The premise; Leonardo DiCaprio is Cobb, the leader of a skilled team of extractors who specialise in entering people’s minds when they are dreaming in order to steal information from the subconscious. He is the best at what he does, until he is offered the ultimate challenge; to do exactly the opposite. Instead of extracting an idea from a person’s mind, he is instead requested to plant the idea. Hence, Inception.

Cue a heist unlike one you’ve ever seen before. Cobb and his team, including Arthur (Joseph Gordan-Levitt) and Ariadne (Ellen Page) set about creating a plan, to penetrate the mind deeper than anyone else has gone before, in order to ensure that the subject on waking will believe that he came up with the idea all by himself.

But, strangely enough, the inception itself does not really come across as the main focus of the film. Poor old Leo is a man troubled, harassed by guilt over the death of his wife (Déjà vu Shutter Island anyone?). Wanted for the murder of said wife Mal (Marion Cotillard), Cobb lives a life on the run, where his only real happiness comes from living in dreams of his memories of their time together. Unable to return home for fear of arrest, Cobb hasn’t seen his two young children in years. His last hope to return home lies on whether he can successfully achieve the inception.

And so we have the set up – unadulterated action mixed with raw emotion, with a large dose of dreamlike reality thrown in. The phrase edge-of-your-seat has never been so apt, as a sense of fraught tension kept me on tenterhooks throughout the entire running time (a rather on the long side 148 minutes). But that is not to say that Inception is a new and unique experience, as so many have claimed it to be. The film holds elements from many past pictures – the action-packed, reality-bending of The Matrix, the mysterious haunted past of Shutter Island and the confused and fragmented approach of Nolan’s own Memento.

An off-putting element for me was the huge amount of action scenes; car chases, blowing things up – you name it, you’ll find it in Inception. And although these scenes are always done well, I found myself often wondering if there really was a need for it all, as at times they simply seemed to detract from the rich, multi-layered tale. Still, the film is gripping and intriguing and well worth a watch, particularly if you are a fan of Nolan’s previous work. Oh, and there’s some pretty interesting ideas about dreams and reality in there somewhere too.

One thing I have noticed about a lot of the job advertisements I’ve seen is they all seem to request people with a variety of skills. It won’t just be ‘Writing high quality copy’, you’ve also got to have ‘Some design skills’ or ‘Be confident with producing video content for an online audience’. Having specialised in a degree in journalism, my technical expertise is very slim. I still remember when myself and my best friend had to produce a video interview in 6th form, nearly 5 years ago – neither of us were particularly technical, and I remember those hours spent in the editing room as never ending – in fact I’m pretty sure we nearly killed eachother! So, since then I have come to the conclusion that I should generally steer clear of the technical side of media. I do have some limited experience in design and producing podcasts from my time at University, but generally the quality of my work in these areas is pretty low. So I figured, why not just stick to my strength? Sticking to what I think I’m okay at – writing – meant that I could utilise and improve on this skill; producing text for a number of different styles on publications; new, features, online etc. But maybe I was wrong in this judgement. I remember going for an interview for work experience at a local newspaper. I explained my University course, that you can choose your specialism – TV, Web and New Media, Pr, Radio or Journalism. I told the editor happily that I’d chosen journalism – it was what I wanted to do. He responded with; “So out of all of them, you picked the one that’s dying out?” It seems that in this new modern, media-saturated world where print media is known to be the dying breed there are barely any jobs positions which require somebody to just write. The walls between different media channels are falling, journalists need to embrace new emerging technologies, not shy away from them like I did.

I even recently found myself lying in a covering letter. It was only a white lie of course – but I definitely learned my lesson. Having claimed that I had ‘some experience’ producing video content and podcasts for online users, I almost immediately received an email back asking for examples of this. At that point, I panicked and decided I’d get my boyfriend to show me how to use these programs and help me create a good quality video tomorrow. Of course, the next day came and I was swamped with University work – I never got around to making that video. A few days later I received another email, again requesting examples of my work. I ended up ignoring it again and, surprisingly enough, I received another one a few days letter informing  me that I had not got the position. But it seemed that they had had some interest in me in order to write back so quickly. If I’d only not lied in my original covering letter, there’s a chance I could have got that job.

So I will continue my jobhunt, but considering my lesson learned. I now know that in order to succeed, I’ll have to embrace all  sides of media production, even if to start with they don’t appeal.

Being in my usual fashionably late style, I was too late to catch the film in 3D at my local cinema in Coventry, and had to take a long bus ride to nearby Leamington to watch it in all it’s 3D glory.

The first question I have to ask my self is, is it really worth all the hype? And to be honest, I’m still undecided on that point. Whilst the visual effects and cinematography are certainly second to none, I can’t help but feel the story gets a little lost in the stunning scenery.

Make no mistake; this film is worth going to see purely on visual merit. Creating an entire new world, complete with exotic colourful banshees and the infamous blue “Avatars”, the CGI in this film is exceptional, and it pulls the viewer into the planet of Pandora, where the Avatars reside. We follow Jake Sully, a paralysed ex-marine who replaces his brother on a mission to infiltrate with the people of Pandora, called the Na’vi.

As Jake learns the traditions and ways of the Na’vi people, we learn with him, and as he slowly falls in love with the colony’s back-to-basics way of life, the viewer does too. Here Cameron creates an entirely new cultural existence, in fact, when I came out of the cinema, I found myself wishing that I could be an Avatar!

In a way, I got the impression that Avatar was trying to be all things to all people, a bit of a jack of all trades, if you will. At times I have to admit that I felt the culmination of action, romance, fantasy and sci-fi felt a little clumsy, although the storyline did work well. And, as a result of this merge of genres, the film certainly has something to offer everybody.

So, was it the movie to redefine movies? No, I don’t think so. Was it an enjoyable, exotic piece of escapism for a few hours? Yes. At a little under three hours, the film is slightly overlong, but worth a watch none the less, if only to see what all the fuss is about!

Vegan Health

I certainly found that I didn’t go hungry on a vegan diet – as I had previously expected – and I didn’t feel I was lacking in protein, with many protein-enriched foods on offer such as lentils, beans and chickpeas. I had secretly hope to feel some of the health benefits; to be filled with a some kind of feeling of a higher consciousness that comes with a virtuous, cruelty-free lifestyle, smugly looking down on the little omnivorous types. Of course, this didn’t actually happen. But I do believe that veganism is a great diet – although I only lost a small amount of weight in the week, I’m sure if I’d have kept it up for a month the results would have been much more apparent. Cutting out fatty, processed dinners such as cheeseburgers, fried breakfasts or steak and chips has to make an immense impact on a person’s health and weight.

Home Cooking

As mentioned previously, one of the main things I noticed in the vegan diet was the amount I had to cook from scratch. No more could I reach for a jar of shop-brought sauce to accompany my pasta, as many of these often contain traces of egg, milk or other animal by-products. Instead it was back to basics, using a base of tinned chopped tomatoes for many of my dishes, which I could then build upon and season however I wished. There’s definitely advantages to cooking in the traditional way – from scratch – as it gives you a lot more control over your food, to season it to your personal taste.

Conclusions

Having only attempted the vegan diet for a week – and I have to confess I have already succumbed to a tasty Steak and Ale pie since – I am nowhere near an expert in the matter. But for any people starting out in veganism, I’d still like to offer advice that I found useful; so below are my top 3 tips to life as a vegan.

1.  Cook food from other cultures – in order to ensure a varied and enjoyable diet this is a really handy tip. Check out the International Vegan Union for inspiration.

2. Trial and Error – not all vegan foods will be right for you personally. I hated rice milk but really liked Soya milk – it’s best to experiment to find out what you like.

3. Eat a colourful variety – of fruit and vegetables. This is important to ensure you get all the nutrients you need; simply eating the same fruit and veg over and over again won’t cut it.

One thing that the week has helped me with is my cooking skills. I’ve already cooked more meals from scratch this week than I have any other week in my life! Exotic dishes, curries and vegetable-based dishes; this week I’ve cooked them all. As cooking and nutrition is something I’m interested in anyway, this has definitely been the best aspect of the experience.

Last nice for dinner I served up stuffed peppers – a meal that quick and easy to do but very tasty if you do it right, and it has the added bonus of looking pretty too! See my pictures below.

Tonight was my first attempt at cooking a curry from scratch – a red lentil curry to be exact – and it was deemed by all who tried it as a success. So successful that I have decided to share the recipe here… 

Ingredients

• 2 cups red lentils
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons curry paste
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger root, minced
• 1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree (I used a tin of chopped tomatoes in juice which worked fine too)

Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear, put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary). While the lentils are cooking fry the onions in a saucepan with a little vegetable oil

While the onions are cooking, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well. When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes. Next, stir in the tomato and reduce heat. Leave it to simmer until the lentils are ready, then drain the lentils and mix them into the curry mix. Serve with long grain or basmati rice.

So today I opted to try some other cultures, eating traditionally Indian food for lunch – pitta bread stuffed with hummus, mixed salad and falafel. And for dinner I decided to take the bull by the horns and cook a dish I’d never cooked before. Rice and peas, traditionally a Jamaican dish, although I don’t know why it has this name because there are no peas involved at all! It’s actually made with kidney beans, making a great meal or side dish for vegans as beans provide a valuable source of protein. The meal took around 40 minutes altogether to cook and I ate it with a spicy tofu fillet (my first time for tofu too!) The combination, although it didn’t look too appetising was surprisingly tasty! Check out the pictures and recipe below. The only problem is now I am longing for a little chocolate dessert – which, of course, can’t be done.

My second challenge of the day was my first trip to the pub as a vegan. I had done research prior to this and knew that not all wines or beers are vegan friendly. It was quite a surprise to me, but it turns out that many wines that I am used to drinking have been filtered through animal products. Not a particularly nice thought really. So, instead of my usual glass of rose I opted for a sweet amaretto and diet Pepsi instead. I’m pretty sure both products are vegan – some people may say that Pepsi is still unethical because of the large corporation it comes from, but I say I needed a drink!

Ingredients

1 medium sized can red kidney beans
1 can coconut milk
2 cups of long grain brown rice
vegetable Stock
1 small white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 spring onion, chopped
Seasoning – thyme, salt and pepper

Drain the kidney beans. You should drain the water from beans into a measuring jug, to which add the coconut milk and stock. Place this liquid mixture in pan and add the rice, garlic, onions and other seasoning and bring to boil. Add the beans. Simmer for about 20-30 mins until cooked.

It seemed the reasons are endless – health for one, the environment for another, and of course the most well-recognised one; the animals’ wellbeing. I don’t wish to starting preaching here, but one titbit that really pulled at my heartstrings was that the calf is taken away from it’s mother just days after it is born, causing immense stress to both, and the mother will cry for her baby for weeks after. All this just to supply us with things we really could do without?

A couple of months after my first peek into the vegan lifestyle, and my desk is currently piled high with vegan leaflets, guides and recipes books. So. Why not give it a go? I’m not talking about forever, but just for a week or two. Even in that short time I could make a tiny bit of difference, and I hope that after my time as a vegan is up, I will at least take something from the experience.

But coming from a chocolate, cheese and meat-lover this is no small feat. No Cadburys? No Pizza? No milk in my morning tea? I definitely have my reservations about this challenge, but I also have determination and, as I found out when I went vegan shopping on Friday, plenty of dairy-free alternatives. I even picked up some Vegan Ice-Cream!

Now the first day of my vegan week is coming to a close, and I have managed to avoid animal products and by-products for the whole day! Unfortunately, I haven’t been a very healthy vegan today. Having missed out on Shrove Tuesday a couple of weeks ago due to being swamped by University work, me and my boyfriend decided to celebrate it late, the vegan way obviously. I managed to find a vegan pancake recipe and, after a quick trip to my local organic shop, Down to Earth, to pick up the essential ingredient, soya milk, we were soon happily frying and flipping. I was pleased to find that the vegan pancakes were delicious – I really couldn’t notice a difference in taste between these and the traditional, egg-based version. In fact, I thought they were so good, I had five! See below for the recipe and photos .

Vegan Pancake Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup soya milk

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp vegetable oil

pinch of salt

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and salt and stir until well mixed. Then, mix in the soya milk and oil and beat until it is smooth. This is your batter mix done! Now just heat some more vegetable oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and you can start cooking. Fry each pancake for about three minutes on each side (or until it starts to bubble). Serve with whatever you want, my favourite is lemon and sugar

10. Big Fish. (2003, Director Tim Burton) A timeless family classic in which anything really is possible, this film is a personal favourite of mine which reduces me to tears without fail time and time again. A heart warming tale of family relationships and tall tales; Big Fish is a fantasy in which giants, witches, siamese twins and bank robbers all play a part, creating a captivating tale which you’ll never get bored of.

9. Moulin Rouge! (2001, Director Baz Luhrmann) Spectacular, Spectacular!This movie is a must for all musical lovers. With this film, Baz Luhrmann boldly challenged typical Hollywood traits, releasing something completely different that people tend to either love or hate. Dropping all pretences of realism that are so often present in films, this production is an indulgent feast for the eyes and ears as the actors belt their hearts out to catchy, infectious songs against the backdrop of the stunningly glamorous Moulin Rouge night club. Top this off with an amazing love story and you have a must see film of the noughties!

8. Let the Right One In. (2009, Director Tomas Alfredson)  It’s the noughties, and vampires had to feature somewhere. The first foreign language film to feature in my top ten, this Swedish import offers so much more than your average vampire flick. Let the Right One In interweaves horror, drama and romance all set upon a backdrop of snowy Stockholm in the early eighties. With scenes of romance constantly juxtaposed with images of brutal, bloody violence, this film probably isn’t for the faint-hearted. But combining horror, coming-of-age drama, romance and realism, it is a dark yet uplifting film, which can offer something to everyone.

7. The Motorcycles Diaries (2004, Director Walter Salles) Another foreign language film, this time from sunny Spain, this biopic follows the journey of Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granado on a road trip across South America in the 1950s. The Motorcycle Diaries documents with humour and compassion how the world changed Ernesto and lead him to change the world when he later became the infamous Che Guevara, and is certainly worth a watch if you don’t mind the subtitles.

6. Brokeback Mountain (2006, Director Ang Lee) A landmark in cinematic history, this is arguably one of the greatest romances of all time. Heath Ledger and Jake Gylenhall pull off the most powerful performances of their careers as two cow boys who fall in love in the outback of Texas in the 1960s, a time when homosexuality was still very much shunned. We follow the two and their forbidden love throughout their lives in a tender, bittersweet story which is an instant classic.

5. Memento (2000, Director Christopher Nolan) One of my favourite thrillers of all time, this fast-paced, addictive, confusing conundrum will keep you asking questions long after the movie is finished. Starting with a brutal murder and then working backwards revealing to the viewer the motives behind the murder in reverse order, the less said about this little film noir gem, the better.

4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, Director Michel Gondry) So much more than a rom com, this little gem takes a firm place in my top five films of all time. If you can get past the confusing structure of the film, you will appreciate it’s beauty as it examines the importance of memories and love, in a quirky and refreshing way. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet act brilliantly against their stereotype roles and prove that opposites really do attract, in a bizarre but remarkable movie.

3. Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2 (2003 and 2004, Director Quentin Taratino) Okay, so I may have cheated a bit but these two films fit together wonderfully as one big Tarantino extravaganza. With this picture, Tarantino is back on the amazing form we first saw with 1994′s classic Pulp Fiction. Genres a blended to create an artistic and extreme revenge flick, starring Uma Thurman as The Bride, a very angry ex-assassin, bent on killing her former hit squad the Viper Squad. It may not be to all tastes, but for those who enjoyed Pulp Fiction this is a must.

2. Atonement (2007, Director Joe Wright) The first time I watched this film it completely blew me away. Shattering my expectations, British film Atonement is so much more than just a romance; this film depicts how small mistakes can alter people’s lives forever. As we follow how the three main characters’ lives are altered by one child’s mistake, you’ll find yourself laughing, crying and questioning your own values. Stunning scenery, a top class script and storyline and amazing performances come together to make a movie that is, for me, as close to perfect as a film can get.

1. Slumdog Millionaire (2008, Director Danny Boyle) No film list would be complete without this surprise critically acclaimed blockbuster from Britain’s own Film Four. The ultimate rags to riches romance, Slumdog Millionaire is a moving, uplifting depicting one boy’s journey from the Slums of India to achieving his dream on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. With a brilliant soundtrack and great acting from previously unknown actors, this film deserved all the hype it got and more.

As we went round the park there were so many gorgeous animals, but the part that particularly caught my eye was the Kingdom of the White Lions.

West Midlands Safari Park has eight white lions in total, although they were quite hard to spot – the lazy creatures didn’t seem very keen on the hot sun, and preferred to lounge in the shade, or underneath shelters.

Lazy lions...

Having known little about the breed of white lions before, apart from that they’re endangered, I decided to do some more research into this elegant species.

It turns out white lions are not simply albino, as I’d first thought, they are in fact a rare colour mutation of the Kruger lion, originating from South Africa. They are something of a legend in their native Africa, regarded as divine, because of their unique colouring.

So, why are they classed as an endangered species? White Lions are one of the most hunted species of lion, specifically because of their colouring. The unique white-blonde colour of these lions makes them an easy target for hunters from the West, as they stand out. They are also very rare because they are a result of a mutation, and so they only occur when two lions carrying the mutant gene mate.

After looking further into the subject of white lions I must say I feel privileged to be that close to them at the Safari Park – they can usually only be found in wildlife reserves in South Africa, and West Midlands Safari Park was the first UK park to host a pride of these lions when they arrived from Africa in 2004.

An even more shocking statistic; according to the West Midlands Safari Park website, there are only around 70 white lions existing in the whole world!

It was discouraging to find out that such a stunning animal is in danger, but there are plenty of organisations aiming to help preserve the White Lion species, such as the Global White Lion Protection Trust. This is a non-profit based conservation and community development organisation based in South Africa striving to protect the rare white lion.

I can only hope that this communities and other communities working to help endangered animals get all the support and funding they can to keep up the good work and save the white lions!

I'll leave you with a close up of my favourite white lion from West Midlands Safari Park!

So, here are my top ten….

• Friends of the Earth @wwwfoecouk – The UK environmental campaigning organisation on Twitter

• Earth Hour 2009 @earthhour – Raising awareness and action to help the earth globally

• Greenpeace @greenpeace – The Global campaigning organisation, encouraging people to get active

• Twilight Earth – @twilightearth – Twilight Earth are an American based group who say they want to save the environment through shared news discussion and activism.

• Conservation News @conservationnews – Offers automated updates on wildlife and conservation issues.

• Be More Eco @bemoreeco – A website dedicated to “all things eco” – automatically tweets all new articles posted on the website

• Environment Actions @enviroactions – part of Social Actions – they give you plenty of ideas on how to get active about the environment.

• Planet Green @planetgreen – Offering practical every day tips for leading a greener lifestyle

• Planet Save @psave – Planet Save is a website claiming to bring you green news, commentary and services, encouraging followers to join in and take action.

• Nature Conservancy @nature_org – A leading conservation organisation working for people and nature

And one more…

• Birmingham Recycled @bhamrecycled – Our very own environmental news website, focusing on environmental news from the Midlands but including some nationwide aswell. Written solely by journalism students from Birmingham City University. We do try to provide you with the most original and up to date environmental news possible, and encourage debate and deliberation – so do take a look and tell us what you think!