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.

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