21st Birthday

My parents managed to get me again as per usual, you really think by now I would be able to second guess them but not so.

I did get to London by train and then a Taxi to the hotel which was nice but the Marriott was a lot nicer but I really didn't care considering I was able to have a long steepy bath with a fruit bowl and a bottle of complimentary water so I felt really good. Went to Aces that night and it was a cruising night which was fun but I so need a guy who's into the rock and roll music and dancing cause it was a bit annoying stuck there with no one to dance with and no one my age to ask it was a bit of a pain. But meh it was still fun and I got a new shirt out of it to which I was happy about.

Sunday was spent at Camden Market in the morning which was cool and I got myself a nice T-shirt and a Nightmare Before Christmas bag which was fun. Then we met up with my cousin James and went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoneix in the Leicester Square Cinema with all the big posters and screen which was great fun and really made everything appear so cool which made me really happy. Then pizza hut for tea, headed home and fell asleep.

Monday was a really cool day, got up and received presents from parents which included a Tamagotchi cause they never got me one before and a Lord of the Rings bangle which is really really pretty. Then got dressed and went to Forbidden Planet ^_^ Heh I adore that place to much it's crazy and I got myself a Bumblebee T-shirt which lights ups, the prequal novel for Transformers which I'm highly enjoying, a Gothic Lolita Bible which they had in stock and I've poured through it a few times already and two posters for when I go to Swansea. Then went to the Star Wars exhibition in County Hall and got photoed with all the stuff and then got to play at being a Jedi with the DVD to prove it which is highly funny and also made a couple of friends in the que which was fun as well. Then head back to the room to get changed as we have to catch four buses which my parents keep arguing over the numbers and the order which we have to catch them in. The numbers wee 86, 7, 30 and 21 - guess which muppet didn't quite get them until the mercadies benz pulled up outside and drove us to the theartre. And what did my parents take me to see? PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!!! I've waited all these years and I finally get to see it, unbelievably cool and surpassed all my expectations ten fold if that's possible in any sence of anything but so so cool! Kallers we can now double team William about the chandelier because that was amazing! and the guy playing Phantom was brilliant, his voice broke up when he was upset and the emotion was unreal. SO COOL!

The next day was more relaxed with a trip up Kensington High Street, a nice swim around in the pool and then back to the hotel to get changed to go to the cinema. Get told to change my top cause it's not nice enough so I'm guessing that we're going somewhere else and head towards Dury Lane in search of the Indian's me and Mam went to last time. I spot the sign for 'The Lord of the Rings' Musical and go 'oh well at least we know where that is now' like a complete and total gimboid and then click to the fact that we are actually going to see said show. Really good, boycotted half the story completely, no riddimark or anyhting like that, but the bits they had in were stunning with the Black Riders being imposing and scary, Shelob being exceptionally creepy and the Balrog utterly amazing. It's one that will probably fade out unfortunately unless they get someone to really belt out the songs and make them show stoppers but I'm glad to say I've seen it and got the T-shirt to prove it.

Came home today as just a normal trip and got the dog sorted. Thought I would let everyone know what I had been up to and look forward to sat to see those of you who are coming to that party.

Catches the tumbleweed

Well finally I've gotten around to updating which is a pretty amazing thing but forgive me things have been all over the place and I'm still trying to sort out over half of it which is a bit disturbing.

First thing I'll let you know is that I am a very much happy Ryu at the moment with things to do and I'm out of that bloody horrible depressing stage I was in a few months ago - even though right now it feels like several years have passed. I did get my degree at a 2:1 - though I'm amazed that I did it considering the amount of crap that appeared to happen constantly and the mounds of stress to but I did it so I'm happy.

So that means that I've done it, had the graduatation - or more correctly the disorganised chaos thing you have to go to in order to get a bit of paper. Seriously it's a bit anti-climatic by the time you get there because all you're concerned about it walking across the stage without falling over and making an arse of yourself. I didn't thankfully so it was well worth it and I look stupid in a motoboard...if anyone really wants to see the picture I'll put it up once I've got it back cause I'm still waiting on it.

The degree also means I'm on my Masters, though technically even if I got a third I was on the course anyway so tis all good. Got a place sorted - waiting to recieve the contract though but that's on it's way - so I'm moving in with five lads who I don't know in September. That's going to be fun but on the plus side it has resulted in getting new jammies, clothes and underwear so I'm all happy there. Went shopping with mam for them as well as my party outfit and I've finally achieved a dream and got a fifties/sixties style dress which I'm so happy about. Somehow I've started to become much more of a female of late which is a bit wierd but it's happening so I'm happy.

Also been to my gala, still trying to get the bloody DVD off one of my mates so that I can show peeps my film though there is still a bit missing cause it was cut and I've discovered that it actually had a lot of the story info in it but meh it happens. Got to wear my big gothic dress to which was great fun indeed. I seem to have a thing for dresses at the moment but they are so cool.

Also became a Transformers fan again with the movie release, went with Kal to see it last Sat and I highly recommend it as it is brilliant. Shows exactly what Hollywood can do if they bloody get people to work on the films who actually know something about it to begin with. I mean the writers spent ages on it, Spielburge was a fan and Micheal Bay didn't know anything but he worked with people to keep it as true to the original with a lot of modern twists. Go and see for you're sanity.

Got the HP book but have yet to begin reading it purely due to the fact I'm doing overtime at work with everything else and it's eating up my time all over the place so it's a bit hetic but the kind of organised chaos I'm used to. That sounds strange but Ryu is much happier when there's lots to do and sort out.

Going to London next week for my proper 21st, no idea what I'm doing yet other than a trip to Aces but that's my parents for you. True I wasn't meant to know I was going to London again but Dad let it slip accidentally with the prospect of my Auntie Maureen coming but thankfully she ain't which is a good thing. Though I stil say if she had turned up that we could have set Aunt Betty on her with all the Whities which would have been funny.

Well, there ya go, updated and hope everyones all right. Going to do stuff now and go from there.

Selling my wares

Taht's right, I'm selling sutff in an aide to sort out my stuff and also help towards my uni in the future. I'm putting up a list here so if you want any of it get in contact via e-mail, text, phone or whatever and I'll send it up to you. It's all going on e-bay generally so I'm just seeing if anyone wants anything before it does.

Things Being Sold

Manga/comic/Mag

By The Sword 1

Metropolis

Naruto 1-2

Hyper Rune 1

Dragon Hunter 3

Vampire Princess Miyu 5

How to Draw Manga Getting Started

How to Draw Manga Couples

DC Outsiders Issue Nov 93

Heebie Jeebie Hullabaloo


Books

Star Trek Logs 1-3

Star Trek Logs 4-6

Star Treck Voyager 3

Star Wars The New Jedi Order – Balance Point

Star Wars Jedi Apprentice – The Defenders of the Dead

Star Wars A New Hope

Star Wars Children of the Jedi

The Burning Stone

Discworld The Colour of Magic

Discworld Mort

Discworld Interesting Times

Discworld Guards! Guards!

Discworld The Science of Discworld

Dune

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Box Set (5 books)

Dragonflight

The Skies of Pern

The Girl Who Heard Dragons

A streetcar name desire and other plays

T.S.Eliot Collected Plays

Dragon Master

Stravaganza City of Masks

Lord Brocktree

The Time of the Dragon

The Phantom of the Opera

The Princess and the Goblin

Winter Warriors

The Great Gatsby

The Dragon Crown

Blood Hostages

Earth Dawn Prophecy

The Swords of Night and Day

The Call of the Wild/White Fang

New Plays 3

Sabriel

Dracula

Dhiammara

Bored of the Rings

Ninety-nine Dragons

Knight of the Demon Queen

A shadow on the glass

The Tough Guide of Fantasyland

Servant of the Dragon

Riverview Kids

Silver Jacanory

Shadowmancer

My family and other animals

Wicked

The hunchback of Notre-Dame

A ghost of a chance

The Horse Lord

The complete book of Pratical Gardening

Star Dragon

Red Dwarf Last Human

Encyclopedia of TV science fiction

Role play/gaming

Inferno! Magazine Issue 25

Codex Eldar – Second edition

Index Astartes 2002 ed

Orcs and Goblins 2003 ed

Kislev White Dwarf suppliment 2003

Warhammer Standard Rule Book

Dreaming Cities Tri-stat urban fantasy genre Core rule book

Werewolf The Forsaken RPG book

Blue Rose RPG Core rule book

Ars Magica RPG Core rule book Forth Edition

Ars Magica RPG Core rule book Fifth edition

Exalted RPG Core rule book

Just Under 1000 point (approx) Orc’s and Goblins Army – fully painted and in offical Warhammer Box with Foam. Mix of plastic and second edition metal figarines (with a couple of second edition boxes to prove authentisty)

Warhammer Goblin Regiment – need to be assembled and painted

Warhammer High Elf Archers Regiment – need to be assembled and painted

Warhammer Golbing Doomday thrower – completely in box never opened

Warhammer Painting set x2

Metal Warhammer Second edition Wyven with rider – one wing has come off but easy to glue back on.



Educational

Media, Gender and Identity

The Film Studies Reader

The strange Death of Tory England

Crime and Deviance

Cinema Studies Key Concepts

The media students book third edition

Driving Visions

The Road Movie Book

America in the Movies

YAAY!!!!

I'm going to Swansea! It's 100% offical! I've got a place on the Masters Degree in Creative and Media writing and all I have to do is pass my course to be on it. So no matter what my final grades are I'm getting onto an MA.

True I'm going to be in Wales - and speaking Yakee Dar as my mum said when she found out - but who cares, I'll be in Doctor Who Country and writing.

*bounces around like an idiot*

Whoo Hoo

Well that's it, I am offically finished uni in terms of all the work I need as of today with the last pitch assessment being completed. So now alls I've gotta do is wait on the results, go to the gala and graduation and then see what the world is going to throw at me.

So far I appear to be going to Swansea as I've got a non-formal interview next week which should be good but Westminster have also requested for stuff now so tis going to get interesting. So by the looks of things I could be moving down south for a masters but still a bit on the unsure side about that but heh it'll be fun no matter what.

Been playing FFX again lately and I'm glad to say I've got the hang of it this time, but I supposed not playing FFIX at the same time helps cause the systems are totally different. So go me, it only took like half an hour to defeat the sinspawn that has the two arms instead of the three/four goes last time. So that's good ^_^

Kendo's going fine and RPGs good too, thinking about writing stuff and sorting out something to do but on hold at the mo.

Anyway, hope everyone's keeping well and catch you all later.

Just a bit of fun

Found these the other day, after watching Corpse Bride, and think they're very good.

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVdjZi58kks[/url] Original trailer

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLZ1tT9yTKY[/url] FFAdvent parody trailer

From ths mists of time

wow, I think this is one of the longest times I've gone without actually doing an update of any sort. Quite amazing really but heh I've been busy with ten ton of stuff it's been unreal. So hello anyone who actually is reading this blog - cause I think I'm the only person in the world who actually bothers with this anymore - and lets get started with the updating.

Uni - well talk about what the fuck - pardon french - happened. The deadline is in three weeks time and I'm wondering where the hell everythings gone. I've been working on the scripts, editing them down as I over-wrote them origianlly which was not that brilliant, and found myself actually enjoying them properly for the first time. I think this last year has been hyper stressed but when I think of all the stuff that's being going in around in I'm actually not that surprised. I mean mum was in hospital with two operations, I had the trouble with the police, I had a load of work load on me, an ex who was being a pain in the arse, a kendo grading which I was worried to hell over as well as the usual assortment or work, coursework and mainting a social life that for a few months was completely none-existant. But things are sorted out now I'm happy to say and after reading one of the stars info pages - yes I read them though most are rubbish - which said that everything appears to be crumbelling around you when it's just rebuilding itself into something new and a whole lot better reflection on you. This makes me smile and has given me an good old fashioned confidence boost. Still waiting to hear from Swansea and Westminster to see if I've got places but I'm thinking that if they're anything like the ucas lot then they get the rejections out first - Goldsmiths rejected me but not because I didn't have enough experience just the fact that it was a very competative course and there were better people, it was better than getting told I had nothing of worth which was a good thing - and then go through the possibles and definates. Just wish they would hurry up and get back to me then I can start planning my life again. But yes, coursework deadlines coming up now so I'm bevering away at that and I've only got two 2,500 word essays to write but they have plans now so that shouldn't be to bad.

The film shoot - yes, the film got done but oh my god. I do not want to go through something like that again unless I'm either not involved in it personally - aka not my house - or that the people I'm working with actually give me something to do. I'm going to rant on here so forgive but seriously it was a bloody horrible but yet rewarding experience. I had no trouble with Simon - producer and editor - cause we get along really well and he's dead canny but what was pissing me off - and Dad as I later learned - was that fact that Lee - director - hadn't taken the time to read the script which I had done, had barely put anything into it and then constantly asked me things about the script or left me completely out of the picture and asked the actors how they would say things in this sort of situation. Now don't get me wrong, the actors were good and all that but they were stage actors and the medium is a totally different thing. Yes they can act and write their own stuff but the difference is unbelievable and they would have focused more on the theatre based stuff. I was sitting in the living room on these days, watching TV with Dad cause I wasn't given any other jobs to do other than drive them around, so Lee knew he could come and ask me for information cause I knew the script inside out and wouldn't have minded working with him on it. I felt downright cheated out of that right as a script writer but I think Mam got to Lee and gave him a slight nudge because his biggest fear now is going to be at the premier to make sure he gets the nod from me that it's what I intended for it to be. Speaking of which, the gala for the screening is June 11th at the gate if anyones interested, I'll keep an eye out for tickets and give a yell to anyone who wants to go. Another thing which pissed me off was the fact that Lee and Mark - camera op who I get along with just not as much as Si - kept on making quips about my room and other little niggley things which were tolerable but were nasty in a lot of senses because they were getting the house for free and weren't paying for it. It just boiled away into streams of frustration but looking back it was actually quiet valuable because I now know exactly what I should do before filming starts and make sure if I'm going to be on set to know what the hell I'm supposed to be doing there. But like they say, it's over to them now and I can't complain.

Holiday - after the weeks filming, which felt more like a month I can tell you, we went on holiday to Shropshire for a week and I got a total cut off cause Dad had a fall out with mum on the third day after red marley. the bike show was brilliant and we had a good laugh with Andy - friend of the family - which was great fun and someone was trying to get a scooter up this bloody hill and managed it much to everyones amusement. I spent most of the time wandering around the countryside or sitting reading my book and not doing much when the parents weren't talking to one another and just enjoying some well earned solitude. I also went out and about with mum to which was great and got to go around castles, small towns and just kick about with not much to do. Just nice, quiet, relaxing and well worth it. It totally revitalised me and set things into perspective which was great because I can start to sort myself out once I know what I'm doing.

Films - been a mixture of filsm recently but my three favourite are as follows. 300, seen it twice and absoulutely adore it. The graphic's are stunning, the acting is brilliant and story is written so well. And for once it looks like a comic book! A proper comic book, the film industry has finally clicked to the fact that if you want to do a comic on the big screen you have to do it like the actual comica book cause otherwise it looks daft. At the sake of sounding like a hypocrit, most of the comic book conversions to film have not worked very well at all, I'm not a real fan of comic books either but most just haven't worked and look completely wrong. Plus I tend to find they get people who look nothing like the characters or have the wrong personalities for them. Like the X-men films, they're good don't get me wrong but think back to the cartoon series and how much better that was. 300 looks and feels like the comic book - I went hunting for it image wise and I was reading the screen - which is why it works perfectly well whilst (don't you dare kill me Mark) Spiderman and Fantastic 4 are naff.

Getting off that topic I can also recommend 'Sunshine' by Danny Boyle which is an interesting concept Sci-fi (and british to but guess where our budget went) that is strangely surreal and interesting whilst being a very fun film to watch. Danny does trumps here in making you think things through and playing with the stereotype conventions to make you go 'oh no not another [insert film here]' and then takes it completely away from you to mess on with it. The visuals are typical Danny work - the guy who did Trainspotting, 28 days laters (which is getting a sequal so his quote of never doing another scify is completely wrong lol) - but owe a lot to the arthouse tradition but in a commercial way. They guy is great to watch and I recommend it though it's not his best work. It's more one you've got to watch several times over.

The other film I've recently watched and completely enjoyed was Casshern, a J-cyberpunk (if it can rightly be called that) film that was out in 2004 and Jonathon Ross highly recommended it. I also highly recommend it. The best way to describe it is take GITS, Akria, Final Fantasy Advent Children, Battle Royal and The Ring, mix them toghether, make it live action and add a heavy metal base track to it and you get a very vauge idea of how this works. It's stunning visually, showing the story from three serperate perspectives at points which is strange but interesting, the story is multi-layered and the actors are good. Very cute as well and one of them could definately be in a live action version of FF if they ever made it. Very confusing the first time you watch though but one that has many layers and is definately worth while. Plus I wanted to cry at the end.

And that's it folks. ^_^

Three days down

Thought I'd better update since I've been slacking off for the last couple of weeks but what with film shoots to plan and coursework drafts to be done I've been all over the place so forgive.

The films finally being made so I'm glad about that and it's strange to actualyl see it coming to life but a pain not to say something out loud. Heh I'll get through it and see what the outcome is. I've also managed to do over a hundred miles in the last three days and have two more to go. Oh fun.

The uni works been good, I've got the scripts re-drafted and sorted out. Need to cut Dome down by seven more pages though and tidy it up but I was going through it thinking what the hell had I been writing so tis a good thing. Got some reports to do as well which I'm not looking forward to but not a lot I can do about that.

Also I highly recommend 300 if you've not seen it yet cause it's class and fantastic and will be so bought on DVD by me when I get the chance - plus the Gaia comic is cute and funny in ref to it.

Well quick update from me ^_^