22? Oh that's nice....

Birthdays bring good memories, but also provoke some troubling thoughts. It's that time again when you start to think what's going with your life. When you hear your new age from others and you realise that you are actually 22, I felt old. Theo Walcott, the new Arsenal 12 million pound signing, is only 16 years old for Christ's sake! He's acheived something before he can legally drink an ale! And what have I done?!?! SQUAT, that's what! What my football career?!?!!?! Nevermind... I never wanted to be a figure in the footballing world... too much pressure. Isn't that right Sven? I don't think he will be going to Dubai anytime soon.

Thanks to the Argos catalogue calendar, which can possibly doom those with a birthday between 17th and 24th of both January and July, I had the unfortunate luck of my birthday falling on one of the two biggest days in the company. Cat Launch! A day which is almost impossible to get off as a holiday (well, I have succeeded sometimes before) and therefore has to be worked. Luckily the day wasn't too busy and I appreciate all the birthday wishes everyone gave!

Whilst talking of birthdays, I must wish a very happy birthday to both James and Clare. The night out at the Hawaiian was awesome - something different as well! Thanks again for the invite, and I hope you both had a good time.

I have gone a bit mad spending spree wise, and my recent purchases are as follows:

CKY - An Answer can be Found

Arrived this morning and so far it's pretty good. I would suggest getting their debut album, CKY : Volume 1.




Fallout Boy - From Under the Cork Tree

Not bad - but I'm getting the impression that every song sounds the same. I hate that on an album. I bet this one will grow on me in time.



(Had to be the biggest)

The Lightning Seeds - Like You Do.... Best of

What a brilliant album. I had it before but alas, it was lost. After taking advantage of some Amazon sales, I have once again got Ian Broudie back on my tunes list. Pure is a beautiful song, whilst The Life of Riley is an upbeat, song-a-long classic. God bless you Liverpudian genuises!









And so on that note kids, I take my leave. Look after yourselves and remember - the fake sheikh is out and about!

Terrorism powders its nose

Im hoping that 2006 will bring a better year for film, as 2005 was pretty poor in my opinion when it came to a good movie. On preview it looks like my prayers have been answered.

Dont get me wrong, I love the odd comedy. Adam Sandler still has me in stitches (next Happy Madison production being The Benchwarmers looks good) and the odd chuckle never did me any harm. But Im just soo sick and tired of seeing Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds and the like monopolizing all the teen comedies. They might be funny, but I don't want them rammed down my throat with advert after advert displaying their new film which promises to be funnier than the last. Bollocks to that, I will see something a bit more stimulating thank you!

Therefore enter controversy: the receipe for film-tastic 2006. Jarhead, a possible political hot potato, gives an insight into the experiences of a soldier in the first Gulf War. Of course, this is released at a time when Iraq still is a sore point for many families who have relatives fighting to restore order in the chaotic state. In reference to the director Sam Mendes, I bet this film will be another hit for him just like Road To Perdition, one of my fave movies.

Spielburg's Munich will not help Middle-Eastern peace talks either. The film focuses upon the aftermath of the '72 Munich Olympics when a group of Israeli athletes were taken hostage and eventually murdered by a Palestinian militant group. Spielburg might be taking a chance with this one; sci-fi, dinosaurs and alien invasions are all well and good but a political issue such as the Middle-Eastern conflict? No doubt that it will be superbly made though and it is worth a good look.

This year marks the 5 year anniversary of living in a post 9/11 world. Flight 93 is due for release in the States in April and I'm sure it's going to be a real hit over there. I predict this because Flight 93 will document the final moments of the passengers of the fourth hijacked plane during the terrorist attacks of the 11 September 2001. The only plane not to reach it's intended target thanks to the heroics of some of them onboard, this film will show the courage of the doomed men and women who knew full well that they would never see their loved ones again. Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 was a big hit at the box office, so I'm sure that this will be a hit as well.

What Hit Song of 2005 are you?

Your 2005 Song Is

Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz "Love forever love is free. Let's turn forever you and me." In 2005, you were loving life and feeling no pain.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

Im not surprised, I was humming this little ditty all year round!!!

Requiem For Them

The thoughts of my past linger on
As echoes and phantoms in my today
Breathing on fear and feeding on indecision
Laying the path of a new morality.

Mistakes of me, mistakes of many
My actions are one of autonomy
Like the cold components of Calculon
We are bound together in transparent unity.

I commend those who know, I offer only
A veil of hopefulness for those who are they,
Ignorant to all but only themselves
And that their errored cost is one we all must pay.

January Jive

My Tanglefoot ale crate which got me through Crimbo is running dangerously low, the TV programming has got noticeably better and I have a stack of uni work to do. Yes, it’s quite self-explanatory – January is here. 2006 has arrived just as cold as 2005 made it’s entrance, but it’s good to see that Wales has had a flying start. It’s January 5^th and already two Welsh/Cardiff tragedies have occurred. The horrific death of a student in Thailand and the shameful ordeal of toddler from Rumney have marred 2006 in only 5 days. Not to mention the mine shift blast in West Virginia, where more than a dozen had died.

Maybe 2005 was just too good a year and we are paying for it now. Putting the Tsunami and the 7/7 bombings aside last year was a bloody good year. I moved out, I graduated, managed to get onto a Masters degree, went on holiday, went to lots of gigs, The Kop became Euro Champs, the City didn’t get relegated, I didn’t get hurt in any way, drank enough ale and overall – had a grand year. Let’s hope that this one will get better, but Im not holding my breath – economists already reckon that this year will be the hangover of a prosperous honeymoon spending period. Tighten up your purses now!

I still maintain that New Year Resolutions are silly, but I suppose it’s a clean start to banish some of the sins I have committed. Last year I half-heartedly stated that I was to read some more as well proclaiming the classic promise, I will eat less. I now read a hell of lot more, but the weight thing is still on the drawing board. This year if I had to sort out resolutions, I will promise to eat less (again), learn to guitar, write more (be it poetry or blogging), read even more and most importantly, try my hardest in writing my dissertation this year. I want something that I can be proud of. Not something I produced in a week and finished on the morning of the deadline. Let it be known blog, I must do these things if I’m going to Heaven. If I don’t… well… I don’t even want to think of what might happen to me.