Anime

When I was quite young, I remember viewing Akira for the first time.  I had no idea what was going on, but I did not care and absolutely loved it.  I have loved animation for as long as I could remember.  Akira opened new doors for me.  At the time I found it hard to get hold of other Japanese animations and every piece of anime I could scrounge up, I savoured.  I loved the style, the quality (of most anime I was watching at the time, at least) and the imagination.  I have even gone so far as to defend anime as being superior to Disney, which in some circles may be considered sacrilege.

These days it is a lot easier to get hold of Anime and in the last five or so years I have watched a considerable amount.  As a child it was certainly more exotic and I am saddened that it has become so much more mainstream, but in contrast that does mean I now have more access to something I love.  It brings up complex and contrasting feelings.

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas to all.  I hope you all have a lovely day in the manner in which you best like to celebrate this end of year festival.

I'm going to leave you with my favourite Christmas song, A Fairytale of New York.

Amiga

My Mum bought herself an Amiga to do some work on when I was little.  It soon became more predominantly a games machine for my siblings and me and provided a good decade or so of fun.  I still marvel at how far games have come in my lifetime, certainly in terms of graphics.

I recently obtained an Amiga emulator to be able to play all the games I have from when I was growing up.  Some of the games I initially tried were not quite as good as I remembered, some hadn't overtly been effected by nostalgia.  These were the beat 'em ups and platform games I'd spend hours getting nowhere with.  Then there are some truly classic games like Elite and Civilization.  The game play and content of these games is so well realised that merely updating the graphics would put them on par with many new releases (I realise that Civilization has had many sequels which have seen the basic design expanded upon, because I love these games and only stopped playing them due to time constraints).

I was surprised to learn that as a games machine, for a time the Amiga was a fairly heavy hitter.  I always longed for a console like the Megadrive or SNES and never quite realised at the time what a marvellous machine we already had.  Nevertheless, I think the Amiga sparked my interests in computers and creatively inspired my imagination.

Calvin and Hobbes

When I was about six or seven I went to a bring and buy or something similar and bought Calvin and Hobbes, The Lazy Sunday book which features a collection of the Sunday strips of Calvin and Hobbes.  Calvin and Hobbes was a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and drawn by Bill Waterson from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995.  It is a comic strip about a highly imaginative and disruptive child called Calvin, who's best friend is his stuffed Tiger, Hobbes.  Hobbes is just a stuffed toy to everyone bar Calvin and, for the most part, the reader.  I absolutely loved this comic strip when I read it.  I  poured over my book so much that I eventually caused it to disintegrate.  I have since collected all the strips in various collected editions.

When I was a child I loved the imagination and creativity of the strips and growing up I have found a deep philosophical introspective quality.  Repeat gags and concepts like Spaceman Spiff, The Snowmen, Rosalin, The Wagon,  Dinosaurs and so on, I found wonderful.  I have recently started reading the strips again and this time around I find myself identifying with parents perspective more consciously than I had before.  I do also, of course, find the strips funny and any appeal to my sense of humour will win my favours.

Links

Today I didn't have the time to think up an article for today, so for a change I am going to send you to a couple of other blogs from my blogroll.

First up is my brothers blog, The Modern Historian.  Despite a slight bias on my part this is nonetheless a marvellous blog where each day is a today in history.  He has found some very interesting historical titbits to share.

The second is my friend Niniane's blog with contributions from other bloggers, The Mythogenetic Grove.  A treasure trove of creative writings and writings on creativity.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - The Dark Age

The Dark Age is the eighth episode of the second season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  This episode is a continuation of the episode, Halloween, in which Giles' dark past is explored further.  The beasty in this episode is a demon conjured by Giles and some of his friends in his youth, when he was a tare-away and is now killing those that summoned it.

This episode not only explores the concept of consequences of our actions and the responsibility we have for them, but also expands on Giles character and in some ways changes the relationship between him and  Buffy.  Being a father figure and an authority, Buffy is exposed to his imperfections and vulnerability.  It also serves to move Giles away from a clichéd image of a twee English librarian by expanding into his rebellious past and makes the character more interesting.

Dreams

I am one of those lucky people who often remembers their dreams.  I can have very vivid dreams a lot of the time, as well.  Dreams, for me, are fantastic entertainment.  These strange hallucinations are something I frequently look forward to, so much so that I anticipate going to bed. 

Sometimes I have bad dreams, which are usually incoherent messes that leave me with an anxious feeling.  Sometimes dreams about issues that are weighing heavily on my mind, which are very literally and merely leave me with a sense of disappointment insofar as those dreams are quite dull.  I have other dreams that are cut and pastes of my life so far, dreams that resemble video games or movies.  I have dreams where I am me observing, me participating or even me in the role of someone else entirely.  I've had these things happen in one night of dreaming.  I have had dreams that have inspired me.

There is also a lot of very interesting imagery, especially some imagery that still continues to repeat in dreams.  I dream about places that are amalgamations of places I know and also places that are entirely unique to my mind.  This dream landscape is vast and in a strange way, somewhat mapped out by repetitive occurrence.  I may in the future write about aspects of my dreams, or describe some imagery just because I love dreams that much, they truly are a joy.

So sweet dreams to you, dear readers.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Lie to Me

Lie to Me is the seventh episode of the second season of Buffy.  In the episode Buffy is reunited with an old school friend from her days in L.A.  It transpires that this old friend, Ford, is aware of the existence of vampires and desires to become one.  Unknown to Buffy, he and a group of other vampire admirers are hatching a plan to be turned by the resident vampire leader, Spike.

I like this episode because it shows how much the vampires in the Buffy universe are bad and evil.  It also provides some very humourous moments.  It also provides alternative perceptions and comments on a culture in fiction that idolises vampires rather than condemns.  It shows that Buffy, for it's faults, is self aware.

I could write more about this episode, but that would mean spoiling the ending, so unfortunately I'm going to have to cut this article short.

Rain

Living in the United Kingdom I am no stranger to rain.  Rain is something very special to me.  It invokes very pleasant feelings from relaxation to nostalgia to hope.  When I have nothing on me that cannot get wet and it starts to pour down, I keep my head up high and enjoy watching people run to shelter.  I like when I need to run to shelter and have to wait for it to stop or when I'm under an umbrella and I hear the droplets above my head.  On a hot summers day a quick blast of cold, refreshing rain can really cut through the heat.  I love the sound of rain and my favourite rainy moments are when I snuggle up in my bed and listen to a heavy downpour.  Sometimes, if it suddenly starts to chuck it down I will stop what I am doing and stick my head out of a window.  I love the smells rain creates, the damp air and earthy musk.  It all gives me a sense of comfort and satisfaction.  To round off the cliche, I also like long walks, but that's an article for another day.

Cooking

In my last article I spoke of boiling.  It seems apt that I follow on with a quick article about cooking (whilst I, myself, continue to boil).  I do enjoy to do a bit of cooking, I find it can be relaxing and it's nice to make something I find tasty.  Most dishes I know to cook are spicy.  I love the flavours and the heat.  I like experimenting too with different ways to cook the food and different combinations of meals.

Eating is a very important part of life and should not be taken for granted.  Finding nice and healthy food to cook is a delight from start to finish.  The occasional unhealthy meal is also very welcome.  Being someone who isn't fond of vegetables and salads I have to be creative when thinking of healthy meal.  Also, when you cook yourself you have a better idea of what is going into your food and with a rise of bad diets and associated health problems this is something I am acutely aware of.

This Blog

When conceiving of this blog I made a conscious decision to write about positive things, making an archive of things I like, the silver linings and things that make me happy.  So far I have found it a wonderful way to express who I am through what I enjoy in life.  It would be easy to write about things I hate, things I despise, that annoy me and so forth and there is a wealth of material right there.

I have already, in this short time since starting this blog, come across days where there is nothing positive I could possibly write.  Looking at the positive side of things is a good philosophy, but it is also a balancing act, the negative has to be appreciate and confronted as well.  Sometimes it gets too much and I just have a very bad day or two where I have to boil.  This is one of those days.  Nevertheless, I did not want this to affect my blog.  I have been really been pleased with the consistent effort I have shown in writing this.  I have been glad to take the time to think about what to write and actually getting it on.  I like that I am already inspired to write future articles.  I am enjoying doing this, basically, for myself.

Even though I am boiling right this moment, this blog is the only positive thing I can think to write about. I have even finally gotten around to making my widget image.  If I continue to seethe, I may even get a header image done.  Nonetheless, in the future I shall endeavour to have filler articles ready for just these occasions.

Anticipation

 As you are all acutely aware, I am sure, Christmas is coming.  Those few weeks around Christmas and New Year we can all take allowance of the holiday spirit and perhaps shirk off a bit.  I plan to relax and not worry throughout.  I am sure I'll still be busy doing things but they will be holiday things.  This week I'm going to try and get things done that aren't related to the season, get some things out of the way.  There is going to be some things I'm gonna have to get on with straight away in the new year, but those few weeks I am not going to stress or worry because I don't have to and no one can make me.  I am looking forward to it and I'm enjoying the anticipation of it.

Today's picture is a painting called Anticipation by the Italian Impressionist book illustrator and artist, Pino Daeni.  It is a lovely painting, I hope you agree.

Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides

I am a fan of the first three Pirates movies.  Unconventionally I could hazard that At World's End is possibly my favourite.  The first of the films, The Curse of the Black Pearl, was certainly more orientated around Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and the subsequent two sequels seemed, in spirit, to follow this trend.  Nevertheless, at the end of At World's End, their story was neatly wrapped up which was a good thing.  Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow seemed to me to be a supporting character.  It was clear that in The Curse of the Black Pearl Johnny Depp stole the show and the movement of the plot revolves very much around Jack's actions, motivation and machinations.  In the sequels Jack has a more prominent role, no doubt due to Johnny Depp's popular performance but I can't shake the opinion that these films were not so much about him (especially after seeing the latest addition to the franchise).

On Stranger Tides picks up from the little teaser left at the end of At World's End with Captain Jack Sparrow searching for the Fountain of Youth.  This film is without doubt about Captain Jack Sparrow.  Even with a couple of familiar faces from the first three films, this film is overwhelming his tale.  There is a side story with religious men and mermaids that does feel a little tagged on, like some very poor replica of the story of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann and there in lies the problem.  This film will suffer from comparison.  The film has a feel of trying to live up to it's predecessors by solidifying a Pirates of the Caribbean formula and formulaic narrative is the bane of franchise films.  It's why I don't watch James Bond - you see one, you've seen them all.  I also felt the loss of Bloom's and Knightley's characters and the vast supporting cast in this film.

Despite these reservations it was still very much a fun film to watch.  It is still of the same quality as the previous films.  Before watching this I did have low expectations because I had heard it wasn't good in and of itself, but after seeing it I think that's just nonsense.  This film feels like a lead in to a new saga, much like The Black Pearl was.  Not many franchises can maintain a level of quality throughout like Pirates has.  If you liked the three previous films then I would recommend this one as well.

New earphones

Most places I go to, I walk to.  I don't have a car and I find public transport is over-priced and a poor quality service, so I walk.  I enjoy walking, too.  It is good exercise and sometimes I do it just for fun.

When I am out and about I do like to have something to listen to, so I carry my Creative Zen Micro MP3 players I purchased over five years ago and listen to some of my music collection rotating on the random setting.  Unfortunately, last Tuesday when I was about to leave the house for an appointment I discovered my earphones had finally broken.  I had a look for some new ones and found these JVC Marshmallow earphones nearly half price.  JVC have often been out of my price range, but I know they make quality products, but I had never tried this design of earphones before, so I was naturally hesitant to buy them.  Eventually I decided to just go for it.

I haven't entirely made up my mind about them yet.  I'm not seeing much in the way of negatives about them.  They cut out a lot of background noise, but I can still hear traffic well enough so as not to feel unsafe when crossing the road.  I do get that odd sensation that you get when you put your fingers in your ears, but I get the impression this is something I'll get used to when I stop noticing it.  The big bonus about these earphones is the sound quality.  When I first put them in to try them out I was shocked at how well the bass came through.  The sound is crisp and I was hearing little pieces of songs that I never noticed before.  I think I am very much swaying towards liking these earphones.

Comedy in the morning

The last few days, as I have sat down with my morning cup of coffee and started on my blog clicks for adgitize and entrecard, I have put old episodes of QI on to listen to whilst I wait for sites to load.  I often do something else whilst doing my clicks, maybe play a game or read a wikipedia article, but I am really enjoying having something to laugh at in the morning.

I first discovered that laughter in the morning is a great way to start the day back when my radio alarm clock was tuned into BBC Radio 4 for my morning wake up.  Every morning would be some dreary and annoying news bulletin or interview or something equally horrendous.  Then one day the journalists at the BBC went on strike and the usual depressing droll was replaced by a repeat of a comedy show.  I was laying in bed chuckling to myself until I felt that need to actually get up.  It was such a contrast to what I was used to at the time and something I never considered before.  Comedy in the morning.  I would recommend it.

Spike

Keeping with the current Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme I have going, I have decided to write about one of my favourite characters and one of the main reasons I watch the show.  Spike, played by James Marsters, first appeared in the third episode of the second season alongside his vampire lover, Drusilla (played by Juliet Landau).  Spike was introduced as the major antagonist of the first half of the second season and is by far one of the best villains.  Joss Whedon originally intended on killing off the character but decided against it after he proved so popular with fans, in no small part due to James Masters' stellar performance in the role (admittedly his English accent was a little shaky to begin with, but no where near as bad as Juliet Landau's).

The character revisited Sunnydale, the fictional home of Buffy, a few times over the course of the next couple of years, having been dumped by Drusilla.  When captured by the shady government agency known as the initiative and implanted with a behavioural inhibitor in season four, the character takes on the comic relief role.  In season five the character starts getting some serious development as we witness the personal journey from self-asserted monster to heroic champion.  Spike's path is one of the hardest out of all the characters.

Alongside this character development (in my opinion the best in the show) the character himself is a joy to watch.  A very down to earth, wise and to the point personality, he juxtaposes against the chirpy and insipidly deluded optimism the rest of the cast often suffer from.  Because of this, I would say Spike provides the best conflict in the group dynamic than any other character, villain or hero and becomes more dangerous to them when he ceases in being a main bad guy just due to his ability to cut through all the rubbish and get to the heart of things.

Oh, and he looks like Billy Idol.

2000 AD

I did mention in a previous article that I do enjoy reading comics.  My favourite comic to read is 2000 AD.  I started reading 2000 AD at around the age of 10, in the early 90's.  This was a period in the comics history regarded by some fans as being its low point.  I don't agree with this assessment.  2000 AD is an anthology comic with a wide variety of stories and is the original home of Judge Dredd.  Over the years I have collected issues, back issues and was even given loads of earlier copies from my eldest brother.  The old issues (or progs, as they are known) were a fantastic joy to flick through.  I was introduced to some brilliant characters like Nemesis and the original Rogue Trooper.  A wealth of talent has flowed through the pages of 2000 AD over the years and it was one 2000 AD serial that introduced me to the amazing talent of Alan Moore.

I did spend about five or so years not collecting the comic until realising that it being missing from my life was sad and unnecessary thing.  I now make sure I can buy a yearly subscription so I can get my dose of thrill power from the Mighty Tharg.  When people talk about comics I have the feeling they think more of superhero comics.  When I talk about comics I am talking about these marvellous strips coming out of Britain.

Even writing this article is making me pull them all out of their homes and start leafing through them on the floor again.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Halloween

The second season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer really just carries on the themes and formula found in the first season.  Buffy is still coming to terms with what it means to be a Slayer and just generally the gang learn valuable lessons in metaphor rich adventures with the supernatural.  One of the great things about the second season (and possibly its saving grace) is the introduction of the character Spike, a nasty vampire with affiliations to the vampire with a soul, Angel.

One of my picks from the second season is the episode Halloween.  On a night when the demon world take a break for much needed rest and relaxation, Buffy and the gang get shanghaied into looking after some young trick or treaters, but all goes disastrously wrong as people start turning into their costumes.  That alone should sell this episode, in my book.  This episode also introduces a dark past for the fatherly librarian, Rupert Giles, which will be followed up on later in the season.  And if that wasn't enough, it is also the first appearance of another of my favourite villains from the show, Ethan Rayne.

Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light

Au Revoir Simone comprises of Erika Foster (vocals/keyboard), Annie Hart (vocals/keyboard) and Heather D'Angelo (vocals/drum machine/keyboard).  The band formed in late 2003, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.

Still Night, Still Light is their third album, released on 19th May, 2009.  The whole album is an audio ethereal bliss made with synthesisers and soft vocalisations in the singing.  I haven't heard the previous two albums released, but Still Night, Still Light has been an instant classic for me and one of my favourite albums to listen to last year and this.  There is not a dud song on the album and it arranged wonderfully.  The use of electronics is original and inspired and I am still in awe of the beauty of the simplicity of it.

Robocop

A classic piece of science fiction cinema from 1987.  This is a great film.  I loved it as a kid and I still love it today.  When I was younger I loved all the action, swearing and violence.  Back then it was just a sequence of action scenes strung together and I lapped it up happily.  Getting older I can see the subtleties in the film.  The philosophical implications of Robocop/Murphy, the satirism of news media and the indictment of corporate control.  I even think the special effects can hold their own today as well.   There are plenty of more modern films with CGI aplenty that don't look half as good as this film.  It has a nice and simple plot that it remains focused on throughout.

There are some films I loved as a child that I have watched since and been appalled by them, almost to a point of shame.  This film is most certainly not one of those.  This film is not even so much a piece of fond nostalgia.  I think this film still holds it own over two decades later and I got something new from this latest viewing of it.  I have to admit that I did suspect maybe this films quality may have been accidental, but that would be forgetting that this film was one of many that set the hallmark of such things to follow.  It's a well made piece of cinema, with a good script the likes of which are rare gems to treasured.

Routine

I missed my post yesterday.  Almost missed it today.  This blog is going to be a test for me.  I know how routines are very important but I do have difficulty maintaining them.  I love when I have a good routine going and I know what I need to do from day to day along with the things I should do everyday.  When I get into that habit, I find a little peace.  It can all be upset quite easily and I like to have a certain amount of flexibility for the unforeseen and casual occurrence.  Posting on this blog everyday feels important because of that continuity.

I will also like to write a few articles for the upcoming holiday season, because I know I won't find the time everyday to write a new post.  Even then, it still feels like I'm keeping to a routine and having that grounding is a wonderful comfort and focus.  It's something I would like to be better at, but it's also something that I know I am going to have to work hard at.  I do hope I won't miss another post.