New Experiences #93 - #96
W/C 1st October 2012
New Experience #93: Making A Magazine In A Day
The place: Cardiff School of Journalism. The time: 10am-9pm The task: To make a magazine in a day as part of the Cardiff Design Festival.
Together with 30 writers, illustrators, photographers and designers and the theme of 'cycling', I helped to make what at the start of the day seem like a distant possibility into a reality worth reading. After a fast-paced brainstorming session, we all got to work with our assigned tasks. I contributed two pages; a 'Pedal Playlist' and an agony aunt section (Aunty Wiggo) which was a joy to write. After the illustrators had jazzed up the pages, the designers worked right up to last minute to get things finished off and as the clock counted down to 9pm, our magazine was published online. Cheers all round!
Rating: 5/5. A lot of fun, a lot of brilliant people and a big insight into how a magazine comes together, albeit in super speed. Check it out here.
New Experience #94: Street Fundraising
Oxjam Cardiff is a very lovely, active group of people that put on regular events in aid of Oxfam, especially around October time. I've helped out a few times in the past but this was the big one; the Oxjam Takeover, which makes use of eight Cardiff venues to host a day long bonanza of music and comedy. My role as a volunteer was to collect money on Queen Street, accompanied by a circus troop from Bristol and turn around and call me Martin it was cold. With a bit of energy and plenty of 'come on, give me your money' banter, we filled our coffers and after three hours returned to HQ happy. Mostly because we could warm up a bit.
Rating: 4/5 My respect for street fundraisers has increased drastically - I've asked people to sign petitions before, but getting people to part with some pennies is another matter. A very worthwhile experience.
W/C 8th October 2012
New Experience #95: Attending And Reviewing A Comedy Show
Following a hard day's work collecting money for Oxfam (#94), it was straight to St. David's Hall for a night of comedy from Mark Watson. It was the first stand-up gig I've seen outside of a festival and I thoroughly enjoyed the longer set and having an interval to use the loo. It was all laughs on the night, as you'd hope, but when it came to writing the review for this site, I came to a bit of a block. If it had been music or theatre, I could have bashed one out in an hour or so but trying to critically comment on a comedian proved , as an inexperienced comedy goer, difficult. I mean, he was very funny. But that's the basic expectation of a stand-up. In the end, I read a few comedy reviews online and blagged it.
Rating: 4/5 A fine evening out and a good test of my journalistic skills. Read my effort here.
New Experience #96: Becoming An Adult
That's right, I can now smoke, drink, gamble, go clubbing, buy a house, get sued, sue someone else, sit on a jury, get a piercing, get a wife without my parents consent, and vote.
Rating: 3/5 I no longer need to worry about finding ID for 18+ gigs and can freely buy the odd pint. Yay. But I am no longer a child by law, which will soon mean taxes, property ladders and responsibility. I mean damn....
Click here for more New Experiences
Info Housing Buying A New Home
Info Health Health & Body Matters Tattoos & Body Art
Info World, Europe, UK & Wales Politics The Right To Vote
IMAGE: New by chrisinplymouth
4 Comments – Postiwch sylw
Tom_Bevan
Rhoddwyd sylw 42 mis yn ôl - 7th November 2012 - 15:18pm
Just to confirm, I've not timtravelled to 2102, that's a mistake.
Sam Sprout (Editor)
Rhoddwyd sylw 42 mis yn ôl - 7th November 2012 - 15:19pm
UGH!
Tom_Bevan
Rhoddwyd sylw 42 mis yn ôl - 7th November 2012 - 15:21pm
Thanks Sam... my mistake
Sam Sprout (Editor)
Rhoddwyd sylw 42 mis yn ôl - 7th November 2012 - 15:22pm
No it was mine #FutureFace