After the Quake

It's half past eight now. It's been about twenty nine hours since the quake first hit.

I was on the third floor (known as the fourth floor here and in the US). I was setting up the class with the new teacher who was to be observing me. Two days prior, I had felt a mild earthquake in the same room, but I was the only one who noticed it. So when I felt a mild shaking, I asked him if he felt it. He said it did, and it grew a little in intensity.

I stood up, and began to open the doors in the school. There was a two-year-old, two three-year-olds and a five-year-old in the next room, waiting for class to begin. Their mothers were there, and were holding them normally, in a non-panicking fashion.

I looked out the large windows, and saw power lines swaying, but as I looked, the earthquake didn't subside, as it always had done, and just grew stronger.

I was holding onto the window frame, and could feel it shaking, and I started watching everything outside slowly move more and more. Then the window frame started to jerk violently in my hand. The Japanese assistant shouted out, and one child screamed. I remember watching the small building opposite, and its top floor, the same height as me, was stretching forward and back, in a large arc. It was close to striking another building. Trees, signs, antennas, power lines were all going back and forth, and the intense movement lasted a while.

The school doesn't have much around to fall, except the large clock in the hallway. It came down loudly, and that was the first thing that scared the children. I can't give exact numbers as to the length of the main shaking, but it was more than a minute. I stood over the children, putting my arms above their heads and reassuring them it was fine. All the mothers and staff spoke in calm hushed tones, and not one child cried.

Through the whole ordeal, I was planning my immediate movements if a larger shock hit us, and they always involved protecting the children first. Either picking them up and running, or just diving over them. I felt a strong protection for them, especially the ones I had known for a while.

Our school's policy is to keep teaching no matter what, so we went ahead with the planned lesson. I felt two major aftershocks during the hour-long lesson, and minor shocks throughout. The water reservoir in humidifier by the television was transparent. We could see the water level, and at almost no point in the first hour was it not moving.

Whenever a major aftershock would come, I would resume my position above the children. But nothing as intense as the first blast came along. For the class after, only one child was there, and she'd turned up before the earthquake started. She had a private lesson, and since she's such a nice girl, I just enjoyed the time. The aftershocks were smaller now, and less worrisome, but I was still nervous. I wanted to be outside, but I knew my building would be pretty much as safe as anywhere.

I kept checking my Kindle for tweets, emails and BBC news. When I learned that the epicentre was 250 miles away, my heart dropped. I knew there'd be people so much worse off. I updated Twitter and emailed Alyssa, who had told me she was trapped in Akihabara. My incessant checking was hampered only by the fact that I hadn't charged the Kindle in weeks, and after a while it could no longer support internet.

For the third class had nobody show up. I did administrative tasks until finishing time, and I ventured out into a changed city. I walked past shops that'd normally be open, but were instead covered in their own smashed merchandise. The train station had roped off all entrances, signs that showed the time of the earthquake spoke of no trains until further notice, and I knew things were really bad when Starbucks closed early. I grabbed a couple of burgers and a coffee from McDonalds, and just tried to kill time until something would better inform us.

Eventually that closed too, despite being 24-hour. I walked around, and saw an express train moving at about 2 miles an hour down the tracks. I also saw impatient people running across the train-tracks while the barriers were down. I went to a sushi bar, and killed time until it closed, trying out different things I wouldn't normally eat. An older man chatted with me a bit, about how it was his biggest earthquake and how he'd lived in Tokyo his whole life. But oddly, he mostly made jokes to me, even a couple in English.

And I was struck then at how well the people were taking this. They news of the devastation was out, and the inevitable death toll was being debated, but most people were in high spirits. As far as accidents go, while they are disheartened, they don't let it stop their lives. I was reading Haruki Murakami's Underground a few days prior, and one of the people interviewed spoke about how he could accept dying from sarin like he could accept dying in an accident: no anger, just peace and acceptance.

I walked to where I used to live, because I knew that Di and Kostya would probably be there, and I could get wifi on my phone, and sleep on the kitchen floor if I needed. We watched the news, and traded stories, and Skyped my sister until Di saw on TV and pointed out that the lines I needed to get home were running. I thanked them, and walked to the station.

I crammed into the most packed train I'd ever seen. It was the second one to come, I was too far back in the queue for the first. I managed to read a little on the way home, and when I got to Tama-Plaza, I looked around, and feared for my apartment, which isn't very new and not exactly earthquake-proof.

I saw some cracks in the road, but they could have been incidental. When I walked into the house at 1am, I saw that my shelving units were ok, my computer desk and shelves with monitors and speakers and mixers and tape delays were fine. Our rice cooker had fallen from the fridge but had been caught by its cord, my coffee pot was on the floor and the kettle was in the sink. The fridge had shifted a long way. But apart from that, the house was in decent order.

I spoke to my parents and read up on more detailed stories for hours, and finally got to bed at half past three. Aftershocks had been frequent, and at that point at night you could feel them every ten minutes. I was woken by a large one at 4am, and throughout the rest of the morning. After a while, and through sleep-hazed thoughts, they were just nuisances, and I felt like shouting at whoever was doing it to stop. They were no longer things to be feared, they were the ground just trying to wake me up.

School was at 10 as normal, and despite sleeping badly, I went in and gave the children who showed up a great lesson.

I have to give the children a lot of credit for getting me through the ordeal so smoothly. They calmness made it seem a lot less frightening. And they gave me a good reason to stay calm.

The aftershocks continue, and I felt two while typing this. They are, of course smaller, but anything would feel smaller after the first one.

I was only reunited with Alyssa nearly 28 hours after the first shock hit, but that's her story.

This is a long, rambling version of most of the important details, so that everyone can get a detailed account of what it was like for me.

Let us not forget how easy it was for us down in Tokyo, especially for me, with a running train service and nearby friends.

Internal Frustration Engine

So electric cars are the future. That's what people keep saying, and what the government keeps pushing for, and what every motorist with half a conscience believes, whether they like it or not.

I know electric cars are coming for good. Petroleum based transport is going to be reserved for underdeveloped countries for a few decades longer than everyone else, and within a century, will be for rich enthusiasts only, if at all. That's a shame, because the internal combustion engine is a wondrous piece of engineering and gives a wonderful, powerful output, which car design has revolved around for more than a hundred years.

But there are worse things that could replace the petrol car: the bus, bicycles, trains, roller-skates... all of those are less favourable than an electric car. In fact, electric cars are good. Very good. What they lack in manual transmission they make up for in maximum power from zero revs. But I'm going to miss changing gear, I'm going to miss it a lot.

But welcoming us into this overdue electronic age is something somewhat of a disappointment: the Tesla Roadster.

I was looking forward to it. On paper it looked good. Very fast, convertible, very cheap to run and based on a supremely good car (the Lotus Elise). There isn't anything not to like. Why is it a problem?

Well, when some people criticise the electric car, they criticise the range. On the Tesla Roadster, it is about 244 miles. And that is its problem: it is being designed to go for 244 miles on a single charge. A two-seater, roofless sports-car has enough batteries to take it for nearly 250 miles at a time. To me, that's a serious problem.

Battery technology has not solved the problem of efficiently storing charge. Keeping electricity available requires heavy batteries that weigh the car down enormously. And 250 miles of that charge is heavy. This causes the car to be sluggish and sloppy in corners, where the makes-lots-of-tiny-explosions-in-a-metal-block powered Exige has the vehicle whipped, because an engine simply weighs so much less.

So, in doing almost everything right with the Tesla, they made that mistake. They chose to load it with large, heavy batteries to take it long distances instead of being nimble. And how are you going to entice a true petrolhead if they have to spend a small fortune on a car too heavy to take corners well? Sure, it's quick in a straight line and can drive for hundreds of miles... but that's wrong for a Lotus: they've turned a Lotus into an American muscle car.

I love muscle cars in general, but it isn't what a small two-seater should be about. It shouldn't be about range or straight-line speed, it should be about 'Look! We have an electric car for you and it's better than the petrol version'.

Now, their reasoning for doing this is obvious: the American market. But in doing so, they're alienating a group very important to electronic adoption: the car enthusiast.

If the Tesla Roadster were lighter and had a 60 mile range, it would be the perfect track-day car. Car enthusiasts would go crazy for them, and their pursuit of the combustion engine would fade faster.

And it isn't just the Tesla Roadster either. The Tesla Model S has a 300 mile range. The Ecotricity 'Wind Power' car has a 150 mile range. Elektrikar, 200+ miles. Liberty Electric Car's e-Range Rover, 200 miles. Phoenix Motorcar's SUV, 250+ miles.

And when you think about it, for the urbanite, this range is ridiculous. On a daily basis, I drive less than 20 miles. The longest trip I go on is 53 miles each way. 250 miles at a time is completely unnecessary, and yet if I adopt one of these cars, I have to carry 250 miles worth of electric charge storage wherever I go. It's SUV syndrome: sell people stuff they don't need, even if they'll never use it.

But there's the problem. Average American consumers are scared of a short range, and car enthusiasts tend to hate unnecessary weight. But instead of compromising, the car manufacturer went, as usual, in favour of the American market.

But there is a solution.

Divide the battery into five separate cells, each removable and replaceable by the owner. Each cell powers the car for 50 miles. For everyday city use, and track-day use, the owner has one cell in his vehicle, giving him short range, but low weight and fantastic handling. The car goes from sluggish to nimble instantly. For carrying passengers and longer trips, add a few more cells. You don't need the handling, and you can use the range.

As well as greatly increased versatility and an appeal that stretches beyond the 'I only use my car for long distance driving' mentality, this will entice new buyers, as you can make having five battery packs an option. This will take the initial price down significantly, and mean that fewer batteries need to be manufactured and distributed. This decreases the abundance of corrosive chemicals and also increases efficiency further by carrying less weight in the car.

Having removable batteries also means that someone can charge a battery without the car being present. It also sets a precedent for swapping stations instead of charging stations.

Best of all, it makes cars more fun to drive. But until then, I'd rather have an £8000 Elise than an £80000 Roadster. And I can still change gears.

So... Watchmen

Usually it takes ages for a film to come out in England. Far too long. Marley & Me, a film that Alyssa and I ridiculed non-stop through December, is just being released here. Bolt, which she saw before I even arrived in Hawai'i, has just been released. With this in mind, and knowing I saw it last night, one might think that in America Watchmen was a contemporary film.

But in reality, it was released both sides of the Atlantic at roughly the same time, so while reviewing it now isn't exactly bleeding edge, I'm only behind most by a week or so.

And we got Taken, like, last year man, so there.

So I don't know if you heard: they made a film based on Watchmen. I say based on, because a direct adaptation (while desirable) would be impossible. There is just too much of the original source material. But we all knew that.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer put it best: "an enjoyably esoteric Cliff's Notes version of the book", which I couldn't agree with more. It is just about accessible if you haven't read the book, but if you're a fan, it's very much love/hate. Well, like/hate, but in my case, I loved it.

I read it in December, which I feel was the perfect time. Here's why.

I sat there, in the IMAX Cinema in Wimbledon, smiling broadly at this realisation, a visual extravaganza that brings the illustrations off the page the way I had imagined them all holiday. Nothing was overdone, and the cheesy moments weren't too distracting. It was a balanced complement to the book, and every visual brought back memories of the book (which I had just started to forget), and overwhelmed my senses with the wonderful portrayal of the only comic book characters I have actually loved because of the comic.

I marvelled at seeing the characters whom I knew and loved from the book actually doing what I wanted to see them doing: fighting crime and being emo about it, like real people. The Dark Knight was one of my favourite films of last year, but while it had moral complexity and emotional battles, the sheer depth and complexity of Watchmen overshadows it.

It didn't keep everything I liked, but despite what Nic thought, it by no means ruined it. And despite the complex story being crammed into a mere two and a half hours, even those who hadn't read it, such as my sister, loved watching it. Others couldn't follow it, which I can understand. But a hardcore fan of a book can never really love the film as much, which is true of both me and Nic and Cattrina. But the degree to which our feelings differed was quite enormous.

During the Nite-Owl-and-Rorschach-in-the-bar-investigation scene, the projector (allegedly two projectors) managed to be so bright that I had to adjust my eyes to see the shadows, where the characters were. I don't know what it was shot on, but the range was incredible. That scene felt real, and whether that came across on non-IMAX screenings, I hope that directors in the future can make me feel that absorbed with just applied contrast ratios.

All in all, I don't want to gush, but I want to be clear that the movie is definitely worth seeing. Ignore the fanboys who rage with hatred, I can say that it is not a let down at all. In fact, it's like no superhero movie ever made. It makes even the Dark Knight look shallow by comparison, which is a tremendous feat.

And I have spoken to enough people who read it and enjoyed the film to say that I'm not being blinded by my own unrealistic expectations.

Also, see Taken. It's pretty good.

One Hundred and Forty Characters

I've been a member of Twitter for a long time. More than a year (that's almost a decade in internet years). It's only in the past month that it's become a more central point in my life. I mean, unlike most crazes, the internet has a habit of keeping the influential ones around. YouTube, Facebook, LOLcats (though less pervasive these days), they've all become an internet staple, years after inception. Luckily, some have died out as quickly as they were born, but that's probably a good thing. To see a video about this, click this link. Actually, don't.

But now I'm pretty active on Twitter. I'm following a decent number of people so that I'm not bored, and enough people are following me. So if you read this and you aren't on Twitter (and following me), then stop being such a techno-prude and get with the new. Ish.

My Flickr Account expired, which was pretty sad. I tried to upgrade, but PayPal just tried to take money from my old debit card and everything failed, and I can't upgrade again until those payments expired. That's just an apology for anyone who has tried to download the Original size of my pictures and found themselves unable.

I have set up a music page, with most of the stuff I have recorded over the last few years. Here is one of my favourites, and the image from XKCD that inspired it.

I'm about to go and pick up some food for a dinner party tomorrow, and before that I'm getting the tools to switch my CD Player (in my BMW) with the one from the Mercedes. That way I can keep my MP3 CDs and the dude buying my car (later today) saves £30.

Then I'm finally off to see Watchmen. It's taken nearly a week to see it, but the wait is over. I read the comic over Christmas (like so many others) for the sole purpose of hating the film. Now I can feel indignant with Nic and Cattrina.

I'll let you know how it goes. My sister loved it.

Back with a Brand New Invention

So I spent a month redesigning my blog. It wouldn't be worthwhile if I didn't now keep it up to date.

Well, I last made a major change to my blog back in 2006, which I was in California. And then I just copied the bash.org layout. A year or so later I added a random colour interface, which I liked, but the random colour interface is back with some serious additions.

The random colour generator is now based on HSL values, rather than RGB. On top of this, it links in to my Flickr feed via PHP/XML, and fetches photos that complement the background colour. The photo page (a new addition) also displays my 15 most recent photos (with a fun portrait resizing algorithm).

Although I don't like it, I used a little javascript to hide the unnecessary sidebar elements. It was too cluttered without it. I also used javascript for the Twitter widget. And I hope to expand my links list. Email me if you want your blog there.

While I designed it primarily for webkit browsers (Chrome/Safari), it looks best with the new Firefox (3.1). That has better shadow support and all links look fantastic with it. That's because Firefox has better CSS3 support, and I've used it extensively.

As of today, my car is sold. It is with a heavy heart that I let it go, it's been the most faithful and reliable vehicle I have driven, and pretty darn quick on top of that.



It was sold on ebay for £400, which I think is a steal, but I had to sell it, because it was out of insurance and tax, and I didn't want to pay for another year of either. But I have many, many good memories of driving that car, and it won't be forgotten.

I'm back from Hawai'i. I don't really want to be, but I am. It is paradise out there, and I wouldn't have minded staying another two months, but there are ends to everything and my holiday there is now over. It is an incredibly beautiful place, and winter made it very liveable (despite the occasional shower).



Living in the land of the LOST was a major highlight in my life, even though I didn't meet any (major) characters. I did, however, get quite hurt. I detailed most of my injuries a couple of posts ago, but now I have illustrated them.

The injuries to my hands:



The injuries to my legs:



I am mostly healed now, but I haven't had to use so many plasters (band-aids) since I was under ten. I felt like such a kid.

Innocent Smoothies are fantastic, but are rather expensive. I still drink them from time to time, and when I do, I enjoy the humourous notes on the side of the bottle. On the ingredients list on one particular drink, it listed, '1 Apple, 1.5 Bananas, 1 Small Church (not really)' or something along those lines. Since then, I have had a desire to consume a small church.

Lisa had a party (which Alyssa was sadly too ill to attend), where we made things out of crackers and sweets. You can guess what I made.



When I publish this post (and republish the blog), I will fix any errors and dead links that may have been, and it should be mostly operational. I hope this design lasts long enough to be enjoyed by all. I'll be adding more as time goes on.

Despite what I said at the beginning, it's good to be back. Things are starting again.

Secret Messages

One of the things I like most about the beginning of the year is a new season on Lost. I'm a big fan. I've seen all the episodes at least twice (or so- a couple in the fourth season I've only seen once). I have visited every accessible filming location in Oahu. I read about it to an excess. I edit Lostpedia, and I was once told by a professor that I should teach a degree in Lost. I even wrote a song about it.

I was thrilled when I read about the hidden Dharma logo in Half Life 2: Episode 2, and sought it out immediately. But watching the Colbert Report today was the first time I noticed a reference without some prodding.

During the segment 'Cheating Death' on the 27th of January episode, a fake cheque on-screen was written out to Jeremy Bentham. This could be a coincidence, as Jeremy Bentham is a philosopher, but closer examination reveals that the serial number is 4815, and the date is the 22nd of September 2004- the date of the crash.



I'm thrilled Colbert (or at least one of his writers) is a Lost fan. I'm going to watch a little closer.

Speaking of which, I'm happy with how the new season is going. I wasn't sure after the first two episodes, but tonight's one made me really feel like I was back on the Island. Which, technically, I am. I'm looking forward to more.

Waikiki, Why?

The sea is a cruel mistress. I'm thinking of breaking up with her.

My holiday in Hawai'i has meant that I have been minorly injured more times than I have been in the last seven or so years. Small cuts, insect bites, scrapes, strains and bruises... and with the exception of the bites, they have all been a result of the sea.

Swimming in the sea was the first time I had gone swimming since my school days. Alyssa and I went to Waimanalo, and we had a relaxing swim there. A stray rock in the sand gave my foot a bruise/scrape that didn't hurt too much, but was somewhat painful to walk on for a few days.

Then Waimea Bay, a seemingly innocent beach with a shore-break that can hurl an unsuspecting, grown man into the sand hard enough to make his back hurt for a week. Not that I didn't enjoy the beach there, but the waves can take you by surprise. And if you're trying to body-surf, your timing had better be excellent. Also, the Jamba Juice Gift Card that Alyssa's parents gave my for Christmas was swallowed by the sand, never to be seen again.

Going body-boarding at Waimanalo again was fun until a Portuguese Man-o-War found my leg (it didn't hurt nearly as much as the last time I was stung, in Durban, when I was about seven, and I knew them as bluebottles).

I decided to try my hand at surfing at Waikiki, which is a beautiful, if somewhat touristy place. After just an hour and a half of trying, and a few waves caught successfully, I was exhausted by the effort. It is physically demanding, but extremely worthwhile.

Worthwhile enough for me to go again a week or so later, with Alyssa. Having lived most of her life in Hawai'i, I was surprised that Alyssa hadn't surfed before, especially because she took to it so naturally. She caught some excellent waves, while I wasn't as lucky as I had been the previous trip, and in my search for good surf, I discovered the best waves were directly over rocks, and a fall there cut my hands up reasonably well. I expect I will keep at least one scar from that.

Surfing yesterday (the first time I had traveled to the beach alone), with a borrowed board, was great fun. The waves were uneven at best, but a few good ones sent my riding the waves. The board wasn't waxed, which kept me slipping off. Since the waves were few and very far between, a lot of the surfers just sat on their boards chatting for a while, and I met a kind Southern Californian gentleman, who gave me a bar of "Shark Bait" surf-wax, and hopefully my next trip to the beach will be more productive. That's not to say I didn't have my toes relatively cut up by the end of that trip.

I extended my holiday in Hawai'i by a few weeks, as I simply wasn't ready to go home yet. And I'm still not. I haven't surfed enough yet.

The Year in Review

While most of the world is already well into their first day of this new year, I'm barely 2 hours through 2009. Here in Hawai'i we are among the last to ring in the year, but we did so in style and grace. And while I used the 2007 review to remind myself of what I accomplished and what happened then, I am sure I will use this one in the future, and I'm only slightly dismayed I waited until the year had passed to actually commence writing it.

The Worst of 2008
in no particular order

Losing Family

I tended to be pretty lucky with elderly relatives until this year. I lost two grandfathers and an aunt in a matter of months. Today, January 1st, is the first birthday my aunt Anne is missing. I feel terribly for her, and for my father, who has lost so much of his family in too short a time.

The Pound Losing its Strength

The financial crisis has hit many people in many ways. For me, it's made America expensive, which shouldn't be the case at all. It also stopped me from getting a perfect job. Rumours are the dollar will plummet shortly into January. I'll be changing money immediately.

Apple iPhone 3G

Come on.

Losing Cocoa as a Friend

Circumstance on both sides pushed us apart, and while we saw each other every so often, it wasn't as good as it was. But it's part of life. People grow together and apart like breathing.

Not Having Any Way Out

Job market, motivation, commitments, debts... I needed a way out of a rut in 2008, and too many things were keeping me in it.

Not Blogging as Much

Look at the archives. I mean, that's just lazy.

The Best of 2008
in no particular order

Making Life Changing Friends

I say, 'no particular order', but this -and related content- was clearly the highlight of my year. Friends like Lisa and Rachel, who affected me very profoundly and made me feel really great about being me. On top of them, I rediscovered so many friends, and saw them more and realised how great they were.

Portal Prelude and TFV Map Pack

Portal was expanded, for free, twice, making the fantastic game even more so.

Falling in Love

Finding a girl who is so suited to me, despite being the ultimate long distance relationship, made me feel thoroughly loved, and I love her. Alyssa and I are inseparable, and it's comforting to think of her at any point, always supporting me and always being there. It's a real blessing to know that kind of devotion, and to be able to return it. Long distance relationships are hard, but I knew that going in, and we've done well.

Photography

I've wanted to buy myself a decent digital camera for a while. I've never owned a point-and-shoot because I've feared putting money into something that doesn't expand and could have limits. I've wanted a digital SLR, and finally, in February, I got one as a late Christmas present. Since then, I've taught myself as much as I could, and I don't feel like I've done too badly. I've been paid very well for some of my work and I have some high quality equipment. It's a joy I share with several friends, especially Alyssa.

South Africa in Winter, Winter in Hawai'i

I've had a couple of thrilling holidays this year. A few weeks in Africa with my father, more weeks in Hawai'i with Alyssa. A feature of both was that during the holidays I ate well and gained weight, but it's a passable pay-off for fond memories.

Getting Cocoa Back

Despite losing touch, recent activities meant that we became good friends again, and after a little while, it seemed like nothing had happened.

Having a Plan

I think I know what I'm going to do now.

Blogging from the Apple Store

I have meant to blog for a while, but I have been really busy. But I like to write a blog post from every Apple Store I come across. Despite my aversion to the brand, I like the free internet.

And here I am, blogging from Waikiki, in Honolulu, Hawai'i.

I haven't mentioned my trip online because we had someone to surprise, and surprise them we did.

I'm staying with Alyssa here in Hawai'i until January 19th, and it's amazing here. It's not too hot, and the life is really good. I have been taking hundreds of photos and we've been doing lots of fun things. I'm having a great time. I'm writing this with my feet covered in sand, carrying my antique Minolta.

It is Christmas in two days, but I already have my present: a 430EX II flash for Melanie to enjoy. It has already started making my pictures look better, letting me take pictures with backlighting and it can angle to bounce off walls, which is wonderful. I'm looking forward to learning more about it.

Alyssa is playing with an iPhone, and not liking it. "I thought it would be easy."

I will blog again when I am back at Alyssa's house, as I have videos and pictures to share.

Yes, but Does it Have a Plot?

Man, where are the writers when you need them?

For some unknown reason, I watched one of the new episodes of American Gladiators. I used to love Gladiators when I was younger, it was my favourite show. Watching it now, well, it's not quite the same.

But I gave it a chance, and I watched a few minutes. In the women's final, the two competitors were stuck at the 'travelator'. It was tense. Then the camera went to a close up of one competitor's face, and the dramatic music started.

I was appalled.

As the music started, the tense, Hollywood-esque, something-dramatic-is-about-to-happen music, I knew instantly that she'd make it up the 'travelator' on that attempt. The show has some semblance to a sport, and therefore some spontaneity and excitement. By adding music that tells you what is about to happen, that element is removed. By knowing the immediate outcome, I had lost my incentive to watch the show, and I turned off the TV.

But it got me thinking about what I like in television. I've always been outspoken in my criticism of Big Brother. I don't think it's entertainment, I think it's manufactured gossip. It's something to plump out the pages of Closer magazine; for when the celebrities run out of cocaine.

But working-class trash TV can still be entertaining. Why do I dislike it so much? I think the reason is that it isn't written, and they are not documenting anything. It's under the this veil of a 'social experiment', but that title is usually used to justify people to behave badly with impunity, like pretending that you need money for vet bills or smashing a PS3 in front of people who aren't going to get one. It's a chance to be a jerk. Social experimentation should really be left to sociologists.

But my point is that I like things to be written, to have a script. I like it when there are people in control of the story, even if it isn't particularly well written. Reality television is wonderfully profitable because it writes itself and a series can make money from the mere cost of idea-inception and then production costs.

Ricky Gervais defends the dramatics of life, saying, "Life is drama. ... [y]ou walk down the street for half an hour, you'll have half an hour of drama.". While this is true, street drama is only so relevant. Scripting makes a show based on life relevant to the viewer according to the skill of the writer, but the only relevance Big Brother has is its ubiquity.

It's not to say I don't enjoy unscripted television. I watch a lot of police chase videos on TV and on the internet, it's not scripted, but it is documenting something (and someone writes the voice over). I also enjoy infotainment like Top Gear, somewhat scripted. But it resembles a documentary in its format.

It all comes to light when you look at a scripted television show about an unscripted television show. The drama, Dead Set, about a zombie apocalypse on the set of Big Brother, made me realise how much I valued writing. It is also the finest example of a zombie movie that I have ever seen. That is a controversial sentiment, but I believe it.

And that's the essence of what I'm saying. I hate reality TV to the extent that I delight in seeing it literally ripped limb from limb.

Come on writers, claim back prime time.

...

I have finally replaced my camera charger, which was misplaced during a paying shoot, where I photographed a magician. My photos have earned me more and more views on Flickr. Pictures of Cocoa garnered me 560 views in one day, and a place on the most-interesting-pictures-today list. That made me happy. But since losing the charger, Melanie has been rather sad and underpowered. But eBay rescued me. This means I can resume taking photographs at clubs.



The JCS is still in full swing, at least for now. We have a Pub Quiz tomorrow, and the questions should be fun and the prizes should be sweet. It's fun to hang out with everyone still.

I went to the Tokyo Diner with the JCS a few nights ago, and had the Tonkatsu Chicken I had before, and I still love it. I plan on making some (like I made at EmmaHouse) and giving it to my family. Hopefully they'll enjoy it.

I went to a taping of a new hypnosis themed TV quiz show, hosted by Danny Wallace (whom I adore from Are You Dave Gorman?). It's called Mesmerised, and while it won't be stellar (writing isn't up to standards), it should be fun, and you can see me a couple of times. It was also a chance to catch up with Kiana, who came with me.

I have managed to talk to Alyssa every day since I got back from Africa. Over webcam. It's very calming, even if we aren't saying anything. Sometimes we email over my phone. I left my phone at Cocoa's flat, I will get it back tomorrow.

I won't get into the discussion again about it, but I will include a picture by Banksy.

The Emperor's New Mac

Only the little boy was brave enough to say, "But it doesn't play games.".

I've never liked Macs. Anyone who knows me knows that. I've always had various reasons, too. I'm hardly a Windows fanboy, but I greatly prefer it to Mac. People never give me valid criticisms of Vista. They just write it off. I like it. It hasn't ever crashed on me, and I hardly see the issue with UAC. It does everything I need, and is vastly more expandable than any other proprietary software. The only thing I ever emulate on it is the SNES.

Part of the underlying hatred of Mac came from it's tendency to be closed. They make the hardware, they make the software, they sell the content. Everything begins and ends with Mac, and if you blindly trust Mr Jobs, that suited you very well.

And from the man who hates DRM, suddenly DRM built directly in the new Macbooks. Your legally purchased vidoes (in this case, Hellboy 2), now can only be played on approved display devices. A teacher found this out when he, plugged his Macbook into a projector at school to watch alone. Not only was this applicable to new films, but it applied itself to films and TV downloaded previously.

It's good to know that the money you spend on your content only buys it on certain monitors. But it's OK, Steve Jobs was overheard saying, '15" is more screen than anyone will ever need.'.

It fills me with despair that people will trust their whole digital world to one company. I won't trust the construction of my PC to one company. I hate how easily the public are swayed by looks. It's the only reason Apple and Fiat are still in business. But I'm sure that students and teenage girls alike will flood to move into the iHouse as soon as they see how pretty it is.

I turned on my PS3 and watched BBC iPlayer on it yesterday. It's not officially supported, it's something that a dude coded for fun, but the fact that it worked for me, using a 5 year old widescreen, a 6 month old console and an unaffiliated media conglomerate made me feel better than any aluminium case could.

I declare, right here, that I'm a PC. I'm a PC and I don't care how integrated your OS is, how smooth your interface is, or how overpriced your hardware is, I will take function over form for the rest of my days.

Franz Anton Mesmer

So, if you go to http://images.google.com/ and search for "Joey Hat", the first result is Alyssa, in a picture it took shortly before she left.



So Derren Brown is making another series, and once again, it's up to Roehampton University to supply him with countless suggestible students for him to mock and ridicule on an international stage.

Two days ago he offered a free show in exchange for willingness to appear on his new TV show. That is an extremely reasonable exchange, considering how life-changing his shows can be. And, like last time, it was a simple hypnosis show, where he hypnotised a decent portion of the students there, including my new friend Cattrina and Cocoa. Once again, I wasn't hypnotised, much to my dismay.

With girly names and forgetting 'seven' and hot chairs, he really impressed me when he made himself invisible. Cocoa remembered her name after a little while, so she was sent to the less-suggestible section of the crowd, but Cattrina was hypnotised throughout and retold her experience afterwards (despite being able to see him occasionally during the invisibility skit).

I tried to meet him after the show, but he was busy. However, Cocoa managed to get a photo with him.



I am quite jealous. But once again it has reignited my love of Mentalism. I was told that I'd be contacted for appearing in the show at a later date, despite not being one of the suggestible people.

Yesterday, I went ahead and bought the lens I've been lusting over for months. It's the EF 50mm f/1.8 II. Not only is it a wonderfully fast lens (I can use a shutter speed up to twelve times faster), but it's also an EF lens, means that it fits any modern Canon camera, not just the digital ones with smaller sensors. This means that the EOS 5 (that I got from eBay without a lens for £30) is finally more than a paperweight, and is a serious photo taking machine ("camera"). I also bought some ISO 50 black and white film. Although it was £4, and that angered me somewhat.

The JCS has finally started. Once again, I am at the helm and enjoying it, especially the stress of being totally responsible. I don't know why, but I love it when I'm in charge of something and I have to find a solution to a problem in a limited time. It's hugely stressful, but I get the most satisfaction from solving those issues. We had a big Wagamama trip last week (after Hare and Tortoise imposed a minimum spend on us), and now we are teaching Japanese (again) and Chinese (Mandarin) at the society, and showing films regularly, as per usual. It's great stuff.

So, after semi-failing at developing film last time (and wasting an unused film in the process), I tried developing a film that I knew was full (I'd finished it earlier that day). I developed it in the same way, using the same chemicals, being just as nervous, thinking that I was about to ruin my South Africa film photos. But as I pulled out the roll, not only did it work, but every shot was correctly exposed, as I expected and looked great. The only shot that failed was one that Taigh had snapped off accidentally while experimenting.



I made a digital shot with a similar lens from the same place. This shot of my father shows the difference in cropping and the dynamic range that you can get from film. This was one shot that really made me realise that film was still worth shooting. Although digital is a less likely to get dusty.

Film shooting also helped me make my first diptych, and first really cheesy cat picture.



And I always love to have my car in there. Lightroom allowed me to do some Split Toning too.



I have been planning a couple of articles that I could write for my blog, but I haven't had the dedication to write them yet, so keep your eyes open.

I'll be back to blog soon. I'll let you know how Akira goes on Thursday.

Portal: Prelude

Portal? Prelude! Portal prelude portal prelude, portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude. Portal: Prelude portal prelude portal prelude?

Portal prelude.

Portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude, portal prelude portal prelude. Portal prelude. Portal prelude, portal prelude portal prelude. Portal prelude, portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude. Portal prelude portal prelude. Portal prelude, "Portal prelude, portal prelude portal prelude." "Portal prelude!".

Portal prelude portal prelude; portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude. Portal prelude, portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude.

1) Portal prelude.
2) Portal prelude.
3) Portal, prelude portal prelude.
4) Portal prelude.
5) "PORTAL!!" prelude.

Portal prelude, portal prelude portal prelude, portal prelude portal prelude. Portal prelude (portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude) portal prelude portal prelude portal prelude.

President Mom

With some free time, I decided to go for some political hits using Photoshop. I'm aware that an image won't change the world, but it's fun and worthwhile, even if it's just a minor achievement.

Sarah Palin is a nightmare in every level. Another Fundamentalist Christian with no discernible experience and strong conservative views who is actually completely incapable.

It's odd how McCain was so vocal in his criticism of celebrity until he used it to to rescue his campaign.

Sarah Palin is popular for the same reason that Jade Goody is popular: someone people can identify with. They're ignoring the fact that that the common touch doesn't mean you can trust someone like that govern, just like the common touch doesn't mean you can trust them to not be racist.

Goody came crashing down, and the same will probably happen to Palin; I just pray that it's before the election.

The poor policies of abstinence, drilling, gun toting and book banning give me little hope for the future of America.

McCain and Palin reflect the same values and policies as the Bush administration, and you really have to be stretching yourself if you can actively say you want four more years of that.

A new wombination: Palin and McCain- Pain.

Matt Damon surprised me with his insight into the dangers of Palin in the White House, and said how the whole scenario is like a bad Disney movie. I liked the idea of that, and I thought I'd make a poster of it, since I've had some experience with movie posters as of late. I put it on Digg, and at time of writing, it was on six diggs. Dan said it could get over a thousand, but it has to get noticed first, so digg it if you can.

I made it using Flickr, images.google.com, 3DS Max Design 2009 and of course, Photoshop CS3.

Back on the Road

I don't know what it is about my car that can inspire such joy. Probably the handling. But occasionally, it can inspire misery that can rival the pleasure. Like when I let it overheat. It wasn't the car's fault, it was mine. But the ensuing repairs were a disaster for me. And getting it through this year's MOT. Financially, that was very similar.

But after a few months of being stored on the drive, the SORN is cancelled and I am MOTed, taxed, insured and full of fuel. I can finally drive again.

Not that I have anywhere to drive to.

The MOT is a test every car must pass to be allowed to drive on the road. It ensures the vehicle is safe. Older cars must have one every year. I gave the car to my mechanic expecting some modest repairs necessary to get it to pass the MOT. It had been declared SORN (Statutory Off-Road Notice) since I wasn't driving it and it was on private land. You're allowed to drive it only if on your way to an MOT. I gave it to him, and he had it tested and left it parked on the road, where it was promptly clamped.

To add to the troubles of having to pay to have it unclamped, the repairs necessary to pass its MOT came to a lot more than I was expecting. More than triple. But I paid those, and I jumped the government hoops to tax the car again, and finally, I can leave it on the street again, where all I fear is a drunkard scraping along the side of it.

On the positive side, it has new rear suspension and new rear tyres, as well as new brakes, which give its road handling a real boost. I had been driving my father's car for a while so I was used to six cylinders, so going back to four was a shame, but not all bad. I just need to keep the revs up a little more.

Paying for the tax has cleared out my temporary savings, so any dinners I have planned will have to be cancelled. Although last week, I did manage to put a little of my savings into buying film developing equipment. I'd been planning on joining a photography club where I could learn how to use a darkroom, but they all required a year-long membership, which I didn't want. So with advice from Alyssa and my father, I taught myself how to develop black and white film. I had an old Ilford canister lying around, probably from my school days, and I feared that I may have overexposed some of it. I used that as practice.

Making the downstairs toilet a temporary darkroom, I loaded the film by feel into my new developing tank, and when I finally had the courage to mix the chemicals without contaminating our cooking utensils, I developed the film. It came out completely clear (or as clear as film gets). That almost confirmed the overexposure I was fearing, or I messed up the developing somehow. Then I noticed a dark strip at the end, with what looked like half of one perfectly exposed picture. Then I realised that while I'd overexposed the end, the rest of the film was underexposed, and was in fact, unused film.

This had been removed from the camera many months ago, so it wasn't a huge shame to waste it, and was a perfect place to start my developing career. Now I have a half used film in my father's old Pentax that must be finished soon, and then I can actually get around to making some pictures.

There haven't been many pictures in this update. I haven't taken a recent photo of my car, but I can show you my darkroom setup:



Alright, cheap joke. Which I stole.

I just finished my first complete roll of film, which means that tonight I can try developing something that won't be blank, and they're pictures I took recently, which are relevant. South Africa, family gatherings, and pictures I even took today. I hope that'll be done tonight. The film's already out of the camera.

Spar-letta

I went on a skiing trip before I left Rokeby School, and it involved going to Italy and skiing for ten days or so. Sergio was my instructor, and my mother was one of the guides. Great time. When we arrived, it was 19°C, most of the snow was from a machine and there was plenty of painful ice. But the food was great.

The year before they went to Canada, where the snow was deep and perfect the whole time, but the food was bad. Consequently, the Italian trip was the one that people remembered as preferable.

Quality of food affects our impression of a country so much that it can be the main reason we like certain countries. I'm looking forward to the food of Japan more than most things. While I was in South Africa, the food was probably the best part of the whole trip. I distinctly remember being repeatedly impressed by the Mexican food Erin fed me in America.

Creme-Soda is a delicacy I had the benefit of being brought up on, and along side Fanta Grape and the African Iron Brew, it's one of the best drinks of Africa.

So I Saw Radiohead

Any serious music fan should have 'see Radiohead live' in their lists of things to do before they die. It's a shame I wasn't old enough for their triumphs at Glastonbury or at South Park, but I decided at some point I should achieve live-music nirvana.



By chance, a friend of a friend noticed that I liked Radiohead on my Facebook, and told me he had a spare ticket. And I decided not to pass up the opportunity. Radiohead have been my favourite band for a while, up there with Sigur Rós (who I genuinely liked before they were cool). And even though I don't enjoy live music as much as I once did, to see the In Rainbows tour would be a real highlight.

Back on the 24th of June, my ticket man, Ben, and I took a long tube ride and met up with his friend Elise at Mile End. We all walked to the massive outdoor venue: Victoria Park, where despite having my ticket, I wasn't allowed in. Why? Melanie, my camera. Apparently, there's a no-cameras rule, printed on the back of the ticket which I had received seconds prior.

Actually, this wasn't true. A no-cameras rule would mean that people aren't allowed to take in cameras. The rule was actually a no-decent-cameras rule, meaning that you can take in cameras as long as they don't look like a they could take nice looking photos. An SLR might endanger the band with its sharp focus or something. In all, it's just another battle in the war against photographers, good amateur photos and proper cameras.

Having been turned away, I fretted over what to do. I didn't drive there, I couldn't leave it in my car. No security office would take responsibility. I was stuck with my valuable camera not having a place to go. I decided it was getting in there, even if I had to smuggle it. Taking off all the accessories bar the strap, and hiding them all in my pockets, I wore the camera on one shoulder, behind me and under my coat. In the camera bag, I placed a mostly finished bottle of Sprite. When my bag was searched, they told me no bottles, so I graciously threw it away. Seeming like their job was complete, they ushered me through with no further searching. This all while I frantically hid my face from the guy who stopped me before, while trying not to look suspicious. But Melanie got in, and while I hid her for the first hour or so, I realised that no-one was paying any attention, and I took photos throughout.



The support act was Bat for Lashes, who was entertaining, but ultimately forgettable (unlike The Objects supporting Junior Senior, who were brilliant). She had funny makeup and a poncho, and a wide variety of instruments were at hand, but there was an ondes Martenot in the background, and that outshone anything they'd brought with them.

Now, I hadn't actually listened to In Rainbows until about a week before, and I'd listened three times. It hadn't grown on me as much as it has now, but I still really enjoyed hearing it. However, I was looking forward to the older songs more, as were a few people.



The crowd was huge, I heard estimates of twenty thousand, and there seemed to be a concentration of avid smokers gathered around us, as well as one idiot who had only come to hear Creep, and wanted to let everyone, including Thom Yorke, know this. It was mainly for this reason that I was thankful that they didn't play it.



They did, however, play Just, which was probably the highlight of the evening for me, alongside Idioteque. I enjoyed everything from Kid A, although I was disappointed when they played Let Down from OK Computer. It just isn't a great song.

I won't list the songs I enjoyed (anymore), but I'll tell you it was a stunning concert, and an unforgettable experience. My feet hurt by the end, but they do after any long stint of standing. I used my telephoto lens to het really close photos (helped by standing very close to the stage), and I'm very happy with the photos I took as a result.



Despite almost getting badly lost on the walk back to the tube station (we deviated from the crowd- mistake), it was a wonderful show, one that has partly restored my faith in live music. I'll see them again for the next album.

What the Hell is Call ID?

So it has been a while. I was in court for twelve weeks, and when you're not allowed to talk about what you do all day, you don't want it on record in case you do. Hence not many updates while at court. And oddly, not many updates since court ended in April. I am sorry about it, it's just been I've had a lot on, and a lot of it was time limited, and I couldn't do anything about that.

So two months ago, most of my friends went home. Or away. Alyssa and Lisa went back to Hawaii. Rachel went back to Maryland. Sarah went back to California. Dan went to France (subsequently California). I have some friends left, but not many. But them being gone isn't actually important, what is important is what we got up to while they were here.

And despite not actually being enrolled at University, it was probably the most fun semester I had there. I saw people every day, I had pain from smiling all the time. And while the sun was out, we had a couple of picnics on Southlands lawn. It was six months of happy memories.

I started dating Alyssa in early April, and that was pretty cool, as we tend to think the same about stuff and junk. I won't go into details about the relationship, but even though she's far away right now, we're still together and speak pretty much every day. It's the most special relationship I've ever had, and she makes me feel very lucky on a daily basis.

Man, so long has passed since the last update, I don't know where to begin. I'll talk about cars. My car is declared SORN (Statutory Off Road Notice) for the time being, meaning that if I drove it and a policeman saw me, it'd be seized, probably crushed, and I'd never see it again. And that's not a positive outcome for anyone. Not even the government. They have to pay to crush it. So I'm not driving so much. So until a little cash comes in and I can replace the front shock absorbers (they're a wearing part), there will be no BMW for me.

My father is considering getting a Toyota MR2. We both call it the Mister Two, but I hardly think we're alone in that respect. I think it's too similar to my mother's car, it doesn't vary enough. It's the same size, same layout, similar four-cylinder engine, similar suspension... he even wants it in the same colour. It'll be slightly squarer and more reliable. I'm convincing him to either got for an older MR2 (which had, I think, the turbo-charged 2.0 litre engine), or a Lotus Elise, which is the best example of the small, mid-engined roadster.



In the coming months, a lot will happen, hopefully. My former lecturer has offered me opportunities abroad, and I hope that they come to something, but if not, I hope to work at University for a short time. I may be coming into a little money quite soon, and that might help get me out of this hole I feel like I'm in.

The credit crunch has meant that people aren't hiring as much. Despite frantic searching, and a very, very close almost, I'm still jobless for the time being. Hence, no car. Or anything. I still hold out hope for a position that I almost got, but it isn't likely anytime soon.

Just as my friends were about to leave to go home, my grandfather died. This was at the beginning of June. While this was very sad, we has 98 years old, very tired, and ready. I accompanied my father and joined him in South Africa. This was an opportunity to go to the funeral, to visit my ill aunt Anne, and spend some quality time with my father. We had a wonderful holiday, and the funeral went very smoothly. I gave a reading from the Bible, and my father had written a wonderful eulogy. We stayed in Anne's house, and we enjoyed many Durban Curries together, and managed to spend a night at Hluhluwe Game Reserve, where I used my new telephoto lens to the best of my ability.



Just after I returned to England, I learnt that my uncle Arthur, Anne's husband, who had passed away back in 2004 or so, had a collection of classic Minoltas that were lying around including a set of lenses, and filters and a folding tripod. This was very suitable to entertain my love of photography and love of old equipment. It's encouraged me to get into film photography more, and I'm in the process of teaching myself how to develop my own photographs. Adobe Lightroom is wonderful software, but there's something about choking on chemicals and tripping over things in the dark that it just doesn't capture. I just need to order a battery so that the light meter works, and I'll have a beautiful working camera.

Just after getting those cameras, last week, my aunt herself passed away. It had been a long battle with cancer, but she was very comfortable throughout. My father is in South Africa now for the funeral, taking care of her final business. She died less than three months after her father, but I'm very thankful that he did not have to bury her. I'm very thankful that I got to spend time with her, and that she got to see the photos I took of her cat. As an academic and a widow of a priest, she had a beautiful, large funeral, and I'm sorry I could not go, but I my father represented the family there.

You might notice that on the left there is a Twitter update area. Twitter, if you didn't already know, is like micro-blogging. You update with 140 characters or fewer, and do it frequently. It updates your Facebook status as well. I used to do it more frequently, but there isn't a stable Vista client at the moment. I'll keep looking. Anyway, I have it auto-update to this site as well, so you can keep tabs on me even if you don't have my Twitter page.

Firefox just unexpectedly crashed, but Blogger has the good sense to automatically back up everything I write, so I didn't lose a character. I have a feeling that it may have been something to do with installing Adobe AIR, but I'll have to wait and see if it happens again.

I'm getting eager to update my blog interface, but I'm realising that there's a lot of effort to be put into GUIs if you want to keep up and be original. It's easy to copy a design, but I don't want to (come on, I'm not in University anymore). I'll have to consider what looks good and what is readable. I have had a plan for a couple of years, but it's very high contrast, and I'll have to make a mock-up before I go about designing it.

As I've missed so much, I'll probably go back and discuss things that happened in future blog posts, but this is enough for now. I have added a Photos link at the top, if anyone is interested.

Daysleeper

Court is out. Not for good, just for Easter. I get a few days off, so i can sleep late and stay out later. Not that staying out later really interests me now. Eater break means people go away, and most of my friends are either away or have been traveling, and are too tired for my usual four AM antics. So my late nights consist of tagging things on Flickr.

Part of me is aching for a more dramatic change. I'm getting tired of where I am, physically and emotionally, and want to move on. My circumstance mean that I have to wait for this, and my social life is going to dictate when that is. But that situation is hardly ideal. I'm aware that getting close to people who aren't here long is always difficult in the medium term, and I'm aware it'll affect me badly come this Summer, but for the most part I'm happy with the arrangement. What I am scared of is if I make this a habit over my lifetime, and whether I am willing to put the effort into keeping things away from temporaryism.

While I maintain contact with old friends, there's only one person I really feel like putting effort into seeing, and due to circumstances, that's pretty much impossible. And when I say that there's only one, I mean there's only one in my entire life. Despite my perceived closeness during the friendship, time has shown that there is only one person that affected me enough so that I think of her almost every day.

I also have the curse over confusion over what I want. I know it wouldn't be worth changing for someone, but it's always tempting. I find out how I feel in three days. Sorry of that seems vague. But all these insecurities and mixed emotions have made me irritable all day, and I really need a release. And there were too many cars around and it was too wet for me to get that on the roads. I did, however, own a Focus when he tried to race me.

Dan went to America again. I drove him to Gatwick. He might be going for good at some point, and I can't say I blame him. The quality of life available to me here is very high, but I am in need of a change, and locale is the thing I'd change first.



I have spent a few days listening to songs I used to listen to when I was much younger. The whole opportunity to recapture my youth through generic but identifiable punk rock is too tempting to miss. Certain songs have really begun to stick to ideas of people, even though we've never listened to them together. I haven't played my keyboard in a while, mainly because my laptop just isn't powerful enough to give me smooth notes. I need to fix my desktop.



Alyssa has been away in Europe for ages. She's missed out on so much drama and so many parties. I raced the the streets of London at vastly illegal speeds getting Holborn to take a friend to hospital. While hospital is never a fun experience, the drive there was very eventful. I managed Wimbledon to Holborn in about 18 minutes. And that was with some bum traffic lights.

I had a fun evening at Jacia's the other night. I don't go there often, but it's always a good time when I do. We intended to watch The Princess Bride (which I still haven't seen), but we were sidetracked by chatting until two in the morning. The next night, I met up with Dan Cant for the first time in a while. With some default passwords and some found USB drives, we managed to install a Guitar Hero clone on one of the PCs at the Wired Café on campus.



That passed some time before I collected Lisa and Tasha from central London. I feel like I've been driving into and through London so often. It was only a week and a bit ago that I drove Alyssa and her friends to Stanstead. When I got Lisa home, she made us food and we played Top Trumps and tried out my new tripod. It was a strange evening, but it was good to talk with people again.

But today, like most of the last week, has been rather eventless. Aside from driving Becky around, I didn't achieve much apart from downloading two episodes of Lost. I have been quite good in resisting watching them, but I don't know how long I can withstand the temptation.

I thought of a joke in court the other day. "My friend shot a coke machine. That was bang out-of-order.". I wouldn't have pegged this for a Friday night.

Oh Snap

Christmas used to be the hub of many expectations as a child. Since I rarely asked for things and was always surprised with whatever I was given (and pretty much always overjoyed). But as I grew older, like most, I became herder to shop for, and as my tastes grew more specific, it led to me being questioned on what I would like, and eventually I found myself asking for specific things. When your tastes and desires become so specific that anything else is likely to disappoint, you present problems for your potential gift buyers. Last Christmas, I only had one thing in mind, and unfortunately, it was far too expensive for me to ask for.

A Digital SLR camera is an expensive piece of kit, even if you settle for an entry level model. And I cannot stand settling for entry level (eg, my car, my phone, my computer). I don't mind old, but I do mind getting the basic model. So I set out trying to find a second hand mid range DSLR camera. Every time I found one on ebay it would sell for more than I was willing to pay, and I'd end up with only hopes but no photography. But after a couple of months of trying, I came across an underrated gem, and just over a week ago I become the owner of a Canon EOS 20D. It cost nearly £300, but that's a fraction of the price new, and you cannot tell it's second hand (apart from a touch of wear on the hot shoe).

I haven't had a camera since I was nine or so, and the closest I got was borrowing my father's old Pentax SLR. And learning to use that got me interested in photography, but I always held out to buy a really nice camera. And now I have. With that in mind, this blog will be far more illustrated than before.

To christen it, Rachel and I traveled to Wales to take some cool photos. Since court was adjourned for a Friday, we drove out to Carmarthen on a Friday morning, and checked into a hostel in the afternoon. We walked all around the local beach and saw the castle, observed a shipwreck, saw horses; and I quickly realised that I hadn't taken a scarf. Which, in Wales, is a mistake.



We ate at the hostel and chatted with the owner, and went to bed early in anticipation of the task of fostering love for my new hobby: I was going to voluntarily get up before sunrise to take photographs. And we woke at 6:00AM, and we drove out to the castle, and it was a good thing we did, because we both took some amazing photographs of the castle being hit by sun.



After tiring ourselves out, but refusing to sleep when we returned, we took a drive to Rhossili, and I aimed to recreate my family holiday at Worm's Head. The weather wasn't as sunny as the morning, but there was enough light to take some wonderful photographs of us both sitting on cliff edges and wobbling as we both were blown about by the wind above huge drops straight into the ocean. It was very scary, although not quite as scary as going into the attic. Worm's Head itself wasn't really accessible as planned, due to high tide lasting longer than we were told. We did have the opportunity to fly my kite on Rhossili beach though, and it hadn't been flown in a while.

We drove to Swansea for dinner, and admired the uniform yellow lamps that illuminated the ridges in the background. Going on dates with Rachel had long eliminated my vegetarianism, and Swansea offered me a mixed grill of tasty meats. While the drive there had been dotted with roaming sheep and cows, with twisty roads and not much traffic, the drive back was very peaceful, and we listened to Death Cab for Cutie. I did teach Rachel to change gear though, which was fun.

The owner of the hostel had a Ford Scorpio, which he was looking to sell. I was very tempted, especially as he was looking to buy a BMW 3-series. We drove home the next day, and made it back to continue watching the new series of Lost. My camera had pretended to be low on batteries, but it was just trying to scare me, it lasted a few hundred more pictures after the warning.

Julia and her new boyfriend Raven came to London for his birthday, and I was lucky enough to score a dinner date with them. Both of them and Rachel and I all went to eat at an Indian restaurant, and I was tempted enough to brave my first Chicken Vindaloo, which wasn't as painful as I was expecting. We all chatted about serious and trivial things, but Julia looked very happy.



It was wonderful to see her again, and something must be arranged before it gets too late again. She's always fun to laugh with and an endless outlet for my mundane and predictable problems.

Nighthawks, the club I set up to alleviate my boredom after work, has dwindled in numbers since the trial, and now mainly happens when nothing else happens, and only happens with three of us. Lisa and Alyssa and I are either playing guitar or swinging glow sticks or watching a film in the evenings, often all falling asleep on someone's tiny bed and being plagued by neck pains and stiff shoulders for days afterwards.

We attempted to go to the Bop last Friday, and with my suit and red tie, and the girls both going all out on costumes, it was due to be a memorable one. However, the organisers felt that tickets were precious, and we arrived too late to get any. We did, however, stand outside and dance all the same, before going back to swing glow sticks and listen to music and collapse.



It was a shame, but we had an excellent evening all the same.



The next day I was invited to celebrate Sarah Booker's birthday in London, and it was wonderful to catch up with old friends, and try out black and white photographs. There's also an all you can eat Chinese Buffet, where we filled ourselves. The sushi wasn't great, but there wasn't any extra charge for it, so that was a plus.

I had arranged a Lost party sleepover, but since most of my regular guests were away or ill, it was just me and the Hawaiians, and we watched 300 and slept on the floor. The point was that sleepovers are something you do when you're 12, and you stop doing them when you're older. And that's a shame, because they're a lot of fun, and as far as I can tell, it was really enjoyed all around.

After driving back to University, Lisa went to write and record her election speech, while Alyssa and I went to do photography homework in Richmond Park. It involved being cold, muddy and slippery, while having a huge amount of fun being angry at inconsistent focus, unreliable ducks and intriguing shapes in wood. It made me wish I did more photography.



Today involved me returning to court, followed by an old Computing Reunion. Natasha, Dan, Helgi, Kelly and Lynsey all appeared and made me wish I was back a couple of years. We had a fun time, and laughed while we made fools of ourselves in the Pub Quiz (our team name was 'The Blue Screens of Death'). We came fourth or fifth overall, not a great result, but it was fun despite that.

I have taken well over a thousand photographs since my camera arrived, and this blog will have more photos than before. I hope people appreciate this new direction. And maybe a long awaited redesign.