Four years ago (almost exactly to the day) I went to watch Iron Man with my bestie, Pav. Marvel Studios are keen to be the first to reach the summer blockbuster summit every year. (Does this really matter any more? Perhaps not, I always thought it was about being the best, not about being the first!) Little did I know at the time that this was the start of a long four year journey that would bring all the Marvel characters together on the big screen for the first time. I cannot recall now, if it was Pav himself or some obscure web posting but we stayed until after the end credits of Iron Man. (I would subsequently do this with all Marvel comic book movies). Sure enough, Nick Fury, (Agent then, Director now) of S.H.I.E.L.D made his first on screen appearance. I was pleasantly surprised by the selection of Samuel L. Jackson in the role but anyone would have been an improvement on David Hasslehoff in the poorly received TV movie. The stage was set but I was apprehensive. Could a director really pull of a movie with more than a single superhero? Over the years, each hero was introduced in turn, with Tony Stark having the privilege of a second outing before finally we arrive to 2012 and the release of The Avengers. (Avengers Assemble in the UK due to various legal rights issues but I still prefer the original American and international title). Of all the Marvel films, the only I did not see in the cinema was Captain America, which I do regret after watching the Blu-Ray some months later. I was skeptical if Chris Evans could fill such a major role. Particularly after his rather arrogant turn in two Fantastic Four movies as The Human Torch (which although part of the Marvel Universe, I have opted to not cover here). However, that was a supporting role in a team dynamic, would he cope on his own? May last year I went to see Thor which was perhaps a movie highlight, I felt underwhelmed by Iron Man 2. The weight of expectation lay very high on The Avengers. Early reviews and blog posts posted the most favourable of reviews. I was looking forward to this movie even more now. Yesterday morning, my colleague Harps also gave hints of a awesome movie in prospect (without revealing anything) even adding that he was excited for me to be seeing it on Tuesday night.

There was a time that I went to the cinema on a Friday night on the week a movie was released. That was back when the cost of tickets were as little as six pounds. My venue of choice was Vue in Reading, particularly as they had the advertising contract with Pearl & Dean at the time. However times change, particularly when you move out from home and have the reality of additional outgoings. Having moved to Slough last April, my local multiplex is the Empire in the High Street. Not my first choice of venue but they had taken the Pearl & Dean contract from December 2010. The few redeeming features are the fact that the parking is free (a mute point as I live only ten minute walk away) and on Saver Tuesday the tickets are just a shade under three pounds. (Obviously 3D is slightly higher, but half the price you pay on a weekend screening). We had the 3D glasses from our last visit which we have kept, particularly as they cost a pound to replace. I was bursting with excitement throughout the day, as you can tell from my various tweets. Would this be a false dawn? Would I be left disappointed?

After a quick dinner, we jumped in the car and headed to the Observatory car park. We were early but I was keen to get good seats. I am quite particularly about my seat, it has to be in as close as possible to the centre of the auditorium. The showing as at 8pm, we had fifteen minutes to wait and I had left my mobile at the flat. Michelle used the time wisely checking Facebook. While I made a start on the popcorn. The film started, I was tense, how would it all pan out?

At the end, I sense people might start applauding as the credits rolled. Even on this school night in a half full screening. The verdict – one of the best movies I have seen this year and without question one of the best comic book super hero movies adaptations of all time. It just worked and everything came together perfectly in the end. The humour was there, the action started from the first scene and the characters were perfectly cast. In particular Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, a quiet and rather understated performance as Dr. Banner but perfect as the angry green beast. I enjoyed the battle between Thor and The Hulk, a relatively equal match up of sorts. The Black Widow had a great deal of screen time and I can never tire of seeing Scarlett Johansson in tight PVC body suit. Overall the movie did not take itself too seriously but the tension was well placed in pulling the characters together to fight a joint cause. There is the rivalry and suspicions you expect but in the end they work together to defeat the villain Loki but it is not easy job. The film is so good, both Michelle and I want to go and see it again, yes it really does deserve a second viewing at the cinema! My favourite character? It has to be billionaire playboy and philanthropist Tony Stark. If you want to talk about upgrades, his introduction to the piece is breathtaking and I love how his suit disrobes itself. (Difficult to explain in words, check out for glimpses in the trailer).

Joss Wheldon had a mammoth task to bring together four major comic heroes (all of whom have had their own cinematic outings in the recent past) along with some minor but nevertheless important characters in Black Widow and Hawkeye. He somehow managed to pull this off with some panache. The action is timed to perfection with the story never stalling and the humour scattered throughout, much of it with no dialogue whatsoever, just the characters reacting to one another. All done without having to resort to the campy feel of Batman & Robin. Overall and most importantly it was entertaining, it had the audience fully engaged with every second of the story as it unravelled on the screen in glorious 3D. This was a movie that did not really need the gimmick of three dimensions, if anything I would have preferred to watch in 2D to fully enjoy the experience of the story. The movie was shot in 2D and then converted in post-production into 3D and you could tell which scenes (generally action based) had been enhanced by the extra dimension. However it was not a significant factor for me, unlike other movies such as say Avatar. Easily one of my favourite comic book heroes of all time and perhaps the best movie of the year (so far). The Dark Knight has some mighty big shoes to fill. Surely Christopher Nolan is up to the task!

Personally I am glad those days are behind me and even if I wanted to play games now I would be struggle to find the time in the diary. Plus I know you schedule an hour, before you even glimpse at your watch or the clock, three hours have passed by. In addition to this, is the threat (although she refers to it as a promise) from my beautiful wife that she would rip the games console from the wall and throw it out the window, if she was ever to find me playing video games. (An Xbox 360 is unlikely to survive a four storey drop).

During Britain’s Got Talent last weekend, I watched an advert, which I thought could seriously tempt be back into gamer mode. (Although let the record show I was rarely any good!) We tend to watch Saturday night (and the majority of our television in fact) on a delay. The actual phrase I am well inform from those lovely people at Hummy TV forums is called ‘chase play’. On this occasion it was due to The Voice UK overlapping with the ITV show but in general we prefer to be able to fast forward through the ad breaks. Generally I rarely pay attention to the adverts, even though this is the most expensive slot of the week for advertisers. I stopped and reversed the recording to watch the official Microsoft advert for Stars Wars Kinect. Although this one below is much better!

I want one of those, particularly the limited edition R2D2 console. However I found the price (one morning this week in the Metro) at a staggering £350 which is just too expensive when the standard console is down to just over the one hundred pound mark. Even when you factor in the cost of Kinect and the Star Wars games, you realise how much of the fee must go down to the licence from LucasFilm. Nevertheless, the true power of Kinect is starting to be harnessed. I just love the idea of waving my hands around in my living room like a real Jedi!

The marketing department were well and truly in force at the office this morning and even though I did not get a chance to go and get a photograph with the Stormtroopers myself, Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi (actually Ben from IT but you get the Star Wars reference I’m sure!) was able to upload a selection of images to SkyDrive.

In January 2002 just before the second semester of my second year, I joined Fitness First on a pay as you go contract. Based a good fifteen minute drive away from my student digs, around the corner from the soon to be opened Walkers Stadium. I did slightly better than the DMU Leisure Centre. I think I managed three visits before the end of the academic year. In July I started my sandwich placement based in Bedford. The closest Fitness First I could find was in Berkhamstead on the route home. I managed one session here, before realising it was too far out of my way to be worth considering as a viable option. Instead I opted to go to the Fitness First in Uxbridge at weekends, predominately Sunday mornings. I believe I managed around six to eight (I very much doubt I broke into double digits) visits before finally terminating my membership. The irony is that a Fitness First finally opened in High Wycombe, at the Wycombe Retail Park in December 2005. A little too late for me.

There was only one conclusion. I was not a gym person. I would not be breaking out into a sweat at the gym like many other people and I would have to find other activities to keep an active lifestyle. The reality was I was not unhealthy and perhaps a little underweight rather than overweight. All that changed almost exactly four years ago.

Since starting an active gym programme (that is signing up to a gym and actually attending on a regular basis) I have been a member of four gyms and switched over to my fifth, EasyGym this Thursday evening. The concept is similar to any other EasyGroup business. Strip down a business to the bare essentials and charge for all the extras. Rather than a flat membership which encompasses classes, sauna, spa and swimming, have just a two tier pricing model. Basic gym membership or classes and give the member the option to pay as you go for the classes and upgrade their membership should they wish to. The best part, no long term contracts, no excess joining/admin fees. A low cost charge every month I have to admit was the main draw for me, even though this gym is based in the town centre and a further walk away than Montem. I have never used a spa, sauna or swimming pool (I cannot swim) at previous gyms, so these extra are just wasted on me. I created my profile online on Wednesday evening and on Thursday had to have my index fingerprint scanned for the entry turnstiles. This was 2012!

I met up with my personal trainer Kas and went down to the office for a twenty minute interview on my goals and aspirations. I then booked in my fitness test for Saturday 11am. I knew the results were not going to be easy to stomach but I had to start over again and even though you have probably heard it many times before I am dedicated to actually getting myself fit this time around. Too often in my gym programmes I have got complacent and just coasted along on the same regime for months (even a year) on end!

Sometimes the only way to face the reality of your situation is to get some hard facts. Weighing myself and having my BMI (body mass index) on paper. I am technically obese believe it or not (even by .6 points)