“Good morning. Is that Sheffield County Council?” “Yes, how can I be of assistance?” “Well…this is a slightly strange request. I’m organising a naked calendar as a charity fundraiser, and wondered whether I need permission for the shoots.” “Oh, right. [Long silence]. Where are you planning to take these photos?” “All over Sheffield. There’s around 20…
Reconfiguring
Moving abroad can feel like falling into the Catch-22 mechanism where every incremental step forwards relies on something unattainable. Take my case, for example. I arrived in Singapore with an IPA (that’s an In Principle Approval letter). That’s enough to get you in to work, with an understanding that you’ll obtain the Employment Pass (EP)…
Chop and change
I sat in the chair, facing a mirror with a stranger holding scissors by my ears. Moments later, before even wetting my hair that I have grown since the age of twelve, I watched as he slowly cut along in rough lines above my shoulders. The floor was thick with my hair, which lay in a…
Poser
“I have a surprise for you.” “Ooh what is it?” “It’s something we can do together…but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.” “Oh…It’s not a photoshoot is it?” [Quietly] “Yes.” Some people are naturals in front of the camera, instinctively knowing how to angle their features to catch the light, or move their limbs into…
Put down the paddle
Christie’s Auction House, an establishment where vast amounts of wealth have been exchanged for collectible antiques, art, watches, manuscripts and wine since the mid-eighteenth century. It’s not a place I ever thought I’d visit, given the fact I can’t even afford to shop at Waitrose. I took a seat in the third row back, sitting on…
Congrats on the new gig!
So this week, I made a rather large faux pas when it comes to work. This mishap was definitely worse than my previous blunders featured here. I blame LinkedIn entirely… For the past five years, I’ve been helping proofread international Master students’ dissertations over the summer months. It’s something I enjoy doing, and allows me to learn…
A twist
So my last post was an honest and dire account of How to Pitch an Article (if you never want to be published). Ouch. However, it’s a new day and I’m delighted to say that my post is now featured on the Huffington Post website! It’s my first ever publication and you can read it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/all-the-single-ladies_us_578e6d67e4b004b4c9a37e20 Catchy URL I know. Before…
How to pitch an article (if you never want to be published)
Last week, I published this post named ‘All the Single Ladies,’ and after some encouragement, sent it to The Huffington Post for review. Unfortunately, I was a bit over-excited when I wrote to them and condensed all my words to sound more ‘hip’. I totally ‘name dropped’ without actually name dropping in an attempt to validate my work,…
All the Single Ladies…
I’m filling out a form, and one question asks for my marital status. I’ve been with Tom for almost a decade, but we’re not engaged, or married. So I tick ‘single’. It gets me thinking – why isn’t there isn’t an obvious in-between phase for couples? Why must it go from official coupledom on Facebook to putting a…
Ayurvedic Massage in Kerala, India
Trekking in the tea plantations of Munnar, we met two easygoing German cousins. One taught us the art of eating in the South Indian way, scooping up rice loaded with sauce, hot vegetable sambhar and coconut chutney from the banana leaf, only using the fingers of one hand. It’s not surprising that she was so adept at…
Ferns and forest 