Boyfriend

BUYING A present for a partner is never easy. Unfortunately, in these days of stylish mass consumption a box of Ferrero Rocher just doesn’t cut it. But have no fear; Student Direct is here to help.

What would you say if I told you we had sourced hand-made, limited edition, one-off accessories for men at a price you could afford? If you would reply with ‘Shitting crikey, get me that man-bag!’ then read on…Bags of Flavor are stylish bags for the discerning punter. If Ian Brown or Pharrel Williams had to carry A4 folders around Manchester, these are surely the items they would be rocking with pride. Mention Student Direct and you can get ten percent off any bag.

Pac-Man 12” Bag: Bags of Flavor started making bags in 2001, for DJs such as Mr Scruff and Unabombers. Perhaps that is where the inspiration for the Pac-Man design came from. Where other than the dance scene would you see people running around to repetitive beats whilst munching pills?

If your boyfriend is of the scenester/kitsch persuasion then he will no doubt be very impressed with this gift. Just be sure your fella is comfortable with his sexuality if you expect him to leave the house wearing one of these. £31.50 with discount

Leather 12” Bag: Bags of Flavor has had a shop in Afflecks Palace since 2001. Sadly it has to be vacated in January of next year as Afflecks is to become a residential development. When ‘Afflecks Wharf’ swishes its ludicrously expensive new doors to its residents in 2009 it will no doubt be officially opened by the ‘talented’ Shayne Ward in the final throws of his wretched career. He will not be wearing anything as remotely stylish as this bag. £36 with discount

Tweed 12” Bag: Formerly associated with academics and librarians, tweed used to be fairly harmless with few discernable social effects. But with stronger hybridised forms coming into the country, tweed has become a dangerous product, which can cause paranoia, munchies, dry mouth and even psychosis. £36 with discount

Ten percent off any bag until 31st December  2007 if you mention Student Direct.

Wood, 55 Oldham Street, Northern Quarter
0161 832 5739

Brother

As a student living in the big smoke, you can impress your brother with your big city ways. Why not get your sibling something from the world of legal highs, represented by the eminent institution, Dr Herman’s. To the uninitiated this Northern Quarter shop can seem like entering an alternate universe, revolving around drug paraphernalia, poppers and every type of different pill, potion and powder you can imagine.

Chemistry: My year eight class once had a visit from a police officer that warned us off drugs. The story he told was of an LSD user who thought he was an orange and peeled his skin off. Even my drug free twelve-year-old brain deduced that PC Kellit was talking utter bollocks. The makers describe these pills as ‘the next generation of legal alternatives to drugs such as LSD’. And there is a money back guarantee in case he peels his skin off.  £10.00 for three tablets.
Spice smoking mix: As far as fake weed goes, this stuff is class A. When smoking, the smell would not be out of place being passed around by scallies on the top deck of a magic bus. It tastes like weed too and gives a pleasing effect of mild euphoria. The ingredients list is hilarious; apparently this stuff contains Indian Warrior, Lion’s Tail and Siberian Motherwart. At under a fiver for just over an eighth, it is a pretty good alternative for the discerning smoker. £4.99 for four grams.
Sweet Bush smoking blend: Apart from the rude sounding name this herbal mix has little to offer the serious stoner. At £9.00 for a quarter it could be an alternative to cigarettes in a joint or bong. The aroma is powerful when smoking, and not dissimilar to a mint shisha. Unlike the considerably better Spice smoking mix, if you sparked up a joint of Sweet Bush at a Cypress Hill concert you would have people asking why you were smoking pot-pourri. We recommend this not for the effects, but because it will give your brothers bedroom a much needed odorising. £9.00 for seven grams.

Dad

Buying gifts for your dad is pretty easy. You either get him a CD called ‘Dad Rock’, yet another inscribed mug/glass or some ‘hilarious’ cartoon decorated socks. So why not try a bit harder this year? If you buy something from an independent shop they will almost certainly be more impressed than if you get them a present which still has the ‘Boots three for two’ sticker on it.

Since there is every chance you are spending dad’s money on the gift, you should be able to boast your frugality to your dad as much as possible. This is where the interweb comes in. The nice people at www.agameshop.co.uk have agreed to give a ten percent discount on all the following dad-gifts. All you need do is quote the word STUDENT when placing your order. If ordering by telephone, please state “hello Mr. A. Gameshop, that journalist says thanks for the free giant Connect Four set.”

Micropool Mini Pool Table: It’s often said that being good at pool is a surefire sign of a misspent youth. That’s simply not true, as I had an awfully misspent youth, but remain worse at pool than Jeremy Beadle. What can be said for sure, however, is that pool is one of the few things in life where performance improves with alcohol intake. So being good at pool is a surefire sign of a misspent evening in a bar.

Whether or not your dad was a former young offender, he could not fail to enjoy this mini pool table. As the picture proves, it will no doubt have him grinning like a lobotomized chimp within minutes of unwrapping. £35.10 with discount

Starter Roulette Set: A friend’s dad once lost his house in a poker game. He was out at a casino all night, and come morning he returned an emotional wreck with the sorry news for his breakfast eating family. While they were sleeping the family home was lost, won back, then ultimately lost. That’s not a joke. It’s a true story.

This fun gift holds none of that danger, as this starter roulette set is designed for home use. So if your dad does gamble and lose the house, it’d probably only be to your mum. Apparently this set includes the roulette wheel, a baize mat, 2 balls, betting chips, a croupiers rake and two decks of cards. £22.48 with discount

Available from www.agameshop.co.uk discount code for ten percent discount: STUDENT