On Sunday morning I went to London to see my Aunt, Uncle and two baby cousins. It was pretty awesome, the weather was amazing, and it was the first time I’ve gone down there on my own. I had to take two trains and a tube to their place, and again to get back on Monday, but the timing was so perfect I didn’t really care.
I got on the first train at about 9:20am and finally arrived at their place at around 1:00. It was so hot that we decided to go to the hardware store for the air conditioning. We actually ended up buying an umbrella for the outside table and some plants.
When we got back we set up this weird floral sprinkler that goes crazy when you turn on the hose. It’s very intimidating. Shay and Zac ran through the water and it was all very fun.
I actually started skateboarding a few years ago (with Ethan), but my board was terrible. It was about £8 from SportsWorld and the wheels didn’t roll enough. It would stop even if I was going downhill. The last straw was when an 8 year old asked me if I was suicidal when he saw my board.
Three years down the line and Ethan started skateboarding again because one of our friends gave him a really good skateboard. I sort of inherited Ethan’s old board, replaced the trucks and wheels and started up again. I gave Hannah my old board (sorry Hannah) and we practice every now and then.
On Friday I got back from Berlin. It was a school-based exchange trip with Danish, German and English people. I had a great time and I’m making plans to go to Denmark and visit the Danes again. They were cool.
Monday
I had to get to school at the normal time to catch the minibus to Nottingham (that’s where the plane was leaving from). I had to hand in History coursework, but I didn’t need school uniform so overall it was ok.
The flight to Berlin was about ten minutes faster than expected which was cool. We then took a bus and a tube to the school and did some drama excersises and that thing where you sit in a circle, taking turns to stand up and say your name. It was a little lame, but bearable.
After that we took our bags to the hostel and got settled in after a nice meal at an Italian restaurant. We played Truth or Dare for a while then went to bed.
On Thursday 18th December I had an art trip to the Tate Modern which was pretty cool. Unfortunately we were delayed a little. Driving to London usually takes about two hours, give or take, but on Thursday it took a little longer than that. It actually took us four hours to get there, and another four hours back. That means that I spent more time on that coach than I would have if I’d just gone to school. That’s not including the other four hours at the Tate. Fun…
We were told to draw three of the pieces of art and a few of our own design. I just sketched a few pieces of the art quickly so I could do my own. My first was a very rough sketch of a fat, yeti-like man. I called him A Sketchy Character and had a little giggle. My second was pretty much the same guy, only hairier. However (as I was getting bored) it was all drawn with one line, meaning I didn’t take my pencil off the page once. My hand hurt for a while, but it was a good exercise as I obviously couldn’t rub anything out. I was quite proud of him.
I decided to scan him into the computer and have a play about with him. I used Illustrator and Photoshop to draw around and colour him and also give him a background. The picture at the top is the result. Result!
Oh yeah, it feels good to be 16. I’m all old, manly and cool. Well, old and manly. Well, old. But the point remains, I’m 16 and it rocks. I’m also sick and can hardly speak, but I comfort myself with the knowledge that I’m now one of those guys that I used to look up to and say “Wow, I wanna be like him! Older and responsible. He has HIS OWN fish and a phone!”.
Speaking about things that are mine, I have the coolest birthday pressie ever. My new Wacom Bamboo pressure-sensitive tablet is amazing. The cartoon above was drawn by me, on Photoshop! It’s so freaking cool! I haven’t used a mouse since. Buy one!
I’m a 17 year old male New Zealander with headphones. I was vegetarian for a long time until I stopped. I live in Birmingham, UK. My girlfriend’s name is Hannah and I have two dead goldfish, Fluffy and Spotty. They’re all awesome.
Want to know more about me? Head over to the About Page
