Thursday, August 20, 2009
Posted by Sooty


















Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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Monday, June 22, 2009

Gone snorkling at Dibba rock

Posted by Sooty





Wednesday, June 3, 2009

My New View

Posted by Sooty



  • Bob Marley - Redemption Song - Classic chill out with meaning
  • Basement Jaxx - Wheres your Head at - probably one of the g=first songs that turned me on to alternative dance music
  • AC/DC Back in Black - Does Rock get any Rockier (not in any way that is enjoyable)
  • Green Day - Deadbeat Holiday - not their best but still a really enjoyable track
  • Chris Cornell - You know my Name - The only rival to Live and Let Die for Best Bond Song
  • Kaiser Chiefs - The Angry Mob - The catchiest of their catchy tunes
  • Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure - Probably the main track I know by them, should really listen to them more.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Worthy Charity

Posted by Sooty

A couple of my friends are doing the Rickshaw Rally,

please donate to help them

Cheers

Monday, June 1, 2009

What I'm Watching at the Moment - V

Posted by Sooty

Feeling a bit Old School, I've delved back to the mid-80s (when I was born) to watch a cult classic.

This is a show that resonates with me quite well, it investigates the theme I like best about good sci-fi. We as others will use a society driven concept to parallel current and past affairs we know (sideways glance at Start Trek) or to predict futures of eutopia/distopia (blade runner, equilibrium, logans run, the list could go on fractally) I prefer sci-fi where the reaction towards the concept is portrayed, quite thoroughly. You could argue that films like Independence Day or Armageddon do this, and they do to a certain extent, however it is, at best, a sub plot to the romantic character arcs or action set pieces. I prefer the examples of the genre that spelonk right into the subject matter. Investigating on a grand scale the reactions to the events by a huge populace (or at least more than 15 or so). Some that would fall under this category are Miracle Mile (not necessarily sci-fi but definitely worth a mention) Deep Impact and V.

I like shows/films that analyse. What would people do if this event happened. Its a theme that has been explored many times and in many interesting ways. However, I think V was one of the few that did this in a reasonably realistic fashion (given the budget and period) by examining instinct and similar past events and echoing (and sometimes quite blatantly stating) back to them.

Still watching and enjoying this show. with fingers crossed the modern day remake will be as enjoyable.

Okay, I watch a lot of TV and films so I thought I might as well write about it.

First off is Day Break.

Starring Taye Diggs (That dude from the film Equilibrium who has his face cut and is the next to last person to kick it) the premise is pretty much a murder mystery/conspiracy that takes place in one day. But this isn't 24. This is so far a little more fantastical. This is groundhog day, without the humour but with suspense. Taye lives the same day over and over (apparently) and is so far using this time to either change the course of the day (to protect his girlfriend and family) and find out who's behind the murder he's being accused of.

Its got a pretty cool supporting cast too, ranging from Skinner from X-Files, Jane from Firefly and The cyborg lover from the latest Terminator film. I'm only 2 episodes in, but its quite enjoyable so far. With characters that of varying dimensions, its the concept that drives so far. The possibilities are many for this. However the characters will need more to keep me compelled to watch the entire 13 episode run (it was cancelled quite early).

If you can watch it, give it a try.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Hell is Other Drivers (and some pedestrians too!!!)

Posted by Sooty

OK, so there's a lot of angry people in the world, most of which let it out in healthy doses (a fist to the desk/wall/nearest inanimate object) or deal with it in some way. I don't particularly count myself as being an angry person (that's not to say I haven't had the odd outburst)

However, since moving to the United Arab Emirates, I've noticed a new part of myself, a part that's laid dormant until this country nurtured it into existence. This part of me is commonly known as Road Rage.

I'm not a great driver by any stretch, but I like to think of myself as a safe driver. However the drivers out here are, for the absence of a more suitable phrase, Idiots. I find it difficult for anyone without experience in driving in a country similar to the UAE, were the drivers don't care because they have the money/connections to sort out any mishaps easily, or don't care because there "if others don't why should I" attitude., to understand what its like.

Most morning in my drive to work I encounter at least one accident, sometimes up to 7, some of which can quite easily be called major accidents and can extend my 40 mins drive into a 2 hour epic of stopping and starting.

I put this down to 2 things mainly: Vanity and Impatience. 2 qualities apparent in many aspects of the Country itself, or at least most of its residents.

The roads themselves are an amazing feat of engineering, design by clever people to always have enough lanes and enough options to minimalise the amount of traffic jams and accidents (disregarding the constant construction work which screams the words "piss up in a brewery"). Yet jams do happen and accidents are a constant worry.

This is hardly surprising when the motorists themselves are disobeying the driving laws without a moments thought and weaving in and out of each other, aggressively merging to get those precious few seconds ahead of a person they have never spoken to or seen before.

Thankfully my driving time is to be diced into a quarter of the time it currently is. I this will raise my life expectancy by 350% and lower my blood pressure until my sugar and fat diet catches up with me.

PS There are good things about this country too, otherwise I wouldn't stay here. :o)

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Introduction to Me Blog

Posted by Sooty

Well, what to say as an introduction to this. Very basically I had a few people following my antics as an Ex-Pat in the UAE on Facebook, but grew quickly weary of it. Plus Facebook is just an annoyance in many ways anyway (why do I want to know who's a fan of what, or which Hollyoaks character is most like a primary school chum who I've not spoke to physically in 14 years)

I also hope it'll improve my writing skills, maybe you'll get a random rant about life the universe and everything, a review of the latest film/TV I've watched or a small bit of random fiction. Maybe a phrase of the day or something a bit more thoughtful/thought provoking. Hopefully I'll be able to recount the main points of the day (or at least what’s interesting). Whatever it is, I hope some people enjoy it. And if not...oh well....at least I killed some time (that I probably don’t have anyway)

Here’s the start at least

Sooty