Jioey’s blog

Blogging has gone out the window for me lately. As much as I enjoy writing and expressing myself, I just don't have the time to do it as often as I would like. I'm meant to be doing work at the moment but I decided to write down my thoughts instead because there is a lot on my mind lately and I feel like this will help me overcome my current fears and worries.

Over the last couple of months I have been involved in a "Theatre in the Parks" performance of Alice in Wonderland, that we performed in Allerton Towers (Liverpool), Stadt Moers (Knowsley) and Wig Island (Halton). That is one of the main reasons that I am so tired lately, but it was a fantastic experience and I'm really glad that I decided to get involved again. I can't believe that it is over so soon, I am missing everyone so much already. I made some amazing friends though, and I do hope to stay in touch with them before we meet again (hopefully) next year. I do know that I'll see a few of them on Saturday because one of the cast members is doing a show which a lot of us have said we will go to see, so we'll make a night of it because it is also his daughters birthday so we will have a joint celebration.

My dad hasn't been too well lately and has been in and out of hospital. I don't know what to make of it at the moment because the doctors keep changing their minds about what they think is up with him. If I'm totally honest, I'm actually quite scared of everything that is going on because I've not seen my dad like this before and I obviously don't want anything bad to happen to him. There's not a lot I can do but I'm keeping my head high and being there for him as much as I can. I went to visit him in hospital today and he looked perky, and his tests went well today and the doctors may let him home later this evening.

Friday 4th July is the last day of my work placement and we're going for a meal to say our farewells - I'm really upset that it is coming to an end. I can't think what it will be like not seeing the gang every day! As of Monday, I'm going to work for the council events team and I will be playing a main role in the Football Fiesta tournament that will be held on 29th July - 3rd August 2008, where teams from all around the world will be coming to Liverpool to get involved in a fantasticly large football event. I will be supporting and assisting with bookings of coaches, venues, accommodation, travel, etc, and I will also be a main point of contact for all team members when they are on site. I can't wait to start there and get to know all team players and staff from around the world. If you know me personally then you will know how much I love my football, and will be able to estimate just how much I am looking forward to getting involved.

My room is coming along nicely too, although I haven't really done much with it lately. I managed to clean and organise most of my stuff and throw away things that (as much as I wanted to keep) I didn't really need. I'm terrible for keeping junk thinking that it may come in handy in the future. I bought some new wardrobes and drawers which I have put up so now I just need to go through my things again and find them a new home. Once that is done I can take my old wardrobe apart and then I need to start looking for some new wallpaper. I was thinking of having my room a dark shade of red with one wall maybe cream or off white, but I'll wait until my room is fully tidied before I start looking into that.

Although there are a few issues in my life at the moment, I'm surprised to say that I'm actually quite enjoying myself in all that I do. I am really excited about the future of Kaboom at the moment - I have so many plans for it and hopefully in time they will happen if I can get the help and support from both committee members and funding bodies. I have so many plans for a lot of things in the future which I am really excited about - they aren't happening straight away because of certain issues and problems that may arise, but I'm slowly working myself around those obstacles and staying on track as much as I can with my head held high, and a very positive attitude. Yes, it is hard to do, but I am doing it! On that note, I will leave it there until next time.

... but won't ask for.

1. Touch her waist.

2. Actually talk to her.

3. Share secrets with her.

4. Give her your jacket.

5. Kiss her slowly.

6. Hug her.

7. Hold her.

8. Laugh with her.

9. Invite her somewhere.

10. Hangout with her and your friends together.

11. Smile with her.

12. Take pictures with her.

13. Pull her onto your lap.

14. When she says she loves you more, deny it. Fight back.

15. When her friends say I love her more than you, deny it. Fight back and hug her tight so she can't get to her friends. It makes her feel loved.

16. Always hug her and say I love you whenever you see her.

17. Kiss her unexpectedly.

18. Hug her from behind around the waist.

19. Tell her she's beautiful.

20. Tell her the way you feel about her.

21. Open doors for her, walk her to her car it makes her feel protected, plus it never hurts to act like a gentleman.

22. Tell her she's your everything only if you mean it.

23. If it seems like there is something wrong, ask her if she denies something being wrong, it means SHE DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT so just hug her.

24. Make her feel loved.

25. Kiss her in front of OTHER girls.

26. Don't lie to her.

27. DON'T cheat on her.

28. Take her ANYWHERE she wants.

29. Text message or call her in the morning and tell her have a good day at work {or school}, and how much you MISS her.

30. Be there for her whenever she needs you, & even when she doesn't need you, just be there so she'll know that she can ALWAYS count on you.

31. Hold her close when she's cold so she can hold YOU too.

32. When you are ALONE hold her close and kiss her.

33. Kiss her on the CHEEK; it will give her the hint that you want to kiss her.

34. While in the movies, put your arm around her and then she will automatically put her head on your shoulder, then lean in and tilt her chin up and kiss her LIGHTLY.

35. Don’t EVER tell her to leave even jokingly or act like you're mad. If she’s upset, comfort her.

36. When people DISS her, stand up for her.

37. Look deep into her EYES and tell her you love her.

38. Lay down under the STARS and put her head on your chest so she can listen to the steady beat of your heart, Link your fingers together while you whisper to her as she rests her eyes and listens to you.

39. When walking next to each other grab her HAND.

40. When you hug her HOLD her in your arms as long as possible.

41. Call or text her at night to wish her SWEET DREAMS.

42. COMFORT her when she cries and wipe away her tears.

43. Take her for LONG walks at night.

44. ALWAYS remind her how much you love her.

45. Sit on top of her and tell her how much you love her and then bend down to her face and kiss her while sitting on her.

In past blogs I've talked about this Knowsley Works placement that I'm on, but I'm not going to go on about that this time. Basically, my placement finishes on 4th July and after that I was planning to start looking for a new job just in case I don't get kept on where I'm working now.

Today has changed my future plans though! Luckily enough I've been offered a job working with people from the events team on this project called Football Fiesta. I've been working on the inital plans for it anyway in the job that I'm doing now, but the events team want to employ me to help a girl called Carla with organising things like travel and accommodation for the 35+ teams from the 15 countries that are coming over to get involved in the event.

I'm really chuffed that I've been offered this amazing opportunity, and I can't wait to get involved more! As well as helping Carla, I'll also be running and moderating an online forum which will be a point of contact for members of each team, and I'll also be acting as a main online contact for the teams if they need any help or information about anything regarding the activities/events that will be happening each day.

I'll be working in the office for 4 weeks initially, and then for the week of the event I'll be working on site with the potential opportunity of staying on site as a main contact once again for teams (staying in the halls with the girls' football teams looking after them) which will be an amazing opportunity to get to know where everybody is from, get to know more about their cultures, and most importantly get to know the teams and players themselves!

If you're interested then you can visit www.lksoccertournament.com to find out more about the actual event. I really can't wait to be a part of such an amazing event and be involved in what is going to be an amazing atmosphere created by over 600 people from 15+ countries across the world. Bring it on - bonza!

Today has been such a great day! I'm not really well but I went to our drama rehearsal anyway because I had to take a script for Karla and Tom, and help Abbie with her dance. Not that I'm blaming them or had to go, but I wanted to go just to see a couple of people anyway. It was a good day I have to admit and I love going out for a drive just to get out of the house - yep, I've passed my driving test now (on 10.04.08) for anyone that didn't know! I love driving so much but the only down fall to it is the fact that petrol prices are going up and up! What's with that?!

Anyway, so after drama I gave Dave and Tom a lift home, and Jordan decided to come with me for a ride... and what a ride it was! No pun intented... no really! This ride turned into a night long adventure that I can't wait to do again soon, haha! After dropping Dave off we dropped Tom off in Whiston and decided to go to Tesco for a look around and I spotted Jennie in there who we haven't seen for years (she used to be the youth worker in the dance and drama groups that we go to) so we stopped and had a good ol' natter to her. I don't half miss her but I need to get in touch with her and get her working for us again in the arts service!!

After that Jordan decided that he wanted to go to Stadt Moers so I went and parked in there for like 10 minutes and then left and we both decided that we'd go to town! I was following the bus route of the 61 bus so I knew where I was going until Jordan decided to take me Edge Lane way, so naturally we decided we would go bowling! That just didn't happen though because when we got there (about 5.30pm?) the woman on the desk said all the lanes were booked up until about 7.30pm so we told her we'd come back later (but obviously we didn't) and instead we decided that we'd go to the pictures instead! So we drove into town and were driving around trying to figure out where we were and where we could park for about 45 minutes and eventually parked in the main car park on Lime Street. Just as we got outside soft ass me realised that I'd left my phone in the car (oops) so we had to go back to get that, then we walked over to the pictures around the corner. The only thing that was on (without having to wait 2 hours until something good started again) was this film called "Awake" which was a 15 but we couldn't find any blurb or information on what the film was about so we decided not to go!

What now?! There wasn't much else that we could do so we just ended up randomly walking around town and I bought some donuts. Then we walked to the Albert Dock and walked all the way around there (stopping off at the toilets half way) and then walked all the way back again. Then we were both hungry so we went on a big mission around most of town looking for something to eat, stopping off at pizza places, cafés and restaurants to look at the menus, but nothing really took our fancy and we ended up in Tesco's buying a pot of cheese pasta each, haha! Then we went back to the car and went on a mission to find out how to get out of town, and we ended up going around in a circle about 3 or 4 times because we didn't know which roads to turn down!! It was totally hilarious and rather than coming home we ended up heading back down towards the docks and the main dock road - argh funny!! Then Jordan's dad rang him to see where he was (because I'd obviously kidnapped him) and I shouted to him that I was lost and he told me the way home, which just didn't help at all because I was telling him I knew the places that he was on about when I just blatently didn't (well I did but not very well), but I managed to find them anyway which was pure chance/luck! Anyway, we managed to get back to Edge Lane ok and we knew where we were then, and Jordan decided that I was taking him back to Huyton on the MOTORWAY! Never been on a motorway before so it was funny playing up to the fact that I was actually scared to go on one because of some lanes being weird and stuff... how funny it was when I got on the motorway and realised that I was only actually on there for 5 minutes because I was turning off on the first exit, haha!!

I've never laughed so much in my life and I can't wait to see where my next driving adventure with Jordan (and whoever else wants to join us) will take us! I had a proper laugh and I wish more people had been with us to enjoy it but never mind! Maybe next time?! :D Thanks for a boss night Jordan, and I'm glad I've been an inspiration for you to start driving... can't wait to see what happens when we do this again but with you driving, haha!!

I was made up when I got home too because my new FULL driving license has come in the post, and so has my Alvin& The Chipmunks dvd which I'm going to watch now with my little brother before he goes to bed! I couldn't have asked for a better day really - I might still be ill, but today has really cheered me up and made me feel so much better! I couldn't ask for better mates than the ones I have - I love you guys!!

Until my next adventure - stay safe, drive carefully, and buckle up tight! ;] xx

Currently lying in bed - i downloaded this vox application to my phone today and just decided to try it out before i go to sleep. I'm still not quite sure how it will work when i don't have my wireless connection outside of my home, i'm pretty much guessing that it depends on whether or not there are free access points available when i'm out and about. I'll have wi-fi in the hotel in london so i'll have to take some pictures and see if i can upload those when i'm there on wednesday and thursday. I really can't wait to go, it's going to be fantastic! I'm going to get some sleep now - i'm going shopping tomorrow to get lots of sweets to take to london! Good night x

After 3 months of hiding under a rock, I have finally decided to show my face again. Damn it feels good! You may or may not wonder where I have been all this time, and what I've been doing - I'm going to update you anyway!

I didn't really do anything different for Christmas, just stayed at home and then went to my nans for a small family party in the evening, but I actually enjoyed myself and had a fantastic time for once! The same went for New Year really - I just stayed at home with family and had a laugh getting drunk, with my little brother sitting on me and play fighting. Good times!

I've now got myself a full-time job (it's actually a 6 month placement but there isn't much difference) via Knowsley Works, and I'm absolutely loving every minute of it! I won't go into that too much because I'm sure I'll blog about my job some time in the near future. It's been a laugh though and I've got to know everyone so much more than I used to when I was just working voluntary, and I definitely hope that I get kept on at the end of it!

YES, I GOT A NOKIA N95 8GB!!! How much have I been going on about getting this phone?! When it eventually came out I decided to go to the O2 shops to get an upgrade, and I decided to get it on the £40 a month tariff so that I wouldn't have to pay for the handset. I had a few issues with O2 when I got my first bill because the tariff I had was actually a store tariff, so it hadn't been upgraded on the computer system, so I had been charged something ridiculous like £170. I went into the store though and managed to get it sorted out, as well as getting my tariff changed to an online £35 a month tariff without having to pay any extra for the phone (where I would have had to pay £99.99 if I had gone onto that tariff in the first place), so I was very happy with the outcome of that!

I've started to get back into my driving again too, which I'm really excited about! I've got my theory test booked for 1st April (of all days), and I bought my second car today which I am really happy about! Again, I'm not going to say much about that as of yet because I want to write about it in more detail so I'll wait until I've taken some pictures of it and then you'll hear more!

Oh and just a quick end note; I'm having some luck, but not much, in the love department. What's new, eh? I'm interested in a few people, and have had a couple of people showing me some interest, but nothing is really happening as of yet - just taking each day as it comes and seeing what happens, which is the best thing that I can do really. "Time is precious, make the most of it" as one of them told me. :] Adios for now, amigos!

This is the longest break I've had from blogging in some time. I've been so busy organising things things for christmas, catching up with old friends, going christmas shopping, watching films, visiting people, putting up christmas decorations, more christmas shopping, myspace-ing, writing christmas cards, even more christmas shopping... you get the idea. It's not that I haven't had time to blog, it's just that I've been too tired to do it when I've had the chance.

I've been in the most festive mood ever this year and I'm loving every minute of it. Whenever I go out to do anything, I always go with a smile on my face. Whenever I talk to people, I'm always very excited and manage to pass on my festive spirit to everyone else. Out of all the films that are on the television, I choose the most festive ones to watch. I mean I even decorated myself instead of the christmas tree because I was in such a good mood.

I really don't know what it is about this year but it just feels so much more magical compared to previous years. There's not even anything in particular this year that I am excited about. I'm not getting anything for christmas that is overly special. I'm not expecting anything special to happen. I don't even have anybody special to celebrate christmas with. So why am I so jolly? I haven't got a clue but I'm certainly not complaining - I'm loving, and making the most of every single minute of it!

I've finally been able to leave the TNG course that I was on, and I'm so thankful to my advisor for helping me through that. Knowsley Works have finally sorted out a siz month placement for me with Knowsley Arts Service where I wanted to work in the first place, and I start on 7th January. I had to go to the TNG place to fill out some forms to say that I've finished the course, but ended up waiting around all day and they eventually told me that they were just going to fill out the last few days with extended absence so I didn't have to go in any more. I was so annoyed, and I'm really glad to see the back of that place, it was terrible fucking shit. Needless to say, I really can't wait to start working with Leanne in the office and working on my own projects, as well as getting £160 a week of which I can save and actually start saving up for things that I want like a new computer, a car and driving lessons (and test), or a nice holiday away with friends and/or family.

Speaking of holidays, I've been trying to work out a holiday plan to go to Kentucky for a week. It's not going too well so far. Finding a cheap package holiday is difficult for the location that I would like to stay in, and planning a flight and hotel stay seperately is proving more difficult that I thought due to needing extra transport from the airport to the hotel. I need to sit down and plan everything in a lot more detail, and if anybody has any tips or can help me with planning then please let me know.

I remember being little and how easily I got bored when watching programmes about nature and the earth. Funnily enough though, I must have grown up a lot and had a change in interests as I was watching a programme about the same thing last night and I was hooked - it was amazing! It wasn't my main focus as I was on the internet at the same time, but the parts that I did see where so interesting. It's really opened my eyes at just how beautiful our world really is, and it's made me want to travel the world just to see it all before my very own eyes. Siberia, the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, and that's not even the start of my list.

I've always wanted to go see the Northern Lights, and whilst watching the programme last night I mentioned it to my mum as I was wondering where the best place is to see them, thinking it would be somewhere like Canada or Australia. My mum asked my dad and he said that one of his mates went on a Northern Lights Tour from John Lennon airport, so I looked into it and sure enough there were tours available. They only last one night (unless you want to book an over-night special) and the flights last three hours with roughly 30-45 minutes watching the Northern Lights depending on how well they can be seen. The next available flight from John Lennon is on Wednesday 27th February 2008, and is an astonishing £159.95 per person.

So what do you get for your money? People that book a flight meet in the Marriott Hotel and are given a pre-flight lecture by two of the guest astronomers - one giving a 30 minute talk on what is expected to be seen in the night sky for the flight, and the other giving a 30 minute illustrated presentation explaining what an Aurora is, its relationship to the sun, and how it is produced. Everyone is then taken to the airport (via coach) ready to check in. Once on the plane there is possibly a small meal, and once everything is cleared up the cabin lights are turned off to allow everybody to adapt to the dark. The plane heads north over Scotland and usually reaches the border of UK and Icelandic/Norwegian airspace where the plane then holds for a while to allow passengers to see the Northern Lights, and then heads back when time is up. During the flight it is a requirement that passengers swap seats in order to help everyone get a good view of the Northern Lights, which is only fair, and there will be on-going commentary of what's happening on both sides of the plane; whilst one side is enjoying the view of the Northern Lights, the other side will have a guide about the visible constellations and such. Passengers also get a souvenir of the trip, which at the moment looks like it is a book called Nightscenes which is about the years night sky.

I definitely want to go, and I am set on going, so now I just have to worry about how I'm going to pay for it. It shouldn't be too hard with christmas only weeks away, so as long as I save up then I should be set!

I've been meaning to post for a few days now, but either haven't had the energy or the time to do so. It's been an interesting week and I'll try to keep it as short as possible, though that is a lot easier said than done.

First off, all of my DS orders have been arriving and I've been really excited about it. I was going to put them all away for christmas, but I just couldn't wait that long. So far I've only opened Animal Crossing, Tetris, and the DS Lite itself. How beautiful and shiny it was when it first came out of its packet. How full of fingerprints it is now after only playing on it two or three times. I'm not really that bothered about the fingerprints though, they only take a few seconds to wipe off. I just hope that I don't scratch or drop it because that really would devastate me. Just to keep a record, I ordered a Bart Simpson DS Bundle Pack to keep my DS safe from harm, and a Nintendo WiFi USB Adaptor so that I can play online.

The main down side to my week has been the TNG course. I'm not sure if I have mentioned previously that they found me a placement in the Dog's Trust kennels, but they have been attempting to sort it out since Friday and it's all been messed up so I'm starting to get really frustrated. I was expecting an arranged phone call about it on Friday, and I was never called. I stayed off on Monday and rang in to ask what was going on, but nobody could give me a straight answer. I was told I'd get a call back in the afternoon from the woman that was meant to be sorting the placement for me, but I didn't. I rang in yet again only to hear that very woman answer the phone, so I made sure I knew what was happening. She had been trying to get in touch with the man at the kennels to sort out my placement details, but he was in a meeting for another ten minutes so she said she would ring him again later and then ring me on Wednesday to let me know the details. How surprised I was today - no phone call. I'm very, very annoyed. I'll ring them tomorrow and moan until I get something good out of them. If I don't have a placement before next week then I'm seriously considering walking away from the course and going back to see my New Deal advisor at the job centre. I might do that tomorrow actually and tell her what's happening and get some advice, because I have to go to the village anyway.

Did I mention that I found a wedding ring at the bus stop last week? I didn't think it was a wedding ring at first, but I looked inside and it has lots of markings to say it is, and after showing my mum she said it is too. I was going to take it to the pawn shop and see what I could get for it, but I might just keep it because it's really pretty. Although I would find it highly amusing, I'd feel really bad selling it in fear of whoever lost it walking past the pawn shop and seeing it on sale.

I went to a model railway on Sunday with my family. There wasn't a lot there but it was good enough to have a look around, and it kept my little brother quiet. I was happier sat in the canteen with my sausage barm and coffee, and taking my brother in to see father christmas. It was a fun day though and I have to admit that I think it's pretty awesome that lots of people out there have the patience to build gigantic tracks for the model trains, and even surroundings like shops, farms, houses, etc.

My jaw dropped last week when I realised that my clothes wouldn't be delivered in time for the weekend. I had ordered a new coat and some accessories for Sunday as I was taking a friend to see the christmas lights get switched on in town. I had paid for next day delivery only to discover that they only delivered on weekdays. I was gutted. I was even more gutted when my friend cancelled the trip to town. I wanted to go to see the lights, but nobody else I knew was going. My sister went, but she was going with a few of her mates so I didn't want to intrude. Still, there was a sigh of relief when I realised that I could stay at home in front of a warm fire. My coat was delivered on Monday and it was definitely worth paying, and waiting for - it's lovely!

Monday was also the beginning of the 13 week TNG course that I have been put on. Travelling to Kirkby every day really didn't put a smile on my face, and neither did the course after being there for one day. It was full of idiots who were very disruptive and (forgive me for saying so) thick as shit. How the hell are people like me put on courses with people like that? It's ridiculous! Albeit, I knew that once I am on a placement then I won't see the majority of them again and for that reason I decided to stick with it and get what I can from the experience. I went back yesterday and I have to say I was pretty bored, but I was a lot happier too. I took in a copy of my CV for Gail (the programme leader) to look at, and with her help I was able to edit and update it so that it was shorter and easier to read, but much more effective. That was the only thing that I worked on all day really, apart from doing a job search which didn't really bring much up. I also spoke with Gail and another woman; they took Leanne's details, for whom I do voluntary work, and they're going to contact her to see if they can set up a placement there. That was the highlight of my day... so I thought.

In the evening I had a phone call from Leanne to tell me that she had a call from Mike and Fiona from Knowsley Works Plus. Now initially I thought that they paid me, but when I asked Mike about it he was giving me the impression that Leanne would have to pay for me and she would get £60 per week towards my wages. I mentioned it to Leanne and she was devastated, as was I. However, Leanne told me that Mike had called to explain the whole process, and she wouldn't have to pay for me at all. We both screamed down the phone in excitement - this is what we have both been wanting for a long time, and it's finally happening! Leanne emailed Sarah (her boss) to let her know and I'm sure she will be overjoyed to hear that I'm joining the team so soon. The start date is 3rd December, so all I need now is for Sarah to give it the all clear, and for Mike to get in touch with me to let me know (again) of the good news.

Remember when my clothes were delivered on Monday? I was really excited; because they had been delivered, yes. But also because the delivery man was interested in buying my car. The car is in excellent shape and looks brand new both inside and outside, but it's been sat on the drive for months because it failed its MOT due to having a hole in either side of the chassis. Either way, the delivery man was really keen to buy and said he would call back in the evening. He didn't. Instead, he came round the next day as he was delivering in the area. My dad said I'd get nothing for it, my mum didn't think I'd get anything more than £100 for it, yet he was happy with me asking £150 for it. He's coming over at the weekend to have a proper look at it so I'll give it a quick clean before then, not that it needs it as it's in pristine condition for its age. £150. Scrap car to me, and a bargain to him - can't complain!

That £150 isn't going to last long. Since I've been set on getting a Nintendo DS for christmas, I've been pulling my hair out deciding which games to buy for it. There are so many cool games, including the ones that I want to be able to play online with my mates. The choices are endless and I don't usually know where to begin, but after hours of searching, last night I ordered Tetris DS (£24.99), Ben 10 (£17.98), Sonic Rush Adventure (£19.96) and Deal Or No Deal (£12.96). Today I finally ordered the console which was on offer for £154.99 with three games of my choice, and the games I chose are Animal Crossing, Pokémon Diamond and Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga (for my little brother). I was going to order the Nintendo DS Lite Browser (£24.99) but is out of stock everywhere. Thinking about it now I'm glad because I've bought the DS to play on when I'm fed up of the internet, so getting it would just defeat that objective. That doesn't mean that I won't get it, it just means that I'm putting it off for now and I'll think about getting it when I go on holiday and really do need it, but for now I am definitely more than happy with the games that I have opted for. Now I just have the dreaded wait for christmas to get here!