Well while Fiona has been away in the UK I've taken the opportunity to try and catch up on a few things, I've started and finished the second season of Eureka on DVD as well as the Doctor Who: Earth Story Boxset, add to that I'm also determined to finish watching Supernatural season 5 and Dollhouse season 2 over the next few days, both shows that managed to put me off them because of their horrible season opening episodes.
Movie wise I've watched Taken ( finally ) which I really enjoyed along with Gran Torino ( which I'd seen before ) and The Terminator, I was pretty impressed with The Terminator on Blu-ray actually, it looked far better than I expected it to, the only disappointment for me was the weak selection of extras that come on the disc, given it's sci-fi classic status isn't it about time there was a decent feature about the making of the movie commisioned by the distributors of the film.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
10,000 views!
You guys are the best.
Hope you have all had a good time reading some of the posts I've written, or at the very least, learnt something new.
If you continue reading, I'll continue writing... how does that sound?
And once again, thank you.
Lauren xxx
Hope you have all had a good time reading some of the posts I've written, or at the very least, learnt something new.
This is what I want to do to everyone who
supported this blog.
It means the world to me
If you continue reading, I'll continue writing... how does that sound?
And once again, thank you.
Lauren xxx
Keep your strawberries, I want your meringues.
vs.
C'mon. You know meringues are better.
I had my fifth driving lesson today.
It's going good!
And by "going good", I mean I haven't
a) Killed a pedestrian
b) Flattened a small animal or
c) Crashed into a car
So far, so good!
It's all thanks to my wonderful instructor (and no, I'm not just saying that because he's my Uncle) Rob.
So if there's any Aberdonian learners out there... get in contact with me. I'll give you his number.
Enough with shameless, non-self promotion!
Went out to New Deer to visit my Auntie, Uncle and cousins after that.
My Auntie's house is so clean, I swear, It's like a show house! So gorgeous. But you know the feeling of not wanting to mess up a relative's house when your round? You know, the feeling that compels you to dab your hands dry on their hand towel to ensure that you don't crinkle them and makes you desperate to return doors to their original position after walking through them. Well... times that feeling by a hundred and that's what you feel like when you are visiting my Auntie's house.
Don't get me wrong, she's not pretentious and she's certainly not a slob, but she's house-proud. Something I'm certainly not used to!
I love my Auntie and Uncle. Seriously, as far as relatives go, they are two of the best you could ask for! They always know what to say during awkward silences, especially my Auntie. That's a skill. The dreaded awkward silence is almost impossible to avoid during 90% of social interactions (Scientific fact bro') so anyone that can keep them under control have instantly earned my love and respect.
We had a good yap, we saw one of my cousins, Kellie (she's an absolute gem, I swear!), we ate, and then we went home.
It was a good day. I need more of those days, my family are spread out all over Scotland... I wish I got to see them more...
Oh! The blog title!
We were fed meringues, strawberries, ice-cream and jelly for desert.
I don't know where they get them from, but those meringues are the best I've ever tasted.
Now that I've got your juices flowing (or, at the very least, your salivary glands working) I think that's my cue to sign off.
Later! Hope you all had a great day.
Lauren xxx
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Yo ho, yo ho, a bacherlor's life for me.
A few days ago ( well the 18th if you're really interested ) Fiona set of on a tour of France and the UK with a friend from work, she'll be gone for about a month, I'm planning to use the time to catch up on some reading and watch a bunch of foreign films ( Fiona hates watching subtitled movies ).
No doubt the trip will be a great experience for her and I'm kind of jealous that I couldn't go but that's life, it's something she's wanted to do for a while and now she's actually doing it.
No doubt the trip will be a great experience for her and I'm kind of jealous that I couldn't go but that's life, it's something she's wanted to do for a while and now she's actually doing it.
You may be a million miles away, but you’re still close to my heart.
Pain always seems to pester the nicest, strongest, most inspirational people you could ever hope to meet… have you ever noticed that?
Nice people shouldn’t be nice purely because they know the terrible effects that mean people have on the world.
Strong people shouldn’t be strong purely because they have had to face many fierce battles throughout their lives.
Inspirational people shouldn’t be inspirational purely because the pain they have had to overcome is so immense, you wonder if you could have managed to overcome it yourself, or if you would have just crumbled, if you would have just given up.
Pain doesn’t seem to affect the cold-hearted criminals, the terrorists plotting to kill thousands of innocent people, the dictators who exploit their country for their own selfish needs… why must pain choose to attack the same, wonderful people that epitomise everything that the human race should (but would never) stand for?
Karma is fairytale. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.
What has me so riled up?
Domestic violence.
Domestic violence and the insane expectations that parents have for their children.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve gotten “talking” to a girl from Hong Kong on twitter. Every time I’ve chatted with her, she’s been nothing but jokes and inspiring messages.
But last night was different.
She got one B, meaning she didn’t make the A-honor roll, and her Mum (who suffers from Bipolar disorder) wasn’t pleased. She grabbed a knife, threatened her with it and punched her daughter in the nose. Terrified, she ran into the nearest room and locked herself inside.
You guys should know me by now… This deeply affected me. Here’s someone, a friend whom I’ve never met, and never physically spoken to, who is hurting. Who is hurt. All I want to do is hop on the nearest plane to Hong Kong, climb into that room and act as her shield. No-one deserves to be abused. No-one deserved to be abused by their own family. No-one deserves to be abused by their own family, in their own home.
If your home is not a place of safety and tranquillity, than where is? If your own Mother cannot protect you, than who can?
The poor girl couldn’t even phone for help, because there was no phone in the room she locked herself in.
When it comes to the child victims of domestic abuse… what can we do to help them? What can they do to help themselves?
I’m suddenly reminded of a fact that we learnt in P.S.E earlier this year, a shocking percentage of domestic violence victims end up taking either their own life or their abusers to escape from their torment.
She tweeted “I just want to die…”
It makes me annoyed. Not just that there are people out there, right now, putting on a brave face, covering their bruises and lying to people closest to them, merely to protect their abusers, but also that there are people like me, like you, sitting at our computers, with absent minded grins and petty problems, whilst our abused counterparts bleed. Whilst they die. That’s not right. That will never be right.
Her followers huddled round her, tweeting words of support, of concern, but no amount of characters will ever erase the bruises, no amount of “stay strong”‘s will ever cure that girl’s mother of her illness…
God, I hope her Dad got home…
Parents? Grades are not as important as your child’s love and respect. They try their best.
Kids? Don’t worry about your grades. Your parents just want to see you do well. They try their best.
When young people say that they don’t feel “good enough”, failing to meet their parents expectations of them is one of things they are referring to.
Here’s a message to the abused:
You are unique, beautiful, intelligent, brilliant and above all, strong.
Don’t you give up. They want to hold you back, but keep on fighting. One day, they’re grip will weaken and you'll break loose... you’ll move on with your life. You could be the president. You could be a superstar. You could be anything you want to be. Your life could equate to something truly extraordinary, something that your abuser could only dream of. Don’t. Give. Up.
You are not just good enough, you are better than you'll ever realise. You might just be the greatest there ever was.
I can’t say that the same for your tormentor.
If you (or someone you know) is being abused, please, check out some hints on what you could do below.
Get Connected (16-25 year olds): 0808 808 4994
Broken Rainbow: 0300 999 5428 / 08452 60 44 60
NSPCC: 0808 800 5000
National Association for People Abused in Childhood
Men’s Advice Line (for men experiencing domestic violence): 0808 801 0327
And remember, you may be a million miles away, but you’re still close to my heart.
Nice people shouldn’t be nice purely because they know the terrible effects that mean people have on the world.
Strong people shouldn’t be strong purely because they have had to face many fierce battles throughout their lives.
Inspirational people shouldn’t be inspirational purely because the pain they have had to overcome is so immense, you wonder if you could have managed to overcome it yourself, or if you would have just crumbled, if you would have just given up.
Pain doesn’t seem to affect the cold-hearted criminals, the terrorists plotting to kill thousands of innocent people, the dictators who exploit their country for their own selfish needs… why must pain choose to attack the same, wonderful people that epitomise everything that the human race should (but would never) stand for?
Karma is fairytale. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.
What has me so riled up?
Domestic violence.
Domestic violence and the insane expectations that parents have for their children.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve gotten “talking” to a girl from Hong Kong on twitter. Every time I’ve chatted with her, she’s been nothing but jokes and inspiring messages.
But last night was different.
She got one B, meaning she didn’t make the A-honor roll, and her Mum (who suffers from Bipolar disorder) wasn’t pleased. She grabbed a knife, threatened her with it and punched her daughter in the nose. Terrified, she ran into the nearest room and locked herself inside.
You guys should know me by now… This deeply affected me. Here’s someone, a friend whom I’ve never met, and never physically spoken to, who is hurting. Who is hurt. All I want to do is hop on the nearest plane to Hong Kong, climb into that room and act as her shield. No-one deserves to be abused. No-one deserved to be abused by their own family. No-one deserves to be abused by their own family, in their own home.
If your home is not a place of safety and tranquillity, than where is? If your own Mother cannot protect you, than who can?
The poor girl couldn’t even phone for help, because there was no phone in the room she locked herself in.
When it comes to the child victims of domestic abuse… what can we do to help them? What can they do to help themselves?
I’m suddenly reminded of a fact that we learnt in P.S.E earlier this year, a shocking percentage of domestic violence victims end up taking either their own life or their abusers to escape from their torment.
She tweeted “I just want to die…”
It makes me annoyed. Not just that there are people out there, right now, putting on a brave face, covering their bruises and lying to people closest to them, merely to protect their abusers, but also that there are people like me, like you, sitting at our computers, with absent minded grins and petty problems, whilst our abused counterparts bleed. Whilst they die. That’s not right. That will never be right.
Her followers huddled round her, tweeting words of support, of concern, but no amount of characters will ever erase the bruises, no amount of “stay strong”‘s will ever cure that girl’s mother of her illness…
God, I hope her Dad got home…
Parents? Grades are not as important as your child’s love and respect. They try their best.
Kids? Don’t worry about your grades. Your parents just want to see you do well. They try their best.
When young people say that they don’t feel “good enough”, failing to meet their parents expectations of them is one of things they are referring to.
Here’s a message to the abused:
You are unique, beautiful, intelligent, brilliant and above all, strong.
Don’t you give up. They want to hold you back, but keep on fighting. One day, they’re grip will weaken and you'll break loose... you’ll move on with your life. You could be the president. You could be a superstar. You could be anything you want to be. Your life could equate to something truly extraordinary, something that your abuser could only dream of. Don’t. Give. Up.
You are not just good enough, you are better than you'll ever realise. You might just be the greatest there ever was.
I can’t say that the same for your tormentor.
If you (or someone you know) is being abused, please, check out some hints on what you could do below.
How to help abused friends/family:
- Listen to them and make sure you are willing to be there if they need a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to. Domestic abuse can go unnoticed for years because the victim feels as though they have no-one to talk to.
- Don't gossip or tell anyone that cannot help your friend/relative. This will only make matters worse.
- Offer them a place to stay for the night/weekend. Allow them to keep an overnight bag in your house so they do no have to go back to their own household to collect items or clothing, as this might be a bad idea if their partner is in an angry or irritable mood.
- Take them out, even if it's just for a walk or a trip to the cinema. As long as you get them out of the house and get their mind off of the abuse they have sustained.
- Do not force them to talk to you about their abuse, but ask them to talk to someone, even if it's not you, about it. Make sure that you do not force them into doing so however, the choice to get help must be their own decision.
- If nothing can be done to prevent the abuse (i.e. Children cannot move out of home, friend cannot break up with partner) then ask the victim to get in contact with the police, or help them do so. It's the most difficult thing to do, but it's sometimes the only option. Reassure the person that they are doing the right thing, and the abuser was wrong to have ever harmed them.
How to help yourself
- Pack a bag with enough clothes and toiletries to last you a weekend, and hide this in a friends house. If you need to make a quick escape, then this will benefit you greatly.
- Do not listen to your abusers pleas for forgiveness. They said they wouldn't do it again, well I'm sorry to tell you, but they would, and if you allow them, they will. It's a problem they have, and they need professional help for it. Once you leave, it may be the warning signs that they need to get help for their problems and get their life in order. Leaving them does not make you weak, if anything, it makes you strong.
- Get in contact with one of the numbers (or log onto one of the websites) below and get some professional help. You have done nothing wrong. You do not deserve the pain you have put up with. Please, get help.
Get Connected (16-25 year olds): 0808 808 4994
Broken Rainbow: 0300 999 5428 / 08452 60 44 60
NSPCC: 0808 800 5000
National Association for People Abused in Childhood
Men’s Advice Line (for men experiencing domestic violence): 0808 801 0327
And remember, you may be a million miles away, but you’re still close to my heart.
Extreme Juggernaut.
Got the final touches done on this guy, finally. These bigger models are a lot more time consuming to paint but they are pretty enjoyable, and far less taxing in the eye strain department. I'm pretty pleased with how the basing ended up. Thanks for looking.
Monday, July 18, 2011
"Monster" music video analysis
If you don't like Paramore or an analytical perspective of music videos... well... this post just isn't for you.
For those of you who don't know already, Paramore have finally released their music video for "Monster", directed by the ever brilliant Shane Drake.
You can see the video here if you haven't seen it already.
By no means is this the "correct" interpretation of the video, but this is my views on the imagery and underlying messages of it!
(Warning: It's a long post... sorry about that.)
First off, we're shown a pool of water, in which the band are lying motionlessly in. I'd say that the water ties in with the lyrics:
The shot of the band, huddled close together in the water, is an obvious display of unity, showing that the trio are very much stronger than ever and content in one-anothers company. If there was a shot that screams "Paramore is (still) a band" any louder than this one, I haven't seen it.
There's a quick concession of shots (fast cuts) which creates an atmosphere of chaos, throwing the viewer into a sense of confusion, much like Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor must have been experiencing once the Farro's posted THAT blog post.
Directly before the chorus, there is a series of explosions that is reminiscent to the sprinklers going off in the "Pressure" video, which is interesting because "Pressure" was the first music video that Shane Drake directed with Paramore. The explosions could therefore be a destructive reminder of what Paramore was, back before they were famous.
A hospital is usually associating with healing the sick and nursing people back to health, but the hospital that Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor are in is falling to bits, with the room Hayley is first found in full of flowers, which I guess were "sent" by us, Paramore's fans. Hayley looks at the flowers that were once so beautiful, now wilting, glumly, especially as she reads the messages written on them. She is alone and feels as if all she can do is check out her unfamiliar surroundings.
Jeremy is sitting on the floor of the corridor, debris surrounding him, he looks scared of the scene that lies before him, perhaps a way of saying that he was concerned with the state that Paramore had been left with after the Farro's departure.
Taylor is sitting on a couch, grabbing at the back of his head. In body language terms, this means that he is insecure, or contemplating something, possibly how the Farro's, his friends, could leave the band on such bad circumstances.
The contrast between Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor's white/cream clothing and their black instruments draws attention to their music playing capabilities.
When Hayley wanders from the light of the Hospital room into the darkness of the corridor, it is a subtle way of showing the viewer that she progressed alone from the safe sterility of the Hospital room (the state where us fans could only speculate to the fate of Paramore and where she could have called her time in the band quits) and wandered into the unknown of the darkened corridor (A possibly dangerous path, straight into the unknown of a Paramore with only three members. She is making herself vulnerable by stepping into this unknown.)
Any movements that the "instrumental Paramore" are making (kicking the walls, etc) is having a knock on effect on the "acting Paramore" world. The Instrumental Paramore represent Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor's public persona, the people we have become so desperately attached to, whereas the acting Paramore represent the "real" Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor, the people behind the instruments, photoshoots and twitter accounts. The instrumental members are forcing their acting counterparts into action. They desperately want to escape from the room that they have been confined to and get back to their fans, whereas the acting members are only wanting to collect their thoughts and survive (hence the running, they are trying to escape the collapse of the hospital).
The video has been cut so that the shot of the three band members, huddled close together in the water, is seen throughout the video. This shows that, despite being surrounded by rumours, inner turmoil and the Farro's drama, they are sticking together as a band.
To further emphasise the bands unity throughout this difficult time, the three run into eachother amidst the destruction unfolding around them. They protect and look out for eachother as the hospital falls to to pieces, signalling a start of not only a stronger band, but a band where the spotlight is shared equally amongst it's members.
They run through a chapel, typically a place of worship and tranquillity, shown here to be destroyed. Perhaps this is signalling that the band's faith was truly tested during this time in their life, but was always present, despite all the problems they had to face.
The part where instrumental paramore members turn around to look at one another has a very raw, honest feel to it. They all look at each-other, as if wanting for the others to speak first. It's as if their asking each-other "Now What?". Are they going to be the same band as before? Are they going to progress as a band, as people?
They never answer these questions. The acting paramore members run into the same room as their counterparts, only to realise that they have vanished, with only their instruments left. They are the same person. The individual member no longer feels as though they are separated from their public persona, this is shown by the band's sincerity about the Farro's departure and their thoughts and concerns on the matter. They weren't lying to the cameras during those interviews, they weren't typing lies. Everything they said came from their hearts and minds. There was no public persona. There was only Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor's real opinions.
The lingering shot of the water is a way of saying that, although the drama of the Farro's and the effect the brothers have had on them is still very much a presence in their lives, they no longer feel surrounded by it, the last shot is a message of hope:
Paramore is back, and they're stronger than ever.
For those of you who don't know already, Paramore have finally released their music video for "Monster", directed by the ever brilliant Shane Drake.
You can see the video here if you haven't seen it already.
By no means is this the "correct" interpretation of the video, but this is my views on the imagery and underlying messages of it!
(Warning: It's a long post... sorry about that.)
First off, we're shown a pool of water, in which the band are lying motionlessly in. I'd say that the water ties in with the lyrics:
"You were my conscience,So solid now you're like waterAnd we started drowningNot like we'd sink any further"The band are surrounded by water, which suggests that the band are surrounded by "their conscience", meaning the Farro Brothers and the drama of their departure. The fact that they look almost dead could be a subtle hint towards our initial thoughts that the absence of the Farro's would end up resulting in the death of the band.
The shot of the band, huddled close together in the water, is an obvious display of unity, showing that the trio are very much stronger than ever and content in one-anothers company. If there was a shot that screams "Paramore is (still) a band" any louder than this one, I haven't seen it.
There's a quick concession of shots (fast cuts) which creates an atmosphere of chaos, throwing the viewer into a sense of confusion, much like Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor must have been experiencing once the Farro's posted THAT blog post.
Directly before the chorus, there is a series of explosions that is reminiscent to the sprinklers going off in the "Pressure" video, which is interesting because "Pressure" was the first music video that Shane Drake directed with Paramore. The explosions could therefore be a destructive reminder of what Paramore was, back before they were famous.
A hospital is usually associating with healing the sick and nursing people back to health, but the hospital that Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor are in is falling to bits, with the room Hayley is first found in full of flowers, which I guess were "sent" by us, Paramore's fans. Hayley looks at the flowers that were once so beautiful, now wilting, glumly, especially as she reads the messages written on them. She is alone and feels as if all she can do is check out her unfamiliar surroundings.
Jeremy is sitting on the floor of the corridor, debris surrounding him, he looks scared of the scene that lies before him, perhaps a way of saying that he was concerned with the state that Paramore had been left with after the Farro's departure.
Taylor is sitting on a couch, grabbing at the back of his head. In body language terms, this means that he is insecure, or contemplating something, possibly how the Farro's, his friends, could leave the band on such bad circumstances.
The contrast between Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor's white/cream clothing and their black instruments draws attention to their music playing capabilities.
When Hayley wanders from the light of the Hospital room into the darkness of the corridor, it is a subtle way of showing the viewer that she progressed alone from the safe sterility of the Hospital room (the state where us fans could only speculate to the fate of Paramore and where she could have called her time in the band quits) and wandered into the unknown of the darkened corridor (A possibly dangerous path, straight into the unknown of a Paramore with only three members. She is making herself vulnerable by stepping into this unknown.)
Any movements that the "instrumental Paramore" are making (kicking the walls, etc) is having a knock on effect on the "acting Paramore" world. The Instrumental Paramore represent Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor's public persona, the people we have become so desperately attached to, whereas the acting Paramore represent the "real" Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor, the people behind the instruments, photoshoots and twitter accounts. The instrumental members are forcing their acting counterparts into action. They desperately want to escape from the room that they have been confined to and get back to their fans, whereas the acting members are only wanting to collect their thoughts and survive (hence the running, they are trying to escape the collapse of the hospital).
The video has been cut so that the shot of the three band members, huddled close together in the water, is seen throughout the video. This shows that, despite being surrounded by rumours, inner turmoil and the Farro's drama, they are sticking together as a band.
To further emphasise the bands unity throughout this difficult time, the three run into eachother amidst the destruction unfolding around them. They protect and look out for eachother as the hospital falls to to pieces, signalling a start of not only a stronger band, but a band where the spotlight is shared equally amongst it's members.
They run through a chapel, typically a place of worship and tranquillity, shown here to be destroyed. Perhaps this is signalling that the band's faith was truly tested during this time in their life, but was always present, despite all the problems they had to face.
The part where instrumental paramore members turn around to look at one another has a very raw, honest feel to it. They all look at each-other, as if wanting for the others to speak first. It's as if their asking each-other "Now What?". Are they going to be the same band as before? Are they going to progress as a band, as people?
They never answer these questions. The acting paramore members run into the same room as their counterparts, only to realise that they have vanished, with only their instruments left. They are the same person. The individual member no longer feels as though they are separated from their public persona, this is shown by the band's sincerity about the Farro's departure and their thoughts and concerns on the matter. They weren't lying to the cameras during those interviews, they weren't typing lies. Everything they said came from their hearts and minds. There was no public persona. There was only Hayley, Jeremy and Taylor's real opinions.
The lingering shot of the water is a way of saying that, although the drama of the Farro's and the effect the brothers have had on them is still very much a presence in their lives, they no longer feel surrounded by it, the last shot is a message of hope:
Paramore is back, and they're stronger than ever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)