Saturday 24 March 2012

Things I Like - 3 - Travel

In case you have just tuned in, today I present item 3 of "Things I Like". I'm trying to blog seven days in a row about things I enjoy and feel the need to share or ramble on about. I might miss out Sunday cause I'm off to a Joe Bonamassa gig in Newcastle, but for now I hope you enjoy!

*edit* A technical error (i.e. I got blocked from work internet cause I was abusing it looking for pictures for this blog) means I am a day late posting this. Failed my mission already!

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Last Friday I got a credit card delivered. Last Saturday I maxed it out. On a holiday! Eeek! Although really it's not as bad as it sounds, I got the card purposefully to pay for the holiday so it wasn't exactly an impulse buy ^_^
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Me and my mother are jetting off to the sunny (hopefully) Greek island of Rhodes in a few short weeks. Rhodes is the one with the green arrow in the picture above, right near the coast of Turkey. I've been there before with my friend and housemate Kate and we had a really good time. It was out of season so many of the attractions were closed but the local buses were running and the Old Town area of Rhodes was open for business. The Old Town is spectacular. I'm really looking forward to exploring it some more and introducing it to my mum who has never been. I'll probably write a review or something on Trip Advisor in May when we get back.

I must admit I feel a little responsible for us having a successful trip, mainly because I've chosen not to book airport transfers, (£50 for a coach to the hotel? It's less than 5 Euro on the local bus service!) but the pressure is on because I now have the job of making sure we actually find our hotel. Hopefully some forward planning, printed out Rhodes bus timetables and my iPhone will help!

Whilst booking I was thinking about where I've been and where I'd like to go. If you know me you will know I'd love to visit Japan for a month or so. I'd visit the Ghibli Museum and a hot spring and the Ginza shopping district. I'd also love to return to New York. When I went in 2006-7 (I went for New Year) I was a little younger and I don't think I experienced it like I could now. I did see the Statue of Liberty, which was incredible, I didn't imagine her to be quite so tall, and went to a cool museum on Native American history. However, I didn't see Central Park, didn't go inside the Empire State Building and didn't flounce around pretending to be Serena Van Der Woodsen from Gossip Girl, It's definitely worth a return trip.

Times Square, New York , NY. Original Image Here

Closer to home I travel around a lot on buses and trains. My typical journeys are between Barrow-in-Furness, Nottingham, Sutton Bonington and York but I'm pretty comfortable travelling anywhere in the UK by public transport. I love getting on a train for a long journey and knowing I'll be sat for a good hour or two with nothing to do but read a book or listen to music. It's like time stops for a little while and I can forget about the general stresses of life!

(Yeah, I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna start a sentence with...) BUT, there is something which can easily spoil my journey (and I hold Apple firmly responsible): having to listen to other people's music. How hard is it to chuck away those crap earphones they give you with iPods/iPhones and buy some in-ear noise cancelling phones? If I can manage it, then so can you Mr Businessman on the seat in front listening to Nicki Minaj (?!).

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I got better earphones because I'm just super considerate. (Actually I did this swanky personality test recently and that was one of the words which came up to describe me. I guess I think it's accurate but please do tell me if you find things I do really annoying and are struggling with a daily desire to flush my head down the toilet. I'm so considerate I'd probably stop doing it right away!)

Anyway I think the world would be a better place if people would keep their choons in their own ears and stop forcing them on me. Thanks!

Thursday 22 March 2012

Things I Like - 2 - Stationary

Ever since I was a kid spending my pocket money on watercolours and visiting The Pencil Museum (Oh yes, there is such a place, and they even have an online shop *swoon*) I've been hooked on stationary. I love when you go into a shop and there are incredible rainbows of acrylic paints, pencils of increasing B's, reams of snowy white paper and those brill scratchy-offy-foil-pictures with dolphins and deer on them (Like the one below. Remember those?).
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Now, writing-wise, Muji produce a lovely gel-ink pen. They make my writing look fancy and the ink flow is just right. I must say that the ink does run out quite quickly but you can buy refills from Muji, who, incidentally, used to have a shop in Nottingham but it shut down a few months back. Now I have to buy my favourite pens online which makes me a little bit sad. I quite liked browsing around Muji with its minimalist shop style and t-shirts in little cubes!

For any kind of felt-tip colouring in, I love my Staedtler Triplus Colour fibre-tips. I like having nephews and a niece (Someone needs to invent a term for multiple nephews and nieces, like 'grandchildren'... How about 'sibchildren'..?) because spending time with them means I can do colouring in without looking like a person who has severely regressed to their childhood.
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For a lighter, more-pencilly colouring in requirement I prefer watercolour pencils. They are super blendable and of course can be painted with. Just add water! My favourite brand is Derwent, maybe because they are based in Cumbria not too far from where I grew up, or maybe because their statement about watercolour pencils is "The beauty of watercolour. The precision of pencil". I mean, it's just so true! ^_^

Something I recently found, and am desperate to find a supplier of in the UK, is the Beetle Tip Highlighter. It's a highlighter which has a nib I suppose you could loosely describe as being shaped like a little weevil nose (I was going to add a picture of a weevil but they're just too gross, Google them if you wish) and can be used to either highlight over words like usual, or, to highlight around words in one fell swoop! This would be SO useful when reading through journals, in order to make certain parts stand out. I must own a beetle tip pen!

Original Image Here

Lastly but my no means least...ly, for all my kawaii stationary needs I immediately turn to www.tofucute.com. They have a great selection of erasers shaped like food, tape with adorable friezes and themed paper stationary. I recommend a visit to their site if you haven't yet been and, whilst there, go ahead and browse the food section. There are some wicked Japanese snacks for sale! Hooray! Everyone loves miracle flavoured sweets!

Original Image Here

Wednesday 21 March 2012

Things I Like - 1 - Movies

Ever since I worked at the Savoy Cinema in Nottingham I've been hooked on going to the movies. I'm happy to go any time, alone or with friends to see any film - expect scary ones. I draw the line at scary anything. I love the popcorn (sweet and salted mixed please), the slushy drinks and the chocolatey snacks (expensive though they may be) and tend to feel quite at home sitting in the screens, be they traditional or modern.

- Just a note on working at a cinema. When I first started I got told to go and "clean the screen". To which I responded "Ok, do I just brush it down or use a mop?". I got a pretty blank look. You see "screen" can of course refer to the room in which the movie is shown, not just the big white thing at the front. I think this is the cinema staff equivalent of an electrician's apprentice being sent for a left-handed screwdriver. If you ever get asked to do this this, be a pro and go and get the hoover. Don't go hunting for ladders like I did. -

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Most recently I've been to see The Muppets and John Carter. The Muppets blew me away with how funny it was. I was expecting outdated jokes and cutesy storyline. Indeed, the storyline was the usual formula of "ARGH! They want to cancel The Muppet Show, quick, we need to make money!" but anything cutesy was served with a side order of slapstick/ironic/situational comedy which just made the whole thing ace. Fans of Flight of the Conchords will love the musical numbers. Brett McKenzie himself was musical director and contributed to a lot of the songs (won a few awards for them too). I'd say this movie is a must see for anyone with a sense of humour. There is also an impressive string of cameos from the likes of Dave Grohl and the dude who plays Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory which made it all the more fun. I for one am going to buy it on DVD as soon as it's released.

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John Carter, on the other hand, is a film which I think lacks humour. I think it would have benefited from a Jack Sparrow type character with a few one-liners, just to make it stand up as typical Disney fare. Saying that, there is a pretty cool Martian dog in it which was funny and cute (in a toothy, slobbery way), and, aside from the humour stuff, I personally thought it was an enjoyable movie. There wasn't anything really spectacular about it which blew my mind as such, but my mum (49) and nephew (12) both thought it was really good, and it was definitely aided by good use of 3D. I feel quite sad that it's reported as a flop by the BBC. I think this could be due to harsh reviews given to it by websites and newspapers putting people off going, but Rotten Tomatoes shows that, even though it was given a review score of 51%, 71% of people who actually went to see it enjoyed it and I think that speaks for itself. If you have a free evening I recommend giving it a whirl.

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One must-see movie, which I'm so excited to see I get a funny feeling in my tummy when I think about it, is The Hunger Games which will be released on the 23rd March (that's only two days time!!). I intend to go watch it this weekend because sadly I can't do cinema during the week when I'm away working in Yorkshire, but hopefully I will be able to book tickets and it won't be too busy.

I'm super excited about this movie because I recently read the book trilogy by Suzanne Collins and enjoyed it immensely, despite the fact that the concept of post-apocalyptic survival isn't really a new one. I'm expecting it to be pretty dramatic and I saw the trailer last weekend before John Carter and it looked like it would be emotional. However, I heard on the radio yesterday a snippet of a review that said the extreme mortal peril wasn't really put across properly in the movie. I figure this is to be expected in order to make the film a 12A rating. Personally I'd like to see it properly souped up and aimed at adults, with a lot of emotion, fear and gore but hey, that's just me. I like book-to-movie adaptations to be intense in order to meet my expectations.

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DVD wise I recently bought The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, a Japanese animated movie about a girl who, in a minor lab accident, gains the power to be able to jump backwards in time. She uses this power to go back and fix events and help out her school friends. It's a really sweet story with a fairly simple time travel angle and I think it's going to be one I'll watch over and over because I find animated movies pretty relaxing. I'm also going to get hold of the book of the same name which is loosely described as a prequel, but I imagine it will be more of an inspiration for the story in the movie.

If you've been to see a movie lately that you think is a must-see, or you think is a do-not-see, please let me know. I definitely appreciate recommendations!



Sunday 4 March 2012

Advice for First-Time Conference Goers

Recently I went to a conference. It was the first time I've been to one and I wasn't sure what to expect. Since coming back I've thought of a few tips for people who don't have a clue like me, based on things I saw last week.

- What to wear - 

This can depend on the type of conference. If you are a business person then I'm sure suits will be all the rage but this farmy/sciency crop protection conference seemed more chilled. People were still expected to look smart but some students wore jeans and converse and nobody commented. I like a little bit of dress up though, I find wearing smart clothes makes me feel more confident.


Ladies: I'd recommend aiming for the mid-ground that is smart-casual. General office wear is good - I wore a knee-length skirt with flat black pumps and a blouse. Unfortunately that's not me in the picture on the right (those images came from a pretty cool dressing room function on the H&M website where you can plan oufits easily by clicking on items you like) but that's the look I'm gonna aim for next time I go.

Gents: Simple! Trousers and a shirt! Or a nice jumper if you're wanting to look more casual. Again only the real pros wore suit jackets so maybe think twice about that if you're a student.  If wearing a shirt please, please, please tuck it in. One bloke who gave a talk had his shirt hanging out and it looked like he had just rolled out of bed. I couldn't take him seriously.


Looking smart is important because you are representing yourself and your institution but looking too formal will make people think you're too big for your boots! I'm pretty sure I ended up looking like a schoolteacher on the second day but hey, you live and learn! Following the above suggestions will hopefully make sure you don't make any faux pas.

Hint: The venue might be air-conditioned to feel like the North Pole so do take some extra layers along just in case.

- Giving a Talk - 

I wish I'd given a talk instead of presenting a poster as with hindsight I think my work would have gone down well with the audience. If you're deliberating over whether to give a talk or make a poster I'd say go for it and give a talk. It's more stressful to plan but it is a good opportunity to show off your project, make your face  familiar to potential contacts and the relief feels pretty darn good when it's over!

Things to remember when giving a talk:

If there is a microphone at the podium, please stay still and speak into it. I know it's important to engage with the audience but turning back and forth to face them makes it hard to follow what is being said. Take some time before you begin speaking to angle the mic towards you and position it a reasonable distance from your mouth - about 30cm away should be fine.

Don't go crazy with the laser pointer! People don't need each line of your presentation highlighted for them, it can be taken as a given that most of your audience can read so try to keep the pointer for essential uses only. Also when designing your PowerPoint, think ahead about what you want to emphasise and make an animation to do this for you when you click.

Don't read out reams of raw data and results. People just don't care. Explain your methods, have a few graphs and tables and then spend most time on the conclusions or discussion. Numbers don't mean much to other people but the facts you have deduced from them are what people want to know, so, be a crowd pleaser!

- Poster Presenters -

Do try to stand near your poster during the coffee breaks and lunchtimes but don't stand guard by it like the Queen's Guard at Buckingham Palace. That can make people too nervous to come and read your poster or, alternatively, can induce your audience to start poking you in the face, taking pictures with you and telling you jokes to see if you will move from your post. Instead I recommend standing a little way back and approaching people once you have seen that they have already begun reading the poster. Don't do what I did and get scared and avoid staying with my poster altogether, I missed speaking to someone who I really wanted to network with. Luckily I managed to catch her later in the day but she was disappointed I wasn't available earlier when she had more time to talk.

As for things to bring along, it can be helpful to provide A4 handouts for people to take away with them. It will make you more memorable and it should have your contact information on it so people can email with questions. Also get some business cards printed, they're always handy to have just in case.

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Feel free to comment with questions and if I think of anything else useful I'll put it up here. 

Morals of the story are: look good, be confident, be prepared, don't wear bearskin hats and maybe go have a little fun with that H&M dressing room thing!