After this kind of message has been drummed into me for the past four years, you understand why I would get annoyed by people in similar positions as me offering poor service.

As you may recall from a previous post, I saw Snow Patrol at the 02 arena a couple of weeks ago. Before attending the gig, my friends and I went for a meal at Nando’s. During the meal, we received some of the worst customer service I have ever experienced. After waiting for nearly 20 minutes for dessert, my friend went to enquire as to where it was. Within five minutes the waitress arrived with the dessert. The waitress very rudely told us it was our fault that the dessert had taken so long to arrive. We apologised and explained that we just said the number we were told. She wouldn’t accept this. She went out of her way to go to another table to show us the number that we were told we were! I was infuriated.

After a quick chat with a manager about the waitress’ behaviour, we were once again served by the original waitress. What she said this time made my blood boil. Turning to my friends she said: “Your friend (pointing at me) has got me in trouble with my manager, saying that I was rude when I wasn’t. I was only joking!” How dare she!

My friends were treated to a side of me not all of them had seen. Turning to her, I said: “Excuse me, if I felt you were rude, you were. If you had just come over here and said ‘oh sorry, I heard you thought I was rude earlier. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to annoy you’, then we would have accepted your apology and moved on, but no. You came over here and complained about me complaining.” She swiftly left.

Riled, I returned to the manager. She then informed me that her staff member had told her that “I had accepted her apology”. Still angry a day later, I wrote on Nando’s website explaining the situation in an eloquent, yet forceful manner.

Today I received a personal letter from Nando’s explaining that they are taking my complaint seriously and profusely apologising. They attached a voucher for a free meal at any Nando’s chain. To be brutally honest, the only reason I wrote the online complaint was to potentially receive vouchers.

I grew up watching my dad master the art of getting what he wanted from phone companies. I would sit there as he spoke of his career in the service industry and how o2 would never provide good enough service. Over the years I witnessed him negotiate contract shortenings, getting phones on tariffs they are not meant to be on and getting money credited on his account. His success over the years showed me that complaining does work. It gets you what you want and gets you everywhere in this world.

I’m glad that complaining is worthwhile in this world because, lets face it, I am bloody good at it!

Gary Lightbody. Courtesy of Flikr

Last night, Northern Irish alternative rock outfit Snow Patrol took to the stage of London’s o2 arena for the final show of their UK tour. Supported by Rams on Stage and Everything Everything, Snow Patrol showed their UK fan base that they know how to put on a show.

After missing much of the set of Rams on Stage, Everything Everything played their 40 minute set. The British band played a genre I would like to dub as ‘Whiney Electronica’, mixing synthesiser sounds with whiney vocals to create a sound I found not too pleasant. They played songs from their debut album ‘man alive’ as well as previewing a couple of new tracks.

Despite my early disappointments, I knew I wouldn’t be hearing whiney vocals when Gary Lightbody and Snow Patrol entered the arena. Playing to yet another sold out venue, the crowd erupted as Snow Patrol entered the stage, playing ‘I’ll never let go’ from their new album Fallen Empires. Fallen Empires is Snow Patrol’s sixth studio alum of the band’s 17 year career together.

As Lightbody began singing I, and the rest of the crowd, could feel his voice cutting through the crowd. Often criticised for his vocals in his early career, nobody could fault Lightbody’s vocals now. His voice was powerful and emotive, especially during the beautiful song ‘Run’.

The band played their near-on two hour set, including songs like ‘Chasing Cars’, ‘Take Back the City’ and many, many more. Lightbody commanded the stage, dedicating songs to audience members, friends and family. His performance was unbelievable, despite seeming like he had drunk one too many drinks!

I didn’t feel let down by the show they put on either. The amazing lighting

The snowflake light display. Courtesy of Adele Jones

complemented the music to perfection. With a huge snowflake of lights above the band, the crowd were treated to a spectacular show.

Despite the mellow nature of Snow Patrol’s music, the crowd seemed engaged in the gig and were very responsive. Singing along and jumping around to the final song, ‘Just say yes’, the crowd were better than I could have imagined.

Overall it was a fantastic display from Snow Patrol and the team behind their tour. Despite not being the most upbeat or uplifting gig ever, I still left with a smile on my face…

Fabio Capello with Ferrari F1 team. Courtesy of Flikr

This evening the FA announced that they have accepted the resignation of England manager Fabio Capello. The 65-year-old Italian manager has recently criticised the FA after they stripped John Terry of the England captaincy. The FA made the decision on the back of John Terry’s alleged racial abuse towards the QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.

Capello was quoted by Italpress this evening on Terry’s dismissal: “they gravely offended me and damaged my authority at the head of the England side, effectively creating a problem for the squad. I have never tolerated certain crossing of lines, so it was easy for me to spot it and take my decision to leave.”

Despite having a win ratio of nearly 67% and only losing 6 games as England manager, there has been a lot of negative feeling from the fans towards Capello. Many criticising his negative style of play. However Capello has received praise from England and Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who tweeted, “Shocked about news on Fabio Capello… gutted to be honest, gave me my 1st cap and believed in me! Thank you Mr Capello! Great Manager.”

Where does this leave England now? Where do they turn? The manager who has led them since Steve McLaren was dismissed after England failed to qualify for Euro 2008. There has been a lot of speculation in the media as to who would replace Capello after he was due to retire from his position after this summer’s European championships in Poland and Ukraine. Despite time to consider their options, the FA now have to make a swift judgement on who to pick as the next England manager.

Wembley Stadium. Courtesy of geograph.org.uk

With the majority of Englishman calling for a British manager, there is immense pressure on the FA to pick a good British candidate. England striker Wayne Rooney backed this on Twitter “Got to be English to replace him”. He continued by saying, “Harry Redknapp for me”. Redknapp is the bookies favourite to take the job, priced at 2/1. The Tottenham Hotspur manager began the day by receiving a “not guilty” verdict on his tax evasion trial, that would have almost definitely taken him out of contention if he were found guilty.

Redknapp will face a tough decision on whether or not to accept the job (if offered of course), as high-flying Spurs are currently third in the Premier League, five points behind Manchester United and seven points clear of Chelsea. Spurs fans nationwide will be hoping their manager doesn’t take the top job, as they battle for an automatic Champions League place.

The other candidates include Roy Hodgson, Jose Mourinho, Alan Pardew and Martin O’Neill. All of the top priced candidates would be acceptable choices as England manager for me. Despite Mourinho’s reputation as one of the best manager’s in the world, I would back Wayne Rooney’s sentiment and pick a British manager. If the FA are looking to appoint an Englishman (which they should be), Harry Redknapp is clearly the best candidate for the job. He has lifted Spurs from a mid-table side, when he took over in 2008, to a team that reached the Champions League quarter finals and is now challenging for the Premier League against the giant Manchester sides.

Despite a questionable managerial period at my club Southampton, Harry Redknapp has had an illustrious managerial career. He lifted Portsmouth to the Premier League and earned them an FA cup in 2008. By no means am I saying the other managers are not good enough to manage England, I believe that they are just not as good for the job as Capello. Redknapp would install a sense of belief into the team that Capello never could. His passion as an Englishman would show and hopefully motivate the players to be successful.

Whoever is appointed will face a tough task this summer at the European championships, having to mould a squad of individuals into a team before England kick off their competition on June 11th against France. Here’s hoping the FA make a decision ASAP to give whoever gets the job as much time as possible to prepare England effectively.

Who is the next England manager for you and why? Comment below or on Twitter @naspearing.

After attending a guest lecture from former Formula 1 chief Max Mosley, the issue of privacy finally entered my radar. Mosley spoke of his dealings with the Press Complaints Commission, News International and the Leveson Inquiry, after The News of the World published an article on the 30th March 2008 saying that Mr Mosley was involved in a “Nazi orgy”. Mr Mosley challenged the invasion of privacy from the newspaper and received £60,000.

With the privacy issue rattling around my mind, I found myself questioning how mine might be broken on a regular basis. Logging into Facebook, I did feel like my privacy had been broken. I was bombarded by an advertisement. “Need a date for Valentines Day? Click here to find someone…”. I do understand that I volunteer my relationship status to Facebook, but I don’t expect them to sell off my information to advertisers.

Is this right? Legally? Yes it is. Ethically? Maybe not, but Facebook do it anyway. I’m not sure why I was surprised by this. Facebook announced profits of $3.7 billion last week, so clearly they can charge their advertisers heavily. In December, the BBC broadcasted the documentary, “Mark Zuckerberg: Inside Facebook”. Emily Maitlis went to Facebook headquarters in Silicon Valley, California to talk to the owner of Facebook about his potential $100 billion valuation of his company.

While in California, Maitlis spoke to the advertising department at Facebook. She found out how advertisers can directly target specific demographics with their advertising. The advertising system Facebook operates allows advertisers to target people using any detail that their 800 million users upload. This explains how easily that dating website found me, a single, 19 year old, heterosexual male.

I don’t blame Facebook. People voluntarily give them details. However, what does get to me is search engines using your information to sell you to advertisers. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I search, I don’t see that as me volunteering my information to be passed on to advertisers. This privacy invasion makes me question how far these online giants can spread this information. If they are willing to sell my search habits to advertisers, where else could they sell my information? If I were someone famous, would they sell my searches to the tabloid press?

I hate to take a dystopian view towards the online world, but nobody knows what happens to your information. Hacktavist group Anonymous have criticised Facebook for how they use the personal information people put on their profile’s.

By no means am I suggesting that I plan to boycott Facebook or the internet. That’s just not going to happen. I think I might be a little more careful when putting my private information online

The massive Lucas Oil Stadium hosts tonights game. Courtesy of Flikr

This evening see’s American sport take over the world, as the American Football season comes to a close in dramatic style. The Super Bowl is the landmark of the American sporting calendar, pitting the two remaining sides together to see who will be crowned National Football League Champions for the 2011/12 season. Super Bowl XLVI (or 46 for those of us that don’t understand Roman Numerals) puts NFC champions New York Giants against AFC champions New England Patriots.

The 70,000 seater Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, will play host to one of the most watched sporting events in the world and I’m sure it will create an atmosphere to fit the occasion. With 169 million people watching worldwide, the size of the event is undeniable! The historic half-time show, this year will be played by pop icon Madonna.

Having won their division with an impressive 13 wins and just three defeats, the New England Patriots are the favourites for the game. Their star Quarter-back Tom Brady has featured in every single game and has had the best season of his 12 year career. However, Brady is not the only star Quarter-back on display this evening. Eli Manning is also having the best season of his career, leading the Giants to the Super Bowl. The Giants edged out the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 to reach the Super Bowl.

I have loosely followed the NFl since 2001. I was lucky enough to get tickets to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Raymond James Stadium. I realised then that I do enjoy watching the sport, but just rarely find the time. There is something about the Super Bowl that re-ignites the world’s (and my) interest in American Football. The sheer scale of the event just brings in the crowds.

Tom Brady throws a successful TD pass. Courtesy of Flikr

Having not watched a game from start to finish all season, I have found myself organising a “Super Bowl gathering” at my house this evening, where we will be dining on hot dogs, fries and potato chips and drinking our American beers. Although, I am disappointed by the choice of artist for the Half-time show. With classic bands like The Who playing in previous years, I wasn’t happy to hear that Madonna and Nicki Minaj were to be the acts to entertain the millions of viewers.

Despite this minor disappointment, I think that the crowds will be more than entertained by the game this evening. Although I know very little about American Football, I am backing the New England Patriots to edge the game, so the smart money is on the Giants!

So today, you may or may not know, it’s been snowing in London. This, of course, meant that myself and my housemate put on our coats and gloves and became children again. Running around in the fresh white snow we found that we had the urge to start throwing snowballs. After 15 minutes of intense battle, we felt sufficiently childish and decided to make snow art.

Our very mature phallic symbol

This was equally childish. 10 minutes of solid sculpting created the phallic symbol on the side of our house. That really doesn’t sound like the behaviour of second year university students, does it? Even after our 20 minutes in the snow, we still couldn’t pin-point what it was about the snow that made us that way.

There is something magical about snow. It puts everyone (who doesn’t have to travel anywhere or have to work) in a good mood. It makes children go mad and adults regress. Even the most mature can’t resist a good play in the snow. I think it is the feeling of a “snow day” that makes the mood so light-hearted. That feeling you got as a kid, where you knew you would have the day off to go out and play with your friends.

And that feeling still remains today. Knowing that I don’t have to go to work tomorrow has given me that feeling. That excitement that bubbles up inside of you and makes everything feel great. Having already been challenged to a snowball fight tomorrow, I am already anticipating that amazing feeling you get when you throw that perfect snowball and hit someone between the eyes. Whether you are 12, 20 or 55, that feeling is still awesome…

Running in the snow with Ben Goold

1. The Killers- Mr Brightside (2004)

This will not be a surprise for most of you. The Killers are my favourite band and this is the song that got me interested in their music. Hearing this song and the album Hot Fuss actually revolutionised my music taste. I was 12 when this song was released, so had always been a sheep with music, liking the music that my friends decided was ‘good’ (despite the fact it was terrible). So yeah, this song is responsible for my iTunes taking the shape it has and is possibly the greatest song of the 21st Century.

2. 30 Seconds to Mars- Kings and Queens (2009)

Despite the fact that lead singer Jared Leto is very arrogant, I can’t help but love 30 Seconds to Mars. This song was my most played on iTunes, before retiring my old laptop. Just the ‘epic-ness’ of the song makes it amazing. Perfect for singing at the top of your lungs, this song would certainly give an epic feel to the desert island and would start the day off perfectly.  It reminds me of my favourite football team Southampton winning a cup at Wembley Stadium as this was the intro music they played.

Suggs, Madness frontman. Courtesy of Flikr

3. Madness- One Step Beyond (1979)

Perhaps the most abrupt start to a song ever, Madness’ great ska sound just puts me in a great mood. It is impossible to be unhappy doing a ska dance to Suggs and the gang. I don’t know anything technical about music, but I do know this makes me happy and genuinely makes me want to get off my seat and dance around (it takes a lot to do that!)

4. R.E.M- Stand (1988)

Another song with a great intro. Michael Stipe’s vocals are amazing, a great guitar solo in the middle, just a great song. I could have picked any R.E.M song as they are all excellent. This song and specifically the album ‘In Time’ remind me of long drives to the Alps when I was young, as my dad had control of the CD’s. I grew to love all their work and now I find the chilled out music is perfect for listening to while writing an essay.

5. Huey Lewis and the News- The Power of Love (1985)

A very famous song that is mostly known for its use in the truly magnificent film, Back to the Future. As one of my favourite films ever, I found myself falling in love with this song. Every time I hear this song I picture Marty McFly skateboarding to school and, as all of these songs do, put a smile on my face. As I’m not allowed to take the film to the island with me, this song will have to do.

6. Blink-182 – I Miss You (2003)

Quite simply, I would miss people on a desert island so this song is perfect. Blink are a band that have grown on me a lot over the last few years and now I find myself being a genuine fan. The mix of vocals, from the whiney voice of Tom DeLonge to the deeper tones of Mark Hoppus compliment each other perfectly to make a truly great song.

7. The Eagles- Hotel California (1977)

When I hear this song, I picture myself cruising along in a convertible across the deserts of California, so it would be suited perfectly to a desert island. It’s a song that just chills me out so would be great for chilling under a palm tree. The RDM cover of this song featuring the Killers reignited my love for the song. The Eagles have history in my family as they were my Grandad’s favourite band.

Jimmy Eat World frontman Jim Adkins. Courtesy of Flikr

8. Jimmy Eat World- The Middle (2001)

I first discovered this song while playing guitar hero many years ago and ever since I have considered it as one of my favourite songs. With meaningful lyrics and catchy guitar riffs, this song is just awesome. I don’t know how else to describe it.

I know I’m supposed to be writing about a book and a luxury item but I was only really interested in talking about my eight songs so I’m going to end it here. Check out TheTommyMalone, watch and subscribe to him on YouTube.

As he did, I extend the invitation to any vloggers or bloggers who want to take up the Desert Island Discs challenge, then comment below or on Twitter @naspearing. If you have any abuse to dish out for my song choices then comment or tweet…

What a great idea!

It seems to me that most people don’t have a strong opinion on organ donation, or don’t declare to their loved ones their opinions. This leaves the families in the predicament of deciding the fate of the organs, on top of the emotional trauma of losing a family member. No easy position for anyone to be in. I don’t blame the parents or partners who struggle with such a big decision. I think the potential new system will allow the wishes of the deceased to be respected.

If someone feels that strongly about not having their organs donated, they will take the extra time to opt-out of it. The opt-out system means that those who have little opinion, or don’t care strongly enough to opt-in, will have their organs put to good use. The system will also detract from the decision of the grieving family members, although according to the BBC “Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has said she cannot a imagine a situation where doctors would act without a family’s permission.” Clearly the family will still has some control if they feel they wish to stop donation.

My positive opinion on this may surprise some people. I regularly get called ‘tight’ and sometimes even ‘selfish’, yet I agree so strongly with donating organs. There’s a few reasons for this. Quite simply, once you are dead, you no longer need your organs. That may sound crude but the way I see it is, if someone can benefit from my death by receiving my organs, then my death might mean a little more. Secondly, this is a more selfish reason, if I were to be in the position of needing a heart, liver or any organ to survive, I would hope that someone else would be as generous as I plan to be. I think most people out there would take a donor organ if they needed it, rather than leaving themselves to pass away.

I have had these ideas passed on to me from my mum, who is an organ donor and has always reminded me that those are her wishes if she were to die. This positive attitude towards organ donation has most definitely passed on to me, and I hope it has to my brothers too. I will be registering myself as an organ donor this evening and I would even consider donating my body to science.

I just hope that this law does come into effect in Wales and I hope that it will eventually move into the rest of the UK as well. If you have an opinion on this topic, whether it be similar or different to mine, comment below or on twitter @naspearing.

In May 2011, a three-year-old wrote to the customer service department of Sainsbury’s saying, “Why is tiger bread called tiger bread? It should be called giraffe bread. Love from Lily Robinson age 3 and 1/2″. The story went viral after the young girl’s mother posted the letters exchanged between Lilly and the company on her blog. This lead to a twitter campaign to change the name to ‘Giraffe Bread’.

Firstly, although it is a very good observation from the young girl, it seems a little redundant to me. Why? Other than the publicity the loaf has gained from the name change (which is probably the only reason), what have they gained? The stress of having to change their labelling system would probably be enough for me! After speaking to a former colleague of mine, I was told, “People keep asking me why it’s been changed. Must’ve told the story 100 times today.” Think how much money in wages that is wasting.

Courtesy of freefoto.com

The article says, that enclosed in the reply from Sainsbury’s was a £3 gift voucher. £3? I know at the time the young girl had only made an observation that a loaf of bread looked like a giraffe, but now she has made a branding decision that has spread nationally. If the idea had been suggested to Sainsbury’s by a marketing company, it would have set them back thousands of pounds and probably not got them anywhere near the publicity that they have done. It certainly would not have made BBC news!

If I were the parent of young Lilly Robinson, I would be writing to the Sainsbury’sbosses asking for a little more than the miniscule £3. I really hope that she gets the recognition she deserves. Her idea (or her mother’s idea to send the letter) has given Sainsbury’s publicity that they otherwise wouldn’t have had. No matter how stupid an idea I think it is to change the name, it could bring more customers through the door. I just hope they never change the delicious recipe…

Courtesy of Flikr

I received some criticism from a friend that my post regarding the RBS bonus scandal was just “a regurgitation of what I had read online” and “contained no opinion”. Apparently this was a negative thing. I normally get criticised for giving my opinion too much, so this came as a surprise to me. On the back of yesterday’s announcement that Stephen Hester would be turning down his £1 million bonus, I decided to unleash some opinion.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, the news was announced last night that the RBS boss was to waive the £963,000 bonus. The payment was to be 3.6 million company shares, equating to the near-on £1 million bonus. With the troubled bank being 83% by the taxpayer, the bonus payment has bought much pressure on Hester. And so it should.

It’s not like he hasn’t been paid much this year! His £1.2 million salary is more than enough for anyone. Does anyone need to be paid that much money? Don’t get me wrong, I do truly believe that Capitalism is the best economic system, I just couldn’t think what I would do with that much money. That’s probably a good thing as I’m planning a career in journalism!

The tax-man will take a significant proportion (around %50) of his salary, but that is still an unbelieveable salary considering the problems in the banking sector. Yes Hester has a tough job to recover the struggling bank, but he is still going to fail to meet the five-year plan set when he took over the top job. In other sectors, if a manager announced they were not going to meet the companies targets, they definitely wouldn’t be getting a bonus and could potentially be facing the axe.

Without doubt Hester has done the right thing in waiving his bonus. Had he not refused the payment it would have caused government intervention, with the Labour party planning a Commons vote on the issue. The failure of the government to intervene in the bonus payout shows weakness. To me this signifies, despite recent banking failures, the government are still willing to bow to pressures from the banks. On Friday, BBC Business editor Robert Peston said that, “I am reliably told that they feared Mr Hester and much of the board would have quit, if the payment had been vetoed by the government.” Why should David Cameron and the government bow to the pressure of failed bankers?

They shouldn’t, is the simple answer. If a banker is on a large salary and fails to meet his targets, show him the door not a massive bonus package. Bankers should be treated the same as any other company bosses. If you miss out on the targets set by your boss (in this case the government and the taxpayer) then your job should be in doubt. If the government take a harder stance on bankers, the chances of economic growth will surely increase. Or is that just logical?

Failing bankers shouldn’t threaten walkouts over bonus payouts, that’s like a footballer wanting a goal bonus after missing a penalty…