I wrote a guest blog for Nottingham Support Group for Carers of Children with Ezcema

Please have a read of the blog Are our NHS GPs failing us?

Becomming a bit of the Twitter addict recently I found out from @JasonBradbury that there was going to be an secret event happening with the title #gadgetvader and all we were told is that its a street art, gadget related event and it was going to be filmed for Channel 5′s The Gadget Show. Feeling up for a bit of something random I decided I was going to go. I also decided to help out with the promotion with the usual dose of RTing a dicussion (in case you are not aware of what RT is it means Retweeting someone else’s message). Not only the RTing and discussion, I also offered to Jason Bradbury that I would build a Facebook event to build yet more awareness of the event

So with a time/date and fellow Facebook and Twitter folk set it was time for all of us to meet at 10pm at Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. I was armed with my Blackberry and Twitter helping people find their way there and some very bright shoes so people could see where i was. What struck me was the amount of people who knew who I was the another more amusing fact that people thought that I knew what was going on and that I was involved with The Gadget Show.

So what was the event you ask…..well watch for yourself….

ok just to explain before you all think I have gone mad (well whats new?) Funk Rock is a clothes shop located in Hatfield that i had a rather huge obsession with while at Uni near by and now to hear of the launch of their website www.funkrock.co.uk, this will mean that my purse is in danger of being emptied once more.

So how my heart sang when I was kindly asked but the happy little elves of Funk Rock to review some of their line (some of which has gone to those pesky Scarletz so will write about those later)

So having first dibs on the clothing i picked out the following two to model and review:

First up is the Bridget Vest Dress which for £18.99 is not a bad price and considering that I’m not really a floral girl, this had a girly style but you could easily grunge it up as i have below. A very slimming dress too which is good news for all the girlies out there (my Mum actually rang me up today and asked if I had lost a lot of weight as she saw me in this)

Second dress I picked up was Funk Rock’s Freya Dress which for £19.99 is definitely good price. The dress is very light, and floaty (which I found out on a rather windy day at Whitstable beach, cling on the dear life I did) but is most certainly a dress for the summer.

Any comments would be great as I know the folks at Funk Rock are looking to see what you friendly internet types think of the clothing. So go! Discuss, run round and frolic in the prettiness of clothing xx

Currently reading: Trying to read “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels but still waiting to time to present its jolly self to me

What I am listening to: “Foxey Lady” by Jimi Hendrix, one of my favourite songs and damn sexy too (still can’t get the Wayne’s World scene out my head though)

While I welcome modern interpretations of Shakespeare’s work I do wonder whether Twitter is a good form of medium to do this on.

For me when i think of Twitter as a social media tool I think of it as in a sense a insight into other peoples lives you read what other people are doing, you converse in what seems like a tiny community but in reality is on a rather large scale. We use it to also have a stream of news whether it be general, music, technology etc

So for Twitter streams fronm individual charaters that you already know is clearly fictional will it really have the same effect? I think once there is awareness that what you are reading is not real, the sense of immersion that you get when something is (or at least appears to be real)

While studying at University I did a case study on Online Caroline (URL is www.onlinecaroline.com but it doesnt seem to be active anymore) if you are not familiar with it, the idea is that you log on to a site daily to view webcam feed by caroline, which pans out as an intereactive story where you choose clothing, gifts and other such items which have an impact on the story, you also recieve personal emails from Caroline. When this was first launched it was made to believe that this person was real and you were conversing with her, with that you felt immersed in the story that was playing out this article by Jill Walker really does highlight this point.

So for a story to pan out that is fragmented (as twitter posts are) in its making and you are already aware its a story…I feel there is some distance created to the story already, even with a book at least you can feel like you are are there as a third person and the story flows as slowly or as quickly as you like….i am currently following 354 people on Twitter i lose track of most of their stories let alone trying to follow fictional characters stories as well

will certainly keep an eye on the project though to see how it pans out…

I spose its all stemmed from Primary School where i was set to be a writer or Poet hehe. So anyway I was asked by Nottingham Support Group for Carers of Children with Eczema via Twitter to write a blog for brides with eczema planning their weddings.

For someone who suffers with eczema and also planning my wedding for later this year, I was honoured to do it so here is the blog:

http://www.nottinghameczema.org.uk/blogs/archives/posts-from-louise/index.html

Why the delay, its actually had nothing to do with lacking the inspiration to write anything its more about not having the energy…Its been a bit of a crazy year with highs and lows and lots of drink in between, but in recent months I came accross and opportunity which i couldn’t help but not go for…with a lot of studying and laste nights i have now moved from life of a librarian to working in the digital publishing idustry as a ….wait for it….Media Producer…get me

As you may have guessed I am still going to the the lovelly Scarletz girlies performing and it looks like they are building up a fan base im really pleased for them. Also met a couple of guys who make up The Fancy Toys. I actually missed the lads perform due to my over whelming need for chinese food. But listening to their Myspace i like the quirky French sound thats going on

Anyway back to another important topic…FOOD!!! So two of my favourite Chinese places are the Wong Kei and Yumi.com mmmmmm *drools*

Also in my strange little existence I have currently been reading “Tori Amos: Piece by Piece” its really is an interesting book, instead of the whole crass “celeb” lit thats going on at the moment which i tend to have no interest in mainly as its only the 5 minute famous that are writing this crap when most of the time I am surprised they managed to spell their name….ok breath…rant over….anyway. Tori Amos tends to talk about how she researches her songs and the influences in her life that has influence the way she wants to portray herself which is facinating…i seriously wouldnt be able to do this book justice so here’s a link

Ok randomly today I have been singing “I’m a teeny terrapin, on a magical island” i swear that was something that came out of a kinder egg i remember being when Kinder Eggs were the most exciting things ever and I would collect the toys…ok how did i get to writing about this haha in fact…..

Here is one being faced by a Transformer…..argh!! the cruelty!

I’lll leave you in peace now but i promise i will update a bit often and also show you pictures such as these….

Note: I quickly knocked this up last year in Paint for my own amusement…my skills are usually a tonne better…but yes the strange elf like creature was me at a work xmas party a few years back haha

Currently reading: “Piece by Piece” by Tori Amos and Ann Powers -ok i know I said in my last post i was reading this but i didn’t because of the job thing but am over half way through since starting it last week

What I am listening to: “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga – its catchy and its a bit wierd, i love it

Not only did a chance to see The Scarletz play another gig in London town but i was helping out with the creation of their website (well when i mean help i was sitting in a pub garden giving creative advice while Anthony of Fantasy Creatives was doing all the hard work lol)

So the gig was at a rather studenty venue called Liquid Nation in Ladbroke Grove. I spent most of the time staring at the many records that were pinned to the ceiling…its ok on closer inspection of the records i declared that going by the artists and songs, pinning them to the ceiling was the kindest thing to do with them. I was also impressed with the tiling of cassette tapes covering the bar…see its the little things with me )

Anyways…so that i dont disapoint you all here are some pics of the lovely girls in action….

I turned the flash off for the above picture and it would have come out really well if the light had been hitting all of the band members equally but poor Claire was left in the dark (well I spose her hair is red enough as it is!)

So as with all of these kind od events, I end up finding the most interesting and sometimes strange characters to talk to…

Met a guy called Mike who during a converstaion found out that he is working for a clothing company that is working with Lou Molloy to create tattoo style T-Shirt Designs (I bet you would not have guessed the brand is called Lou Molloy, would you ;oP )

Those of you not familiar with Lou Malloy, he was the man behind the famous “Angel” tattoo on David Beckham and was also starring in the TV show London Ink.

Now i wouldn’t call myself a brand whore or have a particular interest in fashion beyond whether it looks good on me (although I am quite fond of Religion Clothing ) but because of my current interest in tattoos (still designing my own) and loving all things artistic, I am quite interested to see designs. Although sadly I am going to have to wait till the website is fully launched, so hopefully i can come back and write a little more about it then (could be quite good review experience too perhaps hmmmm…….)

In the mean time I have drafted this entire post on a little note pad in keep in my handbag at all times, while sitting in a cafe with good weather and a pot of peppermint tea…aahhhh…why can’t i just sit here and do this for a living…..can somebody pay me to please haha!!

Currently reading: “Piece by Piece” by Tori Amos and Ann Powers -did start this ages ago but got a little distracted so am going to start it again.

What I am listening to: “Imperfect Tenses” by After Forever – has a “Phantom of the Opera” fell to it i love it at the moment

Now since this is on mymind and ive been talking to people on Twitter about this, this morning. One reason why the whole dream interpretation came up was because in the “Creative Utopia” book i have been reading it discusses the theories of Karl Jung of how you gain meaning from things appearing in your dream by working out how the objects, animals, people etc realate to you.

So the first dream i had on Sunday night was about me fighting with a spider…not you jackie chan style moves, I was actually trying to trap it under a glass (im not scared of spiders but i hate the idea of them being on me so i always use ths method to get rid of them in real life). But when i did trap the pesky critter under the glass it would be strong enough to push me and the glass away.

I eventually came to some form of peace with the spider and was then helping to add wings to it, so it started to look like a butterfly except the wings looked more like leaves and it put them on wonkey lol!!

the dream i had last night was about me being on a school trip of some kind, i had just done some kind of sports activity and was trying to get changed back into my regular clothes as i hate wearing trackies out and about. so being almost topless by this point, a counseller i used to work with, popped her head round the curtain and told me she needs to use the space for an appointment (well actually the woman was a blur of both the counsellor, i used to work with and the one i do now, and i mean counsellor at the college not my own personal one before ideas start going) so still trying to sort myself out in a bit of a rush and a child opens the curtain to give me a pink cupcake, which at the same time i can see across the room that a friend of mine was also recieving a gift (much better than mine i might add lol). I just remember gazing at the cupcake thinking how kind it was i got this but i cant eat it (allergic to Wheat you see). There was also a man in it who i kept seeing who is a friend of mine, dont know why he was always there but he was just watching me

so work that out Mr Jung!!! better get to work, but before i go i thought i would add these lyrics from a song ive been listening to which i think sum me up a great deal

“The Way I Am” by Staind

I’m not very good at just paying attention
I’m not very good at remembering things that you say
I’m not very good at persuing redemption
I’m not very good at concealing the hand that I play

[chorus]
It’s the way I am, you’ll never change
The way I am, or re arrange
The way I am, just let me be
The way I am, it’s the way I am

What I am Reading: “Creative Utopia: 12 ways to realize total creativity” by Theo Stephan Williams

What I am Listening to: “The way I am”, “Tangled up in you” and “Believe” by Staind

So im about mid way through the Creative Utopia book and i have to say it is actually pretty interesting stuff it, it basically describes methods and activities in which to spark the creativity in you which had the usual aromatherapy rituals but one that regularly comes up but i have not really appreciated until now is Feng Shui…

ok i wont go as far to say i will be rearranging my whole house to fit the Feng Shui way but what did strike me about the concept of the feeling of restlessness when things are disorganised and messy, I remember when I was studying for my Marketing exam in June the washing up or any kind of mess that was going on in the kitchen would burn into the back or my neck until i finally got up and did it, there was almost a sense of lack of control and anxiety which in itself is a bit odd.

But the main thing about the book which struck a cord (must admit i did joke about it in my last post to start) was about disconnecting yourself from technology to give yourself some time to think and be productive, so that means no internet no mobile phone just you, the world around you and your thoughts…

What what i have found sad about today’s society is the inability for some people to think for themselves yes the internet is a valuable tool and if used appropriately can enhance your learning and your performance, for example i never claim to know everything no person ever can, but i always know where to look if i want to find the answer and then extract what i need from the resource and apply it to the task at hand. But the internet is not the only tool for such education, I am a big fan of sitting down and reading a good book, not only to find my answers but I actually find my mind works a lot better if i have sat and read a good fiction book.

But anyway, enough with the rant and on with the creative side of things. The concept of distancing yourself from technology to be inspired by the surrounding that you are in as sometimes we do numb our brains to whatever is put to us, whether its the latest album feeding us music and lyrics, TV, text on the internet, the lastest text message on your phone…they all tend to feed information directly to us without any given effort on our part….apart from the odd bit of text on the internet of course.

So to extract myself from that to read this book to sit and digest the information without glancing at my phone every 2 seconds to see if i got another tweet, left me feeling inspired and creative. I had an impulse to do some drawing and some watercolour painting which i havent touched since secondary school. I ended up crawling into my loft like a mad person (I was actually told by my partner i was acting insane too) so i could find my reference mannekin to draw figures with…i even drew a sketch as to what i wanted to achieve:

My drawing plus the notes i wrote after to write this blog with

I even vowed that i would take the advice from the book and buy myself a little A5 sketchbook so i can write and draw ideas when i feel inspired….from now on I will take more of this time out to myself as my senses never feel so awake as they do when im away from technology and my mind is free to think and be inspired.

I do miss the times i used to sit by the lake near where is used to live, lost in my thoughts, perhaps i should take up meditation?

What I am Reading: “Creative Utopia: 12 Ways to Realise total creativity” by Theo Stephen Williams – very inspring book i must say

What am I listening to: “Scream” by Michael Jackson – I can always imagine myself dancing to this when i hear it, its a shame im usually in the middle of a street so to burst into a dance routine may be a bit insane

I managed to venture up into my loft to see if i could find my Digital SLR camera, managed to find it and the box but now charger! arrrrgh. That’s what happens when you move house lol Will have to have another venture up there later.

Seemed to have ended up being a busy this week with various bits and bobs…mainly paperwork, lets just hope something good comes out of it.

But the reason for the rather strange title of my blog is that the people of Twitter have been set a challenge by Mr Jason Bradbury (from “The Gadget Show” if you have never seen it watch it!) to make ourselves and our mobile phones look like zombies in order to win a Samsung i8910HD (see #ZombiePhone for details and other entries). So for all in the name of creativity and that fact that i like horror themes i thought i would give it a go and here are the results…

Just a side note that the photo on the phone is also a picture i took of myself lol Its quite ironic really that the look was made using beauty products i had around the house haha!! I will have to wait until Monday to find out if my ntry has one so keep your fingers crossed for me )

On my travels i picked up a book called “Creative Untopia: 12 ways to realize total creativity”, this quote from the back cover really got me “Achieve mental clarity by unplugging from the electronic world with aromatherapy or yoga”….looks like i am already failing at becomming a fully creative being, perhaps a creative geek is more suiting, I am going to give it a read and will feel back on how it goes.

Speaking of great photos, check out this website that i cam across through a friend Maisie Crow – Website beautiful, yet very real.

So for now, its a bye from me see you on the darker side mwhahahaha (sorry trying to be scary again)

Song of the Day: Michael Jackson “In The Closet” – a great track from a great artist, makes me want to dance when i hear it

What am I reading: off to read “Creative Utopia: 12 ways to realize total creativity” by Theo Stephan Williams