Saturday 20 November 2010

Zombies and not-zombies!

Right, so I haven't updated since August. I will post the picture of the pirate shop soon, but my camera is upstairs in my room and so next time I upload pictures to the computer I'll make sure to get the pirate shop. Since August:
HS = AWESOME! Best one yet.
Applying for foundation art: Arrgh!
Creating a portfolio: Arrgh!
Interview at Epsom for foundation art: went pretty damn well (I hope - I get the results in a couple of weeks' time).
Seeing BTTF at the cinema: AWESOME!
I've also gotten more and more excited for Tron: Legacy the closer it gets to the 17th of December.
Saw Harry Potter today, not because I wanted to (I actually didn't) but because it's sort of an OCD thing - I've seen the rest so I had to see this one. Like the others, not brilliant but it kept me entertained (there was a Tron: Legacy trailer at the beginning! Yay!).

Anyway, recently I have been watching the new Walking Dead TV show and I have to say that it's really good. I don't actually watch that much TV, so I can't be all "it's the best TV show I've seen in a long while", plus that would be a lie as I have recently watched Firefly (but I still have about 15 minutes of the last episode to watch (grr Megavideo...)) but that's what I would like to say.

I've also recently started playing on RE4 a lot. I decided to give it a go the other day (the first time I played (a year or two ago) I completely failed as I ran out of ammo and didn't look round for more) and actually managed to get somewhere, and found lots of ammo. I also did a rather cool thing the other day (it's probably not that awesome, but it made me happy) - a ganado lurched at me and was just about to grab me when I blew his head off - I was all "yeahhhh!".

Saturday 14 August 2010

In St. Tropez...

THEY HAVE A PIRATE SWEETSHOP!

I will post a picture when I get round to uploading my photos. Which will be in over a week's time, since I'm going up to York for more crazy Quakerness tomorrow.

Saturday 12 June 2010

It's odd...

having all this freedom and not having to revise. I can read! I can draw! It's fantastic, it really is. I did a drawing in ink today; there's just something so fun about dip pens and ink. Probably due to the fact if you make a mistake you can't change it (unless you sketch it out in pencil first, which I did do) and it's really quick unlike painting with acrylic paint.

Doctor Who's been good; last week's episode was different and I really liked it, but I cannot find my Amy Pond love. I just don't like her. Gah.

You know how I said in a previous post that I needed to get into Marvel sometime? Mission accomplished. I have now watched Spiderman and Spiderman 2.

(This is rather random, but in exams they say you're not allowed iPods or MP3 players. I'm sorry, I thought iPods WERE MP3 players. What makes them so special that they get their own category? They weren't the first MP3 players nor are they the best./rant)

Saturday 29 May 2010

A very quick blog

Ok, so this is a little late (by over a week) but ASHES TO ASHES IS OVER NOOOOOO GENE HUNT AND CO. ARE NEVER COMING BACK TO GRACE OUR TV SCREENS AGAIN. Yeah, so now that I've got that out I'm a little happier. The finale though was amazing. I thought the ending was cool and that they wrapped it up nicely. and the Galex fans got what they wished for (I don't ship characters so...).

and tonight's Doctor Who episode was quite emotional, but Bill Nighy's in next week's episode so I'm looking forward to that (I did a double take when I saw him in the trailer).

I've also been watching the original series of The Prisoner (instead of Firefly - sorry Livvi) and it's so trippy and brilliant and the village is so happy yet sinister. I've seen six episodes so far which is more than any other television show I've watched online. I fail at watching things online.

Also I watched the Eurovision song contest tonight - our entry was awful. I wonder who'll win. I'm not staying up for the voting though.

Friday 21 May 2010

Pacman Google.

Today if you visit Google you will notice that it has a Pacman themed logo. Not only that, you can actually PLAY it. Unfortunately I've never been that great at Pacman, so having the bits to collect in the "G" and "e" make it harder.

Also, it's the final ever episode of Ashes to Ashes tonight. I finally get to know what the hell is going on! Well, I still have another two hours to wait. Arghhh. I will however miss Gene Hunt & co. I've been told I should watch the pilot episode of the US Life on Mars as it's in the "so bad it's good" territory. The first episode of the actual US LOM was "so bad it's horrible" (why yes I have been spending my time on TV Tropes. Excellent form of procrastination), so I will not be continuing to watch the rest of that. There's also a Spanish LOM and a Russian one in the works. We just need a Japanese anime version and a stop motion version to complete the set.

Tuesday 18 May 2010

3 down, quite a few more to go.

Today I did my general studies exam. I'm not entirely sure how well I think I did in it. The same is true for the critical thinking paper I did yesterday. The art exam however went well I feel.

Anyway I went to the library today to give back V for Vendetta and Watchmen and went to see if they had The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as I would like to read that next. Neither of the libraries had it. However the second library I went to had this big book of Marvel Horror which I want to get out after exams, just to get into Marvel as all the graphic novels I have read so far and all the movie adaptations of comic book characters (apart from Hellboy (which I saw a couple of weekends ago. I really want to see Hellboy 2 now. Guillermo del Toro is just amazing)) have been DC and I feel I really need to balance this out. I also saw a load of sci-fi novels I want to get out (mainly Philip K. Dick and H. G. Wells) but didn't due to exams (I've made myself a rule that I can only read graphic novels or non-serious novels during exams. I'm not entirely sure why.) - I've just realised I haven't read a sci-fi novel in absolutely ages. Most of my reading in the past year has consisted of Discworld novels (and yes, I did get another one out the library today as I haven't read one in a few months. I got Hogfather out as it's one of the most famous and yet I've not read it) and I've just been too distracted to get some other, non-Discworld novels out. Hope those brackets haven't confused you.

Also, I'm sure you've all heard the very sad news that Ronnie James Dio passed away on Sunday. He was such an amazing vocalist and it's such a shame he's gone.

Saturday 24 April 2010

Birthday party!

I had some friends round my house today for my birthday party and we ate pizza, cake and brownie. I recieved the Star Wars Original Trilogy, a Serenity graphic novel and the third (signed! to me!) Sandman volume (Dream Country). They're now all in my room and my room feels a whole lot nerdier (I wish my mum would let me stick up posters in my room. She hates blu-tack on the walls. I'm not even sure what I would have a poster of. I just want a poster). Doesn't help that my friends and I were discussing nerdy stuff and then after they left I watched the new Doctor Who episode (I can't wait for next week) so I am in a rather nerdy mood at the moment. I am also looking forward to Frankie's fanfiction on Percy Weasley where he dresses in leather and quotes muggle movies.

I've also decided I should probably start using Twitter properly (at the moment most (pretty much all) of the people I follow I know in real life and I tweet about once a month). Although I know this will probably never happen.

Also - we're already halfway through series three of Ashes to Ashes! How could it go by so quick? It's so good.

Friday 16 April 2010

Vampires!

It's my birthday today! Wahey!

Anyway, on to vampires. Last weekend I watched Nosferatu, Dracula (1931) and I read "The Vampyre" (which, as I'm sure you'll all know, is the short story by Polidori with the vampire Lord Ruthven).

Nosferatu: Max Schreck gives a phenomenally creepy performance as Count Orlok - which is not helped by the film being old (I watched it on Google video, seeing as the film is in the public domain) and all flickery. Coincidentally "Schreck" is the German word for "horror". It was also the first silent movie I've seen. Renfield is also a little creepy in this movie. I wasn't a big fan of the castle in this movie though. However I did like this movie.

Dracula (1931): I liked this movie (moreso than Nosferatu) - I really liked the sets for Dracula's castle and Carfax Abbey (I like castles in general though). What I didn't like was the complete lack of musical score (apart from the music for the opening credits) - I feel it made the movie slightly less atmospheric than it could have been. Renfield (Dwight Frye) was awesome - I felt he captured the character rather well. Lugosi is brilliant as Dracula. If you haven't seen this movie, go and do so now!

Wednesday 31 March 2010

Spinosaurus!

I have recently discovered that there was a bigger carnivorous dinosaur than the giganotosaurus... the spinosaurus! I've known about the spinosaurus, but I didn't know it was bigger than the giganotosaurus (not to be confused with the gigantosaurus, that's a completely different dinosaur). Spinosaurus' arms are less ridiculous than Giganotosaurus, but instead it has a spiny ridge on its back (hence the name) which just makes it look all hunchback. Other than that it is rather fierce looking. I wonder who would win in a fight? Giganotosaurus or Spinosaurus? or what if it was Giganotosaurus vs Tyrannosaurus Rex vs Spinosaurus vs Allosaurus? We'll never know.

Sunday 7 March 2010

I have found a new website

that I like. I thought I'd share it with you all. (warning: may cause you to become hungry, and possibly drool over the keyboard).

http://foodporndaily.com/

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Why does everyone assume...

...that if you're a teenager and your family has left you alone in the house for three nights, that you're going to have loads of parties? Heck, I didn't even have a single person over. I was a nerd and stayed in watching Lord of the Rings (extended editions) because I hadn't watched them in around three years and they needed watching again, especially after I had re-read the books last year. I forgot how good they were and also how pretty. The landscapes are gorgeous - even Mordor is pretty in it's own way. Do not get me started on Minas Tirith (I was watching one of the documentaries that came with the DVD and the Minas Tirith set was built on top of the Helm's Deep set, seeing as they weren't using it anymore). I also finished off the stitching part of my artwork. It's pretty nice to have the whole house to oneself just because it is so QUIET.

Oh, I've also done a drawing of a mechanical dragon:














It was probably subconciously inspired by the Nazgûl's armour (specifically their gauntlets. I want those gauntlets).

Monday 8 February 2010

100th post!

Tomorrow I have to give a short talk about a piece of artwork I saw at the V & A museum that I really liked from the Medieval and Renaissance section. Except I didn't like anything, I'm much more of a fan of modern art. So I'm going to do my speech on "Persistence of Memory" (which I have actually seen in real life at the MOMA in New York. It's a lot smaller than I thought it was), seeing as Dalí is one of my favourite artists. I've also just decided that I love M. C. Escher as much as I love Dalí, so I don't really have one favourite artist any more. I think it's probably due to the fact that in the movie "Labyrinth" there is a room inspired by Escher's "Relativity" with stairs everywhere and it is one of my favourite scenes in the movie. I just love the set design.

One of my favourite pieces by Escher is "Reptiles"


I love the weird tall elephants Dalí paints. When I went to his wife's castle back in 2005 he had lots of these statues, unfortunately I did not know who Dalí was at the time and so did not appreciate it as much as I could have.

I also thought that this was just awesome

Saturday 6 February 2010

Movie time!

In the past week I have watched a few movies (only four, but that is quite a lot for me).

- Die Hard (oh yes I have finally seen it. Life just feels weird now that I no longer have a movie at the very top of my "to see" list). It is awesome, I watched it last Saturday and then continued to think about it for Sunday and most of Monday, except I'm beginning to forget it now (hmm, time for a rewatch methinks? Nah, I can wait). I'll get round to seeing the other Die Hards some day.
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - Yes, I have seen this movie before. I absolutely hate the scene where Judge Doom dips that shoe into The Dip. It's just that it's so cute looking and friendly before getting Dipped.
- Neco z Alenky (Alice) - Remember that surrealist Czech version of Alice in Wonderland I was talking about on my blog a couple of months ago (with the sock puppet catepillar)? I finally got around to watching it. It's a very different take on the story, and it is set in a dilapidated old house (adding to the creepiness). Lots of stop-motion (which is a good think, I adore stop-motion). Yes it is mildly disturbing, especially the White Rabbit. There he is chopping the head off of one of the card people, by order of the Queen of Hearts.



















Everyone should see it though. It's just so wildly different.

- Nikita - Seeing as I like some of the other films Luc Besson has done, I figured I'd like this (the DVD has been lying around in our house unopened for ages). It was good, but I think I still prefer Léon (which is due a rewatch, I can't remember it that well). Oh, and Fifth Element is on next Friday. I'll probably be watching it (it's just such an insane movie, it shouldn't work at all, but it does).

Tuesday 19 January 2010

Blue Monday.

Apparently yesterday was "blue Monday", most depressing day of the year. I guess I was feeling a little depressed. But it gives me an excuse to post this (to cure you of that post blue Monday depression:

Friday 1 January 2010

It's a new year and a new layout.

I was getting bored of my blog's layout and so decided to change it. This one is much brighter and happier feeling, don't you think? and it's GREEEEN.

Anyway I have been spending the past couple of weeks playing on Lego Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The Lego characters are so so cute (especially the Star Wars ones) and I love the little cutscenes they have (spoofing the actual movies). I have just realised I have not seen any Indiana Jones for at least five years (saw Temple of Doom last (just realised that IS the only one I've seen all the way through. I think I have a thing for tuning into Raiders of the Lost Ark at the end when the people's heads explode/melt)) so I hope that the movies will be shown again on television soon.

We also now have pet fish! Two goldfish and four of those tiny fish. Still not entirely sure what to call my fish.

I started writing this blog post on the 1st of Jan... now it is the 17th. Oh dear.