6 London Lads Hilariously Described by Taylor Swift Songs

The 6 Lads You Meet in London 

As Told by Taylor Swift Songs

Taylor Swift:  queen of the break up ballad, darling of the downhearted, apple of the melancholic's eye. 

Well... sometimes. As one of the powerful women in the world, she's also writer of some of the most upbeat, stick it to the boy, power pop ballads around. 

So having moved back south as a singleton, perhaps it's no wonder that her latest album '1989' has joined all of her others to become the soundtrack of my new London life London Love Life. Therefore, I thought I'd introduce you to some of the guys I've met in the last ten months, all in the songs of the one and only Taylor Swift. 

1. Style

He got that James Dean daydream look in his eye … This guy lives in Dalston, hangs out in Shoreditch. He’s edgy. And he has no need for those hard-rimmed glasses. Absolutely zilch. This is the lad that takes you to a bar where they serve cocktails out of jam jars and serve food in a dog bowl. Also terribly romantic when he wants to be – but only if you think being woken up at midnight after three weeks of silence is romantic, all you want to do is swap meaningful, burning looks in the course of a long cold ride on the Number 55, and you’re quite content to be fed the full menu of his smooth one liners.

What you've heard is true but I / Can't stop thinking about you," and I...

2. I Knew You Were Trouble

Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago… Trouble walked into a bar. Point is, he’s the guy you meet one Friday night after one too many double G&T’s in Camden Barfly. He’s not your usual type but you’re 100% spleened for the evening and he doesn’t care, so you don’t care. Most of the evening comes back in flashes, like a kaleidoscope of memories. In the morning, you’ll crawl onto the sofa with your flatmate and tell them about Irish Snakebites Guy or Band T-Shirt Boy and describe your amazing, unforgettable DFMO with a guy whose name you can’t remember, whose number you’ve drunkenly deleted, and who you’ll obsess over for at least the rest of the weekend.

I knew you were trouble when you walked in…

3. Treacherous

I'd be smart to walk away… But you're quicksand... It all seems fun and games at first with this guy, then you realise that this slope City boy is treacherous. You like it, of course you do. He makes you feel wonderful. He’s a charmer, probably works super long hours in Canary Wharf and wears a delectable suit. However, let’s face it, you swiped right for this cheeky chappy because you almost certainly met him on Tinder. The path is more than a little reckless, but the attention is amazing and you will definitely enjoy your fancy dates to crazy-exclusive, super-expensive cocktail bars in Central London. However, he’s also the guy than on date number two or three you might wonder if it was a mistake. My advice? Give this one time. And don’t let him know where you live too soon.

I will / Follow you, follow you home... / I'll follow you, follow you home... / I'll follow you, follow you home... / I'll follow you, follow you home...

4. The Story of Us

See me nervously pulling at my clothes and trying to look busy, And you're doing your best to avoid me… A born-and-bred Londoner, he isn’t a bad type. However, you’ve tested the waters, gone on a date, and now you’re stuck doing that awkward ‘we’re not sure if we’re speaking’ thing because dating him is a bit like riding the Circle Line at rush hour with neither of you willing to break the Rule of Silence… even though you really want to sit with him… and there’s an empty seat next to him… and all he’s using it for is a giant bag. Gambling on whether he’s going to make space for you in his life is risky. He’ll probably try to avoid eye contact and leave you feeling like a lemon. Or he’ll reluctantly move the bag just enough for you to squeeze in but it’s not real commitment. However, he might look up, see you, move the bag and his pride to the floor, and that can be the beginning of a real story.

This is looking like a contest,  / Of who can act like they care less, / But I liked it better when you were on my side.

5. Bad Blood

Cause, baby, now we got bad blood / You know it used to be mad love … Just your typical geezer who moved into London from somewhere like Stevenage.  He thinks he’s a bit of a Lad. Meet him on a night out and he’s the guy that wolf whistles, calls you a ‘rocket’, then tell his mates he just wants to ‘smash that’. Be warned, for all that he can say the right words and show you some good times, this guy’s a player. Also if you turn him down he’s the King of Ego. Rejection makes him nasty and fickle. Don’t get attached. Shake him off. Enjoy yourself as a strong, awesome, powerful single lady instead because girls, we deserve better.  

Did you think we'd be fine? Still got scars on my back from your knife / So don't think it's in the past, these kinda wounds they last and they last.

6. Begin Again

Walked in expecting you'd be late / But you got here early and you stand and wave … Everything the others weren’t, this guy is polite, makes you laugh and respects you. In all likelihood, very little about him stands out. He lives in Clapham or Wimbledon or Finchley or Acton. He wears a suit but not a tie to work in a job with a nice progression rate. He’s happy eating at The Anchor on Southbank, or splurging at an eatery like Kurobuta in Marble Arch. He’ll happily come with you to the V&A or for a sunlit rummage on Brick Lane. This guy is your guy; relaxed, honest, nice. He might even be a keeper. Sadly, you’re still hung up on the last boy you dated and he’s too close to the friendzone. Likely to be the buffer between you and the next Treacherous mistake, but at least he reminds you not to give up.

I've been spending the last eight months / Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end / But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again

7. Shake It Off

I go on too many dates [chuckle] But I can't make them stay… This one isn’t about the guys. It’s about us single, twenty-something London women. Right now, we’re kissing frogs instead of princes, as Lauren would say. Don’t worry about this. We’re allowed to make mistakes. We’re allowed to have fun with people we know are bad for us and to pass over the good ones because we’re not really ready to settle down. People might comment. They might gossip. You might sometimes feel like everyone is judging and laughing. But remember: the only person whose opinion matters is yours. So shake off the mess other people make. Judge yourself. Laugh at yourself. Love yourself. It’s the longest relationship you’re going to have.

Just think while you've been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats of the world, You could've been getting down to this sick beat.

Thank you, Taylor Swift

Je serai poète et toi poésie,
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Make Them Tea & Other Top Secret Intern Tips

Make Them Tea

& Other Top Secret Intern Tips

Almost a year ago I wrote about my musings over a graduate application.  

Back then I thought things were tough. There I was, plugged into my computer, working on my dissertation whilst job searching whilst watching the summer go by without me.

And all I was receiving in return for my sometime twelve page applications was The Silence of Doom.

However, those Silences (and my indefatigable mother) pushed me out into the whole ‘go forth and make contacts’ stage, which is where we left off with the advice all graduates should heed: PERSEVERE. Don’t give up. Be hungry.

It worked - a month after that blog I was living in London, finishing my dissertation, and commencing an internship. I've now been a full-time part of the team for nearly nine months. So with my siblings and the class of 2015 getting ready for graduation, I thought now is the time to talk about what happens after the Silence of Doom?

What comes next when everything goes right?

What do you do when you end up … an intern!?

Top Secret Interning TipsAKA. How to turn your Internship into the super precious, Full-Time J.O.B.

Make the Tea 

‘Do you want a cup of tea?’ – The question that every intern fears asking (especially if working with a big team, one pair of hands and ten cups of tea to carry is not fun).

Does the milk go first, or the tea bag?

Who hasn't heard the horror stories about sad exploited interns being bullied into making tea and folding letters and all the rest? But tea is a team thing. It tells you a lot about the person you’re working with and is the perfect conversation starter for breaking the ice. On my team, we constantly laugh at our tea addiction and tease the people who make less cups of tea than the others. So don't be scared, it's really a friendly thing. 

Alexander McCall Smith said it perfectly: tea is more than just a drink, it is a social and cultural statement. It can also be the best way to bond with your team. 

Internships Aren’t About You

As an intern you’re there, primarily, to get experience... because if you had experience, you wouldn’t need the internship, right? So you need to build your CV. Or perhaps you want to test out whether or not this job is The Job you want in the future. However, when you’re trying to convert Internship to Job, you need to take you out of it. Throw away your ego and think about the people you’re working with, the company you’re working for. Interns who are more concerned about their learning or in showing off their work are tedious. Of course, push your agenda, don’t scupper your education. But be willing to do what’s needed instead of what you want. And seriously, try not to make more work for everyone.  

You Only Need Two

Not long ago, we had a second-year student join the team for work experience. He was always late into work, once he shambled in over two hours late with a weak smile and bloodshot eyes and an apology because he'd gone out the night before with his brother and got absolutely trollied. The next day he didn't turn up at all. His honesty was appreciated and because he was a lovely guy we wanted to forgive him. Moreover, when he did turn up he was fantastic. He roared through tasks - took stuff home to make up for the time he missed and worked later if he'd screwed up his morning. In other words, he didn't need to be timely because we liked him and he was good. This isn't to say that as interns you shouldn't try your best to be on time. You should. We were not impressed by his tardiness. But I subscribe to the belief that you only need two of three characteristics to 'make by'. 

Timeliness, Likability, Brilliance. If you're likeable and timely, you don't need to be brilliant. If you're brilliant but an asshole, you really need to be on time. Neil Gaiman says it much better, so if you don't believe me, your effable narrator, you should probably believe one of the most successful writers in the world. 

To really stand out, however, you should probably try to be all of the above. 

Be an Intrapreneurial Intern

If you're genuinely hoping to turn your internship into a permanent position, your time as an intern is an extended interview. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, least of all the people you're working with. However, to stand out and be the intern no one forgets (without photocopying your bum or over-drinking at a work party), be an intrapeneur - an entrepreneur within an organisation. These highly valuable executives and team members may never become a company founder, but they're super capable, entrepreneurial personalities who apply their ingenuity and awesomeness to their roles within a company. 

Persevere! Pursue! Press on!

Yup, you read that correctly. You’ve finished the verses, crossed the bridge and now it’s time to rally your graduate ethos into a grand reprise.  Not only will these qualities help your feet onto the ladder (woo hoo you’re an intern baby!), but they’ll put you in pretty good stead as you start climbing it too. It’s about having the right attitude, being a keen bean intern machine (preferably with a personality but as we've noted, assholes can be brilliant, timely gods of internships too). 

So how is that a top secret tip, I hear you cry, surely it's common knowledge?! Well, my lovely readers, here is the thing: internships can suck. In fact, sometimes they're positively vampiric. You will slog through the days, be given odious task after odious task, be told to do things that seem simplistic to the point of laughable. The days will wear on and on. You will pray for the day you're called into a room by HR and given a title worthy of your own business cards. But it won't happen immediately. It might take weeks, months, half a year, longer. 

So you have to persevere - no one else can do that for you. You have to pursue every opportunity. Press on so that you're indispensable by the time you're meant to leave. Don't give up. You're only at the beginning. 

And that's all the Weekend Wisdom I have for you. A scribblicioius  STEP TWO for the work-almost-ready Graduand. 

Until next time!

Je serai poète et toi poésie,

SCRIBBLER