I'm posting this from my HTC Desire... Neato!
Friday 4 February 2011
Wednesday 6 August 2008
Hello World
This is the usual breakthrough message usually written in a program that confirms a successful hack when it comes to hacking various machines, computers and video game consoles to make them do things they shouldn't! Although it is fun to see this happening in a productive way, such as with video game systems being able to play homebrew, I recently encountered a malicious hacking attempt at work, which was also successful but for the wrong reason.
We use an aging PBX switchboard at work, which unfortunately is prone to exploits through the voicemail system when staff can check their messages from home. Somehow, someone dialed into the system, broke through it, and made two 11 hour, 59 minute and 59 second calls to Afghanistan. Yeah...Suck. The worst thing about this situation is nobody really knows what to do, phone provider, or police since I guess it was such a stealth attack *sigh*
Maybe somehow the police will turn out something positive, but it seems in this instance the company will probably be accountable for the cost.
Other than that, the week before I had to deal with a system crippling virus that manifested itself to the rest of the servers, which got sorted eventually, and on a better note i've managed to see a bunch of new movies since the last time I blogged. Of note, you have to see Kung Fu Panda, and Wall-E, both really good and appeal to everyone. I especially loved the choreography of Kung Fu Panda, which was so intricate that a lot of the sequences looked like stuff pulled off in my favourite old Jackie Chan movies.
For the geeks out there, especially Star Trek lovers, check out Meet Dave, probably Eddie Murphys strangest role yet, although I thoroughly enjoyed it! Avoid: Harold and Kumar 2 and Smart People, which weren't very good at all. Also saw Wanted, the action packed Angelina Jolie and James McCavoy movie about super human assassins which was average...really it's saving grace was the phenomenal special effects that were just really good, though the script fell flat and was terribly cliched.
Next week, I'm going to a preview screening of Get Smart, a movie comedy about a bungling accidental spy played by Steve Carrell, and hopefully the following Saturday see The Dark Knight, which has had more praise recently than any movie i've seen this year.
The Japanese Sushi/Noodle bar, near us, Kaimito! finally opened a few weeks ago, and I love it. It's priced quite well, pretty swanky and serves food that tastes great. They seem to be only serving about half the menu at the moment, since they are trying to employ more chefs with certain experience, although their noodles and sushi are extremely tasty! Speaking of food...
I realised this weekend that quite without noticing, I managed to put on a considerable amount of weight, mainly since the past month I have been junking it out quite liberally and enjoying it. Upon this realisation though, it kinda shocked me back to earth and I guess I will be detoxing for probably the next 2 weeks haha, I just love food :-/ I usually tell Jen that I hope we can eat as much as we like in heaven without any repercussions, and yes i'm a weirdo...anywho!
Gotta dash for now, Take care all, and catch you later!
We use an aging PBX switchboard at work, which unfortunately is prone to exploits through the voicemail system when staff can check their messages from home. Somehow, someone dialed into the system, broke through it, and made two 11 hour, 59 minute and 59 second calls to Afghanistan. Yeah...Suck. The worst thing about this situation is nobody really knows what to do, phone provider, or police since I guess it was such a stealth attack *sigh*
Maybe somehow the police will turn out something positive, but it seems in this instance the company will probably be accountable for the cost.
Other than that, the week before I had to deal with a system crippling virus that manifested itself to the rest of the servers, which got sorted eventually, and on a better note i've managed to see a bunch of new movies since the last time I blogged. Of note, you have to see Kung Fu Panda, and Wall-E, both really good and appeal to everyone. I especially loved the choreography of Kung Fu Panda, which was so intricate that a lot of the sequences looked like stuff pulled off in my favourite old Jackie Chan movies.
For the geeks out there, especially Star Trek lovers, check out Meet Dave, probably Eddie Murphys strangest role yet, although I thoroughly enjoyed it! Avoid: Harold and Kumar 2 and Smart People, which weren't very good at all. Also saw Wanted, the action packed Angelina Jolie and James McCavoy movie about super human assassins which was average...really it's saving grace was the phenomenal special effects that were just really good, though the script fell flat and was terribly cliched.
Next week, I'm going to a preview screening of Get Smart, a movie comedy about a bungling accidental spy played by Steve Carrell, and hopefully the following Saturday see The Dark Knight, which has had more praise recently than any movie i've seen this year.
The Japanese Sushi/Noodle bar, near us, Kaimito! finally opened a few weeks ago, and I love it. It's priced quite well, pretty swanky and serves food that tastes great. They seem to be only serving about half the menu at the moment, since they are trying to employ more chefs with certain experience, although their noodles and sushi are extremely tasty! Speaking of food...
I realised this weekend that quite without noticing, I managed to put on a considerable amount of weight, mainly since the past month I have been junking it out quite liberally and enjoying it. Upon this realisation though, it kinda shocked me back to earth and I guess I will be detoxing for probably the next 2 weeks haha, I just love food :-/ I usually tell Jen that I hope we can eat as much as we like in heaven without any repercussions, and yes i'm a weirdo...anywho!
Gotta dash for now, Take care all, and catch you later!
Tuesday 17 June 2008
Coldplay live at London Brixton Academy!
For those of you that don't know, Coldplay ran a competition on their website a few weeks ago to mark it's brand new design, and also to kick of their tour. The competition is a series of free gigs in London, New York, and Barcelona!
I applied for the gig in London, and managed to win 2 tickets last week, after what I thought was junk mail in my inbox turned out to be printable tickets to the show with my name on!
Needless to say, Coldplay really impressed on the night. The band were full of energy and sounded absolutely amazing. To prove it, and share with you all, I have 13 video snippets I took of the night for you all to see for yourselves :)
Vid 1
Vid 2
Vid 3
Vid 4
Vid 5
Vid 6
Vid 7
Vid 8
Vid 9
Vid 10 - Coldplay go on the balcony here, perform an acoustic 'Yellow' followed by Will doing a lead vocal and guitar performance for the first time!
Vid 11
Vid 12
Vid 13
Have fun and catch you all later!
I applied for the gig in London, and managed to win 2 tickets last week, after what I thought was junk mail in my inbox turned out to be printable tickets to the show with my name on!
Needless to say, Coldplay really impressed on the night. The band were full of energy and sounded absolutely amazing. To prove it, and share with you all, I have 13 video snippets I took of the night for you all to see for yourselves :)
Vid 1
Vid 2
Vid 3
Vid 4
Vid 5
Vid 6
Vid 7
Vid 8
Vid 9
Vid 10 - Coldplay go on the balcony here, perform an acoustic 'Yellow' followed by Will doing a lead vocal and guitar performance for the first time!
Vid 11
Vid 12
Vid 13
Have fun and catch you all later!
Wednesday 4 June 2008
Viva la Vida!
Coldplay's new album is due out soon, I think around June 10th over here in the UK. I have been a bit skeptical at it's quality as X & Y, Coldplay's 3rd album was quite average compared to their amazing 1st and good 2nd albums. My fears have been somewhat quashed after listening to the title track 'Viva la Vida' from the new album which sounds excitingly fresh, I am now excited! Check it out yourself here:
Tuesday 3 June 2008
It's nearly that time
Lunch time! I'm having a quiet moment at work, day dreaming about food :-/
In about 30 minutes, i'll be tucking into a ham and pickle sandwich, followed by a red apple, and a banana. Sounds pretty healthy, but it hasn't really been a healthy morning. Started the day with a double-shot latte made with one of Jen's gifts she received from me on her birthday, the Aeropress (yum!). I also had another coffee at work, with a cappacino-cream filled biscuit, and 4 other Bourbon biscuits. It sucks that I have such a weakness for chocolate!
Jen's birthday was last Friday, on the 30th of May. I got her something called the Aeropress, which is a coffee making gadget, able to make proper espresso/french press style coffee's encompassing a proper full bodied and smooth taste without any bitterness. It works very cleverly! You can watch the video of it in action here, all I can say is that it works!
I also got her 2 other small gifts, one of which is a Rainbow LED light, which lights up the room at night with the colours of the rainbow. I got this for her because Jen really loves rainbows, whenever we are out, and one is spotted, the camera is out and it has to be snapped up. Now she has rainbows on command in the bedroom! The next gift is a waterproof radio for the bathroom, shaped like a tap. It seems to have a problem sticking the the wall, but for the most part it works alright. For those that don't know, Jen has a wonderful voice, and used to sing a lot. I got her the radio to encourage her singing more, since not only is it missed, but it'll keep her practicing and fill the flat with song :)
We had breakfast at Ikea first thing in the morning (only 95p!) and then set to work travelling about looking for an elliptial machine, something which has been on Jen's list to get since we first moved into the flat. Eventually we found a few to try out in Enfield, but there was no stock, and delivery was problematic. We decided to wait it out til next weekend, and had dinner in TGI Fridays. All in all, it turned out to be a good day, and the weather stayed in check too!
The last couple of weeks, we've been catching up on watching a few films, which have all been impressive bar one that I had really high expectations for.
Forbidden Kingdom: This is a story about an american teenager, obsessed with all things chinese, mainly kung fu and martial arts, finds this ancient stick in a chinese pawn shop. Coincedentally, the stick belongs to an imprisoned Monkey King, and somehow he is transported to ancient china, seen as the 'chosen one' and ventures on a quest to return the stick to the Monkey King, freeing him from imprisonment.
What should have been a potentially epic movie falls flat on its face. The biggest selling point of the movie, is that Jackie Chan and Jet Li are together in a movie for the first time as the headlining stars. Jackie plays an immortal tramp, and Jet Li, a mysterious monk, who join up with the teenager, teaching him to fight and helping him achieve his quest. For starters, the story isn't very cohesive, and jumps around scenes before any kind of development takes place. It rushes the viewer through parts and is seriously condensed. It also plays like a low budget cheesy 80's movie (budget karate kid ripoff), and is just so poorly scripted. Fight seens are minimal, and the movie is short. This might be one of a budget rental sometime!
Iron Man: In the same vein as the Spiderman movies, this deals with the origin of the Marvel character, Iron Man. I really loved this film, great special effects, lots of action, good acting, and humour in all the right places. It had me transfixed wondering what would happen next at each given moment. Robert Downy Jr fits the role really well. If you like comic books, and good entertainment, watch it!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Indy's 4th and last movie in my opinion wraps up the series in terrific form. Like the rest of the series, it pokes fun into the obsessions of the era it's based in, in true B-movie cheesy style, and is done with great panaché! Without giving too much away, it covers the obsessions leading up to the 60's, and feels just like the other movies did.
The humour, lines and action are all top class, and for the fan, this is a must see. It seem's that with a lot of people that have seen this, it has been a mixed bag which is understandable, some people just don't seem to 'get it', don't like the style of the film (extremely cheesy!) or content, which to all extents and purposes is obviously far fetched! I still loved it to bits, and also loved the way it ended, which in turn left me sad, as it's pretty much ended the series, but for the best!
The Little Prince: This is an older (70's) movie that Jen recommended we watch, based on a book of the same name. It deals with the way we think, in our childlike, totally open way, and what happens when people grow up and think in a way predetermined by the affects of the societies we live in. It pokes fun at the politics in life in an enchanting tale of how things are percieved and where the imagination of something may lead someone.
Starting with a boy, who draws an elephant being eaten by a snake, tries to get an opinion on his 'art' Everyone thinks he draws what looks like a hat (you have to see the movie). So he grows up, neglecting this art, and taking to the skies as a pilot to forget about the way 'people are'. Things take a turn when he lands in a desert, and meets a little prince, who can see his drawing as an elephant being eaten by a snake, and how they learn and bond with each other. Gene Wilder is in this movie too!
I absolutely loved this film too, outstanding acting, and clever muscial parts. It made a lot of sense in a very charming, tongue-in-cheek way, with many happy and sad moments. You have to see it :)
O.k folks, its that time, and I need my sammich! I'll catch you later!
In about 30 minutes, i'll be tucking into a ham and pickle sandwich, followed by a red apple, and a banana. Sounds pretty healthy, but it hasn't really been a healthy morning. Started the day with a double-shot latte made with one of Jen's gifts she received from me on her birthday, the Aeropress (yum!). I also had another coffee at work, with a cappacino-cream filled biscuit, and 4 other Bourbon biscuits. It sucks that I have such a weakness for chocolate!
Jen's birthday was last Friday, on the 30th of May. I got her something called the Aeropress, which is a coffee making gadget, able to make proper espresso/french press style coffee's encompassing a proper full bodied and smooth taste without any bitterness. It works very cleverly! You can watch the video of it in action here, all I can say is that it works!
I also got her 2 other small gifts, one of which is a Rainbow LED light, which lights up the room at night with the colours of the rainbow. I got this for her because Jen really loves rainbows, whenever we are out, and one is spotted, the camera is out and it has to be snapped up. Now she has rainbows on command in the bedroom! The next gift is a waterproof radio for the bathroom, shaped like a tap. It seems to have a problem sticking the the wall, but for the most part it works alright. For those that don't know, Jen has a wonderful voice, and used to sing a lot. I got her the radio to encourage her singing more, since not only is it missed, but it'll keep her practicing and fill the flat with song :)
We had breakfast at Ikea first thing in the morning (only 95p!) and then set to work travelling about looking for an elliptial machine, something which has been on Jen's list to get since we first moved into the flat. Eventually we found a few to try out in Enfield, but there was no stock, and delivery was problematic. We decided to wait it out til next weekend, and had dinner in TGI Fridays. All in all, it turned out to be a good day, and the weather stayed in check too!
The last couple of weeks, we've been catching up on watching a few films, which have all been impressive bar one that I had really high expectations for.
Forbidden Kingdom: This is a story about an american teenager, obsessed with all things chinese, mainly kung fu and martial arts, finds this ancient stick in a chinese pawn shop. Coincedentally, the stick belongs to an imprisoned Monkey King, and somehow he is transported to ancient china, seen as the 'chosen one' and ventures on a quest to return the stick to the Monkey King, freeing him from imprisonment.
What should have been a potentially epic movie falls flat on its face. The biggest selling point of the movie, is that Jackie Chan and Jet Li are together in a movie for the first time as the headlining stars. Jackie plays an immortal tramp, and Jet Li, a mysterious monk, who join up with the teenager, teaching him to fight and helping him achieve his quest. For starters, the story isn't very cohesive, and jumps around scenes before any kind of development takes place. It rushes the viewer through parts and is seriously condensed. It also plays like a low budget cheesy 80's movie (budget karate kid ripoff), and is just so poorly scripted. Fight seens are minimal, and the movie is short. This might be one of a budget rental sometime!
Iron Man: In the same vein as the Spiderman movies, this deals with the origin of the Marvel character, Iron Man. I really loved this film, great special effects, lots of action, good acting, and humour in all the right places. It had me transfixed wondering what would happen next at each given moment. Robert Downy Jr fits the role really well. If you like comic books, and good entertainment, watch it!
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Indy's 4th and last movie in my opinion wraps up the series in terrific form. Like the rest of the series, it pokes fun into the obsessions of the era it's based in, in true B-movie cheesy style, and is done with great panaché! Without giving too much away, it covers the obsessions leading up to the 60's, and feels just like the other movies did.
The humour, lines and action are all top class, and for the fan, this is a must see. It seem's that with a lot of people that have seen this, it has been a mixed bag which is understandable, some people just don't seem to 'get it', don't like the style of the film (extremely cheesy!) or content, which to all extents and purposes is obviously far fetched! I still loved it to bits, and also loved the way it ended, which in turn left me sad, as it's pretty much ended the series, but for the best!
The Little Prince: This is an older (70's) movie that Jen recommended we watch, based on a book of the same name. It deals with the way we think, in our childlike, totally open way, and what happens when people grow up and think in a way predetermined by the affects of the societies we live in. It pokes fun at the politics in life in an enchanting tale of how things are percieved and where the imagination of something may lead someone.
Starting with a boy, who draws an elephant being eaten by a snake, tries to get an opinion on his 'art' Everyone thinks he draws what looks like a hat (you have to see the movie). So he grows up, neglecting this art, and taking to the skies as a pilot to forget about the way 'people are'. Things take a turn when he lands in a desert, and meets a little prince, who can see his drawing as an elephant being eaten by a snake, and how they learn and bond with each other. Gene Wilder is in this movie too!
I absolutely loved this film too, outstanding acting, and clever muscial parts. It made a lot of sense in a very charming, tongue-in-cheek way, with many happy and sad moments. You have to see it :)
O.k folks, its that time, and I need my sammich! I'll catch you later!
Wednesday 28 May 2008
3 and a bit months later...
Hey all, yeah time has flown by, and the blogs been gathering a bit of dust so I thought I'd update with some randomness. Also contributing to this is the fact i'm bored, waitng for Jen to get home from work. She is working a late shift today, and doesn't get to the station 'til 11pm, i'll go pick her up somewhere near that time.
As per the norm, it feels like not much has happened since mid-feb, and yet so much has really...it's a bit like being some kind of creature hibernating through winter, waking up during spring and realising the worlds changed a little and a lot. I feel like that creature, waking up today and realising the events that have transpired since, and the impact it has had now and forward.
I've been doing driving lessons again for the past few months. They've been going good and steady. I'm at a stage where i'm close to booking my test. I hope to get booked in for around early-mid July depending on available spaces. On my little progress card, i've completed all novice stages and nearly 3/4 of intermediate, only a few advanced bits to go.
I last did lessons and a test over 9 years ago. I was 18, and transitioning from 6th form to university, starting a new part time job to supplement funds and studies, it felt pretty rough and stressed. So after failing the test, flunking my 6th form studies/exams and feeling pretty bummed, I let it all brew up until now, and things have worked out well.
The system has certainly changed, a lot more organised, and tougher than ever before. Last time I did a test, I didn't even really need to know anything about what was under the hood of a car, now you have to study every bit *gulp* I'm still positive moreso this time though and excited about the prospect of being on the road shortly...watch out London!
Jen and I had a weekend trip to Dublin recently which was ok...not really that dissimilar to London to be honest, except people just seem a lot younger. It felt like being in a completely student town, pubs on every corner, people rushing around, and 2 protests, one for the olympics and one about scientology, in the space of the 3 days we were there. We got this thing called a Dublin pass and Freedom pass, which let us sample the most popular tourist attractions for free, as well as hop on and off tour busses and public transport all over Dublin.
We ended up visiting the Guiness Brewery, at it's highest point, you could see over the whole of Dublin, breathtaking view (awesome!). Also the Dublin Zoo, Hardrock Cafe, and spent a large portion of our time around Grafton and O'connell street, which were the busiest, metropolitan areas there.
We also tasted one of the nicest coffee and hot chocolate brands exclusive to Dublin called 'Bewleys' They had a cafe we visited on Grafton street which is a MUST. Was sad to find out the brand wasn't available anywhere else. If you know of it, and you know where to get it, let me know! If you've not tried it, make sure you do if you ever visit!
We got Mario Kart and Wii Fit for our Wii, both of which we've been having a blast with. Mario Kart comes with a steering wheel attachment for the wiimote, detecting steering motions as if you were handling the wheel of a car. It seemed surprisingly difficult at first to get to grips with, as I dived straight into racing usng the 'manual' option. The CPU difficulty seem's unfairly superior, as they knock you down with weapons like bananas, shells, thunder clouds and bullet bills at the worst possible moments. The worst being coming close to the finish in first, and being his with a homing blue shell right before the line. Not fun!
Switching to 'Automatic' drastically changes the outcome though. The CPU is much more forgiving, and I got Gold and unlocked a lot of things quickly. The real fun is online and playing with friends all over the globe. Mario Kart was one of those game that could always make me curse loudly at the screen in mixed frustration, excitement and elation...Thankfully nothing is lost on this version either :)
With Wii Fit, you get an accessory with it called the 'Balance Board' which can accurately measure your weight, and determine your balance depending on how you shift your weight on the board itself. It's very clever, and encourages the player to really work at the games, be it yoga, muscle exercises like push ups and sit ups or even hula hooping, which you really feel after 250+ hip rotations.
The first day we got it, Jen and I did a full set, 30+ mins of mixed exercises, and afterwards, I can say I felt like I was dieing. The next 2 days I felt aches and pains all over my body, but it does make you want to work harder. We love it! If you have a Wii, it's well worth getting.
I turned 27 on the 5th of April. Feels like it came by so fast, I just remember waking up and the first thought on my mind was that I was closer now to 30. Not that that is a bad thing, i'm quite looking forward to reaching the third decade, it just took me back like 'wow' where did the time go? I keep reminding myself I should wake up and take note as the time flies and the days blur together almost seamless. I've got to apologise for not keeping with my promise and not writing here when I should, since I realise the opportunity I miss from reflecting on a captured experience at a point. I'll work harder at it.
Jen's parents visite London for a week, and had a great time. Jen and I only wish they could have stayed longer, since a week in England is only a condensed experience, but we tried out best to give a concentrated taste of the finer points of England. We decided to do a seaside visit to Brigton, and a visit to Salisbury and Stonehenge, as well as spending time in central london and seeing the main sites. Next time they visit, we're considering going to other areas of the UK, possibly north, up to Scotland or Ireland, maybe venture off to Paris seeing as it's only a 2 hour train journey straight to the center.
I finally took the plunge and invested in a eee pc. You may notice I mentiond this in an earlier posted somewhere below when talking about the Macbook Air. I managed to snag the newer variation of the EEE PC mini laptop, which has a 9" screen, an additional 16GB secondary hard drive on top of the 4GB primary, a Multi-touch trackpad, 2GB ram (I fitted this myself), 1.3MP built in webcam, SDHC slot (i've stuck an 8GB card in there), as well as all the other regulars from the original eee pc, retaining it's tiny size. I'm loving it to bits, and infact writing this blog post from it. I've been taking it to work with me each day, and using it as a secondary machine, as it's faster than my main work PC ironically... I've also loaded it with my favourite old games, and a bunch of emulators, including MAME, ZSNES, SCUMMVM, ePSXe, Project 64, and Final Burn, all of which eats the time when neccesary.
As this incoherent post draws to a close, i'm left thinking about some future events. This Friday 30th May, it's Jen's birthday, and I'm thinking about what we may get up to. It'd be nice to go out depending on if the London weather behaves, except the whole of this week it's been doing the complete opposite. Fingers crossed for a sunny day! I will update on the gifts, and what we get up to etc soon after the day come.
This Christmas time, we plan on visiting the states again, and I need to start looking into flights soon. I'm hoping we can pick something up on the cheap soon.
If you've reached this far down through the blabber, I thank you for reading! I guess quite a bit has happened since Feb, even if my mind insist is has been 'same old' I will wake up...i'll wake up soon. Promise.
As per the norm, it feels like not much has happened since mid-feb, and yet so much has really...it's a bit like being some kind of creature hibernating through winter, waking up during spring and realising the worlds changed a little and a lot. I feel like that creature, waking up today and realising the events that have transpired since, and the impact it has had now and forward.
I've been doing driving lessons again for the past few months. They've been going good and steady. I'm at a stage where i'm close to booking my test. I hope to get booked in for around early-mid July depending on available spaces. On my little progress card, i've completed all novice stages and nearly 3/4 of intermediate, only a few advanced bits to go.
I last did lessons and a test over 9 years ago. I was 18, and transitioning from 6th form to university, starting a new part time job to supplement funds and studies, it felt pretty rough and stressed. So after failing the test, flunking my 6th form studies/exams and feeling pretty bummed, I let it all brew up until now, and things have worked out well.
The system has certainly changed, a lot more organised, and tougher than ever before. Last time I did a test, I didn't even really need to know anything about what was under the hood of a car, now you have to study every bit *gulp* I'm still positive moreso this time though and excited about the prospect of being on the road shortly...watch out London!
Jen and I had a weekend trip to Dublin recently which was ok...not really that dissimilar to London to be honest, except people just seem a lot younger. It felt like being in a completely student town, pubs on every corner, people rushing around, and 2 protests, one for the olympics and one about scientology, in the space of the 3 days we were there. We got this thing called a Dublin pass and Freedom pass, which let us sample the most popular tourist attractions for free, as well as hop on and off tour busses and public transport all over Dublin.
We ended up visiting the Guiness Brewery, at it's highest point, you could see over the whole of Dublin, breathtaking view (awesome!). Also the Dublin Zoo, Hardrock Cafe, and spent a large portion of our time around Grafton and O'connell street, which were the busiest, metropolitan areas there.
We also tasted one of the nicest coffee and hot chocolate brands exclusive to Dublin called 'Bewleys' They had a cafe we visited on Grafton street which is a MUST. Was sad to find out the brand wasn't available anywhere else. If you know of it, and you know where to get it, let me know! If you've not tried it, make sure you do if you ever visit!
We got Mario Kart and Wii Fit for our Wii, both of which we've been having a blast with. Mario Kart comes with a steering wheel attachment for the wiimote, detecting steering motions as if you were handling the wheel of a car. It seemed surprisingly difficult at first to get to grips with, as I dived straight into racing usng the 'manual' option. The CPU difficulty seem's unfairly superior, as they knock you down with weapons like bananas, shells, thunder clouds and bullet bills at the worst possible moments. The worst being coming close to the finish in first, and being his with a homing blue shell right before the line. Not fun!
Switching to 'Automatic' drastically changes the outcome though. The CPU is much more forgiving, and I got Gold and unlocked a lot of things quickly. The real fun is online and playing with friends all over the globe. Mario Kart was one of those game that could always make me curse loudly at the screen in mixed frustration, excitement and elation...Thankfully nothing is lost on this version either :)
With Wii Fit, you get an accessory with it called the 'Balance Board' which can accurately measure your weight, and determine your balance depending on how you shift your weight on the board itself. It's very clever, and encourages the player to really work at the games, be it yoga, muscle exercises like push ups and sit ups or even hula hooping, which you really feel after 250+ hip rotations.
The first day we got it, Jen and I did a full set, 30+ mins of mixed exercises, and afterwards, I can say I felt like I was dieing. The next 2 days I felt aches and pains all over my body, but it does make you want to work harder. We love it! If you have a Wii, it's well worth getting.
I turned 27 on the 5th of April. Feels like it came by so fast, I just remember waking up and the first thought on my mind was that I was closer now to 30. Not that that is a bad thing, i'm quite looking forward to reaching the third decade, it just took me back like 'wow' where did the time go? I keep reminding myself I should wake up and take note as the time flies and the days blur together almost seamless. I've got to apologise for not keeping with my promise and not writing here when I should, since I realise the opportunity I miss from reflecting on a captured experience at a point. I'll work harder at it.
Jen's parents visite London for a week, and had a great time. Jen and I only wish they could have stayed longer, since a week in England is only a condensed experience, but we tried out best to give a concentrated taste of the finer points of England. We decided to do a seaside visit to Brigton, and a visit to Salisbury and Stonehenge, as well as spending time in central london and seeing the main sites. Next time they visit, we're considering going to other areas of the UK, possibly north, up to Scotland or Ireland, maybe venture off to Paris seeing as it's only a 2 hour train journey straight to the center.
I finally took the plunge and invested in a eee pc. You may notice I mentiond this in an earlier posted somewhere below when talking about the Macbook Air. I managed to snag the newer variation of the EEE PC mini laptop, which has a 9" screen, an additional 16GB secondary hard drive on top of the 4GB primary, a Multi-touch trackpad, 2GB ram (I fitted this myself), 1.3MP built in webcam, SDHC slot (i've stuck an 8GB card in there), as well as all the other regulars from the original eee pc, retaining it's tiny size. I'm loving it to bits, and infact writing this blog post from it. I've been taking it to work with me each day, and using it as a secondary machine, as it's faster than my main work PC ironically... I've also loaded it with my favourite old games, and a bunch of emulators, including MAME, ZSNES, SCUMMVM, ePSXe, Project 64, and Final Burn, all of which eats the time when neccesary.
As this incoherent post draws to a close, i'm left thinking about some future events. This Friday 30th May, it's Jen's birthday, and I'm thinking about what we may get up to. It'd be nice to go out depending on if the London weather behaves, except the whole of this week it's been doing the complete opposite. Fingers crossed for a sunny day! I will update on the gifts, and what we get up to etc soon after the day come.
This Christmas time, we plan on visiting the states again, and I need to start looking into flights soon. I'm hoping we can pick something up on the cheap soon.
If you've reached this far down through the blabber, I thank you for reading! I guess quite a bit has happened since Feb, even if my mind insist is has been 'same old' I will wake up...i'll wake up soon. Promise.
Thursday 21 February 2008
Life in the slow lane
At the moment, things feel as if they've slowed down tremendously since January...working days drag, and the weekly routine of things is a bore. I guess when you're not having too much fun, things are slower. But there are a few things to look forward to over the next month...
- We're inching ever closer to Spring and easter holidays, which I can't wait for! Jen and I will hopefully be catching a holiday to some place we can escape and chill out for a bit, we've really not had much of that recently. Any short-break holiday recommendations? Currently thinking of going to either France or Ireland for a few days...
- I'm going to the play.com exhibition in the middle of the month. This is a games exhibition running over 2 days that will highlight some of the newer games set to be released on the Xbox 360. We'll get a chance to play them too! w00ts!
- Lots of new gaming news has been announced recently as the Game Developers Conference has been taking place this week. There are release dates for Mario Kart Wii, Wii Fit, and Wii Ware, which should all be available in mid-April and early-May time.
- My Birthday is coming up in April!
There's been a lack of posts lately due to not really being up to too much, but I'll get down to posting more facets of stuff as it happens.
Lately though, I have been in gaming mood. I played Super Smash Bros Brawl, and i'm completely in awe over it. You can tell the presentation and content in the game has all been done with great love and care, its very intricate and a pleasure to play!
Right now though, I decided to get stuck into a couple of adventure games, the first of which is the original Paper Mario on the N64, purchased via the Wii Virtual Console. This is a full fledged Super Mario RPG game with a twist - everybody and everything in the 'world' is paper thin, although the objects and characters occupy 3D space. Very fun and engrossing.
The other i'm playing is Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney for the Nintendo DS, which is part of the Phoenix Wright series of wacky 'lawyer-simulation' games, and seriously good fun!
Alright folks, I hope you're all doing good! Catch up with you later!
p.s, if you're bored, try the demo for Apollo Justice below, you might like it :) Enjoy!
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