A group of us went to the edfringe festival for a week and challenged each other to write reviews. Here goes…

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**

Pleasance Dome (£12.50/£10.50)

A start to my week in edfringe began with a show in Pleasance. Being assured that acts in the Pleasance are notable above others attending, a group decision all round ended up in a warm and sleepy room with a less than entertaining one man show.

The show leads us through the life of the man in question: Johnny McKnight, as he discovers his homosexuality. It begins in his mother’s womb, then progresses through to school with his girlfriend, leads through puberty, early stages of adulthood exploring extreme sexual events before ending in the present – 30 years of age & gay. He does this mostly through story-telling but once in a while breaks into song, accompanied with a backing singer who takes on other characters dependent on scenes and a great live band.

A One-Man Show referring to none of the musicals shown in his poster

The opening scene as mentioned begins as Johnny dressed as a baby. This was the first of many moments when I thought I had paid too much for a fringe show. However, although a 30 year old man in diapers usually isn’t my kind of opening to a show, I found the idea behind it clever as he changed his costumes by adding clothes on throughout scene changes noted by the word “skip” to reflect his age and situation, before landing his final product – a 30 year old man in a tuxedo.

Nevertheless, the content of the spoken word which took up the majority of the show did not appear interesting enough for an oven-like room. Regularly I found myself nodding off and the songs weren’t enough to reinstate my sleeping brain. The comedy was in-your-face funny without the cleverness of suggestions, puns or other tools used to make people laugh in a punchline. All it was was a detailed account of life. This changes my phrase from “in-your-face funny” to just “in-your-face”.

Although the show was less entertaining on a personal level, I must admit that others in the audience did enjoy themselves and after asking others what they thought, the view was split between mine and “I laughed”. My suggestion is that if you’re on a small budget at the fringe, there are plenty of other shows you should be spending your money on. However, if you like the idea of a one-man show with a live band detailing an account of his life leading to homosexuality, then this is the show for you. For me – I should have “skipped” to another show…

The world famous Comedy Store opens it’s doors to practically anyone who’d take on the harshest crowd London has to offer in this once in a month show – King Gong.

And I loved every minute of it.

If everyone reduced their carbon emissions to 0, the film predicts that the carbon levels in the atmosphere will reduced to levels lower (i.e. better) than the optimum levels seen in 1970 where such problems due to Global Warming were minimal. I sit here looking out of the window in my high-rise flat in the heart of London and see many waste products being released into the atmosphere. These waste products contain high levels of carbon emissions. If anything, this is making my view a smoggy and dull which doesn’t span very far in distance – and this is not due to other buildings getting in the way (a metaphor?!).

Going green can be effortless...

Some although suggest that such pollution from aerosol particles are leading to Global Dimming – an effect which results in aerosol particles absorbing and reflecting sun rays back out into space, therefore counteracting the effects of Global Warming. However, the research into Global Dimming aren’t as reliable as those into Global Warming (in my view at least…) and also suggests that we need to pollute the atmosphere even more in order to lower the Earth’s atmosphere. Surely with extended pollution, this will release higher concentrations of carbon-related waste which inevitably overcome any temporary effects of Global Dimming – if any? (My account and understanding of Global Dimming is slightly hazy – do correct me or add more if necessary) Personally I would think that instead of polluting the atmosphere, a cleaner world would be a better world.

I know there are many posts, articles etc just like this one demanding people need to cut their emissions down – and although there are worldwide successes, this is clearly not enough. The numbers of individuals not cutting down are still greater than the numbers who are. This leads onto something a friend of mine said – “Why should I waste so much of my time and energy trying to cut down on leisurely habits in order to try and save the planet when clearly a greater number of people are counteracting my efforts?” As more and more people get involved, the closer we all are together to solving this problem. As the film points out, small individual efforts can solve large problems. Minority groups have many success stories in over-powering the majority – women can vote, homosexuality is no longer a mental disorder, slaves were freed – to name a few of the more obvious accounts in history. I’m not here to bore you with the finite scientific details. I think the majority of us are aware that this is a real issue whether we choose to accept it or not. However, the minority of us are doing anything about it.

The minority are slowly becoming the majority. However, there is still a great number of people out there still in the current majority soon turning into a minority. This needs changing. My friend is a great person, but the quote is clearly a wrong set of mind. Of course an individual’s work can make drastic changes, and those drastic changes get amplified as more people do it. I am happy to say that this person is continuing to make an effort. I don’t ask for perfection and leading to 0… but to at least change. Think on the plus side – if you go green, your bills get drastically lower.

Here is a link to my google search on “Go Green” to find out how you can change. A lot of these efforts are actually quite effortless…

Right, so I’ve been away from this blog for quite a while it seems, but I’m back! Well, I’ll try to keep it updated anyhow. I’ve also attempted to create a Twitter account so follow me on that to get updates! I’m still currently in York but have finished all my exams so will be returning to London on Sunday. Then, let the fun begin…

Follow me on Twitter

The past 10 days have been spent all over Japan. Here’s the quick rundown of what happened:

Day 1 – Tokyo

Landed in Narita Airport at 3PM local time after a 12hr flight from London Heathrow. Couldn’t get a wink of sleep. Still, on the bright side, I got to watch Yes Man again! The Narita Express took a further one hour after passport control to get to Tokyo station and took the JR to Gotanda where we checked in and I passed out.

Day 2 – Hakata

The early hours beckons as 2 bullet trains and 5 hours later, we had to arrive in Hakata station, Kyushu. With speeds of up to 300kmph, the Shinkansen beats any train in Britain willing to take me a fraction of the distance in half the time. Still, we made it and a speedy journey later, we had travelled the world, Japan, and I passed out.

Day 3 – Jono

Just a small town near Kokura. Had a wee look around, got thirsty a lot so glad there were loads of vending machines plotted on every street corner. I had a grape Fanta. Exciting times!

Day 4 – Kokura

Kokura castle is amazing. Large, old and picturesque. Then, you turn around and see a big yellow shopping mall in the backdrop… weird. There also lives a lady with “magical powers”. I was a bit skeptical. She said I had a chin injury. I had a dressing on my chin… She said she will cure it. It’s still healing… She also said I have a history of incredible stomach problems. I’ve not vomited since I was 6. She’s not very good… Also failed to notice my leg, back and shoulder hurting. All she did was push air in my direction.

Day 5 – Nagasaki

The home of the first Western house built on Japanese land. Was great to have travelled so far to visit an old English home where Madame Butterfly is set. Great views from the top though…

Day 6 – Yufuin

Among the mountain tops was one of few ryokans that accompanied guests such as I. It’s filled with onsens (a public hot spring) and we were fortunate to have our own private one. It was weird having a bath stark naked on top of a mountain out in the open. A helicopter flew by…

Day 7 – Tokyo

7 hours of bullet trains led us to Tokyo. I passed out.

Day 8 – Nikko

Another ryokan but with only a public onsen. I didn’t go in this time, but opted for the in-house shower instead. A small town indeed with speakers plotted all over the few streets to signal shops opening and closing.

Day 9 – Edo Wonderland and Nikko

Edo wonderland is a reconstruction of Tokyo during the edo period. All the death that surrounded me through figurines made me a little dizzy. The theatre had a few shows, the most impressive being a ninja martial arts show that physical theatre should be worried about!

Day 10 – Tokyo

I saw a baby that looked like a Potato. I was in a buffet.

Today – London

I’m about to pass out…

I recently was part of the Operagasmic production of The Marriage of Figaro for someone’s dissertation which attempted to make opera more appealing to a wider audience. A team of directors were on board with many other singers to direct and produce a set of scenes each which make up the opera. And I was one of them.

Operagasmic - The Marriage of Figaro

This being the first production I’ve ever directed, it was like pushing a child in the deep end of a swimming pool. But with a truly amazing set of casts, nothing went wrong. Opera isn’t as daunting as I initially thought. OK, I agree that it has elements of music and drama (the definition of opera being drama through music) which may complicate things a little, but with some knowledge of both, one can pull it off. Through a set of rehearsals for both casts that I was directing, the scenes began to emerge and before we knew it – there was our finished product ready to take the stage.

Or perhaps not…

The Operagasmic production was set and performed in the bar called Orgasmic in York (hence the Opera-gasmic name). The reason behind the production was to make it more appealing to a wider audience, and so elements of the opera were modernised (introducing texts and cars) and set in a bar in which an audience not typical of an opera may indulge in a Bacardi Breezer or two. It was also sang in English so it was easier to understand, and featured an expert of the opera to compere.

A challenging feat that I am proud to be part of. Thankfully it went well!

I’m qualified in First Aid at Work, which trains me up to treat a wide range of problems that require first aid. The problem is, I’m not yet qualified to do first aid with St John’s Ambulance on duty (I had an induction…). But, with this qualification (and correct me if I’m wrong, which I may be), I’ve been told that I can only practise first aid in a working environment in which I am employed. This makes sense, but could lead to a number of lawsuits if not attended to carefully.

But this is where it frustrates me. I was walking home with a friend this evening and from across a bridge is my name being yelled over. It’s a friend of mine, and her friend has been knocked unconscious by another bloke. Now, as a friend would do, I naturally attempted to help out – other people had got to the scene before I had and attempted first aid – mostly by reassuring her and suggesting what needs to be done. Now, if this were to be a complete stranger and had done first aid but got something wrong, even if I were to follow the training I got given, I could be sued by the casualty. 

I personally don’t think a first aider on the scene should be sued or punished in any way or form for attempting to help and save lives even if they were only qualified indoors. The treatment with most cases do not differ that much with it being in a working environment or not, so if we were to help out as being the first on the scene… let us!

This is the current book I am reading. It’s by Jamie Ward. One would think that this isn’t the usual bedtime reading anyone would embark upon, but it is essential. Why? It’s one of the key texts that I have to read, and although it’s interesting, it stops me from reading anything else I wished to do so in the past few weeks.

The Book

The mere fact that it is a key text for an exam appears to put me off it quite a bit. No doubt it’s not a choice made by Richard & Judy’s book club, but I wonder if it would be more interesting and easier to digest if the book didn’t have the “examination” label attached to it.

I’ve also been appointed as the new Chair for PsychSoc in the last few weeks for a few more weeks, as the Chair stood down. It’s going well, and I’m getting things done, but the workload has been increased quite dramatically.

First off, apologies. It’s been a while…

Anyways, so I gets this new iPod the other day, the one where you can touch the screen and it would do things like turn it into a lightsaber or race around Rome whilst sitting on your arse in York. It’s amazing. Although, rather pricey for what it is. Allow the video to explain why you should spend more than what it’s worth for something quite spectacular.

WARNING: SLIGHT PLOT SPOILERS!

I have recently watched the new film with Jim Carrey about the true story of Danny Wallace, where he took on the challenge of saying Yes to everything. The word No literally was deleted from his vocabulary.

Yes Man!

An excellent film it was, incredibly funny and well done by Jim Carrey himself, an incredible comedian and actor. I have also gone out of my way to order Danny Wallace’s book, as no doubt it would be just as incredible as the film, and include further surprises. But then, I got to thinking… could I ever be a Yes Man?

The answer to that I am sure is: Yes, to an extent. I think being more of a Yes Man is essential as it would mean that you take any opportunity given to you, and therefore increase your social lifestyle to the max. However, no doubt a line must be drawn. Saying yes to absolutely everything may have consequences, and big one at that too. In the film, it is portrayed very well, as Jim Carrey’s character was arrested for suspected terrorism, and potentially loses his girlfriend.

However, I have also thought that although taking every opportunity presented to you is important, you should create your own opportunities as well, enhancing your chances at doing whatever you want. Instead of, for example, waiting for the opportunity to bungee jump rises, why not go ahead and do it out of your own initiative? This way, you can accomplish way more than just waiting for a question. 

So, new years resolution? One is to become more of a Yes Man, and also to create opportunities for myself. This film and book could potentially change my life. I am auditioning for the National Youth Theatre and it’s only the 4th January!

Amazing.