So sometime before Christmas – maybe even earlier than that I saw a trailer for “I Hate Valentines Day“. It’s directed by Nia Vardalos (who also directed My Big Fat Greek Wedding (MBFGW for short lol) and she stars along side John Corbett (who was also in MBFGW).

Its been on my list of films to watch since I saw the trailer last year. I’m not sure if it made it to our local cinema but then again it might have made it to Milton Keynes (we have 6 screens rather than the 15 or more that they have at MK).

Anyway so I bought the DVD and on Wednesday after work I parked myself in front of the TV and while I tucked into my tea I watched the DVD.

The film starts before Valentines Day and then runs to the following Valentines Day. Nia Vardalos plays Genevieve Gernier who works in a florist. She believes that the best way to achieve romantic fulfillment is to never go on more than five dates with the same man. However after meeting Greg Galin (played by John Corbett) she is forced to reassess her philosophy.

I loved this film, rather than just seeing her get stuff sorted and going out with Greg, we actually saw her confront the fact that it was the relationship with her Dad that caused her to run away from relationships and giving into being loved.

My favourite moment in the film is quite near the end and I think if I tell it then it will give away the film. Here is the trailer if you haven’t seen it:

You can find Nia on Twitter here

iPhone Versus Blackberry (or Blueberry as I refered to it earlier)
So I’ve been both an iPhone and a Blackberry user. I had a 1st Gen iPhone from March 2007 till the summer last year when my contract was up. I then had to decide whether to just renew my contract, upgrade to a iPhone 3G (or wait for the 3GS like CJ) or go for something different. Well I chose the third option and although the Palm Pre looked fabulous it hadn’t come out in the UK yet so I looked at getting a Blackberry, the spec in comparison did look a bit better and there was the whole price tag to contend with. However about six months into the new handset (Blackberry Bold) the novelty is wearing off and admittedly I am thinking why I gave up on the iPhone.

At the time my iPhone didn’t send MMS and although it looked like it was on the horizon I wasn’t sure about it (I’m not exactly sure why now lol). I went to my Blueberry and look the MMS doesn’t work and each time I phone O2 I’m fobbed off with one excuse or the other (the latest one is about turning it on and off and re-downloading the service books – I’ve already done this multiple times myself and it’s not working!)

Whereas my brother and CJ who both have iPhones send MMS backwards and forwards like the phone always had that function. My Blueberry crashes and I don’t mean like the iPhone where is freezes and then closes the app – my Blueberry crashes and the only way I’ve found to sort it out is to take the battery out – it’s probably not the best option but it’s the only thing that words – when it’s crashing it won’t even switch off using the power button. On the other hand the Blueberry did have a proper keyboard and that’s what I was struggling with on the iPhone. So….

Dear RIM,

We’ve been good friends for six months ish now but when my contract is up in 12ish months I am going back to Apple or finding another phone that does what it needs to when I need to do it. I’m sorry Rim, it’s been a beautiful friendship but it’s just not working.

Han

Images from:
Vincent J. Brown and Qiao-Da-Ye賽門譙大爺

Back in November*, I was given a ticket to the #140 Conference at the Indigo 02 in London. I was really excited and nervous all at the same time (in fact when I couldn’t get on the tube at London Bridge due to all the people trying to get to work I very nearly turned back and gave up.)

While at Brain’s house the night before I had realised that I had forgotten my charger, when I was in St Pancras station waiting I tried to get to the mobile store that is within the station but it was already closed. I asked Brain’s and her housemates but we couldn’t come up with a USB cable so I had to risk being battery-less for most of the day.

I got to the O2 arena and found the O2 store and managed to get a charger – then I just needed a power socket.

I went to the front desk and asked one of the guys if there was a plug socket I could use.

Little did I know that my rescuer was Dr M aka Adrian. He guarded my phone while it charged for a little while. The conference gave each one of us an amazing chance to make friends. I chatted to quite a few people who normally I would have never come into contact with, there was Jennifer from Kodak (@KodakCB), Misae from MR Media Group (@MinxyMoggy – she became my power socket and lunch buddy), Ehsan who blogs at Wise Marketing (@Media_Lad), Dr Sue Black from University of Westminster (@Dr_Black – we discussed about education and Twitter – so much fun!!) and Heather from News 12 in Connecticut (@hrkovar – she was also my lunch buddy!)

Anyhoo so why am I recounting stories from over 3 months ago, surely this is about something particular – well there you are correct. Actually this is about an event that happened on the 21st January – that I was invited to. (Yup me invited to a special party in London!!)

Adrian’s company celebrated 20 years in the business last week with the premiere of “Masquerade Reloaded” (the trailer can be found here)

I was very excited and wanted to attend but I would have had to get the train home on my own and stuff (I’d have reached Bedford around 12:30am)

Anyhoo, I’ve been able to interview Adrian about what he does and how he does it and also about the film. At present I haven’t seen the film but I’ve been told that I will be able to acquire a DVD of it at some point in the future so another post will appear then when I’ve seen it.

Han: Adrian how did you get started in the business?

Dr M: Back in 1990, I was working for a medical publishing company as a Director of Sales and Advertising but was also putting together my wedding to Lisa, so Masquerade seemed to be a natural synthesis of Ade the Businessman and Ade the Party Host! It was natural, unplanned and pure serendipity!

Han: Serendipity seems to have become a real buzzword since @DarenBBC did his presentation at the #140conf. Do you have a specific favourite party or event that you organised? Or do you like them all?

Dr M: I love the danger and buzz and sheer action/adrenaline fix of them all, but I have mad bad soft spot for my world famous hijacks that are run by Vlad! (Vlad is one of the many crazy characters that pop up and each party depending on the theme). They are so real, so crazy, so totally thrilling that they could easily have been taken straight from a 007/Mision Impossible film and script! My team is ace and I have some of the very best actors, stuntmen, performers and fellow nutters at hand to assist my madness and mayhem!

Han: Definitely sounds like a Dr M party would go down in history, have you had any famous clients?

Dr M: Fame is what you make of it! A-Listers come and go but we have a strong and personal link for 5 years now with Jonathan Ross! Masquerade has worked with so many names over the years but a few that have been great fun include Jeremy Beadle, Bob Monkhouse, Sir Stirling Moss and Bobby Davro to name but a few!

Han: I’m a follower (on Twitter) of your Son @Sebsilas, does entertainment run in the family?

Dr M: Well, let’s just say that Sebastian is detined for great things as a jazz musician and has an equally fun sense of occasion and parties! A mini Dr M indeed! His Sisters Claudia and Amelia, now also on Twitter, are both dancers and also like to party! Claudia is going on to be a West End performer too! Amelia has seen the light and wants to be a Lawyer! Guess that makes us an entertaining family.

Han: Where did you get your inspiration to create a film and a premiere for the 20th anniversary?

Dr M: From a bottle of bubbly and a couple of glasses of fine Cognac after a mad mad Masquearade party last year!

Han: Good idea, funny how the best ideas start life as a general chilled out conversation. I’ve been following you on Twitter since the conference back in November but how has the use of Twitter affected your business?

Dr M: Twitter has enabled Masquerade and Dr M to acquire a massive cult/PR following from all over the globe! 1100 followers in just 15 weeks no less! It has been a major live-time Social Media Platform from which to promote Masquerade and Dr M from the Twitter “Batvace” to an eclectic and vibrant new market and niche group of people who are pioneering real-time communication by sharing, connecting and engaging together!

Han: Earlier I asked about any famous clients you’ve had, following those, is there a dream client you’d like to work with?

Dr M: I’d like to do a party from Dr M HAHA! Failing that, let serendipity bring that dream client to Dr Masquerade and Ade! Expect the unexpected!

Han: As someone who has been in the business over 20 years, if there is someone out there reading this who was interested in getting into event organising, do you have any suggestions or tips?

Dr M: Yeah, do it! And expect the unexpected, always! It’s the best job you could ever have! Work hard and play harder as Dr M says!!!!

*Technically I was given the free ticket in about September but for my story count it as November lol

Links and Information

You can follow Dr M on Twitter here: @Drmasquerade.
The company website is here.
And the Masquerade Reloaded site is here.

Near JD’s flat there are various new retail units that were part of the development near her flat, we went to see It’s Complicated yesterday and Meryl Streep’s character called Jane works in a her own bakery. Okay so here’s where it gets silly. I parked the car outside her flat to drop her off and we were sat outside one of the units and I as a joke say something about running our own bakery (in the unit next door that has a door and then smaller windows the rest of the width of the shop. JD then points to the one next door continuing my “joke” and points to the unit next door – “Well why not that one?” or something like that she says. Me and JD are microwave girls – okay we can use an oven when needed but instant is our middle name lol. I can do cakes but they are more often or not, burnt. So why am I writing a post about a conversation that I had yesterday with JD. Well that’s the thing no matter how much I try and think of something else and get on with other things my brain keeps coming back to it. How much is rent on the unit? Could we do it seeing as there is a coffee shop the other side of the building and an Indian restaurant down a few doors? It’s just off the high street and kinda tucked away – what would we do that would make us different? (When I did GCSE Business Studies I spend ages – or what seemed like ages – decided on business plans and how I’d run my little one. You had to come up with Profit and Loss and forecasts and stuff like that) Anyway so why does this crazy idea keep coming back?? Why can’t it go away lol, It’s only been about 24 hours so maybe it’ll go by tomorrow then again we just keep coming up with more ideas to do with it.

On Friday I have a review with my manager and the Big Cheese. I’m kinda scared and excited lol. How random is that?! I’m scared because it could go like last time. It was horrible – at one point I ended up getting really worked up (possibly verging on hyperventilating). On the positive side it could go better, I could have made it back from the brink.

I have this meeting and they want to discuss how I am doing in my job and what can be do to help me focus and be efficient. Personally I think that I have been more efficient and more focused – I do have days when I get distracted – in recent weeks they were in the first week and a bit after coming back from Christmas. I was still fighting the bug I had over Christmas (which actually turned into a chest infection and I ended up having 5 days off work) and there was my Great Grandma’s committal which did all weight on my mind a bit. I guess to be more efficient a new computer that runs quickly and doesn’t crash too often might be nice but I don’t think that’s an option lol.

I have lots of positive bits to say and requests for more information – we have a product range and whenever we get calls about it the calls get passed through to me which I don’t mind because I feel special and wanted then but I am really struggling as I don’t always have the relevant knowledge at my finger tips. (I am a sponge send information my way – I like it lol) I can blag and offer to call back but sometimes people what the information there and then.

My major negative point is that my Manager and I don’t communicate very well. We sit next to each other but can actually go for whole days without talking to each other – or having the shortest conversation about the labels going to the warehouse at about 3pm and that’s it.

On the other hand me and JD have our hair brained scheme that we keep joking about and I’ve been asked to do an article about a friends film premiere – all in all I think it’s balancing out again, maybe, at least for now.

I had a plan I was coming home and was going to review the film I went to see (It’s Complicated) but then I went on Facebook and spotted an update from my friend.

Friend 1 is in a relationship with Friend 2.

HOORAY! About time too! These friends have been friends for ages. Friend 2 thinks that Friend 1’s child is the best thing since sliced bread (and even before that was invited it would have been the best thing lol)

I am really chuffed that they have got together now

Anyhoo proper post to follow

When I was growing up and even now the church I used to attend supports MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship). Yesterday evening I was sat in the worship annex at my current church I was reading my book while having a drink and I looked up at one of the information racks. There was an email from Max, he is one of the members of MAF team that were already out in Haiti.

MAF have three aircraft and a hangar based in Port-Au-Prince, they’ve been able to use this to fly in aid. From the email I read on the first day they flew back to Florida volunteers and team members who were not needed with the relieve effort – for example volunteers with family and children out there in Haiti with them. They then used the return trips to bring in aid where possible. A fourth aircraft is set to join the fleet.

Apparently the quake was the strongest to hit Haiti in 200 years.

Because they have these little planes they can get aid round the country where roads are blocked and things like that. They can then return with international workers who are evacuating the country. (This sounds like a harsh thing to do but if for one or another reason they can leave would it be better that they are heading home rather than using aid resources and things like that.)

The MAF website can be found here and the specify site about the relief effort in Haiti can be found here. If it is of interest I also found this on the MAF site explaning about how they have been working out there before the earthquake.

MAF has been based in Haiti since 1986. This disaster follows the widespread devastation caused by a series of hurricanes in Autumn 2008. With roads cut off and damaged, MAF’s Cessna aircraft flew essential emergency relief supplies to cut-off communities across the country.
John Woodberry asserts, ‘The MAF programme was here before the earthquake and in a strategic place to serve and help those in great need in Jesus’ name.’

If you would like to donate to MAF there is a link on their homepage (see the first link above).

Donations are still being taken through the DEC, Tearfund and Christian Aid amongst others. Donations of time by praying are so incredibly useful as well:

• Pray for the people of Haiti as they deal with the aftermath of the earthquake, ask the Lord to comfort those who are injured and mourning.
• Pray for rescue efforts to find survivors trapped in destroyed buildings and for communication links and power supplies to be restored quickly.
• Pray for a swift and generous response from the international community to help this disaster-prone poor country.
• Pray for the safety and protection of Tearfund staff and partners based in Haiti and that they will be able to respond as effectively as possible.

(Prayer points come from the Tearfund website)

(Ugh!!!! Must stop starting posts with So or Okay!!! It’s not good English!)

Here’s goes…….

Today is Sunday and I seem to be failing on the front of writing blogs. I keep meaning to come back and write something but I guess I’m just having writers block or something – then again it probably doesn’t help that i have like 4 books on the go and about four projects – one that should have been finished at the end of December – who would have thought writing a journal every day for a year could be so hard! I am doing my best to keep up – i think I will just sit around one Saturday at the end of each month and finish that months entries.

I received my next journal in the Round Robin Swap on the British Birds group – I had a minor crisis on Friday as it had been left under my housemates car in the dry – well it was dry until the car was moved but thankfully the plastic in the jiffy bag kept the journal inside nice and dry – unfortunately it seems like my own journal has disappeared somewhere in the Royal Mail postage system – kinda gutting but my fab friends are in the process of reconstructing something for me (which is awesome!) I am going to bed now. Night Night

On Monday I had lunch with Mrs W and the girlies, we were talking about how when I was younger what did I want to do when I grew up (if that makes sense).

I was like most kids I reckon and I didn’t want to settle for one thing or another. I wanted to be one thing this week and something else next week – How was I ever going to get the right qualifications while I kept changing my mind!

If I start from the present and work backwards that probably works best.

Primary Teacher
Being a drama teacher was plan A after uni, plan B became being a primary school teacher. I was going to have the specialism of drama from my degree but I was going to teach Italian. Yup apparently to teach Italian at a primary school level you just need to be able to speak to a GCSE level – no problem except I hadn’t spoken italian since I quit back in 2003! How was I going to manage to speak enough Italian to prove the point in an interview.

Drama Teacher
I did a Performing Arts degree and seeing as neither drama or dance were my strong points (or at least not in the eyes of my lecturers) teaching was the way forward. I looked at being a teacher and after two ish weeks of observing lessons, drama in an upper school wasn’t for me.

Anthropologist
Okay I’m not sure where exactly this came from – It might have been while I was studying Sociology at College (I decided that seeing as I had time on my hands I’d pick up another AS level as I screwed up the first time round!).

Paramedic
This was a hairbrain one – teachers are telling you to go to uni and you have no idea what you’ll be good at so in my case I picked what I liked – for one or another reason moving school/going to college wasn’t right for me so I couldn’t do Human Biology, my school wouldn’t accept me for Biology because I only got a C for Double Science rather than a B as requested in the handbook – I was only just accepted for drama because the teachers knew I’d work my socks off (which even then wasn’t enough to rescue me!)

Anyway so I wanted to help people and Paramedical Science seemed like the way forward.

Didn’t Care
When I was in about Year 9/10 I was bullied – for anything being short, being a geek, being a teachers pet, being a christian, wearing glasses, not being trendy on mufti day, you name it I was bullied for it – I just wanted to survive and get out of school. I know I make it sound dramatic but I took to hanging out in the library or the music department to stay out of trouble.

When I was Younger
I did the normal things, wanted to be a vet but then saw Animal Hospital or something like that and they were helping birth a calf – eugh that was gross lol. The guy had to stick his arm in the cow and assist with the birthing – I decided that I couldn’t do that, so that one went out the window. I remember wanting to be a lawyer but the whole idea of standing up in front of that many people and speaking scared me a little (hey I was about 12 and hadn’t really found my outspoken side!)

On the other hand there are all the things I have been
Waitress/barmaid kinda for the same company but at three or four different venues, customer service rep/cashier at a builders merchant, cashier at a supermarket, PA/housekeeper for a concierge and recruitment company (My manager owned the two companies and so I kinda worked inbetween the two for about two months – I loved the idea of what I was doing I just didn’t get it right – also I wasn’t used to working on my own) and most recently a customer service rep for a safe company. I’ve also been a babysitter, cleaner (I was my mum’s cleaner for a few months because I was struggling to get a job as anything else)

The problem with getting my degree in performing arts is that everyone thinks that you just want a job until you hit your big break – to be honest it’s not going to happen for me I just want a job that likes me for me.