Day 2: Circuses, Celebrities, and lots of Wax.

Day 2. 17/8/2008

The day started off with a decision that we would shift to a nicer and proper hotel. And it's what we did. Moved 3 or 4 lots down and there was Park International Hotel. Left our stuff there and got away for the day, where my mom's friend, who lives in London would take us around.

As usual, we took the underground train, or subway. Queued up for about an hour and were finally into celebrity haven. Saw well known faces like Johnny Depp, Cameron Diaz, David Beckham, Tiger Woods, Jose Mourinho, Lance Armstrong, and the Beatles. Even managed to come into touching distance with them and snap a few photos. This then continued into a Dungeon where there were serial murderers and crazy people running around, scaring the bejesus out of people. Oh, and I'm talking about wax models of course. This is all in Madame Tussauds. Sorry to burst your bubble if you thought you would be reading about someone who got near celebrities. The dungeon part was live actors though.

Soon after, we went to Picadilly Circus, with it's colourful neon signs, bumbling with life. Nice place really, shops everywhere around a center, a pedestrian filled area around a fountain. We walked from there to Leicester Square, which is basically a park and where tickets to shows and plays are sold. Weirdly, the place has more Italian food than English. I believe London has 15 Bella Italia's. Then again, this is probably how it is around the world, Italian food is the favourite anywhere. Had lunch at an Italian Ristorante which was good, but expensive like food everywhere for tourists.

Continued to Trafalgar Square, which had an enormous Screen up, to show the Olympics. Every Brit channel was showing the success of Team GB over and over again but the place was great, buzzing with people watching the screen or just hanging out. 2 huge fountains flanked the screen. We continued on in search of Covent Garden which we wouldn't find on that day. In our search though, I came across a group of Chelski fans coming back from their 4-0 opening day win. About 50 of them all in blue coming out of the subway, mostly bald, and mostly with beer bellies. The typical English middle-age guy.

Weary and slightly confused by the signs that pointed us to Covent Garden, we kinda gave up and went back, stopping by HMV, which is one of the things that I would really really love to have in Malaysia. It's a huge record store btw, sells games, clothes, CDs, DVDs and stuff like that. If I lived there, I would probably visit it every week and would probably manage to buy something out of there on every visit. On this trip, managed to get 2 awesome t-shirts, and 3 cds which have proved impossible to find in Malaysia, because our local retailers just believe in bringing in shit-pop like Dick 5, Rihanna, Jon-ass Brothers and more homosexuals like that. Money-spinning bullshit.

With that done, went back to Park International and that was it for Day 2.

Once again, the full album is available at http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55535&l=05eb2&id=563730916 It's all from my mobile and all taken in Sepia.

The only way to win an argument,
is to avoid one.

Day 1: 12 Hour Flights, Fish and Chips and the Beginning.

Hiya folks, how you guys been holding up for the past 12 days or so? Well I hope, must've been hard without any updates eh? Anyways, for those not in the know, I was in London for the past 10 or so days. I believe I had mentioned this in one of my posts.

Well, I'm back now and with stories to share to will everyone please gather around the campfire, turn off your mobiles, get a drink and enjoy.

Day 1. 16/08/08
Couldn't really sleep the previous night, and I awoke early in anticipation of the impending trip. We left at 7.30 or 8 I think, my flight being at 10 if I'm not mistaken. And luckily I left early because as soon as I reached KLIA, I noticed something that probably will only happen in a airport as nice as ours. I think they had only 1 or 2 counters open for London, the line was longer than that you would normally get standing in a bus stop. So much for being one of the best airports in the world.

After awhile, and with the help of an Enrich card, I was checked in and ready to go. I had never been on a flight as long as 12 hours. 12 bleeding hours. Basically a whole day, cooped up, seat-belted down into a metal tube, 30000 or so feet in the air, eyes glued to a screen about the size of a big guys palm. Well that's exactly what it was, I watched some Ashton Kutcher show that helped pass time. What stays in Vegas etc... Something I learned while on-board. I'm no racist and this isn't meant to be racist but I've noticed that the most irritating people on planes are usually the middle easterns. Their children are extremely whiney, they run around everywhere, the father dosn't give a shit, and the mother is bullied by her kids constantly. Add that to a young baby that had to share a seat with her mother and perfect, non-stop irritation for 12 hours. I swear the Australian dude sitting next to me was on the verge of getting up and throwing them out.

Touched down at Heathrow International Airport at about 3pm London Time. Wasn't as grand as I expected it to be, but extremely big, and extremely busy. Heathrow has 5 terminals by the way. Waited quite awhile at immigration but I was finally there. Stepping into UK and into London. Much like KLIA, you can take a subway straight from inside the airport. Exactly what I did, taking a train straight to Gloucester Road, where my hotel would be located. As you will see, hotel is quite an exaggeration on my part.

Ah, the Cromwell Crown Hotel. With your typical non-responsive Indian receptionist who hates her job. Room was basically 2 foldable beds of sorts and a double bunk bed. Toilet was comparable to that of the airplanes. With everything sorted, and stowed away. Time for dinner. The area I lived in appeared to be quite middle to upper middle class. Holiday Inn was nearby and within the first hour or so I was there, I had seen at least 6 Porsche's, a Lamborghini and various BMWs around. So we walked around abit and settled on fish and chips. What else?! Typical english food, except, served by some guy who looked and spoke more french than english. Nevertheless, it was good. A good way to end my first day in the great city of London.

That wraps up day 1. I'll report on day 2 tomorrow. Cheers.

By the way, if any of you tossers wants to check out the full album of Sepia photos that I took, feel free to browse through them on facebook here.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

Chicks of the Week: Olympic Special

Hello once again, faithful readers. I've not had much inspiration over the last few days or so, so forgive me for not updating. I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted to read stuff like:

WokE up tOdayz, saw the tiMe so late aDi. Sighz ZzZzz.

Ate breakfast but nothing special lorzZz. I have no idea foR the NeEd to alTerNate betWeEn uPpEr and LoWer case letterIng.

You can read all that bullshit at all your other friend's blogs. So anyways, what better than to cash in on media hype once again and pretend to be cool and in the know. The Olympics of course are on now and the media is buzzing with it.

With the Olympics, and sports in general, we are guarenteed, fit, well-toned women sweating their asses off to win some gold for their respective countries. Here are just a few sexy olympians to whet your appetite.

First up, Stephanie Rice,golden girl of Australia's swim team. She's only 20 this year and there are some raunchy pics floating around the net of this beauty which were ordered by Swimming Australia to be taken down by Rice herself.

Next we have, Francesca Piccinini, Italian volleyball player who also, has some not so decent pics of her floating around the net.


Australian softball shortstop, Natalie Ward, is next. She has won the bronze at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and a silver in the 2004 edition. Nevermind that softball is an absolute joke, we have her to enjoy.


Heather Mitts, 30 year old member of the American Women's Soccer team. In 2004, Mitts was voted as "Hottest Female Athlete" by the users of ESPN.com. It's not hard to see why.


Haley Cope is next, member of the US swimming team. The hot blonde has done other stuff such as photoshoots for Maxim, FHM & Playboy. Anyone who does that deserves a place in my book. For some reason she reminds me a wee bit of Hayden Panetierre?


Lastly, I bring you Brazilian twins, Bia & Branca Feres, both are synchronised swimmers and are 19 years old. Ah, this duo definitely brings the "samba" and give us reason to watch synchronised swimming, even if it means you feel like scratching out your eyes at boredom.

That's it from me this week. I'll be going off to London for roughly 2 weeks, so hang in there yea? I know it'll be hard without updates but I believe in you.

Give me to courage to change what I can,
The serenity to accept what I can't,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Soundtrack To My Life

If my life was re-enacted in a movie or something, the soundtrack to it would probably be something like this. Just something fun until I post since it's been awhile since I've posted anything.

Opening Credits:
Kasabian - Club Foot

Waking Up:
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter

First day at High School:
Nine Inch Nails - Everyday is Exactly the Same

Falling in Love:
Cheap Trick - I Want You to Want Me

Fight Song:
Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up To Boston

Breaking Up Song:
Porcupine Tree - Feel so Low

Prom/Dance:
Arctic Monkeys - I bet you look good on the dancefloor

Life:
Nine Inch Nails - Survivalism

Mental Breakdown:
Placebo - Meds

Driving:
Explosions In the Sky - Your Hand in Mine

Flashback:
Nine Inch Nails - Right Where It Belongs

Wedding:
Gerry & the Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone

Birth of Child:
Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla

Final Battle:
Michael Buble - Home

Death Scene:
Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek

Funeral Song:
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

End Credits:
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra - Adagio for Strings

If you guys want I might upload all the songs when I have the time, if not just ask me for any on MSN and I'll be happy to pass them to you.

There is no easy way, to any place worth going.

The Dark Knight

Sorry folks, I know it's been a painful and trying few days without the update of your favourite blog. Unfortunately, my incredibly shitty junk of metal some people choose to call a computer has died on me. Since then, I've gone and try to type this up on my backup laptop. Trying Windows Live Writer with this review so if nothing looks right, bare with me. So, I'm sure most of you have already watched The Dark Knight and been pretty blown away by it? I watched it again on Saturday and here is my rundown on me experience even after the 2nd time.

What the movie is about.
Set within a year after the ending of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight begins with a bang, Being a full out action movie with small hints of other genres such as Romance peppered in throughout the movie. Batman, along with Lt. Gordon and new District Attorney Harvey Dent continue the never-ending job of cleaning up the streets of Gotham City. Along comes a psychopathic criminal with nothing to lose, namely The Joker. With ties going deep into the crime-fighting force and a reputation which nobody dares to cross, The Joker appears to be the ultimate Villain, hitting Batman and Gotham City hard and wanting nothing but Batman's surrender in return.

Who is in the Movie.
The Dark Knight definitely does not lack it's starpower. It's all-star cast is spearheaded by Christian Bale who once again returns as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Heath Ledger, plays the Joker in his swansong, his last complete project and boy does he leave us with something to remember. Aaron Eckhart of Thank You for Smoking fame plays Harvey Dent, The "White Knight" of Gotham. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both return as Alfred and Lucius Fox providing us with comical relief. Maggie Gyllenhaal comes in as a replacement for Rachel Dawes after Katie Holmes decided to turn down the job even after they offered to double her pay.

Why I think the Movie is Superb.
I'm going to start this section by getting something out of the way. Did the passing of Heath Ledger make this movie even bigger than it already was? Yes, no doubt it did. People flocked to see him in his last complete appearance and the media built up the hype, saying he did an excellent job. Did his passing appear to make his role better than it deserved to be? No. Not one single bit. If he were alive now I would've thought the same thing. Jawdroppingly awesome.

The movie will no doubt go down as one of the classic comic adaptation greats, heck maybe even as one of the great movies of this generation. Why? Because Heath Ledger leaves us with a performance that seems so memorable, we'll be comparing every villain in every other show to him now and I feel sorry for them, because they have their work cut out. His performance, no, masterpiece, seems so real, so unique, so out-of-place that combined with his death, leaves us with chills and a bitterness at losing such a talented person at the peak of his career.

If you were wondering how he got there, he spent a whole month, locked up alone in a hotel room, formulating the Joker's posture, psychology and voice, writing in a diary daily about the Joker's thoughts, as a guide to himself during his performance. Just how good was he? Michael Caine, an accomplished and respected actor himself, was so blown away by his performance that in their first scene together, at the Wayne Manor, when The Joker enters and performs, he got such a fright that he forgot his lines.

But, let's move away from Heath Ledger and more onto the plot. And here it is truly unique. I can't remember the last film I watched in which the plot twisted this much. With the movie running at two and a half hours, there was plenty of time to formulate something special and special is what Christopher Nolan gives us. Unlike normal movies where there are 3 acts, the build-up, the conflict and the resolution, The Dark Knight has 5 or even 6 acts. While watching the movie, you will never know where it's going to go next and this is what keeps you on the edge of you seat the entire time. There is hardly any time for a breather, with action action action in every other scene.

Why I like this version of Batman more than any other is first and foremost, the cast. They opted to go for an acting cast rather than a bunch of overpaid "superstars" such as Ahem, the govenator? Every member of the cast pulls his and her weight here, giving us a satisfying performance. Secondly, this version of Batman shows us a different side to superheroes, it shows us the flipside, the vulnerable side to Batman. Where Superman or Ironman live happily ever after, getting the girl and being the darling of the town, this version of Batman does not. He struggles with his own demons and constantly questions his own motives. As Bruce Wayne he shows vulnerability and regret and as the Dark Knight, he morphs into an sort of alter-ego which is able to take the blame and be the bigger man, for the city.

This is getting long so I'll try to wrap it up here. Basically put, if you had to watch a movie this year make it this one. I can't see any other movie which is coming out coming close to touching this. The simple fact that it created history with the biggest weekend ever, beating Spiderman 3 should tell you that. If you haven't watched this, make some time and go for it because it will not disappoint. You will know you have witnessed something truly great, something that leaves you walking out of the theater satisfied. But how will you know? What will prove that to you? It's simple, you will walk out of there knowing, and regretting that Hollywood and humanity in general has lost something special, something irreplaceable, and that is, the Joker himself, Heath Ledger.

9.5/10

I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger.