It's alive, damn youuuu!~

Hi,

It's been awhile seen someone posted, hey? Well all of us have been busy with real lives, and I'm no exception. Sorry, I don't have time to spend incesscant hours making interesting photo's and writing about exciting adventures in my life. If you think about, it's all a rather sad attempt of clawing for your attention (we all want it, admit it). See how loved you are? :)

So what have I been up to then? Well the number one time killer is my final year project. I'm working on an underwater acoustic simulator. This is a fancy way of describing a program that can create the kind of sounds you would hear underwater. It's actually for a company called Nautronix, who use it in the testing and development of their various projects/products (there is an interesting difference there...).

To some, this might sound all a bit dull to spend a whole year on. Well, to be honest, I initially didn't think underwater sound would be all that exciting either, but like many things, after you put a lot of effort into something, it tends to grow on you. :) There are *plenty* of weird stuff that happens to sound in water, that a typical air-breathing person wouldn't imagine. All these complications makes the problem that much more challenging (or interesting, for others). But I won't bore you with that stuff. After all, there are many, other avenues of mass-communication where I could talk about this, and the crowd would be much more appreciative. :P

But to sum it all up, that's my life lately. Project, project, project. Before that was exams, but I only had two, and they weren't too difficult, compared to this. And if I do end up failing one of them... oh well, I can always assure myself that it was because I was doing this project. -_-

Hmmm... I didn't mean to write so much about project, and this entry is becoming quite large already. I guess I will need to cut out some of the other topics I was planning on writing about.

Well, yesterday morning, I watched some near-overdue DVD I found lying around the house: The Italian Job. (I only just BARELY-MANAGED to remember to return it that night. Actually, I chucked it into their after-hours chute - not sure if that's still counted as "on time". I doubt it - those money suckers!) I thought it would just be another typical, unoriginal action film, which I don't really mind watching, but I was a bit surprised. The storyline deviated a bit more from the typical formula, which is a BIG, BIG plus for me (I really HATE mainstream - but I could discuss that forever, so I'll just save it for next time :P). Actually, I think I have given this movie more credit then it really deserves; it's good, that's it. Not super great, or phenomonally original... just a nice, pleasant view.

One unusual part was at the ending, during one of the explosion scenes. It was at a crowded street, and so - naturally - there were people running around like mad. For a split-second during that scene, I could of sworn I saw a poorly-dressed SPIDERMAN run in front of the camera... that was pretty funny. :P To this day (which is only like a day or something), I wonder if they did that purposely as some kind of hidden, easter-egg humour.

Ironically, I watched Spiderman 2 that night, too! :) First we went to Sizzlers, but only because Hana had never tried it before, I think. Of all the possible dining venues to choose, I don't think any of us would have come up with that. :) When we were there, I was reminiscing the last time I went there, and my choice of meal then. The meal I would of chosen then happened to be the Kid's Meal Fish 'n' Chips, so that should give you an idea of how long it has been since. :D

The salad bar soup did not dissappoint, as usual. It seems my childhood tastes are still with me. I think Sizzlers cheat with cornflour to make them thicker. I should ask Audwin one day - he used to work there. :P He told me their "secret" to cooking a steak. Apparently, they just fry it just enough to make the top and bottom surfaces look cooked (i.e. just as it turns brown), and then... chuck it in the microwave for thirty minutes. Thanks to the wonders of microwave technology, the insides gets cooked this way. Of course, the end result is something less than sub-standard... it just looks "neat" (i.e. not too many burn marks, not torn etc.). Sherman proved this true when he tried out the steak he had ordered.

The spaghetti bolognaise was also bland. My sister makes better than that, but then again, her spaghetti is quite good, in the first place. :) Next time you have a chance (I doubt you will), grab the privalege and try some of it... yummy. :P~

Man, why am I talking so much about food? I'm not even fat. -_- Must be because it's getting "late" - 11PM. When it's late... I write a lot of crap. My old-school, high-school buddies would know about that. :P Anyway, since I am working full-time right now, I need to wake up early. It's the holidays, and there's no uni, and I need to make money for my super-holiday at end of year in over three countries! That's something else I can talk about next time. :) But because of work, I need to wake up early, hence also sleep early. Actually, I only need to be awake by 8:30AM, but that's very, very, much earlier than what time I usually wake up. -_-

ANYWAY, what was I talking about before? Sizzlers right? Well okay, I think I've talked enough about that. In general, it was shit. Don't go there, please. Take your girlfriend somewhere nicer, like Black Tom's. :P I was very surprised there were SO MANY COUPLES THERE! WHY?!?!?!? It's not very romantic... full of kids and family scavenging through the all-you-can-eat. Okay, that was quite harsh, I apologise for saying that. But come on, Sizzlers is not the premier spot to go on romantic, candle-lit dates. Sheesh, if *I* know that, then it must be super-obvious!!! o_O

Speaking of girlfriend, Adeline went overseas recently for two and a half weeks. This is partly why I have time to write this blog entry, I guess. This is another topic I can go on about, but I don't want to make you all too depressed. :(

So after Sizzlers, it was time for the main event: Spiderman 2! I had actually seen it already, so wasn't keen on paying another $9.50 for a movie I had already watched. It's a good movie, but I'm not the type that feels the need to watch a good movie twice (hence why I don't even buy DVD's... $30 for a one-time view? No thanks.). So instead, I snuck in, hehehe. I think it is best I keep the "plan" to myself, in case it becomes too wide-spread and known, that I won't be able to use it anymore. So I watched it for free, which was more enjoyable than usual, for a second time viewing. :P If I *did* end up needing to pay for a ticket though, I would of wanted to watch Harry Potter 3. Even if it's by myself, I'm not the type to really care about that insignificant fact. :P I'm not a Potter fan and I haven't read the books (my sister has the whole collection though... well what's out so far). I don't think Rowling is an extraordinarily original author, either. She might be writing a popular and enjoyable story, but original? No. Down-on-luck kid entering a secret school of magic, AND discovering he has inherent magical powers more powerful than anything seen before? Come on. It's fundamentally a children's book anyway, so I guess it deserves the credit it gets. :)

But the reason I would want to watch the movie is because I heard good things about it, like being "the best of the three". Despite the poor CG (computer graphics) sequences? I was interested to investigate. :P (Shut up, I feel like using that word.)

Crap, I seem to like going off on complete tangents everytime I try to talk about a certain topic, don't I?

Spiderman 2, the second time, was still good. I wasn't as stunned and gripped by the movie this time. Like the more surprising sections didn't grab me anymore, because - obviously - I knew what was going to happen. :P A review on Slashdot gave it 9.2 / 10. Now, coming from them, that is ASTOUNDING. Slashdot are the biggest bunch of critical dickheads, ever. They're nerds, after all (much like me). :P So to see that rating for a mainstream movie like Spiderman 2 was very out of the ordinary.

But after watching it the first time, I could see why. This is my theory...

Peter Parker is an absolute NERD. The Slashdot reviewer must of felt a special link with the way this character was treated: the way he was pushed-around, weak, but intellectually-talented. And then to see him transform into the epitomy of athletic ability like that, must of truly touched that deep, well-hidden desire, inside the reviewer. Nerds might denounce the need for brute strength and size in today's modern society ("you just need money and you can have everything"), but in the end they are only human-beings. And every human mind (maybe just the males), on the primal level wishes for it. :P Maybe one day we will put our petty moral issues aside, and self-engineer ourselves to rid of such illogical thought... but it won't be anytime soon. Doesn't bother me really; I like living in ignorance, much like the rest of the human race. :)

It's getting later and later, and my ramblings are getting more and more strange. Sorry for that.

Like I usually say, I will probably regret some things said here. But oh well, as many people know, I try not to give a shit. :P

Have a good one,

The Glutinous Riceball