Christmas gifts, Christmas trees, Christmas is the time to please.

So Christmas has ended as soon as it had arrived, and while most of us worry about measuring our new waistlines, we are all left to contemplate the festive celebrations for another year.

Did I get the right size turkey? Was there enough tinsel on the tree? Did I watch enough repeats on TV? Ok, you may not be asking yourself these sorts of questions right now, but you might have been asking them before the 25th came around. The point I’m trying to make is that most things, if not everything, seems to fall into place ready for the big day, so much so that there are no questions that need answering. You may not share my opinion, but there is no doubt that more often than not Christmas brings a certain collectiveness amongst families and neighbourhoods alike.

When I was younger, I sometimes used to view Christmas as some sort of judgement day, where Santa Claus decided whether you had been good enough throughout the year to deserve a shedload of presents. It wasn’t a frightening sort of judgement day of course, more one that used to tease you, making you think that you had to be on your best behaviour. Either way, unless you had robbed Woolworths of all their pick and mix, you ended up getting what you wanted after all.

A lot of people have also said that Christmas has become too commercial, whereas all it has done is move synonymously with the society of today. The modern day has become commercialised as a whole, and so with Christmas being the biggest celebration of the year, it was bound to get pounced on by companies to exploit over the years. Even though commercialism can sometimes be seen as our worst enemy, pressuring us to buy everything Cheryl Cole has her face on, I think it thrives at Christmas time. Maybe we realise afterwards that some of the stuff we’ve bought is useless junk, but businesses mainly do a good job in surrounding us with bargains, enchanting us into their stores. Anyway, it’s not really Christmas anymore until you’ve seen the Coca Cola advert, is it?

I feel Christmas is the only acceptable time where you can wear silly paper hats at the dinner table, tell ridiculously rubbish jokes and throw calorie count charts outside the window without a second thought. All of these I feel contribute to what they call the “magic of Christmas” and even though it may all feel superficial at the time, what other part of the year can you realistically get away with doing these things? I mean, I dressed up as a reindeer at work, and even though I looked silly beyond belief, if it hadn’t had been Christmas, I wouldn’t have done it. So for these and many other reasons Christmas must be seen as different and unique to every other time of the year.

As the snow slowly melts away, and the focus is taken away from Christmas and onto the January sales, I sometimes wonder if the snowman still standing proudly outside my house is outstaying his welcome at all. Maybe the longer he stays up, the longer it will feel like Christmas, and with he already being a week old he’s got to be closing in on a Guinness World Record for longest standing snowman in Britain. Having said that, I don’t think I’ll be calling up the police anytime soon if he gets stolen by the time morning comes.

Snowman or no snowman, it’s been the second consecutive Christmas where there has been snow around, and for me a little sprinkling of the white fluffy stuff makes Christmas seem a little more real. As everyone revels in the presents they received, the best present for me was seeing all my family happy and well, with the added bonus that they loved my presents. However, no matter how much I promise myself, I don’t think my shambolic wrapping skills will ever improve.

So, as my collective thoughts and memories of Christmas 2010 draw to a close, I really do hope all of you have had the Christmas you all so richly deserved. Even though all our sights are now set on New Year’s parties next weekend I hope that Christmassy feeling hasn’t left you just yet! Enjoy the rest of Boxing Day and whatever holiday you may have left, and I’m going to end on something I’ve learnt over the years by leaving you with a quote from Calvin Coolidge; “Christmas is not a time nor a season, it is a state of mind”.

A snow covered Britain: Winter wonderland or snow joke?

So this is what it feels like to live inside a snow globe? All covered in white and for many of us, trapped in our own homes until the snowfall subsides.

While children and adults pretending to be children are making the most out of the white stuff, a large amount of others have had to reschedule major plans because of it. What’s more, according to experts and meteorologists we need to start getting used to harsh winters like this as they are probably going to stick around for the long term, perhaps for even up to a century.

After the ridiculous snowfall from earlier on this year now fresh in the memory, should the country now focus on being better equipped to cope with this kind of weather next time it strikes? For example, Northern Ireland has recorded it’s lowest ever temperature at -18°C, while also describing it’s road network as the worst it’s ever been. With trends like this happening all over the UK, and with grit supplies struggling to cope with the sheer demand, what changes need to be made to make our daily lives fit in with the snow?

Only to a certain extent can we anticipate heavy snowfall, although in the future when there will be more advanced technology to hand then weather further down the line can be predicted with greater ease. Studded tyres have also been seen as a solution, but right now we get nowhere near enough days of snow to warrant this. Plus, with the weather becoming more erratic due to the forces of global warming and climate change, there is no guarantee we will be able to spot extreme conditions heading our way.

Not only does the snow affect transport network, but also it has hit consumer trade across the country. On a personal level I have noticed this dramatically in the local supermarket that I work in, where one day it will be heaving with panic buyers who purchase as if it’s the next ice age, and then the next day the shopfloor will be as quiet as a library. The severe conditions seem to do strange things to us, we worry about how long it’s going to last and the implications it will have, but once it all melts away we wonder what all the fuss was about.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire have also been hit badly, losing £15 to £20 million in lost business, where shoppers have decided against venturing out to shopping centres and main streets. With the snow continuing to fall, even heavier in places such as Wales, this bad spell will only continue for some economies. Not only that, but airports have also had to close, spoiling many people’s Christmases, and also losing trade in the form of tourists coming to stay in places like London for the seasonal period.

Maybe we get frustrated because snow appears to be such a simple obstacle that we struggle to get past, yet every time it falls in vast quantities it grinds the country to a sudden halt. Countries like Canada and Sweden must be laughing at the UK right now, as they have to deal with much heavier snow for around six months in a row. Maybe we need to borrow some ideas from them, or even just a snow plough or three, especially if we are to have a climate similar to that of Canada’s, which is what has been predicted by 2050.

It also seems that even when we over compensate ourselves for protection against the snow, nature still prevails. Nottinghamshire County Council has just ordered 5,000 extra tonnes of grit, having already gone through three quarters of its original stockpile for the whole of winter. What’s more is that the original amount of 14,600 tonnes was actually four times the quantity that was considered sufficient to cover the snowfall expected this winter. So even if we try and play safe by arranging extra stock just for security, it just shows that we can’t, and may never, be able to properly estimate how thick and fast the snow will fall.

So will we ever be able to tackle the snow properly, so much so it doesn’t impede on our lives? The clear answer at this moment in time is a definite no, and for the foreseeable future I can’t see us being able to anticipate the snow well enough not to disturb our daily lives. Maybe one day it will happen, but for now we will possibly have to contend with sledging to work, building our next best friend out of snow, or even going camping in an igloo.

And this one time, at band camp...

Call the 1990s what you will, the decade before the new millennium, 10 years of cheesy music or even the bit before the end of the world. However, for many people, including myself, the 90s is fondly remembered for being our childhood, and what a great time the 1990s was to be a kid.

First off, we saw the rise of games consoles with the success of the NES in the 1980s fuelling more consoles to be produced by Nintendo, including the SNES and the N64. This also prompted Sony to bring out a rival, called the Playstation, and so throughout the 1990s home gaming took off. From a personal view, I never had a Nintendo console, but I spent a staggering amount of hours sitting in my Reebok Classics and Joe Bloggs t-shirt playing Spyro The Dragon, trying to defeat Ripto and his merry monsters while painstakingly collecting as many diamonds as my eyes could handle.

1998 was also another breakthrough year in gaming technology, as the release of the Gameboy Colour took the world by storm. It was the latest must-have toy for that Christmas, and with that everyone could realise their dream of being Ash Ketchum. For the rest of the 1990s and into the early 2000s, Pokemon became one of the biggest crazes amongst the gaming world. However, while I think everyone once dreamed Pikachu was actually real, I don’t think anyone would have wished a Magikarp on their worst enemy.

When I first sat down to write this article, naturally memories began to flood into my mind back from when I was growing up. Like when I fell off a cupboard trying to turn on the light consequently breaking my arm, meeting Mickey Mouse at Disneyworld, my sister pushing me into a paddling pool fully clothed or even seeing the glow in the dark Sooty show.

However, when childhood memories are discussed with friends, work colleagues or even people you met the other night, it is always the material things that seem to crop up into conversation. This is probably because more people can relate to an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch than to you falling in some stinging nettles while playing tag at school. With channels such as Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network at our disposal, what was a kid to do except watch an unhealthy amount of Dexter’s Laboratory and Kenan & Kel, not forgetting the Rugrats. Personally, I found Mojo Jojo from the Powerpuff Girls the scariest thing since Jaws. After watching the show again recently for a bit of fun, I struggled to comprehend how a monkey with his brain in what can only be described as a jam jar was rational, let alone frightening.

Anybody remember those small discs that you had to hurl at stacks of other discs? Does the word “pogs” ring any bells? Yeah that’s right, that’s the game that used to be so addictive, but now seems so pointless. In fact, when you think about it, there seems a growing trend of pointlessness amongst toys in the 1990s. Tamagotchis are another fine example, and past the furry exterior Furbys were another waste of valuable hours as a child. However silly this seems now, that was one of the best things about growing up, playing with pointless objects and games, and getting such unexpected enjoyment out of it.

I could go on endlessly about the different toys, TV shows and computer games we used to play or watch when we were younger. While our Saturday mornings always seemed pre-conditioned for SMTV:Live, everyone will have a slightly different take on their childhood. By saying that I don’t mean growing up drastically altered if you chose Charmander instead of Squirtle when you started off playing Pokemon.

The 1990s provided children an abundance of different things to keep them occupied. While this may be true of every other decade, in the 90s home entertainment broke through in the form of games consoles, and coupled with other factors I feel the 1990s were one of the most exciting decades to grow up in.

Whatever your take is on your childhood, I can guarantee that you will look back on that terrible show you used to love, or possibly disgusted with yourself for thinking that Mr Blobby would make the best role model. On the flip side, you can always think of yourself as a cool kid for wanting to hang out with the Chuckle Brothers, or even for waving round a toy lightsabre pretending you were Luke Skywalker. Anyway, enough of dwelling on the past, I’ve just remembered that my Furby is moaning at me for not watching the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with him...

An Apple a day keeps the competitors at bay.

30 years ago you would have been forgiven for thinking that an apple was just an everyday fruit, made famous by falling on Isaac Newton’s head. Apple Inc. has since transformed that premonition, so much so that people’s first thoughts aren’t of just a fruit anymore, but of a corporation that makes music devices, computers, phones and other electronic items.

Apple’s rise to the forefront of technology has been staggering. This is especially overwhelming as it started with the co-founder, Steve Wozniak, hand building its first product, the Apple 1, in 1976. The company initially struggled to cope with its competitors, IBM and Microsoft. However, after subsequent products such as the Apple III and the Apple Lisa became commercial failures, it wasn’t until 1984 that Apple really made its mark in the world of computers.

The release of the first Macintosh, along with its iconic “1984” commercial, brought massive attention and interest to the corporation. It was these series of products that really proved that Apple was a serious contender to other competitors, despite the blip that was the incredibly heavy portable Macintosh. While the company tried to develop new merchandise throughout the 1990s, it wasn’t until 2001 that they had a truly unique flagship product.

As most people know, the iPod has revolutionised the way we listen to music. Even though it was not the first portable media player, it has since become the most recognisable and most popular, selling over 220 million units since it’s inception. Along with the iPhone, the iMac, and the newly released iPad, these products represent the core of Apple’s products today and have helped it become a technology giant.

To put Apple’s development into facts and figures, it was only worth a few thousand dollars back when it began in 1976. Now it is valued at a breathtaking $222 billion, with CEO Steve Jobs’ fortune estimated to be a cool $6.1 billion. This is made even more significant by the milestone that Apple achieved earlier this year, where they overtook Microsoft for the first time ever to become the world’s largest technology firm. Even though their rivals continue to earn nearly triple the profit Apple do, this is seen as a vital step to the business solidifying it’s position as the most, or one of the most, influential in the advancement of technology.

In the UK especially we seem to love Apple products. Worldwide, iPhones outsold Blackberrys in the last quarter, selling 14.1 million handsets between July and September. In Britain this trend is reflected, where the iPhone has become the fastest selling smartphone, catching up with the leader Nokia, who shifted 26.5 million handsets.

However, Apple enjoys less success in the United States, where Blackberrys are leading the line with a 36% share of the smartphone market, while Google’s Android operating system has recently pushed the iPhone into third place. In the near future this doesn’t seem likely to change as the number of apps that will become available to Android users is tipped to better Apple’s own App Store. However, as the iPhone 4’s own slogan has proved with increased sales, Apple can “change everything. Again”.

Of course, the story cannot be told just by sales figures and growth rates. Apple has shaped technology in the 21st century and will do for years to come. It has kept its rivals on their toes, and with the arrival of the extraordinary iPad, this has prompted other companies to bring out new versions of the tablet device in order to compete with this success. The iPod however has no realistic rival, and has been an iconic symbol for media players since it was created. It has made the transition of music from your computer, to your iPod ready so you can walk the dog, only a matter of minutes. This means listening to music, looking at your bank balance, or even destroying green pigs with a flock of birds is easier than it ever has been.

What is more important is that Apple seems to keep it’s customers happier than any other company. In terms of the iPhone 89% of owners said they were very satisfied with it and would consider upgrading to a future generation of the iPhone, while only 71% of Android users were happy with their device. These statistics are vital, showing that Apple have the edge in attracting, and more importantly, keeping customers.

There is no sign of Apple slowing down either, with the IT juggernaut topping $3 billion profit in the second quarter of 2010, beating the same quarter last year by over $1 billion. This has been helped by the increasing demand for iMacs and its sister products, including the MacBook. Apple’s trick is that they make their products look extremely fashionable. I myself am a victim of this, after self-professing I’d never buy any Apple products I went and bought an iPod Classic in January 2009 and an iPhone 4 only last week. This mix of desirability and fashion has led to Fortunes magazine naming Apple the most admired company in the world for the past three years.

So, can anyone stop Apple? Yes, it can be seen that Apple has met its fiercest competition yet, certainly in the phone market. However at the moment they’ve still got their noses in front. Microsoft and Google have got their work cut out if they are to replace Apple at the top of the tree anytime soon, but this can only improve the market as a whole.

So who knows, Apple’s sales could drop over the next few years, establishing a new world leader in technology, but what is sure is that the battle within the technology market is definitely an enthralling one. It might even take an event such as an apple falling on a director’s head to provide the spark for the stand out product of 2011.

£113 million. What would you do with it?

Becoming a millionaire, or even a billionaire, is always high up on most people’s aims in life. Travie McCoy sings about wanting to be one, most football clubs are run by one, and a successful gameshow has also been created where your intelligence could enable you to join the seven figure plus club. Money is such a coveted necessity these days it is hard not to dream of becoming rich, especially as it is so heavily exploited in the media.

However, what would it be like if you became a millionaire overnight? In comparison to building your fortune over several years, becoming an overnight millionaire is a totally different proposition. There is a much bigger temptation to squander all your money, just like Michael Carroll did back in 2003 when he won £9.7 million. 7 years on, and he’s back earning jobseekers allowance, while proudly proclaiming that all he spent his money on was drugs, gambling and prostitutes. Maybe he wouldn’t have spent it so quickly if he knew he could have been best mates with Ashley Cole.

The recent Euromillions draw on Friday 8th October still has a ticket worth a measly £113 million waiting to be claimed. Such a vast amount of cash, as well as the fact no-one has come forward to claim a sum that would surely secure their future, has got me thinking; what would I actually do with all that money if it was me?

I’d probably start off by following the trend and purchasing both a new car and a house. With all that money you could easily fit two of each animal in your new home, and call it Noah’s Ark while you’re there. Also, whilst my twelve car garage was being built I’d realise slowly that I’d be richer than most popstars. Even David Cameron would be banging on my door begging me to pay 0.1% of the country’s debt off, so in that sense I’d be a bit awestruck.

After all, I would officially be the luckiest person in the world having won £113 million just by selecting a few numbers. Then again, I would probably try and create something with the money that wouldn’t normally exist. Something like a real Willy Wonka factory, which I reckon would be possible, and be honest, would you say no to swimming in a chocolate river? A DeLorean from Back To The Future would be something else worth splashing cash on, and especially handy to go forward in time to make sure I wasn’t the next Michael Carroll. Sonic screwdrivers are also an option, although I think house and car crime could be a little higher if they ever went on the market.

In all honesty, in the 10 minutes that I sat down to think about what I’d do with all that money, my imagination went wild, but nothing available right now stood out for me. Maybe the person with the winning ticket is unsure as to what they’d actually do with all the cash, or maybe they’ve changed their mind and don’t want it at all. Or, in the most unfortunate of circumstances, the silly sausage has just lost it down the back of the sofa.

Why don’t you all have a think about it, I mean what would you do with £113 million? You could share it all and buy a pint for every person in the country, or you could sit and ponder what to do with the money, just like I’ve just done.

Is social networking shrinking the world?

“Did you know Mark and Olivia are going out?!”
“No way! Who told you that?!”
“Facebook.”

Is this conversation familiar to you? If so, then you are a social networking fiend. Don’t worry though, you’re not alone. The majority of people log on at least once a day to sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter to share their thoughts, daily activities and even emotions, to the world. I am no exception, and it has come to the point where I think of it as a guilty pleasure. I know that I should be spending less time on Facebook, yet I find myself “liking” an undesirable amount of statuses, updating my own page or just generally gazing at the screen to pass the time. We all use social networking sites, far too much in many cases, but really how much have they changed our lives?

Let’s start with the facts. Facebook for instance, has 500 million users worldwide, which equates to one in 14 people in the world. To put that into perspective, the next biggest site, Twitter, “only” has just over 100 million users. Facebook has taken social networking to another level, as anything seems possible on there. You can build your own farm, become a fan of Anne Widdecombe and if you’re feeling extra cheeky, you can even ask your mum what’s for dinner. This has led to us spending copious amounts on the site, while Myspace and Bebo recede slowly into our memories as a 13 year old.

I feel Facebook has also broken new ground, as a lot of the older generation have signed up, even if it is just to see what the fuss is all about. Nowadays whole families can be linked across the world of Facebook, like some sort of crazy cyber family tree. Don’t fret though, even if you aren’t blood related your best friend could easily turn into your sister, or worse still, your husband.

Maybe some parents have got Facebook so they can keep a closer eye on their children, but I believe they have discovered that Facebook is extremely easy for catching up with old relatives, and seeing what people get up to when they can’t see them as much as they’d like. Or maybe I’m totally wrong and they’re all just vying for the highest score on Bejeweled.

Facebook serves as a sort of “halfway house”, a third party where you can create events, speak to friends, check out the photos of their latest holiday and do much more. This can be rather handy, knowing that you can learn someone’s life story through several clicks of a button. However, I find it extremely disheartening, recognising the fact that you don’t actually have to see someone in person to be friends with them. Although social networking will never eradicate people meeting up with their friends, it has made people contacting others through the internet far more comfortable than it’s ever been.

Facebook has also bulldozed it’s way into modern culture and the everyday language we use. Phrases such as “Facebook me as soon as you get in” and “Did you find that out on Facebook?” proves how much of a social community it has become, where people can discover things about distant friends that they would not normally know. From that respect, the amount of information and emotions that are plastered all over Facebook is rather scary, but we have all accepted it as normal.

Is this worrying? Even though we never think about it, it probably is, as people who we don’t even know could be looking at our profile information without us knowing in the slightest. It especially is with reports in the past of paedophiles and thieves accessing people’s profiles to discover their whereabouts, with disastrous consequences. Facebook is tightening it’s security measures all the time, so there is less of a chance of this happening now, but there will always be cause for concern.

Even Twitter is making the global community far more local, but what is unique about Twitter is that it’s bridging the gap between celebrities and their fans. People can discover what their idols get up to on a daily basis, and while Dizzee Rascal might not be too keen on the idea of a female fan purring over the thought of him just having “a bangin’ shower”, I think celebrities enjoy the opportunity to be normal people. If you’re really lucky, your favourite popstar could “follow” you back, effectively letting Lady Gaga know when you’ve got a massive hangover, or telling Wayne Rooney to concentrate on his skills with a football, and not any other type of balls.

Social networking sites will continue to grow in popularity, especially as there is a film released this month about Facebook, entitled ‘The Social Network’. How ironic then that people could be organising a trip to the cinema to see a film about the very site that they’re planning it on.

As a result of their success, Facebook and Twitter have compressed the worldwide community into several manageable, easy to roam websites. Although they have made it far easier for friends to connect and contact each other, it is slightly worrying that Joe Bloggs from the Cook Islands could be looking at your photos from the night before right now.

Social networking is fast becoming a part of modern culture, growing synonymously with the internet, and even though we could easily live without it, it’s hard to see past it.

Rocking around the digital clock?

The year is 1968. Jude was the name on everyone’s lips, while Mick Jagger and co. made the leather jacket the must-have clothing accessory. Neil Armstrong was on the cusp of achieving groundbreaking history, and England were football world champions.

Fast forward to the present day and oh, how times have changed. A lady whose name far more resembles a baby’s first words is the music sensation that has swept the globe, whereas plimsolls are not just worn for school PE anymore. Mars is now the focus of space exploration to see whether humans could live there after all, while English footballers are better at scoring with prostitutes than for their national team.

To match our ever-changing society, the music charts has altered dramatically in the past 50 or so years. At a first glance you could easily be led to think that rock and roll has been left in the dark. Even though rock and roll emerged into the mainstream in the late 1950s, it was even more popular during the 60s. During this era bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones dominated the music scene, whilst The Kinks also had their music listened to all day and all of the night. In 2010, R&B and pop seems to be filling the top 40, with Taio Cruz and Flo Rida churning out number ones like there’s no tomorrow. Even X Factor manufactured stars always claim the coveted Christmas top spot, with only a social networking inspired group forcing Rage Against The Machine to battle to the peak in order to spice things up.

I know it may seem like it, but by no means am I complaining. I love all sorts of music, and if you rifle through my iPod then you will find albums by Kanye West, Kasabian, Pendulum, Lady Gaga, and ashamedly, the odd song by Miley Cyrus. The current trends that can be found in music do reflect the society that we live in, with the club scene being stronger than ever, and artificially created beats being more chart-friendly than crunching guitars.

So as a result, has rock and roll already enjoyed its golden age in music, and should everything after the 1950s and 60s be considered an Indian summer? I mean, if The Beatles were around in the 21st century, would they mastermind 27 number ones and have several hit albums over the course of ten years? We will never know the answer, but I fear that they would get lost amongst the Tinie Tempah’s and Pixie Lott’s of today.

You only have to go back about 15 years to see two other British rock and roll heavyweights fighting it out to be top of the charts, with Oasis and Blur ruling over the UK music scene during the 1990s. With the exception of a certain ‘Spice fever’, rock and roll music left a lasting impression in that decade, and while bands such as Biffy Clyro and Kings Of Leon have tasted success to a degree, and are inevitably popular, they are not always consistently in the charts.

The truth is, all of the above bands have cited rock and roll artists such as The Beatles and The Who as major influences, as well as inspiring a whole new legion of indie and alternative bands like Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand. In this respect rock and roll music can be seen as timeless, and a genre that will live on through the songs of others. Rock and roll music has had such a profound effect, so does it really need to be sailing into the top 40 every Sunday afternoon?

Each decade, or generation, has had a clear cut genre that has either emerged or been more popular than the others. In the 1950s and 60s it was rock and roll, in the 70s it was punk, in the 80s it was bands who heavily used synthesizers, in the 90s it was what is now referred as ‘cheese’ music, and finally in the 2000s it has been R&B and indie.

In effect every decade’s music has reflected the way that society has transformed and changed. So who knows, it could be rock and rolls time again in the future, and although I can’t see it happening soon, there isn’t any reason as to why it shouldn’t creep out of the shadows again.

So in answer to the title of this article, I personally don’t think rock and roll is dead, but it is not as popular as it used to be. Then again, it doesn’t need to be, as even though I was born near on twenty years after rock and roll mania started to subside, The Beatles and Elvis Presley well and still be listening to rock and roll eight days a week.

A family orientated Bournemouth: As golden as its beaches or all at sea?

I have been to Bournemouth for 11 days every summer for the last 18 years. People never fail to ask me how I don’t get bored with visiting the same place each year, and I just tell them it’s really easy. Bournemouth has so much to offer, with the seaside, the gardens and amusements being exploited to entice tourists to the resort. If anything, the town is guilty of over-selling it’s “seven miles of golden sands”, but with it being their prize asset, why not milk it for all it’s worth? To reflect its marketability Bournemouth receives well over a million tourists to the seaside town each year. This makes it not just one of the most popular places to visit in South England, but the whole of the country.

Not only that, but Bournemouth is also situated very close to other popular holiday destinations such as Weymouth, Winchester and Swanage. To top it all off, some of nature’s finest attractions are also only a stones throw away, with Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door attracting a consistently high number of people. The “Monte Carlo of England”, Sandbanks, is also down the road, even if people do go there to envy the lavish houses, and wonder how anyone can afford £10 million for what is essentially, a house with a sea view.

However, I feel all is not rosy with this juggernaut of tourism. There has been worrying trend where Bournemouth has become more student-orientated. This has had a detrimental effect on families, which are Bournemouth’s main target audience in terms of tourism. Although I was recently a student and probably would have taken full advantage of the extra clubs and bars dotted around the town, I can’t help but realise that families and tourists alike are losing out when they come to visit.

Over the last four or five years there has been a decline in the services that Bournemouth offers its tourists, while opening hours seem to get shorter year upon year. Although this will appear oblivious to newcomers to the town, for hardcore Bournemouth holidayers like myself, this can only be a worrying trait. What will Bournemouth be like in another five years? I mean, it will always have its prize asset, but if the services that supplement the beach become even more limited, will the families still come flocking?

For instance, a few years ago the amusement arcades used to be open as late as midnight, as well as the crazy golf that is situated right outside our hotel in the gardens. However, if you attempt to go in them now, you are often politely asked to leave around 10pm, and even 9pm on some nights! What’s worse is that this is occurring on the August bank holiday weekend, which should be a massive money maker for the town. Consequently, I find it criminal for these places to be shutting earlier than usual. More shockingly, the deck chairs were being packed away before Bank Holiday Monday had come around! God knows how many day-trippers were standing on the promenade clueless as to why these deck chairs had been chained up.

One thing the council has acknowledged though is that Bournemouth desperately needs an all-weather attraction, something that will extinguish boredom on a rainy day. Even though the Oceanarium and the cinemas are extremely popular in wet weather, they are the main two activities people resort to when the heavens open. As a result of them being fit to burst, people just get wet by queuing outside for it anyway. The council are going to tackle this issue by redeveloping the very controversial ‘Waterfront’ building. In the past it used to be a swimming pool that was exceptionally well used, and when it was demolished in 1998, there have been calls to bring it back ever since. These calls became significantly louder as it became apparent that its main replacement, the IMAX theatre, struggled in its three years of existence before it’s closure in 2005.

When I was there a couple of weeks ago, families upon families came into the ‘Waterfront’ attempting to visit the now derelict IMAX, and was stunned to find it empty. I was even more stunned that the council hadn’t put anything more than a tiny note saying it had “ceased operation in 2005”, effectively deceiving many people. I then proceeded to direct them all to the nearby Odeon and ABC cinemas, which I think are also poorly signposted. I most probably earned Odeon half their takings for that day actually!

The council took advantage of the current economic climate and bought the complex this year for half of the selling price two years ago, £15 million. Strangest thing is that one of the propositions for the site is a swimming baths, exactly what it was before, so they could have saved themselves all this hardship, time and money by leaving things the way they were! That seems to be the most popular choice with the public, but other options that have been discussed include a tropical house or a centre for performing arts. Whatever happens, I think what most residents will be most looking forward to is getting rid of such an eyesore, which for years has restricted views of what everyone has come to Bournemouth to see, the sea and the sand.

Another thing I noticed this year was that there is an alarming lack of variety of shows on offer in the BIC, the Pavilion and also at the Pier Theatre. To start with, there wasn’t much at all on during the summer period, but whatever was on, was mainly music tributes or below standard stage shows, with the exception of the evergreen ‘Mamma Mia!’ Don’t get me wrong, music tributes are good in their own right, but there are some people who don’t see the attraction of them, and so these theatres and arenas should be doing more to cater for a larger audience.

Anyway, I can’t complain too much, I do go there every year, and I plan on going again in 2011. However if nothing gets done about the Waterfront, the ever declining opening times for services, or the poor array of theatre shows on offer, then surely Bournemouth is nowhere maximising its potential to be the biggest seaside resort in Britain.

Bournemouth will always have one of the most marketable beaches in the country, but most families will want other things to do, activities that possibly go late on into the evening. As everything seems to close around dusk, no-one wants to go to bed at 9pm when they’re on holiday do they?! Maybe the council know that the tourists will always come their way no matter what? In my opinion they should be making more of an effort to make Bournemouth an enjoyable resort not just for tourists, but the permanent residents of the area too.

Singing forever young...

Picture above provided by Sam Belcher. More of his work can be found at Sam Belcher Photography.





Bono once said that “This is a time for bold measures. This is the country, you are the generation”, and I for one feel that young people are not valued enough in today’s age, constantly getting a bad reputation due to a small minority of anti-socials. Yes, the chav culture seems to be growing. Yes, violence and drinking amongst young people seems to be thrust much further into the spotlight. However, this should not be generalised to everyone that exists under the age of 21.

I am part of a youth group, during a time where the art of youth organisations seems to be declining in their growth, too often perceived as “uncool”. Every year we go away on a trip (known as ”Camp” to us) for a week to various activity centres, and for many of the children this is what they look forward to the most as part of the youth group.

I myself can vouch for this after being in it for twelve years, and even though I only went on five camps, I felt I missed a trick by not going on anymore. Three more camps have passed where I have become a young leader, and even though it was strange at first having to take a backseat in the activities, I very much enjoy the role I feel I have gradually been accustomed to.

This year our youth group was based in Norwich, a place we had previously visited in 2007, and so commenced 8 days full of wet and dry activities, days out, and the odd early morning. Rifle shooting, abseiling and climbing were some of the activities that were experienced on only the first full day, with some conquering their fear of heights, while others realising they probably shouldn’t be let loose with a gun again!

A day at the beach followed, where as a consequence of one of the games, my whole body up to my neck was submerged underneath a whole heap of sand, along with a few other leaders. We weren’t the only casualties however, with plastic ducks also being completely buried, one having to be left behind as it was obviously too difficult to find!

The next two days gave people the opportunity to get extremely damp with raft building, and some teams seemed to actually want to get soaked before even needing to, with some rafts collapsing before even half the people had clambered on! The above picture demonstrates how wet even the most successful of rafts got! Canoeing was also on the agenda, where everyone safely navigated themselves round a stretch of river, give or take a capsize or two.

Ice climbing did not meet a frosty reception either, as it’s uniqueness seemed to add an extra dimension to normal climbing. This unusual activity was taken on with aplomb, with ice picks and boots hammered into the ice-like substance to reach the top and give the wall a customary kiss before being lowered down. Not quite sure who they were pretending the wall was though as they hurled their picks towards it!

It is these sorts of activities that I feel most, if not all, children would jump at the chance to do if it was offered. My thinking is that they are oblivious to the many youth groups that provide these sorts of opportunities, or are peer pressured into not joining by their friends.

Couple these activities and the beach trip with another outing to a local theme park, and I think you have an activity holiday that represents very good value, and one that young people will enjoy. The young people that I was with all voiced a high opinion of the trip they had just been on, and enjoyed all the activities, even the ones not mentioned.

So, it is evident that children can enjoy themselves through such youth groups without hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons, which is indeed the exact motive as to why these clubs were set up in the first place. So for every chav that there is throwing a brick through a window, there is someone else hitting the gold in archery.

I am only 21 so I still feel I have to shoulder some of the blame that young people carry on a daily basis, but while these youth groups stay alive and hopefully grow, I feel there is a promising future for teenagers and youngsters alike.

So, you might ask, am I proud to be involved in such a movement?

Without a doubt, yes.

Oxegen Festival 2010: It must be something in the air

After being a veteran of, ahem, two festivals on the Isle Of Wight, this year I had decided to venture further afield in order to excite my musical taste buds. After much deliberation, me and my festival friend decided to travel outside of the UK and head for the Emerald Isle for the Oxegen festival in Dublin. What’s more, is that after deciding on a festival with a stunning line-up we proceeded to choose a not so great method of transport, foolishly avoiding the expensive plane for the tedious train and ferry combo.

The journey was arduous to say the least, experiencing more than our fair share of drunk middle aged men, lack of sleep and snoring over-sized ladies on a ferry in the middle of the night. We took all this with a pinch of salt, and continued on what seemed more like a pilgrimage to see the best bands in the world rather than a late night hop across the Irish sea.

After more trials and tribulations, we finally got off a coach in a sleepy state, and over the brow of the hill we could just about make out the world “OXEGEN” in giant green and white inflatable letters. Even though the campsite wasn’t yet open, the atmosphere was different to anywhere else. Maybe it was the Irish showing us Britons how to really party throughout a festival, or the excitement levels had been amplified due to us being so weary, but whatever it was, Oxegen was already beginning to be something special.

As I entered the main arena for the first time it was clear that the organisers had thought out the layout very well, as all the stages were within close proximity of each other without blurring the music together, something that Glastonbury has been criticised for in the past. As we’re on the subject of the Somerset festival, I think Oxegen got a severe case of Glastonbury-itis in terms of the weather, as for the majority of the weekend the heavens poured down, and even my raincoat cried out for some relief from the rain. Saying this, festival goers’ spirits seemed to reach a new, unheard of, level of joy, creating large expanses of mud pits around the main stage. Many Irish people seemed to be following in the footsteps of their ancestors by digging in the mud, playing the role of a farmer, searching for the odd potato here or there.

Oxegen festival has prided itself on being “The best Rock N’ Roll weekend in Europe”, and it is extremely hard to see why it shouldn’t be. With artists such as Jay-Z, Kasabian, Muse, Eminem, Fatboy Slim, Faithless and The Black Eyed Peas all appearing across the weekend, music of this calibre is always hard to turn down. All the artists seemed to perform the gig as if it were their last, whilst applauding the crowd for sticking it out in the rain, whereas Fatboy Slim gave us a welcome antidote with his two hour long Ibiza-esque set. My personal notable mentions go to Example, as he attracted a crowd that seemed to defy the capacity limit of the 2 FM tent, and Florence and The Machine for reminding people that despite the poor weather that they always have got the love, and always will. Despite realising many of dreams by seeing Kasabian play Fire, and being just metres away from Ellie Goulding, the music can only be a part of your experience at a music festival.

Irish people are quite possibly some of the most charming characters I have ever had the pleasure to meet, and even though we were instantly friends with them when they realised we were from London (or so they thought), never before have people been so willing for others to have such a great time. They’re not scared to have a conversation with you, and even though there are some oddball characters, it will always be amazing to share the experience with such vibrant people.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully determine why Oxegen festival was such a memorable experience, as it could be drawn from a number of things. Was it the people? Was it the eye-catching line-up? Or was it simply the luck of the Irish? Whatever it was, there was certainly something in the air.

Hard Rock Calling 2010: A night of rock that will be hard to forget.

The third day of Hard Rock Calling, an annual music event held in London, already had the perfect ingredients to be memorable before it had even started. Across the UK, it was proclaimed the hottest day of the year so far, and with this came a sizzling line-up against the backdrop of Hyde Park.

As I walked through Hyde Park, amongst the normal hustle and bustle of London life, a devoted section of people made a beeline for “Entrance X9”, the gateway to Hard Rock Calling. There seemed a touch of happiness in the air, after the fresh memories of acts such as Stevie Wonder and Pearl Jam performing over the previous two days, and this anticipation could be seen in everyone, regardless of whether this was their first day at the event or not.

By the time I had entered the arena, the atmosphere was strangely tense, although this was as a result of the large mass of people following the football, rather than listening to Elvis Costello belting out his huge hit, ‘Pump It Up’. I did feel a bit sorry for Elvis, especially with the dismal performance that the England team put out, and I know that if people knew the result before the game started, the ratio of spectators would have swung much more in Costello’s favour. I was starting to wonder if this would be the most animated the crowd would be the whole day after the disappointment of England’s exit from the World Cup, but my doubts were extinguished as soon as Crowded House stepped on stage.

They had heard the England result, and managed to do what they wanted, get the crowd forgetting about the football, and religiously singing the words to numbers such as ‘Fall At Your Feet’ and ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’. Before long the audience found themselves fist pumping to the Australians, while also practicing a Mexican wave several times at the request of the band. This seemed to bring the crowd closer together, as the chanting to ‘Weather With You’ reverberated around Hyde Park. I wouldn’t be surprised if it startled the Queen and all her Corgies in nearby Buckingham Palace.

The time quickly passed by, and suddenly before I knew it the star attraction was due on stage, Sir Paul McCartney. He made a fashionably late entrance, but my goodness he was worth it. Mixing up songs from his solo career and also his time with Wings and The Beatles, he performed an eclectic set that lasted just under three hours. Not bad for a man who’s old enough to collect a pension, but that shouldn’t cast a shadow over a man who has been a legend for the last fifty years. The highlight for me was the double hit of ‘Live and Let Die’ and ‘Hey Jude’ straight after one another, with an extraordinary fireworks display during the first exemplifying the pulsating nature of the song. I’ve got to say that during ‘Hey Jude’, it was the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced, I thought there’d be a huge sing-a-long, but not a togetherness that feels more at home in families.

Such was the attention on Paul, a girl who was desperately crying out for her partner promptly got the response; "Shut up woman, we've come to hear Macca, not you whinging!" This atmosphere lingered well after the gig had finished, with people reciting several lyrics from the day's artists, also frequently joined by a half drunk, half adrenaline-rushed choir.

This experience will live long in my memory, and from the amazing time I had on the Sunday, I’m slightly disappointed with myself that I didn’t go on the Saturday to see another name in music folklore, Stevie Wonder. Next year for sure though, I will definitely consider Hard Rock Calling as a festival to attend.

However, Oxegen festival in Dublin is calling my name...

Is it a bee? Is it a plane? No, it’s a Vuvuzela.

For the past week millions of households across the UK, or even the world for that matter, could have been forgiven for thinking that a swarm of bees had nestled in the back of their TV sets while they watched the World Cup. This has consequently put a sting in the tail of the British public, who have found this incessant droning quite irritating, and made the competition not as entertaining as they’d hoped.

However, as we all discovered, it was not a giant frenzy of bees hidden inside the stadium, it was a mass of people playing an African horn called a vuvuzela. I mean, I had heard of them before the tournament started but did I think you’d be able to hear them right throughout the match?! No, is the answer. Neither did I think they’d cause so much controversy that a request was sent to FIFA to get them banned, although this was declined.

Most people can’t stand the noise, my mum and sister included, and it would be so easy to agree with them. I have to admit it’s not the most pleasant of sounds, and if you’re like me who aims to watch most of the matches, it threatens to make your viewing of the World Cup pretty tedious. It also gives my mum some ammunition to convince me that the Coronation Street theme tune would be much better to listen to in the evenings, however I’ve started to forget the vuvuzelas are even there.

I’m all for tradition as well, and if this is how South Africa expresses itself throughout football matches, then let them. This is the first World Cup on African soil, so we’re bound to experience something new and different during matches. Even though you may not be able to hear fans chanting throughout World Cup matches, I think the vuvuzela adds a new dimension to the atmosphere.

Anyway, what are us Brits complaining about?! Thousands of us have already bought the plastic version that has been exported over here, and are quite happy to test it out in our homes and on the streets. Even my good friend Lou magically found one lurking in her house, so who knows, you may also find a vuvuzela under your stairs or in your garden shed.

The vuvuzelas have also given us an opportunity to crack endless jokes at our own nations expense. After the game against Algeria, lots of quips surfaced, some of my favourites being, “That’s not vuvuzelas, that’s the grass snoring”; or, “That’s not vuvuzelas, that’s the sound of a whole nation booing”. So, the vuvuzelas in a sense have given us some comedic relief from England’s poor performances on the pitch.

It seems that slowly everyone is warming to the African horn, and hopefully this World Cup will be remembered for the right reasons on the field, and not just for that annoying noise that got on everyones nerves.

We’ve spent enough time blowing our own trumpets about England’s World Cup chances, so why not let Africa blow theirs?

British Tennis: Double-faulting or serving aces?

The state of British tennis has been widely and publicly criticised over the last decade or so, and since the retirement of Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman there has been an alarming lack of serious up and coming players, with the obvious exception of Andy Murray.

This apparent dearth of talent has been realised in recent Davis Cup ties, where Great Britain have been relegated to the third tier of the Davis Cup structure, Europe/Africa Zone Group 1, on the back of a 3-2 loss to Poland. Even though they have been seeded first in this group, they still failed to beat the unseeded Lithuania.

Andy Murray has also made himself ineligible to be selected for the team, citing a busy tournament schedule throughout the year as his reason. Although this means the British team doesn’t feature a player from the top 100, this should eventually give the other, much lower ranked, British players invaluable match practice on the Davis Cup stage.

Great Britain are also only represented by two male players in the draw for Wimbledon, both of which are from Scotland, meaning there is no Englishman for the first time in Wimbledon’s 133 year history. This has called Roger Draper’s position, as head of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), into serious question. With tennis being one of the most commercial sports in the United Kingdom, behind only football, rugby and cricket, and valued at around £1.3 billion, we should surely have more talented players coming through the ranks.

Around half a million adults play tennis every week in the UK, and with this number bound to increase with Wimbledon starting next week, this number needs to translate down to the younger generation if Britain are going to have some bright prospects for the future. Wimbledon always provides great inspiration for children to take up tennis, and the ever growing presence of Andy Murray in the latter stages of the competition can only enhance that.

Of course, Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, or any of the grand slams for that matter, would do the power of good for British tennis, but it is also the myth that tennis is only played by white middle class people that hinders the growth of the sport. While Roger Draper claims that tennis is played by people of a mixture of backgrounds and races, it seems that more is needed to be done to get a larger amount of children interested in tennis.

However with planned spending cuts set to hit tennis more than most sports it has to be questioned how much faith there is in the UK producing more Henmans and Murrays to contest future competitions. This will inevitably make the LTAs job harder to discover hidden talent.

On the other hand British girls are seemingly flourishing, with both Laura Robson and Heather Watson winning junior Grand Slams in 2008 and 2009 respectively. While players like Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha aren’t sending massive shockwaves throughout women’s tennis, this new crop of players should encourage younger girls, and hopefully boys, to take up the sport.

So while women’s tennis in the UK is making great strides, men’s tennis is in dire straits, and at present there is no sign that that will change. With Fred Perry being our last Grand Slam winner back in the 1930s, who knows when we’ll have our next Grand Slam winner? While Andy Murray seems to be hitting the right balls to win one of those four elusive Slams, let’s just hope there’s a talented crop of youngsters following him.

The battle between revision and procrastination

As my third and final year at university comes to an end, it almost feels I have no work left to do. However, even with all my essays and dissertation handed in, revision is on the menu for what no one seems to enjoy, exams. With one already confidently (ok, maybe I’m lying to myself here) dispatched, there is still a second exam to tackle before I can enjoy the summer that lies ahead.

Exams are mainly hated because of the daunting amount of revision that needs to be done beforehand. Although how much you do essentially defines how well you do, students, including myself, are constantly trying to find shortcuts as well as various ways to procrastinate. The most ordinary of tasks seem so much more appealing, with fetching a drink preferred to a dose of cultural geographies. Even random suggestions enter your head, rearranging your sock drawer suddenly becomes an attractive proposition, whereas under normal circumstances this would be considered even more tedious, and more to the point, very strange.

During exam period procrastination is seen by students as the best thing since sliced bread, and even mundane television shows reap the benefits of teenagers resorting to staring blankly at the box rather than gazing at pages of notes. Revision marks the start of exam season, and so as you get more and more fidgety during the daytime, an “anything on tv will do” attitude is adopted by many people. Even adverts seem to be watched more closely, a desperate attempt to excuse yourself from looking at notes during the interval.

It is not just third years at university like myself that seem to have a concentration issue. Young people of different ages all have their own ways of avoiding revision at any level, and even though it is laughable now to think I struggled to sit through a GCSE Bitesize video, it still seemed a painful exercise. A painful exercise that somewhat seems very familiar in the present day, although with entirely different content.

I think the fact that the Bitesize programmes always had a clock in the corner made them drag on for what appeared an unnecessary amount of time. Couple this with an unhealthy dose of patronising presenters and you have a marriage made in heaven to make a student cry out for something else to do. Thankfully there are no such videos for my final exams, but then again maybe an over-friendly presenter could be a welcome relief to facing the daunting challenge of revision alone.

You’re all most likely thinking that I should be used to revision by now, and quite rightly too. Through my gluttony for procrastination I may have painted a bad picture of myself as a poor student, but I think most, if not all students, would put revision at the bottom of their favourite things to do. Saying that, my conscience always seems to shine through and has made sure I haven’t really ever had a disastrous exam, as my brain has been forced to absorb enough information. So I guess my common sense is the real hero in the battle against procrastination, and that revision does somehow become appealing when you think of the simple equation; better grades equals better job.

Revision will always be a difficult task to endure for any student, and while it has to be done, I am confident that the art of procrastination will never die. Anyway, I better go, the cutlery needs counting.

This article can also be found at About My Area Portsmouth

NME Radar Tour: Well Within My Range

Being my first gig since January, I was obviously psyched about going to the NME Radar Tour, especially to hear new bands that could widen my musical tastes. I had done my research on the bands, furiously attacking their Myspaces just so I could memorise some songs, and so I set off feeling like I’d never been out of the loop.

As I entered the Wedgewood Rooms, the first band, The Strange Death Of Liberal England, had already started playing, their raw sound reverberating around the venue. There seemed to be a feeling of anxiety in the air, with the room only being half full, but the band seemed determined to put on a good impression with their punchy choruses and screechy vocals making up for the deficit in the crowd.

This indie sound was followed by the folk band, Darwin Deez. These were one of the bands that I was anticipating, and I was not let down. Immediately they introduced a fresh spin to the evening, rocking out some snappy, well executed dance routines before each song, earning rapturous applause from the audience. Their set was equally as impressive, reeling off light, bouncy tunes, while their biggest British hit so far, “Radar Detector”, gave a nonsensical riding-on-air sensation.

Although Darwin himself said he had hurt his ankle, this didn’t stop him and the rest of the band putting on a storming show, as the New Yorkers’ confidence grew, the guitarists furiously bopping around the stage, while the bubbly vocals complimented the fluffy rhythms.

So it seemed that Darwin Deez had set the bar for the night, and one of the main attractions, Everything Everything, was up next. The electro noise was a stark contrast to the poppy melodies that it had followed, but songs such as “Suffragette Suffragette” and “My Kz Yr Bf” got the crowd bouncing along. In between the hard-hitting electronic beats and thumping vocals, Jonathan Higgs’ voice treating us to a few softer numbers, delivering velvety lyrics alongside quiet synths and guitars. The lead guitarist also tried to stake a claim to the area, shouting, “I was born down the road from here”, however getting the promptest of replies, “You should feel lucky you got out!”

By the time the headliner of the tour, Hurts, came on it was feeling like an eclectic line-up. Indie, folk, electro-indie and now four men in suits stood before us, their clean-cut style putting the other acts to shame. Standing rigidly with their slick hairstyles, Hurts acted like they belonged in the rat pack, not on an NME tour. However, as the piano kicked in with its echoic sound, coupled with the choirboy vocals, Hurts really did shake things up to end the night.

There was some negative feedback from the crowd, but this only worked in Hurts’ favour, with their songs gaining more momentum, with the lead singer Theo Hutchcraft actually looking like he meant every word. “Better Than Love”, their new single, was the closing song of the night, and this offered a new take, a more upbeat tempo getting everyone up dancing and jumping.

After such a long time away from the gig scene, it was a relief to experience upcoming bands that are bound to thrive in the future. Every band was impressive in their own way, and are sure to make their mark in 2010, but if I had to pick one that will storm the charts, it would have to be Darwin Deez.

Hopefully all these bands will reach your ‘radar detector’ sometime soon...



This article can also be found at About My Area Portsmouth

Graduation: The End Of An Era

Graduation. A word that fills me with mixed emotions. Looking forward to a new chapter of my life brings excitement, whilst leaving the last three years of my life behind floods me with dread. University life has become all but second nature to me; the late nights out, endless deadlines that are left to the last minute and a care free attitude have been mashed together to form some sort of routine that I have easily been accustomed to.

To try and come to terms to the fact that this routine will be taken away from me in a month’s time is something that is difficult to comprehend. I start to ask myself questions; “Will I ever get a chance to dress up in stupid costumes, go out for the night, and then walk home in them and still feel vaguely normal?” “Will I ever be able to rush a piece of coursework the night before without considering how good it is?” “Could I still pass off pasta as a regular figurehead in my weekly menu?” The answer to all these questions is quite frankly "no"; the themes of these questions only really apply to a student, and couldn’t possibly be accepted in the adult world.

Maybe leaving these so called “lifestyle luxuries” behind is a sign that at 21, it is perhaps time to grow up and get a firm hold on the real world, but after living like this for three years do students, me included, really have a desire to?

Three years previous I looked upon the transition from school life to university in a similar light. Now looking back, that adjustment was almost seamless, with new friends appearing instantly and a steady set of lectures meaning I settled in quickly. The lure of a free will and a doing-whatever-you-felt-like approach also played a part in changing what seemed like a big leap into a natural step.

A part of me is wishing this new adjustment in my life is also as smooth as the last, but another part knows this could only ever be false hope. Who am I to kid myself? Going from being a university student to being in full-time work is a big step. I don’t think I am the only graduating student that has fears of only ever amounting to a regular 9-5 office job for the rest of their life. Maybe it is this, getting a job I won’t enjoy, and not just entering the big bad world of work, that alarms me.

Having said all this though, the thought of finally growing up, perhaps not mentally, is something I am looking forward to. However scary it is wondering how long it is before you’re completely left on your own two feet, or how you will fit your social life around your new job, I see these as some sort of little achievements to aim for, like stepping stones to becoming a fully-fledged adult.

Looking at myself now I still see the same boy who bundled his way into halls back in 2007, and although I feel like I’ve come a long way, sometimes I think I haven’t changed a single bit. As a result of this mirror image, I’ve developed this apprehensiveness over how I will fare in the real world, and how I will cope without the “safety nets” of my parents and a student loan.

There’s no doubt I will miss university life a hell of a lot, it’s been a huge part of my life, being one of my most enjoyable experiences, and most importantly has shaped who I am today. I will take a lot from my time at university and this will hopefully translate into a positive outlook for the next episode of my life, as I attempt to become a fully grown adult.

Maybe I’m not stupidly panicking because it hasn’t properly hit me, and I’m still looking forward to another month of being a “tax-dodger”, so I haven’t quite been thrust into the working wilderness just yet.

When I finally do leave my house in Portsmouth for the last time, get a final glimpse of the university buildings and all the clubs that I once occupied, a titanic wave of memories will flush back, beckoning me to stay, something that will be extremely hard to resist. In all truth it will be hard to leave university life, but maybe I haven’t realised how hard it will be until the four weeks pass by in an inevitable flash, and I end up being able to count the days left on one hand.

Even though the death of my student life is looming, ask me my thoughts on graduating in a month’s time, and I may possibly have a totally different outlook on a working life, but for now, I’m quite content to see out the rest of my days at university.



This article is also published at: About My Area Portsmouth

The Wembley Stadium pitch: A hallowed turf or a fallowed turf?

Ever since the construction of the new Wembley Stadium reached completion in 2007, the pitch has been severely criticised for its quality and how often it has been needed to be relaid. The facts don't look pretty for the new home of the English national football team, especially after being way over budget, with the actual cost of the stadium amounting to £798 million. Couple this with the length of time it took to finish the project, over seven years, critics and the public were already skeptical about how worthwhile the new arena would be.

After being nearly a year behind schedule, Wembley Stadium made its debut as host of the 2007 FA Cup final. Since then it was been relaid ten times, most recently in March 2010, less than three years after it was first opened. With ten times seeming an extraordinary amount of times to relay a pitch in this sort of timespan, and an 11th time is in the pipeline after talks last week, there is clearly something fundamental wrong with the state of the turf and its longevity.

One of the main reasons as to why this pitch is in such poor shape and has been needed to be relaid so often is that Wembley is not just host to football games, but also to other events, some of which can be described as "unfriendly" to grass. These occasions are held as a result of the extortionate cost of the arena, and so are seen as ways of recouping the money spent on the stadium to ensure it was not a financial loss. Some of these events include concerts and also high profile games for other sports, such as rugby union, American football and even motorsport.

All these have taken their toll on the grass, and it has been reported that the fortunes of the pitch will not be changing anytime soon, with the turf needing to be replaced approximately seven times a year right up to 2023. With the impending future of the stadium meaning it will still remain a multi-purpose one for the next thirteen years at least, will there ever be a solution for the poor state of the turf?

Each time the pitch needs to be relaid it costs £90,000, so this can only slow down the process of recouping the huge cost of the stadium. However, some people have argued that Wembley can be a multi-purpose stadium and retain a high quality pitch, with the Millenium Stadium being a good example. This Welsh arena, along with the Parken Stadium in Denmark, have managed to hold numerous events while never encountering the huge issues that Wembley have with their pitches, so this proves that the problem at the London venue is very much an individual one.

Wembley's high stands and roof have been blamed for the pitch not recieving enough sunlight and wind so it can become the same quality as the arenas just mentioned, but with careful planning and preparation this could easily be solved say many critics. There is also the danger of athletes suffering injuries, as it was reported during the recent Portsmouth versus Tottenham Hotspur semi final that players lost their footing as the grass cut up beneath their feet. Clearly a bad pitch does not just reduce the quality of a sport but also makes it more of a danger to whoever plays on the surface.

So what does the management of Wembley Stadium have to do to ensure that the pitch returns to the quality of the old Wembley, where it was envied all around the world? The extra sporting and musical events are obviously having a huge effect on the state of the turf, with the Superbowl in 2007 having a significant impact, as the grass hadn't recovered in time for the football match between England and Croatia a month later. As the future of the arena has already been decided as a multi-purpose venue, it is apparent that there will need to be a better team of groundsmen and experts to tackle and overcome the constant issues that face the pitch today.

However, ask any top footballer, and they will still tell you that one of their dreams will be to play at Wembley, no matter how critical people are of the pitch. Unless the turf improves, the question has to be asked, how long can the Wembley Stadium's reputation go untarnished before the state of the pitch overshadows the home of English football?

Second Album Syndrome

Musical talent has flourished in recent years, with bands such as MGMT, Friendly Fires and Passion Pit emerging from the undergrowth to produce critically acclaimed debut albums. Before these releases, all of these bands were an unknown quantity, only known of by the most die hard of music fans. However, many of these sorts of bands have been and gone, and failed to live up to the hype of their first albums. The Stone Roses are one of many big name casualties, with their first effort recently being voted in a NME poll as "The Greatest British Album Of All Time", while their follow-up, with a somewhat bland name, The Second Coming, sank without a trace. It also failed to appeal to our American friends across the pond, and this huge disappointment ultimately led to the band's break up two years later. The Knack, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Reverend And The Makers and The Killers have also suffered similar fates, however The Killers did bounce back and record a very successful third LP.

On the other hand, it is not all doom and gloom for bands wondering what direction to go in with their second album, with bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian and Paolo Nutini posting triumphant returning releases. Oasis is a familiar name that avoided crashing and burning by following up their outstanding debut Definitely Maybe with an arguably better record, (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
So what is it about sophomore albums that cause some thriving bands to capitulate and others to well...carry on thriving? Is it the added pressure to do as well, or even better, than their first collection of tracks, or pressure from record companies to produce music that is radio friendly and more mainstream, therefore maximising album sales? Or is it the pressure from record labels to rush out a second album right after the success of the first? There may never be a clear answer, but unpacking the theories surrounding the "sophomore slump" is a fine start.

No matter how good the band is, there is always a sense of anxiety surrounding an artist's second LP, perhaps that, unlike seasoned bands who can afford a weak release mid-way through a career, a poor follow up could end a promising band's confidence, and with that, their career. MGMT are a good example, with their well publicised defiance to not follow the paths of others and produce more radio friendly music in their follow up, but to develop their own sound, also refusing to release any singles, preferring fans to enjoy their forthcoming album, Congratulations, as a whole. This thinking can only be helped by their obvious discomfort with being in the musical spotlight, and while this is certainly not a bad thing, it is not something the public are used to. As a result the album may not appeal to the majority, but on the flip side could also be a victorious project against what is seen as the pressurised norm.

The BBC Sound Of... is a yearly poll that is carried out by various critics and creates a list of the most promising new talent the world has to offer, starting back in 2003, and this is an ideal place to observe how bands who were once heralded as musical saviours have performed since they made the list. Out of all the previous BBC Sound Of... polls, there are a few big names that seem to have struggled since their debuts. The Magic Numbers, although only finishing tenth in 2004, brought out their debut album, The Magic Numbers, in 2005, and it was quickly praised, while also being commercially successful, and thus the group released a quick follow up to this in 2006. However, that never came close to reaching the heights of their first, and consequently have produced nothing since, and this may be because their sophomore was never seen as a worthy successor.
Electric Six have also dropped out of the mainstream after coming second in the 2003 Sound Of... poll, releasing their huge debut the same year, Fire. Even though afterwards they disappeared into the wilderness, they are still making music with their seventh album in development, proving that there is obviously still a market for bands that have become less commercially successful. As a result this shows that it does not spell the end for bands who cannot again hit the financial highs of their debuts.
On the contrary, Franz Ferdinand have gone from strength to strength, developing their sound to fit current tastes, and even headlined the "Other Stage" at Glastonbury last year. On this basis, it may just be a case of certain bands worrying about how their music will fit an ever-changing culture, and how to balance their own raw sound with "commercial friendliness".

It can be seen that there is a varied success rate amongst the bands of today, and albums are far more scrutinised than they were back in the 1960s and 1970s where it sometimes took bands a few albums to find their musical feet. Record Companies also heap pressure onto bands to quickly rush out a second offering, especially if the first LP is hugely successful. Consequently, this pressure and the constant media hype could be the downfall of some bands, getting the patiently waiting public worked up for an album that is lower than the anxious expectations, and as a result, the record is panned. However there have been times where album sales haven't been everything, with The Strokes' second offering, Room On Fire, not recieving the same commercial warmth as Is This It, despite it containing one of their biggest hits, Reptillia. Despite less album sales than their first effort, it is considered by critics as a worthy follow up and must-have for everyones record collection.

New bands could do no wrong either by adopting the attitude The Killers have shown, by replying to huge criticism of their second album with a record that could be seen as equal to their debut, whilst also containing one of the anthems of 2008, Human. If more bands and artists had this mindset, then for every poor second album, there could be a stunning third.

We may not be any closer to discovering an answer to this issue, but there are many points to consider and think about. The pressures of todays society coupled with too much hype could easily be thrown forward as the resolution for this debate, and while this could be the majority of the reason for bands failing to produce at the second time of asking, there are other factors. Other ingredients such as the individual worries and dilemmas over whether to stick with the sound that thrust them into the limelight, or to develop it and become more "mainstream", can also be included. Whatever bands decide to do with their sophomore albums, there'll always be frustrating flops and continued successes, but for now, the debate rages on...