1. BE IGNORANT
The British are proud to be lazy at languages. So who needs to know how to speak Bulgarian, when they can speak fluent English?

2. WINGE ABOUT FOOD
Why go to Bulgaria and try their cuisine? I go on holiday to eat. I expect mouth-watering feasts padded with grease and calories. Not to be served fish with heads, cold stew and half-cooked chicken. Stick to the chips.  But, even this leads to a battle with the Bulgarian server. I don’t see myself as a fatty. However, clearly she did, putting me on a limited diet of ten chips per day.

3. GOODBYE SKI SCHOOL
Nobody wants to go to school on their holiday. Therefore, become a ski school dropout and take on bigger challenges. This may result in broken bones and bruises.
However, to the instructor’s amazement, we limped back laughing at the unusual achievement of a snapped ski.

4. FALLS
Delve into the British dictionary and study all the foul language. Then when you lose your balance on a steep slope, use this language freely to warn your innocent victims in front. But if you would rather watch dominos fall, stay quiet and creep up on your victims. Be warned, your belly muscles will ache from laughing and random bruises will appear. I spent most of my falls with my face buried, eating the snow.

5. POTTY PANIC
Unfortunately for our modesty, alcohol dissolves the childhood memories of potty training. And, no holiday would be complete without alcohol. Therefore, become your two-year-old self and leave no territory uncovered. But just remember when you awake from your drunken slumber, not to slip and fall in the puddles.

6. BEWARE CHAIRLIFTS
Chair lifts are the ultimate challenge for the inexperienced skier and their bowls. Enjoying beautiful scenery for twenty-minutes on the chair ride does not sound worrying. Wrong. Imagine being trapped when you’re ill, suffering from the consequences of Bulgarian food and alcohol. As a friend you snigger at their embarrassment. But, the lack of escape route makes you wonder if their white trousers will be white much longer? Another non-escapable symptom is the hangover sickness. Although, take advantage of this and aim at innocent skiers below. Then, just as you think it is all over, you have to battle with skis and poles to fight and escape the end fall of shame. Failure will embarrassingly stop the entire lift.

7. BLAME THE MAID
Experience the luxurious life. Take advantage of your daily cleaner by living from a festering heap of belongings. But, as soon as your troublesome mess gets too big and you lose lingerie, rings and money, blame the maid. It is her revenge for you slob behaviour, until it appears the culprit is your boyfriend. But, don’t feel guilty, just hope he was not modelling them.

8. STEAL EVERYTHING
Set a challenge and gather souvenirs’ from the local pubs. Start discreetly with tinsel and baubles from the Christmas trees. You are doing them a favour really, Christmas decorations should already be down. Then, become experts and slyly steal photographs and coat stands. If anybody questions your actions, simply tell them: “Management asked me to take this outside.”

Having completed a tour supporting Jessie J and N-Dubz, Encore are set for sure success this year. The urban/pop band are busy promoting their new single, ‘Fun Last Night’, which is out on February 26th and this week while in the North East they called in to Spark FM for a chat with Ethan O’Leary on Drivetime.

Ethan has chosen Encore’s new single “Fun Last Night” as his track of the week.

If you missed their chat on air you can listen back to it below now…Enjoy

Sam with the Geordie Shore Lasses

The lads and lasses are back for Geordie Shore season 2 and all the action begins this Tuesday at 10pm.

MTV’s highest rated show caused waves of controversy last time around and there’s no doubt the exact same will happen for a second series of episodes.

Criticized for its portrayal of “real geordie’s” drinking, having sex after a booze fueled night and endless fights and arguments, the next installment will apparently be even more intense.

Divided opinions still remain with some saying its harmless fun with others claiming the show is negatively affecting how the North East is seen across the country.

Spark FM’s Sam Willey met with the cast at The Living Room in Newcastle to discuss the brand new series.

Will it be bosh? We’ll find out on Tuesday! And then tune in to 107 Spark FM the day after (February 1st) from 12pm when we’ll be broadcasting both interviews with the lads and lasses from Geordie Shore.

But for now here’s a sneak peak:

This is only the start – we’ve got Spark Magazine relaunching on Friday, our brand new iPhone and Android apps shortly after, and we’ll be constantly working on the website to bring you even more great features.

Enjoy!

The Barnsley native talked test cricket, the referral rule and the teaching of the sport to young people in Britain, with fellow Yorkshireman Andrew.

Chris Heal and Gruff Jones are also on hand to quiz the sporting legend with the First Test between Pakistan and England well under way- what does Dickie think of England’s chances…?

www.thedickiebirdfoundation.co.uk

Former SAFC chairman Sir Tom Cowie has died at the age of 89. He was awarded an OBE in the 1980′s and was knighted in 1992.

Sir Tom was a massive supporter of the University of Sunderland, donating £600,000. The Universities St Peters Campus where Spark FM is based is also known as the Sir Tom Cowie campus.

He was chairman of the Black Cats during a time the side narrowly avoided relegation to the Third Division, during his time he sacked three managers.

The club have responded to the news stating:

“Everyone at Sunderland AFC would like to offer their sincere condolences to Sir Tom’s family.”

Sir Tom took over North European Marine Services, a business which was nearly bankrupt and managed to turn it into a successful metal storage business on the banks of the River Wear.

The entrepreneur died at his home in County Durham.

Spark FM’s Josh Coles caught up with Steve Heywood Head of Communications at the University of Sunderland:

Kodak? Well, no, actually. Today Kodak, the historic photography equipment firm has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US.

Kodak has a long history, dating back 130 years, but they have struggled to adapt to the digital age, with competitors coming along and grasping digital much sooner than Kodak could, leaving the brand trailing in a packed market.

Kodak cameras were used on the moon landings in 1969.

The bankruptcy protection means they are given a period of grace to restructure and reorganise the company. What Kodak are hoping to do is sell off a stack of technology related patents that could provide valuable income.

In the past 10 years, the firm has phased out film and traditional photography, closing 13 factories, and losing 43,000 workers.

It hopes to be able to continue to pay staff.

A lover of all things 50s and 60s I jumped at the chance to see this incredibly popular show. An offshoot from the compilation CDs of the same name, the coming off age story follows a typical high school nerd with ambitions of rock and roll stardom. And in true musical fashion he falls madly in love and faces a multitude of twists and turns along the way.

The Cast of Dreamboats and Petticoats

Packed with no more than 44 hits that had the audience, clapping singing and swaying along with the cast (which can get slightly annoying after a while, however I just kept telling myself that at least they’re enjoying themselves), our archetypal high school love birds take us along an incredibly predictable yet charming journey through a 60s childhood. David Ribi is cute and enjoyable as our goody two shoes-come-rock and roll prodigy Bobby and Anna Campkin and Dan O’Brien have fantastic stage presence and Samantha Dorrance of Disney Channel fame is convincing as our stereotypical school girl who in a salute to Grease begins to turn into a swan and wins her man’s affections. X Factor hopeful Terry Winstanley also has a cracking voice worthy of the x factor title.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the show is it’s commitment to live performance. All of the music for the show is performed live onstage by the cast and the combination of actor-musicians gives the show that extra edge that it needs. There’s something spectacular about a girl in full costume rocking out on a baritone sax and then joining the ensemble in full character complete with petticoat. This requires a totally new level of skill from the cast and it was this that really set the show alive for me. Special mention must also go to the fabulous accapella performance, the harmonies were amazing and a crystal clear vocal from Dan O’Brien was a truly fitting tribute to one of the most exciting eras in pop. The show contains elements of really clever direction with the slow motion boxing scene incredibly well executed.

The show is a certainly a crowd pleaser and everyone around me left beaming from ear to ear. Although the nostalgia factor may have bypassed me, Dreamboats is the perfect oppertunity to relive the best days of your life (that’s if you lived through the sixties of course). The story is cliche and the characters predicable but it’s delivered with enough charm and technical skill to combat any predictability.

Dreamboats and Petticoats is at the Sunderland Empire from Monday 16 – Saturday 21 January.

Tickets priced £15.50 – £29.50 (with Premium Seats available) are available from 0844 871 3022* and www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland*

*Booking fees apply.