Being Ill Is A Right Bummer

It started Sunday night with a minor sore throat and I thought that was it, oh no.

I woke up at 5:10am with a horrendous fever, horrible sweats and the mother of all headaches. I managed to get back to sleep an hour later only to wake up at 7am feeling the same but with my head and mind also feeling like it was racing 100 miles an hour, one of those short bouts of illness where you literally have no idea what the hell is going on. All the while having crazy vivid dreams about things I don't like or having great ideas for video games (that probably exist already).

The rest of the day was pretty much spent in bed waking up to drink some water, taking paracetamol and heading back to bed, only for the who process to get worse and worse to the point where I thought I was feeling better, my body felt like it had some kind of aversion to the liquids in my body and decided to sweat everything out. I dried my bed out, and went back to bed to wake up at 7am the following day, feeling much better, so in this moment of feeling decent I stripped my bed, gathered up all the clothes that I wore the previous day (which was a surprising amount) and threw them all in the wash thinking that was the end of that.

Oh no.

Throughout the day I could feel myself getting worse, the headaches only being stemmed with drugs and waves upon waves of lethargy washing over me. Hoping these symptoms were an illness hang over I rode them out thinking they'd be over in a few hours, I was wrong. So with a freshly made bed (a wonderful wonderful thing), a bath and lots of water I went to bed hoping that was the end of it. Once again I was wrong.

The night was filled with less vivid dreams, the same amount of night sweats but with a throat that had felt like someone had taken a industrial sander to it, hurting to swallow, hurting to talk, hurting to drink water, you name it, it hurt.

So I sit here writing this hoping for it to be some kind of cathartic experience but only realising that I'm still super ill and dizzy as I can't type the most simple words without re-writing them four times over. Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel better and hope I hear back from the job I had an interview for.

Peace.

Far Too Few Between

Not much in this post but just getting into it again.

Warriors Orochi 2 (X360 Game)

Laying it out, it's a "Warriors" game from KOEI, that means sprawling battlefields, 10s, even 100s of enemies on screen at one time, lots of flashy special moves and tons of characters to unlock. Having not played a Warriors game since Dynasty Warriors 4 Xtreme Legends on the PS2 I expected to find some new features and I'll be honest I did, but the main bulk of the game is the same, and that I'd say is good. New features I've come across are the inclusion of a triple tag team, you can choose 3 characters and change on the fly according to the situation, say Da Ji for crowd control or Kotaro Fuma for a more direct approach on one enemy. While you are playing as your chosen character the two members in reserve slowly regain health and musou (required for preforming special attacks). Like before the meat of the game is having fun cutting through waves upon waves of enemies. Other features worth noting are the ability to upgrade your weapons with various attacks buffers such as stronger attacks or faster attacks, several multi-player mini-games that I've yet to try out and the use of growth points to upgrade characters that you don't play with. On the achievements front this being quite a niche Japanese game the achievements are pretty standard, complete various story lines or challenges to the stupid hard clearing every level on every difficulty setting. Although there is a lot of content on offer here most of it requires grinding and if you don't have the time a large portion of the game will be closed off. I personally picked this up for around £8 so going by that price I feels it's a worth package.

Warriors Orochi 2: 6/10

Teachers (TV Series)

For those of you not in the know Teachers was a comedy drama first broadcast on Channel 4 during 2001 and ran for four series in total. Recently picking up the complete box set I had the chance to watch every episode back to back like a lazy work-shy student just before he went back to uni. The show follows a group of teachers (Hence the name) in a school dealing with everyday problems such as discussing who would you rather sleep with if you had no eyes or seeing how many beer mats you can fit in your mouth. Each episode takes place over the space of a week with the main theme being set up on the Monday and the following escapades that follow it through the week. There are four series in total each progressively worse than the last, although it can be argued that series one and two are equally as good as each other and that it was the departure of Andrew Lincoln that saw the show take a down fall. As I'm not sure where I'm going with this I'll end it rather suddenly.

Teachers: 9/10

Walk in the Woods of Keele Hall

With lots running through my mind I felt a walk was in order to help clear my head, while the intent was there my head is still the same but I'm now feeling in a blogging mood hence this. In my walk I'm pretty sure I stumbled across the site where I attended a rave in my first year, this could be wishful thinking mind you as its the woods, almost every clearing looks the same! I walked past a few lakes, may have even past all the woodland lakes but I'm not sure. All the time with my MP3 player on Playing the new Fuck Buttons album "Tarot Sport" which personally I love and think its works very well as an accompaniment to a solo walk.

Walk: 8/10



Now the fun bit, my rant! So me and bouts of insomnia are good friends, choosing to crop up when I least need it it seems intent on messing up the start of a course I actually like, missing three lectures in one day due to a combo insomnia and a fire drill does not make me a very happy man. So maybe tonight I will use the tried and tested method of getting drunk and falling asleep early, I hope it works.

Fuck Buttons - Solar Surf (Edit) (Youtube)

Sign off...BOOM!

Been a long time...

Now to that one person hidden away in a cave reading this you are probably wondering why I've not updated for a while. The fake excuse that that I've been terribly busy with life and all, work, visiting relatives, more work, a bit of sleep and more work, when in reality the real and simple reason is that I just haven't been arsed (and work).

So this one is going to be part rant and part (very) brief reviews.

Requiem For a Dream (Film) - Aronofsky, chop change, addiction, drugs, sex and TV - 9/10

Prototype (Game) - bloody, gory, silly, wall running, elbow dropping tanks, "consuming", ugly as sin - 6/10

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition (Game) - beserker, claws, blood, robots, Hugh Jackman, Gambit, silly fun romp - 7/10

Skate 2 Maloof Money Cup Pack DLC (Game DLC) - small, enjoyable, tricky achievements, easy achievements, mini mega, street course, big half pipe - 8/10

Fallout 3 Point Lookout DLC (Game DLC) - massive, hunting rifle, inbred mutated freaks, lighthouse, english ghoul, spies!, robots!, explosions, tribals, bog walker - 10/10

Nokia E71 (Mobile Phone) - spanking new phone for me, speedy usable internet, qwerty keyboard, 5 minute snooze button = bad, MSTRKRFT Heartbreaker ringtone = good, mobile facebook and twitter, average games - 9/10

Left 4 Dead (Game) - zombies!, guns!, zombies!, survival, zombies!, hunters, zombies!, witches, zombies! and zombies! - 8/10



Call of Duty: World at War (Game) - only played four levels, soulless, WWII is a tired and overused setting, good engine, good mo-cap, felt like they messed up Infinity Wards game - 4/10

Homemade Timpana Round 2 (Cooking) - quick, easy, messed up the pastry rolling, bit too much wine, not enough salt, no salad - 8/10

Lego Land (Amusement Park) - for kids, for big kids, felt like a kid, maybe caught swine flu, lego Dalek, lego top gear lot, lego London, lego Hagrid, got wet, got hot, dried out, rode a dragon, shot many lego skeletons, humous, waffle on a stick - 8/10

Job (Job) - fisting chickens, cooking chickens, serving chickens, cooking ribs, serving ribs, cooking sausages, serving sausages, cutting ham, serving ham, cutting cheese, serving cheese, lots of washing up, time to read books, money!! - 7/10

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Book) - Seth Grahame Smith, zombies!, made me want to read the original, polite bitchyness, polite putdowns, scandal, Shaolin, Ms. Bennett, Mr Darcy, Mr Wickham is a dick, Mr Bennet is indirectly funny, rain, graphic, great read - 10/10

================================================

Applying for a course change has never been so hard! Firstly sending emails I thought that maybe it would be a speedy and quick exchange gathering the information needed to go through with my desires. Oh how I was mistaken, the first email took three days to be responded too and the second is still waiting a response. I then asked my sister to phone up and it sounded like they wanted to get rid of her as quick as they could, when I finally managed to phone them myself I was told the person I needed to talk too would be half an hour, in exactly half an hour I had to leave for work, brilliant. I asked my sister to phone again and ask if she can arrange a meeting for Tuesday the 11th of August as its my only free day this week and they've said three times now its easier for me to talk to them face to face, lo and behold there is no-one for me to talk to tomorrow so I have to wait at least one more week before I may speak to a real human, face to face. Tomorrow I'll phone them myself and hope that luck prevails that I may get somewhere.

/rant over.

All written while listening to the album "Street Horrrsing" by Fuck Buttons (10/10)
"Sweet Love for Planet Earth" - Fuck Buttons (Youtube)

The Best Time to Blog

Entering the blogsphere (do people still say that?) once again with the time currently at stupid:o'clock.am, A few things could be reviewed, an evening of fire, buying a salad with James, finding Russell and Laura in the super market that led to another salad or even few episodes of Harry Hill's TV Burp.

But of the things I've seen/tasted/witnessed/played I think a meal shall suffice for this post. More specifically, a three course meal.

Amie's Three Course Meal

I was phoned last week by a friend asking if we want to do a mini version of "Come Dine With Me", so straight away I was up for it. The chance to have a two, three course meals cooked for me and in turn cook one myself will all ways be a hit with me. Food is really a true weakness of mine.

First course kicked off with seasoned and spiced Spanish prawns, my god they were tasty. The mix of spice with garlic was a taste that was very apparent and rather delicious, a fairly good sized portion too, bought out with the green-ness of a simple salad made it a wonderful starter(a hunk of ovenroasted garlic was also a tasty treat). My only complaint about this dish was that that maybe it could have been presented a bit better. To Amie's defence we're students cooking dishes that are out of our comfort zones and sometimes new to us all together, so that's fairly nit-picky of me. Also Amie didn't like it so more for me, om nom nom nom.

Starter 8.1/10

The main was a Spanish chicken pie, the keen ones amongst you may have noticed a theme here ;). This was a dish of chicken, tomatoes and peppers baked in the oven with a layer of mash potato on top. Again it was all very tasty but I think the sauce could have been cooked a bit longer on the hob as the tomatoes and onion didn't taste as if they've been softened by the heat too much as they still had crunch bordering on the under done side. That aside it was again very nice, the mash was lump free too which is more that I could do!

Main 6.9/10

To round off the meal we ended on a not so Spanish note with a homemade blueberry cheesecake. What more is there to say? It's cheesecake, you can't fault it. It was neither too sweet nor too bitter and the portion size was just right. The spoons were a bit odd though, you could only really eat half of what you scooped up!

Dessert 8.6/10

Meal as a Whole 7.9/10

So the meal came to an end as did my glass of wine. The wine was fitting to the Spanish theme, it stated off nice and pleasent but the more I drank the more it tasted like a thin syrup and was ultimatly a bit too sweet for me. With my belly full and ideas rushing through my mind it dawned on me that I would be cooking soon. Today! In fact in about 12 hours I'll be attempting my first Timpana and fruit strudel! I also look forward to Nathan's attempt and the wonders he will cook. I really can't wait! Read here soon for my thoughts on how my meal will turn out.

It's Not Media :o

Night In Newcastle-under-Lyme

So tonight was a friends 21st, I'd say good night over all. I must say at the start I was a bit apprehensive because we were going to Newcastle(-under-Lyme) and I've not really been out for a night there before. We got there and I was pleasantly surprised, there wasn't may people and the drinks were cheap (£1.99 for a double vodka redbull), it was the first time I've drank "Bastard Juice" for a while and I personally think I wasn't much of a nob. Reflex was the place we chose to get merry, an 80s themed bar that had Pac-Man and Space Invaders symbols which the geeks of us are pretty sure is 70s so that was rather odd, as was the snacks vending machine, you had to physically turn the dispenser to choose what you wanted. Not good for drunken people. After a few rounds "Take On Me" by Ah-Ha came on and the dance resistance just fell away but is was short lived as the bar shut at 1am when we were expecting at least 2! Shocker!

So we left to find another bar but were out of luck. I got a take away with some friends and we met the others at "The Manor" where more drinking and a ton of cheesy songs were played. I must say over all it was a great night and my friend got hammered for his 21st.

Night over all? 8.9/10

Bad side was general feelings and hoping I'll sleep early but that was just a pipe dream I say.

P.

Thoughts On the Past Few Days

Well this week and the past few days have been rather odd in the way that I just can't sleep. Three nights where I've not actually gone to bed and had short 2-3 hour naps instead. I feel my face and eyes getting heavy and tired but there's no give. I just sit or lie in a veg like state.

So onto a review or two eh? I'll keep these short as I'm going to attempt to sleep, listening to the songs below.

Lazee feat. Neverstore - "Hold On"

I first heard this song in a bar on campus and straight away dismissed it as some money grabbing mishmash of genres. To be fair that's exactly what it is, and I love it. Call it a soft spot for emo music and a liking of a bit of grime but I find I can't stop listening to it and sadly relating to the hook. I feel bad for that but it's true in some sense. While I'm sure to be bored of it in a few months its currently a favorite and it won't stop blasting out my speakers.

Lazee feat. Neverstore - "Hold On" - 7.0/10

(Listen here)

MSTRKRFT - "Heartbreaker feat. John Legend"



If you've been into electro over the past few years you were sure to run into MSTRKRFT at some point. "Easy Love" being the song most people hear first it instantly rekindles memories of Daft Punk in the early 00's for me. As with "Hold On" it has a simple hook but this time its a piano track that really doesn't change through out the entire song. Its easy to dance to and the lyrics are picked up relativly quick and it's just in time for summer. Brilliant.


MSTRKRFT - "Heartbreaker feat. John Legend" - 7.5/10

(Listen here)

Lo-Fi-Fnk - "Want U"

I first heard about these guys when I bought a Moshi Moshi label sampler for £5 eager to hear a few new bands. The song "Change Channel" just blew me away and I had to look into them. I found their album 'Boylife' and it was pretty much an insant purchase along with a few CDs by The Knife (I was on a Swedish music binge). While the album is great I just want more from them. I was a bit disheartened when I found out one of the duos laptop got stolen and that it may be the end of Lo-Fi-Fnk, after that it it was quiet for a while and after randomly looking through Hype Machine (Hypem.com) I came across a track I've not heard fell in love with their sweet electro pop sound once again. With the news of a new song one can only hope a new album is on the way soon. As for the song it's fairly straight forward but so compelling for me to listen to at the same time, a simple piano sample is the hook again but it will get stuck in your head with ease. "Want U" along with the previsous two these will be a main stay of my current listening for a good few months.

Lo-Fi-Fnk - "Want U" - 8/10

(Listen here)

The Past Few Days, Sucka!

So this week has been an odd one, mixed with a lack of sleep and seeing the morning and missing most of the daylight, keeping track of the days has become a tricky task, but with it has come a few films, games and even a bit of exercise, which was a welcome addition to the otherwise rather frankly crap week.

So to kick it off, a comedy that I discovered with my friends while looking over the video marketplace on the Xbox 360.

"I'm Gonna Git You Sucka"

An 80's comedic look at blaxploitation movies from the past few years. Famous faces are strewn throughout but I must admit I didn't recognize all of the name but the faces were familiar. Isaac Hayes (Chef) as one half of Hammer and Slammer a bad ass duo, Antonio Fargas (Huggy Bear) a locked up pimp who has knowledge of the inside and previously won Pimp of the year. Topping it off are the Wayans, they know how to make a good comedy and essentially laugh at themselves. The pacing is good and the jokes deliver. I can't find fault with the film but it's not amazing in any way, it's very competent but does what it does well.

"I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" - 6.9/10



"The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)"

Where do I start? This film was god-awful remake of teh classic from 1951. The child actor (Jaden Smith), while played his role well the job asked of him was ridiculous, it’s hard to feel sympathy or compassion for the child with they way he is portrayed as a bitter, unloving little shit. The plot is see-through and no sense of the original is even felt throughout the film. The inclusion of the scene with John Cleese as a Nobel Prize winner felt crammed in to give a vehicle for the big change, which even a monkey could see, coming. I felt that Keanu Reeves as "Klaatu" was good in his rols as his stone face is perfect for a confused alien. One respect where the film is good is the special effects, they are rather pretty and GORT looks the business. Speaking of GORT, he never killed anyone in the original; they make him appear as an evil entity unto his own. Finally is the product placement, wow, just…wow.

Now part of me wonders if I’d have liked the film more if it was an original piece but the truth is it’s not. It ruins what is a classic film that uses peace as its message to a special effects extravaganza that fails to deliver.


"The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)" – 4.2/10



Peggle

Where do I start with this gem? A game that involves firing a ball at a series of pegs has never been more fun. Like an game of inverted pinball you fire a ball from the top of the play field and it hits a series of blue pegs on the way down, for each peg that is hit points are scored, there are a number of orange pegs too and the aim of each level is to hit all the orange pegs. Initially you start with ten balls but more are awarded for scoring 25,000 points in one shot with another awarded for each 25,000 points on top of that. The game is firmly a casual game but still its addictive even to core gamers. Only last night three of us spent three hours watching a friend play. It was the perfect centrepiece for a night of drinks and talks. It also helps the game is available on almost every format under the sun, form handhelds to phones, home PCs/Mac and home consoles.

Peggle – 8.7/10

Reason For This Blog and First Review

The idea for this blog spawned after a trip to Alton Tower theme park in Staffordshire, after going on a ride called "Air" (possible review further down) I was quite disappointed and my friend Nathan joked that I review everything in life and I responded jokingly that maybe I should start a blog. So here it is, "The Life Reviewer", reviewing life one day at a time (or thereabouts).

The format the reviews will take are still a mystery even to me, they'll start short I'm guessing and wont be all that long.

Air

So "Air", a horizontal roller coaster in which you lie on your front and you're supposed to feel the sense that you are flying. Luckily we went on a Sunday so the queues weren't that long and I must say thank heavens for that, after a short 10 minute or so wait we sat down in the seats and were promptly fastened in, the chairs then are pulled up so you are essentially lying on your front. The cart went off and we slowly ascended an incline, looking down we could see people smiling and looking up waving, I was getting excited at this point and was ready to be blown away as I was about to go on my first big roller coaster.

The climb reached it's peak and we descended at speed hurtling over the track and seeing the surrounding park in a whiz, I was ready for it, I was laughing as we were entered the first barrel roll and we were "flying" on out backs, we straightened out, hit a bank and entered another roll. I must say by this point I was really really really enjoying it and was looking forward to what else my body was going to be put through. Then that was it. It was over, I felt no sense of enjoyment, no thrill. I looked over to Nathan with a grin on his face and I asked "Is that it?", with his face still grinning he responded yes and my face just dropped. It wasn't enthralling, it wasn't amazing, it wasn't a new feeling. The cart came to a stop and we got off, collected our things and sat in the shade for a bit deciding on where to go next.

The overall sense I felt as the ride came to a stop was a general feeling of apathy towards the ride, it was bigged up and talked about by everyone. The hype surrounding the ride was too great and in my eyes was its own downfall. Talking to people about the ride it would appear (to the people I've talked to atleast) that I'm on my own in my view of the ride. I was left feeling cheated, let down and severely dissappointed but this all amazing new sensation roller coaster. To end it I think it says something that I enjoyed a ride ("Hex") that essentially was a row of chairs in a room that is made to appear to be rotating giving the feeling that you are spinning, and not the room.

So ends my first review, do I use a point scale? My own quirky version of stars? I really don't know but a 10 point scale makes sense to me. So, this mass of words condensed down to a number.

Air - 3.3/10