Commonwealth Day is the second Monday in March, and is observed every year at a ceremony in Westminster Abby with the Queen, the headsof the Commonwealth and religious leaders. I was selected by the Rhodes Trust to be one of ten scholars representing them, and was very honoured, but more importantly, I was excited about seeing the Queen.

Alas: A flash of skin and a purple hat. That was all I saw of the Queen. Moments later I got a clear view of her back, but that did not satisfy me. From the side, over the heads of the people standing around me in the audience, I got a clear view of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (who has a very large bald spot that they don't ever show in pictures!) as they walked by, but HRH Queen Elizabeth was so short that all I could see over the heads was her purple hat. I weaved around trying to see her face, but all I saw was a flash of her cheek.

The rest of the Commonwealth Day Observation Ceremony was fun. Westminster Abbey is always a beautiful, awe-inspiring place to visit, and the message shared during the ceremony reminded us of our duty to our fellow human beings, especially those suffering and starving. There was an excellent Bhangra performance, which was tremendously entertaining, although I was struck by the incongruity of my surroundings: the holiest place of the Church of England, full of the remains of imperialists and monuments to colonialists, throbbing to the beat of Bhangra.

I went to watch Shall We Dance at the British Film Institute's National Film Theatre yesterday. It was amazing. Watching Fred and Ginger dance up there on the big screen was a magical experience. There is so much you miss when you watch it on a TV screen, no matter how big it is. I've seen Shall We Dance on a 40" TV screen, but it did not compare to what I saw yesterday. Fred's little gestures and motions, Ginger's expressive eyes and face, the cinematography, and the set design- so many things you miss when watching on a television screen.

My first goal, when I first became a fan of Fred, was to watch all his movies, or at least, all his musicals. My new goal is to see them all on the silver screen. Even if I have to get rich, buy a film theatre, hire the movies and screen them myself, I will do it!!

In a moment of collective insanity, the Oxford University Swimming Club elected me Man's Captain.

All I can say is: wait till you get a load of the blazer that comes with the job!