Monday 30 November 2009

Saturday Fright Night..

I thought Halloween was last month?!



So after work on Saturday, I trudge through the drunkards with an umbrella and clenched teeth in a wet and windy Cardiff to meet up with some gal pals. I make it to Walkabout, slip through the ciggie entrance without paying and I see something horrible, truly awful, retina burning....

A girl in a full body black lace cat suit... she is wearing a bra and boy pants and thats it.... ok, you might say, but she looked hot right?! Nu-uh... this girl was a little too rotund to be wearing such a daring outfit, and her thighs seemed to hold some hypnotic power over me. I couldn't stop staring as they seemed to suddenly devour the streets of Cardiff and her belly cast a shadow over her shoes.

Lady GaGa, as much as I love her, has A LOT to answer for.. we expect such outfits from the electro pop Queen (see above) and she's tiny!!!! Probably a size 8.... this lady looked an ill-advised tribute act.

Clearly she was deluded, she must have thought she looked HOT and in what lifetime did she think she could get away with such an outfit in Cardiff in all places?! It might, just might wash in London or LA... or a porn convention...

So please ladies, think about your outfit before you step out of the door.. you ARE NOT Lady GaGa, Madonna or even Britney.. whatever next? Fake blood and veils?!

Love, SGS xoxo

Friday 27 November 2009

Job Interviews Get The X Factor

Time to warm up your vocal chords....

Saw this on a fellow bloggers page - Speak Media Blog

New Hire Stunts From Agencies



Here's the skinny, an American PR agency has held X Factor like auditions via Youtube searching for the next "PR Rock Star".. 12 finalists. 3 weeks. One winner...

As if the whole application process wasn't hard enough?! They are now throwing this at people. At times of recession, which ourselves and America are still in, there are mass unemployment figures and many people being made redundant.

My quest for a new PR job has been very fruitless in the last six months especially, I have had numerous reasons why I haven't got the job or indeed been selected for interview.

Top 3 Reasons

1. There have been a number of applicants with over 20 years more experience than you
2. We have had so many applicants we had to move forward the deadline, your application may have not been read
3. We have had to put the job on hold, we are making do with the staff we have

This is what I and thousands of people are up against, and thankfully I already have a Communications Officer job to go to.

So, why oh why are they making the process even harder?

I feel this X factor method seeks only to exploit candidates, it may have even deterred some of the better ones from applying and they are left with the loons with barely any experience but fancy seeing their mug on the internet. The slogan "PR Rock Star" doesn't exactly inspire does it? How many people did a video of themselves dressed as KISS and discussed strategy?! A PR stunt within the PR field, what a cliche... I just hope they employ a complete idiot, serves them right.

Luckily, I haven't heard of anything like this in the UK but I'm seriously worried.. if Simon Cowell gets a sniff of this he'll be on it quicker than the hairdresser can back comb Cheryl Coles volumised bonce.

So please PR employers, a CV and covering letter may be old school but surely it's the fairer option?

Love, SGS xoxo

Tuesday 24 November 2009

Tunes For A Tuesday

Bertie Blackman - Byrds of Prey



People may dismay at the surge of electo-pop ladies vying for our attention but this lady can rub shoulders with the best of them. Aussie singer Bertie delivers a slice of dark electro-pop with smouldering vocals and a better than average video - visually stunning and no smoking corpses. Think Ellie Goulding with a touch of Florence style tones and you're in the right area. 'Byrds of Prey' is taken from album 'Secrets and Lies' that I am one click away from purchasing...

The Temper Trap - 'Fader'



Fresh off the massive success of 'Sweet Disposition' the Aussie soft rockers follow up with 'Fader'. I am pleasantly surprised at this track, having loved 'Sweet Disposition' after hearing it in 500 Days of Summer I was worried that TTT would be a one-hit wonder sort of band (think Phantom Planet - California). I'm not saying it'll be as iconic as its predecessor but it has a good melody, soft vocals and even a "Ooh-oo" bit that will probably get stuck in your head.. good work TTT.



Think sun burnt teens, cheap cocktails, Union Jack flagged towels and STDs.. this song is soundtrack to every dodgy 18-30 destination out there. It infested the dancefloors of Magaluf and Malia quicker than swine flu and with its grimey, dirty, sweaty electro beats I am throughly hooked. Not a song to be played in the office.. I turn it down to barely audible for mice, but crank it up in the privacy of your boudoir.. and don't pretend you don't like it!

Love, SGS xoxo

Monday 23 November 2009

Present Giving Rules 2009

Presents from the heart.. not Spar on Xmas Eve

We've all had moments of terror, panic and cold sweats when it comes to gift giving and especially at this time of year.



Christmas can be a stressful time and we place paramount important on gift giving. There are ALWAYS occassions when we are obliged to give to distant family members or frenemies and through gritted teeth we trudge to Superdrug or Burtons and buy utter tat for £5 and think 'That will do!'

I say, we should turn gift giving on it's head.

Here are my five rules for giving this christmas

1. Only buy presents for people you actually want to - be ruthless!
2. Don't leave it until Xmas eve, I doubt everyone in A&E will thank you for having a coronary at 10pm
3. See if family members would like to combine their money with yours for Mum/Dad presents, more money normally means less tat. Novelty socks are exactly that.. novelty for 5mins then crap
4. Do attempt decent wrapping, presents shouldn't look like they've come out of Santa's behind
5. Not got much money? Have a go at DIY presents.. a mix CD of someones favourite songs, biscuits, cakes, wine, a photograph album with pictures are all decent ideas and relatively cheap.

Here are some of my efforts at DIY presents..



Yes, my friend Amy John was 24 recently..



My friend Manda is a Twihard, so I made this fang-tastic DIY card



TB likes pie, no occasion other than tea... still a nice gesture me thinks.

Have a go yourself,

Love, SGS xoxo

Thursday 19 November 2009

Punch & Judy in our living rooms..

How did Katie Price go from Hero to Villain?

Last night I found myself head back, cackling at Katie Price being publicly nominated for her 4th challenge in a row on 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here 2009' and today I'm wondering- what is wrong with me?! Why I am so pleased at seeing somebody else suffer? What has she done to me? I think it's worth looking at the evidence...

In 2003 busty, beauty Jordan entered the Austrailian jungle in 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here', with more or less public backing. The media chastised her for going out clubbing whilst carrying her first child fathered by Dwight Yorke, and then she gained sympathy and backlash in equal measures when son, Harvey was born blind and with growth complications.

Also in the jungle was tanned, six packed 'singer' Peter Andre of 'Mysterious Girl' one- hit wonder fame, and it was love at first tangerined skinned sight and a PR's dream. The nation collectively 'oohed' and 'ahhed' as love blossomed in the Austrailian outback and we decided we quite liked Jordan after all.

Pete checks out Jordan's assets!

So the couple get married in a wedding that would make Barbie jealous, and we see Jordan's alter ego emerge- Katie Price, who is an entrepeneur, family woman and it looks to us, the humble public, that Barbie and Ken are made for each other. We lap up photo shoots, reality shows, tv appearances, fragrances and even badly mimed charity singles with vigour and glee.

So how did it all go wrong?

Well, in a he said/she said tirade, Peter leaves Katie and they have a quickie divorce months later. 'Jordan' returns, sleazy and cheaper than a tin of Lidl beans, gallavanting in Ibiza with a Cage Fighter in ridiculous outfits while Pete is photographed holding the kids. Jordan begins mouthing off about everything, she is in the paper everyday- giving an exclusive, details of a miscarriage she suffered, intimate details of her and Peter's life. While Peter remains calm and silent, the whole nation divided into Team Andre or Team Price, and it looks the latter is struggling for support.

Katie enters the Jungle for an estimated sum of £450,000 and the nation gets a chance to punish her, punish her behaviour and show her what we think.. yet can we really believe everything we read in the paper?! Yes, it's true, she gets many column inches but thats only because we are still interested, we still want to know where, what, why and who. Who gave us the power to sentence her? You could argue that she did, she lives her life through the media and we deserve the opportunity to exact revenge by making her 4 trials in a row and see her have near panic attacks and cry, but when does it all become too much?!



You decide...

Love, SGS xoxo

Tuesday 17 November 2009

Tunes For a Tuesday

Bombay Bicycle Club- Always Like This



I have virgin ears to this band, who were thrust into the musical spotlight after winning Channel 4's "Road to V" competition that saw new bands competing to perform the opener at a V Festival (creds to TB). They released an album - 'I had the blues but I shook them loose' in June 09, and their single 'Always Like This' features on it.

I love this song, the lead singer has a quality in his voice that reminds me of Anthony and the Johnsons, a sort of haunting, melodic, macabre yet beautiful tone that is honey to the eardrum. Also the guitars remind me of The Holloways- Generator, which never fails to make me sing along. Fearne Cotton is championing this record on Radio 1 at the moment so it won't be long before Bombay Bicycle Club become a permanent fixture on the airwaves- or so I hope.

Timbaland feat. So Shy and Nelly Furtardo - Morning After Dark



RnB heavyweight (pun intended) Producer Timbaland is back with 'Morning After Dark' with 1 out of 2 of his posse on the record, the nasal and slightly annoying Nelly Furtardo. Having said that, this tune is everything you would expect from the man who should really stop appearing in his own videos, slick beats, synths with an electro vibe and of course voice distortion. Not groundbreaking, but infectious and should get the girls on the dancefloors.

Love, SGS xoxo

Monday 16 November 2009

Getting Bloggy With It...

Blogged on or off?



I had a little thought about blogging, when I started blogging I wanted to see if I was able to produce blogs that were interesting and would hopefully make people giggle and relate to.

I had no set topic for my blog when I put curser to screen, many people I know do.. for eg. I follow James King Movies.. can you guess what that's about? I felt it would be something I could develop over time. So far I have found it easiest to just write comments on my thoughts, situations and my likes and I hope that it works. I am not knowledgable enough to write about one topic, I love fashion, music, sport and movies and these form big parts of my life so I shall continue on my path of randomness.

Happy reading, and thanks for following thus far..

Love, SGS xoxo

Wednesday 11 November 2009

Video killed the fictional boyfriend

Lady GaGa has just released her new video for latest single 'Bad Romance' As you would imagine it has everything we have come to expect from the New York electro pop Princess.



OTT drama? weirdly dressed back up dancers? 15 costume changes? costumes that would make your nan blush? metal? product placement? 10 hairstyles? sequins? revenge plotting on bad boyfriends? general crazyness? a smoking corpse?

Check, check and check.

Whether you hate or love Lady GaGa you cannot deny that she is pushing the boundary of music videos once more. This video must have taken days to make with the costume and set changes alone. This girl knows what she wants and she gets it and I envy her creativeness.

Things I like


Costumes- she has the ear of friend and fashion designer Alexander McQueen who provides an outfit covered in dazzling multi-coloured rhinestones and uber massive platform shoes as seen in his 09 A/W collection.

Vunerability- there are shots of Lady GaGa without make up on, looking natural and it's good to see another side of her sans crazy makeup/hair.

Love SGS, xoxo

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Tunes for a Tuesday

Going to take you on a bit of a new dance mix session.. heard both these on Annie Macs show on Radio 1 last Friday 7pm-9pm and the playlist is well worth looking at.

Boris Dlugosh - Bangcock



Boris a Hamburg based House producer is described as a remixer, former resident DJ of legendary "FRONT" club and a pioneer of German House music culture. Not sure what that entails... raving with sourkraut and bockwursts maybe?! He also looks slightly like a gay hairdresser or Basehunter.. good tune though! Turn that base up!

Fenech Soler- Lies (Alex Metric Remix)



Fenech Soler are an electro, hip, cool band from the uber trendy Northamptonshire. The Guardian featured them as a new band of the day in 2008, and they consist of 3 lads who cite Michael Jackson's Dangerous album as their main influence. They were unsigned back then, but they really shouldn't be, pure slice of techno-pop heaven.

Love, SGS xoxo

Monday 9 November 2009

To boo or not to boo?

Haka-ed off!



You may not know, but despite the pink, shoe-aholic posts and general girlyness, that SGS is actually a sports fan! I love rugby, being from Wales it's sort of impossible not too. From a very young age it is drummed into you that Welsh Rugby was golden in the 70s, Gerald Davies and JPR are Gods and has been on the downward slope ever since.

So I attended Wales v New Zealand in the Millennium Stadium to watch a game belonging to the Autumn Internationals. Even if you aren't a rugby fan then you may know that the New Zealand rugby team (or All Blacks) perform a Haka before the match.

The Haka is a Maori dance, a sort of call to arms before the battle commences and really is something worth watching.



The Haka is powerful and very meaningful for the All Blacks and rugby fans across the world love to see it! So this Saturday I was very much looking forward to seeing it live once more, sadly this was spoilt for me.

Some Welsh fans decided to boo the Haka which IMO is disgraceful. This is a tradition, something unique and was totally spoilt by idiots. Unfortunately I can't claim that this is the only time Wales has screwed up when it comes to showcasing the Haka.

In 2006 the AB's chose to perform the Haka in the changing rooms and not on the pitch before the game due to a request by the WRU to perform it in a different sequence... much to the fans annoyance.

So please, if you are a true rugby fan, respect other teams traditions off and on the pitch and remember booing is for idiots!

Love, SGS xoxo

Thursday 5 November 2009

Bet you look good on the dancefloor?

When spandex isn't sexy...



After an elder person told me that she was gutted to have missed a night in a local club in Worcester it began me to dawn on me, what age is it unacceptable to go clubbing anymore?

Now taking the example of let's call her, Mrs. Robinson... she must be 50 (or there abouts) but dresses like she's 20.. is this too old?!

Mrs R has a clear penchant for looking tanned all year, leggings, highlights, red lipstick, knee high boots and figure hugging dresses. Unfortunately I think the incessant tanning has meant she looks a cross between Donatella Versace and a bull dog. In fairness she has a good figure and better legs than myself but would her child be happy in the knowledge that she could look across the dancefloor and she her dear mama dancing like Flashdance?!

Clubs these days are full of cardboard cut out size 0 blondes with body con dresses and metrosexuals in pink v necks, is there a place for the elders who haven't grown up?

People say age is just a number, but I think there are certain times in your life when acting like you are 20 when you are pushing 50 is just wrong. That's why clubs like Jumping Jacks and Lava Lounge were invented.. so that the over hill folk can stand around and at least feel part of the binge drink weekend culture.

So please Mrs R, find your comrades Donatella and Janice Dickinson and spend your weekends drinking G&T's and wearing clothes fit for 20 year olds.. but can you do it indoors?

Love, SGS xoxo

Tuesday 3 November 2009

Halloween... Trick or Treat?

The undead look is SO hot right now...



Halloween.. always a treat for me!

A night for ghosts, ghouls, girls in tu-tus and the undead to make their mark in the world.

For me it's about the opportunity to plan a costume, dress up, think about all the little things- make-up, hair, eyelashes, glitter, fake blood, tights etc.. and it got me thinking about why I like it so much. Is it the fact that we can have a new identity, if only for a while?

Just putting a wig on can completely change how you look... 2 years ago I had a long black wig on, and I looked a cross between Lily Allen and Mortisha Adams and even felt a bit different- like a Transylvanian uber bitch! This year I think I excelled myself, I had a morbid fascination with the tranformation of my hair and face with lotions and potions (I don't think the o-zone layer would appreaciate my excessive use of hair and glitter sprays- oops.)

Halloween is espcially good for those who like to dress up because it involves the supernatural, not only do you get to look different but you can be a character of myth, scary stories and fables and interpret the look of a Vampire or Zombie as you like it.

Trick of the night- having to pay £8 to get into Oceania.. surely they know the undead don't use cash or plastic?!

Love, SGS xoxo