Mai 2012

I can't believe that it's May already - my final full month in lovely Aberystwyth. Though this thought is rather saddening, May is setting itself up to be a very busy month with some things to 'get out of the way' and other things to look forward to. This is also really the last time I can make a list of things that are definitely happening as I have no idea about what I'm gonna do post-uni - scary times! Anyways, if you fancy stalking me you can easily find me using these details...

• Wednesday 9 May:
  > Welsh oral exam
• Friday 11 May:
  > Dawns Fai
• Wednesday 16 May:
  > Cold War exam 
• Saturday 19 May:
  > Gloywi Iaith exam
• Tuesday 22 May:
  > 1st Eurovision semi-final
• Thursday 24 May:
  > British/Irish Politics exam (last exam!)
  > 2nd Eurovision semi-final
• Saturday 26 May:
  > Eurovision 2012 Final (party!)
• Saturday 9 June:
  > Moving back to Barry
• Thursday 12 July:
  > Graduation

Those are my final DEFINITE plans until I figure out what I'm gonna do after uni/graduation.
The exams are the 'get out of the way' things on my list whereas as Dawns Fai, Eurovision and Graduation are most definitely things to look forward to.
Also, can I just say: who the hell puts a Welsh grammar exam (Gloywi Iaith) on a Saturday?! Not only is Saturday a terrible time for an exam, it's at 2pm - TWO PM - how ridiculous! Revising/exam-sitting until 4pm on a Saturday is rage-inducing but I think I hide it fairly well...

I shall also use this post, if I may, to warn readers that from now until the end of May (and possibly beyond), there will be a LOT of posts about Eurovision 2012. I can't help it, I'm addicted, and perhaps I should get help but I don't want to. Eurovision lover and proud!! 

For everyone else who is/will be sitting exams in the next couple of months or so - pob lwc! (good luck!) - and for everyone else have a fantastic, exam-free month and, if you're looking for something to do, watch Eurovision. It'll be amazing, I promise!
Have a great May x

Dawns Fai

Didrik kindly fashioning my Dawns Fai ticket 

Dawns Fai (May Ball), essentially a big farewell kind of student party hosted in the village of Pontrhydfendigaid, is fast approaching and I have bought my ticket. The ticket is £40, but what does it cover? Is it worth £40? I will be answering these questions, but bear in mind that I am completely sober and have not actually been to May Ball before, so I'm pretty much guessing how my experience will pan out.


The Aberystwyth Student Union has this to say about the event:
"Here it is - our biggest line up ever with 5 big name acts on the main stage plus the comedy zone, tribute tent, headphone disco & chill out marquees, fairground and much much more..."
Let's take this bit by bit, shall we?


Main Stage - '5 Big Name Acts'
Zane Lowe, The Hoosiers, Roll Deep, Ms. Dynamite & Toploader.
Someone needs to help the students' union define "big name acts" as NONE of these five are 'big names', not currently at least. I have never heard of Zane Lowe before the union announced his participation and the other 4 acts have peaked. The 'Big Name Acts' are not big name acts and, for me, are a major let down, I even very briefly considered not going again this year based on this but, as I'll explain later, there are much better things to do at May Ball.
Worth £40? No. None of them come close to that value.


Comedy Zone
John Robins, Horse & Louis, Jared Hardy, Tommy Rowson & Ben Van Der Velde.
No familiar names for me there, but that's not a bad thing! Aspiring comedians have to be given a chance and, seeing as I don't know any of the acts or their material, it would be unfair to pre-judge them. The Comedy Zone probably won't be a high priority for me but I wouldn't complain abut going.
Worth £40? Doubtful, would you pay that much for a handful of unknown comedians? But I could be pleasantly surprised...


Tribute Tent
As the title suggests, tribute acts have a place in May Ball, so who do we have this year?
The Fillers, 182 - A Tribute to Blink, The Rinky Dinks & DJ Jinx
I am a Killers fan so The Fillers might be worth seeing, I am not totally adverse to listening to Blink 182 so perhaps that won't be bad either. The Rinky Dinks apparently cover a myriad of artists with a twist ranging from rock (fair enough) to ska (good God, no!). DJ Jinx will be playing tracks between the other acts and is not a tribute act. He has DJ'ed at a couple of Student Union events before which I've heard and liked. This tent seems as though it won't be a total disappointment. 
Worth £40? It's definitely worth more than the Main Stage.


Headphone Disco
LOVE a good headphone disco, they are SO much fun! Usually two DJs performing at once and, equipped with headphones, disco-goers have the choice of switching channels, between DJs. It is so brilliant to remove your headphones for a second and hear half the room singing one thing and other half something else, and the dancing is also just fantastic! I remember at the Union's last headphone disco that one DJ told his listeners to get on the floor and stay there. I seemed to be one of the very few people not on that channel as I discovered on my way to the bar. I was listening to some pop song and when I turned around, everyone was on the floor and I had no idea why. Brilliant!
Worth £40? On its own, no, of course not! But there is no way I'm missing out on a headphone disco!


Other
"...we have free to ride FULL SIZE FAIRGROUND including dodgems, waltzers, bench ride and traditional stalls.
The CHILL OUT MARQUEE features the return of the OXYGEN BAR and also includes FISH PEDICURE tanks, WALK ABOUT MAGICIAN along the with the cosy bean bag area to take a load off!
For the thrill seekers, the 200ft BUNGEE CRANE awaits all those that want to take the plunge!
Along with the half a dozen bars there will also be the champagne bar, food court, official photo studio, novelty acts and much, much more."
Fairground - cool; chill out marquee - not for me but still pretty cool; walk about magician - sigh; bungee crane - never, ever, ever; champagne bar - hell yes!


All in all, I would (and have) paid £40 for a ticket and I am looking forward to it and I think the thing that is meant to be the most attractive about the event is by far its least attractive element. Ah well, with all the alcohol and other distractions involved, why let poorly chosen acts ruin what could be an otherwise great night?


I shall, of course, write a new post after the event, probably to take back all of the negatives I've mentioned above x

Hufen Iâ Cneuen Goco

This is, of course...

Coconut ice cream!
Coconut ice cream is, by far, my favourite flavour ice cream and today I got to taste my first ever, home made ice cream for the first time and it is yummy! So I thought I'd brag about my skills share the recipe - here it is:

• 600ml double cream
• 400g coconut milk (1 tin)
• 150g desiccated coconut
• 5 tablespoons caster sugar

Method:

In a mixing bowl, whisk the cream until thick. 

Fold in the coconut milk, desiccated coconut and sugar.

Pour the mixture into a container and freeze for at least eight hours, stirring ever hour or so to keep it smooth.

And it's that simple! 

As you can see, I had some of my ice cream on top of some apple slices which makes for a yummy combination as the apples have a sharp flavour and the sweet, creamy coconut ice cream kind of tones it down a bit.

The ice cream is very yummy and simple to make, so give it a go! x

Parti Eurovision 2012: The Playlist

That's right, another Eurovision-based post, this time I'm just sharing my Eurovision party playlist. Wtih just over a month to go until the contest kicks off, it is VERY important (for me at least) to start thinking about how to top last year's party and where better to start than with the pre/post-contest music? Feel free to take ideas from this year's playlist or last year's  for your own party, also, feel free to tell me if I'm missing any essentials or have a go at me for including some Eurovision songs you'd rather forget.


The party this year will be on May 26th, the same night as the live final, and is very conveniently two days after my final, final-year exam so I don't have to feel guilty for not revising (as if I would anyway)!


This year's playlist is 48 tracks long, I have somehow managed to more than double the length of my 2011 playlist! The playlist does not include 2012 entries, save those for the show! The worst thing is that this playlist is only gonna get longer every year as I add songs from the previous contest... 


Parti Eurovision 2012 playlist:
1. A Friend in London - New Tomorrow [Denmark, 2011]
2. ABBA - Waterloo [Sweden, 1974]
3. Alex Sings Oscar Swings - Miss Kiss Kiss Bang [Germany, 2009]
4. Alexander Rybak - Fairytale [Norway, 2009]
5. Ani Lorak - Shady Lady [Ukraine, 2008]
6. AySel & Arash - Always [Azerbaijan, 2009]
7. Blue - I Can [UK, 2011]
8. Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up [UK, 1998]
9. Daz Sampson - Teenage Life [UK, 2006]
10. Dmitry Koldun - Work Your Magic [Belarus, 2007]
11. Eldrine - One More Day [Georgia, 2011]
12. Elena - The Balkan Girls [Romania, 2009]
13. Ell & Nicki - Running Scared [Azerbaijan, 2011]
14. Eric Saade - Popular [Sweden, 2011]
15. Euroband - This is My Life [Iceland, 2008]
16. Getter Jaani - Rockerfeller Street [Estonia, 2011]
17. Gina G - Ooh Aah Just a Little Bit [UK, 1996]
18. Hadise - Düm Tek Tek [Turkey, 2009]
19. Helena Paparizou - My Number One [Greece, 2005]
20. Javine - Touch My Fire [UK, 2005]
21. Jedward - Lipstick [Ireland, 2011]
22. Jessy Matador - Allez! Ola! Olé! [France, 2010]
23. Juliana Pasha - It's All About You [Albania, 2010]
24. Kalomira - Secret Combination [Greece, 2008]
25. Kati Wolf - What About My Dreams? [Hungary, 2011]
26. Katrina & The Waves - Love Shine a Light [UK, 1997]
27. Kenan Dogulu - Shake It Up Shekerim [Turkey, 2007]
28. Lena - Satellite [Germany, 2010]
29. Lordi - Hard Rock Hallelujah [Finland, 2006]
30. MaNga - We Could Be the Same [Turkey, 2010]
31. Marija Šerifović - Molitva [Serbia, 2007]
32. Milan Stanković - Ovo je Balkan [Serbia, 2010]
33. Nelly Ciobnu - Hora din Moldova [Moldova, 2009]
34. Paula Seling ft. Ovi - Playing With Fire [Romania, 2010]
35. Pirates of the Sea - Wolves of the Sea [Latvia, 2008]
36. Raphael Gualazzi - Madness of Love [Italy, 2011]
37. Rodolfo Chikilicuatre - Baila el Chiki-chiki [Spain, 2008]
38. Ruslana - Wild Dances [Ukraine, 2004]
39. Safura - Drip Drop [Azerbaijan, 2010]
40. Sakis Rouvas - This is Our Night [Greece, 2009]
41. Scooch - We're Flying the Flag (For You) [UK, 2007]
42. Sébastien Tellier - Divine [France, 2008]
43. Sieneke - Ik Ben Verliefd (Sha-la-lie) [Netherlands, 2010]
44. SunStroke Project & Olia Tira - Run Away [Moldova, 2010]
45. Svetlana Loboda - Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl) [Ukraine, 2009]
46. Teräsbetoni - Missä miehet ratsastaa [Finland, 2008]
47. Verka Serduchka - Dancing Lasha Tumbai [Ukraine, 2007]
48. Zdob şi Zdub - So Lucky [Moldova, 2011]


Phew! And now for a bit of trivia...

• 10 of these are winning entries (2, 4, 8, 13, 19, 26, 28, 29, 31 & 38)
• Amazingly there are more UK entries than any other, there are 7. The next highest is Ukraine & Moldova with 4.
• Most of the songs come from last year's contest - 2011 - then 2010 (9), 2009 (8) and 2008 (7); proof that Eurovision gets better every year?! 
• Only 4 of these songs are pre-2000: 3 winners & 3 UK entries (2/3 winners there)
• Song 43 (Sieneke - Ik Ben Verliefd (Sha-la-lie)) is the only song in the list to have not actually been in the Eurovision final but it's a fun song so I thought best not to leave it out!

Any thoughts on this year's playlist? Do let me know!


For European readers, ESC 2012 will take place on the 22nd (1st semi-fianl), 24th (2nd semi-final) and 26th (the final) May.
For non-European readers, the final and the semi-finals will be broadcast live on the Eurovision website - don't miss it!!  x

Norwy

No, I haven't misspelled 'Norway' - I've spelt it the Welsh way, think of my blog as a very long Welsh lesson. Anyway, why a post on Norway? Surprisingly, this has nothing to do with Eurovision but does have a lot to do with this BBC report. The report is about the trial of Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian man who ruthlessly murdered 77 people. 8 people died in an explosion in Oslo after Breivik planted a bomb outside the Norwegian Prime Minister's office and, following this, Breivik travelled to the small island of Utøya where the Labour Party youth wing were at camp, disguised as a policeman. There, he shot the island hostess and a security guard before summoning campers to stand around him under the pretence that he was there to talk about the Oslo bombing. He opened fire on those who surrounded him, on those who ran away from him and later on those who attempted to swim away from the island. Breivik killed 69 people in all on Utøya on 22 July 2011. A further 319 people were injured.


I remember when I first saw the news, I couldn't sleep so I was up all night and I first saw the report on BBC News early in the morning. Of course I was totally shocked, no one expects this kind of travesty to occur in Norway, credited as a very tolerant country, but I was also surprised at the lack of reactions from people online, mainly on Facebook. The vast majority of Facebookers seemed much more concerned about the death of Amy Winehouse, and while any death is tragic, I felt a bit uncomfortable that so many people were so concerned and apparently upset with her death and completely unaffected and in many cases oblivious to the travesties in Norway, the deadliest attack in Norway since World War II, and on average 1 in 4 Norwegians knew a victim affected by the attacks. I am NOT saying that Winehouse shouldn't be mourned and that her death wasn't notable, what I'm saying is that I was slightly annoyed that her death was very heavily publicised and seemingly more important than the deaths of 69 Norwegians. 


Breivik has confessed to the crime and wants his day in court. He says he committed these crimes (and would do so again) because he is "on a mission to save Norway and Europe from being taken over by Islam." This notion is, of course, ridiculous. I like to think that Europe, and members of the EU especially (Norway is not a member of the EU, but is practically tied into it), is home to very tolerant governments and tolerant people, the best in the world - save for the odd xenophobe here and there. However, several countries in Europe have small but loud right-wing extremists even in countries where you may not expect them, such as in Norway or Finland. I have long thought and made clear that the Nordic countries are leading examples in many things: democracy, the economy, healthcare, education, international relations, etc and it's about time people started following their example. Having said that, I really do hope that the Nords stay true to who they are and fail to allow people like Breivik to change them. I don't think they will change, and that they will remain the leaders in the things I have mentioned  and so I hope that one day governments, like that of the UK, realise that they are no longer 'the envy of the world' but are years behind our Nordic friends.


Breivik's trial begins 16 April 2012 and is expected to end June 22, 2012. The trial is expected to cost £10 million (€12.1m), a price worth paying for the Norwegians to get the answers they desperately want and to put a dangerously volatile man away for life.


This is my first foray into current affairs, and everything above is of course MY OPINION. If you agree or disagree with anything do feel free to comment and I will be more than happy to reply :)
Diolch am ddarllen!

And so it begins...

We are fast approaching what I like to call 'Eurovision season' - I say 'fast approaching' but we are already there really, for me it means Eurovision starts when all the songs have been chosen; the last song to be be picked was The Social Network Song, on 22nd March, which will be San Marino's entry. The season ends about a week after the contest, once I start getting bored with the vast majority of the songs. 


As I've mentioned on the blog before I do like a Eurovision party, and this year will be no different - there will be the usual banners, munchies, alcohol and music. I've created a new playlist and I will, like the sad-mad-obsessed-fool that I am, be sharing the tracklist. You never know, you might like some ideas for a playlist of your own. Everyone loves a Eurovision party!


Moving on - due to a rather large amount of boredom, I wondered what my top 10 Eurovision 2012 songs are so far. Fellow Eurovision fans will know that only the top 10 countries will get points based on this system: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 & 12. So here are my top 10 so far...


1 point
Ukraine: Gaitana - Be My Guest

2 points
Romania: Mandinga - Zaleilah

3 points
France: Anggun - Echo (You & I)

4 points
Italy: Nina Zilli - L'amore è femmina (Out of Love)

5 points
Denmark: Soluna Samay - Should've Known Better

6 points
Bulgaria: Sofi Marinova - Love Unlimited

7 points
Austria: Trackshittaz - Woki Mit Deim Popo

8 points
Cyprus: Ivi Adamou - La La Love

10 points
Norway: Tooji - Stay

12 points
Sweden: Loreen - Euphoria

Just missing out: Hungary, Russia, Greece, Ireland


My top 10 are based on their number of plays on iTunes so they're probably very likely to change, except for Sweden's entry anyway, that song has made its way to my top 25 so...


Eurovision isn't for everybody so if you made it this far down the post - WELL DONE!! And seeing as you made it this far, why not tell me your favourites and criticise/praise my Euro top 10?
The Eurovision final this year is May 26th - CANNOT WAIT.
Diolch am ddarllen x