One Hop This Time...

I recently moved to east London and now walk to and from work everyday. One thing I'll miss from my usual train journey is the 'businesspeople watching', please don't confuse this with 'people watching'...it's completely different.

There's something strangely pleasing about watching men and women in power suits, looking at Excel documents on their laptops and playing Tetris on their Blackberries, all the while wondering what it is they really do and creating a complex character you believe them to be in your mind.

My fondest memory is of a particularly well-dressed gentleman on the train at 7.30am, surely heading into London for an important 9am meeting. Looking fully focused with his iPod on, I wondered what kind of song could prepare him for this momentous day...and then he turned the volume up - to a level that could only be described as obnoxious and none other than DJ Casper's Cha Cha Slide blared out from his earphones.

I hadn't had him down for a DJ Casper fan.

Afro Taming

Sunday nights of my youth were spent sat in front of my mother while she struggled her way through my knotty hair. Classic mother-daughter bonding.

I wouldn't change any of that but having recently discovered the Tangle Teezer www.tangleteezer.com, I have found that many of those hours were completely unnecessary. This revolutionary brush is AMAZING, so much so that I felt the need to blog about it. It's good for all hair types apparently but afro taming especially.

Bookmarks

I really like bookmarks, I think they are a pointless purchase but I can't help but be attracted to them! I'm not usually a page folder but I refuse to pay for something that a scrap piece of paper can do.

Jenny David

Recently I've been watching quite a bit of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David is one of the most entertaining characters I've seen. His views sometimes seem extreme and unfair but in all honesty, he is often the voice you wish you had. I think the world would be a better place if populated with a few more Larry Davids. He is an observational king who has inspired me to watch human actions and behaviour more closely.

Dance Like Nobody's Watching

I'm sure I'm not the only person in the world who dances erratically when alone. It's an enjoyable past time and I'm not afraid to admit to it.

Mind The Gap!

I'm returning to America soon and would like to make a point about toilets in the USA, it's been playing on my mind for a while and I feel that blogging about the issue will set me free!

For some reason there is a gap either side of the toilet doors, I was just wondering what that was all about? You can pretty much see all the way in and out (if you choose to.) I just find it quite strange and am looking for some justification!

The Lost Art of The Letter

I've been back in England for a while now, although many of my friends are still in the USA waist deep in projects, finals and pop quizzes. While I was away I loved receiving post, a letter from home, a card or anything with handwriting on it somehow had the ability to give you a great boost.

So I decided to write letters to a couple of my friends across the pond, I think they appreciated it, it says a bit more than a Facebook wall post or a MySpace comment. I was shocked to discover how strange it felt to compose a letter without the use of a computer, my handwriting is quite original and notoriously difficult to read so I made a conscious effort to make it as legible as possible.

I'm wondering how long it will be until I receive my next handwritten letter, they are becoming increaslingly obsolete and therefore precious, their power must not be overlooked.

I take it back...

I would last to retract my previous post...I've found my man!

Hey there pretty...bunny

Cadbury have re-released the Caramel bar after years of the Dairy Milk with Caramel, I saw a huge billboard on the underground today. The Caramel bunny is known for her sexiness, as are a number of female cartoon characters such as Jessica Rabbit and Betty Boop.

Where are all the sexy male cartoon characters? The only one I can think of that would be considered in this way would be Johnny Bravo! Perhaps there are more that I'm overlooking?

Who is this Soft Mick you speak of?

When I was growing up, my mum always used to say 'You've got more (insert item here) than Soft Mick!' For years I have wondered about this Soft Mick character and how he came to acquire so many things!

According to Wikipedia:

Soft Mick is a name used to describe an extravagance in East Lancashire and West Yorkshire

Soft Mick is seemingly used more in Accrington in conjunction with shoes "More shoes than Soft Mick" Leading some to believe that Soft Mick may have been a Irish shoe peddler working around Accrington, East Lancs, in the early 1900s

I can breathe easy now I know a little more about him. I always imagined that Soft Mick looked like this:

Creme de la Crepe!

I was shopping for birthday presents today and stumbled across a great place. Creme de la Crepe is downstairs in the courtyard of Covent Garden selling both sweet and savory pancakes. As I missed Shrove Tuesday the other week, I thought it was only right that I have my pancake allowance for the year. If you're in the area I highly recommend a visit to this cosy and delicious pancake house!

http://www.cremedelacrepe.co.uk

Twitter!..shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, bay-bay!

(...Sigh) I gave in to the power of Twitter. I didn't really intend on getting one but felt the need to just so I knew what I had been missing.

I am not a fan of being a late adopter, it feels like cheating, waiting to see if something is going to take off and as the bandwagon is about to depart, pouncing on it like a desperate fool trying to keep up with the times.

http://twitter.com/JennySimeone

Follow me if you please but remember I am filthy late adopter!

She's got a Badge On!

I've done my fair share of commuting over the past few months. Being small on the tube can be quite annoying, it seems like nobody sees or hears you!

I was on the tube the other day and saw a woman with one of these 'Baby on Board' badges on, what a great idea, now everybody knows that she is 'with child' and should not be pushed around. It's a nice idea if people actually see the badge, otherwise she'll be treated like cattle like the rest of us.

I'm thinking of getting my own badge saying 'I bruise easily' or something like that, then hopefully people will take more care with me!

Less But Better

I went to a talk by Dieter Rams at the V&A last week, with no tickets and 30 people on the waiting list, for a long time it looked like I wouldn't get to hear him. Yet perseverance paid off and a group of about 10 of us were let in for free!

I really enjoyed the talk, Rams is a charismatic designer, with his thick German accent and quick wit, I listened intently to what he had to say. His designs for Braun in the 1950s are believed to have inspired those of the Apple iPod, iPhone and iMac. This influence is clear when comparing the products, the beauty of his work is created by its simplicity.

Jay-Oh-Bees

Since graduating I have managed to obtain some good internships at a number of PR agencies in London. In January I worked at Ketchum, before moving on to Shine Communications and Cow PR in February. It's been great to get a feel for the way different agencies work, how they operate on a daily basis. Organisational culture has always interested in me, and I have been able to experience some diverse cultures over the past two months.

Interning for 2 week and one month periods is something I would recommend, not that I am shy or reserved in any way, but it can be a great help for graduates to come out of their shells and get a real feel for the working environment.

PR has really captured me, I think that in a recession it can be daunting but exciting to work in the creative industries. This is the the time to be noticed, to do something different, and to make an impression. I am hoping to continue to gain some valuable experience and further my knowledge of the business world outside of the classroom.

Landan

I'm currently in London, job hunting and interning. I do miss Florida already but will return in April for a few weeks, which will be nice. I like London, and am hoping to move in somewhere at the end of the summer.

I got so used to everyone being so friendly in America, I was after all at a small college with a real personal feel to it. But the city life can be a harsh and lonely one at times, with commuters and others so focused on their destinations, it would be nice for people to just slow down a little, making things more calm and friendly.

I found this quote:

"Don't count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count."

And of all these commuters I see in the mornings and evenings, I imagine so many of them are counting down every hour from 9-5, just waiting to go home. I know that I want to enjoy my time at work, doing something I can enjoy and appreciate. I want to make the hours count.

Happy New Year and all that jazz

I've totally neglected my blog for the past month, for anybody for who actually cares, I'm sorry. Happy New Year! I'm hoping 2009 is going to be a good one, with all the negativity floating around I'm just going to see what happens and enjoy myself as much as possible.

I'm a college graduate now, tossed into the working world and trying to make something of myself. I really enjoyed Christmas, I ate too much, watched too many films and didn't go running as promised in my last blog post.

My new years resolutions for 2009 are:

Keep fit
Read more
Make a personal sketchbook
Explore my career goals
Find a job