Carmarthen Journal Articles - 241

On  28th October we piled into St Peter's Civic Hall all eagerly waiting to be thoroughly entertained and we weren't to be disappointed. "241" written by the comedy genius Daniel Williams consisted of two plays "Patience" and "Bumps in the night" and four actors, Daniel Williams, Rhian Owen, Steffan Hughes and Iwan Williams. The plays contained fifty characters all shared between the four actors and no dialogue except the odd mumble, groan or beautifully timed comment.

"Patience" told the story of being the one constantly over looked in your doctors surgery and the madness that can come with being the last man standing or in this case sitting, sweating at the thought of what might happen next. The character played by the brilliant Iwan Williams was rather Mr Bean inspired and had the whole audience including myself in stitches throughout, proving you don't need a dialogue when you have such a well put together talented cast. Whilst "Bumps in the night" appropriately dedicated to Daniel's little girl told the story of the difficulties of managing to sleep whilst having a baby and the craziness that happens when all you want is some peace and quiet! Throughout the piece the comedic timing couldn't have been more on point and I think the audience would agree as laughter was all that could be heard through the hall. "241" is just another perfect example of how Daniel Williams is going from strength to strength as a writer and getting the recognition he so rightfully deserves. Its difficult to put into words just how entertaining this performance was and how fantastic the entire cast is. All I can say is the Principal Players are definitely a very talented group of individuals that you need to look out for on the theatre circuit.

We only get one life, but if we do it right once is enough!

So I fight for it, and I fight for it...........And I don't let it go.

When we are growing up we are told a thousand stories; the man that saved the world and his princess, the family of superhero's that lived next door, the boogieman hunters and monster slayers, the crime fighters, the princess's with beautifully long hair, the children with talking pets. We were told a million and one elaborate tales and from these we made our own dreams.

Whilst everyone around me lived in what they believed to be a real life fairytale where one day a prince charming would come and sweep them off their feet, chasing a dragon or two in the process I was living in my world and knew from the get go I didn't want to be in a fairytale I wanted to write one!

Finding something that makes you truthfully hand on your heart happy is rare. We are restricted to do jobs that we hate just to make enough money to do the things in life we enjoy. I have three jobs and only one of them makes me truly happy the others are a simple means to an end. Bus fares and the odd snack. I wake up everyday to stand in a place that doesn't make a difference and sell things that only create momentary happiness. I know I want to create something that is immortal, timeless.

So I fight for it, and I fight for it....................And I don't let it go.

I chase it until there is no speed left in these tired legs of mine and no hot air left for my lungs to breathe. I dream of being sat on the tallest building in New York in the middle of the night, being nothing in comparison to the rest of the world, yet being so much to the people that truly love me and to myself. I dream of being in a busy street trying to get my bit of the story. I dream of changing someones day because of the words I choose to use. I dream of saying,
"I did that"

So I fight for it, and I fight for it.......................And today I became that little bit closer, and I'm not letting it go.

All these roads they lead me here, I imagine your at home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CDUpe7JPV8

This is the last time I am asking you why.

Everything Has Changed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-mh08MiHHA


All I know is that we said hello, and now everything has changed. I just want to know you better, know you better now.

Waking up knowing something that you didn't before you fell asleep can change everything that you ever thought some of us act on those actions of knowing something, others wait. Both can learn to regret the way they choose to go about these things.

Everything has changed.

It only takes a second.

Sometimes its difficult to work every job under the sun, just so that you can save to do the one job that makes you happy. This scenario has been my life for the past nearly four years. I have never wanted to work in a shop, stand behind a til and flog stupid items that hardly anyone has any interest in buying! I want to write as if that isn't obvious and I have tried my best to do what I have to, so that one day I can fulfil this dream. So many people have told me that I should find a career that is easy, a career that I can start tomorrow and still be slogging away at the same day I retire. You have to do stuff that makes you happy, and for me that is expressing everything I feel on pen to paper. I want my words to have the ability to change someones day, to give someone an opinion on something that until that moment they read it they had never thought even about it.

I want to travel the world and let people know the truth, so when they are tucking into their breakfasts whinging about their nine to five lives they stop take a second and think actually there are people out there who would kill to be sat where I am right now. I want to go to the most dangerous places in the world stick on a hard hat and go catch my story and today, I came that little bit closer.

In the new year I will be writing so much more for my local paper, getting away from standing behind that til a bit more and showing people that this is what I love, that writing is something that I am destined to do. I am going to have to continue to keep proving myself to everyone that I can to get to where I want to be but its a challenge I am more than happy to take on.

Here's to the future, its looking brighter.

Misguided.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlZNKHyrq5I

Would someone care to classify broken heart's and twisted minds. So I can find someone to rely on and run to them, to them full speed ahead. Oh you are not, useless we are just Misguided ghosts, travelling endlessly, the ones we trusted the most pushed us far away, and there is no one road, we should not be the same, but i'm just a ghost and still they echoe me. They echoe me in circles.

All I wanted was....................................................

Ourselves

Do you see what we've done, we've gone and made such fools of ourselves,
How did we get here I used to know you so well,
I think I know,
There is something I see in you, it might kill me, I want it to be true.

Teenage Dream

"I know you get me so I let my walls come down"

How to let somebody in.
I am still learning how to do this exact bit. There are some that I have learnt how to let in and these are the ones that use me, lie to my face, pretend way too much and make false promises. The others who have yet to do this, are honest, take me for everything I am and am not, good days and bad days, love me with a passion and are always there. These are the ones that prove everyday why they are so special to me. Then there are the ones who I and have left me either died never to return other in the form of beautiful memories or the ones who just don't want to try anymore and the exit door is way more appealing.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side its greener where you water it!

It's hard to know how to make these good and bad choices because indeed in this silly little thing called life we have to make them both and try our very best to learn from them.

My mum says,
"Jess don't change yourself, being you is what  got you the opportunities that you have, and the people around you that you do"
I know she is right but I still can't seem to figure out why there are people out there who exploit good people, why there are people out there who only work for self gratification. Then again I don't understand it and that's a good thing, it means I can never be like this myself. When I love I do so with everything I can and once I have told you those three little words that's it you are stuck with my like a weed that won't die for the rest of your life.

I shall continue to being the person I always have been after all my mum is right. Those who wish to carry on with behaviours that upset individuals they can carry on too and one day hopefully we will both learn not only who to let in truly but how to keep them happy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2fOum_KWQU&feature=relmfu

It's easier to hurt than it is to heal.

I can't spell it out for you, it can never be that simple.

If we took time to realise what was stood in front of us then maybe we all be that little bit happier. Sometimes the things in life that hurt you don't make you stronger they in my opinion just make you appreciate your weaknesses.

If we all took a chance then we would never have to realise if you were in fact perfect for that person you let walk straight away into the arms of someone else or realise that you should never have wasted all the time you did with someone who will never truly understand what it is that your about.

Nobody is perfect, but in life its about understanding someones imperfections and making them perfect to you. Life isn't like the movies but if it was surely you would want to cut out all of that waiting around, rushing back and forth to the airport, chasing down the one you love as they drive away to a nearby state in a shiny yellow cab. I'd like to miss out the parts when they call each other a million times and miss every call, the parts when they are with other people but miss "the one" the whole time. The buying of a thousand different presents in case one makes a difference. The make ups and break ups and kissing in the rain. I don't want the Hollywood lifestyle I want the real life story the journey.

The days when all you want to do is be surrounded by the person that you love, and the days when you want to be on your own and couldn't think of anything worse. The phone calls that make you laugh and with them the ones that make you cry. The dates that you will never forget and then the ones that your more than happy to. The tiny gifts that may as well have cost a few pence cause in  my mind they are the ones I am going to stare at before going to sleep! The crap jokes and the rather good ones but what the hell you love the guy so it doesn't matter how funny or be it completely awful they are. I want the moments when all you want to do is sit in silence because between the two of you that's enough than any full blown conversation. The nights where you eat way too much food and then spend all night comparing each others forever growing tummies!! I want real life. Real emotions. No bullshit. There is enough bullshit.

I want to make a difference to someones life not because of who I know or what I do. Nor because of how much money I earn or how many holidays I go on a year. I want someone who loves me for everything I am for all the good days and bad days.

My grandpa looked after my grandmother who died a bit more everyday in front of him for nearly five years and loved her even more the day we lost her to the sky. That's love. Every time she coughed so much just because she couldn't get enough air in due to her lungs slowly giving up he was there. Every time she needed to go the toilet but had to press a button on a machine that spoke for her cause she couldn't talk or move unaided her ran to help her no matter what he was in the middle of. Every time she cried invisible tears as her body wouldn't allow her to cry anymore, every night she sat awake in pain to terrified to fall asleep he was up too. That's not the love that happens in a 90 minute film. That is real honest until the day you die and then some love. Surely that's better?!

I don't want to start over, I don't want to pretend.

"I won't do what you told me, I won't do what you say, Am I going to stop feeling?"

The path that we set out on in the morning may not be the same one we find ourselves wandering down that same night we rest our heads on our pillows, this said when we wake up we could now have leapt onto something completely different and be starting a new journey.

The trick of this "path jumping" is to try your best to remember what you've learnt along the way. Heartbreak will be along this path, same as sadness, despair, tiredness, but also, happiness, love, friendship, laughter and so many other crazy emotions. As easy as it feels sometimes to give up, throw in the towel, bury yourself under your duvet for the rest of the year keep going.

 I don't want to start over, and I don't want to pretend. I want to have the journey for all that it is.

Heads you win, Tails.... lets wait and see.

Company under covers. Filling the space in your sheets.

"Please just blow out all the candles, blow out all the candles, your too young to be this shy he says to me so I stay the night, just a young heart confusing my mind, but we are both in silence, wide-eyed like we are in a crime scene" - Daughter Candles.

Ships.

There is something so beautiful about this quote, meaning one day I shall have this tattooed on some random part of me. I love how true it is, we would all be safe if we sat on the sidelines hid our fear from the world but that's not living. Get out there dance in the rain, get soaked, and if the sun comes out rainbows are beautiful.

Do it your way.

Sometimes in life its the things that we were never expecting that suddenly mean so much to us. The things that at any other time we may have possibily over looked, in a desperate attempt to get to where we wanted to be but when we stop take a minute. look at our surroundings, these small bumps can make a massive impact on the everyday life we were plodding along with.

Welcome those moments that normally you would run away from screaming, don't dive back under that duvet and wait for a day where maybe you'll be brave enough. Life is too short for all of this waiting around. What may seem wrong to others may be the most perfect of things in your eyes.

What scares you the most is probably the thing that is most worth doing.
Laugh inappropriately.
Love passionately and with everything you've ever learnt about how to be a good person.
Cry buckets, rivers, oceans just make those tears worth it. MAKE THOSE PEOPLE WORTH IT!
Smile as if its going out of fashion.
Frown at those who deserve it, don't hold back being angry isn't a crime, murder however is!
Dance like an idiot just because you can, this in itself is a gift.
Be honest no lie will ever be worth it.
Try your best and if you fail something, who cares its your dream chase it tomorrow.
Eat whatever you want whenever you want its okay to be on your second bag of crisps at 2am.
Keep good and bad people around you, everyone needs that balance.
Work your butt off and earn those nice things yourself it will mean so much more.
Make mistakes being a robot is too boring!
Looks fade so keep your insides as good as you can one day that's what you'll have left.
Stare in the mirror if your happy that's all that matters.
Sing until your throat hurts, its loads of fun.
Do something CRAZY just to say "I did that"
Live every second of everyday your given some people aren't that lucky.
Have a guilty pleasure or five that's what makes us different.
Spend your money who knows what tomorrow brings.
Run anywhere.
Get a map and go some things don't need to be planned.
Best friends are rare look after them.
Mums are there no matter what so don't go abusing their love, there is nothing else like it.
Be you as difficult and scary as that may be sometimes to know you've stayed true is rewarding.
Find something anything that you can't live without and then make sure you never have to.
Heart break is crucial we all have to go through it and it will make you stronger.
Fall head over heels for someone even if it will never be anymore.
Take advice with you, carry it, use it, if you make a mistake that's your advice to pass on.
Drink way too much, fall over, act like an idiot we are all young no matter what our passports say.
Secrets are important, important to keep.
Go to sleep every night wanting to do it all again.
Play your music at the loudest volume and then go crazy GO ON GO FOR IT!!!
Like what you like no pressures.
Environments change, keep your head your own.


Live life. Do it your way.

Misery loves its company.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwu2HvXRAGk

We accept the love we think we deserve.

There is one saying that I have heard my mum tell me a million and one times and its this one "We accept the love we think we deserve" I never really understood what this truly meant because surely if you love someone whole heartedly then that's what you should have in return. This isn't always the case and only recently have I understood what my mum has been trying to tell me all along.

We all have demons, pesky skeletons in those closets of ours that no matter how many times we try we can't seem to get them to leave. We carry feelings and doubts and bad memories that people have given us along the way and add these to any future relationships we go on to create. If someone was to call you "ugly" everyday for the rest of your life at first you may be taken a back and upset by it, but the next time they say it you'll be half expecting it I mean they have already said it once, and then the times after that it will become as normal as saying hello to someone in the street. We as people seem to believe all of the bad, the negative comments that we have had thrown at us over the years and carry them like the heaviest rucksack known to man! I think this comes hand in hand with the above statement. If someone truly cares about us we will have that amazing, cannot live without you  kind of love and if they don't we simply learn to accept and be grateful for anything we are given be it positive or negative. Its hard to walk away from something you have nurtured and cared for for so long but sometimes you have to go I can't I have to learn how to love myself a little bit first and when you do move forward throw away that rucksack that you have carried with you for far too long and truly accept the love that you do deserve and let it be as perfect as you had always hoped it to be.

My dream.

Sometimes that's just it.

Life is crazy.

One moment we are swimming in the shallow end our feet can touch the bottom, we know exactly what to do, the exits are easy to get to and every thing's as simple and known as it was the minute we got in, but we still can't help but wonder what it would be like to completely immerse ourselves in the deep end, dive in whilst no-one is looking and simply hope that after the rush we shall bob back up to the top with a new sense of life for those few moments.

I can't help that I live my life this way, if somebody says "Jess, don't touch that!"
I have to it will be the first thing that I have to do, just to see if they are right just to see what will happen regardless of the consequences. Life in the shallow end is okay, its safe and you can paddle around without any fear but does this count as really living? Surely the temptation of something new is all too overwhelming to stick with your feet stuck to the bottom for any longer?!

I am going to have to try it.
Here's hoping.

Beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR3bDIpO8Os&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR3bDIpO8Os&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR3bDIpO8Os&feature=related

To be inspired

Inspirational

I am the type of person who can take the biggest inspiration from the smallest of things. If I had to choose one characteristic I liked the most about myself this would have to be one of them. Life is so short, too short at the best of times and for some people that short amount of time is wasted. The time wasters use all amounts of excuses such as: There is no point in trying, I will never get it, He/She likes He/She more than me, I can't be bothered I don't feel like it anymore or what is the point in doing something to better myself it will never work this is my life. All of these one liners, or few whine like sentences I have heard so many times. We all need that little bit of extra faith in ourselves, I have a dream, the most enormous dream, one that often gets me laughed at, but its mine, its special to me and its the reason I have this fight within me. We are living in some incredibly tough times at the moment with no sign of what the future may possibly hold for any of us, but wouldn't you rather have something to keep you going? Don't you want to find something worth waking up every morning for? I cannot create miracles and if I could I certainly wouldn't be tucked up in my single bed in South Wales right now, but inside I am ready to escape and create the life I know I want. Surely we can all do this. LETS MAKE EVERYDAY COUNT STARTING FROM WHEN WE ALL WAKE UP.

Carmarthen Journal Articles

Sweeney Todd - My Review

On Thursday 15th September, I sang my way to The Lyric Theatre to watch Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street performed by Merlin Youth Theatre. For those who aren't familiar with the story of Sweeney Todd it is a dark tale of a man obsessed with avenging the misfortune of his daughter and wife, and along his path to do this he finds himself falling darker and darker, into the shadows of Fleet Street. I have watched the film of Sweeney Todd directed by the magnificent dark mind of Tim Burton, so I was intrigued to see how Merlin Youth Theatre could bring this production to life, in front of a live audience.
The opening scene, set and the use of a smoke machine, period costume, and a brilliant live orchestra really was rather impressive and the strength of the cast even more so as they sang the ballard of Mr Sweeney Todd. Amongst the billowing smoke Sweeney played by Gareth Morgan, emerged on set and as soon as he began to sing, you knew his performance was memorable. With such stage presence he captivated the attention of the audience immediately and just like that you were transported into Fleet Street and staring up at the man who was its resident demon barber. Gareth Morgan's cockney accent and ability to transform into this dark character really did make the show what it was, and that is an eerie and thought provoking musical.
The use of such an impressive set, also aided the performance as even though it didn't allow much being left to the imagination as most minimalist plays do, it did allow you to feel apart of their community and at parts leaving you want to shout "Don't sit in that chair sir, you most definitely do not need a shave!" It was a clever way of bringing the performance to life and literally covering all angles as the set revolved so you didn't miss a thing and the use of a drop seat chair was a powerful stimulus for the audience.
However it wasn't all doom and gloom on Fleet Street as you can always trust Georgie Tipping who played the town's beggar woman to add a bit of comedy with her once again impressive performance. Erin Doherty who confidently played Aldolfo Pirelli, also had the crowd in stitches as she taught everyone how to "Shave uh the face". I was apprehensive about how Merlin Youth could pull off bringing a play such as Sweeney Todd to Carmarthen, but throughout the performance they really did prove they are simply a chip of the old block when it comes to theatre!

Carmarthen Journal Articles - Fragments of Ash

Fragments of Ash Review

•  Every so often a performance is put on that is unmissable. This is how I felt about Fragments of Ash performed by Notional Theatre. Physical Theatre is a form of performance that is very close to my heart after studying it at A-Level. This combined with an incredibly powerful concept made this piece a work of theatre art! Notional theatre excel in bringing a new stylised way of theatre to the stage, one that leaves you as an audience unbelievably captivated. Fragments of Ash posed the question "What can turn an ordinary mother into a suicide bomber" with a stimulus as hard hitting and controversial as this I was intrigued at how this would be displayed visually. The use of such a minimal set was enough as Tracey Biggs who played the part of British mother Eleanor was bold enough. Her ability to perform such raw emotion left me as well as other members of the audience with tears streaming down our faces and lumps in our throats, as we saw the fulll extent of just how everyday individuals lives can be effected by the sadness and atrocities that happen at war. The whole caste was strong Sam Harding a recent graduate who played a multiple of characters was as equally brilliant and even though I had never personally been in a similar situation as the one he found himself in I could easily identify with every characterisation. I thought the use of harsh, almost ugly movements was critical and being such a fan of the work of Pina Bausch I felt that her work as a choreographer definitely had an effect of the use of physical theatre and stylised contemporary movements throughout this piece. The efforts of Rebecca Alexander, Dick Bradnum and Janine Cooper were also highly commendable. I must also mention the work of writer and director Terry Victor who has developed a piece that is such an eye opener, its brutal with a softness around it making it easier to digest. Fragments of Ash is a fantastic physical theatre performance, and throughout every review that I have done has to be the one that has left the biggest impression. I cant think of anything that could have been changed to make any improvements, it really was simply fascinating with a powerful message to be taken on board by all those who see it.

Friendship.

Meet Emma.

Emma (Left) Myself (Right)

Life can often be lonely if you don't surround yourself with good, honest people. I have always been lucky, I have an amazing family and am so close to my mum, a brilliant boyfriend and a best friend that I could not go a day without being around.

I met Emma in secondary school. That was a scary experience going from a girl dominated privately educated primary school to in my eyes an enormous state secondary where I didn't know a single person to say I was a fish out of water is an understatement! The first thing I remember saying to her was when I jumped onto the school bus home she turned to me and said,
"You live in .......... then" my reply in this new found dog eat anything world was,
"Uh obviously I'm on this bus aren't I?"
From that moment on I can't pretend that I knew we would be friends forever as my main daily focus was to not get thrown down another bank or put in a wheelie bin! Em only lived two streets down from my house and after school we would go round our other friend's homes and play Pop Idol on the playstation and as we got older, sip cosmopolitans and throw chicken fillets around finding it hilarious. A normal sleepover to us was way too much food and a good old sleeping bag race, as we both resembled two caterpillars at the best of times this was a game we thoroughly enjoyed. Our friendship grew as we as people did and now we are inseparable. I have lost count of the amount of strangers who ask if we are sisters or the ones that just immediately assume we are! Nowadays however our idea of a good night has changed somewhat, it still always includes our love of most things edible, but now we wash it down with far too many alchoholic beverages and then stumble around a bit, long gone are the days of a quiet night of Pop Idol!
         We have recently booked a holiday together to Turkey and we cannot wait, its a chance to make some new memories together and get some sun on these cheeks of ours! In all seriousness I am so lucky to have someone as truly beautiful as Em in my life, we do nearly everything together and we know everything there is to know about each other, we find the same things hilarious and any silence is usually filled with us in hysterics, we burst into song at the exact same moment, and have together created the best new dance moves ever to be seen on a Saturday night! I don't know anyone else who has as much fun as I do driving through busy streets shouting the names out at random people we have never met before!
         Through Em I have gained another family, and I always have an excuse to go and stuff my face anytime of the day, she is one of a kind and by saying something stupid cheers me up in an instant, through my pants week, she turns up with the brand new dress I have had my eye on! If that's not impressive I am not sure what is. Nine years on we are only getting more and more closer and there is definitely no sign of us drifting apart anytime soon that is not before Turkey anyway (joke). It is true what people say without friends we don't have much, and by just having Em in my life I have a lot.

When the turning of a page, changes your day.

Megan - Leigh Peat.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/teenage-schoolgirl-murdered-at-house-party-870504

There is always that moment when you turn the page of a newspaper and it changes your whole day! As an aspiring journalist I always have my head in a newspaper but today whilst reading this article in the Metro, I didn't envy not having the opportunity to find this story!

What kind of world do we honestly live in? A fifteen year old stabbed to death at a house party at the end of a schools half term. The suspect at the moment appears to be her on, off  boyfriend of ten months. It makes my heart ache that this happens. Such a loss of life to a girl who hoped to be a midwife in her later years. From the facebook pages and feeds on twitter she was a much loved individual who had so much to give to her friends, family and everyone who knew her.

Words are lost, when something like this happens. I have so much that I want to say, so much anger and pain to vent out and I didn't even have the pleasure of ever knowing such a beautiful person and I am still in complete shock that somebody could ever do such a thing. As I mentioned earlier being an aspiring journalist and writing for my local paper, there are far too often stories that hit you hard in the chest but the sadness and severity of this one in particular has stayed with me all day. If it was her boyfriend then she trusted him, she loved him and how can somebody use that against someone they "Supposedly" are deeply in love with. I don't understand how tragedies like these even happen.

A house party in a quiet neighbourhood, surrounded by friends and people you know, having a good time with those who you trust and then this at the end of it all! My heart goes out to her family as this is incomprehensible as much as I try to empathise I am so lucky that I have never had to experience loss of this kind due to its unforgivable circumstances.
 What happened to the days that everyone could walk out of their front door without looking over their shoulder?
What happened to the days that everyone could go out with one another and have a good time, come home safely?
What happened to the days when stuff like this didn't happen?
Megan - Leigh Peat, didn't deserve the end she was so brutally given, at fifteen a whole life ahead of her, a life full of adventure and new experiences, cut short by some horrendous individual.
My heart is honestly with everyone who knew her.

Do one thing everyday that makes you proud!

Race for life

They say that as people to lead a healthy lifestyle we are meant to do one thing everyday that scares us. Sunday 10th June I participated in the Race for Life to raise money and awareness for those who have loved, lost and fought cancer. As I arrived with my mum and friend for life Em in tow it was clear that today was going to be a very special one at that. I looked out onto this sea of pink, all women joined together, not bitching about the girl who is that bit skinnier than us, or whinging about our partners and their lack of help in anything and everything we do. No today we joined together to show our solidarity and passion for a cause that had affected all of us in some way or another.
      Armed in our pink race for life t-shirts, fancy dress costumes which included three runners in wedding dresses, and elaborate wigs we set off. All of us with one goal in mind, to make those who we were doing this for proud, wherever they may now be! It was perhaps one of the most emotional days of my life, with children as young as five rushing around, the notes on the back of their t-shirts written in their finest handwriting with things such as "To my granny" or "To my grandpa" "Auntie Mary" or others such as "I race for everyone" "I race for a cure" "I race for my mum", as all of these memories ran around you couldn't help but get caught up in the moment.
     I felt so incredibly proud to be around such amazing people that took a day out to do something that mattered! To take time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to say "This matters to me" its times and days like these which come too far and few between. I for one did it for my great grandmother (Dee,dee) and for my close friend who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and fought the disease with more bravery than I ever could have, thankfully she is still here today and is in herself such an inspiration to simply live everyday. At the ripe old age of twenty you often think your invincible however its times like these that prove we are mere humans! Its a day like the 10th June that proves the more we do as mere humans, the luckier one day we will hopefully all be.
    

Carmarthen Journal - Guys and Dolls Review

My review of Guys and Dolls performed by C.A.O.S

I was very excited to attend the performance by C.A.O.S theatre company to watch their interpretation of the infamous Guys and Dolls. With an impressive cast, boasting a wide variety of ages and talents, with local lad Marc Skone as the artistic director and local lady Helen Wyn as the musical director I knew the show was not going to disappoint its fairly large audience on its opening night.
This vibrant revival of the classic Broadway musical ran for just a bit off three hours and was strenuous for the cast from the get go. With so many scenes to get through each with their own identity the use of the in house band made up of pupils from Queen Elizabeth High School was an excellent choice.
For those of you who do not know the story of Guys and Dolls it is based on the short stories by Damon Runyon. It is a musical with both music, dancing and lyrics all surrounding the plot following the lives of a group of gamblers and the women who are trying to change them for the better all set in the city that fails to sleep New York.
The coolest of the cities scoundrels is Sky Masterson played by Osian Rhys, Osian's ability to take on such a role and perform it so brilliantly was impressive and the ability to hold such a strong New Yorker accent throughout was commendable and this is a praise that can be given to every member of the cast as perfecting an accent is in itself a hard task! His on stage partner Sarah Brown the woman determined to change the misfits ways played by Lynsey Armstrong was too played to perfection belting out the shows infamous songs. One of the perhaps most well known songs 'Sit down your rocking the boat' was taken on by popular performer Gareth Morgan who took on the part of Nicely Nicely Johnson, as with every role Gareth excels himself showing everyone just why he belongs on the stage. I couldn't fault the cast or their performance however if I was to deliver any criticism it would be that the dancers seemed to be a bit lack lustre and at times slightly out of time with the rest of the group this however could simply be put down to opening night nerves. Claire Richards who delivered so beautifully the part of Miss Adelaide is one to watch on the theatre circuit, she managed to keep the audience laughing throughout with her comments towards her fiance of fourteen years Nathan Detroit played by the wonderful Adam Quil the couple made a great duo with their on/off relationship and amusing, well-timed repartee.
I thouroughly enjoyed this performance and as my first encounter with C.A.O.S was so impressed with such an amazing cast. The Guys and Dolls cast also included two members of Only Boys Aloud Aled Owen (Harry the Horse) and Thomas Miles (Benny Southwest) Who despite doing Wales proud in the Britain's Got Talent final still managed to come home and put on this incredible performance. Well done to all of the cast, crew and orchestra and the artistic vision of Marc Skone who for a few nights has turned the Lyric Theatre into New York City. I for one could not help but sing Luck be a Lady all the way home!

Big Beautiful Confidence or Craziness?

In sickness and in health

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Beautiful_Woman

I just watched Channel 4's documentary 'My Big Fat Fetish' with my mum, and I am still lost for words. At first I thought it was a positive programme displaying a positive message of feeling confident of your body regardless of its size. This I thought was a much welcomed change instead of the usual flicking the pages of a glossy magazine and being made to feel ugly if our jeans are anything over the average size twelve.
         Throughout the documentary, I witnessed women who relied on men to make them their money, to feed them, and to pay them the compliments they felt they needed. This simply showed me that no matter how many times they said,
"I love my fat, my fat is sexually exciting" that this couldn't actually be the case.
I could no longer believe in this self confidence they gave off  as I don't think this is something that they do honestly feel when they look at themselves. The men or "feeders" in their lives make them eat high calorie foods all day everyday encouraging them to gain more and more weight and by doing so this will eventually give them two choices suffering from immobility, living a life tucked up in bed having a carer to tend to their bedsores or death due to their ever growing size, which they view as a competition over the other women in this field of fat fetishism.
          I personally believe that no matter how you look on the outside if you feel good inside then that's all you can ever ask for, yet these women can't be happy on their journey to an extra large coffin!

How deep is your love?

How deep is your love?

A song can change everything from the second you hear it.

I was sat in work, when How deep is your love started playing in the background. I ran to turn it up as that song holds so much meaning to me.
      On a long drive to see my Auntie who lived in Plymouth at the time my grandmother and I had the Love Album on during the whole journey there and back home. By the time we arrived back we did anything but love this album! How deep is your love was one of the tracks that I always remember singing along too, along with a bit of Phil Collins and Spandeau Ballet! Even writing this I can still hear my grandmother and I belting out the chorus and taking it in turns to repeat the backing title, in God only knows what tune!
       A song can change your mood in an instant and before now there was a time where in the last five years since my grandmother's death I would have done anything possible to drown out certain memories, however now I rush to turn them up! I rush to the DKNY section in Debenhams some days to spray myself in the perfume she used to wear, and I purposefully pick up old postcards she had written to me and compare our handwriting. Who knew that a song which made me smile all of the years ago would still provoke the same emotion today, as I hum along still painfully out of tune, intentionally missing out certain parts as if she were with me happily filling those bits in.
      Isn't it funny how time can make you forget certain things, yet always allow you to remember the bits that really count!
     

Front Page News - South Wales Evening Post written by Jessica Jane Pridmore

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/CCTV-cameras-stop-stealing/story-15306684-detail/story.html

This had to be on here, this is my first front page and inner story, from my time with The South Wales Evening Post earlier this year. Check it out guys.

Carmarthen Journal - All in the Timing Review

All in the timing review.

All in the timing is a collection of short plays written in the late 1980's early 1990's by David Iles. There was a lot of anticipation as I walked into the Merlin Centre of Trinity University, as this was the first production by The Coracle Theatre Project and by the impressive audience it was set to be a success. Created from the artistic mind set of Bryony Evett Hackford and from seeing a selection of her pieces before I was intrigued on her choice of one act plays combining into a short thirty minute performance. As the lights dimmed and the audience sat elbow to elbow I instantly felt at ease, the set was minimalist which didn't distract from the contemporay stylised movement that was to open the evenings enteratainment. At first I wasn't sure how the use of the chereography would work as the collection of plays are all comedic and draw the audience in because of this, however the use of dance made a really beautiful and well thought out opening scence.

The evening did not cease to surpsrise me never had I seen a play that focused on language and the effect in which language has on the world that we live in, yet instead of making this a subject that had the audience yawning after two minutes of watching, this had a completly different effect. The
use of a musical parody in one scence was so overpowering especially as cast members were hidden amongst the audience gave you the sense that you had come along to a show that you too could be a part of. Once again Bryony Evett Hackford has firmly cemented herself within the world of theatre and this is a place she definately deserves. All I have to say is show me the place that I can learn Unamunda!

Carmarthen Journal - Business Article

Let's raise a toast to Roast!
After the first few conversations I had with Martin Bowman and his partner Natasha Issac, I was already convinced that their new cafe Roast was going to be something truly special.
Opening last Wednesday at 5 Albion Arcade, Mill Street, Carmarthen 7:30am - 3:00pm Roast combines the pairs love and knowledge of exceptionally good food, with a very impressive credit crunch style value.
With their business Cowpots already successfully under their belt Martin and Natasha set their sights on something completely different and with one specific aim "For Roast to be the number one lunch place for the workers of Carmarthen."
As ambassadors of using locally produced foods this had to be carried on to the new cafe. The beef used is home grown Jersey beef originally from Whitland, and is proving very popular already.
Their motto is "Have it any way today" as Roast really is up to you. The customers decide how they would like to fill their choice of freshly prepared breads, or if they would rather something lighter they can make their own tasty alternative from the deli that is also available.
Roast isn't only for the hearty meat eaters either but also for those who love their greens as freshly made salad shakers are prepared to your own tastes and available throughout the day and future plans for vegetarian alternatives to be introduced,
As well as offering exceptionally high quality hot meats which change daily between Jersey Beef, Gammon, Pork and Turkey all accompanied with gravy, sauces and stuffing there are also cold meats available to be added to any salads of your choice or to be combined with the freshest bread choice in the town.
"Really good quality is paramount to us, in everything that we do" this is definitely shown in the work being put into Roast.
In case any more reasons were needed to encourage you to try out Roast's delicious menu, they also do an All Day Breakfast starting from as little as £2. With mouth-watering thick bacon, fried eggs and some of the best sausages around it really is hard to resist, so thank goodness its on all day.
The pair obviously had a vision for the takeaway cafe, and together they have managed to create a warm and inviting atmosphere providing fantastic service and enthusiasm for their craft, teamed with increredible food. The creative re-vamp just goes to show that good planning and experience can transform any space, however small into something worth being proud of.
Roast has been a hot choice for the workers of Carmarthen so far and Natasha and Martin would like to thank all of the local shop workers for their support as it is greatly appreciated.
The couple are always supporting locally run small businesses and now it's time to support them in their exciting new and very tasty adventure.

Carmarthen Journal - My Reviews

A Midsummer Nights Dream

Those of you who have been to see a performance by The Coracle Theatre Project know that they take theatre and interpret it in their own individual style. This was very much the case when they tackled the classic A Midsummer Night's Dream. With such a perfect setting as Kidwelly Castle I was expecting a performance that wouldn't disappoint however sadly this time around I wasn't as impressed as I normally am. The cast worked as hard as always and despite the freezing and wet weather conditions they carried through with the performance, to an interested however slightly distracted audience due to the simple fact that it was so incredibly cold and people were constantly moving about throughout it which took away from the show. There was a use of contemporary stylised movements throughout which added something a bit different to the otherwise same and well known play by Shakespeare. From where I was stood it was difficult to hear what was being said most of the time, however the use of audience interaction from the cast made you feel as if you were a part of what was going on and this was a good use of a modern inclusion by director Bryony Evett-Hackford whose creativity in theatre never goes a miss. The cast are a close group and this is paramount in all of their performances as they rely so much so on each other to carry off such performances and the vision that both the director and cast had was clear from the opening scene. Even though the weather was anything but bright the cast managed to put a smile on most of the audience's faces as they added their own bit of comedic value to the old script. I applaud everyone involved for once again proving that The course of true love never did run smooth, and that no matter what happens on the day 'The show must go on'.

Such is Life.

Listen, we might all learn something.

 

My brother came and spoke to me, he looked as if he carried troubles beyond his years on his shoulders. He sat down on one of our ever dusty wooden chairs and began to tell me his worries for the future. As he spoke it allowed me to take some time out of the ever busy hustle and bustle of life and think how quickly the time has gone since I was having the same thoughts as him as a troubled sixteen year old about to face the next stage of life.

         I feel as humans we are constantly changing, and through this searching for some form of acceptance and satisfaction. When I was sixteen I was excited about heading off to college and tackling new challenges of course there were the everyday problems then too but somehow now they seem more prominent. For instance how many people look down upon the younger generation? Assuming that we are all hoody wearing, no good, thugs or thieves. Is this why there are hardly any jobs for young people? Is this the reason for such high unemployment?
         As he expressed his feelings on not going to college and sitting his A-Levels I couldn't help but feel sad. These days it is all about money the pressures to earn and have it and then the plans of what to do with it as we all know it doesn't get you very far these days. As he sat and discussed the type of car he wanted to own and the house he wanted to live in, the holidays he wanted to jet off to and the expensive wardrobe filled with designer names I could hardly pronounce in, I sat and listened and with all of these thoughts zooming around my head, I just sat, opposite him on a matching wooden dusty chair and I listened, maybe if the rest of the world did the same despite having their own opinions screaming away at them, assumptions and consequences like the ones I mentioned perhaps wouldn't be so plentiful!