tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72402590986249879662024-03-12T23:15:59.363-07:00The World According to Lil PaulBurnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-1492120041957431862015-12-09T08:39:00.000-08:002015-12-09T10:14:18.394-08:00The Irish Water Crisis; 8/12/2015 protest opinion<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lets get one thing straight before I go ahead with this rant: I HATE Irish water. I hate everything about the formation of Irish water, from the excessive waste of public funding to the media manipulation during the early phases, to the ongoing arrests of citizens across the country, to the metering program, media campaigns, privatization concerns, conservation bribe, obvious political policing, the list goes on and on and on. I know this is my opinion, and I full well expect a lot of hate, so the flame shield is on for this one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don't like the quango, it must be said. I could write a fair few articles based on my hatred of them, so maybe that's something worth considering in future. However, this opinion piece is based on the other side, on the opposition's ways of showing their opposition to the hated utility. In particular, let's delve into the events and reaction to the anti-austerity protest yesterday that led to occupying bank of Ireland at College Green.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The event itself started at the Garden of Remembrance, before marching through the streets, to the GPO, College Green, Brown Thomas, the entrance to Stephens Green shopping center, and then breaking up at the end near the GPO. Along the way the Bank of Ireland was taken over before gardai removed the protesters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This event has hit a strange nerve for me, but it must be said; The more I think about this protest, the less I like it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some may say that this was just another protest by die hard protesters, but reaction, both on social media and from mainstream media has been largely negative. Notably, this is the first time I have seen that former protesters condemned the act, and joining with the side of those that are paying the bills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><u>NEVER</u> has such a high amount of likes been for supporting bills been seen in a comments section</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, it can be said that this protest was a failure. But why? Well, I can put it down to a number of reasons;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>1. No political or trade backing</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Previous large scale protests were set up by left wing and independent opposition to the Fine Gael/Labour coalition, as well as the Right2Water movement. The organizing was stronger, and with better planning skills. large turnouts to convey a strong message and an alternative to what we currently have.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This march was organised by a single man, and while that is impressive that he managed to get a crowd or around 200 people, its still nowhere near the turnout to be expected at an official march. The organizing was done via social media, similar to earlier efforts, but without the larger groups getting posters, banners, talking about it on TV/radio and generally promoting it strongly, this was about as strong as it got. An admirable effort from one man trying to get a group together, but it needed more to convince Joe Soap to join in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I understand that a fair few protesters hate the idea of a political party using their march against austerity to further their agenda, but change only happens at election with candidates and at the Dail. Few, if any of these protesters look likely to run for election, despite the fire to change the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>2. The group was directionless</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Okay, so while there was no stronger backing, this could still have been an effective protest if it was just a few hundred people and a drive to make a point. However, this is another reason why the group just didn't work; no major point was being made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A lot of the negative reaction has come from the group not making a clear point, and I can see that. <a href="http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057533880">What has marching through Brown Thomas got to do with Irish Water?</a> Or hell, even Austerity? randomly wandering there just to make noise in front of the very people you should be convincing to join your cause is a bad move. The reason the larger protests worked so well is that they had a clear point; No to Irish Water and not to put up with the bull**** that the incumbent parties were feeding about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>3. It reinforces the stereotype</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Lets not kid ourselves; Supporters of water charges LOVE to brand everyone who doesn't pay as a bunch of dole spongers that waste garda resources and wreck hard workers days by blocking the city center streets so they can't get home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I hate this stereotype, and especially since the larger marches broke that stereotype, showing such a wide spectrum of Irish society out marching against a common issue. Never have so many been so strongly opposed to an issue and shown it on the streets, as it is during this Irish Water Crisis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So to revert back to a very specific set of hardcore full time protesters marching against a range of issues relevant to austerity can't help but feel like a step backwards. Where were the upper-middle class that dislike the company on principle? Where were those that brought entire families to show that future generations would be affected? On top of that, hearing the words Occupy immediately rang alarm bells, and I saw what this protest ultimately was; A feeble remake of the Occupy movement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Yes, THAT Occupy movement</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">These protesters marched and reminded the public of those that camped outside the banks for weeks on end without showing any alternate solution. They were laughing stocks in the eyes of the public, and now its biting those that genuinely supported them in the arse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This comment sums it up well; "Thousands of bleak weary sheep out there saw us" from one of the protesters. The earlier ones worked because those very hard working 'sheep' joined their cause. these sheep are the reason for the earlier marches success, and to turn their back to the everyman only results in a very small minority.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><u>4. It interrupted the public (In a bad way)</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">the initial protest did not really have that much of a garda presence, at least in comparison to last year's complete barricade of the Dail and Kildare Street. Then of course, the occupation of Bank of Ireland happened, and of course scores of them were sent out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What point was there to take over the bank? To show that banks got bailed out? We have known that since 2007. On top of that, you have employees just trying to get a days work over with, taking the place over is not going to help their day at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brown Thomas was less affected, but you could see some staff giving a large facepalm as the protesters made their way through the stores. Why are these angry people coming through here? what is their reason? Do they think we are in any way part of the Denis O Brien style of corporate greed? It just raises a lot of confusion. A protester did comment that it was great craic though, so maybe that was the reason. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And what was the point heading to Stephens Green shopping centre? No targets like the Dail or GPO are near there. Oh right, apparently its the companies that are not really paying tax that is the downfall of the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Joe Soap couldn't care less about that sort of thing. Irish water is the prime target, so what was with such flimsy justification to get the Gardai to block the entrance for Christmas shoppers?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now of course its their right to do such a march, and they genuinely have a lot to be angry about, but does this march have any other point beyond "Austerity is awful and we hate it</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"? Is it because there has not been a mass protest since August and they miss the idea of locking down the city in support? I would have personally waited until before the election for another march.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Getting to a vague point, I guess I hated yesterday's protest because it gave pro-water supporters ammunition to throw at the opposition that everyone is a clueless waster that protests, or that the turnout was so low so that means the hatred is dwindling. that is not the case for a large proportion of the country (or even from a few in the group that marched). We have legitimate reason to hate the superquango and all it represents. however, yesterday gave us a demo of how not to voice your opinions. Bin the bills, join the organized protests, and boot out FG and Labour at the polling station. Protesting for the sake of protesting, even if its important? No hope there ladies and gentlemen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Keep calm, and Boycott Irish Water.</span></div>
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Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-71164277105499843062013-09-11T05:05:00.001-07:002013-09-11T05:05:45.116-07:00An outsider looking in: Call of Duty: Ghosts trailer opinions<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its a tense time that the Syrian intervention crisis is still ongoing, that some may think it is inevitable before the U.S intervene and that peace in the region will be even less likely than before, and with Russia defending the country for its own reasons. Its all a mess, and I wish I knew more about it to debate the issue stronger but it does reveal just how strong an influence the United States has on international conflicts. Not many nations like the idea of the superpower getting into other countries affairs, particularly when it has the power to strike targets at the drop of the presidents hat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is not particularly easy to root for the states in the last few decades when it comes to conflict. They are the big guy, the ones that can conquer the opposition forces, and while they are the good guys, they have not really appeared as such in any war post WW2, when the enemy posed a threat and was genuinely corrupted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you are wondering why I started a game trailer analysis with such a delve into politics, just check out the latest trailer for Infinity Ward's latest shooter and ask yourself the question: Just HOW badly do America want another worthwhile war?</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/SumIZb6qMJw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its rather unsettling, given current events depicting america as a collosal power turning the tide of any conflict, that Call of Duty Ghosts depicts the country as a fragile state that can be invaded by any nation after their own tech strikes them and they have to fight to survive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Before I go any further, this is opinions on how the story is depicted in the trailer. This could turn out to have a very different tone with different views and sequences in the final game, so a full review will have to be done of the game when it comes out.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The trailer begins with a space segment, where enemies attack astronauts & american forces fight back, but not before their orbital weapon fires at the states. Its not clear why weapons are used in space at all, but hey, near future right?!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">initially I didn't get how an enemy force could get away with sending guns into space, but then a brief flash indicates something curious</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQTEaQguzkWUG_8nkclp0BOe8l9rGNcZedBqNIFtMELnpv89TyAA7nwPsw3qm8y9mCUGrG1wqUVt_F4Z4TrK-45bi_X19Yq1-ywgUMITuKXOte5KNC6RZdpmX2R7IEMwZrRWzyZ7dTsE/s1600/ghosts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyQTEaQguzkWUG_8nkclp0BOe8l9rGNcZedBqNIFtMELnpv89TyAA7nwPsw3qm8y9mCUGrG1wqUVt_F4Z4TrK-45bi_X19Yq1-ywgUMITuKXOte5KNC6RZdpmX2R7IEMwZrRWzyZ7dTsE/s320/ghosts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><i>WE DONT WANT TO ATTACK YOU MURICA!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The flag on the enemy astronaut is of the E.U</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">after this point the narrator talks about betrayal of trust, so its fair to assume that Europeans activated the U.S weapon. Coming from a European, its rather absurd. Why would Europe want to attack the U.S? I am hoping the game provides justification.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that we get a sequence of military machinery and the narrator saying how those 'south of the equator' overwhelmed the poor crippled nation, and were free to invade america after the weapon attack 10 years prior.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Again, its hard to escape the implausibility of what is happening, yet its delivered in a deadpan manner, with no humour. The narrator does not say 'jesus, we didn't see this coming' or anything like that. No, this is a serious threat at the time this game takes place.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmfgne59iA6mn_Y0fvAs2u38elZSZGxDiVhyMvQCs-1peBGjdpUcJQXzmtTCybKoUaSxh09knw0h1Q3Q336vSDGEQkl5XTgY_5UmKGiiLArFUZ2ahkCv5ZB-2ih54yXz_xD4EsX0WYp4/s1600/ghosts2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNmfgne59iA6mn_Y0fvAs2u38elZSZGxDiVhyMvQCs-1peBGjdpUcJQXzmtTCybKoUaSxh09knw0h1Q3Q336vSDGEQkl5XTgY_5UmKGiiLArFUZ2ahkCv5ZB-2ih54yXz_xD4EsX0WYp4/s320/ghosts2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Screw Russia or China, the South will be the ones to attack!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A series of scripted events happen with the protagonist. Admittedly very flashy, particularly with the train sequence.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbWv2FY2Wyt7R1r7WMY3AQ_vAkcPG7r-OQ60TiPOlTTme3y4laDRwW_ufr9fM3wHmgycTme7uZleTLJRpf0pylrPMOKGhudiolwu1Z_UKrIxA7rIOZYM3_heP8Hsr_QX9Lgk0UEXr1zc/s1600/ghosts3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbWv2FY2Wyt7R1r7WMY3AQ_vAkcPG7r-OQ60TiPOlTTme3y4laDRwW_ufr9fM3wHmgycTme7uZleTLJRpf0pylrPMOKGhudiolwu1Z_UKrIxA7rIOZYM3_heP8Hsr_QX9Lgk0UEXr1zc/s320/ghosts3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And of course the running gag of the games marketing, the <a href="http://youtu.be/oxRf90LWK9c?t=35s">Call of Duty Dog</a> gets an appearance, taking down a helicopter all by himself</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtSYYtVlj4NPsCsrJwmGrEg55EvDg7Wa4oqLdi53cJf4_8t9irYW3zdsmaQ920EwWpUlEyZ3ExcEswe8M5G3yyV3_8Lq9QCh3hyphenhyphenSEcEhGyvY3pvykN34-wzV9PkOtquDgJQxQJJjdrgo/s1600/ghosts4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtSYYtVlj4NPsCsrJwmGrEg55EvDg7Wa4oqLdi53cJf4_8t9irYW3zdsmaQ920EwWpUlEyZ3ExcEswe8M5G3yyV3_8Lq9QCh3hyphenhyphenSEcEhGyvY3pvykN34-wzV9PkOtquDgJQxQJJjdrgo/s320/ghosts4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Such a cutesy killing machine! have a biccy!</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then we get to the point where the patriotism meter busts up, with the line "A man who truly loves his country doesn't just give up his life. He gives his son's"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now I love my country, despite its problems with terrible politicians, money woes & a failing public transport system, but I wouldn't send my son out on the frontlines just to please it. Its scary that the game has a line encouraging future generations to fight when such a thing seems certain to happen right now and noone wants it. I believe a more appropriate line would have been " ...doesn't just give up his life, he protects his son's". Family comes ahead of national jingoism to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then more scripted sequences before the obligatory pre order request comes in at the end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My ethics takeaway from the trailer is that America really, REALLY wants to justify its power by facing an enemy of sufficient threat, no matter the cost to its own. When the threat is from being bombed by its own supersatellites, and invaded by the south american/african/australian continents it really leaves a bad taste. What would those invaders get out of invading the country? Mere land and constant rebellions are not worth it. If an absurd bombing was to happen, the E.U would not be the ones attacking the U.S, contrary, they would be the first to give a helping hand in delivering aid. 10 years of cities decaying assumes uninhabitable areas, so the conquerors get stuck with areas they cannot really occupy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Worstly the tone is sickeningly patriotic towards the states; there is the Blops 2 way of showing that while what the states do is good, they left some in a bad way, and then there is the ghosts way, of sacrificing your family to the stars & stripes because other countries have nothing better to do than plan invading the superpower when its down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From a gameplay standpoint I cannot help but feel like this is a retread of Black ops 2 minus the view of the other side. Think about it, an american weapons system is turned against them and those south of the states are responsible & filled with scripted set pieces? The tone is different from Blops 2's action extravaganza but the events are similar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And believe it or not, I am a big fan of how the series treated its positivity towards the west not too long ago. CoD4 showed protagonists that were brutal & morally questionnable, yet got results, and showed that noone in that game was truly evil or angelic. MW3 conversely showed that while attacking america, the Russians may as well have chemical attacks in Europe & massacre prague civilians...just because its necessary!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihi9LyA6hVQpzsE-D2-Ue2HPo0LhuF73KYUKZj1uBZd1FMM6dGGeG3NwvnBZ_EdW8HPfEsOyQLyV6Uvw-uWbD3CcbxHKbwa7BAM9EkK2WQGh4rF47tgD9X3TAsVKKHL04t5L7KoWSIqzY/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihi9LyA6hVQpzsE-D2-Ue2HPo0LhuF73KYUKZj1uBZd1FMM6dGGeG3NwvnBZ_EdW8HPfEsOyQLyV6Uvw-uWbD3CcbxHKbwa7BAM9EkK2WQGh4rF47tgD9X3TAsVKKHL04t5L7KoWSIqzY/s320/6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Cpt.Walker thought destructive weapons were necessary too!</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spec Ops the line may have spoiled me on story choice, but after playing the line just about every modern shooter since has been going against the themes of what the line did, often to their detriment in my eyes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So after all this ranting, remember that a little bit of murica! is good and all, but don't try so hard to make them underdogs, or have them depicted as such in just about every modern shooter ever made.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One sided opinion & flame shield on</span></div>
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Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-89296087657437952982013-04-29T01:19:00.000-07:002013-04-29T01:20:16.210-07:0030 Day Challenge: Day 4<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>The meaning behind my online alias</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have had this name since I had time with the PS2 and Xbox and had to create a username.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>SergioMach5</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The original names were SergioT101 and T102 (for Halo 1 and 2 respecively)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the name Sergio came from the footballer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_S%C3%A9rgio_Silvestre_do_Nascimento">Paulo Sergio</a>, who played for Brazil and A.S Roma at the time. the second name was just used because of the first name in my own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and of course, T101 and 102 came from the terminator series for the model T-800/Model 101.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway Sergio worked well, until as a joke while playing Red Raction 2 with one of my friends I made Sergio Mach 3. This was due to the new wave of Gilette mach 3 blades that were in shops at the time and was a pretty funny to add the number 3 in (as opposed to Sergio 3 which didn't flow well saying it).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDCBf8hx55-qAgv35Myju_6LQuuLF5Tu3crRFy5AHePSdc9h7SjdJojcD3BWPl2UOUbVwt2xFru4QCTQTf4y1aBofDhQLSeaRw_jd5bz2gw-EJvUdZBDuAOFKZgnfrKJz7_3l-joTLng/s1600/191026_gillette_mach_3_blades_4_s-500x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDCBf8hx55-qAgv35Myju_6LQuuLF5Tu3crRFy5AHePSdc9h7SjdJojcD3BWPl2UOUbVwt2xFru4QCTQTf4y1aBofDhQLSeaRw_jd5bz2gw-EJvUdZBDuAOFKZgnfrKJz7_3l-joTLng/s320/191026_gillette_mach_3_blades_4_s-500x500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>You can thank these</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then I skipped Mach 4 for whatever reason and first was online with SergioMach5 for a bebo account. Then followed Xbox Live, which I have used the name ever since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maybe for the next generation I will add in Mach 6, but for now it will do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So yeah that's the gritty origins story.</span>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-59747766579767154072013-04-27T18:40:00.002-07:002014-04-24T17:02:53.154-07:0030 Day Challenge: Day 3<h2>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Be warned, this is my day on the 26th April, something resembling a day off, and has a lot of type and thoughts. Its thesis worthy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Alarm-11AM rings, hit the dismiss button, and my eyes struggle to stay open.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I appear, walking through my old secondary school, through the busiest corridor. I see the students have all stood up and stayed still and silent with an exception;one boy is being harassed by a teacher. He simply needed to leave early because he had football later. I stand against her, saying what he is doing is better than taking drugs or drink, something the students staying in the school have been doing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Instantly I am climbing the schools front wall, with an odd stumble too. Possibly weak brickwork. I swing off a tree branch and leap off to the pavement below. I meet an attractive woman, Rachel. I haven't seen her in years, and she wants to hear about whats happened over the years. I chase after her, but she is a quick sprite of a woman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I eventually find her, in an exaggerated sized pub, reminiscent of older style Irish pubs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I explore it, finding two of my college friends as well as my parents. They go outside to a courtyard where a presentation is about to be held. I attempt to hide from the presentation in fear, running back from the courtyard into the pub, the woodwork interior feeling much more welcoming. I run up a flight of stairs. At the top is my project supervisor. Stunned, I fly backwards, in slow motion, all the way down the stairs and with my supervisor always in sight from the start of the fall to the landing on my spine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wake up. It is 2PM, with sun shining through my blinds. I could have done so much more with those three hours!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I walk down the hall, and close my bathroom door softly. I take a piss with the bright sunlight against my skin. A tricky feat for first time of the day, with my left arm occupied with my notebook and pen, and my right holding the shaft. Just as it ends the wind blows in from the top window, blowing the door wide open. At least noone is there to catch me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A facewash and handwash later, and a glance in the mirror for good measure before internet time. A quick scan for social updates while my electric disco playlist is up and running on spotify.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbKQPVgmAYq41r6wpVuPhuEsJLgCnPNxJ_vLZ-0Hc2LSoQQOAG_JDz1ktG5b_jGjP2w0R_NEJRYb8lCC0HEq9MpRSSNjXCnTK4xHRwPqQmPlL_PRN8PWImRfw4NF_qLQkrMnFJM2B6yE/s1600/SDC11144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbKQPVgmAYq41r6wpVuPhuEsJLgCnPNxJ_vLZ-0Hc2LSoQQOAG_JDz1ktG5b_jGjP2w0R_NEJRYb8lCC0HEq9MpRSSNjXCnTK4xHRwPqQmPlL_PRN8PWImRfw4NF_qLQkrMnFJM2B6yE/s320/SDC11144.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And to exercise: 5 sets of solid pushups. 16, 18, 13, 13, 20+ today, with 120 second gaps. All the while I am downing water, lest I die halfway through, shambolic fitness level, but that is what <a href="http://www.hundredpushups.com/week4.html#sthash.8F5EpWFv.dpbs">the challenge is for</a>. A bit more electric disco while at it & during gaps staring out the window.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">May as well stroke tiger for a bit, follow him to the kitchen and feed him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Talk to an attractive woman on facebook chat. Stuff like changing the past is in conversation. Would you do it knowing this timeline no longer exists? Your friends, lovers, work, gone. Brightening the thoughts, I play <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WzjaeIALFU">Shapeshifters-Lola's theme</a> on the MP3 player. Porridge and OJ for food, pretty bland but OK.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Collecting some change in the shops, straight out the door. A surprisingly chilly, yet sunny day. Wind blows south and clouds are mixing it u...wait</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sister calls me in to a quick chore, holding a paintbrush... OK, NOW back out the door!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A routine walk with my hood not up surprisingly. I vault over a small wall before entering the local school. Kids are playing football, this time with girls in the team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>I pass this church, and wonder if I will have the balls to climb to the top some day</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The traffic is pretty busy near the shopping centre, cyclists stay by the lights waiting for the green, a woman rushes across anyway, even in the face of a small van. I wait while listening to some <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ukstws19D4">Stealers Wheel</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the shops I unload my change into the machine, the jingles inside calculating a number. I get €6.50, not bad for shrapnel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A quick April drizzle hits as I return home. For some reason I brought €20 with me, something I was not going to spend here anyway. I am amused somewhat by it while <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4mRBK5z8Gw">Fion-This Way</a> plays through my white earbuds. Traffic appears to be getting busier, with some examples being an abundance of learner drivers, and narrow roads being blocked by cars parked on both sides. As I arrive home, I notice tulips growing from what used to be a dry dead bed. Its a neat little thing to see something so beautiful grow out of something harsh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Time for a good long shower. The bathroom is pretty warm for once. The ambience encourages me to strip down and admire my figure, shy as I am. You are only young once, and women will not want it if you are ancient!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The usual LAD shower, cock and balls followed by everything else. No shampoo around though, conditioner day? One bloody shave later and it is time to get a good shirt on. Hopefully I am not overdressed. By now its quarter to six. In a grey stripy shirt, good dark jeans and white runners, with the aroma of Tommy Hilfiger on me. Lets go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This bus is a curious beast. It's meant to arrive every 15 minutes, but time after time its just under 20. I must always be waiting for one the second after another bus has left! Life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lads at the back are having the chats, from the recent champions league results, FIFA, the Irish army and politics of all things "How did they elect George Bush?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You really do see all of Dublin society on a long bus ride. From the hard workers, to the dole scroungers, to the middle class and finally the economic 1%. A nice view of Dublin Bay at times too, though a DART would better serve this purpose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can sense future technology on this bus. Wi-fi, a digital ticker, an LCD screen, wheelchair ramps and more cameras than necessary are all on this bus. I do not necessarily like it, but I will likely get used to it as the fleet improves over the next few years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The walk from the bus stop to my friends house was interesting. Gardaà in up to date 13-D cars are on the hunt for someone. It makes me wonder how long I could evade an entire city of police if I was most wanted. Like Tsarnaev, without the civilian bombings. Random gunfire would likely be my fantasy crime, no killing, just distracting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A trip to indie spice in Sandymount resulted in a great, if quiet time. Everyone else ordered a coke and a Korma, but that's no fun! I ordered vegetable pakoras followed by a chicken achari. Spicy as hell but delicious. Friendly cobra beer inbound as well, but at 7.95 the beverage was pricey, even if larger than usual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Baileys after was welcome. A little awkward through the meal with just 4 people, with one half being all romantic and with us 2 lads going 'DUHHHH!!!' we joked a lot, but they may not have enjoyed the childish 'humour'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After stuffing myself to the point of explosion, we headed to Mulligans, but not before stumbling across a french demi-baguette of all things just lying there on the ground...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A pint was owed to me so happy days! though the full stomach meant a fair bit of nursing the pint. More crazed banter and was a cozy night totalling just a group of 5 at the pub. A standard chilling night, and out at 11.40.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With just 11 minutes until the bus arrived at the stop, I had to do a legger to the stop. Set to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0DlLEo8T7k">Assassins Creed</a>, I made it in time. A nitelink was a surprise, but its my ticket home so better pay the price. Apparently the cut-off point for passengers to get on is the U.S embassy so I got lucky.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This bus is not as futuristic as the one on the way in. Pretty conventional, no LCD's, wi-fi or the like, but its fine. Perhaps the nitelinks use the less modern buses in case of the standard nitelink scenarios like drinking, puking and general rowdiness. As a surprise the bus flew past the ghost town of Dun Laoghaire and travelled to Dalkey, before returning on the normal route. The classic rock is a great thing to listen to while seated. A full moon is blacked out by clouds as it travels through the scenic parts of Dublin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Getting off the bus, the full moon shines through the clouds. I may not be lycanthropic, but maybe its influenced my primal instincts. I have a piss in a nearby bush. A slow walk through the church I wanted to climb earlier in the day. Its a cold but calm ambience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back home and in bed. Acid reflux is hitting, must use rennies soon. Chatting to the attractive woman on facebook again, while listening to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GjyOdCFy-Y">Sylvester- I need you</a>. I wish I could have a hot night with her in my bed but ah well, manly urges and full moon. Sleep now</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">end log @ 02.14</span></div>
Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-72151495683222255492013-04-27T14:58:00.000-07:002013-04-27T14:58:00.219-07:0030 Day Challenge: Day 2<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10 Likes and Dislikes</span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This should be simple, though where I pull these out of could come from anywhere, be it day to day life, games, tv, music, and peoples actions. Lets find out what I like and hate!</span><br />
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<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Man Time!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is when I get home after a long day, and out of instinct I whip out a beer, watch whatever match is on the telly, and enjoy some bacon on the side if preferable. It simply cures the woes of the day, even for the brief 90 minutes that the match tends to last.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Father Ted</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How could I NOT like Father Ted. In fact, this should not even be here since its like and not LOVE. Nothing will ever capture Irish humour the same way this show has, and put on top that it was set just before Ireland became obsessed with the modern style we have today. It has jokes that hit every time I watch, and even the rare misses seem to be bounced back by an even bigger hit. If I ever need cheering up, an episode of Father Ted does the job. Watch this sitcom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. A Kiss from a rose</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This should be an obvious one, just walking up to someone you like, and then sharing a moment together that seems to make the entire world change from hell to heavenly. You can never have enough love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Night exploration</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my odder likes, sometimes I tend to just say 'fuck it' and leave the house, and go for a walk. This usually means a trip to the chinese, or to the beach, but going outside the local area to find beautiful views and hidden goodies again is always worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. A good doorty chinese</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I paid it lip service in the last one, its only appropriate. General Tso's chicken, or a classy 4 in 1 do the job, even if you feel like exercising the day after.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. A great night out</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A night where you have a few drinks with friends, in a good pub with food afterwards, and the taxi back, preferably with someone you like with you. What could you hate about it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. A great night in</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a takeaway? Check. A great collection of films and games? Check. The music is doing brill too! and to top it all, the friends you want to share the fun with are here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. Burnout Road Rage</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While Halo may be my favourite game series, when it comes to venting frustration nothing is better from a gaming standpoint than a game of Burnout 3 or Revenge, and blowing cars up! smash your rivals off the road, nudge them off cliffs, or smack them into a bus. A favourite of mine since 2004.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Photoshopping</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a thing for turning turds into less offensive turds with adobe products, but the best example is using the beloved program that is photoshop. I love messing with it, and can sometimes make 'art' out of it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_74thPWsmcYo1hOUstH22KE1qjGPxGRowBIXbzz47oLRPzHyxjwPOlECFQmD7fBqmAF8M8Ux0oopuSuciRg6fe0G3r-0NebNgfw8F-l0BrHMxH6wkow-bmeSFA-aSK17cBqLHsVbZjRI/s1600/Dishonored+remade+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_74thPWsmcYo1hOUstH22KE1qjGPxGRowBIXbzz47oLRPzHyxjwPOlECFQmD7fBqmAF8M8Ux0oopuSuciRg6fe0G3r-0NebNgfw8F-l0BrHMxH6wkow-bmeSFA-aSK17cBqLHsVbZjRI/s320/Dishonored+remade+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />10. My Cat Tiger</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5tXvtgsPgUmZQOWoMQufgvw7gDmi3hjFvyTsbd2r0IZDKYSg9lEdgLZrRkE_0LNEqVGGYaauHWMQIwjcy_p6qCbaICGwIb-EjHJxKCSB32R88nuwiTZv2vTuNd7H_Q1sWmQl98-Li3E/s1600/gumby+cat+091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5tXvtgsPgUmZQOWoMQufgvw7gDmi3hjFvyTsbd2r0IZDKYSg9lEdgLZrRkE_0LNEqVGGYaauHWMQIwjcy_p6qCbaICGwIb-EjHJxKCSB32R88nuwiTZv2vTuNd7H_Q1sWmQl98-Li3E/s320/gumby+cat+091.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some love em', some hate em' but the family seems to like cats now. Tiger is evil and at the same time far too soft, and when he rubs against you it just shows he is king of this house for the fact of being really fluffy. You will miss him when he isnt around all the same.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And The Shit List...</span></u><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Dairy Products</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Technically I am not allergic to them, but they put me off just about any food imaginable. many a pizza, garlic bread and hot chocolate has been ruined by this food category</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 3</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One game that I will forever despise. It was not just the fact that it didn't improve upon MW2 in any way, but it kept the mistakes it predecessor had along with blocking its ears as if Black Ops (the better game) never existed. Bland, unoriginal and frustrating are 3 words to give this game.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0S3ZH_XmZXO8pnD7SDPdj_4JX4QMpl2gxl6CFvUM2yT3tB-Lax2iGKx5REUyNCgHJfXifWkXLNoaP4uLyg5p48LahY5fVAwZVIh0URRCHCV2cENlK8AvHjac0YiE2Wk1xuwgMJaerQQ/s1600/531047_473886952630161_1457869733_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0S3ZH_XmZXO8pnD7SDPdj_4JX4QMpl2gxl6CFvUM2yT3tB-Lax2iGKx5REUyNCgHJfXifWkXLNoaP4uLyg5p48LahY5fVAwZVIh0URRCHCV2cENlK8AvHjac0YiE2Wk1xuwgMJaerQQ/s320/531047_473886952630161_1457869733_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Watching a shite film</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pretty self explanatory. Watching a bad film is a waste of money, and thus checking sites like rotten tomatoes are now the norm.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLDJ19V1quCKggzwIdmAK_MwE809A5EKno1mHwzhheeo_2ER6EGJ2HZsHisp21e-NkKTfUntcPyifqnXwD4YWu2Ls2lX_YUvSkKJUzFQLPzM1Flffz_8IqXRtXARB3uMXFBVog3Si8tw/s1600/quad2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLDJ19V1quCKggzwIdmAK_MwE809A5EKno1mHwzhheeo_2ER6EGJ2HZsHisp21e-NkKTfUntcPyifqnXwD4YWu2Ls2lX_YUvSkKJUzFQLPzM1Flffz_8IqXRtXARB3uMXFBVog3Si8tw/s320/quad2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A particularly bad offender</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Project supervisors</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A very personal thing, but when you don't want to see your supervisor to the point of </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">actually not coming into work</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, you know there is a big problem. And when you do fail, having an hour long grilling from them does not help your working relationship, especially after you told them not to do it in front of all your co-workers -.-</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Firework by Katy Perry</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Again a specific dislike, a track I hated from its first play and to this day its just so annoying for reasons unknown, but I hate it! Having it played constantly on every radio station for a long, LONG time didn't help much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Losing Love</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">after a year missing someone, its classified as big love according to 'Win a date with Tad Hamilton'. Still, its a pain while you go through it seeing the world as a dull dead place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Shite nights out</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yeah there are only as many good nights out as there are shite nights out. Being with a crowd you don't particularly bond with, while deafening music blares, and its overcrowded as well. And top it off with a boring sequence of events too. Nothing becomes enjoyable.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnTFWAddqSg407atiChq6e8WPM-jO5LvakiOXrPYYaDIoy7nrWEce_nHrXO3Vl1HVTPBBkMibis3WMgRwPYkY9IhvpZPiyReOQvSmMnBIVByUQGJlCNgEWK3-4dyl0NTe9VxXlCCSa2g/s1600/IMG_1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnTFWAddqSg407atiChq6e8WPM-jO5LvakiOXrPYYaDIoy7nrWEce_nHrXO3Vl1HVTPBBkMibis3WMgRwPYkY9IhvpZPiyReOQvSmMnBIVByUQGJlCNgEWK3-4dyl0NTe9VxXlCCSa2g/s320/IMG_1006.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. The many idiots of Facebook</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I cannot be alone on this one, there is the one who couldn't spell if the grammar Nazi's had a gun to their heads, the one who declares her love every day to the point of total meaninglessness (surely saying the 3 words to them in person and not that often is better than saying it to everyone on a social networking site?), the one that posts attention seeking status's, the depressed one, and the one who really needs to reference facts before posting stuff up...and that annoying conspiracy on fluoride usage can go in there too.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgzlctfObWwqfi-gVZlEBy8kgTBIs_1YYEaedszCupVrWl36YqF_5F2dQ6fcfXOK198Ok0JGEqWOO6h2efe8I-SnIud8pjR87-hRIlWpePK1_Owxc-iU5_oBy17DLOw49wQJwiA0__MI/s1600/eejit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgzlctfObWwqfi-gVZlEBy8kgTBIs_1YYEaedszCupVrWl36YqF_5F2dQ6fcfXOK198Ok0JGEqWOO6h2efe8I-SnIud8pjR87-hRIlWpePK1_Owxc-iU5_oBy17DLOw49wQJwiA0__MI/s320/eejit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This was on my wall...</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Being overly straight.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the most personal one on the list. I love women, and logically I am manly...too manly. Thus, ANY communication with the flamboyant usually ends in disaster. I just cannot handle it, and so I miss out on the better stories behind great women...I just cant stand flamboyancy unless its to take the piss. I also hate that I cannot adapt to this particular group, and am likely missing out. Add in that they know I am straight and will place me as center of attention *shudders*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. 'Insert generic statement here'</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hear about the weather? Hear about the economy? Jayses hear about that Boston fella?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hate these generic useless questions. Yeah, they serve purpose for introducing conversation but what is wrong with 'How are you?' or 'Hows it going?'</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><ol>
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Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-74747197246251022742013-04-26T12:00:00.000-07:002013-04-26T12:00:02.888-07:0030 day challenge: Day 1<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Write some basic things about yourself</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So this should be simple, but at the same time I cannot help but feel like I have to impress someone, preferably of the opposite sex and with a drunken glint of passion through my eye after a few glasses of jack and coke.<br /><br />still, lets get to it.<br /><br />I am Paul (hence </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the Lil Paul name), I was born in the 1980's and hail from the emerald isle of Ireland</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am shy of 6 feet by a few inches (yeah I dont do height calculations very well!) and and relatively slim. I feel like I am improving in physique with each passing week though, thanks exercise! and I have the mixed lifestyle that the 2000's and 2010's have done so well at mixing so far.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I could be described as a skanger that barely made it over to the alternative side, so there is a variety of lifestyles that clash, be it trips to tesco for reduced food to enjoying myself at a good rock bar. On top of that, there is the nerdy element, and I am certainately affiliated with the games industry over any other medium. Halo is the king, and I enjoy games from every area, even from PS3 contrary to popular belief. And I can be a chameleon of sorts, almost anyone I interact with I can find a common interest, but usually that also means I stay quiet in case I have to say something more deep (who won the football? who won the rugby? whats this latest band?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If am a poster child of anti-drugs, which is ironic seeing as I have hung out with a fair few smokers and cannabis users over the years. Still, I am amoral in this respect, they can do anything and I wont stop them, so long as they dont shove it down my throat.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I like hanging out in town, but a lot of the time I reside in my man cave, complete with TV, xbox and laptop, and a surround sound system just for fun too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am the quiet type that secretly comes out and goes crazy when needed, and I have the style of being fairly crazy and at the same time have the potential to be the depressed detective type all at once.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So there we go, day 1, you know a bit about me.</span>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-32822713662689960982013-04-25T13:01:00.000-07:002013-04-25T13:01:27.252-07:00The 30 day challenge<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I have done a few of these in the past (notably the 30 day song challenge and game challenge) but these have been on the likes of facebook and bebo, some things that are another site away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I technically have this as a blog so why not accept the challenge of doing 30 posts in 30 days? It cannot hurt after all unless this gets analysed by crime scene investigators long after my inevitable crime against society.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, lets delve into the list, shall we?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8sd9rjpZ2Z9H2jlKU6eJZPG2PzGMHIQRQgfqI8BPT9N4pXw7HuKuzCLH3-h62Q_1-inbgeSezPZIGqHOnxb6XC-pvuh9X9IcNSfZgeKdNEEBaUbz7Gk3eqfMqxcvOWgJthtSrBWFKZw/s1600/tumblr_lrwv0siFK21qa3p30o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8sd9rjpZ2Z9H2jlKU6eJZPG2PzGMHIQRQgfqI8BPT9N4pXw7HuKuzCLH3-h62Q_1-inbgeSezPZIGqHOnxb6XC-pvuh9X9IcNSfZgeKdNEEBaUbz7Gk3eqfMqxcvOWgJthtSrBWFKZw/s400/tumblr_lrwv0siFK21qa3p30o1_500.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lets do this</span></div>
Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-7524692758957727962013-01-23T09:09:00.000-08:002013-01-23T09:09:59.460-08:0050 Things about 2012<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">1.The first 24 hours of 2012: long texts, horde mode, aircoach, Duquesa, forced awake and intaking 2 extra bottles of Marques de Cacares despite a messy end to 2011, joy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnOX5wGLpPgMou71rOZ6-GN1EWde9In5k5UcQpALyf9GZOvhEG1Ip69rt6Cxp_jKwEUHDhALnogNUSu8EMQgwdNHgMyiZ4J_L19PLo4twT83cVXKTq1PR0-9MfROraAcZxMqeLDaOQQo/s1600/Duquesa+2012+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnOX5wGLpPgMou71rOZ6-GN1EWde9In5k5UcQpALyf9GZOvhEG1Ip69rt6Cxp_jKwEUHDhALnogNUSu8EMQgwdNHgMyiZ4J_L19PLo4twT83cVXKTq1PR0-9MfROraAcZxMqeLDaOQQo/s320/Duquesa+2012+012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>this view too</i></div>
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">2.the last 24 hours of 2012: fixing the xbox, while planning a rather fun 2013.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">3.one bottle of 7up can keep you alive for 3 straight days if you try.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">4.Working in retail indeed teaches you to hate people</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">5. Bacbar, sweet jesus the messiness!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvLUsxO3iSlSbkLO0jUQd2REQoWHGi6BxkHIL1XuzdnxIUABdNDEW96zbgnkn_36_whgTXPviR1nS-IdySUBCt134Fke1jA63Z9lSp9_ZTIlYkzxEKobDM2Q_Ukff8LulvGWqLC4bsM4/s1600/SDC11318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvLUsxO3iSlSbkLO0jUQd2REQoWHGi6BxkHIL1XuzdnxIUABdNDEW96zbgnkn_36_whgTXPviR1nS-IdySUBCt134Fke1jA63Z9lSp9_ZTIlYkzxEKobDM2Q_Ukff8LulvGWqLC4bsM4/s320/SDC11318.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">6.I am willing to die for some, and merely just a few injuries for others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">7.A Corolla is some beast to drive, and fun to master.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">8.Photoshop keeps you sane when everything else isnt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">9. Dont beat someone too much at minigames.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">10. Ulster Bank sure like making you wait to get your payslips, fecking technical fault</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br />11. A quick trigger finger is expensive for something like paintballing, perhaps it was better to be a marksman than a Rambo?!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">12. 12PM,12.12.12, the worst hour of 2012, appropriate timing eh?!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">13. You couldnt hide my smile when I found out I was to graduate :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">14. Dr. Jones, Return of the Mack, Gangnam Style;If you know the connection, you'd better stay quiet!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">15. 27 clothes pegs on your face makes for a great photo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">16. Dishonored, it may not be the best looking (Halo 4), the most popular(Black Ops 2), or the smartest (Assassins creed) game out there, but it knew what I wanted, and delivered. My game of the year</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">17. 2 hours of Business a week truly ages you, and degenerates you into a shadow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">18. On the other side of the coin, the enthusiasm you show when being in a Broadcasting Technology lecture is surprising to say the least.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">19. my IADT experience for 2/3rds of 2012 http://1-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/sp/image/1340/16/1340169016931.jpg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">20. the assassins game is getting too popular, let it go on for more than a mere 5 days this time lads!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">21. The first time you absail down the quarry in Dalkey is a fear conquering experience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">22. The second time you absail down feels like a mission in Call of Duty, flying down the side as quickly as possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">23. Chelsea Beating Bayern Munich over penalties was great imagery, if only because it was seen behind the counter of a chipper in Bray</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">24. Ronan, that match in the RDS was Class! best do it again soon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">25. Doyles needs to fix their bannister.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">26. A week in March was considered the Irish Summer, while the dying days of December rivalled some July days. sometimes I wonder...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">27. Nandos is a must dine experience after mini golf.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">28. You CAN surf in Killiney Beach, you just need some conditions for it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipghVZaKrKo2rOnAtmCPR66of6B0U5mmlvPMqghDKu4qhEHQ0MLYSsolM7hh3mZbyDa_c_RNjWv8UNkMJbRf_sgyKGzWa0OLi0a6dHc_XTfStI8riYF61QAPCJBsW6q1AYDto54UG8g1A/s1600/IMG_0170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipghVZaKrKo2rOnAtmCPR66of6B0U5mmlvPMqghDKu4qhEHQ0MLYSsolM7hh3mZbyDa_c_RNjWv8UNkMJbRf_sgyKGzWa0OLi0a6dHc_XTfStI8riYF61QAPCJBsW6q1AYDto54UG8g1A/s400/IMG_0170.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Its pretty damn cool!</i></div>
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">29. I did not find Ted funny, aside from the one Susan Boyle joke.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">30. Photo's in Killiney end up as blackmail pics for trolling, nice one Ed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUyU1SjuJrNugjXn8Chdh-mqmDia2FgXCO7TEPlifA1KzkltmMiV1ip8904FWlTPR4MP-9gn6d5k-XJdacaVOG6CyuZd98fKELNvYn7DYhRHwajjMPwZIrs-JZNcuzW3qRNvcMOVHVcU/s1600/lol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUyU1SjuJrNugjXn8Chdh-mqmDia2FgXCO7TEPlifA1KzkltmMiV1ip8904FWlTPR4MP-9gn6d5k-XJdacaVOG6CyuZd98fKELNvYn7DYhRHwajjMPwZIrs-JZNcuzW3qRNvcMOVHVcU/s320/lol.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">31. Irelands where were you moment: Katie Taylor winning Gold in the London olympics; unfortunately I was in a workshift where the only shoppers were women complaining that men were enjoying women beat each other up....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">32. Buy a scratchcard off an attractive co-worker when off shift, it makes you out as a risky gambler type.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">33.Don't be surprised when said co worker actually is crazy instead of the sweet innocent type you thought, as she goes wild and messy on the dancefloor with random lads.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">34. Haywire was to me the first American film set in Ireland which didnt have negative Irish stereotypes. Even Michael Fassbender baiting the heroine about the place felt justified when he ends up getting killed at the end of the fight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">35. I own Emmy's wristband on my arm, and she now owns the skull I had round my neck. A nice trade off for someone I will never meet again until the next life. Kudos crazy lady.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">36. Dark Knight Rises, a rather popular choice but its my film of 2012. Not the greatest ever, but I didn't exactly see many others. Amazing spiderman perhaps as runner up......nah</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">37. Its hard to stop thinking about the good times when in a long cycle of bad times...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">38. Selling the Family Guy Game=Value for money</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">39. Trading in Modern Warfare 3 for €4=still value for money :)</span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UMWW92UhpZs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">40. go light painting with like minded people, you learn some pretty good techniques!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">41. You can get too old for camping holidays, but only temporarily</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">42. Remember to get the aul fella some bacon fries if you are getting some anyway.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">43. Learn to Appreciate sitcoms on Channel 4; How I met your mother, Frasier, and the older noughties hits are worth the watch.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">44. Run fast, and run the distance.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">45. You miss your free space after a few months, and long for an indoor place where no ones watching.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">46. Cooking oil wont blow up from a firework, but dont stand too close to the sun when it happens eh?!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpQDjGfGJMs7xc0PcJZlGC9-3i_18nDgcpeBx61MnPrqFlYpt-0o-0GgSIVNjyUHaYrMWw3h1H_WaVtaEvLxdd-Oicgggpoi8VYjusc0uX7qxemPVjOdUh_dYlWeH7HwQdI6_AqoGYRc/s1600/IMG_0607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtpQDjGfGJMs7xc0PcJZlGC9-3i_18nDgcpeBx61MnPrqFlYpt-0o-0GgSIVNjyUHaYrMWw3h1H_WaVtaEvLxdd-Oicgggpoi8VYjusc0uX7qxemPVjOdUh_dYlWeH7HwQdI6_AqoGYRc/s320/IMG_0607.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">47. Dominos deals are amazing when theres no food left.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">48. Shanai got to know me this year, and I hope to dine there again when the money rolls in again, best Indian round the area.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPiYdGycMpRt24JEvceWLGeeeVLL_-9Mw3PnyAlgp3hZDDQ8cPcEO7ZiJfIRcxozvwkTwwcl7uYqFrlpMUY0pogD-lsV3Ux1m5vL-00w70SPwtuq-ZUOS-ZPqUleB8rwnqX6jHLO6ohQ/s1600/IMG_0878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPiYdGycMpRt24JEvceWLGeeeVLL_-9Mw3PnyAlgp3hZDDQ8cPcEO7ZiJfIRcxozvwkTwwcl7uYqFrlpMUY0pogD-lsV3Ux1m5vL-00w70SPwtuq-ZUOS-ZPqUleB8rwnqX6jHLO6ohQ/s320/IMG_0878.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">49. 2012 seemed like the second part of a trilogy: the drama increased from 2011, and the plot threads remain unresolved, to be done in 2013.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">50. 2013 better solve the plot threads: whats on the cards, I will not know, but I'd better learn from the previous years, and hope to be happy days!</span></span>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-71291033012633380912012-09-11T15:09:00.001-07:002012-09-11T15:09:40.538-07:00I Finally get to review Sleeping Dogs!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI74Alt0wiFJxA1f1rl0X9jFWq2x2A24nj9rFBISNQ_hykE98ajVnz5aZr4vMKg06-8PpoktRj0ykP0vWZgOUxkE2374LBQlfLb301gnYmnylMhUyFwLZRRuaZYDMCPENhq3pZOXGJfQ/s1600/Sleeping_Dogs_wei+chen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJI74Alt0wiFJxA1f1rl0X9jFWq2x2A24nj9rFBISNQ_hykE98ajVnz5aZr4vMKg06-8PpoktRj0ykP0vWZgOUxkE2374LBQlfLb301gnYmnylMhUyFwLZRRuaZYDMCPENhq3pZOXGJfQ/s320/Sleeping_Dogs_wei+chen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ah Sleeping Dogs. To say I have been waiting a while for this game is an understatement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Announced by Activision as early as 2009 in the form of True Crime: Hong Kong, the game <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/true-crime-hong-kong-canceled">was cancelled in February 2011</a> along with its planned release of a new Guitar Hero. Despite promising looking demos and showing an almost complete product, the publisher still let it go down the drain. The company's reasons were that the game was not of sufficient quality to compete in the open world genre, and as a result would not turn around as much of a profit as its other IP's, namely the obvious Call of Duty moneymaker and its own expectations for the game.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTA6nG2j0wMbWturXVbxen6-SRmwprqRUWrR8vCv4exqgjfcLL4Kacs1avkNefljL1fZZ11yqErO7P5aiwMxrukl0Pei2insUAdHrvGaYGTBuhOLmEfWbWysfNnzTu5lJ8e-tS2-Cvbl0/s1600/True-Crime-Hong-Kong-Delayed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTA6nG2j0wMbWturXVbxen6-SRmwprqRUWrR8vCv4exqgjfcLL4Kacs1avkNefljL1fZZ11yqErO7P5aiwMxrukl0Pei2insUAdHrvGaYGTBuhOLmEfWbWysfNnzTu5lJ8e-tS2-Cvbl0/s320/True-Crime-Hong-Kong-Delayed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>You crushed my soul Activision</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reasoning behind this still baffles me to this day; Why not just release a game thats 99% complete anyway, just to get SOME money out of it instead of letting those years of development go to waste with nothing to show for it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, Square Enix saw that the game was well worth bringing out, and after picking up the publishing rights, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3_QhQIrFLw&list=SPCFC9FE6B007B0299&index=22&feature=plcp">released an announcement trailer</a> in February this year, that really brought its presence in with a bang. Afterwards, its been a long enough wait, but finally last week I got my copy, and played everything it has to offer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was it worth the wait?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">in short, yes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From playing it through to the end, I can say that the best things about the game are that it takes familiar mechanics, blends them all together very smoothly, and tops it off with a solid story in a setting that has not been done to death in the sandbox genre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You play as officer Wei Chen, a member of the San Francisco Police Department that is returning to his native homeland of Hong Kong, tasked with an undercover operation. He must infiltrate a branch of the Triad criminal organisation, under the <i>Sun on Yee</i> branch, and break it down from within. Throughout his story, you encounter a variety of characters from both sides of the law, including his Superintendant Thomas Pendrew</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, old friend and member of the triads Jackie Ma, the leader of the <i>water street gang</i> Winston Chu, and even the Sun on Yee Dragon Head, Uncle Po.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of these characters give Wei tasks that further progress the story and his standing in the gang, in a similar vein to the Grand theft Auto series. The story ultimately is a rather solid, if predictable </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">undercover cop drama, that also pays homage to the martial arts genre. It fits well between the seriousness of the GTA4 tale, and the goofiness of a Saints Row 'story'. My biggest gripe is a lack of consistency with the timeframe of it all. I felt with the story than it could have been set over a few weeks, though it should feel like its over many months, just to make sense of the time infiltrating the gang. A slightly smaller gripe is the relatively short time it takes to complete the game. Whereas GTA4 would take an achievement of beating it in under 30 hours, Sleeping Dogs would clock in at roughly half that before the side missions.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvIb3uv0Sw6Aw0IKc4OyklBNUhsqzQzFFQ0l0U2r_2JqeaJXQgO_EVvwIk5_pRekjYVo1qdFPOLArNpC8-kY6NqkByVjaW0o8dLHykqI0Bo-bYCnTjyvr4XkIkv2zQVqlyTmrAPxTvCY/s1600/sleeping-dogs1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvIb3uv0Sw6Aw0IKc4OyklBNUhsqzQzFFQ0l0U2r_2JqeaJXQgO_EVvwIk5_pRekjYVo1qdFPOLArNpC8-kY6NqkByVjaW0o8dLHykqI0Bo-bYCnTjyvr4XkIkv2zQVqlyTmrAPxTvCY/s320/sleeping-dogs1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Where do your loyalties lie?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The missions themselves run the usual of games in the genre, ranging from street fights to shootouts to infiltration and loaded with minigames, all with a lot of driving. The distinction Sleeping Dogs gives though, is a specialised melee system, upgrades and a solid arcade racer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The melee combat takes up a large part of the action. The mechanics are similar to the recent batman games, but incorporate a lot of environmental attacks, and a lot of gory possibilities that come with it. Hand to hand is inspired by martial arts, and additional abilities can be gained by finding collectibles, such as health shrines for extra hitpoints, or statues for additional button combos.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdY8quiZqHW54VSu7MCtrccBJQ5EBU0Ml3uBXGl1Yg0jc66NSkjXlzXIo2vA5dDTU37gktr4u-cJ-Pvch-4IC5iEoxe_8AT9J53_kHpLQqkPeaPLoyl_sRdAu7Y6Us7mQX4pYeESWChoQ/s1600/sleeping-dogs-health-shrine-locations-guide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdY8quiZqHW54VSu7MCtrccBJQ5EBU0Ml3uBXGl1Yg0jc66NSkjXlzXIo2vA5dDTU37gktr4u-cJ-Pvch-4IC5iEoxe_8AT9J53_kHpLQqkPeaPLoyl_sRdAu7Y6Us7mQX4pYeESWChoQ/s320/sleeping-dogs-health-shrine-locations-guide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When firearms become introduced, they change the dynamic of play by putting in a cover system, as well as bullet time effects when vaulting obstacles. While they are rather decisive when its a gang of gunmen against you, you can still put up a fair fight against a few enemies with martial arts, with disarming abilities, and the environment is still yours to use...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhLMgewkC6loKKXaKLUmuGnj7GXuUoSr01fCKV5__8KAZnx3ERWWNKrVJTeGRmtVtIPE3FlE8-gR4qdKxSVgnPUzEtzjaNjdRL9ryuZFFUEGXn3X0CYWHTX4gVFwNrAFdhN8OeYpKM0c/s1600/SleepingDogs+environment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhLMgewkC6loKKXaKLUmuGnj7GXuUoSr01fCKV5__8KAZnx3ERWWNKrVJTeGRmtVtIPE3FlE8-gR4qdKxSVgnPUzEtzjaNjdRL9ryuZFFUEGXn3X0CYWHTX4gVFwNrAFdhN8OeYpKM0c/s320/SleepingDogs+environment.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>the baddies should have never placed hooks and swordfish there really</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Running through the games missions and quests is an upgrade system, where you gain abilities from Police, Triad and public face experience. Points are gained from the police Exp by not killing civilians or damaging public property, Triad Exp is earned from impressive combat techniques, and face Exp is earned from helping citizens around Hong Kong and being considered a popular figure. These all add to bonses, such as price discounts, melee abilities or extra bullet time. It fits well into the split loyalties theme.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting around Hong Kong is a breeze rather than a chore. You can travel on foot, utilizing a parkour movement, or get in the plentiful vehicles around the city. While the climbing is more contextual, and admittedly fun, it is disappointing that you cannot simply jump freely rather than wait for the indicator. On the other hand, driving is one arcade style blast of fun. Blending a mix of Burnout Revenge and Need for Speed Underground, the driving is fast and not in the slightest concerned with realism. This works to the games advantage, as open world games usually have dead boring street race events. Here, they are short and sweet, and you have a variety of vehicles, from the speedy motorcycles to a chicken van. Along with driving you can ride shotgun in vehicle shootouts, or stuff baddies in the trunk. And if you really feel adventurous, why not jump out of your car to hijack one beside you?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoaOFHlJcxWKP7yYuFNlpzorbAfSbHwZ0YFX7PpecUqjTAzY2KkkLSLKTNoK-bN1N7FQY3UFMmAdxdRzbJQtvhLASisggODPxDHNZFbcwkskYVOuixJgz097ZAjmZIG0QVVd8gn5-MR0/s1600/action-hijack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoaOFHlJcxWKP7yYuFNlpzorbAfSbHwZ0YFX7PpecUqjTAzY2KkkLSLKTNoK-bN1N7FQY3UFMmAdxdRzbJQtvhLASisggODPxDHNZFbcwkskYVOuixJgz097ZAjmZIG0QVVd8gn5-MR0/s320/action-hijack.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No sandbox game is without sidequests and minigames, and Sleeping Dogs is no exception. There are the usual "beat up this guy cos he said my hat looked gay" or the theft of vehicles, but the more unique ones involve Wei's undercover job. Hacking cameras, triangulating signals, planting bugs and cracking safes are part of the job. If Wei is a bit more on the Triads side, he can indulge in some cock fighting or gambling in the dens off the island. Karaoke should really be avoided though...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it comes to looks the city is the star of the show. While it isnt a real representation of Hong Kong, it captures a lot of the essence, with vibrant streets, vendors waiting to sell you pork buns and counterfeit clothes, and the neon signs dominating the streets. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G12ZZ4qVBVTl34Oii0ZS1epwU82gGWq15fyV9MhO_IiiBL9nNHS7swXb-xD270pX6iF8R9Hlav__xbaJXMzdu-H7_bYXqx7c6hr4_WoYfPAclse2bGM-ERfYjPlRnlK4rje1tr5BoIg/s1600/sleeping-dogs-story-trailer-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G12ZZ4qVBVTl34Oii0ZS1epwU82gGWq15fyV9MhO_IiiBL9nNHS7swXb-xD270pX6iF8R9Hlav__xbaJXMzdu-H7_bYXqx7c6hr4_WoYfPAclse2bGM-ERfYjPlRnlK4rje1tr5BoIg/s320/sleeping-dogs-story-trailer-header.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Close up however, the characters don't have the same level of detail as a Rockstar blockbuster, but do give a strong taste of the east with the voice talent. Mrs Chu speaks entirely in Cantonese, and a lot of the early dialogue has the same language, but its obvious that it turns into broken english in accented chinese. Still, its a different sound, especially with the oriental themed score.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stand by that this game was worth the wait. While it does not surpass its obvious roots with contemporaries, it does the mechanics very well, particularly driving and fighting. The choice to visit Hong Kong was a big reason I waited for this title, and its as refreshing as I thought. Its rare to find a game that caters so much to my tastes, but when it shows the love of the Asian culture, has Need for speed driving, Streets of rage meets Arkham asylum fighting, and a story that can be taken as a great alternative to GTA4, with all the minigames added in, I cant help but like the game. Its overkill that they knew I would like a Pat Benatar classic in the karaoke, but steady on its still not a save for the karaoke.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I strongly recommend you give this game a look, if not for a buy then rent for a good week. It will please those who like the Asian action films of late, and those who want a solid sandbox adventure to play during this admittedly long gaming drought. Even if you just want a game thats fun, this could satisfy your needs, so try it out.</span>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-19590028357126453712012-08-04T17:55:00.000-07:002012-08-04T17:55:41.334-07:00You dont hate people until...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP0BvrHSBKL1pWKxfdgh07Da9xOLvXQ18HBsnidRf58ts7VNm0fxPwZmavCdxYGbDDSk3BlAzoNzOPIQ9qapNE-32phnlSwwf-2jeTL2QBNrzOZYO43f-PLhpLF3PrWNzi6lddS1wBS8/s1600/B14A51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP0BvrHSBKL1pWKxfdgh07Da9xOLvXQ18HBsnidRf58ts7VNm0fxPwZmavCdxYGbDDSk3BlAzoNzOPIQ9qapNE-32phnlSwwf-2jeTL2QBNrzOZYO43f-PLhpLF3PrWNzi6lddS1wBS8/s320/B14A51.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As the saying goes (at least according to facebook), you do not hate people until you have worked in retail. And as it happens, I have been in that area of work for a few months now, and it really has hit the ultimate standoff between optimism and pessimism during this 'bank holiday'.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had been blissfully unaware of humanity's annoyances until this month, as previously I was the ice cube in the store freezers with little interaction aside from co-workers, but alas it has all changed now, and my eternal optimism has to face wave after wave of angry looking women who would challenge angry birds for the namesake.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjz_Wz7GyDrPe02E0m5URoCGCimzPwr6somRF78KFEJM5DUMZpauO4KsOfkCNxHYcr8veaw-UKGH6uhThuvMtxUshgP0kuG_VbQi2VWNTNtMynsw5TFXyfkPmo2h_gpzr73HqjmxNWko0/s1600/Angry-Birds.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjz_Wz7GyDrPe02E0m5URoCGCimzPwr6somRF78KFEJM5DUMZpauO4KsOfkCNxHYcr8veaw-UKGH6uhThuvMtxUshgP0kuG_VbQi2VWNTNtMynsw5TFXyfkPmo2h_gpzr73HqjmxNWko0/s1600/Angry-Birds.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few particular quotes I get day in day out from the downtrodden and depressed, and some reasoning as to why I hate them, and why I prefer to use the self service checkouts when in the reverse role of customer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Are you open?"</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBa99vSUZINOtoax5FkmTL-5aS3ozNs87cBOD_FNTcWHRCHQGHSfPJYig_CFulszsMNksFefxXt9nrqC8cOP2Q6MjlUf1lDY9nc3m255L1KVEE3UOD07RAQ9aJ0C8MAHC2uavfkDnigY/s1600/open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBa99vSUZINOtoax5FkmTL-5aS3ozNs87cBOD_FNTcWHRCHQGHSfPJYig_CFulszsMNksFefxXt9nrqC8cOP2Q6MjlUf1lDY9nc3m255L1KVEE3UOD07RAQ9aJ0C8MAHC2uavfkDnigY/s320/open.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>My own doodle, shop is censored so everyone is happy</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I suppose this is meant to be taken as a polite gesture from a customer who wants to get their shopping done as fast as possible, but do the bright lights of till 15, moving conveyor belt, open swing-door and ANOTHER CUSTOMER STILL BEING SERVED give them any hint? NO!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It does concern me that they ask when I am in the middle of a transaction with someone else, as if the entire store is going to shut down before they put their items on the belt. I also try to put myself in their shoes and wonder why ask that question in the first place, when someone is at a till they are there to scan stuff, so why not just put the stuff there and get it done?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"You looked bored/tired/lonely so I thought Id give you something to do"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A real way to piss me off. Granted, the life of a till monkey isnt a social one unless you happen to get the express checkouts with a few people to chat to, but do I look that way for fun?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am wrecked because I am after serving a seemingly endless line of tampons and quorn sausages, and when I finally get a breather you show up ready to make me do it all again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its not really the initial saying that is bad though, more that it has an accompanying natural law whereby once you scan this dear customer's items, a wild trolley will appear behind them, stuffed to the brim.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TDbSNwSiw4DLURt_s0zhVBWSZOPo4OTqZWTXNgf382rYneUfhF-fl2Ons23GIx82fE0cwcXZONv6xkQGt2kiJLpHu7ltCqEi7_KMPQWBc52ZfbUzaR5ESCG_cLLWsXV8bBu_sg8TIik/s1600/shopping-trolley-hc-120l-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3TDbSNwSiw4DLURt_s0zhVBWSZOPo4OTqZWTXNgf382rYneUfhF-fl2Ons23GIx82fE0cwcXZONv6xkQGt2kiJLpHu7ltCqEi7_KMPQWBc52ZfbUzaR5ESCG_cLLWsXV8bBu_sg8TIik/s320/shopping-trolley-hc-120l-.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Problem?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Can I have a euro for the trolley?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And thirdly, for now is when they ask for a euro for a trolley. This request isnt a stupid one by any means, but more what the customer does to make sure he/she gets one...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Firstly (while I am serving someone else) they will enter from the front doors, and make a robotic walk towards you, making sure they are noticed by you from as many yards away as possible.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UJWgRFS-CDAJkAy4lhMt8HBx5306p0prnQ14NyES5q3rMPJhgK0l7YSE2tULkDJEBRjRCbrRzh_Jw3F50N3GCSYUc_8tgYLryiS4K1CU79Tv_dUYhZ7IJ92Jp_Actf8Y7scISGk36Jc/s1600/asimo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UJWgRFS-CDAJkAy4lhMt8HBx5306p0prnQ14NyES5q3rMPJhgK0l7YSE2tULkDJEBRjRCbrRzh_Jw3F50N3GCSYUc_8tgYLryiS4K1CU79Tv_dUYhZ7IJ92Jp_Actf8Y7scISGk36Jc/s320/asimo.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">still while serving someone else, they will ask for a euro, despite there being a machine by the door! Whats wrong with it, will it try to attack you if you use it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and of course, I cant open the till until my transaction with the other customer is complete, but the minute it opens, they rush in with their change, their hands about to grab the euro from within</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and just walk off like that, completely ignoring the customer who is still awaiting change too you know?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinv_jI0MMxKtYnoA9Vqz_AZKAJTx9slMhNPAEHRGWcOk1-pWUBb-SLGkbAJsGieED8dE5tnCqnE4pkyJsLfjgUVv4rUjh1_Fp9bPFeWZPCXXhbT3afy-VhZkMey-M-7g9d9bfztmKDL20/s1600/euro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinv_jI0MMxKtYnoA9Vqz_AZKAJTx9slMhNPAEHRGWcOk1-pWUBb-SLGkbAJsGieED8dE5tnCqnE4pkyJsLfjgUVv4rUjh1_Fp9bPFeWZPCXXhbT3afy-VhZkMey-M-7g9d9bfztmKDL20/s320/euro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>this is a similar scenario...minus the gun...and hooded hoodlums</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So thats only a glimpse as to my daily annoyances, yet I still carry through, brighter than ever, because hey, someone has to oppose the pessimistic aul ones, and who is better at that?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-22809806358625107342012-07-24T14:42:00.000-07:002012-07-24T14:42:23.453-07:00Time Management: Act III<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The world is very much different from the one I had been in at the time of first typing this blog, and more so from the last post.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMfqlVvqUOkWTPG7z0FjHAa6GJuYVJj9VYJ2sySQQkRI9dfsRgbiSx7YlQLrSu0anlv81gnuHkd28rTdG66Rnuv9AY8V1Ecns1-SF0E87Kgr8aRMFtz6dn64GL_XdRIOA3gNk6GfoT-M/s1600/1000px-Fall_of_Reach_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMfqlVvqUOkWTPG7z0FjHAa6GJuYVJj9VYJ2sySQQkRI9dfsRgbiSx7YlQLrSu0anlv81gnuHkd28rTdG66Rnuv9AY8V1Ecns1-SF0E87Kgr8aRMFtz6dn64GL_XdRIOA3gNk6GfoT-M/s320/1000px-Fall_of_Reach_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>So maybe not THIS different</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For one, I finally have the job I have been craving all year to keep my mind busy. Its a basic job at the low end of things, but its a job, something that many in this emerald isle would crave. Perhaps the 4 year long 'recession' has stagnated to nothingness?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjnCkSRqRSG6a4C41BD8bYgXazBFicEW6-Zo2yieFfhyphenhyphenR4GY4ZdAmjGc17o-Ls1Xp_k7tpfttBbmBltJkkqtxaE4mgyOZHFHwttgS-nKaqkWWZHMtGqaDLMKidRQzyWctLH8vY-75nNc/s1600/CelticTigerLost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjnCkSRqRSG6a4C41BD8bYgXazBFicEW6-Zo2yieFfhyphenhyphenR4GY4ZdAmjGc17o-Ls1Xp_k7tpfttBbmBltJkkqtxaE4mgyOZHFHwttgS-nKaqkWWZHMtGqaDLMKidRQzyWctLH8vY-75nNc/s320/CelticTigerLost.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Or maybe the tiger is still missing?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Either way I am a worker, and its given me more money than I can spend, and I appreciate every free day I get. There has been times where I did, for example, 10 days straight, and its great, but I long for the days where I would climb killiney hill and dream of great things. A bit of a paradox considering I was dying for a job. Suppose its rare to find money and free time in the same space.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If it were not for employment I would not be typing on this new laptop I have, wearing this new sophisticated outfit, or planning a trip to see my brother stateside and getting all t3h W1mm1nzz!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ytysBRZtpMtJ92w2Ea5lt0fZThB8x7ld-YJejV5BSVt2MY7tX03_TG0628bemOji5HfhBZTxAmqdAxbOQ30_qCViEG3XJWDmnQQL_Z3siRzmz3XMT_GXqR7UkxIvRn_OkK-7cbAm4BE/s1600/2488522404_eef8a8f4a5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ytysBRZtpMtJ92w2Ea5lt0fZThB8x7ld-YJejV5BSVt2MY7tX03_TG0628bemOji5HfhBZTxAmqdAxbOQ30_qCViEG3XJWDmnQQL_Z3siRzmz3XMT_GXqR7UkxIvRn_OkK-7cbAm4BE/s320/2488522404_eef8a8f4a5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I cant help but feel like Nico on this one...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And to top it all, I did get my degree after a year in purgatory, so it was not a waste of time. I have even applied for a prototype year to see if I can improve my status in the world!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But time management has not gone without a cost. Everything in the previous world has been burned to the ground, from memories I cannot relive again, good and bad, to other jobs and people, and it has not been without casualties. You could argue that I have lost everything and won everything at the same time. Its a change of worlds from the happily free, but poor man to the rich but busy man indeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heres to making moneys at least!</span>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-32168137493771478372012-03-11T18:19:00.000-07:002012-03-11T18:19:09.232-07:00The Final Destination review<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am not a big fan of pure horror films or 'gore porn' films such as the Saw films,Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the Ring, Friday the 13th, and the Excorcist among others.</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Usually I prefer the tangents off of the genre. There is the Zombie horror, which is the best kind to transfer to a games man like myself, full of human social commentary with the usual action.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQmv68wJ140xyJ_PReqnCGSc8V-6WqFtvhp9byx6fdMwNnSpFT9" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQmv68wJ140xyJ_PReqnCGSc8V-6WqFtvhp9byx6fdMwNnSpFT9" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I Still think this is the best of its kind</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is the Science Fiction/Horror's like the Alien and Terminator series, blending action with bloody gore and some suspense</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRbZHXhwlhWvN8FT1WvW2ed17jD_CR35AjN3uDsCEeUISdj0BqPuA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRbZHXhwlhWvN8FT1WvW2ed17jD_CR35AjN3uDsCEeUISdj0BqPuA" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I even thought this was alright as a premise...</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then there is the comic horror where the films poke fun at horror conventions to a varying degree. Scary Movie goes all out for fun while the Final Destination Series has had a somewhat darker, though obvious humour in its films.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1G9b51s9hbcP2cQTnCgGb91KnqpamJO93cjX00tI4utShaf1L" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1G9b51s9hbcP2cQTnCgGb91KnqpamJO93cjX00tI4utShaf1L" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Not this obvious though</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been a fan of the Final Destination movies since the younger side of my teens. They are never going to be critical masterpieces in the same way that <i>Let the Right one in</i> has been, and I know what to expect from the films;The lead character has a premonition in which a sizeable group are killed in an accident, saves themselves and a few others from the accident, accident happens, then one by one the few survivors are killed off in mouse trap type accidents. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aside from the exception of Ali Larter's character in Final Destination 2, no one makes it to the end of the film. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its more obvious to expect than what happens when a man sees a beautiful woman naked on his bed.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite my fun with the series, I have yet to see them on the big screen, which is a mighty shame with The Final Destination's case. At the time of its release, its big draw was that it was in 3D, and from the outset, not tacked on for that extra buck. It sadly shows when I finally saw it on the TV for the first time. Objects that fly out hit the walls of the TV screen and not right in my face, and as the film progresses it gets more and more noticeable with explosions, water and nails all flying out and about. Heck, there was even a sex scene, imagine the doorty fap in 3D!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRdGxDfD0FX8AJZnC22TmU-HWc76KECKYGu3IC0zyFEyeqwom8-Qw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRdGxDfD0FX8AJZnC22TmU-HWc76KECKYGu3IC0zyFEyeqwom8-Qw" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>They saw the 3D bewbz</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So without the effect, the film feels very flat to watch, and CG effects are much more noticeable, even more so than the third. Still, it can't be all bad to watch, isnt the main draw overall about the death scenes?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, it sorta falls flat on that too...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The feeling of losing control, a theme in the third Final Destination in particular, is lost in the opening scene. the chances of escaping the Speedway crash feel somewhat greater to live than its predecessors (fancy your chances surviving a Plane explosion or Roller Coaster ride?) The larger accidents near the climax also make death into some force akin to a Soldier with a chaingun with unlimited ammunition and grenades, killing ALL CIVILIANS just to get the survivors. Isn't 'death' a rather selective force in the series, why the deaths of the characters are more scary than if killed with many more alongside them?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvFs1dGD2UNvC_bi8GKYyxPwEZQE9oeNW0RxJHv_-wD0df5MRA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvFs1dGD2UNvC_bi8GKYyxPwEZQE9oeNW0RxJHv_-wD0df5MRA" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>its geting tired of singling out</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much of the previous instalments already got the cream of horrendous death sequences, such as the surprise bus accident, the tanning beds, the flying barbed wire, falling ladder, bathtub strangulation and so on. This film has a lot of retreads, with possibly the most scary being the swimming pool accident. Not by the act itself, but because it is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Abigail_Taylor">based on an actual event</a></span>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The car wash sequence, while new, felt strangely non lethal. The suspension of disbelief is required I know, but I have seen Jonathan Goodwin tied down to a car in a washer in nothing but boxers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/E0Ch-lklpMU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Channel 4 in the noughties</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still, the Security guard is a pleasant change of the 'Evil black man that dies first' stereotype in horror (funnily, it is the racist redneck who gets it first while attacking a coloured man). The rest of the cast reek of bad character development. The romance between the lead and his girlfriend is worthy of attention, but IMO it would have been better had he done something that would save her but at the cost of his life (mushy but ah well).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My main problem, aside from the 3D failings when flat, is that it does not do anything over the top-fresh for the series. The fans watch the films for ingeniously gory scenes, and at the same time a twist in how the 'death' system works. The twist only really gains urgency near the end, and while I enjoyed these climactic events, the rest of the film plays by numbers and going rather refined over revolutionary. Its campy, overly reliant on the 3D gimmick and unoriginal.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So while I rank this as the lowest of all the Final Destinations, there is but one film in the series I have yet to see, and one which disproved the point of the title 'The Final Destination'. Will it be any good? I hope to see it soon!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTL9aUUl447t_skaQLzwpN2FEHsQ7rm4fwzclGr9vXvWVW3-6Uf2A" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTL9aUUl447t_skaQLzwpN2FEHsQ7rm4fwzclGr9vXvWVW3-6Uf2A" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Directed by a James Cameron Protegé (</i>o.O)</span></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-20480461691228696822012-03-06T10:00:00.000-08:002012-03-06T10:00:45.190-08:00I Love Halo/Halo 4 first look excitement<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am mad about one game series, and one game series in particular. That series is Halo. If I wanted one tattoo in my life, it would be this one...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its the game series I would play forever in heaven, and forever participate in the ongoing conflict in Valhalla over capturing flags.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ6_lietgc-gNtRzuk-X7_Nb49cfv_VbnpiKs6fr6-ZsUG9ggWalA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ6_lietgc-gNtRzuk-X7_Nb49cfv_VbnpiKs6fr6-ZsUG9ggWalA" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>My desktop wallpaper c.2007</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its more than just a series of games. Its a culture, built around a space opera epic that can legitimately be compared to the hype and scale of Star Wars, a multiplayer experience that saved a games console, and a following known as the halo nation that are friendly, competitive, and ever questioning about the knowledge of the Halo universe.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No 2 Halo fans are the same. Some enjoy reading the novels about the more humane aspects of being a supersoldier. Others love the story of six lowly soldiers fighting the covenant army under cover of darkness in a city the size of New York. Some like myself, enjoy the feeling of delivering the business end of my battle rifle to another players head, and going on to win a match.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQkkZOg-uFJBLttikaq6NW1-DMUO94AfZh-zr5gzrQ2NEFeicsr" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQkkZOg-uFJBLttikaq6NW1-DMUO94AfZh-zr5gzrQ2NEFeicsr" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>less than three</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is also a franchise that does not forget its roots, and at the same time it makes advances to keep up with the times. Two series of late have hit me as being examples in how not to do this. Assassin's Creed's original premise was simply that of a man hopping on the rooftops to stealthily strike a specific target, yet the latest look at the series has full scale battles of the american revolution, and more that of a mercenary than of a silent assassin. They made needed adjustments, which I like, but lost the way of the assassin, and looks like they have gone into full battle mode</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/7EpC0dFkBhQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the other extreme, you have the Call of Duty franchise, which is at the moment king of the games industry. It has kept faithful to the CoD4 formula, but to a fault. No major changes have been made since 2007, and it shows with its latest entry, Modern Warfare 3. It is a stale experience that I thoroughly disliked for being akin to a DLC product slapped with a €50 price.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/C5Z9V4cfJcM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A campaign shorter than Terminator:Salvation says it all</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bungie came out with a quality product with many changes as their last hurrah to the series in 2010, Reach. While some players disliked things like armour abilities, reticle bloom and overuse of forge world maps, there is no denying that it was a success. It had all the elements of a halo game, and delivered something fresh at the same time. It had a great story, along with addictive multiplayer and stuffed with more content than some games have on two disks! Most importantly, like all halo games, it felt like the studio had put a great deal of effort beyond the ordinary to create such a game. Every last bit of love shone through in the details, like the references to prior Halo games like the night time sniping mission, or the grandiose set pieces such as the evacuation of a city before being burned to dust.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTucZUAYgPbvGKz7Q2UvqwB8A2R2UYGRrZvDOjlGSFk--smzZPe" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTucZUAYgPbvGKz7Q2UvqwB8A2R2UYGRrZvDOjlGSFk--smzZPe" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Remember Reach. Forget CoD</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the future looks brighter than ever, with 343 industries taking the helm, a dedicated team that are as big a fan of the series as the community, they could well make something special with Halo 4. the recent first look has had me more hyped than I expected, truly the Multiplayer looks like the child of a loving Halo 3 and Reach couple, and the campaign looks to bring a new take on the story of the galaxy's biggest badass.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17ff2xiap198ajpg/xlarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17ff2xiap198ajpg/xlarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Wake me when you need me</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is such a pleasure to see this vidoc showcasing little tibits, and at the same time keep pretty much the whole story, as well as more multiplayer details hidden. The hype is driving me mad! I hope that the series will rightly reclaim the throne of FPS king once the Call of Duty ship sinks from milking.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/f6UL63Zo-uo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-25564445300751017172012-03-01T18:37:00.000-08:002012-03-01T18:37:50.721-08:00World Wide Web War 1: ACTA<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So its near the end of Q1 of 2012, and I am getting bloody annoyed at the whole ACTA craze that seems to be sweeping across the continent like a plague...</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/N8Xg_C2YmG0/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N8Xg_C2YmG0&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N8Xg_C2YmG0&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I am not good at describing ACTA, so this is a rather user friendly summary of it</i></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SOPA may have been averted from the world, at least for the meantime, but ACTA seems to have got by fairly easily, notice a lack of sites going dark over this one?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back when SOPA was still somewhat in the news, I was looking for something related to ACTA, and all I found on the Irish news media sites was the headline "Hackers attack Polish government websites"</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0123/poland.html#article">http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0123/poland.html#article</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What struck me at the time was that this was the only mention of ACTA at the time, despite all the widespread online protesting, it accounted for no media attention. A government website had to go down to get a news article less than 2 minutes long to hit the Irish public. Doing dangerous activities is the only way to get RTÉ's attention, and then you get labelled a cyberterrorist instead of a protester that needs to get the world to talk about ACTA.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, ACTA has seen less backlash over its persistence and, for me, the Irish view of acceptance. We protest for a day and then give up after a while. We are such wimps of a population in this country, getting bossed around, and yet we still take it every friggin day and do NOTHING to change it. We live our lives just getting little things being changed. For example, we lost indoor smoking and late bars, and despite the protests we just let it happen!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, Bulgarians are not like us, they do something about the ACTA laws</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0214/bulgaria.html#article">http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0214/bulgaria.html#article</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sign the petition against ACTA, they need 200'000 signs and are halfway there as I type. Heres hoping...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.avaaz.org/en/acta_time_to_win_eu/?fJgDNcb&pv=38">http://www.avaaz.org/en/acta_time_to_win_eu/?fJgDNcb&pv=38</a></span>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-81018846380443939692012-02-20T18:52:00.000-08:002012-02-20T18:52:20.605-08:00The Rotten Republic<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I may have come across as a bit mean on my <a href="http://avmtcrazy.blogspot.com/2012/02/tallafornia-making-rest-of-us-feel.html">Tallafornia review</a>, it is a show still worthy of my attention. It is a show that knows what it sets out to do; Shame the Irish with a corny Jersey Shore knockoff, to the point of self parody. More importantly, it works on that level, and does not strive to be anything more than that (at least for now).</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcReS1Edp_JoAw9nAaC0RYwXFFWm1CX1-FnxiF4h-aOQySKFCA20" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcReS1Edp_JoAw9nAaC0RYwXFFWm1CX1-FnxiF4h-aOQySKFCA20" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>the Stir is still getting stirred</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A rather different show, on RTÉ is the Republic of Telly. It is the national stations best shot at studio comedy, and aims to be the #1 show from Irish territory aimed at the young Adults of the country.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those not in the know, the Republic of Telly is a blend of comic sketches and mocking other shows, usually that of rivals TV3, but not afraid to take the mick out of its own programmes too. It has Dermot Whelan as host, with Bernard O Shea and Jennifer Maguire as support.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the show has always made a smile come across my face now and then, it rarely has had me in stitches since its beginnings in 2009.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQvBNICvDD7xHJlmNQChETDQGmIccEitmGRO_8Snp01v0GINct1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQvBNICvDD7xHJlmNQChETDQGmIccEitmGRO_8Snp01v0GINct1" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>time to dig for the laughs?</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do enjoy a few things about it, notably its three main comedians and the idea that independant shorts get aired. Dermot does a better job than Neil Delamere did while host, making it much livelier and just clicking with the show overall, and the supporting cast can deliver on most fronts.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The supported content is a plus too, with the Rubber Bandits, Handy Sandie, Damo & Ivor and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Damo Clarke to name a few contribute to the shows time on air, mostly through posted sketches. Here is a personal favourite of mine about the joys of hangovers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6xtJQhDdAP8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But ultimately, it fails to deliver many laughs outside of these segments. Slag Tallafornia all you want this series, but it does not hold a candle to epicnewsdaily's Swipes, even when you have a song based on how crap it is.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/x0r0j_o2G20/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x0r0j_o2G20&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x0r0j_o2G20&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Clear Winners</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also of note is the many swipes at shows that are not really the best to slag in the first place. We already know about kids beauty pageants and gypsy weddings but getting some laughs out of it somehow feels like getting blood from a stone at times. Maybe the audience already got the pokes at the differing lifestyles and it just didn't need explaining? The cookery shows are often desperate searches for some form of innuendo's, a lot of the daytime show is also a search for an elusive dirty word.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other skits just aren't funny full stop. Jennifer getting pissed off at people? I got it the first time, but she does it at everyone, all the time, Y U no change?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I find comedy to be similar to an oscilloscope, a nice wave is made with highs and lows. If the bar is set to 11 all the time, as in Jennifer's, you cannot appreciate it if there isn't a skit of a calmed down and chilled character. With Bernard, its too low, with high points when he gets into a stand up routine over being a creepy stalker, but he needs more stand up and less faffing about.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It feels that the writing is holding the trio back more than anything else. There are lines that make the show feel like it is trying so hard to pull off jokes, and it feels very unnatural a lot of the time. They do so well at what they do, but only as good as the lines they are given. GET BETTER WRITING IN!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlAHg6GwpyL5O_Ehn7dlxuGNaU5fGWchzIs8DCzJq_GFmzZzj6SY71dHI7JPPCTHMLHeZth73hUAD7GSGX1xt6qTWSsllu2eHNVTxrwKOuLtGDMnR8iL8EQAa9oeZi422mlRGYB3TRF0/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlAHg6GwpyL5O_Ehn7dlxuGNaU5fGWchzIs8DCzJq_GFmzZzj6SY71dHI7JPPCTHMLHeZth73hUAD7GSGX1xt6qTWSsllu2eHNVTxrwKOuLtGDMnR8iL8EQAa9oeZi422mlRGYB3TRF0/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another excuse to use this fun pic</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is meant to be Ireland's best in Comic sketches, but it fails to beat the likes of Harry Hill's TV burp with its writing, nor its earlier incarnation, Colin Murphy's Blizzard of odd, in terms of programmes to swipe.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGY5uo0AlJcKHt18JmB340U4wD4QkNN9KAOq2TaausW3NLSTpm" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGY5uo0AlJcKHt18JmB340U4wD4QkNN9KAOq2TaausW3NLSTpm" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Am I the only one that remembered this?</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At a production level, it beats a lot of what the land has to offer, yet it feels like its fallen short, and its ambition to be the top dog isn't working. Its amusing, but not hilarious. Im watching the next few episodes with a happy face, but I long to see things getting better, or else it'll lose my attention.</span></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-44710789212753344552012-02-07T15:48:00.000-08:002012-02-07T15:48:02.891-08:00Tallafornia: Making the rest of us feel better<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As said before in my Haywire review, I dislike overseas (notably american) portrayals of the Irish. On a somewhat related note, I hate the americanisation of Irish culture. Its why Santa gets milk and cookies instead of bottles of beer every Christmas, and why the D4 invasion has been unstoppable. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQDSMHW47mZexudp-SXZabsY7KSvUPUbY_YsFr9bbToTczbdFWOqw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQDSMHW47mZexudp-SXZabsY7KSvUPUbY_YsFr9bbToTczbdFWOqw" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>OK, so maybe it isn't SO bad</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we don't quite get what works from American TV just yet</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. We as a country tend to do alright with what works in Britain because of the relative similarities in culture and obvious influences. We have similar shows, stations that transmit the same mush (TV3 and ITV is the best example) and British television also seems more 'grounded' than the smash hits that make American TV so great. Take me out, Master chef, and Come dine with me, are all shows of recent times that have been well made from a British base to work in Ireland.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">American reinterpretations though have been quite mixed. We have taken influences from 'the Hills' and ended up with 'Fade Street', a dire take on improvised dialogue and basic acting skills. However, The Apprentice is definitely a hit, working with a very Irish Bossman in Bill Cullen to work with a modern Ireland.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But we now have taken things down to a very low level with 'Tallafornia'.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAsoFoTX_NzWuIluldEG-VGbWrTDNBYtLRQBUsfoV2v0btbyDK" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAsoFoTX_NzWuIluldEG-VGbWrTDNBYtLRQBUsfoV2v0btbyDK" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The format is based on 'Jersey Shore', where a bunch of muscly men and skanky women share a house and then go clubbing and shagging every time they have the chance.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Theoretically the format does not make sense to work within a country like Ireland. Geordie Shore is on in the U.K so why not leave it at that, because a lot of the Irish MTV viewers see it anyway. Dublin is not the place to find these type of people either. the Name Tallafornia implies people from Tallaght, so anyone outside the place probably thought of these sort of characters...<br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSNNgMFxGWUyKVtQsuKUWNYTqUkABqTl6Km-3cZxZxpuUPi0TdXuA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSNNgMFxGWUyKVtQsuKUWNYTqUkABqTl6Km-3cZxZxpuUPi0TdXuA" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But instead we have a different set of much better looking people, who just happen to live in the place.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the house itself, it is about right for the location, a semi-detached gaff with the usual rooms (and a cheesy 'score room') save for the one fact that there is a hot tub in the back garden. Unless you are high up and rich, I don't think anywhere in Tallaght has a hot tub.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, it seems a bit hard to find things to do in Tallaght aside from clubbing and shopping, what can the creators do about it?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, to be honest, I had some strange feelings about the show once it got put in practice. It reeks of an amateur work mixed with professionalism. The main cast may not feel like true 'Tallafornians', but they do a lot of what many others in Dublin do. Trips to Tesco, The Wright Venue, play the Wii, head to a 21st in a clubhouse, all feel very grounded. At the same time, they do what very few of us would, such as absail in Killiney, bring women to the hot tub, or spend a couple hundred quid on condoms, lube, eggs and tuna.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe the producers had this plan all along, to have it feel deliberately corny and be a satire of the American and British counterparts, and in that case it worked a charm. Its entertaining in the right mindset, and the cast of characters, while single dimensional, are growers. Some make for hilarious TV, such as Cormac, the most muscly of the men, but also awkward as f**k, adding to finished punchlines, walking like the terminator and just having a 'forever alone' stance in many situations.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQxmTVjEFMpVzEdymHAA61wCEBQcfKYSvqR0yUFw0EpHZNdFJO1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQxmTVjEFMpVzEdymHAA61wCEBQcfKYSvqR0yUFw0EpHZNdFJO1" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"The Stir has been Stirred"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Theres other characters, such as Nikita, who judging by the show wants sex, no matter who or what it is. There's Jay , who acts grounded until his clothes come off, Natalie, who is into fashion and the vajazzle, Kelly who must have done modelling before this because she is in lingerie a lot of the time, Phil who acts as a typical man-whore, and Dave, who is getting with Kelly every other time I watch the show.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For all its efforts, it works on an unintentional hilarity, but to take it in 'highbrow' seriousness its a failure in most ways to any other televised show. Perhaps more practical if they based it off the D4 stereotype, but If you cannot bring yourself to watch this type of show, consider watching epicnewsdaily's version, which provides a running commentary on the show's highlights. Its among the funniest commentaries of anything out there, and what myself as a viewer seems to think at the right moments.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/KQ9IMZAci-k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Give it a watch, for better or worse, you are enlightened by a show like this</span></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-35514693697593121492012-02-01T14:59:00.000-08:002012-02-01T14:59:50.513-08:00Time Management: Act II (featuring Bebo!)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So another cold winter night descends, while the sun flees behind the Dublin mountains, ready to strike at dawn.<br />
Except its not winter, its officially Spring.<br />
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Times have changed quite a bit from where I struggled to get up before midday, for lack of activities to do, or just that there was no real motive to get up earlier than that time. Its got to the point that Thursdays and Friday's are the main days to have chance of a lazy day in. and while I still would give my girlfriend all of the spare time, it seems far less than the amount she would have got from the last time management post.</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week has been the usual 2 hours of college work, but add on a photoshop side course, extra freerunning, money jobs and seemingly more activities being made, it all adds up to a week with a busier schedule in every way. Also in the mix is my venture into eBay, where every sale counts and getting your products sent off ASAP is what gets street cred. Heck, I somehow missed any info about the supposed death of Bebo, once Ireland's most visited website!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://digitalslander.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/rip-bebo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://digitalslander.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/rip-bebo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Inevitablility</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It turned out to be a technical glitch, but one must wonder who is actually using it these days, when facebook has it beaten in most categories. nothing is really keeping the Irish from moving from facebook to bebo, unless there are nostalgic photos to look at, or facebook runs itself into the ground with unnecessary updates and layout changes. Maybe then there will be a return to using the luv, or the colourful wallpapers, or.......xxxxXXt3h B3b0 sTuNnAs!!!XXxxxx</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425645_10150539225403667_367914563666_9176516_527584148_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425645_10150539225403667_367914563666_9176516_527584148_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Or maybe its easier for Hell to freeze over</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One must think of the Idiots at AOL, buying it at its very peak for 850 million dollars, and selling it for under $10 million. It netted Michael Birch $595 million profit, resulting in (I can only guess) a big boat, a tropical island, tonnes of cars, and a very happy wife</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Michael_Birch_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Michael_Birch_1.jpg" width="177" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>he would have aced Deal or no Deal</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back to the time management, and I still cant plan my escape from a plastic bag, but at least I have enough going on to make sense as to what to do and what not to do. Anything I could potentially plan would fit in a day that does not have anything going on (durr) but Friday and Saturday are the only ones to make plans for, and then anyone else would beat me to the post with something better than a cinema trip. Perhaps drunken bowling or a crazy golf game is the way forward to a night out organised by moi.</span></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-57455419666533562742012-01-30T18:12:00.000-08:002012-01-30T18:12:15.656-08:00On a rocky road to Wrestlemania: The Royal Rumble review<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wrestling; its a guilty pleasure of mine. There are few things that made for memorable TV in my eyes than what the WWF/WWE had to offer in its prime. A death defying leap from Shane McMahon off the titantron at the Backlash Pay-per-view for instance.</span><br />
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Or how about the tag team matches between the Dudleyz, the Hardy Boyz, and Edge & Christian? </span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">And while I, like every sane kid at the time, learned the inevitable truth that its all an act, there still is something to be said about these unique performers, that regularly put themselves at risk from a thousand injuries if even the smallest part of the match goes wrong.<br />
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Its entertainment at the end of the day, and I was lucky to have had the defining Attitude era childhood, an era that I doubt will happen again in the WWE for quite some time. Stories were risqué and not orientated strictly for children, matches were more intense, and any Pay Per View was a guarantee of satisfaction, no matter the price on Sky.<br />
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Which brings me to see what went wrong at this years Royal Rumble Pay Per View; it had a poor representation of the "feuds" that were going on, none of the matches had a 'WOW' factor, and, for these recessionary times, the price to pay was simply not worth it.<br />
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<i>(for those that do not follow wrestling at all, you may get lost from here on in, but even a vague bit of WWE/F knowledge from the past will help)</i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i>Lets start with the reason I watched it to begin with; the Royal Rumble match. The idea of a big bunch of lads (and a lady this year) baiting the crap out of each other until one is left standing is great, but this years match lacked a lot of quality superstars duking it out. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">As to be expected there were participants for comic effect, such as the god awful Michael Cole trying to act tough, and Ricardo Rodriguez, who wasn't too bad pulling off a bizarre part in the match. Also to be expected was the inclusion of characters from older times, such as Mick Foley, Road Dogg and Jim Duggan, the original Royal Rumble winner. But there was a distinct lack of big draw wrestlers. Obviously the likes of Steve Austin or the Rock were not going into the ring, but there was opportunity for Kane to re-enter after his earlier match, to tie or beat Shawn Michaels record of most wrestlers eliminated in the royal rumble match, but nope didn't happen.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">And this somewhat brings me to something which really displeased me about the match. When wrestler #30 appears, the last entrant, you expect to see someone with the ability to destroy, surprise or bring the crowd to its feet with amazement. The rumours were swirling from the likes of Christian, The Undertaker's return, or perhaps even Brock Lesnar to stir things up.</div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The superstar I expected to see.....</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This all went out the window when the Big Show entered, and proceeded to take out the Miz,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes and</span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: -webkit-auto; vertical-align: baseline;"> </em><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">Dolph Ziggler.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR79BsD6QN7ZOTHJ6L-b2AUhzMVzQlK-mX-3tJwG34u_NzcE8oJ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR79BsD6QN7ZOTHJ6L-b2AUhzMVzQlK-mX-3tJwG34u_NzcE8oJ" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 24px;">He just destroyed the future WWE talent in 60 seconds</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">This just did not work, for a variety of reasons. You would expect at a PPV as big as the royal rumble that the creative team would have the sense to put someone like Lesnar or the Undertaker in at 30; the former as a cameo entry at the very least, that still brings great spectacle when he enters the ring. The latter to start h</span></span><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">is momentum to Wrestlemania, where hopefully he will have a 20-0 win record afterwards. The Big Show, on the other hand, lacks both wrestlers drawing power, and much motive to be a championship contender, as he had already been in a heavyweight match that night, so appearing again was overstaying his welcome. Add in that he took out the younger, promising talented stars in around a minute, and it added to an unpleasant time to watch him in the ring.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br />
The win for Sheamus, Ill admit isn't a bad thing, nothing wrong with a great Irish fighter to compete at the biggest stage of them all. What IS wrong is how he won it. Back to the Big Show and his pointless entry, had Sheamus knocked out the younger guns one by one, and with great moves, it would have been more deserved than simply seeing them fly out of the ring. We know Sheamus is capable of doing so, so why did the creative team do THIS???<br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlAHg6GwpyL5O_Ehn7dlxuGNaU5fGWchzIs8DCzJq_GFmzZzj6SY71dHI7JPPCTHMLHeZth73hUAD7GSGX1xt6qTWSsllu2eHNVTxrwKOuLtGDMnR8iL8EQAa9oeZi422mlRGYB3TRF0/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlAHg6GwpyL5O_Ehn7dlxuGNaU5fGWchzIs8DCzJq_GFmzZzj6SY71dHI7JPPCTHMLHeZth73hUAD7GSGX1xt6qTWSsllu2eHNVTxrwKOuLtGDMnR8iL8EQAa9oeZi422mlRGYB3TRF0/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><i>The Blurst of Times</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Chris Jericho's return was not what it was cracked up to be either. Despite a solid end to the rumble match, the afterthoughts are more on why Jericho lost as opposed to why Sheamus won. He was a favourite along with Randy Orton in the end, and after all this hype he put up of the end of the world, its odd that the WWE would simply do a U turn to go for Sheamus at Wrestlemania.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRdc9v5PzMdaV4aWvJ9e1M-lDmWs2pTvk7fU4Zi-iE3pmtBbnHM" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRdc9v5PzMdaV4aWvJ9e1M-lDmWs2pTvk7fU4Zi-iE3pmtBbnHM" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><i>The unlikely contender</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">as for the rest of the Pay Per View, it did nothing in developing John Cena's 'rise above hate' turn, making him neither a superior face, nor a growing heel. This was a perfect opportunity to have Kane beat him fair and square, and make him 'embrace the hate' afterwards, setting the stage for a brilliant showdown with the Rock at Wrestlemania, a classic good v bad affair. What we have instead is the obvious good in the Rock, against a John Cena that is still making his mind up on whether to stay in a stale face or be liked for once as a bad guy, and it appears the boat has sailed.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">The squash match between Brodus Clay and Drew McIntyre felt unnecessary, and both could have been put to better use, such as making contenders for the main match, utter filler.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRO360kJMWX_Txn8NLVFtizr0F7OP7wnXqshW48wMBcPKc7OTA2Kg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRO360kJMWX_Txn8NLVFtizr0F7OP7wnXqshW48wMBcPKc7OTA2Kg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><i>Models, not wrestlers</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">The usual Diva match, I am not a fan at all of these. Models cant wrestle, unless your ring name was Lita. Its a sexist remark, but I want more women like Chyna or Trish Stratus kicking ass, and not these attractive women trying to act at...well, ultimately acting.</span></span><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">Kharma seems like the best of the bunch, and you wouldn't want her in your bed at the end of the night *shudders*, more actual wrestling than normal but still just to please the randy lads.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: 'Droid Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br />
To be fair, both championship matches were impressive, particularly the CM Punk/Dolph Ziggler matchup. The Triple threat cage match felt like a one on one between Daniel Bryan and the Big Show though, Mark Henry was out with that injury for a fair while. I am enjoying the prospect that maybe Bryan will go against Sheamus at Wrestlemania, a good matchup.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="line-height: 24px;">So obviously, if you have managed to read through this, you will know that in my opinion the event just was not worth the 20 euro price tag. While it was entertaining in parts, it just didnt feel like a true Royal Rumble, a supposed explosion of awesomeness and entertainment. I know I focused on the main match, but thats the main reason to watch in the first place. No wrestler is really at fault though, they all played their roles and did so very well. the problem is with the creative team that needs to wake up and make their minds up on storylines, what to do with the outcomes, and make Wrestlemania worth watching with a solid buildup. It felt like an extended version of RAW or Smackdown rather than something to pay, and that for me is a disappointment.</span></span></div></div></span></div></div></div></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-19668961754280745252012-01-24T15:13:00.000-08:002012-01-24T15:13:59.641-08:00A Haywire Movie Review<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two things on my somewhat large list of things I hate in cinema are the overseas depiction of the Irish, and sports entertainment endorsed films. The former can best be summed up by the god awful Leap Year, which had stuff harking back to the D'arby O Gill days, and a trailer which depicted Cardiff as within driving distance to Dublin (no joke, look at the link!). It also depicted women as if they were from the older times too, since when was it a law for women to only be allowed propose on the 29th Feb?<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etm4VMLrSnc"><i>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etm4VMLrSnc</i></a><br />
<br />
Also you have to be married to go to a B & B, god help they may have sex outside marriage! the times we live in...<br />
<br />
The entertainment sports is the other sore spot, most transitions are just horrible, particularly basketball stars like Shaq and Michael Jordan, they just cannot pull off good leads for their life. the WWE has a hit and miss record, hitting where Dwayne Johnson stars, and missing with pretty much every other superstar of the last decade, Steve Austin perhaps an exception in the Expendables, but its been a bad line up. Take Hulk Hogan's performance in Suburban Commando.<br />
</span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PesibvP8UV8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PesibvP8UV8</a> </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
Which brings us to Haywire, Steven Soderbergh's latest action film with a large portion set in Dublin, and starring MMA star Gina Carano. this has the recipe for disaster out the gates for the afformentioned reasons, but here's something I didn't think I would say once the credits rolled...<br />
<br />
Its not that bad.<br />
<br />
It has an effective score throughout, makes the most of the Heroines abilities in the ring, and is the first overseas film in quite some time to not depict the Irish as leprechauns. While the star studded cast do help as side characters, it focuses on Carano, and ONLY Carano. Its a bit of a fault not to develop the baddies a bit more, even when you have the likes of Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas and Channing Tatum taking the roles in varying shades of evil. But keeping on the protagonist is not a bad thing when she kicks ass and then runs along the rooftops like Ezio Auditore every time she has to. She is not a bad lead in the slightest, only talking when needed, and letting the moves do the talking, a great performance.<br />
<br />
Carano is a part of a PMC of sorts that solves some terrorist problems around the world behind the scenes. She starts off in Barcelona, then sticks around in Dublin before going to various parts of North America, be it the snowy borders or Mexican beaches. Tatum helps out in Barcelona, and Michael Fassbender helps out in Dublin, acting like a mix of his secret agent in Inglorious Basterds, and the man who swims to New York to say sorry in the Guinness ad. shortly after her oirish adventure she finds herself on the run and must clear her name and kill all the baddies for some reason that is too clever for its own good, it had me muddled.<br />
<br />
If there is a major criticism to be had at the film, its a lack of consistent pacing or build up. The first half is flashbacks and the second is followed by the american trips, but it keeps going back and forward, so its hard to focus on the grand scheme of things. Also there is no real final ending or build up, it just drags over the guts of 20 minutes rather than go out with a bang. Its like a horrible kind of tantric sex, only to realise you have to wait ages for the actual thing, and by then all feeling is gone, so what was the point in building up to a 'final ' scenario if the the real one was 20 minutes down the road?<br />
<br />
It tries to surprise, with the first scene showing the viewer whats to come, but luckily the director realised that this is a straight up action film, not a thriller, and keeps shocking moments away afterwards. He sticks with a lot of beat em' upping, and some strange sense of cool throughout, though this may have to do with the excellent score by David Holmes.<br />
<br />
The end result; it tries a bit too hard to be clever, but if you want to just see some asskicking from a woman to loads of action stars in a non-Leprechaun Dublin, then this is the film for you. Give it a pass if you want to see some smarter film at work<br />
<br />
+Great lead performance<br />
+Authentic settings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">+Strange sense of cool from the score</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">+Fassbenders abs (im not gay!)<br />
<br />
-Convoluted plot</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Side characters underdeveloped<br />
-No grand finale</span>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-89138098865857879232012-01-23T18:56:00.000-08:002012-01-23T18:56:32.589-08:00WWWW1 (World Wide Web War 1)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">The year is 2012,</span></i><br />
The greatest information source known to man is under attack by various governments and businesses around the world, due to its free nature of illegal file sharing and ultimately piracy.<br />
<br />
Lamar Smith, a US Representative, is the architect behind a new piece of legislation, the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA. T</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">he proposed bill would enable individuals or organizations claiming copyright to block any website they suspect of infringing their rights. They would simply send complaints to advertisers, payment services, search engines and even internet service providers operating in the US, who would stop doing business with the suspected site.</span> I<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">t would have enabled law enforcement to block access to entire internet domains due to infringing material posted on a single blog or webpage.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Multinational Corporations defend the proposed legislation, saying it is a necessary step to impose copyright law and to protect intellectual property.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
However, the internet is being defended by millions of ordinary citizens, myself included, who believe it is an action that threatens free speech, denies rights to privacy, and is too vague in its methods of action to enforce.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
After mass protest online on January 18th 2012, the bill has been shelved for further inspection, but other countries, including this very emerald isle have seen legislation being proposed, and this is not going to go down lightly. After the shutdown and arrest of the founders of MegaUpload in New Zealand, courtesy of US Federal prosecutors request, the internet's users are getting ever uneasy, and backlash to proposition gets ever more likely.<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.tjmcintyre.com/2012/01/irelands-sopa-faq.html">http://www.tjmcintyre.com/2012/01/irelands-sopa-faq.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sign the petition, keep the internet as it should be, free without prying eyes.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://stopsopaireland.com/">http://stopsopaireland.com/</a><br />
</span>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-84147182748745053942011-11-06T14:49:00.000-08:002011-11-06T14:49:58.300-08:00Light Painting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGLiKu-qMkESEZnBtziImAws1vHHxPmGbqwVk-_iSzpK6nDSPek-KRCBWu5W2DSdwpozsBEosaMgySZVfGH6-Spcb3VNTpGsbOMX-0pP8OUl5YOQ1GbDVUgCBvspQKg86MTcP6_jR214/s1600/experimental+light+photos+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGLiKu-qMkESEZnBtziImAws1vHHxPmGbqwVk-_iSzpK6nDSPek-KRCBWu5W2DSdwpozsBEosaMgySZVfGH6-Spcb3VNTpGsbOMX-0pP8OUl5YOQ1GbDVUgCBvspQKg86MTcP6_jR214/s320/experimental+light+photos+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So Here I am again, seeing how the world has changed since the last post, where driving a car is second nature but I couldnt pass the test because I need to be EXTRA paranoid to pass.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Employment status remains the same, as in there is none, but for the most part things are on the rise.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK maybe not all the same, I have filled my time with light painting and as of tomorrow some parkour/freerunning (depends what training I want to do)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These 2 activities are definitely giving me some driving force to get my body back into both phyical and mental shape, a while back I thought my arm would fall off from malnourishment, stupid as it sounds, but I buffed them up enough to keep them stable, but not enough to be a familiar face on MTV</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuq6L667F3-qNVfKYKy2AF5zd51pfKMWl8RjzqzP2JNbHWqmGLjUdhBpmeQcPWAPBb5FUo0bygzCYVThDQM6fXij1u3E1GsGKSG8rPuCHDcAIEtZUlfecxkiuxzZs16EfboJQ3kGPO90/s1600/Unknown" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuq6L667F3-qNVfKYKy2AF5zd51pfKMWl8RjzqzP2JNbHWqmGLjUdhBpmeQcPWAPBb5FUo0bygzCYVThDQM6fXij1u3E1GsGKSG8rPuCHDcAIEtZUlfecxkiuxzZs16EfboJQ3kGPO90/s1600/Unknown" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pictured: Douches and skanks</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Light painting has sprung up from a good man by the name of Rob Tobin (check out his profile on Flickr <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/28264233@N02/" target="_blank">here</a>). He has been doing it for about half a year now and brought me along to some of the shots. I supplied him with fireworks in return, and boy did he <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28264233@N02/6312758827/in/photostream">put them to use</a>!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In turn it inspired me to see if I could do something to do with timelapse and exposure shots with my own camera, the results are basic, but a great start for me.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JirPCYPG0cg/TrYA7caQXDI/AAAAAAAAANw/yoWbWRdpcdk/s1600/experimental+light+photos+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JirPCYPG0cg/TrYA7caQXDI/AAAAAAAAANw/yoWbWRdpcdk/s320/experimental+light+photos+006.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGil-jQ2nrJJye8NFOk3oY0tqwBAuUVI88KnDb16jEAAijMs8Ma9LtF8sH376r4G81-t-E18FIuS3_Y7sC6E7HURQv_RqniZ8heLajcb3YBXIIIguhjAgCXXoT6MZ_AasF_XPbPRxvpA/s1600/experimental+light+photos+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGil-jQ2nrJJye8NFOk3oY0tqwBAuUVI88KnDb16jEAAijMs8Ma9LtF8sH376r4G81-t-E18FIuS3_Y7sC6E7HURQv_RqniZ8heLajcb3YBXIIIguhjAgCXXoT6MZ_AasF_XPbPRxvpA/s320/experimental+light+photos+007.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heres hoping it develops into something better over time.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWM98tBqw2zx9uiH9T7hVoaKeap1HkhD-v16YUDz8AAxWY4PCYI1lCGMTfoWaCNJnMAVBJaGzJU3BEwsluAg6ciTPg07TrysZm5YTibmaBz2VtJjFqqGswi_uNmrsK8Z2P_-Fy_gggG4/s1600/experimental+light+photos+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWM98tBqw2zx9uiH9T7hVoaKeap1HkhD-v16YUDz8AAxWY4PCYI1lCGMTfoWaCNJnMAVBJaGzJU3BEwsluAg6ciTPg07TrysZm5YTibmaBz2VtJjFqqGswi_uNmrsK8Z2P_-Fy_gggG4/s320/experimental+light+photos+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-81784651300093679792011-10-07T10:07:00.000-07:002011-10-07T10:18:00.839-07:00Time Management<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If there was one wish I could have had for this week, its that I would give all of my spare time to my girlfriend.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its a strange wish, but we are in two very different lifestyles; I spend 2 hours a week only in anything resembling work, while she is on her toes 24/7, and then studying hard for exams during the weekend on top of that. She's an incredible woman, I don't know how she does it. I would kill to give her some extra time to unwind, chill out from the stresses of the world, and ultimately to see her happy, I mean REALLY happy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlHcfrSP6g4tv8yfvNYzcBfAhO9Yzsok0E175L8irQRCshZpgDTw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlHcfrSP6g4tv8yfvNYzcBfAhO9Yzsok0E175L8irQRCshZpgDTw" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mushiness FTW!</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It also brings about what time I have to burn during the week, and the answer is simply too much. At the time of typing I have done no more than 13 hours of sleep today. This may have been from the mad night out last night in which I robbed a piece of the bars furniture for fun, but its still a far cry from the 7 or 8 hours of sleep I had during this time last year (it got less to 5 later on but its the normal times I like to put in).</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All week I go in search of employment to fill in time during a week that is slowly degenerating me, and the excercise of cycling has got pretty annoying when its pissing rain or winds blowing into your face and freezing your ears to an icy blue. But this really is a heavenly thought for those busting their asses all year round, having nothing to do but think and relax.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What makes this even more annoying to you stressed out people out there is that I have a giant lack of time management skills. I have all the time in the world, yet I struggle to find things to do because somehow I run out of time.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I despise this but it keeps happening. Try as I may to plan a day out, and chances are I oversleep from the previous night of doing nothing, and half the day is gone.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The odd things that pop up to fill time are in pursuit of better skills.After finding out a CV building course is happening not too far away from me, I jumped at the idea so thats 3 days of time filled well,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And now I am on the cancellation list for my second crack at my driving test, hoping to do better this time round.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/burnoutparadisecrash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/burnoutparadisecrash.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is NOT what happened at the last set of lights</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just hope some employment opportunity comes around before I go crazy.</span></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-83624711970888790152011-10-06T08:59:00.000-07:002011-10-07T09:39:54.689-07:00The Fall of apple<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its a sad day when probably one of the greatest innovators of the last few decades passes away, and just months since he resigned as CEO from his own company.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will admit, myself and the Apple corporation have not seen eye to eye all that much, particularly a few years back when I made them the antagonistic company that would take over the world in Resistance:Fall of Apple.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vv3s69pzAbc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>It was a strange thing in hindsight</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But deep down its hard not to respect Jobs for developing something as symbolic as an iPod, it was for many the gadget of the noughties, the successor to walkmans and now many sound systems have iPod docks specifically for the product. And now with new iPads and iPhones roaming the market in the hands of consumers, the tech certainately wont be forgotten, his legacy of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">338 US patents or patent applications related to a range of technologies is staggering</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">,</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, one must now wonder what Apple will do next now that they have lost someone like Jobs. Will they find a spark to continue creating quality products? Will they find some innovative piece of tech that will change the world quite like Macs or iPods? Time will tell.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heres to IMO the greatest inventor of the 21st century</span></div>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-38782435940791606992011-10-04T19:16:00.000-07:002011-10-04T19:16:05.459-07:00So I am sleepy...<br />
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I really shouldn't be surprised, during the summer I regularly stay up until 5AM playing the likes of Halo or Call of Duty, or go on early morning filming,<br />
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But this reason is more to do with me writing essays so perfect that by the time I stop writing its 4AM, and I had started at 9 the previous night! And yet when someone else sees it, they instantly correct it all to counter all of my points....insomnia builds when you have to do the same thing the next night.<br />
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Why I am doing all this typing when I could be doing more fun things like playing the Battlefield 3 trial, or having a proper sleep cycle like most normal people? well its all to end a war of words, and I dont want to back down at the same time because I lose these types of arguements week in week out, NOT THIS TIME! its a point that I must win or forever be on a defensive I so detest.<br />
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And one of these points I must counter is one I didnt even remember to begin with. Apparently 2 weeks back in town there was some mad arguement between 2 of my good friends, and I was criticised for A)Not defusing the arguement, and B) being used by one of them to get what they wanted. In all honesty, I dont remember any of it I was so plastered! All I remember were people feeding me spirits and shots, and the next I was in a taxi listening to George Michael-fast love. These type of nights are rare for me, maybe every 5 or 6 months that I lose memory of a night, but I now have to answer questions I didnt recollect to begin with, its like a less important Jason Bourne scenario.<br />
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This war of words may start getting funny sooner that later, I am actually finding it making me want to fight more just for the craic, but it must end with both sides seeing the others thoughts, and at the end all I want is to have fun times again instead of warring words.....but I must win :P<br />
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I guess the other reason for me staying up is that I got my Sennheiser HD205 headphones in working condition again, and the bass is tremendously fun to listen to! put on some Fatboy Slim or some instrumentals with a kicking bassline (or if you want some freaky shit, type "The Room Dubstep" into youtube, you wont be disappointed) The downside of this is that its almost a drug, I cant leave the PC because the quality is so good, and one or two minutes pass and its 7 or 8AM.<br />
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Speaking of which, days are getting darker, it seems like a million years since the unforgettable one and only barbecue I had in July (and the familys only one, they did none the summer was that shite!) and it shows with leaves falling, monkey nuts finally showing up in Tesco along with the plague of christmas stuff that has been there since August. I am looking forward to Halloween this year, may not have the explosives and Jack/coke cans I usually have by now, but improvised sparkler madness can be had a least if I dont head up this time round.<br />
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Sadly I had to return Gears of War 3 back into the hands of Xtravision today, but it wont be forgotten, so expect some game reviews coming up on this blog soon, for all games in the trilogy, and maybe some things I have played recently enough (I'm looking at you Driver:San Francisco!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/_zAPk9bGVo4/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_zAPk9bGVo4&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_zAPk9bGVo4&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>Enjoy some music typical of this time of year (at least for me), while I get some shuteye!Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7240259098624987966.post-78466196336219778702011-10-02T14:28:00.000-07:002011-10-02T14:28:29.809-07:00New blog?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well this new blogging lifestyle may be something completely different to me, but I may as well document my year in purgatory, never know, could get some kicks out of it,</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You stalkers out there may be wondering about this 'purgatory' I see myself in. You see, I was in college and by the end of three years study (or drinking, whatever you prefer) I passed all but one module. Worse still, it was the one worth the least amount of credit, but all must be passed so at this moment in time I am not in Heaven (graduating with some of the best mates ever known) nor Hell (doing all the difficult modules again). This leaves more spare time than most could ever need, but I have a great ability to find ways to fill in the time.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My main goal is unsurprisingly to pass this one module, get my piece of paper and get out of the country for a well paid job. Or better yet, follow my seven steps to world domination and live happily with my beautiful girlfriend for evermore, wealthy with money, friends and the knowledge to keep it all together</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or at least, thats the plan...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heres hoping for a better 2011/12 than last year eh?</span>Burnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06847238662113712132noreply@blogger.com0