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.

Shoutout Sunday #2: Nepal earthquake heroes: the deceased, rescue workers, and those who survived against the odds

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:

Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.uk/
DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee): http://www.dec.org.uk/
Save The Children: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/
Oxfam: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/
Unicef: http://maintenance.unicef.org.uk/
International Medical Corps: https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=2962

My First "Shoutout Sunday": The Perfect Peter Machin

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

"Future Hearts" by All Time Low album review

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!)

Chorus