How I Met Your Mother

Sadly I only got into HIMYM after a friend recommended it and it was way into series 4 on Channel 4. I am hoping to be able to catch up from the beginning. It is witty, easy access and has Willow from Buffy in it, what is there not to love. Dotted with amazing songs and one liners I am hooked. 


http://www.e4.com/mother/

The Night/Day/Twighlight/Last Watch

I have watched both Night Watch and Day Watch via my trusty LoveFilm and can't recommend them both enough. They are in Russian but subtitled in English. I found it hard at first to get to grips with what was going on but once I was used to the subtitles I fell in love. I would say they are in my top 10 films of all time. 

I have just started reading The Night Watch, which the film was based on, but there are huge differences (The Gloom in the film is called The Twighlight in the books) and a lot more story. Hard to put down reading.


There are now 4 books (Night, Day, Twighlight and Last) with the film of Twighlight currently in production but with no release date as yet. 

Wikipedia has a great section on the books, the history and the world of the Others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Watch_(Russian_novel)

I have been recommending these films to everyone I know, top notch. 

American Apparel and Lookbook.nu

I love Marketing, this is a great example of using social media to communicate and build relationships with customers.

"So why is this campaign great? American Apparel fully gave control to their fans to experiment with their brand, they advocated them, signaled out the best ones and gave them the right attention. This is a great example of a fashion brand that is listening and acknowledging their audience. Major kudos AP!"

http://fashionbeautyretail.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/american-apparel-lookbook-nu-integrating-a-brand-into-social-media-the-right-way/

The Cool Hunter

So today I have been looking at 'Cool'. Most people who frequent the use of the word cool would also like to be cool. I would like to think of myself as 'cool', but on a scale of cool I am not as 'cool' as I could be. This I find stressful and then resent the 'cool' and feel a need to distance myself from this. I think this is a problem that faces my generation and may manifest its self in issue later in life. Warn the NHS.

Anyway my new find it www.thecoolhunter.co.uk, which I will be exploring in more detail. I am also going to be reading this article my Malcolm Gladwell at some point soon, and a post will follow to focus on MG, a favourite author of mine and voyeur of our times.

http://www.gladwell.com/1997/1997_03_17_a_cool.htm

Wikipedia 'cool hunter', its fascinating. Their are Marketing companies and marketing teams of cool hunters, I now aspire to this.

tUnE-yArDs

http://musosguide.com/the-best-albums-of-2009-editors-choice/8684

My dearest friend, Nat, who will be the subject of upcoming posts, is like my own personal DJ, style guide, life-guru. tUnE-yArDs is one of her favourite singers, which quite frankly is saying ALOT, so anyways I have been a-listening to Bird-Brains, her 2009 album, and am very much enjoying it.

It came no16 in the Musos Guide albums of 2009, and as the website for moral, social, political and sexy music reviews who can argue. Please see link below for a brief review.

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

So what could possibly be more amazing than making a cake, in a microwave, in 5 mins, in a mug, and it being made of chocolate. Nothing. That's what.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.

Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT!

Macaroons

Macaroons, just because.

This is Lauduree which makes amazing macaroons in so many flavours. In London there are shops in Harrods and Piccadilly (near the Ritz/Wolseley).

Nom nom nom.

www.laduree.fr/index_en.htm

What Katie Wore

I love What Katie Wore, I love all Katie's clothes and I love Joe's commentary. This website is my lunchtime escape. Even though I wouldn't wear most of what Katie does, mainly because it just wouldn't suit, I love the fact she has her own style and isn't afraid to show it.

Also I am now a big fan of coloured tights, you can't really argue with them!

www.whatkatiewore.com

Sticky Bits

This is a very cool idea.

"Every place and object in the world has a secret past: who lived there, who passed by, who touched it. The secret lives of objects are filled with such details. If only you could make them talk. But what if you could give any physical object a story simply by sticking a barcode on it and appending a message to that barcode? The message could be a photo, a text message, a video, or a voice note. All anyone would need to unlock the message is a phone with a special barcode scanning app."

"Sticky Bits is that app"

"Each barcode is programmable by the first person who scans it and and leaves a photo, video, audio, or text message. The next time somebody scans that barcode, the previous message will appear on their phone. Anyone can add a new message to the same code, resulting in a stream of messages connected to whatever object or place the barcode is stuck on. Each scan, and related message, is geo-tagged so you can see as an object moves around how its story evolves."

www.stickybits.com

Snow Cake - Film

I watched this film last year and it is amazing. I had not heard of it before even though it has big names like Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver. Weaver playes an autistic woman who Rickman looks after when her daughter is killed in a car crash in which she was Rickmans passenger.

The film looks at autism and how people with it are accepted, or not accepted, into society.

I highly recommend it.

Tasty Muffiny cupcakes

These look tasty, I'm gonna make em.

http://bakingbites.com/2005/07/cooking-school-self-frosting-cupcakes/

sxephil

Youtube has never been something I have really gotten into. It's OK for watching music videos and other bits and bobs. The only time I ever really bother is to watch the daily uploads from sxephil. He's a guy over in america who chats about the news and other stuff, nothing mind blowing but always entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/user/sxephil#p

One Track Mind

I am very into my music, but since leaving uni have found it hard to keep up-to-date with new music as I have a lot less free time. I rely heavily on my friends and brothers to keep me on the ball, aswell as last.fm and other blogs.

My brother recently introduced me to One Track Mind. If you sign up for the newsletter you will receive an email everyday with a new or soon to be released track. I find them a mixed bag, but what do you expect when someone else is choosing the track, you won't always agree. However I have found some real gems like Tunng - Don't Look Down or Back.

http://one-track-mind.com/tunng-dont-look-down-or-back/

last.fm

I use last.fm all the time to see what music I have been listening to, keep a track of music I like and also find new music based on what I have already listened to. There is now also a playlist section, and I am going to use this to create a 2month long playlist for my trip to America. Defo something that has made listening to music so much more fun.

www.last.fm

Yeasayer - ODD BLOOD

My friend Jeremy introduced me to this Album, one of his favourites of 2010 so far. I have listened to Yeasayer before but never paid to much attention, but I am very much enjoying this.

http://www.last.fm/music/Yeasayer/_/The+Children?autostart

Released: 8th Feb 2010

10 tracks

The Road - Movie and Book

My brother lent me the book The Road by Cormac McCarthy whilst on a family holiday in Ireland last year. I read it in 2days. The use of language and grammar to portray the themes of the book was a technique I have seen so well used before. The short sharp sentences, lack of grammar and standard delivery of dialogue has made this one of my all time favourite books. I have read a couple of McCarthy's other books but none come close to The Road.

I want to see the film now but am quite certain it will not match up to the book, where alot of the depth is gained from the lack of knowing what has happened. Within film format this will be very hard to maintain.

http://www.theroad-movie.com/

The Sanderson - Courtyard Garden

I love London in summer and am always on the look out for new places to chill out. I think the Sanderson Courtyard Garden looks amazing and I have heard from friends its a great place to hang out.

Coachella

I have always wanted to go to Coachella, unfortunately I am going to miss it again this year as it is in April and I won't be in the good old USofA until June!

http://www.coachella.com/

Cool Marketing blog - promotional stuff

I love this blog, it shows the crazy world of marketing through the free promotional stuff companies give away. There are some amazing ideas and keeps me entertained for hours!!!

http://blog.epromos.com/

I particuarly like the zombie t-shirt (http://blog.epromos.com/archives/2009/07/although_it_is.html)

Candy Cupcakes

Amazing cupcakes!

'Our combinations are always intriguing, mixing vibrant colours with exotic candy toppings, some just should not work but they do!'

http://www.candycakes.eu/shop/

Labels

I am going to split this blog into the following:

Media (Cinema, TV, Film, Books, Articles)

Music (festivals, bands, songs)

Food (Recipes, Restaurants, Nibbles, Shops)

Places (London, UK, Abroad (country))

Marketing/Advertising

Stuff (anything else)

Events (festivals, gigs, parties, etc)

Fashion

Websites