European Adventures: Berlin.

Chillin' in Berlinin

We woke up at 6:30am to leave Amsterdam in order to get the 8:32 train to Berlin from Schipol, only we arrived at Schipol at 8:35 ,missing our train by a few minutes! We  had to wait 2 hours and 45 minutes for the next one. Mand and John passed the time by erratically playing snap causing me and the surrounding people around us to jump out of our skin every few minutes. Once we finally got on the train we managed to bag table seats for the four of us. Within the first few stops though we found ourselves hopping from seat to seat as we hadn't made reservations (we sound so unorganised!). Eventually we found seats which weren't reserved and settled down for what soon became one of the longest journeys of the entire trip. The train journey was meant to be 6 hours maximum but due to going the wrong way (I have no idea how that is possible on a train track) and then being caught in a thunder storm we ended up staying on the same train with limited food and water for a bum numbing 9 and a half hours!

Despite how hell-like that sounds I found it all enjoyable , having adopted the role of 'sloth' I managed to sleep through the majority of it anyway. Once we arrived at Berlin Hbf we got the S-Bahn to our hostel ,which turned out to be anything but the 'hostels' we had in mind! When we got off the S-Bahn storm clouds were brewing and I was adamant we would get caught in a downpour, even attempted to put my waterproof on, luckily it didn't rain. We found our Hostel really easily, well anything was better than the maze that was Amsterdam.We thought our Hostel in Amsterdam was alright until we were exposed to the wonders of 'Plus Berlin'. When we walked into the massive reception the wind was blowing and the 'reception' sign was swinging violently, I thought it was meant to swing until a member of staff shouted 'close the doors!' and the sign stopped swinging. Besides the disappointment of the simple sign the place was so cool, and spacious! Walking with our jaws on the floor we opened our room to discover a massive en-suite, bunk beds and cupboards,luxury! From our room you could see out into the courtyard which had ping pong tables and rabbits roaming about it. We genuinely thought it couldn't get better, until we saw the restaurant,bar,swimming pool and sauna! For 10 euros a night we truly couldn't believe it.

Although we'd been up since 6:30am we were determined to check out the city before our friends came the next day. We walked around,admiring the graffiti and the layers upon layers of posters until the sound of live music diverted our attention we responded accordingly, by following it. The sound lead us to what looked like a standard house, as we stepped through the door way an enthusiastic barman beckoned us into the room (which looked like a front room) where a Swedish band were playing. There were quirky paintings on the walls and candles everywhere, I'd found heaven. We had our first tastes of Berlin beer, suitably named 'Berliner' listened to the bands entire set,then decided to headed back to our PLUSh pad.

Our first morning in Berlin was an early one, due to a very high pitched, non-english speaking cleaner. If  I was ever worried about feeling disorientated when waking up in different countries every few days this wake up call only confirmed them. I completely forgot where I was, which country I was in and was totally unaware of who the hell was shouting 'House Keeping'. Ed was also in a total daze and found himself quizzing the house keeper as to what time it was. The cleaner replied in German then continued to bash about in the bathroom, forcing us all to heave ourselves out of the beds.

Our friends from home who were also visiting Berlin at the same time as us ,even staying in the same hostel  arrived at 'Plus' at about 10:30am.We headed straight out to explore our surroundings. We walked through backstreets, beer in hand, with John leading the way we ended up getting lost at least three times so decided to get the more reliable 'S-Bhan' to Alexander Platez. When we arrived hunger had set in and the smell and previous recommendation of the local 'Currywurst' stall was too much to ignore. We sat on some grass to experience our first proper 'country' dish whilst a few of the other lads, after all day and night travelling, had a little doze. The lads decided to head back to the hostel to check in properly and more importantly catch up on their sleep in order to hit the bars later on. The 'Interrailers', myself ,John,Mand and Ed decided to stick around and explore further. We walked down the longest road I have ever walked down to arrive at the Branden Berg gates .As soon as we arrived the 5 year olds inside us all surfaced and we found ourselves instantly drawn to Mickey Mouse , as a natural response we seized the opportunity for a photo. Only after the quick snap Mickey removed his glove and repeatedly pointed towards his dirty palm. We had no idea what to do, we had no change and couldn't speak German, I think we just walked away, with our once pristine image of Mickey thoroughly tarnished.

Ed outside the Reitzster

We walked through the gates and ended up at the Reitzster, where we sat for a while, the weather was beautiful as was the building.After lazing about we decided to walk back down the very long road to explore the 'Siegessaule' which we had earlier passed.The exploration consisted of climbing the thing! There must have been at least 200 steps, and after a days walking around the city we were thoroughly drained. It was completely worth it though as the views from the top were astonishing. We were able to see the park we'd walked through and how green the city actually was, we couldn't see a great deal for trees! After the grueling ascent and equally as fear evoking descent I was very happy to be back and ground level, once across the deathly roundabout that the Sigessaule sat on we went in search of a comfy seat and some refreshments.  Following signs for 'cafe' we ended up at a quaint 'English' Garden however, ironically, non of the waitresses actually knew English. After quenching our thirst with large coca colas , pulling putrid faces then taking ridiculous photos (something we made a habit of doing at every meal, or drink time) we caught the S-Bahn back to our Hostel.



The Siegessaule.

When we returned to the hostel our friends from home had already done all their basic shopping which consisted of, shots,amaretto and lots and lots of beer. With this concoction floating about the place and after a few dirty pints we were tipsy to say the least. We went on a Berlin bar crawl, starting from a bar that we didn't realise was in fact a gaybar, well that was until we noticed the pornographic paintings within.We then hopped from rock bars to beach bars and finally to a shisha bar where we got a true taste of Berlin and more importantly, mint tobacco. We decided to call it an early night and headed back to Plus at about 3am as we were going to the Zoo early the next morning.



After a few dirty pints, worse for wear.



The 'Zoological Gartens' were beautiful. From Bears to Sloths it had them all, a personal favourite, as always is watching the monkeys and their ahem, unusual, habits. Once we'd witnessed enough wildlife we headed back to our Hostel in search of the Berlin wall. We thought we'd have to get the S-Bahn but after asking a local man it turned out that the wall was a few hundred metres away from our hostel! We started at the East Side gallery, wrote our names on a tatty sticker, admired the graffiti then rested at a beach bar alongside the river.

When we returned from our cultural trip to the Berlin wall the lads were already in the pool.We had urgent washing to do as dirty clothes were festering in our bags, we put them in the washing machines then quickly donned our cozzies and soon followed (swim) suit. bad bad joke. The pool was freezing but the sauna was sweltering, still we appreciated it all as we remembered it was only costing us 10 euros a night! After we'd 'swam' (no swimming was actually done) we went to check our clothes and put them in the dryer in hope that they'd be dry for the nights outing. 35 minutes later our clothes were still soggy! We couldn't be bothered to hang around by putting them up to dry so I went out in damp socks, yum! The night started with more dirty pints in the lads room. One of our friends hadn't yet turned 18 so we were worried whether he would get in to Lidos 'Rock AG' night. It turned out that he got in fine whereas we were questioned for ID! With us all feeling happy that we all made it in the tone was set for the entire night. The music was brilliant especially in the silent disco. We all went in, dubious and doubting but within minutes we'd found a station we liked and began to belt it out, I'm sure you're not meant to actually sing a silent disco but we did nonetheless. Being the only British people in the small room at the time we dominated, probably because we were the only ones who actually knew the lyrics. I caught glimpses of the locals moving their headphones back as to hear the lyrics first hand from our mouths. Most of the night was spent there,loving every moment. The interaillers amongst us had to leave as we had to catch our train to Poland, leaving the Hostel at 7:30am. We thought the night couldn't get any better , until we walked back to the hostel, through an under passage ,to discover an amazing band playing a public gig! From that magical moment onwards, I started to realise just how much I loved Berlin.



Despite our early night (of 2am) the lads weren't content with our early departure, singing screaming and banging on our door, they let the whole of our corridor, the hostel and probably Berlin know that they had returned. We got them back in the morning by returning the favour by banging on their door, hoping they already had banging heads. We grabbed breakfast at the local bakery and walked to the train station feeling like we'd only just got off the train there! We witnessed creatures of the night crawling out from every crevice who had clearly been drinking and dancing the entire night. With that lasting image, we left Berlin, full of beer and freshly baked bread!

Bye Berlin, you certainly wern't the CurryWURST place we went!

ASBO-LOOT-LY RIDICULOUS!

I have never been so enraged in my entire 18 years of life.

Having been evacuated from our work place early my sister and I found ourselves glued to the television , watching footage of familiar shops in Birmingham being ransacked. When things get close to home they really do have a huge impact. Videos from  the bbc website left a nasty taste in our mouths and a storm brewing in our minds.



The London,Birmingham,Leeds and now Manchester riots highlight everything that is wrong with humanity. I am all for the power of the public and political protests but these riots are purely opportunities for criminals to club together to reek havoc. The fact that rioters who have been interviewed cannot even confirm which political party is in power shows just how naive and mislead they really are.They claim the reason they are 'forced' to loot is due to the recession , which causes me to struggle to see how ruining small businesses and local shops is going to do anything but sink us deeper into it! A little bit of logic would go a huge way right about now.

If I were in charge I'd place a curfew so that anyone found on the streets past 9pm would be arrested, immediately, we need to nip it in the bud. Why are we laying down and just letting this happen? Water canons, rubber bullets, tear gas, anything to shake them up! What really annoys me, despite wanting to emigrate myself, this country has so much to offer, so many opportunities. Why can't these hooligans remove their masks, metaphorically and literally, and see what they've got and appreciate it!

One thing that made me smile is watching this video of a woman who stands up for herself, her local businesses and Hackney. Also on the news they mentioned how 600 people turned up to help clean up Clapham streets, despite the minority that is truly ruining everything for the majority there are still good people in this world. I haven't lost all hope in humanity, yet.


The looters need to get a lives of their own and stop ruining everybody elses.

European Adventures ; Amsterdam.

Damn you Amster!

On July the 3rd myself and three friends embarked on our month travelling around Europe, full of apprehension and excitement. We caught a plane from Birmingham Airport, where we all gained an insight to how heavy our bags were. The lads weighed in at about 11kg each and Mands bag weighed at about 13kg. Myself probably being the lightest and in turn, the weakest ended up packing and therefore carrying a back-breaking 14.9kg bag! Carrying it for a few minutes in the airport allowed me to forsee the sheer pain I'd be in for the entirety of the trip. I have an obsession with the number 23, something I've been meaning to blog about but have always put off. We were seated in row 23 (a,b,c,d) which I convinced myself meant that everything would be alright. The journey was surprisingly smooth, having only travelled with my parents in the past I was used to constant stress revolving around passports and tickets but already I was seeing for myself how easy travelling could be. The plane was sprinkled with your typical 'Amsterdam' visitors, people who go purely to abuse the lenient marijuana laws, young and old.

As soon as we arrived in Amsterdam I realised that the seedy city I had in mind had been completely abolished by its clean streets and beautiful buildings and parks. We managed to get a great ,unplanned, tour of the city as we got lost for 3 hours trying to find our Hostel! Once we arrived, we realised that we must have passed the street at least 4 times , even stopping for a break, to nearly give up on our search, opposite it! Our first hostel experience was pleasant, it was better than what I expected anyway. We had two other people in our room, which was interesting. The first night we sampled the coffee shops, accidentally stumbling across the HIGHly regarded 'Abraxus' ,that in itself was full of awkward moments, from not having a lighter to coughing after the first drag.If anyones been to Amsterdam you'll know that it all looks scarily similar, especially at night time, after certain chemicals had entered your blood stream, all this amounted to usgetting hopelessly lost again (something we later made a bad habit of). After another 3 hours trek,we came back to find that the key we had left in reception was missing and we had to wake the two people (who we'd never met before) in our room in order to get in. After a few ambiguous knocks we gave up and went to get a spare key from reception, once in the room though the giggles kicked in. The whole idea of us trying to undress really quietly in the pitch black as to not disturb two women we didn't know at all just tickled me, as it did the others. We found ourselves cramming in the toilet ( we had an en-suite) to brush our teeth and more importantly try to extinguish our giggly bouts.

In the morning we had to endure the same pain as we tried to get ready in the least noisy manner, having packed my bag with everything being in individual plastic bags,this was near impossible! Once we had escaped the room we went downstairs to claim our  breakfast that was included in the price. Everyday the lads had a cup of tea and I ended up having multi-vitamin with bread and butter, very exotic. The three days we spent in Amsterdam were mainly spent at Vondel park, we'd go to bakeries and the market in search of fresh,cheap and local food, buying baguettes and humus we had a beast of a picnic in no time. The sun was shining so much that by the end of the day we were all a shade of crimson! On our second evening we went to Anne Franks house. One quote that really resonated with me was her desire to 'ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young and know that I'm free' because it almost exactly summed up how I was feeling, knowing that she never had the freedom made me emotional but appreciative of the opportunity I had, as I had never felt so free.

After another exotic breakfast of bread and butter and multi-vitamin our last day in Amsterdam was spent hiring bikes and almost being killed by trams. We hired them for three hours and within 5 minutes of loosing the lads me and Mand got hopelessly lost and ended up at the Hienekin factory! Luckily I'd bought a phone to use whilst away and rang the lads to meet up in our beloved Vondel park. Once we came back to the Hostel Mand discovered that her expensive filter bottle had leaked all over her Interrail pass and Passport! Although her hair was now green in the passport photo no serious damage was done,luckily. Panic over we went out to eat (something we did every evening whilst there) at some cheap Italian restaurant 'Venisia' and headed over to 'Easy Nights' for a spacey dessert. Returning to our hostel we noticed we had new guests in our room and always enjoyed trying to guess their age,nationality and gender.After a few hours they kicked in, from water fights to whipping wars we giggled ourselves gaga. We slept like babies, we needed to as we were travelling to Berlin the next day.

saying goodbye.

Today I said goodbye to my twin sister for 5 weeks. She's going to Greece for a week and I'm going Interrailing for 4 weeks, this will be the longest we've ever been apart from birth. I'm a bit apprehensive about spending so much time away from her, who will tell me when I really do look like shit or when I was out of line. It will be good practice for Uni I suppose but it still sucks at the same time. Bar that tiny disadvantage Interrail is set to be the best 4 weeks of my life. With tours of Anne Franks house, Bone Museums,Boat parties and music festivals how could I not enjoy it? I'll be sure to blog blog blog and blog until I blog myself to death about it.

Seasons change,it will never be the same.

Lyrics from the sensational Bonobo never cease to sum my exact feelings up.

 Although there are so many exciting things to come, travelling, summer job,End of the Road festival and the biggie ; Uni, I can't help but feel as if I'm going to loose so much. I went out with a group of my friends on Friday to celebrate the end of exams, honestly one of the best nights out I've ever had, despite maybe passing out on the toilet. It made me so happy to see so many familiar faces but at the same time it made me so sad, the realisation that I won't probably have that opportunity to be with so many people in the same place on the same night again. With some friends doing 6 months out in Canada (bloody jealous) and others parents moving away from Walsall, its going to be so complicated to just agree to get everyone together at the same time.

This summer is going to be utterly dedicated to my friends, squeezing every last bit of joy out of them before we're forced to depart.

Bye-ology.

I do not know how I have survived to tell the spine tingling tale but, I have finished my Biology A-level. I had one exam last Monday and one today.I've also done my English Literature exam and have my English Lnaguage exam on Friday.

I have never felt the sheer joy  that ripping my revision notes off my wall ( okay slowly peeling them of as to rip the paint away with the blu-tac, it's the sentiment that matters anyway) brought to me. I have never seen my recycling bin brimming with so much highlighted paper. If all has gone to plan and the gruling hours spent locked away with nothing but fruit tea to keep me sane actually pay of, I should be swapping the streets of Walsall for the shore of Bournemouth. Where better to cure a continual hangover from freshers week (and the rest) than the golden sands of the Southern shore.

I have no idea how I have faired but all will be revealed on August 18th. eeeeep. Except I won't be getting mine until the 23rd probably because I got myself a summer job! My sister and I both landed one of the most rewarding and fun jobs an 18 year old could possibly have over the summer. We're going to be Playscheme workers at the local deaf centre. Basically we get paid (very well) to run around pretending to be kids again, including free trips to the likes of Drayton Manor and Legoland. Excited is not the word!

More pressing issues, where do I purchase the cheapest bottle of vodka? Jokes aside, the more pressing issue is my month travelling around Europe. By the end of April I had raised enough money to get me to Amsterdam and that's about it but through selling my clothes on facebook, to asking for sponsors from school the figure slowly began to decrease and became more managable. Eventually all I required of my parents was emergency money ( blatently just going to be spent on cheap German beer). So my backpack ( which is literally the size of me) is packed, and has been for the past month, I've had exams okay, the only thing that kept me going was putting a new thing in it everyday. Wow I really am sad. My sister and boyfriend brought me a Fisheye camera which I am dying to fill with photos of the trip. 10 days til I go, I'm slightly apprehensive and nervous but excited beyond belief more than anything.

Wish me luck. I hope I live to share the stories, my god there will be so many.

Revision and relapsing.

Three weeks ago I chipped my front tooth whilst drinking from a glass bottle at a night club, my friend is a very adventurous dancer and has been known to throw his limbs about, in this incident his arm was the weapon of choice and my tooth the innocent victim. Anyway due to having had to have a cap put on (so I could happily venture out of my house!) I'm unable to drink tea for a month or so until I feel as though it has settled. (I'm not allowed coffee or wine either, but that's not the point) From going to drinking 4 cups of tea a day on average to nada, my body has really felt the difference, surprisingly the benefits. I always used to have a cup of tea before I went to sleep every night but now ( having been on fruit tea for the past week) I've slept like a baby, I've noticed that despite a severe lack of caffeine I've felt much more energetic and in turn productive. I did however give in last night, the tea bags were tempting me and the kettle was convincing me, I couldn't resist. I thought I'd feel waves of satisfaction wash over me but I actually disliked the taste. Despite my little relapse I don't think their is a future for me and tea! tooth luck tetley!

Anyway revision is firmly underway with my revision notes firmly plastered all over the walls of my parents house (yes even the toilet!) the ceiling seems to be falling in (surprisingly not due to the lack of notes I've stuck on it) because there is just far too much to learn! There is 30 days until my first (Biology) exam, I'm running out of time!!!!

A weekend of weddings and weeping.

Friday was the Royal Wedding and I can't say that I was that elated to have the day of school. There are 7 weeks until my A-level exams and to tell you the truth, I am no way near prepared. However I wasn't a total scrooge and spent the day watching my friend play cricket then went on to a street party. There were a few bands that played, a free BBQ and face painting, what more could you ask for really?

Saturday was spent travelling to my Boyfriends (new addition, feels odd typing it) friends wedding where we were treated to even more free food and by Jove did we take advantage of it, we even stayed until after the reception to not only help tidy up the hall but to more importantly tidy up the buffet! Eating aside, the weather was glorious and the bride looked beautiful , I may have nearly blinded her with my awful confetti throwing technique but the day went without a HITCH nonetheless.

Sunday was very much a day of recuperation, doing absolutely nothing until 6pm when I was rushed out of the house to go and watch my sister in her most recent show 'Take A Bow'. I always enjoy going to my twin sisters performances because in the interval I always get mistaken for her (what? I'm not going to turn down praise) haa. The funniest thing is , even the director who has been working with her for the past year came up to me after the show and congratulated me, poor bloke, his face when I told him he'd got the wrong one.

If my sister does become a success I may as well lead my life as a professional lookalike.

Bloomin' beautiful day with Baycat.

My sister and I are pretty keen photographers and when our mates band Baycat needed some pre-gig photos doing we were more than happy to lend a hand, or four. The flowers were in bloom and the sun was beating down, what more could you ask for?

Motivasun!

The Easter holidays have rolled around so fast! It only felt like yesterday I was celebrating my 18th Birthday but that was 7 weeks ago! With these holidays comes alot of responsibility though, it's now or never with the revision. I have 10 weeks tomorrow until my first Biology A2 exam, to say I'm worried would be the understatement of the year. I've worked out if I revise for 3 hours a day ( 1 hour for each subject; Biology, English literature and English Language) then I will just about cover all of my syllabuses before the exams really kick in.

I normally rise at about 12pm/1pm in the holidays but today a beautiful beam of light coaxed me out of my cocoon. There is just something about the sun which makes me want to get up and start being productive, I'm a bit like a bee I guess, the most productive when the flowers have bloomed and the sun is beating down. You'd think with this glorious weather the last thing I want to do is revise, that's not the case at all, I strangely enjoy revising, whilst laying on my trampoline in the sun. I even managed to walk to the local town centre and go to the library, granted I sat down and read for all of 5 minutes but I got a few books out which should see me through this stressful yet sunny season!

After the library I went to local Arboretum and thoroughly soaked up the sun. I suppose the bad thing about living in Britain, and Walsall especially, is that when we have a good few hours of sun everyone suddenly thinks they are on holiday, the lads walk around topless and the girls walk around practically naked, considering Walsall has one of the highest obesity rates in the West Midlands this proves to be a tad mentally scarring. One perk  of the local Aboretum is that they open up a kids 'swimming pool' which is basically a dip within the parks surface, which they fill with water, an absolute highlight is watching the lifeguards fish around for feaces and other little presents the tiddlywinks have left for him. I sound like a sadistic , cynical shit, when infact I truly love the summer & the arboretum.

Organisation.

One thing that has always , always baffled me (I was a very inquisitive child) is the fact that some people do not want to donate their organs. I'm very open minded and truly do respect religious views about the body after death etc. If there is a god though, surely he would want you to help others? even after you've passed. I really think the government should look into enforcing laws by which everyone ,from birth, will be added to the organ donor register but have the option to opt-out of it by then removing themselves from the list. I honestly think, as much as it pains me to say/type the main reason for people not registering is because they haven't found the time or 'can't be bothered with the fuss'. It takes 3 minutes,literally, I just re-registered to check my details were still on the system from when I first signed up when I was 9 years old.

It angers me that thousands of people are dying every year whilst organs rot away in the ground or are burnt to dust in cremation. Am I seeing something that other people (politicians) aren't? How can they be so oblivious to this obvious solution. As cynical as it sounds it's probably due to the paper work, if as many people would opt-out that currently haven't opted in then there would be a mountain of files to be dealt with. I'm fortunate enough to not have anyone in my close family and friends require an organ, but you never know when it will happen, it may even be you who needs a new kidney, or heart.

I don't like to preach, in fact there is nothing worse , after watching Louis Theroux's documentary on BBC 2 last night I have now witnessed the sad and quite frankly terrifying way in which people are manipulated and would hate to come across anything like that. honestly ask yourself these questions now, why do I not have a donor card? or why do I not give blood?

comical conundrums.

There is nothing like sitting down to watch a great comedy ( I advise you watch 'I love you Man') with your friends or family, but is comedy more powerful than politics?

I went onto channel 4's on demand website (4od) and whilst flicking past the most recent and popular programmes from ;Unreported world to Superscrimpers (waste not want not) then typing 'Friday Night Dinner' into the search bar I realised that I not only potentially clicked away from some programmes that would open my mind, widen my knowledge but I also skipped past the opportunity to learn how to seriously save some cash which directly affects my life. It was in this moment that I realised, we all may have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge but all we truly want is something that takes us away from the harsh reality of life, something that distracts us from the disaster and cures us of this discomfort. So I'm currently waiting for Friday Night Dinner to load, in the hope that even for a few moments I'll laugh aloud and be transported to a higher level of happiness.

I sound so depressing! It really gave me an insight into human nature though, we are social animals who want to entertain and in return be entertained! As a budding scriptwriter this has turned everything I have ever written on its head as I write pretty deep, thought provoking stuff (as you may well have realised- sorry I'm not depressed I swear!) and now I've realised, whatever I write, however deep and complex it may be we truly do enjoy the simple pleasures in life, simple and sweet comedy moments are what we truly remember and go on to talk about with friends. Debates are great but laughter is what binds us and brings us together.

I need to start working on my comedy writing.

Happy Bythday Emma Case.

   This evening has been one of the most magical and momentous evenings of my life. I honestly don't think I have ever felt this elated for a couple. Today was Emma Cases' 30th birthday , and this evening was her party. I met her through a drama group a few years ago and we've remained in touch, she is a fully fledged wedding photographer now and business seems to be booming. She is the complete epitome of the old saying ' good things come to good people' anyway she'd organised the whole thing months and months ago. The theme was 50's and everyone got fully kitted out in 50's gear, the whole shebang from the iconic hair styles right down to the types of heel.

  The venue was just seamlessly suitable with the 'Enchantment Under the Sea Dance' theme, there were beautiful little lollipops and cakes and for us greedy gits there was a full on pork bap spread. An hour into the already wonderful evening Pete Smyth (Emmas fiance) gathered everyone around the stage, we knew there was a surprise but nothing in the world could prepare us for the sheer shock as the crowd was parted and slowly formed into an aisle. Before we knew it we were peering over one anothers shoulders to catch a glimpse of bride maids walking down the aisle followed by Emma in her beautiful vintage wedding dress.

THEY WERE GETTING MARRIED.THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER FINALLY GOT TO BE THE BRIDE.

 I don't normally get emotional over weddings or general romance, but something inside me clicked as I watched her walking up to us, I just couldn't hold back, I was bawling like a total baby.

Myself and the bride.

  They both then revealed to us that they had gotten married earlier, low key, at a registry office. I was stunned, for years now everyone has been awaiting the invitations for their wedding and I never in a million years would have guessed that they would do it on Emmas birthday. They then said their vows to one another (yet more tears) and had their first dance (yes even more tears, I'm surprised my make up managed to withstand the waterfall). With the producer of Deal or No Deal on the decks the music was ideal, with a mix of 50's classics and pure rock 'n' roll (which is perfect for Pete).

Their first dance was to this song;


Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros "Home" from on Vimeo.

    I still find it very hard to put into words how truly amazing this night has left me feeling. I will never ever forget this evening and the events that unfolded before my unbelieving eyes.I may have come away with a few cavities (I ate far too many lollipops) but above all I have come away with so much admiration (didn't think I could have much more) for the utterly perfect couple that is Mr & Mrs Smyth.

The seamlessly suited, sneakiest and sweetest couple in history.

avon! av it!

I finally got myself a job, after four days of looking. Surprised myself there. Yes I'm going to be that annoying woman who drops off that annoying, expensive make-up catalogue then expects you to keep it in pristine condition (or just keep it) for them to collect the following week.

This year has been a corker , things are finally falling into place, so what if being an Avon lady isn't a 'proper' job, It's still a job, and for me that is a bloody achievement! I'm driving, I'm 18 & I shall soon be earning my own cash. 2011, you beauty.

bearing the weight of adulthood, or not.

On our( I find it very odd saying 'my' birthday, as I've always shared it) my sister and I both got a lump sum of money from our parents, my sister is putting it towards her summer drama course and I'm hoping to splash it on my travels in July! (far too excited about going away for a month, I must try and focus and get these blasted exams done, and done well).

Anyway on our birthday I bravely went into the bank and got my own bank account set up (wheey adult points) I also went to the phone shop and sorted out my own phone, with my own contract, with my own money (kerching,adult point overload ). On the evening of our birthday my sister and I had a Chinese meal with the family where we were given a bottle of champagne each (hoorrah even more adult points) however once I had shaken the bottle, to the dismay of my father " you're going to smash the conservatory roof" is still ringing in my ears, I tried forcing the top of, the anticipation was insane but was soon diffused as I realised the bottle was in fact a screw top! ( major loss of adult points).

After the meal we necked the champagne, setting ourselves up nicely for the events that followed. We went to Snobs in Birmingham, I'd love to say I remembered the whole night but that would be a lie. I vividly remember dancing like a total lunatic with 3 other looney mates in the 80's room, whilst receiving a lovely batch of peculiar looks from the surrounding dancers. I thrived off it! Snobs is now one of my favourite places to go. We went to Propaganda (at the o2 academy) on the Friday after as well, that was as equally as good, with the following morning being equally as bad.

It's really odd now, being an 'adult' you almost feel as if you have to be responsible and mature. When I was younger all I ever want to be was an adult, now I'm that, there is nothing more I want than to be a child again. typical ay.

Metro Madness.

I love reading the Metro (for those who don't know what this is, it's the daily paper we have on all public buses in the UK) because I refuse to watch the news on the television, partially because I'd find something more entertaining to watch (I'm obsessed with TV drama) and partially due to the fact I can't bring myself to face the harsh reality of live and the constant bombardment of negativity. The Metro is my only window in which I gaze into and find out about the goings on of the whole wide world. Anyway something I read today in the Metro really ruffled my feathers, the full article can be found here, in brief though it describes this 'new revelation' that birds can feel empathy towards their offspring. It's great that they have finally realised this and are raising awareness of the fact birds animals and most organisms express these 'human' traits and emotions however how could you assume that they never did beforehand? I'm a firm believer that all animals, mammals and reptiles, from pig to possum have and frequently display these 'human' qualities, we just are not aware of them.

A vegetarian ; I am not, a hypocrite ; I most certainly am. Although I devour probably the equivalent of an entire pig in a week in bacon, pork chops, sausages and ham I still resent the way in which we exploit these animals. I'm aware that we have a higher level of intelligence and a sophisticated communication system but who said that we have total stewardship of this planet, and can help ourselves to resources at every trophic level (producers, consumers, secondary consumers) of every food chain? Who is to say monkeys couldn't run it any better than we do? Look at what we've done to it, it's a total mess. In the most non-suicidal and pro-genocide way, I truly believe it would do this planet a world (no pun intended) of good if the human race was entirely wiped out.  Food chains would be able to reform, populations would return, those on the brink of extinction may well boom in numbers, who knows? If it ever happened no-one would ever know. Without our meddling machinery and greedy grazing on all of the worlds resources the world would thrive, dogs and domesticated animals would die yes, but the advantages outweigh everything.

World issues dealt with, my own little world has been pretty hectic recently (good hectic though) since my birthday It's been non stop, from further planning of my Europe trip to extensive revision sessions, I've barely had a moment to stop, to think and most importantly to write. I'm going to try and write at least once a week, to prevent my head from exploding more than anything else.

snappy happy.

I submitted some photos that I'd taken in the winter to american internet magazine 'Side B Magazine' and I was pleasently surprised that the photos had be chosen to appear in the spring issue.

check it ooot!

http://www.magcloud.com/browse/Issue/167122

 photography is just something I do when I'm bored really, writing is where my heart is.

feels like I've been weighteen forever!

Tomorrow I will finally be 18! ohh yes.

To be honest, it has flown by. Waves of excitement keep washing over me when I least expect it, for instance when I was making myself a brew I got the biggest bundle of butterflies, had to sit down. haaa. Excitement does strange things to me, it makes me want to exercise and eat well. I should get excited more often, as should everybody out, wipe out obesity in no time at all ;)

Childhood only feels like yesterday, but tomorrow it'll be lost forever. Hello adulthood, drinking,clubbing,driving,University ; RESPONSIBILITY :| Naaa. I cannot wait for what is to come. This world is my oyster and I am going to drink it dry!!

MMMMillie, MMMMollie, MMMMMandy.

Sounds like a list of the top three girls and even more popular ,dogs, names at the moment( minus the excess 'M's). Believe it or not this is the name of our family delicacie(in our eyes anyway). If you're the type of person who loves mixing their mash ,butter and beans together with a grating of cheese, then you will no doubt love a Millie,Mollie,Mandy.

 

Mash your baked or boiled potato, heat it up then chuck in your butter,cheese and milk then the tiniest dollop of Marmite.  I forgot to mention you may have to be partial to a little dollop of gag inducing Marmite from time to time. Nothing warms you up better on a frost February evening. I assure you.

football* crazy, football* mad.

*IS.

After watching Tony Jordans' cleverly conceived 'Hustle' with their main story revolving around the game, it reminded me how much I despise everything that it stands for.Don't get me wrong I think that putting politics to one side and focusing on a sport is great but it's the industry and more importantly the financial side that I really hate.



The fact that players such as Cesc Fabrigas (Arsenal) earn up to £4.5 million a year for kicking around a ball whereas the average firefighter and police officer who essentially save lives and prevent crime earn between £22,104 and £26,109 a year. Not to mention in LEDC's (less economically developed countries) £4.5 million that Fabrigas earns in one year would feed, accommodate and supply a family of five for a minimum of 20 years. When it's put into perspective like that , it really makes you realise whilst these footballers are off jetting around the world , being worshipped by generations of football fans and being lusted for by thousands of women, families are starving, praying for rain,food,shelter, praying for something.


It's those football fans that control everything though, they may claim to love the sport but even admit that the players salaries are ridiculous as are the ticket prices.They can act upon it though, the consumer are always in control, they supply the demand, the big companies just don't like to let them know that. If every single football fan got together and decided to not attend the next 10 big games, the industry would be forced to lower ticket prices and in turn lower the salaries of the players. I'm not denying that football brings people together and proves to be a great topic of conversation to be had down the pub with the local lads. Sometimes though, I feel that , that is the only reason some people follow the infernal game, just so they can talk about it. Then again isn't that what all of us do from time to time? Listen, watch or participate in something just so we can talk about it after?



If we look at the grand scale of things, take a giant step back. The football industry is the biggest in the world, if every player donated a quarter or if they're really generous ,half, of their salary then I am pretty sure we would be making leaps and bounds in eradicating poverty , not only in this country, but around the world. Maybe this is the hippie inside of me finally clawing it's way up from the bottom of my gut to my fingertips, but to me it just seems logical. Does anybody really need a salary that big? Surely after they've bought their fifth Porsche and second mansion they'd have some left over that they really won't use.


I'm probably only saying all of this because I know I won't ever earn that obscene and absurd amount of moula and it angers me. I'll be a skint scriptwriter for the rest of my days whilst footballs continue to drain the similarly skint football fans funds ,which will most likely be spent on strip clubs and gold plated phones. The public really do have the ultimate power, I just wish they would realise it.

wishing winter away.

In three weeks I'm 18. This year seems to be working out well, with an offer from Bournemouth under my belt,a driving certificate and an almost adult status I didn't think it could get any better but it really will.

I'm travelling Europe in the summer with 3 friends. I am beyond excited. At first I kind of assumed we'd talk about it alot, plan it even but it would never actually happen. I don't like to let my hopes get too high, my gran always said it's better to have low expectations, that way you're never dissapointed. Last week however we solidified our sweaty summer plans, we booked our flights to Amsterdam. It finally felt like it was really going to happen, since then we've managed to pull our socks up and turn our pockets out by booking our first two hostels ,return flight and even a ticket to 'soundwave croatia 2011' a music festival supposedly like the Croatian alternative of Big Chill, with the same amount of quality acts. That's all I think about when I go to sleep, skanking on a beach or even better on a boat. We're starting in Amsterdam in early july ,making our way to Croatia by the 20th, it sounds crazy, after 20 days on the road (well the tracks) going to a music festival, I'm sure we'd be pretty drained by then, not only our energy but our funds. Cash worries aside Interrailing 2011 seems to be shaping up to be a trip of a lifetime, lets hope my life doesn't peak that early though, ay.

may still be a briefcase wanker but at least I won't have to be a bus wanker for the rest of my life!

I passed my driving test, first time round, yesterday. Chuffed is not the word. When the examiner said I had passed I was awkwardly drinking and half-choked as cliche as it sounds, I was so surprised. I'm on my mums insurance but limitations are still there though, having to find the right time to take the car out, when it's convenient for everyone. Despite passing I don't think my parents trust me in their car, which is fair enough. It's funny 'cause I don't think I'll ever drive as much as I have done recently (a few hours everyday) ever again. I'd be content with that, I want to buy a bicycle and ride that. It's cheaper and healthier for both myself and the planet! Guaranteed if someone gave me the opportunity to have my own car I'd jump at the chance.

Scriptwriting,nail biting.

I'm contemplating getting this (picture above) as a tattoo as I'm approaching the age of consent. Yes as scary as it seems in a mere month I will be an official adult. I don't feel ready at all, the cravings are there to go out and buy alchohol and go to 18 films ,but I've realised I'll spend the rest of my life being a legal adult though, it'll probably only be fun for a few weeks.I'll have to change the name of my blog aswell, not quite sure what to.

I cannot wait for the summer  (I'm going travelling around Europe with some friends but I think that deserves a separate post) and I cannot wait for university! Anyway enough of wishing my life away.

To tattoo or not to tattoo, that is the question.

I'm someone who gets bored very easily and despite how much I like the idea and look of tattoos I'll most likely end up hating mine within a month or so. Another thing is the price. I want a tattoo to mean something. I suppose a typewriter means something to me, I want to be a scriptwriter. What if that goes tits up? or even worse I loose my passion to write? what then, I'll have a typewriter on my forearm for life.I suppose it's the little niggling doubts that ultimately decide for you. I think I'll give it a few years, find my feet ,friends and favourite things.