So for English this term, we're having to write a film review for anything we like. At the moment I'm having a toss up between 'Juno' and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Juno is easy to review, because it's compelling but also controversial. Plus, the soundtrack is pretty awesome.
Rocky Horror Picture show is easy to both criticise and praise; the acting/singing of Susan Sarandon is an atrocity. However, it is definitely entertaining - just so long as you're able to push past your want to slap her across that little face of hers. Plus, the songs are pure gold (see what I did there? Rocky's gold pants...pure gold...oh I'm so witty).
So really, I have to try and work out which one of these films I want to analyse - which involves watching them. And I have to start writing tomorrow. I haven't chosen yet, but I've written notes on Juno and not RHPS. Maybe I'll just go for Juno then, seeing as you have to weigh up both positives and negatives and Rocky Horror is just too good to rip to shreds.
Thanks for reading my boring ramblings, and hopefully you haven't fallen asleep at how dull my life is. Oh, and if you're interested, check out my new blog where I write reviews for products and things. It could be interesting, but then again maybe not. I suppose it depends on the person.
http://teenview1.wordpress.com/
Harri. x
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Saturday, 14 January 2012
It's Not The End Of The World
Happy New Year! I realise that I'm 2 weeks late, but oh well.
Recently, I had to do a filmed rant for English planned around the show "Grumpy Old Women" (search it on youtube, it's not half bad). Anyway, on the programme they choose a topic that irritates them to the extent that they almost want to kill the people who commit the atrocities. Getting back to the story, I chose to talk about the end of the world conspiracies. They drive me insane, because they're all completely ludicrous!
So that I would get a decent grade on my work, I thought it would be a good idea to research the actual conspiracy theories and all the technical terms etcetera.
Now, you may have heard of the Mayan Calendar which is due to end on December 21st 2012; thus giving the date that the world will supposedly end. This isn't actually all that they're predicting. They actually half a step-by-step programme called the "Ages of Man". This is only stage 4. Stage 5 entails that the survivors of the apocalypse will realise their spiritual destiny. So, turns out that it wasn't the nuclear bunker and survival kits that helped you live - but actually your inner spirituality. Step 6 claims that we will all realise the God within ourselves. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't calling yourself God is extreme blasphemy? I could have sworn that John Lennon got in a M A S S I V E amount of trouble with the press when he said the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus". Then the final stage is step 7. This is my personal favourite. The Mayans have predicted that at this time, mankind will be so spiritually enlightened that we will develop telepathic abilities. Wow.
Moving on, there's the geomagnetic pole reversal. Or, in lament's terms, the pole shift. This was originally determined by Einstein, saying that one day the North and South poles will switch - causing all the animals in the world to die because they couldn't work out which way was up and why the seasons were suddenly different. This would then cause humanity to be distinguished because we obviously won't be able to all become vegetarians. If that isn't enough, scientists have now worked out that it would take 7000 years from start to finish to occur, and on any given day they would be able to tell if it was happening. And it hasn't started yet. PLUS the most distress that this would cause is a slight disruption to satellite and cellular communications.
Another theory is that a rogue planet called Nibiru, or 'Planet X', is going to collide with Earth. However, it would be seen by humans in the night sky two years before collision. Plus, if that did happen, they could be destroyed.
So I hope my nonsensical ramblings have put your mind at ease for December this year, and that you will all have a good year.
Harri x
Recently, I had to do a filmed rant for English planned around the show "Grumpy Old Women" (search it on youtube, it's not half bad). Anyway, on the programme they choose a topic that irritates them to the extent that they almost want to kill the people who commit the atrocities. Getting back to the story, I chose to talk about the end of the world conspiracies. They drive me insane, because they're all completely ludicrous!
So that I would get a decent grade on my work, I thought it would be a good idea to research the actual conspiracy theories and all the technical terms etcetera.
Now, you may have heard of the Mayan Calendar which is due to end on December 21st 2012; thus giving the date that the world will supposedly end. This isn't actually all that they're predicting. They actually half a step-by-step programme called the "Ages of Man". This is only stage 4. Stage 5 entails that the survivors of the apocalypse will realise their spiritual destiny. So, turns out that it wasn't the nuclear bunker and survival kits that helped you live - but actually your inner spirituality. Step 6 claims that we will all realise the God within ourselves. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't calling yourself God is extreme blasphemy? I could have sworn that John Lennon got in a M A S S I V E amount of trouble with the press when he said the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus". Then the final stage is step 7. This is my personal favourite. The Mayans have predicted that at this time, mankind will be so spiritually enlightened that we will develop telepathic abilities. Wow.
Moving on, there's the geomagnetic pole reversal. Or, in lament's terms, the pole shift. This was originally determined by Einstein, saying that one day the North and South poles will switch - causing all the animals in the world to die because they couldn't work out which way was up and why the seasons were suddenly different. This would then cause humanity to be distinguished because we obviously won't be able to all become vegetarians. If that isn't enough, scientists have now worked out that it would take 7000 years from start to finish to occur, and on any given day they would be able to tell if it was happening. And it hasn't started yet. PLUS the most distress that this would cause is a slight disruption to satellite and cellular communications.
Another theory is that a rogue planet called Nibiru, or 'Planet X', is going to collide with Earth. However, it would be seen by humans in the night sky two years before collision. Plus, if that did happen, they could be destroyed.
So I hope my nonsensical ramblings have put your mind at ease for December this year, and that you will all have a good year.
Harri x
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Christmas, Presents and Drug Overdose
So I haven't written in a while, since I've had something better to do. Or so you would think.
Currently I've been having mock examinations at school, but haven't had the motivation to revise. Then again, you could consider this to be a good idea because then it means I'm being tested on raw knowledge, rather than the complete dicks in my school who revise phonetic rhymes etc, but not understanding the reasons behind the answer. So far I've been doing pretty well, so if I do well then clearly I'm smarter than i originally thought....
Another thing I wanted to mention was my friend Isobel Reilly. Some of you may have heard of her as the girl who OD'd on ketamine and ecstasy - causing her friend's father; a renowned university lecturer on the dangers of drugs (I R O N Y) to lose his job and family as it was in his home and his stash of drugs that she died because of. Anyway, the reason I mention her is because recently it was the 3 month "anniversary" of her death. Feel free to Google her or search her on BBC news, because the lecturer has also just been convicted.
So, moving on from the morbid topic of drug overdose and death blah blah blah I also want to brag about the organising I have done for Christmas this year. Three of my friends: Ella, Helen and Sahiba (pronounced like Cyber) have been the centre of my gift choosing antics. With a budget of around 60 pounds, I had to try and figure out what to get for each of them - plus family members, secret Santa and other close friends. A difficult task but REGARDLESS, I set off trying to remember witty remarks and inside jokes we shared to come up with the ultimate present. Helen was easy, as I had shown her the film Rocky Horror Picture Show, an excellent film that I would recommend, and she had mentioned how she would have loved to see it in theatre, dressed in costume and the whole sha-bang. Obviously, it's well known that this stopped in the late 1980s, and now a rarity. HOWEVER after scouring the Internet, I discovered a showing in Leicester Square. So I've bought her the tickets, hinting to her at the 'amazingness' of her gift. Although I will simply buy her the DVD, and thus trick her in to momentarily believing that I have bought her an absolutely terrible present.
*EVIL LAUGH"*
Now, I would bore you further in discussing the numerous other gifts i have bought for my other peers. But, to save you from falling asleep where you sit, I will simply suggest that in buying secret Santa, stalk your receiver on twitter to discover their interests and thus their ideal present..
Harri. x
Currently I've been having mock examinations at school, but haven't had the motivation to revise. Then again, you could consider this to be a good idea because then it means I'm being tested on raw knowledge, rather than the complete dicks in my school who revise phonetic rhymes etc, but not understanding the reasons behind the answer. So far I've been doing pretty well, so if I do well then clearly I'm smarter than i originally thought....
Another thing I wanted to mention was my friend Isobel Reilly. Some of you may have heard of her as the girl who OD'd on ketamine and ecstasy - causing her friend's father; a renowned university lecturer on the dangers of drugs (I R O N Y) to lose his job and family as it was in his home and his stash of drugs that she died because of. Anyway, the reason I mention her is because recently it was the 3 month "anniversary" of her death. Feel free to Google her or search her on BBC news, because the lecturer has also just been convicted.
So, moving on from the morbid topic of drug overdose and death blah blah blah I also want to brag about the organising I have done for Christmas this year. Three of my friends: Ella, Helen and Sahiba (pronounced like Cyber) have been the centre of my gift choosing antics. With a budget of around 60 pounds, I had to try and figure out what to get for each of them - plus family members, secret Santa and other close friends. A difficult task but REGARDLESS, I set off trying to remember witty remarks and inside jokes we shared to come up with the ultimate present. Helen was easy, as I had shown her the film Rocky Horror Picture Show, an excellent film that I would recommend, and she had mentioned how she would have loved to see it in theatre, dressed in costume and the whole sha-bang. Obviously, it's well known that this stopped in the late 1980s, and now a rarity. HOWEVER after scouring the Internet, I discovered a showing in Leicester Square. So I've bought her the tickets, hinting to her at the 'amazingness' of her gift. Although I will simply buy her the DVD, and thus trick her in to momentarily believing that I have bought her an absolutely terrible present.
*EVIL LAUGH"*
Now, I would bore you further in discussing the numerous other gifts i have bought for my other peers. But, to save you from falling asleep where you sit, I will simply suggest that in buying secret Santa, stalk your receiver on twitter to discover their interests and thus their ideal present..
Harri. x
Monday, 7 November 2011
Cat and Mouse & Of Mice and Men
So for my English GCSE, we're studying 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck. So far all I know is that there are these two guys called George and Lennie. Lennie is a gentle giant and not all that bright, and George is a good friend of his although can get a little p*ssed off at him from time to time... Anyway, they're on the run because Lennie apparently grabbed the dress of a woman which - clearly - was a bad idea! So they're wandering around the brush of California headed towards a ranch to start a new job.
When they get there, they run into this old man called Candy - but I'm not exactly sure of why he's important or the relevance of his character. All I know is that he cleans the sleeping quarters of the workers and has a really old, foul-smelling dog. The boss comes in and has a go at George and Lennie because he wanted them to work in the morning, but since they were on the run from their previous town; they didn't get there in time. So he starts to try and talk to Lennie - but George told him not to speak because he would risk them their job opportunity. the boss thinks George is hiding something from him and well...gets a bit suspicious.
So the boss leaves, but then his son Curley walks in. He's described as a short man, with a tanned face and wears leather high heeled boots with spurs. This apparently symbolises his wealth and position. Regardless, Curley is portrayed as - excuse my French - a bit of a twat, to be honest. According to Candy, Curley targets bigger men with violence and aggression because he may be jealous of their size. So Curley starts getting a bit rude towards Lennie, who's a total babe in the sense that he doesn't really know what's best, but at the same time wouldn't intentionally hurt a soul. When he leaves, we find out that Curley's just recently gotten married. And Candy explains that his new wife is a tart, and may have given Curley an STD.
Then we meet a few other characters, including Slim and Carlson - some other workers - but I can't be bothered to explain! Buy the book, so far it's pretty good. I know I've probably made it sound incredibly boring, but it's not. Give it a read, you might enjoy it...
So the other thing I was going to mention is what happened with my cat, Lily. If you're interested (which you probably aren't) she's a lilac colourpoint british shorthair. But, she's also a nightmare and very aggressive. Anyway, I live in the countryside, so she often brings in mice. However, she's so evil to them and doesn't kill them immediately but plays with them - scaring them silly - and then finally eats half of them. And before any of you start saying I should save the mice from their inevitable death - I'd just like to say that I do. But then she catches them again because they're so frightened! It's as though I'm adding to their turmoil by prolonging their torture, so I decided to just leave her to it, and hope they escape unharmed.
So, the other day, she brought in a little mouse. She had it cornered in the conservatory, and was watching it intently. Whenever it tried to make a dash for the door, she batted it with a swift paw - eliminating any chance it had. Then, I went into the conservatory after I had heard the poor mouse squealing. This distracted my cat for long enough for the mouse to run to the radiator, and began to scale the wall behind it! By this point, the mouse had managed to climb up to a safe spot behind the (cold) radiator; completely out of reach from my cat. This angered her immensely, and she eventually gave up and allowed me to save the little mouse and set it free outside, unharmed. See, I did!
And to prove I'm not just making this up for your amusement, here's a picture for you to enjoy.
I have proudly named this brave little creature 'Ninja Mouse'. (apologies for the dusty, cob-web filled radiator, I'll be sure to give it a clean...)
Harri.
When they get there, they run into this old man called Candy - but I'm not exactly sure of why he's important or the relevance of his character. All I know is that he cleans the sleeping quarters of the workers and has a really old, foul-smelling dog. The boss comes in and has a go at George and Lennie because he wanted them to work in the morning, but since they were on the run from their previous town; they didn't get there in time. So he starts to try and talk to Lennie - but George told him not to speak because he would risk them their job opportunity. the boss thinks George is hiding something from him and well...gets a bit suspicious.
So the boss leaves, but then his son Curley walks in. He's described as a short man, with a tanned face and wears leather high heeled boots with spurs. This apparently symbolises his wealth and position. Regardless, Curley is portrayed as - excuse my French - a bit of a twat, to be honest. According to Candy, Curley targets bigger men with violence and aggression because he may be jealous of their size. So Curley starts getting a bit rude towards Lennie, who's a total babe in the sense that he doesn't really know what's best, but at the same time wouldn't intentionally hurt a soul. When he leaves, we find out that Curley's just recently gotten married. And Candy explains that his new wife is a tart, and may have given Curley an STD.
Then we meet a few other characters, including Slim and Carlson - some other workers - but I can't be bothered to explain! Buy the book, so far it's pretty good. I know I've probably made it sound incredibly boring, but it's not. Give it a read, you might enjoy it...
So the other thing I was going to mention is what happened with my cat, Lily. If you're interested (which you probably aren't) she's a lilac colourpoint british shorthair. But, she's also a nightmare and very aggressive. Anyway, I live in the countryside, so she often brings in mice. However, she's so evil to them and doesn't kill them immediately but plays with them - scaring them silly - and then finally eats half of them. And before any of you start saying I should save the mice from their inevitable death - I'd just like to say that I do. But then she catches them again because they're so frightened! It's as though I'm adding to their turmoil by prolonging their torture, so I decided to just leave her to it, and hope they escape unharmed.
So, the other day, she brought in a little mouse. She had it cornered in the conservatory, and was watching it intently. Whenever it tried to make a dash for the door, she batted it with a swift paw - eliminating any chance it had. Then, I went into the conservatory after I had heard the poor mouse squealing. This distracted my cat for long enough for the mouse to run to the radiator, and began to scale the wall behind it! By this point, the mouse had managed to climb up to a safe spot behind the (cold) radiator; completely out of reach from my cat. This angered her immensely, and she eventually gave up and allowed me to save the little mouse and set it free outside, unharmed. See, I did!
And to prove I'm not just making this up for your amusement, here's a picture for you to enjoy.
I have proudly named this brave little creature 'Ninja Mouse'. (apologies for the dusty, cob-web filled radiator, I'll be sure to give it a clean...)
Harri.
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
It's Been a While
Okay, so I haven't posted in a while due to the fact that I'm organising and creating a yearbook for my school. Because I'm in year 11, and my school goes up to year thirteen AND my headmistress is an absolute b*tch, I'm not necessarily allowed to make one. Nevertheless, I've decided to ignore the threats of suspension from my headteacher considering this is my last year in this school and I've been there for eleven years and go ahead in putting together this book.
Obviously, I'm not being encouraged or helped by the faculty at my school and so cannot form a yearbook committee - but oh well. Last week I went around the classes and asked who would be interested in buying one, and almost everyone supported me 100 percent! Another feature that I'm adding to this book is that I am in the process of making it augmented.
This basically means that a few of the pictures in the book will be programmed into a software on the computer, and linked to a website. Using a webcam, you can hold up the picture to the webcam and some magically pixie stuff happens and a video or a game will pop up. It's pretty cool, and it will be the world's first ever augmented yearbook! Which I personally think is pretty exciting.
If you want to find out more about how Augmented Reality works, search it in google because I haven't really got that much of an in-depth knowledge on the subject. Oh, and there are a couple of apps on the iPhone or iPad that have the software, which my dad created (thats how I know how to use it, and how I have access to it).
Here's a link to a video of Augmented Reality being used in Hugo Boss in Sloane Square, London.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q4Aew-zx3w
So that's all I have to say about that...for now ;)
Harri xx
Obviously, I'm not being encouraged or helped by the faculty at my school and so cannot form a yearbook committee - but oh well. Last week I went around the classes and asked who would be interested in buying one, and almost everyone supported me 100 percent! Another feature that I'm adding to this book is that I am in the process of making it augmented.
This basically means that a few of the pictures in the book will be programmed into a software on the computer, and linked to a website. Using a webcam, you can hold up the picture to the webcam and some magically pixie stuff happens and a video or a game will pop up. It's pretty cool, and it will be the world's first ever augmented yearbook! Which I personally think is pretty exciting.
If you want to find out more about how Augmented Reality works, search it in google because I haven't really got that much of an in-depth knowledge on the subject. Oh, and there are a couple of apps on the iPhone or iPad that have the software, which my dad created (thats how I know how to use it, and how I have access to it).
Here's a link to a video of Augmented Reality being used in Hugo Boss in Sloane Square, London.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q4Aew-zx3w
So that's all I have to say about that...for now ;)
Harri xx
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Flight of the Conchords
I haven't written for a bit, so I figured I'd just talk about Flight of the Conchords. It's a band from New Zealand involving two people called Bret and Jermaine. They do mostly joke songs, some of my personal favourites are
Hiphopappotamus and the Rhymenocerous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FArZxLj6DLk
Robots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IPAOxrH7Ro
They;re clips from the band's latest tv series, which is in some ways an acquired taste. To be honest, I think they're funny but a lot of people may think otherwise.
OH and buy their album on iTunes or...just buy the CD.
Anyway, I hope I haven't wasted the past couple of seconds of your life, but if you have read to the end of this post,
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WIN.....A COOKIE.
Now, to claim your prize, go to your cupboard and get out a pack of cookies. Eat one, or two of the whole pack if you like - it's your prize. :)
NB: If you don't have any at home, go buy some. Don't complain, it's so not my fault that you don't have any nice food in your house.
Oh and, RIP Steve Jobs. In fact, this morning my completely naive friend came into school saying how Steve Jobs' death was such a tragedy (which it is - no denying that) and saying how he had changed the modern world. I said that yes, it is sad he died, but it was inevitable considering he had cancer and was over 60. She then asked "How many people can say that they've changed the world? I mean, it's rare."
Before I go on, you have to understand that I was stressed, tired and not in the mood at this point.
I replied that actually, many people can say that. Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy, Abe Lincoln, William Shatner, the Beatles etc. She then said that although these people had changed the world, how many can say they changed the modern world?
So, cryptically, I said Osama Bin Laden. I'm not suggesting in any way that I agree with terrorist activities or the monstrosity of the situation on 9/11, but I was simply proving the point that he had changed the modern world for the worse because ever since that attack, the world has become extremely high and strict in security.
That shut her up. ;)
Hiphopappotamus and the Rhymenocerous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FArZxLj6DLk
Robots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IPAOxrH7Ro
They;re clips from the band's latest tv series, which is in some ways an acquired taste. To be honest, I think they're funny but a lot of people may think otherwise.
OH and buy their album on iTunes or...just buy the CD.
Anyway, I hope I haven't wasted the past couple of seconds of your life, but if you have read to the end of this post,
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WIN.....A COOKIE.
Now, to claim your prize, go to your cupboard and get out a pack of cookies. Eat one, or two of the whole pack if you like - it's your prize. :)
NB: If you don't have any at home, go buy some. Don't complain, it's so not my fault that you don't have any nice food in your house.
Oh and, RIP Steve Jobs. In fact, this morning my completely naive friend came into school saying how Steve Jobs' death was such a tragedy (which it is - no denying that) and saying how he had changed the modern world. I said that yes, it is sad he died, but it was inevitable considering he had cancer and was over 60. She then asked "How many people can say that they've changed the world? I mean, it's rare."
Before I go on, you have to understand that I was stressed, tired and not in the mood at this point.
I replied that actually, many people can say that. Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy, Abe Lincoln, William Shatner, the Beatles etc. She then said that although these people had changed the world, how many can say they changed the modern world?
So, cryptically, I said Osama Bin Laden. I'm not suggesting in any way that I agree with terrorist activities or the monstrosity of the situation on 9/11, but I was simply proving the point that he had changed the modern world for the worse because ever since that attack, the world has become extremely high and strict in security.
That shut her up. ;)
Friday, 30 September 2011
Brighten Your Day, and Someone Else's
Have you ever woken up in the morning and thought, 'I want to make someone smile.'? I have - many times. There's some form of weird satisfaction you get whenever you show an act of humanity and good nature. That was when I found out about a website set up by a young girl diagnosed with MS when she was 6 months old. She's been bed-ridden since 2001 and so made a website called postpals, where you can send an email, letter, card or present to a child with cancer. I figured I would post about it to try and gt as many people involved as I possibly could - it's for a good cause.
So, if you're ever feeling a bit down one day, go ahead and log on to your computer and head to www.postpals.co.uk and help a child smile - which will cheer you up almost instantly :)
Another thing I heard of recently was 'operation beautiful.' It's another organisation set up to spread a bit of happiness - you basically write on a post-it note a small message telling someone how beautiful they are, and leave it in a place where a stranger might walk by and see it. Just make sure you write the website on the note, so that it can become more widely-known, and more people can have they day brightened.
www.operationbeautiful.com
Go ahead - make someone's day that little bit better - karma will thank you for it :)
Harri x
So, if you're ever feeling a bit down one day, go ahead and log on to your computer and head to www.postpals.co.uk and help a child smile - which will cheer you up almost instantly :)
Another thing I heard of recently was 'operation beautiful.' It's another organisation set up to spread a bit of happiness - you basically write on a post-it note a small message telling someone how beautiful they are, and leave it in a place where a stranger might walk by and see it. Just make sure you write the website on the note, so that it can become more widely-known, and more people can have they day brightened.
www.operationbeautiful.com
Go ahead - make someone's day that little bit better - karma will thank you for it :)
Harri x
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