Tuesday, January 31, 2012

My first post

One evening I couldn't sleep, and so I thought, why don't I start a blog! I have read many blogs, food blogs, blogs on life, language blogs etc, etc... 

I want to know how easy or hard it is to write a blog about my thoughts and life in general, and hoping this won't eventually become a food blog...

Blogging here I come! ^_^

Monday, January 30, 2012

Paint night.

A new Game shop has opened up locally here. So, we decided we had better break it in properly and throw a paint night. It was a little short notice, and the same day as a WarmaHordes tourney at another local shop, but we still had 8 people show up for it. I had a blast myself and cant wait to do another one soon.



Sunday, January 29, 2012

Be right back: Getting funky with my bongos.

If you don't see flowers spinning around you're
head whilst your passing out on your sofa, you're
not getting funky with it.

Hang your head in shame little stoner.

My neighbours are loving me so much right now, because I have a new morning ritual.

I get up, eat a croissant (clearly essential information) and then go upstairs to my bedroom to play my... bongos.


I'm not great at them. But I love playing/murdering them because it makes me feel like this guy:

Nothing beats a bit of Donkey Konga!

I can't use the term "getting funky with my bongos" without someone laughing...

Apparently, it sounds like a sexual reference. 

STUDY

Ms Grant didn't turn up at all today, not that I'm complaining! It just meant that we didn't need to sit in our crappy little seating plan.

Seriously? 
Who even does that?

The projector was broken, so it kept flashing on and off, thank God no-one in the class had epilepsy, or we'd have had a serious problem.

I believe a fail of this magnitude would have
occurred.
Possibly even worse.

Rachel was standing by the door, looking very lost.
ME: What's wrong?
RACHEL: Have you seen Abie?
ANDREW: She's definitely here.
ME: Ahh... is this so you can bugger off to Reception duty?
RACHEL: Yeah, she's not answering her phone!
ME: Have you got her new number... remember she's using another phone just now.
RACHEL: *Remembers* Ahhh! You're a genius!  

Kelman strolled in about half way through the period... with a cast on his hand.
SARA: How did you manage that?
KELMAN: Playing football. 
The broken hand? Not the tragedy here... The tragedy is in the fact that Kelman passed his driving test only two days ago, and now cannot drive for the next thirteen weeks.


It's not all pterodactyl tears and puppy dog pouts however (I have an addiction to alliteration, help me), he seems very pleased with one part of his condition:
KELMAN: I get an hour extra in my exams!
SOPHIE: So? It just means that you're in there longer! 
Sophie was telling us all her life plan:
SOPHIE: I'm thinking of applying to Big Brother, although I still really want to go onto Don't forget the lyrics... Maybe pointless too.
SARA: *eyes light up* I love pointless.
ME: She had a bad experience with it though!
I'm referring to the time when she told our English class that there was a sequel to 'A Streetcar Named Desire'  because it said so on Pointless...


That same night, she discovered that the show clearly lied to her, inadvertently causing her to lie to the rest of our English class.


Oops.


Sophie's planning on getting famous by going on a variety of different game shows, including talent contests such as Britain's Got Talent and So you think you can dance. 


That being said though...
ME: *Talking about the lottery quiz show at the weekend* It was a simple question like 'Name movies which Nicolas Cage has appeared in' and you woul...
SOPHIE: I don't know who that is.
LAUREN: WHAT.
SARA: Neither do I.
We're going to stick to non-intellectual game shows I think, with Big Brother topping the list.


All you've got to do act like an idiot on acid and boom, you get money, free lodging and instant 'fame'. What could possibly go wrong?


Y'know, apart from gaining a few crazy stalkers and 
being hated upon by the vast majority of the
 British public?


That being said, Sophie's can't be beaten when it comes to 'The Sound of Music' questions...
SOPHIE: I know all the lyrics, all the dialogue too!
LAUREN: I love that little g...
SOPHIE: Gretel! *Looks proud of self* 
SARA: I've never seen 'The Sound of Music"
Sophie at this point basically dies. 


Sara doesn't seem to register Sophie's 'death' however, as she carried on reading her modern work to me in Plath's voice.
SARA: I've decided if I don't get into University and my career as a comedienne doesn't take off, I'm going to become a professional Sylvia Plath poetry reader.
I'd kill to see the look on the career wifey's face if Sara told her the plan.


You see, Sara has discovered that she can impersonate Plath very well...


And although she usually uses this new found skill for what I can only describe as evil (she'll say "ich" repetitively in Plath's tone, the line she's quoting makes our entire English class burst into fits of laughter because of it's sexual undertones. She'll quote that line at the most awkward moments possible), she's now started slipping into it whilst reading statistics and (strangely enough) Shakespeare.


FREE

The common room has been opened once more, after two long months of not having anywhere to go...

I lie. It's been two months in which we are close to toilets, food and plenty of seats.

In the common room, we are far away from toilets, food and there is never enough seats for everyone at break.

I haven't been in the common room since it has been open (I'd say it's the most sensible decision I've ever made in my life) but apparently it stinks.

I can only imagine that the smell of rotten dust and out of date food has only accumulated over the past couple of months...


Altogether now, ewwww...

Instead of going up to investigate... we headed down to the hot bar and watched Lewis becoming a musical prodigy... on his iPod.

Mozart in the making

MATHS

More or less Mr Shaw burying his head in the sand at the ignorance our class has towards the subject.


Do that all you want Mr Shaw, we're not going
 to get any more intelligent!


He turned to insulting Abie and Rachel instead... as usual. He did try to apologise however!
MR SHAW: I'm sorry Abie...
ABIE: *whispering* You should be.
MR SHAW: *frightened* Did you just say "You will be"?! 
I am Abie, hear me roar!


Wednesday wasn't that eventful.


Had another driving lesson in the afternoon however. Reached for the gear stick and instead started feeling up my instructors leg...


Can't decide if the fact my instructor is my Uncle 
makes it more or less appropriate...


You decide!


Lauren xxx

Well aren't you just a cactus smuggler?

Can't look a cactus straight in the eyes now...

Well... I suppose I couldn't look them in the eyes in the first place, seen as they don't have eyes.

Apart from that one.

Annnnd that one....


That one too....

PSE


We had a fantastic talk about teenage cancer...

Such a cheery topic to start off your morning(!)



It genuinely was a great talk though, despite the worrying subject matter. It really puts your own mortality into your head however. 


Sara gave me a box of scrabble so I could borrow it for art, and the box split open just before the talk started. So I was pulling out random letters and they all spelled random two lettered words such as 'TV' and 'no'. I am too easily amused, I tell you.


Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in young people however, so remember to put on your sun-cream kids, even if it is only Aberdeen!


When the talk was over, I found Liam and he told me he was kicked out of my maths class! I'm pretty upset, although, I'm surprised that he lasted this long!


He genuinely never comes to class. Probably because when he does come, he gets abused by the douchio brothers, Shaw and Hughes.  


"Heeeey Douchio, isn't that-a Smurf-a hair-styleeeee?"


MATHS

I think I've repressed everything that happened in this period...

STARBUCKS


Bad news - Favourite barista Joey wasn't there and the queue was huge (probably as the direct result of the first point)


Good news - Kelly and Ewan were there instead!


As soon as I got in however, I whapped oot the scrabble set and began spelling stuff out whilst I asked:
ME: When does one plus one equal six?
SARA: Uhh... I don't know!
ME: When you're playing scrabble! 
I then proceeded in spelling two one's in order to prove that spelling one twice equals a grand total of six. 
SARA: Mind fuck!
I then spelled mind fuck.

Sara gasped so I changed it around to find muck.



Then I changed it to mink fud.


Yeah, the 'c' mysteriously disappeared.


After that, Kelly came through the door to brighten everyone's days up, I decided to ask her the scrabble riddle:
ME: Kelly, when does one plus one equal six?
She pauses.
KELLY: When the world is three times bigger than it actually is? 


I suppose that's... right?


Ewan then came over to chat to us before he went away to work, after just getting off the sleeper from London, where he had an audition (it went well, but with Ewan, you'd have no doubt that it did!)


Ewan explained that he shared a room/bunk-bed/whatever you call those things you get on sleeper trains with a guy that wasn't too bad.


Immediately, "what if...?" situations started to arise.
"What if the man you were sharing with was gay?"
"What if the man you were sharing with was a pervert?" 
I love how these types of conversation are considered tame, even when we are in a public space.
ME: This day is almost perfect! If only Joey was here...
KELLY: Joey?
ME: The sexy Russian barista that asks you if you'd like *impersonating Joey* Wheeeeped creeeeem. And you're just like...


 ME: Ohhhhh yes.
 At this precise moment, my mouth drops and I point outside, Kelly looks and we both burst into laughter at the sight of Meryl Streep on a bus.


Silent judgement.


It's a personal joke thing. Or as people who tell a story that no-one else finds funny, you had to be there.


On a completely unrelated matter, we then began to speak about Deal or no Deal (great show bro')
KELLY: Oooh! Oooh! There was this little Chinese man who was on it, and his trousers were up to here! *Points to rib-cage area*
EWAN: *Painfully* Oooh.... 
KELLY: He might not have been Chinese actually... but he was definitely foreign!
ME: Every foreign man is Chinese in Kelly's eyes! 
Ewan then brought up 'A Serbian film'.
SARA: I'd like that one!
KELLY:  Is it Serbian?
ME: It would be awkward if it wasn't! 
The plot involves an aging porn star and torture... 


This is almost as bad as 'Wedding Trough'


Ewan then had to go to work (boo!) so we decided before he left that we'd go to see 'Star Wars' in the cinema when it was re-released later on this year, and then go to Tinderbox.
EWAN: We went there once, *whispering* the coffee was much cheaper than here. When we were away to leave, someone asked "Aren't you going to stay for the Jenga tournament?" *Everyone's faces lit up* Exactly!
 Going to annihilate everyone with my mad jenga skills.


Starbucks has a serious problem with their girl toilets. Someone goes into them monthly (armed with a hammer) and bends every single one of the locks.


Some crimes are so pointless
ME: I thought I was Wonder woman or something though, because I was trying to bend them back into shape like *pretend to try bending the locks back into shape, straining* Urgghhh... euuurgh!
KELLY: Good job the door was open or people would be like "What is she doing?!" 
Of course, it's not a Kelly/Lauren meeting without one of us laughing a little bit too hard.


During a laughing session
ME: Peeeeeing!
KELLY *Stops laughing* Too much information!
ME: Not literally peeing... have you never said "Peeeing!" when you're laughing really hard? 
KELLY: No, I'm a normal person!
Don't listen to her, if she didn't say that before, she does now.


ENGLISH


Seen as it was the last lesson we'd get before next weeks prelim, our class knuckled down for some solid rev...


Sorry... Couldn't finish that sentence.


We spent the double period looking for Tom's toy centipede, Jean-Paul, which Jordan so cruelly stole away from him.
TOM: ... WHERE'S JEAN-PAUL?!
JORDAN: I don't know! I think he ran away.
TOM: Jean-Pauuuuul?
This got increasingly desperate as the period went on.
TOM: YOU'VE got Jean-Paul.
MIKEY: I'll show you that I don't! *Empties out pockets*
TOM: Who's got Jean-Paul?!
JORDAN: Ms Struthers has Jean-Paul.
TOM: *Skeptical* Why would she have Jean-Paul?
JORDAN: She kidnapped him whilst you were trying to find her. 
LINDA: This is so sad...
ME: It's tragic!
JORDAN: ... Is Jean-Paul a centipede or a millipede? 
TOM: JEAN-PAUL! *Goes on a hunt*
The Jean-Paul conversation was followed by the intriguing question:
JORDAN: If you have sex with a shemale, is it considered to be gay or straight? 
Going to leave that one with you....


Chloe then gave me a quick (and by quick, I mean three hour) phone call. 


We came up with an educational new game, all you need is a computer, an internet connection and someone to play it with.


Think of a word and then go to Urban Dictionary. Type in said word. Learn awesome new phrases.


For example:
Cactus smuggler: An American transvestite.
Mango bango: An explicit sexual act involving anal penetration, a jump-rope and a three legged dog. 
I'm pretty sure that the Mango bango is illegal in twenty three different countries.


Bye you smoogy's (cuties)!


Lauren xxx

Sucking balloons and blowing candles

Going out to a restaurant and having a meal with friends has to be my favourite way of celebrating someone's birthday. 


This is absolutely no exception when it comes to Heather's (a.k.a my number one homo) birthday.


My Dad drove me and Chloe down to the beach at about quarter to seven (we were supposed to be meeting them at quarter past seven) so we were just chilling out in the just above freezing temperatures, deciding what we were going to order later on that night.
ME: I want an Aztec JAM-BAL-A-YAAAAAH!
CHLOE: *Looking on menu* What's that?
ME: I don't know, but it's fun to say! I wouldn't mind ordering a 'Big Mexican Cowboy burger'... I'll just order a 'Big Mexican Cowboy' and when they put a burger on the table, I'll just say "Umm... this is not what I ordered."
The rest of the gang arrived not too long after we did... apart from Lauren, who arrived at five past seven. When we gave her into trouble for this, she replied defensively:
LAUREN: What time were we meant to meet here? QUARTER PAST SEVEN!
CHLOE: What time is it now?
LAUREN: Five past seven! 
Lauren then began to look through her bag:
HEATHER: *pointing at what looked like sellotape*  What's that?
LAUREN: Boob tape. Y'never know when you'll need it! 
Then a "who's oldest" talk took place:
PAIGE: I am!
LAUREN: Party!
HEATHER: Tea party. 
LAUREN: Fill your cup with tea instead of booze *laughs*
HEATHER: Fill your cup with booze instead of tea!
ME: But then it's not a tea party.... It's a tea party party?
When we sat down, I realised straightaway that the table we were given would end in disaster...

This was mainly due to the fact that me and Chloe we sitting opposite from eachother and there was a pile of balloons over at our side of the table...



And, after knowing Chloe for about a decade, she did exactly what I expected her to do... and hit me over the head with a balloon.


I did this back to her.

This went back and forth all night until...



I tried to hit Chloe, but I got the wrong one, hitting Chloe Skene over the head with the balloon, before the balloons unhooked themselves from the pepper mill and began floating away. 


My face when I realised what just happened.


Chloe still persisted in hitting the balloons, resulting in me having to stretch up and catch them every time she did so.


Lauren then hooked a balloon to herself so she could 'slyly' steal it at the end of the night.


Perhaps Lauren doesn't do sly, but she sure as hell does smooth.
PAIGE: I'd like a flat bread please.
WAITER: Garlic or cheese?
PAIGE: Garlic please.
LAUREN: *Putting on a voice* She doesn't like cheeeese.
Heather, who was away to drink some of her IRN BRU from out of the bottle, now hovers her bottle in front of her lips, making it look like...
ME: Heather... why are you giving your IRN BRU bottle a blow-job? 
HEATHER: Lauren and her "She doesn't like cheeeese". What was that voice!?
LAUREN: My sexy voice *grins* 
This sexual assault carried on all night.
LAUREN: Hey, what's your name?
WAITER: My name?
LAUREN: Umm... yeah.
WAITER: Simon.
There were lots of 'Simon says' jokes that night. 


Whilst we were waiting for our food, Heather opened her presents. Lauren gave her an oddly shaped package.
LAUREN: I've got a little story behind this present! I was passing by Anne Summers...
*Everyone groans and then laughs, Heather begins to unwrap in nervously, with a hint of paranoia about her* 
HEATHER: You didn't! 
LAUREN: Well, I'm not old enough to buy it in there, so I got the next best thing.
Heather then opens the end of the present to reveal... a cucumber. 


It could have been so much more awkward.
HEATHER: I could always go up and ask the Chef to cut it up for me.
ME: "Wanna slice my cucumber?"
Simon then comes over to the table, points at Heather and mouths "What's her name?"


Paige mouths back "Heather".
PAIGE: When they start singing, sing "Heather" really loudly...
LAUREN: They'll have got it right!
PAIGE: No, they'll probably start singing "Barbara" or something!
ME: What would happen if they started singing it to the wrong person? Would they just re-direct it the person it's meant to be sung to, start again or just leave it?
CHLOE: *starting at the end of Happy Birthday* Oh... um... *pretends she's turning to another person* Happy Birthdaaaay...
Paige wasn't sold that they were going to sing the right name however.
PAIGE: They are probably going to be singing 'Leather' or 'Weather'...
ME: Happy Birthday to Leather! *Looks up at sky* R.I.P cows. 
CHLOE: Did you just call her a cow?
ME: * Panicking now* No! 
HEATHER: Haha, "Come lie on me!"
EVERYONE: What?
CHLOE: COW, not couch!
HEATHER: Oh! 


At least they are related...
Phonetically, you can't spell couch without cow.


Luckily enough, when they came out, they sang perfectly and didn't mess up when it came to Heather's name.


The same couldn't be said about Heather's cake cutting capability.
CHLOE: What is she doing?
Heather got a cute wee circular cake with a present on it... well, the present was immediately cut in half. And then she started cutting blocks off of each half, instead of slices.
CHLOE: It's a circular cake. You don't cut it like that!
HEATHER: This is how cut cakes!
CHLOE: Can you imagine her at her wedding? Her Husband's cutting slices off of the cake and she's just like "Wait a minute! I'm doing my blocks!"
ME: Heather's passing everyone out a piece of cake and they are all just staring at it in shock.
After we had finished slagging Heather off for her cake cutting, we were ready to pay the bill and part way with our beloved Simon.


But not before Lauren made her smoothest move of the night...


She grabbed a napkin and a pen and began reading from her phone suspiciously.
HEATHER: What ar... is that my number?
LAUREN: *Grins* Maybe!
HEATHER: Ahh, go for it! You only live once!
Lauren continues writing the number, she quickly leans upon it and smiles at Simon as he walks by.  


They put a slice of cake on the napkin and give it to them as they pass by him. We look back to see Simon smiling delightfully as he realises he's just scored a number. He shows one of his colleagues proudly.


We then had a play in Codonas, pretending to be motorcyclists on one of the simulation machines (I fell off of it) and sucking helium...


Lauren sang happy Birthday to Heather whilst on helium, Heather sucked the entire balloon and it made absolutely no difference... d'aaaw.


At the end of the night, me and Chloe witnessed a man and a woman having a 'fight', resulting in her tossing popcorn all over him. It landed on the road.
ME: Would it be completely unacceptable to lick that off the ground?
CHLOE: Yes.
ME: I'm going to do it anyways *gets up and walks half way over to the popcorn*
CHLOE: No! People are watching!
ME: I wouldn't actually do it!

A car then squished all of the popcorn.
ME: NOOOOOOOOOO!
People coming out from one of the screenings stare.
ME: *clears throat* Evening... 
It's nights like these that make me grin from ear to ear :)  


I'm so lucky to have these wonderful girlies in my life, even though I don't get to see them very often.


Lauren xxx

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Mirrormask



I enjoyed the movie when I first saw it on DVD years ago, I recently picked up the Blu-ray and I enjoyed seeing Mirrormask once again but I was stunned at the improvement in picture quality on the Blu-ray version.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Infinity: Charontid

I have been playing some games of Infinity lately, really just some battle box games to get the feel for it. Anyway, this guy was whooping up on people so, I thought he deserved to be painted.
I've really been enjoying painting the Combined army figs, as they are a nice change of pace from the stuff I normally work on.
Here he is with a few in progress pics as well. Thanks for looking.


All Time Low review

Crowds never fail to surprise. Whether it is tiny collection of an indie band's small but dedicated fan-base or the mass-meeting of a pop-sensation's casual listeners, it will always be the people at the show that make it special. 


The first surprise of the night, for me at least, occurred as soon as I set my eyes on the venue... three hours before doors opened, there was already a massive queue stretching from the entrance of the 02 Academy and right around the side of it, reaching the space where the tour buses were parked. Duvets, take-away packages and extra pieces of clothing lined the pavement, making the surroundings look like a hobo's wet dream. From the off-set, the extremely dedicated crowd made it unequivocally clear that they were going to be the sort of audience members needed to make a gig extra special.


That being said, the audience needed to be put through their paces and be prepared for the hugely popular headliners, All Time Low, and what better way of psyching up the crowd than shoving a couple of support acts on stage?

I was surprised to say the least when I witnessed the outlines of We Are The In Crowd's members appear on stage first, politely holding up their hands in recognition of the welcoming crowd. I knew that they would be one of the support acts for the show, however, I would have bet that they wouldn't have been the opening act, the support for the support as it were. They have built up quite a dedicated following in the past year or so, with a modest fan-base exceeding 60,000 and a taste of success when their acoustic version of 'Never Be What You Want' exceeded 1 million views on youtube earlier this month.



Being one of my favourite bands, I know quite a bit about the band and the personalities that make it so appealing to new listeners. They have a quiet dedication to their music, their fans and each-other, something that is very admirable, especially when you consider the terrible state that the music industry is in just now, with diva's and spoiled brats reigning superior in the charts. In a way, I think that the audience, regardless of whether or not they knew anything about the band prior to the show, could feel their passion for music oozing out of every second of their upsettingly short set-list.


The band started off with the first single from their debut album, 'Best Intentions', the catchy and relatable 'Rumor Mill'. The first thing that I noticed was Mike Ferri's astounding energy. For a bassist, he was incredibly active, especially when you consider that he was feeling jet-lagged only twenty-four hours before this particular show. He jumped around during the choruses, swayed his head during the verses and even had the skills to play the bass  behind his head. Despite the fact that bass players are almost always overlooked, Mike puts all of his bassists to shame, not only with his talent, but his stage presence, instantaneously becoming one of the most noticeable people on the stage. 


Obviously, the two main people that were attracting the most attention were beautiful lead-singer Tay Jardine and handsome singer/guitarist Jordan Eckes. I love Jordan, he seems like a genuinely lovely and talented guy, therefore I have only one issue with his performance, that being the fact that he could not move around as freely as I would have liked. However, this is understandable seen as he had to stand in one spot due to him playing guitar whilst singing at the same time, forcing him to stand in front of a microphone stand for the majority of the song and only getting a respite from his assigned spot when Tay took over from him. If this is the only complaint about We Are The In Crowd's performance though, I would say that they were a successful support act, and I couldn't be happier that they are finally having a UK headlining tour in April this year. They deserve it.


The Maine got a much bigger reaction from the rowdy crowd than We Are The In Crowd got, and despite my opinion being biased to say the least, I honestly believe that the latter were the better band on the night. The Maine took to the stage with the sexual anthem 'Inside of You'. Front-man John O'Callaghan, although a talented singer, wasn't connecting with the crowd as much as he probably should have, leaving the energetic performances to bassist Garrett Nickelsen and drummer Pat Kirch, with Nickelsen not standing still for a single second during their ten song set. O'Callaghan appeared to be facing the back wall more than the audience, something that turned out to be quite annoying. That being said however, he did warm up to the crowd and by the catchy 'Into Your Arms', the initial cold attitude was long forgotten and O'Callaghan's musical talent was the only thing that any could think about. Guitarist Jared Monaco sadly maintained a stiff attitude throughout the Maine's set, refusing to move from his assigned spot on stage. Once again, it's Monaco's sheer musical talent that saved him from dragging down the rest of the band down, because it genuinely is a joy to see him play. 
If only it looked as if he was enjoying playing for us...


Prior to the gig, I was told that I was in for a great night. I've been to a fair number of gigs now, the vast majority of them I have enjoyed immensely, so I was sceptical about just how good All Time Low were going to be... 


I was wrong to doubt that they would be anything short of amazing.


From the second the band took to the stage (and the prominently female  audience screamed the ears off of everyone) it was obvious that these guys were the rightful head-liners. If nothing else signified it, the lighting sure as hell did. The entire venue was lit up with warming red lights, illuminating all four members of the headlining act as if they were some kind of musical Gods. All of a sudden, they began jumping, running around stage manically and hitting the drums viciously, as if their lives depended on this performance. It's an energy that you've got to commend them for, whether or not you respect their musical capabilities.


Jack Barakat is a fantastic guitarist, I need to make that point crystal clear. The energy he puts into his performance is unprecedented, it's almost impossible to get a clear photo of him because he is forever running across the stage, climbing on top of amps or bending down to collect one of the many (and I mean many) bras that the fan-girls have thrown at him. There was hardly a song that went by that Jack and his bromantic partner Alex Gaskarth weren't chatting away amiably to the crowd. Both Alex and Jack would insert a random swear word half-way into every second sentence, but none of the audience members seemed to mind it, on the contrary, they almost applauded every f-bomb the boys landed. They took time out from their 16 song set to explain a three lettered light board that hung above the stage, which is controlled by someone to the side of the stage. Alex explained (between girlish screams) that he wanted to "tap dat ass" (in regards to the entire audience), before getting the sold out crowd to chant the phrase whilst the band played the intro for 'Six Feet Under The Stars'.


Alex was everything that you could ever hope for in a front-man. He was charming, oozed confidence from every pore of his body, was handsome, cared about the fans who parted with their hard-earned money to be at the show and most of all, was a talented performer. He played guitar and sang without compromising the quality for either one (who said men can't multitask?) whilst simultaneously interacting the crowd with the bands performance, pushing them to sing louder, jump higher and mosh more violently. At one point, he brought what was almost the entire venue to its knees... literally. Bar a select few stick in the muds (not to call them out, but the people in front of me) everyone sat down and were willing to sit crossed legged on the 02 Academy's floor, watching Alex's emotional acoustic performance of 'Remembering Sunday'.


Despite bassist Zack Merrick and drummer Rian Dawson not being able to stir that emotional response with their performances, it doesn't mean that they were any less important to the overall success of the night. You could tell that both Rian and Zack gave it their all, and that they were having a great time performing in front of the enthusiastic crowd. The fan-girls may focus entirely on Alex and Jack, but Zack and Rian are just as important to the bands success, and just as dedicated. I think we all need to appreciate that.


If you have a chance to see All Time Low perform live... take it. I assure you, you won't regret it. Their energy is unparalleled, their audience interaction is fantastic and they always have amazing support bands backing them up, every date of the tour.


Whether you are a casual listener or a hard-core fan, this is one date you do not want to miss.

2012 Oscar nominations

Grab your popcorn fellow movie geeks, it's that time of year again.


Yes, the most prestigious movie award ceremony in the world has just released this years list of nominees and, as usual, there are several films that are dominating when it comes to number of nominations. 


Here's a handy little nomination guide for you all, starting with the movie that has the most nominations and finishing with those that only have one.


Hugo


Nominated for 11 awards:

  • Best picture
  • Directing (Martin Scorsese)
  • Writing (adapted screenplay)
  • Cinematography (Robert Richardson)
  • Music (original score) (Howard Shore)
  • Art direction
  • Film editing
  • Sound editing
  • Sound mixing
  • Costume design
  • Visual effects
The Artist

Nominated for 10 awards:
  • Best picture
  • Actor in a leading role (Jean Dujardin)
  • Actress in a supporting role (Berenice Bejo)
  • Directing (Michel Hazanavicius)
  • Writing (original screenplay)
  • Music (original score) (Ludovic Bource)
  • Cinematography (Guillaume Schiffman)
  • Art direction
  • Film editing
  • Costume design
Moneyball

Nominated for 6 awards:
  • Best picture
  • Actor in a leading role (Brad Pitt)
  • Actor in a supporting role (Jonah Hill)
  • Writing (adapted screenplay)
  • Film editing
  • Sound mixing
Warhorse

Nominated for 6 awards
  • Best picture
  • Music (original score) (John Williams)
  • Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski)
  • Art direction
  • Sound mixing
  • Sound editing
The Descendants

Nominated for 5 awards:
  • Best picture
  • Actor in a leading role (George Clooney)
  • Directing (Alexander Payne)
  • Writing (adapted screenplay)
  • Film editing
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Nominated for 5 awards:
  • Actress in a leading role (Rooney Mara)
  • Cinematography (Jeff Cronenweth)
  • Film editing
  • Sound editing 
  • Sound mixing
The Help

Nominated for 4 awards:
  • Best picture
  • Actress in a leading role (Viola Davis)
  • Actress in a supporting role (Jessica Chastain)
  • Actress in a supporting role (2) (Octavia Spencer)
Midnight in Paris

Nominated for 4 awards:
  • Best picture
  • Directing (Woody Allen)
  • Writing (original screenplay)
  • Art direction
Albert Nobbs

Nominated for 3 awards:
  • Actress in a leading role (Glenn Close)
  • Actress in a supporting role (Janet McTeer)
  • Make-up
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Nominated for 3 awards:
  • Art direction
  • Visual effects
  • Make-up
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Nominated for 3 awards:
  • Actor in a leading role (Gary Oldman)
  • Writing (adapted screenplay)
  • Music (original score) (Alberto Iglesias)
Transformers: Dark side of the moon

Nominated for 3 awards:
  • Visual effects
  • Sound editing
  • Sound mixing
The Tree of Life

Nominated for 3 awards:
  • Best picture
  • Directing (Terrence Malick)
  • Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Bridesmaids

Nominated for 2 awards:
  • Actress in a supporting role (Melissa McCarthy)
  • Writing (original screenplay)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Nominated for 2 awards:
  • Best picture
  • Actor in a supporting role (Max von Sydow)
The Iron Lady

Nominated for 2 awards:
  • Actress in a leading role (Meryl Streep)
  • Make-up
My Week with Marilyn

Nominated for 2 awards:
  • Actress in a leading role (Michelle Williams)
  • Actor in a supporting role (Kenneth Branagh)
Separation

Nominated for 2 awards:
  • Foreign language film
  • Writing (original screenplay)
A Better Life

Nominated for:
  • Actor in a leading role (Demian Bichir)
Beginners

Nominated for:
  • Actor in a supporting role (Christopher Plummer)
Warrior

Nominated for:
  • Actor in a supporting role (Nick Nolte)
The Ides of March

Nominated for:
  • Writing (adapted screenplay)

Bullhead

Nominated for:
  • Foreign language film
Monsieur Lazhar

Nominated for:
  • Foreign language film
In Darkness

Nominated for:
  • Foreign language film
Footnote

Nominated for:
  • Foreign language film
A Cat in Paris

Nominated for:
  • Animated feature film
Rango

Nominated for:
  • Animated feature film
Puss in Boots

Nominated for:
  • Animated feature film
Kung Fu Panda 2

Nominated for:
  • Animated feature film
Chico & Rita

Nominated for:
  • Animated feature film
Dimanche/Sunday

Nominated for:
  • Short film (animated)
Wildlife

Nominated for:
  • Short film (animated)
La Luna

Nominated for:
  • Short film (animated)
Pentecost

Nominated for:
  • Short film (live action)
Tube Atlantic

Nominated for:
  • Short film (live action)
Time Freak

Nominated for:
  • Short film (live action)

The Shore

Nominated for:
  • Short film (live action)
Raju

Nominated for:
  • Short film (live action)
A Morning Stroll

Nominated for:
  • Short film (animated)
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Nominated for:
  • Short film (animated)
The Adventures of Tintin

Nominated for:
  • Music (original score) (John Williams)
Hell and Back Again

Nominated for:
  • Documentary feature
Pina

Nominated for:
  • Documentary feature
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

Nominated for:
  • Documentary feature
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Nominated for:
  • Documentary feature
Undefeated

Nominated for:
  • Documentary feature
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement

Nominated for:
  • Documentary short
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Nominated for:
  • Documentary short
Saving Face

Nominated for:
  • Documentary short
God is the Bigger Elvis

Nominated for:
  • Documentary short
Incident in New Baghdad

Nominated for:
  • Documentary short
The Muppets

Nominated for:
  • Music (original song) ("Man or Muppet" by Bret McKenzie)
Real Steel

Nominated for:
  • Visual effects
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Nominated for:
  • Visual effects
Drive

Nominated for:
  • Sound editing
Anonymous

Nominated for:
  • Costume design
Jane Eyre

Nominated for:
  • Costume design
W.E.

Nominated for:
  • Costume design
Now you know the nominees, choose your favourites and tune in on the 26th February to see if they won!

My predicition is that 'The Artist' will walk away with the most awards.

Who do you predict will win big this year?