Crisis in the slow lane

A bit of an unpleasant surprise has surfaced regarding my trip to Sicily.

I was talking to Giovanna, asking if she had sorted out where we are going to stay. She was sorting it out with Alessio, due to them both being Sicilian. I stressed that it was only a week until we are due to come over to Sicily. She then said it was more like a month. This provoked a confused reaction in me due to my flight being on the 22nd June. She then went on to inform me that all our other friends have booked flights for the 22nd JULY and that she won't even be in Sicily on the dates I'll be there.

I don't recall ever facepalming harder than in this moment.

Due to the fact that we booked the flights together, thankfully Lucy is on the same flight as me on the 22nd June. When we booked the flights we checked and double checked that the 22nd June was the right date. I really don't know how this misunderstanding came about.

By the grace of the gods, Alessio will be in Sicily when me and Lucy are there. So, although we won't get to see all of our other friends for the last time in quite some time, at least he may be able to find us somewhere to stay. If there's no room at his inn then we will probably have to seek out a hostel.. or something.

Had I foreseen this mistake, I would have said my goodbyes to them all properly the last time I saw them in Cardiff. I merely said goodbye to them all like it was just another day, thinking I would see them all in Sicily.

Oh well. I'm sure I'll see them again.

I hope.

And at least I still get to go.

Broken Embraces

I like the idea of exam period being the last thing before the summer. It's a kind of poetic idea of that last final push where you consolidate all your efforts to reach the reward on the other side.

My days have been kind of blending into one, like watercolours on a spoiled canvas making a dark mess. The concept of time has gone out of the window recently.

I've never been the type to stick to revision timetables which would have provided some reference point as to what time it is (i.e. when I'm revising a certain topic I know what time it is due to the timetable). Instead I just tumble out of bed too late and end up with my head in a book an hour or so later. This revision is interspersed with eating, a few brief chats with flatmates and, at the end of the day, perhaps some Xbox with Nick and Ben (my male flatmates for readers who don't know me) or a film, followed by sleep.

This has been my 'routine', one big continuous week where every day has felt the same. The furthest I have been in the last week is the Tesco superstore across the road.

Ben came up with a new rule recently to make FIFA more entertaining when we play it. If one of us loses by five goals or more they have to run around the building once in their underwear, doing an extra lap for every goal more than five scored. Needless to say, I lost.

So it was off with the kegs and round the building I went. Ben went round with me doing his three laps he owed us from back when he lost 8-0 before we made the rule where we add a goal for each lap.

Tonight I watched Los Abrazos Rotos, or Broken Embraces to you folk. It's Almodóvar's most recent film that I'd been wanting to see for ages. It's pretty good. Penelope Cruz's tits are in it so I was in.

Sam

A slice of home

In honour of the recent string of sunny days we've been having, we had a barbecue today. We went to Bute Park, this lovely great park a stone's throw from our halls. It was me, Lucy, Darshni, Darshni's boyfriend Dan and a handful of their friends. We were sat there in a circle with our instant barbecue's and our burgers and buns. It served as both a precursor of what I have to look forward to this summer and also brought memories of last summer rushing back. We were all so independent back home in Plymouth last summer; with our cars, on the beach every other day and night. And tonight reminded me of those summers back home. Especially the next part.

When the sun had gone down and the flames on the barbecue had done the same, the coals slowly smouldering away, embers gently twinkling as the breeze caught them in the dark twilight air, we decided to fill the barbecues with some little twigs, working our way up to bigger sticks until we had built ourselves an ever-growing fire as we took trip after trip to get more sticks. Everyone had left the park by this point and a few members of our group had peeled off and gone home, leaving the eight of us there, in a circle, snuggled in blankets, my speakers blasting out music, providing a soundtrack to the conversation and crackling of firewood. It was absolute bliss.

I had pangs of nostalgia of those summer nights on the beach back home, this feeling an all too familiar scene to me. I sat there in my element, warming my hands on the fire, drinking cheap rum, a simple coastal town boy in his comfort zone, surrounded by big city-folk to whom this was a rarity. I felt miles away from everything; a safe and secure isolation from everyone outside of our paradise. For those few hours we were the only people in the world, sat around those comforting flames under a sky speckled with stars, a moment so perfect in its simplicity and intimacy. The kind of moment that brings friends closer. Moth's Wings by Passion Pit came on at one stage on the speakers while we were all laid there around the fire. It was the perfect song for a perfect night. Have a listen and imagine you're laying there. We're definitely going to do it again soon.



Of course, we then had to return back to the real world and burst our relaxing little bubble of carelessness; back to the lights of civilisation and the noises of the city. But now here I sit typing this in my humble, cosy little box room, where a night of slumber awaits me.

The only thing tonight was missing was the sand and sea, something which I will be able indulge myself in when I finally reach this well-earned and fast approaching summer. On the topic of summer, after discovering that I won't be going to Spain with Allin any more, I have discussed travel plans for the summer with Lucy. We might be going hitch-hiking around Spain and..... Italy! Her having lived in Spain before helps because she will be able to show me all the best places and secure us places to stay with friends in Spain and Italy. So, whatever happens, it should be a good summer. Provided I get through these exams.


Sam

Poker Face

I just played poker with the boys. I was doing really badly for the first half but then, as the underdog, came back and fleeced everybody. Here are my chips.

That right there is a pile of victory.

I went to town today, got a haircut and bought Final Fantasy XIII and a Manchester United home shirt. It felt good to be back in my city. In the words of Elbow, "Coming home I feel like I designed these buildings I walk by". 

In other news, I have fallen in love with another song. It is so simple yet so sincere. It brings feelings of nostalgia, both happy and sad, and I think I want to have it played at my funeral. The thing is, I don't think people at my funeral will want to sit through the 9 minute length of the song. Well here it is anyway.

Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger


I am off to Italy on Tuesday. I am brimming with excitement!


Sam

First Hurdle

I had my Italian history exam today.
I sailed through it I think. The question I had ruthlessly prepared came up. So I basically just regurgitated my pre-prepared material from my brain onto paper.
In search of some form of celebration, me and Lucy decided to head to The Woodville for a couple pints and some lunch. We were joined by Giovanna, Momin and Lucy's friend, Rosie. It was nice to have a little moment of relaxation. I should be going to a party with my Erasmus student friends tonight.
Then tomorrow it's back to religious studying for my Education exam on Monday.

Sorry guys. Not much to blog about right now. There isn't much interesting going on my life as of late due to exams being at the forefront of everything.

Home

 So, yesterday I returned to my motherland of Plymouth. It's brilliant to be back. I feel a sense of familiarity paired with an odd sense of unfamiliarity simultaneously.

Exiting the A38 and entering Plympton, I gazed upon those old paths and streets in which I grew up with a smile and a feeling of returning to see an old friend after a long time apart.

I invited my friends Sherwin and Luke to my house for a few beers. I picked them up in my car, having not driven for 3 months, which was, to say the least, interesting! When we got to mine, I instantly slipped back into our old ways, catching up, laughing and joking. I feel like, with all my friends down here, no matter how long I go away for, our friendship will always remain strong. Within minutes I was brought up to speed with what I had missed and it was as if I had never left.

I would have liked more friends to have come over but, what with them being broke and due to me inviting everyone on such short notice, it was only the three of us.

We went to the end of the street to catch a bus into town at about 11PM. As the bus came to a stop for us, the engine went off which made me think 'I swear they usually leave the bus running to let people on'. We boarded and, sure enough,the driver was fiddling with the controls attempting in futility to restart the bus, spurred on by a flashing battery light on the dashboard. Are they called dashboards in buses or is that just cars? Alas, I digress.

So, there we were stood, faced with a smattering of puzzled looking passengers, very aware that if the bus hadn't stopped for us it would probably still be functioning.

We abandoned the broken bus and called a taxi to town. It was a good night, not too crazy; which gave us time to have a good old catch up.

Since studying at Cardiff and being around lots of international students, my confidence socially in other languages has really improved. I was in a club called Firefly and a Spanish word popped up on my radar, at which time my ears pricked up and tuned in. Upon discerning that it was indeed Spanish that they were speaking, I approached the group while Luke and Sherwin were at the bar and started chatting to them in Spanish. This is something I would rarely dare to attempt with English people as we live in such a reserved society where people are closed up in their little cliques with no thought of talking to others, unless they are hammered and want to grind against each other's sweaty bodies. The Spanish people were really nice and I even got one of their numbers so I can text them to meet up again when we're all out.

Due to the lack of numbers last night, we're doing it all again tonight.

It's good to be back!

Today has been a good day

Today has been the climactic conclusion of a culmination of processes to contribute to my own personal well-being. After such a manic week last week of putting in hours and hours so I could get assessments in by deadlines, I had a rethink of everything in my life; what could be tweaked, changed and what could be thrown out; what I wasn't doing enough of and what I was doing too much of.
In the process of doing so, I made the list in my previous post and so this week I have been fulfilling this list. On a side note, has anybody seen 'The Bucket List'? That's a good film. I want to do that when I'm older, make a list of all the thing I would like to have done and just go out and do them.
Here are some of the things I've been doing:This was a party with a load of Spanish, Italian, French and Greek Erasmus exchange students. It was a brilliant night to celebrate my Spanish friend Gael's (the guy with his arm in the air) 23rd birthday at his flat. The only people I knew there were Gael, Alessio (Italian guy, bottom right with glasses on) and Christian (German guy, top right) who live together in the flat. I met a lot of people and it was a very fun party which was different to the usual parties due to all the languages being spoken. I learned some funny drinking chants such as 'Bevilo tutto! Bevilo tutto!' (Italian for 'Drink it all! Drink it all!) and 'Vamonos de fiesta' (Literally means 'Let's go party' in Spanish). The hangover in the morning was a killer but it was worth it!


'Bombón el Perro' is an Argentinian film I watched with a cloudy head the next day. It's a pleasant film with lovable characters with which the audience can empathise. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Yes, I caved. Like every other boy I bought Modern Warfare 2.

Anyway, back to the part I mentioned at the start of this post, the main event, the headline act after this smattering of support acts if you will: Today I quit my job! I have quit my job at Maplin City Road and so next week is my last weekend. I believe celebrations will be in order.
What's more my boss from Maplin in Plymouth is still letting me work temporarily there over the Christmas period.
So after next weekend, all my weekends in Cardiff will be as free as a bird giving me more time for work and more time for play. As for money, I have that sorted :).
Well, I'll leave you with a first, a nice song for whoever chose to delve through this wall of text. Since the only person who will have read this is Nathan, I will choose a song that is pirate as fuck because he likes pirates. So here it is, Biffy Clyro's new single: The Captain.

Biffy Clyro - The Captain