Can't read my pumpkinface.

I was going to post on here yesterday but to be completely honest, yesterday was a bit of a wasted day.

Harroween

I went to a halloween party on Friday night in Harrow complete with a pumpkin mask from Sainsbury's and two bottles of white wine. The party was really good, I think the bonfire out in the garden made it. I love sitting outside around a fire, even if my clothes did stink the next morning.

Needless to say I spent half of yesterday in bed nursing a hangover and when I did eventually surface I was faced with the task of cleaning my flat from top to bottom. So, I got up had a b

acon sandwich and a cup of tea and set to work. Bedding in the machine and cleaning products out of the cupboard I was ready to go. Two hours later after endless scrubbing, hoovering and wiping I had a spotless flat. I just wonder how long it will last. I am a very tidy person though.

They've Strictly got The X Factor

I was planning on doing some work yesterday as well but the half of the day I spent in bed completely wrote this off. I had some tea and settled down in front of Strictly and The X Factor. They were most definitely the best episodes so far, both having halloween specials. I also fell in love a bit more with Cher Lloyd who ditched the rapping this week and sang completely on her own. Her performance was completely stripped down and she completely nailed it.

Arguments and disagreement were also very visible in both programmes with Len Goodman and Brendan Cole falling out on Strictly and continued banter between Simon, Cheryl, Louis and Dannii reached new heights. It was all very entertaining to watch.

Calling Corrie fans

This morning I woke up refreshed with the extra hour we all got today. Hello GMT! I don't know whether the extra hour has increased my motivation but I have actually achieved some progress today as far as my uni work is concerned. My first draft of my radio documentary is complete. All I need now are some interviews so if anyone out there really likes or loathes Coronation Street please let me know. I could do with some telephone interviews.

Now it is back to more work while I have the television on quietly in the background.

Help me please

Is there anyone out there that has moved to London this year or is thinking of moving to London to study at University. If you are then you are just the person I want to talk to.

I am writing a feature on moving to London, drawing particularly on my experiences of moving from Cornwall (the countryside) to London (the big city).

I would appreciate as many views as possible and if you are interested please contact me via email.

My address is: leemcollins@hotmail.co.uk

Thank you!

Let it shine!

I did it! I flippin' well did it! After waiting in about five queues for an hour on Ticketmaster, SeeTickets, Gigs and Tours and The Ticket Factory I secured two very lovely tickets to see Take That at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 2 July 2011!

I could not believe it when I eventually got through. I had been sat there refreshing windows and cursing everytime they did not reload. Seeing "Service Unavailable" or "This Page Cannot Be Displayed" was really beginning to make me doubt my chances.

Then as if by magic I got through. I might be saying goodbye to £120.00 but it is definitely money well spent. I cannot wait to be there now. It is going to be a night to remember but I do feel sorry for people that are still trying for tickets. Good luck x

I feel like Charlie Bucket!

It's going to be a long night

I have a feeling that tonight could be one of the longest nights of my life. I am really tired and am going to turn in soon but I cannot see me sleeping as soon as my head hits the pillow.

My alarm is set for 7:00 in the morning as I plan to be out of my flat by 8. I'm going to uni early because I do not trust my internet connection here and really want to get my hands on a ticket for Take That next year at Wembley.

I mentioned before that a ticket for this is all I want at the moment and everytime the advert comes onto the television I get all nervous. There are going to be thousands of people trying tickets tomorrow so it is a bit like a game of Deal Or No Deal. It's going to be all about luck.

I just hope that luck is on my side. Tomorrow there will either be a post with my conveying emotions of relief and happiness or one of devastation.

Lest we forget

Wear your poppy with pride and remember those that have lost their lives fighting for their country and those at war today.

Quantitative, qualitative and focus groups. Confused? Me too

Today I have come to realise that my dissertation could well tip me over the edge. I don't want to scare anyone with that statement but todays lecture was scary to say the least.

Since the lectures began, we have learnt about quantitative and qualitative research methods. I didn't even know these existed. As far as I was concerned, research was research. How shallow and naive I am.

Today the lecture was based around the idea of focus groups. Basically what we were told was that if we want to use focus groups as part of our research we need to arrange at least four. There is no limit on the amount of people we can have in the group but everything that is said during the discussion needs to be recorded and transcribed.

We were given an idea of how long the transcriptions could be with four focus group transcriptions amounting to 50 pages of text.

I never really thought about using focus groups but now I definitely think I will pass. I'm just worried what other methods of research they are going to throw at us next week.

Thought of the day

When I woke up this morning apart from feeling slightly hungover I was stressed out. The amount of work I have got to do this semester is actually quite scary and I was thinking there is no way I am going to get it done in time.

I had visions of me sat in the library at uni on Christmas Day when I should be 300 miles away tucking into the turkey with my family and drinking Baileys.

I suppose it wouldn't be a lie to say that my thought of the day has changed. After a very productive afternoon I now have a topic for my final journalism project, had an email back regarding my dissertation and am making good progress with my commission piece.

I am in a much better frame of mind now and aim to continue this with a roast pork and The Apprentice.

Wine and vodka. Friend to enemy in the space of one sleep.

Last night was a night to remember (or forget). It was my friends 21st birthday and the plan was to go to her flat and then head off to Camden. We had an idea of where we were going but I had no idea when we were leaving or how we were going to get there. The tube seemed like the obvious option and it was in the end the one we chose.

Before leaving we were all sat around, talking, listening to music and playing games. Some shots were taken as well and the raspberry sambuca was particularly memorable for all the wrong reasons. After a bottle of wine it was time to leave. We arrived in Camden and went to BarFly. It's down past the lock under the bridge and I don't think I have ever walked that far down Camden High Street before.

I have been out in Camden a few times before and I absolutely love it. It seems completely different to the rest of London. It is almost like stepping into a different world. Camden is a mini community in itself and that is what makes it such an amazing part of London.

Entering BarFly I don't really recall what song was playing but we went to the bar and the wine was substituted with vodka. Not a good idea but it seemed it at the time. I can remember dancing to 80's music which is one of my favourite decades. I call it dancing, I don't really think it resembled dancing. Put it this way, Strictly bosses won't be on the phone to me anytime soon.

After leaving BarFly and demolishing a KFC, we were in the cab on the way back to Harrow. The next thing I remember is waking up with a head thicker than a McDonald's milkshake and a mouth drier than the Sahara!

Last night I loved wine and vodka, this morning I loathed them.

Thought of the day

I woke up this morning and conducted my usual routine of checking Facebook and Twitter before even getting out of bed (I need to get out more I know). But this morning Facebook actually proved to be useful. A few status updates told me that Take That are touring next year.

I remember Take That the first time around and have been a fan of Robbie since he left. He is a natural born entertainer and I would have loved to see him at Knebworth and the Royal Albert Hall when he did his "Swing When Your Winning" concert.

So my thought of the day today is, "please let me get a ticket for Take That at Wembley next July."

I need to try and persuade my mum and sister if they want to go but all is not lost because my cousins are going (my favourite cousins) and have said I can go with them. So all I can do now is 'pray' and hope that Friday is 'the greatest day'.

I understand that was an extremely cheesy way of describing my thought of the day but get used to it. There are plenty more where they came from.

And the stress kickstarts again...

Being a third year student at university means only one thing. It is time to grow up. Many who will know me will understand that growing up and behaving like an adult has been something I have wanted to put off for a very long time.

Parts of my second year were stressful but the sheer volume of work I have to do (we all have to do) this year could top that (and I think it probably will). So far I have a final journalism project, a commission piece, three stories for an online news site, a class presentation with an accompanying essay and a dissertation proposal to complete and that is just this semester.

I have an idea for my final journalism project. I am going down the radio route and opting for a broadcast project, possibly a documentary or a podcast. Maybe I will play it safe with a news bulletin.

My commission piece is going to be extremely personal and I will be blogging about it throughout the semester. I'm writing a piece on moving from the country to the city, an experience that is still fresh in my mind even though I first moved to London just over two years ago. I am hoping to pitch this piece to The Independent Student Section. I am also looking for students that are thinking of moving to London this year or have just moved to the Capital to tell me about their experiences so if anyone reading this wishes to then let me know.

With Children In Need 2010 just around the corner one of my online news features is going to be about the fundraising schools in Harrow are doing (if they are doing anything at all).

I don't really want to think about my dissertation but I don't really have much choice. I am trying to start researching on a topic that is just an idea and not set in stone yet. I really want to do well and possibly achieve a 'first'.

With so much work to do my social life may well have to be put on hold. You know I'm joking. A night out in Camden is just what I need tomorrow.