The Student Pocket Guide West Midlands Freshers' 2015 by Student Pocket Guide

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celebrating

FRESHERS’

2015! WEST MIDLANDS ISSUE 31

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS KEITH LEMON DERREN BROWN ROYAL BLOOD PIXIE MCKENNA FOXES In association with:

FEATURES MICROWAVE HACKS FACTS ABOUT LEGAL HIGHS FRESHERS’ FITNESS TIPS LONG DISTANCE LOVE SPGtv MUSIC COMPETITION

PLUS: Exclusive Discounts, Competitions, Tips & Advice!

THE GYM FLOOR IS THE NEW DANCE FLOOR

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR EXCLUSIVE STUDENT DISCOUNT. OFFER ONLY AVAILABLE IN CLUB.

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HELPING THE LOAN

10 OFF £10 % OFF 10

STRETCH

% EXTRA TRADE IN ON...

Offer ends 31/10/15. You must present the barcode and a valid / recognised form of student ID to be eligible for the offer. 10% extra trade-in value will be given on consoles, games, phone, tablet & accessory trade-ins. 10% extra is applied to trade-in for credit and not trade-in for cash. Offer is not valid for multiples of the same product. To trade-in; all items must be complete, in good working order and of satisfactory quality. Trade-in price offered may be subject to quality grading criteria. Ask staff for details. Trade-in offers are open to the public only and game reserves the right to refuse any offer to anyone believed to be representing a trade buyer. This offer can be withdrawn at any time without prior notice. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers in-store. This does not affect your statutory rights. Manager’s decision is final.

PRE-OWNED...

Offer ends 31/10/15. You must present the barcode and a valid / recognised form of student ID to be eligible for the offer. Offer is not valid on mint (new) products or multiples of the same item. GAME reserves the right to change or cancel this offer at any time without prior notice. The offer has no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. This does not affect your statutory rights. Manager’s decision is final. When you spend £100 or more.

PRE-OWNED...

Offer ends 31/10/15. You must present the barcode and a valid / recognised form of student ID to be eligible for the offer. Offer valid on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, DS, Wii & Wii U games. Offer is not valid on mint (new) products or multiples of the same item. GAME reserves the right to change this offer at any time without prior notice. The offer has no cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. This does not affect your statutory rights. Manager’s decision is final.

VISIT GAME.CO.UK/STOREFINDER FOR YOUR NEAREST GAME Earn Reward points on everything

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H E L LO my name is

Welcome to Freshers’ 2015!...

THE EDITOR

Many of you out there will be about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, whilst others are already on that journey entering into their second, third and possibly fourth year. Regardless, we’re pleased to be back once again for another jampacked edition of The Student Pocket Guide. Not only have we worked our socks off (as always), but this issue is a really special one, because it’s our 10th birthday! We really can’t believe how the time has flown and wow, what a journey it’s been for us, so a huge thank you all for being a part of it! To celebrate our 10th birthday (and as we’re getting on a bit), we’ve launched a brand new website which keeps us looking fresh. So, once you’ve had a browse of this issue, be sure to head on over to our site and subscribe. It’s free, and what’s more, we’ll send you updates on local deals and exclusive competitions. Previous SPG subscribers have won some amazing prizes; the most prestigious being a house party with Ed Sheeran! Yes that’s right, Ed Sheeran rocked up at an SPG subscriber’s house, partied with the winner and their friends, and performed for an hour in the garden! Head on over to SPGtv to watch the video! Back to this Freshers’ issue of SPG, we’ve got some great content for you guys… Exclusives with Keith Lemon, Derren Brown, Royal Blood, Foxes and Dr Pixie McKenna (who talks about Embarrassing Bodies, Freshers’ Flu, hangover cures, STIs and mental health). We’ve also got tips to help you save money, keep fit for cheap, prepare your CV and generally get the most out of student life. Plus there are stacks of free stuff to win including a PS4, a kitchen kit, Wagamama vouchers and a skydive! So without further ado, we bring you the biggest and best issue yet…

COMPETITIONS - FREE PRODUCTS, VOUCHERS & TICKETS! SCOTT LAIDLER FRESHERS’ FITNESS TIPS PREPARING YOUR CV

DERREN BROWN

DR PIXIE MCKENNA - STIs, HANGOVER CURES, & MENTAL HEALTH Q&A WITH BEAUTY BLOGGER EM SHELDON

ROYAL BLOOD

MICROWAVE HACKS

SUBSCRIBE HERE FOR FREE

FOXES

Discounts / Competitions / Freebies / Tips / Advice

All Rights Reserved © The Student Pocket Guide Ltd 2015. The entire contents of this publication are protected by copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form. The publishers do not accept responsibility for any of the views or opinions expressed in this guide, errors or omissions which may have occurred, or accept liability for any services or facilities featured. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that all information is correct, changes may and can occur.

STUDENT

SAVERS A NIGHT IN? PIZZA DELIVERY

GYM OR SWIM in our 2om pool?

FOR STUDENT , Visit OFFERS broadway-plaza.co.uk Fre Gra Ticke e Cine bs t ts u ma his p fo Aut r umn

FIND US AT 220 Ladywood Middleway next to Five Ways Roundabout

HOW ABOUT Bowling OR ISENSE CINEMA?

celebrating Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our 10th birthday, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken a look back at the past decade and here are our top 10 highlights!

Ed Sheeran House Party Competition! Something money simply cannot buy! Watching Ed Sheeran sing to a small group of students in their back garden was truly incredible! We limited the number of students who could attend to give a really intimate atmosphere. Ed performed for 45 minutes then hung around at the end for a meet and greet.

Winning Barclays ‘Take One Small Step’ The most prestigious and significant award we’ve won to date, securing a £50,000 prize, which enabled us to employ more staff and continue expanding. This was an absolute buzz!

Interviewing Sir Richard Branson! It took around 7 years to secure, but we persevered and it paid off... The interview took place in 2014. He was obviously front cover!

Carl Cox Headline Set

Standing behind Carl Cox whilst he played the headline set at Creamfields! Words can not describe this.

Expanding!

Expanding the print magazine across every major city in the UK.

celebrating

Gabrielle Aplin House Party

Witnessing Gabrielle Aplin perform an intimate set in the conservatory of a student’s house!

Launching SPGtv

Now racing towards 3 million views SPGtv has been something we’ve been working hard at for years. To see how far it’s come, surely makes it worthy of a mention. Now working with artists globally, SPGtv has an exciting future.

SPG On Tour

Receiving ‘SPG on Tour’ competition entries (back when we were a print mag), from all 4 corners of the globe was very impressive. Readers got extremely creative. SPG received entries from mountain tops, deserts, jungles and even from under the sea!

Shell LiveWire

Back in 2006, before The Student Pocket Guide’s first successful year trading had finished, SPG won the Shell LiveWire award. This was a huge shock at the time, and the first award we won.

Launching Our New Website

To mark our 10th year anniversary we felt it was time for a freshen up! So we’ve launched a brand new website and re-branded ourselves. Clean looking and extremely easy to navigate on your mobile, tablet or laptop/ PC, our new site is updated daily with news, music videos, competitions, tips, advice and deals. Head on over to TheStudentPocketGuide.com and let us know what you think!

Moving away ? y t i s r e v i n U r o f

We go to loads of great university cities including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Sunderland, Manchester, York, Bristol, Liverpool, Cardiff, Norwich and many more... great for those trips back home! Save 10% on your ticket with a valid NUS extra card. Scan QR code for full terms and conditions.

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䤀䘀刀䔀䔀匀吀唀䘀䘀 Fresher fairs are heaving with students lapping up the free posters, pens, pizza and other products which are forced into our hands/pockets/ bags, but why should the free stuff end there? Well guess what… It doesn’t! Here at SPG, we have a team of good Samaritans constantly striking new deals with companies, who give stuff away for free ALL YEAR ROUND! What’s more, these freebies are worth a lot more than a tacky florescent pen or poster from last summer’s low budget movie. All of the competitions are completely free to enter, and if you win, prizes are shipped straight to your doorstep! So what are you waiting for? Like The Student Pocket Guide on Facebook, follow @TheSPG on Twitter and subscribe to our website for free today and start entering competitions!

#InItToWinIt

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Your chances of becoming a professional footballer may be thin, but Football Fanager are offering the perfect prize to get involved in the 2015/16 season – a Playstation 4 and a copy of FIFA16! Football Fanager gives fans control of top teams from the best leagues in Europe, the Champions League, Europa League and more. Play in daily and weekly fantasy football leagues against your mates or other fantasy managers, with great cash prizes up for grabs. Every week, Football Fanager hosts a £10,000 freeroll league – take part for free and be in with a chance of winning some cash! Find out more at FootballFanager.com. To be in with a chance of winning a Playstation 4 and copy of FIFA 2016 simply enter the competition below.

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What better way to pass your time, than by snacking on the tastiest potato snacks to grace the earth?

Your chance to do something truly unique, completely safe and utterly exhilarating.

We’ve teamed up with the UK’s best crisp craftsmen, KETTLE® Chips, to deliver one of our most mouthwatering prizes to date!

Your prize includes: - Friendly instruction every step of the way. - All flight gear – flight suit, helmet and goggles. - 2 flights, equivalent to 3 x 12,000 feet skydives. - Personal flight certificate. - Spectacular instructor demo. - Guaranteed smiles from ear to ear!

KETTLE® Chips are made with top quality potatoes, sunflower oil and authentic seasonings – hand cooked in small batches to give them their distinctive golden colour, crunch and flavour. We have 5 mixed cases up for grabs, each one packed with 12 sharing bags of tasty chips for you to enjoy.

The perfect taster and our most popular package. Most people leave wishing they had flown more.

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Authentic, fresh and full of life, Wagamama is THE place to treat your soul with the unique taste of Japanese cuisine. From sweet or spicy, to creamy and crunchy, you can send you and your mates into a euphoria of flavour and with that, suppress your tummy cravings by filling it full of wonderful food. Here at SPG, we’ve partnered with the elite team at Wagamama and are giving you a fantastic opportunity to pluck yourself a cheeky £50 voucher. The mega money saver can be used in any way you like, whether it’s taking your best pals out for a much deserved lunch, wining and dining a date, or you could even indulge in £50 worth to yourself. It’s all yours. So what will you choose? A tasty teppanyaki, a cheeky curry or even a ravenousness ramen? All you have to do to be in with a chance of getting your chop sticks into this prize is to enter the competition here!

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KITCHEN STARTER KIT

The team at Lakeland, the home of creative kitchenware, are giving you the opportunity to win a kitchen starter kit worth over £60. Whether you’re serious about baking, looking to refresh your pots and pans or are just starting out, Lakeland have everything you need, and if they’ve made it into the Lakeland range, you can be sure they’ll be long-lasting and offer great value for money. With an essential kit that includes everything from a 16-piece dinner set, right through to an extra cheeky saucepan, you’ll be sure to get a head start in the kitchen and will be cooking up a storm for your flat mates in no time! So all you have to do to be in with a chance of wrapping your oven mitts around the bundle above, is to answer the tummy-rumbling question on our website!

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WIN A CASE OF BROTHERS CIDER! Our friends at Brothers, the original festival cider, have kindly given us six cases of delicious cider to give away. We have three cases of toffee apple and three cases of coconut and lime up for grabs, so whichever flavour you win, you’re sure to be satisfied! Plus their cider is even gluten free and vegan-friendly! What more could you want?! So to share a refreshing drink of Brothers cider with your pals, simply enter our competition below for your chance to win one of our six cases, but hurry, competition ends 31/10/2015! Good luck!



ANATOMY OF A STUDENT HAIR & BEAUTY BEATS

BEVVIES

TECH

STUDY EATS

STYLE

GROCERIES

HOME

HEALTH & FITNESS

BEATS

HAIR & BEAUTY

BEVVIES

HOME

TECH STUDY

Gigante Computers

The Phone Shop STYLE

Over the Moon

EATS GROCERIES

HEALTH & FITNESS

Mach Health & Fitness

Jinn’s Café Express

STUDENT SPECTACULAR Socialise with us online to find out about our next Student Spectacular event & take advantage of exclusive student offers available at Cannon Park! Find us on Facebook /Cannon Park Shopping Centre, Twitter @cannonparkshops or visit our website cannonparkshopping.co.uk.

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Budgeting. It sounds so grown up, doesn’t it? Well don’t worry, it’s basically checking you aren’t over stretching yourself. Like making sure you don’t down fifty shots at the start of the night and end up vomiting all over a friend’s carpet. But with money instead of Jager Bombs!

DRAW UP A SPREADSHEET

Take a look at how much money you will be receiving/earning and then draw up a list of your entire outgoings, for example rent, food, bills etc. This will help you plan your monthly cash-flow in advance and keep you in the green! Also, just in case you ever need to dip into an overdraft (you will - trust me on this one) make sure you are signed up for the best student account available and for the love of cake make sure you have an INTEREST FREE overdraft facility. Otherwise, you could find yourself paying interest on money you don’t have!

PUT A LIMIT ON THE GOOD STUFF

This isn’t sexy, but be strict with yourself on this one, it is so tempting to go to the cinema every week, or get yourself a cheeky takeaway but it all adds up. Netflix, iPlayer and Amazon Prime are much cheaper ways of watching films. You can’t beat the cinema for the experience, but limit yourself to the real blockbusters or when you really need to impress a date. Ditto with takeaways. A frozen pizza is a fraction of the price - but for an occasional treat try to make sure you can still get your favourite greasy goodness. Mine’s a Korma if you’re buying BTW...

SPLIT UP YOUR STUDENT LOAN

It is a bit of a pain that your student loan arrives in your bank account in a big, juicy-looking lump sum. As when you divide this by how many weeks it has to last, it doesn’t look so juicy! Why not open a separate savings account and then setup a direct debit each month to cover you for the amount you’ve budgeted for. This will hopefully ensure you don’t just blow it all in one glorious week-long binge and end up living off cheese-stained cardboard from your neighbour’s discarded pizza boxes.

ONLY WITHDRAW MONEY THAT YOU NEED

If you’re going for a night out, work out how much you need and take that amount in cash (LEAVE YOUR CARD AT HOME). Buying a round for everyone when you’re merry might seem like a good idea at the time - but it won’t the next day when you realise you’ve spent next week’s entire budget on a round of overpriced Fosters.

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IF YOU’RE GOING OUT, REMEMBER THE 3 UB’s

GRUB - eating’s not cheating! And tea at home is cheaper than a midnight kebab. PUB - cheaper drinks before you head to the... CLUB - gives you free or discounted entry if you go in early.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF STUDENT DISCOUNTS

For this, we aren’t only talking about clothes shopping but also things like council tax. If you are a student, you are exempt from council tax, and if you are living with a non student they will be eligible for a discount. You are also able to claim discounts from some NHS services like prescriptions and eye checks, by filling in a HC1 low income claim form. Ask for this wherever you go and make sure to check out www.thestudentpocketguide.com for discounts, competitions and other cool, free stuff.

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Illustrations by: Kaan Bagci www.Kaanbagci.com

CONFESSION

SHANNON, JACK I LICKED YOUR BUTTER

I licked your butter. I’m sorry for the pain I have caused you, but just writing those words is a massive weight off my shoulders. You were my first year flatmates. We were actually getting along ok. We did the normal Freshers’ things. We went to the novelty nights out. We had communal meals. Things were going ok. Then, just like the Napoleonic wars, the trouble started. The trouble that would eventually lead to me, licking your butter. It started off well enough. We had fun. We had banter. We had a washing up rota. Then, the rules started to fray at the seam. People (and by people, I mean me) forgot to do the washing up. Dishes were left to grow mould. Things were said by both parties (and by both parties, I mean you). Hurtful things. Something had to give. I can’t remember why, but one day you just annoyed me too damn much and I snapped. I licked your butter. It wasn’t even really good butter. I don’t even like butter, I prefer margarine. But I wasn’t thinking, I was like a man possessed! Possessed by a desire to lick other people’s dairy products. Well, anyway - that’s pretty much it. A story of revenge, betrayal and dairy spreads. I would like to say that I’m sorry. But I can’t. Jack Shannon P.S. I also stole like, all of your yoghurts. Sorry (not sorry).

Send confessions to info@thestudentpocketguide.com

Love Your

Bull Ring Markets for all your student needs

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How

Win at University The Other 70% of Your Degree

This is going to get me in trouble, but I’m going to say it... Because it’s true. University is mostly about life experience, and not the piece of parchment and the scenes from Harry Potter at the end. Having finished university myself, and with a good few years to reflect on its value, I’ve come to realise that most of it was not about the institution, the accolades, or even the wonderful subject I studied. The value of my degree was the playing in-between. For most people who are serious about making a mark on the world (and, more profoundly, on themselves), your twenties are a time where you really knuckle down and put some hard-core hours into your career. This will be tough! Very likely you would have studied hard through your GCSEs and A-Levels too. A decade of this intense work will leave the most brilliant parts of you sanded down to a lifeless stub. You will have become just another Prozac mainlining rat in the grey, meandering rat race. ...Unless you get some real living in beforehand.

University is your oasis of self-exploration in the inevitable desert of proving your self worth. The treasure of university is the open space where you and some very dear friends can really play with life. My advice to you is to use the space to find out what your definition of fun is, and then set about doing it. Go get drunk, sleep in all morning, go on road trips, host house parties, wake up in strange bedrooms, try hobbies that you know will never make you money but are just so fun to do anyway. It is the highs and lows of these adventures which will mature your character in to something wild, creative and self-knowing..... >

.... Further down the line, these skills will make you. The other week I was sitting on my sofa interviewing a prospective tutor for my agency ‘Tutor Desk’ and I asked her, ‘So... Tell me how uni was for you?’ Her response was something out of a management textbook: she spent long hours in the library; took on lots of extra curricular clubs; went on some work experience programme, whose dreary details have already dribbled away from my mind. I wish she could have told me about a toga party where everyone had to drink hand-standing on beer

kegs. It may sound a little ironic, but someone who played a lot at university would make a far more magnetic tutor. Indeed, they would make a more magnetic anything. So what is the best way to play? Here is a short list of some of the best university innovations I discovered. I warmly submit them to you: • Do an international exchange – it will change your life. • Say ‘Yes’ to pretty much everything that comes your way (don’t be too prudish either)! • Try lots of new hobbies and clubs. • Study as far away from home as you can. • Take socialisation very seriously (very slightly more seriously than your course). • Get an unimportant, uninspiring job for no more than 10 hours a week. So what is university? On the surface, it is a place to study and get qualified. But in its heart it is a long stag/hen do for the marriage of serious life to come. It is a garden of experiments that chisels you in to an adult. It is a place where you will make friendships, which after graduation has scattered them to the wind, you will spend the power and prestige of your later adult life trying to pull back together. University is a treasure. Cherish it.

Follow Richard at www.richardharristutor.com / @RichHarrisTutor

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He’s a world renowned illusionist who never fails to amaze us with his astonishing tricks... We caught up with Derren Brown to chat about his upcoming show, sceptics and whether or not he employs his techniques in real life.

From November 11th 2015 to January 16th 2016, you’re bringing your latest show ‘Derren Brown: Miracle’ to the West End Stage at the Palace Theatre in London. Can you give us an idea of what audiences can expect? How does this show differ from your previous ones? Well I ask audiences every night to keep the show a secret, so of course I have to do the same. If people have seen any of the previous shows they’ll understand the basic idea: it’s all based on random audience-participation (people are chosen by a frisbee thrown around the auditorium). This show is bolder and madder than previous ones: in each, I’ve tried to challenge myself more and this one really goes out on a limb. Two of your shows, ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ and ‘Svengali’ have won Oliver Awards, and ‘Infamous’ was universally acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. How do you come up with new ideas for your shows and are you always confident they’re going to work? Thanks. My one or two fellow writers and I sit and talk ideas for a month and try to get a basic shape for the show. This one, more than previous shows, has been born out of what I find important: I’m writing a book on happiness at the moment and wanted some of that philosophy to feed into the production. Then we spend another month in a rehearsal room getting it on its feet and devising the show itself. However, given that

it’s based on audience participation, and for certain parts demands a whole audience to be present, there’s no way of really knowing how well it will work until the first night of previews. So that first week happens in a slightly smaller theatre (though still around a thousand people) and we change a lot every night. I’m normally confident the pieces will work in terms of the tricks being successful enough to warrant doing them, however the trickier parts revolve around more theatrical issues like pacing, light and shade. The second half of this show is where the madness really lies, and I had no idea if it would work at all. It felt like it was asking a lot of the audience, and could have easily fallen flat on its theatrical arse that first night. It did work, but it took a lot of honing to get it just right. As always with the sort of work you do, there are some sceptics out there who believe stooges are used in your shows. What would you say to them? Ha - I’m used to it, and of course people can think what they like. The show is clearly based on random selection, so if those people want to think that everyone in the theatre is a stooge apart from them, then good luck to them. Stooges are a lazy and artistically repugnant option; meanwhile there are always far more interesting possibilities for achieving effects, and it’s these that constitute my craft, for whatever it’s worth. >

“

I DON’T TRY TO WANGLE UPGRADES OR SEDUCE PEOPLE. I FIND BEING NICE USUALLY MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE THAN EMPLOYING ESOTERIC SUBLIMINAL TECHNIQUES.

Photo credit: Seamus Ryan

”

You’ve always been very open and honest about the fact you’re not psychic and you’ve said in a previous interview that it’s a difficult line between performing magic, but also being honest at the same time. Do you think that people almost wish that you were psychic sometimes? I still get people insisting I’m psychic and just not admitting it. Some say I’m in a league with the devil, others that I have a supernatural gift, others that it’s all a question of stooges. But these are reactions at the extreme ends of the bell-curve, and you can only really take responsibility for the way most people react in the middle swell of that range. Meanwhile that line between truth and dishonesty remains interesting, and depends so much on context: the licence one has on stage under a proscenium arch might be quite different from on TV. Ultimately, I find it interesting to use the illusions to communicate something honest and worthwhile, and that is what ‘Miracle’ is about, more than previous shows. As long as people understand that they’re watching a form of entertainment rooted in magic, then I think that licence is clear. A psychic medium, for example, may insert something in the small-print of his/her publicity about it being entertainment, but the contract is undoubtedly very different: they are claiming disingenuously to offer something real and helpful. And that’s a quite separate moral area. >

Do you find some people are more receptive to your techniques and easier to ‘read’ than others? Certainly. A lot of the time I look for responsive people, but as I have to rely on randomly chosen people for the stage show I don’t usually have much of a choice. So I have to change what I’m doing to fit whomever comes up. Often, a person who is determined to catch me out will actually be easier to second-guess. Do your techniques work with written language? Can you tell anything about me from the way I’ve worded my questions?! You’re bright, creative, attractive, and responsive to flattery. Ha! I can tell you that the ‘responsive to flattery’ part is most definitely correct! So, obviously you use your techniques during your live shows and for your TV programmes, but do you ever use them in everyday, real life situations?! No, quite the opposite. I’m quite shy in real life, and the idea of being that controlling figure in everyday situations is horrible. I’d be unbearable. So it’s not really something I think about. I imagine I’d be more helpful to a friend in mental distress than many people tend to be, so it has its advantages, but I don’t try to wangle upgrades or seduce people. I find being nice usually much more effective than employing esoteric subliminal techniques.

On one of your television shows, you did an experiment called ‘The Secret of Luck’, whereby people who lived in a small town believed that their village had a ‘lucky’ statue. If they touched it, they thought good things would happen to them, when the statue wasn’t in fact lucky at all. Do you believe that a lot of what happens in our lives is to do with our thoughts and our mindset? Totally. We tell ourselves stories all the time – about who we are, what defines us, and so on. We think we’re defined by a past, but our past is just a story we tell ourselves in the present. So it’s that story that helps or restricts us, not what happened to us years ago. Having said that, we’re fed a lie that we can be anything we want to be, or achieve anything we like, if we just believe in ourselves. That’s a deeply unhelpful message, and tends to leave people feeling like failures when things don’t work out. The key is to realise that you’re only in control of your thoughts and your actions, and that’s where our problems come from. Everything else – what other people do or think, for example, we can let go of and stop trying to control. Those are not things that we do control, so to try to do so is a recipe for needless frustration. On another one of your television shows, you demonstrated how ‘The Barnum Effect’ worked,

which involved giving participants a set of the same statements, but they all believed they were very accurate about them as individuals. Can you explain a little bit about how this works and why it is we fall for things like this, and other such concepts such as horoscopes? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re pattern-finding creatures. We deal badly with randomness, and like to form narratives and patterns that make more sense to us. Hence we always look for meaning and try to join up dots where there are none. You can read someone any horoscope from the newspaper (pretending itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theirs) and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll

usually say it applies to them. On top of that, the vast majority of us suffer from similar insecurities, and we’re all very good at paying attention to things that confirm what we believe and ignoring other things that don’t match. So a psychic can mention several things and we’ll edit out anything that isn’t true, or doesn’t become true as predicted. Meanwhile anything vaguely relevant seems to be a miracle. Put all that together and it’s no surprise that with a bit of showmanship and a knack for making statements sound more specific than they are, a person can sit you down and seemingly know intimate things about you and your life. It’s the second oldest profession in the world and we’re still falling for it. Many thanks for answering our questions Derren and best of luck with your shows!

If you’d like to see, ‘Derren Brown: Miracle’, he is performing at The Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, London from November 11th 2015 – January 16th 2016.

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Four alternatives to passive aggressive post-it notes By Lucy Drinkwater

Being a fresher means having to live with people who, under normal circumstances, you would get oďŹ&#x20AC; the bus early to avoid. Due to the abundance of stationery and the general lth of student life, a certain amount of post-it based feuding just goes with the territory. However, there are other ways! SPG gives you our top four alternative at-mate-connict resolution methods!

1 Buy an owl You could all club together and buy an owl! It could y from room to room reminding people to do the washing up!

Pros: You’d be just like Harry Potter! Cons: There would be owl poo all over the

oor.

2 SMS In this high tech age, why not hide your connicts behind the comforting electronic glow of a phone screen?

Pros: You don’t have to actually speak to anyone. As a broke student, you probably don’t have the money to Cons: waste on texts to people you probably hate.

3 Hire a mime Don’t want to talk? Express your grumpiness about someone taking your clothes out of the dryer without asking rst, by hiring some weirdo in white make up to pretend he’s trapped in a box for a few hours!

Pros: Will mess with your atmates’ heads. Cons: Where on earth do you go to hire a mime?

4 Talk You’re a grown-up now, living away from home. Why can’t we just be civil, organise a house meeting and talk about this like normal human beings?

Pros: Your mum would approve. Cons: No-one has actually done this successfully in the entire history of the universe. Good luck. You’re going to need it.

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EM SHELDON

Former Leeds University Broadcast Journalism student Emma Sheldon has travelled around the world, blogging all things fashion, beauty and lifestyle. We caught up with the Leeds lass to talk about her inspiring blogging career to date, top tips for bloggers and what she has planned for the future. You started your blog, ‘Emtalks’ in 2012. For those that don’t know, what’s it all about? Emtalks is basically like a lifestyle bible with everything from fitness tips, to style, to beauty and then lots of travel thrown in there too. How did you get into blogging? I actually started my blog in order to get onto my degree but then realised it was a huge passion and continued it! Your blog has gone on to win Cosmopolitan’s best newcomer award and has also been featured in magazines such as Grazia, Metro and Instyle! Did you ever imagine it would be this successful? I really never imagined it but I am so proud. I still feel like I have a long way to go but it’s all very exciting! You do a lot of travelling don’t you - where’s the best place you have been? I’d have to say Vietnam - it was just so different to anywhere else I’ve ever been. It was authentic and there were hardly any tourists either!

>>>

If you love something, “write about it and eventually an audience will come! “ We figured you were the perfect person to ask... so, do you have any tips for aspiring bloggers? My biggest tip is just keep writing, if you love something, write about it and eventually an audience will come! As well as blogging, you also own an accessories store called LVNDR. What made you decide to open your own business? I’ve always wanted to own a store and it’s great that the internet has allowed that to happen. LVNDR is fresh, affordable fashion and accessories and I just think it brings all my passions together; social media, buying, fashion, selling and marketing! LVNDR won the Sir Peter Thompson enterprise award. How did it feel to win such an award and did winning

help you start up the shop? It was absolutely incredible to win the award, I cried so much when I found out as I honestly never expected it. Winning really helped us get going with everything! You sell jewellery and clothes on LVNDR. How do you decide which items you want to feature on the site and where do you get your inspiration in fashion from? I choose everything that’s featured on the site and I get my inspiration from kind of Boho summer days, that’s the kind of look we’re going for! Think pretty, floaty, easy to wear and versatile! Your mum and brother help out with the store. Do you like that it’s a bit of a family affair?! I love that it’s a family affair - we work together so well as a team! As if writing a blog and having your own store wasn’t enough, you also somehow find the time to model Adidas’ AW15 collection! What’s it like working with them and how regularly do you work out? Haha, thank you - so kind! It is amazing working with Adidas, they’re just the coolest company and their fashion and sports pieces are so on point. I cannot get enough, my life at the moment is just Adidas Adidas! I try to work out at least 4 times a week but even if it’s just taking the stairs instead of the lift, it’s better than nothing! What has been your biggest achievement to date? Ah, tough one! It’s a tossup between landing the Adidas campaign, winning the

Cosmopolitan Best Newcomer award and winning the Sir Peter Thompson enterprise award! Who inspires you? My mum, every single day - she is the strongest, bravest most genuine person you will ever meet. She works incredibly hard and puts everyone first before herself. You must have already achieved a number of your personal goals, but do you have anything else youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d really like to do in the future? I would really love to continue working with incredible brands, hopefully raise the bar with LVNDR too and then naturally keep growing my blog! Keep up to date with Em Talks here: www.emtalks.co.uk

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Starting university is likely to be the first time you’ve moved away from home. When you arrive you’re handed the key to your new room. You feel sick with anticipation. You turn the key, open the door and then realise it was a complete anti-climax. Your room is nothing but a blank box. It has no identity. It doesn’t represent who you are and that home-sick feeling quickly escalates. We decided to come up with some ideas to help you put your own stamp on those lifeless four walls. Charity shops and websites such as Freecyle UK are great for picking up a good deal and mean you don’t have to break the bank. Besides, often it’s the little touches that make all the difference. Of course there are loads of generic items you could purchase in order to make your room more homely - cushions, ornaments, fairy lights, to name a few. Sound boring? We thought so too, so we’ve gone against the norm and have uncovered some slightly quirkier ideas...

㄀

Light up your life

Use marker pens to draw cool patterns and designs onto your light bulbs.

㈀

Back to nature

Bring the outside in by adding some colourful plants to your windowsill. Don’t have a vase? Use a wine bottle instead.

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Tape it up

Get some funky tape and use it to frame your photos of family and friends.

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Go old school

Buy a blackboard sticker to add some personalisation to your room and to remind you of those important deadlines!

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Scratch the map

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Dr Pixie McKenna Diagnosing some of the nation’s most embarrassing medical conditions has led to her becoming one of the UK’s most recognisable doctors. We had a quick catch up with Dr Pixie McKenna in between her busy schedule, as we chatted about Embarrassing Bodies, Freshers’ Flu, hangover cures, STIs and mental health. Interview by Jenna Rich

Hi Pixie! Thanks for having a quick chat with us. ‘Embarrassing Bodies’ has been running now for eight years! You’ve seen some pretty remarkable medical conditions on the show. What would you say is the most shocking thing you’ve seen and are there any parts of the body that you don’t particularly like to deal with? Nothing shocks me anymore if I’m honest. The real shock factor is that people live with skin conditions, smells, wonky body parts and a whole host of embarrassing ailments that they keep undercover. I think it’s a sad reflection of us as a society that people are so embarrassed by such things and an equally sad reflection of the medical profession that we can’t get on and

fix them. Ok, that’s me off my soap box! The body part I hate dealing with most has to be feet – ironically, I always seem to get the cheesy feet cases on EB. My own feet are pretty fierce which adds to my distaste when I come to doctoring that part of the anatomy. Lots of people on the show are deeply affected by their conditions. Is it hard not to get emotionally involved with patients? As a doctor you do get emotionally involved with your patients, if you don’t care then get a career in banking! What’s crucial though is being able to switch off and leave work at work - otherwise it’s emotionally draining.

You spend pretty much most of your day diagnosing other people’s conditions. Do you ever get a bit paranoid and start diagnosing yourself? I’m a terrible patient! I’m healthy and do not unduly worry about my health, but if something goes wrong I have a hit list of doctors on speed dial. I’m a control freak where health is concerned, so I need to know someone’s CV before they get their hands on me. As soon as I trust the doctor I then switch off and just let them do their thing. I’m more concerned about death since the birth of my daughter. I feel more mortal since growing up and becoming a parent. Previously, I was a bit more of a “fly by the seat of my pants” girl! When you’re out food shopping, do you ever worry people will judge you if they see you put unhealthy items in the trolley?! All the time because I know I judge them! I put all the nasty stuff like crisps and beer at the bottom and cover it up with veg! I live in Cambridge, so my supermarket is full of students. Usually my trolley is extremely healthy in comparison to the students in the queue! We’ve all heard of ‘Freshers’ Flu’, but does it actually exist and if so, what are your top tips for overcoming it? Ah the poor lambs, away from their mums for the first time, partying, mingling, missing out on sleep, eating junk and mainlining alcohol - it all makes for immune system Armageddon. Run down yet running around, congregating in lecture halls and communal living

all takes its toll in terms of spreading germs - not to mention snogging! It’s not technically the flu, just a bit of lergy that doesn’t linger longer than a few days. Man up! This is a rite of passage and this too will pass. For the rest of the term, be fastidious about hand washing and hanky use and you will find you will fall foul of fewer germs. I’m a fan of vitamin D for numerous reasons, one of which is its potential to help ward off coughs and colds. I advise all of my patients to supplement it once the clock goes back and remain on it until the clock goes forward. As I’m sure you’re aware, during Freshers’ Week, university students tend to consume rather a lot of alcohol! What’s the maximum amount of units they should have per week and do you have any tips for curing a hangover? 14 for a female and 21 for a male. Ideally, have alcohol free days and try not to have more than 6 units in one sitting. Your liver needs a break. It’s got more than 500 jobs to do over and above distilling cider and alco pops, so give it a rest so it can reboot! My staple hangover cure back in the day was barbecue Hula Hoops and milk, but the best remedy is rehydration, avoid anything too fatty, steer clear of caffeine and anything carbonated and opt for carbs. Drinking water before bed also helps. Sex isn’t unheard of during Freshers’ Week either! What are the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and what are their symptoms? Be scared

freshers, not all infections have symptoms, so don’t decide you are disease free based on the absence of symptoms. Chlamydia is an incredibly common condition, which may result in discharge, pain or frequently passing urine, pelvic or testicle pain, or irregular bleeding. My top tips would be – be aware of cystitis that doesn’t seem to clear, as it could be chlamydia. Always use condoms for oral sex - I’ve treated countless patients for chlamydia in the throat, most of whom didn’t realise they could catch it there. Any orifice that has been exposed requires a test, so if you have taken a risk, visit your doctor and take a test. Students may also struggle with their mental health. If a student’s missing home a lot, feeling like they’re not making friends, or is stressed about work, what would you recommend they do? Talk about it. University is an immense change and it can be overwhelming. Lack of sleep, too much socialisation and the pressure to study and achieve high grades can be enormous. Student health services are excellent at dealing with adjustment issues, so share your concerns with a health care professional and your peers.

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When you first move out of home and go to university, you’re bound to be feeling a bit worried and a tad homesick. You also drink too much alcohol, stay up too late, mingle with loads of new people and consume endless amounts of junk food. Unfortunately, this lethal combination can lead to the dreaded uni disease - freshers’ flu. The illness often decides to rear its ugly head just when you’re beginning to have the time of your life. Sore head? Can’t stop coughing? Shivering one minute and burning up the next? Yep, sounds like you’ve got a bout of freshers’ flu. Now you’ve been diagnosed, we thought we’d put together some useful tips in order to help you feel yourself again. After all, once you feel better you can start to embrace the endless benefits uni life has to offer. Follow these tips on the next page and you’ll be right as rain in no time!

Keep hydrated Alcohol doesn’t count this time. Drink lots of water and your body will be able to flush out those nasty toxins a lot quicker.

Go to sleep Get in your comfy, old, tattered pyjamas, snuggle up in bed and shut those eyes. Your body needs to rest.

Think fruit and veg You may think they’re boring and not quite as appetising as that pizza you had the night before, but your body is craving some vitamins and minerals, and fruit and veg act as the perfect supply! However, if the healthy eating route really isn’t for you, try some vitamin supplements instead.

Keep it clean With so many people being brought together at once, germs are rife. Make sure you keep your hands and your belongings clean. Taking a shower can also help to relieve those nasty flu symptoms.

Au naturel Although over the counter medicines will help, you may want to try some more natural remedies. Try meditating to de-stress and relax your mind and body. We hope our advice helps! Ultimately, remember that even though it may take a couple of weeks, eventually your symptoms will subside and you’ll be able to enjoy feeling normal again.

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Long Distance Love

So, you’ve recently started university. This symbolises the beginning of a significant chapter in your life – a new environment, new people and new opportunities. Even though this phase is incredibly exciting, we naturally can’t help but worry about what, and who, we’re leaving behind. We all leave our family and friends at home as we embark on our new adventure, but for some of us, going to university also involves saying goodbye to our significant other. Making the decision to be hours away from your other half is immensely difficult. It’s painful, uncomfortable and at one stage, you probably contemplated whether you were doing the right thing going to university at all. Even now, when you’ve actually started university, you still sometimes wonder if you made the right decision. I think it’s important to note here that you have to do what is right for you as an individual. We should not stop doing what we want or pursuing our goals because of someone else. Relationships, close together or far apart, are unpredictable and fundamentally, if it’s truly meant to be, it will be, regardless of distance. This brings me on to the question that many university students with a boyfriend or girlfriend back home ask – Can long distance relationships last? The answer is yes, with a lot of commitment and determination, there is no reason why they can’t. Here are some tips to make your love go the distance...

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Communication

With so many different ways to communicate nowadays, there is no excuse not to keep your partner updated. You can text, phone, Skype, WhatsApp or even write an old fashioned letter to your loved one. Vary your form of correspondence to keep things fresh and exciting. Whatever medium you use, try and set aside some time each day to let your sweetheart know what’s going on in your life – this will help them feel involved.

Equal Effort

There’s nothing worse than one-sided effort. The person doing all the ground work will start to be resentful and feel unappreciated. If they called you yesterday, why not call them today? If you travelled home to visit them last time, why not suggest next time they come and see you? Doing this creates balance and ensures both parties are behind the success of the relationship.

Trust

Having faith that both of you are committed to one another is very important in a long distance relationship. This means you can both be independent and have your own lives, as well as being a unit. Being in a relationship based on trust tends to result in far less arguments, as neither feels insecure. You are each free to go out with friends and not worry the other will be doing the naughty behind your back!

Honesty

Going out tonight? Don’t hide it. Feel something’s not working? Say it. Be an open book. The worst thing you can do is keep it all inside or lie to your partner. It doesn’t benefit either of you. If you wouldn’t want them to do it to you, don’t do it to them – it works both ways!

Positivity

It’s all in the mind! There’s no doubt about it, long distance relationships are not a walk in the park. However, it’s important that you remain positive. Being away from your loved one isn’t all doom and gloom. See it as an opportunity to pursue your own wants and desires. Furthermore, as you can’t see them all the time, you’ll appreciate the time you do spend together. Breathe. Don’t stress. Take one day at a time and remember if it’s meant to work out, it will.

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How to Pull a BLOKE Ok, so SPG have asked me to write an article about how to pull a guy. That’s easy! I am totally successful with men and I’m totally not writing this alone, in my dressing gown, while eating a giant tub of Ben and Jerry’s. I promise. So without further ado, SPG proudly present our top tips on pulling a guy!

MOST MEN ARE AFRAID OF WOMEN I know! It sounds crazy! Try to look approachable. Find out what he likes and assume that form. GET THE LOOK: If he’s into rugby, wear a rugby shirt. If he’s more of a rocker, a leather jacket. If he’s a geek, get a large cardboard box and pretend to be a PS4 to lure him into a false sense of security.

MEN LIKE MEAT For some reason, men are always banging on about how many chicken wings they can eat, the hottest curry they can handle etc. Turn this to your advantage by tapping into that primal, hunter-gatherer part of his brain. GET THE LOOK: Lady Gaga first rocked this look with the infamous Meat Dress a few years ago. But prime steak is quite expensive, so I would probably go for maybe a top of stitched together burger patties and a mini-skirt made from Turkey Twizzlers. Avoid being near hungry dogs when you go for this look. Trust me on this one.

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MEN LIKE SPORT Honestly! Sports! Pfft! I can take it or leave it (preferably leave it), but ladies, if you’re good at sport, then you’re in! GET THE LOOK: You know what sport men love? Darts. Men are crazy for darts. Buy a polo neck, start smoking roll-ups and gain eight stone. Top this off with a pint of bitter for an authentic darts player look, which will have the boys eating out of your hand!

MEN GO FOR WOMEN LIKE THEIR MOTHER Ask a psychology student. It’s a Freudian thing. GET THE LOOK: First of all, you will need to tidy up his room, make his tea for him, nag him about when he’s going to get a job, ask when is he going to settle down and get a nice girlfriend (at this point, wink obviously at him).

MEN DON’T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH EMOTIONS Therefore, it is obvious that the sexiest thing in the world would be something without emotions. A 60’s Dr Who style robot. GET THE LOOK: Get a big cardboard box, cover it in tinfoil, and glue some old circuit boards in the front for the body. Stick a saucepan on your head to complete the look. Get your coat love, you’ve pulled!

BUT SERIOUSLY..... We’ve had a bit of a tongue in cheek laugh with this article. But men aren’t any weirder than you or I. If you like someone, go and have a chat with them and meet up for a cup of coffee on campus. You don’t need to change who you are or fake an interest in something stupid to impress someone. And if you find that you do, then they probably aren’t worth knowing anyway. Stay cool and rock on! -Heather.

Student Stereotypes Illustrations: Rebecca Challoner Words: Jenna Rich

The Party Animal They fear missing out, are easily bored and are barely ever indoors. The Party Animal loves being the centre of attention. They’re massive extroverts and tend to be rather impulsive, meaning what seems a marvellous idea at the time, doesn’t tend to seem quite so appealing in the morning! They’re not strangers to the clubbing scene and routinely become best pals with the local bouncers – even occasionally becoming club promoters themselves. One thing’s for sure... there’s definitely never a dull moment with a party animal around!

The Money Bags They have endless amounts of money, no cash worries and barely need their student loan. The Money Bags love to spend, simply because they can. Clothes, meals out or the latest iPad, those things you deem non-essential ‘extras’ are considered necessities to a shopaholic. Unlike you, they’re not jumping for the heavens when their loan finally comes through because they’ve already got pots of money just sitting there... oh how lovely!

The Disappearing Act They never seem to be around, you’ve hardly spoken to them and it gets to the point where you question whether they’re even still at uni. The Disappearing Act is a true introvert. They’re quiet, reserved and would rather be on their own. They are furiously independent and prefer minimal social interaction. They may not say much, but they’re usually incredibly observant and very good listeners, making them extremely loyal friends... if you give them the chance.

The Studious Student

They always have their head in a book, belong to a million societies and have various responsibilities around campus - annoyingly, they seem to have it all. The Studious Student is utter perfection. The library is their second home, and they’re also involved with the university’s Student Union because, well... how could they not be? Somehow, they also manage to be well-liked by pretty much everyone. That’s right; they have the amazing social life too. We’re really pleased for you... genuinely.

The Super Slob They constantly burn their food, leave their washing up for days on end and just about make it to the shower once a week (if you’re lucky). The Super Slob finds everything too much effort. Their room’s a complete mess, essays are frequently completed the night before and missing lectures is not uncommon. They have the ability to sleep far longer than the average person and seem to be late for just about everything. They didn’t show up to your latest gathering? Don’t be offended... everyone gets the same treatment.

The Agony Aunt They act as a surrogate parent, counsel you in your hour of need and often tell you what you don’t want to hear. The Agony Aunt solves all your problems. Is it more important to buy those jeans or have enough money for food this week? Obviously they choose the boring option every time, but begrudgingly you have to admit, you know they’re right. Can’t seem to solve that unwanted dilemma? Speak to an Agony Aunt... we guarantee you won’t regret it.

The Complete Mystery They always do their own thing; they don’t care what others think and they’re that person you just can’t seem to work out. The Complete Mystery is the ultimate free spirit. There’s always one person that just doesn’t ‘fit’ into a stereotype. They’re unique, chilled and refuse to put themselves into one category. You admire them for being their own person, but their mysterious nature has you wondering who they really are. The sooner you embrace their individuality, the sooner you can relax... and breathe!

Recognise any of these? Which stereotype are you?

Let us know by tweeting us @TheSPG

How to look good for

THE LADIES By Lucy Drinkwater

Hey guys! If you’re anything like me then you spend a solid 2-3 hours a day making sure your hair looks perfect before going outside the house. Only to find out that it’s raining. But don’t fret, SPG is here as always to give the guys some top tips on impressing the ladies.

WOMEN LIKE POWERFUL MEN This is the first universal truth about women. They fancy strong, powerful men. Men with money and influence. Of course you don’t have either of those things as you’re a broke student who eats Super Noodles out the saucepan with his bare hands because everything else in the house is filthy. But if you can’t make it, FAKE IT. GET THE LOOK: Take out your mobile and have very brief, rude conversations. “Well you tell him I want that by Thursday or he’s FINISHED!” You can pick up a cheap suit in a charity shop for about a tenner and lard makes a great substitute for hair gel. When asked to go out for social occasions pretend to be that grumpy Scottish one off Dragon’s Den by replying “AM OOT!” Or if you’re feeling lazy, partyrama.co.uk sells some pretty good Alan Sugar masks.

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GIRLS DON’T LIKE BOYS, GIRLS LIKE CARS AND MONEY Due to the brutal nature of capitalism, money and power are intrinsically linked. But as mentioned, you don’t have either. GET THE LOOK: This one is a little harder to fake. However, a bus pass painted black can look a LOT like a fancy credit card if no-one looks at it too closely. Sorted.

COOKING IS SEXY

No-one can resist a man who can cook. But you also need to look macho. You know who cooks and looks macho? Gordon Ramsey. GET THE LOOK: Invite the girl you fancy round to dinner. Get her to sit at the table while you scream at half a dozen of your friends dressed up as chefs who desperately try to knock together a spag bol while you constantly belittle and shout at them. Storm off halfway through the meal with a trail of angry swearwords but not before throwing the food in the bin like a grumpy toddler. She’ll be putty in your hands.

WOMEN LIKE DEEP AND MYSTERIOUS MEN Ok. So you haven’t got any power, money or kitchen equipment for the above, but this one is like, SUPER easy. You just need to be dark and brooding. Chicks dig dark and brooding. Look at those Twilight movies a few years back. GET THE LOOK: You know who’s dark and mysterious? Batman. You’re going to need a military grade combat suit, a faithful butler, a fancy car and an underground cave (Bat-Cave) with a supercomputer (BatComputer).

NO-ONE CAN RESIST A MAN IN UNIFORM But they also want a man who can make them laugh. Who wears a uniform? Spiderman. GET THE LOOK: In the middle of a lecture, tear off your clothes to reveal a Spiderman Morphsuit and scream “ANYBODY CALL FOR A WEBSLINGING HERO!” Spray silly string everywhere for bonus points.

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BUT SERIOUSLY..... Women are not some kind of strange alien creature. They are human beings. Treat them the way you would want to be treated. With respect and courtesy. Cheesy chat up lines and stupid pick-up artist techniques will make you look like a berk and make society generally more rubbish for everyone. There arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a load of magic tricks to make yourself better looking, more mature or cool. Just be yourself, have some confidence and enjoy life. Oh, and good luck on the disciplinary hearing about the silly string.

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Once a brash bloke from Leeds, Keith Lemon has now set our nation on fire with his tickling television shows and oh-so-saucy slapstick. With Celebrity Juice in its 14th series and Through the Keyhole established as a prime time show, Keith took a minute out to chat to us about how he’d pull in Freshers’ week, his cocktail fantasies and a confession of his wettest dream yet. Hello Keith! How are you getting on? I’m not too bad! I’ve been better, but I’m not too bad! It was the wrap party for Through The Keyhole last night, so I took advantage of the free booze and enjoyed working in telly like ‘Wow, we work in telly, this is great, I’m livin’ t’ dream’. Then this mornin’ I thought s**t I work in telly, I’ve got to do interviews! So you’re a bit hung-over then? A bit, I mean, I’ve had worse hangovers. There has been no residue from my bum hole and I haven’t been sick.

Haha, lovely! Now, first of all, I’ve got to ask, if life gave Keith Lemon some lemons, what would you make? Lemonade? Is that the right answer? I’d get some cocktail sticks to make a person and then stick a tash on it and say ‘Look it’s a character of me’ haha... and then I’d go t’ pub haha! I tell you what I wouldn’t do I wouldn’t cut it into slices and put it in me coke. I’ll never understand lemon in coke, I don’t get it at all! I always just take it out. The other week I was drinking some coke and I was chewing on something that I thought was ice but it was a pip! I just don’t understand it, it’s stupid! >

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“

THIS SERIES, THE STRANGEST THING I SAW WAS A PIG! IT WERE JUST WONDERIN’ AROUND LIKE A DOG.

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So would you put them into a cocktail? Maybe you could create a new drink and name it Celebrity Juice! I bet that exists already! There’s all sorts of things popping up I always see. I saw there’s a Thai restaurant called ‘Bang Thaidy’ and I think there’s a hairdressers called ‘Bang Tidy Hairdressers’ an’ all. Funny what pops up innit?! Haha, yeah! If you were to make a Celebrity Juice cocktail, what would you throw in it and why? I don’t know anything about making cocktails but I’d probably throw Hooch in it firstly... because I am the face of Hooch. If I put anything else in it they’d probably say ‘You can only drink ‘ooch, tell everyone you drink ‘ooch’. So, I’d put Hooch in it and some vodka. That would probably do it I reckon, it’s like a vodka lemonade with extra kick! [Pause...] You got me seriously thinking about a cocktail then! I’d throw in some umbrellas and a cherry on a stick too, just to make it look all Club Tropicana, ya know what I mean?! Sounds delicious but deadly! There’s a new series of Celeb Juice out in September! Can you give us a sneak peak into any new games and guests? For Juice, I haven’t got a clue what’s gonna happen. We film it on a Wednesday, it goes out on a Thursday, so two weeks before I’ll go into the office and we’ll have a run through the new games. Then I’ll say which games I like and which games I don’t like, and then new games will pop up every week and I’ll go ‘Is this a new one? Did we play this?’ The team are so good at coming up with games. With me birthday, I said slow down! Let’s play some old ones cos me and Gino are gonna get p*ssed! I didn’t want to start a new game cos I might not be able to explain it, I wanted to play an old one so I could explain it! With The Keyhole, we’ve got some great houses and done some wicked VTs. So we’ve upped the ante there and we’ve got some diverse homes and diverse people. The panel’s been great, we’ve got Jonathan Ross, Jimmy Carr, Jerry Springer... all sorts of really cool people, I’m really excited about it!

Sounds cool! Who would you say would be your ideal, dream team on Celeb Juice? Holly, Kylie Minogue and Rita Ora, then Ferne, Gino and Mike Myers. The commissioner at ITV said ‘Can you try and get Mike Myers’... Oh yeah, I’ll just phone him up now! Pftt... Mike Myers! Mind you, I haven’t seen him in films for ages but I love Austin Powers and I heard rumours of another one coming out. I asked Verne Troyer and he doesn’t know either. Fingers crossed they’ll be more Austin Powers but I’m looking forward to the Star Wars film. Yeah, that’ll be quality! It’s no doubt you have a way with the women, but out of Holly, Ferne and Kelly Brook, who would you snog, marry and avoid? Avoid Ferne. I would snog Kelly and marry Holly. I would marry Holly because she is marriage material, but if I were to marry Kelly it’d be too much hard work. If you went out with her to a bar and left her sat at the table or whatever, they’d be some guy there wouldn’t there? Kelly Brook is too fit! Actually, f**k it, I’ll marry her, she’s too fit man, I’ll marry Kelly Brook! I’ve snogged Holly anyway, and I’ve sucked Ferne’s toes. Honestly, I don’t like one more than the other anyway, I feel really lucky that I’m the envy of every man in England that I get to work with the fittest girls on telly. I love both (Ferne and Holly) but I say I love them and I say they’re fit, but I don’t look at ‘em like sexual objects because they’re my TV sisters. Kelly is just me wildest, wettest dream!

The ladies love your style too, so where abouts do you get inspiration for your clobber? We want some threads like yours! I think my clobber is very European, it’s exotic. I take a lot of me style from Michael Hutchence, the singer of INXS. I’m a big INXS fan! I gave the INXS programmes that I collected from the gigs I’d been to back in the day when I was a kid, to my stylist and said ‘anything that Michael Hutchence is wearing, see if you can buy anything like that!’ I became really good friends with someone on Twitter who noticed I started dressing a bit like Michael Hutchence and yeah, we shared an interest in INXS. Then I got talking to some INXS fans and they send me bits of INXS paraphernalia or memorabilia. Paraphernalia? Is that the same as memorabilia? Haha! I don’t think so, no. Well memorabilia then. People often buy me ‘Back to the Future’ caps as well, cos I’m a big fan of that. It’s nice when people know you are into summit and then they buy you it. It’s cool they think about you, I like it and it’s even better when they make you summit. Knit me a doll of myself! I’ve got a knitted doll of myself which I’m quite fond of. It’s weird. Moving aside from your fashion, you’ve got your show ‘Through the Keyhole’ which we’ve talked about. So, what is the weirdest item you have found in a celebrity’s crib? This series, the strangest thing I saw was a pig! It were just wonderin’ around like a dog. You hear about people

having pigs but I’ve never met anyone who actually owns a pig; I think George Clooney has a pig! Yeah, I read that George Clooney has a pig, but anyway, this person had a pig. I ended up in close proximity of the pig and it was squealing a bit, didn’t seem very happy! Then the wife of the homeowner came to rescue me from the pig cos it were in a mood with me. It didn’t like me at all but it might have been because I was sat eating a bacon sandwich! Hahah! What celeb do you think would have the best crib? Ed Milliband has got two kitchens apparently. Two kitchens!?!? I’d like to see Simon Cowell’s gaff. It’s funny because you have a certain idea of what a person’s going to live in and o f t e n you’re wrong. I t ’s . . . >

...either bigger or smaller, and I’ve never nailed it. We did some houses in America and I saw a lovely house which was probably the best place we’ve been in. I thought ‘Yeah, I’d live here’, not that I’m saying I’d live in LA, I mean, I like going to LA on me holidays or for work, but I love London. It’s a fantastic place, we have a ball in London, there’s always something to do, it’s great. I’ve got a few questions from Facebook here, Ross Lee from Norwich has asked would you like to go to his tattoo studio and get a free tattoo? If so, what tattoo would you get done? No, I’d never have a tattoo. I like the look of them sometimes but I’d get bored and regret it. Gail asked would you ever dye your tash? There would be no point; dying facial hair is a bit weird. I have got a big ego and I do like myself but not enough to dye me tash, I’d feel like a d**k face! It’s your trademark though isn’t it? Strawberry blonde? I’ve come clean now and say I’ve got ginger hair, mate! I had blonde highlights, that’s why I always used to say strawberry blonde because I’d spend three f**king hours in the hairdressers bored s**tless having highlights done. I didn’t dye it that much in this series of Keyhole and I had some highlights done at the end of it, so you can see my hair getting gingerer and gingerer but I don’t care anymore about what colour my hair is, I don’t give a s**t anymore. Lastly and most importantly, have you got any pulling tips for our Freshers’ students? I’m sure they’d love to hear some advice from an expert! Do not mess about! If you fancy someone, go over to them, ask them out. If they say no, say ‘Fair do’s’ then walk back past them and say ‘Are you sure?’ If they say no, say ‘No worries’ and then go back a third time and go ‘I’m not gonna ask you again, this is t’ third time, I’m making a fool of me-self. I really like ya, I’ll show you a good time, I’ve got a Nando’s black card, I can get enough chicken for free and so you should go out with us’. I think be persistent but don’t be obsessive! Great advice, if only I had a black card! Well thanks Keith! It’s been a real pleasure and we wish you the best of luck. Cheers man! Have a good weekend! All t’ best! Taraa!

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WATCH CELEBRITY JUICE, THURSDAYS, 10PM ON ITV 2 AND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE, SATURDAYS ON ITV

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Freshers’ week for many will be a seven day booze fest and here at the SPG, we know how to get a party started! To make your pre drinks extravaganza soar above the rest, we’ve come up with the ultimate guide on quenching your thirst in style, so without further ado, get your glasses at the ready because at number five we have...

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It can’t be said that we always get on with our overseas cousins in North America, but for this we can purely send our love and devotion. Since being a staple in the States, beer pong stormed many frat parties for years, but now, somehow, it’s floated its way across the pond and landed in every house party in the UK. A simplistic idea, setting up ten cups in a triangle stance either side of a table and filling them up a quarter full with a select beverage. Once you and your opposing drinker set up, let the games commence. Balls have to be thrown into the oppositions set of cups alternately and if one lands in yours, bottoms up on that drink. The last cup comes and you see yourself trying to line up your dead eye from swaying to sink your opponent. Grab your table, ping pong balls, cups, beer and most importantly skill because this will keep you buzzing for ages. Beware though; mops may be in need for any spillages.

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To cut a long story short, this is like being grilled in an interview by a journalist, but with booze and brutal questions. Need to know something about your friends or flatmates? Well we suggest you play ‘never have I ever’. Gather round in a circle and prepare yourself for a judgemental, socialised battering which isn’t for the faint hearted. The basic concept is that you and your pals take it in turns to ask questions to the group, if the answer is yes, you have done it... then you drink. If not, you don’t. Keep your eyes peeled for any cheaters and grass up your mates, because people are renowned for trying to dodge bullets on this one.

The simplest, the cheapest and probably the funniest game out of the five. Edward Ciderhands is a beautiful descendant of the famous Johnny Depp film, Edward Scissorhands, and if we were associated with this, we’d sure be proud. Get down the local corner store and stock up on resources, because this game is one to remember: two bulging bottles of the cheapest cider and a reel of the toughest electrical tape you can find. Then cement the bottles to both hands using the sticky wrap, get someone to remove the lids and kaboom, Edward Ciderhands. Also recommended as a fancy dress get up, the person playing Ciderhands can’t remove the bottles until they are fully consumed, proving hilarity for one and all. Watch on in hysterics as Ed struggles to sip on the booze, whilst being in dire need for the toilet, food and the completion of other essential tasks. >

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Looking like a gummy granny without any false teeth in, ‘don’t show your teeth’ is a laugh-out-loud, chuckle buster. The aim of the game is to start a topic, then round by round, each person has to say a word relating to the subject. One catch, you can’t show your teeth. Whoever breaks the rule and shows their pearly whites whilst trying to spit the words between their lips loses, therefore has to forfeit the ultimate shot or selected rule. Even better, try risking the game with a gob full of alcohol and witness the mess unroll alongside the cracking laughs.

Hands down, the all time best student drinking game ever to fill a glass. If you’ve never played it and you’re a student, where have you been hiding? And if you’re a fresher just joining uni, welcome to your new favourite game over any pastime. All it takes is a pack of cards, a few of your friends, booze and an empty pint glass. In a rough form, sprinkle the cards face down around your pint cup and crack open a tinny, as this is where the fun begins. Again, alternately, you and your amigos whisk a card from the dreaded pile, revealing the number or picture. And for every card, there is a rule - for example... if you pull a two, you choose someone to drink; nine is a rhyme around the circle until someone can’t think of a word and so on. Draw a king and my goodness you will cause a storm; the almighty king states every player pours a dribble of drink into the empty cup in the middle. This creates the doomed dirty pint and if you pull the fourth king from the deck, it’s all yours to guzzle! (I hope you have a solid stomach). Normally followed by a ‘down it, down it, down it’, this corrosive cocktail will be enough to send you spinning, so put on a brave face and earn that king’s crown.

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It’s not even seen its ﬁrst year in yet, and already BH Mallorca has had 50,000+ people pass through the doors. There have been 150 cannons of C02 gas, 5,000 ﬁreworks and tons of ticker tape exploding onto the crowd since it opened. Skrillex, Hardwell, Axwell, Steve Aoki and Steve Angello have all performed sell out shows at the hotel’s complex, which has a self contained stage, water park and Island Beach Club. But it’s not just about parties, because just around the corner are stunning beaches, restaurants, quaint villages and tourist attractions which are sure to impress. We were invited by On The Beach, to stay at BH Mallorca, explore the island, and see what all the fuss is about…

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As soon as you walk into the reception area, it’s hard to look anywhere else but at the huge water slides which tower above the height of the hotel. After being greeted by friendly staff along with their own branded champagne and delicious tapas (prepared by the hotel’s top chef), it was time to take a quick tour of the hotel. The complex is big… very big... with 656 modern suites overlooking the 3 main areas of the venue. All equally as impressive, the hotel is split into three main areas, the middle section being home to the world’s ﬁrst over-18 water park with 9 white knuckle slides, the main stage on one side and my personal favourite of all, the Island Beach Club on the other – it’s open all day, every day, with live DJ’s, and daybeds situated inside the pool. You can chill-out, listen to summer tunes, sip a cocktail and enjoy a massage in the sun! Bliss. With a spectacular ﬁrst impression, it was time to explore the island and see what Majorca has to offer…

䈀伀䄀吀吀刀䤀倀匀 To really see the island’s true beauty you MUST take a boat trip! Travelling with Dolphin, we sailed across the blue sea, admiring the coves, caves and stunningly beautiful white beaches stretched out for miles. The perfect way to relax in the Spanish sunshine and top up that tan! With refreshments on board you can enjoy the ride with a hair of the dog. Personally, I opted for the slide at the back of the boat - an instant hangover cure (but not quite as effective as the yellow slide in the hotel)!

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Like travelling to any foreign destination, it’s always great to try new food and lap up the traditional local dishes. After our boat trip we stopped off at Portals Vells for some lunch at a restaurant tucked away in the valleys, with its very own private beach! If you haven’t been to Spain, and think you’ve tried Paella, think again! Possibly the classiest restaurant I have eaten in (and this is not an exaggeration)! Balneario Illetas, located in La Sterrazas overlooks the calm open waters, where the sea and sky merge. This place oozes class, with its Mediterranean menu, large assortment of cocktails and peaceful ambience.

倀䄀䰀䴀䄀 Mallorca’s capital and the largest Balearic Island city, Palma is only a short drive from Magaluf. Stroll through the streets on foot or take a horse and carriage and admire its stunning beauty and architecture. Boasting a huge cathedral, narrow cobbled streets, quaint Spanish buildings and independent shops and cafes, this place is full of character and charm.

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Attracting herds of party goers every night, Magaluf is renowned for its bars, clubs and cheap drinks, and for most 18-30 year olds, this is the reason you’d be going! There’s no denying that this place really awakens when the sun goes down! If you want it to be a non-stop party, it will be. Or if you’d prefer the calm, romantic evenings, then this is also a place to consider with its beautiful untouched coasts, and elegant restaurants. This for me is why BH Mallorca is so special… It has the perfect balance between the clubbing atmosphere and chilled VIP vibe, whilst providing easy access for great wining and dining. Would I go again? I’ve already booked my next trip! Leading beach holiday specialists OnTheBeach.co.uk carry more than one million passengers every year to some of the world’s most beautiful destinations. They offer great packages including a seven night all-inclusive holiday in Majorca, staying at the 4* BH Mallorca from just £397 per person, including return ﬂights from airports across the UK. Book online at: www.onthebeach.co.uk or call 0871 474 3000

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W W W. N O VAT E C H . C O . U K | 0 2 3 9 2 3 2 2 5 0 0

Also known as Louisa Rose Allen, we caught up with the 26 year old Grammy winner to chat about tips when getting a cheeky Nandos, her latest music and where her stage name came from, and hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what she had to say...

Hi Foxes! How are you? Good thank you! How are you? Great thanks! It feels really weird calling you a plural of a fox when there is only one of you, do people often think that you’re a band? They do... but I’ve kind of got used to it now. Hopefully one day, people will think of Foxes as just one person. But I doubt that will happen, I think I’ll just get the band thing for a long time. It is a bit weird but I quite like that it’s a bit weird; there is nothing wrong with people thinking you’re more than one person haha! We heard that the name came from when your mum had a dream about foxes howling and it reminded her of your music, is this true? It is true, yeah! So basically, I wrote a really rubbish song when I was about thirteen called ‘Like Foxes Do’ and when I had to get a stage name, one of my friends said ‘why don’t you be called Foxes?’, so it started as a bit of a joke. Then a couple of days later, it stuck in my head and I was like ‘why won’t this name leave my brain?’ So then I called my mum and said ‘Look, Mum, I have got this idea, I know it sounds crazy but I might call myself Foxes?’ She came back and was like ‘oh my god, that’s so weird, I had this dream last night that all these foxes were running up our street and making all these noises. Then I woke up thinking of your music!!’ We both thought it was a sign, so I went with it. 㸀

“The other day I

had a staring competition with a fox for about a minute in my garden! It was on the day of the single release, so it was a nice little sign. ”

That is so weird! It’s strange how a thing like that happens isn’t it? It is odd, yeah! Now, I always get fox-like things that happen to me. The other day I had a staring competition with a fox for about a minute in my garden! It was on the day of the single release, so it was a nice little sign. So what about if your mum dreamed about chickens? Would you go ahead and be called chickens or hens?! I would, yeah! I’d be called chickens. I thought about being called penguins! That would be pretty cool, it’s a bit like the Batman villain though? Yeah, that’s not great, maybe koala. Koala could be fun? GIRAFFE? Giraffe is a great stage name, someone should take that if it’s not already taken. Oh wait, it’s a restaurant, we don’t want that.

Anyway, talking of chickens, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Ahhh! Haha, it’s Monday! Nando’s? Moving aside from animals and Nandos, you’re soon to be on a UK tour! Can you tell us where you’re heading? I’m really excited! I have the 22nd of October at Glasgow O2, the 23rd is Sheffield, 24th is Manchester, 26th is Nottingham, 27th is London... heaven, 28th of October is Brighton and the 29th is Birmingham! We can’t wait and we love the track ‘Body Talk’! But what we want to know is, what would your body say about your lifestyle if it could

The video for the track is great too. Did you have fun filming in a petrol station? I loved filming in a petrol station! It’s quite random, I’m doing some improv dancing with some backing dancers, and I keep going up to pay for my petrol. But then I’m trying to escape the petrol station and I can’t get out, haha! The sound and visuals remind me of a 70’s style scene and it’s brilliant! Is that what inspired you in your music and fashion? Or is there something else? It definitely is! I really love a lot of that kind of thing. It’s got like an 80’s style going on as well, and I was inspired by a lot of people like Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush and that era I guess. ‘Body Talk’ relates back to the type of music I was listening to at the time, but yeah, I’ve got massive 80’s hair in the video too!

actually speak? HEEEEEEEELP! And yeah, it would say, stop feeding me chicken... I don’t want any more Nando’s please!

It is brilliant, is there an album on the horizon anytime soon? There is! I have another single coming out soon called ‘Better Love’, which I’m really excited about releasing! The album is available to pre-order too.

Mine would definitely say stop drinking and eating so much! Mine would just say ‘stop eating’ in general, like ‘give me a break’!

Fantastic! And with music you’ve obviously worked with some great names over the years and you’ve got a massive 㸀

following, but who would you say was your best friend in show-business? Ohh! That’s a difficult one! I don’t actually hang around with show-business people that much. I tend to hang around with my friends I’ve known since I was growing up. I do have friends in the industry that I love though; I highly, highly rate the Bastille boys! I went on tour with them last year and they’re good mates, so I really love those guys. Pharrell is lovely, and I really like Jameela Jamil; she always manages to crack me up at events that take themselves too seriously.

Awesome! So, what about Adam Richman on Sunday Brunch? Yeah! That’s quite a good celeb mate! We got on so well that he changed seats to sit next to me and we were like ‘sod this, we’ve got loads to talk about’ and we sat and chatted about food for the entirety of the show! I got so many good tips and he’s promised that he is going to take me somewhere to eat; I guess it would be something amazing. You can’t really turn that down can you? No way, that’s cool! You worked with Zedd on Clarity and the track won a Grammy! That must have been crazy! How did you celebrate? Well, I nearly missed it because I was across the road with Sam Smith and Disclosure drinking beer, because the Grammy’s didn’t have a bar! My manager called me and was like ‘What are you doing? They’re about to call your name!’ So we legged it back and I won it! I couldn’t believe it! To celebrate though, that night I went out and got very drunk, and then I ended up singing ‘Bump N’ Grind’ by R. Kelly. It was awful! It was one of those moments where you wake up and go ‘did I do that? Yeah... I did’. Haha... What do you think you’d be doing if it wasn’t for music? Perhaps something in fashion? I think I’d work in Greggs! I’d be a baker! I feel like it would be great because you can eat pastries and cake all day! I’d open my own bakery actually!

You could open it with Adam Richman, you’d definitely be on to a winner! I’m going to make it my mission to do something foodrelated with him! I don’t know what though; he’s my new best mate! Haha awesome idea! And finally, what piece of advice would you give to an aspiring musician today? Everything in life is about building blocks and moving towards your goals. Nothing happens overnight, so it’s definitely about working at it and keeping going. Because in the end, if you want something you’ve got to believe it’ll come true. You can do something you love as a job if you work hard enough at it. Just not giving up is such an important thing to keep in mind. It might take a really long time to get to where you want to be, but you can do it if you put your mind to it. And also, be good to people ‘cause you never know who you’re meeting and it’s just nice to be nice, isn’t it? People can help you along the way because sometimes you’re up and sometimes you’re down. Cool! Thanks for chatting to us and best of luck with your tour and new upcoming album! Thanks very much, lovely to chat to you. Bye!

NEW

! n o i t i t e p Com Your Band - Your Song | SPGtv

The Student Pocket Guide As well as releasing a digital magazine three times a year, here at The Student Pocket Guide, we also regularly upload music videos to our YouTube channel (SPGtv). We’ve worked with huge, globally recognised names including Ed Sheeran, Gabrielle Aplin and Ben Howard to name a few. We frequently receive lots of messages on our SPGtv Twitter page (@SPG_tv), asking us to check out your music. Recently, we’ve had a sneak peak at a few of them and it’s clear to see that you guys have enormous talent. This got us thinking... why don’t we run a competition for one artist or band to win the opportunity to have their music published on SPGtv? This gives you the chance to showcase your talent on a well-respected YouTube channel, which is the host to some massive names within the music industry. By posting your video on SPGtv, you will receive great exposure, as not only will we promote your video across all of our socials, but the chosen video will also get featured in the next magazine!

Do you think you or your band have a unique style that sets you apart from other artists that are currently out there? Then we’d love to hear from you! Here’s our top tips for creating an eyecatching video! 1. If you’re going to do a cover song, don’t sing a song that has already been covered on our channel. 2. Make sure the camera is steady and the picture’s clear. Ideally, film the video in HD quality and try to include two or more camera angles. 3. Ensure there’s no background noise and that the microphone is in the right place, so that your video has high quality sound. Use multiple microphones if necessary. 4. Introduce yourself or your band and state that your video is exclusive for SPGtv. 5. Get creative! We like to see something different, however don’t go too overboard – sometimes simple is best. 6. Review your video – have you managed to fulfil all of the points above? To enter and to be in with the chance of winning this fantastic opportunity, all you need to do is send us your video (via a third party sender such as WeTransfer) to: info@thestudentpocketguide.com along with your name, your band’s name (if applicable) and a contact number. Good luck!

Coldplay - Magic (Aleks Grey Cover)

We’ve received a few Coldplay covers in the past, but this has to be our favourite! Aleks Grey and his 4 band members really manage to capture the emotion of Coldplay’s original, whilst adding their own unique twist on this classic song. If you like this, be sure to check out his original track called “Feel Alive” also featured on SPGtv.

Ed Sheeran - Photograph (Olivia Penalva Cover)

With an album under her belt, a single that charted top 30 on Canadian radio, and a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, 15 year old Olivia Penalva is certainly one to watch! Check out her cover version of Ed Sheeran’s Photograph.

Juan Zelada - Train To Mexico | SPGtv

Live from a rooftop in Madrid, Juan Zelada performs his original track ‘Train To Mexico’. No gimics, just a man with an incredible voice and his guitar. Juan is a very talented musician and has previously supported artists such as Ben Howard, The Noisettes and Michael Kiwanuka, so it’s a great privilege to have him onboard with SPGtv!

Syzzors - Leo | SPGtv

Syzzors are an ‘Alternative, Dream Pop, Electronic’ band from Montreal. This video of their track ‘Leo’ was filmed in an abandoned warehouse, adding a really cool visual edge to it. This track has mesmerising vocals, hypnotic baselines and a powerful beat… One you will want to turn up!

Freedom Fry - 21 | SPGtv

The French/American duo have been selfproducing and releasing music since 2011. Their home base is Los Angeles, and all the warmth and sunshine of California heavily bleeds into their sound, as apparent on this track entitled ‘21’, which skirts between pop, folk, and indie rock, blended with danceable rhythm and a sing-a-long chorus.

One to watch ! Mega Ran -AYour Favorite Song | SPGtv BECOME SUPER-MODEL / ACTOR

Teacher/Rapper/Hero Ran,or with an assistto from hisall classic Famicom system, They get given freeMega clothes costumes wear the time! Imagine dreams of being a star with new track “Your Favorite Song”, a tongue in cheek, the admiring glances you will get turning up to seminars dressed playful rap about the desire to be the best one-hit-wonder ever. in Jean-Paul Gaultier. Or a Henry VIII costume after staring in the BBC’S Latest costume drama. Ran’s modded Famicom system is the star of this video, as its bleeps, bloops and even built-in mic get some stage time. 30 years old and still making memories.

HOPE MURPHY

INTERVIEW

She’s deﬁnitely been a busy bee recently, but we managed to steal Hope Murphy away from her hectic schedule to discuss performing at festivals, collaborating with Disco Fries and being number 1 on Hype Machine…

Photo credit: www.lynnhilton.com

Hi Hope! Thanks for chatting to us. You recently performed at The Havering Show on the 31st August! How was it? Hi guys, great to hear from you! The Havering Show was a wicked gig, it’s always so amazing to see real music lovers come and support us even when the weather hasn’t been too kind! You performed material from your debut album at the show. Was it nice to share your new music with the crowd? I absolutely loved performing the new material, we’ve been working hard on the sound and I’ve been dying to get on stage and perform it with the band. It was so exciting to see how the crowd reacted to each track, I love the new sound and performing it to so many people was so much fun. Whilst we are on the subject, how would you describe your sound? The new sound is an electric mash up of RnB electronica, twisted with trip hop and served with a massive dollop of retro soul. It was such a great journey writing the new material and I am still loving every second of it! You joined forces with Disco Fries and put together a song called, ‘Born Ready.’ The tracks already received nearly 200,000 views on YouTube! What

Photo credit: www.lynnhilton.com

HOPE MURPHY

was it like working with the duo and how did this collaboration come about? The support for ‘Born Ready’ has been unbelievable. It was great working with The Disco Fries – I love their work and to feature on a track with them was brilliant. Dee had written the top line with the lovely Kate Stewart and played it to me – it’s safe to say I instantly fell in love! So, I laid down some vocals and we then sent it to The Disco Fries. The song also reached number one on Hype Machine! How did it feel reaching this milestone and did you expect the song to be so successful? The Halogen remix of ‘Born Ready’ has received such a massive online buzz, it’s the perfect feel good track. It was actually my first track to be on Hype Machine - Making it to number 1 was amazing, especially with such great music out there; getting to the top so quickly was just unbelievable. I absolutely love the track, I have it on replay so it’s great to know everyone else does too! Judging by your Twitter it appears you’re a fan of Majestic, Calvin Harris, Dr Meaker and Clean Bandit. Who would you say were your musical inspirations? I try to listen to a variety of different music genres, I am a big fan of Lauryn Hill. She definitely has an

influence when I’m in the studio. Major Lazer and Banks both have really cool vibes that definitely inspire me to keep my sound fresh. You respond to your fans quite a lot of on Twitter too! Is this something that’s really important to you? I absolutely love reading any comments fans throw my way, to know that so many people are supporting me on my music journey is the best feeling. I love responding to people as much as possible because it’s so important that people know how much I appreciate the love! We understand that you are songwriting with Dee Adam and that you found your sound together. It must be a good feeling to have such a cool writer /producer on your team. How did you guys meet? I met Dee Adam through my manager Sharon Dean who met her at the Ivor Novello Awards. Dee had a listen and liked

what she heard. So I went to visit her at her studio, Narnia as we call it! We started writing together and have been working with each other ever since, as well as featuring with some wicked people (TCTS and The Disco Fries). Dee has not only developed me as an artist, but as a songwriter too. I am lucky to have a great team around me. So what are you up to from now until the end of 2015? The plan for now until the end of the year is to do more writing and recording, rehearsals for a few live shows and to release another cool track that I will feature on - so watch this space. I’m so excited to see where the next part of my journey takes me. I just want to say hello to all of the students out there – enjoy the ride. To follow Hope Murphy on socials go to: www.facebook.com/hopemurphymusic www.twitter.com/hopemurphymusic

Check out Hope Murphy’s amazing cover of Major Lazer Lean On, exclusively for SPGtv.

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SPGTV Bringing you exclusive performances from signed & unsigned global talent. Music from signed artists include: Ed Sheeran Gabrielle Aplin Benjamin Francis Leftwich Lucy Rose Eliza and the Bear Ones to Watch: Hope Murphy Mega Ran Anna Renee Carl Rag Aleks Grey Juan Zelada Lynette Williams L-FRESH the LION Julietta Just Millie Glass Sines Cheekie Chee Bugga And many, many more...

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a singer-songwriter or in a band and would like to get involved with SPGtv, email: info@thestudentpocketguide.com

Interview by Lewis Woollard

Forming only two years ago in England’s sunny seaside of Brighton, Royal Blood are about to rumble the world of Rock once again. From laying down their mark at the Brit awards, to trotting the globe over in the USA, singer and bassist Mark Kerr took five minutes out of his busy schedule to chat to us at SPG about their awesome videos, award celebrations and upcoming albums, and here is what he had to say... So, firstly, the name Royal Blood, how did this come about? I’m afraid we’ll probably disappoint you here – no great tale of how we came to settle on Royal Blood, we just put the two words together and it sounded good, it sounded right. Cool! You debuted your first album last year and the record smashed it! It was the fastest selling UK Rock album in three years, this must have felt fantastic! How did you celebrate? It was madness. The week it was released we played

two instores in London, in between going to France to film a TV show, but we had a little gathering to celebrate, nothing too wild. Sounds wicked. The album has some seriously strong visuals too, but what was the inspiration behind the cover image? This was an original piece of artwork by Dan Hillier – so nothing bespoke for the record itself. We’d seen some of his work before and much like our band name, once we saw the image, it felt right. We love it.

It does work so well! Our favourite songs have to be ‘Figure it out’ and ‘Out of the Black’, these are serious anthems! Which song is your two’s all time favourite to perform? Both! Ben’s is probably ‘Out of the Black’, that’s morphed itself into a monster at the end of our live shows. I love performing both; ‘Figure It Out’ was one of the first songs we recorded so that’s always a special one to play. Not only are the songs amazing but the videos are just something else too. My mind was literally blown by the ‘Out of the Black’ visuals! How did that bunny and those mascots learn to be so violent? I still have nightmares about them to this day.

We’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing people, when we saw this video treatment we were blown away and it couldn’t have turned out better. It’s even better than it was on paper. Luckily the garage guy saved the day and had his chocolate too, do you think you’d be able to fend off any fiends if they tried to snatch your favourite snack? Haha – well whoever is first to the rider is usually the strongest in our crew. Haha, brilliant! Moving away from the videos, you guys not only performed at the Brits earlier in the year, but you won an award for

Best British Group. Has this been your best musical achievement to date? If not, what has been? It was an honour to receive the award, we’ve had personal highlights over the past year – Glastonbury was a real moment. Wow, Glasto is huge too. Being only formed back in 2013 in Brighton, you have shot into the big time so quickly! Just two years in and people are going crazy for you! Does it feel strange to be instant superstars? It’s strange how fast things move. I wouldn’t say we’re superstars in the slightest, we’re just doing what we do, play live, record – there’s been some wow moments, but you’ve got to just keep your head down and get on with it. Obviously Brighton is always going to be close to you both, so what is your best-loved thing about the seaside resort? Fish and chips on the beach are always a favourite for us. That’s a good one – the pier is great – I swam round it one night not too long ago… Ah! Sounds like a great laugh. Is it true Mike, that after a nine month gallivant in Australia, you met Ben in the airport to arrange rehearsal for a next day performance at a local bar in Brighton? I asked Ben to pick me up from the airport and as soon as I got in the car said ‘we should do this’. We had our first rehearsal

the next day and our first gig the day after! I think in my head I really wanted to try this thing with Ben. That is awesome. Music has taken you both all over the globe but what would be your dream destination to play a set? Tough one. I’ll have to have a think about that, somewhere unique, uniquely bizarre. And if it wasn’t for making it big time in a band, what industry would you both be working in? Well I was a chef beforehand, so maybe continued with that. Ben, I’m not so sure. Cooking is always a good skill to have! What key bit of advice would you give to any student aspiring to achieve their goals? Keep at it, cliché advice I’m sure – but so long as you’re enjoying what you’re doing then don’t give up on what you aspire to do. Briliant! Is there another album in the pipeline for the near future? We can’t wait to bless our ears with some more sounds from Royal Blood! The very first ideas are formulating – hopefully it won’t be too long until we get into the studio and start getting some of them down. Thanks very much for your time!

SPGTV If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a singer-songwriter or in a band and would like to get involved with SPGtv, email: info@thestudentpocketguide.com

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ELIZA AND THE BEAR Interview by Jenna Olivia

It’s been a busy year for Eliza and the Bear, with their EP ‘Make It On My Own’ being released in June and their tour due to start In Manchester’s Club Academy on 1st October. We caught up with the group’s lead singer, James Kellegher to discuss how he feels about performing live again and the pending release of the band’s upcoming album. Hi James! Thanks for talking to me today. ‘Eliza and the Bear’ is a very unique name! Where does it come from?! When we started, we had no real intentions of being like a proper functioning band, playing loads of live shows. We just kind of sat down and

said, ‘Listen, we’re bored of not writing music. Shall we just hang out, write a few songs, stick them on Facebook and just have fun with it?’ Obviously we needed a name and Paul, our drummer, found a collection of poems by a woman called Eleanor Rees. It was called, ‘Eliza and the Bear.’ We just thought... that’s a kind of cool name. We emailed her and asked her if we could use it. She said yes and now everyone thinks I’m a girl! Do you find it weird that people recognise you and know who you are now? Yeah, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. Like, sometimes you meet people that are so excited to bump into you

and kind of get all nervous and want to get a photo. You’re kind of thinking... Huh? I’m just like a normal bloke. I’ll never ever take that for granted, that’s an amazing part of being in a band. Your EP ‘Make It On My Own’ was released in June. How do you begin the writing process for your songs? What gives you inspiration? ‘Make It On My Own’ actually came quite late. We were writing for an album, which we recorded at the end of last year. I think, ‘Make It On My Own’ was written pretty much a week before we left to go and record. We had a bit of time off and we were just like... ‘Why don’t we just see what we come up with?’ and

for some reason, I think the lack of pressure meant we could muster something up really quickly. It came pretty much in two days and we were like, ‘Yep, this needs to go on the album.’ We sent it to the label and said, ‘We’ve just written this, can we go and record it next week?’ Inspiration for the song was one of those things where we felt this could be a point in our lives where a lot of things change for us. The thought proccess was that you can make one tiny difference in your life, that can make a huge difference down the line. Starting a band 3 years ago felt like something relatively insignificant at the time, but it has potentially changed our lives forever.

Do you all tend to agree on which tracks should go forward and be on the EP, or on the album? Is there a bit of conflict sometimes? You always feel like there’s gonna be a conflict. When we do it, we write down our ideal track listing on our own, then we bring it into the studio and see whose matches up and what’s different on everyone else’s. We came in and everything was exactly the same. It was kind of like one of those weird things

where everyone was on the same page at that moment - there were no disagreements! Your next single is going to be ‘Lion’s Heart.’ Why did you guys choose this song as your next track? We already released it as a b-side for ‘Upon The North’ last year or the year before that I believe and that actually was under the name ‘The Southern Wild.’ We wrote it before we really started playing live and

when we started playing with live performances, our music changed. It became faster, it became a bit rockier and when we went to make the album, we recorded that version of it. When we sat down and listened to that song, we realised it had turned from a b-side into a single. We didn’t just want to leave it there and not do anything with it, so we thought it was worthy of another re-release in its new form and we’re really proud of it. We hope people that heard the old version like it and people that haven’t will latch on to it. We’re really excited to get it out. Your EP has already done really well and has received brilliant ratings on iTunes, but do you worry before releasing new music? I think you always do. When we wrote ‘Make It On My Own’ we were just like ‘Yes! This is a great song.’ You have so much faith in it, but obviously when you release it and no one’s heard it before, you’re always gonna have those nerves. There’s that half an hour period before it’s out and you’re just sitting by a computer, like ‘Oh my God, are people gonna like this? Is everyone gonna hate this?’ You start to doubt everything you’ve believed for the last couple of months. I think you’re always gonna be nervous no matter what you’re releasing. If you weren’t nervous you wouldn’t be proud of something. You can be so proud of what you’ve made, but you want people to enjoy it.

Aside from releasing your EP, you guys start your tour at Manchester Club Academy on 1st October! What’s your favourite UK venue to play at and why? Favourite one so far for me was probably Brixton; because that’s the place I saw so many bands growing up. It was like the venue you’d see a band in during early 2000s/late 1990s, so playing there was like a big tick off

the life bucket list. Koko going up on the headline tour is the one I’m most excited about. With it being a hometown show and our biggest headline show to date, it’s obviously gonna be an exciting night for us. You have supported some great acts on their tours, including Twin Atlantic. Who has been your favourite to work with? The Paramore Tour is still my favourite. They were such

amazing people to tour with and I feel like we cut our teeth on that tour. We really learnt how to play live. We were chucked in at the deep end when we were signed up to it. I think we figured out on the first show of that tour, that we played in front of more people that night than we had ever played in front of collectively before. Do you guys get nervous performing live and do any of you suffer from stage fright?! None of us get stage fright, but we all deal with nerves in a different way. Callie, our piano player, has this thing where he feels like he needs to hype everyone else up. He’ll be going round like ‘’Have a good show man!’’, but then he often gets really sick before he plays. I’ve seen him actually throw up a few times. I get really tired! Ten minutes before a show,

it’s more than likely I’ll be asleep. I’ll be conserving energy. I think if you weren’t nervous you wouldn’t play a good show. Do you always write songs together, or do you sometimes write them individually? Sometimes Martin might write something at home, but we’re always in the studio together. The one thing about the way we write is it has to sound good live, so if we play it together in a room and it doesn’t sound right, it’s not gonna work for us. We always focus on the live element of our songs, so playing them loud in a practice room makes us realise whether they work or not. Well, you guys have clearly done really well for yourselves! What would your advice be

for any aspiring musicians out there? The one thing that I always say that’s worked for us and goes back to how we started as a band, is that we weren’t writing to please anyone else but ourselves. The only thing we had in mind was whether we enjoyed it and if we thought it was good. There was no ‘This will be great live’ or ‘The label will love this.’ It was always music for ourselves and I think that’s paid off for us. We try and keep that ethos to this day. Anything we write, it’s like... this is for us, not for anyone else. When you do release it people can really see that it’s music you enjoy yourself and that you’re having a great time. It’s just about enjoying yourself. It’s not about being too serious and making it like a day job. You’re in a band;

you’re supposed to be having fun. Just enjoy yourselves. Well thank you very much for talking to us James and best of luck with the tour! Thank you for having me! Honestly, thank you very much.

Click here to listen to Eliza And The Bear sing their cover version of Sam Smith’s ‘I’m Not The Only One’ exclusively for SPGtv.

䴀椀挀爀漀眀愀瘀攀䠀愀挀欀猀 Being a person of study is always a massive struggle. Constantly striving to get better grades, attending lectures and seminars, and not forgetting your social agenda, are all extremely time-consuming. After all your hours are swallowed up by the beckoning call of university life, you ﬁnd your student self starving, but not only that, you have zero time on your hands to prepare a beautiful, Ramsey-like meal. So what do you go for, an empty calorie crumb or a pocketpinching takeaway? The dilemmas are never ending.

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Sit back, relax and ping the microwave on full, because we’ve got some crafty nuking hack’s that’ll have your food tasty and ready before you can say ‘Pizza for breakfast’.

You must be Yolking! Do you ever get a killer craving for some of your mum’s home cooked eggs but can’t bear the thought of waiting until the next holiday? Well now you can cook the hen blessed treats in a matter of minutes. Poached or scrambled, if you’ve got a spare one hundred and twenty seconds, you’ve got a meal. For the fluffiest scrambled snack, tip two eggs into a mug, add a dash of milk, beat it with a fork and ping it in the microwave for two minutes. As easy as peas, once you’ve achieved that, you can then take it to masterful wave levels and poach an egg. Again, drop a whole chicken gift into a cup, this time add a dash of water, place a bowl over the top and blitz for fifty seconds. If the egg is not to your liking, pop it back in for small bursts of ten seconds and ping, you’ll have a poached egg ready for demolishing.

Just Heat it

In the past, before we unravelled this trick, we always found that when we reheated our food in the oven from the future, it was cold in a lot of areas. After lengthy research into the science behind the technology of the wave lengths, we’ve discovered how to heat your treat to perfection. Simply place your hunger buster on the edge of the plate in the microwave rather than in the middle, that way the whole product circulates the oven rather than just sitting in the stationary centre. For years, everybody presumed the product should be placed in the middle, but how wrong we’ve been. So now you can indulge on your assignment fuel without nibbling on disappointing, frosty food.

From Sure Waste to Revived Taste

Sometimes you just have to do it. The student loan may have not quite come in yet and you’re just in severe need of saving some pounds. You reach for a nibble of leftover lunch, only to realise that it seems to be on its last legs. Don’t bin it! Most food can be revived in a quick half minute burst and in that, tasting like they are fresh from the oven. From things like gooey cheese pizza to sweet sugar doughnuts, you’ll be able to find a fitting defibrillation recipe to kick your taste buds. We’ve found that to nail the treat of heating up a pizza, you’d need to stick a slice in the microwave, along with a glass of water, for thirty seconds. This means that when you come to nuking it, the crust doesn’t become chewy like rubber. You can also spruce up your crisps too; if you’ve left the air tight sack undone for too many days, slap some on a plate, throw them in for thirty seconds and there you go, crunchy, salty and ready crisps at your disposal.

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眀眀眀⸀挀栀愀爀氀椀瘀椀渀挀攀⸀挀漀洀

Gino Di’Microwaver

After a short while, you’ll surely master the art of becoming the champion microwave chef and in that, you can only get better. It’s almost as though you could start your own degree in the highly technical hacks, but now it’s time for the next step. Recipes for success. Sweet cereal bars, decadent bacon and tender pasta, all of which can be whipped up in the mysterious box of glory. Our favourite of the bunch has to be the cereal bar, all you have to do is grab yourself some Cheerios or something similar, pour them into a bowl, fold in some marshmallows and microwave it for thirty seconds. After about a minute of the hot mix hardening, you can then get your hands in. Mould the gooey treats into rectangles, place on grease proof paper and drizzle over Nutella, and there you have it, tongue tickling cereal snacks. Just think of the things you’ll be able to do in ﬁve years’ time, you’ll have Jamie Oliver knocking down your door to get your top secret tips. So next time student life is swamping you in a tight corner, ﬁght back and fuel up by taking in a much needed, microwave snack. Time is of the essence and by smashing in a quick thirty second meal, you’ll have enough body fuel to keep you pumped until that midnight deadline hits. #LoveYourMicrowave

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With Scott Laidler Let’s be honest, Freshers’ Week is total carnage. It always has been, will be and should be! But that doesn’t mean you can’t stay in shape. This 10 minute circuit will help to oﬀset some of the damage. It’s designed to work the muscles in your whole body, helping you to maintain your muscle mass and, at the same time, spike your metabolism to oﬀ-set some of the calories from all those late night burgers and free cocktails. Plus, it can be performed in your own dorm using your own body weight so no excuses!

Nutrition Obviously trying to eat clean during Freshers’ Week isn’t going to be easy. So, my advice would be not to monitor it at all, but rather to incorporate intermittent fasting into your daily routine to help you burn body fat and oﬀ-set the damage of eating as late as you probably will. Intermittent fasting essentially involves squeezing all of your nutrition into an 8 hour feasting window and then fasting for the remaining 16 hours of the day. This allows your body’s natural growth hormone to remain active for longer. This helps slow the ageing process and is very useful for Freshers’ Week as it will help you reduce body fat. Don’t worry about cutting food oﬀ during the evening; it’s just not feasible during Freshers’ and you want to enjoy it. Plus, you’ll still beneet from skipping breakfast and starting to eat a little llater in the day than you usually would.

The Workout • Perform the workout 3 times a week, along with 40-60 minute fast walks on your days oﬀ for fat burning. • Perform the exercises consecutively for a 15 second round, followed by non-stop rounds of 30, 45 & 60 seconds. Then, take 2 minutes rest before performing a 90 second round

Press Ups

• Kneel on a mat. Bring your arms forward and out to the side (slightly more than shoulder width apart) so your hands are supporting your upper body. • Bring both of your legs back so you are now suspended in the air by your hands and toes. • Lower your body towards to the oor, making sure your back is straight and that you are using all your strength from your arms and chest. • Pause at the bottom for 2-3 seconds. Bring yourself back up until your arms are extended. Repeat.

Mountain Climbers

• Lie facing the ground. Slowly raise your body so that it’s parallel to the ground, supported by your hands and toes. • Bring one knee up towards the chest and return to starting position. Alternate legs, performing the motion as quickly as possible.

Plank

• Kneel on a mat on the oor. Bring your arms forward so you are resting on your forearms. Then, bring both of your legs back so you are suspended in the air by your forearms and your toes. • Keep your body straight. Hold the position and contract your abdominals throughout.

Hip Extensions

• Lay on your back on a mat. Place your palms at on the oor by your sides and position your feet so that they are at on the oor. • Slowly suspend your bottom and lower back oﬀ the oor, using your legs to push up. Pause for 2-3 seconds. • Slower lower your body to the starting position. Repeat.

Follow Scott at www.scottlaidler.com @Scott_Laidler for more great ﬁtness tips.

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圀攀氀挀漀洀攀戀愀挀欀琀漀匀吀䄀刀吀Ⰰ 眀栀攀爀攀眀攀猀栀漀眀挀愀猀攀愀爀愀渀最攀漀昀猀琀甀搀攀渀琀愀爀琀Ⰰ 昀爀漀洀愀挀爀漀猀猀琀栀攀唀䬀⸀

娀漀攀圀攀猀琀眀漀漀搀 ⴀ 䤀氀氀甀猀琀爀愀琀椀漀渀唀渀椀瘀攀爀猀椀琀礀漀昀圀漀氀瘀攀爀栀愀洀瀀琀漀渀

䰀漀甀椀猀愀䘀漀氀攀礀 ⴀ 吀攀砀琀椀氀攀猀䰀攀攀搀猀䌀漀氀氀攀最攀漀昀䄀爀琀

Emily Carter - Illustration London College of Fashion

Szymon Prewysz-Kwinto - Illustration City and Islington College

Sarah Gullen - Illustration Oxford Brookes University

䔀洀洀愀䐀甀渀渀愀最攀 ⴀ 䘀愀猀栀椀漀渀䐀攀猀椀最渀䘀愀氀洀漀甀琀栀唀渀椀瘀攀爀猀椀琀礀

䨀攀猀猀椀挀愀吀愀礀氀漀爀 ⴀ 䜀爀愀瀀栀椀挀䐀攀猀椀最渀䰀攀攀搀猀䌀漀氀氀攀最攀漀昀䄀爀琀

䐀愀瘀椀搀匀洀椀琀琀攀渀 ⴀ 䴀椀砀攀搀䴀攀搀椀愀䤀氀氀甀猀琀爀愀琀椀漀渀䈀甀挀欀椀渀最栀愀洀猀栀椀爀攀一攀眀唀渀椀瘀攀爀猀椀琀礀

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䤀昀礀漀甀眀漀甀氀搀氀椀欀攀琀漀栀愀瘀攀礀漀甀爀眀漀爀欀猀栀漀眀挀愀猀攀搀椀渀琀栀攀渀攀砀琀攀搀椀琀椀漀渀Ⰰ 猀攀渀搀礀漀甀爀猀甀戀洀椀猀猀椀漀渀Ⰰ 愀氀漀渀最眀椀琀栀礀漀甀爀昀甀氀氀渀愀洀攀愀渀搀瀀氀愀挀攀漀昀猀琀甀搀礀琀漀㨀椀渀昀漀䀀琀栀攀猀琀甀搀攀渀琀瀀漀挀欀攀琀最甀椀搀攀⸀挀漀洀⸀ 䤀昀琀栀攀氀攀猀椀稀攀椀猀氀愀爀最攀爀琀栀愀渀㄀䴀䈀瀀氀攀愀猀攀甀猀攀愀琀栀椀爀搀瀀愀爀琀礀氀攀琀爀愀渀猀昀攀爀猀攀爀瘀椀挀攀⸀ 伀琀栀攀爀眀椀猀攀礀漀甀爀攀洀愀椀氀洀椀最栀琀渀漀琀爀攀愀挀栀甀猀℀

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Bookfinder.com

A sublime website with the ability to indulge into the most advanced searches around. Bookfinder.com allows you to search not only new and old, but also lets you get into the depths of the year of publication and if the book is out of print. Select your destination and currency, followed by a quick punch in of the ISBN and you’ll find an affordable scroll within seconds. Bookfinder is simple yet effective and by far one of the best solutions to your pre-study worries.

Amazon

The first port of call for your entire page-turning needs. Amazon is not only global, but carries so many copies from many suppliers making it an international library. Individual sellers to bulk retailers, this go-to web shop pops every genre at a variety of prices, meaning there is something for every student. Not only that, but when you’ve slugged through the pain of study and revision, the once expensive publication can then be resold for the next budding enthusiast to pick up. Buying or selling, you can definitely rely on Amazon.

AbeBooks

Straight away, AbeBooks pulls in the punters with the one-liner ‘Free Delivery’. No minimum spend, no fuss; they stick to their promise, getting you your book with a delivery system that is penniless. As well as that, AbeBooks offer a 30-Day Guarantee making it a sure no-brainer to get your non-fiction fix; if the print is not to your standard, you can send it back. Keeping with the money saving scheme, all of the buy and sell books are sold at a discounted price. If we are honest, what’s better than saving a few pounds in the back pocket for a student? 㸀

Zilok

Not into buying books as you only require them for the short term? Zilok is the place for you. At a small fee, depending on the publication you require, you can treat your grey cells to some page-turning knowledge. A popular choice amongst those not looking to commit to long term studying, as well as saving some money, renting can prove the smart solution and make student life that little bit easier. Zilok not only rents out books, but also many other fun things like gadgets and cars, so this is certainly a site to bookmark.

County Digital Library

Link yourself online with a local library membership and your text book tears will be no more. Free to borrow e-books from A-Z, the digital library couldn’t be any easier to use and what’s more, you don’t even have to leave your room. All you need is patience, an internet connection and a membership and you’ll be on your way. This is, in our opinion, the best way to swat up on research and feast your brain on that much needed knowledge. Carving your way to a first couldn’t be easier and now the excuse of not having the books isn’t applicable. Goodbye bad grades, hello celebration and success. Who can forget IT’S FREE.

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1 Explore old texts in new ways Discover the essential texts for your humanities course – works of literature from the Renaissance to the Eighteenth Century in trustworthy Oxford editions

www.oxfordscholarlyeditions.com Fed up with carrying heavy books?

The power of the OSEO platform

Oxford Scholarly Editions Online (OSEO) is hosted on an online site, and is accessible from anywhere, at any time, also enabling you to study on the go with downloadable PDFs.

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Read each text and see the interpretative and explanatory notes conveniently alongside. Excellent searching and linking facilities to help you find what you need fast.

How to get access to OSEO at your university Your library can arrange access to Oxford Scholarly Editions Online for you. Speak to your librarian and recommend OSEO today.

Click here to visit OSEO >

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倀爀攀瀀愀爀椀渀最夀漀甀爀䌀嘀 When applying for jobs, sending a well thought out Curriculum Vitae could be the difference between you landing that dream job! So, it goes without question that your CV needs to be tip-top. This is your opportunity to sell yourself, and prove that you are the needle in the haystack your potential employer has been searching for! Here are some tips to help you get that interview opportunity!

Keep It Concise

Strictly no more than two pages of A4! Employers spend an average of just 8 seconds looking at each CV, so if there’s a hint of repetition, wafﬂing, or mistakes, that’s your application in the NO pile!

Tailor Your CV

DO NOT send the same CV to each job you apply for! Make an effort of tailoring it to a speciﬁc job. Research the company and use the job advert to work out what skills you have for the position and list them!

Write a Personal Statement

Now you have a clear understanding of the skills required for the job, brieﬂy include a short explanation within your personal statement, stating why you are the person for the job!

Make Zero Mistakes!

It goes without saying that your CV should have NO mistakes! An obvious point, but you’d be very surprised at how many people send CV’s with errors. Have yours proof read properly. Ask close friends and family to read it, and run a spell check too! Use correct grammar and of course, use correct/up-to-date contact information!

㸀

Get Creative

Your CV needs to look professional, but this doesn’t mean you can’t be creative. If you’re going for a presenting or customer facing role for example, why not send a video CV in! All of the previous guidelines still apply, but this could really help you get noticed from the rest.

Social Media Savvy

What with everyman and his dog now on Facebook, it’s worth bearing this in mind. Consider changing your Facebook settings if there are pictures of you out drunk with your mates. You want to ensure that every impression you send is a good one! If you’re not already on LinkedIn, why not set up a proﬁle? This is not only a fantastic opportunity to prove your professionalism, but also, a way to connect and network with other business people.

How To Land Your Dream Job After College or University. Now you’re ready to start work on your CV, that’s the ﬁrst step to getting yourself a career. But how do you actually go about ﬁnding that dream job? Well fear not, because we’ve compiled a list of tips on ‘How To Land Your Dream Job After College or University’.

CLICK TO READ

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10 Signs

of growing up. University is a time of realising who you are, receiving independence from your parents and generally just doing some growing up. Have you had times when you say something and think, oh no, I’m turning into my Mum/Dad? Not to scare you or anything, but here are more signs to let you know that you are getting older...

You actually call your parents to see how they are, not to ask for money! This shows that you have grown up and want to forge a good relationship with them.

You now understand what your parents meant when they said “You’ll understand when you’re older”.

You get unnaturally excited about boring purchases and start asking for appliances as birthday/Christmas gifts. Fresh, new, pots and pans, YAY!

No longer do you make excuses when you want to stay in. If you don’t feel like going out, you admit it. You’ve come to realise that you can have as much fun with a glass of wine in front of the TV, as you can with a glass of wine in the pub.

When you meet someone you really like, you don’t try and test your compatibility with star signs. You also don’t base your whole week on your star sign’s ability to see into the future. These things are completely made up and don’t prove anything. Why did your 14 year old self decide to live religiously by them?

Anyone younger than you, whatever their age, is referred to as a twelve year old. You also nd that anyone younger than you has terrible fashion sense and you just don’t understand it. You also begin to sound like your mother when you say, “Aren’t they cold wearing that?”

Your ability to recover from a hangover takes noticeably longer than it used to. Now you have to reserve a whole weekend for recovery, whereas before it would only be the morning.

Drunk texting someone is not something that particularly worries you anymore. Who really cares anyway? It’s not that embarrassing, when you think about it. They will either reply, nding it pretty funny, or not reply at all.

There are so many celebrities that are actually younger than you, earning A LOT more money than you, and it’s really wrong to be fancying them.

Not having your parents around means that you have to catch creepy crawlies yourself. When you fail to catch them, you are forever nervous about when they will rear their ugly heads again. Maybe you haven’t grown up too much, hey?!

It’s the Freshers’ term, and for many UK students, you will have left home to fend for yourselves, possibly for the first time in your lives. As a police officer working within the student community I come across legal highs and always get asked the same question - what’s the problem if they are “legal”? The answer is not as simple as we think! Let’s go on a journey together… Legal highs cannot be sold for human consumption so they are often sold as bath salts, research chemicals, plant food or advertised as ‘not for human consumption’ to get around the law.

lawful… you won’t know what ingredients are in the drug that you are buying and if any of the components are found to be illegal substances, then the offence is complete.

Legal highs & the law What are the risks of Many drugs that were previously sold as legal highs are now taking legal highs?

Legal highs can carry serious health risks. The chemicals they contain have in most cases never been used in drugs for human consumption before. This means they haven’t been tested to show that they are safe. Users can never be certain Just because it is worded “legal” what they are taking and what the does not mean that it is safe or effects might be. controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act, including mephedrone (meow meow/mcat), naphyrone, BZP, GBL and synthetic cannabinoids (such as those found in spice products).

Other risks include: • You increase the risk to yourself if you combine alcohol with any legal or illegal substance that causes a high. • The effects of legal highs can include reduced inhibitions, drowsiness, excited or paranoid states, coma, seizures and, in a few cases, death. In the year to May 2014 there had been 52 deaths in the UK attributed to legal highs. • Because the chemical ingredients in a branded product can be changed without you knowing, the risks are unpredictable.

can make you feel euphoric, relaxed or sleepy. Psychedelic or hallucinogenic legal highs act like LSD, magic mushrooms, ketamine and methoxetamine. They create altered perceptions and can make you hallucinate (seeing and/or hearing things that aren’t there). They can induce feelings of euphoria, warmth, ‘enlightenment’ and being detached from the world around you. Some psychedelic drugs create strong dissociative effects, which make you feel like your mind and body are separated.

However...

• Even drugs that look similar Although most problems or have similar names may be associated with the short-term use of varying strengths and have of legal highs will settle after you different effects.

What are the effects of taking legal highs?

Just like illegal drugs, there are three categories which legal highs can be placed into: Stimulant legal highs act like amphetamines (‘speed’), cocaine, or ecstasy, in that they can make you feel energised, physically active, fast-thinking, very chatty and euphoric. ‘Downer’ or sedative legal highs act similarly to cannabis, benzodiazepines (drugs like diazepam or valium), or GHB/GBL, in that they

stop taking them, the negative effects of some legal highs can take a few days to wear off completely, just like the comedown from stimulants, such as cocaine or amphetamines. The stimulants can force the body temperature to rise to lethal levels, the heart to stop without warning and the muscles in the body to “cook themselves” leading to organ

negative reaction soon after taking a legal high or you experience problems that do not settle with a little time out, fluids and fresh air, get medical help straight away by going to the A&E department of your nearest hospital.

What’s the problem they’re “legal”, aren’t they? Yes or No?

failure because of proteins released In short, “Yes” if sold to you as the into the body. product they are listed for (e.g. There is also a high risk of problems bath salts). However if packaged associated with psychosis, just as up and sold as a known high there is with cannabis. The mind-al- (e.g. “Clockwork Orange”) or for tering effect of some of these highs medicinal reasons, the answer is means that essentially your body “No”. If there are substances within may feel out of touch with your the product which are illegal then mind, leading you to hallucinate or the whole product becomes illegal be less aware of your environment, under drug misuse laws. And if you supply any to a friend, it’s also which can cause panic attacks. illegal.

What to do if you feel unwell after taking a legal high...

If you have taken a legal high and feel unwell in any way, seek help! You may feel sick, very hot, dizzy, confused - all signs that you are having a bad reaction. • Stay with your friends, do not become separated. • Alert a member of staff/security. • Seek medical assistance as soon as possible. • If you think you are having a serious

The message is clear “Be Safe, Be Wise” and have a great time without taking a legal high! So, my friends, if you have any questions or need advice, I will be here working through the term, drop me a line, I am more then happy to help where I can… L.cook2@brighton.ac.uk PC Lee Cook

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