duhr?

This past week has been a bit of a blur, but it's also been one of the most fun weeks ever so it's a blur in a good way if that makes sense?

Anyway, on Tuesday I headed off on tour for a few days with Stan and Cancer Bats, plus Johnny and Ben D who were along to film for a few days and drum tech respectively. Their were shows in Brighton, Belfast, Dublin, Cork and last night in Colchester and every single one was really fun. More so than just the shows though, having the opportunity to do this is amazing and hopefully I'll get more of them in the future.

The point of this post isn't actually to discuss the fact I've been on tour though, I was talking with my mum today and the conversation we had really made me think. Essentially it was about the relative shortness of life and how we should take the opportunities that are handed to us with both hands as we never know if we'll get another chance.

One of my main new year's resolutions, along with trying to have a more postive outlook on life, is not to do things that make me unhappy and to actively pursue the things that do lead to me being happy. I realised that there is little point in wasting time with things that at the end of the day contribue nothing to my life apart from making me feel miserable and yearn for something better, something more.

A lot of people have hopes and dreams for their life and not for one second would I suggest that one persons aspirations are better or worse than another person's. If you want to do something that makes you happy (and it doesn't hurt anyone else/break any major laws, etc, etc obviously) then far be it from me to say it's wrong purely based on the fact that it may not be my idea of happines. However, I see a lot of people who don't seem happy with their "lot" in life and I don't want that to be me. I know circumstances dictate to a certain extent how you are able to live your life, but this year I firmly believe in striving to have the most fulfilling life possible, for as long as possible.

Yes, for me this includes accepting offers to go on tour for a couple of weeks at a time with some amazing people; but it also includes things such as saving money in order to go to America and Canada for six weeks and playing shows with my band. It means visitng as many new places as possible. It means reading books on topics that interest me and enable me to learn and expand my knowledge of the world around me, and it means attempting to find a job that I will feel uplifted and fulfilled in (I don't mean to keep using the word fulfilled, but it's the best way I can descrive what I mean!)

If your idea is happiness is working a secure 9-5 job and then relaxing at the weekends with your family and friends and you achive that goal, then I think that's amazing. No-one really has the right to judge someone on the basis of what makes them happy, people should concentrate on making their own lives the best they possibly be.

I have an amazing life right now and it's largely down to taking chances on things and seizing opportunties that have been presented to me. For instance I wouldn't have any of the friends I do now if I hadn't bucked the trend among my friends at the time and chosen to go to Notre Dame sixth form. I probably wouldn't have met my girlfriend either; someone who constantly makes me feel grateful that we're together and inspires me to achive as much as possible with my life. I wouldn't have got to wake up next to a beach in south west Ireland and watch the sun rise on Sunday morning if I hadn't had accepted Stan's offer to go on tour. Basically what I'm trying to say is that playing it safe (so to speak) only gets you so far in life. You have to take risks and chances sometimes and if it pays off it's the best thing in the world. If it doesn't, it may suck, but atleast you know you tried your best. Don't regret anything if you truly believe in it, that's a waste of energy. Focus on either doing it better next time or finding something else to take its place/make up for it.

I know it's a well-worn cliché, but most of the time those clichés are the truest; life really is too short. I know aspirations have to balanced alongside practically and realism sometimes, but at the end of the day people should do, or atleast attempt to do, what makes them happy. Fuck what other people think. Too many end up feeling traped because they get in to a situation where they're stuck in a rut, entrenched in a life that makes them unhappy. I never want this to be me.

I fully intend this year to be the best of my life. I fully intend to never rest on my laurels and get complacent and I fully intend to do all the things I want to do that will make me happy. My life rules and is almost perfect right now and I want to make it 100% perfect, or as close to this as is possible. I hope everyone else does the same.


Also, purely as it will probably make Jim's day, check out the new line from Benny Gold at www.bennygold.com

In recent weeks I've been having a clear out of t-shirts that I never wear anymore and looking at more and more streetwear brands as lots of what I've seen in the past has been really appealing to me aesthetically. Anyway, Jim is down with streetwear brands so he's been helping me out with recommendations of brands he things I should check out and useful stockists, etc. Cheers man.

Some favourites that I've seen whilst perusing various sites: