10 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

My lovely bloggy friend over at Grenglish recently tagged me in her 10 things you didn’t know about me post, which means that I now have to tell you 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Me.  This is somewhat tricky because anyone who knows me, whether it’s been for 5 minutes or 5 years plus, will know that I am a “sharer”, so most people already know more or less everything there is to know about me.  I really should self-edit a bit more…. hmmm, food for thought.  Anyway, here are 10 things you didn’t know about me, possibly, or maybe you did:

1.  I auditioned for Pop Idol, the Will Young year

It was 2002, I took the day off work, I went to London’s Excel Centre, queued up, got my number, and auditioned – disappointingly just in front of a couple of TV researchers and not in front of the actual celeby judges.  Didn’t make it past the first round 😦  My song choice was all wrong (All Saints, “Never Ever” – I know, I know, I realise now it was the wrong song alright!!) and frankly I think I was too mediocre to warrant putting through.  Not awful enough to be entertaining, not good enough to be in with a chance of winning.  Sigh.  Still, my dreams of international pop superstardom continue to burn bright (in my mind at least).  I guess in the end, the best man won.

2.  I once appeared in the Daily Mirror, holding a bunny

I had been on a family trip to Crystal Palace zoo, when a photographer from The Daily Mirror asked my mum if he could take my picture for the paper (must have been a slow news day!).  And here’s the photo that ran:

Photograph courtesy of The Daily Mirror (!!)

3.  I work (well, currently am on maternity leave) in PR

My first job in PR was for a small company in Wapping and our clients were in the shipping industry.  Ahem.  Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly Ab Fab… my clients were a tug boat company, a Swedish crane manufacturer, and a Taiwanese shipping line – those are container ships we’re talking, not cruise.  Still, it taught me the basics and 12 years or so on I’m at the heady heights of running campaigns for all manner of (mostly food) products from cheese to chocolate.

4.  I LOVE Karaoke, a bit too much (actually, is that even possible?)

It started out as a bit of fun.  Actually, who am I kidding, it was never just a bit of fun (see aforementioned reference to Pop Idol audition), I have always taken the art of karaoke seriously.  This is why I now prefer to go in small groups – large groups tend to end up with a lot of indiscriminate group shouting over bad song choices – of just 2 or 3 like-minded karaoke-ers (you know who you are).  This is because they understand “the rules”.  And more importantly they abide by them.  This is appreciated.  There are too many favourite karaoke songs to mention here, I could do a whole other blog post on that subject, another time.  But, for the record, these are usually in my top five:  George Michael & Aretha Franklin, Knew You Were Waitin’ (I can sing both parts if required); Erasure, A Little Respect; Macy Grey, I Try (sorry Claire, Jo, you sang it and the rest is history, it is now mine… unless of course you’re in the room, then it is yours); Guns ‘n’ Roses, Sweet Child O’ Mine (or sometimes Welcome to the Jungle, depending on the mood I’m in); Extreme, More Than Words(ideally sung as a duet with my sis – gotta love those harmonies). 

That’s my sister hogging the microphone, back in the days when I had a fringe and let her… (note how I’m feelin’ it!)

Ooh and if Mrs Abebe-Heywood is in the room then we rock out a great rendition of Beyoncè & Sean Paul’s Baby Boy, with her doing the Sean Paul bit.  She is Nigerian.  It sounds A-MAZ-ING!  Oh god there are so many more songs I want to add to this list, but I will stop here.  What’s that you say?  One more?  Oh okay then, let’s throw in Daniel Merriweather’s Stop Me, which is an awesome karaoke song; try it, no really, no need to thank me.

5.  I speak a few languages, but all quite badly

I studied Italian at university and spent a year living in Siena.  These days though my Italian is very very rusty, although I can still understand lots and speak it okay-ish (quite fluent after a few glasses of vino…).  I did French A-level and can still speak a bit, enough to get by in a restaurant and ask where the nearest post office is.  I did GCSE German, but can only remember how to ask for a return ticket to Bonn and to tell a mechanic that my car has broken down.  Limiting.  Particularly as I’m unlikely to be in a car if I’m on a train to Bonn.  Oh and I can ask for a glass of sake in Japanese.  Well, good to learn the essentials…

6.  I love Living etc. and Country Living magazines

Sure I love Stylist too, but what really gets me going these days is pouring over the pages of the above mentioned beauties!  All those decorating and renovating ideas, the Cath Kidston/Emma Bridgewater “porn” they provide and the delicious “make your own gooseberry jam” recipes I’ll never make.  Long gone are the days I salivate over Vogue, Living etc. and Country Living – that’s where it at baby!

7.  I am a tidy freak, who used to blu tack things down

Okay so these days, the tidy freak in me has calmed a bit.  The piles of laundry waiting to be put away that have mounted up around me are testament to this, but on the whole the house is in a fairly neat state, especially considering the fact we now have a little munchkin tearing the place up (not that she’s even crawling yet, but you know what I mean).  Anyway, back in the day, so obsessed was I with things staying put in their rightful place, I would actually blu tack things down.  We’re talking ornaments, knick knacks, that sort of thing, which I had strategically placed in a decorative fashion about my room at university (yes, my new friends thought this was weird but they saw past it thank goodness).  I don’t do that anymore.  But secretly wish I could without people judging…

8.  I never know when to leave a party

I’ve never ever been one of those people who know when is the right time to take themselves off home before they get “tired and emotional”.  I always want to stay for one more drink, one more dance, and be part of the “let’s go on somewhere (usually karaoke)” group.  I usually live to regret this.  Richmond Daddy is very good at saying “it’s time to go now”, which I am thankful for – otherwise, there would be even more embarrassing incidents for me to cringe about than there already are, but every time he says those words I still fight to the bitter end to stay out longer.  Not so much these days, mind you!

9.  I am a HUGE fan of True Blood

I love love love True Blood, particularly Eric the bad but good but bad vampire.  I just wish the episodes were longer and there were more episodes per series.  I am always left wanting more!

10.  I lived in NYC for 3 months and met Ivanka Trump

It was about 5 years or so ago now, I was living/working in New York for a mere 3 months and loving it – it was all very SATC, apart from the fact that I lived in a women’s only accommodation block run by the Salvation Army… don’t ask… let’s just say, Carrie would not have approved.  Anyway, apart from that it was all great and one night I was at a housewarming party for one of the girls I worked with, who happened to be best friends with Ivanka Trump.  We were introduced, she was very friendly and very beautiful, and she said “Bianca, it rhymes with Ivanka, how funny!” (remember this was said in American accent, where they pronounce my name kind of like “Bi-oink-a”).  It wasn’t that funny, but I still humoured her and laughed.

Waiting for Mr Big: me and my friend Melissa on Carrie's doorstep

Now I’m tagging:

(Mostly) Yummy Mummy because we have a shared love of all things Mulberry and she is a mum of 4 and I don’t know how she does it?!

Cake And Salad because she loves a challenge!

Comedy on Merseyside because she is hilarious and will make you laugh and so I hope she takes part in this

If you’re up for doing this, then once you’ve written your post just leave me a link in the comments so I can read your list of 10 things and then leave a link with the originator Me and my Kiddywinks

Can’t wait!