It’s been a while since I blogged and I’m writing more for myself, as when I look back in a few years time, I won’t remember what happened in the first half of 2015.
Life has felt so busy, mostly in a good way. I’ve been living independently in my new home for nearly 6 months now and love it. It feels so right. I was never unhappy living with my parents, but I think moving out was one of the best life decisions I have ever made. Money is tight these days, food, gas, electricity, council tax, TV license, broadband, house insurance and of course the mortgage all add up. Nevertheless, I often reflect how nice my house is and how ideal the location is. I can walk back to my parents in 50mins, it takes 25mins to get to my local train station and Fosse Shopping Park is only a mile away. I’m also very excited, as next to Fosse Shopping Park there is going to be a new retail park called Castle Acres featuring 26 shops and restaurants. I get to live in a village and still be surrounded by so many amenities. Of course I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without Calvin and I’m not sure my living experience would be as enjoyable without him. The loneliness would have definitely kicked in if my Monster Munch wasn’t around to entertain me. Though I do wish that Calvin could do the washing up!
I say money has been tight, but I have tried to remain social. I think since I last blogged I’ve seen Blue and S club 7 in concert, Dirty Dancing and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time at the theatre and won a second silver medal at intermediate level with Nottinghamshire Sheriffs goalball team.
I am also regularly working, both paid and voluntary. I started volunteering at my local Brownies pack in January and go every Friday night, which I absolutely love. Initially, I wanted to volunteer at Guides, as I liked volunteering at secondary school last year, yet when I tried Brownies I never looked back. The girls are all so lovely and of course Calvin is a total hit. The Girl Guiding community itself has been extremely welcoming and supportive. I attended a county training day not long after I started and have started my Leadership qualification. Brownies was fun as a child and it’s just as much fun as an adult.
The last time I was in paid employment was in 2008. Finding a job is one of the most emotional processes. Since April, I have been working at RNIB College Loughborough in the residential side, as a Support Worker and do 2 days per week 4.30-10.30pm. The late finishes have made waking up for training the following day tough, but I only have 2 more weeks before it is the summer holidays.
I am still training hard and it is crazy to think that this time last year I was getting ready for the Commonwealth Games. I haven’t raced yet, as I’m not quite ready, but hope to be competing in the near future. Athletics is a real passion of mine and I would be truly lost without it. However, I know I can’t do it forever. Before I retire, I desperately want the opportunity to represent my country again at a major championships.
Next month I turn 27. OMG! However, before then I am leading an Action for the Blind family day at Conkers, celebrating my other half’s birthday, climbing Mount Snowdon with VICTA, seeing Matilda the musical in the West End and swanning off to Fuerteventura.
Life is for living
Showing posts with label Concert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Concert. Show all posts
Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Tuesday, 17 March 2015
The Script
On 3 March I saw The Script play at Nottingham Arena. I have been a massive fan of their music for years, have all of their albums and was excited to finally see them perform live. Labyrinth was listed as the support act, but for some unknown reason it ended up being Tiny Temper who I thought was great.
Overall, I found the gig to be good and I’m glad I experienced it, although it wasn’t as amazing as I had hoped. They sang all of their hits, which sounded of a high quality, but the show lacked something for me. Maybe, when you wait for something for so long you build up such high expectations in your head or maybe it was the unnecessary vulgarisms used throughout. For a band that has produced a collection of inspirational songs, such as Super Hero and Hall of Fame, it was disappointing to hear such uninspiring language when they interacted with the crowd. Just my opinion.
Overall, I found the gig to be good and I’m glad I experienced it, although it wasn’t as amazing as I had hoped. They sang all of their hits, which sounded of a high quality, but the show lacked something for me. Maybe, when you wait for something for so long you build up such high expectations in your head or maybe it was the unnecessary vulgarisms used throughout. For a band that has produced a collection of inspirational songs, such as Super Hero and Hall of Fame, it was disappointing to hear such uninspiring language when they interacted with the crowd. Just my opinion.
Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Kodaline
I did intend to write a single post about seeing Kodaline and McBusted in concert, but unfortunately an evil stomach bug prevented me from going to see McBusted last night. I honestly don’t think I have ever missed an event I have paid for in advance before due to illness. It is quite frustrating to have wasted my money and more so to have missed out on what no doubt would have been a great night out. Thankfully, I am feeling much better today.
It was over a month ago now that I saw Kodaline live at Birmingham’s O2 Academy. It is predominantly a standing venue, but luckily the disabled section was seated. I am far too old to stand for long periods these days! Kodaline have to be the coolest band I have seen to date, as you probably know I tend to edge more towards pop than rock. However, as soon as I heard Kodaline’s debut single ‘High Hopes’ on the radio, I pre-ordered their album and have been hooked ever since.
It was a completely different experience seeing a non pop act. The atmosphere was similar with people singing along to the songs and cheering uncontrollably, but there were no fancy gimmicks, no costume changes and very little conversation. It was all about the music, which seemed to just work. It was also interesting that they didn’t finale with their biggest hit, as is usually the case. I enjoyed every second and look forward to their next album.
I’ve got high hopes...
It was over a month ago now that I saw Kodaline live at Birmingham’s O2 Academy. It is predominantly a standing venue, but luckily the disabled section was seated. I am far too old to stand for long periods these days! Kodaline have to be the coolest band I have seen to date, as you probably know I tend to edge more towards pop than rock. However, as soon as I heard Kodaline’s debut single ‘High Hopes’ on the radio, I pre-ordered their album and have been hooked ever since.
It was a completely different experience seeing a non pop act. The atmosphere was similar with people singing along to the songs and cheering uncontrollably, but there were no fancy gimmicks, no costume changes and very little conversation. It was all about the music, which seemed to just work. It was also interesting that they didn’t finale with their biggest hit, as is usually the case. I enjoyed every second and look forward to their next album.
I’ve got high hopes...
Saturday, 21 December 2013
Catching Up
Considering I am no longer studying, I feel like I am constantly busy, but as the year is drawing to a close I have found some time to update this blog.
Adam Hills:
Back in October, how time flies, I saw the comedian and presenter of The Last Leg live at The Curve in Leicester. I have never been to a stand up show before and was pleasantly surprised. I spent the entire time in stitches and can safely say I enjoyed every second. Touch the frog!
Space Centre:
There isn’t really anything special about Leicester, but we do have The Space Centre. I have a vague memory of going when it first opened and recently went again. I was expecting it to be dull and to be quite honest the majority of it was. To be fair there are a few interactive things to experience, although a lot of it is just information printed everywhere. There was a film narrated by Rupert Grint about life on other planets, only I found I didn’t really care! Oh well, I feel like I have done my duty as a Leicester resident by visiting more than once now!
The Mouse Trap:
It has been a long time since I saw a non-musical at the theatre, so when I saw that The Mouse Trap was coming to DeMontfort Hall, I thought why not. It was a slow start to the play and I was feeling disappointed. However, by the interval I was gripped, trying to work out ‘who done it’. I won’t give the culprit away, I’ll just say I didn’t guess it correctly. Definitely worth a watch, a classic murder mystery.
5ive:
Everybody get up singing’...a week after The Mouse Trap I saw 5ive live at DeMontfort Hall. I had already seen them earlier in the year at The Big Reunion Tour so knew they wouldn’t disappoint. It was a great night to be nostalgic, singing and dancing the night away!
Airkix:
I like to think I am a bit of a dare devil. If someone asked me to do a sky dive though, I am not sure I would say yes. A simulated sky dive on the other hand, count me in! Airkix at Milton Keynes is where you get to do just that and oh my god was it amazing! You only get two goes, lasting around a minute, but it is honestly worth every penny. The whole concept of it fascinated me, you are not attached to anything, you just go into the wind tunnel and fly! It was a little bit daunting not being able to see or hear, but the instructors were great and it was nice to see that they weren’t fazed by visually impaired participants. The feeling of flying was epic and on my second go they spun me around and upside down, I feared for a split second that I might actually throw up! And now would I do a real sky dive? Maybe...
Goalball:
I have started playing the only sport designed specifically for the visually impaired again. I had only attended a handful of goalball training sessions, before taking part in a novice tournament for Nottingham. I really wish I could play without being competitive, after all I took goalball up as a hobby and not to take seriously like I do my athletics. Throw me into a competition situation and all I can think about is destroying the opposition! After doing a solo sport for so long, I do find the team aspect of goalball very difficult. I can’t destroy the enemy on my own, as hard as I try. I played centre all day, which was a huge responsibility and unfortunately due to a combination of nerves and inexperience my team lost the first two games, but we won the second two. Nottingham A finished fourth overall, whilst my team Nottingham B finished ninth (there were twelve teams in total). I have the bug for goalball now and look forward to the next tournament where I know we can do much better.
Calvin:
To think I used to write a week’s worth of posts about him! Calvin and I have now been a partnership for four years and I am not sure what I would do without him. He still has a mischievous personality and has gained quite a reputation for himself. It is very difficult to find someone who doesn’t fall for his puppy dog eyes and general cheekiness. Unfortunately, this year Calvin has had a few fits, which are horrible to watch. He doesn’t have an official diagnosis, but both the vets and Guide Dogs suspect epilepsy. Thankfully, he can still work on the days he doesn’t fit, which is ninety nine percent of the time, so all is good. He will never fit in harness, as they occur when the dog is at rest. Calvin does like to sulk afterwards, but I can’t blame him. Fingers crossed we have many more years together walking in wonky lines down the street!
F1 2013:
Yawn! Vettel, Vettel, Vettel! What a boring championship it was this year. It is sad to see Webber retire from the sport, always the nearly man and equally a shame to lose Massa from Team Ferrari. Nevertheless, we are getting The Ice Man Raikanan back, which means Ferrari are definitely going to be the most vicious team on the grid next year. It is going to be gripping watching who is the better driver between Alonso and Raikanan. Hopefully we can clinch the title too!
Aladdin:
Absolute torture! I know pantomimes are supposed to be light hearted and all that, but earlier this week I had the most bizarre three hours of my life. Ok Aladdin was played by a female, totally normal for panto. What I couldn’t get my head around was the show being set in China, two genies, a pet panda, getting soaked by water pistols and not even a hint of a magic carpet ride! Every time Wishy Washy came on stage he would say ‘hi guys you’re number one’ and we would have to say ‘Wishy Washy you are peng’! Weird! Aladdin you weren’t peng!
Piano:
Another activity I used to do back in the day was piano lessons. I only ever got my Grade One, how I don’t know. I seem to have so many musical friends and to be quite honest envy their talent for music, as much as I love to hear them all play. So I decided that I would try and be talented too! I can play Jingle Bells and Walking in the Air from The Snowman already, I am impressed with myself. I do like challenges.
Teaching:
Speaking of challenges, I have made the executive decision that I want to be a secondary school English teacher. I am currently in the process of submitting my application to begin in September 2014 and will keep you updated on my progress. Growing up is scary!
Athletics:
I am still training hard six days per week. I am doing indoors next year for the first time, which is quite exciting, mainly because I know I will run a PB!
Quote:
Just to finish off this post, my favourite quote of the moment is ‘don’t give up on what you want most, for what you want now’.
Season’s greetings!
Adam Hills:
Back in October, how time flies, I saw the comedian and presenter of The Last Leg live at The Curve in Leicester. I have never been to a stand up show before and was pleasantly surprised. I spent the entire time in stitches and can safely say I enjoyed every second. Touch the frog!
Space Centre:
There isn’t really anything special about Leicester, but we do have The Space Centre. I have a vague memory of going when it first opened and recently went again. I was expecting it to be dull and to be quite honest the majority of it was. To be fair there are a few interactive things to experience, although a lot of it is just information printed everywhere. There was a film narrated by Rupert Grint about life on other planets, only I found I didn’t really care! Oh well, I feel like I have done my duty as a Leicester resident by visiting more than once now!
The Mouse Trap:
It has been a long time since I saw a non-musical at the theatre, so when I saw that The Mouse Trap was coming to DeMontfort Hall, I thought why not. It was a slow start to the play and I was feeling disappointed. However, by the interval I was gripped, trying to work out ‘who done it’. I won’t give the culprit away, I’ll just say I didn’t guess it correctly. Definitely worth a watch, a classic murder mystery.
5ive:
Everybody get up singing’...a week after The Mouse Trap I saw 5ive live at DeMontfort Hall. I had already seen them earlier in the year at The Big Reunion Tour so knew they wouldn’t disappoint. It was a great night to be nostalgic, singing and dancing the night away!
Airkix:
I like to think I am a bit of a dare devil. If someone asked me to do a sky dive though, I am not sure I would say yes. A simulated sky dive on the other hand, count me in! Airkix at Milton Keynes is where you get to do just that and oh my god was it amazing! You only get two goes, lasting around a minute, but it is honestly worth every penny. The whole concept of it fascinated me, you are not attached to anything, you just go into the wind tunnel and fly! It was a little bit daunting not being able to see or hear, but the instructors were great and it was nice to see that they weren’t fazed by visually impaired participants. The feeling of flying was epic and on my second go they spun me around and upside down, I feared for a split second that I might actually throw up! And now would I do a real sky dive? Maybe...
Goalball:
I have started playing the only sport designed specifically for the visually impaired again. I had only attended a handful of goalball training sessions, before taking part in a novice tournament for Nottingham. I really wish I could play without being competitive, after all I took goalball up as a hobby and not to take seriously like I do my athletics. Throw me into a competition situation and all I can think about is destroying the opposition! After doing a solo sport for so long, I do find the team aspect of goalball very difficult. I can’t destroy the enemy on my own, as hard as I try. I played centre all day, which was a huge responsibility and unfortunately due to a combination of nerves and inexperience my team lost the first two games, but we won the second two. Nottingham A finished fourth overall, whilst my team Nottingham B finished ninth (there were twelve teams in total). I have the bug for goalball now and look forward to the next tournament where I know we can do much better.
Calvin:
To think I used to write a week’s worth of posts about him! Calvin and I have now been a partnership for four years and I am not sure what I would do without him. He still has a mischievous personality and has gained quite a reputation for himself. It is very difficult to find someone who doesn’t fall for his puppy dog eyes and general cheekiness. Unfortunately, this year Calvin has had a few fits, which are horrible to watch. He doesn’t have an official diagnosis, but both the vets and Guide Dogs suspect epilepsy. Thankfully, he can still work on the days he doesn’t fit, which is ninety nine percent of the time, so all is good. He will never fit in harness, as they occur when the dog is at rest. Calvin does like to sulk afterwards, but I can’t blame him. Fingers crossed we have many more years together walking in wonky lines down the street!
F1 2013:
Yawn! Vettel, Vettel, Vettel! What a boring championship it was this year. It is sad to see Webber retire from the sport, always the nearly man and equally a shame to lose Massa from Team Ferrari. Nevertheless, we are getting The Ice Man Raikanan back, which means Ferrari are definitely going to be the most vicious team on the grid next year. It is going to be gripping watching who is the better driver between Alonso and Raikanan. Hopefully we can clinch the title too!
Aladdin:
Absolute torture! I know pantomimes are supposed to be light hearted and all that, but earlier this week I had the most bizarre three hours of my life. Ok Aladdin was played by a female, totally normal for panto. What I couldn’t get my head around was the show being set in China, two genies, a pet panda, getting soaked by water pistols and not even a hint of a magic carpet ride! Every time Wishy Washy came on stage he would say ‘hi guys you’re number one’ and we would have to say ‘Wishy Washy you are peng’! Weird! Aladdin you weren’t peng!
Piano:
Another activity I used to do back in the day was piano lessons. I only ever got my Grade One, how I don’t know. I seem to have so many musical friends and to be quite honest envy their talent for music, as much as I love to hear them all play. So I decided that I would try and be talented too! I can play Jingle Bells and Walking in the Air from The Snowman already, I am impressed with myself. I do like challenges.
Teaching:
Speaking of challenges, I have made the executive decision that I want to be a secondary school English teacher. I am currently in the process of submitting my application to begin in September 2014 and will keep you updated on my progress. Growing up is scary!
Athletics:
I am still training hard six days per week. I am doing indoors next year for the first time, which is quite exciting, mainly because I know I will run a PB!
Quote:
Just to finish off this post, my favourite quote of the moment is ‘don’t give up on what you want most, for what you want now’.
Season’s greetings!
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
Live Shows
May:
Back in May I went to see The Big Reunion Tour at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham with some friends. We were transported back to the nineties and early noughties, which in a nutshell was epic! Atomic Kitten, B*Witched, The Honeys, Liberty X, 911, 5ive and Blue all provided hit after hit that kept us dancing, singing and reminiscing all night! When I was younger, I saw Blue three times in concert, my friend and I had a slightly unhealthy obsession with Duncan Matthew James! Thinking about it, I don’t think I have actually grown out of that and would definitely consider seeing Blue again, as whilst all of the bands were amazing, Blue took the roof off in my opinion! I have however, booked to see 5ive tour on their own, which I am certain will be another great night.
June:
It felt like an age since I had been to the theatre, Christmas time in fact when I saw Grease. So although I hadn’t heard of the musical Dreamboats and Petticoats, I was eager to see it. The show was jam packed with apparent hits from the sixties, only other than ‘Let’s Twist Again’ I’m ashamed to say I didn’t recognise any! It was quite a generic love story, the humour seemed amateur at times, but if you view it light heartedly, it was an alright show. There must have been some pop star that was big back in the day, as lots of old women got very excited when I can only assume he started performing his old hits!
July:
I attended my first festival! Admittedly, I didn’t do the whole camping thing and only went for one day, but everyone has to start somewhere! My friends are in a band called The Last Train Home and after entering a competition for unsigned artists made it through to the final meaning they had the chance to perform in the Rhythm Tent at the Godiva Festival in Coventry. I had heard some of their music on Sound Cloud in the past, yet had never seen them play live. I can honestly say I was more than impressed! They write their own material, play their own instruments and have amazing vocals too (oh and they are both blind as well). It’s so lovely having such talented friends and I have pre-booked them to play at my non-existent wedding in the distant future, although there is some dispute over fees! Surely their wedding present to me should be that they play for free!
On a serious note, if you are interested in checking out The Last Train Home and their music (I highly recommend it) just click here to go to their Sound Cloud page.
Back in May I went to see The Big Reunion Tour at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham with some friends. We were transported back to the nineties and early noughties, which in a nutshell was epic! Atomic Kitten, B*Witched, The Honeys, Liberty X, 911, 5ive and Blue all provided hit after hit that kept us dancing, singing and reminiscing all night! When I was younger, I saw Blue three times in concert, my friend and I had a slightly unhealthy obsession with Duncan Matthew James! Thinking about it, I don’t think I have actually grown out of that and would definitely consider seeing Blue again, as whilst all of the bands were amazing, Blue took the roof off in my opinion! I have however, booked to see 5ive tour on their own, which I am certain will be another great night.
June:
It felt like an age since I had been to the theatre, Christmas time in fact when I saw Grease. So although I hadn’t heard of the musical Dreamboats and Petticoats, I was eager to see it. The show was jam packed with apparent hits from the sixties, only other than ‘Let’s Twist Again’ I’m ashamed to say I didn’t recognise any! It was quite a generic love story, the humour seemed amateur at times, but if you view it light heartedly, it was an alright show. There must have been some pop star that was big back in the day, as lots of old women got very excited when I can only assume he started performing his old hits!
July:
I attended my first festival! Admittedly, I didn’t do the whole camping thing and only went for one day, but everyone has to start somewhere! My friends are in a band called The Last Train Home and after entering a competition for unsigned artists made it through to the final meaning they had the chance to perform in the Rhythm Tent at the Godiva Festival in Coventry. I had heard some of their music on Sound Cloud in the past, yet had never seen them play live. I can honestly say I was more than impressed! They write their own material, play their own instruments and have amazing vocals too (oh and they are both blind as well). It’s so lovely having such talented friends and I have pre-booked them to play at my non-existent wedding in the distant future, although there is some dispute over fees! Surely their wedding present to me should be that they play for free!
On a serious note, if you are interested in checking out The Last Train Home and their music (I highly recommend it) just click here to go to their Sound Cloud page.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Olly and One D
Last month I went to see Olly Murs at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham. There’s something about Olly when you see him on TV that says he’s a nice guy, but to be honest I didn’t have very high expectations of his concert prior to going. His current album is good, although not amazing and when you are a solo artist, it is much more difficult to command the stage. I like his music though, so thought I would give him a try.
To my pleasant surprise, I really enjoyed his show! He came across as a very genuine, down to earth, cheeky chappy. You could tell he was loving performing. Olly not only sang and dance, but played instruments too. I was very impressed and entertained throughout.
Last Friday, I saw another X Factor act, One Direction. I am fully aware of the fact that I am far too old to like the band, as everyone who knows me teases me for liking them, but their music is amazing! There are not many albums you get where you actually appreciate every song. I’m not going to lie, I was stupidly excited about seeing them at Birmingham’s LG Arena.
I am a bit of a concert veteran now, so thought I knew what to expect. However, nothing could have prepared me for the One Direction fans, who I can only describe as mental teenagers! Gigs are usually loud, but these girls took the word loud to a whole new level! The band weren’t even on stage and the fans were going wild at every music video played, even the adverts! I don’t know if it’s because I am at the ancient age of 24, but I was quickly finding the fans irritating and hoped they wouldn’t just scream through the whole concert, as I genuinely wanted to listen to the boys sing!
When One D came on stage, I was immediately disappointed. They must have turned the sound up to its maximum to account for the loony fans, which meant the vocals were drowned out and you couldn’t really understand what they were singing. The sound was better on the ballads, but every upbeat song was muffled. When the boys went to get changed they played a video and I have no idea what it was about, as the crowd just screamed all the way through it. I guess One D didn’t particularly need to interact with the audience with them going insane at everything, but I wish they had managed to say more than ‘Birmingham’ ‘we love you Birmingham’.
My conclusion was that the boys need a break and the fans need their heads’ testing! I can’t imagine what it must be like for them having to deal with those crazy girls 24/7. Sort of feel sorry for them! I thought I would love their concert, only I don’t think I’ll be rushing back until their fans grow up. Still love their music of course.
I’m next seeing The Big Reunion Tour in May. At least the fans there should be my age, I am so excited about being able to re-live my youth!
To my pleasant surprise, I really enjoyed his show! He came across as a very genuine, down to earth, cheeky chappy. You could tell he was loving performing. Olly not only sang and dance, but played instruments too. I was very impressed and entertained throughout.
Last Friday, I saw another X Factor act, One Direction. I am fully aware of the fact that I am far too old to like the band, as everyone who knows me teases me for liking them, but their music is amazing! There are not many albums you get where you actually appreciate every song. I’m not going to lie, I was stupidly excited about seeing them at Birmingham’s LG Arena.
I am a bit of a concert veteran now, so thought I knew what to expect. However, nothing could have prepared me for the One Direction fans, who I can only describe as mental teenagers! Gigs are usually loud, but these girls took the word loud to a whole new level! The band weren’t even on stage and the fans were going wild at every music video played, even the adverts! I don’t know if it’s because I am at the ancient age of 24, but I was quickly finding the fans irritating and hoped they wouldn’t just scream through the whole concert, as I genuinely wanted to listen to the boys sing!
When One D came on stage, I was immediately disappointed. They must have turned the sound up to its maximum to account for the loony fans, which meant the vocals were drowned out and you couldn’t really understand what they were singing. The sound was better on the ballads, but every upbeat song was muffled. When the boys went to get changed they played a video and I have no idea what it was about, as the crowd just screamed all the way through it. I guess One D didn’t particularly need to interact with the audience with them going insane at everything, but I wish they had managed to say more than ‘Birmingham’ ‘we love you Birmingham’.
My conclusion was that the boys need a break and the fans need their heads’ testing! I can’t imagine what it must be like for them having to deal with those crazy girls 24/7. Sort of feel sorry for them! I thought I would love their concert, only I don’t think I’ll be rushing back until their fans grow up. Still love their music of course.
I’m next seeing The Big Reunion Tour in May. At least the fans there should be my age, I am so excited about being able to re-live my youth!
Monday, 31 December 2012
This isn't goodbye
One significant event that occurred this year, which I haven’t blogged about, is my favourite band in the whole wide world split up! Most people I know think I am sad for liking Westlife, but I am not really bothered!
Before this year I had seen Westlife in concert five times, it should have been seven, but once it clashed with a family holiday and the other time I had an athletics competition. So I had to give my tickets away. Knowing it would be my final opportunity to see them this year, I bought tickets for both of their shows at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham. People will say that is ridiculous because they sang the same songs, but actually they were two very different shows. The first time the boys were more serious and the second time they were fooling around most of the time, which was highly amusing.
I then saw their final final show live at the cinema on 23 June. It was a very different experience watching a concert at the cinema, the audience were confused whether to scream, cheer and clap or not. I would say I would have loved to be there in person, but it was chucking it down!
Westlife have produced so many amazing songs, some covers, some originals, all brilliant in my bias opinion! They are one of those bands who I would never tire of seeing in concert, they never disappoint!
The band were together for an epic fourteen years and I am thinking/hoping that for their twentieth anniversary that they will have a reunion tour. I mean that’s what all bands do now right?!
They have too many inspirational lyrics, but my favourite is-
You’ve got to fight for every dream (Flying Without Wings)
Before this year I had seen Westlife in concert five times, it should have been seven, but once it clashed with a family holiday and the other time I had an athletics competition. So I had to give my tickets away. Knowing it would be my final opportunity to see them this year, I bought tickets for both of their shows at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham. People will say that is ridiculous because they sang the same songs, but actually they were two very different shows. The first time the boys were more serious and the second time they were fooling around most of the time, which was highly amusing.
I then saw their final final show live at the cinema on 23 June. It was a very different experience watching a concert at the cinema, the audience were confused whether to scream, cheer and clap or not. I would say I would have loved to be there in person, but it was chucking it down!
Westlife have produced so many amazing songs, some covers, some originals, all brilliant in my bias opinion! They are one of those bands who I would never tire of seeing in concert, they never disappoint!
The band were together for an epic fourteen years and I am thinking/hoping that for their twentieth anniversary that they will have a reunion tour. I mean that’s what all bands do now right?!
They have too many inspirational lyrics, but my favourite is-
You’ve got to fight for every dream (Flying Without Wings)
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Nicki Minaj
A couple of weeks ago, I saw Nicki Minaj in concert. The concert was enjoyable overall, but perhaps i’m not quite cool enough to appreciate her fully!
I love her hits like Starships, Pound the Alarm and Super Base and even like some of her naughtier stuff on her Pink Friday albums. However, although I know she is a rapper by trade, I wasn’t prepared for the vast amount of hard core rapping. What made me feel even more out of place was that the crowd seemed to know all of the words to these raps that I had never heard of in my life!
I found I had a similar experience with one of the support acts Tyga. Personally, I had never heard of the bloke before, yet the crowd were mad for him and filled in the pauses in his songs. I’m definitely not down with it!
The other support act was Misha B and since she was from X Factor was more on my level. I thought she was great and proves that these reality shows can dig up some great talent, even if the public don’t vote for them to win.
Overall it was a good experience, I don’t think i’ll be rushing to see her again though, sorry Nicki!
When you know you are great, you have no need to hate
I love her hits like Starships, Pound the Alarm and Super Base and even like some of her naughtier stuff on her Pink Friday albums. However, although I know she is a rapper by trade, I wasn’t prepared for the vast amount of hard core rapping. What made me feel even more out of place was that the crowd seemed to know all of the words to these raps that I had never heard of in my life!
I found I had a similar experience with one of the support acts Tyga. Personally, I had never heard of the bloke before, yet the crowd were mad for him and filled in the pauses in his songs. I’m definitely not down with it!
The other support act was Misha B and since she was from X Factor was more on my level. I thought she was great and proves that these reality shows can dig up some great talent, even if the public don’t vote for them to win.
Overall it was a good experience, I don’t think i’ll be rushing to see her again though, sorry Nicki!
When you know you are great, you have no need to hate
Monday, 14 May 2012
Races, Theatre, Concert, Turin
Oh I have been so busy recently; I have had hardly any time to breathe hence the neglection of this blog. Not only has my time been taken up with competitions, training and uni deadlines, but I have also managed to squeeze in a trip to the theatre, music concert and a few days in Turin, Italy!
Right, I guess I better start at the beginning, do stay with me though, as I have good news to report!
So I went to Gateshead! I saw 90s American boy bands Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block in concert. Whilst I wasn’t familiar with all of the songs from both bands, on the whole the concert was enjoyable. It did seem to last forever and I got to touch one of the guys from New Kids! Don’t ask me who, I don’t even know any of their names!
Then on Sunday 29 April I raced. What did I say about Gateshead being my favourite track of all time?! Maybe I should re-name it my most memorable track of all time! I don’t know what came over me, everyone gets butterflies before a race, but this time my butterflies decided to decorate the car park! I threw up less than an hour before I was due to race. I have no idea how I managed to warm-up, never mind race, I just felt so weak and my stomach was throbbing. Somehow I still ran 15.03secs, I was honestly expecting something in the 16s I felt that bad! On the bright side the wind was illegal again, so even if I did manage the Paralympic standards, they wouldn’t have counted. I pulled out of the 200m.
Before my next competition, I went to see Avenue Q at the theatre. Somebody told me it was like an adult version of Sesame Street and I would agree that is an accurate description. There were a combination of puppets and humans in the show. It was the funniest show I have seen in a long time and definitely would recommend people seeing it. Beware of the adult humour though!
On Tuesday 8 May it was the biggest competition of my life! The Paralympic Test Event at the Olympic Stadium! I couldn’t believe who I was racing when I saw the start list, the current T11 world record holder from Brazil, the T11 world silver medallist, also from Brazil and the T12 world champ Libby Clegg who I know anyway, as she trains at Loughborough too. Oh and then there was me! It was like a Paralympic final, only I was in it! The nerves were definitely flowing from the night before, but I knew I just had to run my own race. The whole experience is something I will treasure forever. Warming up on the Olympic warm-up track was amazing in itself. To think in just a couple of months the top athletes in the world will be preparing for the races of their lives, just as I was. It was quite a warm day by British standards, but I was thankful I was outside; otherwise there could have been a repeat of Gateshead!
I had to go to first call-up about an hour before my race. Then after all of the admin checks, you have a long walk in what felt like a tunnel to the final call-up area. When I say long walk, it really is a long walk! In the final call-up area, there is a 60m indoor track, which you can use for a last minute warm-up. As soon as we stepped onto the track all of my butterflies just flew away. I don’t know why! Perhaps because one of my favourite artists Katy Perry, Part of Me was blaring out of the speakers. I decided to have a bit of a jig, whilst my guide runner set up my blocks and stripped down to my kit. Even though we were outside, I felt like I was indoors. There was no breeze and think because the stands circle all around it gives an enclosed effect. Being in lanes one and two, I was the first athlete to be introduced to the crowd. I will never forget the pride I felt when they announced ‘in lane one representing Great Britain is Selina Litt’! Then there was the cheer! All for me!
The actual race is a bit of a blur. I reacted to the gun, but can’t remember noticing any of the other athletes, I think they were just gone! I felt strong within the race, comfortably managing to go with my guide runner’s injection of pace for the first time in a race. I crossed the line and distinctly remember feeling nothing! I didn’t feel happy, I didn’t feel angry, as often am after a race criticising aspects straight away, I was just blank. I had done it, I was living the dream. It was 2012, I was in London and I had just raced the best athletes in the world at the Olympic stadium.
As we walked off of the track, they announced the times. The other girls all ran sub 13secs, to give you an idea of their sheer class. And in 4th place, Selina Litt, 14.63secs a big old massive PB! Never mind that, well within the Paralympic B Standard of 14.80secs. Finally, I can say I have a Paralympic qualification standard! I proved to myself that I can perform when it ultimately matters.
The day after the Paralympic Test Event I flew to Turin, Italy. It wasn’t for a holiday, but in order to be eligible for Paralympic selection, you not only have to run the times, but you need an IPC classification. Before Turin, I only had a National classification to say I am a T11 athlete. There has never been an opportunity to get classified in Britain, hence the need to go abroad to get it confirmed that I really can’t see! I won’t bore you with the shamble of the event and will skip to the fact that I am now officially a T11 athlete. All of my IPC performances hereafter will appear on the world rankings, which I can’t wait to see my name on the list!
Then yesterday, I raced at the Leicestershire and Warwickshire Champs. I was disappointed to find when I arrived that the electronic timing had broken, so whatever time I ran would be invalid for Paralympic selection and the world rankings. So I did the 100m and pulled out of the 200m, anyone would think that I’m avoiding the 200m this year! Another illegal wind meant the lack of electronic timing was irrelevant, but I was pleased to run 14.5secs. It was a surreal race, the second of the week, as two of my ex guide runners were in it too!
So if you’re still with me, my next race is in two weeks on 26 May. For the first time ever, I’m feeling content with my running. I feel like I’m finally achieving and I know that I’m running well. Don’t get me wrong there are still a thousand and one technical issues that could be improved in my races, but it is all coming together. It just goes to show that a combination of hard work, determination and belief pays off.
I believe in believing, dreaming and achieving!
Right, I guess I better start at the beginning, do stay with me though, as I have good news to report!
So I went to Gateshead! I saw 90s American boy bands Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block in concert. Whilst I wasn’t familiar with all of the songs from both bands, on the whole the concert was enjoyable. It did seem to last forever and I got to touch one of the guys from New Kids! Don’t ask me who, I don’t even know any of their names!
Then on Sunday 29 April I raced. What did I say about Gateshead being my favourite track of all time?! Maybe I should re-name it my most memorable track of all time! I don’t know what came over me, everyone gets butterflies before a race, but this time my butterflies decided to decorate the car park! I threw up less than an hour before I was due to race. I have no idea how I managed to warm-up, never mind race, I just felt so weak and my stomach was throbbing. Somehow I still ran 15.03secs, I was honestly expecting something in the 16s I felt that bad! On the bright side the wind was illegal again, so even if I did manage the Paralympic standards, they wouldn’t have counted. I pulled out of the 200m.
Before my next competition, I went to see Avenue Q at the theatre. Somebody told me it was like an adult version of Sesame Street and I would agree that is an accurate description. There were a combination of puppets and humans in the show. It was the funniest show I have seen in a long time and definitely would recommend people seeing it. Beware of the adult humour though!
On Tuesday 8 May it was the biggest competition of my life! The Paralympic Test Event at the Olympic Stadium! I couldn’t believe who I was racing when I saw the start list, the current T11 world record holder from Brazil, the T11 world silver medallist, also from Brazil and the T12 world champ Libby Clegg who I know anyway, as she trains at Loughborough too. Oh and then there was me! It was like a Paralympic final, only I was in it! The nerves were definitely flowing from the night before, but I knew I just had to run my own race. The whole experience is something I will treasure forever. Warming up on the Olympic warm-up track was amazing in itself. To think in just a couple of months the top athletes in the world will be preparing for the races of their lives, just as I was. It was quite a warm day by British standards, but I was thankful I was outside; otherwise there could have been a repeat of Gateshead!
I had to go to first call-up about an hour before my race. Then after all of the admin checks, you have a long walk in what felt like a tunnel to the final call-up area. When I say long walk, it really is a long walk! In the final call-up area, there is a 60m indoor track, which you can use for a last minute warm-up. As soon as we stepped onto the track all of my butterflies just flew away. I don’t know why! Perhaps because one of my favourite artists Katy Perry, Part of Me was blaring out of the speakers. I decided to have a bit of a jig, whilst my guide runner set up my blocks and stripped down to my kit. Even though we were outside, I felt like I was indoors. There was no breeze and think because the stands circle all around it gives an enclosed effect. Being in lanes one and two, I was the first athlete to be introduced to the crowd. I will never forget the pride I felt when they announced ‘in lane one representing Great Britain is Selina Litt’! Then there was the cheer! All for me!
The actual race is a bit of a blur. I reacted to the gun, but can’t remember noticing any of the other athletes, I think they were just gone! I felt strong within the race, comfortably managing to go with my guide runner’s injection of pace for the first time in a race. I crossed the line and distinctly remember feeling nothing! I didn’t feel happy, I didn’t feel angry, as often am after a race criticising aspects straight away, I was just blank. I had done it, I was living the dream. It was 2012, I was in London and I had just raced the best athletes in the world at the Olympic stadium.
As we walked off of the track, they announced the times. The other girls all ran sub 13secs, to give you an idea of their sheer class. And in 4th place, Selina Litt, 14.63secs a big old massive PB! Never mind that, well within the Paralympic B Standard of 14.80secs. Finally, I can say I have a Paralympic qualification standard! I proved to myself that I can perform when it ultimately matters.
The day after the Paralympic Test Event I flew to Turin, Italy. It wasn’t for a holiday, but in order to be eligible for Paralympic selection, you not only have to run the times, but you need an IPC classification. Before Turin, I only had a National classification to say I am a T11 athlete. There has never been an opportunity to get classified in Britain, hence the need to go abroad to get it confirmed that I really can’t see! I won’t bore you with the shamble of the event and will skip to the fact that I am now officially a T11 athlete. All of my IPC performances hereafter will appear on the world rankings, which I can’t wait to see my name on the list!
Then yesterday, I raced at the Leicestershire and Warwickshire Champs. I was disappointed to find when I arrived that the electronic timing had broken, so whatever time I ran would be invalid for Paralympic selection and the world rankings. So I did the 100m and pulled out of the 200m, anyone would think that I’m avoiding the 200m this year! Another illegal wind meant the lack of electronic timing was irrelevant, but I was pleased to run 14.5secs. It was a surreal race, the second of the week, as two of my ex guide runners were in it too!
So if you’re still with me, my next race is in two weeks on 26 May. For the first time ever, I’m feeling content with my running. I feel like I’m finally achieving and I know that I’m running well. Don’t get me wrong there are still a thousand and one technical issues that could be improved in my races, but it is all coming together. It just goes to show that a combination of hard work, determination and belief pays off.
I believe in believing, dreaming and achieving!
Friday, 13 April 2012
Music Madness
I have been meaning to update this blog for the past couple of weeks, but have been busy with either assignment writing or training. Since I last wrote I have seen JLS in concert, Legally Blonde the Musical and Steps in concert.
27 March JLS:
This was the second time I had gone to watch the boys in concert and they did not disappoint. Singing all of their hits, along with a hint of Usher, I found myself dancing most of the night. What made the show even better, not necessarily for me, as I obviously can’t see, but they entered the arena in the middle, so everyone could get a good view. After that they walked through the crowd to the main stage. Most artists would then remain on the main stage, but the boys travelled across the arena back to the middle stage via a triangle flying thing, ensuring that everyone who had paid to come and see them got their money’s worth. Again not necessarily good for me, but our seats were directly opposite the middle stage, so an ideal spot.
2 April Legally Blonde:
I quite liked the film Legally Blonde when I watched it years ago, but wasn’t expecting the musical to be amazing. I was pleasantly surprised, as the songs were catchy, lively and sang to the highest standard. The show was funny and a musical I would definitely recommend going to see.
11 April Steps:
Admittedly I didn’t see the band perform the first time around and wasn’t the biggest fan although I liked their songs. When my school friends said they were all up for going, I thought I might as well join them for a bit of 90s pop cheese. The show was pretty good, but found that they did stay in the 90s mostly, excluding H having the opportunity to have a male dancer, that would have never happened ten years ago. They sang all of their classics and each member did a solo performance. It was all very cheesy as expected, but a good night out.
My next concert will be McFly on Sunday and my next musical Avenue Q next month. I do enjoy going to concerts and musicals!
You only get one shot, so make it count, you might never get this moment again!
27 March JLS:
This was the second time I had gone to watch the boys in concert and they did not disappoint. Singing all of their hits, along with a hint of Usher, I found myself dancing most of the night. What made the show even better, not necessarily for me, as I obviously can’t see, but they entered the arena in the middle, so everyone could get a good view. After that they walked through the crowd to the main stage. Most artists would then remain on the main stage, but the boys travelled across the arena back to the middle stage via a triangle flying thing, ensuring that everyone who had paid to come and see them got their money’s worth. Again not necessarily good for me, but our seats were directly opposite the middle stage, so an ideal spot.
2 April Legally Blonde:
I quite liked the film Legally Blonde when I watched it years ago, but wasn’t expecting the musical to be amazing. I was pleasantly surprised, as the songs were catchy, lively and sang to the highest standard. The show was funny and a musical I would definitely recommend going to see.
11 April Steps:
Admittedly I didn’t see the band perform the first time around and wasn’t the biggest fan although I liked their songs. When my school friends said they were all up for going, I thought I might as well join them for a bit of 90s pop cheese. The show was pretty good, but found that they did stay in the 90s mostly, excluding H having the opportunity to have a male dancer, that would have never happened ten years ago. They sang all of their classics and each member did a solo performance. It was all very cheesy as expected, but a good night out.
My next concert will be McFly on Sunday and my next musical Avenue Q next month. I do enjoy going to concerts and musicals!
You only get one shot, so make it count, you might never get this moment again!
Monday, 5 March 2012
The Wanted
Last Thursday was my brother’s 26th birthday, scary! To celebrate I booked tickets ages ago for The Wanted at Birmingham’s LG Arena. Even though we all know it’s really The NEC!
After a two hour journey thanks to lots of traffic and my dad deciding to avoid the M6, we arrived as the final support act were finishing off. This wasn’t really a big deal, as I had a tip off that the four support acts weren’t all that anyway!
The Wanted came on at 9pm and for some reason I was expecting them to be out of tune. So I was quite surprised when they sounded pitch perfect! They sang all of their hits, songs from their second album and even threw in some Coldplay. The highlight of the concert for me was when they magically appeared at the back of the arena and walked through the crowd. The disabled seating at the LG is a little raised from the floor on the side and is just a single row. My mum promptly dragged my arm over the front of the seating area and I got two high fives! My mum assures me that these were from the curly haired one and the one that goes out with Tina from Coronation Street! I have never known a band to do this before and thought it was a nice personal touch.
My brother loved dancing the night away, my dad was slightly alarmed by the screaming girls and my mum complained a little that they didn’t really dance and just pointed! Overall, a good night was had by all!
My next concert is on 27 March, when I see JLS for the second time!
We can rule the world someday, somehow...
After a two hour journey thanks to lots of traffic and my dad deciding to avoid the M6, we arrived as the final support act were finishing off. This wasn’t really a big deal, as I had a tip off that the four support acts weren’t all that anyway!
The Wanted came on at 9pm and for some reason I was expecting them to be out of tune. So I was quite surprised when they sounded pitch perfect! They sang all of their hits, songs from their second album and even threw in some Coldplay. The highlight of the concert for me was when they magically appeared at the back of the arena and walked through the crowd. The disabled seating at the LG is a little raised from the floor on the side and is just a single row. My mum promptly dragged my arm over the front of the seating area and I got two high fives! My mum assures me that these were from the curly haired one and the one that goes out with Tina from Coronation Street! I have never known a band to do this before and thought it was a nice personal touch.
My brother loved dancing the night away, my dad was slightly alarmed by the screaming girls and my mum complained a little that they didn’t really dance and just pointed! Overall, a good night was had by all!
My next concert is on 27 March, when I see JLS for the second time!
We can rule the world someday, somehow...
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Paralympic Year!
2012. 2012! The year we’ve all been talking about forever has finally arrived. So, by the time I’m writing my New Year thoughts next year, my dream, ambition, aspiration, ultimate desire, my single wish, whatever you want to call it, would have either come to a bitter end or had a fairy tale ending. Whatever the result, I know for a fact that I would have done everything in my power to make it a reality.
2011:
As per usual it didn’t quite go to plan. I didn’t achieve any qualification standards for the Paralympics, I only ran a PB at the end of the season and I have had to change guide runners yet again. Talking of change, I’ve changed guide ropes and the side my guide runner runs on too. A positive to take away from the year has to be that I was more consistent with regards to the times I ran in competitions in comparison to other years.
I was pleased to score a third Distinction in a row at university, as I continue to work towards my English Language and Literature degree. Calvin’s still Calvin, enjoying keeping me on my toes. Other highlights of the year have to be going to Morocco, seeing Westlife, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry in concert, along with a girly weekend away in Bognor.
2012:
Well, I think it’s pretty obvious what the year will entail. Work, work, work! So I’m going to leave it there!
Thank you to everyone who reads this blog and here’s hoping that 2012 will be magical for one and all!
If you believe it, you can achieve it!
2011:
As per usual it didn’t quite go to plan. I didn’t achieve any qualification standards for the Paralympics, I only ran a PB at the end of the season and I have had to change guide runners yet again. Talking of change, I’ve changed guide ropes and the side my guide runner runs on too. A positive to take away from the year has to be that I was more consistent with regards to the times I ran in competitions in comparison to other years.
I was pleased to score a third Distinction in a row at university, as I continue to work towards my English Language and Literature degree. Calvin’s still Calvin, enjoying keeping me on my toes. Other highlights of the year have to be going to Morocco, seeing Westlife, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry in concert, along with a girly weekend away in Bognor.
2012:
Well, I think it’s pretty obvious what the year will entail. Work, work, work! So I’m going to leave it there!
Thank you to everyone who reads this blog and here’s hoping that 2012 will be magical for one and all!
If you believe it, you can achieve it!
Monday, 7 November 2011
Bruno and Katy
Last week was loaded with music concerts, as I saw both Bruno Mars and Katy Perry at the Capital FM Arena Nottingham. Bruno was brilliant, even though his production was quite different from what you tend to see at concerts these days. He didn’t have any dancers, made no costume changes and only sang his songs. However, he did play various instruments, hit notes out of this world and his interaction with the audience was impressive. Maybe if I could see I would have appreciated his winks, smile and pelvic thrusts that sent the women in the crowd absolutely crazy. I’ve been to a fair few concerts, but I think this was the loudest by far!
Katy’s performance was completely the opposite, yet equally as spectacular. I don’t think i’ve known an artist to have so many costume changes, she came out into the crowd in a ball of candy floss and I found her sense of humour compelling. She’s a little odd, but someone who would make a great friend! The video shown during her costume changes was quite amusing and I about lost my voice singing ‘Fireworks’ on bonfire night. The words to that song are really inspiring.
I’ve got a fair few concerts lined up next year including Jason Derulo, JLS, The Wanted, Steps and Westlife’s final ever tour, which is going to be traumatic! However, 2012 is set to be the best year ever!
Baby I’m a firework, I’m gonna show them what I’m worth; make them go oh, oh, oh, as I shoot across the line, line, line!
Katy’s performance was completely the opposite, yet equally as spectacular. I don’t think i’ve known an artist to have so many costume changes, she came out into the crowd in a ball of candy floss and I found her sense of humour compelling. She’s a little odd, but someone who would make a great friend! The video shown during her costume changes was quite amusing and I about lost my voice singing ‘Fireworks’ on bonfire night. The words to that song are really inspiring.
I’ve got a fair few concerts lined up next year including Jason Derulo, JLS, The Wanted, Steps and Westlife’s final ever tour, which is going to be traumatic! However, 2012 is set to be the best year ever!
Baby I’m a firework, I’m gonna show them what I’m worth; make them go oh, oh, oh, as I shoot across the line, line, line!
Sunday, 10 July 2011
London
I can’t believe it has been two weeks since I was in London for the weekend. Time is flying by lately! It was great being back in London for an extended period of time other than for a MoorfieldsEye Hospital appointment. At one stage in my life, London was like a second home to me. Getting off of the train with Calvin, I quickly realised this was the first time we had travelled there solo. I didn’t have any assistance booked and spent a while trying to figure out which way the mass crowd were going for the exit. When you’re in London, you don’t feel like you stick out like a sore thumb, as everyone is so interested in getting to places than stopping to stroke your dog or ask if you’re ok. I love that! Once through the barriers I met Beth and her new Guide Dog Connie who is a German shepherd and a little bigger than my BFG. Oh yeah and Connie is classified as a ‘fast’ dog, the quickest walking speed a Guide Dog can be, Calvin is a ‘quick mod plus’, but this meant we had to get our skates on a little. I’ve met Connie once before, so had a chance to practice my power walk before hitting the capital.
On the Saturday we went to watch the afternoon performance of Wicked in the West End. I was supposed to go the year before, but cancelled at the last minute so I could go to an athletics competition instead, surprise, surprise! I was concerned that because our seats were up in the heavens that I would find it difficult to concentrate with not being able to see the lights and thought the sound wouldn’t be very good, but in fact I could see glimmers of light and the sound was amazing. There was certainly no room for the dogs to join us, I could hardly fit my legs in the gap and I’m 5ft 2”! The dogs were left in a good sized room to relax/run around like wild animals! The musical overall was enjoyable, although I could see where they were trying to be funny and I didn’t always crack a smile. The storyline was also a little confusing, probably because I didn’t realise the Wicked Witch wasn’t really wicked!
On the Sunday we went to watch Glee Live at the O2. Again the dogs were left with staff members, but we didn’t get to see the room and apparently they were taken on a walk by the river, which I’m not sure they should have done, as there are so many rules you’re supposed to follow even when a Guide Dog is not working, such as walking on the left of a person, stopping at curbs and steps etc. Prior to Glee coming on stage there was a dance act for the support. I’ve never found something so dull in my life, the music wasn’t even great that they were jigging to! However, I realised how close our seats were to the stage, as without microphones I could hear them speaking. When Glee came on the atmosphere was electric, singing just as good as on the show and character roles sustained. There were video clips of Shooster and Sue on the big screen, which were amusing and The Warblers were there too and sang a few songs. The actress who plays Mercedes stole the show for me, I know she has a massive diva voice, but honestly listening to her hit the most complicated notes at the end of songs left me spell bound. I’ve been to a hell of a lot of concerts and I’ve never heard anything so incredible! The downside to the show was it was just over an hour long, so pretty short and sweet.
The next musical I’m seeing is The Sound of Music for my birthday. I’ve wanted to see this for years, as have watched the video and DVD a million times growing up!
Don’t stop believing!
On the Saturday we went to watch the afternoon performance of Wicked in the West End. I was supposed to go the year before, but cancelled at the last minute so I could go to an athletics competition instead, surprise, surprise! I was concerned that because our seats were up in the heavens that I would find it difficult to concentrate with not being able to see the lights and thought the sound wouldn’t be very good, but in fact I could see glimmers of light and the sound was amazing. There was certainly no room for the dogs to join us, I could hardly fit my legs in the gap and I’m 5ft 2”! The dogs were left in a good sized room to relax/run around like wild animals! The musical overall was enjoyable, although I could see where they were trying to be funny and I didn’t always crack a smile. The storyline was also a little confusing, probably because I didn’t realise the Wicked Witch wasn’t really wicked!
On the Sunday we went to watch Glee Live at the O2. Again the dogs were left with staff members, but we didn’t get to see the room and apparently they were taken on a walk by the river, which I’m not sure they should have done, as there are so many rules you’re supposed to follow even when a Guide Dog is not working, such as walking on the left of a person, stopping at curbs and steps etc. Prior to Glee coming on stage there was a dance act for the support. I’ve never found something so dull in my life, the music wasn’t even great that they were jigging to! However, I realised how close our seats were to the stage, as without microphones I could hear them speaking. When Glee came on the atmosphere was electric, singing just as good as on the show and character roles sustained. There were video clips of Shooster and Sue on the big screen, which were amusing and The Warblers were there too and sang a few songs. The actress who plays Mercedes stole the show for me, I know she has a massive diva voice, but honestly listening to her hit the most complicated notes at the end of songs left me spell bound. I’ve been to a hell of a lot of concerts and I’ve never heard anything so incredible! The downside to the show was it was just over an hour long, so pretty short and sweet.
The next musical I’m seeing is The Sound of Music for my birthday. I’ve wanted to see this for years, as have watched the video and DVD a million times growing up!
Don’t stop believing!
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Gravity Tour
Last night I saw Westlife at Nottingham’s Capital Arena for the fifth time. Apparently the band has been together for 12 years and this was their 10th tour. I suppose when you have been around for so long, it’s just not possible to perform every single hit and I noted they didn’t do Swear Again, My Love, Bop Bop Baby and Whatever amongst others. However, they did do tracks from their recent album Gravity, some classics, such as Flying Without Wings, Uptown Girl, World Of Our Own, When You’re Looking Like That and Raise Me Up, along with a bit of Lady GA Ga, The Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna. The special effects varied from giant apples, fake rain, under water and a few fireworks for good measure. We were seated on the floor about 30 rows back, so not really near, but fairly well. However, when they had the projected stage it literally came and stopped a row in front of us, not that that made any difference to what I could see! We missed the first support act, but the second was Wonderland again whose songs are growing on me, but not enough for me to purchase their album!
All in all a great concert where I danced and sang throughout. I’m not a big screamer these days, everyone else seems to make up for that though!
All in all a great concert where I danced and sang throughout. I’m not a big screamer these days, everyone else seems to make up for that though!
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Alexandra Burke
Last night I saw 2008’s X Factor champion Alexandra Burke live in concert at the NIA in Birmingham. The support acts were annoying girl group Per aid and a Scottish solo artist Carrie Mack. The main show was pretty good with Alexandra performing all of her hits, songs from her debut album and a Destiny’s Child medley. I think I most enjoyed her ballads, as she belted them out passionately. I don’t really see many females in concert and I think it’s difficult for solo artists to dominate the stage, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
I’m next seeing my favourite boy band Westlife in concert on 16th March for the fifth time and I can’t wait!
I’m next seeing my favourite boy band Westlife in concert on 16th March for the fifth time and I can’t wait!
Sunday, 12 December 2010
JLS
Last night I went to see JLS live in concert at the Nottingham Trent FM Arena. Considering our seats were about halfway back, I could see the lighting really well, which always keeps my focus and adds to the enjoyment of the performance.
The special FX seemed really clever, as they came out in a car that hovered over the audience. They also had a dancing robot, revolving stage and a projected stage. I was a bit gutted that the end of the projected stage stopped right in front of our seats, but there was no lighting other than on the main stage, so I couldn’t even glimpse a shadow of them!
Of course they performed all of their hits, tracks from their new album and they also did a few Backstreet Boys and N Sync songs that were amazing.
Great band!
The special FX seemed really clever, as they came out in a car that hovered over the audience. They also had a dancing robot, revolving stage and a projected stage. I was a bit gutted that the end of the projected stage stopped right in front of our seats, but there was no lighting other than on the main stage, so I couldn’t even glimpse a shadow of them!
Of course they performed all of their hits, tracks from their new album and they also did a few Backstreet Boys and N Sync songs that were amazing.
Great band!
Sunday, 6 June 2010
May Bank Holiday
My bank holiday weekend was spent up in Newcastle, where the main aim was to see Westlife in concert. I went up to Beth’s on the Saturday, had lunch, shortly followed by dinner and then an evening of Eurovision. I’m a big fan of the singing competition, but my favourite never wins. This year was no different, as I quite liked Cyprus’s entry, yet Germany won. Germany’s song wasn’t terrible though and it’s about time a country that funds the event actually won. We came erm...last, the Europeans really don’t like us! In my opinion surely Iceland should have been bottom of the table, spreading their volcanic ash?!
Sunday was spent on the beach, that sounds quite nice, but it was really windy and freezing. The dogs got to have a play, but I wasn’t impressed that Calvin had a worm dangling from his mouth! Disgusting! The afternoon was spent browsing a few shops and a quiet evening in.
Monday daytime was a quiet one and around 5pm we went to grab some dinner before the concert. Westlife were due on at 8.30pm, but with two support acts prior to them. American boy band, Wow, were really not very Wow. They were all under 18 and attempting to be a young Backstreet Boys. I might have had a bit more respect for them, if they had bothered to sing live and not mime. The second support were female Irish group, Wonderland who included Kean’s wife. They reminded me of The Corrs and I found myself drifting off whilst listening to them! Booooooring!
Finally, at 9pm Westlife came on stage. This was my fourth time seeing them and they didn’t fail to excite. They sang a few songs from their new album, all of their classics and some upbeat modern numbers too, including Black Eyed Peas and Beyonce. The only let down were the drunken, loud mouthed, past it women behind us. Their alcoholic beverages drenched my coat and bag, along with Beth and Jenny’s stuff too.
Overall, I thought Westlife were grate and would go and see them again in a flash!
Sunday was spent on the beach, that sounds quite nice, but it was really windy and freezing. The dogs got to have a play, but I wasn’t impressed that Calvin had a worm dangling from his mouth! Disgusting! The afternoon was spent browsing a few shops and a quiet evening in.
Monday daytime was a quiet one and around 5pm we went to grab some dinner before the concert. Westlife were due on at 8.30pm, but with two support acts prior to them. American boy band, Wow, were really not very Wow. They were all under 18 and attempting to be a young Backstreet Boys. I might have had a bit more respect for them, if they had bothered to sing live and not mime. The second support were female Irish group, Wonderland who included Kean’s wife. They reminded me of The Corrs and I found myself drifting off whilst listening to them! Booooooring!
Finally, at 9pm Westlife came on stage. This was my fourth time seeing them and they didn’t fail to excite. They sang a few songs from their new album, all of their classics and some upbeat modern numbers too, including Black Eyed Peas and Beyonce. The only let down were the drunken, loud mouthed, past it women behind us. Their alcoholic beverages drenched my coat and bag, along with Beth and Jenny’s stuff too.
Overall, I thought Westlife were grate and would go and see them again in a flash!
Friday, 1 January 2010
2010 Already?!
I don't know where the past few weeks have gone. Time to catch up!
Calvin:
What fun we've been having getting lost every other day and near death experiences. Calvin hasn't quite grasped he's meant to work curb to curb for some reason and finds it funny to cut corners so he can get an extended walk. Of course when we have gotten lost it's been a nightmare trying to find a single person on the street. It has knocked my confidence a fair bit regarding working him and is something I'm going to have to bring up with the trainer when she calls next week.
Calvin's other favourite thing to do when working other than growling at the dogs playing on the park, is refusing to go the long way around. I.e. we always walk over the bridge by the train station instead of walking across the track in order to prevent killing ourselves. Well, Danger Mouse doesn't want to walk over the bridge and merrily trots along straight pass the steps. Bribery has failed with meat and cheese treats, which surely isn't right! We recently had a near death experience as I cued Calvin in to find the steps. The siren began indicating that a train was coming and suddenly I feel the track under my feet. I go to turnaround in panic, but the barrier behind us had already come down. Some guy shouted at me to go straight ahead and we got through before the barrier came down in front of us, but it was a petrifying experience. Another thing I need to bring up with the trainer.
On a brighter note the sniffing has calmed down, but he is still a nosey parker and takes detours up peoples drives. On Xmas Day I fell flat on my ass thanks to Calvin spotting a cat, no consideration for the black ice!
Free runs have been fun at the time, as we've found Fosse Meadows where he can go wild and play with loads of other dogs, but somebody has a liking for mud baths. This has resulted in 2 baths since he stunk!
Open University:
I got my second assignment back a couple of weeks ago. I equalled my first score with 85% again, which I was thrilled with. I just submitted my third assignment yesterday. But not certain I'll be able to keep the great marks up.
Scrooge:
Was the latest musical I saw at the theatre. It featured Tommy Steels who is way before my time playing the lead. It wasn't the best of musicals, but I guess it was all in the Xmas spirit!
Athletics:
Now there's something I haven't blogged about in a while. I've taken Calvin a couple of times now and the first was so embarrassing. The cute little Guide Dog barked his head off insisting I had forgotten him and was sure he was meant to be running around with me. The trainer came out just before Xmas to sort this problem. He's still not completely relaxed at the track yet, but hopefully he'll get used to it soon.
Speaking of running, it is going quite well as far as I can tell. I should be entering my first indoor competition later this month and the summer season starts again in April.
2009:
Is history! The year began pretty slowly with a hundred and one rejections for jobs, which I eventually gave up on and started my degree with the OU. My birthday was fairly good, but since I spent my 16th in Miami and 18th in Italy it was always going to be hard to beat. I have travelled around from Blackpool, Bognor, Hartlepool and Turkey for fun times. Then, all of my athletics competitions took me to Ireland, London, Wigan, Bristol and Nottingham. I achieved 15.1secs for the 100m and 32.4secs for the 200m. Other sports wise Ferrari had an unlucky season, but the GB Team in Berlin did amazing at the athletics World Champs. Last but not least to finish off my year I finally got that all-important phone call. Calvin came along all bushy tailed and puppy dog eyes and we're having a roller coaster of a time!
2010:
Is going to be a good year for sure! I'm off to Mauritius next month, athletics comps start in April until September and I'm definitely getting the World Champs qualification times. I'm seeing Westlife in concert in May, I'm hoping to go to Paris for my 22nd, I intend to keep working hard on my degree and to round off the year I'm seeing JLS live. I'm also going to fix my Guide Dog, priority number one!
I would just like to thank everyone who reads my blog whether you comment or not. I've enjoyed writing and receiving feedback. Here's to the best year to come!!!!!!!!!!!
Calvin:
What fun we've been having getting lost every other day and near death experiences. Calvin hasn't quite grasped he's meant to work curb to curb for some reason and finds it funny to cut corners so he can get an extended walk. Of course when we have gotten lost it's been a nightmare trying to find a single person on the street. It has knocked my confidence a fair bit regarding working him and is something I'm going to have to bring up with the trainer when she calls next week.
Calvin's other favourite thing to do when working other than growling at the dogs playing on the park, is refusing to go the long way around. I.e. we always walk over the bridge by the train station instead of walking across the track in order to prevent killing ourselves. Well, Danger Mouse doesn't want to walk over the bridge and merrily trots along straight pass the steps. Bribery has failed with meat and cheese treats, which surely isn't right! We recently had a near death experience as I cued Calvin in to find the steps. The siren began indicating that a train was coming and suddenly I feel the track under my feet. I go to turnaround in panic, but the barrier behind us had already come down. Some guy shouted at me to go straight ahead and we got through before the barrier came down in front of us, but it was a petrifying experience. Another thing I need to bring up with the trainer.
On a brighter note the sniffing has calmed down, but he is still a nosey parker and takes detours up peoples drives. On Xmas Day I fell flat on my ass thanks to Calvin spotting a cat, no consideration for the black ice!
Free runs have been fun at the time, as we've found Fosse Meadows where he can go wild and play with loads of other dogs, but somebody has a liking for mud baths. This has resulted in 2 baths since he stunk!
Open University:
I got my second assignment back a couple of weeks ago. I equalled my first score with 85% again, which I was thrilled with. I just submitted my third assignment yesterday. But not certain I'll be able to keep the great marks up.
Scrooge:
Was the latest musical I saw at the theatre. It featured Tommy Steels who is way before my time playing the lead. It wasn't the best of musicals, but I guess it was all in the Xmas spirit!
Athletics:
Now there's something I haven't blogged about in a while. I've taken Calvin a couple of times now and the first was so embarrassing. The cute little Guide Dog barked his head off insisting I had forgotten him and was sure he was meant to be running around with me. The trainer came out just before Xmas to sort this problem. He's still not completely relaxed at the track yet, but hopefully he'll get used to it soon.
Speaking of running, it is going quite well as far as I can tell. I should be entering my first indoor competition later this month and the summer season starts again in April.
2009:
Is history! The year began pretty slowly with a hundred and one rejections for jobs, which I eventually gave up on and started my degree with the OU. My birthday was fairly good, but since I spent my 16th in Miami and 18th in Italy it was always going to be hard to beat. I have travelled around from Blackpool, Bognor, Hartlepool and Turkey for fun times. Then, all of my athletics competitions took me to Ireland, London, Wigan, Bristol and Nottingham. I achieved 15.1secs for the 100m and 32.4secs for the 200m. Other sports wise Ferrari had an unlucky season, but the GB Team in Berlin did amazing at the athletics World Champs. Last but not least to finish off my year I finally got that all-important phone call. Calvin came along all bushy tailed and puppy dog eyes and we're having a roller coaster of a time!
2010:
Is going to be a good year for sure! I'm off to Mauritius next month, athletics comps start in April until September and I'm definitely getting the World Champs qualification times. I'm seeing Westlife in concert in May, I'm hoping to go to Paris for my 22nd, I intend to keep working hard on my degree and to round off the year I'm seeing JLS live. I'm also going to fix my Guide Dog, priority number one!
I would just like to thank everyone who reads my blog whether you comment or not. I've enjoyed writing and receiving feedback. Here's to the best year to come!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
MJ, Stem Cells and The Saturdays on a Sunday
On Sunday night I went to see The Saturdays in concert at Leicester’s De Monfort Hall. I’m not the biggest fan of their music, but have liked all of their singles. Pixie Lot supported them and she was great. She paid a tribute to Michael Jackson by singing his classic Want You Back that received an amazing response from the audience. The Saturdays were quite good. I didn’t know all of the songs, as I don’t have their album, but they did a medley of songs that included Pink’s Rockstar, which got me dancing!
I just want to go back to Michael Jackson for the moment. How can anyone have missed that he died on Thursday night. My opinion on the matter is that he’s had quite a sad life. Thrown into the starlight at the age of 5 all he’s ever known is fame and living his life through the media. He clearly had some mental health problems after transforming his image dramatically, allowing children to sleep in his bed and not seeing an issue with it and generally living in Neverland believing he was the real Peter Pan. It’s undeniable that he has made some of the best music around, but a real shame that his life was short lived and generally appeared as an unhappy one.
Yesterday, I had an appointment at Moorfields Eye Hospital. After the usual forever long wait I was told that my eye is stable and pressure was 12. It still makes me laugh when they say my eye is stable, I’m pretty sure it looks like a bombsite back there! Detached retina, scar tissue, oil bubble, various buckles and sponges and the general incorrect growth. Anyway, over the past few months I’ve been doing some research on Stem Cells, which could potentially restore some of my vision. The Chinese believe they can treat Norrie’s Disease, but haven’t trialled it yet. 2 other people with the condition have registered their interest, but haven’t yet had the treatment. I’m getting a copy of my notes from Moorfields and will see if the doctors in China think they can help me. It’s all in the very early stages at the moment, so I don’t want to harp on about getting my hopes up and how great it would be to see colours and read again. To be honest I’ve accepted my sight loss now and would be happy enough to continue life this way, but if there is a possibility I could have some sight back who blames me for looking into it.
I just want to go back to Michael Jackson for the moment. How can anyone have missed that he died on Thursday night. My opinion on the matter is that he’s had quite a sad life. Thrown into the starlight at the age of 5 all he’s ever known is fame and living his life through the media. He clearly had some mental health problems after transforming his image dramatically, allowing children to sleep in his bed and not seeing an issue with it and generally living in Neverland believing he was the real Peter Pan. It’s undeniable that he has made some of the best music around, but a real shame that his life was short lived and generally appeared as an unhappy one.
Yesterday, I had an appointment at Moorfields Eye Hospital. After the usual forever long wait I was told that my eye is stable and pressure was 12. It still makes me laugh when they say my eye is stable, I’m pretty sure it looks like a bombsite back there! Detached retina, scar tissue, oil bubble, various buckles and sponges and the general incorrect growth. Anyway, over the past few months I’ve been doing some research on Stem Cells, which could potentially restore some of my vision. The Chinese believe they can treat Norrie’s Disease, but haven’t trialled it yet. 2 other people with the condition have registered their interest, but haven’t yet had the treatment. I’m getting a copy of my notes from Moorfields and will see if the doctors in China think they can help me. It’s all in the very early stages at the moment, so I don’t want to harp on about getting my hopes up and how great it would be to see colours and read again. To be honest I’ve accepted my sight loss now and would be happy enough to continue life this way, but if there is a possibility I could have some sight back who blames me for looking into it.
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