The launch of Th13teen.

For my 19th birthday, I wanted to capture the child in me and take a day trip to Alton Towers as I hadn't been there since I was 5 years old. The one thing that attracted me to go back there was the launch of a new ride there named 'Th13teen'.
Launched back in March of this year, Alton Towers promised this ride would combine the ultimate thrill of a roller coaster whilst using modern theme park technology which 'exploits your vulnerabilities and plays with your mind'. I had to go on this ride.
So, come my birthday, I gathered up a group of close friends all of whom wanted to try out this new ride as well. An early start, a two and a half drive up there and I finally found myself waiting in the queue. Anxious wasn't the word, I had heard a lot about this ride and the way in which it messes with people and now I was here, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get on.
After a two hour long queue, I reached the front and sat in the roller coaster with my friend by my side. It started off by going outside winding around, doing up and speeding down a big drop the other side. The cart suddenly came to a stop inside a room and I thought it was all over. I even thought to myself people must be insane to get so scared about that. That's when the lights went out ...
Strange images kept flashing out in front of my face, then the cart suddenly dropped a few feet, making my heart nearly jump out of my chest. It then cart shot backwards suddenly at a rapid pace, I couldn't tell you what it looked like as I had my eyes closed and was screaming like a typical girl!
So to all those considering going on the ride, yes it is a thrill and it is quite a good ride. However, I would not travel for another two and half hours and endure a further two hour stood waiting in a queue. To me, nothing is worth that.

The BlackBerry vs. The iphone

For the last 18 months now, I have owned an LG Viewty on a really good contract deal. However, the phone is nothing short of terrible and I have been counting down to this time that I can finally upgrade.
But I am now having the same debate with myself that quite a few people seem to have come across lately...To purchase the BlackBerry with its BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), sleek design, and brilliant access for email usage, or the iphone, with an app for everything and good wi-fi applications.
To look at it as a typical 19 year old teenager, I'm drawn to the BlackBerry. Alot of my friends have the BlackBerry as well as the famous BBM application to it meaning keeping in constant contact with them would be alot easier. I also love the way it looks and after having the LG for a year and a half, I'm sick of touch screen phones.
But then I think to myself, I'm a Journalism and Media student. I like to know the lastest news, both National and Local and with the iphone I can keep up-to-date with this a lot easier. The wi-fi rates on the iphone are also known to be alot faster than that of the BlackBerry and as someone who is completly obsessed with Facebook, this is very tempting.
So with a week to go before my contract runs out, and I'm still to decide on my desired phone. Looking at the state of my bank account however, I guess I'll have to go with the cheapest deal.
Oh the joys of being a student...

District 9 ... Once again, Sci-fi fails to impress me.

After months and months of hearing rave reviews about Neil Blomkamp's new film, District 9 from friends who had seen the film, I finally went out and bought the DVD recently.

It was nominated for 4 Oscars and was described by online IMDb users as "The first science fiction masterpiece in years". I hadn't really seen any really good films just recently since the release of Slumdog Millionaire back in 2008, so I was hoping for a really good watch.

In a nutshell, the film features around an Afrikaner bureaucrat assigned to relocate a race of extra-terrestrial creatures who are unexpectedly stranded on Earth from a slum in Johannesburg, to an internment camp outside of the city. Doesn't exactly sound like my cup of tea but I'm hoping the making of the film is good enough to change my views.

So after hearing such good stories about the film and spending £15 on the DVD, I sat at home and waited for the film to start.

Just under 2 hours later, I'm staring at my screen in disbelief. How anyone can describe this film as something of a masterpiece is beyond me. The horrifically bad plot line is outdone only by the mediocre acting present.

I have to say however, I like the idea of bringing reality into the Science fiction genre and I honestly think this method of shooting such films in the future will become a lot more common. But for me, it's too much too soon and it's almost as if they have gone overboard on the whole reality twist.

To say I did not enjoy the film would be an understatement. Next time I will learn not to listen to those views around me and stick to watching such action thriller films, of which I know I enjoy.

The wonders a little bit of music can have...

Now, I'm not pretending I know a great deal about music and the way in which it is produced and all the rest of it...In fact, my knowledge on music is pretty much up there with my knowledge on technology, computers in particular, which is not a lot to say the least.
But there are times when I really am transfixed with some times of music and the impact it can have your emotions. Certain songs which can remind you of a hard or upsetting time which can dampen your mood almost instantly. Or older, classic songs which take you back to your childhood, bringing with an instant influx of memories. Upbeat songs which can lift even the worst of moods. It's power never ceases to amaze me.
The one song I listen to over and over again and is often on repeat on my ipod, is the sunscreen song released by Baz Luhrmann in 1999. This song got played at my High School back when I was 16 and leaving to go onto college. Ever since then this song has lifted my mood and set me back onto the right path just after one listen.
The lyrics are incredible and remind me of the time I left school, which was a hard time for me with all the change. But it also reminds me of the future and the amazing opportunities I have been given at University and that I really need to take hold of this and make the most of my abilities.
A life without music, would equal in a very dull silence.

Gambling?..A source of real income or a dangerous obsession?

So, like most students I'm sat in the pub on a Wedneday afternoon. It jut so happens to be St Patricks day however, and half way through the famous Cheltenham Festival. From an early age I have to admit, nothing bored me more than horse racing. But looking at some of my friends in the pub now, clutching at their betting slips, hoping for a good win, I decided there must be more to the sport than meets the eye.
I spoke to a close friend I have known for a while who is an avid gambler; horses, football, slots, pub bandits, you name it, he bets on it. I asked him exactly what drew him into gambling and how much he actually gets out of it. It i purely lack of money that lead him into it, and the fact his best friend works at the local bookies. It also turns out after winning £1300 in the last two weeks from a £60 bet, he's doing quite well at the moment.
But it hasn't always been like that and he has been known to lose hundreds of pounds over the years due to his addiction. He doesn't seem to care about his losses however, focusing solely on his winnings and next bets.
So i decided to have a go myself and place a few minor bets during the Cheltenham festival. By some sort of miracle, I win £20! Not bad consdering I only bet £2.
It is easy to see how you can become so addicted to this sport of gambling, the thrill, the win. But the huge losses would be enough to put a hard-up student such as myself of it for life.

The ups and downs of Student life...

When coming to University, I got told about the financial struggles I will face by pretty much everyone; my old school, my parents and older friends, but I never realised how much it really would affect me.
Everything seems so much more expensive to me now. The fact that my student finance is pretty awful as well does not help. I really am thankful for the fact that I have my job. I don't know how other students cope without one!
I love the new found responsibility and freedom I have don't get me wrong, but sometimes I would just love for my Mum to come over and cook me some tea or do the washing up.
Things such as food shopping for example, is not only really expensive, it is also really difficult! I had no idea what I would need to begin with and just stuck to buying ready meals in bulk. Not the healthiest option I know.
So I have now found myself rapidly piling on the weight due to eating junk food and very poor indeed! Although not too poor to not go out. You really cannot beat the student nightlife. Student nights in particular. For example, Tuesdays are the night to go out in Lincoln, cheap drinks, good music and hundreds of other students from the University.
One thing no one ever warned me about is the lonely days. For hours on end a day I find myself stuck in my room, either doing work or jut generally stuck for anything to do because no one seems to do anything during the day!
My advice for anyone starting University would be this...Prepare to be poor, and keep alot of nurofen to hand for the hangovers.