"Dance, Dance To The Life You Wanted"

I had waited for The Eden Project Session to come around for a good few months. Before I knew it, the time was upon us and we took a roadtrip to Cornwall which took about 6 hours.

We arrived at our B&B which really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be (reviews complained of lots of mould!) and the staff members were really nice and friendly. We had some dinner and listened to Sara's story of her Mika trip to Japan and some of us got merry on some wine. (Yeah, you know who you are...!)

The next day we left our B&B at about 1pm and we arrived at Eden. It really is a beautiful place that's just filled with flowers and gorgeous plants. I actually hate gardening, but you can't deny a good garden when you see it. (I know, it's a bit bigger than a garden...)

This is a cactus flower...apparently.












A completely wooden horse, which quite frankly I found remarkable.














So after a few hours and a bit of sunburn we noticed the queue was getting a bit larger at about 4pm so we joined in, hoping to get front row. There were two entrances either side of the stage so we chose the side that had the shade. Luckily for us we managed to hear some of the soundcheck! Mika wasn't there singing for most of them (otherwise that would have been a free gig...) but we heard the instrumentals, so we sang to it instead! Pah - who needs Mika when you have the us?



More soundchecks happened and more time passed by. I then noticed a crew member approaching the crowd and she was asking for volunteers to be on stage with Mika, so naturally I volunteered myself!
For so long I had wanted to be a Lollipop Girl - since the beginning, actually - and now was my chance. All my friends had been on stage as Mika's characters so I told them I was going to go and they completely supported me, so I followed Maria - the crew member - all the way round the back.

There was quite a crowd of us there, and then Mika's mother - who everyone calls Mama P - came out and started to choose who was going to be who. I was wearing a baggy top and knew that only skinny girls were going to be Lollipop Girls, so I hand my hands on my hips to try and show that I wasn't as big as I looked (come on, I had waited years for this moment!) It's been a while since I was nervous. Eventually, four or five Lollipop Girls were chosen and I didn't make the cut. I was a bit down by this point because I was pretty sure that I couldn't be a Big Girl, but Mama P looked at me and said something along the lines of "Would you like to be a Big Girl?"
My chance to be dressed up as a character on stage was there right in front of me; at this point I didn't care who I was and was very grateful that Mama P picked me, so I gave her a big smile and politely "Yes, thank you very much!" and went to join the other chosen ones.

After that was done, Maria and Mama P took us backstage to practice our march. It was very easy; you had to put your arms out in front of you and pretend you were holding a bouquet of flowers and then just march. Even though it was pretty darn simple, I concentrated hard and focused on the job because, of course, I wanted to give a good impression especially since Mama P was watching. After that was done, we were taken to another room (behind the stage itself) and Mama P sorted out everyone's costumes.

The Lollipop Girls were fitted and most of the Big Girls were done, too - I was second to last. She beckoned me over and I knew that the blue corsets were the smallest ones so I was pretty sure that I was going to get that colour, but she started off trying to fit all these bigger ones on me and I kept thinking "I'm pretty sure I'm not that big..." but of course I didn't say anything because they are her clothes and she made them. Corset after corset and I was still too small for them - she definitely spent the most time with me and I was getting worried that I wouldn't be able to do this at all. I also kept feeling a bit guilty watching her take the corsets off the hangers and trying to put them back on so I offered her my help. Eventually I tried on a blue one and she said "Perfect!" Phew. I was going to be a Big Girl after all!

My next worry was what I had to wear on my head. Lollipop Girls only had veils, but Big Girls have to wear these massive skull masks that are elaborately decorated with designs and flowers and veils. Inside the mask was a helmet so it could rest on your head, but the viewing was very restricted. The "peep hole" was the nose but that was quite far up for me, and there were several holes as well but it was still difficult to see anything. I discovered this trick where if you tilt the mask backwards, the gap at the bottom gets bigger so you have more space to keep an eye on your footwork and see where you're going. However, the skulls are so massive that they wobble everytime you move! As effective as they are, they are also a bit of nuisance.

Whilst backstage I saw his keyboard player, his tour manager and his previous cameraman Andy, whom I all said hello to. After all this, we were told to leave and come back at 8:15.

We all started to leave in single file and I saw quite a tall woman. I looked and realised it was Imogen Heap! I didn't say anything as I didn't really have anything to say to her, but her appearance was very unexpected so seeing her took me aback a bit, and thought that perhaps she and Mika would sing "By The Time".

Anyway, we all left and in the distance I saw iMMa (Mika's backing singer) and Cherisse (his drummer) coming our way, and they said hello as they walked passed people. I was the last one in line, and they both recognised me and stopped to talk to me, which was rather lovely of them. They came back from a gig in Lebanon recently so we talked about that and the stage invasion and the cushion fight they had. After a couple of minutes we both left and I went to find my friends in the queue.

It soon turned 6:30, and the gates to the venue opened. We ran to our spots and we got front row! Well, I would have got front row if I wasn't a Big Girl, but for a while I could be front row and see what it was like myself before 8:15.

 It was soon time for me to leave, so I took a picture of the crowd before I went (as shown above). As you can see, it started to get packed and I was beginning to look forward to my backstage adventure.

We went backstage and we had to choose what shoes to wear (I wore Lollipop Girl shoes, so I guess you could say I was part Lollipop Girl...no? Okay. They were too big for me anyway) and then we were taken to a changing room where we all got changed. I have to say, I felt rather nifty in my Big Girl costume and Mama P is just so sweet.
After that, we were told to cover up so we could go out into the audience and watch some of the show, but had to come back when Mika started to sing "Rain".

I stood at the side and had a bit of a rubbish view, but at least I managed to see some of the gig itself. I also recorded all of "Relax! (Take It Easy)" and some of "Billy Brown". I got some good shots of the audience fist pumping, clapping and arm waving to the songs, and it was so nice seeing an audience really into somebody - the vibe was really good and positive.





"Rain" came on a few songs later and it was time for us to head back. When I was in the audience I could hear that the crowd was really loud, but backstage the sound was amplified and almost deafening. It was really quite heartwarming and I felt so proud - Mika hears that at every performance.
We put on our big skull heads again and it got darker since we last wore them since it was an outside gig, so it was even harder to see than before. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand and was shoving something in them, and as I looked I realised I was holding a bouquet of flowers and it was Mama P who gave me them. After Mika sang "Happy Ending", it was time for us to march on stage.

Was I nervous? Not at all, I was more nervous about the skull head! Of course I was concerned about how I'd see on stage, but I wasn't at all nervous about being on the stage in front of 6000 people. I marched on, stamping my feet to the rhythmic thumps along the way and kept looking down through the gap to see if there were any wires. I tried to capture a glimpse of the audience but I couldn't look for too long as I knew I'd lose my balance, so I just marched on. I didn't see Mika or any of the band members; I pretty much just went on and walked off, job done.

When we came off we got to watch the gig from the side of the stage and it was my first time hearing "Kick Ass" live, which was a real treat. Before I knew it, it was time to go on again so halfway through the song "Lollipop", we came on. The Lollipop Girls decided to stay on the side they got on, so I went onto the other side to dance where I thought I'd have room. Wrong! Everyone followed suit (naturally, I guess) and all of our skull heads kept banging against each other! It was utter madness, I couldn't see anything through the mask and didn't know where or who I was dancing to most of the time. You couldn't really go for it because you would lose control of the skull head otherwise, and when I tried to wave my hands up in the air I got self conscious of my corset. I haven't seen the video yet so I have no idea what I looked like.
I managed to see Jimmy and succeeded in capturing his attention! He's Mika's bass player and I met him earlier this year at his own gig (I wrote a blog about it). I think he must have recognised me either by what I was wearing, height or perhaps he saw my face through the skull nose, because he came up to me and started to play his bass right at me, so I pretended to play my very own (invisible) bass!
After that, I saw Mika grabbed a fan on the stage so I thought it was time to bow. I followed them to the front of the stage and I bowed to the crowd, but then I felt someone grab my left arm and drag me backwards! I was so confused and thought "Oh my goodness, I can't see a thing and I'm getting completely battered here!" but I managed to compose myself and saw that it was Jimmy who pulled me back! I don't really know what happened but I think he said that it was time to bow, but then that confused me because I had already bowed...nevertheless I turned the face the audience and Jimmy had his arm on my back and pushed me forwards when it was time to lean forwards.
The music came to an end and I was about to go off stage, but then I felt my left hand being grabbed and forced open, then having something placed in it and being forced shut. I looked and the culprit was Jimmy, so I shouted "Thank you!" as he walked off stage. I opened my hand and saw that he gave me his black plectrum. I smiled as I thought it was nice that he chose me to have it out of everyone else.

We got off stage and I saw him again, so I said thanks one more time and we hugged. Maria came over and told us to get into groups so we could have our pictures taken with Mika. We were still in our costumes and we were the last group to be seen by him. He came over and he looked at me and smiled as I told him that it was a really great show. We had our picture done and I saw Mika holding a wristband. I said "Oh you got a wristband! Who gave it to you?" and he replied "I don't know, it was thrown on stage so I just wore it" (or words to that effect) and then he gave it a proper look and exclaimed "Oh it's got my name on it!" so that was quite cute. That was pretty much our meeting, but before we dispersed Mika introduced us to Imogen Heap and we all said hello. I took what I believe to be a ballsy approach and told them "You should play "By The Time" together sometime!" and Mika smiled and nodded...but I'm unsure as to what that response really means.

I then got changed, said a final thank you to Mama P and Maria, and a final goodbye to Imogen, Jimmy and Cherisse and headed off out. As I left the back of the stage I saw Mika talking to some disabled people and I also saw iMMa standing there watching. We said goodbye to each other and she hugged me.
I then left the backstage area completely and met up with my friends.

That was pretty much the entire day and it was a manic blast! Here are some pictures of people in costumes and, of course, the picture with Mika! Thank you to those I have borrowed pictures from!

Sorry to the girl on the right who is slightly blurred!

 Us in our Big Girl costumes! I'm in the blue on the left.

iMMa took this picture and put it on Twitter! Follow her at @iMMamusic

Us on the stage! I'm in the blue with the orange skull mask.

Jimmy giving me the plectrum on stage!

Jimmy's black plectrum that is now all mine!

Mika, fans and I standing around talking. Yes, I know I'm mega short.

And of course...the group picture!

Rating 2009

2009 was definitely an epic year for me. I grew up a lot, matured, spread my wings a bit further and gained a bit more independence.

I did a lot of things:
- Saw Wicked, the musical
- Did a fan video to the Mika song "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)"
- Did a dance show
- Went to a Mika concert (first time on my own), was on stage with him, met him for the first time and got my first autograph.
- Went on holiday to Egypt
- Saw my first ever idol on stage for the first time - Britney Spears (Yeah, I see some of you rolling your eyes!)
- Went to the Pub with Mika/Saw him at Popstarz/Received Free IceCream from him/saw him on the Paul O'Grady Show/Got to see him in concert for FREE/saw him on Jools Holland and was also on TV!
- Saw Jimmy Carr live
- Saw Mika at The Union Chapel
- Met some of the cast from Harry Potter
- Was in the audience for The Graham Norton Show
- Improved my Art

...I think that's it. I have done so much and I regret nothing this year. Nothing at all. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Not a sausage. (I don't regret anyway, everything happens for a reason in my opinion, but for me the good reeeaaaally outweighed the bad...and there were bad moments, don't get me wrong. The year didn't exactly start off greatly.)

But anyway, I digress. 2009 made me realise that I need to start standing on my own two feet, to think for myself and to start living for myself.

For 2010, I hope to have another job (one that actually pays well) and to do some work experience in magazines. I'd love to just go to events and write about them.

Life's about making stories, you know? I want to make something of my life, and I want stories to tell my children and my grand-children, and just people in general. I want people to know me, smile and say "You know what? She didn't care what people thought about her. She did what she wanted with no regrets and without looking back. She was her own person, she was strong and she knew what she wanted. She went places, saw things and did things that not many people can say they have done. She loved doing what she did and I admire her for that. I really respect her."

(I think if someone actually said that to me, I might just die.)

My eldest sister is a professional dancer, and because of her job it has led her to travel the world: America, China, Dubai, India, Baltics, Caribbean, Mediterranean, you name it. I admire, respect and look up to her so much. Ever since she was little she knew what she wanted and look what she's achieved! She isn't even 30 yet. Nothing ever stopped her, and she's always full of interesting stories! (How many people can say they've performed on the same stage Hitler gave his speeches in Poland? ...Exactly.)

That's what I want (Not to perform on the same stage as Hitler, that might be a tad creepy for me) but to just...do something. And travel.
This is why I love taking photos and making videos...they're my memories, and memories are precious to me.

I'll be celebrating New Years in London watching the Fireworks, plus I'll be going to The Bafta's next year. PLUS more Mika concerts! Who knows what 2010 has in store? Hopefully it can only get better...2009 is a hard year to top!

Happy New Year readers...what are your resolutions?

WICKED March 09


Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) Fan Video March 09


Dance Show April 09


My sister and I at the O2, about to watch Britney Spears June 09


Very flattering picture of Mika and I on stage together, Sadler's Wells June 09


Meeting Mika for the first time: Sadler's Wells June 09


Egypt, July 09



Lady Jane, Autumn 09


At the Pub with Mika, Sept 09



Receiving free icecream from Mika, 21st Sept 09


On the Jools Holland show, Sept 09. (And Mika smiling at us)



Little Noise Session, Union Chapel, November 18 2009



Outside the TV studio, waiting for Graham Norton 2009(Ant and Dec hands)



Meeting some of the Harry Potter Cast 09

MIKA @ The Little Noise Session

A lot of people have been to gigs, right? You're going to see someone famous and it's pretty exciting stuff. You watch the show, you're marvelled (hopefully), and you go home in good spirits.

But if you're a Super Fan, it's kinda different.

The person you're seeing is not just a famous person. They are someone who have helped shape your life for the better because of their music, and because of the opportunities and love - yes, love - they give you.

Some famous people can be such arseholes and, while I'm sure Mika can have his arseholey moments, he certainly isn't to his fans. He's so patient with us and if he has the time, he does have a conversation with you. He's so genuine and endearing, how can you NOT like him? Seriously. Loathe his music if you like, I don't care, but you can't say he's an abolute prick.

So, going to Mika gigs, for me, isn't just about the music. It's about the whole package, and boy does Mika deliver everytime.

After waiting in the cold for several hours (and having met Jimmy for the first time who recognised me because of my scripts and shook my hand), we were let in the Union Chapel with no fuss (they let people in small group by small group, there was no rushing or panicking) and I ended up being 5 rows (pews) from the front and in the centre. Jackpot. I had a lovely view.





The first act was Daisy Dares You and barely 16. I quite liked her, she seemed really sweet. The act after was a Robert Pattinson look-a-like named Alex Gardner. His music was good but acoustically, it did sound a bit samey.





Jo Whiley announced that Paloma Faith had pulled out because she lost her voice. I was a bit gutted to be honest, because I've never heard her stuff but was told that she was good live, so I was looking forward to her. But there's always a silver lining in every bad news you hear: MIKA would be performing an extra long set! BONUS.

Mika and The King's Singers came on (they're a group 6 men who sing acapella) and they started off with Grace Kelly - a great way to warm the audience up! It was fun and upbeat, new and different. You could see that Mika was really concentrating and really trying to take control of what was happening on stage, almost acting like a conductor.
Mika was also quite happy to talk to the audience about things and was definitely in fine spirits, laughing and joking away with the odd swear word here and there (and in a Chapel too, I say, Mika!)
It was a fantastic gig with a fantastic atmosphere, and I have to say that Mika needs to do seated gigs more often. The vibe is better and there's far less hassle.

The songs that got me the most were Over My Shoulder, By The Time, Rain and We Are Golden.

Over My Shoulder was sheer perfection, the notes were spot on and crystal clear. It was his best performance of that song ever, and the best thing about it? Everyone shut up and listened. I mean, I know I don't often contain myself vocally when it comes to gigs, but when it's a song like that you don't join in. It's kind of like an unwritten rule.
As for By The Time, it was practically acapella all the way through and it was the first time anyone had heard it live. It's not my favourite song on the CD (though I do love it) but live...it was stunning. I think I would preferred female vocals, but maybe I'm just used to Imogen Heap. ANYWAY, the song was a complete surprise and it was beautiful. There are not enough superlatives. I think it's my favourite performance from the night.
What I liked about Rain was that it started off as a ballad, but about halfway through there was a beat behind it that funked it up slightly, yet still making the song mellow and it sounded really...organic. There was energy: Not too much, but enough to get into it.
I love We Are Golden. Full stop. I love it live because it's like everyone's sticking by each other whilst shouting "WE ARE NOT WHAT YOU THINK WE ARE, WE ARE GOLDEN! WE ARE GOLDEN!" It was a more mellow version, but I think it's still powerful enough to be empowered by it, personally.



Mika was so well received at The Little Noise Session, there's so much love for the guy. Seriously! I've been a supporter since the beginning and I've seen his career rocket, and will probably (hopefully) continue to do so. He has so much extraordinary talent and if people don't recognise that, then they're missing out. He has a lot of charm and wit, friendly yet cheeky, and a musical genius. There's no doubt about it.

I describe Mika like a Jewellery Box. It has all sorts of compartments filled with different types of Jewellery and colours. You're always surprised at what you find and you're always marvelled at how it glitters and shines. (That wasn't intended to kind of rhyme, by the way). Every box you open, there's something new and different.
Basically, Mika has many tricks up his sleeves and - like the great Wizard he is - has us all under a spell. He has us on a string and he's the master puppeteer, he knows what strings to pull to get us going. He is a Master. There's no question about it.

The thing about meet and greets is that they could be so much nicer. There was a small group of people on either side of the door, and there was a large space in between us so that, when Mika was outside - he'd have enough room.
But no, as soon as Mika comes out people crowd him. WHY? If you were sensible, Mika would come round to you, but if you're gonna hassle him it's gonna make things difficult, isn't it. Honestly! People don't make things better for themselves.

I managed to give him the Astroboy poster and he seemed genuinely pleased with it! However he couldn't roll it back up so I did it for him while he was signing things, but because people mobbed him it was difficult to get the poster back to him so I had to follow him all the way round just so I could hand back his present. Seriously, he was almost halfway in the car when he got it back.

But the job was done and the night was brilliant. Here are my vlogs which capture the atmosphere of the day, plus snippets of the gig AND the meet and greet and the end. Enjoy.













Check out Mika getting my gift at 6:40. It's an awesome reaction.

We Are Not What You Think We Are

"We Are Golden! We Are Golden!"

At least, that's what Mika says we are. (Or is that "We are Gawlden! We are Gawlden!" ...? You decide.)

The song came out in September and I absolutely adore it. I love the lyrics. I love how inspiring and uplifting it is.

At school I wasn't the most liked person, the prettiest person, the person with the best figure or the best hairstyle, or the most popular girl. In fact, I'm still not, but at school I did feel like a misfit because there were all these girls glamourising themselves and growing up too quickly, snogging boys (or possibly/probably more), getting drunk and just generally getting up to no good.
I was the complete opposite. I never wore make-up. I had no sense of style, my hair style didn't suit me, I was big, and I was bullied. If this song came out when I was at school, I may have stepped out of my shell more, but no, I had to wait until 2007 when I was in my last year studying A-Levels to hear of this man called MIKA.

And boy did my life change for the better!

Being a fan of Mika gave me the confidence to do weird and crazy things. I did this video for his MySpace competition in May 2007 (Oh, I won it, by the way) and no way would I have done this in school.



It was definitely a turning point. I decided that if there were things I wanted to do, I was going to do it, and the best way to do these things is to just dive in without giving it a second thought. If I second guessed doing this video I probably wouldn't have done it.

Since then I've done several things for Mika and gone to a lot of Mika events. I've travelled on my own a lot more and in London too, and for someone who grew up quite sheltered it was a pretty big step for me. There's a world outside these four walls that make a house, you know? It's there to be seen and I intend to do a lot of sight seeing and memory making.

Anyway I digress slightly. Year 2009 gave me a lot of good memories and all these Mika events helped give me a bit more independence. Mika threw yet another video competition, this time to his song "We Are Golden" and the (original) rules were that you had to dance around in your room in your underwear, like he does in his video. Having lost a lot of weight and feeling more confident about my appearence in general, plus being a performer (though you wouldn't have thought it in that Lollipop video), I thought "Why not?"

The song means a lot to me. It picks me up when I'm feeling down, it gives me that feeling of power. I've decided it's the song that will be played at my funeral, and I apologise if that's a bit morbid for people. I got it all planned out: NO-ONE wearing black, and a video of my best/happiest moments throughout all my years to the song. Looks brilliant in my head - I don't want my funeral to be depressing, I want people to celebrate my life and the things I have done. That's why I take so many pictures and videos, so it can be passed on. I also want to be Golden in my after-life and want to inspire others to live life to their fullest.

That's what the song's about really anyway; about living for yourself and not giving a toss about other people's opinions "Who gives a damn about the family you come from? No giving up when you're young and you want some" "I live for glitter, not you".

I love all the chanting that goes with it. It's so incredible, beautiful, astounding and amazing live. It's like we're all in a cult or something, hearing everyone shout "WE ARE NOT WHAT YOU THINK WE ARE, WE ARE GOLDEN! WE ARE GOLDEN!" It's so powerful.

So I put parts of this Mika gig I went to in my song. Even if I don't win the competition, I put my Mika friends in there and Mika himself because it's these people that helped me become who I am today. It's true, people do influence you and I'm glad I'm not the same person I was more than 4 years ago. This video kind of celebrates my "golden-ness", if you will, and the person I have to thank the most is Mika himself.

I made several versions and this is the final video. It took me about 21 hours editing alone.

Enjoy :-)

Dr.Breadstein - The Script

This has got to be one of the most random things I've ever done via Twitter.

See, there's this guy in Mika's band called called Jimmy and he has a Twitter account. He's quite a nice man, friendly and does frequent updates. He's a bit special, but we forgive him for that.



Anyway, he made a character out of breadsticks and Christened him "Dr. Breadstein". The pictures he was posting on Twitter were becoming increasingly hilarious and I told him they needed a storyboard.

He ended up giving me the job! What began as a joke turned out to be quite serious, so he sent me 4 pictures and I had to make a script out of it.

So. Here they are.

Merry Christmas.

Mika - The Pub Experience

Just before the physical release of Mika's first single "We Are Golden" from his sophomore album "The Boy Who Knew Too Much", Mika went a tad crazy on Twitter and was telling his fans that he was going to throw a special event to celebrate the new song. I was very excited, but felt that I wouldn't be able to go on this particular day, so was praying that the day would get changed.

I have been a fan of Mika since late January/early February 2007, so basically right from the very beginning. He has helped improve my character and has made me a more confident person and it's also because of him that my art has improved. It is also because of him that I have become more independent. It took me two and a half years to meet him (Sadler's Wells, June 8th 2009) and although it was for a split second, it was one of the best split seconds ever. There aren't many other feelings better than when you meet your idol. If I went to the pub with Mika, it would mean time being spent with my Mika friends plus personal time with Mika himself. Precious.

Mika announced that the pub party would start at about 7pm and I found out two hours earlier that very day. I was free that day. I could go. I got dressed as quick as I could and hopped on that train to Fenchurch Street, and then onwards to the Underground.

I met my friend Danika outside Ladbroke Grove station (as it's near Portobello Road, where the pub was) and Danika had told me that Mika had already arrived. (I got there at about 8ish). I was excited yet calm, and as I arrived at the destination I saw a small crowd of people outside. I walked in and clocked Mika's mother and his younger sister. Danika led me to the MFC table which consisted of a small bunch, but with people from Essex (like me) London, Hertfordshire and Wiltshire. Apparently Mika had already gone up to the table and spoke to them before I arrived, and unfortunately he had already left by the time I got to London. Still, whilst sipping on my free alcoholic drink (thank you, Mika!) and mingling with the MFC, I was on the lookout for Mika in case he came back.

And of course he did!

He mingled around the pub for a little while, chatting to a few people, but then he strolled to the DJ booth area and started to choose a few songs and play them. I ofcourse took plenty of pictures.



I've never actually had a picture *with* Mika, and that night didn't seem like the right time to get one in my opinion. I don't really know why, I just didn't want to pester him plus it was a personal moment too. My time will come, but for now I had to make do with a picture of me with Mika in the background. LOL! I look pretty shocking with the random strands of hair on my forehead (it's meant to be a side fringe)...hmm, the left hand side is not my good side. Oh well!



Feeling brave, I approached Mika and asked him if he was going to play "We Are Golden". He leaned in near my face and explained that he didn't have the song with him, but if someone had it he'll play it. He was so close I could feel his breath my face. It was slightly surreal. I replied, saying that I knew someone who had it and went to fetch them. A few problems occured, but eventually the song was played and the whole pub got up and started to dance and sing the lyrics.



Thank God Mika started to DJ because the songs got a whole lot better, and the "pub turned into a club" -- Mika's words. I managed to wiggle myself down to the front of the booth and rave with the rest of the crowd, including an old man. Mika found this quite funny and ended up taking pictures on his phone, which I am actually in, but only by a fraction!

In this one you can see my eye next to the old man's ear on the right.



And the same place here.



Mika had Jemma's iPod and started to play songs from it. Jemma had his song "Rain" on there (which is to be his new single in Europe) and he played it! Everyone sang to it and raved to it, and as you can see from my video Mika's face is beaming!



Here are just a few random pictures that I took plus one last video.











Last but not least, I managed to get Mika to pose for my camera. That's a very proud moment of mine. Here it is!



It was not long after this that it started to get late and it was my time to leave. I spoke to Mika again to say thank you for an amazing night, to which he said "No problem" (I think. My brain had turned to mush by this point) and he placed his hand on my shoulder.

I turned to leave, when I heard another new song of his fill the pub. It was "Blame It On The Girls", so I decided to party to one last song and then I left...for good.

I was in a state of euphoria and bliss and couldn't stop thinking about what happened. I didn't just celebrate with friends and an idol, I celebrated with someone famous but the atmosphere was so casual. And it felt so normal, as well. Luckily the party came to end not long after I left so I don't have much to be jealous about!

I feel very privileged to have had such personal time with him and is definitely an experience I won't be forgetting.