Be Happy!

Be Happy!
A toaster in Greece produced this!

Saturday 18 February 2012

My Week at S Magazine: Day 5

It's finished :( I'm really sad actually because I've had so much fun this week and learnt so much about the industry.
My day was quite relaxing as there were not that many people in; the fashion team were at London Fashion Week shows and not sure about others but it seemed really empty. I continued to do some product research on floral cushions and I found some really nice ones however I didn't realise how expensive some cushions were! Then Benita took me up to the canteen and we had a chat while she had a coffee. She told me all about Bournemouth (she studied Mutlimedia Journalism there, which is what I want to do) and it sounds so much fun. She told me to keep in contact with her and tell her all about it and she said she'll try and get me a placement at S Magazine or mabye even the Express paper! That will be so good. It's really given me loads of motivation now to study really hard and get those grades so I can study at Bournemouth and i'm really really excited about it.
I was given the task of going through Vicky's e-mails and printing off any press releases involving the Jubilee. I felt quite guilty going through her e-mails however I don't think there is any privacy; everyone knows eachother's passwords so I think it's alright. This was quite a fun job as some of the products were quite funny e.g. a cushion with a British bulldog on it wearing a Union Jack tophat- who would EVER buy that.

Then I did some more product research, this time on coffee tables, and again I was blown away by the price of some of them; over £1000! Some tables were actually really cool and interesting but I would never spend that much money on a table...not that I have it anyway. I did this for most of the afternoon actually. I took biscuits and a tin of Celebrations in, which went down a storm. However they were put right behind me so I ended up eating a fair few of them. Then I took part in the 'Tried and Tasted' activity that S Magazine do every week. Each week they have a food product from four different supermarkets. This week it was tiramisu, something I hadn't tried before however it was really nice. Some of them were a bit too creamy though so I felt quite sick after. However we decided that the best tasting Tiramisu was from Waitrose (surprise surprise) but it was quite a close one.
That was my day. Like I say, it was quite relaxing and I didnt do much but it was still another really good day :) Then that was it and at 6pm I was out the door. I have Benita's business card so I'm definitely going to keep in touch and hopefully go back whenever I'm next free.

Thursday 16 February 2012

My Week at S Magazine: Day 4

OH MY GOD. Think today could be considered as one of the best so far. I began my day in the office by sorting out post into piles and throwing away old newspapers. Sound boring? Not for long. Within 10 minutes I was asked by Paula (fashion editor) if I wanted to go on a photoshoot....ummmm YES. So then by half past ten, I was in one of those cool blacked out cabs cruisng around London with Paula and Lindsay (another 'fashion girl'). My first task: go to John Lewis on Oxford Street (the shoot was in Portland Square right behind Oxford Street) and buy two pairs of scissors, two rolls of double sided selotape and some safety pins. Paula then produced her credit card, along with her pin and off I was. Did I have a clue where I was going? No. Could I find double sided selotape anywhere? No. Actually, that's a lie. I found some in the arts n crafts section of John Lewis however I wasn't sure if it was suitable because it was weirdly thin and they had no other. This meant I was literally running up and down Oxford Street searching for any shop that would sell the right tape. I've been to the famous Oxford Street many times however I only remeber the vague locations of the big shops like Nike Town and Topshop so the shops I really needed, such as W H Smith or Rymans, were no where to be seen. Back to John Lewis it was then for the thin tape. So once this mission was accomplished, I faced another: getting back to Portland Square. I was freaking out because I think I was gone for probably about an hour and I really really didn't want to miss the opportunity to see a photoshoot so I was RUNNING. Luckily, I found where I was looking for, even if I did go the long way.
The Photoshoot was a Mother's Day special. It featured Meg Mathews, who I didn't know at first but was quickly educated on the fact she is Noel Gallagher's ex wife (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and her 12 year old daughter (imagine Noel Gallagher being your dad! WOW). Anyway the day was really really good and a great experience. The photos came out so so well and the location was perfect. In Meg's current home which was a sort of hotel/appartment but so amazingly decorated and furnished and probably cost an absolute bomb. Surprisingly everyone was really chilled out and I was made to feel really welcome. As I was told to, I 'blended into the background' and didn't get in the way and say stupid things like a previous work experience girl once said to the celeb on a photoshoot: 'I don't like that dress, it makes you look fat'.
It is safe to say that my day was extremely exciting, even if I didn't know Meg that well. I had loads of fun and by 4pm it was time to go back to the office. Even though it was a very different scenery, it felt almost like home returning there and continuing with 'normal' work. This work involved researching products, this time cushions, for 'Vicky's Best' page of the mag. I hope some of the things I discovered get featured in it because I found some really nice things.
Tomorrow is my last day, really really sad :( I've written some thank-you notes and i'm taking in chocolates and biscuits as a plea for them to keep me on forever......joking...kind of.
Who knows what tomorrow holds but I cannot wait.

Wednesday 15 February 2012

My Week at S Magazine: Day 3

Today I left the Northern and Shell building with yet another massive grin on my face.
It started with seeing Natalie Cassidy (Sonia from Eastenders) in the reception of the building and ended with me bagging about £30 worth of goodies. Here's what happend:

Bright and early once again, I arrived at Monument with some time to kill. After grabbing myself a pasta salad from Tesco, I entered the building and the S Magazine office. Yet again Benita, my pal made me feel really welcome and I quickly continued with my job from yesterday evening. Tidying and ordering the catalogues alphabetically was actually fun- however i'm just a freak who likes things organised- and it did look a lot better once I had finished, if I do say so myself. No sooner had I finished my first job, than I was on to my second. This again was a fun one. I had to research products that would be suitable for the Mother's Day page that is going to be in an edition soon. This meant searching websites such as John Lewis and Cath Kidston and also gave me some great ideas for my own Mother's Day present. This continued until lunch time, however as I am not an expert with Apple Macs, my word document froze and I risked losing everything I had done. Benita and I decided to leave it while I went to lunch however when I returned, it was still frozen. Laura quickly taught me how to turn the computer off and once it came back on, low and behold, my work had saved. Bingo. So, I carried on with this until Benita gave me yet another job (still not complaining, I love it) which was to run through the latest magazine (due to come out on the 19th of Feb however I've already seen it :)) and fill in a table with its entire contents. This felt like such a risky job because the document was MASSIVE and contained the contents of loads of editions since 2007! Imagine if I had deleted it....
Then to my massive surprise and delight, Benita handed me a bag and told me we were going to a beauty sale. I, for one, had never heard of one of this but was thrilled to see what it entailed. Laura explained that certain things around the room were normally a certain price, e.g. the items on the sofa were normally £1. Annoyingly, I only had a £5 note so I only gathered four things, some blusher and lipsticks. I went to go and pay for my items, praying it wouldn't reach over £5, only to be told that because I was on work experience, everything was FREE!!!! So, back in I went and came out with SO much stuff...including orange lipstick which isn't as bad as it sounds I promise. It was amazing, best thing ever. I've now got some nice Maybelline foundation and mascara, probably worth £10 each I would guess- don't go near the expensive stuff in Superdrug, I stick to my good old Miss Sporty! Some nice Topshop lipstick which I cant WAIT to wear at the weekend and Topshop Blusher. I also managed to get even more blusher, from Rimmel London and another make I had never heard of. I got my mum some pomegranate body lotion and some thing from Lush but i'm not entirely sure what it was. I wish wish wish I got more stuff and not just bloody blusher but oh well, maybe next time. I must be the luckiest work experience girl EVER because Benita told me that it only happens every couple of months!
After my excitement had simmered, I continued with my jobs. After completing my nice table and saving it successfully, I continued with my product hunting. I made Louise (editor) some more tea and she explained that I HAVE to go on a photoshoot either while i'm there (not likely) or even if i'm not! How good is that?! So tomorrow i'm going to ask whether they have any space for me to come back in the easter holidays :D pray pray pray they do.
6pm came around too quickly for my liking and, once again, all the computers were switched off promptly and everyone was out the door. Second to last day tomorrow and I really dont want to leave. I walked past my fish and chip shop today and was brought back to the harsh reality of real life. By Monday i'll be back in college studying like mad for the AAB grades that will get me a job like the one i've been experiencing all week. And I can't stress how much I now want it.

Tuesday 14 February 2012

My Week at S Magazine: Day 2

Wow, today was so so good and really busy, but i'm not complaining. Once again I was early so I sat myself down on a bench on the Thames, just metres away from Tower Bridge (I call myself a 'Londoner' however I get so excited about all the touristy things) reading my book.
I got myself a new pass and I was soon back in the office. Spent about half an hour getting more quotes for the contents page and then I was called into the meeting which was wicked! Stood with my pal Benita while she explained everything to me and listened in on the plans for the week;  the editor wants sunday's mag is hopefully going to be completed by Thursday. I made my first cup of tea today :( boohoo but luckily it was only the editor that asked me so I didn't mind too much. It also enabled me to stretch my legs which I was secretly DESPERATE to do.
My next job was easy; typing out ingredients and a method for a Vinegared Rice recipie (doesn't sound at all appealing). Then it was soon lunch and I found myself yet again alone in the canteen however today I chose a more central table and I had Harry Potter, instead of Othello, to keep me company. After lunch I had a relaxing break as there were a few people still on their own breaks, so I did some blogging and followed some other people. Then I quickly had another job to complete and it was really really good. It sounds boring, and the 'Fashion Girl' (realised her name is Laura so I will call her that now), Laura said it was boring however I enjoyed myself. It's a job called 'returns' and I had to sort through bags of really nice clothes (sounds horrific doesn't it?) and fill in a form involving descriptions of each item. Then I put them back in their bags and sealed it all up ready to be sent back to the shops. Saw some amazing things from the likes of ASOS and Kurt Geiger..wanted to steal some not going to lie but realised I don't think i'd ever succeed after doing so so the thought evaporated from my brain very quickly. I continued to do this for a couple of hours as there were loads and loads of clothes, then I helped Laura deliver them down to the Courier to be sent off.
I started my final job at about 5.45 so I didn't do it for long and didn't achieve much. It was only sorting out catalogues into alphabetical order which sounds soooo boring however I didn't mind it as, once again, it actually involved me getting out of my chair. Vicki, a really nice woman who keeps giving me all these great jobs, invited me to a photoshoot at her house tomorrow however we decided that it would be too difficult for me to get there which is a shame however she said she'd take me out on Thursday or Friday and thanked me for my help :) thought that was really nice of her so I don't mind too much about not going tomorrow.
It makes me laugh because as soon as it's 6pm, no matter if people are in the middle of something, all the computers are shut down and coats are put on and everyone is out the door. This happens all over the room- S magazine share a massive room with the likes of OK! Hello, Star, More magazines and Channel 5- and the lights are probably turned off by half past.
This is no bad thing at all, it means I can get home within an hour and a half however this evening I stayed in town and had a meal out with my boyfriend....it was our first time at Wagamama's and despite sharing a rather large table with about 20 other people, it was amazing! Service was so good and the food was even better; reasonable prices too.
Only downside of today: couldn't sit down on the train on the way there because it was jam packed and obviously it had to be the day where my bag was extra heavy..not sure why, possibly because of Harry Potter...and I did get slightttlyyy lost on my way to meet Tom (boyfriend) but managed to redeem myself by cleverly working out the underground tube system and I got to where I needed to be (Waterloo) in ten minutes- very happy with myself :)
So today was yet again really really good. I've decided I don't want the week to end though so I'm going to ask at the end if they have any saturday jobs (highly unlikely) or if I can come back again in Easter perhaps! Already can't wait for tomorrow and the new jobs it will bring (pleeeaseee no more than two cups of tea) !

me

So i've just discovered some blogs that I found so funny and just HAD to follow as I literally can't wait to read their next posts. I also realized that they all have posted about themselves, something which I haven't actually done.
My name is Mollie and i'm 5 foot something, not to sure how tall/small exactly, but lets just say i'm not a giant. I'm doing my A Levels at the moment, a challenge to say the least, in Media Studies, English Literature and Geography. To all those GCSE students that are deciding their A Level options.....do NOT pick Geography...even if you get an A at GCSE... it will be the death of me. Besides from studying like a maniac to achieve AAB and get into Bournemouth Uni in September, I spend my free time, not so 'free'. On tuesdays, thursdays and fridays and sometimes saturdays, I work in the evenings at my local fish and chip shop. Don't ask.. i was desperate for a job at the time and now regret it massively mainly due to the disgusting smell (NOT OF FISH BEFORE YOU ASSUME THAT) of oil or something, not sure what it is really but it stinks. I barely find time to do much else, however I love watching films and hanging out with my friends. I love to go to Nando's and GBK because i love eating. I also like to go for runs, normally most fridays i run 5k for a laugh....even though it's not funny at all but very painful at times.
At the moment i'm sat in the office for Sunday Express Magazine as i'm currently completing a week's work experience placement...i'm going to post every night about what i've done during the day so stay tuneeeddd. I've been invited to a photoshoot tomorrow however it doesn't involve celebs (i don't think) but it'll still be cool anyhow.
ummmm what else do i do? READ literally love love love reading and because of that.. i love writing too. I'm ashamed to say i'm reading the last Harry Potter book...ashamed because it is a task I should have accomplished years ago and I hate to admit but i'm jealous now of the times my older brother spent outside bookshops in all weather conditions to get his hands on the latest GENIUS novel by J.K. Rowling. Anyway, i'm making up for it now and I may cry when I finish it.

I'm the third of four children so my family is pretty big but I wouldn't change it for the world. I have to share a room with my younger sister who is 14 though which is a bit of a pain and it means i HATE sharing anything with anyone because the minute I get home...everything is shared with Fi. I also have a rabbit called Rocky however he is also Fi's and I don't hold him much because he freaks me out a bit but he is a cutie.

So, when you think about who is behind all these weird and wonderful blog posts you can read this and get yourself an idea...or not..it's up to you

Monday 13 February 2012

My Week At S Magazine: Day 1

So, my day started at 7am, which is much earlier than a normal day at college, let alone during half term. I managed to drag myself out of bed and eat my breakfast. After a refreshing shower and getting dressed, I was out the house by 8.15 which I don't think i've managed to do since being at secondary school.
Anyway, so after a brisk walk to Twickenham station I caught the train to Richmond and then got on the district line to Monument tube station. I was actually excited for the journey however I soon became jealous of all the iPads and Kindles everywhere.
I managed to get a seat on the tube which was lucky and I read the Metro and read my iPod. I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't nervous at this point; my stomach was in knots by the time I had to get on the train. I did wonder what would happen if I never got off the train but then realise this would be the biggest mistake.
I arrived early, 20 minutes early, and hung around a bit doing touristy things such as taking a picture of Tower Bridge. Then I forced myself into the Northern and Shell Building. I got myself to the reception and was given a visitor's pass. Then I waited for what felt like half an hour before my pal for the week, Benita came to get me. She gave me a brief tour; the canteen and toilets are on the ninth floor. That reminds me! The elevators are on the outside of the walls inside the building which gives it a kind of Hogwarts feel. Anyway then she introduced me to everyone in the team- they all seem really nice.
I quickly had jobs to do, my first one was to write up page numbers and the recipie names on those certain pages, then I had to type out an interview whilst listening to an interview that Benita did with a fashion designer. It was pretty cool however this took AGES. I had lunch on my own in the canteen, it wasn't really that bad but made my mum feel sorry for me by telling her this horrible story of how I had my packed lunch and sat by the bin facing the window instead of the rest of the canteen. This is a sad story however every word of it is true.
The canteen was nice though and managed to spend £3 on some yummy pick n mix which i'm hoping will last me until the end of the week.
After lunch, it was back to typing out the interview and then at about 4.30, when I had finally finished, Benita gave me a task to find some quotes that could possibly go on the magazine's contents page- I thought this was a good job and I hope one of my quotes is picked. I tried to be clever and picked Shakespeare and other poets' quotes however I managed to squeeze in some J.K. Rowling. I also helped carry some clothes down to the courier and got chatting to the 'Fashion Girl' (i've named her this because I cant remember her exact job role however I know her name is Laura) who lives in Suffolk with her parents! It takes her two hours to travel here, wow, dedication, she must love her job which is a good sign. She was also given a job at S magazine after completing work experience with them which is an even better sign! However that would throw all of my Uni plans out the window and I would have no idea what to do with myself.
Before I knew it, it was 6 O'clock and I managed to get home for 7.30, not bad I don't think. Anyway, I felt so 'grown up', if you like and love the idea of that kind of job. My accomplishment for the day is that I made 0 cups of coffee. Most people i've told about this work experience placement, have said how much of a great week it will be, however they have also mentioned the fact that i'll most probably be the 'tea and coffee girl'. Today however, even though I was sat right in front of the kettle and mugs and coffee and tea bags, I was not aske by a single person for a hot beverage. I'm touching wood right now, and hoping that it will stay this way for the rest of the week, afterall I want JOURNALISM experience, not tea and coffee experience.
Overall I had a great day and I'm really really looking forward to going back tomorrow :D