Andrew's Thoughts and Experiences

The English in Tallahassee

2012-02-08T08:48:00.001-08:00

Tallahassee is the city of the motor car. Not in an unpleasant way, but more in a practical way.
It doesn’t have a particularly large population at 200,000. But with a limitless amount of space around that city, it has stretched its legs and spread over a huge area.

This means that daily amenities and shops have taken the liberty of having a bit of space. Why not?

The High Street is an alien concept in Tallahassee, so is the city centre. Instead each shop, restaurant and supermarket is an independent site with car park and a large florescent sign that hangs into the road making its existence unmistakable to passing drivers – Burger King, Best Buy, Publix. There are even drive-thru banks meaning there is seldom a need to leave your car.

The roads these shops and banks border aren’t busy as such. But they do have 3-4 lanes going in each direction. In the UK that equates to the biggest motorways in the country. But they don’t feel quite the same here. They have lower speed limits and are split by intermittent cross roads. (I don’t know what’s wrong with a roundabout)? Crossing six lanes to get to KFC isn’t for the faint hearted.

What this adds up to is that pedestrians are a rare sighting -rarer than some of the world’s rarest birds. I went for a 10 mile run yesterday and saw a maximum of seven people on the footpath. Admittedly this was heading out of town (passing a Burger King and McDonalds), but it wasn’t the countryside.

This doesn’t make Tallahassee unpleasant. The roads aren’t particularly busy. It’s green, the skies are blue and it’s quiet. But it does make it a little bit impractical. And the fluorescent lights give it a garish capitalist feel at times.

Eating in Tallahasse
Eating in Tallahasse is a joy. Especially, if like me, you like meat, huge portions and fast food.
We wanted to do the Super Bowl properly. So we tried to order some ribs from Piggy’s Rib Shack before the game. But by 5pm they had already sold out for the evening. So we headed to KFC instead to get some takeaway.

There are lots of questions when you go to KFC in America. Do you want light or dark meat? Do you want original recipe, grilled or extra crispy? What sides do you want?

Also, you don’t get any chips. Instead you get a biscuit. Or what I would call a scone. I have no idea what you’re meant to do with this scone, especially as they don’t give you any jam, clotted cream or tea. They do give you macaroni cheese as a side though, with a yellow Kraft cheese sauce. That’s right up my street.

Tallahassee compliments its food with a rich array of beverage, often served in a ‘thirst buster’ - a 1.5litre cup with straw. We were in the Mall the other day and I wanted a health boost. So I went to buy a smoothie. Just fruity goodness I thought. But when I watched the man behind the counter make it, I noticed a big scoop of white granules being poured into my cup. I racked my brains. But all I could come up with was that this was sugar. Surely not? I decided it was best not to ask, which was difficult as it was sweeter than any raspberries I’ve ever had.

Luckily Jenna has found herself a cooperative supermarket – New Leaf. They care about the community and the food they sell in there. It’s all organic or free range or something similar. But caring so much about the food means they are reluctant to let it go – it costs more than most of the meals that are sold in the florescent light establishments on the side of the road.

The Wildlife of Tallahassee
Tallahassee is located in the inland heart of Florida. This means that nature is on its doorstep.
Just 30 minutes outside of Tallahassee is Wakulla Springs. This Springs is home to some beautiful birds that would never venture as far as the UK and the water is home to alligators, turtles and manatee.

We had a boat tour from a larger than life character with a deep southern accent: “Yesss sir, that there is an alligatorrrr.” He was brilliant and so was the boat ride.

Two hours outside of Tallahassee and you reach the Gulf Coast. After driving through forests for a while you hit the coastal road which looks out over an endless sea horizon scattered with swooping pelicans. They’re my favorite.

We visited St Georges Island, 5-6 miles off the mainland. It has long sandy beaches and is pretty much empty apart from lavish beach houses.

But if you’re thinking you get there by ferry then think again. 5-6 miles over rough sea is no deterrent to building a bridge in America…

“Brad, I know we’ve got all of this space over here in Florida, but how are we going to get across to that small island so we can build on it? Shall we get a ferry over there?”

“No Cody. Don’t be silly. Let’s just fill the see with concrete and build the biggest flyover known to man.”

When comparing this to the UK we came up with the Solent that splits the Isle of Wight from the UK. A bridge across the Solent would be nothing short of savage.

Two worlds collide
The problem with all this nature and all of these roads is that sometimes they collide. And in the case of America this means a collision with a mechanical atrocity called an SUV. I think they have 8 wheels as standard.

Driving back to Tallahassee from the Gulf in the pitch black we suddenly noticed a big black lump on the road with dashes of red. It was a bear. A bear that had clearly just been hit by the car in front.

There was nothing we could do. We just careered over it. It was so big our car left the ground. But miraculously there was no (visible) damage. Sadly, we can’t say the same for the bear.

Can you imagine that? Running over a bear? This place is crazy.

Review of 2011

2012-01-03T12:03:00.001-08:00

A lot of people on Facebook are raving about 2011. I want to be a bit more considered than that – as you will see below. I would describe it as a funny old year. It ended much better than it started with a magical Christmas. And hopefully it laid the groundwork for a better 2012 – finally getting somewhere at work, marathon in the pipeline, driving lessons in full flow and a luxury holiday to the States booked.

Anyway, in time honoured tradition, here are my resolutions for 2012 and my review for 2011.

Resolutions
1) Run a marathon
2) Pass my driving test
3) Get promoted
4) Break 76
5) Become a photographer
6) Go on an adventure
7) Blog and tweet
8) Learn to play 100 new songs on the guitar
9) Save money
10) Have a better work/life balance

You may notice some similarities to last year.

Review

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
- Raised £1000 for charity
- Cycled round the Isle of Wight
- Visited Norway
- Cycled round Normandy and Brittany
- Hiked Hadrian’s Wall
- Won on the Grand National
- Flew a kite on the beech
- Climbed Mount Snowdon

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I made ten resolutions last year. I didn’t do that well. But maybe a little better than the year before. I have returned to football and put in some good performances. I wouldn’t say that I am amazingly fit. I haven’t been promoted which has been a constant source of frustration, but hopefully that will happen soon. And I have done some good stuff at work. I haven’t passed my driving test, but at least I am learning again. I did shoot 78 round Oakwood golf course. I have had guitar lessons and I am definitely getting better. I haven’t written a book. I have blogged a reasonable amount including about my cycle ride in France. I have been there for my family and feel better for it. I am sometimes on time.

New resolutions above. They are quite similar to last year’s.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No

5. What countries did you visit?
Last year I said I would never go back to the Netherlands because bad things happen there. I went back to the Netherlands. Bad things happened.

Apart from that, I visited Wales, France and Norway.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
- A more healthy lifestyle
- More contentment with where I am in my career
- I would love to say Sky Sports but I think that is one for 2013

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I don’t remember the date, but Stevie and Kate getting married was the most significant day of the year. It was brilliant to see two close friends so happy to be getting married. We celebrated with an adequate amount of drunken merriment. Jessica Rudkin put in an award winning performance.” Fuck them shoes!”

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
My bike ride to France. Going on my own, completely unprepared and with no plan was liberating. It was the best thing I did all year. I loved it. The charity bike rides were good too, as was the hike along Hadrian’s Wall.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I have been frustrated with my progress at work for a lot of the year, so I think that is my biggest failure. I also eat rubbish and need to look after myself better. I also need to be a better friend sometimes.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. And the knee feels much better.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I haven’t bought very much at all this year. I would say the scalextric I bought my brother for Christmas. That is a great present if I do say so myself.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
- Emad Nadim’s general behaviour always warrants celebration
- Stevie and Kate for getting married
- My mum has been pretty remarkable this year

13.Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
There were a lot of morons in the Priory in St Neots the day. David Cameron gets on my nerves.

14.Where did most of your money go?
Rent and debt. Depressing.

15.What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Christmas. Stephen hosted. We saw all of our closest family in a matter of days. We made a nice video for Jenna. It was a transformation from last year. It was the best Christmas for many years.

16.What song will always remind you of 2010?
I’ve racked my brains and there isn’t one.

17.Compared to this time last year,
I. are you happier or sadder?
Happier

II. thinner or fatter?
About the same

III. richer or poorer?
Poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
- Played golf
- Eaten green things
- Saved my money
- Kept in touch with important people

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
- Eaten pizza and chicken
- Felt less self conscious/unsure of what I am doing

20. Did you fall in love in 2010?
No

21. How many one-night stands?
None

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No

23. What was the best book you read?
One Day. That hits you right between the eyes. Closely followed by Cloud Atlas.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Vaccines are cool. Wretch 32 and Example have a catchy song. I like Coldplay’s new album. Noely G never lets you down.

25. What did you want and get?
My Dad gave me all of his cameras which was nice.

26. What did you want and not get?
A digital clock radio that wakes you up by recreating sunlight. I’ve wanted one for a number of years now.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Inbetweeners film. Or Arthur. Russell Brand was genius in that.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 28. It was a low key affair at ‘The Diner’ in Kensal Rise. Stevie and Kate bought me some nice gloves. I had a big chocolate milkshake and a burger. Perfect.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A long holiday
Promotion

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Retro – as in I didn’t buy any clothes all year so there was a lot of recycling. I just bought some stuff in the sales. The theme has been cheque. I think that’s ‘in’. I could be wrong.

31. What kept you sane?
Emad Nadim. I couldn’t go on without him.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I’m rubbish at this. I rarely fancy famous people.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
I think David Cameron’s decision to veto the European treaty was a little bit silly. I’m also stirred by the lack of leadership in the Labour party. I want them to get me angry this year and make me believe they are capable of taking on the Tories.

34. Who did you miss?
- The Pakistani family
- Family
- I’ve not seen Nick Howard this year. It would be good to see him at some point. Cheeky little bastard

35. Who was the best new person you met?
People at work… and some others…

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:
It’s easy to take the most important things for granted.

The day I nearly met Jonny Buckland from Coldplay

2011-12-16T13:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I nearly met Coldplay’s guitarist. His name is Jonny Buckland.

I was on my way to a Coldplay charity gig. I got on the jubilee line at Baker Street towards the O2 arena. I sat down and across the carriage from me I saw a man wearing a beanie and looking quite stylish. I thought that’s a coincidence, he looks EXACTLY like Jonny Buckland from Coldplay.

In fact his resemblance was so disconcerting that I couldn’t concentrate on my Guardian. Not even the story about David Cameron wielding his EU veto. Surely it was impossible for Jonny Buckland to be travelling to a Coldplay concert on the tube.

As time passed, I became more and more convinced. But it takes a more courageous man than me to say:

“Hey, how’s it going? Aren’t you Jonny Buckland from Coldplay?”

“Don’t be ridiculous mate. If I was in the world’s biggest band would I be travelling on the tube? I mean there are no guarantees the jubilee line would even get me there on time.”

So I just stared at him. And what’s more, everyone was so busy doing their own thing, they didn’t seem to notice him.

When we arrived at Greenwich, I had to be sure it was Jonny Buckland. I followed him out of the carriage. On the platform he gave his bearded friend a knowing look as if to say, ‘I’m going to get away with this’.

But I was on to him. He pulled his scarf over his face and made his way to the exit. I followed him up the first escalator. I followed him up the second escalator. I followed him along the walkway to the O2, where he loitered outside away from the crowds.

He made a phone call. Seconds later, someone came out to meet him. I followed them inside. He was promptly taken round the back through the VIP entrance. That was all the proof I needed. It was definitely Jonny Buckland. It was definitely Jonny Buckland that I had sat across from on the tube for 30 minutes. It was definitely Jonny Buckland that I followed off the tube, up the escalator and towards the O2. And it was definitely Jonny Buckland that I had failed to take my once in a life time chance to say hello too.

I don't know why famous people would get freaked out by their fans.

Nevermind. Coldplay were good. I like their new songs.

Time to go Sepp

2011-11-18T07:53:00.001-08:00

Reading the Guardian over a fish finger sandwich on my day off, I came across a story analysing the reaction to Sepp Blatter’s absurd suggestion that racist abuse in football should be settled with a ‘handshake’ and is all part of the game.

Sepp has been on borrowed time for a while now and has probably sealed his fate this time. But it's such a gaffe that he has also given politicians the world over fertile ground for a statement. You know you're in trouble when that happens…

Think of a subject to talk about that will connect with the average man….football

Think of a topic the majority of normal people will agree with…condemnation of someone who is accepting of racism

According to Owen Gibson's story in the Guardian:

“David Cameron last night backed Robertson’s call for Blatter to resign, describing Blatter’s claims that racism on the pitch is not a problem as “appalling”, adding that there was “no time for complacency” when it came to stamping it out.”

And

“Ed Miliband, the labour leader, said: “I think Sepp Blatter’s comments are a disgrace, frankly, and I think football needs new leadership. I don’t think he has shown in the remarks he has made recently, or indeed his record, that he can provide that leadership for world football.”

Time to get your coat Sepp.

A vision of better world part 2

2011-11-12T01:50:00.001-08:00

Earlier this year, I said that a match.com advert was a vision for a better world - the one where two random people spring into song in an old antiques shop. Well, manipulative advertising has done it again - this John Lewis Christmas ad is possibly the purest thing I have ever seen:

This is the world I want to live in.

I thought that my satisfaction peaked at watching it. But then I sent it on Skype to a special friend on the other side of the world who was having a particularly bad day. Watching her smile gradually get bigger and a tear roll down her face as she watched it was the highlight of my day.

The resurrection of seminal Manchester pop group the Stone Roses

2011-10-29T04:51:00.001-07:00

I love the Stone Roses. I have done ever since I started listening to their Greatest Hits on the bus on my way to work in an ice cream parlour in Vancouver. In fact I would go as far to say they are my favourite band (along with Oasis and the Beatles). And last week I came a step closer to fulfilling the dream of seeing them play live.

Music doesn’t excite me as much as it used to. It’s sad isn’t it? I think it’s part of getting older. You worry about money, your job, your girlfriend and your ever expanding waste line not helped by that gym you never go too.

I remember counting the days to seeing the Stereophonics at Donnigton Park. I remember creating a mix CD with the best tracks from my first V festival. And I remember my friends and me getting up at the crack of dawn to try and secure Oasis tickets the moment they were released.

Back then, gigs (I always call them concerts, but the sounds a bit Peter Gabriel now) would stay with me for weeks. I would remember the set-list. The words of the front men would go round my head for days. And I would try to learn the songs I heard on the guitar.

But it’s not like that any more. I rarely go to gigs. And even when I do, they don’t stay with me in the same way. The last time I saw Oasis is far less memorable than the first time, even though it was about 8 years later.

The reunion

So, the reunion of the Stone Roses has been refreshing. I first read the rumour in the Daily Mirror on about page 30. But couldn’t quite believe it. Even in the most recent interview I read with John Squire he said he had met Ian Brown for the first time at Mani’s mum’s funeral but was still retired from music and focusing on art. They had all ruled it out for years – “not in this lifetime”.

But by the Tuesday the rumour was too big. I couldn’t wait to see the press conference. What would they look like? What would the chemistry be like? Where has the drummer been all this time?

When I got home in the evening I watched it on YouTube. All 25 minutes of it. They didn’t give much away. But it was worth it for when Ian Brown said: “We’ll do it like last time. We’ll ride it until the wheels come off….and they did, didn’t they?” and when he asked the Daily Mail reporter if he voted Tory.

Getting a ticket was a no-brainer. The anticipation leading up to Friday was intense. I knew I was up against all of Manchester.

The day came. I sat at my desk pretending to work, but was really poised and ready for the tickets being released at 9:30am. As soon as the clock struck 9:29am, I frantically opened up all of the ticket selling websites and started pressing refresh as they literally broke under the demand.

You would have thought they would have figured that problem out by now. After 15 minutes of constant refreshing, my will was broken. They were sold out. Disaster. Disappointment. It was like Knebworth 1996, when I had to go on holiday in Italy instead of go to Oasis’s biggest ever gig.

But unlike Knebworth, this story has a happy ending. I had another look just after 10am. And another date had been added. Without thinking I bought two tickets and this time the website worked. When the confirmation came through on my phone 24 hours later, I gave it a goal scoring fist pump and “YES!”. Stone Roses. Heaton Park. Here I come.

Ride around London

2011-09-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

Well it started in disaster.

My good friends Stevie and Kate were willing to give me a lift at 7am in the morning - very kind of them. To get my bike in the back of their car, I had to remove the front wheel. The bike fitted in the back like a glove. All the signs were good so far.

However 45 minutes later, when we were unloading the bike, the clip that connects the wheel to the bike was no where to be seen. We literally emptied the car looking for it. I called Emad, who was asleep, and got him to go outside our front door and search the street for it to see if I had left it behind.

In complete panic, Stevie and I walked to the registration desk – me carrying the bike, him carrying the wheel. We didn’t know what to do apart from cry out for help. We had run out of ideas. The bike repair man couldn’t help, the closest cycle shop wouldn’t open until 11am, and the last group were leaving at any minute. I thought that was it. I was going to have to give up. What would I tell all of the people who had donated? I could feel myself welling up.

Then a saint made himself known, a saint in the form of a mumbling teenage volunteer with long hair and wearing a beanie. He said: “You can have mine off my bike for a tenner if you want? It won’t cost any more than that to replace will it?”

I could have kissed him. Little did he know I would’ve given him £100 for that small piece of metal. This man has a lifetime of good karma stored up as far as I am concerned. Great things are going to happen to him. I mean it was a Sunday, Herne Hill Velodrome isn’t exactly in a metropolis of bike shops and he had lost his primary form of transport. He was going to have to go to some serious inconvenience to get his bike on the road again.

Trying not to think about that too much, I quickly joined the last group, did a lap round the velodrome and set off on my way.

Joining the back of the pack

Feeling relieved I made good pace to start with. The route headed out of London through Croydon and there were quite a few cyclists around. However after about ten miles I came across a sign with two arrows going in two opposite directions. I picked left. I picked wrong.

After about 6-8kms I hadn’t seen any more signs and was in a small village called Whyteleafe. I had clearly taken a wrong turn. By the time I got back on the route 30 minutes later I was well and truly at the back. This meant I spent the whole day playing catch-up.

The first stop was at the top of Box Hill – a long climb that will be used in the Olympic road cycling race. It wasn’t quite as severe as a couple of cliff faces I had to climb in the Isle, but I was still glad of the rest and cup of tea as a reward at the top.

The next 35 miles took me over the North Downs through country roads towards Windsor. This is where I realised I had fallen behind. They were packing up the rest station as soon as I arrived. I wolfed down a chicken sandwich and had about three energy drinks before setting off again.

The final leg

At the third stop at a community centre where they had run out of milk for the tea, I was told to ‘beware of the broom’.

“The broom? Well what’s the broom?” – apparently it’s a well known cycling term

“Yeah it’s a truck that picks up those people that can’t finish. The cut off point is about 5:30pm I think, so don’t stop for too long.”

Well that simply wasn’t an option. I couldn’t not finish. Not after all I had been through, what with the wheel clip and the saint.

Learning of the broom was probably the best thing that could happen to me. I set off with a new sense of purpose and was soon speeding past people. Maybe they didn’t know of the broom. All of the time I was just thinking of how I would stop the broom from sweeping me up if it was to come my way.

Thankfully, I stayed ahead of it and I dare say that the last 28 miles were the fastest part of the ride even with a couple of ‘finish you off hills’ coming in. The final part of the route took me into Lee Valley, ending in Chesunt at the Lee Valley White Water Centre.

I crossed the finish line at about 6pm and was welcomed by my old friend, Dave Boorman, who had coincidently organised the ride. The cycling festival I had been promised was just empty tents and people packing stuff away. I had missed the party, but there was plenty to celebrate after completing 185 miles in a week. I was knackered but elated.

Thank you again

As I write this, my bike rides have raised over £750 for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research – a phenomenal amount of money. My original target was £370 – £2 for every mile. Although in hindsight that was not very ambitious, we have more than doubled it which has completely exceeded my expectations and made every hill worthwhile. Thank you. So much.

Cycling the Wight

2011-09-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

Just in case you’ve missed the gushing Facebook updates of my mother, the news is that I completed the first of my two bike rides in aid of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research on Sunday (www.justgiving.com/andrew-webster5).

But it wasn’t easy going. I had to battle endless hills, driving rain and a very dodgy cycling outfit to complete the course. However I was spurred on by the fact that I had almost met my fundraising target by the time I set off thanks to some very generous friends.

I set off from East Cowes at 9:45 and headed west towards Ryde through country roads and small villages. The first ten miles passed without incident apart from a wrong turn and a dead end.

However as I headed south, I started to hit some big hills. You could forgive me for thinking there was a typo on the sign below…

The second checkpoint, just short of halfway, was at top of the biggest hill on the route and with my legs shaking and feeling emotionally broken I was pleased to see my family sitting in the car at the top waiting for me. Despite my begging, they refused to take me home, but did offer me a seat in the back to eat my sandwich and some locally made fudge.

Setting off again, the rain began to fall and the wind blew in from the sea. It was pretty miserable for about an hour. As I cycled towards Freshwater though the weather improved slightly and the views out over the sea and white cliffs was pretty spectacular.

However the white cliffs I was admiring, soon became the hills I was climbing and I entered a world of pain once more. This time my strategy was to get in the slip stream of a pro cyclist and just follow their pace up the hill. I continued to do this with each person that overtook me. I was rewarded soon after reaching the summit with a piece of chocolate cake and a cup of tea at the Yarmouth checkpoint.

The last 15 miles from Yarmouth to East Cowes flattened out a bit and I roared towards the finish line with a couple of last minute hills for good measure. Back in East Cowes my family were there to welcome me and I was presented with my medal…can’t you just feel the pride on my face?

I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far. It’s been touching how quickly I have been able to hit my target and every penny has been gratefully received. I'm now preparing for a mammoth 115 mile ride round London. If you’re still planning to donate, the website is www.justgiving.com/andrew-webster5

St Neots making the headlines: part 2

2011-06-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Sarah Burge made history by becoming the most famous person to come out of St Neots after appearing in a double page spread in the Guardian entitled: ‘Does cosmetic surgery help or damage people?’

This follows Sarah’s recent front page story in the Metro entitled: ‘A breast op for my 7th birthday? Thanks, mum, it’s a dream come true’

This time, there is no mention of my hometown – St Neots you clearly need a better PR person.

But I recognised Sarah immediately. She's a face you don't forget. And before I make too many snide comments, she actually came across quite well as she pitted her wits against a Psychotherapist, arguing that cosmetic surgery was good for people with low self-esteem about their body.

"You say people are profiting from it, but you're profiting from it as well. People who are unhappy with themselves, you're sitting here counselling these people and saying, "Look, you don't want to go and have plastic surgery, it's not the right route, it's this that and the other, you've got other issues going on inside there, we're going to try and treat that together." So you've got them coming backwards and forwards, loading up your bank account, so you're quite happy with that as well."

Just, goes to show, that you should never judge a book by its cover, even if it is a rather superficial, Barbie doll looking cover.

Eynesbury Rovers see success again

But this isn’t the only national news coming from St Neots this week. This morning I got an email from my Dad saying:

“Breaking News: Eynesbury Rovers under 11s football team won their first tournament for 11 years - source Chris Evans show, BBC Radio 2.”

I played for Eynesbury Rovers, what must be about 11 years ago. I like to think of myself as a Beckhamesque right winger. What's more, I’m pretty sure we clinched the league in a well fought play-off (I was sub that day, but added my contribution by shouting encouragement from the sideline). Well done to the Rovers.

What a week for St Neots. And they say local news is dead.

Top 10 from the Isle of Wight festival

2011-06-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

I went to the Isle of Wight festival at the weekend. But I did it a little differently to yesteryear. Gone were the tents, the band obsession and the craving for alcohol.

Instead this was a mild affair, going home in the evenings, seeing bands I know little about and reading the newspaper during the day. Oh, and the rain. I've never experienced rain quite like it.

So not to forget, I've captured ten top moments, similar to the Metro

1) Kings of Leon: Brilliant band who got the festival off to a great start on the first night. They started with some older heavier stuff too - Four Kicks et al - which was much appreciated.

2) Reading the newspaper: Didn't see much on Saturday, so had a relaxing day lying on the grass reading the newspaper at the Garden Stage. Very nice it was too.

3) Seasick Steve's quirky set and telling his backstory - "Let me tell ya, I'm getting some spare change now." Also Dave Grohl dedicating 'best of you' to Steve after saying he had found out earlier that he had queued up to see his first Nirvana gig in a small bar in Washington state.

4) Who ate all the pies? Check out this queue for pieminster.

5) The £5 footlong hotdog: The best value food on sale. Look at how happy it made me.

6) Jarvis Cocker, his lewd dancing and witty banter: I had decided Pulp were going to be the best of the rest before I went. And they were.

7) Two acoustic sets by Britpop legends Iain Broudie (Lightning Seeds) and Tim Burgess (Charlatans) made all the more beautiful by the torrential rain they performed under.

8) Liam Gallagher's swagger

9)The rain: I have never been to such a wet day at a festival. It was as much about survival as enjoyment.

10) Kasabian: They completely saved a washout Sunday with the best set of the weekend. The perfect festival band - great front man, a funky beat and many a singalong anthem.

Liam Gallagher - still doing it

2011-06-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

After seeing this, I questioned whether Liam Gallagher was beginning to sell out. Promoting speakers certainly doesn't fall into the 'cigarettes and alcohol' category.

Kissing his son and wife whilst being shown on the big screen at the Isle of Wight festival, he certainly seemed like the model family man.

But Liam was on fine form yesterday as he marched on to the stage in a union jack coat and belted out the latest Beady Eye tracks in his typical Mancunian snarl. And there was certainly no pandering to Sky Arts HD or similar corporate sensitivities, when he squared up to the crowd and said: "This is being filmed in 3D yeah? I wonder what these bambinos look like in 3D?" before rising two v-signs high into the air....

The most enertaining moment of the festival. Juvenile I know, but 10 years ago I would've said it was very Rock n Roll.

More classic Liam Gallagher moments can be found here on NME.com - 'Liam Gallagher's 60 funniest quotes'

test

2011-06-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

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St Neots: making the headlines

2011-06-10T02:36:00.000-07:00

It's not everyday that someone's home town is plastered across the front page of a national newspaper, so it's something to be savoured when it does happen.

I picked up the Metro on the way to work yesterday and started to read the front page splash about a girl being bought a boob job for her 7th birthday. You can imagine my surprise when I read:

"Her mother from St Neots, Cambridgeshire, has spent more than £500,000 on her own surgery so she looks like Barbie"

..."Poppy isn't interested in bouncy castles or pass the parcel, so I splashed out on something more grown up," said her mother, who hosts swinging parties and writes erotic novels.

Well I didn't know St Neots had it in it.

This isn't the first story Metro has run on my hometown this year. I'm sure no one can forget the "Mothers kicked out of council-run playgroup for being British" story. Emma Knightley and Kimberley Wildman were ordered out of Making Links playgroup at St Neots Priory Centre after being told the group was for non-Britons only.

"Roger Owen, administrator for Making Links, claimed the group was not a ‘typical’ playgroup and was funded entirely for women from other nationalities."

The most surprising thing about this to me, was to learn that there were people of other nationalities in St Neots. I don't remember it like that. The closest we had was my mate Paul, whose parents were from Liverpool.

It's said that a home town says a lot about someone. I hope not. I love it all the same though.

London

2011-06-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

Quiet, striking and beautiful is how I would describe the scene coming out of the gym next to the office today. It's easy to take for granted the things you see everyday...

ADDITION: I've put it sideways as form of artistic expression.

Letter of complaint to Mr Capello

2011-06-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr Capello,

I feel that I have suffered at England's hands for long enough and I now need to voice my concerns.

I understand that you are a distinguished football manager with numerous accolades. I also read that you paid a handsome salary the by FA - one that even eclipses mine. However as a dedicated fan who has followed England through the occasional good times and often bad, I feel you could benefit from some of my advice.

You see, supporting England has become a bit like an unhappy marriage for me. And I am thinking of divorce. The England team have become my disgruntled wife - there are brief flashes of what I once loved (Euro 96), but on the whole I feel bored, frustrated and questioning: "Is this really for me?" What I want from England, Mr Capello, is a mistress. A filthy mistress that sets the pulse racing, that takes risks and isn't afraid to chase a game.

My advice for the pursuit of this mistressesque football comes in the form of common Sunday League cliches:

Be direct - the most frustrating thing about England is the discipline with which we keep the ball. This may sound strange. But the ball just seems to go from side of the pitch to the other, and very rarely near the opposition goal.

That has its place, no doubt. But what I want is for my team to roar out of the blocks and start a game with the intention of scoring three goals in the first ten minutes rather than being careful not to concede one. Please keep the words, "let's keep it tight for the first 20 minutes" out of your team talk, no matter who the opposition. I want the intensity of a mistress not the lethargy of a wife!

Put a foot in - partly to get the ball back, but partly to get the crowd behind you. I don't want anyone getting hurt in football, but I am glad that Paul Scholes never learnt to tackle, I loved watching Paul Ince hit an Italian with the force of rocket and rejoiced over Tony Adams' life saving tackles. If Scott Parker crunches someone in a fair tackle within the first few minutes, 80,000 people at Wembley will cheer. An acceptable bit of filth is often the signal of the exciting things to come.

Play on the break - I'm talking Peter Schmeichal to Ryan Giggs style. Even in the 85th minute yesterday, Joe Hart would take the ball from a corner and then hold on to it whilst everyone got back in position. Theo Walcott and Ashley Young are faster than some of the UK's best Olympians. Launch it to them Joe, and watch them run at their backtracking defenders with the velocity of a speeding bullet. Forget the foreplay, let's get down to business!

A bit of Blackpool - They went down trying to play like Barcelona and their fans went down proud. We've got the two best centre backs in the world, let's trust them and take some risks going forward. Sometimes, we might get caught with our pants down, but at least we'll be having fun in doing so.

I can (dis)honestly say that if England had left the field yesterday, 3-2 losers but had hit the bar seven times in a game that they dominated in a fast and dynamic style, I would feel more satisfied. Settling for draws at Wembley is unacceptable. I was embarrassed when I saw the Swiss fans on the tube coming away from the stadium. Please don't put me in that position again Mr Capello.

One final request, and I think this could be the turning point; please can you pick Michael Owen again? I know he's a bit of a wild card these days, but if there was ever a man who performed for England it was him. Let's give him another chance. He would've finished Bent's chance yesterday in a heart beat.

Please take this as constructive criticism Mr Capello. I genuinely want England to succeed and make the country proud. If you want me to come down and do some work with the lads, then I would certainly consider it for a small fee.

Kind regards,

Andrew Benjamin Webster

Legend would be no overstatement

2011-06-04T02:12:00.000-07:00

It's a sad, but celebratory week for football. Sad, because possibly the greatest English player of the last two decades has retired. But celebratory in that we've been been graced with Paul Scholes' consistent brilliance for the best part of twenty years.
As a football crazy kid, I remember when I first came across Paul Scholes. His picture was in a Manchester United magazine with the caption: "Nicky Butt, Youth Team."

Before long he was impossible to confuse. He was in the first team and couldn't stop scoring. Soon after he was being picked for England and unlike many great English players, fulfilled his potential on the international stage for the time he decided to stay there. When asked if Scholes' place was in danger in the lead up to Euro 2004, Sven just laughed and said: "Haha I don't think so. Paul has nothing to worry about." (that is not verbatum).

But Scholes was also a credit to himself, the spirit of Manchester United and to English football; never one to be splashed across the Sun's gossip pages, steering clear of high profile contract negotiations and only rarely giving interviews. A football player with traditional values who never grew so big as to crave media attention. Unlike virtually every other football player of his generation, I've watched him play for hours, but heard him speak for barely minutes.

Rather that wax lyrical for too long (many football pundits have done this far better than I could), I thought I would just share my favourtie Scholes moments (there were four more but I can't find the clips...)

England vs. Tunisia
I remember watching this in the library at school, because the match was during the school day. Scholes was a certainty from the start, whilst Beckham was started on the bench because of questions over his temprament.

England vs. Scotland 1999
On a couple of occasions, Scholes single handedly pulled England over the line. His hatrick against Poland also comes to mind, but his brace in the European Championship has to be one of his strongest England matches

Manchester United vs. Arsenal FA Cup semi-final 2004
I watched Scholes live a few times, but in this semi-final at Villa Park he was absolutely everywhere . I've never seen a player with such an engine. He was box to box and not suprising when he popped up in the penalty box to score the only goal of the game.

Manchester United vs. Barcelona 2008
Later in his career Scholes played deeper and scored far more rarely. However the ones he did score were both spectacular and vital. This winner in the semi-final against Barcelona sticks in the mind along with his winner last season in the Manchester derby in the depths of injury time. For the latter, I was in a pub in Manchester - the roof came off.

Manchester United vs. Manchester City 2010

Give me back the ticket man

2011-05-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

Going to the cinema has changed. I don't want to become one of those 'it was better in my day' sort of people as I grow older, but I feel I can no longer suffer in silence in my less than frequent trips to the flicks.

At the heart of my complaint is the welcome you get as you enter.

Everytime I go, the ticket office isn't even open these days Instead, people are left to fend against the 'self service' machine by themselves. Not only is this an annoyance as ques build behind people who struggle to make out which side the screen is on the picture when choosing seats, it also means that you don't meet a cinema employee until 20 metres into the building. What sort of commercial operation runs itself like that?

I mean is it too much to ask for, to walk into a cinema, speak to a real person (including hormonal 16-year-olds), buy my tickets and discuss the best seating strategy. One ticket, with today's prices, would pay that hormonal teenager two hours wages.

Also, when did film viewing become a class based sport? Why have cinemas felt the need to bring in the VIP option for the more wealthy? Right in the middle of the auditoriam yesterday was a section reserved for VIP seating. It essentially equates to a leather seat and slightly more leg room as far as I could make out.

This isn't a flight. Leg room isn't going to be a problem. And if you need to recline during the movie to sleep, you've clearly not made the best film choice. Ed Miliband take note - I no longer want to be the victim of segregation when watching the latest blockbuster.

Acton Vue - please interpret this as an open letter of complaint.

chesil beach 360

2011-05-30T06:49:00.001-07:00

I tried to live blog some pictures of the view from a walk round the chesil cove the other day but was defeated by my reception.

As someone in the holiday party said: "if it was a choice between Miami beach and chesil beach, I would pick chesil every time." lovely.

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inspiration in maidenhead

2011-02-06T14:47:00.001-08:00

I've just been in a random pub in maidenhead watching my uncle's cover band churn out classics. by the likes of ac/dc. and i saw this poignent message above the door. it's probably the best sign I've ever seen and will be integral to my week.

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A vision of a better future

2011-02-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

I’ve found it. The perfect vision of what the world should aspire to be. And it’s come in the form of a TV advert for Match.com.

I don’t say within the arena of love, or as a desperate singleton. No, not me. I’m just pretty sure that we wouldn’t need to bother with any wars or general injustice if people all over the world walked into shops and sprang into an improvised song in which they found no end of common ground.

Unfortunately, as someone who has found himself on a few blind/internet dates over the years I can assure you that the world is not like this. Trust me when I say, none of these have ever started, let alone finished, as happy as composing a piece of music.

It therefore looks like we’re back to international treaties and UN summits as our best mechanism of ensuring world peace. Still, match.com have allowed me to dream.

Putting an end to the "fuck it" mantra

2011-01-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

There is a lifestyle that I sometimes fall in to, which this year, I want to avoid. It’s the legacy of student living – an environment I thrived in – rearing its ugly head. I call it the “fuck it” mantra.

The “fuck it” mantra is easy to identify, as with each (non) action I say the words, “fuck it”.

- Alarm goes off at 7am. “Fuck it.” Press snooze.

- Get to the bathroom, no shaving foam. “Fuck it.” Designer stubble.

- Go to the wardrobe, no ironed shirt. “Fuck it.” Wear a jumper.

- Get to the station, season ticket has run out. “Fuck it.” Buy pay as you go.

- Get home, nothing in the fridge. “Fuck it.” Buy a pizza.

- Check post and see letter with big red writing. “Fuck it.” Leave it on the side unopened.

- Take gym kit to work, finish at 6pm. “Fuck it.” Too late.

- Rubbish collection day, bin full. “Fuck it.” Do it next week.

- Text from close friend seeing if I want to meet up. “Fuck it.” Reply later.

- Washing has been in the washing machine for three days. “Fuck it.” Give it a spin.

- Shower head is broken. “Fuck it.” Fix it later.

- Running late. “Fuck it.” Be late.

Goodbye sorry student habits.

P.S – any future employers please read on to aspirations for 2011 – a far better reflection of who I want to be.

Review of 2011

2011-01-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

Well, another sorry year on the resolutions front. If I was being very flexible, which I am, then I could say that I have achieved about two out of ten. Atleast I didn’t open the year with a stinking hangover and a hazy memory this year. No my mind was clear as was the sense of failure.

Anyway, as is now custom at this time of the year, here are my resolutions for 2011 and a review of 2010 – a year that will be remembered as consistent rather than spectacular.

Resolutions

1) Return to football and get amazingly fit
2) Get promoted in my job
3) Pass my driving test
4) Learn to cook
5) Perfect the acoustic guitar
6) Break 80
7) Write a book
8) Bring my blog back to life
9) Be there for my family
10) Be on time

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
- I started driving (lessons)
- I was made redundant
- I had my first (semi) serious football injury

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I set new year’s resolutions every year and every year I fail to achieve them. I suspect I will do the same again this year. However I am going to employ a new strategy. Instead of a blanket attack on them all, I am going to break them up quarterly so I have more of a focus. Q1 is resolution 1, 3, 4.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
- No

4. Did anyone close to you die?
- No.

5. What countries did you visit?
- France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Pakistan. I’m never going back to Amsterdam. Bad things happen there. I’m never going back.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
- Better control over my health and fitness
- More contentment with my performance at work

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- Can’t remember the date, but the day Kraft took over Cadbury was the most significant date as it cut short my career at Cadbury and paved the way for a great move to Blue Rubicon. At first it seemed like the end of the world, but as actually turned out to be a great opportunity.
- Another memorable day, was the day I returned to Pakistan – it was great to revisit a part of my life that I absolutely loved and for it to feel so familiar

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- Securing my job at Blue Rubicon in combination with three other job offers

9. What was your biggest failure?
- Failure to really make my mark in my new job immediately. Personal - failure to take control of aspects of my life such as money and health and fitness.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
- Seriously damaged my knee playing football. It has disrupted the last 4 months both in terms of sport and at work; a real pain in the arse

11. What was the best thing you bought?
- Probably my laptop. It’s not that I’m in love with my laptop because it’s a bit shit (emad’s fault, I wanted a Mac) but I do use it everyday.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
- Kurt and Nimra for following their convictions and getting married
- Colleagues at Cadbury who fought tooth and nail for a company they truly believed in.

13.Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
- The Lib Dems. It didn’t depress me as such, but I do think that they have put themselves in a hopeless position by going so gung-ho into the coalition at the price of a lot of their manifesto commitments. . I guess it’s easy to forget what you stand for under the lure of power.

14.Where did most of your money go?
- Socialising, clothes, rent. I also invested in driving lessons, however I still haven’t passed my test.

15.What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- Revisiting Pakistan. It was the highlight of the year with many great memories including an epic voyage looking for a camel.

16.What song will always remind you of 2010?
- Frank Turner – Live Fast, Die Young

17.Compared to this time last year,

I. are you happier or sadder?
Happier

II. thinner or fatter?
Fatter – no exercise because of my knee has taken its toll.

III. richer or poorer?
Richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
- Cooked. I wish I had cooked more and eaten out less.
- Writing. I’ve really led my standards slip and want to write much more this year.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
- Checking Facebook and my email for the third year running.

20. Did you fall in love in 2010?
- No.

21. How many one-night stands?
- Never any comment on this.

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
- No

23. What was the best book you read?
Burnt Shadows - Kamila Shamsie. I’ve literally just finished it this second and it was one of the best books I’ve ever read.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
- The Courteeners

25. What did you want and get?
- My job

26. What did you want and not get?
- A pool table. We were monitoring the price on ebay for days, but when it came to putting in our bid we didn’t do it in time. That pool table could have changed our life.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
- I liked Shutter Island at the time. Wall Street was quite good too. I also went to the premier of ‘The Other Guys’ which was brilliant in hindsight.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
- I turned 27, which I can’t believe every time I say it. Amazingly my friends held a surprise party for me at Chicago Rib Shack. I was expecting a dinner with 2-3 friends as most people said they were busy, at which I was secretly very pissed off. However when I walked in, all the main players were there. It was a great night.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
- The lottery
- The one
- More holidays
- Achieving my resolutions

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
- Sales centric – every 9 out of 10 items I buy is in a sale which is probably evident.
- You could also describe it as ‘Invests a lot for very little return.’

31. What kept you sane?
- My good mate and housemate Emad Nadim. We are comrades in the struggle.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
- I don’t really fancy public figures so always struggle with this question. That one that won Strictly seemed like a nice lady.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
- Lots of political issues stirred me this year with the election. The most outrageous though is the rise in tuition fees and I have been impressed by the student response (apart from the violence). I wish I could have been a student and got involved myself.

34. Who did you miss?
- The Pakistani family
- Family

35. Who was the best new person you met?
- I’ve met a lot of great people at my new company – it’s great to work in a place that you.
- I also met some great new people in Pakistan (briefly) – Meg Lyons, Fatima, Shazia, Thystere, Nimra

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
- You’ve got to get the basics right to be brilliant.

Facebook: My favourite mistake

2010-12-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

The newspaper today was boring. It seems that nothing is happening in the world.

But just as I was about to put it down, I found a great opinion piece by Giles Cohen sharing his views on Facebook (and later completely contradicting himself by talking about Twitter).

He said:

“Zuckerberg has impoverished humanity. He has made staying in the new going out. He has emptied the outdoors of real people, hunched one third of the developed world’s population over its laptops 18 hours a day, “poking” each other, and made our streets a no go zone where only rapists and muggers thrive.”

…

It was fun while it lasted, it’s nice for kids. But it has now reduced half a billion adults to the functioning level of 12-year-olds by creating a structure for living that precludes any sort of personal, social or sexual development. Facebook drains human interaction of all suspense and subtlety, imbecilifies everyone who touches it, and has had the global effect of hitting a brain with a brick. Splat. All over. The world has been retarded by Zuckerberg, the Arch Retard, so that he might rule it all.”

Generally, I find Giles a bit annoying in comparison to his sister (who I have a secret crush on), but today he hit upon a pertinent point. I’m acutely aware that people have started to live their life through Facebook and often wonder if this is about to ruin the world.

However, although I admired Giles and his opinion, I can’t quite force myself to agree with it. You see I am one of those people. The fact is, it’s 10pm on a Saturday, Facebook is open and I am writing on my blog. What's more, I'm unashamed to say that I absolutely LOVE Twitter. Thanks for the read though Giles.

a profound man on the train

2010-11-27T03:08:00.001-08:00

I was arriving in to Manchester station yesterday and I overheard a man I thought I recognised say: "twitter makes you like people you don't know, Facebook makes you hate the people you do." genius.

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Making the argument for a kitten

2010-10-26T11:18:00.001-07:00

Someone at work sent round an email about a friend who was giving away kittens yesterday. I forwarded it on to my housemate, Emad, jokingly saying we should get one.

He agreed. He wanted the one with the white bib and white socks on his feet. And this is how he argued for a new addition to our household:

So I have done a thought exercise.

Pros:
- it won't live as long as tortoises
- it will bring scene
- it will guard the house
- chicks will dig it
- great conversation point. fantastic social currency
- we can dress him up for halloween and he'd win best costume
- we can feed him burgers and pizza
- If we even get a rats infestation...
- We can take him to cross-continental for road trips
- We can start a facebook album
- At least the milk will never go bad..

- ....

Cons:
- We aren't allowed it (we don't like being homeless)
- It needs to be fed (we are poor)
- It will poo and pee all over the place (altho we can punish it)
- Even he might leave us one day (potential for a new low in life!)
- We could step on it (and injure our foot)

I mean the numbers speak for themselves.

I think that is some of the best thinking I have come across all year.

Rooney wins and Man U loses in football farce of the year

2010-10-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

With Rooney signing a 5-year contract at the end of a turbulent week for Manchester United, a consensus is building that ‘the right thing happened, albeit in the wrong way – everyone is a winner in the end’

Alan Hansen even said on Match of the Day yesterday: “Manchester United need Wayne Rooney more than Wayne Rooney needs Manchester United.”

That is simply not true. Let’s not forget that Manchester United is one of the biggest and best football club’s in the world and has been winning trophies consistently for three decades. Manchester United doesn’t need any player more than he needs them.

Winners and losers in this sorry saga
Wayne Rooney has won. He has, according to different newspapers, doubled or tripled his salary and potentially got Manchester United to promise him that it will sign top players next summer.

It is the manager’s job to seek those assurances and not a single player’s. What happened? Did David Gill and Manchester United suddenly change its mind and say, ‘yes we agree Wayne, your team mates aren’t good enough and we will sign a load of new players in the summer. Thanks for bringing that to our attention....Can you please sign this now, it should make you the richest 24-year-old in the world?’”

As sad as it is, I don’t imagine it is too far from the truth.

Alex Ferguson, perhaps for the first time, has lost. Yes he has kept his best player. But it is at the expense of the rule that has made him so distinguished as a manager - no player is bigger than the club. The likes of Jaap Stam, Roy Keane and David Beckham have all fallen foul of this and been given a firm hand shake and shown to the door for undermining the club and manager. Their careers were never the same again.

As soon a Rooney publicly said he didn’t want to play for Manchester United and followed that by disrespecting his team mates he should have been given the same treatment regardless of how good he is. Anything different undermines the club’s credibility and heritage.

Roy Keane earlier in the week gave the perfect response which would have been welcome in a Manchester United press conference. “'Don’t worry or lose any sleep over Manchester United. They will be fine. They will be as strong as ever," he said with a confident, wry smile. And they would have been. I just hope this situation doesn’t let anyone forget that.

Forgiving the greatest
The one scenario in which Rooney might have deserved forgiveness is if he actually thought he had made a mistake and damaged an institution bigger and more important than himself. However I don’t genuinely believe this is the case. He’s now on holiday celebrating a pay rise per week that is equivalent to five times my yearly salary and in terms of fan pressure; well Andy Dunn from the NOTW perhaps puts it best:

“...Fan power – or fan intimidation – might have been a factor in the U-turn. Yeah right.

Rooney is from Croxteth, not far from the safari park, where – when asked what might happen if they lions escaped a local councillor replied: “Well, they will just have to take their chances like everyone else.”

If you think him and his family of hard-knocks and accomplished boxers were intimidated by a mob of imported scallies and the latte-swilling locals of leafy Cheshire, I think you’re mistaken.”

More than anything though I am an English football fan and want to see the national side be successful. Rooney is obviously key this. I will forgive, forget and worship Rooney once more as soon as he starts punching in the goals. But it’s a shame he’s undermined British biggest football club and the world’s greatest manager for a pay rise.

Re-living my youth through the Stereophonics

2010-10-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

I went to see the Stereophonics play ‘Performance and Cocktails in its entirety’ at Hammersmith Apollo last week. It coincided with the re-launch of that legendary album, along with their first album, ‘Word gets around’.

My journalism tutor once said to me, “It’s amazing how many people think it is great journalism to write pretentious reviews of music using complicated words that make no sense.” So I will refine from that and just say... it was rocking.

As a teenager and in my early twenties I used to spend my life going from gig to gig and festival to festival convinced they were the most profound experiences of my life that would stay with me forever. In recent years, I haven’t felt like this. I now show up to a concert, think ‘that was nice’ and then leave only to forget about it the next day.

But the Stereophonics on Monday did feel like a profound experience that would stay with me, at least for a couple of days. I think it was because it took me back to a more innocent age – my youth.

The Stereophonics defined my music taste when I was growing up, along with Oasis and the Beatles of course. They’re the reason I first picked up a guitar. My first festival was Stereophonics at Donnigton Park and my eighteenth birthday was spent at Stereophionics playing Wembley Arena. I downloaded the B-sides, watched interviews with Kelly Jones and convinced myself he was best friends with Noel Gallagher when they collaborated on Jools Holland.

On Monday I wasn’t jumping around at the front because of a gammy knee and I was there with my mum rather than my rock n’ roll friends, but the Stereophonics playing ‘Performance and Cocktails’ took me back to those glory days. And it was only made more poignant by the video that opened the show and the sad passing of Stuart Cable earlier in the summer.

Anyway, enough of that self indulgent reflection - A thousand trees and Tramps vest were probably the loudest of the night in the first encore! Here is the set list and some photos!

Roll Up & Shine
The Bartender & The Thief
Hurry Up & Wait
Pick A Part That’s New
Just Looking
Half The Lies You Tell Ain’t True
I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio
Fiddler’s Green
T-Shirt Suntan
Is Yesterday Tomorrow Today?
In My Day
A Minute Longer
Sunny Afternoon
Nice To be Out
She Takes Her Clothes Off
Plastic California
I Stopped To Fill My Car Up

—
A Thousand Trees
More Life In A Tramp’s Vest
Same Size Feet
Too Many Sandwiches
-
Traffic
Maybe Tomorrow
Have A Nice Day
Dakota
Local Boy in the Photograph

The internet is back to waste my time

2010-09-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

I moved house and didn’t have the internet for a month. Tragic I know. But it actually turned out to be quite liberating. The laptop was packed away, I spoke more to my housemate and even read a book.

But today the internet is back and immediately reminded me of the time wasting journeys I used to make online.

Whilst on-hold waiting to get my wireless network password, I had the pleasure of listening to a catchy number with the line ‘hey soul sister’.

A simple google search brought up that it was a Train song and easily accesible on YouTube. After that the YouTube brain suggested that I might like to listen to a cover of the song. Usually I wouldn’t bother, but YouTube was right, a cover version would be welcome.

From there I went to the cover artist's Facebook page listened to a few more songs and even looked up how to play ‘hey soul sister’ on the guitar. I then blogged about it.

One song. One hour. How I’ve missed you internet

NoTW - My new guilty pleasure

2010-08-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

The ‘News of the World’ is amazing. Why didn’t anyone tell me?

Feeling hungover after our house party this morning, I went to get the paper in preparation for a roast and the football. I picked up the Observer as usual.

But my friend suggested we get something else a little more suited to our current state – the NoTW

I have never read a paper so entertaining. I’m now cursing every Sunday I’ve gone
without it. I’ll never make that mistake again.

Great exclusives
The NoTW splashed today with the exclusive, ‘CROUCH BEDS £800 TEEN HOOKER’.

What a great story. It’s clearly the biggest around, which is probably why the editor gave it 5 pages. And at that length it is nothing short of thorough.

There is even a criminal style map, picking out the landmarks of Crouch’s journey with the hooker from club to hotel room along with some rather saucy pictures. I am glad I know where he withdrew the cash to pay her, and even more thankful I know what the cash machine looks like. I was hanging off every word.

Strong stories
Another exclusive in the NoTW today was CUE ACE HIGGINS’ DAUGHTER REVEALS HIS WILD SECRETS. Another great read. I’ll just pick out a couple of my favourite bits:

She tells how he
- HURLED TVs through windows in front off his terrified kids
- POSTED envelopes stuffed with cash through the letterbox to try and win his family back
- THREATENED to have his children kidnapped
- TRIED to marry her off to a billionaire Dubai sheikh

Lauren says “People called him wild, unpredictable and off-the-wall, but to me, he was just my dad.”

Yeah that is strange that people thought that about him? Doesn’t sound like you saw that side of him at all Lauren?!?!?

“I do find it embarrassing that he blew £4 million gambling. But he loved it. And I am happy he did what made him happy.”

Powerful writing
But this is my favourite. On page 16 there was a picture of ‘The Bill’s Louise Lytten in a bikini.

The intro…

COP a load of these Sunhills.

Absolutely genius. I wish I could pen a line like that. I would be a rich man.

It’s not healthy, intelligent or classy but from now on the News of the World is my guilty pleasure.

N.B - pictures take from newsoftheworld.co.uk

Bank crisis number two

2010-05-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have been done a wrong people. And as Max Clifford and the News of the World are not interested in my woes I am going to out the perpetrator on my blog followed by eleven people – that’ll teach them.

BARCLAYS BANK I deplore you.

I have been without a bank card for nearly six weeks now. Despite ordering a new one on three separate occasions a new card has not arrived despite assurances it was being sent to my address in London.

I have therefore had to withdraw huge sums over the counter and put Emad Nadim out of pocket on several occasions. I’ve even been caught short on a date, which doesn’t put across the rightful impression of me as a man of wealth and taste.

I thought we had an untrustworthy postman at first who I have been trying to catch in the morning. But it turns out I have an untrustworthy bank.

Today I found out, that due to some error in process, Barclays have been continually sending my card to an address I moved out of 8 years ago. Can you believe it? I have spoken to over ten people about this and only today has the real problem emerged. I was so angry.

As I finished my letter of complaint…

“Over the years you have been only been too quick to impose financial penalties for even the smallest of mistakes I have made as a customer. I only wish I could now impose a penalty on you for your mistakes.”

….just waiting for the public backlash now… Kick up a shit storm eleven followers!

Labour's defeat - A blessing in disguise?

2010-05-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been jealous of people that got to hate Thatcher. I remember one of my university lecturers opening up his course with a rant about Thatcher reaching its crescendo with him saying he threw a party on the day of her demise. His main gripe with Thatcher was the poll tax, or as he referred to it, a tax on breathing. He didn’t pay in protest.

You see my whole student experience was ruined by a government for whom I had a decent level of affection.

Really I should have been spending my time wearing Che Guevara t-shirts, listening to Rage against the Machine and not paying unfair taxes, just like my lecturer (one year I didn’t pay the TV license, but that wasn’t based on principle so probably doesn’t count).

Instead I was content with New Labour and merrily went about my business funded by, what I considered, a very reasonable student loan agreement. Damn you compliant establishment

Well now is my chance to make up on lost establishment-hating time. And besides Labour being cast into opposition doesn’t have to mean 18 years of hurt as it once did for many a lucky Labour supporting student.

Touching distance
Although most people probably wouldn’t admit it, part of me was quite surprised and even pleased with Labour’s performance in the election. With 258 seats, Labour are still in touching distance of the Tories.

A year ago I was convinced that Labour was heading for a catastrophe to 1997 proportions. Considering the party tried to implode through various coup attempts and cock-ups, they did pretty well considering the length of time they have been in office.

In 1997 the Conservatives knew it would be ten years before they could even start dreaming of power again. The same can definitely not be said for the Labour party. Even Ed Balls kept his seat!

A coalition bound to fail
As has been pointed out numerous times in the media, the Lib Dems and Conservative party have been at opposite ends of the mainstream British political spectrum for years. With opposite views on Europe, electoral reform and defence I can’t see how the government can sustain itself effectively for five years.

An interesting story in the Guardian today talked about how the communications machine alone is now going to be twice the size with its job to ensure that with each government announcement two sets of people with quite different political beliefs are satisfied.

This also leaves the space for there to be one mainstream opposition party instead of two, giving the Labour party a monopoly on the 'alternative option'.

Re-alignment of the one remaining progressive party
David Miliband is already chucking around this ‘Next Labour’ idea. Fair enough it needs a bit or work, but that’s the spirit Dave, let’s take a new approach and replace some of those old tired faces. A successful political party is as much about how it makes people feel as it is about substance, so some new vibrancy will go a long way to regaining favour with the public.

Here are a few ideas I would like to throw into the pot (based on a trusty thesaurus)…

Newer Labour
Fresh Labour
Contemporary Labour
Brand new Labour
Spanking Labour
Pristine Labour
In mint condition Labour

And my favourite three:
Newborn Labour
Enlightened Labour
Avant-garde Labour

Ed, if you’re reading, then they’re yours.

People voted for change as they inevitably will after 13 years of the same tired faces. But the change they have chosen doesn’t have to last for long. Here is to Spanking Labour – ready to govern within two years.

Panic at the polling station

2010-05-06T01:27:00.000-07:00

I am in turmoil. Which way do I vote? I know who I want to win, but I also know who I don’t want to win. This funny old election system means that my heart felt cross could well be wasted in my marginal constituency. I haven’t waited five years to waste my cross.

Listening to my head

I wrote essays at school about tactical voting, but never thought it really existed. Now, if I can square it with my conscience, I might actually vote tactically. The trouble is I don’t know who to trust.

The Daily Mirror has told me today that my constituency is a three-way marginal. A 1.08% swing will see it go to the Tories whilst a 1.37% swing for the Lib Dems will see them take it. I should therefore, according to their advice, vote Labour to withstand the onslaught.

But this is based on figures that are five years old. The Guardian on Saturday told me to vote tactically to stop the Tories and to do this I should vote Lib Dem to keep them out. Based on the polls, there has been a 10% decrease in the support for Labour nationally since 2005 which indicates not such a pretty picture for their 2010 chances in my constituency.

What is more the Lib Dem candidate in my area has put a note through the door (seemingly hand written but identical to the other five that came through the door) telling me it is between them and the Tories. In it he cites the recent council elections which saw Labour poll 10% of the popular vote. In case people like me are a bit slow on the uptake, he has written ‘they can’t win here’ next to the figure.

Following my heart

Voting tactically will mean going against my heart but at least I will be contributing to the outcome I want. But if I do vote tactically, say I have got it wrong and the difference between my preferred candidate winning and not winning is me? I’m not sure I could live with that. Maybe I should just follow Tony’s advice and vote for who I support. Turmoil.

Newspapers at weekends, newspapers are my weekend

2010-03-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

I have been reading the Sunday paper for 1:40 minutes now. I am still not past the main section and all I can think about is getting my moneys worth.

It’s the same predicament I find myself in every Saturday and Sunday. There aren’t many things that make me happier than the newspaper. But at £2 it is a commitment that takes time and effort to deliver on, and if I don’t deliver on that commitment I am overtaken by guilt.

The truth is I rarely get to the magazines. For weeks on end they are chucked in the recycling bin still with their plastic films on and still carrying their special offers. I know there is great stuff in there, but I just can’t take it all in. I'm sorry.

I have come to the conclusion that it is irresponsible to buy the Sunday paper just for yourself. It is something that needs to be shared, much like a KFC bargain bucket.

Otherwise you are in an impossible situation. There are things I need to do now, I have given two hours of my time to the newspaper today and two hours yesterday, but I still feel it hasn’t had enough of my attention.

And I know it is not just me who gets a little overwhelmed. The other day on the tube, I saw someone reading a weekend supplement on a Wednesday. A Wednesday!

What I am saying, with no thought on the sustainability of the newspaper industry is, do the Sunday papers need to be so big and expensive?

Just for a week, let me try a £1 newspaper with £1’s worth of content. Then maybe I can get some sleep at night.

Where to dump a broken TV?

2010-02-13T01:31:00.000-08:00

When you’ve had a bad week, and rest assured that mine has been bad, what you really need is a genius to come out of an unexpected place to show you the brighter side of life – humour.

And that’s exactly what happened last night when Emad and I were contemplating on what to do with our broken 31 inch TV.

We found a forum posing the question: “Where do I dump my broken TV? Garbage bin? I don't want to harm environment.”

It summed up our predicament accurately and succinctly we thought.

Scrolling down we found the advice we were looking for:

"we've got a canal near us.

i dump stuff in there.

it's already full of things, so i figure it can't hurt any if i dump my rubbish in it - i have to get rid of it!

they have recycling in my area now and it sucks i have to sort out all my rubbish. i don't like that - it's messy.

so i get in my car and take my rubbish to the canal. what's good about that is that the canal washes it downstream so i don need to worry about it when its gone

the enviroment will do fine i think. it has been going for a million years or something like that so i figure it can go on a bit longer

so yeah i would take the tv down to your river near your house and just chuck it in - maybe someone will find it and use spare parts to fix their tv, so its a win win thing

you can always burn it with some petrol and melt it down till its small enuff to fit in your bin. that way you could recycle it really which is good i think"

bb_Matt

Brilliant – I believe they call it holding a mirror up to the world!

P.S To clarify, our TV won't be going in the river.

My relationship with Tiger Woods - uncovered

2009-12-12T07:42:00.000-08:00

I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my chest when I heard that Tiger Woods was taking an ‘indefinite break from professional golf’ last night.

Until then I had found the story compelling. The perfect role model and the world’s most dominant sportsman was uncovered as a womanising cheat chased out of his own home by his wife brandishing a golf club. The best fiction writers in the world couldn’t come up with stories that good.

But yesterday when I heard the news of his break, I felt like I had been part of a joke that had gone too far. The real victim (apart from his wife and children of course) is golf and all of the young people that play it.

Our relationship begins

From the age of 13 to 17 I played golf religiously. Over the summer holidays I would spend five days a week at the golf course and travel the country playing in tournaments. I started in 1997, the year Tiger won his first major by 10 shots, and for a while it was something I tried to keep under my hat.

Golf and the people who played it weren’t cool. Being a talented golfer gave me no street cred at school. It was all about etiquette, dress code and bank managers. But as I played more as a teenager, Tiger Woods won more as a professional and the whole feeling and image of the game went through a revolution.

Golf became raw, dynamic and exciting when Tiger played and everyone I played with wanted to be Tiger Woods, including myself. Golf would look extremely different now and be played at a lower standard if it wasn’t for the emergence of Tiger. Even his name was cool!

As soon as this commercial came out, people on golf courses all over the world practiced this as they waited on the tee.

The tide turns against Tiger

But people have become frustrated with Tiger in recent years, especially the media, for keeping himself so private and not using his platform to take a greater stance against issues like racial inequality. But for me, just by playing golf with so much flair, aggression and skill Tiger Woods was making the best contribution to the world he possibly could.

So the whole thing leaves me questioning, if there wasn’t such a media frenzy around him, would he have taken this decision? Now I feel he has been hounded into a corner by the showbiz press with extremely sad consequences.

My hope is that this is a public relations strategy that makes people like me feel sorry for him as opposed to disgusted at his behaviour and he will be back on the golf course within the next few months. If Tiger is away for any longer and doesn’t manage to recapture what has made him so unique for the last 12 years then golf will have lost its biggest asset.

Golf will have lost this:

Nothing better to do...

2009-08-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

Procrastination is a weird thing when you think it, which you tend to do when you procrastinate. I spend most of my life running around, taking on more than I can handle and generally fitting a lot in. In these times of busyness I continually try to find more to do and generally succeed.

But when a time comes where there isn’t much structured work to be done I fall into this endless spiral of doing absolutely nothing with my time. I know I have my dissertation to do, I know I have some freelance work to do, but nothing, I mean NOTHING will motivate me to get on with it. You can see how people get into that benefit claimant culture - I think I would be a sucker for that!

Logically this just doesn’t make sense. Why can’t I be disciplined and spread my work out evenly over the year? This isn't a rhetorical question, I actually want an answer.

It takes me back to the days of ‘study leave’ at school. Whose idea was that, because it wasn’t a good one? “I know how we will get them to work for their exams – we’ll send them home for a month.” That’s no way to get me working. That's the way to get me on the golf course, in the park or on the internet looking at things I definately shouldn't. If I was made to go into school every day in the lead up to my exams I’m sure I would have far more A’s next to my name as opposed to all of those ugly C’s.

Never has a truer word been said than: ‘Procrastination is like masturbation - it may feel good at first but ultimately you’re just screwing yourself.’

What a waste of time this was. What I need to do is stop screwing my self.

Fruit and veg challenge - a change of strategy

2009-07-06T14:00:00.001-07:00

So less than a week down and I have already failed once. It in fact took two days. You see what I have come to realise is that my strategy is all wrong. Because I don’t have breakfast I don’t get any fruit and veg into me early doors.

What this has led to is fruit binging late at night. Realising I need to get a couple more pieces down me before the day is out I load up on fruit after dinner.

Originally I thought this would be fine. But lying in bed at 1am the other day, my stomach started churning and making some very suspect noises and the consequences….well you can guess the consequences.

Anyway the point is this - I need a more balanced approach to my fruit and veg strategy and this evolves around having breakfast.

This means a complete change in my ethos is needed. I am a man who often wakes, thinks about having breakfast but then thinks better of it and presses snooze instead. This is not the way forward. For me to suceed I need to change this whole approach and get my arse out of bed. As I am soon coming to learn, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

July's challenge - getting healthy

2009-07-01T14:50:00.001-07:00

The Brown Book is back and this is the challenge:

Everyday in the month of July I, Andrew Benjamin Webster, will eat five pieces of fruit and veg. This is a very scientific experiment.

If I succeed I expect to feel infinitely better by the end of the month and if I don’t the conclusion will be that vegetables are over-rated.

Now I have had discussions about this over the last few months and there is some debate as to what constitutes ‘one piece of fruit and veg’. To avoid controversy therefore I I feel it is best to set out a few rules.

1. Beans count

2. Tinned spaghetti doesn’t

3. Potatoes do not count

4. Contrary to what I have said in the past tomato soup does not count as four pieces of fruit and veg. But where it says on the soup tin that it counts as one, it will count.

5. Smoothies count as two as per the instructions on the back of innocent smoothies. But more than one smoothie a day is cheating.

6. Things where salad is just window dressing do not count. i.e. burgers and kebabs.

7. A glass of orange juice does count, but tropical doesn’t (What is that anyway?)

8. My decision as judge is final.

9. I am allowed to not reach five on four separate occasions and still pass.

These are the rules....let the games begin.

One day...one day

2009-06-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

I’m coming to the end of my days in Sheffield and after completely crippling myself financially my mind has turned to a time when I can sit down, look around and say: “Bloody hell Andrew, you have made it my son.”

And what will that fateful day look like? Well here is an indication...

1) I will have a white Mac book and I will regularly take it to a posh coffee shop, open it up and sit in front of it pretending I am doing something very important whilst drinking a latte.

2) I will stop having haircuts and instead have my hair styled.

3) I will have a gym membership. I will never use the gym, but I won’t bother cancelling the membership because at the end of the day what is £30 a month?

4) I will stop saying ‘a pint of your cheapest lager please barman’.

5) In the winter I will go skiing. I’m not talking about skiing in Bulgaria or on some cheap eastern European mountain. No I am going to a pretentious resort in France or Canada.

6) I will have a big plant, one that requires watering and adds ‘atmosphere’ and ‘vibe’ to my house. I might put it next to my rug (not wicker, as they bring back dark images).

7) I will have a digital radio. Did you know they have a little screen telling you what the song and artist is that is playing? Technology is amazing these days - that's much better than my manual thing with the tuning wheel that if you move quarter of a millimetre you get Grfrsakfdjgkjgldskgdlfksdljgdsslj.

8) I will download music LEGALLY.

9) I will have a subscription for the economist and buy a quality newspaper full price.

10) When I go shopping I will pick things off the shelf regardless of if they are on special offer. I
will also buy extravagances such as cherries and Ribena without a second thought.

11) I will take taxis back from a) the station and b) nightclubs and bars

12) I will own a framed vintage photograph or piece of art.

13) I will pay for the free bus.

14) I will be the person that suggests we split the bill equally between the table and eat and drink accordingly.

15) In my cutlery drawer I will have a peeler, a masher and an ice-cream scoop.

As you can see I am a man full of ambition.

Inspired by two friends who have made it - Aled Owens and Stevie Cameron, and one that never will – Harry Clapham.

I’m not as bad as them...am I?

2009-05-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

My day got off to a fantastic start. I walked out of my front door and lying there on the floor in the pouring rain was a FIVER! Bonus.

But as I handed my sodden £5 note over to the bus driver for an extortionately priced single ticket, guilt started to enter my mind. I began to think of all of the politicians that have taken advantage of the parliamentary expense system. I mean, am I really as bad as them?

I obeyed the rules - that is clear. Universally speaking, the rules state: ‘finder’s keepers, loser’s weepers!’

But thinking about that proposition in more detail, do I really think it is morally right that the losers have to weep and lose the property they have accidently mislaid? I am famous for leaving bags and coats in the most stupid of places, and thankfully people haven’t implemented the rules as rigorously as I did when I picked up the soaking FIVER.

Or maybe the politicians (and myself), in obeying the rules, did nothing wrong and should have a clear conscience. Let me think this through;

1) The majority of MPs are in parliament for the right reasons – I strongly believe this but often feel naive for it, especially when people are peppering me with conspiracy theories.

I met Lemit Opik a few weeks ago. He stood in front of us with energy and dynamism and told us how he had got into politics to make a difference. It was mesmerising. I believed him and was with him all the way. I still am. Surely these people wouldn’t take advantage of the system or the public on purpose. There must be another explanation.

2) The rule book – Oh yes those dastardly rules. At first I thought this must be the reason. It’s easy to get into the habit of something that isn’t the best way forward.

Take smoking for instance. It’s clearly a bad idea. But once you get into the habit of it, the negative consequences of the action leave your mind.

Maybe recycling is a better example. We all know we need to save the world, but I would be lying if I said all of my paper found its way to the recycle bin.

Maybe expenses are similar? You get into the habit of claiming for all you can, and you don’t even think about the ethical principles that underpin an expenses system. In my short life I have come across many people who slightly fiddle their expenses. Is this really so bad?

3) The magnitude – Well to consider that question let’s look at some examples of slight fiddling in comparison to the official guidelines:

Three principles taken from the members of Parliament Code of Conduct are:

- Claims must only be made for expenditure that it was necessary for a Member to incur to ensure that he or she could properly perform his or her parliamentary duties.

- Members must ensure that claims do not give rise to, or give the appearance of giving rise to, an improper personal financial benefit to themselves or anyone else.

- The requirement of ensuring value for money is central in claiming for accommodation, goods or services – Members should avoid purchases which could be seen as extravagant or luxurious.

Claim examples: a trouser press, cat food, expenses for numerous houses, interior designers, hanging baskets, the cleaning of a moat, swimming pool maintenance, mortgages that don’t exist etc etc.

This is where the argument falls down, even for me – an establishment loving layman. The magnitude is catastrophic. This isn’t the odd claim. Every time one of the above went through it should have been screaming out to the MP “THIS IS A MISTAKE! THIS IS WRONG!”

Going back to the smoking analogy, it should have been like smoking a cigarette that puts you in so much pain it feels like it is killing you there and then!

I am disappointed in my ‘in it for the right reasons’ MPs. I still believe that they are in it for the right reasons, but this whole episode has been shameful and I am struggling to see the way back to a form of normalacy (slightly sceptical of people in power). I wonder how much money has been wasted on unjustified expenses over the past decades. It makes me feel a bit queezy.

Has anyone lost a fiver?

The secret of a good journalist, by a taxi driver

2009-04-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

At an apt moment today, the Deputy Editor of the newspaper I am working for passed on to me the three secrets of being a good journalist as shared with her by a London cabbie in the late 70's.

1) There is no excuse for not getting a story (because there is always someone to talk to).

2) There are two sides to every story.

3) Never discard a phone number.

She said this at the very moment I was starting a new note book, which I saw as a sign so wrote them down on the first page. Wisdom.

Five albums that changed my life

2009-04-11T03:44:00.001-07:00

Blur: The Great Escape
The first album I ever got was ‘The Great Escape’ by Blur. It came in a Christmas stocking along with Actua Soccer and Formula One for the playstation. The year I imagine was 1995, and Euro 96 was the most important thing in my life.

Everyone remembers their first album with fondness, but the Great Escape was especially powerful for me because it started me off on the whole Brit Pop thing. Within two weeks I had bought Parklife and Morning Glory, and didn’t wait much longer before getting Definitely Maybe. I was hooked.

Some of my friends favoured Oasis over Blur, and seeking individuality I backed Blur in the epic war. But I couldn’t lie to myself forever and eventually switched sides. Blur are brilliant but Oasis are the band that define my music taste.

Favourite song: The Universal.

The Beatles: Abbey Road
I got the Beatles blue album first which I thought was good. But it took me a while to move past that.

That was until one day when I was looking aimlessly for a CD. I must have been 15. I saw Abbey Road and was attracted by the picture. It was one I had seen before.

I couldn’t believe how good it was. It sounded like an album that had just been made, only ten times better. Undoubtedly the medley of songs that dominates the second half of the album is what makes it stand out. People just don’t pull stuff like that off these days.

From there I got really into the Beatles, both music and history. It was just in time to feel genuine sadness when George Harrison died and to spend a few hours reflecting at the John Lennon peace gardens in Central Park. If you don’t have it already, then snap it up now before it’s made illegal!

Favourite song(s): The Medley.

Radiohead: The Bends
I initially ruled out Radiohead. I thought they were a bit weird without ever listening to them. But one sleepy afternoon watching MTV I saw the video for ‘High and Dry’ and my life has never been the same again. It is still my favourite song.

I borrowed the Bends from a friend. Within a day I returned it and bought it for myself. I wasn’t going to live for a day longer without that bad boy sitting on my shelf.

Such was my appreciation for Radiohead, I bought tickets for a gig in Newcastle in 2003 when every other venue was sold out. Distances were irrelevant. John Young (a man that features in many epic music moments) and myself travelled up there and stayed the night. It was worth every penny. Legendary.

Favourite song: High and Dry.

The Stone Roses: The Best of…
I downloaded ‘I am the resurrection’ during my Brit pop craze, but didn’t really take to it.

But whilst living in Canada my Yorkshire friend Todd Buchanan re-introduced me. I bought the ‘The Best of…’ from a Vancouver Virgin megastore and listened to it daily on my way to work in an ice cream parlour. I always got to ‘Fools Gold’ on my (not so) portable CD player. They were easily the best band I had ever heard.

Todd and I then started frequenting clubs in Vancouver that had ‘Best of British’ nights. As a 19-year-old new to boozing and new to the Stone Roses, the combination of them together didn’t always bring out the best in me. Images of ‘I wanna be adored’ followed by high fiving and dodgy dancing come to mind. But to me…at the time…it was the stuff dreams are made of.

Favourite song: Elephant Stone

Frank Turner: Love Ire and Song
I discovered Frank at Reading 2008 accidently and think I have listened to him at least once a week ever since.

The man is a poet. I imagine his songs describe the thoughts of millions of British people my age and younger. But when I listen to him, I feel like he is talking to me.

I saw him a few weeks ago at the last ever gig at the London Astoria. He covered ‘Dancing Queen’ and had the whole crowd singing along. You can’t argue with a man of that calibre.

Favourite song: Love Ire and song.

What are your five albums?

It's not that bad!

2009-03-31T14:30:00.001-07:00

I know there is a lot to grumble about in the world, especially in London. I mean unemployment is soaring, the banks are finished, we're in recession and the weather can only be described as 'changeable'.

But I saw a site in sunny London a couple of weeks ago that made me think, "Now that is bloody nice."

And as I share this image with you I want you to consider the finer things in life such as holidays, ice-cream, people giving up their seat on the bus, the crossword, taking your socks off after a long day, Only Fools and Horses, cider in a beer garden and a letter from a friend!

It's a picture from Convent Garden on a Sunday. People are being entertained by some performers mixing musical excellence with subtle banter. It's a lovely combination. I mean look how happy these people look...

Beautiful!

(If no one else can appreciate this, then Stevie Cameron will!)

Experience Pakistan: London edition

2009-03-29T03:11:00.000-07:00

When I was in Pakistan we made a load of videos that were meant to show people, 'look we're here and it's safe and we're happy so come join us.' It was called the Experience Pakistan campaign.

At the weekend I went down to London to meet up with my old Swiss roomie Pascal who came to visit us from Switzerland and Pakistan's trainee champion herself, Rabayl. Over breakfast we tried to re-create those unforgetable Experience Pakistan moments:

As you can see we failed, but to anyone who was there during that fateful time it might bring back some nice memories!

FTS

Sheffield University Astonomer teams up with NASA

2009-03-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

A Sheffield University astronomer has started work on a NASA mission expected to find new planets and stars similar to the sun and earth.

Professor Michael Thompson, Head of the School of Mathematics and Statistics, will lead a team looking at the interior of stars in the NASA Kepler mission which was launched on March 7th. It is expected to find about 50 earth-sized planets orbiting stars over the next three and a half years.

The Kepler Spacecraft will use its telescope to measure the variations in brightness of 170,000 stars simultaneously. If a star dims at regular intervals it indicates a potential planet crossing the path of the telescope and so orbiting the star.

Professor Thompson said: “Kepler takes things to a new dimension in terms of the number of stars we can see and information we can gather.”

The mission will also allow scientists to learn more about the stars themselves through using the asteroseismology technique – the sound of stars. Professor Thompson will play a central role in this part of the mission as he has 20 years experience studying the interior of the sun.

Sound waves travel through stars which make them oscillate or flicker. The Kepler spacecraft will record these light fluctuations over weeks, months and years to measure the exact size of the oscillations and the frequency they oscillate at.

According to Professor Thompson, a good analogy for the process is thinking of a Hi-fi speaker in a bell jar. Although you would not be able to hear the speaker, if you could see it vibrating, you would know it was making a sound. By measuring those vibrations you could work out the frequencies of the sound.

In the same way you can work out the sound of stars, despite them sitting in a vacuum.

This process will allow the team to determine the size of the stars, their chemical composition and their rotation rate.

Professor Thompson said that by characterising a star we can calculate how far away a planet can be to support the type of life forms we are familiar with.

During the first nine months in space Kepler will survey more than 5000 stars for oscillations.

Based on those measurements around 1100 stars will be followed for detailed studies throughout the mission. The accuracy at which Kepler will be able to measure oscillations is so high that the science team expects to see stars change as they age.

Professor Thompson said: “The great excitement of the work with the Kepler mission is that we’ll be able to probe the interiors of different masses and different ages, permitting us to study young suns and old suns, as well as stars that are more or less massive than our own star.”

Professor Thompson is part of a consortium of 200 researchers from 50 institutions all over the world working on the Kepler mission. Professors from Birmingham and Central Lancashire
Universities and Queen Mary College, London are also leading teams as part of the Kepler mission.

For more detailed information visit Mike Trudeau's blog for an excellent analysis.

Lacking a finger to point

2009-03-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

I’m sure everyone can relate to the saying, ‘life can be a bit of a bitch sometimes’ and this weekend fitted the bill.

I awoke on Friday, with my left index finger three times its normal size and puss trying to burst out the top of it. Lovely. I had been nursing the infection for three days, and was sure I was on the mend. Friday morning confirmed I wasn’t.

I had a friend visiting, who I left on Friday morning for university expecting to see her again in the evening. I even suggested she buy some gourmet food for dinner.

I went to my lectures and booked an appointment with the doctor for the afternoon. I intended for him to prescribe me some antibiotics while being clueless as to what had caused my finger to inflame like a sausage.

But he had other plans. He put me in a taxi to Northern General Hospital, miles away from my house and that is where I stayed for the next 2 nights.

In the mean time my friend got called home because her Nan was taken seriously ill. This soon put things in perspective – my injury was minor.

The doctor told me I had to have a small operation to drain my finger and get rid of the infection.

He had no idea as to when this operation would take place as operations are done on order of priority. My finger wasn’t that much of a priority.

While I waited I was given antibiotics through IV. My vein didn’t like the needle at first, meaning my jeans got covered in blood. They’re ruined. "whoops"

24 hours later, the time to have my operation came if I was prepared to try it under Local anaesthetic. Of course I was. I am scared of being put to sleep.

The operation was traumatic! (I’m a girl). I’m no longer scared of being put to sleep.

I left the hospital on Sunday lunchtime with a hole in my poor finger to replace the swelling. The kind nurse said: “orrr that’s a big one isn’t it”

“Yes thank you, lets never mention it again." (I was feeling a bit queezy at the sight of it).

I hope I can still play the sweet tunes of oasis.

I can't at the moment.

Today has been much better I now have a super slim line bandage that looks very fashionable and I can go to London. Thank you NHS for making me better.

Finally...a night out!

2009-03-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

My twin brother Stephen and best friend John visited Sheffield this weekend and took me for a much needed night out!!! I don't plan on boring you with the details, but looking back at the pictures I did think to myself what a moronic, yet enjoyable activity a night out is...

Before...

During...

After...

...and the morning after (savage)...

All of these things are bad for my health!

What was worse for Steve's health though, was his car getting broken into in the middle of the night. If you see anyone running round Sheffield with a wake board let me know!

Lahore

2009-03-06T03:33:00.000-08:00

It always gets to me when bad things happen in Lahore. When you are in Karachi it feels edgy and aggressive and you almost expect it to boil over sometimes. Islamabad and Rawalpindi host the government and military so it is always full of controversy.
But Lahore is different...it is all about good food, good atmosphere and good people. At least that’s how I want to remember it...

Here’s to Lahore in your time of strife! I hope to visit again soon.

The £40 Student Challenge - The Grand Finale

2009-03-03T15:23:00.001-08:00

So after four gruelling weeks the £40 student challenge has come to an end and the results are in.

...

Drum roll please...

...

The total for the final week is...

£30.74

Meaning that for the challenge I am a whopping £1.05 under budget (to think what I could have spent that on)

At the end of every challenge it is important to reflect and identify what you have learnt.

1) Every time I congratulate myself for spending less than £40 a week, I carry some guilt in the back of my mind. Lots of people go days without food, whereas I complain about going days without a chocolate bar and a beer. It does go to show what a privileged bunch we are on this side of the world.

2) My twin brother once said to me, after starting his first high paying job, “People say that money can’t buy you happiness...that’s bullshit. I’m going snowboarding twice this year which makes me very happy.” To be honest I think he had a point. I spend a lot of time asking myself what it is that I really want to do, regardless of income. But at the end of the day a lot of happiness can be gained from spending time with friends, going on holiday and having a swift half!

3) Public challenges like this work. It was on my mind all the time and I dreaded the thought of coming to my blog and having to admit that temptation had got the better of me and I had over spent! It makes me wonder how else I can challenge myself? The 5 fruit and veg challenge maybe? The good Karma challenge? The 30 minute exercise challenge? The possibilities are endless.

With that I close my brown book and pledge not complain about money on this blog anymore! Night.

The £40 Student Challenge - Sensing victory

2009-02-27T17:26:00.000-08:00

As a child I was crazy about Manchester United. I used to live for them. I think it all started when as an 8 year old child I found a poster of Ryan Giggs in the wet play magazines. I still had Manchester United wallpaper when I brought my first proper girlfriend round at the age of 17. By that time I had grown out of the wallpaper, but can you imagine? It couldn’t have exactly got her going!

Anyway I will always remember the FA cup final in 1994 when Man U hammered Chelsea 4-0. For the last goal Paul Ince rounded the keeper and in front of an open goal slid it across to Brian Mcclair to tap into the net. It was at the stage when they knew they had done it so were sort of taking the piss. They couldn’t believe how easy it had become!

Well I am in that stage of the £40 challenge now. This week has been a breeze. £20 on shopping and a couple of pounds on newspapers has left me with a tenner in my pocket with barely 24 hours left. With that in mind I have started to get a bit cavalier in my actions.

When my alarm went off this morning, I looked at it, gave myself a wry smile and thought to myself ‘sod making sandwiches. TODAY I’m having a Boots lunch!’

Then this evening I was craving a chocolaty treat to go with my cup of tea and crossword. Again, ‘sod it, I’m going to the vending machine.’ I wouldn’t usually pay 60p for a twix, but TODAY I can smell victory.

P.S I suggest you watch that video....Man U were exquisite!

The £40 Student Challenge - Why is the world against me succeeding?

2009-02-24T17:34:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have those days when the world seems to be against you? Today has been one of those days. Just as I seem to take one step forward in the £40 pound challenge I am knocked 2 steps backward with great force. Maybe the world is punishing me by ensuring I don’t succeed because I have made such a big deal about something that isn't that hard.

I will indulge myself and demonstrate exactly what I mean…

Example 1
I went shopping today and as I walked round the supermarket I noticed something very peculiar. Literally everything I had bought full price last week was now on special offer. It was almost as if the manager had used my old receipt as the basis for this week's lost leader campaign. Sandwich meat; buy one get one free, oven chips; half price, cheese; half price, pasta sauce; buy one, get one free. I dread to think how much I would have saved if the same offers were in place last week.

I'm not letting the bastards get me this week though. I bought everything that was on offer. The only things I bought that weren't on offer were apples, milk and bread. I've got 8 cans of beans in the cupboard - 2 four packs for £3. You can't beat that.

Example 2
As I walked out of the supermarket the handle on one of my bags snapped sending glass jars crashing to the ground. My shopping (and jeans) was covered in a mix of mayonnaise and mascarpone pasta sauce. It was a disheartening moment. Two old ladies came and gave me one of the carriers they keep in reserve especially for situations like that.

When I carry my shopping home I expect a sturdy handle. I thought this was the basis of a sound argument and I marched back into the supermarket to express my concern at the frailties of their carrier bags.

But the lady I met with a stern stare was so nice. She gave me tissue to clean myself up and fetched replacements free of charge. If I make it under budget this week it will be her I have to thank. Such human kindness makes life worthwhile.

Example 3
I was disappointed with myself yesterday because I didn't have my own lunch and resorted to a Boots specialty meal deal.

However just now I went make 2 delicious sandwiches for tomorrow. But disaster struck once more when I realised I didn't have cling film or foil or anything for that matter to wrap my sandwiches in. What do I do? What is the point of having bread, turkey and cheese if you have nothing to wrap the finished product in? If I just put them in my ice-cream tub will they go stale? I despair!

The £40 Student Challenge - Week three, living within my means

2009-02-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

It gives me great pleasure to be writing this with a hangover. With a little help from my friends I managed to get a bit drunk last night.

It was Tolu’s birthday and I had been saving my last fiver for 3 days so I could buy myself two well deserved pints! However whilst planning the night with Nick we decided the money could go further if we bought some cans beforehand. My fiver got me 5 drinks in the end.

Then I met my housemates who treated me to a couple more drinks. It was just what I needed and much appreciated!

But this is all beside the point.

The good news is that I have change for my £40 this week. In my wallet is 25p which I will re-invest into next week’s budget to get myself a real treat - Maybe a fudge bar!

The key to my success this week has been not buying any food or drink out. I have had packed lunch, complete with orange squash every day and have snacked on apples and oranges instead of chocolate buttons and cake. This has been the first week in quite some months that I have not had a boots lunch.

I still need to refine my spending on my shopping though. My arithmetic failed me while walking round Somerfield this week and I ended up spending £27 on Monday when I thought I had £20 of shopping in my hand. Careful scrutiny of the receipt showed it was me who had made the mistake and not the cashier. Still, I think this is the best I have done in terms of balanced lifestyle and balanced spending.

I am now £8.21 over my budget with a week to go. Will I do it? I just can’t bare the suspense.

The result of a David Holmes style journalism education

2009-02-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

It was quite funny today, I phoned up a local cambridgeshire paper enquiring about work experience and spoke to one of the subs. He couldn't help me, but said he would pass on a message to the editor. The conversation went something like this...

"So what is your name?"

"Andrew Webster"

"Normal spelling for Webster"

"Yes, W E B S T E R"

"Great, and what is your phone number?"

"07786588677"

"Ok, let me read that back to you 077 865 88 677"

"Perfect"

"And you are from St. Neots"

"yes"

"N E O T S isn't it?"

"yes"

"thanks a lot, I have written that down and will pass it on to him."

That is a man who has clearly been drilled on the importance of checking all details no matter how obvious they appear, even when taking a message on a post-it note! I imagine I would now be the same.

I'm going to read up on Evans' just in case the Editor asks me about it when I eventually talk to him.

The £40 Student Challenge - Week Two

2009-02-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, week 2 is over and disaster has struck! There has been a mis-calculation! The sub total reads for the week £49.89, thus indicating that I’m some sort of extravagant bastard! I thought I was heading for just under the £45 mark.

However it doesn’t feel like I’ve been that extravagant. I’ve been restraining myself as far as possible.

Analysing the Brown Book it seems that there were a few anomalies to my prudent spending this week that have led to my downfall.

Boots Lunch Deals = £5.98

Beer = £13.25

Contribution to Birthday Boy’s dirty pint = £1

The last is a bit of a giveaway to where I have come unstuck. This week I have attended two birthday celebrations. At both I have drank the minimum 2 pints needed on a night out to make it anything like worthwhile. I even went in one bar and didn’t buy a drink so not to go over the budget. It was depressing.

To give myself some credit, when you look at this picture taken earlier today you can see the clear signs of budgeting...

1) My Sunday dinner consisted of mashed potato and a whole can of beans. Buying a primary (meat) product today would have put meat meals towards the end of the month in jeopardy.

2) How do you think I am looking? – Slightly gaunt? OK, well maybe that is an overstatement, but I have cut out all snacks and treats, and actually think I am losing weight! Today I saw buy one get one free on chocolate fingers and would have usually taken full advantage. But today I walked on past muttering to myself ‘needless cost, needless cost Andrew’

3) See the tea cup on the table – I’m on 4 cups a day to fend off my snacking urges at the moment. I plan to come down on my tea consumption in the next 2 weeks. But still, it shows my intent.

4) As you can see I am surrounded by newspapers. Although this might seem like a needless expense, newspapers have been my key source of entertainment this weekend, with the cross words being the highlight.

So at the half way point I am £8.46 over budget, desperate for a night out and going cold turkey on chocolate, cakes and biscuits. Still my resolve is high as I march in to next week full of confidence I can do it in £35.

A Day in the life of Andrew Webster

2009-02-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

8am – Wake up to the sound of my alarm. Look at the mentor duty phone next to my head and think ‘phew, I’m so glad I was not phoned in the middle of the night to attend to a drunken student who had recently been dumped by boyfriend / passed out / slipped on the ice / insert common undergrad crisis.’ Press snooze.

8:08 – Press snooze

8:16 – Press snooze

8:24 – Press snooze

8:32 – Jump out of bed thinking I will be late meeting Nick (and getting to university)

8:33 – Receive text from Nick saying ‘c u at 12 lol’

8:50 – Leave house with 3 pieces of raspberry jam on toast in one hand and my phone in the other frantically calling people to find out where the lecture is.

9:07 – Walk into the lecture late. Thankfully it has not started.

10:00 – Go and stand on the Union concourse in the bitter cold and snow giving out chocolate love hearts to BOYS and girls in front of a stereo blasting out Phil Collins Love Songs. This was the latest marketing strategy of the University project I work for. Hopefully we didn’t put anyone off coming to our next event. Life doesn’t get much more degrading than this.

12:00 – Go to a lecture about the incredible advancements in multi-media technology that are shaping the media... the sound doesn’t work.

13:00 – Go to a workshop on using photoshop. Eat Sandwiches that have been kept safe in an old ice cream tub.

15:00 – Go back to work (university project) to write a powerpoint while university staff talk about the results of their personality tests in the background - I bet I can guess the answers.

17:00 – Buy the Guardian, full of news that is now out of date. Think about how good a pint of real ale would taste.

17:30 – Arrive home, check facebook and start writing pointless blog.

18:00 – Go to a mentor team meeting. Stand outside for 20 minutes before going inside. Then listen to a lot of people talk about how they are trying to ruin students’ fun by telling them to stop making noise and throwing snow (still the students persist).

19:00 – Cook dinner - it’s chicken thighs for the third day in a row. I had to buy in bulk to meet my stringent budgetary requirements. It a beautiful dinner well complimented by cheesy mash and beans. Sadly its completely undermined by Masterchef playing in the background.

20:00 – Leave for the pub. It’s Chris’ surprise birthday party which I am late for. Have 3 pints and some good chat about the general state of things. Buy Chris a pint and help eat his birthday cake.

00:00 – Leave the pub with Nick, Ciara and Mike. Resist the temptation to flutter money away on a donner kebab despite how good it smells.

00:40 – Watch the Mighty Boosch. Realise I have been wearing my underwear the wrong way round all day.

01:00 – Turn the Mighty Boosch off. Update my brown book with ‘Beer £7.25’ and throw away the Guardian I never read.

01:01 – Turn on Radio 5 live and go to sleep!

Day 10 - It's not gone quite as expected!

2009-02-10T14:10:00.000-08:00

So it’s time to update my progress on the 40 pound challenge.

With one week over you could say I have had some success. According to the Brown Book I spent £38.57. However I have to admit that the Brown Book was mislaid for a few days meaning I am relying on my rather biased memory to re-trace my steps.

Furthermore as I look down the list of 'essentials' I see 2 Boots lunch mega deals and one McDonalds large extra value meal. There is also no sign of any food shopping thus reminding me that vegetables were few and far between last week.

But perhaps the biggest extravagance was the trip to the AIESEC conference, where if it wasn't for the generosity of my best friend Aled Owens, my spending would have been extreme over the weekend. Regardless of that, the AIESEC conference did cost £11 in travel and I HAD to buy a couple of drinks, one of which was £3.25 (not even for me I hasten to add).

So what have I learnt from week one?

Well basically that I am lucky to have made it under the budget, and more importantly that I need to be more organised and disciplined in both my spending and my recording!

This week is already off to a better start on that front. Two days in and I have been food shopping, meaning I have something more healthy than tomato soup and porridge for dinner. I spent a whopping £18.56 on Tesco blue and white stripe products. Most impressively I think I bought a kilogram of meat for £4.71 which might even see me into next week.

In saying that I have already spent £22, meaning I am halfway into my budget already, with a couple of nights out on the cards this week. Hopefully I can be more disciplined in resisting the Boots lunches and get at least 2 pints for £3.25 in Sheffield.

Day 4.

2009-02-04T05:04:00.001-08:00

So far and so good on my little challenge.

According to the brown book, I have spent £5.31 and we are on the 4th day.

My early strategy has evolved around using up all of the food that I have got in my cupboards first. However I have run out of primary products (the phrase I am using to describe meat) That meant yesterday I had to replace what would usually be some sausages, or maybe a piece of fish with cheese on toast.

Therefore my dinner consisted of cheese on toast, chips and beans. I can't say I had ever had that combination before and to be honest it didn't really work. But still, it was better than popping over to the uni canteen and wasting £5. I also offset the lack of veg with an apple and orange for dessert.

Shopping trip is coming up though, and the pub quiz on Thursday so I think things may get a little harder from here.

Tightening my belt!

2009-02-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

Andrew Webster is a man who has been living beyond his means!

To pay for this degree I am doing I had to take a huge loan. However the bank misjudged my maturity when giving me the money. It wasn’t the size of the loan that was the problem. No I am perfectly capable of spending that amount of cash. It was the fact that they paid all of it into my bank account at the same time, expecting me to budget throughout the year.

Now I wouldn’t say that I have been living the high life. But I have been failing to pay attention to my dwindling pounds as I buy the odd £5 CD or swan off to London to go drinking with my friends.

Well things have to change. I need to tighten my belt. The dog is at the door, and things can’t go on as they are!

In order to combat the sticky situation I find myself in I have decided to appeal to my competitive, sporting nature and set myself a little challenge.

I ‘Andrew Webster’ of sound body and mind will spend no more than £40 a week on living costs for the whole of February.

Now I almost feel guilty saying this, as I know there are people all over of the world with greater needs than me, who survive on far less. In Pakistan my wage was equivalent to £40 a week and I lived quite happily.

However I am not proposing that I close the doors to the world and live on lentils. No I am proposing that I adapt my life style to live more economically with the hope that these habits will stay with me for years to come. Who knows, they may even make me rich one day and they will certainly help pay the rent for the next few months.

Threats to success

In terms of changing my living style there are a number of red flags that threaten to de-rail me in my challenge.

1. I am partial to a beer
2. I like eat meat in every meal
3. I tend to visit friends outside of Sheffield regularly
4. I am a man who likes a chocolaty treat in the afternoon
5. I am partial to buying lunch from Boots (£3 meal deal is excellent value, but may be too extravagant for my needs now)

I will be paying special attention to these things to ensure that I do not fail!

Accountability

To help me I will be recording all of my purchases in this little brown book.

I’m glad I have finally found a use for this brown book. I got it for Christmas from my dad nearly 5 years ago when we had a £5 limit on presents. Ever since then I have been trying to find a use for it, without wanting to commit to idle notes thus belittling its importance to me. It will now become an integral part of my makeup.

I will also be posting on my blog to share my woes or successes.

If I find £40 is easy to live on, I might lower it too. (lots of people have already pointed out that £40 would be far from a challenge for them...thanks)

Let the tightening begin!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-06T18:02:00.001-08:00

So the end of another year has been and gone! I don’t know where the time goes. It seems like just yesterday that I started 2008 by waking up on a Karachi winter’s day, feeling slightly hungover. This year the hangover was there, but instead of Karachi, I found myself in Crewe (equally as harsh).

Anyway in true New Year tradition I am going to indulge myself with some New Year resolutions and a Nida Rasheed stylee review of 2008. If you’ve got this far, please don’t feel compelled to read on.

RESOLUTIONS
1. Make the best possible next step.
2. Prepare for and complete something physically challenging.
3. Eat 5 pieces of fruit or veg per day.
4. Make a decision either way and stick to it.
5. Read, write and take photos regularly.
6. Eat Breakfast.
7. Significantly improve at the guitar.
8. Learn to drive.
9. Break 80
10. Learn to cook.

Review of 2008 in Question Form

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Volunteered at a music festival. It was Reading festival and a truly awesome experience. I met loads more people than I would normally, saw more character at the festival and generally loved it. I also saw Rage which was a bonus.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t make resolutions, but think I partly achieved my aim of having more direction in my life.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Pakistan (I was already there), India, Nepal and Scotland.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A place that feels like home. (As in not shitty student accommodation)

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June 7th. I flew home from Pakistan after 10 months and surprised my mum at her 50th birthday party. My whole family was there and even some of my friends. It was easily one of the best days of my life!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Completing my traineeship, getting selected for my Masters course and getting through the Cadbury assessment.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not achieving a good balance.

11. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes I was in hospital for a while with Hepatitus A. I’ve also had a couple of nasty infections recently. I really want to look after myself better in 2009.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Shalwar Kammez with Paul Sloss in Lahore. It wasn’t so much the product but the enjoyment of buying it. We looked and bargained in every shop on the street before selecting our clothes. We then wore them together with such pride.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Taha Durrani – He (somehow) got engaged. I can’t wait for the wedding.
Kurt Archer also. I partly just want to write down this story so I don’t forget it. We were coming out of this nice restaurant when we saw a small girl begging on the street. It was the Karachi winter and she had no shoes on. This clearly broke Kurt’s heart. He sat on the step of the restaurant, took off his socks and put them on the little girl’s feet. He then turned to me and said: “They were my favourite socks.”

13.Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Various terrorists / politicians.

14.Where did most of your money go?
Travelling, as in actual travelling to new places, but also travelling between places in the UK. Trains are so expensive now. I don’t know why my friends can’t all live in the same place, prefereably Sheffield.

15.What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going home as a surprise for my mum’s birthday.

16.What song will always remind you of 2008?
Incubus – ‘Drive’
Frank Turner – ‘Photosynthesis’

17.Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Sadder. But not very sad. I was really happy this time last year. II. thinner or fatter? Fatter
III. richer or poorer? Poorer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading and learning Urdu. A golden opportunity was missed there.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Checking facebook and my emails.

20. Did you fall in love in 2008? No

21. How many one-night stands? No comment

22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No.

23. What was the best book you read? ‘Twilight at Midnight’ – It was about the partition of India. I also started Alastair Campbell’s diary which is a classy read.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Frank Turner without a shadow of a doubt.

25. What did you want and get?
A place at Sheffield University to study journalism.

26. What did you want and not get?
Funding for my Masters

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
Charlie Wilson’s War, Lions for Lambs and Little Miss Sunshine. I doubt any of them are from this year, but I saw them this year so I think that counts.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 25. On the weekend before my birthday I had lunch with some university friends and went out with some school friends. On the day I got stupidly drunk in the student union.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not sure.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Bargain centric. I have also noticed a lot of hoods and collars creeping into my wardrobe.

31. What kept you sane?
Blogging and my family.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Gwyneth Paltrow in Iron Man. That is lame. I don’t often fancy public figures that much.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Pakistani politics, especially the rise of Zardari, although I feel disconnected from all of that now. The Democratic nomination (as opposed to the election) also got me going.

34. Who did you miss?
Taha, Sohaib, Nida, Klepo, Zafirah, Mikey, Kurt, Cileia and Seto amongst others.

35. Who was the best new person you met?
Rizwan of Queens English. He was a British guy with Pakistani origin who moved to Karachi with his young family to start his own English School. He was an inspiration. I think he has now closed the school and moved back to the UK.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008
As part of my course I had to find stories in Rotherham. This led me to meet people that are making a big difference to the lives of people in their communities while going relatively unnoticed. The lesson is that people are generally good, and that you don’t have to be in the top job, or have had the best education to make a difference in the world!

That was a bit of a waste of time, but who knows, it might be nice to look back on this time next year!

2009-01-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

Now this might be me, but I am starting to think that this credit crunch is causing a crisis in popular culture at the moment. My theory is that as times are so bleak, or atleast it feels like they are, people are turning to the past for comfort. All of the negative energy about the place is sucking the creativity and excitement out of people, the results of which are appearing on our television screens amongst other things.

It was Christmas day that prompted my thinking along these lines. At the festive period you expect a bit of reminiscing with your favourite characters, bands and soap stars. But this year it seemed to be extreme.

Let me show you precisely what I mean...

The biggest band in the country at the moment is TAKE THAT! – it’s not because they have had lasting success year on year to the present day. No it’s because they saw a gap in the pop market they could fill. Their example is now being followed by Boyzone!

We expect a new Wallace and Gromit at Christmas, and true to form there was a new one made for this Christmas. However it was more of a token effort, at a mere 30 minutes long! Just to show us what we were missing the Beeb put on an older and significantly longer episode shortly before the new one was screened.

The big story on Christmas Eastenders was the return of Nick Cotton. He has more lives than a cat. Do we seriously need him back? I hope Dot murders the bastard once and for all this time!

The Royal family was prime time Christmas special. – Although I am going to let this one go in the same vain I would with Only Fools and Horses.

The late evening special was a Christmas Blackadder.... documentary. It was a programme to say, ‘remember how great Blackadder was? Oh I wish it was still on now’ How disappointing! Was it just me that expected a new episode?

The worst thing is that now I have started to think along these lines, I can’t stop noticing the trend. For instance, I saw this morning that Mr Motivator is coming back to GMTV 10 years after he was last sacked! Surely he is too old for that game now.

I suspect I am just talking shit though. Maybe I’m about to go downstairs and watch a great new comedy, or listen to the next stadium filling band!

Or maybe I will just stick Celebrity BigBrother NINE on.

Washing Machine Woes

2008-11-24T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm bored of not having a washing machine.

For the whole of last year I cursed every time it came to washing my clothes. I would have to take those two stupid buckets to the roof, fill them with cold water and then try and subsequently fail to clean my clothes by hand! Without Sohaib's polite conversation about lottas and the like, it might have been unbearable.

However today I would have quite fancied a couple of hours sitting on my Karachi roof doing my washing. It seems that negotiating the washing machines in university accommodation can be even more tiresome.

The reason I bring this up is that it is 12:20, way past my bed time, and I am waiting for my clothes to dry in a laundry room 5 minutes away, out in the cold.

I know this doesn't sound too bad, but I have actually been trying to carry out this task since yesterday evening.

My first stumbling block was change for the machines. I went to the cafe, they said I couldn't change my note. I went to the bar. They said I couldn't change the note. Then I went back to the cafe, £20 note in hand and wanting to buy an apple. Apparently that wasn't allowed either. They were worried I was some sort of charlatan looking to give them a fake 20. Feeling frustrated, I gave up.

I mean what is the world coming to, when people won't even show you the human kindness of changing a bit of money?

Then today I marched down to the laundry room with renewed vigor and a pocket full of change. However when I marched in there was not one machine available.

I went back an hour later. Still no machine was available.

Eventually at 11pm, I was able to put my washing in the machine, some 26 hours after I first tried.

Not quite home and dry yet though. The timer said 32 minutes, but when I returned 40 minutes later, there were still 12 minutes left of the cycle! Someone explain that to me.

I have now managed to transfer my clothes to the dryer, no doubt short of a few socks, and am waiting until 12:50 for the dryer cycle to be complete. Then I can bring a bag of wet clothes back to my room and hang off various hooks, curtains and doors.

Still 20 minutes and counting.....bring back my Karachi washing line

25 then....

2008-11-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

So I have a spare few minutes. There is nothing on the TV, I’m definitely too tired for shorthand and besides I need to give the new Kings of Leon album a proper listen. What better thing to do then, than write a blog?

As yet, I’m not sure what about. I know it’s a bit risky going straight to paper without a plan or a sturdy intro but hell I’m only 25 which means I am still young enough to take a few risks. Speaking of which that might be a good place to start – how do I feel to be 25?

Well surprisingly not too bad. I feel like I have turned a corner. 23 and 24 were a bit crisis like. But I feel comfortable moving into my mid twenties (First time I have said that). I think I have a bit more direction and more idea of where I am going now so I’m kind of content, for the moment at least.

I also had the best birthday for a while.

It started on Saturday when I met some University friends for a long lunch. Jess made me cakes, Druce supplied me with a miniature bottle of champagne, Stevie got me a CD, cards were all around, and Caroline, well she exceeded all expectations. She re-created Sunday paper club for me, even though it wasn’t Sunday. For nearly 5 hours we sat in the pub shooting the breeze. It was beautiful!

Following lunch was an evening out with my school friends.

It’s funny how different friend groups work. No cards from this lot. No if they spent money on a card that would merely take away money they could better invest in getting me drunk.
Despite my twin brother not turning up to his own birthday, it was a quality night which ended in a dirty indie club at 3am.

The final chapter of my birthday was Monday, the actual day I turned 25. For this I went out for a few drinks with some fellow journalists. The environment, meaning the student union, seemed to take me back to younger days. That meant I ended up drinking too much, being sick and missing lectures the next day. But still there was plenty of banter going round and I had a great time.

So I think thanks is in order to everyone who made sure I saw in what could have been quite a traumatising time, in such memorable style. Thank you.

I guess this blog is about my birthday and little else...I can highly recommend the new Kings of Leon album.

"Well I guess I shuld confess that I am starting to get old"

2008-10-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

I think 24 is a transition age, and to be honest I feel in the midst of that transition at the moment.

I am moving away from the student /bachelor life and thinking more about how I am going to use the adult one.

You see I have this debate in my head. (Which isn’t as black and white as I will make it sound now)

The debate is between:

Following a high paying career path with the mentality of ‘living for the weekend’

vs.

Following something that I’m really interested in, in the pursuit of changing ‘shit’ for the better. The only problem is that this option has the potential to fail miserably and could offer little financial reward.

You see as a student studying politics and being involved in an idealist organization like AIESEC, it is all too easy to start caring a lot about the things that are happening around you, particularly when you start to experience them first hand.

But at the same time the pressures of growing up, especially amongst friends who seem to be making a better job of it than me, are ever increasing. I’m half jealous of their secure jobs, long term girlfriends and good work life balance but without genuinely wanting it for myself yet.

The reason I bring this up is that a folk muscian, who has recently exerted his influence on my playlist, seems to have an uncanny knack of descrbing these little debates - atleast in my head. His name is Frank Turner and by all accounts and purpose the man is a legend.

As much as it pains me to admit it, I actually have to thank Brett Kingsbury for introducing me to Frank. While at Reading festival Brett and myself continued our age old debate of ‘Andrew has a closed mind and spends all day on the main stage’.

Literally to prove the bastard wrong, I went along to see this ex-punk band front man, turn folk singer…sounded crap.

But I have to say it turned out to be one of the highlights of the weekend. It was 3:30pm, you couldn’t get in the tent and the crowd sang every word…amazing.

With that in mind I feel it is only fair I share some of those wise words sang on that fateful day …

Well I guess I should confess that I am starting to get old
All the latest music fads all passed me by and left me cold
All the kids are talking slang I won't pretend to understand
All my friends are getting married, mortagages and pension plans
And it's obvious my angry adolescent days are done
And I'm happy and I'm settled in the person I've become
But that doesn't mean I'm settled up and sitting out the game
Time may change alot but some things may stay the same

And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all I will not grow up

Oh maturity's a wrapped up package deal so it seems
And ditching teenage fantasy means ditching all your dreams
All your friends and peers and family solomnly tell you you will
Have to grow up be an adult yeah be bored and unfulfilled
Oh when no ones yet explained to me exactly what's so great
About slaving 50 years away on something that you hate
Look I'm meekly shuffling down the path of mediocrity
Well if that's your road then take it but it's not the road for me
Frank Turner - Photosynthesise

Oh but once we were young, and we were crass enough to care
But I guess you live and learn, we won't make that mistake again, no
Oh but surely just for one day, we could fight and we could win
And if only for a little while, we could insist on the impossibleso come on old friends to the streets
Let's be 1905 but not 1917, let's be heroes, let's be martyrs, let's be radical thinkers
Who never have to test drive the least of their dreams
Let's divide up the world into the damned and safe
And then ride to the valleys like the old life brigade
And straighten our backs and we won't be afraid
And they'll celebrate our deaths with a national parade
So come on let's be young, let's be crass enough to care
Let's refuse to live and learn, let's make all our mistakes again yes
And then darling, just for one day, we can fight and we can win
And if only for a little while, we could insist on the impossible
Frank Turner - Love and Ire

Because I’m young enough to be all pissed off
But I’m old enough to be jadedI’m at the age where I want things to change
But with age my hopes have faded
I’m young and bored of being young and bored
If I was old I could say I’ve seen it all before
In short; I’m tired of giving a shitI’ve got friends who are bankers
And it’s an easy rhyme to call them wankers
But I must say I envy the way that they live
And it’s all; it’s all take and no give
Well I’m playing the lone ranger
Riding to the rescue with 6 billion strangers
Armed with only an original song
And a sense that something’s wrong
Frank Turner – Once we were anarchists

Sunday in Studentville

2008-09-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

On the face of it I thought my Sunday was going to be a disaster. Initially me and Dave were meant to be trekking down to Cornwall to see the legendary Oasis play an exclusive gig.

However our plans were ruined by a stupid Canadian pushing Noel off stage in Canada from which he broke his ribs! The gig was eventually cancelled at the last minute.

Still as one door closes, another one opens.

With all of the excitement of a fresher I had marched down to the fresher fair earlier in the week and signed up to a number of societies, some of which were having their intro meetings that said Sunday.

As a result at 8am on Sunday morning I found myself attending my first rowing class, in an actual boat with oars and everything.

Now rowing was something that I wasn’t immediately interested in - I’ve never considered myself to have the build for the sport to be honest. However when I got chatting to the man holding an oar outside of the student union I could hardly say no. A man holding an oar on dry land has a lot of pulling power I think (not women).

Anyway the rowing went well, or at least I enjoyed it. And you know how it is when you try something new; you start planning it out in your head until you can see yourself on the podium at the Olympics.

So I showed a certain amount of willingness when I was told the next session was in the gym at 7:30am on Tuesday morning. (I was a little less keen when they mentioned the socials dressed in lycra) We will have to see how it goes, but for the moment at least I have great plans for my rowing future.

The real excitement of the Sunday came a little later on though. I went down to the student Union coffee shop for what is called the ‘Sunday Paper’ society. As the title suggests, this society is made up of a group of students that meet up every Sunday just to read the Sunday papers, have a chat and a cup of coffee and even a slice of lemon cake if the occasion really takes them.

Isn’t that the best thing you have ever heard in your life? I couldn’t stop smiling at the thought of it when I was initially introduced to the concept. How could you ever have a bad Sunday if you are a member of the Sunday paper society? The only thing that made me sad was that I hadn’t thought of it myself.

And to be honest it did live up to the hype. I walked in a little late to see people sat round tables, their papers open and the chat flowing. I spent 2 hours studying the independent and talking to some nice girls about the state of my Sunday. It was 2 hours very well spent and something I plan on doing again and again.

The final event of my eventful Sunday was a trip to see a free show put on by some improvisation comedians called the Shrimps. Again something I learnt about at the Freshers fair.
To be honest, a bunch of rowdy freshers must be the worst possible crowd, but they handled it well I thought - especially when one of the comedians first stood on stage and said,

“Tell me something that annoys you”

“You”

He then spent the next 5 minutes talking about how he annoyed himself….highly amusing if you ask me.

Roll on the student Sundays I say.

Re-joining the Student Community

2008-09-25T15:57:00.001-07:00

I think it was today that I really realized I was a student again. I woke up about midday after a heavy night in a club called ‘Embrace’. It was a Sheffield Hallam night which was full of Freshers singing, dancing and fornicating to some of the cheesiest cringe worthy anthems ever put upon this planet.

My drink of choice for the evening was Cherry VK, and the usual shirt and shoes was replaced by a tshirt and shitty pair of trainers. All of this is obviously par for the course for a Wednesday night, or at least I hope.

Truth be told I think this degree might be a little harder than the first one. I mean some of the lifestyle features are similar – I live in a grotty house, I’m eating dinners such as southern fried chicken and pasta and my financial situation can already be described as bleak.

But the sense is I am older and better prepared to work hard. According to my timetable I have 40 hours of learning contact a week.

Also the intro programme for Masters students is much more focused on meals, bowling and coffee as opposed to drinking, clubbing and sleeping.

Still I am loving being here and Sheffield is growing on me all of the time. Hopefully I can get the balance right, and make the most of being a student for one last year at the same time as getting my degree.

Interim Period

2008-09-11T15:15:00.001-07:00

Since I got back from Karachi things have been non stop. Obviously there were the festivals, which provided an unforgettable 2 weeks welcome back period to the UK. Then there was a week working for the Cambridge Evening News, getting a bit of an insight into the media industry. Now I'm in London, half way through a 3 week period working for a careers network company, before I make my next big step - A masters in Print Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

So things are good and I think that is what I want to acknowledge.

Lots of people warned me about the challenge of coming back to the UK and settling in after being away for so long, but to be honest its not been that difficult for me because I am excited about what I have done but also about what I am about to do! I've found myself naturally not living in the past but concentrating on the future.

Don't get me wrong, because I have thought a lot about my time in Pakistan and I realise what a priceless experience it was! I also realise how happy I was there (which is strange considering Karachi is considered the 3rd most dangerous city in the world to the British foreign office) and I really miss both the place and the people. The whole year was like an adreniline rush, just because every day I knew what I was doing was part of a once only opportunity, and thats exciting.

But also the space away helped me come to terms with the end of an era - University, AIESEC, certain females etc. - and focus on the future more, and what I want to do next. Focusing on that makes you feel much more content and to be honest at the moment I'm enjoying everyday of being back.

Reading Festival

2008-09-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

I came back from Pakistan early for the festivals and I have to say it was worth it! V was fun - the Stereophonics rocked my world with a barrage of coolness and old songs while the Verve provided numerous anthems to sing along too while I was covered in piss thrown through the crowd.

But Reading was where the action was really at. It was easily one of the best festivals I have ever been too, and so different to any other festival experience. For Reading you see, I was part of the Campsite Assistance Team (CAT), which meant in return for working 3 eight hour shifts I got a free ticket. I even managed to wangle it so I was not working for any headline acts. The deal was too good to be true.

Rage
So as a CAT I had the responsibility on my first shift of helping people put up their tents and joining in with the general excitement about the festival. It soon became clear that people were excited about one thing in particular…RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE!

I don't think I have ever been to a festival and seen as much excitement and hype about one band. To me that indicated one thing though, it would be packed. Dan and I made our way to the front for Queens of the Stone Age, the band before Rage, and we literally could not move. As soon as the music started the crowd collapsed with me going to ground fearing for my life.

Realising that this would be no way to enjoy Rage against the machine, I retreated 10 yards backwards!

Feeling like I had enough space to atleast clap when Rage came on, I thought my positioning would be fine.

However as soon as they hit bombtrack, people stormed forward to mosh and I was crushed once more. This time it was utter carnage though. People were screaming 'get me out of here' and 'I can't breath' and after 4 songs I found myself scaling the golden circle barrier along with hundreds of others!

It wasn't ideal, but very Rage esque I thought. Despite all of this Rage were rocking and well worth the hype…they were easily one of the best bands that I have seen.

Beer Cans - A recipe for happiness
My second shift was 8am til 4pm on the Saturday, and to be honest this was the one that I feared the most. However just after starting, someone pointed to me that for collecting one bag of crushed beer cans I could earn myself 3 beer tokens!

This to me was a no-brainer. My job was to walk around the campsite, giving assistance. The campsite was covered in empty beer cans. As long as my pride didn’t get in the way I could easily collect a few beer cans, get a few tokens, and have a very merry afternoon.

And that is exactly what I did. I walked off that shift with tokens for 18 free beers in my pocket, and what is more each bag took less than 10 minutes to fill! I could hardly contain my happiness.

I spent the afternoon in between the beer can bar, drinking as much beer as possible and chatting to the other drunken folk and watching the Editors, Bloc Party and the Killers.

The final night
The consequence of getting every festival evening off, was that I was scheduled for 12am to 8pm Monday morning. Reading and Leeds tradition indicates that this is ‘wreck the place’ night! Although secretly, part of me was quite please because at least it would go quickly.

Well tradition lived up to its name on this occasion. For the next 8 hours, a number of situations arose that just defied all that I could have expected, the majority of which it has to be said happened in the best of spirits. Some though were a bit over the top.

I think I first realized it wouldn’t be the average night when we were told,

‘Be careful there is a riot organized here for 1am’

‘oh how do you know that?’

‘Well there are signs up everywhere.’ – Literally people had put signs up advertising a riot.

Come 1am there were hundreds of people by the toilet blocks ‘angry mob, angry mob’. Soon they had the metal bins upside down and were banging them with sticks to the rhythm of their chants. The bin banging went on continuously for the next 5 hours, as did the chants and fires of the angry mob. The only thing is they weren’t that angry.

It was more like a good spirited angry mob, even when they chased 4 police meat wagons off the site! I had never seen that before, and I doubt I ever will again.

The angry mob were far from the only astounding sight though.

On my first round the campsite I saw a crowd gathering at the mud sodden ground near the water tap. What I saw when I got there was bare back mud wrestling only ending when someone was pinned for three.

Further round and we found a guy passed out on the side of the campsite road. On waking him up, we made him take us to his tent. He took us to a 2 man tent, assured us it was his and entered only to hear,

“Get the fuck out of my tent”

Feeling slightly frustrated with his games, we took him on to a 6 man tent and again he assured us this was the one.

“Get the fuck out of my tent”

Thankfully the scene drew the attention of his friends nearby and they took him to the safety of his own tent. I can only imagine how long that would have gone on for if they hadn’t have seen us.

There was also the more moronic behavior of ripping power cables out of the generator and then using them as a rope swing, and of course the burning of tents while people were still in them, that was taking it a little far. I even caught someone stealing things to burn from the recycle area.

Amongst all of this chaos there was even a man wandering the campsite with one bare foot looking for a left shoe as he had lost his earlier that day.

Anyway like I said, the majority of the rioting, although not to be approved of, was just friendly banter! What a weekend though, I’ve been laughing ever since… I can’t remember having that much fun in months.

Another year, another blog!!

2008-08-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have met a lot of people who ask me what I am doing at the moment and my answer has been, 'I'm in an interim period' The fact is I have just left Pakistan, and am now trying to look forward as opposed to back as I decide what is next for me. Will I work or will I be able to study first? Over the next few days I should finalise my decision, but whatever the case I am excited about my next steps.

Well in the spirit of looking forward I've created this new blog! Welcome.