The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 68,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
The song ‘Sing’ by Gary Barlow is an incredible one. It gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. The power of children and adults singing together from around the world. Amazing!
Here is the Gary Barlow video. If you have never seen it then sit back and enjoy.
I was on YouTube looking for an instrumental version of it and came across this video. One man in his house, performing over the backing track with his guitar.
What talent!!! It’s brilliant.
Firstly guys, I would like to say “Hello, I’m back”. I haven’t blogged for over a month. Work has been manic and so I haven’t had a moment to think.
At the end of September I flew over to London to take part in the first ever ‘Big Gay 10k’ run. I was very excited about doing the run. It was my first ever run. I was going to crawl and possibly die in a gutter do my best and try to get a good time.
For those who had read more on my Just Giving charity site would have known that I had been training to run since the beginning of July. Fun, fun, fun…
Well – 400 people took part in the 10km run in London. Some were runners, some were walkers and the rest were mincers!
The route was fantastic! Here are some photos from the fantastic day. (I’m in the blue vest, my fiancé is in bright yellow). Our super friends Sue and Caroline came to support us.
The fantastic route with London’s finest landmarks all the way around.
The race was started by Cheryl Baker, in pink in the photos (from Bucks Fizz, the 1980s pop group who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981). I even met her and had a post-run-sweaty photo together. Once the race was started, Bas and I were off like a shot. My music was playing and I was high on adrenaline. I wanted to get a good time. So far my best time had been 10km in 52 minutes (I was averaging 55 mins).
We kept up with the front group and split from the main ‘pack’. The streets of London were packed. As we all reached the Embankment, where the London Eye stands we had to wriggle and jump in and out of the tourists. As it was the first Big Gay 10k in London the organisers had been unable to clear roads or pavements, meaning for us that we had to contend with human-obstacles. They must have wondered what was happening…
Halfway through the race I realised that I was well over my usual pace. I got ahead of Bas who probably got caught in the crowds. Bas caught up with me at about 7 or 8km into the run. That was when we came face-to-face with the photographers. (Time to look as though I was loving it…).
At 8km I hit the wall. Not literally – a wall of pain. I really didn’t know if my body would get to the 10km finish line. Bas was brilliant and ran along side me the rest of the way. The last bridge was the last hurdle. I said to Bas “I don’t want to go uphill anymore”. He replied that we were there.
We had made it.
We came 28th and 29th (seconds divided us). 29th!!!! From 400!!!!!
Stunned. You can see my time below. Just under 51 minutes. It probably took me those 41 seconds to stop my timer.
You can see how much money I was lucky enough to raise for a great charity in London! Brilliant supporters – thank you!
Proof on my time! I am still in shock that I managed it.
The breakdown of the route.
The amount I raised for ‘London Friend’.
I used to hate long distance running. I would watch runners go past and envy the fact that they could do it – and wondered why they liked it.
Strangely enough that all changed earlier this year. I had heard about an App for my phone which could help you get from ‘couch potato’ to a runner (possibly good enough for the Olympics… okay, I can dream).
I have stuck to the challenges and kept running a few times a week (once every two days when I’m being really good).
A friend of mine in London posted information about the first Big Gay 10K in London on Facebook and I was hooked…
A real challenge for me. Will you support me? Here’s my page.
What have I got myself into? The next thing I knew I was signing up for my very first ‘proper’ run. I am currently running distances of 3-4K. The 10K might just finish me off…
Here I am – Looking my most sporty….
I have set up a Just Giving page so that you can track my progress and see if I am still alive. Of course, I’ll be blogging more about it here too.
In short – this is what it’s all about.
I would love it if you took the time to check out my Just Giving page – You may even like to make a small donation for the wonderful charity. (That’s the easy bit – I’ll be the one running around London in September).
I get tingly arms every time I think about the moment that London were announced the host city for the 30th Olympic Games.
I remember being at work (way back in 2005) and refreshing the page on the internet to see the announcement come through LIVE.
Would it be London?
Could London possibly beat the favourite, Paris?
Here’s a video of Trafalgar Square in London. You can feel the tension as the crowd nervously await the news…
What a moment!!!
Tonight all eyes will be on London as they open the games with a huge ceremony in the Olympic Stadium. Tonight I will be more than ever to be British. Here’s to a fantastic games. Good luck to all taking part.
He’s done it!
An emotional semi final victory for Murray
He’s made it to the Wimbledon Final.
The British fans have waited 74 years for this momentous day when finally a male Brit (and yes, I acknowledge that he is a Scot and a Brit) makes it to the last match.
The crowd cheer on the local hero – It’s almost as though he’s won the whole thing.
Can Murray win on Sunday?
I hope so.
The match against Tsonga was a thriller today. Murray started fighting for his final place right at the start! He broke Tsonga early and looked to take it in three straight sets. Tsonga wasn’t going to go down with a battle…
I never thought I would see the final section of the draw look this good! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!! He meets Roger Federer next – it’s not going to be easy.
from Wikipedia
The 2012 Champion? – We will soon see….
There are some signs that he could be heading for victory:
I have everything crossed for Andy Murray!
Go win it!
You may also enjoy reading these posts:
Shock at Wimbledon 2012 – the one where Nadal got knocked out by Rosol.
Is it time to ban Serena from Grand Slams? – the one where Serena lost her temper at the 2011 US Open Final.
The Wimbledon Championships are a sporting highlight of the year. Each year I tune in hopeful to see Andy Murray, the British number 1 make it to the final. This year, though I was more surprised by a match that I watched featuring Rafael Nadal and Lukáš Rosol.
Who is Lukáš Rosol?
Exactly what I was thinking before I saw his amazing match on Thursday evening.
Rosol, from the Czech Republic blew Nadal out of the water with his thrilling tennis skills and ultimate composure. Nadal didn’t know what was happening. I don’t think I have seen a ‘newcomer’ play with such conviction in a long time (if ever). Rosol started a little nervous – and not surprising when playing one of the tennis greats. But, the first set went to a tie-break, and a close one too… Nadal won it, but was to be shocked when Rosol went on to take the 2nd and 3rd sets.
Shock!
Nadal fought back in the fourth and won it relatively easily. It was going to go to go the distance. A fifth set loomed. Surely, Nadal had it in the bag…
Rosol broke Nadal and kept up the big hits. Ace after ace and such precision! I was in awe! I couldn’t believe how accurate and how well he played. Lukáš Rosol had the look of a winner in his eyes. You could how much he really wanted the win.
Nadal out.
Rosol had done the unthinkable – and won!
Who would have predicted that the World number 100 could knock out Nadal? Not me. But I am pleased. I like the underdog to do well – but I also like Nadal out of the way – as Murray would have faced him in the semi-finals.
Image from Clive Rose/Getty Images
Here’s Rosol after his historical victory.
Below is the score line.
Via Wikipedia
What will happen next?
How far will Rosol get in the championships?
Will he go head-to-head with Murray?
What are Minipops?
Well, they’re tiny cartoon versions of people and characters.
The minipops have taken the internet by storm and are becoming increasingly popular. The fantastic images showing the cartoon version of last year’s Eurovision acts were created by Ben Morris in 2011.
Clearly being incredibly popular, Ben decided to create new ones for the entrants in this year’s Eurovision. If you know what the people look like then you will agree that they truly are amazing!!!! So true to life.
Ben got the idea to create the icons after attending the 2010 contest in Olso. He said “While admiring one of the official merchandise stalls outside the Oslo Telenor Arena, I had the notion of creating a range of Eurovision mini pop icons”. Ben had already created icons for the cult TV show Doctor Who. You can the whole story behind Ben Morris and his ideas here on the ESCInsight site.
Ben now has quite a following – The minipop icons have their own Facebook page. It’s worth a look, for sure.
Last year, Blue represented the United Kingdom in Eurovision. Following their photoshoot for Attitude magazine, Ben Morris decided to undress Blue for their own ‘stripped’ Minipop picture. Take a look at the video showing how they were made below. Amazing stuff!
Less than a week to go! Eurovision Season is starting…
The second semi final for the Eurovision will be on Thursday 24th May.
Here are the entries (in order) for the second semi final. I have said a little about each one. In bold are the ones I hope to qualify.
Serbia: 7/10 – This man knows how to do well in Eurovision. He represented Serbia-Montenegro in 2004, coming 2nd and then wrote the Serbian entry in 2008, coming 6th – as well as hosting it in Belgrade. Watch out…
Macedonia (FYROM): 8/10 – This lady has a voice. What a belter! Effortlessly sung. I think it will get a LOT of Balkan votes.
The Netherlands: 8/10 – The Dutch have a terrible record in qualifying – 2004 was the last time they made the final. I hope this gentle song about childhood memories takes them through. You’ll remember the Indian headdress – that’s for sure.
Malta: 6/10 – 1980s throw back. This is performed by a guy who needs to wear looser clothing.
Belarus: 6/10 – Their 9th entry and one which won’t do particularly well. I liked it to start with, but have gone off it.
Portugal: 8/10 – Typical Portugal – anthemic and possibly not gonna make it through the semi.
Ukraine: 8/10 – This has grown on me. It’s very West End ‘Lion King’…
Bulgaria: Zzzzzzz. Possibly the second worst entry.
Slovenia: 10/10 – My personal favourite! This gentle ballad builds to a fantastic finish. The 16-year-old has a great voice. I LOVE it!
Croatia: 4/10 – A dull Balkan ballad. Zzzzzzz.
Sweden: 10/10 – Whoah! Time to wake up. Something different in Eurovision. Loreen does some contemporary dance with martial arts moves in this attention grabbing number. Brilliant. I won’t be surprised if we’re in Stockholm next year.
Georgia: 5/10 – They qualify every year – I don’t know how. This probably will – but it’s not great.
Turkey: 8/10 – Another grower. After seeing this guy in Amsterdam, I love it. Ahoy there Turkey. See you in the final…
Estonia: 10/10 – A gentle ballad, sung by a handsome chappy. Estonia deserve to do well with this. But, there are a LOT of ballads in this semi.
Slovakia: 5/10 – It’s a bit Bon Jovi – which is a little odd.
Norway: 9/10 – Sung in English; written by a Swede and sung by an Iranian/Norwegian. Recipe for Top 5. They are recreating Sweden’s 2011 entry though…. blatantly.
Bosnia-Herzegovina: 6/10 – And again – another Balkan ballad. Zzzzzz.
Lithuania: 5/10 – A dull end to the night. Not great. This won’t be bringing the prize back to Lithuania. Sounds like Wham!
Which 10 do you think will make the final?
Watch the songs from Semi Final 1 and read my comments here.
Russia could be on the brink of winning the Eurovision Song Contest.
This year it was not a 20-something girl in a short, sparkly skirt who won over the Russian voters – but a group of six gorgeous little grannies, Buranovskiye Babushki – and I love them!
This is my favourite one! She is the star of the show… (Just so cute).
To make them even more amazing, they beat off fierce competition from the Russian superstars, Dima Bilan and Yulia Volkova . Dima had previously achieved 2nd in the Eurovision in 2006 and then went on to win it in 2008. Yulia was no stranger to Eurovision either, having competed as half of t.A.T.u in 2003, coming 3rd. They were the act to beat…
And boy those Russian grans beat them to a pulp.
I don’t know what I enjoyed more – Watching the grannies sing and dance on stage or seeing the facial expressions of Dima and Yulia as the cameras swung past them as the winning song was performed. TV classic!
So, now Russia are second favourites to win the whole contest in just over two weeks in Baku.
Do they have what it takes?
Take a look at their performance in the Russian National Final.
One Life by jamieonline 