An introduction

This is Newport. Where I live. I guess you could say it's a nice place to live. I have a nice house in a nice area with a perfect nuclear (well almost) family. But there's something about Newport which makes me want to leave. That's why I'm going traveling before university. I started studying economics in school at AS level and I love it. I'm hoping to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics in University. Hopefully at Oxford, fingers crossed. But before I do, like I said I want to travel. I'm going to go to Ecuador to help street children. It should be awesome... I hope.

I guess you could call me a geek. I have always done well in school with minimal effort but whatever. I also like watching university challenge but that's just one of my eccentricities. I have a few. I guess you could say I've had a sheltered childhood and I suppose that's true. I don't drink, I don't smoke and I don't take drugs. Maybe that makes me sound boring. But I don't think I am. I just can't take my alcohol and I guess I don't like not being in control. It scares me. That's the real reason I don't drink. Plus funny incident, the fiirst time I got drunk was the summer after my GCSE's. At my friends house on a Friday afternoon and we decide to tequilla shots with lemon and salt but he didn't have any tequilla so we used vodka instead. And then absinthe, whisky, tia maria and after that I can't remember. We went for a walk and I fell over but I kept forgetting so I now have a small scar on my knee. I threw up loads and had to be driven home by his brother. That's another reason i don't drink.

I have quite a lot of opionions and I love debating. I don't preach though, I hate people who try and press their views on you. They think that debating means perssuading other people to believe what you believe. That's not true. I'm a vegetarian and have been for six years. Often people ask me if I miss meat, the truth is I can't remember what it tastes like so it doesn't bother me.

I support Manchester United and use the royal 'we' to refer to the team. It makes me feel included. I'm addicted to checking football websites. My favourite is www.football365.com it is pokes fun at all the clubs especially Manchester United and Chelsea but that's what I love about it. It doesn't take itself to seriously. Bill Shankley once said 'Football isn't a matter of life and death. It's more important than that' But at the end of the day no matter how much I love football my life doesn't revolve around it. If football ended tomorrow I'd survive.

I'm probably one of the few teenagers who reads The Times pretty much every day and has been known to read a copy of The Economist. Who knew such teenagers existed right? We're all drunken louts if you'd believe the news.

My music is really important to me. I play the flute. I'm working on my Grade 7 at the moment and I hope to finish my Grade 8 by the end of next year. I play in the Newport Music Centre Wind Symphonia and the Greater Gwent Flute Choir. Tomorrow I am going with the Newport Music Centre Wind Symphonia to Birmingham to play in the National Festival of Music for Youth. If we win our group in this round we could be selected to play in the Royal Albert Hall. I'm really excited. Also the music I listen to is really important to me. This is where many of my eccentricities lie. I love indie music like The Fratellis, The View, The Kooks, The Killers, The Dirty Pretty Things, The Artic Monkeys, The Fray etc. I also like some Hip Hop like Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. But my main favourite type music is Rock en Espanol. This is not the norm for British teenagers. My favourite band is Mano Negra. Others I like are Fobia, Juanes, Circo, Elefantes, Cafe Tacuba, and many more. I also like some French music in Louise Attaque, Les Wampas and Noir Desir.

These are just a few of the areas of my life that are essential to who I am. I promise all my posts won't be this long. They'll probably only be short musings. I don't have a head for long prose. Hopefully I haven't bored you. I wanted to introduce part of what makes me different, interesting even.

Thanks