On Saturday 12th, three other friends and I went to see Coldplay at the MEN arena, in Manchester. We set off at just after 5 at Sowerby bridge, so the train would get us into Manchester just after 6. Jess got on a few stops along the line at littlebrough. Our train was slightly late, we expected that.
We arrived at the arena just after doors opening, at 6. We went straight to one of the many over priced shops. The t-shirts were very small and expensive, £20. I also bought a poster. We wondered along to our block. Got some photo's taken and then climbed the steps onto the arena.
It was empty, about 20/30 people were in there. It was massive. We were in block 217, which was side on to the stage. We could see every detail on the stage. We sat there and talked for nearly two hours. We watch as the stadium very steadily filled.
The support act came on at quater to eight. None of us had heard of them before. The first song wasn't great, and they were very nervous. As they went through there set though, it got quite good. I liked them anyway.
After about fortyfive minute set, they went off. The lights came up and the rodies started to arrange the stage. It took about thirty minutes to do. They even cleaned the stage. Many different instruments where set out. Light men were hoisted about 150 foot into t he air to man hte light deck. The stadium was nearly full. The atosphere was tense. Excitedly we held our breath. Blackness.
They came running out from behind stage with sparkelers, they only light. The crowd errupted. They opened with violet hill. Flashing violet lights. Amazing.
The entire consert was amazing. So many cleaver lighting affects. They had a whole line of bright flashing white lights, which flashed whenever the dummer hit his snare. Giant material balls, to which progections were projected. Chris Martin ran up and down that stage all night. Engaging the crwod at every second. The crowd were heard constantly over the band. Again, amazing.
We came out all saying we wanted to go see them the next day. After making a quick stop to the nock-off hoodies, (which were better looking than inside and were only £10) we dashed to the packed platform, and alighted our train home.
Monday 15 December 2008
Saturday 6 December 2008
Driving Theory
On Wednesday I left school at 11:15 to go and take my driving theory test. My test wasn't until 2:00 but I had no lessons. I went home and took several practise tests on my laptop. I went for lunch after getting 96%. Finish on a high. After looking at google earth to find actually where the test centre was my mum and I dashed off to Huddesfield, leaving slightly late.
We got to where we thought the test centre was, and I jumped out of the car. I was searching for a sign when my mum rang me to tell me she had seen the test centre. Only then for me to realise all my paper work was in the car. After she blocked up a road, slightly a got my papers and ran to the test centre.
It was on the 5th floor of a tower block. I had to buzz to a very grumpy woman who decided to let me in. Once up to the 5th floor i entered a very quite reception. I was ordered to put all my positions into a locker. I then had to read the rules of the test centre. Don't talk etc.
My name was called and I left the reception to go visit a older man in a booth over looking the test room. He asked me some personal details and then i was ushered to booth 9. I sat down, took a deep breath and then started my test.
The test is split into two parts. A multiple choice and a hazard perception test. You get 57 mins to answer 50 questions about all sorts of things about the road. You get a 3 min break and then the hazard perception. This is a made up of 14 videos. You have a view like you are the driver of the car. You have to click every time you see a hazard. This is registered by a red flag in the bottom left corner of the screen. When you click you don't click on the hazard, you just click and have to hope that the computer knows what hazard you are clicking on. This is not a very good test, as you have to hope that the computer picks up a hazard when you click.
I took twice as long to do my test as normal. I thought I did quite well on it. It was now onto the Hazard perception. I was more worried about this as there is no way to test this at home that I had found. When I had finished I thought I did really well. I spotted all the hazards.
When you finish the test you answer some customer feedback questions. I then left my chair and went over to my locker to get my stuff. The lady at the desk had my results. I opened it and I had passed. I got 46/50 on my multiple choice (43 pass) and 46/75 in hazard (44 pass).
I hadn't clicked enough in my hazard. I was to wary. If you click to much they fail you for that clip. My multiple choice was a little low, but I had passed and that's all that matters.
We got to where we thought the test centre was, and I jumped out of the car. I was searching for a sign when my mum rang me to tell me she had seen the test centre. Only then for me to realise all my paper work was in the car. After she blocked up a road, slightly a got my papers and ran to the test centre.
It was on the 5th floor of a tower block. I had to buzz to a very grumpy woman who decided to let me in. Once up to the 5th floor i entered a very quite reception. I was ordered to put all my positions into a locker. I then had to read the rules of the test centre. Don't talk etc.
My name was called and I left the reception to go visit a older man in a booth over looking the test room. He asked me some personal details and then i was ushered to booth 9. I sat down, took a deep breath and then started my test.
The test is split into two parts. A multiple choice and a hazard perception test. You get 57 mins to answer 50 questions about all sorts of things about the road. You get a 3 min break and then the hazard perception. This is a made up of 14 videos. You have a view like you are the driver of the car. You have to click every time you see a hazard. This is registered by a red flag in the bottom left corner of the screen. When you click you don't click on the hazard, you just click and have to hope that the computer knows what hazard you are clicking on. This is not a very good test, as you have to hope that the computer picks up a hazard when you click.
I took twice as long to do my test as normal. I thought I did quite well on it. It was now onto the Hazard perception. I was more worried about this as there is no way to test this at home that I had found. When I had finished I thought I did really well. I spotted all the hazards.
When you finish the test you answer some customer feedback questions. I then left my chair and went over to my locker to get my stuff. The lady at the desk had my results. I opened it and I had passed. I got 46/50 on my multiple choice (43 pass) and 46/75 in hazard (44 pass).
I hadn't clicked enough in my hazard. I was to wary. If you click to much they fail you for that clip. My multiple choice was a little low, but I had passed and that's all that matters.
Friday 28 November 2008
Baptism
This weekend I went to my second Catholic baptism. We started very early on Saturday morning. Up and ready to be out the door at 9:15. We had a 45 min drive to Wakefield westgate station. Got there in good time - enough time to even have a coffee and bacon sandwich. The train was running 5 mins late, the norm.It turned up at 10:23. We were in coach B though which is all the way up the other end of the platform. A brief run to our carriage and we were on our 2 hour stint to King Cross.
Coach B is the silent coach, so no phone calls or loud music. I started on some homework and when I finished this I did a driving theory test (which is really pretty stupid at times). Once in King Cross we had 1:30 to get to Earling. So off we ran to the tube.Unfortunately some cleaver person decided to close the circle line, so well done to him. Close off central London's most used line when there is a International rugby game on and a Chelsae game. This meant that the Piccadilly line, which we were on, was packed as it was in the right direction to both games.
So like a tin of sardines we packed into this train whilst just managing to hang onto our luggage. We got the Northfields tube station with 35 mins till the start. we made the short walk to the church in good time, after correcting an early miss directoin.With 20 mins to go we piled into the function room, which was the church hall, and went into the toilets to suit up. With minutes to spare we made it. I got the job of being the video camera man. Bit dounting really, don't cock this up as they may not speak to you if you screw up the record of their daughters baptism.
The service was very short, 20 mins. Not even a him. It was a nice church, I thought it was quite plain for a Catholic church. The priest kept stumbling on his words. The baby (Sofia) was great, beaming all the way through. I got some good shots of it all.The church hall started to fill up as the food and beer went down.
The food was not your normal run of the mill stuff, it was Greek. Sofia's Dad is a Greek Cyriptiat so they decided to do some Greek food. Wasn't really my kind of thing, but it was different. As the party was going I was walking up and down every now and again filming everybody. I some how managed most of the time not to get spotted so got nice shots of people being natural. The party started to go down at about 5. That wasn't the end if the night. About 15 of us went to the pub down the road for a few hours. (£3.45 a pint!). We finished there in the early hours of the morning and trundled to some friends just down the road.
Coach B is the silent coach, so no phone calls or loud music. I started on some homework and when I finished this I did a driving theory test (which is really pretty stupid at times). Once in King Cross we had 1:30 to get to Earling. So off we ran to the tube.Unfortunately some cleaver person decided to close the circle line, so well done to him. Close off central London's most used line when there is a International rugby game on and a Chelsae game. This meant that the Piccadilly line, which we were on, was packed as it was in the right direction to both games.
So like a tin of sardines we packed into this train whilst just managing to hang onto our luggage. We got the Northfields tube station with 35 mins till the start. we made the short walk to the church in good time, after correcting an early miss directoin.With 20 mins to go we piled into the function room, which was the church hall, and went into the toilets to suit up. With minutes to spare we made it. I got the job of being the video camera man. Bit dounting really, don't cock this up as they may not speak to you if you screw up the record of their daughters baptism.
The service was very short, 20 mins. Not even a him. It was a nice church, I thought it was quite plain for a Catholic church. The priest kept stumbling on his words. The baby (Sofia) was great, beaming all the way through. I got some good shots of it all.The church hall started to fill up as the food and beer went down.
The food was not your normal run of the mill stuff, it was Greek. Sofia's Dad is a Greek Cyriptiat so they decided to do some Greek food. Wasn't really my kind of thing, but it was different. As the party was going I was walking up and down every now and again filming everybody. I some how managed most of the time not to get spotted so got nice shots of people being natural. The party started to go down at about 5. That wasn't the end if the night. About 15 of us went to the pub down the road for a few hours. (£3.45 a pint!). We finished there in the early hours of the morning and trundled to some friends just down the road.
Saturday 8 November 2008
Senior Rugby
This Saturday I played my first game of senior rugby. It was quite different to my normal Junior rugby. I play down at Heath rugby club (next to the Garden centre in West Vale). I've played junior rugby at Heath since I was 14. That is training on a Wednesday night and playing on nearly every Sunday from mid September till around early May.
Heath have 3 senior sides. 1st, 2nd and 3rd 15. The first team are all young and well skilled players. The second team is fringe 1st team and not 1st team standard players. The 3rd team is old men, unskilled players and young player, like myself. I played in the 3rd 15.
I went down to Heath expecting to find. a lot of old guys who couldn't run any more, and some old young talentless players. This is what I found. The tight end prop could even walk properly, never mind do anything else. Also it seemed to be a requirement for playing in the 3rd 15 that you have to have a belly.
I started on the bench, which I expected to. The game kicked off and we started really well. A try inside the first five minutes, under the posts. Only for the conversion to be charged down. Fortunately Selby (opposition) gave away a penalty near their own line, which we converted for another 3 point. 8-0 inside 10 minutes. We were looking very dominant. Unfortunately I was wrong.
The old guys fitness levels only were 10 minutes. 3/4 of the team were tiring already. Unfortunately our opposition weren't. Selby were such a big club that they had 5 senior teams. We were playing their 4th 15. So their fitness levels were much better. By the end of the half we had been under pressure all the rest of the half. The score reflected this. 8-17 down.
I came on at half time to a alien position to me. I normally play in the front row, in the forwards. I was playing on the wing. So bit different. I did well thought holding up one try (holding the man up when he was over the try line so he couldn't put the ball down). I also had 1 of two line breaks in the second half. I didn't really get the chance to do much though, because I didn't get the ball.
We lost the game.I don't know by how much as i wasn't concentrating on that. I did learn quite a lot from the game though. I learnt that this level of rugby is not above me at all. The players enjoy playing but they don't have the fitness level to keep going. This is good for somebody like me, who does have the fitness levels. I have also been asked back to play any time I can. I hope I can keep on playing and learning at this different level.
Heath have 3 senior sides. 1st, 2nd and 3rd 15. The first team are all young and well skilled players. The second team is fringe 1st team and not 1st team standard players. The 3rd team is old men, unskilled players and young player, like myself. I played in the 3rd 15.
I went down to Heath expecting to find. a lot of old guys who couldn't run any more, and some old young talentless players. This is what I found. The tight end prop could even walk properly, never mind do anything else. Also it seemed to be a requirement for playing in the 3rd 15 that you have to have a belly.
I started on the bench, which I expected to. The game kicked off and we started really well. A try inside the first five minutes, under the posts. Only for the conversion to be charged down. Fortunately Selby (opposition) gave away a penalty near their own line, which we converted for another 3 point. 8-0 inside 10 minutes. We were looking very dominant. Unfortunately I was wrong.
The old guys fitness levels only were 10 minutes. 3/4 of the team were tiring already. Unfortunately our opposition weren't. Selby were such a big club that they had 5 senior teams. We were playing their 4th 15. So their fitness levels were much better. By the end of the half we had been under pressure all the rest of the half. The score reflected this. 8-17 down.
I came on at half time to a alien position to me. I normally play in the front row, in the forwards. I was playing on the wing. So bit different. I did well thought holding up one try (holding the man up when he was over the try line so he couldn't put the ball down). I also had 1 of two line breaks in the second half. I didn't really get the chance to do much though, because I didn't get the ball.
We lost the game.I don't know by how much as i wasn't concentrating on that. I did learn quite a lot from the game though. I learnt that this level of rugby is not above me at all. The players enjoy playing but they don't have the fitness level to keep going. This is good for somebody like me, who does have the fitness levels. I have also been asked back to play any time I can. I hope I can keep on playing and learning at this different level.
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