LIFE | Night of the Living Dead HMV staff

Hey hey hey!!!

So, the other day we had a visit at work from Big Boss and his boss. They found loads of things wrong with the store (could be cause we are swimming in stock, with new stock coming in each day and not being given time to sort it out?). Anyways, my week of Earlyearly shifts is coming to an end. No more getting to work at 7am. Which saves me oversleeping like Thursday, when I missed my 20 past 6 bus (woke up at 26 past! eeek) and had 5 Minutes to brush my teeth, phone work to tell them I'll be late and realise, no one is in at half past, get dressed, hoping I am putting the right clothes on, brush my hair, search for the bus pass and not find it and run through the front door, trapping a bit of curtain in it when slamming it shut. Not too bad for approximately 7 Minutes, right? Granted, I wasn't wearing any make-up, my hair was down and I had to wear my glasses, but I made it to work just on time!

But no more oversleeping! My new shifts will actually require me to stay awake as long as possible, as I will be doing NIGHTSHIFTS! Yes, you read right, nightshifts! Looked up on shopfloor with 3-5 others (I don't actually know how many of us are doing the shifts), sorting through our mountains of stock and finally getting some section time! Damn those sections need a good tidy!! General public is so messy!

I am looking forward to the nightshifts! Yes, I won't have any sort of a social life, but, let's face it, it's not like I have one anyways. I am more of a night person aswell, so this should be great! Plus it's only until Christmas! I can't wait to bake some nice treats for my fellow nightshifters (looked into Eggnog-Cupcake and Gingerbreak-Cupcake receipes. Xmas-themed, gotta be done!!) and whatever is left can be enjoyed by the Day-people! :) Sainsburys and Boots will be shut, so no more meal deals but packed lunches! Good for the wallet and your health, although we had already raised the question: what does one eat at around 1 or 2 am? Breakfast? Dinner? Brinner??

It's going to be a very exciting few weeks! Kicked off by tonight's staff XMas party! Looking forward to seeing people for the last time before my nights. Hopefully it'll be a great night! Kipping in town at a hotel with some workmates, too, so I can stay out without having to think about buses or cab fares! woop!

Laters, and stay young!

x ♥ x

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's that time again. Everyone working in Retail knows what I am talking about. We are 33 days away from the big old merry C (according to 'Twinkle' on my phone) and the general public is starting to catch on to that. Our store is hiring Temps like mad and we are all running around fetching various things for overwhelmed (or at times just really stupid) people. And it's kind of fun! Keeps one busy anyways!

But as we get closer to Christmas (there, I said it), the new releases are getting cheesier, too. Which means, we are forced to listen to One Direction, The Saturdays and the new Now album all day, every day. If only artists could either stop swearing (think about it! you stop with the f-bombs, we play you in store, people will hear it, people will buy it! Isn't that what artists want?) or all they have to do is send out clean versions. I know they exist, cause I accidentally bought a clean version of Limp Bizkit's "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" a while back. Even Rihanna can not be played. It's going to be tough getting through the season this way!

At least I'll have a Xmas classic to look forward to, which is this beauty:

Oh yes! It is a CLASSIC!!! (use of capital letters for extreme emphasis! ;) )

That's all for today! Everyone excited about Christmas: Enjoy the countdown! 

Laters, x ♥ x

REVIEW | "The Skin I Live In"- A surgeon's immoral quest to save what he had failed to save

A couple of weeks back my friend Chelsey took me to see"The Skin I Live In" at Ritzy. I hadn't read any previews or watched any trailers prior to watching the film and therefore had no idea what to expect. All I knew was it is directed by Pedro Almodóvar ("Volver", "Broken Embraces") and starred Antonio Banderas ("Mask of Zorro", "Desperado"). And, to be honest, I am glad I had no expectations.

In the opening sequence you see a young female (Elena Anaya) in a type of skin-tight bodysuit stretching in various ways. It invites the spectator to marvel at the beauty and elegance of the female's body. This sequence sets the tone for this film, in which Almodóvar once again aesthetically explores female sexuality and gives it a good twist.

The story has been divided into two main parts: the past and the present. It starts off in the present, establishing the first set of key characters Vera (Elena), Robert (Banderas) and Marilia (Marisa Paredes). Marilia is a servant of plastic surgeon Robert, who appears to be looking after one of his patients in a monitored room in his house. We learn that he is a committed surgeon, yearning to discover a way to protect skin, even if it means crossing moral lines. Marilia later tells Vera, who had just been involved in a vile attack at the house, the story of Roberts family, including a revelation of her own family secret. His wife, who had suffered from severe burn scarring from a car accident, and his daughter Norma (Blanca Suárez), who faced horrors growing up witnessing her mother's demise and experiencing her own. The revelation explains the doctors pursuit of finding a way to protect skin from fire. 

A trip to the past shows the doctor and his daughter at a social event. It is indicated that seeing Norma at such an event is a rare occasion and that she was still learning to cope with the horrific events involving her mother. As she enjoys the evening with some girl friends, she spots Vicente across the room, who meets her eyes. Both later venture into the garden with their friends, but end up left alone. What started as a romantic night under the stars ended in Robert finding his daughter unconscious under a tree.

Just as his wife's burns were a drive to keep researching for fire-defying skin, the incident with his already emotionally fragile daughter triggered another motivation in him. The latter is the key element to the shocking twist of Almodóvar's piece, as we learn of Vera's true identity. We watch as Robert ignores sense of moral and is fuelled by a concoction of heartbreak and revenge.

Almodóvar created a beautiful yet unnerving environment. The somewhat disturbing storyline is counteracted by the aesthetic visuals, mainly focussing on Vera's flawless and almost serene appearance. Male characters within the story are portrayed with a negative tendency. Vicente, Vera's attacker and even Robert. It suggests Almodóvar's fascination and sympathy with female figures, as viewers find it easier to empathise with them. Almodóvar's emphasis on the female form is one of his trademarks, since most his films incorporate strong female characters and exploration of sexuality.  

 Banderas gives a great performance, capturing Robert's disillusioned sanity. Anaya was challenged with portraying two characters with different mannerisms, which she mastered brilliantly. Almodóvar once again successfully created a film that shows humanity, relations as well as  horrors. The twist to the story is brilliant, even if it seems a little far-fetched. Amazing connection between all characters, it makes the film flow. If you're not too lazy to read subtitles (Almodóvar's directions almost speak for themselves, but the subtitle are good for details): definitely give this film a go!

Here's a trailer:

Quick one

Up 'early' as I have a long day ahead of me. First of all a group interview (eeeek) which hopefully won't last over an hour, cause I start work an hour and half after it is meant to start. Won't be finishing till 8pm today. Nerves are behaving so far. Hopefully they'll let me stay cool once I get there, too.

Anyways. Watched 'Sword in the Stone' yesterday. I lover Archimedes' laugh!! It's hilarious!! 

I better get ready. Wish me luck!

It's Birthday time, and bouncers love cupcakes!

Soooo.... I turned yet another year older on tuesday and spend it at work. But, don't fret, I did have some celebratory drinks last night and boy, was that a good night! Joined drinks session with my supervisor and some very jolly workmates, past and present. I got 2 cards and a cookie! A giant one!! After drinks at Pavs, a few of us went to the Turtle, where I offered the bouncer one of my cupcakes (he bloody loved it, too) and sipped some good 2 for 1 cocktails. We then joined the few others that had moved on to Sakura. Moving around the dancefloor, my millie's cookie bag tore apart. Cookie and cake tin were.....secure. Did lose my card, which I found later on the floor. It even had bits of envelope stuck to it! Yay! 

It was a brilliant night. I appreciate everyone's effort last night! I work with some really great people!

Oh yes, I wanted to take a picture of the cookie, which said "Guten Geburtstag Sutha", when I got home, and realised this had happened:

Sad times! :( still tasty though, I hope.

xx

And so it begins!

So.... I have just joined the glorious world of blogging (I don't even know the right terminology, so bear with me) and am yet to figure out how this works. As I love writing (but never seem to get loving enough to sit down and work out a script), I will review any films I think need to be picked apart, share articles I thought were amazing, pictures or just rant about my day. People love a good rant, especially those ranting! 
I hope I can make this blog worth reading, I wouldn't want to waste anyone's time. There's better things to do, like, playing Angry Birds, right?! Or CoD or....whatever that other one was. 
Stay tuned, if ya like!


Laters