I've been to the BBC, oh yes.

Last week I went on a media trip to BBC T.V Centre, which is something I've wanted to do. We had people who gave us a guided tour of the place, which involved seeing where all the news comes in and is organised and whatever although we could only see it from behind glass. They also took us to the CBBC area where we saw the control room where the shots that are shown and stuff is decided and carried out. This was of particular interest to me, I could imagine myself doing something like that perhaps. The whole atmosphere is something I'd love to be part of. We also went into a filming studio where I sat on one of the presenters chairs lol that was cool. Although they pointed out that the sets look a lot better and bigger on screen than they do when you see them in person. The Blue Peter garden was cool although small, I haven't really watched it recently so didn't have an image of what I thought it would be like exactly though.
Another area we went to, was the weather. Here they had a screen like those actually used in the T.V weather forecasts, that they used to demonstrate how the blue screen works, the reference to Harry Potter in their explanation which, if you know me you'll know this quite predictably, kept my interest hehe lol. The penultimate place we were taken was a mock studio designed specifically for the tours were they did a fake news bit and some Weakest link with a few of the group helping out with this and in the mock control room.
The last place we were taken to, via many corridors with green rooms, dry cleaners and even a hairdresser, was the shop. It was here that I bought what I think is a rather cool pen which says BBC on it. :P lol

To be continued... (probably lol)

Well I'm back to continue this post, as I said I would, although a few days later than I had planned. After the, suprisingly short, visit to the BBC, we all got back on our coach to head off to the Science Museum. Here we grabbed some lunch after walking up and down the corridors past various large stuff such as cars, weapons, and planes trying to find the place we were looking for, and then we took our seats inside the IMAX to watch Deep Sea 3D. The screen, as we were told, was rather large and it was quite a cool experience, calming almost at points, as it was as if we were swimming in coral reefs, I could almost have forgotten I was really in a cinema, if there weren't railings at the front also in my view, that is. However the fact it was narrated by Kate Winslet and Johnny Depp had no bearing on me enjoying the film ofcourse. ;P Though saying that, I don't know if I would have known this had I not read it previosley/seen it in the titles.

After this, we boarded our coach and headed home again having had an overall enjoyable day.

January Results

Well I went to college feeling excited about getting my results, I left college feeling dissapointed about having got my results. I didn't fail, I didn't do as bad as many people but I was dissapointed with what I got. I got a D in English Language and a C in Media. My C was I think to be expected as on the day of that exam my mind was quite distracted thinking about whether I'd manage the exam without being sick and I knew as soon as I'd come out of the exam that there were things I didn't mention that perhaps I should have done but part of me had still been hoping for higher. I don't know how close I was to getting a B would be interesting to find out. The D I got was my most annoying as after getting an E in my mock I spent alot of time revising everything I'd been taught and I wrote alot in my exam and felt confident that I'd written about most of the things I needed to and done well so was expecting to get atleast a B if not an A. The teachers were confused by the low grades and so are sending some off to be re-marked. They said that some have gone up from a D to an A after being re-marked but to not get our hopes up as they could alwya sbe re-marked and be given an even lower grade. It would be great to find they do get put up but if not I'll probably be doing a re-sit and as apparently these are put on the same day as the next exam in May it's going to be a little stressfull, and I worry that I'll mess up the next as I'll be trying to remember everything for the re-take one but hopefully it will work out o.k. It is still a pass and coursework (which I enjoy doing more and am more confident with) will count towards the final mark so should be fine for getting me through to be able to take the course to A2 in September *hopefully*. :)

The best live PotterCast in London ever!

O.k so the title is a little bit of a reference to John Noe's previous mentions of each PotterCast being the best whatever number it was on each and every PotterCast but it is a true enough statement, atleast for the moment, perhaops it will change when/if they return to do another, hopefully the next time with Sue too. So anyhow if you're wondering what I am on about, last Saturday I went to London, first to attend a Podcast about Harry Potter being held in a Borders in Charring Cross Road. I left on the train at about 10am and arrived at the Borders store at about 11 and as the podcast wasn't due to start and couldn't see many people about Iwent off elsewhere to grab some lunch. A little over an hour later I made my way back to the Borders store and upstairs to find that earlier I had been looking on the wrong floor and that everyone was on the next floor up so there wasn't many chairs left. Also nearly as soon as I arrived, a lady photographer grabbed me to ask if I'd mind having some photos taken along with some other Potters fans as I had my PotterCast t-shirt on. A group of 4 of us, were taken to the front, to stand infront of a display of the Potter books to pose whilst holding the books. After they'd finished with us, I decided to sit on the floor at the front, just to the side of where Melissa and John (the Podcasters) would be sitting shortly. This proved to be both a good and bad idea as although I had a good view, I also got rather still legs from sitting for over an hour with my legs bent in positions they shouldn't be for that amount of time. A little later than the scheduled start time, Melissa and John appeared and sat down in the large Border's chairs that had been supplied for them and picked up their microphones ready for the podcast. They talked about their experience in England, and their trips to see the various plays currently featuring some Potter actors and actresses. Talk then turned to the HP games and then to theories and questions about the books. There were many interesting theories although I think I'll need to re-listen to the podcast to remember what they were now! (If you want to listen go to - PotterCast.com or see the little advert thingy I have for it on the left). Once the Podcast had regrettably finished, the hosts hung aroudn for awhile talking to everyone, I wasn't sure what to say to them but I got my phot taken with them which was cool, I also didn't have enough courage to talk to anyone else there, I was hoping to meet some people form the leakylounge.com forums and I did recognise one or two people but I didn't, hopefully there will be another oppertunity to do so (perhaps at another Podcast from a different Harry Potter website ;P lol). After awhile I left the Borders store and made my way to Oxford Street to do some shopping. I found some fingerless long, stripey, purple and black pirate themed gloves and pirate themed socks on a stall that i couldn't resist buying and I aslo bought a top from Topshop that says - 'Pick flowers not fights' which I thought was rather cool. The Topshop there is rather huge, there is almost one floor entirely of accessories and such things. Thankfully it wasn't as hot this time, howeever it was rtaher busy. I qutie like the whole busy atmosphere London has but I also love the atmosphere when walking back in the evening when it is all dark and a sort of hushedness about when walking across a bridge over the thames, and the traffic and other nightime noise is just quiet background noise and you can see the lights and everywhere seems friendly and calm (near the London eye this is) I just love it. I don't think I would be able to stand London every day though as it does get rather too hectic and shopping with lots of people means you miss lots of things you might have otherwise seen. :)