After my recent visit to the Kruger National Park I couldn't help but be blown away by this footage on You Tube. Imagine just driving along and spotting this. The battle between the Lions, Buffalos & Crocodile is incredible. I wont ruin the outcome but keep watching and I assure you, you will be shocked. It shows the true pack spirit of animals.

Gherkins

The Gherkin is one of London's most famous skyscrapers. The reason for the name is simply that it is shaped like a Gherkin. The conical shape and patterned harlequin-patterned glass makes it the most iconic building in London. Built by Norman Foster, this innovative building is supposedly the first environmentally sustainable skyscraper. It contains offices and a restaurant which is the highest restaurant in London. This building is aesthetically pleasing and also great to spot.

Simply Magical

Described as the most magical place on earth; a child's dream; for some a perfect wedding venue; and for some adults a chance to relive their childhood. The Magic Kingdom is the landmark in Disney World, also known as Cinderella's Castle. The Royal Blue roofs with gold spirals and the lack of bricks make this castle sleek and mesmerizing. For the 25th anniversary they redecorated the castle to look like a big birthday cake made of sweets. I'm sure everyone thinks the same when they see this...I just wanna eat it!

The castle is lit up at night for a spectacular fire work display. You can see the castle from miles around and stands out like pure magic in the pitch black. You can truly understand how this castle is any kids (however old) dream, including mine.

My Idea of Idyllic Heaven

The Kruger National Park in South Africa is like no other place on earth. 19,000 square Km of nature and wildlife in their natural habitat not effected by the pollution of cities or of the enclosed zoos that so many animals are hostage too. From 6:00am till 8:00pm I explored the land in a Safari truck searching for animals. What was most fascinating was not the actual spotting of the animals but the watching of it in its natural habitat go about its day to day business. Below is a photograph of two elephants post fight, making friends. Amongst some of the highlights were seeing a hyena at night feeding her babies & watching Elephants pulling down trees for food.
The Kruger is so peaceful and fresh. Even though you are confined to your vehicle there is a vast sense of freedom. The rush of excitement of seeing something ensures you won't be board.
I travelled to the Kruger about 12 years ago just after the horrendous floods in Mozambique and it was amazing to see the transformation of land. Last time the trees were torn to shreds and the roads were flooded. Now it looks a lot more healthy, however due to the Hot Climate and lack of rain the agriculture looks slightly brown.

We managed to spot the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo); with 5 spotting of lions. One spotting looked like the scene from The Lion King when Simba is stood on the edge of a rock in the distance. The photograph above shows one of our lion spottings. She was so close and so beautiful.

Definitely in My Top 10 Favorite Books

599 pages in, at a guess, size 6 font made this book look like a scary history book that I definitely would not call holiday reading. However, half a dozen pages in and I was hooked! Exodus is a novel about possibly the most dramatic geopolitical event of the 20th Century, the establishment of the State of Israel. It all begins when Ari Ben Canaan, the heartthrob of the book, plans to transport Holocaust refugees from a detention camp in Cyprus to Palestine and follows right through until the establishment. Not only does this book tell of the courageous story of those individuals that fought for the state but it delves into their personal lives and their relationships with each other. There is the relationship of Father and Son, of 2 brothers who are fighting for the same thing but have a very different attitude of the method to be used, of lovers and of the friendship between the nurse and the children from the camp.

A gripping story where everyone is fighting for not only their lives but also their dreams.

ASOS

As Seen On Screen is an online site which has become a major hit with internet shoppers. At the click of a button you can have all the latest looks and styles from the stars. A new novelty on this website is the catwalk feature. You can view your item on a model and see how it looks in 3D and in movement. Typically the models used are all beautiful and skinny, therefore making all clothes look desirable and fabulous.

Street Art

The Wooster Collective global website celebrating street art and Freedom. This is a brilliant blog of street art from around the world. There is a vast range of material and one can spend hours browsing this site. It showcases some of Banksy's Work, one piece in particular that struck my attention was the image below on the Separation Wall in Jerusalem.

This image is ironic as it shows the most idyllic view which is supposedly on the other side. This is what people may think but in reality it is a country fighting with conflict and equality.

After subsequent research I found Banksy's Website which opens with a Pablo Picasso quote, "We artists are indestructible, even in a prison cell or concentration camp I would be almighty in my own world of art. Even if I had to paint my pictures with my wet tongue on the dusty floor of my cell."A strong open remark that reflects his attitude towards his art.

Manchester's Very Own Ski Slope

During my trips to school on the school bus there was lots of hype around the construction of this 'ski slope'. Was Manchester really going to have its own dry ski slope? Well you can imagine the disappointment of my fellow school goers to discover that this building was actually going to be a museum.

The Urbis Museum which opened in 2002 in Exchange Square is in my opinion one of the most visually pleasing building of Manchester's new Millennium Development. Designed by Ian Simpson, it is supposedly modeled on the Flatiron Building in New York. The building stands out, gets people talking and truly modernizes the city It is a 'twin-skinned glass building with a pre-patinated copper roof'. Manchester is proud of it, it's pointed out to tourists with pride.

The purpose of the museum is to exhibit the history and future of global urbanisation. It exhibits a variety of aspects of city culture. It is not simply an art museum but focuses on urban development, music, graffiti, architecture etc. The exhibitions are interactive and suitable for all age groups.

The Urbis is one of Manchester's true success stories.

Change The World For a Fiver

A brilliant, quirky book with illustrated ways to make a difference. Each action is simple with graphics to convey the messages.

Above are examples (going clockwise); use a mug and not a plastic cup, turn the tap of whilst brushing your teeth, get fitter; feel better, spend time with someone from a different generation, give your change to charity, turn your thermostat down by 1 degree.

This book is great for all ages as it shows the simplicity of what you can do in your everyday life without to much effort whilst adding a fun effect.

I LOVE...!!!

Possibly one of the most internationally recognizable logos. Created by Milton Glazer in a rounded slab serif typeface; American Typewriter. It was initial created to promote New York tourism but has now become used as an worldwide brand. Apple used it to promote their first store in NYC by changing the heart to the apple logo.

I think in every country across the world you will find different takes on this logo, whether it is I (heart) Paris, London, Africa or the newly invented Michael Jackson with his famous pose in the heart. I am not the biggest fans of rip-offs of other brands and think that all the fame has lead to it being quite cheap and tacky.

Coco Before Chanel

The true story of the rise of Coco Chanel, originally Gabrielle Chanel. She started off life with nothing but her confidence to be herself and not conform to the crowds of rich ladies of lesuire led to her success. Behind the high success of her fashion label lies a heartbreaking love story ending in tears. A powerful message that success and money is nothing without love. A heart-wrenching story behind the glam and fame of such an elegant label today.

2010 World Cup

After spending a couple of weeks in South Africa I couldn't escape the hype behind the 2010 World Cup. The whole country is being transformed ready to welcome the world. The official logo is symbolizing the advancements Africa has made within sport with the energy flowing upwards.

Zakumi is the official mascot. A leopard dressed in the colours of the national team. ZA represents South Africa and Kumi is 10 in various African languages. Zakumi is there to ensure that a hospitable, friendly atmosphere is created.

The 2010 brand is unfolding slowly and I'm excited to see what else is to come.

Welcome to Manchester

This recent advertisement from Manchester City has been the talk of Manchester. The controversial poster of Carlos Tevez former Manchester United player plastered across the main street in town in the colors of his new rival club Manchester City. The poster has been nominated in Ad Week's Buzz Awards. It won the award for 'the best brand media integrated campaign that catches fire'.

Anti Apartheid

During the Summer I visited the Anti Apartheid Exhibition at The Museum of London as part of research for a summer camp I was planning. After previously visiting Robbin Island (where Mandela was imprisoned) and the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg I thought I had seen it all. However this exhibition took a different stance on things and showed through imagery the campaign from England. The campaign used every means of medium possible including badges, posters, rally's, concerts, stickers, T-shirts, mugs, photographs etc.

For it's time this campaign was extremely impressive. The Posters were clever, powerful & consistent. They targeted the big businesses of the time such as Barclays and Tesco. This negative advertising caused the companies to suffer however much they tried to push their own positive advertisements.

At the end of the exhibition was a wall of drawings on paper T-shirts of people thoughts and opinions of the content of the exhibition. I thought this was a nice finishing touch and I certainly enjoyed my visit.