Hope in 160 Characters

"It's the last 24 hours of the year. I'm here where I was with you, and I'll spend the next day thinking about how I will spend next year with you."

The Year in Review

I haven't done this before, but it's a pretty appropriate time to start. I'm going to go over the best and worst moments of 2007. It's been a strange year, and one I probably won't forget. The number '2007' still seems fresh and ready, but it'll be stale within a few days. The list of events is mostly from the latter half of the year, either because it was more eventful or because I have a terrible memory. And I thought that my memory was great.

The Worst of 2007
in no particular order

Moving Out

Moving out of Toland Square was one of the worst days I've ever had. Not only was it emotionally draining, sleepless and physically exhausting, but tensions grew and almost every conceivable thing went wrong. I loved that house, and I didn't want to leave it so soon, but times move on and people need to as well, so I know it was ultimately for the best.

My Car Overheats

Later that day, dropping Emma at the station, in traffic, I let my car overheat by not watching the temperature gauge. I felt stupid, and it cost a fortune to fix, and for weeks, my car was out of commission. As if the day could have been any worse.

The Apple iPhone

No need to expand.

Emma Leaving, Again

Emma had to go a couple of times in the year, but never for as long as when she went to Tokyo, which was indefinitely. That was very sad.

Not Getting that Job

The job which would have been perfect. Graduate C# Programmer. Come on!

Nova

Nova, my ticket to Japan, the company that was ready to employ me in a job I wanted to do... collapsed. The whole company: gone. Thanks. Literally minutes before Emma goes there, they self destruct, and my future there was shattered.

My Computer Suddenly Stops Working

I still don't know why. It was on, I turned it off, it didn't turn on again. And I don't have the energy or motivation to fix it, or the cash.

The Best of 2007
in no particular order

Making a Complete Album

Although I'd written many songs before, Seven Pages was the first one where I'd made it from start to finish with one album in mind, instead of collecting songs together. I rushed it into a month (for the RPM Challenge), but I was really happy with most of it, and I still enjoy listening to it. I have a way to go though.

Portal

Portal portal portal portal, portal portal. Portal portal. Portal! Portal portal portal, "Portal portal, portal!". Portal portal; portal portal. Portal portal portal, portal portal portal portal portal. Portal portal portal. Portal? Portal portal portal portal.

Seeing Rent with Kiana

Kiana was my introduction to Rent, and getting to finally see it with her was a big thing. I didn't see many musicals this year. In fact, I think that was the only one. Plus we had cake.

Maintaining Friendship with Julia

Despite the numerous problems she causes, being friends with Julia is always special because you can tell that she really cares, and she's very genuine. I saw her earlier this week and we had a great time, and it's been good staying friends with her this year.

The MG

My mother bought a convertible. I learned how different a mid-engine car can be. My father and I took it to Spain through France, driving is fun again.

Binärpilot

Discovering this strange electronic musician by accident was a major highlight, as he soon became one of my favourite artists. And he gives away music for free. As well as this, he has been very inspiring.

A Completely Dry Year

A year completely without alcohol. 2006 had some lapses in the Summer, which I regret, but was consciously aware of the reasons for which I lapsed, and both times had silly reasons.

The Host

While it may not have been the best film of the year, it was a very important one for me. It took me by surprise, and made me interested in foreign cinema again. Plus, it has one of the most bittersweet endings imaginable.

Starting the JCS Again

Being the last person here with any ability to perpetuate it, I made the JCS continue by opting to become the President. And meeting new people through it meant that I made new friends and had good fun with people while pushing the culture. It will continue into next year.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Getting back into Anime was never more fun.

Finishing University

After a 3 day marathon coding session which concluded with a presentation and a dangerously sleepy drive home, University was over. Finishing that was a major relief. I slept for days.

Canada

Going to Canada suddenly and almost unexpectedly was a huge treat, getting to see my family and surprising my sister and mother was enormous fun. I got to drive around and have a great time with everybody. I loved it, and I just want to go back.

Getting Over Kiana

It took nearly two years and writing a very sad song, but I finally did it and have felt liberated since.

Filming The Oxford Murders

I loved being an extra in 2003, and I got to do it again. I just saw the trailer for the film, and you can see part of me sitting near Elijah in it. I can't wait for the actual film.

Inspiration

Suddenly having reason and the ability to write music again came as a shock, but it wasn't a nasty surprise. In a few weeks, I wrote about six songs. Not all new, but within a few months I should have recorded my third album.

Getting Back into Gaming

Right at the start of the year, with nothing to do, I started playing XBox games a lot. Since then, I have played more and more games, and went as far as buying a PSP, which I love. I played through MGS just for the fun of it, because I loved it so much when I was young. Games are now a big part of my life. Again.

Yinuo

Not just her as a person, but everything she has done for me in terms of jump-starting my social life, and being a very good person to be near. She's one of the most open and honest people I know, and has 'let me in' to a world that I have wanted to be a part of for many years, but could never get close to. Being friends with her has definitely been a highlight of this year.

Having a Reason to Want to Improve

Self improvement is much harder without having a reason to improve, and having one means that making myself a better person goes beyond its own reward. Because of that, I am a happier person.

And for that, I thank 2007.

Badger Badger Badger Badger

I'm not several years late on a meme, I just saw a badger. Not just now, a couple of nights ago. But I'd never seen a living one in the wild. I think I've seen few sleeping and inside out on the side of the road, but a whole real life badger, sniffing around my garden at 1AM, it was frightening and awesome. Mainly because they're the size of a Great Dane with stubby legs and 140% as amazing.

I am in central London, and I just popped into the Apple Store. And as I do every time I venture into an Apple Store, I blog. Mainly because Apples make me so angry. But Linux makes me angry too at the moment. It couldn't full screen video without skipping every so often. And when I'm watching streaming Flash video, it misses out a second of audio, and then plays the missing sound over the next second of audio. Which is very distracting when you're trying to watch something. I'm going to have to try Ubuntu with the new KDE, because the computer I'm using isn't lacking in power, I think it just needs a more capable OS.

This is all in the interim before my Windows PC works again, and I can't wait for that.

It's Christmas Eve, and I have started my shopping about an hour ago. I know I leave it late, but that's how I do things. So I shouldn't write for long. I hope Julia's kidneys feel better soon, I'll be giving them a special Christmastime visit soon.

I'm going to take this opportunity to wish everyone who reads this a very Merry Christmas and I hope that you are treated well and eat even better.

The Correct Answer is Always Daft Punk

It must have been the year 2000, or so. It doesn't matter exactly, but it was in Napster's heyday. I was imagining what it would be like to have a car, and what music I'd like to have coming out of the windows during the Summer. And because of the popularity of Aerodynamic on the radio, I was tempted to see what else Daft Punk had done. One quick download of One More Time, and I was in Virgin buying Discovery. I didn't buy much music when I was young, but when I did, I really listened to it. For that reason, Discovery (along with Hello Nasty) became one of my growing up albums. And Daft Punk has held a place in my heart since then.

Of course I listened to the earlier works, and I bought Human After All as soon as I knew it was out. Only recently did I discover that they had released a live album (Alive), and since I got it I haven't listened to anything else.

But that's just a small part of my life. There have been plenty of events since my last entry, and the build up to Christmas has hardly featured. I had another dinner party, which was more hectic than before, but it was good to say goodbye to people before most of them went away. The day after was Laura's birthday party, and it was wonderful to see loads of old friends again and meeting some new ones. I hadn't been bowling in years, and the alley they knew was fantastically cheap without being trashy.

Some people I met though, didn't have Facebook. I was suddenly at a loss on how to keep in communication with them. I thought about asking for a phone number, but I found myself not knowing them well enough to ask, and I should have. There's always next time though.

The next night was the C-Star final. I almost had a breakdown with the stresses that went on that night, but I pulled through. I must congratulate Amy, who despite coming second, gave the best performances (and was recognised by the judges for it). She made the evening worthwhile. The night didn't end there though, as I had to pick up Yunhae and her sister to take her to Stansted airport, and I dropped Stephanie home on the way as well. For those of you who know, Stansted is a long way away, but it gave me and Yunhae a chance to catch up. Which was good fun. At this point, I'd been awake for something like twenty hours, seeing as I had taken Kiana to Heathrow that morning. And I'd only had four hours sleep the night before.

But instead of going home, I went to Cocoa's place and watched her pack, before collapsing on her (small) bed, which already had some people on it. It led to an amusing situation where three people were trying to sleep on a bed just big enough for one, and I had either feet in my face of on my neck. But I was tired enough not to notice. But we awoke after an hour and a half of unrestful slumber to take Cocoa to the airport, and then to drop her friends home. In all, including the Heathrow bowling alley, I'd been to an airport four times in 36 hours, and had barely left my car in that time. My car is filthy.

It isn't over, as I picked Yunhae and her sister up a few days later, and I'm taking her to Luton later tonight. It's a holiday marathon for her.

The last few nights have had a wonderful fog descending on Wimbledon. It's made visibility close to zero. Today it didn't leave during the day, so I suspect it'll only be stronger when night falls completely. I also found a wonderful article in the Times about how an old phone just won't die. The article is about my phone's successor, the 6310i (the 'i' means that it is fuel injected). I never got this phone, it just wasn't different enough from my then current phone, the 6210e. But the article covers all the reasons why I love my current phone, which is again the 6210e. Simple, long battery life (it alleges three days, but I know for a fact that mine lasts five), good sound quality, tactile buttons, comfortable in the hand and light.

I might have to get a Flickr Pro account soon. The 200 photo limit has me losing old photos that I find I suddenly need. In the same vein, I had rediscovered my love of drawing, and have starting sketching in charcoal again. One particular sketch was used as a Christmas present.

I went for an interview yesterday. It was an epic undertaking, as in everyone there going for the position was waiting there for up to six hours, doing tests and writing reports. After the effort I put in, I'd better get the damn job. I have been delayed in getting paid for a while, and while I have money for the mean time, I need more. But prognosis positive.

I Need an External Antenna, and Dual Band

The computing world is almost limitless. There are so many topics and they're all so deep. There is always something new to learn. If we ignore the 80% of topics that are to do with databases, there is less to learn, so the task becomes easier to manage. Recently, I have been more interested in security, and have been investigating new aspects of computers, through Linux.

I also managed to get my USB MIDI keyboard working on my laptop. This means the creative things that have been building up in me with my absence of Reason now have a place to go. Plus, I plugged it in to my father's sound system, and things went well from there.

I am worried about Julia; her health concerns aren't positive, and she's off work, so probably as bored as I am during the day. But I send her more well wishing and hope to see her at some point.

Instead of listing the days that I have seen Yinuo recently, it's easier to list the days that I haven't seen her:

Saturday.

It's Friday today. I've seen her pretty much every day this last week, and will continue to see her until Sunday. And then she leaves on Monday. But it's been good seeing her more and she's become a good friend of mine. Probably the best I have in this country.

I saw her drama performance this morning. It was different to Kiana's a couple of years ago. Very different. It involved walking around Hammersmith bridge and listening to messages about communication. There wasn't a storyline, but there was a lot to be said. I left with a message and an ear. Some of the props I helped make last night, and it was fun to see them in use. I was trusted to film everything, but in true technology style, the battery failed after six minutes, and most of my footage was the lead up to the beginning. I feel bad, but I did get some shots of Yinuo doing her playful thing.

Christmas is almost here and I haven't bought anyone any presents yet. Mainly because I can't afford to, because my pay from University won't get to me until next year. But I will try and make some presents for people.

I'm going to go shopping in a minute. I'm having a small dinner party tonight for a couple of people. It'll be the last one before most of them go home. I think stir fry is on the cards, so I need to get prawns.

Well Here's a Hello

First thing's first, I'm writing this on Cocoa's Mac. But I'm at the Wired Cafe in Roehampton. With her. And Stella. But I'm not going to write about why I'm here, what essay I'm helping her with, or what film Stella is watching. Actually, I will talk about the film, just not yet.

I mentioned a while ago that I would beat Portal in under an hour. I did. I managed it in 56 minutes the next time and 54 the time after that. Seeing people do it in 15 was demoralising, but I haven't played for a while, so I can't improve. And that's my excuse. My computer is still broken, and I can't be bothered or rich enough to fix it.

What I do want to talk about is movies that I think are great. One of these is Star Trek: Generations. Goodbye Kirk, hello Picard. This movie, apparently, fell into the odd-bad-even-good pattern, and being number seven, people said it was bad. I couldn't disagree more. Admittedly, it wasn't as stunning as First Contact, and Data was quite silly throughout, but I watched it again recently, and I love it. It was exciting all the way through, it had wonderful arrogant Shatner back as a captain, and it had the analogous Nexus, which was treated in accordance to my ideologies. I loved seeing it again, and rank it probably as my second favourite Star Trek film.

The film Stella is currently watching I have seen twice in the last month or so. Little Miss Sunshine. I missed it when it came out, but always wanted to see it. This movie is good on a different level to Star Trek films. The reason is that every character is completely real, and that makes it that every moment is relatable and relevant to any family, or anyone who grew up in a family. I loved this film, and could watch it repeatedly if I had the time. The best part of it for me though, is that every character, save Olive, the little girl, is unlikable and nasty at some point, but they all manage to redeem themselves throughout the film, without being cheesy or unrealistic. The shot of Olive playing the sliding tile game (of a smiley face) in the car while her family sits grumpily around her is very revealing, showing that she's the only one willing to put the effort in to being happy, while the others have to wait for the opportunity to become happy people. This is a very real attitude, and Olive's attitude is one that should be more widely adopted.

I've seen most of Stranger Than Fiction, a film that slipped by me. I'm not a massive Will Farrel fan, but he raises some giggles here and there, while Anchorman was brilliant. This wasn't his usual kind of film (it seemed like his Truman Show), but what I saw it seemed pretty good. Critics described this as a Charlie Kaufman film for stupid people. It is quite an accurate description, as the themes aren't nearly as complex as a Kaufmn film, but manage to break some traditional rules without focusing on breaking them.

But this brings me to Adaptation, my favourite Kaufman film (and I like all of his films- a lot) and probably the best film I have ever seen. It's not one you can watch over and over again, but more like every so often. By his own admission, nothing happens. Like real life. I have seen it three or four times, but it still manages to confuse me and stretch reality every time. If you haven't seen this film, it should be right up on your list if you feel you're intellectually capable. Many professional film reviewers were not. Do not expect a standard Hollywood tale though.

Kaufman is writing and directing his own film, due out in March of next year. I can't wait.

Stella just finished watching Little Miss Sunshine. It can't help but make you feel happy. Even though I didn't have sound this time, I loved watching it.

I went to Balans Cafe last night, because Cafe Nero closed at 2AM. Stella, Cocoa and I stayed there until 6AM, which is the latest I have stayed out in London in my life. It was fun. They keep buying me food that goes against my diet plan, but I manage. Cocoa took me and her friends to Wagamama the other day, and tricked me into eating pork dumplings. Well, they didn't trick me, I just ate it without asking what was in them. But it still broke my heart.

The essay I wrote about Cocoa's face ended up about 1700 words. Not far off target.

Uncertainty

No more Macbook. I traded it in for... well, I gave it back. But I gave it back with Office 2004 and Exposé working great. And if I'm telling the honesty, I come away from the experience with a little more sympathy of OSX than I had before.

Still, being back on Vista, Win key + Tab is hours of fun.

I told somebody the other day that they don't know me very well. Not out of anger, just because I surprised them with a fact about me. They asked me to tell them more about me, and it got me listing out a series of facts about myself that I personally find interesting. Now, this is my blog, on my server space, and you're reading this on my webpage, but despite all that, putting a list of reasons why I think I'm great is too self indulgent. Even for me. So you're going to have to discover them the hard way, like everyone else.

But one thing I surprised them with was that I am quite good with Photoshop. Now anyone who has visited my Flickr account recently will have seen my entries to the Crestock Photoshop competition. I thought they were great, but not many others have. But that isn't a big worry to me. What has had my attention is that the Graphics hand in date was today. This marks the third year in a row I have been counted on for helping people out. The first year, it was me. The second, I helped out Qian, and this year, I gave a hand to Cocoa. As well as many other people who asked questions.

But it led me to remember and recount the story of two years ago, how I left my work to the last minute to such a degree that I ended up sleeping in QB046, just for a couple of hours before the cleaner came in. You can do a lot worse than three swivel chairs in a row. I've slept in less comfy hotels. But despite fighting tiredness and changing circumstance, I had everything printed and even laminated in time, and I was given a good mark.

I don't think I mentioned any of that two years ago. I was distracted.

I'm pretty distracted this year as well. At least last year I knew where I was, whereas now I feel like I'm really depressed, except I'm happy. I guess you could call it confusion. I am.

IGN placed The Sting 24 in the top 30 Futurama Episodes. That's not the reason I feel weird, but it's pretty damn strange. I've always put it higher; like, number one. Just in front of Jurassic Bark and Luck of the Fryish. Showing that Futurama was only getting better and better with age.

The past few weeks have thrown me quite a few weird routes, but I don't regret any of them. Well, I regret not getting that job, but other than that, I'm very happy with most of everything. My work at Uni is probably coming to an end. There is an exam next week, so no workshop, and the class goes onto something different outside of the workshop next semester, so I think that's all I'll do for a while.

Some of my opinions are very outspoken and don't win me friends, but I stand by them. Recently, a video on LiveLeak.com showed somebody going an indicated 219mph on a public highway in America. However this makes you feel, it makes me feel like there are still heroes out there.

Julia came up here a couple of weeks ago, and we had a fun time together. She bought me my first Starbucks in a while, and I'd never been to the Raynes Park one before. She was looking healthy, but events have proven that otherwise, and I hope she feels better soon.

There is no chin under Chuck Norris' Beard. There is only an affront to the US Constitution.

I wasn't planning on being in the country in the new year, or at least not long into it, but it looks like I have more of a position here than I wanted. I won't see the end of 2008 here though. I'm tired and I think I need to go for one of my thinking walks. I do it smiling though.

Improve, J.

I Don't Think You Quite Get This Whole Vegetarian Thing

Well, after sufficient downtime due to expiring credit cards, my site is back. And with two extra bonus entries just for your reading pleasure. I speak about some of my loves: cars, language, hating things... etc. But now I'm going to talk about what I usually talk about on my blog, and that's me.

What have I been up to for a few months? Well, the main focus of my life has been job hunting. I always enjoy sending out hundreds of unsolicited CVs, but this time it's been extra fun. Especially with the reasonless rejections that I seem to encounter at every opportunity. Usually because someone has slightly more experience than me (any). But I can't let something as meaningless and trivial as experience put me off. I hope I don't sound bitter.

I have also been working hard on the JCS. It's difficult to keep finding things to do that will interest people, and the main killer is that when you find something particularly fun, people will find stupid excuses not to do it, like not having money or having coursework. Seriously people, JCS is more important than debt or deadlines. I guess I should be more tolerant. But it is a real drain to keep people entertained sometimes. Luckily there is a core of people who still enjoy whatever we do, even if it's just each others' company. And if any of the faithful are reading, I thank you for your participation.

I have found a new joy in socialising. It started where just a few friends would come over for dinner and we'd finish with some kind of Korean ice-cream. This developed into not really needing Korean ice-cream, or in fact any ice-cream at all. I have found that my regular dinner parties are always anticipated and always enjoyed, and I am trying to throw them more and more regularly. Often to have people try new foods that I or my sister have discovered, but mostly just because socialising is hard when so many of your friends are far away. But perhaps it is just a sign of impending maturity that dinner parties are more the done thing than before. I managed to introduce a swathe of people to peanut-butter burgers, a delicacy that Canada gave me and I want to show the world. And more recently I showed everyone that vegetarian food doesn't have to be dull, and that falafel pitta with cous-cous and salad is one of the tastiest/low-fat/filling meals one can conceive of.

I've used the V-word twice now. Once in the last paragraph and once in the title. I'm vegetarian again. Well, to be precise, pescetarian. I will eat fish occasionally. But most of my food is now meat free. Why this time? Well, last time (January to June 2006) someone gave me the idea and it helped me eat lots of chocolate and not put on weight. This time, I figure that if I skip the chocolate, I will lose weight, and that's a good thing, since my diet since returning home hasn't been very healthy. But for the last few weeks, it has been very healthy. I have even taken up long walks, running to the top of my hill and walking down a different route each night at around 2:00AM. It's very peaceful, and you see plenty of foxes. You also look quite conspicuous, usually because I'm dressed in a long overcoat and black gloves with chequered Vans on. It isn't quite usual.

Emma went to Japan. I have known that this was going to happen for years, since I met her pretty much, but it was still a massive shock to my system when she left. She'd been in Wales for months since I'd last spent proper time with her, but the fact that she now isn't even on the same island, on the same continent, or in the same hemisphere still upset me. The day she left I shed a tear, but I know I'll see her soon. I managed to call her on Friday, although the delay to the mobile and the interference and the fact that she'd only just got the phone and didn't know how to change the volume meant that it was a short and sparse conversation. But frequent emails do help.

Despite this, a few old friendships have been renewed. Through these I have been invited to numerous parties and strange events. I went to support a friend through the C-Star Singing Competition, where various Chinese performers compete for a contract. Through luck and skill and well placed back up dancers, my friend went through to the final. However, the day of the final I am otherwise engaged, and I fear I will miss it. These new connections have also led me to the strange scenario I am currently enjoying. I am writing this on a brand new MacBook Pro. It isn't mine, so I'm not allowed to smash it, but to be honest, compared to the other Macs I have used in the last year, it has impressed me. When writing things, the letters appear on the screen pretty much as soon as you press the keys. And the whole operating system doesn't grind to a halt if your mouse strays too near the icon bar at the bottom. Perhaps this is the Leopard I have been reading so much about. It is definitely an improvement. I mean, there are some things that could be better. The power chord could be longer than 19cm (but I guess they keep it short to show off the magnetic trip protector). It also wouldn't turn on after it was shut for a few minutes, forcing a hard reset and the loss of data ('It just works!'), and the friend who lent it to me couldn't get some program she wanted working, nor get any of her videos playing. It was only thanks to my open source favourite VLC that I could save the day.

Oh, and on top of that she tells me it would have cost £2000 had she bought it here. My sister's new Vaio cost her £500. And I guarantee it'll last longer than this. You can write it down.

But I shouldn't complain, I have full use of it for a few days seeing as I'm the only person she knows with an unfiltered internet connection, and I have to learn how to use it so I can teach her. I had enough problems trying to get it to show things in English (it's a Hong Kong bought machine). I might use it, however, to write the first essay I have been assigned in many months. 2000 words all about somebody's face. I think I can do it, but it's certainly a challenge. I now have the MacBook hooked up to my father's impressive sound system, so it is now a bit more fun.

Despite the recent let down of a few employment opportunities, I have been very happy with many things in my life. I don't notice foods I'm not getting, and at least once a week I feel amazing contentment. I have it right now. I don't know what to do about it, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts. I'm going to try and have one more dinner party before this episode of my life ends. And it is going to end, much sooner than I want it to.

Akira is Overrated

I don't know how many of you have been following the news recently, but there have been some very exciting developments. Many of you will know my love for 60s and early 70s American cars. I feel their design and down to earth engineering puts most European and Asian cars to shame. Of course, you sacrifice handling and driving pleasure, but if you own an American car, you most likely live in America and straight lines are your thing. I'd never limit myself to just straight line driving and drag racing, but I must admit it does have a strong appeal. Anyway, after the 70s closed off, American cars became enormously hideous. They became eyesores in their styling, design, and practicality, and this was before the massive influx of idiots in their SUVs. American cars became a joke around the world because apart from being hideous, they were also dead to drive. People will put up with something looking ridiculous in exchange for a decent drive (for example, the Elise), but 80s and 90s mass produced American cars are enough to make me ill, and that's before you even start to look at fuel consumption.

Things started getting better in the last few years. They've been improving gradually. They pale in comparison to my favourite car of the Golden Age, the 69 Dodge Charger, and they are still not enough to tempt me away from an early 90s Skyline/Subaru or any German car, but design has improved. The Dodge Charger has been reborn a couple of times, with mediocre results each time. It's less impressive brother (Challenger) however, has had a rebirth so incredible that it has restored my faith in the American motor industry.

The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 has done something I have been hoping for for many years: in designing it, they have gone back to the 60s without making it look stupid. It's a modern looking car, but the shape hasn't changed from its heyday. It doesn't look like they're copied it directly, but they haven't deviated and failed. On top of this, they have given it a massive engine, and a very reasonable price tag. For less that $40000 you can own a 450bhp machine that not only looks fantastic, but will drive like a modern car. They have defied convention (and aerodynamic principles) and kept the front pretty flat, which is not only refreshing, but admitting that low fronted American designs have been consistently lackluster (best example: Corvette). If this is the kick in the teeth the American motor industry has been waiting for, then I will be very happy indeed. Whatever it is, it is a step in the right direction, and perhaps the beginning of a return to the golden age: simple, affordable muscle cars. And as far as I'm concerned, excluding the Dodge Viper, this is the best looking American car for 20 years.

The best part is that it isn't just Dodge who are going backwards to go forwards. The Hyundai Coupé has been an excellent example of a pretty good car for not much money. Even Top Gear gave it a favourable review, preferring it to the equivalent Lexus. And I've liked it, it's reasonable engine and its low cost, and I almost considered getting one: except it's Front Wheel Drive. And FWD is my number one enemy in cars.

Now I'm not a huge car zealot, and I agree that FWD has its place in the automotive world. That place is in cars I won't drive unless I have to. And when I say I have to, we have to think of a pretty far fetched scenario for me to drive one. Like I'm being chased by a ninja desperate for my death and all that is available is a V-Reg Punto and I'm only wearing a towel. And still I'd try and have a go at the ninja before I had to turn the key.

But Hyundai have noticed this, and have made a car for me. The Hyundai Genesis is a 5-Series competitor that not only manages to be stiffer, but a fraction of the price. And it is Rear Wheel Drive. And I love RWD. It's almost as good as Four Wheel Drive and often more fun. And to top this, Hyundai have taken away two doors, put a 380bhp V8 engine in and made it about $35000. This is an affordable, fun, easy to use and extremely fast car. And for Hyundai to step out of line and make a good RWD car is as surprising as a beautiful modern American car. And two positive surprises in a month show that the future of motoring isn't completely ruled by the need to be efficient, and that there is still fun to be had.