I don't think anybody can truly imagine seeing their house and
neighbourhood look like this!
On Saturday the 25th of April 2015, we witnessed once again just what Mother Nature is truly capable of as a 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated Nepal, even stretching into neighbouring countries, India, China, and Bangladesh. Every picture, video, death, story, etc., that comes from the incident is nothing short of heartbreaking, with lives being lost, many more injured, and decimation everywhere. People are reporting that Nepal wasn't ready for this sort of catastrophe (how can you seriously ever be ready for such a horrible event?!), and that aid isn't getting to remote areas quick enough, but I'm here to talk as positively as I possibly can about such a tragic situation; to shine a light on those who are rescuing people from the rubble - be it dead or alive - those who have survived against all the odds, and to make sure that those who died aren't forgotten (once I publish a written piece, I usually leave it alone, but I will constantly update this blog entry with up-to-date information on the death toll number, as I believe every life matters).
A 4-month old baby being rescued
What is always the most heartwarming thing about such an event is how the whole world comes together to help in any way they can, with aid coming from all corners of the globe - many European countries, Australia, the US, India, Qatar, etc. - in the help of rescuing any lives that can be saved. I believe that everything positive helps to show them that they are never alone: whether you're one of the people who has gone out there to help, or maybe you've donated money, or even if you've just shown your support on Twitter or Facebook with a caring status - it all counts. Without the world coming together, many more lives would've been lost, but we're managing to hear breathtaking stories about people who have defied belief by surviving, even after many days of being in peril; it really is touching. I just recently read about Pemba Lama (seen on a stretcher in the picture below this paragraph): a 15-year old who kept himself alive by drinking water from wet clothing and eating clarified butter, and was then rescued on Thursday by rescue teams from Nepal and the US, to the cheer of a huge crowd. Then, on the same day, a woman named Krishna Devi Khadka was rescued from a collapsed building by rescue teams from five different countries. The Home Ministry spokesman, Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, has said that it will be a miracle if anybody else is found alive, whilst not giving up hope, but I still think that people will be found alive - the stories above prove this, the human spirit truly is a wonderful thing, and miracles can and do happen! EDIT: in fact, to prove my point, a 101-year old was found alive one week after the earthquake!
Pemba Lama: survived 5 days on butter and water (from wet clothing) before getting rescued - truly a determined, clever, strong, and inspirational human being!
It's not just the locals who are in our thoughts and prayers, though, as there are a lot of people from other countries in Nepal; some visiting, some living there, and some were climbing Mount Everest when the earthquake created avalanches - some of which were deadly - and it's believed that 71 foreigners (EDIT: now 88) have lost their lives so far. Eight Britons were rescued from a monastery one week after the earthquake, with another seven rescued by an RAF C-17 aircraft, and 120 Britons were flown out of the country on Thursday; these, and many others, have the luxury - if such a word can be used - of being able to leave the wreckage of Nepal. It is, however, the people who have lost their homes, their lifestyles, that we have to continue to help for a long time, with the United Nations claiming that 3 million people are currently in need of urgent aid - in the form of food, water, shelter, etc. - and that $415 million is needed to help everybody, with $61 million kindly donated so far. In the UK, £33 million has been raised so far, and £17.5 million more has come from the government. I couldn't possibly name every country that has helped, but the support for Nepal so far has been immense, encouraging, and moving.
Hundreds of funeral pyres lit for some of those who have sadly died
Pictures like the ones below this paragraph show how beautiful landmarks have been brought to the ground, and pictures at the top of this blog show the state of 130,000+ homes, and we have to help those who have survived this tragic event to rebuild their lives. I don't think anybody can imagine what the people involved in this earthquake have gone through; I've heard some people from Nepal say that the dead are better off, but we can't let anybody take that attitude. We must help them to eventually get back to a stage of normality, no matter how long that takes. As I conclude this piece of writing, 14,993 (EDIT: now 19,009) people are believed to be injured, many are yet to be found, and many need help urgently, but it seems right to finish by saying this: to the 7,418 (EDIT: now 8,632) who have sadly died because of this horrific event, R.I.P.; you are all heroes, you didn't deserve to die, and you will never be forgotten. <3
Dharahara before being wrecked
Thank you so much for reading this! Below you will find a selection of charities that you can donate to, complete with links to their websites. Please share this blog around, spread the love, and do whatever you can to help the people of Nepal, and all those affected by this harrowing event.
The Dharahara, also known as the Bhimsen Tower, is just one landmark that is wrecked by the Nepal earthquake. In the picture above and to the left, see how beautiful this tower used to look
A selection of charities you can donate to, with links to their websites:
Pete (far left) and I (the guy at the bottom right with the ginger hair, obviously!) during our last proper day of year 11 at secondary school, so we were aged about 16. Nobody in this photo will forgive me for putting this on here!
Where do I begin when writing a piece about my best friend, Pete(r) Machin? He's the guy who means the most to me on this whole planet (outside of my family), a guy who - whether he realises it or not - has saved my life on at least one occasion, and a guy who I am proud to call my best friend for life. I've been lucky enough to know this unforgettable, caring, amazing, understanding, life-changing individual since the first year of secondary school - so since we're about 11 - and we have literally never fallen out since (We're 27 and 28 now, although I'm actually also 28 the day after publishing this!); although he's probably secretly [and jokingly] disliked me a lot in that time, as I am not an easy individual to have to put up with! We didn't go to the same primary school, due to living in different areas of Reading, so we didn't know each other prior to secondary school, unfortunately, but if we had, I have no doubt that we'd have been friends sooner.
Over time we got closer and closer, and one of the main things that sticks in my mind from our teenage years is the epic sleepovers we'd occasionally have, with one in particular springing to mind: it was a cold February in 2005, some of our other friends had gone to New York on a school trip, and he had an empty house, so we arranged this unforgettable sleepover. Back then you tended to have one big (LCD or plasma) TV in your house, with other TV's - like the one you'd have in your bedroom - still being one of those ones with the fat backs (CRT's)! This meant that it was always exciting to plug your games consoles in in the living room and play on "the big TV". So we plugged in his PS2 and my GameCube in the living room (he's always been a Sony fan, and I've always been a Nintendo fan, so between us we always have an interesting mixture of awesome games to play!); rearranged the furniture to be as comfortable as possible; put the fire on; ate and drank loads of junk; and played games all night (Conflict: Desert Storm II on the Cube kept us awake, playing the bloomin' hard campaign in co-op mode), which seemed crazily exciting at the time!
Pete making me laugh-out-loud whilst doing the best man's speech at Chris Fox's wedding
One thing you never forget in this world is when you're at your worst, and whether certain people stick around, whether they're there for you, etc., and with Pete I have always been able to say, "yes, he's never let me down!" I remember when I didn't have a job and wasn't in education, but he never judged me; in fact, he still came around to see me after his work - with me in my pyjamas, having done nothing productive with the day - if only to hang out for a few hours. Yes, there have been many other people who have had my back when I've been, in all honesty, suicidal, but he's the main reason why I'm still on this planet right now; that's the honest truth! I've never been so comfortable around any other human being, we share so much in common, and I can chat to him about absolutely anything - or even sit in silence whilst still feeling comfortable and like he's there for me.
He's been there with me for some of my most favourite days and nights ever, including two phenomenal concerts: the first being back on April the 12th 2008 when we saw Elliot Minor headline at the London Astoria, and the other being when Green Day played to 60,000+ people at the Emirates Stadium in London on June the 1st 2013! I'm really glad I shared these moments, and many others, with him.
*Before Green Day had come on* This was one of the best days/nights I've experienced with Pete. Green Day played for two-and-a-half hours - it was dark by the end (see below)!
The finale of Green Day's set - which was "Brutal Love" - with the lights being from everybody's camera flashes, phones, etc.!
I genuinely can't stress enough just how much he means to me: he really is my best mate for life - and a brother figure, to be honest - as well as the most perfect and inspirational human being I've ever met in my life, and I feel like I owe him so much, as he has helped me with everything from rides to and from places, to helping me through dark and depressing times. I love you, bro, and would be lost without you! :D <3
It's crazy to think that I wasn't an All Time Low fan a few years back, especially given how big of a fan I am now; not because I didn't like them back then - no, definitely not that, as I knew about the likes of Weightless and Dear Maria, Count Me In, and I loved those songs - but just because I hadn't properly discovered them yet. I could say the same thing about many other pop-rock or pop-punk bands I've since come to love - like Yellowcard, We Are The In Crowd, Forever The Sickest Kids, etc. - and in the time that passed between not truly knowing All Time Low and absolutely loving them to bits, I've come to find out that it was certainly my loss for not knowing this infectious, melodic, amazing band!
My first few listens of their new album, Future Hearts, were on the Hopeless Records YouTube channel, as there was a stream on there a little while before the album was released and I got my physical copy (I may be in the minority, but I still love owning CD's of all my favourite bands, for the improved sound quality, artwork, lyrics, etc.), and the album impressed me on my very first listen. Unfortunately not in the way that Nothing Personal did when my ears first had the pleasure of hearing that groundbreaking album, but, in my opinon, that's one of the best pop-punk albums of the last decade! For me, the first half of the album - especially tracks 2 through 7, Kicking & Screaming to Cinderblock Garden - is better than the latter half of the album, and it starts off with an atmospheric, slow-paced intro track, Satellite, before firing into one of the best tracks on the album, Kicking & Screaming. The song starts with a "1, 2, 3, 4" and ferocious, fast-paced guitars in what is one of the heavier tracks on the album, and a song where you will be singing the pre-chorus and chorus after the very first listen. The song also has one of ATL's best guitar solos to date (I still think A Love Like War may just be the best, though), before amazing drums launch the song into the final chorus. This song is actually my current ringtone, and I feel it would of made for a brilliant comeback single, but I understand why ATL didn't choose it: it sounds like ATL of the past, old-school pop-punk, and not the new sound that they wanted to show off from Future Hearts.
That's where Something's Gotta Give comes in: a mid-tempo pop-rock song that sounds a little bit different to the usual. It's all about doubting yourself, feeling like you're a waste of a life, made some bad decisions in life, but then saying, "Something's got to give! With the help of others, I can make it out of this slump and live my life better." That's how I see this song. It's certainly not my favourite from the album, but it's not the worst, either. The chorus is quite catchy, there's a good underlying guitar riff, the lyrics are great - as they are throughout the album, as this really is their best album lyrically - and credit to Alex Gaskarth for that stunning last note! The next song on the album, Kids In The Dark, is a real anthem, and already a favourite amongst fans, and it's easy to see why. The song starts with a brilliant guitar riff, and the verses have a real swagger about them, before getting to the fantastic, sing-a-long chorus - especially the "heys".
The brilliant Runaways has a beautiful pre-chorus with amazing lyrics - "We're going down this road, with tears in our rear view mirror. Far from home, but in the dark you'll know, with me you've got nothing to fear" - as well as a bridge that builds brilliantly, as the vocals and drums get fiercer, before a gorgeously tranquil section leads back into the chorus via a couple of drum beats. Next comes the absolutely stunning Missing You (link to this song above this paragraph, but if you're viewing this blog on, say, a phone - meaning videos don't appear - here's a direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfhbVUTZn7A), a song which hit me hard the very first time I heard it. I believe it is easily All Time Low's most stunning song ever; I'm not saying it's their utmost best, but in terms of lyrics and music, it shows an incredible level of maturity, as well as showing the significant growth that ATL have gone through. It's a song that I feel a lot of fans will relate to, and a song with such a strong melody and powerful lyrics - about depression and suicide, and how you'd miss out if you killed yourself, and how people would miss you - that I feel it has the ability to bring people to tears, especially if seen performed live. Alex's main vocals are stunning, there's brilliant backing vocals ("ooooooh, woooah"), the bridge is tremendous (fans will definitely sing this every time they hear the song!), and it's definitely my favourite track on the whole album (the lyrics to this song are so good that I've posted them at the bottom of this blog); it's music at its most enchanting and best.
Cinderblock Garden - a song about believing you can make a relationship work forever, if you fight through the hard times - starts off with some great chanting and has one of the catchiest choruses on the whole album, as well as an exquisite bridge, but after this the album sadly starts to dip in quality, albeit still with moments of quality, like: the grandiose climax to Tidal Waves; most of Old Scars / Future Hearts, especially the pre-chorus and chorus; and the change of pace for The Edge Of Tonight. But the best song on the rest of the album is Dancing With A Wolf, which again sounds like progression by ATL, and a step in a new direction whilst still managing to sound like them. The song has a real groove about it, making you want to dance along, and it's just insanely catchy! The title is a reference to one of Aesop's fables, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", with the lyrics being about how there is no love for liars. Sadly, Don't You Go and Bail Me Out don't do much for me; neither are bad songs by any stretch of the imagination, but they just fail to grab me in any exciting way.
Future Hearts is a great album from start to finish, with the occasional dip here, and moments of genius elsewhere. It's not as consistently amazing as Nothing Personal, and it can't quite match up to some of ATL's earlier work, but it is the best thing they've put out since Nothing Personal.Nothing I've heard recently can match the perfection and beauty of Missing You, the joyous pop-punk of Kicking & Screaming, and the groove of Dancing With A Wolf. This is the best album I've heard in quite a long time, and if this is the sound of where All Time Low are going, count me in for the journey! :) <3
SCORE (out of 10):9.1
Download these: Kicking & Screaming, Kids In The Dark, Runaways, Missing You, Cinderblock Garden, Dancing With A Wolf (but, to be honest, just buy the whole album!)
The photos that came with my copy of Future Hearts
My physical copy of Future Hearts
Lyrics to Missing You: I heard that you've been Self-medicating in the quiet of your room, Your sweet, suburban tomb. And if you need a friend, I'll help you stitch up your wounds.
I heard that you've been Having some trouble finding your place in the world. I know how much that hurts, But if you need a friend Then please just say the word...
You've come this far, You're all cleaned up, You've made a mess again, There's no more trying, Time to sort yourself out...
Hold on tight, This ride is a wild one, Make no mistake, The day will come when you can't cover up what you've done, Now don't lose your fight, kid, It only takes a little push to pull on through, With so much left to do; You'll be missing out, and we'll be missing you.
I heard that you've been Having some trouble finding your place in the world. I know how much that hurts, And if you need a friend Then please just say the word...
Pre-chorus and chorus Grit your teeth, pull your hair, Paint the walls black and scream, "F**k the world 'cause it's my life, I'm gonna take it back," And never for a second blame yourself.
Hold on tight, This ride is a wild one, Make no mistake, The day will come when you can't cover up what you've done, (no, you can't cover up) (one, two, three, four!)
Honestly, It's taken too long - I've had it on record since just after Robin Williams' incredibly sad passing, and it was released over 17 years ago - but I finally watched Good Will Hunting for the first time, and, wow, it moved me! Whilst I was always expecting a movie-stealing performance from Robin Williams as the one-of-a-kind therapist, Sean Maguire - and he truly was sensational, certainly deserving of the Oscar for "Best Supporting Actor" that was to follow - I had no idea that Matt Damon would be as amazing as he was (I blame the movie "Team America: World Police" for me thinking bad of him!), playing the titular character, Will Hunting, a messed up genius from Boston who can avoid doing time for numerous assaults if he can help out a professor (the fantastic Stellan Skarsgard) with advanced mathematics whilst also seeing a therapist (Williams) once a week.
It's full of unforgettable scenes along the way, many featuring Sean Maguire, but one that really sticks in my mind is when Will Hunting is arguing with his girlfriend - Skylar, played by Minnie Driver - claiming he doesn't love her, when really he's just scared of letting people in because of some of the horrific things he went through as an orphaned kid. There are brilliant performances throughout, and I feel Ben Affleck deserves a mention, even if he is upstaged by Williams and Damon! Good Will Hunting is full of loads of meaningful and passionate lines that people still quote to this day, in what is a fantastic script written by Damon and Affleck, even if the story arc is a little predictive; but you know the movie's doing something right when that's the only bad thing I can honestly say about it.
It's worth noting that this movie was made with just $10 million - before Damon and Affleck had made it big - so don't go in expecting crazy, over-the-top scenes full of explosions or something, like you'd see in a spectacular but vapid Michael Bay movie, but what you get here is actually much better than that: a movie where the dialogue, characters, and actors get a chance to shine, in a movie that is full of more heart and soul than any summer blockbuster will ever be!
There's also a great music score done by Danny Elfman, who's most famous for The Simpsons theme, no doubt; and not once did I think the movie overrun at its length of roughly two hours. It will go down as one of my most favourite movies ever, and, if you don't mind me, I'm off to Amazon to make sure I own a copy that I can watch many more times in the future! :D <3
Robin Williams as Sean Maguire: "You'll have bad times, but they'll always wake you up to the good stuff you weren't paying attention to."
SCORE (out of 10): 9.7
*Movie contains strong language throughout*
Mini reviews of Django Unchained, Wreck-It Ralph, Despicable Me (1 & 2), Get Him To The Greek, and Airplane! follow.
DJANGO UNCHAINED
I absolutely loved Django Unchained - more than I expected to, to be honest, because, truth be told, I haven't loved everything from Quentin Tarantino - and the performances of Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx, and Leonardo DiCaprio are simply magnificent, with Waltz definitely deserving of his Oscar for "Best Supporting Actor" that was to come. The story follows Django (Foxx), a slave that is freed by Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) because he knows Django can help him locate the Brittle brothers, with Schultz offering Django his freedom in return. The two form an unlikely friendship, with Django becoming Schultz's apprentice and helping him do more bounty hunting, with the promise that they will go and try to free his wife, Broomhilda Von Shaft (Kerry Washington), who's being kept as a slave by the nasty Calvin Candie (DiCaprio). It's beautifully filmed in some stunning locations; deals with a serious issue from the past; has brilliant music; and is a very memorable movie. The only fault, for me, is that at 2 hours and 45 minutes long, it's just a bit too lengthy!
SCORE: 9.3
*Movie contains strong language throughout, including numerous uses of the "N" word; and loads of graphic violence (like you'd expect from Tarantino!)*
WRECK-IT RALPH
If you've already taken a glance down at the review score, you'll have seen that I have given Wreck-It Ralph a very generous 9.4, and, I'll be honest, that score comes from a guy who is a massive fan of computer generated movies, as well as a huge fan of video games, and so this score is, arguably, incredibly biased; but it is a superb movie that's suitable for everybody! I actually prefer this movie to all of the Toy Story movies, all the Shreks, Up, and I'd even say it's my joint favourite CG movie ever (the other being the absolutely amazing WALL-E, with How To Train Your Dragon in third place)! All the video game references and cameos are a joy to behold for a geek like me (everything from Mario and Sonic, to Street Fighter and Metal Gear Solid); the voice acting - from the likes of John C. Reilly (Ralph), Jack McBrayer (Fix-It Felix), Sarah Silverman (Vanellope von Schweetz), Jane Lynch (Sergeant Calhoun), etc. - is perfect for each character; the gaming worlds are beautifully realised with perfect looks and sounds; and the story of a bad guy wanting to be good is decent.
SCORE: 9.4
DESPICABLE ME
I found Despicable Me to be pretty great throughout - especially the hilarious Minions with their funny speech and animation - whilst unfortunately never managing to quite blow me away. The cast, as is often the case with computer generated movies, is truly amazing, with each actor - Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Julie Andrews, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, etc. - really bringing their respective characters to life. Despite this stellar cast, though, most of the laughs actually come from the Minions (who everybody seems to love, and rightly so - where can I buy one?!) and the little girl, Agnes (played by Elsie Fisher), but, to be honest, there's barely any bad characters to be found here. A good range of characters; consistently funny; a good story; but just never truly mind-blowing. Now I should go and watch number 2, if only for the Minions! EDIT: I have since seen Despicable Me 2, and here's my opinion: just like the first, but ever-so-slightly better! XD
DESPICABLE ME - SCORE: 8.0
DESPICABLE ME 2 - SCORE: 8.2
GET HIM TO THE GREEK
I watched Get Him To The Greek after seeing it was going to be on TV one night, whilst also being recommended it by my older brother, and I found it to be hugely enjoyable, with some very funny moments. The story follows Aaron Green (Hill), a record company employee who is sent to London by his boss, Sergio Roma (Combs), in order to get Aldous Snow (Brand) all the way to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles for a 10 year anniversary performance for a legendary show he did there in 1999. The thing that surprised me the most was that Sean Combs was so damn funny; I mean, I expected Russell Brand and Jonah Hill to be brilliant, but I didn't expect Sean Combs to have so many of the funniest bits of the movie! Some great licensed music, as well as some funny original music ("Bangers, Beans, And Mash"!); some great, funny performances, as well as some fantastic cameos (Pharrell Williams, Lars Ulrich, Pink, etc.); and just an all-round decent "journey movie".
SCORE: 8.5
*Contains raunchy humour and strong language throughout*
AIRPLANE!
My dad and little brother had been trying to get me to watch Airplane! for a ridiculously long time because of how they believe it is a classic (and they're not the only ones, as Airplane! is often voted amongst the greatest comedies ever made); now, I don't believe it's as amazing as they think it is, but it's still incredibly funny throughout. What's most impressive is that the movie barely goes a minute without throwing a joke of some sort in your direction, be it a verbal pun, a sight-based gag, something satirical, or just something downright cringeworthy! There are some great performances, from actors who actually weren't seen as comedy actors before this movie (even the late, great Leslie Nielsen wasn't seen as a comedy actor until this point); some very funny scenes/jokes (Family Guy often uses Airplane! jokes); and it's just a great - and very, very silly - movie that has stood the test of time, and it will continue to do so because everybody can benefit from a massive laugh and a bit of silly every now and again. WARNING: watching this movie may result in you retelling some of the stupid jokes to your family and friends for years to come, as that's certainly the way it has been with my dad! XD
SCORE: 8.4
I really hope you enjoyed those movie reviews, guys! Be sure to give me feedback on them, as well as telling me your opinions on the movies reviewed, or whether I've made you want to go and watch any of them. If this blog gets a good response, I will do more movie reviews in the near future, possibly including the likes of Gravity, How To Train Your Dragon (1 & 2), The Fault In Our Stars, American Pie: Reunion, Dallas Buyers Club, Frozen, etc. Thanks very much! ^-^ <3
Below is a list of my favourite quotes and lyrics (and there's also four that Mollie thought of, and one by Pete - they're my girlfriend and best friend respectively, for those unaware) that have meaning to me, so no jokey ones (Bowling For Soup, I'm looking at you!) or anything like that. Please do tell me your favourites in the comments section below this blog entry! Enjoy, and, as always, thanks for supporting my blog in any way! :) <3
I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this world alone. <"Famous Last Words" by My Chemical Romance>
As my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost. <"Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day>
You'll have bad times, but it'll always wake you up to the good stuff you weren't paying attention to. <Sean Maguire (Robin Williams) in Good Will Hunting>
Nothing in this world that's worth having comes easy. <Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins) from Scrubs>
There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. <Aristotle>
Imagine all the people, living life in peace. <"Imagine" by John Lennon>
Who cares what statistics show!? Look at medicine: 80% of people with pancreatic cancer die within 5 years, and 95% of appendectomies occur with zero complications, but we both know pancreatic cancer patients that lived, and appendix patients that unfortunately passed. Statistics mean nothing to the individual. <Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) from Scrubs>
It's hard to say what happened for sure. For the most part it depends who you ask. There are as many sides to a story as there are pairs of eyes - it's always been that way. <Irv Harper (John Beasley) from Everwood>
Wouldn't it be nice to be proud. <"Wouldn't It Be Nice To Be Proud" by Evan and Jaron>
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. <"All At Once" by The Fray>
To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. <There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer as to who said this, but the two most likely people seem to be: Dr. Seuss and Brandi Snyder>
If you stay I would even wait all night, or until my heart explodes, how long? Until we find our way in the dark and out of harm, you can runaway with me anytime you want. <"Summertime" by My Chemical Romance>
I've found a reason for me to change who I used to be, a reason to start over new, and the reason is you. <"The Reason" by Hoobastank>
I guess we all want to believe that what we do is very important, that people hang onto our every words, and they care what we think. Truth is, You should consider yourself lucky if you even occasionally get to make someone, anyone, feel a little better. After that, it's all about the people you let into your life. <J.D. (Zach Braff) from Scrubs>
You need to see what I see when I look at you, so go look in the mirror, right now! keep looking until you face the truth: you're truly beautiful. <Bright Abbott (Chris Pratt) from Everwood>
Actually, there is a word for that: it's "love". I'm in love with her, okay? If you're looking for the word that means caring about someone beyond all rationality, and wanting them to have everything they want, no matter how much it destroys you, it's "love". And when you love someone, you just, you don't stop - ever! Even if people roll their eyes, or call you crazy - even then, especially then. You just, you don't give up! Because if I could just give up, if I could just take the whole world's advice and move on and find someone else, that wouldn't be love. That would be... that would be some disposable thing that's not worth fighting for. But that... that's not what this is. <Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) from How I Met Your Mother>
When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door, that we don't see the one that has opened for us. <Helen Keller>
Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift: that's why we call it the present. <B. Olatunji>
When no one else can understand me,
when everything I do is wrong.
You give me hope and consolation,
you give me strength to carry on...
...And when you smile the world is brighter,
you touch my hand and I'm a king.
Your kiss to me is worth a fortune,
your love for me is everything.
I guess I'll never know the reason why you love me as you do,
that's the wonder, the wonder of you. <"The Wonder Of You" by Elvis Presley>
Map out your future, but do it in pencil. The road ahead is as long as you make it - make it worth the trip. <Jon Bon Jovi>
The best and most wonderful things can't be seen, or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. <Helen Keller>
But love doesn't make sense. You can't just logic your way into or out of it. Love is totally nonsensical. But we have to keep doing it, or we're lost and love is dead and humanity should just pack it in. Because love is the best thing we do. <Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) from How I Met Your Mother>
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but rising every time we fall. <Confucius>
Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different. <C.S. Lewis>
We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realised they were inside us. <The Joker (Heath Ledger) from Batman: The Dark Knight>
Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive! <Gerard Way>
You only hear the music when your heart begins to break. <"The Kids From Yesterday" by My Chemical Romance>
Fear does not prevent death, it prevents life. <Naguib Mahfouz>
You're only given a little spark of madness. You musn't lose it. <Robin Williams>
Promises mean everything when you're little and the world's so big. <"Wonderful" by Everclear>
Keep your hopes up high and your head down low. <"All I Want" by A Day To Remember>
Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head, I miss you. <"I Miss You" by Blink-182>
If you're lost and alone, or you're sinking like a stone, carry on. <"Carry On" by Fun.>
You're out of sight, but not out of mind. <"Fell For You" by Green Day>
If you're not scared, then you're not taking a chance. If you're not taking a chance, then what the hell are you doing anyway? <Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) from How I Met Your Mother>
We may be miles apart,
I'll keep you deep inside, you're always in my heart.
A new life to start,
I may be leaving, but you're always in my heart.
<"Miles Apart" by Yellowcard>
I'm a stitch away from making it, and a scar away from falling apart. <"The (After) Life Of The Party" by Fall Out Boy>
We're looking up at the same night sky
and keep pretending the sun will not rise,
we'll be together for one more night,
somewhere, somehow.
<"Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard>
Stop your crying, helpless feeling, dry your eyes and start believing. <"The World Is Ugly" by My Chemical Romance>
I still believe in the need for guitars and drums and desperate poetry.
I still believe that everyone can find a song for every time they've lost, and every time they've won...
...Who'd have thought that, after all, something as simple as rock 'n' roll would save us all? <"I Still Believe" by Frank Turner.
If only sorrow could build a staircase, or tears could show the way, I would climb my way to heaven and bring him back home again. <"Suicide Season" by Bring me the Horizon> Credited to Mollie Star.
I'm a fool, I'm a flop, I'm a failure, but you should never judge a book by its cover, cos there's a heart that beats inside of me. <"A Heart That Beats" by Lee Evans> Credited to Mollie Star.
I think, there's no way to say "the best way", because there is only "your way", but if it is what you REALLY want, then you will find "your way". <Crispin Freeman> Credited to Mollie Star.
Don't ever let the media tell you what your body is supposed to look like. You're beautiful the way you are. Stay beautiful and keep it ugly. <Gerard Way> Credited to Mollie Star.
If everyone needs a crutch then I need a wheelchair. <"In Remission" by The Menzingers> Credited to Pete Machin.
The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded. <Grand Pabbie from Frozen> Credited to Jessica Hughett.
Shouldn't we hold out for the person who doesn't just tolerate our quirks, but actually kinda likes them? <Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) from How I Met Your Mother>
Nobody said it was easy. <"The Scientist" by Coldplay>
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. <Helen Keller>
I wanna be the place you call, "home". <"Hamburg Song" by Keane>
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. <Helen Keller>
With great power comes great responsibility. <Believed to originally be by Voltaire; but widely known for being said in the 2002 Spider-Man movie, by Uncle Ben to Peter Parker (who obviously becomes Spider-Man), so Stan Lee is often credited for having written it in a Spider-Man comic book>
I wake up, it's a bad dream,
no one on my side.
I was fighting, but I just feel too tired to be fighting,
guess I'm not the fighting kind.
Wouldn't mind it if you were by my side,
but you're long gone, yeah, you're long gone now. <"A Bad Dream" by Keane>
Be brave, fight for what you believe in, and make your dreams your reality. <Jared Leto>
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you. <"Cancer" by My Chemical Romance> You will be shocked when you discover how easy it is in life to part ways with people forever. That's why when you find someone you want to keep around, you do something about it. <Narrator Ted Mosby (Bob Saget) from How I Met Your Mother>
No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. <John Keating (Robin Williams) from Dead Poets Society>
Have you ever loved someone so much, you'd give an arm for?
Not the expression, no, literally give an arm for.
When they know they're your heart
and you know you're their armour,
and you will destroy anyone who would try to harm her...
...When I'm gone, just carry on, don't mourn,
rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice.
Just know that I'm looking down on you smiling,
and I didn't feel a thing, so baby don't feel no pain, just smile back. <"When I'm Gone" by Eminem>
The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm not sure who the first person was who said that? Probably Shakespeare, or maybe Sting. But at the moment, it's the sentence that best explains my tragic flaw: my inability to change. I don't think I'm alone in this. The more I get to know people, the more I realise it's kind of everyone's flaw. Staying exactly the same for as long as possible, standing perfectly still; it feels better somehow. And if you are suffering, at least the pain is familiar. Because if you took that leap of faith, went outside the box, did something unexpected - who knows what other pain might be out there waiting for you? Chances are it could be even worse. So you maintain the status quo, choose the road already travelled, and it doesn't seem that bad, not as far as flaws go. You're not a drug addict. You're not killing anyone, except maybe yourself a little. When we finally do change, I don't think it happens like an earthquake or an explosion, where all of a sudden we're, like, this different person. I think it's smaller than that. The kind of thing most people wouldn't even notice unless they looked at us really close; which, thank God, they never do! But you notice it. Inside you, that change feels like a world of difference. And you hope this is it, this is the person you get to be forever - that you'll never have to change again. <Ephram (Gregory Smith) from Everwood>
I also wrote my own quote quite a long time ago, which can be seen in its definitive form if you go to my blog entry about me, entitled "Everything - and I mean 'EVERYTHING' - that you'll ever need to know about me". :) <3
I'd been to Clacton-on-Sea a couple of times before, but had never been taken here, Clacton Pier, which is where Mollie and I shared a moment we'll never forget (ALL pictures on this blog entry are taken by me on my Nikon digital camera, unless specified)
I don't know if this is profound or just stupid, but when I have to get on the first of 3 trains back to Reading (yep, 3 trains - long-distance kinda sucks!), I always feel like the saddest guy in the world whilst also feeling like the happiest! Saddest because I'm heading home from my perfect girlfriend's hometown of Clacton-on-Sea, and happiest because, well, I have a perfect girlfriend (in my oh-so-humble opinion!)! On the journeys home, I often feel like I'm on autopilot, staring into space, zombie-like, and almost unaware of anything that's happening around me! But, anyhow, back to the start: on the 18th of July, 2014, I departed for Reading Station at around 11:30am, thanks to a lift from my dad, Michael Parfett, and met up with my mum, Julie Parfett, to get a few items of clothing for the trip - that had still been at her house from when I lived there - and we had a lovely catch up before I left for Clacton. The journey always fills me with so much excitement because of how I'm heading to see my girlfriend, Mollie Star, who I sometimes haven't seen for weeks. The journey went pretty smoothly, but for anybody who can remember the 18th of July, it was a bloomin' hot day (not far from 30 degrees Celsius, I believe, which is hot for England!), so certain train journeys were uncomfortable; I drank an energy drink, pint of milk and a bottle of water - which were being handed out at one of the train stations because of the intense heat - on the 4 hour journey! A car journey, three trains and a taxi later, I arrived at the Star household at around 4pm, with Mollie having just gone to work, but seeing her later - and for the amazing 5 days and nights that would follow - was something to hugely look forward to.
A large portion of the Star family's back garden - which was the party location - with their home in the background
Shadow: the Star family's - more specifically, Ellie's - beautiful husky!
I really did get a great shot with this photo!
Whilst Mollie was at work, I spent quite a bit of time with Ellie (Mollie's sister, who's "proper" name is Helena), Kathleen (Mollie's mum), and Nathan Lane (Ellie's best friend, and a close friend of the Star family) in the garden, enjoying the weather, but being pestered by storm flies - they knew what was coming! This trip was always going to be huge for me - and, arguably, for Mollie and I's relationship - because I was going to be meeting the majority of her friends and family whilst at the party, and I wanted to make a good impression, even though I'm a fairly shy, reserved character, making this trip a very scary one for somebody like me! I just hoped that people would see I'm a nice guy, as I'm not always sure I give off the best first impression, due to my quietness maybe portraying me as being boring. If you get to know me, go past my quiet exterior, there you'll find there's a lovely, caring, fun guy, who can talk about almost any subject. The first people I would have to meet would be Eden Frost and Kane Sadler, as they were also travelling to Clacton the day before, like me. They had come from Dagenham, the Star family's old stomping ground, and Eden is a very long-term friend to the Star family, and like family to them, with Kane being her boyfriend. Eden and Kane got some food from the fish and chip shop where Mollie works, The Village Chippy, and joined us in the garden with their food. I think this was the first sign that I needn't have worried about meeting all the new people I was going to be meeting, as both Eden and Kane are sweet, compassionate, wonderful people, and this is true of everybody who chatted with me - no matter how short or long - during the time I was in Clacton. I went and tidied myself up and awaited Mollie's return. It was so lovely to see her again and give her a massive cuddle, and she came home with my dinner: spam fritter and chips from her chip shop. Before I could have my dinner, the storm came in (I had witnessed a storm the day before whilst in Reading, so it must've travelled with me to Clacton!) and was blowing a whole load of garden furniture around, so everybody had to rush out to the garden to sort things out - the bad weather was never going to be allowed to ruin the party, though! Maybe I am painting this picture with rose-tinted specs, from the disillusioned view you sometimes get whilst on holiday - as that's what trips to Clacton are kinda like for me - but these chips (along with the spam fritter, battered sausage, and beefburger I had from her chip shop during my stay) taste better than anything I've ever had from any takeaway in Reading, being soft, delicious and moreish; I can't wait to go back for more! After a very late dinner, Mollie and I went up to bed, knowing that tomorrow was a big day for the both of us.
Saturday, July the 19th arrived, the day where I'd be seeing, maybe, 70+ new people - to put it into perspective, the only people at the party I would know, are: the Star family (as in, Mollie, Ellie, Kathleen and Larry), Nathan, and Eden and Kane, who I had met the day before, but everybody else was new to me. I woke up pretty late on the Saturday, and, well, most days whilst at Mollie's house (hell, I wake up late wherever I am!) because of how we often stay up at night chatting and snuggling, which is nothing short of perfection; we know we shouldn't stay up so late, but it's hard not to when so often we're usually quite far apart (I know I can't, and won't, keep Mollie awake on university nights!). There was some repairing and re-setting up to do after the previous night's storm, including rebuilding the gazebo - where the DJ was - and putting garden furniture back out, which everybody helped with. Everybody went off to get scrubbed up for the party: I stuck on Mollie and I's favourite band, My Chemical Romance - their greatest hits CD - to keep me relaxed whilst I got done for one of the scariest nights of my life! Mollie spent a bit of time with me, but then went off to get her hair and make-up done by Ellie, Eden, and Eloise Parker (Eden's sister). I kept seeing more and more people arrive out of Mollie's bedroom window, and then, wow... I got my first look at Mollie's phenomenal hair and make-up - seriously, you did a marvellous job, ladies - as she came back into her bedroom, and, I swear to God, I'd never seen her looking more beautiful; I was an incredibly lucky guy, but, truthfully, I always see myself as lucky to have a girl as unbelievable as Mollie, and I'll never forget it! Mollie gave me a kiss and soon headed downstairs, as she was the birthday girl and numerous people were here to see her - and Larry Star, I hasten to add, as the party was also to celebrate his 50th birthday, and for Mollie leaving for the University of Kent, in Canterbury, in September - leaving me to finish off getting done, and muster up the courage to come downstairs to the party. After a little while of being upstairs, Nathan Lane and Abby Joyce came up to check on me - both real sweet people, the latter I had never met before - and I said I'd come down in a few minutes, but I knew I was waiting for one thing. Mollie came upstairs soon after - not actually to see me, but to get one of those multi-plug adaptor thingys - and I got to come downstairs with her, holding her hand, which is what I had always wanted, even though she didn't realise that. Although, she did actually text me to see if I was okay, but I didn't get the text until hours later because of the terrible signal I get in Clacton!
Mollie and I at the Star party to celebrate Mollie's 19th birthday, Larry's 50th birthday, and Mollie leaving for university in September. Mollie looked so incredible, but, of course, I always think she looks beautiful! I actually got a lot of compliments for my LEGO Star Wars T-shirt during this trip, and some for the Ralph Lauren Wimbledon jacket! Photo credit: Kane Sadler (thanks, mate, we both have always loved this photo so much!).
Mollie had saved me a seat with all her close friends that were at the party, so I sat down there, nervously, and she kindly went and got me a pear cider: my alcoholic drink of choice, she knows me so well! The incredibly lovely Jay Honeywood (one of Mollie's close friends - although, honestly, I now hope Mollie's friends see me as a friend, too, as I know that's how I look at them) introduced himself to me almost immediately, which was nice, and Larry's mum came over and said "hello" - also giving me a kiss on the cheek - which was sweet of her. I sat there slowly sipping on my drink - not that I'm a quick drinker even at the best of times - but it wasn't long before people were chatting with me. Sarah Johnson started chatting to me about football - one of my loves in life, which she knew because we had been Facebook friends for a couple of months already, thanks to her kindly adding me around the time I got into a relationship with Mollie - and we had a fun discussion about the best Premier League strikers ever: I said Alan Shearer before I had said Thierry Henry, which, jokingly, didn't go down too well with an Arsenal fan, although she's obviously biased thinking Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp are the best (hehe!)! I then started chatting with Glyn Moore and Jay about all different types of music, our favourite bands, and so forth, and it was really refreshing to hear Jay - who likes music ranging from classical to heavy metal - say that if he hears a song and likes it, then he really doesn't care what genre it's in, and I know that's a philosophy that Mollie and I agree with because of how we like everything from pop to metal, old or new. I also had chats with a couple more of Mollie's friends, Fiona Chatten and Cheryl Johnson, with topics including Sherlock (the brilliant TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman), The Beatles, and Nintendo games; it turned out that Mollie's friends like a lot of the same things as me, so there was plenty to chat about, and they really are a caring, fun and amazing group of people! So many of Mollie's family (way too many to name - sorry!) kindly introduced themselves, some briefly, some for longer, and I can only apologise to anybody that I didn't really talk to during the night, but hopefully there'll be times to correct that in the future. I didn't eat or drink too much, to be honest, due to nerves and whatnot, but I did have a lovely couple of pear ciders, and a Disaronno and coke from Mollie's secret stash (with her permission, of course)! It was about midnight before I had something to eat, but I did eventually enjoy a couple of hot dogs and burgers. I want to say a massive thank you to Kane and Larry for being on barbecue duty, the DJ, the whole of the Star family for putting in an insane amount of effort in order to host an unforgettable party, and everybody who came and enjoyed themselves regardless of the weather!
Horses in a field at the end of the Star family's back garden. On the day after the party, a load of us were feeding them apples, hence they had come over to say "hello"!
I left for home on Wednesday night, and Wednesday was one incredibly fantastic day, but more on that in a bit. I'm not going to lie, I really didn't do that much between Sunday and Tuesday, spending it all either in the garden or house, but it was still lovely. You see, even things like watching new episodes of Family Guy seems perfect when you're doing it with somebody you're in love with, and, in our case, somebody you don't see a huge amount. Be it watching TV, listening to music together, or enjoying each other's company in any other way, shape or form, it is truly bliss, and I wouldn't change it for the world; Mollie has truly become a best friend. Whilst I was still at the Star house, I was drinking leftover alcohol quite a bit, which was awesome, and we even had another barbecue on the Sunday: the lamb burger was phenomenal! On the Sunday was when I got the pictures of Shadow (the dog) and the horses.
Mollie and I's shadows at the end of Clacton Pier
Wednesday was always going to be a day that ultimately ended in sadness, but we were determined to make it a good one. Mollie and I got done whilst listening to some Elliot Minor (a band I absolutely love to bits and have seen live 3 times, including having written a blog entry about them, which you'll find on this blog. Mollie also loves them), and then caught a bus into Clacton town centre. I bought myself a new video game in GAME, we grabbed a drink in McDonald's, and then headed off to Snappy Snaps where I got an amazing photo frame for the photo of Mollie and I from when we were going on the London Eye (the very first time we met, which was scary, but it was just such a perfect day: I could write a whole blog on it!); Mollie has since bought the exact same photo frame! We then headed down to the end of Clacton Pier - somewhere I had never gone before - and, even with the wind attacking us, we shared a moment we will never ever forget; it was just one of those moments where the person you're with, the place you're at, and what you're doing, just all comes together to create perfection!
Wind farm off of Clacton Pier, with a seagull photobombing!
We met up with a few of Mollie's friends who I'd met at the party, who had kindly come out at short notice, for a meal and some drinks at "The Moon and Starfish" - a Wetherspoon's - before I had to say goodbye. I had some chicken strips and chips, with a Kopparberg strawberry and lime cider to drink, and Glyn got a couple of pitchers in containing "The Godfather"; which was made-up of Jack Daniel's whiskey, amaretto and Pepsi! It was a truly wonderful day and evening, but I had to say goodbye to Mollie's friends and head for Clacton train station. Jay kindly walked with Mollie and I to the station so that Mollie didn't have to walk back to the bar/restaurant by herself. He then gave Mollie and I a few minutes to ourselves, and knowing I'm leaving to a place that is over 3 hours away from where she is, is just a pain I can't even describe. I dried the tears from her eyes, gave her some kisses and cuddles, and shouted "I love you forever" before jumping on the 10:05pm to London Liverpool Street (followed by two more trains to get home). A huge thank you to Jay for supporting Mollie and helping her back to the comfort of all her friends. When I got home at around 1am, my older brother, Daniel Parfett, kindly came and picked me up from Reading Station in his new car.
I just wish to say an enormous thank you to all of Mollie's friends and family for being so lovely to me, Mollie's close family for putting up with me for 5 days and nights, and to Molls for being the most loving, sweet, amazing, fun, beautiful and thoughtful girl I have ever met in my life! <3 <3 <3 Without all of you, this trip wouldn't have been the unforgettable trip that it was! I'll be honest, I actually dove straight into writing some of this whilst on the trains home (yes, I really did start writing this that long ago!) because otherwise I'd have been in tears! I guess my initial point at the start of this blog can be broken down like this: short-term sadness, long-term happiness. Yes, Mollie and I are both a mess when we have to leave each other, but we'll see each other again, for many more perfect times! And, besides, what is it they say: "absence makes the heart grow fonder."
Above: the official logo of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. Below, left: the flags of the 32 countries that contested the World Cup, along with which group they were in
As I sit writing the start of this blog entry late at night, I find myself a little sad, sad because the World Cup is over and there now won't be football on the TV most nights; at least until the excitement of the English football leagues start again - with Premier League games on the TV, left, right and centre - and I return to going to watch live matches of my beloved Reading Football Club! But there's much more to my sadness than just that football won't, for now, be on the TV. You see, at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, after England (the team I support, obviously!) had been knocked out in the Round of 16 by Germany, I found myself not caring about the rest of the tournament that much. Yes, I still watched quite a few games, but I just don't recall the football being that exciting, with even the final being remembered for the way that the Netherlands kept fouling the Spanish, being lucky to only get one person sent off in the process! I guess it didn't help that there was a major incident in the match between England and Germany, an incident that still annoys me even when I see clips of it to this day; it was genuinely one of the worst officiating decisions I have ever seen in my life, when Frank Lampard's looping shot crossed the line - by some distance - yet somehow wasn't given by the officials, despite the rest of the world seeing it was a goal (thank heavens they introduced goal-line technology in Brazil!)! Oh, and how annoying were the vuvuzelas!? The one thing I won't doubt, though, is that the South African people had amazing spirit and did put on a successful World Cup, but I just think that Brazil has been on a whole different level, for the one reason that truly matters: the action on the pitch.
I'm not going to go into anything that happened off the pitch - although, having said that, despite talk of potential rioting and trouble during the World Cup, due to the problems in Brazil, this never really happened, with a party atmosphere being the order of the day. Within the first few days, you could tell this was going to be a special tournament, with attacking football being on show in so many games, and underdogs showing that they were completely up for the fight. The very first game showed me things that I both wanted to see, and things that I didn't want to see. Especially in the first half of the opening match, Brazil v Croatia, I felt that Croatia - the underdog against a team who some believed could win it - had been the better team, deservedly taking a 0-1 lead, but how this match ended up 3-1 to Brazil is down to two mistakes by the officials, with one being due to an act of cheating, both of which I was hoping to not really see at this World Cup, and fortunately both were fairly rare in the tournament. I believe that Fred went down way too easily for Brazil's penalty, and that Croatia's disallowed goal should have been allowed, both of which could've provided a whole different result. In these first few days, I had witnessed passion, exciting football, and players who genuinely cared about representing their countries. The incredible passion with which the teams would belt out their National Anthems at the start of every match, especially when I first heard Brazil do it - the music stops, but the fans (so many of them littered every stadium, whether Brazil were playing or not) and players continue to sing - it was truly a spine-tingling moment to behold!
Netherlands' first goal: Robin van Persie's phenomenal diving header
On only the second night of the tournament, one of the best matches of the whole of the 2014 World Cup occured, and I found myself having to pick my jaw up off the floor. Spain v Netherlands was truly a match I will never forget, and it seemed like it was going to be just as I'd expected as the current World Champions (at the time), Spain, went 1-0 up, but the Netherlands were not just going to give up. Just on the stroke of half-time occurs one of the many beautiful goals of the tournament (not up there with James Rodriguez's volley against Uruguay, but more on that later!), as Daley Blind sends a stunning pass over the top of the Spanish defence, Robin van Persie leaves Sergio Ramos behind, launching himself, 15 yards from goal, to loop a diving header over the top of a fantastic goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. The Dutch went on to score 4 more goals during the second half, with the fifth being another amazing goal, this time by Arjen Robben, one of the best players at the tournament, in my opinion. Running from his own half, on to a through ball from Wesley Sneijder, completely outpacing Ramos, before turning back on himself to round the keeper and expertly finish past the two Spanish defenders on the line, making the score 5-1 and leaving everybody watching the match absolutely speechless.
Who'd have thought that the Netherlands would beat Spain 5-1!? And yet there was an even more jaw-dropping match to come in this unforgettable World Cup
On the third day, we would witness two teams who would eventually go on to make the quarter-finals, Colombia and Costa Rica, with the former being very impressive and exciting to watch, and the latter shocking the world by topping a group that consisted of Italy, England and Uruguay. I could genuinely reel off a huge list of games that kept me rivetted during the group stages. I won't talk too much about my beloved England getting knocked out at the group stage with only 1 point, but, at the same time, you won't hear me say anything bad about them, either, as I believe we played an attacking style of football that was sometimes great to watch, and I'm glad that a load of youngsters (Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge, Ross Barkley, etc.) got the chance to play, and they'll all be better players for having experienced what they have at this World Cup; future tournaments could be very interesting for us, I believe.
Many other memorable matches came and went during the group stages, including the games that had the two hat-tricks that were scored at the tournament: Thomas Muller in the Germany v Portugal match (4-0), and Xherdan Shaqiri in the Switzerland v Honduras match (3-0). Three other matches that stood out for me during the group stages were: the French beating a great Switzerland team by 5 goals to 2, with all 5 goals scored by different players - Olivier Giroud, Blaise Matuidi, Mathieu Valbuena, Karim Benzema and Moussa Sissoko - although, had the final whistle been blown just a few seconds later, Benzema would've had another goal, as he sent a lovely curling shot from 20-yards, past Diego Benaglio and into the top left-hand corner of the net. The USA v Portugal match stands out for me because, whilst not in any way truly stunning, it was a match where you thought there was going to be a shock. The Portuguese went 0-1 up very early with a Nani strike, and the USA's way back into the game was another fantastic goal at this tournament: the ball falls to Jermaine Jones about 25-yards from goal, he sidesteps Nani, before unleashing a blistering shot which looks like it's going wide, before incredibly curving into the far right-hand side of the goal, leaving Beto rooted in the centre of the goal. The USA went 2-1 up thanks to Clint Dempsey, and would've won the game if not for a last-minute equaliser by Silvestre Varela, after a perfect cross from Cristiano Ronaldo, who had been quiet up until then, and one of the tournament's disappointing players. Another match which I liked was the Colombia v Japan game, as it made me think that we could have a serious dark horse here, who could potentially go the distance. It's just one of the 5 matches that Colombia played, on their way to the quarter-finals, in which James Rodriguez - the player of the tournament (yep, I said it - not you, Messi!) - shined, and proved himself to be an absolute world-class talent (and it's come to fruition that Real Madrid have signed him for about 90 million Euros, in what will be the best signing of the summer!)!
Unfortunately, there was an incident that I never wish to
see on a football pitch, or anywhere, for that matter! To see a football
player, Luis Suarez, bite another football player, Giorgio Chiellini, on the
biggest stage of all, with hundreds of millions of people watching around the
world, including impressionable kids who look up to their heroes, was
absolutely horrifying! I'm not going to say too much on the matter (and I'm not
putting any pictures or videos of the incident on my blog, but anybody who has
seen the images/videos will know he did it), as I'd rather talk about the
amazing football, but I believe he deserved his punishment (feel free to
disagree with me) - the money punishment won't affect him one bit (100,000
Swiss Francs), but not being able to play football for 4 months certainly will
- as it's a complete act of thuggery. We'll soon see whether or not he's
learned his lesson, but he had also done it two times before - on Branislav
Ivanovic in a Premier League match against Chelsea in 2013, whilst playing for
Liverpool; and on Otman Bakkal in an Eredivisie match against PSV Eindhoven in
2010, whilst playing for Ajax - so, we'll see. I think what really annoyed me
is that his Uruguayan team-mates/coach/president stuck up for him, which, in a
way, is admirable, but how can you really stick up for somebody after they've
done something like that!? I believe they were only sticking up for their star
player because they knew they had no chance without him, and that was true, as
they were played off the park by Colombia in a one-sided Round of 16 match. The
way I think about it is like this: how would I feel if a Reading (or England)
player did this? I'd be completely shocked, disgusted, disappointed,
embarrassed and angry, and not want him to play for my favourite football team
again. Fair play to him for admitting to it and apologising, because it takes guts to do that, but there were rumours that Barcelona said they wouldn't buy him unless he apologised and said that it won't happen ever again. Anyhow, I really hope he does get his act together, because there's no
denying that he's a world-class talent who is very exciting to watch, and he
was easily one of the best players in the world during last season, helping
Liverpool to second in the league, just 2 points shy of Manchester City; in
this time, he scored 31 goals for Liverpool, none of which were penalties, and
won the Barclays Player of the Season award, even though he missed 10 games at
the start of the season for, ummm... biting!
During the Round of 16 matches occured my favourite goal of the tournament: James Rodriguez's unbelievable volley against Uruguay (viewable in the video over to the right. Footage is taken by a fan, as most videos that contain match footage get taken down from YouTube by FIFA)! The way the Colombia player positions himself in the space between Uruguay's defence and midfield, 25-yards out, takes a look towards the goal as the ball is headed to him, before chesting the ball and unleashing an unstoppable left-footed strike off the underside of the bar and into the goal, was simply stunning to watch, and a piece of brilliance that will be remembered for years to come. It's one of those goals where you look around the room to make sure everybody saw it, and that they weren't staring at their phones or something (something which I'll admit I'm occasionally guilty of!), and if somebody isn't in the room, you shout, "get in here quickly, you have to see this goal!!" I believe this was the best goal of the tournament, and by the best player of the tournament, too. Other goals that stand out in my mind, include: three that I've already mentioned - Jones (USA) against Portugal; van Persie's (Netherlands) first goal, and Robben's (Netherlands) second goal, both against Spain - with Tim Cahill's sensational volley against the Netherlands certainly being up amongst my favourites. Despite not being as good as Rodriguez's left-footed volley, and being about 10-yards closer to goal, what makes this incredibly impressive is that it was struck with Cahill's weaker foot. Shaqiri's first goal against Honduras was an absolute belter, Andre Schurlle's second against Brazil was amazing, and Lionel Messi's beautiful goal against Iran was needed to prevent an unlikely shock result (if I've forgotten any fantastic goals - and I no doubt have, as there were many beautiful goals at this World Cup - please fill me in in the comments section below this blog entry).
How Messi got player of the tournament (the Golden Ball), I'll never know, as I could name so many players who were better than him; hell, many of the German team were better than him, and I'd even include Schurlle in that statement, as he did so much - scored three goals, as well as setting up Gotze for the World Cup winning goal - and yet only came on as a substitute in every game that he participated in! But, being more serious, the player of the tournament was Rodriguez, followed by Muller, then Robben, in my opinion. They were the three players who excited me the most during the tournament; they were setting up goals, scoring memorable goals, and being entertaining. I'm certainly not saying that Messi wasn't good, and maybe it's because we expect so much from one of the finest football players to ever grace the planet, but he just wasn't as amazing as I thought he'd be, and was outshone by quite a few other players. James Rodriguez scored 6 goals in 5 matches, picking up the Golden Boot, scoring my favourite goal of the tournament, and earning himself a 90 million (Euros) move to Real Madrid! Seeing him come on as a substitute for the second half of Colombia's match against Japan, score one and set-up two Jackson Martinez goals, was simply amazing. His goal in this match was sublime: he points to where he wants the ball, then gets the through ball from Adrian Ramos; runs into the Japan box, turns right then quickly left, leaving Maya Yoshida on his backside; before exquisitely lifting the ball over Eiji Kawashima and into the back of the net.
Manuel Neuer, the best goalkeeper at the World Cup
I don't think many people would disagree with Manuel Neuer getting the Golden Glove (although, maybe he should've also been up for the Golden Ball award given how much he comes out of his goal!), and I don't think many people would argue that he's the best goalkeeper in the world. The biggest surprise, in terms of goalkeepers, came from Costa Rica's Keylor Navas, a goalkeeper I hadn't heard of before seeing him at this World Cup. In all honesty, I could mention so many goalkeepers that were brilliant, because so much of the football was so incredibly attacking, the goalkeepers really had the chance to shine. Tim Howard is a world record holder for his amount of saves, 15, during the USA match against Belgium, a Round of 16 match which got very exciting when USA were fighting to get back into the match in extra time, pulling one goal back - thanks to Julian Green's volley, after a lovely pass by Michael Bradley - but couldn't get the second that they needed. A mention has to go to Tim Krul, who didn't play during normal match time in any game, but was boldly brought on by the Netherlands coach, Louis van Gaal (and now the Manchester United coach), for the quarter-final penalty shootout against Costa Rica, and proceeded to save two penalties, helping the Netherlands through to the semi-finals - although, I wasn't hugely impressed by his antics towards the Costa Rica players just prior to their penalties being taken, but the referee took no action, and you do what you have to do to get through; mind games can be a huge part of many sports!
The best match of the knockout stages, and the most staggering match of the whole tournament, is an obvious one: Greece v Costa Rica... but, seriously, Germany v Brazil, of course! It was one of those matches where it almost became laughable - unless you're a Brazil fan - as scorelines of this nature just do not occur in the later stages of tournaments. The Germans absolutely embarrassed the Brazilians, with no remorse, breaking records left, right and centre as the match progressed: scoring the most goals, 7, in any World Cup semi-final; becoming the highest-scoring team at World Cups, with 223 goals in total, surpassing Brazil (really rubbing salt in the wound with this one!); and scoring 5 goals in the first 29 minutes of a World Cup match! In the 11th minute, Germany took the lead through a cool Muller finish from a Kroos corner, with the marking from Brazil's defence being ridiculously poor; to not mark one of the best players of the whole tournament - a player who's incredibly clinical and had already netted 4 goals in the tournament - is just shocking. Then, truthfully, this match was over as a contest in the space of 179 crazy seconds, as that was the [very short] time between Germany's second and fourth goals, and then it was a case of whether Brazil were going to restore some pride, or if Germany went and scored more: it was the latter of the two. The second goal was also a record breaker - albeit an individual one, not a team one - as Miroslav Klose's goal was his 16th World Cup goal in 23 matches, and 16 goals is a record that overtakes the Brazil legend, Ronaldo. Another of Real Madrid's signings, Toni Kroos, added the 3rd and 4th goals, before Khedira made it 5, with Brazil fans looking on in disbelief, shock, and some already in tears! Yes, these goals were partly due to Germany's brilliant attacking football, but so much was to do with Brazil's abysmal defending; everybody knew they were going to miss the amazing Thiago Silva, but nobody knew it would be this much. Also, with Neymar out, they lacked any sort of flair or spark going forward, which are the sort of things you expect to see from a great Brazil team, but this Brazil aren't a great Brazil team, unfortunately. Easily the best sub of the tournament, Schurlle, came on to score the 6th and 7th goals, with the latter being a brilliant strike. Oscar did get one back for Brazil, but, by this time, it really didn't matter. The Germans had been building up to a match like this, looking like one of the most impressive teams in the tournament, now they had to go on and win it, surely?
Germany celebrating winning the 2014 World Cup!
And it's obviously no secret that they did go on to win it (the picture above is hardly a spoiler!), but the final was far from the excitement that we had witnessed in that semi-final. The first thing I think of is that I bet Gonzalo Higuain wishes he could have back his first half chance which he squandered. Early in the second half, Messi had a chance, but he put his shot wide with his usually deadly left foot. Before the match, the talented midfielder Sami Khedira got injured in training, so the Germans replaced him with Christoph Kramer, who got a blow to the head and replaced by Schurlle. The Germans never let this bother them, though, and it was in fact the man that I have deemed "best sub of the tournament" that set-up the World Cup winning goal: Schurlle bursts down the left wing past two Argentinian players, crosses the ball in-between two players, and into Gotze, who sublimely chests the ball and then, on the stretch, lofts it over Sergio Romero with his left foot, for the sort of technically-beautiful goal you'd want to see win a World Cup that has just been so interesting, unpredictable and unforgettable! Yes, it wasn't perfect: any game that involved Greece wasn't exactly rivetting, Cameroon and South Korea were pretty boring and poor, and Belgium - despite all their phenomenal players, like Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Axel Witsel, etc. - failed to excite me, despite reaching the quarter-finals; rubbish games did exist, but very rarely. I'm only 27, so not old enough to have seen England's stunning 1966 World Cup win, but this has definitely been the best World Cup I have ever witnessed during my time on this planet. There were teams who did much better than expected - like Costa Rica, Algeria, etc.; there were goals that will forever replay in my mind; there were matches that were so mind-blowing, that if somebody didn't know the result and you told them, they'd think you were lying to them! The only way this World Cup could've been better is if England had done better, but, still, from the point of a massive football fan, I'm glad I wrote this blog, as I will forever be able to relive this classic World Cup!
Let me know what you think! Best goal of the tournament? Best player? Best goalkeeper? Best match? Best team? Biggest surprise? What you thought of the tournament? Thanks for reading, it's hugely appreciated! :) <3
The World Cup trophy along with the official ball of the 2014 World Cup Brazil
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