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  2005 Blog Archive

Two thousand and five was the year my blog went up a gear. Moving from paid hosting with a highly unreliable company, in August to 123-Reg. As, a now established member of the blogging community, my focus changed to promoting my blog and also learning about other blogs on similar subjects. Hence my blog roll grew, with a little help from Technorati.

Friday 30th December 2005

I have a confession to make. I have in recent months (perhaps over the past year) become quite obsessive with this blog. To the point which, this cartoon actually applies perfectly. So I must apologise for trying to inflate my ego in this way. My biggest mistake is to say, "yeah, it's all recorded on the blog...". Although I don't really do new year resolutions perhaps I should make a decision to stop mention blogs and blogging.

Speaking to Chris on Christmas Day we arranged to meet up in Marlow on Thursday evening. Then, during the course of the week on MSN, we arranged to meet up for a kick about in the early afternoon. At first, knowing what the weather had been like, I was not very keen, but my colleague persuaded me otherwise. I knew that some exercise (no matter how little) would do me some good. Particularly as over the past few days I had became a lazy vegetable, getting up late and having rather big meals during the day. I made it into Henley, just after 1pm and was surprised that it was not as cold as I had originally expected. We headed over to the football pitches, owned by my old college. In my two years studying A-Levels, I never came down for a game on the grass. My friends preferred the banks by the river Thames. I could go into detail about we did but it is not very exciting to be frank. Chris had the first stint in goal and I just took shots, free kicks and penalties. Then we swapped over, but as you can imagine I was far from effective between the sticks. After ninety minutes, I officially caught the football buzz and was happy to stay out for a little longer. The weather was no longer an issue, if it was cold, I was not feeling anything. However, my friend was hungry, tired and wanted to head back home. For once, it was me trying to guilt trip him into staying out longer, but it was no use. We returned to his house for a while before I headed back to Wycombe. Two games of SWOS and I was emphatically beaten. Although in the second match, I scored the goal of the afternoon, dribbling past not two but three defenders and lobbing the keeper. What a beauty - back of the net! Doing some quick research on the net, I discover that the greatest football game of all time, is making a comeback in the first quarter of next year. The screen shots look impressive and hopefully the gameplay is still there.

It is that time of year, when you review the past 12 months. Interesting 100 things over on the BBC. There is also the review of the television adverts over the past year. I have been trying to reflect back on my year in words. It has generally been very good. At the turn of the year, I was in finding my feet in a new job and after a shaky start it is going well, surprisingly well. The rest of the time has flown by with perhaps only a handful of noteworthy events. My visit to Cardiff for the Community Shield, three visits to Highbury including Members Day in August. I have made a host of new friends along the way, many of them online. This year will also go down as featuring my first ever concert, at the tender age of 24! If I can think of anything else interesting to put here, expect me to update this entry over the coming few days.

Little left to say about from wishing all visitors to my blog, both old and new all the best for 2006.

Monday 26th December 2005

So this is Christmas, just where to begin. Everything does link together in some strange way so I will see how I get on. With all the hype and commercial pressure, I think many of us forget the religious significance of the day. It is not about the presents, the tree, or the food. It is about the feeling you have inside and goodwill to your fellow man (or woman). A friend often comments to me that it is about expectations and how we fail to manage them. I tend to agree, but for me, it is more than just one day, it is about the time of year, the smiles among other people and the sparkle in the eyes of children (both young and old).

My sister asked Santa for some perfume and received True Star, the perfume by Miss Knowles. When I smelt the aroma, it made me think. It smells just as you would expect Beyoncé to smell like. I know this sounds completely stupid and I will never (ever) be able to verify this statement, but someone, somewhere must understand what I mean. She is not the first and will not be the last to carry out one of these celebrity endorsements. Most people believe that no star would wear the product they are so closely associated with. In the case of the former Destiny's Child singer, I will, in my own mind make an exception.

This links us well to my next topic. Movie trailers. On Christmas Eve, with an hour or so to spare, my Dad and I decided to check out the latest movie trailers on my X-Box. There were several that caught my attention, but one features B. While I am not a fan of remakes, The Pink Panther, with Steve Martin in the lead role looks good. Sure, no one can replace Peter Sellers or Burt Kwok as Cato. They have made it a prequel to the original 1963 movie to keep the distance from the original masterpieces and included an all-star cast and glittery location. From the trailer, the humour is there, but will the plot and storyline match? Time will tell. Book the date in your diary, February 10th. The other trailers that we saw, which are worth noting are Mission Impossible III, which looks a blast. Tom is back and this time, it looks like the love interest is there to do more than just look pretty. The third film in the X-Men series looks darker, with various twists and turns. Then the final trailer, which perhaps showed the least amount of the movie was Superman Returns. They call them teaser trailers and you will be begging for more. Superman, perhaps is my favourite superhero and his return to the silver screen is much anticipated. While the cape will be a difficult fit, particular Reeve, who played the part so well, the story will also need to be believable (if you can ever say that with comic book movie adaptations). In any case, the director, Singer has gone back to the original for both the score (Williams must be the best theme tune producer ever!) and the narrative. Marlon Brando returns from the grave to utter the immortal line, which send a chill down your spine as Superman flies off into the distance. 'They only lack the light to show the way, for this reason above all, their capacity for good. I have sent them you, my only son'. What more can I add after the words of the great Jor-El. 2006 is going to be a great year for movies.

The usual question at this time of year, is what did you get? Or did Santa bring you anything good / nice? I will quote my friend, Pav who said on Christmas Day on MSN, 'the usual bits and bobs'. The usual DVD's, CDs and clothes. However, I was most jealous of my first cousin, Ramzi. Who got from my sisters, this fantastic spaceship. To Infinity & Beyond. The intro sequence to Toy Story 2 (which was shown on BBC1 on Christmas Day) has to be my favourite of all time (including normal motion picture movies). I recorded the segment onto my PC as an mpg file. I'll save the snapshots for another time. You never know when you'll need to call upon a space ranger.

Toy Story 2, cleverly links us to the next topic of discussion. The Greatest Family Films of all time. The festive period would not be complete without some countdown shows and Channel 4 are not one to disappoint. Back To The Future came seventh, which is fantastic, considering the movie is now well over twenty years old. Plus ET is a deserving winner, it has everything you expect from a family movie. The talk of the sci-fi trilogy, got me heading over to the non-official home, over at BTTF dot com. On the news page, I discovered there was a rumour that Michael J. Fox was keen on returning for a fourth movie. However, a quick visit to the DeLorean Owners Club UK provided the truth behind the headlines. There was no discussion of a fourth film and as usual Fox's comments had been misconstrued. In any case, this news came to remind me that I am (in name only) a member of the DOC UK. (Yes, I know I don't own a DeLorean but it is a club for non-owners as well!) and that I need to pay my annual subscription by the end of the year. On the site there was news of upcoming events in 2006. A weekend over in East Anglia at the home of Lotus caught my eye straight away and I e-mailed the club secretary straight away for further details. Still awaiting his reply but a trip down to the spiritual father of the DeLorean, will make for a fantastic weekend in June.

Wow, this is turning out to be one of my epic entries. So how best to end such an entry? A quote from my favourite soap. Sorry, make that my beloved soap, Eastenders. We are in the A & E department and father turns to his sun to say... "How many times have I told you Thomas, your not a Dalek!" Boy, aged around 7 with saucepan on his head!. Moments later a drunk guy goes into the Christmas tree, which was standing in the corner. The tree then collapses on top of him! Classic.

Friday 23rd December 2005

Been far too busy this week to give my blog the time it deserves until now. The night before Christmas Eve and the excitement of the big day just so close, you can almost touch it. I feel good, no actually I feel great. Christmas always brings out the best of me as a person and I am glad that I am one of those people that always gets into the Christmas spirit.

It was almost pointless coming into work, other than to bid my colleagues a Merry Christmas with chocolates and samosas. We had zero phone calls, which is an improvement on last year, when an update was issued and a few reps called in during the morning. My colleague Chris got me a Champions League football for Christmas but not gone to the length of wrapping the gift. I can't really blame him, it would have been difficult to disguise. Then he asked if I was up for a quick kick about in the car park before I left. Of course I was. This was the first football that I owned in over twelve years. It has been so long since I saw a football in real life, and not on the television that it made a refreshing change. However, the signs were still there, I was still highly unfit and got no technical ability on the ball whatsoever. Yet, that didn't matter. The car park slowly deserted before we were the only ones left, passing the ball and Chris showing off his keepy uppies. Is this a good time to mention I have signed up for my work football team?

Saw the video for X-Factor winner, Shayne Ward today. I must say he was a deserving winner, although it did get me thinking of other black winners of reality television shows. Of course, there is only Tim Campbell who won the UK version of The Apprentice. Personally I think there is no racism in these shows, it is purely based on talent. The better singer won on the night. There have now been a series of winners, specifically solo artists, with only the original, Will Young still having some impact in the charts. Michelle McManus was, as expected only a minor success after her show. Now we have Shayne, who apparently has more mass international appeal, due to his boyish good looks. Time will tell. What I can say is that his first single is very good. For some reason the people behind these shows, know how to write the perfect ballad to reflect the feeling of achievement. Will Young had, "Evergreen", Michelle had "This Time" but "That's My Goal" just hits the right notes in my opinion. If I am honest with you, I did prefer Andy's performance of the song on the night but perhaps because he sang it first. Mr. Ward potentially has a bright future ahead of him. Let us just hope he does not end his career before it has started like David and Steve.

There is nothing more left to say apart from wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a prosperous 2006. I may not get around to sending you an e-card tomorrow, so just for the record, I leave my seasons greetings to you all here, on my web site, like I do every year.

Sunday 18th December 2005

Looking back, this is a weekend, which I hope had never happened. The omens were not good from the start. My amp installation, scheduled for Saturday morning, was moved back to Saturday afternoon. Pav had gone over to Kent with his new 'shoes' for his M3 ride, to get them refurbished. He got back at 12.34 exactly (according to his portable satellite navigation system, which is accurate to within minutes, apparently!) In any case, I rushed over there, looking forward to installing the amp and for a change getting my hands dirty. Things did not look good from the outset, taking out my head unit, we realised I needed a pre amp cable adapter to connect the head unit to the amp. Calling a few local car audio specialists, we had little joy. Even a trip down into Caversham, to Mar Parts proved unfruitful. It was a Blaunkpunt specialist part and would only be available to order from authorised blue spot dealers. However, not to give up so soon, there were two more ICE resellers in the Berkshire town to try. Pav firstly rang 118118, but they proved next to useless. The woman on the phone could hardly speak English and my college friend had to spell out the name of the county! We then tried 118500 and instantly got the text message with the number we were looking for. This was to be the first bombshell of the weekend, no joy. I would have to order the cable online and then come back to carry out the installation another time. Even though at first, I was hoping to wire up the amp in situation and just plug in the cable at the back of the head unit when the lead arrived. Seeking professional advice from a man that carries out in car entertainment installations everyday of his working life, we decided upon the following course of action. When the lead arrives, I take it over to a leading high street store and get the job done professionally. So, was it a wasted journey? Surely not, as Pav borrowed my Mini DV camcorder to record some family video onto this laptop. The audio can wait, your first Christmas with your nephew is priceless.

We all deal with defeat in different ways. I tend to (as much as possible) switch off. This tends to become very difficult when you spend such a vast number of hours online and connected, but I tend to get grumpy. I will spend no time on reflecting on the poor performance, there are other blogs out there much more capable. Instead let me describe my day and the build up, the anti-climax and the fear of going into work tomorrow.

If Sky had their way, every live game screened would be the next big title decider. While, I will give them credit for the lack of hype surrounding this fixture as in the past. I woke up around 9am, and tried to occupy myself to take my mind of things. First thing was to head off into the cold winter morning and check my car over and then give it a wash down the local jet wash. As expected the jet wash was frozen and out of order. I headed over to the car wash at a nearby Total petrol station (which coincidentally had no fuel!) to have a car wash. Thankfully a VW Passat was ahead of me in the queue. The driver was having a horrible time, firstly trying to get into the carwash (ice outside) and then actually get the device to work. As I paid for my car wash ticket, he came in and asked the assistance for help. Sure enough, the car wash was iced up and while trying to operate was not pushing out any water. The attendant attempt to reset the device a few times, but just left this middle aged man sitting in his car driving back and forth (a few yards) in hope it would start up. By this time I had had enough, particularly when a member of the public came up and asked me if I worked here. Please. I drove home for some breakfast. Thankfully my ticket is valid for seven days, so I can come back when the weather is slightly warmer.

Going out in the 307, I happened to have an hour spare so headed over to South Harrow to a dedicated wash centre. Basically a converted Total petrol station, which now has two jet wash stations and vacuums in place of petrol pumps. The car was in a state, but what do you expect with my mother driving. Going into to pay for my two tickets, I was shocked to discover the attendant lying back on his chair, fast asleep. Didn't really want to disturb his beauty sleep. I gave the car, a quick clean but not to my satisfactory high standard and then checked the tyre pressures and to my surprises they were all dead on the right pressure. Then I joined the queue for the jet wash, at around 2.30pm, an hour before the Super Sunday programme started on Sky Sports One. There was three cars ahead of me, but thankfully two wash bays. An Asian man, with flowing long hair, was doing a dedicated job on his 53 plate Honda Accord. He had a chamois leather drooping out of his back pocket. He spent at least fifteen minutes cleaning the car and then a further twenty drying (thankfully away from the wash bay). I did not have the luxury of all this time on my hands. I was keen to get in, washed and out as soon as possible. I wanted to be heading back to Wycombe as soon as possible. Unlike the event earlier this morning, there was little chance of me trekking back down the A40 to South Harrow. By 3pm, my turn finally arrived and I must say I am impressed with this new, service code driven system. Basically you enter the code you have purchased and the time begins counting down. You can then select a variety of options for as long as your time will allow. For those of you unfamiliar with the use of a standard jet wash. You usually buy credit in the form of time. However, the programme will run through a standard cycle and you would always be rushing to brush the entire vehicle before the bell would sound and you have to apply the wax. In any case, the job was done, the car was much cleaner than when I arrived and I rushed back to collect my Mum and sister from Hillington and head home.

When the final whistle went I wondered how I could occupy my time for the rest of the evening. I rang, Chris, just to pre-empt his rude text message (which for the record never arrived!). In the end, I opted to load up my RnB play list in Win Amp, put the volume up and head for a long shower to forget about things. Just as I came out of the shower, I looked at my mobile. Sure enough there was a text message and I knew who it was from. Instead of his usual, 'That's why we're Champions!', I was greeted with a comment I had already had in person in the office. 'I've got my binoculars out and still can't see you!'. Already, I have the picture of their smug face, with Chelsea mug in hand for Monday morning. Perhaps the first time that I do not want to go into work. Particularly those non-football fans in the office, that just laugh to make you feel worse! For a change I'll be keeping the conversation on helpdesk queries rather than work. Thank God that we don't have any big boss that supports Man Utd in the office. Just a couple of Liverpool fans that will be just as bitter at our defeat. My plan for the rest of the evening? Watch a movie about erasing the memory. Such a shame we are a good few years of bringing that to reality. I would ask for 17th and 18th December 2005 to be erased from mine!

Thursday 15th December 2005

My weekend, overall went as planned. Apart from a minor football result, but we will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off for Sunday. For a change there has been little build up to this game. Unlike last year, when it was hyped as Judgment Day. In my heart I know we have the ability on the pitch to win. My head tells me we are in for the toughest test of the season and could be on the verge of humiliation. Still a few days left to wait. For now, let me just give a quick update on last weekend and look forward to this coming weekend, and of course the big day the following weekend.

Rarely do I have the time to plan my time at the weekend. Usually something comes up, or I have various errands to run. My Sunday was as perfect as can be. Probably. Over the course of the week, I had seen the spots on Channel 4 (before, midway and after Hollyoaks) for a film I had wanted to see four years ago, during it's theatrical release. Starring, perhaps one of the greatest actors of his generation, Fifteen Minutes is an interesting journey into the mind of a killer and his accomplice, looking for fortune and fame. At times, De Niro reminded me of an alternative Columbo (no disrespect to Peter Falk of course) whenever he lit up one of his cigars. Without wishing to reveal too much, the finale is more revenge than justice and you feel somewhat shortchanged. Particularly with such a high profile array of stars. Having said that, a great watchable television movie. Just a shame a great opening half hour is not given the time to develop into a great story.

When I was at school, although perhaps not the most popular person in the world, I received my fair share of Christmas cards. Perhaps never matching the numbers of my younger siblings. This year, for some strange reason, has been appalling, with my total count standing at three at this moment in time. While both my youngest sister and Mum are already in double figures each. My Dad even wanted me to count the Carling promotional card I received yesterday morning. No, I'm not that sad. However, I am shocked and perhaps even dismayed at this culture of not sending cards in our office. I can understand a few people not signing up to the idea (even on the feeble environmental stance!) but never have I felt the atmosphere of bar humbug in the air. Making a donation to charity, is an honourable gesture, but you can do that all year around. If it ever comes to the point, when I turn into Ebeneezer, feel free to come over and shot me! What would Mr. C. Dickens think? Thankfully there are people on this planet, who have never lost (and never hope to) lose the true Christmas spirit, in every sense of the word.

Which, brings us on perfectly to my journey home this evening. By mistake I put on Radio One. I had been aiming to change from the CD changer to the CD disc (in the head unit) but pressed the wrong button. Yet, this must have been some strange act of God. For the song they were playing was from a well known mobile advert. Of course, due to the unique way the BBC is funded, Scott Mills was unable to give away the actually name of the organisation. The strange thing is, I never noticed the song before, even though it is quite prominent in the television commercial. The first time I saw it, a few weeks ago, I was too busy trying to decipher what the service or product they were selling. Quite easy in the end, when they start waving their mobile phone directly in front of the camera and superstars, Schumacher and Van Nistelrooy appear in computerised format to stand next to Big Phil from down the road. Every year, I suppose there is a Christmas song, novelty song if you will, that captures the mood of the nation. This song is it. Some years it can be completely unrelated to the season of good will, or perhaps just slightly reflect the pressures of modern living. What makes this song, entitled, "Under The Tree" so special? Well firstly it is so simple and catchy, with a great straightforward chorus. (Do not worry the full song, is much more substancial than the short segment in the snow on television. There is the romantic harmony of the lyrics too, which have the same sentiments as The bells in the background make it magical and I can proudly say their inclusion has put me right into the mood for Christmas. I'm like a giddy little schoolboy, excited and longing for the big day to come. Damn, I'm so pathetic!

Saturday 10th December 2005

When things are bad they are awful. When times are good, everything just falls into place. Take this morning, as an example. I had so much planned for the day. Priority, to get my haircut first thing in the morning and then head into town to pick up a few things. Parking, I gave myself two hours to complete the job and get back to the car and head home. As I got to the car, I put my key in the ignition to check the time, it was 10:57, the time on my ticket read, yes, 10:57. I drove out the car park with a grin on my face. Mission accomplished, on time but perhaps way over budget. Whose counting? Tis the season of goodwill to all men (and women?).

What has now become an annual tradition, I picked up my Christmas cards from Clintons this morning. Sorry that gives the impression that I had preordered my cards. What I mean to say is I chose my cards this morning. Looking back at my archives, I always buy my cards between 10th and 15th of the month. Although, I do get some funny looks in the queue, as I purchase individual cards for all of my family to give to them on Christmas Day. It is the thought that counts at this time of year above anything else. Although last year I said I was moving away from using Excel to record my list and recalling names at the drop of a hat from memory. I have to go back to using a spreadsheet, particular as I now have 35 people at work to write cards for. To my humiliation my sister and even my Mother have received more Christmas cards than me so far. To date I have received none. So to change this sorry sorry state of affairs, I better get writing and posting.

As I was drove my Mum's car into town, I was listening to KISS 100, no CDs I'm afraid. On the return journey, the disc jockey was counting down some download chart, sponsored by a third generation mobile network. While the artist was unfamiliar, the song became an instant hit to my hears. It must be the classic 1980s introduction or the cool, smooth, chilled RnB melody. In any case, I parked up and waited for the song to finish, yes it is that good! Been listening to it almost non-stop on my PC and is growing on me. If this boy band (can I call them that?) continue this trend, I will be sure to listen out for the next single. Oh, you want to name of the artist? They are called, Pretty Ricky.

While most people would consider me the least competitive of people, I still have an deep inner hatred of losing. Though, in my personal accomplishments, or lack there of, I have little to shout home about. It is only human nature, to associate ourselves with great success in response to some our own failures or weaknesses. Some of you would say I'm looking to deep into this, but I beg to differ. It's only a game. The reality, even if seasons come and go is that fans never let you forget those defeats and are quick to move on from the glowing successes. I suppose this is the time to be counted as a fan and show my true colours. Afterall, you may be singing when winning but when the chips are down, you just have to back the team, manager and backroom staff. Next stop Highbury. Chelsea. Too early for defeatist talk, Daniel? Or maybe we should be posing some difficult questions to the Board!

Friday 9th December 2005

The World Cup draw has just been made and the football Gods are shining down on England. (Or are these omens just too good?) Group B is with no disrespect to our competitors, a walk over. Winning the group now becomes paramount, to avoid the hosts Germany from Group A. Was it I, whom mentioned the Soca Warriors on 18th November and how great it would be to be drawn against them, after all they will be providing the soundtrack for the summer tournament, no doubt. Put it in your diary now (yes, Outlook does count!) Thursday 15th June 2006)

Friday, but not the end of just another week for me. A difficult week, without my car. Strange and awkward. At times uncomfortable. Thankfully I finished work at 4pm, to drive over to Aylesbury to collect my car. It was dark, cold with a dense fog covering the car park as I drove out into the distance. I was hoping my manager's insistence to leave thirty minutes earlier than usual would make sure I missed all the afternoon traffic. I made great time until I came up to the roundabout by my house, with traffic at a standstill. It was time for some drastic changes to my journey. Thankfully I know some back grounds to get me onto the road beyond where the hold up was. Surely if I had got stuck there, I would have missed getting to the body shop by 5.30pm, their closing time. The traffic through the town centre was busy and as I watched the minutes tick by in the Colt, I came under the realisation that I may not make it in time. Then as I pulled up onto the forecourt, my headlights lit up car, clean, repaired, almost beaming back a smile. It was great to see my car again. There is something to the scientific research that men love their cars, some even go to the length of giving their proud and joy a name. It was a great relief to see my car again, for I had missed the comforts of a powerful diesel engine. This Japanese vehicle was no match. My weekend, could not finally begin, as I headed out of Aylesbury and back to Wycombe.

Tuesday 6th December 2005

Arrived home this afternoon, to find two packages marked with my name. One, which I expected. The latest album from a-ha. The second was a surprise. It was a DVD from the guy who had been sitting next to me at the concert on Saturday. I rushed to switch on my computer and put on the DVD to find out what it was. This should not come as a shock. As soon as I get home every evening, I switch on my PC. It is the pure geek within. Back in March 2001, a-ha made their international comeback, with a concert in their hometown of Oslo, Norway. It was released on DVD, but I never got around to buying it. There is no greater feeling than, after a hard day at the office, trying to get over a cold, to hear Take On Me, blaring on the PC, as you change out of your work suit. In fact, this live rendition of their breakthrough single, is the same live version I was playing on my way up to Birmingham on Saturday afternoon. I think I will set Sunday afternoon aside to sit down and listen to analogue, while I clean up my room, the perfect way to end a quiet lazy weekend, don't you think?

Hollyoaks have had a late edition shown at 11pm each weeknight this week. This is the third after hours series of episode and perhaps the most compelling storyline with the Chester date rape coming to a head. Will the man behind all these sexual offences finally be caught? Talking into account how bad the police were with the serial murderer, don't expect any quick results. As the undisputed number one fan of the Channel 4 teen soap, I have been watching each episode religious at 11pm. Although it does slightly affect my viewing diet, as I have already watch the following nights episode on E4 earlier in the evening. People constantly ask me why I watch this soap. While they can understand my undivided love for Eastenders, they raise their eyebrows, when I ask, "Do you watch Hollyoaks?". It is at times pure comic book and outside of reality that it makes me fall to the floor in laughter. For example, hiring a bar maid, not on her talents at pulling pints but her dreamy good looks. Only in a soap could you get away with tests such as 'pick up my keys love' and which chat-up line provides the first slap as a reaction.

I did not really mention it at the time, but I had a slight knock in my car early last month. Just a slight scratch, nothing series and no injuries. The car is currently being repaired, so I have a courtesy car. While I am big fan of Japanese cars, I would like to point out I prefer big Japanese cars. The Mitsubishi Colt, just does not fit me. It is not me at all. Then again, what to you expect from a company, that makes pens, video recorders as well as cars. There has to be a lose link in the change somewhere? Oh, I forgot to mention my number plate. The last three letters are, wait for it. KFC.

My work Christmas do is next week, Tuesday in fact. One of my colleague has been calling it the 70s show, as it has a 1970s theme. While I was frankly disappointed with this 'bright' idea and the appalling venue (which should be a hanging offence for the organiser(s)). However, rather than be bitter (and some would say twisted!) I have opted to be a sport and go. Some would consider me to be last minute merchant, which I confess is true. Only organised my costume with the help of eBay this Monday morning. While I had originally thought of hiring a more outrageous costume, it did not feel right. I wanted to look cool and sophisticated and not a complete pratt, filling the part of the company clown. I can leave that to someone else!

Sunday 4th December 2005

What a night! But the day begins in the mid afternoon. I was hoping to leave at 3pm, but left exactly thirty minutes later. I had only refuelled on Friday, so my trip mileage counter was reset and showing only 2.5, as I pulled out of my drive. As I had given myself so much time to make to our second city, I was not in a hurry. I was going to cruise at 70, and listen to my favourite a-ha songs and enjoy the drive. The sun was slowly setting in the distance, as I got onto the M40, which although not busy was quite steady. I put my foot down to beat the first few weekend drivers and lorries. I had my live version of Take On Me playing and then Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears. After a while I wondered how Arsenal were doing against Bolton, so switched over to FiveLive. To my horror, we were two nil down and had put on a poor show. Although on any other Saturday evening, that would have dapended my spirits, instead I looked forward to the concert. Switching back to the CD changer as the NEC drew ever closer. It was 16:45 exactly as I pulled up into the parking space on a cold, damp winter night. It has been raining earlier throughout the day, so the ground was a slush of wet leaves and grass. My mileage counter read 88.2 miles as I stepped out of the car, I took a deep breath. My Saturday night adventure was just about to begin.

As my sister was coming from Nottingham, after finding the venue, I headed down the road to Birmingham New Street. I arrived just after 5.30pm, but would be waiting just under an hour before my young sister would arrive. Then we literally had three minutes to grab some food before jumping on the Virgin Train to London Euston, which would stop at Birmingham International. The journey took eleven minutes and gave us time to quickly catch up and grab some food. Then, it was rushing off the train to join the rest of the crowds heading towards the Arena. We picked up a programme, which while rather light, gave details of this UK tour, which goes hand in hand with their latest studio album (eight, that is correct!) I have only heard the first single from the new album, but went over to Amazon this morning to order my copy. I think it will be a case of taking some time to listen to the material, to see whether or not it grows on me. This was my first concert, so I was apprehensive of many things. Would we have good seats? What there be a good mixed crowd? Would they play my favourite songs? Would it be mad rush on the roads going home?

As we made our way into the arena, avoiding the temptation to buy any merchandise, I was impressed with the seating area. Then absolutely chuffed to be quite near the front, with a great view of the stage. Booking early, (15th April to be exact!) does have benefits. (Having just gone back and read that entry, I feel a sense of great relief of going for it!) However, when we found our seats, someone was sitting (quite innocently in my sister's seat!) and as usual, I got talking. More on that later.

The supporting act was a fellow Norwegian folk singer, Ana Brun. I can only describe her as a poor man's KT Tunstall. While I quite enjoy folk music, there is a time and a place, and the audience did eventually have enough and were glad when she exited the stage for the main act. There is only so much slow emotional music you can listen to on a Saturday night. The lights dimmed and the audience rose to their feet as a-ha appeared on stage. Then the lights eluminated the arena.

As expected, they opend with Celine, the first single from the new album and overall it is an enjoyable, uplifting radio friendly pop song. I have to be careful with my use of the world pop. A-ha have grown up and their sound has matured from the electronic synth of the 1980s into a more guitar based light rock. I will publish a full set list later, but one of my favourite a-ha songs was played a few songs in. It is called Weight Of The Wind, from their second album, Scoundrel Days.

Of course, when they played their signature tunes, 'Take On Me', 'Hunting High & Low' and 'The Sun Always Shines On TV' they got the whole crowd going. However, some of the other tracks, including heavier rock version of The Living Daylights and Stay On These Roads impressed the hardcore fan base. Overall, a great evening and a great way to spend my first Saturday night in December. I will try and post some more photos later in the week and include more feedback, particularly when I receive the new album. For the time being, I will leave you with some strange and wonderful trivia, which I am sure you will not know. Which artist has played to the highest number of paying people? Who holds the unofficial record for holding the longest note in a song? Answers on a postcard.

Friday 2nd December 2005

December is here, which can only mean one thing. However, I will try to keep some ounce of control, as there is plenty of time to get mad towards the late part of the month. Particularly with work to keep me occupied. While to my shock some individuals have already completed all their Christmas shopping, I tend to leave it as late as practically possible. Usually the last weekend prior to the big day, but due to the way Christmas falls on a Sunday, I have arranged to go shopping with my friend on Friday 23rd December, in the afternoon, straight after work. (I finish at 12pm) Therefore will need to get my shopping done by around 6pm. That sounds like a challenge to me?

Today, I should have opened the second window on my advent calendar. Too busy at the moment, may get around to eating the backlog of chocolates over the course of the weekend. Do you have an advent calendar? For as long as I can remember, I have had one. Last year was Spiderman, a previous year was Toy Story 2, this year it is The Simpson's. But no Chief Wiggum.

I have started using my PDA to make blog notes, this is a vast improvement on my old scraps of paper. It is perfect as I have my PDA on me throughout the day at work and when I am at home. In fact this entry was the first to be initially recorded on the X30. With only two subjects remaining. When do you know it is Christmas? For me it when I see the classic Coca Cola television commercial. It is the truck that brings that Christmas cheer! I saw it on Thursday evening, before I was going out and it was a great moment. What else do you cherish on the run up to the big day?

Generally speaking I do not remember my dreams. However this week, two dreams are vivid. Firstly on Wednesday night I had the images of an old college friend. Strange, I had not seen or spoken to them in at least five years. In my second dream, last night, I was back in the classroom and distracted by someone sitting in the row ahead of me. In fact it was Britney Spears. I know this is strange, I'm 24 and have these strange adolescent dreams. I didn't speak to her, but it was not a re-creation of the Baby One More Time video, although she did look more wholesome, circa 1999, rather than her modern rock chick persona. Weird. What added to this strange dream, was the change to an open field, with several American girls in football gear. Then, George Bush, (yes, that dude across the water!) came across and hit a soccer ball in my direction and I ran across in the same direction of all these young girls and started to play a game of football. Then, from what I can recall, I woke up.

Wednesday 30th November 2005

The reason I watch Eastenders is for episodes like the past week. Sure, the griping, gritty storylines keep me on the edge of the sofa, but it is the comedy value of the soap opera that actually keeps me hooked. Last Tuesday's episode is a case in point. The introduction of Honey, the so called, Honey Trap, who mistakes Billy for Patrick Trueman. This theme continued when Billy (now managing Honey) hires a Welsh photographer to take some photographs for a new portfolio. Only for the man with the lens to decide upon a location shoot. I never thought I would hear the name of Nick Kamen mentioned before Pauline Fowler, but you soon learn that nothing can surprise you in Albert Square.

Am I a geek? Apparently based on the test over at Inner Geek. This link came around via e-mail from one of my colleagues in the office, giving their own personal score. Not having the time on Monday afternoon to answer the hundred odd questions with the time and patience they required. My initial attempt scored me a low 7.5% but afterwards, another college told me there were at least another ten questions that applied to me in their totality. So I had to come home and concentrate. I am 21.49901% geek. If you are wondering what a geek is, over at Wikipedia they get it just right, with the perfect image occupying the definition.

Watching my beloved Arsenal is an honour these days, particularly as it is the last season at fortress Highbury. Of course I wish I could have been to the big grudge matches, the title deciders or big knock out rounds of the FA Cup, but instead I had the joy of watching the youngsters in the League Cup. My journey began, where most begin, with me hard at work in the office. Originally I had aimed to leave the office at 4pm to make good time for the train to North London. On the advice of my manager, I was given leave of the office at 3pm. Fantastic. Although, in reality, I knew I would be pushing it to escape the clutches of the helpdesk at this time in the afternoon. As expected just after 2pm, I got involved (heavily) in a call, which would last for over an hour. Thankfully, thinking on my feet I was able to resolve the issue (more on this subject over on my other blog) In any case, I left the office for the first time since mid September with light outside. Heading home, I looked at my watch and knew within a couple of hours I would be at the home of my club, cheering on the players to another victory. The delay of having to stay an extra twenty minutes slowly disappeared away behind me as I sped up the by pass for home.

My Arsenal top is only worn when the team are playing on TV (yes, it's a mild obsession!) so this there was a special feeling inside, as I put on the redcurrant and gold for a trip, sorry pilgrimage to a spiritual home. I called up Pete and he was on his way down to pick me up. Due to circumstance beyond our control, we headed for Beaconsfield Station, rather than Wycombe. Not only had it caught fire on Sunday evening, earlier in the month, it had been labeled a crime spot. No smoke without fire (literally, in this case!) By now trains were calling at my hometown station, but I did not want to take any risks so headed down the M40 making excellent time, just prior to the Tuesday evening rush hour. Ten to five, we were both on the quiet but warm Chiltern Railways service to Marylebone.

As the seasoned traveler, I led the way once we made our way from over ground to Underground. There was perhaps another route, but I choice to go on the Bakeloo Line from Marylebone to Piccadilly Circus to change for the Piccadilly Line all the way to not Arsenal (as would have normally been the case) but one stop along, Finsbury Park. We were not alone, a hoard of other (mainly home) fans. A businessman in a well kept suit and strong Eastern Europe accent, as Pete who Arsenal were playing. Proudly he stated Reading in the Carling Cup. Calling his Reading mates on the phone, we discovered they were in a pub right near the ground and were quite some distance off. So we headed into the Twelve Pins as it was the closest drinking establishment and we were thirsty. Thankfully, there were your fair share of Reading supporters mingling on quite friendly terms with the Highbury faithful. Then it was time to walk down to the ground, grab some food before taking our seats in the West stand. Rather than give a review of the game, I'll leave it down to the professionals. Even, Pete, the Reading season ticket holder thought this was a great balanced match report. A great atmosphere in Highbury and a different, perhaps more rounded view of the game from the West stand. This could be the last time I see my team live, while I try not to think too much about that, it is always at the back of my mind. Let us instead take the positives from the performance. Reyes back to scoring ways, as he promised in the match programme the last time I was here, on October 2nd, "the goals will come...". Van Persie continued his great form, and Lupoli, who has been knocking on the door for the past few months and scoring goals for fun in the reserves, came on, to calmly put one around the keeper after a minute on the pitch. Fantastic. There is something about the ecstasy of a football match, which is difficult to describe. For 90 minutes you are only concerned about twelve players on the field. Strange really how much emotion can be created by a simple ball hitting the back of a net. Of course, the purists among you would say that there is a lot more to it than that.

Saturday 26th November 2005

The weekend started to me singing along to the rock pop anthem, "Semi Charmed Life", by Third Eye Blind (recently re-branded as 3eb) which I had downloaded this week and had placed on to the XBox. The track may be from 1997 but is has not aged in any respect (even the video) and this was the perfect opener to my first weekend at the age of 24.

Ironically this would be the first weekend of the new licensing laws which actually came into affect on my birthday, so this year (24) will not be forgotten in a hurry. I remember speaking to a colleague a few years ago, while I worked at Jacksons who was from Sydney. He explained that in his local neighbourhood, there was a bar that opened 24 hours and only closed for an hour at the weekend to be cleaned. Even then, at the discretion of the landlord, you could remain at the bar during this time. Strange how it has taken us English so long to become accustomed to this continental style of social drinking. Well the jury is still out, whether this binge drinking phenomenon can be calmed.

Last year, my sister Natalie, got me a framed Arsenal photograph, celebrating the teams record breaking unbeaten league campaign, 2003-4. Actually it was three photographs, Arsené and Henry lifting the Cup and the team celebrating their amazing feat! It has been sitting at the top of my desk cupboard for over a year. Until last weekend. The glass had cracked soon after receiving it, and I promised I would get around to changing it. Finally I got around to having a new, classy and appropriate frame fitted. Thanks to Sippy for editing this image for me.

Talking of football, I must mention the passing of a great, gifted man. Having only discovered Sky jumping on the blogging bandwagon, I thought it best they provide the facts while I can fill in my opinion. Although I agree with Arsenal, wtf? with his/her sentiments that a man should be measured by his best days, rather than his worst. I have two points to add that may have been missed already. Georgie Best appealed to everyone, and not just football fans. I can confirm this when my own father mentioned that Manchester United was the team he supported a young boy and his favourite player was the legendary number 7. My Dad is not a football fan, far from it, but the fact that the only player he could name instantly was Best, speaks volumes for how much one player became so popular outside of the game. Parkinson perhaps sums up the Irish international best. I remember watching him being interviewed on Parky's show quite recently. Elton John was the other guest, who gave the following glowing tribute to George. 'I have seen some of the world's greatest players play, but none of them were as good as George Best!'. The audience gave a loud applause. Perhaps it is only the man himself who will know how great he could have been and how, perhaps he could have done more with his god given talent. We all have flaws, we are all human, but then there are flawed geniuses, who unlike the rest of us, can give pleasure to thousands of people, with the drop of the shoulder and a quick turn on a sixpence. I only have the videos to relive some of those magic moments. For those that were there, to see him in flesh have seen something special. To compare players from different eras is unfair. The game has moved along leaps and bounds in the subsequent decades. (Some would say in favour of the attacking side). When I eventually get around to picking my all time XI. The third name on the team sheet, after Pele and Maradona, will be Best.

Thursday 24th November 2005

If you knew how I spent my 23rd birthday, I am sure you will be glad to hear that this year began much better. I woke up in the morning and had a job. Great start to the day! I was a man on a mission and knew that today I would be taking myself well off the beaten track to become the hero of the office. My journey started just outside Marlow, as I dropped off my sister at school. Instead of heading back toward Maidenhead, I headed in the direction on home. As luck would have it I found myself behind a Carousel bus, in the thick fog, struggling up the hill. I was behind a black Civic Type-R, which looked out of place, crawling at less than thirteen miles an hour. Then he did it. I knew he would, but it happened rather quickly so I did not have the time to appreciate the smooth maneuvering (even if it was rather suicidal). Yet, our brave (or foolish) driver, was able to live to tell the tale and die another day. To truly understand what was happened, this hot hatch over took a Renault Clio and the bus heading up hill, on a blind corner in thick fog during the rush hour. As fate would have it, by the time we reached Handy Cross (slowly turning into a major demolition site) the bus was ahead of the Honda at the lights. The driver did not look very pleased.

While Slough may have a bad reputation among most of the UK population (and beyond) it is not as bad as they would want you to think. With the BBC starting a programme to make the town happy, I began to wonder the about the Science of Happiness and what truly makes us happy. Then again, after a few seconds I had the answer. They are round in shape, with a whole in the middle. Those regular readers of my blog will know that I purchased some Krispy Kremes from Canada Square back on Friday 24th August last year. This time around, my order was 72 doughnuts to feed the appetites of my work colleagues. The store in Slough has only been open a few months, it is based underneath the new Tesco Extra complex. Fantastic. As you can imagine, when I arrived at the office, much later than my usual early 8.45am, I was the most popular person ever. Including one colleague who would note down my birthday for future years in her Outlook calender.

In the evening, I headed over to Eton to Golden Curry with my family. It was a quiet setting, with a beautiful modern restaurant interior. However, there was something amiss. Instead of the standard Hindi instrumental music, they were playing the greatest hits of Wham! To top things off, at the end of the album is the festive classic, 'Last Christmas'. One of the waiting staff forgot (or did not know) how to change the CD, as it played the song about five times back to back before the disc was changed. Then the de facto standard Bollywood music filled the room. But the damage was done, perhaps just a day or two prematurely. After my birthday, there is only Christmas to look forward to! :) The music in the restaurant was just a cold, cold reminder of this commercial reality.

Tuesday 22nd November 2005

Some blogs get blog rolled instantly, no need for lousy introductions, particularly if the author is a World Record Holder. GeoffTech is such a golden example. More to come on this later.

Mighty Mouse mentioned a new bookmark sharing service under the amusing name of del.icio.us (Can you see what it is yet?). I have created my account and will spend some time this weekend, building up my collection of links and creating some useful tags.

Blog do have great value to the world, running along side mainstream media and at times having the ability to reveal more than their well established counterparts. But do they have a true monetary value? Well I have taken the plunge and discovered that my value to the world is a mere £1,966.51. Perhaps just about enough if you want to put down a deposit on a new car. Personally I feel rather short changed, while this site may not have broken down any boundaries or been the voice of world peace, it has been around for over three years and kept by a dedicated writer.

Saturday 19th November 2005

Got up early this morning (well I have been slipping into a lazy state over the past few weekends) and headed into town. With all the redevelopment taking place (for the uniquely named 'Eden' Project) this is not as simple as it once would have been. My usual car park has now become a major work site and it was only today that it became seriously apparent to me. I parked my car to the east of the town centre and walked in. This journey should have taken me five minutes, but with all the work going on, it took over fifteen, having to walk around, as to avoid all the roads that have been closed off areas. Funnily enough I thought to myself that in less than three years, I will be staring at a well known department store. By 2008, I will have hoped that my life itself, like my hometown, has changed beyond recognition.

By the time I got back from town, the rest of the family were awake, so I retired to my room, to watch some Saturday morning television before going back to the living room to watch the match. Captain Scarlet was on, but to be honest, I have never really got into the new CGI animated series, although the use of hand to hand combat (at times quite graphic!) has been refreshing. I switched over to BBC1 to find TOTP Reloaded (weren't you called TOTP Saturday in a previous life?) but for a change, the majority are positive about the re-branding. I have only seen the show briefly over the past few years. So bear with me here. One of the final segments on the show is a quick fire questioning of one of the guests. This week it was Rhianna. During which, Sam (failed Pop Idol come presenter) sang the chorus to the song by a long forgotten boy band. It struck an instant chord with me and I had to get hold of it. To be honest, I do not remember the short lived band that well. Then again, many bands came and went (much like companies during the dot com boom and bust) in 2000. Some hunting around the internet, has providing only one useful posting, linking images of the band members and what some are up to now. While I would never condone the use of the artist name in the title of a track, 'Love On The Northern Line' may be very cheesy, it is somewhat catchy and fun. I am sure the stats over on Last FM tell a similar story. The chances of finding your own true love from Morden to Edgware (or High Barnet) are extremely low, even if no scientific studies have been carried out.

Continuing with the theme of music, I wanted to elaborate on a topic that may have been uncovered in the debate so far. For as long as I can remember, I have rarely liked debut singles by bands. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but they are few and far between. Today, I can bring you two fine examples. We've mentioned the young starlet from Barbados already. Rihanna's first single was the catchy 'Pon De Replay' but it did little for me. It didn't have the melody and lyrical substance. Then I hear her second single, a smooth groove number, called, "If It's Loving That You Want" with a catchy chorus. Her performance on TOTP this morning was very good, although perhaps does not give the same flavours as the video. Another example is the recent number one by the Pussycat Dolls, which I actually quite quickly grew to hate. Even now, I do not understand the concept of the band, if they are fronted by one person, what is the purpose of the mediocre backing singers? Leaving that to once side, their second single, 'Stick With You', a soft gentle ballad to be released on the same day as the Rhianna single (28th November). I have to admit I'm fall for these romantic numbers quite easily but there is a time and place for this genre of music, particularly in my life. Others may feel this is just a big marketing experiment, cooked up by a big label executive. Image is nothing. Music is everything. The songs stay forever, it is the artist and moment that are gone for good.

Friday 18th November 2005

Let me take you back to June, 27th June to be exact. In that posting I mentioned Merdach Taylor. I would like to apologise for making a somewhat understandable mistake. The name of the soca artist, is actually Mesdach. Until last night I only had a sixty second preview clip of the song. Thankfully, a fruit juice in turbo charged pro edition was able to find the full song I was looking for. The format itself is something worthy of talking about, but let me first concentrate on the music. With Trinidad & Taboga through to the World Cup in Germany, Five Live (on their 606 programme on Wednesday evening) were quick to discover their nickname (and follow in the footsteps of the Reggae Boys from France 1998). Well, Soca Warriors have finally made it and the party begins in June. So, to get myself in the mood, a small preview of the soundtrack, that will undeniable be next summer. Oh yeah, the song title is 'Shut Up'.

Talking of football, let me explain the events of Friday afternoon. When yet another bombshell was dropped in the world of soccer. My colleague in the IT department, proclaimed to the office that Keane had just walked out of United. He had the news brought straight to his desktop, thanks to Sky Sports. I went over to BBC News my standard homepage in Firefox. Indeed it was true. Within a few seconds, Daniel all the way from the Far East flashed up. He was in a state of shock at the news, unable to comprehend that another midfield heavy weight had left the most famous club in the world. My words to him were simple. Blog. A few minutes passed and he explained he had updated his weblog with the latest. Sure enough, (when I got home to check) he had. To be honest, I can't say that I am that surprised. It has been on the cards for several months and Man Utd major drop in form was perhaps the final straw. In any case, I'm looking forward to the weekend. There is the lunchtime game between Arsenal and the Wigan (refered to by Daniel, as the big pretenders!).

Friday 11th November 2005

Been over a week since I last added an entry. To be honest, there has been little going on to warrant a posting. Although, Friday has always been my day to look back and reflect on the past week. DG over on his blog has been doing some heavy analysis on every aspect of his online journal. This got me thinking. Do I really still need a blog? Although my popularity has been growing steadily over the past year, my personal enthusiasm has been at times waning.

My one and only Carling Cup match (Worthington Cup, as it was known then!) was in September 1998 at Adams Park. Wycombe entertained visitors from the North East. The Middlesborough side including Paul Gascoigne, the main draw for the crowd full of families. Towards the end of this month, I will be going to my second League Cup match, Arsenal v Reading. Thankfully tickets went on sale to Red members this morning at 9.30am and I was lucky enough to secure my seat. I am looking forward to seeing some of the younger players on the fringes, knocking on the door for first team action.

Another weekend, with very little planned. There are of course, various international friendlies taking place and no top flight domestic football until next weekend. Upgrading the Media Centre software on my XBox, although, as Sippy has already told me, there is little difference with the release from early October. The most annoying aspect of the handful of recent releases has been that I have not been able to access the Internet via the black box. Those of you not familiar with the technology will be intrigued to know that Microsoft have finally placed a computer at the heart of the home entertainment system. You can view the latest movie trailers direct from Apple, read movie synopsis on IMBD and check out the forecast for the next four days via the Weather Channel. Hopefully, tomorrow I can fix this problem and get my connection online!

Last night, for the first time in ages, I turned my back on the computer and went to read a book. I have neglected reading, ever since I left college and while at University, just read the compulsory set texts. When I was growing up, particularly in my pre-teen years I was constantly reading. Perhaps not the quality literature that my English teacher would have liked, but nevertheless engaging my mind. Since I left college, I have become rather lazy and the only reading I do is e-mails at work and websites. How pathetic is that! I did try to start reading again, in June last year, but soon gave up. Preferring to sleep on the train into London, rather than concentrate on reading at such an unholy hour.

Friday 4th November 2005

Winter nights, for as long as I can remember have meant European football on the TV and eating ice cream. Rather a strange combination, I admit but it has become part of the football fortnight in my household. Champions League is the elite club competition in the world, with some of the greatest players in the world, taking part in the most exciting knock out competition ever seen. Both Tuesday and Wednesday night saw mixed fortunes for English clubs in the competition. I, of course was only interested in the mighty Arsenal, hoping to keep alive their 100% record in the competition and book our place into the last 16. From the kick off, you knew the night belonged to the Gooners. Even if at times, there were some nervous moments. Particularly in the second half. Yet, Henry and Van Persie (what else does this youngster need to do to get a start?) got the goals in a professional workman like performance. Reyes looked lively out on the left and was back to his best. Hopefully he will be able gain in confident, with a decent run out in his favoured position. Hopefully the next few EPL games (I've been speaking to Daniel too often to start using his English Premier League abbreviation) will see an improved run of our form (particularly on the road) as we begin to make up some ground on Chelsea.

Yesterday was a good day for me. Thursdays tend to go either way. Sometimes they are dull, boring, hectic and uncomfortable and you long for the moment to get into the car and drive home. Yesterday was different, I took the day by the scruff of the neck and get things done. There is always something satisfying to achieve your goals, no matter how little. In my dreams I live the life of someone else. The sun always shines and the sky is bright blue. Then, when I wake up I find myself sitting in my car, in traffic, heading for another day in the office. The only reminder of my daydream, is the pure pop playing on the stereo. What I must learn to do is not tempt fate. Even during my good moods (which are few and far between) I must keep focus on the things that really matter.

It takes a blog (of all things) to capture the mood of the nation. The return of the Mitchell Brothers was minor news in my household, as we are hardcore Eastenders fans. Yet, sometimes you wonder how reality mimics art, away from the spotlight of Albert Square. Is this purely extra publicity for the show, or are the successful women behind hard men, coming back to do some harm? People constantly wonder why I am glued to this soap and why I have been this way for several years. Sure, I would agree that some of the storylines have not been gripping over the past few years, but that is not the reason I watch. There are actually two reasons I watch (both kindly interconnected). Firstly the whole soap puts my own life into relief. Things are never as bad for me as they are over in Walford. Secondly, I enjoy watching losers (or as Stacey Slater put it this week, 'waster') such as Gary Hobbs and Ian Beale. They are highly entertaining and such a joke. Then you realise that they do truly exist and at times, may feature in your own life.

Monday 31st October 2005

Boy, was it dark tonight. Walking to my car, I noticed, an eerie cold silence in the air. After all it was Halloween, but the reality of winter finally hit me, as I drove home. The time change to GMT usually takes a while to adjust to. However, this year I find myself automatically climatised to the new schedule. Even if others are against. Can you believe that it is nearly November already? For those of you reading this, it must be November already. Really not all the doom and gloom that my favourite Newsblog makes out.

Quick recap of my weekend. On Saturday night I watched the Sky Premiere, The Day After Tomorrow, with my cousin. He had already seen it but proclaimed a 'must see'. Although perhaps based on some scientific body of evidence, is a far fetched story on the possibility of climate change and how it will affect the world. I have tended to watch these disaster movies on the small screen, rather than at my local multiplex. While they are entertaining, they are rather far fetched in places although the solid human element made it worth watching. Quaid will never been one for action but he does pull off the courageous Dad role, perfectly. The ending however is rather rushed, as you watch the build up to a climatic moment, which when it comes, is not as much unbelievable as wholly unpredictable. The use of CGI is impressive and the Vice President has an uncanny resemblance to real life Vice President, Dick Cheney . There is also the great blend of British actors, including Ian Holm, whom I would meet again, another day. Overall, great TV movie, nothing more, nothing less.

Ever since I saw the trailers, I wanted to go and watch Nicholas Cage in Lord of War. On Sunday evening, I went over to the Odeon in Uxbridge, to watch the movie with my cousin. I was left shocked and horrified by what I saw. I had expected an action comedy (or so I was led to believe by the trailer). Instead, I was served the grim reality of war and the constant question of morality (which goes unanswered by the movie itself). A great cast, with Cage in an inspiring and unique role, supporting by some great actors, including Leto and Holm. The subject is well addressed and perhaps never really studied to this depth by the mainstream movie going audience. Towards the middle, it becomes somewhat darker and almost satanic than I could have hoped for, but if this is an idea, to get me thinking, I respect the agenda of the director. Perhaps the best quote appears at the end of the movie, when after everything, you discover that nothing is ever what it seems. The UK movie poster was nothing in comparison to the US version, look closely.

Saturday 29th October 2005

Site went down during the early hours of Monday morning, but I did not discover the fact that my site was down until late on Monday evening. Exceeded my monthly bandwidth allowance (again) after only the other week, giving myself a top up of 200mb for the cost of £7. This time around, I decided against shelving out further money on top-ups. The site bandwidth would be reset on 00:00 on Tuesday 1st November and I can wait until then. Suppose, these gives me an opportunity to clean up the pages behind the scenes.

The first movie I saw from the collection was Team America: World Police. Funny enough, this was a film my Dad had wanted to go to see at the cinema with me last summer. Thankfully I turned him down. As you might expect, Trey Parker (the creator of South Park) is vulgar, tasteless, controversial and politically incorrect. However, the movie is entertaining (even if somewhat predictable) with an all star cast, some great songs and hilarious spoof movie send ups. It everything that you would never expect to see in a Gerry Anderson production.

After two days training, it was back to work with a bang. Although I was glad for the return to normality. Routine is a key component of my life and I hate being off the beaten track. My two adventure, has been documented, to some extent, over on the other boring work blog. We are busy, but at times I find myself staring at the screening, pondering which big task to undertake. Depending on which way you look at it, this is perhaps the most fortunate or unfortunate part of my position. When we are busy, there are plenty of things to be getting on with and you very much have to keep your wits about you. When we are quiet, you have to consider careful, which task you want to get yourself bogged down into.

Last weekend I saw the latest Citroen television commercial for the C3. This must be the third, if not forth television spot for multi-purpose super mini. This time around, the marketing people have put a spin on the classic sitcom, 'Happy Days'. When I was younger, I would watch the repeats on early Sunday mornings on Channel 4. Don't ask me why, but I had to download the theme tune and listen it full stereo glory. The most comprehensive site, detailing the birth, growth and final death of the show is over at SitComs Online. My favourite character? There is no need to ask, it could only be the Fonz. (Talk of the devil, it is his birthday tomorrow!) Anybody else have some great memories from this television show, which become an American institution. I think Paramount Comedy 2 still show some later episodes.

Although I knew little about the show prior to last weekend, I had heard many great things about the Seth MacFarlane animated series, The Family Guy. The series began to broadcast on BBC2 on Saturday nights, followed by the American Dad. The star of the former is Stewie, the little one year old baby with a strong equitinesiential British accent. By checking some of the fan sites, I have been able to discover that the screenings have started from series three, rather than series one. The first episode screened on the BBC was The Thin White Line. Originally screened on the other side of the water over four years ago. I might have to put the DVD for the earlier episodes onto my list for Santa. For the time being, apart from the show, I have the official blog to keep me company.

If I have started to mention the big red man already, it must mean we are drawing close. Over at Diamond Geezer, he is not letting the side down, as expected. Less than two months to go. For those of you, whom want a more precise countdown. Will I prepare myself slightly earlier this year? You can bet your bottom dollar, I will not.

Saturday 22nd October 2005

My Mum came into my room and told me I had a package, I got up and rushed to see what it was. I was not expecting anything. I had not purchased anything. I could not identify the handwriting, the post mark was RG2. Reading. While I pondered who had sent it, I ripped open the case to discover an old VHS tape. In 1999, I had lent my Moonwalker video to Pav. That was back when I was in college, and little did I know that I would not see the video again for six years. A house move meant that many things were transferred into the garage for temporary storage. However an old college friend had informed me that many of his belongings, lent to Pav had also disappeared into the black hole of his garage. Back in 2003, when I re-discovered Human Nature, I had a longing to watch the small segment on Moonwalker, but was resigned to the fact that I would never see the video again and would have to purchase the DVD.

Little did I know that this weekend would turn into apologises for delays and the return (and delivery) of goods long promised. Pav including with the tape, eleven movies on DVD. Some in DivX others, I assume in VCD quality. Most of the movies I have already seen over the course of the summer, but it great to be able fill in the time on a Sunday afternoon by putting on a movie. Talking of movies, we are currently in the middle of the Indiana Jones Trilogy, being shown on Sky Movies. While I have the DVD box set, I would still enjoy to watch the movie when screened by the satellite broadcaster. Thankfully, Saturday 5th November is deemed, Indiana Jones Day and all three movies will be screened back to back on Sky Movies 9 from 1pm. Great way to spend six hours. Plus that John Williams theme tune. Classic. My favourite is the final installment, for Marcus Brody steals the show!

While keeping a third eye on links to this site, I have noted an man from Delhi describing me as a Gooner on his imaginatively entitled blog, Musings of a meandering mind. Not sure if he deserves a link back yet, but I will keep an eye on his postings, which seem to be quite regularly. Slowly but surely I am building my exposure in the blogsophere.

Friday 21st October 2005

It felt like any other Friday, in any other week from the past ten months or so. Yet, there was a strange feeling hanging in the air. It started around 11.30am, inadvertent I had left my mobile on. Something I religiously avoid, but it was ringing and I did not want to answer, particularly as I was not expecting the call. As it happened, a Scottish man, from a garage in Aberdeen had left me a message about my car, currently in for repair. How wrong did he get the number he was trying to dial. My colleagues laughed, when I explained what had happened and they thought I should call back and authorise all work to be carried out, no expense spared, but my conscience and strong English accent told me this was not going to happen. Not sure how anyone could get my mobile number confused with another, it is far too easy to remember.

To begin with, I did not know what all the fuss was about and thought Chelski had just spent more stupid money on a player that would be spending most of the season on the bench. How wrong could I be? Essien has done everything (apart from score) and even though in my opinion does not justify his big transfer fee, has that special sparkle that makes him and Chelsea entertaining to watch. As a football fan it is great to see a young player bubbling with so much energy. The Guardian put it ever so well, the midfield maestro, pulling the strings and turning defence into attack. I look forward to his performance against Everton. I just hope the blue half of Mersey side can do better than the Liverpool collapse.

My Mum is not a football fan. I think she actually personally holds a deep hatred for the sport. Whenever midweek games are on, I have to pry the Sky remote from her, to be able to watch the Champions League. My Mum, of course would rather be watching the engaging and supposedly over melodramatic soap operas on Star Plus. Yet, to her credit she is able to sit through a full ninety minutes and ask intriguing questions about the game (i.e. which country are Arsenal playing today!?) As TH14 become a record breaker writing his name into the history books, my Mum's face was a picture as I tried to explain that he had just scored 186