NCTJ HELL!!

Once again I am writing to apologise to my blog for months of neglect. However, this time it is not my fault!! This NCTJ course has decided to take over my life! Social life: goodbye, sleep: goodbye, stress-free weekends: goodbye! The past three months have been hectic to say the least, BUT there is light at the end of the tunnel and that light is CHRISTMAS!!! In exactly three weeks today, I shall be sitting down to eat my father's wonderful homecooked Christmas dinner and would have had a drink (or ten!) and will be looking forward to a game of SPOOOOOONS and a bit of Christmas TV. However, this year's festivities will be overshadowed by the fact that I have to fit in some revision as my exams will be taking place in January. But I am hopeful that I can do it and am determined to still enjoy Christmas!

P.S I promise I will try my hardest not to neglect you AGAIN!!

xx

Where have I been?!

Okay so the guilt has finally kicked in...I have totally neglected my wonderful blog for a couple of months now, but in my defence I do have some good excuses!! The Twilight obsession has worn off (for now!), the sunshine has officially disappeared and in a shocking turn of events, college is once again a part of my life. Yes, last month I decided to go back to college to get my NCTJ qualification. Starting on the 6th September at Lambeth College was definitely a bit daunting for me. Even having done the college thing at the age of 16, and the uni thing at the age of 18, the feeling of walking into a room full of strangers and worrying about who you will hang out with on your lunch break is still a scary feeling, even at the age of 22! But luckily I have met some lovely people, and three weeks in, am definitely feeling positive about the course. To explain it in a bit more detail, it is a fast-track Journalism course that only lasts 18 weeks. The NCTJ qualification is a gold star that will certainly make a big difference to any wannabe-journalist's CV. And in my case it will mean that I am trained up in magazines and newspapers.....hopefully making the world my very own oyster.

So i'm back to learning shorthand again, a skill that I thought was of no importance back in 2006 and am now eating my words!! My social life has disappeared as I finally give in to the fact that I have to spend all of my time studying, revising, reading etc! But last night, I had the opportuniuty to go out with a bang as I said goodbye to nights of getting tiddly and spending my money on cocktails. As I'm sure everyone was aware, this past week has been dedicated to London Fashion Week. This is a worldwide famous event that sees all the best designers showing off their latest collections to the best celebs in the front row, mixed in with nights of wonderful afterparties. Yesterday saw LFW close with Menswear day and I was lucky enough to bag an invite to the headlining event, the Ozwald Boateng show. Referred to as a +1 on the swanky invitation, I was accompanying my new college buddy John James, who is no stranger to these events and probably found my excitement a tad weird! However he did state that the show was the best he had ever been to and as we left with our numerous bottles of champers in search for the afterparty, we were highly impresses with the threads we had just seen.

Savile Row King Boateng certainly wanted to leave a lasting impression last night. Famous for being the youngest tailor to open a store on Mayfair's famous fashion street, he brought in 100 models to advertise his latest designs and closed the show with a brief appearance on stage alongside his father. All in all it was a fantastic event and one that I will never forget. It may have been my first ever fashion show, but even a beginner like myself could tell that this was one of the best and I'm hoping that this will be the first of many that I can attend.

Self-confessed Twi-hard!!!!

So the wait was finally over as last week I ventured to my local cinema with my family in tow to watch the third installment of the Twilight Saga: ECLIPSE!! After months of drooling over the trailer (often watching it five times in a row!) on good old Youtube, I finally had my R-Patz fix and dose of Edward Cullen and boy was it good!! Action packed and better than expected (I'm no film critic) I thoroughly enjoyed watching this screen adaptation of the third book and thought that it certainly lived up to the hype. I could ramble on about my favourite scenes, all of which include Edward of course but i'm having a bad enough day/week as it is Robsessing and don't want to make myself worse......let's just say there's been a permanent grin on my face ever since I found out that Breaking Dawn will be not one but TWO films meaning us Twi-Hards have still got a couple of years yet of being centre of attention :)

Happy 40th Birthday Glastonbury!

Rolf Harris, Tutti Frutti cider and a whole lotta she-pees. There is only one place you will find these three wonders altogether on a sunny weekend in June......Glastonbury of course!! Long known as the BEST festival in the world, at the good-old age of 22 I finally decided to find out for myself just how amazing this field in the middle of Somerset is come Summer.

First off I have to say that I love Glastonbury simply because you have to register for a ticket. This therefore means you don't have the annoying problem of missing out and resorting to paying triple the price for a ticket on eBay just because a stupid tout managed to get hold of ten tickets when they initially went on sale! Me and the Rickster were of course Glasto virgins so going for the first time with a group of regular Glasto-goers certainly helped as they knew their stuff. Having only been to Reading Festival previously and camped for a maximum of four days, Glastonbury was definitely on another scale. Glasto fanatics don't pay £185 for a ticket to just watch bands all day long, this festival is about so much more than that. Infact I think it would be possible to experience the five days there without watching a single musician and still have a fantastic time, however I did not sleep on a paper thin camping mat for five nights to miss out on the likes of Julian Casablancas and Muse!

As typical as it sounds, the one and only downside to being at a festival in my opinion, has to be the toliet situation. I've gone to the extreme lengths that most females wouldn't resort to.....I've used the ladies urinals and peed in a bottle but knowing beforehand that Glasto was on a much larger scale than Reading Festival, I was sure the toilets would be a let down. Hallelujah, they were not!! Flushable, fairly clean and a spritz of air freshener every now and then, it was ALMOST like being at home (okay they weren't that luxurious!) So with the reassurance that my trips to the loo would be bearable, I was free to have the best five days and that is exactly what I did! I wish it were possible to see the entire festival from Wednesday to Sunday but it really is that huge that you've definitely got a good excuse to come back year after year!

The highlights of my first ever Glastonbury have got to be: seeing my new favourite band The Drums perform on the John Peel Stage (their album has not left my stereo since returning!), drinking two cups of cider (one Toffee Apple flavour, the other Tutti Frutti) and feeling like I had legs made of jelly and last but certainly not least, I have to say that a memorable part of Glasto 2010 for me was enjoying a set by Snoop Dogg on the Pyramid Stage on Friday afternoon!! Not only were the crowd amazing to watch, but his use of language and the fact that I knew more than two of his songs actually suprised me and had me bopping along with a Smirnoff Ice firmly in my hand!

Happy 40th Birthday Glastonbury.....you certainly impressed me as a Glasto virgin and definitely deserve the title for the World's Best Festival! See you next year :)

Venison anyone?

Okay, today is not a good today. I thought yesterday was bad but having woken up to the videos on youtube and the setlist on nme.com, I am officially depressed that I was not one of the 500 people in Dingwalls, Camden last night watching the amazing band that is The Strokes play their first gig in FOUR YEARS!! Oh how I wish I was one of those computer nerds who spends all their time on the net, because then perhaps I would have heard about this last minute decision of theirs to play a London warm up show before their headlining slot at this years Isle of Wight Festival!! But instead, I hear the news whilst driving to work on the day of the actual gig and hours after the tickets have all sold out. Of course I had a mad, crazy moment of actually contemplating paying £180 for ONE ticket from a guy who has 'Top Rated Seller' status on Ebay and now after seeing the setlist that was played and a few dodgy videos on youtube, I'm thinking that £180 would have been money well spent! Nevertheless I do find immense comfort just knowing that Nick Valensi is in the country and pretty much breathing the same air as myself and I know that when tickets are released for their next UK Tour......I WILL BE THERE!!

Visiting Thailand

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have to go on at least one holiday a year (preferably to a sunny location) in order to keep myself from going insane. Last year it was a two week break with the family in Italy, so this year I decided a holiday with friends was well overdue and by coincidence two of my wonderful friends Katie and Lucy jetted off on their trip around the world in April so Mitchell and I decided to gatecrash!

When we first booked our flights to Bangkok to meet the girls, we had made arrangements to explore a few of the paradise islands down south but make it a priority of ours to head back to Bangkok for some serious shopping :) Little did we know that some protesters were about to go crazy, bullets would be flying and the British Embassy would be advising against all non-essential travel in the weeks leading up to our holiday.....oh and there was also the small issue of the exploding volcano in Iceland! However we were not going to let those two tiny factors deprive us of fake designer handbags and drinks in buckets....On Saturday 15th May we boarded our first of many flights at London Heathrow and got stupidly excited. After a stop off in Muscat and then another flight direct to Bangkok, we were finally greeted by the already beautifully tanned travellers, but our holiday did not begin here.

On Monday 17th May we then boarded another flight from Bangkok to Phuket Airport as it was far too dangerous to stay in Bangkok. After a taxi ride to the ferry port and a one and half hour long ferry journey we were relieved to arrive on Phi Phi Island at around 5pm local time. Phi Phi Island is a wonderful place and most definitely somewhere that I would like to visit again in the future. Surrounded by the Andaman Sea, no cars exist on this land as the locals make their way around on bicycles and earn their living either working in the array of restaurants or on a stall selling you Raybans and Mulberry bags amongst lots of other wonderful bits and pieces. Our time on the beautiful Phi Phi Island consisted mainly of sunbathing, drinking cocktails and dancing on the beach. Lucy celebrated her 22nd birthday here which obviously meant more cocktails and of course drinks in buckets. However I would have to say that my favourite time on the island was when we actually took a boat trip out into the Andaman sea equipped with our flippers (this suited me not so much!) and had the chance to swim in the absolute middle of nowhere. How I can have a fear of snorkelling with fishes but yet not think twice about jumping into the clear blue sea in the middle of nowhere I will never understand, but God did it feel good. On this boat trip we also visited Monkey Beach where we were all amazed by the cute little creatures who drink from water bottles and will swim for cashew nuts! We then stopped off at Maya Beach (in other words the location for the film 'The Beach') Leo was nowhere in sight but you could certainly see why they chose this location for the film....the scenery is breathtaking and after a few minutes of laying in the sand and posing in the sea, I almost felt like I was taking my surroundings all for granted!

After five nights on Phi Phi we decided to move on to another island nearby called Railay as our American friends: Lizzy and Mary Beth (Katie and Lucy met them at the beginning of their travels in Northern Thailand) were currently staying there and we knew it would be fun to party with them some more :) We really didn't know what to expect with Railay as Phi Phi had been such a fun and welcoming island so when we arrived and discovered it was almost like a divide for those couples who are on their honeymoon and those travellers who are on a shoestring budget, Me and Mitchell were torn between our choices for accommodation.....NOT!! We took one glance at a dingy room with a gecko crawling out of the brick wall and marched straight on up to the Railay Bay Princess Resort & Spa (our bit of luxury!) For £15 a night each we had a bed that could comfortably sleep four people, a wonderful balcony overlooking the pool and a shower with it's own CUBICLE!!!! We only stayed two nights on Railay Island but nevertheless it was memorable. We then decided to travel back to Phuket as the the girls were keen to see this part of Thailand before moving on to the other islands and Mitch and I wanted the chance to experience the city life here as Bangkok was still off limits.

Staying in the Chang Residence Hotel for four nights was what we planned and as we drove from the ferry port to the hotel, we felt anxious as this was no Phi Phi Island. Our first night consisted of tuk tuk rides a plenty and us being harassed by ladyboys for a photo (which they then wanted us to pay them for!) We certainly didn't feel as safe in Phuket as we did on the islands but we decided to make the most of it. Everyday we got a tuk tuk to Patong Beach where we met our Thai Mother: Mama Lala! This wonderful woman looked after us on the beach, brushing our sunbeds clean and bringing us cold drinks when she knew us English folk couldn't take the heat! I am also ashamed to admit that our time in Phuket consisted of us having Burger King for lunch two days in a row....I'm not sure whether we were just missing home so much that we craved a familiar meal or if we just needed the air con of BK to cool us down?! Either way it was finished off with a spot of shopping (purchasing Links of London friendship bracelets for £6 and fake Fred Perrys!) and then an unforgettable trip to a Ping Pong show.....but I won't go into that one on my blog!

On Thursday 27th the twosome travellers left us to explore some more islands and experience the legend that is known as the Full Moon Party. Mitch and I visited Mama Lala at Patong beach on our last day in Phuket, but it just wasn't the same without the girls (we ate in Maccie D's instead....oh the shame!) On Friday we made our way back to Bangkok and checked into a nice hotel not far from the airport as we prepared for our hell of a journey home. When we touched down in London Heathrow on Saturday evening, I knew that we were both glad to be home and excited to be seeing familiar faces. Our trip to Thailand was an amazing experience and one that I would love to do again as I think there is so much more to see, but one thing I did learn from this fantastic holiday is that the four month travelling bug is not for me! I salute Katie and Lucy and all those other backpackers out there who cram as much of their wardrobe as they possibly can into a backpack and set off to explore the world because as much as I want to see the big wide world, I want to do it first class, gecko free and with a gigantic suitcase that I can wheel along with absolute ease!

Cupcake crazy!!

So even though I have recently joined the gym and am trying my hardest to look svelte and amazing for my holiday to Thailand next month, I have found myself a new hobby...baking! I've never been much of a cook, but I do try from time to time: a red pasta sauce, chicken escalops from scratch (which resulted in my boyfriend breaking the blender!) and most recently a wonderful chocolate cake which is also known as Bruce Bogtrotter cake (the one from Roald Dahl's 'Matilda') So now my latest venture is to produce beautiful cupcakes. I don't know what the sudden fascination is with cupcakes but they are everywhere! Recently I visited the world-famous Harrods on a Saturday afternoon (as you do) and just fell in love with their food hall. Not only was there an array of humungous easter eggs as it was a week before easter weekend, but the cheese, salami, olives etc was all there to tempt me! However my taste buds were set for something much sweeter that day and I found myself paying over a tenner for just FOUR cupcakes, and boy was it a tenner well spent. Two Rocky Road cupcakes homed with two Oreo Cookie cupcakes= heaven in a box (labelled Harrods in gold of course)

So really it is Harrods that I will pass the blame on to as they started my very own personal cupcake craze and oh how I love it. The world of cupcakes opens up a range of possibilities....not only can you have fun with the different flavours, the decoration and endless supplies are what get me excited! So last Saturday Me and Rosella (the best cook I know) got our cupcake caps on and started to experiment and I am pleased to say it was a successful first attempt. Giggles were to be had as we both used an icing bag for the first time and I got to grips with the electric whisk but the end result was fantastic and this Saturday we are heading for round two :)

Love is.......

........this AMAZING Anna Lou of London heart cuff. I fell in love with this gorgeous piece of jewellery yesterday whilst flicking through a copy of Grazia in the H&M staff room.

If i had to choose, I would pick the kohl coloured beauty, but really I would just prefer to have them all and wear them all at once

x

The Dog Days are over for Flo......

So unfortunately I did miss her duet performance with Dizzee Rascal (which I was desperately looking forward to) but I did manage to catch the last 40 minutes or so of the Brits.....enough time to see a drunk/drugged up Lily Allen wearing a ridiculous wig, a wierd Lady Gaga crying and a boring Peter Kay, who certainly shouldn't have been hosting the awards!! But most importantly I was tuned in to see the WONDERFUL Florence Welch win the Best British Album for her debut entitled Lungs.

What a well-deserved win as the album is great, she is amazing turning up in a corset and proving that pale can be gorgeous and she genuinely seemed gobsmacked to have won!!

x

I just love LOVE

New issue out now.....I already have the first two issues and just cannot wait to get my hands on the third and with eight covers to choose from, it will be difficult to resist buying all of them (I think i'll opt for the Ms Moss cover!)

Just a beautiful, beautiful magazine with beautiful pictures.

I will be mesmerized for days.

LOVE magazine can you hire me please?

x

Remember me.....how on earth could I forget you??

Robsessed is my middle name!!

So who better to blog about in my first official post than Mr R Patz himself??!

After thinking that I was just infatuated with him as bloodsucking vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight blockbusters...I have just watched the trailer for his latest film 'Remember Me' and discovered that my love for Mr Pattinson is more than just a teenage crush...uh oh!!

Rehab for the Robsesssed anyone??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWQV6-QgGjI