Night Shift

I discovered something last night.

Well, I discovered many a thing last night, but only one I'll discuss.

Yesterday, it was my friend's birthday party. He's twenty-one in a few days, but had a celebration yesterday.

When I was there, I was on form. And by that, I mean that everyone was drinking and being merry while I stayed in one spot, noticing things that others didn't. This time, it was about the green lights that where on the wall. First, some didn't move, then some vibrated to the bass. What a fuckhead I am.

Anyway, that's not what I discovered.

When I was home, I tried to go to bed. Well, I succeeded with actually going to bed, it was just the process of sleeping that I had trouble with.

I'm not sure if I was dreaming, or if it was just my brain was in a stasis of rest while my entire body was awake, but for about an hour, I remember working on this DVD that I'm helping with in work. The only difference is that I was using a programme that was a mix between Premiere Pro and DVD Studio Pro, and the other person who I was talking to about the work wasn't a fellow worker, but the girl who I have feels for.

In that hour, all I remember that I was working on the DVD, feeling weak, as if every little change took the maximum of effort. The girl was pissed off with me for some reason, either because I was fucking up the work or she just felt awkward and ashamed to be forced to work with me. Every wrong thing that I did resulted in me banging my head on my bed. So, I was conscious to know what was happening, but unconscious enough to not being able to stop myself from being in this state of delusion.

The thing is, I don't understand why this happened. It's not like I'm stressed about work, because I'm honestly not. The work, albeit time consuming, isn't difficult. There are setbacks, yes, but nothing that I haven't encountered before. I had to use DVD Studio Pro in one of my assignments last year, and I had a decent mark in it, so I know how to work it and that. Premiere's just Premiere.

Maybe it's about her.

Maybe I'm just being a fool.

Yeah, it's definitely the later.

Anyway. That's another thing that confuses me. This is the first time where work and my personal life has merged, and it's in a dream (or whatever you call it). I've always kept my different lives separate. I mean, my work, university, family and personal lives are just that, four separate aspects of my life. Granted, there are some overlaps (Clic, for example), but on the whole, I try not to merge the different aspects of my life.

I have no idea why this is the case, it's just always been like that.

Anyway, you might be wondering what I discovered.

It was about three in the morning, when I came around from the dream-that-probably-wasn't-a-dream-because-I-wasn't-completely-asleep dream. I was wide awake, and I only wanted to do one of two things.

The first one will make me sound like a soppy arsehole, so I''ll forever keep it to myself.

The second is, I'm much better suited to working than socialising.

I mean, look at the evidence. The only real time I feel somewhat comfortable is when I'm doing work. Whether it's something I can do off my own back (like designing a banner for Wicid, editing video footage, writing and editing articles) or something I have no idea what I'm doing (like photography, anything administrative), at least I'm doing something constructive. Or at least trying to do so.

When I'm socialising, what am I doing? Nothing. Most of the time, I'm just awkwardly being there with  nothing of substance to add to the conversation. Well, unless they're talking about something I actually have confidence in, like anything multimedia or how to effectively kill bosses in Final Fantasy X, but let's be honest how many times with that happen?

I don't know. It just seems that I was not bred to talk. I was born to work, even if my chosen career will help humanity as much as a dog shitting in the woods would add a loving ambience to a political convention.

Most pointless description, ever.

Before I stop writing this idiocy, I have one question that might make my sound like a right numpty. I don't suppose that any of you have an idea how to escape from yourself for an hour or so? And I don't mean ways to have time off from work and just relax. I mean, actually separate your thoughts from your brain for even a moment, just so you can think about something other than the usual stuff?

So yeah, that's a thing.

- And this is a FIN.

Because Text

I have discovered something rather normal about my educational life.

And that is the following - I have no imagination.

I can't sit down and plan out what I want to do when it comes to designing shit. Here's two perfect example, set in some rather boring paragraphs.

For university, I have two assignments. The first one asks me to create a 20-30 second title sequence that involves 3D animation, and another asking me to film something and add effects in to it, either simple shit like when someone reads a text on Sherlock or when shit gets real in Harry Potter. And no, I'm not using those examples to gain readers. If I did, I'd state that I'd need to add reason to Justin Bieber's music.

But the thing is, I have no idea what I'm doing. I know what to do technique wise, but for the actual content side of things? Fuck. I'm dead inside. Nothing but soulless examples of the chances of my failing this year increases each day.

Any idea I do have, though, ends up being balls-breakingly difficult or extremely costly. I wanted to do something for the 3D assignment where a sphere falls and breaks on the floor, then the camera focusing to the logo of a news programme. But apparently, you need a plug-in for that, one that costs over £200. Curse you, nameless plug-in.

I'm also kind of dreading my mark for Sound Technology. It's just dawned on me, that module is a smaller manifestation of my entire mathematical life. When I was younger, I was really good at maths. I was almost always in the top ten percent in my year. But with each year passing, I started to progressively worsen. From high 80%s in year seven to barely scratching 55%s in my GCSE year.

It's not that I found the work difficult, it's not. I've always liked maths, and always understood everything I was told, but apparently I can't put it into practice on the examination field.

The same with Sound Tech. If someone asked me to help them set up a Z5 so they could record audio using a boom, I could help them no problem. If they need help editing the audio and making it sound unedited, I could help. But there's always a little thing that someone finds wrong in your work, whether it's an ill-explained reasoning why x is 3 or a misplaced fade out.

It's not a nerve thing, before anyone thinks that. I have never sat down before doing an exam or an assignment and thinking oh shit, I know nothing of what I need to do to pass, shit. I've never done that. When everyone around me was revising the differences between Lithium, Sodium, Magnesium and Potassium while wailing I suck at life, I'll prepare for a life of mediocrity because I don't know which elements have D-orbitals, I was just sitting there, looking over my notes while listening to some Bob Marley.

Am I just a naive idiot? One who thinks he knows his stuff but it turns out that he's just a mediocre wanker with no reason to live other than to siphon light from everyone? I don't know, but that sounds extremely sad, so to happy things up, here's a picture of a hairless cat playing a double bass.

Baaaaaaaaaaaase.

Now, in other news, I'm still alive. I've done what feels like fuck all in every aspect of my life. It feels like I'm doing fuck all with university work, and everything in work is just time consuming (not that I'm complaining about work, it's possibly one of the best things to happen to me since my introduction to Final Fantasy X, and that just shows how much of an arsehole I am).

In other, unrelated news, I'm (still) doing my CLICvlogs as part of my university work. And you know what? I really like doing them. Recently, I've kind of lost faith in them, since we've done nine or so of them and nobody was interested in being a part of it, so it was turning out to being one man and his two vlogs. And if you have no idea what I'm on about, here be link to CLICvlog, and here's another YouTube link.

But yeah, for some reason unknown to me, the past few ones have been really fun to film and edit. Maybe it's because I also filmed a vlog for Sam where he calls Jesus an attention seeker, or maybe it's the most recent one, but they've suddenly become really fun for me. I'm not saying that they were getting boring, but I'm saying that CLICvlog is starting to fulfill one of its primary aims, which is to allow young people to share their views. Yes, CLIC is there for the textual side, and CLICplay is there for video, I just thought that it was a thing to get people who are part of CLIC to join together and create something that (hopefully) everyone would at least watch one or two from time to time.

And all that from a shit idea for a university assignment. I need a life. Pity that won't be happening since I just bought Pokemon Black and Mass Effect 2. Yeah, that's right. Fear my lack of sociability in the next few months.

In other news, I'm done. And I believe my dinner is too. I shall go get it, then come back upstairs to eat it in my room alone. Maybe someday I'll write a shitty Dear World about my relationship with food. Because everyone loves reading everything I say. I'm so awesome.

- Just in case you didn't get the last bit, that was sarcasm. Also, FIN. Why do I still write FIN at the end of these? Who knows, maybe I'll get sponsored by some FIN compony or something. Also, please say I'm not the only one who saw that picture and instantly thought of the last scene of Portal 2?

Spend It Like The Last Day Of Spring

Oh, hello there sport.

Before I begin, may I ask a question? Do you fancy watching this video for me? Thanks.



Should really introduce it and whatnot. Ah well.

This is the second video written by Sam Patterson for The first one was scripted, but more like a monologue. This new one's more dialogue-driven and full of characters, half dead and alive alike.

Let me know what you think of all aspects of the video. T'was a bugger to edit due to my lack of ability with editing. Grr.

In related news, I need a camcorder. I've decided that I'll need one for a few things. One being for my course. this year, I'll be doing some green screening and a few more videos for projects, so I guess it'll be easier to get a decent one and use that all the time than to book one out all the time and worry about getting it back before the due times.

The second is Clic related. We used the camcorders from Promo Cymru (the guys who run Clic and theSprout), so getting my own one will make it easier in the sense that I won't need to go to to their offices to loan a camera out from them. That, and I could do some videoing for Wicid. Y'know, stuff.

Adding to that, why couldn't they just put me on a contract. Not a paid one, but one saying that I promise not to share any login details with anyone or that I wouldn't bring Wicid's reputation down. But that would be too logical for RCT, wouldn't it? Hmm.


That said, my username on the Clic network still has "Sub-Editor" in the name. Maybe they're too lazy to change that, hmm?

I should go, before I start ranting...

Though, before I go, Glastonbury's on. There's a band called Two Door Cinema Club on. I'm no judge of music, but by fuck they are crap...

Oh, and the blog title. I have no idea why I called it that. Ah well.

- FIN, FIN, FIN. Another one bites the dust.

One Down...

Well hello. Haven't seen you around here. You new?

Of course not... or if you are actually someone that I've never met and it's your first time to glance at my musings... then hello there. But, since it's a Sunday, no chance of that happening.

And for most of that intro, I've had David Mitchell's voice saying it. Damn, I've wathced too many Peep Show's in a matter of days...

Thank fuck for Channel 4 On Demand...

Anyways, enough of the three full stops in a row.

For (not) the first time ever, Movie Maker is being an arse to me. The new one (Windows Live Movie Maker) not only doesn't work, but made my screen turn blue - which nicely told me, in a roundabout way, that the computer's fucked - and then decided to restart. Bloody hell. But lo and behold, I've still got the normal Movie Maker.

But, not only that, for some bizzare reason, you cannot use MP4 files in it. It's like an industry standard, I thaught. I know that MPEG's are native(ish) to Windows, while AVI's and the like are native to the Mac. Ah well, I've got to wait a bit to do Burt's video of the Physics lesson of the dancing flames (link there for people who didn't know Burt had a blog). Actually, I do have a MPEG file of it, but with no audio. Movie Maker's fucking with me, and by the looks of things, I'm the one that's bent over and tied to a lamppost dressed like someone from Rocky Horror Picture Show. Happy days.

Elsewhere, and is linked to the last section, I tried to download a demo of Adobe Premiere Elements 8. That also placed a horrible feeling of shame and misfortune in both my heart and my laptop's hard drive. Man, if only I had After Effects working... or at all.

But, word to the wise, if you need a good video editing software, don't get Premiere Elements, get After Effects or Premiere Pro. Anyways.

A sense of achievement, disbelieve and bone-shattering patheticness has also been presented to me. All three, opened by the drumkit from Guitar Hero World Tour. Yesterday, whilst playing on the newest one (Guitar Hero 5, to you and me... and your teddy bear... don't deny it, I know you have one), I decided to go on Expert, to play some of the less-hard Expert songs (y'know, the ones that are slightly harder than the hardest songs on Hard, which I cannot do most of them). So what was the song?

I chose Muse's Plug In Baby.

And, for the first time... I've FC'd it. I've fully completed (meaning hit all the notes without overhitting or losing the combo) an expert song on drums. Now that deserves three rounds of two hips and a horrey soon after, don't you think? So yeah, achievement because I've finally cracked an FC on drums on Expert. Disbelieve because I (still) cannot believe I've done it. And the patheticness is that it's only a stupid computer game. It's nothing to brag about, right? I'm just basically saying that I can keep in time with some notes that are scrolling down towards me. Nothing special.

And that, is kinda how I think about real drums. I mean, like I've started actually playing the real drums a couple o' months back. But I kinda feel that some people (maybe all) see me on the drums and think "look at him, just because he can do some songs on the drums on Guitar Hero, doesn't mean he can play real drums" or something along those lines. Ah well, as long as they don't think that the only reason I started cricket was because I played on Brian Lara Cricket for three hours a day. Because that would be wrong. It was because I was interested in how Shane Warne and Ashley Giles spun the ball so goodly.

Ah well, if in doubt, have it off with a kestril.

Half term's coming. The first holiday that will hopefully be less shaite than any other. This time, I might actually do something. Some of the boys might do a snooker tournament, and I'll end up probably losing all the matches. Man, I suck at that game. Maybe it's because I feel awkward staring at balls on the table. Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner. Such is life.

So the moral of this post... never play with strangers.

If you can see where this message is in this post... then you're reading a different post.

- Fin. And Then Some.

Eight In A Row.

Lucky you.

This should be a short post.

Woop.

...

See you.











Nah, not really. It will be shorter. Well, in the amount of text there is compared to others. Anyways.

I've designed a website after looking at a tutorial on PSDTuts. So, enough text, here's the result.



So, what d'you think?

It's the first white design, as all of the others have been either black or a dark colour. Even though I've basically followed a tutorial on it, I'd like to think I could tweek it a tad more.

Nearly done. Yes, really.

Before I go, I'm with her on religion...


I'm out.

- Fin.

An Ode To No-One.

For some reason, I've gotten really into lyrics, of other people's creation. My post title, I believe, is a song by the Smashing Pumpkins, on the 'Infinite Sadness' album (the same album as 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings'). So yeah, that's the blog title today.

I was going to write something about death, 'cause for some reason it's been on my mind since about a week ago, but since it's going on for ten, I don't want to start typing about it (well, I was going to say talk about it, but you can't hear my voice... at least that's a plus side for all you readers...), because if I do, it'll be on my mind all night and I won't be able to sleep for ages. Y'know, my brain's a bastard like that... Anyways.

This has turned into a picture post now. I would've said 'picture perfect post', but what is perfection?... shite, does anyone really care?

By the by, I shall carry on. I've done two desktop backgrounds (or wallpapers, for you hip old-schoolers who play solitair on their Windows 98's). So, here's the first...



One thing, don't ask me who the girl is in the background, I can't remember myself. Just found the image on a site and thought about editing it, and finally did when doing this image. This is maybe the most 'blue' image I've done. Y'like? =).

Next.



Yeah, such a happy thing. I only did this in like, an hour or so. And it shows. Anyways, if you're interested in how I did it (and, I'm just guessing, you aren't), it's basically feckloads of overlayed wall and paper textures. Used some brushes for added grunginess. That's what I do on PhotoShop. Grunge. 'Tis my speciality. Well, it isn't really grunge... just an attempt on it. No idea why I put 'Welcome to hell' on it though, I just thought about it while looking on Abduzeedo, for a lark.

Oh yeah, if you want the full size one, click on the image. It'll take you to my Flickr account. There's only three images on it so far (these two and one of Hayley Williams). Should use it more. I also have DeviantART, but a link to that is on the side where a linke to my RedBubble, MySpace and all that shizz is. So yeah, feel free to critique me. Would be nice, like.

Oh yeah, to dive into infinite sadness further (what a link to the title of the post, hehe), I've got the Ashes Cricket 2009 game. Woooo. I'm pretty shit at it, only managing 100-odd runs on the first go, and losing to Bangladesh (yeah, I was Australia for that go... man, I'm crap). So yeah, must work on that game...

Talking about games... there's a news piece on Ultimate Guitar...

'Kurt Cobain: Your Newest Guitar Hero Character'.

So yeah, Cobain's the second dead person to appear on Guitar Hero, alongside Johnny Cash in Guitar Hero 5 (Jimi Hendrix was the first one, on Guitar Hero World Tour). On that news piece, there are hundreds of different comments on it. Some in favour of it, believeing that the inclusion of Cobain into Guitar Hero 5 will be benificial to Nirvana in a way to spead the bands music further into people's knowledge. While other people believe it's a disgrace, believing that they should leave Cobain to rest in piece, or thinking this is a way for Courtney Love to earn more money from his name, or explaining that Cobain was against this type of commersialism. Other people were saying that he doesn't deserve to be in it, since that he wasn't the best guitarist.

And yes, that last sentance is true. Though, Cobain was a far superior lyricist. Lithium is a good example of it, in my opinion. So is Come As You Are, and Rape Me... But then again, those are my opinions...

Anywotsits, while people were saying all those things about Cobain's inclusion into Guitar Hero 5, one thing they were pleased about. Matt Bellamy of Muse will be in it, along with the song 'Plug In Baby'. Yeah, it's a good thing, though, I think it would've been better to have all bandmemberes in the game, alongside a song deemed 'harder' in the Guitar Hero ranks. But, that, as they say, is that.

I must dash. Well actually I've got a bit of a beard, but hey ho. Lets go.

- Fin.

PS - Happy 17th birthday to RuhBuhJuh for this Monday. Have a good'un, eh? Hehe.

"I Walked All The Way To Bangor, But She Wasn't There..."

Er.... if you don't get the title, say it out loud... that's all I can say.

It was either that, or 'Needless Ensemenation'. Your choice....

Anyhill. Fiddle me this and riddle me that, I shall carry on like a failed writer, as I am... I mean, too many comma's in one sentance, if you ask me... also I've just notice I don't really know if you spell it 'sentance' or 'sentence'. Help much?...

Tonight's topics... oh yeah, it's the night. Go figure.

First topic. Football. I'm not really a fan of football, but I know a simple rule that is more true than Noah's Arc... Ahem. There's one rule in football. Fuck, any sport. That thing is this = 'long term consistancy equals success'.

What do I mean?

Take Cardiff and Swansea (football, now). Cardiff (I believe, I say again that I'm not an avid fan of football), have had the same manager and (more or less) the same coaching team for ages now, and so far this season they're doing rather good (I believe won every game?). Now, Swansea, under Martinez (name right?...), managed not only to gain promotion to the first league, but to end up at the top half in the first year in league one. Then, once Martinez left, so far this year they've been a bigger flop than a limp pornstar. Why? No long term consistency...

As much as I hate saying it... take Manchester United. Ferguson's been there for a shaite-long time, and where has it taken him? More silverwear than a magpie can handle. And take Scolari's time at Chelsea. Just because he didn't reach the expectations of the Chelsea Board in the first four-or-so months, they sacked him. That's one reason why Chelsea won't be a major hitter in English football long-term. They demand perfect performances in the short term, and if you can't deliver, you'll deliver the shopping for old pensioners until you lose the ability to grow hair. Mouriniho was one of the best modern managers Chelsea had, I can't remember why he left. Though, I would've done anything in my power to keep him there, at least for another five years... that is if I was on the Chelsea board. Ah well, let's hope the new'un'll stay longer than syphalis does...

Oh, just to add that, I should've wrote 'long term consistancy plus an above average intelligence equals success'. I totally forgot about the US's reign of error, Goerge W. Bush... Ah well.

Next topic. Lodern Mife. Yeah, it'sbasically me having another rant on today's 'celebrity age'. Grrrrr...

Anyroad, since I have AOL, everytime it goes onto the AOL Today page, there's the 'hottest searches' section. Which, I saw, was utter bullshite. I was looking at it, in disbelief, wondering 'how is the murder of someone less important than Jordan and Peter's split?'.

Am I the only person that thinks this? Do you stare, shockingly shocked, everytime you read something that basically says 'Michael Jackson's homicide has more importance in the lives of the world's population than the death and tragedy that has struck some third world country that's been stuck by a natural disaster'? Are you? I mean, FUCK. Yeah, Jackson was someone who brought something new to the mainstream music scene, but I wasn't going 'NO WAY!! OMFGZZ BBZ I'Z TWEETIN DIS SO ALL MY THREE FOLLOWERS CAN READ THIS EPICLOLZZ', I was like 'ah well, at least the sun won't fall on the planet soon'. Oh yeah, that last part of the last sentance was from a song called 'Rockin' Rocks' by Powderfinger. Anyways, I'll carry on with my point... in a NEW PARAGRAGH!! =O.

And here it is. This also enters the whole - and before I say this, I apologise for all textspeak that is overstereotyped...though I wouldn't know, being someone who writes essays in texts - 'WEHN I IS OLDER I'M GONNA BE JUST LYK JORDAN BRITTANIE AND JODIE MARSH COZ THEYRE FAMOUS HAHA LOLAGE'.

Err....

It fills me with dread, not sexual pleasure, if I see Jordan (or Katie Price, meh) on her latest ITV2 show. I believe the new one's about her split with Peter Andre. And I feel myself repeat the same word over and over again in my head...

Food?... Oh sorry, wrong word... the real word is, why? Why doed she publicly go out there (I believe that's the main thing about the public...), and allowing everything to be shown to the world? For the sake of money? Fame? Free boobjobs? Man, I thing that Jordan's New Show was more important that Katona being sacked from doing the Iceland ads for drug sniffage. I mean, to me - and I might sound rather old fasioned here, feck it - Katona's piece of news has more importance for a peice in the news than Jordan's new way of earning money by soaking up more camera lenses than someone who bathes in camera lenses. I'd want to know why Katona was sacked, when she was sacked, what will happen to her (like, is she going to go to rehab to get off the stuff, or something else). Not what Jordan's going to wear in all of her episoded.

And again, old fashioned alert here. Ah, bugger yourself if you think this. I might be, though I do play cricket on the 360, so I'm a bit 'post-modern-old-fashioned-dude'). I can't see what good these so called 'celebrities', like Jordan, Jodie Marsh and them 'glamour girls' are actually doing to the world. I'm not saying they aren't, all I'm saying is that I'm seeing them all spread all over the news/tabloids, most of the time barely clothed, just to stay in the minds of people. I mean, some girls are seeing these 'women', and wanting to do the same thing as they are...

Just to pause there, I put women in the quote things because, they aren't real women, aren't they? They aren't they way they were born. They're just what the tabloids want to have women look like. I mean, not being a pervert here, but I can't see a real point to having breast implants, just for the sake of getting attention. Though, I know of some medical cirumstances when it's acceptable. But when it's there to get more cover stories? Piss off with your plastic boobs and your materialistic views of the world. Women with real boobs are much more superior than you. =).

Also, since I'm on the subject (feck, I'm talking about women again...), what's this fantasy with the public and size zero girls? Not saying 'if your size zero, you have an ugly body', but, if you starve yourself just to fit in some clothes that are the smallest size possible? Seriously, have some fucking food. If you have to have your ribcage revealed everytime your in some ravealing clothing. Give up, you'd look twice as better in the natural size for you than you'd be if you starve yourself. Though, some girls are naturally thin, and it suits them. I mean, it'll look really odd if some girls who are usually size six, eight (I'm guessing here) end up as morbidly obiese. Also, if you're like, size eighteen, twenty or above, that doesn't label you as 'big ugly fatty'. Grrrr. Personally I'd prefer a girl with curves than one with no figure at all... bloody hell.

By the by, no I'm not saying that just to get on the good side of the female's thaughts, I'm just saying what I think... and since posting on my blog's the only time I do it, then so be it. Sorry for all you readers (the whole one and a half of you... the half being the moth upon the other readers computer screen as that person reads it).

And as well, (oh feck, he's off on one again)... I hate the fact that programs like PhotoShop, are being used to 'touch up' girls in a way to make them look totally different than they should look like. and yeah, I use PhotoShop, though I've only airbrushed an image once, and that was to see how it worked (all I did was chance the colour of both eyes and air on some random image). Yeah, sometimes it's good to erase some mishaps - maybe some mascarra had run, or the lipstick faded or some other make-up mishap), then yeah, correct it, if that's all you correct. There's some images when the editor erased the fucking belly button of a girl (which was supposed to look like a natural image... hence the fact that the belly button should be there... unless women don't have belly buttons...). I mean, how stupid can you get? Maybe I've still got an old fashioned view on the world. Y'know the one, where what you see is what you get. Where natural is better than fake. That sort of thing.

But, then I think. Why? Again, I think that three letter word. Acually, is why the only word that has no vowels? Anyby, I write all of this, but to no avail. Story of my life, really. I say all thing like 'I hate the modern way of life', 'I'm going to do something worth remembering with my life', or 'right, I'm going to make myself a pizza'. Yet, I do nothing with it. I don't go out in the real world, and work all the way to my goals (oh yeah, I'll just order the pizza from Domino's), I just possess this world of digicality, taking up space of the interweb, just to fill up the time before I go out to see friends and not think to myself 'Jesus, Ga. You're a fucking loner, eh?', and that's the censored version...

Ah well. Feck it all.

Father Ted's awesome, by the ways.

- Fin, and then some.

Fuck.

Well, now. That's a way to entice readers to... er... read...

Or, it's a way to discourage the people who believe swearing is like placing your tounge into Satan's grasp...

But, I assume your the first example, so if you're sitting comfortably... guessing you are now, let me resume.

Again, fuck.

And again, a wonderful way to entice readers...

What has struck in the lifeless world of this humanoid to enrich the merry monitors with four letters of cursage? Has grieve arrived at his door, or has disappointment rained down on his weary head? Or is it happiness that has filled the heart of stone to exhale a four letter word that is related to shagging?

Er... none of them, really. It's some word trickery that I have failed to cast on your humble self... let me explain...

F - Yaba Daba Doo.

If you aren't well educated in the world of cricket, one of England's best players is Andrew Flintoff, which his nickname is Freddie... see the connection?... Freddie? Fred Flintstone?... Yaba daba doo?... forget it.

Anyways, the fifth and final test of the Ashes finished. To my surprise - oh, and by the by, I'm starting from the beginning then to the end - England racked up a rather impressive first innings score of 300-odd, considering they were bowled all out for 102 in the fourth test, shocking. Then, they proceeded to do to Australia what the Aussies done to the English...

Australia, 160, all out.

I looked at that, thinking, 'someone must've missed out a digit before that'... 160! Jeeez... I'm not sure if that's worse than England's 102-odd all out in the fourth test.. Why? Well, England had their problems, like Freddie being out, and Pieterson, though he's going from bad to even badder. Though, I believe the Aussies had their problems, they still had their main batsmen (who are some of the best in the world, may I add). Then, England's second innings was over 300 declared, meaning they were 500 or so runs ahead. I can't remember a time when England had a better time to win the Ashes than this time, but aye, Australia was shy of a win by 197 runs. Gutting for the Aussies. Happy days for England, and Freddie. His last ever Ashes sees a win for England, nice knowing you, dude. =).

Oh, as well, I'm going to get the Ashes Cricket 2009 game soon, because I am a sad child who enjoys cricket and golf games on the XBox 360. =).

U - Unseen Footage.

This, dare I say it, is ironic. I'm probably wrong, in the definition of 'ironic'.

One word of advice, I have to ITV....

Please, stop putting on 'The X Factor' every night, it get's slightly on people's collective tits after the first show. I've had enough of, for one, repeats of the same show, on different channels, even though they've utilised the good old fasion of 'copycat-ism' and got ITV-Player, in which, I believe, holds the show for over a week? So why bloody bother? Then there's Xtra Factor. Again, this is repeated more times than the amount of series of X Factor put together. And this is the TV we're going to get from ITV until Christmas? The same digested drivel followed by the same digested drivel, only with added undigested drivel? Pathetic.

And it's not only the X Factor to blame. But yes, it's ITV.... Stop, please stop. Oh, how I beg of thee to stop showing highlights of a football match that you've shown live coverage of before the news started. I mean, I can't imagine a more idiotic thing in my life, and I've seen screenshots of the new DJ Hero. Why not stick it on one of the other ITV channels. Though ITV1's for the main shows. ITV2's your 'gossip and comedy' zone (which, BBC3's better... well, for the comedy anyways). ITV3's the drama side with ITV4 being added for, I presume, sport. There you go, put it on that fucking side. Oh, and by the ways, I'd be saying this if it was a Chelsea game also, or Arsenal... and definately Manchester United....

Anyways... on to calmer things...

C - 'Oh, The Light Brings The Olive Tree Into Perspective Soooo Dramatically...'

If you haven't guessed what it is yet, it's creativity... I know, I could just say it, but meh, I tried to make you think... guess I failed you...

Anywho....

I've had an urge to start making (or, should I say, 'attempt to make') desktop backgrounds for... well... desktops... er.... Ahem. Yeah, desktop background. I think they've started dubbing it desktopography. Oh yeah, soooo imaginative. I love the way they haven't used all the vowels... sooo post modern...

Anyways, I've tried doing some before, though they were only really for my use. Only because I kept putting CrazyDistortion on my name. I won't stop doing that though. Somewhere, be it small or the main thing in the piece, CrazyDistortion will be present on the work. Call it my calling card, or watermark. I only really started using CrazyDistortion for practicing typography skills (which, even though it's the easiest part of digital imagery skills, is my strongest section), like the thing I made for the bottom of my blog (I think it's still there). Though, I want to start doing ones with people... and that's where I'm stuck...

I figured, that if I was going to do this, it'll be better to use images of bands, famous people, or models that are royalty-free, than to ask people 'can I use this to make a wallpaper'. Because I've recently started to realise how much of a pervert I sound asking it. I mean, I find it easier doing images of girls (please, don't take that in the wrong way...), because... er... I dunno. It just seems more natural. If I do an edit of a male, it don't feel right. Especially if it's me. I've only edited like, three images of me. Ah well. Anyways, on I go with my thing. In a new paragragh... which will start....

Now. So yeah, the problem is, the only one I see possibilities for a desktop background is Hayley Williams from Paramore. Oh, that link on her name is to one of her that I done a while back. It's okay, just not really happy with how the text came out. Thing is, also, I bet if you say 'Paramore' to someone in the emo-scene scene (and no, I don't have a fetish for repetition, nor for repeating things), they'd say 'Hayley Williams' or 'Misery Business'. So, I feel if I do desktops of her, then I'm basically saying Paramore's a one (wo)man band. But, to be fair, the others aren't bad either. The drummer's not bad at doing his banging. Neither are the two guitarists and bassist. Now, it also makes me feel bad that I've mentioned the whole band, and only named the singer. I do (kinda) know the names of the other ones, I'm just unsure who plays what. Though I think Zach plays drums, with his brother playing lead guitar. And someone called Jeremy on bass... that's about it. Anyways. Anyone got any inspiration for different styles for my to try out? Or even different people to edit? Though, one thing I must mention...

I have a problem. Yes, problem is my middle name. So is 'meh'. Anyways. If any of you say 'MEGAN FOX!! OMGODZZZ I WANNA XYLOPHONE HER SOOO BADZZZ MEGALOLZZ', then, a, you need help making your Caps Lock key unsticky (may I add, stop wanking over her. Pervert... =P). And b, er... how do I say this without being bulldozed by a trillion daggers thrown from the readers eyes... er... No offence dudes... but she's kinda overated. And, to me, I don't really see the attractiveness other people can. I mean, yeah, she's pretty and all, but I wouldn't want say 'I'd tap that like a Van Halen solo'. And, I just realised that for the first time in my blog... I talkted about the attractiveness of a girl (well, a woman... y'know what I mean like). Weird...

Well, I think I went a long time on the subject of the letter C... and no, it's not the rhyming slang for James Blunt...

Last but not least...

K - 'Haha. Rofl. Epic Failzzz'.

Again, let me link it up for you...

Text speak > Talking to people > Having fun > Games > Online games > XBox 360.

No? You don't see it either... good.

Anyroad, it's about the joys of the 360. Well, I say joys...

I mean, not only can you create your own avatar on XBox Live (I've been verbally attacked by my sisters... they keep saying that it looks like a girl... I thought it matched my hair better with that hairstyle... ah well, not changing it...), but you can buy things for it with microsoft points?

*Epic jaw drop*

I mean, how many ways does Microsoft have to swindle people out of money? Grrrrrrrr. Ah well...

I do have another question... is it true that Sky (of some sorts) is coming to 360? I know that FaceBook, Twitter and Last.fm might turn up there, but will Sky TV? And if so, would it be for Gold membership users only? If so... I might get gold... YEY. Well, considering Sky TV is like twenty quid a month, and Xbox Live is £34 a year? And the ability to play online games? Result. =).

Oh yeah, have you seen the new PS3 Slim? Er... nice idea, but nah.... I'm okay with my (se)Xbox 360. =).

Well, well, well. And no, I'm not online after falling down a well...

That shall be the end of the post... and the well's also.... for now...

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

S'laterzzzz.

- Fin.

And Now, The Fun Stops.....

I've already made a few posts to a blog that I doubt anybody has read.

And, I've realized, I haven't introduced myself (now you understand the stupid title...).

Well, basically I call myself CrazyDistortion online. I came up with the name CrazyDistortion when I was thinking of a new username for my new BEBO (because I deleted my other one, along with some of the skins.... damn bastard BEBO... hehe). At the time I was a Devil May Cry 3 fanatic, and my favourate weapon was called "Nevan" (Hence my name also being "Nevaan" online... yes, I am THAT sad...), which was an electric guitar that shoots bats when you played a sweet, sweet melody. One of my favorite moves you can do with the Nevan is called Distortion. I tried that and it said that it was used up, which is a right bugger. So I remembered another move that I love killing demonic bastards with. Called the "Crazy Roll" (think of the guitarists in Fall Out Boy, but with bats flying around and electriciry shooting everywhere...). I took away the roll, and instead added distortion. And alas, gave birth to CrazyDistortion. (This was taken from a blog from my group on Bebo, called CrazyDistortiong Media, if you feel like becoming a fan, please feel free to search for the band). One main reason why I've stuck with CrazyDistortion is because, maybe it's just me who thinks this way, but it's like my identity now. I know it's not a famous thing, but it's raising, slowly but surely. 

For instance, on YouTube. Even though my username's NevanIWannaWii, I pretty much have CrazyDistortion in the tag line every time, so you'll know it's me. So far my videos have been viewed over ninety five thousand times collectively (I have fifteen videos, though three have been refused due to accidental copyright infringement), even if they've been up for a year now. It's obvious that the favorite is the  speeded up version of 'Misery Business' by Paramore. I've also had a lot of stick too, for the edit I have done of 'I Write Sins, Not Tragedies' by Panic At The Disco. In the title, I said it was edited (which is true), though I may have been misleading by saying this, because many people have believed I meant edited as in audio (bleeping out the swear words), at that moment of my life, I had no idea how to do it. Also, I didn't even think of the audio dubbing. All I concentrated on is the editing of the video. Luckily, many people have watched it and liked it. If you are offended by swear words and you have/are about to watch the video, please don't blaspheme me just because I didn't dub the audio. That will be greatly appreciated.

Then, once I left the video editing bug behind in its dusk of Windows Media Player, I carried on with the main thing I wanted to do in life - image editing. It has changed drastically over the year I've actually done it. This, again, is from the blog I posted on the 'CrazyDistortion Media' group on BEBO, though I might have corrected spelling mistakes or updated a few things.

The way I entered into the wonders of skin edits though is a different story (of course it is... the birth of Crazydistortion is not the same as actually making skins eh??). I got interested into photo editing when I saw my sister, Lowri, looking at one of the pictures one of her friends have jazzed up for her. It was brilliant like. I looked at it and was thinking "Yeah, I could do that". So the next day, I was on this program I just realised I had on the computer. It was called Picasa2. Though it is the most simplest editing program in existance, it was still a handy tool.

Then one day, everything changed. For the world of photo editing. For me. I found a program so good I could make the sun appear in someone's eye. This program is the man. Which is funnily called the GIMP (version 2.0 or higher). This program really set me off on all the photo editing possibilities. With more filters, more tint styles, I thought I was the best alive like. Until, I realized, I could go one better. Only one thing stood in my way... and for that... I needed PhotoShop.

Thanks to my uncle Graham (who is, like an brilliant person), I got PhotoShop. Now I can do the thing that the photo edit that Lowri's friend done for her made me want to do - colourise photos in more depth. At first I just had a look around, see what filters I could do with this titan of a program. Then it hit me. I have the godfather of the photo editing world at my fingertips (well in my hard-drive, but that's irrelevant like). Now I was churning photo edits like there was no later on (yes, it was that fast like this.... see told you it was fast). from that moment on I was making edits, while my friends were "proud owners" of brand-spanking new edits of themselves (I tried to make the girls more beautiful than normal, I tell you it was a hard thing to improve on such lovely ladies like.... he-he).

I know you are getting tired, but don't worry. I'm finishing soon like. One fine day, I was looking for a new skin and was thinking "*sigh* Oh I want to make my own skin..." and then I saw it, a link that says "Roll Your Own". So I read the specs of the skin, made up a quick skin on PhotoShop, changed the size of it on GIMP, uploaded it onto BEBO and hey presto... my first skin. I called it Black and White, because....erm.... it was a black and white skin?? It was shaite really. I wouldn't be suprise if someone commented on my profile saying "F**k off, you pansy!! Let the pros make the skins!!"

Then the rest went on from there really. Made new skins. Made new photo edits. My friends saying to me on MSN "Ga.... you know that awesome skin you made??.....Well, can you make me one on yadayadayayda please??" Hehe it was mad... =D

Then, after that, friend at the time said about advertising my skins and edits, that is the birth of the 'CrazyDistortion Media' band (now group, now you get why I keep calling it a band).

After a mad while of making skins for BEBO (I must admit, they were pretty rubbish compared to the ones I can do now), I created my first profile on an art social network (if that is what they are called). I started off with DeviantART (username's CrazyDistortion, again, if your interested). Nothing major has happened on it really. I have had at least one work added to somebody's favorites, but maybe they've taken it off now. Once I read in a magazine (full of PhotoShop tutorials, I admit) about a new website called RedBubble. Thhngs have (sort of) taken off now. My work (if that's what you can call them) is now viweable from Manchester to Melbourne. I know that could happen on BEBO, MySpace and the like, but on RedBubble, there's far more people that are into all sorts of art, and you can be sure when someone comments your work, it's not some wannabe joking around. I've had loads of comments and critique, and I've taken on the comments (hopefully) very well. There's a massive difference from my first attempt at a website design and my most recent one. I also have made some tee-shirt designs, which so far (to my knowledge) no-one has bought any yet. Lets hope in the near future, I'll make something out of it...

Aside from editing, and you can tell its a big part of my life, I am learning to play the bass and electric guitar. I've only started since Christmas of '07 with bass, and a month later with the guitar. To be frank, I suck. I am not learning to play guitar to be one of those guys who does nothing but guitar. I just feel like sometimes, its a good idea to express yourself musically. Though I know I'm not going to be on the same level as Herman Li, Slash or Tom Morello (you might've guessed that I play Guitar Hero too? I'll leave that for now...). Same as on bass. I just want to be able to play out some cool sounds. I can pretty much do half of songs on guitar, but can do whole songs on bass. But, then again, bass is easier than guitar...

Right, back to the Guitar Hero reference. I have GH 2 and 3 for the PS2, and the game says that I'm an expert. I can pretty much complete GH3 on expert (apart from Raining Blood.... bastard) and the same on GH2. Cherub Rock, Talk Dirty To Me and Before I Forget are my favorites from GH3, while I love the bass to Slow Ride. GH2 favorite's include Heart Shaped Box, Bad Reputation and War Pigs. I'll shut up about Guitar Hero for now..... =)....

I pretty much suck at other aspects of life. Take sports. My main sport is cricket. Bowling, I'm a demon at. Batting, I generally suck. That's all about cricket. I also enjoy playing rugby and football. Many people are surprised on the way I play rugby. I can play either wing or full back, but I'd like to think I'd do well in any position as long as it's in the backs. My strength in rugby is mainly running with the ball, while my weakness is tackling, though I did do one good tackle in a competition in my school last year. Football, I'm still in the attacking aspect of things (I'd say, anyways). Mainly a winger, I can play wing back or any attacking position (as long as you don't mind me not scoring so much).

Well, that's pretty much it really. Other than the vital statistics such as gender (I have a penis), birthday (hint - I have a sting in my tail...), and other things.... but they can keep.

I must apologize about two things though. One being how long this thing is. The other is the language. I'm from Wales, but as I am using Safari, it's saying that everything I type is wrong. As it's American (I believe), then some words will be different to the English dialect that I'm used to.

 Anyways, if anyone's read this, thank you for taking the time to read this very pointless blog. Might edit it to add some edits that I've done and links to my profiles. But for now....

Cyanide.

What? It's goodbye in any language!