Afternoon Bloggers,
What to talk about? Where to start?! This last week, although highly expected to be a nothing week, an end to the year, an anti-climax to a great first semester, well it has been surprisingly eventful!! A sensational final week in Cadiz before Christmas filled with Fun, Frolics and Banter!
The first occurance was a disspointing one. As myself and Matty rolled up to the Bar Cuba Christmas Party, not only was it a poor showing, but we were greeted with good drinks, and bad news! Bar Cuba as we knew it was to be no more! *Pause for brief mourning* The plan? To transform the little 'Bar around the corner' into a Cadiz institution, the likes of which they had neve seen outside Tigres in Madrid! A bar where not only will you be able to get great drinks at great prices.... but with each drink you will be given a great plate of Tapas. Indeed not the Cuba we know and love, but perhaps one that will grow on us during the long months after Christmas.
Nights out were kept to a minimum this week, with the holidays coming up we kept the number to one, some say for economic reasons, some say to allow their liver and kidneys time to rest and replenish after a long 3 months! So without the problem of a hangover, (a problem that keeps many an Erasmus student in bed until the latter stages of the day) we were able to awake early and play football at 10 am this week, a time i do not like to see very often if i do say so! And what a game it was, the first hour, the planned hour, flew by and by the time the buzzer sounded to alert us our time was up we were beating the Italians 4-2. This was only the beggining! It was a match for the decades, if Chris Kamara had been there, he most certainly would have been saying Unbelievable Jeff! There were great goals and gaffs everywhere! With a crowd cheering us on the teams lined up as so:
England
Ashley Milns
Michael McPherson
Geoffrey
Matthew Stevens
Max Sturridge
Mathew Clarke (ME)
Italy
Alessio Fabrizi
Alessandro Tiri
Anthony Sica
Lorenzo Daniele
Daniele Di Rocco
Caca
The stage was set, the courts were booked, the passion was there, the game was ready for the greats! With a 4-2 lead we were pretty confident, with myself and Mike and good form in front of goal (at that stage!) we were looking the sharper of the two teams, comfortably stringing passes together and making our way towards their goal. This fete was not to last for much longer, as we fatigued, the atmosphere dropped, and we were under pressure, the Italians pressed and pressed and thanks to the indoor goalkeeping heroics of both Max and Ash we managed to keep them at bay enough to up our moods and start playing football. Before we knew it we were being called outside for the final 45 minutes and we were 7-5 up.
Outside was a whole different entity. We didn't have the space nor the time on ball we had indoors and failed to adapt quickly, but neither did the Italians. Some scrappy football followed and we found ourselves on the right end of a 10-6 scorline, however, the nightmare that followed could only be down to one thing, or then again many one things; My groin ripped to shreds, Mattys blisters the size of moon craters, Mikes bad leg, Ashleys weakening wrists and Max's smokers lungs, oh yes and the ever cursing quote; "10-6... this is a landslide now boys!".
With 20 mins left at the most we took our foot off of the pedal and last all sense of teamwork and football playing, shots were being taken from anywhere, people were not passing but instead running into trouble and a couple of ball misses added to the mix made us look exactly like the England contrast before and during the World Cup. The Italians, sensing our inevitable head dropping, pushed on, upped the tempo and played some lovely confident football. At 10-8 Ashley upped his game and we saw some Banks-esque saves being pulled off, a unit that size in nets thta small isn't easy to beat and as bruised and battered he is now, we were glad to have him there! After Max hit the post from an open goal, a shot of mine from jst over halfway connected agonisingly with the post face and then controversially i was denied a clear goal which was over the line but the Italians were having none of it, and we were left thinking, maybe today just isn't our day?!
But 2 and a half hours later, a knackered knee, awfully painful ankle and greatly deteriorated groin muscle, as well as discovering the new Adny Caroll in Max, the new Neville Southall in Ash and the new flops in myself Mike and Matty, we stood there victorious. A 10-9 final scorline was the show of our efforts, and the only thing that still today i take as comfort for how bad my muscles hurt, i mean yesterday i lay on the sofa, in agonising pain, unable to muster up enough effort to move my legs, and i could literally sense the ball, a mere metre away from me, laughing away at my pain!!!
But football was not the only highlight of a great final week of the first semester. The guys went Ice Skating the other day and as i watched on (unable to skate with my painful legs) i was left to ponder the semester gone by.
As i look back at the great times i have had this semster, the places i have been, the drunken antics, the sober adventures, trips to Portugal and the surrounding Andalucia, the Uni banter (topped today by our English class in which we saw 20 spanish students singing to Jingle Bells without a care in the world) and the amazing people i have met, i am left saddened that half the journey is over. Not half the time, Second semester is a longer one, but half the people, half the fun, and half the adventure is over. People will leave either this week or in February, people we have gotten close to, people i have spent great days and great nights with, and i will be sad. I will never forget the likes of Max, of Tash, of Stephan, Melli and Nico and any other people who are set to return to their home countries or other countries around the world for Semester 2. However new people will come, new bonds will be formed, and new adventures will be enjoyed, Semester 2 i challenge you to better semester 1!
The one thing i was surprised it is the fact that how well we all gelled. People from countries not only around Europe but the world, thrown together in a small but beautiful city, in a busy University, with a strange culture and a strange language, and i can stand (well sit with these bad legs!!!) and safely say, we have all gelled wonderfully. Matt Cardle was right you know!!... When we collide, we come together. As we were thrown together from different parts of the world we connected, we befriended each other and made freindships and relationships that will never be forgotten.
Oe thing i am not saddened by, one key part of this time, is the fact that in less than 48 hours, less than 2 days, i will (weather permitting) be stepping foot off of the plane, back onto English soil, and i will be a very, very happy guy!
The christmas season is one i look forward to every year, but this year means so much more to me, as im sure it does to every Erasmus student heading home for the holiday season. A chance, THE FIRST CHANCE in 3 months in which i will have the chance to see my family and best friends back home. Christmas with the family, sat around the table and being thankful for the opportunity i have been given, and then New Year and nights out in between with my mates, dinner at the grandparents the sunday i return for my first sunday dinner in over 3 months!!!!! and days spent at Zest working with some of the best people i have ever worked with fun and laughter. I shall enjoy every minute of the 3 and a half weeks i will be back for. It shall fly by, this i know, but i shall cherish every moment i spend at home, because semester 2 will give me very few opportunities to return home
Brace yourself Donny. Mattys coming home!!!
So here's to Christmas and thew New Year. Will i blog whilst in England? Well you shall just have to wait and see, keep checking Facebook, keep checking the site and who knows, maybe i'll keep you up to date with all the donny frolics... that is of course is Santa lets me know you're all on the nice list.
I thank you all for reading my blog in Semester 1, you have filled me with so much happiness, seeing the Blog View counter soar to close to the 2,500 mark has been one of the happiest moments of my life! And i hope that i have not dissapointed you at all along the way.
So what now? Well i am about to go get dressed, Persigueme is calling, 10 euro entry for all you can drink ermmmm YES PLEASE and after that? Fight the hangover tomorrow to pack and head to Malaga before boarding my 3.25pm flight on Saturday to Leeds Bradford.
Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Happy Blogging :)
Thursday 16 December 2010
Friday 10 December 2010
When Life Gives You Lemons.... Trade Them For Some Chocolate!!
Afternoon Bloggers,
So its been a strange week here in Cadiz. The Puente (Bridge) has been almost a week long stretching from Saturday to Wednesday so no Uni until Thursdsay! Also with the Puente comes the inevitable shutting down of Cadiz! Shops do not open, people dissapear and the place goes from wintery dullness to unbelievabley wintery boredom!
How can one battle such boredom? Well the return of one Matty Stevens helped! Football Manager season was back up and running after our brief but ever-painful Autumn break! The discovery of Pokemon online literally was too sweet for words!!! But the real ace in the deck was the brainwave to hire a car and hit the roadtrip baby!!!
What a great, cheap and cheerful way to discover the Iberian Peninsula and beat the boredom! Portugal was our desired destination.... The journey would be a treacherous and hilarious one...:
After picking up the beauty that was our white Ford Focus on the Tuesday we headed out to Puerto Santa Maria for a few ours exploring the local beauty. We saw the Plaza de Toros (Bull-Ring), had lovely Tapas and a nice experience of Katie's first time driving the european way, not hitting the curb would have been preferred, but hey, why not start as you mean to go on!!
An early night was planned, but didn't quite come to fruition! Up till 2am watching Bad Santa with Matty in order to help me doze off before the 7am setting off time!
Half 6 rolled around and out of bed i stagggered, Ash already up and almost ready. The shower managed to awaken me slightly more but being up at half past 6 in the bloody morning for the first time in what must be over a year was difficult to comprehend, and my head was definitely not in the game!
However the walk to the car park did indeed wake me up, the cool breeze down Sagasta and the moist air on the sea front as the early morning waves crashed against the rocks below once again awoke me not only to the early morning, but to how much i have to appreciate where i am and the opportunity i have been given!
So the journey began, the plan was to hit a McDonalds on the way for breakfast, drive through Huelva after Sevilla, before crossing the border into Portugal and the Algarve, stopping off at Tavira before reaching Faro where we would explore until we set off home. Plans never remain the same do they?!
The McDonald's breakfast ended up being a half past 9 chicken nugget meal with chocolate sauce and Crunch balls McFluffy to help it on down. McDonald's breakfast, it would appear, does not exist over here. Dissapointment Number 1! Huelva however pleased me, if not only for the McDonald's, but for the maze that we chose to drive round! A confusing city to drive around, although the architecture there was pleasing to the eyes. Spanish gaff number one.... Early mornings are not my thing, i am a morning person, but they usually happen to be mornings that look alot like midday!! So asking where the exito was instead of the salida (success instead of exit) was just a speed bump in me awakening to the road trip experience!
After Huelva it was a long road to Portugal, what was in tow? One of the best Storms i have ever seen!! With my manly naturally awesome navigation skills we easily made it across the border, and as we did, not only we were greeted by a sudden decline in road quality (no wonder these guys are about to be bailed out!) but also by a roar of thunder. The rain began to hammer down on the body of the car, the roads became increasingly covered in a sheet of Portugese rain and Katie's (actually good driving skills) became all the more under the microscope as we hoped to make it to Tavira in one piece!
Making it to Tavira in one piece ended up not being the problem at all, but in fact only the start of the adventure to come, as we drove through the picturesque Portugese countryside, mountains either side of us, lush greenery to match, we were greeted with a huge flash of lightning and the subsequent glorious roar of thunder, sparks were definitley flying, and we? Well we were loving it!! We reached Tavira at around half 10 portugese time, half 11 Cadiz time. We parked up on a hill outside a church as we allowed the storm to die down around us.... well that was what we hoped. After 20 minutes of sitting there playing the Categories game we decided to just head to Faro, who knew we'd be going half the way on a boat?!? To get out of Tavira was a difficult task! The key problem? The fact the whole of the lower village was flooded, up to 3-4 feet of water at seemingly every turning. The first mini-lake formed on a road we decided to avoid, deeming it a little too deep, the pirtugese man urging us through seemed to have a different viewpoint!! The next newly formed river along the way we had no choice but to brave! Rental car or not this bad boy was crossing the sea in true Moses style! We did part the sea, but only by creating waves that flooded shops either side of us, to see the dismay on the faces of the Taviran people could only be topped at that point by hearing Tash freaking out in the back of the car as she urged us not to go through the ocean in front of us, the fact that we didn't have a choice just wouldn't quite click with her!! So we picked up a steady pace and braved the waters, 3 and a half foot of it just seemed like an obstacle and challenge we'd get by on the way to having a great day!
After the few rivers to cross in Tavira we were back on the road to Faro, happily away from all bodies of water, and greeted by some more beautiful scenery as the lucious green landscape of the Algarve wowed us!
We managed to reac Faro in good time and parked up next to a little shop called Sandwich Greggs, i think they still need time to really discover the catchy name that will make them some money! I am not saying that walking around Faro was like being dragged back 50 years, no actually i am! We hit a wonderful little museum before heading to the harbour for a drink a relaxation as we planned the rest of the day. Faro was dead, one upside was everyone spoke English, but as we walked through the streets we could count the amount of people we saw on our fingers! The only interesting thing in the streets was a dog that decided we would be its owners from that moment on!... A little nibble of my bum and scaring Ash were its greatest accomplishments before ditching us to explore the harbour as we sat down and made our action plan.
After assessing what there was to do in Faro, we discovered, in all honesty, it wasn't very much! Off season obviously wasn't a great time for this little part of the Algarve! So we decided to wing it! Head down to the coast to take a look at the beach and then perhaps follow the coastal road around to the airport, Montenegro and find somewhere to spend the day.
The beach was strangely beautiful as the choppy waves soaked the fishermen and made a beautiful sight for us to look upon before Ash belted up and took over the driving.... girls in the back, men up front, and we finally had the control, not like we didnt before i mean come on i was co-pilot all the way! But we knew with us up top, the day was definitley going to be a success!
Back on the motorway we took account of the signs and decided that Albufeira was to be the destination was the rest of our adventure. On the way the rain picked back up and so did the scenery, out of the sea side villages and built up tourist traps we were back on the open road and as we passed the Algarve Football Stadium, (a sight to see for any football enthusiasts indeed!) we found ourselves ever closer to the beautiful town of Albufeira.
As the signs said welcome to Albufeira we said hello to the rest of our adventure! The marina was the first destination, erm nothing was there :-/ but glad we went down to it because the road back up led us through a sea of colourful houses like a scene out of Robin Williams' 'Toys'. The houses were incredible, every colour of the rainbow splashed upon the walls of the lake-side apartments.
We parked up by the roadside and headed to to the beach. Greeted by roaring waves and gentle winds and stary cats we looked for somewhere to eat. As we wondered the lovely but once again ghost town, (just one more phantom village along the Algarve!) we were greeted by yet again another dog looking at us as potential masters! We eventually chose a little restaurant with ables out front on a back street as our place to eat, however we were unsuccessful.. After ordering drinks and only being given one menu, and then after moving inside, lighting the candles and attempting to catch the eye of the waiter, some 50 minutes after sitting down the waiter decided Ash's attempt to order as the sign for our bill. Fate had blessed us! As we left, angry and dissapointed, we headed across the street, through the mini monsoon to a quaint little restaurant where we sat next to a log fire and got comfortable as the dream was realised..... no not the dream of Yorkshire Puddings, but the dream of both Nandos-esque Portugese Piri Piri chicken, with... wait for it.... Magners to wash it down!!!!
The meal went down a treat, easily the spiciest thing i had ever ate, my lips tingling beyond comparison and mouthing burning like a house on fire, it was without a doubt spicy, but without a doubt lovely! As we sat there, in the warmth, avoiding the downpour outside, we looked back on a very nice day, and a road-trip to remember!
It was definitley a day to remember, only marred by the lack of people, as only Tash, Katie, Ash and I went, leaving Kate, Kike, Matty, Bee, Max and Maisie behind with Sarah still in England :(. However it did not dampen our day, we had a sensational time and one that we will never forget. With only 8 days before setting off back to England for Christmas, there are few of the days left! 2 Cadiz Christmases approaching, and our final week of Uni before returning to blighty, where has this semester gone?
There will be lots to remember over Christmas, lotsa to do, but it is a totally different experience. I will go home looking thoroughly forward to seeing friends and family, returning to work and having a brilliant Christmas and New Year with the people i have missed so much! But on the other hand i will miss the amazing days spent in Cadiz, take for example the 9th December 2010, yesterday for those reading this on release day, a normal day? No, a mere 16 days before christmas we were greeted by 24 degree weather and a beautiful day on the beach before Uni in the evening! Sensational just doesn't cover it. Memories are dear to all, but memories of this year are ones i am glad i have stored in here, a place i will never lose :)
Special Mention : Mare of the week.
You may or may not have heard the story, a tale of a brave but clueless warrior, small on the outside but big on the headside :P One Sam Maloney, congratualtions buddy, not only is this the Mare of the Week but perhaps Mare of the Year!!!
So last Friday we were sat in hollywood, dining away ribbing Sam about his immenent flight home to England where he would spend El Punte. There was hilrious talk of Funeral arrangements, brace positions and air masks as he counted down the hours to his 7am bus to Malaga to board his Ryanair flight home. To add to his troubles was the ongoing adverse weather conditions back ion England, the most snow they had seen in a long time, surely the flight cpuld beat the weather? Correct, however, on arriving at Malaga airport he was greeted by another foe, Spanish Air Traffic Controllers. Ever the spontaeous kind, they had decided, (like seemingly alot of Spanish), that they in fact did not want to work that day, and poor old Sam just couldn't win. After being sick on the bus-ride to Malaga after overcoming his bowel trouble of the night before, his flight was cancelled due to the Strike! That surely was to be the worst thing? Naaahhhh! After finding out there wouldn't be a flight the next day he re-arranged for this weekend and headed to the bus station to return to Cadiz.... missing his bus by a mere half hour... ouch!! A lovely 4 hour wait for the next bus ensued and Sam finally returned to Cadiz sullen mood and droopy bottom lip in tow.
Sam, you truly are somehting special!
Also a special mention to the boss.... Uncle Rich turned the glorious age of 60 on Wednesday guys ;)
Happy Blogging :)
So its been a strange week here in Cadiz. The Puente (Bridge) has been almost a week long stretching from Saturday to Wednesday so no Uni until Thursdsay! Also with the Puente comes the inevitable shutting down of Cadiz! Shops do not open, people dissapear and the place goes from wintery dullness to unbelievabley wintery boredom!
How can one battle such boredom? Well the return of one Matty Stevens helped! Football Manager season was back up and running after our brief but ever-painful Autumn break! The discovery of Pokemon online literally was too sweet for words!!! But the real ace in the deck was the brainwave to hire a car and hit the roadtrip baby!!!
What a great, cheap and cheerful way to discover the Iberian Peninsula and beat the boredom! Portugal was our desired destination.... The journey would be a treacherous and hilarious one...:
After picking up the beauty that was our white Ford Focus on the Tuesday we headed out to Puerto Santa Maria for a few ours exploring the local beauty. We saw the Plaza de Toros (Bull-Ring), had lovely Tapas and a nice experience of Katie's first time driving the european way, not hitting the curb would have been preferred, but hey, why not start as you mean to go on!!
An early night was planned, but didn't quite come to fruition! Up till 2am watching Bad Santa with Matty in order to help me doze off before the 7am setting off time!
Half 6 rolled around and out of bed i stagggered, Ash already up and almost ready. The shower managed to awaken me slightly more but being up at half past 6 in the bloody morning for the first time in what must be over a year was difficult to comprehend, and my head was definitely not in the game!
However the walk to the car park did indeed wake me up, the cool breeze down Sagasta and the moist air on the sea front as the early morning waves crashed against the rocks below once again awoke me not only to the early morning, but to how much i have to appreciate where i am and the opportunity i have been given!
So the journey began, the plan was to hit a McDonalds on the way for breakfast, drive through Huelva after Sevilla, before crossing the border into Portugal and the Algarve, stopping off at Tavira before reaching Faro where we would explore until we set off home. Plans never remain the same do they?!
The McDonald's breakfast ended up being a half past 9 chicken nugget meal with chocolate sauce and Crunch balls McFluffy to help it on down. McDonald's breakfast, it would appear, does not exist over here. Dissapointment Number 1! Huelva however pleased me, if not only for the McDonald's, but for the maze that we chose to drive round! A confusing city to drive around, although the architecture there was pleasing to the eyes. Spanish gaff number one.... Early mornings are not my thing, i am a morning person, but they usually happen to be mornings that look alot like midday!! So asking where the exito was instead of the salida (success instead of exit) was just a speed bump in me awakening to the road trip experience!
After Huelva it was a long road to Portugal, what was in tow? One of the best Storms i have ever seen!! With my manly naturally awesome navigation skills we easily made it across the border, and as we did, not only we were greeted by a sudden decline in road quality (no wonder these guys are about to be bailed out!) but also by a roar of thunder. The rain began to hammer down on the body of the car, the roads became increasingly covered in a sheet of Portugese rain and Katie's (actually good driving skills) became all the more under the microscope as we hoped to make it to Tavira in one piece!
Making it to Tavira in one piece ended up not being the problem at all, but in fact only the start of the adventure to come, as we drove through the picturesque Portugese countryside, mountains either side of us, lush greenery to match, we were greeted with a huge flash of lightning and the subsequent glorious roar of thunder, sparks were definitley flying, and we? Well we were loving it!! We reached Tavira at around half 10 portugese time, half 11 Cadiz time. We parked up on a hill outside a church as we allowed the storm to die down around us.... well that was what we hoped. After 20 minutes of sitting there playing the Categories game we decided to just head to Faro, who knew we'd be going half the way on a boat?!? To get out of Tavira was a difficult task! The key problem? The fact the whole of the lower village was flooded, up to 3-4 feet of water at seemingly every turning. The first mini-lake formed on a road we decided to avoid, deeming it a little too deep, the pirtugese man urging us through seemed to have a different viewpoint!! The next newly formed river along the way we had no choice but to brave! Rental car or not this bad boy was crossing the sea in true Moses style! We did part the sea, but only by creating waves that flooded shops either side of us, to see the dismay on the faces of the Taviran people could only be topped at that point by hearing Tash freaking out in the back of the car as she urged us not to go through the ocean in front of us, the fact that we didn't have a choice just wouldn't quite click with her!! So we picked up a steady pace and braved the waters, 3 and a half foot of it just seemed like an obstacle and challenge we'd get by on the way to having a great day!
After the few rivers to cross in Tavira we were back on the road to Faro, happily away from all bodies of water, and greeted by some more beautiful scenery as the lucious green landscape of the Algarve wowed us!
We managed to reac Faro in good time and parked up next to a little shop called Sandwich Greggs, i think they still need time to really discover the catchy name that will make them some money! I am not saying that walking around Faro was like being dragged back 50 years, no actually i am! We hit a wonderful little museum before heading to the harbour for a drink a relaxation as we planned the rest of the day. Faro was dead, one upside was everyone spoke English, but as we walked through the streets we could count the amount of people we saw on our fingers! The only interesting thing in the streets was a dog that decided we would be its owners from that moment on!... A little nibble of my bum and scaring Ash were its greatest accomplishments before ditching us to explore the harbour as we sat down and made our action plan.
After assessing what there was to do in Faro, we discovered, in all honesty, it wasn't very much! Off season obviously wasn't a great time for this little part of the Algarve! So we decided to wing it! Head down to the coast to take a look at the beach and then perhaps follow the coastal road around to the airport, Montenegro and find somewhere to spend the day.
The beach was strangely beautiful as the choppy waves soaked the fishermen and made a beautiful sight for us to look upon before Ash belted up and took over the driving.... girls in the back, men up front, and we finally had the control, not like we didnt before i mean come on i was co-pilot all the way! But we knew with us up top, the day was definitley going to be a success!
Back on the motorway we took account of the signs and decided that Albufeira was to be the destination was the rest of our adventure. On the way the rain picked back up and so did the scenery, out of the sea side villages and built up tourist traps we were back on the open road and as we passed the Algarve Football Stadium, (a sight to see for any football enthusiasts indeed!) we found ourselves ever closer to the beautiful town of Albufeira.
As the signs said welcome to Albufeira we said hello to the rest of our adventure! The marina was the first destination, erm nothing was there :-/ but glad we went down to it because the road back up led us through a sea of colourful houses like a scene out of Robin Williams' 'Toys'. The houses were incredible, every colour of the rainbow splashed upon the walls of the lake-side apartments.
We parked up by the roadside and headed to to the beach. Greeted by roaring waves and gentle winds and stary cats we looked for somewhere to eat. As we wondered the lovely but once again ghost town, (just one more phantom village along the Algarve!) we were greeted by yet again another dog looking at us as potential masters! We eventually chose a little restaurant with ables out front on a back street as our place to eat, however we were unsuccessful.. After ordering drinks and only being given one menu, and then after moving inside, lighting the candles and attempting to catch the eye of the waiter, some 50 minutes after sitting down the waiter decided Ash's attempt to order as the sign for our bill. Fate had blessed us! As we left, angry and dissapointed, we headed across the street, through the mini monsoon to a quaint little restaurant where we sat next to a log fire and got comfortable as the dream was realised..... no not the dream of Yorkshire Puddings, but the dream of both Nandos-esque Portugese Piri Piri chicken, with... wait for it.... Magners to wash it down!!!!
The meal went down a treat, easily the spiciest thing i had ever ate, my lips tingling beyond comparison and mouthing burning like a house on fire, it was without a doubt spicy, but without a doubt lovely! As we sat there, in the warmth, avoiding the downpour outside, we looked back on a very nice day, and a road-trip to remember!
It was definitley a day to remember, only marred by the lack of people, as only Tash, Katie, Ash and I went, leaving Kate, Kike, Matty, Bee, Max and Maisie behind with Sarah still in England :(. However it did not dampen our day, we had a sensational time and one that we will never forget. With only 8 days before setting off back to England for Christmas, there are few of the days left! 2 Cadiz Christmases approaching, and our final week of Uni before returning to blighty, where has this semester gone?
There will be lots to remember over Christmas, lotsa to do, but it is a totally different experience. I will go home looking thoroughly forward to seeing friends and family, returning to work and having a brilliant Christmas and New Year with the people i have missed so much! But on the other hand i will miss the amazing days spent in Cadiz, take for example the 9th December 2010, yesterday for those reading this on release day, a normal day? No, a mere 16 days before christmas we were greeted by 24 degree weather and a beautiful day on the beach before Uni in the evening! Sensational just doesn't cover it. Memories are dear to all, but memories of this year are ones i am glad i have stored in here, a place i will never lose :)
Special Mention : Mare of the week.
You may or may not have heard the story, a tale of a brave but clueless warrior, small on the outside but big on the headside :P One Sam Maloney, congratualtions buddy, not only is this the Mare of the Week but perhaps Mare of the Year!!!
So last Friday we were sat in hollywood, dining away ribbing Sam about his immenent flight home to England where he would spend El Punte. There was hilrious talk of Funeral arrangements, brace positions and air masks as he counted down the hours to his 7am bus to Malaga to board his Ryanair flight home. To add to his troubles was the ongoing adverse weather conditions back ion England, the most snow they had seen in a long time, surely the flight cpuld beat the weather? Correct, however, on arriving at Malaga airport he was greeted by another foe, Spanish Air Traffic Controllers. Ever the spontaeous kind, they had decided, (like seemingly alot of Spanish), that they in fact did not want to work that day, and poor old Sam just couldn't win. After being sick on the bus-ride to Malaga after overcoming his bowel trouble of the night before, his flight was cancelled due to the Strike! That surely was to be the worst thing? Naaahhhh! After finding out there wouldn't be a flight the next day he re-arranged for this weekend and headed to the bus station to return to Cadiz.... missing his bus by a mere half hour... ouch!! A lovely 4 hour wait for the next bus ensued and Sam finally returned to Cadiz sullen mood and droopy bottom lip in tow.
Sam, you truly are somehting special!
Also a special mention to the boss.... Uncle Rich turned the glorious age of 60 on Wednesday guys ;)
Happy Blogging :)
Sunday 5 December 2010
13 days to go.....
Afternoon Bloggers,
How time has flown! Just 3 months ago i was sat at home in Doncaster looking at a list of things i still needed to get for Cadiz; holiday insurance, a suitcase and more surf shorts seemed to be all my troubles in the world! Now, a meer 13 days before i return to the shores of blighty for the festive season, i am stunned at how fast time has flown. I could sit here, close my eyes and recall memory after memory, highlight after highlight of this seemingly brief 3 months. I thank the powers at Northumbria Uni for allowing me to be here for a whole year, whereas some people i have met, and some that i have become close to, the likes of Stefan, Mel, Max, Mollie and Tash, will be gone by January, if not by before Christmas. Gone to other parts of Europe, even, in Max's case, other parts of the world.
To coin an overly used term, 'How time flies when you're having fun'! If i had a week sat here in front of my laptop, purely dedicated to writing a blog full of the memories i have of this year, from the first time i set foot on the beach, to the first time i saw the christmas lights on, but a week would simply not be enough time! There has been so many ups, even plenty of downs, but the downs make the ups seem that much better, and well even the downs, when you are studying in Spain, seem very much like ups! To date I have written 15 entries to this blog. A blog which i feel has kept me grounded here in Spain. I could very easily have gone mad this year, the money was there, the opportunity was there, the people have been by my side all the way, but something about writing it all down, writing most things we do, the big things anyway, something about it manages to bring things into perspective.
I have done so many amazing things, and met so many amazing people. To talk about it all wouldn't bore me, but would surely bore you! So for you guys i would like to summarise things a bit. On football manager we call this a season review, like looking at your accounts at the end of the financial year, but for us, just a brief look back over the highlights of my first 3 months in Cadiz!
The People..... The Family
Sarah Bailey: I shall never forget the words "You'll change your opinion of me Matty"! At first i took Sarah as your average RAH-ish university lass, pretty, up for a laugh and on it student style. It took time for me to get past the (at some times lairy) facade of her. It took some serious film session abuse, late night Prison break sessions, lots and lots of chocolate and at times some lovely drunk heart to hearts to finally whittle her down and break through to find the real Sarah. I'll never admit it to her face though, but she's definitley one of my closest friends here, and someone i'll never forget! She is very much like a Sister to me, especially now as we have gotten closer and can actually be nice to each other whilst maintaining the same banterish torment of each other!
Matty Stevens: A lads lad, no doubting that, the pint sized geordie adds plenty to the group, and takes as much with him when he is away. My Football Manager nemisis, but more-over a brother from another mother! Cadiz would surely be a much duller place without our very own Hobbit! Although oldest by far out of us all, simply has to be regarded as a Son in this family and my brother no doubt.
Kike: A whirlwind romance still in full blow. The Kike-able force is unstoppable, its like a unmanned freight train. Utterly and truly swept off their little feet, the two of them are inseperable, its touching to watch, sickly at some times, but guys, its the love of the ages, forget Romeo and Juliet, them guys have nothing on our very own Kike! But do not fear for them, they are more like the Premiership than European football, because no Winter break is planned. The meer hours drive in freezing conditions seperating them at christmas is nothing compared to the feelings they share! Awwwwww :) Definite candidates for Mum and Dad of the group, after Granada incidents with Michael and Kellie's proneness to the odd bout of sickness post-night out, they are definitely shoe ins for embarassing Aunt and Uncle!
Kate Newman and Katie Bilton: The troublesome twosome from darrrn saaarrrffff. The London girls in Cadiz, taking full advantage of the experience they have been presented with this year! The term 'Taking the bull by the horns' springs to mind! Loving every moment, even on down days these two have enough bubblyness and fun in them to fill a LOLcano. It looked like they were to be two we would lose after Christmas, but as their passions for Portugese fizzled out and love for all things Gadetan grew, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that, if they secured jobs in the area, they were to stay for the whole year, very good news :). The two of them are sisters from different misters, on the basis of the last 3 months i think its safe to say they were seperated at birth! Kate is the crazy Aunty to the group, bubbly, fun, enjoys a drink and a bit ditzy. Katie however is the mother, cooks for us, organises things, and keeps us in tow whilst being someone to talk to whenever, but she's a cool mum and is always up for a laugh!
Ash Milns and Sam Maloney: The two of them seem so opposite (as i have said before) but as i have also said before, are so similar. Each has there brilliant moments, and moments of stupidity. Each find it easy to gel with people, and equally as easy to get themselves into spots of bother. Both love to booze it up but back it up with looking disgusting as the hang from their backsides the day after! You could definitely say these two are like odler and younger brother, Sam is definitely a smaller version of Ash! But they are not quite like Brothers, more like cousins, or maybe even Step Brothers.
Tash Pitt: Undoubtadly one of the family, a key component to our happy family! Tash loves to party, but equally to sit with her feet up with a film and chat amongst friends. If anyone has seen 'The Kids Are Alright' then they could contemplate the family set up we have, appitimised i feel by the fact that Tash could possibly also be the Mother of the group, a slightly less easy going Mum, but equally as freindly. So that would give us our Lesbian mums Katie and Tash, and they would definitely agree with us on that one!
Max, Bee and Geoff: Who could forget the cousins who live round the corner? Max, Bee and Geoff are 3 vital parts to this amazing firat 3 months in Cadiz. Max, through living with Kate and Katie, has grown and reallly come out of his shell of late. A lads lad for sure but corrupted by horrific tales told by the troublesome twosome! Bee is the girl next door. Always up for a laugh and a night out but also good to chill out with and just talk. Ash can verify this for me, for as pep talks come, Bee gives a pretty stern one! And then there is wor Geoffrey, the French Erasmus student, completely and utterly corrupted in his mild french manners by the English and Germans around him here in Cadiz. A great asset to the team and every night out, never mind an easy target for Google Translate banter!!!
The Familly is complete. A close knit community of incestrous individuals, all brought together by the Gadetan Magic, some in different ways to others ;). We have had our ups, we have had our downs, but we have got through them all. People come and go from our group but the core remains solid, People such as Mairi and Kim were great, although short lived, additions. The Germans and Cuba gang are great assets to great nights out. Then there are the likes of Martha and Sarah who add so much life to nights out. The Italians who are never short of a quick quip or two, and of course prone to going down during football ;) The Cadiz family is two big to describe with all the English, Swedes, and Americans as well, i simply don't have enough time or enough of your patience :)
The Highlights:
With any End Of Season Review one must point out the highlights and evven the lowlights. The Star Buys and the Flops. For me there has been so many good points, it is ridiculous of me to even think i can narrow them down but i shall try and hoepfully succeed;
- Arriving in Cadiz. After staying overnight in Malaga and only really being wowed by the weather and not by the place much at all, arriving in Cadiz was a shock. The archictecture of the city, both the new and old parts. The stunning views of the beaches. The mad lifestyle the people lead including Siestas and of course the people here, we were set back. We just could not believe our luck! This place, my friends, is sensational!!
- Finding somewhere to live. After days of searching, of talking to wierd accents over the phone, of looking at places that let us down big time, and of feeling very frustrated in the blistering heat, finding somewhere to live was a huge relief.
- First day on the beach. The first time i saw the beach was amazing, but the first time i stepped foot on the golden sands at Playa Santa Maria were just sensational. The feel of the cool ocean and the hot sunshine were enough to make anyone think that they were actually asleep, dreaming of a paradise somewhere, i was happy to not have to wake up!
- Meeting everyone. The series of fortunate circumstances from Sam's meeting with Sarah and Tash in Carrefour, to being served verrrry strong Sex on the Beach by Kate in Bhopal can be looked back on very fondly, if not for the hilarity of some of the incidents and chance meetings, then for the fact that it brought the whole family together!
- First Day at Uni. Although late. Although a hassle. The Hilarity of walking into a lecture that we thought was ours, and turned out to not be, was just perfect. The perfectly awkward way to start university life at Universidad de Cadiz!
- Starting my Blog. After the wonderfully talented Charlotte Caley reccommended it to me, i though why not, who can it hurt. Well early on it was me, the abuse i got for writing it was ridiculous, oh how the tables have turned. Before writing this being a mere 43 views away from 2000 blog views and people requesting to be in it i can safely say i am thankful that Charlotte bugged me to make one!
- U.V night. Dressed up England student style for the U.V night and then having the embarassment of realising we were the only people who did, as the other europeans don't understand UV night protocol was just the apitimy of epic fail. Tights, vest, Hot pants, Fanny packs, and UV paints and our night was made!
-Starting at Bar Cuba. Having the pleasure to make the best cocktails in Cadiz was a highlight early on. I'm not one to like working, but when its something i enjoy, i can hack it!
- Halloween. Dressed as slutty nurses, dirty vampires and clergymen we hit the Gadetan tiles for a night of druken mayhem and fun and oh did we have it!
- Discovering Spanish McDonalds. Its like the English one but oh so much better!!!
- When Mairi and Kim came to Town. The weekend mess of drunkedness and bad behaviour apitimised by the sullen mood as myself and Sarah walked, cold, arm in arm down La Caleta in our Hungover states.
- Granada. Returning the favour of visiting Rob, Mairi and Kim we headed to Granada to celebrate the 21st birthdays of Tash and Mike. And as you read in the last entry, oh what fun we had!
It has been a sensational 3 months, ones i will surely not forget anytime soon, am i going to miss it over christmas? You bet i am! But am i looking forward to going home, i sure am! I am counting down the days till my flight lands at Leeds Bradford and i get to return to the family home in Doncaster. The look on Fudge's face when i walk in after 3 months. The chance to eat a Sunday Dinner with all the trimmings and family. Christmas and New Year and getting to see my familyu and friends; Grandma, Grandad, Tori, Bekki, Mum, Dad, Auntie Bridie, Auntie Dorothy to start then the likes of Chris, Simon, Mellor, Evans, Mazza, Luke and Dobbi over Christmas. Getting back working with the superb crew at Zest and seeing the glee on the faces of Kevlar, Loobie, Nats, Emily, Helen and Pip to name a few when i walk back in for the first time. And then of course, if it ends up happening, the superbly planned New Years Eve in Newcastle when i get to see the ugly mugs of Sean, Tom, Dave and Jimmy for the first time in what seems like forever, as well as grace the beautiful streets of the Toon again!
My friends, i am more than excited by the prospect of this Christmas, but do not fret, i shall surely take you along for the ride!
Happy Blogging :)
How time has flown! Just 3 months ago i was sat at home in Doncaster looking at a list of things i still needed to get for Cadiz; holiday insurance, a suitcase and more surf shorts seemed to be all my troubles in the world! Now, a meer 13 days before i return to the shores of blighty for the festive season, i am stunned at how fast time has flown. I could sit here, close my eyes and recall memory after memory, highlight after highlight of this seemingly brief 3 months. I thank the powers at Northumbria Uni for allowing me to be here for a whole year, whereas some people i have met, and some that i have become close to, the likes of Stefan, Mel, Max, Mollie and Tash, will be gone by January, if not by before Christmas. Gone to other parts of Europe, even, in Max's case, other parts of the world.
To coin an overly used term, 'How time flies when you're having fun'! If i had a week sat here in front of my laptop, purely dedicated to writing a blog full of the memories i have of this year, from the first time i set foot on the beach, to the first time i saw the christmas lights on, but a week would simply not be enough time! There has been so many ups, even plenty of downs, but the downs make the ups seem that much better, and well even the downs, when you are studying in Spain, seem very much like ups! To date I have written 15 entries to this blog. A blog which i feel has kept me grounded here in Spain. I could very easily have gone mad this year, the money was there, the opportunity was there, the people have been by my side all the way, but something about writing it all down, writing most things we do, the big things anyway, something about it manages to bring things into perspective.
I have done so many amazing things, and met so many amazing people. To talk about it all wouldn't bore me, but would surely bore you! So for you guys i would like to summarise things a bit. On football manager we call this a season review, like looking at your accounts at the end of the financial year, but for us, just a brief look back over the highlights of my first 3 months in Cadiz!
The People..... The Family
Sarah Bailey: I shall never forget the words "You'll change your opinion of me Matty"! At first i took Sarah as your average RAH-ish university lass, pretty, up for a laugh and on it student style. It took time for me to get past the (at some times lairy) facade of her. It took some serious film session abuse, late night Prison break sessions, lots and lots of chocolate and at times some lovely drunk heart to hearts to finally whittle her down and break through to find the real Sarah. I'll never admit it to her face though, but she's definitley one of my closest friends here, and someone i'll never forget! She is very much like a Sister to me, especially now as we have gotten closer and can actually be nice to each other whilst maintaining the same banterish torment of each other!
Matty Stevens: A lads lad, no doubting that, the pint sized geordie adds plenty to the group, and takes as much with him when he is away. My Football Manager nemisis, but more-over a brother from another mother! Cadiz would surely be a much duller place without our very own Hobbit! Although oldest by far out of us all, simply has to be regarded as a Son in this family and my brother no doubt.
Kike: A whirlwind romance still in full blow. The Kike-able force is unstoppable, its like a unmanned freight train. Utterly and truly swept off their little feet, the two of them are inseperable, its touching to watch, sickly at some times, but guys, its the love of the ages, forget Romeo and Juliet, them guys have nothing on our very own Kike! But do not fear for them, they are more like the Premiership than European football, because no Winter break is planned. The meer hours drive in freezing conditions seperating them at christmas is nothing compared to the feelings they share! Awwwwww :) Definite candidates for Mum and Dad of the group, after Granada incidents with Michael and Kellie's proneness to the odd bout of sickness post-night out, they are definitely shoe ins for embarassing Aunt and Uncle!
Kate Newman and Katie Bilton: The troublesome twosome from darrrn saaarrrffff. The London girls in Cadiz, taking full advantage of the experience they have been presented with this year! The term 'Taking the bull by the horns' springs to mind! Loving every moment, even on down days these two have enough bubblyness and fun in them to fill a LOLcano. It looked like they were to be two we would lose after Christmas, but as their passions for Portugese fizzled out and love for all things Gadetan grew, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that, if they secured jobs in the area, they were to stay for the whole year, very good news :). The two of them are sisters from different misters, on the basis of the last 3 months i think its safe to say they were seperated at birth! Kate is the crazy Aunty to the group, bubbly, fun, enjoys a drink and a bit ditzy. Katie however is the mother, cooks for us, organises things, and keeps us in tow whilst being someone to talk to whenever, but she's a cool mum and is always up for a laugh!
Ash Milns and Sam Maloney: The two of them seem so opposite (as i have said before) but as i have also said before, are so similar. Each has there brilliant moments, and moments of stupidity. Each find it easy to gel with people, and equally as easy to get themselves into spots of bother. Both love to booze it up but back it up with looking disgusting as the hang from their backsides the day after! You could definitely say these two are like odler and younger brother, Sam is definitely a smaller version of Ash! But they are not quite like Brothers, more like cousins, or maybe even Step Brothers.
Tash Pitt: Undoubtadly one of the family, a key component to our happy family! Tash loves to party, but equally to sit with her feet up with a film and chat amongst friends. If anyone has seen 'The Kids Are Alright' then they could contemplate the family set up we have, appitimised i feel by the fact that Tash could possibly also be the Mother of the group, a slightly less easy going Mum, but equally as freindly. So that would give us our Lesbian mums Katie and Tash, and they would definitely agree with us on that one!
Max, Bee and Geoff: Who could forget the cousins who live round the corner? Max, Bee and Geoff are 3 vital parts to this amazing firat 3 months in Cadiz. Max, through living with Kate and Katie, has grown and reallly come out of his shell of late. A lads lad for sure but corrupted by horrific tales told by the troublesome twosome! Bee is the girl next door. Always up for a laugh and a night out but also good to chill out with and just talk. Ash can verify this for me, for as pep talks come, Bee gives a pretty stern one! And then there is wor Geoffrey, the French Erasmus student, completely and utterly corrupted in his mild french manners by the English and Germans around him here in Cadiz. A great asset to the team and every night out, never mind an easy target for Google Translate banter!!!
The Familly is complete. A close knit community of incestrous individuals, all brought together by the Gadetan Magic, some in different ways to others ;). We have had our ups, we have had our downs, but we have got through them all. People come and go from our group but the core remains solid, People such as Mairi and Kim were great, although short lived, additions. The Germans and Cuba gang are great assets to great nights out. Then there are the likes of Martha and Sarah who add so much life to nights out. The Italians who are never short of a quick quip or two, and of course prone to going down during football ;) The Cadiz family is two big to describe with all the English, Swedes, and Americans as well, i simply don't have enough time or enough of your patience :)
The Highlights:
With any End Of Season Review one must point out the highlights and evven the lowlights. The Star Buys and the Flops. For me there has been so many good points, it is ridiculous of me to even think i can narrow them down but i shall try and hoepfully succeed;
- Arriving in Cadiz. After staying overnight in Malaga and only really being wowed by the weather and not by the place much at all, arriving in Cadiz was a shock. The archictecture of the city, both the new and old parts. The stunning views of the beaches. The mad lifestyle the people lead including Siestas and of course the people here, we were set back. We just could not believe our luck! This place, my friends, is sensational!!
- Finding somewhere to live. After days of searching, of talking to wierd accents over the phone, of looking at places that let us down big time, and of feeling very frustrated in the blistering heat, finding somewhere to live was a huge relief.
- First day on the beach. The first time i saw the beach was amazing, but the first time i stepped foot on the golden sands at Playa Santa Maria were just sensational. The feel of the cool ocean and the hot sunshine were enough to make anyone think that they were actually asleep, dreaming of a paradise somewhere, i was happy to not have to wake up!
- Meeting everyone. The series of fortunate circumstances from Sam's meeting with Sarah and Tash in Carrefour, to being served verrrry strong Sex on the Beach by Kate in Bhopal can be looked back on very fondly, if not for the hilarity of some of the incidents and chance meetings, then for the fact that it brought the whole family together!
- First Day at Uni. Although late. Although a hassle. The Hilarity of walking into a lecture that we thought was ours, and turned out to not be, was just perfect. The perfectly awkward way to start university life at Universidad de Cadiz!
- Starting my Blog. After the wonderfully talented Charlotte Caley reccommended it to me, i though why not, who can it hurt. Well early on it was me, the abuse i got for writing it was ridiculous, oh how the tables have turned. Before writing this being a mere 43 views away from 2000 blog views and people requesting to be in it i can safely say i am thankful that Charlotte bugged me to make one!
- U.V night. Dressed up England student style for the U.V night and then having the embarassment of realising we were the only people who did, as the other europeans don't understand UV night protocol was just the apitimy of epic fail. Tights, vest, Hot pants, Fanny packs, and UV paints and our night was made!
-Starting at Bar Cuba. Having the pleasure to make the best cocktails in Cadiz was a highlight early on. I'm not one to like working, but when its something i enjoy, i can hack it!
- Halloween. Dressed as slutty nurses, dirty vampires and clergymen we hit the Gadetan tiles for a night of druken mayhem and fun and oh did we have it!
- Discovering Spanish McDonalds. Its like the English one but oh so much better!!!
- When Mairi and Kim came to Town. The weekend mess of drunkedness and bad behaviour apitimised by the sullen mood as myself and Sarah walked, cold, arm in arm down La Caleta in our Hungover states.
- Granada. Returning the favour of visiting Rob, Mairi and Kim we headed to Granada to celebrate the 21st birthdays of Tash and Mike. And as you read in the last entry, oh what fun we had!
It has been a sensational 3 months, ones i will surely not forget anytime soon, am i going to miss it over christmas? You bet i am! But am i looking forward to going home, i sure am! I am counting down the days till my flight lands at Leeds Bradford and i get to return to the family home in Doncaster. The look on Fudge's face when i walk in after 3 months. The chance to eat a Sunday Dinner with all the trimmings and family. Christmas and New Year and getting to see my familyu and friends; Grandma, Grandad, Tori, Bekki, Mum, Dad, Auntie Bridie, Auntie Dorothy to start then the likes of Chris, Simon, Mellor, Evans, Mazza, Luke and Dobbi over Christmas. Getting back working with the superb crew at Zest and seeing the glee on the faces of Kevlar, Loobie, Nats, Emily, Helen and Pip to name a few when i walk back in for the first time. And then of course, if it ends up happening, the superbly planned New Years Eve in Newcastle when i get to see the ugly mugs of Sean, Tom, Dave and Jimmy for the first time in what seems like forever, as well as grace the beautiful streets of the Toon again!
My friends, i am more than excited by the prospect of this Christmas, but do not fret, i shall surely take you along for the ride!
Happy Blogging :)
Monday 29 November 2010
Man Is A Universe Within Himself
Good Evening Bloggers :)
Alot has been batted around (Nice ashes pun) about this blog. Highly anticipated it seems :) This makes me happy... pressure hah i laugh in the face of pressure :p and i hope you enjoy this as much as i am doing writing it, i hope it bowls you over (Ashes pun number 2) :).
Why so much hype? Well maybe not from you guys in England, or in France or my beloved followers in Denmark (Hej) or the USA (Hey), Russia (Привет), and Israel (שלום). But here in Cadiz and hopefully around Spain there has been an event much bigger than Easter, much bigger than Spring Break, muuuuuuch bigger than Hannukah and the big bang (not quite as big as christmas!). This event was Granada '10 , the dual celebration of 21st birthdays. For within the space of 25-29 two dear friends on Natasha Pitt and one Michael A.V Mcpherson (better known to you guys out there as one half of Kike), turned the big 21. The last birthday that is looking, not quite up the up, more on top of the hill, you know, the one just before everything seems to start looking downwards, the days seem shorter and duller and the hair looks greyer, the beginning of the end! And to celebrate this epicness we decided, hey, why not hit Granada, visit the likes of Rob Coy, Bekki Chambers, Mairi and Kim in the meantime whilst hitting the likes of the Alhambra and Camborio and having a spiffing time.
I Hope you enjoy :).....
What do succssful writers write about?.... They write about great triumphs, great failings, great wars and great love. Of Romance, of Drama, of Humour and Sorrow. I cannot promise you everything, if i could i would promise you the heaven and the earth. However, as i am merely a Blogger, i can promise you one thing.... a bloody good read!
What is it that defines a man? It is not his successes, nor is it the failings of his life, but the actions which lead to said consequences. I swear i heard a dude say that once and i'v always wanted to say it myself :p Why is it that people judge success on the likes of money and career. I judge a man on his actions, the decisions he makes and follows, the paths that he not only follows, but creates through the life he chooses to lead. A proud man, for me, is not a man who prides himself on the clothes he wears and the cars he drives, but on the people he associates with and the fun times that he has. And this weekend, this hectic weekend, well ladies and gentlemen, you have made me proud.
I can safely say we expected as much as we got! We kicked off the long weekend with a thursday night 'Lash' for want of a better word, session i may use, we went out for a delicious dinner, tapas in Cumbres Mayores, for Tash's birthday. After which we hit the Old Town, Cuba, Nahu, Bhopal, the makings of a solid session in Cadiz. Also, im afraid, the makings of a jolly good hangover, uncurable it may seem in Spain, as there are simply no English Breakfasts!
SOOOOO the 12 o'clock bus to Granada was sure to be a hoot, headache in tow, bags packed, sarnies bought, journey.... dreaded! Group, unfortunately.... seperated. Drama? For sure! What kindof friends would we be if drama didn't appear at every opportunity? The 6 hour bus journey was a peach :-| 6 hours of pure torture, minimal leg-room, maximum Iphone diversion!
We eventually arrived in the wet, cold beauty that is Granada. A short taxi ride later we arrived at the Best Western Hotel in the centre of town, merely a 3 star paradise.
Beds as comfortable as clouds and as big as the heaven they were made in! As we split off into our designated room groups we one by one lugged our luggage up to the correct rooms, myself and Kate in what could have been the royal suite, a beauty, nice sized, 2 huge beds, flat screen tv, 2 balcony styled windows, great bathroom with BATH woop and Pierre Cardin designed decor (One for the ladies ;p) and enough wardrobe space to fit the insane amount of clothes Kate and I had somehow managed to bring for the 3 day, 2 night stay in Granada!
3 hours later we were half way through an average at best meal in the pizzeria just downstairs from the Hotel, when who should roll up, but Tash, Sarah and Sam, fresh off the same torid bus ride! Let the drama commence :) A slight confusion in communication between the two bus groups led to 2 seperate tables for dinner and some rather cold shoulders, (gladly shurgged off by Saturday). After the meal, including the perfect pudding of Mikes;
We headed back up to the rooms and began getting ready for what was set to be a great first night in Granada.
Gustav Klimt was our first destination after some rather rowdy pre-drinking in the hotel suite; IPad Ring-of-Fire, Pirate Talk, Tinto Verano, Cheap Mixers and staff complaints gives you a vague idea of the pre-lash! After being offered to buy some weed, Friends styled photos and slippery surfaces we managed to get into Klimt, right after Mike got loooked up and down and almost refused that is! Chilling upstairs like the big cheeses we were set to be on Saturday night we were loving it! Meanwhile Tash and Sarah were knocking back the Shots at the Chupiteria with Mairi, Kim, and our newest acquaintence, Leeds lass Charlotte. As the night drew on, and the group remained split, me being, welll me, decided it was best if myself and young Sam-Wise headed over to collect the girls and hit Granada 10 where the night would end in fireworks. This however did not occur, we met up, i got beaten up by one Mairi Davies (Yes i have the neck scratch to prove it Mairi so dont argue yeah!?) and hit the hotel an hour after leaving Klimt with the whole night ahead of me :-/. What did i miss? Well only one Michael McPherson being thrown out of Granada 10 by the bouncers after being persuaded by the ladies to remove his shirt an 'Get on down' on the podium in front of a packed club! How could this get any worse... everyone understand the term Coño... if not, it don't matter, trust me! But the bouncer sure did, and a few arguments later, the group finally emerged to see Mike, Creditless and Hammmered, fliling around in a back alley, regretting listening to certain women!
The hangovers seen Saturday morning were memories to treasure! Breakfast, somehow, was too! Bacon, eggs, cereals, toast and fruit, the makings of a delicious treat to start what was supposed to be a aproductive day!... how did it end up? Being the begginning of a day where i saw daylight a mere 3 times and twice were me looking out of the bathroom window pre luxurious bath! Saturday became null, a few of us managed to emerge from the hotel and tour the city, me i made it as far as the cash machine at the top of the street to collect Alhambra tickets! However, Saturday night.... One to remember forever!
Lads suited up, shirts, ties, trousers, some jackets, some braces, me... Trilby of course
After our mammoth meals we headed back to Gustav Klimt for drinks before heading back up the mountain.
The weekend was gradually catching up with a few of us and we needed a funsies injection. The suits, the dresses, the sheer style of the situation thrown to the wind... and rain as we headed first in taxi, and then by foot on the torrid journey up the mountain to Camborio, a club like no other. With stunning views overlooking the Alhambra and the downstairs club carved into the Cave, this seemed to be a great night in the making.... well guys, i can safely tell you.... it did not dissapoint.
We got there earlier than the likes of Rob, Bekki, Mairi, Kim and Charlotte and, in true Gaditan style, got both our Booze and Boogies on... renditions of Michael Jackson, Neyo and Beyonce making the night all that memorable. But did it get better, well of course it did! As the alcohol continued to flow, the fun and laughter back in our 'lash' filled veins the mood picked up and the crowd did too as Mairi, Kim and Charlotte came to escort us from the cave up to the 'happening' club upstairs, the one with the views, the one with the crowds, the one with the cheap shots, THE ONE! Boy oh boy oh boy, when i say this i means it... All the girls looked... incredible, but well, when one lil red dress walked in, the eyes in the room were in one place, the ghetto bootay somehow controlled, the abusive nature toned down, and the Lady in the red dress, jaw dropping gents, one more addition to the a) great night and b) brilliant mix of beautiful girls.
The night was a great one, as we moved up to the other half of the amazing club the guys and i went from tipsyish/buzzed/drunkish into drunk/crunk/hammered, some more so than others, Mike and Ashley taking his celebrations out on, what i presume was, a fridge full of beer and a bottle full of tequila. The odours of which were sure to hang around for at least the next 24 hours! An earlyish night was insitigated for some of us as we debated the prospect of getting up Sunday morning to not only pack and be out by 12, but have breakfast before half 10, and make it to the Alhambra before half 1... did we do it... of course we did! Room key drama, hangovers and tired eyes just adding to the hilarity of the situation!
The walk to the Alhambra, although bloody tiring, was also bloody beautiful. Mountain side views of the rest of the city in one direction, sensational views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range another. Although well and truly cream-crackered, everyone seemed still to be able to take in the sheer awe and wonder of the views we were looking at... a gift from god, a paradise on earth.
If you have been to the Alhambra i need not say much more, but if you have not, you simply must. I myself do not claim to be a lover of all things cultural, i would pick a seat at St James Park over a tour of the Louvre any day, but the Alhambra, well it was something alright! The 10 minute wait that lasted 55 minutes for myself and Mairi seemed not even to put a dent into my appreciation of the spectacular views and architecture around me. The christmas songs, cold bum and joyful banter over the longest 55 minutes of my life, in which i learnt that people in Devon are actually still living in the 18th century, and do tend to get "cross" with said ginger people, seemed to simply add to the enjoyment of what was panning out to be a surprisingly marvelous day. Photos can be seen on Facebook of the gloriously built Alhambra, there are simply too many to chose from, between the views, the gardens, the buildings and the ruins, you cannot simply stand there and say, yep this is the best, because, for me anyway, it is all pretty much perfect.
After walking around the Alhambra for a few hours, learning about the history of the wonderful place, learning how to read sign language;
with hangovers and hunger in toll, we finally left to get some pre journey home grub, where at well....
Of course! With no Dominoes or Pizza Hut in Cadiz, it was a cert that we had to hit it in Granada, and with value for money added in, a wiser choice could not be found!
Stuffed from the pizza and weekend glee we said our sad goodbyes. Goodbyes to mates, with whom strong friendships had been bound across the space of 2 amazing weekends. Friends who shall not be forgotten up in the Andalucian mountains;
Truly top lasses :).... pity they study in Brum ey! well some people just have to, i know, i dont get it either!
After the all the pizza was eaten, after all our goodbyes were said, and after we managed it back to the hotel in one piece, we headed in taxis to the bus station to catch our coach back to our Gaditan paradise. A far cry from the enormity and beauty of Granada, but our own, small, compact, sea-side, warm ...ish wonderland. And now 8 hours after setting off on a bus ride from hell, in which i had squashed legs, minimal IPhone battery and minimal grub, i sit here writing to you, my loyal readers, my friends, my family, my peeps :)
It is nice to get away every now and again, Cadiz can become claustrophobic sometimes, to be honest up until the ice skating rink was built over the weekend, there wasn't much to do but go to uni and play football manager! But i am happy to be back, to be back to our home, our cosy little flat, where after this weekend i can safely say, we all live in our little world, a bubble you could say. But it does not matter about the size of the bubble, because as i found out this weekend, as we shifted the bubble 6 hours north east, its not always about the place that you are, but its always about the people you are with.
Happy Blogging :)
P.S
Granada '10 Playlist
-Marry You - Bruno Mars. Dedicated to one Mathew Clarke and Kate Newman the roomies with a glutteny for Glee
-Single Ladies - Beyonce. Dedicated to all the ladies in our lives this weekend, single or not, partying hard through the alcohol and laughter and making it a wekeend to remember.
-Celebration - Kool and the Gang. Dedicated the Tash and Mike who both turned 21 this long weekend.
-New Shoes - Paulo Nutini. Dedicated to Sam Maloney.... get some!
-Don't Stop Believing. Dedicated to every person who added to this fantastic weekend, friends, randomers, even staff at the hotel, bars and attractions, couldn't have done it without you, and i just cannot wait for January to roll around and the 21st birthday celebrations to continue.
Alot has been batted around (Nice ashes pun) about this blog. Highly anticipated it seems :) This makes me happy... pressure hah i laugh in the face of pressure :p and i hope you enjoy this as much as i am doing writing it, i hope it bowls you over (Ashes pun number 2) :).
Why so much hype? Well maybe not from you guys in England, or in France or my beloved followers in Denmark (Hej) or the USA (Hey), Russia (Привет), and Israel (שלום). But here in Cadiz and hopefully around Spain there has been an event much bigger than Easter, much bigger than Spring Break, muuuuuuch bigger than Hannukah and the big bang (not quite as big as christmas!). This event was Granada '10 , the dual celebration of 21st birthdays. For within the space of 25-29 two dear friends on Natasha Pitt and one Michael A.V Mcpherson (better known to you guys out there as one half of Kike), turned the big 21. The last birthday that is looking, not quite up the up, more on top of the hill, you know, the one just before everything seems to start looking downwards, the days seem shorter and duller and the hair looks greyer, the beginning of the end! And to celebrate this epicness we decided, hey, why not hit Granada, visit the likes of Rob Coy, Bekki Chambers, Mairi and Kim in the meantime whilst hitting the likes of the Alhambra and Camborio and having a spiffing time.
I Hope you enjoy :).....
What do succssful writers write about?.... They write about great triumphs, great failings, great wars and great love. Of Romance, of Drama, of Humour and Sorrow. I cannot promise you everything, if i could i would promise you the heaven and the earth. However, as i am merely a Blogger, i can promise you one thing.... a bloody good read!
What is it that defines a man? It is not his successes, nor is it the failings of his life, but the actions which lead to said consequences. I swear i heard a dude say that once and i'v always wanted to say it myself :p Why is it that people judge success on the likes of money and career. I judge a man on his actions, the decisions he makes and follows, the paths that he not only follows, but creates through the life he chooses to lead. A proud man, for me, is not a man who prides himself on the clothes he wears and the cars he drives, but on the people he associates with and the fun times that he has. And this weekend, this hectic weekend, well ladies and gentlemen, you have made me proud.
I can safely say we expected as much as we got! We kicked off the long weekend with a thursday night 'Lash' for want of a better word, session i may use, we went out for a delicious dinner, tapas in Cumbres Mayores, for Tash's birthday. After which we hit the Old Town, Cuba, Nahu, Bhopal, the makings of a solid session in Cadiz. Also, im afraid, the makings of a jolly good hangover, uncurable it may seem in Spain, as there are simply no English Breakfasts!
SOOOOO the 12 o'clock bus to Granada was sure to be a hoot, headache in tow, bags packed, sarnies bought, journey.... dreaded! Group, unfortunately.... seperated. Drama? For sure! What kindof friends would we be if drama didn't appear at every opportunity? The 6 hour bus journey was a peach :-| 6 hours of pure torture, minimal leg-room, maximum Iphone diversion!
We eventually arrived in the wet, cold beauty that is Granada. A short taxi ride later we arrived at the Best Western Hotel in the centre of town, merely a 3 star paradise.
3 hours later we were half way through an average at best meal in the pizzeria just downstairs from the Hotel, when who should roll up, but Tash, Sarah and Sam, fresh off the same torid bus ride! Let the drama commence :) A slight confusion in communication between the two bus groups led to 2 seperate tables for dinner and some rather cold shoulders, (gladly shurgged off by Saturday). After the meal, including the perfect pudding of Mikes;
Gustav Klimt was our first destination after some rather rowdy pre-drinking in the hotel suite; IPad Ring-of-Fire, Pirate Talk, Tinto Verano, Cheap Mixers and staff complaints gives you a vague idea of the pre-lash! After being offered to buy some weed, Friends styled photos and slippery surfaces we managed to get into Klimt, right after Mike got loooked up and down and almost refused that is! Chilling upstairs like the big cheeses we were set to be on Saturday night we were loving it! Meanwhile Tash and Sarah were knocking back the Shots at the Chupiteria with Mairi, Kim, and our newest acquaintence, Leeds lass Charlotte. As the night drew on, and the group remained split, me being, welll me, decided it was best if myself and young Sam-Wise headed over to collect the girls and hit Granada 10 where the night would end in fireworks. This however did not occur, we met up, i got beaten up by one Mairi Davies (Yes i have the neck scratch to prove it Mairi so dont argue yeah!?) and hit the hotel an hour after leaving Klimt with the whole night ahead of me :-/. What did i miss? Well only one Michael McPherson being thrown out of Granada 10 by the bouncers after being persuaded by the ladies to remove his shirt an 'Get on down' on the podium in front of a packed club! How could this get any worse... everyone understand the term Coño... if not, it don't matter, trust me! But the bouncer sure did, and a few arguments later, the group finally emerged to see Mike, Creditless and Hammmered, fliling around in a back alley, regretting listening to certain women!
The hangovers seen Saturday morning were memories to treasure! Breakfast, somehow, was too! Bacon, eggs, cereals, toast and fruit, the makings of a delicious treat to start what was supposed to be a aproductive day!... how did it end up? Being the begginning of a day where i saw daylight a mere 3 times and twice were me looking out of the bathroom window pre luxurious bath! Saturday became null, a few of us managed to emerge from the hotel and tour the city, me i made it as far as the cash machine at the top of the street to collect Alhambra tickets! However, Saturday night.... One to remember forever!
Lads suited up, shirts, ties, trousers, some jackets, some braces, me... Trilby of course
and others... well others, no names mentioned ey Sam Maloney, they wore pumps :-/. The Ladies, looking all lovely and what not in dresses, heels, jewellery and enough makeup, perfume and hairspray to bring down the chinese army and legs and boobs everywhere, gave us men a run for our money, but the Rat Pack reincarnated just pipped it! The plan? Champers in the room as we presented Mike with his present and the stragglers finished up getting ready, before heading to Alcazar for a sesnsational meal overlooking the Alhambra, lit up in all its beauty giving us the perfect backdrop to the perfect meal as we left all bad feelings, drama, money issues and relationship troubles behind us. The food... incredible. The service.... Tip Top. The wine.... delicious (supposedly). The night.... kicked off in true style.
After our mammoth meals we headed back to Gustav Klimt for drinks before heading back up the mountain.
We got there earlier than the likes of Rob, Bekki, Mairi, Kim and Charlotte and, in true Gaditan style, got both our Booze and Boogies on... renditions of Michael Jackson, Neyo and Beyonce making the night all that memorable. But did it get better, well of course it did! As the alcohol continued to flow, the fun and laughter back in our 'lash' filled veins the mood picked up and the crowd did too as Mairi, Kim and Charlotte came to escort us from the cave up to the 'happening' club upstairs, the one with the views, the one with the crowds, the one with the cheap shots, THE ONE! Boy oh boy oh boy, when i say this i means it... All the girls looked... incredible, but well, when one lil red dress walked in, the eyes in the room were in one place, the ghetto bootay somehow controlled, the abusive nature toned down, and the Lady in the red dress, jaw dropping gents, one more addition to the a) great night and b) brilliant mix of beautiful girls.
The night was a great one, as we moved up to the other half of the amazing club the guys and i went from tipsyish/buzzed/drunkish into drunk/crunk/hammered, some more so than others, Mike and Ashley taking his celebrations out on, what i presume was, a fridge full of beer and a bottle full of tequila. The odours of which were sure to hang around for at least the next 24 hours! An earlyish night was insitigated for some of us as we debated the prospect of getting up Sunday morning to not only pack and be out by 12, but have breakfast before half 10, and make it to the Alhambra before half 1... did we do it... of course we did! Room key drama, hangovers and tired eyes just adding to the hilarity of the situation!
The walk to the Alhambra, although bloody tiring, was also bloody beautiful. Mountain side views of the rest of the city in one direction, sensational views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range another. Although well and truly cream-crackered, everyone seemed still to be able to take in the sheer awe and wonder of the views we were looking at... a gift from god, a paradise on earth.
After walking around the Alhambra for a few hours, learning about the history of the wonderful place, learning how to read sign language;
Stuffed from the pizza and weekend glee we said our sad goodbyes. Goodbyes to mates, with whom strong friendships had been bound across the space of 2 amazing weekends. Friends who shall not be forgotten up in the Andalucian mountains;
After the all the pizza was eaten, after all our goodbyes were said, and after we managed it back to the hotel in one piece, we headed in taxis to the bus station to catch our coach back to our Gaditan paradise. A far cry from the enormity and beauty of Granada, but our own, small, compact, sea-side, warm ...ish wonderland. And now 8 hours after setting off on a bus ride from hell, in which i had squashed legs, minimal IPhone battery and minimal grub, i sit here writing to you, my loyal readers, my friends, my family, my peeps :)
It is nice to get away every now and again, Cadiz can become claustrophobic sometimes, to be honest up until the ice skating rink was built over the weekend, there wasn't much to do but go to uni and play football manager! But i am happy to be back, to be back to our home, our cosy little flat, where after this weekend i can safely say, we all live in our little world, a bubble you could say. But it does not matter about the size of the bubble, because as i found out this weekend, as we shifted the bubble 6 hours north east, its not always about the place that you are, but its always about the people you are with.
Happy Blogging :)
P.S
Granada '10 Playlist
-Marry You - Bruno Mars. Dedicated to one Mathew Clarke and Kate Newman the roomies with a glutteny for Glee
-Single Ladies - Beyonce. Dedicated to all the ladies in our lives this weekend, single or not, partying hard through the alcohol and laughter and making it a wekeend to remember.
-Celebration - Kool and the Gang. Dedicated the Tash and Mike who both turned 21 this long weekend.
-New Shoes - Paulo Nutini. Dedicated to Sam Maloney.... get some!
-Don't Stop Believing. Dedicated to every person who added to this fantastic weekend, friends, randomers, even staff at the hotel, bars and attractions, couldn't have done it without you, and i just cannot wait for January to roll around and the 21st birthday celebrations to continue.
Thursday 25 November 2010
"An intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality"
Afternoon Bloggers,
Just a short one today i'm afraid. The only reason i really decided to write this entry was as a sort of bridge between my last one and the next one which is sure to have to you in fits of laughter, even histeria maybe. Why you ask, and i shall answer with one word and one word only.... GRANADA.
This weekend see's the celebrations of both Mike and Tash becoming, although they may try to avoid the fact, OLD! After Hotels and Coaches were booked the anticipation set in, and although money circumstances stipulate many peoples weekends will be extending the shoe-string to its furthest lengths, myself included, it shall be a brilliant weekend. The missing factor.... Wor Mateo, who is currently lapping it up in a plush suite in the Waldorf in New York, you know, that concrete jungle where dreams are made, no big deal like! I was just surprised our umbilical managed to survive the flights and transfers, i could tell you what he was doing right no... awww matty in the shower thats just gross :D
This week hasn't been anything extra special, Bingo on sunday where the 8 euros i won happily covered my nights spend and the combination of Sam's seemingly unlimited knowledge of Bingo numbering, Tash's inability to not win either a line or a house on each card, and the mixture of the interesting Bingo Calling by both Alcon, Mike and Richard, was perhaps the highlight of an otherwise dull week dominated by both the anticipation of the weekend ahead and the realisation that we indeed have an assignment to hand in next wednesday to Wor Billy, the Bearded Lord of Economia del Turismo. No biggy though it seems like we have that one cracked, a portfolio on the Circuito del Jerez and Moto GP there will suffice, one problem, the bloomin thing has to be written in Spanish :-/ One good thing did happen however.... we got our Kates back :) And planning can now begin on all things christmassy!!!
Rain has washed away all Cadiz joy at the moment, as money dries up so does the glee running through my usually ever-happy body. However the combination of Christmas closing in, the Ice-Skating rink being built on Plaza San Francisco and the realisation that in 23 days i will be sat in my house back in Doncaster 7 days away from what is set to be my favourite Christmas ever, happily back with all my family and Donny friends.... the day cannot come too soon :)
I'm not saying i won't miss being in Spain for those 2 and a halfish weeks i'll be home, but at the minute, i'm afraid, i am all Cadiz-ed out. :)
So for now my loyal fans i bid you adieu (no that was not another dig at you Kate! GAWWWWD), it is not goodbye, it is merely a farewell, until next time, probably monday when i will look to enthral you with frivolous tales of birthday beatings, hotel antics, freezing conditions, smartly suiting up and of course Sam.
Happy Blogging :)
Just a short one today i'm afraid. The only reason i really decided to write this entry was as a sort of bridge between my last one and the next one which is sure to have to you in fits of laughter, even histeria maybe. Why you ask, and i shall answer with one word and one word only.... GRANADA.
This weekend see's the celebrations of both Mike and Tash becoming, although they may try to avoid the fact, OLD! After Hotels and Coaches were booked the anticipation set in, and although money circumstances stipulate many peoples weekends will be extending the shoe-string to its furthest lengths, myself included, it shall be a brilliant weekend. The missing factor.... Wor Mateo, who is currently lapping it up in a plush suite in the Waldorf in New York, you know, that concrete jungle where dreams are made, no big deal like! I was just surprised our umbilical managed to survive the flights and transfers, i could tell you what he was doing right no... awww matty in the shower thats just gross :D
This week hasn't been anything extra special, Bingo on sunday where the 8 euros i won happily covered my nights spend and the combination of Sam's seemingly unlimited knowledge of Bingo numbering, Tash's inability to not win either a line or a house on each card, and the mixture of the interesting Bingo Calling by both Alcon, Mike and Richard, was perhaps the highlight of an otherwise dull week dominated by both the anticipation of the weekend ahead and the realisation that we indeed have an assignment to hand in next wednesday to Wor Billy, the Bearded Lord of Economia del Turismo. No biggy though it seems like we have that one cracked, a portfolio on the Circuito del Jerez and Moto GP there will suffice, one problem, the bloomin thing has to be written in Spanish :-/ One good thing did happen however.... we got our Kates back :) And planning can now begin on all things christmassy!!!
Rain has washed away all Cadiz joy at the moment, as money dries up so does the glee running through my usually ever-happy body. However the combination of Christmas closing in, the Ice-Skating rink being built on Plaza San Francisco and the realisation that in 23 days i will be sat in my house back in Doncaster 7 days away from what is set to be my favourite Christmas ever, happily back with all my family and Donny friends.... the day cannot come too soon :)
I'm not saying i won't miss being in Spain for those 2 and a halfish weeks i'll be home, but at the minute, i'm afraid, i am all Cadiz-ed out. :)
So for now my loyal fans i bid you adieu (no that was not another dig at you Kate! GAWWWWD), it is not goodbye, it is merely a farewell, until next time, probably monday when i will look to enthral you with frivolous tales of birthday beatings, hotel antics, freezing conditions, smartly suiting up and of course Sam.
Happy Blogging :)
Sunday 21 November 2010
You Don't Make Friends, You Earn Them.
Afternoon Bloggers,
I know it has not been bvery long since my last blog, but with the current roll i am on, i thought i would throw an entry in the mix which meant quite a bit to me.
Sat in a bar with 8 beautifu women as the sun set on another great day in Cadiz, i couldn't help but look at where i stand today, at what i have, and what i have become. It took my to wonder how i came to be so lucky? How, no why i had been given the opportunity to meet so many amazing people? And at how stupid i would be to let this opportunity pass me by. Making the most of every situation is very important to me, i believe life is there for the taking, life is there for living, and dreams, goals and ambitions are there to be reached.
Its been a fantastic week in Cadiz, along with the usual Uni based banter and boredom, the football manager escapades, work and wishy washy weather, we have seen so many people come and go. If I thought that i had met some great people already, well this week i have met a few more. Friends of friends brought in to fill the void left by the absence of Kate and Katie; Mairi, Kim, Charlotte and Jem. 4 beautiful and elegant English girls looking to thoroughly enjoy their time in this Gadetan paradise.
Of course i wouldn't be me if one didn't catch the eye! Rarely does at least one not catch the eye!! Who? Well all can be said is that; yes she was beautiful, however she was a bully (No James this does not mean she was a Female Rugby Player like your most recent conquest!!!!) and spiffingly annoying in equal amounts ;) How to overcome such obstacles?! Let Laurel and Hardy, the 'Ant and Dec' of Cadiz loose around her and watch the complexes blossom!! The bruises and wounds the result of a hilrious night in the presence of that bit extra 'Junk in the Trunk' and her sidekick Tinkerbell!!
Bruises how? Bruises and wounds from tumbles, thumps and trouble, of course all this can just be put down to one thing.... Friday night in Cadiz!
Friday night was chaos! Late starting pre drinks as we awaited the arrival of Sarah, Tash and their guests, perhaps we wouldn't have been crazy to think the night may have fizzled into a nothing night, and a hanging morning. However a bottle of vodka, visits to Persigueme and Origen later, La Punta time arrived, and just in time, the alcohol had more than hit the spot, Mat was on witty, charm-less, abusive, drunken form.
Saturday morning? A time to recollect. To regroup, recoup and revitalise. Also a time to look back at the night before and to think... where the bleeding helll did that come from. The graze on Tash's knee and bumps on Kim still remain an unsolved case (I plead innocent till proven guilty, i was falling and merely threw them to their safety!!!).
A hangover, beautifully awful meal and unhappy mood later came Saturday evening. A mere few hours ago from writing this entry i was walking along La Caleta beach front watching the sun set in the distance and in more than a pensive mood wondering simply..... how do i live here? Then came the bar situation, Cola Cao in hand i sat back and allowed the 8 friends to converse. All the time looking for inspiration for my next blog entry! Then inspiration hit me, the Iphone came out and the writing began.
But what insiration can one draw from sitting at a bar and being a 9th wheel? Well apart from feeling like the cheese and onion sandwiches at a grand buffet (left out if you didnt get that), the situation gave me time to simply appreciate all i have in life. I'm not a rich kid, i'm not a poor kid.I have no outstanding attributes or talents to shout about. I will not cure cancer and i will not become the prime minister. But what i do have, what i have that all the money in the world, all the talent or fame in the universe couldn't buy you, i simply have the best, no the greatest set of friends and family a guy could ask for.
What is most dear to me? Is it the Abercrombie shirt i wear or Aston Martin i one day hope to drive? Is it the laptop i write on or the blog i update week after week? It is not, they all ran a good race, but at the end of the day, when you strip life to the bare bone, when you uncover all the troubles, all the torments, all the tears and triumphs, the one thing that remains the constant, the one thing that is always there for you is your friends and family.
A wise man once said "Sometimes you pick your friends, and sometimes they pick you." It is the times when people walk into your life that you must cherish for it is "True friends who walk in when everyone else walks out." Why do i appreciate my friends so much? Well today that became very apparent to me. I appreciate them simply because they are there. Today, with all the talk of people going home to see friends and family back home and with people having friends come over to see them, i was hit with a sever bout of.... homesickness! A sad sight i was. Sitting sad faced and boring in a group of beautiful women, i must say my dad would be ashamed! But then as inspiration hit so did an improvement. I realised in that moment that
- the ability to laugh at Sam's ever impressive lack of common sense,
- the ever present chance to take a dig at Sarah's pretruding bottom,
- the fun that can be had by making a Kike joke,
- the hilarity found at some of Geff's english sentences and adaptation to our use of slang,
- the beauty found in the art of facebook raping Ash,
- the comfort of being at Kate and Katies flat even though they arent there,
- the haven found by abusing Tash's tolerance to BANTER,
- the brilliance in some of Mateo's one-liners,
- the chance to talk to the likes of James, Pieter, Zoe, Charlotte, Chris, Evans, Mellor, Simon, Luke, Mazza, Callum, Tori, Bekki through the miracle of Facebook chat,
- the opportunity to see the smile on my Grandparents or Dads face as they connect to me on skype,
These are the things that make me smile, get me over bad situations, and bring me to the realisation of one very important fact,
Friends are for life... not just for Cadiz 2010.
Happy Blogging :)
I know it has not been bvery long since my last blog, but with the current roll i am on, i thought i would throw an entry in the mix which meant quite a bit to me.
Sat in a bar with 8 beautifu women as the sun set on another great day in Cadiz, i couldn't help but look at where i stand today, at what i have, and what i have become. It took my to wonder how i came to be so lucky? How, no why i had been given the opportunity to meet so many amazing people? And at how stupid i would be to let this opportunity pass me by. Making the most of every situation is very important to me, i believe life is there for the taking, life is there for living, and dreams, goals and ambitions are there to be reached.
Its been a fantastic week in Cadiz, along with the usual Uni based banter and boredom, the football manager escapades, work and wishy washy weather, we have seen so many people come and go. If I thought that i had met some great people already, well this week i have met a few more. Friends of friends brought in to fill the void left by the absence of Kate and Katie; Mairi, Kim, Charlotte and Jem. 4 beautiful and elegant English girls looking to thoroughly enjoy their time in this Gadetan paradise.
Of course i wouldn't be me if one didn't catch the eye! Rarely does at least one not catch the eye!! Who? Well all can be said is that; yes she was beautiful, however she was a bully (No James this does not mean she was a Female Rugby Player like your most recent conquest!!!!) and spiffingly annoying in equal amounts ;) How to overcome such obstacles?! Let Laurel and Hardy, the 'Ant and Dec' of Cadiz loose around her and watch the complexes blossom!! The bruises and wounds the result of a hilrious night in the presence of that bit extra 'Junk in the Trunk' and her sidekick Tinkerbell!!
Bruises how? Bruises and wounds from tumbles, thumps and trouble, of course all this can just be put down to one thing.... Friday night in Cadiz!
Friday night was chaos! Late starting pre drinks as we awaited the arrival of Sarah, Tash and their guests, perhaps we wouldn't have been crazy to think the night may have fizzled into a nothing night, and a hanging morning. However a bottle of vodka, visits to Persigueme and Origen later, La Punta time arrived, and just in time, the alcohol had more than hit the spot, Mat was on witty, charm-less, abusive, drunken form.
Saturday morning? A time to recollect. To regroup, recoup and revitalise. Also a time to look back at the night before and to think... where the bleeding helll did that come from. The graze on Tash's knee and bumps on Kim still remain an unsolved case (I plead innocent till proven guilty, i was falling and merely threw them to their safety!!!).
A hangover, beautifully awful meal and unhappy mood later came Saturday evening. A mere few hours ago from writing this entry i was walking along La Caleta beach front watching the sun set in the distance and in more than a pensive mood wondering simply..... how do i live here? Then came the bar situation, Cola Cao in hand i sat back and allowed the 8 friends to converse. All the time looking for inspiration for my next blog entry! Then inspiration hit me, the Iphone came out and the writing began.
But what insiration can one draw from sitting at a bar and being a 9th wheel? Well apart from feeling like the cheese and onion sandwiches at a grand buffet (left out if you didnt get that), the situation gave me time to simply appreciate all i have in life. I'm not a rich kid, i'm not a poor kid.I have no outstanding attributes or talents to shout about. I will not cure cancer and i will not become the prime minister. But what i do have, what i have that all the money in the world, all the talent or fame in the universe couldn't buy you, i simply have the best, no the greatest set of friends and family a guy could ask for.
What is most dear to me? Is it the Abercrombie shirt i wear or Aston Martin i one day hope to drive? Is it the laptop i write on or the blog i update week after week? It is not, they all ran a good race, but at the end of the day, when you strip life to the bare bone, when you uncover all the troubles, all the torments, all the tears and triumphs, the one thing that remains the constant, the one thing that is always there for you is your friends and family.
A wise man once said "Sometimes you pick your friends, and sometimes they pick you." It is the times when people walk into your life that you must cherish for it is "True friends who walk in when everyone else walks out." Why do i appreciate my friends so much? Well today that became very apparent to me. I appreciate them simply because they are there. Today, with all the talk of people going home to see friends and family back home and with people having friends come over to see them, i was hit with a sever bout of.... homesickness! A sad sight i was. Sitting sad faced and boring in a group of beautiful women, i must say my dad would be ashamed! But then as inspiration hit so did an improvement. I realised in that moment that
- the ability to laugh at Sam's ever impressive lack of common sense,
- the ever present chance to take a dig at Sarah's pretruding bottom,
- the fun that can be had by making a Kike joke,
- the hilarity found at some of Geff's english sentences and adaptation to our use of slang,
- the beauty found in the art of facebook raping Ash,
- the comfort of being at Kate and Katies flat even though they arent there,
- the haven found by abusing Tash's tolerance to BANTER,
- the brilliance in some of Mateo's one-liners,
- the chance to talk to the likes of James, Pieter, Zoe, Charlotte, Chris, Evans, Mellor, Simon, Luke, Mazza, Callum, Tori, Bekki through the miracle of Facebook chat,
- the opportunity to see the smile on my Grandparents or Dads face as they connect to me on skype,
These are the things that make me smile, get me over bad situations, and bring me to the realisation of one very important fact,
Friends are for life... not just for Cadiz 2010.
Happy Blogging :)
Friday 19 November 2010
"If The Dream Is Big Enough The Facts Don't Matter"
Afternoon Bloggers :)
Knock Knock..... Who's there?..... Winter!!! Now this was going to be the title but i thought it may be a bit misleading!
How do you know that winter has arrived? Your laid in your bed at 11am in the south of Spain shivering! Not only do i fear putting my feet out of the covers due to Paranormal Activity, but now i have Jack frikin Frost to deal with as well. Trust me i didn't expect him to make it all the way down to Cadiz this year!! No Central Heating, big ass windows, marble-ish floors, no duvet, so what the bleeding hell can i do to keep myself warm? By writing to you lovely people who read my blog :)
Iv mulled and you could sayn even fretted about this entry to my blog. A quick look before i wrote this at the stats tells me that since i launched my blog at the start of October i have had some 1377 views. Wow! When i started out writing this i never dreamed of this many views, i thought that i'd get a few from friends back home, friends here in Cadiz, friends scattered around Europe and in Mexico, family around the world. However, there is a option on the stats part to look at where people are viewing this blog from, and may i say, i was gobsmacked. Of course Spain and the UK are the places where it is most popular, but you look further down and this week alone there has been 37 views in Denmark and numerous views in Russia, Germany, The USA, Singapore and Israel! I was shocked and i must say humbled! I thank you all so much for continuing to read my blog entry after entry and giving me the compliments i have been recieving from all sorts of people. But the pressure i have felt. How do i follow up the last two entries which have proven to be the two most popular since my first ever one, 'Ode to a Toad in the Hole' has rocketed over the 100 views mark!
Why change a working formula? You have responded well to me talking about my friends of late. Why? Well because i never started writing this blog to be repetitious and boring :) I could talk about other friends of mine, friends back home in Donny who i thoroughly look forward to seeing in December :). I could talk about my family, my family who i miss dearly, and cannot wait to get all together at Christmas :). But today, well today bloggers, i shall talk about lots of people including a guy many of you know, and seemingly many of you do not. A guy who, at this moment in time, all he cares about is keeping you reading. A guy who you cannot simply put a label on, or I hope not! A guy that you may want to label, it woulod seemingly be easy, a 6ft3, barely over 11stone wet through, ginger, paled skinned guy, living in Spain, what would you label a guy like that, well probably crazy! or an outcast! But you merely can label him Mathew Clarke, avid blogger, gentleman, and a Dreamer.
You may say everybody dreams, you may say dreams are for those who cannot face reality, James Dean said; "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today". You can look at the word Dream from two different angles;
- The first is a dream one has at night, dreams of magical worlds, famous people, of dragons wizards and dreamscapes. What you dream at night depends on who you are, it is safe to say i am a hardcore nightime sleeper, just ask Ash 'babyface' Milns who has to share a room with my sleeping self! If you thought Inception was warped, you should spend a night or two inside my dreams! Its an experience trust me! If i'm not kicking someone out of bed, singing a power ballad, performing a musical, conversing in different languages, or locking myself out of my room whilst sleepwalking then i have let myself down!! Who needs Paranormal Activity when you have a sleeping ginger genius!!
- The second is the dreams we all hold so close to us. The dreams we do not always tell others. Dreams of fame and fortune. Dreams of performing on broadway and the west end to hundreds of people. Dreams of having a number one single and album. Dreams of getting that job you always wanted, or of seeing your name in lights. These dreams are the things that drive us forward in life, they are why we set the goals we do, and why we make the decisions we do. And it is these dreams i want to talk about today.
James Walsh is a dreamer just like me. He wants to go into the field of biomechanics and hopes to do a masters in it next year. However you've seen the videos such as; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVzxWZ9piiE have a gander at around the 46 second mark!! James dreams of being a performer, his dream is one of stardom and celebrity status so he can hang with his heroes like Usher. He dreams of that hit single and of packing out stadiums on his world tour.
This is an example of a dream. A dream that you hope, wish and pray will one day come true. A dream that if it did come true, you would be set for life. These are the dreams we have all had since we were a kid and the teacher asked us in primary school, "what do you want to be when you grow up". For people such as Mateo Stevens his dream was merely to be tall. Kate Newman dreamed of smuggling watermelons, at an age where she was still in a training bra and Kike was still a pipe dream at the back of the minds of Kellie and Mike.
Me you ask? I call myself a Dreamer because, and my family will verify this fact, i have had so many dreams. The professions i have wanted to be in, and these are just a few, are:
- Footballer
-Paleontologist
- Actor, supporting myself working behind a bar whilst at Acting school
- Fighter Pilot
- Forensic Anthropologist
- Football Manager (when i realised i really wasn't very good on the field! Only one Peter Crouch can make it by the laws of nature!!!)
- Reality TV star
- Billionaire business owner, how? No idea!
- Marketing manager
- Film Director
- Sports Agent
The list is endless! But the two thing that ties them all together is that;
a) They all involve me being mega rich :)
b) I was as driven to achieve the first as i am to achieve the last.
Whatever the dream, no matter how farfetched, i could picture myself in that profession, and i drove myself forward to get that goal.
But dreams need not just be about the career i see myself in. Before I came to Cadiz i dreamt about what this year would be like. But this was one dream i underdreamt!! Never did i dream that i would meet as many amazing people as I have done! I am however, having the time of my life, and that i did dream of!
Many things in life take you by surprise, many things happen out of the blue and you cannot put it down to anything but fate because you never dreamt up such a scenario. I never dreamt that i would get as many views of my blog from as many different countries around the world. I especially never dreamt that i would have people telling me that i should write for a living. I write as a hobby, i write because it makes me feel good, just like why i eat chocolate, why i watch films or play video games. Writing makes me happy. I purposely never included writing in the list above because it is something i have never really dreamed of, i have dreamt of writing a book, but not of writing for a living. When i was 16 i wrote a list of the things i wanted to do before i was 40:
1. Appear in a film
2. Visit New York
3. Live in a foriegn country
4. Write a book
5. Give blood
6. Skydive
7. Visit Paris
8. Earn a million
9. Get so drunk i could not remember anything about the night before
10. Have a family
Now as i grew up some of these became less important, i now live in Cadiz in Spain so number 3 is crossed off, and others i just see as being part of my future, only one on the list still remains to me a real dream, and that is to have a family.
If i can say as i grow old the same words Noah said in the Notebook; "I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough, then i will be happy. I will have achieved a dream. If i achieve the other dreams i have, any of the hundreds or even thousands i have, then they will just be great additions to my great life.
The dreams of my friends? Where do i see them? That i don't think i can tell you, i can try, of course i'll try :p But dreams are one of the most personal things to a man or woman. If you know a persons true dreams, then you truly know a person.
- I have already told you about James Walsh achieving fame and fortune on the back of his Number 1 hit single and Album, most probably entitled simply; Jumbo Jams.
- Pieter Lishman, oh if it were not for him being an injury prone crock he could dream of pulling on that South African rugby jersey and bombing up and down the wings and he breaks ever try scoring record in his country's history. However he is set to become the most famous Lawyer that ever practised law, you've seen A Few Good Men with Tom Cruise... nothing on our Lish!!
- Ashley Milns, a cert for a stock market future? Not after the 20p plummet in his stocks this week, where else to look, well second to starring in his own sitcom detailing his relationship with one Sam Maloney Ash will follow a business career, most probably not tackling logistics that have scuppered the Abercrombie delivery so far!!!
- Sam Maloney, If the sitcom never takes off Sam may look at busking, not the James Morrison kind, more like Santander Tramp styley, in a bid to put himself through stage school. Of course if he wishes to earn some money he'll follow his degree into business and most probably become a financial advisor or an accountant! Tight as a grasshoppers bumhole!
- Kate Newman Page 3? No don't be silly!! :-/ Kate perhaps is a bit like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz :p Like mentioned last time out Legally Blonde style Kate aims above expectations, i mean, she got into uni didn't she?! Kate will dream and will succeed, if not.... well she can always flash someone?! :p
- Sarah Bailey, what do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze? The sexual predator Sarah... no i'm joking now lets be serious about her for once :-/ she dreams of a sober life with a family and a career. How she's going to get it drinking like Gazza i'll never no :D Again with the jokes gawd she's struggling here!!! ;) Where do i see her in 20 years? Living it large with a couple of rugrats and a successful husband.
- Natasha Pitt, More anti kids than Cruella de Vil! Natasha just dreams of Mowgli leaving the village and returning to the jungle ;) Jokes! Jeeez you guys are touchy today!!! Natasha dreams of there actually being a profession she can go into after passing her degree ;) Where can i see Tash in 20 years? Working for the man, part of the capitalist world, earning the big money, but not on common sense thats for sure. Maternal instincts will eventually take over no matter how much she denies this fact, she looks after the girls here too much to not have her own one day.
- Katie Bilton, Where does and Essex girl end up after uni? Rehab?! A housewife for sure, she'll have made plenty of money pre-marriage, but when that wedding ring goes on, the baby machine will be up and running, she may think not, but after all the success, after all the money, partying and loving, her cold heart will be thawed :P
- Mateo Stevens, who knows? If he gets his act together and fit again, we could see him in the Cyprus or England squad in the next 5-7 years, if he doesn't he need not worry, fluent by the end of the year in 3 languages, and with plenty of business knowhow the money will start rolling in as he supports the ever -spending missus Sophie!! In 20 years if not football then owning a Casino i could see.
- Kellie Westerman, right so mummy Westerman is reading this hmmmm..... she's going to be rich and famous. Done. :-/ Oh how i jest :) it wouldnt be a Mathew Clarke blog if it didnt push the boundaries :) Kellie oh Kellie, where can i see you, well with your iron fist ruling and aggression as seen by Mike's twin black eyes, Management may ensue, Human Resource management would make sense, organisation is a bit of an obsession ay Kel?!
- Mike McPherson, after the very public breakdown of his first three marriages, the future owner of Nando's will continue searching for his next wife as he finishes off his last touches of Nando's world domination, seeing McDonalds fall behind. Sadly dead by 65, in bed with a heartattack, smothered in extra hot Nando's sauce leaving everything to his 3 children and nothing to his 19 year old 5th wife.
- Zoe Healy, shacked up in her north east love nest, Zoe will achieve success back home. A business tycoon, specialising in the distribution of Strongbow around the UK. Zoe will dedicate time to charities and hospices in her spare time whilst also working as editor on works submitted by one Mathew Clarke. All in a days work for the job juggler.
And me? Well i'll be happy to be earning 50,000+ a year, supporting my beautiful family in our New York apartment. But the dream. Well maybe it is to carrying on writing, maybe journalism, maybe novels or screenplays. Buying up properties on the Florida coastline for friends and family and apartments in L.A for the odd getaway, or work stay whilst at Hollywood.
Oscar Wilde once said; "The supreme object of life is to live. Few people live. It is true life only to realize one's own perfection, to make one's every dream a reality.” Take this on board guys, keep smiling, keep dreaming, but most of all, live the fantasies you dream, for that is how you make the most of the life you've been given.
Happy Holiday Blogging :) only 36 Days till Christmas x
Knock Knock..... Who's there?..... Winter!!! Now this was going to be the title but i thought it may be a bit misleading!
How do you know that winter has arrived? Your laid in your bed at 11am in the south of Spain shivering! Not only do i fear putting my feet out of the covers due to Paranormal Activity, but now i have Jack frikin Frost to deal with as well. Trust me i didn't expect him to make it all the way down to Cadiz this year!! No Central Heating, big ass windows, marble-ish floors, no duvet, so what the bleeding hell can i do to keep myself warm? By writing to you lovely people who read my blog :)
Iv mulled and you could sayn even fretted about this entry to my blog. A quick look before i wrote this at the stats tells me that since i launched my blog at the start of October i have had some 1377 views. Wow! When i started out writing this i never dreamed of this many views, i thought that i'd get a few from friends back home, friends here in Cadiz, friends scattered around Europe and in Mexico, family around the world. However, there is a option on the stats part to look at where people are viewing this blog from, and may i say, i was gobsmacked. Of course Spain and the UK are the places where it is most popular, but you look further down and this week alone there has been 37 views in Denmark and numerous views in Russia, Germany, The USA, Singapore and Israel! I was shocked and i must say humbled! I thank you all so much for continuing to read my blog entry after entry and giving me the compliments i have been recieving from all sorts of people. But the pressure i have felt. How do i follow up the last two entries which have proven to be the two most popular since my first ever one, 'Ode to a Toad in the Hole' has rocketed over the 100 views mark!
Why change a working formula? You have responded well to me talking about my friends of late. Why? Well because i never started writing this blog to be repetitious and boring :) I could talk about other friends of mine, friends back home in Donny who i thoroughly look forward to seeing in December :). I could talk about my family, my family who i miss dearly, and cannot wait to get all together at Christmas :). But today, well today bloggers, i shall talk about lots of people including a guy many of you know, and seemingly many of you do not. A guy who, at this moment in time, all he cares about is keeping you reading. A guy who you cannot simply put a label on, or I hope not! A guy that you may want to label, it woulod seemingly be easy, a 6ft3, barely over 11stone wet through, ginger, paled skinned guy, living in Spain, what would you label a guy like that, well probably crazy! or an outcast! But you merely can label him Mathew Clarke, avid blogger, gentleman, and a Dreamer.
You may say everybody dreams, you may say dreams are for those who cannot face reality, James Dean said; "Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today". You can look at the word Dream from two different angles;
- The first is a dream one has at night, dreams of magical worlds, famous people, of dragons wizards and dreamscapes. What you dream at night depends on who you are, it is safe to say i am a hardcore nightime sleeper, just ask Ash 'babyface' Milns who has to share a room with my sleeping self! If you thought Inception was warped, you should spend a night or two inside my dreams! Its an experience trust me! If i'm not kicking someone out of bed, singing a power ballad, performing a musical, conversing in different languages, or locking myself out of my room whilst sleepwalking then i have let myself down!! Who needs Paranormal Activity when you have a sleeping ginger genius!!
- The second is the dreams we all hold so close to us. The dreams we do not always tell others. Dreams of fame and fortune. Dreams of performing on broadway and the west end to hundreds of people. Dreams of having a number one single and album. Dreams of getting that job you always wanted, or of seeing your name in lights. These dreams are the things that drive us forward in life, they are why we set the goals we do, and why we make the decisions we do. And it is these dreams i want to talk about today.
James Walsh is a dreamer just like me. He wants to go into the field of biomechanics and hopes to do a masters in it next year. However you've seen the videos such as; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVzxWZ9piiE have a gander at around the 46 second mark!! James dreams of being a performer, his dream is one of stardom and celebrity status so he can hang with his heroes like Usher. He dreams of that hit single and of packing out stadiums on his world tour.
This is an example of a dream. A dream that you hope, wish and pray will one day come true. A dream that if it did come true, you would be set for life. These are the dreams we have all had since we were a kid and the teacher asked us in primary school, "what do you want to be when you grow up". For people such as Mateo Stevens his dream was merely to be tall. Kate Newman dreamed of smuggling watermelons, at an age where she was still in a training bra and Kike was still a pipe dream at the back of the minds of Kellie and Mike.
Me you ask? I call myself a Dreamer because, and my family will verify this fact, i have had so many dreams. The professions i have wanted to be in, and these are just a few, are:
- Footballer
-Paleontologist
- Actor, supporting myself working behind a bar whilst at Acting school
- Fighter Pilot
- Forensic Anthropologist
- Football Manager (when i realised i really wasn't very good on the field! Only one Peter Crouch can make it by the laws of nature!!!)
- Reality TV star
- Billionaire business owner, how? No idea!
- Marketing manager
- Film Director
- Sports Agent
The list is endless! But the two thing that ties them all together is that;
a) They all involve me being mega rich :)
b) I was as driven to achieve the first as i am to achieve the last.
Whatever the dream, no matter how farfetched, i could picture myself in that profession, and i drove myself forward to get that goal.
But dreams need not just be about the career i see myself in. Before I came to Cadiz i dreamt about what this year would be like. But this was one dream i underdreamt!! Never did i dream that i would meet as many amazing people as I have done! I am however, having the time of my life, and that i did dream of!
Many things in life take you by surprise, many things happen out of the blue and you cannot put it down to anything but fate because you never dreamt up such a scenario. I never dreamt that i would get as many views of my blog from as many different countries around the world. I especially never dreamt that i would have people telling me that i should write for a living. I write as a hobby, i write because it makes me feel good, just like why i eat chocolate, why i watch films or play video games. Writing makes me happy. I purposely never included writing in the list above because it is something i have never really dreamed of, i have dreamt of writing a book, but not of writing for a living. When i was 16 i wrote a list of the things i wanted to do before i was 40:
1. Appear in a film
2. Visit New York
3. Live in a foriegn country
4. Write a book
5. Give blood
6. Skydive
7. Visit Paris
8. Earn a million
9. Get so drunk i could not remember anything about the night before
10. Have a family
Now as i grew up some of these became less important, i now live in Cadiz in Spain so number 3 is crossed off, and others i just see as being part of my future, only one on the list still remains to me a real dream, and that is to have a family.
If i can say as i grow old the same words Noah said in the Notebook; "I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who's ever lived: I've loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough, then i will be happy. I will have achieved a dream. If i achieve the other dreams i have, any of the hundreds or even thousands i have, then they will just be great additions to my great life.
The dreams of my friends? Where do i see them? That i don't think i can tell you, i can try, of course i'll try :p But dreams are one of the most personal things to a man or woman. If you know a persons true dreams, then you truly know a person.
- I have already told you about James Walsh achieving fame and fortune on the back of his Number 1 hit single and Album, most probably entitled simply; Jumbo Jams.
- Pieter Lishman, oh if it were not for him being an injury prone crock he could dream of pulling on that South African rugby jersey and bombing up and down the wings and he breaks ever try scoring record in his country's history. However he is set to become the most famous Lawyer that ever practised law, you've seen A Few Good Men with Tom Cruise... nothing on our Lish!!
- Ashley Milns, a cert for a stock market future? Not after the 20p plummet in his stocks this week, where else to look, well second to starring in his own sitcom detailing his relationship with one Sam Maloney Ash will follow a business career, most probably not tackling logistics that have scuppered the Abercrombie delivery so far!!!
- Sam Maloney, If the sitcom never takes off Sam may look at busking, not the James Morrison kind, more like Santander Tramp styley, in a bid to put himself through stage school. Of course if he wishes to earn some money he'll follow his degree into business and most probably become a financial advisor or an accountant! Tight as a grasshoppers bumhole!
- Kate Newman Page 3? No don't be silly!! :-/ Kate perhaps is a bit like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz :p Like mentioned last time out Legally Blonde style Kate aims above expectations, i mean, she got into uni didn't she?! Kate will dream and will succeed, if not.... well she can always flash someone?! :p
- Sarah Bailey, what do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze? The sexual predator Sarah... no i'm joking now lets be serious about her for once :-/ she dreams of a sober life with a family and a career. How she's going to get it drinking like Gazza i'll never no :D Again with the jokes gawd she's struggling here!!! ;) Where do i see her in 20 years? Living it large with a couple of rugrats and a successful husband.
- Natasha Pitt, More anti kids than Cruella de Vil! Natasha just dreams of Mowgli leaving the village and returning to the jungle ;) Jokes! Jeeez you guys are touchy today!!! Natasha dreams of there actually being a profession she can go into after passing her degree ;) Where can i see Tash in 20 years? Working for the man, part of the capitalist world, earning the big money, but not on common sense thats for sure. Maternal instincts will eventually take over no matter how much she denies this fact, she looks after the girls here too much to not have her own one day.
- Katie Bilton, Where does and Essex girl end up after uni? Rehab?! A housewife for sure, she'll have made plenty of money pre-marriage, but when that wedding ring goes on, the baby machine will be up and running, she may think not, but after all the success, after all the money, partying and loving, her cold heart will be thawed :P
- Mateo Stevens, who knows? If he gets his act together and fit again, we could see him in the Cyprus or England squad in the next 5-7 years, if he doesn't he need not worry, fluent by the end of the year in 3 languages, and with plenty of business knowhow the money will start rolling in as he supports the ever -spending missus Sophie!! In 20 years if not football then owning a Casino i could see.
- Kellie Westerman, right so mummy Westerman is reading this hmmmm..... she's going to be rich and famous. Done. :-/ Oh how i jest :) it wouldnt be a Mathew Clarke blog if it didnt push the boundaries :) Kellie oh Kellie, where can i see you, well with your iron fist ruling and aggression as seen by Mike's twin black eyes, Management may ensue, Human Resource management would make sense, organisation is a bit of an obsession ay Kel?!
- Mike McPherson, after the very public breakdown of his first three marriages, the future owner of Nando's will continue searching for his next wife as he finishes off his last touches of Nando's world domination, seeing McDonalds fall behind. Sadly dead by 65, in bed with a heartattack, smothered in extra hot Nando's sauce leaving everything to his 3 children and nothing to his 19 year old 5th wife.
- Zoe Healy, shacked up in her north east love nest, Zoe will achieve success back home. A business tycoon, specialising in the distribution of Strongbow around the UK. Zoe will dedicate time to charities and hospices in her spare time whilst also working as editor on works submitted by one Mathew Clarke. All in a days work for the job juggler.
And me? Well i'll be happy to be earning 50,000+ a year, supporting my beautiful family in our New York apartment. But the dream. Well maybe it is to carrying on writing, maybe journalism, maybe novels or screenplays. Buying up properties on the Florida coastline for friends and family and apartments in L.A for the odd getaway, or work stay whilst at Hollywood.
Oscar Wilde once said; "The supreme object of life is to live. Few people live. It is true life only to realize one's own perfection, to make one's every dream a reality.” Take this on board guys, keep smiling, keep dreaming, but most of all, live the fantasies you dream, for that is how you make the most of the life you've been given.
Happy Holiday Blogging :) only 36 Days till Christmas x
Saturday 13 November 2010
A window to your life?
Afternoon Bloggers,
Firstly i would like to thank the 850 people who read my blog throughout October :).
In Cadiz it has been a pretty ordinary week, not alot has really happened, Uni, Drunk times, Chilled Times. However back home has been a different story. I have been saddened by the sheer ignorance of alot of people i thought i had the pleasure to know towards the end of this week. If you follow my goings-on on Facebook you will see the mass debates on the 'Poppy Burning Incident' on Rememberance Day this week.
It has been difficult for me to openly argue with people i have known for years and years, and to discover how truly different i am to some people i thought i could call friends. It is a strange feeling. But on Rememberence Day, before all the commotion i wrote a status, one that i felt embodied the meaning of the day, not only in the UK but around the world. It is a day for reflection, a day to stop and take account of your lives, and the lives of those we have lost, the brave men and women who fight and fought for our freedom, and to rememeber these people and their families.
In this blog i am not looking to preach to you about religion, race or war, i believe i have created a light hearted blog and i don't want to ruin that now :) so i thought i would take a diffferent approach to such topics as Rememberence.
If you remember last time out i wrote about my friends and how i felt they had soundtracks for their lives. Well this week i want to go one step further. I want to talk about my friends, in a rememberence sort of way. I promised last week that i would talk about films sooner or later, and so this week i am going to talk to you about my friends again, but about films too, and how when/if they die, what films will tell the story of their lives, what characters they remind me, and hopefully you, of and who i feel could play them in a film about their lives.
Disclaimer: None of the characters or actors described in the following reflect the appearance of my friends unless stated otherwise.
James Walsh: I hear James became Youtube famous again last week, as many of you who managed to read the last entry also managed to watch his infamous videos :p As i have said before Jumbo is very much a happy go lucky guy, and it was a conversation we had the other day that is at the front of my brain. The conversation went along the lines of how James and Myself ave a habit of finding a girl we like, getting close, and pushing them away, its a curse we both decided. Now James would love me to sit here and tell you how i could see the story of his life being entitled; The Love Machine with Brad Pitt playing him. But i simply cannot lie to my readers!! James has a perpetual habit of embarassing himself, he, to be frank, is a disaster waiting to happen. For me the film that encapsulate James's personality and Life would be Meet The Parents, The Ben Stiller character has James written all over, a nervous wreck, a disaster waiting to happen, but on the inside a truly good guy. Another wee present here for you loyal readers.... James's rendition of Sometimes by Britney Spears, with Sparky dancing for added enjoyment; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krJb8jeZq7Q .
Pieter Lishman: I'm sure there is nothing Lish likes more than to sit in front of his laptop and see himself praised on the intenet. But i have to say, the boys got swagger. Lish is one of those guys who thinks he has life sorted, he has it all down to a T. He'll never get his heart broken, but only because he won't let women close enough to it. He is one of the lads and loves nothing more than sport and drunken times with his mates. For Lish there could only be one character in one film... any guesses? Oh come on, you know it.... Will Smith in the one and only Hitch. In the film Hitch is seemingly the ultimate dude, he has the whole life situation cracked, women, career, lifestyle, everything appears perfect. It takes the clumsyness, the desperation and geekiness of the character played by Kevin James (Another good shout for James Walsh) to make him realise how it is far from perfect.
Michael A.V. McPherson (One half of Kike): Now Mike isn't just your run of the mill guido, no matter how much Sam would like to think. Mike can speak 2 different languages fluently and is having a good ol bash at Spanish too with us guys here in Cadiz (he's pretty good too... when drunk!) Mike is a relationship guy on the inside but likes to put on a LAD front for amigos. He is majorly under the thumb with Kellie, but he cares not as long as the sweet loving continues. He is rather intelligent, a party lad and ok at football. I think the term is 'Rounded individual'. For Mike it was quite difficult to chose a character and film to pin him to, he isn't a guy you can just label with one label, but the best, and i think very accurate, crack at it was to chose Oz from American Pie. A sporty guy and very much one of the lads, but on the inside a mushy romantic, very much a relationship guy who simply loves to spend time with or talking to his girl.
Kellie Westerman (Other Half of Kike... durrr): Kellie is a wannabe party animal, a strong starter, but ultimately early finisher. She is a free spirit in appearance and attitude, but is very well organised and studious in manner. Kellie always looks for the best in people and rarely takes no for an answer. Seperating Kike made both decisions difficult as together you can label them whatever you want, but take them apart and they are two free souls. For Kellie it was always going to be Disney. And you may have now guessed from the description that i chose Belle out of Beauty and the Beast. I'm not in anyway saying Mike is a terrfyingly ugly beast (:p) but, like Belle, Kellie always likes to see the best in others and does as she pleases.
Sam Maloney: Sadly for Sam, the nicities of last week are long gone!! Jokes, but it has been difficult not to say that you could be Rob Schneider's character in Hot Chick, or other overly camp film roles or even liken him to Sam-Wise from Lord of the Rings, it was hard try and resist. But i resisited! woop! Im proud of myself!! For Sam it was a toss up between two film roles to define his life, and i still, as i sit here writing this, simply cannot chose between the two; Firstly is the character played by Kevin James in Paul Blart Mall Cop, a larger than life character, just looking to get by in his job, a job he feels gains him repsect, and a place where he can hopelessly dote on the girl he loves!! The other role is a more light-hearted, but equally accurate observation; Zazu from The Lion King. A loyal friend, but a complete but-job, Sam down to a T? I think you'll agree :)
Ash Milns: How do you know if Ash had read your blog?! Answer... Wait for the shout of anger as he reads that he has a 12 year olds face shoved on a 40 year olds body.... again... coochy coochy cooooo!!! Ash, like James, is a disaster waiting to happen! When Ash is drunk, he's crazy drunk... he's Crunk!! I think you could say at times he's like a bull in a china shop, but he also also the heart to match his 40 year old physique! He often (not always, if there food involved...run!!) puts others first, and is more than genorous. To label Ash is like labelling a star without a telescope, its pretty damn difficult. But i have to give thanks, because seemingly Walt Disney, in his now frozen state, saw this bog coming a long time ago, and created the character of Pumba in The Lion King. Who knew that when i was choosing the films of their lives for Sam and Ash that theyd be in the same one, awwwww :)
Mateo: Our Pint-Sized Princess, Sorry ehem Prince. Mateo is a big personality in a hobbits body, you can catch him in many different moods, but never one more happy than when he's been spending time with him missus, or football manager, the things that are precious to him. I guess i could say he could be remembered a tiny bit like Gollum in Lord of the Rings, but that would be just a little mean :p. Mateo reminds me of a guy that will make it, and will put everything into making it, no matter the obstacles, but the one thing he will always be true to, is the people he loves and cares for, he will never leave friends or family at the way-side. Because of this i chose; Will Smith's character in The Pursuit of Happiness.
Sarah: Oh Sarah! Sarah Sarah Sarah. A story all by herself. A blog entry unto her own. I could write a frikin book about this girl and iv only known her for 2 and a bit months!!! She's a character and a half! She's friendly, i'll give her that, and maybe intelligent, well maybe! I knwo one thing she is.... A pisshead!! :p, thats one slap i'm getting later on!! Talking to her is often like talking to a brick wall; 'Thud, Thud, Thud, Thud', but when you break through, its like a glass smashing next to your bed, its a shock and a half! No, i jest, she's a lovely girl, when you get her nice side :) But i wonder if she is one of those girls who are always the bridesmaid, never the bride. I told you in the last entry that she, to me, is a complex lass. A sort of rubix cube, you just(us) hope to get all the parts in the right place. But when i thought about how i would describe you, after you were gone, i thought of 3 characters. Each quite similar, but very different as well. The first is Miss Moneypenny from James Bond. Moneypenny is a beautiful, intelligent, flirty woman, but with the spark lacking to set off the fireworks. The second is Katherine Heigl's character in 27 Dresses, A successful, organised, kind women, hung up on a fantasy that means she ignores reality. And finally was Jasmine from Aladdin, A rebellious princess, defying family and friends in search for romance and fun times! Ok, looking back over what i have written, not all that sounds positive, but when do i ever apologise, bring those three together and i think we have a film for Sarah's life, a picture of a successful woman, living in a fantasy world, chasing dreams she is willing to rebel against expectations to reach.
Tash: I haaaaate being repetitious, but I must say, this blog has been hard work, chosing films to describe people and the lives they lead is much harder than first expected! None more-so than Tash. Last time out i chose her soundtrack to be The Bear Necesities from Jungle Book, now as you read in the disclaimer, no appearances, unless stated otherwise are being mentioned, and likening someone to Baloo may seem harsh, but he is one of the kindest characters in modern cinema. Baloo has a heart of gold and looks after others whenever possible. The same goes for Tash, she is loveable and kind and helps out others (yes you Katie hammered on Haloween and im guessing drunken Sarah often as well). But i also see another side to Tash, the quiet side, not a recluse to any stretch of the imagination, Tash is not one for alone time, but she can sit back in a group and observe those around her, but within the same coversation she will speak up and not be ignored. The character i liken this side of Tash to is Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.
Kate: Our favourite big boobed bubbly bird, Crazy, Boozy, Funny, Intelligent. Kate is a package and a half, she needs a badge that says; 'Handle with Care' or 'Warning - Explosive'. She's a live wire and a cracking lass. You can look at Kate from two different angles, Above or below boob level, joking :) I chose two different characters to show the two different angles, you can make your own mind up which you prefer :) Firstly i chose Heather Graham's character in The Hangover, yes a stripper with a child but that is far from the point. A nice girl, easily led astray, looking for romance, and willing to help whoever she can :) I feel this represents her fun side, her party side, but also her kind side. The other side to Kate is her driven side, the side just looking to succeed and who will do, close to, anything to get it. Because of this i thought of Legally Blonde and Elle played by Reece Witherspoon. An intelligent girl who seems otherwise, driven by a goal and hoping to succeed.
Katie: Our loving Katie, a housewife in the making, if that is what will make her man happy, but if not, she is sure to succeed. She is a studious mess, she does well in academic aspects of life and then follows up with heavy nights out and afternoon McHangover trips. She is all about helping others and being there for her friends, in hope they return the sentiment. Katie reminds me very much of Truly Scrumptious from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but i do not think it could define her life. She is far too strong a character for that, and because of this i feel she needs to be compared to Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story 2 & 3, a strong willed girl, but one who doesn't want to be alone.
Zoe: Zoe has an inquistive nature to her, she likes to know what is going on in the world around her and with the people, be it family, friends, or the man around the corner. This is a good thing, i think, i know curiosity killed the cat, but they never say how curious the cat was, or what about, i think it was that the cat was curious to see if it really had 9 lives, cats are dumb, Zoe is not. Zoe reminds me of a few characters from brilliant films; Vada from My Girl, Lex from Jurassic Park, and Tinkerbell. Characters who all have one thing in common, they are caring and curious. But to find the film that Zoe could be remembered by, you have to look at the rest of her peronality, the party girl, the braniac, the geek-chique northern lass. Now i could now choose between Julia Styles's character in 10 Things I Hate About You, or even Audrey Hepburn's character in My Fair Lady. But i decided to chose Zoee Deschanel's character 'Summer' in 500 Days of Summer. Summer is a strong willed, driven, quirky character who knows what she wants, and is sure as hell not going to let some office romance or dead end job stop her.
So once again i have showed my friends in another light, im guessing you guys now know almsot as well as me, some of you know them more and may disagree :)
To finish i would like to present a few Film Titles depicting the lives of some of the people above, made up titles, but titles that truly could be turned into films about their lives;
- Little and Large
TagLine: The story of two similar opposites - Starring Sam Maloney and Ashley Milns
- Back from the Brink
Tagline: What happens post domestic abuse - Starring Kike
- Chunk and Spunk - The Second Coming
Tagline: Uni just got polygomous - Starring Lish and James
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Tagline: Who needs clothes to have a good time?! - Starring Kate, Tash and Sarah
A very personal thanks for continuing to read my blong guys, it does mean alot to me, and recent figures show you are enjoyng it, so i hope iv filled your life with a bit more sunshine and remember, how will people remember you when you're gone?
Happy Blogging :)
Firstly i would like to thank the 850 people who read my blog throughout October :).
In Cadiz it has been a pretty ordinary week, not alot has really happened, Uni, Drunk times, Chilled Times. However back home has been a different story. I have been saddened by the sheer ignorance of alot of people i thought i had the pleasure to know towards the end of this week. If you follow my goings-on on Facebook you will see the mass debates on the 'Poppy Burning Incident' on Rememberance Day this week.
It has been difficult for me to openly argue with people i have known for years and years, and to discover how truly different i am to some people i thought i could call friends. It is a strange feeling. But on Rememberence Day, before all the commotion i wrote a status, one that i felt embodied the meaning of the day, not only in the UK but around the world. It is a day for reflection, a day to stop and take account of your lives, and the lives of those we have lost, the brave men and women who fight and fought for our freedom, and to rememeber these people and their families.
In this blog i am not looking to preach to you about religion, race or war, i believe i have created a light hearted blog and i don't want to ruin that now :) so i thought i would take a diffferent approach to such topics as Rememberence.
If you remember last time out i wrote about my friends and how i felt they had soundtracks for their lives. Well this week i want to go one step further. I want to talk about my friends, in a rememberence sort of way. I promised last week that i would talk about films sooner or later, and so this week i am going to talk to you about my friends again, but about films too, and how when/if they die, what films will tell the story of their lives, what characters they remind me, and hopefully you, of and who i feel could play them in a film about their lives.
Disclaimer: None of the characters or actors described in the following reflect the appearance of my friends unless stated otherwise.
James Walsh: I hear James became Youtube famous again last week, as many of you who managed to read the last entry also managed to watch his infamous videos :p As i have said before Jumbo is very much a happy go lucky guy, and it was a conversation we had the other day that is at the front of my brain. The conversation went along the lines of how James and Myself ave a habit of finding a girl we like, getting close, and pushing them away, its a curse we both decided. Now James would love me to sit here and tell you how i could see the story of his life being entitled; The Love Machine with Brad Pitt playing him. But i simply cannot lie to my readers!! James has a perpetual habit of embarassing himself, he, to be frank, is a disaster waiting to happen. For me the film that encapsulate James's personality and Life would be Meet The Parents, The Ben Stiller character has James written all over, a nervous wreck, a disaster waiting to happen, but on the inside a truly good guy. Another wee present here for you loyal readers.... James's rendition of Sometimes by Britney Spears, with Sparky dancing for added enjoyment; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krJb8jeZq7Q .
Pieter Lishman: I'm sure there is nothing Lish likes more than to sit in front of his laptop and see himself praised on the intenet. But i have to say, the boys got swagger. Lish is one of those guys who thinks he has life sorted, he has it all down to a T. He'll never get his heart broken, but only because he won't let women close enough to it. He is one of the lads and loves nothing more than sport and drunken times with his mates. For Lish there could only be one character in one film... any guesses? Oh come on, you know it.... Will Smith in the one and only Hitch. In the film Hitch is seemingly the ultimate dude, he has the whole life situation cracked, women, career, lifestyle, everything appears perfect. It takes the clumsyness, the desperation and geekiness of the character played by Kevin James (Another good shout for James Walsh) to make him realise how it is far from perfect.
Michael A.V. McPherson (One half of Kike): Now Mike isn't just your run of the mill guido, no matter how much Sam would like to think. Mike can speak 2 different languages fluently and is having a good ol bash at Spanish too with us guys here in Cadiz (he's pretty good too... when drunk!) Mike is a relationship guy on the inside but likes to put on a LAD front for amigos. He is majorly under the thumb with Kellie, but he cares not as long as the sweet loving continues. He is rather intelligent, a party lad and ok at football. I think the term is 'Rounded individual'. For Mike it was quite difficult to chose a character and film to pin him to, he isn't a guy you can just label with one label, but the best, and i think very accurate, crack at it was to chose Oz from American Pie. A sporty guy and very much one of the lads, but on the inside a mushy romantic, very much a relationship guy who simply loves to spend time with or talking to his girl.
Kellie Westerman (Other Half of Kike... durrr): Kellie is a wannabe party animal, a strong starter, but ultimately early finisher. She is a free spirit in appearance and attitude, but is very well organised and studious in manner. Kellie always looks for the best in people and rarely takes no for an answer. Seperating Kike made both decisions difficult as together you can label them whatever you want, but take them apart and they are two free souls. For Kellie it was always going to be Disney. And you may have now guessed from the description that i chose Belle out of Beauty and the Beast. I'm not in anyway saying Mike is a terrfyingly ugly beast (:p) but, like Belle, Kellie always likes to see the best in others and does as she pleases.
Sam Maloney: Sadly for Sam, the nicities of last week are long gone!! Jokes, but it has been difficult not to say that you could be Rob Schneider's character in Hot Chick, or other overly camp film roles or even liken him to Sam-Wise from Lord of the Rings, it was hard try and resist. But i resisited! woop! Im proud of myself!! For Sam it was a toss up between two film roles to define his life, and i still, as i sit here writing this, simply cannot chose between the two; Firstly is the character played by Kevin James in Paul Blart Mall Cop, a larger than life character, just looking to get by in his job, a job he feels gains him repsect, and a place where he can hopelessly dote on the girl he loves!! The other role is a more light-hearted, but equally accurate observation; Zazu from The Lion King. A loyal friend, but a complete but-job, Sam down to a T? I think you'll agree :)
Ash Milns: How do you know if Ash had read your blog?! Answer... Wait for the shout of anger as he reads that he has a 12 year olds face shoved on a 40 year olds body.... again... coochy coochy cooooo!!! Ash, like James, is a disaster waiting to happen! When Ash is drunk, he's crazy drunk... he's Crunk!! I think you could say at times he's like a bull in a china shop, but he also also the heart to match his 40 year old physique! He often (not always, if there food involved...run!!) puts others first, and is more than genorous. To label Ash is like labelling a star without a telescope, its pretty damn difficult. But i have to give thanks, because seemingly Walt Disney, in his now frozen state, saw this bog coming a long time ago, and created the character of Pumba in The Lion King. Who knew that when i was choosing the films of their lives for Sam and Ash that theyd be in the same one, awwwww :)
Mateo: Our Pint-Sized Princess, Sorry ehem Prince. Mateo is a big personality in a hobbits body, you can catch him in many different moods, but never one more happy than when he's been spending time with him missus, or football manager, the things that are precious to him. I guess i could say he could be remembered a tiny bit like Gollum in Lord of the Rings, but that would be just a little mean :p. Mateo reminds me of a guy that will make it, and will put everything into making it, no matter the obstacles, but the one thing he will always be true to, is the people he loves and cares for, he will never leave friends or family at the way-side. Because of this i chose; Will Smith's character in The Pursuit of Happiness.
Sarah: Oh Sarah! Sarah Sarah Sarah. A story all by herself. A blog entry unto her own. I could write a frikin book about this girl and iv only known her for 2 and a bit months!!! She's a character and a half! She's friendly, i'll give her that, and maybe intelligent, well maybe! I knwo one thing she is.... A pisshead!! :p, thats one slap i'm getting later on!! Talking to her is often like talking to a brick wall; 'Thud, Thud, Thud, Thud', but when you break through, its like a glass smashing next to your bed, its a shock and a half! No, i jest, she's a lovely girl, when you get her nice side :) But i wonder if she is one of those girls who are always the bridesmaid, never the bride. I told you in the last entry that she, to me, is a complex lass. A sort of rubix cube, you just(us) hope to get all the parts in the right place. But when i thought about how i would describe you, after you were gone, i thought of 3 characters. Each quite similar, but very different as well. The first is Miss Moneypenny from James Bond. Moneypenny is a beautiful, intelligent, flirty woman, but with the spark lacking to set off the fireworks. The second is Katherine Heigl's character in 27 Dresses, A successful, organised, kind women, hung up on a fantasy that means she ignores reality. And finally was Jasmine from Aladdin, A rebellious princess, defying family and friends in search for romance and fun times! Ok, looking back over what i have written, not all that sounds positive, but when do i ever apologise, bring those three together and i think we have a film for Sarah's life, a picture of a successful woman, living in a fantasy world, chasing dreams she is willing to rebel against expectations to reach.
Tash: I haaaaate being repetitious, but I must say, this blog has been hard work, chosing films to describe people and the lives they lead is much harder than first expected! None more-so than Tash. Last time out i chose her soundtrack to be The Bear Necesities from Jungle Book, now as you read in the disclaimer, no appearances, unless stated otherwise are being mentioned, and likening someone to Baloo may seem harsh, but he is one of the kindest characters in modern cinema. Baloo has a heart of gold and looks after others whenever possible. The same goes for Tash, she is loveable and kind and helps out others (yes you Katie hammered on Haloween and im guessing drunken Sarah often as well). But i also see another side to Tash, the quiet side, not a recluse to any stretch of the imagination, Tash is not one for alone time, but she can sit back in a group and observe those around her, but within the same coversation she will speak up and not be ignored. The character i liken this side of Tash to is Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.
Kate: Our favourite big boobed bubbly bird, Crazy, Boozy, Funny, Intelligent. Kate is a package and a half, she needs a badge that says; 'Handle with Care' or 'Warning - Explosive'. She's a live wire and a cracking lass. You can look at Kate from two different angles, Above or below boob level, joking :) I chose two different characters to show the two different angles, you can make your own mind up which you prefer :) Firstly i chose Heather Graham's character in The Hangover, yes a stripper with a child but that is far from the point. A nice girl, easily led astray, looking for romance, and willing to help whoever she can :) I feel this represents her fun side, her party side, but also her kind side. The other side to Kate is her driven side, the side just looking to succeed and who will do, close to, anything to get it. Because of this i thought of Legally Blonde and Elle played by Reece Witherspoon. An intelligent girl who seems otherwise, driven by a goal and hoping to succeed.
Katie: Our loving Katie, a housewife in the making, if that is what will make her man happy, but if not, she is sure to succeed. She is a studious mess, she does well in academic aspects of life and then follows up with heavy nights out and afternoon McHangover trips. She is all about helping others and being there for her friends, in hope they return the sentiment. Katie reminds me very much of Truly Scrumptious from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but i do not think it could define her life. She is far too strong a character for that, and because of this i feel she needs to be compared to Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story 2 & 3, a strong willed girl, but one who doesn't want to be alone.
Zoe: Zoe has an inquistive nature to her, she likes to know what is going on in the world around her and with the people, be it family, friends, or the man around the corner. This is a good thing, i think, i know curiosity killed the cat, but they never say how curious the cat was, or what about, i think it was that the cat was curious to see if it really had 9 lives, cats are dumb, Zoe is not. Zoe reminds me of a few characters from brilliant films; Vada from My Girl, Lex from Jurassic Park, and Tinkerbell. Characters who all have one thing in common, they are caring and curious. But to find the film that Zoe could be remembered by, you have to look at the rest of her peronality, the party girl, the braniac, the geek-chique northern lass. Now i could now choose between Julia Styles's character in 10 Things I Hate About You, or even Audrey Hepburn's character in My Fair Lady. But i decided to chose Zoee Deschanel's character 'Summer' in 500 Days of Summer. Summer is a strong willed, driven, quirky character who knows what she wants, and is sure as hell not going to let some office romance or dead end job stop her.
So once again i have showed my friends in another light, im guessing you guys now know almsot as well as me, some of you know them more and may disagree :)
To finish i would like to present a few Film Titles depicting the lives of some of the people above, made up titles, but titles that truly could be turned into films about their lives;
- Little and Large
TagLine: The story of two similar opposites - Starring Sam Maloney and Ashley Milns
- Back from the Brink
Tagline: What happens post domestic abuse - Starring Kike
- Chunk and Spunk - The Second Coming
Tagline: Uni just got polygomous - Starring Lish and James
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Tagline: Who needs clothes to have a good time?! - Starring Kate, Tash and Sarah
A very personal thanks for continuing to read my blong guys, it does mean alot to me, and recent figures show you are enjoyng it, so i hope iv filled your life with a bit more sunshine and remember, how will people remember you when you're gone?
Happy Blogging :)
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