Wednesday, April 27, 2005
A Special Celebration
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BLOG
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BLOG
HAPPY BIRTH DAY DEAR BLOOOOOOGGGGGGYYY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BLOG!
Hip hip? HORRAY!
Hip Hop? Tally ho? and all that sort of thing!
Why yes, today my Blog is exactly one year old! this time last year on the 27th April 2004 I made my first effort at Procrastination by Blogging! And what a year its been! Or has it? well it hasnt really been that bad! At least now with my blog i can actually remember what I was doing this time a year ago! which brings me to the main part of this post.
It seemed that my blogging needs a little justification as well as clarification. So here as a special Birthday Post I present to you:
Why Do I Blog? PART 1
I Blog for three main reasons
1. To Archive my Activities
2. To Clarify my own thoughts
3. To Gain Feedback on some issues.
Lets me expand on these.
The purpose of this Blog first and foremost is to Archive my activities. I want to record what ive done, when and what I felt about it at the time. this may include actual activities, or even thoughts about things happening at that time. I want to be able to look back, ten or twenty years from now and be able to see what I was like then and compare it to what I am. The Same applies to the here and now as well.
Now, you might say i could have served this purpose by using another format. Like a Diary, or even writing up a protected Word Document on my Computer.
Diaries, i just dont like on principal. they can easily fall into the wrong hands, take much longer to write (than to type) and just have this stigma attatched to them. (only girls write diaries).
Word Document then? Nope. What happens if (read: When) my computer crashes and i havent backed this thing up? It erases possibly years of my recorded life.
The Blog saves me time and effort. everything is already wonderfully set out, I can type much faster than i write, and it is stored on the web where I can access it anytime.
My Mate Clayton said: "So your answer is post everything on the web where anyone can see it?" The answer to that is yes. Ideally I originally would have liked it to be seen by 'anonymous people' and people in no way connected to me. but I guess i was fooling myself. eventually I knew it would be discovered by someone I knew. But I see this now as a good thing. (more on this later)
Secondly, I clarify my thoughts here on this blog. sometimes life can get so jumbled that the easiest thing to do is record then review it, and think about things from an objective perspective (as if it was someone else i was reading about). It really does help a lot and I think ive made some better decisions and choices because of it. Ive also reflected back on past decisions that may have been good or bad so i can learn from them.
Finally, this Blog is a way for me to get feedback on my thoughts and my decisions. Originally (as above) planned for anonymous people to comment, but now inevitably people i know personally as well. It helps sometimes to get another person's perspective on things. I dont like actually talking about some stuff to anyone (except God). This is a way of keeping myself in check. It helps when people can pick up incorrect thought paths and when I start down a path that will be harmful for me. Getting other opinions - other ways to see things helps me develop my thinking and hopefully guides me from getting too far off the rails!
END PART 1 - Why Part 1? why not a huge post? good question, here's the answer. Im tired :P I need sleep! So Im going to bed now! I'll return to this subject soon! ^_^
SAM
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Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Quick Discovery Post
More shall be posted tomorrow! (Its going to be a special day! see if you can figure out why!) but im just going to post out two things I found out about myself on the weekend (went to a Christian Life Week Leadership training camp)
1. I really want to live a real Christian Life. I want to stand up for God
2. I am not just 'over relationships' at the moment, I am actually Relationship-phobic. I am scared to death of relationships. An incident on the weekend showed me this. I am physically scared of the possibility of a relationship. You know, heart rate quickening, (jumping out of my throat) feeling physically ill, excess worry etc. Crap. Ive given myself a complex! ARGH!
Other than that, life is extremely busy! but chugging along! Back to it! more tomorrow!
SAM
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Friday, April 15, 2005
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Monday, April 11, 2005
He's Not the Messiah he's a very naughty boy!
Anyhoo! what a title to kick this post off! and guess what? it has absocompletely nothing at all to do with it other than while im writing this ive got "Monty Python's Life of Brian" going around in my head!
Boy am I tired. buggered. kaput. This last week was completely insane. And this is coming from me! I know insane!
So, lets summarise. In total last week, i approximate about 21.5 hours sleep from Monday-Now. Thats not a bad effort. now why did this happen?
Lets just say: two assignments, one on Wednesday and one on THursday, Three Assessments, two of which were on Thursday.
The first of many Star Wars Movie Nights at the Church Hall (my first go at organising something bigger) - We watched Episodes IV and V. next week, probably just VI, but may add in I as well ^_^ Then, after coming home from this, having to write out an entire Sunday School Lesson for Lazers (Grade6-10s) on the Martyrdom of Stephen from scratch, and of course...
SUPANOVA 2005! (www.supanova.com.au) The Convention was on this weekend and I had to work Friday-Saturday-Sunday And clean up Today! all up 27.5 hours work! It was great fun! Managed to make quite a large sale (my biggest ever ^_^ with some help from Josh, co-worker). Got a portrait of Thor done for me by Leinil Francis Yu! very nice indeed! (will add it to the one last year by David Finch). The costumes were back, featuring a very nice 'Black Cat' and very... er... chilly looking Cammy from Streetfighter and a Chun-li as well!
I really enjoy the conventions! And I was very proud of myself! I didnt spend ANY money this year! I got paid for being at the convention! how excellent! still cant believe my luck getting this job!
But yes! As a result I have been feeling really buggered lately, and I apologise to the people who I had to wait a day or so to reply to texts, and to the people whose emails i havent replied to. Im just really blah at the moment. effort required to write this post will probably be my last coherent thought patterns for tonight :P
Heh. just realised Ive worked more this week than ive slept. and thats just Daily Planet work. not to mention Uni work! :P Oh I love it.
But onto other stuff that I have been thinking about!
The Cookie Monster Crisis
We all know the lovable muppet with a yearning for cookies! he was a staple of my television viewing when I was young! I love Cookie monster, better even than Oscar the Grouch! but now.. in this age of childhood obesity have you HEARD what they're doing!!! Check this out!
Cookie "Health food" Monster?
Take it to the streets! let the cry ring out! A Healthy Cookie Monster? A cookie monster who sings "Cookies are a sometimes food"? WHAT THE?
What next? changing his name to "Carrot Monster?" I can see it now! Look o ut for new Sesame Street Regulars, "Healthy Harry the Apple-loving Herbivore?" "Joggy the exercise man?" "Mr Hooper's Low Fat Healthfood Emporium?"
ARAARRRRGH! RAGe! Strike them down I say! Im quite serious people!
What I wanna be when I grow up
you know, they say that on average these days people will change careers seven times during their working lives. Now, as my friends know, I change what I want to do for my career quite a lot. So I decided that as part of my Blogging I want to record all the changes I go through under the heading "what I want to be when i grow up"
Today, Im very seriously considering these:
Writer - Comic and Novel Writing. I get so carried away. I Roleplay on some of my warcraft fansites, and the stories I'm involved in.. the characters... I just love them. I know I cant draw, but in my mind I can see scenarios played out. epic battles to be fought. Intense character relationships. Development of characters and so on. I know that If I did this for a career that I would be successful
GMing for Blizzard - This isnt a career I realise, but its a job I would love to do. GM - Game Masters are employed by Blizzard (www.blizzard.com) to help out the general community in the World of Warcraft game. I have a love for the rich history of the Warcraft universe, and I have good communication skills (at least written ones!) and I would love this opportunity.
Buddy Christ Bobble
Here's the last one! And its a bit of a 'Moral Quandary' To Steal MMM's Idea. Ok, here it is. Dogma was a movie put out by Kevin Smith. it was the fourth in the five part (soon to be 6 part) series (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and next year, Clerks 2: Passion of the Clerks).
Now, in this movie, which poked fun at the Catholic church, (not that thats a good thing, but its a comedy! and very well done :) Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are Fallen Angels trying to get back to heaven...er..Alanis as God though? :^P)) And in it, the Catholic church was trying to revamp its' image for today's times, changing a lot of things, one of which was adding a 'Buddy Christ' Statue.
Anyhoo. The Store (Daily Planet) just got in some bobble heads. you know, the ones with the big heads with the spring that...er..bob?
One of them was the 'buddy Christ'
now, Im keen to get one. I think that it would look great in the car. I dont consider it sacreligious or anything because as well as being almighty and My Savior, Jesus is also my buddy. :)
Im just tossing it up. Ill probabably end up grabbing it tomorrow.
SAM
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Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Heh. Random
The title is a well used quote from a friend who has now gone to Japan for a year! I feel like such a tool though. I found out she was leaving (actually going) on Easter Saturday. I said, sure, I'll have to call her up sometime to wish her luck. But the week went on, i kept putting it off, saying, she's probably on the coast with family, i'll wait till the weekend! Then the weekend came and i was swamped with assignment work! and Monday came yesterday and A friend (who was practicing dentistry on me at the time) reminded me that she had left in the morning. krap. bugger. poop.
Anyway, on to the main reason for my post. its just a question that I randomly started pondering when stuck in the traffic this morning.
"Imagine if we didnt have names. How would others define us?"
Hmm its Kinda Zen. Think about it. I think that it would require us to look at our actions much more. who we are not defined by our history (family ties) but by our actions in the present. hmmm... zen.
Am I procrastinating? noooo! of course not! Ive got till 6:30 in the morning to write this stuff! ^_^
SAM
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Monday, April 04, 2005
Ok, i know how unusual this many posts in a row is, but meh! This is a rant. But its not your ordinary standard angsty, whiny type rant that I, regrettably have done in the past. this rant, to many will be a complete enigma.
But if you read comics, specifically, if you read MARVEL comics, then this is an issue very close to heart, Its a little something i'd like to call:
Brian Michael Bendis, pictured above, Is a comic writer. He began working for marvel around 1999-2000 i think, and was instrumental in the success of the 'Ultimate' line of comics. But now, I can't stand most of the man's work, and his attitude. here's my reasons why.
BENDIS-ISMS
- Doing things 'Because he can' not because it makes sense. This is a quote from Wizard Magazine:
"when i hear someone say 'you can't do that' my sphincter tightens and i think 'maybe YOU can't..."
-Another Quote. Bendis took over the Avengers a while back and has totally revamped the team, the book is now called 'New Avengers' Critics were accusing him of Trying to 'JLA (Justice League of America - the Equivalent comic from D.C.) the Avengers. Now he bit back fiercely, defending himself by saying that he wasnt and that the trouble was caused:
"All because someone started a rumour that I was 'JLA-ing' the Avengers"
Guess what. It was Bendis himself who started the rumour by saying that.
- Swearing in comics - Peter Parker doesnt say '$#&*!'
POWERS
- Powers Issue #31 - Monkey Love. 'Nuff said. Luckily i dont collect this, i just happened to pick up the trade at the Library.
- Generally far too much profanity, gore and nudity. Its a great concept, but the rest is unnecessary!
DAREDEVIL
- Terrible Daredevil 'Kingpin' Story arc, and decalogue, totally mis-writing the ten commandments for the covers
- Jessica Jones in Daredevil 'one year later' still pregnant 15 months!!!
AVENGERS
- Millionaire Tony Stark's Maria Stark foundation, which has funded the Avengers since their conception 'Running out of money' therefore the Avengers fall apart? what the? and yet, in the latest issue it is revealed that at the time of the breakup he had almost completed a 600,000 dollar quinjet? what the? something doesnt add up!
- Really bad characterisation Captain America isnt Captain America, He's Bendis in a Costume
- Selling out - The Carnage/Sentinel incident. (A new hero, the Sentinel was involved in an Avengers battle where there was a super-powered prison break. The Sentinel grabbed one of the prisoners, Carnage, An alien symbiote with Spider-powers (related to Venom and Spider-man) flew him into space and tore him in two. Bendis said: "people liked that so lets see who else i can kill" ARGH!
- I can handle change, as long as there is a good story and decent self-explanatory explanation. unfortunately there is neither in this cycle. Dont get me started on the Scarlet witch.
- Hawkeye's death - Ok, im not really a fan of Hawkeye like my friend, but honestly, pointless and avoidable. Just another example of 'oooh, I want to kill soemone.'
SECRET WAR
- Ok, brilliant painted artwork, but that has nothing to do with Bendis. But I reserve judgement until the last issue comes out, sometime in the next three months :P At the moment, confused and slightly angry at the way Nick Fury is being treated, but if he can pull it off in the next issue.. fair enough. Decent story, but not the mega-event it's billed as.
PULSE
- I quite enjoyed the first story arc, but the quality just went down the drain when the artist changed
- The Secret war crossover is pretty good. looking forward to getting a decent artist though
UPCOMING 'HOUSE OF M'
- Ok, just read the prievews for it, (released in June) Marvel put the tag on it: 'The Marvel event of the Summer' Fair enough. I'd even accept 'the Marvel event of the year' but in his blurb, where Bendis describes and tries to sell the book, the first line reads: "The Marvel Event of the Decade" ... hmm...ego anyone? And, no, that Onslaught thing back in 1996? that was nothing!
- In the preview for the second issue a little thing reads 'featuring every Avenger and X-man you can think of' ... stuff like this makes my stomach turn. He said exactly the same thing about the 'Chaos' storyline in Avengers ("Featuring every Avenger, Ever.") And it didnt. and those that were there were out of character. felt forced. Besides, there are so many x men and so many avengers that there would not be room for them. not unless you go and do a 'JLA/Avengers #3" cover like George Perez and get tendonitis for doing it! Its more like 'Every Avenger and X-Man WE can think of' and inserted so randomly whether it makes sense or not because damn the story, it makes me look cool.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
- Funnily Enough i have nothing against this title. It's been Bendis' Baby from the beginning, and he's doing a great job. He can write spider-man. And because its in a seperate continuity it doesnt matter what he does!
SAM
But if you read comics, specifically, if you read MARVEL comics, then this is an issue very close to heart, Its a little something i'd like to call:
Arguments against Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis, pictured above, Is a comic writer. He began working for marvel around 1999-2000 i think, and was instrumental in the success of the 'Ultimate' line of comics. But now, I can't stand most of the man's work, and his attitude. here's my reasons why.
BENDIS-ISMS
- Doing things 'Because he can' not because it makes sense. This is a quote from Wizard Magazine:
"when i hear someone say 'you can't do that' my sphincter tightens and i think 'maybe YOU can't..."
-Another Quote. Bendis took over the Avengers a while back and has totally revamped the team, the book is now called 'New Avengers' Critics were accusing him of Trying to 'JLA (Justice League of America - the Equivalent comic from D.C.) the Avengers. Now he bit back fiercely, defending himself by saying that he wasnt and that the trouble was caused:
"All because someone started a rumour that I was 'JLA-ing' the Avengers"
Guess what. It was Bendis himself who started the rumour by saying that.
- Swearing in comics - Peter Parker doesnt say '$#&*!'
POWERS
- Powers Issue #31 - Monkey Love. 'Nuff said. Luckily i dont collect this, i just happened to pick up the trade at the Library.
- Generally far too much profanity, gore and nudity. Its a great concept, but the rest is unnecessary!
DAREDEVIL
- Terrible Daredevil 'Kingpin' Story arc, and decalogue, totally mis-writing the ten commandments for the covers
- Jessica Jones in Daredevil 'one year later' still pregnant 15 months!!!
AVENGERS
- Millionaire Tony Stark's Maria Stark foundation, which has funded the Avengers since their conception 'Running out of money' therefore the Avengers fall apart? what the? and yet, in the latest issue it is revealed that at the time of the breakup he had almost completed a 600,000 dollar quinjet? what the? something doesnt add up!
- Really bad characterisation Captain America isnt Captain America, He's Bendis in a Costume
- Selling out - The Carnage/Sentinel incident. (A new hero, the Sentinel was involved in an Avengers battle where there was a super-powered prison break. The Sentinel grabbed one of the prisoners, Carnage, An alien symbiote with Spider-powers (related to Venom and Spider-man) flew him into space and tore him in two. Bendis said: "people liked that so lets see who else i can kill" ARGH!
- I can handle change, as long as there is a good story and decent self-explanatory explanation. unfortunately there is neither in this cycle. Dont get me started on the Scarlet witch.
- Hawkeye's death - Ok, im not really a fan of Hawkeye like my friend, but honestly, pointless and avoidable. Just another example of 'oooh, I want to kill soemone.'
SECRET WAR
- Ok, brilliant painted artwork, but that has nothing to do with Bendis. But I reserve judgement until the last issue comes out, sometime in the next three months :P At the moment, confused and slightly angry at the way Nick Fury is being treated, but if he can pull it off in the next issue.. fair enough. Decent story, but not the mega-event it's billed as.
PULSE
- I quite enjoyed the first story arc, but the quality just went down the drain when the artist changed
- The Secret war crossover is pretty good. looking forward to getting a decent artist though
UPCOMING 'HOUSE OF M'
- Ok, just read the prievews for it, (released in June) Marvel put the tag on it: 'The Marvel event of the Summer' Fair enough. I'd even accept 'the Marvel event of the year' but in his blurb, where Bendis describes and tries to sell the book, the first line reads: "The Marvel Event of the Decade" ... hmm...ego anyone? And, no, that Onslaught thing back in 1996? that was nothing!
- In the preview for the second issue a little thing reads 'featuring every Avenger and X-man you can think of' ... stuff like this makes my stomach turn. He said exactly the same thing about the 'Chaos' storyline in Avengers ("Featuring every Avenger, Ever.") And it didnt. and those that were there were out of character. felt forced. Besides, there are so many x men and so many avengers that there would not be room for them. not unless you go and do a 'JLA/Avengers #3" cover like George Perez and get tendonitis for doing it! Its more like 'Every Avenger and X-Man WE can think of' and inserted so randomly whether it makes sense or not because damn the story, it makes me look cool.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
- Funnily Enough i have nothing against this title. It's been Bendis' Baby from the beginning, and he's doing a great job. He can write spider-man. And because its in a seperate continuity it doesnt matter what he does!
SAM
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Sunday, April 03, 2005
Just a quickie
Pope John Paul II Passed away last night. I think that even though I am a protestant that it should be recognised that he did good work, and we should all be thankful for his life, and for what God did through him. Maybe i can meet him one day! that would be cool.
On a completely different note, check this out.
A worrying sign of the times
And another random question
If for some strange reason I wanted to learn how computer components interact and fit/work together, the hardware, busses, motherboards, different connections etc. not the software side, what courses/links etc. can anyone out there recommend?
Can anyone help?
SAM
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Friday, April 01, 2005
The Game is afoot!
So people! Tis 12:25am here on April the 1st 2005. Beware people. noone is safe until after 12pm! no more now! will let you know!
SAM
EDIT: 5 minutes after I posted that i got my first prank call! oh the fools will be shown! they have no idea who theyre dealing with here!
UpDate:
Its 2:35Am and its go time! Black T-shirt, jeans and various implements of mischief! MWAHAHAHAHAHAAA! AWAY!
Update 2:
The next night.
so. all is calm now, and looking back i suppose it went off well, the only problem being minimum exposure. Of the houses I... attended to, out of 6 residents usually within, there were only 2. one at each house. sigh. but those residents got back to me ^_^
Ah twas a brilliant plan in theory! Ill just tell you what my various 'impliments' were and then let you figure out the rest
1. Yellow 'Caution' tape (25m used)
2. Paper
3. Sticky Tape
4. Scissors
5. Images stolen from web: Biohazard logo, Queensland Government logo, Department of Environmental Protection Agency Logo
And thats all it took! that and being awake from about 2:30-4:00am and driving to Toowong at that time :P all in all, it was well executed!
Oh well! theres always next year! ^_^
SAM
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