Eat better, sleep better, be better?

After a month of back to back parties I am glad to be having a few weeks off the beer and without the late nights to re-cooperate. After all, I'm a twenty-one year old who's starting to look every inch her age...and then some! So as May rolls into play, and with my dissertation, project and exhibition deadlines looming on the horizon, I have had a new burst of "better myself" energy and have made a solid resolution to eat better, sleep more, exercise as often as I can and be more focused on my work.

This all started after I spent Sunday afternoon rolling around on a sun lounger in the back garden thanks to the mammoth hangover I'd induced as a result of three - yes three - 21st birthdays over the previous two days. Although it was the last of them, I entered the new week feeling so run down and under the weather it was unreal. There is definitely such a thing as overdoing it, and that's certainly what I had done.

So, I came home from work Monday, had a decent tea of pasta and meatballs and then scurried off to bed as soon as I could to rest up, and be up bright and early the next day. Tuesday I woke at 8am, went straight down stairs and wrote an article for my final year project and then got stuck in to a good chunk of dissertation writing - and all before lunch. By the time the evening rolled around, I was feeling much calmer and more relaxed, knowing I had done my work and made the most of my day, so I treated myself to a meal out with the boyfriend, followed by a quiet night in.

After complaining about how rough I felt and how run down I'd been to the Mr for most of the night, he made a point of suggesting it might be down to my rather poor, mostly junk-filled diet. I was just about to protest when I realised that he was probably right. I'm very lucky that I can eat whatever I want and barely put on a pound; I've never been on a diet and usually only exercise in the run up to a holiday. But I really don't think I put half the stuff I should into my system, as I'm not a lover of fruit and veg and I don't eat a great deal of red meat either - so there must be some major nutrients and vitamins that I'm just not getting.

So, first step towards a healthier me came with a resolution to eat more fruit and veg. So far I've managed an orange and a jacket potato, but it's a start! Secondly I have decided to get back to the gym more often, although it has been hard with all the work I've had on. I've seen it as being an hour in the gym that could be spent doing my work and therefore I've barely been going, but I did go for an hour-long jog last night and did a set of stomach crunches when I got home - and I do feel all the better for it today.

Further more, I have decided that as there are probably a few nutrients and vitamins that my diet doesn't include very often I should probably give my body a helping hand in that department, so I'm setting out tomorrow in search of general Good Health vitamins to try and balance out what my system is likely to be missing. Don't worry, I'm not going to get crazy and pepped up on diet pills - that definitely is not what I need - but taking some all-round good health vitamins and maybe drinking some herbal tea every day can only do good things for me.

So, the health kick has started once again, and I'll keep you updated on how it goes. I do wonder how long it will last for this time?! But having said that, I'm off on holiday in July and I do need to be looking far better than I am doing right now. Wish me luck!

Diary of a Birmingham Party Girl (March)

She’s back, and boy has she been busy! In this month’s diary snippet, The Party Girl has been searching further afield than just the City Centre, as has been sampling venues in places from Tyburn to Moseley. With reviews on another 4 venues, sit back and enjoy the Diary of a Birmingham Party Girl...

March 10^th – Nandos

It’s the boyfriend’s birthday today, and despite being told it was my treat and he could go any where he wanted, he chose Nandos at The Fort Shopping Centre, out near Tyburn. Hardly the lavish birthday meal I was expecting him to opt for, but for a chicken-lover such as he is, there is no better place. It is quite simply a spicy chicken haven!

Famous for its unique Peri-Peri marinade, Nandos is a bustling and often busy restaurant chain that serves a wide variety of Mexican chicken dishes to suit all tastes. The restaurant was brightly lit, with colourful paintings on the walls and an authentic Mexican theme throughout.

The menu is quite unique in it’s design, as you choose your main, then you choose from a selection of sides, then you choose the spice of the marinade on your chicken (ranging from plain to extra hot), and then you can choose to an extra such as cheese to your burger or Peri-Peri salt to your fries.

You can choose from chicken on the bone, family platters, burgers, pittas and wraps as your main, and add chips, spicy rice, corn on the cob, and even Macho peas (made with parsley, mint and chilli). It’s not all just chicken on the menu though, as Nandos also offer a Steak Roll and Veggie, Beanie and Mushroom burgers, wraps and pittas too.

Prices for most main meals are in the region of £8-£9 for a main with two sides, so it certainly won’t break the bank and you do get good portion sizes. Nandos also has its own range of Peri-Peri sauces that you can taste and try, and I love to splash a selection of these all over my burger and chips!

It does feel slightly like an upmarket fast-food restaurant in some ways, as you have to order your food at the till and pay upfront – and it can be quiet noisy and crowded at times. The food, however, makes up for all of that. Nandos has to be one of my favourite places to eat; it’s reasonably priced, the portion sizes are definitely enough to fill you up and there really isn’t anything quite like Nandos chicken.

March 24^th – Llyods Bar & Walkabout

Tonight Arcane’s Press Officer Rachel and I headed to Birmingham for a spot of fun and frivolity, whilst we discussed the future plans for Arcane. It turned out to be an eventful evening for all the wrong reasons, but that’s another story entirely! So instead I’ll just stick to telling you all about the two venues we visited tonight.

We first headed to Llyods Bar, which was surprisingly quite for a Thursday. The bouncers took about ten minutes to check our IDs and let us in (as they were too busy messing around with their phones taking pictures of themselves, would you believe), which could be a reason for why there were no other young people in the whole place except for us! We then waited a further five minutes at the bar, despite the fact we were the only ones waiting to be served, as the bar staff were too busy talking to notice we were waiting. Not a great start to the evening at all really.

I have always liked the layout of Broad Street’s Lloyds Bar, as there are plenty of places to sit, and a separate dance floor area, so that you can choose to get up and dance or sit down and relax – which is a nice change from most of the bars and clubs in Birmingham, as most have very little seating and you have no choice but to stand on the dance floor all night, even if you don’t want to dance.

The drinks aren’t too pricey, as it is another conquest of the Wetherspoons group (see February’s Diary for full drinks and food list), but for me the atmosphere was all wrong tonight. It’s usually a lively and exciting bar to be in of a weekend, but tonight we sat in near silence amongst a large group of business men and woman, who were just there to wind down after a hard days work. They weren’t doing anything wrong in that, but it definitely didn’t have the upbeat party atmosphere we were looking for, so we moved on.

Instead we headed next door to Walkabout, which quite frankly was a mistake this evening! Once we had queued to have our IDs checked, and then queued to pay our entry fee, we then spent a good 20 minutes queuing at the bar. I do understand that it was busy in there, but after Rachel had already been served the barmaid walked away without bothering to serve me, and went off to serve down the other end of the very long bar. I must have stood there for ages trying to catch the attention of someone, and it was only when I started huffing at the fact that people who had just arrived at the bar were getting served before me, did the barman who had been ignoring me for ten minutes decide it was finally my turn!

Other than the ridiculously long wait at the bar, I can’t really complain about Walkabout. The drinks are cheap, with lots of £1 shots and special offers on Vodka Redbulls and cocktails, and the music is always good in my opinion. The main point of interest for me was the great atmosphere the place had in comparison to where we had just come from. There was definitely a party vibe, which is exactly what we were looking for. The one thing that can be guaranteed with Walkabout is that it will always be full of young people and students, and there is always a good party vibe – so if that’s what you’re looking for on a night out, then Walkabout might just be the place to head.

March 30^th – Diwan Restaurant

This evening I joined the rather crazy women of Pinsent Masons law firm (in Birmingham) for a meal at a small Indian restaurant in Moseley. I wanted to wander a bit further afield in my search of great venues in Birmingham, and I thought it would be interesting to see where other people choose to spend their time, so the Diwan Restaurant seemed the ideal place.

I have to say, the place totally won me over. It might have been down to the brilliant company I was keeping this evening, but I’ve got the feeling it had much more to do with the delicious food on offer. The only whinge for me really was that we were a large party of about ten, and yet they had squished us together on a table not really big enough to hold eight of us. We did ask to have a bigger table, and the restaurant wasn’t that busy when we arrived that we couldn’t have been given a bit more room, but they didn’t seem to appreciate the fact that we ended up having to climb into our seats and had next-to-no elbow room whatsoever!

Other than that slight niggle, however, the Diwan is a lovely place. The staff were friendly, the service was prompt and the menu is vast and filled with plenty of choice. The Diwan doesn’t have an alcohol licence, which might be a problem for some, but as I see it it’s a chance to “bring a bottle” instead of spending loads on expensive drinks during the night.

They have a vast range of starters (including the delightful Diwan Kebab – say it fast and see the comedy value!), mains and desserts – with mixed and half portions of the mains, meaning you can order exactly what you like, and mix and match to get the perfect meal for you. The Nann bread we had was the size of the table, and the staff will even offer to alter dishes to fit your specific tastes or dietary needs, as all food is prepared fresh and as ordered.

We got everything we had asked for, just the way we liked it, and being as we were such a large table we even got free coffees with the bill. Each and every woman at the table said her food was just divine, and when the bill came it was barely £10 per head for each person’s starters and mains – so the staff made double that it tips! Despite being a bit out of the way, the Diwan is not far from town, and has free roadside parking seconds from the door. It is definitely a must-try if you are a lover of Indian cuisine and looking for something a bit different to what you have locally.

April's Amazing Fashion Wishlist - London Style

April's Fashion Wishlist has been altered slightly, as I spent this weekend down in London, pounding the paving slabs of Oxford Street and beyond in search of simple and elegant key pieces with which to update my flagging wardrobe. It's not been the easiest month to be out splashing the cash on clothes, shoes and accessories, as I have no less than seven - yes 7 - birthday's this month. That, for those who aren't so great at maths, amounts to seven birthday presents, seven birthday parties and seven birthday outfits!

Luckily for me (in some ways) six of my friends have double booked their party dates on two separate weekends - meaning that I will be driving to Cannock and then back to Coleshill one Saturday night, the following Friday I will be driving to Selly Oak and then back to Water Orton in the one night and then on the Saturday of that weekend I will be at a joint birthday party - so technically for those six birthdays I will only have to find three outfits. Which is a slight blessing.

So for most of the parties I am making do with what I already own, as I have a habit of hoarding party dresses and barely wearing them once in a year, before I go out and purchase more party outfits. This year, however, I have been sensible and have just bought things I actually needed (or wanted that much I'd have died walking away from them!).

For this month's Amazing Fashion Wishlist I thought I'd split it into two topics of fashion - daywear necessities I picked up in London, and party dresses I am intending to wear to my numerous parties. So, without any further adieu I shall get on with displaying my most recent set of purchases from that there London town.

Three-story Primark

One of my favourite things about London's shopping hub is the three-story Primark they have located at the far end of Oxford Street. After arriving in London and picking up lunch in Holborn on the Saturday, myself and my family headed straight to Primark and got stuck in.

The only item of clothing I actually ended buying form Primark was this white, lace tassel crop top (£8). It does look lovely on, and the tassels along the hem means that there isn't too much tummy on show which helps! While the weather isn't at it's brightest I'm just going to wear it with jeans or leggings - although I am now in constant fear of snagging it on something as there are so many tiny threads hanging off it! So no hugs for me in this top, me thinks!

I bought these wedge thong sandals from Primark too (£12). I have lots of pairs of brown or tan gladiator sandals and wedges, but only one pair of black summer shoes, and they don't go with anything I own now really. I don't normally like flower detailing on shoes, but the way these have been done looks really nice, and not too girly either - which is a pet hate of mine! They're suede so even though they rubbed to start with I'm hoping they will soften up soon enough. I also love the slight wedge to them, as I think it makes your feet look much nicer than in flat-soled shoes. But that's just me being extra weird!

On the accessories front Primark did well for quirky detailing. I bought this raffia style cross-body bag for a tiny £6. It's not the biggest bag in the world, and with my purse, keys and phone in there's barely room for a lip gloss, but it is really nice and practical for when you need your hands free (to shop or hold drinks etc!). Plus, it's got a really summery feel to it and it will go with loads of clothes I own.

I also bought this horse buckle waist

belt, which I just fell in love with. It was a minuscule £1.50, and it's going to look great wrapped round plenty of my summer dresses to give them that extra touch of vintage. I really struggle to find waist belts that fit me as I'm so tiny, but this one is perfect and I can't wait to wear it now.

Further more, I treated myself to some hold-up style tights which have been huge this year. I love patterned tights of all varieties, and these are my new crush. They just look so sexy with anything, and they make a real statement of any outfit. Plus, they are much easier to wear than real stockings! Primark make a decent pair for £3, which is drastically cheaper than River Island's £15 pair. They will all rip in the end, so why fork out a fortune for them? At £3 you could easily afford to stockpile them for the next few months.

I got a tad excited by Primark's jewellery as well - as usual! I bought this heavy duty chain for £3.50, which really does weigh a ton! I think it looks quite vintage and it's a simple accessory to add to most outfits to help style them up a bit more. I also bought a gold fig leaf necklace (£2.50) and a gold leaf ring (£2) which snakes up your finger, as I thought they would also help give a bit more of a vintage look to some of my outfits. I don't do dainty jewellery, so the chain on the necklace could do with being a bit bigger in my opinion - but they're all beautiful really!

H&M heaven

H&M is normally my safe haven for clothes, as I'm guaranteed to come away with something lovely for a tiny price. I can normally buy half the shop, but there just didn't seem to be all that much on offer in London sadly so I left with these cute camel pumps (£8) in the end. These will be great in the summer with jeans, dresses and skirts. The neutral colour means they can go with almost anything as well, which is a bonus!

New Look loving

I ended my shopping spree in New Look, where I picked up a fair few key pieces for my summer wardrobe. Firstly, this Spanish-style floral off-the-shoulder dress (£28) is to die for. They do it in white and red as well, but I stuck to black so that I could easily match it with my new Primark sandals. It has a great ruffled neckline, a nipped in waist band to add shape, and is the perfect leg-length for petites like myself. I am going to live in this dress this summer, it is bang on trend!

This blue ripped edge t-shirt (£8) is basically a simple version of my more elaborate Primark top, but I think with jeans or my high-waisted shorts it's going to look quite special. They do it in a variety of colours and it's a nice yet simple day top to throw on and look good in. With my Primark chain and my H&M shoes I think this is going to look great - much better than it does in this picture any way!

Finally, I managed to get my hands on some light blue, high-waisted jeans (£16). As a short arse I really struggle to find good quality fitted jeans, so I have resorted to buying kids jeans to make sure they fit properly! Laugh all you want but kids jeans don't have added VAT so who's really winning? Almost all of the jeans I have bought over the last couple of years have been New Look kidswear, and they do make some really lovely, well fitting designs. The high waist on these will help vamp up a few of my current outfits, and the light blue is really striking in the sunny weather. Plus, they're very light on, and are almost like a jegging rather than a jean - so they're extra comfortable too.

I am...Editor

My sincerest apologies for not blogging more these last few weeks, but my Uni work has officially taken over! I currently run my own Birmingham-based events website "Arcane Magazine", and with me having to post and update it with new articles almost everyday, I'm finding it hard to do anything but work on that at the minute.

But fear not faithful Twenty-one and Invincible followers, I am back and I have plenty going on this month to keep you interested - and hopefully make up for lacking in the quick witted and humorous story department as of late!

I thought I'd use this post to share with you a little bit about the magazine that is currently taking over my life, in the hope that you will see why I have had to neglect blogging on here recently in favour of pushing myself forward in my budding career as an established Birmingham journalist.

Arcane Magazine has been up and running since the end of February this year, and what started as a print publication with a blog to run alongside as an extra bit of content for the magazine, has now become a full-blown online magazine, updated almost every day with news bites, previews, reviews, interviews, exclusives and features - as well as video and image content and interactive maps to support my written work.

The team consists of myself as Editor, Clare Evans as a freelance writer, and Rachel Powell (from The Life Of A Pee-Pod) as Press Officer. Being that we are a small team, I write a good 90% of the content myself, I have produced all the video/image slideshows and other interactive content myself so far, I designed and maintain the website itself, I manage the email account and liaisons with interviewees/event hosts, as well as producing and maintaining the online marketing of the site (through Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr accounts).

Clare writes a handful of prearranged previews for me every month, as well as contributing her own ideas and articles as and when she stumbles across them. I have recently upped Rachel's input into the magazine by bringing her in on more of the marketing and promotion for the business. She has started by helping with online marketing campaigns, and hopefully over the next few weeks she will be producing press releases and contact lists for event companies and venues in Birmingham which we could work with and report upon.

Arcane covers a vast range of local and hyper local events happening in and around Birmingham, including club nights, drinks promotions, sporting events, dance and comedy shows, music performances, fashion events...and so much more in between that I'd struggle to list it all here.

Arcane also prides itself on the special retrospect events which we cover, which involve any event which could be seen as being a blast from the past; a forgotten pastime, which once thrilled and delighted our predecessors and has become a mere memory as time has moved on. We at Arcane want to bring these great events back to the forefront, and in doing so we hope to bring back the sense of community in the area of Birmingham which, again, over time has been lost.

As part of our strive to help bring back the sense of community in Birmingham, myself and Rachel ran a week-long "I Love Brum" campaign, where we asked people to post and tweet about why they loved Birmingham. The response was great, and Rachel managed to triple the amount of people who followed Arcane online in less then three days!

We had so many great comments about Birmingham, and the campaign really seemed to get people engaged and thinking about why they enjoyed being a Brummie - so I think we achieved exactly what we set out to do, which brought people to the site and created that sense of community that we had been looking for.

As the magazine has evolved and developed, I have already begun to see more interest in Arcane and what we have to offer, as recently I have had people contacting me asking me to write about their events and help to promote them - and people have been more than willing to conduct interviews with me and send me any info and pictures I might need to accompany my articles. This morning I even got up to find an email off a freelance graphic designer asking if Arcane would like to work with him on upcoming projects. To top it all, Arcane is now being promoted on another long-established Birmingham website/blog called Created in Birmingham, which has been running since 2006 and has a vast following online.

I feel like Arcane is fast becoming a legitimate Birmingham magazine, and our popularity and online community is growing daily. For three students who are essentially running this out of their own homes, we don't seem to be doing to bad with Arcane at all. I can't speak for the other members of the team, but this is more than just a final year project for me. This is a chance for me to showcase what I'm made of and show people in the industry what I can produce. But most of all, I feel a real tie to Arcane because I am passionate about Birmingham as a place, and passionate about the great people within it who make these awesome events a reality.

I have met some really interesting and inspiring people since I have been running Arcane, and by helping to promote the great things that they are doing I feel like I'm a part of all the great things that are happening in my local area - a fact which really cements my beliefs about why I'm training to be a journalist, and why I feel I'm in the right profession. Hopefully Arcane will continue to grow and progress over the next few months, and I do hope all who read this will support me in my work. You can visit the site at http://whatsonarcane.com/, so please feel free to stop by and be involved in Arcane.

March's Marvelous Fashion Wishlist

This month it's all about off-the-shoulder numbers, deep plunge necklines and pleats.

Off the shoulder - with Spring in the air it's time to show a bit of shoulder

H&M have got it spot on with this mustard yellow floral creation (£34.99). Short, silky and with statement shoulder detailing, this will look great with sandals in the day, and colour-pop mustard yellow heels for the night. Do like they do and add a wide tan belt to complete the look.

If you're a bit weary about baring your pre-holiday tan legs this early on in the year, why not opt for an off the shoulder top instead. Most varieties will look great with maxi skirts or jeans, so there is no need to reach for the fake tan just yet.

This beautiful coral one shoulder top

from River Island (£39.99) is a tad on the pricey side, but the colour is going to be key to any Spring 2011 wardrobe. The chiffon material gives it a light, floaty feel and the layering gives a much more designer look. The only downside, for me at least, is that I'm not a big fan of corsages, and this one is nondetachable so that does spoil it a bit for me.

Deep-plunge necklines - strictly eveningwear, with a V so deep it leaves very little to the imagination!

This is a bold and brave look to pull off, but done right it can leave you looking breath-taking.

This look requires a specialist bra which won't show through, or for you to be the bravest of them all and go bra-less - there is NO space for bra straps on show here.

This Asos plunge neck top is highly risky, but very sexy with it's mesh underlay. Covered in tiny silver studs and with draped ruffled sleeves, this is a must-buy to tackle the deep plunge trend. And with the bonus that it is now only £10 (down from £28), I order you to get online and

buy it now, before it's too late.

After trawling the highstreet stores, I have found that Lipsy seems to be the undisputed Queen of plunge neck dresses, with a huge range of party frocks which far outdoes any other highstreet brand. This Jewelled plunge neck dress comes in a vast range of colours and prints and is my pick of the bunch. You won't need much more than a few sparkles, some big heels and a smile with this dress, so snap yours up quick while stocks last.

Pleats - on tops, dress, camis...you name it, it will look better pleated.

I am off for a major shopping trip to London in three weeks, and this Primark coral pleated skirt (£8) is top of my hit list. I have had my eye on this for weeks, but I have been waiting for the warmer weather to appear as this is clearly a bare-legs and sandals skirt - not a black tights and boots look! I am utterly in love with the colour, the shape and the length - although the navy blue version is also very cute. I'm planning to wear this with a plain racer back vest for a casual yet chic daytime look.

This beautiful pleated Topshop creation (£42) is also officially on my wishlist. Despite them labeling it coral, I think it's much more of a fiery red, and this is going to look great of an evening with some strapey heels. The sleeveless look is another key statement of Spring 2011, and the lace detailing on the upper part of the dress gives it a whole other dimension. This is a must ladies, but you will have to fight me for it!

Lust Item

I have hand picked one Lust Item for March and this, for me, is the one. This Forever 21 sky blue floral dress (£21.80) is my top buy for March, as it is simply gorgeous and can be worn so many different ways. Dress it down for the day with over the knee socks and brogues, or in the sunny weather with tan sandals and a rope belt, or even out of an evening with some sky-high wedges and a cute clutch bag. I love the colour, the floral print is in-keeping with the Spring 2011 trend and the ruffle detailing around the hem gives it a much more designer look.

Diary of a Birmingham Party Girl

As I am in full editor swing at the minute, I thought I'd share with you all a sneak preview of Arcane Magazine's first feature reviews...Diary of Birmingham Party Girl. Feel free to comment and make suggestions. It's all about improvement for me.

Diary of a Birmingham Party Girl

In the run up to the first ever edition of Arcane, our Editor Louise decided she should get out and about in Birmingham and see what the city has to offer – and she certainly didn’t do it by halves! With reviews on no less than 7 venues, sit back and enjoy the Diary of a Birmingham Party Girl...

February 1^st – Pitcher and Piano

Tonight my best friend and I were out celebrating some personal successes, as we have both done well recently in our professional careers and decided that this was a definite cause for a trip to Birmingham City Centre. We headed to Brindley Place for a quiet drink near the canal side, and chose The Pitcher and Piano to spend the night in.

The venue is laid out beautifully, with plenty of seating, comfy sofas to relax on and a roaring open fire to warm your bones near. From the ground floor, you can look down to the basement room below – which is far from dingy, and instead is bright and welcoming; opening onto the canal side in the warmer weather.

Considering the venues upmarket feel, the price list was not bad at all. Red, White and Rose wine from £3.45 by the glass or £13.25 a bottle. The Pitcher and Piano has a wide variety of draught and bottled beer and cider, as well as a nice selection of shorts and spirits – but it is their cocktail menu that really impresses. With a massive choice of no less than 34 different cocktails and shots, ranging from the classic Mojito to the more exotic Choc a L’Organe – which is an exciting mix of vodka, Cointrea chocolate liqueur, milk and cream – there is sure to be something to suit everyone’s tastes, and many of the cocktails are as little as £6.25 a glass.

However, as this was intended to be a night of celebration for my friend and I, we opted for something with a bit more fizz. The Pitcher and Piano also boasts a decent selection of sparking wines and champagnes, ranging from as little as £18, right up to the extravagant £150 a bottle bubbly. Seeing as how we were not out to break the bank that night, we opted for the £18 Segura Viudas Cava and it was so nice we had another one!

The Pitcher and Piano gets the thumbs up from me, and after hearing they serve food as well, I have a feeling I’ll be popping back there before too long.

February 3^rd – Big Wok and Indi Bar

Having barely recovered from my trip to the Pitcher and Piano and our two bottles of bubbly, I headed out tonight for an evening of fun, frivolity and fancy dress to celebrate Chinese New Year with some of my fellow journalists and industry peers. As it is Year of the Rabbit, we had each donned a pair of bunny ears and headed first to the Big Wok for a meal, before drinks at Indi Bar in the Arcadian.

If I’m totally honest, there are very few Chinese buffet restaurants which don’t feel like the school hall at dinner time, but the Big Wok definitely hadn’t done much to make the dining experience any more pleasurable. The place was hugely noisy, cold and the layout and decor screams greasy spoon cafe – which is a real shame as the food was really very good. They have a wide variety of different dishes on offer, and the freshly made chicken satays were a really nice touch. At only £9.99 for the evening menu, I could hardly complain at the price, but in all truth I have been to much nicer Chinese buffets, and the Big Wok could really do with a revamp.

From there we headed over to Indi Bar in the Arcadian, which is quite a small bar with very little seating, and most of the space is reserved for the DJ and the dance floor – but it somehow suits its purpose. The drinks are really cheap, and it’s not hard to see why this is a student favourite. On a Thursday, when we went, selected drinks are as little as £1 – with draught beer only £1.50 a pint and bottles of wine only £6.

The music is mostly current chart toppers, with some dance and old school R&B thrown in for good measure. Overall, it’s a nice bar, with cheap drinks and a good atmosphere, its only downside being it is quite small so it does get crowded quickly, and the lack of seating is a problem if you aren’t the type to be on the dance floor all night.

February 9^th – Briar Rose and The Victoria

Tonight an old school friend and I decided to have a catch up over dinner and drinks, and so we headed off to the Briar Rose for some food, before heading to The Victoria pub for some drinks later. The Briar Rose is part of the Wetherspoon family, so the menu boasts the same good value for menu and wide range as the others in the chain. The meals are substantial and they really are very good value for money, with many options on the menu falling under the “meal and a free drink” promotion which is offered throughout the week – and, as with the other Wetherspoon restaurants, they offer a wide variety of drinks from across the world. They are one of the only places I know which sell my favourite foreign beer, Efes, so that always goes down well with me! The bar staff were friendly, the food was prompt, there was plenty of seating and the whole bar is nicely decorated and has a warm atmosphere.

After dinner we headed to The Victoria pub, which has become one of my favourite places to drink over the last year. During the week, it keeps its appearance of a quiet local pub - despite it’s location in the city centre – but of a weekend it comes to life with two rooms of alternative and indie music and classic 60s, 70s and 80s records too. The prices are a bit steeper than other pubs in the area, but the atmosphere in The Vic is second to none. With bookcases around the seating areas, carpeted dance floors and antique furniture, it takes you back in time through both the music and the decor of the place. An absolute must for all serious music lovers!

February 10^th – Ask restaurant

Ask is a fabulous Italian restaurant chain, which seems to often be overlooked by food lovers for some reason – despite the fact that in my opinion it produces some of the best Italian food I have ever eaten. I took my best friend for dinner there tonight, and she loved it just as much as I did! With a wide menu of authentic Italian pasta, pizza and risotto dishes (to name but a few), and a bustling and interesting atmosphere it will appeal to all lovers of Italian food – and a fair few who aren’t I should imagine!

The Penne Paesana (pesto drenched pasta, with pine nuts, mushrooms and strips of garlic chicken) is my favourite dish, and at only £8.95 you could afford to eat there every week. Ask also offer great 2-for-1 offers several times a month, so if you want a tasty treat without the hefty price tag I’d suggest you sign up to their mailing list and start receiving the great deals they have on offer.

March 2^nd – Reflex

Having been crazy busy recently, and not managing to get further than my local pub most weekends, I finally made it back to Birmingham tonight for a long-overdue trip to Reflex. Reflex is THE place for 80s music, and ever since I have been old enough to go, this club has to be my favourite on Broad Street.

Venues which are part of a chain usually guarantees you cheap drinks promotions, and you will not be disappointed with Reflex’s offerings. Most bottles, including beer and alcopops, are just £1.49, double vodka Redbulls are only £1.99, and each Thursday all cocktails are £1.99. Bring on the Cheeky Vimto!

The music is great, the atmosphere is great and the whole night is always a blast. Everything from the revolving dance floor, to the DIY pole-dancing podiums just screams wild night out, and my friends and I just cannot get enough of the place.

That’s it for now folks, but for more reviews in Diary of a Birmingham Party Girl visit www.arcanemagazine.wordpress.com to read Louise’s blog.

The curse of the birthday bash

Sunday was an eventful night in my humble home-town, to say the very least. One of my good friends was turning 24, and had arranged to have a few drinks in a couple of pubs here in Coleshill. Nothing big, just a nice, cheerful evening out to celebrate his birthday. Well, that was the plan any way, and couldn't have been further from what we actually experienced that night!

I caught up with the Birthday Boy and our other friends about 9pm, by which time he was already on the Sambuca's and any chance of a quiet drink had long flown out the window! Although little did we realise that our slightly-too-merry with the drink mate was going to be the least of our worries, as less than five minutes later there was screams, shouts, shots and a whole heap of smashed glasses.

What started as a silly scrap between a teenage Blues fan and a teenage Arsenal fan, turned into a whole pub brawl, with men hitting women and women throwing glasses. It was like the mosh pit at a Slipknot gig all of a sudden, and people who didn't even know what was happening were just getting involved for the hell of it apparently! Your's truly was excluded from that of course, as I'd grabbed my bag and my drink and taken cover in the corner. Getting a smack in the face was certainly not on my list of to-do's for the night. Tables full of drinks were knocked over, there was smashed glass every where and more black eyes than I could count. The police were called in the end, and it all diffused, but not before the Birthday Boy's cousin was given a nice shiner for his troubles!

And so, when the dust had finally settled, myself and the other sensible fellows in the group hijacked the Birthday Boy and moved him on to another pub. It was a much nicer atmosphere over the road and I'd just settled down with an ice-cold beer to enjoy the rest of the night, when the next big drama occurred. Whilst outside smoking, one of the lads from our group had spotted a rather drunk regular from the pub trying to walk home. He had stopped him and asked if he was alright, but he insisted he was fine and headed off into a dark alleyway between two buildings. Seconds later, our friend watched opened mouthed as the drunk regular tripped and fell face-first into the pavement - before lying there, unconscious in a muddy puddle.

Naturally our friend went to check on him, and when he couldn't rouse him, he rushed back inside the pub to call for help. And so it was that myself and the Birthday Boy had to help carry our poor drunk regular back inside the pub, and up into the B&B to lie down. It was only then I noticed he had split his eye open and was bleeding quite badly. Obviously this meant one thing only: Nurse Louise to the rescue. So there I sat, on a night out, mopping up the forehead of one highly inebriated fellow, whilst he muttered drunken apologies for being an inconvenience. Shameful as this is to admit, although I was very worried for his safety, I couldn't help but think: "Don't you dare get blood on my nice top!". I mean, how would I have explained that to my parents?

After that the night finally calmed down a bit, with nothing more than a few tears and drunken ramblings on the behalf of the Birthday Boy, but it got me thinking about a few things. Firstly, to those who started the fight, I would just like to make one thing clear - football is only a game, and is certainly not a reason to start kicking seven shades out of each other. Secondly, for all those who joined in with the ridiculous fight, have you no shame? You were throwing punches at people you didn't even know, for a reason you didn't even understand. Are you cavemen and women, because I thought the rest of us had evolved beyond the need for senseless violence? Thirdly, for all those who like a bit too much of a drink, learn your limits. Our drunk regular could have woken up face down in a puddle, having been mugged or beaten or worse. He could've ended up in a hospital bed, being treated for concussion and alcohol poisoning. Sort it out!

It also got me thinking about the curse of the birthday bash, as Sunday - like many others I can remember - was the result of another overly-dramatic birthday night. It seems that every party I've been to in years has ended in tears for one reason or another. Either there's been an argument, or a fight, or a falling out. Or someone's been sick, or gone missing. My 20th was a nightmare, and my 21st nearly ended up heading down the same road. A fair few of the Women Folk's birthday's have fallen foul of the birthday bash curse, and I'm sure Ray would agree some of her's have been far from perfect. It just seems that any night out where you label it a Birthday Party is doomed to end in disaster - and it's all drama, drama, drama. And so, with a month of solid birthday parties heading my way this April, I'm asking for a little gift of my own - just one, great drama-free night. Fingers-crossed for me on that one ay!