Im back, and better than ever...Im back and better than never?

I wrote most of this post months ago, Im finally inspired to get back on track and start posting again.

My blood pressure remains high, but tests are being done, numbers are being measured. Im sure we will get to the bottom of this before I have a heart attack.

I did the majority of my scube diving course over the last two weekends. As it stands I dont think diving is for me. I LOVED when I was swimming along, looking at the coral, playing with the fish. LOVED IT. After diving, I dont think I can go spear fishing again. The gropers arent scared of people, they swim right up to you, the whole class was in a circle doing some exercies and these gropers just swam amongst us, just like a puppy that gets excited by a group of people. There is no sport in killing them, there is no hunt. Its shooting fish in a barrell.
UNFORTUNATELY, I do not seem suited to underwater conditions. Upon rising to the surface I got an incredible pain in my cheeck, and my teeth and gums on the left hand side of my face went numb. This happened on both Saturday & Sunday, hurting so bad on sunday I could not finish the course. My teeth are still numb and its Wednesday.

Taronga is getting a baby elephant. Im actually excited about this. Its going to be so cool, a baby elephant, we need more of them, lots more. Im not sure if I have posted this or not, but I have very little interest in living in a world without elephants. I'd just jump a rocket and live forever in space.
It wont be born till 2009 though. Takes a long time to cook up an elephant.

Wow, no one saw this coming. No one at all. Who thought they would come looking for compensation, its..its just so shocking.

Currently Playing:

• Halo 3 - Online, step up one and all. No matter who it will end the same, you're all going to fall.
• Mass Effect - Great story, check, fun combat, check, interesting characters, check. This could be the first console RPG i finish since KoToR.
• Crackdown - Trying to finish up the acheivments.
  

Currently Listening:
Rehab - Amy Winehouse
Echos, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters

Beep...Beep..Beep..Beep.BeepBeepBeepBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

So apparently I'm a ticking time bomb. My blood pressure is high, how high? Well it was written down as 140, and that was lowering it so it would be ok for this dive course. 140 is the lower limit for Stage 1 Hypertension. So yeah, its basically when, not if I have a heart attack / stroke whatever.
Bring it on, Ill beat this thing into the ground.

I had a fantastic weekend, went down to Towradgi with Lana. It was so relaxing, we watched some movies (American Graffiti & The Jerk, both great), went out to dinner and relaxed, I slept for 11 hours. I haven't slept that long since uni, its been well over a year. It was great.

Our trip is coming along nicely. Its going to be the most intense 5 days / nights ever. Disney for two days, Universal for one, and Vegas for a day. Sleep when dead (Or back at work ;) ).

Looks like one of my predictions is right, while another is falling apart. It looks like Obama is a shoe in for not only the nomination but the White House as well.
However the writers strike may end this week. Ill keep making predictions when I have them, hopefully I can improve my average.

This is pretty funny. Colbert, John Stewart and Conan O'Brian had a gag run across all three of their shows. It was fantastic, but its about half an hour all up.

Here is a list of what to look forward to on the video game scene in 08. Im going to give my own sub lists from each:
Wii:

• Mario Kart - Using the WiiMote as a wheel looks good, and its Mario Party so its going to be fun. (I Hope).
• Da Blob - You play as a blod trying to bring color to a black and white world. Sounds different and innovative, so I'm excited.
  

PlayStation 3:

• Little Big Planet - Looks like fun, and with user created levels, infinite re-playability.
• The Agency - I always wanted to be a spy. This sounds good, but time intensive.

360:

• Too Human - I LOVE Norse Mythology, so this damn well better be good.
  
• Halo Wars - More Halo, Oh Yeah.
• Alan Wake - A very original and complex plot, this could either go really well, or be really confusing and bad.
  

Multi-Platform Games:

• Fallout 3 - I loved Oblivion (No matter how much Lana pays me out about it), and this looks to be a hell of a lot like it. Hopefully it will be just as deep.
  
• GTA IV - Its Grand Theft Auto.
  
• Star Wars The Force Unleashed - This looks awesome, getting to play a Star Wars game as a baddie, with full on powers, it's been a long time coming.
  
• TNA Impact - A new wrestling franchise, it doesnt have the name of WWE, but it does have a lot of known wrestlers so it could get a decent audience, if nothing else I hope it prompts a rehaul of the Smackdown series.
  
• Prototype - If its as much fun as Crackdown, Im in, for hours, and hours, and hours.
  
• Mirrors Edge - I'm excited for anything to do with parkour.
  

The biggest ones I'm hanging out for are GTA IV & Force Unleashed. The Play stations offerings look pretty good, but I don't know If i could dedicate enough time to the agency to make it worth a purchase. Halo Wars should be interesting, and will help what is a less than stellar year for the 360 (in terms of exclusives).

This video is compelling. An aquarium kept finding the bodies of sharks on the floor, they had to find out what was killing them. This video shows that sharks may not be the scariest thing out there while I'm diving.



It's such a shame he had to retire the Borat character. Here is yet another example of his brilliance.

No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men (Film):
Here is a movie that could appeal to two different audience for two very different reasons, however due to its limited release, and the way the movie is, will never get the acclaim it deserves.
The film follows the exploits of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a Joe six pack, who one day while out hunting stumbles across a drug deal gone wrong. Things get complicated when he revisits the scene to help a dying survivor. After this he is on the run from a killer obviously hired by a drug king pin and some members of the other party involved in the deal. The film also has two other main protagonists, the killer AntonChigurh (Javier Bardem), who I will get to, in great detail later, and Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) a sheriff who is trying to get to Llewelyn to protect him from the hell he is bringing down on himself. The film shows that there is no country for old men, the world changes and several protagonists that are unable to keep up with the new way things are done.
The acting in this is superb, with Javier Bardems killer stealing the show. Here I have to give credit to the Cohens for creating the scariest killer since Hannibal Lecter. I think his performance in this will be remembered as just as intense, dangerous and unnerving, albeit for different reasons. In one scene Anton chats with a gas station attendant, this scene has such a strong sense of anticipation about it, it might just be the best scene all year. However the castisn't limited to just the three main characters, Woody Harrelson effortlessly pulls off another killer working for and against Anton, while Kelly Macdonald is perfect as the attentive and worried wife of Llewelyn.
A movie with an uncompromising message to tell is rare these days, that it is told so intriguingly is a testament to the Cohen's skill and the actors craft.

Case Designate Cloverfield

Reviews:
Cloverfield (Film):
I just yesterday went and saw Cloverfield. if you ha vent heard of this movie, well, that was kind of the point. The first trailer, seen here, didn't even have the name of the movie with it, the only information it gave was the release date. None of the promotion really told you what it was about. It was obvious New York was being attacked, by a large, or possible several large things. Leading up to the release there was a lot of viral marketing, including an Alternate Reality Game, focusing on theTagruato corporation, and its big selling drink, Slusho . All of this is fun and rewarding for those who got into it (or are jumping on after the movie, like me), however it doesn't help me talk about the movie itself.
Cloverfield is a monster survival movie. At its core it is that simple, what makes it different, is what makes it so engaging. The whole movie is shown from the P.O.V of a handy cam. It starts off with a going away party for Rob. He is going to become vice president of a company in Japan (In theARG we learn it is Tagruato, in particular Slusho ). The party, and indeed the city is crashed by a monster. What follows is a more realistic (although still a little too convenient at places) tale of what ordinary people would do in that situation. Rob, his brother Jason, Jason's girlfriend, Robs best friend (And the camera operator)Hud and a fellow part guest named Marlena all try and escape the destruction caused by the monster. As they are fleeing Rob gets a call from his 'girlfriend' Beth, who is injured but still alive. He decides to go and save her. Not too much else can be said about the plot, as to do so would be to spoil it. However the characters are fleshed out pretty well, mostly during the short party sequence. Robs relationship with Beth, his friendship withHud and his relationship with his brother and his girlfriend is all presented well, however it never feels forced.
Comparing this against any other monster movie is difficult. The film is supposed to be the recordings made by Hud of the event, and the audience is treated as such. There is no explanation for what the monster is or where it came from (Again theARG does give more clues). It is a refreshing change in presentation, particularly because, like the Blair Witch Project, the movie never breaks from its reality. It never switches to a third person view to show them running away from the monster, the movie does give some good shots of the monster, however it is presented naturally through the story, first through a glimpse between buildings, then more is seen whenHud video tapes a news report.

The movie however is not perfect. I think the biggest problem it has, is an almost unavoidable one. The line it walks between showing a realistic response to the terror, and the balance between being an engaging movie is difficult to maintain. Some parts come off as a little too convenient, or a little too cliche, these are kept to a minimum however, and for the most part it treats its material with a respect that it has never really gotten before. There are some slasher films, or action movies (In particular war movies) that try and convey it as realistic as possible, however never before has the monster genre had such an authentic experience. You are with them running through subway tunnels, ducking down in streets as the monster rampages over head, and most importantly you close enough to them to care when things go wrong. The acting is as expected, there isn't a huge range of acting needed to run around scared, however each of the characters is individual, you would not confuse them, nor are they ever lost in the crowd when compared to characters from other monster movies. There really isn't the melt down, can't go on scene. There is one scene like it, however it is kept in perspective.

I think the thing I like most about this movie is how much it has captivated my attention. Not only did I completely give myself over to the experience while in the movie, reading and discussing the back story and possible events around it, is just as exciting. Learning about theARG , possible theories as to what the monster is, where it came from all add to the movie, maybe not to the film itself, but to the movie as a cultural vehicle.

If you have seen the movie and would like to learn more about the ARG and the Cloverfield mythos, you should try this site (Which gives a run down of most of the stuff), or this one (For EVERYTHING Cloverfield).

You are going to HOLLYWOOD.

So if anyone is in L.A. when the Oscars are on, let me know we can meet up. Lana won tickets to the City of Angels, free air fare, free hotel. I cant WAIT.

I think I support some of the ideas of Scientology. Now calm down, don't run me out of town just yet. No I don't believe in the aliens or thetans or anything. After watching the AWARD VIDEO of Tom Cruise, If he is really saying that scientologists must get out there and help everyone, then that puts it about a thousand points higher than every other religion I have heard of. That is what the world should be, people helping others, not so that they will go to heaven, not because they share the same faith, just because its the right thing to do. I don't agree with the whole, throwing money at the church does anything other than KSW. Maybe I should start my own religion, mix in the best bits of all of it. Makes sense for a God to have a religion.

I think this is how the blog is going to go from here on out. Smaller posts, some full of links, some just rants. I cant believe I have chronicled more than a year of me mucking about. Its weird to think that there might be someone I have never met, in India, or Canada, or even the other side of Sydney, might be reading the inane sprouting of my mind.

After many, many years I realise why I don't always fit in. I'm from the Looking Glass. If you have no idea what I mean, read "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll. I'm not strange, I'm just a mirror image of another me.

No Country for Old Posts

This is interesting, it shows the size of various planets & stars. Makes you realise that the largest known star is to our sun, as an ant is to an apartment block.

I always figured that being a game tester would be a great job. The more you look into it the less and less appealing it becomes, here is an article that details just how miserable a job it would be. Granted it is really testing hardware rather than games, but the game testing would not be much better.

You know what, Im with Bill Clinton, give him another four, no eight more years. Eight more years.

Some good work out tips, get better results from your workup by following this. Such as work out but keep cool, do two smaller workouts during the day etc.

I had heard of the side effects of most of these before (Acutane while effective is widely known to be pretty damaging, but herpes? At what point would you even consider it if that is a side effect), but here they are listed one after another, not pretty.

Heath Ledger died and that sucks. By far the funniest joke yet is if he hadn't finsihed filming his scenes for the new Batman they should just go the Bela Lugosi route and have someone walk around with a cape held up.

A Year in (P)Review

My Predictions for 2008:

• Barack Obama will be in the White House this year, as President, or Vice, I wont say.
• Oil will not go under $100 a barrel for the second half of the year.
• American troops will remain in Iraq the entire year.
• Grand Theft Auto 4 will be the biggest selling game of the year.
• Batman: The Dark Knight & Ironman will both be HUGE.
• The writers strike will end before August, but after May.

My Tops for 2007:
Top Movies :

• The Bourne Ultimatum
• Rocky Balboa
• 300
• The Kingdom
• Smokin Ace's
• American Gangster
  

This list is somewhat limited due to the fact that a lot of well reviewed movies got very limited releases in Australia, or are only just now coming out, so I will include a list of all I want to see
http://www.wildaboutmovies.com/movies/2006and2007ComingSoonToMovieTheaters.php

• No Country for Old Men
• There Will be Blood
• Juno
• Right at Your Door
• 3:10 to Yuma
• The Assassination of Jesse James...
  

Top Songs:

• Umbrella - Rhianna

• Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
• Big Girls Dont Cry - Fergie
• Stronger - Kanye West
• This Aint a Scene - Fall Out Boy
• What Goes Around - Justin Timberlake
• The Way I Are - Timbalan

• U & Ur Hand - Pink
• Straight Lines - Silverchair

It was nice while it lasted

This has really annoyed me. Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has announced that the Labor government is going to create an internet filter, that will block out a list of sites from being accessed, its done at the ISP (Internet service provider) level, so it will cover everyone.
I suggest getting a coffe because, me almighty, will I rant about this.
Ok, First and foremost, the most disgusting thing is that they are censoring the Internet. Once this starts it is a slippery slope. Once censorship starts then the internet will slowly turn into just another government controlled medium. Much like TV & Radio, there will be a LONG list of things you can and can't say. Fuck. There, if this was the TV or radio I would never have been able to say that. Many believe that this is ridiculous, that the government would never do that. Give it time. If the government is willing to curve to the religous right, it will continue to curve, bend and then brake. Do we really want another medium that talks about nothing but celebrities and tv shows. I use the internet because it is for the people, by the people (Not all of it but the majority of what I surf is). One by one these voices could be silenced. Hooray
Next is the comparison to China. Now I feel that any move towards Chinas internet is a bad one. The people in China cannot look up any sites that promote a free Tibet. This is the direction that Stephen Conroy wants to take us in. At least he is honest, people may say Howard was evil, but at least he was kind of subversive about it, this guy is just up front Super Villainy. I fully expect him to start wearing a cape, mask and cane, carrying around a cat and being flanked by two guys with ray guns.
Also in the article he compares freedom of speech to watching kiddie porn (Hereafter reffered to as kp, because even writing the words makes me ill). Now dont get me wrong, I COMPLETELY AGREE that kp is wrong. So wrong. If god and or hell really existed, I would personally send all those responsible (makers & consumers) there myself. It would not be a pleasant trip either, I'd make them suffer, my fury would be beyond compare. However, I dont think that freedom of speech = kp.
However again, you have to admire the villainy at work here, by making this comparison he has effectively written off his entire opposition, anyone that argues, much like I am doing now, he can turn to them and say, "Oh so you DO want kp?", which I will stress again. I DO NOT. He has created a straw man (as some may say I am) that is so one sided that it is almost impossible to argue with him.
This service will be an opt out program, so if you want access to everything the internet has to offer, you have to contact your ISP and say you want out. Again, because of the straw man Stephen Conroy created, this means that you are effectively telling your ISP, and by relation, the goverment that you want kp. This is another example of someone else having to take responsibility for those parents who dont want to parent. Rather than creating a service where responsible parents could opt in, ensuring that thier children are not exposed to erotic content (assuming here that the filter will block out the majority of erotic content, not just kp), they are blanketing everyone with it.
Another thing that irritates me is that there is no way for people to know what sites will be blocked. I can only assume the government wont give out a list (as that would essentially be a white pages for the real losers out there), so what is to stop them adding sites that speak out against the government. It won't happen (I hope), but there is realistically nothing stopping them.

There it is, my feelings, or as complete as I can get to them, on this piece of evil injustice. In summation, taking Chinas censored approach to the internet is a BAD thing, freedom of speech does not equal, or even compare to kp, and Stephen Conroy is months away from introducing to us his new secretary Darth Vader, and his deputy Sauron.

Hate to Say "I Told You So" but...

Another little rant. The entire time John Howard was in government he said he would not apologise for the stolen generation. I agree with him completely, for two reasons, first it makes no sense to apologise for something someone else did. We do not make Germany continually apologise for the war, because modern day Germany is not responsible. We had nothing to do with the stolen generation, we cannot apologise, because we are not at fault. This leads us to the second point, apologising means admitting fault, which leaves the government, as a whole, open to compensation claims. This is the more contentious issue. There is no reason why the current government should pay compensation to Aboriginal & Torres Straight Islanders for something that was done by someone else. Again, it would be like asking compensation from Germany and Japan.
An apology means one party taking responsibility for a wrong doing. There is no link between modern Australia, and the faults of previous generations. Without this link there can be no responsibility, there should be no apology, there most definately should not be one cent paid in compensation.

If the Aboriginals want to set up a compensation fund, that they foot the bill for, for the 10 year old girl that was repeatedly gang raped in the Northern Territory, by all means go for it. There is a direct link there. But no, white man can't interfere with anything that goes on, because that is their land, thier own style of justice will be handed out.
How dare they ask anyone to apologise when something like that is happening in thier own backyard. Get your house in order before you come and make demands of others.

Why We Fight

Todays headlines:

Today's National Coverage

• 61-year-old found hacked to death
• Victim's family grieves over hit-and-run
  
• Israeli embassy evacuated
• Man charged with 35 sex offences
• Punched and robbed for his mobile
• Father rapes, murders daughter: police
• Teen tortured: police

Why?

I cannot think of anything else to add.

It's Past Me. I Cannot Figure the Angle. Go Ahead and Fight Him.

Well, Alana is now in England. It has been a very emotional few days since she left. First I was paranoid for 24 hours, untill I was first able to speak to her. Then things went down hill.
Being tired, alone and momentarily overwhelmed took its toll and she was miserable. I talked to her over the internet, and knowing that she was miserable spurred me into action. My first instinct was to hop on a plane, however logic won out, and I tried to reassure her that it would be better if she could give it more time.

I don't remember much about the depression I had in years 4 & 5, but sitting here unable to offer anything other than supportive words while Alana was so completely distraught was the most miserable I have ever been.

The next day wasn't any better, after a meeting with a landlord that went very poorly, based on him being a bit of a jerk, Alana was determined to come home. To say I was dissapointed is a lie, I hate being apart from Alana, but I also knew that if she did come home she would regret it. So I encouraged her to think it over some more.

What a difference a day makes. After a good meeting with a job agency and possibly lots of time for her body to catch up Lana is feeling confident that although it may be tough, she is determined to stay.

I am SO jealous of her, but I look at the big picture. She is doing what she needs to, to get to NY, and so am I. Its just that hers is so much more exciting.

Its been a bad week money wise. I lost about $1500 on the sharemarket. Now that things have crashed a little, its a great time to buy (Duh). Im thinking about moving more into shares, but how deep into the rabbit hole do I go?

Right now im split about 55% Cash -45% Shares. I think if I take the view of shares as long term investment than I should move more over. Right now I only think of unrealised gains.
I just now moved more money over, Ok Alice lets check it out. (Sorry for the references Im reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland now, through DailyLit of course).

My Top Tips:

Stop drinking coke. Take a look at what it does to your body:

When somebody drinks a Coke watch what happens…

• In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
• 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
• 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
• >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
• >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
• >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth

Caught in the Web:

I do like hearing the real telling of fairy tales. Here is a list with a few of them on it.

Taken from McSweeneys
HALO 3 CHEAT CODES, AS EXPLAINED BY NEGLECTED GIRLFRIEND JANET IVERSON.
BY ANDREW KIRALY

X, A, B, DOWN, RIGHT, Y

God mode. Total invincibility to all attacks. You can just stand there and the aliens can't kill you. Heck, you could even put the controller down and they still can't do anything. You could even walk away from the Xbox and—crazy idea—talk to someone who's been sitting here for the past hour wondering if that was in fact an actual conversation she had earlier about going to the movies this afternoon and not just an incredibly realistic dream. In fact, you could come back to the game three hours later and you'd still have all your health. You could even come back to the game tomorrow—while a certain someone is working a 10-hour shift at Lane Bryant to pay the rent since someone else was recently "downsized" from Golden Swirl for "managerial reasons" that I'm sure were totally unrelated to his habit of napping in the service hallway—and you'd have the whole day all to yourself. Incredibly enough, Master Chief would be in fine, fine shape.

UP, RIGHT, A, Y, B

Invisibility. Remain unseen by enemies, no matter what you do! You could shoot them in the face with a Mark V pulse rifle and they still wouldn't see you. Or you could, say, sit here on the couch, theatrically flipping through a copy of Elle that you've already read twice, praying that somebody still has enough of a brain left that he can take a hint, but, no, you'd still remain totally undetected. You could probably even leave and he wouldn't know or care. Seriously. Walk right out that door and he wouldn't even notice. Walk out that door and maybe call his best friend, Jeff Harshak, and see if he wants to lick Cool Whip off your naked body. Did you hear that? Jeff Harshak? Cool Whip–covered nipples? Hello? Yes, invisibility can sure come in handy.

RIGHT, X, RIGHT, LEFT, DOWN, B

Infinite ammunition. Nonstop, heart-pounding action guaranteed to get boring, repetitive, and pointless 50 percent faster, shortening the time before you finally, I don't know, take a shower and eat something else besides Bugles and Dolly Madison mini-dughnuts

B, A, X, Y, Y, DOWN, RIGHT

Receive all weapons. Instantly gives you the complete Halo 3 arsenal, including the Mark V pulse rifle, covenant carbine, bouquet of flowers, chainsaw, plasma blade, flamethrower, gift basket with scented bath crystals, trip mine, magma cannon, some chocolates or something once in a while, submachine gun, wanting a foot massage does not make me "high-maintenance," needler, missile pod, I'm not asking for the damn Hope Diamond here, railgun, and flak pistol. Oh, and the occasional-compliment-giver ray would be nice, too

B, X, Y, LEFT, UP, B

Shield boost. Plasma shield is impervious to fire from projectile weapons such as needlers, covenant carbines, and, oh, I don't know, a Glade Plug-In hurled in frustration across the room, maybe? And you never know when you'll be caught in a flurry of bottles of nail polish or even—crazy as it sounds—the apologetic thank-you card I just realized someone never sent to my sister for having us at her party to celebrate her making partner at Kenscher & Foley—yes, that party, where a certain someone drank too much Crown Royal and kept inviting her friends to "join his firm" before he managed the monumental feat of embarrassing himself even further by spitting up the Better Cheddars he'd eaten too much of all over his only dress shirt, which I happened to buy him for his birthday. Shield not impervious to melee attacks. I said, "Shield not impervious to—" Ugh! Never. Mind.

And It's Good to Have You With Us, Even If It's Just For a Day

Random Updates:

I got to see David Beckham bend in a penalty kick. That like seeing Ali or Jordan do thier thing. People talk about going to see a real soccer match in England as something you have to do once, Ill do it, but I think this will be so much more memorable. I still dont like or dislike soccer (watching it), but that was really something special. Here it is, for those who werent there (sucked in).



Damn game companies. Coming out between now and christmas are:
Rock Band - Like Guitar Hero, but set up for a band. A guitar, a drum kit and a mic. Guitar Hero was great, this looks exponentially better. The only problem being that I have to find two (or three) other people who are willing to be in a room with me. A difficult problem.
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - I was initially sceptical of this game, I'd heard it has a great story but still wasn't impressed. However I recently bought Hitman: Blood Money (Made by the same people). This game is so much fun, so well made, that I now have complete faith in the developer.
Assassins Creed - This was a much hyped title. I bought it the other day, havnt had a chance to play it yet, but I am excited. I know that some people might not like it, but I am sure I will.
Mass Effect - Another game I had heard of, but wasn't all that excited for. Then I heard more of it, saw more movies and so on. Now i'm excited for it.

Who knew that vegan was pronounced vee-jan?

Caught in the Web:

Drunken Slash is awesome. His band mates staring in awe of his drunkeness is even better.


List of things that I hope dont come to Australia:
Columbian Devils Breath - The only thing in Columbia more scary than the Cali Cartel were, the Columbians Devils Breath. Its bad stuff. Kind of like the ultimate date rape drug.

Japanese Hornets - These hornets are two inches long. Think about a nest of these damn things, its insane. Their sting can kill humans, even if they aren't allergic. Just a few of them can destroy a whole european bees nest quite easily. Fortunately the asian bee has developed a defense, they surround the hornet with hundreds of bees, heat up the bee ball and cook the hornet alive. If that isnt evidence of evolution then what is.

I am now addicted to these sites. They are PostSecret and OneSentence. PostSecret involves people sending in homemade postcards with secrets written on them, if they are all true, they provide a fascinating view into other peoples lives. OneSentence is quite similar, it has people submitting stories in one sentence. I guess its no different to watching big brother, but then again, Im dont care about the things these people do. I just like seeing what some people are too scared to say in person.

Reviews:

Halo 3: To really review a game such as this you have to break it down into its parts, review each, then decide how good the sum of those parts are. So to begin, the parts

Single Player, Multi-Player and Extras.

Single Player:

The Good:

• Level Design: Gone are the repitious nature of the first game (excluding a trip to a ring, where, as assumed, it is quite similar to the first ring). The levels each feel different, the jungle shows signs of a prolonged campaign against the Covenant, lots of small battlements litter the land scape in between larger bases, while the mission set inside a flood infested ship shows how virus like they are, with floodling spores and organic doors throughout the ship. There is one part of a mission, where you are tasked with taking out three anti-air ships, here the sections are quite similar, however it does end with a fight against a scarab, so it redeems itself.
  Speaking of, at one point you are against two scarabs and have a small ship to gly around, I landed on the the first, pushed the ship off the edge, destroyed the scarabs power core, jumped off and managed to get into the ship and sly away as it was exploding. It made for one intense experience and rewatching it was just as fun.
  
• A.I: Both the allied and enemy A.I. is much improved, and considering it wasnt exactly bad in the first two thats saying something. As before the grunts will attack, untill you fight back, in which case they turn and run. The brutes use their items (Bubble Shield, etc) well, although they do seem to act independantly when in a group, which can result in Bubble Shields overlapping.
  
• Scope: Everything seems, grander, in this encounter. The set pieces are bigger and with more players, the levels are not always larger but seem more real. You feel like you are fighting a war, not rushing from one set of corridors to another. Being able to take on a Scarab (or two) is also amazing.

The Bad:

• The Weapons: As with Halo 2, some new weapons are added, some are kept some are changed. Overall however the newly added weapons don't add much to the gameplay. The sword was introduced in Halo 2, and the Gravity Hammer, while immensly satisfying to use, feels very similar in terms of tactical use. The brutes weapons mauler is fun to use, although its limited ammo and slow rate of fire mean that as soon as you can replace it you will.
• The Enemies: Through out the game you fight the Covenant and the Flood. Fair enough, but the Covenant have lost the elites, as they are now your allies, so as far as the Covenant are concerned you fight Grunts, Brutes and Jackals. You also fight the Hunters and Drones, but so rarely as to barely warrant a mention. Fighting the three main enemies does get repetitive. Mixing it up with another level, between Brutes and Grunts would have been good. Perhaps a larger kind of jackal, as they are relegated primarily to snipers.

Multi-Player:

• Its all good. There might not be enough maps for some, but the maps they have are SO solid. I play primarily team objective, which changes between Zanzibar, High Ground and Valhalla, primarily, and honestly these three are all I need. Being on a good team, using lots of communication and teamwork, makes a big difference but its fun either way. Although I have spent a lot of time playing it online, as I said, 95% of it has been on the one mode, so my analysis isn't as in depth, its good.

Extras:

• Skulls: These are hidden, well hidden, throughout the levels. Once you collect them they change the game a little, making it more challenging / interesting to play. You can turn them on and off. I am currently going through collecting them, then I will play with them on and see how good it is.
  
• The Forge: I havent used it but its basically allows you to edit the multiplayer levels on the fly, as you are playing them.
  
• Saved Films: This i have used. Wipe out an entire team, no one else saw it? Doesnt matter, go to the save films and relive the glory over and over and over. So much fun to watch it and see just how much is happening at all times, in both multi and single player.
  

King of Kings Recommendation: If you have played the first two it is a must have, if you havent and have no interest in going back and playing them / finding out what happened, I might find something else. For me anyway, its probably top three from all my 360 games.

Hits of the Week:
1. Sams Town (Abbey Road Remix) - The Killers
2. Lonely Soul - Unkle


Babe of the Day:
Jennifer Ellison

Not everything is strippers and booze and buckets of blood

It often happens that the real tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner that they hurt us by their crude violence, their absolute incoherence, their absurd want of meaning, their entire lack of style

My Top Tips:

Work on my story continues, at a snails pace admittedly, but it continues. Its strange watching this story evolve, I have mapped out the current chapter, and the next, although they only take up about a line each, so its not detailed. But everytime I sit down this story just kind of appears, I haven't thought it out, but still its showing up, with characters and intrigue and already I have decided it will be a trilogy, to start with, and know of a few scenes and trilogy long story arcs I will be including. Its filling in these finer points that is strange, because it is so unexpected.

12 New Commandments:
Commandment the Fifth: Be your own person.
This seems kind of strange, in a list telling you how to live life, one of the points is to ignore others advice and make your own life. I present this as the most important of any commandment. At the end of the day each person is themselves responsible for how thier life turns out. Whether they accept this responsibility or not is something entirely different.
This does not mean that you should ignore what everyone else says and go stomping off on your own path, although sometimes that's what's needed. Listen and learn from others, there is a lot of knowledge out there. At the end of the day its what you do with what you have learnt that matters. If you like something, despite protests from others saying you shouldn't, ignore them, similarly, if you find yourself doing things you dislike, but pretending to like them just to fit in, I would sugggest a change.
Its a hard one to qualify, because it is a self negating statement. Learn to live with yourself, because you will be together for the rest of your life.

These are getting harder to think up each time, maybe I should have limited it to ten. Or seven, actually five would be great.

Random Updates:

Listening to people talk about something, anything with passion, is a powerful force. The two examples I have are:
1) On Howard Stern, they were talking about a party at a pizza place. The way they went on about how good the pizzas were, as well as the company at the party. If you could listen to it and not want a pizza, you live a sad life.
2) Listening to the 1Up Yours Podcast (About games). Listening to them wax on about a game, (In this case Mass Effect). It definately put this game on my radar.

Baby-sat my cousins all weekend. Man it was fun. One is 1 y.o, the other is 3 y.o. Its wierd to see what they see as fun, the three year old wanted games that had the appearance of competition, but only so that he could say he is the winner. The games were to revolve around him winning, and if he didnt the rules were changed so he would. We never lose the desire to win, but when do we pick up the difference between a win that we deserve compared to just being given a win.
The 1 y.o just wanted me to lay down so he could sit on my chest and look at me, or jump in and disrupt what ever the 3 y.o was doing.
I think they made me sick. Damn them.

So the Writers Guild of America is on strike. From what I can gather, the writers want more residual money, from dvds and they also want to get money for 'new media' as in shows sold over the internet. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is saying 'no dice' to the whole affair. Refusing to give any residuals for the new media and not willing to renegotiate on the DVD residuals. This seems ridiculus to me. The AMPTP has to realise that now is not the time to be without tv shows. Without new content thier cash source will dry up real quick. DVD sales might boom, as will NetFlix rentals and possibly video game sales, it will be really hard to get back some of the audience it loses.
if people who previously werent buying DVD's start to now, they will realise how annoying 'free'-to-air is with its constant interruptions. So again, the DVD sales go up, but if the ratings go down, then sponsers leave, and then you really lose money. Its a slippery slope, I think that when scripted tv does come back, it wont be bigger than ever, but rather it will face a tough few months before it has pre strike ratings. But then again people are stupid so im almost certain to be wrong.

Caught in the Web:

I have for a long time been fascinated with the original fairy tales. I think its crazy how the original stories told to children when they were created, yet are now deemed to upsetting.
http://www.cinematical.com/2007/10/24/cinematical-seven-the-horror-of-fairy-tales/

This is just .... a sign of the times i guess. Ashley Maddison is a dating site, for those already in a relationship. Its created to facilitate adultery. I find myself, although initially disgusted, now almost not caring. It is just the way society is heading, there is a market there and these people are just selling to that market. Reminds me of when my grandmother wondered what was wrong with people that they had to go online to find a partner, why they couldnt just go to the pub and find someone. That seemed like such a no brainer to me, why should your partner be confined to the people you could meet at any one spot on any one night. By going online you are able to find more people with similar interests. Im not saying that the current dating model is wrong, but from a coldly, logical stand point, it doesnt make much sense. Hell, look how many marriages end in divorce (Maybe because of Ashley Maddison, yessssssss, way to tie it all back Matty), surely that shows that the current methods are heavily flawed.

I love this story, there was a traffic incident between a guy and girl. I don't know who was to blame, but there was mutual aggression shown, and then the woman gave the 'little pinky' motion to the man. This worked, as he got so angry he threw a bottle at her car. Of course he got fined and so on.
I love it. The "No one thinks big of you" is perfect in terms of what it wants to do. It works on the best principle, hit 'em where it hurts. If they are 'insecure' this will really piss them off, which may cause them to slow down.

Just incase you watch Resident Evil and think, that'll never happen. Oh how wrong you are. I predict Zombies appear in 10-15 years. America, where they originate, is lost within 6 months, EurAsia within a year, England 14 months, Australia 16-24 months (Depending on the intelligence of the Zombies). New Zealand 15 months. I, of course, will take 50 women of my choosing and live on the moon for 20-50 years, preparing a repopulation for when the zombies eventually die off. Hmm, they will probably eat the majority of animals, so I guess eventually I will be a vegetarian, that and deep sea fish.

Top 3 Hits of the Week:
1. Bleed it Out - Linkin Park
2. Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance
3. Head like a Hole - NIN

Babe of the day:

Scarlet Johanson

I don't have time for this, I have a rabbit to buy.

12 New Commandments:
Commandment the Fourth: Save / Invest your money.
Good or bad, money is needed nowdays. To live and take care of yourself and others you do need money. For most people it takes so long to get money, through work and what not, why would you not want to keep it, or use it to make more of it.
I am not going to outline a specific saving strategy, because they can be found ALL over the internet. Instead I am just going to say remember to save your money, learn to invest and take care with spending it.

Random Updates:

Went to the Marilyn Manson concert on the weekend. It was crazy. I arrived and saw a line but thought it wouldn't be that bad, so I went and got dinner and a coffee. Then I decided to join the line. It snaked past the Horden Pavillion, out to the street and up to the stadium. It was crazy long. But walking along it did give me a chance to see how everyone was dressed. It was a mix of people. All in black of course. Some going the whole way, huge leather boots, Mohawks, make up, all of it. Others were just wearing tour shirts and jeans. It was very cool seeing everyone getting in to it (this may be due to the fact that the majority of girls were wearing either lingerie, or short skirts/shorts with fishnets). Finally got in, bought a shirt, realised that a beer gut and a mesh shirt should never, EVER go together, then went in. Since I was by myself I decided that sitting down was out, I was going to get right in it. I managed to get about four deep to the left of the stage, right under the speaker. Waited for about an hour before he came on, but it was worth it. The concert was mind blowing, and being so close made it so much better. Especially for songs that people really got into "The Fight Song", "Dope Show", and of course, the finale "The Beatiful People". I went in thinking it would be a great show, and it was, despite the smallish stage, there was a lot happening and the majority of songs had there own set and or props.
One thing that seperated this concert was the lack of an encore. Not that he didn't deserve one (Ive never been to a concert people wanted to walk away from), but it was refreshing to see him come out and do his set, without the five minutes of an empty stage, but no house lights, waiting for the encore.
The other thing to say is that in the end, I am glad I went by myself. Going with someone who didn't like the music would have hampered the feel of the concert, and going with someone who would have wanted to sit would have made it in to a completely different concert. In the end, getting in their, moshing out and ruining my ears for the next two days was so better becasue I was by myself, not worse.
Having said that I am anxious about Linkin Park, I am going by myself again, but I'm sitting. Hmmm, maybe I could trade, or sneak down.

Linkin Park was this weekend. Man I update so regularly. It was crazy. To summarise, if you dont want to read the more extensive review, better concert, but because I was in a seat not as fun as Manson.
Another concert that I went to by myself. Doesn't worry me in the least. Got to the city about an hour before the doors opened with a mission, pizza, good pizza. Unfortunately it was at the Sydney Entertainment Centre which is in China town. Quickly abandoning the pizza idea, i looked for something. Settled on Oporto. Got inside and headed straight for merchandise. Didnt wait in line, kind of just snuck in the side, I know im a horrible person, got a shirt then headed for a beer. Got the beer, looked at the shirt, not the one I wanted. Damn Karma. Gupled down the beer, went back and lined up again. Got in and heard Chris Cornell, all right but not great. Turns out he has done quite a few songs that I know. Interlude, then it was time for the main show. Starts off with a white sheet covering the stage, three clashes of music coincide with the lights coming up from back stage, throwing a sillouette over the sheet, the first two were just of the stage (It was set up as two levels, drums and DJ up top, guitar and singers on the main), the third one you could see the band as well. A very cool way to start what would be a very cool concert.
They went through pretty much their entire collection of hits, from Hybrid Theory to Minutes to Midnight. Not just the stadium rocking hits, but some quiter pieces as well. I stood the entire concert (screw the people behind me). Just a huge amount of energy, and a great concert.

Caught in the Web:

Who doesnt love a good large scale robbery story, here are ten of the best.

http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/magazine/15-11/ff_cannonballrun?currentPage=3

A great bit from Conan - An alarm goes off in the studio while taping.

There are some sites that I suggest. Mostly I stumble on these through Digg or Shoutwire, but they do provide good content, on almost a daily basis. They are:

Double Viking - A very male centric humor site, although this wouldnt stop everyone from enjoying it. Cool & funny lists & videos. Not specifically funny lists, but usually worth a read.

Cracked - Similar in the amount of funny lists and videos, although its target audience is much larger. Updated more regularly and generally better than Double Viking, much more focused on humor.

Snopes - Urban legends website. Not only will it keep you interested for months, but the forums are also full of crazy rumors and thoerys.

Right Thoughts ... Not Right Wing -

WallStreetFighter - Another blog that is updated regularly with interesting or funny articles, videos and photos.

Penny Arcade - Possibly the greatest web comic ever, also the articles are always entertaining and informative, and the podcasts are hilarious.

Digg - A social networking site, have talked about it before, users submit stories they find interesting, if they are good, they get dugg to the top. This collects stories from a lot of websites, including some of the sites listed above.

Trying something new

As well as the big posts, im going to do smaller ones when I feel the need. They will almost always be about funny stuff I find.

Posted on CraigLists

What am I doing wrong?

Okay, I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I’m articulate and classy.
I’m not from New York . I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won’t get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms

-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won’t hurt my feelings

-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I’m 25)?

- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I’ve seen really ‘plain jane’ boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I’ve seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What’s the story there?

- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?

- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults - I’m putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I’m being up front about it. I wouldn’t be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn’t able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

The Response:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament.
Firstly, I’m not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here’s how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a crappy business deal. Here’s why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity…in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you’re 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold…hence the rub…marriage. It doesn’t make good business sense to “buy you” (which is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease. In case you think I’m being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It’s as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as “articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful”
as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn’t found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn’t need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you’re going about it the right way.
Classic “pump and dump.”
I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

SaveUs.Y2J

Man I love wrestling. Following the mysterious SaveUs.222 video that ran on RAW, everyone is thinking the same thing. Jericho. I hope 'they' are right. With Edge out, The Rock in Hollywood and Triple H playing nice, there is a complete lack of confidant cool heels. Sure we have Randy Orton, but its not the same. He takes himself too seriously. We need the Ayatollah of Rock and Roll-a, the man of 1004 Moves, the King of Bling Bling. The WWE needs a saviour, and once again RAW will be Jericho.

Jay Z must feel kind of stupid right now. For years he was pushing Beanie Siegel and Memphis Bleek, and they did all right in the US, Im not 100% sure, they may have done really well. But all this time he had Kanye working for him and didn't see it. Now Kanye has blown up and broken through to the mainstream, in a way that even Jay was never quite able to (Again this is primarily based on an Australian view). Just seems like he missed, or at least dragged his feet on one hell of a talent.

My Top Tips:

Never name a blog post "Well Hung with a Snow White Tan". I did, now I keep getting traffic looking for, well, something other than David Bowie lyrics.

12 New Commandments:
Commandment the Third:
Always be honest, with yourself and with others.
The number of problems that stem from being dishonest is astounding. Dishonesty can damage relationships (both personal and financial), your image (The way you see yourself, as well as the way others do) and almost every other aspect of your life.
We are dishonest, for the most part because it is often easy. It is easier to lie and accept something than to stand up for yourself and assert an opinion. It is easier to lie than to admit to problems you face, because doing that may make you confront them.
This commandment has potentially large consequences for your life, so it may be difficult to do.
This commandment is tested when we have information regarding someone else, told in confidence. This is a potential problem, as someone else may try and get the information from you. It is best to let the person confiding in you know, that you will not lie for them, also if they do confide in you, tell them anyone you tell. Complete and total honesty at all times.

Random Updates:

Went out for dinner on the weekend, went to a bar above the rocks. If it wasnt so windy it would have been perfect. Cheap good meals, (which I needed, I was starving), cheap drinks and great company.
I always stayed in the city that night with Lana. It was fantastic too. We had breakfast at Pancakes, then went shopping a little, then home. It doesn't look like much on paper but it is. I love going away for the weekend. Feels so good, check in then go out and have dinner, when you get back they have turned down the bed. Luxury, you can't beat it.

Well I was there at midnight on Moday the 24th/Morning Tuesday 25th for Halo 3. I have only played a little of the multiplayer thus far. But seeing as how our download limit has almost been reached this month Im sure I will be 'forced' into the single player some time. First impressions of the multiplayer are good, primarily because I can get a few kills, unlike Gears of War. Also the variety, the weapons and vehicles make it more interesting. A more in depth review will show up eventually im sure.
In more Halo news, what everyone thought would happen did. It is the largest opening day (in terms of sales) of any type of entertainment ever, more than Spiderman3, more than Harry Potter. It eclipised them all with $170 million in sales in one day. Now sure, Spiderman may make more money over time, but as stated the profit on Spidey was around 40%, where as Halo will be 90%, and I those numbers will turn a lot of higher up heads at some companies that may have been resisting the move to games. "We can spend hundreds of millions making a movie and make 40%, or spendat most, 30 million and make an insane profit.
As for myself, I feel somewhat like this guy from Kotaku:

Over a million players logged into Xbox live during the first 20 hours of release, and nearly all of them have killed me at least once at this point.

Caught in the Web:

I was almost crying with laughter while watching this. Its the logical extension of Halo's popularity.

You just frigided your way out of a biscuit.

I found a list of 100 things to blog on. Not all of them are great but I will do some of them, starting now.

What I Spend Money On
Well I suppose the best way to break this down is to have recurring costs and non recurring costs, I will also include how I savce my money, just to show that I am somewhat responsible. For recurring costs:

• Two mobile phones.
• Board
• Health Insurance
• Income Protection Insurance
• Comics (I get certain titles each month so there is a set recursive cost). For non recursive costs:
• Food (Lunches at work)
• Transport (Train to & from gym)
  

For Non recursive costs I have:

• Dining Out
• Clothes
• Games
• DVDs
  
• Food (Coffee etc)
• Comics (Whenever I go to the shop I end up picking up a few extra things if I want to or not).
• Hotels (About once a month with Alana, we share the cost)
• Transport (fuel whenever i use the car)

For Investment/ Savings I have:

• Emergency Fund (this only gets a little each month, but it will build over time)
• ING Savings account
• Shares

Looking at it like this I do know where I could cut some expenses. In a year I will be down to one phone, I am on a contract I wont renew for my second). I suppose If i was to take on a loan for a house I would cut down on hotels, dining comics and games. I wouldnt eliminate these completely, but I would reduce the amount of money spent on them. As it stands I feel i put away enough each month (44% of my after tax income) to justify having fun with the money leftover.

12 New Commandments:
Commandment the Second:
Never allow yourself to be overweight. This is a polarising commandment, although only because people have taken a "if everyone else is, why can't I be?" approach to looking after themselves. Do not think of this as, I should go on a diet. Instead think I should live a healthier life, It must be a long term change for it to work. It is no more difficult to live a healthy life, however changing the way you think, changing from one lifestyle to the other could be difficult. This does not mean you have to spend all your free time at the gym. You just have to realise that some foods are once a week foods, and more importantly everyone should exercise, if not everyday, every second day. On that point there can be no discussion, you must exercise.
This commandment is not done to punish people, but to ensure that they live longer healthier lives. Do you want to spend your 'golden years' in and out of hospital because you have one of the dozens of problems associated with being overweight? I didn't think so.
Some easy ways to live a healthier life:

• Replace soda with water, or natural low sugar juice.
• Reward yourself with something other than food. Go and visit a friend, go for a walk, go to the zoo.
• Go for a 30 minute walk an hour after getting home. Get home, relax, have a cup of tea, what ever. Then go for a walk, use it as thinking time, go with a friend, learn something via podcasts.
  

Random Updates:

Cats like Fish
Big's a Cat
Big likes Fish

Thats a poem I made years ago. Its not really a poem, more like a bad exercise in logic. That might have been what it was intended to be originally. I can't remember. Big is from the Sonic games.
Another long weekend coming up. I don't have any plans yet. Im sure i will find something to fill the time *cough*HALO F'IN 3 *cough*. Yeah, I dont know, I might just hang out at home all weekend ;). Its not that I have been caught up in the hype for Halo 3 (which in my opinion has been lacking Down Under, compared to Halo 2). I ruh-heally want to see how it all ends.
You always here about unsung heros, and you're reading about another one right now. My entire life, I have been fighting a one man war against seasonal foods (Christmas Cake, Hot Cross Buns etc). Their numbers are many, but my appetite is large. Unfortunately it is rather a bleak period, Christmas still seems so far away. I suppose I will have to demand a thanksgiving lunch so I can get some turkey.

Caught in the Web:

Im sure this is old, but its just plain funny.

http://www.shoutwire.com/viewstory/104019/Secret_Societies

Reviews:

Prince of Persia Classic (X Box Live Arcade):

I remember playing Prince of Persia all those years ago. I remember vividly not being able to get past the third level, because that was where the 'splicer' traps appeared, and I could never master them.
When I fired this up on my xbox, I wasnt sure if it would still play as well as I remembered. After all there have been a lot of changes in gaming since then. Could a simple side on action game compete with interactive worlds like Oblivion? The answer is obvisouly no, but it doesn't try to. POPC simply tries to deliver an hours (Just the 1 hour) worth of challenge and fun, and on that it delivers big time.
This is a game that is easy to pick up and play. None of the puzzles, or enemies present enough of a challenge to cause someone to stop playing, but they are not so easy that you will run through it perfetly the first time.
King of Kings Recommendation: Get it if you want a quick gaming fix.

Kanye West - Graduation:
The first listen through of this, to be honest, was below expectations. This was because I was expecting something similar to his second album, with more stand out hits, thinking "Gold Digger" & "Touch the Sky" stuff that really blows you away with the beat. This cd does have some standout songs, "Stronger" obviously being the one that really stands out. After listening to it several times, I realise its excellence. The difference in the songs is strong enough to make each one stand out. Kanye uses his guests to his advantage, I love Coldplay (I own all thier CD's as in the actual CD's) but its still wierd to hear Chris Martin on a rap song (Having not heard Jay Z's Kingdom Come). Personal favourites include "Good Morning", "Everything I am", "Stronger", "Homecoming" and "Barry Bonds". Thats not saying the others are bad, thats just the ones I like the most.
The one thing that this CD really highlights is Kanye's lyrical skills. He's not quite Jay Z, and sure isn't Nas, but he is good and he is growing, especially with this CD.
King of Kings Recommendation: This is a CD that I would suggest for those who like music, not just those who like rap. It really is one of those CD's that could convert people to liking rap.


Top 5 Hits of the Week:
1. Ayo Technology - 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland
2. Homecoming - Kanye West & Chris Martin
3. Heart Shaped Glasses - Marilyn Manson
4. Will 2k - Will Smith
5. Although I dropped $100'000 - Paul Frees

Babe of the day:
Dita Von Teese - I realise I didnt post a picture last week. Correcting that now.

It is a blurred line that lies at the edge of Godhood and insanity. Guess which side of it I am on?

I bet 50 Cent is feeling pretty stupid right about now. He 'promised' to stop making individual CD's if Kanye's outsold his in the first week, and going by first day sales, it looks like he's going to have his word put to the test. In a suprise to no one, fiddy has already retracted that statement.
Staying on rap, how has Snoop Dogg been able to coast along, with this image of being a corner stone of rap, without releasing a decent song for the last who knows how long. Now Snoop has been on songs that have done well, but for the most part as a guest or with other people backing him up. I suppose looking back he seems to always be the second man, behind 2Pac, Dre and now Pharrell, Pussycat dolls and anyone else who needs some relaxed rhymes in the background.
Im not saying he's bad, he is one of the best at what he does, he just doesn't deserve the legend status that seems to be applied to him.

My Top Tips:

Get Halo 3. Its going to be the biggest entertainment premiere ever. Mark my words. This will blow Spiderman 3's opening weekend so far out of the water. Its so big, GameStop (American computer game shop chain) is firing employees on the spot if they open the boxes early. Its going to be HUGE.
Finish the Fight.

12 New Commandments:
A new feature. Like my top tips, but this will cause me to actually think things through, rather than short rants.
Commandment the First:
Drink Water. Starting the commandments off simple. Water is quite simply the most beneficial thing in the universe for the human body. The brain, skin, blood and digestive system all benefit from drinking water. Provided you don't over do it (2 Litres in 30 mins without a bathroom break would be over doing it), drink as much as you can. Even the best juices are high in sugar, and there is nothing worth drinking in soda's, but were all going to drink them any way. There is a lot that anyone can do to improve their lives, without a doubt the easiest is to drink more water.

Random Updates:

The long weekend has come and gone (Thank you APEC). Although I didn't go down to the snow, which was my plan up till the Monday starting the week, I didn't find myself wishing I was down there once.
I hung out with Alana all weekend, which as always was incredible.
I had a night of drinking with her brother, his friend and her cousin, which was one of the most fun nights i've had in ages. That night and the casino night, I don't go out a lot but each time its a lot of fun. Late night hide and seek is the greatest game ever.

If you cast your gaze to the top of the site you will see, AD's (Dum Dum Duhhhhhhm). Yes, in an effort to try and make a little money I have added Googles AdSense. Now i suppose I should just make something worth reading....yeah that'll happen.

Caught in the Web:

This is a great video, its 8 minutes long but its worth watching. Its completely inspired me to go to Africa. Some people watch as some lionesses grab a baby buffalo. I wont spoil it but ill just say there is also some crocodiles and a hell of a lot of action. Why the hell am I talking about it. This is the web of the future here it is:

Hit of the Week:

Teenagers - My Chemical Romance

Babe of the day:

Dita Von Teese

I Am Being Lapped By People In The Game Of Life

Its been a while. I have lost enthusiasm for creating these long drawn out things. I dunno. I'll keep it up, maybe smaller posts (I've said that before).

My Top Tips:

This is a weird character. Once you use it, it reverses all text after it. I cant really use it here, since it reverses the entire post, sorry.

Random Updates:

Birthday Drinks - The plan was for a whole night of drinking and it delivered. We hit the Orient Hotel on George St on the edge of China Town. Stayed there for a while, then decided to go to the casino. Had to get a six pack on the way, which didnt end well for all, as I was way to over the top with a toast and chipped a friends toast. Casino went well, playing roulette, as always and ended up winning about 600. This kept us in drinks for a while, although everyone was buying so I cant take all the credit. We spent a few hours at the Lagoon Bar at the Casino then as the sun had come up we decided it was time for breakfast, so we headed to George St got Maccas and then went for one final beer at the... bar next to Woolworths Metro.

Caught in the Web:

I can't decide if this is the greatest party dinner ever or really, really creepy. Imagine a pinata, that looked like a person, and 'bled' when it was opened. Im not sure how I should feel, although I know if I sat down somewhere and someone wheeled one out for dinner, I wouldnt even use utensils, I'd get into the spirit of the thing and dig in head first. I'd be like a tiger plowing into a giraffe (That joke is funnier if you're me).

Reviews:

God of War:

The Game: First of all, I am a fan of mythology so this was going to go over well with me. The game is heavily involved in mythology. You play the role of Kratos, a warrior who is in the service to Ares the God of War. I won't give away the story, as it alone is reason enough to play the game, or at least watch someone play through the whole game.
You travel through a variety of different locations, each with their own look, feel and challenges. These include Athens, a desert, a maze within a mountain and even the underworld.
As an added bonus, after you finish the game you open up some 'Making of' documentaries. These are interesting and worth watching, they include concept art, levels that were deleted and preliminary character models. Much like a bonus disc of a dvd. Very cool.

The Gameplay: The game is a hack and slash fighter. You fight through all the evil forces of greek mythology the Hydra, Medusa's, Minotaur's, Cyclops' and all manner of other baddies. It is a violent game, in that you will tear people in half, jam swords down throats and generally do all that is expected of a representative of Ares. There are a few puzzles that are not only challenging, but really engaging, and for the most part they make sense within the story. I played through on medium difficulty and at no point did I think that it was so hard I was not going to be able to finish, and if there is some part that seems impossible, after a few retries the game will ask if you want to change the difficulty and make it easier.
King of Kings Rating: *****

Ultimate Spiderman (PS2):
The Game: Make no mistake, this game perfectly captures the look, feel, humor, characters and all other aspects of Ultimate Spiderman the comic. You play as both Peter Parker and Venom, and despite having some features in common they do feel quite different. Venom feels like someone who is built solely for attacking and hurting people while Spiderman moves much faster and cannot regenerate health.
The New York in the game is incredibly detailed for its size. Not only does it include all the things that are unique to the real New York, like the TKTS stand in Time Square, it also includes different things from the New York in the Marvel universe. These include the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building, as well as signs for Kraven the Hunter.
The other reference to the Marvel Universe include the other characters you will encounter, ones like Trask, Nick Fury and Silver Sable are all part of the story so it makes sense. But its cooler to see Wolverine show up in a bar and Johnny Storm show up for a race.
The story is good, but a little short. It includes a lot of characters, both good and bad and flows well between both Venom and Spiderman. I personally would have liked to have seen more characters, maybe working with you at some point. The Ultimates could show up to fight against Venom, or when Venom & Spiderman are going at it, the Hulk could rampage through for a while.

The Gameplay: The game is the comic, and when you're playing you ARE Spiderman. The speed, the jumping distance and height and the actions of Spidey's movement while doing all this look and feel natural. When it comes to web slinging the game shows just how Spiderman would move. The ease at which he spins from one web to the other, as well as the different ways he moves around, web swinging between the larger buildings in Manhattan and the web zipping along the rooftops of the buildings along Queens.
The game plays out in a number of ways, for the majority of the game you chase down the villain and then fight them. There are side quests that include races, and fight tours across the city. The chases can get repetitive and are often frustrating, if you fall to far behind you lose. Several times I almost threw the controller it was so annoying.
There is also a marked difference in the gameplay when playing as Venom. Here you chase and fight as well, however the fighting is more intense because as Venom you are able to regenerate health. The chases are also more frustrating because you cannot move vertically as easily as Spiderman can.

In the end it is a really fun game for the most part, however the frustrating bits bring the score down a little. The story is also a little short which brings the score down as well.
King of Kings Rating: ***1/2

Top 4 Hits of the Week:
1. Stronger - Kanye West
2. Brick House 2003 - Rob Zombie
3. New Workout Plan - Kanye West
4. If I Can't - 50 Cent

Finish the Fight

Im going to some concerts soon, Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park and the Killers (provided I get tickets). I am super pumped for all of them, I love seeing bands live and think that they will all put on one hell of a show. Now for the two I already have tickets to I am going alone, which I didn't think twice about, its not everyone's taste in music and i really want to see it so I bought just the one ticket. Alana came along and said it was sad that I was going by myself, I hadn't even though of it until she mentioned it. Alana is coming with me to the Killers, she felt sorry for me. In hindsight I probably could have found someone to go with, but i decided against it.
That was a mistake, I should be more proactive, especially in friendships. Hopefully I can make this long term change, I have already taken the first step. The problem, as far as I can tell comes primarily from my ego, which stops me from asking for help, or for appearing weak before anyone else, which is why I didnt go out and ask anyone, because I see it as a weakness. It is ridiculus to think that having friends makes you weak, or that a simple thing like asking them to go to a concert will make me seem weak. I think i could also sense the futility in it, I was sure everyone would say no so i didnt bother asking.
Lots of things to think about, meditate on and work out. Thats why I have this blog, its cheaper than therapy.

I have defied Gods and Demons.
I am your Shield. I am your Sword.
I know you, your past. Your Future.
This, is the way the world ends.

Random Updates:

It was my birthday this week. I got diving lessons. Im excited for these, I never would have thought of it, but Im really excited for it. Im going to get my license then start finding shipwrecks and stuff. Plus Bond could scuba, so its just one more thing to help me become Bond.

I also got a surprise from Lana. It was awesome. I knew i was going away for the weekend, and I knew there were spa treatments (Massage, Facial etc) involved. I was shcoked when we started heading out west and the Navman said 89k's left, Penrith was only 40, we were going twice past Penrith, where the hell were we going?
Turns out we were going to Lilianfels, which is heaven. Lilianfels is a 5 star Hotel and Spa Resort in the Blue Mountains. It is owned by the Orient Express group, who also own our favorite Sydney hotel, the Observatory. It is much more relaxed than the Observatory, you walk into a giant lounge room, with (I assume since it was foggy) great views. We had dinner at the restaurant there, Dahleys, and it was excellent, filling but not heavy at all. Sunday was where it all happened though. We got up early, played some snooker, in a billiard room that looks like it should be filled with cigar smoking old men deciding who they make president, went for a swim, in the indoor pool, had brunch at the restaurant, then we went to the spa. We both had a volcano rock massage, which was fantastic. Whole body exfoliated, wrapped with a mineral mask, then wash it off and get the all over warm stone massage. After that we had tea in the lounge then went down for a facial.
Good god it was relaxing. If you have never had a day of luxury, I strongly suggest it. It is the perfect way to relax. I cannot speak highly enough of it or of Lana who got it for me.

Caught in the Web:

Its a long read, but I laughed throughout the entire thing so I definately think its worth it. Its a guide of what to do and what not to do on a first date, including examples.

This story is just creepy and really, really, really stupid. A guy lived in a flat with over 200 spiders, snakes and lizards. Guess what happend. He was found covered in web, filled with spiders and partially eaten by the larger spiders, lizards and snakes.

http://www.last100.com/2007/08/13/live-concert-recordings-on-usb-sticks/

This article is hard to describe but really really good. It shows the world map, representative of different statistics. The map showing HIV affected people is as you would expect, dominated by Africa. The toy exporter is almost entirely china. Really good, really interesting, although the data is from 2001, and a lot has happened since then.

Reviews:

Thirsty Merc (Live at Sharkies):
For a band that has as much difference between songs as Thirtsy Merc, they put on a concert that rocked pretty hard the whole way through. They started it off with a bang, with the hit Summertime. This song sounds completely different live, and it was a solid riff to open things up. They continued with a fair mix of their first and second CD, playing my personal favourites, "She's my brother" (Played a little faster, making it even better), "I Wish somebody would Build a Bridge" and the encore being "Emancipate Myself", which provided possibly the only time all night that the lead forgot his line, and even then It was messing up one owrd, which then sent him off.
The small crowd was good, but felt a little flat to start with, although you could tell that there were hardcore fans in the crowd and they made themselves heard. By the end everyone seemed to be much more into it. They stayed after the show and signed autographs for the fans.
King of Kings Rating: ****1/2

Babe of the day:

Beyonce