August 26th was a Friday.

Today was a great day.

It's a three-day weekend. I have no overtime. I have very little housework to get through. I have a fridge full of Coors Light. I have 4 Menthol Cigarettes.

Or in the words of Paolo Nutini:

"I got food in my belly and a license for my telly and nothing's gonna bring me down!".

Here's a little update for you. Since January I've been saving religiously. I eat microwave meals and I drink whatever's on offer. I switched from Marlboro Menthol to Richmond Menthol, then to Stirling Menthol, then to nothing, just to save cash. In around 6 months I managed to save around £5k.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Bluewater. Bluewater is (I believe) the biggest shopping centre in the UK and is an hour drive from our town. And I plan on drawing out £300 and spunking it all. I'm finally going to lose my chino virginity (let's hope it's better than the time I lost my turtle-neck virginity) and I'm plan on purchasing a plethora of pristine (aliteration ftw!) tight white t-shirts and silly wristbands. I'm also going to pick up a pair of hightops. Then probably put them back down again. Maybe.

My justification behind this is threefold:

(1) I've worked so hard over the last 6 months and I have nothing to show for it. I had a bloody anxiety attack in the office and was signed off with stress for nearly two weeks. I've pushed myself harder than I ever thought I could and I deserve to treat myself.

(2) I'm in desperate need of some new clothes. If I go travelling next year, I'll be needing some new clobber. I go to Boston in 4 weeks and 5 days and I want to have shiny new clothes for the masses of photos we plan on taking.

(3) Emma LOVES the chinos.

Yep, I'm going to dip into my hard-earned savings and buy some new clothes because I want to impress a girl. HEY SHUT UP YOU'RE NOT MY REAL MUM!

So things with Emma and I are going well. She's texting and messaging me just as much as I am her (i.e. all evening) and she's been dropping a few hints here, a few compliments there. She really is a doll, she's incredibly easy to talk to and she is B.E.A.Utiful. My God she is tasty. The kind of smile you could gaze at all night and the kind of thighs you want to use as ear-muffs. She's away this weekend with her family so there's no chance of anything happening which is a shame, but I'm hoping next weekend could be the one. She's a busy girl, and I'm a busy guy, so there's no rush. HOWEVER, she has yet to see 500 Days of Summer, so a movie night is definitely needed soon so I can sort that girl out.

The truth is, I haven't felt this relaxed for a long time. I'm not thinking about travelling, or Annie, or Ella, or my diet or my anxiety. I'm just thinking about Emma, sleep and Glee Project. I can't believe Cameron walked! Literally screamed at my TV on Wednesday. I imagine us Brits are behind the US so no spoilers please!

Apart from Emma, everything else is pretty much stagnant. Work, play, work, play, work. C'est La Vie. My workout regime in now a 5-day split as opposed to a 3-day split, so although each workout is quicker and I'm feeling pretty pumped most of the time, I am finding myself absolutely exhausted day in day out. I do feel like I'm making some good gains and my fat levels are coming down, but the quest continues. I guess becoming a chiselled adonis is not as easy as I envisioned. One day, that Cam Gigandet physique will be mine. One day.

Oh and Sunday Martin and I are hitting the Ibiza foam party at Bliss. HUGE.

Today was a great day.

Luke

You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.

I write this with a twinge of melancholy. The weather is awful. I haven't slept properly for days. Everything I thought I knew, I am now doubting. The last 8 months have been so easy because I've known exactly what I wanted.

The last week has made me realise how empty my head had been before. Racing thoughts about nothing. Just plodding along, saving every penny possible so I can leave this place. A place that reaks of mediocrity, memories and misadventures. Saving to get to a place that has to be better than here. It HAS to be.

And then a girl comes along and fucks it all up. Story of my life.

I now sit up at night trying to work out what would make me more happy: Falling for someone, or getting out of Medway.

I always come to the same answer. I always choose love. I always have, and I always will.

When I broke up with Annie, my Facebook bio read: "Never forget how good a life in Love can be". I have a large canvas image of the Charles Bridge in Prague engulfing the back wall of my bedroom. The bridge I proposed to Annie on, and a memory of the happiest and proudest day of my life. I keep it there not as a memento of Annie, but as a memory of how I felt. Never forget how good a life in Love can be. I've never been as happy as I was then. I had the world at my feet and I didn't need to fight for anything. I had it all, and it felt INCREDIBLE.

I'm starting to think that, maybe, I can escape without actually escaping.

On a lighter note, I need to refresh my dating skills if I am going to woo one more blonde bombshell. It's been a while and I need to work off the rust.

Let's see what I've learnt over the years...

• Girls love to talk about themselves. Ask, ask, ask!
• Biceps are third-date material. Stick with the shirts early on.
• Trying to be creative with a date is a mixed-bag, depending on the girl. Prep is key.
• Do not take her to the cinema. You spend no time talking, and you have the awkward 'when to put your arm round her' issue.
• Don't text during the date unless essential. Phone stays on silent. You wouldn't want her to text.
• Farting and burping is hilarious when with the housemate. Farting and burping is disgusting when with the girl.
• Don't talk about the ex unless asked. Listening to a girl talk about her ex is such a turn-off.
• Don't overdo the Davidoff. You're not clubbing, you're dating.
• Wash your bed covers and have your bedroom and living room clean and tidy just in case.
• Make sure you have coffee. Asking a girl if she wants to come in for 'coffee' can look very seedy if she actually does want a coffee.
• Confidence Cohen!

Female followers - I ask (shamefully, with my tail between my legs), what would be your ideal date? Fill me with tips! And male followers, please, if you have any experiences you care to share, I'm all ears. 

This photo of Cam Gigandet is completely irrelevant. 

One day I will have a body like this. 

Luke