Rah Goddess' Guide to Life

I am in the process of planning the life cycles unit for Year 5 science and I spotted this advert yesterday on television. It is so gorgeous, soundtrack, mise-en-scène, and has a freshness to the advertising. I like adverts that go that bit further and take you on a journey, this one reminds me of when I first saw the Hovis advert, it made me smile and consider the brand it is advertising. The advert is for John Lewis and cost a staggering £6m to produce and make, it’s sentimental and a tad corny, and for the material objects in the production, only uses things available to buy at John Lewis. Quite clever marketing JL, selling a perfect life.

The song used for the ad is a fab version of a Billy Joel classic covered by Fyfe Dangerfield, frontman of amazing band, The Guillemots. Dangerfield is releasing it as a single on Monday (because the ad as been so popular) and, given the success of the advert, it is tipped by many to go straight to No1. However, I am not completely convinced that the song and story go together, of course the focus on the Woman does imply JL consider females to be their target audience, a wee bit sexist but probably accurate, and thus this has angered some of the feminists amongst us. The perfect life, ageing on camera, and a smaltzy aftertaste is not for everyone’s palates but it does it for me.

So here it is for those who haven’t seen it

And what the heck, the Hovis advert too

I’m an advertiser’s dream me!

Okay I was always going to love this show. I have often wondered oh why can’t my life be like a musical?! If you have missed it, you are missing a fantastically happy, darkly funny show. Lights, costumes, high school and bitter sarcasm - excellent! Who doesn’t love to sing along!? Join me, “Don’t stop believin’….” Monday nights are a better place, happy, gush, dance and please someone start a glee club near me!

If you’ve missed out!

Sat here grooving!

Jeward picture copyright The Times

The twins I think we all love to hate (but who secretly I wish well) are rumoured to be swapping the stage for bugs, trials and Colin and Justin. I think they should go for it but be aware that in Katie’s leaving they are gonna cop for it big time! For once they will probably win every phone vote and have to complete all kinds of icky tasks. I don’t watch it and it is only this time I have seen it when visiting other people when it’s on. Trust me if I did watch it, I would admit to it! However if Jedward were to be joining it, I probably would tune it for at least their first episode. They are like car crash television, as Alan Carr put it when talking about them in the intro to this week’s Chatty Man. I would want to see their matching jungle fashion and Peter Andre style croooning of their debut single (tbr on their release). Reality TV at its best is what it would be!

The quiffs doing what they do best…

And to make you smile, David Walliams’ homage to the boys in this week’s Heat (picture of course belongs to them!) magazine.

Hehe! xxx

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!
Nikita Khrushchev

St Basil’s Cathedral Moscow, Alex Zelenko Creative Commons License 3

So Russia. 54. Speak Russian in Russia. One of my many outstanding bucket list goals. I have been fascinated by the vast sweeping country since I picked up War and Peace and then saw the Audrey Hepburn’s film version of the book.

Not the best adaptation, but not as bad as Laurence Olivier and his version of Pride and Prejudice, shudder. But anyway, back to Red Square, the Winter Palace, the Mariinsky Theatre and other such chocolate box jewels nestled in the dark landscape of extreme nights, long lasting cold spells and copious amounts of the white stuff. Mmm vodka.

Various books have fuelled my interest in Russia, particularly the language and culture. I enjoyed Marcus Sedgwick’s Blood Red Snow White which is the story of Arthur Ransome’s exploits as a spy prior to his Swallows and Amazons success. Recently I also devoured The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall which although set in China (another country I find fascinating) it’s story and blood is Russian. I have read a bit, watched many travel programmes, documentaries and films about the place but can’t imagine a Russia that is now. Sitting in cafes sipping flavoured vodka - no mixer! Waltzing through history through the arcades that surround Red Square. Whiling away the morning at the Hermitage steeped laguoriously in art and Faberge jewelled delights. Dressing up up for the opera or the ballet (also on my list!)at the Kirov would be a royal treat! Speaking Russian scares me but I’m working on that, I have plenty of time until I don my fur hat and camera. Looking forward to it!

До свидания (Do Svidanya)

xxxx

So by now my love of really mind numbing television should be well documented. I absolutely love X Factor. I like that Calvin Harris got booted out of the studio last night for storming the stage with pinapple on his head, during Jedward’s performance. I think their performance was fab, “Under pressure” indeed. Not that I have not been the twins biggest fan but find them interesting unlike some of the contestants. I was happy Lucie went last week, this week I am hoping Lloyd will bite the dust! What is Saturday night without song and dance?! Who, if anyone, do you want to win? I am really vying for either Ollie or Danyl.

Danyl’s audition was amazing, and I think he is so talented.

Ollie is so quirky in a Will Young meets Robbie fashion

I enjoy the show as I think a lot of people like me all have that secret desire to be a star, a singing sensation! Looking forward to Shakira on tonight’s show as well! I am quite sad

xxx

I’ve made mistakes
but I won’t be ashamed
it feels like fate is liftin’ me
I can’t seem to keep my feet on the ground.

I no longer hide
so I let the sun wash over me
‘cause there’s no darkness left
to hold me down.
and I feel it’s light,
now I found the spark
that was missin’ in my life.

I earned these wings,
I was not born with them
& it’s no accident
how I walked through
the rain and the fire.

‘cause it taught me how to love.
it taught me how to fight.
& finally, I’m learning to fly.

when you lose your way
when your heart breaks
when you can’t escape
you feel just like a prisoner
of all the world says you will never be.
that’s when you can’t give up,
gotta hold on tighter now than ever
the answers will find you when you believe.
and I feel it’s light,
now I found the spark
that was missin’ in my life.

and I tried, yeah I tried, to get somewhere I’d rather be
but sometimes the fastest way is not so easy.

I earned these wings,
I was not born with them
& it’s no accident
how I walked through
the rain and the fire.

‘cause it taught me how to love.
it taught me how to fight.
& finally, I’m learning to fly.

Amazing song, I love her. Heard her first on “Private Practice” and now I’m addicted
Check out her site and her album. The girl can sing!

Love it - have spent the last hour listening to her videos on youtube

Catch ya tomorrow xxx

“Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter which fork you use.” - Emily Post

So I was watching GMTV this morning, it is the holidays and I am ill, don’t judge And well, ermmm. They were doing a segment on good manners, cue an under cover reporter and a chat to a psychologist about why people didn’t help people on crutches or struggling with bags in and around the London transport system. They touched on people having stressful busy lives and having no time to stop, bystander apathy (whereby in a crowd of people, people are waiting for someone else to help) and socially awkwardness or shyness. The people who did come to her rescue were painted with the empathy brush, i.e. they only helped as they had experienced situations similar to the one she was in. Not once did they talk about taught manners. About parenting or compassion. Rightly or wrongly at nursery school we were told by our teacher, “If you don’t bring your manners, don’t bring yourself".

What has happened to the good ol’ ps and qs? When growing up my family were all about manners, saying thank you, please, excuse me etcetera. Most of my friends were brought up in the same fashion. Do not talk back to your parents, your elders and especially not teachers. Don’t get me wrong, I am not of the school where I believe children should be seen and not heard, I just wish that I was hearing and witnessing a bit more politeness from youngsters in the classrooms I visit. Saying that bad manners emanate from somewhere, children learn by example and if they are surrounded by people who give the impression that rudeness is a positive trait then they will surely (in most cases) follow suit.

Bad behaviour and not taking responsibility for yourself is prevalent in our generation. The blame culture, i.e. that it is always someone else’s fault, I think is central to the deteriorating state of good manners. Looking after yourself, the environment you live in, your own possessions are all important to learn so that you can then teach children to look after others, belongings of others and their environment in general. Children learn quickly, they understand the concept of treating others as you would like to be treated when it is in application. It can take a while in really young children but with perseverance with politeness can prevail.

In adults, teaching good manners can be truly difficult because at this age you should be accountable for your own behaviour but in my experience some people are still blaming others for their own behaviour. I have heard old people calling the youth of this generation but then not saying thank you when the door is held open for them, people ignoring the girl at the checkout, the bus driver and other such service providers, like waiters, and have been witness to bad phone manners. Life is not too busy or stressful to provides others with a good impression of yourself. Just because a person has served you does not make them your servant, life in general would be improved by a smile and good behaviour. A small slice of etiquette goes a long way, remember as my Nan Winnie always used to say, “It’s nice to be important but, it’s important to be nice".

I must apologise it this is too rambly - I am a sicky today!
ps - I HAD to include a clip of one of my fave musical numbers, Class from Chicago - awesome song!

Please take care of yourself and others! xxxx

Can’t get enough of Paloma Faith!

and with Basement Jaxx

If you didn’t see her on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, check it out on BBC Iplayer

Awesome

Here we are television confession time number two. I love fashion/beauty related reality tv. Especially America’s Next Top Model, Tyra is fierce y’all! I like the bitchiness, the posing and the clothes

Obviously there is a certain vacuous nature in a programme dedicated to modelling but in turn it also captures insecurities, ambitions, the nature of competition and how women relate to each other. It is amazing that sisterhood doesn’t extend in these circumstances, that women can’t just fight it out in the studio, they take it behind the scenes. And of course, by behind the scenes I mean behind backs. She doesn’t pose well. She doesn’t take a good picture. She said this to her about me, her or someone else.

This week’s programme was pretty much an example of this. Aptly named “Put Your Best Face Forward” it cleverly looked at posing while during downtime a hum of discontent was rippling through the house. For those who don’t know or who don’t care, Tahlia is not one of the more bitchy or confident models. She struggles with self doubt and spends a lot of time being homesick and waffling on about leaving. She did badly on the first challenge this week and so told Allison that she wanted to go home. Allison told Celia. So then when later on Tahlia won the picture of the week and got to stay in while another girl had to leave, Celia was upset. So she spoke up. At the elimination. And Tyra smacked her down. Was she right to show both faces to us, her peers and the judging panel? To speak up when her friend was losing the chance to stay in the competition to a girl who didn’t seemingly want to be there? Previews of next week’s show focus on Celia’s demise, from golden girl to public enemy number 1. Is it really as Tyra suggests, unbeautiful to speak your mind in the face of injustice? Or ugly to save this face for the house, to bitch behind backs and to not stand up for what you believe?

I am disappointed in us in general. Don’t get me wrong I am not casting blame for the bitchiness, been there and done that, if we’re honest we all have. But what I don’t get is the tall poppy syndrome that thrives in groups of women. Let us cut those strong successful grown females down, don’t let them get too big for their boots, take away their voices and stamp on their dreams. Celia messed up. It perhaps wasn’t her place to speak (she isn’t a judge) and if truly she felt that strongly about it she should have spoken to Tahlia straight away when Allison told her. Instead she popped it away and brought it out in a way that wasn’t fair to the girl who left or the accused. Hell, it wasn’t fair to her either. Throughout the competition she has been one of the friendliest, and yet driven girls in the house. It is a shame that she had to approach this like she did. But I also didn’t think she deserved the smack down.

In case you missed it…

Guess she’ll be gone next week! Oh well. xxxx

I love television and will probably come on here and admit to watching some very crap painkillingly numb television in the coming weeks. But I first wanted to post about a Hero of mine (character wise). He is so vile and disgusting and yet so unbelievably funny. I really am a child as I find South Park and in particular Cartman so hilarious. I am chuckling away now as I type. Well it passes the time. Dan and I always use the quote up top when things aren’t going our way or we’re pretending to be offended, and the second clip, well I love it. It makes me laugh just imagining it!

Hope it doesn’t offend anyone - happy giggles xxx

and this hehe!

Mwahhahahahahahahahaha