Feeling Tired

Feeling tired tonight, had a really busy last few days and I played a $0.50 Spin & Go and now doing some poker studying to finish with. It's tough going when you're tired although I wasn't really playing tonight, well 3 mins approx but i set myself 2 hours per week for tourneys(20 for cash, 3 studying) So if I finish before that I just do extra studying or catch up with poker media, so I caught up with my poker accounts book, I keep track on my Ipod but I also write down my sessions as a backup to have but also just to simplify. I plan on watching a interview on Youtube with Joe Ingram interviewing Daniel Negreanu, should be up so I'll watch that in the next 5 mins. Poker requires a lot of hours per week and it can be tough at times, I do discipline myself but if I know I'm not in the right shape to play I don't force myself. I'm very busy outside of poker which is probably a good thing really so I just got to do the best that I can. Having said that I put hard work into my time playing poker and time studying and I do sacrifice for this, like playing on the weekend etc. I try not to play on weekend nights though so I can either go out or spend time with family, that's important to me.

I will keep this short tonight as like I say I am pretty tired so my week is looking pretty busy overall. Going running tomorrow night, then poker the next few days and at the weekend I'll try put in a poker session but just depends whether I'm going to the football match with my Grampa or not as I scheduled the poker session having already told him I'll go and I will be going provided my uncle isn't coming up for it.

Olympic Talk

So if you have a TV or have been minimally social in the last week, you'll now that the Olympic games are currently on in Brazil. Now there has been a few good events that I have seen over the past week, however, I do not like the direction they are going with it. The main reasons are as follows:

1) Pros are eligible to play, we are used to watching Andy Murray play tennis and big time golfers 'putting' so why do we want to see them at the Olympics. The Olympics was suppose to be for amateurs, basically the best amateur athletes so I believe it has to stick that way to make it special.

2) Quantity of events. We don't need 40 swimming events, that's boring. I also think the relay races are not good either. The Olympics should go for more prestigious and quality events or it just becomes too much to keep up with and not as exciting unfortunately.

3) Location ! Now don't get me wrong, Brazil looks like a really cool place and I'd love to go there. However there's been a lot of covering up going on, an animal got killed that was suppose to be taking part in the event, kids are being prostituted around where the games are taking place and many are turning a blind eye and lastly I've been hearing during the actual games there is serious crimes going on around the stadiums. 

So those are the three major points. Have I watched the Olympics in the past week ? Yes I have. Do you I go out my way to watch the Olympics ? No unfortunately I haven't been.

The main events I look to watch now are the sprints and the long distance runs but apart from that I don't get overly excited watching the rest. Changes need to made to the Olympics in four years time to appeal to a wide audience and bring back the authenticity.

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So I had a nice week off poker. I had a nice Birthday and went to the cinema a couple times. I went with my friend to see 'Finding Dory' which was good. We didn't choose before hand which sometimes I quite like because usually when I go myself I always plan what to see, anyway because he had seen a few of the other movies we both decided to see a good old cartoon, I went to the cinema as a kid to see the first one as this was a sequel. I really enjoyed the movie. On Saturday night, I went with my sisters to see 'Nerve' which was thrilling. Emma Roberts stars and it's basically an online game of Dares where you win real money. The acting was good and it was sort of edge of your seat kinda movie. It was almost sold out so we where in the second row which can be quite tough but it wasn't as bad to view from the seat as I thought. I usually go into the Cineworld at the town but if I go with my sister because she drives we just go to another Cineworld so we went to Silverburn.

Silverburn is a fairly new shopping centre complex and it's probably my favourite, very spacey, good selection of shops and lots of places to eat. The cinema is also very nice so I do get excited going there. It has a very American theme to the shopping centre and I like that a lot, anything to remind me of of America !

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I've been back into Fifa 16 again on the Xbox whenever I've had some spare time. I played 9 games yesterday which must be a record, had breaks of course. It's really fun and I don't think I'm the same player I use to be at virtual football games, but I'm closer to that level than I've been for the past so many years. Just need to defend a bit better. I'm back up to division 1 again. I keep going between 1 and 2 so hopefully I can improve a bit more and start to maintain a division 1 status. I also have been keeping playing Forza but I guess I played it a lot so for now I'm back to Fifa for now.

I'll probably be home for a good few months now, don't see myself travelling until next year again. I don't mind, I like routine and I like my home comforts alongside spending quality time with friends and family. But the things I miss about travelling is every day is a new adventure, you're always learning quickly about the new things in life and I miss the socialisation, especially in hostel situations it's very easy to meet people and get to know others fast. So they both have pros and cons. Right now I have no idea where I'll travel to next year but I'd like to go to America again and maybe a few trips down to London. But I'll make the decision nearer the time.

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The rest of my day looks like this 

- poker studying in the morning

- workout

- take Rocco to park

- poker tourneys

I'm ready to play poker again, an 8 day break there so exciting to play again. Also looking forward to the challenge of playing 5nl as I just moved up before the break. Lastly I just like to say good luck to all the kids going back to school today !

25

So yesterday was my Birthday,  I turned 25, getting old I know. I had a sort of usual Birthday spent with my family going to the beach. I started going to the beach on my Birthday in 2010, my dog at the time Charley had the same Birthday as me so I decided to make the beach as it suited us both. Rocco has a December Birthday but he still benefits from going to the beach too. All dogs love the beach ! At night we played a new board game I got called The Chase, very good show and the board game was good fun although some of the questions are pretty difficult. We then watched Zoolander 2 which I already seen at the cinema in America, not everyone's cup of tea but I thoroughly enjoyed it, really funny.

So that's me 25 now, I can't believe it but you know I enjoy whatever age I am. One more year is a positive thing. I've matured in ways I didn't think I would have, but I'm also not a big deal when it comes to age, it's just a number really at the end of the day, just the older you are the 'more likely' you are to be experienced in life. I always enjoy my Birthday but nothing beats Christmas Day, I love the whole build up to Christmas too, great time of year.

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I have a week off poker now, I've managed to move up to 5nl which I'm excited about as it's a new challenge.  For now though just enjoying my break. I got an Xbox mic for my Birthday and also a book called 'Outliers' which is really interesting so far, so stuff to keep me busy in the house. I also plan on going to the cinema tomorrow and at the weekend either going to the cinema or bowling with my sisters.

I have my Cineworld Unlimited card back now, well no physical card back but I'm officially a member again. I don't think I'll be going as much as I did back when I first got the card but I'm busier now so sometimes I have to be more selective with what I choose to see. It's all been great for me to go with family and friends, it's a good outing, always enjoy the cinema. As for bowling I really enjoy that too, very social. Might need to get back on the ice too ha.

I'd like to go to a club also this week if I get time, I like the Cathouse at weekends and The Garage is good also. I've cut down on alcohol and sugar drinks since I returned home from Greece and plan on keeping it that way, it's okay once a month to drink and a few times a month to have a drink of coke but I want to make sure I limit it as it's much healthier. I'm 25 now so I still enjoy a night out but I don't crave for one all the time now. I like going to the cinema, bowling, ice skating, playing pool, casino and clubs so as you can see a mix. Not been a great fan of house parties but I do attend them from time to time.

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I'm also looking into reinventing my Youtube channel into a poker channel. It's going to be me interviewing other poker players and discussing poker topics, but I also want to include video blogs outside of poker sometimes when it's something interesting like the American Election. Not really thought a huge deal on it yet and it will probably be a few months before I actually release anything but it's something that I plan on doing in the future.

 I will also be writing a lot more blogs on here also. The reason for this I'm trying to branch out and open some doors from a media perspective in poker. Playing poker will always come first, but I feel like I can give more back, I really enjoy writing these and also making videos and it's good for me also to grow as a brand rather than just a poker player. Nothing will take off for now playing a micros but if I keep doing well and moving up I will be offered some opportunities, when you do things outside of poker it helps but also giving back creates it's own avenues. I always do my best to include poker within my blogs rather than make my blogs about poker, basically my approach is to try to appeal to a wider audience outwith poker, that way it makes them more interesting but more importantly it gives people an insight into poker without become overwhelmed and quite frankly BORED.

5 Reasons Why I love Playing Poker

Poker has been in my life since I was 13 years old(I know, I started young). I use to play with my friends in home games, just for fun really. Then as the years went on I started playing online. Probably at the age of 15 I started taking it more serious, I basically spent a whole summer playing freerolls online like 11 hours per day, I don't actually advise that for a 15 year old kid but hey that's what I done at the time. Also at that time even coming from the UK, poker was actually on TV more than it was nowadays. I remember watching Jamie Gold win the Main Event. So as the years went by I've finally progressed to mostly playing cash games and studying the game. I also live a more balanced life outside poker which in turn helps when I play, that is all trial and error though so why after 12 years of play why do I still love playing.

Competition

I love being the best and winning. I love winning at Fifa, I love winning at family board games and I love beating my personal best at 100m, so why do I play poker the most though, I'd say it's because of the vast dynamic competition you get, so many complexities to the game and sometimes the worse player actually wins.

Numbers/stats

I have always been a stats and numbers geek, I have always been quick at working with numbers so pot odds, implied odds, that part of the game comes fairly quickly to me in having to work out.

Characters

I love all the different types of players you get and people, I am actually a really big fan of the game as well as a player, nothing beats watching players like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth. But I would love to even play against players like that.

Live poker

I pretty much only play online but live poker is more fun overall, partly because I hardly ever play live but also just meeting people and nothing beats having real chips.

Discipline

This is a factor I had to really train myself at for poker but the last few years at poker I managed to grasp it, But because you train yourself to be disciplined in poker that transforms into life which is a great thing.

So that's the ones that come to the top of my head. I love this game, it gets me having to think and learn new things every session. Is the game as fun as as when I started, I'd say now that I play it seriously, probably not but that's the same with many things with life, I still love it 90% maybe just not the 100% when I first started but that's the same with everything in life. Poker just suits me, like my personality was made for this game and I am sure if I hadn't started playing at 13, I would have came across the game at some point in my life.

Lots To Cover

I have been travelling much of 2016 on a big adventure trip, which I loved of course. I had 2 trips, America for 3 months and then over summer went to Zante.

LA/Vegas

Before I start, I am so glad I done this trip. At 24 years of age, I am young and I wanted to travel for a long period and experience that in my life. I had a good 6 months break from poker which was actually a good thing because I've came back motivated but more on that later. Los Angeles was a great place. I love American people and I had a blast meeting lods of different personalities at the hostels and even meeting lots of people walking around. Very friendly social place and I do plan on going back there next year even if just for a week or 2. I went lots of hiking, spent lots of time with a variety of people, done some touristy things and also played some football with the Hispanics down the park. Because of social media these days, I'm able to keep in touch with people I met over FB etc which I'm really happy about, great memories over there.

Vegas

For a guy at 24 that stays in the other side of the world, being to Vegas for my 3rd time is a great accomplishment, I am very blessed to have been giving that opportunity to go there. The first few weeks I was staying down at a hostel but the last week I stayed at a hotel on the strip which was really nice called the Luxor. Met really cool people there and I actually didn't gamble much this time, just a couple of slots. More drinking going to clubs and pool parties this which I had got to experience a little the last two times but not as much as this one

I would love to live in America one day, over in the west coast. Very hard to get into so not really planning on moving anytime soon but I'll keep visiting as much as I can

Zante

Zante was really fun, different type of heat though, it can get draining. I was mostly just going out every night drinking and sleeping in really late. Had a lot of fun nights here though, eating was more tricky for me being vegan but yeah glad I went there.

So had a lot of fun on this trip and although I don't plan on going for trips of that length of time I still want to travel, maybe down London later this year and America next year again.

Poker

The break was good for me but I'm back grinding at poker. I feel more fresh and motivated to play, still at 2NL at the moment but playing well overall and I can feel 5NL getting closer and closer. I really want to move up the stakes and compete at the top level. But it's been good fun to be playing again.

So I am still single just now which I do enjoy as I am comfortable in my own company and don't need someone else to motivate me or help me etc. With that being said, now that I've been single for two years and coming up 25 I am open to a relationship, don't really see it happening within the next few months at least. I met lots of girls on the road which was cool cause it was good to meet people from different cultures and learn. I like that.

So a few quieter months for me but I plan on getting a cinema card again soon and I also plan on catching up with friends soon.

The blog was a bit all over the place tonight, please forgive me I was watching a Euros semi final whilst blogging.

Finding My True Self

After 24 years of trying to become the person I wanted to be I've finally started being myself. I almost had this at 23 but still felt it wasn't 100% there. From 21 to 24 I've had a few heartbreaking events happen to me. They ended up hurting me so bad that they humbled me. Let me take you through my journey of those events.

1) Losing my first dog Charley - Was a decent year but I wasn't working from summer through to winter in 2012 so was spending so much time with my dog at the end of my dog's life, at the time I obviously didn't know my dog would take cancer right before Christmas and die a week later, By the vets advice we decided to put Charley down, she had multiple tumours. I was in shock for a couple of weeks and was still very busy because my Granda was in hospital at the time. I felt so lonely and confused, I was in a bad place. Only looking back did I realise how badly it affected me. I felt guilt for a while, why was I 21 and living and my dog dies at 24. Over time although I'll never get over losing Charley it does not affect my day to day life in the slightest.

2) Losing my Gran - I lost my Gran 7 months after my dog, it wasn't as upsetting or tragic, I was still shocked my Gran passed away but she had been suffering dementia for a few years and she wasn't getting any better. I think because my family were upset it also made me partly hold it in but then get upset alone.

3) Love - I was in love. I made mistakes, I didn't take it as seriously as I could. I miss that love but I'm more happier being single right now. I love girls though, they are so sweet and caring, I'm still a single guy at the end of the day, boys will be boys but I do hope one day I find some more love and I have a family, that's really my biggest dream if I'm honest.

So those 3 things in the end actually changed me for the better. I have ended up improving in various aspects of my life because I can connect with others and I'm more open that I've ever been. I was open before but now it comes from a happier heart. I took advantage of some people. I sort of preached things but then didn't hold true to them. I lied to myself sometimes too. But I don't regret because I grew and became someone I'm happy with. I found my purpose and what makes me happy, it takes time. Here is things I changed in my life physically and mentally.

Less materials - This one makes me focus more on socialising and helping others by removing my thoughts of thinking about materials that I don't actually need.

Less internet usage - I use my phone in house still but I hardly ever use Youtube now. I don't want to be rich or famous any more, I actually just want to be poor and popular. I couldn't be rich knowing some kid in Africa can't feed themselves. It's sad and eye opening really.

Spend more time with girls - I go through spells usually when I meet lots of girls etc then have quiet spells. I want to keep those busy spells, girls make me so happy. I always smile when I'm around girls whether it's a friend, attractive girl etc.

Live in present - I stop planning for the future, I just enjoy life at that very moment.

I am getting tired now but everything is coming together lately. I just have to keep humble, honest and caring.