December 2006

03/12/06 - Sunday 3rd December 2006
"Stingray, The Futureheads and Christmas Parties!..."

Can't believe we are here again. December 2006 has arrived and, as usual, I'm unprepared! This time around however, it's not due to the essay that has to be done before the end of the term... nor is it too much work behind a bar... this year it is the fun and frolics that come with the festive period that lead me this point of unpreparedness!

Before the fun and frolics are revealed however. I'd like to describe how university work is going first. As I implied earlier, I've not too much to cope with (which is very nice of the departments I may add), however I must describe the sheer fun of being able to "play" a "game" for one of my business modules; not for one, not even for two... heck not even for four or five... but seven... yes, seven weeks of playing a game! It really does take me back to those "Dance-mat Fridays" in Business Studies A-Level and reminds me what a complete rip-off uni life is! "Why?" I hear you ask... Well this a "game" with a difference; it is a virtual simulation game called "Markstrat Online", whereby everyone on the module is split into small groups who run a business and compete against the others in a virtual "market".

This "period", (which in the virtual world is one year; in the real world a week) sales of one of our two products in the market has dropped by 11.9%. This, maybe unfortunately, has got me hooked on finding a way to reverse this effect and the "Marketing Analysis" learned from Textbooks and lectures kicks in... I really am addicted to it; there is so much to analyse and decide its ridiculous and I'm really trying to make use of excel as a forecast tool, which is even more (perhaps very geekily) exciting!

So with that brief description of the work out of the way (and used only as a means of extending the entry so that the enclosed pictures can all fit nicely on the page) I'll move onto the "headlines" of the entry. As was mentioned in the last blog entry, it was Kayleigh's Birthday Bash a couple of weeks ago and (like most of the nights out these days) was a hoot! The only thing that put a dampner on things was the high drinks prices in a certain bar in Leamington!

Next on the list was the interview for Warwick TV with Stingray from Neighbours (aka. Ben Nicholas), which went excellently and was such a laugh to film! Him and me are in the picture above. In the interview we quizzed him about life on neighbours, as well as testing out his handstand and "ollie-ing" skills on a skateboard we brought! See the full interview soon on warwicktv.co.uk!

Also on the calendar, after a visit to Top Banana (first and only one I've been to of the year, due to either working it or having too much work to do) is the visit to Futureheads at the Union, which was pretty damn awesome! See the pictures! We were so close and they played all their "famous" tracks to the roar of the tiny, cramped union!

In addition to this was the - now infamous - Bar Socials (where "all" the bar staff go out on the town for a night in Leamington's "best" venues!) We started off by getting "queue jump" tickets for a club (to save the hour queuing in the British winter weather), followed by a "circle" of drinking games and Secret Santa frolics in the "downstairs-to-ourselves" room in Robins Well (a bar/pub in Leamington). We played for around 2 hours, whilst consuming copious amounts of alcohol, and then went onto the smallest, most cramped and hottest club in Leam till around 3am. I was shocked on the way home that no chip-shops were open to soak up my hunger! But rest assured I had a good nights sleep and still got up in good time for my Wednesday seminar! Perfect night out in my opinion - not too drunk to forget everything, yet still tipsy enough to be able to wear a santa hat and gloves around town, whilst dancing and singing to the most festive of songs!!

With the socialness out of the way, onto the quite serious matter of Germany. I have chosen my 3 possible universities for Germany 2007-2008, and that will be whittled down to one by the German and Business departments, in order to give me time to sort out my accommodation and work placements in time for the big big - scary and exciting - year, starting August/September 2007!

With that socialness out of the way and only the photos to prove it, I look forward to Christmas, New Year's parties and Ski Tour!! Photos of which WILL be posted asap!!

Until Next Time...

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