied and pasted, please, please, please check that you haven’t left a stray ‘I’d love to work for Vogue’ when you’re writing to Elle. If in doubt get someone to proof-read your email/letter before you send it.

Previous experience required
The only things I care to see on a CV are: name, address, email address, mobile phone number, date of birth, qualifications and the biggie…previous experience.
It’s all very chicken and egg but most magazines want someone who already has some experience so that person knows what to expect and won’t abandon ship after the first day. So if you have some previous experience flag it up in your letter then expand on it in your CV. No experience? Flag that up too but say how keen and willing you are to do anything. And point out how you can make yourself available at short notice. That way, if someone does drop out at the last minute (and it happens all the time), you’ll get first dibs.

Lying
You should never lie about experience on your CV because it will find a way to come and bite you on the bum, however lying about your age is different (but you didn’t hear it from me). A lot of magazines don’t allow work experience/interns under the age of sixteen. This is because you need a certain level of maturity to be a self-starter and to able to go on errands without having a hysterical breakdown if you get lost. If you think you’re mature enough and you look 16 then chances are no-one’s going to check your ID (not in the UK anyway).

Follow up
Always follow up your email/letter. No-one has time to send replies these days so you must call to check that the email was received. Give it a couple of days, no longer, otherwise they’ll have forgotten you (popular mags get upwards of ten applications a day and even the less popular ones get ten a week). Don’t be shy. If you get this internship you’re going to be spending morning, noon and night on the phone so you may as well get over your talking-to-strangers phobia now.

Treat your internship like a paid job
The fact is, interns are like slaves and at the beginning you’re being tried out so you have to start with the shitty jobs. We’ve all been there. If you can act like opening post, unpacking boxes and colour-photocopying (worse than normal photocopying, it’s ten times slower) is the best fun you’ve ever had and do it like your life depends on it, then you’ll get upgraded to, oh I dunno, tidying the beauty cupboard and cold-calling Prs.

Act responsibly
Magazines work on tight deadlines and are usually under-staffed and fashion editors need things to be done fast and effieciently. This is why we’re stressed and shouty. It’s not that we’re horrible people we just need things done, like now! If you’re asked to do something and can’t get it done, don’t just ignore it and hope it will go away. Use your initiative and find a way to do it. Photocopiers run out of toner, people take days off, if the person you need to talk to isn’t there or the photocopier’s broken make sure you at least let us know. If you fuck up on something small you won’t get a chance to do the exciting stuff.

The cupboard
Every intern’s dream is to go on a shoot but however creative, clever and extrovert you are, I can assure you that you won’t be going on shoots from the off. Chances are you’ll be spending most of your time in the fashion cupboard. Look at any magazine, however crappy and look at just how much stuff is photographed for their fashion pages. Now times this by 100. That’s the volume of merchandise (clothes, shoes, accessories, jewellery, tights, underwear etc etc) that goes in and out of the fashion cupboard. And guess who has to unpack it, log it, hang it up and return it? Although it’s a mindless task it’s vital to pay attention to what your doing when it comes to ‘returns’. A fashion editor’s nightmare is when things get returned to the wrong place and when this happens they know exactly who to blame. Even if it’s doesn’t come naturally, make a supreme effort to be tidy, organised and quick when it comes to working in the cupboard and I promise this will fast-track you to fashion editor success. At the same time, it’s important to remember that the job is never done. Each time you feel the rails emptying, you can be sure they’ll fill up again just as quickly so don’t let it demoralise you, just accept that’s the way it is.

The shoot
The most exciting part of an internship –allegedly. Most fashion editors have an assistant so don’t really need to take an intern on a shoot. Therefore you really have to earn the right to go on a shoot otherwise you’re just another mouth to feed. (Yes it’s really that simple. On my last magazine the lunch budget was £10 a head so to take an intern on a shoot was costing us money when she could be in the office ‘doing the returns’). If you’re lucky enough to be invited on the shoot make yourself indispensable. Find out the day before what you’ll be expected to do. Some interns are expected to unpack and steam the clothes, but some fashion editors prefer their assistant to do that. There’s a lot of hanging around on shoots but that doesn’t mean switch off or read a magazine. You should be on alert at all times ready to leap into action. It’s actually very rare to meet an intern who does this but so nice when it happens. Never forget, whatever job you do, your job is to make your boss’s life easier.

Team bonding
All magazine offices are different but they’re all pretty hectic so there often isn’t a chance for idle chit-chat with the interns. Yet it’s important for you to find a moment to engage with your fashion editor as she’s your golden ticket to the next rung on the career ladder. A shoot is a good time to bond with her/him but pick your moment carefully. Good times to strike up conversation are at lunch or after the clothes have been sorted but while hair and make-up is still being done. Fashion editors love to talk about themselves but not when they’re rethinking the styling or fretting about the lighting. The good thing is, unless they’re extremely rude they’ll eventually reward some of your questions with questions about you. And this gives you the chance to connect with them and make that all-important impression.

Be unforgettable
As well as being efficient and indispensable it’s important to be memorable. If you’re only there for a month, there will be umpteen interns after you before that oh-so-elusive job vacancy arises so make a lasting impression. If you’re a bit of a wallflower it’s essential to force yourself out of your shell and make conversation with people. Get to know the other interns (Teen Vogue has fifteen!) and people in other departments and make sure they all know your name. Offer to make tea and collect faxes from the fax machine. Go the extra mile and I can guarantee they’ll love you for it. This is how I and all my assistants became successful in our careers. Talent hardly comes into it, it’s all about the hard workers.

Be warned that over-familiarity is a big no-no. Self-confidence is a great asset but if you’re an extrovert, try to read the mood of the office and be sensitive to people’s tones of voice and body-language. See if you can read their reactions to you and adapt your manner accordingly. Tip: some fashion editors don’t like to be given unsolicited advice or opinions.

Keep in touch
If you enjoyed your time at the magazine and got on with the team make sure you keep in touch. Don’t forget, it’s a relatively small industry where everyone knows everyone and the best jobs are always filled by word of mouth. A post-internship thank-you card and bi-monthly email to say ‘how is everyone’ and pass on up-to-date contact info is always welcome. Don’t be a stalker though, magazine people are busy and however chummy, won’t have time to keep up a boomerang email correspondence.

Moving on
To move on to the next internship or the next level of your career is all about contact building. Once you have a certain amount of experience I recommend contacting a few choice fashion editors to request some friendly face time. A letter or email (followed up by a phone-call) giving your experience and asking if you can take them for a coffee is all it takes. It won’t happen immediately so be prepared to send ten or twenty of these emails (not all to the same person). On the pretext of wanting some careers advice (remember, appeal to their ego) you can get an appointment with them, ask how they got where they are and then – the clincher – if they know anyone else you can see. If they like you, they’ll want to help you it’s as simple as that. The rest is down to you.


Highly recommend following the blog - a.maze.ing. 


xo