Living life on the fringes of geekery
…Was to keep the shoes!
Thanks for the texts/Facebook/tweets comments in response to my previous blog post. Apologies for the hideous wet hair/ Friday morning voguing!
Also, it’s pay day and I’ve been eyeing up Primark’s SS12 collection on Look mag’s website. I may have a little fun this weekend!
Happy Friday!
I have what fashion-sceptics would call a ‘First World Problem’.
In other words, it’s not really an issue at all, I’m just seeking the opinions of others over – of all things – a pair of shoes.
I picked these up on impulse during a spot of retail therapy. I think my Spidey senses were telling me that the week ahead would not be a smooth one (it’s only Tuesday and so much has flippin’ happened!)
Aside from this footwear splurge I finally bought a pair of jeans (that aren’t jeggings) and my first jumpsuit (I may even post pics later, it’s that special).
As I don’t usually tend to spend so much on a single item I’m starting to have serious doubts about the shoes. They’re comfy, feel fabulous to strut in and certainly draw the eye… but are they too much for me? I’ve not worn them out yet as I’m still not sure whether I should return them… and that’s why I need you!
Please let me know what you think with a comment below. Are they worth every penny or a waste of space? And ultimately, should I keep them?
If you took public transport on Friday you'll have probably noticed that the front cover was taken over by MasterCard and their new campaign, Something For The Fans.
But what is it? Well quite simply, it's awesome.
As an extension of the Priceless London scheme, which gives you exclusive opportunities such as meeting the cast of hit London musical Billy Elliot and VIP access to some of the city's top venues, Something For The Fans is giving music enthusiasts the chance to win tickets to the BRIT Awards 2012 and meet and perform with three of the UK's biggest musicians. It's fair to say that, despite having sponsored the awards for 14 years, Mastercard have never given away a prize this big.
The top prize Mastercard are offering is the opportunity to perform with a modern chart conquerer in the form of either Brit Critics' Choice Award winner (and Breakthrough Artist nominee) Emeli Sandé, JLS and Labyrinth. The lucky winners will get to perform with their chosen act and have the results broadcast on ITV 1 during the broadcast of the Brits ceremony. In the vein of Mastercard's infamous advertising slogan, 'performing on national TV with Emeli Sandé? Priceless'.
If, like me, you're rather keen to take a shot at winning a prime time slot (I'm a poet), all you need to do is register over at the Something For The Fans website. You can keep registering every day to increase your chances of winning – I've been doing this for the past few days – and then, if your name is drawn out of the hypothetical hat, you'll be invited to upload a video of you showcasing your talents.
As you might have already guessed, I've registered to give it my all with Emeli Sandé, her track Heaven being one of my top pop tracks of the year, but I've been thinking a bit about who I'd really love to duet with. Firstly former Brits Critics' Choice Award winner Ellie Goulding. She's duetted with many a famous face, including indie sweetheart Lissie, but it's her 'Erik and Ellie' cover of Robyn's Be Mine with Erik Hassle that really gets to me. I regularly dream of an encounter with Villagers, where Conor J. O'Brien tells me he's in desperate need of my vocals…
Of course, even if I do miss out on the big prize, I'd be thrilled to win one of the pairs of tickets to the event that Mastercard are offering. This year's event is looking to be controversial – critics' darlings PJ Harvey, Laura Marling and James Blake are being put up against mainstream chart titans such as Jessie J., Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. Something tells me the latter will do really well (even though the highlighter costumes and the tired lyrics of Paradise have failed to win me over.) Single-wise it'll be a big battle between Ed Sheeran for The A Team and Adele for Someone Like You. (I'm championing the lady!) Mastercard's Album of the Year Award really has to go to PJ Harvey, with her removed from the catagory you wouldn't be blamed for saying that the nominations have been based around album sales – or that the judges have limited record collections.
Oh and Mastercard, if you're reading this and you really want to do something priceless for me (aside from letting me perform on telly obviously), would you like to hire me the Roundhouse, fill it with people and let me curate a gig of my favourite bands please? Thanks!
This is a Sponsored Post, but don't worry – if I don't like it, I won't write about it!
The Union Choir have just released the video for Your Melodica, one side of the AA release on the 28th January (the other is set-favourite Lavender).
Like debut single Eleanor (which I have a tiny cameo on), it’s being released by Cottage Industries.
Here’s the video. Predictably, it’s lush. I want a knitted version of Jon.
The Union Choir Your Melodica from David Wala on Vimeo.
I’d like to write a review and that, but I’d be totally and utterly biased, (can you blame me?). However, I will say that the first time I heard this was on my last night as a Newcastle resident, the evening of the Royal Wedding. The band played an acoustic version of the track and it felt like the perfect way to end my time in the North. In true ‘me’ style I turned up in the midst of genius Nev Clay’s set (who paused his song and gave commentary) and saw out the evening with the band and a few pints in the Head of Steam. The first time I saw Nev was my first outing ‘with the band’ so it all felt… ‘right’, but also made me not want to leave!
I’m hoping that The Union Choir ‘do a Let’s Buy Happiness‘ and publish a lovely lyric book packed with Jon-Melvin-anecdotes…
Pre-order your copy here.
BIC Soleil have launched a new campaign called 'Just Live', surrounding four new razors with Shaver grip technology all aimed at different styles of shaving.
I've often had people stare aghast at my hands when I grip pens (apparently 'normal people' use their index fingers whereas I use my trusty 'claw' grip), so happily BIC have created a range to suit more 'unique cases' like me as well as the more eloquent of shavers. I'm quite pleased to hear that the emphasis is on grip too, being that I was forever put off more flimsy disposables after slicing into the top of my thumbs during a routine leg shave one morning. Needless to say, it hurt.
BIC have teamed up with body language expert Dr Jane McCartney to tell you how the way you shave reflects your personality. Apparently my long-studied techique of resting the handle in the palm of my hand 'allows me to shave quickly and efficiently and reflects my direct, driven and pragmatic approach', with the razor most suiting me being the generously sized Bella (see above). To find out more about each product, including which shaver could suit you and the way you defuzz, head to the Just Live Facebook Page.
Of course, a promotion wouldn't be a promotion these days without the giveaways, and BIC are getting chatty with their customers over on their Twitter and Facebook accounts, giving away goodies for ten weeks (including Benefit vouchers) and a cash prize to top off their season of giveaways. The Competition can be entered here using the simple entry form.
To enforce the idea that BIC Soleil can help you to 'just live' by getting you feeling glam in a few strokes of a razor (my Saturday morning routine is pretty much centred around my shower), BIC has recruited bloggers such as Lauren Loves and Blah Blah Becky to dispense their tips for getting ready for a stress-free Christmas. They've also teamed up with Dorothy Perkins, fashion stylist Hannah Hughes, hairdresser Andrew Barton and make up artist Alana Phillips to give you top style and beauty tips to accompany your silky holiday pins.
Oh yes, and before I forget, they've also asked me too! So keep your eyes peeled to the Facebook page where my tips on feeling confident in the kitchen on Christmas Day – and the traditions and recipes I employ to keep myself feeling festive.
This is a sponsored post, but don't worry – if I don't like it, I won't write about it.
On December 27 I’ll be 23…
… It’s not considered a landmark year, but the last 12 months have been so erratic, it seems to feel a bit more significant. I’m in my third office in a year (Sky this time, after a great six months at Channel 4) and things are finally settling down a bit. I’m also enjoying being away from my Shoreditch shoebox of a bedroom – Willesden Green has been good to me so far!
However, the settling down bit is scary. Nothing, as ever, is set in stone. I’ve got ten months left of my fixed term contract at Sky so time will tell if I find anything more permanent. I do like experiencing different workplaces – the corporate operator Sky has about 17,500 employees compared to Channel 4’s Public Service Broadcasting 800 (again, approximate). It’s also a very different role to my previous ones.
I’ve not had the chance to podcast recently so I’m hoping to get back to the music in 2012, if there’s a demand for it. I need to get over the North West thing – in Shoreditch I’d go off to gigs and events most evenings but I’m more of a hermit in my new home, perhaps it’s the cold or maybe I’m risking getting too comfortable.
I had one of those epiphanies the other day, the kind that will seem irrelevant to everyone else, where I realised that podcasting and blogging are activites I can pursue independently. I don’t have to rely on anyone else to put my plans into action – but neither to I have to ask anyone. And that’s sometimes dispiriting.
The two things that I’ve loved doing in the past, presenting and music, have required me to find others to help me go further. I can write songs, but I’m scared to play guitar solo, plus I’m not a very advanced player. It’s great to be able to play with others as it makes the whole process more fun, but it’s also nerve wracking to reveal what you’ve written.
The last track I wrote was the first in several months. It’s short and it’s ‘demotastic’; long pauses, Garage band reverb and general poor quality. But it’s the idea that counts, I suppose!
I also would like to move from radio into onscreen presenting. I guess I could do this at home with vlogs but I’d love to film future music interviews and get out and about. Unfortunately this requires assistance so I guess I’ll need to pluck up the courage to start asking people to help out. I’ve always been quite embarrassed to admit how much I enjoy presenting for fear of it changing people’s opinions of me. I enjoy meeting new people, and I like the excuse to find out the hows and whys of music and more – interviewing is the tried and tested method of getting those answers.
Soon, I’ll be revealing my top musicians of the year, so if you’ve got a band you think I should listen to, leave me a comment below.
… Ok so maybe not all I want, but as I’ve been shopping around for friends and family (honest!), I keep seeing things I wish I could treat myself to!
Anything by Tatty Devine
I’m a massive fan of innovative perspex jewellery designers Tatty Devine. I used to live around the corner from their Brick Lane store, which was lethal for my bank balance and I had to limit myself to window shopping most of the time. My sister loved the crazy glasses I bought for her birthday, and on special occasions I get out my massive mayor’s chain.
My favourite piece of theirs has always been their classic keyboard necklace. It’s as tinkly-looking as the real thing and, being monochrome, would go with anything. Recent designs I’m also lusting after include the ivy vines necklaces and the honesty seed pod stem necklace.
On another note, how cool are their models? Far from the ethereal editorial types, the girls on the website look like they wear the jewellery on a daily basis – I want to be them!
Original artwork
I’ve just moved to North West London and I’ve finally got a room I want to invest a bit more in – it’s large enough, for a start and it’s a lovely size (unlike my former ‘shoebox’ in Shoreditch). I’ve spent weeks buying things to make it into my own space, with a sofa, rug and coffee tables (inspired by the amazing makeover Dad’s wife, Deb, did on my old bedroom in Goudhurst, I’ve even got candles in the fireplace). The one thing I haven’t done is successfully screwed my new mirror into the wall… there may have been, ahem, an issue with a drill…
What I’d really like to do now is get some amazing artwork to put up on the walls. Currently I’ve got a framed season three Skins poster that I got whilst I was at Channel 4, but there’s so much bare space it needs more! I’d love something by my friend Brendan Kearney (I gave this brilliant cat print to Deb when I moved back down South). I definitely need to retrieve my Get Frank artwork by Kate Hindley too – It’s one of the best presents I’ve ever received – I’ve never had the chance to hang it somewhere because I’ve moved so much in the last 18 months. Hopefully that will all change now! Anything from Girls Who Draw would make me ecstatic – ditto, Lizz Lunney.
Smelly stuff
As always, I’m craving bits and bobs from Lush – we don’t have a bath in my new flat but their hand creams, shower gels and hair products are still high in my estimation. Perfume-wise, I’m missing my lunchtime trips to House of Fraser with the Channel4.com Lifestyle girls (Abi, Annabel and Emma… oh and Tom as well, if he insists!). We used to casually stroll through the perfume section, spritzing ourselves in preparation for the afternoon – my scents of choice being Lola or Oh Lola! by Marc Jacobs. I do love good old fashioned nostalgia!
Xbox games
Now I’ve set up home with my beanbag and Xbox, I’m in dire need of new games to play on it. I’m keen to get my mits on the latest Tekken, Skyrim and LA Noire.
Drink!
Now, I don’t mean to sound like an alcoholic but… I really want a cocktail cabinet and things to go inside it! Stop judging me – it’ll be for your benefit when you pop round for a mojito or two.
Togs, clogs and face paint
I’m obsessing over Topshop and Zara. One can never go wrong with Mac.
In essence, I want something for my neck, something for my walls, something for occupying my brain and something for my face! What are you hoping for this year?
I’m up against the deadline for the Tourism New Zealand Stories Beat Stuff competition so I’m on the campaign trail…
Here’s my video entry:
If you’d like to spare a moment and give me a much appreciated vote, please click here. Read my original post here.
Not too long before I changed jobs and moved house I was approached by bargain voucher website Groupon, who wondered if I’d be up for trying out one of their offers and writing about it.
I originally discovered Groupon from one of those site popups – which is usually enough to put me off investigating further. However, the popularity of the website is now growing and the number of people I know that use the service has greatly increased – my new manager at Sky is one of their biggest fans!
Alongside national deals, the site runs vouchers for local businesses all over Britain. You can browse the site for new daily deals based on your chosen location (such as West London) and also subscribe to daily updates so you can find out about deals as soon as they’re launched. Offers vary from cosmetic procedures (dental implants, laser lipo and high-end hair removal solutions) to dining deals and domestic bargains (beanbags, for example). All deals are heavily discounted, with some offering up to a whopping 90% off!
Unlike other voucher sites, you pay for the deal on the Groupon site and either register your code online at the relevant website (if it’s a product rather than service or experience), or print out the voucher and take it with you to whatever you’ve bought. You’ll also need to book if it’s restaurant/salon related.
Groupon also run incentives to get more users active on the site – by successfully recommending friends to the site, users can currently earn £6 credit for redeeming on vouchers on the site – so if you recommend ten friends, that’s £60 for you to spend.
Having finally settled into my new place in Willesden Green, I decided to finally take Groupon up on their offer and see how far the £20 credit would go. Having my friend Charlie‘s housewarming to attend I took a gamble on a £19 KMS conditioning treatment, cut and blow-dry at Gregory’s Hair and Beauty salon in Northfields. Payment with my code was swift and easy and I was instructed that my voucher would be available the next day (once the deal had closed). An email arrived in my inbox the next morning completed with the aforementioned voucher so I sent a message to the Gregory’s, who rang me back a mere hour or so later to book me in. Amazingly, I was able to get an appointment for the next day. Not-so-amazingly I forgot that the Picadilly Line would be closed and I’d need to get a bus replacement service to Northfields…
Pesky travel issues aside, everything else about the experience was entirely plain sailing. My stylist Paula washed my hair, put the conditioning treatment on and sat me under one of those retro heaters for several minutes with a cup of tea and a magazine – bliss!
After a quick trim, Paula asked how I’d like my hair dried. I decided to go against poker straight, but also tend to get disastrous results when hairdressers attempt to dry my hair into its natural curly style (they usually use too little product and go big on the frizz), so I asked for something slightly wavy.
My hair is quite coarse when straightened so it never looks perfectly glossy (Cheryl Cole-like one might say), but overall I was genuinely happy with the results. I did have to overload on products once I got home to try and keep the frizz at bay, which wasn’t entirely successful, but the cut itself was fantastic and has gone smoothly back to curls once washed.
At the salon, Paula how the salon became involved with Groupon. It seems that there’s quite a lot of interest in being featured on the site and the company asks many questions of the businesses apply. This could be to maintain quality control, to make sure that the deals sell and are worth hosting or a combination of the two (and more reasons besides). Ultimately, Groupon has been brilliant for Gregory’s. They’ve been featured multiple times with different treatments and have gained plenty of satisfied new customers. They also offer all Groupon customers the same treatment, at the same cost, for life.
Needless to say, I’ll be going back to both the salon and to Groupon!
Have you tried Groupon? What are your experiences of the site? Let me know below or send me a Tweet.
Even though I’ve not had a telly, it’s been hard for me to miss the recent vibrant campaigns from Tourism New Zealand.
Arguably, New Zealand is one of those dream destinations – a place that most would go to, but most would also see as beyond their reach or means. Tourism New Zealand often run competitions on their Facebook page – a recent one asking users to ‘match the emotion’ to a series of images from the country. Needless to say, I hit the ‘like’ button before you could say ‘Lord of the Rings’.
The latest campaign from Tourism New Zealand requires a bit more effort than the aforementioned example. Stories Beat Stuff is a competition that requires would-be adventurers to submit an image or video depicting what they’d trade for a trip of a lifetime in New Zealand. (See the rather enthusiastic example below for inspiration!) It’s all about the memories and the tales you’ll be able to tell into your old age.
Up for grabs are two experiences; Summer Rhythm will see a lucky winner and their friend/lover/relative (the choice is entirely theirs!) whisked over to NZ for two weeks. There, they’ll road trip it across the coast line and end things at the three-day Rhythm and Vines festival – and because it’s the other side of the world, it’ll be summer too – so you can camp without fear of chilling your toes off! The other experiences is being touted as ‘Beaches and Boats’, a luxury, sand and sun soaked January break packed with opportunities to sunbathe, swim with dolphins and party ’til dawn.
For more details about the competition, click here.
Having not had a holiday for over five years now, I’m intending on going all-out on the campaign trail to win the Summer Rhythm package. I had a big, long think about what I would trade – and what is most precious to me (shoes, guitar, computer and my recent discount IKEA sofa all came to mind!). Eventually I made the following video:
Basically one of the reasons I’ve not been on holiday is, aside from a financial issue, a big time thing. I’ve moved around the country, worked in three different offices in the last year and had more housemates than I can name (probably). I guess I’ve had work-related blinkers on, seeing it as a necessary route to survival and have hardly had time for anything – or anyone. The opportunity to spend two incredible weeks, packing more adventure than ever before, is hard to resist! The fact I’d get to spend it with a friend makes it even more special.
So that’s what I’d give… my time!
Ok, ok! I know what you’re thinking – you’d give your time for the holiday! You’d work… on the holiday? Well potentially, yes. I could be an ambassador for Britain or Tourism New Zealand, representing the Tourism New Zealand website (which is a-may-zing by the way… check out the flickbook-style podcards as you scroll down the page). I’d also give up my time over here, working for charity or doing as requested – I’ll even put it in the hands of people who comment on my video entry, or Twitter or even this blog post.
The competition is open now and closes on the 31st – but don’t worry, the campaign will be running for the next 12 months and they’ll be plenty more opportunities to win over on the Tourism New Zealand Facebook page.
So will you be entering? Or have you got an idea for what I should give up my time to do? Let me know, as always, below…
This is a Sponsored Post – but don’t worry, if I don’t like it, I won’t write about it!
Get Frank 