Archive for April, 2009
Saturday Bonus
Does Whatever A Spider Can
Apparently, to perk up all the studious students in the study area, Spider-Man paid a visit to my school on, I think, Thursday night.
Way to go, Spidey! I always knew I could count on you! Though… can we talk about the recent movies…
Finale!
Final episode of Series 4 was… okay. A bit busy. And seriously, it was never ever going to top the Series 3 one. Not too bad, though.
Marvellous
The Museum of the Mad, the Macabre and the Marvelous, created by C.D. Richardson. Lovely. [via The_Marvelous]
Studying
Is not going too good. But what can I say, I just do what I can and laugh in the face of danger.
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Hello, Goodbye
Briefly…
No feature today again, as usual. Just popped by for a quick update. Studies are going averagely, though I suppose they could be better. Other things are not going at all.
My Decemberists CD has yet to arrive though I suspect it will on Monday or Tuesday. Just the boost I need for the exams, perhaps?
My desktop is making funny whirring noises every so often. I believe the computer imp is grumbling about the recession. On the other hand, a couple of technical issues with my notebook too. Rather irritating, but I’ll deal with that after the exams.
Can’t quite make up my mind on what to study today. It’s either Signals or Cell Biology.
Finale
Watched the first part of the Series 4 finale, The Stolen Earth, yesterday. Not bad. Not bad at all. A couple of things I didn’t like, particularly the cellphone bit, and it was all a little, uhm, busy, a little too busy. And it was always going to be a little difficult to keep up the immense writing of the four preceding episodes. That said, it is a bit wild, a bit scary, a bit funny, and a bit wacky all at the same time, and it’s this sort of feeling that I’m not sure any other writer can recreate when Russell T. Davies leaves. I mean, remember that absolutely insane Series 3 finale? Hard to imagine anyone else coming up with that sort of story, so I think, no matter the writing complaints I sometimes have of the revived series so far, I’m really going to miss a good RTD story now and then.
Onwards to the last episode though.
Art
Here’s some concept art for the film adaptation of The Road, drawn by Hugh Marchant. [via flickr] Very, very pretty stuff.
The film is taking ages to show up, though.
Cell Biology
It appears the cilia did not originate from separate organisms. [via MIT] I’m sure that bit of information will be handy for the exams.
Corpses
You can order the Neil Gaiman penned Amanda Palmer collaboration Who Killed Amanda Palmer? now. [via jsrdirect] Limited copies, I heard. I’m too poor to afford one.
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Many Things And A VR Man
Study…
Started serious revision yesterday. Made me feel like a zombie. Funny how you tend to study less when it’s getting to the exams, unless you really slap yourself into doing it.
Nabokov
Nabokov’s last work, The Original Of Laura, is going to be published, says his son. [via The Telegraph]
R.I.P.
I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but in case you haven’t, J.G. Ballard passed away. [via The Book Bench] Rest in peace, sir, and condolences to the family.
Ideas, Ideas
So many ideas these days, almost as if my brain is (against my wishes) ramping it up before I dive into writing. For some reason I have plenty of strange-creature ideas, and I’m sure I won’t be using all of them, but a couple of them might prove handy once I get the headlights on and see where exactly I’m going. Yeah, that’s not much clearer, but hey, ideas are always fun, if not always helpful.
Two For Two
Watched Forest Of The Dead and then (yesterday) Midnight, and they’re without question two of the best episodes I’ve seen from the revived series. This is the stuff TV should be made of. Too bad we get so much trash.
A Little Bit Of Singapore
Speaking of TV… Here’s a little something that our local station either very proudly and stupidly or very tongue-in-cheekly (benefit of the doubt and all that) produced a long time ago. It’s called VR Man, starring James Lye as VR Man and Michelle Goh (who doesn’t appear in this clip) as the reporter girl, as I remember. This features VR Man and Lisa Ang starring as some character I don’t remember.
I couldn’t find an actual clip so here is something from The Noose, which was a satirical entertainment news programme that made fun of shows and the industry in general. I seem to recall that it had to produce some of its sketches, but… you know… some shows make fun of themselves.
“Maybe then I can win Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal.”
I’m still waiting on that, VR Man.
The Long Week
So Long, Not Long Enough
This is the reading week, where everyone studies like crazy (well, most people anyway) before they plunge themselves into the exams. Looks like a long and dreary week. I have four papers: two on Tuesday, one on WEdnesday, and one on the 5th of May (I think). It’s not actually a lot but a couple of them will need more work than others.
Today I’m going to school to attend one last supplementary class and also to hand up the last of my assignments. Thereafter, I will have shaken off the last of the term commitments and will be able to dive into the revision like everyone else. Looks awful, but I suppose you get used to it.
Three More
Three, right? I watched the one with the cloned girl and didn’t really like it. Then the Agatha Christie one was kind of okay, clever in bits, and yet somehow sort of missing a little magic. I also caught Silence In The Library yesterday, and I have to say, very clever, Mr. Moffat. Very clever. Excellent monster design, in particular.
On The Jukebox
I’ve had a lot of Rod Piazza playing for some reason. Some of the older records. Actually, I don’t have the new ones. I should probably keep and eye out for them. Speaking of which, The Hazards Of Love has yet to arrive, yes, but I’m just impatient.
Recent Conversations
Conversations with real people (hey, just in case you were suspicious) in the past couple of days have included discussions about: skulls, ice sculptures, flashing purple emoticons, girlfriends-boyfriends, killer monkeys, stars, the art of monster design, chopstick revelations, pandas, rhinoceroses as dinosaurs, Nicolas Cage in his new movie, kidnapping me.
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Featureless Friday
Meta Talk
Normally, on Fridays (or thereabouts), I like to put up some featured article. Maybe some recommendation, some commentary or the like. But this is one of those weeks where it just can’t be the case. I have to deal with a test today, and the weekend doesn’t look very clear, smothered in a mist of assignments, tests and exam concerns.
Thursday
On the other hand, yesterday was a brilliant day, with my football club winning and a new semi-friend. It was also a bad day because I spilled a glass of fruit juice and went home smelling a little mangoish, and also because I had to contend with today’s test. Fairly unsuccessful, I was.
Two More
Sontarans! Great to see them back! And it was an excellent story to boot. Loved the pacing and the whole set-up, somehow rather reminiscent of old Who. Series 4 seems to be turning it up really quickly, so I’m quite enjoying myself. It just pulsates with a different sort of vibrancy (as compared to the first three of the revived series). Or maybe it’s just the revamped theme song. Anyway, I heard that the best is yet to come, so I’m hopeful. The next story looks interesting, though I kind of wonder.
Not Reading
After spending so many bus and train rides reading and reading, it was strange to (yesterday) not be doing anything on the bus or train. That’s right, my reading schedule kind of adheres to my school term, but this will take some getting used to…
Well, I’ve got to get back to revision. Wish me luck.
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