Public sucktor? I think not!

Just thought i would make a quick post before i leave in a few hours. I have decided to take my laptop with me and write something each day im up there, you know, best to keep the mind ticking over and such.

To be honest i probably didn’t leave at the best time, some stuff has been going down at work the last few days and i think Jams is a little... Downbeat, although i think the word i should have used should be much stronger! Teetering on the edge? Maybe that’s better... I wish him all the best whilst im away, as im usually one of the people that keeps him from falling off the edge into a pit of fury and rage. Although that may or may not have happened last night anyway! Ahem. Turning to alcohol may have solved the problems, but that’s always a temporary fix!!

One thing that has bugged me the last week or so is the generalisation of public sector workers. We had a contractor come in the other day and basically tell us all we’re a bunch of lazy bastards. Im sorry pal, but i don’t know anyone in the private sector who has to work to as tight deadlines as we do.  You prick, go back to your world of expensive hotels, wine and cheese evenings and Audi’s. You ass.

However, i must also comment that a lot of people in the public sector are so BLIND it’s unreal. Someone at work was trying to get me and Jams to sign a petition from the Union about stopping public sector cuts. Sorry but are you stupid? Firstly, im not in the union, i believe them to be a relic of the 1980’s that should die. Incorporation of EU directives on working should quell the requirement for unions, thank you. Also, whoever thinks that the public sector doesn’t need to be cut is being so short sighted. Even if there hadn’t been a credit crunch recession, the public sector is far too large and unwieldy and needs to be economised. I could run off a list of ridiculous inefficiencies just in our organisation, let alone the entire public sector.  Im not saying what the coalition is doing is correct, i think maybe they are going a little far. But it’s the right thing to do.

WHOA a rant? Hello there, welcome back to Tedium. Anyway, im very much looking forward to getting away for a few days, so i shall write up my findings and undertakings upon my return.

Take it easy.

Alex.

Microsoft. You bastards.

I have been writing here less recently, that much is obvious. I think it’s because I’ve generally been less angry the past month or so. This reduces my requirement to rant on a daily basis. I will therefore make posts when i feel like it! So there, i told you so didn’t i!

So i have actually had a pretty nice weekend really. I spent Friday evening with 2 of my closest friends and it was really nice to spend some time with them. Especially since one recently moved jobs and i hadn’t seen her for over a week (I know, a crushing amount of time right?). It was also nice that, for once, i was able to help someone who was going through some tough times. Doing something like that does make you feel a worthy part of society and makes you think that at least you can use all your past crap relationship stuff to learn, then help someone else. Funny old world isn’t it? So anyway, we just went to the pub then went back to my friends house and chatted for what was at least a couple of hours. Simple but really nice, i felt warm inside.

I have also spent the best part of the weekend having an internal debate with myself about Xbox Live. Im so tempted to upgrade my account for a year while its cheap, mainly to play Halo online. I resent having to pay to play online deeply, and hate Microsoft for it. But PSN is really quite pants and i really want to take my Halo fun online. Im still playing it! Im on my 3^rd run through on the campaign and im still not bored! It really is a top notch game.

In fact i “may” have purchased Halo Wars and Halo 3 ODST... THEY WERE ONLY £10 EACH! Common, that’s a bargain! I should receive them sometime this coming week... Ahem. Although im going away on Thursday! To be honest, i wanted to go away because i felt shit and really depressed, but it’s not quite as bad right now as it was a couple of weeks ago. Although im still looking forward to spending some time in the country walking the dog and eating pie. Yes, this is my vision of “country” living...

Also, i have really got back into listening to one of my favourite bands. Deftones! They have been with me for so long, i must have listened since i was about 14 and i love them just as much now as i did back then. I must admit im really loving the metal at the moment, although there are a couple of RnB songs out that aren’t too bad. I really do love all types of music!

Ok, i think im ready. I am about to reveal my FAVOURITE song of all time. Here it is ladies and gentlemen... It’s been my favourite ever since the moment i heard it, and i never grow tired of hearing it. 

What an amazing piece of music, just wonderful. So emotive and thought provoking, yet so simple.

I will write more things before i go away this week. I do need to try and discuss more interesting things, i do seem to be turning this blog into more a diary of my life. Which is shit really, because my life is fucking boring. You’d be better off reading the diary of a small Italian goat who lives on a slightly misty hill in Sicily. Actually, i would too... A goat that writes? AWESOME!

Bye for now.

This may offend, you have been warned!

So i decided i wanted to make a post regarding something rather controversial. It sparked me into thinking about it more when i was watching the news about the Pope visiting the UK.

It’s my personal feeling that many, most religions infact are the relic of a bygone era, something that should have been disregarded when science and technology took over as the dominant driving force behind our everyday lives. The Pope symbolises the head of that relic of an organisation, and i think the more people that are duped into following such a ludicrous set of beliefs, the worse society becomes.  

Also why is he chosen by a democratic vote? If God did truly exist, wouldn’t he make the choice himself? Food for thought!

I find it laughable that the Pope denounces science’s explanation of creation and the universe as preposterous, when he thinks a man who lives in the sky created everything. I mean, common people. Think about this logically. I do believe that possibly there are things beyond our understanding and explanation and if you want to think that then i can accept it. But Catholicism, with its views on homosexuality, women and HIV... How can you support that? How can you support the spread of HIV in the developing world because the Pope denounces contraceptives? He must have killed thousands upon thousands spreading those thoughts. Is that a good thing?

I find it all hard to swallow, i can’t understand why you would accept it. If you just think about it logically, you would know that some things they say are not right, not right at all. There are things the human race does not understand, but really i think religion like that is something that kept people in check by installing fear into them, for many many centuries. I think it’s time we outgrow those methods of control, we don’t need them anymore. We are an educated society, isn’t love, family, friends and making a good life out of the limited time you have on this earth enough?

Maybe im being ignorant, and maybe some people do need help and they find it from a higher power. I think they would find more help from a counsellor though...

So that was my rant on religion, a touchy subject i know... I hope i didn’t offend, we are all entitled to our beliefs. I think if you want to believe in something, worship the Sun, for it truly does give and take away life. I can’t think of anything more worth respecting than that!

In other news i finished Halo Reach on Normal! Weee! The last dude was pretty damn hard, some super Elite commander guy. Armed with a ridiculous shield, a plasma launcher and a laser sword. I had to stick two grenades to him before he died, the bastard!

Was so much more epic though. I feel the need to try Heroic... I may get my ass handed to me though i feel... We shall see tomorrow possibly!

I admit it, im an idiot.

Ok, now im a relatively honest person, i will tell you if you annoy me, i will admit when im wrong and so forth. This is one of those moments...

I may have been a little hasty in my criticism of Halo Reach. Ahem... Let me explain a little. I finished the game on... Thursday? I think. Now earlier this week my thoughts had been a little pre-occupied with some other things and i wasn’t really paying attention to... Well anything i was doing. I also played through the game on Easy. I KNOW I KNOW STOP MOANING. I couldn’t be arsed to be challenged i just wanted to see the game. So i finished it with the same feelings with which i posted up about earlier this week.

However, on Friday i decided to play through again on Normal difficulty. This was for a number of reasons. Firstly, i was bored. Secondly, i realised that you couldn’t rank up or unlock achievements when playing on easy which vexed me greatly. So bearing this in mind i sat down on Friday about 7pm to have a bash on normal. Come 11:30, i was still playing and totally loving it. I didn’t want to stop but i could hardly stay awake.

The difference is astounding. Not only did i know much more about what was going on, and followed the story a lot better, but playing the game through with it being a little challenging made it SO much more fun! Im a convert. The game really is very very good, it flows so well and the level design is brilliant, throwing challenges at you which cause you to think about how to solve them. The simple fact of throwing a brute at the top of a building with 2 turrets either side may sound boring, but working out how to bring him down without getting a plasma launcher to the face wasn’t frustrating one bit, it was excellent fun and so intense!

My Noble 6 now looks more awesome with armour upgrades and he ranked up to a Corporal!  Corporal 1^st Class soon! The only thing is now that i should try and get into the multiplayer... Its rather intimidating though, i may have to play through the campaign on Heroic before going online methinks. As im sure ill get blow apart by people who are veterans of Halo 1, 2, 3 and ODST.

This brings me onto another thing. I think i might be turning into a fanboy? I even started playing Halo 3 again! I’ve been looking online to see how much Halo Wars and Halo 3 : ODST are... I KNOW ITS BAD ISN’T IT... Oh lord.

In other news, having reached what i would term “The bottom of the fish tank” in terms of how shit my life actually is (Hint, read above and note the words “Friday” and “Stayed in all night playing Halo Reach”). I realised that maybe it’s time i spent some time away from the Internet, TV, Gaming and so forth... So im going to stay with my Gran up in Wiltshire for a few days in a couple of weeks time. Im really looking forward to it. Says a lot about me as a person i guess; the fact that im looking forward to a few quiet days in the country. The thought of waking up early, taking the dog for a walk, catching up on a few good books and just being relaxed is awesome. So i won’t be posting for a while when im up there. Although i will have my iphone with me... Need some kind of connectivity!

That’s about all for today. Damn i really need to start doing some ranting... I just haven’t had any energy to be angry recently? Or well, i do get angry but by the time i get home it seems to have dissipated...

Have a good week.

Alex

Halo... Not quite REACHing perfection...

So... I managed to procure a copy of Halo Reach prior to its actual release date (Thanks Amazon!). Instead of the usual trash reviews that are out there regarding the game i thought i would give you my first impressions after playing for 3 hours or so tonight.

So, after loading up the game and getting a rather amusing screen telling me that im playing too early and some features are not available, i was suitably interested to have a bash on what some games sites are calling the messiah. On that note, i do think that in all 4 of the reviews i saw last night they clearly had problems with large parts of the game, but all still managed to give it a perfect score? It’s such rubbish it really is.

Ok well first things first, the presentation is very slick. It’s obviously been in the works for a while and the wonderful animated menu screens and smooth transitions are a joy to behold. As is the clearly updated graphics engine which is much much much better than Halo 3, which looked like it was designed for the original Xbox, not the 360.

However, this is where the experience crumbles away slightly. After playing for 3 hours, i have LITERALLY NO IDEA what the hell is going on. The story telling is AWFUL, if i didn’t know a little of the pre-story from watching reviews i would have no clue what the hell was going on. It doesn’t help that the person who talks to you has a Russian accent in game!? Who’s fucking clever idea was that? You can’t understand a sodding word she says, Americans must think she’s from another planet. Coupled with the fact that the game does a terrible job of telling you what to do next and what’s going on at any one time leads you to feel so very lost all the time. I have basically breezed through the zones so far, and to be honest i feel like im near the end already? I don’t know, i guess we’ll have to see. I hope not or i will be moaning even more.

The combat is quite good, and the balance of the weapons is nice. It’s all just a bit samey though, move to area, kill enemies, activate something, move to next area, kill enemies.... Etc. Also, the bloody elites are so annoying darting about all over the place, my hands ache from trying to target them.

So far it’s a bit hit and miss. I really don’t agree that Bungie is such an awesome developer. They made a decent FPS. Well done... That’s it though. I have yet to try the multiplayer out, as i don’t have Xbox Live. Yes, im a tight git, but i resent having to pay to play online. After having bought the console, bought the game and paid for my internet why do i have to pay again? Bloody Microsoft.

Anyway, ill report back a bit more when i’ve played it some more.

New series of The Inbetweeners was on tonight! Was rather funny, damn those guys... Such good comic actors! Love it! Certainly one to watch for those who like that sort of thing.

Have a good week!

Alex

Oh Ramona Flowers...

I know i know... I haven’t written on here again for ages! I’ve had one of those weekends where i have literally done nothing, i had no desire to think, to make any effort or to even get out of bed. I therefore had little motivation to write something on my Blog. I know that must come as a disappointment!

So you must be wondering why i have had such a terrible weekend. Well it’s odd really because it started really well. I went to see Scott Pilgrim on Friday with a friend of mine. I was a bit dubious at first but as im a geek at heart i loved it. Was a really good film and i recommend you go and see, even if you aren’t a geek! Its rather funny. However... When i got home, for some reason felt really really empty. This may sound a little stupid, but watching that film made me analyse my current life. That’s ridiculous i know, how can i compare my life to Scott Pilgrim!? It’s a film about a guy who fights seven evil ex’s in order to win his new girls heart. The thing is... That’s it right there. As funny as the film was and how it wasn’t taking itself too seriously, it really made me think. This really geeky and gormless guy (Scott Pilgrim), does all this stuff just to win over this girl. It just made me really... Want that?

How stupid is that? Im even laughing now because i know you must be thinking what the fuck is he on about, it’s a film based on a comic book he’s making NO SENSE! The thing is... It really did make sense for me, and it still does. It ended up making me so depressed this weekend i couldn’t get out of bed, i have done nothing. I haven’t even gone outside. Most people would get sad over serious films, but no, for me its Scott Pilgrim. Haha...

Is it also weird that i found the girl he chases strangely attractive? She was like a total manga character, im starting to find things like that rather cool. “Weeabo” girls, why are they so strangely attractive? (I think it’s called Weeabo, i could be wrong. Girls that dress and look Japanese even if they aren’t Japanese?). I just think it’s a really cool and attractive look, you have the confidence to challenge society and western culture, and i think that’s admirable. How i salute you Ramona Flowers! And find you strangely attractive... Ahem.

Hopefully i shall be in possession of Halo Reach tomorrow. This may help to alleviate the above depression. Either that or my soulmate could come back into my life... Erm. Ignore that. So yes. Halo Reach. Well i have already seen the reviews and surprise surprise all the American Xbox mega-fans have given it 11/10. It looks good don’t get me wrong, but i shall report back tomorrow with my own judgement on the game. IT WILL BE FAIR I PROMISE! (Well, fair in my mind anyway...).

Hope you’re weekend was better than mine, although to be honest if you woke up, made some tea and walked outside you have bettered me in every single way.

Have a good week.

Alex