My Weekend in London - Follow Up Blogpost - SATURDAY

  For those of you who have watched my vlog which showcased everything I got up to in th capital of the United Kingdom, this is a follow-up blog post which is just for you. I mean I didn't cover EVERYTHING in the video, there was no time for that! This post is going to uncover my thoughts and feelings on things in more depth and I'm also going to review Phantom and Sweeney Todd now it's been a few days for me to take them both in!
  It was midnight on Friday 3rd April, and I was still frantically trying to pack for going away the same morning. I like to procrastinate and leave everything until last minutes, so as a result, I only got 4 hours sleep. But let me tell you, I wasn't tired in the slightest.
  I got to the station and after yawning a couple of times (I insist I wasn't tired! honest!) I found out that the train I was meant to be getting had been delayed in leaving the depot. I felt a bit peeved, but 15 minutes later, the train pulled in and I felt much better. From Sunderland to Hartlepool I was the only one in the carriage so I decided I would get my camera out and film a few bits on the train. After about 10 videos I got the attempt I wanted and by then the train was ready to receive more passengers.
  The next time I got my phone out to vlog, was at Kings Cross Station. My intention was to film myself walking out of the station, but my phone decided not to record these bits. again I was a little peeved, but the sight of the St Pancras clock tower lightened my mood because I knew I was in London again at last.

  When I reached my hotel, I immediately sat down to a sachet of Kenco coffee, which was to die for, and I definitely needed it because by that stage I was a little drained. I soon felt refreshed and was ready for my adventure. Feeling daring, I ventured to the tube station to begin my day in the city.
 And Who did I see walking down the road towards me? Well at that time I had no idea, but I knew I recognised him. Things got awkward when he also entered the barriers at the station after I did, and we also shared a lift down to the platform. I got on the train to Morden Via Bank, and it was clear then that I had got the wrong train. At Camden Town (Edgeware Branch) I alighted and made my way to Camden Town (Charing X Branch) and the train pulled in shortly after this. And who did I see when I got on the train? Yes you guessed it. That familiar face. It was clear from the reactions of the others around me, that they also knew his face. I looked over and his head was buried in a book (most likely a script) so I decided that I wouldn't approach, as that would have made him feel awkward.
  When the train pulled into Leicester Square station I discovered that this man had also got off at the same stop and was on the escalator behind me. Still I didn't remember who on earth he was! Outside the station he got lost in the crowd, so I got out my phone, and did a quick google search. It was none other than Damien Lewis, husband of Helen McCrory. He must have been on his way to rehearsals or something because he was due to appear in a show in a couple of weeks.
  When my state of star-struck faded, I decided I would make my way to the theatre to pick up my tickets for the Phantom of the Opera. Unfortunately I ended up at the stage door of the Queen's theatre (under the watchful eye of the 'fans' of Carrie Hope Fletcher) doing a google search to find out what way to go. Carrie eventually turned up in a taxi and walked straight past her fans. One girl commented "She must hate us today". No, she's probably very tired and has a two show day to focus on so leave her alone to do her job...
  After two wrong turns, and ending up at the Coliseum by accident (it was a useful accident though as I would then know how to get back there for Sweeney Todd the day after!) twice, I decided to go round to the stage door. I wasn't hoping to see any of the cast, but as I turned a corner, Philip Quast walked briskly towards me and the stage door. He was met by someone there who said "Come on Philip, you're late!" Philip Quast late to a show warm-up? Unbelievable! TSK TSK!
  I thought I would stay for a little while longer in the hope of seeing someone else, but then the sounds of a cast warming up, erupted from somewhere above me, and I knew then that all that standing around was now in vain. They were all in the building. So feeling a little defeated (though I have no idea why) I decided to head back towards the Phantom of the Opera to finally pick up my ticket.
  I had no idea the box office was actually inside the theatre, so it meant I got into the venue at the same time as matinee crowds. I was ecstatic because it meant I would get a sneak peek at the merchandise on offer. In advance of the evening show I purchased a white Phantom of the Opera mug, and a programme ahead of the evening show. Delighted with my purchases, I decided that once again I needed coffee. It was time to search and find the Theatre Cafe! I''d heard a lot about the theatre cafe from other people/friends who had been there before I had and I was so intrigued by the whole thing. After getting lost again, I made my way back towards a Starbucks next to the Queen's theatre, which I had seen recently, and decided I would go and buy that London mug I had had my eye on for a while. When I saw how busy it was I gave up the chase and went straight to the front of the Queen's theatre. That was when my eagle eyes noticed the Theatre Cafe. Smaller than I expected if I'm honest. But my first impressions were all but cast aside when I entered.
  Littering the walls were posters from all sorts of past west end shows. I saw Into the Woods, Billy Elliot, Wicked, Miss Saigon, The Commitments to name but a few. But that wasn't all. In lights at the back was Theatre Cafe, and this took up the majority of the back wall. I looked around again and saw as well props from shows. I thought this place is wonderful so I ordered a latte. My cup had plastered on it a Charlie and the Chocolate factory logo. I was a little disappointed when I discovered it was just a cardboard cover as opposed to actually printed on the cup. If it had been printed onto the cup I may have kept it. But more on keeping coffee cups later ;)

 

  From here I decided to head to the Globe Theatre and pay for a ticket for the tour. What you didn't see in the video was the majority of the exhibition. The reason for this is because I was so overwhelmed with it all, that spoiling that feeling for others wouldn't be very clever of me, so Im letting you all judge for yourselves if you go. Prepare to be educated on the history of Shakespeare and his theatre. After this is was time to go into the Globe. That was a wonderful moment. I cannot recommend the tour enough. If you are a Student, like me, it'll cost you the minimal amount of £11. a bargain if ever there was one.

  I noticed a starbucks right next door and decided to finally cave and buy the London mug. They also had an England one with Shakespeare and the Globe on it, which would have made more sense to buy there considering it was right next door, but I bought the London one because I remembered the England one was available all over England.
  Then of course it was time to go to Phantom. My intention had been to visit Tower Bridge before seeing the show, but I had no time and a large section of my vlog which I recorded walking up the street next to St Pauls, was omitted from the final cut as I mentioned Tower Bridge and the LEGO version and then never actually got there. It made sense to cut it.
 And so after that meaty account of my trip, let us take a moment to enjoy a review...



THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - Her Majesty's Theatre
Cast included: Geronimo Rauch, Emmi Christensson, Oliver Savile, Lara Martins, Phillip Griffiths, Tim Morgan, Jacinta Mulcahy, John Ellis and Alicia Beck.

Seated in the Grand Circle of Her Majesty's Theatre, waiting for the lights to go down, I looked upon the stage and was intrigued by the drapes and setting that was before me. When the show finally started I felt like I was going to cry, as I was finally getting to see this show after so long. Then the Chandelier started to fly during the overture. That was one bit I was waiting for the most, and it did not disappoint one bit. For one thing, it was incredible to witness and looked very magical. I had in my head vague memories of the 25th Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall during Hannibal as a lot of things I recognised, but what a voice Carlotta had! Lara Martins gives Carlotta the Diva edge she needs, and she hits the nail on the head. I'd go as far to say she's more of a Minnie Driver than an Angela Martins or a Wendy Ferguson. Yes she had the operatic voice, but her acting was astoundingly good. John Ellis as Ubaldo Piangi was also incredibly good. He didn't overdo his singing like a lot of Piangi's I had heard before him have and his acting was also top knotch. He was nearly as much of a diva as Carlotta! When it was time for Christine to be revealed, I was confused. Meg Giry and Christine Daaé had seemed to have swapped wigs. Getting over this fact, Emmi's voice was heavenly and I could listen to it all day if I could. Alicia's Meg Giry was a little average in my opinion, but Meg is such a small role I suppose I can forgive this. Oliver Savile's Raoul won me over. After disliking the character for a long time, I actually loved Oliver's portrayal. His voice was amazing and his acting was even better than I had expected. Some instances that stick out in my mind are Final Lair and Little Lotte. Whilst there's a huge contrast there, I think his best scenes were his calm ones and his more tense ones. Anything in between was good too though. Whilst Oliver is the understudy, I think he ticks all the boxes. And then we come to Geronimo's Phantom. Going in I will admit I had my doubts, but boy was I wrong to have them! Geronimo is undoubtedly the best Phantom I have heard/seen since John Owen Jones. I'm not a fan of Ramin's take at all, but boy was Geronimo good! His title song and Music of the Night left me speechless. and any time he was offstage, I just wanted him to come back. Another voice I could listen to all day. It is clear how much training this guy has had. I could go as far to say he's a better Phantom than John Owen Jones, but I won't because I'm JOJ biased. With actors out of the way it's time to talk about sets and costumes. I'd heard about a lot of instances where things went wrong with the set as it is nearly 30 years old, but luckily nothing broke down, or if it did, I didn't notice. The sets are definitely one of the factors which make this show. I was amazed at the way the candles rose from the mist and another favourite bit of staging of mine was the statue which looks a part of the proscenium arch, descending to create a statue on top of the Paris Opera House. Stunning to watch. The magic also gave this show a spectacle that would astound you. I mean I still don't think anyone can work out how that piano plays itself, or how Phantom's chair works. But that's the beauty of it. The mystery leaves you with questions that will never be answered, and I think it's better that way because if you found out it would spoil the show for good. Brava Brava Bravissima Phantom! You've left me with a want to go back! Also if you want to take home a bit of magic of the show, take home the heat activated mug. It's certainly a sight to behold.



SATURDAY ROUND-UP

All in all my day was long, fast paced, and absolutely incredible. I didn't think Sunday could top it. But oh was I wrong! The follow-up blogpost for Sunday will be up soon. All I have to say now is I hope you enjoyed reading! :)

MORNING BLOGPOST! MEN FROM MARS! MEN FROM MARS!

"No one would have believed, that in the last years of the twentieth century, that a mind superior to ours, would regard a famous novel with envious eyes, and slowly, and surely, he composed some music to entertain us!"

DA DA DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

*tape wipe sound*

It was a quiet night on the third of December in the year of our Lord 2014. Newcastle was preparing to host a Martian invasion in front of around 11,000 human bodies. It was almost a sell out show with some single seats left untouched around the arena. It was one of these seats that I managed to secure with one week to go.

When I booked my ticket I imagined that because I had waited until the very last minute, I wouldn't get a great seat. How wrong I was. Seriously guys, if you ever get the chance to sit in seat 262 in Row P of block 211, then you take it! The view was perfect, and whilst I was very far back, I could see and hear everything extremely clearly. When I walked into the auditorium I was greeted with a giant logo on a giant screen at the back of the stage above the action, and my heart started pounding in anticipation of what was about to happen, because it would be an experience unlike any I have ever had before.




After meeting a friend whom I had discussed the show with, I went back to my seat, and was this time greeted with a giant pair of alien eyes on the screen where the logo had been. These alien eyes seemed to be scanning the audience in the arena as a lot of people sitting in their seats were shown in them. I stared at the screen, eagerly trying to see if the eyes would spot my section, and sadly they didn't, or if they did I didn't get to see them staring at me. It was also kind of creepy, because there was no camera noticeable in the arena pointing at the audience, so unless you were looking at the screen, you would have no idea that you were being scrutinised.



Soon after 8pm Standard Earth Time, The first of the players took to the stage, in the form of Herbert George Wells (AKA H.G. Wells), the author of the book. In my opinion Callum O'Neil (Whom you might know as Wee Dingwall from Disney Pixar's Brave! Yep I was shocked too) managed to capture the essence and pompous nature of the author beautifully. We see him in three stages of his life in which he discusses his views on the world and his story, after the publication date of the book, after World War I and finally after World War II. Throughout the show, HG Wells ages, and the prosthetics used convey his middle aged and elderly nature beautifully. This was an addition to the show for the "final" tour, and it is definitely proved to be a success.

The Journalist soon appeared, after an out of this world interlude on the big screen which displayed the martians preparing to dispatch the first of the missiles to Earth. Liam Neeson was the perfect choice for the Journalist in my opinion, and the holographic interactions with other characters were so cleverly done and worked extremely well. Brian McFadden of Westlife fame became the Sung Thoughts of the Journalist, and my friend and I both agreed that he was probably one of the best vocalists for the role. I wasn't a fan of Marti Pellow's rendition of Forever Autumn on the DVD of the 2012 production, but Brian's vocals captured the emotion needed to pull off this difficult and powerful song. This was by far one of my favourite parts of the show and the addition of the leaves falling on the audience was very moving to say the least. I'm sure some would have been moved to tears by the number.

Special mention has to go to Shayne Ward, who gave an incredibly strong performance as the Artilleryman. I was sceptical to begin with, but he shone in the song Brave New World, which has now become one of my favourite songs in the piece. Jason Donovan's troubled Parson Nathaniel, and Carrie Hope Fletcher's Beth created a duo that not only became a memorable scene from the second act, but created a chemistry which wasn't there when Kerry Ellis did the role. Carrie's rendition managed to convey her love for the man she has lost due to his maniacal changes and her voice perfectly represents her innocence in the dramatic scene. In short I think I preferred Carrie's rendition to Kerry's. (but I might be a little biased having watched many of Carrie's videos on Youtube and seen her as Eponine in Les Mis.)

The staging is of epic proportions, for one thing the Orchestra is on two sides of it, there is a holographic screen, another screen to the left of the huge one, and to top it all off, we have one of the fearsome fighting machines that dominates the front cover of the CDs. The machine is one of the highlights of the show as it rises above everything and fires an extremely powerful heat ray which was so hot the audience further back probably felt it as well. There is some other staging for the Brave New World which is flown in from above. This little bit of set is really nice and has a very steam-punk feel to it which compliments everything else.

In short this show is absolutely spectacular. From the get go, you are immersed in an apocalypse of electronic/symphonic music, a catchy plot, and a performance which will blow you away in a series of heat ray blasts and an invasion of Red Weed. For me I wish I had discovered this show before now, but I also love the fact that I will never see it again, because I will always remember seeing this one. It's a spectacular night I will never forget. Special thanks goes to The Weather for making it atmospherically foggy when leaving the auditorium. It actually felt like Martians had invaded us.

Wait... I'm looking out my front window right now, and I see something in the distance, it's towering over everything and coming straight for my building... Oooh Er.....  I think it's time to end this post, and I'll write again soon... If there is a ne- ................................................................

UUUUUUUUUULLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

"The earth belonged to the Martians...."

A Magical Moment

My partner once discovered online that you could "open" the Disney Store at certain branches around the country. Unfortunately, we searched for more instances, but to no avail. It's a real shame because if you time it right, it can be a very magical moment.

My local Disney store opens at 9am every day. I had been to try and open the store once before, but I got there too late the first time. This morning I would make sure I got to open it, whatever the cost!

At 8:30am I approached my local shopping centre and got distracted by the Calendar Club stall which was just opening. Whilst looking at the Nightmare Before Christmas calendar, something in my head reminded me that I wasn't there for calendars. Instantly I put down the calendar and hurried along to the Disney Store. The shutters were up and in front of the doorway was a series of barriers and a giant padlock, presumably for a giant key. Two staff members were standing observing the passing public, obviously looking for someone who would approach them.

9:05 came and went, and I sought my chance. I went up to the staff members and asked if the store was opening soon. This was when they asked me to open it. I was flattered and the child inside of me started to get very excited.

I was asked a variety of questions, including who my favourite character from Disney was. (Tramp obviously...) The key was brought forward from the back of the store and was given to me. All I had to do was place the end of the key (A crafted lookalike of Cinderella's castle) into the padlock and turn it clockwise. This unlocked the barriers and opened the store. I was then given a souvenir miniature key, much like the one that opened the store.

This process is magical. No other word for it. It's something I've wanted to do for quite a while, so this morning made my day.

If you're an adult and are reading this, take your kid along to open the Disney store. It's worth every minute and they go away with a memory to cherish for a lifetime!

Review: Black Coffee - Newcastle Theatre Royal

Jason Durr stars in Black Coffee

  When someone turns around to you and asks you if you have seen Agatha Christie's Poirot on the TV, if you know what they are talking about, chances are you will picture David Suchet in the title role with the signature moustache. If you are really familiar with the character, perhaps you have seen the likes of Albert Finney in the role as well. When reading the books you may see someone different again (or you may just picture Suchet again). In short, many people have played Poirot in adaptations for TV, Radio and even onstage.

 I got given the oppurtunity to see Black Coffee in Newcastle at the Theatre Royal, and I didn't pass it up. But I was a little bit nervous about going... It's true that I find it hard to take to someone else playing Poirot, having seen many of the ITV adaptations with Mr Suchet on countless occasions, so when I found out I was seeing someone different playing Poirot, you can understand how I must have been feeling. It's rather silly of me, but I was worried I would never adjust to Jason Durr's take on the Belgian detective. But I soon discovered there was nothing to worry about.

Black Coffee is the first play Agatha Christie wrote for the stage. She began to write the piece in 1929, and it was initially produced one year later. The play is set in the library of Sir Claude Amory's house, approximately 25 miles outside of London. Sir Claude takes a sip of his evening coffee and, during a blackout, suddenly dies in his chair. Long before he even took his coffee, he summoned Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings to his house to try to discover who is responsible for the theft of a formula he has kept locked in a safe. Of course Poirot and Hastings arrive too late and Poirot's 'little grey cells' get to work to help unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the formula and Amory's death.

I won't give anything else away because it needs to be experienced to be understood. What I will say though is the Jason Durr captures the essence needed to pull off the Belgian detective, with a mixture of both seriousness and humour, bringing the character to life on the stage and you soon learn to forget David Suchet entirely as you watch him. Coupled with Captain Hastings, the chemistry between the two characters is absolutely fantastic, and both actors pull off the roles to the highest of standards. Inspector Japp was also portrayed quite comically, but he was only seen in the third act of the piece. In the short space of time however, he fast became one of my favourite characters of the play as a whole.


The cast of Black Coffee

The stage is set by an array of talents playing an assortment of interesting characters, all of whom are suspects in the case. The highlights however for me were Hastings, Poirot and Japp, creating a brilliant comedic trio.

If you have the chance to see Black Coffee whilst it tours the UK, I highly recommend it. You will be mesmerised by an unforgettable whodunnit, and it may even leave you with a desire to avoid coffee at all costs. It'll be safe as long as it doesn't leave you with a bitter taste in the mouth...

I'm back... And guess where I've been!

It's been a little quiet around here lately hasn't it?

For this I apologise.  I've done so much since the last post that I felt I'd rather round it all up in a small update post rather than post something for every single thing I've done.

So without further ado let's proceed with the update:

Caroline Rhea/Glasgow - 28th-29th March 2014
My other half introduced me to the magical world of Sabrina the Teenage Witch during the weeks leading up to my second outing to see Caroline Rhea (Aunt Hilda), only this time in Glasgow. I was terribly excited because it felt amazing to have this feeling of freedom (it's the first time I've been away on a holiday without my parents) and since I've never had a proper trip to Glasgow on my own, it could only get better.

Caroline Rhea was on top form during her show at the Stand Comedy Club.  I don't think I've ever laughed so hard at anything before. (well... the only exception being Monty Python's Biggus Dickus sketch... if you can call it that) Tears fell down my face and I nearly found myself on the floor on countless occasions. I would thoroughly recommend going to see her if she's ever near you.

Les Misérables - Broughton High School, 9th-12th April 2014


Yep you guessed it!

Captivate Drama brought Les Misérables back to give it a very fitting send-off. I'm very sad that this was the last time I'll probably ever do the School Edition, but every single moment was worth it.

After picking up the baton, and donning the bicorne for a second time, I can safely say that I feel that this run of Les Misérables was a lot better than the fringe run. Let me explain why.

Well, firstly you had the ENORMOUS set.

That's right. The set this time was even bigger than it was at the Edinburgh Fringe. The raised platform was 2 inches higher off the ground, and this time the orchestra were hidden behind a gauze at the back of the platform.  There was a downside to this. Javert's Suicide had to be completely re-done to fit the new surroundings, but when I look back at photos, and remember how it felt to be up higher, I cannot find a single fault in the way they made my death look realistic.  I won't go into details because I'll be here all day, but that's a significant highlight for me.



Secondly, the show itself was bigger. The chorus had multiplied a couple of times since the last time, and some of the principals were filled by some new faces.

Thirdly, the energy was insanely strong.  In the final performance alone, I've never experienced such an amazing cast of people creating the performance we did. I may be being biased (sorry!!) but I'll say it anyway. I could go as far to say that the final performance of Captivate Drama's Les Misérables was of West End standard, and a lot of people have said the same thing. And do you want to know the best part?

THERE WAS AN ENCORE! AND IT GOT FILMED JUST LIKE LAST TIME!

You can watch this amazing encore here !


Long Weekend to Aberdeen - Easter Weekend 2014

My other half is from Aberdeen.  If you don't know where Aberdeen is, perhaps you should look at a map of Scotland...

Anyway I've only ever been to Aberdeen twice before, and both times I've managed to miss out on the Granite City's centre.  Well not this time.

After a four hour train journey, Amy and I arrived in Aberdeen. The sun shone, the granite glistened and I felt very adventurous. New surroundings meant a new adventure, and that wasn't the only one that I had in Aberdeen.

I was introduced to Amy's lovely family, and Amy's dog Rolo. The staffie is absolutely bonkers, but he really is adorable.

And I was also introduced into the world of spiritualism. I was aware that Amy was a spiritualist, but never did I think that I would join her. I'm proud of the fact that I can now say, I believe in the Spiritworld and its exercises. I'd rather not say much more about this at this early stage, but maybe in the future I will post more about it once it becomes clearer.

Amy also took me to the beautiful Brig O' Balgownie. I never knew that such a beautiful location could be hidden away in the depths of a city like Aberdeen.  At first glance you could say that this sight is probably from the Cotswolds or the Black Country, but NEVER Aberdeen...  It just goes to show that every city in the world has it's hidden secrets and treasures. I will look forward to going back when I'm next in Aberdeen.

Here is a photo I posted to Instagram of the bridge.  It's stunningly beautiful and has to be seen to be believed!


And aside from all that, that is my latest update.  I hope I didn't bore you too much. I will post more frequently in future.  For now, I leave you with a Staffie Selfie!



Kind regards

Gordon H

Suriving College/University: - Ways To Pass Time Between Lessons

A lot of students, like myself, face the same problems every year, but I have found one problem to be particularly frustrating:

Time between lessons.

I recieved my college timetable at the end of January and I groaned when I saw I had two hours between lessons on a Monday. At the start of March, I've already had 4 Mondays to kill the space between lessons and the first one was agony because I had nothing to do!

Don't make the same mistake! Here are some things you can do between lesson time, and why I find them to be effective at passing time (or not!) and if they worked for me. In no particular order:

Internet Browsing

East Durham College, where I am based on a Monday, has many computers and iPads on offer, but when you have a mobile device that can connect to the Wifi, browsing the internet in EDC has never been easier. I own a Nokia Lumia that connects to the internet, so I have used this to pass the gap before.  Unfortunately the internet is addictive. Sadly I find that spending too much time online can become quite a headache (literally and metaphorically speaking) so I do try to avoid this method, if I can. Having the wifi connection always there makes it extremely difficult to resist logging online to check Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Hotmail and other sites. I would advise you to avoid this method if you can, lest you face the wrath of the sight headache...

Go for a Walk

This method is a great way of getting to know your surroundings and the area where your education centre is placed. I took a walk recently and discovered a new part of Peterlee which I'd never seen before, and 2 hours was a great amount of time to do this in. Not only is it nice and refreshing, it is also very beneficial if you want to locate a nice spot you could escape to during this time. If you are in the city centre, you can probably find a very good walk in a nearby park, or if you're near the coast, why not head down to the beach every now and again. This method is a great way of passing time between lessons, whether you have 2 or 3 hours to spare, however, if you don't have a watch with you, you may end up losing track of time, resulting in you missing some lesson time, so I would advise against going very far away from where you're based if you can.

Read a Book



This is the method I find to be the best way of passing time bewteen lessons. I've finished many a novel quicker by reading during this time, and I have loved this method because it's very relaxing.  There's nothing like finding a quiet spot to sit down and open up at where you left off.  Sadly you may encounter a noisy bunch of people which doesn't enable you to read very well, however if you find a nice spot to escape to, as mentioned in the last paragraph, you can escape to this place and read as much as you like without interruption. You should also make sure you have a watch on so you can keep track of the time to ensure you aren't late at getting back.

Revision/Work



Probably the best use of time, but not my favourite, is to do your work.  You're likely to get a lot of work to do whilst at college/university, and to avoid leaving the work until the evening, where you could be going to that party, or going to get drunk with your friends, do it during the day.  That way you can keep your evenings free, and won't be stressing at midnight, that your assignment is unfinished.  This is definitely very effective, providing you find a quiet spot to do this in.  Of course if you need a computer, you can't avoid being in a noisy environment, but where possible, do try to find a quiet place. It'll help you to concentrate.

I have found that these methods of passing time are all really effective if you use them to your best advantage. I have also found that all these can have major consequences if you aren't careful.  Another tip I recommend is to drink water at regular intervals whilst doing these activities (if you can call them that) because keeping hydrated is VERY important.

I hope you found this post useful and informative.

All things LEGO: Madness, Mayhem, Movies... and Minifigures

It was the morning of the 14th of February, and all around the world romance blossomed, couples shared romantic dinners, many proposals were made and children flocked to the cinemas to watch a plastic toy come to life in it's first block-buster adventure. Extremely goofy puns aside, it's just another ordinary Valentine's Day isn't it?

Of course it isn't...

I've never really liked the concept of Valentine's Day, but this Valentine's Day was special, because it was when I fell in love with the children's toy, LEGO.

Well... not really.

My LEGO obsessions started way back in 2000 when I spent pocket money on a little helicopter made of blocks that could be put together.  Speed forward 14 years and 190 LEGO sets later, and you get to my latest acquisitions, which were bought at the LEGO store which recently opened not far from where I am currently living out the rest of my abnormally long childhood.

The latest LEGO sets I bought all had one thing in common: The LEGO Movie.

The LEGO Movie was released nationwide (and possibly worldwide) properly on Friday 14th February 2014, the day after I turned 19.  Everything that happened on that day now came under the category of "Awesome!" as exclaimed by Emmet, an ordinary minifigure who's life changes forever when he finds the legendary Piece of Resistance. Accompanied by an all star cast of minifigures including Batman and Liam Neeson (well, Good Cop, Bad Cop) and an Anime style kitten with a Unicorn's horn, Emmet must find a way to stop the megalomaniac Lord Business from ending the world on Taco Tuesday. Needless to say I loved this movie and I suggest you go and see it. It really is the Pièce de résistance...

Groans aside, On Friday 21st February 2014, a week since the LEGO Movie was released, I embarked on a journey to the LEGO Store in the Metrocentre to use my LEGO giftcard (which I was given on my birthday, the day before the movie came out) to buy some minifigures and sets that featured in the LEGO Movie.

I purchased Cloud Cuckoo Palace for £18, which got me a Unikitty (the hybrid I mentioned previously) and 3 minifigures for £2.49 each. Because I surpassed £25, I got given an exclusive LEGO Store T-Shirt, which the other employees in store were wearing branded with "LEGO Store Metrocentre", complete with a minifigure of the Angel of the North, which I thought was a nice touch. That beats an exclusive polybag I was meant to get with my purchase anyway!

My better half also bought me a further 4th minifigure to compliment the others.  With her help, I managed to squidge out Emmet, Abraham Lincoln, Velma Staplebot (Lord Business's Secretary) and Marsha, Queen of the Mermaids.

Below are some pictures of my purchases.  I enjoyed building the set as it's very colourful! LEGO have done a fantastic job capturing the scene. I may have to pick up some more of the sets in the future to go with my almost complete minifigure series. Will I do it?

Only time will tell...