The Year 11 Ball (Part 2)

This was going to be a blog of three parts. Part 1, the build up to the ball. Part 2, the actual ball itself. Part 3, what happens afterwards i.e. The after ball party, and what happens when you wake up from that. But I did not go to an afterball party, due to lack of voice, not wanting to be hungover for my drama group the next day, and leading on from that one, not wanting to be the only sober person at the party. So this has become a blog of two parts.

So, the day of the ball. Get home, get showered, get shaved and get ready. In that order. After having done all that, in full ball tuxedo, get into the car, and go to your friends house so you can get your limo/car to the ball. This is when it starts to get really exciting, because you have realised that this is actually happening. When everybody has turned up, the limo arrives, and you high five everybody. Well, at least, that is what my group did. So, we climb into the limo and smile like madmen, because it looks amazing. The leather seats, the lights, the drinks glasses, the drinks holders. The driver passes a couple of bottles down the limo. Non-alocoholic, of course, with us being underage, and it being illegal. *cough* But anyway, we have drinks, and as the limo starts to move, we start to pour the drinks. Maybe we could have poured them before the limo was moving, but we were excited and not really thinking about that. I had the honour of pouring the drinks. They make it look very easy in the movies. It is not. The limo going around corners, stopping, starting, and going over bumps in the road made it very hard, but I did it. Of course, we had loud music playing, with a heavy bass line. Not my choice, I hasten to add, but I went with it. So, when we all had our grape juice (that is what it was), we made a toast. To the future. Then we sat back and enjoyed the ride.

When we got to our school, which is where the ball was being held. Yeah, yeah, I know, not terribly fun or exciting to have it at school, but that is not the point. As we got out of the limo, there we people behind barriers cheering. I was quite surprised at the fact so many of the year 10 girls were there, and that they all knew me. I found this odd, yet nice at the same time. We had our pictures taken next to the limo, and then went to mingle with the other people who had already turned up. We were the third group to have turned up, so there wasn't many people to talk to yet. That soon changed as time went on. People were turning up in limos, fancy cars, motorbikes, buses, a boat, tractors, a trolley, and most interestingly of all, a tank. That was quite something. To see a tank rolling up with people from my school in was very impressive. There was lots of noise from everyone, as we all mingled around, the boys in tuxedos and suits, the girls in amazing dresses, looking stunning, waiting for the walk up to begin.

The walk up through the school was amazing. We had a drummer and a bagpipe player (I do not know what you call one of those. A bagpipist? A bagpipper? I do not know) in front of us as we walked past the people on the sides. It was quite something. Walking past lots of people with your date holding your arm. Very nice. As we walked past everybody into the hall, we saw that it had been transformed from the dull, plain usual hall, into an amazingly decorated hall, with all of our year seven pictures playing on a slide show. That bit was very funny. We walked in a spiral to get into our three circles that we would dance in. I was in the inner cicrle. We realise just how many people were in our year at that point. The dancing would be fun, with the girls in long dresses. You can probably guess what happened when we started dancing. Yes, that's right. The dresses got stood on. Not by me, but by the girls wearing the dresses, or the girls next to them. So, we did the waltz, the salsa, the tango and the cha cha cha. Non of these were to hard, but in a small space, and with dresses and tuxedos, they became just that little bit harder. But we went through that without anything going wrong. We clapped, and then the party really started.

We had a DJ, and of course when the music started, we started to jump up and down in time to it. Because, as teenagers, that is pretty much the only way we will dance at parties. Unless it is a rather intimate dance. But at a school ball, and with the tempo of most of the songs, that was not likely to happen. So, everybody was jumping around. And singing at the top of our voices. We did this for the entire night, unless the song was something like YMCA, tha cha cha slide or the Macarena. Because, let's face it, everybody knows actual dance moves to those songs. At some point during this, I went with a group of guys to have our photos taken, single ones and group ones. And behind the photo thing, there was food. After quickly grabbing some food, sticking some strawberrys and marshmellows onto a stick and putting them into a chocolate fountain, and grabbing a lollypop, we went back into the hall, grabbed a drink from outside, and continued with our random jumping and singing. After having done this for a few hours, we got rather warm, so some of the guys and I stepped out to cool down, and remembered that there was a casino in a different part of the school, just for that one night. So we went there, and played roulette and blackjack for a bit, until we decided that we would develop gambling problems if we stayed any longer. We went back into the hall, where a band had started to play. Cue random jumping and singing at the tops of our voices. At some points, the band gave up singing and just played the music, because we were singing the songs ourselves. Lets face it, if you play Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi at a year 11 ball, everybody will know the words, the tune, the timings, and everything, so all you need to do is play in to background. This trend continued with most of the songs, us jumping up and down, singing, and the band just playing.

At the end of the night, balloons were relised from the ceiling, and everybody cheered and started hitting them around and popping them. The DJ came back on the play some more music, and we again started jumping up and down, singing. This was at nearly midnight. People started to leave just before midnight, and there was hugging, and handshakes and general goodbyes. I got a call from my dad at midnight saying he was ready to pick me up. I missed the call three times before I answered it. I could not hear my phone. I made my way outside, after having said goodbye to my friends who I was dancing with. I said goodbye to my friends who were outside, and promised that we would meet up at some point. At that point it really hit me. This is it. I had made it through the years. I realised that I would not see some of my friends again. Or, at least, not as much as I did. I hugged my friends, shook hands with them and walked off to find my dad.

Well, that is that. The end of an era. The end of year 11. It is quite emotional really. I have grown up with these people. I will be seeing most of them next year at sixth form, but the ones that I will not be, I will miss dearly.

Well, until my next blog dear readers, Adios!

Year 11 Ball (part 1)

This is going to be a blog of three parts. Part 1, the build up to the ball. Part 2, the actual ball itself. Part 3, what happens afterwards i.e. The after ball party, and what happens when you wake up from that.
So, this is part 1. The build up. Basicaly when everyone try's to get dates, and all the girls try to find the one dress that nobody else will have. For guys, however, it is easy, clotheswise, because it is standard tuxedo time. It must be rented. Those things are not cheap. And I have one now, and it is pretty snazzy. Black trousers, white shirt, mint green waist coat, green bow tie, black jacket and shiney black shoes. Fairly standard, but hell, I look good in it. Wow, I'm modest as well. Right, now I guess I had better tackle the girls ball dresses. Ok, so I actually have no idea about them, but oh well. I have figured that every dress must be different, and if they are the same, virtually all hell breaks loose, unless they are like best friends, and even then, it does not end too well. But I have aboustly no understanding of this, so please, do not, whatever you do, quote me on that. And then, after having sorted out what you are wearing to the main event, you have to sort out how you are getting there, and who with. The simple way of getting to it is by the stretched limo. Boring, because everyone does it, yet, it is a pretty good way of getting there. And it is easy. The hard bit is sorting out who's coming in the limo, and then figuring out what it will cost everyone to rent it. It gets confusing, because people seem to be unwilling to even go to the ball, which I do question. I mean, why are you not going? It is a laugh, and it is good fun, and if you try and say "I'm not going because I've got no one to go with" that is complete and utter bollocks. You do not need to actually go with someone, you can go with a group of friends. So just go. Right, now that is out of my system, I shall continue.
And then comes the single, hardest part of the pre-ball build up, for guys anyway, is asking a girl to the ball. It is one of the hardest things in the world for a guy to do, asking a girl to dance, due to the fear of rejection. It is made even more awkward by not knowing if the girl you are about to ask is already going with another guy, or if she is just going with a group of friends. All these factors result in guys having serious problems in asking girls to the ball. This is perhaps why some of my friends are currently date less. I cannot talk though, seeing as I, at the time of writing this blog, do not have a date for the ball. But I, in all honesty, as nice as the girls are in my year, I would much rather be able to take my girlfriend. But unfortunatly, we must either take a girl from our year, or go without anyone. But, hi ho, silver lining (yes, that is a Jeff Beck lyric for those who got that) it means that you either go with a bunch of friends, or, if single, you might end the night having a girlfriend. I'm not saying that is going to happen, but still there is a chance. Or if, like me, you have a girlfriend, but you are not allowed to take her for whatever reason, and you do take another girl (please for god's sake, let your girlfriend know that it is ONLY for the ball), it is just a chance to have a nice chat to members of the other sex. But anyhow, seeing as I have no date, writing this on the 21st of march, so this is correct as of the time of writing. Although, I may actually have a date by the time of the ball, watch this space. Anyway, that is my take on the build up to the ball. This blog post may well be updated closer to the date of my ball, 20th of may. So, I may well be talking, or rambling, before my next promised blog. Until then, Adios mis amigos!

Birthdays

It is my birthday this month, and I am looking forward to it quite a bit, if I am honest. It means that I am one step closer to being able to do everything legally (even though I have been doing most of the things for a few years already). It also means that I am closer to being an adult, which is a slightly worrying thought, I do not think that I am really mature enough to be an adult, but I have still have time to sort that. HAHAHAHA! I do not think that it is likely to happen, but there we go. It also means that I have an excuse for a party, which is never a bad thing. I do enjoy a good "partay". Yes, I do mean "partay", it is just not the same if it is a mere party. It is something I enjoy doing, going to partys, because it is a way of socialising, and meeting new people, which can provide to be quite interesting, to say the least. But i go off topic, as I do in most of my blogs. Did it again. Should really stop that. And again. Right, back to what I was talking about, birthdays, and the resulting partys. so, every year it comes around, my birthday that is, not always a party, but still I am having one this year, for my sixteenth, or as my mother and her friends kindly put it "my super sweet sixteenth". Yes, thank you mother, I am not a stupid cow of a girl who thinks it important to spend stupid amounts of money on a party that always ends up being absoutly shocking, and feels the need to be on television for the thirty seconds of fame it will bring me, and then I will get thrown onto the pile of people who appeared on television for half an hour, and then gets forgotten, by everybody, and most importantly my friends, because I get to big for my boots, and slag everyone off who does not have a party on television. But anyway, I am not like that. I just want to have a good time with some friends, with music, dancing, and probably bad singing (not from me of course, I am an amazing singer. *cough*). All I really want is to be able to dance (well) with the girl I love. I would not mind if that was all I got for my birthday. But still, presents are nice. But I honestly do not really have anything I want this year. Which is annoying, because people keep asking me what I want, so all I can say is "I really don't know. Suprise me. But nothing to weird. Sorry." Because I have no idea. You may be thinking "WHAT!? A nearly sixteen year old doesn't want anything really for his birthday? What is wrong with him?" But that is just me, I am a bit different. So anyway, that is it really. My birthday. Summed up rather too easily. Perhaps I need to something about that. If you have any suggestions, please do feel free to comment below. Or wherever is easiest for you.

Christmas

Every year, christmas comes around, and every year, I get as excited as the next person. The joys of putting up the lights on the house, the fun of untangling the lights for the house (he says getting annoyed at how messed up the lights are), the last minute rush to buy presents for the people you forgot were coming to see you so you thought you could get away without getting them anything, the buying of the christmas tree, and having to look at every single christmas tree in the area, then buying the first one anyway (I blame my mother for this, every year, I say, "let's just get this one, it'll save us going everywhere else to just come back to get the same tree", not that it makes a difference to what happens. Oh well), the finding that one light doesn't work on the tree lights, and having to try and find which light you need to change (this often happens in my household, and it takes hours), decorating the inside of the house with tinsle, star things that hang from the ceiling, etc. The wrapping of presents (as a man, this is something I struggle with, whereas my girlfriend actually enjoys wrapping presents, and doesn't see how men cannot wrap presents. I don't understand this either, so don't ask), and of course the horror of the turkey, having to order it, which is what my family does, thank goodness, otherwise we would have no food on christmas day. And then having to get up far, far too early to cook it, which I often get roped into doing, not that it makes a difference to what time I get up, with me being 15, I wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning anyway. And of course, the relatives. Having to figure out where everybody will sleep. Fortunatly, we have a spare room, so we just stick them in there. But when more people come over, we start having problems, and more often than not, it is my room that gets used as a second spare room, not only for people to sleep in, but also for all the stuff that was in the first spare room that now has to be moved, and we couldn't just put it in the loft, oh goodness no, we might need that chess set that's never been opened. Anyway, enough of me ranting about how things go wrong before christmas. The real fun begins on christmas day. The getting up very early, annoying the parents by running into their room at 7 o'clock in the morning, yelling "OMG! SANTA'S BEEN!" Yes, that is what I do. I'm a teenager, ok? Anyway, after the stockings, and the random little things in there that will be lost by the new year, have been seen, we all charge down the stairs, often ending in someone getting hurt, often me. Then we crash into the living room and stand there gawping at the presents under the tree. Then we remember that we should probably let the dogs out of the kitchen, and we do. The dogs, being clever as they are, boundi into the living room, crashing into everything, and everyone, making a special effort to destroy the tree. After the pandemonium of that, we settle down, so to speak. Who can settle down on christmas morning? Anyway, we then procede to sort all of the presents under the tree into piles for everybody. It's a tradition. Then we open our presents, one at a time, going around the room in a circle, and at this point you realise that you've either forgotten a very important present for someone, or that you've simply been an idiot and left it upstairs in the hiding place, where you put it so no one could find it, and you have, of course, forgotten where it was, and start to panic. You run off, and run around the house muttering to yourself, trying to figure out where you put the presents, and when you're really worried, you see them, sat right there in front of you. Every year this happens to me. Anyway, then the present unwrapping continues. All those presents you spent so long trying to wrap neatly and well, and in a few seconds the wrapping paper has been destroyed. I don't know why I bother. Anyway, as you're going around the room, unwrapping the presents, you see the joy of getting something cross the persons face, and you realise it was all worth it. After that, it is time for lunch. The turkey has been cooked, the sprouts are on the table in their little bowl, that will stay untouched for the course of the day, and of course all the other trimings that you know and love. After lunch, it's time to sit back, and enjoy the presents that you unwrapped, as well as everyone else's presents. And the cracker jokes get told, everyone laughs, even though the jokes are just terrible, the paper hats are on heads, the funny toys from the crackers are left on the dinner table, because most of the time, they are completely useless, although, every year, I always find a good use for them. You sit there rather full, and feeling tired. At about 6 o'clock the television gets turned on for all the christmas specials of the shows you like to watch. Doctor Who, the point that my dad goes behind the sofa, a long lasting joke from his childhood. And of course anything else that looks any good will be watched, not with any great interest. Then, it is time for dinner. This is where the christmas ham comes out, and everybody congratulates the cook, even if the only stuck it in the oven for a few hours. And then, for pudding, my famous trifile, which I make every year, and is always very nice, if I don't say so myself. And then, you start to feel very tired. Your eyelides grow heavy, and you fall asleep on the sofa. And then, one at a time, everyone starts making their way to bed, often earlier than they would usually go to bed, even though they haven't done anything during the day. Doing nothing can be very tiring. But what I want this year is for evrybody to just stop for a minute on christmas day, and just think about those people who are less fortunate then you, those people who have no one to share christmas with, the sick people who are in hospital over the holiday period, and the people who have no homes to stay warm in during the long, cold winters nights. For this christmas I want people who are sick with no cure to be able to be cured. I want children with no families, to be adopted, I want people to never have to worry about food and shelter and heat. I know it is hard for people to think about the people who have less then them, but if you are well off, please, try to do something about this. Even if it is only giving a few pounds to charity, or giving a homeless person you pass on the street some loose change. It might not seem like a lot to you, but for them it could mean a meal, or a place to stay the night. It would make their christmas. These people deserve to have a chirstmas to remember, not another one to forget. Thank you.