The curse (or one of the curses anyway) of working so damn hard on Alice!, the show we have been creating over the last two weeks in Ash Green Youth theatre's Summer Course 2007, is that I have so many things to do I usually have to put myself second. So I had no lunch today because I was waiting for twenty minutes at a useless bank where it took that long to make a cheque out so I could finally pay somebody! I know that sounds like a bit of a selfish whinge, but when you're working on such a demanding show you need all the energy you can get, and you don't get energy from thin air - you need food! So now I have to wait until later this evening for a chicken curry, but I can't eat a lot now else I'll spoil my appetite. I don't think I can win with this...
Laters.
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
Friday, 24 August 2007
Television - Friend, Brother, Secret Lover...
...but recently I've begun to doubt the true power of the once glorious idiot box. Apparently over here in Blighty half of us have lost our trust in television due to the fake phone-ins and competition winners who win before the competition is even announced. That kind of stuff.
Me, I don't usually bother myself with that kind of stuff. But it seems less and less likely these days for me to find something worth watching that I want to watch. And I am not going to waste my time watching Big Brother - recently I skipped through it hearing the question being asked, "What was the name of Paddington Bear's aunt?" Oh. Dear.
Last night was a good example of the lack of quality programming. So my mother and I (and eventually my sister) sat down to watch Finding Neverland - first time I've seen it. It was beautifully made, wonderfully acted, and I am not afraid to admit that I cried a little at the end. It reaffirms my claim that any film with Kate Winslet or Johnny Depp in must be worth watching!
Laters.
Me, I don't usually bother myself with that kind of stuff. But it seems less and less likely these days for me to find something worth watching that I want to watch. And I am not going to waste my time watching Big Brother - recently I skipped through it hearing the question being asked, "What was the name of Paddington Bear's aunt?" Oh. Dear.
Last night was a good example of the lack of quality programming. So my mother and I (and eventually my sister) sat down to watch Finding Neverland - first time I've seen it. It was beautifully made, wonderfully acted, and I am not afraid to admit that I cried a little at the end. It reaffirms my claim that any film with Kate Winslet or Johnny Depp in must be worth watching!
Laters.
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Back And In Soooo Much Pain!
France 2007 was actually not the bore fest that I had envisioned. Although the weather could have been better - especially in the South, where it was raining at apparently an odd time for that area - it turned out to be two and a bit weeks of chill time. I was able to relax a lot and even wrote quite a bit for my new "grown-up" novel. I didn't even speak that much French, which is kind of lucky because it was while I was listening to our neighbours that I realised just how much I had either forgotten from my school days or didn't know!
But, as all holidays must - except for those taken by the rich and who appear in CSI: Miami, whose lives are all one big holiday - ours had to end last Saturday. And so I was plunged head first back into the planning and preparation of something I've sweated about a lot this year but never really gone into detail about it here: AGYT, or to give it it's full name, Ash Green Youth Theatre.
This is a two week drama course where local teenagers get to work with a professional director, musical director and choreographer to create a piece of musical theatre. We take a text - this year's being Alice In Wonderland/Through The Looking Glass, and basically tear it into little tiny pieces. We create songs from it, sketches, dances, poems - some of them only bear a remote similarity with the text, others are taken straight from the author's pen.
We were founded three years ago by four eighteen year old's - including yours truly - and our oldest committee member now is only twenty-two. This is truly for young people by young people, which we feel adds to the attraction. Also, as it takes part at the end of our summer holidays here in the UK, it gives local kids something to do that's actually useful.
I am very proud of what we have achieved so far with AGYT and have big plans for our future. But, as I am still just young enough to take part in the course itself, I am also fairly shattered. So I shall sign off for now, and go and collapse on a nice comfy sofa.
Laters.
But, as all holidays must - except for those taken by the rich and who appear in CSI: Miami, whose lives are all one big holiday - ours had to end last Saturday. And so I was plunged head first back into the planning and preparation of something I've sweated about a lot this year but never really gone into detail about it here: AGYT, or to give it it's full name, Ash Green Youth Theatre.
This is a two week drama course where local teenagers get to work with a professional director, musical director and choreographer to create a piece of musical theatre. We take a text - this year's being Alice In Wonderland/Through The Looking Glass, and basically tear it into little tiny pieces. We create songs from it, sketches, dances, poems - some of them only bear a remote similarity with the text, others are taken straight from the author's pen.
We were founded three years ago by four eighteen year old's - including yours truly - and our oldest committee member now is only twenty-two. This is truly for young people by young people, which we feel adds to the attraction. Also, as it takes part at the end of our summer holidays here in the UK, it gives local kids something to do that's actually useful.
I am very proud of what we have achieved so far with AGYT and have big plans for our future. But, as I am still just young enough to take part in the course itself, I am also fairly shattered. So I shall sign off for now, and go and collapse on a nice comfy sofa.
Laters.
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
Is This The Moment?
Finally I get a chance to make a quick but long overdue entry in my blog before France 2007 kicks off tomorrow. I've been a fairly busy beaver, what with reading the last Potter book (five and a half hours - hah! The title of today's entry is my favourite line form the book FYI) and helping out in my local Oxfam charity shop. We've also had the grand renovation of our main bathroom which has been a nightmare to contend with, but the finished results look okay I guess. Wasn't my decision to gut out the bathroom but there we go.
When I get back from France it's straight on with AGYT 2007. Hopefully I will have time then to come back and write more about my holidays and the nightmare that will no doubt be France 2007.
Au revoir, mes amis, for now.
Oh, and laters.
When I get back from France it's straight on with AGYT 2007. Hopefully I will have time then to come back and write more about my holidays and the nightmare that will no doubt be France 2007.
Au revoir, mes amis, for now.
Oh, and laters.
Tuesday, 10 July 2007
I'm Going Potty!
Yes, I too am going Potty about Potter, I'm afraid. With the last book in the series coming out very soon, and the fifth film, Order Of The Phoenix, due out on Friday, I have set myself the task of re-reading all six previous instalments of the Harry Potter saga, and I'm enjoying myself immensely.
I did, however, read something else rather interesting. Waterstones, the biggest chain of book stores in the UK, have organised a petition that they're asking people to sign so that they can persuade J.K.Rowling to at least consider writing some more Harry Potter books in the future. Now, how can they ask such a thing when the boy wizard's survival at the end of the upcoming novel is still under question? I'm afraid that, in my eyes, this is all a huge money-grabbing attempt by a desperate bookstore which has realised that very soon it will lose one of its biggest revenues - The Deathly Hallows is Amazon's most pre-ordered book to date, and never again will we see such queues for a book until another literary craze hits the shelves. Waterstones have realised that they make more money out of Potter than any other book.
But I think they're doing it all wrong with this petition idea. Why not instead try and re-market the previous books? Get the whole country on a back-to-the-beginning fever, introduce new readers to the wonders of Hogwarts School? This petition just sounds sad and desperate.
There is another reason why I'm feeling Potty today, and that is our big bathroom renovation began yesterday. The main bathroom - used mostly by myself and my sister - is being completely gutted and re-built. The noise, as you can imagine, is wonderful.
Laters.
I did, however, read something else rather interesting. Waterstones, the biggest chain of book stores in the UK, have organised a petition that they're asking people to sign so that they can persuade J.K.Rowling to at least consider writing some more Harry Potter books in the future. Now, how can they ask such a thing when the boy wizard's survival at the end of the upcoming novel is still under question? I'm afraid that, in my eyes, this is all a huge money-grabbing attempt by a desperate bookstore which has realised that very soon it will lose one of its biggest revenues - The Deathly Hallows is Amazon's most pre-ordered book to date, and never again will we see such queues for a book until another literary craze hits the shelves. Waterstones have realised that they make more money out of Potter than any other book.
But I think they're doing it all wrong with this petition idea. Why not instead try and re-market the previous books? Get the whole country on a back-to-the-beginning fever, introduce new readers to the wonders of Hogwarts School? This petition just sounds sad and desperate.
There is another reason why I'm feeling Potty today, and that is our big bathroom renovation began yesterday. The main bathroom - used mostly by myself and my sister - is being completely gutted and re-built. The noise, as you can imagine, is wonderful.
Laters.
Friday, 6 July 2007
Eight Minutes And Counting...
I haven't got long, so I'll be brief. Thanks to the modern wonder that is Libraries I can access the Internet without faffing around at home, where our connection is being really stupid and annoying.
Anyhoo, it's good to be back home, though I have a number of things to keep me occupied that don't sadly involve lazing in front of the television watching films/playing PlayStation/eating toast in my pants (as recommended by Robbie the Reindeer). And there's always my blog to keep me occupied. Hopefully, as this is only a first-time set up, I'll have more time next week to use the computers and give you a fuller description of how my holidays are going!
Laters.
Anyhoo, it's good to be back home, though I have a number of things to keep me occupied that don't sadly involve lazing in front of the television watching films/playing PlayStation/eating toast in my pants (as recommended by Robbie the Reindeer). And there's always my blog to keep me occupied. Hopefully, as this is only a first-time set up, I'll have more time next week to use the computers and give you a fuller description of how my holidays are going!
Laters.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Au revoir Winchester...for now
Just got time for a quick entry before I have to shut the computer down and pack it all away for the journey home. It's not feeling too weird at the mo, seeing how I'm going to be back here in Winchester early September, and I'm definitely going to keep up with my blog entries over the next two months. Got a lot of things happening, including the holiday for this year, France 2007 - whoop-de-do - and the perhaps the biggest and most important event, AGYT 2007! What am I talking about? All will be revealed soon, I promise.
Laters.
P.S: Still geeking out over last night's thrilling conclusion to the third series of Doctor Who. Great writing, great acting, great plot twists - roll on the Christmas special!
Laters.
P.S: Still geeking out over last night's thrilling conclusion to the third series of Doctor Who. Great writing, great acting, great plot twists - roll on the Christmas special!
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