Below are my web blog updates from 2004, which saw the blog grow extensively in popularity. Hosting moved from freebie to paid for premium, plus in May the option to post personal comments for each individual posting were added.
Friday 31st December 2004
A strange way to end the year. Be called out on business,
across to Bedford for but nevertheless a necessary
meeting. As I headed home the sun was setting across
the hills of Dunstable to the east. The M1 southbound
was busy but moving steadily as my mind began to drift.
My mind reflected on the year about to pass and the
year ahead. Several months of difficulty but lacking
the powerful pain, I had felt so strongly in the past.
Yet, we showed our perseverance and overcame the struggles,
to find ourselves on the right course and very much
happy. Let me consider my happiness in greater detail.
No, I am not truly happy but more relived that once
more, all the pieces of the jigsaw have fallen into
place, and not a minute too soon. For someone bless
with little luck, I sometimes find myself amazed by
the smallest act of divine
intervention. Those who know me well, would consider
me to be a mild control freak. A fact I could not
argue with, yet the more I think about things the
more I feel stronger powers
are at work here, than those of my own mortal doing.
If things happen for a reason, then maybe just maybe
2005 will be the year which sees me taking bigger
strides on the journey of success.
Just a simple case of believing. Believing in myself.
As has become customary, I would like to wish all visitors to my website a
prosperous 2005!
Thursday 30th December 2004
Three months and four days had passed since our last
installment. Expectations were high, more so by the
extended marketing exposure given this time around.
Rather than billboards on the tube, there had been
lavish television spots on the build up to the big
day. The posters bore a striking resemblance to the
final two from the Matrix
trilogy. However, before I get to the action, let
me start at the beginning. As soon as I saw the trailer
for the movie, I contacted Nav and asked if he wanted
to go and see the picture. He had been the one, to
introduce Hero
to me back in mid September 2003. Who was to know
that almost exactly twelve months later, we would
go and enjoy the experience on wide screen, having
seen the first half on flaking VCD. The release date
was awkward to say the least. Boxing
Day. For a few weeks, it seemed that we would
be unable to catch the epic story at the cinema. Nav
was going to be in Manchester with relatives and would
not be coming down towards London for some time. As
chance would have it, Nav would be dropping his sister
down in Ealing yesterday and would be able to catch
the movie in the afternoon. As well made plans usually
do, things changed. Instead we decided to catch the
early evening performance, giving plenty of time to
allow from the journey from Lincolnshire.
I left Wycombe just before 4pm, to make sure I did
not get stuck in traffic on the A40. As usual, the
roads were relatively clear and I made great time
heading towards Ealing. I arrived just after 4.30pm,
giving Nav a call on his mobile. It was off, sending
me directly to his generic T-Mobile
answer phone. This was a surprise, because he never
has his phone off, unless unwittingly he has let the
battery drain away. I waited for a short while, a
few minutes more and then began to panic. Not a mad
panic, but a mild panic, considering the options open
to me if my friend did not materialise. Going to the
cinema on your own is an experience I would not like
to repeat, so therefore my plan was to wait until
5pm and then head over to the multiplex for a refund.
Then head home and catch the big game
in full. (Rather than catching only three quarters,
as would be the case). Just as I was giving up, I
looked out of my window and saw some bright headlights
heading towards. The car, I recognised, as it pulled
up directly in front of me. I smiled, my phone bleeped.
Delivery report received. Nav had finally switched
on his phone. We were present and correct and headed
over to Vue
in Acton. It was busy, but I found a parking space
quite quickly and headed into the foyer. There was
a large queue, one automatic ticket dispenser out
of action. My attempts to obtain our tickets from
the working machine did not work. No other option
but the queue. This was a bad evening for the staff,
the LCD information screen was out of action, so the
details of film availability had to be given verbally
(by leaving the safety of the booth). A man in charge
fixed the second ticket dispenser, jumping out of
the queue (a mistake) to once again attempt to have
my cinema tickets printed. Did not work. So, we had
to get back into queue to get our tickets. The clock
was ticking, the film started in 5.45 and we had a
few minutes to go.
Well after that episode or rather fuss over the tickets, I was actually looking forward to sitting down and watching the movie. With chocolate mint ice cream in one, hand and regular coke (with ice) in the other, I headed into the audiodoritium. Busy, but by no means full, we found some seats to the middle of the upper tear on the right. To compare The House of Flying Daggers with any other film I have seen, would be criminal. However, using Hero as a base has to be expected. My real criticism is with the storyline, although it did contained the customary twists and turns, even romance, it lacked the layered approached which made the previous film such a great success. The actors were average but it needed more star quality to get the passion across, as the story is based more on love than rivalry or a feuding battle. The direction is amazing, with some integral fight scenes and clever special effects. The plot is much more easier to follow although I think the ending becomes obvious far too quickly and then the pace slows down to compensate for the lack of action in these scenes. Shame because this could have been developed further. This got me thinking, why do people go and watch these films? The storyline come secondary to the action sequences. Therefore more time and money is spent on these parts of the movie rather than any other, which is understandable. You want to get as many people through the door as possible. I would therefore only recommend this picture to those who enjoy the genre. Otherwise you will leave disappointed.
I have been nominated as the best blog friend by Andrew Guilder. If you can recall this is the guy, I happened to sit next to on the National Express coach from Birmingham to Leicester exactly seven months yesterday. So feel free and vote. My blog of the poorest quality in comparison to the other five nominations. Make sure that comes into consideration when you place your vote.
Tuesday 28th December 2004
Why is it that during the festive period, we lose all sense of date and time. Does Christmas do something to the body clock that is shrouded in mystery? Perhaps even the great Dickens noticed this lapse in human attention at this time of year.
My long term love affair with remixes continues. Several months ago, I was
sitting in my car waiting to give a relative a lift,
listening to Kiss
100. It was a Sunday night and Mark Goodyear was
presenting the Smash
Hits Hit
List. It was at this moment, I heard for the first
time the Hi-Base remix of the Britney Spears ballad,
'Everytime'. Rarely does a remix improve the original
to a level that it becomes more radio friendly. Deconstructing the strong, the lyrics are far from definitive and the melody has greater power to the affect it carries the song. If
you look at the artist
and avoid the rest of the baggage
that comes with the brand.
She does poses a nice pair of lungs and produce the
perfect vocal. The dream voice for a DJ to remix.
My favourite song by the former pop princess is 'Born
To Make You Happy'. Maybe because she was on the rise,
but also the fact that my life was coming together
and for once I could look around and smile contently.
Shame to see such a great talent wasted on the three
taboos, s, d, and very little of the rock and roll.
As we find ourselves staring at the end of year, I believe it is time for me to be noting down great thoughts and reflections for 2004. Did the year live up to expectation or not? This is very difficult for me to say because I find myself having made so much little progress that I had hoped for. Maybe the fact that I have started my second job and am at the starting line again. Yes, overall the circumstances are for the better but the lack of time in the position means I have little to judge against and little substance to reflect upon. In time, experience I shall be able to give a greater insight. Many things happened this year in terms of my website. I moved host and actually started paying for hosting for the first time. Purchased a second domain name, hosting my second exclusively 'work' blog, firstly on Blogger and in recent weeks on my own personal hosting.
Those who recall my adventures from Saturday 25th September will be pleased to announced the next installment is scheduled for tomorrow morning (or possibly early afternoon). The venue and companion remain unchanged and the only noted difference is the title of feature. Hopefully I will be able to review events tomorrow evening, comparing my personal record with that of my friend on his online journal. I am hoping to go over to Central London later in the week and also over to Birmingham early next week, possibly Monday. Want to get everything in order before work starts over again. A trip to the Midlands would give an opportunity to test out my Pure DAB Personal digital radio on the road for the first time. Will keep you posted, all events are subject to change at short notice.
Saturday 25th December 2004
Tradition, the foundation for this time of year.
Sown into the very fabric of this country, our way
of life, our way of doing things, dare I be political
to utter the word, 'culture'. If there are two groups
of people that roam this earth, one set embrace tradition,
convention, the establishment. While the rest reject
it, to take their own path. I could never be anything
but a creature of habit, routine and ultimate dependence.
I have my reasons but then I am sure there are quire
valid reasons for you dreading your path. Each to
their own.
Yet, I find myself still longer to aspire to greater tradition than the reasonable
standard that I have already set. One such aspect
would be a seasonal visit to the cinema. Sure, I venture
to the multiplex at the wrong time of year. With the
summer heat striking down upon us, I am quite keen
to catch the summer's biggest blockbuster, rather
than anything else. Last year, there was one film
that I had to see. In my eagerness to I asked a close
friend if they wanted to go with me. Their response
was that it was not worth the visit to the cinema.
Disheartened, I allowed the opinion of another to
overpower my strong will, knowing also, that there
was not much time left to catch a screening locally
or even more closer to the actual setting.
My only excuse is that there is never the time to
fit in a trip to the cinema, even with the FilmWorks
a stepping stone away. Too many other things going
on and movies are much lower down the list of priorities.
Particularly when there are so many things to organize
and errands to run.
This year, in mid November I discovered that Sky
Movies would be making the digital premiere of
that very movie on Christmas Day. Joy filled my heart,
hoping that this would be an opportunity for the entire
family to sit down, in the evening and spend a few
enjoyable hours with sugary entertainment. Did it
happen? Well I am happen to report it did, actually.
(Yes a very poor pun, but in the circumstances and
considering the date, I hope you will be kind enough
to forgive me.) Firstly, let me state that I can fully
understand why people do not like this movie. Several
months ago, Clive Bull had this discussion on his
late night talk show on LBC
and the negative feeling regarding the Curtis production
was clearly evident. However, let me give my personal
response. At this time of year, we seem to cocoon
ourselves into our own little lives, surrounded by
our family, friends and loved ones. We seem to forget
how this can be the most difficult time of year for
many others. The film tries to get this message across,
and also establish the fact that not all love stories
have a happy ending. Although, anything shot under
the banner of the festive season has some poetic licence.
Yes, this film does showcase the brilliance of London
at this time of year and does this extremely well,
proving that Britain can match some of the more traditional
Christmas locations, such as New York, or exotic as
Sydney. Sometimes we go to the cinema to be frightened,
just like we jump onto a roller coaster to be pushed
to the edges of our physical boundaries. I believe
deep down inside all of us, there is a beating heart
that wants to be warmed. This evening, my heart was
gracefully warmed by the eight intertwined storylines
of this movie. There is little need for substance,
particularly when the image portrayed tells us so
much about the human soul. Can feel
good cinema get any better? Not really, but do
you know the reason why? Christmas is the most magical
time of year and sometimes, just sometimes dreams
can come true.
Friday 24th December 2004
Just a quick message before the festivities get into
full swing. I collected my cousins from Luton, this
afternoon and am looking forward to the big day tomorrow.
There is very little to write apart from wish all
my visitors to my blog, both old and new, a very Merry
Christmas.
Tuesday 21st December 2004
Sitting down into my friend's Mazada 6, I smiled with glee at the creature comforts, leather seats, satellite navigation and Bose in car audio system. I noticed a CD case, in the door storage panel, to my left and picked it up. The front of the case came off in my hand, coming to my attention that is had been broken previously. It was then that I finally turned the case around to see the cover. Pleasantly surprised to discover that this was not any old run of the mill. Although our friendship spans over ten years now, we rarely discuss music. To find the greatest and most popular album in his car was surprise to say the least. The previous evening had been spent perfecting a Christmas album for the ride and if you know me well, the shopping trip is a time I really get into the festive mood. Yet, I was holding a piece of musical history. This was the original 1982 release and although looked somewhat dated, hid well its twenty two year history. Maybe I would drop it into the CD player for a quick listen on the way home. Holding back my excitement in being able to hear the original masterpiece, I headed to Milton Keynes in near silence, with my mind drifted as much as the winding roads of Oxfordshire and North Buckinghamshire, on this bright winter evening. We stopped for fuel, seizing the opportunity, I inserted the disc but decided against listening to it there and then, quickly switching back to the seasonal bootleg I had created. Believe me, the crooner, Andy Williams grows on you, even with Christmas songs.
To those of you, whom have just rushed in that final coursework assignment before the Christmas holidays, you will spare thought for our lonely student. Searching my memory banks, I find it hard to discover a more ruthless example of the strange love/hate relationship between the student and their lecturer. Thank God those days are behind me. I am sure our University academic, will not find it difficult to produce a scenario which betters this one.
Last year I went Christmas shopping on a Sunday in
Oxford. This was a example of my poor judgment, berating
myself that such an lapse shall never occur again.
The original plan had been, like the rest of the of
the population
to leave it as late as possible. This had meant, Wednesday
22nd December (always tomorrow) was the original designated
shopping day. Then, when news came that I would not
been joining the dole
queue but had secured a job.
Plans, as they often do, had to be changed.
Sunday was chosen, because it was the only available
date, knowing there would be a few awkward purchases,
it would be best to have some company, particular
as he had several final purchases to make himself.
Where as I, hadn't even started. This is the only
time, I actually spend a day shopping in the real
world and actually attempt to make a 'day of it'.
The rest of the time, I shop online, from the comfort
of my own bedroom. Even things such as clothes can
be purchased online these days, why bother with the
hustle and bustle of the high street? Since my final
few years at school, I have had a strong anti-city
feeling, towards shopping districts. This may have
been bedded in my less than normal social nature in
my early to mid teenage years. To stop short of a
full history lesson, I avoided as much as possible
town or city centres on a Saturday purely because
of the hell they used to impose on me. This rule still
exists, even if slightly cloaked form. Yes, ever December,
like clockwork, this barrier disappears and I am once
more able to enter society and shop like the next
man. Although, of course I do not shop like anyone
else. I know what I want (already) make some quick
initial judgments, perhaps even slight changes on
brand or final product and make that purchase. I do
not have time to fussy around, like some other members
of the human species. This does save some time, when
you do all your planning and homework before you venture
out. Even someone as well organised as me still finds
it difficult to find gifts for some of the more, now
how to do I put this, more 'elusive' members of my
small family (small by Asian standards) No wonder
it has become the sixth
most stressful life event. Whatever, "life event"
means is anyone guess. I survived and got 85% of my
shopping done that day, just a few small problems
that firstly need some more thought and a quick purchase.
I intend to go down to Uxbridge in the next few days
to complete the haul. Thursday, can't come too soon.
On the way back to my friend's house, we did listen to that most complete of
albums, but I had no time for the early tracks. Criminal
of me, I agree, but there is some method in my madness.
The song that needed to be heard was to summarize
how I felt this Sunday afternoon, with Christmas drawing
ever so closer. The facts should speak for themselves.
Sometimes a song is bigger than the moment, rarely
is the artist great than the song and rarely even
still does the album mean more to the world than (regrettably)
than the artist. Sometimes, pure lyrics do little
to capture the moment.
Thursday 16th December 2004
It all came together as I was driven around into
the car park of my new office. My new working day
home. To say this was a different environment was
an understatement. I had gone, from (in my humble
opinion) the greatest
city in the world to this countryside
retreat. Well, that is not so much a clue as an
indication of where in the world I find myself and
what the future brings. Sometimes, the greatest postings
happen my accident and all the pieces of the jigsaw
fall into place, quite happily without the need to
be constantly wanting to write the perfect post. As
musings from last clearly show. A man trying to force
words of wisdom on a reluctant crowd.
A breath of fresh air. That is all I can say to describe
my first day at work. Firstly, I left the house half
an hour before I was due at the office. Unthinkable,
when a just five weeks previously, the journey would
have started an hour and half earlier, just to be
sure to make it to the office on time. As I pulled
out my drive, I glanced at the clock, 08:27. WOW!
Although there was some traffic built up on the A404,
there was little to fret. I still made good time and
was early (as one should always be). On your first
day, there tends to be certain home truths that come
home to roost. Things will be dramatically artificial
from another standard day. Having now experience 3
'first' days, the first two years ago and two, five
months apart this year. There is so much to take in,
people to greet and make comfort your seat. Of course,
people are nice, they don't want to let their guard
down and want to make you feel comfortable. They are
waiting for you to settle before they show themselves
out, which is understandable. Although I have noted
well, people being themselves and not putting on this
show, this facade for the new boy My last firm had
an extremely streamlined induction procedure, running
a tight ship and an extremely tighter schedule. Global
firms have experience and more importantly than that,
a "way" of doing things. The SMEs of this world, just
have big aspirations but not the wallet to match.
Yet, I find myself in a mixture of the two, or more
half
way house. Early days indeed but first impressions
build towards bigger and better things in the world
and therefore I need to quickly summarize my thoughts
and feelings. Not having a shadow
meant the day dragged and I did not pick up as much
as I could have but then again, there was so much
to take it, I think it will take me at least three
to four months to master the product. (The previous
version that is!) Just run me through the benefits
of bespoke
software again?
The major factor, rather than just the X Factor is the time of year I find myself starting work. Not just that its the most wonderful time of year. Joining when I do, I find my Mum finishing work tomorrow and my sister early next week. In the opposition direction, I find myself ending the stupid slump of the past few weeks and becoming dragged into the overwhelming world. Sure, the next few days are going to difficult and at times a struggle. I am prepared, (as well as I can be) for what can only be the start of a new challenge. Yet, I know deep down inside that the real battle begins in January, with the slate somewhat wiped clean and the future, not hanging in the balance, I never live my life in that way. I intend to, in the best possible fashion, prove once again, all the critics wrong.
Much of what has been written here, should have gone
on my 'other'
blog but this was a moment for personal reflection
and not just technical know how. The ideal will be
to have personal views and opinions on this site and
any usual bits of information on the other. Let me
know when I fail to do this.
As I got out of my German
ride, some words echoed out into the cool winter air
from the above average engineered radio, tuned to
the Irish
wonder. The waiting was over, my first day at work,
was about to begin.
All the times that I cried, keeping all the things I knew inside,
It’s hard, but it’s harder to ignore it.
If they were right, I’d agree, but it’s them you know not me.
Now there’s a way and I know that I have to go away.
Wednesday 15th December 2004
I have been using credit cards for the past five years
and am bemused by the new scheme of Chip
and Pin. Sure, the signature as a measure of authority
has been ineffective for decades but entering a pin
appears to have several flaws of its own.
As an organised individual, I am usually on the ball
with any new initiatives that are dished upon us.
I have to admit I have just been lazy. However, I
was told this afternoon, at Next
that from two months time, I will have to know my PIN
and that signatures will no longer be accepted. I
now need to develop a strategy for my PIN. I could
be naive and create a universal number for all my
cards, which would save me time but be a security
nightmare should I lose my cards and my PIN become
common knowledge. A more dogmatic and sensible approach
would be to have two or three PINs to use across three
or more cards. I am working on it, just need to work
out how I can re-request my PIN from all these issuers.
Almost a year in the making, I finally caught the
video for a track, I had been hunting down for several
months in 2003. Television broadcast from the subcontinent
takes precedent. Although we have switched in the
last ten months from being a household tuned to B4U
to the station Rupert
in 1993. Star is broadcast from India
but has a global reach. Just after 5pm, my Mum asked
my Dad to change the channel. When he chose 801 on
the Sky Remote instead of 804, I was pleasantly surprised.
This quickly turned to joy when I heard the family
beats of Kangna by Dr. Zeus. I had waited some time
to see the video in full, sure I had seen the Zeus
medley several times but that was cheap to say the
least. To be honest, I was disappointed, I had expected
more. The song has got now, almost a cult following
that it will go down as a classic, yet the video,
lacked effectiveness. No, perhaps it was not original,
unique, as the lyrics of the song make out. Describing
the unique relationship between yourself and the girl
on the dance floor with the sparkling bracelet.
I never rehash previous postings. I find that to
be meaningless and add little to the longetivity of
my blog, as a historical document. All day I have
been thinking long and hard of how to express how
I feel on this day. Late into this evening, I still
had little to write. Referring to my entry from Sunday
20th June before
I started my last job. There are times when you are
give the poetic licence to be arrogant and perhaps
even selfish and that is one of the finest examples
here. May have become a victim of my own success in
that respect, with words, imagery and stature that
cannot be fallen. Doesn't stop me drying. So, rather than summary my feelings
in a song, I am going to do something different. Recommend
a blog. This will only click with a selective few
in my audience. Memories of University, the rush to
get that first assignment completed on time and course
the all nighter to no avail. Take a step back to those
wholly corridors of academia.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
Monday 13th December 2004
It was billed as Judgment Day and it did not disappoint.
A result for Rupert and the boys
if nobody else. Let us focus for a few minutes on
the trails. Pinning Mr. Wenger and Mr. Mourinho against
each other as time travelling killing machines. My
Dad hates all theses trails, across the digital broadcaster
and not just for the big sports clashes. He would
prefer his subscription money to be spent on purely
programming and for the monthly installment be better
value for money. For me, however, the trails, spots,
are what makes watching Sky
so special. Sky
Movies did lead the way until a few years ago,
until the movie package was restructured for a purely
numbered approach, which of course does not work.
Give me Sky Movie Max and Premiere any day. The masters
in the editing sweet had worked over time for the
Sunday afternoon London derby though. Using the theme
music from the fantastic sequel
with images of the all star cast for this epic encounter.
There is always the possibility that the final spectacle
can never live up to expectations. Just look at the
battle of the buffet.
(Proves that the match was so important that the off
the field antics take precedent over the football).
For once, the perfect atmosphere was created, placing
me on the edge of my sofa, and the hair standing on
the back of my neck, as they teams came out on that
cold winter afternoon. The scene was set and within
minutes, the key battle would commence. Personally
I am glad the broadcasters still show such enthusiasm
for what can only be regarded as extravagant marketing.
Then again this is coming from a guy, who has always
watched the intro sequences for all the games I love
and actually live for them.
The game itself was played at lightning pace, and my nerves were settled early by Henry. Overall, I agree that this was a game we should have won. Of course draw is better than defeat but to be leading twice and then surrender your lead in such foolish ways is unthinkable. Arsenal were the masters of defending set-pieces. We just seem to be lacking concentration at the back and teams will exploit this unless we improve.
What I tend to do, as the end of the year draws near
is to look back at my entries from a year ago. It
was not exactly all songs in the street but the capture
of Saddam was a big turning point in the struggle
for Iraq. A year on there is still much work to
be done, and with elections around the corner, will
true democracy empower the people? This is not for
me to discuss such worldly life changing issues on
this blog of shameless self promotion. More suited
to the likes of Xercs
and Healing
Iraq. Leave it in your very capable hands, guys.
Purchased my Christmas Cards, on Sunday at Clinton
Cards as has now become an annual tradition. I
have stopped making long exhaustive lists on Excel
and tend to work from memory now. Each year for some
reason the number of cards I both send and receive
has been diminishing. Even I am not sending out such
examples of egoist
eccentricity With all the new technology and ways
of communicating, it is surprising that the traditional
Christmas card has lasted this long. Perhaps that
is an naive statement, as there will always be people
who want to send 'seasons greetings' on paper rather
than electronically. I agree with sending the odd
Christmas e-card, but anything via SMS represents
shortsightedness on behalf of the sender at least.
With or without royal
approval.
Talking of progress. Why are we so slow to taking up new technology here in the UK? At least there are hints of upcoming HD TV broadcasting. Japan leads the digital revolution and it is amazing to discover they have had high definition television has early as 1991. There is demand for a service which promises images that are six times sharper than current broadcasting levels. The truth is out there and being blogged. Then on the horizon is the next battleground. Just when you have finally completed replacing your VHS collection onto DVD and disposed of the ancient VCR. (How 1980s does VCR sound today?)
The rest of this week is just going to be a build to Thursday. I should make more use of my new blog and write something.
Friday 10th December 2004
Almost exactly six months ago, I had my second interview
with the City Law firm, whom I started working for
eleven days later. In a twist of fate, (or should
that be luck?) I find myself in a very similar predicament
once again. Following a successful second interview
yesterday afternoon, I waited patiently for the phone
to ring. I needed some good news. Time was running
out, I knew I could not spend any more time 'drifting'
at home. The break had done me some good but my batteries
were fully recharged and I was becoming restless.
When the phone rang, the smile on my face said it
all. Yet, there was more a sense of relief than just
pure elation. Looking for a job in January, would
have been an uphill struggle with my chances diminishing,
opportunities closing and the wealth of competition
increasing. To be frank, I would not have got a look
in. An interview would have been hard to come by.
This is the time the job market gets ugly. Not the
ideal time to be looking for a job. Though I have
consistently follow this argument, that there is never
a good time to be looking for a job (unless you already
have one, that is!).
Looking back to my blog entries from early June this
year, I looked for inspiration. What did I find? A
beautiful vision of life before the realism of working
in London came to light. I surprise even myself at
the quality, clarity and definition to my entries,
which at times, take even my breath away. Perhaps
that is being too arrogant and self-centred. Is that
what having an online journal does to you? You keep
looking at the centre, rather than the world around
you. Begging to differ, I take the text as it is meant
to be, a reflection of my life, feelings and mood
combined with the songs being listened to at a moment
in time. Yesterday afternoon, as I drove back from
my interview, the sun was setting across the Berkshire
countryside, I had a longing to record the moment
in my blog. This feeling has been missing of late,
and I have never felt such a strong compelling to
write. I hope this 'feeling' whatever it is, continues.
Unfortunately on this occasion, there can not be the
under cover surveillance will not be possible. If
I was to say, I am making a change in business environment
that would be an understatement. All I will say for
now, I may be far away from the capital but I am never
the less as far away from Royalty.
I have to point out one of the uncanny 'similarities' with June. That Sunday,
England played France in their opening Euro 2004 fixture.
This Sunday sees London rivals, Arsenal take on Chelsea
at Highbury. Arse
Blog has the latest. Yeah, I can hear you cry,
"big deal" but remember the result on that evening
in Lisbon
was very difficult to call. So what makes this classic
encounter so different? Time will tell. Doesn't
help with Rupert's friends hype it up as Judgment
Day. I will enjoy how Jose will deal with defeat
when he seems so confident of victory.
He has to remember it just a game.
Every once in a while, something happens in my life,
which turns everything around. To you, on the outside
this will seem like a strange way excuse to waffle
on about some insignificant highlight. Trust me and
stick with me on this one. All will be revealed. I
was in India in May 2001, with my family for three
weeks. The hotel we stayed in Argra was heavily advertising
for a local retail shop, situation down the main shopping
district, a stones throw away from the hotel. Yes,
the growing middle classes have an aspiration for
designer clothes, even in India.
If the truth be known, we never got to meet the legendary
green crocodile and at the time, it was not something
I would noticeably miss. Over three years later, I
watching television one idle evening. The adverts
are playing and I'm playing little attention. then
a beautiful young voice fills my living room and my
eyes switch in an instant onto the screen. Sure I
had seen the adverts for their perfume
but this was something else. Money had been spent
on this commercial and to great affect. They were
not so much promoting a product, as the brand. Natasha
Thomas, the sweet seventeen year old Dane takes the
vocal role, supported by the French tennis superstar,
Arnaud Clément. While some may argue
that celebrity endorsements do nothing for product
exposure, I disagree. You have to see the success
Mr. B. is having across the pond, where he is a relative
unknown and these fancy razor
blades are flying off the shelves.
A quick search around the web, I have only been able
to find the following, fansite dedicated to Natasha.
There is of course the official offering from the
suits, sorry I mean record label, Sony, if you prefer
something more fancy, polished and refined.
It is difficult to describe how I feel at this moment
in time. On a cold, winter evening, hearing this song
has warmed my heart. You really need to see the television
commercial to understand how I feel. Yes, maybe I
am fickle for letting a thirty second spot put my
head in such a spin but this is nothing to do with
the product, the beautiful location or the beautiful
people. It is all about the song. My initial reaction
on the first viewing, was, "what an amazing song!".
My response hasn't changed, only grown. Others will
say it is Over Now. But for me, I think this is very
much just the beginning.
You're walkin' the wire
Looking for love in between
But you don't have desire
Do you know what I mean?
What kind of love have you got?
You should be home, but you're not
I don't want to believe that it's over now
Tuesday 7th December 2004
Went to see the Incredibles
on Sunday evening, with my sisters. This must have
been the first time we had gone to the cinema as siblings
since Benji
the Hunted. That was over seventeen years ago,
the UCI Wycombe
Six has become the FilmWorks.
How times have changed. Managing expectations. That
is what must be difficult in not just the movie business
but the entertainment industry in general. I am a
big fan of computer animation, Toy
Story started it all. Then, went I went to see
the sequel
at the Warner
Village in Reading, it took everything to another
level. The intro scene was the best I had ever seen,
matching, in places, even my dear hero Bond
in his big release that same year. The concept behind
Monsters
Inc. two years later was inventive but at times
more directed at the young ones. Last year my friend,
Daz had presented me with a DVD copy of Finding
Nemo last year, just before I headed home for
the holidays. I attempted to kick start a viewing
of the animated underwater adventure three times,
each ending in disaster. My youngest sister was not
interested and I failed to light the imagination of
the rest of the family. Admitting bitter defeat, the
DVD disappeared behind the other DVD that materialized
on Christmas Day. Thankfully, the Disney
Channel are screening the British Television Premiere
on Sunday 19th December. Perhaps I was expecting too
much and was therefore left disappointment, yet I
do not want to give the wrong impression. The film
is great, hilarious in places and to a certain extent
original. However, the plot does have a minor flaw
and does cast a shadow over the whole experience.
Still go and see it and enjoy the movie for what it
is. Entertainment for the children, in the first respect.
Also, Disney
where are the out takes we have become so accustomed
to?
As I write this entry, Arsenal are beating Rosenborg, 4-1 at Highbury, securing themselves a place in the last 16 of the Champions League. Who said anything about a crisis? Bring on the Blues!
Friday 3rd December 2004
In between my two interviews today, I was at home
to grab some lunch. While scrolling around the music
channels on Sky
I came across VH1.
It had very much gone over my head, it was the final
day of the sacred Immortals Week. I had flicked through
the channel throughout the course of the week and
very little had been on worthy of watching. Of all
the certainties at college, there was one argument
which everyone knew Teg would fight to the bitter
end. While most of my peer group detested, the King
of Pop, you would be surprised to how many listened
to the one album
which reflects him most effectively as an artist.
That was then and today is a different story. Michael
has made several appearances on my site already, even
in the past year. Here he is again. Smooth Criminal,
which one of my dearest friends recalled as their
favourite MJ number. Watching the video again, and
hearing the beat of the music, I smiled as my mind
flashed back to a different time in my life. Maybe
I can't be sent back to 1985, but 1988 would be a
very close second destination.
I was surprised to see an e-mail from Paul, in my
Inbox. He rarely contacts me these days, with work
and other projects on the go, so he is not at fault.
I had e-mailed him on Wednesday following a quick
read of an article from the Next
Generation on Guardian
News Blog. Almost exactly a year ago, Paul had
given myself and Nav access to his treasure trove
of digital material on a secure hard disk. Among the
cartoons, mp3s singles, albums and software was a
gem. Providing us with a special preview and running
commentary on this particular video clip, I was surprised
to discover, William Shatner giving a smoky rendition
of Elton John's "Rocket Man" before a live studio
audience. This gem has not remained as elusive as
my ex-house mate had hoped. Now available to view
on the web by anyone who wishes to see such a act
of pop vandalism. Paul's response to my e-mail, was
anything but. Rather than discuss the dizzy heights
and success of Bill's pop career, he posed me a question.
Have you heard Michael Jackson's new single? Of course
I had not. I needed no invitation. I was away. I searched
the web, various fan forums and other avenues, I had
some of the answers but not them all. The single,
"We've Had Enough" is the final track on the recently
released, Ultimate
Box set. This 4 disc audio collection includes
rare studio demos and tracks that never made it to
the final album cut, plus an previously unreleased
DVD from the 1992 Dangerous Tour. Yet, armed with
all this information, I still had not heard the track,
so I headed over to the Sony
site and listened to a thirty second snippet. It started
to make sense, the fans had not been wrong (they rarely are). This was a return of something special. We wait for the resurrection. May that day be upon us soon.
Wednesday 1st December 2004
In an ideal world, I would have started writing a
blog/journal/online diary much earlier in life. Thinking
about it consciously the best moment would have been
the summer of 1999. So much was going on in my life.
I had just finished my first year at college, had
made a whole new group of friends. I had been working
for nearly a year and with this came a sense of some
financial freedom. Yet, at the time, I had a rather
pathetic excuse for a web site, which did little to
reflect my personality or uniqueness as an individual.
Suppose I had lost the appetite for computers and
the Internet. If you really want to know more, you
can a quick trip down memory lane via the Info
page. Site history is
there somewhere. Therefore in a way to redeem my failing
to start blogging, in my late teens, I am constantly
in the search for blogs by those of this age group.
In February this year, I joined the online community
for users of the Blogger
service. At the time, I had not used the blogspot
account I had created since July 2003, but always
felt that in time I would find a use for it. The Blogger
Forum, is the place to learn more about the potential
of blogging, receive hints from the veterans, advice
on templates and guidance on content. However, I saw
the opportunity to showcase my blog to a new audience
and get some feedback on what I should adjust. One
of the initial criticisms was the main font for entries
being too small, with many readers having difficult
reading, particularly some of the longer entries.
This was soon changed with a noticeable change in
the appearance of my site. Overall I had positive
feedback and was impressed with the friendly and almost
family nature of members of the group. Returning to
get some advice on templates, I was pointed in the
direction of various website to download or gain inspiration
from templates. One ideal afternoon, I was searching
the forums, looking at blogs when I came across this
rather interesting link.
Soon added the author to my MSN contact list and enjoyed
a quick conversation with him over the weekend. A
college student studying his A-Levels, is recording,
in my opinion a transitional period of his life. If
only that had been me, five years ago. Even if I had started a journal of some description as I started University, I would find myself in a much better position that I am now, I digress. Keeping an
eye on the progress on this journal and will seriously
consider adding Dave to my blog roll.
I am always on the look out for new blogs, whatever
their form, shape, subject matter or polictical stance.
Currently the eight blogs listed in my 'blog roll'
are visited on a daily basis with almost religious
conviction. Plenty of space for some more. So please get in touch yith your recommendations.
So a chance for the youngsters to prove themselves at the Theatre of Dreams tonight. Looking forward to the game this evening, there tends to be an air of less expectation on the youth, as they are still learning their trade. We know what the senior squad members are capable of, but with the juniors, it is time to showcase their talent, make a name for themselves and edge themselves into the starting eleven.
Sunday 28th November 2004
This must be a problem that faces many other of my fellow bloggers. What to include in this entry. What is so interesting that it can capture the imagination of my small readership? To be frank, my life is very dull, bland and at times characterless. Yet, I still somehow achieve to write about the things that are important to me, record and reflect. Contemplating is the most important thing. It is the only way I am able to come to terms with my predicament, and then move on with the tools that best equip me for the road ahead. Well, here I am. The clock has run out and little progress has been made. Sure, I may have the few potential nuggets of good fortune, this coming week but in the main I am not that further down the road, from where I was in late May.
Defeat. How do you deal with it? Some people deal
with it better than others for sure. Greater men are
moulded by suffering humiliating defeat but then still
having the gallantry to pick themselves up and have
great audacity to go into the next battle, with no
fear. This, test of character is not for everyone,
which is why I am a strong believer in the saying
that heroes are born, they made. Arsenal suffered
their second defeat this afternoon, at the hands of
Liverpool.
Quite innocently I have avoided discussion on the
subject of my football team. The talk of a drop
in form, lost points and key personnel missing,
tends to lower the tone and as much of a shock defeat
is to the system, it is never an excuse. My tendancy
during these dark times for any Gooner fan is to read
and reflect the view of our faithful blogger, over
at Arse
Blog. Visiting his site, on auto pilot every morning.
His words on November
23rd, solemnly written with words that ring so
true. Like a general about to lead his band of merry
men into battle, he concedes that the past few weeks
have been tough and that booing a team which has become
to a certain extend the victim of its own success
is not the answer. This is the time be counted, no
matter how you support the team and what you do. To
be hearing this from a fellow fan, was indeed soothing,
to know that someone else feels the way I do, does
make the issue less imposing. But from an unbiased
perspective, I know we are missing one player in particular.
One of those unsung
heroes. We miss him and it is more and more noticeable
as each game goes by.
Watching the game against Liverpool this afternoon,
the first half was a non-event, as far as Arsenal
were concerned. We were outplayed in every part of
the pitch and the Reds controlled the midfield. Very
disappointing to watch, particularly knowing the flowing
inter passing game we are capable of. I have been
supporting Arsenal most of my life, and for the past
seven years (via Rupert on Sky)
and that has to be the worse performance I have seen
from the Gunners. In years past, under Wenger, a poor
performance, would not be under the microscope, as
we were able to churn out results or score the odd
late goal. I cannot identify exactly what the course
of our on field problems are, but the courses are
clearly evident for all to see and the opposition
to exploit. If it just confidence wavering, then these
faults can easily be put right. I suppose with a keeper
that does spawn some nervousness, it does little to
lift the confidence of the players at the back.
My Dad would say, that it is only football. We all know it is much more important than just that.
The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.
- Robert G. Ingersoll
Wednesday 24th November 2004
Finally, after months of idle talk and creative web designer's block. Sixty
four days to be exact. In that time, I must have started
at least twenty six individual designs, only to go
back to the drawing board after spending a day working
on each. Looks, like I am not alone.
[andrewtegala
dot net] is alive. Along with it my first work
related blog
hosted by those beautiful people at Blogger.
This is by no means the final masterpiece. Eventually,
the blog will be incorporated into the site, which
will make for a seamless site integration. The future
is bright!
While I have headed in one direction. JT of Diary of a Fast Food Life fame has gone in the other. On the suggestion of fellow bloggers, he has ditched his 'work' blog in favour of a personal blog, Notes About Life. Making sense of the madness. Or rather I bid you to try and make sense of his madness.
There are many blogs, which I visit on a much more
irregular basis. Highlighted as being, always
fresh, always chewy. Coming across as advertisement
for a mixture of chewing gum and a local Subway.
Originally finding the site, when searching for details
on the then new MG
TF sports car. Although the author does cover
a variety of subjects I enjoy, dance music, funny
videos (of the e-mail around the office mould) but
also technical hints and tips. Something
that would right up MightyMouse's
street. Anything that saves time appeals to me, so
I was extremely pleased to see this time
saving article. Highly motivated, I planned to
make my own XP installation CD patched with the Service
Pack 2. Looking at the Information
Week
article it appears quite complicated at first
glance. However, when I got down to creating the disc
on Monday afternoon, I was surprised at the simplicity
and lack of expertise needed to create this time saver.
Within an hour, I had a working CD, with Service Pack
2 installed. Finally, I can throw away my four year
old original XP disc. Let me also explain that this
is a great achievement for me. The scale of my projects
may not up to the scale of our dear friend, MightyMouse.net.
While he over
clocks his PC by the Nth degree, I am quite happy
to create the odd, "special" CD. Oh, how different
lives we lead.
I love radio. No, I am not talking purely about commercial
radio or for music radio in particular. I just love
the idea of radio and wish I had been part of its
more humble beginnings.
Not sure exactly when, but I suddenly became hooked
on talk radio, in the mid 1990s. It was not later
in the decade, when I really began to realise the
potential of this medium. But radio is now evolving.
The future is Digital.
The BBC
are leading the way.
For my birthday, yesterday (yes, you missed it!) my
sisters got me a Pure
Digital Pocket DAB 1000 device.
The difference in quality from old fashioned FM frequency
is amazing. I can only get a selection of stations
in my room, but potentially, on the move I will be
able to get at least 60! Wow! The best feature is
the intelligent ability of the radio to store my favourite
stations. This information is complied on the amount
of time I spend listening to each one. I just can't
wait for digital radio in the car.
There won't be a need for CDs or MP3s. Not if you
can just connect up a hard drive to the device and
hit record.
Since the end of August, I have had a unique black
box sitting, proud of place in my living room. Having
taken over from a Phillips DVD player it has big shoes
to fill. It is only now with the latest release of
the XBox
Media Centre software. With the assistance of
Hussein on MSN
I loaded on the new software on Monday night. For
once in my short life, it actually loaded on first
time. No problems. Although, I still need to edit
the XML configuration file. (I will get around to
it!) The new software is a major leap forward. In
three short months, they have packed in more features
and settings that you could ever wish for. Yet, they
still are working on the software. Just think, how
much progress they will have made in another three
months time. One of the most outstanding features,
is the ability to view movie trailers, directly from
the main menu. Yep, no need to access menu, after
menu. Click the link and you are directly at the fruit.
As mentioned previously, I am a lousy gamer. Hussein
had mentioned to me, soon after the mission do upgrade
my console, that I would have the option to play games
against users across the globe. I had heard of this
major selling feature of the XBox, but was my friend
referring to XBox
Live?
No, to my relief he was not. He was talking about
another option. Kai
would allow me to play system link games (meant for
LAN gaming, across 8 wired XBox consoles) on the net!
I did not realise the huge potential of this. I had
downloaded the small console needed to enable my XBox
to 'see' the other users online and be fooled into
thinking they were on my LAN. But never got around
to playing it. Until now. Egged on my friend, I again
downloaded the program onto my PC and added him as
a contact. The one game I had been given with the
console, was the adrenalin pumping, Project Gotham
Racing II (now an XBox classic)
Maybe it was time, I stopped, playing
with myself! Surprised by the ease in which you
can join and leave games. Plus the community is well
established, with very friendly and helpful people
on the end of the wire. You can chat during the game
in the Arena chat rooms. After a few races, I was
addicted. As hard it has been to keep my controller
away from my hand, I have succumbed to the odd challenger
most afternoons this week. Including the occasional
few races against 'sein! :D Comprehensively beaten
on all accounts. All I need now, are some more games!
:D Feed me! For the time being at least, feed yourself on some sweet sugar coated icebergs.
Sunday 21th November 2004
The fog was thick, on this late Sunday night, as
I headed out onto the M40. The road ahead was a certain
as my own future. I suppose ultimately I was lacking
inspiration. Lacking the enthusiasm for life, which
I had shown and felt so warmly five months ago. Times
had changed. Events throughout my life had knocked
some sense into me, while events off the pitch, were
also playing on my mind. Before I confuse any more
readers and deepen the riddle. Let us gain some normality
to proceedings. Have you ever felt lost? Wondering
where your next big break is coming from? Of course,
I am sure you have. But for now, it appears that the
wait continues. For anyone who has been waiting for
their big break, I know exactly how you feel. This
may not be last chance saloon for me, but I do feel,
I deserve one more chance. I can wait, for now.
And we made a lot of sacrifice
Undid a lot of ties
Fought a lot of fights
To get where we are now
Just don't ask me how
Thursday 18th November 2004
As I have already noted here, on previous occasions,
blogging has now become an important part of my life.
Something that I shall never stop doing. I cannot
predict a situation when I would ever need to. Regardless
of what others may say, this blog will continue to
grown and blossom. For some people, catching the blogging
bug is easy enough. Losing it can be much more difficult,
however I come to the conclusion that there are some
bloggers, merely trying on the concept for size and
finding it is very much not one size fits all phenomenon.
So, yes, I have to report, that yet another blog bites
the dust.
This after only been added to my personal blog roll,
three weeks ago. What a shame! JT was really on to
something with his work based blog on the fast food
chain, Burger
King.
Did you watch the World Premiere of Band
Aid 20? It would have been quite difficult to
miss, BBC
One, BBC
Two, CBBC,
ITV1,
Channel
4, Five
and Sky
One, were all showing the video broadcast simultaneously
at 5:50pm (GMT). Although one of my idols, Madonna
introduced the remake, and the video is overall a
polished poignant production, something is missing.
Whenever you attempt to remake anything, be it movie,
game or song. You run the risk of losing the magic
of the original or trying to too hard to emulate the
original. In this case the artists fall foul of attempting
to drag a charity song from the 1980s into the 21st
century. Not an easy task. Yet, it starts so well,
and when you look at the lineup and lyrics on paper
it looks like solid gold. Even the start, with Chris
Martin, Dido and Robbie Williams opening the track.
That is the only redeeming feature, believe me, it
is down hill from there on in.
I am surprised to discover that there are some people
who can blog first time. By this I mean they can open
up Microsoft
Notepad (or any third party
alternative) or login to Blogger
write their piece. Upload. Done. These are the raw
blogs, directly from the heart. Providing the purest
of emotion. Then there are the rest of us. Those of
us, who have to check, double and triple check. Then
re-read and get a friend or family member to read
(not always appropriate). Then running a full spell
check (not always the best thing to do) only to discover
several links are wrong and a variety of sentences
do not make sense. On a personal note, I tend to avoid
blogging on certain occasions. Writing nothing more
than the date in my editor, only to find myself lost
for words on how to describe the events of the past
few days. It must all boil down to one fact. Some
of us have it. Some of us obviously do not. For those
that have, blogging must be a completely different
experience. They see their blog as an extension of
their life, and not the reason for their semi-celebrity
existence.
Did you watch five
on Sunday night? If you did, you were lucky enough
to see T3:
Rise Of The Machines premiere on terrestrial television.
If anyone out there can explain to me how a film,
only released last summer, can been shown on the small
screen so soon, I would be utmost grateful. What happened to the standard four year wait?
Have you heard it? I was listening to Steve Wright
In
The Afternoon while carrying out the laborious
of reinstalling Windows XP on the family computer.
(Yes, I finally got around to this task, after months
of discussion and nervousness!) I came back into my
room, to check for a driver on the net. Then Steve
pronounced the arrival of the record. I stopped to
listen. My hope slowly turned into anger. I would
not go as far as Pop
Justice that the song will mean more children
will die, because less teenagers will purchase the
track. (That is something that has come to be standard
in the irrelevant world of this music blog). My personal
view is they tried too hard to match the potency of
the original twenty year old track. The fact the project
was so rushed and less polished clearly shows in the
end product. I would even go to on a limb and say
that the second version released in 1989 is better
than this one. When I listen to the original, it has
a mellow feel that is missed from other Christmas
songs. The other seasonal numbers warm the heart and
bring back fond memories of your childhood on that
special day. The only way to put everything back into
perspective, you would put the record breaking single
onto your stereo, pondering how lucky you are to be
where you are. The Dizzie Rascal rap in the middle
of the track, is completely unnecessary and a joke.
When has there ever been rapping on a Christmas single? It appears that I am not the only one whom festers such negative feedback.
Then again, having said all that. What would I know? My favourite Christmas song is "I Love Christmas" by the Fast Food Rockers.
Saturday 13th November 2004
When an period in your life comes to an end, there
is an empty feeling. Being a creature of habit, a
strict routine is very important to me. I long for
structure in my life. Without trying to make myself
sound like unexciting, I am trying to get across my
emotions. It is difficult, because I was never going
to be here for a long time. Maybe I just got lucky,
and then as the months went by it slowly started to
run out. Maybe this is not exactly the right moment
in time to reflect on the recent events. I must look
to the future and moving on. After all it is never
a sad day, when you leave for reasons that will in
time become acceptable. Looking back, I turned down
a reasonable position, by predicting the date of a
future interview (the second, not the first!) and
took up this contract. Wise? Time shall tell. Just
briefly glimpsing back at the past four months, I
looked to the cool blue winter sky so clear through
my bedroom window. I smile. Smile for where I've been
and where I'm going. The future is bright, even if
outside it is cold and bleak.
The world around me changes, people come and go. Yet, I still stay the same. Is this how it is going to be? I realise there is little I can change. I am a nobody, wanting to be somebody. (With little success to date). There is plenty of time and a long road ahead. Let us just gather our thoughts before we take the next few steps. What exactly has been happening over the past ten days? A great source for the latest news in the only acceptable form, a blog.
What have I been up to for the past week? I have
finally patched my personal PC with Service
Pack 2. So only the family PC left now. However
this is only a temporary measure. Both machines are
to be wiped, and a fresh install of XP loaded on.
All standard software to be installed. Then with the
wonder software from Symantec
an image to be created using Norton
Ghost. This will eventually been burnt onto DVD
so I can easily rollback all systems to their original
clutter free state. The only problem now is, having
two digital audio collections, on both computers.
I really need to purchase a new hard drive. But then,
I actually need a whole new machine. Then again, as
much some of the offers by Dell
are mouthwatering. Nothing, nothing can beat giving
birth to your own monster.
Before any of jobs can be started, I need to think
of some imaginative names for my computers and network.
I will of course, let you know when I find something
that is suitable. This is not the only tasks on my
list, my latest project
still needs to be jump started. Plenty to keep me
off the streets for the next few weeks. Only a few
weeks mind!
Wednesday 3rd November 2004
Following on from some of my comments in my previous
post, last month
I was rather bemused to discover the following article
as a headline (is that the right phrase to use?) on
BBC
News website. Obviously that is taking an extreme
example but I do not want to see myself in that dire
predicament (which I personally see as a lose lose
situation). To be frank, would you really keep a semi-biographic
blog, with your own photos. It just does not make
sense. I know the blogging world has no rules or etiquette,
but there should be room for some common sense. Either
you decide to write an open personal blog about your
life. Or under alias write, critically if you feel
about your employee, neighbour or local MP. Looks
like the Queen of the Sky has truly lost
her crown. Yet still, I have an overwhelming desire,
a burning in my heart, and buzz in my mind to get
this blog off the ground and working. Working in the
sense, it becomes something important, if only to
record my career path.
Thanks for your comments, JT and Nazma. As always this blog lives on the comments of the readers and much of the direction is guided by these views. How else can I improve this site?
Sunday 31st October 2004
In the summer of 2003, when I was considering the
re launch of this site, the return was turning out
to be more of a retirement rather than anything else.
My own lazy attitude was the main culprit on this
occasion (and it appears that history repeating itself).
In July, I created a blogspot account, with the ever
so imaginatively titled, tegala.blogspot.com
but I could never get around the fact I would have
to come online every time to update the blog. Even
if I had pre-prepared my entry in notepad, there is
so much tweaking and checking that goes on behind
the scenes before the finished article entry goes
live. As you now are fully aware, I hate the restrictions
of having to conform to the standards put in place
by Blogger.
So I surfed the web, guided by both Google
and Guardian
Online, one of the only newspapers to see the
potential in web blogs from the beginning.
My mission or rather objective was to find a homegrown
blogging service which was much more user-friendly
and less intimidating. I did not have to search far,
I found 20
Six. At the time the membership was very small
and including only a small band of geeky blogs but
now it has grown to a family of weblogs covering thousands
of topics. I cannot explain why I did not make use
of the service but there may be an explanation later.
I only re-discovered this blog account last week,
as the lonely entry of 20
Six Tegala clearly demonstrates. If you had been
speaking to me a week ago, you would felt my joyous
mood at using this blog as my work
blog. Shame that I never used any of the ecstatic
feeling into action and yet again my new domains bears
some rather arrogant words from the Holy
Bible.
If anyone knows how I can kick start this project please get in touch. Knowing all too well the lack of response to my last two requests. I won't hold my breath.
Friday 29th October 2004
At times I find it it difficult to put into words,
the story of my life. Sometimes, I look at myself
and in the mirror I see, one of the least interesting
people in the universe. Giving great evidence for
the existence of the great 'nobody' is not hard. Yet
the person that stares back at me, with those piercing
dark eyes, longs for something. Longs for some recognition,
some fame. No, maybe fame is not the correct word.
He has a deep yearning to belong, but he misconstrues
this desire with wanting to be popular. That goes
a long way to explain the existence of this website
and this blog. Taking this to a higher level, I look
at my life and realise many home truths. My day begins
with me, walking from a quiet suburb of Buckinghamshire
into the hustle of one of the greatest (and in my
eyes, beautiful) cities in the world. Yet, as the
moon is high in the cloudy sky, his only friend, as
he returns home.
Rarely do I talk about myself in the third person, rarely do I even consider writing my blog in this narrative fashion. Yet, today is different. Today was supposed to be the point at which, a chapter in my life to end. Closure is important, no matter what anybody says. Human emotions does not drift from one scenario to another without some baggage but there is a need to shed as much as possible, in order to move on. To make the transition more stable.
Today was my last day at work. But for circumstances beyond my control, I am still here and there is a job that needs to be finished. It has come to a point, where that has become the priority and everything is just a secondary after thought. I know, once again with the finish line within sight, I would be able to take my foot off the pedal and relax. This could not be further from the truth. I think these final ten days are going to be the most challenging of my four months with the firm. I just have to keep reminding myself that the future is bright, if not as bright as I would have hoped. A voice in my head reminds me of some wise words delivered by a stranger, several years ago. "As one door closes, another one opens..." Funny how I keep shutting these doors on myself. I suppose I can be shown as many doors as possible but it is I, whom has to take the bold step through. Enough talk of my progression up the career ladder (or rather lack of progression).
Still not been able to find the time to work on my
latest project.
My plan is to incorporate some sort of work log which
will take the form of technical notes and observations
in my everyday working life. This will not be a form
of anonymous employee blog, such as Call
Centre Confidential: Next Stop Bombay or Diary of a Fast Food Life. I
have no desire to be sacked, but please feel free
to read more on this growing trend
in the blogosphere. After many years of coding my
own HTML for my blog, I was considering using one
from two of my currently redundant weblog accounts.
However, first a brief history lesson. Is this the
right moment. No, so maybe sometime over the weekend.
If I can spare some time.
Is it any wonder now the stars around me
Are not the brightest of them all
From standing proud to falling like a domino down
And out somehow
All that I remember now about being by your side
Is having just the most amazing time
But nothing lasts forever
We're just human after all
Sunday 24th October 2004
The only news this week was an unexpected e-mail
I received from a member of Bolly
Bob collective. With reference to my blog entry
from April where I
discuss my views on Indian cinema, my comments were,
'very much appreciated'. The main reason for the e-mail
was to inform me that I now was part of a growing
group of people, with links on to their site. Plus,
there was more news on what our favourite villain,
Bob
Christo had been up to since his retirement from
Bollywood in the early 1990s. Although if my memory
serves me correctly, he did have a cameo role on the
1997 smash Gupt.
It is great to see, that my personal influence, along
with those of many other blog writers, has convinced
the owner of the site to start up again and give the
site that much needed lick of paint. A very much welcomed
improvement. Keep up the great work guys! :)
There are many catchphrases that are bounded around.
Most of the time, they reflect the popular television
series or advert running at the time. Well there has
been one such catchphrase that has been doing the
rounds at work, over the past few weeks. My friends
know my long term fondness for Ali
G but I am also a big fan of Borat.
Genius. That is the only way I can describe this fictional
character from Kazakhstan.
I really hope that Mr. Cohen can come up with some
original characters to match Borat and Bruno. There
has been talk of killing of Ali, as the vehicle runs
of commercial viability, particularly after the second
series in the US.
To get you through the working week, you need to
switch over to Three
at 9.30pm on Tuesday evening. Some of you may already be tuned onto this
channel, watching Little Britain. I have to admit, I have never been a fan, and just cannot see the appeal. Although I was surprised to discover my Dad is a big fan. Well straight afterwards
is the comedy, My
Life In Film starring Kris Marshall (of My Family
and Murder City). The first episode aired, taking inspiration and paying homage to Top Gun. Each week the series plays around with a movie, putting a spin on the original motion picture, with Art very much playing the lead role. All I can say, is that give this comedy a chance and let us see where it takes us. This is only the beginning.
Crunch time. Come on you Reds! (I think we may be playing in our blue away kit actually!?)
Sunday 17th October 2004
Probably the most comfortable slippers in the world
Saturday 16th October 2004
There was one thing, a prize that was getting me
through the working week. Saturdays are generally
special. Not that I do anything overtly interesting
or sporting. It was my Mum's birthday and I was looking
forward to the day. I remember some years having a
discussion with one of my good school friends. He
was having an anti everything day and detested the
fact that 'you have to enjoy yourself on a Saturday
night'. Angry at this unwritten rule, he was trying
his best to live life without the ties of conformity.
I never realised how important the weekend was until
I started college. I suppose, after school we begin
pursuing our own personal hobbies and interests rather
than wanting to meet the expectations of our peers.
Of all the types of movies I enjoy, I just love feel
good cinema. What had originally been planned as a
family viewing of Bride
& Prejudice at our local FilmWorks
changed. What is that saying about the best laid plans?
Never mind, that is not important right now. My Mother
and I headed over to the cinema, formerly known (but
still referred to as) Wycombe 6. Although I had heard
mixed reviews from various sources and avoided all
the press coverage (as much as possible) I went into
the auditorium with a clear mind. I left two hours
later with a warm glow inside. A beautiful feeling.
The movie included everything that a cinema audience
love.The hero winning the girl but not at the cost
of being entertained. My Mum perhaps enjoyed it more,
because she saw some of herself reflected (or rather
exaggerated) on screen. Having songs sung in English
was a bit strange at first but you soon got used to
the idea. I feel that this was done perhaps to appease
the Western English speaking audience. And the only
way to see this to America (or get the backing of
Miramax?)
Perhaps. As the final credits rolled, you could see
how much fun the cast and crew had making this movie.
Something you rarely see, in the cut and throat world
of Hollywood, when your next Box Office smash could
be last. I really enjoyed Bend
It Like Beckham but this movie was slightly different,
more grown up maybe. Will we ever see a film like
this again? No. This was the final piece in the jigsaw,
which has opened the door for the director,
from her early days on BBC
Radio to the big lights of Hollywood.
Good luck to her.
Wednesday 13th October 2004
It is difficult to explain and describe my weekly
routine at present. I arrive at Marylebone station
around 7.25am, some twelve hours later, I am getting
off the train as it pulls into High Wycombe. One word
to label my working life, crazy!
I need to get around to working on my new website
but for the above reason, cannot find the time. In
the pipeline is a new blog based around technical
computing and work related issues. Don't worry, I
will try and make it lighthearted in places too. This
blog, will still be my main port of call to record
all my grievances and reflect upon general day to
day happenings and of course my personal feelings.
All shared to a great soundtrack.
Sometimes days are so hard to survive, a million ways to bury you alive
The sun goes down like a bad bad dream
You're wound up tight, gotta let off steam
They say they can break you again and again, if life is a radio, turn up to ten
Saturday 9th October 2004
My weekend had until Friday been planned out for me. This had meant I would miss the England game. I was disappointed but knew a job had to be done and these sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. It was some consolation, that I would at least be able to get home in time to catch the Azerbaijan on Wednesday evening. At the drop of a hat, or rather the *ping* of an e-mail on Outlook, it all changed. The weekend work was cancelled and I was free. Not a minute too soon, I had loads of things to get done on Saturday and giving my blog some much needed tender loving care was high on the list. But, now as Saturday evening slowly drifts away, I have time to reflect and put things into perspective. Not something many of my peers will be doing at this time of the week, rather they will be trying their utmost to place everything out of perspective and look at everything as if it were a dream.
My love for England internationals stems for a great
belief in getting behind our sportsmen and women,
regardless of contest, as they fly the flag. This
has topic has been covered at length over the past
few months in my blog. Sometimes, my patriotism, gets
in the way of my love for football, but never overshadows
my enjoyment of the game. This week, is a case in
point. In the past, the built up to big international
matches, would see me drowned in the pre-match build
up for days on end, with coverage in the media (mainly
the television and newspapers). My working pattern
has made me immune to this now. Of course, there is
the Metro
which I pick up now religiously every morning at Marylebone
before heading to catch the Tube.
What I do not like about this free morning daily?
It only contains the bare facts. There is never any
analysis. While some may enjoy this minimalist approach
to journalism, I find it patronizing. But that is
beside the point. In my previous walks of life, I
would be bombarded with coverage of the up coming
football game and the constant hype. While I personally
do not find anything wrong with this, it has been
a change, a welcomed change to not have to deal with
all this. At times, I do consider myself living a
rather solitary existence, if only Monday to Friday.
While some would rebel against becoming a social outcast,
I am enjoying the anonymity it gives me. I am a strange
in the shadows, a nameless face in the crowd. Well
at least until I arrive at work. But even then, I
am very much left alone to my own devices.
A popular topic for discussion (well for the late
1990s, at least!) which I have been meaning to include
in my blog for over the past month will now be finally
be added. There are two reasons for mentioning this
now. Firstly, there are a group of blog's which I
read on a daily basis, as part of my daily dosage
of the internet. Of these, Diamond
Geezer is always my second port of call after
reading the latest news on the Gooners
from Arse
Blog. In an entry towards the end of August, entitled,
"Ringing
the Changes", our faithful London commuter described
his recent mobile phone upgrade. This got me thinking.
I really need to put my own personal mobile history
on my blog. This become very much a passing thought,
until in mid September, I actually noted down those
important dates, times and model numbers. That was
as far as I got. Then, one lunchtime, as I was returning
to the office, I noticed something really strange.
As you already know, my lunchtimes are frequently
spent, with the towering shadow of St. Paul's bearing
upon me, with the Millennium Bridge to my left. The
whole area is being regenerated to give, Sir Christopher
Wren's masterpiece
the surroundings
it has deserved. Not to worry, only 300 years late,
but the scene of a major Pillow
Fight on Wednesday. Back to my story. I was heading
back to the office, and noticed a smartly dressed
man heading towards me. Nothing strange or peculiar
in that, I hear you cry. Of course, I can expect to
see millions of the same throughout this part of the
city. This was an encounter with a difference, for
I noticed the glimpse of the phone he had held in
his hand, deep in conversation, and I smiled, a broad
smile of satisfaction and fond memories. Where will
these fond memories take me? To a different world.
Let me set the scene. It is Tuesday 22nd September
1998. Having recently started college, a few friends
had arranged to go down to Adam's Park (now the Causeway
Stadium) to watch Wycombe
Wanderers play in the League
Cup (then sponsored by Worthington's)
Why had we come? It was not the lure of my local second
division side at all, but the promise to see on my
heroes, if what at the twilight of his
glittering career play. (A special dedication to my
favourite England number 8 will be included at some
point in the future.) Unfortunately, this was not
the talking point of the evening. There was someone
far more important on the lips of my friends. It seems
very superficial now, looking back but at the time,
I was over ecstatic. The day before I had got my first
mobile
phone. The top of the range 6110 was way ahead of
any of the rival models and a leap forward for mobile
phone technology. For once, I was the first. The first
of my peer group to take the leap into the mobile
phone market and it felt great. Of course, this novelty
feeling did subsequently die down. Though for a few
months at college, while the rest of the students
carried around bricks manufactured by some third rate
manufacturer in the Far East, I had the best model.
The Finns have made a bigger contribution to the world,
than you will ever know. From that day forth, I promised
myself something. I swore an oath of allegiance to
Nokia.
Never would I purchase, upgrade, steal a phone from
any other manufacturer. Regardless of what happened
in the future. Have I stuck to my promise? I am a
man of my word. Of course I have. Indeed, it would
be three years before I upgraded my handset. A lifetime
in the telecomms market. However, that is not to say
I did not make other decisions to fine tune my phone
usage. When I started University, I noticed (with
heavy damage to my pocket) that I was sending an extensive
amount of text messages. Something had to be done,
a solution needed to be found. We are in the cold
winter of December 2000, with my life taking on a
new meaning as my first semester at De
Montfort University draws to an end. Of all the
friends I had made at my Halls of Residences, some
friendships are built for the marathon that life throws
at us. Sippy
(blog coming very soon, I am confidently informed!)
had been looking up various deals for SMS on the internet
and came across an amazing offer from Genie.
This name should be familiar to you, as it was backed
by BT
Cellnet before becoming what is now known as O2.
(Note the clever link to Middlesborough).
The deal at the time was out of this world. Unlimited
text messages. Yes, you heard me correctly. Unlimited
text message for the small fee of topping up with
a minimum of £10 a month. Originally I was going
to port my Vodafone
number across to the Genie
package. But I, along with my friends, kept failing
the credit checks. I recall one evening, calling the
call centre, to listen to an amateur phone operator
(most likely in his first job) apply for the mobile,
by accessing the exact same website, as I would. Sippy,
had similar problems, being told that the main reason
for failing the credit check, is for having insufficient
funds in your bank account. I tried again, thinking
a change of bank account would make a difference.
It did not. So I took the plunge. Before I left Uni
for the Christmas break, I ordered, at great expense
my new Pay & Go 7110.
In terms of phone technology, this was a giant step
(rather than leap) forward from my previous phone.
However, I now had a dilemma. Two mobiles, two numbers
and twice the aggravation. My phone arrived the day
I returned home, and I was eager to try out this new
WAP
feature. The thing you have to understand, is I am
dismissive person when it comes to technology, but
one click and I am hooked. This is similar to my relationship
to the Wireless Application Protocol. Before using
it, I felt it was a silly gimmick which I would struggle
to find uses for. Within a month, I was logging onto
the Genie service, on a daily basis. One of the greatest
features, was being able to enter in two postcodes
and be given directions from one to the other. Fantastic.
There was also chat feature, checking my Yahoo!
Mail while on the move. It also had a built in
modem, which was listed at 14.4bps but would only
give an output of 9.6bps. I recall, with a smile and
hint of frustration, linking the mobile to my PC in
halls and downloading my mail via the infra-red port
I had purchased. One of my favourite memories of University,
which just happens to be mobile telephony related,
is the return. When I returned to halls, in January,
I had just about learned how to make a call on my
new Nokia. Then, a few days later, Sippy arrived.
It was like God returned to the Pearly Gates after
an extended holiday. He had downloaded all the software,
ring tones, operator logos. Very much a late Christmas
present, that was well worth waiting for. My love
affair with my new phone lasted only a year. It was
time to move on. But if the last upgrade, or rather
additional phone purchase had been a big jump, the
next would seem a big disappointment.
Another a conscious decision was made toward the
end of 2001. A year which changed the world forever.
It was time to begin living my life. It was time to
upgrade my phone every twelve months. It was time
to take life by the scruff of the neck. My friends
had by now taken the initiative but also lost the
importance of brand loyalty. Purchasing the 'deal'
rather than phone for the long haul. They had gone
from the Sagem
or worse still the operators own branded equipment.
I stuck to my guns and even by some strange act of
fate (or God?) kept to the same family of phone. (This
will become more apparent later.) Next on the Teg
wish list was the 6210.
In reality, this was just a slight remodeling with
all the features of the 7110. So I had to after, 3
years give up my first mobile. It was sad day and
I wish I could say that it went to a happy home. Rather,
I sent it to hell. Funny how some people don't look
after mobile phones, or any of their possessions.
The next upgrade was exactly a year later, when I
took the leap into technicolour, with the 7210.
The wireless technology had been improved and now
used, GPRS
which I was to learn later is used on the Blackberry.
The mobile tones had also gone from mono to polyphonic,
with the inclusion of Java games that knock the socks
(visually at least) off Snake
(a download you won't be able to resist!) and the
hook for all this? A major media campaign focusing
on picture
messaging. Once again, I never thought I would
want to take photographs. With a phone? Please! But,
I did receive a few picture messages on my phone from
friends and although I never purchased the camera
attachment, the ability to view images and transfer
to/from the PC, did come in handy.
In good fashion, that brings us today. Which phone
do I have now? Well, that shall be a point for my
next entry, because yet again, there is another story
to be told and to be frankly honest, a story that
can wait for another day. For the time being, I am
going to re-issue two questions which I posted at
the end of last month. I had only one response and
feel that my readers need more time to come up with
some suggestions. If you can recommend any computing
or internet magazines, please get in touch. If you
can recommend an original naming convention for my
home network, I would greatly appreciate your input.
So far the only suggestion has been the Hobbit
network, featuring Frodo and Sam. For further details
on this and my other request, go to September
2004.
Thursday 7th October 2004
A week is a long time for us all, and for me to not
blog in the last seven days is indeed a sin. Forgive me. So therefore,
I find myself on this tiring Thursday evening making
an entry. An entry that will most likely be edited
by the weekend. Life is busy. Busy is an understatement.
I am finding that as the deadline approaches, more
and more needs to be done. (Feel free to burst into the chorus of "More More More" by the beautiful Rachel Stevens, at any time...) But the finishing line
is in sight and therefore, all I can do is take my
friend Nav's advice and 'ride it out'. For I know,
deep in my heart that next month, my month, the special
time will bring with it a ray of sunshine, amidst
the cold autumn nights. A new beginning, a fresh start
and a new opportunity. November will be the first
day of the rest of my life and that is not something
written down, or taken too likely. Few know the struggle
the last four months have been. This is not the time
to look back. Even if summer has been and gone, and
I'm still here all alone! Trust is all it takes, I
just have to keep reminding myself.
Friday 1st October 2004
When you place the most important decisions of your
working day into others, you are their mercy. When
these decisions can make or very much break your day,
you at odds. I think, we all as human beings hate
being out of the loop, hate more not being in control.
I will be the first to admit that I am a control freak.
Many of my friends have commented in the past, that
I am likely to die from a heart attack, after all
the stress I place upon myself to stay in control.
During my placement, the journey to work, the responsibility
of getting there on time, rested with me. Of course,
road works, accidents and general mayhem on the roads
affected my journey. However, as I was driving, I
was in control. I was in the driving seat (quite literally!)
Now, working in London, I find myself at the command
of Arrival
buses and Chiltern
Railways. I have little to complain about this
week. I caught he bus, which was on time each morning
and apart from one time at the train station, I caught
the 6.39 to London Marylebone. With my journey to
and from work, going so smoothly, there must be nothing
that can get in my way. I wish this was the case,
but frustration and disappointment are the words to
describe my progress. The work load, is becoming more
manageable by the day, but will everything be done
and dusted by the end of the month. I was confident,
of this being so at the beginning of the week, but
right now, I am not too sure. We shall see.
All this talk of decisions being out of hands would
make you think I am trying to shed myself from all
reasonability. This is not the case, for Tuesday evening
turned out to be a mistake. A colleague at work, takes
the Central
Line home, gave me an idea. Would it be possible
to take the red tube line, across the city and then
catch the Chiltern
Railways turbo back to Wycombe. On Tuesday, I
decided to test the water with this journey, knowing
full well that this would take longer than my usual
route. I did not mind, as I had the company of my
colleague for the forty minute trip. As he alighted
at Northolt,
I waited for the next station, to hopefully catch
my train home. I was completely lost, not knowing
what time the next train would be and whether it would
stop at South
Ruislip. To add to the frustration, a vehicle
had a hit a bridge on the line between Marylebone
and Wycombe, with a knock on affect of delaying or
canceling many services. I got to the platform seconds
after 7pm, to watch a train depart into the dark Autumn
night. At first, I was angry at having missed the
service by a few seconds but then realised that I
had no idea if it was heading for home or not. There
were a handful of other commuters also waiting for
trains heading in the vicinity of Wycombe. South Ruislip,
is like a growing number of stations, completely unmanned.
The public address service is connected via modem
to some call centre, so they dial in to give any announcements.
(You can clearly hear the touchtone phone over the
tannoy before the announcer speaks.) The next service
was at 19:36, which meant a good wait. So I headed
out of the station and to the nearest newsagent to
grab some chocolate. I was low on energy and needed
a quick pick me up. On my return to the platform,
a group of passengers were in bitter discussion regarding
the lack of information from the rail company. I am
not sure if this is a feature at all unmanned stations,
but there is a novelty assistance system. You press
a button and once again, a creaky modem kicks in to
dial a call centre and you are connected to an operator.
They can then relay back to you real time travel information
and the ETA of the next train. After waiting for the
advertised train, as shown on the platform screen,
I was disappointed to note it vanish from display
within a few minutes of the expected time of arrival
being reached. I assume it was cancelled. A fellow
commuter was at his limit and used the phone device
to find out what exactly was going on. During all
this time, train after train had been flying past
the station, heading north to Birmingham and beyond.
We were informed the next train would be with us,
within the next ten minutes and would be calling at
all the stations we had asked for. I knew this service
would be packed and prepared to stand for the remainder
of my journey. The only comforting thought was the
fact that this was only a twenty minute journey and
my sister would be at the station to pick me up and
take me home. So much for taking the 'easier route'.
I was trying to be clever and lazy. Rather than changing
on the Underground, as I do at the moment, I was hoping
to find the perfect journey to work. I have discovered
that there will never be the perfect journey to work.
Well not for me anyway, this is something the Gods
have bestowed upon the 'Beautiful Ones'.
There has been a disappointing response to my request
for recommendations. Nobody offered to suggest any
computing literature and only my ex-house mate Nav,
provided a comical look at a networking naming convention.
It may not be extremely original but it does work
and maybe the 'Hobbit' network will be put in place.
For the time being, I have a long list of things to
do, before this planned reinstall of Windows XP. I
must admit, I am looking forward to it.
So what have you got planned for the weekend?
Monday 27th September 2004
How are you? How was your Monday? Hectic? Manic? Mine was extremely busy, but not too stressful. Thankfully, it is over and there are only another four days of the working week left. Nothing can be worse than a Monday, can it? This is a very brief blog entry pondering a few questions for you.
Firstly I am in the process of renaming and reconfiguration
my home wireless network. I want to rename all the
computers and the network has a whole. My inspiration
comes, as always from MightyMouse
and his exciting hardware
page. What is the point of calling the PCs, "Family",
"Laptop" and "Andrew's Workstation". I want something
far more original and interesting. Thinking about
this last night, I was going to call the individual
machines, Harpo, Chico and Groucho and of course,
the network itself, Marx.
(Yes, I know there were five brothers in total, but
this gives me the option to add additional machines
in the future!) So, I am asking you to come up with
some original related trios with a concurrent theme,
to use as a name for my network. Anything will do,
music, movies, pop culture. As long as the connections
make sense and the idea of naming convention is usable
under Windows
XP.
Secondly, I am considering taking out an annual magazine
subscription. Please recommend an IT or Internet
related monthly magazine that I should subscribe to.
I occasionally read, PC
Format but am willing to consider any suggestions.
Take into account I am not a gamer and do work in
the IT sector as a profession. So a magazine that
bridges the gap between both professional and recreational
use (of a computer) would be fantastic.
I look forward to reading all of your comments and taking on board your recommendations. I will e-mail everyone who gets in touch, so please remember to leave a contact address. Until later in the week (Friday, we love you!) take care, have fun, smile and keep on working hard.
Saturday 25th September 2004
I had seen posters all over the tube network describing
this as perhaps the cinematic experience of the decade.
With such a great billing, this must be a box office
smash in the making, featuring Hollywood's biggest
star. (TC anyone?) I am proud to say, that it was
none of the above. It was a film, I had already seen.
Well that is a lie. The film had come up in one of
my first conversations with my housemate Nav, in the
week we moved into our student digs in Leicester.
Exactly 53 weeks ago, to the day almost. I cannot
recall exactly how the discussion surfaced but I remember
being asked if I liked martial arts movies. Of course
I do, was my reply and I was then quickly offered
a Jet Li VCD. I was hoping to watch it all the way
through that night, but after the first hour (and
first disc of two) I was soundly drifting to sleep.
I kept the discs but told Nav, that I would watch
the remainder of the movie, later in the week. I never
got around to it, and the movie became a distant memory,
until last week. Having seen the various posters around
on the tube, I contacted Nav to let him know. The
news was greatly received that the picture was getting
a nationwide theatrical release on Friday 24th September.
Before I had a chance to explain any further, the
decision was made for me. The weekend of release,
Nav would come down to London and we would pop down
to the nearest multiplex
and watch the movie for ourselves.
Saturday morning came around and I was woken by a
text message, just before 10am. I was not really asleep,
but was by no means fully awake. I grabbed my phone
from the window sill and with blurry eyes, read the
message. Nav was in London and if I was free, we could
go and watch the movie together. The thought of made
me smile, for I had not seen my friend for over four
months in which time my life had changed beyond recognition.
The opportunity to pick up the pieces from where we
had left the film, over a year ago was great. When
would I ever before be able to switch from watching
a movie on a 17" monitor to a widescreen with Digital
Dolby Surround Sound? This was an opportunity I had
to make the most of. Even though, later in the morning
I had considered not going. Did I really want to catch
the train into London and then the Tube
to meet up with my ex-house mate. I dusted away these
negative thoughts, what was I going to do instead?
Waste anyway another weekend at home. Spend the time
browsing the net or watching television. What a waste!
I made the right decision in the end. I headed over
to the station and jumped onto the waiting train on
platform 3, at High Wycombe station. The 13:35 to
London Marylebone stopped at South Ruislip,
which was where I would change for the Central
Line to Greenford.
It was here, that Nav would be collecting me, even
if a few minutes behind schedule. That did not matter,
there was plenty of time before our afternoon showing.
Nav was staying with his sister, at her flat just
outside Ealing, having driven down from Leicester,
late on Friday evening. So this pit stop was mainly
to take on board some snacks, check the directions
to the cinema and catch up on the past few months.
It is strange how you come to take some people for
granted. People that you see everyday and whom play
an integral part in your life. Then suddenly they
are out of your life and you move on to something
new, the next challenge. Yet, when you meet them again,
it is as if time has stood still. They haven't really
changed and the reality is that neither have you.
Seeing Nav after just a few months, bought back some
many memories of my final year at University and some
special moments from our student house. He has moved
now, to new student digs in Leicester. So that brings
some closure to the time at Sheffield Street. A time
in my life, that I will remember forever with some
fondness.
The clock was ticking and it was getting late. We
had to make tracks so we headed out towards the cinema.
It was 15:21. Would we make it in time for the showing,
it starts at 15:45? To begin with I was optimistic,
Nav may not have the greatest sense of direction in
the world, but what he lacks in judgment here, he
makes up for in some nifty driving skills. We perhaps
made the worst decision the second we pulled onto
the main road. Instead of taking the A40 directly
to Park Royal. We headed into Ealing, thinking the
early afternoon traffic would be light and we would
make excellent time. We misjudged badly and were stuck
in minor tail backs through the borough. As we came
up to Hanger Lane, the clock was ticking and we were
quickly running out of time. Would we make it in time?
My hopes were fading, with the conversations considering
our options. A refund? A later showing? My trusted
driver would not be dismayed by such defeatist talk.
Instead he focused on getting us to our destination
in the quickest time possible. The quickest route
was closed for business, far too busy and the fact
we had to turn back on ourselves in heavy traffic
(if we had decided to go that way) meant we would
have had twice the wait. So we continued forward,
in the nippy Yaris.
Heading through Acton, we then made a slight detour
around back on yourself to get up to the leisure complex.
It was coming up to 4pm and my thoughts of seeing
this particular showing of the movie had all but faded.
We parked the car, as quickly as possible and raced
to the foyer of the cinema. Nav tried his card in
the machine, but it just would not print out our tickets.
We tried another machine but it was not working either.
There was no choice, we had to wait in queue and get
the tickets the good old fashioned way, with some
human interaction. When the pressure is on, I lose
my patience rapidly, so I paced around the ticket
office, while Nav waited in line. I turned away to
watch the television screen showing trailers for the
next Pixar
animated feature, The
Incredible's. Mesmerized by the action, Nav appeared
with the tickets and with great urgency in his voice
said it was best for us to catch this showing. We
rushed to screen five and briskly walked in. I half
expected the film to be in full flow and for the main
story to be playing itself out. I was as surprised
as Nav to discover the screen blank, and the auditorium
half empty. We rushed up the middle gangway, to find
some seats towards the centre of the seating stage.
Just as we stand down and switched off our mobiles,
the opening credits appeared. Never before in the
history of my cinema going, had I cut it so fine for
a showing. I sat back, got comfortable, and began
watching the feature presentation.
Having just seen, 'perhaps the most beautiful film ever made' and if the trivia alone is to be believed, then perhaps that is a fitting tribute. The storyline is at times confusing and you have to be quick to keep up with the pace and changing plot, but overall well worth seeing and preferably on the big screen, it really does do the whole experience a better service.
I wish I could have spent more time with Nav in London but time was not a friend. The movie had lasted two hours and by the time we got back to the flat, it was pushing 7pm. After having some delicious chocolate cake, I asked Nav to drop me off at the station. From Greenford I took the tube up a few stops west to South Ruislip. I had no idea when the next Chiltern Railways service to High Wycombe would be passing and thought I was in for a bit of a weight. Saturday night, meant the both platforms were busy with people out for the night. Within fifty seconds, a train pulled up that was heading directly to High Wycombe. What luck! I boarded an empty carriage, starred out of the window into the dark nothingness and reflected on what I had seen. Could one man really unite a country? There is a blurred line between myth, legend and reality. Nav agreed with me. Hero sits loosely among all three.
Thursday 23rd September 2004
September is briskly rolling past and at times I feel, constantly a slave to time. The days go by and the nights begin to draw in. Autumn will soon be replaced by winter. I should not really think so far into the future. There is plenty of work to be done before then, and as far as I am concerned the future is very uncertain and there is no joy in making big plans. Only to seem them die, in a towering inferno a few months down the line.
It was my father and his generation that experience at first hand, the epic. Not just the epic movie but the grand scale to which all forms of entertainment tried to live up to. If you are old enough to remember, you will briefly recall this movement coming to an end in the early 1980s. you are the one of the lucky ones, for there are a whole generation of children growing up on a diet of bland American comedy and far fetched Japanese anime. Let me take you on a journey. To a time when our minds sparked up at the mouth watering prospect of adventure and fun.
It was the early 1980s, a golden era which saw children's
television finally being taken seriously by the broadcasters
and producers a-like. Thursday afternoon was a special
time in our house. Only one more day left at school
and the weekend heavenly near. At 4pm, my sisters
and I would settle down in front of the television.
It was out time, nothing was more important in the
world, for the next half hour at least. My memory
is weak, but I vaguely recall the three main characters,
all young children, appealing to us all. We were easily
able to relate to them and this longing to find what
they had been searching for.
"I believe there's a hero in all of us. Gives us strength, makes us noble. Even though sometimes we have to give up the thing we want the most." Just as Aunt May said in Spiderman 2, our story has one to call it's own, but also the comic element of a Laurel & Hardy double act.
I tried to research the series a few times on the
net over the past five years, but it was last year
when it finally clicked. Towards the end of the summer,
I was driving my sisters mad, asking them for the
name of a cartoon, we used to watch as children. Then,
one night, I awoke, to suddenly have the name of on
the tip of my tongue. A brief search on the Internet,
gave me all the information I needed to know, but
yet again, something else came along and my desire
to find about more the series and relive my childhood
was short lived and put back on the shelf. When I
started my final year at University in September 2003,
my housemates Paul came to the rescue. He had a treasure
trove of goodies on a 80gb hard drive. The only problem
was, he would be very sparse with the sharing this
drive on the network. It was then I discovered he
had many but not all of the series downloaded on this
drive. The moment the drive came online, I grabbed
my chance and copied a few of the early episodes onto
my PC. I later learned that he had been obtaining
these from a source in the Middle East and due to
differences in politics he had to cut short a useful
friendship. This did not both me too much. Late one
evening, I watched the first episode and was taken
back to my younger days, in a way I never thought
imaginable. But the fact that not all the episodes
were there, left the dream unfulfilled and the whole
quest unsolved. So therefore, I had to take a decision.
Would I hunt high and low across the information
superhighway for these files, with little chance of
finding every single missing episode in watchable
quality. Or would I bite the bullet and purchase a
copy for a nominal fee from a strange across the wire?
Knowing the the collection would be complete, with
good quality and sound and not having to waste hours
searching the net, swung my decision. I got in touch
with one of the well published copies and it arrived
on 18th December 2003. My plan was to watch an episode
a week, from September to June. To date, I have not
seen any at all. I just have not been able to find
the time to sit down, and enjoy the series for what
it was. Something different, something special. As
I have great respect for what is a great story, I
could never do a weekend
marathon, like some completely
undisciplined people. If I lost you three paragraphs
a go, all you need to know is available there,
here
and yonder
I would like to apologise for the week long delay
between updates. Work is busy as ever, and I just
do not have the time to dedicate to my blog as I wish.
I have also started a new web project, that will hopefully
prove to be very successfully. For now, all I can
say is that sometimes a name
is worth more that material riches. I can also give
some explanation for the poor
viewing figures for my favourite soap.
I have not been watching the usual early evening slot,
but opting for the late night edition shown on Three.
Don't worry, I don't think the Beeb
will ever consider dropping the show. For all those
that have been giving the show criticism, please take
it as it is. It is pure escapism. It is to there for
you to place your life into relief and realise that
things are not that bad. Sure, at times it can be
rather dull and uninteresting but overall I personally
find it highly entertaining. A particularly favourite
episode was, Friday 10th September. Particularly newly
arrived, Keith
Miller calling Minty
Monty throughout the episode! :) (Will somebody tell
Teg that it isn't real life!)
Do you remember your first time with CeeFax? Read a great article in the Guardian about the Fax of Life. As always, Diamond Geezer has come on with his own personal tribute. I will ponder my own and then and some thoughts over the weekend. Until then, hope you all have a great Friday! :)
Thursday 16th September 2004
It has been a while. Any prolonged break from my
site, usually equates to many things going on in my
life. Although this is not strictly the case, I feel
obliged to explain my absence and fill in some of
the gaps. My hours at work have been extended, so
I am now working 8am until 6pm, which in reality means
I leave the house at 6am and get back around 8pm.
This new regime has only been in force since last
week, but I am already feeling the strain. Not only
is the week much longer, the day is just more physically
demanding. By the time I get home and eat, it is very
much time for bed. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? I am sure there is, for I have been here before and perseverance is the key.
This will be a rare weekday update
for at least the for seeable future. Neglecting my
blog is one of the few things I hate doing. Mainly
because I want to record as much of my life (or events
of my life) and as frequently as possible. This hit
home sharply when I was indolently looking back at
entries from last year. It was yesterday, last year
when I moved into Sheffield Street, Leicester for
my final year at University. Even now it feels like
that was in a previous life. What takes me back in
an instant, is the occasional brief e-mail from my
old housemates coming to the end of their courses.
The reflect aspect of the blog will be taken to another
level, as time passes. It will be amazing, to be able
to look back on four, eight even twelve years of my
life on paper. (Have I been self indulgent enough
now?)
What have you been up to? I went to see The Terminal on Sunday evening. I had little expectation but this movie showed great promise and brought me some warmth, with the flickering light entertainment. I would highly recommend you go and watch it, particularly when I tell you that, I was going to watch, Dodgeball. It is funny how when decisions are made for you, they do actually make sense in the end. Even if you feel somewhat bewildered to begin with.
Hoping to begin work on my next major web project in the next few weeks but with work taking up most of my time, I am not sure when I will get started. I also lack the creative inspiration that is always important when embarking on something new. What is the best way of selling yourself, without seeming too confident, even arrogant yet still aiming to demonstrate the power of your strengths and underline the insignificant of the few weaknesses that we all possess?
Sunday 5th September 2004
How was your weekend? Mine has been distinctly average, just like England's performance against Austria. I read on Arse Blog how distinctly average our national side are, and would easily be beaten by Arsenal. While I do not disagree with the view, my personal feeling is that as standard as they are, they always produce moments of magic (Euro 96, World Cup 1998, 2002 and even Euro 2004) which make them worth watching. Following England is special, even if full of such heartbreak. Perhaps I am always watching these matches with rose tinted glasses. Who knows? Bring on Poland! :)
I did not mention it in my blog, but I watched Shanghai
Noon on Christmas Eve last year. I quite enjoyed
the movie, it did not take itself too serious and
was just great fun. Last night on Sky
Movies saw the premiere of the sequel Shanghai
Knights. Once again the combination of Chan and
Wilson pays off in an highly entertaining movie. Sure,
historically it does not make sense and has many holes,
but this is not a documentary and has the licence
to be liberal with the historical fact. One scene
was highly memorable and is described as the 'pillow
fight scene' with the two leads finally bonded together
as friends. The song that plays during this scene
was significant. Mainly for the fact that I had been
attempting to hunt down the 1980s cover for many years.
The lyrics are sung at pace and it is difficult to
note even the chorus. Originally a hit for George
Flame & The Blue Flame in December 1964. The
version more familiar to me, was constantly heard
on commercial radio when I was a toddler. It has been
played on VH1
several times but I have never caught the artist or
name of the song. Until now. Simply called, 'Yeh Yeh'.
Covered by the band (not solo artist) Matt
Bianco in October 1985 and if I recall correctly
has a very funny cheesy pop video. It is one of those
songs, that appears at first hearing impossible. Impossible
for you to learn the lyrics. There are a few songs
out there that fit into this category. After the thirteen
run through, you soon pick
them up.
Not much else to report at the moment. I do not think
I will be update the blog until next weekend. Working
late, so I am not home until 7pm most evening and
only go on the PC to check my mail. I am thinking
of starting a photo blog. Something that will record
a collection of daily images that I take, or perhaps
more likely images of the week. Any ideas on which
service I should use? Preferably I would like to use
something that is free, as the images will be slow
and of medium quality. Let me know your thoughts.
Friday 3rd September 2004
My weekend officially began as I boarded the Bakerloo
tube train to Marylebone.
As I boarded at Embankment,
I heard the unusually stern voice of the driver over
the tannoy. He gave a safety speech about staying
behind the yellow line and continued, "a lot of unnecessary
paperwork and it's Friday evening, I do want to get
home at a decent time tonight...". Greeted by a collective
chuckle by all those in my carriage. It was Friday,
we had got here. Even though only a four day week,
it felt like I had done the work of five. Looking
back, I was still regarding Monday as a working day,
even though it had been far from it. Work has been
very busy and with summer very much over the pressure
is on. But I think I am more than capable of meeting
this challenge. I just have to keep focus and put
in more effort than before. From now on, every step
counts.
Over the course of the week, there were many subjects which I wanted to blog about. But as usually they are now far from my memory, with the weekend having arrived, there is nothing better to do than relax, chill out and recover from all that commuting. I will try and blog once again over the course of the weekend. Right now, I just want to sit down and take the weight of the world off my shoulders.
Wednesday 1st September 2004
Wednesday already? Where has the time gone? Does it feel like September? No, it does not at all. The summer is dying away and the train is getting for embarkation. Destination, the end of the year. Are you ready? Neither am I. I am sure together we will make it to the finish line, only to find this vicious circle starting again.
"Your warranty has just been voided by the way..."
Not the words, you want to hear on a lazy Sunday morning.
Very few things can get me up early on a Sunday. The
thought and possibilities of converting my lonely
games console, which was in fact, just a large paperweight,
come desk stop. I had hardly played games on the machines
(as my previous posts clearly describe). In several
discussions on MSN
Messenger, I had pestered Hussein, on how long
the process would take in total. Two hours, was the
likely estimate I had always got. He had also always
given me the option to drop the box off, and pick
it up again the following weekend, so I was not waiting
around. There would be no fun, it doing that now,
would there? So the let me take you on this adventure
and fill you in on the background. Saturday evening,
I called our local superhero, purely to double check
the times and also if all required parts, tools were
available. I could provide the special screwdriver,
but sliver conductive paint was missing. This was
the first of many setbacks. This seemed to the biggest
obstacle in upgrading my console. With hope still
strong in my heart, I headed off towards North West
London around 8am, on Sunday morning. It was an unhealthy
time to be awake, but it was worth the effort. Of
course it was. Even if I came back home with a dead
junk of metal, silicon and plastic.
I would have met one of my Internet idols. Someone
whom I have looked up the past eighteen months, learning
all about this live through his fantastic log.
Felt strange when I finally got to his house and saw
him. How would you describe meeting your idol? You
think them greater than us mortals, yet when they
appear before you, there is still that distance. That
sense of being star struck! Although, this was the
first time I was meeting Hussein, there was no time
for showing too much respect. There was a job to be
done. We didn't have much time. Many other time. I
was greeted by a relaxed, confident Hussein, aiming
to get the job done. But disappointment was also on
the doorstep. No silver conductive paint. The solution?
A trip, to Maplin
in Watford,
adding at least another hour onto our scheduled upgrade
time. My XBox was quickly unboxed and placed on the
Jodiyawalla dinner table. It was turned over, as Hussein
searched for the special screwdriver in my modest
toolbox. As he unscrewed one of several metals screws
to crack
open that XBox.
Be it by a third party, my warranty which still had
a full four months left to run, had now become, completely
void. A message in my head was telling me, "I
hope this works...". Did I have anything to fear?
I was not sure. Normally, when you meet someone for
the first time, you enjoy a meal, a drink or even
a movie. You do not normally pressure them to mod
your video console. I thought he had be optimistic
with the time frame, but then again, what did I know?
The whole process may have only taken an hour but
Hussein wanted to add additional time in case we were
facing problems. The first problem was on how to flash
the bios. I will keep the more technical information
on a separate project page. For now, I will keep it
simple and explain what went wrong (well almost).
Instead of hot
swapping hard drives (not for the faint
hearted) we were using the Mega
X Key. This was to theoretically make the entire
upgrade process much easier. In practice you transfer
the saved game hack
from PC to the key via USB. Then transfer from the
key to the original XBox hard drive and then flash
the bios. What could be simpler? Well it took a solid
hour to transfer the game over to the key. The reason
for this was, the 12" Powerbook G4, Rev C being used
as the project machine was running Mac
OS X. I am not really familiar with these machines,
but the file extension for saved games was not being
shown. This was because VirtualPC was running on the Mac. Basically simulating a Windows 2000 partition. But as this was a fresh version, file extensions were hidden and as WinZip was not installed we could not have opened the saved game files. We did not know they were saved and hence compressed
in zip
file. This was only discovered after switching to
the humble PC and Windows
XP. With the game transferring and appearing as
required on the key via the load game option in James
Bond 007: Agent Under Fire (The world famous signature
tune, does get rather annoying after hearing it thirteen
times, almost on continuous repeat!).
With all the preparatory work complete, we headed
across to Watford. Luckily the journey did not take
as long as I expected and being a Sunday morning,
traffic was light. We parked in one of the car parks
just off the High Street. As we left the car and headed
towards the main pedestrianised area. To our right,
further up the street we could hear the small collective
chanting of sanskrit from some converted Hare
Krishna followers. My sense
of direction is not great but luckily Hussein
just has the ability to find a place quicker than
me. (Seeing a passerby carrying a box in a large Maplin
bag was a major giveaway!) So we headed in the direction
in which he had came, to discover the shop was just
a few hundred yards away.We got to the shop, to find
it moderately busy. I searched around aimless to begin
with but eventually we found the item we had been
looking for. Yet, this was not enough, we needed a
fine art brush to paint over the specific boards on
the board. We went over to sales assistant Wayne,
a 20 year old, who appeared completely oblivious to
the our requirements. We explained that we needed
to paint over to points on a PCB. He looked bemused
and without any emotions advised us to head for an
art shop instead. We headed for the Harlequin
Shopping Centre and WHSmith.
It is surprising how the quality of customer of service
suddenly changed. We went from economy to business
class within the space of a few minutes walk. The
female sales assistant at the stationary store, was
stacking some shelves but was more than happy to leave
her post in order to provide us with the articles
we required. Not only that, she went the extra mile,
showing us a range of brushes and eventually we found
one which was ideal for the job. Happy, we headed
back to the car. As I started the engine, I asked
Hussein, "How long do you estimate we got left?".
Rambling on in his way, which was just his head whining
through the various processes that remained, he said
an hour and a half at a push plus the time it would
take to get home. I headed back to Hussein's house
with a contented smile, the project was back on track
and my faith in my friend had grown. He would get
the job done.
The clock ticked over to midday as we returned to the house, and Hussein got back to work. Wanting to record everything on my blog and also to provide photographs for both my own project and Hussein's XBox page. Some people are just built for certain tasks and Hussein takes to this type of advanced DIY. It was as if he had been programmed before birth to use technology. Watching him work was a breath of fresh air. I have met many techie people in my life, and I am sure I will continue to do so. All, up to now have shown signs of great frustration when the technology is not going their way. Instead of throwing things around and bashing at the keyboard, Hussein just would logically think of the best strategy in order to get the job done. He did give me several heart attacks, I must admit. When attempting to flash the bios on the XBox, an error code would appear advising us to Contact Customer Support. I thought my worst fears had come true and my XBox was dead. Luckily there was someone there who had a good head on his shoulders. He was already carrying out the diagnostics and working through in his head, what we should do next to try and resolve the issue. The fact that the console could be successfully restarted meant all was not lost.
It took another few hours but we finally realised
what we had been doing wrong. I saw 'we' but it was
Hussein who found out the problem. We had been loading
the saved game directly from the Mega X Key. However
has this was making major changes to the bios, it
would not copy over currently and the actual upgrade
would not finish copying. Then as the XBox was reloaded
the error message would appear. We needed to transfer
the game over to the standard hard drive. Hussein
discovered that we need to select the actual saved
game, rather than the title itself, to get the option
to transfer from the USB device to the hard drive.
It worked. Would you believe? A simple 2 second operation
had taken over 2 hours to do. I felt rather stupid,
but then I think Hussein felt more embarrassment.
He was firstly much more of a gamer than myself and
had more experience with this console than me. After
all, mine had been boxed away for most of this year.
Not to worry, we were making progress, if somewhat
heavily behind schedule. It was 3pm, and I had hoped
to have been home by at least 1pm. To make matters
worse, we had treble checked the alterations to the
motherboard, originally convinced that the points
had not made the necessary contact. The moment we
had all been waiting for happened and as a broad smile
appeared on my face, I began to lose my patience.
Starting to pester my friend on how long the final
few processes would take. I should really not have
let him to such distraction and instead just let him
get on with the job at hand. I was hoping to leave
within the hour but I was again being far too optimistic.
Configuration was the final task but this was broken
down into several other small tasks. Firstly backing
up the data from the old drive to a PC. Then drop
in the Western
Digital Caviar SE drive. Then coping back the
files from the old hard drive. The backing up process
literally took a few seconds so I expected the same
when placing the files and folders onto the new drive.
But this was not the case. The whole process took
over an hour with a feeble transfer rate of 40kb/s.
Hussein explained that this was due to the Evox
bios and to safe guard again file corruption during
transfer the rate was capped. I really could not understand
it but waited, if somewhat impatiently for the files
to transfer. Meanwhile, Hussein setup the configuration
for XBox
Media Centre. More details to follow on my Project page. Stay tuned. Then to kill some time, I watched
Hussein play Doom
3. Now I happily admit that I am not the bravest
person in the world, but just this computer game really
scared me witless.
My mind drifted as my remember the brilliance of the
first Doom.
Let me just put it this way, this is not a game you
would play in the dark, with your surround sound system
up high. The thought alone sends a shiver up my spine.
With everything loaded up and working as required. The day was gone. There was not even time to transfer over some of the music videos which were on Hussein's server. Never mind, I am sure I can come back in the future. I would like to extend my gratitude to Hussein for taking time over the Bank Holiday Weekend to mod my XBox. I would also like to extend my thanks to his family for putting up with for several hours longer than expected. At least they were able to squeeze in watching Khan clinching sliver at the Olympics. For months I had dreamed of the possibilities of having a media player in the lounge. Something beyond a DVD player. Finally, my dream has come true. There is still plenty to explore. I have only touched on some of the features available. I mainly use the device at the moment, to watch my personal collection of music videos and MP3s. There is web radio, DivX movie encoding and the ability to play emulators of good old SNES games ;) Good Bless you XBox users! :) Now where is that XBox remote control?
Monday 30th August 2004
Oh yes, my XBox was successfully upgraded yesterday.
It took longer than the two hours we had scheduled
for the urgent maintenance Expect full details on
my forth coming project page. Hopefully, I can find
time later this week, to add this to my site and also
go over any other parts of the site that need attention.
I also have to write up about my weekend, Arsenal's
recent record breaking form, music and other things
on my mind. For the time being, I'm going to go and
continue to work out all the bells and whistles on
XBox
Media Centre (commonly referred to as XBMC). Still
need to get some emulators and games loaded on yet!
:)
Friday 24th August 2004
For all those days, when I have nothing to really
write about and end up waffling about almost nothing.
This is the entry, which brings together the culmination
of a hard working week, the reward of a bank holiday
weekend, and the realisation, that I'm slowly learning,
"life is more than just okay!". Life always appears
to stabilize for me around this time of year. As I
have mentioned previously, Super September is always
special. Why is difficult to explain, I suppose as
we make the transition from the summer to the autumn,
with the mild weather, darker nights (& mornings)
and the realisation winter is not too far away. There
is also the reassuring smile on my face, as I watch
the children going back to school. Although in their
shoes, many years ago, I feel a warmth in my heart,
knowing those days are long gone.
Have you been living your dream, recently? Perhaps
this summer? For me, I have to confess, feel I am
touching more and more of my dream, with every passing
working week. This may seem like a really strange
thing to say. Yet, all the things I have ever wanted
to do, I have achieved within the past few months.
Since as long as I can remember, I have wanted to
work in the City. Although Greater London does appeal
to me, there is still some distance for the true buzz
of the city life. Everything appears to have fallen
in place. This is not the first time, and I am sure
it won't be the last. Yet, I still find myself pinching
myself on how lucky I have been. Maybe luck has nothing
to do with it. Choice and the decisions of these choices
have had a bearing on all the outcomes to date, and
will continue in the future. I have made decisions
and other have made subsequent decisions, yet we have
found ourselves in the same boat. Everything happens
for a reason. I have learnt that over the past few
years. So perhaps I should enjoy the quiet moments
of happiness, and spend less time reflecting on more
of the sadness. The times pass and the future brings
a brighter tomorrow.
The dream I have been living, has been tinted throughout
with an American influence. This may not be the best
time to mention my admiration and love for America
and it's people. Why should I shy away from my true
feelings? It may be a dream. But then this dream appears
to be becoming more and more a reality, with every
step I take. Not a major step, but small steps to
at least attempt to live the consumer ideals which
our cousins across the pond have been experiencing
for years. Do you like doughnuts?
Back in the mid 1990s, every Saturday, my sisters
and I would delve into a nice chocolate doughnut with
cream filling. Those were the days, waiting patiently
in line at the market stall in town waiting for the
cheerful trader to bag our doughnuts. Then, itching
to get back home and enjoy them. Since those memorable
days, I have never really eaten them. Then came, the
KK revolution. I only discovered the company Krispy
Kreme while watching a Money Programme special,
last year on BBC
Two. Little did I know then, but a few months
down the line, my craving for doughnuts would return.
The flagship store in the UK was to be in a little
know, foreign owned corner
shop in Knightsbridge, London. Highly impractical,
for an office worker, needed to start the day off
in the most unhealthy way possible. Although perhaps
the trip down to Knightsbridge
on the Piccadilly
Line. There had to be another option. I was getting
used to the fact that everywhere I look now, there
is always a failsafe.
Looking across the web, with the help of Google.
I found some promise on the other side of the river,
as you head East. Having already taken a trip there,
a few weeks earlier, I should have found the store,
then rather than waiting now. But this was not to
bother me. So I headed to the metropolis, that is
Canary
Wharf and the Docklands. Again, the hints of the
American dream, came through, as I feel the towering shadows of the great skyscrapers bearing upon as I leave the tube station to walk around the complex. There was no real, need to do this, but I after being on the Tubefor a while, I wanted some fresh air. I then turned back on myself to head back into the station. The shopping centres, of which there are two, are built underneath the business complex and ajacendent to the tube station. I towards the centre of the shopping complex, passing the entrance to CitiGroup on my left. Up head, was the entrance to HSBC. Then, I saw the prize. The reason I had trekked across the other side of London. I was frankly somewhat disappointed. Mainly because I had expected a store, rather than just a side kart. I was not going to let this get in the way, of this new experience. Before I had time to think, I was approached by an employee, who was very courtesy, wanting to help me. A friend had mentioned that the best option, on your first time is to go for the single glazed doughnut, which is their best seller. So, I ordered 24. No, before you start making wild accussation on my greediness, I bought them for my colleagues at work. (Why else would I be here, just before 8am on a Friday morning?). I ordered a tea, with my order, using the spare few minutes I had to refuel and take in my new enviroment. Everybody was heading to work around me, and many were in their own quiet little worlds. Ask I made for my order and the two large boxes were being bagged, I looked up and smiled at the attendant. She must have read my mind. I had been waiting for her to say something. Having already had my expectations lowered by the size of the actual store, I did not expect for it to be said. Yet, it was said. Said with such feeling and consideration, it made my day. Looking back, it was more important than I imagined at the time. "Have A Nice
Day Sir!" And it definitely was, after tasting those delicious doughnuts.
Thursday 26th August 2004
Mod chip? Where we're going, we don't need no, mod chip!
I have always wanted to have a modified console.
This steps to the original Playstation
console. I will have to be liberal with the truth
here, as I do not wish to find myself with legal writs
placed at my door. An old friend, had setup a site
online, carrying out the job of modifying
the Sony.
(One a side note, does anyone remember the big jump
from 16 to 32 bit gaming?). Although his business
was only modestly profitable, the legal eagles over
in Japan and the States found out about much of the
illegal sale of goods and services for their product.
A product that had come from nowhere, to really knock
out Nintendo
and Sega.
I knew little about it at the time, but soon after
my friend contacted me to tell me that lawyers representing
Sony UK had been in touch. He had 30 days to remove
the site, and any infringement of Sony copyright (logo
and use of their copyrighted trademarks) or face legal
action. Later I would discover, this was the kinder,
softer approach. Rather than raiding the premises
of the domain registrant. This episode, put me off
the gray area of the gaming industry. It happened,
if you got away with you (most did!) but if you didn't,
it was curtains (almost quite literally). Ultimately,
I was not that interested. A games console, was at
the time just that. I had a PC, which although being
extremely flexible and upgradable, it fore filled
all my needs. The multimedia revolution and the ability
to network almost anything has changed that. So, this
weekend, after some four years out in the cold, I
will be heading into the world of the mod chip. Hold
on, that is not quite true. Many people will tell
you that you need a mod chip. This is not the case.
You do not. It is a major misconception,
even for someone as technically well read as Hussein.
Before you embark on any project, you have a vision,
a dream, if you will. In esscene, this is what you
aim to achieve after your hardwork, dedication and
time have been put in. In this case, the dream was
itself, a real product, a definity reality.
The KISS
range of DVD players are something else. They contain
ethernet ports with support for streaming DivX file
format, the first mainstream consumer player to do
so. That was product, I had to better It was not until
in mid July, I was discussing online with my techie
friend, Hussein about the possibilities with modifying
the XBox. It was then I discovered exactly what could
be achieved and how far the XBox web community had
gone from taking an extraordinary console and making
it into a much more versatile and useful tool. :)
The thought of having to open my XBox
and solder onto the motherboard is not a decision
you take likely. Knowing that there are serious implications
for even the smallest of problems could result in
a plastic box being taken home.
It was to my sheer joy that, a few days later I heard again from my dearest
friend, Hussein. His tone had changed, his entire
attitude had changed. Gone was the cautious careful
words, to be replaced with positive personal projections.
It could now be done, without too much hard work,
and even allow for the expansion from the current
drive in the machine to 120 gigabytes. As I have explained
already, I am not a gamer. I am more of a entertainment
person. The opportunity was now given to me on a plate.
I could get the XBox to replace my current dated,
Phillips DVD player in the lounge. This would not
only make the console the sole new wave media player,
but it could also hold mp3s, music videos, divx, and
allow for other possibilities, such as internet (web)
radio. I had planned this project for Sunday 22nd
August. It was not to be. Problems with delivery meant,
although I received my new hard drive, my Mega X Key
and DVD remote never arrived in time. I had to reschedule
with Hussein. Next Sunday, the date was set.
Tuesday 24th August 2004
It is great to hear from an old friend. Particularly,
when it has been so long since you last heard from
them. Mid morning, I was busy answering various support
calls, and the end of the working day seemed miles
away. I have MSN
Messenger running in the system
tray. One new message, the pop-up alerted me and
I was surprised to discover it was from my old flat
mate, Paul. The subject of the message also threw
me off slightly. I was puzzled. I clicked to view
the message and all my questions were answered. Of
all the songs I used to play, back in our students
digs, MJ
material was high up on the list. Particularly, this
sugary ballad, sung with such sweet affection, it
touches your very soul. Paul had discovered a recent
cover of one of my favourite songs. Once again we
come to topic of cover songs. Certain bands just do
not deserve to release any music, let alone be given
the unjust right to recreate or rework a classic song
by an established artist. Then, there are some bands
that have earnt the respect of the industry, so can
live up to the mountain that stands before them. I
arranged for the song in question to be transferred
to me via IM, but Paul would not be available at 8pm
this evening. So instead he placed them all on his
server and gave me access to a shared directory. Eagerly
I downloaded the track as soon as I got in from work.
My reaction? Very few artists can show Michael Jackson,
the respect he deserves and still hold true the most
important integral parts of the song. It continues
the airy feel of the original yet captures the raw
feeling, with a more acoustic arrangement. The vocals
are strong, matching and at times surpassing, The
King Of Pop. Almost acapella, with the guitar
strumming in the background, in place of the electronic
synthesized beats from the Thriller
original. The super
group are back, and not a minute too soon. As
Aderemi
put it in his notebook
(blog is far too common, these days!) they are purely
soulful and old school. Just like, when an icon
of the 1980s, was at his BEST! ;)
Monday 23rd August 2004
There is always a rush, as you exit the train at
Embankment.
You mentally try and prepare yourself, to get onto
the Bakerloo
Line train ending North. The main reason for this
mad dash, is the fact that the journey to the other
platform is littered with obstacles. I wait patiently,
as we pull up to the platform, glaring faces from
the other side of the glass, eager for their journey
to begin, showing little, if any courtesy, standing
directly in front, blocking the path as you attempt
to exit. Usually, I am at the front of the queue of
people leaving the carriage. Not today, with three
people ahead, so I had to act quick. My steps lighten
as I sneak between the mass of people, heading in
the same direction. Then there are the stairs, heading
in an Eastly direction, steep but somewhat awkward
to travel down with so many others. Not a problem
for the 'professional commuter' (or should that be
cattle
user) as I now regard myself. I head towards the left
stairwell, and hit turbo, leaping down the stairs
at record speed. Round towards my right, are three
more steps. Then we take an abrupt right, with many
platform and lines converging. You heard a train pass,
uncomfortably loud above your head. Three more steps
to your right, but you are heading left for the escalator.
I swiftly slide to the left hand side and accelerate
down the revolving steps at high speed. Then, I turn
right, sharp left, hit turbo again. In doing so, I
heard something hit the ground. It was my pen. At
first, I was going to stop and retrace my steps and
pick up the pen. But I did not have the luxury of
time, my train was pulling up the platform, and would
be gone within seconds. As I boarded the tube train,
I realised I which pen I had dropped and tried my
best to kid myself that I did not care. Deep down
I did. For somehow, would know the company I worked
for, if they picked up the pen. It was indeed, a business
pen. Little did I know how events in the following
few moments would unravel. An middle aged Asian gentleman,
smartly dressed and well spoken, had picked up the
pen has I found a seat on the empty carriage. You
know the type, he would not have looked out of place,
at your local newsagent. Instead of asking, "Did you
just drop a pen?". He asked, "Did you just get off
the Circle Line train?" When I nodded in agreement,
he passed me the pen. My cover had been blown. What
if he read my blog? What if he, would soon add a comment
revealing all. Of course, I am crazily exaggerating,
but is there the possibility? That on my daily ride
on the Underground
I casually smile at strangers on the train. Strangers
whom may know me better than I know myself? Perhaps,
but my blog does not have that mass appeal, some of
the more mainstream blogs have. Yes, it is selfish,
but it does have a mild purpose and slowly, together.
Yes, you and me are making some progress to that end.
These were just some of the thoughts that raced through
my mind, as the Asian 'Uncle' headed back to his seat,
diagonally opposite from me. As he looked up, he smiled.
A coy smile. Was my secret out? Had the superhero
been unmasked? Was my the secret safe, with this stranger?
On another note, did anybody notice, the large number of references to Back To The Future and Michael J. Fox in the 3rd series of Bo! Selecta. the quality overall went, this time around because they messed with the format, and the stars became bigger than the stars (does that make sense?) Some of the new characters did not have the magic of the older ones. (Did anybody else miss, a certain magician?) Will there be another series, or will the show die a quiet death? The later feels more likely, more predictable and just like the shows creator, much more fitting.
How was your weekend? Mine was quite uneventful.
I watched Johnny English on Sky
Movies on Saturday night. Generally, it was a
good way, to while away a few hours of the evening,
before Match
Of The Day. (Strange how Sky
Sports cannot even come close with their Football
First feature, "Game Of The Day". How tacky does that
sound!) I was out, so missed the record
leveling match against Middlesborough on Sunday
afternoon. For the full match analysis, from the man
who knows, go to Arse
Blog. Not much else of note, to report I am afraid,
as the month of August draws to a close. Work is very
much steady, with the last band of my colleagues taking
their summer holidays, to hotter and more gentle lands.
I have never been to Notting
Hill Carnival and have always wanted to go. Once
again, there were discussion with my friends at college
of going in 1999, although no body was in the mood
following events earlier in that summer. Maybe, this
year? Maybe the steel drums will be playing just for
me this weekend. :)
Thursday 19th August 2004
I will not lie to you, I have not been to any concerts.
Of all the artists in music history, past and present,
there are only two for whom I would have spent good
money to go see live. Although currently fighting
a legal court case, which could last for months, MJ
would be the one! Who would come second? Well there
are very few artists musically who can compete with
Michael Jackson. Elvis, of course. The queen of Pop,
started her Re-Invention
tour on Saturday. There are very few artists that
have such an impressive back catalogue, which is able
to embrace your every mood, emotion and time/scenario.
The music channels on Sky
were playing Madonna's
Greatest Hits. I have both the Immaculate
Collection and the more recent, GHV2.
Each song is a classic. Within a second taking you
to a very personal time and place. The power of music,
something that you can never define but when you feel
it, you know that you have been touched. Ask some
of your friends what their favourite Madonna
track is. I can guarantee that they they chose a song
from her earlier career than from her more recent
material. They are likely to chose "Crazy For You"
or "Cherish". There is one act of criminality. My
favourite track is missing from the first greatest
hits collection. Hoping to view the music video over
the weekend, I was disappointed that it was never
shown, not even on Magic. At 10pm, I had the television
on, and was scrolling down the music channels (you
know the drill by know guys, 440..441..442...) I reached
Q
and stopped. The song had just started, and the background
was blue. If anyone can explain, why "True Blue" is
not rated as one of Madonna's greatest songs, please
let me know. Surely she should be forgiven for the
peroxide blonde hair and pocadot dress. Then, would
you believe it, I receive this e-mail in my inbox
at work on Monday, last week. The plot does not just
thicken, it explodes...
When did you last burn? No, this is not some insane
reference to the recent number one from Usher.
I mean, created an audio CD. For me it has been several
months. I think it was the time I was in
between jobs. Thankfully this was a busy two week
period during Euro2004.
I am itching to be given the opportunity to burn and
the moment cannot come too soon. I have added so much
music to my world famous, Audio
collection. The reason for the delay is quite simple.
I no longer commute to work in my car. The twenty
hours of commuting are either spent a drifting into
micro sleep or reading (unfortunately not some major
literacy work, but the Metro).
With my mobile audio collection, it is merely a case
of re-issue a few albums for updates. However there
is one album that I have forever been thinking about
but never got around to actually producing. The Drive
Easy album was to be full of selective mellow tracks.
My sister, insisted on Life
for Rent for Christmas last year. Originally,
I had always believed that Dido
was a artist producing quality, if somewhat bland
material. This changed, the moment, I started listening
to this album. My sister had it in the car, and told
me to select track six, late on Monday evening, as
we drove into the night. Don't Leave Home, is an extremely
interesting track,with lyrics that do not just merely
entertain, but generate a response, a reaction. The
title track, itself is uniquely sentimental yet still
powerful enough for you to be moved. This is one artist
who is going to appear regularly on this easy listening
compilation for the car.
What do the 1980s mean to you? Do you ever wish you
could go back? I do, constantly. I have even mention to some friends, that I am willing to sell my soul to any willing bidder on eBay (only if the Devil is unavailable!) Finally, someone
has written a song about the best year of the 1980s.
How about this
for the name of an punk rock album? Pure class. Just like when I discover that the ground floor reception
number is (would you believe?) 1985...
Tuesday 17th August 2004
For the first time in several months, I do not know
what to write in my blog. Trying to find a tangible
reason for the lack of eagerness to write, I discover
quite frankly that it is due to the simply fact that
nothing interesting has been happening to be recently.
The summer is drawing on, yet I have very little to
report. Life is very monotonous at the moment, but
I do not mind. The train comes down the line, I go
to work, I come home. The destination is the weekend,
yet before I know where I've been or where I am going,
the train pulls up again to take me back on that journey,
that is working
week.
Time for a small confession. Over the past week and
two days weeks, I have only caught the bus to the
train station four times. Who is to blame for my reason
spout of laziness? Well, I have to blame the radio.
Forcing myself to listen to Clive Bull on LBC, late
into the night means, I only drift into natural sleep
around midnight. As a consequence, I find it extremely
difficult to get up in time, to be ready for the 326
at 6.09am. Having said that, as the service is only
into the bus station, I do cut a fine line to catch
the first train to London, which leaves at 6.39am.
Whether or not I make the train is a matter of luck?
Maybe luck just has not been on my side in recent
days, weeks or even months?
The Olympics
started in Athens on Friday. I am not a big fan of
the Games and I never have been to be quite honest.
Nothing there really appeals to me and it should be
a hundred percent amateur tournament, rather than
having some professional events. The Olympic dream
has died. A young athlete should see the Games as
the highlight of a career, and the moment to bridge
the gap from being an amateur, and then becoming a
professional. Is my judgment unrealistic? Let Diamond
Geezer proudly Let
The Games Begin. To something slightly more important
that started at the weekend also. Arsenal
began the new BarclaysPremiership
season very much as they ended the last one. For a
full match report and the latest news, please go and
read, the one, the only, the incredible, Arse
Blog. Make sure you let him know, I sent you!
;)
I think may have to add a disclaimer and a health warning to my blog. This does sound rather extreme, but some of my links can be highly hazardous to your health. Particularly, when you find a treasure, such a movie script and then waste away three hours reading it. We've all done it. I did the same when I discovered the original script for Back To The Future. What a wonderful way, to waste away three hours...
Friday 13th August 2004
The superhero theme continues. When something has
a lot to live up to, it rarely provides the goods.
This is a case in point, but we must be considerate
in our criticism. The DareDevil
is not a familiar hero to us in Europe, unless we
are big comic
book fans, which we are not. As a movie on it's
own, I think it does stand up very well. It is just
shame, that they cast Ben Affleck in the lead role.
An accomplished actor in his own right, but not superhero
quality. To play such a character, you need that special
edge, that larger than life presence on the screen.
Taking this aside, the film is enjoyable, even though
portraying the good versus evil battle in a completely
different light. You have to judge such a hero, on
his own merits and not in comparisons to the heavy
weights, such as Superman, Batman and Spiderman. DareDevil
may be less well known, and even less popular but
he still is a great superhero. If the hero is only
as good as his villain, then this falls over. The
ending is also confusion, surely the inner conflict
that our central character feels, should be resolved
and for him to be able to move on and do his duty.
As this question remains, how can we this be a superhero
with a purpose? Revenge, can only take you so far,
just ask Batman. My favourite movie in this genre?
There can be no contest (and I strongly believe there
never will be). Superman
II has everything. Like I said before, there is
nothing greater than the birth of the hero, than when
the hero returns. Everything is in this one movie.
Adversaries that take on the Man of Steel and you
think, can he cope, will he win? The hero unmasked,
and of course some great comical moments. Thanks to
Superman
Cinema I have been able to view the 1979
script for the movie. Scroll down to page 141
and read the scene in the bar. (You will know what
I mean, when you read it!) The final words of Clark
Kent should go down in movie history, "I've been working
out..." As he lifts up his arms, in the motion of
lifting weights. ;)
The following weekend, the Saturday night movie,
was The
Tuxedo. Released two years ago, this was slated
by the movie reviews and seen bad move by both lead
actors. When it comes to Jackie Chan movies, you have
to take a big step back. They are not to be taken
too seriously. This is more entertainment, with the
almost slapstick blend of comedy and fight scenes.
He is getting hold, but he can still put up quite
a show. Watching his movies now, you can see, that
he is much slower, for time waits for no man. The
movie was funny, if at times completely unbelievable,
but this is what comes with the territory Jackie's
English is getting better but he still hasn't made
that movie in Hollywood to be taken seriously as an
action star. Perhaps, Rush Hour 3, will prove his
critics wrong. I am not a fan of horror movies, not
even the sheepish teen horror movies. Give me comedy
and action, any day. I had heard many things about
The
Ring but never got around to watching it. Until
last weekend, when it premiered on Sky Movies. Shot
in an eerie style, with constant grey glow around
the images, it did play around with your mind and
have you on the edge of your seat, filled with utter
suspense. There was however, no true explanation of
events at the end, and the story ends, in the very
much the same vain that it began. Will you watch the
video and live?
The male lead in the movie, the over familiar looking
Martin
Henderson stars in the forthcoming Bollywood Brit
flick, Bride
& Prejudice.
How do you unwind on a Sunday evening? Knowing all
too well, that another week lies like a ghostly reflection
in the mirror, just a few hours away. Usually, I just
relax by listening to some music and laying in bed.
On Sunday, I was idly flipping around the channels
on Sky.
Completely by accident, I stumbled upon a movie and
started watching. For a while, I thought it was the
movie pilot for the television
series, but the presence of Jack
Black made me realise, I was watching something
completely different. This was definitely more my
cup of tea. Short for a movie, and starring some kids
with well known parents, but let us not take anything
away from anyone associated with this movie. Americans
can stretch most situations to the point of excess
but this is pure fantasy, yet we feel a strong bond
with the characters for the predicament they find
themselves in. Particularly with so many cameos, including
one by our dear ghost
buster. What added to the experience, was the
fantastic soundtrack which goes hand in hand with
the events which play out during the course of this
emotional roller coaster right for the potential college
student. I cannot recommend this movie enough, you
will enjoy it, I can guarantee that! :)
So, we come to the latest movie, which I saw on Wednesday
evening. i,Robot
is one of those films, you enjoy while you watch.
But later on, you think to yourself, did it truly
meet my expectations? Managing expectations for movies
is hard, much is the case for sequels (or prequels)
but for a blockbuster, they are unendurably. Will
Smith saves the world (yet again) but in this movie,
there is an edge about him, a gritty realism, that
was missing from his previous movies. I saw him in
Ali
three years ago, and he had made leaps and bounds
as an actor, particularly when you consider he started
off in the family comedy series, The
Fresh Prince of Bel Air back in 1990. The movie,
with it's tainted vision of the future, is fantastic.
The direction is stunning, with clever moments through
the picture, posing some interesting ethical questions.
Can we ever let technology become such an integral
part of our lives that it could one day, take over?
I am not so sure, there are times when the good
old fashioned way just gets the job done! :) Watch
out for the major product placement from a European
company!
Tuesday 10th August 2004
This morning felt more like dreary September, than
the early August. Yet, I battled through the cold
rain to get to the my bus stop and get to work on
time. There was little disruption to the Chiltern
Railways network but colleagues informed me of
the difficulties on other parts of the National
Rail network. I thought today was going to be,
one
of those days. In the end, it was never as bad
as I had imagined. The day passed off with no incident,
well the working day at least. As I headed home, the
sun was shining and there was an unfamiliar optimism
in the air. Everything is cool again. Even if that
is also reference to finding a seat on the air conditioned
Chiltern Turbo, for the journey home. Home is a step
closer, when you pull up at High Wycombe station.
Not quite Grand
Central but it is my journey to work ends and
begins.
People often ask me about my television viewing habits.
There are strictly only three things I watch on television,
football, some news and Eastenders.
The soap is on the rare occasion mention on this blog
and I do at times, try to comment on some of the things
going on. (Most notably, 1st
March, last year.) You
may recall a recent comic story line, of an outstanding
video rental fine. There are some moments in the
show, which have me in stitches. This was a case in
point, when newly appointed Billy Mitchell decided
to check the outstanding rentals and total up some
fines. Den Watts rented Porky's
2: The Next Day in February 1988. (A film which
was already 5 years old, at the time of rental). Billy
came up with a unbelievable fine of £9,000. This equates
to just over a £10 a week for the VHS tape. Curious,
I e-mailed Blockbuster
for some clarity on the terms of their fine system.
No time, in this current entry, but I will quickly briefly mention that I saw The Ring on Saturday night, followed by the movie, Orange County late on Sunday evening. Reviews to be added shortly, including my views on two other films, also recently screened on Sky. Should be catching, iRobot at the cinema tomorrow evening. Still hoping to catch Thunderbirds before they go!
Sunday 8th August 2004
On the late shift at work this week, I decided to
make the most of my free time in the mornings. A sensible
person would have much better use of this time available
to them, and spent it in bed. This was not something
I wanted to do. Not with one of the world's most picturesque
cities to go and explore. I would be foolish to waste
the summer, working and not taking in the many sight
seeing opportunities around me. There was my brief.
To get into Central London by 8am and then go and
explore, take photographs and ultimately to find inspiration.
Inspiration for my blog, to feel, to understand, to
be moved.
Monday morning, I headed for Piccadilly Circus. Hoping
to capture the mood of the city after the weekend,
and with the heavy working week minutes from being
truly upon us. Little did I know that somebody
else would be recorded, famous
places down the street where I work. How was I
to know this was to be his
first calling point. I walked down the road, to Leicester
Square, to see a busy clear up operation coming to
an end. Delivery vans were making the first calls
of the morning, with a general relaxed and calming
overtone, which I was struggling to understand. As
I crossed the square, there were a few early commuters
scurrying towards work, but apart from them, there
was nobody around. A few people grabbing their first
dosage of caffeine of the morning, so I decided to
do the same. Although several more reasonable options
were available to me, I again had an urge for Starbucks.
I headed up towards Tottenham Court Road and then
passed Goodge Street tube station. There was a small
cosy branch, which invited me in. I had my mug of
tea, then headed to the underground station. What
to do? I wanted to take in the views from the river.
I was considering at first to go to London Bridge,
but headed a few stops further down the Jubilee Line
to Canada Water. These new tube stations lookso futuristic
and break from the mould of claustrophobic Victorian
model. Time was running out, I had to get to work.
Tuesday, was the day, which I had planned very differently.
In the end, as I started at 9am, I could not really
make anything out of an odd hour. So I just headed
to work, early instead. Not to know, home sweet home
would not be a prospect for 7pm, as it should have
been.
Wednesday, I headed to Embankment. This is the station
at which I change to catch the Circle or District
Lines. Just outside the station is the Golden
Jubilee Bridge. Walking across to the South Bank,
you can catch some nice glimpses of the London landscape.
Sitting down on a bench, I took in the beautiful sunny
morning. As the rest of the rat race, dashed to work,
before me.
Just behind the bridge you can see the Palace
of Westminster before which stands the British
Airways London Eye. I headed in that direction,
east towards Westminster Bridge, camera snapping as
much I could.
Crossing over towards Westminster tube station, I
took a final few pictures of the observation wheel,
before heading into work. It was coming up towards
10am, and I had no desire to arrive late.
I had made the decision on Monday that I wanted to
come down to the Docklands and more specifically Canary
Wharf to take some photographs. Would have done this
on Monday, but by lounging around the West End, and
drinking my tea, as if I was on some kind of holiday,
meant I did not have the luxury of time.
Did you go to the Millennium
Dome? I did not. Even though there was talk in
1999, within my circle of friends of going down when
it opened that December. Little happened on that front,
talk quickly died down, as it did with us going to
watch England play at Wembley. :( I wish I had gone
to it, at least then I could have given my true opinion,
rather than just one based on thirdly party information.
A few years ago, my friends did talk about going there
for a big clubbing event on New Years Eve. I am not
sure if it actually did take place, due to security
issues, but I remember back at University someone
mentioning it, so perhaps it did. From Canary Wharf,
you can make out the Dome in the distance. Walking
around, I could see there was a high security presence
across this business district. All cars were being
stopped and searched, with only those with valid passes
being allowed through in the underground car parks
and offices. Something suddenly crossed my mind. Here
I was, an Asian guy taking photographs of London's
biggest landmarks at a stupid time in the morning,
when in reality I should really be somewhere else.
None of the security guards stopped to question me,
or find out why I was taking photographs. I was just
regarded as some tourist, taking the offbeat track.
Great to see, so much money being pumped back into
the development of Canary
Wharf. Hopefully it will grow to be a place, I
can enjoy to come and visit, when all the building
work has finally finished.
For a split second, I thought I was in America. With these towering skyscrapers all around me, and small intersections in the built up area. Slowly I came out of my daydream, looking at my watch, it was coming up to 9.30am, I had to be on my way.
I was going to say that it was that man again, but
he is still very much just a boy,
help Arsenal clinch the Community Shield earlier this
afternoon. Picking up just where he left off last
season, glad to see he is knocking on the door and
proving a great option for the left of midfield. Expect
a fine review and the latest on the Vieria situation
from Arse
Blog. Overall, I was impressed with Pennant, who
obviously has learned many things from his season
loan at Leeds. Another player I enjoyed watching was
the young, Fabregas.
He was quick, breaking up Manchester's attacks and
then quickly switching the play with great vision
and killer passes. Can you believe he is only 17?
Bring on Everton!
Friday 6th August 2004
A break from the norm. Rather than darting from work
back to Marylebone, I took the civilized approach.
Only because I was traveling on the tube with a colleague.
We headed onto the main concourse at Marylebone, with
our eyes peeled to the departure board. Lady luck
was shining for one of us. The train on platform two
was heading in the direction of home, but would not
get me there. Terminating at Gerrards Cross (two stops
short from my beloved home town!). This would come
to haunt me later, little did I know it then. So I
watched, as my colleague sped towards the barriers
and headed onto his train. I had a short wait on my
hands, around ten minutes, so I thought. The 17:45
service, usually starts boarding around 17:35. The
clock ticked on, the station got busy. Busier than
usual. Something was wrong, but I thought nothing
of it. I would be on my train soon, heading home and
my mind drifted some 40 miles away, to the leafy suburbs
of Buckinghamshire. The explosive sound of a bomb,
echoed around the station. My dream was shattered.
Instantly, we looked to the platforms, but this sound
was closely followed by heavy rain being heard thundering
down onto the roof. Looking outside, I saw passers-by,
taken by surprise, completely drenched within seconds,
without a chance to even get that umbrella out. An
unfamiliar voice had been making announcements on
the tannoy. I had grown accustomed to a firm male
voice. Was this her first day? It seemed so. All services
from Marylebone were suspended until further notice.
My heart sank, as I delved into my pockets to find
any lose change. Of all the days, to leave my mobile
at home, fate had dealt me, the most inconsiderate
of cards. Is this someway of testing my ability in
extreme situations? (This wouldn't be the first time,
would it now?) Luckily, I had some coins to make that
call home. My Dad was on his way, but I had no idea
of how long the journey into Central London would
take him, with the weather as it was. At an estimate,
I was looking at my ride home making it to the station,
within forty minutes or so. I was being optimistic
beyond my wildest dreams. Little did I know of the
chaos
that was ensuing outside. Commuters kept drifted into
the station, coming to the realisation that tonight's
journey home, was going to take longer, a lot longer.
Grabbing a drink and some chocolate bars, I took a
seat and looked around me. It was tempting to record
the moment. Hundreds of faces in a trance on the departure
screens, which appeared to have the hypnotic power,
putting them all in a longing trance. Deciding against
making their extreme frustration public, I looked
at the clock. Time to wait outside. The rain had stopped.
Some trains had started to leave, but none stopping
to my desired destination. Outside, there was rush
for the
Hackney Carriage. Bumper trade for them this evening.
I waited. I waited. The rain resumed. Rummaging deep
into my bag, I picked out my travel umbrella. The
first time, the need had come for me to use it. I
continued to wait. Standing opposite the entrance
to The
Landmark, I watched the chauffeur driven Mercedes
and BMW's, drop off and pick up guests. A silver Mercedes
S-Class was parked out in front of me. The chauffeur
was making the most of the situation, he was reading
a newspaper. Forty minutes had past, it was pushing
7pm now. Standing a few yards from this luxury saloon,
I noticed the window effortlessly come down, and the
driver pop his head out. Expected to be told to move
away from the car, I got ready to make my way back
into the station. Instead, a I was greeted with a
smile. "You've been waiting out there for ages, do
you want to give someone a call. It's hell out there,"
the stranger said, passing, me his Nokia
6210i. Surprised and taken aback by the kindness
of this man, I mistyped my Dad's mobile number the
first time. They were in Greenford. "Your joking(!)"
exclaimed the good samaritan as I returned him his
mobile phone, explaining the little progress my ride
home had made. I headed back into the station, realising
that I needed to eat now, I would not be getting home
for a good few hours. I headed to Burger
King as it was the only place not busy and serving
food. I couldn't handle a full meal, so just had a
burger. Then I sat down for a few minutes. The waiting
continued. The clock continued to tick away the seconds.
I looked again at the departure board, a few services
were leaving but most had been cancelled. It had gone
past 19.35, I was missing Eastenders.
Thankfully I would be able to catch the late night
repeat on BBC
Three. The frustration of waiting inside the station
was getting to me so, I headed outside again. Waiting
for a brief gap in the rain shower, I headed towards
the taxi rank again. It was busier than before with
at least twelve people waiting to catch a cab. I found
a spot, where I could down both ends of the road,
and clearly see vehicles coming towards me. How much
longer would I have to wait? It was ten, minutes before
8pm, my Dad pulled up outside the station entrance.
Three hours ago, I had left the office. My journey
home began. An hour, and I thought I would be home.
Dream on. I just did not realise the effect a little
storm, with a few hours of rain would have on our
transport system. Trying several routes, but never
sticking to any road clogged up with traffic, we headed
in and around North West London, from Kilburn, Cricklewood,
Wembley and then Ealing, before joining onto the A40,
just before Uxbridge. I got home at 11pm. It had been
a long hard day at the office, but a much harder night
on road and rail.
In the continued shameless marketing of this website,
I have joined the Brit
Blog directory. Of course, if you enjoy reading
my blog, feel free to link to me but always drop
me an e-mail. The barefaced exploitation will
persist, be rest assured.
Although now, I do not listen to much commericial
radio, apart from the odd time, I find myself in a
car. I do listen to Clive Bull. This discovery occurred
last summer, at the time of Doctor
Kelly's suicide. The FM frequency, 97.3, used
to broadcast, News
Direct but switched with the sister MW station,
LBC.
Renamed to LBC
News and broadcasting on 1152AM. Enjoy listening
to Clive, in the evenings. His conversational and
comic style come across very well on the show, when
he discusses various topical subjects. I also like
his sense of humour and his way of turning a caller
against him. You may have heard of the recent trend
of ASBO's.
Well a caller was discussing this subject and wanted
one such order
to be taken out against, Tony Blair. Clive's response
was to say, "Yeah, starting a war, that is blooming
anti-social". You too can catch Clive
every weekday evening from 10pm only on LBC.
Sunday 1st August 2004
So August is upon us. A fresh start. A special month.
Uniquely slotted in between July and my favourite
time of year, September. The football season re-starts.
The kids are on holiday. Many are away on holiday.
The silly season, as often referred to by the tabloid
press.
Are you a gamer? More importantly, are you a good
gamer?
I took my XBox console out of retirement last Sunday.
It had been almost seven months since I last played
on the video game console from Microsoft.
I am not a gamer. Not even a mediocre gamer. Never
have been. Although I have played various games in
my life, I never been very good at them. There was
a phase in the mid to late 90s, when I would purchase
every copy of FIFA. Before that phase, I was heavily
into football management, and worshipped Championship
Manager. There was also the 'shoot 'em up' era,
when I played games such as Wolfenstein 3D (what a
classic!), Rise of the Triad, Doom and Quake. The
only way I could possibly make progress in these games,
was to obtain the cheats from the web and then blast
my way through all the levels. Is this some sort of
genetic disorder? A player, unable to play the game
without the aid of the codes. Back in the second year
at University, in the rest bite before lectures, we
would play Mario Kart on my friend's N64.
We hand four controllers, so we were able to play
group games. Who would be last? Yes, you've guessed
it. I think the most significant moment, was when
I was third for the final two laps of the circuit,
only to be overtaken a few hundred metres before the
finish line. Happy memories for some. A humiliating
time for me. Back to the present. The main reason
I opened up my boxed XBox was to play GTA
III and it's successor, GTA
Vice City. Not exactly the titles to be discussing
in light of recent tragic
events. However, I loaded up my saved game, but
completely disorientated by the setting, I had no
idea exactly how far I had got. (Don't worry, I was
not very far in the game at all, even after over tens
hours of play!) I headed outside into the street from
the hotel (or is it motel?) and jumped into a taxi
(it was the first vehicle I could physically stop
and hijack) Then toggled on the Taxi Mission. I completed
one pickup and drop off successfully, before getting
bored and switching off the console. Pathetic. The
XBox you will be happy to know is boxed again, and
will be reopened for another 20 minutes of play in
another seven months time.
My website is 4 today. Of those four years, nearly
two have been recorded in my blog. I was looking back,
reading my first entry from August
last year, to jog my memory on what I was doing, feeling
and thinking some 12 months ago. Then I was enjoying
a lazy, empty summer. Now, what is different? Just
the fact that I am working, so the week is not as
empty, but the rest of the time, much the same. Sleep,
eat, blog a little and more sleep.
Arsenal are in friendly action this afternoon, as
they take part in the Sony
Amsterdam Tournament. The game on Friday against
River Plate, was very much a non-event. With Jose
Antonio Reyes, showing glimpses of the magic, he showed
towards the end of the last season. The Gunners play
the hosts, Ajax on Sunday and I hope Wenger fields
a more experienced team for this match. As always,
for the latest news and views on The Invincible Champions
(doesn't that sound great!?) check out ArseBlog.
I was in central London on Sunday last week. I was
hoping to blog about this earlier, but just never
got around to it. I met up with my friend, Tam
from Warwick.
He is now, off on a tour of Europe, with three of
his University friends, this was an opportunity for
us to meet up before he headed across over to the
continent. We were to meet up in Trafalgar Square,
but it was brimming with tourists. Then I noticed
that a Sikh parade was about to pass through and waited
to witness the event. That is the beauty of our capital.
There is always something going on, no matter the
time of day or year. Unfortunately, I did not bring
my digital camera. Thankfully, Tam did, so he took
some snaps.
Can you switch off your mobile? I found it one of
the easiest things to do. No problems. I enjoy being
able to disconnect myself from the rest of the world.
Some of my friends however could never do such a thing.
They have a major complex about it. One keeps his
mobile on, 24 hours a day. Who exactly is going to
call you up at 3am on a Wednesday morning? Also became
aware of another hidden complexity when it comes to
mobile phones. This did not happen until I got to
University. The fear of the 'withheld number'. One
of my previous housemates, refused to answer the phone
if the number was not shown on his mobile screen.
What is wrong with you people? Please! Many companies
operate a strict policy, to not give out phone numbers
so no number is displayed when they call. I never
hesitate to answer the phone, regardless of the fact
if I know the caller on not.
Last night, listening to the radio, as you do. I
was switching around the various London based radio
stations. I heard the chorus ofa song. The song was
familiar, although I could not quite put my finger
on it. However, the vocals were so distinctive. Instantly
recognizing the artist, for her signature style and
range. They don't let any old person sing the title
for a James Bond film. You know that. Listening to
the song, as it trailed off, I thought for a long
while. Yes, this was the answer I was looking for.
"Nothing Stays The Same..." I know that now, or am
slowly coming to realise the significance of those
four words. As much I wish things were the same as
they were several years ago, this will never be the
case. So, we have found the soundtrack for the coming
week. A difficult week, I know that already. What
exactly the week holds, I do not know for sure. Plenty
of time to prepare. I know that certain things will
just be coming around again...
And I Believe In Love
But What Else Can I Do
I'm So In Love With You
I Know Nothing Stays The Same
But If You're Willing To Play The Game
It's Coming Around Again
Friday 30th July 2004
My shift patterns have been erratic to say the least
this week. Although home time had been set to 4pm,
for four days, I only actually left the office at
that time on Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday turn out to
be, when I had a brush with royalty. Although, my
lunch slot is midday, it was a bit later when I got
a chance to escape my desk. My firm provides a fantastic
subsidised restaurant on the first floor, offering
an array of culinary delights. It is the summer, and
I would rather make more suitable use of my lunch
hour. (The hour is an overstatement, on average my
lunch break lasts some 26 minutes and rarely over
40.) I would be foolish not to make the most of the
opportunity that the man
upstairs, has so firmly placed in my hands. I
am in one of the greatest cities in the world, and
that is no over exaggeration. So I head across to
the courtyard, behind St. Paul's. Aptly named, "KnightRider
Court". Having been the victim of daylight
robbery at the local, Pret
a Manger, Benjys
or on the odd occasion, Simply
Food, from Marks
and Spencer. Grabbing a sandwich and a drink,
I try to observe the many people I see. Between the
hordes of Japanese, American and other European tourists
(whom, are insignificant, so therefore, their countries
will not get listed) there are joggers. Usually in
groups of two or three. Sweating their way across
the capital, having crossed, the Millennium
Bridge. Then of course, there are the suits, which
I would have to class myself with. Very much in a
similar position, rushing through a light snack, before
heading off back to the office. Most of them are with
colleagues or friends and tend to be talking about
work. Not the most fascinating way to spend your one
break away from the mill, for the day. Up until now,
my lunch time observations have been nothing to write
home about. (Or should that be, blog home about?)
Apart from taking a digital photograph for a tourist
a few weeks ago, nothing exciting, or should that
me newsworthy has ever happened. Until now. I looked
at my watch, time was clicking away. I had to make
my way back to the office, so I hurriedly finished
my rubbish and headed back. Thinking nothing of it,
I headed back, past St. Paul's. Something was different.
Everything had stopped. The pedestrians, and the traffic.
I was heading down Ludgate Hill, with the landmark
cathedral at my back. A police motorcyclist popped
up, and stopped the traffic in both directions. Someone
was on their way. Someone important. My first thoughts
drifted to Downing
Street but do they also say,
what they do?
Maybe, but that is not a question for us now. I was
proved wrong, as the motorcade came into view, turning
the corner on Maria Lane, onto Ludgate Hill. Then
the state
limousine came into view. My second guess had
been proved right, but who has time for second chances?
The cars fleeted past with several police motorbikes,
shielding our Monarch. Although Her Royal Highness,
appeared somewhat withdrawn from the whole experience.
The notion that 'her people' had stopped to catch
a fleeting glimpse of their Queen. I noticed the hint
of a smile, then His Royal Highness, Prince Philip,
raise a hand to acknowledge the crowds. With the busy
London streets brought to a standstill, the motorcade,
made swift process down Ludgate Hill, heading westward.
They were gone. Awakening from my daydream, reality
slowly crept on me, as it did the many people whom
had stopped along side me. Back to work, I heard a
voice in the crowd firmly say. I don't think he had
intended for his comment to have such a large audience.
I briskly headed back to the office, trying my best
to meander through the tourists, congratulating themselves
on finding such a prime spot for some royal photograph.
It is times like this, I realise how important it
is to carry my digital camera with me as often as
possible. A camera phone, just would not have captured
the beauty of the moment. Maybe this was a moment,
far beyond anything Kodak
could capture.
As long as I can remember, I have had a fleeting
love affair with pop music. Some may say that is it
the most bland and insignificant music. It is true
to say that the music industry has become very segregated
in the past four years or so. Each genre, distinct
with it's style, sound and even fashion accessories.
As much I enjoy listening to a range of music, I always
come back to pop. But not just any old pop. I like
Pure Pop. What exactly is 'Pure Pop'? It is difficult
to describe and explain, but when you hear an example,
you just know. Let me try my best to explain, what
in my personal and very humble opinion institutes,
"pure pop". The vocal is very important, this must
be strong, have a good range and ultimately be able
to carry the song alone. Then come lyrics, these have
to be powerful, yet still hold some comfort. The aim
is to get the balance in favour for performance, rather
than impact. Then the musical arrangement. This is
the killer ingredient and ultimately makes the difference
between a song breaching the pure perfection barrier.
A song can have great lyrics, with a great singer,
but if the final product is far from polished, the
overall standard is greatly reduced. Unfortunately,
there have been only a few pioneers of such creative
music manufacturer in this country. Although the Americans,
do have their fair share of great producers, for them,
the artist sells the song, rather than the other way
round (which I feel is more so the case, this side
of the pond). Stock,
Aitken & Waterman have a god-like status within
the UK music industry. I disagree, that pure pop is
actually, bubblegum
pop. Genie In The Bottle, the debut single by
Christina Aguilera from 1999 is what I can use as
the an example. It has everything that I have mentioned
above and much much more. If you are an regular reader
of Pop
Justice music blog, you will note that they are
continually pushing for the return of this type of
music to our airwaves and television screens. The
latest production from Pete, is the quartet, aptly
named, Pop!
The name does sound corny, as do some of the lyrics
of their songs, but the polished final product is
amazing. The songs do stand up very well on themselves,
great radio friendly material. So watch out for Glenn,
Hannah, Jade and Jamie. Will they finally take Pure
Pop to the credible place it belongs?
I had so much on mind to blog about, during the course
of my train journey home this evening. A rare air
conditioned Chiltern Turbo, brought me in from Marylebone
to Wycombe. This gave me the ideal chance to put the
week into place and begin formulating plans for the
weekend. There is so much I want to do, but not sure
if I will have the opportunity to get everything completed,
by the time Sunday evening comes around. There is
also, so much more to blog about. For the time being,
I will just have to leave you with the two above after
thoughts from my week. A quick question? What gets
you in the mood for the weekend? What small event
or message or weekly ritual sends you the clear message,
"it's the weekend!". For me, it is always music. While
Javine's performance on Top
Of The Pops was fantastic, choreographed succinctly
with the tempo of the music, it did not have the desired
affect. Instead it was left to those Irish rockers,
Ash
to bring down the house, with 'Burn Baby Burn'.
You're all I have in this teenage twilight
Your golden hair and pale blue eyes
But through all the days and the sleepless nights
We have never been satisfied
Tumbling like the leaves
Yeah we are spiraling on the breeze
Almost to the point of no return
Everything will burn,
baby,
burn
Tuesday 27th July 2004
Planning and management is important. Even for some of the straightforward of tasks, you would think that a small degree of thought would go a long way. In my personal experience, this is never the case. Although I forever, dream of that Hannibal moment. I am forever waiting for the moment to say, "I love it when a plan comes together". Everything always appears painless in theory but becomes much more complicated in practice. It is also strange how the ideas you have can, may initially sound fantastic, refreshing and fully workable. Then, a few hours later, they appear completely stupid. Am I the only person to notice this pattern? Or shall I stop making such insignificant observations?
Passing comments, which appear quite harmless and
unworthy at the time they are made. However, they
stick with you for days, even weeks on end. Does this
happen to you? It has happened to me, as long as I
can remember. A comment is made, in a situation which
appears quite friendly and trusting. Often accused
of looking far too deep into things (and I am not
alone, this one comment can later surface,
and be played on constant repeat in my head. Usually
on the way home. A case in point, is yesterday afternoon.
A colleague made the idle comment, "let someone walk
over you once, they will be doing it for the rest
of your life...". Taking this out of context means,
it lacks any specific meaning. Not wishing to explain,
in any detail the circumstances surrounding this conclusion,
I shall say only a few words. Yes, the advice was
dispelled to me. Something said in jest, which I frankly
took as a joke, was misinterpreted by others as a
possible example of verbal abuse. I rewinded the moment
and played it back, as I drifted off to sleep on the
train home. Was I really allowing myself to be used
in such a way? I think not. But the comment had sprung
out from somewhere and there was a need to evaluate,
no only the situation, but my own policy, should such
an occasion present itself again. My conclusion? We
only let people walk all over us, if they know they
can get away with it. If they are aware that all everyone
has a limit and that eventually, giving an inch and
taking a mile. You will run out of road. The moral
of the story is of course, to never
let anyone use you as a doormat. I agree, but
I think sometimes, we need to know our place. There
are times, when being used as a doormat, is acceptable,
and at other times, when people begin taking your
good human nature, for a ride. When you really need
to start considering who are your true friends and
enemies.
What is the true power of MP3? No, I am not talking
about the taking on the capitalist greed of the major
record labels. I am not even talking about the ability
to share your music collection with a great number
of people. I am talking about being exposed to new
genres of music. New artists and sounds, which without
the digital music format, you would never have heard.
I commented on this topic, in detail in my entry from
April 2003. Greg, a
colleague, who also works on the support desk, started
work a week before I did. I pointed him the direction
of my website, and he eagerly download my mp3 database.
After converted it to a 'print friendly format', he
scanned the listing. Far down the list, he came across
a collection of three songs by an American band, exclaiming
that they were a 'great band'. I agreed. To my surprise,
he commented on how, I was the first person in the
UK to share his appreciation for the Gainesville,
Florida group. My reply, was to explain, what I have
already explained to my regular readers. Sister
Hazel have their own very distinct and unique
signature sound. Instantly recognizable as, from any
of their tracks, no matter how obscure, that this
is 'that' group. Very few bands ever achieve such
unique radio friendly status, Duran
Duran comes to mind as having successfully achieved
the uphill task. Looking on his iPod,
he showed me the few albums he had, and there was
a pause. I had to ask for them on CD. Consider
it done. It was. I now have a full CD, with an
assortment of albums, including a live selection of
tracks. Also, taking on Greg's recommendation, he
included, material from Matchbox
20. A band, I was sure to like, if I liked the
type of music that Sister Hazel produced. Although
I have not listened to many of the tracks, I know
that they are a band, I will enjoy listening to. Right,
now where is that old, portable CD player?
I have not seen Thunderbirds, yet! I was hoping to
catch it on Sunday evening, but unfortunately the
early evening showing was booked. I will try and catch
it this coming weekend. A confession if I may. I am
looking forward to more, taking a step back into my
childhood more than anything else, when I step into
the dark theatre screen. Twelve again, for two hours!
Yes please! But reality sets in and my dream world
comes tumbling down. I am not on summer holiday and
I have work to go to in the morning. Next time, next
time the dream will last forever. - taking a giant
leap back into my childhood. Do I have to leave the
cinema? For the fantasy that is born there, shall
live with me forever, but the reality that arrives,
the second you walk out of the cinema screen. Do we
ever, escape
our childhood? I don't think so, but then there
must come a point when our childhood becomes less
important. I remember, during my placement, a colleague,
said to me that they no longer remember anything from
their school days or anything beyond their early twenties.
"All that doesn't matter, anymore, Andrew", I was
sturdily told. But if that is the case, then what
actually
matters?
It is getting late, I really want to get a good nights
sleep. The next entry will include my obsession, with
Pure Pop! New music from Twen2y4Se7en and a Royal
chance meeting. I wish I could include these topics
now, but I just do not have the time, so you will
have to wait for my next installment, later in the
week.
Friday 23rd July 2004
Can you predict the future?
I cannot and make no false claims to be able to do
so. Let us make that small fact, quite clear from
the offset. (It is pure coincidence, that my recent
discussion on instant messenger, appears again, in
the context of blogging on Diamond
Geezer.) However, I can always take an educated
stab in the dark, to picture together how small pieces
of tomorrow's jigsaw will appear. How they all fall
together, that is anyone's guess. We can all be forgiven
for sometimes, taking a step into the dark side. For
playing
Devil's advocate and even talking
of the devil. On my many bus journeys home, my
mind drifts from the present and even future and skips
dreamily into my past. A friend. A thought popped
into my mind. When would I see her again? It was not
the case that she was one of my close friend's at
primary school. Nevertheless, someone I knew, and
would always speak to. Why had I thought of her at
this moment time. An idle Tuesday evening, on the
326 bus. My mind was not playing tricks on me. It
was warning me. A premonition, if you may. When was
the last time I saw Elaine? It was in 1999, on the
329 bus from college to home. The final stop in Marlow
before the diesel engine sputters the dated chassis
up the hill Wycombe. On Thursday evening, I was boarding
my usual 17:45 train home and I entered the carriage
as normal, taking a window seat, need the middle of
the coach. As I took of my jacket, with my body struggling
to adjust to the swealtering heat and humidity. I
looked up to see, beyond the visions of my own dreams,
Elaine board the train. Now, I am not one to believe
in such things occurring. Not like this. Destiny is
all conquering and we are mere mortals, in the way
of such a menancing force. To think a thought one
day, then for the next day, that person, to be brought
to you. In such a way. It cannot be true. What are
the chance? This particular train is one of the busiest
and the chances of two old school friends picking
exactly the same section of the same coach is unbelievable.
I was going to let the moment pass. Pass up the opportunity
to speak to my old friend. Ten years had passed by.
Ten long years, since we had left Lansdowne County
Middle School. Such are the mysteries
of fate that they are a rule to themselves. It
was exactly to the day, since we had broken up for
our last summer holidays. September 1994, bought with
it, the horror of the big school. The last school.
The secondary school. I knew if I did not, at least
say hello, I would forever regret this golden opportunity.
Would I ever get this chance again? No, such opportunities
arrive once in a lifetime. It was not until the end
of the forty minute train journey, that I was finally
able to gather my thoughts, and recover from the shock
to surprise Elaine as she disembarked the train. I
had ten minutes. I had to use them wising. After explaining
what I was doing now, I attempted to throw the names
of some old classmates into the hat. To little effect.
Names remain faceless, without a picture or a memory.
Will we be back in touch soon? I will try, for the
moment came to past quicker than I had ever imagined.
Did she release the great that had just come to pass?
I doubt it, for it was all a case of coincidence.
For me, it was much more than that. Strangers on the
train. Leave, as they boarded, knowing that little
bit less, but feeling that much bit more.
As you may be aware, I have long been campaigning
for a blog. Well not any old blog. The blog. The blog
that should co-exist with mine. If my blog was the
Sun, then this blog would be the Moon. Nobody knows
how it happened. There are some strange theories.
But then, although I am not talking about the big
bang. But this subconscious decision has completely
changed my internet experience. The decision to start
blogging. Sibtain
started, in March 2003, the same time at which I finally
began labeling my online journal, as a blog. The tube
is full of advertising, as you will be aware. There
is however one small bill board that caught my eye,
several weeks ago. Any
Questions Answered, does exactly what it claims.
No fancy buzz words here, no new shiny technology.
No gimmicks (or is it a gimmick in itself?) Want an
answer to a question? Text in to their special number
and an answer will be provided. Anything can be asked,
from "Who will win the Coca Cola Championship, next
season?" Do more embarrassing questions, when your
mother or other domestic help is unavailable, "How
do I get chewing gum off my Levi 501s?". I was tempted
to text in, "When will Sippy's blog be up?" Should
I really waste £1 (plus my standard text rate) on
such a silly question. When I know the answer already?
The answer is simple. When Sippy gets time. After
several weeks away, the out-dated coming soon page
has reappeared at the above domain. When will we see
a finished product?
Jim Branning, has been literally stealing the show
on Eastenders
in recent weeks. If you know one thing about me, is
that of all the things I cannot miss on television,
the BBC
soap opera, is that
show. Anyway, the classic line from Thursday's installment,
"Hello, Patrick Truman's bachelor residence!". Maybe
I am the only person who found that hilarious at the
time (well twice, I watched it again on BBC
Three later that same evening. A line from last
week included Jim calling Ian, "Ironside". :)
After waiting over seven months, I only got a small
taste of a music video. In December, I uncovered the
identity of the track which had been playing on the
BBC trails of the Asian
Network. Dr. Zeus featuring Master Rakesh - Kanga,
was the name of the track. B4U Music
played a medley of songs from the album, 'Under Da
Influence', including a brief snip of the aforementioned
video. Shame, after such a long wait, I was quite
disappointed. I suppose, when you have a dance floor
filler in such vain, you expect much more money to
be thrown at it. Never mind. It was never going to
be enough, was it?
Tuesday 20th July 2004
Which is your favourite instant
messenger? I started off with ICQ
in the late 90s, building up a contact list of two
hundred people, around the world. Then, I gave Yahoo!
Messenger a go. Early versions were rather basic
and slow, but it slowly improved. Then in 1999, when
I created my Hotmail
account, I discovered, MSN
Messenger and I was converted forever. Originally
with the Hotmail account, andrewtegala@hotmail.com,
I forgot my password and rarely used the account.
It was one idle Friday afternoon, while in college,
I setup a new address. Most of the time I am online,
MSN is running. Even at work, I have it on in the
background. On Monday, I was answering phones most
of the morning, but then had to leave my desk for
an urgent install. Minutes later, I remembered that
I had left my PC unlocked and MSN clearly running.
What if someone, in their lunch hour had decided to
have a quick chat. I returned to my desk, to find
an instant message conversation window, open. It was
Sippy. He had decided to say, "Hi", with a few minutes
spare on his lunch break. I did not even have the
opportunity to give me a response, I had to rush on.
I had loads of jobs on, and my lunch hour had slipped
away, into 2pm. Not to worry. Plenty of the week remaining
for these knots of trouble to untie themselves. My
friend, Nav recommended the program, MSN
Messenger Plus. Downloading it in November 2003,
I have never looked back, until now. When you discover
how much you cannot operate without the utility. Mainly
because people have this unfounded desire to give
label themselves with a catchphrase or tag line, because
their real name is so boring. I, of course, would
never fall to such low standards! ;)
My views on cinema, are quite well know and well
published on this blog. I never obtain movies from
anything but legal means. Watching a film at the cinema,
buying or renting the DVD or even catching a showing
on Sky
Movies is much better than going down, the download
route. I describe myself, as the average 'joe' cinema
goer (poor attempt at rhyming, I admit!) Catching
only the major blockbusters at the big multiplexes,
preferring to watch the majority of my films from
the comfort of my own home. I like action, adventure,
science fiction, comedy and even some more family
orientated pictures. This was the second time I was
going to the 'revamped' FilmWorks.
The Matrix sequel, had been my first time there in
April 2003. If first impressions are everything, then
this was a non-starter. The tickets at the UCI 6 screen
complex, and cinemas in general have gone through
a slow evolution. First was the dot matrix, a overthrow
from the 1980s, printed out on paper, (which still
had the perforated edges for the printer). Then the
small thin card squares, with the even deep set printing.
Now? Now, a pathetic excuse for paper, which is more
closely described as tracing paper you used to use
in primary school, with tickets measuring 6cm by 4cm.
What has the world come to? Glad I do not make it
a regular habit to go the UCI brand of cinema. Vue
shall always have my future business.
There is nothing greater than the birth
of a hero, than his return.
I need to clarify this. I strongly believe no hero
is ever born. They are made. Built by the environment
and the potential nemesis that lies in wait. I love
heroes. Reluctant heroes are the best for the silver
screen. We share with them their desire to balance
a normal life, yet always depend upon them to save
the day, and come to our rescue. (We don't want much,
do we?!) As much I have enjoyed the Superman movies
and Christopher
Reeve's portray of the Man of Steel. Something
was missing. I like my heroes to have that human element,
that vulnerability which is why heroes such as The
Shadow and The
Phantom appeal to me. Spiderman is in that very
category. His gift is also his weakness. We could
get into a deep discussion about heroes and villains,
benevolent versus malevolent but I will leave that
for another day. The movie is fantastic and I cannot
recommend highly enough for you to go down your local
multiplex to watch it. Action scenes play out like
intimate ballet, the direction is yet again breathtaking
and the vision of Sam
Raimi to take Stan
Lee's comic book creation to the big screen is
unparalleled. Did you spot the creator's cameo? It
was very brief, and if you weren't paying attention
you would have missed it, in the blink of an eye.
The great thing about a movie such as this is as you
leave the cinema, to head home. You are overcome,
by an warmth inside. This so called, 'feel good feeling',
is letting you know. Yes, our heroes will always conquer
the villains. Good will always triumph over evil,
and maybe, just maybe the hero shall never have to
question his existence, his place again. We begin,
only now to learn that true meaning of Uncle Ben's
solemn word's, "With great power, comes great responsibility".
We cannot deny one, without the other.
Saturday 17th July 2004
Most mornings, as I munch on my Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes, I watch television. I tend to just watch music channels
and look out for something interesting to listen to and wake me up. Usually, it the same select few videos being shown, at
what is still deemed nightshift period for the channel operators. Flickering around as I do, I came to Magic and heard the opening few beats to a song, I started
listening to a few months ago. My longing to see the video had come true. Not knowing what to expect, but the video was in
the abrupt style of the artist, rather than meeting any desire of the movie, Pretty Woman from 1990. Funny how I only discovered the song, by a chance choice of my housemate, in April. The question though, is what gets you up in the morning?
Friday was a strange day for me. I had been expecting to work until 6pm, however, to aid a colleague, I swapped to the 9 to
5 slot. I do not have a problem working until 6pm, but on a Friday, I just have a great urge to get home, and get the weekend
started. Heading home at an alien hour was a new experience. My tube trip back to Marylebone, has always been quite pleasant
with just a moderate level of commuters. Yesterday evening was a different story, and I was crushed towards the back of the
double doors. All the commotion, was due to a small band of Spanish school children. Funny how the moment they disembarked the
train, some sort of normality was restored. Reaching the station concourse, in plenty of time to board my train home I was
concerned to find my train delayed. Luckily it was only for ten minutes and I was making the penultimate part of my journey
home at 5.55pm. How do you know you are late? When you get to the bus station to find that the evening bus service is running
and you have to catch the 315 heading to Lane End instead of the usual 326.
The faces of the 326 are now becoming very familiar.
Those faces, I know, will be changing every week,
as my shifts change and I become more an integral
part of the support team. The dream that was my cushy
hours of 8am to 4pm, may have been lost forever. Not
to worry, let us think through carefully. What is
the trade off? Instead of having to awake at the crack
of dawn, I leave home at a more reasonable time, have
to suffer a slight increase in the passengers on my
train into London. There is also the fact that Marylebone
underground station is closed until 9.30am, so I have
to walk across the road to Baker
Street. Packed like sardines, is the only way
to describe the level of commuter traffic at this
time of the day, but the stress inducing journey is
short lived for only two stops, before once again,
normal service is resumed. Next week will be the big
test. Depending on how I find my journey and also
how I cope with returning home, so late in the evening,
there is little getting in the way of me making the
most of the my work day. As I am reminded by Mr. V
every morning, this is one of the greatest capital's
in the world.
On Tuesday, there was a scruffy looking gentleman in his mid thirties. He work ragged dirty clothes, giving the appearance
he had been hard at work decorating earlier today. His mousy brown hair was short, almost a crew cut. Unpleasant. That was
the word that came to mind when I saw him, waiting outside, the 326 at the station. In his hand, a 50cl glass bottle of
brandy, half empty. Dare I use a dirty word, and describe this man as 'working class'? I shall, but his social standing is
not the purpose of this posting. Three stops before my house, completely at random and with no real reason, he turned to look
at the passengers sitting behind him on the train. His icy gaze was fixed on me, and our eyes met for a split second. He was
three seats ahead of me, but it felt as if he was much closer than the physical distance. He asked, in a coarse voice, "What
is it that YOU wear?". Somewhat bewildered, I was about to respond, "Haven't you seen a suit before?" While this instant
response was clicking over in my mind and before I had a chance to speak, he added, "..saris...". I corrected his poor
pronunciation. Then he continued his conversation with his friends, about the form of formal Asian dress. Turning his back to me, I drifted out of the
conversation and out of his consciousness. Had I ever really been in the conversation? On reflection, no but a strange way to
be spoken to and all in all, an unusual incident on a rather lacklustre bus journey.
Was hoping to go to see Spiderman 2 with another saturday night at the movies. It was not
to be. Therefore I am going on Monday night, which although not of my own choosing, means I do get to see the blockbuster as
close to the release in the UK as possible. I hope to give my humble opinion on the sequel, later next week.
God works in mysterious ways. Even my blog has noted some of the strange situations that have opened themselves up to me.
Boarding the Bakerloo line train at Embankment, taking a the available free seat. A young Asian man sat next to me, appearing
to be in his early twenties also. Reading a paper, he was given a letter by a friend sitting directly opposite. Although not
wanting to be nosey, I could not help but look and see at least what was the contents of this document. I signed and looked
up to the ceiling of the train. Why, had the powers that be, placed me on this train, at this time, to be sitting next to
this person, on this day? Not wanting to wallow on this subject for to long, but why was I not also to receive such good
news? For a split second, I jumped out of my body and was looking at my life, my achievements and ultimately where my life
was going. Had I become the person, I had always dreamed I would be? Maybe not. The dream has not died. For that man, may not
have achieved everything we had hoped, but look where he is now. Can you take that away from him? No, never. God help the
soul who tries.
Primarily, my role is to answer the phones, but this does not mean I am chained to my desk for the course of the working
day. Every so often, the opportunity arises, when I need to venture around the building, finding offices and computer
equipment to repair. On one such occasion, I was in the office of a corporate partner, sorting out his laptop. While I was
busy adjusting the settings on Windows 2000, a colleague walked in. They discussed at some length, a presentation they had
planned for next week. I can only just begin to describe the feeling of being in the presence of such great men. I think we
need to lose the stigma that all lawyers are money-driven scoundrels. Awe inspiring to hear some of the biggest and well
known corporations on the planet to be mentioned. Names such as Sony
Ericsson, Siemens and The Body Shop. Firms such as this and many others all have their legal dealings through the company I
am working for. I have to date, been extremely robust in protecting the name and exact location of my place of work. As
tempting as it is to mention them, and allow all my readers to know which of the City big law firms, they are, I am not. Not
going to be so weak and give in. There is no need. My blog has always been honest. I want it to record the moment, the music,
the emotion. Of course, the facts are important, but sometimes they can get in the way of what really matters.
Wednesday 14th July 2004
For some strange reason, I have had the urge to drink
original Lucozade
for the past few weeks. At a young age, the strange
bright orange liquid was always seen as some magic
potion. Maybe because I only ever remember my Dad
buying it to take for our grandmother, when she was
in hospital. I never regarded it as a everyday beverage,
like Coca
Cola. In the mid 90s, I realised after many years
of naive ignorance, that it was actually a soft drink.
From 1998, when Lucozade expanded their range to include
additional flavours, I was hooked on blackcurrant
and then orange. Orange, to this day has been my favourite.
Yesterday it was a case of 'back to the classics',
I purchased a can of the original stuff with my lunch
and enjoyed the taste once again, while watching the
casual parade of tourists walk by me. A year seven
trip of school children, arrived and with them each
a list of notes to be made. How I remember, those
days. That was over ten years ago, since I was ten,
turning eleven. Am I glad to be older (and wiser?)
Of course, but there is something so forgiving about
being that age and very much having the rest of your
life to live for. These children, around thirty in
all were making their way in between the groups of
tourists. A group of Americans on a guided walk, stopping
to admire the view of Sir Christopher Wren's greatest
achievement. It was only a matter of time for the
following scenario to unfold itself upon me. I was
finishing my lunch on Tuesday last week, eagerly looking
at my watch. My hour was almost up, and I wanted to
get a chance to check my personal mail accounts. A
lady of Mediterranean appearance, in her early thirties,
approached me, digital camera clasped in hand. All
she said was photograph and please. I understood.
I took some photos. Not very good ones in my humble
opinion, as only the bottom half of the cathedral
was visible in the background. I was thanked for my
time and I wished the tourist a good day. It was 12.43pm,
I headed back to the office.
As a child of the 1980s,
I am not a fan of any of the cultural icons from the
1970s.
That was very much the era of my parents and older
cousins. Very few of the shows appeal to me, apart
from a few my Dad watch. Repeats on Granada
Plus, which have in recent months, completed died
out. I did not see the re-make movie, released earlier
this year. Although I have mentioned of the leading
actors on this site before. Hopefully I will get the
chance to watch, Starsky
& Hutch very soon. Will it bring on an urge for
me to catch the television
series? I don't think so. It is not like car manufacturers
to miss out on any potential money making spin offs
when a new movie, video game or any other major entertainment
event comes around. Fiat
are no exception. Forget the Ford
Grand Torino and try on the Fiat Grand Puntino
on for size!
There was so much I wanted to write in this entry,
as I tried to make mental notes, on the train, tube,
bus and casual walks over the past few days. I really
need to keep a small note pad, to keep all this blog
bubbles recorded. Hopefully, in my next entry, at
the weekend a few of the missing pieces can be filled.
Meanwhile, I will continue to try and observe, think,
reflect and contemplate. It is getting late, and although
I have the leisure of starting two hours later than
usual at work tomorrow, the reality is, I still have
to be up by 6am. No rest for the wicked, as the saying
goes.
My sister has worked for hotels most of her adult
life. She started off at our local Forte Hotel. This
was soon taken over my Holiday
Inn. She then moved to Crowne
Plaza, with the opening of their new hotel in
Marlow. She has worked there for nearly two years,
working the unpleasantly early breakfast shift, from
5.30am until midday. She has come to serve many celebrities
in her time. (Mainly of the B-class variety) but this
week, she had the Portsmouth football team staying
for some pre-season team building before the big kick
off in August. On explaining with great enthusiasm,
who she had served coffee to Harry Redknapp and Jim
Smith, I asked her to get his autograph for me. Would
she deliver, or had the opportunity gone for ever?
Well just like Portsmouth
team that defied the odds and lived to fight another
day in the Premiership. My sister, with beaming smile
handed me a bill, as soon as I returned home from
work.
Saturday 10th July 2004
Been at working in my new job for three weeks now.
My role has not changed so much, as I am being given
a chance to help out with the help desk. Although
I am no stranger to technical support, it is strange,
when I am dealing with hundreds of members of staff.
My telephone manner, is my no means perfect, but I
do not mind talking to people on the phone. However,
a shudder of nervousness over came me, with the prospect
of answering calls and logging them on the help desk
software. Other highlights of the week include installation
of Blackberry
devices. As fantastic as wireless comms are, they
can be a pain to setup. Amazing technology, from the
Canadian company, Research
In Motion. We have covered this ground before,
but I am not a big tea drinker. I usually drink on
average two cups a day, usually to coincide with the
start and end of the working day. However, this week
I did not have my customary cup with my cereal in
the morning. On Tuesday, I strolled into the entrance
of the station, as my train pulled up. There was no
chance I would be able to run over to platform three,
within a minute. So I decided to get a cuppa. My mistake
was I went for the cheap option. Never again, will
I put myself through such torment. A regular coffee
was only 50 pence, and with a queue of customers eagerly
waiting, I had to rush. Disappointment is not the
word I would like to use. As I sipped my hot drink,
from a tacky polystyrene cup, walking down platform
two, to the subway entrance, I reacted. This was officially
the worse cup of tea I have ever drunk in my life.
I did not really wanted to finish the cup, but my
need to stay awake (for once) on the train journey
into work was the only true motivation. Would I ever
put myself through such torture again. No never. You
do not realise how important that cup is at the beginning
of your day. You are still very much sleepy, trying
to get some bearings, straining your eyes to focus
on that clock on the wall. I must confess that my
progress on reading has been extremely poor. I do,
always get my book out as soon as I embark the train
home or to work. Whether or not I am reading as we
pull into Marylebone or High Wycombe respectively
is another matter. I aim to read around ten pages
every journey with a daily target around of thirty
pages. Sometimes by the time, we get to Gerrards Cross
(only the second stop from my home station) I am struggling
to keep my eyes open and my head is slowly drifting
down into the book, to the bemusement of my fellow
passengers. On Friday, again there was a need to have
some tea to wake up my system. On this occasion I
waited until I crossed over to platform three. Java
the Hut is situated towards the exit of this platform
and this was the first time I was making any purchase
from this establishment. Once again, as I walked in
to the small coffee house, I looked at the menu. An
extensive array of choice, even for the tea. Was I
really in the need for a herbal tea? No, so I ordered
a regular tea. A great taste, which revived me as
I waited for my train. The usual train had been delayed
so I had to wait for 6.53am service. Just what the
doctor ordered. I was fully awake, when I boarded
the train, and read my Victorian novel, all the way
into Marylebone. Success at last, but at what cost.
£1, my dearest friend. That is the cost of such happiness
in the morning.
With work taking up so much of my time during the week, my weekends have become as valuable as gold dust. I must try and make the most of them, rather than collapse into my bed and drift of to sleep for several hours. Contemplating this, I have been wondering where and how to focus my energies. I am not the most sporty person in the world. Perhaps I need to join a gym again, but this time stick to it? Considering, if I am interesting person, or rather a unique person. I am not at all. I do not have many personal pursuits which make me different from the next person. This does cause me some disappointment and time is indeed slipping away. There is so much I want to do. I want to travel and see many parts of the world. I want to learn new sports and make new friends. Right now? I feel quite a substandard individual. I recall reading somewhere, that one's blog is suppose to exacerbate my self-proclaimed uniqueness to the world. Does my blog do this? No, not at all, because I feel I am not as unique as some may want to believe. Personally, I am drawing the conclusion that this is very much a transition period in my life. Of course there are many things I want to do, many things I want to achieve. The time just is not right. Things need to fall into place. When they do, I will know. Opportunities will open themselves and so with them shall my chances of success.
Was hoping to was my car this afternoon. The day started off, clear and fine, even if there was a slight chill in the air. This did not prepare us for what was to the turn, the heavens were to take. While driving on the M40, the short distance to Slough, what appeared to be a slight drizzle turned into torrential down pour. Visibility dropped, with all the water spray, and the cars across all four lanes, slowed down to meet the changing road conditions. No chance on cleaning my car today. Maybe tomorrow, will bring with it, much better weather.
Nearly two months have passed since I returned to
Wycombe. I have made little or no attempt to contact
some of my dearest friends. So far, I have met up
with a few and send SMS to a few more. Still no planned
meetings, which is a great shame. Particularly with
some of my friends whom I've known since school. I
do feel great guilt for not made more of an effort,
but I must remind myself that with the summer upon
us, and the school children imminently breaking up
for their holidays. Time is not on anyone's side at
this moment.
The music video for the forthcoming cinema release,
Thunderbirds
is getting plenty of airplay on all the music channels.
I know Busted are not exactly the most popular modern
band and the lyrics of the song for the movie
still leave very much to be desired. The rights to
the actual television series were purchased
by Carlton
and there are plans to screen them soon in the UK.
I hope they touch
down soon after the movie hits the cinema screens
this summer. I feel like a kid waiting for to go to
the cinema for the first time. In some ways, I do
wish I was ten years younger and anticipating this
big summer blockbuster, with all the merchandising
and other corporate tie-ins. There was a time, when
I too would been drawn in by such promotions. "Cause
now the boys are back in town, no strings to hold
them down, down."
Sunday 4th July 2004
This evening, I turn to the dreary subject of football and
with it England. I have finally decided to discuss
it, as the dust begins to settle, with the final taking
place this evening. What I love about international
tournaments, is how it turns everyone into football
fans. Even those, who have not even a passing interest
in the national sport. One clear case is my dear friend
Sippy. He is completely oblivious to everything football
and most things sporting. Expect for WWE wrestling,
(but is that more light entertainment?). Unexpectedly,
I received a text message from him, minutes into the
first game against France. He was out in his back
garden, for a family barbeque, while they watched
the game. Of all the people, I did not expect an SMS
from him at that moment in time. Rather still, noting
it was from him, I expected something more familiar,
such as, "Come online mate" or "What you up to matey?".
Instead, it had the mortal words, "Come on Eng-er-land!".
The tide had indeed turned, but I was more concerned
with how long would this interest last? I had little
time to ponder the quarter final against Portugal.
I was at work, had a busy day, very much more concerned
with the pending tube strike, the following week.
When it came down to the match, I felt deep in my
heart, that maybe, just maybe England could provide
us with that memorable moment. A player, come to life
for the big occasion and show some signs of pure genius.
When Owen, gave England the lead, with a defiant touch
of excellence of the outside of his right foot, to
lob Ricardo and send all England fans ecstatic. How
sweet did that moment feel? Would it last? I knew
that we were in for a game now, and something for
the neutral to savour. But then, what happened? Rather
than go and kill Portugal off, with a second or even
third goal, the play became stagnated. Then twenty
six minutes into the game, our star sensation, went
off injured. The game changed. Hope faded. Well maybe,
just in my head. My heart was telling me, to wake
up. England were still one nil up, holding onto the
game. For the time being. As the game drew on, I felt
that England could just do this. Hope turned to joy,
when Figo was substituted. Could England really hold
on? But it was short lived, with Postiga's equalizer.
England had opted to play more defensively and hold
on to the lead, perhaps breaking on the counter, to
nick a goal. I feel in qualifying games, this is an
ideal game plan, but in the knock out stages of a
major tournament? Who knows the full reasons for the
game to turn in a split second. Then a moment, that
we had all witness, six years ago. Sol Campbell, rose
highest to meet the ball for a header. The ball was
in the back of the net. Pure elation for all England
fans! We were through. Then we look to the referee,
Urs Meier. He had disallowed it. Incorrectly and robbed
us of the victory. With extra time beckoning, the
thought and failure of penalties came into my mind.
Please, boys, spare us from the inevitable drama,
such conclusions to a match bring. Win the game, in
extra time, if need be. Please not, those spot kicks
again. I heart sank the moment Portugal scored to
take the lead late into the second period of extra
time. Could England respond? Could we drag ourselves
back into the game, after spending some 80 minutes,
defending a lead. Prospects looked bleak, until a
late corner, taken by Beckham, swung in near post,
for Lampard to control, turn and shoot. YEAH! England
had equalized. We were back in the game. Sheer joy
flooded my body all over, and a strange sense of warmth
overcame me mentally. Would this really be our year?
Could all those years of hurt come to end? It was
not to be. When the penalty shoot out commenced, I
was unsure with only a few of the England takers.
Those who eventually missed, were clear favourites
to net a tick on the England score card. Why does
this
always happen to us? Maybe because penalty kicks can
never been practiced. Think about it.
Can you believe it is July? Where has the time gone?
Been quite busy this weekend, went over to the Henley Regatta yesterday evening, for the fireworks. Then today was spent at a friend's wedding in Elstree, Hertfordshire. Hope to upload some images soon. Wish I had time to write more on these subjects, but the time is taking over me. I need to start preparing for the working week, and winding down my weekend.
It hurts when you look at me that way
It scares me to hear the things you say
'Cause god only knows what i would do
If i had to live life without you
I see the sadness in your eyes
And i know i should have spent more time
'Cause god only knows I'd be a fool
Yes i would
To think that there's someone else but you
Friday 2nd July 2004
Friday, a great day of the week. It has been my favourite
day, since first school. Now it usually takes two
turns. I can either feel high. Full of bags of energy
and have a great urgency to do everything. Or the
flip side, worse still, I am heavily tired and exhausted
from the working week and seek nothing but sleep.
I come in, undress and usually lounge about watching
TV. Before long, I am fast asleep on the sofa. Not
the best way to spend a Friday night. Then again,
neither is first option. A careful balance between
the two would be ideal, but I know will never really
materialize.
Quite a busy weekend planned, so most likely will
not be able to blog again until late Sunday evening.
There is so much I want to write and discuss, I have
made notes on a few sheets of paper, just so I do
not forget to include various events which occurred
during the previous week. Do you like the slight changes
to the comments dialog box?
Thursday 1st July 2004
Eight days into my new job, and disaster did really
strike.
I had a few options. Bite the bullet and drive in.
Consider paying over the odds for a taxi from Marylebone
station to the office? Or risk a crowded bus? On the
train home, on Tuesday evening, I overheard someone
saying that they were driving back into London, later
that evening and booking into a hotel for the night.
This seemed at first glance, a great idea, until you
think about the car. You have to check out by 11am
and then where can you park your car for some 6 hours?
Exactly. Having consider all the options, I took the
advice from Transport
for London. Walk. On the tube map, and even in
the A
to Z, the distance appeared to be exhausting.
Estimating, that the few miles could be covered in
around thirty minutes, I checked my train timetable.
To be within a realistic chance of getting to work
on time, I would need to catch the 06.03 service from
High Wycombe. Not a problem. Thankfully, a lift from
my sister made the journey possible. I usually catch
the first 326 service into town, on a weekday, so
a lift was the only option. It is strange how different
the streets of London are, when comparing them with
a map. At times, I felt I was heading in the wrong
direction, using my rather modest sense of direction
to guide me to the office. From Marylebone station,
it was across to Baker Street and walking down to
Oxford Street. London, in the early hours is a world
apart from how I recall the city. The deserted pavements,
with the occasional commuter, also letting the feet
take the strain. The rest were packed like sardines
into buses, with major queues forming, at every stop.
Delivery vans, were unloading to some of the biggest
high street names, making the best of the light morning
traffic. All those super brand stores, including some
of the most famous stores in the world. I suppose,
if I was a coffee lover, I would be in heaven in this
part of town. Starbucks
for as far as the eye can see, and almost around every
corner. Those who have seen Shrek
2, will know what I mean, on this point. Arriving
at a similar time at the office, as I would have done,
if I had made the twenty minute tube journey. Which
do I prefer, well I will let you be the judge of that!
My role at work is becoming more hands on. Given
more responsibility. We all know, that with great
power comes great
responsibility. Nerve racking when you have to
start working on your own, but it is not too bad and
the jobs that need to be undertaken are quite simply.
Just got to remember how to cope with those every
occurring sticky situations. Enjoyment is important
in the work place and I am enjoying my work. The work
day is just right, even though I start at 8am and
finish at 4pm. Which to many people sounds highly
tantalizing, the fact that there are over two hours
of traveling to add onto the front and end of those
allotted hours. Twelve hours away from the house,
seems somewhat disheartening, as you are only working
for eight of those. Oh well, this is life.
So, we come to my journey home. I decided to head
back in the same direction. Walking, perhaps at this
time of day, was ill advised. The hustle and bustle
of Oxford Street on a weekday afternoon. How can I
describe it? Hundreds of tourists, visitors and shoppers,
wandering the pavements with a sense of ease and disengagement.
While within their mists you have a hundred more,
commuters trying to get somewhere. I was with them,
that wet afternoon. I hit rapid pace, once I got onto
Oxford Street. The crowds were too much, with the
queues for buses, made up of hoards of people, stretched
across the right of way, for all pedestrians. Every
now and gain, I would switch up a gear from a swift
walk, to a jog, to a quick run. I am not fit. I know
I desperately need to get fit. My body was never designed
for more than a gentle stroll, and a short one for
that matter. However, knowing that time was pressing
upon me, like the rain, now softly coming down across
my face, I had to take some action. As I turned right
onto Baker Street, with the rain coming down, much
harder now. I knew this was it. I jogged at some pace
up to the tube station. The traffic was beginning
to get heavy now, the rush hour would be soon upon
us. Why is it referred to as an hour, when it lasts
much more longer than that. Never mind, I did not
have time for such trivial questions. The station
was about ten minutes away, ten minutes which I did
not have to spare. So, in an attempt to make sure
I got to the station in good time, I had no choice.
I needed to run. Run as fast as I could. I hit the
turbo
boost and not a moment too soon. I was lucky with
the road traffic too, able to rush across the streets
with no black cabs heading for me. I accelerated past
a older gentleman, who had be running for at least
half an hour. He appeared in much shaper than me,
even taking into account his age. I sped past him
and rushed to the station and did not stop until I
reached the ticket barrier. As I entered the platform,
I noted the time on the platform clock. 16:59 All
my running, swift walking, dodging of other pedestrians
had paid off. I had made it to the station in time
for my train. Why, oh why had the walk taken over
thirty minutes longer, ten hours later in the day?
I boarded my bus home at 17:57, again noting the time
on the bay clock. As the 326 pulled out of Newlands
Bus Station, the sun was shining. After a day of rain,
wind and tall orders, I felt some satisfaction. For
whatever the reasons, others had decided to make sure
my day would be awful. You too are entitled to your
view
on this industrial dispute and subsequent action.
Did they succeed? Of course not. I forgot to mention,
one last option that was always open to me. To stay
in bed.
Sunday 27th June 2004
Following six months and three days without going
to the pictures, I decided to put things right. Went
to see, Shrek
2 last night at the fabulous O2
Centre on Finchley
Road. On my daily journey to work, I see the leisure
centre, from my train. As you know, my favourite brand
of cinema is Warner Village, recently re-branded as
Vue.
I had not seen the first movie in full, just patches
of the ending on Sky.
This was not a major problem, because the movie standards
up very well on it's own. Overall, it was an entertaining
way to spend a few hours on a Saturday evening and
there are very clever touches and jokes which are
aimed specifically at the adults in the audience.
I have now seen quite a few computer animated features,
but my favourite still remains, Toy
Story 2. It has the most amazing and ingenious
opening and I love the hero, he is something else.
Talking of films, there are plenty of films I want
to go and see this summer. Saw the trailers for Spiderman
2 and also Thunderbirds.
Another is the classic Around The World in 80 Days. To those of you you remember the animated cartoon from the late 80s, which featured all the characters as animals. Fogg was a lion, if I recall correctly. This should be a real treat, particularly as it stars Jackie Chan.
While I was at middle school, every Friday afternoon I would head over to my
friend Andrew's house. He was one of my best friends
at school and we knew each other for a good ten years.
When got to his house, we would rush through our Maths
and English homework. Then at 6pm it was time for
tea. Then we would go into his living room, switch
on the television and settle down. It was time for
Thunderbirds. This was by far my favourite of all
of Gerry Anderson's creations, although Captain Scarlet
did have some great things going for it. For a series
created in the 60s and with a case of puppets, it
stood up very well, some thirty years later on some
impressionable eleven year old boys. Yes, we had computers
then and some basic games consoles (16 bit anybody?)
but the drama of the show, just captured our imagination
in a way no other form of entertainment could. It
was at this moment in time that all of Anderson's
classic shows were making a comeback, for a new generation
of children to enjoy. The culmination of this was
when Anther
Turner created a replica of Tracey Island. The
toy, become the most popular of 1992, and sold out,
so many children (and parents) decided to build their
own, with the help of Blue
Peter.
I have a confession to make. I have not been able to pick up a copy of the Metro at all last week. I see many people reading it in the mornings, but never get the chance to pick up a copy for myself. Even some of my colleagues read it in the office, but still I have not been able to read it.
Friday 25th June 2004
Friday, and the end of my official week at work.
How has it been? Well it has been very different from
what I expected, I give you that. During the course
of the week, the commuting was physically causing
me some issues, but at this moment in time, I feel
great. Maybe it is just that Friday feeling? Compared
to my journey during my placement year, this is a
walk in the park and includes 0.04% of the stress.
Of course, there is fact that other people how the
destiny of whether I get to work on time. Rather than
me being more in control, behind the wheel of my car.
But there are many benefits. No high fuel bills, no
issues with parking. It is literally a case of jumping
on the bus and then train and getting into work. My
hours are also much more convenient, which means I
miss the major rush in the morning and early evening.
The only real problem I have had this week, is having
to lug my briefcase around, particularly on the tube.
I am going to get something smaller and more suitable
for my journey this weekend. (Damn, I'm really starting
to sound like a woman on here!) After all, I only
carry a book and some notes. Does this really justify
me carrying the thing all the way to the City and
back every day?
My Dad drove over to Germany in 1996 on a business
trip. He was driving the company Ford Sierra at the
time. On this drive over to the continent, he found
a collection of cassette tapes (remember them?) in
the car. He listened to one, to it's death on the
journey. The album, was a collection of old school,
RnB tracks, featuring such artists as Incognito and
R. Kelly. My favourite track on this album, was by
an early 90s female trio, with amazing soulful voices.
It is a shame they did not gain as much popularity
here, as they did in their native America. Accomplished
song writers in their own right, as clearly demonstrated
on Bet's
Listening Party. Well you will be glad to know
that Javine, one of the losers from ITV's Popstars
- The Rivals, has covered the track. I saw the video
for the first time this evening on MTV
Hits. My first impression is that she has decided
to add her own unique style to the proceedings, but
I am no sure if she has captured the inner beauty
of the original (if that is at all possible). We shall
see, but not sure what the gang over at PopJustice
will make of it. Luckily, Kiss and Smash Hits have
both added the classic, Jade track to their play lists!
;)
If I let you come inside, tomorrow will you hide
Will you be there for me, when I need someone to hold
Baby don't misunderstand, I do want you for my man
I just need a little time, before I invest you my love
Don't walk away boy, my love won't hurt you
Don't walk away boy, I'll be right there for you
Thursday 24th June 2004
Something that I have missed from my previous two
entries. I have started reading again. After an absence
of some four years, which has meant the last time
I picked up a book was during my last A Level English
Literature exam. Shameful, I admit. On Monday, I decided
against reading a book. I wanted to concentrate on
my journey and getting to work at a reasonable time.
On Tuesday morning, in a frantic rush, I went into
my sisters' bedroom. There were books on the shelves
and on the dressing table. Most of these were, what
I would describe as pop culture books. Popular, easy
to dip into modern literature. However, I was seeking
something a bit more substantial, a story with some
depth an overall experience. As I waded through a
pile, I found Crime
and Punishment. (It was voted into 60th
place by viewers of the BBC
Big Read.) Written in the Victorian era, by Russian
author Fyodor
Dostoevsky, the book appealed to me, for the struggle
that the main character must face. Something I quickly
picked up from reading the blurb on the back cover.
It was duely placed into my briefcase and I begin
reading the moment I stepped upon my train to London.
So far, it has been an engaging read, very well structured,
if with a rapid pace of events. I will keep you posted
with my progress.
Wednesday it rained quite heavily in London and the
weather did not improve during the course of the day.
Overall it was a day, which felt more like September
than mid June. But overall, a satisfying day, for
I feel I earned my money. The morning started with
very much, 'more of the same'. Imaging and re-imaging
PCs in the workshop. Then in the afternoon, it was
a case of heading over to the 8th floor, which I discovered
was deserted. A clear up operation ensued, with monitors,
printers and any other hardware being moved into a
central location. One of the largest offices. Then,
the tough job of clearing up power cables and CAT5e
cables from desks, floors and behind walls. Not the
sort of manual labour you want to carry out, while
wearing a brand new suit. Oh, well, it had to be done.
:) Although, it was overcast, the view from the 8th
floor was impressive. From the back off the building
you could clearly see the London
Eye and part of the Palace of Westminister. Also
a great spot from which to capture Saint Paul's Cathedral.
Later on in the summer, I will take my digital camera
into work and take some photos. This should give a
blunt clue to my location in the City.
You may note that I receive some comments with regards
to the Gillette Mach 3 advertising. Well a man on
the inside, has e-mailed me explaining in detail his
opinion and those of much higher standing in the industry.
They all feel that the 'copy' (words of commercial)
do not fit the concept of a razor. Since when did
you have an angel by your side as you cut yourself,
in a daze at 5.23am. Great to be able to get the view
from across the pond.
So, now to today. Thursday. I got up late, 5.20am
(yes that is late, I should be up by 5am!). Even though
at 4:43am, my body clock wakes me up automatically.
Strange how your body and mind is able to adjust to
a new routine, so quickly. The bus I catch, takes
me into the bus station. However, I filled in a questionnaire,
from Buckinghamshire
County Council, which was conducted to get an
indication of the popularity of a direct service to
the station from the suburbs. The trains are quite
frequent, the 6.39am service stops at all stations
to Marylebone. I had caught it on Tuesday and Wednesday.
However, as I entered the station, I saw it waiting
on platform 3. Everyone appeared to have boarded the
train already. Damn! No choice, I had to make a dash
for it, down the subway, underneath the rail lines.
Just before I got to the other side of this underground
passage, I heard the turbo diesel engines, roar into
life. Then slowly, felt the train above my head moving
away from the station. My running came to an abrupt
stop. I panicked, again. Wondering what time I would
get into work now. 8:30am, perhaps? When was the next
train? I checked the electronic screens. I had 13
minutes to wait. So I took a seat, still thinking
of how I would go about explaining my poor time keeping
to my manager, on my fourth day! :S Then, I noticed
that the train to Marylebone, only stopped at Beaconsfield
and Gerrards Cross. Fantastic. I should be able to
make up the lost time and perhaps even beat the earlier
train into London. The week was catching up with me.
Well, my body at least. Reading would have been a
waste, because my brain, was just not ready to take
in, anything really. I drifted off to sleep, with
my head lent against the window. I awoke, from my
sleep to discover that we were just heading into the
station. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at my watch. 7.28am.
Fantastic. I would be able to use Marylebone tube
station before it closes for the morning. I am beginning
to learn, that for Teg, there is never just the option
of one last chance saloon. ;)
Can you believe that it is only 6 months until Christmas Eve? Where has the time gone?
Wondering what track I would associate with my first
week at work? Well, in the IT workshop, the radio
is exclusively tuned into Capital
FM. A song I have grown to love and keep humming
along to on my travels on the train. along to is "This
Love" by Maroon 5.
Tuesday 22nd June 2004
Two days into my new job and new routine. I have
to admit, even as invincible as I am to the daily
commute, I am slightly tired. Firstly, let me guide
you through my first official day. London and the
bright lights of the City. It was hectic, that I had
expected. But there were some comforting surprises
and other delights :) . However, let us begin, very
much at the beginning.
I woke up, just before 6am and knew I had to be at
my bus stop by 7.20am. This particular stop, is conveniently
placed to the rear of my house and our housing state.
With the proximity of the Asda superstore, the 329
Arriva
bus service runs every 15 minutes. My breakfast was
light cereal, I had wanted some Kellogg's
Crunchy Nut Cornflakes had to make do with Weetabix
Weetos.
Never mind. I arrived at the bus stop, and within
a minute, the bus arrived. So far, everything was
going like clockwork. There was only one other person
on the bus, but slowly it filled up with other early
birds, making their journey to work. A blonde guy,
aged around 17, was playing his music loud. By definition
I mean, the sound of his music was clearly audible
over the sound of the aging diesel engine of the bus.
He listened to No Doubt and some other trance music.
This did not bother me in the slightest, but I noticed
other passengers, being concerned and some showing
their disgust by their facial expressions. Newlands
Bus Station was the destination and just before 8am,
the first leg of my journey was complete. Now, the
casual stroll across a deserted High Wycombe town
centre, across to the train station. I had planned
to catch the earlier train, but got through the gates
to see the 8.07am train waiting at platform one. The
start time I had been given was 9.30am, so my journey
planning allowed for any delays, either with the bus,
train or tube. This service by Chiltern
Railways is one of the fastest to London, with
only a few stops before terminating at Marylebone.
At Wycombe, there was only a trickle of commuters,
but at the stops of Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross
(which generally are next down the line) the train
filled up. I sat opposite a old gentleman. He sat
down with Daily
Mail in hand, and clutched an attaché case.
To be surprise, he opened it, to reveal a modern Sony
Walkman. The new shape, which are almost completely
circular. As the train moved out of the station and
onward, he rushed to get plugged into his music. Unlike
the passenger on the bus earlier, he had the courtesy
to play his music at a discreet level. Therefore,
I was unable to decipher what he was listening to.
My original guess, was classical. His next move, was
to begin the crossword. Franticly jotting down possible
words on the borders of his paper. So this continued,
until the crossword was complete. Then, it was a case
of digesting the morning news. Other passengers I
observed? Well a old lady came and sat down next to
be at our next stop. She was at least in her mid fifties.
She too carried a case of some description. As the
train rattled towards the capital, she got out two
booklets. On closer examination, I discovered they
were prospectuses. But not just any old prospectuses.
No sir. They were for Oxford
and Cambridge.
The institutions which produce the great minds of
our society and recognised across the world as the
locations of academic excellence. Perhaps she was
considering heading back into education and wanting
to gain some self satisfaction from the achievement.
The train arrived into London Marylebone on time.
Most of the other commuters were in a hurry, making
a mad dash for the exits off the platform. I had time
to spare, but still wanting to get to my destination
with time to spare, rather than making up the final
leg in a mad rush. Little did I know, of the unexpected
event that lay before me.
With the works to the escalators at Marylebone
tube station (as mentioned on my Friday entry) I scrolled
over to Baker
Street. From here, it was a case of jumping on
the southbound Bakerloo line, heading to Embankment.
Overall, the tube was busy, cramped, hectic and hot.
I was almost there, I looked at my watch, as I strode
the escalators up to the northbound district and circle
line platform. It was 8.59am, I had plenty of time.
Then, as I reached the top of the stairs, I noticed
a large hoard of people, standing aimlessly and confused.
Then, I saw the empty tube train. What was going on?
The voice over the PA, confirmed my worst fears. A
suspect package at Blackfriars
I panicked. What should I do? Risk paying over the
odds for a taxi? Try to catch an alternative tube
to reach a station nearby. My initial instinct was
to go for the first option, so I headed out of the
station. Coming across a tube map, I began to ponder
the options and then realised that station I had used
on Friday. At pace, I swiftly changed direction and
headed back into the station and for the Northern
Line platform. The situation was causing me great
bother, mainly the pressure of time, which was increasing
by the second. I did not want to be be late. Then
again, I did not want to arrive exceptionally late,
so 10am. But did I make the best logistic decision?
God knows. I retraced my steps from my walk on Friday
morning. I made it into the office at 9.45am, to discover
the receptionist on the phone, to the HR officer,
requesting my name badge to be printed. Just in time.
This adds a completely new dimension to the phrase.
My first day was filled with interesting observations.
Firstly, I was surprised by the general relaxed nature
around the office. IT Support can be very hectic at
times, particularly when it is all hands on deck for
some major fire fighting. My assumption was that a
big international law firm would be slightly more
tuned in, when dealing with major conglomerates around
the world. To the contrary, all departments I have
visited so far, do not seem to have any sense of real
urgency. People are quietly busy, getting on with
their allotted task. Maybe this is just their way.
I am now a small clog, in that very big machine. :)
My working day, finished at 5.30pm. I headed back
to Marylebone to catch the train home. I will not
bore you with the details, the journey was quiet,
without incident. A couple, from Birmingham had just
been to the opening day of Wimbledon.
They had a portable television, remember those? Trying
desperately to watch the final few sets of the tennis,
before switching over for the big match. It was when
I got into Wycombe, and the bus station when things
started to get interesting. The bus I catch is the
326. It has two rounds and circles two separates areas
of the town. As it pulled into the station, I boarded,
thinking it was making the second journey, towards
the south. I was sadly mistaken. The signs were apparent,
as soon as we headed out of the station. Instead of
the taking the customary turning off the main roundabout,
the driver headed east. My heart sang. Would I get
home in time for the big match? The second half, looked
like a distant prospect. The driver was a jolly West
Indian gentleman. When we arrived deep into Micklefield,
the point at which the bus terminates, he turned to
me and said, "Where to sir?" I explained my proposed
destination. He responded, with a slight snigger,
"you got da rong circuit. The 315 is what you be wanting.
If you lucky, you get the next one leaving the station".
I just nodded in acknowledgement, feeling embarrassed
at my mistake. The bus service, 315 the driver referred
to was the weekend and evening service. I recalled
that it made a cross country journey through High
Wycombe town centre, starting off high at the top
of the valley, in Flackwell Heath and then across
to the quiet suburb of Lane End. So I was ending back
into Wycombe, hoping to catch the 'correct' bus this
time around. Just around the corner from the station,
the bus made an unexpected stop in the middle of the
road. The bus driver, opened his slide window and
called out to his colleague. The driver of the 315.
"I got wan for ya...!" Instantly the driver responded
and pulled his bus to the side of the road. I rushed
from my seat, dazed by the events occurring. I jumped
off the bus and thanked the jovial driver for all
his help. He had been a star. Running as fast as I
could, with a brief case in my left hand, I crossed
the road and boarded the bus. Job done.
I arrived home, with the sun setting behind the neighbouring
estate, streaks of sunshine gleaming behind the long
trees. A picturesque scene, which needed to be captured.
I looked at my watch. It was 7.57pm. I had been out
of the house thirteen hours. As I rang the doorbell,
the clock struck 8pm. As events became apparent, England
were heading out of the European
Championships. Luckily, someone decided to come
out of his premature retirement from scoring international
goals. Then, a special young boy
thought he would let the world know of his talent.
:) Bring on the hosts!
As if you have not got tired of reading this entry
already, I still have a few other after thoughts to
add. Hopefully, we be able to update later in the
week. I hope to add some more images, so you can get
the sense of my general day. So feel free to leave
your comments and messages for me. I will try my best
to get in touch with you all.
Sunday 20th June 2004
Smooth. That is how I would describe several people
I know. But predominately I have noticed something.
That the smoothest people I know, are black. There
is just something special, unique or sophisticated,
in the way they pull this off. A friend for example,
would put on his shades, plugging his iPod and head
of to Uni. Nothing particularly interesting in that.
Well sure, but the way in which he strolls over to
Uni, is just amazing. It is as if he does not have
a care in the world and is very much away, the music
taking him to some distant shore. There are very few
white men that can carry off such a move. There are
of course, exceptions to this rule and David Beckham
is one such person. My case in point is, the new television
commercials, featuring him. If you have missed them
so far, view
them, you will not be disappointed. The moment
you need to watch out for his Mr. B coming down some
stairs in a nice black suit and smiling. (SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH)
That is the only word that comes to mind to describe
the moment.
Question for the ladies. Is it okay to appreciate
the finer parts of man's appearance. David Beckham.
I have noticed throughout my life, girls always describe
other girls as 'pretty'. Why is this so? Us guys are
never so general with our comments. But then perhaps it is our directness that gets us into so much trouble! :S
As if you needed reminding, it is Father's Day today.
And, how can I sum up the day? Well I can do so, with
a few special words, bought to you by our sponsor.
You know the feeling
Every guy's had it
Your unbeatable
Unstoppable
You've got that walking on water feeling
You look - they smile
You win - they go home
It's the feeling you get every day
With the closest shave
Mach 3 Turbo
Every move is smooth
Every word is cool
I never want to lose that feeling...
Saturday 19th June 2004
Went out to Milton
Keynes this morning, with a old work colleague
from my placement year. We went there from his house,
so I got to experience the Golf
experience. As you may well be aware, I am not a big
fan of the marquee, because I think it is highly overrated.
But then again, you can't beat German engineering,
particularly if you tend to go for the top end of
the range. The R32 or the V6 Motion. Having purchased
the later, but decided upon the mark IV model, I knew
the right choice had been made. A plush leather interior
and the humming sound of an engine, that could turn
at the slight pressure on the pedal, to the roar of
a lion. Then, you are pushed back into your seat as
the 2.8l V6 producing 200 bhp comes into life. A truly
breathtaking car, with earth shattering performance.
Would I buy one? To be honest, no. Why? A car should
reflect more than just your personality. If it needs
to make a statement of who you are, it also needs
tell people, where you've been. Sorry, but for me,
it never will be GTI Forever. No matter what the hype.
Following my visit to London, yesterday, some further after thoughts. When
heading towards the Northern Line platform at London
Bridge, I was approached. Well, stopped really,
but an old black gentleman, quite smartly dressed.
He shook my hand, with the words, "Aslam a lakem".
Now, do I really look like a Muslim? I think not,
but obviously to this guy I was. Anyway, I thought
he wanted some directions and was about to get my
tube map out, when he suddenly asked for some money.
This took me slightly by surprise. Particularly when
he was well dressed and in the mould of Patrick Truman.
Well I made my excuses and disappeared onto my platform.
All I can say is that I think it is easy to tell if
a girl is Muslim, than if a guy is Muslim. Do you
agree? Leave your thoughts, if you may.
The third series of Bo
Selecta! started last night. Overall, the program
was fantastic but I was disappointed that my favourite
character got such a small slice of the action. Michael
Jackson has a great following. It has only been recently
that I have been able to comprehend why this is so.
He is portrayed on the show, with a comic touch of
Eddie
Murphy and the vocal talent of Don King. To note
this in true reflection, you need to watch Don
King: Only in America. This TV movie from 1997,
has Ving
Rhames in the title role and he captures the essence
of the boxing promoter in excellent form. To appreciate
this fully, go back and watch some of the MJ sketches
from series one and two. Everything falls into place
and you realise that Michael Jackson, is truly a King.
The format of the show has changed, also and I am
not sure how well this works. Is Avid Merrion, essential
a talk show host? He was much better as the obsessive
celebrity stalker. Time will tell, but I just hope
that this is not the beginning of the end of such
a fantastic comical concept.
Will try and blog tomorrow, but I feel I may not get the chance. Will be busy with Father's Day and then preparing myself for my first big day at work. Excited. Anxious.
Friday 18th June 2004
Preparation is important with everything in your
life. Always "Do you homework!" That is something,
that rings in my ears regularly. So this morning,
I set off on my daily commute, as if I was going to
work. This dummy run, was purely to check the timing
of the bus, train and then tube services to my new
place of work. Also to plan for any possible disruption
and have a backup plan. Overall, the journey went
to plan. I picked up the bus at 7.30am, outside my
house and then caught the 8.07am Chiltern
Railways service to London Marylebone. Then, I
find that the Marylebone
tube station is closed from 7.30 until 9.35am on weekdays
for work on the escalators. Never mind, Baker
Street is literally a stones throw away. I think
it was at this point, I lost some valuable travel
time. In London a few minutes can make a difference.
Anyhow, not a major problem. From here, I took the
Bakerloo line all the way to Embankment.
It is here, I transfer across to the Circle or District
platform. Two stops down the line is my exit, Blackfriars.
I walked past the office at 9.33am, a few minutes
behind schedule, to see a familiar face behind the
reception desk. I noticed a few people enter. Then
my mind was racing. How many of my potential future
colleagues, had I perhaps seen on my tube journey?
Had we made eye contact, perhaps stood next to each
other, completely unaware of the connections that
would be made next week.
Having completely my covert surveillance operation
with some success, I decided to stick around in the
neighbourhood. Having bought along my digital camera,
to take some photos, I headed towards St. Paul's Cathedral.
Literally around the corner, I noticed a hoard of
tourists patiently waiting to be taken on their guided
tour. Obviously I do not want to give away the exact
location of my work place, but those of you, whom
know London well, should be able to make an educated
guess. Deciding to avoid the hassle of the foreign
visitors to our capital
I searched for some good vantage points to take some
photos. There were a few, but as I headed around the
corner, I saw the Millennium
Bridge. Great, a fantastic spot to take some photos
of the City Skyline and also images of the river and
surrounding area. I took some 30 images in total,
but below is in my opinion the best. On my trails
around the web, I have discovered, Andrew's
Photolog, a unique collection of candid shots
taken across the city. The penny drops as I realise
the potency of a black and white image.
At this point, I suddenly had an urge to visit Starbucks.
I am not a coffee drinker and actually personally
detest the drink. (How can people drink that first
thing in the morning?) Anyway, I still wanted to head
over there. So I decided upon the branch in Leicester
Square. I felt rather silly at one point, ordering
a standard English breakfast tea, with a menu showing
the delights of the coffee bean from all corners of
the earth and available in every imaginable variety.
This was only my second visit to a Starbucks. Having
visited the Leicester outlet in June 2001. I enjoyed
my medium sized tea, and double chocolate muffin.
Then headed off back into Leicester Square, wondering
what to do next.
I decided to head north, and visit Brent Cross Shopping Centre, with a friend. First time here, but no comparison to the impressive BullRing Birmingham. Then caught a bus to Harrow, some twenty minutes away. Had lunch at in the patriotically named, St. George's Shopping Centre. Then decided, it was time to head back home.
What do you do when you see an old friend? I saw
an old school friend this afternoon, as I was heading
back home. He did not see me, as he was too busy chatting
to his friends, but I saw him. It cross my mind, to
at least say hello, but I did not know what reaction
this may provoke. Also, what would we say, beyond,
the formal how are you? I therefore made the decision
to just walk on by. If it had been someone else, I
may have gathered the courage to at least say hi.
But this was an exception to the rule. We parted on
bad terms and I feel he may still bear some grudge,
even though it was over two years ago now. What surprised
me, was the fact that he was still kicking around
in Wycombe. A town he hated to the core, and boiled
up several plans of escape. All which had ended in
failure, with his subsequent return back to his hometown.
I hope he is doing well. I hope one day, he can learn
to forgive me. For, for whatever harm I may have done.
Wednesday 16th June 2004
I start work on Monday. Although, somewhat nervous,
apprehensive and generally daunted by the prospect
of this new position in the City, I am trying to build
up some confidence. I have been crawling around various
websites, reading up the all important advice to make
sure my first day goes swimmingly. It was during this
search, that I came across this humorous site. Unless
you have have never worked in your life so far, you
will have come across the concept of Office
Politics. Described by some as the underworld
of work, this is indeed the campaign of murmurings
from the tea lady to the company director that can
bring with it, both promotion, demotion and the P45.
All on the basis of what is said, to whom and when.
This site, is hilarious. I was on the floor, when
I read the Induction entry from the HR
Horrors sections. So please read some of this
website, because you will discover that sometimes
the truth hurts and sometimes it is plainly hysterical.
Every aspect of working life is covering from appraisals
to company cars to technology. Just make sure you
visit in your lunch hour, and not when the boss is
pressing you for that report, you were supposed to
submit last week. Then again, you might want some
practical advice on surviving, office politics in
the workplace.
Plenty there, to make sure you moving in the right
direction. Have I made the right decision? Well, I
should be able to answer that with some confidence,
next week. Give me time.
I bought the England
home shirt today. My previous English shirts have
included, the European Championships home shirt from
1996 and 2000. Then the home shirt for France 98.
I particularly like this new shirt, because it is
reversible and was quite good value for money. Shall
be wearing with pride tomorrow afternoon! Will England,
do the business against the unpredictable Swiss? Of
course, have the Arsenal away shirt from last season
and the home shirt from the 2001 season.
Not much else to report at the moment, I'm afraid.
Although, I have updated the Audio page for the first time in over two months. I have come across some
interesting blogs, via
which uses the London Underground tube network, as
away of categorizing all the capital blogs. There
have been some unique and creative blogs, but nothing
jumping out at me, to warrant inclusion on my blog
roll. Having said that, I still need to spend more
time going through the site. So far, I have only concentrate
on tube stations I have used in the past week or so.
If you come across any blogs that you suggest I take
a peek at, I will be more than happy to do so. Just
drop me an e-mail please.
Monday 14th June 2004
Why do we do it? Why do the English national squad always press the self-destruct button? Why, in the last dying moments of the opening group game of an international tournament do we lose that all important concentration and fall flat on our faces? All that when you are in a commanding position for 90 minutes, defending a one nil lead, playing some good football to contain the deadly French strikers.
A draw, which I felt that game was deserving of, would have been at least partially acceptable. But to throw away your lead, in such a manner, and then one lapse in concentration, to be followed by a cynical back pass, which players like Henry, live for.
How do I feel, at 4 minutes passed 10 (last night)? Well totally dejected, frustrated and empty.
"It could have been all songs in the street, it was nearly complete, it was nearly so sweet".
I think as an England fan, you have to realise that there are far more, what could have been scenarios than there are moments of sheer joy. France did not win the game, the English lost in. In more ways than one.
Under normal circumstances, I would trailing around various news sites to get
the full post-match analysis on the England game.
But today, I am going to do something slightly different.
To get the view from the fan, I am searching for a
blog entry from an depressed England fan. So far found,
Diary
of an England fan. Just a shame it has not been
updated with recent events. If you find any blogs
that discuss the English
defeat, please let me know.
During the half time ad break during the England game, did you notice an rather below the belt act by ITV? They showed a mock up of the BBC Euro2004 trails, with Larson of Sweden. Then, for the voice over to say, "We don't want no artists of football, you PLANK! We just want to watch the football!" Then show the details for their up and coming matches, this evening.
I never thought that ITV would steep so low. The BBC trails are much more classy, including the intro sequence for their European Championship coverage. Particularly, when you compare the production values and overall end product. BBC wins hands down for a much more polished finished article.
Talking of commercials. I like television commercials that make you think. I remember when I first saw the Honda Accord ad. It was a special moment. Everyone in my family just stopped, the room fell silent, as we were taken over by utter intrigue, for the poetry in motion on the small screen. The fact that no computer trickery was used, makes the final fluid array. All that much more breathtaking to watch and enjoy.
The advert for the Audi
A6, too builds on this sense of mystery and intrigue.
The luxury saloon drives around a city centre, but
if you look more closely at the backdrops, you will
be taking a double take for sure. They at first appear
fine, but at closer inspection you realise that the
car is driving around a city that does not exist in
reality. This will make much more sense to you, once
you have seen the ad.
Just a passing observation. You must have seen the
video or at least heard the latest track by Jay Sean.
Is it just me, or does it have more than a passing
resemblance to the 1995 internation hit by Luniz,
"I Got Five On It"? Listen to it very closely next
time you hear it, and wait for the chorus.
Woke up this morning, and with my breakfast, I was flipping around the variety of music channels. They I stumbled upon VH1 Classic. The opening piano solo, threw me slightly, as I gathered my thoughts to reflect. Yes maybe it is true. Maybe, "That's Just The Way It Is".
Sunday 13th June 2004
I watched the action comedy, I-Spy
on Sky Movies last night. Not a movie I would have
gone to the cinema to see, but enjoyable way to waste
away a few hours on a Saturday night. It is amazing
how Eddie Murphy has not aged in his movies and appears
as fresh as he did when playing Axel in Beverly Hills
Cop. I think he is still very funny, even if some
say his act is very much old hat. I also really admire
Owen Wilson, as an actor able to play both serious
and comic roles. I have to admit, that I prefer his
brother, Luke. Particularly in such movies as Charlie's
Angels and Blue Streak. Excellent stuff. I still have
not been to the cinema this year, apart from seeing
the final Lord Of The Rings movie, towards the end
of January. Will try and make time for such things
later this summer.
England play France later this evening. (As if you
didn't know already?!) Looking forward to the spectacle,
particularly how the English defence deal with the
master, Henry. Like many other people, I am proud
to have the flag of Saint George, flying high above
my car. Does it sum up how I feel, on a day like today?
No, only Shakespeare can do that my friends.
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!
Saturday 12th June 2004
I was driving home from a friend's house late last
night, traveling on my favourite road. I am not sure
exactly why this stretch of insignificant tarmac has
become so important to me. I suppose, because it is
the final leg of my journey as I return home and enter
the home counties, my home county, Buckinghamshire.
It is not exactly the most impressive piece of the
UK motorway network, but it just has a special place
in my passion for driving. At that time of night,
traffic is so light, you can cruise at a moderate
speed and make great time on your journey. I join
onto the motorway at junction 6 (southbound), just
has it cuts through a hillside, and on a clear sunny
day, you can see the chalk cliff faces as you drive
through, leaving Oxfordshire far behind you. Then
has you travel some five miles, taking a quarter of
the full mileage total, you go past junction 5, which
is the A40 / Stokenchurch exit. Here, there is some
lighting and the three lanes level off after the difficult
uphill climb. This is the point, when you put you
foot on the throttle, head onto the fast lane and
coast towards Wycombe. There is not much to see on
this drive, particularly at night. But then, as I
see the signs for junction 4 appear, the lighting
re-appears and on the left hand side, there is the
white building, telling me, "Andrew, your nearly home",
in a comforting tone, that soothes my mind and warms
my heart. The song I was listening to on my drive
home was took my breath away, and gave me the chance
to reflect on yesterday, today and even tomorrow.
I realise now when this journey began. The journey
began, in the early hours of Sunday 22nd December
2002. I was leaving Hitchin, Hertfordshire, after
the work Christmas party. As I drove across the M25,
on that cold winter's night, I was listening to "Something
Inside So Strong" by Labi Siffre. The song has been
used by Peugeot, a few months previously for the launch
of their new 307 model. Only last night, did I realise
the significance of that event, some eighteen months
later. I felt then, that some worldly power was telling
me that everything is going fine and that all the
challenges that lie ahead will be worth the effort.
Today I realise that it is true. You do indeed, reap
what you sow. With hard work and dedication you can
achieve anything. Nothing is impossible, apart from
the restrictions you place upon yourself. As everything
has happened so quickly and all the pieces of the
jigsaw fallen into place, with perfect timing, I found
myself seeing my life taking a dramatic change. A
change for the better, for sure. A change that is
going to do me good, in the long term, for sure. But,
I would be lying if I did not attempt the great sense
of apprehension I feel. Anxious that tomorrow, will
bring more challenges for me to face and more decisions
to make. I suppose I am afraid of making the wrong
decision. But I should not fear such things. They
will not help my course now. I should take the approach,
that I will always make the wise decision, considering
the circumstances. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Every minute is changing the colours of life,
Sometimes it is cold, sometimes it is hot,
Live every minute to the full,
Whatever the atmosphere,
Who knows is tomorrow will be or not
Friday 11th June 2004
Lady Luck does cast somewhat of a great shadow over
my life. When I need luck the most, it runs out on
me and finds another friend (or is that foe?). I can
recall moments, in my life, when everything is in
place. All I need is just an ounce of good luck. The
dream has never been forefilled, that goal never reached,
the final song never sung. Until now. For once, I
have some good news. Describing this has good news
does not do what I have to announce, any justice at
all. There is good news, and there is the news I am
about to tell the world. I never thought everything
would fall into place so quickly, or in such a straightforward
manner. If you had taken a seat next to me in my car,
during my daily 120 mile round trip during my placement
year, you would had quite a uphill task to convince me
of the following. That within the space of some eighteen
months, I would be working in the City for one of
the most prestigious law firms in the world. I suppose,
at that time in my life, I was only seeing the finish
lines for the occasional mile, and not the whole marathon.
Call that my narrow-mindedness or naivety, if you
will. But today, I hear those wonderful words. "You
have been offered the position..". It is difficult
to describe how I feel at this moment. Glad to have
found a job, and that for the time being at least
the hunting stops and the real hard work begins. Nervous,
uncontrollably, but also slightly scared. This is
a big jump for me and bridging the gap will be a challenging
task. I also feel, a sense of excitement. I feel like
I am on the brink of something big, something new.
A new beginning, if you will. A fresh start. Where
a place to start. The greatest capital, in my eyes,
not just Europe but the world.
Now that I will be traveling to London everyday,
via the train and tube, I am going to make some decisions.
I was considering purchasing a MP3 player, and having
some music to listen to on the journey. Although,
at first this seemed like an excellent idea, I decided
against it. There is something much more enriching
and valuable I could do with the couple of hours I
will have in commuting time each day. Read. I do enjoy
reading, but have in recent years, fallen out of favour
with the 'book'. I want to start reading again, firstly
concentrating on the more classic texts, to modern
day masterpieces. Any suggestions would be greatly
appreciated. Feel free to leave your comments.
The other decision I have made, is to try and best observe people on the train and particularly on the London Underground. There is already a blog for the Tube but I am going to make my entries on here slightly more reflective. This will be based on the people I meet, the people I see and the general day-to-day goings on. I will try and make it a regular record, perhaps weekly. The aim being to build up a picture of my average week. Those other commuters whom I meet every day, or once a week also heading from leafy Buckinghamshire into the City.
The greatest gift, this blog has ever given? Well
it is simply the gift of encouragement, to make someone
else want to blog. You would think that would be enough
alone, but there is more. For one friend who has recently
started a blog, he has used my experience and positive
views as the starting point of the very first entry.
I am moved, very moved that he can put into words,
the idle chit-chat of a conversation several months
ago. The author has requested that for the time being,
his 'thought blog' be a private affair, but I am sure
the moment, he decides to make it public, I will be
on hand to offer some minor words of great congratulation.
We therefore, anxiously await his 'arrival'.
Was today a perfect day? Not sure, but it came very
very close. The pop come rock song that is heard during
the titles of Legally
Blonde easily describes how one should feel on
their 'Perfect Day'. But I feel, for me, that day
is not too far around the corner.
Sun's Down, A Little After 10
I Pick Up All My Friends In My Mercedes Benz
Wake Up!(Wake Up) Don't Tell Me It's Just A Dream (Just A Dream)
Cuz When I've Had Enough You'll Hear Me Say
Now Don't You Try To Rain On My
Perfect Day
Nothing's Standing In My Way
On This Perfect Day
Where Nothing Can Go Wrong
It's The Perfect Day
Wednesday 9th June 2004
I was again in central London this afternoon. On
the interview trail once more. This occasion being
more optimistic than in the past. As I headed back
towards the tube station, I stopped to take a phone
call on my mobile. I was idly watching the passers
by, as I spoke on the phone. Then I saw a familiar
face. A face so familiar that it could be part of
the family. For we let him in our homes every evening
at ten, sharp. For a second, I was star-struck with
my mind working overtime, "is that really him?". Then
as he came closer and we made eye contact, I knew
for sure. I had just traded visual blows with the
'Maverick'. An experience that would not be repeated
for some time. Who am I talking about? The answer
can be found on my blog entry from Thursday 23rd January
2003. This is not the first time I have met one of
the men from Aunty.
On Thursday, September
11th, last year I was in Central London. On that occasion,
I exchanged glances with the man whom questioned
the count of the night.
Does that make sense? It will. It will soon.
What do we do when we meet someone new? Someone new,
that in physical appearance and demeanor reminds you
of an old friend. But what if to complicates matter
further, that old flame, is no longer with us? Do
not take this as some worldly dilemma, it is just
a comment in passing. If the truth be known, I have
only had the most shortest of conversations with them,
and even then it has been more image than substance.
The trivial trade of smiles and introductions. Nothing
concrete, nothing significant. Nothing to report.
Yet. Give me time.
There are quite a few white rappers out there. The
most famous that I can recall are of course Vanilla
Ice, to the present day bad boy of hip-hop, Eminem.
But there are others! Do you remember the song, 'Informer',
with the catchy chorus, "a licky bomb bomb down...".
Well that was by the white rapper, Snow. The video
is being shown by KISS on their music channel. It
was while in a popular hang out for students, on Friday
28th May, that I noticed it playing the background,
while talking to my friend Sippy. As we walked down
the stairs out into the cool spring evening, I heard
him sing along, "Informer...". A song I had to then
download, purely for the novelty factor, but also
that you always forgot how special it was back in
the early 1990s. I should know, it was then sampled
by every known bhangra artist of the time and re-worked
into many hit songs, that following summer.
I have only burnt one CD album for the car, in the two weeks since I returned to Wycombe. This is quite poor for me. Particularly, as you will recall that I created an album a week, during my time on placement, and there were always at least two new CDs in my car CD changer every week. I suppose the main reason for this is that I have been extremely busy. The second, is that I have not had enough new material available to justify an album. An album that I need to get off the ground as soon as possible is the rock collection of mainly high octane air guitar numbers.
Tuesday 8th June 2004
London, has always been a city of great excitement
for me. Mainly because I have only visited it as a
tourist, with family or for entertainment purposes.
In recent weeks, it has become the venue of work.
My perception of the city will change in the coming
weeks, as I spend more and more time commuting to
our capital for job interviews. The professional atmosphere,
that surrounds many places, surrounds London like
a thick fog. Even during my visits, I have noticed
that there is an underlying urgency with all the people
there. Be it on the tube, on the streets or shops.
This rush, is actually a great buzz and one of the
reasons I really want to work in the City. Do I really
need to give any other reasons?
One of my favourite, feel good movies, was on BBC1
last night. Shooting
Fish, staring a much more wholesome, natural,
dare I say more intellectual, Kate Beckinsale. These
were the heady days before the Hollywood machine,
got their hands of our starlet. I had seen the movie
on Sky
back in the days of analogue satellite, and had really
enjoyed the classic British comedy and Indie soundtrack.
It is one of those movies, that you can watch and
as it is so light and easy to absorb, it easily entertains.
Just let me dig out some of the songs from the soundtrack.
I am not big into my astronomy, but I like to be
aware of any of the big events that take place every
few years. Well the transit of Venus across the Sun,
is an event that no living human being has ever seen.
For the low down on the event, with a full historical
background and clock watch of the passage of these
heavenly bodies, please check out the Diamond
Geezer, who is always armed with the trivial and
irrelevant facts.
Never forget those true heroes of our time. For many,
their act of bravery and courage was their last.
Sunday 6th June 2004
The 40th President of the United States, passed away
yesterday. A strong symbol of 1980s America. The news
was overshadowed, by the 60th anniversary of the D-Day
landings. I have been enjoying some of the coverage
on the BBC.
History is one of my favourite subjects, and the Second
World War, is the greatest topic for me. What makes
the events more significant to me personally, is that
eleven years ago, I was in Normandy with my middle
school. I have dug out some photographs, I just need
to find the time to scan them in and upload them to
the website. There are some interesting photographs,
as I have images of Pegasus Bridge. The site of the
first moments of liberation on 6th June 1994. I also
have an postcard, autographed by Major John Howard,
who was in charge of the operation to secure the bridge.
That was the location of the celebrations and ceremony
yesterday afternoon. Today, it was the time of the
great American war cemetery in Coalville. I also have
some photographs of this peaceful place, overlooking
Omaha beach. The final resting place for some 9,000
US service man. Again, I will try and scan some images
in and upload them as soon as I can. For the time
being, I recommend you go the fantastic BBC D-Day
website.
Let us never forget the price these young men and
women paid for us. For our tomorrow they gave their
today. We must remain grateful for their sacrifice
and pray that never again should a time come, when
such great sacrifices have to be made again. As I
left the NEC on Saturday afternoon, over a week ago,
I headed to the railway station. On my way there,
I saw some veterans from the Battle
Of Britain seeking small donations for their charity.
I gave some money, the little change I had on me,
to hear a voice behind me say to these old men, "People
quickly forget the great things, ordinary men, like
you did for us,". I turned around to find out who
had said this, but it was too late, he was gone. I
smiled, as I was given a badge, feeling somewhat proud.
Proud to know that the sacrifices of others, strangers
in a generation nearing their end, have not gone unnoticed
or unobserved.
My journey back to Leicester that Saturday evening
was via the 330 coach, to Nottingham. When I eventually
found the correct coach, (there were two going to
Nottingham, but only one stopping at Leicester) there
were only a few spaces left. So I grabbed the first
seat I could and sat down next to a guy, around my
age. He was listening to his CD walkman, and I could
hear the distant sound of Vindaloo by Fat Les over
his earphones. Instantly my thoughts drifted to Euro
2004. It had completely slipped my mind, that
here were on the verge of another classic international
tournament. The build up is so different to the World
Cup two years ago. Perhaps because it lacks the global
appeal. I know certain people who, although have no
strong interest in football, will watch the World
Cup religiously. When it comes to the European Championships,
however, they do not bat an eyelid. Never mind. There
loss at the end of the day. So many great players
being showcased! However, I really had an urge to
discuss England's chances with the passenger sitting
next to me. I then made the initial judgment, that
he was being highly antisocial and did not want to
talk. I promised myself, the moment he stopped listening
to his music, I would speak to him. That opportunity
came, just as the coach was pulling off the M69 and
into Leicester. I soon discovered I was sitting next
to Andy Guilder. Someone who again, is making those
sacrifices in his own way to help those who have drifted
from the righteous path. To my surprised he too keeps
his own journal, in the form of his website, AGuilder.
I even get a mention, if rather brief during an update
last month. My blog is having a major impact in my
life even letting new people find out more about my
life. I just hope that future brings with it more
happiness, not just for me, but for all the new people
that have recently walked into my life.
In the past 12 months I have made more friends that I could ever have imagined. Now that I am back in Wycombe, I see a need to reconnect with my old college and schoolfriends. This is not going to be an easy task, but at least I will try and see what sort of reception I get. Maybe even some have been keeping 'tabs' on me via this blog. Then again, knowing my friends, maybe not.
Friday 4th June 2004
A week ago, I was on my PC, applying for some jobs.
I was quite pleased with myself having now secured
two interviews for next week. The phone rang. It was
my Dad. He said I should go down to the NEC for the
British Motor Show. My initial reaction, was to decline
the offer. I was not in the mood to trek to Birmingham
and back, particularly on the train. However, my Dad
persuaded me to go, so I looked into the various options
of getting there. Train seemed an ideal choice, at
first but I decided upon the National
Express. The return fare was slightly cheaper
than the train option, and it also allowed for me
have a look around Birmingham city centre. Something
which I had not done, for over two years. At that
time, the Bull Ring was still in major development.
However, I will discuss that amazing shopping centre,
later. So on Saturday morning, I got up early to head
over to the NEC. My main aim was to take my digital
camera and take as many photos as possible. I just
wanted to enjoy my day out and make the most of being
able to see some of the most prestigious and expensive
cars in one place. When I arrived, the first thing
I did got through the entrance, was to head over to
the test drive area. There was no queues, well apart
for the Subaru Impreza WRX. I got in line for Honda,
hoping that the Civic Type-R would be available to
test drive. To my disappointment, it was not available,
but the closest matching vehicle was the Civic VTEC
Sport 1.6. This is basically a Type-R lookalike, without
all of the go of it's hot hatch brother! When I headed
out to the test circuit, I asked one of the Honda
guys, why this decision had me made. It was purely
a management decision. Although the Type-R is highly
desirable for those in my age group, it lacks general
appeal. So the Sport was chosen to appeal to both
a younger new driver audience, as well as the petrol
heads. My navigator for my journey around the test
circuit, was called, Andy. He was very friendly and
helpful as he guided me around the circuit. It was
basically a car park that had been coned off, and
you were only able to get to a top speed of 30 mph
as the majority of the time you were weaving in and
out of the cones. Just as I am writing this, the post
has arrived. Including my Civic Brochure from Honda.
I think the Type-R in Nighthawk Black Pearl will do
nicely sir!
You may recall that I also have my sights set on
the Fiat
Stilo Abarth. I enjoyed a full demonstration in the
car on Friday 25th April
2003. At the time, I made the comment, that the Honda
Civic Type-R had been blown out of the water by the
Stilo. Well, I have to say that the Japanese manufacturer
has made the come back I had anticipated. The facelift
given to the new 2004 model has improved the presence
it has on the road. Decisions, decision. What do we
go for now? The street hot hatch, which screams out,
I've arrived. Or the gentle cruiser, which is much
more relaxed and less in your 'face'. I will of course
report more, after the test drive of both cars!
Other highlights from the show were of course the usual suspects and some rather unique concepts. I took around 160 photos on the day, but I have cut these down to the best 110 images and uploaded them to an album on the photos page.
Job hunting has been going very well. Much better
than expected. If you had told me during my placement
that I would have a handful of interviews on my return
to Wycombe, I would have laughed at you. It just feels
that with every interview the stakes are slightly
high, and my nerves further on edge. I am hoping to
have a job by July. That is aim, let us hope it becomes
a reality.
May has been the most popular blogging month to day
on the site. It beats the hold record held by November
2003. It was also the first time I had experimented
with comments for all blog entries. My conclusion
being that it has been an subtle rather than overwhelming
success. My aim will be to have a month, sometime
in the future, which has a blog entry for every day
for at least 30 days. However, my view is that the
entries would become repetitive and somewhat lack
the quality of other previous entries. We shall see.
I hope to get the blog back up to date, over the weekend.
There are still a few things I need to mention from
my last week at University.
Monday 31th May 2004
Firstly, I wish to extend my deepest apologises to
many of my friends. The last few days, and this holiday
weekend just past, have been extremely hectic. I have
tried my best to keep in touch with everyone and let
them know what is going on. I know this has not always
been possible, therefore, I would like to use my blog
to make this brief announcement. I am sorry to anyone,
who feels I have not been a good friend to them in
the past week or so. A friend commented, that I had
forgotten all the 'little people'. This is not the
case at all. I have not forgotten anyone, it just
has been hard to find the time to reply to e-mails,
texts and of course e-mails. With this apology, I
would subsequently like to add, that I will be making
a renewed effort to get in touch with everybody (and
I do mean, everybody) over the course of the next
few days.
Not been able to spend the amount of time I would have liked on my website today. I am currently going through all the images from the Motor Show. There are 160 in total. I want to bring them down to a reasonable number, and then upload a selection of the best. Edited, cropped and re-sized only eight so far. Hope to have the album added and the current albums updated by the end of the week. But please, don't hold me to that deadline.
So how do I add a final note for Leicester? The city
holds so many great memories for me, that it is difficult
at times to realise, the significance of the decision
to go to the Midlands to study.
Closure is important in all of our lives. It is important
to know that there is a need to move on. What is more
difficult to grasp is the opportune moment to do so.
This will not be my final entry on Leicester, because
there is so much more the city holds for the future.
Sometimes words are just not enough, and a picture
paints the scene, in a more powerful and dramatic
fashion. A new day, has come.
Sunday 30th May 2004
As a general rule, I try to blog, as soon after the
event as possible. However, you must understand that
this is not always possible. This weekend, has been
one of those moments. I tend to have a strange blog.
When there is nothing of great interest going on,
I blog regularly and almost erratically. The moment,
my schedule becomes just slightly busy, I find it
difficult to find the time to blog. My weekend plans
changed dramatically from a quiet weekend, maybe going
to the cinema with my housemates. Instead, on Friday,
I decided, on the advice or rather encouragement of
my Dad, to go to the NEC
for The
Sunday Times Motor Show Live. I was hoping to
convince one of my friends to go, but at such sort
notice (around seven hours) I cannot really blamed
them.
So, this is just a very quick update on the points I will discuss in my next entry (at some point tomorrow evening, hopefully!)
As you can see, loads of things to cover and many things for me to deal with offline. Hope to bring you all the latest very very soon.
Friday 28th May 2004
My housemate Nav told me that he knew a 'Strickland'
back at his secondary school. No relation to the case
of the bully,
recently in the news. To understand the significance
of this comment, you need to go back to my entry from
Friday 23rd January
2004. I have not had the pleasure or (discomfort)
to know anyone from my favourite childhood movies.
Until now, that is. From the instant introduction,
my thoughts drifted to pitballs, a sports almanac
and of course, manure! Yes, the arch villain from
the Back
To The Future Trilogy. Perhaps arch villain is
too strong a description. George McFly's rival, that
sounds better. It is not for me to discuss the major
cosmic powers at play when it comes to the mystery
of chance events. The more I drift from a skeptic
to a believer, that everything happens for a reason.
To not be in control of my destiny is a feeling, I
hate. But I am beginning to learn that it is choice,
not chance - that determines our destiny. Even the
most smallest and insignificant decisions you make,
can have a paramount consequence later on. Sometimes
this decisions are even forced by others. Sippy and
I had been sitting on a table in the middle of the
hall. Then we were moved towards the back of the hall,
when the evening meal was served. We chose a table,
thinking little of the chain reaction of events we
were just about to start. So Biff and some friends
came and sat down on our table. Who knows where the
conversation will take us and whether, these trivial
introductions will go beyond the few hours of the
evening. I try to tell myself I am a good judge of
character. But even, I have been proved wrong. Haven't
we all? But Biff had little in common with his Hollywood
name sake. A comforting thought, he does not want
to know how Sibtain reacts when someone calls him,
"yellow".
I find it very difficult to control my level of expectations,
generally. When there is something around the corner
I am looking forward to, I begin to elevate the occasion,
far beyond what is deemed necessary. Then, when everything
falls apart at the seems, and I found myself inconsolable.
Having invested so much hope and great expectation
into this something, and when it doesn't go to plan,
I feel somewhat disappointed and even cheated that
things did not go according to plan.
One of the more strange events of the evening, was my conversation with a waiter.
For a young man in his early twenties, and of Anglo-Saxon
heritage, I was rather bemused, when he asked, "Is
Raghav playing tonight?". I was then shocked to discover
he had a likely for the Urban Asian music scene and
wanted to know what other acts were playing. Everyone
to their own, and in my own personal nature, I should
have been quiet pleased of the social integration
taking place between two very different communities.
But for some reason, my thoughts drifted back to one
of my first nights out in Leicester, at the beginning
of this final year. My friend Gareth, had said, "Teg,
it just doesn't look right!". He was referring to
the image of the white man on the dance floor, bopping
along to Punjabi MC's, 'Mundian To Bach Ke', which
really 'From Boys Stay Safe' (literal) but 'Beware
Of The Boys' was used by the media. I had until, this
night always agreed with Gareth. :D
Everyone knows that I am not heavily into my desi
vibes (unlike my sisters!) For every two thousand
English (Western) songs that I like, there are a handful
(I mean handful) that I like in terms of Bhangra.
Don't get me wrong, some of the songs just make you
want to get up and dance. As my blog entry from 18th
December 2003, will
testify. In terms of Asian music I listen to, I have
Urban
Explosion which has a nice diverse range of music,
which generally does blend quite well. Then subsequently,
in December, I obtained a copy of Urban
Fusion, on the pivotal advice of the doctor. No,
not that Doctor
but this rather special doctor.
The artist billing, for the evening, was not the main
selling point for me, it never was going to be that
simple. I was aware of a few artists that were playing,
from having seen the Shared Folder on the family PC
after my sister's have both been on KaZaa. Anyway,
all talk of personal preference aside, I was glad
that Raghav
did perform on the night. (Even if with some stupid
red baseball cap!) It left a sour taste in the mouths
of those leaving and spreading cyber lies, via the
Punjab
2000 message board.
Looking back over the past four years at Uni, and as I enter my last few days in Leicester as a student. What have I achieved? One of the most important goals for me was to meeting new people. Being that have in their own way, made a contribution to my life at University. What is difficult for me to comprehend, is how quietly Uni life comes to an end. It started with fireworks, great expectations (not that topic again!) and hope. It ends, softly with the vision of me walking down by the canal and disappearing into the distance. Maybe not quite the beautiful picture, but close, very close.
I have always wondered how the more affluent parts of student community live. With all those expensive designer tastes, champagne and intoxicating dress sense. Chauffeur driven in their neighbour's Porsche. No accommodation or regular rent payment worries. Living the life of luxury, and with some style. I envy you people!
A few final minutes to reflect, although I doubt I will ever stop thinking about all those passing moments. How did they drift by so quickly? As quickly as the water drifts across the stream. How did four years, which seemed like a lifetime, pass by with almost the flicking of an eye? Leicester... my time has come... I bid you good night....
Wednesday 26th May 2004
I will be back in Wycombe on Sunday and I must say
I am looking forward to going home. Of all the journeys
I have made home from University, this will be the
sweetest and the most comforting. I have nothing to
gain by staying in Leicester. Of course some of my
friends remain, but the costs just do not justify
the means. Also, my job hunting would be slow, if
I decided to send out my applications from here. Without
my own transport, making interviews would mean taking
the risk with public transport.
There are certain football matches, that I am sure
even the most marginal of sports fan watch. The FA
Cup Final, the UEFA Cup Final, the big European and
World Cup Finals and of course the Champions
League Final. It should be one of the most interesting
finals in recent memory, as nobody expected FC Porto
and Monaco to make it this far. I am looking forward
to the match this evening, even if it is being shown
on ITV.
I am so glad that Match
Of The Day is back on the BBC
for the up coming Premiership season. But before any
of that, there is the European Championships in Portugal.
I always watch the BBC coverage, they appear to have
a much more relaxed attitude to the whole affair,
while those 'on the other side' tend to take the professional
approach. Football is not about suits, but that is
something they will never learn over on ITV. Have
you seen the television slots on the BBC for Euro
2004? They feature footage of the greatest players
of Europe, but as painters, with the voice over proclaiming,
"the masters of European football, presented by the
past masters...". Interesting stuff, but a shame the
web team have not got their act together. The Euro
2004 website for the BBC is just a fixture
list. Very poor indeed. ITV however have gone for
the approach to create, 'The Avengers', with Owen the saint and Beckham the sinner. Showing their personal contributions to Argentina game in the World Cup, some six years ago.
Still waiting to hear the 'tune' of the summer. I
wonder who will set our stereo's alight this summer?
Will it be a tried and tested artist? Or will it be
someone new? Well whoever it is, please release the
single soon. The public are waiting. With the summer
around the corner, I know I need to burn some audio
for my car. Actually I need to completely reorganize
my entire mobile audio collection. My 10 disc CD changer,
needs to be updated and I need to re-issue some of
my MP3 CD disc, (namely R'n'B).
Having alienated a vast amount of my readers, earlier
this month, by declaring that my dislike for Friends.
Well perhaps distaste is the wrong word to use. Misunderstanding
perhaps is more fitting. Anyway, you will think I
would learn my lesson, but no, here I go again, taking
the unpopular route. I am not a fan of the Channel
4 reality series, Big
Brother. I try my best to avoid the show, but
it is extremely difficult. Particularly when my sisters
find it compulsive viewing. Due to this, by week eight,
I get dragged into the program and find myself away
on a idle Sunday morning at 2am, watching the attics
of the housemates. I think the show is some sort of
cancer. You try your best to immunize yourself but
over the course of time, you find else more and more
exposed. Particularly when you can't go anywhere or
do anything without the presence of BB. Newspapers,
websites, even the news becomes dominated by the show.
Will the show ever end? The novelty wore off after
the first show, but someone somewhere continues to
push this sort of programming. Why? Because some sad
pathetic people will always watch the stuff? And the
housemates have dillusions of being over night celebrities
based on their anitcs in the house. Everyone remembers,
Tickle and his droned version of the Eagles classic,
"Hotel California" sung to the flowerbed. Where is
he now, I ask? Anyone know? Well, point made, point
proved.
Monday 24th May 2004
We all have expectations. Expectations on how you
will feel at certain milestones in your life. That
all important 16th birthday, 18 and of course 21,
the true coming of age and entering adulthood with
real responsibilities. I am trying hard to compare
the current milestone in my life with others. In reality
they do not compare. But the feeling at 16, in early
July 1998, having completed all my GCSE's, was much
more real, than how I feel now. All my exams are over.
The final page is about to close on my academic life.
However, there is a sense of something unfulfilled
Perhaps because so many of my friends and course mates
still have exams, further into this week. Thinking
about it, I know exactly why the feeling is different
and perhaps at odds. There is to be no fanfare. There
is to be no real send off. The celebrations will be
small, well done and ultimately quiet. That is all
I want. Then I am gone. I am back home. There is no
gap. There is no transition period. I am back where
my heart belongs. My home town. The job hunt will
enter warp speed and with it my memories of Leicester
will fade into the distance.
Looking back, I have enjoyed my four year course.
There have been highs and lows, but ultimately, why
should I pain myself with the sorrows. They were few
and far between. The days of joy and sunshine, shall
always remain. Classic memories, that I will be reciting,
and recalling, as clearly as if they had only occurred
yesterday. I have made some great friends and earned
some truly great friendships. That I hope should last
a lifetime. I have constantly said that everything
happens for a reason and if the last four years are
any judge, then most of the time, fate has never dealt
me a harsh hand.
My life has to a certain extent been on hold up to this point. University has always been as far as my blurry vision, could cope to see. Now I have reached that point in time, I am not sure exactly where the path is to take me. Every step of the previous 23 years has been very much prescribed by others. The next steps, will be the first I truly take on my own. Independence has never felt so pure.
I was curious to the hip-hop track that was being
played by my housemate, Nav. So I went to investigate
and entered his room. The sound of the backing score,
sounded very familiar. Personally, my favourite brand
of tea is Typhoo,
it just has the taste of the subcontinent. However,
back in the mid 1990s, Tetley
ran one of their most successful advertising campaigns.
They featured of course, the instantly recognizable,
Tea
Folk. It featured the fantastic song by Bill
Withers. The song holds the record the longest
held note, in the UK Top 40. At a total of 18 seconds.
It is of course, the fantastic, 'Lovely Day'. This
song has already been sampled by DJ
Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince and features on
their Greatest
Hits album, released three years ago. Twista
have gone one better and come up with a much more
urban sound, and entitled the track, 'Sunshine'. One
of the many songs, that I will be playing as the summer
season falls upon us. :D
Friday 20th May 2004
Every story has a beginning. Every novel, has a first
chapter. Every artist has their first big break. Many
of these tentative beginnings are hidden away from
us, in myth, folklore and even legend. For there are
few people there at the beginning. Others would say
that there are even fewer, at the end. That is not
the purpose of this entry at all. I just want let
the world know, that a journey has begun. I am proud
to be associated with this journey, particularly as
it is so different from my own. Perhaps our final
destinations are the same. Right now the path leads me away, far away.
Being able to express your emotions is one of the
most important aspects of human nature. Most of us,
can only do this physically. A chosen few, use words.
Words to express how they feel. Not words written
down. Not words spoken softly, into the midnight air.
Words. Words in song. To fuse all your creative energies
into the production of music, is not a task for the
weak. There will be joy, pain and much sorrow along
the way. Respect is due for the greater man able to
take such giant step. I watch, in awe from the sidelines,
with the greatest shout of support. I know the final
product, will be worth, all these blood,
sweat and tears. Good luck and may success, to
you, bring true.
So my final week at University and more importantly
final week in Leicester, beckons. With a delicate
hand, I am ushered to final exam and slowly another
chapter on my life, slowly begins to come to a close. It is extremely difficult to put down how I feel right now. I have rarely thought beyond this stage in my life. It was at this point, the writing on the page ends, and I have to begin filling in those blank pages. Many people have clear direction, goals and aspirations. I have some idea of where I want to go, but how to get there? That is the difficult part. Finding a job is going to be the biggest challenge, and I need to make some major progress, as soon as the exams end. I will use my blog to keep a clear record of job applications, interviews and those dreaded rejections. I just hope with a job, I begin to gain some direction in my life.
Thursday 20th May 2004
A topic that I have covered on several times on my
blog and will always continue to discuss. Music. What
has the biggest influences in shaping the types of
music we like? Our childhood, our friends? Our experiences?
Or purely the radio stations and music video channels
we watch? My answer would be all of the above. The
biggest influences on my musical tastes have been
my family and friends. My sister, particularly opened
my eyes or rather ears to many artist in my younger
days. Samantha, just tends to listen to more commercial
radio than I do and has always had a finger on the
pulse of the modern scene. In the mid to late 1990s,
I too listen to a heavy dose of commercial radio.
Capital
FM and Kiss
100 were always on in our house. Back then the
quality of the music was of a much higher standard
than today. Perhaps because those days, reality pop
stars manufacturing was just an idea in Simon Fuller's
head. Also the DJs at the time, played a fantastic
blend of old and new music and actually had something
to say, rather than just fill in the gaps between
the tracks with idle chat. There was even a point,
when I was such a regular listener to the radio, that
I new the play lists so well I could predict with
some accuracy the next track to be played. Then towards
the end of the decade, as I began to amass my own
musical collection, I became more and more disillusioned
with commercial radio. It began to become very repetitive
and the presenters began to lose their individual
personalities in favour of factory output. I never
really listened to BBC
Radio 1 and preferred the Hit
40 UK, which was sponsored by a famous
carbonated beverage and broadcast across several
radio stations. I also came familiar with idea of
'radio kill'. A song being played too many times on
the radio and consequently destroying the credibility
of the song. This was another of the reasons, why
I stopped listening to the radio. So, with the decline
in my radio listening, how and more importantly who
would be influencing my musical tastes? Well, it would
be my best friend at school and subsequently college.
Without him, many of the songs I now listen to on
a regular basis, would not be in my collection. Overall,
our musical tastes were the same, but it he gave favour
for bands such as Then
Jerico and the fantastic Marillion.
Although I had Sky, I only rarely watched the music
channels, preferring to watch out for classic tracks
from the 80s on VH1.
My college friend had also the astonishing gift, to
be able to recall dates of singles and albums by almost
any artist. A walking, Guinness
Book of British Hit Singles, if you may. When
he didn't know the date of a release, a rare occurrence
mind, we would dash across to WH
Smith in Henley-upon-Thames.
That was some four years ago. He has moved and I have
nothing but the memories of those events.
So who in recent times has influenced my musical
preferences? Well, it has to be my housemate Paul.
He likes a broad range of material, from the classic
timeless masterpieces by The
Smiths to the sleek soulful RnB of Jaheim.
You only need to go back to last
month to discover how is song selection had such
an overwhelming impact. On the return from an unscheduled
trip to ASDA,
he made a selection, describing the track as cheesy
but catchy pop. Never wanting to doubt, someone who
has never been wrong in the past, I listened to the
opening, surprised to hear the vocals in Spanish.
Azul means 'blue', I was quietly informed and then
told the large female fan base for the latino artist
born in Mexico. I was hooked. I was hooked from the
first few seconds of the song. I never could imagine
Paul letting me down. I found the song, and patiently
waiting for it download, on our return home. I have
been listening to it ever since and it has grown on
me, with a passion. Why? I suppose it is my love for
pure pop. For music that is both easy to listen to
and has a catchy chorus. Being a child of 1980s and
still loving that era for music, may go someway to
explain this sometimes ridiculed love of mainstream
popular music. You just have to read the reviews for
the album, which shares the name of the title
track to find out more. Cristián Castro, has tried
to include every possible cliché, with regards to
American 1980s Rock/Pop. I do not have a problem with
this, because the finished product is of such high
quality production.
The 1980s theme continues, with a quick visit to
eBay. I was e-mailed
by my other housemate Nav, last night. All the e-mail
included was a website URL and the comment in the
subject line, "I bidded on it for you mate". This
was strange? Placing bids on my behalf? I followed
the link, to be greeted with the famous image from
my childhood. Showing all my dreams in a single piece
of metal. My dreams remain and shall forever, for
the auction was for a vehicle. Not any vehicle, but
the creation of Doctor Emmett Brown. One day I hope to live
the dream. But for the time being, I am a member of
DeLorean
Owners Club. Yes, I know I do not own one (yet),
but the club is open to enthusiasts, as well as owners
of the gull wing automobile. I joined in May 2001,
following a visit to Belfast, to celebrate the 20th
anniversary of the cars manufacture. Find out more
by visiting the fantastic resource if you dare to
Enter
My World.
So my final exam beckons. With it my time at university
comes to an end. I feel strange. Time as a student
has flown by so quickly and the real world is knocking
on my door. As I head back to Wycombe at the end of
this month, I see friendships drawing to a close.
No, I should not think like that at all. There is
no closure, just a change in direction. Some will
continue on this journey with me. Others will find
a different path. I wish them well. The certainty
of the big bad world, only begins to come home as
I make job applications. I just hope this job search
is more successful than my hunt for placement, two
years ago. Obviously much more critical now, I need
a job! :)
The FA
Cup takes place this weekend. Of course, it should
be Arsenal in the final and not Man Yoo. Oh well,
never mind, there is always next year and we should
be more than happy with the Premiership crown. One
of the highlights of all the coverage on the BBC
has been the use of Don King as a marketing guru.
Read his Philosophy
of Champology to convert our cup competition into
a FA Mega Bowl, with all the razzmatazz that only
the Americans can bring! :D
Monday 17th May 2004
I have never truly understood the very
British obsession with the weather.
Something that I have now come to live with. When
there is nothing else to talk about, we discuss the
weather. We meet complete stranger, and after the
dignitaries of asking how they are, we exclaim that,
rained
cats and dogs two days ago. Why? Is this the only
truly common ground we have with our fellow man (or
woman?) Or is this due to our reserved nature, which
means of all the topics to discuss, the weather
appears to keeps us most at ease? This particularly
discussion point will continue for some time. However,
this morning, as I was getting ready to head over
to the sports hall for my exam, the rays of the sun
shone brightly for me. Through the half arch window,
the gold light glistens and I had to carry out my
honorable duty. It takes only Prince
& The New Power Generation to remind us that,
"not all that glitters is Gold."
The England team was named
this afternoon. I can feel it. I can feel that special
warm glow. Euro
2004 is only six weeks away. I always enjoy the
build up to international tournaments. Glad that on
this occasions, I will be able to watch ever single
game from the comfort of back home. Two years, I had
to endure the World Cup matches on my limited Panasonic
TV Video Combi. Plus I missed the opening England
game, as I was working and had to cope with BBC
Radio Five Live commentary. Little did I know
then, but I was planting the seeds of this blog. There
was somewhere to go, but I had started giving a limited
insight into my life.
Two down, one to go. Glad that the two toughest exams
are out of the way. I feel like a marathon runner,
who has just taken that last corner, in the distance,
I can see those cheering crowds, urging me on. A final
burst of energy, to those tired legs. The sweat pours
down my face, as I try to pump as much air into my
lungs. Now that the finishing line is in sight, can
I really stumble and fall?
Sunday 16th May 2004
'God Is A Gooner' read one of banners at Highbury
yesterday afternoon as Arsenal went into the history
books by going the full Premiership season unbeaten.
There has already been the discussion of whether this
team deserves the title of greatness. I am not going
to give an unbiased opinion here, but let me add something
that has been missed from the debate so far. If you
go back to 1996, and early in that season, which saw
Arsene Wenger's arrival you must have seen. Seen the
transformation that has taken place, of taking the
team described for decades as being, "boring boring
Arsenal", to a squad of players, playing silky one
touch football with interplay unrivaled by any other.
High paced counter attacking football played with
a telepathy between the players, which makes them
conscious of each other's positions. Breath taking,
truly breath taking. They have just been amazing to
watch over the past eight years. This title is the
end product of all those years of hard work that the
backroom staff have put in. My only regret is, that
yet again, I have not been able to witness this historical
triumph. Two years ago, I was also in the midst of
the exam period, and my thoughts were more on the
forthcoming World Cup. I continue to promise myself
that one day, I will go to an FA Cup final to watch
Arsenal, or at least manage a league or cup game.
So far I have only managed to see Arsenal twice. A
Premiership game game against Derby County back in
1997 and an FA Cup match against the minnows in 1999.
Rather pathetic for someone who calls themselves a
Gooner.
With South Africa being awarded the World Cup in 2010, I was imagining how important it would be for me to go. To see a continent I have yet to experience, a culture that has yet to touch my soul. But my dreams are closer, in terms of time and place. My dream is to see England beat Germany in the World Cup final, in two years time. A dream? Perhaps but I am going to do my best to make sure I am there. Particularly if the concept of each continent hosting the tournament once, before it moves onto another continent kicks in.
I have been offered on more than once occasion, a
bootleg copy of the final Friends
episode. When I decline this offer, there is a pause
of uncertainty. I will freely admit I am not a fan
of the show. I would even go to the lengths to say
that I have not seen a single episode. Shocking to
many perhaps. Not to me. I would also state the fact
that I avoid such mainstream programming. I do not
know why. There was a time, that I would say to people
that I watch Friends, purely on the basis that other
people watch it. Of course, that was never the case
and I never see myself watching a program purely based
on this fact. However, having said that, there is
a long list of programs that I have not seen at all.
They are all popular shows, particularly with people
in my age group. Now I have to go back and purchase
the DVD's and force the habit of regular viewing upon
myself. I feel some regret that I never watched a
single episode of 24,
particularly when I had amble opportunity to catch
the series. Now on it's third series, I have some
serious catching up to do. There are other shows to,
such as Buffy
The Vampire Slayer. Perhaps not the best example,
but a friend of mine at college was a fanatical fan
of the series. Not exactly sure why, but again, whom
am I to criticise when I have not seen a single episode.
More recently Channel
4 has started airing, The
OC. Again a show, I know if I got into, I would
enjoy. However, the fact that it is on around 6.30pm
on a Sunday does make it awkward viewing for me personally.
I have been trying to work out why I have been unable
to keep up with the viewing habits of my peers. When
a new show starts, there is a fear. A fear that you
may miss an episode. This then has a domino affect
on the viewing of subsequent episodes. There are people
out there, who have this uncanny ability. They can
sit down, twelve minutes into a soap and pick up all
the stories lines, all the trivia and hidden secrets.
For me, it is not and never has been this simple.
I have to watch a program from the beginning and emerge
myself in the experience. This will be somewhat explained
in the following. Do you remember the animated cartoon
series, with a band of young adventurers? Back in
1982, Mysterious
Cities Of Gold aired on BBC One. I caught one
of the repeated airings early in my childhood. The
only cartoon series to remain transfixed in my memory
for the rest of the life. This was an adventure, which
my sisters and I enjoyed watching, every single installment
bringing with it excitement, joy and sorrow. For many
years I tried to find out more about the series, but
to no prevail. Before I came back to Uni for my final
year, I searched a few websites and re-lived my childhood.
Happy to discover that other children had grown up
with the cartoon and now too, were in their twenties.
My housemate Paul had obtained a handful of episodes,
via some of his worldwide online contacts. However
his collection was incomplete and the quality on some
of the files, patchy. A DVD was not available at this,
so I took the step and ordered a VCD version. Not
ideal, but better than nothing and until I could obtain
an English language DVD, this would be more than satisfactory.
The collection arrived for me before Christmas, 2003.
I was pleased, but I didn't watch a single episode.
My patience could hold for slightly longer. For my
housemate, was the complete opposite. He needed his
fix. I went home for the weekend after my last exam
on Friday 23rd January
2004 and left my MCoG pack with my trusted housemate.
He then went on to deprive himself of sleep for the
next 30 odd hours to watch marathon style. Wow! Nav
called the entire event a wonderful experience and
he was glad he had decided to watch the adventure
in it's entirety non-stop. I am at the other extreme
of this strange view. I am not going to watch a single
episode, until I secure a full time job. Then, once
I have a job, the show will be shown every Wednesday
evening at 6.30pm. It will take me 39 weeks to watch
the entire series, so if I start on Wednesday 8th
September 2004, the final episode will be shown on
1st June 2005. What my dear friend Naveen, needs to
learn is that good things come to those who wait.
Why rush the memories of your childhood?
Those that know me well, know that there is only
one television show that I never miss. Eastenders
has always been a personal favourite. Although when
I first started University, back in September 2000,
there were a few months when I had to go without my
weekly dosage. I then successfully converted several
of my friends to watch the show too. They still watch
it now, almost four years on. The other show which
I watch, tends to be much more on an ad lib basis.
Mainly due to the fact Channel
4, schedule Hollyoaks
at an awkward time so early in the evening. Also it
has lost some of the magic it had when it first started,
back in 1995 would you believe? So ten years already
clocked up and it has survived to battle Brookside.
That must be some achievement.
Friday 14th May 2004
I made my first purchase via eBay,
this evening. It was a 'Buy Now' product, so I did
not bid in a live auction. However, overall I have
been impressed with the quality of the service and
instant response from the seller. Just have to wait
for my goods to arrive now. A five to seven day wait,
but well worth it. Particularly in terms of the money I have saved
from buying the online, rather than from a retailer based in the UK.
When does a product or service become a part of the
fabric of our social culture? I think it is when it
is mentioned and used in the media as an adjective.
Whenever you hear the word eBay
mentioned in a soap, drama or documentary. You instantly
know what is being referred to. The subsequent next
step is for the product or service to be parody. When
in comes to parody. There is one undisputed king.
He has taken the most popular songs of the day and
completed converted them for his own comical ends.
It was in the early 90s that I was watching the fantastic
Chart Show. Sponsored at the time by a famous confectionary
bar. Much better than CD:UK,
the kids of today do not know what they are missing!
I saw what I thought was the beginning of Michael
Jackson's, "Bad" video. Only to be shocked to discovered
that the artist had put on ten stone! Then I finally
realised what was happening. This was Weird
Al Yankovic at his best. Re-writing the lyrics
of Bad, to create a humorous version telling the story
of a guy slightly larger than
life. On his most recent album, Poodle
Hat, includes a fantastic song entitled 'eBay'.
I just hope that now I have begun my online auction
experience, I do not get addicted to the dizzy heights
of the guy described in the song. I have no need for
a Dukes
of Hazard Ash Tray.
Do you remember the television series Baywatch? Of
course you do. Early 90s, Saturday afternoon around
5.30pm on ITV. Sweet memories indeed. A discussion
with my housemates, bought up discussion on the California
lifeguard
series. The theme song was one of the most memorable
parts of the show. Sung by Jimi
Jamison, "I'll Be Ready", never released as a
single became an international success on the back
of the show. Fantastic song, shame only the first
few seasons of the show were worth watching.
What else? Not much really, second exam on Monday
morning. Eurovision
Song Contest on tomorrow night. I must update my Uni website. Not sure exactly what I am going to use if for now. It may just become my personal recruitment site. Need to put up some more content. Job hunting is
going well. Going to take it into fifth gear from
next week, now that some valuable information has
come through. I will of course keep you informed of my progress. Nothing else to report I am afraid.
Disappointed that I received no comments regarding
which type of suit and shoes I should purchase. :(
Wednesday 12th May 2004
This may sound old fashioned but I quite like poetry. This links in well with my love of great songs with a message. Songs with a message usually have very moving and powerful lyrics. Poetry is at the heart of this. My love of poems started a young age and I suppose I did not really come to appreciate this until my A Level in English Literature. I have always enjoyed Shakespeare, particularly reading the plays since Year 9 at secondary school. The seed was planted then. I do not see myself as a very good poet, but at times I can put together a few words to express how I feel. Feelings are so important to me. By putting them into words, I share my feelings with others. I could never imagine a world without feelings. Could you? My housemates had mentioned a film in passing, last autumn. A film which matched The Matrix in concept. This was something I just could not believe. My dear friend, Sippy had seen the movie in question. He tends to watch many more than me and perhaps as a better, 'eye' for such things. I was not convinced and looked forward to the opportunity to see this picture for myself. The chance never came. Until late last night. The vision of the future depicted uncannily resembles the 1984 by George Orwell. I am a strong believer in freedom. But if freedom is outlawed, will outlaws become heroes? We must remember that if you are going to become a hero, you are going to do it in style. That means with some style. Style in
the form of combat called, gun-kata. This has to be one of best movies I have seen to date, both on a visual presence, but also imagery of the future. I just wonder how the movie would have been different, had a actor of the calibre of Tom Cruise played the lead role.
Or even if it had been given a much bigger theatrical
release worldwide. The action sequences would have been slightly better, but the overall transformation of the character from a puppet of the regime, to being the only man to stand in the way of the system. To find out more about Equilibrium, visit this fantastic fan site.
I have been stepping up my campaign to find a job, searching on various websites. I have applied for a few positions this morning. Hopefully I will at least get selected for an interview here or there. I need to get myself a new suit. Something that is not too flashy, but ideal for the everyday pressures of work. I personally prefer dark colours. A dark blue or black suit would be ideal. Any ideas
people? Also, what are the best type of shoes to wear for an office environment? I wore my Pods, during my placement year. They were often described as boots, but they just have quite thick heels. Again, any suggestions, please leave me a comment! Thanks. :)
Had I the heavens embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and
the dark cloths Of night and light and the half light, I would spread the
cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have
spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my
dreams.
Monday 10th May 2004
My exam this morning went well. Actually it went
much better than I expected, the questions I had revised
for and more importantly hoped for appeared. Fantastic!
This was to be the most challenging of the three that
I face this summer. However that is not to say that
the final two will be a push over. Far from it, I
will still will have to apply myself, but at least
I over the first hurdle, those first exam nerves.
I made the most of my two hours and wanted to get
as much down on paper as I could. The only down side
was the fact that my favourite invigilator, was not
around. I hope I do see him soon and don't have to
go back to the future.
I have added my Amazon
Wish List to the Info
page. I am slowly going to build up the page to include
more links and much more personal data. Just give
me a chance to put a few things together. My plan
is add details of the music I am listening to, CDs
currently playing in my stereo (both at home and on
the move in the car). Also want to add some more quirky
information, such my personality traits and other
characteristics. May involve taking part in some of
those online questionnaires. Such as find out about
my Personality
and the temperament of my character.
Oh yeah, how could I forget, the Geek
test. Once I have gone to the lengths to get all those
completed and rated, you will know exactly why you
should avoid me at all costs. Like I mentioned in
my previous entry, I am keen to get back into photography.
I want to start taking pictures on a daily basis.
I will do this as soon as the exams are over. There
is no need to take a set number of images for the
sake of it, I want my photography to capture the moment.
A special moment. Something that will compliment this
blog and provide it with some much needed creative
balance. The albums on the Photos
will be completely redesigned. Although the software
program I was using to organize all my images was
very good, I am not a hundred percent satisfied with
the results. So expect the images and albums to be
upgrading in the coming few months.
Following a long discussion with my housemate Paul,
I have been pondering the purpose of my blog. In my
quest to make my writings different to the thousands
of weblogs out there already, I feel this the ideal
time to reflect on where I have been and where I am
going. Not just in the case of where my life in general,
but also my blog. To many people this is purely an
egotistical trip of self importance. Why is my life
so important that people would want to read this?
This is true, but I want to take my readers on a journey.
I want them to join and perhaps even learn from this
journey of self-discovery. I mentioned before that
I 'found myself' during the first year at University.
I think now is the time to find my place. Time will
tell how successful my quest is, but it begins today.
As always I will post my discoveries, failures, moments
of joy and disappointment on here. I look forward
to your comments along the way.
Many people will find this surprising but I do like
my rock music. This may sound unbelievable for somebody
who enjoys every ounce of his pure pop and sugary
ballads. However, there is a moment, when you need
to do some serious head banging and air guitar. I
remember that around three years ago, one of the albums
I really wanted for Christmas, included a free air
guitar with every purchase. However, I did not receive
the album
and it has now grown to a full three volumes, including
a box
set. The third
and latest volume was only released in November, last
year but not as well received as the first two. This
got me thinking about something my housemates had
mentioned to be in October last year. Would you believe
that there are an annual Air
Guitar Championships in the United States. The
event is only a year old and David "C-Diddy" Jung
is the current champion. Check out his winning video
and prepare to be amazed. Then went you have had a
taste of the magic, take that step up with the big
boys at the World
Championship. My choice for an air guitar track?
It has to be 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' by the fantastic
Def
Leppard. Described as catchy, tuneful and fun
example of 1980s hard rock, the album Hysteria
is regarded by many as best example of rock ever.
Music is amazing, particularly how genres of music
inter-connect with each other. On this principle,
if you like certain bands, say for example, 1980s
electronic pop trio, a-ha, there is a chance you also like the Pet
Shop Boys. Well someone has taken this concept
of six
degrees of separation and designed a music search
engine. Go to Music
Plasma. Enter the name of an artist and a flash
animation links them with bands, past and present.
Artist information and full discography is also only
a mouse click away! Amazing!
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
C'mon fire me up
Pour your sugar on me
Oh, I can't get enough
Pour some sugar on me
Oh, in the name of love
Sunday 9th May 2004
I have my first exam tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to it, even though the most difficult of the three I have. I am quite nervous though. Perhaps because I know, that these final exams hold the key to my degree classification. I know that I have worked hard this semester and just need to get through these exams and the summer will be mine! My job hunting has also now begun in earnest. I had casually applied for jobs over the course of this academic year, but nothing concrete or too bold. However, now as I have some spare time on my hands, I am going to try and get as many of copies of my resume out there as I can! I just know that if I don't find a job by the end of July, I will become extremely restless and lose motivation.
I was glad to hear this morning that the The
Sunday Express, has front page declaring that
those who burn the Union Jack will be thrown in jail.
My view is that this sort of behaviour should not
be condoned and those whom decide to burn our national
flag should be punished. Maybe jail is a step too
far. But would a simple fine or criminal conviction
be enough? I was disturbed and shocked by the scenes
young British Muslims burning the Union Jack outside
the Finsbury Park mosque, in north London. I emphasize
here the word British. Born and raised in this country
yet led by the extreme views of Amu Hamza or 'Captain
Hook' as he is affectionately known around Fleet Street.
They turn against the country that they call home.
How can this be right, if they are Made
in the West? A surprising discovery is that while
this country is trying to ban such behaviour there
is a major campaign in the United States to stop amendments
to the Bill of Rights to let the burning
of the Stars & Stripes continue.
The European and local elections take place a month
tomorrow. I am looking forward to them. Unlike the
majority of my peer group of 18 to 24 year olds, I
practice my democratic right to vote. I appear to
be in the minority of 40% for my age group, who do
their best to disassociate themselves with politics.
I think people should realise how sacred the right
to vote is and the fact that people died for such
a privilege. The party political broadcasts have started
in earnest, but I have only so far seen the Conservative
television advert. I think someone should tell Mr.
Howard down at Conservative
Central Office, that he badly needs to develop some
policies of his own. Just glamorizing the mistakes
of Labour is not good enough. I have not actually
heard a single coherent and workable policy from the
opposition since the change of leadership. Every time
any member of the party are pressed on Newsnight
they always fail to provide a suitable response beyond
highlight the shortcomings of Labour's attempt.
I joined eBay
yesterday, after some coercion from my housemate.
I may use the auction site to sell some of junk. I
know when I get home at the end of this month, there
is going to be an extensive amount of clutter that
needs to go to a better home. Still apprehensive about
purchasing things from the site though, knowing that
some of my friends have had some depressing experiences
with some rogue sellers. Well, I suppose it is worth
the risk to save some money and just hope the goods
arrive! :S I will let you know how my eBay experiences
goes!
Last night I spent a bit of time adjusting the settings on my camera. The Nikon CoolPix 3500 is a fantastic camera, which bridges that gap between simple point and shoot, to the more advanced features which you find on a much more expensive model. Overall, in the year that has past since the purchase, I am extremely happy. However, I have not really used the camera. Sure, I have taken a few photos, but nothing special or unique. The only time it has been used on the road, was at the Classic Car Show at the NEC, last November. I must therefore start building up both my photography skills and my album. I will begin this exercise, the moment my exams finish.
The comments seem to working very well. I have been
impressed with the service provided, I have donated
some money to the webmaster. Just a case of waiting
for my new, advertising free code. Should be with
me in the next couple of days. The guestbook, now
will be used for general comments and shout outs,
and any blog specific comments can be left with each
blog entry. If anyone knows of any blogs that deserve
a mention on my site, please let me know, I am more
than happy to take a look at the work of another.
I think I should not make this, exclusively for blogs
only. Any website that catches your eye, might be
worth a visit.
Friday 7th May 2004
Over a month ago, towards the end of March,
I mentioned that one of my favourite blogs had closed.
I was extremely disappointment that it had come to
such an end. I did mention in that entry that Max
would be back. He would miss blogging and the outlet
that it provides him. I was right. The full archives
for A
Teenager Blogs are available, but along side a
new blog, aptly called Brief
Writings Of Boy, has appeared. Max has now taken
the approach that 'less is more' and is keeping the
new incarnation of his blog, far more light hearted,
brief and ultimately less personal. I am not sure
about this approach. The shout box, which was the
port of call for many fans of the site has now gone.
Maybe the fame has turned against our author and he
prefers now to shun the limelight. Who knows? Time
will indeed tell for, like I mentioned before, although
mature beyond his years Max still has many lessons
to learn, both about himself and others. I am still
on the hunt for any unique and special blogs out there.
Particularly those by British Asians, but any generally
of interest. I know some blogs are done completely
anonymously and that is fine in some circumstances,
but I feel a blog in it's nature is highly personal
and should at least give a few clues to the identity
of the author.
Still trying to find a song that can summarize my
time at University. A recent candidate is another
song by the Corrs. Their next single, in fact. 'Summer
Sunshine', hold the right sentiment but it does not
convey the right message. The message I want the perfect
song to convey is the variety of emotions you go through
when at University. The mixture of hope, sadness at
times pain you feel when here. I am slowly coming
to the realisation that I will not find this song
I yearn for. I will not find it now because I am desperately
actively searching for it. It will arrive when I least
expect, like most things. However, it will be many
years in the future, when some radio station or music
channel are retrospectively looking back at 2004.
Then a song, which perhaps I already know and like,
will be heard with those rose-tinted glasses. Or should
that be muffled headphones? Anyway, it will be then
that I realise that yes, this song describes both
my final year at University and my time there in general.
All I hope for is that song is by a British band and
that overall it is a feel good song. University has
been a roller coaster ride for me. Off all the regrets
I have, I wished I had blogged from the moment I had
left Wycombe. It would make looking back much more
easier than it is now. Having to race around my memory
banks for the good times and for the bad. Did I find
myself, while here? I feel I did. It was towards the
end of my first year. The summer was drawing in and
I was trying to look back at my year as a Computer
Science graduate. Many things happened from September
2000 to June 2001. Of some of the more painful things,
the death of a loved one. Those two words are highly
inadequate. This was someone special, someone whom
I held close to my heart. For bringing unique joy
into my life, like no other. The journey to India,
during Easter 2001, was an important part of this
process of finding one's self. I think I had to capture
my roots and discover where it had all begun. Realise
that there is more to life than I had previously imagined.
It was the great Greek philosopher, Socrates
who said, "To find yourself, think for yourself."
This time three years ago, I finally began thinking
for myself.
I have re-organised and updated the Info
page. Badly in need of a tidy up, I have also now
included a history of the blog. Well more about how
my weblog came about and
how it has evolved through the past few years. I am
also thinking of creating a frequently asked questions
(FAQ) page in conjunction with the Info page. I am
not asked that many questions by visitors to this
site, but I just feel it would be a great addition
and provide everyone to some answers they are seeking.
Rather than e-mailing me directly in the first instance.
I will work on that in the coming few weeks. If you
have any burning questions that need to be answered,
please drop me a line.
I have finally added a Comments system to this website. I have backtracked and added the ability to post comments from the beginning of this month. So please, feel free to leave your messages, negative, positive or even critical. This service is provided by Enetation. I will donate some money towards the webmaster providing this service to remove all the advertising. However, I must admit it is a great feature to have now and many visitors will be pleased. You can finally tell me what you think of individual entries and add your fifty pence worth! :)
Wednesday 5th May 2004
Went to Subway
for the first time today. It is not normal practice
for me to promote particular products, services or
takeaway joints, but I think I will make an exception.
Reasonable priced sandwiches which are great value
for money. During my second year, it was being built
on Narborough Road and opened sometime during my placement
year. It has taken me nearly a year to go and try
their brand of sandwiches and other savory snacks.
The verdict - very very good. No wonder they are giving
McDonalds
a major run
for their money. Check those figures, it has more
fast food restaurants than McDonalds in the US!
Just guess which movie
is on five
this evening. I have now seen it at least eight
times on the channel and have blogged about it before,
just over a year ago on 23rd April
2003. Great movie, starring one of my childhood idols,
but it is just a shame that the terrestrial channel
keep using this movie and not any others from the
actor's fine catalogue.
Alex Mace, webmaster of the fantastic blog, Why
The Hell? posted a unique web service on his blog
last month. A plugin records the audio you play and
transmits it to a website. This builds up a unique
profile of your musical tastes. Then you can get in
touch with people who have the same tastes and join
groups recommended by the site. The site is called,
AudioScrobbler.
My profile is available as Teg.
I will add this link to my Audio
page, so everyone can keep track of the music
I am currently listening to on WinAmp.
Strange time at University. Everyone I know, revising hard
for finals. A bit of a limbo period really. Had my last lecture on Tuesday and it was very much anti moment. I think everyone was just relived to get their projects in on time and more focused on the exams that lie in the three weeks ahead.
Tuesday 4th May 2004
When will we ever learn? Maybe that is too much of
a sweeping statement. When will I learn? Learn that
you should never leave work to the last minute? A
deadline looms and we feel we are oblivious to time
and will get the assignment done. But here we are
the weekend before the deadline, slowly come to realise
that nothing of submission quality has materialized.
With this realisation, the heart begins racing, the
sweat pouring down your brow as you mind frustrating
tries to think of some sort of exit strategy. Help
from a friend, a search on trusted Google,
or even persuading one of your more organised, intelligent,
beautiful, wonderful friends to part with their A
grade work over MSN,
just to make sure, "I'm on the right track!". We have
all been there. Okay sure, some of you out there are
perfect and have never faced this stressful predicament.
Generally then, most of us, have had the experience
of a pending deadline and having to fight a waging
war to get the assignment in on time. Once the heat
is off and the half hearted attempt has been submitted,
we put this lesson down to experience. This will never
happen again. Yes you pulled off an all nighter, but
you do not want to put your body and mind through
that again. After all you are beginning to learn that
no matter what you try, no matter what you do, you
cannot beat the
Anatomy
of an All-Nigher. You may also want to master
your technique, you never know in the future when
you might need to Pull
Off An All Nighter.
Never again. Never again will you leave your work
to the last minute. Never again will you take this
stress and strain of a coursework take over your life
for a few days. Next time you will be organised and
more importantly carefree. Does this happen? No, it
never does. I remember in 1998, during my GCSE Electronics
course, how I had to go to some of the lengths described
above to get the work done and in on time. I made
those promises to myself. Here, I am some six years
later, unable to practice at all what I preached.
Now the most important piece of paper in my possession is captured below. The most important document until I receive my degree that is. I handed in my Final Year Project at 9:20am this morning. I do feel a great sense of relief. The greater relief will come in twenty days time, some three weeks away, when my final exam is done and dusted.
I briefly watched the Woman's FA
Cup on BBC One, yesterday afternoon. I was surprised
how far the female players have come in such a short
space of time. Particularly when you consider that
this country still does not have a professional woman's
league. America of course leads the way on this and
has produced some amazing talents. No wonder so many
of our players are heading across to Glory land to
hone their skills. Arsenal beat Charlton, with a dazzling
performance from Julie Fleeting scoring a fantastic
hat
trick. The game has a long way to go to match
the stand of the Premiership and gain the same level
of support on the terraces. However, if this match
was anything to go by, then the popularity of the
sport is growing and perhaps it becoming the number
one sport for women, ahead of the former front runner,
netball.
On Sunday night, well technically the early hours
of Monday morning I was listening to Up
All Night on the radio. This is something that
I have been doing since I feel in love with talk radio
back in the early college days. Anita
Anand was asking the listeners for their favourite
theme music from the shows of yesterday. They played
the BBC favourite, Match Of The Day. The theme for
the other side was provided by Silsoe with a synth
pop from the 1986 World Cup with "Aztec Gold". This
got me thinking of my favourite sport related television
theme tune. There was no contest. There could be only
one winner. Let me take you back ten years. This was
a time when my interest in football was nonexistent.
If anyone asked I supported Arsenal but ask me to
name 4 players I would be struggling. To this day
I do not know why football did not appeal to me at
the tender age of 12. I was playing the game regularly
at school and enjoying it. However I knew nothing
about the events on the field in the Premier League
or the international stage. My uncle watched the games
at this particular World Cup with great passion. I
can recall him with beer in hand watching the Republic
of Ireland in action. Of all the things that stayed
with me that summer, it was the music. The BBC now
is a shadow of it's former self. Never mind. The first
thing that would take bring your attention to the
television screen would be the BBC Sport indent. A
globe with the neutron orbiting around it and leaving
a trail of yellow and red. Then the music would kick
in. Leonard Bernstein, Orchestra & Chorus with "America".
The most superb title sequence for an international
event ever. Bar none! I did not know until my Dad
told me that the theme tune used was from the fantastic
musical, West
Side Story. I also then discovered that there
were lyrics to the song. To date I have never had the
opportunity to watch the film on television, with
it shown almost religiously every Christmas period.
:( The song is important to me because I went to the
United States in February, 1996. The impression that
the country left on me was awe inspiring, and I knew
that one day, everything too would be, "Okay
by me in America!" However, once I got onto the
net I downloaded the mp3 from somewhere. It has kept
me going, until now. The fact that Anita played the
1986 World Cup theme, made me think that maybe, just
maybe someone had captured the World Cup '94 intro
titles from the television. I searched around hopelessly.
Then I hopped on board the TV
Ark and subsequently find the World
Cup page. Luckily for me now, EveryHit.com have
put together a definitive list of World
Cup songs and include all the number ones during
the three weeks of the tournament. Fantastic! :)
One of my favourite childhood movies was shown yesterday afternoon. Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang, has won a special place in my
heart. Mainly for the fact that movie takes me back
to the carefree time of my younger years. It is movie
which I really want my younger sister Julie to see.
But unfortunately her mind has already been poisoned
by Nickelodeon.
It is a shame really because compared to some of the
American imports that have flooded onto the channel,
this would be a movie that can take on the might of
Pete Engel and co and come out on top. I am so glad
I grew up when I did. The 1980s were a fantastic time
to be kid. The American shows that were shown on TV
on a Saturday afternoon were classic. No, they were
beyond classic they become legends in their own right.
The A-Team, MacGuyver and who can forget KITT in KnightRider.
None of this trash they show now. Quality programming
for children that would not be brainwashed and wanted
to watch something that was highly entertaining. I
am so sorry for these young's ones today. I better
stop myself there, before I start to feel as old as
I sound.
Puerto Rico My heart's devotion Let it sink back
in the ocean
Always the hurricanes blowing Always the
population growing And the money owing And the sunlight
streaming And the natives steaming
I like the island Manhattan Smoke on your
pipe
And put that in!
I like to be in America Okay by me in America Everything
free in America
For a small fee in America
Monday 3rd May 2004
One of the most busiest weekends of my entire University
career. My dissertation or what is more commonly refereed
to as my Final Year Project is due in tomorrow by
2pm. Must admit that I never thought I would be in
such a mess with the deadline less then 24 hours away.
This is, therefore just a quick update to the site.
I have been extremely busy as you can understand.
Hopefully I can find some time in between revision
for my exams to add a more comprehensive blog entry.
I am working on a commenting system. Trying my best
to get to grips with PHP and find a script that works
for me.
For the time being, I would like to point you in
the direction of one of the more quirky stories to
have come to my attention in recent years. Instantly,
the thought that springs to my mind is that this could
only happen in America. If things became so desperate
would you really take refuge in a library? Sleep on
three chairs and live out of a locker? Well someone
has managed the feat. He has even documented his experience
with a blog via Live
Journal. Check out his website, Homeless
At NYU. A rather strange title, as the Creative
Writings major was never truly homeless. I hope he
enjoys his 15 minutes and begin to wonder when my
15 minutes will come? Then again, do I really want
the mass media attention? The Bobst Boy experience
tells me that I would much rather be a nobody than
a somebody. The website proclaims him to be a legend
of the library, the 'small town boy' who has taken
on the might of the academic elite. Has the boy done
good? I think he regrets making such a public show
of what is a meaningless act? Or am I not giving Steve
the chance he deserves?
I hope things are going well for you all. If you have exams at the moment, I wish you well. Don't worry the summer is just around the corner. I have a feeling that this summer is going to be different, special even unique. Let us just hope that the weather meets the expectations of our hearts.
Sunday 25th April 2004
Why do holidays pass by so quickly? I am back in Leicester and have a brief (very brief) rest bite before my exams begin in two weeks time. This is it. This is the final countdown. The final hurdle. I feel strange because I have not spent the time thinking about this moment, as I perhaps would have done in the past. Maybe because the moment has arrived in such fashion that it has taken me by surprise. I am looking forward to the end, particularly now as I can see the finish line just ahead.
The author of Something
In Between, feels that I need to incorporate a
comment system for all my blog entries. I am considering
this and will be implementing something hopefully
early next month. I am aware that my last entry caused
some controversy and many of you wanted to post your
opinions. You will be able to very soon. For the time
being, my Guestbook, and
good old fashioned e-mail
will have to suffice. I am always looking out for
other blogs to add to my blog roll. Something original
and different is best, but I am sure there are blogs
out there which could become daily reads.
I recall what I was doing a year ago and how University was far from my mind.
I know I have noted how much my placement was more
of a low-point that highlight of the recent years.
I do not want to give the impression that I am not
glad things worked out the way the did. My Dad always
says that you have to see the good, even in the bad
things that happen, "Maybe It Is A Blessing In Disguise".
It has taken me nearly 5 years to learn, what
he meant but I think it was a very important lesson.
I tend to be very negative, my blog can be a testament
to that. However, I begin to realize that everything
does happen for a reason and several things came together
for me around this time last year. All in all. I am
glad they did. It is only now I begin to appreciate
how important that time was for me. I just hope, sincerely
hope that in the coming few days other people also
remember. Remember the effort that was put in. For
the city that would be the UK's LA.
The impression it has left me, means I will be back.
Soon. Very soon.
Thursday 22nd April 2004
I have done something out of character this week. I have watched two Bollywood movies. Regular readers of my blog will know that I am not the greatest fan of this movie genre. Actually if I am honest with myself, I detest them. You only need to look back at the 15th July 2003 to find out my views on the soundtrack to these movies and my utter disgust at their lack of originality.
Firstly came Kal
Ho Naa Ho. The literal English translation is
Tomorrow May Never Come, which to a certain extent
sets the theme for the movie, filmed beautifully in
New York. One of the first movies to be shot entirely
outside of India. If you thought Western cinema was
blatantly predictable, then you have not experienced
an Indian film. This is not to say I did not enjoy
being entertained for some 3 hours. Parts of the film
were extremely funny, mainly due to the script and
of course the fact that it is an Indian film. (They
have some creative licence, don't you know?!) Some
of the songs were quite catchy and got me through
too, well apart from the barefaced shredding of the
Roy Orbison classic, “Pretty Woman”.
There was a point in the film which I felt was quite interesting. The main family own a restaurant in the city. They have embraced the American way of life and their culture, religion and way of life has taken a back seat (to the despair of the grandmother). The hero of the film, changes this. Calling him that is a bit disrespectful. He is given the status more of an angel, bringing happiness, and warming the hearts of the struggling characters. He is able to see that to bring success to the failing business they need to re-embrace their culture and use this as a USP. Before this entry turns into a marketing lesson, the crucial factor here is the removal of the Stars and Stripes from the window, to be replaced by the Indian Tricolour.
This is where I begin to have an issue. I am a strongly
patriotic person. But the love for my country is not
for the biggest democracy in the world. Far from it.
My views may shock some, may dismay others. I believe
that your loyalties should lie with your country of
birth. Therefore, India owes me nothing and I, as
a citizen of Britain owe it nothing. It is my motherland.
Respect is due for that fact. But would I drape myself
in the Indian flag, nor support it’s great cricket
team. I don't want this to sound to negative and give
the impression that I want nothing to do with the
subcontinent and it’s people. That is not the case,
I just want to clearly and concisely state my case.
Knowing one’s history is important to me. I strongly
believe that to be citizen of your country you should
know it’s history and know it well. With a grasp of
the country's history you are able to truly feel a
member of the country - a citizen. You may wonder
why I have taken this dramatic fundamental view?
In July 1997, I left for India. A surprised holiday organised by my father. This meant that I would be in the country for the 50th anniversary of Independence in August. Looking forward to what would be a momentous occasion for my relatives, for the Indian people. I was deeply disappointed and disheartened. As a country that only has a minor national day St. George’s, I feel a sense of great admiration for countries that have national holiday to celebrate the independence in a day of national unity. Was there any flag waving by my family on 15th August? No, there was not. I had to make do with some grainy black and white images of impressive processions, pomp and ceremony taking place in the capital New Delhi, on Doordarshan. This is the national public service broadcaster, much like our BBC, but far more slimed down and with no licence fee, that I am aware of! It was from this day, I decided that I should take more pride in my own country, than perhaps others. That is not to say I am completely against other countries. America continues to be a country, which has a special place in my heart. Even though I have only spent some short ten days there, it has left an impression on me, which is unmovable. Americans know how to rally around the flag, and not just on the 4th July. They also have arguably the great national anthem (or most easily identifiable!) in the world. Give them some credit for that at least. Particularly, as you find out the Star Spangled Banner was based on an old English drinking song!
The second movie, which I saw this evening on B4U was more of a blast from the past than anything new. The date is of some dispute. The movie channel dated it some twenty years to 1984, which the Internet Movie Database note it to be released in 1987. Not sure exactly which to belief, but basing my assumption purely on the quality of the special effects and some of the more distinguished actors in some standard roles. I would bet in favour of the late 80s, rather than any earlier. However the date is not important. Even the name of the film is insignificant. Ironically the title links in perfectly with my discussion above, Mr. India gives the impression of song strong nationalistic film of pure propaganda pedigree. This could not be further from the truth.
Although there are many stars in this movie, and ultimately the man on the street is seen as some kind of ‘invisible’ hero, that is not for me to discuss. The review given on Internet Movie Database is accurate enough to give the story justice. But there is something missing.
Earlier in the week, I noticed my Mum, watching the movie Mard and I noticed one of my favourite villains. You see, even though I do detest Bollywood movies now, in my youth I just could not get enough. They were special because of the melodramatic twists but they were aimed more at my parents. I enjoyed the action sequences and the villains dyer attempts to defeat our lonesome hero. At times they were ingenious. Unlike Priety Zinta, in here recent column for BBC News Online, who feels that the 1980s were the ‘action era’ and the worst era for Indian cinema. I beg to disagree. How can this be the case when starts such as Bob Christo, bounced onto our screens with piercing voice for those engaging Hindi lines and aromatic laugh. Who is Bob? This was a question I was asking myself to. I thought that I would not be able to find out much about him and he would be someone with very few fans. I was proved wrong, to my disbelief.
So for an alternative and more in depth review of Mr. India, you need to go here for a full and worthy explanation. You need to pay close attention to the character that clearly steals the show away from the stars. The Editor. Need I say anymore than, “Please To Understand My Problem!” Sure say it out loud, then say it to a few friends. Note their response and get back to me. So we find ourselves on one of the more less travels places on the Internet. It is a great shame because BollyBob is actually very very good. Well put together, detailed and you can clearly see the effort that the webmasters have put in. Shame that appears to have been abandoned for the past year and e-mails I have sent to the collective have appeared to go unanswered.
If you know anything about Bob, please get in touch with me. You know the details by now! :o)
One of my favourite songs is the rock anthem, "We
Built This City" by Starship from 1985. It was to
be one of the summer anthems once I passed my driving
test in 1999. It still is a song I really enjoy and
even have the music video, somewhere. You can therefore,
forgive my discomfort to discover on Monday that is
has been voted as worst
record ever in a poll by Blender
magazine. Okay, perhaps the message doesn't come across
very well, but the song itself is quite good and very
radio friendly. Why oh why vote this song as number
one, when there are far more severe acts of barbarity
that have been released and at their peak achieved
some undeserved commercial success?
Arsenal news has been quite thin on the ground recently and with the Arseblogger having an extended Easter break last week, I have been left to my own devices with regards to finding news on the Reds. Luckily he is back and on good form.
Back in Leicester on Saturday afternoon. To be honest not looking forward to it at all. The holidays have gone by far far too quickly and I have not made as much progress as I had hoped. Project and exams to go, this really is the final hurdle. Will I make it to that finish line?
Wednesday 14th April 2004
People who know me well, know I am an excessive control freak. I have to hold my destiny in my hands, if I do not have the power to control the outcome of events, I will do my utmost to make sure that they are at least 'bent' or rather 'shaped' in my favour. But there are times when fate takes over and I just have to give up, to my dismay and let destiny takes it's course. Letting go is difficult for me, because I hate having to rely on outside forces, external influences. Yes, I know that I have to deal with this reality but at times I do wish I had more power. Then something happens and I wonder at how beautifully all the pieces of the jigsaw fall into place.
Once in a while, a song comes along and I have to
sit up and listen. Although her debut was something
I did note and enjoyed the radio friendly hits from
her self titled debut album. I remember hearing her
collaboration with So Solid member, Romeo and thinking
how catchy the tune was. Even if I had no understanding
whatsoever what the song was referring to. Particularly
as it was called, "It's All Gravy". Released in October
2002, I recall hearing it vividly on the Radio
1 Breakfast Show. The reviews on Amazon will tell
you that the featured artist, was under
used. My view is that there was a reason for this.
A failure of many artists is to give too much too
soon. Their debut single and even album provides them
with perhaps the needed exposure for their talent.
Over the course of the tracks they do little to provide
the variety in their creativity and musical experience.
This is why so many bands, groups fall at the first
hurdle. A note from the editor of Pop
Justice several months ago, urged us to download
a track called, "Dip It Low". Taking this advice and
knowing full well that they never give poor music
advice. I downloaded the track and give it a listen.
I was impressed. I was more impressed when I realized
who the artist was and how much a change of direction
this was for her. I didn't really think about the
song that more after that. I did check on the Top
Of The Pops website, to check if the single would
be released in the next three weeks. Is was not listed,
so I assumed that this was some major early promotion
by the record label for the artists return after a
couple of years out of the limelight. When I got home,
I was watching several of the music video channels
on Sky and noticed the video for "Dip It Low" come
on? What can I say? Well I am going to say nothing.
It is best that you see the video for yourself and
enjoy the experience yourself. Some would say it screams
of a 'Beyoncé wannabe', I tend to disagree. From here,
I did various searches via Google to find out more
from the fan sites. The official site was well put
together but one fan site based in the US had everything
I had been looking for. Images, details on forthcoming
album and release dates. Armed with this information,
I went about trying to obtain various music videos
and the album. Having been released in Japan, I knew
I would be able to find it somehow. To cut a legally
liable story short, I finally obtained the full album
yesterday evening. However, I did not have time to
listen to the album at all. It was getting late, so
I decided that it was best to just increase the bit
rate to 192k/bits as is not standard for all audio
and be patient. I could wait until tomorrow. I am
glad I did. I opened up the album in WinAmp
and instantly the second track started playing. I
was taken away. My reflex action was to turn the follow
you up and to stop what I was doing. I was transported
to the 1980s, with the distinct sound of a Janet Jackson
number. The chorus was infectious, the whole track
arranged in such a way that it makes best use of the
vocal range of the artist. I hate to the make the
comparisons but this sounds more like Brandy or Ashanti
than Beyoncé Knowles. But then perhaps people are
basing this more on one video that on an album. All
I can say is that, for an album to take All This Time,
it definitely has been worth the way for sure.
I watched with great interest the programme on Channel
4 on Monday evening about Boybands. I was disappointed
that the programme makers decided not to cover other
boybands such as Ultra, OTT and E-Male. Perhaps because
they had limited commercial success compared to other
boybands. I can now quite openly say which boybands
I like, with no guam's about feeling some what self-conscious.
This of course was very different some nine years
ago. I remember having a teacher assistant come into
our form one afternoon. His name was Mr. Head, which
on it's own would result in the giggles of some of
the Year 9 girls but there was more. He openly admitted
to going to a Take That concert and was sleekly boasting
how much he had enjoyed the show. My friends and me
were in fits of laughter wondering why he had made
such an admission. Now, here I am, even burning an
MP3 CD called, "Pure Pop - The Boys Strike Back!"
and enjoying the sugary ballads of Backstreet Boys,
Blue and 5ive. I have no problem admitting this. I
think there are certain boybands which are clearly
acceptable for us, 'guys' to like. Is this truly a
problem in the 21st century?
During my 18th March 2004 update, I mentioned my search for a song. A song that will summarise my time at University. Another potential candidate is 'So Young' by The Corrs. Not the original radio edit, which was very good and reached number six in the chart way back in 1998. But the K-Klass Remix which was slightly faster and more upbeat. Not sure if this song will 'fit the bill', so I will take suggestions from anyone of you out there. Perhaps you finished University in the past few years and know of a song that I could consider listening to. Let me know via e-mail, I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Indeed things do change, and people come into your life when you least expect it. Friendships come and go. I have painfully come to learn that. Then that someone appears, like a mystery suddenly solved and you begin to realise that maybe I am at the begin of an amazing journey. A journey that I don't want to end.
Things about to change I won't just give my heart away cuz when I do it's gonna
be forever You're blowing' my mind so this might be
the last time I fall in
L-O-V-E forever
Monday 12th April 2004
As I come to the end of University and hence the
educational leg of this trip we call life, I do wonder.
I wonder what will make the children of tomorrow to
take this step and leap into higher education. I recall
like yesterday the day, when I 'knew' I would be heading
to University. It was July 1994, some ten years ago.
I was given an award for excellence for my time at
my primary school, then Lansdowne County Middle School,
now Chepping View. There were around five of us given
this award. My headmaster remarked that these would
be the people who would be at University in some eight
years time. That sealed it for me. All of my elder
cousins had gone to University and I had known for
many years that it would be going. I suppose it was
confirmed for me that afternoon, during that final
school assembly and as I left Lansdowne forever. Leaving
behind many sweet memories, friends and dreams of
joy. So it was with bemusement, I heard the latest
attempts of the government to get more young people
into university. In a radio advertisement aired around
December last year, the Aim
Higher market team hit new heights. To appear
to be happening, hip and appeal to the 'yuth' of today,
they scripted the following:
Spokesman:There now follows a message about
going to university. (Cough). Word up. Youth (not impressed):He says he's got something
interesting to tell you. Spokesman: The mega news is that the darty
government posse will help you through uni by shelling
out the clam. Youth: There's lots of financial help available
like loans, grants and help with fees. Spokesman: You cough up zip till ya minted. Youth: You won't pay back a penny of your
loan until you're earning over £15,000 a year. Spokesman:
So peg it man, don't veg. Youth: To find out what's available to you
now and the changes proposed for the future call 0800
587 8500 for your free information pack. Spokesman: Don't sack it, braw. Youth: Don't stop. Aim higher.
To read an article in the row which this advert caused
in the commons go to the Education
part of the Guardian
website.
A quick message to Sam. Thanks for leaving a message on my guestbook. Tried to e-mail you but message was returned to me. Please get in touch via e-mail. Thanks! :D
Looking at my Audio page,
which I had not updated for almost exactly 2 months.
It was time to update my MP3 database. Not a dramatic
update, as I have only increased the total number
of songs by 30. The main increase has been in the
albums department, where I am just 10 shy from 200!
Also, I have been cleaning up my MP3s and removing
songs that I rarely listen to and seasonal favourites,
which also have been archived away onto CD-Rw. I know
many of you may be concerned with the recent move
of legal action being taken against Peer-to-Peer sharers
in Europe. It appears that the record labels are going
to go after people who share an excessive amount of
copyrighted material. Not sure how I should approach
this situation. All the audio listed on my audio pages
has been 'obtained' from various sources, but I do
not share any of the material. I know that does break
the whole philosophy behind peer-to-peer networks.
That is not to say I'm a self centered and selfish
individual, if anyone contacts me requesting any material,
I am more than happy to trade or in some case give
them what they desire. Not sure how I should plead
my case when the lawyers come knocking. Then again,
will they? Ignorance is no defense, but then perhaps
I could make the case that I have all this audio in
CD or tape format? Didn't think so! :S
Sunday 11th April 2004
A difficult week for me as an Arsenal fan. Particularly
when so many of my friends are 'ManYoo' fans! However,
I am a strong believer that we need to be taken to
a point of great despair, to realise how important
everything else is. To put the rest of our lives into
perspective. This then gives us the determination
to succeed. I know, I can apply this to more than
just a mere football game but I feel it needs to be
considered. Sky
Sports, always have shown a match on Good Friday,
as part of their bumper Easter Bank Holiday weekend
of sport. Not this year. So I had to be contented
with the web updates. I logged onto Football365,
hoping to be greeted with some good news. Instead,
there was the photo of a jubilant Owen, having taken
Liverpool into the lead. Could my week get any worse?
For a good few minutes, I fell into a stupor, convinced
that was the final score. I then, seeking further
confirmation went onto the comprehensive BBC
Football site, looking for the full match report.
To my joy, Arsenal were leading 3-2, with two great
goals from Henry. Instantly I switched on the DAB
radio on Sky and tuned into the live commentary on
BBC
Radio Five Live. A few minutes of listening and
Henry secured his hat trick and I leapt for joy! Fantastic!
What is said in the dressing room, should stay in
the dressing room. However, this was one of the few
occasions when I would have loved to have heard what
Arsene Wenger had said to the boys. Personally, it
must have been something along the lines of, "How
much do you really want this?". When you are staring
defeat in the face and are on the edge of both your
emotional and mental state, you begin to realise something.
That something is how much you really want something
and how much you are willing to fight for it. It is
therefore true, that you learn more from defeat than
you do from victory. So, ultimately defeat builds
champions.
Been a busy past few days, had loads to do and loads
to sort out. The holidays are flying by and I've not
made much progress with my work. Being back home does
have it's benefits but it also does have it's drawbacks.
Getting an even balance is difficult. Why do I have
the worse luck when it comes to my cars? Having just
had the vehicle cleaned, I parked it for apart an
hour 2 minutes away from my house. Then, as I headed
off on Friday evening I was enjoying the sunset and
did not notice the graffiti until I stopped at the
lights on Handy Cross roundabout. Some 'kid' had scribbled,
"Helen Is...". I was annoyed by this, but taken aback
by the ingenuity of the individual to write backwards,
to the text appeared correctly in my mirror.
Looking forward to the Arsenal game this afternoon, hopefully three points will secure the title for us. Then again even a point is not a complete disaster. Much reports, analysis and general feedback will of course be provided by the infamous, Arse Blogger. Let us hope he has something to cheer about with his next entry.
Wednesday 7th April 2004
This is not a scheduled update, as you will not from
my previous entry yesterday evening. However, I felt
the need to put a few ideas into HTML and get them
on the web as soon as possible. It was mid morning
on Monday, and I had settled down to my PC to get
some work done. My sister was in the living room also,
flipping around the music channels on Sky Digital.
Although I was trying my best to concentrate it was
difficult with the noise and the constant switching
of channel. For an instant, she selected MTV
Hits and a catchy pop tune was playing. All I
was able to catch was that they were a female trio
and the chorus, "Love Me, Love Me". To my frustration
and utter annoyance, in the next split second my sister
decided to change channel. I then made some feeble
attempts search for the band and song, based on few
scraps of information I had. Nothing. Well then I
didn't expect to get very far. I found a band called
Play, but although originally they seemed to have
a similar sound, image and packaging. However, delving
deeper, I discovered they were not the genuine article
and a four piece. A very poor cover of Atomic Kitten's
'Whole Again', didn't exact help matters either. It
was this evening, when I was idly waiting for my mum's
Bollywood blockbuster to start on B4U
at 8pm. I was wondering around aimless across the
digital satellite channels and decided to see what
the music category had to offer. I was going to continue
watching what are now deemed the "Seven Wonders of
MTV", but decided to skip to the next channel. This
was an important decision. That 'song' was on and
it was near the end. Literally ten seconds in the
music video came to an end, and the answer I had been
waiting for, slowly faded onto the screen. I grabbed
a pen and paper to make sure I got the artist and
track title down correctly. There was little chance
in me forgetting, but I have made similar mistakes
in the past.
The trusted Google
search brought me all the information I needed. The
official sites for many bands can be awkward. They
are usually created by the record label, with a strong
emphasis to plug merchandise, concerts, albums and
other events. There is usually some commercial exploit
somewhere, whether it be a movie tie in or mobile
phone promotion. "Anything for a quick buck", as our
American friends would say. That is why, when a fan
goes to create a site, it tends to have a completely
different focus. Gone are the capitalist morals (if
there is such a thing!) and in comes the need to promote
the artist, inform the reader and ultimately express
why the band, television series, film, game or cartoon
character mean so much. I suppose some of the best
websites I have seen are these such 'fan-sites'. Mainly
because the pure motivation is sheer devotion rather
than money. Once again I am prove right, with the
site dedicated to Bellefire. Andy has created a fantastic
resource for the fans in Bellefire
Pages. Excellent work and I will be sure to check
back in the future. Pure Pop at it's finest!
Love me, love me
But don't be sorry
Help me, chase the shadows away
Love me, love me
When you've got nothing to say
Say something anyway
Tuesday 6th April 2004
I haven't been avoiding blogging, as many would have you believe. Defeat is something that I've only tasted a few times with Arsenal this season and I am sure they will bounce back this evening against Chelsea. Once again, someone else has been able to put together the words that fit the current situation with the Gooners, in the most fitting phrases. Once again, I turn to my dear friend in Spain. The English teacher, well I presume that from how he ends most of his blog entries. Read the entry from after the game against Manchester United. You realise that his heart truly does lie in North London. Long may Arse Blog, come to provide all us Arsenal fans with a 'fan's view' of life with the Red Army.
Had some relatives over, during the past few days.
I must say it has been nice and pleasant to see them
again. Not sure of the exact dates, but last saw them
in Paris, Easter 1993. We do have a small twenty minute
video of the trip, and there are some classic moments.
Including the wearing of some jumpers that Zack Morris,
of Saved
By The Bell fame would have been ashamed off.
Luckily the VHS has gone missing to save my blushes.
Well for the time being anyhow. My uncle is a big
fan of cricket, so we have been watching the opening
two days of the 2nd Test between India and Pakistan
in Lahore. I must admit that I am not a big fan of
cricket. I do enjoy the one day internationals and
of course the World Cup. However, it lacks the speed,
fluidity and flair that football has. The games are
drawn out affairs, taking place over the course of
several days. That is not to say, that split second
events and actions do not turn a game around, I just
feel, as a sport it lacks the excitement and sheer
entertainment value of football. Pakistan have made
a good
return following the first Indian innings and
reached a commanding 355-3. Will have to see how the
next few days go, but I feel that Pakistan will win
this test, and India, hopefully come back and win
the series. I will of course be keeping an eye on
the scorecard, if not watching explicitly on Sky.
What else is there mention in my blog? Well I am
back in Wycombe for the Easter break. Got to get my
project wrapped up and my report written and exam
revision organised. I am glad to be back, even though
I've not actually made a conscious decision to contact
any of my friends, thus far. I will do later this
week. I know, if I get in touch with them now, I will
meet up with them earlier and consequently get very
little work done. Better I get down to some good work.
Sorry if this entry lacks some of the now regularly
emotion, wit, humour and reflection. I just am not
in that frame of my mind at the moment. I feel the
reason for this is, my environment. I am back at home
with my family. There is so much going on and so many
other distractions (Sky, friends, driving) that I
find it difficult to find myself and the time to actually
perhaps be myself as I do, when in Leicester. For
when there, I still in my room, all alone, with only
my thoughts guiding the flow of my fingers on the
keyboard. Right now, I do not have the time or space
to take such deep reflection. I know this will fragment
many of future entries, but I shall try my best to
bring some depth and feeling to my blog. If I fail
in this, please let me know.
I end with a quote. A quote that should be filling the minds of some 12 players at Highbury. Arsene Wenger, should be doing his utmost best to make sure that two defeats do not equate to, "down and out". Far from it. I never pictured myself quoting an impeached President's quote on my blog, but then I suppose stranger things have happened. Perhaps one of the few truth's the man spoke are symbolic of not just him and his predicament, but some challenge we all face at sometime in our lives.
"A man is not finished when he's defeated; he's finished when he quits."
-Richard Millhouse Nixon
Friday 2nd April 2004
I must admit that in the past few days, I have wanted
to blog, but I have lacked the inspiration and motivation
to actually add an entry. I would of course, apologise
for this. I feel it is necessary to do so. I know
how important my blog has become to all my reader's
and of course to myself. I was looking for some spark,
some event that would bring me back to my computer
and bring back the inclination to tell the world what
is on my mind and how my day is progressing. This
evening, one man, changed all this for me. Regularly
readers of this blog will be clearly be aware of the
fact that music is important. Behind the wheel of
a Ford Fiesta for the second time in my life was a
privilege in it's own right. Then the designated driver
turned navigator turned car disc jockey decided that
we had been exposed to enough Maxwell to be converted.
Therefore it was time for a change. Not just a change
in music track, a change in genre, mood and experience.
The song had a fantastic 80s feel that I had not heard
for many days and was to some extent a breath of fresh
air. As I drove back towards Sheffield Street, the
song was in full swing and my emotions were completely
beyond my control. I must try better to grasp of my
feelings when I get behind the wheel of an automobile.
Maybe it was the adrenalin rush of power combined
with speed. Maybe it was the ability to have power
in my hands. I do not know what has made me feel this
way. But what can I say, but a thank you to Paul for
selecting the track that he did. If everything happens
for a reason and God knows the path that we are to
take, then it has once again delivered the goods.
Ahem!
England lost to Sweden, on the manager's return to
his homeland. However it is not the plight of the
senior team that is so important to me. For it was
the result of the internationals players of tomorrow,
that I found far more appealing. Why? Well let me
explain something to you. When I started University
in September 2000, I was in a heavy discussion with
one of my flat mates at halls. I was explaining how
I was looking forward to the first Asian player making
his international player making his debut for England.
I was positive that it was an event that I would see
before the end of my lifetime. My flatmate was far
more cynical and felt I was in some dreamland, that
it would never happen. An Asian player hadn't even
broken into the English Premiership League, so how
was one expected to make it break into into the national
squad. I, kept hope and faith, that one day I would
see such a young man stand before the nation, and
sing with great pride the national anthem. Four years
on, and there is little chance of an English player
of Asian origin making it into the Euro 2004 squad
for Portugal. However, as always there is hope and
I can only smile with great pride when I read the
match report from England
U21 versus Sweden U21, more important than the
score, the significance of the game and the performance.
A Michael Chopra saved English blushes and earned
the young side a draw. How fantastic a name for the
future of an Anglo-Asian player? A unique blend of
East meets West in the the North East of England.
The day he makes his senior debut will be day when
I see myself in tears, as how national anthem is played.
For me, personally it will be a moment of sheer joy
and be the product of some twenty odd years of dreaming.
"Son, we've made it..!"
Back in Wycombe on Saturday morning. If all goes to plan, I should be home
in time for the FA Cup game against Manchester United.
I remember, two years ago, doing exactly the same
thing. On that occasion, I was driving back from Leicester
in my Mini Mayfair and the opponents were Newcastle
at Highbury. (It was the match when Pires was stretched
off and henceforth missed the World Cup in Asia!).
How different things are, two years on. I am looking
forward to my time at home. I know it will flow by
without the wink of an eye, and that I will be back
in Leicester before I know it. I know I should make
the most of my time, back there. Mainly because I
have only but a brief idea of what the next two months
will bring. The 13th, has suddenly become an important
and far more significant date for me in the next two
months. I am not the most superstitious of people,
but the fact that such important events occur on that
day make me believe that there is some strong worldly
power in play. If that is the day of reckoning, let
it be. For I am sure, I shall be more than up to the
test. Afterall, I should remind someone, that I...
I don't need to fall at your feet
Just 'cause you cut me to the bone
And I won't miss the way that you kiss me
We were never carved in stone
If I don't listen to the talk of the town
Maybe I can fool myself
I'll get over you I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
(I'm over you) Cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
(King of wishful thinking) (ooh…)
I am the king of wishful thinking
Monday 29th March 2004
My friend Daz, asks me on Friday, as he does most
Friday's for an album. Of course I can not go into
detail, on how I 'obtained' this album. The album in
question was "Ride Da Riddims 2". It should ring a
bell, because it is one of the many television advertised
albums. As always, I tracked it down and downloaded
it over the weekend.
When it comes to my music I have very high standards.
All audio has to be encoded in MP3 formatted at a
bit-rate of 192 kilobits per second. My naming convention
is also very strict, using a tight, track number,
artist and title sequence. I hate the way certain
'collectives' out there on the web decided to fill
the comment part of the ID3 Tags with their signatures
or URL's. This has to be removed too. I also have
both version 1 and version 2 of the MP3s tag. The
main reason for this is that the MP3 player in my
car, only works with the first version, while WinAmp
automatically selects the latest tag for all display
and playlist information. Sometimes I get lucky and
there are other audio enthusiasts out there like me,
who believe in the same naming conventions. Although
I have to admit this can be quite rare. On other occasions
I get the worst luck and the individual mp3 files
are themselves unnamed. It takes a quick visit to
Amazon,
to discover the full track listing. Once this has
has been done, I begin listening to tracks that appear
to be 'interesting'. On this occasion I selected a
track featuring Beenie Man on vocals. As the dance
hall 'riddims' kicked in, I instantly put the volume
up. The main vocals filled my room and within a flash
my mind drifts to my car. The heat of the summer...
I am in my car, with the song pumping, sunglasses
on and as I drive, I take in the views... :D
My daydreams ends, and I am back in Leicester. I
know my blog roll is not spectacular in terms of featuring
any breath taking blogs, but it does feature an award
winning blog. A
Teenager Blogs, was the gold standard. I aspired
to have a blog of the quality and content. He seemed
to take ideas I had for my blog a few stages further.
Such as labeling each entry, not merely by the date,
but by some song lyrics which reflect the entry as
a whole. However, I sadly discover that Max has decided
to stop blogging. He had taken a small break a few
weeks ago, but due to the immense pressure from his
regularly visitors he was brought out of retirement,
somewhat prematurely. He therefore came back with
a few entries, but they lacked that unique touch which
had become his trademark. Then, we discover that he
has found a meaning for his life and nolonger has
a need to blog. I do admire him for taking this step.
However, he is young. He will learn that he will want
to blog again, later in his life. Having started blogging
and been successfully blogging for over a year I can
clearly say that I can never see a time in my life
when I will stop. It is not the addictive drug factor
of the phenomenon. It is more of the therapeutic nature
of my entries. It enables me to think out loud, with
a world of strangers and let them come to some
conclusions with regards to my life and my circumstances.
I know in the future that blogging may be moulded
differently with different technologies, particularly
mobile technology. However my will and my determination
is thus. I shall never, never stop blogging. I am
not going to abandon my weblog, because of some great
realisation or answer appearing in my life. To the
contrary, I will it share it on my blog. I shall share
it with all of you.
You Mean The World Me, Through Thick And Thin
You Take A Part Of Me Wherever You've Been,
Don't Give Up, I've Messed Up I'd Give Into The Fight You Trust In Me You Love Me, Taught Me To Believe In Me
How Can I Tell You, That Girl I Know Your Good.
Sunday 28th March 2004
Another weekend drifts by. A thought that warms my
heart and brings a smile to my face is the fact that
I will be home this time next week. A pleasant cosy
prospect, I must admit.
Not much else to report really, life continues, as
it should. Excited about going home, meeting up with
my friends and being at 'home'. I know the time will
fly by very quickly. Just like Christmas did. I know,
but I try not to think about the passage of time.
Just try my best to enjoy the moment. Sometimes, that
is very hard for me.
I have joined many forums, particularly in the past
few months. However, I have no avatar and my signature
is only a few brief words. These words are ridiculed
by my peers and friends for being far too naïve. Mainly
because I am stating the obvious. I personally never
feel the phrase to be obvious or not required the
need, to ever be mentioned. I sometimes think we all
as human beings lose focus, and the phrase brings
everything back into perspective. To find out the
phrase I am referring to you need to do some thinking
yourself! The reason I mentioned this is because
I want to create an online persona. Back in the early
days of my time on the net, I called myself 'The Shadow'.
This is after the highly underrated and unknown superhero,
from the 1930s. To carry out your own research, you
need the help of Google.
Or of course, check out The
Shadow In Review. The film came to my attention
when I went to see it on my 13th
birthday in 1994. I went to see the movie at the Virgin
Multiplex in Slough. Suddenly I was obsessed with
the character, and too wanted to discover, "What evil
lurks inside the hearts of men...". Now, being more
mature and more 'visible' on the net, I feel I need
to create a new persona in these forums. I want to
base it around the 'saying', but build images, views
and a whole mentality around it. Then, when I enter
these forums I can take on the guise of this superhero.
Maybe I'm asking too much. We shall see. I will make
it a pet project of mine over the summer. However,
if you do find anything out there of interest, please
get in touch.
Arsenal, were minutes away from beating Manchester
United and completely destroying their title aspirations.
I know that I feel, like many other Gunner's fans
out there, this evening. Not as disappointed as I
would, if we had lost to the old enemy, but more of
a whimper of what could have been. As usual, Arse
Blog, puts the words in the right places and explains
how I feel to a T! :(
Thursday 25th March 2004
Do you sometimes take a step away from your life
and wonder if this actually happening to you? I have
been doing this several times recently. Not exactly
sure why I have been reflecting, maybe because time
is passing me by quicker than ever expected. These
final few weeks of University life are not allowing
for many people to take that vital step back and reflect.
I think it is important to do this once in a while,
even if there is the hectic call of headlines and
deadlines.
"The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become."
-Harold Taylor
If this sentiment is true, then there is some sense
of achievement for me. For the end of this year will
bring with it great achievement. I know, because it
means perhaps more to my family, than it means to
me alone. More important than achievement itself is
sharing. Sharing your achievement is very important.
I know when that sunny day comes in July, there are
many faces that should be there, but are not. Some
are looking on from the heavens above. Others are
far from my thoughts, although I wish they were in
some way, happy for me. I know it shouldn't matter.
For they are no longer my friends and it shouldn't
be like this. I am not sure why it is, it just is.
Maybe, just maybe with greater achievement and deeper
reflection, it will all make sense. Time will tell.
If my life was a music video, it would be "Take
On Me", by A-ha. In less than 4 minutes, you
can see all my feelings unfold on the screen. Why?
Simple, I find the girl, the 'one'. We share a brief
moment of happiness and joy. Then along comes the
villan of the piece and we both have to flee. I let
you go, knowing I too will be gone in a day or two.
The girl will be gone and I will be left alone, with
only the memories.
Sunday 21st March 2004
Arsenal continue on course for that Premiership title
and only one source can bring together the views and
feelings of being a Gooner at this moment in time.
The funny thing is, I do not even know his name. I
suppose it is better that way. Just look what happened
to the Baghdad Blogger, once he suddenly had a face
in the media spotlight. Arse
Blog is the place I go, not just for post and
pre-match analysis, but almost daily to get my daily
dosage of the red army. Not much else to report, I'm
afraid. Easter holidays are only two weeks away and
I'm looking forward to being back in Wycombe. Got
to write my dissertation and then prepare for the
last exams of my life. Well last exams for the foreseeable
future.
Not sure about the future. Yes, I'm staying the obvious
here, but feel very unsure of my own personal future.
My mind is here with me in Leicester, but my heart
is many miles away. I know that next month is crucial
in deciding the future for me and setting forth the
next path of my travels. As always, I shall do my
utmost to remain on the righteous path and remain
true to myself.
Regrets are such strange things. I have never met
someone who has none. The day I do, I will indeed,
take their hand and say, "well done, but how, how
did you do it?". There are those that live for the
moment, happy go lucky individuals whom make the most
of the opportunities that are placed before them.
Then, there is the rest of us. I read on a website
dedicated to this subject that, "there is nothing
worse in life than all those missed chances". How
true can a phrase be. Regrets fall into two categories
though, following a recent discussion with a friend
at Uni. There are the regrets we have for non-action,
for not making the most of the opportunity placed
before us. There other type of regret is much more
negative. Regretting the course of action that we
took and how things turned out in the end. My life
of regret tends to fall into the first category. Regret
for my lack of action. I never thought this would
bother me as much as it does now. I suppose as I come
to the end of University and a realisation that the
real 'bad' world beckons. I came to the understanding
that the opportunity or rather opportunities I have
thrown away, shall never surface again. We are rarely
given a second chance. Have I just blown mine?
Thursday 18th March 2004
I was listening to BBC Radio 2 one lazy afternoon several weeks ago. Steve Wright was at the helm of course, and I was rather taken aback by the first song he played. The vocalists sounded so familiar, the lyrics so distant but the words, the words spoke volumes. It took me sometime to find out the name of the song. Mainly due to the fact the web master down at Radio 2, tend to be of the more relaxed nature and do not update the 'songs played' feature as often as I would like. However, when I did put all the pieces of the jigsaw together, I knew the male artists who was behind the song. Non-other than Lionel Richie. The song, was called Just For You, the title of his next album. The song is special to me for it bridges a gap in your life. The gap when you slowly go from being a child, sheltered and protected to being a man. A man of the big wild world and come to realise both the happiness and sadness it has in store. A true test for any song in my MP3 collection is how well it can play on the road. Well more specifically how well the song sounds, when you are driving, alone, behind the wheel and enjoying perhaps only for a few hours the pleasure of your own company. I know that this song will pass the test. The Easter holidays (less than 2 weeks away) will reveal all and I am sure I will have a few stories to tell.
Not many people know this. But I have had a long time desire to direct a music video. Well maybe that is too narrow a description of what I wish to do. I want create the entire concept for a music video and see it through to the end, by showing my 'stars' in the production. I am not sure what has fueled this desire for so long. I suppose it is the ability to be able to interpret the words, melody and lyrics of a song onto the visual form. There are many songs that I would like to direct. Those in particularly are those who never had the luck to have a promotional video created. Many songs from the Michael Jackson 2001 album, "Invincible", particularly 2000 Watts, Speechless and Unbreakable. I know that this dream will never see the light of reality. That is not to stop me from letting my creative juices flow and to come up with a story board for an excellent video. You never know, one day I may even shot some pilots. When I have the time of course!?
I have been trying to select a song to summa rise
my four years at University. It cannot be done. I
know I haven't set myself exactly an easy task. Having
thought about it, on my walk around campus as I headed
home this afternoon, I realised it cannot be done.
The song just hasn't been written. Songs tend to focus
on one human emotion. When I have felt so many at
Uni, so many that I may not even list them all here.
Love, Pain, Hurt, Heartache, Despair, Happiness. Songs
also tend only to broach a certain period, a few months
if that, before they become sour. Can you remember
the anthem from last summer? What? You can't remember?
Are You Ready for Love?, the re-released Elton John,
70s classic. I need to find a song that can somehow
link my time at Uni together, but also map the changes
in my life, in friends and the change within me. If
any of your guys out there think of anything, e-mail
me or post an idea on the guestbook.
There are various levels to everything. A gift can
have special meaning when it is sent by someone so
special. A surprise can become a special surprise.
I have not had many true surprises in my life. Something
that has happened, when least expected and without
the need for explanation. I tend to not like spontaneity
of such events. Someone made me think that they would
never get in touch. I, being the sort of guy I am,
feel for it. I thought that I would never get what
I was hoping for. I did though. I just wanted to thank
that someone, for bringing a smile to my face on a
lonely, cold and drizzly Wednesday.
Tuesday 16th March 2004
I would like to thank my friend John for his distinguished entry in my guestbook. Indeed he is right to point out that my education doesn't begin at school and nor does it end with University. True enough to say that I must, "keep the information flowing" and I promise him for as long as I have a will, I will find a way.
As I was walking home from Uni this afternoon, I
passed as I always do, Bede Park before heading into
the back streets behind Narborough Road. No detailed
maps exist of this park, so the closest location I
could find was here.
About six or seven groups of guys, numbering around
five each, were playing football across the park.
Okay, not a new phenomenon by any mark, but it was
interesting to watch anyway. There is something that
inspires me, inspires me inside when I see a football
being kicked across the park. Jumpers for goal posts.
I suppose it takes me back to the more innocent time
of my childhood. Break times spend honing those skills,
in preparation for the big match at lunchtime. Sweet
sweet memories. I have never been a good football
player. I will be the first to admit that. I was one
of those individuals picked last during those lunch
time games, and my face would light up in an unimaginable
glow, when the word, "Teg" was proclaimed by one of
the captains. Those days are a long and distant memory
and for a change, I'm not bitter at their recollection.
Seeing all these guys having a kick around, wanted
me to burst onto the field, dropping my jacket and
sports bag in the process, running towards a game
being played. Shouting with great enthusiasm, "I'm
open!". Be passed the ball by some face in the distance.
Take the ball in an effortless swoop, take precise
control with my next touch. With the goal in my sights,
I picture the move I want to complete in my head,
and then within an split second execute the shot.
The ball flies across the air, and the keeper positions
himself to make the catch, but it's too late, the
ball is far beyond his reach. The curling shot flies
beyond the keeper and into the back of the net! I
rush towards the centre of the park in made celebration,
knowing that these guys must have some heavy words
of disgust on their lips, as I circle back around
ending my celebration. Calmly I pick up my jacket
and bag, then with a ice cold maneuver of a man in
full control, I walk off the park and head home. The
exhilaration of the past moment has gone and I'm back
in reality. I suppose, my daydream appears more the
foundations of a television commercial rather than
some stupid fantasy. We can dream, can't we? Football
has been an important aspect in my life, from a very
early age. I remember being taught the rules, during
the course of a game at my first school, Shelburne
Country First School (now Chepping View) in the late
1980s. Then, I was playing the game more of the sake
of belonging to my peer group, than for the sheer
enjoyment of the sport. It is only in recent years
that major international tournaments have coincided
with major 'goalposts' in my own life. However, I
have mentioned that before, and quite recently if
my memory serves me correctly. The images of this
afternoon, brought back memories of a time which remains
far behind me. So much has happened since then. So
much water has flowed under that bridge. Friends have
come and gone and indeed, others have gone to a greater
place. I do at times wonder if things had panned out
differently, if they were still here with me, somehow
somewhere. Not too far, but then too close. I know
they are up there smiling. I hope they feel I am making
the right choices and doing the right things, for
the life they were unable to see through to the end.
I just hope they realise, that although I never got
the chance to say goodbye. To say good bye in the
'proper' sense, they are forever in my thoughts and
my heart.
Tonight the rain is falling
Full of memories of people and places
And while the past is calling
In my fantasy I remember their faces
The hopes we had were much too high
Way out of reach but we had to try
The game will never be over
Because we're keeping the dream alive
Saturday 13th March 2004
We place our happiness in other people's hands. I
am a strong believer in this prophecy. There is some
amazing joy in making someone else happy. But when
someone else makes you happy, that is a feeling on
another level. A feeling that is unlike another other
I have felt. I feel invincible, unbreakable and may
I be bold enough to immortal? Maybe that is taking
it too far? But I do feel like I could jump up and
touch the sky. I do not really know what has made
me feel the way I do right now. You will have noticed
that my blog has at times been quite negative and
pondered upon 'dark days' in recent entries. This
is because I have felt that recently, I have been losing a few
battles on a few fronts.
That is not to say, that I've won, or for that matter been beaten. It is just a feeling of sheer joy and happiness before the final push?
It is mid March and the time is flying by. I'm not sure why this final year at University appears to heading uncontrollably to a end. An event this week, brought everything into perspective. My graduation ceremony details. This is a day I've been waiting for some twenty three years of my life. I know, for other people in my life have been waiting for it, for much longer. Particularly those in a country far far away. Enjoying a victory against the old enemy this morning, which I know (having spoken to my cousin!) they relished more than life itself.
I appear to be in a period in my life when nothing
can go wrong? Or is this just a false sense of security
I find myself in? Arsenal proving themselves to be
invincible and pushing for the title, Champions League
and of course FA Cup. Read the latest from Arse
Blog, with an intriguing look at our last semi-final
clash with Manchester United, five years ago.
Has the fool become a hero..?
I'm caught
in a crowd, I'm stuck in the ground
But I just keep moving around
I can turn almost anything bad into something good
If we all stand up when the going gets rough
And baby we hold out for better things
Then we all can be the ones who shine on
Everybody knows that
Wednesday 10th March 2004
I do sometimes wonder how clever a software a program
can be. At times software can really turn into a nightmare
and put you completely off. Not the case with WinAmp,
well not on recent outings. I felt in the mood for
blogging. Not just because I have loads of my mind
and need to publish them on the web, but because since
Monday my site has been down and so many people have
wanted to know what is up with my site. It is a great
feeling to know that so many people now include this
site as a regular part of their web experience. Well,
WinAmp was on and playing tracks from the noughties
and as I opened up Dreamweaver to edit my blog, a
rocky intro started and in reflection, the most perfect
song for me right now.
I do not know how to some up recent events in my
life. It is not as if many things have been happening,
it just a case that I have been actually doing more
walking than talking. Emotions are the driving force
behind many of the things we do as human beings. The
greater good does at times prevail and we find happiness
in the what we have achieved. This entry relates close
to the entry I made almost exactly a month ago on
11th February 2004.
In a month, a vast amount of progress has been made,
but I still don't feel as if that vital breakthrough
has been achieved. Perhaps I am being far too modest
and not reviewing the situation correctly. I do not
know, I am quite confused, but then perhaps the advice
of others can do that to you. I suppose I have to
decide what I want first and then make decisions.
But I already decided what I wanted weeks ago and
I sent that e-mail. It was hard, yes I admit and it
was perhaps not the best strategy to use but I needed
to be direct and it felt the most direct way, purely
because the recipient would be reading it away from
the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Oh why
can't these things be less complicated. Why can't
things just work out for me for a change. We shall
see. Time will indeed tell.
Happiness, I was thinking about the last time I felt
perfectly happy. I know it was a feeling back during
my placement year. There was a point when everything
fell into place and I felt 'blessed'. I felt that
little bit closer. Slightly more closer to the answer
to the question of our being on this mortal coil.
It was a great feeling. It was as if, "Andrew, you've
arrived... well done!". I have never felt anything
like that before. Does that mean everything before
that point was just a test or some sort of challenge
placed before me? I never was a strong believer that
things happen for a reason, and would prefer to be
more in control of my own destiny. Rather than leave
it in the hands of something called fate. However
following my experiences during my placement and my
exposure to the outside world, I began to learn that
there is a stronger power in this universe and that
indeed everything, not just something's, happen for
a reason. I felt much pain and heartache during my
placement. Much of it, to this day remains for me
and for me alone. Those tears I shed then, do at times
come to revisit me. Not like a ghost wanting to have
some revenge or cause further pain. More of a realisation
that there will be happy times and bad times. Someone
said to me once, "Andrew it's easier to remember the
bad times than it is to remember the happy times.
It takes a lot more effort to remember the good",
I have grown to disagree. To remember the good times
is quite easier? Why? Because as human beings we record
them. Photographs, videos, e-mails, text message,
phone calls. They all are there to remind of us, of
a time when we smiled. Smiled purely for joy of smiling.
I know those days are far from me now and I do not
know how long before I feel the same again, or if
I ever will. I know at this moment in time happiness
feels so far away and at times I do lose hope. I remember
during my placement, that was the one thing that kept
me going through those dark days. Those dark days
when I was really at the edge of my human emotions.
I realised then how powerful a human emotion like
hope can me. We all have it inside us. At times we
forget it is there and try not to think there is ever
a need for hope. Living on the certainty that what
will be, will be. I used to live like that once.
"The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." Allan K. Chalmers
Never before has someone's faith stood in the way.
Never before has it used as some kind of barrier.
Well it may have been used a barrier in the past for
other people, for other situations. But never for
me. Perhaps because what I want, is not what they
want. Mismatched agenda's are fully understandable.
But then, I can not know the truth behind someone's
faith I only know what I am shown... and if I am shown
the truth... I have to believe it... I'm A Fool! Am
I really? It feels like it.
got nothing to loose this time
and i'm bored with the same old lines
i never know what to do or what to say to you
one look and you'll knock me out
you put me on the floor with a ten count
i don't wanna make a scene i gotta make you see
that i've been waiting for a girl like you
and i know there's nothing i could do
don't wanna make you hurt
don't wanna make you feel
like the world ain't on your side
like you're never gonna get it right
no i can't fight i can't sleep at night
just thinking about you girl
i'm a fool for you
yes i am
Saturday 6th March 2004
"The only way to have a friend is to be one." If this is the case, I would like to say something that I rarely do. We rarely, state the obvious. But I would like to say, thanks for Daz and Vij for being my friends and I hope that I have been a friend to them.
You may recall, that a few weeks ago, I brought you the antics of Upgrading Operating Systems. Well as the saying goes, there are two tales to every story. For those that fail, there are those that succeed. So therefore, it is only just for me to include a picture of a small if somewhat smug, self-assured
relieved Paul. Proudly showing a broad smile, while his new PC hums contently in the background, casting some psychedelic blue onto his desk.
Arsenal turned their quarter final against Portsmouth at Fratton Park into an exhibition match. Particularly in the second half when they showed true class with some nifty (is that a word?) passing and interplay. At this point, I would usually pass you on over to the Arse Blog, however he has not updated his website this evening. Perhaps he never got those painkillers in the end. So I will just point you in the direction of the full match report from the BBC.
The most significant things that will happen in your
life, will be those that you least or never expected
to happen. This wasn't something I agreed with in
the past. However, fate and destiny are powers beyond
that of a mere mortal. If I could have foretold my
future, it would never have been written like this.
Maybe one day I will know what should have been done
and said, to change the course of history. That is
in the lap of the Gods. What I do know is that, both
things you want, things you need and the things you
avoid, will all in time come to flourish. Perhaps
not completely the way you expected. But he with great
expectations has too low self-esteem. Do not think, what I can do, think what has yet to be done by others?
Friday 5th March 2004
Life goes on. It does feel somewhat surreal for me
at the moment. You tend to look forward with some
blurred vision, of what your final year will be like.
I do not just mean, the ending of your life as a student
and many of the virtues and vices associated with
being at university (lectures, tutorials, coursework
and exams). But also how you think you will be different
person at the end of this process. I have grown in
stature from those early days of October 2000. Student
life on it's own hasn't changed me. It is the situation
and circumstances I have found myself in. The whole
period is a transition in your life. Much like many
that we face throughout our lives. However, it is
for once less controlled by others and you are in
the driving seat. When you go from first to primary
(or middle) school, although the change you face is
at times daunting, the presence of friendly and familiar
faces, makes the whole experience far less intimidating.
Of course, there is sense of control and belong to
the whole affair. Your move is local and in my case,
was literally next door. Your group of friends does
not diminish, but grows. I have long believed that,
one should have a transparent view with regards to
friends and friendship. "Understand that friends come
and go,but for the precious few you should hold on."
I had a preconception of those friends that would
always be look upon as those 'precious few'. I also
knew, those that would be gone forever. That is not
to say I am not bitter at those that have gone and
in fact those that remain. When I left my primary
school, to head into the big bad world of the secondary
school, there was two people I really wanted to keep
in contact with. I had departed several months ago,
but was never far from my thoughts. The other, had
grown to become best friend, in ways that make him
irreplaceable. Now, some ten years since the day we
parted, I look around my circle of friends, and find
that indeed my prophecy has come true. His place among
my friends is still very much vacant. You live and
learn, but you also at times, wonder why. Why? Why
isn't friendship such an easy game to play? Why do
we make mistakes and the ripples of these lead us
to lose friends? I know at times, I have been sole
reason that a friendship collapsed. Of course, I regret
this being the case. But as I've been told on countless
occasions."Life's too short". Reconciliation is always
on the cards and I am always willing to accept someone
back into my life from the cold. Always. But there
comes a point, when even the best of friends have
to move on. Their personal circumstances change to
such an extend that you no longer know who they are.
From spending everyday together at school or college,
you go to live a detached friendship via text message,
e-mail and the occasional phone call. The letters
that did start to become the customary way to catch
up on news, slowly begin to fade, just like the friendship.
I was thinking about this fact, during the course
of last week. How many of my friends from my childhood
are still with me today? By childhood I mean, when
my age was still in single figures and I was in the
best decade of all time! This wasn't some strange
idle thought that crossed my mind, as I walked home
from Uni, but a succinctly question, which I had posed
upon myself. I searched, frankly. Hoping that at least
one fragment of my past, remained true to me today.
It didn't take that long to discover who that person
was. It could only be my dear friend, David Jones,
whom I have known since we were both 5. A total of
almost 18 years of friendship. A friendship, that
although has had it's bad patches (we lost touch in
the mid-90s), has with the power of hindsight been
the most important friendship I have ever had. You
are not asked to be someone's best man, without some
sort of recognition of friendship. Looking back, perhaps
I was asked, to enable David to show his true feelings
for me as a friend. It was in fact a humble honour,
even if only given exactly a month's notice. To read
all about the most crucial, successful and beneficial
role, I have had to date, check the May
2003 entries.
Sunday 29th February 2004
Today is day that doesn't exist for most of us. The significance of a year leap is beyond the approach for me to discuss. I rarely discuss the importance of days that have no significance for me personally. Afterall this day belongs to those, to those for it means something. The one day when a woman may propose to her man. Quaint, for I am sure there are many whom do this when the time is right, and not wait for day that doesn't exist. Afterall why wait when the moment is right. Waiting sometimes is not the best thing to do. For the moment goes and you can never capture it again. I know. I know the pain that moment can bring. For more details on this mystical date, go to Diamond Geezer for some amazing facts.
As I dedicated my last entry to the misdemeanours of my resident OS operative, I have many things to mention in my blog. I have been up late, working on assignment and my project recent nights. Before going to sleep I would just put on the TV to see what was on to pass the time, before I drifted off to sleep. I have noticed that the commericial breaks on ITV are filled with not commericials, but public services messages. These range from driving, holiday information and the coastguard. A classic, is a spoof for a trance music album. With tracks called: "Spiked (Remix)" and "Out Of Control". This is to warn young holiday makers of the pitfalls that can come to your wild holiday abroad. It's part of the campaign called, Know Before You Go.
I have for long searched for other blogs by Asians.
Particularly British Asians of student age, like myself.
By chance, I was searching for photographs from the
Asian Ball in Leicester and by some miracle stumbled
upon a blog, in only it's 24th day. Although to begin
with I found the layout and style far too girly, I have
grown to love, Something
In Between. Maybe because of the honesty or the
fact that the entries are so down to earth and intelligent.
Impressive, for a blog that was only started this month.
I'm sure it will show to be a worthwhile link. Does
it a deserve a listing on my Blog Roll? I will wait
for the author, Naz to get in touch.
My guestbook has finally gone live! So please check out the Guestbook to view entries and of course, add your own comments! I promise to get in touch with everyone that leaves an entry.
There was only one song I was listening to, four years
ago. Funnily enough, it was number one. Sure nothing
strange in that at all. It was number one during Tuesday
29th February 2000.
I'm moving, I'm coming
Can you hear what I hear?
It's calling you my dear
Out of reach
(Take me to my beach)
I can hear it calling you
I'm coming, not drowning
Swimming closer to you
Thursday 26th February 2004
The Case Of The OS:
While the majority of the student community were
busy revising for exams, unable to comprehend why
or how the Christmas break went by so quickly. There
was one soul, who was contemplating more, much more.
Attempting one of the biggest tasks ever. Changing
an operating system is not something you decide to
do on the off chance. It takes planning, long consideration
and debate. These were ingredients I felt this particular
project lacked. Why was he unhappy with Windows
XP Home? What was wrong with his current setup?
These are questions that remain unanswered, for we
are about to explore the case of the OS.
Monday 19th January 2004 - I returned home in the
early evening, having spend the afternoon revising
in the library. To my surprise, there was a visitor
at our house. I went upstairs to investigate. I found
Stuart working on the laptop. I discovered a very
delicate operation was taking place. Technical assistance
was being given. Windows XP Home Edition was making
way for the might of Windows
2003 Server. "Your machine can't handle it mate.
It will fall over", were my words of idiocy.
Four days later, I was proved right. Stuart was back and Windows 2003 was making way for Windows 2000. This would be an ideal time to mention my dear college friend, Joe Gaster. He finished a Computer Science degree at the University Of Essex in the summer last year. On his fantastic website, Nick Nack Baby, there is fantastic video clip. Around 40mb in size, it dramatically captures the experience of installing the operating system that is Windows 2000. Download the "Install Windows Montage" if you can! :)
So everything was going fine, the soul was happy. Windows was working and the laptop was coping. I knew, personally that it was only a matter of time. I was yet again proved right. With the semester casually passing us by and the coursework deadlines fast approaching, this was not the time to start fiddling with your system registry. Some people never learn. Some people never listen. Some people, decide at 5pm, on sleepy Sunday evening, that it is the ideal time to adjust the Remote Access Service (RAS) keys in the registry. Having failed the night previously, our dearest friend was fired up and wanted to, for the greater good get his PC communicating with the home network.
He was in for a roller coaster of a ride for the
next 48 hours, something that Jack Bauer would be
proud of. You could taste a coursework deadline in
the air and with the laptop not functioning, we were
in need of some serious help. Paul was the first to
offer a hand, mainly by giving access to his PC, to
search websites, forums and discussion group in search
of some answers. They were few and far between, yet
this did not deter our hero. He made contact with
a Canadian, who had faced a similar scenario. His advice
was to check BootDisk.com
This enabled the creation of a Windows 2000 boot disk
that would enable access to the Recovery Console.
It was 2am on Tuesday 24th. In the end, a few DLL
(Dynamic Link Libraries) were thought to be enough.
It was only the start. It would take more, much more
than this.
I have seen men at the end of their tether, but none
go to the distance and effort to get their operating
system up and running again. The Recovery Console, allowed access to the command prompt, and the recoverability of data, but would not allow the access to critical system directories. Things were not looking good. Having explored every possibility and taken advice from various people, I could see the pain of the situation raising the temperature and increasing the pressure. The clock was ticking and every wasted second was a second that could have been spent on the coursework.
There was no more hope. The decision had to be taken. A reinstallation was the only final option. Without time on his side and the pending coursework heavy on his mind, that was the decision taken. Reinstalling an operating system, although not a difficult task, is no further complicated by the fact that all your customisation and personal settings will be gone. Once again, you will have to setup the machine, to your homely comforts.
The story ends with a happy ending, our hero gets
Windows working again and is able to get all his vital
personal data onto a backup drive and create those
crucial folders, that bring with them such peace of
mind. The coursework was done and dusted, and not
soon enough. There is of course a moral of this story.
Never attempt a serious adjustment to your computer
settings, days before a coursework is due in. You
are merely tempting fate. When it comes to technology
my friends, fate is never on our side. Never.
Tuesday 24th February 2004
Just a quick message. My site has transferred to the new domain. However, please always use www.t-e-g.co.uk, when linking to me.
Well done Arsenal for their first win on Spanish soil,
an entertaining game and Edu scored Arsenal's 100th
European goal! Read more at Arse
Blog.
Prepare yourselves for a major blog entry later this week.
Saturday 21st February 2004
The weekend arrived and with it, another classic encounter with Chelsea. I of course followed every incident via the BBC Sport website. For my post match analysis, I turned to the blog that appears to get the balance, between the facts and opinion, just right. Arse Blog, does exactly what it says on the web banner! So beating Chelsea 2-1, and the old enemy, 'United' only managing a point against strugglers, Leeds, Arsenal are in the driving seat (again!). I know that there is still a substantial amount of the season to go, and it would be nice to think of trophies already, but I shall not be so foolish. Major Champions League game on Tuesday evening. Looking forward to that, as I will be able to watch the game live on ITV1.
I have ordered my new web hosting from Portland. However, that means I will lose the domain I have for this site and transfer over to tegala.port5.com. However do not update your bookmarks, just yet. I will phase in the new site as I want to make all the new feature, mainly the guestbook are working properly. So just a few more days of patience is needed.
I was speaking to my housemate Nav and he had just downloaded some songs by the band, PM Dawn. Instantly, it brough back the melody and soothing lyrics of their biggest hit, "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". This was famous for the fact they sampled, True by Spandau Ballet. There music is described as 'psychedelic hip-hop' and you can read more on their Yahoo Artist Page. Once again a song can summarise how I feel and how I should look upon matters close to my heart.
Hopefully my new site should be loaded next week.
She was right, though, I can't lie.
She's just one of those corners in my mind,
and I just put her right back with the rest.
That's the way it goes, I guess.
Friday 20th February 2004
This brings back memories. Friday night, the one time I would get a chance to log onto my own PC. This was again during my time on placement. After a heavy week at work, I would finally get a chance to reflect, contemplate and resolve all the thoughts of the week. Eastenders would end at 8.30pm and I would rush onto my PC to update my blog. I enjoyed that moment of the week. It contrasted sharply with the Monday Morning blues. That was a time, when I could not Monday Morning Proof myself.
The annual Brit Awards was shown, as 'live' on ITV on Tuesday evening. This is the only awards show that I have watched, with almost a religiously following. It also happens to be the only show now that I watch with my Dad. Of course, last year was the first time I watched it with him since 2000. Of all the awards ceremonies, this is one that I could never get tired of. Mainly because it always seems to reflect truly the state of the music industry. I would go into depth reviewing the awards and the show itself, hosted by Cat Deely. However, there is no need when Pop Justice, have done such a brilliant job.
Not much else to report at the moment, as week 4 of the second semester rolls on by. My project continues to get more urgent as time passes by. At least this weekend I can make some good progress on it. Also assignments are beginning to kick it too. I receive my last piece of coursework a week today.
Monday 16th February 2004
Back in Leicester, after a weekend at home. As always, time at home is extremely hectic, and before I know where I am, the time has drifted by and the East Midlands beckons once more. Another week at Uni begins and with it, the expectation and realisation that this is the final hurdle. A phrase which echoes in my mind, whenever I head to campus. Not long now, I know, as I draw closer to the finish line with every passing day.
Arsenal were in FA
Cup action on Sunday lunchtime. I was eagerly
anticipating the 5th Round tie. I recall coming back
on Saturday 8th March, from Leicester to the catch
the last dramatic encounter between the London clubs
in this cup competition. If that match had anything
to go by, I was in for an entertaining game of football.
However, I was disheartened to hear that Henry was
out of the game through injury. I knew that this would
be a major test for the Gooners. Chelsea, must have
thought this was the best opportunity to beat us in
four years. The tie was going as scripted, with the
Blues scoring towards the end of the first half. I
had a feeling though. I had a feeling about our new
signing Reyes. He had to deliver at some point and
why not the best cup competition in the world. Two
amazing goals in the space of five minutes. I would
have been happy to go for the reply, but Reyes proved
that with time and space he is deadly. What was everyone
saying about Arsenal's over reliance on Henry? I also
feel a huge mention of Dennis Bergkamp is necessary.
His contribution and vision was inspiring. Admirable
to see a player still showing great skill and talent,
even at the twilight of their professional career.
There were numerous occasions when he split open the
Chelsea defence, but unfortunately Arsenal were not
able to make the most of the goal scoring opportunity.
Not much else to report I am afraid at the moment.
Upgrading my hosting this week, so the guest book
should be online by Friday or the weekend.
I am breaking with the tradition of my website. Usually,
I do mention a site, a webmaster and praise their
creative ability. However on this occasion, I'm going
to go once step further and dedicate this blog entry
to my dear friend, Kristy. For the rest of the events
as they unfold will have a special meaning, only for
her.
I hadn't driven my car since Christmas and was looking
forward to getting behind the wheel again. In anticipation
for this, I burnt myself an Audio CD for the
first time, since Christmas. There
were so many songs that I had been listening to excessively
on WinAmp, but creating a track listing wasn't too difficult.
I need to take you back, take you back to the days
of my placement. I mention on Wednesday 23rd April,
that I had created yet another MP3 CD for the car.
This particular collection was called 'Pure Pop'. Now, I
am sure that you are the same as me, when you are
listening to a new album. You go straight for the songs
that you know and love. Those that have been released
as singles and had the most radio play. Very much,
like a kid in sweet shop. You go for your favourite
sweets, always. After a time, you begin to actually
listen to the other tracks on the album. On one occasion,
I recall vividly taking such a decision with this
MP3 CD. I was going to start at track one, and let
the CD cycle through all the tracks. The day I did
this, I was on the M1, heading back from Bedford,
after yet another eventful day at work. But work was
far from my mind and my thoughts were far from the
road ahead. I already had a good collection of favourite
songs on this album, beyond the well known singles.
I thought there were no more I needed to hear. I was
far from right. As track six faded away, and the noise
of the motorway traffic became apparent to me once
more, I felt something strange. The feeling was that
of a distant memory. The song started, and music filled
my car once more. The arrangement was breathtakingly
perfect, every note timed with such grace and poise. Then the
vocals began. There was only one person I thought
of when I was listening to the song, those
feelings came rushing back. "You say you're
sorry for the things That you've done To my life",
struck such a cord with me. I know that my time on
placement was the best time for me professionally,
where I took major leaps and bounds as a person. However,
personally, it was the worse phase of my life in recent
years, particularly the second half of 2002. Everyone
knows that I am a fan of pure pop, and this was pure
pop at it's best. Simple, yet dramatic music that
moves the soul. I had been listening to the song again,
in recent weeks, not really sure why. The song is
still as magnificent as ever, but those feelings,
I felt in April are alien to me now. On Saturday,
I headed to Bedford and there was only one song I
wanted to hear on my stereo. As I headed onto the
motorway, the track came on. While driving my thoughts
again drifted, but further afield than before. Across
the Channel to the Netherlands, to Rotterdam, where
Kristy lives. I recalled with great accuracy the
MSN conversation I had with her, in early January. I had
asked her what songs I should listen. She recommend
the aforementioned track. I listened to it again,
and the memories came flooding back. I asked if the
song had a video on the band's DVD album. I was disappointed
to hear, that it did not. But then Kristy told me
that they performed the song live and the footage
included my favourite member, pumping the air in celebration
during the minor bridge in the song. I tried to picture
this and smiled. The power of music. Never to be underestimated.
The band are of course, Liberty X and the song is,
"Everyday", from their debut album, "Thinking It Over".
Friday 13th February 2004
Home for the weekend. Left Leicester around 5.40pm, and got into Wycombe around 7.20pm which was quite good going, taking into account I was driving my sister's M-Reg, Metro GTA. It is only a 1.1 injection, but still quite nippy. May go into London this Saturday to get some sightseeing done. Looking forward to the 5th Round of the FA Cup, particularly Sunday midday clash! :) Not much else to report at the moment, I'm afraid. Should be upgrading my hosting next week and have some more breathing space with regards to bandwidth.
MightyMouse has chipped his XBox and connected it up to his home network. All this, within a few days of having purchased the games console. Then there is myself, who takes months to get around going beyond the basic features of the hardware. Usually thing, I will just about work out how to make a phone call, send a text and use WAP. Then my dear friend Sippy, will come along and be customizing to the max! Happy Birthday to you old man! How does it feel? One year older, one year wiser?
Will update later, towards the end of the week, when I am can put everything into perspective, as I review events. Take care and hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Wednesday 11th February 2004
Another excitng week here in Leicester for my housemates and I, and it is far from over. Who knows what the next few days will bring?
My Guestbook is not live! Sorry to report this. Finally after a good solid few weeks of work, behind the scenes, I am bringing a new feature to my site. This is the first major step forward, since this site was re-developed in October last year. However, there is a PHP problem with my host. Will sort this in when I upgrade my package next week! (I hope!)
The second semester is going well for me. I must admit that having adjusted to the pace of final year modules and coping with a project, I am enjoying my time at De Montfort University. Four years is such a significant amount of time. A new President is elected, the World Cup trophy is contested, and athletes meet to compete in the Olympics. In four years, titles, championships, records are won and lost. But for me, there has been no loss. Of course there are those who will say that I lost a great deal. Over half way through the course, one persons decision, could have had such a strong bearing on the remainder of my time. Time was on my side, and as luck would have it, I paid little price for someone else's decision. I stand by mine, do you stand by your's? Even now, at such a date, that brings both memories and pain. Time is perhaps the harshes judge of all.
My housemate is building a super computer. To truly take him to infinity and beyond. The specification is a mouth watering prospect, with the memory and graphics cabability to make Windows excel. I too, am planning on building a super computer this summer. My Mesh Matrix, has been a great servant, for the past five years. Yes it will be five years, on 31st March 1999, my machine was delivered. Oh how sweet the memories are. Since then, it has been shipped to Leicester and back to Wycombe at total of six times. In that time, it has burnt endless amounts of CDs and the only major transplants have been a replacement TDK CyClone, some more memory to beef up the ram from 128mb to 648mb (Ooh yeah!). Also removed the Pioneer DVD-ROM drive. This was to make room for the hard disk drive caddy. All in all, a fantastic machine from an award winning computer firm that have been making PCs since 1987. Until my next PC is born, for now, I will have to enjoy the birth of Paul's PC. A magnificant experience, to see these mortals hands, give life to such a beast.
Reaching Out To Touch A Stranger Electric Eyes Are Everywhere See That Girl She Knows I'm Watching She Likes The Way I Stare
If only it was easy to find a positive response to
all these feelings I have. I have many regrets, so many
that listing them would forever hold me to the injustice,
they force upon myself. For once I am not going to let
such a trival matter, become a burden upon my conciousness.
I am going to act. I would quote from Hamlet, but I
feel that would be going too far.
Although I can blame my feelings on 'human nature',
I know that by not acting, my fate will be once again
in my hands rather than the hands of a stranger. Although
I try my best to avoid some external intervence, such
activity is unavoidable. I will do my utmost best to
make it minimal. Third parties can cause confusion and
limit my chances of success.
Sunday 8th February 2004
Finally got around to updating the MP3 Database on my Audio page, I am nearing the dizzy heights of 3000 mp3s. Adding almost 100 mp3s since November. My album collection has exploded to 184, from 166 in November. I am going to aim to update this listing every two months. There are two reasons for this, mainly due to time constraints and also the realisation that my collection will not grow dramatically in the space of a month.
Not much to report, I'm afraid. Not really in the mood to blog, on a Sunday morning. Busy with Uni work at the moment. My project and various coursework assignments that I need to get on with. A song I have been listening to is a cover of a Donna Summer classic. "This Time It's For Real", has been revamped and updated with the fantastic vocals of Kelly Llorena. A really great dance tune and I have to attempt it has started to grow on me.
Should be heading back to Wycombe this coming weekend, so another reason to get as much work done today as I can. Will hopefully update again later in the week, when I should be bringing my guestbook live. Currently tweaking the layout and design, so it fits in with the rest of the site.
Thursday 5th February 2004
Site has been down for a week. I was hoping to be
back online by Sunday, but my account was not unlocked
until this afternoon. Due to these unforeseen circumstances,
I am seriously considering purchasing hosting for
my site. I hope to sort something out, later this
month, but it involves a considerable about of messy
work to move my domains around and clear up the mess,
so all my domains are in one place (help by one service
provider) who is also my host. Anyway, I will blog
later this week, mostly likely over the weekend. Got
loads of work to be getting on with, mainly on my
Final
Year Project.
Sunday 1st February 2004
My hosts, United
provide me with 15 megabytes of advertising free webspace.
However, there is nothing like a free lunch and there
are several restrictions on my account. One such barrier
is on bandwidth. I am only allow to have 100mb per
month. This had never bothered me before, because
I rarely outstretched the 70mb mark. However, I had
some bad news on Thursday 29th January, I had exceeded
my limit by 4.3mb. I didn't think this was going to
be a major problem and that my site would still remain
live. I received an e-mail from the people behind
United, a company called Portland,
informing me of the situation and that I would need
to upgrade my hosting package, or pay for additional
bandwidth until the end of the month. I was not interested
in either option. To my dismay, my site was now offline
and a message declaring to the world of my situation.
I swiftly searched the FAQ archives to discuss the
severity of my fate and whether or not I had a chance
of redemption. I was in lucky. The server is reset
on the first of every month at 3am, re-issuing me
with 100mb of bandwidth and my site would return to
it's rightful place in cyberspace. I was unhappy with
the situation, very unhappy. I assumed that now that
my site was no longer available, I could not incur
any further excessive bandwidth use. I was wrong.
This afternoon, I received yet another e-mail from
Portland. It was 3pm and in 12 hours time, my site
would be back up. I had exceeded my bandwidth limit
for the month, it was now up to 109.91mb. In an attempt
to counteract this, I changed the redirection of my
URL (www.t-e-g.co.uk) to my University site, in order
to stop any further escalation of the problem. I remembered
on the Portal Forum, that if my excessive bandwidth
reached or breached 10% of my total allowance, that
is 10mb, I would be forced into purchasing enhanced
hosting. Refusal to do so, would result in my site
being removed and a ban, to stop me creating a site
again. Not good news at all. However, I feel that
I have done extremely well in my crisis management.
To stop such an event happening again, I am going
to ban myself from visiting my site in the future.
I have continual pronounced that my website has found
a truly international audience. For some, this would
be very hard to believe. Of course, the world we be
a much duller place, if there were not the realists
among you. Those willing to probe further and ask
the difficult questions in order to discover the truth.
For all of you, here is the evidence you have been
looking for. I am not sure how or why the popularity
of my site had exploded to the far corners of the
globe. My own explanation is my recent listings in
blog directories. Any other explanation, no matter
how far fetched or unbelievable, I will let you seek
in your own time. If you have any news which may enlighten
me, please get in touch.
What a week! For once you realise the importance
of the saying, "A Week Is A Long Time In Politics".
For the government to win, a crucial vote in the House
of Commons on Tuesday 27th, and then be exonerated
in the Hutton
Report in such a fashion that they prove themselves
whiter than white, really beggars belief. At times
I do wonder, if it is life or just a play. For Alistair
Campbell to achieve all his aims within the space
of 18 years, shows the importance, one man can have
within the corridors of power. I was deeply saddened
by the departure of the BBC Director General, Greg
Dyke. I have been a longtime admirer of his, and the
admirable ways in which he has transformed the BBC
into a public service broadcaster that is the envy
of many other media corporations around the world.
The resignation of Gavin Davis, was not unexpected
and I was glad to see the hierarchy within taking
such a step. Greg didn't not have to go. He didn't
deserve to go. In an act of irony or perhaps sheer
misfortune for the BBC. After Question Time and This
Week on Thursday evening, the name of the film summed
up everything for me. Game
Of Vultures, I wonder if TB had the time to enjoy
the entertainment? I am not alone in having such feelings
for the man at the top. If the scenes on Thursday
afternoon are to believed, Dyke has created more bitterness
for the government than ever before. His staff make
their feelings quite clear in black and white.
Can it be, that we live in a world, where justice
prevails from the hands of not judges and juries but
a 'director of communication'? I do realise that we
live in a media age, and image is everything? But
can image ever take the place of substance and the
truth? Maybe not, but there are those who can cleverly
manipulate the facts for their own ends. A truth can
become an untruth. Innocent people become victims,
and the power remains in the hands of those few, we
once trusted. Not any more...
This has been the first time that I have ever considered
mentioning politics on my blog. I did not want to
voice my views on several ongoing political sagas,
including the second Gulf War. However, I just wanted
to make my position clear. I am a life long labour
supporter, taking this political stance from my late
Grandfather. It appears above that I have become very
cynical of the government and the Labour party. I
am not, at all. I am just disappointed for the way
in which circumstances have panned out. Particularly
for the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, for whom I have
nothing but undying devotion. As the saying goes,
"A man would do nothing if he waited until he could
do it so well that no one could find fault " We must
admire someone for holding such conviction for their
own principles and seeing them through to the end.
That is why, I was for the war in Iraq. When you are
aware of mass criminal activity by a tyrant dictator,
the weaker man would do nothing. You deal with it.
Yes people will die. Yes the cost will be immense.
But the final outcome, won't that be worth it? There
is only so long you can wait and do nothing. For time
waits for no man, whether righteous premier or murderous
mogul. I just hope now that several obstacles have
been removed, we will see a much more positive approach.
The thought of Howard as Prime Minister, does little
for my imagination. Nor will it for many others.
The weather recently has been the talk on most people's lips. Luckily, this year I was able to avoid some of the hazardous driving conditions which affected many motorists up and down the country. It is now I realize the truth, when the weather person says, "Please do not venture out, unless it is absolutely necessary."
Read my entry, from February 2003. You will
note that I was on the M1 motorway for over 10 hours.
I was grateful that I was not in those circumstances
again this year. A person shows their true colours
in the face of great adversary. That is when we are
judged. So if a country is judged at the time of great
need, your realize how pathetically we are prepared
for a well advised snow shower in January. It took
the lesson of last years chaos for the roads to be
gritted with greater urgency and in great numbers,
to make sure events did not repeat themselves. Perhaps
we could learn from our European cousins, whom have
great experience fighting such battles with the weather.
So what could bring me greatest comfort, as the snow showered down in Leicester
on Wednesday afternoon? It was the discovery of a
new blog, dedicated to my team, the Gooners. It had
been reported the record signing of Spaniard Reyes
from Seville, to the tune of a staggering £17.4 million. This 20 year old must be something special. To find out more, and to keep up to date with 'views' from within and around Highbury, go to Arse Blog.
What have I been listening to recently? Well I have
had some time on my hands to finally get my mp3 album
collection archived onto CD-Rw and organised. I am
hoping to have time to update my Audio page tomorrow.
In terms of music I have been listening to, well let
me take you on a journey. You must have seen the film
Bend
It Like Beckham, during it's cinema release in
April 2002. I did see the film at the cinema, but
towards the end of it's screening schedule. A highly
recommended movie, purely for it's feel good factor
and the main character overcoming several barriers
to her dream. Something we indeed can all relate to.
During the film, there is a scene with Pinky and her
financé Teetu (played magnificently by Kulvinder Ghir)
are in her Nissan Micra. The action (or lack of visible
action) is not what I wish to draw your attention
to. It was the song being played. The melody I instantly
recognised, as "The Power Of Love" by Jennifer Rush,
from 1985. One of my favourite love songs, if only
for the soft voice of the artist and gentle soothing
way the song is able to pull the very strings of your
heart. The voice and lyrics were foreign to me. It
was being sung in Hindi. Nothing new of course, I
have already discussed the western influences musically
on Bollywood cinema in July 2003. I purchased the
DVD for my family as a Christmas gift in 2002. My
sister, then subsequently went out to purchase the
soundtrack.
To my utter disappointment, although it contained
several of the films songs, many were missing, including
the Hindi, Power Of Love. I then began a brief but
concise search in an attempt to discover, the artist
behind the remake and if I would be able to obtain
the song by some means. My success was short lived.
Many other purchasers of the soundtrack had highlighted
their bitterness at the missing song. Eventually,
after several hours of searching, I discovered, the
name of the artist of was Amar. Information on her
was nonexistent. I therefore, gave up my pursuit of
this song, seeing it very much as a lost cause. In
was not until this week just past, that I re-lit the
search light, this time in search of the definitive
knowledge that would lead me to a year, an album,
a successful artist and my song. I contacted a DJ
at an Asian Digital Radio station. She was able to
pour some much needed light on affairs and aid me
in my search. Around 5pm, on Tuesday 27th, I received
an e-mail I had been awaiting for almost two years.
This was not to be my only good news that evening.
The name of the song in Hindi was "Mohabbat Ka Rang".
Translated directly, would mean "Love's Colour" or
more succinctly, "The Colour Of Love". A more fitting
title, as I would discover later, is "The Glory Of
Love". On her drive time show, Kim Boss informed me
that the song was from the album, "Mein Aur Tu". Again,
the translation into English, is "Me And You". The
DJ played the song, but I missed it, as I had turned
off the live internet feed of Yaar
Radio. Undeterred, I continued my search for more
information. I recalled there was someone who could
help me even further on this quest. My dear friend,
Nehal who administers the site, My
Sangeet. I explained to him what I need to know
and his lightning response was to point me in the
direction of several site. Oriental
Tunes, which gives a brief synopsis of Amar and
her music. He was also able to point me in the direction
of several individuals who appeared to have the album
in question from 1994, in their collection. The search
continues. But do not fret, for the song was played
for me on Thursday drive time and again on Friday
drive time at 6.30pm. During the latter transmission,
I encoded the live feed into MP3 format. Not ideal
I know, as the quality does waver and is far from
perfect. But if it lets me experience Amar and her
Glory Of Love, there is little I can do but, sigh,
fall into a daydream as I begin to learn to learn
about "The Power Of Love".
This blog entry was written during the late final hours of January 2004 and early fresh hours of February 2004. For completeness it has been added as the first entry of February 2004.
Tuesday 27th January 2004
I got back into Leicester on Sunday. Although it
was very much so, an unplanned trip home, I did enjoy
spending time with my family and meeting my uncle
at Heathrow. Sunday was spent in Nottingham with my
sisters, and the rest of my family, enjoying what
the city has to offer. Overall quality time with my
family which was fantastic because it was so unexpected.
Why, oh why does the weekend go by so quickly? I returned
to my University city, to pick up the pieces of my
weekend and try and catch up from where I had left
off from Thursday. Not an easy task. This task was
not made any easier when I switched on my TV to find
something to casually pass a few minutes. The last
channel I flicked over to was five,
to instantly recognize the film that was on. I was
taken back to a more innocent time of my youth. Youth
perhaps is the wrong word, maybe childhood. This has
been happening to be me on a regularly basis now.
I was talking to my housemate, Nav about the film,
Wing
Commander, and how big a fan, I am.
I might even make the profound statement, that I have
played every single carnation of the Wing Commander
series on the PC. To my amazement, BBC1 showed the
film on Saturday 17th January. I have discussed with
many people, my favourite movies as a child
of the 80s. Sippy had agreed with me, that one of
his favourite films was filled with adventure, suspense
and comedy. Low and behold, five showed the fantastic
Goonies.
However, the fact that they had not really made the
showing public, meant I missed all important beginning,
and started watching the film, towards it's final
hour. A great shame indeed, and I did feel some disappointment,
but hung on for the final twist and turn in the ride.
I hope they show it again soon. Data, has to be my
favourite character! :)
Arsenal pulled on the class to defeat Middlesborough,
in the FA Cup on Saturday. It was a magical substitution
by Arsene, to take of the Dutch master, Dennis Bergkamp
and bring on youngster, David Bentley. Who, then
by some act of god, or perhaps hero worship pulls
of a Bergkamp style goal out of the bag. He is one for the future,
but I'm sure he will get his test in the next and
final battle at the Riverside. Looks like we may be
facing Bolton in the Carling Cup final. If we make
it that is.
Following a quick shopping trip to Asda on Friday
16th January, myself and Nav were listening to BBC
Radio 2, as has now become customary, in his vehicle,
a nippy Toyota
Yaris. Although I do like Steve Wright, I haven't
really been a big fan. Then I wasn't a big fan of
public broadcast radio, when he was at the height
of his powers in the mid 90s. However, as it slowly
drew towards 5pm and the dark winter night began to
set in, something made me turn up the volume. It was
feature that had caught my attention. Ask
Elvis, which had me and Nav in hysterics. Basically
the concept is that you call in, text or e-mail with
questions for the King of Rock and Roll. He then answers
your questions with a mixture of insanity and humour
that will make your eyes water. I am trying my best
to catch his next appearance on Steve Wright's afternoon
show.
Just wanted to point you in the direction of Why The Hell? website. It continues to reflect my personal feelings, both old and new and I have nothing but sympathy for the author, Alex. His predicament is not unique, but the way in which he faces these challenges and articulates his feelings, is of great admiration. Follow his journey, as I do every week.
Friday 23rd January 2004
I am back in Wycombe for the weekend, my exams finished
today and with them the memories of my last semester.
Nobody likes the prospect of exams. I know, I certainly
do not. But having had them throughout at my secondary
school, up to GCSE then the killer 3 hour A-Level
examinations, four years ago. I promised myself I
would never sit a three hour examination again in
my life. So far, I have been able to keep my promise. Exams at University seemed to have been
quite a laid back affair. You come into your exam,
follow the regulations, take your exam and get the
hell out of there! Of the two main invigilator's,
I have to admit I have a personal favourite. He ran
a tight ship, everything done by the book and never
a minute out on timing. It is shame, there are not
more invigilator's like him, but then maybe you can't
find such characters everywhere. Well if you are a
famous actor, why not do a bit of moonlighting as
exam invigilator? Overall, my exams went well. Luckily,
the hardest was first, on Tuesday and then Wednesday
and today were more straightforward. Personally, I
am glad that they are over. I don't feel that a massive
burden has been lifted off my shoulders. I was discussing
this with my housemate Nav. He explained that the
best feeling is your final exam in May, and what adds
to this feeling is knowing your exam went like a,
"dream". A week ago, I was so looking forward
to this day and being able to enjoy myself. Unfortunately,
I don't feel that great sense of relief now that my
exams are over. I suppose it is the realisation that
I have more exams in May and there is plenty, plenty
of work to be done before then.
I left Leicester at 12:30pm, catching the non-stop
service to London St. Pancras. From there, I had to
transfer to tube and make my way over to London Marylebone.
I arrived into London just before 2pm. Then, as I
came up the escalator, from Marylebone tube station
to the Network Rail foyer, the departure screen showed,
the time of 14:13 for the High Wycombe service on Platform 4. I looked
at my watch, it was 14:11. I was just in time. I was
outside my front door by 15:45 this afternoon. This
was surely one of the more pleasant journeys I have
had on a train and made a dramatic change to the usual
route I would take on this mode of transport. My usual
route would be go from Leicester to Coventry, then
changed onto a Virgin Train to Banbury, before changing
once last time for a Network SouthEast train bound
for Wycombe.
What else to report? Not much news at the moment I am afraid. Where has the time gone? It has been 2 months since my birthday and a full month since we were a few days away from Christmas. If this is any way to judge the passage of time. I see my final semester at DMU, flying by before my eyes. I will try and add another entry towards the end of my weekend. Looking forward to the FA Cup 4th Round this weekend! Come on Arsenal! :)
Sunday 18th January 2004
I have to confess, that I wanted to add an entry to my blog, earlier in the week. However, although the thoughts and emotions were readily available, I just was not in the mood to blog. Therefore, I can only conclude that you have to be in the right frame of mind to blog. I know, this afternoon, I am ready. So prepare yourselves, this is going to be a 'hell' of a ride! :)
By the middle of this year, I will have a job, perhaps even my own place. A daunting prospect. I must say that I am looking forward to leaving my life as a student and joining the 'real' world. Friends recently graduated have said that I will regret saying such things and long to rejoin this unique lifestyle that can only be described as 'special'.
Michael Jackson, made his first court appearance
on Friday. Everyone has their own view, opinion and
the media circus that has surrounded these allegations
is unprecedented. I strongly believe, like many other
MJ fans across the globe, that the entertainer will
be acquitted and this whole case will collapse, as
it is based on lies. It was the philosopher, Aristotle,
who said, "The high minded man must care more for
the truth than for what people think." Let us hope
that justice prevails.
With London's Olympic bid for 2012 launch, I was
looking back at the lack of sporting events I have
actually been to. This is something that I must change.
If the Olympics did come to London in eight years
time, I would want to be apart of that experience.
In June 1996, I was lucky enough to win tickets to
Group A match of Euro '96. It was through a competition
run by HSBC. I got to see Holland play Switzerland
at Villa Park. Sitting in the Holte End, I watched
one of my idols, Dennis Bergkamp, score the second
goal. Would you believe, the first football match
I had ever been to? A shameful admission, I agree,
but what a way to begin your days as a football spectator.
Oh, the sweet memories of that year. I would do anything
to go back and re-live, that summer. I hope to go
and watch England play in the next World Cup, in Germany
2006. Hope? What for hope? I will go and watch England
play in the next World Cup.
Cover versions, yes one of my favourite topics. I believe the purpose of a cover version, is for a band to do a re-interpretation of the original. They must add something new, perhaps recreate the song, in their own unique sound. What we do not want, is a re-production of the original. Someone at the BBC would agree with me. Unfortunately, up and coming artists are not listening. I downloaded the new song by Amy Studt, "All I Wanna Do". Yes, it is a cover of the 1993 Sheryl Crow song. However, it sounds almost exactly like the original. What is the point of that? Some record label executives, really need to consider how they promote their artists. I personally feel it should be illegal for a band to release a cover version as their debut single. Cover versions when attempted in the correct fashion can at times surpass the original. Wheatus did a cover of Erasure's, "A Little Respect", which does prove some of my hypothesis correct. To locate other 80s songs that have been covered, check out Eighties Cover Songs.
Although most of my recent dreams have slipped my
mind, the moment I am fully awake, one from last week
remains transfixed in my mind. Perhaps, because it
is so detached from reality, that it was the product
of my rather brilliant imagination. I was watching
TV, only to see myself, playing for Arsenal against
Oxford in the FA Cup. My position was on the left
had side of midfield, and I rushed back to break up
an Oxford attack, intercepted the ball, turned swiftly
and switched Arsenal into a thunderous counter attack.
My name appeared on the screen, and my age, "23",
and I was making my first full team start for the
North London club. That is all I remember. Strange,
very strange. Is it a sign of things to come?
I watched The
Faculty, on BBC1 last night. I had seen the movie
before with my friends from Halls in the first year.
It is strange how you try to remember, what exactly
happens in the movie and can anticipate the twists
and turns in the plot. I look back at my first year
with such joy and happiness. I know I was different
then. I didn't realise the importance of many things,
that I held close to my heart. Those who have been
to University, had the experience of what I can only
refer to as, finding yourself, will know what I mean.
You are unaware of how lucky you are, until the time
has passed and then it is too late. I made many friends
in my first year at Uni. But of those that still remain,
Sippy, Ollie and M-AS, I hold a special memory. We
watched many DVD's together, thorough out 2000 and
2001. The rushed drive to Queens Road Blockbuster
and the rush back to Lawrence Kershaw in time to watch
the rental. The Faculty was one of the many movies
we watched together. At the time, I never paid attention
to the closing song in the movie and it's significance.
You notice how everything has changed. The most popular
girl in school is going out with the guy who has gone
from zero to hero from his endeavors in the movie.
I can only smile at this remarkable transformation.
Hero's are not born, they are made and this holds
such relevance here. The song that plays during this
closing scene is "It's Over Now" by Neve. A typical
soft rock ballad, which fits in with the feel of this
movie. Perhaps even with the way I feel now, what
I see before me and what lays ahead.
You don't ever understand
It's right here in our hands
The outline of our lives
It's over now
It's over now
It's over now
Tuesday 13th Janurary 2004
Uni started officially this week, and some of my friends have their exams in the coming few days. I am saved, or punished as mine are all next week.
On my search for more blogs to add to my 'blogroll', that is the term used on many other websites, I have been spending a considerable amount of time on the Guardian website. It appears to be the only newspaper actually commenting on the blog movement. Of course, the BBC News website occassionally has the odd mention on their technology page, but nothing as extensive as the Guardian. The include a list of recommended blogs from Britain, the rest of the world, on such topics as news or niche subjects like reality TV. Some blogs have been set up to comment on particularly industry, such as advertising, the future of television and the cult of celebrity. Who said that web blogs were merely an avenue for self-promotion, self-propoganda and ego massaging? On looking through a various blogs, I came across, In The Gray. I didn't have time to take time to read through many entries, but the artwork is unique and brilliant. The author, Eric is a 21 year old ninja. To find out more, check out his blog.
Musically, I've always wanted to be able to follow and chart the success of an artist. Not after the artist has become an international success, but from the beginning, from that first song on the road, that first interview, first performance on Top Of The Pops. The closest I have come to this, is the band, Liberty X. Although I enjoy their musical talent, and have both of their albums, something is missing. When I was watching the original ITV Popstars program in January 2001, the attention was focused on the winners, whom would form Hear'Say. We were forced to forget the losers and for this reason, the story ends there and we only catch up with them again, once signed to V2 and album frantically in production. Am I being stupid over this small dream? Is there something wrong to want to see a band grown, blossom and achieve international success and critical acclaim? I remember Boyzone's performance at the Smash Hit Poll Winners Party, in 1996 or was it 1997. Anyways, they did a cover of the Osmonds, "Love Me For A Reason". It is strange how you always remember the first performance, as if it was only yesterday. I suppose, I'm waiting for the next big thing. Maybe when the music industry gets tired of this continued interest in reality tv created popstars, some quality talent will get the recognition they deserve. I have to admit that I have only been exposed to a certain 'strand' of music and therefore my musical tastes have taken a certain direction through the course of my life. I have never been to any concerts. CapitalFM's Party In The Park (2000 - 2002) doesn't really count, I feel. Maybe want I'm longing for is to be part of some sort of crazy, more closely associated with teenage girls. To be completely obessed with a band for a brief period of time, and to look back at this time with some joy and happiness. I think this is more about filling in gaps from my past rather than just enjoying the music of new band at the peak of their powers.
Let me give you some advice. There will come a point
in your life, when someone will want to return. Return
to your circle of friends, to return to your enjoy
your company again. For whatever reason, let them
in. You may have a long standing rift, and judge them
for actions and views of the past. As difficult as
it may be, and as proud as you may be. Step down from
your plinth. Give hope a chance. "Hope has been and
always will be safe. It's inside every one of us."
Just sometimes, we let be buried underneath everything
else.
Sunday 11th Janurary 2004
Was going to update my MP3 database listing, but having problems with WinAmp 5 and also the latest version of EZ Playlist. I will try and get around to it by next weekend. I got confirmation yesterday, of my blog's listing on BlogWise, on Saturday morning. I hope that this is the point at which my blog starts to get additional explosure from around the world, and is opened to a new audience beyond my circle of friends and family. I will of course, keep you posted. I am not going to submit my blog to any other listing for the time being. I will wait to see the impact that the two I'm currently listed with make to my hits counter! :)
I am of course still searching for blogs to add to my must read listing. So if any of you out there come across a blog that deserves a mention, or read, let me know please. Perhaps there should be some book for blogs. 1001 blogs to read before you die, or something similar? Just an idea! :)
Been back in Leicester a week and have loads of revision to get done, for my impending exams.
Thursday 8th Janurary 2004
You would think that buying a CD has lost it's novelty.
It has become a trivial act, which only those who
know know of the world of KaZaa, mp3 and broadband.
However, there is more to this than meets the eye.
I for one, do purchase the occasional CD. Nothing
beats being able to have the case, inlay cover, the
lyrics and the thank yous by the artist to all his
devoted fans. Go into your local record store on a
Saturday morning. It will be be busy, very busy. People
haven't stopped buying music. I don't think they ever
will. One of the few albums I purchased myself was
in December 2001. Michael Jackson's Invincible album
had been on my Christmas list. However, no one got
it for me! (Thanks Santa!) So on Monday 31st December
2001, I went into Reading and the Virgin Megastore,
in the Broadstreet Mall. To purchase all the Christmas
gifts I wanted and didn't get (Return To Castle Wolfenstein).
It has taken me over two years to actually sit down
and listen to Invincible. One of the songs on the
album, struck a cord with me, just before I left Leicester
to head home for Christmas. However, I never got the
chance to listen to the song again, and just remembered
today, that I needed to revisit this song, this emotion,
this feeling I felt, when the soft voice of MJ filled
my room.
Emotions, deep emotions I feel. Emotions that I thought
I would never feel, not now, not today. There is a
reason why I feel the way I do, and why I feel it
now and not some other day. I made a decision. A decision,
perhaps which lacked judgment at the time, but was
done more with feeling rather than with head. I logged
onto Friends
Reunited, and scanned my college list of 2000.
Now some four years had passed since I had been in
the company of some of these people. Some of them,
nothing but a name, a face in the crowd and now perhaps
more part of my life, for the fact I'm reading their
name and trying with great difficulty to recall them.
Then I came across a someone, who had only recently
added themselves to the site. Shall I take the step?
Shall I not? I considered the options and then decided
to take the plunge, hoping knowing there was little
to lose. Would they get in touch? They did. To my
surprise, e-mails have been quite heading in my direction,
in quick succession. It is difficult to express how
I feel. What makes it so special to get in touch with
someone, for the first time in perhaps, four years?
What makes it so special, to share sweet memories
of days long gone? To be able to see someone again,
and know that they shared with you some moments, that
can never be taken away. I have been sitting here,
thinking about it for some time. I know the answer.
They bring life to your memories. By their presence,
they can bring you a world of joy and happiness, you
thought was long gone and only to be revisited in
dreams. Friendship is fragile, for there are those
friends that will come and go. There will be those
few that remain, for the whole journey. But never
stop to make more room for those, who had gone far
away, and are back to join you, but this time it is
forever more.
Helpless and hopeless, that's how I feel inside
Nothing's real, but all is possible if God is on my
side
When I'm with you I am in the light where I cannot
be found
It's as though I am standing in the place called Hallowed
Ground
Speechless, speechless, that's how you make me feel
Though I'm with you I am lost for words and nothing
is for real...
Monday 5th Janurary 2004
Back in Leicester, back to the grindstone. Exams
towards the end of the month. Then my final semester,
which beats down heavy across the horizon. I know
this will be one of the most hectic periods in my life.
Strangely, I'm looking forward to this final lap. Of course, everything will be 'recorded' on my blog.
When I was planning this revamp of my website, and ultimately to create a more 'blog orientated site' website. The dream was to create a site. Unfortunately, I created this. Max Munton from Leeds created "A Teenager Blogs". In an alternate reality, it all would have been so different.
Not much else to report I'm afraid. I was hoping to includes several links and thoughts on such worldly issues as Eastenders, the FA Cup and Britney Spears' marriage but I'm just not in the frame of mind to blog. I think it has now become one of those things, where you need to be in the 'mood' to blog. Something has to make such an impact on your life, on your emotions that you need to blog. Once I settle into my revision programme, I will have quite a few things to on my mind, a side from module content to publish on here.
Saturday 3rd Janurary 2004
I watched Bedazzled
on BBC1 last night. It was one of those movies that
had been evading me for sometime. I remembering catching
glimses of it on Sky, but never having the time to
spare to sit down and watch the film in it's entirity.
Overall, a watchable movie with some funny moments.
However, the main surprise for me was the end credits.
A song started playing and instantly I recognised
the 'sound' of the artist. I think that is what makes
a band stand out from others. Bands which create their
own unique sound. This doesn't occur very often. I
was trying to think of other bands whom have created
their own unique sound. It was not uncommon to recognize
bands by hearing only the first few notes of the song
due to their distinctive and unique sound. Perhaps,
Duran Duran, Bee Gees, can't think of any others at
the moment. Name of the song, "Change Your Mind".
The name of the band. Sister Hazel. My mind flashed
back to April 2003 .
When this band had first come to my attention. Again,
simply through a chance of me picking up a Zip Disk.
I even share my birthday with the lead singer, Ken
Block (even if he is some 15 years my senior!)
Talking Movies. I was looking back at how many times
I went to the cinema this year. I was mainly reflecting
on the fact that I have seen fewer movies this year
than in any time previously. I went to the cinema
on the following occassions last year:
Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers - Sunday 12th January - Odeon, Aylesbury
The Matrix Reloaded - Wednesday 4th June - FilmWorks, High Wycombe
The Matrix Revolutions - Thursday 13th November - Warner Village, Meridian Park, Leicester
In 2002, I must have gone to the cinema at least 5 times as much as in 2003. Oh well, never mind. I suppose the fact that most of these movies become available on DVD, so soon after release is one of the main reasons. Apparently there has been a big resurgence in the film industry and more people are going tot he cinema that ever before.
Heading back to Leicester tomorrow. I must admit
that I am looking forward to going back, even if I
have my exams to face. Although the holidays are
a great time, they don't last forever, and as everyone
else's life goes back to normal. You feel rather uncomfortable
being here. So another reason to head back to University,
perhaps slightly earlier than expected. Although,
I must confess that every year I have headed back
to Uni early in January, in order to beat the rush
of other students and settle down back into work mode
after the break.
Looking forward to the FA Cup ties this weekend. Arsenal do not play until tomorrow afternoon but some of the matches today will let us know what the competition is like for coming rounds.
Thursday 1st January 2004
So a new year is upon us. What will 2004 bring? What
did I achieve in 2003? Looking back it was very much
a 'filler' year. There was the transition between
placement back to University which went quite smoothly
in the end. Apart from that what did I achieve? What
did I gain? Tackling these questions now, seems a
struggle because I don't feel a sense of overwhelming
contentment with the past 12 months. If 'Hindsight
is an exact science', I lack the scientific knowledge
to look back after the events and take comfort or hatred
from the various episodes, strange how that may seem.
Most people's dreams are pure fantasy. A creation
of their vivid imagination of a unconscious mind.
However for me in recent nights, my dreams have been
closer to reality than ever. Speeding tickets, being
transported to the 80s and watching my life, like
a late Sunday afternoon television repeat before my
eyes. I have no explanation for why I have been having
such dreams that border on the sense of my own personal
reality. I tend to be one of those people whom forgets
the entire contexts of the dream as soon as I am wake
and in the real world. I remember hearing from certain
specialists in this field that our dreams are based
on events that have occurred during the day, and the
way in which our brain tries to deal with all the
subconscious messages received during the course of
the day. However, my days have been far from hectic,
interesting or varied. I will of course keep you posted
on events, as they unfold.
New Year's Eve must be one of the most overrated
nights of the year. For the second consecutive year,
I was at home with my family. Watching the new year
unfold on live television. I want to make a promise
to myself. Not a resolution. I want to see the New
Year arrive on different countries but ultimately
in the big capitals across the globe: New Year, Los
Angeles, Sydney, Hong Kong, Paris, Berlin. My dream
would be see the new year in on every continent. I
will. I will do this.
So a year has almost past since that SMS. How do
I feel? Not quite sure to be honest. Better? Worse?
Difficult to judge. I have moved on in leaps and bounds.
The message will be deleted at midnight tonight. Then
it will be nothing more than a brief memory. I know
at the time, I said to myself, looking forward at
how I would feel a year on. It will be a final closure
to delete the message. However, I don't feel better,
because nothing significant has happened to my life
in the past 12 months. Nothing which shows any sense
of achievement or success. I just hope the next 12
months is full of success and ultimately happiness
for me. I know the route of my unhappiness. That the
one single event of August 2002, has left me very
lonely in the world. Lonely to the extent that most
of my school friends do not want to know me anymore
and finding new friends is a difficult task. I really
want to throw myself into something because the holidays
are not providing me with anything but boredom.
I want to wish every visitor to my site all the best for the New Year. Let us make 2004 a year to remember!
