Catching Up is Hard to Do

The Future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.C.S. Lewis

Trying to catch up on the past eight months is not do-able for the time being, however here are 10 points, in no particular order, to bring me back up to speed.

1) Home
I now live with the lovely man in the post prior to this one. He is as ever, incredible. Some cracks are beginning to show (i.e. he can't cook, clean and enjoys partying a bit much for me) but all in all, he is great and everything is going well.

2) Career
Late last year I was offered a job by a fantastic digital distribution company. Now three months in, I'm happy and getting used to a whole new side of the music industry. It wasn't the easiest move and I miss my old colleagues more than I expected to but my new colleagues are [mostly] great and this is a great experience. the main benefit of this situation is, I don't have to work 70 hours a week anymore!!!

3) Babies
My gorgeous little sister is pregnant. Oh dear. She is 17 and has her whole life infront of her. I can't say i'm over-the-moon about the situation but credit where it is due, she is one of the most clued up people I know and is showing a maturity beyong her years. I don't doubt for a second that she will be a fantastic Mum.

4) Travels
I was lucky enough to get to go to Cannes at the end of January for work. We went for a trade show and while it was busy and there were far too many meetings to be had, it's hard to complain when you are on the French riviera outside a bar soaking up the sun while talking numbers! It was an incredible place. Almost unreal. Everyone looked as though they had stepped off a catwalk, beer was 16euros and it wasn't uncommon to spend 40euro on a gin and tonic. Thank god for expenses!

5) Hanson
Yes... The "kids that sang Mmmbop". Well they are still going strong and I was over the moon to finally get to meet them. I've followed their musical career for the last 14 years and it was a pleasure to discover that they were just as lovely and pleasant as they have always seemed. Now, how to work with them? Hmm. The frustrating thing is, is that I was in with a chance of working with the band, however there are others after them too. I KNOW I would do better job than anyone else on this. There aren't many people in the industry who know the catalogue, the fans, target market and of course the values inside out the way I do. But how to convince them of that without sounding like a crazed fan?

6) Grandpa
One of the most upsetting and heartbreaking experiences of my life, was losing my Grandpa. He passed away peacefully late last year and honestly, I have never felt pain like it. I still miss him and still think I see him and do a double take when I see some elderly man in London. I don't think he ever even visited this city! Just wishful thinking.. R.I.P Grandpa, you will be missed forever.

7) Dad

Still ill, still ungrateful, still complaining, still pretty much useless. He has perked up a little bit now that is due to become a Grandpa himself. Maybe he will take this chance to man up and be the person he can and should be? fingers crossed!!

8) Pets
I have now got a hamster... named Hammond. That's about all I can say on this subject.

9) Weight
I have managed to gain approximately 45lbs in the last 8months. That's not cool... nor comfortable. It's either thanks to contentment... or takeaways.

10) Mum
Myself and my Mum have never been very open with oneanother. As Mothers go, she was amazing, however she has never really known much about me, including some major life changing experiences. We have agreed to go on a holiday together at the end of this month to spend time with each other and perhaps get to know each other better. i'm not overly enthusiastic, there is just too much to tell, but nonetheless, it's lovely that we are both making the effort.

So there we go, that's 10 facts from the past year which brings me back to present day.

What have I missed?

GA X

It's Been a Good Year Gone Bad

So first post of 2010 is so long overdue!
I’ll keep this one short.

For me, 2010 began full of blind optimism and complete faith that this would be a great year. I mean this one is different right? The end of 2009 was not only the end of a year, but the end of a decade! So much to look forward to!

How has 2010 treated you so far? Good? Bad?

For me the best word is tough. It has been a tough 6 weeks (is that really all it has been?) so far and a lot has happened. Very little of it good. In short, my sister and Dad are not doing so well and as their only family I have the responsibility of looking out for them. With my gorgeous little sister this is not an issue.. with my less than gorgeous Father… it is a big problem. My amazing housemate has now moved out as well, and I miss him a lot more than I thought I would. Finally work has been kicking me in the ass big style.

Regardless of all of the above - I STILL feel optimistic. When I reach the end of 2010, I am sure I will have achieved something. This year is a year for achievement against the odds. Not just for me, but for my sister, for my now ex-housemate, and I guess, perhaps even my Dad! Who knows!

"Another fresh new year is here....
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest...
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree
And sing more joyful songs!

William Arthur Ward

Happy 2010 everyone. It’s a new decade… let’s make this one count!

Preparing for a date.... Logistical Nightmare?

Tonight I am going on a date with a lovely Italian man and I feel (in this order):

• Nervous
• Excited
• Happy
  
• Cautious
  
• Vulnerable
  

The added pressure of the evening include the fact that most people in the damn town seems to know one or both of us thanks to our jobs. Can you imagine being on a date and having people you know coming over to chat and ask awkward questions? Bad News! This makes the venue choice is a bit of a mission.

1. Meet at 8 and go for a drink a gorgeous wine bar (none of my customers, lots of his!)
2. Head off to a unknown location for dinner (he is choosing venue and I've been warned that there will be none of his customers but some of mine)
3. Go for a drink in a lovely bar at the river. (Possibly frequents by our customers but unlikely)
   

On top of this I have the usual stressful crazy date preparation to get through!

My Date Preparation (up to and inc. tonight):

• Consider outfit and realise I have nothing remotely suitable in my wardrobe
• Rush out to buy some gorgeous black trousers that I 100% cannot afford
  
• Give my self a facial

- 1 Day before

• Pluck eyebrows
• Exfoliate
• Try on outfit and realise the gorgeous new trousers are too big.
  
• Panic and run over all the bad men I have ever met in my life before convincing myself that Mr Italian is not like any of them.
  

- Day of Date (morning)

• Set out the suitable parts of my outfit for quick change later
• Set out a contingency outfit
  
• Rush out before work to change the trousers for a better fitting pair
• Arrive late and flustered in to work and proceed through my day more stressed than necessary
  

- Day of Date (p.m. - 1 hour to get home, ready and back out)

• Have a super quick shower (I am great at these!) - max 5 mins
  
• Jump into my outfit (that now hopefully fits!) - max 5 mins
  
• Blow dry, straighten and back comb my hair - 25 mins
• Start Make up, natural but flattering - 10 mins
• Run for the bus which will inevitably be late - 10mins
• Continue Make Up while on the bus - 5 - 10 mins
• Run up the High Road - 5 mins
  
• Arrive looking windswept and no doubt awful with a big smile (fashionably 5 -10 minutes late)
  

So here goes, hopefully it will be a good night - I think it will - I hope it will! Wow, how stressful is dating? Shoud it really be this tough?

A Childhood Away

15 years… a lot can happen in 15 years.

A child can get receive their full education in that time. Including Primary School, High School and then University.

In 15 years a bump in a Mother’s tummy can go from nothing more than a cause for great excitement to becoming a beautiful, happy and strong young woman.

That first child can wait 15 years to meet what she knew as the bump in a Mother’s tummy. She can spend years asking about what the baby will look like now, she can remember each year that the little bump will be getting older. She can count down the years until she feels that little bump will be old enough for her to make contact… then after 15 years of waiting, a full 15 years of anticipation… that bump that is her beautiful little sister can suddenly come into her life and everything automatically fits into place. Everything feels right!

My gorgeous sister (left) with her best friend (right)

That’s correct folks, I have waited 15 years to meet my ‘baby’ sister and now in past week I have discovered where she is, had an amazing phone conversation with her, and have received at least one SMS everyday since Wednesday. In only six short weeks, I will be meeting her for the first time.

"In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips"

I could not be more excited! I feel so incredibly lucky and blessed.

Thank you lord!

Wardrobe Essentials for a Wannabe Classy Lady

Seldom do people discern Eloquence under a threadbare cloak.
Juvenal
Class is timeless, it effortlessly displays the epitome of feminine beauty and best of all, from what I have read, we can all shy away from the ever-changing fashions and move towards the styles of a more glamorous time. I’m thinking Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, or for a more modern day example think of Catherine Zeta Jones.

OK so the majority of us mere mortals are unable to afford their style, but basics are the key and I badly need a new wardrobe.

Unfortunately in the past year my wages have been too low to allow for any luxuries what-so-ever (I do not doubt the vast majority of people are in the same situation!) and it has now reached the stage that everything I do have is covered in holes or rips and it looks awful. I cannot rock the scruffy look any longer. I need well fitting clothes; I need clothes that I do not feel embarrassed to wear. It is time for a new look, time for some style and elegance in replacement of my current hobo-esque gear.


“Fashion is made to become unfashionable.”
Coco Chanel
So here I go, with a (slight) pay rise on the horizon I am going to gradually build up my essentials by investing in clothes. I must first purchase all my basics as well as a few ‘classic’ pieces. I.E. spend a little bit more than I can afford but get plenty of use of the piece for years.

The Staple Diet of Clothes,

• 2 well fitting, well made short sleeved T-shirts (1 black, 1 white)
• 2 well fitting, well made long sleeved T-shirts (1 black, 1 white)
• 2 pairs of well fitting, well made jeans (1 casual, 1 smart)
• 1 slim line / pencil skirt (perhaps less the pencil skirt as I seem to always be in a rush and the penguin run does nothing for anyone!
• 1 blouse (purchased from Bravissimo to stop the gaping look!)
• 1 pair of black trousers
• 1 pair of tailored trousers
• 1 well fitting cute cardigan

“The difference between style and fashion is quality.”
Giorgio Armani
The Elegant Extras (any links are likely to be way out my price tag - but I can dream :)

• Winter Jacket… ideally something long in a neutral colour, or black, get it right and it will last you 10-15 years easily!
• The Perfect Little Black Dress Something that flatters my shape and that I feel great in. Can be used for any occasion
• Little Shift Dress Ideal for lunches or teaming with your fancy jacket and some cute shoes
• Blazer jacket… difficult for us bigger bussed ladies but one of the most versatile items of clothing many of us will own… cocktails, interviews, meetings, dates… it works for them all.
• Cute but comfy toeless sling backs Some amazing shoes to go with my newly formed basics.
• An Authentic Birkin Bag Amazing! I would kill for one of these!
  

“Looking good and dressing well is a necessity. Having a purpose in life is not.”
Oscar Wilde

Tips / Advice for Relocating to London

This morning I found a To Do list that I had written upon my arrival in London and over it brightened up my day, as the top 10 things on my list… the top 10 things I considered important to me, I have completed. It has reminded me that I actually have achieved a lot since coming to London. I have done a lot, and it has not been a complete disaster.

London is an amazing city and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It is a fantastic place to live (unless you live central… ) but I thought I would write my top tips when moving to a big city.

- Pick a nice area to live
Do your research! Like all cities, London has its good areas and bad areas… You do not want to live in a bad area of town – it takes away your freedom! But then again, a very good area of town is going to be mega pricey. I chose to move to Acton – typically a rough neighbourhood but the area I live in is closer to Chiswick a middle class area and therefore I get the best of both worlds, a relatively cheap (by London standards) place to live and close to a lovely area (if a little too posh) I haven’t had any trouble whatsoever! And it has almost been a year!

- Find some great friends
Easier said than done in this city! Everyone is very concentrated on their own lives and will not look twice at you unless you make the effort first. But then they are very wary of this. I made friends through my second job and I wouldn’t change them for the world. A great mix of people - I love them all! Or use meetup.com
(yes I am aware that the photo is awful!)

- Discover the ‘countrified’ things in your area
In London people are so bogged down in city life, they tend to want to be in the country. Therefore there are many farmers markets, gorgeous park spaces, canal / riverside cafes and bars etc. It really eases the stress of the city and works whether you are alone, or with a great bunch of friends.

- Have a regular place
If you head to the same café at the same time every few days, you will tend to see the same people, meaning that you become a familiar face and then if you can, work up the courage to speak to them… another way of making new friends.
My place of work became my regular haunt... meaning I made mad friends, like the madman in this picture! :)

- Know what is 'close' by you
All of a sudden you have moved from somewhere that everything was familiar to a strange urban wilderness which at first can seem daunting… but if you need out of the city for a while, be aware of how close you are to so many other places! Head to Kings Cross / St Pancras and take the Eurostar to Paris for a couple of days. Or jump on a train to Brighton for the sea air, or even head to Bath or Bristol… it is all close at hand now!

- Learn to love the tube
By far the easiest mode of transport. But learning to love the people barging into you, or the 5 people squashing you on a packed tube at rush hour is far more difficult. Develop a thick skin and deal with it. If need be barge back… or say something! Believe, they sh*t themselves.

- After a while find yourself a lovely partner in crime
Whether that be a friend that you meet that you instantly never want to lose or a special man / woman.
Someone to share great things with, and someone to lend a shoulder to cry on when you are feeling down or homesick. I was lucky enough to find a great friend in Fiona… not so much luck on the man front… for a massive city with such a diverse population – I have had zero luck with men - Massively attracted to a man who is both inappropriate and emotionally unavailable… typical!


Like I said, London is a great city, I would go as far as to say London is the best city in the world! (That I have visited) This is probably due to the great friends and the great experience I have had.

Reading my list earlier today made me realise that while moving here and starting a new life has been difficult and while things have been mad the past couple of month, I have made the right decision. Moving to London was worth it and I love it!

Now the stressful things just have to ease up a bit and all will be well in my world :)

"What appears to be the end may really be a new beginning.”

For me, the past three months have been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. I have spent about two months wallowing in everything that is wrong with my life. I have been close to moving home and I have felt rejection, pain and more recently been hurt by someone I trusted with all my heart. I needed a night out, I needed to go out, have fun and not care about anything. That is exactly what I did.

I woke up this morning with a hangover that must have been brewed in hell and through my blearly eyes and pounding headache I realised that I simply can't do this to myself anymore. I am out of control and just a mess. I really am not cut of for dealing with anything like this.

When we reach points like this, we grasp for control. It's human nature. We do not like to not be in control of our actions and emotions so we resort to coping mechanisms. Mine are far from ideal.

This morning, through the payback from the night before, I tried to think positively, I tried to find something that made me excited and enthusiastic. I have decided to take up running.

There are many reasons that this is a horrible idea - for one my knees are a mess and I'm not allowed to run. For a second reason, I have a very addictive personality and I do not want to get back into over-exercising. Also, I'm short of money for proper running shoes and knee supports, and I am also very short of time...

Even with all of these reasons, I feel excited! I feel over the moon that I have a new ambition. I'm hoping to run a 5K by christmas and then if all goes according to plan and my knees hold up, I am planning on running the London marathon next year.

I have never been a runner and I really do not know what I'm letting myself in for - all I know is I need something new that I am in control of. I need a new way of feeling in control of my life. I hope running and training will provide that for me.

I have researched the best methods of taking up running and it seems that I have to go very very slowly. Start by walking briskly and running for 1 or 2 mins at a time but by using my schedule I should be able to run 5K in about 10 weeks.

Here goes nothing