indistinguishable toxic waste

Daily Show

2006-09-09T20:12:00.000+01:00

Quick thing. I've been watching videos on YouTube.com lately, probably so much so that I'm now playing supreme catch-up on my dissertation, which is due in two days. I'm so bored of it. Anyway, here's a good interview, some 58 minutes long, of Jon Stewart, host of the Daily Show, on C-Span on the 14th of October, 2004.

HERE

Also, do check out other Jon Stewart clips on youtube. It's worth it.

All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye

2006-08-28T00:43:00.000+01:00

.|.|. listening : Unforgetable - Nat 'King' Cole

---

Since I promised I'd be back, I AM back.

Not off to a good comeback tour... Or residence... Or something, but anyway, here we are... Or here I am. Same as ever. Only different.

Right, so AFAGUSLAE by Christopher Brookmyre. Bought it at FOPP, my favourite bricks-and-mortar book/music store here in Nottingham; also one of the things I'll miss once I'm out of here. It's my shop of choice when I have no direction in terms of new reading material. They have these tables set up with combinations of new, bestselling, and cult classics, as well as books "that made history", or are controversial, or have cool backgrounds to them, blah, blah and so on. So it's a cool place. Also, the prices are to the pound, i.e. none of this £9.99 business. PLUS a lot of things are pretty cheap there too. Just takes some browsing. It's almost like going through someone else's attic or basement or something. Maybe not basement.

So the book...

Took an unusually long while for me to really get into it. There was a massive build up in the exposition. Trouble was, you never really knew how those bits were gonna be in the story. The story set up a lot of facts by little flashbacks to earlier times and their relationships with other characters and so forth, and you just couldn't but ask "what are you telling me all these things for". It almost sounded like just a ramble of slightly related things the author decided to jot downbecausee he was bored and wanted some of the characters to have richer depths. Then throughout the rest of the story things just clicked. The only problem (or is it?) was that there was so much of the setting up that I thought nothing would actually happen. I see it as a trade-off, really, between putting these things in there that make the reader click back a lot and getting to the actual story quicker, but without "fun" little "footnotes" embedded in the reader's memory to make it more enjoyable. So it's a trade-off between a quicker start to the story's action and clicky memory action.

This book did the latter. Which meant it took a good 120 pages, if I remember correctly, to get going a bit. Once it did, it was pretty cool, and I enjoyed the little quirks some would have seen as humour.

The story is of Jane Bell, who's son Ross disappears. Ross is a genius who works for a big arms manufacturer. [Jumping around some detail to save spoiling bits of the story], Jane ends up training to act like James Bond (only different) with the help of a team of security experts (an ensemble of international talent) to find her son, as the head of this team believes her urge to do anything in her power to get her son back will help them locate Ross.

It's well written, with wry humorous overtones, that won't exactly have you cackling like a nut, but will keep a nice balance between action, desperation and the seriousness of it all. In all honesty, I think the drawn-out beginning resulted me in thinking less of this book. The rest of it sufficed to save my "time lost" (and beyond), but it was a dreadful wait for something real to occur. But, like I said, when things started poppin', it was tough to put down, and I removed it from the bathroom to my bedside. End of story. Enjoyable, smart, cool. Don't read it if you can't take a rather slow start.

Back In Fookin' Business!

2006-08-14T14:25:00.000+01:00

Yo. Quick word to the physically invisible: I'm taking control of this space again. Books and CD lists will be updated as time passes, and stories and other wonderments such as book reports will keep coming. Now I'm in the middle of my masters (yes, I'm one of those people) dissertation, which will take me well into September, before kickin' out the jams and flying to KL for a well-deserved break from the hecticness (hecticity?) of the past 12 months. Bye. J.

The Game Parts

2006-02-24T18:54:00.000Z

Come one, come all!

Partake in a unique invention that is The Game 2: Carnival of Carnage by printing these here bits (one A4-sized sheet each) and cleverly taping them together in the safety of your own humble abode!

If you're at all intrigued about how this wretched drinking game operates and want to learn more, notify me with your e-mail address and if I'm not too lazy I'll send over the official rules of this drinking ouija board to your interweb addres thing. Enjoy.

Halloween Punch

2005-11-07T13:52:00.000Z

Halloween came and went, and I hosted a party in my flat that left sweetness in the mouths of those 20 or so people that visited. While on the actual day I felt a little dizzy and sick for not having fed myself too well the previous two days, the night itself was much better than I was fearing. Although I got concerned requests to change the sounds of The Children Of Bodom, Mokoma, System Of A Down and Lordi to something less "aggressive" or "death-related", I enjoyed myself and was extremely glad that people found my punch bearable. It occurred to me that I had not actually made punch before, so that was nice.

I tried searching recipes from the internet, but either they were just shit, or tended to use expensive liquids, which for me is a no-no. Anyway, here's exactly what I did:

Bought two four-liter cheap plastic bowls and two ladels (also cheap). Here are the exact contents of the two [slightly different] punches:

Punch 1:

0.5 liters of vodka

2 liters of red wine

1.5 liters of summer fruits juice

1 diced red apple (without pips and shit)

1 diced blood (? it was red, anyway) grapefruit (without peels and all that)

dash or two of tonic water, for slight sparkle bubble effect

Punch 2:

0.5 liters of vodka

2 liters of red wine

1.5 liters of raspberry juice

1 diced red apple (cleaned)

1 diced blood (red) grapefruit (only the absolutely meaty bits)

dash or two of tonic water (for same fancy effect)

People seemed to like the one with the summer fruits juice better. I think the weird raspberry stuff I had just didn't go with whatever fruityness was in the wine, which made up the majority of the punch. I also bought plastic gloves and made hand-shaped ice blocks to put in the punches. They actually work quite nicely, and of course added to the theme of what was going on.

Anyhoo, that's that, and I'm now ever so slightly more experienced in this stuff. Questions? Good...

A Million Little Pieces

2005-10-24T12:34:00.000+01:00

My my my, how times flies... This book right here was phenomenal. I was meant to write about it ages ago, but then really forgot, amidst the frantic nature of all the things around me at the moment.

This is a memoir of a drug addict, criminal, substance abuser. It's and autobiographical account by James Frey of his time in a rehabilitation center. The style of writing is very unique, lucid, through which the reader gets right inside James' head and thought-processes, which brings this story alive and right in your face with overwhelming honesty. His descriptions of his addiction, new-found friends, experiences and pain are brilliant to the point where you just want to read certain sections over and over. James spreads his words in patterns of the truth with a quirky touch of humour that establishes his tone wonderfully from the very start.

Simply put, this is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. Not that that says much, but I guarantee if you can find another who has read this, you'll hear nothing but positive feedback. Strong opus. I'll get My Friend Leonard by the same guy next. Should be good. Laters.

The Game

2005-10-04T12:37:00.000+01:00

Ok. This is the name of a book by Neil Strauss. I knew that name rang a bell when I bought this, and then it came to me: he helped write Jenna Jameson's autobiography, How To Make Love Like A Porn Star. This, in itself, is somewhat of an autobiography, in that it chronicles the events of the "strangest two years" of Neil's life.

These two years are spent with a growing underground society of pick-up artists, who have made a science out of reaching and getting "positive" reactions from women through conversation, psychological tricks and even a level of hypnosis.

Whether you need help with women (or men) or not makes no difference in your enjoyment of this mesmerizing autobiographical tale of unbelievable proportions. You can believe it, or you can doubt it, but my opinion remains that it will entertain you just like a Derren Brown or David Blaine stunt would.

Within the story, I found very intriguing social themes and connections to such books as The Beach by Alex Garland and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, where a society "out of control" neglects the "leader(s)" and their actions until the society brings itself to its almost inevitable demise. This book is not merely about picking up women, although there are some tips and procedures to get you hooked.

Many misinterpretations and misunderstandings of this world have been made and as Neil Strauss concludes, it's mainly about such cliches as being yourself, looking after yourself and staying healthy, while being confident around women that will boost your chances. The robotic routines the players run on women extradite themselves to be machines and lose their heart in the business, and society. As "sarging" (going out to pick-up women) becomes an addiction, the results begin to taste of wood and the players end up filling that addiction, filling a void that they have created themselves, by running women through mechanical lines and hiding behind alter egos.

I think people in general can learn a lot from these two years of Neil Strauss's life, and I recommend his book immensely. Read with an open mind and you'll get something out of it. Done.

Bill Hicks

2005-09-16T13:00:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I finished Love All People, by Bill Hicks. Hm... Although it's not so much his writing of himself in the form of a biography. As the front cover says, it's comprised of "letters, lyrics, routines". Therefore it's a documentation, if you will, of the life of Bill Hicks in the forementioned media. Hence the title of this book report is simply Bill Hicks.

If you don't know at all who the man was, then I'll be as bold as to say you're missing out. You really are. I'm not saying this to sound prophetic or more intelligent than anyone out there, it is simply the truth.

As a comic, Bill pushed boundaries with his educational style of stand-up. His drive in writing his material was the Reason of Logic he believed most of us don't listen to, although it burns inside us all. He used simple logic to speak his point of view on advertising, war, religion, government, politics, pornography and drugs. He spoke the truth, and for this, was feared by the US government and the powers that be. Incidentally, his routine was completely cut from his 12th appearance on the David Letterman Show, not due to any misuse of language, but simply due to the content of his routine.

Bill's bitterness at the way how people are governed to be scared and dumbened as to not question the actions of their leaders, I believe, sparked his material no end. For pointing out the truth on many subjects the government called controversial, his struggle towards a mainstream audience in the US was further anguished by seeing jugglers and "joke-blowers" appear in the limelight.

There is a message in Bill Hicks' words. A very powerful message, that I personally have believed is correct before ever reading this book. Many of my own beliefs, ones that I couldn't successfully explain even to myself, Bill points out with aggressively sarcastic and hilariously intelligent material. A true visionary [on par with such academics as Noam Chomsky], Bill's word experienced a much warmer welcome in England than in his native "Amerikkka". He even got the green light for his own show on England's Channel 4, to further teach the people his views and continue to burst lungs with his unique style of humour. This all, however, was abruptly ended by Bill's death in 1994.

Before he passed, Bill wrote a note, New Happiness, which finished with the words:

"I Left in love, in laughter, and in truth and wherever truth, love and laughter abide, I am there in spirit."
I will now leave you with the quotes from the inside of the front cover of this book, which hopefully will intrigue your thoughts to read into this material yourselves. I hope it will.

"All he did, really, was to tell the truth about himself, and about the way he saw the world - and this is the hardest thing to do on stage and still be funny with it. Hicks' life was spent in this quest and he succeeded brilliantly, and to me and to countless others he remains nothing short of inspiration." - Bill Bailey, Independent

"Bill Hicks - blowtorch, excavator, truthsayer, and brain specialist, like a reverend waving a gun around. He will correct your vision. Others will drive on the road he built." - Tom Waits

"One of the best comedians in the world: a discernible point of view, great mind, attitude - the whole bag. He works completely for me." - Dennis Miller

"Bill was right up there with Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor. He was easily the best comic of my generation." - Brett Butler

"With his clarity of vision and gift of words, if Bill Hicks had had any more time he might have started a revolution." - Keith Olberman

"Hicks's stand-up act is about taking a stand - and occasionally dodging a chair." - Rolling Stone

"Ten years after his death, his words still burn with righteous truth. This book could change your life." - Paul Brannigan, Kerrang

On The Road

2005-09-15T14:09:00.000+01:00

Hello hello!

How am I, I hear you ask... Wet. Yes I am. Also bought some colourful light bulbs to make my nights more interesting. Plus I like slight darkness anyway. Also bought a thing that strangely enough transforms my bath and them hot and cold (why can't they just have one damn thing that operates both hot and cold and all levels in between here in Britain? Why oh why is it so difficult to let go of these "traditional" things?) taps into a shower, so I can stop taking baths now if I wish. I hope. I have been enjoying baths though. Every morning, with coffee and a book; a good 30 minutes wasted. Yes.

But, as much fun as it is talking about baths, this post has a different purpose. On The Road is good. Uhhuh. Yeah. Finished it after I fist picked it up God knows how long ago. But worth it, definitely. I'm sort of in a weirdly enthusiastic mood, and therefore I'm gonna try to sum it up in as vague detail as possible. Yeah, I know, that doesn't make too much sense; enthusiastic, no real detail, doing it quickly... But I'm not like everyone else all the time. Frantically enthusiastic, maybe. Forget it.

Alright. At first this book seems like there's no real direction, message, whatever. Just a couple dudes hitchin' across America and doing this and that and, yay, having a good time. So what's the point of this? First, it's fun to read, and it tickles the reader's desire to let go for once and be free, search for your kicks, loving the world around you and finding new experiences. When it was all over, I was left with a nostalgic feel that The Mind Game by Hector Macdonald produced as well. And I like that, for some reason. Slightly masochistic in a way, but... It's the same feeling we don't usually look for, because it's usually a result of losing something, losing someone, closing a door, beginning over. But inside it just makes you smile. Might take some days, even months, but that feeling is worth something.

Anyway, this book by Jack Kerouac is a fictionalised autobiography, and is heaps of fun. I did think about the themes and internal messages of it when I finished it, and I did it for a while. By myself. Don't do that so much really. Well, I do, but not in this magnitude. On The Road is powerful, enticing, eye-opening and overall quite an entertaining tale of youth still intriguing today, almost 50 years on since its first publication.

Hmm... Well that wasn't so quick afterall. Go get it. It might get you off your ass doing something different. Later.

Band Of Brothers

2005-09-08T17:05:00.000+01:00

Yep yep, time for book talk.

Finished Band Of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose about a month ago... Of course, as most know, it's now a super HBO series, and after seeing it I needed to read the book. As with pretty much all book-turned-film experiences, the book was above the screen adaption. Although the series is awesome, film is just a slightly more difficult medium with which to convey information while keeping up viewers' interest.

The book is possibly best read while watching the series. I'd seen the series a couple times before reading the book, and the two complemented each other beautifully. This way it was easy to organise my thoughts and I could easily picture who was being told about, and all in all, they both had very similar tones, and subconscious messages, if you will.

Definitely the book gave much more of a "behind-the-scenes" look to the lives of the American soldiers who fought with Easy Company in World War II. In it the extraordinary experiences and achievements of those men beamed through more realistic, and therefore had me in more awe than the DVDs. But then again, this is true of any story based on real events, as what I saw on screen was not a documentary, but a [fabulous] reconstruction of those events and the people who were the ingredients in putting them together.

Cool, cool, cool. Overwhelming to read about these things, and all I can do is imagine what it may have been like for the paratroops (and all other servicement, for that matter) in those times of anguish. The book leaves the reader, as does the series, with description on top of description of how close these men became through their experiences, and to see the world of war through those eyes is purely touching.

Friends of Good People

2005-08-30T14:43:00.000+01:00

We've (who "we"? Good point. I.) earlier seen what I mean by Good People and conversely by Bad People. These, if I may remind... myself, derive their meaning through the worth of one's words. Read post named "Good People" for background info. But anyway, I now take this concept further, incorporating the term "friend" and its implications when using the before mentioned notation.

Are "Friends" good people? We're probably quick to conclude, "No, not necessarily." If your friend is a bad person, is it more likely you're a bad person too? Maybe, right?

If all the people who are friends of someone are good, then no bad person would have a friend. Alright, that's essentially just principles here, but... Why is a good person friends with bad people, then? I'll tell ya why. Time lags, buddy. The good people only slowly realise their friend isn't good and then slowly adjustments take place to change towards some sort of natural equilibrium.

A bad person can therefore be a Good Friend, which is allowed by these time lags. Only after one starts realising the friend isn't desirably good will he seize to be a good friend, and with all probability, seize to be a friend altogether. Hence, time lags are important and play a big part in this talk of mine.

It is due to these time lags also that people sometimes don't recognise this pattern and keep on keepin' on without "demoting" their friend to a worse person. It's fucking sad, too, when it happens, that we have to demote someone we care about. This is hard because in essence we are thus changing our opinions, and even our beliefs, about these people and that's always tough to do, be it of whatever. Demoting a friend is especially sad and difficult when that friend is more than a good friend, or when he's "one of your best". It's tough to do, but if you do it, there must be a reason, and stop feeling guilty and/or like a dickhead.

In these here terms, my reason is: my friend was an extremely worse person that he's ever been, if only for a fraction of the time I spent with him this summer. I have demoted him to a bad person, but not to a non-friend. What he presented me was a quick transition. This transition is an equation of relative worsening and the time of said worsening. To put it another way, I think the speed of this transition is relative in terms of the size of deviation in goodness in the friend and for how long the new level of "goodness" is presented in the friend.

Reasons for WHY friends start acting different, I have many. I will not take this that personal now, but I am confident in saying that since I am aware of these faults, I am a better person myself. The fact that I have began to crudely observe human behaviour on the small scale has, I'm sure, attributed to my life's passion, which is being a good person to others and further more, to be a good friend, even to the "most meaningless" of acquaintances.

While this may sound like bitching in parts (which it FUCKIN' IS!), I am a good person by my own definitions, and these definitions have been agreed to by many of my friends and therefore I think I can't be too far on the wrong track. If you still get the idea of me that I'm a prick, well, ... Go fuck yourself!

That's all for now.

The Guns

2005-08-22T09:21:00.000+01:00

Just finished Guns N' Roses: The Band That Time Forgot. It's written by Paul Stenning and seemed to me a detailed enough account of the history of the band. The timeline ran right up until 2005, which period about GN'R to me was less known, 'cos I haven't been digging up stuff to read about it, really. Yes I'm aware of the Chinese Democracy album and I've heard two songs off it, but that's all. After reading this I really can't wait for it to hit the stores.

With loads of quotes from people, and even chapters concentrating on Axl's [pretty damn thorough] psychological profile and Matt's, Duff's and Slash's band Velvet Revolver, along with the customary colour photos in the middle, this [unauthorised] biography informed me of the bits that were unclear to me in the past and somewhat took me back to when I was ten years old and GN'R was the only musici I listened to.

It was a refreshing wake up to the GN'R saga as the release date for Chinese Democracy just must be getting closer and closer.

www.gnronline.com
www.mygnr.com

What Am I Up To?

2005-08-17T22:01:00.000+01:00

Well, definitely been a while. Quick sum up of things:

- Bought CDs, extended "Last 5 Albums Bought" section to a longer list, and it's now called "Last Albums Bought", cos I realised it's a pretty cool way to see what kinda stuff I've been after lately. So the number of CDs on the list completely up to my discretion.

- Got into Nottingham Business School to do masters. Going back to the UK on the 25th of August.

- Been pretty busy with deviantArt lately. Been addicted, really. Although as of late, my inspiration's been off in someone else's skull.

More to come. Yes.

Deviant Art

2005-06-12T13:35:00.000+01:00

Just submitted my first ever piece into deviantart.com, and I've thus added my deviantArt page to the links section, just to show I'm even more or a fool than ever thought before.

Good People

2005-06-08T16:28:00.000+01:00

On the plane from Heathrow to Singapore, I couldn't get to sleep, so I started thinking about why I have a problem with people being late. Is it the way I was taught? Is it the psychomental demands I have of everybody? Is it some behavioural instinct of a footprint left in my brain by the army's obsession of precise times?

No, no, no. None of the above. I realised that I don't dislike lateness, but rather that I hate liars and arrogant dickheads. So, around in circles we go. Let's rant about this, shall we? Good idea.

In my view, as humans, our words measure our worth, or value. If you tell me you'll be at a particular location at 12:45, you're giving me your word as payment for my trust and good will. Hence, if I think your word isn't worthwhile, I will not trust you. This can be likened to buying milk from a shop: If you don't have enough money in payment, you will not get your milk. Easy enough transaction to follow my theory? Thought so.

If I've been your friend for a long time, I have engineered some rough estimate of how much I trust you, i.e. how valuable or worthy your word is. How valuable one's word is should then also in turn shadow that person's degree of goodness. So by these steps, it follows that a "good" person is one who isn't late? Not exactly.

Like I said before, I don't dislike lateness. Lateness itself can be caused by many factors outside the immediate control of people, which therefore brings in reasons for being late. Lateness, in absolute terms, doesn't determine how good a person is. Sometimes, usually depending on the extent of lateness, a prior warning of being late can alleviate the degree to which a person may be thought "bad", without having a tangible reason for being late.

These are my terms, and it seems like those who end up as good friends, usually display value for their promises, i.e. they are seen as trustworthy people. Trust is an element seen by many as something that's integral about friendship, and hence keeping promises becomes also an integral part of being friends. It seems then that this is the logic behind me hating "liars" and "arrogant dickheads".

To extend on that, being arrogant isn't a problem. Lots of the people that I know and consider as friends are arrogant, but the line is drawn on arrogance which results in pure annoyance and/or slight hatred for someone. A dickhead is a dickhead, can't hide from that. A dickhead who's just a dickhead can almost be forgiven, because they don't seem to [a lot of the time] understand or realise what they're doing.

An arrogant dickhead is different. Arrogance points to some form of confidence. Therefore, it implies that a person of arrogance is in control and knows, in some sense, what he wants. These people, I'm sure you'd agree, drive you up the wall because they seem to do it intentionally. That's the boundary as I've defined it. I've therefore spiced up the term and promoted it to arrogant dickhead.

So here, then, is a long-winded explanation of why I don't like people being late. It should probably be noted that, especially in this day and age, failing to notify the waiting party of one's late arrival is unacceptable, to some level. I'll now carry on a little more about good people as a broader topic area, leaving lateness behind.

Start being more aware of how your friends and the people around you treat you. Do they insult you jokingly? Call you names for no apparent reason? Do they treat you differently from their other friends or acquaintances? You may see drastic differences in people's "styles". Do people give you things for no reason, expecting nothing back? Maybe some do, maybe some don't. Do you ever do anything nice without expecting anything back? It might be saying a kind word to the bus driver, to the lonely-looking shopkeeper, to the opposition team's player after the game, or to the stranger asking you for money on the street.

If someone has been good to you at any point, try to remember how it made you feel and try to reciprocate it. Isn't that a huge part of the meaning of life? Helping others, making other people's days seem that tiny bit better? Whatever the meaning of life is, I'm convinced that's an important part of it.

Let me just quote someone who I think's got the right mindset. He's a musician by the name of Andrew W.K. Yeah, you might have heard of him. Two quotes from him:

"It is my absolute honour, and prilivege, responsibility and my JOB, to make as many people feel as good as possible, and what a job it is!"

"If I can think that I have this one day to maybe make someone's life better rather than worse, you know, what would I wanna do, what would I want someone to do for me? And then do that thing. The least I can do is everything."

I think that's pretty well said, and this frame of mind, I think, can easily be felt through his music. They're genuinely uplifing, feel-good songs that release you when you listen to them.

Anyhoo...

Good People. There aren't too many of these around, but they do exist, and I only pity those who are "too good" for their own good to experience the presence of these people. Good People enjoy the fact that other people are enjoying themselves and having a good time. Good People know how to communicate with all different humans, and most of the time, Good People don't disregard their friends, or others, by being late and thinking that's alright.

------------------------------------------------------------
A precise example of being good. Right. Alright, this guy's course ended in Uni on the 1st of June, whereas a couple other people finished on the 3rd. About a week before the end, the two who still had exams on the 3rd and the guy who'd finish before them on the 1st were joking that they should crack open some drinks right then and there after EVERYONE had finished on Friday the 3rd of June. Surely, the two who finished later thought this kind of talk was "just talk" and thought nothing more of it than being a funny prospect if it did actually happen.

To their surprise, the guy who finished before them was waiting outside the room they had their last lecture in to greet them with beers, and an alcopop for the female friend. Out of just making others happy, he'd got up "early" to "celebrate" the day. No such thing as payback was talked about or even mentioned. Yet, he felt good to be among friends and still got a drink bought for him later that night.

Put yourself in any one of those three people's shoes. All were better off in terms of happiness and having a good time. These things do happen and people who are selfish and self-centered enough will not see the moral in this story, which, at the same time, hopefully, will strengthen the thoughts of those already Good.

Cheers to it all.

Boobily-Boo

2005-05-24T12:43:00.000+01:00

Finished my third exam about a half hour ago, and it was the toughest one yet. I've feared that mother for so long and it's behind me now. I am a king. You are nothing. Beer. At least a few. Eight days and I'm a University graduate. Let's hope anyway, right? Hah. Sweet summer of Kuala Lumpur is calling.

Atlantis, Alien Visitation & Genetic Manipulation

2005-05-11T13:02:00.000+01:00

This is the name of a book by a dude named Michael Tsarion. I don't have it but am on the [inevitably long] road to buying it. To explore more about it, listen to interviews and stuff, go here.

To get a little taste of what it's about, take some time out and read this, or print it and read it later. You won't be sorry. It's a paper called The Atlanteans: Tutors or Tyrants?

Very interesting stuff. Just stop being too smart for yourself, and take a leap. Educate yourself and open your mind.

It's truly powerful, and it should leave you puzzled, gagging for answers.

Thanks to DaShredda for the link.

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

2005-05-03T14:26:00.000+01:00

Good.

It was heart-warming to see this film do the legacy of Douglas Adams justice. The British Humour card remained in hand while the money of a Hollywood franchise did its trick to the correct degree. Definitely a contender for the top of my "DVDs To Buy" list. Fantastic fun.

Go watch it. Now. Don't panic.

Trust me. For good measure, here's a statement from the genius of Paul Bishop [check the links] to convince you further:

"With the childish memory of that first wonderful glance into the strange, confusing and bizarre world of Douglas Adams still fresh in the mind I was somewhat apprehensive before viewing this potential catastrophe. Buy I am happy to report that Johnny Hollywood has done himself proud. The effects were spectacular, the sets inch perfect, and the whale had the voice of Bill Bailey. All in all a top film, whales, whimsy and a hot chick!"

There you have it. Still skeptical? Well, go fuck yourself.

Save Yourself

2005-04-18T14:45:00.000+01:00

I've been listening to the new Tech Nizzle album Vintage Tech almost everyday, and it's awesome. Most of 'em I'd heard before, as it is a compilation of old and slightly more rare stuff, but to have 'em all on one disc is sweet-ass.

This is all good stuff, and it's not a gimmick to get more cash to the artist(s) involved, but to allow fans to get their hands on the music that is beautiful, that is aggressive, that is spontaneously talent-filled and most of all, perfect for anyone who's sick of the radio run-of-the-mill bullshit.

I've especially enjoyed listening to "Save Yourself", a one-minute vocal track by Krizz Kaliko. Volume up, eyes closed and boom... Just another track indicative of the varied talent that keeps Tech N9ne's music and the music of his crew a joy to listen to.

So, if you're one of those people I've been trying to push Tech's shit on for far too long now, then get your finger out of your ass, gather your balls, and save yourself by picking up the album. It will not disappoint.

Life After God

2005-04-01T15:19:00.000+01:00

Read a book as titled above by some guy...

Hmm...

Douglas Coupland. That's it. Read it a while back. I suppose it was good. It's tough to say anything really conclusive about it, since my read of it was rather fragmented and it actually has been a while since I finished it.

It's comprised of snippets or half-ass anecdotes (Not like "half-ass" is a bad thing; what I mean is that they were sometimes almost-anecdotes, if that makes any kind of sense...) of a number of narrators. Mainly this book deals with trying to start out fresh, starting over, trying to re-figure things out.

It gets quite hearty, philosophical, even religious in parts and that's what I liked about it. Reading it left me with a sort of a "Uh," feeling. Perhaps I'll read it again over the summer, and report back. I tried to explain to a friend of mine what was going on in the book at one point, then he just cut me by saying, rather ignorantly, "Sounds really whiny."

Well...

Fuck him!

He wasn't hearing me, so I'll let that one go. I remember enjoying it, let's just say that. It also had those brainy thinky bits that I like. Umm... Yeah, let's just say I'll read it again and try to publish some report much sooner afterwards in some level of the future.

Deal? Check. Laters.

Quote

2005-03-23T10:29:00.000Z

I started reading Jack Kerouac's On The Road two days ago, and it's got this quote that goes well with my rant on The Man. It's the narrator describing a friend of his:

"His dirty workclothes clung to him so gracefully, as though you couldn't buy a better fit from a custom tailor but only earn it from the Natural Tailor of Natural Joy, as Dean had, in his stresses."

Natural. Pure. Spontaneous. Undiluted. True. Real. Not man made.

I'll Pass

2005-03-20T15:38:00.000Z

Just a coupla lines I've got stuck in my head since last week after listening to Tech N9ne's "I'll Pass". When you read it it doesn't sound that great but when you hear the track with Tech's style and speed and metronome timing, you'll understand what I'm saying.

I spit the wickedest
Then I scat with the quick-e-ness
Flip it the way I rip is ridiculous, man.

Religious Truths

2005-03-20T14:25:00.000Z

Friend of mine had a postcard with the follwing simplifications on it. Cracked me up.

Taoism:
Shit happens.

Buddhism:
If shit happens, it isn't really shit.

Hinduism:
This shit has happened before.

Islam:
If shit happens, it is the will of Allah.

Catholicism:
Shit happens because you deserve it.

Protestantism:
Let shit happen to somebody else.

Judaism:
Why does shit always happen to us?

The Man

2005-03-15T17:01:00.000Z

Today I did something I don't really usually do. I thought about whether most people see me as a scrub as a result of the clothes I wear. And I'm mostly talking about trendy fucks and faggots who spend £30 on a damn scarf. I mean, what the fuck is that about?!

Anyway, I buy my clothes from reject shops for fuck-all, and if I ever do dabble in the labels, I get 'em when the store is splashin' 'em out and tryin' to get rid of that shit for 70% off cause they're going under for overpricing this shit in the first place.

I know people that just won't go into discount shops, as they claim they categorize themselves as not being "cheap" or "tight" with money. It's like big label clothes are Giffen goods these days. Fuckin' ridiculous. Doesn't this bother anyone else? Then you have your average dudes like me, but they still go to those stores like Gap and FCUK and what have you, because they don't know any better and it's what they've been brought up / grown up with. Poor bastards.

These days [it seems] one can't even create an image and be an individual by his/her preferences. Let me tell you why...

Acid-torn jeans. Jeans with bleached fronts. Frayed everything. Shit-coloured dye on clothes. "Incomplete" clothes. A bunch of over the top art incorporated to make clothes have a "contemporary retro" feel. Makes me sick. A lot of these designs are made in an effort to make clothes have character which comes from them being old and used. Some girl a while back said they liked nicely built fellas, with muscles from manual labour, not from working out. This can be used as an analogy in my clothing shit: If character is what you're after, what's wrong with letting it be genuine and pure? These big corporations are taking away the goddamn purity from having attire which compliments an individual, and more so the character of someone who've had that leather jacket for years and it's as much a part of them as their skin. You just can't look scruffy in your ordinarily aged clothes because narrow-minded consumers as a whole will clump you into some group, when all you wanna do is be yourself.

So let us not forget one tiny, yet crucial ingredient in this recipe for pissing me off. Fashion. It's not only corporations that are fuckin' it up, but people actually go for it! I'm sick of people, and I can't deny that Slipknot got it right with "People = Shit". Everyone, from my cousins to people I don't know, can be used as examples of why indeed people are (for the most part) sheep grazing the pastures of the corporate world. We are the loose change in The Man's pocket: disposable and meaningless, yet if handled in a careful manner, can actually make a difference in his plans.

So, fashion...

What's wrong with wearing what YOU think looks good, but more importantly, what is comfortable? Sure, I might be hit back with, "Yeah, well, what's wrong with buying designer clothes and looking good and feeling comfortable?" Nothing's wrong with that. Do as you wish. Furthermore, there's nothing wrong with looking like a complete dickhead with hairstyles copied off your favourite pop / sports star. And since when did men have hairstyles instead of haircuts anyway!? But there's nothing wrong with that. Seriously. Those people just look so bad I'm ashamed of being a human sometimes. It's one thing to get some nice expensive jeans and some overpriced shoes, but to go overboard like some (I can only assume they're those hip fashion students) people, especially girls, who wear the most God awful things, and probably paid more for it than all my CDs combined.

You also get some really fat people trying to look like everyone else, in these clothes that are designed for people that make up about 4% of the world's population; super skinny people with flawless physiques. I don't understand how anyone not fitting that description can actually persuade themselves they'll look great and get laid more if they buy that shit. Oh yeah, I forgot, people are sheep with shit for brains.

Fashion is not just about clothes, but it's also invading the lives of people like me in areas like music, movies and tattoos. You lose the feeling that some band is just for you when they go on MTV and perform at half time of some Spring Break volleyball game in Florida. Artists who receive genuine admiration and respect from their true followers who cross over may soon find being ambushed by frat boys who know nothing of what they're about, but "like" the music 'cos it's cool. It loses its essence.

Also movies have a similar situation. Most of us take pride in being "one of the first" ones to watch a particular [underground] film, and be able to be the one to pass the word on to our friends. We're proud of the fact that we've reached further and dug up something beautiful to share with others. Everyone else, who go no further than their local mainstream movie theater or Virgin Megastore won't bother looking for something just for them, because they're too busy fitting in and impressing others with what's hot right now. You couldn't be more ordinary if you tried.

Tattoos are one of the biggest fashion accessories now, and therefore have no meaning for most of us. Purity. Where's it gone? I've always wanted a tattoo, but it's now getting more difficult, as I'm trying to decide what would be personal to me that others wouldn't relate to as a result of their fascination with fashion. Getting a tattoo of a cross on your arm when you're not one bit religious? "Yeah man, do it. It'll look wicked!" Spare me.

So most of the time, I'm just angry at how stupid people are generally. We're living in historically revolutionary times where we're meant to be world citizens, but I see such unintelligent behaviour at all different levels of humanity that it doesn't surprise me when people like George W. Bush are in charge of much of the fate of this planet.

Formula 1 Season Starts

2005-03-01T13:54:00.000Z

The giants of the world of motorsports are here again, the first Grand Prix no less than just a few days away. Get your little minds working, even if just a little, and head over to F1 Portal to add a little more spice to the spectator's F1 season.

Click on F1TM on the left and follow the simple instructions, pick two drivers and an F1 team with your given budget to bring you [virtual] money and points, directly related on their performances in actual GPs.

--- Ron Burgundy

DVD Player Debate

2005-02-28T15:16:00.000Z

Here's a little story. It has made its way to be amongst these flurries of boredom through the occurrence of actual events. I'll lay down the facts in quick-fire form and without bias, to be followed by arguments of both sides. Get ready.

Last year, four women and four men shared a house together. They bought a DVD player worth an estimated 80 [UK] pounds.

The big group of eight people decided to live separate from each other (as a group of men, and a group of women) the following year, and it was agreed that whichever group would take up ownership of said appliance would reimburse the other party for half of its original cost, i.e. 40 pounds.

One woman and one man leave to work elsewhere and therefore their presence is non-existent in the following year. This was known before leaving the now former place of residence and before the verbal agreements took place. DVD player finds its niche in the household of the women.

In that following year, the men bring up matter of payment a healthy number of times, always to be ignored and/or having the flow of conversation abruptly cut off by a member of the women's household and diverted elsewhere.

After a long period, a member of women's group has birthday and men are invited to dinner and a night out with the women. Men accept and have a relaxed night out with women, before finding themselves again at women's house enjoying the last drinks of the night.

Upon leaving, the men unplug and carry out DVD player [and remote] in a moment of pure spontaneity.

Men hold machine hostage for 39 pounds, i.e. 13 pounds each.

Women still refuse to pay, using explanations as the following for their position:

A: "The DVD player has depreciated in value and we should not pay the full 40 pounds."

B: "If we pay, it means you would've had the DVD player for free for the year we lived together."

C: "We're not paying for x's [man who lives not with the other three men] share of the DVD player; in fact we're ready to only pay five pounds each."

D: "You were dicks for just taking it, you should have asked us all to discuss the matter in a civilized manner."

(a) First, it doesn't matter about the value depreciation. The deal was made for 40 pounds before either group took it. Could've been either way, and those were the terms agreed upon, without fuss. Besides, it still performs the task it's meant to do just as it did the first year. Because its market value may have decreased some doesn't mean the women cannot still enjoy the service the machine was designed to supply.

(b) Secondly, it must be again said that whether one group had it for "free" is disputable. The bottom line seems to be the promise for 40 pounds from whichever group happened to be taking ownership. So this argument has little value as it's about the agreement prior to all the bitching, both ways.

(c) This is a viable statement. It's true, x doesn't live with the other three men, therefore his portion of the payment should not be shared amongst them. However, now that it is out there, x himself should contractually receive his 10 pounds invested into the DVD player. Hence 10 pounds each sounds a fair payment, as that was the actual amount all of the men and women paid each. Thirteen pounds seems greedy and unjust.

(d) Absolutely ridiculous. Yes, the men may have crossed some boundary by taking it. If the men had tried to have a group discussion with the women about the fate of the DVD player and moneys to be reimbursed, they may have been ignored again and/or had the subject changed quickly. The women may argue to this that they would indeed have listened if the men had done it in "a civilized manner". The facts state the women's previous actions to these suggestions, and claims made now, that they would have been fine to discuss it are unreliable, infeasible and irrelevant. They are merely stabs in the dark as a result of the men's "righteous blackmail".

-----------------------------------------------------

To me it seems the men were incorrect to physically take the DVD player. However, it also seems that they have a stronger case about the payment[s], while the women shouldn't see the dispute as one for pride or a sense of winning, but doing what is ultimately the right thing, however they may see the DVD player - a year later - be priced in their heads or electronics stores.

PLEASE DO COMMENT FREELY ON THE ABOVE

Double Whammy

2005-02-14T14:45:00.000Z

Today is the day of Saint Valentine, who was:

A priest in the Roman Empire who helped persecuted Christians during the reign of Claudius II, thrown in jail and later beheaded on February 14th.
Or, was he:

A Catholic bishop of Terni who was beheaded, also during the reign of Claudius II ?
What if he was just someone who:

Secretly married couples when marriage was forbidden, or suffered in Africa, or wrote letters to his jailer's daughter, and was probably beheaded ?
One of the best theories, is possibly, however, that Saint Valentine could have been all, some, or even possibly none of the above.

"Although the mid-February holiday celebrating love and lovers remains wildly popular, the confusion over its origins led the Catholic Church, in 1969, to drop St. Valentine's Day from the Roman calendar of official, worldwide Catholic feasts." [www.americancatholic.org]

Well that's fantastic.

I personally don't make a big deal of this day, be it with a significant someone or by my lonely lonesome. However, it seems to be a big deal to lots and lots of people, especially women. The absurdity of its commercial value outright bamboozles me sometimes, to think that most people probably don't know or even attempt to gain knowledge on the history of this day and why this Valentine fellow is called a saint.

I'm not sure where I was going with that, but to me Valentine's day is a whole bunch of sentimental crap people spend way too much time and money marketing and celebrating.

Nice and negative, isn't it?

But I have gone to these measures. This is mainly to extend a first ever personal congratulations on the blog to a certain good friend of mine, who's birthday is actually on this very day, the 14th of February.

So forget "Valentine's Day". That was purely a dramatic opening which I could have turned into a prize-winning piece of international journalism if I wasn't afraid of the secret services around the world trying to kill me to stop me unveiling the truth of the world to the public piece by piece, little by little, until the horrified citizens will fathom the ludicrousness of all mankind to the point where the meaning of life becomes as clear as crystal, resulting in the sudden yet incredibly painful implosion of the entire universe.

In an attempt to translate my congratulations to this friend of mine, while not compromising national safety, I shall say:

Happy birthday L.E., 22 is a long way, you can hack it better than so many others. I'm looking forward to Thursday night, let's all get legless. Fantastico. Laters.

Why?

2005-02-13T17:27:00.000Z

Why does blogger make hyperlinks out of little words and phrases I have in my posts? The one with the rules made hyperlinks out of "biking shorts", "ice cream", "travel mug" and "make up". Tell my why!!!

[EDIT] Even here they fuckin' did it! What the fuck's goin' on?!

Megadeth Gig Review

2005-02-11T13:12:00.000Z

Alright, been almost a week since I went to the gig. Openers, Diamond Head sounded alright, might try to find some MP3s to see what they're albums about. So in other words, didn't really pay attention to what they were really about, just stayed around the bar and got a couple of drinks in before the almighty presence of Megadeth was ready to melt my face.

Right. Megadeth. Good.

Including seven tracks from the new album, they had about a 20-song set list. Fuckin' awesome, if you ask me. Moshing a plenty, good atmosphere, awesome vibes before and after the show, and I didn't manage to bump into anyone with asshole syndrome. A success, on a personal level.

A bit more about the songs. Dave & co reached into the bag for Tornado of Souls, Hangar 18, Peace Sells, Rust In Peace and Skin O' My Teeth, while filing the edges with such platinum instruments as Symphony of Destruction, Sweating Bullets, A Tout Le Monde and In My Darkest Hour. The encore song was Holy Wars.

I don't have the full set list simply cause I know I musta forgotten something. So this nicely vague description is what I opted for. I have to say that even if you didn't like the the new album fully, you should've/should gone/go to a gig on this tour.

"You've been amazing. We've been Megadeth. Thank you."

The Rules

2005-02-08T16:55:00.000Z

Here's a compilation of "rules" which I thought were amusing enough to post, from a book called The Rules: A Man’s Guide to Life. I'll just let this following quote from the back cover explain itself:

“These are the rules that apply to every man’s life. They have stood the test of time and have been bound between the covers of a BOOK by Esquire. They are, therefore, true.”
Rule No. 4:
When someone says he is “pumped” about something, it usually means he’s about to do something stupid.

Rule No. 5:
Women who sound sexy on the radio weigh 377 pounds.

Rule No. 12:
No talking at the urinal.

Rule No. 19:
Unless you’re a professional cyclist, or have lost a bet, take off the tight black Lycra biking shorts. Then burn them.

Rule No. 21:
Talk half as much as you listen.

Rule No. 22:
If you have been drinking, arrested, or touring a hostile land full of gun-toting fundamentalists, or if you are the lead singer of Sugar Ray, talk one-fifth as much as you listen.

Rule No. 26:
Lesbians make the best breakfasts.

Rule No. 27:
There is no shame in a good mango.

Rule No. 28:
If you are a mentally retarded character in a movie, it is imperative that your pants be too short.

Rule No. 39:
A sandwich tastes exactly one-third better when it’s made by someone else.

Rule No. 46:
When introducing yourself, you will not amuse anyone by adding, “And I’m an alcoholic.”

Rule No. 47:
Orange things have to be round.

Rule No. 53:
The study of inert gases is best left to professionals.

Rule No. 61:
Two-percent milk is bullshit.

Rule No. 64:
People who tell you they love the taste of eggplant are lying.

Rule No. 66:
The sniffing of one’s finger is a pleasure best indulged discreetly.

Rule No. 67:
Inviting others to sniff one’s finger: more discreetly still.

Rule No. 90:
Never trust a man who uses nautical metaphors.

Rule No. 91:
Never play cards with a man who wears a visor.

Rule No. 103:
When a man turns 23, it’s very important he stop using the word “party” as a verb.

Rule No. 105:
There is no shame in rum raisin ice cream.

Rule No. 113:
The best blind dates are with girls named Kelly or Samantha.

Rule No. 118:
Your car never runs better, faster, or smoother than just after it’s washed.

Rule No. 128:
When in doubt, go bowling.

Rule No. 152:
More nougat.

Rule No. 154:
The best shape is the rectangle.

Rule No. 155:
No straws.

Rule No. 169:
You cut the fat, you cut the flavor.

Rule No. 187:
There is no shame in a well-done steak.

Rule No. 191:
Men named Walter are taken more seriously than men named Jason. Also Billy.

Rule No. 193:
It’s always time for pie!

Rule No. 198:
Don’t fuck with broccoli.

Rule No. 207:
The only thing better than a huge, rich company is when a huger, richer company buys it and afterward the CEOs shake hands. They seem so happy that it’s kind of contagious.

Rule No. 210:
The best religions have great hats.

Rule No. 211:
Crazy men are to be played by Dennis Hopper. Weird men are to be played by Steve Buscemi.

Rule No. 216:
When you have a headache and you are tired and you have not slept for forty-six hours and will not sleep for eight more, people will talk louder, and in Arabic.

Rule No. 223:
The savvy, punctual carpool driver does not offer travel mug coffee to the guy who always has to pee.

Rule No. 235:
The least sexy fruit: the Frankenberry.

Rule No. 247:
Any word employed as a prefix for the word “pants” results in a word that is funny, e.g., finickypants, funkypants, happypants, googlypants, nancypants, and booglybooglypants.

Rule No. 248:
Except for antidisestablishmentarianismpants. Not funny.

Rule No. 264:
If a man is wearing a ring with the papal insignia on it, then he is the Pope, and try not to curse in front of him.

Rule No. 269:
On any road trip, he who is driving gets control of the radio. No exceptions.

Rule No. 270:
Well, if he who is driving is a really big fan of Celine Dion, there should at least be some sort of negotiation.

Rule No. 276:
If you are uncertain how much cologne is enough, you are not allowed to use cologne.

Rule No. 279:
The correct description for any photograph of someone else’s baby is “adorable”. Have this word ready to go before the photograph is shown, so that, even if the baby is shockingly ugly, you can utter “adorable” without hesitation.

Rule No. 284:
A complicated coffee order impresses no one.

Rule No. 292:
There is no shame in cinnamon toast.

Rule No. 293:
There is, however, ample shame in eating a Lean Cuisine entrée at home, alone, pantless, while watching television. Look at yourself, man. Just look at yourself.

Rule No. 299:
A muffin is just a cake in the shape of a mushroom.

Rule No. 317:
Orange marmalade does not qualify as jam.

Rule No. 321:
On forms, where it says “sex”, and you write “yes!” they have the right to crumple up your document and fire rubber bullets at your groin.

Rule No. 329:
If your head’s at the proper angle, smoking actually does make you look cool.

Rule No. 341:
Do not give yourself a nickname.

Rule No. 342:
Do not make up your own catchphrase.

Rule No. 364:
Bald umpires are excellent, no matter the sport.

Rule No. 372:
When in doubt, pick “C”.

Rule No. 383:
The History Channel is not a substitute for reading a book every now and then.

Rule No. 387:
There’s no historical basis for Count Chocula.

Rule No. 398:
Never attempt “this really cool thing I saw on Animal Planet / Crocodile Hunter / The X Games.”

Rule No. 410:
Pretending to conduct an orchestra playing the Mission Impossible theme song will not get you laid.

Rule No. 415:
At the checkout counter on your third date, if she says, “Oh wait, we’re gonna need chocolate syrup,” don’t ask what for, just go get it.

Rule No. 416:
Pretending to get all confused in the elevator and pressing her nipple instead of a floor button will not get you laid.

Rule No. 455:
If a young boy asks you to tell him a story, simply include a house with secret passageways and his satisfaction will be immediate.

Rule No. 480:
If there is danger involved, it is fun.

Rule No. 483:
When a joke is immediately followed by the phrase “Get it?”, the joke’s potential comedic value drops by an estimated 80 percent.

Rule No. 491:
A man over the age of 30 should not pick a fistfight by thrusting out his neck, flexing, and screaming “It’s go time!” to passersby.

Rule No. 497:
Ketchup is back in!

Rule No. 503:
Every dish can be improved with the addition of bacon.

Hope

2005-02-08T16:40:00.000Z

Hope is unquantifiable: you can't differentiate between a little hope and a lot of hope. What it comes down to is the fact that there either is or isn't hope. Hope to me has absolute value, in that it's either positive or non-existent. So if someone says there isn't much hope in something, it doesnt matter. If there is hope, then it is there, and it is realistic.

Skipping Christmas

2005-02-04T13:27:00.000Z

Alright, alright, here we have another book report. Skipping Christmas (Christmas '04 motion picture) by John Grisham is a story of the Kranks, Luther and Nora. Their daughter, Blair, is going away to South America for a year to work with the Peace Corps.

This presents Luther, a 50-year-old lawyer, a chance to save on the hassle of Christmas. His ingenious idea is to take a cruise for ten days and avoid gifts, decorations, parties, and annoying neighbors and relatives. But more importantly, Luther looks forward to avoiding all the costs incurred in over-celebrating the holiday.

In a seemingly tight-knit community, skipping Christmas doesn't come cheap. Countless rumours of what's happening, the neighbors' motivation to be the best decorated street in the area with giant glowing Frostys on every rooftop, and the scouts, the fire department and the police force all selling overpriced crap to raise more money for the holidays than last year. Costs, costs, costs.

The Kranks quickly become the point of scrutiny and bad words and vibes of the community, as they count down the days until their big cruise. Something inevitably goes wrong, and for that reason the Kranks are forced to omit the cruise and set up a full-blown Christmas in less than a day.

This is a short one, like The Bleachers by John Grisham. At first it doesn't seem like it's really getting anywhere, but the ending chapters bring about the signature feelings of most Grisham's novels. It's a Christmas fairy tale of modern times. Grisham builds up the tension that makes the reader root for Luther to slaughter all of his neighbors but masterfully ends it all with enough holiday magic to calm even the most stubborn of readers. A recommended quick read.

Megadeth

2005-01-20T13:49:00.000Z

I'm happy to report that I will be attending the Megadeth gig at Nottingham's Rock City on the 5th of February, as a stop on the band's European leg of the Blackmail The Universe Tour. I finally got my ticket yesterday after about a week of anxiety attacks, due to the venue's systems being down [Hah. "The System Has Failed"] and all ticket sales remained static for that period.

But now I'm in, you motherbitches. Two weeks and then it's on like Donkey Kong. My feelings and thoughts about it will of course be here shortly after that date. Laters.

The Dice Man

2005-01-11T13:35:00.000Z

This is a book I finished around Christmas. Slightly disturbing in parts, fascinating throughout, and provocatively contagious overall. Written by Luke Rhinehart [in the late 60s], this work of fiction tells of a psychiatrist, also named Luke Rhinehart, who is bored of his life with his two children, beautiful wife and arrogant co-workers. Routine has set in and therefore so has unhappiness.

This is a tale of letting the dice choose small everyday decisions and even bigger longer term ones. Rhinehart's quest to rid himself of his personality by being as random as possible, leads himself towards a happier [although manic to others] existence as he also spreads his "dice-living" principles successfully onto others.

It must be said that this story, while humorous, attractive and surprising, has dark, horrifying, and almost psychotic sides to it. All to be completely swallowed and enjoyed by the reader. I would recommend it to any who can stomach a heavier novel. It is also full of worthwhile topics of discussion, from the bizarre to the acutely philosophical. Makes your brain tick every which way, and if that is at all your thing, you should get your hands on this cult classic.

I'm currently waiting for the book shop to get The Book Of The Die, the "bible" of dice-living, which directs the reader with essays, proverbs, cartoons and stories to become a "diceperson" who is not controlled by any systematic patterns. Sounds awesome.

A Message From Beyond Consciousness

2005-01-06T13:58:00.000Z

Well, here's just a little anecdote of what happened on new year's eve. I have just got back to my flat here in Nottingham two hours ago after a flight from Kuala Lumpur to London Heathrow via Hong Kong and a five-hour bus trip here, so I'm feeling exhausted yet comfortably cozy after a shower. Ok, let me try and organize my thoughts long enough to get this down...

A lot of the people left the hostess' place about 4 or 5 in the morning, including this amazing girl I had only known for a short while. She was leaving Malaysia the next day. I asked the rest of the people to stay up and drink and have a good time but all seemed really tired and went to bed. I had a drink or two on the couch and felt supremely alone. Probably more so due to me not being in the presence of this girl anymore. So, sloshed as I was, I decided to record the moment in my journal.

I woke up the next morning, and tried to decipher what I had scribbled in my volatile stage of consciousness. I was quite amazed at the heart-pouring text I'd managed to get down (as I honestly do not remember writing a lot of it), while at the same time trying to connect half finished sentences with apparent words that can best be described as pen-scratchings.

Anyway, this was just a new experience for me, writing and especially later reading this stuff I can't remember writing. Nevertheless, I feel I captured that moment well for myself and I have to be pleased with the poetic side of my drunken scribbles, too:

At one point, towards the end of the message, I describe my loneliness and emptiness by saying "I feel like a memory without a story."

A memory without a story...

...

2004-12-28T15:26:00.000Z

Much annoyance... It's been ages since I've written anything here, and then a week ago I did. It was a great three-book long synopsis of my latest conquests and then the fucking thing went blank and I couldn't rescue my creation. So here are the book reports on the books I wrote about, but because I'm so fucked off, I here write extremely minimally about them.

Jenna Jameson's Autobiography:
Good. Big in size with lots of pictures, and also trust me when I say the words were good fun too. Would recommend to everyone, especially the ladies. They love all that girl-power crap, so this'll warm them nicely if that is what they're looking for. Yes.

The Hummingbird Saint:
Very good. From the author of The Mind Game, Hector Macdonald. Much more philosophical and deep in bits, as altruism and virtues within are discussed at length as a close thing to the central theme of it. Good story in there as well. Kept me glued.

The Da Vinci Code:
Brilliant. One for everyone. If you read this and don't like it, you are a fucking moron. The story is hugely well complemented by [little-known, mostly] facts about Christianity and its roots and secret societies, paintings, rituals, etc. Recommend this more than the first two together. Still, if time and money are of no big concern, go for 'em all.

I've found buying books lately as more of a collecting thing than before. I feel much the same way about it as I do about buying CDs and DVDs. Even if I don't read it right away, it's about expanding the abundance, having an endowment of these things which we'll appreciate in years to come.

Michael's At It Again

2004-11-15T13:26:00.000Z

Found something written by Michael Moore on the result of the US Presidential Election. The attempted humor isn't all that in its entirety, but the facts and figures are nevertheless interesting.

17 Reasons Not To Slit Your Wrists

Switchblade Romance

2004-11-09T13:42:00.000Z

Alright, finally got around to writing about this foreign gem of a horror film. Me and my flatmates went to see it on my request at least a month ago, and when we got to buying our tickets, the woman goes: "It's got subtitles, it's a French film." We bought the tickets anyway, although I could see in the eyes of my flatmate the sense of disappointment and slight agony, as he is the kind of English Englishman, who just hates France, and all about the people and culture.

So that sort of put my ass on the line. In the end, both of my flatmates were ecstatic at how good it ended up being.

The movie is set in a faraway French country house, where Alex takes her friend Marie to stay with her family. The first night, a plump, slow moving farmer complete with a cap, boots and overalls kills the family and chains Alex up and throws her in his battered-up truck. Marie succeeds in hiding from the madman, and actually jumps in the truck with her tied up friend in an attempt to save her. The mad farmer jumps in his seat and sets out for the road, stops at a gas station, Marie jumps out to find help, and eventually, a chase folds out. A chase that is much like a nightmare; no matter how clever your moves and fast your actions, the slow moving, weapon wielding maniac is right around the corner.

If this description won't arise your curiosity to check this film out, then there's one more thing. The end, with the ever-popular twist, will make you sit back in your seat in a sort of "ah..." zone, as you enjoy the simplicity of the story. Yet its diverted originality is something you probably haven't seen before. When you appreciate the story and this twist, you will find yourself looking at specific elements of this movie.

First, the writing and directing work well to tell a story with a horrid feeling linked less to a parody than a documentary of a psycho killer. Quite a big chunk of the film is Marie on her own, and there's silence. No monologues to make sure the audience knows what she's doing or thinking. I really appreciated that. Hollywood seems pretty set on the notion that audiences want reassurance that the film knows they are still there, and in that way direct them throughout the movie. This is not the case in Switchblade Romance. One last thing I paid much attention to was the direction of photography. There are some excellent shots of the killer through a car door frame (one of my favorites in the film), and throughout, it was pleasant to watch.

So I say check it out even if horror is not your "bag". Remember what I said about the twist. It WILL make you think the whole movie through again, in a new paradigm, due to it.

Done. Now: Food Shopping.

Book of Lists

2004-10-12T13:07:00.000+01:00

I bought this little gem not too long ago. It's, like the title says, a list of things. Things of extraordinary and therefore quite fascinating nature. Chapters of War, Politics, Sex, Drugs, and what have you included. Anyway, I just thought it's awesome. From a list of FBI plots to assassinate Castro to a list of the nine people killed in Disneyland makes every second on the toilet precious.

I'll share a bit of pub knowledge now about Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. So, according to this new book I have, he wrote the entire book on a six day cocaine binge in 1886. Some critics have linked some similarities between the potion that makes Jekyll the revolting Hyde to cocaine and apparently can see an overcast of subconscious inputs and therefore more support for the fact that he may have done so. Intriguing, no matter how you look at it.

Back In Uni

2004-09-28T13:48:00.000+01:00

Yeah, been a while. Today I signed up for the next football season after battling it out with myself whether to do it or not. A lot of commitment in terms of time, and it could hurt this year, the last of my degree. Lectures started today, odd being back in some kinda routine. Also signed up at a gym. It's sweet. Going today.

Bought three CDs the other day:

- ESHAM : Repentance
- Non-Phixion : Green CD/DVD
- Ill Bill : What's Wrong With Bill?

The ESHAM album is fuckin awesome. 20 tracks, and the best I've heard from him. My brother bought the Ill Bill joint long ago but I had to have my own copy. It's damn good. The Non-Phixion CD is, I think, an assortment of old and rare tracks, including freestyles, and all in all its not so bad. Actually really good. I love the DVD that came with it. Loads of live performances, and two music videos (I think), plus loads of documentary type stuff and the guys just talkin shit and about the history of Non-Phixion. Completely worth it.

I realised I've read fuck-all during my time back in Nottingham. Suppose I need utter silence and no distractions of any kind, almost isolation to get my head around to it. Sucks. Alright, need to get my ass out there. The world needs me.

The King of Torts

2004-09-10T13:42:00.000+01:00

Time for another book report. I must be getting dangerously mature having read all these books. That, or pathetically secluded in an unsocial world of my own creation. Time will tell.

So this one, again, is written by the ever-masterful John Grisham. Quick synopsis. Clay Carter works at the Office of the Public Defender and jumps at an unforeseeable offer to achieve even his wildest financial dreams. Soon he gets tip after tip about bad drugs that pharmaceutical companies are shoving into the market. This leads to Clay setting up massive lawsuits against big firms all in the name of greed, which fuels his transformation throughout. Of course things go wrong and he wakes up slowly from his dazed existence and the end is a tangled set of resolutions that may leave Clay with nothing.

Great read, with the usual relationship-oriented subplot that adds the extra spice to deviate a little from the banter of the life of a young 31-year-old hot shot "King of Torts".

It took about 80 pages to get really going, but nevertheless, the exposition consisted of incidents that easily kept me in it. And deservedly so, as I enjoyed every page of this story.

Funnily enough, I thought the two-page "Author's Note" in the end was excellent. In it Grisham explains he simply created his own Office of the Public Defender, any resemblance between the real OPD and his is purely coincidental and in Mark Twain's manner, the geography of cities, counties and states don't get in his way. If a street, building or river doesn't fit in his map, he moves, eliminates or creates new ones.

"I would guess that about half the places in this book are described somewhat correctly. The other half either don't exist or have been modified or relocated to such an extent that no one would recognize them. Anyone looking for accuracy is wasting time."

Yes! That's beautiful. He does remind us that he does try to do his research, but half the time, why bother? I just pictured some nerdy types reading this in their book club getting fussy over the location of places and how it makes no sense, and to me that's hilarious. Check this book out if you like Grisham's other work. It won't disappoint.

Buuks

2004-09-09T10:50:00.000+01:00

Bought three books today, but really it was my mom (who bought them books).

First, got Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Since I read Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, I've wanted to get my hands on this one, they always seemed to go together in my head. Very intrigued by it.

"By the dim and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window shutters, I beheld the wretch - the miserable monster whom I had created." - Mary Shelley
Second, a historical non-fiction piece, Holy Blood, Holy Grail by three dudes: Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. They search for a truth about the life of Christ that doesn't fit into the traditional Christian beliefs.

Is it possible Christ did not die on the cross?

Is it possible Jesus was married, a father, and that his bloodline still exists?

Is it possible that parchments found in the South of France a century ago reveal one of the best-kept secrets of Christendom?

Is it possible that these parchments contain the very heart of the mystery of the Holy Grail?

"According to the authors of this extraordinarily provocative, meticulously researched book, not only are these things possible - they are probably true! So revolutionary, so original, so convincing, that the most faithful Christians will be moved; here is the book that has sparked worldwide controversy."

Third, I chose something much light-hearted; a book I saw on the way out and grabbed it in a hurry. Bored of the Rings by Douglas C. Kenney and Henry N. Beard is "laugh-out-loud funny and a tribute to the enduring power of Tolkien's masterpiece." As the more attentive ones probably would have guessed, this is a [best-selling] parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

"Even though it only takes one volume not three, it is a long and perilous journey, for the untrustworthy companions are dogged by the doleful Goddamn and hunted by Sorhed's fearsome minions, the Nozdrul.

Dare you follow them?"

Tickle, tickle

2004-09-08T16:33:00.000+01:00

I remembered that I had taken an IQ test at tickle.com and I thought I'd post my results here, since this place is selfishly about me and a place where i take my thoughts, albeit I don't think anyone but me comes here. Works well that way, I can talk and play it out for an invisible audience in a scitzofrenic manner. Hm. Yes.

Anyway, the test took fuckin' ages, but it was good fun. Definitely the best [IQ] test I've taken online. Here's what I got back:

"Congratulations, J ! [Edit: Name changed due to national security issues]
Your IQ score is 133.

This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others.

Your Intellectual Type is Visual Mathematician. This means you are gifted at spotting patterns — both in pictures and in numbers. These talents combined with your overall high intelligence make you good at understanding the big picture, which is why people trust your instincts and turn to you for direction — especially in the
workplace. And that's just some of what we know about you from your test results."

VISUAL MATHEMATICIAN!?!!

Wonderful. Splendid.

What "big picture" are they talking about? They're on to me... I suppose it was only a simple matter of time before someone weaseled out my plans of complete world domination. Yet another Wednesday wasted.

Three Stools

2004-09-03T13:02:00.000+01:00

Three Stools may be the name of me and my flatmates' film company. First expression of logo type thing, as on paper, not so good. Here it is.

Trip Search

2004-09-02T16:35:00.000+01:00

Made another mix CD. This time it's artists like Morcheeba and Portishead doing their trip hop sort of thing. All together there's 49 tracks. Fuckin' awesome for late night chilling or just to listen on your own. So good. I discovered some sweet beats and songs while doing it, went through like 100 different ones. Also, in the very last track by Morcheeba, "In The Hands Of The Gods", Biz Markie does his rap-a-doo-dah and it reminded me I need to buy Biz Markie, he's good. Anyhoo, here's da cover for Trip Search. The name by the way is a lame half-ass pun of strip search, and somehow it's meant to mean something, but I forgot what. I have succeeded once again. Thank you, thank you.

Open Your Eyes

2004-08-30T15:37:00.000+01:00

Watched Vanilla Sky today again for a long time, and it was a good experience, especially after reading Dr. Dyer's You'll See It When You Believe It. The idea of the Lucid Dream is how Dr. Dyer looks at life and teaches people to live and therefore to think within certain parameters. "Everything that we need for the [waking] dream is created by us, even the people whom we experience as difficult." This is a part of Dr. Dyer's principle, that we create everything that is the whole of our lives, physical and, well, non-physical. I'm sure there's a word for that. All that's in the June section of the blog. Cool stuff.

Just made me think about whether the Spanish dudes who first wrote/made the film [Abre Los Ojos] had possibly read Dr. Dyer's stuff or if they have same views on life, or anything like that. I wonder how common these beliefs/ideas/thoughts actually are in people to the extent where they aren't just subconscious. It's tough to really get across what I'm thinking, but just the fact that I had read Dr. Dyer's book gave me so much more to enjoy and throw around in my head while watching the movie was incentive enough to write about it. Epiphany-like. Almost feels like I've had just a bit too much coffee. Yeah, that's how it is.

YAAFM

2004-08-25T14:29:00.000+01:00

Just finished watching these superfunny animations at zipperfish.com, in the Toonz Section. Check out the "You Are A Fucking Moron" bits hosted in hell by a dragon(?) named Reginold , they're hilarious, especially the one about Bush. Goodbye.

CD Cover

2004-08-25T13:20:00.000+01:00

Check it out, my jungle friends. The cover for my newest mix CD. It's gonna be all mixes done by me from acapellas and instrumentals and then all them blended together to be most efficiently pro. I thought this cover is the bomb diggity.

Mushrooms

2004-08-23T19:53:00.000+01:00

Check this out. Now that's cool. I thought about using this pic for a background on the blog, but I decided not to. Also, got tired of trial & error procedure to figure out how to do it. Real cool nevertheless.

Boozy Bear Plunders Campers' Beer

2004-08-22T15:01:00.000+01:00

If you're at all a fun human being, you must appreciate little things like the existence of monkeys and ferrets and things. Well here's a news article about a black bear who guzzled down about 36 cans of beer. He was shooed away but came back the next day. What a legend! Donuts, and also two cans of beer were used for his capture. Hilarious.

Psycho Twist

2004-08-21T18:59:00.000+01:00

Cool, cool. Been a while. I'm done with an essay I had to write over the summer for uni, so I feel like I just got out of school and shit, got nothing to do now. My summer so far has mainly consisted of dogsitting and worrying about the essay. Finally I'm living a normal summer. About three weeks of that, then I'm back to Nottingham. Anyway, I made another mix CD, this one full of psychorap stuff, and done again with all blending and shit so it flows nice. Track listing:

1. Trapped In A Psycho's Body - Tech N9ne
2. Take Me Away - Insane Clown Posse
3. Serial Killa - Twiztid
4. Body Bag - Project: Deadman
5. Freestyle - Blaze Ya Dead Homie
6. Kansas City King - Tech N9ne
7. Pass The Axe - Dark Lotus
8. Strange Nigga - Tech N9ne
9. Run That - Psychopathic Rydas
10. The PDM Is Coming - Project: Deadman
11. Freestyle - Anybody Killa
12. Freestyle - Jamie Madrox
13. Pot Of Gold - Empire
14. Sing My Song - Empire
15. Be Jealous - Tech N9ne
16. Hollywood, I'm Coming - Twiztid
17. Thug By Nature - Layzie Bone
18. Afraid Of Me - Twiztid
19. Do What I Do - Empire
20. Real G Shit - Blaze Ya Dead Homie
21. I'll Pass - Tech N9ne
22. The Jump In - Empire
23. Some Fuckin' How - Violent J
24. Scrimps And Juice - Psychopathic Rydas
25. Sometimes - Tech N9ne
26. Draw The Line - Empire
27. Freestyle - Tech N9ne
28. Mama I Ain't Changed - Colton Grundy
29. That's Me - Dark Lotus
30. T9X - Tech N9ne
31. The Ways Of The World - Empire
32. Access Denied - Project: Deadman
33. Thug Pit - Insane Clown Posse, Esham, Kottonmouth Kings,
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Tech N9ne
34. Darkness - Twiztid
I know Empire isn't exactly dark and evil but they got Tech N9ne on a song, so, a link there. Also, it's fuckin awesome. Superb production. Layzie Bone's track also not too dark and shit but Bone Thugs are cool, and he's on a wicked song on the album, so a link there. Yes. Also Psychopathic Rydas isn't dark just gangsta, and it's sweet as shit. Big Daddy Coconut up in this muthafucka.

Comedy Men

2004-08-13T16:10:00.000+01:00

Added a few links to my links bit. Most recently the websites of funny dudes Louis CK and voice of anemic radio DJ in Reservoir Dogs, a long-time favourite of mine, Steven Wright.

Definite highlights are Louis CK's downloadable videos and Steven Wright's article, "The Beach". Hilarious dudes. Check 'em out.

It's Me

2004-08-01T11:36:00.000+01:00

I found these pics of me that I once sent to everyone on my mailing list and recovered them from the murky mist of the cyberworld. So I present to you three pieces of photographic evidence that I do exist. Two from my first year in university and one from the army. They are a bit low quality (in terms of identification) but it's cos I like fuckin' around on Photoshop and partly because the CIA is trying to kill me. And they're after me for information that I have too...

The Street Lawyer

2004-08-01T09:45:00.000+01:00

Finished The Street Lawyer by John Grisham no longer than ten minutes ago. It's surrounded by an important social issue, homelessness, while delivering the transformation of Michael Brock, a to-be associate of Drake & Sweeney, a big law firm in Washington DC.

This story opens with more action I've experienced in Grisham's books yet; an incident which consequentially triggers Michael's transformation from hotshot lawyer to street lawyer, helping the homeless with problems no one else wants to lend an ear to.

Being again in touch with the notion (making things right ethically, justice for all) he thought he once felt going to law school instead of a career driven by greed, Michael runs into a secret at his own firm which he just can't let go unpunished. Michael is in possession of a controversial and confidential document, and the war begins with his former colleagues.

This book has definitely been the most different of Grisham's books that I've read; touching, I'm sure, any reader with his descriptions and seemingly thorough research of lives of the homeless. The social importance of this story should get corporate executives with their millions acting without so much indifference towards the world outside their own.

Although peculiarly slow at a point, I stayed interested every stage of the way, which underlines Grisham's abilities as a skilled author to captivate his audiences. Most definitely not a disappointment.

The Mind Game

2004-07-31T18:56:00.000+01:00

Ok, a little late on my book report but here it finally is. So I finished The Mind Game by Hector Macdonald a while ago, but I still catch myself looking back at it.

It's the greatest book I've ever read in terms of the spectrum of sensations and emotions it goes through. During the course of the whole book, I found myself feeling exactly as the main character, Ben, felt. When he was surprised, I was surprised, and in a genuine way as well. I didn't question why he might be feeling the way he did, which led me to experience his rough ride very closely and this may be the reason I enjoyed it so much.

Ben is approached by his tutor at Oxford University to try out a new piece of emotion recording technology. I think that's the big thing of it. I could tell you some things that happen afterwards, but it'd be pointless as it may ruin some of the story.

Ben's experience, as soon as he climbs aboard the experiment, is a huge game theoretical situation; how to make his moves, whether to be cooperative or uncooperative. As I find game theory in general very fascinating, I could analyze different situations as purely game theoretical ones. In fact, Ben has to actually sit through a real-life Prisoner's Dilemma and as this game for Ben was a one-off occurrence, he had no previous results to relate to and has to make his decision on his toes.

Like I mentioned earlier, this book goes through an array of emotions, which is why it should be a good read to a wide audience. Of course its main genre would be thriller, but there's much more than that. Generous portions of humor, romance, drama, action, science-fiction and possibly even fantasy and history make this a superbly well rounded piece of work so brilliantly laid out it's tough to find one like it. The ending, and how that was constructed, really appealed to me as well. One of the best by far, leaving with a feel-good sense of accomplishment and nostalgia, I must have re-read the last few paragraphs about five times.

Never got bored of it, never really knew what to expect, never read something like this. Recommended most exponentially.

Games & Gadgets

2004-07-30T13:51:00.000+01:00

I've rediscovered this sparkle of interest in board games and such today, and been trying to locate a place here in Finland where I could buy a Millennium Chess set. While searching, I thought I'd pop in and look around at firebox.co.uk, amongst their many gadgets and toys. While I didn't find what I was looking for, I made some cool discoveries. Here's what:

Bladder - A board game, cross between football and chess. Sounds very interesting. As I enjoy chess immensely, this goes straight to the top of my must-acquire list.

Casino Dice - Just some genuine high class dice. Nice Nice.

Luxury Poker Chip Set - I don't think I'd consider buying this, but it'd be fuckin' sweet, nevertheless.

Chairs - Sort of like Jenga and Buckaroo. Could be good, not too expensive either.

Cathedral Classic - Some kind of strategic puzzle game played against another person. The pieces look fun and it seems like a very addictive litte thing. Pretty sweet.

Cat-A-Pult - Total and utter genius, this toy. Hurl foam kitties around with the help of five catapults to have hours of unadulterated childlike fun with awe-aspiring combinations. I could easily think of numerous drinking games with these bad boys. The money would be totally worth it. Check out the demonstration video. I got so giddy watching it, I almost shat myself.

Bomb Diggity

2004-07-25T15:06:00.000+01:00

I finished a supreme compilation CD the other day consisting of 41 tracks (including intro & outro). I mixed the songs, of which none are of course complete in length, with a handy little virtual DJ tool, AtomixMp3. Then just separated them with Windows Sound Recorder in order to keep the continuous DJ flow throughout the whole CD. Very excited. Specifically, my intro going into the first track came out way better than I'd anticipated. The whole process took ages, but it's worth it. Below I've added the track listing. Yeah.

1. Introduction
2. Ohh - De La Soul feat. Redman
3. Put It In Your Mouth - Akinyele
4. Hypnotise - Notorious BIG
5. Say Goodbye To Yesterday - Non-Phixion
6. No Diggity - Black Street feat. Dr. Dre
7. Get Down - Nas
8. PR 2K1 - Tech N9ne
9. Enjoy Yourself - A+
10. Stamina - Tech N9ne
11. If I Can't - 50 Cent
12. Regulate - Warren G
13. Let Me Holla At Cha - Black Haze
14. Changes - 2Pac
15. Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio
16. Fu-Ge-La - Fugees
17. Break Ya Neck - Busta Rhymes
18. Who Shot Ya - Notorious BIG
19. Renagade - Jay-Z feat. Eminem
20. Imma Tell - Tech N9ne
21. I'm A Playa - Tech N9ne
22. Nuthin' But A G Thang - Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg
23. American History X - Ill Bill
24. Ebonics - Big L
25. (Rap) Superstar - Cypress Hill
26. I Can - Nas
27. Parking Lot Pimpin' - Jay-Z
28. Hello - Ice Cube feat. Dr. Dre & MC Ren
29. Full Clip - Gang Starr
30. Shook Ones Pt. II - Mobb Deep
31. Do U Wanna Ride - Black Haze
32. Rock Stars - Non-Phixion
33. Life Goes On - 2Pac
34. Imma Die A Hustla - Black Haze
35. Juicy - Notorious BIG
36. Slacker - Tech N9ne
37. Today Was A Good Day - Ice Cube
38. Invincible - CNN
39. 1st Of Tha Month - Bone Thugs N Harmony
40. What Would You Do - Paris
41. Outro

Island In The Sun

2004-07-18T15:30:00.000+01:00

Today, after taking a walk with the dog, I sat in the sun in the backyard reading Trevor Macdonald's The Mind Game, drinking water and eating fruit for a good two hours. The sky was completely void of clouds and my face and forearms were feeling the sun's calming warmth as I experienced this summer's best personal moment yet.

The characters in The Mind Game are at a tourist resort in Kenya, and I could completely connect to it on a dream level, being in the atmosphere as I was. With a CD compilation of mine consisting mainly of trip hop acts like Morcheeba and Portishead (imaginatively titled "Trippidy") soothing in the background, I could concentrate on the slight breeze and taking in the entertainment that flowed up at me from the story. Without sounding too gay, I was almost magically comfortable and enjoyed every minute of it. No one to bother me, just my thoughts and a good book to accompany me.

At one point, Macdonald was describing the hot scenery and some of the characters consuming bottles of cold beer, and I realised the only thing that could've made my two hours even more complete would've been a bottle or twelve of ice cold Corona or Sol. I easily could've knocked back quite a few and still be out there, just sitting around, laid my book aside, and taken in the relative peace that settled on this Sunday afternoon.

Had to report this. A definite high. I'd almost forgotten what it's like to be in warm weather. The setting of the beach-embedded Kenyan coast in the book made me yearn for the beaches of South-East Asia. Now I'm looking forward even more eagerly to my holiday to Kuala Lumpur next Christmas break. Can't wait.

Also, this book is very good. It's only now gettin' going in a big way. More on that later.

Doggy Dogg World

2004-07-17T17:02:00.000+01:00

I read this somewhere a while back and it just came back to me for some reason, so here it is, some pub knowledge for all:

Dogs have up to 100 facial expressions, and this is the way they communicate to other dogs of their feelings and therefore messages. However, some dogs (such as Bulldogs and Pitbulls) have only 10 expressions, and thus get often misinterpreted by other dogs. Here then is the reason why Bulldogs and Pitbulls are in fights with other dogs more frequently.

So really it's not their fault.

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

2004-07-17T16:05:00.000+01:00

Finished it. It was good. Very good, actually. The language used by R.L.S. (Robert Louis Stevenson) is magnificent and he easily sets a sinister tone over every single incident and scenario in this story. So many times I had to pause and go back merely because it was so well and beautifully written. Also, because I couldn't understand quite a few of the lines.

I haven't met anyone who has read this in school, and I think it could be a good break from the usual Gatsbys and Hamlets. Plus, it's only about 76 pages long, it's about a dark subject, and mysterious throughout. For teachers everywhere it also hands out opportunities to talk about recurring themes and other literature jargon they so much want to delve into. Overall I see no reason why this couldn't be a part of the criteria for any English class.

I can only give a limited review of this as I'm afraid I'll give something away by rambling on about it. So, if you haven't read this, here is a short description of what's going on.

Dr. Jekyll is elderly, warm and highly thought of by his peers. He has two close friends, Mr. Utterson and Dr. Lanyon. Mr. Hyde is a repulsively negative younger character also much smaller in stature, who seems to repel everyone around him with his aura of evil. The peculiarity of it all is in the connection of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Mainly, Mr. Utterson (who is Jekyll's lawyer) is disturbed by the terms of Dr. Jekyll's will, which bequeaths everything that is Jekyll's to Mr. Hyde, shall he die or be missing for more than three months. Strange things like this get Mr. Utterson thinking and bit by bit there begins a "conquest" to reveal the mysteries about this peculiar relationship that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde share.

I don't want to say anything more at all. Here below is a quote once again about Mr. Hyde. There's so many well written phrases about him in this story, and this is just one of them:

"... A being inherently malign and villainous; his every act and thought centered on self; drinking pleasure with bestial avidity from any degree of torture to another; relentless like a man of stone."
Here's another definite favorite of mine:

"... All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil."
Whooaaahahahaaa... That's the shiznit fo' sheezay. Yes, yes, yes. The depth of R.L.S.'s detail and ability to bring out this evil that he describes is crazy, I just keep reading these quotes over and over, without getting tired of them. These types of descriptions he then spreads out to a more subtle level throughout the whole story, blanketing its tone in the immovable shadow of Satan.

Truly recommended to all, and at 76 pages in all its glory, it's a crime really not to, isn't it?

Tattoos

2004-07-15T20:39:00.000+01:00

So, I've wanted to get a tattoo for a while, and I still haven't really come across anything I liked, but I have figured that the best thing is to get something that stays with you. So not a favorite band, girlfriend name or a saying you like or something. I thought if I do get one ever it'll be a scorpion because that's my horoscope dealio. That could go with my birthdate or something. I'll never quit being a Scorpio, right, so it's better than just gettin' some "cool" picture that you'll end up disliking after a year. Also, I think these days people just get tattoos to get a tattoo. You know, there isn't a lot of thought put into it, it's done for fashion and it makes me sick.

I always think tattoos are very personal, and should be more than just clothes you have on your back. These days dudes go out gettin' them normal collared, short-sleeved shirts for like 50 British fuckin' Pounds! For what?! You're paying to be a sheep! Me for one I don't like doing shopping for clothes because it's so irritating, everything is expensive and rarely I find something I'd wear. Ridiculous.

Right. But tattoos... Below is a scorpion I drew from some photo on the internet, I'm guessing. It's the best I got of my own drawings, and still it's not what I'm looking for.

I've been to one or two tattoo places and they just don't seem to have good scorpion art there. Plus it would make it even more meaningful if I drew it. Then I wouldn't have another person's signature style/art/handiwork on me. These three tattoo designs below are ones I wish not to even go near. They just seem a bit... Gay. There, I said it. Although the Celtic looking one ain't so bad, still no. No Celtic scorpions.

These next two I'm iffy with, because they could be borderline crap, so I'd have to find some kind of variation that makes them have a personality. They just sort of, are there.

Then there's the possibility of it being more cartoonesque, and not a perfect duplicate of the natural form that is a scorpion as we'd expect to see. It would be good if it was aggressive looking and not, again, just sitting there being a scorpion. Let's add an adjective somewhere. How about a "scary" scorpion, or a "fierce" scorpion. Something like that. Anyway, below are two more cartoony ones, the one with the purple background actually taken from Madden NFL 2003.

So I need to add together the cartoon style, then add character to it, yet keeping it simple like a bold tribal(ish) example. And of course I'd prefer it if it was drawn, or even re-drawn by me and if black was the only color used in it.

Funny story, to end things. This guy I know asked me if I thought it'd be wrong if he got a crucifix tattooed on him. I asked him a few questions and turns out he is not one bit religious. I mean, forget Christianity, there was not one cell on him that could've spoken up for holding any beliefs of a life after death or of the existence of some higher being. Nothing. So then I ask if it has some other significance, relating to possibly family, or any principles he may have. Nope. Yeah, probably not the best idea then, buddy.

He's like one of those dudes in the UK startin' to wear "punk" clothes (which by the way cost more than Michael Jackson's nuts) with like anarchy symbols and shit and couldn't probably even spell the word. That makes me sick. People fuckin' think anarchy = chaos. The other popular thing for them to say is that anarchists "don't believe in anything". How untrue. The very core of anarchy is the belief in no government. That doesn't mean "no system", per se. This whole thing of trying to be something you're not, for fashion, is really what the tattoo thing comes around to. And to say the last thing about the punk outrage, punk is a cultural thing, I'm sure over 75% of those people couldn't tell me what punk is in a cultural sense. I've encountered the same deal with people's beliefs in the hip-hop culture, as well as skinheads as a cultural phenomenon.

But enough of that. It does really get to me, this fashion world. But I am glad to say this guy who asked about the crucifix tattoo came to his senses and finally realised what I've been saying about the scorpion thing: It's you, it means nothing more, nothing less, it can look good while being more meaningful than a vast majority of tattoo wearers' "body art".

Woman Driver Goes For A Dive

2004-07-13T15:11:00.001+01:00

Hehe, this here picture is the result of Mimi Campanella "crossing the intersection ... and overcompensating for an oncoming car". Beautiful. Read the short article; SUV Takes Plunge In Hawai'i Kai by clicking here.

I'm A Sleep-Rapper

2004-07-11T19:41:00.000+01:00

Yeah.

I stayed at my cousin's place last night and he said when I was asleep I was talking really fast and/or rapping. He said I at least said, In Lil' Poot's voice (character created by Monoxide Child of rap group Twiztid), with the lisp: "Whusshup shun?". Hah. I guess it's not so amusing unless you know who that is, but still the rappin' bit's pretty funny. Just goes to show how truly talented I am. Can nobody stop me!

Tech N9ne

2004-07-08T13:29:00.000+01:00

For those who don't know, Tech N9ne is one of my favorite musical acts, a rapper from Kansas City, MO. Here's a good interview for any other Tech N9ne fans, and an excellent introduction to everyone else. Click the photo to get there.

Also check out Tech's site, and then get your ass to the record store and buy that shit.

Mr. Hyde

2004-07-07T16:29:00.000+01:00

Started reading Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde", and this just sounds awesome; one Mr. Enfield's description of Mr. Hyde in a story he is telling Mr. Utterson:

"I never saw a circle of such hateful faces; and there was the man in the middle, with a kind of black, sneering coolness-frightened too, I could see that-but carrying it off, sir, really like Satan."

The Brethren

2004-07-07T13:22:00.000+01:00

Finished The Brethren, by John Grisham, last week sometime and it was just as interesting as The Bleachers and my introductory novel, A Painted House, to Grisham's tales.

The Brethren is damn good read, mainly consisting of two separate plots that involve three convicted ex-judges, who call themselves "The Brethren", and a presidential candidate Aaron Lake, who's more or less just a chief CIA boss's puppet to do what he wants when Lake is elected president of the U.S.

The Brethren spend their time in a low security prison writing extortion letters to wealthy gay men, whose secrets are unknown to their wives, relatives, business associates, etc. These two plots intertwine and show the capacity and sometimes inhumane actions taken by the people in power, namely the CIA. It really builds a few links to the similar actions of the U.S. government portrayed in the infowars.com film "911: The Road To Tyranny" by Alex Jones.

Having seen the film not too long ago for the first time made the experience of reading this book even more intense and thought provoking, the timing of which happened completely randomly. An example of the similarity of a few things in the book that demonstrate the ugly side of a governing power would be the CIA blowing up a U.S. embassy abroad (intentionally at a time when it was cramped with Americans) in order to give the Aaron Lake message (to double the nation's military spending) in the presidential race a weighted importance, to make the ordinary citizen scared and therefore be in favour of this war against the "terrorists" who would take innocent American lives.

This is all very contemporary, and perhaps that's why it was an even more compelling read. I recommend it to anyone at all, and more so to those who find these topics interesting. It is very much not even half about the CIA, but that's the sort of undertone it gives such powerful organisations. With Grisham's easy to follow commentary and colourful characters, this is an easy read from start to finish, with the occasional sprinkle of Grishamesque humor. Extremely entertaining.

Scared, A Coward Or Just Plain Smart?

2004-07-04T19:02:00.000+01:00

I thought I'd share a little something I remember thinking when watching the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film in question is not particular, but the genre has a big role in this.

Do you ever find yourself watching a horror flick and sending the characters telepathic messages on how to act? "Don't trust that crazy old man, he's missing three fingers, for fuck's sake!", or "You've heard that weird noise four times now, you're alone, and your friends don't respond when you yell for them. Shouldn't you get the fuck out?" Or even possibly, "Look behind you!" ?

Now, I don't know about you, but I certainly have thought those things. Kids in horror flicks always do the opposite of what they should, and you're cursing them out because it's inevitably certain doom that they're facing. So, let's say you and your friends are out somewhere, maybe in the woods, and get to a gate, and in the distance, there's a house. You don't know who owns it, if there's people there, or whether it's made of chocolate. You just don't know anything about it. The house is about 20 meters away from the gate, and someone gets the idea to jump it to "investigate" the house. Maybe you don't like the idea, and maybe you express this opinion of yours and the rest of the kids go up to the house without you and return in a matter of minutes only to call you a coward, or something even more creative.

Ok, that would most likely be me, outside the gate. And it surely isn't because I'm scared, which I'm not, but because going up to the house is exactly what a kid in a horror flick would do. If I actually believe that going up to the house is a definite action of a kid in a horror movie, I regard that as tempting death. Since this is a big belief of mine, I am less likely to be swayed by anyone to go there, because that would make me hypocritical, and it's not what I want to be.

Overall, it's just playing it safe, isn't it? And I'm not talking about believing in God just in case there's a heaven and in the end of your life, you "deserve" paradise because you "believed". I have a feeling people like that get to see heaven, but they're waited on by a bunch of pissed off angels with baseball bats. Anyway, that's not exactly the same thing.

If you believe this notion of tempting death, then you have faith in not acting like horror movie kids, and will not be easily swayed to do something like that. Here's the kicker, though. As soon as you start believing what I'm saying, you don't want to go back, because you know the remote possibility of leatherface hanging you on a hook is still there and it's very real. If you throw this away and go back to tempting death, honestly, how stupid would you just feel if you hanging on a hook became reality?

So are you being a coward, are you scared? I say no. You're just playing it smart.

Sleep on that, folks.

Amy Dumas

2004-07-04T11:26:00.000+01:00

Well, well... Another woman I've adored for ages. Had to post this many photos here, just had to. She's athletic, slightly muscular, very pretty. Of course, to a lot known as Lita from the WWE. Some kind of supreme being. Enjoy.

Is It How You Say It?

2004-07-02T12:36:00.000+01:00

I don't know why I've been thinking of such things, but I keep analyzing different people and their actions as if I was a top psychiatrist or psychodoctor. I think it really started once me and assorted flatmates in university started bitching about other people whose annoying habits were brought to the forefront as a result of living together in quite close quarters. I think we found it important to make our complaints "official" and therefore "non-bitchy" by using intelligent vocabulary and somewhat logical thought processes. No matter how much we tried, in the end, we were bitching about people, whichever way you take it.

But now I'm doing it again, to myself, with myself, and I found a loophole that since I'm not sharing these conversations with anyone, it can't be bitching. Right? Well, just thinking about people in my head and what they've said and how they've acted in the past, I've been sucked into a whirlwind and have concentrated on the old saying, "It's not what you say, it's how you say it."

I've thought about this before and never have I really got anywhere. Before I begin, I'd like to point out that again, those who don't necessarily understand this notion or don't want to even consider it are probably not highly communicatively capable. Alright, I don't have a huge argument to back up anything, I'd just like to report an incident where this old saying can be utilized to its fullest.

Myself and a flatmate of mine were once again bored out of our minds and were thinking of watching some film, and I suggested one film of mine. This person's response: "No way, it's fuckin' shyte!" Hmmm. My initial reaction: "How dare you?" Because I happened to like the film, I went into defensive mode and got offended by a simple comment like that. And it's not necessarily in the message of the comment, but it's how it was worded that got to me. First, it's a film I like and own, and this person slurs this comment as if it were the universal truth by claiming its "fuckin' shyte". Of course I was able to overlook it in a second or two because I was certain he meant, "No, I don't really like that film, how about something else?" These two answers can be interpreted as the same, or as very different, depending on how you look at it.

It's certainly not what you say, because here these comments are saying the same thing, but are said in different ways. There's a difference in how it's being said. Saying the film is "shyte", and judging it like that is at the same time saying that my judgement of "good" films is crap and "what the fuck did you actually spend money on that for?"

Like my earlier post about the stupidest question I've been asked, here's another example of the tiny issues of sensitivities that most of us don't even see in our lives and then wonder what it is they possibly could've said to upset someone. If I was an unstable-minded person I could well have sulked about it for a while. However that last comment is a bit vague and paradoxical in nature. I dare to proclaim that most people who have the mental capacity and therefore knowledge of their own thoughts and minds would not be persons to sulk about such a thing, because they would know better. So what I'm trying to conclude is that those people who disperse such comments around them, those who take those comments wrongly and the people that don't relate to the saying discussed herein, are poor communicators and conversationalists. This is again what my babble boils down to. Take it in any way you wish.

I get irritated not because I may be psychologically hurt by comments like this, but because people I consider friends and people I care about talk as if they know what they're talking about and don't give anyone a chance to dispute what they said and ignore anyone with a question that may put them in a tight spot in order to teach that person something new. That can probably be taken as some type of definition of narrow-mindedness.

How you say something determines what you eventually say.

Very Cool Little Film

2004-06-30T15:25:00.000+01:00

I'm not sure how to introduce this, without giving much away and making you wanna see it, but it's just some very short film made by some guy. I thought it's hilarious and pretty well done as well, but check it out. It's a .mov file and loads up on the page when you click on the link below. Enjoy. Thanks to Nick Dempsey for the link.

Woodpecker Film OY

Principle #7: Saturday

2004-06-27T20:47:00.000+01:00

The only way you know you are dreaming is to awaken.

Today you can practice awakening, that is, dying while you are alive, and look back at what you judged you needed to do for your life. Begin to realise that everything that you experience is a thought. The cookie that you want to eat, the anger you feel at your spouse or children because they refused to act in a certain way, is only a thought. You are invisible and impervious to the senses for a day, and you can almost laugh at yourself for acting so foolishly as to immobilize yourself through the avenue of thought. Both harmonious and disharmonious thoughts reflect your beliefs about your world. In this life, in this dimension of wakefulness, you simply cannot give away what you do not have. Watch what you give away all day long, and realise that the only way you will ever get a form harmonious grip on how to live out this illusion is to awaken to another dimension and view all of your actions from the new perspective.

Conclusion:
So ends a week of working each day at being awakening dreamer. Knowing that we only have moments to live, rather than weeks and months, we can begin to use this awareness to make our everyday lives a state of wakefulness as unlimited as that which we experience in our dreaming body.

Keep seven words uppermost in your mind and think on the wisdom that is behind them. From the Prince of Peace, "As ye thinks, so shall ye be."

Principle #6: Friday

2004-06-25T07:16:00.000+01:00

The reactions are real, the characters are illusions.

Today is the day to soar in a transformational sense. Look at how you play out the reactions to all of the characters and events that you create for your life. Remind yourself that all of the feelings that you experience within you are all very real for you, but the characters are your creation. Today study how you are reacting to all of the externals that you have created for your life, concentrate on how you are processing your thoughts. Imagine waking up from your dream and being upset all day long because one of the characters in your dream did not behave the way you thought he or she should. You know enough to simply say, "That was a dream", and then get on with living. Today, you can use that very same strategy and refuse to be immobilized by the actions of anyone else.

Rena Sofer

2004-06-24T17:34:00.000+01:00

I was watching the TV program Ed [Bowling alley owner & lawyer] the other day for the first time in a long time and anyhew, there's this woman in it called Bonnie Hane played by a sight-blindingly (it's a word, yeah) pretty woman called Rena Sofer. My goodness... I had to post these photos here. Just look into the eyes. Melt muthafucka, MELT!!!

Principle #5: Thursday

2004-06-24T17:01:00.000+01:00

You create everything that you need for the dream.

As waking dreamers we know deep within that when we die our consciousness will live on in a new dimension, and that everything experienced on our present level of wakefulness will appear as an illusion. Thus, just as in the dreaming body, everything that we need for the waking dream is created by us, even the people whom we experience as difficult. Today, concentrate on asking yourself, "Why did I create this in my life?" Take responsibility for everything that is in your life, believing that you created it all. Everything that happens to us is in some way a mirroring of our inner beliefs. When you really and truly know that you create every aspect of your daily life, then you will learn to discontinue disharmony or to discover its message. When you no longer need to learn how to deal with disharmony in your life, you will stop creating it, and you will create love and harmony virtually everywhere you turn.

I Am Writing A Movie Script

2004-06-23T10:59:00.000+01:00

That's right. Since I'm house- and dogsitting for my parents for about six weeks, I've had the aspiration to start this Blog, watch endless amounts of Euro 2004 coverage and even start writing a movie.

The Problem:
I am horrible coming up with intriuging plots or exciting incidents.
The Solution:
Have no plot.
There. Easy. So far I have nine handwritten sides of A4 done, consisting of conversations I've had with my flatmates in Nottingham. These are therefore based on non-fictitious events sprinkled with a generous amount of fiction. Mostly, there is little action, just dialogue, that has me interested in still writing more. This 'movie' is meant to be a magnified participant-observation of friendship. But that's the 'artistic' part of it. (And trust me, I've invested a lot of thought into that part of it as well, so it's not a complete waste of time.) Mostly it makes no sense and contains random event/conversation after another, riddled ofcourse with the sort of sarcasm and arbitrary points and turns within conversations that we sometimes have.

That's it. I may publish some snippets of it here, but if you're a loser and visit this place every day, be warned: It'll take a fuckin long time, if I even happen to do at all.

Second, I've come up with some film company names that we (me, Paul and Karl [flatmates] ) could use if we ever try anything like this. We have promised ourselves to start making short films to amuse our little minds. Here's the list, and worry not if you don't like or 'get' them, most of them have more meaning to us. Oh yeah, so if Paul or Karl visit this place, please let me know of any other ideas or if you like any of these:

- Sandwich Factory
- Three Stools
- Boys' Flat
- Wasted Time
- Century Club
- Monkey Tree
- Breakfast Bar
- Rabbit Kennel
- Burns Street
- 3rd Year
- Flat 3
- Ballistic Dreams
- Too Much Juice
- Punching Game
- Shattered Windows
- Steam Shower
- Gay Toilet
- Poker Night
- Your Mother
- Scrappy Girl

They'd be used as in "Your Mother Presents...", "Brought to you by Too Much Juice" or "A Film by Burns Street". Stuff like that.

Principle #4: Wednesday

2004-06-23T10:51:00.000+01:00

Every obstacle is an opportunity.

Today, welcome any disorderly or unpleasant behaviour toward you from other people, as an opportunity to remind yourself that they are only talking to your form. Use the obstacle to connect with your inner self. Know that they cannot have your divineness unless you choose to share it with them. Set judgement toward yourself and others aside, and instead observe what you are feeling, and let those feelings free you. Today, Wednesday, you are becoming a waking dreamer, turning obstacles into opportunities while in your waking body, just as you do when you are in your dreaming body.

Principle #3: Tuesday

2004-06-22T11:48:00.000+01:00

There is no beginning and no end.

This is forever right here and now. Without time as a factor in this metaphysical experiment, today and a million years are the same. You are eternal, and the invisible essence of you can never die. Attachment to things you can never own will diminish significantly. The fact that you can come and go in your dreaming body independent of any time constraints gives you evidence that the dimension of thought is not something to fear, but something to savor. Today, Tuesday, live each moment as if it were the eternity that it is, savoring everything there is to appreciate in every moment. Make it a habit beginning today. One moment at a time. One eternity at a time.

The Most Idiotic Question I've Ever Been Asked

2004-06-21T11:43:00.000+01:00

"Do you have normal Christmas in Finland?"

I was so overwhelmed by the the stupidity and ignorance expressed in those seven little words at the time of being asked the question, I couldn't take it all in rationally to say any one thing to reply anything to this person.

SYSTEM OVERLOAD!

To me, there's just so many things outright WRONG with this question. First I see this subconscious notion in the person's head that their way, their tradition, their country in which their traditional Christmas customs are practised is by far on a higher pedestal than any other. This leads me to assume many negative and ignorant qualitites of this person and her thinking process as a part of the human species.

How can you EVER call ANYTHING normal?! In today's world where we all (hopefully) are being taught to be World Citizens it's ridiculous to be at such a childish level as to describe anything as being 'normal'. It's such a horrible thing to say. Some may argue that it's right to use in certain situations, and I whole-heartedly agree. The final point to me where my brain wants to squeeze itself out through my eyes to suffocate anyone from blurting such things out is when it comes to cultures, peoples, and the differences among them.

Sure, she, in her head, was asking the question, "What kind of Christmas do you have in Finland?" or "Do you have same Christmas customs as us?", and it may not be a huge deal to a lot of people, but you must realise that these seven words enfuriated me more than probably anything ever has in my adult life. And the ratio of innocence of the origin of the question to the fury and unbelievable surprise it caused me to feel is almost immeasurable.

Very lastly, I think this whole incident was made worse by the fact that I am very proud of my roots and if there's any reason, I will die struggling to be a citizen of the country of whose passport I carry. This person's wording of the question touched a spot that I conveyed as ignorance but also (as I mentioned earlier) a subconscious superiority, that I think should be thrown away from every single person's head in this world.

To conclude, I'd like to express my concern on the matters discussed above by saying something I have felt very strongly about ever since I was 17 or so years old in school: The world would be a much better place if everyone was introduced to a level of cultural anthropology, and a series of basic Theory of Knowledge classes. We get taught mathematics, chemistry, history and physical education at school, but why is it not important to learn about peoples, certain sensitivities associated with being different and our own minds to live life as we do, in the real world, in the streets. Chemistry won't help you to avoid a potential verbal conflict with a man of different ethnicity, and people need to remember that.

It's unbelievable to me how few people I've met actually possess admirable and decent conversation skills.

He who yells loudest is not necessarily in the right.

Principle #2: Monday

2004-06-21T11:37:00.000+01:00

There is no cause and effect.

Take time to comprehend what it means just to be. You are not a human doing, but a human being. Form follows all the rules of cause and effect, but formlessness is acasual, just like the time you spend dreaming. Your thoughts are independent of each other. You need not remain governed by the belief that past decisions cause you to be whatever you are today. You can be anything you choose, regardless of what anyone says or does, and regardless of anything you have done or not done before. If you can imagine it, you can be it, and your imagination, your thinking, is not restricted to the rules of cause and effect. Today, Monday, work at not being the effect of anything, but the creator of that which you imagine yourself to be.

Principle #1: Sunday

2004-06-20T13:54:00.000+01:00

Time does not exist.

Today, spend time looking up.
Imagine: Up goes forever, and the universe cannot simply end. If it goes forever, then it is already complete. In a completed universe, time is just mankind's way of helping organise the days and keep track of things. Your lifetime of 80 or so years is exactly the same as your dream of 8 or so hours.

You'll See It When You Believe It

2004-06-19T10:36:00.000+01:00

I've been reading this book titled as above by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer on and off for the past couple of months. It's about how to start thinking differently of yourself as a soul with a body instead of a body with a soul and on that basis see a different view of the universe and be able to start changing your life to any direction you wish. This way of thinking of which Dr. Dyer speaks, allows you to become a "waking dreamer". Below I try to explain this the best I can.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In our dreams, at night, whenever, everything we see and experience, the places we visit and the people with whom we interact, are put there by us, and all occurrences are somehow there because of our thoughts. Dr. Dyer places emphasis that we are souls with human form, and in time, our forms die, but not us. We are eternal. Therefore, when our forms die, we realise our lives were just like dreams that we've woken up from and continue living on another plane. He backs this up with some good ideas and thoughts and says that in life, everything we are and everything that happens is placed there by us in the form of our thoughts.

We are dreaming and enjoy it so much that we don't want to wake up, and we don't even consider that there's so much more available if we awaken. To allow ourselves to realise we are dreaming, and everything we accomplish can be controlled by our thoughts, we become waking dreamers. Then we will have the mental capacity to start living in this grandness that is the waking dream and open our minds to start making any changes to our lives that we wish to make.

Starting tommorrow, Sunday, I will post a one-week plan, consisting of seven principles, one day at a time, in Dr. Dyer's words, in how to become a waking dreamer.

Ps. If anyone is familiar with this book or any other similar medium, please correct me when necessary. I keep going back and forth in chapters in this book in an attempt to encapsulate the ideas as logic, not just as words and memorize them as mere concepts. This sometimes gets complicated and I dig myself deeper into it and become disoriented. So even if stuff doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll check it and try to correct anything I've mistranslated from the book.

Stuck In My Head

2004-06-18T15:29:00.000+01:00

Just a few snippets of lyrics that I've had in my head lately.

If you see me lookin' clean cut
Matchin' from head to toe dippin' with a mean strut
Throwin' and blowin' green stuff hella creamed up with a bling cup
Ain't no wicked we can kick it if you blue or beamed up
- Tech N9ne (Im A Playa - Absolute Power)

I learned word play playing role playing games
- Paleface (Concentrate! - Quarter Past)

Our shit paid off
And we never get laid off
We never get played
So we never fade off
- Violent J (Some Fuckin' How - Psychopathics From Outer Space Part II)

Whoooooohh!
Free is like my favorite word
Right next to food, freaks and flowing on the microphone
Bitch, I bring the absurd
Corrupt, encrypted, linguistics of TWIZTID!
2 to the double-0 4
And I'm still rappin' for the Hatchet
In the Free Studio,
With panty hos on the mic screen
Forty bottles everywhere
Killa rollin' the light green
Light the blunt up,
So we can lace the cut up
And dub my shit to cassette
Even if I fuck up
- Jamie Madrox (Free Studio - Psychopathics From Outer Space Part II)

Life is a baller
Alcohol and booty calls;
We usta do 'em as adolescents
Do you recall?
- 2Pac (Life Goes On - All Eyez On Me)

I got seven Mack 11s,
About eight 38s,
Nine 9s ten Mack 10s,
The shit's never end
You can't touch my riches
Even if you had MC Hammer
And them 357 bitches
- Biggie Smalls (Freestyle at the Garden w/ 2pac)

The Big Lebowski

2004-06-18T14:41:00.000+01:00

I just got this in my head one day as I was travelling from Northampton to Nottingham on the bus, and it all just poured out at once and didnt make me stop to think about it at all. Just thought I'd put it here 'cos I know a few people who regard The Big Lebowski as one of their all time favorites, and so do I. I know the below is crap and childish, so go fuck yourself.

Dude, I said dude
You're the package boy
Whatcha gonna do?
You need the money,
The rent is overdue.

The aggression,
It will not stand
The dude is the man
For his time and place
White Russians
Dripping off his bearded face.

The annihilists
Almost cut off his Johnson
He lives in L.A.
But he's not straight outta Compton.

A visit to Mr. Treehorn
"Another Caucasian, Jack"
It was spiked, he felt odd
Like the occasional acid flashback.

Donnie had a heart attack
What could they do?
Sometimes you eat the bar,
And sometimes, well, the bar eats you.

They scattered his ashes
He's not down some filthy hole
Everything seems wrong
But, "Fuck it Dude, Let's go bowl."

First Post to Get Things Started

2004-06-18T11:29:00.000+01:00

Right.

I've done this to hopefully share something with somone, anyone really. Exhilirating as it may sound, I'm thinking I'm mostly doing this to benefit myself, and if others find anything on the blog interesting then I'm all for that as well.

Also, the reason for this first message is for me to be able to preview the colors and crap of the blog so i can get the mood right.