No black and white in the blue

12:35pm: Manga
Does anyone know any UK-based websites that sell translated Manga? Only I've seen the stuff on sale for around ?6-7 a volume at the local Blackwells and I want to check if there's somewhere cheaper before I go buy them out of stock =P

11:41am: Holiday
I'm off to Hong Kong for 2 weeks, should have something to say when I'm back :)

10:27am: Wo hen hao!
Things have happened!

This weekend some of my workmates reminded me they'll be going back to Hong Kong/Macau soon and it occurred to me that it might be cool to visit them whilst having a holiday at the same time (I haven't had one in two years =P). I've been working some serious overtime recently and am earning about ?300 a week, which means I can afford a decent holiday =D My brother is in the same position and I mentioned my plans to him and half a day later he'd booked 2 weeks off in June. I'll be doing that today after enquiring about any deals the Chinese travel agents in Chinatown might be able to offer us (the best price I've found online for return non-stop flights and 2 week accommodation is ?760 including all taxes n such). So I'll be off to Hong Kong on the 14th of June! =)

I went into Uni the other day to check for exam times and I noticed something else on the notice board. There's a guy in China who's been given the task of recruiting English graduates for teaching jobs in certain middle-schools in China. It was my original intention to either pay ?7000 for a year's Mandarin course/accommodation/food/insurance/outings etc in Beijing or to go straight into teaching English in one of the schools there. The last one is obviously more financially plausible as I'll obviously have a large debt from my English degree, but I didn't know where to start before this letter popped up on our notice board =) It talks about this year but I know for a fact that for China this will be a continuous thing (I know of a few people who have already gone there to teach) so I'm going to enquire about doing it when I graduate next year.

In lesser news, I bought an Xbox with a few games and had it chipped at a local computer fair so I can run them in Progressive Scan and play imports. The software that you can install is pretty cool, if you install a larger hard drive you can actually copy whole games to disk and run them from it =) Toca Race Driver 2 is really addictive, much better than Gran Turismo in terms of actual gameplay (the AI actually provides a challenge and car damage means you can't cheat) and you can use the Xbox's custom soundtrack feature, where you use the tracks you've burned to the HDD from your own cd collection =) Graphics are by far the best of the three consoles anc the re-designed controller is perfect, the analogue triggers are great for the racing games =) Other games I bought/borrowed are: Star Wars KOTOR, Halo, Project Gotham Racing (which is cool simply because you can race around London =D), Moto GP 2 (superbikes), Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and Panzer Dragoon Orta. Eagerly awaiting Ninja Gaiden, Sudeki and Fable.

Work is so much harder these days as we have to count in and deal with 8 areas of contracts (basically, all British Gas advisers from the entire country send every single contract to the 8 of us). Once counted in we then have to organise them and constantly issue them out to the 50+ inputters and then file them away when they're returned. This used to be pretty easy but with the volume of contracts trippled it can be quite overwhelming =P Still, ?300 is nice while it's still tax-free =D (until I earn ?4000 anyway).

My first exam went quite well I think, the one tomorrow will be interesting because it has the most confusing questions =P It's only 2 hours long though, so I don't have to talk bollocks for as long as the previous one.

6:57pm: Latest noos
As hoped I got the job upgrade! I almost didn't because the workflow manager failed to mention to the agency that they'd been training me for 4 weeks and so the agency went ahead with hiring new staff. Fortunately one of them could only stand one hour of it before deciding it was "too much for me!" and quit. So because of that error in recruiting I'm now in that team.

I've been interested in getting a motorbike license and bike for some time now and I've decided that's what I'll save up for now =) I should be able to afford lessons within a month and I'll keep saving in the hope of buying a bike before I go home for my birthday in August. I've checked sites such as Bike Trader and Ebay Motors and these are examples of bikes I'll be able to get (used, but in good condition):

Kawasaki GPZ500S
Kawasaki ZZR600

Looking to spend around ?1500 on one, then another ?500 on lessons/test and protective clothing.

I was told today my Drama presentation was the best of the class, which was awesome. However, I was then reminded that I didn't hand in a critique >_< When I got out after the presentation a couple of weeks ago I didn't give it another thought as I was glad it was over. I put it so far in the back of my mind that I forgot to do the critique >_< It isn't the end of the world as that only constitutes 20 of the marks and I'll still recover 4 of those marks when I do hand it in but it still means I'll lose a lot of marks =(

Ah well, off to see Zatoichi tonight with Foz! ^_^

11:32am: I'm a consumer whore!
I won't be able to goto China with my flatmate this year; one of his semi-distant family members has done something (they're not even telling him what it was =P) and if he goes back to China he'll get caught up in it and won't be able to return here to finish his education. He finishes next year so I think he's planning on going back then and hopefully things will have cooled down by then anyway.

Anyway, I've stopped saving every penny I earn and spent quite a lot recently =P I bought the following anime DVDs from ebay:
Cowboy Bebop series + film,
Kenshin OAVs (favourite visual style of any anime),
Serial Experiments Lain (which has pushed past Cowboy Bebop and is now my favourite anime!)
7 Studio Ghibli films (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso (now my favourite anime film =D), My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Laputa and Grave of the Fireflies (I bought these because they were all in a set),
Key: The Metal Idol (interesting story, weeeeird antagonist),
Great Teacher Onizuka (awesome XD).

I also bought a proper AV receiver/amp, a DVD player with NTSC/PAL Progressive Scan and a 19" LCD computer monitor/HDTV that obviously supports Progressive Scan. Oh and a set of 5.1 mission speakers (m70 satellites, m7c1i center speaker and ms8 subwoofer). That means quality, btw XD

I'm still waiting on the stands for the rear speakers and the dedicated subwoofer cable but so far I'm overwhelmed by the quality difference between this and my old setup. Anyway, now I can give my old TV, monitor and speakers away. This new stuff is practical because it's integrating everything into one display and one set of speakers, therefore saving space! Yeah...that's my excuse =P

I bought Project Zero for the PS2 and was playing that last night. The atmosphere is perfect, I find I don't want to use the run button in case I bump into something =D Only played for about half hour so I've only seen 1 unprompted ghost appearance (the rest came with tiny cutscenes integrated into the gameplay), but that was pretty spooky! =)

British Gas is going really well. I had my first review the other day, where they tell you how you're doing. I'm way above my targets most of the time and never under, so I've been upgraded from a standard temp to a permanent temp =D I've also been training on the workflow team. Workflow get the contracts, count them in, batch them up, issue them out to inputters and collect them afterwards to send off to wherever they go at the end of the night. It's quite good, because you do lots more than just input contract after contract and it's quite fast paced as well, so time goes quickly =D I've been helping out there a couple of days each week and I'll probably be joining that permanently when we get work in from new areas (sometime this month they say) so I'm quite happy about that, seeing as I only started in October and people who started last April had applied for it =D

Most importantly, everyone there is so nice =) I've organised a few nights out recently and it's cool to work with people who don't just keep to themselves all the time. Helps that the work environment is quite relaxed =)

Finally: Muji clothes are cool! I bought some the other day and I like their simplicity. I'm gonna get a coat there sometime this week.

Apologies, this was quite a pointless post XD

11:16am: d00d!
Le Monde Du Spam's been hacked by Methodists O_o

1:34am: The Tiger-Striped Cat
( Read more... )

1:18am: Euphoria
There's something so ethereal about walking through neon lit streets on a dark, drizzly evening. Intense light overwhelms the falling water, blurring scenery that's already out of focus. The whole world is glossy; you're walking on the warm glow of electricity and the same thing envelops and fuses you into an alternate reality, where everything's connected. Your eyes relax and your pace drops as the beauty of a reconstructed and reactivated nature encompasses you. It feels like all realities converge here.

2:05pm: One last thing to annoy you all before I go

My LiveJournal 12 Days
My True Love gave to me...
12 aletheias a-sleeping.
11 andyroyals a-twirling.
10 blimeyoreillys a-kissing.
9 brightangels a-skating.
8 citras a-massaging.
7 cross_scarss a-snorting.
6 eefas a-flaming.
5 ruby fakediys.
4 bouncing gibsies.
3 Norwegian materiaboys.
2 bull minnys.
And a pirotess in a peach tree.
Get gifts! Username:
Another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern.

I'm off now, hope everyone has a great christmas ^_^

2:17pm: i played my cards on unreal glass
Wow, the past couple of weeks have flown past. I've spent so much on christmas presents, I've bought Rainbow Six: Raven Shield for one of my brothers, Grim Fandango for the other, some opera singer DVD for my mum, a massive book of crosswords for dad (I know, boring right? Well it's exactly what makes the guy happy =P), some random things from the christmas market for everyone aaaand Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga for Kevin.

I saw Muse with Tim on the 7th and it was honestly the best show I've been to, by any band. We were near the front at the beginning, at the front shortly after, right at the back when we died and needed drink, then managed to push right back to the front again =D Muse have definitely improved since I last saw them, they weren't bad before but you can tell that their musical ability has increased. Matt has obviously been concentrating on his piano skills =) Instead of just projecting live video on the screens they also mixed in special effects (kinda like the ones you get in visualiser programs for Winamp etc) which were really cool and I kept looking at the screens instead of the actual band XD

I saw Eddie Izzard on monday and he was awesome. I was worried because Circle wasn't that great, but he was back on form here =) I loved the one about the CAT scan:
"I went for a CAT scan but they had no idea what they were doing!"
"Well how's he doing?"
"MEEEEEEOOOOOOOOWWWWW!"
"What? Well do you know if he'll be alright?"
"MEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!"

You had to be there really XD

At some point last week I poured a load of boiling water onto my hand, which is now various shades of red and purple, and looks quite silly =P

Went to the 80s themed work party at the Brittania Hotel last night. We got a buffet, 1 glass of Buck's Fizz, 2 free drinks at the bar and, if you're clever, as much wine as you can possible drink, all for free! The problem with this was that my flatmate Chris drank way too much, collapsed in the hotel hallway and threw it all up. No cab would let him in and the hotel called the ambulance. I went to the hospital with him (caked in eyeliner and 80s clothes =P) and the doctor basically said "yeah he's pissed and needs sleep" so eventually we managed to get into a cab, which cost me a tenner, then I dumped him on his bed, went back to the hotel and found everyone who was left in that "eurgh where am I?" stage, with their party hats crooked on their heads. Still, it was fun while it lasted =P

I'm going home tomorrow! I can't wait to meet my jolly good Windsorian friends for afternoon tea in the castle again. I'll be in Clevedon at my brother's house from 24-26 along with the rest of my immediate family, which'll be cool. I'm expecting an impressive looking house considering the ?500 worth of christmas decorations he won. The fact that he's right by the sea and has an amazing view can't hurt either, I've not actually seen the place yet so that'll be cool.

I've got ?500 in my savings account for China, I would have about 700 by now but I've had to postpone some transfers because this last month has been pretty expensive, I ran out of loan so I've been using all my money from work. However, the new installment in January will give me a buffer so I can put some more cash away, plus there have been a few days of doubletime at work AND we get 60% of our standard weekly salary as a christmas bonus, so I'll put all that in when I get it and make up for the last month ^_^

Finally, Lego stuff. The castle would cost ?40 and the Star Destroyer ?175. If you guys still want them let me know (and how many) and I'll go to Legoland next week sometime and get them (if the shop has 'em in, if not I can still get my friend to buy them next year). I'll also need the money beforehand so give me a call and I'll give you my details =) Apologies again for this dragging on.

3:01pm: You have no power over me
Well thanks to aletheia I saw Labyrinth last night, which I most definitely haven't seen before now, so apparently my childhood was ruined as a result of this and I had to watch it at some point or I would turn evil. Or something.

But yes! It was entertaining, in a kinda "wtf is going on here?" kinda way. Especially when the Goblins just kinda appeared at the beginning with no warning whatsoever O_o;; David Bowie is cool, but I would've rather seen a whole lot less of his package, which was kinda omnipresent. If only I'd seen it as a kid, when I wouldn't have noticed.

So yes, my life is now complete! (right? ?_?;;)

I got my Dance Stage Megamix/Logic3 dancemat today! The mat is really high quality and doesn't stick (the buttons I mean) at all, which I'm very impressed with (I've seen mats that press the buttons randomly without anyone on them!) and so far I'm up to a B on Drop the Bomb difficult mode, which I'm pleased with =D I still lose my balance a lot, I never know how to position myself for the next lot of arrows so it's really awkward to reach some of them. Just gotta try and read ahead I suppose =P

I've just bought Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore, both of which I'm really looking forward to reading and I shall be doing so after this post. Also, I've only got a few chapters left of Wild Swans, which has been such an amazing book so far, but I'll comment on that properly once I've finished it.

Have a free ticket for AMC cinemas because the toilets were on fire when I last went, and will be going out for Nando's and clubbing this weekend for a workmate's birthday! Chris seems to have calmed down and I think we'll be going out with him again on Sunday, I hope he'll stop being a complete idiot from now on.

My Criticism and Aesthetics tutor leaves his thumb nails reaaaally long...why? Maybe he refuses to use toilet paper. Well, I won't be asking him anyway =P

11:22am: Squid balls!
Having recovered from Riki Tiki Tavvi, I had the most awesomely big and tasty Chinese hotpot last night, and all for free! See, Kevin and a few of his workmates got pay rises yesterday and they decided to celebrate with a huge meal. I was invited along (by one of his friends, so I knew I wasn't imposing =D) and the thing was huge. It was ?12 a head (but only one person paid, despite me offering to help out) and what you get is a big pan on a portable stove thingy. This pan has 2 sections, each for a different sauce (one normal, one hot) and then you get three or four HUGE platters of various seafood and regular meat, things such as squid, mussels, prawns, beef, salmon, pork and just loads of other stuff. Some of the meat you put in raw (such as the beef and chicken) and you have to leave it in there for a while until it's fully cooked. I almost ate one that wasn't which could've been dodgy O_o But yeah, there was more than enough for the 6 of us and I also worked out a better way to hold chopsticks, so yay for me =) The place I keep eating at is called the Tai Wu, which is near the top of Oxford street. If anyone ever comes to Manchester, go eat there! ^_^

The whole flat is having real issues with Chris, who is in the room next door to me. A few weeks ago he left a note outside his door for us to find in the morning, which demanded that we keep the noise down in the kitchen at night, and to stop pissing him off, and other nasty words. The problem with this was that he hadn't mentioned this to us once, instead opting to leave a rude note out (and continue to do so until they become plain nasty). Another problem is that we don't make much noise at all, just talk quietly, we're even more careful now but he still complains. As soon as I open my door I hear him wake up and swear, no matter how quietly I try to do so. This is annoying because I can't stop entering my flat can I? We think he just has a sleeping problem and tries to blame it on others. He also hears things, 'cause he started banging the walls at 5am one day (his way of telling us to be quiet), when everyone was fast asleep O_o Wouldn't like to own his brain! So yeah, until he apologises for how he's being and starts to consider others and not just himself we're just going to ignore him =P

Paragraph! I'm putting on weight again, I need more excercise than just walking to and from work/uni.

Right, I should probably do some reading.

1:01pm: Riki Tiki Lavvy
Went to Riki Tiki Tavi last night after watching the Matrix Revolutions and it was pretty damned awful. They have a buffet on Sundays, which quite clearly consists of all the leftover food from during the week, overcooked and utterly tasteless. All the meat was chewy and just...old, and nothing tasted anything like other restaurants' interpretations of eastern food (you could read that as a good thing but please don't). Just don't go there, as a result of doing so I feel extremely ill and probably won't be attending uni today through fear of violently vomiting all over the nice American Short Story teacher. x_x

Matrix Revolutions. Small spoilers. I can see this movie causing problems. It was ultimately a very enjoyable movie to watch with some nice new special effects and much more emotion than the second (was quite impressed with Mr. Reeves at one point), though bad acting is still rife. Smith is hilarious as always and a great villain, some very nice special effects in his fight with Neo and a few nice references back to the first movie =)

The ending is where people may be disappointed; it's open to interpretation (and my own is actually linked to the Marx I'm studying in Criticism and Aesthetics at the moment XD) but for some that won't be a good thing. On one hand you're hoping for more closure, but some of the best entertainment is that which gives you the opportunity to have your own opinion, rather than having someone elses forced upon you. And isn't that the whole point of the Matrix trilogy?

Does anyone know if there was a RATM song at the end of Revolutions? I didn't stay long enough.

I'm just touching my Criticism and Aesthetics assignment up at the moment, will have to force myself off to uni to hand it in. I should prolly wrap it in clingfilm or something =P Anyway, I think I've got the argument part down but I've not spoken much about use of language. Ho well =P

8:57pm: For all your monkey hat needs...
The House of the Orange Monkey

6:17pm: Don't wake me from the dream
Hello =) Hadn't done much until recently, which is why I haven't posted in a while.

Met up with aletheia again this week, on two separate occasions, both in Manchester (she was staying with her friends for a while). We met up at the Market Street food court on Monday and just wandered around a few shops for a while. Of course this meant that she had to buy something and despite my best attempts at preventing this, she still bought three jumpers XD I also met her on thursday and we went off to the Trafford Centre 'cause she's not been there before. Surprisingly she didn't quite bankrupt herself but nonetheless more goods were bought =P I had a quick go on Simpsons Hit and Run in WHSmiths, which was quite disturbing 'cause it's basically just Grand Theft Simpsons O_o Despite being in painful heels Tam managed to funk it up on the DDR machine and I managed to (as always) look like a complete and utter fool \o/ I also fared terribly on the sword swinging game, which I'm usually good at. But it was all good fun anyway!

I saw her off at the station, which gave me a chance to carry The Gay Bag (I'm so privaleged -_-;;).

I've been searching around for ways to further my experience of China and I've found an organisation that teaches certain courses in Beijing, to any and all from around the world. The course I'm interested in is beginners Mandarin (they teach this through to full proficiency, so there's the opportunity to continue the course if you can stay more than one year), which I hope to study for 2 or 3 years, whilst living with a host family ^_^ This mainly depends on money and I'll definately be able to go for at least one year, though whether I stay any longer depends on how much (if any) financial support I'll have and if there are jobs availble there (I'm told that there are quite a few in the area, mainly basic English teaching I believe). So this is something I'm really looking forward to ^_^

After that, I'm hoping to do full-time English teaching there for a few years. This I know is (fairly) easily accomplished because a friend at work told me about her English friend doing exactly the same thing. He'd just finished a degree in engineering (seems you don't need to have any specific qualification) or something similar, had no money and no idea what to do. He found out about the job and he's currently living over there teaching little Chinese kids ^_^ I was never fond of the idea of teaching over here but the kids there really appreciate the opportunity to be taught by foreigners, and apparently there's a constant demand for foreign tutors. I'm lucky to have met the people I have this year, as they've become great friends and at the same time opened up some great opportunities for me ^_^

I've just realised that an essay I thought was due on Thursday is actually due Monday >_< Luckily I'm quite comfortable with what needs to be done, so I can easily finish by then. It's only a 1500 word assignment.

LEGO UPDATE:
I haven't forgotten about you guys! However, even after all this time Lego has failed to send me any form or link (that actually works) to order the 50% discounted goods. Therefore, I suggest that I go into Legoland over the winter period (I believe the shop remains open) with my friend, and buy the products there and then at 30% discount (I think my friend said that was the rate at the moment). I can keep trying for the 50% but I don't think it will be successful. I'm really sorry about all this, I know you asked for it so long ago =(

Please confirm the products you want and how many, those of you who want them.

12:53pm: Castle In The Sky
Yay! Thanks to blimeyoreilley I'm gonna be seeing the Miyazaki anime film Castle In The Sky this sunday ^_^ There was a link to the competition in his journal that I followed y'see, so thanks for posting that =D

9:40pm: I can tell you with no ego that this is my finest blade. If, on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut.
I saw Kill Bill on sunday and absolutely loved it. It was fun to sit through a movie that incorporated several different styles of film making (including anime) and made constant reference to the movies/genres that inspired it.

I liked the fact that The Bride wasn't a perfect fighter, it seemed as if it was her desire for revenge that was carrying her forward, not simply skill. The acting wasn't great, but it never has been in Kung Fu movies as there isn't usually much dialogue to work with, just unrealistic fight scenes and a few quick taunts inbetween. Having said that, some parts did seem particularly poor but overall I was enjoying the movie too much to mind.

The soundtrack is awesome, I love the 10 minute long track where The Bride fights the 88 fighters ^_^ The amount of blood flying about was actually quite surprising, don't think I've seen that much since Braveheart =P It's a very stylish movie and is huge fun to watch if you like the kung fu genre but if not then you'll probably feel it's not quite as perfect as is made out.

I also bought All About Lily Chou Chou on DVD recently, having missed the Cornerhouse showing last year. It's an excellent movie and visually beautiful (the vibrance has been digitally cranked up throughout the movie, making it a feast for the eyes, especially when the boys go on holiday), with a lovely soundtrack. There are some disturbing scenes throughout the movie, which explores the lives of teenagers in modern Japan. Thankfully, these are not gratuitous, but they do hit hard because of the way in which they are presented.

I feel it is a worthwhile account and gives some idea of what it may be like for some of the children who grow up in Japan. It is surprising to see the extent to which escapism (via the internet/music) is an essential part of the everyday lives of the characters, and how even the most opposite of real-life personalities can relate so effortlessly in the online world, yet the real world offers only exploitation and abuse of the teenagers by these same online 'friends'. It can be frustrating to watch, but it's an excellent movie.

--

Going to the Chinese consulate tomorrow to find out about a Chinese visa and whether I'll need written permission from Kevin's friends/family to stay with them. Reason for this is that a short while ago it was illegal for foreigners to stay anywhere except hotels, in case they were spies =P

We went to a Chinese supermarket today because I wanted to buy some pork buns that I'd had before. I may take a proper look tomorrow because it seemed to be quite cheap there, so I could do my shopping there ^_^

There's gonna be an 80's themed christmas party with work on the 18th of December, at a posh hotel in the center of Manchester. The cool thing about this is that the whole thing (apart from drinks) is paid for and if we work before we go there we get paid double time for that as well! Now, my basic pay is ?5.75 an hour, which goes up to ?6.75 if we do a few more contracts per hour, so I'll be rich after that night =)

I'm currently reading Wild Swans and becoming quite frustrated because around work and uni (and reading for uni), I have very little time to read for leisure. Still, I'm getting there, and Wild Swans is a wonderful book. Just like Lili, it's very readable, I just wish I could read more quickly! =P

11:28am: Huzzah! Books for meeee.
Finally the factual history book arrived (The Search for Modern China), along with Jung Chan's Wild Swans (hardback-which is bloomin' huge btw) so I have more to read =) I finished Lili by Annie Wang and that was wonderful, very readable stuff that ^_^ Will probably save Da Chen's Colours of the Mountain for when I've finished the others.

Kevin and I have been looking through travellers guides to China, choosing places we want to visit etc. He's actually not seen much of the country so it'll be an opportunity for both of us to explore together. What's cool is that he has friends all over the place and if they're there at the same time as us we won't need to find our own accommodation there. As China is such a huge country even the 'nearby' cities take hours to get to by train, so in some places we'll need to stay overnight. I think we're definately going to Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, Xian and possibly the one with the huge Buddha statue. I'm really excited already =P

If I can save enough money I may buy the Canon Powershot G5 with a 1GB microdrive and a soft case (I can get those three things for ?600 including VAT). Any reason why I shouldn't get this camera?

6:34pm: Megatokyo
Fred Gallagher is pathetic, can't he draw more than a few strips without needlessly perverting the storyline (and I use that term loosely)?

2:27pm: Need some advice...
...on digital cameras. I've never owned a decent camera, only crappy or disposable ones. Now I have a job and a big trip to China next year I want to start saving up for one (as well as the trip =P) that I can take decent pics with. I'm not looking for one with superb detail that can do all those crazy things that you people do with digital cameras but I would like to take high quality normal pics. What's a good make/type to buy? Cost-wise, I wouldn't spend any more than ?300 (though I'd rather not spend that much =P).

Suggestions? =)

6:18pm: Details
So, to elaborate a little...

I have an evening (mornings at the weekend) job as a Data Entry d00d for British Gas. Typing up customer records basically =) This means that I've stopped going to Wing Chun and will have to let Billy know that I've left completely at some point as I still need to get the money back from the three summer months I didn't attend.

I am doing loads of reading now, trying not to miss any whatsoever =) Am also reading Chinese Literature + history in my spare time (just ordered a bunch of books from Amazon) because I am extremely interested in the country and hope to work there in the distant future as a journalist. Obviously these are just ambitions at the moment but now that I've found a real interest I'm going to push as hard as I can to be involved in that.

Last night I met my flatmate at his Chinese restaurant to walk home with him, we've become really good friends so I thought it'd be cool to go for a walk and then meet him when he leaves. We went to a new Chinese restaurant on Oxford Road (Tai Wu) and had some Dim Sum, all of which was lovely and I'd never had it before (apart from the Spring Rolls). He knows about my interest in China as we've been speaking about it a great deal recently. Last night he said that if I wanted, I could go to China with him next year when he visits his parents in Shanghai, for around 3 weeks! Also, I will only need to pay for a return flight (he can get one around ?4-500 apparently) as we'll be staying with his parents, which means no accommodation or food fees (though I intend to give some money anyway)! I don't think he has any doubt that I'll go no matter what =D So yes, I'm really excited because I'm going to be able to see this country so much sooner than I imagined, for much cheaper than I imagined ^_^ The fact that I have this to look forward to gives me even more motivation for this year, everything is perfect at the moment ^_^

7:23pm: Butterflies and Hurricanes
Everything is coming together, I have new goals and new motivation, something that I haven't had in years. I feel so different, I'm not sure what it is but I have such a desire for self-progression and to achieve the goals I've set. For once, I'm doing everything I promised I would.

I may share my plans in detail at some point, as well as everything I've been up to since I arrived, but right now the above is all that matters ^_^

Spirited Away is one of the most wonderful movies I've ever seen and I shall be seeing it again tomorrow. When you're a kid and you see your first Disney or similar, you come out of the cinema and you wanna run straight back in and see it all over again-that's how I felt when I left the cinema on Sunday ^_^ It's really quite special.

I love the autumn.

7:36pm: Gotta pack this up...
Arrr, this be me signing off till (I assume) Tuesday, if all fares well. See ya then land lubbers!

10:51pm: Sometimes I'm just recuperating
I've just realized that I have to do all my packing tomorrow because I'm going up to Manchester on Saturday =P It shouldn't be too hard though 'cause I know what I can leave behind and what I really need to take as I've done it once before. Will just be annoying 'cause my room is an absolute mess with all my stuff everywhere, so remembering specific items may be difficult. Really looking forward to going back and seeing a few of the people I met last year, as well as all the Wing Chun lot-be great to see them again ^_^

This summer has been really great, I think I'd quite like to do the same again next year but that obviously depends on how I feel then and if I have a job I like up there. I'll prolly end up returning for a decent amount of time though, it's been great meeting with Matt all the time =)

So yeah, just a short entry 'cause I felt like making one =P I will make another before I leave but then I won't have net access until Tuesday (if it's the same as last year) so just a forewarning incase I forget =P

Feel good =)

12:38am: The Galaxy Is At Peace
Subject brought to you by Super Metroid Nostalgia, courtesy of Greatest of E'z at LMDS. He posted a link to this website, which features some awesome reworkings of the original Super Metroid BGM.

This post is actually about my outlook on the coming year and some reflections on the previous one, so just queue those songs in your download program and I'll get on with it.

When I started University I knew I would have to work harder to achieve acceptable grades and eventually the base with which I would use to place myself into the 'real world'; my degree. Despite knowing this, I hadn't yet learnt it and certainly didn't acknowledge it, which meant I gained mediocre grades whilst I concentrated on other things (and people) that I considered more important. Indeed even now it seems they probably were more important because through my experiences last year I learnt a great deal more than I had anticipated about both myself and life in general. The year was mostly a downwards spiral and I don't pretend to be separate from that which caused it, I played a part in it, however unintentional (after all, who intentionally destroys what they deem perfect?). My world was routine and unchanging; it was still a fantasy world that existed separately from the real one. The impossibility of this continuing was becoming glaringly obvious but I was so used to the fantasy that I ignored this and eventually, at the end of the year, that world was destroyed completely.

Over the course of this summer I have felt depressed and sorry for myself, confused and without real direction but I have also used the time to think. I have considered many things but mostly my own actions over the past year, where I went wrong and who it affected. I made more than a few mistakes last year and I'm still feeling the effects of the major ones, which are now beyond my control. However, the experience is certainly not wasted-I will never make those mistakes again and I hope that placing myself into the 'real world' will give me the wisdom to adapt myself rather than trying to fold things around me to create another 'perfect' fantasy world.

Well, I started this on a specific note and digressed somewhat. I mentioned that I have now learnt what I need to do as opposed to simply knowing it. This did not happen immediately but over the course of the summer, whilst working and meeting certain people, I realized that it truly is me that needs to adapt and change the way I look at things. I have a new frame of mind, some new opinions and some that remain the same but at the same time I want to be open-minded and not be restricted by myself (or others). Somewhere along the way I also found some motivation, which will be very important this year. I'm looking forward to University and actually putting some decent work in. More free time means more time in the library, where I also want to study information on Chinese culture and the country's history (I've always been good at having vague interests yet never reading anything about them. It feels like the right time to change that.) and the gym, as I still want to improve my physical fitness. I want to work at the filmworks cinema, no matter how late they ask me to, and I'm already planning for the recruitment days they have ^_^ Ooh a smiley, I knew this post was missing something.

I'm lucky that the first year of Uni was designed to break you in and doesn't count towards your final grade. I certainly feel broken in and now that I've had my fair share of self-discovery I can concentrate on improving myself, making sure not to forget the lessons I've learnt. I feel great and I'm ready for this year-I'm not gonna waste it =)