Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Papypal issue sorted (no longer hate them) and other things
Well I managed to get my Paypal problem sorted, the payment had in fact gone to another Papypal account I had created under my hotmail account (as opposed to my yahoo one) a couple of years ago (which I haven't really used since and had completely forgotten the password). So my payment is in place, horrayyy, or rather yahoooo!
On a different news item, Acting 4 started last week and it was a really good fun class, although it did rank as one of the most physically exhausting ones yet, as we did more running round and crazy warm/games than before. But as I said it was good fun, the new tutor, John Gilmour, seems like a decent enough chap with a refreshing approach to acting, i.e. cut the bullshit and keep it natural. So I look forward to tomorrow night's class and see what craziness we will get up to. The only snag though is the classes are now held in the Weir building further down the road from the usual Graham Hills building, so its a bigger, heftier walk up the stairs, but it is a bigger room, so that's better for losing yourself in (literally and metaphorically).
On a separate note I've decided I really must get back to the cinema this weekend and see something, preferably No Country for Old Men or even I Am Leg-end. Which is another thing as quite a few of my fellow acting thesps are heavy movie go-ers and I feel I'm falling behind in the picture watching stakes (OK so its not a competition!) but I do fancy seeing something.
On that note that is all.... for now.
On a different news item, Acting 4 started last week and it was a really good fun class, although it did rank as one of the most physically exhausting ones yet, as we did more running round and crazy warm/games than before. But as I said it was good fun, the new tutor, John Gilmour, seems like a decent enough chap with a refreshing approach to acting, i.e. cut the bullshit and keep it natural. So I look forward to tomorrow night's class and see what craziness we will get up to. The only snag though is the classes are now held in the Weir building further down the road from the usual Graham Hills building, so its a bigger, heftier walk up the stairs, but it is a bigger room, so that's better for losing yourself in (literally and metaphorically).
On a separate note I've decided I really must get back to the cinema this weekend and see something, preferably No Country for Old Men or even I Am Leg-end. Which is another thing as quite a few of my fellow acting thesps are heavy movie go-ers and I feel I'm falling behind in the picture watching stakes (OK so its not a competition!) but I do fancy seeing something.
On that note that is all.... for now.
Monday, January 28, 2008
I hate Paypal!
Well it turns out my first use of Paypal to make a sale on ebay has turned out to be less than user friendly. Having managed to sell of a set of speakers on ebay at the weekend there, I received an email from Paypal stating I received an instant payment and I was to click on the given link to accept it, so I did and guess what? It took me to an error page that said "page not found". I've tried this link countless times since and it hasn't worked and I still haven't received payment. To make things worse I read on the internet that this is a known technical glitch and it does appear to have happened to other people too, which doesn't leave me with much confidence for Paypal as a simpler, safer, smarter way of gaining money. However apparently there were technical problems announced on the Paypal site around the time on Friday there when my received payment went through saying that switch/credit card payments would be effected by this, but the normal service would resume (of course!) this also was announced on Friday morning yet my payment was due that night! And it isn't right that I have an unclaimed payment lying around somewhere, floating in Internet limbo waiting to get picked up!!
I've sent Paypal an email expressing my concerns so I can only hope that it gets sorted soon. Paypal: Safer, Simpler, Smarter. My ass.
I've sent Paypal an email expressing my concerns so I can only hope that it gets sorted soon. Paypal: Safer, Simpler, Smarter. My ass.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Achh the start of the year
Well we are two weeks into the new year and its not been too busy so far, ok it is early days, but that will change, as my final Art of Acting unti will start up soon, next Thursday in fact on 24 January, seems like we just finished the 3rd one! So it will nice (and a bit sad) to give the acting program some closure (well for now until something else pops up!).
On another note though I'm back doing my Cisco (Computer networking shtuff) and I'm on the last semester of the CCNA 4 (which basically as my lecturer Graeme says qualifies you to become an Internet plummer's best mate). And unlike Acting 4 I will be glad to see the back of it, as you have to do plenty of study, reading up on mind bending concepts of networking, which are all a bit too technical to bother with on this blog (or any blog).
And on a finale note, I finally got round to watching Michael Moore's Sicko, about the state of the health care in the US, and again Moore exposed the terrible state of affairs in America, where this time, lots of people who have had health insurance had either been dropped or extorted for the privilege. It also focuses on the people who didnt qualify for health care and how their sickness wasn't covered by health insurance. Basically the film boils down to the greedy corporations are the ones that control the health care in America, and if you want to go to hospital to get any treatment you have to pay the bill. I was kind of amused by Moore's travels to different countries to check out their health care systems, especially in London where he seems totally beumsed to learn that everything is paid for by the NHS.
It is a good film and again Moore deserves some credit for raising the awareness of the shambles that is the Health Care system in the US. Although having also seen Manufacturing Dissent, a sort of anti-Michael Moore film (which wasn't too anti Moore, more sort of constructively critical) I kept thinking how much of the film footage did Moore manipulate? How did he convince so many Americans to go with him on a potentially dangerous trip to Guantanamo Bay? And how will others think he comes off as a saintly figure sending cheques off to his biggest protestors? Does Moore just do this to carry favour with the rest of the world while he continues to berate America? Who knows, its not really for me to say of course. I'm not a big Moore basher, I enjoy his films, but sometimes you do have to take his opinions with a pinch of salt. And on that note I'm off ta bed.
On another note though I'm back doing my Cisco (Computer networking shtuff) and I'm on the last semester of the CCNA 4 (which basically as my lecturer Graeme says qualifies you to become an Internet plummer's best mate). And unlike Acting 4 I will be glad to see the back of it, as you have to do plenty of study, reading up on mind bending concepts of networking, which are all a bit too technical to bother with on this blog (or any blog).
And on a finale note, I finally got round to watching Michael Moore's Sicko, about the state of the health care in the US, and again Moore exposed the terrible state of affairs in America, where this time, lots of people who have had health insurance had either been dropped or extorted for the privilege. It also focuses on the people who didnt qualify for health care and how their sickness wasn't covered by health insurance. Basically the film boils down to the greedy corporations are the ones that control the health care in America, and if you want to go to hospital to get any treatment you have to pay the bill. I was kind of amused by Moore's travels to different countries to check out their health care systems, especially in London where he seems totally beumsed to learn that everything is paid for by the NHS.
It is a good film and again Moore deserves some credit for raising the awareness of the shambles that is the Health Care system in the US. Although having also seen Manufacturing Dissent, a sort of anti-Michael Moore film (which wasn't too anti Moore, more sort of constructively critical) I kept thinking how much of the film footage did Moore manipulate? How did he convince so many Americans to go with him on a potentially dangerous trip to Guantanamo Bay? And how will others think he comes off as a saintly figure sending cheques off to his biggest protestors? Does Moore just do this to carry favour with the rest of the world while he continues to berate America? Who knows, its not really for me to say of course. I'm not a big Moore basher, I enjoy his films, but sometimes you do have to take his opinions with a pinch of salt. And on that note I'm off ta bed.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
That was the year that was 2007!
Well that was 2007 and for me it was a really good year, a lot of fun, and its kind of a shame its over, so anyway here we go on into 2008, hopefully it will be a good one, time will tell. Anyways for a change of pace, I thought I'd post my favourite list of TV show, films, games, and music from 2007 as follows below:
Favourite Films of 2007
Hot Fuzz (best British film of the year!)
Die Hard 4.0 (best Die Hard since the first un!)
The Bourne Ultimatum (Yes sue me I liked it! Best of the Bourne)
American Gangster (One of Ridley's best recent films)
Shooter (very entertaining Anton Fuqua movie)
Favourite TV Shows of 2007
Heroes (goes without saying, it was the best show of 2007)
The Sopranos (excellent finale season)
Peep Show (back with a hilarious 4th season)
The Apprentice (the only decent and compelling reality TV show out there!)
24 (The sixth season at first view was a little disappointing, but on a second viewing, its as compelling as ever!)
Favourite Games of 2007
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warefare (the latest and best COD game in a while)
Crysis (a great PC game if you have the PC for it!)
Bioshock (everyone said how good it is, that's because it is!)
The Darkness (A highly entertaining, gruesome, visually stunning 360 game)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (really entertaining remake of the original Lara Croft game)
Favourite Music of 2007
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace (their latest and best album in a while)
Rush - Snakes and Arrows (one of their most consistenly good albums for a while)
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris (The Queens still prove their worth without Nick Olivieri)
Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature (another delicate, beautiful album)
Radiohead - In Rainbows (Radiohead return with... a very good album)
Mark Ronson - Version (I'm adding this in because it really is rather good and annoyingly catchy (Amy Winehouse even sounds likeable!).
Oh forgot to say, Happy New Year!!!!!
Favourite Films of 2007
Hot Fuzz (best British film of the year!)
Die Hard 4.0 (best Die Hard since the first un!)
The Bourne Ultimatum (Yes sue me I liked it! Best of the Bourne)
American Gangster (One of Ridley's best recent films)
Shooter (very entertaining Anton Fuqua movie)
Favourite TV Shows of 2007
Heroes (goes without saying, it was the best show of 2007)
The Sopranos (excellent finale season)
Peep Show (back with a hilarious 4th season)
The Apprentice (the only decent and compelling reality TV show out there!)
24 (The sixth season at first view was a little disappointing, but on a second viewing, its as compelling as ever!)
Favourite Games of 2007
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warefare (the latest and best COD game in a while)
Crysis (a great PC game if you have the PC for it!)
Bioshock (everyone said how good it is, that's because it is!)
The Darkness (A highly entertaining, gruesome, visually stunning 360 game)
Tomb Raider: Anniversary (really entertaining remake of the original Lara Croft game)
Favourite Music of 2007
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace (their latest and best album in a while)
Rush - Snakes and Arrows (one of their most consistenly good albums for a while)
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris (The Queens still prove their worth without Nick Olivieri)
Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature (another delicate, beautiful album)
Radiohead - In Rainbows (Radiohead return with... a very good album)
Mark Ronson - Version (I'm adding this in because it really is rather good and annoyingly catchy (Amy Winehouse even sounds likeable!).
Oh forgot to say, Happy New Year!!!!!
