Hi everyone, first off I hope that everyone is ok and enjoyed their Easter period (no, not that period...).
Part 1: The Holiday
Well, from Easter Sunday to Thursday I enjoyed myself thoroughly inBarcalona, the second largest City in Spain, and often mistake for the capital. The city is alive seemingly 24/7, and our Hotel, the Avenida Palace (seen here if you want a look: http://www.avenidapalace.com/en/ ) certainly made the stay all the better.
It was located on one of Barcalona's main boulevards, of which there are about 8. These massive, dead straight roads are tree-lined and simply huge, it was really nice to be so central. We were also on one of the cities most expensive streets by the looks of the shops we saw, with Gucci, Marlboro Cl@ssics, Levi's, Prada, Emporio Armani, Dolche and Gabana, I could go on - there were litterally hundreds of the overpriced buggers!
We took in some awesome sights while on the holiday as well. Park Guell, with all its Architecture done by a bloke called "Gaudi" who seemingly designs a lot of stuff in Barcalona. We also visited his most famous work - The Sagrada Familia - or "Holy Family" in english.
One of the tallest buildings in the entire city and still under construction despite Gaudi's death nearly a century ago, the Cathedral is so finely detailed that it isn't a suprise that it isn't going to be completed until(an estimated) 2022. You can take a lift up one of the spires as well to have an epic view over the city, which we took, despite most of us feeling a little odd to be so darn high.
The last thing I'll tell you about so as not to bore you is this:
That is, of course, the Nou Camp, or "Camp Now" as thelocals say it. Seating nearly 100,000 and with a Capacity of over 122,000 when standing room was still allowed, the Stadium is a truly epic piece of work. The size of it can't really be described until your there, so I'm not going to try and explain, Ill just leave that picture up there 
Part 2: The Gadget Show Live
The Gadget Show is a program on Channel 5 here in the UK which is all about technology and stuff! It's a really good program, with all the presenters matching up and gelling really well with one another and making a really good program that is very enjoyable to watch.
So, naturally, when I got a ticket to it, and so did my dad and my brother all from my tech-loving Uncle, I was very happy to slog all the way up to Birmingham to see it (no sarcasm, but it was a long drive...).
Well boy was it worth the drive. The main show was like an expo, with all sorts of comsumer stands with rows and rows of stuff to buy, it was so tempting at every corner! I really liked seeing the little dancing robot things, and some of the TV's had a simply incredible picture.
It was then that I noticed a stand that stood out to me. What with my new found obsession with Gran Turismo back in full swing, I noticed the "Vision Racer" stand. This family run business have made a matel frame with a racing bucket seat, and a logitech-built steering wheel/gearstick/foot pedals combo, along with a TV mounted right infront of your with a PS3 rigged up behind.
And they had a competition. The prizes were ran daily over the three-day event, and the overall fastest time won a different prize. The daily winner won this (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/playstation_3/all/devices/4172&cl=gb,en) and the overall winner won this (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/playstation_3/all/devices/131&cl=gb,en). So even though it was the seats that the company made, you could still win either of the brilliant Logitech Driving wheels.
The person who sets the fastest time of that day wins the daily winner prize (see link) and the daily winner with the best time of everyone over the whole 3-day event won the overall winner prize, worth £270!
Now I like to think that I'm good at shooting games, and I'm not bad, but racing games - especially GT - are my real forte. I have never raced someone and lost at Gran Turismo, which says something. Anyway, seeing GT5 there I promtly queued up for my turn. I suppose the queue took about 20 minutes to get through. It was the Ferrari F1 2007 which I would be driving, a car that I have not yet unlocked on GT5, and I'd be using the wheel, which sadly I've never had the chance to use.
The best time of the day so far was 1:55.72. Not bad for 2 laps of the High Speed ring, and at that point I thought "Hmm. I don't think this'll go well." And it didn't go brilliantly, my first go was a 1:56.56, and then I realised that I could do this. Me and my brother are both avid GT fans, and we both kept queueing up, knowing that is one of us got the fastest time we'd have won it and it would be in out house. The next go my brother, Rob, did a 1:54.6, with me (racing alongside slightly after he started) hitting a 1:54.7. We'd done it, and if for the remaining 3 and a half hours of the show that stayed the same we'd have the daily prize.
Well, I didn't like that "3 and a half hours for someone to come along and beat you" bit, so I queued up twice more, the first was a 2:02 disaster but then - I did a 1:53.7! YES! I have the prize secured! Didn't I? I headed into the live how area where lots of very impressive stuff was done on stage by the team, and some clever competitions involving ringing a number before everyone else was there.
When we emerged from the stage it was 5pm, the time that the expo part closes, so we wern't allowed back in, but of course I'd "Left my wallet in the Vision Racer stand, please let me find it, all my money is in there *soppy eyes, sighing*". "Oh go on then - but be quick!" Step 1 complete! hey really keep security tight here 
I arrived back at the stand and there two people left queueing, and one of them was a guy in a red-striped jumper who the people running the stand - who me and my brother were now quite friendly with -informed me that he keeps setting times very near to mine. I watched as he stepped into the seat and did a lapthat was eight-hundreths of a second slower than mine. It took a second, but then I realised, I'd actually WON!
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/playstation_3/all/devices/4172&cl=gb,en
That little baby should be here by Wednesday! I'll take some pictures of it when it arrives and try to put them up here, but if I can't figure that out then I'll tell you guys all about it.
Sorry that this has been so long, and good-bye!