I'm Only Hearing Negatives...

What a quick turnaround, small businesses would be proud of me! Hahaha! Not a hell of a lot to say today though.

My resolution actually came good last night and I watched Red Eye and Crash. Both AWESOME AWESOME movies. Red Eye was brilliantly acted, Rachael McAdams is a very capable dramatic actress and once again, the sublime Cillian Murphy blew me away with his flawless technique, he is just a joy to watch. Crash, WOW, what a brutal movie, I have to say it is one of the more important films made in recent history. Ryan Phillipe's acting has come a long way since Cruel Intentions. I think it thorougly deserved the Best Picture Oscar last year, and all this talk about Hollywood being homophobic is unwarranted, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger's acting abilities were not enough to carry Brokeback Mountanin's message across and it simply did not deserve to win.

I think for tonight's viewing I shall enjoy Into The Blue and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (which I have been meaning to see for ages)! I'm also watching the Chaser's War On Everything from the first ep (cause I didn't start watching it till mid season through) and it's quite good.

If you have been reading the Joaquin Rate List (JRL), then you'll know that a fair few OC actresses have made it on, which you would consider strange as I have slandered the show since it's very beginning. However, now that Mischa Barton's character has died, I have watched it, and not only that, I have enjoyed it immensely. I do like it, I have turned to the dark side I know, but I think that it's gotten better since MB's character has left as I could not stand her. Don't get me wrong, the acting is horrendous and it's so horrifically teen cliched that it makes me want to wretch but it's a bit of fun. If I'm home I'll watch it, if I miss it I won't cry over it.

I also had the opportunity to start viewing Season 2 of Prison Break (I finished episode 6), and I must say WOW, I didn't think they could keep up the intensity of the 1st season, but they have and not only that, they have surpassed it and the ensemble cast are really coming into their own. Can't wait to watch the rest of the season!

Also had some verrrry interesting news from university, but as soon as it's confirmed I shall let the rest of you in on it. That's it for today folks, have a nice day!

It's Driven Me Before...

Ahh holiday slackness, how good art thou?? Well not too much, because I'm not sleeping properly, and I'm getting wayyy too much screen time. As such, it's prompted me to move my screen refresh rate from 60hz to 75 and they feel better which is grand because the red eyes of death have been appearing again!! My eyes look brown and red, quite horrific really.

I have resolved to watch 2 movies on my External HD tonight!! Finally, getting holiday stuff done! I got in a good round of guitar practice the other day, and those Steve Vai exercises really work a treat, although I did forget some of the finger positions so I was struggling for a bit there. Speed and accuracy have returned! Even to the monster 14 gauge (shotgun) strings that are on the other's acoustic.

Marks came out the other day and I'm happy. Not overly joyed but happy none the less and so are the parentals, so that's good enough for me.

I saw the cleverest clip the other day. It's by David Vendetta and it's a dance remix of Donna Summer's Love To Love You Baby. It's actually better than your standard night club rave fare in terms of dance music. Anyway, in the clip it's your standard dance visuals, people dancing as sillhouettes as well as the DJ, then it gets to the bridge where it slows down and Summer's vocals come in and there are 2 girls dancing together in their underwear, then the bridge ends and it goes back to normal and I thought it was so well done I couldn't help but shake my head because the time signature just shifts out of nowhere and I love it.

The heat so far hasn't been TOO brutal, I fear I have gotten used to it as I actually felt cold last night. I listened to White Shadows by Coldplay and I must say the interplay between the guitar, bass and drums works so well (you know which bit I'm talking about if you've heard the song), but the rest of the song just falls so flat on it's face that it just irks me. It could have been such a good song, sigh!

Props go out to the S Meister for the full stack of Lisa Loeb songs I have been given. My LCD Monitor is cooking!! I guess I better make it quick, I've been on for a while. I have been RTWing. I decided to make 2 saves, and as such I have started the Civil War, and I have taken Rome. That was simple as I wiped out the SPQR's army first before I attacked the city in my own version (not as good) version of Cannae. I had infantry in echelon formation, just stationary, sent the cavalry around the flanks and destroyed the rear of their army (including their generals) and then rushed them to close the "circle" with the infantry in brutal fashion! I love it. Unfortunately, my save at that early point was at a stage when most of my provinces weren't self sufficient (my other game is trying to build up cities so that all are self sufficient before I can attack) so nothing much is happening there. Anyway, on the Civil War save, I am now plunging deeper into debt each turn, so I can't replace troops or make new ones, which means I have to take cities with depleted armies (which I have never tried before). However my defensive siege tactics are awesome. In old games I have been butchered while sallying out, but this time I got my queue from the movie Troy. Archers on the walls, all infantry outside of the castle in a straight line and cavalry around the back to take out commanders and force them into the infantry line to be chewed out. I really need to stop talking about that game but it's so damn addictive and good.

Anyway, that's it for today folks, have a nice day!

Go Your Own Way, Or Tell Me Lies

Hello everyone! Only 3 days since the last post and this one! I think I'm getting better in my holiday slackness. Last night the S Meister and I saw The Prestige. It was probably the best time to see it because college folk and high schoolers are still at school so we had the cinema to ourselves basically and it was gold, I hate teenagers! Anyway, I wasn't TOO hellbent on seeing this film, but it was the best thing that was on at the time and I was pleasantly surprised! It wasn't my choice, cause S Meister had to sit through my bad pick of Silent Hill a few weeks ago. The Prestige is extremely well acted, and the crazy ass time shifting narrative was well handled. I enjoy being surprised like that, even though the S Meister and I figured out the ending only 40 mins into the film which wasn't so nice! It reminds me of one time in High School we missed out on seeing something when we arrived to the movies late so we wound up watching A Perfect Murder which was excellent, in fact I'm sure it was better than the movie we were intending to see. So lesson to learn? Expect the unexpected. It was incredibly enjoyable. Oh yes, and also to make the most of this 2 week period before teenagers take over society and I'm stuck in my house.

The weather isn't as bad as it used to be, or maybe it's different cause the fans have been moved back upstairs, and I have made the change from trakkies to boxer shorts so I'm cooler, and footloose and fancy free, it feels good!

I overslept like a mofo today which was a bit strange, cause I didn't even go to bed late last night/this morning. I don't even remember my alarm going off in order to turn it off and go back to sleep! I also put it down to having the strangest dream about one Emma Watson (aka Hermoine from the Harry Potter movies). This is incredibly odd, as I have never watched a Harry Potter movie, nor have I read any of the books. In my dream, for some reason the people from Harry Potter were in my town, and I had to show Emma Watson around town. This was interesting, as going around, nothing looked familiar, I could tell at the time that it was a mashup of various suburbs and landmarks but I didn't say anything. After that we went shopping and she didn't have enough money, so I had to buy her a dress. This was even weirder as we were walking in circles in this shopping precinct and I'm DEAD certain that I have not even been to a place which even remotely resembles this place, which makes me wonder where my subconscious picked it up. It was funny cause for an even stranger reason we were taking public transport, which makes me think why I did not use my own car to transport a celebrity around! Cause we were just gawked at by everyone. This didn't help since we were getting chummy (and NOT in a freakin' Joaquin is going to jail way thank YOU very much)! I also think it was a similar place to one I dreamt of a few nights ago, where I was arrested for trespassing, and while evading police I got a senator who my dad knows to act as my counsel! Haha how strange is that?? Crazy ass mind I tell you.

Marks tomorrow!!! I am sooo not looking forward to it, but I've done all I can, however I am still left with the feeling that I could have done more. Ahh holidays have been on for a while but I have been oh so very slack, I need to start my movies/tv show watching ANDDD guitar practice! But I have just been watching Quizmania and playing Rome Total War most nights! All the foreign faction lands have been taken, now I just have to initiate the civil war (after I have built up all my remaining lands to a sufficient rate to withstand a barrage of attacks) and see where I can go. I just hope there's enough time for everything.

I have spoken to the other, and he says that he shall blog soon, so keep an eye out for that one! In today's edition of Fly, there was a band on the cover, 2 members of which I went to college with! I can tell you right now that the other and I are better than them, cause we are just damn damn damn good. I don't think you realise how good we are, sheeit, I sound like Kanye don't I? Well in our case it's justified! I also must make some time for Les Femme Anomaly, I've only seen her a few times at uni this sem and it wasn't enough. It's holidays damn it!

ANNNND! As requested, here is the latest update for the Trademarked, Copyrighted and Patented Joaquin Rate List (JRL) haha feels like SPQR (in joke for lovers of history). Speaking of which, I LOVEEE RTW! I have read over so many ancient warfare battle tactics on wikipedia, that I am basically unbeatable!! God bless the battle of Cannae and Hannibal's double encirclement, I also used some of Scipio Africanus' micromanagement strategies from the battle of Zama to brutal effect when greatly outnumbered in perhaps the greatest crushing victory of all time! Sorry, distracted there for a bit! Where was I? That's right, the Joaquin Rate List has been updated, and I've had this one sitting in the pipeline for many months (for which I apologise, I know I've been quite slack about it). However, I'm quite sure that it will be the last one for while (come on, how many attractive women are there in the world)?! Remember folks, the list can be found at:

http://dropc.blogspot.com/2004/12/great-fun-to-be-around-you.html

That's it for today people, hope you enjoyed the monster update and have a nice day (haha you should hope I sleep in more so that I can blog more often)!

You Know I Need A Miracle

I apologise for the lengthy delay between the last post and this one, but I have not been lazy! I have been out and about doing plenty, so I think that's a legitimate excuse!

In fact, it almost turned into doing too much too soon as soon as holidays started and I would have been burned out, so I have taken some days off (from hols, isn't that crazy) in order to have some truly slack days.

However, this is an impossibility due to the heat! It's the high temp low humidity heat, which is the worst cause it's a dry still heat and I am just caked in my own sweat.

Results are out on Friday, and I am quietly confident, let's see what happens.
I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but just in case I haven't, let me re-state it! I had a chance to catch the U2 concert in Sydney on the 13th, but my last exam was on the 14th so I could not go!!! How bad is that??! Stupid exams, I shoulda written that on my paper.

So next up (for the next post) will be THAT long awaited addition to the Joaquin rate list, which shall be glorious indeed.

I also may be going to good ol' Europa some time in Dec (for as short as possible hopefully), and maybe meet up with friends so I can do a France/Italy/Czech Republic one week jaunt (which just may kill me cause I don't know how that's even possible). We'll see what happens with that.

I missed out on going to a week long coastal in order to keep a Wednesday appointment with a friend, damn double bookings! I feel like a Barrister (double bookings is one of the few ways they can skip going to court due to the cab rank principle).

I really wish I had something substantial to say but it's too hot and I am unable to think properly! I have not spoken to the other in a while, but I assume that means he's just having fun. That's enough for today, have a nice day folks.

It used to be a small town

I have finally finished exams and I am out for the year! It feels good. Once again, many apologies but I studied like a maniac and I was very well prepped for my exams so it was damn well worth it. Let's hope the marks reflect that.

The other has left us for his regular overseas jaunt and I think he's living it up. I don't know how much though, since I am in possession of the other's guitar! It's good practice, high gauge high tension strings, and a huge ass dreadnaught body, it's like trying to play a cello in a guitar position! It's helping my playing a lot in terms of technique.

So now that I'm done, I'm hoping to carry out a lot of Rome Total War! I have quite close to taking over Rome, I've done the 50 provinces easily, but the entire world map is going to be another issue. I keep having financial difficulties, and have to deal with a lot of uprisings, but it's a very enjoyable game.

Went to the new shopping precinct in town and I was let down horribly! It is a dreary place to be and I actually felt claustrophobic and a little suicidal when I walked in, cause the architecture is horrible and it feels like a really isolating place. How this plays into consumerism I don't know, as shopping is meant to have the opposite effect on people.

But the more I thought about it, it hit me that my town is changing for the worse. Over the past 20 years everything has just gone downhill (kinda like a few of my towns in RTW) and growth is just rampant, but societally speaking, it cannot be handled. Crime is on the rise, and the commercial sector in town is just swallowing up what's left of decent society. It really sucks. I actually feel like leaving, and considering I love this place (and the other and I are probably the only ones in our age group that do), it's not a good realisation. It's really a good microcosm of society and globalisation really, just a swimming mass of faces spending up, and no semblence of humanity.

On that post modern existentialist take, I shall now leave, however I will be back for regular updates, cause I'm 22 and I'm on holidays (bitches)! But I have a lot of stuff planned for the next couple of days so don't expect anything substantial. Also say a few prayers for my little baby (the bear), who is finally being patched up after 27 years of life! I don't know how I'm going to survive 2 weeks without her, it's going to be some tough nights I tell you. Anyway, have a nice day!