Tuesday Top Tens - All I Want For Chanukah Is....



Joining in with Miss Mommys meme, I thought I would do my christmas/chanukah list!

Now I have not actually asked for anything this year for a number of reasons but the main one being that we have just moved home and alot of expense has gone into that so Im skint!  I have bought everything I need for the home (plus a few cheeky bits for myself!) so felt like christmas this year should just be about my son.  My family are away on holiday for the festivities so there is no one else to buy for except for my fiance too.  BUT....I know two people have me as their secret santas at both jobs that I work at, so as a little hint and should anyone wonder what to get me (hehe!), these are the top things I want for christmas/chanukah!

1:  Everything on my Amazon wishlist - cheating a bit, but seeing as this list is escalating and getting a bit out of control, I have asked for Amazon vouchers to clear my wishes a bit!  Items included are craft books, best of albums and burlesque DVDs!

2: Etsy items - my new found love for Etsy has escalated recently but if I could wish for one thing from here it would be this - http://img3.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.275408803.jpg to continue my Moulin Rouge themed bedroom!

3: Paramore's back catalogue! - this is one band that I have no cds of, yet I really like them!  So I must start getting their older albums, and the same goes for Mcfly, (thanks to the band members appearing on many a reality show!) and Avenged Sevenfold!

4:  A new, beautiful diary - I buy diaries all year round, but when I saw this beautiful diary in Selfridges the other day, I had to have it! However, I have never paid £21.99 for a diary before and was not about to either, so I had to reluctantly put it down and walk away!

5: Customised converse trainers - when I saw these at a local comic con exhibition, my mind nearly exploded!  Canvas Warriors create and design any ideas you have to customise your own pair of trainers, including Moulin Rouge and Doctor Who! (Ok, so they are my preferences but feel free to think of your own!).

6: A pair of very pretty shoes - my favourite shoe shop in the world, Irregular Choice, have the most amazingly pretty shoes but these are my favourite at the moment, (although it tends to change every week!), lush!

7:  Sky Tv - even though we hope to be getting this after the festival period, it would be lovely to have over xmas!

8:  Clothes - anything from the Truffle Shuffle website!  These are the sort of t-shirts I love to wear!

9:  Book vouchers - so I can go on a massive spending spree at one of my favourite book stores and atock up on all those books on my wish list!

10:  And saving the best til last and something that I would like more than any of the materialisitc things above.... A BABY!!! - Except Santa wouldnt be giving me this unless Dean dresses up as him but thats not my thing at all!! And to have this from my secret santa is just plain weird! I digress....I know a baby is for life and not just for christmas but if I was pregnant in the next few months, that would be perfect timing and something I would be eternally grateful for.....

Merry Christms!
xxxx

Tuesday Top Tens - Ten Things I Love/Hate At A Gig



Me and Dean tend to go to a lot of gigs and our most recent one being Friendly Fires for his birthday.  Whilst there, we had a tendency to moan more than enjoy it because of other people! And this got me thinking aboutmy pet hates when going to a gig because we realised people can be really selfish and ruin the experience for others!  So, I have compiled a list of the things that really get on my wick, and also the things that make the experience all worth while!

Things I Hate:
1:  Tall people standing at the front or in front of you - if your lucky enough to be 8 feet tall, then why do you need to stand near the front to see the band?  Surely you can see not only them but also the lights above them plus the rest of the crowd that are below you struggling to see?  Does not make any sense to me!

2:  Girls and their handbags,Boys and their rucksacks - now what could you possibly need at a gig that requires the biggest bag you own?  I get that a bag can be a fashion statement, but at a recent gig, there were numerous girls with massive bags that not only looked like it weighed them down with the amount of stuff inside, but it was also banging against my back and pushing me out the way as if it was another person!  What is the point? Surely its more of a hinderance than a need?  I took a little clutch bag that could fit my essentials in and I was heavy-bag free!  A rucksack is slightly more acceptable so you can experience the hands free version of bringng a bag, but when a guy has a rucksack on, standing in front of you jumping around, I get smacked in the face by the bag! Ugh!!

3:  People dancing inappropriately - I need to make myself clear on this one, me and Dean are terrible for dancing inappropriately!  Jumping, swaying, wooing and screaming all fall into this category and I am one of the biggest culprits of this at a gig! However, i do take into consideration others around me and if I want to scream, I do it away from someones ear, if I want to bounce, I make sure I dont lean on the persn next to or in front of me!  But do others take my consideration when they want to dance like an idiot?!!  No they do not, and my experience the other night proved this, when I had a girl leaning back as far as she could, onto me, grinding and swaying on me as if I was not there!  I pushed her away so she would get the hint but it didnt work! In fact, it made her worse!

4:  People that spend all that money on a ticket, then proceed to stand still and not enjoy it - I find someone like this at nearly every gig!  Im not asking everyone to jump around like a loon like I do, but there are other people out there that deserve the ticket more, who will appreciate the band they are seeing, instead of standing there like they are at a funeral!

5:  Pushing past me when its quite clear there is no room - this really winds me up!  Im standing in a specific spot which means I have a direct view between people's heads to see the stage and enough room for me to dance, but not enough room for anyone to bring their friends along to squeeze through and stand in front of my spot!  Not only that, but there is no room for your six beers, your tall friend or your three ruckacks and three handbags!!



Things I Love:

6:  Seeing a band for the first time and it turns out to be everything you expected and more - I regularly see my favourite bands, but when I see someone new, I dont always know what to expect.  But most bands that care about their fans and have the budget, pull out all the stops to make the experience amazing.  Most recently being Athlete, Hurts and Friendly Fires who haveblown me away when seeing themfor the first time.

7:  Hearing that one song you know everyone has been waiting for - there is always one song that a band is most famous for that you know will be played at the end, and seeing the place come alive and be filled with all that energy is so much fun to be a part of.  Songs that have stood out for me that I will always remember seeing live include Common People by Pulp, Best Of You by Foo Fighters, One Day Like This by Elbow and Viva La Vida by Coldplay

8:  Seeing a mind blowing show and reminiscing about it for the next seven days- there is nothing better than coming away from a gig on a high!  When bands pull out all the stops to make their music even more incredible and getting your moneys worth.  Things that make a gig mindblowig include a different version of a song (acoustic maybe?), ticker tape, fireworks, pyro-technics and having the band leap off stage so you can touch them!

9:  Meeting a band after their gig - I have not done this many times but when I have it totally adds to the experience!  I have met lead singer from a small indie band from the 00s, twice, had Nicky Wire from the Manic Street Preachers walk past me onto his tour bus,and met the lovely Friendly Fires so they could sign my CD and have my picture taken with them!

10:  Dancing like a mad woman to my favourite bands - Now I did cover this above, but when its me doing all the dancing and not others being annoying, it really adds to the gig experience!  Its a chance for me to throw all my cares away, take in the music and feel emotions I dont always get to feel,just through the powers of music!!

Phew, that was great for a good old rant!



Top Ten Tuesdays - If I Won the Lottery!

Linking up with Miss Mommy today, my top ten choice is what ten things would I do if I won the lottery?  Seeing as it has been in the news recently about the couple who won £101 million and went public with it, it has been many a debate with friends and family about what would we do if it was us, would we go public or keep it a secret?  And what would we spend all that money on?  Here are my ideas and dreams if I was fortunate enough to have that amount of money in my bank balance:

1:  Savings -Because of course, the main thing and most important thing is to put it all into a savings account and live off of the interest!  My son would be set for life.

2:  Family and Friends - after looking after myself, son and fiance first, my family and friends would be next to look after.  My Mum and Dad would never have to work again and I would give them a substantial amount for them to travel, see the world and buy properties, (and sports cars in my Mums case!).  I would give a million pound each to five of my closest friends who I know deserve it and who would put the money to good use, sorting their lives out and making their dreams come true.

3:  Donate to charity - £101 million is far too much for any person, and I would definetely want to donate a vast amount where it will be benefitted more.  Refuge and Great Ormond Street are two charities close to my heart that I would think of first, and I would definetely want to be involved with their work, not just giving the money but researching and working for them.

4:  Buy a home - Me, and my son currently live together in a flat, and will be moving in the next couple of weeks, to yet another flat, so a dream of mine would be to live in a house with my son and fiance, with a garden.

5: Buy my fiance a new car - now Im not the biggest car fan, Im not too bothered about what I drive as long as it gets me from A to B safely, but my fiance, being a big Top Gear fan, would suit a new sports car!

6:  Big spending spree - I would be straight at Camden and Brighton buying everything saw!  Because normally what happens when I go to these places is spend that same amount of money, but in my head! 

7: Travel -  I have been fortunate enough to have been to Ibiza and Iceland on my travels, but I have dreams of going to DisneyWorld, South America, Japan, and Africa.

8:  Set up my own business - my ideal jobs would involve me running my own company, Party Entertainment, Wedding Planner or my own book shop, I would be in my glory running and setting up anyone of these!

9:  Have te wedding of my dreams - although we are planning and saving for our wedding in 2 years, I doubt we can afford everthing I have in mind, so this would be amazing!

10:  Live a happy life - I am happy with my life at the moment, I have everything I need and desire, but it would be nice not to have to work out every penny I spend at every minute, checking my bank balance every night, and exhausting myself out every week juggling two jobs and being a mummy!

Ah, it was nice to dream for 20 minutes, but back to reality now, off I go to my second shift of the day, right after I kiss my son goodnight, and shove this dinner down my throat!

Top Ten Tuesdays - If I Were Prime Minister...

This weeks Top 10 idea came from when I was watching This Morning and Holly Willoughby asked Phillip Schofield what would he do if he was prime minister.  It makes for an interesting topic as Im sure we all think we can do a better job than the current ways the country is being run!  So, if I were voted as Prime Minister tomorrow, here is what I would do:

1:  Bring back the death penalty - starting with a bit of a harsh one with mixed feelings, but in this day and age, there are far worse crimes happening than when the "Hangman" was around!  This would apply to crimes committed on children, murderers, and for all the crimes we hear about that deserve more than just a silly sentence, where families have been traumatized without any justice.

2:  Four day weekends!  - Because we all deserve it, plus maybe the economy will get better because we will all be out shopping and putting it back into the system!



3:  Bring back Woolworths! - I would make Woolworths, Virgin Megastores and all the other big companies that went into administration in the recent economic depression.  I miss going to Woolies for all my party ideas, pic 'n' mix, and chart cds!



4:  Print more money! - Daft I know, but when ever I hear on the news about the recession, I always turn round to my fiance and ask him, "Why don't they just print more money?!"  If the bank has printed out the notes we are currently using, why can't they print out enough to cover the debts we owe then problem resolved!



5:  Get rid of congestion charge, and bendy buses! - To me, I dont see where the money for the congestion charge is going!  What was the point of it?!  People are still driving into London anyway, whether they have to pay it or not, because its still cheaper than the ridiculous transport fees.  Plus, what is the point of a bendy bus?  Whats wrong with a good old fashioned double decker bus, that takes up less room on the road and is much more traditional?!



6:  Make having no manners a crime - it winds me up that I was brought up to have manners, yet in this day and age no one uses them!  I love being polite to people so that it makes them feel good, but when I dont receive the same back, it makes my blood boil!  How hard can it be to open a door for someone and get a thank you in return?  Or say excuse me, if your in a rush to be somewhere, yet I get pushed to one side like Im an animal?  I would fine any rude person that approached me, on the spot so that we can bring manners back into society.



7:  Higher penalties for drug users and illegal substances - I feel that the government do not do enough to help the addictions that people suffer from.  To start with, higher penalties should be brought in for people that use any from of drug including cannabis.  Just bcause a drug is classed as A or B, it is still a drug no matter what the effects it has.  If all drugs had the same penalty from the start, then we could start working with tackling this problem.



8:  Have men who commit domestic violence be taken away immediately:  what I mean by this is that when I was a victim of domestic violence, me and my son were made to go to a womens refuge, away from family, friends and our home.  I felt like I was being punished even more, even though I knew it was for our safety.  However, I think it should be the person commiting the violence that should be removed from the victim, put into some sort of help centre, locked away, until they receive help, treatment and punishment.



9:  Compulsory trips to the library and parks:  whether in school or at home, I think my son has benefitted a lot from going to the park on a regular basis and he library.  I was shocked to hear at a school I use to work at, the most of the children did not belong to a library, nor their parents.  It is a perfect place to take children on a wet rainy day and let them chose as many books as they want!  My son loves books, and reading and I am so pleased that he has his own library card and has a passion for stories.



10:  Less men in parliament, more women! - This country is dominated by men and I would definetely employ more women, especially mothers, who have more experience about our country seeing as we are the ones that do most of the shopping, organising and chores all day every day!  Think how different the country would be, and how funnier Question Time would be without all the silly noises from grunting men!!

I had fun pretendig to be PM for this post, please join miss mommy for more creative top tens! xxx

Tuesday Ten - Celebrities I Have Met



This is my first post for Tuesday Ten and ironically, I was going to do my own Top Ten lists every Tuesday, just because I love a good list!  But then I stumbled upon ths meme so I can kill two birds with one stone!   For my regular readers, you will know I met my all time hero, Mr David Tennant, on Sunday, so this sparked the idea for me to compile my top ten celebrities that I have met.
  Now Im no stalker, Im nothing special and I definetely don't want to be or have any association with the celebrity world.  I have just been lucky enough to have brushed passed/shook hands with/ followed obsessively,   stumbled upon people that are more well known than others!
  So, not counting the 10th Doctor as I have blubbered on about him a bit too much on this blog, here are my not so very interesting personalities I have come across on my journeys:


1:  Geri Halliwell - I met her at a book signing for her Ugenia Lavendar tour, and thank goodness she was just as lovely in the flesh.  She had time to talk to me for about three minutes, whilst signing all 6 books of hers that I purchased!

2:  Friendly Fires - the very friendly, Friendly Fires were doing an NME signing on our recent trip to the Reading Festival, and had time to chat to us for ages!  They signed my album and apparently, as my fiance tells me, the drummer fancied me!  Here is me with the lead singer, Ed, who very cheekily allowed me to have a photo with him even though I wasnt allowed!



3:  David Walliams - I am a fan of his books, so when the opportunity arose to get him to sign my copy, I jumped at the chance.  My son was alseep in his buggy at the time, so David commented on that, was extremely friendly and even let me pose with him!

4:  Katie Price - Now, Im not so much of a fan now, but back when she was with Peter Andre, I really enjoyed her programmes, the women fascinated me!  I queued up for three hours (!) to meet her, with my litte boy in tow who was actually very patient and good that whole time!  When I finally got to meet her, I remember thinking how tiny she was in the flesh.  She said a quick "hi" to my son, signed my book and moved me along!  I have to say though, there were about 500 fans waiting for her, and I was one of the last, yet she stayed to sign every single one, like a trooper.

5:  Shirly Henderson - I met her on Sunday at the Entertainment Media Show, (where I met David Tennant!) and she was so lovely!  Star of the Harry Potter movies, (as Moaning Myrtle) Bridget Jones Diary and Doctor Who, I managed to get a free cheeky photo, seeing as she was charging for signings!  I think she is a wonderful and eccentric actress and so pleased I met her!

6:  Jarvis Cocker - Now this is cheating a little, as technically I havent actually "met" him, but on a number of occasions I have seen him!  First time was at Brixton Academy in 2001 when he came into the audience at his gig and I touched him!  Then this year, I was at London Bridge station and the man walked past me!  Like a hysterical child, I was calling out to him, "Jarvis!" "Jarvis!" which he then, and very wisely, legged it up the escalator with his son, and chose to ignore me!  I was lucky enough to see him with his band Pulp at their last ever gig in September and he will always be my leading front man.

7:  WWE Superstars - I have met many a wrestler in my time!  Being a huge fan a few years back I have met Matt Hardy and Rob Van Dam at an exhibition who very kindly signed some goodies for me.  And at a visit to a Planet Hollywood, I had my photo taken with Kane, who was about 7ft tall and very scary!  I have unfortuately lost this picture, but the memories remain!




8:  Clive Barker - famous author and write of Hellraiser, I was lucky enough to meet him at another exhibition earlier this year.  I am a fan of his Abarat books, and had planned to ask him when his next edition would be out, but I was so excited, I forgot to ask!  He signed this picture of himself and shook my hand!

9:  Eve Myles - Gwen from Torchwood as she is better known, another of the stars I met on Sunday.  She came bouncing out of some doorway, and I spontaneously shouted out, "Eve!" Poor woman!  But, none the less, she turned round and said "Hello, how are you?!"  I was so taken aback I just smiled at her as I did not think she would stop for little old me!  I honestly thought she mistook me for someone she knew because she was so overly friendly!  And from then,  I saw her three of four times after this, bouncing around the exhibition and being an amazing sport to all her fans.









10:  Andy from Cbeebies! - Um, not the best claim to fame, but he came into the restaurant I worked at, and after about half an hour of me wondering if it was him, (I was the only mum working there at the time so I could not really ask anyone else!) I went up to his table and asked if he was the presenter on Cbeebies!  It was indeed him, and he kindly signed a napkin for my son!  I then found out that he used to work at my work place as a chef!



So thats it!  I know it seems as if I have been to many exhibitions, stalking out actors and queueing for signings, but it sounds worse than what it is, when you put it altogether in one list!  Now, where did I put my pair of binoculars, anorak and notebook, I spy a stalker moment approaching......!