Is Christmas what it's cracked up to be?

Obviously with age you lose a bit of the magic of Christmas and I think that my current age (27) and current living situation (living with two lads) doesn't serve to help this illusion. So in an attempt to kick-start my Christmas (I've been making cards for like 2 months!?) I'm going to post up my five favourite Christmas songs, counting down to make it "more exciting". Also a side note, I realise I've not blogged in a while but believe it or not I was WORKING which zapped all my energy (easy to get out of the habbit!) but I am hoping to come back to it properly in the new year!

5. Aled Jones - Walking in the Air

I used to LOVE the Snowman and one of my favourite memories was playing an arrangement at Brass band when I was 10. It is classic Christmas and anyone who dislikes it needs their head examined!

4. The Pogues - Fairytale of New York
Yes, I know "what a surprise" he's gone and picked the Pogues. The song shows Christmas in a more realistic light in some ways, it isn't all mince pies and presents. The song itself is just good listening and overplayed tho it is I still like it and it has definitely earned it's place on this list.

3. Michael Buble & The Puppini Sisters - Jingle Bells

I know quite a few people aren't huge fans of Mr Buble but everyone should like the Puppinis. I saw them live a few weeks back for a special Christmas show and it was a fantastic evening. The song itself is very relaxing and a great way to bring yourself a little Christmas spirit so go ahead!

2. The Wombats - Is this Christmas?

This song appeals to my inner child, listening to it I am transported back to the time when I used to get excited about Christmas. I'm not saying it's not exciting now...well actually I am. I like the Wombats and find their brand of happy god lucky pop-rock a good listen and it has something I always like in a song a bit of instrumental colour. Couldn't get the proper vid on here but you'll get the jist of it I'm sure!

1. John Lennon - Happy Xmas War is over

I've always been a huge Beatles fan and althought John isn't my favourite (George all the way) I do like his solo stuff. The song is touching and given the troubled times we live in seems pretty apt.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Trending in my generation

Lots of people have suggested that the current generation of young people are at risk of becoming a lost generation, we can't get jobs, we can't afford houses and many of us are leaving Uni thousands of pounds in debt.  I could just go on and have a moan about all this but I won't instead I want to take a minute to look at what our options are. More on the whole lost generation idea can be found here.

Go back to Uni

I've seen lots of people doing this, they have taken a variety of options from Journalism (practical), Business (a bit practical) to History (interesting but less likely to open doors to a new career). However even those with postgrads seem to be struggling for work, too many qualifications not enough experience. There are some exceptions to this in particular Journalism, the course most people take is very applied and there are still jobs if you are willing to slog it out as an intern for a while or work on minimum wage. I guess the thing that really comes out from this is the importance of experience. Degrees with a year in industry seem very good value for those doing them, I know a fair few people who've had this option and it has worked for them. The real thing is, doing a postgrad will not be the same as your treasured undergrad years, the work is harder and there are no student loans to fund your way. Career development loans are an option but for me I'd rather avoid them as they are much more imminent debt than your easy going undergrad loans.

Take a "crappy" job

Most of us have to take this option at some point, I don't know about everyone else but I would rather have a low-paid job than be stuck on the dole, it also looks better when you are going for jobs. The sad thing is that most of the work you are going to do won't really help you in the long run and most graduates have the problem that employers will look at your CV and be instantly wary, "they're just going to leave" and to be honest much of the time this is probably true.

Leave the Country

Seems a bit extreme but I'm not sure if it really is. Other countries do have more opportunities at times but with much of the world experiencing the same problems we are you probably won't have all that many options. If you've got good languages skills you've more of a chance but this is something our education system has been poor at for years and years.

Sit on the dole

Keep plugging away, do what's required of you but be prepared to see savings evaporate and to live what to be honest is a bit of a depressing life. As time goes on you find yourself being able to do less and struggling to find any saving that you can. To be honest unless you can do something like live with your parents it's going to seriously affect your quality of life. For me I don't see this as an option, in the short term the dole is there for a reason as are housing benefits but in the long term it's really not that appealing.

Films and Music

I'm currently mainly listening to film soundtrack albums, obviously from films I enjoyed so I thought I'd chuck a couple of recommendations out there...

Across the Universe

The film is based around Beatles tracks in a similar way to Mama Mia for ABBA, the difference here is that this was never a stage show just a film. I didn't realise it existed until a friend lent me the DVD (which I really need to return...).

The thing that I love about the music apart from the fact it's all Beatles tracks that I know and love is the way it is all performed. So much music is just performed to be perfect and lacks character but in this film the characters themselves come out not just in the songs but in the way they sing them. My favourite character from the film is probably Jo-Jo.  I also find the setting very enjoyable, it all takes place around the time of the Vietnam war giving good usage of the music. Favourite song found below...

Scott Pilgrim VS The World

This quite simply is one of my favourite films and as with many other great films it has a soundtrack that really fits in. Lots of the films is based around the music so it's pretty fertile ground making a soundtrack. The film has so many pop-culture references that are bang on for my generation its amazing. As soon as I heard it was coming out I heard nothing but good things, I know some people haven't enjoyed it but I have (and that's what matters).

The chosen song is a bit of a classic from Frank Black, hope you are a fan too.

Obviously there are a huge number of films with great music, Romeo and Juliet stands out as one, some of the music from 28 Days Later is also very good but for my final choice I'm going to suggest Badly Drawn Boy's soundtrack for the film About a Boy.

About a Boy

The film is quite cheesey but the whole way through you are greeted with the sound of Badly Drawn Boy. I am a big fan of BDB with The Shining probably being one of my favourite songs ever mainly down to the intro. For About a Boy the music fits well and he manages real variety, lots of instruments and a few different styles. I still remember seeing about when he tried busking and everyone thought he was rubbish but that for me just added to the quality.

Chosen track this time is File Me Away, it's something a little bit different but still pretty damn good IMHO.

One blog... delayed

So, It's been a rough couple of days and a strange couple of weeks. The blog has sadly taken second place to job hunting and more lately some minor health issues (probably gallstones). Hopefully things will kick off again later this week once I've caught up with everything else! More soon...

Why you watch it?

I am by no means a proper film buff but I do enjoy films. I've seen three films in the last few days that I feel are worth talking about mainly because I enjoyed all three but for different reasons.

Jackass 3

Okay, so it's totally stupid but that is the whole point. I watched this after a few beers and it is a perfect drinking film as long you aren't too squeamish. I laughed lots and lots... particular favourites for me were them messing around with lots of superglue and one of them dressed as a gorilla. Also worth watching simply to see Knoxville get completely destroyed by an American football player. Jackass has always been a bit over the top and this unsurprisingly continues the theme from the other films of just taking it a bit further. You can see they are obviously loving just playing pranks on each other as well as the usual set piece stuff. I'm not saying you *MUST SEE* this film but if you have had a couple of beers and fancy watching something for a laugh then this is a great choice for you.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

I saw this on Friday with my brother down at Chapter Arts Centre, the films is based on a book by John Le Carre. I spoke to my dad about the book yesterday and he said he'd enjoyed that when it came out. The film is a gem, great story, great writing, great acting and great cinema. Gary Oldman plays the lead role and he much like his accent is fantastic. I love the imagery of the film and the period it's set in is one I've always been interested in. You see what I'm sure is an intriguing view into how our intelligence services used to work. The cast is brilliant with Mark Strong and John Hurt both fantastic. I don't want to ruin this film for you so won't get any further but I will say you *REALLY MUST MUST MUST SEE THIS FILM* catch it at Chapter this week or at various other cinemas but really do catch it.


Transformers 3

Stupid, stupid, stupid and really really stupid! This isn't a great piece of cinema it's a barrel full of special effects and some kind of story that you don't notice much of thanks to all the stuff blowing up. I loved transformers as a kid and I quite enjoyed the first film. The second was a bit silly and this one takes silly to a whole new level. New bad buys, massive robot fights and even a bit of action on the moon. My best mate Dave has refused to watch it claiming it's just too stupid for him and making so quite funny comments about director Michael Bay. If you do watch this it won't be for the cast, the writing or the story it's just for a laugh. It's trash in many ways but when it comes to film I love a bit of trash, nothing better than a stupid story, wooden acting and pointless amounts of action to help you chill out.

Is it time to listen to...

I went to see Bob Dylan last week, the gig itself was a bit of a disappointment, the great man doesn't sound so great anymore. Still it's one of those things I can say I've done, bucket list achievement!

So the gig has set me a-thinking (a dangerous proposition) about music again so I thought I'd share a few thoughts (and by thoughts I mean artists/songs).

Leonard Cohen - The man is a bit of a legend in my eyes, doesn't pretend he's a great singer but he most certainly is a great lyricist. The first song I heard of by him was Everybody Knows, the circumstances of finding out about this song were slightly strange but I instantly loved it. I had his Live in London album on my mp3 player (note I DO NOT have an ipod!) and one of his songs was featured in The Boat That Rocks (one of my favourite films, largely for the music). The song was Marianne, a world away from Everybody Knows but that just shows the versatility of Cohen. I remember watching a music history show a few months back and it was talking about Cohen and how he developed, good story worth learning. Lots of people just know Cohen from the epic Hallelujah, which was a big hit for another solo star Jeff Buckley but there is much much more to him than that. Here's Marianne for your listening pleasure, enjoy! I know I did when I first heard it.

Ed Harcourt - I've seen Ed live twice although sadly both were a few years ago, still the music is as good now as it was then. Particular favourites include Shanghai, Whistle of a Distant Train and Black Dress. Thinking about it I guess what really interests me music wise are good lyrics, something that can get you in a good mood but also set you pondering all sorts of things. Ed has an ability to do that for me and I have very fond memories of seeing him live with my biggest disappointment being that I was so ill at one gig I had to leave half way through...

For your listening pleasure I've chosen a couple of his tracks, I hope you enjoy! The first is "She fell into my arms" and I really love the trumpet part in this one.

My second choice is from his most recent album, one which I'm sad to say I've not listened to, the song is the title track "Lustre".

The Divine Comedy - Yes, that's right I'm harping on about them again, but as I'm doing video's I thought it was different enough to get away with...

I will get straight into the video's, three Divine Comedy classics coming up... First off possibly their most famous song and definitely the most fun video National Express.

Now for two more quick fire video's... One new, one older.

Long time coming

This piece was originally published in the Freshers Editon of the Courier this September...

So you've just been accepted to the delightful seaside university town of Aberystwyth, just you, the sea, the sun (okay...maybe not) and 8000 other students. It all sounds so good and to be fair it is but the first crisis of the new university term will be upon you before you even arrive. When I arrived at Aber in 2005 there were a wide range of options for Halls, from the seafront to PJM and even halls in Llanbadarn. During four years in Aber however things changed, big time. My first three were spent in the relative peace and quiet of student life, graduating eventually and spending far too much time working on this fine publication you see before you. The 4^th year however was something a bit different, I had somehow managed to wind up as Guild President and this is when the learning curve really shot up. I would sit in a recruitment meeting hearing the various university staff talk about targets for student numbers but the real situation wasn't immediately apparent. Student numbers in Aber have risen hugely in the last twenty years and the current intakes are the largest ever seen.

The problems started in 2006, the university had decided to close the halls on the Llanbadarn Campus, these halls are pretty much gone now mostly knocked down. I had friends who stayed there and they had plenty of good tales about the friendly atmosphere and despite looking a bit faded on the outside the halls they said weren't all that bad. The thing is, it didn't stop there, the university has in the last twenty years gradually disposed of a large number of the former seat front residences as well. New accommodation has been built in the form of PJM, Trefloyne and Rosser but with student numbers rising was this really going to be enough? Fast forward to 2008, just elected as a sabbatical and polishing off my final edition of The Courier I had no idea what awaited students in the coming years. Freshers came and there were no major disasters but there were problems, international students arriving with no where to live and students forced to stay in temporary accommodation. We were told at the time that this was all temporary and that by Christmas it would all have settled down and so it did. Still there was a hint of problems to come, recruitment up, accommodation forgotten. The myth was that the private sector could expand to fill the gap left by higher recruitment and insufficient university accommodation.

Throughout my year we met on a regular basis with the staff of the accommodation office and were briefed on plans for further residences. The plans were grand and very impressive but in the short term the university still had to fit an increasing number of first students into the existing accommodation. Fast forward to September 2009, I'd left the Guild but new president Jon Antoniazzi was friend so I was able to watch the problems of 2008 made to look like childs play. This wasn't something new, I remember being told tales of students camped out in the sports hall while they waited for accommodation to become available. Surely a university that prided itself on it's “excellent student experience” could never have treated students in such a way. And now we fast forward to today, it's 2011 and three years after the I began to see what was really going students are once again getting messed around and the accommodation office is cashing in.

If there is one lesson to be learnt here it's that the university never changes. Students are paying increasingly large amounts to attend university and increasing amounts for accommodation, in the end something will have to give. So next time there is “unexpected levels of recruitment” don't be so surprised, we've been here before and sadly it looks like we'll be there again.

Ben Hallett was editor of the Courier from 2007-2008 and President of the Guild from 2008-2009.

The more things change, the more things stay the same

Wow, a real cliché title isn't it? but it's okay because it's a really thought provoking one. I wrote an article for The Courier a few weeks back, for those of you who don't know The Courier is Aberystwyth's Student Newspaper/Magazine, it's also been a huge part of my university life. This post is in some ways a follow up to that article which you can find a link to down the page (read on!).

Humble beginnings
It all started back in 2005, my best mate Dave instantly roped me into writing for the (then) magazine, I ended up pretty quickly become the web editor, basically re-designing the website. I wrote some articles and at the end of the year decided (thanks to Dave mostly) to run for News editor, little did I know what I was actually letting myself in for. The second year began, to be honest pretty badly for the editorial team, putting together a freshers edition with no internet and no writers was probably beyond us and was not helped by a massive lack of advertising. We muddled on producing a second edition but by this point we had hit crisis point, no money, few writers and an editorial team well out of it's depth. Juliet the editor resigned and in the following election I decided to take the plunge and won!

Editor
This is where my degree really began to suffer and the magazine thankfully began to rebuild. We managed one more edition in my second year and I had to make a pretty hard breaking decision to scrap another due to a lack of advertising. I'd learnt tons and luckily had started to gather people together and build a bit of a team, for the third year I ran for Editor once more and we had a strong team ready to get moving. The year started well and despite plenty of ups and downs we really formed a strong team, the magazine took over my life but it was worth it. We ended the year in a reasonable position, financially messy but with a well briefed team ready to take over.

President
I spend the following year as the Guild president and had a fairly limited interaction with the magazine, one editor quit and money continued to be a problem, the same problems... just a different year. I guess now this brings us to today and returns to my original point in posting, the Courier has been reborn, this time as a Newspaper with plenty of help from ex-president Jon Antoniazzi the man who very ably took over from me at the Guild.

In the process of started this blog I also submitted an article for the first edition of the paper and am proud to hear it's been published, the ideas in the article are similar to the ideas in this post, the more things change the more they stay the same, you can read it on their website. The Courier goes on with no doubt similar problems to the one's I experienced just like the housing crisis in Aber goes on this year like is has in countless other ones...

Give up now, you are doomed

Had a meeting with my personal adviser at the job centre today and left very feeling that the title of today's blog piece seems apt. I remember searching for work two years ago and although it was hard going there didn't seem to be such a negative view on the situation that faced me. I guess in many ways my thinking now returns to my previous blog on degree marks and what they really mean in real life. In the end I didn't get the job I had the interview from, I was obviously disappointed but it's not something to dwell on. The job market is quite honestly, awful, the jobs are either low paid admin or pretty skilled (and well paid) but a bit beyond where I am at the moment. I guess you have to feel for the job centre people, they're just expected to shuffle you back into work, it isn't their problem if that work isn't really suitable for you.

It's set me thinking about how this is affecting other people and where exactly the jobs are. London is the obvious answer to the second part of this but the first is more depressing. Seeing friends working in pubs, shops and call centres is frustrating, people with huge potential and an expensive education wasting away in unchallenging jobs. The one successful line seems to be those who've gone into teaching, this is something I want to do in future although I realise I need to get some practical experience to see if it suits me. There is something here that concerns me a bit and that is the large numbers of people seeing teaching as the only option, surely at some point the jobs will just run out? I guess it depends what you want to go in to it for.

I had a moment about 9 months ago now, I had been thinking about my job and what I wanted to do in the future. I realised that I actually really want to teach... I guess the thought had been in my mind before but since then I've been sure it's what I want to do in my future. The only thing that remains is to get my CRB and do some school time just to make sure I know what I'm letting myself in for. Oh and to find a job to get some money together to survive another year of education. I just hope all those friends I met in Uni manage to get on and find something that they really want to do, they're certainly well qualified now...

Final thought...is it surprising that after spending 17 years in full time education (and one part time) out of mine 27 that teaching seems a natural fit?

Get me some food and get it fast

I have to be honest I love eating out and I love getting takeaway. It isn't that I don't enjoy cooking but sometimes you just aren't in the mood to cook up something that you will actually want to eat. With this in mind I've started thinking about which places I like best and what food I'd recommend, as ever comments gratefully received.

Fancy a Chinese? Try the New Champagne, Canton.

New Champagne looks a tad shabby on the outside by the food is anything but. It's only takeaway but they do delivery (most of the time) and it is on the always useful http://www.just-eat.co.uk/. Myself and my housemates have managed to work our way through a good amount of the menu so far, personal favourites are probably Lemon Chicken, any of their friend rice dishes and the pork chow mein. The food is of a very good quality and I've never had a bad meal from them. You will have to wait a while sometimes up to 90 mins but they make this clear when you're ordering. The best tip here is that it's much quicker to go in to order and wait for your food, normally no more than 15 mins. If you want really tasty food and don't fancy cooking it's well worth a visit a definite 9/10 for me.

A proper burger with Byron, Byron, London (various).
The real tragedy is that my nearest Byron is (according to their website) 125.2 miles away. I like a good burger but perhaps that is a bit far to go. However... if you find yourself out in London and want somewhere to get some really good food try Byron. I went to one near my old work near Old Street at lunchtime with some work colleagues. Their man draw in the burgers but they also do really good sides I especially enjoyed the courgette fries. They also apparently do take-away so even if you're in a rush you've no excuse. It's a bit far away for me sadly but the food was really tasty I'd give Byron a 7/10

Seren does Turkish with a bit of Welsh flair, Canton.

I've been to Seren a few times over the years previously mostly with my parents and decided to go there for my work leaving do. I love Greek and Turkish food and Seren does a great selection with food from both countries. Always get a starter at Seren and maybe even just get starters but lots of them turning a meal into a meze meal. I had the mixed grill and it was beautiful, especially the lamb chops, next time I'll be having them on their own! The atmosphere is good and the staff are really friendly, for me the location couldn't be much better. I'd give Seren 8/10

Not just another chain restaurant, Sale Pepe, St Davids 2, Cardiff.

There are so many soulless Italian restaurants around now it's great to visit somewhere that has it's own character and style. I went there with Kristina about a month ago and was really glad we tried something different. The menu has a huge choice of dishes and their speciality seems to be Risottos. Being someone who really enjoys risotto i couldn't resist and they even give you a choice of size, I had a large and it was HUGE. The restaurant was a bit quite so lacked in atmosphere but the waiter was good and the food was lovely. I definitely want to visit again but this time I'll take some of my friends with me. I'd give Sale Pepe a very solid 7/10, I can however see this going up the more I go.


The one thing really missing from this list is a good curry house, I quite like Kardamon in Canton but it's not really anything that special, I'm hoping you can help me with this one...

What's in a word?

During my recent 'downtime' (unemployment) I've found myself returning to one of my favourite activities. I've always enjoyed reading but have often found I just get out of the habit of it especially whilst at Uni where all the academic reading drowned the enjoyment of a good book.

Currently I'm re-reading the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin series, all are easy reading which I find quite relaxing but sometimes I find it's good to challenge yourself with a good book.

A couple of years ago I decided to try to read more classic novels, when I was a bit younger I read some Dickens and Austen but ended up returning to reading my more usual books. This time around Having fairly well gorged myself on my favourite type of books (Napolionic military stuff, Patrick O'Brian, Bernard Cornwell and CS Forrester) I sought the advice of some English Lit friends at uni. I've found the experience to be a good one and have managed a good mix of old and new books largely thanks to recommendations from friends. Books are often steeped in history and so are the books that I love to read. Below find some of my recommendations for you...

Robert Harris - Archangel

The first Robert Harris book I heard of was Fatherland but this wasn't the first I got around to buying and neither was Archangel. The first I read was Pompeii which proved a fine introduction to his brand of historical story telling. Archangel takes a slightly different tack, the book is steeped in cold war history and for anyone interested in the cold war is definitely worth a read. It takes themes that could easily have happened and expands on them, it isn't a bold as Fatherland and doesn't expand on things that have already happened in the way that Enigma or Pompeii did but it is that balance that makes it so interesting. Read it yourself and see.

Chinua Achebe - Things Fall Apart

I honestly believe that this book will come to be seen as a classic in the same way that we think of Dickens or Bronte. The book is centred around colonisation in Africa and features an engaging main character and tragic yet almost real story. The book is apparently one of the most widely read pieces of African literature and so it should be, it showcases what we (Europeans mostly) did to Africa and looks into the world that we destroyed with our "civilising" approach. I wish I'd read the book whilst at University as I'm sure it would have helped me with the work I did on the 3rd world especially on colonisation. Definitely a good one if you are in a thought provoking kind of mood.


Samantha Hunt - The Invention of Everything Else

I bought this book by chance and was glad I did. It centres around the life of Nikola Tesla one of the greatest scientists of his age. The story of his life and his interactions with the books other central character a young chambermaid make for engaging reading. I love finding new books by chance and often find myself picking up books at WH Smiths on my way somewhere on the train. This book is probably my favourite that I've picked up on the go and I hope you enjoy it like I have.

A little more music

I love music, not just listening but also playing it. To that end I've always wished I played a slightly more...'useful' instrument that the Tuba, bass guitar seeming a natural fit for me. Sadly I did try...and was pretty useless, I guess I didn't really give it the chance I should have. Anyway I digress, what I've really been thinking about is gigs and more specifically what gigs I've attended.

So here lies Five gigs I loved and would love to see again...

Super Furry Animals at Sesiwn Fawr, Dolgellau
I just happened to go along with a friend for this gig, I'd always liked the band but live they totally blew my mind. They played a chunk of their Welsh language music which although I didn't understand I still enjoyed. The real highlight of the show was the ending, "The Man Don't Give A Fuck" is a furries classic and it played out a brilliant night at Sesiwn for me. The visuals were great and the improv done around the central theme were fantastic. Sadly Sesiwn doesn't happen in the same way as it did back then down to money troubles but I'm really glad I got to see such a great gig in a beautiful location in the heart of Wales.

The Coral at Cardiff Students Union
I liked The Coral before the gig and had arranged for a friend to come down from London for it. It was totally worth it, they played all the songs I knew and loved and finished the set with an epic 25 minute long version of their song 'Goodbye'. You could see the band had given everything they had they looked totally ruined but they rocked the hell out of that song. I like gigs at the SU as the venue is big enough to attract good bands but small enough that you can get close to the stage and actually enjoy the music.


The Divine Comedy at The Gate, Cardiff

Simply put the Divine Comedy are my favourite band of ALL TIME so no pressure here then... The tour was in support of their (well they has become just him, Neil Hannon) latest album Bang goes the knighthood. I wasn't sure what to expect from the gig but was extremely excited to finally be seeing my favourite band. The gate was a great location for a gig of this kind, small and fairly intimate with Hannon easily able to interact with the crowd. He began on Piano and switched as the show went on between that and the Guitar. I'd pick some highlights but the whole thing was a highlight for me, best comedy moment however was him playing a rendition of Father Ted classic "My lovely horse". The set was a perfect blend of new and old, quite simply the best night of music I've ever attended. Proud to say I'm wearing my gig t-shirt from that gig right now as I write this. I am also really hoping to be able to see them again, I'm sure that wherever the gig is I won't be disappointed.



Pendulum (DJ set) at Square Festival, Borth
Okay, well I'd just been licked by the lead singer of a punk band and I was definitely on the drunker side of things but the set was awesome. I'd heard of Pendulum and heard some of their stuff and was interested to hear it live and it was better than I ever could have imagined. This was them when they first hit it big in the UK and heading epic turns like Propane Nightmares and Slam was exactly the ending to a brilliant day at a slightly random but fun local music festival. On the whole the venue added to the gig, a field in a small village in the middle of no where, the beach was within sight less than 100m away. Waking up the next day with a horrific hangover was made good by a day in the sun on the beach remembering the epic gig I'd seen the night before.

The Beach Boys at the CIA, Cardiff (they don't look quite like this anymore...)
I've got to be honest, I love old music and I'm sure most people do. They have certainly aged (I didn't see a zimmer frame but I'm sure they had them ready...) and it wasn't the proper line up at Brian Wilson was unsurprisingly absent. The really amazing thing about this gig was how it went on, they played for over two hours with no respite, there were no support acts but with so many classic songs to play they really crammed them in. It was a bit sad to be stuck in a seat when you wanted to get up and enjoy it but worth the sacrifice. I don't think I'd realised quite how many great songs the band had in their back catalogue until I saw this gig.

Pint? Yes please...

I seem to be into my top 5's so this time I'll make it 6!

I've visited many pubs over the years and am always interested to hear other peoples opinions on which ones are best so I've just summarised my own top 6 (in Cardiff). There is no model for a great pub although if there was I'm sure it would resemble the Ship and Castle in Aberystwyth, definitely a favourite from my University years. These pubs aren't going to be everyone's thing but they are the places I like to drink and there are obviously going to be in places near to where I live.

The Black Lion (Llandaf Village)
This used to be my local when living at home and it serves a great pint of my favourite sessions beer Brain Dark (none of this smooth nonsense either). The Black Lion has one extremely important thing going for it in my mind, it's friendly. The staff are always chatty and the beer is always good. Reasonably cheap too. They also have a darts board if you're feeling adventurous.

The Butchers Arms (Canton)
This is a great little pub, first went there a couple of years ago on the way home from a rugby game in town. It serves Brains Dark (always a win) and it's friendly and quite cosy. It isn't a super luxury pub or a gastropub it's just a proper old fashioned pub, beer, bar snacks and regulars. The pub is apparently under new management but I haven't had a chance to see if anything has changed yet.

Zero Degrees (Westgate Street)
I just love the idea of a pub that makes its own beer and the food isn't bad either. A good selection of interesting beers with the Mango being a firm favourite of most of my friends, personally I'm more partial to the dark beers but then again I just love dark beer (theme anyone?).

The Halfway (Pontcanna)
This is my rugby pub, well it's the place I try to go on the way to rugby. It's not a special pub but the food is of good quality and I enjoy trying the guest lager that changes every couple of weeks. It's a good way to find new beers that you'll like and some that you may not...

Chapter Arts Centre (Canton)
If you want a beer that's a bit different then Chapter is quite simply your best option in Cardiff. It isn't cheap and sometimes the clientèle are a bit up their own arses but go with some mates and limit  yourself to 3-4 beers and you will have a good evening (I realise that this may be a bit much for some ppl but for me it's limiting myself). My personal favourites are the Dunkels (Dark beers) and the Weize (white wheat beers), there's a good selection. The Cider choice is also worth looking at, try Hallets!

Maenllwyd Inn (Machen)
Okay, not strictly 'in' Cardiff but pretty near. Quite simply the best pub I know for a good meal, the food is fantastic. The draw back of the place is that it is not readily accessible, you have to drive and it's in a bit of a random place. As well as the good food there is usually a good selection of beers (get someone else to drive!) and lots of good wine!

Too busy to blog?

I've been dog sitting all weekend at my brothers house and haven't managed to find the time to blog, so in an attempt to keep the ball rolling I've decided to zip out a post before I finish preparing for a job interview in the morning!

As I prepare for my interview in the morning I find it helpful to look back and analyse some of the steps that got me to where I am today. So here it goes...

I've been semi-actively looking for work since January this year although for some periods (referenda and elections!) job hunting has taken a back seat big time. It has set me thinking about the value of my university education. I got a 'Desmond' (2:2) which obviously is not top draw but still a pretty good effort. The thing that's been on my mind is what difference getting a 2:1 or even a 1st would really have made to my life over the last 3 years (that's right 3 years since uni...ouch).  The things that I've sold myself with job wise are my job experiences which include a year as an elected sabbatical officer. This experience was a big part of why I got my most recent job and I guess it snowballs from there onwards. I did sacrifice my degree a bit to really plunge into my work with the University magazine which is the reason I ended up running for a sabbatical post.

Having talked about this with friends I've found that a 2:2 and a 2:1 are often much of a muchness, it's experience that will often get you the job. A 1st is however a different animal, this set me thinking that if (ok it's a bit unlikely) I'd focused solely on work whilst at Uni and gotten a 1st where would I be now? Certainly there would have been no sabbatical year so therefore it's fair to assume no time at the Electoral Commission. I guess I'd be civil service fast stream or some graduate scheme which leads me to my central thought. If you've got a 2:1 or 2:2 you need something else to sell yourself and if you've got a 1st you've got to target the graduate schemes, but is that really the truth? Dave my housemate and best mate has a 2:1 and a Masters yet has been unable to find good long term employment that challenges him, I with a 2:2 and a year of sabbatical time was lucky enough to find a job that was both challenging and interesting. When I look back I guess I just have to be thankful for my sabbatical time, no matter what mark I'd gotten in my degree it's proved a real selling point and I learnt more in that time that I have done in any other year of work.

Mixed thoughts, interested to hear any reaction. 

Today I will mostly be listening to...

I've noticed over the last few years that my taste in music has at times struggled to move forwards. With this in mind I've decided to try to listen more stuff, Kristina (my ever suffering girlfriend) has been a huge help in this. She has definitely helped me get into some of the music on this list and I think it's worth sharing. I also have to mention the influence of Rockband (the game) as I've been listening to a bit of the music from that too.

Explosions in the Sky, this is a band I was introduced to a while back but I have just gotten a copy of their new album "Take Care, Take Care, Take Care" and it's great. The introduction took place courtesy of a CD Kristina made for me, bit like mixtapes but not quite so retro. It was a great way to introduce me to some new music and I listen to it loads.

For the music there are no vocals but it's still very listenable to, I recently saw Mogwai in concert and found their music a bit samey and felt they really missed vocals but for me Explosions in the Sky have managed perfectly well with just instruments. Why not judge for yourself you can listen to the first track from the album on Youtube. If you like it then why not head to Cardiff's best record shop Spillers a grab a copy!

The Foo Fighters, there isn't much to say here really, the new album is fantastic another classic from the Foo's. I keep getting Arlandia stuck in my head but that's okay with me, it's great to see a band still rolling out the hits. I was playing a Foo's classic Everlong on rockband today which just reminded me how long these guys have been making great music. They also have a sideline in some really good video's the most memorable of these being the great learn to fly video, check it out on Youtube.

I haven't bought a copy of the album yet but thanks to Spotify I'm still getting my Foo fix, definitely one for my Christmas list.

I went to see a Friend's band about a year back and they were supporting a guy called Foy Vance, I wasn't expecting much as I knew literally nothing about him. I was instantly impressed and since haven't stopped listening to his music. It's touching, chilled and often very clever. Especially impressive is his version of the Michael Jackson classic Billie Jean, he uses looping to build the song and the result is spectacular. As good as Billy Jean is it isn't my favourite track that is a toss up between Homebird and Indiscriminate Act of Kindness. Homebird is fairly happy go lucky and chill out but Indiscriminate Act of Kindness for me is something really special. It's something about his voice in the song perhaps but it's just simply beautiful. I find the song quite chilling and it definitely puts me in a thoughtful mood. His album is a couple of years old now but it's called Hope and if you can get hold of a copy (try Spillers?) it's totally worth buying, for now check out the youtube links I've added above.

Last and by no means least are what are probably my favourite band/group EVER. The Divine Comedy, they've taken on various different forms during their time but now the name is just singer/pianist/guitarist Neil Hannon. I saw him live for the first time last year and it was simply the best gig I've ever been too, everything I'd hoped for and even more. He even played a great rendition of that Father Ted classic My Lovely Horse. I couldn't pick a favourite album I love all of them, but for now I'll direct you to his latest offering Band Goes the Knighthood, available in any good record shop! Songs worth sign posting (in general this is) include the song that first got me interested National Express and the Broadway esque master piece Here Comes the Flood to my personal favourite (at the moment) Absent Friends. Honestly I could write a whole series of blogs just on the Divine Comedy and maybe I will sometime.

To finish all I can say is... I hope you enjoy, there's some new and some old stuff there, next time perhaps I'll delve deeper into some of the real classics I love to listen to.

Free things in Cardiff

I've lived in Cardiff pretty much my whole life and my recent bout of unemployment has set me thinking, what can I do here for free? You would have thought I'd have loads of ideas and maybe I have. As a start to this shiny new blog here are five things worth doing in Cardiff for free! The thing about this is, as I've thought about it more I've realised that I do know the city pretty well and that maybe I should look past the obvious Museums at some places that make Cardiff the place I've loved to live.

Cycle the Ely Trail

Everyone always thinks "Taff Trail" when someone suggests a cycle ride in Cardiff but why not try something a bit different. The Ely trail is quieter and shows you far more of Cardiff's past. I usually start from my house in Canton and cycle down to the "International Sports Village"

Visit Jacobs antiques

This in some ways is a bit of a hidden gem, most people will have driven past with no idea that it's there. It's a treasure trove of interesting stuff, old, wacky and weird. My personal favourite is the old miltary memorabilia but there is something for everyone.

Check out the view from the barrage

Okay so this one may be a bit more obvious but I love going out there. Try going out in the evening and just check out the amazing view of Cardiff. For me this is a favourite photo spot, you can catch the boats coming and going and just watch the city from a distance. All that hustle and bustle and you are just sat chilling, brilliant!

Go upstairs in the arcades

This may sound a little strange but it's totally true, some of the old arcades have upstairs areas. The thing is, they're amazing as well, a different world. I hadn't really thought about them until my Cousin and girlfriend went up there for a wonder a few weeks ago. They took some photos and it just reminded me of what a pretty place the arcades are. The arcades are a really important part of the city's heritage and if you want to see more I'd suggest visiting The Cardiff Arcades Project, Amy has tons of amazing photos there.

Visit Insole Court (the gardens)

I remember going to insole court gardens with my friends when I was younger. The house may not be quite what it once was but the Friends of Insole Court are working hard to bring the building back into regular usage. It isn't that the gardens are the most beautiful in Cardiff but that doesn't stop the place from being a bit of a hidden gem. One of the best places I've ever played hide and seek!


Those are just a flavour of what Cardiff has to offer and hopefully a flavour of what blogging has to offer for me. Keep an eye open for more from me soon! (please)