As a quick pre-amble, if you're reading this from america, the Ukraine, Australia or Japan, let me know why in the comments section. I'd be incredibly interested to know.
If statistical mathematics was all about website design in school, I would have probably paid far more attention.
I've just finished my last class for the day, and my final duties include stealing a number of massive rubbish bags for the myriad cans and bottles I've accrued (I will do that now actually).
..........
..........
..........
Done. Seamless.
Updating my blog (which I'm doing now) and enveloping the various letters I've written over Summer. It's come to around 35 pages in total, and they will be sent within the next week.
So I'm looking to change the blog around to make it more appealing. I chose the black b/g with white wording because it's easier for me to read. I've since been told that it is easier for no other human in the history of the earth, so I'm looking for a different layout.
In doing so, I came upon the statistics page of the blog, which logs myriad interesting stats regarding visitors to the site. It's been up for about half the length of time this blog has, and I've known about it (and have previously commented upon the fact that a lot of Russians like this site (why is a good question. My initial guess is something on this accidentally triggers something to do with Russian naked ladies, but that's just a guess) along with a number of other equally bizarre search strings) for a while. I've always been interested in drawing more people to the site for purely egotistical reasons, and have found that adding labels and tags draws in people who would otherwise miss my site. Of course they immediately leave, and I gain no new readership in this way, but the ol' hit counter ticks over nicely as a result.
Some interesting observations as of the 31st of August 2011:
Most people type in the blog URL directly, which means they've bookmarked the site, or know it by heart. These people are obviously family members.
Someone (mum) keeps typing the blog url into google.
As a result google is my top referring site, with over 500 referrals.
Facebook is my second largest referral site, with over 300. I post up photos and photo albums whenever I take some pictures, and link them to the site. It appears to be working.
The highest non-mum related search query is, bizarrely, 'kim jong-il's comedy club.' This links to an article I wrote about the documentary/movie I watched a while ago. Find it here. It's around link number 6 on google. Mental.
The search 'cute animated gif,' is the second highest forwarder of traffic to the blog. This is mental for two reasons. Firstly, I've put that tag in maybe three of the posts, which isn't many. Secondly, I have looked on google and can find my website NOWHERE NEAR the first five pages. I must be buried somewhere beyond oblivion, just before you reach futility. This shows how unknown this blog is, I suppose.
Also of interest are the countries who've accessed this website:
Ten countries are accounted for, by popularity and number of hits included:
UK 1785
US 1467
South Korea 1397
Japan 801
Australia 690
Belgium 269 (Thanks Freaksken!)
Russia 130 (Why are you visiting this blog?)
Malaysia 114 (WHY? I have never mentioned anything related to Malaysia... Ever!)
Canada 95 (Canada is nice and all, but there can't be much to do if you're looking at this)
Holland 80 (Maybe Freaksken went over the border to pick up some pot?)
That's the breakdown by country. The first is easy to explain. That's my family checking up on me.
The second is more puzzling. Maybe others default to US google as I do? But that still doesn't explain why the number is so high. Would going through US google even count as a hit from the US?
SK is easy to explain as I was there. Each time I write a post I usually look at it three or more times to check for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. If you disregard the SK number, you will probably come close to the number of visitors the site has had without my input.
Japan is the same, I assume they're all me.
The rest? I have no idea. Literally not a single clue. I mean Malaysia? Really? I definitely want to go there now. Apparently what's great for the ego is also great for tourism.
I should have probably added a nerd warning tag to the top of this post, but I'm doing it now instead. If you're not a nerd, you can skip the next few paragraphs. If you don't, your brain might well explode.
Unsurprisingly Windows is the platform of choice. What I AM surprised about, however, is that a full 12% of my readership are homosexual, and willing to advertise that fact; a full 12% of people access this site using a Mac. Please identify yourself in the comments section, I would love to hear from you. I feel in this day and age - one of acceptance and social awareness, the internet is a dark void of homophobia. Feel free to come forward, you won't be mocked here.
Virtually none of the visitors use Linux. The page quotes a 5% usage rate, but I was using Linux for over a year, so those are all me.
Nineteen people have accessed from blackberries (definitely note me!), twelve from Android, eleven from an ipad and four from ipods. One hundred and ninety two accesses from iphones hints towards Amanda and dad. Hey guys, can you even read this? That screen is pretty small...
Browser breakdown is much more competitive, with 37% being IE, 29% being Firefox and 16% being Chrome. Unfortunately for google, their superior browsers' statistics are skewed, as I use their awesome box-into-internet for everything, so the above problems regarding my own pageviews applies.
I have 12 hits from something called 'Jakarta Commons HTTP client.' I don't even...
Seven hits from 'Gran Paradiso.' What in the...
Clicking away from the 'all time,' option, I see that I've had four hits from the Ukraine today. What in the world.
The reason I've geeked out in a major way today? I just received a few pictures (a couple good, most blurry as sin) from the trip to Disney Sea; I can essentially afford to bore you with this post because no one will read it, once the pictures post goes up above it!
Genius!
Tuesday 30 August 2011
Monday 29 August 2011
Summer Recap
SO this Summer was pretty interesting. I went to a water park, Disney Sea Land/World in Tokyo, and Universal Studios Japan. (In Osaka). I've been enrolled on my university course (2 grand to you sir) and made a couple of new friends.
SO to preface this, I've had the fortune of being to Thorpe Park (Sp?), Chessington, Alton Towers, Universal America, Busch Gardens, Sea World (Florida) and the German equivalent of Chessington (the name of which I can't remember). In citing this list of visited theme parks, it's come to my attention that I rather like visiting these places. It's also come to my attention that I much prefer visiting parks of an activity orientated nature. I go for the park, not for the theme.
I've also been to (what I would consider) a large number of them, so I've got some experience with which to compare.
First up, Universal Studios.
This was the hottest day I've experienced in Japan, so we hit all the water rides we could find. Being the Summer holidays, it was completely jam packed.
Take a look at these videos, and that was pretty much the scene. Every ride had at least a one hour queue, so we didn't get to go on many. I've probably mentioned this before, but the company you take to these places is what it's all about.
I've been on school trips to parks, where everyone is too cool to go on rides, and they just hang around looking at backsides all day, drinking coke in a 'on the weekends this is a beer,' fashion.
Sod that, I'm here for jollies of another nature. So I would pop in the headphones and join the lines - and while that's an acceptable way to pass the time in a line (at least if you're comfortable alone with your thoughts for that length of time) it really is more interesting with someone else.
If you couple this with the inevitable language barrier, you can cut right through the inane chatter that encircles the really interesting stuff. With difficulty comes reward, and I learned a number of interesting things about Japan both here, and at Disney.
For example, the younger generation still considers the war a major influence on Japanese culture, not just in the americanisation of the East, but in the way they view foreigners. They're forgiving of us, as if we controlled their destiny. I find it fascinating that they would forgive us, me, as that implies complicity on my part. This isn't isolated to a few individuals, a number of people have spoken similarly - the sentiment is shared.
Another interesting aspect of this is generational. If I speak to someone of my fathers generation, they consider their Western counterparts forgiven, but not exempt. Their children (i.e my generation) are exempt because it's 'in the past.' I'm pretty sure my father didn't have anything to do with the war, but as I keep insisting, we can only interpret events around us through our own experience; even events concerning others. Empathy, compassion, concern, respect - everything that relates to our communication with others is based upon ourselves first. These conversations seem to validate that, and show how simple (see: self-orientated, not necessarily selfish) we really are.
It's also interesting to see how willing some people are to talk about the war, and how reluctant others are. At first I thought the older people at work were more willing than the younger people, but I've since found younger people who relate their grandparents stories. One involved a grandparent training on a naval base near Hiroshima, witnessing the explosion, then passing through a week later. A lucky break for that man, not so lucky for the hundreds of thousands of others who died immediately, or were affected afterwards.
SO there I was, sweating my gonads off talking with my partner in crime, about her grandads involvement in the war. An interesting experience.
Of the park itself - it's more theme than park. There were a vast number of tiny snotbags running around, and I found it indicative that there were very few high impact thrill rides - with only one noteworthy rollercoaster. They're all about the show and spectacle here. They manage to cram a relatively large amount of park into the space though, as there were a number of multi-level areas, something I didn't really notice elsewhere.
I would probably go again, if I could guarantee shorter queues (i.e outside of Summer vacation).
Disney Sea was much bigger, but also attracted much bigger crowds. The same problems of overcrowding and heat were apparent. We opted for the shorter lines and therefore smaller rides, foregoing to tower of terror (the only thing I wanted to go on!). I'm sure I can pester my way to a picture at a later date, so I'll upload one when I get the chance.
The main difference between TDS (Tokyo Disney Sea) and USJ (Universal Studios Japan) is budget. That difference becomes apparent the moment you get off the train, as you immediately jump onto a park owned tram that takes you through the park, depositing you at the ticket office.
I should add that this isn't without a walk, and I was pretty tired by the time we got to the ticket gate (in fairness we made several long-winded wrong turns). The park is the same, built around an extremely large lake area, with an amphitheatre effect around the entrance. Interestingly, the shows they put on focus on the flat area, rather than the naturally steep walls (as I would assume to be the logical place for most people to see the displays). Obviously Japanese people like not seeing anything. Especially when they're standing behind me, as I cloud the vision of two people entirely, or three partially. This results in the normally docile natives becoming somewhat agitated, and me being pushed further and further back.
The budgetary differences are also apparent when the shows begin. At Disney, the displays are large, lavish affairs with fireworks and gigawatt sound systems. Gigawatt will not be far away from the reality either, I can assure you.
Of technical note is a giant volcano that emits massive flames during the various shows. We were at least 250 metres away, with it around 75 metres above ground level, and we still felt the heat from the emissions. I don't know about you, but that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The first I realised of this great, fake mountain being a prop was the heat it emitted. Not the noise (barely audible considering the sound systems) or the appearance (everything looks fake and plastic) but the heat from it actually working. And then I started thinking, what other interesting technical accomplishments were on display?
One of the rides takes you underground. Tunnel building is nothing special these days, even if the entire ride is underground. The tower of terror was ruddy tall, and impressive for that and the top-heavy nature of the ornamentation. Designed in a cartoon 1920's New York style, it had that uncertain toppling look (obviously the main ride is a simple free-fall attraction, but the facade was interesting). The monorail running around the park was efficient and ran every six minutes, although you had to pay for it, those cheeky bastards. The display at the end of the evening was a show for the technophiles and ten year old girls, whom my date ended up turning into when she saw all the cutesy nonsense.
They had a rather large (5m wide, 8m long, 6m tall (roughly)) floating island/boat that sprung inflatable flowers, shot water at everyone and floated around. It was all very heterosexual.
The night-time show was something else entirely, however.
Check out this link for a great photo that shows the madness.
There were dragons, fireworks, lasers, more loud sounds, volcanic activity, projections onto cascades of water fired across the lake; everything I'd never seen before. Pretty impressive stuff.
They had a rather large central island covered in LED's of sufficient density to present images for the audience. Taking Fantasia as their theme, they showed a number of scenes from the film, and had displays going on around this centre. There were a number of framerate hiccups during the display however, and I'm not sure whether they were deliberate, or whether the pilot was reading his e-mail when he shouldn't have been.
They had giant representations of dragons and whatnot, fully mechanised, shooting water and fire all over the place.
About 300+ metres away, outside the park, they had a large rig with projectors shooting images onto the sides of buildings and scenery. They were comedic because they were obviously massive, but they looked exactly like their scaled down brethren, like something you'd see in a meeting room or classroom. The only difference was the difference in dimensions. People were walking around in front of them (probably cooking themselves) and tinkering with things while the show was playing. All you could see were silhouettes, but I'm pretty sure they were adjusting the height of the projection with the twiddly feet things you find on most projectors.
So overall, this show was a million dollar ode to american excess, using (probably) Japanese tech. I don't really care about the contents of the show, but the technical aspects were impressive.
My impression of Japanese theme parks is rather simple - they're for kids and girls who like cute shit. For rides, stick with Europe and america.
The singing guy who had me in hysterics had a performance in front of one of the big shopping malls in Yokohama on the same day we'd planned the Disney Sea trip, so I couldn't see him. Next time... Next time.
Of other things that happened, I am <-- this --> close to enrolling at Aston university. I've been given a password and university e-mail address, I just need to send in a form promising not to cheat, and then I'm enrolled.
Funny story - I couldn't find a passport sized photo of me, so I photo-chopped a picture of me standing with a glassblower in Korea, taking only my face. Unfortunately it has a few bright gold chinese characters in the background, so I don't know whether they'll accept that particular picture.
This will also leave my wallet substantially lighter, but at the end of it I hope to be employable in jobs that are more interesting, namely those involving universities.
I spent the best part of four hours travelling to a rugby team in Tokyo, who are mainly foreigners. They weren't great, but then again there was a mix of newcomers and old-boys, so who knows how they'll perform on match day. They think they're pretty good, with a number of cups and league topping performances (they play around Tokyo). Of note, there was a south sea islander who weighed 102 kg's, and who plays in the centres at 12. Imagine playing outside him, that would be the easiest game plan ever, providing a free two on one every time he got the ball. He weighs damn near forty kg's more than the average Japanese man. Damn.
That's pretty much it for the recap. Other stuff happened that I found interesting, but I was pushing it with this length of post in the first place! I won't try my luck with your patience any further.
SO to preface this, I've had the fortune of being to Thorpe Park (Sp?), Chessington, Alton Towers, Universal America, Busch Gardens, Sea World (Florida) and the German equivalent of Chessington (the name of which I can't remember). In citing this list of visited theme parks, it's come to my attention that I rather like visiting these places. It's also come to my attention that I much prefer visiting parks of an activity orientated nature. I go for the park, not for the theme.
I've also been to (what I would consider) a large number of them, so I've got some experience with which to compare.
First up, Universal Studios.
This was the hottest day I've experienced in Japan, so we hit all the water rides we could find. Being the Summer holidays, it was completely jam packed.
I previously uploaded a picture to this blog, of this very scene.
Take a look at these videos, and that was pretty much the scene. Every ride had at least a one hour queue, so we didn't get to go on many. I've probably mentioned this before, but the company you take to these places is what it's all about.
I've been on school trips to parks, where everyone is too cool to go on rides, and they just hang around looking at backsides all day, drinking coke in a 'on the weekends this is a beer,' fashion.
Sod that, I'm here for jollies of another nature. So I would pop in the headphones and join the lines - and while that's an acceptable way to pass the time in a line (at least if you're comfortable alone with your thoughts for that length of time) it really is more interesting with someone else.
If you couple this with the inevitable language barrier, you can cut right through the inane chatter that encircles the really interesting stuff. With difficulty comes reward, and I learned a number of interesting things about Japan both here, and at Disney.
For example, the younger generation still considers the war a major influence on Japanese culture, not just in the americanisation of the East, but in the way they view foreigners. They're forgiving of us, as if we controlled their destiny. I find it fascinating that they would forgive us, me, as that implies complicity on my part. This isn't isolated to a few individuals, a number of people have spoken similarly - the sentiment is shared.
Another interesting aspect of this is generational. If I speak to someone of my fathers generation, they consider their Western counterparts forgiven, but not exempt. Their children (i.e my generation) are exempt because it's 'in the past.' I'm pretty sure my father didn't have anything to do with the war, but as I keep insisting, we can only interpret events around us through our own experience; even events concerning others. Empathy, compassion, concern, respect - everything that relates to our communication with others is based upon ourselves first. These conversations seem to validate that, and show how simple (see: self-orientated, not necessarily selfish) we really are.
It's also interesting to see how willing some people are to talk about the war, and how reluctant others are. At first I thought the older people at work were more willing than the younger people, but I've since found younger people who relate their grandparents stories. One involved a grandparent training on a naval base near Hiroshima, witnessing the explosion, then passing through a week later. A lucky break for that man, not so lucky for the hundreds of thousands of others who died immediately, or were affected afterwards.
SO there I was, sweating my gonads off talking with my partner in crime, about her grandads involvement in the war. An interesting experience.
Of the park itself - it's more theme than park. There were a vast number of tiny snotbags running around, and I found it indicative that there were very few high impact thrill rides - with only one noteworthy rollercoaster. They're all about the show and spectacle here. They manage to cram a relatively large amount of park into the space though, as there were a number of multi-level areas, something I didn't really notice elsewhere.
I would probably go again, if I could guarantee shorter queues (i.e outside of Summer vacation).
Disney Sea was much bigger, but also attracted much bigger crowds. The same problems of overcrowding and heat were apparent. We opted for the shorter lines and therefore smaller rides, foregoing to tower of terror (the only thing I wanted to go on!). I'm sure I can pester my way to a picture at a later date, so I'll upload one when I get the chance.
The main difference between TDS (Tokyo Disney Sea) and USJ (Universal Studios Japan) is budget. That difference becomes apparent the moment you get off the train, as you immediately jump onto a park owned tram that takes you through the park, depositing you at the ticket office.
I should add that this isn't without a walk, and I was pretty tired by the time we got to the ticket gate (in fairness we made several long-winded wrong turns). The park is the same, built around an extremely large lake area, with an amphitheatre effect around the entrance. Interestingly, the shows they put on focus on the flat area, rather than the naturally steep walls (as I would assume to be the logical place for most people to see the displays). Obviously Japanese people like not seeing anything. Especially when they're standing behind me, as I cloud the vision of two people entirely, or three partially. This results in the normally docile natives becoming somewhat agitated, and me being pushed further and further back.
The budgetary differences are also apparent when the shows begin. At Disney, the displays are large, lavish affairs with fireworks and gigawatt sound systems. Gigawatt will not be far away from the reality either, I can assure you.
Of technical note is a giant volcano that emits massive flames during the various shows. We were at least 250 metres away, with it around 75 metres above ground level, and we still felt the heat from the emissions. I don't know about you, but that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The first I realised of this great, fake mountain being a prop was the heat it emitted. Not the noise (barely audible considering the sound systems) or the appearance (everything looks fake and plastic) but the heat from it actually working. And then I started thinking, what other interesting technical accomplishments were on display?
One of the rides takes you underground. Tunnel building is nothing special these days, even if the entire ride is underground. The tower of terror was ruddy tall, and impressive for that and the top-heavy nature of the ornamentation. Designed in a cartoon 1920's New York style, it had that uncertain toppling look (obviously the main ride is a simple free-fall attraction, but the facade was interesting). The monorail running around the park was efficient and ran every six minutes, although you had to pay for it, those cheeky bastards. The display at the end of the evening was a show for the technophiles and ten year old girls, whom my date ended up turning into when she saw all the cutesy nonsense.
They had a rather large (5m wide, 8m long, 6m tall (roughly)) floating island/boat that sprung inflatable flowers, shot water at everyone and floated around. It was all very heterosexual.
The night-time show was something else entirely, however.
Check out this link for a great photo that shows the madness.
There were dragons, fireworks, lasers, more loud sounds, volcanic activity, projections onto cascades of water fired across the lake; everything I'd never seen before. Pretty impressive stuff.
They had a rather large central island covered in LED's of sufficient density to present images for the audience. Taking Fantasia as their theme, they showed a number of scenes from the film, and had displays going on around this centre. There were a number of framerate hiccups during the display however, and I'm not sure whether they were deliberate, or whether the pilot was reading his e-mail when he shouldn't have been.
They had giant representations of dragons and whatnot, fully mechanised, shooting water and fire all over the place.
About 300+ metres away, outside the park, they had a large rig with projectors shooting images onto the sides of buildings and scenery. They were comedic because they were obviously massive, but they looked exactly like their scaled down brethren, like something you'd see in a meeting room or classroom. The only difference was the difference in dimensions. People were walking around in front of them (probably cooking themselves) and tinkering with things while the show was playing. All you could see were silhouettes, but I'm pretty sure they were adjusting the height of the projection with the twiddly feet things you find on most projectors.
So overall, this show was a million dollar ode to american excess, using (probably) Japanese tech. I don't really care about the contents of the show, but the technical aspects were impressive.
My impression of Japanese theme parks is rather simple - they're for kids and girls who like cute shit. For rides, stick with Europe and america.
The singing guy who had me in hysterics had a performance in front of one of the big shopping malls in Yokohama on the same day we'd planned the Disney Sea trip, so I couldn't see him. Next time... Next time.
Of other things that happened, I am <-- this --> close to enrolling at Aston university. I've been given a password and university e-mail address, I just need to send in a form promising not to cheat, and then I'm enrolled.
Funny story - I couldn't find a passport sized photo of me, so I photo-chopped a picture of me standing with a glassblower in Korea, taking only my face. Unfortunately it has a few bright gold chinese characters in the background, so I don't know whether they'll accept that particular picture.
This will also leave my wallet substantially lighter, but at the end of it I hope to be employable in jobs that are more interesting, namely those involving universities.
I spent the best part of four hours travelling to a rugby team in Tokyo, who are mainly foreigners. They weren't great, but then again there was a mix of newcomers and old-boys, so who knows how they'll perform on match day. They think they're pretty good, with a number of cups and league topping performances (they play around Tokyo). Of note, there was a south sea islander who weighed 102 kg's, and who plays in the centres at 12. Imagine playing outside him, that would be the easiest game plan ever, providing a free two on one every time he got the ball. He weighs damn near forty kg's more than the average Japanese man. Damn.
That's pretty much it for the recap. Other stuff happened that I found interesting, but I was pushing it with this length of post in the first place! I won't try my luck with your patience any further.
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Saturday 20 August 2011
Friday 12 August 2011
I'm No Movie Expert But...
So I've ended up watching a lot of movies lately; something to do with inordinate amounts of time and lots of running/gym means that when you sit down, you're likely to stay down for the count.
So I am basically watching random movies, for no rhyme or reason. I have seen the negative press surrounding the Twilight movies and frankly could give a rats ass (as it were). I was intrigued by the lambasting of the lead character (I have already forgotten his name) and decided to check out another of his films (like hell I'm going to watch Twilight). This resulted in a short search, upon the completion of which I stumbled towards 'Remember Me.'
Now, it's essentially a love story, but what makes it unique among Hollywood, (and sadly I mean quite literally unique) is that it does not end happily. It is incredibly sad. For the duration of the film, the viewer is entirely aware that something bad is going to happen. Bad is in the past, present and future. This script oozes foreboding.
Not only is it a shame that 'muricans can't watch anything that has any possible substance, it's a shame that we have to put up with the same shallow shit they do.
To this end, 'Remember Me,' follows the tried and tested Hollywood formula of boy meets girl, they fall in love, boy screws up, they hate each other - cue snowing boulevard and happy, tearful reunion.
As a solo narrative this is tiresome. Boring. Mundane.
What separates this film from the flock is that the home lives of both individuals is also explored; this gives real, tangible weight and cause to every action. Of course, everything finally ends up being okay (as it must in all 'murican films)
Except the film doesn't end there, and it reaches a conclusion that is, to spin an americanism, entirely out of left field.
Don't read further if you don't want the ending spoiled.
The use of the aeroplane attacks in america as a plot device is, well, crass. It could have been a car accident, a robbery, an infected toenail. Anything would have sufficed - but by choosing that specific attack, the film attempts to extend into gritty reality, and instead comes off looking inane and insignificant.
My main criticism of this film is exactly that. Everything is well executed, the script is solid, the acting fine, breaking from Hollywood cliche is exceptional; but it overextends. It tries, just a little too hard, to be something it isn't. Any of the aforementioned death sequences would have created the sense of tragedy without the face palm.
Good effort Hollywood, a few more attempts and I'm sure you'll create something that is entirely watchable for two hours, with no points at which we collectively cringe.
So I just IMDB'd the guys name, he is Robert Pattinson. As mentioned above, I've not seen Twilight (nor shall I ever) but he was excellent in this. Although he does look a bit like a ghost, so maybe those are the only characters he can play.
P.S Pearce Brosnan (the James Bond before the current one) (also I don't know if I've spelled his name correctly) is in it. Score.
8.5/10 Worth a watch if you want to see life kick someone in the balls.
So I am basically watching random movies, for no rhyme or reason. I have seen the negative press surrounding the Twilight movies and frankly could give a rats ass (as it were). I was intrigued by the lambasting of the lead character (I have already forgotten his name) and decided to check out another of his films (like hell I'm going to watch Twilight). This resulted in a short search, upon the completion of which I stumbled towards 'Remember Me.'
Now, it's essentially a love story, but what makes it unique among Hollywood, (and sadly I mean quite literally unique) is that it does not end happily. It is incredibly sad. For the duration of the film, the viewer is entirely aware that something bad is going to happen. Bad is in the past, present and future. This script oozes foreboding.
Not only is it a shame that 'muricans can't watch anything that has any possible substance, it's a shame that we have to put up with the same shallow shit they do.
To this end, 'Remember Me,' follows the tried and tested Hollywood formula of boy meets girl, they fall in love, boy screws up, they hate each other - cue snowing boulevard and happy, tearful reunion.
As a solo narrative this is tiresome. Boring. Mundane.
What separates this film from the flock is that the home lives of both individuals is also explored; this gives real, tangible weight and cause to every action. Of course, everything finally ends up being okay (as it must in all 'murican films)
Except the film doesn't end there, and it reaches a conclusion that is, to spin an americanism, entirely out of left field.
Don't read further if you don't want the ending spoiled.
The use of the aeroplane attacks in america as a plot device is, well, crass. It could have been a car accident, a robbery, an infected toenail. Anything would have sufficed - but by choosing that specific attack, the film attempts to extend into gritty reality, and instead comes off looking inane and insignificant.
My main criticism of this film is exactly that. Everything is well executed, the script is solid, the acting fine, breaking from Hollywood cliche is exceptional; but it overextends. It tries, just a little too hard, to be something it isn't. Any of the aforementioned death sequences would have created the sense of tragedy without the face palm.
Good effort Hollywood, a few more attempts and I'm sure you'll create something that is entirely watchable for two hours, with no points at which we collectively cringe.
 |
| They got almost everything. They were so close. And then the circumstances for the ending... |
P.S Pearce Brosnan (the James Bond before the current one) (also I don't know if I've spelled his name correctly) is in it. Score.
8.5/10 Worth a watch if you want to see life kick someone in the balls.
More Less Sleeping
So I've slept a cumulative 4 hours in the past forty-eight; I'm not even tired.
(No I'm not on crack)
In other news, I'm (hopefully) going to Universal Studios Japan (I didn't even know they had one in Japan) soon. I'll be able to directly compare and contrast with the american version, and I'll see if I can hijack a camera from school - I'm sure they won't miss one camera, they have thousands.
I'm also (hopefully) heading to Nara or Nikko too. I can't remember which (I have a terrible memory for names as it is, let alone names in foreign languages) but I've been assured a fun time, with deer.
I don't understand either.
(No I'm not on crack)
In other news, I'm (hopefully) going to Universal Studios Japan (I didn't even know they had one in Japan) soon. I'll be able to directly compare and contrast with the american version, and I'll see if I can hijack a camera from school - I'm sure they won't miss one camera, they have thousands.
I'm also (hopefully) heading to Nara or Nikko too. I can't remember which (I have a terrible memory for names as it is, let alone names in foreign languages) but I've been assured a fun time, with deer.
I don't understand either.
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Sleeping
Oh no.
I couldn't sleep last night because it was too hot - so when I did eventually fall asleep around 7 am, it was with the help of the air-con (I finally got one working!). So I woke up at 5pm.
Oh dear.
My sleeping pattern is...
No time to mourn the loss of sanity, I'm off to the gym.
I couldn't sleep last night because it was too hot - so when I did eventually fall asleep around 7 am, it was with the help of the air-con (I finally got one working!). So I woke up at 5pm.
Oh dear.
My sleeping pattern is...
No time to mourn the loss of sanity, I'm off to the gym.
Thursday 4 August 2011
Swimming
So I went to a water park, of sorts. I finally met up with Madoka again, and she managed to group four of us together.
The group was a rather interesting mix. Me and another guy, with two girls. Madoka is a serial casual employment pursuer, that is to say, she is forever accepting jobs that allow her flexible hours in order to continue with volunteer work, and helping her friends out with their myriad businesses. She essentially exists to help those around her - in my view she's amazing, if not for her lack of selfishness then for her ability to exist without sleep (she gets around four or five hours a day.)
The other guy in our group is a singer by profession. He also plays a number of instruments. He hadn't been swimming for a number of years however, and his shorts were too small by far. It took him a good ten minutes to finally fit into them, only for him to split them. Luckily I had a pair of non-swimming shorts handy to cover his embarrassment. One of the funniest things of the day was seeing him, ass-out, jumping around trying to get those shorts on. Goddamn I was close to wetting myself then.
On a side-note he has a fantastic voice, a great sense of humour, and is a massive perv.
The final person in our group (disregarding myself) is a self-proclaimed 'lucky weather girl,' (working translation) who works for Honda. She is an engineer who works to improve the efficiency of vehicles. Something to do with fumes is involved, as she was particularly insistent on that word. Maybe the Japanese for exhaust is fume? Who knows. She does volunteer work, can play the piano, violin and guitar, loves folk music and Ireland.
Oh, and she built a human-powered plane in university.
Yeah, I'm just going to let that sink in.
So amazing company and splitting pants aside, it was great fun. I had previously wanted to hit the beach on account of it being a bajillion degrees (and the Japanese do love dressing down for Summer beach wear) and what with me not having visited a beach for some months now (previous attempts in Korea were unfulfilling to say the least). It was a tiny 'park,' with a few pools, a few slides and a single hot-tub/jacuzzi thing - but it suited the requirement perfectly.
Testament (I hope) to the fun, we were there for hours. Just hitting a ball around, swimming, heading onto the slides and whatnot. While we were enjoying ourselves, a group of miscreant children approached.
Now, I have no prior experience with groups of Japanese children outside a formal school environment, but they were unusually boisterous. I have a feeling that should these children belong to one of my classes, they would undoubtedly fall into the 'possible ADHD patient,' category but I digress. What I found particularly interesting was the interaction between these boys and the women in our group.
Japanese people are notoriously awkward around those of the opposite sex, and I was expecting them to be somewhat shy around our group. They were absolutely contrary to my initial expectation, and I was amazed at how freely everyone interacted - considering we were in essence a random group of strangers, everyone got on swimmingly. Of course I've had experience like this from being a child on holiday, but I hardly expected the same from an asian country; Japan of all places.
The further you travel, the more things stay the same.
Overall the kids were pretty cool, although my inner teacher crept out as I scolded one of them for being a little too boisterous and endangering the dignity of the women within our group - as boys are wont to do I suppose.
There was also a hollywood esque moment where I realised that one of the boys had a crush on one of our party. I can only imagine that, in fifty years time, during a montage scene (hence the hollywood reference) he will recall the childish infatuation while recounting his lifelong adventures; possibly to his grandchildren, but more likely to his poker companions.
The small jacuzzi was a scene of comic relief throughout the day, as dozens of patrons would squeeze into an area roughly 2.5 metres in diameter. I literally mean dozens, too.
An hour or two before the park closed, however, the tub emptied and we jumped in. At this point we were serenaded by the singer, with his repertoire of Ghibli theme tunes, and dragonball. Ghibli is a studio that created cartoon movies such as 'Princess Mononoke,' 'Spirited Away,' and 'Ponyo.' Dragonball is a Japanese cartoon that has a cult following all over the world. I won't lie - I was impressed.
Listen to this, and imagine a spoof version sung by a man with torn pants in a jacuzzi with two girls and another guy, while the sun sets; you'll have a vague idea of the absurd situation, and why we were in stitches. This was pre-ceded by a word-perfect version of the dragonball theme tune, in its' entirety, sung by everyone in the tub except me.
People in Japan are, apparently, massive nerds regardless of gender.
As a side-note, I found out the Belgian way of pronouncing my family name today.
No! Ich wir Sam De Roeck, not you!
I wonder how the English pronunciation came into being, when it's so markedly different from the Belgian?
The group was a rather interesting mix. Me and another guy, with two girls. Madoka is a serial casual employment pursuer, that is to say, she is forever accepting jobs that allow her flexible hours in order to continue with volunteer work, and helping her friends out with their myriad businesses. She essentially exists to help those around her - in my view she's amazing, if not for her lack of selfishness then for her ability to exist without sleep (she gets around four or five hours a day.)
The other guy in our group is a singer by profession. He also plays a number of instruments. He hadn't been swimming for a number of years however, and his shorts were too small by far. It took him a good ten minutes to finally fit into them, only for him to split them. Luckily I had a pair of non-swimming shorts handy to cover his embarrassment. One of the funniest things of the day was seeing him, ass-out, jumping around trying to get those shorts on. Goddamn I was close to wetting myself then.
On a side-note he has a fantastic voice, a great sense of humour, and is a massive perv.
The final person in our group (disregarding myself) is a self-proclaimed 'lucky weather girl,' (working translation) who works for Honda. She is an engineer who works to improve the efficiency of vehicles. Something to do with fumes is involved, as she was particularly insistent on that word. Maybe the Japanese for exhaust is fume? Who knows. She does volunteer work, can play the piano, violin and guitar, loves folk music and Ireland.
 |
| This was my face (sans microphone) when hareohne (lucky weather girl) (christ knows if that's spelled correctly) likes Ireland and folk music. |
Yeah, I'm just going to let that sink in.
 |
| My face when she said she was team leader for the human powered flight project. |
Testament (I hope) to the fun, we were there for hours. Just hitting a ball around, swimming, heading onto the slides and whatnot. While we were enjoying ourselves, a group of miscreant children approached.
Now, I have no prior experience with groups of Japanese children outside a formal school environment, but they were unusually boisterous. I have a feeling that should these children belong to one of my classes, they would undoubtedly fall into the 'possible ADHD patient,' category but I digress. What I found particularly interesting was the interaction between these boys and the women in our group.
Japanese people are notoriously awkward around those of the opposite sex, and I was expecting them to be somewhat shy around our group. They were absolutely contrary to my initial expectation, and I was amazed at how freely everyone interacted - considering we were in essence a random group of strangers, everyone got on swimmingly. Of course I've had experience like this from being a child on holiday, but I hardly expected the same from an asian country; Japan of all places.
The further you travel, the more things stay the same.
Overall the kids were pretty cool, although my inner teacher crept out as I scolded one of them for being a little too boisterous and endangering the dignity of the women within our group - as boys are wont to do I suppose.
There was also a hollywood esque moment where I realised that one of the boys had a crush on one of our party. I can only imagine that, in fifty years time, during a montage scene (hence the hollywood reference) he will recall the childish infatuation while recounting his lifelong adventures; possibly to his grandchildren, but more likely to his poker companions.
 |
| Recounting tales of yesteryear while gambling his pension away - that kid in fifty years. Probably. |
An hour or two before the park closed, however, the tub emptied and we jumped in. At this point we were serenaded by the singer, with his repertoire of Ghibli theme tunes, and dragonball. Ghibli is a studio that created cartoon movies such as 'Princess Mononoke,' 'Spirited Away,' and 'Ponyo.' Dragonball is a Japanese cartoon that has a cult following all over the world. I won't lie - I was impressed.
Listen to this, and imagine a spoof version sung by a man with torn pants in a jacuzzi with two girls and another guy, while the sun sets; you'll have a vague idea of the absurd situation, and why we were in stitches. This was pre-ceded by a word-perfect version of the dragonball theme tune, in its' entirety, sung by everyone in the tub except me.
People in Japan are, apparently, massive nerds regardless of gender.
As a side-note, I found out the Belgian way of pronouncing my family name today.
No! Ich wir Sam De Roeck, not you!
I wonder how the English pronunciation came into being, when it's so markedly different from the Belgian?
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