The Sunday Seven: Festive Edition

Happy Boxing Day!
Anyway, seven things that have been making me smile this week.

1. Silly Presents

Fluffy fairy lights? Balloon animal making kit? Glowing Toy Story alien? Yes, I got all these for Christmas. I do like a silly present.

2. Singin’ In The Rain

Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor

Found this on TV yesterday. I love the film, and this number is one of my favourites from it. Gene Kelly is incredible.

3. Jamie Oliver
I ate in his restaurant in Cardiff (Jamie's Italian) on Christmas Eve. I’d never been there before, and was very impressed. Lovely restaurant fit, gorgeous food, helpful, friendly staff and a food selection of giftware too.

4. Dr Who Christmas Special
Hilarious, and so, so good. How scary did the baby-spiders sound though? Yuck!

5. Not having turkey for Christmas dinner
Don’t get me wrong, I like turkey. I like it in sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce on Boxing Day. But I can take it or leave it as a meat for a roast lunch. I find it doesn’t taste of all that much and can be a touch dry.
Lucky for me, the family agree, so Christmas lunch for us was beautiful, tender lamb, with leftovers for Shepard's Pie tonight. NOM.

6. Parcels
I love getting things in the post. Nice things, I mean, not dull things like bank statements. I especially like getting parcels. And I know have one or two on their way to me at the moment, and that makes me a happy girl.

7. Not being in Wetherspoons
I do quite enjoy my job, but I an loving being away from the pub for a week this week. No annoying drunks or old men talking my ear off. Hooray!

Fan-Girling

I confess. I’m a fan girl. Although I guess anyone who read my tale of meeting Chris Wolstenholme already knew that…

Now, I’m not a crazy stalker type who breaks into hotel-rooms, or follows their family about, but I will admit to queuing for gigs for 8 or so hours, knowing obscure facts about the life of Muse and I may have turned into a squeeing mess when I met their tour manager at Wembley Stadium.

Come on, Muse fans, tell me I’m not mental. Meeting Tom Kirk really is a big deal for a lot of us, right?

My worst bit of fan-girling occurred on the fateful day that Matt Bellamy pointed at me. Oh yes. Now, I would just like to make it clear that I am not a screamer at gigs. I woop, shout things, dance about, jump and down…but I don’t scream as if I was at a Take That concert. At this particular gig, I was merrily jumping up and down in front of Chris’s side of the stage, when, totally unexpectedly, he and Matt traded places. Suddenly I had my hero two metres away from me. Playing one of my favourite Muse songs.

I admit it, My brain fell out. I was suddenly the ultimate fan-girl, hanging over the barrier, arms out-stretched, shrieking like a banshee. Wonderfully, the boy next to me, who we shall call R, had exactly the same reaction. Matt, I can only assume, found this highly amusing. He laughed, pointed down at us and treated us to a hip-thrust with his guitar.

I have never been able to make anyone who wasn’t a Muse fan understand quite how incredible this moment was, and why I went even more mental at that point. I guess I’m  just an hysterical fan-girl.

My fan-girl nature is not limited to Muse either, oh no. I have gone silly and star-struck when meeting famous authors. Yesterday I had a mini-squee upon discovering I had a comment on the blog from Shini of Park and Cube. Shini. Park and Cube. She read my blog! Hers is one of the first blogs I started reading regularly, and she’s very important now in the world of blogging of fashion, so it really is an exciting thing. Thanks, Shini, for making my day. Sorry for being a fan-girl about it.

Girl Crush of the Moment

Charlotte Church.

 

I’m not sure what it is about Charlotte that I love so much, but I was reminded of my love for her when I saw her sloshing WKDs about to make Cheeky Vimtos on Jamie Oliver’s Lock In show.

I think her appeal for me is her realness. She was a bit wild in her teens, and makes no apologies for that. She talks very openly about her divorce from Gavin Henson, but doesn’t drag his name through the mud. She is truthful about her own hurt, but also talks realistically about his place in her life now and the impact on their children. She doesn’t take herself seriously and is always witty when interviewed.

Plus, she looks amazing now. She lost a lot of weight, but admitted to missing her curves and put a bit back on. Now, I think she looks great. Slim, but still womanly. I think it’s fantastic to have Charlotte out there saying “Yes, I got down to a size 8, but I missed my boobs, so now I’ve found a better balance.”

Plus, she’s a Cardiff girl, which is always a good thing.

The Sunday Seven

Seven things making me smile this week:

1. Getting home for Christmas
The snow has been causing all kinds of problems for students trying to get out of Aberystwyth, and I’m sure all the other unis too. Thankfully, the roads were clear enough today for my mum to come to the rescue, so I am home for the festive season. Hooray.

2. Sales before Boxing Day
I usually hate shopping in the after Christmas sales. I love the bargains but hate the crowds. I know it suggests scary things for our economy, but when it means I buy a £50 Aviator jacket for £15, I can’t help but love the mid-season sales.

3. Christmas TV
So much of it is trash, but I love it. Dr Who Christmas special? Lots of films on? Count-downs of absolutely everything? Yes please.

4. This GIF. I <3 it.
 

5. Fast internet
Internet at home used only by me? Not shared by 4 other people? Hello fast net, how I’ve missed you.

6. Teach – In at Aberystwyth University
I know one of the guys who was part of organising this. Basically, like other unis, they occupied a lecture theatre. The difference? There held lectures and showed documentaries Education for free. It was a cool thing, and made the news.

7. Courage Wolf
Ok, it’s a Facebook application, but it makes me laugh. 

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Well. This week has been eventful.

We found out yesterday that, after many a long-winded battle with our very lovely and patient land-lord, one of the boys I live with is moving out. Unexpected, but there we have it. That was our initial drama, but hopefully this means our household will be more settled and less like an Eastenders argument.

We’ve also had loads of snow. It snowed very heavily over night last night. I was sat up until 4am finishing up for my deadlines today, and was amazed when I walked into the hall to find the world had turned white. Cue everything grinding to a halt.

When I got up this morning, the university had been closed, but people were still battling up the very steep hill to campus to hand in work, not wanting it hanging over them over Christmas. Luckily, from our house, we can avoid the hill and cut up a pretty little forest footpath, which I did.

I got up to campus to find it creepily empty, but I got my work handed in, which is the main thing.

Lots of people have been madly trying to get trains home as the roads are obviously out of action. Sadly, I had work tonight, and have ended up being the last one left in my house. MrKiss is still in Aber though, so I have some company. Hopefully, the roads will clear enough for my mum to get through to rescue me, or I’ll be attempting to lug my possessions home on the train without getting stranding in some remote welsh town.

Mr Kiss and I went for a wander in the snow, where we found the biggest snowman I have ever seen. I took a snowball to the side of the head, but fear not, I had my revenge by filling his hood with snow. We had a look at the ruins of the castle here, which were very lovely in the snow, and then walked a little further down to the far beach. The snow had created a really bizarre effect on the pebbles.

I’ve got some proper ideas for posts lined up once I get out of Aber and back home, but today I was too pleased with all the pretty snow and wanted to share.

Wish me luck getting home!

Close Encounters

As you read on Saturday, we were in the presence of the DIY SOS team on Friday night. After we’d moved on to another pub, we had a chat about celebrity encounters. Most people seem to have them, from the impressive like bumping into Johnny Depp outside your local Spar (I know someone this happened to) or spying Tom Cruise on holiday (my housemate), to the less impressive, like, er, well, Nick Knowles I suppose.
This got me thinking about my own celeb encounters, so I thought I’d share.

Aled Jones

I mentioned this in Saturday’s post, but here’s the photo I got of our meeting. That’s my pal on the left, Aled in the middle, and me at the end. To put this in proportion, Aled and myself are standing up straight while my friend is slouching. I am 5’4”. Aled is quite short. He was lovely though, as was the whole team he had with him. Very polite, friendly and charming.

I left feeling more than a little in love with our Aled. I’m so pleased he’s got the Sunday Surgery now, not working under Moyles, who I can’t bare.

 

Jo Whiley
Me and my best friend met Jo at the 2009 NME Awards. I think we probably confused her quite a bit by mistake. We were being herded down the stairs by a security guard, ready to go into the main room, and Jo walked up the stairs past us. I’m quite a fan of her show, and called out, “Jo!”

Mainly my call was out of surprise more than wanting her attention, but she heard me and stopped and turned round. At this point, I realised I had nothing at all to say to her, so I smiled and waved like an inbecile and said hello, while my friend gave her the thumbs up. Jo looked baffled, said hello, and carried on up the stairs. Sorry about that, Jo.

My friend has met Jo since, at an event at her union. This time, she managed to compliment her on her shoes.

Rick Edwards
Also at the NME Awards. Actually, in the Nandos opposite the venue. Rick came in and ordered take-out and sat down a few tables away from me and my friend, who we’ll call S. S and I had just been gawping at a passing NME journalist we both recognised, and were unsure it was a real celeb, especially as neither of us could remember his name, or what he was famous for. Eventually, I realised he was on T4, and after a swift phone-call to a friend, A, with a google request, we worked it out.

That same night, we saw Ke$ha falling into a taxi, played beach ball with Effy from Skins and got elbowed away from Damon Albarn by photographers. The best encounter that night though:

Noel Fielding

I bloody love this man. He turned up at the awards wearing a big fluffy jumper and spent ages waving to the crowds on the balcony above the red carpet, with the other Mighty Boosh guys.

Later, S and I had a spot at the front, and Noel, playing Vlad the Imapler for Kasabian, charged about chucking severed heads around, and finished up spitting beer over myself and S. Nice. I still love him though, and it’s a good story.

Jacqueline Wilson
Twice, at the Hay Festival. LOVELY lady. So friendly and had loads of time for everyone who wanted autographs and chats. She understands how important her fans are.

Philip Pullman
Also at the Hay Festival. Didn’t like him much, actually. Very disappointing.

I’ve saved the best until last.
Chris Wolstenholme
Muse’s bass player. Oh God. I still can’t believe I met him. I’m a Muse fan-girl. S and I went to watch him play football at a fan meet-up and met him afterwards. He wasn’t as tall as he looks on stage, but he has lovely eyes. He was a dream, not a let-down in the slightest.

My brain fell out when we got near him and I lost all ability to communicate successfully. I ended up scuttling backwards in front of him with about 40 other people, trying to put my ticket fro the gig the night before into his hand. I managed to say his name about eleven million times during this, and got out “Thank you!” when he gave me my ticket back. I was so cool. Here’s my signed ticket.

The Sunday Seven

Sorry it’s late; work interrupted my blogging! Seven things that have been making me smile this week.

1. Lunch Date
MrKiss took me for lunch at Salt earlier in the week, where I devoured the most insanely huge burger. NOM! I always love the food in Salt, but their drinks are a little pricey and whenever I go in, it always seems to take forever to get served at the bar. Hmmm. Lovely to be eat out though.

2. Jazzy nails

As I said in an earlier post, I’ve been buying new nail varnishes. Here’s my first try of the crackle effect. This is Barry M Indigo (312) with Barry M Nail Effects (311) over the top. The Indigo is purple in real life, excuse my camera. It’s a beautiful colour, but too dark for under the crackle stuff I think. It just my fingers look diseased. After it had settled some more after a few hours, it looked a lot better but I’m not entirely convinced. I’ll try again over a brighter colour and let you know. One note though, it’s challenging to remove!

3. Finishing work early
I got released from Wetherspoons a whole hour early, due to lack of customers. Always a welcome surprise. I am so ready for my bed.

4. Getting MrKiss addicted to Buffy

Giles fanvid. Squee!

I said in the last Sunday Seven that I was introducing MrKiss to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. To my delight he seems to be hooked. He’s having a whale of time guessing wildly about who is evil (so far, his track record of guessing is very good) and who’s going to die next. He has quite the crush on Miss Calendar, but his favourite character is Giles. MrKiss’s new favourite hobby is to watch Buffy and yell “GILES POON!” every time anyone so much as breathes on the watcher. Very, very amusing.

5. My Advent Calendar
Chocolate to start the day? Don’t mind if I do.

6. Cracking on with my writing project
I have a big fiction writing project instead of a dissertation for my final year, and so far it seems to be coming along rather well, which is most reassuring.

7. Finishing Christmas shopping
One more present left to buy. Hooray!

Orange Nails and Nick Knowles

I’ve had a bit of a nail varnish shopping spree. I’ve treated myself to lots of new colours and the Barry M crackle effect stuff, which I’ll be playing with later. I also bought the Rimmel Matt top coat stuff too.

This is Barry M polish in Coral (296), on it’s own in the first picture, and with Rimmel London Matte Finish over the top in the second. Excuse the messy bits round the nails, this is pre-touch-ups. I’ve never used Barry M polish before, but I was actually very pleased with it. It went on really nicely, and was a good, strong colour with only one coat. This is two coats though, I prefer two for good coverage. It’s less red in real life that it looks in the picture, and I like the colour quite a lot. The matte finish coat was interesting. It dies super-fast and made my nails look sort of chalky and made the colour much more orange. I quite liked it, but I’m not convinced. I might try it over black, and some soft pastels and see what that’s like. The strange thing though is the change in my nails today. When I woke up, the matte effect seemed to have worn off. My nails are pretty shiny again now (although not totally), and the colour looks redder. Has anyone else experienced that with that finish coat?

In other exciting news, we did a little ‘celeb’ spotting last night. The team from DIY SOS are in town doing one of their Big Build projects. The team have been spotted partying in Aber’s two nightclubs, but last night we strolled into our local Irish bar to find Nick Knowles, DIY SOS’s presenter, sitting at the table next to ours.

He’s actually nice-looking in person, if a little paint-splattered. He was happy chatting with the students approaching him and had some photos taken with people.

This is what passes for excitement around here. I will be looking out for the Aberystwyth episode though. It genuinely has caused some excitement in the town. The other celeb we get about the place is Aled Jones. No, not the Walking In The Air guy, the Radio 1 presenter.

Rear of the Year 2004; Aled’s a local boy. His parents still live here I think, and he gets wheeled out as the local celeb at a fair few events. I met him last year at the union, when he came to host a party there, and he’s lovely. He’s a tiny person in the flesh, quite short, and slim.

So there we are, all the stars can be found in Aberystwyth it would seem. Whoever will it be next? 

 

 

Show Me The Way To Aberystwyth–Aled Jones

All I want for Christmas...

All I want for Christmas... by caramellattekiss featuring hoop jewelry

My mum's taking my shopping to choose my own presents this year. Here's a fantasy list of the kind of things I'd like.
An apres-ski type cardigan, skinny jeans, a varsity jacket, a leopard coat, nude court shoes, leopard court shoes, quirky rings, a classy necklace, spotty tights, a simple denim mini, belts and funky hats.

The Sunday Seven

Seven things making me smile this week.

1. My new snood
I’ve mentioned it already, but oh my god, warm! I should maybe stop wearing it everyday though.

2. Christmas tunes
A cover of Jingle Bells is on Radio One right now, by the Glee cast no less, but this makes me insanely happy. I’ve been bounding around singing Let It Snow for days, and I could almost get into a little bit of Wham’s Last Christmas right about now.

3. Going home for Christmas
I’m really looking forward to getting home from uni this year, I have some nice stuff lined up for when I get back. My mum and I are having a Christmas shopping day, eating out at our local theatre and going to watch the panto. I love panto. This year is Aladdin. My local theatre does great panto, so I can’t wait. With my dad, I’m having actual Christmas, and going to the ballet of The Nutcracker on Christmas Eve. I’ve never really seen ballet before, but I love watching it on TV, so I’m excited about that too.

4. New boots
I bought new boots yesterday. Love them. They’ll have a post of their soon, oh yes. I will also mourn the loss of the predecessors.

5. Home-made soup
I am clearly a domestic goddess, feeding myself and MrKiss with nourishing home-made soup. I’ve been making big batches to freeze, and I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself.

6. Having my Christmas shopping finished…well…nearly
I’ve got of my presents bought now, which is a nice feeling. I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve found for everyone. Just got the friends and my nan to go, and decide whether I want to get one more little thing for MrKiss or not. His presents have caused me most stress this year. Boys are so hard to buy for.
All I need now is some actual wrapping skills. Mine are wrapped, but do not look pretty. Last year, I taught myself to put pretty ribbons on, which I’ll probably do again this year, as it does improve the appearance, but sadly my gifts mostly look like I wrapped them with my feet.

7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I heart this so much. MrKiss had never watched it before, so out came the box-set and I’m educating him. Luckily, he likes it a lot, so that’s awesome.
Best of all, seeing the early seasons again has rekindled my love for Oz. If I could marry any fictional character, it would be him in a heartbeat. Spike will forever remain my favourite though.

And one thing really not making me smile? I just heard the X Factor finalists song. They’ve covered Heroes. By David Bowie. How could they? Curse you, Simon Cowell. Curse you. 

Girl Crush of the Moment

Define: Girl Crush
Women I want to be, or at least have the wardrobe of. I have many. Some, are long-term loves, others are more fleeting, and last as long as I’m in their presence.

Mega-Girl-Crush.
Audrey Hepburn.

She’s perfection. My original girl crush, and I’m sure a long-lasting one. I fell in love with her classic elegance in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and find her more and more mesmerising the  more I see of her.

Her shape is entirely different to mine, but I can translate some of style into my own wardrobe. She dressed for shape, choosing simple pieces and colours. She was one of the first people to start the trend of wearing ballet flats. Her make-up was always flawless. She completely understood how to use accessories, be it jewellery or belts or scarves.

Basically? I want to be Audrey. Or Holly Golightly.

Audrey sings Moon River, in Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Tis The Season…

Bruce Springsteen–Santa Claus is Coming to Town

It’s officially December and I’m feeling pretty festive. The tree is up in my student house (his name is Bruce, hence the video), complete with Julia Roberts as the fairy. I had my first gingerbread latte of the year yesterday and I’m almost done with my Christmas. Later today or tomorrow, I’m going to pick up a few more bits and start wrapping stuff up and loading into a box to take home. Oh, and I may have bought myself a Peppa Pig advent calendar. The chocolate in it isn’t much cop, but I’m happy. My gran made me a fantastic advent calendar one year. It was a big piece of green felt, with little red stockings on, each with a little present inside, like a mini chocolate bar or a nail varnish or a little pencil. I just need to find a willing volunteer to refill it for me; I’m pretty sure it’s still in the box of decorations at home.

Conditions in Aber are still arctic, but I’ve become the queen of layering, so I’m holding up. Fingerless gloves are a marvellous solution to that icy hands syndrome from using a computer! The rest of you is warm and layered or tucked under a blanket, but your poor exposed hands are turning purple? FINGERLESS GLOVES. Warmth, yet you can still type.

In my travels around blog land, I’ve been reading a lot of posts about looking fashionable when it’s so cold. Personally, I tend to worry more about warm than trendiness, but I do like attempting to be vaguely stylish with it. Layers are awesome. Shove whatever rubbish you like on, as long as your top layer is nice. I had one of those snood things delivered from Boohoo the other day, and I am in love with it and have barely taken it off since. Very toasty, and a lovely shade of deep plum that goes with everything. I’m suffering from a yucky sore throat at the moment, and the snood thing is helping immensely by keeping my neck and chest warm.

How are you coping with the cold? Are you festive yet?