Could the holidays get any better?

Hey to the reader,

First and foremost, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you guys are all enjoying your celebrations as much as I have been. In case you are wondering, the picture above is of my beautiful girlfriend Steff and I. At the moment, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world, as we're still going strong, and things keep getting better and better. I spent 4 days in a row with her in the run up to Christmas day. We're utterly inseperable, and I love her to pieces. But I'm sure all who know me have heard me go on about her far too much, so I won't anymore.

This year, our family broke tradition. Usually, all our closest relatives come and spend Christmas at our house, and chaos is unleashed. Fortunately, my Mum was able to sit twiddling her thumbs. She passed on the baton (or thrown down the gauntlet) to my sister in law - wife of my brother, Merlin - Jo. Considering that they had just moved into a new house, Merlin and Jo did exceedingly well. Despite being able to pinpoint the exact moment when fatigue triumphed over Jo, the whole day was fantastic. It was great to spend the whole day in a new place and get more time with some of our less close family (the Nintendo Wii also provided loads of fun and was very well recieved).

Although I didn't much on actual Christmas day, I couldn't be more satisfied. I got some really cool, if unexpected gifts. One of the best things was Pulp Fiction on DVD. I had always heard good things about the film, but nothing really prepared me for how wicked it is. It's the sort of film where there is a lot of dialogue, but it is so brilliantly written, that some of the best scenes are when nothing really happens. I thoroughly recommend it to all who love film.

I have recently got back into snowboarding, as I'm going to California in February half term with my school. Rekindling the sport has made me realise what a great feeling powering down a slope is. Although I've had some trouble on balancing on my toeside edge, I'm sure I'll be fine once I get back onto real snow and have a good instructor behind me. California will be brilliant, as we're going to places like Universal Studios and LA. One problem it presents is that I'll have to spend an entire week without seeing Steff - the longest time so far - and of all the times it could be, it clashes with Valentine's day. I'll make sure to treat her before or after that week though.

Hopefully we'll hit a time when the dollar is at its weakest, so anything we buy will be extremely cheap compared to in the UK. If you want anything from the US, now is the time to ask!

That's probably the most major event coming up in the next few months, I think I've also got a Science exam coming up in March, which should be, fun...
In the meantime, I hope you guys have a great time, however you're celebrating the new year. Don't get too drunk, and drive home safe kids. I'll probably see most of you at school on Wednesday, if not I'll catch up with you all next year!

Best Wishes and love to a certain special someone,
JoeMI6

Christmas comes early

Hey to the reader,

Been a while, but better late than never I guess. I've had some great times in the past weeks, and am eager to tell you guys all about them. I'll start at the beginning. Two weeks ago, our school had an occasional day (day off) on which I rekindled my love for snowboarding, and went to an awesome birthday party - the props go to Simon on that one.
Here's a pic of the winning team (our team):
I have also been to another great party recently, my friend Patrick had a house party, in which we all had to go as something beginning with the letter P. I went as a pimp. Here are some pictures from the party:

There were some great outfits and cool music, thanks to Patrick for letting us effectively trash his house!

I have also been to see the awesome Tenacious D movie, along with Casino Royale. I recommend them to anyone who likes action and has a sense of humour. Daniel Craig is probably the best Bond in the best Bond film yet.
I have also been counting down to the release of the Nintendo Wii (today), however, in the past few days, something much more important made me almost totally forget about that.

For an extremely long time, I have had feelings for a girl. Not just any girl. This is the sort of girl that blows you away, literally. She is visually stunning, but once you have picked your jaw up off the floor and start listening to what she has to say, you become even more amazed. I have talked with her for hours and not got bored, and there came a point where I realised that as close as I was being her friend, it could be so much more. After two days of trying and failing to tell her my feelings, I met her surprisingly, and just couldn't keep it a secret any longer. Her initial shock was worrying at first, but then I saw a smile break upon her face. That smile told me everything. Now, we're together, and I don't think I've ever been happier. That's why this post is dedicated to Steff.

Unfortunately, now I have to yield a little. My geeky side wants to do a review of the Nintendo Wii. So here goes, I'll try and make it brief.
Here's the box what you'll find inside:

I ripped the box open as if my life depended on it, and I was not disappointed.

These are the controllers I have. They are comfortable to hold, easy to get to grips with and really responsive.

These are the games I got. Originally, I didn't order Wii play, but the extra controller I got with the console came with this as well!

Here's the moneyshot of the little beauty. I can imagine this going well in any room in the house. It works like a charm, with no lag that I can see, and the whole thing is just brilliant.

Verdict: I think this is the best Nintendo console yet, and will continue to amaze me. It's not gimmicky, it is a whole new breakthrough in gaming. Buy one, or miss out.

As you can see, I've had a great time these past few weeks, and Christmas is yet to truely arrive. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to play some Zelda...

Best Wishes, and love to a special someone,
JoeMI6

"Go Greased Lightning..." Well, you know the rest.

Hey to the reader,

I've had the most amazing past few weeks. My school production of Grease began it's full domination of life at some point in the half term, with three days of non stop rehearsing. Saying that, it's been one of the funnest productions I've ever been in. The cast and crew gelled amazingly well, and a total sell out of tickets (a first for our school), along with top notch professionallism ensured that the show was totally awesome.

As mentioned before, I had two parts. A place in the ensemble, and the character of Teen Angel. As I have not been in many musicals before, this performance has stretched me in more ways than one, improving my ability to learn and master dances, and also honing my singing. Although these skills have yet to be perfected, I know that Grease has helped me to a certain level. And to that, I owe great thanks to both Ms.Doan (music teacher) and Ms.Shepherd (the best drama teacher in the world) for all the encouragement and support they gave me.
Grease taking over my life means I've had copious amounts of homework, but it has been worth it.

Here are some pics from the awesome show: The first two are of me in costume. Ensemble first, and then Teen Angel.
Here we have the T-Birds, along with Eugene. They're only as crazy as they look after too many drinks.


These are just two bits of awesome costume, Cha - Cha's dress was all hand made, and the fuschia skirt just looks wicked.

This is how close the cast was. (Seriously, this
happened every few seconds).
And sometimes, the fatigue was just too much.

The last two are of the cool backdrop being painted, and three of my closest friends from the cast.

Another good thing about Grease, it has made time fly so fast, I have barely noticed November. Due to this, the Wii release seems ever closer. Expect a review of the awesome console soon after I get it.
My snapshot report came in from school today, and that was all good. Everything in my life is pretty much great at the moment, and that's just the way I like it.

Best wishes to you all,
JoeMI6

Being 15 is pretty damn cool...

Hey to the reader,

Here I sit, a whole year older. I ask myself, what has changed? Well, not too much really. I grow a year older every year, and the feeling stays the same really. But there's something about 15 that makes me feel that extra bit elated. Meh, that feeling will probably come back around when I turn 16, that doesn't make it any less cool though.

I love birthdays, it's nice to feel like the world revolves around you for a day. I've got some amazing presents, and had a very good time this past weekend. On Saturday I had my party, which was a little different from past years. It was simple, yet really effective. I went out with some close friends for a meal, we all dressed up really smart, sharp and sophisticated, and had a fantastic time. Great food, great atmosphere, great outfits, great conversation, and great friends. I've mentioned this so many times it's just getting stupid, I've got the best friends a guy could ask for, they're just brilliant. Any guys who will find suits no matter the cost, just for your birthday party are obviously commited.

Here's a pic of our sexy selves outside the restaurant:















We had a helluva night out, and I want to thank everyone who came and made it what it was. Monday was my actual Birthday, and although I had to go to school, it was still pretty good. I managed to avoid getting many Birthday Beats (one punch for each year) from people, and wishings of 'Happy Birthday' seemed to follow me around all day.
It all amounted to a fantastic Birthday, and its definitely on my list of things to top!

A few weeks ago, I went out with my school to the Globe theatre to see Shakespeare's 'Comedy of Errors'. The performance was just testament to how timeless Shakespeare's work is. Arguably, I didn't understand it all, but I got the jist, and a lot of the jokes along the way. I thoroughly recommend going to the Globe, as it is one of the best theatres around. Having performed in it myself, I appreciate how difficult theatre in the round can be, and it was great to see some professionals at work.
The theatre was beautiful as well, but putting more pictures on here doesn't seem to be working, so I'll try and put them up some other time.

Another thing I've done recently is written a short story (bare in mind that short by my standards is pretty damn long by anyone elses). I'll show you a short extract, and may put up some more, depending on the reaction. It doesn't really have a title, but any ideas for one would be appreciated. Here's an extract from it.

The smoke that filtered ominously out of the club had a sense of allure about it; drawing me in. I glanced once again at the card given to me by a friend. The brightly coloured advert resembled the club entrance almost exactly, almost. The neon sign reading ‘Flat Top Box’ was green in colour, but it flickered every few seconds, taking some of the effect away.
I was wary about entering, unsure of what I would find. I then realised that nothing was coming out of standing here in the cold. Pushing past my inhibitions and worries, I passed under the flickering sign, and into the ‘Flat Top Box’.

My breath disappearing in front of me, I found myself in a dim corridor, with the sound of rave music slowly getting louder and louder. Totally unprepared, I pushed through the purple door at the corridor’s end. Bright lights blinded my eyes, pounding drum beats hammered at my ears, numerous packets of God knows what were shoved into my hands, and the only thing I could smell was the strong scent of smoke. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t from normal cigarettes.

Wondering what I had gotten myself into, I wandered around the cubed area. The name was certainly appropriate, if I even took one look at the ceiling, an intense feeling of claustrophobia would take over. Sneaking in between the occasional gaps in the entranced dancers, flooded in the different coloured lights, I made my way to the bar. Nothing could be heard over the immense noise, so I merely muttered something about vodka with coke, and leaned against the bar, observing the surroundings.

After a few minutes, I passed the solitary barman a five dollar bill and started to enjoy something that wasn’t my vodka with coke, but had a welcome sharpness to it nonetheless. Then, through a sudden opening in the sea of dancers, I spotted a slim figure in a jade green dress. She was standing at the other end of the club, as if waiting for something. Her hazelnut gaze sent a shiver down my spine. My eyes darted around, looking for the person she was obviously searching for. However, her eyes didn’t leave me. I was the point of her focus. A moment of eternity passed, and the girl turned tail, out of my sight, with long blonde curls shimmering in her wake.

End Extract

I hope you guys like it, comments and constructive criticism are always welcome. I'll put up more if the response is positive.

I'll try and do another post in half term, but I'm pretty booked up, so don't sit around waiting for one.

Best wishes,
JoeMI6

For once, school is... cool!

Hey to the reader,

First and foremost, an apology to any of those who have been waiting a while for another post. The start of the new school term has just overwhelmed me, I simply haven't had the time. There is also a plus side; this means that I've got a fair bit to write about.

I've just entered year 10 at my secondary school, and after numerous lectures from each and every teacher about how different it'll be, and how much work it is. It turns out that the ones who bore us out of our skulls are right. Stack loads of homework later I groan at my desk, mumbling some indescribable insults about the superior teachers. We may have more work to do, but year 10 compensates for that in other ways.

Although we have classes such as Maths, English and Science which everyone has to do, this term we are allowed to choose subjects which we want to do. This means that the others who we are taught with actually want to do the subject, which is a huge advantage. It means that we can all have some great fun, without time wasters messing things up. Oddly enough though, this kind of equates badly. Good choice lessons seems to mean that we get some of the nuisances in our core classes. Ah well, you can't have it all.

Outside of school, stuff has been happening as well. With September drawing to a close, my birthday comes ever closer. I'll reach 15, somewhat of a milestone in my mind. Halfway to 30, now that does seem old, doesn't it?
I'm planning a small get-together with some close friends of mine, which is definetly something to look forward to. Another cool thing is that I'll be old enough to buy 15 rated films, and watch them in the cinema, which means I won't be so restricted (unless I want to see an 18, that is...).

I've got so much good news in the past few weeks it seems unreal. First (not too relevant, but it has affected me) our pony, Breeze, has come out from the Vets alive and well. She doesn't have a possibly fatal disease and it looks like she'll be getting back on track sometime soon.
In our school production of Grease, a part was left open due to someone leaving school. After a quick audition, it turns out that one of my best friends - who, coincidentally is also named Joe - and I have got the part to share. This is great, as it means that when people ask 'What part are you?' I can answer with something other that just 'ensemble'.

The geek part of me had a tiny party recently. Major news in the gaming world has been unleashed in the form of the PS3's European delay, which clears the way for the launch of the fantastic Nintendo Wii on December 8th. It's looking to be the most amazing games console yet, and those Winter months can't come quickly enough.

Well, that's what's been happening to me over the last couple of weeks. Once my homework load has layed off a bit, I think you can expect more regular updates.

Best Wishes to you all,

JoeMI6

Where did six weeks go?

Hey to the reader,

It's reflection time. I guess that many of you have been asking that exact same question. At the beginning, summer seems like such a daunting prospect. I mean, six weeks in which you have to do whatever you want. Initially, that concept drives me mad. What the hell am I meant to do? What if friends are all abroad? What if I'm just left bored at home?

Well, this summer has proved all of that rubbish wrong. I have had what could potentially be a contender for the best summer ever. As you've seen no doubt, I've been on holiday twice, got up to a lot of antics with various friends. I've just generally had a blast. The past two days have been two of the best. It seems that best is saved til last.
Yesterday I caught up with a friend who recently moved away, and me and some other guys just had great fun. We went down to the local park and played some games-stuff like Cricket, Football and another random game we invented on the spot, which we really should copyright or something like that. What we did that day was really simple, but just so much fun. All you need is a great group of friends around you, nothing else is needed to guarantee a great day.

Today was brilliant as well. But on a totally different level. I had one of my best friends, Steff, over today to watch a movie and have lunch. We both had a great time watching the movie, and having lunch. Then we got to talking, and talking, and talking. Although we are on msn to each other a lot, it was just so amazing to have all that time to talk so deeply and sensitively. It feels like I can still remember every single thing we discussed.

I bet you think I'm gonna tell you what we talked about now. Sorry to disappoint, but all of it's strictly confidential. I'm sure you guys can understand though.
I definetly want to do the same sort of thing again, cause I'm sure it'll be twice as much fun.

This post has also got me thinking. Where would we be without friends? I know for certain that I'd be a very different person without all the great people who put up with me and just love me for who I am. Major thanks to all my friends, they're some of the best people in the world and I don't think they hear that often enough.

I hope you all can make the most of these last few summery days.
Love and best wishes,
JoeMI6

They're not all that bad...

Hey to the reader,

Some of you may know that I've been on holiday in France these past couple of days. I was staying with my french exchange family who I met last october. Despite what misconceptions some of you (you know who you are) may have about the French, they are wrong. They are a nice, welcoming people-or at least, the family that I know are.

I stayed in Versailles, a beautiful little suburb of Paris, with the main city of Paris itself only a 20 minute journey away. There are plenty of oppurtunitites for brilliant sightseeing, with the Palace of Versailles not too far away, Hamau de la Reine (a nice little area of country) and of course, Paris right on your doorstep. We visited Monet's Garden, Hamau de la Reine, and Paris twice (once by day, the other by night). I enjoyed all of it thoroughly, and was totally comfortable with all the french speaking, as I seem to have improved vastly since last year.

Ironically, I recieved my French GCSE results whilst in France (if you don't know, I was in a fast track set and took the exam two years early). I got an A, which I'm extremely pleased with, it means that I'll probably get a nice reward for all my hard work too. I heard that noone got below a B, so well done to everyone!

Another great thing about France was the food. Absolutely delicious. I didn't refuse a single thing that was put in front of me. If the French know one thing, it's like the Italians, they know how to cook. Aruguably I didn't have any frog's legs or snails, but I have no desire to try those anyways.
Both our families got on extremely well together, and it turned out to be a better holiday than we all hoped it to be.

I guess we'll probably meet up in the future. However, for now, a big shout out to the Espitau family in Versailles, their hospitality is first class!

Love to all you guys,
JoeMI6

P.S Thanks to Steff for all her kind words and help recently.