Winner takes it all: Best Song

So, like a lot of my recent posts, this post will just be my version of another blogger's recent post; this time, it will be Amy's blog, and her Best Of 2010 type blog that inspired me. But mine will be more in the standard award show format, with a winner and a few other nominees.

Also, I'll do these posts one by one, so each one will cover only category. Here goes:
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Now, my single favourite track of the year. And the winner is:

Your Love Is My Drug by Ke$ha



This song has been described as "predictable", "dull", "pop trash", "top 40", and "commercial" by music critics and fans alike. Which, because music subjective to opinion, is fair enough.

However, I personally would rather use the word "catchy". Like, seriously. I'm pretty sure that that's the only reason I like it. It's infinately sing-a-longable. And, although it's quite easy to diss someone who seems as shallow as Ke$ha does, her rap-song delivery of the verses and the autotune-aided bridge add an endearing type of innocence to the track. Add this to her simple proclamation in the chorus, that "your love is my drug", and it's all kind of cute really.

I havn't listened to a Top 40 song this much without getting sick of it since Umbrella.
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Other nominees:

Power by Kanye West - When Akon was the subject of mass negative media attention, he released Sorry, Blame It On Me. When Kanye West was the subject of mass negative media attention, he went into seclusion, then came out with Power. The message from him is simply this: Kanye West runs the world, because he is the greatest person alive. Only an insane person would actually believe this of course. But the day you stop taking him seriously is the day that you can properly appreciate just how damn good this guy is.

The Catalyst by Linkin Park - For my full thoughts on this song and why I like it, click here.

(Still A) Weirdo by KT Tunstall - I've always been a KT Tunstall fan, and this song is definately one of my favourites off the new album. I can fully relate to the feeling of not always feeling like you're part of the crowd right, especially the realization that it'll always be like this and it's a good thing. With the current musical landscape being the way that it is, I'm surprised she was big as she was, but it would seem that things are on a downhill slide as far as popularity goes; which is fine, because her songs are still good.

Between The Lines by Stone Temple Pilots - This song is a reminder of everything mainstream rock today lacks; urgency, imperfections, and blistering solos. Plus it has a classic Scott Weiland hook: "You always were my favorite drug, even when we used to take drugs."

Over by Drake - This guy doesn't have blistering speed when rhyming. He doesn't switch up the flow as creatively as others, and his tendancy to stop every once in a while purely to sneer gets annoying sometimes. But in this song, everything I like about Drake is present, and the few things I don't like about him is either absent or toned-down. The strings in the beat are the perfect foundation for his slow-burn type flow, and his lines range from awesome to so-random-that-it's-awesome. Good hook too.

Winner takes it all: Best Album

So, like a lot of my recent posts, this post will just be my version of another blogger's recent post; this time, it will be Amy's blog, and her Best Of 2010 type blog that inspired me. But mine will be more in the standard award show format, with a winner and a few other nominees.

Also, I'll do these posts one by one, so each one will cover only one category. Here goes:
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Next up is my favourite album released in 2010. And the winner is:

Plastic Beach by Gorillaz



That's right. Kanye's critically acclaimed release isn't my favourite, although it took me a long time to reach this decision. Song for song, this is my favourite release this year. I love so many of the individual tracks, and I've listened to many of them on repeat, but as an album, it flows and feels complete.

Just when you thought Damon Albarn has run out of ideas and failed to sustain this side-project, the former Blur frontman steps up his game and takes this project to the next level. Gone are the simple pop sensibilities of 19-2000 and Clint Eastwood; this album is everything good about Demon Days, but perfected.

For example, while El Mañana felt more like an experiment than an actual song, On Melancholy Hill takes the same sound and turns it into pure pop magic. Feel Good Inc was a catchy bassline with some backup music and obligitory vocals to complete the track; Stylo uses a catchy bassline to enhance everything else; the building keys, subtle synth, backing vocals, and rap verses all feel urgent as the bass constantly pushes the song ahead, as if it won't finish until it feels every individual instrument and vocalist has given it their all.

When people talk about how sad it is that Blur aren't getting back together to write an album, all I can think of is that if they ever did, Gorillaz might then cease to exist. Please Blur, don't get back together.
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Other nominees:

B.o.B Presents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray by B.o.B - This guy definately has his critics. Some people say he lacks that edge and level of charisma that current mainstream rappers like Lil' Wayne and Drake just ooze of. Some people say that we don't need another Lupe Fiasco geeky type rapper. Well, those people are missing the point: This guy has really good songs. And he put them all into an album. It's a really good album.

A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park - Okay, so maybe I havn't listened to that many full albums this year, so it's pretty much like I'm listing every album that I didn't hate. But like The Catalyst surprised me in a good way, this album turned out to be quite a good listen. Their previous effort felt confused and much too slow. They knew how they didn't want to sound, but they spent too much energy running away from nu-metal and too little on actually settling on a new sound. With their latest though, they have rediscovered themselves. Both vocalists have a renewed energy, and the songs are legitimately creative.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West - Simply a genius album, and for sure my second favourite of the year. This isn't a bunch of singles all put into one record. It's an album that flows from song to song, one that chronicles all of Yeezy's characters he portrays in public, all weaved together in a blend of arrogance, self-loathing, and stunning production.

...Featuring Norah Jones by Norah Jones - This album shows off Jones' versatility. It spans 17 songs, featuring artists as different as Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and Foo Fighters, and really demonstrates her love of all genres. There are definately worse ways to spend an hour or two than listening to this tribute to both Norah Jones' musical heroes and favourite peers.

Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter - Only started listening to this one about a week ago, so it might be a bit premature to have it here. However, all the hype I've heard was justified from the first listen, and I'm glad I gave this one a go. I can't really think of a proper way to describe them, so I'll go with "garage synth indie". Yeah, I don't know what that means either.

Winner takes it all: Best Movie

So, like a lot of my recent posts, this post will just be my version of another blogger's recent post; this time, it will be Amy's blog, and her Best Of 2010 type blog that inspired me. But mine will be more in the standard award show format, with a winner and a few other nominees.

Also, I'll do these posts one by one, so each one will cover only one category. Here goes:
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First up is my favourite movie of the year. And the winner is:

Inception

Inception was a film that I had dangerously high expecations for. Talented director, great cast, intruiging premise, big budget; this had it all going for it. Coupled with the fact that I followed every meticulous little detail about this film months and months leading up to it's release, my personal hype for this movie continued to grow. The only thing that could have saved this film in my mind was for it to be absolutely amazing.

And it was.



Part of what made this film such a joy to watch was hardly knowing anything about it prior to viewing. Usually, trailers of films give away pretty much the whole plot except for the resolution, but with Inception, even after watching the theatrical trailer 5 times, I had no idea what the hell was going on. Everything felt new. Because everything was new.

The plot itself was what some people would describe as confusing. However, I loved it. Chris Nolan is a genius when it comes to switching up the timeline in which he tells his stories (Memento, The Prestige). With Inception however, he took it to a whole new level: 5 levels (I think it was 5) of reality all moving at different speeds tell the story in a chronologically correct order, while not exactly in a chronologically acurate one. Watching everything come together to achieve one goal was a joy to watch.

As far as the technical aspects go (lighting, cinematography, special effects, etc), everything was absolutely top-notch. Nolan has proved with the Batman franchise that he as the skill to handle a large budget, and it shows here. Another aspect as brilliant as the directing itself is the soundtrack written by Hans Zimmer. I'm a big fan of this guy's compositions, and he sure held up his end of the bargain.

I'd be remiss if I failed to mention the acting. While nothing in here is anything the Oscar voters would get excited over, it is worth noting that Leonardo DiCaprio turns quite a cerebral experience into something that is also emotionally satisfying. Under the surface of the movie lies a heart; or more specifically, a father's heart, wanting to get back to his kids, while dealing with the loss of his wife that plagues him with guilt.

This is quite an easy movie to hate on, because dissing something most people like makes you cool apparently. But anyone who claims to enjoy movies should give this one at least 2 honest trys before giving up and saying it was confusing and therefore boring.
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Other nominees:

The Other Guys - Just a genuinely funny movie, packed both with little chuckles and big laughs. This marks a return to form for Will Ferrell, after a run of unfunny films. Read full review here.

Toy Story 3 - Pixar hits another home run with the third entry to this beloved series. While I do feel that Buzz Lightyear plays a more supporting role than he has in the past, overall it's a very entertaining film that satisfies both kids and adults. Also, (spoiler alert) if you don't tear up when Andy describes each of his toys to Bonnie, then you have no heart.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - Usually I hate movies that are quirky for the sake of having quirks, but this didn't seem gimicky at all. It's only a matter of time before people get sick of watching Michael Cera play Michael Cera, but he is perfect for this role. Pilgrim is visually engaging, with an array of funny characters (watch out for the scenes featuring Chris Evans and Brandon Routh) and is quite easy to follow despite it's fast paced nature.

Gifts I'll never buy

Christmas has come and gone people. I hope everyone got good presents right. I was reading a blog recently, and the writer did a column where he listed gifts he would have bought for various wrestlers (it was a wrestling column), if he had the power and money to give them.

So, in the same way, these are just a bunch of gifts I would give to different celebrities that I know of; some of these are gifts that money can't buy, but it's the thought that counts in this case. Literally. Because, you know, I'm not giving it to them for real.

:D
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- Lady GaGa:

Everyone loves how strange she is, and how she encourages people to be themselves no matter how weird they are. Or something like that. I think. Anyway, a staple of her image is her... well, image. She dresses strange.

So for her, I would buy normal clothes. You know, maybe she's just weird because she never tried regular clothes. I might be doing her a favor; I mean, no jeans or t-shirt could be more uncomfortable than wearing meat, and I suspect that she doesn't actually know that.

- Taylor Swift:

She is notorious for writing honest songs about each relationship she's ever been in. Well, honest from her point of view at least right. But anyway, as a T-Sweezy supporter in general, I am bummed out when she releases the "he was such a dick and really bad boyfriend" songs.

So, for her good and mine, I would buy her a loving and genuinely faithful boyfriend. Because, seriously, songs like "Today Was A Fairytale", "Fearless" and "Hey Stephen" are killa as.

- Wayne Rooney:

Once the jewel of English football, this Manchester United striker has struggled to reclaim his form. (Wow, I've been reading way too much sports journalism...) He is one of the best strikers when he is on form, but the problem is that right now, he isn't.

Here's the situation in laymen's terms: last year, after 44 games, he had scored 34 goals. This year, after 10 games, he has scored 2. If this is kept up, after 44 games, he will have scored less than 10 goals. For him, I would buy his confidence and killer instinct back. Well, it actually looks like he bought it a long time ago, so I guess I would buy him a detective to find out where it went.

And yes, I'm only doing it because I'm a Manchester United fan. And what of it?

- Christian Bale

My main man Bale. This guy has been consistently (forgetting that "Terminator: Salvation" happened of course) been one of our generations best actors. "American Psycho", "The Prestige", "3:10 To Yuma", and "Rescue Dawn" are all great showcases for his level of skill, as well as his complete lack of a desire to overact the part. Subtlety and reality are his specialty, and with his Golden Globe nomination for the recent "The Fighter", it seems that the award voters are finally coming round.

However, for my present, I would buy him an Oscar nom. Actually, as a belated gift, I would buy him the Oscar win. This guy deserves it.

- M. Night Shyamalan

This guy is the very definition of the term "decline of quality". Can you believe that the guy that brought us "The Sixth Sense" is also the same guy that completely butchered one of the most beloved modern animated series? It's honestly like he has never actually seen the show.

As per logic, my gift for this formerly great Indian director would be all the Avatar: The Last Airbender seasons on DVD. Watch them bro! Aang is happy! Firebenders create their own fire! Ozai isn't a Maori!

A quote and some paragraphs

"I remember when I used to be really into nostalgia."

- Demetri Martin

As Christmas draws closer, I have one thing to say to my blog readers: Don't reminisce about the past at the expense of today's joys. It's good to recall fond memories that you obviously won't experience again, but it's unhealthy to think that the future will never eclipse them. I've heard a few people say that they aren't getting "the Christmas buzz" this year, and that if only things were like the way they used to be, then the holiday cheer would be there.

Well, in case you didn't know, I'll tell you something about nostalgia. Nostalgia is based on feelings. Pretty obvious, I know. But still, think about it. You don't pine for the past because you miss the activities or whatever that you used to do. You pine for it because you think that you want to feel the same way that you did back then. The truth is that back then, you just wanted it to feel as you did the previous year. It's a pattern that extends back to primary school, back to the days where what you actually wanted was to get older. Funny isn't it.

This year, celebrate the birth of our Saviour, create new memories, spend quality time with loved ones, and understand that our best days are indeed always ahead of us.

Merry Christmas.

Oh really now

Check out what a supermodel has to say about us "ordinary blokes":

The gap-toothed Australian beauty has warned ordinary blokes everywhere - stay away. Spy a stunning model in a bar and thinking about trying your chances?

"Don't," the Sports Illustrated cover girl commands. The beautiful aren’t interested in the bold according to Hart.

"If you see me, or another model, in a bar wait until you are spoken too before you speak,” she orders.

The 24-year-old declared that if any of the clothes horses’ fancy a guy, they’ll be the ones doing the wooing: “If we are interested in you we will make the first move," she says.

If she's the one that asks you out because you're too scared to approach her for fear of rejection, then you're screwed from the get-go. Just sack up and ask her man. Or, even better, avoid the gap tooth models who think they are better than everyone else.

More songs that I'm liking a lot right now

I know, I know. Not the most creative title to a post. And it's not really a post that takes any effort at all to write. But it's an accurate title for the post that it is. And it's informative. It shows what you should be listening to if you want good taste.

(I jest. But seriously, some of these songs are quite good. Others are only good. Just don't hate.)

Anyway, old or new, here are some songs I'm really feeling right now.

song title - artist
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Lisztomania - Phoenix

We R Who We R - Ke$ha

Sealings - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Apocalypso - Mew

In Bloom - Nirvana

The Greatest - Cat Power

Monster (feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver) - Kanye West

Kids - MGMT

Suspension - Mae

The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco

15 Step - Radiohead

Blow Me Away - Breaking Benjamin

Such A Fool - 22-20s

Fly With Me - Jonas Brothers

Baby It's Cold Outside - Norah Jones & Willie Nelson

Heartbeat - Enrique Iglesias & Nicole Scherzinger

When There Was Me And You

This picture just makes the split that much harder to take doesn't it. Sad sad days.

I remember the first time I watched High School Musical, and my viewing of it was interupted by someone. I remember being really ticked off that I didn't get to see the ending that day, but I also remember trying to not to show that I was eager aaas to finish watching it. I had to bust out the nonchalant face and say "All good, I don't really care, lets go and do things way cooler activities than watching HSM..."

Well, I did see the ending eventually, and was very happy that Troy and Gabriella got together in the end. And for some reason, that's how I view Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. In my mind, they ARE Troy and Gabriella. And to me, hearing they broke up sucks because now I think that after the third movie, somewhere down the line, Troy and Gabriella must not have lasted the distance. Which makes me genuinely sad. Especially considering that Troy turned down his University Of Albuquerque scholarship to be closer to her.

I need to listen to "Can I Have This Dance" again. I'm sure that'll make me feel better. To Troy and Gabriella, please, in whatever fictional alternate universe you guys are existing in after the films, remember this song and stay together. Well, not for me, do it for you. And in doing so, it'll also be for me.

Jesse you loser. Please go outside and play rugby or something.

Shut up italics. You've never been in love.

Editors note: Yes, I know that they broke up a few days ago and this is "old news" to you young people who live in the age of instant information, but I hate having more than one post a day, so I deliberately delayed this one. Sue me.

Small talk at its worst

You know what's awkward? When you don't really know someone that well, and you have ONE inside joke with them, and every single time you see them, you have to bust it out because you have nothing else to say to that person. Even if it's been 2 years or whatever since it happened, you have to mention it, because that is your one solitary experience with them.

"Heeey... this guy! Remember to check your pockets! Aahhh, you know what I'm talking about haha!"

It's always some stupid sentence like that. Then it's over. And you really start wishing you'd never stopped to talk to this person in the first place.

You've just used up your one inside joke together, from that one time you guys were hanging together because your mutual friend wasn't there and you were forced to talk. Now what? Well, now it's time for the awkard catch up session.

That's always a ball:

"So how's work?"

"I'm at school."

"Oh true! Just started?"

"This is my third year..."

"Oh that's right."

"......"

"So... you go to Uni huh. Do you know Junior?"

"Junior who?"

"I dunno his last name, but he's a big brown guy."

"Oh, the big brown guy named Junior at Uni?"

"Yeah!"

"Nah, don't know him."

"Oh, true."

"How come you ask?"

"Because I know him. And he goes to Uni. Like you."

"Oh yeah, true. Nah, don't know him."

"......"

The truth about truth

"If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end. If you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth; only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair."

- C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)

What I would give to write like this man did. Lewis also says in his book that if one were to look for a religion for the purpose of comfort, then Christianity is not the place to look. I agree with him.

It's not that there is no comfort in God; quite the contrary, passages like Matthew 11:28-30 and Psalms 9:9-10 quite clearly demonstrate that God is our refuge and our place of rest, and is the one who bestows true peace into our hearts. However, if the kind of comfort that you're looking for means you do nothing and you feel good about everything, then you will have a very difficult time looking for it.

God wants us to live in truth. To live in truth, we must understand the truth, and to even begin to understand the truth, we must turn around and face all the lies we've weaved intricately into the fabric of our life. We must begin to slowly pull them out one by one, and in their place sew in the power of the Word. This process is far from easy, but it is necessary.

Only with the truth can we truly be comforted. And this kind of comfort isn't a bubblegum version of the truth; it is a true peace, a real spiritual rest that puts everything into perspective and at the same time strengthens us. And how can we not be comforted by the truth that God loves us? How can we not be comforted if we truly understand that He knows what's best? As everything seems to crumble and the world loses sight of what's right and wrong, how can we not be comforted by fixing our eyes on eternity?

Well, that's just what I think.

Also, if you have me for Secret Santa, I'm thinking I want this book for Christmas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Screwtape_Letters

"They don't know what it meeeans"

I've never been a huge Nirvana fan, but in recent years I've come to respect their contribution to popular music more and more, as well as their never-sell-out attitude. "In Bloom" is my favourite song right now. It's about how people outside of the underground music scene starting getting into Nirvana after the minor success of the "Bleach" album, and how they started going to Nirvana gigs, but all they wanted was catchy music, and they didn't understand the true essence of what Kurt was trying to say.

"He's the one who likes all our pretty songs
And he likes to sing along
And he likes to shoot his gun
But he don't know what it means
Don't know what it means"

But the irony of it all is that the chorus is so sing-a-longable that it was a big hit, with even more people singing along than ever before, few of them knowing they were they butt of the joke they were so happily spreading.

Restoration of sorts

Something amazing just happened to me. I just woke up at a totally normal and acceptable hour. For those who don't know me, all you need to know is that this is a very unusual situation for me. I woke up at around 7.40ish this morning. I don't know why, but I always wake up at the stupidest times imaginable. Usually it's some ungodly hour like 5.30am, or something on the other side of the scale, like 3pm.

Uni has screwed up my internal clock for life me thinks.

But Jesse how could it be Uni when all you did was wag lectures?

Hmm...

Anyway! The point is that I have the worst sleeping pattern ever for a person not working graveyard shifts. But today people, today I woke up like a normal person does. I am now sipping coffee, blogging, and listening to 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' by The Script.

I like that song.

Quick reviews

These movies are movies I've seen on Sky or DVD recently, not at the cinemas, so they aren't reviews for new movies exactly. Just new to me.
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Zombieland

This movie was kind of annoying to be honest. I thought it would a lot funnier than it turned out to be, and plus the girl played by Emma Stone was incredibly annoying. I hate it when directors present such unlikeable characters in ways that are obviously meant to make the viewer like them. She robs the protagonists 3 times in the movie, with no real apology or remorse, and then she gets with the guy at the end. I dunno, maybe I am being a hater. Sue me.

That isn't to say that this comedy is a complete waste of time; the Bill Murray cameo is great, and Woody Harrelson's zombie-killing hick schtick stays funny for the length of the feature. But as far as zom-rom-coms go, "Shaun Of Dead" has funnier characters, with funnier dialogue, and it doesn't try to tack on a morale-of-the-story moment at the end of it. (2.5/5)
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Funny People

As far as Judd Apatow directed features go, this is definately the least funny, at least in a laugh-out-loud in every scene kind of way. Instead, it opts go down a more mature path, and it mostly succeeds.

When comedic actor George Simmons (Sandler) finds out that he is dying, he is forced to reassess his life and try to find out what is really important to him, and if fighting to stay alive is even worth it, considering it's been a long time since he was genuinely happy. With the help of Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), he makes new friends, confronts old ones, and slowly begins to realize he has to change his perspective of life.

This feature can get a bit heavy, and at times it does feel forced, but the actors (especially Rogen, to my surprise) are skilled enough not to get lost in the drama, and they still deliver good performances, sprinkled with a few actual jokes here and there, to remind us that we are actually watching a movie about comedians, starring comedians. Oh, and Eric Bana owns every scene he is in. (3/5)
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Tekken

My thoughts after watching this film adaptation of the beloved video-game franchise:

"Well, that sucked."

I'll add half a point because Eddy Gordo wears the exact same fighting gear in here as he does in the video games. (0.5/5)
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Sherlock Holmes

My sister absolutely hated this film, and was very passionate and vocal about this to me. My girlfriend watched it at the movies, and I think she actually fell asleep. I also bore a bit of a grudge with it before viewing, because it was the film Guy Ritchie decided to film instead of filming the promised sequel to another movie of his that I liked.

So, with all this in mind, I decided to watch it anyway. And I quite liked it.

There's not really much to say aside from the fact that Robert Downey Jr is a brilliant Sherlock Holmes, and ditto to Jude Law as Dr. Watson. I like the idea that Holmes has the kind of swag that Downey Jr brings to the table, not to mention it's quite buzzy to see Holmes methodically take down opponents in fist fights due to his knowledge of the human anatomy and how it responds to different types of impact.

I understand that the faithful fans of the original novels might not like this movie. That's cool. To them I say: Go and read the novels then. Or watch the countless 80s and 90s film adaptations that are clearly more faithful to the old stories. This is clearly meant to introduce a new generation to the franchise, and as a whole it succeeds. Now kids know there is a detective named Sherlock something-rather. They know he's a certified genius and arrogant. They also know he has a level-headed doctor called Watson for a partner, who by hanging out with Holmes actually makes Holmes more likeable in our eyes. And while they were finding this out, they were treated to 2 hours of decent and intelligent (for Hollywood) action.

I read somewhere that Downey Jr is one of the few actors these days actually capable of playing a genius. I agree. Guy Ritchie's touch is definately all over this (one of the main signs being that Mark Strong is present), but this is definately Downey's film. (3.25/5)

Fastness

We got our bandwidth back baby! Top-up time, yusss. No more waiting ten and a half years for www.google.co.nz to load. Fricken google dot co dot nz. Slow internet is in my top 5 least favourite things in the world!

Actually, that's probably an exaggeration. In fact, in the time it took me to write "Actually, that's probably an exaggeration", I thought of about 20 things that are suckier than slow internet.

That's also an exaggeration.

I need some coffee.

P.S - This is the THIRD post in a row staring with 'F'. I can't believe it.

Few thoughts 14: The 'On A Related Note" Edition

I was quite iffy about having this "Few thoughts" as my next blog post. You know why? Because I hate having two posts in a row starting with the same letter. And since my last post started with an 'F' too, I really tried to put this off. But I figured, the best way to beat these weird little obsessions of mine is to just do it.

This is difficult.

On a related note, I've recently defeated my unexplainable need to make the volume of the TV an even number. Before, I used to HAVE to have the volume at a number like 40 or 44, because it looked so neat. Now I can just turn it to a volume like 41 or 59 and not care at all. The mans aye.
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I always get suspicious now when people don't have a 'lol' or a 'haha' in their txts; it just really makes txts look angry. On a related note, I've noticed that Dan does put those in his txts now, and he never used to.

Good stuff bro.
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Watching 'I Love You, Man' never gets old. I always laugh every time he says "Laters on the menjay". I do. How can I not? It's just a very funny line. And quite a funny movie.

On a related note, there is a line from 'Funny People' that makes me smile, spoken by an agent telling his actor what roles are available to him:

"Paul Rudd wants to do a bromance... with you."
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My life has been quite hectic lately. Well, actually, that's not true at all, but for some reason I havn't found the time to blog like I normally do. It's not like I'm off the buzz or anything, because I'm enjoying myself right now right.

On a related note, Laura has been blogging a lot more lately. Read her blog if you already don't. She's kinda like me, except her background is orange and mine is awesome.

Facebook: The Movie

I wonder how much of 'The Social Network' is accurate. Was Eduardo Saverin as cool as he was in the film? Because he is definately cool in the film. Were the Winklevoss twins really responsible for the idea in the first place? Maybe. Is Mark Zuckerberg that much of a douche? I doubt it right. Interviews with others show him to be a decent enough guy, and by all accounts the drama aspects of the movie are fiction.

But it was a much more interesting film than I thought it was going to be. And even if the drama and animosity is dialed up more in the film than it is in real life, you still have to wonder what went down for the twins and Saverin to be angry enough to sue him. Ah well, I don't care enough about it to research it further, so I'll just take it as a good movie and move on.

David Fincher for the win.

Also, since I automatically think that Justin Timberlake is a douche in real life (I don't really know why), having him play such an a-hole in the movie really doesn't help. Ah well. Maybe he's a nice guy. He probably is.

And while this is slightly off-topic, I'm really glad that Andrew Garfield (the guy who plays Eduardo) is going to be the next Spider-Man. Old news right, but watching Social Network does make me happier with that casting decision than I previously was. I love me some Tobey Maguire Spidey, but since they are rebooting, I think Garfield is definately the right way to go.

Dream street

I've been living in Weymouth now for almost 2 years now (shucks has it been that long?), and I've only now just realized how much I like it here. I mean, yeah, I like living with my family right, that goes without saying. But I meant that I like it in terms of "where". In terms of geographical location, I find this current address quite ideal. More specifically, I'm a big fan on the road we are on.

- It's very very close to the bus stop. Seeing that I have no car, I commute quite a lot using public transport, and there is a bus stop right by our street. It takes less than a minute to walk from our drive way to the bus stop. Awesome aye.

- It's not on the main road. This way, we don't get cars driving past all day, so there's a sense of peace when you get home, as opposed to just being in another part of this busy life.

- While it's not on the main road, it's not too far back in winding back roads that no one has heard of, so it's still pretty easy to direct people to my place when they want to come over (probably to pick me up for church).

- It's quite close to a spot me and Amy like to go. Slightly secluded-ish, it was where we went a lot when we first started dating, and it's very romantic to back there every now and again. It's my backup plan to get her to love me again when she gets sick of me in the future. Shhhh.

- It's close to a park/field. Not that I'm exactly the sporty "lets go and have some kicks with rugby ball" kinda guy, there have been a few occasions where the whole family has gone down there for some fresh air away from the internet and MySky. Good times.

- The area we are in isn't the dodge part of Weymouth, so walking around after dark (to go to the dairy, etc) doesn't feel dangerous. I go for walks sometimes, and it feels good knowing that I probably won't get jumped. Probably.

- Which reminds me: there is a dairy not too far away.

Sure, a lot of people may live in streets with many similar features, so it's probably not as amazing as I'm trying to make it out be, but that doesn't mean I'm not thankful that my street is the street I live in right. It could very well have been a loud street with heaps of dodgy neighbors who have dangerous dogs, with no parks or dairies nearby.

But it's not.

I call them rats. Funny guy aye.

Since right now I'm using a laptop, I thought I'd mention somthing that has always bugged me:

I hate using a laptop mouse. It's a fake mouse. It's basically an allocated square under keyboard that you sit there rubbing the whole time. I can't get used to it, and I never will. It's weird that I'm sitting here using a computer, but in order to do anything on it, I must stroke the computer with one finger, while jabbing a button with another finger. It just feels ultra unnatural.

There's less control, and it's also more difficult to scroll up and down. People say they like using laptops because it allows them to access the internet and blah blah wherever they want; whether they're in bed or on a couch or wherever, it's a plus that they can use a computer. Except I don't see it as a postive, because wherever I am, I still hate stroking things. I'd rather sit in an uncomfortable chair and use the computer like a normal person, using a normal mouse.





>

Stealth Santa

It's that time of year again, and like my family does every year, we have kept the tradition of Secret Santa alive. One person per person!

Pfft, you probably just do that so you guys could all save money right. Cheapskates.

You got that right.

Last year, I unintentionally revealed (in the stupidest manner possible) that I had Laura to someone else, and even though Laura herself didn't find out it was me until I gave her the present (hopefully), it still ruined the effect. I didn't like that even ONE person knew.

So this year, it's back to being the king of stealth. I'm the guy who clocked Metal Gear Solid 3 in one day right. I can stealth anything. This year, *insert-name-of-the-person-I-have* won't know what hit them, and neither will anyone else.

Lay of the land... for now.

Over on my Amy's blog, she recently did a post of things she liked and didn't like right now; everything from music to TV to people etc. After reading it again, I thought it would be a relatively easy post, so I thought I'd do one of my own. She inspires me yet again. :D

Also, if you're interested, here's the link to her original post: Things that I like and dont like right now...

Here is mine!
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MUSIC

Likes:



- Willie Nelson and Norah Jones do an amazing cover of the old classic "Baby It's Cold Outside". I kinda thought it would be creepy to listen to (he's seventy-something, she's thirty-something), as it's a bit of a love song, but the maturity in Norah Jones' voice and the general downplaying of any seriousness by both of them makes this a very good listen.

- "Monster" by Kanye West. Featuring Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj, this sees all three emcees at the top of their game. A definate mustlisten for any hip-hop fan; if you can overlook a little french in your songs that is.

- Any and all Relient K. I don't really know why, but I'm back on the Relient K buzz that I havn't been on in years. I just really love all their songs. Simple pop-punk with lyrics that are quite clever but also meaningful right.

Dislikes:

- I cannot STAND that "Like A G6" song. It doesn't even sound like music to me. I dunno. I try to be tolerant of most music, and I even like a lot of music that isn't too critically acclaimed (sup Creed), but that song just really really gets on my nerves.

- I hate "Like A G6".
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TV

Likes:



- Ronan Keating as a judge on The X-Factor. He seems like a really cool guy. I agree with him the most, for sure, and he never says vague things that no one can understand, just to sound all musical. Plus, his accent doesn't sound as unintelligent as the others'. Yes, I realize all the other judges have the same accent. It's Australian. *shudder*

Dislikes:

- Natalie Imbruglia as a judge on The X-Factor. Has no one ever taught her the important skill of NOT interrupting people every time they say something she doesn't agree with?

- All the new reality tv shows. Watching them turns me into a nasty person, and it slowly kills my inner child. There's only so many times I can hear "I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win" before I want to do something that involves the remote, throwing, and the TV screen being smashed.



- The fact that Lost is no more. No more Lost!!! Watching my Season 1 dvd through again just makes me miss it even more.
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MOVIES

Likes:

(moves that I'm high on now, not an all-time fave list)

- District 9. It's on Sky right now, and rewatching it reminds me how awesome it was the first time I watched it.



- In Bruges. Only saw it this year, and I thought it was simply brilliant. One of my favourite movies of all time, for sure.

- I Love You, Man. This is just a very funny movie, through and through. "Laters on the menjay" sums it all up I think.

- Harry Potter Part 7 Part 1. I could see why a lot of people wouldn't have liked it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's very rare that a film stays so faithful to a book while also making it seem flow seemlessly as if it were always written as a film. More character driven than anything.

Dislikes:

- I don't really know. Tim Burton and Michael Bay aren't anywhere in sight, and in general movies coming out these days aren't too terrible right.

Few thoughts 13

I have given Twitter a try and I have given up on it. No one follows mine, and I'm not really interested in what celebrities have to say anyway. Plus most of the people that I follow on Twitter repost their tweets as their FB statuses.

Tweet? Is that the right terminology for Twitter posting?
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After having a conversation with a friend about vlogs (video blogs), I wondered if I'd ever want to do a video blog type thing myself, whether it would on YouTube or on my own site. Talking into a camera about things seems quite easy right. However, I quickly came to conclusion that I'd rather not. My humour translates better (well, to people who find me funny) via writing, so I'll stick to that right.

Plus with the camera so close to my face, people will see all the imperfections in my skin and stuff right. Haha nah just kidding, I don't care about that kinda stuff... pfft...
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"I do have a goal in this lifetime to be the greatest artist of all time, but that's very difficult being that I can't dance or sing."

- Kanye West

He's doing a great job of overcoming those difficulties isn't he. He's got autotune for whenever he needs to "sing" right. (Yes, I think Autotune is cool when Yeezy does it.) As for dancing, well, after a while, people stop caring if you can dance or not. Look at Chris Martin.
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'Bet On It' is a kickass song. Watching Zac Efron run across a golf course knees bent and punching the air while singing it just makes it that much more kickass.
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Springboks lost! To Scotland! Fricken Scotland!

And now they're facing England this weekend. England. The team that beat the Wallabies, and are far better than Scotland. That long as injury list don't help; key guys like Smit, Du Preez, Fourie, Burger, Habana, Pieterson, and Brussow being absent definately doesn't help.

Still, we can win! Come on boys. You can do it this weekend.

The show goes on

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to a historic occasion. This post is a special post in many ways (well, that's not true, it's only special in one way), but really, it contains absolutely nothing new. It celebrates the past, but it encourages me to work towards the future. Mind you, this occasion is nothing all that mindblowing, nor is it of any real particular importance. However, in my head (Jasuuunn Daruuulo), it is worth mentioning.

This is a milestone. A checkpoint. I'm saving the game, so to speak, before I move onto the next level and probably die.


Well, out with it already Jesse. Your riddles and beating around the bush gets old really quick. Pray tell, what are you talking about? Englighten please. Before I kick your ass.



This is my 100th blog post!!





^ What he said.

My first century baby. Yussss.

Well, to be honest, it hasn't been that long right. Really, aside from a few posts from last year, I've only been blogging since June this year. That's right. I'm getting nostalgic from memories from JUNE 2010. Not even half a year! Well, kind of half a year. Perrrty much half a year right. But still, a hundred posts is quite cool to me, since I like to think that most of my posts require at least SOME form of thought process. At the very least, this post proves that on approximately 100 different occasions this year, I was actually concentrating on something.

So, to celebrate said occasion, I'm just gonna post some links to some of my "old" posts that you might have missed or whatever. There is no obligation to go through them all or anything, but I do like the fact this is a "greatest hits" type post, so I'm just going to town with it.

Also, check this out!



Google knows I exist finally, and predicted that I was looking for my blog! :D Yaaaay.

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First post:
- Blog

First post back after a year-long hiatus:
- From me, for me.

Reviews:
- Film Review - Twilight
- Film Review - Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
- Film Review - The Other Guys
- Album Review: Norah Jones - "The Fall"

Ramblings concerning God:
- Living for God
- Living for God 2
- Living for God 3
- Deep rambling off the top of my dome. "Just botsing it", some would say.
- Warning: Post is long and you might disagree with it
- Amazing if you think about it. Think about it.
- How we are meant to live
- Even IF he existed...

Why I like wrestling. And why haters don't know what they are talking about:
- In defence of FAKE wrestling.

The 'Few thoughts' posts:
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve

:D

Its been two years today baby!

Two years since I asked the only girl I've ever loved to be with me.
Two years since she had a brain explosion and for some reason actually decided to say yes.
Two years of just sitting there and thinking, "Seriously, I still don't know what I've done to deserve her."
Two years of being with the most beautiful girl in the world, inside and out.

And according to her, there's still more to come.

Gutz for her.













Happy two year anniversary my Amy.

Also, if you read this before you get home, please remember to buy some milk because I'm randomly wanting to eat weetbix every time I'm at your place now right.

I love you!

xox

Few thoughts 12

I watched the Kiwis Kangaroos game live. It was the 3rd most exciting finish to an international rugby match I've seen this year. Yes, I got out of my seat when Benji threw that pass to Kenny-Dowall, and yes I blocked my eyes as Nightingale threw one back in, and yes I yelled at Benji to pass it to Hohia, and yes I jumped up when Fien scored the try. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
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Amy was complaining the other day that a movie she was looking forward to wasn't coming out for aaages.

I said welcome to my life. I waited over a year for 'Inception', waiting for little bits of news, screen shots, rumours, the works. Now it's 'The Dark Knight Rises'. Sigh.
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Watching TV these days just makes me sad. I don't have THAT SHOW that I follow hardout. It used to be Lost, and now, asides from movies and sports, there's absolutely nothing to watch.

I. Miss. Lost. So bad.
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My social networking site of choice used to be MySpace, but then Bebo gained more popularity. And then Bebo was eclipsed by Facebook. Will Facebook be eclipsed by another one, or will this be the end as far as the evolution of social networking goes? My gut says Facebook is the last of it's kind, at least at this scale.

Hopefully it is the last one. I don't like changing social networking sites. I hate that 2-3 month period where I'm the only person on the new website and no one else has joined yet. Don't wanna go through that again.
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I'm in two minds about my "Few thoughts" posts. Sometimes, I feel as though each thought could be elaborated on and made into its own individual post. But then other days I feel lazy and just post a bunch of short thoughts and put them under "Few thoughts". This is one of those days.

To clear things up

Just in case anyone was wondering, I am actually a Coldplay fan.

I say this because I mentioned in my last post that I think The Beatles are better than them, and in another one about a month ago I said that Radiohead were better than them too. Well, I still stand by those statements, but that don't change the fact that I love me some Coldplay. They were the first real rock band (yes, they are rock) I probably got into. There are certain feelings and memories attached to their older stuff that will always make those songs awesome to me, including liking Yellow even more than before now that it's me and Amy's song.

But at the same time, I really enjoy their newer stuff too. 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' was a great album in my opinion, and it's interesting to see where they go next from here. They may not be the music gods that the British media sees them as, but they are still one of the best new bands to come out of the noughties, no doubt about that.

Fave Coldplay jam right now:

Oh dear....

"I honestly think Coldplay are on the same level as The Beatles. In 30 years, when Coldplay are old men, people will look back and say, 'These guys were more talented than The Beatles.'"

- Kanye West.

LOLOLOLOLOL

All around the world baby

Pageviews by Countries:

New Zealand
144

United States
20

Australia
13

South Korea
5

Denmark
4

United Kingdom
4

Netherlands
3

Switzerland
2

Sweden
2

Slovenia
2

Thanks to the stats page on my profile, I can see where my pageviews came from this week. What surprises me is that I have more views in Netherlands than Switzerland. I'm pretty sure the random views from other countries can be attributed to just people stumbling across it while pressing the 'Next Blog' button heaps.

As an excercise, I decided to sit there and keep pressing 'Next Blog' until I came across mine. After 5 minutes of not seeing my blog, I gave up. Turns out the excercise was a lot more boring than it sounded.

Just a rant about rugby

For those of you who don't know, here's a fact about me that a few people don't like:

I don't like the All Blacks.

I've never really known exactly why. I mean, I know why I don't support them, but it's more than just "not going for them". I actively dislike them. It's an emotional thing that I can't tie logic to. Some people reckon it's because they are the "best team in the world", and it's easy to root for the underdog and just dislike the team on top.

But I don't think so.

My favourite football team is Manchester United. Sure, they aren't on top of the Barclay's ladder this year (yet), but over the past 10 years, they have been one of, if not the best, clubs in the premiere league. Also, my favourite NRL teams are Storm and Roosters: Storm are known as being one of the best clubs in recent years too. Roosters of course went all the way to the final this year. So my anti All Blacksness can't be attributed to them being the "best team", because I pretty much happen to go for the best team in other sports.

I do have a hunch though

I think it's because I just dislike All Blacks fans. Or to be more precise, I hate how All Blacks fans act when supporting All Blacks. You see, All Blacks fans are different from other fans. It's not that they are more fanatic, or more passionate, no. I think the main reason that I dislike the AB's is because so many of their fans are such... what's the word for it...

Dicks.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

You see, to an All Black fan, if the All Blacks win a test match, it's just them being themselves. It's a normal result, after a normal day at work. But if they lose, it's not because the other team is better, no.

No no no no.

It's because the almighty All Blacks just had a bad day at work. If only they had played like they USUALLY do. Then they would have won. The other team at their absolute best wouldn't have stood a chance against the All Blacks if they'd just done they usually do. No matter how good any other team gets, they could only ever win if the All Blacks hand the victory over to them on a nice silver platter.

Bollocks.

There's a difference between having high standards and just being a douche. Every time I see a Richie McCaw interview, or a Dan Carter one, they seem like the nicest guys. Humble guys, who are good at rugby, and know that if they stick to their game, they have a good chance of beating anyone. They aren't pricks about it. So why are the fans like that? Why do I always here things like:

"The Wallabies got lucky" instead of "The Wallabies played better in that test."

"Springboks have a 10 that can ONLY kick" instead of "Well, that's pretty much all Grant Fox did."

"All Blacks lost because they shot themselves in the foot" instead of "Good on France for capitilizing on their opponent's mistake."

Like, seriously, get over yourselves and give me a call when you guys win a world cup again okay.

Thank you.

Too late to change maybe?

I'm considering a name change to this blog. I dunno if "Ok Laptop" is gonna last.

That is all.

Sounds of RocknRolla

One thing I hate about a lot of films is that they sometimes use too much commercial music for their soundtrack, instead of composing music specifically for the film. However, with Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla, the songs used for the soundtrack are perfect. I've been listening to them on YouTube for days now, and this is the first movie soundtrack I've ever seriously considered purchasing.

Oh and by the way Joel, I think you'd appreciate this post especially, seeing as you have a newfound fondness of The Clash, The Doors and The Who. That's kind of the vibe this compilation has. Kind of.

Here are some of the highlights off the soundtrack:
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Bankrobber by The Clash



I can't believe I didn't know this song before watching this film. Pretty much my favourite song right now.

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I'm A Man by Black Strobe



I love this riff. No one writes rock songs like this anymore.

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The Gun by Lou Reed



It's Lou Reed. Expect awesomeness. Slow but great song.

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Rock & Roll Queen by The Subways



Well I already knew this one, but it's still a great tune.

Contentment

When I started this blog, I didn't really know what would happen with it. I knew I would write a few stuff here and there, some thoughts, maybe even some reviews, and that I would hound my close friends into reading it all the time; but then, what after that?

How long was I going to do it? For the rest of my life?

Lately, I've been wondering if I should stop blogging. I've been contemplating it for a few weeks actually. After only a few months, the buzz has kind of died, and people still don't really read it, except for the faithful few (who must be annoyed that I've taken to Facebook messaging them every update). Maybe it's just pointless, and since so few people read it, no one would really notice right. I could just write stuff on the "Notes" section on Facebook; what's the difference? That sounds like it makes sense.

However, one person would be very sad if this all stopped: Me.

After contemplating it, I've realized that I actually enjoy writing for Ok Laptop; not because hundreds of people read it, but because I've just always liked writing. I have tonnes of posts with no comments on it, but when I remember back, I recall that writing them was fun anyway. Writing, whether it's for entertainment or education (lol education), makes me happy. Something about just putting words down onto paper (or a computer moniter) makes me happy. And blogging is especially fun. As much as I enjoy essays, there is nothing like writing something and knowing no one is going to mark it. I look forward to blogging when I'm away from a computer.

It's like having a journal for me. My father has always had a journal, and every year he buys a new one. He loves writing down everything that has happened to him, and other thoughts, every day. If I inherited anything from him (well, my mum would have you believe that I've inherited a lot from him), it's the desire to just write down my thoughts. My dad has his journal, and now I've got mine too. It just so happens that others can read mine if they wish.

The readership of Ok Laptop has grown, has shrunk, and has changed since I started it. Not by much you see; No, not by much at all. But what has remained the same is that I still like writing out my thoughts. If I ever have stop enjoying it, no matter how many people are reading it, I will stop. But I am enjoying it, no matter how many people don't read it, so I won't stop.

*clicks Publish Post*

Even IF he existed...

You know, the funny things about atheists is that a lot of them (or the least the ones that I talk to) don't actually understand basic theology. Which is fair enough I suppose. Because I myself don't fully understand things they're experts on. That's all good.

But one thing that I find hard to overlook is when they say that EVEN IF a God exists (thanks for humoring me I suppose), and do they come face to face with Him one day, they will simply tell God that the scientific evidence always pointed towards His non-existence, so they had no choice but to not believe in Him. They will calmly explain to God that because of the lack of evidence, they had every right to doubt. Not to mention they'd tell Him off for being such a meanie. Hmmm...

James 2:19 - "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder."

I don't know about you guys, but if powerful fallen angels tremble in fear at the mere thought of this guy we refer to as 'God'... Well, I have a sneaking suspicion that anyone meeting God face to face won't be showing Him a slideshow presentation that justifies their unbelief; they'd be too busy crying after having fallen flat on their face.

I'm gonna be honest. When I see Him, I'm gonna be dropping my nuts. Hasn't anyone else noticed that the first words most angels utter is "Fear not!"

"The Show Goes On" - Lupe Fiasco

Yes.

Finally.

For over a year, Lupe Fiasco has been at war with his record label, who wouldn't release the album he'd finished and given to them a long time ago. But now, things are finally sorted with Atlantic, and his long-delayed album "Lasers" finally has a release date: March 8, 2011.

That's still a while away sure, but at least it's a secure date right, instead of the constant "The album will be out soon!" crap we got for months. But, to ease the pain til then, we have the first official single:



Modest Mouse being sampled by my favourite rapper currently making records? Yes please.

(If this is the first single, then what was "Shining Down" supposed to be? Ditto for "I'm Beamin'".)

Few thoughts 11

I just realized how strange it is that the Weezer singer's name is Rivers Cuomo. His first name is Rivers. Not River. It has an 's' at the end. Rivers. What the ass kind of weird name is that.

And his last name is Cuomo. I don't even know how to pronounce it. Is is coo-moh?
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You know what I don't like about Spongebob Squarepants? The fact that he is extremely physically weak, and yet is also very proficient at karate. This always used to bug me. How could he be both? But I pushed it to the back of my mind, and once I got over it, Spongebob became enjoyable again.

Until I realized that he has a full time 9-5 job, while also attending school every day during the day time.
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Earlier this week, I made plans with my mate David to have a 24 marathon some time after exams. I hope these plans come to fruition as I have never watched a 24 episode before, and I'm very keen to experience the full greatness of the Jack Bauer power hour.
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I've found out that inebriated Samoan adults have very interesting conversations about everything, from religion and God to just throwing creative insults at each other (followed by 5 minutes straight of just laughing). Usually I'm not around when they hang together like this, but being their DJ (aka just playing their hardout fobby CDs) meant I was in close proximity.

Something that keeps happening to me

Sorry about the unoriginality of the title of the post, I just couldn't think of anything at all...

Anyway.

I'm not sure if it's just me, but does anyone keep hearing that beep noise that Facebook makes when you get a chat message, even though no one is chatting to you? It's a daily occurence for me now. I'd be browsing a page on another tab, then.... "beep!" But when I go to the Facebook tab (dun dun dunnn!), there is no new message. Seriously, I hear it even when there's no music playing and I'm offline.

And on the flip side, when I do chat to people, they could send 5 messages in a row sometimes before I notice that they had even sent any, not to mention by then usually they have gone offline because it took me how long to get back to them, because I didn't even know they were talking to me.

sup bro
bro
why you keep snobbing me for?
you never reply
nvm g2g

Sigh. More signs that I'm going crazy. Ah well. Had a good run of sanity I guess.

Laser sword or magic sword?

One of my greatest achievements in life was when I debated my friend John to a stalemate in a very controversal topic. The topic? Simply this:

Who would win in a fight out of Master Yoda and Samurai Jack?

He chose Yoda, I chose Jack, and it began. It was epic. It took up 5 or 6 pages of the forum we were on, and despite most people thinking Yoda would win with very little effort, I used logic and reason to prove for sure that not only could Samurai Jack hold his own, but he was good enough to dispose of Yoda without breaking a sweat.

Which shows how useless they are at debating, because we all know that Yoda would kick Jack's ass.

Mythbusters: The Sophomore Slump

I think the 'sophomore slump' might be a myth. At least, it is when it comes to my favourite artists. I blogged a few weeks back about how some film sequels are better than the first film of their franchises, and I think it applies to a lot of the music I listen to.

Here is a list of second albums that are, in my opinion, much better than their resepective artists' debut efforts:

OK Computer - Radiohead

A Rush Of Blood To The Head - Coldplay
Origin Of Symmetry - Muse

The Cool - Lupe Fiasco (only better than his debut by a hair)

Nevermind - Nirvana

Late Registration - Kanye West

Albertine - Brooke Fraser

The Anatomy Of The Tongue In Cheek - Relient K

Toxicity - System Of A Down

(What's The Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis

Sam's Town - The Killers

Although on the flip side, there are still a few artists I love whose debut albums in my opinion have yet to be eclipsed: Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, and Norah Jones come to mind.

The ultimate challenge

This Sunday morning just past, I was on Children's Church (Sunday School) as a leader, and we had heaps of fun like we always do, and also still growing in patience like I always do when I'm on Children's Church (if you've ever taken care of a bunch of intermediate boys for a few hours, you'll know what I mean).

But this Sunday was especially challenging, because of my monumental mistake the night before: I didn't get any sleep. I stayed up all Saturday night, then went to church in the morning to take care of the restless young children. Big mistake. And it's not like I meant to do it. I just randomly woke up about an hour after I'd fallen asleep, and I could NOT get back to sleep. There's only so much tossing and turning in bed one could do before conceding defeat and watching Lord of the Rings. As soon as I made the decision that it would be too late to go sleep without sleeping in, I got tired.

Go figure.

Well, needless to say, I was a little more prone to reacting snappily (snappily?) at them, but thanks be to God because he filled me with his patience and somehow kept me not only awake, but very active during the games with them. It was fun! On a sidenote, I'm sure some parents jack these kids up on sugar before sending them upstairs to us, just to mess with the leaders and have a laugh.

And then I went home and just slept. And slept. Woke up at 10pm. My sleeping pattern is still screwed from that by the way.

Isaiah 40:31 - "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

I understand that verse just a LITTLE bit more now.

Film Review: The Other Guys

The bottom line is this:

The Other Guys is hilarious. (That's right I start with the bottom line. I work my way backwards from there.) Best comedy so far this year. This film is not as genius as Anchorman or Blades Of Glory, but it still has a hell of a lot of laughs.

For years now, Will Ferrell hasn't been on top of his game. He will never be outright unfunny, but as far as his films go, they have been lacking in recent times. Of his last 3 movies, I only found Step Brothers amusing. Semi-Pro? I can't remember anything about it, asides from him fighting a bear in one scene. Land Of The Lost? I've tried to watch that movie twice now, and both times I just got bored and stopped. Which is sad, as Will Ferrell is hands down my favourite comedic actor.

However, with the help of trusted director Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights) and suprisingly funny partner in law and order Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Max Payne), Ferrell returns to form in the buddy cop film The Other Guys.

One thing that I noticed about this film is the presence of actual jokes. Instead of just relying overly on the usual Will Ferrel shtick of him falling over and yelling really loudly like an idiot, the writers decided instead to actually to give him funny dialogue. There are countless genius one-liners in the film, including an absolutely hilarious extended dialogue sequence involving lion-hunting tuna (which rivals the "Dear baby Jesus" prayer in the Talladega Nights).

The plot itself is curious in that it's very forgettable. There was something involving someone owing money to someone else and trying to steal it from another someone to make up for it. To be honest, the plot is the only thing I didn't like about the movie. But it's not so much the story that makes this movie; rather, much of the comedy stems from Wahlberg and Ferrell's verbal exchanges, showing that Marky Mark can hold his own in a comedy. In fact, he plays one of the funniest "straight man" in recent comedies.

I definately recommend this movie, especially to people who think Will Ferrell has lost his touch. It proves that he's got plenty more in his tank as far as making funny movies go. Couple that with the fact that the upcoming Megamind also looks funny, it looks like the days of making unfunny funny films is over. At least for now.

Will Ferrell is back baby.

Final Rating: 4 (out of 5)

Social network idiocy

Bebo was cool at one point. Facebook to me still is. But not for long. I think it's the idiotic "likes" made by idiotic people, being "liked" by people who are just... well, they just annoy me. Not that all groups or likes are dumb, it's just that most of them are.

Like these:
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I don't need anger management - I need people to stop pissing me off!!!!

Not just anyone gets told they need anger management; only people that seem like they do. If you've actually been told you do need it, chances are, you're getting pissed off too easily. Seek professional help. Or, you know, just kick back.
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"hey, are you all right?" "Nah, i'm half left."

Well, good to see you throw sarcasm back to my face when I'm trying to show you I care. Swell.
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Parents call it "talkback" i call it Explaining.!

When it's disrespectful and you're acting like an ungrateful bratty turd, then yeah, it's talkback. Just consider yourself lucky you're not living in Samoa. That's straight "please give me a hiding" responses right there.
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Student-"How do you spell ______" Teacher"Get the dictionary and look it up." Student- "Bitch if i cant spell it how the hell can i find it in the dictionary."

Sound it out phonetically and work your way from there. You're not here to be spoonfed.
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You're 11... You do NOT have a broken heart, retard.

Most poeple I've seen that have "liked" this are only about 15 or 14. Trust me, you're heart ain't broken either.
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Lol I'm such a hater. Reading this post back again, I realize that I sound like I'm in a bad mood. Which is weird, because I'm not.

O_o

Ah well. I'll probably be back with more stupid "likes" to be an egg about. See, this is what happens when I got nothing to write about and I can't get to sleep.

Songs I'm liking a lot right now

I know, I know. Not the most creative title to a post. And it's not really a post that takes any effort at all to write. But it's an accurate title for the post that it is. And it's informative. It shows what you should be listening to if you want good taste.

(I jest. But seriously, some of these songs are quite good. Others are only good. Just don't hate.)

Anyway, old or new, here are some songs I'm really feeling right now.

song title - artist
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(Still A) Weirdo - KT Tunstall

I'd Rather Be Blind, Crippled & Crazy - The Derek Trucks Band

Tom Sawyer - Rush

A Year Without Rain - Selena Gomez & The Scene

Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons

Betty - Brooke Fraser

Don't Stop! - Child Rebel Soldier

Desolation Row - Bob Dylan

Running Up That Hill - Placebo*

Go To Sleep - Lupe Fiasco

The Underdog - Spoon

L'appuntamento - Ornella Vanoni

DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (feat. Pitbull) - Usher

Brand New Start - Little Joy

The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage - Panic! At the Disco
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* originally by Kate Bush.

And so it begins

Before:



After:



(I had big hair before, now I don't have big hair. In case you're wondering about what the point of the before/after photos was. And it seems I lost weight between the two pics too? Weird, because they were taken like, 3 days apart.)

The quest begins. The quest to actually keep my hair looking like a normal person's hair. I even bought gel. No more big boofy hair. Well, that's the goal anyway.

Return of Bubble Boy

For months and months, I didn't top up my phone. Believe it or not, I didn't have credit for about 100 days. For various reasons, I just never got around to topping up. I was known as 'The Man With No Credit'. Actually, no, I was still known as Jesse.

But I did have an inside joke running with some mates that I lived in my own bubble; because there was a period of time that I also didn't have internet, I couldn't email or txt anyone, and therefore they said that I was in a bubble that no information could pass through, and therefore no one ever heard from me.

And after a while, I found myself not even wanting to top up. So, for a very long time, I was the guy that didn't reply. Ever. To anything. I mean, hey, it was good for me right. When I got txts from people I didn't want to reply to, I could actually say, "Sorry bro, got no credit."

Then, yesterday... the unthinkable happened. I actually did top up. Finally. So here I am. I got me txt2000 and bestmate1000 with Amy (so that my txt2000 doesn't run out in one day). And I've found that...well, I've found that I don't feel any different at all. The only people I ever really need to txt anyway are the following:

Amy (girlfriend)
Tim (youth music leader)
Mum (mum)

When I had no credit though, I still managed to contact these people every time I needed to, so it wasn't really like I missed it. You know when your parents or other old people say stuff like, "People have lived for thousands of years without needing cellphones, so why do you feel like you need to constantly use yours?" Well, yeah, I now know what they mean. I'm that guy. I'm a kid from the days of yore. I only really talk to the people that I see in person, unless I call their landline or email them.

It's a strange life not txting anyone ever, but considering that this time last year I was finishing my 2000 txts every month sending pointless txts about nothing, I'd say it's a good change.

But I'm not saying that I'll snob everyone now or anything. Not at all. All I'm saying is that I've come to appreciate the value of calling someone to converse with them because I either need to or I just miss them. And if nothing else was gained from the whole experience, I got to rock the hour-long phone calls with my girlfriend, which I've found is a lot more enjoyable than txting for ages while doing other things and constantly being confused at her replies because I'd actually forgotten what I'd just txted.

If you still wanna talk to me (course you do, I'm a nice person with lots of compliments and one-liners), I'm still here peeps. Drop me a txt, and I'll reply. I am officially a functioning member of society again.