Day 4 - Loving Every Minute

Hey all!
Just, first things first, the Lighthouse Family reference in the title does have some relevance, and yes, I did have to use Wikipedia to find it. Just so no-one thinks I've started liking Lighthouse Family. Good. OK, no treading water today. You know what this is. Here it comes...

Today it was Maddy and Emily's turn to work, so after breakfast Vanessa and I stayed with Mrs Kelman to pay the bill. With this done, and our hydration levels sufficiently topped up, we headed down the Gran Via to the palace nearby. The walk was quite relaxing, and definitely a wise choice over the frantic Metro. As always, the people-watching was fascinating, especially watching all the tourists making fools of themselves!
The palace itself, whilst not quite as spectacular as the Hermitage, was nevertheless an incredible building, and its gardens were also quite interesting. Strangely, all the shaped hedges had bits sticking out of them - if I was the King, that would annoy me no end! Also, there was a lack of any real colour - it was all greenery and no flowers. However, despite this, it was quite peaceful, and we felt relaxed as we waited for Miss Tingle.
A short whil later she appeared out of the blue, and together we got some ice-cream from the royal heladeria! (That's ice-cream shop, for all you english-speakers). I got 'chocolate truffle' flavour which, to be honest, was just chocolate by any other name. Vanessa's, white chocolate, sounded much tastier, as she described it as "like melthed Milkybar buttons". She'll be a food critic yet! Anyway, as we worked our way through the ice-creams, we walked down past the palace and its neighbouring cathedral, both looking suitably elaborate, but we couldn't tell whether the King was in or not.
So after this, we headed back in the general direction of the shops. Vanessa was in the mood for fashion shopping again, and I didn't have anything better to do, having already hit the Fnac, so I tagged along, and actually () it was quite good fun. We killed some time doing this, and then headed briefly back to the hostel to sort out a few bits and bobs, including giving Vanessa her birthday present! It's a bit early, I know, but I'm not sure I'm going to make her party in the holidays. I don't know if she's opened it yet, but I hope she likes it!
Eventually we met up with the teachers and went to collect Maddy and Emily from the shop. On the way I managed to bore Vanessa to death trying unsuccessfully to find some cheap sunglasses in El Corte Ingles. In the end, we all assembled and went for lunch in the usual place. We managed to eat up most of our provisions, but then got attacked by a pair of wasps who had decided to steal our yoghurts!
With (most of) lunch safely on its way to our tummies, we headed to the bernabeu stadium, home of Real Madrid FC, officially the best football team of the 20th century. And you can see why - rows upon rows upon rows of trophies, of every shape and form! They even had a Real Madrid bible! Half the pitch was being relaid when we were there, so no-one was doing any warm-up exercises. You'll probably know by now that I'm not the biggest football fan in the world, but even I was amazed by the scale of the building and its contents. I couldn't really tell you what was significant and what wasn't, as I wasn't quite sure what to look for, but there was an exhibition about Mr Bernabeu, who designed the stadium. That was quite interesting.
Anyway, it was then back to Gran Via for some retail therapy for the girls. Unfortunately, after some kind of kerfuffle in which I managed to lose Emily along with all faith in my until-now invincible mobile, I ended up at the Hostal and the others ended up in some nice cafe somewhere. Woah, what happened there?? Luckily, after a short wait, we all managed to meet up and my phone started working again, reluctantly (must be going through the grumpy teenager phase). Buildings in the way, that must have been it. So for the rest of the day I was randomly recieving backlogged texts from Vanessa. That was confusing, to say the least!
So, whith the group back together, we left for another local tapas place. This seemed much more traditional than the last one, despite Lighthouse Family murmuring away in the background - cripes, that was a blast from the past! We ordered five or six dishes between us, as well as a jug (or a carafe, whatever) of sangria, which was actually quite enjoyable, considering it was alcohol! I should add it to the list of alcoholic drinks that I like.
It didn't take us long to dismantle the selection. My favourite was the three cheese salad, because it had an curious mix of flavours, but to be honest I could quite happily have eaten more of any of them. Unfortunately, however, it was soon time to pay the bill, and we were moving on. Our next stop was a restaurant specialising in churros! (Pay attention, Mum!) It was relatively quiet when we entered, but apparently it gets busier very late at night. The waiter brough over a plate of churros and a couple of cups of what looked like molten chocolate. This made me grin, as (you may have read!) we saw this sort of "churros chocolate" being made last time I was in Spain. What surprised me was that the churros themselves were straight, whereas I expected them to be more knot-shaped, like a pretzel, I guess. Four things were for sure: They were very rich, very sweet, very fattening - and very tasty!
It took us even less time to devour the pastries, and before we knew it we were retracing our steps to the hostel. As tomorrow was Sunday, we were allowed a lie in, and I adjusted my alarm clock accordingly, before turning out the lights once more.

Wahey, that was quite a fun (and food) filled day, but I'm sure it'll be even better TOMORROW, when we hit the Rastro, Zaraphobia sets in, and (shock horror!) some actual Spaish revision gets done! Don't believe me? Tune in tomorrow!

Jack

P.S. Live, Massa! LIVE!!

Day 3 - Metro, Boulot, Dodo.

Me again, gang!
Sorry about the lack of post yesterday; I was busy failing epically at Wii golf. But it doesn't matter, 'cause I'm back now, and I've brought with me the next instalment in the Madrid diary! I know I promised to stop treading water before each one, but for some reason I can't help it. Never mind, I'll let past me speak for himself.

Today was the day Vanessa and I started work! I woke fairly early and slipped on my smart work kit, before accompanying the otehrs to the same restaurant as yesterday, where I chose to have a pain au chocolat for lack of something more Spanish (they had Churros, but I figured they were more of a desert than a breakfast). The orange juice with it was freshly-squeezed, making it all the more enjoyable! Afterwards, we left the others to pay the bills and took the same Metro line as we had taken yesterday to meet the twins, only this time, there was no chance to dawdle in El Corte Ingles, as we had a job to do! After the short walk up the street, we stepped inside the shop again and were introduced to Susana, the shop manager. Mer and another lady whose name I have forgotten showed us around the various products on sale. The idea of the shop is to promote fair trade by selling products from all over the world, from South America to Saudi Arabia, and of all different shapes and sizes, from jewellery to children's books, which I was tempted to buy and read myself!
Anyway, having been shown briefly around the shop itself, our first job was to bring up more stock from the secret underground base (there really was a secret underground base, honest!), and between Vanessa's brilliant organisational skills and my... um... muscles, perhaps?... we had the job done in no time! Having done that, we were tasked with tidying the various bags on display to look more inviting to customers, and putting the kids' books in a better order (I think Vanessa may have got a little annoyed at my fastidiousness!"No, that one's a different size to that one, so it can't be from the same series...")
Throughout the course of the day, we were introduced to many more names and faces which didn't neccessarily go together. We had tea with maria and discussed school, learnt about what happens to donations with Alicia on reception, and found out more about their various campaigns with tthe important lady whose name I also can't remember! With so many people, it was hard to know what to say to each, but as far as the Spanish was concerned, I managed to understand most of what was being said.
So after we'd met all these people, we were shown how to use the till, which was faairly straightforward, although I've got to remember that when someone buys multiples of an item, it is not enough to simply scan each one individually! I also helped to ensure that the jewellery display was as complete as possible, which took quite a while as there were a lot of boxes! Surprisingly quickly, however, the time had gone, and Miss Tingle was here to collect us.
We said our goodbyes and walked back down the street, meeting up with Maddy, Emily and Mrs Kelman outside El Corte Ingles. We all headed on to the park where we had had lunch yesterday. Lunch today was generally the same as yesterday, some sandwiched, some yoghurt, some fruit and some crisps. When everyone was happy that they'd eaten enough, we metroed (there you go, invented a new word! "To metro". Tick!) up to a fairly nearby swimming pool. It was too busy there to get much done, but I managed to rack up a few lengths before I decided to get out of harm's way and people-watch with Vanessa instead. That was quite relaxing.
So, after a lazy afternoon at the pool, we headed back to the Hostal to freshen up for the evening. At about eight-ish we assembled again and headed out to the cinema to watch Ice Age in Spanish! Having already seen the English version (VO, version original... I think LOVG did a song about that once...), I found it quite easy to follow what was being said. Unfortunately, the Spanish dub for Simon Pegg was rubbish, but apart from that, I'd say they got the voices about right. Sid's was a little deep perhaps, but not noticeably so. One interesting thing was that the movie - which was due to start at quarter past - actually began at half past! More evidence for the mysterious phenomenon that is Spanish Time!
We ended the day in a buffet restaurant, where I enjoyed, among other things, the first squid rings of the trip! I must admit, nothing yet has beaten the Australian ones, but these came close. Once everyone was finished and happy, we took a slow walk back to the hostel, and turned in for the night, well and truly exhausted!

Another day, another..... something beginning with d? Never mind, that was quite an interesting day. If you thought that was it, though, don't get your hopes up, because we're only just halfway through! TOMORROW you can look forward to the royal treatment (again), more retail therapy and a gargantuan gastronomical gamut! Hehehe... I love that word, gamut. I don't use it often enough. Yeah, I know, treading water! 'Night, gang!

Jack

Day 2 - Keep On Walking!

Welcome back everyone!
I know yesterday's entry might have been a little boring, but hopefully today will make up for that! Rather than trying to tread water for an extra paragraph as I seem to be doing here, I'll let you get right on in and experience what we got up to on the second day of our Madrid experience... Enjoy!

This morning I woke myself up with a refreshing shower and joined the others at a local branch of another chain cafe called Zahara. I was goood with my foood today, staying with yoghurt, banana and orange juice, but the size of those pain au chocolats makes them soooo tempting!
Anyway, today happened to be Maddy and Emily's shift at the shop, which gave Vanessa, Mrs Kelman and I the chance to wander aimlessly around the streets of Madrid. Eventually we spotted a photo opportunity in the form of two fountains and a rather small and rather closed market. After taking a couple of snaps, we met back up with Miss Tingle and went for lemonades (or Fanta Lemons, as they are here) at a nearby bar. It's a good job she knew where she was going, because I wouldn't have had a clue with all those back alleys!
After plenty of time soaking in the ambience, we split again and Vanessa and I had the opportunity to do a spot of shopping. We went into the Fnac, which is basically a continental version of HMV, the Apple store, Borders and Toys 'r' Us combined, first, and although I didn't buy anything, I did notice a couple of interesting things I might return for later in the week. In H&M, Vanessa spotted, and bought, a dress and scarf she liked the look of, and though I know very little about fashion, they look like the sort of clothes that would suit her.
When we were bored of shopping we met back up with the teachers and set off to pick up Maddy and Emily. The Metro linea 3 runs straight from Sol to Arguelles, the nearest station to the shop. We had time to kill, and so enjoyed a fun exercise in reaching the top of the nearest Corte Ingles, (the 7th floor, no less), just to get to the toilets, and then working back down again. Not great, but it filled time. I also got some batteries, beause I knew that at some point, someone, somewhere, would need them! It is the nature of school trips.
After a short hike down the street, we arrived at the Intermon Oxfam shop where we would all be working. The shop is full of random nik-naks and miscellanea, and from what I've seen I'm going to enjoy working here tomorrow. So anyway, from there we stepped out to a nearby park to have a typical picnic lunch. From THERE it was a short walk back to the Metro, and a few stops further to the Hostal, where we could sort a few things and have a quick rest before we set off on a longer walk which took us past the magnificent Correos (post office) building, various government departments, and the headquarters of the army, before we stopped in Retiro park, the central park of Madrid. Within the park, we saw a massive pond full of colourful fish, the only statue to the devil in the worl (I think, if I've got my facts right), and a humungous conservatory, with nothing really inside. Must have the mother of all dead fly problems though.
By this time, spirits were flagging, so we took a circuitous route back to the Hostal to have a siesta and smarten up for the evening meal. I knew that if I stayed as I was I would be incongruously underdressed, so I showered and slipped into a shirt and smarter trousers, and spent the rest of the wait people-watching on the front balcony. At quarter past nine, we all met up in the lobby and Vanessa unveiled her new dress. I'll admit to those who don't know me, I'm no fashionista, but the whole combination looked great from where I was standing. In fact, I was worried I wouldn't be able to have a constructive conversation without blushing bright red. Just telling it how it is, folks! Would I ever put you through a pointless emotional tangent if I thought it wouldn't add to the value of the diary?
Anyway, apart from that epic fail on my part, dinner was very enjoyable. We got a round of drinks and a tapas-style seafood platter with extra shrimps to share out. No-one else seemed to want the squid - all the more for me! I also got to show off my shrimp-shelling expertise without making too much of a fool of myself. The restaurant itself was a typical old-fashioned pub with a few subtle Spanish touches like the yellow-daubed walls and decorated tiles in place of traditional pictures.
Soon the paella was ready, and we tucked in! It was every bit as tasty and complex in its flavours as I remembered, amde all the better by the fact that it was hand-made by locals! Though some of the sea-critters in side still looked a little too lively for my liking, the mussels and crabmeat were extremely flavourful, and before long I was full, tired, and very relaxed. On our way back to the Hostal we saw the glittering (ish) lights of posh Madrid hotels lit up in the dark. Too soon, we reached the building, and turned in for the night.

So there you go! We continued to thrive on seafood for the rest of the week, but that's no excuse for you not to tune in TOMORROW, when Vanessa and I begin working in the shop, we spend a lazy afternoon by the pool, and then pay a chilly visit to the cinema! Watch this space!

Jack

Day 1 - Prologue To Awesomeness

Hey gang!
Here, then, as promised (just) is the first day of my Madrid diary. Hope you like it, and feel free to comment!

Strangely enough for me, this particular adventure began in the bright midday sunlight. After checking, and double checking, that I had everything, I loaded my bags into Dad's car and we were off to the airport! The journey wasn't too long, but the people on the radio kept going on about the recession and Harry Potter - not the most inspiring topics! Eventually, however, we pulled up at the drop-off point and I parted ways with Dad. I felt oddly grown-up, walking alone with my suitcase.
Thankfully it didn't take me long to meet up with the others - even with my punctuality, Vanessa had still beaten me to it! Drat, foiled again. Soon Maddy and Emily, clearly already running on Spanish time, also arrived, and together we went through the motions of a hassle-free security check. Once in Departures, we split up and I grabbed a hot choc from Starbucks. Vanessa and I killed some more time wandering around the shops, and then she played games on my iPod while I updated this diary for the first time. The minutes and hours ticked by as I watched her demolish all my highscores.
Unfortunately the plane was delayed by half an hour, but the time soon passed and we found ourselves powering into the sky again, our destination this time: Madrid! I wasn't sure whether I'd survive this journey with only my own entertainment, but thankfully my doubts about the iPod's battery proved unfounded and we managed to watch the whole of Hancock before the captain switched on the "fasten seatbelts" sign once more, and our stomachs began to lurch as we descended. The landing and baggage was the smoothest I've had for a long time, and before long we were ready to make use of the Metro!
What struck me first about the metro was how clean it was. In world metro terms, it's comparable to Bangkok, or London's Jubilee Line. It's modern, clean and organised, and even the press of people seems less "frantic" than in the Tube. Sadly, as I soon discovered, the situation gets progressively worse the closer you get to the surface, which was plagued with graffiti (OK, maybe some of it was street art) and humungous crowds.
Half-an-hour's worth of train-jumping later, we emerged into the dazzling sunlight, and deafening roadworks, of the Puerta del Sol. Our first task was to find our accommodation at the Hostal Santa Cruz, a task which, in itself, was not too hard. Rather than a building in its own right, as I had expected, the Hostal was a floor of a larger apartment building. The facilities were quite comfortable; I was in a room on my own, which suited - I think if I'd been in a three like the others I'd just have been getting in everyone's way!
Anyway, after an opportunity to dump any unwanted bits and bobs, we were heading back out to explore. The local high street looks fantastic - there's a massive Fnac, an El Corte Ingles, a bookshop and loads of clothes shops to keep the girls happy - what more could you want?! There's also loads of cinemas and theatres, as well as some interesting places to eat. As it happened, it was half eleven before we made our way to a chain sanwich restaurant called "Pans and Company", sort of like a Spanish Subway. As a result, I doubt any of the options were that healthy, but with tuna, tomato and pepper in mine, I don't think I did too badly!
Once we'd finished, fatigue set in, and there was nothing left to do but head back to the Hostal for a good night's (or what remained of one, at least!) sleep. I was out like a light.


Cripes, I was tired that night. Ah well, hope that's been a good taster for you. TOMORROW, tune in for more exploration of Madrid, first thoughts on the shop we were working out and the first paella of the trip! All that and more, next time on.... um..... some cool feature I can't think of a cool name for yet.
Hasta luego!

Jack

Our Time Is Running Out.....

Hey everyone!
I'm back from Madrid and I've spent the day trying to catch up with whatever I've missed. As always, I'll put up the full diary starting tomorrow, but for the time being, let's talk Muse! The new single is supposedly revealed today, and from what I've heard it sounds.... well, not bad. I can't say it's their best song, it's very much the same as a lot of their old stuff. But it's bearable. You can officially check that out on their website, but it's all over YouTube by now anyway! They're counting down to a supposedly massive "competition", in its most basic form, to see who can find some kind of code, and depending on whether the code is "activated" or not, mysterious stuff might or might not happen. So that's... interesting.
Other than that, suffice to say not much has been going on that I won't cover in my diary. I know I'm running a bit low on the old enthusiasm levels at the moment, but I've got a couple of quite big ideas in the pipe which I want to leave until after the diary. So stay tuned in, and tomorrow I'll get cracking on Madrid!
Hasta luego...

Jack

Grumpy Adolescents of Earth

Rien...

Hehehe. Only joking! Happy Bastille Day! Sorry I've been neglecting you lot recently. I've been having second thoughts about Facebook, and actually, it's quite good fun! Please don't panic, this here blog'll still be my main site, but in the same way as twitter lets me find out the latest celeb goings-on (SFG back in the studio!!!!!), facebook lets me keep in running with all the latest gossip from school. Anyway, I've got plenty to talk about today, so make yourself comfy!

First of all, Torchwood: Children of Earth was recently aired, and it was, without a doubt, FANTASTIC television! I don't think I've been that hooked since watching Series 1 of Heroes. In fact, so much so that, when they got to the end, I felt really cheated out of a "proper" finale. It was just, "Well, if you're gonna do it that way, a two-parter would have sufficed." But in terms of the build-up of storytelling, genius! And such awesome music as well! Such a great leap forward from the previous series. So, all things considered, is that the end of Torchwood? As in, the end end. I mean, {[SPOILERS]} the Hub's been blown up, Captain Jack's gone, Ianto's dead, and Gwen's pregnant. Not really a great alien-busting team. {[SPOILERS END]} On the other hand, it could spawn a load of spin-offs - Once you've had "Children of Earth", what's to stop them making "Adults of Earth" or "OAPs of Earth". That would be epic! Maybe...

Second, I've also been hoked on Sims 3 recently, leveling my central Sim in writing so I can start work on my first masterpiece. It's a really addictive game, and I haven't played any of the others, but I would seriously reccomend it to absolutely anyone! The range of customisations and choices is incredible, as is the graphical detail. But there's not really much more I can say about that, other than go and play it yourself.

Third, just another small note. I'll dedicate a whole post to this some other time, but aussie music is really brilliant. I reckon it's probably my second favouric music by nation, after Spain. They've got the Veronicas, Rogue Traders, Howie Day, Lenka, Rolf Harris and (though I'm not a massive fan) Kylie. Controversial stuff to say during Ashes season, but not unfounded. Stay tuned for more on that one.

More and more is revealed each day about Muse's mysterious masterpiece, "United States of Eurasia". I think they said they were going for a July release. That's something to look forward to! And then the album, which sounds awesome from the track listing, "The Resistance", is released on 14th September. Not that long!

Finally, I'm due to head off to Spain tomorrow, so the usual drill applies. I'll try to wi-fi something over here if I can, but if not, stay tuned for a complete diary when I get back on Tuesday!
Hasta la vista!

Jack

The Day The Earth Stood (Still)

Hey everyone!
Birthday celebrations really kicked off today! I won't bore you with the ins and outs; I've got something else to bore you with instead. But suffice to say, I got lots of cool stuff, including Sims 3 which I'm just installing, I've had an awesome day doing pretty much nothing apart from hanging out with the gang, and eaten an awesome cake with raspberries in. I cooked dinner, and as if that wasn't enough, I had a quiet night in and watched a movie! What follows, rather than being an intricate description of my day, is a small-to-medium-sized review of that movie, "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

Hokay... Let's get the bad things over and done with first, then I can end on a positive note as usual. My mainly main problem is the end. I mean, I know it's supposed to be mysterious or whatever, but there are some fundamental problems I have. For those who haven't seen it, there's nothing really to spoil. Typical alien disaster movie; a few important things (ish) are destroyed, lots of Americans die, but in the end they save the day. And THERIN is the problem. Why is it with these movies everything has to turn out happy and smiley in the end? I mean, I know there are some which break the rules, but the plot was way too formulaic. If you thought Iron Man was predictable, just wait till you lay eyes on the pivotal "main character has change of heart" twist which has been old and boring ever since Return of the Jedi. And, at least if the world can't end, you could surely wipe out America.
Not that I have anything against the Americans in general (Georgia!), and I'm sure some fo them are great people. Thing is though, all the Americans in this movie are behaving like typical Americans confronted with the unknown. Aliens land on Earth - Should we say hello? Should we try to make reasonable conversation? Should we listen to the warnings of what is likely a much more intelligent race than our own? NO! Let's shoot it, lock it up, drug it, interrogate it, ignore all its advice, and act surprised when the world ends. Does the Dalek ring any bells?
Aaanyway. What happened to the animals? Did they get returned? What happened to the squids? Imagine a world with no squids! No animals, for that matter! And, by the looks of it, no electricity either. I'll be very honest. I thought that as endings go, it was a bit naf. It was an attempt to be mysterious, but in the end it was just formulaic.
So, with the bad things out the way, let's see what was goood... Cripes, it's harder to write about the good things than the bad. Well, I spose the graphics were pretty funky. The same greyish tint that all good sci-fi movies have. It must have been awesome in 3D, those spheres looked rather disturbing. Like the one from Doctor Who. I'm making a lot of analogies here! And I spose, considering it was based on a relic from the dawn of time, they did an alright job of "coolifying" it. Tell you what though, I'd want to see War Of The Worlds now, to see how it compares. And Cloverfield for that matter. Ah well, I'll add them to my list!

Not very in-depth, I know, but to be fair it's so formulaic, there's little you apply to this one movie in particular. Whilst on the subject of movies, however, they released the first picture from Iron Man 2 during my absence, and it looks like they're due to introduce a FOURTH suit! This one, although out of focus in the pic, looks to be more lightweight and (I hoped never to have to say this with Iron Man) garish. Cripes, bring on 2010, so I can banish all my fears about what otherwise sounds like an awesome sequel.
Not much else to report today, so I'll sign off now and play Sims.
Goodbye!

Jack

Punk Rock 101

REGENERATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(And no, Olwen, I don't mean the book!)

Hi everyone!
Back to the usual today. I'd better just recap what's been going on this past month or so while I was busy building the monster that was my 100th post.

First things first, I've been listening to a whole lot of music. I'm not going to do a detailed review of every single album, but suffice to say, listen to... The latest Prodigy album, Lenka, Bowling for Soup, La Oreja De Van Gogh, Herbie Hancock, and DEFINITELY Paloma Faith. It's awesome. Also, get Spotify. It's like iTunes, perhaps not as big a selection, but FREE! Admittedly it plays adverts every now and then, but I don't mind! I think it's brilliant. ALSO, the Days' album has been delayed to 27th July and the Veronicas to some time in September I think. Grumble.

Second, I've actually been reading quite a bit recently. I've just rattled through some war literature for English - Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks and Regeneration by Pat Barker. On balance, I'd say I prefer Birdsong, but Regeneration was also very very moving. Like, that bit at the end where the evil doctor was electrocuting the guy to make him speak, and the good doctor had to watch. It was like the bit in James Bond where he gets tortured. I almost cried. But then, I cry at just about anything these days! It just goes to show how attitudes were so different back in those days. Speaking of James Bond (what a segway!), I've also got through Diamonds Are Forever and I'm about half way through From Russia With Love. And I would reccomend the series to absolutely anyone. If you're too worried about them being old-fashioned and posh, they're really not. I found them much more readable than some of the "classic" literature pushed in front of us last year.

Anyway, moving on... Cripes, it's hot today, isn't it? Here I am, trying to stave off the "heatwave" with my pathetic fan and a glass of water. Is it a heatwave yet? What does it have to be before it becomes a heatwave? But yeah, I shouldn't complain. Bodes well for the birthday party this weekend - we might be able to sleep under the stars! And then, two weeks today, we're off to Madrid! Wahey! Yeah, doing some work experience out there, which among other things means spending a whole week with Vanessa, which could either be really awkward if she gives me the hard shoulder (or was it the cold one?), or really really good fun. So yeah, as usual, expect a diary for that!

Que mas? Um... have, literally NO WORK at the moment, whicch is great, 'cos it means I can update this more often! Yeah, exams are all out the way, and a long, hopefully hot, summer lies ahead. I want to try and organise a Film Festival for the school at some point, but I can't seem to find the headteacher at the moment. She keeps disappearing and popping up in random places. Hehehe... That's a funny thought. Anyway, it happens to be my birthday (or "the festival of the birth of me" as it is in Arabic, which I think is really sweet) this week, so I'm feeling very excited about that. I'm gonna have the whole gang round and we're going to rave... ish. Within reason.

Well, that's pretty much all there is to report. Hope you enjoy the new layout; feel free to explore, I've added some stuff and taken stuff away. Particularly, I took out the Heartbeat Challenge at the bottom 'cause I thought it was looking a bit neglected, but you can still play it by going to the Scouting For Girls MySpace page. Anyway, have a good evening!
Adios!

Jack

P.S. For those who didn't get the "Barcelona!" clue last time, It's the last word said in Series 1 of the new Doctor Who, and one of the first words the Doctor says as David Tennant. But if you didn't know that, why would you be following this blog?Said scene remains one of the best TV series endings to date! every time I watch it, I have a massive grin on my face. David Tennant's brilliant. So was Chris Eccleston.