Learning to love you more.

Just a swift post for now.
I was having a browse on the internet, & came across a website I remember finding for the first time a couple of years ago - learningtoloveyoumore.com

It's a lovely website (well, I think the idea was a book first? I'm not sure), that has now unfortunately now finished what seemed like a social experiment.

The premise is was "Participants accept an assignment, complete it by following the simple but specific instructions, send in the required report (photograph, text, video, etc), and see their work posted on-line. Like a recipe, meditation practice, or familiar song, the prescriptive nature of these assignments is intended to guide people towards their own experience."

There were manymanymany (70, I think) different 'assignments' - ranging from things that could take a couple of minutes - Assignment #27 Take a picture of the sun.

- To ones that could take a couple of hours - Assignment #1 Make a child's outfit in an adult size. 

Reading through them, they're lovely! & maybe a good idea on days like today, when I have nothing in particular to do...except maybe something that will seem mildly productive, like Assignment #9 Draw a constellation from someone's freckles.


Why not join in?
I doubt I'll do them in any particular order...just what I feel like that day, I suppose :]


Watch this space!


xo


ps. Something I thought was interesting & worth sharing - this weeks Grazia magazine had a small review of musican The Tallest Man On Earth. Really nice, summery music. One of his songs is currently my alarm-tone. Delightful to wake up to!

Job Hunting...

So, it's been a week since I started looking/applying for 'real person' jobs in London, but I've gotta say - I'm feeling pretty impatient!
I keep seeing all these lovely sounding jobs, that I know I could do...but as it's only been a week I haven't heard back from anyone! Ho hum, will just have to be a little more patient I suppose.

(http://taylorhicksgirlfriend.files.wordpress.com)

I have seen a couple of really perfect jobs, so fingers crossed for one of them!

I'd like to post links to the ones I've applied to that I'm really interested in, but I don't want to do that just in case it's not technically allowed or something. 

But the two websites I've found most useful for the type of jobs I'm looking for in London have been:

www.gumtree.com  & www.secsinthecity.co.uk.

They're both really easy to use, with good & clear search options, as well as results!

Will keep y'all up dated on the job hunt as soon as it gets interesting! Wish me luck!

xo

What a week!

Apologies for the lack of posts recently, but it's all been a little hectic recently! But I will start from the beginning anyhow;

Since I last posted, I have moved to London (finally)! Which is pretty exciting. I'm currently living with my Gran, in the lovely area of Southfields (where the highly artistic arrows are pointing);

It's a really nice place to live, because it only takes me about 20 minutes into central, but isn't too noisy, busy, or 'stabby'. & as for living with the Gran - it's lush! Getting used to having dinner cooked for me again is ace! Although I can just see myself adopting her phrases such as "woppit" (a term of endearment), "the hairy clappers" (a speed...as in, "it goes like the hairy clappers!"), & "widder, widder, widder"(when paraphrasing someone else)...


In the days leading up to moving day I didn't really do much, except pack! Which I have now decided I hate, partly because it makes me feel as though I have far too much stuff! Which is clearly not true...probably.
But for my last night (after some frantic last-minute packing), my beautiful friends came out for what turned out to be the best night out I've had in ages!
We managed to take 141 pictures. Shocking! To be fair though, most of them were of the boys, who got on like a house on fire;

(Dan, Jd & Adam)

& there were a couple of nice group-shots too;

(Me, Dan, Jd, Sj, Adam & Helen)

After that, the night got a little messy & we all seemed to be slightly worse for wear!

(Joe, Simon, Adam & Helen)

I think the only down point of the night was that in the morning, I woke up (at 8 o'clock) to find I'd left the electric blanket on all night & was cooking slowly...not fun! But all in all, it was lovely <3

The following day consisted of shopping with The Mother for "work appropriate" clothes, due to the fact that everything else I owned was apparently "scruffy". I prefer the term "casual", thanks! 

Then it was more packing, & driving to London (for her, not me). When in London we just had time to swiftly dump everything in my new room - pictures to follow - before heading out for an Indian with my Gran!

The Indian was really good! It's a local place in Southfields, but I can't remember what it was called! Next time I go past, I'll have a look & try to update this with a website or something. The food was delicious though! I'd definitely recommend it if you're in the area. 

 Anyway, after the meal The Mother (very kindly) drove us back to Eastbourne (where the family live), because it was Bracey's birthday! 

Technically it was her (22nd) birthday on the Saturday, which I had to miss due to moving. Boo! But it sounds like she had an amazing time with a kid's themed party! They played pass-the-parcel, had a treasure hunt, did face painting, dressed up & load more stuff! 

However I didn't miss out on all the fun - on the Sunday we went down to the seafront for a walk along the prom & fish & chips on the beach. Bracey was even wearing a swimming costume underneath her clothes! Madness. However after dipping her feet in the sea, she agreed with us all that it was far too cold to swim in April...

 (Click to enlarge - this was the weather on the day...not exactly warm!)

(From www.timeanddate.com)

We then watched Julie & Julia - which although was a nice story, heart-warming, etc. It did seem to drag a little. Could have done with sharper editing, maybe? I think the funniest part had to be Meryl Streep playing Julia Child - I can't really explain the eccentricity of the part, but I did enjoy it.

 

An 'official' review from IMDB:

"Julia Child and Julie Powell - both of whom wrote memoirs - find their lives intertwined. Though separated by time and space, both women are at loose ends... until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible. Written by Columbia Pictures

 

In 1949, Julia Child is in Paris, the wife of a diplomat, wondering how to spend her days. She tries hat making, bridge, and then cooking lessons at Cordon Bleu. There she discovers her passion. In 2002, Julie Powell, about to turn 30 and underemployed with an unpublished novel, decides to cook her way through "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in a year and to blog about it. We go back and forth between these stories of two women learning to cook and finding success. Sympathetic, loving husbands support them both, and friendships, too, add zest."

We also watched Orphan. It's a horror/thriller, about a nice couple who have two children & after a still-birth, decide to adopt another older child...cue the adopted child being a bit sinister, a lot of 'accidents' happening & eventually the whole family is in danger...dum dum dum! 

Overall, I did like the film - it was an interesting concept, with a beautiful look about the whole film - not once did you see a really bright colour, & it was snowing the whole time...really visually appealing. 

The following day I returned to London, to settle in/unpack & so on. However after two days of job-hunting, I thought I might go stir-crazy in the house! So I went for a jaunt in central. I visited Topshop, where the changing room doors are made for giants!!

(bearing in mind I'm 5"8)

I also saw a fun display in H&M;

Made me feel all spring-y! & for now I'm really quite enjoying living with my Gran, partly because this is what happens at "tea time"!

Lovely ♥

xo

Useful Tips on Internships...

I came across a blog by someone called Nubby - the blog is Nubbytwiglet.com.

I've only managed to have a short browse so far, but came across this article/piece of advice & thought it would be worth sharing!

After some thought (especially with regards to living situations) I have decided not to intern straight away - at the moment I'm applying for paid positions, that not only sound really interesting, but also like jobs I could (fingers crossed) actually do!


However if I find myself in a position to be able to intern, this will probably come in pretty handy. Hope you enjoy it too!


" "What is an Intern?"

An intern works in a temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training (rather than merely employment). The benefit of being an intern is that you have the opportunity to be mentored and learn without many the pressures and responsibilities that regular employees have. 

Finding an Internship

Many large companies have a section on their website with specific information for internships with openings and contact information. Even if they’re not currently seeking interns, it never hurts to still make contact and forward your résumé.

It's okay if your first choice is also everyone else's

Chances are, your top choices for an internship are probably the same as your peers. So, make yourself stand out! A little confidence can go a long way- you’ll never know if an opportunity awaits if you don’t try. Work harder to uniquely showcase your work. Instead of sending over a plain résumé, design a custom logo, folder and letterhead. Or, how about a fold-out poster? I know of one designer who made a special book (complete with rounded corners) and assembled it by hand! Personally, I’m all for sending over (or leaving behind) a folder of information instead of a book because it can be easily updated and modified to suit the focus of the internship you’re applying for. It can be as simple as building a stripped-down press kit tailored to an internship, complete with a letter of introduction and a beautiful résumé.

Persistence pays off

Contact the appropriate person who handles internship opportunities; often times, this is an HR employee. Don’t feel like you’re being a pest. It’s all about follow-through. The important folks at ad agencies and design firms are often super busy. They have emails to answer, meetings to attend, and proposals to pitch. Getting back in touch with a possible intern is probably not at the top of their lists. A designer at a top agency visited my brother’s design class and told them point-blank that out of the entire class, maybe 10 students would consider setting up an internship and promise to make contact. Perhaps two would actually follow through. Make the effort to correspond and keep the line of communication flowing. If you don’t hear anything back immediately (or ever), don’t be offended! Try, try again. If email doesn’t work, place a call or send a letter.

Adrian Shaughnessy also reminds you:

Never forget, when approaching a design studio, that you will be judged by the quality of your approach. Your phone call, your e-mail, your letter will be scrutinized like a sniffer dog checks contraband at an airline carousel. Get it right and you’re halfway there, get it wrong and the prospect of stacking supermarket shelves starts to beckon.

Treat the inital meeting like a job interview

Show up on time (or early). There’s no need to dress overly fancy, but also don’t look like you just rolled out of bed. If you have a CV / résumé, bring a copy to hand over. Make sure it is impeccable; there’s nothing worse than spelling and grammatical errors on the resume.

Good manners rule supreme 

If you do land an interview, remember that the interviewer is taking time out of their busy schedule to meet with you. Do your best to not over-talk yourself or the work. The interviewer has probably seen it all before and can make an instant judgement whether you and your work will ‘fit in’ with the company’s culture. When the interview is over, thank them for their time. Within a day, send a personalized email (or letter) thanking them again; be sure to include your contact information - you never know; they may be so impressed with your manners and thoughtfulness that they’ll call you on the spot!

Once you land an internship: 

Keep an open mind; always be willing to pitch in to help with any (and all) tasks. If there’s nothing for you to do one day, offer to assist other departments (with permission, of course). I’ve done filing, spray painted shoes in the parking lot, sourced chandeliers, and spray-mounted advertisements to boards.

Even while performing the smallest tasks, I learned something and interacted with people I hadn’t met before. The more you absorb from these varied experiences, the more rounded you’ll become. You might also discover that you’d prefer to work in another department. The interactions you have on a daily basis could strongly impact your future, so treat everyone with respect. Chances are, they know others in the industry. Always turn up on time (ask your supervisor what time they prefer. Sometimes, they might not be ready for you first thing in the morning) and don’t rush out the door as soon as the day is over. Design is about commitment and getting the job done right, not about the number of hours you’ve worked."

Once again, the website I found this all on was Nubbytwiglet.com - check it out! It's pretty swish. 

In other news...

Been looking at Hop Farm Festival - (first weekend of July I think) & the lineup looks amazing! Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, Seasick Steve, Pete Doherty, The Magic Numbers, Laura Marling & more to be announced!

All this...and for just £80 for the weekend? I'm there!

Hope you've all been having a lovely time in the sun this week - it's days like yesterday that make it feel like spring's here already. Lovely!

 Picture of the day sums this up pretty well - in the sunshine, Pimp My Ride, Southampton Stylee!

 xo

ps. On Twitter? follow me! && if you're in/around Southampton, follow the new Twitter account I'm in charge of;  Twitter.com/avondale_house ♥

Lazy

A slightly lazy post tonight, because I haven't uploaded any pictures from my Devon trip just yet, & also realised that I haven't done a picture (or three) of the day about HW! (Or Helen, sure).

(Helen & I dressed up for Sj's birthday...about a year & a half ago)

(& this is just a delightful picture of Hw in Kaos one time-loving life!)

This picture makes me giggle :]

I love Helen. We met because she started working at the bar I work at (for 5 more days!) & then we went out a lot...& the rest is history!

I think one of the things I love most about her (the way she dresses & cares about it as much as I do aside), is her amazingly positive attitude & outgoing-ness! She's always such a hyper, happy person...♥♥♥ it.

 (From the German Market, Christmas just gone, with hot chocolates after our fake Christmas day♥)

xo

London Baby!

Recently The Boy & I went to London, (13 days 'till I move there!) & it was awesome!

I made a delightful route-plan, 'cause we wanted to do quite a lot in the time we had;

On our itinerary was a trip to the Tate Modern, Oxford Street, a road called Denmark street, where Dan wanted to go (I'd never heard of it before, so looked it up on Wikipedia - more on that later). We then planned to go to Harrods as Dan had never been, & I really wanted to see the puppies on the fourth floor! After that, we planned to end the day with a trip to Southfields to have dinner with my Gran.

The plan worked out pretty well over all! We started by getting a Megatrain to Waterloo. If you've not gotten a mega bus/train, I would strongly recommend it - it cost the two of us £10 for a day return from Southampton to Waterloo! & you can sometimes get even cheaper fares if you book further in advance. Bargain-tastic!






Loving life on the train.

An elephant at Waterloo!

Dan ran away while I was taking a picture of the elephant.

 

 

After navigating the tube, we went to the Tate. I was a little surprised to find that some of the floors/exhibitions were closed due to lack of staff - I think they were striking, but I'm not sure. There were a few signs at the entrances to some of the rooms saying that the staff had issues with the company that employed them, as opposed to the Tate itself...which was pretty strange. & when I mentioned it to my Gran later that day she pointed out that it was interesting how there hadn't been anything in the press about it, & you wouldn't know if you hadn't been to the Tate & seen the signs...Does this mean the Tate are being sneaky & covering it up so as not to seem bad? I wonder.
 But regardless of that, we still managed to find a lot of fun things to see & do whilst there!

There was a huuuge metal box in the entrance hall;

    Dan said it was the biggest thing he'd ever seen. It was pretty impressive! & we then discovered you could go inside...

It was horribly dark. You literally couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Which made walking around in there pretty weird because you couldn't see where you were going, which kinda made it feel like you were about to fall off the edge of something!

"Miroslaw Balka’s box of darkness is disturbing in its historical echoes but beautiful as well." The Times
"Miroslaw Balka's black hole at Tate Modern is terrifying, awe-inspiring and throught-provoking. It embraces you with a velvet chill." The Guardian

This is what the Tate Modern website had to say about the 'piece';

"The latest commission in The Unilever Series How It Is by Polish artist Miroslaw Balka is a giant grey steel structure with a vast dark chamber, which in construction reflects the surrounding architecture - almost as if the interior space of the Turbine Hall has been turned inside out...It stands 13 metres high and 30 metres long. Visitors can walk underneath it, listening to the echoing sound of footsteps on steel, or enter via a ramp into a pitch black interior, creating a sense of unease.
Underlying this chamber is a number of allusions to recent Polish history – the ramp at the entrance to the Ghetto in Warsaw, or the trucks which took Jews away to the camps of Treblinka or Auschwitz, for example.
  By entering the dark space, visitors place considerable trust in the organisation, something that could also be seen in relation to the recent risks often taken by immigrants travelling. Balka intends to provide an experience for visitors which is both personal and collective, creating a range of sensory and emotional experiences through sound, contrasting light and shade, individual experience and awareness of others, perhaps provoking feelings of apprehension, excitement or intrigue."

We also saw the biggest furniture I've ever seen;

Outside the Tate along the Southbank, we saw a 'beach'!

(Dan's fancy phone picture)

(& mine, with people in suits on the beach! A strange (but nice) sight)

We then got the tube along to Oxford street & saw a delightful busker;

& found Denmark Street!

"Denmark Street is a short narrow road in central London, notable for its connections with British popular music, and is known as the British Tin Pan Alley.
 Venues on Denmark Street have strong connections with the histories of British jazz, rhythm and blues and punk music. The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix recorded in basements in the street. Elton John wrote his classic early song Your Song here. Later, the Sex Pistols lived above number 6, and recorded their first demos there. The street contains London's largest cluster of music shops. It was also the original home of London's biggest science fiction and comic store, Forbidden Planet." (Wikipedia)

Dan had great fun taking pictures of amps, guitars, talking to the music people...I nodded along & pretended to know what they were talking about.

From there, it was off to Harrods!

We saw lots of things that everyone needs...

We then went on to see my Gran, eat too much dinner & try not to fall asleep on the train!

Tomorrow, I'll do a post about my couple of days in Devon, with the lovely Lyzz -

(a picture from Amsterdam last year - a little random, but I do love the pic!)

xo

The Fun Theory

Whilst browsing blogs (as you do), I came across an amazing ad for Volkswagen.
The website it's come from is www.thefuntheory.com - it's an ad by advertising agency DDB (where I did some work experience a couple of years ago...but that's a different story).

I really like this advert - it's not trying to sell the audience anything specifically, but it's building a great brand profile - making it seem 'fun'. As well as generating awareness & recognition.

Plus, it's just a lovely idea which makes it a really fun video to watch!

"VW calls this project the Fun Theory, and its aim is to show that people will be happier to do life's chores if they aren't so dull. The German automaker found that 66% more people took the stairs when they could tickle the ivories with their toes, and now it knows that the same sort of success can be achieved with trash.

In the next Fun Theory project, a standard outdoor garbage can was retrofitted with motion sensors linked to a pair of hidden speakers to give the illusion of a very, very deep trash receptacle. On a typical day, the garbage can eats up 41 kg (90.2 lbs) worth of garbage. Add a sound effect that makes your trash sound like it's going into a 2,000 foot deep well and a graphic that says Worldens Djupaste Soptunna; Swedish for "World's biggest dustbin," and the trash load climbs to 72 kg (158.4 lbs) ." - www.autoblog.com



This is the one from the same campaign:




I love the people describing it using sign-language!

xo