101 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE!!!

Skydive

2011-11-28T21:41:00.000Z

Skydiving is on everyones bucket list and something that everyone should experience at least once. I had always wanted to do it but wanted the perfect view to look at. I had thought about doing it over the Great Barrier Reef while in Australia, but as soon as I arrived in Fiji I knew that this was the perfect place for me. Blue ocean and white sandy beaches, you couldn’t really go wrong with that.

I booked it with ‘Skydive Fiji’ though the hostel tour desk and they picked me up from there. You have to go through all the paperwork and basically sign your life away!

We arrived at the plane and I was given a harness to put on and tie up. This was the point I began to get nervous as they don’t exactly make sure it’s done up propery and you don’t get told what to do. We then got into this old, rickety plane that held 2 people and 2 instructors. As we slowly reached 12,000 feet I began to think about what I was actually doing and wether I would go through with it. My instructor Malachi, then finally tightened my harness and attached it to his, and then proceeded to tell me to put me feet out onto the step and and cross my arms over my chest when the door opened. Simple as that!!!

When we reached 12,000 feet my instructor opened the door and you could feel the wind straight away and it was freezing, but I didn’t care as my adenaline was pumping. Before I knew it we had let oursleves fall and we were literally falling to earth at around 120mph for 40-50 seconds!

It doesn’t feel like you were falling though as I think the higher you are the slower your brain registers that you are falling. With Bungy jumping for example the ground is getting closer and closer very quickly!!

As I was enjoying the scenery and getting relaxed Malachi opened the parachute and with a jolt we rushed back up a little bit. Floating through the air was such a great feeling and Fiji looks even more amazing than on the ground. After a while Malachi let me steer the parachute in circles and from left to right trying to get us over our target on the ground, and as the ground became closer he took over and when told I lifted my feet up for the landing. We both landed smoothly on our feet and I was totally in love with Skydiving.

Have you been skydiving and would you do it again??

Learn to Snowboard

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000Z

While away travelling I visited New Zealand and it was winter!!! I don’t really like the cold weather but I thought it was the perfect opportunity to Learn to Snowboard.

I bought myself a two-day beginners pass for $350NZD, which included free transport from Queenstown to Cardrona Ski Field, Lift pass for both days, all equipment (board, goggles, clothes etc) and 3 x two hour lessons.

On the first day I was a bit nervous but very excited. I got on the bus and watched the world go by for 1½ hours up winding hills to the ski field. Once we got there I had to wait 30 minutes for my first Snowboard lesson because I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I noticed a girl who was also on my bus and we started talking. It turned out that she was also a beginner and we would be in the same group for our lessons.

We started our first lesson at 10.30am and I was relieved when I saw people my age and older in my group. The first part of the lesson was spent talking about the board and how to move about on flat land with one foot strapped in. most of my group picked this up fairly quickly so we moved on to climbing up a small hill.

We then moved onto two feet strapped in and as soon as I did this I couldn’t stand up. I found it so hard to stand up while everyone else was up and down practising. I learnt that I need to work on my flexibility!

During lunch between our lessons I practised getting up and down so that I didn’t look like a total idiot in the next lesson. We then went on to stopping and starting using our toes and heels. Our instructor held our hands for the first few times until we got used to the board and got our balance and then he let us go.

I WAS SNOWBOARDING!!!!!

After my initial bad start I picked things up fairly quickly and stayed at the front of the pack. We all fell a few times but nobody cared. After a while of practising we made it onto the beginners slope and started zigzagging down the hill at a slow speed. It was really painful on the legs but so much fun.

On the second day I met up with a friend, Helen, who I had previously met in America and we both had our last lessons. We practised again doing zigzags on the beginners slope until our instructor said we were ready!! He was actually going to take us onto a real slope with other people who weren’t beginners!!

The first challenge was the Ski lifts, they swing round on a carousel like a cable car and you have to get in front of it so it can lift you up into it. If you don’t get there in time they will knock you over! I managed that bit ok and then we watched all the skiers and snowboarders coming down the mountain as we slowly made our way up. As we got nearer the top my instructor said there would be a slight slope to get off, again it won’t stop so you have to be quick. As I prepared myself I lost all confidence and fell over as soon as I got off it. How embarrassing!!!

After that one time I was ok, Helen and I spent the rest of the afternoon going down the mountain thinking we were really good at it. I think we were ok for beginners until my last run. I got a bit cocky and was on the last stretch when my board skidded round and the back edge caught on the snow. I flew backwards and smacked my head on the ground, and twisted my wrist. I went all dizzy and felt like I was going to faint, so called it a day! In the coach on the way back I took my glove off to see that my wrist had tripled in size!! Fortunately it wasn’t broke but very badly sprained and I couldn’t use it properly for a good few weeks.

Here a small preview of my progress

Overall the experience was worth it and I would recommend anyone to give snowboarding or even skiing a go!!

Watch David Beckham play for LA Galaxy

2011-11-07T09:00:00.001Z

While I was in Los Angeles I felt it was only right to watch my hero David Beckham play for Los Angeles Galaxy Football (Soccer) team. I was a bit worried about booking a ticket, as I knew I would be on my own and the Home Depot Centre where they play is about 1 ½ drive from Hollywood where I was staying.

On the 4^th July A guy in my Hostel went to see a match and said it was fine getting there and he got a taxi back to be safe, so I thought what the heck I am all the way over here and I will never get the chance to see David Beckham play again.

I went onto a website called ‘Stubhub’ who sell cheap tickets and I managed to get a second row ticket for $13 for the 9^th July 2011.

I made my way to the Home Depot Centre in Carson on the bus as I had already bought a weekly ticket for unlimited use. It was really easy to get there but we went through Compton, which is the roughest area in Los Angeles, and no tourist is ever seen there! This helped me make my decision to get a taxi home at whatever cost!

I arrived at the Home Depot centre in time to watch the teams warm up and I got my first ever real life glimpse of David Beckham!!! He is as good looking in real life as he is in Magazines.

The game itself was a pretty good match. LA Galaxy was playing the Chicago Fire and ended up winning 2-1. The first half wasn’t that interesting but in the second half it was all go! In the 58^th minute Galaxy received a free kick, which David Beckham took and curved it onto Landon Donovan’s head for the first goal. Next up was Chicago Fire who scored an easy goal in the 62^nd minutes but only 4 minutes later was the highlight of the game. Galaxy received a corner kick, which again David Beckham took. A usual corner kick would see the player curve it in to one of the player’s heads but this time Beckham did something that not many players could do. He curved it right into the goal past all the players and even the goalkeeper!!!!

The whole experience for me was incredible as the Home Depot centre is a fairly small stadium so any seat you sit in is a good seat. I was lucky to have a second row seat right next to the corner in which Beckham took the corner from. I will never forget this day!

Ride along the Great Ocean Road

2011-11-04T15:06:00.000Z

While in Australia I visited Melbourne, recently voted the most liveable city in Australia. Melbourne is the perfect getaway to the Great Ocean Road, a 243-kilometre stretch of dramatic coastline along the southeastern part of Australia all the way to Adelaide.

While I was in Melbourne I had a Surf Camp booked, which I received for my birthday. Unfortunately the Surf tour was cancelled so I couldn’t complete 'Learn to Surf'. But with that surf camp I also received a free 1-day tour of the Great Ocean Road with Bunyip Tours.

The tour started early at 7am so I booked into a hostel that was next door! There were 12 people on our tour, which was good as it wasn’t too crowded. Our first stop was Bell’s Beach near Torquay. The beach was made famous in the film ‘Point Break’ and is also home to the worlds longest-running surf tour – the Ripcurl Pro surf tour. As I was there in September there were only a few surfers as it was still a bit cold! Whilst at the beach the tour guide gave us a cup of tea and some biscuits.

Before our next stop at Cape Otway we passed through Lorne and Apollo Bay spotting wild Koala’s up in the Eucalyptus Trees. As we approached Cape Otway National Park we stopped by the roadside to get a close up view of the Koala’s and had the most amazing encounter. One of the koalas climbed down the tree and started walking across the road. Some of us were then able to get a close picture with it.

At Cape Otway we went for a quick rainforest Bush walk before stopping at the Famous Lighthouse. The lighthouse is the oldest, surviving lighthouse in Mainland Australia and has been in continuous operation since 1848. The lighthouse is owned and run by the famous Gadabanud People who cooked us a famous Aussie BBQ and told us stories about their culture.

Our last stop was the main part of the trip and the famous limestone rocks known as the 12 Apostles. We reached the 12 Apostles viewpoint first and some people took a helicopter ride over them. We then visited ‘Loch Ard Gorge’ which was named after a clipper ship Loch Ard that was wrecked on nearby Muttonbird Island after a three-month journey from London to Melbourne. The amazing part was only 2 survivors made it out of the 51 people on board thanks to the gorge that protected them from the very strong and fatal waves.

The last beach we enjoyed was called ‘Gibson Steps Beach’ which had 86 steps in total. Here we had fun on the beach having our pictures taken with ‘Australia’ and our names written in the sand.

Overall it was a fantastic day out and a must do attraction when visiting Melbourne or anywhere on the Southeastern coast of Australia.

Has anyone driven the whole of the Great Ocean Road or part of it????

#53 - Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge

2011-09-19T16:28:00.000+01:00

As some of you may remember I received this as a birthday present. It was a major highlight on my trip as the Sydney Harbour is probably the most famous harbour out there.

If there was one thing I can say about the climb, it's 'wow'. Seeing Sydney from 440 feet above the Harbour is just amazing. Being up so high really shows you how big the city is, with all the islands and you can even see Bondi Beach!!!

There are three different climbs, the Bridge climb, the Discovery Climb and the Express climb. The Bridge climb is the most common climb, which I did, lasting 3.5 hrs and taking you along the top archway and over the top between the famous flags.

We were not climbing for 3.5 hrs though.

My climb was at 1.35 pm on 5th September, for the first 45 minutes you are kitted out and breathalised. They take safety very seriously as you can imagine. To protect yourself and people below on the bridge, you have to wear a boiler suit (to stop anything falling off you) and a safety harness that clips onto a wire at all times. They have thought of everything. When I climbed it was 30 degrees outside but we still had to carry waterproofs, hats, gloves and even a handkerchief incase we cried!! Everything is clipped on at least twice, again incase anything fell onto cars below.

After a quick training session in climbing stairs we started our climb. Our guide Richard lead us through one the the bridges pillars before we climbed the hardest section of the bridge (being 4 sets of steep ladders!) onto the top arch. The archway has fitted steps that are not very steep all the way along the arch to the top. Anyone could climb the bridge as your guide is always stopping to tell you about the scenery or taking your photo. Even a 100 year old lady has climbed the bridge, so if you want to do it there is really no excuse!

On returning to the bridge climb base and getting back into your own clothes, you receive a complimentary group photo from your climb. As usual they try and sell you photos at extortionate prices, but luckily I receive another free photo with my gift certificate!!

Has anyone climbed the bridge?? How did you find it and would you do it again??

I'm Back!!!

2011-09-19T15:18:00.000+01:00

I know it's been forever since I wrote a blog post!!

I haven't had anyone wondering where I am yet so I must not have enough followers :), but I am going to change that.

The reason I haven't been writing is because I have been traveling around the world completing items off my list.

Stay tuned as there will be lots of posts coming your way in the next couple of weeks.

Don't forget to comment if you read my posts, so that I know people are out there LOL

Happy Blogging

#68 Visit the Grand Canyon

2011-09-15T18:07:00.001+01:00

Flagstaff is famous for the Lowell Observatory, where pluto was discovered, and the San Francisco Peaks, but I was there as a get away to the Grand Canyon. Being only 1.5hrs drive away Flagstaff along with Williams are perfect places to set up base.
On 11th June I visited the Grand Canyon with a group of people from my hostel. We set off at 9 am and reached the Canyon for about 10.30. Our first stop was the Bright Angel trail, which is the main area along the south rim. Our guide blind folded us and walked us to the view point before we could remove our blindfolds. He wanted us all to be speechless with our first view of the Canyon and wasn’t I just!

After a small walk along the Bright Angel Trail we headed to a private area where you need a permit to enter. We sat on the edge and ate lunch. I think this has been the most amazing place that I have ever eaten lunch!

After lunch we headed to the South Kaibab Trail, 7.1 miles long and at an elevation of 6320 ft. We only hike 0.75 miles to ‘ooh – aah’ point and back again that was stupidly steep!

Our final stop was Desert Point, which was the only point where we could see the Colorado River.

After visiting the Grand Canyon I can understand why it is named one of the seven wonders of the world. My photos will not do it justice and the only way you will understand the feeling is if you visit it yourself.

Have you ever visited the Grand Canyon?

New York

2011-09-15T18:03:00.001+01:00

My trip has now brought me to New York City, the city that never sleeps!

#76 Go to the top of the Rockefeller Centre

The Empire State Building is one of the most famous buildings in New York and it has appeared in many movies such as King Kong and Sleepless in Seattle
While I was in New York however I decided to climb the Rockefeller centre as I believe it is better to climb as you get a view of the Empire State Building and a perfect view of Central Park.

#81 Stand in the middle of Times Square

Times square is MENTAL!!!! There are people everywhere all the time.

Say that though, I had the best time wondering around looking at all the crazy things happening. Being pulled over for free tickets to comedy clubs, night clubs and tv shows was good fun. I didn't manage to get anything that I was interested in, but there you go!.

#82 Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

Coming into Manhattan from Brooklyn gives you a great view of the Manhattan skyline but to be honest the Brooklyn Bridge is nothing special to me.
What do you think about the Brooklyn Bridge?

#83 Visit Central Park

Central Park is one of the most famous parks in the world and it was 100% man made. Most New Yorkers go there to escape the crazy fast paced atmosphere of the city after a long days work.
My favorite parts of Central Park where Strawberry Fields and the SE Pond.

#84 Visit Ground Zero

I actually visited Ground Zero on the day that Osama Bin Laden was killed. It was an historic day and I’m pleased to say that I was there.
They have started to build the Freedom Tower that will be a tribute to the 9/11 victims and families and will also be the tallest building in New York.

#167 be an extra in a film

While i was in New York I happened to bump into the set of Men in Black 3! I wasn’t an extra but I think meeting Will Smith was worth a mention.

Overall I had the best two weeks in New York that anyone could ask for. Especially meeting Will Smith was the highlight of my time there, as I'm sure it would have been for many people.

PARIS!!!

2011-06-10T06:27:00.001+01:00

So the first stop on my round the world trip was Paris!

I only had one day in Paris as it is not too far from home so I can visit again. I travelled on the Eurostar which took 2hrs from London. I woke up early the next morning as I wanted to fit so much into my day.

First up #11 climb the Eiffel tower

Climbing the Eiffel tower is something that everyone who visits Paris must do. When I was there it was raining (typical), but I still enjoyed the day. I arrived at the Eiffel tower for 9am thinking that I would have plenty of time to take pictures and admire this amazing tower before the entrance opened at 9.30am.

How wrong was I! At 9am the queues were already at least 100 people long, so I joined the queue and waited. Since all the terrorist attacks around the world everywhere has become security mad. I had to go through metal detects and have my i.d. checked before I could enter. There are two ways to reach the top of the Eiffel tower the lift or the stairs! I choose the lift as it was raining and there are a lot of stairs lol.

Reaching the very top of the Eiffel Tower left me speechless. What a view! You can see for miles and all of Paris' main attractions up close. I had a full 360 degree view.

I decided to climbed down the stairs so that I could experience that as well. As I was returning to the ground there were people running up the stairs as part of a morning workout!

Have you ever climbed the Eiffel tower?

Next up was #18 walk along the Champs Elysees

The champs elysees is the London Oxford street of Paris. At one end is the arc de triomphe and at the other is the l'obelisque.

Then onto the Lourve for #23 see the Mona Lisa.

On the first Sunday of every month all the museums in Paris as free to enter, and it just so happens to be the first Sunday of the month.
As I didn't have much time I only wanted to see the Mona Lisa so I entered in the side door known as the as Porte DES Lions as it was the closest. When I reached the Mona Lisa it was like there was a celebrity in the room. Everyone was crowded round and they all had their cameras out. I have to say though that it is a pretty spectacular sight and if you are in Paris you should not miss it. I managed to get to the front of the crowd to get a couple of pictures but after that I was pushed out to the side. Oh well.

Last but not least is #12 light a candle in the Notre Dame.

#10 Attend the Olympic Games in London 2012

2011-03-29T17:52:00.000+01:00

As you all know the Olympic games are coming to London in 2012. Living one and a half hours from London means that this is the best chance for me to go and watch some of the events.

The Olympics is a big part of my summer every four years. In 2008 when the games were in Beijing I was up all night just so I could watch the events live on TV, because of the time difference. I have always been into sport and love participating in any sporting event. I would say that I’m pretty good at most sports but I have never excelled in one individual sport to an Olympic level so I would never be able to attend as an athlete.

Anyway, tickets are on sale now but you have to go through a ballot system which means you apply for tickets and if you are selected then you can purchase them. If you are not selected then you can’t go. I’m not sure weather I like the idea but I suppose it is the fairest way for everybody.

I don’t just want to attend the Olympics though, I want to be a part of it and for it to be something major in my life history. The best way for me to be in the thick of it is to be a volunteer. I applied for a ‘Games Maker’ position back in September 2010 along with 250,000 other people. I didn’t get my hopes up too much as that is a lot of people and there are only 70,000 positions to fill.

On Tuesday 22nd March 2011 I received an email stating that I had been selected for an ‘in-person’ interview. Out of 250,000 applicants only 100,000 people were successful in being interviewed. This is a real achievement for me and I snapped up the chance to head to the London Excel centre for my interview on Sunday 27th March 2011 at 12.30pm.

It was with some excitement that I left the house to head up to London. The journey was a nightmare. I arrived at London Victoria Train Station at 11.15, which gave me 1.15hrs to get across London. ‘Loads of time’ you say! Well as it was a Sunday the underground was closed for engineering work in many places and I had to get a ticket. It took me 30 minutes to get a ticket as there were so many people queuing up to do the same. I then had to get off the underground and head to the Bus stop. The bus then took 25 minutes to get to ‘Tower Gateway’ where I then still had another 20 minutes on the DLR train to the Excel Centre. I ended up being 20 minutes late for my interview and I thought I had blown my chance of becoming a volunteer.

I walked up to the Registration all sweaty and red faced and explained what had happened. They seemed very chilled out about it and put me in the next time slot group. I then had my passport checked to confirm my identity and was then given a blue wristband. I then continued to the next desk where my passport was photocopied and my photo taken (for my ID if I was eventually successful as a Games Maker). After this I was sent to the display area where I meet some people from the Accreditation Team and some other hopeful applicants.

We then had a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation to find out what being a volunteer was all about and for the team members to get to know us as individuals. We then went into the cinema room and sat down to a short film and messages from Lord Sebastian Coe and Eddie Izzard. We then continued to the interview Pods for a 30 minute interview.

I was in Pod 19 with an interviewer called Rob. The questions were basic and what I had expected. As quickly as it started it was over and I was shown out to the message board and shop. I signed the board with ‘Every Journey starts with ONE step! Good luck everyone’.

I will find out my fate of being an Olympic volunteer in October 2011, and if accepted there will be a series of training and testing events to make sure we all know what we are doing when the Olympics start next year.

Are any of you volunteering or have you in previous Olympics?

#174 Complete 20 Random acts of Kindness

2011-02-28T12:58:00.000Z

So, February is nearly over and what a month. I set out to complete 20 different random acts of kindness in the lead up to my birthday. This task has opened my eyes and I really felt a sense of achievement. Most of the tasks performed were anonymous but I tried to stick around secretly to see the reactions. Here are a few of my experiences:

1. Leave an appreciative note for the postman:

I see the postman cycling along the streets everyday throughout the year. I can’t imagine how terrible the job must be, getting up a 3am every morning just so we can get our post (that is mainly bills anyway) everyday. My note is below:

‘Dear Postman, I just wanted to drop a note to say Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for suffering through the cold winter morning and whatever other unimaginable events you must go through to deliver our post. Thank You – From all of us!’

The best part about this day was that the same postman actually delivers to the hotel where I work but obviously doesn’t know where I live. She came in drenched by the rain with the biggest smile on her face. ‘You look happy today’ I stated. She proceeded to explain about a note that someone had left for her. I asked to see it but she said that she had replied to the note and put it back into the post box.

2. Tape money to a children's toy vending machine:

I was working all day today so I had to use an ordinary vending machine instead of a children’s toy one. We have a vending machine in the reception area at work so this one was pretty easy and I could see the reaction of the people who found it. They read the card and looked around with surprised expressions until they finally used the money and took the card with them. They did not realise it was me, but the feeling I got inside cannot be described.

5. Send some flowers anonymously:

I sent these to my mum, as she loves flowers. It was a real surprise for her as she only received flowers for her birthday which is on the 8th but that didn’t matter. At first she thought it might be an early birthday present so I had to confess that it was me.

As you know this task was leading up to my birthday. It was my 21st on the 19th February and I have to confess that I was spoilt. Maybe it was Karma!!!

The main presents I would like to share with you are:

• A Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb gift certificate
• A surf camp in Australia along the Great Ocean Road
• $100AUD from my friends

#174 Complete 20 Random Acts of Kindness

2011-02-02T16:33:00.002Z

Watch out as you may be RAOK'ed!

Many people complete this task during December as a countdown to Christmas, but Kindness can be given out anytime of the year.

I have decided to complete this challenge now as it is my Birthday Month and in life it is better to give than to receive. It will also be my 21st Birthday so these last couple of weeks will countdown my childhood days and hopefully my immaturity.

Everyday you are to uncover a 'Kindness' task to complete. The tasks I have chosen are as follows:

1. Leave an appreciative note for the postman

2. Tape money to a children's toy vending machine

3. Donate used books to a library

4. Hold the door open for someone

5. Send some flowers anonymously

6. Let the Manager of a shop know how well an employee is doing

7. Put together a writing kit and give it to a nursing home

8. Put a comment on a blog telling them how great it is

9. Send a card to someone in the Military Overseas

10. Leave your change in a vending machine

11. Leave something in an area where it might be needed (i.e lighter in the smoking area, an umbrella by the door if it's raining)

12. Open the phone book, pick a name and send them somethings (thank you card, flowers etc) anonymously

13. Take flowers to a hospital ward and give them to someone who doesn't receive them or has no visitors

14. Write a thank you mote to a person from your past who has made a difference in your life

15. Send an anonymous scratch card, lottery ticket or small gift to someone you know

16. Donate clothes to goodwill

17. Put change in a Charity tub

18. Send a package/gift to a local primary school class

19. Smile at strangers

20. Put a tip in a street musicians jar

As I complete each task I will leave a note letting people know they have been RAOK'ed

#171: Complete the 365 Photo Challenge

2011-01-23T23:07:00.001Z

UPDATE 1!

It's day 23 and my project was off to a flying start. I recieved a new camera for Christmas and loved using it at any occasion. As the days have gone past I have not been feeling particularly inspired over the past few days but i'm still on track. I am feeling a lot more positive about the coming months and hopefully it will become a habit to simply pick up the camera each day and go in search of something worth capturing!

It will hopefully become easier as the weather inproves so I can venture out into the sunshine and shoot some spring colours instead of wondering around the house looking for subjects!

I was researching the internet today in seach of inspiration when I remembered the 31 day photo challenge Leah (a fellow blogger) was participating in. (You can view her project here) I thought this was a great idea but I wasn't too sure about taking photos of myself, so I found a simular project here that suits me better.

1. Anything, Whatever you want

2.Something that makes you smile

3. Something that you collect

4. Something that stresses you out

5. A cup you drank from today

6. Someone who inspires you

7. A picture of your phone

8. What you had for lunch today

9. Shoes

10. A product you use in your hair

11. Your Pet

12. A sneak picture you took in class/at work

13. Nature

14. Somewhere you went today

15. Somewhere A device you own but never use or touch

16. Something that makes you sad

17. Something you have too much of and is taking up unnecessary room

18.Something your currently borrowing from someone

19.Something you don't have much of

20. A stuffed doll/animal you have

21. Something from your bathroom

22. Something Sweet

23. A book you've been reading

24. Something you shouldn't have bought but did anyway

25. A souvenier from holiday

26. Something that means a lot to you

27. Your handwriting

28. Something Purple

29. Something in your Fridge

30. You!

Check out my 365 Photo page to see how I get on.

My Favorite photos so far are in this post!

#171 Complete the 365 Photo Challange

2010-12-31T00:09:00.001Z

The 365 Photo Project is a photography project where you document a year of your Life by taking a daily photo.

I have always been interested in Photography and by doing this project I hope to become a better photographer. You will be able to see my world through photos, whether its what food I enjoy to special places in my life, along with my family and friends.

I first read about this project on a fellow life list blogger Elleswim who completed 71 days but has recently started the challenge again. You should check her out!

You will be able to follow my 365 project here or click the link at the top of my page!

Is anyone else trying to complete this challenge? If not give it a go!

#147 Attend a showing of your favorite TV show

2010-12-06T19:17:00.003Z

I know I have already completed this item, but I attended another showing which was LIVE this time.

For the semi-finals of the X Factor’s shows I was lucky enough (and the envy of all my friends!) to have tickets to see it live in the audience. And what an experience it was!

Living in the south I had a 2 hour journey to London, which is usually fine on the train but this week the whole of the UK has been under snow. This mean't my journey took double the time but was definitely worth it!

We got our seats not long before the show started. The first thing I noticed was the size of the studio and stage. The live shows are filmed in a different studio to the auditions and this time around the studio was half the size. It is a lot smaller in real life than it looks on TV, we were sat six rows from the front but it still felt within touching distance.

On the tickets it stated that the doors would open at 18:45 so everyone had enough time to get allocated seats before the show started at 20:00. Luckly for us the doors opened early as they were doing a pre-recording for the results show on Sunday. We were all really excited as we had heard that the Black Eyed Peas were performing on the results show so we assumed we were going to see them.

As we started the pre-recording it turned out to be the cast of Glee all the way from the USA. It was there first ever performance on British TV and they were promoting Season 2 of the show. I believe that it is a big show over in the USA but I have never seen it. I may have to check it out as I really enjoyed the performance.

Watch the performance here!

After the pre-recording we had twenty minutes before the live show. There was a warm up guy who told us what to do and got us all hyped up!

The judges walked on and Dannii and Cheryl looked stunning, Simon and Louis looked just like they do on the TV! It was fantastic to see them all in real life. All the judges were friendly and made the effort to interact with the crowd whilst not live on TV, some people were even lucky enough to have a hug and a kiss with Simon and Cheryl. Dermot O’Leary was funny and charming often walking through the audience and shaking peoples hands. I even managed to get Dermot's autograph! It was just a shame we weren’t allowed to take any photos.

Watching the contestants live reminded me that they were real normal people, whilst everyone at home was watching the contestants VT before they sang their song, we got to see them getting ready on stage – most of the time just standing there full of nerves.

The atmosphere in the studio was electric, everyone screaming and cheering for their favourite acts, the noise of the crowd in the studio is much louder than you hear at home. Everyone quickly got into the spirit of the pantomime of the show, booing at the judges when they weren’t so nice to the contestants, we all easily got carried away with the whole thing!

The show seemed to be over so quickly, being live meant it only lasted a tiny bit longer than you see on TV, but we got to stay in the audience whilst the Xtra Factor was filmed. Konnie spoke to the contestants on stage, then the judges moved to the studio and we got to see them on the big screens answering questions from callers at home.

Unfortunately the evening couldn’t last forever, and it was soon time to take the long journey back home – but what an experience being live at X Factor was, and imagine my surprise when I watched it back to see myself in the audience! I just hope I get to go back next year…

Watch out USA as Simon is bringing the X Factor (and maybe Cheryl Cole) to your side of the Atlantic!

#172 Write a Novel

2010-12-01T19:14:00.002Z

So NaNoWriMo had finally finished and I can reveal that i'm offically a WINNER.

I cannot begin to tell you how hard it has been over the last 30 days. I started my novel off really well as I had made a plan in October. I was on target with my word count until day 5 when it started to go a bit down hill.

The second week of November was the hardest for me. I had written everything I had planned to write and then 'Writers Block' kicked in! If any of you have experienced this then you know it is the worst thing to have when trying to write anything.

I then had a few of days off work and sat at my computer for two days straight and was back on track with my word count until I reached 50,175 to be exact.

Below is part of my Novel:

“Are you going out this afternoon?” I asked mum and dad. “Wasn’t thinking about it” replied dad. I was starting to get frustrated. It was now Sunday afternoon and I still hadn’t managed to return to the loft. Today is going to be my only chance until next weekend at least, because mum is always around when I get home from school. “Why don’t you go out for a romantic meal?” I suggest. “A romantic meal” mum laughed. “The last time I had one of those was before you were born! You’re dad isn’t the romantic type.” “Yes I am!” dad shouted from the living room. I ran across the hallway into the living room, “well show mum that then, take her out for the evening. “I’ll be fine on my own” I reassured them. Dad thought about it for a while and eventually decided that it was a good idea. Mum looked the happiest I had seen her for a while.

It took mum about two hours to get ready. Usually she does it in an hour so I knew that she really wanted to impress dad. “You look lovely, mum” I said. “Thank you darling, I best do after spending two hours getting ready,” she laughed. “Come on!” dad shouted from the doorway, “we’re going to miss our table reservation!” “Dad’s gone to a lot of trouble, you best get a move on,” I said pushing her out the door. “Bye, have a good night” I shouted as they pulled away.

I ran straight for the kitchen to get the keys to the loft. I was so desperate to find out what was in the chest, that I ran upstairs without the ladder. I turned around and went back down huffing and puffing. I dragged the ladders up the stairs and placed them under the loft entrance. I began to climb but quickly became nervous. “Should I be doing this?” I asked myself. Was there a reason mum didn’t let me up here? Was I over exaggerating the excitement of the chest? I soon composed myself and carried on into the loft. I turned the light on and walked over to it. It looked a lot bigger up close.

Like everything else it had a padlock on it, but this time I didn’t know where the key was. It was quite a chunky padlock but it had a very small keyhole, like the one you would get on a diary. I sat back against the wall feeling disappointed. Something inside me really wanted to find out what was in there! I sat for a while picturing all the places that mum could have hidden the key, when I suddenly spotted the bunch of keys that I used to get into the loft. “That would be the obvious place,” I thought.

Searching the keys there was one key that stood out from the rest. It was a small key with one side all smooth and the other side had groves in it. My hands started to sweat slightly and the thought of being caught finally dawned on me. If my mum caught me up here, let alone in this chest I would be grounded forever. Putting that thought behind me I inserted the key into the keyhole. Slowly turning it I heard the all-important click! The lock had opened and the key had worked. I slowly opened the lid of the chest to find some old diaries and what looked like legal documents. “Well that was exciting,” I moaned to myself. I don’t know what I was expecting but paper and diaries was not a thought.

I started scanning through the documents anyway, being the nosy person that I am. It all looked like legal paperwork, until I came across a certificate. ‘CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION’ was written in black bold writing. We, John and Alice Fredera, by signing below, take full responsibility for the child known as ‘Sophie Jane Williams’. This was odd; mum and dads name was on the certificate. I began looking further into the chest and there were several documents that didn’t make sense. There was a birth certificate for Sophie Jane Williams and a change of name certificate. To my horror the name was changed to Jane Fredera! I was in total shock, had I been adopted! It took a while for it to sink in. “Of course you have, what other explanation is there” I said to myself. There are so many questions floating around in my head. Why was I adopted? Who are my real parents? Why have I never been told about this? I couldn’t talk to mum and dad about this because they would know I’ve been up in the loft. As I was putting everything back into the chest I noticed the diaries again. “Maybe these will tell me what happened,” I thought. I grabbed the 1995 and 96 diaries and locked up the chest and the loft.

As I was putting the ladder back into the shed I heard a car pull onto the driveway. “Had I been up there that long,” I thought. I quickly ran up to my room and hid the diaries under my pillow, as I didn’t want mum to see them. “Hello”, dad shouted as he entered the house. I wanted to reply but my body was just num, I couldn’t talk. “How could they have lied to me?” I got into bed and pretended to be asleep as mum walked into the room. “Darling, are you asleep” mum whispered. No reply came from me, so she switched off the light and went downstairs. I led in bed still feeling very num. I wanted to know what had happened but I couldn’t bring myself to read the diaries. “What was I going to do now? I can’t just carry on like nothing had happened?

I hope you enjoyed ready it and Let me know what you think. Please remember that it won't be perfect as it is a first draft.

#172 Write a Novel

2010-10-15T20:43:00.002+01:00

I originally decided to replace this thing to do as I didn't think I had the ability to write a novel. I was always terrible at English in school and always hated the thought of creating a story. But recently I have been thinking that it would be an incredible achievement especially for me.

I started the 101 things to do list so that I could push myself and achieve things I would have never thought possible and to create amazing memories.

Last year I read a post by fellow blogger Jessica about National Novel Writing Month. During the month of November thousands of participants begin to write a novel with the aim of achieving 50,000 words. The aim is not to write a best seller but to get your foot in the door and start writing.

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.

Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
(nanowrimo.org)

I think this would be great for me as I have a goal to work for. If National Novel Writing Month was not around I would definitely be in the 99% of people, if left to our own devices, would never make time to write a novel.

Timing for me has worked out well as I still have half of October to think about the story I am going to write and prepare myself to achieved at least a half decent Novel.

Have any of you taken part in this before or going to give it a go this year??? Let me know

#210 Go backpacking around the World

2010-08-22T20:54:00.001+01:00

Travel is a huge part of my life! With many holidays over the years I have officially caught the 'Travel Bug'. After many years of talking about it, I am eventually doing it - Travelling the World!!!!

My life wasn't really going anywhere and I still don't know what career path I want to take.

Travelling has always been a part of my life but doing it for a year on my own was a scary thought. After many years of thinking and planning I finally realised that it would be a huge achievement and an experience not to be missed. So, I finally started saving my money and making my dream a reality.

I can't believe it but this is really coming true as I have recently bought my ticket!!!!!

I will be leaving in April 2011, visiting Europe, USA, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia.

I'm going to be travelling around europe using Interrail visiting Croatia, Italy,Spain,Switzerland and France. From there I will head over to New York to begin a Coast to Coast trip to Los Angeles before I head to Fiji for a month of Rest and Relaxation. After that I will head down to New Zealand visiting Auckland, Christchurch and Queensland with everything inbetween, mainly checking out the adrenaline sports. Finally I will head into Melbourne (oz) to travel up the east coast aiming to be home for Christmas.

I cannot wait for this as it has been a dream of mine for a while now. If anyone has been travelling to these places it would be great to hear some advice on places to visit and must sees!

Americans, please can you help?? I want to see everything there is in the USA but I only have 2 1/2 months to see it. I definitely want to see Florida.

Can anyone suggest a southern route that will pack in a much of the must sees!!

#217 Watch your team win the World Cup

2010-07-18T17:51:00.001+01:00

The World Cup only happens every 4 years, so thats only 20 World Cups that England could win in my lifetime. Thats if i make it to 100 years old! With this in mind and the fact that i'm supporting ENGLAND, I have changed this thing to do to 'Attend a major sporting event'. (Bring on 2012)

As the world cup has recently finished I thought I would give you all a summary of my view.

It didn't really start that well for all the major teams like France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and England losing or drawing their opening matches to the like of USA, Japan, Korea etc... France then walked out on their manager and didn't even make it into the last 16, while England lost to Germany in their worst ever World Cup defeat (4-0). There goes my hope of watching England for another 4 years!

Meanwhile in the rest of the competition Brazil and Argentina looked to be the favorites for the final, as they both played excelllent throughout the group stages. That was until the quater finals. This gave Holland and Spain the chance to beat Uruguay and Germany for there own victory.

The final was nothing special with tackles here, there and everywhere. Many different shots going on target but getting deflected one way or another. Extra time turned up and out of nowhere Andres Inesta scored with a fantastic shot in the 116th minute to give Spain their fist ever World Cup win!!!

This makes Spain only the 3rd team in history to hold both championships titles together (European and World). With the Golden Boot going to Thomas Muller of Germany and the Golden Ball going to Diego Forlan of Uruguay.

I have to say that this wasn't the best World Cup i've seen and one that I would be happy to forget.

What are your thoughts on this years World Cup??
Did your team do as well as you expected??
Did anyone go to South Africa to watch a match???

#142 Attend a showing of your favorite TV show

2010-07-10T23:07:00.001+01:00

Throughout my life watching TV I have always wondered how people manage to make it into the audience of a TV show. Did they win tickets in competitions or buy them like any other concert or sporting event??? I used to be very jealous of these people, as they get to see how TV shows are made and maybe even see some celebrities. Some people even manage to make it onto the screen as the camera scans the audience.

So about 2 years ago I started searching on google, trying to find out where to get the tickets and how much they cost etc... I found a couple of websites all advertising different shows and to my surprise the tickets were FREE!!!!! I started registering and applying for different shows.

Over the past 2 years I have attended many TV shows such as: 'The Paul O'Grady Show', 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' and 'The Whole 19 Yards'. They were all fantastic days out and definitely worth the trips to all the different studios. But I had to attend my favorite show, which is of course is The X Factor!

Imagine my excitment when I recieved a congratulation email saying I had four tickets to see the live auditions on 21st June 2010!!!

So armed with the tickets and lots of food, my friends and I boarded the 8.30 train to London and rushed to the Excel Centre hoping that we had made the first 2000 people. The most tedious part of it all was waiting to go in, even arriving by 11.00 we had to wait 3hrs until they finally opened the door (good job the sun was shining)!

Once inside we were overwhelmed, the set that has been on the TV for 6 years was in front of our very eyes. The massive red X and the London signs were on the backdrop and the opening music was playing. Soon enough the quirky warm up guy told us a few jokes, and the procedures were all made very clear, "No photo taking during an audition and NO BOOING the auditionees!!".

Dermot O'Leary made an appearance and did a few takes for the opening links (then was never seen again). Then the judges were introduced (Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh). After a few words from them the auditions started and throughout the 3hrs of filming we saw the good, the bad, the ugly and the crazy but I don't think we saw the winner!!

Once the last auditionee has finished the judges were hurried out by security and the hot and sweaty 2000 member audience made a dash for the exit. The train home was packed but everyone was buzzing! If I had the chance to do it all over again I would.

I have already applied for boot camp and final tickets so we will have to see.

The audition process is shown over a 2 month period starting at the end of July, so we will have to watch and see if we are lucky enough to make it onto the show. Last year I made it onto the Xtra Factor (a spin off with Holly Willoughby) so maybe I could do one better and make it onto the main show.

If you would like to register for TV audience tickets I suggest visiting Applause Store as it has the best show and is available in the USA. You can visit by clicking here.

Have you been in a TV audience and made it onto the TV????

#215 Ride the World's Biggest Rollercoaster's

2010-07-09T18:09:00.001+01:00

Thorpe Park is known as the 'Nations Thrill Capital' located in Kent, UK. After working the night shift my friends and I decided to drive the hour and a half to Thorpe Park for the day, and what a day! The sun was shining and the schools hadn't finished for summer.

We started the day off by only paying £18 (what a bargin) to enter the park with 2 for 1 special tickets that gets you access to 30+ rides and attractions.

The first ride of the day was stealth, which launches you 205ft up into the air, going from 0 - 80mph in 1.8 seconds. (Holding the record for the fastest acceleration in Europe). All I can say is OMG! Going that fast in such a short space of time sent shivers down my spine. If you ever visit Thorpe Park this is a must.

We queued up for all the must do rides:

Detonator winches you 100ft up, then fires you back to earth at 75km an hour

Tidal Wave is an 85ft drop through water

Nemesis Inferno is a suspended rollercoaster featuring a jounrey through the heart of an erupting volcano.

While letting our lunch settle we tried our luck at winning a soft toy from the arcades section. You know what it's like, you start one game and then you become addicted until you win. We eventually won 2 soft toys (a purple dolphin and a crazy shark) after paying about £15. It's the fun that counts!!!

Finally one of Thorpe Parks flagship rides and my main attraction of the day was COLOSSUS!! Currently a record breaking 10 vertical loops (the highest number of inversions in the world), this rollorcoaster made the list of top rollorcoasters to ride before you die.

What can I say? We had been queuing for rides all day and wasted a lot of time, so we decided to buy Fasttrack tickets for £3, which lets you on the ride at a certain time instead of queuing. The best decision we made all day!!

We arrived at Colossus at 3pm our designated time and waited for about 5 minutes. Upon entering the station, the dramatic music really helps to build the suspense. Before you know it you are in your seat about to set off. We climb up the lift and off we go for a minute of madness.

If you ever go on this ride I need to warn you!! Going though the corkscrew section you head bangs against the sides of the restrictor causing serious pain. You may need to bring padding!

All in all I would rate Colossus as a 7/10 but definitely a must if you are in the UK. I have now completed 1/6 of the rollorcoasters suggested in the book. I think a trip to the USA is in order.

Which rollorcoaster's have you completed from the list????

#150 See the all time greatest films

2010-06-09T19:19:00.001+01:00

This is just a quick update of the films that I can now cross of my list.

The Spy Next Door: Jackie Chan plays a spy on the verge of retirment as he wants to settle down with his girlfriend Gillian (Amber Valetta) and her 3 annoying kids. The kids hate Chan and Gillian has to leave for a couple of days. So who offers to look after the kids? Its not hard to work out the story to this one, but Chan has to save the day with his creative stunts and outstanding energy. Overall the film is fun to watch!

8/10

13 going on 30: Jenna Rink is a typical preteen girl who wants more than anything to grow up. On her 13th birthday, Jenna's only wish is to get older and fast. When she wakes up the next morning, she's 30 years old, a sucessful magazine editor with a live-in boyfriend! Jenna tracks down Matt (her best friend when she was younger) to try and figure out what has happened.
6/10

The Break Up: Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston star in the break up, which starts where most romantic comedies end - right at the point where they are driving each other crazy! Pushed to the breaking point after their lastest 'why can't you do this one little thing for me?' argument, Brooke (Aniston) calls it quits with her boyfriend Gary (Vaughn). What follows is a hilarious series of remedies, war tactics, overtures and undermining tricks - all encouraged by the former couple's friends and confidents... and the occational total stranger! When neither sex is willing to move out of their shared apartment, the only solution is to continue living as hostile roommates until one of them reaches breaking point.

10/10

World Greatest Dad: Lance Clayton is a man who has learned to settle. He dreamed of being a rich and famous writer, but has only managed to make it as a high school poetry teacher. His only son Kyle is an insufferable jackass who won't give his father the time of day. He is dating Claire, the school's adorable art teacher, but she doesn't want to get serious -- or even acknowledge publicly that they are dating. Then, in the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy and greatest opportunity of his life. He is suddenly faced with the possibility of all the fame, fortune and popularity he ever dreamed of, if he can only live with the knowledge of how he got there.
5/10

The Bounty Hunter: Milo Boyd, a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife, reporter Nicole Hurly. He thinks all that's ahead is an easy payday, but when Nicole gives him the slip so she can chase a lead on a murder cover-up, Milo realizes that nothing ever goes simply with him and Nicole. The exes continually one-up each other - until they find themselves on the run for their lives. They thought their promise to love, honor and obey was tough - staying alive is going to be a whole lot tougher

9/10

Valentines Day: February 14th, Valentines Day, is not a national holiday, but it is one of those days that must be celebrated. Valentines Day follows the lives of several couples during the course of this day. There is the romantic relationship between two teens, a married couple still together after thirty years, best friends who discover they are In love, a marriage proposal that goes awry, a young soldier just wanting to get home to see her son - and much more. It is a romantic comedy that is breezy and fun with quick dialogue and a swift pace. In this high stakes game called love, everyone is seeking out love and almost all live happily ever after!
7/10

The Princess Diaries 2: Princess Mia has just turned 21 and is supposed to succeed her grandmother as the Queen of Genovia. But Viscount Mabrey who wishes that his nephew who is also in line to the throne to be the new ruler, reminds everyone of a law that states that an unmarried woman can't be made queen, and with the backing of parliament, he opposes Mia's coronation. But Queen Clarice asks that Mia be allowed time to find a husband, and she is given 30 days. But Mabrey tries to do what he can to stop that. But his nephew, Nicholas has met Mia and they are both attracted to each other but Mia upon learning who he is, dislikes and doesn't trust him but Clarice has invited him to stay with them for the 30 day period to keep an eye on him.

6/10

Justin Time: An ancient stone amulet and calendar disc has the power to stop time. Passed from generation to generation, these magical artifacts end up in the hands of an 18-year-old half Shoshoni Indian named Justin, who chooses to use his power to make the world a better place. But on the other side of the equation is the power-seeking philanthropist, Micahel Romano, who seeks to indulge in the riches of the world.
4/10

Free WIlly 4: The fact that this movie is associated with Free Willy 1,2, or 3 is disgraceful! I was excited to see another Free Willy come out but in the end it was a bust. I purchased the movie and wish I could get my money back. The only scenes that focused on Orcas and not Bindi Irwin were computer generated images of whales. Also, Bindi blindfolds "Willy" (the impostor) which I think is a form of animal cruelty. The story was way more focused on Bindi and Beau than orca whales. Also, some people are calling it Free Willy 4 and it is not a sequel, but definitely not a remake. Bring back the original cast and make an actual Free Willy 4 with real whales and passionate human beings who aren't just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame. Bindi's a cute girl and a decent actress, but we watch Free Willy to see whales.

3/10

Run Fat Boy Run: Dennis is a clueless and slightly overweight guy, who left his pregnant fiancée five years earlier. Every day, Dennis tries to persuade the woman he loves to accept him back into his life, but everyday he fails. When he discovers that Libby has found a partner in the form of American Whit, frustration grows, and Dennis vows, that for once in his life, he will finish something. This something ends up being a Nike River-run in London. With his friends Gordon and Mr. Ghoshdashtidar by his side, Dennis begins training for the marathon he must finish.

10/10

Couples Retreat: Dave and Ronnie, Jason and Cynthia, and Joey and Lucy are close. The group used to include Shane and Jennifer, but they divorced and she's gone. Jason and Cynthia announce that their marriage is in trouble, and they beg their friends (and Shane's young girlfriend) to join them on a couples' retreat, at the package rate, on a tropical island. The others reluctantly agree, planning to play while Jason and Cynthia work on their marriage with an island psychologist. To everyone's surprise, the package is inflexible: each couple must participate in the couples' exercises. Soon fault lines appear in all four relationships. What's in store for each couple?

5/10

The Proposel: In New York, Margaret Tate is a successful self-made chief-editor of the Ruick & Hunt Publishing and loathed by her coworkers. Margaret lost her parents when she was sixteen and is tough with the employees of the office. Her executive assistant and aspirant editor Andrew Paxton has been working with her for three years without any recognition. When Margaret has problems with the immigration due to an expired visa and is threatened with deportation, she blackmails Andrew to agree to marry her. In return, he would be promoted to editor and she would publish his book. Meanwhile, the skeptical clerk of the immigration department Mr. Gilbertson schedules an interview with Margaret and Andrew after the weekend. The couple travels to Sitka, Alaska, to celebrate the ninetieth birthday of Andrew's grandmother and Margaret is welcomed by his warming family. Over the weekend, she grows closer to Andrew's family who ask her to marry Andrew in their barn, a family tradition in the Paxton family. And the tension increases when Mr. Gilbertson appears out of the blue in Sitka promising to charge Andrew for fraud.

9/10

#112 Try... Abseiling

2010-05-29T23:00:00.003+01:00

Abseiling (Rapelling in America) is used in many sports such as climbing or canyoning to decend down a cliff or waterfall that is too dangerous to decend without protection. It can also be used in emergency rescue that cannot be accessed by foot.

Abseiling is classed as an adrenaline sport which can be experienced at different heights from the ground.

About a month ago I saw an advert in the local newspaper from 'The Rowans Hospice' wanting people to sign up to a charity abseil event in Portsmouth, so thats exactly what I did.

Today was the day that I completed my abseil of 200ft down the side of a building raising £135 for the hospice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

At 4pm I registered and was told to wait in the reception area for everyone to arrive. We were then taken up in the lift to the top and given safety equipment and a safety talk. This was the point that I started to get nervous as I was out in the open and could see the view.

It was finally my turn after waiting at the top in the wind and rain! I was clipped into the safety ropes and stepped onto the edge of the roof. Slowly I lowered myself down so I was in the abseiling position and began to walk down the wall. As I became more confident I started decending quicker and even throw in a few sneaky jumps. Finally landing on the ground, relief fell through me and I wanted to go again.

After I was unclipped I returned to the register table and collected my medal!!!

Abseiling was great fun be the excitement diden't end there. I was about to witness a Guinness World Record!

Doris Long abseiled down the same 200ft wall setting a record for the oldest person to abseil at the age of 96!

Doesn't see look good!!!

If Dorris can do it then anyone can. I would highly recommend this sport as you can do it from any height you want to.

Thats now another item ticked off my list!!!

#119 Try... Paintballing

2010-04-18T19:37:00.001+01:00

Today I tried my hand at paintballing!

A friend of mine recieved a group discount ticket at the local paintballing field (South Coast Paintballing). Me and 12 other first timers went prepared with as much protection as we could find.

We arrived at the centre at 9am and basically signed our life away! We were given our safety equipment and told not to shoot too close and never take off your mask until told (safety talk).

At 10am we started our first game of 'capture the flag'. The idea of the game being that you have to get through the woods to the oppositions base and steal their flag, then return successfully to your base. Resurrections are allowed, if you are eliminated within the first 5 to 10 minutes you wait at your base until you are resurrected.

At the start I honestly felt scared with thinking how painful it was going to be. When the umpire shouted ' Ready-set-go' I reached the highest level of excitment possible and ran for the nearest cover. When I thought it was safe I would sneak out to look for the enemy and ... OUCH! As soon as I appeared the enemies are all over me.

Being hit feels like a rubber band snap on bare skin but in some places to can be worse. The 3 worst places are the neck head and hand. I really felt like crying when I got hit in the head but like a trooper I carried on till the end.

We had lunch about 12.30pm and then carried on paintballing until about 3pm, playing a game called 'Attack and Defend the castle'! (original titles)

The idea of this game is that one team start inside the castle and the other team at the opposite end of the field; the attacking team must then attack the castle and ring the bell inside. This was the best game as we all just ran in one striaght line towards the castle. The defending team were startled and didn't know where or who to shoot.

Covered in paint and wounds we all traveled home in the car comparing marks and bruises. The marks that I recieved look like giant insect bites.

I have 12 in total!!!

I would still recomend everybody to try this at least once. The pain of being shot is nothing compared to the adrenaline rush at the start of each game.

#136 Meet someone with your own name

2010-03-31T22:39:00.001+01:00

SHELLEY WORSLEY

Shelley comes from the old english and means 'Spring Field'. Most people assume that Shelley is short for Michelle. Although this is true, Shelley can be a name by itself. I personally prefer it.

I was named after the famous 'Mary Shelley'.

Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her father was the political philosopher William Godwin, and her mother was the philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.

As of yet, I have still to meet someone with Shelley on their birth certificate, so have decided to research my name.

Ranking - 'Shelley' was the 706th most popular girl's name in your birth year. Rarity - 26% of girls had rarer names that year.
Peak year - 'Shelley' peaked in popularity in 1972.
Current rank - 'Shelley' isn't currently one of the top 1000 girl's names.

Current name - Your parents might name you 'Sonia' today (current #706).

I wanted to find out how many Shelley Worsley's there are in the world, but ended up with the United Kingdom and USA.

Hopefully thats me!!

To reseach your name in the UK Click here

HowManyOfMe.com

There is

person with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

To research your name in USA Click here

According to the stats on these sites there are 2 Shelley Worsley's within the USA and the UK, with one hopefully being me!

From my research it is going to be extremely hard to meet someone with exactly the same name as me.

So with that out of the way there are 75,686 people with the first name Shelley, so I may have to track someone down and meet up.

If you know any Shelley's I would love to hear from them.

#164 Create a Website or Blog

2010-03-21T18:37:00.002Z

A Blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentry, descriptions of events or material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronolgical order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (Art blog), photographs (photoblog), videos (Video blogging), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.

As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 112,000,000 blogs.
(Reference: Wikipedia)

From the description above some would say that I have fully achieved this task. I have created a 'blog' with regular (sort of) entries about my challenges of completing the 101 things to do list.

I want to achieve more from this blog!

I first set this up as a diary for myself but to also share my stories with like minded people that are in a simular situation to me, spending time to complete challenges that we will never forget and gain real achievements within our lives.

To really achieve this goal and tick it off my list, I want to know if people actually read my blog.

I am setting myself another goal of getting at least 10 followers before I achieve this goal. So if you are out there and do read my blog please follow or leave a comment.

xXx

THE BURIED LIFE!!!

2010-02-06T17:50:00.001Z

I have recently heard about a programme on MTV called the 'Buried Life'.

It is about four regular guys on a mission to complete a 'list of 100 things to do before they die', and to encourage others to do their own lists.

You can read more about it on the Buried Life Website. Click here

#150 Catch Up

2010-02-04T15:45:00.001Z

I have now seen 12/100 films which isn't too bad as it's only February. I thought I would do a review of the films I have seen so far.

So here goes...

Along Came Polly:

Along Came Polly is not a masterpiece in the rom-com genre, but I did enjoy it, and although the humour is sometimes gross, it does make you laugh. However I would not consider this to be one of those movies to watch again and again. A one time watch, or just once every so often is good enough.

Reuben Feffer (Ben Stiller) analyses risk for a living and is an extremely cautious man, with an extremely cautious life. When he marries Lisa (Debra Messing), everyone considers them the perfect couple, as they are well suited to one another. But when Lisa cheats on him on their honeymoon with their Frenchie-French scuba diving instructor Claude (Hank Azaria). Reuben's heart breaks, He returns to New York and bumps into Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston), and they begin dating, despite being very different. Polly lives in the moment, Reuben thinks ahead. Polly loves ethnic food, Reuben hates it. Polly isn't too big with long-term relationships, whereas Reuben swears by it. Nevertheless their relationships seems to work. But when Lisa comes crawling back to Reuben, he is forced to make a decision. Who will it be, the free-spirited Polly, or Lisa, with whom Reuben shares a lot in common?

I thought this movie was very cute and I liked the ferret :). Ben Stiller's performance was not outstanding in this movie but he did play Reuben well, and to be honest I cannot imagine another actor as Reuben at all. He has a very identifiable voice and the knack of just being plain adorable. I would not say he owned the movie, like he usually does, but he certainly was very good. Jennifer Aniston was also just over average. I loved her in Friends, but sadly I don't think she did as well as she could have. But her role was smaller than I would have thought. I really liked her character Polly Prince though, and I thought Polly was a very realistic and likable character. Debra Messing made a small role as Lisa but she wasn't anything great, Philip Seymour Hoffman was hilarious as Sandy Lyle. I thought the character was gross, but very likable.

RATING 6/10

Up in the Air:

"Up in the Air," director Jason Reitman's follow up to his break-out hit "Juno," is easily the most topical film I've seen this year. No other movie has been so in tune with current events and the cultural anxiety brought about by the recent economic crisis.

Up in the Air follows the life of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a mature, single, middle aged man whose job is to fire people. Ryan is a charming man, liked by just about everyone albeit his clients. His employment has him flying just about everywhere in the country, and as such he lives a life composed mostly of solitude. Fortunately for him, the trade off of close personal social interaction gives him the bonus of high-end credit cards and VIP hotel accommodations.

However, like with a lot of other fields, his job is changing and evolving. Enter the young and very bright, Natalie Keener played by Anna Kendrick (the Twilight Saga) who has a brilliant idea to save money by doing all the terminations via webcam on the ever-practical internet. Ryan's new job is to teach Anna the ropes before the company is totally sold on her idea. Also joined with the cast is Vera Flamigo (the Departed) as Alex, a fellow frequent flyer with a similar 'no-strings attached' attitude and an obvious affection toward Bingham.

This movie was smart, witty, and playfully cynical. Clooney does a great job as usual, trying to mentor sweet Anna of the detached yet falsely hopeful persona this position requires. Under the guise of a documentary crew, the director actually held real interviews for the film with people who have recently been fired from their jobs and asked them to express the way they felt during their termination.

RATING 9/10

Home Alone:

This film is a legend and a classic. Released in 1990, it captures both the more serious 90s with e fun 80s. Two 80s masters come together to film this one: John Hughes as writer ("Sixteen Candles", "Pretty in Pink", "The Breakfast Club") and Chris Columbus as director ("Adventures in Babysitting"). This makes for the perfect blend in young adult situation comedy.

Kevin McCallister is the butt of his family's jokes, particularly his older brother, 'Buzz' (Devin Ratray). After getting into a fight with Buzz , Kevin is sent up to the room on the 3rd floor by his mother 'Kate' (Catherine O'Hara). While lying in bed, he wishes his family would disappear. The following morning, a power failure causes the family to wake up late. As they hurriedly depart for the airport, they accidentally leave Kevin behind, who's still asleep! While on the flight. Kate realises that she has left Kevin behind and tries to book a return flight to Chicago, without success. She eventually manages to hitch a ride from 'Gus Polinski' (John Candy) and his 'polka band' who are driving to Milwaukee. Meanwhile, Kevin is horrified to learn that two cat-burglars, 'Harry' (Joe Pesci) and 'Marv' (Daniel Stern) are planning to raid his house on Chirstmas Eve. Kevin sets booby traps up in the house in preparation for the 'Wet Bandits' arrival (Harry and Marv's calling card). The Wet Bandits soon get arrested and the film ends with a delighted Kevin being happily reunited with his family.

The cast reprised their roles for the sequel, 'Home Alone 2: Lost In New York' in 1992, which proved to be just as popular as its predecessor. In 1997, 'Home Alone 3' was created and starred Alex D. Linz as 'Alex Pruddit', though it received positive reviews, it was inferior in comparison to the previous two films, while in 2002, 'Home Alone 4' appeared, with Mark Weinberg replacing Macaulay Culkin in the role of Kevin McCalliser. 'Home Alone 4' was a crushing disappointment for fans of the 'Home Alone' series, of whom I am one. What I find most perplexing is the fact that Macaulay Culkin seems to have vanished from the screen since the golden days of 'Home Alone'.

RATING 8/10

What Happens in Vegas:

This is not a great movie but ok, and I think it has too many very juvenile sight gags, but if you cut through that it has an interesting story. Plus Diaz and Kutcher together are very entertaining. I enjoyed it.

The traditional love story has two people falling for each other and in the hormonal blindness that comes along makes them overlook all of each others' flaws. Then in a few months they start to say, "How did I fall for this person." This love story is the opposite. The day after they meet all they can see are each others' flaws, positive that theirs is NOT a good match, but circumstances force them to get along and we wonder if they will eventually find love.

Joy (Cameron Diaz) is a Wall Street financier with a rich fiancé. However, her intended is an overbearing killjoy and she has struggled for four years to please him. Naturally, on the day she throws him a surprise birthday party, he breaks off the engagement in earshot of the hiding guests. Crushed, Joy receives advice from close friend, Tipper (Lake Bell) that they should head for Vegas, where troubles get washed away like rain. Jack (Ashton Kutcher), a talented cabinet-maker, works for his father (Treat Williams) but has a touch of the Peter Pan syndrome and goofs off on the job repeatedly, causing his dad to finally fire him. He, too, heads to Vegas with a lawyer pal, Hater (Rob Cordrry). Of course, the mixed-up duo, Joy and Jack, meet, get drunk together, and end up marrying late into the night. When morning comes, both are chagrined at the situation but, playing the slots for diversion, Jack hits a 3 million dollar jackpot, with Joy's quarter. Since they are married, things get complicated, especially when a tough-nut judge (Dennis Miller) will not grant them a quickie divorce and money-split but insists that they try marriage for six months. Horrors indeed! Joy moves into Jack's place, which Lysol has not touched in ages and where each is out to sabotage the other.

So, why is this movie getting mixed reviews? It falls to the script, for the direction is rather good. There are some very funny scenes, such as the one in which an older "girl scout" shows up at Jack's doorstep for some unusual merit badge training. But, alas, the screenplay goes hot and cold, with some jokes just falling flat. Perhaps, a second screenwriter would have turned this one into a big winner. Yet, in the final analysis, the film is most enjoyable, thanks to the sizzling Diaz and Kutcher, and the very uplifting ending. If you are a romcom fan, do not miss it for the world. But, even if you prefer other genres, my guess is that you will end up laughing and smiling, for that is what happens when lovable stars surpass the material.

RATING 5/10

Air Force One:

An Oscar-worthy film presents a complex plot which can attempt to fool the audience. It also presents excellent dialogue, characters and for this particular genre, action. "Air Force One" has all of these elements, except for one, and that would be a complex plot.

Am I upset with "Air Force One", no I am not. It is the second best film of 1997, beat out of the number one spot by "Tomorrow Never Dies". I am actually pleased that it does not have a complex plot; it gives more time to focus on the action. It is also one less thing to really worry about because all I cared about was the president's plane being hijacked.

"Harrison Ford" plays James Marshall, the president of the United States of America. "Gary Oldman" plays Ivan Korshunov, a Russian rebel who hijacks Air Force One with his own team of henchmen impersonating a news crew from Moscow. Ivan wants a former Soviet leader, General Ivan Radek released from prison with hopes to create a new U.S.S.R. Now that is not complex at all, it is actually pretty simple to follow. Of course we, the audience, already know what is going to happen with Harrison and the bad guys. He leads them through suspenseful action scenes, some involving visual effects.

RATING 7/10

Bedtime Stories:

Bedtime Stories might not exactly be groundbreaking fare, using a well worn 'stories magically come to life' schtick as its basis, but it still manages to be a very entertaining movie packed with laughs, action and romance which—in time honoured tradition—ends happily ever after.

Adam Sandler plays Skeeter Bronson, a handyman in a hotel who is given a chance at improving his life when he discovers that the bedtime stories he creates with his nephew and niece have a habit of coming true.

Just so long as you're not one of those people who find Sandler obnoxious or desperately unfunny whatever the movie, Bedtime stories should prove to be a heartwarming slice of good-natured family fun. There's loads of goofy humour, plenty of impressive special effects, and with Skeeter's fanciful tales always featuring a version of himself as the hero, Sandler gets a chance to play a variety of entertaining characters, including a medieval peasant, a brave cowboy, a Roman charioteer, and a spaceman.
Sandler's supporting cast is also very good, with Keri Russell playing Skeeter's love interest, outrageous comedian Russell Brand as his crazy best pal, Guy Pearce hamming it up brilliantly as the villainous Kendall, Richard Griffiths as germ-fearing hotel boss Barry Nottingham, Courtney Cox as Skeeter's sister, and, of course, a small role for the star's pal Rob Schneider

RATING 7/10

Forgetting Sarah Marshall:

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - A slacker composer Peter (Jason Segel from "Knocked Up") has a breakdown after his girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Bell of "Heroes"), the star of a hit TV show, dumps him for a British pop star (Russell Brand). Peter goes to Hawaii to try and forget about Sarah, which proves to be a poor choice when he finds Sarah is not only in Hawaii, but they are staying at the same hotel. Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill and Mila Kunis co-star.

This was a funny movie! It's a more mature than your average comedy. It survives comedically without leeching off too many other bits of pop culture, unlike Knocked Up. There is the exception of some funny spoofs of CSI and Ghost Whisperer, two fatted calfs rip for killing. Everyone is allowed to be funny, even the women, and they are. I enjoyed the occasional "Scrubs" style cut-aways which were frequently funny. The best one has to be the week Peter spent in the same pair of sweat pants.

Segel is a fresh face in the comedy genre, and is adept at playing sympathetic slacker and funny man in one. Kirsten Bell acts much better in this than Heroes, and it's a nice change of pace to not recognize Paul Rudd in appearance and character immediately. Bill Hader is funny as always. What really comes across in this film is that everyone, even Sarah Marshall, seems like a 3-dimensional character. Hopefully the days in comedies when people are bitchy or vile just for the hell of it are gone. Even the shallow pop star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), who is the rival to Peter, is likable. There's no animosity between the two men. It's nice to have a comedy where we don't have to demonize anyone.

It's a cute film, sometimes hilarious, but the first half is definitely funnier than the second half.

RATING 8/10

Role Models:

Two energy drink spokesmen, Wheeler and Danny (Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd) get in trouble with the law after Danny has a break-up with his girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks who is in everything these days). They are given the choice of jail or community service with troubled kids, and choose the latter. Danny is given a boy Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse of Superbad) who wears a cape and is into role-playing games. Wheeler is given a foul mouthed terror of a boy (Bobb'e J. Thompson).

After seeing the trailer for Role Models, I thought it looked like a funny movie, but I wasn't expecting much, I was thinking they might have just shown the great parts in the trailer and that would be it. But I took the opportunity and saw Role Models the other day and I have to say this is completely opposite from what I was expecting, first off I was worried that there was going to be a lot of gross humor and the kids might be more annoying than funny, but it turn out that this was one of the funniest movies I have seen this year. I just couldn't stop laughing throughout this film, who knew that Sean William Scott could actually be really funny? I know there are a lot of Stiffler fans that will hate that sentence, but I don't remember a time that I laughed so hard at his character. He and Paul Rudd both worked so well together and were terrific on screen, this was the last duo on Earth that I expected such great laughs from.

RATING 9/10

Step Brothers:

In Step Brothers, Will Ferrell plays Brennan Huff, a sporadically employed thirty-nine-year-old who lives with his mother, Nancy (Mary Steenburgen). John C. Reilly plays Dale Doback, a terminally unemployed forty-year-old who lives with his father, Robert (Richard Jenkins). When Robert and Nancy marry and move in together, Brennan and Dale are forced to live with each other as step brothers. As their narcissism and downright aggressive laziness threaten to tear the family apart, these two middle-aged, immature, overgrown boys will orchestrate an insane, elaborate plan to bring their parents back together. To pull it off, they must form an unlikely bond that maybe, just maybe, will finally get them out of the house.

Step Brothers is the funniest 2008 film that I've seen so far. It is just plain hysterical, a laugh-out-loud raucous fest from the powerhouse comedy duo Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Directed by Adam McKay, Step Brothers is about two immature dorks who move in to each other after both their single parents gets hitched. Will Ferrell's hilarious antics and great improv skills are best used when he's sparring with another comedic actor, his best bud and Talladega Nights co-star John C. Reilly. He shares the spotlight with John and honestly, he's actually more efficient and effective when he's not the lead star and making all the laughs. This way, you never get tired of the movie and after it ends, you'll want more of their crazy adventure.

RATING 7/10

Juno:

Juno MacGuff is a sarcastic, cynical, tomboyish teen played by Ellen Page in a fantastic, perfectly tuned performance. After sort-of-spontaneous (but not really) sex with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera of 'Superbad'), Juno receives an unwanted package--a pregnancy. Woops.

Juno decides to give her baby to an affluent couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner). All seems well at first, but it will be a bumpy road until birth.

I can spend hours gushing about how terrific a movie 'Juno' is, but I'm not really the greatest writer on the planet, so I'll just express the fact that 'Juno' has a strange effect on you. After seeing it, I almost felt as if I would walk out of the theater and see Juno MacGuff just standing there, as if she were a regular living, breathing teenager. That's how good Page is. In fact, every single performance in the film is absolutely tremendous. I liked how Allison Janney's stepmom character isn't turned into a whiny she-demon like most formula stepmoms, instead, she's far more friendlier (if a little unsure of Juno's odd ways) than we would ever expect. And J.K. Simmons finally gets a role where he isn't a total jerk; instead, he's a sensitive father who truly cares for his wacky daughter.

RATING 8/10

Bridget Jones Diary 2:

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jacinda Barrett, Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Sally Phillips, Shirley Henderson

The opening of Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason just looks like it is asking for trouble. The first half hour features lame references to The Sound Of Music and The Spy Who Loved Me, and fails to recapture the magic of its forerunner's opening. Having Bridget sing All By Myself in Bridget Jones's Diary felt genuine; having her recreate THAT parachute dive (with Nobody Does It Better playing in the background) just seems desperate and obvious. But The Edge Of Reason does recover, and, in the end, provides warm enough entertainment.

What problems does Bridget (Renée Zellweger) actually have this time? Well, none. She's happy in her relationship with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). And that's the problem. Everything is all too right. Several emotions, including jealousy, begin to surface when one of Mark's work colleague, Rebecca (Jacinda Barrett) arrives on the scene. Bridget is also about to find her hands full thanks to the coincidental, but not surprising return of her former boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant).

There's nothing particularly wrong with The Edge Of Reason, it's just missing the spark that nearly lifted our first encounter with Bridget up to the level of maximum marks. Thankfully, no amount of inconsistencies and unlikely happenings, coupled with a preposterous narrative that would make Love Actually seem coherent (Richard Curtis hasn't really learnt anything, has he?) can hide the fact that I left the cinema quite contented.

Renée Zellweger, though not quite as consistent with the accent this time, can play Bridget in her sleep. It's clear the role was made for her, and she doesn't need to do much. Alas, this is also a problem. She no longer has a point to prove, and as a result it looks like she literally IS sleepwalking through the role. It's a complacent performance that screams, "Look, now I've got an Oscar, so I can do this without trying too hard." Her heart just doesn't seem in it.

In fact, "heart" is what this film lacks as a whole. The warm glow of the previous film has been replaced by a decorated sitcom feel, with a fast, frantic pace that moves from one sketch to the next. The likes of Bridget and Mark don't feel real anymore; they're as deep as Bridget's friends, despite the actors' best efforts. The effortless charm of Bridget Jones's Diary is still here, but only in spurts.

What a relief the second half of the film is then. Perhaps this has something to do with the arrival of Hugh Grant, whose comic timing is as immaculate as ever. Just like one of the film's main subplots, his entrance may be incredibly contrived, but it has ENERGY – something that is sorely missing from the film's opening half hour. As far as everyone else goes…well, Colin Firth is as dependable as ever, but he does nothing to write home about here. But it is good to see Sally Phillips getting more screen time (even though Shirley Henderson and Jim Broadbent are both wasted), and Jacinda Barrett is irresistible in her small role. Rebecca actually hides a little secret that may be offensive to some, but hilarious to others.

I think the problem with The Edge Of Reason lies with Beeban Kidron, the director. Where the original's director, Sharon Maguire, gave us smart, unforced comedy with a feeling of novelty, Kidron piles on the slapstick so heavily to the point where what's on screen is only occasionally funny. I could also add that Kidron has not only added more slapstick to this film, but more product placement. (If Galaxy, Coke and Ben & Jerry's really are the answer to all the world's problems, I suppose it's not hard to see where Bridget gets all her weight from.)

The Edge Of Reason functions perfectly as a romantic comedy matinée, but it's kind of disappointing – no, make that sad – when a film you thought would be one of the real high points of the year ends up joining the list of disappointments. On this evidence, I can definitely wait for Bridget Jones to write another diary.

RATING 6/10

Julie and Julia:

It's difficult to believe in an age of Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, Delia Smith and Gordon Ramsay that once there wasn't a public appetite for cookbooks. Yet back in the 1950s Uncle Sam appeared to subsist on a diet of spam fritters and hash browns. It took one enthusiastic amateur to capture the imagination of the more ambitious American housewives and acquaint them with the intricacies of haute cuisine.

Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking distilled her nourishing experience of learning how to cook while a diplomat's wife in Paris into 524 de-mystified servings.

The book was a runaway success and led to a TV show and ultimately - fifty years later - to an internet sensation when keen-as-mustard New York home chef Julie Powell blogged her attempts to plate up every one of Child's classic dishes.

Cutting back and forth between the two stories, director Nora Ephron has cooked up an often rather delicious melange of the two memoirs.

Streep - serving up a simmering hybrid of Fanny Craddock and Susan Boyle - threatens to over-egg the exuberant character of Child (sometimes you want to whack her with an whisk) yet just manages stop things boiling over.

Her segments of the film - doing battle with a haughty Parisian kitchen madame, joining an all-maie cookery class - all the while emotionally shored up by her wrily supportive diplomat husband (Tucci) are the tastiest.

However, in a more malnourished role, Amy Adams plays the New Yorker whose heroic attempts to get to grips with Child's recipes in a cramped Queens apartment are painstakingly described in her blog.

Ultimately, the film - a celebration of friendship and wise choices of spouse - belongs to Streep...and the lingering food porn shots.

RATING 9/10

If you have seen any of these movies, let me know your ratings on them

#137 Get into the Guinness World Record Books

2009-12-16T23:27:00.004Z

At the beginning of the month I participated in the 'Starbucks Love Project Glodal Sing Along'.

People from all over the world sang 'All You Need Is Love' into there webcams at the same time, and for every person starbucks would donate 5p to the Global Fund to help fight against AIDS in Africa.

I personally throught this was an excellent idea and something that would be amazing to participate in.

Anyway today I recieved an email to say:

Below is a video to show how successful the project was. If you are interested you can still record a video and help donate 5p. Click Here

Thats another one ticked off the list!!!

#138 Own a pointless collection

2009-12-05T16:53:00.003Z

I have started to collect Celebrity Autographs.

My total so far is 31!

It doesn't seem a lot but it has been a huge success so far as I have recieved autographs from actors such as Orlando Bloom and Brew Barrymore to sports stars like David Beckham and Tom Daley, and I even recieved a letter from the Queen of England.

I'm struggling to decide wether this is a pointless collection or not. Some people may believe it is because I can't do anything with them but i'm not convinced, although I am going to class it as one so that I can cross off another task on my list.

Let me know what you think

xXx

#158 Get a Tattoo or Piercing

2009-11-27T20:29:00.004Z

Today I completed my very first task on the list, 'Get a Tattoo'.

I have always wanted to get a tattoo but never really had the courage to walk into the tattoo shop. So today I finally entered the shop and spent about 2hrs looking through all the pictures they had. I have always wanted something with a star or stars on my ankle, but none of there pictures stood out to me.

I didn't want a design with loads of detail, so I ended up with 3 stars around my ankle.

See below

It is still quite red as I only had it done today but I think it looks good.

Everyone kept telling me that tattoos hurt and the worst place to have one is on the ankle, but I didn't feel much pain. It was more of an annoying pain than a painful pain.

Last but not least this task cost me £40 which I thought was pretty good compared to some prices.

I hope you all like my new tattoo!!

#147 Read the top 100 books

2009-11-21T13:17:00.005Z

The same goes for this as the films list. Why would I want to waste my time reading books that don's interest me. I have found a list by the BBC that interests me more than the one in the book. The list is called 'The Big Read'. To view click here

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

I will update this list as I go along. But be warned it will take me years to complete!!

#150 See the all-time Greatest films

2009-11-19T17:58:00.031Z

I am going to start with this one because it may take me a while to complete. I have looked at the films the book has given me, but I feel that I should not force myself to watch films I don't enjoy. I should be having FUN and enjoy the task being completed. So I have merged 50 Chick Flicks and 50 Rainy day movies to make my own great list of 100.

Blue= Watched

28 Days
Centre Stage
Along Came Polly
Sleepless in Seattle
Up in the Air
Pretty Women
How to lose a guy in 10 Days
Catch and Release
Fever Pitch
It's Complicated
Rent
Notting Hill
Sweet Home Alabama
Message in a Cellphone
Kings of Appletown
The Spy Next Door
10 things i hate about you
You've got mail
Hitch
The Devil wears Prada
13 going on 30
Dirty Dancing
Leap Year
The Break Up
Legally Blonde
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya sisterhood
Mona Lisa Smile
Save the last dance
Worlds Greatest Dad
Beaches
In her shoes
The bachelor
I love you, Man!
Maid in Manhatten
Definatly Maybe
Meet the Parents
Meet the Fockers
Bruce Almighty
Home Alone
The Bounty Hunter
(500) days of summer
Dumb and Dumber
Me, Myself and Irene
Wedding Crashers
Imagine That
Valentines Day
There something about Mary
Don't mess with the Zohan
What happens in Vegas
Napoleon Dynamite
Princess Diaries 2
In America
Blades of Glory
Billy Elliot
Pineapple Express
The Proposel
Funny People
Perfect Man
Taking Chances
Patch Adams
I Love You Beth Cooper
The Ugly Truth
Away We Go
Ghosts of girlfriends past
Seabiscuit
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Free Willy: Escape from Pirates Cove
Run Fat Boy Run
Nights in Rodanthe
Air Force One
Bedtime Stories
United 93
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
Unemployed
Get Smart
Cast Away
Music and Lyrics
Popstar
Coach Carter
Dan in Real Life
Couples Retreat
The Terminal
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
50 First Dates
Role Models
Step Brothers
Juno
Little Miss Sunshine
Yes Man
Last Chance Harvey
The Sixth Sense
Bridget Jones Diary 1
Bridget Jones Diary 2
40 Year Old Virgin
About a Boy
Knocked Up
Love Actually
Marley and Me
The Invention of Lying
Julie and Julia

I will update the list as and when

The start of the adventure!

2009-11-06T20:57:00.003Z

So today is the 6th nov 2009 and I have recieved a book called '101 things to do before you die. It's a life changing book which suggests different tasks for you to complete. With me being a routine kinda person I wanted to become more adventurous and show people that I can live life to the full. This book is really going to help me complete tasks that I have always wanted to do but never had the courage.

I am going to take you through my experiences with this book, writing post after completing the tasks.

I hope you can join me with this life task and maybe even try a few yourself!!!