Around the world in 367 days

If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise...

Paintball is fun - and I have the bruises to prove it. Twenty of us gathered today for some warfare in the woods and no prisoners were taken. Split into two teams we had a number of mini battles either fighting over a flag or trying to take out an enemy base. Each round lasted up to 10 minutes and based on the number of balls of paint I got through, Dulex shares are going to go through through the roof on Monday - you are advised.



If they were real bullets then I might not have been quite such an aggressive player. Whilst some might describe me as Kamikaze I'd rather refer to myself as cavalier. drawing the enemies fire and detailing their position to my back up team. That is, at least, until you get taken out by friendly fire. Ben as a good sport though agreed to a duel in return which left both of us pretty worse for wear. You can at least see one of my eyes through my paint covered mask though so I claim a moral victory. The bruises up and down my body might suggest otherwise however.

As said, tons of fun and highly recommended but expect to be smiling through the pain! Big thanks to Dara and Susan for organising the day out - make it happen again soon!!

Posted by Alexander at 21:04 | Permalink | Comments

15 March '07 - Billy Elliot - Victoria Palace Theatre

Great theatre! The show is based on the film of the same name and follows the story line pretty closely. It's adapted as a musical and there are a lot of pieces unique to this version over the
film.

For anyone not familiar with the story - it's about a young boy called, funnily enough, Billy Elliot from the North East of England who discovers he has a talent for dancing. Based during Maggie Thatcher's reign and the mining strikes in the early 80's the show, and the film before it, also deals with issues relating to these people and events. The plot line did very well to succeed as well as it did in the cinema and has made an excellent transfer to the stage and has been running now for two years.

The obvious star of these shows is always going to be the young boy playing the part of Billy. Performing that night was 12 year old Layton Williams. Layton was excellent as Billy and was rightly given a standing ovation - or two. The show features a number of young stars and you can tell by the looks on their faces that they are loving their parts in the show.

Debs and I went with my Mum and Dad so decided to hire out one of the boxes off the Grand Circle. This meant that the view was slightly restricted but most of the show takes part centre stage so it didn't feel like you really missed any of the action. It also meant you felt like a bit of a minor celebrity as people look up in awe. I always assumed boxes would be hugely expensive but seats are actually the same price as the stalls and dress circle. If there are four of you then I would recommend you try it once. We had ourselves a little picnic at the interval and opened a bottle of wine.

AlexanderHinton.com rating: 8/10 Recommended

Posted by Alexander at 10:58 | Permalink | Comments

As if the Kylie exhibition wasn't enough culture for one day we also took in the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the year exhibition currently showing at the National History Museum.

This is an excellent collection of wildlife photography from around the world covering a variety of subjects. Personal favourites would be the hyenas or the flamingos.

Posted by Alexander at 19:02 | Permalink | Comments

Alex: Those are skin tight. How do you get into those pants baby?
Kylie: You can start by buying me a drink.

So Kylie wasn't actually there and that's actually just a quote from Austin Powers but you see how my mind works.

No I wasn't dragged to the Kylie Exhibition currently showing at the V&A museum in London - I was there of my own choice. It's definitely, for a freebie, well worth checking out if you have any interest in the diminutive singer. It's a showcase of the outfits that Kylie has worn throughout her career. From the hotpants shown above to a pair of dungarees she wore as Charlene in Neighbours many moons ago!!

And yes - those gold hotpants are there too!!

Posted by Alexander at 13:57 | Permalink | Comments

No not the swimming variety - I've just finished watching Braga vs Tottenham and I'm ready for a rant!

I know Sepp Blatter is a regular visitor to this blog. Sepp - if you were watching tonight you have to do something about diving in football. The sport can be such a spectacle but it can be totally ruined when players are blatently cheating to win games. Braga's two goals both came from obvious simulation. Referee's can't be trusted to get these decisions right but if we started giving out yellow and even red cards retrospectively I think you'd find the problem dissappeared pretty quickly.

Thankfully Tottenham are vastly superior so it shouldn't pose a problem progressing to the next round but we all know how big a problem this is on the continent. It's creeping into the great British game too (I blame Becks) but would like it stopped before we end up the same!!

It's a great game - let's keep it that way!

Labels: rant

Posted by Alexander at 23:21 | Permalink | Comments

Today's rant - what is it with today's male youth's walking around with their jeans hanging half way down their arses? The only thing I can think is it must be some extra curricular Physics work from School to see how far they can take gravity before their trousers fall to their ankles. It's got to the point where their belts have to be tightened to the point of cutting off the blood supply. Most of these guys look particularly stupid to start with and can little afford to starve the brain of any oxygen.

Guys - you look like idiots - quit it!!

Labels: rant

Posted by Alexander at 17:33 | Permalink | Comments

02 March '07 - Kaiser Chiefs - Shepherds Bush Empire

An excellent set from the boys from Leeds. Some of the 'old' favourites came out from their first album 'Employment'; including: 'Everyday I love you less and less', 'Oh my god' and the imaginatively titled 'Na Na Na Na Naa'. Mixed in with some of their new work off their latest album 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob' including the current Number 1 - 'Ruby'. Personally for me the jury is still out on the second album but it's early days so I'm not going to rush to a judgement.

The Empire itself is a great venue. We got tickets on level one because, as predicted, the stalls was pretty much a riot. Whilst I'm sure in my earlier days the idea of jumping up and down and getting drenched in other people's beer did appeal - these days I'd rather enjoy concerts like this with a little more class. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop the odd moron (or two) up on level one slinging stray beers (in plastic cups) into the crowd below.

All in all a good night and to the Chiefs - as my Dad would say - Rock On!!!

Labels: gig

Posted by Alexander at 00:00 | Permalink | Comments