Some more Economic hurdles crossed FOR you

Yes. Ive been a little out of it lately,
the Other half arrived EARLY Saturday morning and I am currently nursing him back to health after not having seen him for over a year.

But I still have some freebies for you:

Dorothy perkins is offering 20% off with this printable voucher

10% OFF New kicks at Aldo when you sign up for their newsletter

15 percent off American Apparel when you sign up here

If you missed out on the 20% off at New Look, then here is a 15% off voucher until 20th April

IF like myself, you think you already own sufficient amount of clothing and need more storage instead, here is £5 off at Habitat


And until 13th of April any house parties scheduled to be arranged or attended would do well to benefit from 40% off at Threshers


Don't say I never did anyhting for ya...

TED BAKER SAMPLE SALE

Some more bargains

Amidst this economic recession, consumers vie to save as much as possible, further stifling the cash flow for businesses and worsening the overall economy- That's why most States take the option of reducing interest rates to stimulate consumer spending. As it stands in the present conditions however, credit is unvouched for. Banks, financial institutions are tumbling, and most are unwilling to lend cash - As such is the vicious circle.

Before you scream Who CARES? and navigate away from this page..

Another way to increase consumer spending is of course, the sales. NEVER, have I seen in m lifetime, reductions of 50% in shops before Christmas, but there it was, plain as day. This is the 'hurdle' a consumer has to traverse in order to gain the advantages offered by market forces. Such hurdle is also known as the information advantage that is unevenly spread. Those in the know- will get the goods at a cheaper price.

It is hence my duty to inform you.. (due to impending guilty conscience for not transmitting the BURBERRY sample sale)


1. ALDO for a limited time, is offering 15% student discounts (instead of the usual 10%)

2. Ted Baker is having a sample sale From 25 -26th March at the Camden Centre, WC1H 9JE : book here in advance for VIP access.

3. the current issue of Cosmopolitan UK gives you 20% off voucher at New Look

4. As does Glamour Magazine- for UNIQLO

Have fun kids. Will let you know if I had anything else jotted down in m diary at home.

My war with insomnia

I do not know whether it is due to the time difference, my stress levels, the impending chores or just plain madness that has been keeping me from falling asleep at night AND making wake up at 5:15AM on the dot, for the last 2 mornings. I took Nytol, Atarax, Xanax and two other non- herbal sleep inducers but none of these have seemed to help. Eek! The only other time this has ever happened to me was when I went back to Thailand where I was not able to have access to cigarettes, for the first time after becoming a regular smoker.

While not totally coherent with the topic of the cause or cure for insomnia, here is a little amusing tribute which my housemate kindly introduced me to: Sheep. Enjoy!

First thoughts as Jetlag sets in...

Well, I'm back from Japan

If it weren't for the last day with our host taking us on a boat tour of Tokyo I would have been VERY disappointed. 13 hour flight there, 12 h our back: 9 hours ahead of London- wintertime.
Similar temperature to London for the first couple of days, then warmer and warmer after the National Holiday celebrating the Vernal Equinox. I missed out on the Sakura blossoming period unfortunately.

I am thoroughly jetlagged and shattered. Here are some of the things I will and will NOT miss:





Things i WILL miss


1. Heated toilet seats

2. Separate powder room sections in toilets

3. The SASHIMI!

4. The Huge array of drinks in vending machines and cigarettes costing around 2GBP/20Pack

And some things I WON'T be missing:

1. The twenty-minute wait for the 25 minute bus into town. The confusing procedures for bus fare payment and having no seats left due to the large amount of old people that seats are to be courteously offered to.

2. The COMPLETELY JAPANESE and therefore incomprehensible train maps.

3. The CROWDS. 120 million people fit on to a space smaller than Britain. Go figure.

4. Having to take my shoes off everywhere I go, from clothes store changing rooms to restaurants.

5. Chopsticks
6. Not being able to smoke on the streets, only in confined smoking rooms with creepy middle-aged, balding, beer-bellied, sweaty gaping men. ewwoo

Japan shopping list: Breast enhancing gum!!

Well,

Looks like I can be somewhat happy for awhile...

After being told by my parents that they would not be attending my graduation ceremony;

(because I didn't manage to  graduate with a First, nor did I go to  

an Oxbridge College)

I've taken up their other offer to go and celebrate m

y baby brother's graduation instead- In Japan!

After a hurried process of second-guessing,  hoping for the best and kee

ping my fingers crossed; I got a visa which will expire in June and two tickets to Narita Airport. (I couldnt help it- it was 500 odd pounds for one normal class tickets, add a grand for a pair on business. HAD to do it.

At the moment I am thinking of calling up someone close for a las

t minute invitation to Japan for a week, which probably won't happen as there is only one person I would like to have gone with and he is not in London- sigh- I guess Ill save the other pair for the summer!

Some of the things I am immensely looking forward to explore are

• Piglet pets- the pig is rumored to be the new chihuahua in Tokyo. would love to see what one would look like trailing around in the city on a career woman's arms

• Bubblegum that increases the size of your breasts: I was merely told of this, and nearly peed my pants for a pack. I have seen "F Cup" chocolate cookies sold in Bangkok that offers to improve your cup sizes... want to see how they can come up with this in the first place. (I wouldnt mind becoming a tester of course)

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• Next. I was specifically directed towards this one, by my brother: the Cat Cafe. "A place you go in to buy expensive drinks, and pay with the cats." Sounds wholesome.
  

Vanity is my ultimate favourite sin. Another item i will be importing in bulk is the calorie-reducing tights. Apparently these burn off an extra 300-odd cals an hour if you walk the right pace. Sounds perfect for me as I try to travel only on foot these days... I had bought a pair from Bangkok and were pretty happy with them..til they snagged a couple of weeks later. I tried to preserve its status quo but now they just resemble the sails of a ghost pirate ship.. So I guess Im looking forward to stock up on a few pairs.

And of course, I am more proud of my baby brother than anything. I still can not think for the world what Im going to get him as a graduation gift though, he doesn't like going out; he's allergic to chocolate and alcohol and the last thing he collected was Warhammer figurines. Blast... 

top five Favorite Music Videos to Date

So here are my top five (accessible) favorite music videos to date
(am sorry if they cause discomfort, offend or emotionally scar anyone,
Yes, now is a good time to hide your kids!)

#5: Vertical Horizon, You're a God (2000)
Directed by The Malloys, who also directs Metallica's St Anger: beauty queen, cat fights, the lot...

Spot number four is shared by Oasis "Stand by Me" and Hoobastank; "The Reason", both share the non-linear theme, the Oasis video has beautiful filters rich in blue

Spot number 3 goes to Panic at the Disco's "Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes off". Fan of the song, the lyrics and he source of inspiration- the screenplay adapted Closer. (Patrick Marber) The video, is replete with surrealist aesthetics and comparisons: The Band star as paramedics in the background. Apparently, according to the director, Travis Kopach, the number of fish in the female antagonist's fish bowl represents the number of affairs.- In the flashbacks when the couple were happy  and united there were fewer fish.

Let's make these teen hearts beat, faster and faster... so the song was targeted for emo-teens to scream at their cheating lying exes. At least the video is absolutely hauntingly gorgeous.

And the second place belongs to The Knife's "We Share Our Mother's Health": Genius of  a director, graphic designer Motomichi Nakamura uses three traditional colours found in most early art in Asia : red white and black. Every character was animated using simple, 2- dimensional shapes and yet it manages to invoke a feeling of fear and, well.. pain! 

And finally, my 

ULTIMATE favorite of all time!
Garbage: 'Push It'
Conflicting, disparate images that seem to relate to one another. (1998) Directed by Andrea Giacobbe. Some reviews say it depicts the concept of the image of the band itself- 2 senior men known for engineering work and studio  production and the young female vocalist do not, in theory seem to have potential in making the coherent and amazing tunes , but there you have it: varying colours, the use of sot-reverse-shot mid movement camera stills. yummy, just yummy. 

freebies: exclusives:

Just wanted to call to your attention

Itunes Free single Saturday on Bebo.com is giving away a free track from Empire of the Sun: the Australian masestro rumoured to be the next MGNT :


(This is for Itunes users with UK accounts)
http://www.bebo.com/itunes_uk

Also, in tribute to my latest projects at work (goin' Irish) X Factor teen sensation Eoghan Quigg's newest video is being exclusively previewed right here on Bebo.com. Catch it before the rest of the world!
And here are some Gaelic phrases (added here just for the hell of it- yes i DO know Eoghan is Northern Irish)

• PHRASE: Ni ceart go cur le cheile
• PRONOUNCED: knee keart guh kurr leh kay-leh
• MEANING: There is no strength without unity

• PHRASE: Ni heolas go haontios!
• PRONOUNCED: knee hyeo-luss guh hain-chiss
• MEANING: You cant know me without living with me!
  
  (I dont really get that one)
  
  and my favourite:

• PHRASE: Olann an cat cluin bainne leis!
• PRONOUNCED: ull-onn on kot clew-in bonn-yeh lesh
• MEANING: The quiet cat also drinks milk!

The 90's have truly passed.

Heard a few weird things the other day:This is some living proof that, unlike wine, men

dont always age gracefully:

Val Kilmer: The Saint circa 1997 (left) Now: He i

s planing to run for Governor of New Mexico

(right) 2009

Oscar nominee or no, Mickey Rourke: actor- turned boxer went on a downhill spiral after his roles in major flicks like Bullet, Johnny Handsome and The RainMaker (1997): The right image is his mugshot from DUI on a vespa...

Next up: Gary Barlow: singer from Take That- had girls swooning back in the nineties but by the begnning of the naughties, Barlow seemed to have let himself go abit. Its OK for women to put on pregnancy weight: men? not so sure. You might want to argue that there is now 'paternity leave'- they're allowed to sit around and nurse their young for abit? doesnt really do it for me... Gary Barlow HAS lost weight now though:

And of course, Joaquin Pheonix. Is it something about being nominated/awarded an Oscar? He starred in U Turn(1991), 8mm (1997) and declared retirement after Walk the Line

WHY oh WHY?? would you do that to yourself??

So I conclude: note to men, please be aware of your beer belly and oh girls, take a look at their old man: a full head of hair is always! a good sign- baldness affects 89% of all men...