Not just a pretty chest

This one in The Sun* made me laugh yesterday. Probably my favourite Page 3 girl 'quote':

"Kelly thinks it's fantastic Stephen Hawking says aliens almost certainly exist. She said "It's the logical extension of the anthropic principle which means life is bound to be able to thrive elsewhere, just as it does on Earth. And I love E.T. That film makes me cry".

* For those who don't know, The Sun, sadly one of UK's biggest newspapers, has a 'page 3' woman, who always has a comment on the latest news articles.

... and I don't buy it, it was in the Chinese takeaway.

I suppose I haven't really had the happiest week...

... though nothing bad has happened either. I suppose I have done quite a lot of soul searching, and although I know slightly better how I feel about things, I'm still far from properly knowing.

There is a lot I want to write, about how I feel and things that have happened this week, but there are two reasons I can't. First, I don't want this to turn into a whiny 'emo' blog (which is really why I haven't posted anything lately), and secondly I feel quite closed about saying.

At the moment I feel quite restless. I have been looking at shared houses I can move into.

100 Things To Do List - v5

Although only one thing has changed in this version, I felt it was important enough to add to my list. Running a marathon is something that I never (and still don't) think I could do. I have added it down to the constant inspiration of MadameButterly, who also has a 'To Do' list. She recently completed her second(!!) marathon in a really impressive time, you should read her post here (she raced alongside Fatboy Slim!!). Changes are in red!

Items on the list are things that either I want to achieve, grown up thinking I couldn't achieve or wanted to achieve, things that I find meaningful, things that when I think about or hear of make me feel good, but most of all, it must be possible, and if all were completed and I die, I would feel I lived a full life.

1) Do a 1000 piece jigsaw
A difficult one of a bull attacking a football game, which didn't have a picture on the box. Had help from mom, dad and nan.
2) Learn the guitar
3) Scam my way on the radio
4) Be on TV

5) Be an extra
Extra in Souled Out, and a government training video.
6) Ride a motorbike
7) Go jogging in a foreign country

8) Outrun the police
Young, drunk and streaking
9) Ride a banana boat
10) Volenteer for charity
11) Be on front of magazine
SixtyNine Magazine December 09, and BMs company magazine July 08.
12) Paraglide
13) Attempt an Iron Man Triathlon
14) Skydive
15) Paint a painting
16) Cut my own hair
17) Be on a TV gameshow
18) Go on holiday on my own
Sweden, July 2009
19) Climb Ben Nevis
20) Visit a big African jungle. Congo style
21) Cycle 50 miles
22) Break a world record
23) Run a popular website (over 1000 visitors a day for a week)
24) Learn to play steel drums
25) Live a day blind
26) Go to Stonehenge

Story here.
27) Get something published
28) Get to be in the top 10 at something in the country
29) Camp in a foreign country
Norway! May 2009
30) Build a house, or at least a shed, but not a packaged one
31) Get a degree

Completed September 3rd, BSc Computer Science (Software Engineering) at the University of Wolverhampton
32) Make a fire with sticks
33) Learn to backflip
34) Get a lift home from a police man
While walking back drunk from Stourbridge
35) Climb to top of Macchu Picchu
36) Make a good snowman
Me and Joe, January 2009
37) Have an IMDB profile
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3090538/
38) Have a Wikipedia page
39) Start a clap after a plane landing
Story here.
40) Learn to juggle
41) Get a word in the dictionary (maybe a word for nephews and neices? .. sublings?)
42) Build a boat
43) Make an acapella song and video
44) Get something patented
45) Go to John O'Groats
46) Go to Cameroon
47) See Greek temple ruins
48) Be part of a mythology role play (orcs and magic and stuff)
49) Walk into a country pub, dressed as a cowboy, saloon style.
50) Join a protest
51) Get on Google Street View
52) Go to a random gig
Patrick Wolf, with Melissa, May 2009
53) Join a riot
54) Get another middle name
55) Make a Macho Man costume
56) Have an MMA/Boxing fight
57) Go to a rave in a foreign country
58) Campaign for something (maybe business profits to be more freely available to the public?)
59) Befriend a big issue seller
60) Rock climb
61) Start a business
62) Complete a marathon
63) Crowd surf
64) Go to the Aral Sea
65) Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet
66) Get in the credits of a TV program or film
67) Set up a charity
68) Grow a proper beard
69) Learn sign language
70) Create a decent family tree
71)
72) Learn to fly a kite
73) Become a moral invester
74) Sit in the cockpit of a small aeroplane or helicopter
75) Go inside the pyramids
76) Go over a big waterfall
77) Go in a hot air balloon
78) Fly a plane
79) Go wakeboarding
80) Build a card tower with 4 on the bottom
81) Explore 10 derelict buildings

82) Go white water rafting
My 21st bday!
83) Go white water rafting... abroad (always more dangerous)
84) Make a film
85) Make wine
86) Make jam
87) Find way around the UKs longest hedge-maze

Story here.
88) Find way around the worlds longest hedge-maze
89) Learn another language
90) Learn to ice skate backwards (and complete a lap)
91) Buy everyone in the pub a drink
92) Eat noodles in London
93) Hug a panda
94) Learn to pick some locks
95) Own a Bansai tree

Melissa bought me one, September 2009. Still alive as of January 2010
96) Go on a safari
97) Go to Asyut, Egypt
98) Be in a band and play a gig
99) See the Northern Lights
100) Complete 99 things on the list

Meh.

When I am feeling shit I don't really understand why I put it as my Facebook status. Do I really want people to know I'm feeling shit? Maybe I want people to know I'm not always happy and bouncy?

Maybe I doing it for attention? Though I'm not sure, since I really don't know how to answer 'Whats wrong?', so always end up saying 'long story', or 'nothing really', and just not talking about it. I suppose really I don't want to talk about it.

I'll be fine tomorrow.

The 'War' On Facebook

Okay. I am going to have to make this rant. Sorry. First off, this isn't aimed at any specific person, so please don't get offended.

First off, I will start this on the defensive. I don't only have 'online friends', the last few weeks I've barely had a spare night where I haven't caught up with a friend, or gone on a random drive with someone. I think I am in quite a good place to be able to comment on this ongoing 'war'.

I don't understand this sudden craze with deleting Facebook.

Before Facebook, I had a tight group of friends, and then school people who I would say hi to. Now, I still have a tight group of friends (though it is now easier to arrange to go out), and a much, much broader group of friends, of varing age groups and cities. This isn't to say the people I talk to on Facebook are just 'internet friends', quite the opposite. Some of my best friends, have became such because of our ability to communicate on Facebook. Take Amy, for example. We worked at Comet, then she left. We didn't speak again, beacuse in person, due to the circumstances we didn't really have time to 'connect'. Now, because of getting back in touch on Facebook, we realised we get on well, and talk a lot now.

Personally, I don't like to text that much. I find the medium doesn't lend itself well to getting to know people. Thankfully, Facebook allows the chat if you want it. I am able to talk to people that I dont know well enough to talk to (I don't mean to sound antisocial, but you would probably equally find it weird if I came over your house randomly to ask if you had a good weekend). Without this communication, I may not realise how much I have in common with someone. It has helped me cultivate relationships, and realise I do actually quite like some peopel that in person we didn't get on that well.

A friend who recently deleted their Facebook posted on their blog:

"And now I've realised that I don't really care about hearing about other people and their shenanigans either. If I want to hear about what they've been upto I'll ask them"

I don't understand this line of thinking. I am actually bothered about what people are doing. I'm not nosey, just friendly. If someone from school is having a baby, I want to congratulate them. The reason I wouldn't know in person is not because we don't like each other, but because we wouldn't have time to see each other. There are only 24 hours in a day, 10 of which are spent around work (getting ready, traveling, working), 8 are sleeping. I am thankful for the chance to congratulate somone that I once talked to a lot on a new job or engagement.

Also, I welcome random adds from people. I don't think 'they are weird because they are adding me', I think that potentially we could get on well. If, once they have added me, we don't end up talking much, or having much in common, then so be it. Nothing gained, nothing lost.

Facebook is an amazing social tool, and if someone cannot detatch themselves from thinking things such as popularity being based on how many friends someone has, or take the tongue-in-cheek joke about relationships not being real unless its on Facebook, then that is a problem they must deal with instead of reflecting it onto a social networking site. If you are spending too much time on Facebook, again, that isn't a problem of the site, its a problem of an addictive personality. If you feel you don't have the time to read someones status, how do you expect you will have the time to drive 30 mins to meet them?

By all means, if you don't like Facebook, delete it. But I think to use reasoning such as not careing about the people on it and their activities or opinions, you could be on track to a lonely future (outside of the fewer people you are able to connect with on a daily basis).

My Specul Christmas

This is a story I made when I was 6.

One specul

christmas Santa

came to me And

sed are yue Andrew

yes I am Andrew

will yue can help

me then we went on

the slay And gave

all the present s

And thay lace t

the Presents And we

went bac to the

workshop And had a

cup of tea

And then I Went home

And there wasnt any

tuys And I Went to the

Shop And i came bac

From the Shop there

Was lot of tus Sanst

came to my hoes.

I giggled at 'my hoes'. Playa.

My Lack of Blogging

Don't read this unless you really have nothing better to do. It isn't that interesting.

It has nearly been two weeks since an update. I suppose that wouldn't be too bad, but I have been used to doing it a lot more regularly, usually at least once a day. So, I am sorry!

I can only try and justify it by saying I have been pretty busy! And a lot of the things that are actually interesting aren't really 'postable'. Hopefully it isn't just that my life the last two weeks have been boring.

Last week I was in Newquay. I could have posted something about what happened there, but there wasn't really any pictures to be a visual aid. This weekend has also been pretty active, went out Friday and Saturday, and went to Alton Towers on Sunday... but again, nothing really worth posting.

During the weeks I've been really busy, as I started sparing in boxing, which went really good, though I couldn't really make a big post of that yet.

While I am having this 'writers block' (something I've heard loads of people say, but didn't really think would happen), I might try and write some of the longer posts I have had planned... such as the now 4-month-brewing essay on English patriotism, or animal cruelty. I might write some more stories about crossing things off my list. Or get off my ass and actually cross something off this month.

In all honesty, it feels like a lot has changed since I have became 'single'. I mean, I feel like I have a lot less time. I don't have the nights in at the moment, I have still been trying to fill all days. When things settle, and I am back into a bit more of a routine, I'm sure I will be able to get back to properly posting again!

Much love.

Ps. this isn't me saying I am stopping posting. It is more saying I am starting again!

March Review

It is April already. Wow. And yes, I know I said exactly the same last month, but it has gone really fast. Quite a bit has happened this month. The biggest thing, something I think has gone unnoticed by a lot of people, is that me and Melissa split up last week. Facebook official and stuff. I won't go into the reasons, but hopefully my blog shouldn't turn too emo because of it.

Anyway, in relation to the original new years resolutions, and my 100 things to do list:

Pros:

Got my website to connect to the database. Not difficult but I was being lazy.

Went to Stonehenge.

Completed the UKs longest hedge maze.

Explored a derelict building.

Visited Prague.

Cons:

Haven't cooked once.

Haven't looked at my finances. Is it a bit late to bother now?

Still haven't finished the first months book. Wow, I really should give up.

Haven't got any better at the drums.

Overall:

On paper it looks okay... though most of the pro's happened in the same day. I am going to try and have another adventure this month, or at least plan a load for May.

Aims for April:

Start sparing in boxing.

Go on 2 decent bike rides in preperation.

Cross one thing off the list.

Book another flight.