'SMILE!'

So, I'm walking home from work yesterday in the wind and pouring rain with no brollie, minding my own business, when some bloke see's it as his business to shout out of his car window to me, 'SMILE!'

Forgive me for not walking along with a permanant grin on my face, I don't want to look like I've just escaped from the looney bin. I know the many clichés about the world being a nicer place if people smiled more however, there are plenty of nutters who've comitted some pretty awful crimes, probably with a smile on their face. So bang goes that theory.

This isn't to say I'm a miserable person, quite the contrary, I'm pretty happy go lucky (NOT THE FILM KIND, THAT WOULD JUST DO EVERYONE'S HEAD IN) he just caught me off guard.

I think the whole wind and rain put me in an even pissier mood, so I shouted back, 'My dog just died you twat!' Of course it hadn't, I don't even have a dog, but I wanted him to feel bad and I thought saying a relative had died would have been in bad taste.

I'm not miserable. Honest.

WHAT I'M EATING:

Wagamama's Saien Soba. I initially got into this dish when I was a vegan (I WENT BACK TO BEING A VEGETARIAN BECAUSE VEGANISM, DESPITE WHAT YOU MAY HAVE HEARD, AINT NO WALK IN THE PARK) because it was the only thing on the menu I could eat, but it's like Pringles, once I popped that bad boy, there was no stopping.

Whole wheat noodles in a vegetable soup topped with fried tofu, beansprouts, courgettes, asparagus, red onion, leeks, shitake mushrooms, mangetout, spring onion and garlic. This is my idea of heaven in a bowl and thouroughly recommend if you venture to a 'mama near you.

Recently, I thought I'd give the dish a go myself at home. I bought all the veg and tofu, I didn't know what to use for the soup because it's not like a normal veggie soup, it's quite watery, more like a stock or a broth. So I went with the stock and got me some Tesco's Finest.

Although it tasted good, it wasn't quite right. So I bought the Wagamama cookbook from Amazon figuring it would be in there. As luck would have it, it wasn't. I scoured the internet. Nothing. (YOU MAY SEE THIS AS BEING A BIT OBSSESIVE, BUT ONCE I'VE PUT MY MIND TO SOMETHING I MUST FINISH IT AND FINISH IT WELL.) Last resort, I emailed them asking for secret to the soup. Needless to say, my run of bad luck wasn't over.

'hi chelsea

thank you for contacting us


it's great to hear that you like the saien soba dish! we do a lot of requests for this recipe. unfortunately it is quite a complicated dish to create and is also a bit of an industry secret which we are unable to give out


to gain access to other great recipes join up as a member on wagamama.com


many thanks


claire'

Many thanks? Thanks for nothing. And Claire, not to be rude, but maybe you could invest in some capital letters.

WHAT I'M WATCHING:

Cougar Town.

I am LOVING Courtney Cox her latest role. A forty year old, recently divorced, hot mum with her own 'real estate' comapny (that's estate agents to you and me.)

The programme's got a real light hearted charm to it. Forget your preconceived ideas of what a cougar is, they will be sure to fall out the window once you've hung out with Jools and her posse (her ex husband, hard-faced best friend, twenty-something co-worker, sickeningly handsome neighbour and teenage son.)

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO:

Why Can't There Be Love - Dee Edwards

Ever since that new Adidas advert graced my tele, I can't get this song out of my head. It takes me back to when I was small and my dad would cook up a feast on the barbeque as soon as a bit of sun came out. We'd have all the soul and r 'n' b from the Motown and Philadelphia days playing in the background. I think this song has that real summertime vibe.

WHAT I'M WEARING:

Floral t-shirt, Topshop

High waisted beige trousers, Zara

Navy Blazer, Dorothy Perkins

Brown brogues, Topshop

Ebay

I love Ebay. I just love it. The fact that I can pick up a pair of vintage suede and snakeskin Bally heels for 99p is reason enough (true story, FYI.) I love the way that I can do my shopping whilst watching my favourite trash tv (see below.) I love how I can browse without being attacked by a lurking shop assistant with, 'are you alright there?' or 'can I help you?' If I need your help, I'll ask... thanks.


However, what I do not love is the lack of common sense a lot of Ebay users seem to possess. Can someone please explain to me the logic in bidding on that Christopher Kane croc dress six days before the auction ends? You may be thinking, great I'm winning! In reality, you've just started a bidding war between yourself and some other soul for which the penny hasn't yet dropped. You'll both keep trying to outbid each other till the end, (therefore making the price creep up for not just everyone, but yourself as well!) Then, just when you thought you'd won, some crafty bugger will swoop in seconds before time's up and steal the prize.


So what have we learnt?

• If you see something you just have to have, 'watch' the item instead of bidding on it
• You'll get an email saying, 'the item you're watching is ending soon' (this is especially perfect if you have a blackberry or phone that alerts you of emails straight away)
• Wait until the last 10 seconds to bid and be sure to put your maximum bid to avoid dissapointment

WHAT I'M READING:

The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake. I'm only two chapters in, but already I can see Drake's intense research and attention to detail has paid off. The Beautiful Fall depicts 1960's Paris fashion elite all the way through to the 80's.

Centred around the friendship turned rivalry between two of fashion's greatest icons, Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, The Beautiful Fall tells a tale of the designer's rise in a cut throat industry.

With quotes from the men themselves as well as friends and family, the book has a real personal tone to it. One of my faves so far is from Yves, 'Elegance is a dress too dazzling to wear twice' - you said it bro.

WHAT I'M WATCHING:

What can I say? I'm a sucker for cheesy American musicals. It's like High School Musical meets tv and it's got me. Hook. Line. Sinker.


I've really got a thing for the one with the mohawk. Maybe it's because of the whole bad boy thing?

My mum came home the other week with the soundtrack and it was the best thing that had happened to me that day, (how sad is that?)

 WHAT I'M LISTENING TO:

Skeleton Boy - Friendly Fires





Everybody dance!


WHAT I'M WEARING:

Silk dress, French Connection

Elephant necklace, Accessorize

'Hiya!'

I don't know why, but whenever I write or say, 'hiya!' (not that I make a habit of writing or saying 'hiya') I always hear this little voice in my head say the words in a very camp and very northern accent. Like a Sean Tully from Coronation Street if you will.

Anyway, welcome to, 'Not Another Fashion Blog...' where the world doesn't revolve around fashion, but it does embrace it. Too many bloggers centre their writing solely on fashion, which is OK, but there's so much more to talk about. Get out of your box and come join me.

If you have any opinions about anything I write, leave a comment, I will try and get back to you asap. I love a good debate.

WHAT I'M READING:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. As you may or may not have read from my profile, I'm a learning support assistant (LSA) at a high school. The school I work for (which will remain nameless, because I'm nice like that) is pretty shit at the whole communication thing. When I first started five months ago I was pelted into the deep end having had no training or given any information on the nippers I'd be working with. ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome and Global Delay were all terms I was familiar with but I'd never actually come into contact with anyone with these special needs (you're probably wondering why they gave me the job, right?)

I've basically had to learn my skills on the move as well as the odd bit of Googling. My mum told me about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a book about Christopher who was born with Asperger's Syndrome. So I thought I'd give it a go and brush up on my knowledge. I started it a week ago and I've already got 3/4's of the way through, so it's a pretty quick read. I'm finding it so fascinating because I work with a boy with Asperger's Syndrome and it's given me a huge insight to how he sees the world and makes sense of things we take for granted.

WHAT I'M WATCHING:

I took my mum to see Alice In Wonderland 3D for Mother's Day. It was a toss up between that or The Lovely Bones, but being a Disney fan Alice and her Wonderland won the vote.

I'd heard mixed reviews but trailers made it look worth the extautionate £8.60 a ticket. Well trailers can be bloody decieving! It's like they shoved all the best bits into 60 seconds and the rest of the film was all filler fluff.

We all know the original Alice In Wonderland is delightfully quirky, but the strangeness just kept on coming with this film to a point where it wasn't enjoyable anymore.

I can appreciate it for what it is. Tim Burton's dark whimsical take on a Disney classic where sets, costumes and make up are brilliantly thought up and executed. It just turns my stomach slightly when Johnny Depp's accent changes from a well spoken Englishman to a deep angry Scotsman. Heeby Jeebies.

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO:

Wild Young Hearts - Noisettes

Doesn't this just put you in a better mood straight away? I'm all about the mood makers.


WHAT I'M WEARING:
Butterfly pussy bow tunic, Topshop

Black shaggy cardigan, Topshop

Victorian style boots, Vintage

Michael Kors watch