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Today is a very special day for some people in Britain. It is one of the few days of the year when Apple iPad fans can truly show their love for the gadget. For today, at 5pm, the iPad 2 is being launched in the UK. 

Outside the Regent Street Apple store, the queue has been steadily building, with the most dedicated of fans prepared to wait an amazing 33 hours. That's right, some have been queuing since 7.30am YESTERDAY just to be one of the first in the country to get their hands on the latest gadget.

We went to speak to a few of these fans to see what makes them do such a thing. Are they dedicated? Mad? Or simply very bored? You can make your own mind up from the video above.

The first video blog in a series which features Valeria Puig, a young film-maker from Uruguay who has studied in the UK and is currently working in London.

If you would like to ask her any questions please do so in the comments section below.

My initial intention was to seek a job after I graduated from Harvard. In fact, I decided to pursue a Master’s only after realizing that most of the jobs in which I was interested (mainly positions in large multinationals and international non-governmental organizations) required years of professional experience or a Master’s degree.

Continuing my studies in the United States had a number of potential advantages, including the familiar environment, the costs and the proximity to my family. However, I had my heart set on Europe. I had spent my last summer in university conducting thesis research in London and Madrid, an opportunity that allowed me to travel around Spain, France, Ireland and Italy. This was my first long trip to Europe and the beginning of my love affair with the cultural and historical richness of the Old Continent and its peoples.

Hello everyone!

My name is Maria, and I am a Master’s student in International Relations at the London School of Economics (LSE). London is the fourth city that I can call a home. I was born in Havana, the capital of Cuba, and moved to the United States when I was 14 years old. My high school years were spent in the Sunshine State city of Miami before I headed to the much colder Cambridge for a wonderful college journey at Harvard University. Last May I graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor’s degree in History, not long before I would pack my bags once again to begin yet a new life in London.

It has already been six months since I arrived in the UK and my experience so far has been much more than academic. In fact, it would be fair to say that the highlights of my time in London have been surprisingly crafted outside of the classroom, when I was traveling, meeting people from the most diverse backgrounds, getting absorbed into the enrapturing chaos of London, and really understanding the words of the great British essayist Samuel Johnson: When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.

Throughout Britain today people are celebrating Shrove Tuesday by grabbing a frying pan and cooking up some pancakes.

Traditionally Shrove Tuesday has been the last day before Lent and therefore a last chance to eat before a time of fasting. These days most people call it Pancake Day and use it as an excuse to eat so many pancakes they can hardly stand up.

Sound good? Then get involved. Here is a simple recipe to make the best traditional British pancakes.

Serves:

About 12 pancakes (enough for 3 greedy people or up to 6 normal people)

Ingredients:

• 110g of plain flour
• 2 eggs
• 200ml of milk and 75ml of water
• A pinch of salt

Method: