2019: A Funny Old Year

So 2019 is very nearly over and I don't know what to make of it. I'd say 2018 was worse because it felt long whereas 2019 was pretty short but 2019 hasn't exactly been a picnic for me either.

It started off great when I won a competition from the Five Who Fans to devise an outline for a Classic Doctor Who Parody and to be fair, the first half was alright. I managed to finish my final year of uni mostly unscathed. It was stressful, yes but I remember it fondly, especially with new friends I made on the way. Easter was lovely too, as always. 

It was only when it was summer when things started to go pear-shaped. After graduating from uni, my plan was to find a job to raise money for a master's degree in scriptwriting. However, things took a sharp turn for the stressful when I was made to realise that such plans are impossible without taking a gap year. So I did exactly that and tears were shed. As you may know, I don't deal with change very well and it was a lot to take in. But once I had a think, I accepted it and to be fair, it came with pros. I was finally able to rejoin my old drama group in my hometown and now I'm rehearsing for a show with them. Then again, I am reconsidering my original plan to do my master's in Bournemouth after an attempt to get a refund that took longer than it should have.

As for my job hunting, it was and still is mostly unsuccessful but I managed to get a part-time job as a kitchen porter in a local pub (which is getting increasingly sparse) and after two years of attempting, I managed to volunteer at a charity shop. I also started writing up the memoirs of a family friend which I have yet to finish. If I had any New Year's resolution, it would definitely be to find a stable source of income and I'm working on that now. Luckily, I've been writing film reviews and my blogs more frequently to build up a portfolio which is always good and I cannot thank you guys enough for the feedback this year.

My annual traditions remained unscathed such as my annual holiday to Way-Hey-Mouth and my holiday timetable which is a relief and I managed to add some more traditions such as watching summer/beach episodes of my favourite shows in the week leading up to the holiday. And my social life has been mostly stable (save for the summer) with uni friends in the first half and my drama group in the second half which is always handy. Sadly, my mental health has been fluctuating from stress and loneliness to peace which is worrying. It doesn't help that after leaving Chroma Church upon leaving Leicester, I have struggled to find a replacement, especially after I started working on Sundays. And my love life has once again been non-existent but at least I finally realised that Tinder is not good for me and I've taken a more social approach to things. 

As for my thoughts on what the rest of the world is up to, I never thought I'd be more ashamed of my country than I was for Brexit but boy have I been proven wrong as the General Election earlier this month completely derailed it. It was the most I've been engaged in politics and as of now, I'm going back to being apolitical because the whole system is broken!

I was, however, pleased to see that my best friends are doing well with two of them getting engaged this year. I am glad that, despite my 2019 being half rubbish, at least my friends had a good year.

So, looking forward, I have no idea what's in store for me in 2020. I doubt it will be easy as my grandma's cancer has returned, I have no clear plan for the future and my country's falling to pieces but who knows? I thought 2019 would be my year and it wasn't so I don't know if 2020 will be the same. I do have resolutions that I intend to keep. Here they are:

1. Get a stable job
2. Progress my career as a film critic
3. Improve my social life, ideally by hanging out with people my own age for a change
4. Find someone who makes me happy (and is single) and gain the confidence I need to ask her out

Anyway, have a happy new year everyone! May your 2020 be prosperous and not the least bit stressful. Until the next time, fare thee well good people of the internet!

Meme of the Day:

CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS! (21/12/2019-27/12/2019)

No, I'm not covering up my large forehead... what are you on about?!

Okay... sorry for the lack of blogs lately! I've been so busy with Christmas lately that I only just now had the time to write one.

And boy has it been busy?! I might do a breakdown of all the stuff I've done over the holiday season! 

Christmas Build-Up/Star Wars (21-23rd December)

Most of it has been focussed on Star Wars. After finally booking the tickets for Monday 23rd December, I watched The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi over the weekend in preparation. They both held up though weirdly, The Force Awakens got worse yet The Last Jedi got better with the rewatch.

Onto the main event, I was excited but cautiously so for The Rise of Skywalker and I managed to watch it in an indie theatre. I went with my stepdad, as was tradition, and he definitely enjoyed it more than I did. My full review is here but suffices to say, the terribly rushed pacing killed it for me despite at least being somewhat entertained. I was cross at it for a while but then I was reminded that Star Wars is like sex and pizza, no matter how bad it is, it's fundamentally enjoyable. 

Christmas Eve (24th December)

We do Christmas Eve differently in our family. As it's on the same date as my stepdad's birthday, we celebrate that instead so he doesn't feel overshadowed. As such it was a good birthday and I managed to help out in any way I can. We had a buffet and my extended family (including my grandparents, one of my uncles and my aunt-of-honour who is no way related or married to any of our family but as my mum's best friend, she is basically that) came round. It was an overall nice time but I need to remind myself never to discuss trans rights again as that always creates a toxic environment, no matter who it's with and if they agree with you. It's a sad state but it's what it is. 

Fortunately, I was able to do some Christmas stuff including watching my two favourite Christmas Specials: Doctor Who: 'A Christmas Carol' and The Muppet Christmas Carol. Both give me the Christmas feels and prepare me for Christmas despite taking vastly different approaches to the story. I was also pleased to see that I finished The Muppet Christmas Carol on midnight, right when it was Christmas Day! Speaking of which...

Christmas Day (25th December)

Christmas Day ran very smoothly but there are many of you who don't know my annual traditions. We start off with seeing what 'Santa' gave us. Despite the fact that all of us know that Santa wasn't real, we still do it because it's fun and it's nice to believe in him regardless. I got a LOT of food myself plus some things to help me out with my stress including stress balls (with faces!) and a book on mindfulness that encourages me to be like Yoda. I also got a VHS copy of the original Cats stage musical... as well as a 4K/Blu-Ray copy of Alita: Battle Angel from my uncle... people know that I have neither of those right? 

Soon after that, my sister went to church so we waited for her so we can do presents. I know I should have gone myself as a Christian but none of the churches in my home town are any good. Note to self: find a good church. When she got back, we did presents. I got exactly what I needed with updates to my favourite superhero franchises, a copy of Doctor Who: 'The Tenth Planet' and a Star Wars long-sleeved top that not only has my favourite Star Wars movie on it, The Empire Strikes Back but is now my new official winter pyjama top! Everyone was also pleased with what I got them which is good! 

Soon, we went to my grandparents for Christmas Dinner (where the conversation was much nicer and less... political... and my older sister dropped some cauliflower cheesy in my drink. She's basically like Miranda Hart) and we did, even more, presents afterwards. I got new shoes (which feel like I'm walking on cushions), Doctor Who collectables and DVDs. A good haul this year. 

We later played some games such as charades and 'Neighbours'. Charades is a game that I'm sort of good at. I always pick difficult films (etc.) and perform them in odd ways that means they take forever to guess what I'm trying to do. Still, that's part of the fun! 

Finally, we went home and in lieu of a Doctor Who Christmas special (since Chris Chibnall is refusing to write any), we instead get one for Gavin & Stacey. I personally love the show for its charming characters, positive tone and relatable stories and this is no different. Despite being off-air for 11 years, it's like they never left and the writing is a strong as ever (though that cliffhanger certainly left me wanting more... and singing 'Fairytale of New York' uncensored wasn't a wise move considering that f****t is the LGBT equivalent of the N-word but I'll let it slide as it didn't feel malicious). 

Boxing Day and Beyond (26/12/2019-27/12/2019)

Boxing Day was a very lollopy day since we're all tired from Christmas. I broke into my new shoes and they worked a treat and I managed to watch X-Men: Dark Phoenix, an okay if crushingly underwhelming film. 

The biggest news that day was not very nice at all. It turns out some smeghead stole my older sister's Christmas presents from her car. We're doing what we can to a) replace it, b) find the items and c) make her feel better. I feel like my job is the latter since I feel that's all I really can do at the moment.

Which brings me to today. I had to get presents for my brothers and my older sister and I split for my Dad's side of the family for financial reasons (though this is the last time we're doing it as we're both adults). I managed to get t-shirts for the three of them and finally finish my Star Wars reviews by reviewing The Rise of Skywalker today. 

And that's really it. It's been a hectic week with many ups and downs so it's time to face the rest of 2019. With that in mind, the next blog will be a year-end retrospective. A rewind if you will! Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet!

Meme of the Day:

Star Wars Reviews, Road Trips and Battles with the Odeon Website (20/12/2019)

Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar Waaaaaaaaaaaaars! Nothing but Staaaaaaaaaaaaar Waaaaaaaaaaars!

Today has been pretty quiet but also productive. From the 1st December onwards, I have been reviewing a lot of things Star Wars in preparation for The Rise of Skywalker (which I am seeing on Monday but more on that). For the first 12 days, I looked at fan films and for the rest of the Christmas period, I have been reviewing every Star Wars movie on my Perfectly Honest Film Review page but because I suddenly have an active social life, I have been lagging behind. Well today, I had time on my hands so I was finally able to review the original trilogy of films (as I have been reviewing these in chronological order). They are all online now and ready to view. Don't worry, they're all positive!

Anyway, after that, I went on my usual walk. I tend to walk around my home town for fresh air and excercise and I have to say, it's much nicer in any other time of year than winter! I'd say spring all through summer is the best time. Why? It takes me around 75 minutes to perform my walk. It's that long. Anyway, during my walk, I was sent to deliver Christmas cards to family and neighbours, including my grandparents where it was finally confirmed that we would be spending Christmas there (it was up in the air before for personal reasons). It was certainly good news.

Afterwards, I went with my stepdad to pick up his kids. Along the way, we basically discussed Star Wars and films I have yet to see (including the Spaghetti Westerns, the Matrix sequels and the Die Hard sequels). Soon we had McDonald's after picking them up (which I'm not a fan of due to the small portions but I tolerate it because it's not awful) and we journeyed home. I also learned that I possibly talk in my sleep though I suspect they were teasing me.

Afterwards, my stepdad and I tried booking tickets for The Rise of Skywalker on the Odeon website (as I had a Limitless). However, the website was impossible to navigate as my Limitless wasn't registered to either of our accounts. After battling the website (which included setting up a new account), I conceded defeat. It was too broken for me to handle. Thankfully, I saw that an independent cinema was showing the film for a much cheaper price so we're going there instead.

Aside from that, I've been watching some Christmas songs by the acapella group Pentatonix (who are incredibly talented but their fashion sense keeps getting worse and worse with each passing year) and spoiler-free reviews of The Rise of Skywalker, all of which made me very nervous for the film's outcome. I do like the other sequels but if this is as messy as they say, I fear that they may not stick the landing

Anyway, that'll be all for now. Please share this around as all of this is to raise awareness for autism and I noticed that yesterday's post didn't do so well. Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet!

Meme of the Day:

Besties, Sweet and Sour Chicken and Avoiding Spoilers (19/12/2019)

I mean who doesn't?

Dear me have I been busy with my social life! Today I met with my best friend who I shall refer to as Sarah Jane Smith for anonymity's sake. And I did chose that name wisely because in Doctor Who, The Doctor and Sarah Jane weren't lovers but they were somehow such great friends, they transcended that. Plus she's happily engaged and I'd be a lunatic to mess that up.

Anywho, after a nice chat in Costas (well a chat with some awkward silences because we both have Autism/Asperger's), we decided to exchange gifts. I already had mine prepared by Sarah Jane left hers at home so we had to go there. It doesn't sound too bad if anything it was nice, but seeing as it's Britain, we had to battle the wind and the rain with our umbrellas. I am shocked I didn't go Mary Poppins that day.

After the presents were exchanged (which I am not planning to open until Christmas Day), I went home and undertook a special project: I was to cook Sweet and Sour Chicken for the first time. Me cooking by myself is nothing new as I survived a whole year at uni self-catered but this was a new challenge. After being told what to do, I took it on single-handedly (with the exception of making my rather disgruntled teenaged sister set the table) and I managed to do it. It was kind of stressful but I felt alive and in control of the kitchen. I was basically Gordon Ramsey without the swearing. The dinner was nice (if I say so myself) and so far, I'm not poisoned which is nice.

As for internet stuff, I have been very careful to avoid spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (which I am very nervous about judging by the critical reception) and with the exception of who Rey is, I have been successful (no, I won't say. I'm not a donkey). I was also pleased to see that Donald Trump got impeached by the Senate but I was dismayed to see that, like Emperor Palpatine, he is basically the Senate so he's likely to get back into office. Yay democracy! I was even more dismayed that one of my heroes, J.K. Rowling has revealed herself to be a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist for those of you who don't speak internet) as she sided with a transphobic journalist after the latter got fired for her toxic and false views. Suffice to say, my views on Harry Potter have somewhat soured. I still like the books but I no longer like the author who wrote them.

Speaking of Harry Potter, I neglected to mention that my Secret Santa gift was a Harry Potter pack of Trivial Pursuit cards and I cannot wait to challenge other Potterheads I know. No, I don't know who my Secret Santa is. As for my Star Wars reviews, I'm lagging behind. I managed to publish my review of Rogue One and I started my review of A New Hope but by that point, I was exhausted. I do have a free day tomorrow so I can basically review the Original Trilogy.

That's all for now. Fare thee well good people of the internet!

Meme of the Day:

Charities, Secret Santas and Social Lives (19/12/2019)

For no reason at all, here's me as a woman!

So there really wasn't much to report yesterday outside of cleaning the entire kitchen and applying for a few more jobs so I'll just skip to today.

Today was PACKED! So I'll start with what I do every Wednesday: I volunteer at a Charity Shop. The work environment is good as my co-workers are lovely but Wednesday afternoons are not good times for me to pick because they're usually so quiet. Once in a while, I get things to do like today I was dusting out the front but other than that, nada.

So when I went home, I focused on tonight and boy do I have a lot to explain. I have joined an amateur dramatics group I shall refer to as MMAD and I am currently doing a pantomime with them. It's based on Camelot and I'm playing the secondary villain Valerin the Vicious, King of the Tangled Wood. Anywho, tonight was a special night as we were doing Secret Santa. I got my gift weeks back and I wrapped it today. My worry was my Christmas cards. I tried to do enough but it turned out I didn't so I had to write them last minute. This wouldn't be so bad but I've gotten into the habit of adding weird and comedic touches to my cards so they took a while. It was worth it though, I saw that it managed to make a few people laugh.

Anyway, after a song and dance rehearsal, the Secret Santa began and me being me, I ended up experiencing two embarrassing moments. For starters, I confused a gift with someone else with a similar name as me. It didn't help as she (yes she) was sitting right next to me. As if that wasn't enough, it turns out the gift I was supposed to give didn't end up in the Secret Santa sack so I had to reveal myself. It turns out he figured it out anyway because I'm not great at being interrogated.

Afterwards, myself and a few of my friends from MMAD went out for drinks. This has become a weekly tradition at this point and I couldn't be happier. When I returned home from uni, I struggled with having a social life because I lived in a small town and most of my friends there were grown, adults. Now I actually have something to look forward to every week! I still haven't got a complete social life as I need to join another thing (preferably involving people my own age) but it's better than before!

I was also pleased to hear that this might get noticed as someone from MMAD who works with people with autism offered to share it around to raise awareness. Good! That's what this whole experiment is for!

Anyway, signing off now. Fare thee well good people of the internet!

Meme of the Day:

My Experience with a Job Coach (16/12/2019)

This happens... a lot!

Okay so here's some context: I have recently graduated from University (take that doctors who said I would be unable to walk or talk!) and I am currently facing what every person in their 20s face: job hunting... *shudder*. Yeah it hasn't been easy for me. The most I was able to get was a part-time job as a pub and I do mean part-time as my hours are limited to weekends. It soon started getting to me and tears followed as well as many a stressful night. Talking with my parents didn't help as I kept getting bombarded with suggestions which, while helpful, were overwhelming.

Thankfully, on the request of my employer and my Grandma (no they're not the same person), I signed up to a job coach. This turned out to be the best decision I made all year because now, this whole job-hunting malarkey is now making sense to me. Not only is my coach extremely helpful but they're encouraging too. In today's meeting, for example, they were able to fix my CV and help me apply for a job. Don't worry, I didn't end up lazy because of it. In fact, I applied for jobs on my own on the side... not that it helped since they do this annoying thing of not responding whatsoever... sometimes after interviews or trial shifts!

As for the rest of my day, not much to report other than getting Christmas cards to give to my theatre group on Wednesday. Because of my Christmas Timetable, my days are usually busy at night as I watched some more Christmas specials and reviewed Solo: A Star Wars Story on my film review site (which is the most pointless Star Wars film ever made). I'm also starting to get into Parks and Recreation which, while not the funniest show, is one of the most uplifting shows I've seen and it perks me up when the weight of loneliness crushes down on me.

And that's it. I dread to think what would happen if I ended up with a day of nothing but this experiment is working out well so far! Fare thee well good people of the internet!

Meme of the Day:

So About This Week... also Where the Heck Have I Been? (15/12/2019)

My new antlers got decorated... I am very pleased :D

Hello, good people of the internet! Long-time no see! I am aware of how popular this is but since my last post, I've been lost for ideas and I ended up forgetting about this as I tried to focus on my future. Naturally, this ended up being my best option so far so I thought I'd come back to it and this time, I'm going to try and do it daily. It's well and good learning about the broad strokes of autism but it's about time you saw how it affects our daily lives... well my daily life anyway.

Anywho, today has been very quiet. I try to keep myself productive both work-wise (I now have a part-time job) and socially (as that's lacking right now) but today was what I would describe as a 'lollopy' day. People like me are iPhones. We can survive activity but now and again, we need to recharge... this was my recharging period. Today I helped out my stepdad with food shopping for a roast dinner and my older sister visited (heck she and my mum gave me the idea to do this).

It felt needed this time though as my week has been rather tough. Socially, I've been more active than I've been for a while. I've gladly rejoined an amateur dramatics group and I've been partaking in social events with them including a night out at the pub and a Christmas Dinner yesterday. I also saw another panto starring my mum (It was Cinderella which I thought was really funny even if the plot kept getting in the way). If it was just them, I would have been exhausted but happy.

Then came the General Elections. As I mentioned in my last post, I'm not a political person but after realising how much damage the Conservatives would cause to the NHS, the lower class, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities (yes including autism), I had to vote against them and I did... only to find out it was for nothing as the Tories got a majority vote. I'm not going to lie, I have never been more ashamed of my country and more scared for my future. I genuinely considered moving to Germany or Ireland (as I know good people in the former and I love the culture of the latter) but I managed to calm down.

I remembered the story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis in the Bible (the one that got turned into an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical) and not only did my mind turn to said musical but also the VeggieTales' version which reimagined it as a western (don't ask). The message soon became clear to me and I'm finally able to ask the most annoying question a Christian can get asked: if God exists, why do bad things happen? Well now I have an answer: just because things are bad now, doesn't mean they'll stay bad and if we continue doing the right thing in the Lord's name, He will provide. This calmed me down and now I'm just about able to stay sane in these terrible times. But just in case, I'm not asking people who they voted for. I'm not losing any friends over something as petty as politics.

I also started reviewing every Star Wars film on my other site, Perfectly Honest Film Reviews and so far, I reviewed all the Prequels (only one of which I thought was good). Speaking of reviews, I tried getting into the habit of watching a new film every week but this week was so hectic (not to mention rainy) that I was unable to. My 'Frozen II' review will be delayed as a result but hopefully, the Star Wars reviews will tide you over.

I thought it would be a good time to mention my annual Holiday tradition. In 2016, I realised that I couldn't watch all of my favourite Christmas specials online, on TV and in film without organising it so I decided to create a time table. Year-by-year, not only did I perfect my Christmas schedule but I added ones for Halloween in 2017, November in 2018 (where I mixed things up by watching Bonfire Night Specials, things that mixed Halloween and Christmas, Doctor Who Anniversary specials and Christmas specials that didn't quite make the Christmas Timetable) and September in 2019 (simply because September got boring as a result). This year, I managed to balance my Holiday Schedules with my normal schedules and this year's Christmas timetable has been a success as I am feeling the Christmas mood, especially now that I have started the Doctor Who Christmas specials.

Anyway, that's all for today. I'll see if I can keep this up daily but hopefully, it can permanently bring this blog site back to life. Fare thee well good people of the internet!!!

Meme of the Day: 

Why I Refuse to Talk About Politics

Introduction

So in case you haven't noticed, I haven't really posted anything political on Facebook lately. All I post are memes, film-related rants and anything to do with Doctor Who and that's because I'm basically done with it. There are many reasons why (I'll get into those at the moment) this is the case but the long and short of it is that it's become a hostile environment. Like Gatsby pointed out above, it often descends into pointless arguments and I just hate that.

Now, just to be clear, I'm not entirely a-political. I consider myself to be a feminist (in the sense that I actually want gender equality!), I'm also rather PC (In that I don't mind when it shows up in media and I think people do need to be more accepting of those different to them) and I support those currently oppressed such as the LGBT+ community. And obviously, as an autist, I will continue to educate people and raise awareness about autism. But I will also concede that I keep these views to myself and in terms of if I lean left or right, I'm basically in the middle.

But enough beating around the bush, here's why I'm not really comfortable talking about political issues.

The Main Flurgemon

Thing 1: Politics is a shambles

Let's face it, the government aren't looking good. We have PMs changing more frequently than they should, multiple attempts at a vote of no confidence, Parliament disagreeing on what to do about Brexit and of course, Brexit. But here's the thing, I'm talking about the government in general. The Tories, Labour, UKIP, all of them seem to make unpopular decisions and if nobody is giving me a reason to follow them, then why should I? And don't get me started on America...

When the next General Election comes around, I genuinely would have no idea who to vote for! They're all problematic and, dare I say, broken so why should I? Besides, the election periods themselves gave me another reason to have disdain for politics.

Thing 2: It's become too angry and hostile

So I have friends who have different political views to me and to each other which is fine, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But during election periods, those views come to a head and honestly, it got ugly. There were pointless heated arguments left, right and centre and I got so sick of it that the only political rant I made was about how I'm sick of it bringing out the worst in people (which in turn inspired this blog funnily enough!)

But it's at its worse on the Internet. No matter what political view a person held, they would always rant and argue against those with a different view and it's gotten to the point where people continue ranting and pushing their views onto people despite there being no election. It's gotten so bad, it's one of the reasons why I unfollowed most of my friends on Facebook (that and seeing them constantly have an active life is not only mostly inaccurate but it also induced unhealthy jealousy).

Now I get it, people have a right to be angry in most cases, particularly when someone acts corrupt or immoral but it gets a bit much. I know of people at either end of the political spectrum who get angry and offended at the tiniest thing. And it can very easily turn personal to the point where insults are hurled. Plus, admittedly, it gets me angry too which is why I tend to avoid it to avoid the risk of hurting someone. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all and that's exactly what I'm doing. Otherwise, I'll just lose my faith in humanity.  

Thing 3: I don't personally experience racism, sexism and homophobia so I'm not the best person to talk about this

(Apologies for the strong language but it kind of reinforces the point I'm about to make)

That being said, once again to be clear, I am neither racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamaphobic or any of the other 'ists' or 'phobics.' It genuinely baffles me as to why they exist (and no the Bible doesn't count, Jesus taught us to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" [Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31] meaning that He expects us to love everyone, regardless of alleged sins) and I do consider those kinds of people to be backwards in their views. 

But I don't rant about it as much because I am a cis-gendered, heterosexual white male who also happens to be a Christian. I don't exactly have a leg to stand on when it comes to these things. That is except for ableism because, as someone with a learning disability, I have a leg to stand on. But even then, for the reasons explained in Thing 2, I only intend to educate and raise awareness, not rant. And when a man does something abhorrent, I do everything I can to prove that not all men are awful human beings and try to make sure that both men and women aren't being sexist to each other. But for the most part, every time I stand up for the LGBT+ community, the Black community, women and the Muslim community, I feel like a white knight rather than someone trying to help.

Thing 4: I'm not an expert!!!

Speaking of having no leg to stand on (for the most part), the biggest reason why I don't talk about politics is that I simply don't know enough about it. The reason I primarily talk about film and TV is that I consider myself to be an expert in that. I'll happily rant about problems in the film industry or badly done films or TV shows because I'm passionate about it whereas I'm not as passionate about politics. 

There's no point in talking about something I know little about because I could be talking out of my donkey for all I know. It's best to leave political talks to those who are passionate about it.

Conclusion

To be honest, all my grievances with politics all boil down to hostility. Whenever anybody talks about politics, it's always with anger. Angry about how the governments are morons and about how everyone is oppressed. Anger is sometimes good if you want to take a stand but all they're doing is painting yourself as an old man yelling at a cloud. What people like that need to do is balance things out. Advocate charities, educate people (especially about transgenderism and homosexuality because I feel like there isn't enough), showcase the good things people do as well as the bad things. Just spread positivity! 

That's why I frequently share memes. I know too many people who post angry rants on Facebook (often with good reason, don't get me wrong, but as I said, it gets too much!) so I post memes to remind people that it's okay to laugh and have fun. I also share them to cheer people up because no matter where you are on the political spectrum, these are dark times so it's good to hold on to the things that make us smile for the sake of our own sanity.

And I know it seems like I'm ignorant when I choose not to talk about these things but let it be known that I'm not ignoring them, there's just too much sadness, anger and fear going around social media already. You don't need me to add to it. 

But as Dumbledore said in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, "Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light," and that is exactly what I'm doing (or trying to do) on Facebook. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please do as Gatsby says and keep the comments civil! And I hope you at least understand why I have chosen to be a-political. If you like what you see here, please comment below or message me on my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' for more topic ideas as my brain can only come up with so many ideas regarding real-life issues and autism.

Until then, be sure to share this around as Facebook's algorithm tends to bury my posts behind a paywall and any likes and comments go a long way. Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet. 

What Women Need to Know About Men!

Introduction

So I came across an r/askreddit post (as one does) which asked 'what are some "guy secrets" girls don't know about?' and it got me thinking: girls need to know these. 

As a self-described feminist (but in an 'I support gender equality sense' not an 'exterminate all men' sense) I believe that men and women should communicate better and I believe that this would help facilitate that. Now obviously I can't do this both ways as I'm a cisgendered male and I don't know any 'girl secrets' but hopefully this will provide insight as to what goes on in men's heads so that any woman who reads this will hopefully understand us better.

Please note that I also can't speak for all men as everyone is different. Plus there may be some things in there that apply to men with autism and introverts as I am both these things. 

Anyway, let's get started!

The Big Shabang! 

• Men are oblivious to hints: This is a notorious thing about men. I have heard stories of women dropping hints that they like or dislike a guy and they are always oblivious to it until they just outright say it. Until we get verbal confirmation, it's a massive Schroedinger's cat situation because we genuinely don't know what you actually think of us. Don't send us signals, just say it! It'll make things a lot easier on us.

• Ignoring us/making us jealous never works: If you play hard to get or start taking an interest in another guy to make us jealous, it makes us lose interest in you because we think you're not interested in us. Plus is a sign that you're super manipulative and guys don't like girls who play with our emotions. 

• We think about random stuff a lot: Remember that meme where the woman says that 'I bet he's thinking about other girls' when in reality, he's thinking about something stupid and trivial. That is insanely accurate. I for one think about random geeky things more than women. As someone with autism, it's a little different because I'm compelled to think about the plots of my favourite movie franchises and TV shows but the idea is the same. Sometimes we think about nothing at all. Sometimes we just play a random song in our head. Our brains are random like that. And chances are, in a relationship, a guy is loyal to you and is more likely to think about last night's match than other women.

• We love compliments but we don't get enough of it: Yes, like women, men love to be complimented. Trouble is, we don't get complimented much so it's more special when we do get compliments. I don't know about you but when I get compliments, I tend to blush and pass it off as nothing but in reality, I'm jumping with joy inside. I think that's why when women give men compliments, we tend to think it means you really like us because we so rarely get it, to us, we must be really special to you. So it doesn't hurt to be nice more often. Hopefully, those pesky r/niceguys would catch on and realise that a compliment is, for the most part, just a compliment

• We don't really talk about our personal lives too much: This comes out in two ways. When guys socialise with each other, we tend to talk about our interests more than our personal lives. I don't really know that much about my guy friends but I still consider some of them as brothers because we still get on well and we share the same interests. The other way is when guys communicate with either our parents or women. A dreaded question of mine is 'how is your day' because I'm not interested in talking about my life, mostly because it's mundane and uninteresting. Which leads on to:

• Take interest in our interests: This might just be an introvert thing but I find that I'm way more confident and comfortable talking about my interests than my personal life. When I'm talking about my day or personal things, unless I bring it up or I'm not okay, I prefer not to talk about it. I usually act shy and uncomfortable. However, when discussing my interests or trivial things, I'm way more talkative, loud and confident because I feel comfortable talking about it. And yes, that is why I tend to look for friends and potential partners with similar interests to me: it just gives us something to talk about.
• 
  
• We're less open about our emotions: Similar to before, I sometimes don't feel too comfortable talking about how I feel and sometimes, I don't like opening up when I'm upset or angry. I don't know if it's because my autism prevents from conveying my feelings or if it's because of masculine culture or both but I tend to bottle things up unless I'm alone in which case, I tend to cry. I never cry in public (problematic I know) because I get irrationally embarrassed.

• We don't actually care how you look that much: Of course, we do notice if you look nice and will compliment on you but it really doesn't matter to us what dress you wear because we know you look nice in it. When we say 'I don't care,' we mean it! We're not fashion savvy so we don't know if it does look nice!

• When we say, I'm fine, it doesn't mean we're fine but we will be and it's best to just drop it: Pretty self-explanatory that one...

• When guys say nothing when one asks what's wrong, we usually mean it: I get this a lot because I have a resting anxious face. I get that you're concerned but honestly, I'm fine!

• When we miss the toilet, it's not our fault: Our pee stream gets out of control due to us being unable to direct it or because it sometimes comes out in two streams. 

• Men reconcile quickly: When women fall out with other women or men, it's usually permanent or long-term. When men fall out, we make up very easily and it usually doesn't last forever unless we fall out of touch.

• When we open a jar, let us do it: It makes us feel needed and guys like that. I mean we like independence too but it's nice to feel useful once in a while.

• The dating scene is just as brutal for us as it is for women but for different reasons: I learned the hard way that women can be picky and I will admit that getting rejected one too many times makes me feel unattractive. Obviously, you have every right to reject us but let us down easy. It makes all the difference. Every 'ew no' or 'lol bye' is a stab to my self-esteem and I am so grateful to those who rejected me with kindness. Though I will say to men (and women for that matter) that if someone rejects you, please respect their decision, be polite and move on. The niceguys/nicegirls culture is making me lose my faith in humanity.

• We're just blunt: As hinted before, what we say is usually what we mean. For me, it's a little different because I'm not great at expressing emotions and I'm a massive people-pleaser but if you ask us for our honest opinion, we will give it! Or maybe it's just an autism thing... I don't know... But it is important to know anyway. It's why we're oblivious to hints. We're not as cryptic as you.

Conclusion

So there we have it! That's all I can think of at the moment but if any other guys have some advice, sound off below! 

Conversely, if any women have some advice for men about your quirks then sound off below as well.

And as always, be sure to like my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' for future content and as always, I am open to ideas! Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet!

Why I Like Cats!

Introduction

We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Main Thingy

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it

And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up)
(Ooh) Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up)

We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry

Conclusion

April Fools! ^_^

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Okay, I'm not that mean, I will explain my love for cats properly when the internet is less silly.

Defining My Weirdness 2: Sequel Title

Introduction

Sooo funny story. I initially wanted to do this on my Facebook page but there is WAY too much to unpack here so I thought I'd do it on this so it looks professional and stuff.

Now as you may or may not know, I did something like this already hence the sequel title but seeing as this is a brand-spanking new list, I thought it would be fun to address it in a fun list with headings and everything! What I usually do with these is go through them and see which ones I fit into and how. Like last time, this sort of thing will explain my weird behaviour to those of you who know me.

Anyway, ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!!!!

The Long List of I-Can't-Find-a-Synonym-For-Symptoms-Beginning-With-L

Social Signs

• May feel like you become whoever you're around most - I can be easily influenced so that's true for me.
• May constantly rehearse conversations or interactions - Very true both before and after the conversation which is weird because I end up winging it anyway. 
• May feel as though you are always on stage - This is rather literal in my case as I love me some theatre but figuratively, not really. 
• May have a few close friends but not many acquaintances - This rather depends... at secondary school and outside of uni this is very much the case and I prefer it that way but at uni, I have many acquaintances but they're less close to me.
• May see the world literally and in black and white - There have been times where I took the world literally but I see everyone as capable of having good and evil in them so I don't think the world is as black and white. Plus, it's very colourful (when British weather decides to act uncharacteristically nice)
• May struggle with other people breaking rules - Oh my gosh yes! I hate getting into trouble and I will have no part in rule breaking. Also, never offer to play Grand Theft Auto with me... I will panic...

Sensory Signs

• May be a very picky eater with few preferred foods - I've gotten more open-minded these days (though for some reason, vegetables are my kryptonite) but once upon a time I was so bad, my mum had to write the days of the week on bananas to get me to eat them.
• May struggle with noises, touching or sensory input - Loud noises can cause me to get so distressed, I have to go to quiet rooms to calm down. It's the reason I'm terrified of balloons, fire alarms and jump scares. I'm quite weird with touching as I'm okay with it but only if a) they verbally consent for me to do so and b) they do it to me. I will say that I have a big personal bubble that I don't always feel comfortable popping. Things like hugging and hand-holding I'm okay with but more intimate things like kissing I am way more careful with (my stance on sexual contact is TBC atm) As for the other sensory inputs, certain noises like loud chewing/swallowing, keyboard clacking and whispering drives me up the wall and texture is the primary reason why I'm not a fruit guy. 
• May seek out squeezing hugs when worried or upset - Yup, I'm a hugger. I even offer hugs to other people who are worried or upset.
• May chew, rub or tap certain materials obsessively - This is very true for me. I always fiddle or chew on something instinctively. My personal favourite fiddling device is blu-tack.
• May struggle to process visual or auditory information - Mostly auditory and I think it's an attention thing. It's the reason why I watch movies with subtitles. 
• May struggle to settle body down enough for restful sleep - Sometimes true. Sometimes I struggle to get to sleep, other times I sleep like a log. It's rather inconsistent.

Behavioural Signs

• May often fidget, chew, tap or other repetitive behaviours - See above. I also tend to rock a lot or shake my right knee. 
• May get more or less upset at something that is "appropriate" - I have no idea what this means... do they mean sex? If so, I'm probably leaning towards more but I usually act flustered more than anything... yeah I'm out. I have no idea what this means.
• May be very involved in specific hobbies and interests - My hobbies are very creatively-based so things like writing and theatre (sometimes both) are my top hobbies. As for interests... diddly-dum, diddly-dum, diddly-dum, diddly-dum...
• May struggle to adjust to when plans change without warning - Yes! Always tell me what the plan is in advance! I especially hate it when people cancel last minute.
• May have routines that don't seem to have a real purpose - Yes. For example, I go through Doctor Who plotlines in my head. I'm a living synopsis machine.
• May struggle in situations that are unfamiliar - Even if it means going to an unfamiliar place, this is true. I can struggle to adapt to my new surroundings. It can take a couple of days for me to do so.

Communication Signs

• May experience pain or discomfort during eye contact - File that under discomfort. I don't tend to look into people's eyes or even faces sometimes.
• May struggle to keep track of a fast conversation - Yes. My brain can only go so fast people!
• May take jokes very literally and not understand teasing - I'm mostly good with jokes and puns but teasing... I still get very wound up when people tease me and they have to clarify that is exactly what they're doing.
• May miss sarcasm and subtleties while others are speaking - Not severe with sarcasm but it can happen but I'm also rubbish at reading people. I think that's why I'm single the more I think about it...
• May prefer to communicate via text or email - I certainly prefer that to speak on the phone!!! I'm perfectly fine speaking with people face-to-face though! In fact, I prefer it because it gives me a better idea as to what they're like.
• May not understand why blunt honesty can be seen as rude - Yeah my brain-to-mouth filter isn't the best and whilst it has been helpful, as people can trust my opinion, it has gotten me into trouble multiple times.

Conclusion

Aaaaaaaand that's it! Like before, I hope this gives you an insight into what goes on in my brain. And remember, not everyone experiences these symptoms and some could affect them more severely than others. If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism. This is just an insight as to how it affects me in particular.

If you're autistic and you're reading this, how accurate are these to you? And if you're neurotypical, does this at least explain why I'm like this?

Sound off below and be sure to like my Facebook page Joel Mole for memes and updates. I welcome suggestions for future posts like these! Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet.

Alita: Battle Angel - A lesson on pushing your opinions, beliefs and products

Introduction

For those of who you don't know, Alita: Battle Angel (currently in cinemas at the time of writing) is about a cyborg who learns more about her past as she takes part in a dangerous sport. With its stunning visuals, an interesting sounding main character and prolific director, Robert Rodriguez, at the helm, I should be excited about this.

But I'm not excited for one reason: it's overly-advertised. Everywhere I go, especially now, I see nothing but Alita: Battle Angel. Be they in cinemas or online, Alita: Battle Angel has been advertised to death and quite frankly, I'm sick of it. And that's before I even seen the film.

Why is that? Why did a film that piqued my interest cause me to turn against it so quickly before I've even seen it? 

That's when I realised: this is the perfect example of how not to get people to see your product. In this post, I will explore several examples of how pushing people to see your movie or join your organisation will do exactly that: push.

Main Thingy

So the earliest example of pushing something beyond breaking point, at least for me, is Disney's Frozen. It was a massive hit with both audiences and critics and it generated over $1 billion dollars at the box office. And for good reason, it is a solid film with great characters, beautiful animations, one or two great songs and a fantastic moral about how true love is familial love, not necessarily romantic love.

Sadly, Disney caught on to its success and suddenly it was everywhere. For a while, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing 'Let it Go,' nor could you go anywhere without Frozen merchandise being shoved in your face. They even put unnecessary short films before other Disney films! It got so ludicrous that I actually started to forget why I even liked that film and I just became sick of it.

And as a result, pretty much everyone became sick of Frozen. I'm not even sure how much money the upcoming Frozen 2 will make.

But it doesn't stop there with Disney but with this example, it's not Disney's fault. Enter The Lion King, which I have to say is overrated. True it has stunning animation and a great villain but the main character is an obnoxious brat, the story is fine but it doesn't stand out to me, it's unfunny and the songs... not a fan...

But the main reason why I don't like The Lion King is that everyone won't shut up about its greatness, to the point where they denounce anyone who says they didn't like it. Because of this, it got shoved in my face and now I'm sick of it.

Then there's Netflix's Stranger Things. I have yet to see this show because, once again, it gets everywhere. Everyone wouldn't stop raving about it and everyone I talked to about it freaked out when I mentioned I haven't seen it. Now I won't watch it because I'm afraid I'll be underwhelmed. Ditto with Game of Thrones.

On that regard, I've been fairly guilty myself. I tell everyone I meet to read/watch Doctor Who, Star Wars, and Harry Potter if they haven't done so. So I guess I can't be too mad. But then again, as surprising as it is for you to hear, I don't jabber on about these as much as I want to because I know people would get sick of me. Heck, I get sick of me sometimes!

But okay, that's for movies. Everyone is entitled to their opinion even if I don't share it and at the end of the day, that's inconsequential. But sadly this applies to things like politics and religion.

A bit of background: For starters, I am apolitical. I believe that all political parties in the UK are out of touch with the people and don't have much of an idea what they're doing. If I had to vote, I'd say Labour because they make the most sense but even then, they're not perfect. But honestly, if voting wasn't that important to the lives of everyone in my country, I wouldn't do it. Not just because British politics is basically a joke these days but because everyone I know and know of would not stop shoving their political views down everyone's throats. And guess what, more often than not, it would cause arguments as people were more pushed apart then drawn together. And don't get me started on the kind of divide Brexit caused! I understand that politics make people angry but when you share your anger, people will only get angry in return. That's why I stayed out of this, to keep a positive aura around everyone I know.

And don't think political correctness and social justice warriors are free from this too. Yes, I get that you want to make positive changes and I admire you guys for that but can you do it in a way that doesn't make you come across as 'I'm better than you!' It'll just annoy people. Same with the anti-SJWs: you're just as annoying as the thing you're against and I cannot take your opinions seriously if they aren't even there.

And sadly, religion is no stranger to this. Now, as I mentioned in my last post I am a Christian. But I have to admit that part of the reason why I wasn't for a while was that my Christian friends wouldn't talk about anything else. They came across as weird to me because they came across as obsessed. I ultimately chose Christianity on my own terms because I was in a dark place and Jesus helped me out. And I know shoving Christianity down people's throats doesn't work because I tried that. In a fit of enthusiasm, I tried forcing my atheist friend to come with me and, unsurprisingly, she didn't take it well. We nearly fell out because of it and I learned that if I were to get people to become a Christian, I must let them do it on their terms and I must respect their views until they want to change it.

It's a lesson some Christians need to learn because it's getting dangerous. Now, unfortunately, I have to begrudgingly agree with the Bible's questionable views on the LGBT+ community but only because I believe that the Christian approach is to let them change on their own terms, not ours (if that's even possible). But apparently, some morons don't believe that and we have the ex-gay groups and, most horrifyingly, gay conversion therapy, both of which force LGBT+ people to turn straight with damaging results. I do hope they're just an extreme minority because that is messed up and is the ultimate example as to how forcing your views on other people is a bad, bad idea. No wonder non-Christians mock us! We must come across as raving lunatics if this is how we spread the word.

Granted, it's not like other religions are much better. Atheists are laughably hypocritical by condemning Christians for forcing their views only to force their own views down people's throats. Then there are terrorists like ISIS and Al Queda who fail to realise that killing people isn't going to make us like them.

Conclusion

Okay, I could go on and on (I haven't even mentioned vegans and opinionated fans) but that would be defeating my objective. What's the point of all this? 

Basically, if you push something, be they an opinion, a belief or a piece of entertainment, you will do exactly that: you will push people away. What you should do instead is that you should say your piece and let people decide for themselves. If they disagree with you, respect their decision and move on with your life. 

As for Alita: Battle Angel, if they cut back on their advertising I would've seen the movie because I made that decision on my own. But sadly, the movie pushed it too far and now I'm dreading it. 

Now I may have just come across as a hypocrite seeing how much of a rant this was so I'll leave it up to you. Did I make a good point or is there actually merit to pushing an opinion? Or do you just not care about this? Leave your thoughts on the comments below both on here and my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' and always, leave your suggestions on what I should talk about next. Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet!

Why I'm a Christian - A discussion on how Christianity changed me for the better

Warning: This post involves the topics of faith and religion. If you get offended by such things, I suggest you click away now. If you want to hear me out, please respect my views and opinions. I also get pretty personal here including some confessions that I wasn't that great of a person in the past. Don't worry, I'm trying to get better for the reasons I'm about to say. I just thought I should warn you.

Yes, I like Christian memes. It's good to laugh at ourselves so long as it doesn't come with loathing.

Introduction

Sooooo... this isn't going to stir controversy at all isn't it... heh...

Hopefully, the fact that I have a small fanbase will mean that I have a respectful one, at least one who is willing to hear me out.

Besides, it'll be interesting to talk about faith because I feel like it's one thing that both people with autism and neurotypical people have in common. Everyone believes in something be it a religion or faith in other people. I just so happen to put my faith in the Lord and his son Jesus. And I thought I'd explain my faith in the hopes of showing that a) Christians aren't as bad as their reputation suggests and b) to provide context behind any future views since this will play a big part.

The Interesting Bit

So a bit of background: I was raised as a Christian. Both of my parents are strong Christians though they practised their faith in their own ways. As for me, I went along to church with my Dad and sometimes my mum depending on who had me that weekend (it's complicated). As a kid, I was okay with it but like most kids, I wasn't that connected with God. I just enjoyed Sunday School and VeggieTales (shout out to those who have watched it!). 

Then things became complicated when I permanently moved in with my Mum (again complicated) and though we tried different vineyard churches, my mum presumably never found one she liked and we simply stopped going. 

Eventually, I found a church of my own with my now former stepdad (see the above parentheses), a Baptist church in my home town. It was then I became interested in finding out about God and I started to attend the actual services. There was just one problem: I wasn't very good at paying attention to it. I became worried at this point. I feared that I wasn't close to God. 

So at the age of 15, I decided to get baptised, hoping that this would help me out. Though I'm glad I did it, it didn't help. Eventually. I grew sick of not paying attention and I eventually left that church. I didn't return to church save for a few occasions for about four years. 

Then my lack of faith got worse. For starters, one of the seven deadly sins, lust, took over my brain. I got desperate for a relationship, sex in particular, and it has led me to some embarrassing situations I would rather not get into. This was partly because of my inability to deal with puberty but it was also out of loneliness and peer pressure. A lot of people I knew were having sex and being in relationships and I felt left behind. And despite people telling me that relationships don't matter, I didn't listen. In fact, it didn't get through to me until recently (and even now I can't help developing feelings for people, even if I am self-aware and more cautious). As a result, I am rightfully still a virgin because of said desperation.

But it's not just that, in 2017, I began to question the Christian religion itself. I became worried that I was wrong all along, my Christian friends were starting to come across as weird to me and my agnostic/atheist friends and even some family members weren't helping. It also didn't help that I found out that Christians are, shall we say, disapproving of the LGBT community with some willing to force said community to become straight through any means necessary. Now I'm not LGBT. With the exception of having a man crush on Ryan Gosling and Arthur Darvill, I have always preferred women and that ain't gonna change any time soon. But the idea of forcing people to change against my will just rubs me up the wrong way. Maybe it's because some people feel the same way about autism (*Cough* Autism Speaks *Cough*) that I find myself relating to them in some way.

I tried searching for other faiths (well Buddhism) but it didn't go anywhere. Eventually, I fell into a form of depression (well I think... I was never diagnosed because I was and still am afraid it would make it real) because I felt lonely and rejected from society and I became self-conscious with the belief that people, particularly women, would find me creepy. Basically, I became Radiohead. Don't worry, I wasn't suicidal. My will to live is just too strong and I'm grateful that it is.

It was in October 2018 that things started to change. I informed my mum of my plight and she informed me that the church she went to has relocated to the place where I go to university. Realising that I never truly abandoned God and with no other option, I decided to go. I was worried at first. Partly because I was wearing a Harry Potter t-shirt without thinking but also because I saw people really into things like worship and I didn't feel it. But gradually, I got into it. I paid attention during sermons and I was dancing along to worship music. For the first time in months, I felt truly happy. 

I became a regular member, even going to a student church group on Thursdays, and over time, I felt better about myself because now I had a divine influence to talk to. I had a confidant who would not only not judge me for my past sins but would also help me become a better person. Week by week, I changed for the better. I no longer felt the need to embarrass myself out of desperation for sex (in fact, even that's going away), I felt a bit more sure of myself and my abilities, my friends advice about how relationships aren't great finally got to me and any doubts I had about God washed away once I felt the Holy Spirit stir inside me.

Granted I still have a way to go. For starters, this is the first time I've truly opened up about my faith in Jesus to the internet, I'm still not very confident when it comes to social situations and telling [NAME REDACTED] how I feel about her and I still haven't had the confidence to take some responsibility with my life and find a job or at least update this and 'Perfectly Honest Film Reviews' regularly. And I'm still not happy with the especially homophobic Christians for allowing certain verses of the Bible to become toxic even though I'm aware that though most Christians don't approve of homosexuality, they at least respect them enough for them to make their own decisions.

And in most ways, I haven't changed that much. I'm still a geek at heart (yes I like Harry Potter because I know it's a work of fiction born of one woman's imagination and not Wiccan propaganda), I'm still interested in films and reviewing them and Doctor Who is still my favourite show. 

But considering what I was like these last 6-7 years, I finally feel like I'm getting better as a person instead of getting worse. I'm more in control of my feelings and my self-esteem feels higher. It's gotten to the point where past me feels like a different person. A rather unlikeable person but still a different person. 

Conclusion

So why am I telling you all this? Well because I want people to see why I chose the faith that I did and also to apologise for anyone who fell victim to my creepy past self with the promise to become a better person.

But I also want people to see the impact Christianity had on me in the hopes that it would have a similar impact on anyone else with nowhere to turn to. Of course, if you have already chosen your faith, that's absolutely fine. If that's the right path for you, then go for it. This is simply the right path for me and potentially anyone who is interested in becoming a Christian. 


Anyway, that's my testimony. If you're a Christian, why not say some of your testimonies if you're up for it. If you're not, again that's fine but please respect those of a different faith to you. If anything, I'm actually curious as to why you chose the faith that you did!

Be sure to like my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' and because I'm not very good at coming up ideas for this, I am very open to suggestions to what I can write about next. Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet and peace be with you!