My newest creative outlet!

What's going on everyone? I'm not even sure how many people will still be reading this but if you are - I have a request. Not a big one, but one which will help me out and give me immense satisfaction.

And you all want that, right?

Well I've started a Youtube channel based around gaming. I'm sure there is at least a couple of you who are familiar with this type of thing...gameplay commentaries, montages, all that good stuff based around video game footage.

If you have a Youtube account, it would make my day if you'd head over and subscribe to my channel. I post frequently and I have been really pleased with the support I've been getting to start me off!

Anyway guys, head over, subscribe and leave some feedback if you have time! :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/AussieLoads

Cheers guys,

Loads

New blog!

Fear not, I won't be straying from this one...although admittedly I have neglected it for months now, which upsets and concerns me to no end and I will do my best to rectify this.

But in better news - I have started a new blog. It will be very different from this one, the premise being a generally humorous and cynical observation of things that get to me. It will be possibly offensive and probably edgy, but it is all in good fun! So if you could, do us a favour and head over to check it out! If you find any sort of personal benefit from following it, please do.

http://ifyoudothis.blogspot.com/

Have a good weekend! Cheers,

Loads.

Rugby World Cup 2011 - Best Parts

So it comes to that time again when 20 of the best rugby countries come together to crouch, touch, pause and engage in one of the highest regarded tournaments, this time held in New Zealand.

Being an Australian, I have high hopes in our Wallabies that they can once again do the country proud and show the world how we like to do things. But as always, there are some things about these tournaments that are highly anticipated and always entertaining. The best parts of the World Cup have to be (and in no particular order)

The New Zealand Haka

If I get tingles down my spine when I watch this, then I can't even imagine what it is like for someone who it actually means something to. While I applaud and have genuine respect for the Haka, and I think it always makes things interesting...I sincerely hope the All Blacks get whats coming to them.

Quade Cooper's sidestep

You don't see that in some of the best nightclubs in Sydney - Enough said...

Learning three times tables (watching South Africa)

No need for rote learning this stuff kids, just watch a Springboks game and as the kicking game flows just watch the scoreline and there you have it!

The Scottish National Anthem

I would just take this opportunity to give the Scots a mention (regardless of a pretty poor showing) and that listening to them give a beautiful verbal abuse to the English is always a pleasure in itself. The Famous Grouse!

The Wallabies

Being a proud Australian rugby supporter, this one was always a given. Go you good things!!

In particular I would like to send best wishes to Kurtley Beale, a fellow old boy of St Joseph's College. Watching you grow and play was a pleasure and Australia will be behind you in your first quest for World Cup glory. You'll never walk alone.

World in Union

What world cup post would be complete without the rugby anthem, and one of the reasons sport always makes itself known to be a common denominator and language across cultural, social and global divides. I have always loved this song and for it to be used so fittingly...

I look forward to seeing the Wallabies shoulder to shoulder, lifting the Web Ellis Cup to the sound of that song. As always, may the best team win (Not England).

Loads.

Around the World

So this post came about because of two things. Firstly, a request to post something as well as a thread about this that made me think it might make for a decent post.

I am going to go through a few of the more interesting places around the world I have had the pleasure of visiting. For logistic purposes, we will go chronologically...why not?

America & Canada - Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Banff & Seattle

While I was quite young (8 or so) I remember and have quite vivid memories of this trip. My most memorable part would have to be going up Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, mainly because this was my first real experience of snow, and coming from Sydney this was quite different to what I was used to.

England, Scotland & Austria

So to be honest, Austria was a bit of a side note and we really only spent a couple of days mulling around Graz and getting lost somewhere. England and Scotland was where I have most of my memories. I think some of the more impressive experiences (from my 9 year old point of view) would have had to have been Edinburgh castle as well as climbing Arthur's Seat with dad. Honestly England and London more specifically just seemed like a more crowded Sydney with shitty weather and a bit more traffic...I guess I was yet to develop an intense passion for the round ball game...

Japan

While learning Japanese starting from around age 12, I had the opportunity to visit various parts of Japan three times between 2005 and 2007. All three trips were fairly similar bar the family winter trip up north which was incredible. Spanning the country from Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nara and Nagano I was able to witness the traditional architecture such as Himeji Castle, Kyomizudera Temples, as well as the buzzing modern parts of Tokyo such as Harajuku and Ikihabara. Naturally Hiroshima is a sobering experience, and on explaining to a Japanese man that we were Australian as he abused my father for being an 'American terrorist' one can truly scope the impact and subsequent demonstration of national integrity that came about following the unfortunate end to World War Two.

England & Spain

In 2009, quite possibly the most amazing opportunity arose in the form of a football tour to various parts of the UK as well as Barcelona. I have previously written a post about the trip but quite honestly anything I write would not do it justice. For this purpose, I am considering posting up the diary I used to account the trip in a day to day fashion. If you would be interested in this, please leave a comment and let me know!! From training at Liverpool's academy to watching Espanyol at the old Olympic stadium to playing against a team of semi-professional Welsh players...all with my best mates, it truly was one of the best two weeks of my life. Once again please leave a comment if you would like to have a look at what I got up to!

Anyway, I know this doesn't seem like much, but each place I have had the pleasure of visiting has its own individual set of memories that would be impossible to sum up in a single post. Hopefully this can kick start my involvement in my blog and give me a chance to get back into the swing of things!

Whenever, wherever you are reading this, have a good day and I will see you on the dark side. Cheers,

Loads

The things you do...

So end of semester exams start next week, and it has been quite a stretch of my procrastination abilities to draw out not studying.

Not only have I cleaned my room for the first time in several years (it got to the stage where there was a defined path from my door to my desk to my bed), but I called my boss and offered to open/close the shop today - so a day without any of the casuals in.

So yeah, exams. I finish on Saturday the 18th (yeah, a Saturday exam is less than desirable), and once that is over I'm free until the end of July (Freedom meaning more work). So once that comes along I will be posting hopefully a little more regularly.

Time to load up on energy drinks, clean my desk and learn some shit.

Rich kids have it better in life

This post was inspired by a comment made in TCS tonight, the title of this post was that comment.

So if we look at this idea, the notion that children brought up in a 'rich' environment tend to be more successful later on is an interesting one. Now if we are going to be pedantic, we can always argue that 'rich' doesn't necessarily refer to relative economic wellbeing, but for all intents and purposes (thank you Bagle), that was the intended definition and one which we will follow through with.

When it comes to the implementation of governmental economic reformist policies, there has been an emphasis on creating 'equality', and 'equal opportunity'. An example of this would be the public school system. What these fail to take into account is the place of inherited opportunity - to which the title of this post refers to. The idea that people born into economic comfort are given an irreversible 'head-start' so to speak. They have access to more. Simple.

But is it simply access to more economic capital that grants these 'rich kids' the ability to be more successful in life? I think to some extent, other factors rest on it. The idea of capital can be observed as multidimensional. While it does have a physical sense, such as money, resources, property, savings etc, there are also social and cultural dimensions that shape peoples abilities to move forward in their life.

Cultural capital refers to non-economic assets that can be used in the further production of other assets, such as education, books, and things like that. Obviously, these assets can help to ensure the maintenance of structural inequalities within a society.

Similarly, the notion of social capital refers to the idea of 'community connectedness' - or social networks/involvements. What having relationships does, is grant access to individuals and groups through durable networks, which acts as a catalyst for resource accumulation. Once again, this allows children born into such an environment to create stronger networks and hence have access to further resources. This can further be broken down into 'bonding' and 'bridging' capital, which refers respectively to the close and weak interpersonal ties we have which serve different purposes in and of themselves.

So we can see that it is not necessarily, or simply the fact that a kid is 'rich' that allows him/her to 'have it better in life', but there are several aspects (few of which I have even mentioned) of inherited advantage that allows one to progress with relative ease.

In finishing (I could go on all day), I would like to propose something further to which I encourage you to express thoughts in the comments. It is on the idea of 'habitus'. What this is, is a suggestion posed by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, referring to the way that individuals internalise their objective chances at success. That is, people actively want to be in their inherited position regardless of the supposed affluence that is attached to it - class consciousness does not necessarily lead to a desire of class mobility. For example, children who's father is a builder often wish to follow through with a similar career path, despite the potential ability to access more lucrative sections of the labour market.

Do you think this notion of habitus is likely to determine potential success, or is it simply an abstract concept that may or may not empirically challenge the inherited opportunity detailed above?

Just a small thing

We interrupt your day to bring you this community service announcement:

For those who comment on my posts, firstly thank you.

Just one thing, I reply to comments in a new comment. If you ask questions in your comment, I suggest subscribing via email (underneath the comment form) so that you can reply. Yes I am talking to you Rash and Furree (Thats right, feel special). Everyone else, just take it on board for future reference.

Anyway, sorry for giving you the false impression that I had once again graced your blogger homepage with my usual brilliance. (I am kidding).

I will be back soon. Maybe.

Cheers, Loads.

It's back..

If you are wondering what it is I am talking about, I may not be able to articulate exactly what 'it' is that is back, but it most definitely is. For those of you who are not followers of the round ball game, what I am talking about is the recent resurgence of Liverpool Football Club folowing the appointment of King Kenny Dalglish.

For a little under two years now, being a follower has been a constant struggle with uncertainty, the team obviously lacking what has traditionally made Liverpool the great club that it is. But recently, all talk of a 'Leeds-style' slump into lower divisions has been wiped off the forecast, to be replaced with the hope of returning to the top of the English, and possibly the European stage where the club belongs.

The flood of joy when the ball hits the back of the net, the passionate way that the team combines, the voices on the terraces have all returned and I couldn't think of anything that rivals the knowledge that we can once again feel safe in knowing that our club is looking like everything it should be.

Everything that has caused these things to happen, including the returning confidence of the players, the lift we have seen throughout the squad particularly in the younger players, and the joy that has returned to the faces of all involved with the club can largely be attributed to one man. He is of course Sir Kenny Dalglish.

Thank you for bringing the life back into the club, thank you for bringing the feel good-factor into being a supporter of Liverpool, and thank you for proving to us that you are truly a legend.

King Kenny, You'll Never Walk Alone.

I know, Its about time (University, Easter and 22 years on)

So I have had another period of virtual inactivity here, but I do engage with the blogging community, so that’s largely my contribution to the blogging world these days.

To those guys who have followed my blog recently, thanks a lot – it is always nice to have people show an interest in what I’m doing. It helps to reproduce my own sense of pseudo-worth and feed my own false sense of digital authority. So once again, thank you. Lfcloads.blogspot has been up for over a year now, and I honestly did not expect anywhere near this type of longevity.

Anyway, I really should start saying what has been happening. So I’m just about to start my third month of university here in Sydney and so far I have enjoyed every moment of it. I mean why wouldn’t you when you get to walk past a building like this every day:

So I’m studying Political, Economic and Social Sciences at Sydney University, and so far the worst part about it has been telling people what I’m actually doing. I mean why can’t I just be doing something like medicine, law, or arts - So much easier to explain. Plus there’s the subjects, which right now include Government & International Relations (World Politics), Political Economy, Sociology and Psychology. I guess we’ll just have to see where it all takes me.

In other news, I’d like to wish everybody a happy Easter (probably belated in most parts of the world). Here in Sydney we had a great day, roast lunch with family and enjoyed the company of friends to end it. Unfortunately now it’s time to hit the books and try and get these essays done while I still have time.

And recently, it was the 22nd anniversary of the Hillsborough stadium disaster. If you don't know much about it, check out the post I did to commemorate reaching 96 followers back when: http://lfcloads.blogspot.com/2010/06/rip-96.html

As part of the remembrance, the Liverpool FC website published 96 responses to a question, and I was lucky enough to be published as the 85th response. There I am right after former British PM Gordon Brown: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/1-question-96-responses-part-5

Anyway guys, it has been a pleasure once again. I hope to see you guys around here a bit more in the next few weeks/months/whatever. Hope the world is treating you well, and I'll catch you all on the dark side.

Cheers, Loads

The Sociological Imagination

Recently it was presented to me a way of perceiving things that I had not previously thought of doing so. The idea of having a 'sociological imagination' as conceived by the American sociologist C. Wright Mills, is a fundamentally simple, yet largely unrecognised system of societal perception (outside of sociological circles obviously). It challenges us to 'dispel assumptions and visualise the operation of the social world more clearly'.

What this 'imagination' gives us, is an ability to perceive the connectivity between our own personal troubles, and the social structures that are anchored in modernity and the institutionally-based world in which we live. It is these societal structures (and authority/power structures) which make many (seemingly trivial, uninteresting) social processes take place, and often repeat themselves.

An example that was given was the simple act of going to the toilet. As we are today, going to the bathroom has become somewhat a ritual. Think about it. We are separated into male/female, we are then further divided into our own personal spaces, and we do our thing. It has reached the point where our natural bodily functions are now being socially managed and ordered to the extent where we can even observe the interpolation of gender divisions, which once simply did not exist.

Through this example we can see how this sociological imagination lets us see just how closely our everyday actions are being directed and ordered in a certain way, and how social events are closely associated with the development and dynamic nature of social relations and structures. You may know by now that society is heading in the direction of individualization. What you may not know however is that this isn't 'just happening'. The sociological imagination allows us to see that societal elites and authorities have an interest in cultivating citizens to think autobiographically and be absorbed by their own personal situations, for the obvious reasons as to prevent individuals from being able to pose a direct challenge to those in a position of power.

Perhaps the most interesting (if a little dim) demonstration of this is Emile Durkheim's 19th century sociological analysis of suicide. Durkheim analysed suicide and the association between the nature of suicide and social relations. By doing so he demonstrated that suicide rates (and many other social events) were strongly influenced by social forces. I strongly recommend looking at his typology of suicide if you get a chance.

I'll leave you with this quote:

"You have known for a long time that you live in a society. Yet until now you may not have fully appreciated that society also lives in you" (Furze et al., 2008: 6)

Any thoughts on the idea, leave a comment and let me know what you think. Feedback is always appreciated and I hope to see you soon.

Cheers,

Loads

University

Good Lord...You just don't know where time goes sometimes.

It has been months since I last posted which I never thought would happen. I really am trying to get back into this - I keep telling myself.

Anyway, back on track. Next week I begin uni. I am doing a Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney, within which I will receive a double major degree in Sociology and Psychology, with a double minor in Government/International Relations and Political Economy.

I don't really know what to expect from the whole thing, but nevertheless I am looking forward to it a great deal. I am hoping it will provide some sort of literary inspiration as to some things I might be able to use as material here, in fact.

Other than that, I thought I would just use this opportunity as a bit of an update, and let you know that I am indeed still alive, and hope to continue this page as it once was. Thanks for keeping the faith, and I'll see you at some stage in the near future.

Cheers,

Loads.

All good things...

Yesterday I finished school. That’s it. I walked out of my last exam surprised to be still alive but stoked nonetheless. This marks the resumption of my regular blogging. To mark this I thought I might share some of the more memorable moments of the past 6 years of schooling.

It began in 2005, when I first walked through the gates at St Joseph’s College. Little did I know of the impact this place was to have on me. The first year involved proving my worth and impressing myself upon a group of 130 boys (which would grow to almost 200 by our final year) all hoping to do the same. This first year presented me with the first instance of what was on offer – this came in the form of a trip to Japan. I learnt Japanese for 5 of my 6 years at Joeys, and this allowed me to travel to Japan several times. I was lucky enough to visit cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Nagano, and the surrounding areas. I travelled back to Japan at the end of 2005, as well as in 2007.

In between trips to Japan I was fortunate enough to score myself 1st place in Japanese in both my first 2 years, as well as forging out my place in the sporting life of the college, competing in the ‘A’ grade for tennis in all 3 years of the first half of my high schooling, 2 of which were undefeated, championship winning teams.

Moving in to the senior half of my high school experience, I was lucky enough to be picked at this early stage to move into the senior elite opens tennis teams, usually reserved for the older, more experienced players. I would remain in this team for my final 3 years, and the mental and physical lessons that were learnt on the courts were invaluable. The photo of me on the right is me walking off the courts for the very last time back in April.

This involvement also allowed me to travel to Melbourne in January of the last 3 years, to train and play, as well as experience the Australian Open, which was always great to be a part of.

Last year I experienced what was probably one of the most amazing things I have done. I have a strong passion for football (soccer ), and I follow the English league to a great degree. As part of the development of the sport at my school (which is traditionally a rugby school), 30 boys were selected to tour the UK and Spain to play, train with and watch the very best. We trained at clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, Charlton and Espanyol, watched various league matches and played several friendly games in Wales, England and Spain. I have previously posted about this trip so if you would like to, check that out.

Well there it is, and 6 years later I have left that world to pursue whatever comes next.

Wish me luck

Loads

You know you want to...

Hey guys,


As of today (Saturday the 30th) I am 3 days away from my last exam. I have done 7, with an engineering exam my last one on Tuesday afternoon. Pretty keen to get it done and put all that behind me. Yesterday was a killer with 2 exams, one of which I wrote for two hours on the general development of western historiography and the historiography of the crusades. Yeah well that was fun.


Just in preparing for my blog after I do finish, I was wondering what you guys thought I should do with this blog from here on in. Would you want me to continue what this blog was originally made for and discuss particular topics of interest? I can also continue (after a period of great neglect) my series on the foosball table? Similarly, I can also do some more personal stuff like travel experiences, and some of the 'interesting' things I have been able to do.


I also have an essay (for those of you who have seen the movie 'Valkyrie', or are aware who Colonel Stauffenberg was) that I wrote in argument of whether or not Stauffenberg could be considered an heroic figure for his actions in 1944. I know it may not interest some of you as it is an academic production, but if you are interested, let me know and I might see if I can post it up.


Anyway guys please leave a comment and let me know, I am vastly looking forward to coming back to this and any other personal interests that have been forgotten over the past 12 months.


Cheers guys,


Loads

Update and future of the blog

Hi everyone,


I know I am leaving it long and far between posts on this site, but I have been a little preoccupied as a fair few of you know with my major high school exams. As of today I am in fact halfway through those exams, so in just less than 2 weeks I will be out of there and ready to begin whatever comes next. So for those from the coffee shop, I will be back around then to haunt you with my presence once again, so thats whats happening with my contribution to the blogosphere.


Once I return, I will be back to complete my foosball table series, as well as the resumption of my normal discussion posts, and hopefully a few new bits and pieces here and there. As per usual suggestions are always appreciated so if you would like to see anything posted here let me know =].


Finally, I would like to leave you with another video from RSA's 'animate' series, about how educational paradigms are currently being changed. Enjoy, and let us know what you think.





Cheers,


Loads

Some food for thought

The RSA (Royal Society for Arts) over in the Uk has developed this series of interesting animates based on their work in various fields (economics, arts, society, anthropology etc.). Theres quite a few on youtube, but these ones I found particularly interesting:


The Empathic Civilization:




The Secret Powers of Time:




If you have a spare 10 minutes, check them out. The provide some really interesting and thought provoking models, all assisted by some pretty impressive visual cues.


Enjoy,


Loads

The Foosball Table Pt 3

I know it has been a while, but finally some sort of observable progress has been made on the table.


Since the last post, I have scrapped the idea of laminating an MDF sheet for the playing surface, but instead am using a melamine particle board, which does not require laminating, and is far cheaper.


I have painted the playing surface with the lines as needed. This post will cover this process.


Firstly I tested the spray enamel on a number of test pieces to minimise run of the paint under the grain of the surface. I then taped the surface of the field. The width of all lines is 6mm, and I am avoiding having curved lines as this is a difficult process requiring far more time than what is needed.






I then simply sprayed a few thin coats over the required areas, as shown:




I then very nervously removed the paper and tape to reveal if what I had done was enough to ensure that the lines were accurate, straight, and the edges were tidy. I was pleasantly surprised:




Next I move to putting together the 5 box pieces with the game parts, then manufacturing the goal box housings, and finally the legs and inlaid glass top.


Once again, I shall see you next time.


Peace, Loads

RIP the 96

Hey guys, just a few quick things to talk about. First of all, I have just reached 96 followers.


Most of you may not be aware of the significance of this number, however for those of you who follow English football to any degree, you may be aware of what I am talking about. On the 15th of April 1989, 96 Liverpool fans were killed at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield. The entering fans bottlenecked at the gates, causing the stadium (that lacked seating) to become severely overcrowded. Those who had entered, and were at the front of the spectator pen, were crushed by the constant flow on unknowing fans being allowed entry behind them.


What made the situation worse, was the blatant mis-reporting that was conducted by the newspaper "the sun" later on. The publication laid blame upon the fans, rather that those responsible for the correct allocation of tickets and entry. As a result, the "Justice" campaign was ignited, in order to restore parity. The following "Taylor Inquiry" found the police to be at fault, hence granting solidity to the ensuing (and still current) boycott of "the sun".


I happened to be over in Liverpool on the 20th anniversary of the disaster, and the day we trained at Liverpool's academy, was the day of the memorial service. This is a photo of me in front of the "Shankly Gates", covered in flowers and both Liverpool and Everton jerseys in remembrance.


RIP THE 96........................

In other news, I have to apologize for not posting in 3 whole weeks. As I may have indicated, this year is a shocking one to undertake commitments such as blogging, as I am rather preoccupied with exams etc being in my final year of school.


As a result, i may be a little short of posts in the next few weeks as well, so if you could all be as patient as possible, I will greatly appreciate it.


Thanks guys =]

The Foosball Table Pt 2

Ok so an update of my progress on my foosball coffee table. For those of you unaware, I am designing and building a foosball coffee table. It is essentially a foosball table, with a glass top to accomodate drinks/food/remotes etc. If you haven't already, check out my first post on this topic, which should be there if you scroll down a bit.


So since my last post, it appears limited progress has been made to the table physically. Work has been done to cut out each of the goalmouths, as displayed below:




The goalmouths are 76 by 206 millimetres, with rounded top corners of radius 20mm (for all you currently used to imperial measurements, I frankly do not care =])


To cut the cavities, a simple electric jigsaw was used to cut the basic shape, with scoring (using a stanley knife) along the perimeter to reduce chipping of the wood.


Next was the process of measuring and boring the holes on either side of the table, to house the rods for the game. This is particularly important as accuracy is key. If measurements/cuts are off by the slightest, the game will be affected somewhat.


This is a picture of what the mechanism looks like currently:





Next I will need to work out the leg structure, of which I shall develop a computer model in the next few days. I will include that model in my next post. I will also be laminating the playing surface, and further investigating the idea of having lights built into the sides of the table.

If you have any more suggestions, I will be happy to listen to them, the feedback I received on the last post was wonderful, so thanks for that.

Cheers, Loads

Big family? dont even get me started...

Ok. So it has been requested that I share my thoughts and general perspective on my place at an all-boys boarding school. To start I will give you an introduction to my school, and what it means.

It is a catholic private boarding school, with about 1000 boys aging from 12-18. 10 years ago, it was a strict boarding school, however recently, day students have been accepted and so now about ½ of the total does not board at all. I was in that situation in the younger years, as I live only a short distance from the school. It was at the beginning of year 11 (February last year), that I began boarding. It is a very strong rugby union school, and playing rugby was even compulsory until the mid-late eighties. They now allow soccer and cross-country in the winter. Summer season involves tennis, cricket, basketball, water polo or rowing.

What boarding means is that you live in a dormitory that holds about 30 boys, and each year group has 4-6 dorms. In year 12 however, each boy has a separate room. This grants the ability of not having to study in a classroom every night, but instead returning to your own room.

In terms of my week, I am at school from about 8pm on Sunday nights, until 5.30pm on Saturday, when I leave for home after sporting commitments. So yes, I am only away from school for about 24 hours each week. This is a typical week for me:

Sunday: Return to school 8pm, go to mass, and an hour of study

Monday: Wake up at 7.30, go to breakfast in the dining room. Classes as normal from 8.40-3.30, then football training (Tennis in summer) until 5pm. Dinner at 5.30-6, then study from 6.30-10.

Tuesday: Morning training at 6.30, followed by classes as normal, training again from 3.30-5, and the usual dinner and study.

Wednesday: Classes finish early (2.30) accommodating for a double training session (this is because sport used to be played on Wednesday afternoons before it was moved to Saturdays). Then dinner and study as usual.

Thursday: Same as Monday

Friday: No training, and half of night study off for free time etc.

Saturday: Play sport (tennis in summer, football in winter), then stay for the rugby, which finishes at about 5.30, after which we are free to go home, or return to school for those not going home.

One of the questions raised, was what it is like having teachers around 24/7. Well, to be honest I have become accustomed to it, and I think one of the advantages of this is the increased awareness of the needs of students for the teachers, and in turn, a greater bond between the staff and the student body. And no, it’s not like Hogwarts.

Boarding with upwards of 200 boys in a year group gets extremely interesting. The group dynamics within a body of 200 adolescent boys sees the extremes of social emotions. However, because of the nature of boys that attend, bullying is generally not a problem, and the positivity within year groups generally increases as they go through. This is not to say there isn’t fights and general disagreements etc. Mostly, though, the group is a fantastic bunch of guys, and is a great one to be a part of. Living with friends for most of the week, despite it being at school, is often one filled with interest, laughing, but not much to be bored about (apart from sitting in maths).

I hope this gives you a bit of an insight into my life at an all-boys boarding school. If you have any questions about it, please just leave a comment and I will answer any queries you may have.

Thanks guys =]

And now for something completely different!

Ok, so as a few of you are probably aware, I am currently in my final year of school. (For those who weren't aware, you are now =]) One of the subjects that I elected to do was one that involved the designing and production of a major work. This involves in essence: making something. I chose to build a foosball coffee table.


You would all know what foosball is right? (For those who don't, it's the table soccer game you see around the place). Well my project is functionally duplicitous as it not only fulfils the functionality of the foosball game, but can also be used for the purpose of a coffee table. In other words, it is a normal foosball table, just a foot lower, and with a glass inlay over the top.


What relevance this has to you guys is you are going to help me. While i take a little bit of time to document my progress through this blog, with the central purpose of showing you an insight into my year, and hopefully letting you follow my progress with interest. Your feedback on this part of my blog would be much appreciated, and may (with your permission), be used in compiling the design portfolio to be submitted alongside the project.


This is my progress up until now:




As you can see, I have a long way to go. What that^ basically is, is the box that will house the actual foosball game. The rods that hold the players will run across that box, which will be inside a "cabinet" of sorts. The cabinet will basically be the legs of the structure, and the housing of the game, as well as the glass top.


My next step is laminating the MDF playing surface, biscuit-joining the 4 sides together, then the MDF to each of them (all dry-fitted for the moment). from there i will begin the cabinet, then install the game, then fix all the parts together. Sounds pretty simple huh? .........Yeah right.


First question. What do you think about installing lights inside the game? Most likely LED strips running along each side, similar to floodlights on a real football field. Yes or No?


Cheers everyone =]