Swansea...Swan sea. Sea of Swans!? I just got it...

Ah another day in good old Swansea. The sun was actually shining today and I would have appreciated it a bit more if I wasn't wearing my glasses and getting horrific glares on my lenses. My eyes are on the fritz; they're SO DRY. I need to stop forgetting to take my contacts out after a night out. I also shouldn't go out on a night before going to Swansea....

Last night's sleep was a mixture of satisfying and terrible. I have a new mattress, you see. Well it's not really new persay, but it's new to me as I got it free off a friend. I love how I managed to get free solid wood bed frame, a mattress, a coffee table and a bookcase for frizzle, yo. Freecycle is where it's at, not gonna lie! I need to snoop around there on my lunch actually. I need me a wardrobe, drawers and a desk now :D

Anyway, back to the point, the mattress is ever so soft and it killed my back. I also needed to wee just about every hour to get all the cider out of my system. At least my heater did a brilliant job of keeping my room toasty and nice. ...but still a terrible nights sleep. I woke up with my eyes bloodshot (compliments of my angry contacts), every muscle in my body sore and extremely tired due to a mere 5 hours of restless sleep. Oh I am feeling the pain now, but meh, tis my fault for going out after work. Never again, I say. ....well I'll just be smarter about it next time. #beingrealistic

Right so I talked to the lead designer today and she said she's going to try and have something for me to make next week. I really really hope so...I finally managed to find my Pattern Master when I was unpacking and I do intend to use it. Quite a happy day in my life, to be honest.

I'm going to finish on a very random and gross note:

The bridge I cross in the mornings to get to the office is always covered in poo. What kind of poo? No friggin clue - it's either a very large dog or a very lost and nasty person :/ Sad thing is, it's always there; A nice fresh load just chilling on the side of bridge every morning. There's also some on the tracks in the train station. Unless people are throwing poo onto the tracks, how is it they have time to leave something so vile in such a busy place?! Obviously someone was on a mission. Gross.

People (and/or dogs) of Swansea, you need to sort yourselves out. Seriously.

Another day in sunny (pah) Swansea!

Oh how I wish it was sunny here. :/ It's so...cloudy and sorta miserable, but I guess that's the office's secret to staying so focused, there's no distraction due to sunny weather. Meh.

I was meant to start pattercutting a design by myself today, but seeing as the toile fitting was late, the head designer is now casually (and slowly) eating her lunch, and I only have 2 hours left till I go, I fear that it won't happen today :( I'm gutted actually cos I was looking forward to this for a week, but meh, what can you do? Shit happens.

Instead, I have been packing up a whole bunch of patterns to send to Hong Kong. I've also gotten to the point in my time here that I'm comfortable enough to can enjoy a bit of cheeky banter with a few people in the office. I'm even confident enought to crack jokes and whoa whoa - I'm getting laughs. So I guess you could say that I am truly fitting in, or at least I feel like I am. That's what counts, right?

[Now those of you who don't really know or care about patterncutting, go on and skip this bit!]
I don't think I've mentioned anything in depth about the Digitizer and the insane patter piece printer. Okay so basically, you print out your block, alter it to go with the new designs, then you put it on this massive digital table. You then pick up this obscure mouse/remote thing and mark all the important points on the pattern piece, you press a few buttons and voila, the whole new and improved pattern piece has been uploaded onto the computer just like that. All you have to do is make sure all the notches and measurements match up on the computer program and then you're good to print out the new pattern. Within minutes you're ready to start the toiling. Boggles my mind. You know how much time that would have saved me and the girls in uni!? Fookin' 'ell. But I am quite glad I understand the manual aspect of patterncutting though. Everyone needs a good foundation, right? :D
[Okay, the patterncutting bit is done!]

I'm feeling tired a lot more though...I need to eat more vegetables and I need to start (dare I say it?) working out. *shudder* Yesterday morning my alarm didn't go off at the right time and I was BUGGING OUT. My heart felt like it was gonna fall out of my butt. (Nice visuals, huh? Eyyyy!) But Trout was totally awesome and drove me to the station. He basically saved my life haha, but its not like a lot of stuff happened yesterday anyway...*sigh* I WANNA PATTERN CUT!!!

Right, I'm off to go find something to do. Harumph.

Signed,
A disgruntled, yet somehow still optimistic and eager, intern.

Delaaaaaaaaaayed post!

Hello, hello. This is waaaay overdue, but I feel as if I should make more of an effort to keep you people up to date. Voila. Sorry about the wait, oh random array of people who read my blog. Much love your way.

Tuesday 25/10/2011

So it’s weird right? As I go through my days at TOAST, I always, for some odd reason, have this narrative going on in my heard so it can be put in this blog. I feel like JD from Scrubs. Alas, by the time I get home, I’m exhausted, resulting in a lack of a week’s worth of posting. What!? Blasphemy, I do know.

But why am I finally blogging again, you ask? You see, I’m writing this down in my trusty notebook so I can just type it up without having to think about my day. It just so happens that on this particular morning (where I failed to have breakfast and my ever-so-important cup of coffee) I somehow feel wide awake…for now anyways. Well no, I’m exhauseted but I just have that much more energy to subject you to my drivel.

Maybe it’s a mixture of Feist and my body going into addict mode. One minute I’m sat all comfy in my seat, and the next thing I know, I somehow made it to the food carriage on the train, purchased a latte and here I am again…sat…watching the sun rise…with an empty coffee cup. I seriously need to learn how to slow down when consuming food and drink. I’m thinking I may need to ween myself off the java too, but when it’s free at TOAST, why the hell should I?

As toast…I do wish I had something to eat before I left the house this morning…*sigh* oh well! But back to actual TOAST related thoughs, this work placement is going rather well! I sent an email out last week saying…

Good Morning, Everyone!

I’m sure I’ve been introduced to most of you last Monday, but if not, I’m Holly! I’m the new intern over in the technical department who is a fresh graduate from UWE in Bristol. If you need anything measured, anything typed up, cut out, ironed, or anything done at all that you just don’t want to do (and think I’m capable of doing), please don’t hesitate to ask! I look forward to helping all of you out!

Holly Pacius
Technical Department Intern

And I got some really positive responses! People kept coming up to me, introducing themselves (much to my joy and dismay as I am crap at remembering names…) and saying that my email was a lovely thing to get first thing on a Monday. La, how nice! Anyhoozle, I’ve had many a garment places on my desk, ready for me to measure all the specifics and see if everything is alright for another prototype or to be put into production. It’s quite nice having a company care SO MUCH about each millimeter to ensure the highest quality of clothing. Loves it, I do.

Went to my first TOAST toile fitting last Tuesday…

“Pinch a bit out from the neck”“Change the angle of the dart…” “..Yes, the dart is awfully long isn’t it?”

Took ages. I thought uni was bad! Haha, and this wasn’t just because of thee quality and things, but because the designers kept going off on those random tangents, quite like my tutors did. Hilarious. I love how stuff like that happens in real life! So about 7-8 garments and 2 ½ hours later, we finish the fitting. Brilliant. Then we have to do another handover for the second drop for SS12, so at 11:30, we’re all waiting for the designers to come over and tell us what’s happening, but we end up waiting yet another 1 ½ hours. Haha We finished handover where Jim and Marieona (the main patterncutters) got about 4 garments to finish ASAP. They’re so good, they finish within hours. They’re both so nice and so skilled, I would love to be like them one day!

Thursday I got a lovely email asking for my assistance from the Studio Assistant, Becky. She’s about my age and has been working at TOAST for 3 years. She also just graduated, but previously worked here part time. How lucky! Anyway, she asked me to help pack up all the homewear stuff on the following Monday. I was so excited! Not so much just to help, but because I was emailed specifically! Woop! Little things….

Packing was fun. I bubble wrapped my heart out! You see, all the homewear stuff was being sent to Italy for a photoshoot and it needed to be there on the 4th of November. All 30 boxes. Not small boxes, no no, they each weight about 20 kilos and were double boxed. From 9:35 – 4:15 all 5 of us wrapped and packed and only just made the deadline. I felt so busy in fact, I actually didn’t have time to sit down and have a proper lunch. I was told I needed to measure 3 things ASAP cos the specifications needed to be send to India in a matter of hours and then Homewear needed me to keep wrapping and packing and then I asked to measure yet more things on top of that. So my lunch was me just cramming a BLT in my face in front of the computer whilst measuring arm lengths and stuff. It was fuuuun I liked being busy. :D

Right…I could keep going, but I’m boring myself haha. May nap…40 minutes left til Swansea! Turrah!

So I need to go all the way to Wales for Toast...?

10/10/2011 10AM

First Day @ TOAST…what!?!! Woke up at dawn to catch the direct train from Temple Meads to Swansea…in first class no less! Don’t get excited though, first class is roomy but I was the only one in my car for the whole ride. Thought that I might be on the wrong train, but it was alright though! Good time to nap and drool all over the table a bit. Pure class, yeah?

Now let’s see! Where have I been all your life? Home, as you may know, but alas, the dude at customs in the airport let me back in the country so all systems go! I’ve got to apply for my graduate visa next month to let me stay here for another 2 years. My plan? Get loads of fabulous experience at TOAST for the next 3-6 months, get someone amazing to hire me and get a fantastic work visa THEN!! Totally either get married to someone handsome devil and secure my residency here! …or just apply to become a British citizen. Phew…totally do-able, yeah? Pfft, yeah, totally.

It’s a terribly dreary day in Swansea. Cold, miserable, windy, but at least there’s some Lady Gaga playing on the radio! I can’t help but feel a bit useless right now though…I’ve been sat here for the past 20 minutes doing nothing so why not look busy and type away? Might as well type until my hand cramps up. Everything is super high tech over here! Uber fancy, yo! There’s a machine here that draws AND cuts out (WITH SEAM ALLOWANCE OMIGAW) patterns for you. A printer with a pencil instead of ink! Amazing. The atmosphere in this office is amazing. Pretty soon I’ll have my very own TOAST email and I even know the code to get into the office after I go to the loo! …TMI? Oh get over it :P

Right. I’m going to wash up my mug and snoop around until someone notices I’m not sat at this desk anymore. Nyahahaha~

12AM

So far I’ve cut out one pattern piece…haha. Apparently we were meant to be doing something called “handover”…? But we’re all waiting on the design team to be ready. Handover was meant to start at 9AM then was moved to 11AM..haha reminds me of uni so much. It’s nice to know that companies can be late within the office…shit happens – it’s the real world and it’s comforting to know that we can all be a little late with things and life goes on and you won’t always get told off! Although I do think someone will get told off a bit for this now…told off gently with slight disappointment in their voice….like when you get told by your mother, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed…” Um, worst sentence ever. Anyways, like I say – chill atmosphere. I can’t wait to be doing stuff though! It’s almost lunch time though….apparently there’s a sandwich lady that comes in in a minute…hmmm…

You know, I quite like Swansea. Wales in general! Their buses are so nice! There’s a cool host/hostess tickety person who comes over once you get on the bus and asks where you want to go and what kind of ticket you want! So cute! So drastically different to Bristol too. I kinda need to vaguely learn Welsh, methinks. Eventually…someday…I think that would be a fun activity to do in my ever-dwindling free time. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday I’m in Swansea from 10-4 (which excludes 4 ½ hour traveling time) and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (and the occasional Sunday) I’ll be at the Hippodrome. I guess my free time is on the train basically…and evenings…or what’s left of them.

I need to find a charger for my iPhone…shits dying on me all the time L The same goes for my British phone too…poor crap thing is cracked and the touch screen has been on the fritz for almost a year (seeing as I got it around Christmas…dropped it drunkenly off a balcony a month later…whoops) Anyway, I don’t really know why I went off on such a tangent to be honest. Might invest in a tablet. HAVE NO MONEY. I need to be saving up for a bloody house. Yes, I am homeless…I’m graciously being let stay at a fish’s house. :D I feel bad though, I’ve been there for what…3 weeks? Bloody Nora, I need to get out of there soon before he breaks up with me L /other random tangent

I wonder…can I deck out my desk with cute and wonderful things?! OH! This is actually quite exciting. I’ve always wanted to plan out my own office space. All those year growing up and wondering when I would be able to buy those cute filing boxes and star-shaped post-it notes and multi-coloured magnets at Staples! Dreams really do come true! May go to Wilkinson’s on Wednesday to see what’s occurring over there! Bloody hell…when’s lunch!? I may or may not be dying of starvation. But you know me…I always moan about being hungry. Nothing new there.

11/10/2011 15:43

Well! I do like it here indeed! I cut out more patterns, I measured about 6 garments I got fully set up in the system, I have my own email address, phone and access to the company’s files. Zing! It’s really awesome seeing how everything works within the industry though :D The people are nice too. I need to be less shy and more outgoing though – I’m reverting to my old self where I’m timid and quiet. Can’t imagine that? Well try, cos I was super shy and awkward not too many years ago, yo. Peeps change though! There’s this one lady here who reminds me of a combined version of Brenda and Linda from university. Odd combo if you know both of them, but this lady is lovely! And I love how everyone within the technical team tries desperately to find something for me to do! Haha, it’s good to know that they haven’t forgotten about me. Yea…I can defo see myself doing something like this for the rest of my life. It would be nice to be left to just do my pattern cutting things, you know? I can’t wait to learn all the software they use so I can design myself an AWESOME…something! Love love love this office Kinda gutted though cos I have to go in 10 minutes or so…Gotta catch the bus back to the station and then do the 2 hour trek back to Bristol. *mega sigh* I think I might nap before I get ready to go to Pizza Express with my old housemates Stace and Slawa J It’s quite odd really…doing stuff during the day and then fitting things in such as catching up with friends in the evening. Is this what they call “the professional life” Oh deary me, how life has changed.