I auditioned for Britain's Got Talent!!!

I still can barely believe I actually did audition for one of the most popular shows in the country, Britain's Got Talent!

Saturday the 7th of November 2015 was one hell of a day: it was the day my favourite football team - Reading F.C. - lost 2-0 away to Cardiff; TGI Friday's had run out of Oreo chocolate milkshakes; I broke my lamp by accidentally knocking it over with my coat; and, oh yeah, I went and auditioned for one of the biggest talent shows in the world, Britain's Got Talent (BGT)! After a very busy period at my dad's workshop, where I helped complete somewhere around 1,200 signs - which were a mixture of computer engraved, drilled, cleaned, packed, etc. - in not a huge amount of days, I was given two days off to prepare for what had to be the scariest thing I've ever done in my life; truth be told, I'm still not sure how I plucked up the courage to do it!

I got my smartest clothes washed and ironed for the first time since my little brother's (Sam) Passing Out Parade for the Royal Navy over a year ago; polished my shoes; and then set to work on trying to make myself look half-decent for once. Sleep during the night before just didn't happen - I didn't even try! I, instead, used the time more productively, and I honestly didn't think I'd be able to sleep, anyhow. By the time I left the house at around 7am on the Saturday, I must've run through my performance piece hundreds of times; after all, it was the same monologue that was successful in getting me into a National Diploma in Performing Arts course at Reading College many years prior (The monologue was a fantastic and aggressive piece by the character Tom, from the play Skylight by David Hare, for those who are interested).

I'd arranged ages in advance for my best mate, Pete, to come with me for support - hell, I wouldn't have had it in me to do this by myself - so he picked me up and we headed for Hounslow in West London, where we got two underground trains across London, followed by a couple of stops on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). The journey ran really smoothly, both there and back, taking around two-and-a-bit hours to get from Reading to the ExCeL arena over in East London (random thought: I can't really understand when people say the London Underground is hard to understand/navigate. It's one of the things I find pretty easy). We arrived at what has to be the most staggering - in terms of size - building I have ever seen! To put it in to some perspective: a train (DLR) station is located at both the west and east entrances to this building, it has 3,700 car parking spaces, there's a place for boats to dock up, it's around 100 acres in size, has 6 hotels, and 30 bars and restaurants! During the 2012 London Olympics, they divided the ExCeL into 5 sports halls, each with a capacity of between 4-6 thousand, and it hosted boxing, table tennis, weightlifting, wrestling, taekwondo, fencing, and judo. Once Pete and I had found where the BGT auditions actually were, we had walked through the building for 10+ minutes! Yeah, it's mind-blowing, almost unfathomable in scale - take a look at a couple of these pictures below (writing continues below the pics):

A view from the west, where the entrance is a beautiful glass prism.

The east entrance. If Pete and I had come in this way, we'd have been where we were meant to be straightaway, instead of having to walk the full length of the gargantuan building!

A crew member said, "here for the 9am auditions, join this queue." So we joined a weaving queue where we waited for over two hours just to be signed in; then we were shepherded up some escalators to queue along part of the promenade section of the arena; then we went up even more escalators to where we queued along a walkway; then we were taken into a holding room where they play the BGT theme and somebody speaks to you all; and then you wait for hours and hours more... If we knew it was going to be this long, we would've come better prepared, but at least we were in a room where we could sit down, engage with other acts, and watch acts practice their pieces. Eventually we got called through to queue outside the door of where I was actually going to be auditioned. When I went in, it had genuinely been a wait of around 7+ hours (9:20am-4:30pm), but it really wasn't too bad, partly because we met some awesome, friendly, entertaining, and exuberant people. A foreign guy playing the accordion was lovely, and he genuinely nailed a few songs I heard him practicing - also, he got a yes from the producer who auditioned him, so if he gets a callback and invited to the televised auditions, it'll be nice to potentially see him on the TV. And that goes for anybody we bumped into that got a yes. Shoutout to two of the people that Pete and I mostly hung out with whilst waiting: Rosie and Prophecy. On to my audition:

I got called into one of the audition rooms, so I walked in nervously, said "hello" and confirmed who I am; they then say, "whenever you're ready." It's at this point that, in the space of seconds, everything runs through your head: will I somehow forget my lines? Will I even be able to speak? Do I wish the floor would just swallow me up so that I'd not have to do the scariest thing ever..!? But I launched into the monologue with power, nailed the pronunciation/diction of every word/sentence, and even my movement was good. Then you wait for the reply (I'm paraphrasing): "it's a no for today, but it was very good. You're clearly passionate. There's a very high level of talent, and you're not quite what we're looking for." I'm not going to lie, your heart does sink when you hear the word no - it's enough to bring people to tears. We saw a bunch of upset kids, which is never something you want to see! The producer was lovely - as were all the crew - and I left actually feeling good about myself. I had just done something that I had previously, two years prior, filled out the application form for and, yet, never managed to bring myself to go on that occasion, for many reasons.

Had it not have been for my best mate, I'd have bottled it again, no doubt - but I went, I left everything inside that audition room, and, truth be told, I'm damn proud of myself for trying! All that was left to do, was to get out of this huge building, get back to Reading (after taking a couple of pics of us by the Dockyards, which you can see below), and go grab an amazing dinner; we'd barely eaten all day! I think I kinda fell asleep in the car on the ride home - I had been awake for something like 30 hours. I bought Pete a decent meal in TGI Fridays (hmm... Jack Daniel's burger!) - hell, it was the least I could do after he had once again shown himself to be the best friend any human being could ever ask for! After that, all I wanted to do was get home and get to bed - sleep had rarely ever felt so good!

Side note: before sleeping that night, I saw Sam on TV, in full Navy gear, at the Royal Albert Hall for the Festival of Remembrance. I had to mention that, so proud of that guy! :) As always, thanks for reading! ^-^ <3

Above: me. Below: Pete. In the background of the pics is a permanently moored yacht hotel!

3 major things from the past week: Gay Marriage, Top Gear, and the Lionesses!!

Above: England's starting line-up in the 2-1 World Cup quarter-final win against Canada. Goals for England from Taylor (number 19) and Bronze (number 12, seen celebrating her brilliant header in the picture below).

3) England Women's Football Team

(Please note: this piece of writing was written before the semi-final against Japan) The England Women's football team (the "Lionesses") made the semi-finals of the "FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015" on Saturday night - or early Sunday morning for those of us who stayed up in England to watch the history-making quarter-final win! It kind of annoys me that this doesn't seem to be more of a bigger deal; I mean, imagine the men were in this situation (a situation they haven't been in since Italia 90) - the whole country would be buzzing! Anyhow, women's football is certainly growing, and I, and many others, have fallen in love with the Lionesses during this World Cup, as the heart, soul, and passion is there to be seen from when they walk out onto the pitch and sing the national anthem with pride, and then the effort and talent they show during the matches, through to the celebrations (and sometimes tears) that follow their triumphs.

After watching every England match so far - and some others - there was really no way I wasn't going to be watching the England versus Canada quarter-final, even though it kicked-off at 12:30am UK time. Every English person who stayed up was rewarded within 11 minutes, as Jodie Taylor capitalized on a mistake by Lauren Sesselmann, before charging towards the edge of the box, leaving another Canada defender on her backside, and unleashing a fantastic strike into the bottom left corner of Erin McLeod's goal. And then, just three minutes later, England fans were absolutely ecstatic, as Fara Williams sent a free-kick deep to Lucy Bronze, who easily beat her marker to loop an amazing header in off the crossbar. Whether you were a Canada or England fan in the stadium - of which there were 54,027 attending - or at home, it's safe to say you were in a state of shock at this point, as nobody expected this. As is often the case with England teams, they like to make us sweat a little, and this match was no exception because we unfortunately conceded a soft goal due to an error from goalkeeper Karen Bardsley. But I'm not here to say anything bad about anybody, because England have been absolutely incredible this tournament, scoring two goals in each of their last four matches, and playing some excellent football along the way. I will be watching the semi-final against the current world champions, Japan, at midnight tonight (UK time) - in fact, I can't wait - and I sure hope that, if you're English and a football fan, you'll be doing the same, too. If you're not, I hope your excuse is that you have to be up early in the morning! XD EDIT: Absolutely heartbreaking to lose 2-1 to Japan in the semi-finals, and to an injury time goal, too! England played so well, were the better team for large portions of the match, and definitely didn't deserve to lose. Heads held high, Lionesses, you did us proud! <3

Above: As this image shows, Top Gear has always been more than just another show about cars - it really is an entertainment show that anybody can watch. Below: An unforgettable moment, when the three presenters gathered together all kinds of vehicles that were made in Britain - from sportscars like Aston Martins, Jaguars and McLarens, to JCBs, Rolls-Royces and F1 cars - on The Mall in London.

2) Top Gear

The last ever episode of Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May aired on Sunday night, and I don't think Twitter was overreacting when people were saying that it's the end of an era. Yes, I know that Top Gear will continue with Chris Evans and other yet-to-be-known presenters, and I know that the three ex-Top Gear presenters will get a new motoring show elsewhere (Netflix, Amazon, and ITV are the rumoured destinations - personally, I hope ITV so that it stays on TV), but will Top Gear ever be the same again without these three lovable oafs at the helm, and will these three be able to replicate their success elsewhere without the phenomenal Top Gear crew behind them?

The final episode - which was two films put together without any of the usual other Top Gear segments anywhere to be seen, like the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" - was nothing special, but that's the thing: it was only ever intended to be just two more episodes from the current series, as nobody knew what was going to happen (Clarkson getting fired by the BBC for hitting a producer, for those of you who have been living under a rock recently!). LITTLE SPOILERS: They were good, though; in fact, the ending when they're racing their SUV's through fields, and even through a river, was really entertaining, with the loser - Hammond - having to deliver an after dinner speech about conservation, which was as awkward as can be expected! Also, the race between the three of them, and "leisure Stig", where they were all towing a caravan with their SUV's was hilarious, as the usual amount of chaos occurred, with caravans ending up in pieces. It still had classic Top Gear moments, too, like when Clarkson and May are relaxing and looking at loads of classic cars, and posing for photos with people, Hammond is seen in the background screaming whilst wing-riding on a plane! Every bit of filming in the studio was just Hammond and May, with no Clarkson (but there was a giant elephant in the studio - good spot, internet!) or an audience, and it really was sad to hear the two of them say goodbye for the last time, followed by silent credits. I really think they should've got the chance to record a "proper" finale - a sort of "goodbye" from all three of the presenters, as they are hugely responsible for one of the most popular shows of the last decade - but I guess that was always out of the question after what Clarkson did. Oh well, I'll forever be thankful for what Clarkson, Hammond, May, and the whole Top Gear team have given us. Some of the specials - like Vietnam, Polar, US, Bolivia, etc. - really have been some of the most entertaining TV I've ever seen. It's been a hell of a ride, and, who knows, maybe the future will hold two awesome motoring shows for us to watch?! ^-^

Above: An LGBT flag being waved with a US flag. Below: Not an image that's connected to gay marriage in the US, but I just loved this picture - it looks like the Dutch know how to throw a Gay Pride parade (on the canals of Amsterdam)!

1) GAY MARRIAGE

On June the 26th 2015, gay marriage became legal across the entirety of the United States of America, and it's safe to say that it was a pretty monumental day! Whilst it was obviously a historic day for the US, it was also a huge day for the rest of the world (well, those who are part of/support the belief that the LGBT community should have equal rights), as it ticks off another country who have now legalised gay marriage; following in the recent footsteps of the likes of Ireland - where the public voted "Yes" to it - and my country, Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland), who brought the law into force last year (March 13th for England and Wales, December 16th for Scotland).

Gay marriage becoming legal in numerous countries gives more and more gay people the choice - a choice they deserve to have, as they deserve to have equal rights - but everybody on the whole planet deserves this choice, and a lot of countries still reject it, so the fight is far from over. Seeing so many profile pictures of my Facebook friends - including my own - be decorated with the rainbow of the LGBT flag is a wonderful and uplifting sight, as are the little rainbow hearts you see on Twitter as millions of people Tweet their support for gay marriage (#Lovewins). What makes me the most happiest is that it allows gay people to be themselves, more confident in their own skin, and accepted for who they truly are. It gives gay people the equality that they have always deserved, and that's just fantastic, as every human being deserves to be treated equally, regardless of sexuality, race, size, hair colour, hobbies/interests, etc. Love really does win! ^-^

"Marriage is about love, not gender" <3

Shoutout Sunday #7: The Marvellous Jaimee and Jason Deak

Top photo: The awesome Jason Deak. Middle photo: Jaimee and Jason on their wedding day on May 31st 2003. Bottom photo: The wonderful Jaimee Deak.

It takes a special situation for me to write about more than one person during a shoutout - the only other time I've done it so far is for my family - but with the lovely Jaimee and Jason Deak it's a no-brainer, as they're truly an amazing couple, a couple who both came into my life around about the same time, and a couple who I one day dream of being like! They both became my friend through Facebook back in January 2013, through our shared love of My Chemical Romance (to think, they split up just two months later!), as well as through a mutual friend, Randy Hyson Jr. I think it also initially helped that I'm English/British, as I found out pretty soon that they both absolutely love Britain, from Top Gear and Doctor Who, through to the fact that they both have ancestors from Britain: Jaimee's maiden name is Linthicum, which is of Welsh origin, and they both have connections to England, Scotland, and Wales.

It was actually on two separate occasions where I actually realised that they each really liked me, not just as a part of this magnificent online family who all loved the same type of music, but also as a close friend. On the 14th of August 2013, Jaimee tagged me in a beautiful status amongst her "best friends and family", with a link to the song "Here's To Us" by Halestorm. It was so nice to be included in this status, and it's something I never forget. I fell in love with the song, and even to this day it will still make me think of Jaimee and Jason. She then introduced me completely to Halestorm, giving me loads of songs to check out, and it showed me the type of music that they both adore. Yes, they love some modern rock, such as My Chemical Romance, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and Avenged Sevenfold, and they also listen to all-sorts of genres, but their hearts will always be in hard rock, classic rock, and metal - it's just one of the many things they have in common. As all the phenomenal friends I've met online through music show, when you share a connection to the same band(s), it's often really easy to get along. As well as Jason, Jaimee, and I sharing a love for the same type of music, we also all love our sports and video games, and I know Jason loves playing online on his beloved Xbox, and they both love playing games - like NHL, Rock Band, LEGO Marvel Superheroes, etc. - with their son, Kristian.

Top photo: Jaimee meeting Frank Iero, the rhythm guitarist from My Chemical Romance. Middle photo: One of the family's cats, Latte. Bottom photo: Jason with their rat, Moxie.

On the 3rd of September 2013, I found out what type of guy Jason really is. I got my very first tattoo (and still my only tattoo, although I will get more one day!) on that day, and I uploaded a picture to Facebook excitedly, having told barely anybody what the tattoo was going to be - only my best friend, Pete, and girlfriend (at the time!) knew before I got it done. It was something I had thought about for many years, weighing up so many ideas in my head, eventually 100% deciding on getting these lyrics on my right forearm: "As my memory rests, But never forgets what I lost", from Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends". To me, this gave the tattoo two meanings: it was for a band I had loved for many years, and it would be a tribute to those who I've sadly lost from my life. The response was almost unanimously positive, with even my mum and dad liking it, but there was one person who was giving me some bad feedback and turning the whole status into one big confrontation, and what was an even bigger surprise is that it was one of my close friends from real life who was doing this (just to add: this situation is all under the rug now, I'm over it, and I've forgiven my friend)! Jason was one of the many people who stuck up for me, and it was then that I learnt that he was a good friend, and somebody who cared about me.

Jaimee and Jason are loyal, loving, passionate, sweet, and incredible human beings, and it is my privilege to not just know them, but to also be able to call them good friends. I know I'm far from the only one to think this, too, as the amount of support and love I've seen them both get on Facebook, when, say, one of them has been in hospital, is amazing. I've, of course, been there for them on those occasions, and always done my best to prove I'm a good friend, and I will forever be there for either of them if they need me. They have been there for me with relationship advice when I've needed it, they've helped me when said relationships have abruptly gone wrong and ended, and they've had my back on many occasions. I look at them as a perfect couple, the sort of relationship I dream of one day having, but Jason once said to me, "It hasn't been sunshine and rainbows all of the time, but it always comes down to her and I against the world", and maybe that's why they are such an awe-inspiring couple: because they're a team, and work together to overcome anything that may be thrown at them. They really are the sort of people you want on your side in life, and I really hope we one day meet, as it would be an unforgettable experience. I know we'll be friends forever - I love you guys! ^-^ <3

Top photo: Family time, playing some Rock Band. Bottom photo: Jaimee, Kristian, and Jason.

No "Shoutout Sunday" today - sorry (reason: surgery)!

Hello to all the lovely and amazing people reading this, I hope you're all well! :) It's unlike me to do a short(-ish) blog post - they're normally lengthy, detailed, full of pictures, and take numerous hours, if not days - but I'm doing it because I wanted to explain why there is unfortunately no "Shoutout Sunday" today. Firstly, allow me to assure you that this feature of my blog will continue for the foreseeable future, as I still have so many fantastic people to write about! But, basically, I'm having toe surgery tomorrow morning for the third time (third time lucky, eh?!), so I've been busy getting organised for that, as it is obviously very important! Normally I'd do anything to get a piece of writing done and published, including staying up most of the night if I had to, but that's just not an option right now. Walking on a busted big toe is no fun, and is sometimes incredibly painful, so here's hoping that it gets fixed for good this time - wish me luck! :) Thanks for understanding, take care, and I love you all! ^-^ <3

EDIT: After an unexpected turn of events, it turns out I'm now having my minor surgery tomorrow (Tuesday the 9th of June 2015)! Today's appointment was actually just a doctor's referral to get checked out by a podiatrist - which I genuinely didn't know; I had got prepared for surgery - prior to the actual date for surgery at a later time (surgery was always a definite, that I knew), but thanks to a cancellation, it's happening as soon as tomorrow. I'll let you know how it went! :)

EDIT Number 2: As you can see from the picture above, the surgery has now been done, and it went very well! The lengthy couple of injections of local anaesthetic were incredibly painful, to the point of going light-headed and not being able to see; basically, almost passing out! But you have to have that pain to prevent the pain that would otherwise occur in the next bit: when a knife and scissors get used on your toe! Thanks to the "magic" of the anaesthetic, I felt nothing, and so everything ran smoothly from then on. It's throbbing like crazy right now, and the healing and aftercare process is long - a dressing change and saltwater soaking every day until it perfectly heals - but it'll all be worth it to walk properly again forever! :)

Whilst I'm here, I want to say a massive thank you to anybody who is reading this, read anything else on my blog, shared/re-tweeted anything, and/or followed me - it's always hugely appreciated, and I thank you for taking this journey with me! :D <3 So much more to come on my blog in the near future, including a lot of music-related content - like, more album reviews, and my favourite songs list which I've been working on for a very long time - as I know most of you guys always enjoy music posts, so please stay tuned! :)

Shoutout Sunday #6: The Lovely Lilly Simpson

(ALL NAMES CHANGED FOR PERSONAL REASONS, AND ALL PICS OF PERSON REMOVED)

I've known the lovely Lilly Simpson for absolutely years now, so much so that it wasn't that easy to retrace the steps back to the time when we very first chatted, because the conversation started on a Facebook profile of hers that doesn't exist anymore. But a search through my Facebook message history digs up the old messages, which date all the way back to the 9th of November 2011, and my life has certainly been better since for having this warm-hearted, compassionate, and phenomenal human being in it.

The reason we were Facebook friends in the first place is mainly down to a British rock band that we both absolutely adore, Elliot Minor (to find out how much I love this band, and to read about the day I saw them live for possibly the last time ever - due to the fact that they're not really an active band anymore - please go check out this blog piece, "Elliot Minor: One More Time?"), but she also loves My Chemical Romance, too. She was one of my earliest Facebook friends outside of my "real" friends and family (and definitely my first Elliot Minor friend), and it didn't take long for us to get on very well, as, for me, it always seems easy to bond with people over something you're both passionate about, and I actually find it easier to get to know people from behind a computer screen, without the awkwardness that comes from me being in social situations! We both love the same type of music, and chatted about Elliot Minor and MCR, of course, but also about brilliant bands like We Are The In Crowd and Every Avenue (3 out of 4 of those bands are not currently together - come back, I miss you all!). Lilly has been to see MCR - in Cardiff in 2011 with her mum - which is something I never got around to doing, due to their sad split, and I've always kicked myself ever since; which is why I've always since tried my damnedest to get tickets to see all my favourite bands before it's possibly too late. She's seen We Are The In Crowd live, too, which is another reason to currently be jealous of her! We became very close, becoming amazing friends to a point where you knew that we will never go our separate ways (cheeky Elliot Minor reference for you, Lilly!), and, whilst I know I say this quite often about my online friends, she's genuinely like a sibling to me. My music-loving Facebook friends really are like a second family to me. Due to both living in the UK - Lilly from Cardiff in Wales, me from Reading in England - it meant we got the opportunity to text, too, so we really did get to know each other very well, and that's why I'm able to write these words about just how amazing she is!

Above: Lilly's gecko, Violet.

Above: Lilly's albino ferret, Mitch.

Above: Lilly's bearded dragon, Bulbasaur (awesome name, by the way!)

One of the things I love about Lilly is her adoration for pets and animals. I've seriously lost count of all the pets of hers or her families that I've seen on Facebook, but I must talk specifically about her family's horses. Just recently she was talking to me about how passionate she is about these beautiful animals, and how her family keep them in fields (not stables); don't put any horseshoes on them, or bits in their mouths; give them rugs and extra food in the winter, etc. She actually apologised at the time for "ranting" about the whole thing, but I actually think it's wonderful to hear of animals being treated like this - the way they should be, like an extra member of the family. She has a gorgeous white pony named Powder, who is now 13, and Lilly has had him since he was about 1; so, if her figures and my maths are correct, she has owned Powder since around the age of 6 (she's 18)! I've included a few pictures of her pets up above, and you can see a couple of her stunning horses at the bottom of this piece.

I'll probably get a bit emotional talking about this, but Lilly has been there for me when I've been depressed, as well as on the occasions when my past relationships have gone down the drain and I've been in pieces. She often always knows the right things to say - hell, if somebody even takes the time to ask you how you are, then that's lovely - and has helped me in so many ways. There really aren't many more caring and sympathetic people on this planet than her! Like I said before, I get the idea (and I hope she does, too?) that this is a relationship that can't be broken, and I believe that we will always be in each other's corners if needs be. We will meet in the near future, no doubt, it's literally one train ride away, and that will be a fantastic experience (I've been lucky enough to meet a few of my Elliot Minor friends at one of their concerts, so here's hoping they do more, meaning we could meet at it!). I love you, Lilly, you amazing individual! ^-^ <3

Lilly's mum's horse, Khaz, who is 15hh!

My History With Nintendo

Firstly, this opening paragraph isn't actually part of my Nintendo article - this is an insight into how this piece of writing came about. In early 2014, Official Nintendo Magazine UK put out a job post on their website for a staff writer, with anybody being able to apply; assuming you could write and had a deep knowledge of Nintendo, and I certainly knew I had the latter (as you'll see!)! You had to write a Nintendo piece of writing to go with your job application, and below is what I wrote (now edited with improved punctuation, grammar, paragraphing, and the inclusion of pictures). I didn't get the job - it turned out that over 600 people applied for this phenomenal job opportunity(!) - but what with the unfortunate closure of the magazine I loved (ONM UK), with the last ever issue being on the 14th of October 2014, it seems right to share this piece of writing with you all... at last! Feel free to leave a comment about what you think of the article, and/or Nintendo, but most importantly: enjoy it, I'm incredibly proud of it! :)

Above: The love I have for Nintendo is astronomical, and, yes, I could easily name every character in this picture! Below, left: The Nintendo Entertainment System, (or NES, for short), a truly legendary console, and widely believed to have saved gaming following the video game crash of 1983!

Let’s go back to the start: you see, Nintendo - a company who were founded back in 1889, starting out making playing cards - is a company that has been in my life since my very early days, when I’d witness my older brother play Super Mario Bros. (amongst other games) on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and if I ever did get a go with him, I’d always have to be Luigi; which is maybe why, even to this day, I choose to play as Mario whenever a game gives you a choice of character! I remember the day when Super Mario Bros. 3 arrived in the post on the day we were going on holiday, so my brother took his NES with him so he could play the game (priorities!); little did I know, as I started to discover Nintendo’s many beloved games series for myself, that that sort of love for gaming would be passed on to me.

I eventually got given my very first games console, a Game Boy, which created that special feeling inside of owning my very first games machine, and it would be a console I would cherish for many years. Even back then I remember getting slightly addicted to games, especially Tetris, whilst Super Mario Land seemed pretty hard to a young version of me. The first Nintendo home console I was bought was a Nintendo 64, but, even at this point, I still hadn’t truly fallen in love with Nintendo. No internet, I didn’t read any magazines (at the time!), either, and so the games I played on the N64 were very much what I fancied picking up from the shops - games like Micro Machines 64 Turbo, FIFA: Road to World Cup 98, Mario Tennis, which are certainly not bad games in their own right, and I did experience the unrivalled joys of 3D Mario (Super Mario 64) for the first time - but I now look back and realise how many classics I missed out on during the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and N64 eras; well, at least that was the case until Nintendo gave me the opportunity to play them all on the Virtual Console or via a remake (Super Mario World, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, etc.).

Next up, I was bought a GameCube - a console that some believed to be a "kiddie console", and it was certainly never seen as "cool" for me to own a GameCube when other people had PlayStations and Xboxes - for Christmas 2002, along with the exceptional Super Mario Sunshine (still one of my favourite Mario games). I also had a gorgeous "glacier" (see-through blue) Game Boy Advance, which allowed me to play the superb Super Mario World for the first time, as well as another Mario Kart, Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, the other "Mario Advance" titles, and many others. It’s the GameCube that I really wish to talk about, though, as that powerful little box of tricks changed my gaming life forever! At first, I just played games like Super Mario Sunshine, FIFA 2003, and Crazy Taxi, until one day when I was looking at magazines on a supermarket shelf and saw CUBE magazine with Mario Kart: Double Dash!! on the cover, so I picked it up knowing that Mario Kart is a game series that I had always loved playing. I fell in love with CUBE magazine (and this is where I first "met" Chandra. EDIT: that sentence may not make sense to people, so allow me to elaborate: Chandra went on to work for the Official Nintendo Magazine UK, and now actually works for Nintendo UK!), so continued to buy it from issue 26 through to its death at issue 52, and this lead me to buying games I would never have otherwise bought, and that’s why I’ve always loved magazines since. I bought the new Official Nintendo Magazine UK from issue 1 - in the very same supermarket that I found CUBE magazine - having heard that Chandra from CUBE was going to be working for the magazine, and never looked back; I still sit in bed, or on the sofa (or anywhere, really!) reading ONM to this day (EDIT: R.I.P. ONM UK!).

So, thanks to CUBE magazine, at first, I started playing games that I would have otherwise deemed outside of my comfort zone. I took a look at their top 10 GameCube games list that appeared towards the back of the magazine, and took a punt on Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - I swear, at this point in my life, I had never before played a game in either of these series - and, to my surprise (because I’d never been big on sci-fi), it was Metroid Prime that blew my mind the most. I was instantly hooked as I evacuated the space pirate frigate, Orpheon, in the given time limit, before flying off to land on what has to be one of the most beautifully realised worlds in gaming: Tallon IV. It was one of the first games, for me, that truly had that compelling nature of wanting to explore every nook and cranny of this stunning landscape, whilst the gameplay (especially some of the tricky bosses, as well as the exploration), music (the sound in general, really), and graphics (some of the effects are still fantastic to this day, like water dripping down Samus Aran’s visor, or the condensation of the steam against the visor) were all phenomenal, and it’s just one of those games that did almost everything right; which was especially surprising after a turbulent development period where a lot of people thought the game was going to be a failure. But it turned out to be astounding, praised by critics and gamers alike - who could forget the first moment they stepped out from the fiery Magmoor Caverns and into the snowy Phendrana Drifts (picture above this paragraph)?! So, Metroid Prime was a "risk buy" for me, but that’s just the start, as thanks to CUBE magazine, I went on to buy the full Resident Evil series (Resident Evil 0 through to 4, at that point, plus Code: Veronica X) - which lead to me buying my favourite non-Nintendo game of all time, the breathtaking Resident Evil 4 - as well as Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, F-Zero GX, Beyond Good & Evil, Battalion Wars, Pikmin 1 and 2, Second Sight, TimeSplitters 2, Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, etc., all of which are games I may have not played without my new outlook on gaming. Paper Mario: TTYD deserves a special mention, as it has to be one of my most favourite games ever. It’s a series that I absolutely love, and I believe that TTYD is the pinnacle of the series, having an incredible world to explore (including a great hub, Rogueport, which has some amazing music that I still occasionally get in my head!), a fantastic cast of characters, stunning visuals, brilliant sound design, addictive gameplay, and a decent lifespan; but what makes it even more amazing is the quality of the script that includes a load of in-jokes and references about Nintendo. It’s also by one of my favourite developers, Intelligent Systems, who have been responsible for creating Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, and Paper Mario. In short: the GameCube - coincided with reading CUBE, and later ONM - changed my gaming life, getting me into series I had never played before but would go on to love for the foreseeable years ahead.

Above: Resident Evil 4. Just looking at this screenshot makes me want to play this game again, it really is that amazing! And how scary was that chainsaw guy?!

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door on GameCube. What a beautiful, unique, and extraordinary game!

My love for Nintendo got instantly greater with the Wii. I picked one up on the 8th of December 2006 - UK launch day, as I was a huge Nintendo fan by this point - along with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a game I fell in love with and played for 100+ hours. Wii Sports meant that I was seeing my mum and dad playing a computer game for the first time since Tetris and Mario back in the day; in general, games had got far too complicated for them and many others. This is another reason I still love Nintendo: local multiplayer. Forget online, because nothing beats being in the same room as friends and/or family whilst playing a heated race on Mario Kart, a round of Wii Sports golf where somebody is about to take an important shot, or a particularly chaotic battle on Super Smash Bros.! It was on the Wii that I got to play my favourite ever Nintendo game: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. I also finished off the phenomenal Metroid Prime trilogy, got to play some more Battalion Wars, enjoyed the out-of-this-world experiences of Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, and got to be spooked by another major name in survival horror: Silent Hill (Shattered Memories: a stunningly atmospheric game with an amazing story).

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is an exciting, tense, psychological journey, and one of my favourite Wii games - if only it was longer and more appreciated, though!

The beautiful Skyloft, the hub world for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

All this and yet I’ve barely even spoke about Nintendo’s best-selling games console ever: the Nintendo DS. I’ve got many stories about this wonderful console, and one of those is about the incredibly addictive series that I got into on this system: Advance Wars. I remember missing my bus stop because of playing Advance Wars: Dual Strike, and the time I would lose to that game, and the series as a whole, is unreal! I got my 3DS very close to launch, my Wii U on the actual launch day, and both are consoles that have blown me away. As I’ve said before, I’m a huge survival horror fan, so to have a brand new Resident Evil game, Revelations, on the 3DS, as well as a new survival horror game on the Wii U, ZombiU, was an absolute delight, and both games (especially ZombiU with its rule of "one bite kills") were spine-chilling in the best possible way. Nintendo Land is a tour de force of local multiplayer, offering up laughs and cheers from all over the room (unless you lose!). Right up to the present day, I find that Nintendo still stun me. The games I’m currently playing are: Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3 (2 games that, along with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, show that Nintendo have absolutely nailed HD. EDIT: Add Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U to that list), Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and Pokémon X (EDIT: and now Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, as I own a New Nintendo 3DS XL); within these very games you’ll experience numerous moments that make you realise that the "Nintendo magic" lives on, and I just know that I’m going to love this life-changing company for the rest of my life, as they constantly innovate, inspire, excite, and amaze on a scale that is unrivalled by any other developer.

Top picture: A picture of my metallic blue New Nintendo 3DS XL. Middle picture: The amazing Wii U. Below: There's not much more satisfying in multiplayer gaming than fighting with Nintendo's iconic characters in Super Smash Bros. For Wii U!

Shoutout Sunday #5: The Amazing Randy Hyson Jr.

Top picture: Randy with his beautiful puppy, Annie. Bottom Picture: Randy with his beloved grandma, Josie - or as he likes to call her, "Jo-Jo" - who sadly passed away recently

Randy is one of the most beautiful souls I've ever met - period. That may be a bold statement to open with, but read on and you'll find out why I have just said that! We have now known each other for years, with our friendship starting through our shared love for My Chemical Romance - like a whole load of my other online friends/family - but once we started to message and get to know each other, it became clear that we had so much more than that in common, and that we were going to become very close friends, and like brothers to one another.

Our opening bunch of messages to each other were long - with the first message being on the 22nd of November 2012 - and it was already clear that we were both the type of people who liked to send detailed, lengthy, and passionate messages to people. Truth be told, if I know somebody well, that's the kind of messages that I'm most a fan of, as it always shows that the other person really cares, and has put thought and effort into their message. As we became closer, it turned out that we both had a love for not just the same type of music - we're both massive fans of MCR, Thirty Seconds To Mars, and about a million other rock bands(!) - but also that we both loved video games and sports, too, meaning that we bonded in a very strong way. When it comes to music, not only are we both hugely passionate about a bunch of the same bands, but we have also introduced each other to new bands - for example: he introduced me to the brilliant Third Eye Blind - a band I only previously knew for "Semi-Charmed Life", because of how that awesome song features in the movie American Pie - and he recommended me to buy their self-titled debut album, which came out 18 years ago (Side note: American Pie came out almost 16 years ago - wow!), and I really do think it is one of the greatest alternative rock albums I've ever listened to! He looks out for the results of my favourite sports team, Reading F.C., and I'm always looking out for his favourite teams, the Miami Dolphins and Miami Heat (that's American football and basketball, for those unaware; two sports that he adores, in particular American football). And when it comes to video games, well, let's just say this: we're both huge geeks, and damn proud of it! To meet and just hang out and play video games together would be awesome, but to go to a sporting event or concert together would be a moment neither of us would ever forget. He also absolutely loves pro wrestling and comic books.

Above: Randy kitted out in Miami Dolphins gear, his favourite sports team on the planet. Below: Randy when he was 9 years old, along with his sister, Brie[anna], who was 4.

As we messaged each other more and more, we realised that there was a mutual trust and understanding there, so the messages got more personal. Now I'm not one to ever get too personal on my blog, especially about other people, be we really have helped each other during times where we've been in need. If I need an honest, thoughtful message filled with warmth, he's one of the first people I would turn to, and he knows he'd get the same back from me. Maybe we don't always fully understand what the other person has been through, or is going through, but you can guarantee that we always do our best to be there for each other, be supportive, and show love and compassion in the best way we can. It has to be said that reading back through some of our messages, for the sake of this piece of writing, almost brought a tear to my eye! It's this sort of phenomenal relationship that I have with him, which is almost unrivalled by anybody else on the planet (bar my best friend, Peter Machin, who I can say anything to, too). Thanks for always caring about me, and being there in times of need - you're a bro for life, and I love you, man (we say that to each other because it's also a reference to the movie "I love you, man", which we both completely love)! ^-^ <3

Shoutout Sunday #4: The Awesome Angelica Vestal

The exceptional Angelica Vestal. All concert photos on this blog entry are taken by her

Some people may think it's a bit weird that I'm writing a lovely, heartfelt piece of writing about somebody I've never met, but that's actually going to be the case quite a lot over the coming months, because I'm genuinely lucky enough to know a load of phenomenal people that live all across the world, people who have changed my life for the better, and I hope that I always remain close with them. Literally all of us came together through the power of music, a shared love for a particular band (My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Elliot Minor, Thirty Seconds To Mars, All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, etc.), and with Angelica (or "Angie", as I call her, and she's one of not too many people who call me "Tommy") and I that's no exception, as we met due to My Chemical Romance (if you want to go back a bit and find out how I became such a huge fan of MCR, please do click the following link to check out my blog entry entitled, "My Life-changing Journey With My Chemical Romance"). I'll never forget the day we first messaged each other: it was the 23rd of March 2013, the day after MCR had broken up, both of us feeling pretty sad (to put it mildly!), but this was to be the start of an amazing relationship. So many unforgettable things have come from MCR - of course the music, lyrics, music videos, etc. - and one of those things is the fans that I've met, even to this day, over two years after they split up, showing just how strong, amazing, and passionate the MCR fans (or MCRmy, Killjoys, etc.) are, as we really did stick together through the good and the bad, and Angie and I are incredibly proud to both be a part of the MCRmy!

We actually knew of each other for quite a long time before messaging each other, thanks to an MCR chat group, but it wasn't until we started chatting that we got to know each other, and became close to the point of great friends, or even a brother-sister relationship, because Angie's genuinely like a sister that I've never had, and I know she looks at me like an older brother, too. And the reason I can say that is because over the last two years she has shown just what a thoughtful, compassionate, wonderful human being that she is, having been there for me on numerous occasions, supported me in many ways, and shown herself to be a person I am proud to know. I can tell in her statuses and photos that I see on Facebook that she's the type of person who really does look out for the people she loves and cares about, and I can see the affection she has for her friends and family. 

All Time Low: just one of the many bands we have in common.

Fall Out Boy

Tyson Ritter, The All-American Rejects

It's not just My Chemical Romance that we share a love for, as we both like quite a lot of the same bands - MCR, All Time Low, The All-American Rejects, Fall Out Boy, etc. - and the pictures above are of concerts that she's been to that I'd have sold my soul to have been with her at! Given our love for music, I don't think anything would ever be better than us two going to a concert together in the future. It's not just that we shared a love for certain bands before knowing each other, as we also introduced each other to bands we either knew nothing about, or knew a little about whilst not knowing them properly; for example, Angie's the reason I became a big fan of Forever The Sickest Kids, and I arguably got to know All Time Low better because of her. I also know that, like me, she'll happily listen to any genre of music; if she likes it, she likes it, and that's the right attitude to have! These pictures above were taken by her, too, and she really is a talented photographer; check out the full albums from these concerts on her Facebook page, or check out some photos she has put on her blog: angelicavestal.blogspot.com

To meet one day would literally be one of the most exciting days of my life, as to have known somebody from thousands of miles away for years, well, it would be like eventually meeting someone famous! I am truly grateful to have this extraordinary, kind, and beautiful individual in my life, to have got to have known her and found out just how sweet she is, and I know that we will never lose contact. I love you, Angie! ^-^ <3

Shoutout Sunday #3: My Fantastic Family

My two brothers - Sam (centre) and Daniel (right) - and I during Sam's "Passing Out" parade for the Royal Navy on June the 6th 2014.

This isn't just a shoutout for one person - it never really could be, because I wouldn't want to pick one family member over another to write about - but a shoutout for a collection of people, an amazing collection of people: my family. Every member of my family is unique and fantastic in their own way, and I'm going to write about each member of my main family (the Parfett family) and why they're so special, as well as writing about the beautiful people that we've sadly lost from our family, and bits about other members of my family.

My dad, Michael Parfett - I couldn't not use this silly picture of him
from when we three sons took him out for his birthday in 2013!

I have to start by talking about my dad, Michael, the guy who is currently sunning it up in glorious Mexico whilst I'm at home in the not-so-glorious Reading making sure his colourful fish stay alive, and that I stay alive! But, in all honesty, nobody deserves a holiday more than him, because he works his backside into the ground, having run his own engraving business for as long as I've been alive (28 years!); a business which I'm proud to say I have been a little piece of for the last 27 months! My dad is the reason that I currently have a roof over my head and a place to sleep, but it doesn't stop there, as, like I just said, he gave me a job - and a purpose in life - at his company, which, when the work is there, works out best for the both of us. He's a truly marvellous, loyal, hard-working human being, often putting others before himself, and I'm proud to call him my dad (Although, I'm obviously proud of all of my famliy, so I'm going to try and not use that word too much!). My dad (well, both parents, to be honest, but he's the one I still go to live matches with) is the reason I have always loved Reading Football Club, having been brought up to be loyal, and I couldn't be happier than supporting my hometown football club, as it means that when they win and are successful, the thrill and joy is real.

My mum, Julie, during a trip with her new fella,
David Brown

My mum has been a wonderful mother to me throughout my life, doing everything from looking after me whenever I was ill as a kid, through to being a shoulder to cry on when girls have left me (or just not been interested in me in the first place!). She currently has a rewarding job helping those in various forms of need at Reading College, as well as in other locations. I'm so glad that she seems to be in a happy place right now, with an amazing job and relationship, the latter being with the lovely David Brown. A caring, beautiful, strong woman, who has been there for me whenever I've needed her, and not just with what you'd expect from a mother during your life - like cooked dinners, clean clothes, rides to school, help with homework, etc., when you're growing up - but even going beyond the call of duty in any way she could to make me happy and healthy. Here's something she did for me recently, for example: she bought me tickets to a Gerard Way show, leading to me managing to meet the ex-lead singer of my all-time favourite band, My Chemical Romance! She knew how huge that would be for me (and it truly was one of the best nights of my life, and I got to meet some of my MCR-loving Facebook friends for the first time!), and she got me tickets the minute they went on sale; admittedly, I too was trying to get them, not knowing she was also trying, but to get a phone call telling me I was going to be going to see one of my heroes was a moment I'll never forget, let alone the actual concert day/night itself!

My two brothers - Daniel and Sam, seen in the picture at the top of this blog - are awesome. Daniel has been a gamer friend for as long as I can remember, dating all the way back to playing the original Super Mario Bros. together on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), to playing games like FIFA 2015 on the PlayStation 4 nowadays, and he is a huge reason as to why I fell in love with Nintendo, a company that I still adore to this day (even though he did move on to Sony himself). As I currently live with him, he has the ability to make my day, even when I'm doing nothing! You see, it's all about the little things: he'll make me cups of tea (you haven't ever met anybody who likes tea as much as Daniel!), sometimes bring home chocolate/sweets for us to enjoy whilst having a gaming session, and the prime example is my birthday this year. I was ill all around my birthday, meaning I couldn't do a few things I had arranged to do, but he stayed in with me, played games, bought me a couple of brilliant Nintendo-related presents, and bought me a takeaway of my choice; my birthday would've been me just sat around being ill if not for him! He cares, and you can tell he does, and that means the world to me. He is also a very hard worker, getting up incredibly early, 6 times a week, to be a postman for the Royal Mail.

Sam is in the Royal Navy - it just has to be said as the first thing about him because it is just a phenomenal thing to be doing, and everybody who knows him is incredibly proud of him. He's also been a gamer friend of mine back in the day, with us often enjoying the multiplayer (and sometimes co-op campaign) antics of Call of Duty, Halo, TimeSplitters 2 and 3, etc., and some of our late night gaming sessions, when we lived together, helped me through some tough times! None of the family see him as much anymore, but that's because he's getting on with his life, and we're all just really happy for him (whilst also missing him!), as all his hard work, dedication, and commitment has paid off, as he's now doing something that he really loves.

Nanny Bye (picture above, with my grandad Bye) and
Gary Bye (picture below), both of whom are sadly no
longer with us. Thanks to Emily Bye for these two photos

I have sadly lost three family members during my lifetime: Michael Parfett, who's my grandad on my dad's side (as if you couldn't have guessed that from the name!); Gary Bye, who's one of my uncles (on my mum's side of the family; her only brother); and Nanny (Gladys) Bye, who's one of my nans (on my mum's side). I never really knew my grandad Parfett very well, unfortunately, and he passed on in my last year of primary school, so I was pretty young at the time, too. Too young to understand death and the feelings of loss, perhaps - or priorities, at least - as I remember that I went to school instead of the funeral because it was our final proper day and we were playing games; I still can't remember if that was 100% my choice or not, but I know it's something I wouldn't ever go on to do again! One memory I have of Michael is that we used to call him "grandad with the pigeons" because he lived in a flat where pigeons would come to his balcony all the time! He was a nice man, and, if he had some, he would always give us kids chocolate when we went around to his place!

I lost my uncle, Gary Bye, in 2003 at the age of 44, and it's proof of how life can take you at any time, no matter your age, as he just fell down at work one day with a brain haemorrhage, and never came out of hospital, dying very soon. Not a day goes by where I don't miss this unforgettable man, and he should've had so much more time on this planet. Genuinely one of the most kindest, excitable, phenomenal human beings I've ever known, and you couldn't ever be sad in his presence. He helped teach me how to be a goalkeeper, something which I was for many years of my life - as was he - as I used to always love playing football, as well as watching it. Even to this day, hearing the two songs that were played at his funeral - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler and "My Love" by Westlife - still send a shiver down my spine and make me think of my amazing uncle Gary. I also know that he's looking down on his amazing daughter (and one of my cousins), Emily, and is very proud of her.

Then in 2005 I lost my nan, Gladys Bye. She got struck down with lung cancer, but I always remember a story my grandad told me: before she knew she had it, she was still riding bicycles with her him up hills and stuff, showing just how strong and unbelievable this woman really is! I remember getting the message that she wasn't going to make it through the night, so I got the opportunity to go and say goodbye at the hospital, and, whilst I'm glad I got that opportunity, it also showed just how nasty cancer really is, as it's like you're talking with a different person, to be honest, so I choose instead to remember all the brilliant memories I have with my nanny Bye. I've never met a nicer person in my life! That's not me exaggerating, either, as this is a woman who would put a smile on everybody's faces, and have the kettle on the second you walked in her house, as well as a snack of some sort. Speaking of which, I will never forget my nan's food that she made: fruit cakes, mince pies, lemon meringue pies, apple pies, etc. - shops just couldn't compare to these. For example, even when I have a mince pie nowadays, I think to myself, "they're not as good as my nan used to make!" I'll also never forget the trips that nanny Bye, grandad Bye, and me used to take to places, like: going to lovely places to go for walks through woods and by lakes; or to beautiful cities and towns to do some shopping, like in Salisbury, Devizes, and Winchester. Ever since she's been gone, I still make sure I do these sorts of things with grandad Bye occasionally.

When it comes to everybody else in my family, I don't really see them very often, unfortunately. I see my grandad Bye when he pops around to say hi, and when we go out for some nice days out, but it's been a while since I've properly seen everybody else (apart from seeing Sara Phillips at the Reading v Arsenal FA Cup semi-final, and Ben Phillips when he comes around sometimes). I owe my grandad so much, he's literally done so much for me, which is why I now pay for some things (like lunch or dinner) every time we go out, even though it'll never make up for all the kind-hearted things he's done for me, but that just shows what a lovely guy he really is. One of my awesome cousins, Chloe Baker (previously a "Stroud"), has been happily married to a brilliant guy (Nat) for many years, and they have two beautiful kids (Bethany and Billy). Another cousin, Claire Lilley (again, previously "Stroud"), has a lovely kid (Ethan), too. Two of my cousins - Katy Phillips and Joe Stroud - are currently engaged, too, and I hope they go on to have fantastic marriages. My cousin Sara Phillips has a brilliant job working in the health sector, and her mum (my auntie), Roz Phillips, used be in that field, too.

So, yeah, my family are an awesome and beautiful bunch, and I'm lucky to have them in my life. Hopefully I get to soon see the people I haven't seen in a long time - like, for example, my cousin Emily lives over in Northern Ireland, and I haven't seen her since 2012 - and I just want to take this moment to wish them all the best with their future endeavours. I love you all! ^-^ <3

Top photo: all of my cousins, and Daniel (Sam wasn't there), back in August 2012, which was probably the last time we were all together! Middle photo: Roz Phillips (my auntie) with two of my cousins, Emily Bye (left) and Katy Phillips (right). Bottom photo: Stella and Rob Stroud, my auntie and uncle.