Redesign

Through a process I like to think of as organic, although in actuality is just haphazard and 'on the fly' I am redesigning the blog. Basically this is because it hasn't changed in over 5 years, and felt that a different look might better reflect what I will be writing about.

As such over the coming weeks the blog will look increasingly different and (hopefully) more awesome.

The best thing ever

Well I can't have my super awesome blog sitting here without an update. I can hardly post about how I have done fuck all on the list - so I will post about whatever the hell I want. Just so long as it brings a smile to the little face of you, dearest reader.

Today, what is on my mind is how I have seen a few pretty damn sexy films is what is on my mind. Seeing as I have absolutely no experience with film reviews I thought I would be the best person to write about them.

1. The new avengers one, called assemble or something similar. gather? coalesce? can't remember. Anyway its Joss Whedon directing a film lots of people want to see and he does a great job. It's got humor and great action.

2. Pirates in an adventure with scientists. Its a claymation film aimed at kids but it is damn funny actually

3. Red State. Better than I was lead to believe. I liked how you get attached to many of the characters - however small - even if they end up with a bullet in the eye. Some dull bits with people waffling on about Jesus.

So watch all three and it will make you happy and successful and more attractive to the opposite sex for realz.

Oh and the best thing ever is tea and toast.

5 year anniversary

So it has been pretty much 5 years since I posted things here. I have also had my 30th birthday! A friend reminded me about this list recently: 30 things to do before I am 30 - so I thought an update was long overdue.

It would be nice to reveal that I had totally done every item here... unfortunately that isn't the case. BUT I have done quite a few of the things. Perhaps a person's priorities shift as they grow up, or perhaps it's because a lot of those items are basically shit, but I can't say that I am 100% dedicated to finishing the remaining items.

So here is the list as it stood, and where I am with each item.

1. Go to Edinburgh fringe festival

I have achieved it only last year! It was an excellent trip and worth a blog post of it's own!

2. Get Nestle to Give me £5 and donate it to charity

I have not achieved this. I have given at least £5 to charity though - so I am going to declare this close enough

3. Run any Marathon

Not done. For a while I was running nearly every day and built my stamina up to manage a few miles - with every intention to then run a marathon. However I didn't manage it. I am not ruling out the possibility of doing this one, and so it will most likely make it into draft 3 of the list.

4. Learn to Ski

I have learned to ski in the French alps on a skiing trip in 2010 and it was a lot of fun. I intend to go and now like to think of it as a hobby.

5. Grow my hair

This item is very vague. My hair is also very curly... At one point I had longish hair, that when pulled straight was about 1 foot.

6. Get Chuck Norris to E-mail Me

He never did =(

7. Drive coast to coast in America

Not complete. The idea still appeals though.

8. Learn to Write my Name in Japanese

I did and it is recorded somewhere in this blog.

9. Do some good

This is a shit item. I guess you could say I completed that under point number 2

10. Host my own website with a domain for more than a year

I did this, punarama.co.uk and punarama.com was a humor blog I hosted for a couple of years. I was proud of a number of the entries I wrote on it - and it was getting some readers but I found it too difficult to keep writing fresh posts that were quality enough so in the end I stopped paying all the hosting fees etc

11. Try to get a book published

Still ongoing. I am still not 100% satisfied with the quality of my writing - however I have yet another idea for a story. I have the plot & structure and am now writing it (slowly). At the moment I am 1 and a bit chapters into the first draft.

12. See a new film every week for a year
The issue with this item is that it requires that I post an entry every week too - otherwise I forget where I am. This was more an excuse to encourage me to post regularly about something that an actual desire to do this before I die, so wont make it to draft 3.

13. Brew my own beer

No. I would still like to.

14. Do some art and try to get it in the tate modern

No. It would be amusing to try but ultimately futile, and that is probably why I added it in the first place. I don't think I will include it in draft 3.

15. Learn how many days are in each Month

I did and it is recorded somewhere in this blog.

16. Write some brilliant article and try to get it in a national paper

Not done. Same as 14 I don't think this would be possible or worth doing..

17. Apply for a job which pays more than £100,000 a year

Not done. Again, same as 14. Whilst it would be jolly to write about, at this point I would never get such a job - so I will save this one for draft 4 or 5.

18. Be an extra in a movie

Not done. There is no reason why I wouldn't be in future. This was added because I was an extra on TV shows in my teenage years, and felt it would be a nice thing to revisit. This will most likely be in draft 3.

19. Write a letter to the government, and give them a piece of my mind

Not done. This is also very vague. I have nothing I feel passionately enough about at the moment - but I did go on the anti war march over Iraq so I'll mark this closed.

20. Bet £50 on black

DONE. One evening I went to a casino whilst drinking with some friends and bet £50 on black. It actually came up black too! This meant that the money I had previously lost was won back - and we were able to play a few extra roulette games before leaving the casino having broken even overall.

21. Read ten novels that have won the booker prize

I have read a few - I will post a separate article about which ones, and if they are any good. This will make it to draft 3

22. Shoot a gun

I have shot a shotgun a number of times whilst clay pigeon shooting. Most recently this was on a stag do, and I was such a sharp shooter I won out of 14 guys and got a trophy!

23. Go travelling

I am currently saving to do this. This will be in draft 3.

24. Earn over £500 on ebay

Ongoing. This one is difficult to guage because I dont think you can list your selling items for all time. I know I have sold a fair few things now... although even if I go by the total sale including shipping I think I am under £100. I will endeavour to see if there is a way to find this out. I would also like to complete this little challenge.

25. Invent a new cocktail

Not intentionally. This one would be particularly easy though - and not even something I am that bothered about so it wont be in draft 3.

26. Earn a cool new nickname and insist everyone calls me by it

I have accrued some nicknames, but none I would consider 'cool' exactly, or want anyone to call me. Curly is one that springs to mind... I am happy enough with that!

27. Understand the rules of baseball, then go see a game

Not done. I added this as I thought it would tie in nicely to 7 - drive coast to coast in the USA; but now I think about it I have no interest in doing this.

28. Do a family tree

Not done. I have been told that a fairly close relative has already done this, too - so there is not really a reason for me to reinvent that wheel.

29. Get on the radio

Not done. I don't see the difference between this and 18 - being an extra in a film. It's just random public exposure.

30. Visit South Africa

Not done. The reason for this was I knew someone living there at the time and I could visit them. They are no longer there and I have since set my heart on other destinations to travel. This item is also pretty much the same as 23

So fairly successful, with 12 complete, and another 8 still something I want to do. So there are 10 I properly failed at for whatever reason. The only thing left to do is write Draft 3 of the list - 40 things to do before I am 40. But on that note: Should things I already did be left on the list?

Circle Sim

During a clean up of all the old trash that has become scattered everywhere I discovered a copy of and old game I made that quickly became an internet sensation: circle sim.

Download and have it for free! Circle Sim Download. Install instructions are in there but it’s basically just a zip file. Doesn’t even need to install or anything its so damn advanced. [edit: dont know where this file is anymore, but if you want to know then ask and i'll try to find it harder]

Now you too can experience the mind blowing excitement of being a 3d circle, slowly rotating in an endless blue void!

Far more futuristic, advanced and immersive than it’s 2d predecessor: square sim

Hope you enjoy!

The alternative Wednesday night film review – Part 1

Posted April 8th, 2011 by Rich

Every Wednesday for the last few years have been hassle free , action packed, fun filled affairs complete with plenty of girls, booze and adventure. Recently these things have increasingly been experienced vicariously through the medium of film.



That is not to say my life is currently devoid of action, fun, booze or girls though. So you can wipe that smirk off your face, you.
Ask any of my friends and they will all tell you that if my middle name had been given to me later in life, it would doubtless have been girls-action-fun-booze.



also my first name would have been victory and my surname would have also been victory.



But my parents weren’t to have known that back when I was born because I was just a rubbish baby at the time.



Anyhoo – that is a little of the background to the legend of the Wednesday night. It also has a large amount of associated lore, like if you dont touch your nose in time, you might have to phone a foreigner and ask them to bring you food. But I will spare you the details. Suffice to say these days we have taken to watch a ‘classic’ film and drink.



Last Wednesday, in an effort to avoid procrastinating too much on what classic film to watch, we decided to just write some down (a film that also someone hadn’t seen and someone seconded adding to the list). We decided to write 52. which for those math / calendar buffs amongst you will correctly calculate as a years worth of films.



This week, the number 17 was randomly drawn from a hat* and it turned out to be…


Waterworld

An idea that I came up with entirely by myself using my brain* was to review some of the films.

So without further-a-putting-the-title-in-the-wrong-place-because-it-seemed-appropriate-for-dramatic-effect-at-the-time….
Waterworld

It is a fairly brilliant documentary about this fish that mutates into a man in order to steal women.

There is this villain in it, who has managed to find a big rusty boat populated by homeless people. He has tricked his new minions into doing water sports in order to jump jet skis into floating towns and generally shoot at things for no real reason.

It turns out that the hero falls in love with this women and a girl he has stolen, and takes them to a bit of land that some crack-pot scientist suddenly figures out the location of, using a tattoo on the girl (even though he lived with the girl for ages).

When fish-man and co. get to the island fish man leaves again because he hears some birds.

Oh also the whole of earth is covered in water – so that is why the land things was noteworthy. Also it’s the future.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys films about the survival efforts of the inhabitants of planets that are entirely covered in water/liquid.



* Brain of Mr Awesomedude