Birthday presents, video games, movies and rediscovering the joy of four strings

I intended to get a post in before my birthday, but other commitments have sadly drawn my attention away. So I'm going to condense all my recent thoughts/experiences into this post, as I can't say whether I'll get to write again before Christmas!

My birthday has come and gone once again, leaving me a year older but blessed with some really cool presents. Lauren covered all the bases by getting me Enslaved: Odyssey to the West on PS3, a Adidas/Star Wars T-shirt and the Lego Star Wars Visual Dictionary! If you can't be a kid on your birthday then what's the point of having a birthday? As we both had the day off, we went out and bought a Christmas tree, which was an interesting experience to say the least. When we got the tree out of the netting, we realised it's a little too big for our flat, and had to rearrange our furniture to accommodate it! It looks nice now it's decorated though, so I have no regrets.

I haven't played much of Enslaved yet, but my initial experience has been very enjoyable. Although to start with it seemed to lack risk (impossible to fall off ledges, low damage in battles), the difficultly/danger jumps up quite quickly after the tutorial sections are done, forcing you to use all of Monkey's agility and power, alongside Trip's intelligence and technical skill. The game's visuals are absolutely stunning, with vibrant colours and crisp detail. On the subject of striking visuals, I recently purchased Inception on Blu-ray. What a film. Like The Dark Knight, I think I'll be repeatedly watching Christopher Nolan's latest masterpiece, as its concept generates so much debate and split opinions. Is it all a dream? Does Cobb get back to his family? Am I dreaming right now? Of course not. I got out of the Matrix ages ago...

Over the past few weeks I've got back into playing the bass guitar, as my friend's bass was recently fixed, allowing us to use it for music at church. I'd forgotten how much fun it is to play the bass; it's been great to brush up on my Rage Against The Machine riffs! Having the bass for church has been very useful, because when I've played electric guitar recently its not worked very well with the other instruments (treading on the toes of the piano and acoustic guitar), where as the bass has really added some power and definition. Don't worry though, I'm not abandoning my six-string roots! Got a load of Christmas carols to learn for Sunday, so I'll leave it there. If I don't write again before the 25th, Merry Christmas!

The prodigal son returns

Humblest apologies for my couple of months radio silence. I know it's not a good excuse, and it's the one I always give, but I have been very busy. But then again, I think getting married, going on honeymoon and moving into a new flat are all things that can quite justifiably take up a person's focus. Also having no access to the internet has hampered my ability to update.

That's enough with the excuses, let's get on with things! So, I got married on the 24th of July, which was pretty awesome. The week before the wedding was hectic, what with the culmination of all the planning (my mum had written two notebooks of 'things to do' before the day) and also having my graduation two days before the 'big day'. On the morning of the wedding, I have to admit I was very stressed. But about ten minutes before the ceremony was set to begin, I thought, oh well, if anything goes wrong now, it's out of my hands. And apart from the bumper falling of our wedding car and the T-Rex song 'Get It On' being played loudly outside the church during the vows (Lauren was nearly wetting herself), the day was perfect. The ceremony went smoothly, the reception at Grittleton was great, especially the food, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Couldn't have asked for a better day. Oh yeah, and Lauren looked beautiful.

Then we were off to Rome for our honeymoon, which was also a fantastic experience. The weather was sweltering, but not too hot to enjoy the sights, and the food was amazing. It was really cool to see all the historic attractions, such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon, but I would definitely recommend getting out of the city to places like Ostia, where you can see amazing ruins without the crowds pressing in around you. And I have to repeat, the food was AMAZING! Pasta, pizza, gelato, tiramisu - all authentic and all mouthwateringly good. There were only a couple of negative points, such as our moody driver at the airport and the high prices for refreshments and entrance to attractions, but overall it was a brilliant holiday and a very memorable honeymoon.

Once back from the holiday, Lauren and I got on with moving into our new flat, sorting out our television, internet and phone, and generally settling into normal life. Now we've been in the flat for a month or so, it's starting to really feel like home. I'll be updating you soon on my progress with the novel writing, and also on the films I've seen over the summer.

Happy birthday to me!

I always look forward to the Winter months because not only does it mean Christmas is approaching, it also means my birthday is too! Well that glorious day, the 14th of December, has come and gone, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My ethos is that no matter how old you are, your birthday is the one day of the year when you have the divine right to act like a child again. With that in mind, I spent my 23rd birthday playing Final Fantasy, watching Star Wars and building Lego!

I actually made a birthday and Christmas list this year, which sounds a bit childish but hear me out. My reasoning is that instead of people worrying about what to get me I'll give them some options. When you get older you know you're not gonna get as much for your birthday as you used to, so I thought I'd make sure the things I did get were things I actually wanted.

With that in mind, I wasn't totally surprised by my presents, but I was really thankful. Of course I got the obligatory chocolate and cash (both very appreciated), but I also got some cool DVDs, such as the first season of Firefly, a couple of Studio Ghibli films, and the original Star Wars trilogy. I only had them on VHS up until now. Lauren out-did herself this year and got me the above lego kit, which contains a lego Tauntaun and a Han Solo mini-figure with a cool little hood! Am I ever gonna grow up? Not likely!

Anyway, thank you to everyone who sent me a card or a gift, I appreciate your thoughts and generosity deeply. Also thanks to everyone who sent me a Facebook message. My inbox was clogged up with notifications as a result, but it was a welcome annoyance!

A Student's Guide to Paris

With tickets on the Eurostar costing as low as £59, a day-trip or weekend break in Paris is the perfect low-cost option for students who want to experience the culture and style of the continent without burning a hole in their maintenance loan. Here are a few practical tips that I picked up whist in ‘The City of Light’.

Walk as much as possible – Paris is a beautiful city, but the beauty is lost if you take the Metro to all your destinations. Purchase a good map and plan your route throughout the city. You’ll be rewarded with quaint shops in hidden side streets and quiet parks and squares, such as the spacious Jardin du Luxembourg and the enchanting Promenade Plantée, to relax in on your way. I found that most of the parks are equipped with hundreds of chairs that you can move around to put your feet up just the way you want. It’s cheaper than using public transport for every journey and the sights are closely located, so you shouldn’t get too tired out!

Go while you’re under 26 – many of the historic attractions are free for 16 to 26-year-olds – perfect for students counting their pennies. The Lourve art gallery and the Notre Dame Cathedral towers are examples of fascinating attractions that can be visited with no admission price. All you need is your passport or driving licence and you’ll save yourself quite a few euros.

Don’t try to do everything a once – if you’re on a short break don’t spend all your time rushing around to tick off all the sights and not really enjoying yourself. Instead pick out a few things you definitely want to see and don’t worry about the rest. This gives you a good excuse to return to Paris to finish off your sightseeing!

The start of autumn is good time to go – the traditional tourist period will have just ended and Paris will be getting back to its normal self. You can take advantage of thinning crowds and get away from the rain clouds of Britain when they’re still enjoying sunny hot weather on the continent.

Don’t rely on regular opening hours – the shops and supermarkets are a law unto themselves in regards to their business hours. Make sure you check the convenient shops you may need to use. Most shops close on Sunday afternoons and Mondays but many of the smaller ones stay open till after midnight on weekdays.

Feel free to attempt the lingo, but don’t worry if you can’t - the stereotype of the French refusing to speak any tongue but their own no longer applies for the most part. The majority of shopkeepers and waiters will offer to speak English but will let you muddle through if you have a rudimentary knowledge of the native language and want to try it out. All I had to do was attempt the word ‘bonjour’ and the waiter would reply, ‘ah… English?” You’ll probably pick up some French words and phrases along the way. I now know what ‘fruits de mer’ means after ordering a disgusting seafood dish by mistake!

Get to the top of the Eiffel Tower! – Paris’ iconic landscape would be incomplete without this stunning monument, and your trip will be too if you don’t ascend to the top. When at its busiest, the top level of the tower is not open for entry from ground level. However, you can upgrade your ticket once you get to the second floor and make it to the top. Night time is the best time to go up the Eiffel Tower in my opinion, as the twinkling streetlights enhance the splendour of the Parisian streets below even further.

J'adore...

It's always nice to come back from holiday in a hot, sunny, dry location, and descend into the dreary, wet, dull countryside of the UK! I am glad to be home though, I've only been away for a week and a few days but it feels like ages.

After finishing my work experience on Friday, Lauren and I travelled to France and stayed in Paris for a few days. I was a fantastic break and will be really useful for the travel writing unit I'm taking next semester. I'll post a full account of my trip and some pics as soon as possible.

This morning has been one of phone calls. I had some loose ends to tie up, and with the help of Mr. Telephone, they are all tied neatly in little bows. Firstly, I needed to change the delivery address for my tickets to see Enter Shikari in Southampton. Done. Then check with my uni to see what I need to do about my late loan application (due to the inadequencies of Wiltshire County Council). Turns out the uni are well prepared for the onslaught of students with no proof of their loans, so I have no issue there. Lastly, I rang Play.com for the second time to find out what has happened to some DVDs I ordered two months ago, and decided to get a refund. Sorted.

Now I've gotta pack up my stuff one last time for my final year (he says, a tear trickling down his cheek). I got my timetable for the next semester today, and it's pretty good. I get Fridays off and only have seven hours contact time a week! But I guess that means I'll have to whip my time management skills into shape.

I've started writing a sci-fi short story, which I will post soon. It will probably be a two-part thing. It's an uber-geeky space battle sequence, a little homage to Star Wars and stuff like that.

Beauty Sleep: I need it.

Hello readers. It's the second week of my second work experience placement and to be honest, I'm looking forward to the end of the week.

Not that it's been bad, I'm just looking forward to not having to get up so early! I know I'm gonna have to live in the real world very soon (next year most likely) but until then, I wanna get up when I want to. It's not that I'm bad at getting up early, I usually get up at 8ish of my own accord. But the difference is that I chose to get up at that time. It's the autonomy that counts. I think having to get up for a 9-5 job will probably be the catalyst that will push me to become a published author, because if I'm successful I can be my own boss, and get up whenever I want!

The weather's been nasty in London today, I got soaked whenever I had to venture outdoors. First time was to get some euros for when I go to Paris with Lauren on Saturday (another reason for my desire to get to the weekend) and the second was the five minute journey between the bus and my aunt and uncle's house.

Mister Duffield of Duffy's Deliberations introduced me to DJ Bento the other day, who is a dubstep dj friend of his from school (not to be confused with DJ Bento, some guy that's big in Japan). Have a look at his blog where you can download some mixes by him for free. It's grimy stuff!