Life, as I know it

The Next Three Days

2011-01-17T00:45:00.002Z

I wrote my first ever film review for The Belfast Telegraph. I've to write several of them in the hope of securing something full time. Kind of like an audition I suppose. Here it goes:

I didn’t know what to expect when I went to see The Next Three Days, having not seen any reviews, but the one trailer I had seen looked promising.

The 2010 thriller film directed by Paul Haggis stars Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. It may be advisable for Paul Haggis to stick to screenwriting, as this motion picture was a slapdash congregation of Banks’ dry acting and an unnecessary amount of close-ups of Russell Crowe’s face. The plot, that was very slow in developing, seemed like a waste of talent as it did not allow for Crowe to deliver the same level of performance that we saw in some of his other recent films, such as American Gangster and Robin Hood.

Russell Crowe plays the part of John Brennan; A college professor who makes an unrealistic bid to break his wife out of jail after she is wrongly accused of murder and given a 20 year sentence. The film took a long time to deliver any amount of thrill, but the last half an hour delivered in full what the first two hours failed to. It was a saving grace to anyone who had the patience to endure the first two hours of linear and uninteresting plot development. The film’s fanciful plot summed up how an ordinary man is capable of juggling his job and looking after his son, while becoming a master escape artist and saving his wife from prison. It even put into layman’s terms how to make a bump key for opening most pin tumbler locks, and an interesting method of breaking into cars using nothing more than a tennis ball.

One scene that stood out involved the College professor dad shooting up a dealer’s house that doubles as a meth lab, and murdering a dealer, becoming guilty of the same crime his wife was wrongly accused of; a hypocritical flaw that reoccurs in the plot. After buying drugs, breaking into vans, consorting with unscrupulous characters, shooting up a meth lab, stealing thousands of dollars in drug money and breaking his wife out of jail, it becomes apparent that no one is more deserving of a hefty prison sentence than him; which makes the ease of the couples escape from the country slightly farfetched. It came as no surprise that Elizabeth Banks tried throwing herself from their car in a suicide attempt, her second in the film, during their escape. If I was watching this film in a car I’d be considering the same alternative.

This is one film I won’t be buying on DVD.

Recently

2010-12-13T22:53:00.003Z

The last while hasn't been the best. I've seen changes in people I really hoped wouldn't change, at least, not fast as they have done. People who once told me they'd always be there turning their backs. People who distance themselves from me the second my usefulness has expired. I've got some massive weights on my chest right now and it seems on the run up to Christmas people couldn't care less. I'm hoping a solution will present itself in time. But if you knew how I was feeling you'd have just the same level of doubt as me. As each day goes by its mounting. I finish off each day more unsure and less hopeful than the day before. But like the song says, "Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill."

Sorry for the morbidity of this post. In dire need of a pick me up.

U2

2010-12-11T01:09:00.004Z

Last few days I've been taking a liking to this group.

A song stood out at the end of Friday's episode of Coronation Street:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqEUnvR1mWo

U2 - All I Want Is You

You say you want
Diamonds on a ring of gold
You say you want
Your story to remain untold

But all the promises we make
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you

You say you'll give me
A highway with no one on it
Treasure just to look upon it
All the riches in the night

You say you'll give me
Eyes in a moon of blindness
A river in a time of dryness
A harbour in the tempest
But all the promises we make
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you

You say you want
Your love to work out right
To last with me through the night

You say you want
Diamonds on a ring of gold
Your story to remain untold
Your love not to grow cold

All the promises we break
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you

You...all I want is...
You...all I want is...
You...all I want is...
You...

Also sang Rod Stewart solo in a karaoke recently, but thats a video I'm not posting a link too :P

Wee piccie I took with my brother Jason, hung over in London the morning after a Placebo concert we went over for:

Winston Churchill..

2010-12-07T16:02:00.002Z

..once said - "‎"We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity, is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."

Belfast and Key Of Atlas

2010-12-05T22:14:00.005Z

Here are some shots I took in a lonely photographic day in Belfast. Must say though, the time to reflect was excellent.

And some pictures I took at a Key Of Atlas LP launch:

Thats all for now. Stay tuned x

2010-11-12T16:01:00.018Z

It was brought to my attention that my blog was feeling neglected, so here I am nurturing it once again. I was thinking about what to post. I could ramble on for hours of drivel that would put my few readers completely off ever returning. On the other hand, i remember the idea i had recently that i was going to take some pictures in my bedroom. Probably where I spend the most of my time. The place I eat, sleep, watch tv, play xbox, read, write, msn, text, phonecall, listen to music, clean, dirty, clean again, and do virtually everything when I'm not out of the house.

View from my bedroom door. From left: Bed, bedside table, chair (where my laptop sits most of the time) and wardrobe.
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Same as before, only upright view. You can see my snake Quentin's tank sitting on top of my chest of drawers. also notice the rug that sits in the middle of my room on top of a fully wooden floor.
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My lineup of shoes. From left to right: Nice shoes I bought in Limerick I wear for nicey things, trainers for not so nicey things, slippers ^_^ and finally my black leather work shoes that I end up doing most of my walking in.
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View from the foot of my bed. My wardrobe and he chair in front of it, again with laptop on it.
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The top of my bedside table. Its normally far more cluttered than this. Pen and notepad. Change out of my work trouser pocket. Blackberry and Sony Ericsson (ireland phone), picture of my family, and a coaster :)
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View of my bed from another corner of the room. Shelves of books above it. Window, bedside table again etc.
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View of the door from where the chair is. Emerald Garrison banner and a pull-up bar going across the door frame. Get so used to ducking underneath it habitually now.
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My tv unit which holds my extensive collection of DVDs. You can see my safe on the left of it. The messy shalf on the bottom is my xbox and all that comes with it.
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Two shelves on the left of the unit; the top housing my safe; the second where I put all the papers I get pictures in. On top of those papers is an extract from the Irish News which is the article from when my grandfather passed away.
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The shelves above my bed. You will see the collection of National Geographic I've been gathering. The bottom shelf also normally holds my camera but in this instance, obviously, I was using it. I also perch my phone on the bottom shelf during calls, using the hands free, to get better reception.
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Some pictures on my wall that I entered into a few competitions in the past. The blue bag on top of Quentin's tank has my other grandad's old camera in it. A family heirloom and one of the few remaining items to prove he existed.
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On top of my wardrobe, here I hang my V for Vendetta mask because the minfridge behind it doesn't work. Two Ferrero Rocher boxes that have become my change boxes. One for northern currency, the other for Euro change.
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Several years worth of Egyptian figurines that I collected with a magazine. Never have the patience to stand and dust them all though. The picture to the right is one I didn't take. It has a daisy in it, and the daisy is shown in all of the water droplets in the foreground.
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So there you have it. I shall try post again soon, when there's news to post.

Ciao x

Another Wedding

2010-10-11T20:36:00.001+01:00

Heres a wee selection :)

Belfast Telegraph, Monday 4th October 2010

2010-10-05T20:06:00.001+01:00

Invasion Belfast

2010-10-04T23:24:00.006+01:00

A few pictures I took at Emerald Garrison's Invasion Belfast III on saturday.

Double Wedding

2010-09-25T21:20:00.002+01:00

Finished photographing a wedding and on my way out of City Hall got another one xD

Heres two watermarked pictures one from each:

post soon x

Recent events.

2010-09-24T01:03:00.000+01:00

A few occasions to post piccies from :)

Haze Presents: Ignition:

FUTURE at The Pavilion Bar in Belfast:

Shooting my 7th wedding in the morning :) ciao x

Exile and Sports Day

2010-09-13T19:30:00.001+01:00

Self explanatory. Here are some pictures from the Sports day and Exile that evening:

And here are some pictures from a wee Urb Exp me and Jason did around the Belfast docks area:

Belfast Mela

2010-09-05T01:50:00.000+01:00

Here's some pictures from the Mela festival in Belfast i photographed.

Ciao :)

Limerick

2010-08-27T18:19:00.000+01:00

Had a wee holiday in Limerick over the past week. It proved to be just as rewarding as i'd hoped. Only a few people will know what I mean :P heres a few wee piccies i took while i was there:

Was a great trip overall ^_^ someone made it so much more special x

The Spectator

2010-08-16T14:57:00.001+01:00

My review got published in the North Down Spectator. Unfortunately is a crappy local weekly paper but I'm still chuffed since it was my first ever review.

Look! :) :

Chat soon x

WHOOT!

2010-08-14T18:33:00.000+01:00

I got my Laptop checked out - it was the card reader was faulty so I got it replaced.

Heres a few EFI pictures:

Bugger

2010-08-11T14:36:00.000+01:00

I spent the weekend photographing EFI, which was Irelands answer to the more commonly known EFY ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFY ) but can't put up any pictures because there's a common hardware fault with my laptop's USB ports. Sit tight, and they'll be along after it gets repaired.

Here's a wee picture in the mean time:

One of the DJs from Haze's Genesis.

Ciao x

Urb Exp

2010-08-04T16:50:00.001+01:00

Did my first ever Urban Exploration a few days ago. Went to the abandoned Belvoir Park Hospital. The best selected 60 pictures can be viewable on the TXR001 photobucket page.

http://s969.photobucket.com/home/TXR001

But incase your a bitch who doesnt want to look at all 60 pictures, here's a select few:

The link again is:
http://s969.photobucket.com/home/TXR001

My first review.

2010-07-31T23:49:00.000+01:00

Below is my first review. I was reviewing the launch of Genesis, presented by Haze in Bangor last night.

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I have been to the Windsor many times, but never before have I seen such it so well attended. Haze, who were running their first night entitled Genesis in The Windsor, Bangor on Friday night attracted a rich variety of punters bringing with them a variety of musical preferences. With the opening band performing its first song, it wasn't long until the venue, which sits on Bangor's sea front, filled with adults of all ages and walks of life.

The introductory band, entitled The Dead Parrots, started with mellow indie songs subtly coupled with upbeat pop-rock tunes that created a substantial initiation to the night. The band define themselves as 'Post-war Funk Pop Blues'.

The positive atmosphere and vibe of the night became apparent through the cheers of the crowd in between songs. However, the musical interlude that played between the first and second bands in no way prepared the crowd for their militaristic metal. Vibrations rocked through the floor as the band carved away at producing violent chords and inaudible lyrics. After a quick sound-check, the floor filled with youths head-banging to the apocalyptic music during the second song. Throughout the the selection of songs that followed, metal-heads staked their claim in society by dominating the dancefloor floor with movements inspired by the music the metal band where playing. In spite of their slow start, the band entitled 'This Year's Black' quickly became a favourite of the eager attendees.

After an interlude that followed the apocalyptic metal, we heard from 'Sweet Taste' who successfully maintained the momentum generated by the previous act. As the turnout grew, so did the pace and intensity of the music. 'Sweet Taste', loud yet audible, brought dozens of people from their seats onto the floor in a mood similar to that of the group before them. Aggressive dance moves where prolific and the mood of the room was ecstatic. This band, it became clear to me, were the epitome of Haze, as through their next number of songs they pulled virtually every person in the room from their seats. They concluded with a fast beated song that pulled everyone onto the floor in a dramatic climax to the night's resident band.

Following 'This Year's Black' the night progressed from live bands to hardhouse and trance Djs. The dance music was repetitive and continuous. However, this did not detract from the night as DJ's Jamie MacDonald and Jamanji inspired a great reaction from the crowd that had them up on the floor once again. What was interesting was how the amount of people on the floor in no way reflected the contrasting genres and styles of music performing on the night. It was almost as though every person attending had throughout the night embraced a style of music that was new to them. As the techno of DJ Mr. Fyffe slowed down it became apparent to the punters that the night was drawing to a close, and they would have to wait another month for such an enjoyable evening to come about again. It could be arguably said that the main downside to Haze's Genisis was the irresistably cheap booze! People are now eagerly awaiting Genesis' return to The Windsor, which is proposed to take place on the 27th of August. A top night from a top set of lads, hopefully the sign of things to come.

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Bye for now xo

Darrens Camp

2010-06-16T16:40:00.001+01:00

Some random pictures from a camp I went on on Slieve Donard last week.

Also, this is my 50th post :)

Ollie had his second birthday too :)

2010-05-23T20:36:00.000+01:00

Entered the Belfast Parks Photographic Competition the other day. Here is one of the pictures that made it into my final selection before I finally decided which pictures I was going to submit.

I like it because the romance is reflected in both the couple blurred in the background and the floral foreground.

Post again soon.

Newspaper extract

2010-05-17T19:38:00.000+01:00

The Irish News had this section about my Grandad in it. Actually got it a while ago but realized I hadn't uploaded it yet.

Two in a month.

2010-05-16T13:02:00.000+01:00

Yes, two posts in a month is something pretty impressive for me :P well since my last post my plans to get a dirt cheap 5d Mark ii from a Beijing market have fallen through. Think I may just invest in a wee 50D then. Better than what I have now by any means.

Heres a wee picture of Ollie I took yesterday when I took him the Belvoir Park:

New lens

2010-05-05T00:02:00.000+01:00

Managed to convince my dad to sell me his Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Autofocus Lens. On Ebay these would cost about 1100-1300. MY dad sold me it for 200.

Here I am :P

Here's a shot I took with it on the same day:

i know theres a pole right behind the bird which distorts it, ill try better next time :P

til then, goodbye

To date.

2010-04-27T18:02:00.000+01:00

Had a lot of spare time on my hands since the break up. MY 365 is being kept up to date every couple of days instead of weekly now. I've re-watched 2 dvds I swore upon watching them I'd never watch again. Going away this Friday to the cremation of my grandad in scotland. Here's the charming fellow below:

In other news, I keep seeing Natalie online on facebook. I click to open a conversation window, but very like my stutter of the late 1990s and early 2000s, no words appear. I so badly want to say something, but I dont know what is appropriate. Hopefully this will change soon.

Another wee picture for the blog, to leave on a slightly less depressing and more pensive note:

Ciao x

birdie

2010-03-27T00:45:00.001Z

Spent the afternoon the best way possible. Wandering around Ward Park with Natalie :) Took this picture of two birds sharing a piece of bread.

Despite my decision to remain modest, I am reasonably proud of it :)

I called it Friendship

Exile

2010-03-23T19:18:00.000Z

Been photographing Exile (a night in Morrison's Belfast) a bit and now they have me down to do it monthly :)

Heres some pics from there:

Ciao xo

Bangor to Crawfordsburn

2010-01-30T20:01:00.000Z

Walked several miles the other day with my girlfriend, Natalie; First through Bangor then along the coast from Bangor to Crawfordsburn. Here's some pictures I shot along the way.

New Hair

2010-01-01T20:36:00.001Z

As said above:

Christmas

2009-12-28T20:09:00.001Z

Thought I should upload a few christmas pics :P

Dinner :D

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Christmas Tree

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Drinks :D

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More dinner :D

It's been a while.

2009-12-15T20:39:00.000Z

Found one of my friends has a blogger profile, so it inspired to me come on an give some form of an update. Me and Amber split up officially about 4 months ago or so. I still work full time in a crappy shop, but I'm getting lots of work photography-wise for local papers.

Work in the shop isn't as bad as it used to be I admit. I get on better with the staff and it occupies time that would otherwise be wasted. Since I last posted I crashed the car, which means I haven't been allowed to drive in the last two months. I also bought a snake, hes called Quentin (after Tarrantino)

Quentin ^_^

Not only am I working now for local papers, but I'm also getting some commercial clients too. People who hire me to photograph people or occasions. Below is a picture I took at a nightclub last weekend I was asked to photograph.

I also have tickets to the Snow Patrol concert next year, and since I last posted I got xbox live. My gamertag is rodfather462. Life is good at the moment. I have some great friends. Im kept occupied by work which is becoming enjoyable. My career as a photographer is beginning to kick off. As for everything else, who knows what's around the corner.

Ciao for now.

Hmm...

2009-05-17T22:06:00.000+01:00

I saw this van advertising a car wash outside a friends house earlier this afternoon. Felt I should post it. Tag me if you notice anything strange about it...

Haha, wonder if the owner even realises.

Later!

Hello again

2009-05-08T23:18:00.000+01:00

Been almost half a year since I posted and I deeply regret it. But here I am, returning once again.

In the last 6th months many things have happened that I would have loved to go into detail on but unfortunately cant since there are so many

Had a great christmas at my uncles house over in scotland. All the family was there and it was great fun.
New years wasn't too bad, went to a dance and had a laugh. Nearly had an asthma attack too.
Since then I had a break with amber, but we got back together again much to my happiness :)
I also passed my driving test (3rd time lucky) and turned 18 :D
Since turning 18 I haven't put my new maestro card down, and I will soon need to give it to a trusted person to restrain my spending.
Only two weeks after passing my test I was in an accident that wasn't my fault. Unfortunately the car was written off and the other party has yet to admit liability.

Other than that, it was the last day of school yesterday. Quite emotional. Its like all the people that I've grown up with and have learnt to trust and who's personalities I have helped mould as much as they have moulded mine are suddenly not there anymore.

To finish it off I think a picture is in order...

hmm...

This is Calvin, wrapped in cling film and dragged under a water outlet. Poor boy.

Ciao

I'm not happy...

2008-11-11T17:50:00.000Z

I came home from school today with a mild headache. My mum told me that Teresa from work had called asking me to cover her shift tonight and i was to call her back. I did so, Teresa explained how she had hurt her leg and wanted me to cover for her. Fair enough. Her leg was worse than my head so i thought I'd do it anyway out of kindness.

I dread work, but for the next hour i tried my best to get motivated about going to work rather than dreading it. I finally did so. I quickly got into my uniform. I even rushed my dinner so i wouldn't be a minute late. I arrived at work and walked in. Here follows the conversation i had:

Ryan: Hello
Andrea: "Why are you here?"
Ryan: "Oh. Teresa hurt her leg and asked me to cover for her"
Andrea: "Teresa isn't working either"
Ryan: "omg, are you serious?"
Andrea: "Yeah, sure Sean is working tonight"
Ryan: "Your not joking are you?"
Andrea: "Yeah, Teresa is on tomorrow"
Ryan: *swears and storms out*

Some people

HAIZ

Grrr...!

2008-11-10T22:35:00.000Z

I was going to upload picture for all my readers, but yu know the way when you upload a picture and it finishes uploading it says "After clicking "Done" you can change your post and publish to your blog."

Well...the damned "Done" button never ever appeared - and i tried it 3 times. So sorry folks, no picture. And its bloggers fault. And its also bloggers fault that im now angry, and have a headache, and have an increased blood pressure and heavy breathing!!

I would say bye, but it might not let me publish if i do!!

GRRRRR!!

OMGsh

2008-11-07T21:49:00.000Z

Over a month and no post!! My bad *guilty look*

Well, in the last month very little of significance has happened, except for mine and ambers 1 year anniversary on the 25th of October :D she got me a lovely pretty and well put together (unfinished) photo album :) and i got her *tried to remember* oh yes a watch. The watch cost me in the region of £30 which was annoying later as amber saw the exact same watch on sale for about £5 - i think i was conned *growls*

I also started collecting warhammer again, only is fantasy warhammer and i got the menacing dark elves (see below:)

There was a car ABANDONED in my work and ALL FOUR of its tires were like this:

and a bought a new jacket that looks like this:

oh yea, and before i forget.....
....
...THIS is my dad:

Thats all for the next we while. Ill definitely try posting again soon though.

Ciao

Michael Imperioli

2008-10-04T22:57:00.000+01:00

Out of all the cast of The Sopranos HBO TV series, Michael Imperioli has got to be my favorite. Christopher Moltisanti, the character he portrays isn't my favorite character, but he is my favorite of the cast. For those who don't know him, most likely anyone who reads this post, here is a picture of him in the sopranos:

and a picture of him in Goodfellas:

Now many of you may remember the famous scene in Goodfellas where Michael Imperioli (character name Spider) gets shot in the foot by an angry Joe Pesci and falls to the ground - well i found something rather amusing when re-watching the sopranos last week. Fans of the Sopranos will be aware of Michael Imperioli's (character name: Christopher Moltisanti) short temper. I saw a scene in which Christopher Moltisanti goes into a bakery and is angry when another man, who came in after him, gets served first. So, he orders everyone else out of the bakery then shouts at the baker. Things erupt and Christopher then reaches for his gun and fires a shot into the foot of the baker who yells, "you shot me in the foot!". Michael Imperioli then humorously refers to his role in Goodfellas by replying "it happens..."

Just noticed that recently, thought it was funny :D

Tired now tho soooooo...GOODNIGHT :D

Dates...

2008-09-13T21:28:00.000+01:00

Significant dates from the last week - i figured id just do brief explanations as to what happened to avoid boring anyone. It also makes the events during the length of time its taken me to post more interesting.....

Sunday 7th September - "Closing Day"
My Church which is in Newtownards closed on this day. No one saw it coming and it was announced during the main meeting. It hit me like a brick. As soon as they made the announcement i got up on my feet and walked out and cried to myself for 5mins before going back into the meeting room. Once back in the main room, i sat back in my seat and began to sob quietly. Then i got up to bear my testimony (basically were your allowed to get up and share a few words) and i expressed my sadness at the whole thing. Without any control, i sobbed uncontrollably into the microphone and said a few illegible words. Then i sat down again but had to get up to leave again before i kicked off. I wasn't the only one who cried, the whole experience was very upsetting because now all of my friends are going to be going to a different church from me and were i would normally see them twice a week i will now only see them MAYBE once a month. :(

Wednesday 10th - "Judgement Day?"
Everyone, except me, seemed convinced that the world was going to explode, or get sucked into a black hole, or be engulfed with flames, or simply disappear. The amount of people telling me all the different things made me lack any belief in it at all. Guess who was right :D we are still alive. And there was no fire, Elicia. There was no black hole Greg. And no, we did not simply disappear Fergus. Elicia was texting me in the morning absolutely terrified and i was almost in tears laughing at her panic-stricken messages.

Thursday 11th - "Penultimate Youth Day"
Thursday night was our regular church youth night. Well, since our church closed this was the be the last official youth meeting between us all, and the penultimate youth meeting unofficially. We went for seminary (basically bible study) at 6.30, which Jane had just began teaching again since the summer. Part of the reason i was so upset on sunday was because i knew that Jane would no longer be my teacher, even though she is the coolest teacher in the world. Then we had our youth activity. Basically we ate gargantuan amount of unhealthy food and played ridiculously immature party games - all very fun ^_^

Friday 12th - "Last youth day AAAAND Queens open-day"
Today we went on a school trip to Queens university in Belfast. Walked around a bit and went to a lecture about psychology. I hadn't seen my brother in a while so i texted him and we met up since we had loads of time to spare. We (me and amber) asked him were was good for lunch, but had to be within the boundaries our teachers had set. We werent allowed beyond Shaftsbury Square. Well, 'Supreme', which has to be the nicest chip shop i have ever been to, was about a mile and a half beyond Shaftsbury square, so me and amber were terrified of getting caught but luckily we didnt. ON the return we visited a shop i knew about called "The Rusty Zip" to look at jackets. Here is the jacket that i found that i like but Amber hates:

What ya think? Leave me a tag and let me know.
I went to the final youth activity that night at Simon's house. We had this massive bouncy castle and all :) I kept tackling people and lifting smaller people and dropping them. Sounds mean but they loved it lol. But, i decided to show the picture of the jacket i want to some people to see general opinions on it.

Here is the poll...

People who hate the jacket:
Amber
Mum

People who like it:
Me
Emma Shiels
Elicia
Courtney
Chelsea
Simon
Matty
Jane
Ben
AK (Aaron-Kyle)
AK's gf Zara
Elicia's friend christine
Sophie

So the votes are slightly one sided - but im worried that amber would get annoyed if i bought it =/

Anyways, that is a sumary of my week thus far. Except today when i work a split. Meaning i worked one shift, then went home, then went back for another. Got paid as well which was good :)

Now i find myself here posting and neglecting Amber on msn, so i must go to her as she deserves my undivided attention.

Cheerio peoples

STRESS

2008-08-31T21:37:00.001+01:00

Work today was terrible. There was just me and andrea working and normally there should be three people. And since Andrea works with the news papers on sunday night the jobs of two people quickly fall onto me. I started falling behind at an early stage which gradually pulled me back and back. You see, at nights it normally takes two people an hour and a half to brush and mop the entire floor. Now, minus the additional person - making it difficult on the one person, then tell him he has half an hour less to do it then remind them that he also needs to clear out his till (normally takes 10 minutes) and also tell him everything needs brought in from the front (another 10 minutes) so basically, i had HALF the man power and 50minutes less time to do 4 jobs.

ARRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!

I just screamed so i feel better - slightly.

Now i need to complete a Ucas application which is supposedly very time consuming. I also need to get all my uniform all prepared for tomorrow going back to school and i must also prepare a packed lunch and gather my lost books together. And on top of that im expected to have an early night in preparation for starting back...

Nelson is not happy. I shall retire to my chamber and hope that this period of utter confusion and 'uber' stess passes without difficulty

c y'all later :)

Almost forgot the quiz

2008-08-15T18:39:00.001+01:00

Amber tagged me to do this quiz so i just thought id do it now while i can:

1.What disappoints you the most?
Crushed dreams

2.Where would you go if someone sponsors u an air ticket?
if i was guarantied a bed and all the rest I'd go to...hmm...where would i go? Maybe New Jersy to see some of the filming locations of the sopranos.

3.Whats your favorite things to do?
Walking with amber, talking with amber, taking pictures with OR without amber, earning lots of money, buying lucn hfor other ppl (makes me feel charitable)

4.Do you think money can buy you happiness?
Not specifically, but it can buy things that do =P

5.If you had one dream to come true,what will it be?
long life, fun job, loving family, many kids

6.Do you believe in love at first sight?
Generally yea - but it'd probably be very hard to recognize and differentiate between that and infatuation

7.What are u afraid to lose?
faith

8.If you win one million,what would you do?
Invest - buy over a major profiting business as expand it and skim off the profits and then sell the business for THREE million :D

9.What do you dream of doing in future?
Something in the way of media

10.What do you want most right now?
Amber :(

11.Do you believe in fate?
well i watch star wars, the force controls my fate :P

12.What do you think it is the most important in your life?
I quote amber here: "My family, friends, health, emotional wellbeing." and my lovelife

13.Who are the ones that can make you very happy when you're super upset no matter when?
Amber. IF its concerning amber and shes not around probably emma. Then if i dont need sympathy but just to rant elicia :p

14.If you have a chance to choose, would you like to come back in time?
If i could temporarily go back and change things then come forward again - there's alot of mistakes id correct.

15.What is the thing you'd want to do before dying?
Sell ALL my stuff and see that the money goes to my wife, kids, and the NCDL or Dogs Trust or whatever its called now

16.What is the stupidest thing you have done?
taken things for granted

17.How do you feel when someone important ignores you?
Hurt, cut, upset. Then, after that, annoyed.

18.What you like most about earth?
The se or seaside. I love the noise of crashing waves - its so sensual.

19.Have you ever liked a person until you are willing to die for him or her?
Yea, but would depend on the circumstances

20. Do you think long relationships are good or bad?
Good, assuming they end well. Alls well that ends well =P

Enjoy reading that folks :)

whats that nelson? u enjoyed it too? good good

talk soon

Headache-y

2008-08-15T18:25:00.000+01:00

I am headachy. Whatever way my sleep patterns have drastically changed by day, along with the results of my AS-Levels being a huge emotional let down, along with my driving lesson today which i forgot to take my medication before hand and 60% of whatever he said i didn't actually acknowledge. Then i got home, after horrendous traffic, and watched tv for a bit. Then i came here and began writing this and it has just occurred to me now that i haven't had lunch -.- most likely another contributing factor.

May go and get lunch soon, my mum bought more supernoodles which i absolutely love. Especially when amber makes them. ON the few occasions when i have been at her house early enough in the morning for her to be making supernoodles she always makes me some - along with ham or bacon or something, and mushrooms and most often a poached egg on the side :D

yeeeehawwwww :D :D ryan is now happy on account of the prospect of having noodles

ciao

The confrontation and aftermath

2008-08-13T22:16:00.000+01:00

Went out again this afternoon and we were walking through the fields getting some lovely GV shots (general view) basically shots of the surrounding area and so on. We were constantly being watched by apparent farmers and a particular red Land Rover which the farmer was driving earlier kept passing us. We got back into the car and decided they weren't going to come out for a while so we headed down to the nearby beach in the hope of getting pictures of surfers in the sea. We headed on down the road then pulled over and decided it would be too risky to abandon our post and we turned around and headed back again. On our way back we noticed that the gate leading to SJP's driveway was partly open – something we were sure wasn't the case when we had previously passed it. We looked on the opposite side of the road and up a long lane and there was a small group of people. I mentioned to dad that maybe they were among them. He checked with the binoculars and sure enough there was Sarah Jessica Parker, husband Matthew Broderick, and their 5-year-old son James Wilkie. We turned around and slowly drove passed, our cameras clicking furiously and the couple – who it later became evident were heading out for a picnic – started scuttling back down the lane towards their holiday home. Sarah grabbed her son's hand and pulled him along briskly. They headed up the road with us slowly following them in the car, snapping away the whole time. In hindsight, we should have overtaken them and got shots from the front because many of the pictures we shot were of backs of heads. They headed up their driveway and, despite us not even having any intentions of following them up their private road, the red Land Rover that we had sighted many times before actually suddenly appeared, darted in front of us and parked right inbetween the two gate posts making sure that we didn't try and follow them.
The job however was a success, we had pictures of the couple together which matched the criteria we were given.
On a personal note, i did feel hugely guilty afterwards as the couple had come along way to solve their marital difficulties, they had planned out a fun family picnic up in a nearby field and on their way up we showed up and they had to completely cancel their plans and taking their son by the hand scurry back to the cottage.
I would upload pictures but Im getting paid for them so i shall upload them once the magazine that is buying them publishes them. Not before then. Should be in the magazine next Tuesday though. And in a month or so I'll have a nice healthy paycheque ;)

SJP - my first paparazzi experience

2008-08-13T22:15:00.001+01:00

The following i typed in the car at 10.36 this morning. Since then all i have done is copied and pasted it so despite it being posted at a later time it is all written to the knowledge and attitudes i had during the actual time:

Now here i am, sitting at the top of a driveway-on-a-hill casually yet secretly surveying the Irish holiday home of Sex and the City actress Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick.
It began a few days ago when i visited Dublin to visit my sister for a few days then spend a few days with my dad afterwards. During the first afternoon of being with my sister my dad called and said he needed assistance on a job in Donegal (3 and a half hours drive away) so we met up and headed straight for Donegal that afternoon in the hope of being their by the evening to check in the hotel and be well rested for the following morning when the job would begin.
The job description, after giving us inaccurate directions, said that we had to go to the holiday home of Sarah Jessica Parker to photograph her with her husband whenever they leave the house as it became apparent in another magazine we read later that SJP and her husband were in Donegal on holiday to try and reconcile some marital difficulties.
Yesterday, the first day of the job, there wasn't a single sighting of them – apart from late last night when we surveyed houses in the general area to find which house was actually theirs. We had been given directions to their house which in the end we found, but according to a picture in a magazine of the couples house the house was actually a few doors away from the one we had been directed to. It was therefore a necessity to undergo a covert operation in the dead of night to actually find out which house we were supposed to stakeout. We went first to the house in the magazine which, after a possible hour of running around the fields full of sheep crap we finally discovered wasn't in fact the house and the magazine had got it wrong.
Earlier in the day though my dad had got a call from another press agency also requesting he take pictures for them. He was already working for one employer on the same job though so any pictures he took would have been sent to his employer and not the agency. After careful deliberation he decided to give them my name and say that I too was in the area with him and since i hadn't been employed by the employers I could quite easily submit my pictures to them. I now have to make the decision between either a set payment for the job or 50/50 of what i make. If i choose the set payment – i will get £150 for this job regardless of whether or not i get pictures and any pictures i do get i will have to submit to them and they have full rights to them – meaning if i get a blinder of a picture they could make thousands from it and i still will have only got £150. The other one, the 50/50 deal, means that if i don't get any pictures at all – ie. if they don't leave their house today at all i won't get any pictures and will therefore get nothing. I think i may go for the former, the £150 deal because that means that no matter what happens between now and this evening i will come out with something.
They also offered to pay me per day if i stay the rest of the week but that means that i will miss my AS-Level results and a driving lesson on Friday but in the process I'll make an extra £300 – i really don't want to miss the opportunity but i guess i cant miss my AS-Level results.

NELSON

2008-07-13T00:55:00.000+01:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our dark that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people don't feel insecure around you.We are all meant to shine as children do. Its not just in some of us; its in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsiously give other people to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Says Nelson Mandela anyways :P

I love that quote :)

Heres the man himself...

Nelson, I'd like to welcome you to my blog. Feel free to have a look around and read here or there. I hope you'll enjoy being my new mascot :)

Thats right Nelson, you are my new mascot :)

Best PHotograph Ever

2008-07-13T00:41:00.000+01:00

The title of this post is in no way expressing fact or personal opinion. Im just going to tell you the story.

I was bored earlier today so i decided to search on google "best photograph ever"

The picture that follows was the 1st result:

i dont understand why it would be considered the best photo ever - but hey, google is an american created site so i guess its an excuse to blame them.

haha

ciao

Wow

2008-07-11T04:53:00.000+01:00

I know people have been eagerly waiting for my next post (sarcastic) so here it is...

I thought i was going to be going to singapore but then i couldnt afford it and i hate to say but i was slightly glad after that when i found out that amber wasnt going because it means she wont be going away from me and it means also then that i can spend alot of my summer with her inbetween driving lessons and working.

Yeah, thats right, everything above is one sentence.

But, the main purpose of my posting today is to tell people that currently it is 4.54 am and for the past 5 hours i have been doing nothing but attempting to sleep. Then suddenly i decided, while it takes me a while to get to sleep i may as well make the most out of the time it takes instead of wasting it.

I think the lack of sleep is demolishing my logic :P

Ill try again here

goodnight - or goodmorning i suppose

Questions and a picture

2008-07-02T10:36:00.000+01:00

Heya all

Heres my quiz

Rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names,
then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they got tagged and to ask them to play and read your blog.

Starting time:10.36am (NI time)
Name:Ryan Rodwell
Sisters: 1
Brothers:1
Shoe size: 9 and a half UK size
Height: no idea
Where do you live? somewere were you'll never have heard of and could never find on a map

Favourite drinks? Oasis, coca cola, shloer
Favourite breakfast? Noodles
Have you ever been on a plane? Yepz yepz. My ears get sore though :(
Swam in the ocean? yes, its cold
Fallen asleep at school? in mr parks english class this one time
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call? yea...they didnt
Saved e-mails? funny ones, or memorable ones
What is your room like? compact but fun!
What’s right beside you? My beside table, and a shelf with my safe on it
What is the last thing you ate? Weetabix and a handfull of popcorn
Ever had ...Chicken pox? Yeah, not long ago - maybe 2 or 3 years ago.
Sore throat? Yea, this morning and on sunday at work
Stitches? No, a staple in my head though
Broken nose? No, ive broken bones before but none of them were mine
Do you believe in love at first sight? Sometimes.
Like picnics? I love picnics :D
Who was/were the last person/people you danced with? With Amber - in her kitchen but only for a few seconds
Last made you smile? My driving instructor - made me laugh
You last yelled at? Thin air - exhaling excessive mounts of stress
Today you did? Woke up, had my first driving lesson which went great and came home and now on the laptop :D
Have you ever ... ..Kissed anyone? Yea :)
Get sick? Yea - dont like it
Miss someone? Yeah, too much aswell
Eat? Yeah. Just over an hour and a half ago
Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No, but one teddy bear called Tibearius :)
What’s under your bed? empty bags, shoe boxes, and a spider colony that i have yet to find.
Who do you really hate? Jane from Eastenders.
What time is it now? 10.45

Random.
Is there a person who is on your mind now? Yeah, im talking 2 her
Do you have any siblings? a brother and a sister (wasnt this at the very start?)
Do you want children? Yes of course :)
Do you smile often? I try to
Do you like your hand-writing? Not really
Are your toe nails painted? Erm...nope
Whose bed other than yours would you rather sleep in? Ambers because her duvet is so soft. I slept there while she was away some were just to spite her *maniacal laughter*
What color shirt are you wearing? Grey
What were you doing at 7:00 p.m. yesterday? Sleeping - i was sooo tired
When did you cry last? Cant remember exactly
Are you a friendly person? I hope so
Do you have any pets? a dog :D and...a rabbit! :D
Where is the person you have feelings for right now? Amber, shes in her computer room on msn
Did the last person you held hands with mean anything to you now? Of course
Do you sleep with the TV on? If i find im falling asleep ill turn it off. Like yesterday - i missed the end of independence day because my eyes were drooping
What are you doing right now? Doing this quiz and trying to chat Amber.
Have you ever crawled through a window? Yeah - its a long story though
Can you handle the truth? If the truth isnt a lie
Are you too forgiving? Ye :/
Are you closer to your mother or father? My Mommy.
Who was the last person you cried in front of? Amber
How many people can you say you’ve really loved? Depends on the type of love. Many though
Do you eat healthy? Sometimes :/
Have you ever cried because of something someone said to you? Yea
If you're having a bad day, who are you most likely go to? Amber, emma, or in some cases God
Are you loud or quiet most of the time? Ask amber :P
Are you confident? I try to be

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1)Primary School
2)Moving house i think
3)arguing with my brother
4) playing with toy guns
5) Preparing for p4

5 things on my to-do list today:
1) Sleep earlier
2) Tidy living room
3) Keep kitchen tidy
4) Chat 2 amber
5) Talk to people about my driving lesson :p

5 snacks I enjoy:
1) Reeces Peanut butter cups
2) Toffee cheesecake
3) Rolo Yogurts
4) Popcorn
5) Vienese whirls with amber

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1) Give a lrge amount to the NCDL or Dogs Trust or whatever its called now
2) Work my way onto the stock market
3) Hire some big tough guys to do dirty work for me
4)Write a will probably
5) Put the money in a bank account and live happily of the interest.

5 of my bad habits:
1)Picking my nails
2)Biting my nails.
3)I often talk too much without knowing and people dont listen
4) Over reacting
5) getting annoyed

5 places I have lived in:
1) House in ballygowan
2) House in killinchy.
3) Another house in Ballygowan
4) Raffrey
5) Ambers house

5 jobs I’ve had:
1) Paper round
2) Working in a chip shop
3) Workin with my dad
4) workin in a shop at the moment
the end

I tag...nobody...because nobody tags me! HMPH! lol :P

Picture for today?

Here it is.....

Yea, its a bird coming in to land :D

C y'all later

New Pics

2008-06-07T21:40:00.000+01:00

My sis taught me some new tricks on photoshop involving bringing colour through a black and white image. My best version of this is shown below...

Tag me and let me know what you think of it :D

Also, yesterday i went to see my gorgeous new nephew in Dublin. His name is Oliver and he was born on the 5th of June weighing in at 8.1 pounds. He shares the same birthday as Charlie Clements, the actor that plays the part of Bradley in Eastenders and also the birthday of outstandingly talented and very skilled showbiz celeb Jade Goody (sarcasm btw). Some pics of him are shown below:

Here he is crying...awwww :)

And his little hands *eyes water*

c y later ppl, tag me!

Good days...

2008-05-22T16:35:00.000+01:00

Last few days have been really really great...all will be explained below:

On monday I went to Amber's house to help study but found myself watching a movie and then sitting at the sea side instead *cheeky grin* then Amber's auntie made us the most delectable steak for dinner. The movie was great although amber didn't enjoy it. The beach was lovely though - all quiet except for the noise of the crashing waves. Then I eventually went home on the 21.05 bus and got home very tired but didn't sleep until perhaps 1 am the next morning.

Tuesday - woke up, showered, dressed, bus to Downpatrick, another bus to newcastle, got off in newcastle, arrived at amber's, ate some lovely noodles with mushrooms and ham or something in them ^_^ then we set about to doing some more english revision. We went down for lunch and got KFC (which I paid for) and it was there Amber said the words that made me giggle for the rest of the day. The were, "I don't like having friends who are really really REALLY skinny because I'm always afraid I might break them". We then headed back to the house for more studies. After we revised for a short while we watched a movie called 'Assembly', directed by Xiaogang Feng, that is about a soldier who fights to gain recognition for all of his lost comrades who died during a battle of the Chinese Civil War. It was definitely very good.
After the film we headed down town to do some english revision at the library - but we popped into Painted Earth for a few minutes first. Painted Earth is the kind of shop were you buy canvass, paintings, postcards, photographs etc etc. Amber bought a postcard to send back home and I bought a fancy picture of daisies and raindrop and stuff. I was asking the woman who owns the shop about some photographs that were on the wall behind her and she explained that they were taken by local photographers. I explained to her that I myself was a keen photographer - we got talking for a few minutes and now she is interested in seeing some of my photographs and she says she may consider selling some of them *ryan is happy*
Then we went to the sea side were I took some pics in a sudden burst of inspiration. Two of the best of these are shown below (I also thought they looked very nice in black and white so...):

Then we went to the library and studied for a while. Then, after that, we went to Mauds were we had hot chocolate but continued to study. We were sitting there cuddled up drinking hot chocolate and reading through notes when it occured to me that Amber had been staring at the same sheet for quite a while. I looked down at her and she flinched a bit then opened her eyes and looked up. The little dear had fallen asleep, teehee.
We studied for as long as we could until the alarm went for me to head up to the bus. When we got there, we waited a short while before i got on the bus and went home.
Wednesday was great too. I went into school to do my english exams which went very well themselves. Im expecting a B in my results if its anything better than a C. Then for the last few hours of school I went up to the ICT suite to simply mess about on the computers since the common room had been closed because of a broken window. While i was up there Mr Williamson came in and handed me a copy of the school's magazine. For those who don't know, I was on the magazine committee this year as its official photographer. There was in interesting and pleasing section about me in the magazine's editorials:

You might need to click on it to enlarge it before you are able to read it - point is, it made me very happy ^_^ and the magazine also used up to eight of my pictures ^_^
Then when school was 20 minutes from over i met with amber after her Mechanics exam and we sat at the front of school and ate our lunch (subway sandwiches) which were very nice.
Then I got home later to find that my provisional license had finally arrived so. . .now im going to start getting driving lessons and hopefully learn to drive by the start of August.

Oh oh, i also nearly forgot, i got a job just over a week ago - they pay minimum wage but its still something lol.

Well, i hope whoever has had the patience to read all this has enjoyed doing so

Cheerio for now

*waves*

last picture - flowwwweeeeeeeeerrrzzz! Yayyyyyzzz ^_^

taadaaaaaa

2008-05-12T17:35:00.000+01:00

In a valiant attempt at keeping this blog active - I have decided to post yet again :D

I had a fairly enjoyable day today. On one of my days off it is always enjoyable to wake up at 6.45am and go to school for the hell of it (okok, that was sarcastic) but it was definitely worth it as when I got to school I encountered an Amber that was very cheerful but couldn't bring herself to look it. PMT i think (HAHA i mean Pre-Module Tension - not the other thing) she was doing one of her modules in computing. Meanwhile, i got to sit about in common room watching The Sopranos until amber's exam finished. She came back afterwards looking very relieved and we sorta chatted for maybe an hour :p then we watched the rest of Knocked Up which we started watching a long time ago and have now finally finished. Luckily, she remained awake during it teehee.
Spent the rest of the day traveling home along my normal route which took seemingly longer than normal. Must be the heat.
Anyways, now I sit here typing this new post on my blog and amber is on the phone to me asking the difference between moaning and groaning. Better go and get dictionary to see if there is actualy a difference...

ohoh, picture:

This is a picture i took on work experience. It shows forensic detective people about to enter a house on the subsequent morning of a brutal murder; in which men with hatchets stormed in and butchered the man in his bed in front of his heavily pregnant wife, who fell into labour only 2 hours after his death. In this picture, the forensic detective can be seen with a police 'crimestoppers' van in the foreground.

ciao

Bored...

2008-05-10T01:25:00.000+01:00

late at night...I couldn't be bothered sleeping.
I feel a weird way - like i know if i lay down to sleep i wouldn't b able 2 and if i stay awake its going to be the most boring hell of this month. So I thought i'd post. Nothing much has happened the last week or so - whenever i last posted. Got off for study leave, yep yep its good because i get to stay up late and watch DVDs and during the day i eat better lunches than i normally would.

hmm....

gona upload another random picture, like i did a few posts ago...

I like this picture - you'll understand why in a moment when i tell you...

this...

picture...

was taken....

from....

the....

window of McDonalds ^_^

Have you ever sat down in McDonalds and had a crappy double cheese burger with such a spectacular view? I did, once, in the summer of 2006 when I actually took this picture. One of the very few moments in my childhood that i feel is worth bragging about

Ciao

"Do Not Answer"

2008-05-03T21:37:00.000+01:00

Today i was out in the car with my brother and my dad when my brother's phone rang. Upon looking at it he could see that the caller I.D said "do not answer". He then rejected the call and went to his phonebook and looked for it... sure enough, he had a number saved in his phone as "do not answer". The phone rang again and he rejected it. He then reflected on how he had no recollection of ever saving a number called that. He also reflected on how if he had actually saved a number like that - it must've been someone he met when he was drunk and never wanted to talk to again.

Eventually it rang and rang and he decided to answer it - it was my mum -.-

Thought you'd enjoy that story ^_^

And again!

2008-04-16T16:35:00.000+01:00

Thought I should try posting again so as to keep it going lol. Not much at all to say though. Ohoh, me and Amber were planning on spending our 6th month anniversary on friday 25th, and i got a little annoyed when it was moved to thursday because it just wasnt as significant...but then I checked and although friday is our 6 month anniversary, thursday 24th happens to be our exact half a year anniversary (in terms of days) which also makes it more accurate and also better ^^. *yay - happiness restored* lol. And we also are donating blood on thursday :D:D

Ermmmmm.....*thinks long and hard*...

*gets bored of thinking long and hard*

*decides to upload random picture and talk about it*

I like this picture as it has an overwhelming and captivating dramatic cloud scene. The darkness at the very bottom contrasts with the sunlight at the top...yay! :D:D

Bye 4 now - will try posting again soon

AAAAAHHHHHHHH SO LONG!!

2008-04-13T20:47:00.000+01:00

Haven't posted in ABSOLUTELY ages so i thought I finally would. Things have been way up and way down of late, but hopefully the scales will be balanced soon.
Well, i went on a temple trip with church - which is a trip were the youth of my church go over the Preston - England to take part in church ordinances. Because photography is by no means allowed inside the temple, i took some pictures of the beautiful exterior. These are shown below...

This is a picture of the spire of the temple at the front end.

This picture, again is the front of the temple

This picture shows the sunset hitting the side of the temple

The trip was overall enjoyable but tired me out a lot. The following day we went the the massive Trafford Center in Manchester, a huge shopping center with every kind of shop. I bought amber's teddy bear there. If anyone wants anymore information of this temple then go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_Temple

Amber asked me kindly to complete this questionnaire (below) so we'll see how i get on...

1] At what age do you wish to marry?
20s presumably.

2] What i want the most now?
peace of mind

3] Who is the person you trust the most?
My bruv,

4] Do you think you have enough confidence?
depends on the situation - but overall i think so yeah

5] If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
long and happy life with minimal upsets but always fun and excitement etc

6] Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Possibly working a well paid job, living in a fancy apartment with a kid or 2 ^^

7] What are you afraid to lose the most now?
anyone who is close 2 me

8] Do you believe in eternal love?
definitely

9] If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
yes - but Amber accidently did 1st lol

10] List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.
Amber...hmm...shes funny, bright, cheerful, kind, compassionate and any other word that means something similar (i know thats more than 3 - but i cant be expected to describe her in only 3)

11] What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
everything i've said above, always makes me laugh, very caring, very considerate, very honest, very inspiring, knows how to look after me, responsible, being shorter than me as well as her looking good is a nice bonus :)

12] What feeling do you hate the most?
regret

13] Do you cherish every single friendship of yours?
i try to, but sometimes its difficult wen you take them for granted

14] Do you feel that every minute of life and every person in your life is to be appreciated?
yes definitely but as i said above, sometimes it is difficult

15] What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
the things that make me happy

16] Do you find it a need for you to have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
definitely. Amber tries to cheer me up when im down and is MOSTLY understanding and willing to listen. I tell her anything at all without worrying

17] At this point of time, would you rather stay in your comfort zone or try something new?
comfort zone for the time being - not ready for to much of a change yet

18] What kind of friend you hope to be in your friend's eyes?
one who they think about and randomly smile even when im not there

19] Brains or looks?
brains preferably, because in the picture of me and miss ireland they ma have had looks but they were complete air-heads - but all the same, both is a bonus :D

20] What type of person you are trying to be?
someone who has to book a very large venue for his funeral because so many people loved him and loads of people want to see him off

Gona go chat 2 Amber now, byebyees

Best Friend

2008-02-26T21:12:00.001Z

Havnent spoken in a while. Sorry folks - latest poem I wrote in a birthday card to one of my old best friends who I hvent spoken to in a while. Miss you buddy - RIP

Best Friend 18.09.07

Before I met you I was blind.
But you helped me to see.
And since then all I try to do, I
s be a friend like you were to me.

You always being a smile to my face,
You brighten up my mood.
And if I could somehow repay you,
You know I surely would.

I'll try to always be here,
To life you when you're down.
Believe me, you look so much better.
When you smile instead of frown.

If I could live forever,
I'd do it just for you,
To make sure your always happy,
In everything you do.

And whatever day you live to,
I'll live 'til the day before.
Because living a day without you,
Would be unbearable and sore.

If you cannot find me,
When your sad and don't know what to do.
Just try and remember your happiness,
The times I spent with you.

But the clock is moving quick today,
Its time for this poem to end.
But before it does, Ill tell you this:
You are my most special friend.

Ryan Rodwell

Father of Her Child

2008-02-11T17:32:00.000Z

Aaaaah! Time too post again. Work experience was awesome by the way.During it i photographed . . . the bulgarian football team, the GAA conference, David and Victoria Beckham, that murder scene in Belfast, a child porn guy walking out of court, and Cambell College's rugby team. Some other random stuff aswell but not worht mentioning. lol

Very tempted however to switch back from poetry back to photography again lol. Nah . .. coz if i do, i dont take pictures often enough :p.

Todays poem . . .

Father of Her Child

Crying and wailing loudly;
In the middle of the night.
Nursing it 'til morning.
When darkness turns to light.

Sleeping the rest of the day;
Induced by lack of sleep.
This is what its worth;
Fatherhood doesn’t come cheap.

But show your loving kindness;
It will pay off in the end.
Show no limits to availability;
Just watch how much you spend.

Parenting, for you, is about to begin;
A family you have started.
Give them all the necessary care;
And make that care full-hearted.

Never stop sharing your love;
And keep your temper mild.
Give your wife the love she deserves;
For you are the father of her child.

Ryan Rodwell

Something Somewhere

2008-01-24T22:20:00.000Z

Find yourself looking for something but don't know what exactly it is? Then you share the same mood as I had when writing this poem

Something Somewhere 26.11.07

It's not marked upon a map;
Or directed by arrows on a sign.
You have found your answers;
I'm still looking for mine.

Searching for hints and clues;
And pondering them in my head.
The answers to the mysteries of life;
The reasons for the times I've bled.

Hidden away in secret;
Not ready to be discovered.
But still I continue searching;
Hoping they'll be uncovered.

Perhaps its not the time,
And I should continue to wait.
But I'd like to find them early,
Instead of being too late.

Asking others for guidance;
Unfortunately they can't assist.
The search is mine and mine alone;
And I must persist.

But the questions remain unanswered;
The answers remain mislaid.
Something somewhere is hidden;
And the directions are not displayed.

Ryan Rodwell

Unnoticed

2008-01-19T19:45:00.000Z

Be aware when crossing roads children - please

Unnoticed 25.09.07
He sits at the back of the classroom,
No one knows he's there.
They dont look when he asks a quesiton,
Or when he shuffles his chair.

No one ever speaks to him,
Or even know his name.
He really is quite friendly,
The neglection is a shame

The teacher says to work in groups,
But he is on his own,
He has no problem, does not object
There is no need to moan.

He never hands in assignments,
Even though he is quite smart.
He doesn't do any work
Whether written, or painting in art.

Never spoken to directly,
and so he does not reply .
He feels a pang of guilt,
When he watches his mum cry.

It never used to be like this,
He was once quite well known.
But ever since that accident,
His fame's been overthrown.

He can't remember what happened,
Except that it hurt alot.
He didn't look when he crossed the road,
And now hes been forgot.

"Not This Day"

2008-01-16T21:55:00.000Z

Alot of people getting upset, worked up, aggravated, annoyed, irritated, pissed off and otherwise vexed these last few days. Here's a poem to boost your confidence . . .

Not this day 20.11.07

The time will come when your life will end,
But it is not this day.
Your friends will abandon, when you’ve nothing to spend;
But it is not this day.

All your trophies will start to crack;
But it is not this day.
The one you cling to will turn their back;
But it is not this day.

Your family will slowly drift apart;
But it is not this day.
Your loved will, at sometime, break your heart;
But it is not this day.

Your brothers and sons will, with honour, die;
But it is not this day.
You’ll be deceived by a cruel little lie;
But it is not this day.

The world will turn against you with anger and hate;
But it is not this day.
You’ll be short of a friend, a chum, or a mate;
But it is not this day.

Things will turn worse, and you’ll want to flee;
Go somewhere far away.
Then fate will ask you, for mercy, to plea;
You’ll reply with “Not this day!”

Ryan Rodwell

Dream Dream Dream

2008-01-10T22:20:00.000Z

Dream, dream, dream 14.09.07

Dreams are things we badly want,
Covet, long for, desire.
They can be very big or very small,
These things to which we aspire.

They give us hope to think of,
Reason to the life we live.
But often these dreams are improbable,
Like catching water in a sieve.

But they are a necessity
They give us motive, reason, and an aim.
And even in the darkest of times,
A dream can light a flame.

Without a dream or aspiration,
Lives are lived with no meaning.
We hope for things we’ll never have.
And so we keep on dreaming.

Ryan Rodwell

Woke up this morning, and realised how many lifelong goals I have, aspirations . . . dreams. So I dived into my collection of old poems and found this one from several months ago.
Hope you enjoy :D:D

我爱你淑豪

2008-01-08T19:26:00.000Z

Just finished typing out a poem i wrote today and yesterday. Hope whoever reads it enjoys it, but Amber (Shu Hao) most of all :)

A thousand Times More Fair; Ten Thousand Times More Rich 08.01.08

(Written for someone special)

Your scarf tucked cosy around your neck,
The hair that it sits under.
Your overall attractive appearance,
Makes my heart beat like thunder.

Your hair is as dark as the eyes of a swan,
And as soft as a feather duster.
Every glance, at you, I take;
Makes my heartbeat fluster.

Your smile is as bright as the sun itself,
Your teeth as white as snow.
Even the very thought of you,
Makes my heartbeat grow.

Very uplifting is your complexion,
And the happy expression on your face.
Every time you smile at me,
My heartbeat starts to race.

I often greet you with a great big hug,
Or a kiss upon your lips.
That space of time may be less than a second,
But I’m sure my heartbeat skips.

I’m sure it’s more than just your appearance,
My love for you is vaster.
But every time you’re on my mind,
My heartbeat gets much faster.

I know I’ll love you for all my life,
And maybe even longer.
For every day that seems to pass,
My heartbeat sure gets stronger.

My heartbeat, for you, is speeding;
Pumping as if pneumatic.
Every time I stand beside you,
My heartbeat goes erratic.

Because you are a thousand times more fair,
Ten thousand times more rich;
Than any other girl I’ve ever seen.
You change my heartbeat’s pitch.

Ryan Rodwell

Enjoy =]

Blog change

2008-01-07T17:59:00.000Z

Hey everyone, I've just changed the main reason for my blog. Where it started out as a showcase for my photographs, that never really kicked off due to the lack of photoediting toold so I have changed my blog and instead I shall now be (hopefully every other day) posting up a poem that I personally have written.
To start it off, I'm going to put up the first poem I ever wrote since I started taking poetry seriously. Its title is also that of a book of poems by myself that I hope to publish in the next year.

Power of Words 11.09.07
Words can tell truths, words can tell lies;
words are often mysteries put in disguise.

Words can ask a question, words give an answer;
Words say "Well done" to a competitive dancer.

Words can bring joy, but also bring sorrow;
words said today, can echo tomorrow.

Words from the head and words from the heart;
words we remember, words when we part.

Words can come early, but also come late;
words can grow love, but can also cause hate.

Words can change votes and words can start wars;
but words can unlock metaphorical doors.

Words can build bridges, or break them down;
words bring a smile, but too often a frown.

Words of forgiveness or words of cheer;
words that we read, and words that we hear.

Words we remember, or try and forget;
words make us thankful, or make us regret.

Words are emotions spilled on a page;
or told through a story, or said on stage.

Words give us heartbreak, and make us sad;
but they make us remember, good times that we had.

One man spoke, and the world could hear;
"I have a dream" was said very clear.

Words are written and words are spoke;
words can be serious, or they can tell a joke.

Words gain you popularity, or lose you support;
the words "Not guilty" we pray for in court.

Words make us laugh, and words make us cry;
Words fill the minute, and make time go by.

Some words we listen, some we ignore;
words give us comfort, or can make us sore.

Words that are harsh, words that are fair;
words we can use, to show that we care.

Words we note down, and words we omit;
words tell the crimes we didn’t commit.
If one man speaks, a thousand might listen;
his words are valued, and like gold they glisten.

Words said through anger, words said through prayer;
words we can tolerate, or words we can’t bear.

Words that are lies or words sincere;
Words make us grin, or shed a tear.

Words that are private, words that we share;
words that we promise, or solemnly swear.

To whisper, to talk, to shout or to yell;
words put together, the feelings they tell.

Words that we use, but are not quite sure;
of the hurt they'll cause or the smiles they'll ensure.

Words of tenacity, words of might;
Words that are dim, and words that are bright.

Words we really mean, and words we just say;
words we said previously, we regret today.

The words that we wait for, and the words we plead;
the words that we want, more words that we need.

Words spoken out by the smallest voice;
cannot be heard, it’s not our choice.

Words say "I’m sorry", words say "its fine";
Words we accept, or words we decline.

Words that are said straight, or words we bend;
words we keep with us, 'til the very end.

Words are a thought, opinion or belief;
some words dig deeper, to the harsh truth beneath.

Words are just letters, scrambled together;
but words can be powerful, so use them forever.

Ryan Rodwell

I hope this change will mean I post more often, im sure Amber hopes that too. When you read this amber, remember I love you :D

Later everyone

ashamed

2008-01-02T19:56:00.000Z

Recently brought to my attention was the lack of posting on my blog and the neglect it has suffered in the last 2 months. In spite of my best efforts to conjure up some interesting or otherwise humorous story, the neglect of my blog occurred due to my shear ignorance and lack of willingness to write about current events.
But now I mysteriously find myself posting once again, in full hope of all manner of forgiveness being expressed to me in an act of goodwill.
Christmas was, overall, a pleasing result, despite it being slashed in half by a visit to my dads meaning that I had two days of opening presents as opposed to the one i was initially familiar with.
This new year came about as expected, a whole lot of anticipation that was crushed by the realisation that the second the year changes, is over as soon as the next second comes. A full month of excitement growing and brewing for a shimmering moment in life that lasts only a second. I shall remember that moment next year and cancel out all kinds of expectation so as not to be disappointed. The night was good overall, i enjoyed it at a friends sleepover, talking about random senselessness until 9am, when I called my mum with a plea to take me home as I was on the brink of an asthma attack. On that night however, I learned about the realities of my hand-eye coordination problem and how occupational therapists succeed in making mountains out of molehills. My performance in Guitar Hero improved massively after a ruff start and I excelled so much as to beat my gf in, as far as i can remember, 4 rounds in a row =D.
Since then my life has just been laying low, waiting for that ever elusive excitement. Since christmas I bought 13 dvds and my mum is having a fit about that. She also wont stop making jokes about my gf's vampire attack on me ;);) haha, she knows im only joking :p

Well, time is of the essence and its time for me to go.

'Twas nice catching up with my blog (whatever the hell thats supposed 2 mean) haha

Talk to yous all later, *Ryan out*

Reoccurance

2007-11-05T00:26:00.000Z

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. These words successfully anounce my unconditional return to my blog which, for so long, suffered the neglect and abandonement that it was not liable to deserve. Regardless of that, here i am, casting down the events, thoughts and opinions that have guilefully became obstacles in my proverbial path of life.
Starting with the last time I posted, various things have occured not entirely without incident. My grandfather was rushed to hospital after he lost conciousness and was connected up to machines to aid his breathing. Fortunately, this panic did not go on for long as several days after, he regained conciousness and was sent to his local hospital back in Gloucester (i wish i could spell it).
My brother has been round the house a few more days than normal, possibely due to his regretable assault in Belfast which resulted in a meager bottling on the face, which left him looking rather a dodgy character for an interview he had the next day. Despite his large bruise and black eye, the interview supposedly went very well.
Amber returns back to Northern Ireland at the end of this week, a long and eagerly anticipated homecoming. Considering that Amber may be the only one reading this, i have no hesitation in expressing my unreserved adoration and unmitigated love for her. Quite frankly Amber, I am besotted with you *hug - waits eagerly for a response*. Dont forget to ask ur dad about said-chess set, and hurry up and come home lol.
Apologies in advance for the randomness of my next topic to be covered, but no words can express the anger, vexation, exation, exasperation, displeasure, crossness, irritation, irritability, indignation, pique, annoyance, fury, wrath, ire, outrage, irascibility, ill temper and aggravation caused by the unexpected detriment that inflicted me. While contently playing upon my xbox, i knew not of what horrors would befall me when suddenly the controller, which i held in my hand, snapped in two. Only after picking three shards of plastic from my flesh did it occur to me that not only was I in physical pain from the slicing of my hand, but all i was in emotional pain from the loss of my xbox controller's ability to function which has now resulted in the explicable loss of my ability to use the xbox. I still have not determined if I underetimated my own strength, or if Microsoft have belligerently released several products containing flaws, that they know full well will break in ones hands and cause shards of platic to sink into the skin of the palm and provoke the undesirable flow of blood. Either way, i still mourn at the loss of my controller. However, being optimistic, i look at the brighter side of things. Now when Im on msn chatting, the xobx can no longer distract from much more significant and importent conversations.
Today I have endured what no one should ever have to endure. I have sat and watched a feature length, headmelting, unearthly, nightmarish performance on the television by Zac Efron and other High School Musical cast members, who only succeeded in proving to me that there ARE movies more horrific than those based on Stephen King novels. It wasnt a case of the movie itself being bad, but the way in which it had a hold on me, and somehow clamped down on my ability to turn it over, is more scarey than anything Freddy Cruger could offer me. No offense Freddy, but 'Troy Bolton' sends shivers down my spine and causes my skin to crawl were-as you only make me laugh at your weird burnt face and sharp glove.
It has just occured to me that my sleep-indiced rambling in all probability isnt making sense so I shall leave my post here, and try to post MUCH more often. As often, infact, as time, work, mental capacity and mood will allow. But, for all those who care to read, goodnight. *clicks on 'publish post'*

Lalala

2007-10-15T17:44:00.000+01:00

I haven't written to my blog in a fair while now. I thought it was entirely necessary but recent circumstances denied me the ability to write in it. So here I am, the afternoon of Monday the 15th of October 2007, writing an entry on my laptop that will later be uploaded onto my blog page for all the people to read. The last week and a half have been fairly and otherwise elusively awkward for a number of reasons primarily revolving around maintaining the stability of my family.
It would seem that I, despite this intense emotional weight, am the only one who has to ability to work my way through struggles and find early solutions to the shit that life throws in our direction. Due to the apparent lack of rental payments made by my brother, my dad is therefore liable to cover the cost. In the event that he fails to do this he will in all probability be sued for an amount of money that, quite frankly, he doesn't have. This may lead to a jail sentence, provided that he doesn't flee to Dubai before that happens. And if this rent isn't paid my brother will face eviction with nowhere else to go, and few mates who would actually be willing to shack him up on account of his perpetual inefficiency to repay those who give to him. Will he go homeless?
Besides all that, I am well. Moderately healthy, and quite happy, the only fly in the ointment being the previously said slight emotional burden of maintain the stability of a volatile family. School continues on as normal with average results in all homework so far, one exception being English Lit, were I have yet to find if it is a talent or a weak spot that for one teacher I get Bs in all my homework so far, whereas the other teacher gives me only Cs. Either way, I enjoy it and that is the main thing as far as I am concerned. History is fairly ambiguous in the sense that I just can't get a grasp in it. I know what we're learning about, I take everything that is said into consideration, but try as I may when it comes to the test I do a direct nosedive, falling fast and hitting the ground with such force that I hate waiting to receive the results several days after. Theatre Studies is great, we finally started doing some practical exercises which are more enjoyable than the usual writing and note-taking. But yeah, it just occurred to me that people reading this are not interested in my school...nor am i for that matter but I like to think about how its going.

*10 Minutes pass as Ryan thinks of what to write next*

The results for the poetry competition have not came back yet. I asked my English teacher, who is also in charge of the whole thing, and he explained that the poems he had sent away have most likely been held up with the unavoidable postal-strike. No matter, I shall know soon enough if my poem was even slightly of standard equal to a qualified poet who marks and evaluates all the entries. I counted earlier and it turn out that I have written 28 poems since I wrote the entry to that competition. Maybe about 10 of those are personal and another 2 or 3 or meaningless and a waste of time for anyone who would read it, but Im looking into getting most, if not all of the other ones sent away to be considered for publishing =]

Prodigal Son Returns

2007-10-05T16:34:00.000+01:00

With the help of a kind-hearted compadré was this blog page established. I felt it would be considerably mean and otherwise ignorant if were to simply neglect it.
So here's to my first round of the best game in the world..."Remember Everything Good You've Done Since Last Week." So it is as a token of thanks that i offer this circumlocutory declamation.

Well, erm....*thinks deeply in silence*

Oh, last weekend was really significant so ill talk most about that. I took part in photographing a Burma Peace Rally in O'Connell Street in Dublin. The people of Dublin had gathered to offer their support to the brave peoples of Burma who are protesting for democracy. I took many good pictures but as I was only helping my dad, very few of them were considered. When he emailed away 5 of his pictures to the agency he works for, however, he emailed away 3 of mine also. These are shown below....

Much to my misfortune, none of these showed up in the newspapers the following day. My dad managed to get one on the front cover of The Sunday Times though. Taking up a quarter of the page, and being the only picture n the cover, gave him something to smile about.

After that i went with him while he photographed the Irish President Mary Macaleese attending the 300th anniversary service of a Church of Ireland. I acquired minimal amusement from this as we could clearly see that there was no place she'd rather be less than there. My dad took a brilliant picture of her scowling at the black doorman, leading to mine and his discussion on the way home as to whether or not she was secretly a clandestine racist, Did she only attend the meeting for publicity within the church, and isn't she the owner of a self-centred attitude and is stuck-up, overly pride-full, and who has an opinion of inferiority for everyone but herself, especially those of ethnic origin? Baa...that was a big long question.

Anyway, later the next day I went out for lunch with my dad and one of his friends. Here I learned, in a conversation not even directed to me, that my dad plans on moving to Dubai next year. This came as a shock as he had clearly thought it over, and it was obviously premeditated, and the first time i hear about it he is actually talking to his friend. I ask myself questions, "was i meant to hear?", "was he going to tell me anytime soon?", "how long has he been planning this?", "does he know what effect him saying that has had on my emotional and psychological stability?". I guess/hope (delete were appropriate) all will be answered in good time.

I went home that evening to find that no-one had seen or heard from my brother in up to three days. *Bang* - it hit me like a train. It couldn't have hit me harder if it actually was a train. I start panicking...its the moment that i have nightmares about. My head spins and suddenly I find myself in a state of dizziness and supreme nausea. I feel faint, and the headache that ensues my dizziness is unbelievably averse. I return home and talk to people on msn, revealing them more of the negative points of my weekend as opposed to the good. They seem very supportive though, which is a benefit of helping people emotionally as much as I do...they're always keen to repay you.

This last week has been HUGELY confusing. With school work being mixed around, friendships being blown out then re-lit, people liking and trusting me then abusing me in an audacious act of vexation. It has the powerful ability to undermine anyone's emotional stability, but thankfully to a few good people, mine has been retained thus far. But it has enlightened me, however, as to the grim finish beneath the glossy veneer of adolescent life.

We (here meaning: me, my occupational therapist, and my parents) have succeeded in our gallant attempts to acquire the acquiescence for me to use a laptop for all my classes in school. It has been beneficial, as on Tuesday i had 8 periods in private study i set about working on a report for a play i saw to weeks ago, that was due in today. I later learned that, with the use of a laptop, i managed to write 2,786 words...which made me near choke as I was so shocked at how much there was. I remember last year spending about a week planning and doing a 600 worded English essay...well my theatre studies report has surpassed any GCSE coursework I've ever handed in, and maybe as I'm starting to suspect, all of them put together as well.

Wow, I've written a lot in this last period, as the bell is now ringing, marking the end of the first of two periods. BREAK TIME!!! brb lol.

Back lol, break was good...the sun was too bright though, couldn't see.
Now...were was I. Oh yes, my theatre studies report. I hope its included all the necessary points that I needed to include as opposed to just being 2,786 words of sheer verbal verbal diarrhoea.

Now I sit hear listening to Pipe and Brass bands playing Highland Cathedral...a hymn i remember from my mums wedding when she married my step-dad Harry. The bagpipe player at the wedding was sufficient, but its fair to say the song doesn't sound the same unless played by a number of people playing bagpipes with an additional band to go along with that. Brilliant tune though, very inspirational.

I have history next :(:( don't like it very much...very boring. My favourite subject would have to be theatre studies, quite simple because we ALWAYS have a laugh at sum point during the lesson. We often find ourselves debating about various things as well. Eg. Half the class is vegetarian, so I take great delight in terrorising them, telling them exactly how rare i like to eat my steak. Then there's English LIt. which i quite enjoy. Not because I enjoy reading...but because unlike the vast majority of the population I love writing, and there's lots of it to do in English. I like it mainly because i apparently) have a talent for maundering with rather considerable verbosity. :-). What iss the point in being laconic? It doesn't achieve anything.

I just used the dictionary application on my laptop and entered 'blog':

blog
noun
a Web site on which an individual or group of users produces an ongoing narrative

hmm..."ongoing". That means continuous, ceaseless, unfaltering, endless, and none-the-less unremitting. What madness drove me to consider carrying out such an unnecessary and perpetual act of sheer superfluousness? Oh yes, that's right, I remember that people are supposedly to come on and read this. Well folks, i can tell you...if you manage to get to this part of my entry, well done :). Because its been fun writing it...and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much. Hopefully it wont take as long though.
But now as this 2nd period draws to an end, i must finish up and say my fairwells. Cheerio for now, I'll try posting as often as I can from now on.

Bubi xx

Just beginning

2007-09-30T00:57:00.000+01:00

Finally investigated deeper into the mystifying world of blog posting and am continuing to find it easier and easier to understand and operate. I intend, in time, to provide a spectacle of selected photos that i take, and have taken, for those interested to veiw and possibley comment on.
I shall also follow the blog way of things and try posting regularly in a diary type fashion.