So, last night I fell asleep listening to the soothing sound of raining careening down in the garden, the soft pitter-patter of raindrops lulling me to a soothing sleep where I then battled a friend for some reason or another (the dream isn’t important but it was an interesting dream). I was then gently brought to the world the next morning by the best way possible.
Was it to the smell of bacon being cooked? The arms of a loved one gently caressing my hair? A much loved Beagle jumping on me to let me know it’s time to wake up? Nope, it was the sound of a monotone voice droning through a microphone for one hour. At 6:30am. Promptly stopping 10 minutes after I got up. In case you hadn’t caught on, this is not a good way of getting up. Whilst it’s not quite the level of being kicked in the crotch as a wake-up call, it still isn’t good. Regardless of this, I am in a fairly good mood this week and for various reasons.
There is, of course, the big news! My new section: 10 items or less. For those who didn’t read the first entry, this is a new interview section where I ask people who have created something I like/enjoy 10 questions (or less) about themselves and their particular field of work. For my first interview, I had the pleasure of talking to ‘Random aka Megaran’ about his various music albums (in particular Black Materia) and I really enjoyed learning more about his work and background. To make things even better, I already have my next interview lined up for Friday as well, and I am just as happy with it as I was with Random’s interview.
The thing that really amazes me is that these people are taking the time out of their day to chat to me, despite their busy schedules and lives and that just makes this a truly brilliant opportunity for me. It’s due to their busy schedule that I kept it at 10 questions as it is long enough to find out about them and their projects but short enough so that they can sit down and do it quickly. Plus, by sending all the questions at once, it reduces the need for lengthy back-and-forward conversations that may ultimately be more interesting but take that much more time to complete.
My reasons behind the interviews are two-fold. The first reason is simple; I want to find out more about the films/albums/games/artists/etc that I enjoy and this seems like a very good way of doing it. Perhaps it’s slightly narcissistic but I also hope that everyone enjoys it as well. One of my hopes is that the blog will introduce people to new things they may not have known about, which is a joy in itself. I have been lucky enough to have amazing friends who constantly introduce me to things I would never heard of and actually have went out their way to do so. One example is that Michael, before I moved to Nepal, would always loan me or at least tell me about books he enjoyed and thought I would enjoy. Did me moving to Nepal stop him? Nope! I turned up to work one day, only to find he had posted a book he had enjoyed 4600 miles just so I could read it. That, my dear readers, is dedicated awesomeness. So, I have been amazingly lucky in this way and I want to start giving something back.
The second is also simple; I want my blog to expand into various different areas and garner more attention. I wouldn’t go as far to say that I want to become a career blogger (as you know, I have my goals. That said, I wouldn’t say no) but I would love for it to become bigger and more diverse. Perhaps this is a pipe-dream and perhaps I’m not actually a good enough writer to pull this off but I’ll be damned if I don’t try. Over the next few weeks, I will be making some changes to this end and will hopefully improve the layout of the site, as well as continue working on a couple of new things. Let’s just say, I’m going to ‘cast’ my net out into some new ventures ohohohohohohoh (awful, just awful – Ed).
Finally, before I move on, I would like to thank everyone for reading my blog this week (and all the time in fact) and for those who shared my blog on Friday. Thanks to everyone, I managed to double my views per day in only a few hours! It was amazing, so thank you very much! As I’ve noted, word of mouth is key for me and I’ve not run any advertising since my advert got rejected due to a pop-up (Also, if anyone experiences a pop-up, can you let know?) so it’s great when I see people sharing my blog.
So, now that the serious side of my good mood is over, onto the face-meltingly awesome reason for my mood!
BATMAN
Yup, this Friday Nolan’s final Batman film is being released and I am excited. Like a puppy. At Christmas. Getting a little puppy brother. Plus it’s my birthday. With a puppy cherry on top… Puppy. Sorry, got carried away there but I am very excited (some may say like a puppy…at Christm - STOP! -Ed)! This epic finale to the Batman trilogy has raised a lot of questions about the fate of Batman and also introduces a longtime character Catwoman to the equation as well. What will happen to the Bat? Is she really friend or foe? Will Bane win? I have my thoughts on what will happen but I will not mention them, in case of revealing something that somebody hasn’t noticed or seen as spoilers suck.
What I will say is that it can’t fail to be brilliant. Batman Begins was a brilliant start to the trilogy, followed by the Dark Knight: a film which raised the bar for superhero films and in which the limelight was easily stolen by The Joker. I don’t think that The Dark Knight Rises will be any different. I truly feel that it will bring a sense of closure to the series and it will do it in a way that no-one will expect, as should be expected. So, in my excitement, I invite you all to (figuratively) join me in watching ‘Batman Begins’ on Wednesday, ‘The Dark Knight’ on Thursday and finally ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ on Friday for 3 evenings of glorious Bat-ness! Woohoo!
Finally, I leave you with this (already mentioned on my facebook). Nolan states that this will be his final Batman film…but he never said anything about a Justice League film. Think about it… various DC films have arisen recently, several that are linked to the JLA. Finally, imagine a dark and gritty JLA film where they are all meeting for the first time and trying to work together…much like the recent JLA comic reboot from the New 52…just saying.
Pick of the Week
Final Fantasy 7 – It starts with a train. The train pulls violently up to the station, where a soon to be iconic male character with yellow spiky hair leaps out and kills two guards. You have no idea what’s going on and you have no idea where it’s going but you know you’re going to be a part of it. Where this iconic RPG takes you is a globe-trotting journey across the world that includes but is not limited to: Puzzles and traps; a crazed and semi-delusion antagonist; a self-doubt riddled protagonist; a medley of interesting back up characters; and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat from that starting train journey to the final blow.
Yes, I am talking about my favourite RPG, Final Fantasy 7: a game where you take control of Cloud and the rest of the group as they try to save the world from Shinra and Sephiroth. Released in 1997, it heralded a new change for computer gaming and was the first RPG that I ever played. You start off as a reluctant member of AVALANCHE, a freedom fighting group that is against the corporation of Shinra before things escalate very quickly. The story itself is incredibly gripping: combining tense twists with humorous moments that blend in together well (Including a particularly hilarious segment where you’re trying to rescue your teammate which ends up including cross-dressing; multiple squats; and a burlesque club). I won’t go into the story as I don’t want to ruin anything but you get to explore a distinct world with separate region and personalities: from the industrious and ruined Midgar to the Summer sun and holiday region of Costa Del Sol (where you can buy a holiday home). Exploring is also key. On top of the amazing story, you can explore the entire world looking for secret caves, weapons and characters. This game wants you to go off the beaten track and often rewards you for doing so.
As you explore the regions, you fight against countless enemies with a standard yet interesting battle system. To start with, it is the regular turn based battle system but outfitted with a huge selection of Materia (spells) that you can outfit your characters with, demonic summons to destroy your enemies and varied Limit Breaks: final attacks that you earn whilst receiving damage. This, combined with varied enemies helps to create an interesting and deep battle system that often forces you to adapt to different situations.
Add to this multiple side-questions, deep and interesting characters that come and go, plus various mini-games (including of course, Chocobo Breeding) and hidden secrets throughout, you find yourself in an immersive RPG that all gamers should at least try. This review, which has been done very quickly, does not do it justice. I will give it a proper review once I set out a review template but until then, I cannot stress enough that you should play this game.
Music of the week
Ok, I admit I had no plan again but this came across my iPod and I thought I would share it with everyone as it rocks...Rob Zombie - Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy). Enjoy!
Well then, that's enough from me so thank you for reading, tell your friends and don't forget, there will be another interview on Friday! Until then, IM BATMAN (if only)
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