Not A Lot To Do!

The other day I was taking a mental note of some of the facilities we have available to us around college and I noticed that we have McDonalds, the Refectory, McDonalds and the Refectory. So as you can see we are spoiled for choice! However, I don’t want to put on 12 stone by the time I leave St Brendans, so that rules out McDonalds, and I don’t want to get crushed in a crowd of people, which rules out the Refectory. So as you can see, there really isn’t that much to do in a free.
Of course you could be spending all your time revising, completing homework or just practising some mental arithmetic, but there are some crazy people out there who don’t want to study 24/7. Those fools!
However, the problem with studying is that when you need a computer, you go to the library, log in, open up Word and then a teacher comes along, removes you from the computer and escorts out of the library. So much for studying then. Although you do have another option, the gym. Once again this option comes with a barrier, and that barrier is your induction. Even though nearly all the students here did some elements of weights training in their secondary school, you are still not aloud to use the gym without taking part in an induction. Fair enough, I know safety is paramount but the only problem is no matter how hard I try, no matter how long I beg, I can’t seem to get an induction for when I’m not in lesson. So long toned physic, I’m off to McDonalds!

What is there that can be done?

Well, I have spoke to people who are currently in a sixth form or a college and they can’t believe how little we have in terms of free activities. They have a common room, table football, a snooker table, a weights room that is actually available to students, the whole 9 yards. I don’t want you thinking that this is coming from students in posh schools, who wear blazers and have to call their teachers ’Master’. This is coming from students at Hengrove sixth form and Broadlands sixth form, not schools with the highest budgets or reputations.
If these schools can fork out a couple of hundred for a decent common room and some free leisure activities, why can’t we! We are not asking for anything special, just something to keep us from spending £5 on 1000 calories. It’s not much.

For those of you who were expecting some info on a secret hangout just outside of college. I am sorry, I am sorry to report that our options only stretch as far as a ‘thrilling’ retail park, Lidls and Miss Millies (If you can be bothered to walk that far).I am truly sorry for our loss

St Brendans Sports Review 19/11/2008

Welcome back to another round up of the weeks sports matches. We start with the college football team and their away fixture against a strong Yeovil College team.

The lads went into this match not knowing what to expect from this Yeovil College side, St Brendans had been playing well recently but Yeovil have a reputation as a strong attacking side, and they upheld their reputation in this 3-1 victory. The lads played with determination to not let Yeovil score, but it was not enough for Yeovil College’s quick passing and intelligent movement off the ball, at times it was like watching Man United. St Brendans managed to pull a goal back through Jay Bellow, but it proved only to be a consolation in the end. The lads worked hard and were unlucky not to get more from the game. Man of The Match goes to Chris Gardner.

Next up we have the rugby and the lads encounter with a Richard Huish side that has caused the college teams some problems in the past.

St Brendans started this match well aware of the performances Richard Huish College has put in against St Brendans in recent encounters (especially Basketball) , and that just added extra incentive to go out and win the match. It was a tough match for the Richard Huish defence, having to face waves of attack from St Brendans, and they couldn’t cope. The lads scored 14 points to Richard Huish College’s 5 and it was a truly brilliant display of disciplined attack. All the lads put in 110% but Man of The Match goes to Sam Hallwell.

Finally we have the St Brendans Hussells performance in the South West Tournament. The lads played well in a tough tournament and were unlucky to only finish 5th out of 10. Some great performances from the lads but they came up against some extremely tough competition.

Congratulations to everyone who played this week, good luck in your upcoming fixtures.

Everything is Average Nowadays

Is it just me or is Chart music getting progressively worse lately?
I listen to Radio 1 in the mornings for the lovely Chris Moyles (love him or hate him he must be doing something good, with millions of listeners, something XFM would probably kill for) and today I swear with each song, excluding Oasis' Lyla (one of their weaker songs in my opinion) the quality got more and more dire. I mean, have you heard that TI song that's currently the second biggest download on iTunes?








It's utter bilge, and yet more people have downloaded this song this week than Kings of Leon or Guns 'n' Roses. How is this possible?

Now I'm not a huge fan of either of those bands, very much overrated really, but surely their music is much more original and musically interesting than a song whose best bit is the riff they borrowed from O Zone? Elsewhere, you've got songs like Womanizer by Britney Spears, albeit not as terrible as some of her songs released in her bald headed psycho phase, but still, where's the substance?

Each to their own and all, and I know the same could be said for some of the gazillion white guitar bands out there, but there's nothing new here. Nothing to excite me, nothing to make me stop what I'm doing and actually listen to it. Not on the radio anyway, unless you go to stations like NME Radio (and Kerrang radio to a certain extent, though ever since they played Scouting for Girls I have abstained from listening to it, rock my arse) or 6 Music, which offer some alternative. Still, what's evidently clear is that the above is the type of music that appeals to the mainstream, teenage i.e. downloader's market who will actually purchase the songs; altogether a very depressing thing.


Am I wrong? What do you think about the state of the Top 40?


Some decent Radio stations:
Radio Flex- For a truly diverse mix of music designed to wake you up in the morning.
NME Radio
XFM
Triple J
6Music
Think of any more? Let me know, I'll add them here.

Skinny Jeans: Are you man enough?

Man Style!

By reading this article I am assuming that you are considering purchasing your own pair of skinny jeans, and I say congratulations to you on bettering your life.

For those of you who have a slim figure and don’t know what to style goes well with your shape, skinny jeans are an untapped source. However, before you go down to Cabot Circus and make your purchase there are one or two things I need to let you know about with wearing skinnies.

Despite what I have said I don’t want you to go thinking that these styles of jeans are faultless. They are not. First of all you will have to deal with that little voice in your head telling you that you look like a woman. That is an unavoidable barrier that you have to overcome. No matter how masculine you are. However, this voice’s name is ‘self-confidence’ and if you care about what other people think of what you wear then I would suggest that you stop reading at this point…….

For those of you who have not closed down your computer and gone out to buy a pair of Addidas tracksuit bottoms, let me tell you the next problem you men will face, the comfort. Don’t get me wrong, skinnies are the most comfortable pair of trousers I have ever worn and that is due to the fact that that you don’t even notice you are wearing them. However, that skin tight feeling comes at a price, quite a high price aswell, we all know that when you get an itch in your, ‘Happy Zone’, shall we say, that it is a battle between man and denim to itch the area discreetly, it is an art that nearly all men have mastered. I’m sorry to say that if you wear skinny jeans, denim has won that battle. Due to the nature of the jeans, you would have to have the thinnest hands in the world to even reach down there, let alone without anyone calling the police because of indecent exposure. So if you are the type of man who plays with his ‘Happy Zone’ all day long, then this is where your journey ends ……

So far I have eliminated the self conscious and the down right disturbing, and now for those of you who are self confident and don’t feel the need to touch yourself every two seconds, I am going to let you into some of the perks of wearing skinny jeans.
Firstly, exclusiveness. As you can see I have eliminated over half my audience in the first segment of my article and you who are left are the chosen ones. You are the ones who don’t mind a few itches for the sake of looking good, you are the ones who would use a tie as a belt just so that you look different, you are the ones who should and can wear skinny jeans.

Another great reason to choose skinny jeans above any other style in the denim family tree is the wide variety of clothes that can accompany this style, for example, shoes. There are a large choice in shoes that can be worn with skinnies, daps, converse’, Vans, DCs, Etnies, the list goes on and on.

So if you are still reading at this point, here is some advice for you, buy skinny jeans. You won’t regret it!

Return of AC/DC: Modern great or money maker?

AC/DC are back with avengence!

Black Ice is the returning album of rock 'n' roll titans AC/DC, showing that class is truly permanent. Like a fine wine, they have gotten better with age, and yes, their fashion sense may be a tad out of date and have a grey hair here and there but they sound like they've never been away.

Their new feature album is 15 tracks of pure gold. I'm a rock/rock 'n' roll lover and have bought many albums such as Appetite for Destruction, Death Magnetic and I would like to buy Chinese Democracy and now I can because I've been saving up the money for the past 7 years and finally have enough. Anyway, I would strongly recommend buying this album since it contains all the things a brilliant rock album should: powerful and distinctive vocals, kick ass guitar solos/riffs and lyrics that don't contain random swearing. Fun for the whole family!

Thankfully, this isn't a hollow attempt from the band to try and earn more money, they have actually collaborated together again and have put pure passion into playing. If you don't believe me, listen to Brian Johnson's vocals and tell me he's not giving it his all. Angus Young has some sweet solos without overdoing it too much, putting emotion into every chord.

There's not much more I can say about this modern classic. Except buy it.

Rock 'n' Roll with Black Ice

Kerching!: The Sound of The Smiths?

So I got the latest of a series of Smiths' compilation albums, this one entitled 'The Sound of The Smiths' today; as an avid fan of the seminal band I thought I'd better. When I first heard about the new record I, like countless others (probably) held a faint glimmer of hope that the Gods of Gloom would reform. Now to be honest, I think the day they do reform will be the day those crazy CERN guys wipe out the planet with a black hole. Still, as much as I love The Smiths, hearing this album I can't help but hear the distant ding of cash registers.




The double album boasts 45 Smiths' songs, including classic such as Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now and William it Was Really Nothing, as well as live tracks and 'rare' B sides, and all this for £15 (!). I actually really like this album, the tracks have been slightly remastered and not sound so clangy as on other versions, and the album art of their previous album art looks quite good, (you can tell who was in charge of picking the pictures can't you?) but I have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that this is all rather unnecessary. I like that it's out as it gives those unlucky (or lucky if you count the Thatcher years) enough not to have been around whilst they were still together, but it's really just a very unsubtle attempt at making a few bob.



Although this album was remastered by Johnny Marr, and Moz had the arduous task of thinking of a name for it, a part of me wonders if really this album was executed by Warners in an attempt to shift a few more units in an era where album sales have declined. I don't mean to get all conspiracy theorist on you, but it would make sense:

• When the band did join Warner Bros. it was at the very end of their career, so they can't have made that much revenue from them. Some also signalled the point that they joined a 'mainstream' label as the beginning of the end for them. The band were already struggling with management issues amongst alleged internal squabbles, and there had already been two compilation albums since the extraordinary Queen is Dead, it seemed that they were running out of steam.
• After numerous failed attempts at getting the band to reform, a reunion didn't ever appear on the cards. Morrissey even went as far as saying he'd "rather eat my (his) own testicles than reform The Smiths," and, for a vegetarian that's serious.
  
• So, it would seem apt that now, in an age where the likes of Take That and The Verve have reformed that the label would want to release another compilation in order to boost sales and potentially propel the rumour mill into thinking that they too are jumping on the bandwagon and have kissed and made up.
  

I'm sorry for being so cynical, I must say I do adore this band, and you just have to take a look at a lot of the modern indie bands out there to know that they've been a huge influence on the music scene. I promise that if The Smiths ever reform though, I will publish a post declaring that I will prance about in the centre of Bristol wearing a jam jar costume complete with Gladioli, and I will do so gladly.



The Sound of The Smiths is out now, on Physical copy, 12" and download.



What do you think:

Is this album purely for the dosh?

Or is there something more to it?





Do tell.

An Alternative night out?

attend the theatre, yes, on the one condition that you wear this.

A typical night out may often entail a stint of heavy drinking with a group of friends, which may result in a rather embarrassing incident of having your head in a bucket, and looking like Regan out of the exorcist the next morning.

However, your beauty sleep can be restored with a therapeutic evening out at the Bath Theatre Royal. Really? I ask you say. Well I aimed to test this theory, and happened to enjoy a relaxing evening of contemporary dance and men in spandex, the combination was ‘Splendid’ as my ecstatic Grandmother remarked sitting next to me. Although not deliberately humorous, I personally found the pirouetting displays of men in Y-fronts a sight to giggle at, as did Gran.

You may be thinking that I am sad spending my Friday night watching dance with my Granny, however I feel that at our age we are forced into a stereotype of only enjoying binge drinking, and cat fights in the town centre. I say add a bit of culture to your sacred Friday night, and it may surprise you.

Theatres and dance halls were once upon a time the place to be seen on a Friday night out. So why did that change? Why can’t we incorporate watching theatre and dance in our social lives? It seems that it has become associated with a dull family outing which you are dragged along to, and not something we would do for fun. However there is more out there then a cheesy thigh slapping Panto, (though a big fan!), I appreciate that it isn’t for everyone’s taste, there is an extensive range of theatre available in Bath and Bristol, from musicals at the Hippodrome to one women shows at the Tobacco Factory, and most of them are only the cost of a couple of pints.

Of course I am not suggesting you abandon a good old knees up on the weekend, quite the contrary, (I mean the theatres have a bar!)

However, why not occasionally consider a change to your routine Friday night at the pub, ‘and go to the theatre darling!’ For a hang over free night out.

Appearing at ‘The Tobacco Factory’ soon..

Oh what a lovely war!

13TH – 22ND Nov

A cast of colourful characters swap hats, helmets and sides to give a vibrant and touching account of the four years between 1914 and 1918 during the War that shaped the twentieth century.


Goodbye Mrs Chips

25TH-29TH NOV

After nearly 60 years of sterling service at Brookshields School, dinner lady extraordinaire, Mrs. Chipping is finally hanging up her potato masher, egg mallet and gravy sieve for the last time. She has watched generation…


Shades of Brown

30th NOV

Comic, bold and deeply moving, this thought provoking one-woman show asks: can one person’s healthy glow be another’s social stigma? Around the globe money and time is poured into tanning or bleaching. From a South…

St Brendans Sports Review 13/11/2008

Welcome to this weeks college sports round up. First up we have the rugby and the lad’s away game to Wycliffe.

This match was always going to be a tough encounter between the two sides and St Brendans knew they had to be on top of their game if they wanted to come away with a win. Wycliffe dominated the first half, scoring for fun and unbeatable at the back. It seemed that it was going to be a long game for St Brendans. The lads got together at half time, down 20 – 3, and realised that they had to put in that little bit extra if they wanted to win this game. The second half was played with great determination by the lads and they were throwing everything they had at the Wycliffe defence, but they remained resilient. St Brendans managed to salvage 7 points in the second half to Wycliffe’s 3 points, but it was not enough. The lads showed great heart and passion to win but it simply wasn’t enough on the day with Wycliffe winning 23-10. St Brendans went down fighting and were unlucky not to get more from the game. Man of The Match goes to Alex Fox who was the pick of the bunch.

Next up we have cover from the St Brendans Hussell’s match against Gloscats in round 1 of the British Colleges League Cup.

St Brendans went into this match full of confidence and expectation of proceeding to the next round. They played with great skill; quick passing and the result never seemed in doubt. It was a strong performance from the lads winning 52 – 37. The waves of attack were too much for Gloscats to handle and they buckled under the pressure. They managed to cause some trouble for the Hussell’s defence but it was not enough to force an upset. A great performance by the lads, proceeding into the next round. Man of The Match goes to Doe Worjeah.

This is the part where I would move onto how the St Brendans football got on but unfortunately, due to the pitch being water logged, the game was abandoned.

Congratulations to everyone who played this week, good luck in your upcoming fixtures.

FIFA 09 vs PES 09 - The Fightback

You may have heard in a related article by one of my "peers" that Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 has brutally knocked FIFA 09 out cold, crashing to the canvas with the ten count imminently approaching. Believe not these words of lies! You have only heard one side of the story (from what I understand is very biased source).

Admittedly, yes, over the past few years EA has become sloppy, putting mediocre features onto out of date consoles that did not have the ability to make FIFA a good game to play. At the same time, PES was a steadily growing force in the background, gathering many good reviews from fans and journalists alike. I myself was a firm PES follower until this year when I personally sampled the two games. I was disappointed with this edition of PES. It seems all they have done have stuck a new face on the front, in the form of Lionel Messi. Style over substance, it seems.

FIFA's loss was PES' gain. People were rapidly liking this idea of competition that was actually better than FIFA, unlike such things as THIS IS FOOTBALL which for some reason can't say its name without shouting. As PES grew in power, FIFA was dying out, trying each year to make itself better but had no fresh ideas to keep people interested. PES 6 was born and it seemed that the final nail had firmly been placed in the FIFA coffin.

However, since then, PES has been growing stale and FIFA has had a breath of new life in to it since the conversion to next gen consoles. After PES 2008, I began to worry. The game had become far too easy and scoring was just too simple. As long as you had the ball in their half, just shoot. Job done. At least FIFA attempted to make something that resembled real life football instead of a game that if you had Ronaldinho in your team you automatically won 6-0.

Now we come to PES 2009. Oh dear. What has happened? Our beloved PES has become the FIFA of old. They protest against these claims with their "new" Be a Pro mode. New. I'm sorry Konami but FIFA had that last year. And why can't they spell Uefa Champions League without an unnessecary font of anger? E.g. UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. Also, the Master League. A poor man's version of the Manager Mode of FIFA, a knocked off game mode that fell off the back of EA's lorry and Konami snapped up and named it differently hoping no one would notice. I did. I'm pretty sure everyone else did too.

Now don't get me wrong, PES 2009 isn't terrible. It has some perks that I will admit Konami has thrown in to keep people true to the PES brand but I'm afraid it just isn't enough for me, who will this year buy the FIFA edition of football game for the first time in quite a while. I have turned my back on PES but with good reason. They have declined in standard and gone downhill dramatically.

If you only return one game this year, return PES 2009 for FIFA 09 instead. Trust me.

Film: Pirate, Private or Paid For?

So, with the arrival of the Cinema de Lux at the new Cabot Circus, a trip to check out the cinema where the audience is promised a magical experience with ‘extra wide Ultra Leather loveseats’ (are they saying we’re fat?) has definitely been on most Bristol film buff’s to-do lists. The question is, can the plush new multiplex triumph over a night in on your own sofa with a copy of Adulthood that you got for three-fifty at Southmead market?

There are questionable cons of pirate DVDs and TV Links type things. They're not really for the visually impaired; sometimes the fuzzy or stretched picture can begin to annoy you, especially if you're busy trying to see if Keira Knightly has better skin than you. There's also the possibility of the odd silhouette of a front row resident sprinting across the length of the room as they decide they need the toilet at the most crucial moment of the film. Apart from that, it’s cost efficient, energy efficient (if the last thing you want to do on a Friday night is walk to Broadmead) and at least we’re only 4 metres from the nearest loo...

However, on the off chance that you decide against piracy, DO visit Cinema de Lux. It probably IS worth it. The shiny new film haven introduces its swanky Studio One restaurant, the Directors Hall and Lounge and a number of staff there to spoon-feed you.
Besides these amenities, I’m fairly sure that the greatest relief to every film-goer visiting the Cinema de Lux is that we can finally wear something nice, and know it’s not going to come home smelling like stale popcorn and body odour. I hasten to add that it’s also reassuring that you won’t fall victim to a pick ‘n’ mix assault from the gang of school-kids sat on the back row.

Enticing? Tickets are around £6 for the standard seating screens (not extortion but at this price alone you might want to byo sandwich on the sly). If you're feeling flush though, opt for the Directors Hall. You'll be paying a steep £9, buuuut you don't have to leave your seat for anything, a ‘concierge’ (a boy in a hat) is at your beck and call to bring you food from the ‘Studio One’ menu (note: they will not accompany you to the toilet, so don't ask). The downfalls of the Director's Hall is that you WILL be sitting next to either a) a geek b) a business man, c) a businesswoman or d) a couple who think you can’t see/hear them groping.
Things are looking up though, you no longer have to sneak alcohol in with you; cocktails and other drinks are available from the cinema's Studio One bar. I wonder how many times the bartenders were asked for a martini; shaken, not stirred….

(I have yet to visit the Cinema de Lux. I think I'll stick to the watershed for now though....)

Don’t spill your beer on me: A guide to Indie gig etiquette

At St. Brendan’s I like to think that musical taste is varied and people respect that. When I walk into college you can kind of make assumptions about what music people listen to according to fashion sense, of course I shouldn’t do this, but it’s unavoidable and I’m sure everyone’s guilty of it.

I don’t like that some peoples musical taste seem to take over their lives in that, they have listened to one punk band and now they are like right, I’m punk, forever. Nothing else.

Similarly this can be said for the Goths, metalheads, emo, scene kids and indie scenesters. But why is it like this? With people mixing outside there music taste why doesn’t an indie kid take a Goth to see The Long Blondes? Can an emo be taken to see Metallica by his long haired friend? To try and spur people to discover new musical genres I have written a guide to an indie gig for the inexperienced.

1. Dress for the occasion.

you're trying too hard

Yes you may just be going to a concert but trust me unless you can pull off effortlessly cool and underdressed chic it would be good to put in a bit of effort. You will understand why when you see the Hoxton/Shoreditch wannabes and you realise that you haven’t washed these jeans in four days and you can see a soup stain. There’s nothing worse then getting the evils of the Thekla/Lousiana fashionistas. Don’t worry about anything like at Bristol Academy, nobody cares and you will get beer on you at some point. Although one thing to remember is don’t go over the top, you don’t want to end up looking like Peaches Geldof.


2. Decide where you are going to be and stick by it.

If you are at the back, stay at the back, if you try and make a break to the front you have to have some level of skill at pushing. If you are near the front middleish then decide who is going to
handle getting the alcohol and nessecery provisions.

This is so when you have to get back from the bar you can use the classic line ‘My friends at the front’. Looking as embarrassed and peevish works well too. Always finish your drink before the main band come on, because it will get knocked all over your face and it never looks classy licking it off.


3. Avoid the Mosh Pit.

Sometimes at Indie gigs at the Thekla people get this crazy idea that the band is really heavy metal dude and they have to start a half arsed mosh pit. The half arsed mosh pit is a dangerous thing, if it was a real one everyone who didn’t want to be in it would form a neat circle around. A half hearted mosh pit is like a black hole, from nowhere one will erupt and you will dragged into it by a middle aged balding man (it’s always him).

Although it sounds like I’m making it sound like a bad thing it can be very fun when it’s the right band and atmosphere, for example I was in a very enjoyable mosh pit for Be Your Own Pet (R.I.P). However if you are following this guide and have brought a Goth, emo, scene kid or metalhead then do not let them near the pit. They will either sneer at the pit all night or want to jump in and show all the stupid indie kids how it’s done, and most people will do the latter. Then get chucked out.

4. Don’t stand near Jeff.

For the LOVE of God don’t stand near Jeff.

look the other way, it's jeff

The truth about knife crime and the youth of today

It’s a Friday night. It’s 7 pm and I’ve only been up for three hours after last nights ‘interesting’ party. Its time to get ready for yet another night on the streets, I go to grab a shirt but I trip over that bottle of cheap vodka from last week and it spills all over that girl’s jacket she left here. I put on my gang colours, flip my hood over my head and slip my knife into my back pocket. Just another average night for the youth of today. Is this your typical night out?

I am an average 16 year old, I go to college, I have a part-time job and yes, I own a hoody, but never before have I been tempted to take a knife out with me and butcher any elderly person that passes by. However, if you believe what you read and hear in the media, then everything I just told you is a huge lie. We, apparently, carry a knife in every pocket, have Cider running through our veins 24/7 and we all belong to the Bloods or Latin Kings or what ever gang the tabloids can think of. We are the cause for the lack of culture within Great Britain, the high crime rate and I’m pretty sure that it won’t be long until we get the blame for the credit crunch as well.

I am not saying that the media are making all of this up just so the country can have a target to pin all there problems to. I wouldn’t dare say that. As we all know that there is no smoke without fire and a small percentage of today’s teenagers do carry knives and some do binge drink. There are teenagers out there who might be apart of some pathetic gang within the ghetto’s of Whitchurch but a majority of the youth today are embarrassed to be grouped with these ‘yobs’.

As a teenager in the midst of this media conspiracy against the youth of today, I feel that the stereotype placed upon young people is unjust and false. We are not how the media portray us. We are not destroying our society. We are not the enemy.

Free entry at Carling Academy

Like Music?

Want free entry to upcoming gigs at the Carling Academy?

If so, then you're in luck.

In exchange for handing out fliers at the Academy for an hour and a half, you can gain free entry to the gig you're fliering.

People will be needed for the following shows:

Weds 12th November- MERCURY REV+Howling Bells &Aviv Geffen

Thursday 13th November- HORACE ANDY+ Trojan Soundsystem

Friday 14th November- GZA aka GENIUS+ DJ MIK

Wednesday 19th November- LADYTRON+ Asobi Seksu

Friday 21st November- OPETH + Cynic + The Ocean

Saturday 22nd November- THE COMPLETE STONE ROSES (8PM)

For gigs taking place on a Friday you would need to be at the venue for 6.30pm, whilst at all other nights you would need to be there 5 minutes before doors.

Interested?
Please drop us an e-mail to let us know and we will get in touch.
brendansblog@hotmail.co.uk

pic flickr

A Guide to NOT messing up your uni interview

University Interview Techniques

Not that I’m a veteran but I have some tips for those who have an interview
with a potential university coming up, compiled from my own experience the
other day  and observing other candidates on my interview visit:

1. Definitely revise your personal statement, my interviewer had highlighted
points out of mine so it helped that I remembered my lies and could suitably
explain them.

2. Think about questions you might be asked beforehand, especially really
awkward ones like “What’s the worst thing that you have ever done
regarding education?” They’re not all like that but how on earth do you turn that one
around positively?!

3. Unless you’re going to an Oxbridge interview or planning to gatecrash a
funeralafterwards, don’t wear all black. It looks way too boring and
middle-aged; you’re a student, so take advantage of colour!!

4. If you get a chance to chat with the competition, name-drop, grade-drop,
experience-drop and intimidate as much as possible. If anything it’ll make
you laugh to see their face as they realise they’re screwed.

5. If there are student ambassadors from the university around, make them
laugh as much as possible within hearing of the admissions tutors, everyone
loves someone who fits in like a... yeah.

6. Once you get into the interview itself, for goodness’ sake shake their hand!!
Especially if you can somehow stamp your name into their palm…
later on they’ll be sure they wrote it there for good reason.

7. Don’t stare them out… they might try to do that to you but chill out;
they’re appreciating your wisdom and beauty.

And finally, laugh and smile yeah, they want you to be relaxed. Interviews
aren’t for hell purposes only so
just take it as a chance to brag for once (because I never brag obviously).

St Brendans Sports Review 5/11/2008

Welcome to another weekly sports round-up of all the St Brendans action from Tuesday evening. We start off with the football first XI and their away fixture against SCAT.

The lads from St Brendans seemed to be in a goal scoring mood this week and made this tough away fixture look like an exhibition game. The goals were flying in from all angles with Sam Eyles and Sam Baker bagging one each and Jay Bellows and Sam Langley both getting on the score sheet twice. SCAT managed to pull one back but by that time the match was a forgone conclusion. It was a brilliant performance by St Brendans, winning 6-1 and totally demoralising the SCAT defence. All the lads played really well, especially James Clark as he picked up the Man of the Match award.

Next up we have the only other game to have been played on Tuesday which was the St Brendans netball team in their away match to SCAT.

St Brendans dominated early on with quick passing, good movement and all the possession, but little did SCAT know that St Brendans’ first point would be the first of many to come. As soon as St Brendans got into their rhythm there was no stopping them. They went on to score 36 points to SCAT’s 9 and it was a true display of quick, attacking play. The girls played magnificently, working hard for an easy win in the end.

Both teams have set a high standard for themselves; let’s hope they can keep it up!

Congratulations everyone who played, good luck in your upcoming fixtures.

The New Black?

After watching T4 Fashion programme Frock Me and witnessing two student fashion designers attempting to find the new Gothic look that is supposedly this season's trend (Can't imagine swarms of Brendans fashionistas dressing like the Living dead, though there's certainly nothing wrong with that.) I thought it would give me an excuse to post about some of my beloved bands and artists that are about as fluffy as a cockroach.

The Cure

Finally, after what seems like forever, The Cure have a new album out. I know it's only been four years since their last record, but it seems like an age since we heard Robert Smith's lovelorn, melancholic vocals. It's good to be back.

Following on from their previous albums, 4.13 Dream retains some of its gothic charm, but with a more polished sheen. Songs like 'Sleep When I'm Dead' have memorable choruses that are almost as spooky as they are moreish, and although some of the songs on here are more mellow than before, you only need to hear 'Scream' to know that The Cure are back to doing what they do best. The climax of this track gives me chills and would be the perfect soundtrack to any cliche horror film. This really is The Cure at their most savage and brutal, listening to this track is like being punched in the gut. What surprises me is that there's been hardly a mention of the grandeur, gothic masterpiece that is 4.13 Dream in many of the music blogs I subscribe to. It makes me wonder if, with the influx of 80's style bands, some have forgotten about one of the original Gothic bands that engulfed the decade. If you're a fan of Joy Division or Black Kids and haven't heard of them, you're in for a treat.

4.13 Dream is Available to buy on iTunes, however you may want to physically buy the album if you can, there's been a lot of fuss lately, with Robert Smith advising fans not to use the iTunes store to buy the album, due to pricing issues.

The Horrors

Elsewhere, skulking in the clubs in deepest, darkest-Shoreditch- a very different group of doom merchants are set to resurrect the dead with their Zombie Garage rock. Reminiscent of seminal Echo and the Bunnymen but with slightly more balls, the skinny jeaned group make psychobilly sounds edgy enough to wake the dead. Farris and co. are one of the few bands that can make the organ sound cool, and add a new twist to the horror cliche, making short snippets of music dark and funky enough to get all of London's scene kids moving. Favourites of the NME, the fivesome have released only one album, Strange House, and are currently (so their Myspace tells me) recording their new album. I seriously recommend you listen to Strange House, even if the whole horror chic isn't your thing, they may surprise you. Plus, isn't their hair actually amazing?
Strange House is available to download on ITunes and is probably available to buy if you're still into the whole CD thing. If so, get with the times grandad!
Here's a video of their first single, Sheena is a Parasite' which was so apparently controversial that it was banned from airing. Enjoy. :)

Ipso Facto

Following in the footsteps of Her Majesty Siouxsie Sioux, hauntingly beautiful girl group Ipso Facto are a band on everybody's radar at the moment. A far cry from the pristine pop of other all girl bands, Ipso Facto produce psychedelic rock/indie that, strangely, reminds me of The Long Blondes more than anything else. Listening to their songs, it's as if you're in a carnival haunted house and are being attacked by a clown that is just too happy. But in a good way. They are the modern equivalent of Siouxsie and the Banshees and are definitely ones to watch. Plus, they have a xylophone player, and everyone loves a xylophone.

Thought for the Day

Thought for the day comes from Tom McMahon who has something to like, say to like, round off the political chit chat, yeah?

Sarah Palin? Ayy. He would.

Whats on in Bristol, November

Upcoming club nights to consider..

FRIDAY 7th November
The Blast with Plastician @ Native
Intrigue vs. Utopia with D-Bridge @ Black Swan
Fruity Antics with Jimpster @Thekla

SATURDAY 8th November
Penguin Dance & five|on|one with Beardyman & JFB @Motion
In:Session with The King Blues / DJ Die @ The Croft

TUESDAY 11th November

Reality Promotions Presents: Steph Lewis’ birthday bash @Timbuk2

WEDNESDAY 12^th November

Propaganda (every Wednesday) @ Syndicate

SATURDAY 15^th November

GENER8R (famous people dress up) @ Lakota

PES '09 vs. Fifa '09

It’s that time of year again, when the clocks go back, the days get shorter and EA Sports battle Konami in the legendary PES vs. Fifa war. This rivalry has stretched over many years of developing graphics and extensive gameplay and never has the competition been so tight between the two titans of the gaming industry.

On paper there is little difference between the two games, they both use artificial intelligence, they have both refined their gameplay from their previous versions, they have both extended the versions to which you can play the game (become a legend, master league etc.). However, only after having played both games, excessively, do you realise how far ahead PES ‘09 is compared to Fifa ’09. The gameplay on Fifa is still frustrating and sluggish as it always has been and when you compare it to the realistic, smooth, fast gameplay Konami have injected into PES, EA Sports didn’t have a chance of beating Konami from the start.

I am not saying that Fifa ’09 is a terrible game, EA have still stuck with the recognisable features that have served them so well in the past, such as; their vast amount of licensed teams, extensive season mode etc, they have also added some brilliant new features into the gameplay and it is by far the best Fifa game there has ever been.

Although, as I have already said, PES ’09 is just that little bit better. It still has its problems such as still only having two licensed Premiership teams and insisting on only having the top divisions in the world (Premiership, La Liga, Ligue 1 Orange and Serie A), but the new features are outstanding. They have dropped the fully licensing of La Liga to fund a fully licensed Champions League mode which was a risky move but it has paid off immensely, they have introduced a ‘Be A pro’ mode which enables you to play as one player and progress from club to club with the aim of getting a call up from your national team.

All of these new features are great, and PES is the better game but the thing that has set PES ’09 aside from Fifa is the vast improvement from PES ’08. Konami seemed in danger of going out of business as PES ’08 hit a major slump. The gameplay was slow, the frame rate was slow and the game was so basic that it was Konami’s worst game of the Pro Evolution Soccer series. However, Konami said that if they had more time to work with the PS3 and Xbox 360 then they could make one of the best games ever of its genre, and that’s exactly what they have done.

If you only buy one game this year, buy PES ’09.

Ballon holds his breath; the US election comes to a close

The United States of America is, as I write this, holding its collective breath and by the time everyone exhales someone will be named Supreme Master of the Universe Ever TM, otherwise known as the President.

It’s been months and months and months of stupid jokes, pointless stories relating to nothing just trying to belittle each other and Jon Stewart just ripping the soul out of the Republican Party at every turn but the day is finally here, voting day. After all the reminders strewn across the internet and the various adverts (some quite entertaining as it happens) you would have thought that everyone on the planet would have a say about who gets to be in control of the big red button and the world’s oil supply for the next 4 years. But when it comes down to it it’s Joe six pack (or Joe the fake plumber) that gets the deciding call in what has gone down as the most important election in US history.

I started following the election in January and have become increasingly scared as the weeks have moved along and the distinction between both Democrat and Republican parties has become more and more evident. For example one candidate decided to choose a running mate with the IQ of a stuffed animal and the political astuteness of a biro. Sarah Palin, I can happily say, has managed to lose John McCain the election. A bold move to try and win women voters over (by the way if you look at her policies they don’t show any bias towards women, so why vote for her just because she’s a woman?) by Mr. McCain. Bravo, I assume you checked her out, you know, just to make sure she doesn’t have any shall we say “skeletons in the closet”, oh you didn’t I’m sure it will be ok…..oh wait….

It’s not just Palin’s stupidity and “Maverick” that puts her well above and beyond the call of duty as a figure head for the reason that some people shouldn’t be allowed to run for any political office, no, It’s that she’s average. “Average?!” you say “what wrong with being average?!!!” well it’s more worrying when your running mate is pushing 80 and is actually at around the average life expectancy of the average American. So if he kicks the bucket we are left with the average American Sarah Palin whose foreign policy seems to revolve solely around trade missions from Alaska to Russia (as stated in an interview she did with CBS’s Katie Couric). This is not to mention the now infamous John McCain statement that America would stay in Iraq for another 100 years. Well that’s foreign policy sorted, trade missions with Russia and war with Iraq, and so I guess there’s nothing left to worry about then is there?

By the same thread however I’m not deadset on Obama; he doesn’t have a lot of experience and could well make a mess of things and embodies the same rhetoric as Palin or Hillary Clinton supporters with their women voting for women, in that he’s black (in case you didn’t know) and thus people vote for him because of this.
I don’t know about anyone else who’s reading this but I was raised colour blind to the point where he is simply a human being, the reason I want this guy to win is because his policies will change the way we look at America. The education system will no longer be the quagmire that it is and children will be brought up to know the capital of their own country. His promises are of withdrawal from Iraq, reformed healthcare (so people aren’t left out in the cold to fend for themselves) and what’s more important is that he realises there are problems outside those of getting oil, such as genocides and civil war with Sudan and Somalia, these problems didn’t just resolve themselves people, like HIV, THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE.

Since it’s only been about 120 years since the slavery was abolished and about just under 50 years since the Civil Rights movement it is an incredible accomplishment for a black man to even run for president let alone win. And to my recollection this is the first positive step forward for humankind I can remember being alive for, sad isn’t it? I remember wars started, murder trials and various problems like a rise in knife crime, now having to protect my identity more so than ever and now a prevalent economic recession. No good like women being given the vote, man walking on the moon or the end of any war. We should all be walking around with “I was born in the 1990s and the only good thing that’s happened is a sheep got cloned” T-shirts.

So, basically it comes down to this, who would we rather see being sworn in; in January, a man with hope and change as middle names or an old man and his dog?
Sadly I can’t leave it up to you (unless you’re American,18 and currently living there in which case, vote for OBAMA, not the other guys) but we can but hope that something good comes out of this, and if it doesn’t, well, you never know the dog might be able to do some tricks.

OLI BALLON

P.D.A; is there a time and a place?

get a room, guys

PDA; better known to us as Public Displays of Affection, which can range from a loving embrace between two loving partners to a gentle kiss on the cheek between a son and his mother. However in the most repulsive of instances, it can be a full blown sex show for all to see in the middle of the refectory.
Worst of all is that they seem to be riled on by the smell of students enjoying their well deserved lunches and in a bid to abolish hunger they sit directly in front of you, and lap tongues like a couple of pit bulls.

Personally I feel that there are better ways of expressing your love for one another than a rampant bump and grinding session in full view of the dinner hall. Unless of course some excitement is acheived through strangers watching you get it on, then shouldn't we be more interested in enjoying a bit of light converse with our boyfriends or girlfriends. I mean, you probably miss alot with each others tongues at the back of your throat.

After all, I think we all agree there is a time and a place for a bit of knooky, although you may believe you look like a sex goddess appearing in your own personal porno, it tends to make a row of people beside you simultaneously cringe.
On the other hand, some may believe that it is a declaration of your love that shoudln't be hidden away from the world. But what would happen if we all thought that PDA was acceptable? We may end up living in a society where exhibitionism is a regular occurrence. The streets, libraries and bus stops would turn into swinger spots and orgies.

I surveyed 50 people within the refrectory on their views on PDA; my results consluded that a massive 63% of pepole thought extreme PDA was inappropriate.

ANNA FERGUSON

EDIT: I would like to clarify (to you AJ and Tom!) that indeed Anna does have a boyfriend, and he's a dead ringer for Daniel Craig thank you very much. I would...

EDIT: apologies to the librarians and computer techs, the reference has now been removed..