For Better Or Worse

My plan for the 8 day memory thing kind of didn't work. Life always manages to get the better of you and change your visions for better or for worse. Personally for me it was for the better. I got extra hours at work and therefore earned money more useful for my future. Though since it is New Years Eve, I feel a review of the year is in order. If you blinked you probably missed 2012 it went that quickly and that is the general consensus of everyone I know, that 2012 went quicker than any year ever has. I don't remember my birthday, New Years Day, the Champions League final, the days became a haze of time and people. Though my stand-out memories are ones that will live with me forever and ever. I, for example, was one of the lucky people to gain free tickets for Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, an urban music fans delight. I practically touched Rihanna, practically smelt Tinie Tempah and practically stood on top of Jay-Z, fighting your way to the front of crowds is forever worth the bruises and insults let me tell you. But the fact that I got to spend that wonderful day with some of my closest friends made it that bit more special. A shared memory that I will relish 'till the day I die. The atmosphere, the people, the happiness and the music are things money just cannot buy and memories cannot be bought, they are mine forever. But my other prevailing memory is such a massive contrast to the noise and the mud of Hackney. After a hard night of partying and running from Police we all piled into a friends house to chill, relax and get to know one another that bit better. We watched films and danced and laughed our way through the night. Then as it hit 3 o'clock in the morning everyone began to fall asleep, just me, my best friend and his girl left awake. Then as time ticked by my friend too fell asleep leaving me wide awake, restless and itching to move. So at 5 o'clock me and his girl left the house and went for a walk. Now if any of you have ever done a pre-dawn walk you will know that words cannot begin to describe the beauty of it all. The dawn chorus and the dew on the grass, the sun piercing the darkness. But next time sit by a lake. The gulls swoop over the pristine water dancing their way into the day, the surface mist rolls across the scene enveloping the world in a way so eerie that it is impossible to take your eyes off, and the sun, the golden globe of fire rising over the lake such that it takes your breath away. Beauty unmatched by anything man-made. A scene that will stay with me forever, a scene I shared with another human and one that I know will stay with her forever also. This year has of course been one of many ups and of many downs, but that one morning is enough to override any sense of regret of 2012 or doubt over 2013. I yearn for those days to come, to see what could possibly surpass that October morning, that is why I love New Year, the clue is in the question NEW year. A new me? Probably not. But new experiences? Definitely so. You don't change over night, it happens over the year. So ask yourself on December 31st 2013 am I a new me? You can say "Yes, I am" because the days change you, for better or worse. So I hope you all had a fantastic 2012, and I wish you all the best in 2013.
Happy New Year

That Christmas Magic

I was supposed to write something on Christmas Eve; get into the spirit an' all. Something real cute and touching. But as per usual I let myself down and never got round to it. However I'm here for you now and this post is part of an eight day series of posts, each day a new celebration and a new message of gratitude for every person I met and got to know and every event that I enjoyed and shared with those I adore. 2012 has been a year un-paralleled for me, just as it has for the rest of Great Britain. But it is Christmas Day and today's post is one of uniqueness, a specialty that only the birth of Jesus Christ can entertain. Today is special and the memories of Christmas last long into the December of your years. But you don't remember the presents, or the dinner, or what was on TV, or who won charades or Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit, you don't remember who was the most drunk, or who fell asleep. You remember the time you had and the people you spent it with. I'm sure in 70 years time when I'm 87, doddery and shaking, I will be remembering who I spent the 25th of December 2012 with. I know that I will not recall the watch and the aftershave and the socks I received, but the laughter and the joy shared with my Parents and my Sister and my Aunties and Uncles and Cousins and my Family. I'll remember the smile on my face, the knowledge that I am safe and I am well and I am breathing on Christmas Day. I'll remember the laughter though it were yesterday and through that dusty haze of time will I treasure that emotion of family. I am not a soppy guy, but I love family. No, I love people and I love sharing experiences with those that mean a lot. This day comes but once a year and each breath and each sight and sound and smell should be savoured, for Christmas Day is special. A day of miracles, and though one has never happened to me, I am happy for those that have felt that sprinkle of Christmas magic on their lives. So I wish to thank Christmas for bringing families together, for bringing a little touch of human kindness so warming in this winter, for making a world so dreadful, just that tiny bit better for 24 hours.
Thank you Christmas, for all you have done.

Intoxicatingly Friendly

My original plan was to post something on my blog about every 2-3 days. Of course since I found the buzz seeing how many viewers I've received gives you, I think it's going to become one of my new addictions.
I have, you see, an addictive personality; a horrible, though generally tasty, aspect of myself. The list of  "addictions" I maintain is, I'm ashamed to admit, rather long and generally costly. My main two are items I don't think I could survive without (surviving of course, being an exaggeration.) The wonderful Tic-Tac mint, and intoxicatingly friendly Monster energy drink. They both work marvelously well together also; the Monster giving me that added boost after a long day at work and school, the Tic-Tac giving me a refreshingly minty relief from the after taste of Monster. For me an excellent remedy now a habit completely unbreakable, unless I find a substitute.
It may be a faze and since I am desperate to acquire some new Nike's, I will understand quite the hole all that sugar is eroding in my wallet. It is an expensive trait, being addicted to something. I may, quite rightly, be making up this personality mess-up of mine and I may actually just be rather weak willed and just like the taste and buzz that Monster gives me. (This will end up just being an advert for Monster soon) But for now I'm enjoying the innocence of Tic-Tacs and co, and begin to break these habits before something more sinister looms on the horizon.....
Yes Ben And Jerry's, I'm talking about you.

It Didn't Rain Today.

It's always such an awkward moment when you walk into an exam about 5 minutes late and every single person in the hall looks up and stares at you. I'm generally late to everything except work and interviews. It's not something I intend on being, I always used to pride myself on my punctuality, but since I hit the 16-17 age bracket I just stopped caring. My friends all know me as "the one that's always late". That's not my nickname, but I reckon it should be, a more condensed version though. Sometimes it isn't even my fault; take today for example. I woke up on time, I showered on time, I got dressed on time, I left the house early, get to the bus stop early, but of course being British, the public transport system is a nightmare. So because of a very slow driver and a ridiculous traffic light system I did end up being late. This could so easily turn into a rant against the bus system in Milton Keynes, but I'll save that for another day. I tried to make it look like I didn't care, when I breezed into the exam hall, but inside I was dying with embarrassment. My excuse was that I was fashionably late, a horrible kick-back from working alongside high-street fashionistas everyday. But that's just me being conceited and dreamy. I was late because I don't drive, yet.

At least it didn't rain today.

Lift Off

I'm going to admit something to you straight away, before I launch myself into a diatribe of metaphors and anecdotes (that you may or may not find intriguing.) I've never been quite sure how one begins a blog? Do you open with a joke? Do you ease your readers in with a humorous/tragic/cute story from your personal life? Do you introduce yourself, giving your readers a bit of background information about who and what you are? I guess in pondering all of this with you I have, in fact, cheated my way into an introduction. With my quandaries I have slipped into a rhythm that I sincerely hope to maintain and, God willing, a relationship has begun between us. I am talking to you. Yes; you. Maybe you will be the only person to ever read this poor excuse of an opening to a blog. It is late, however, and the fact that our gas meter failed, thus meaning I couldn't cook my Spaghetti and Meatballs, thus meaning I had to eat garlic bread for dinner, thus meaning I am extremely hungry, means that I am probably not writing as fluently as I could hope for.Though I have begun. I have opened my account and now the thoughts and feelings emanating from a 17 year old inner city English boy can commence to flow, with any luck. Though I have work tomorrow and thinking isn't my specialty late at night, so I shall leave you in peace for the time being.
Good Night All.