Archive for » July, 2011 «

They don’t make ‘em like they used to…

28
Jul 2011

Okay from me, that statement might be slightly premature (so older folk please don’t cuss me out until you read the rest of the post) – Along with millions of others, I represent today’s youth, but I still remember from my primary school days, some of the ‘special’ little things that made everything worthwhile. Some of the trinkets and treasures I owned really made the 90’s memorable…do you remember:

Skipping ropes

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Now, of course skipping ropes still exist & people skip all the time – but I have fond memories of the multi-coloured kind we used to play with in school. My friends & I would spend our entire lunch-breaks in the playground leaping into the air, singing all kinds of rhymes and making up all kinds of games. Forget a PS3, I could entertain myself for hours with a simple rope!

Penny sweets

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Aw man, I remember being so happy over having 20pence, because the corner-shop would fill a small white paper bag with 20 different sweeties. I’d choose the foam prawns, the sour peaches, bubblegum, fruit salads and black-jacks. 20 sweets for 20p – that was the fairest deal ever…unlike today when one simple piece of candy costs next to £1…I blame inflation…or perhaps its the fact my taste has evolved & these days I enjoy the finer things…whatever I still begrudge spending more than 20pence.

Cassette tapes…

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I have this particular memory of scraping together all of the pennies I had saved, running to the nearest record store at the time (it was called ‘Our Price’) and having the dilemma of buying either one or the other cassette tapes – one was by Xzibit and the other was a D12 single. I ended up getting them both after my cousin lent me the extra. I still have a whole collection of cassettes that I no longer play because of course, I am now part of the iPod movement – but up until now, nothing trumps that special feeling I had when buying my first collection of cassette tapes.

Playing ‘Snake’ (on my phone)

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Did you own a Nokia that had that game ‘Snake’ on it? Of course you did…if you didn’t…you missed all the way out dude. Man, I loved that game, that game filled lunch breaks, that game worked as whole conversation starters – it rocked. The purpose of it was manoeuvring a snake around obstacles whilst collecting points as the snake grew in length which increased the games difficulty. On the new Nokia’s I think they’ve made an updated 3D version of the game, but – like the first movies in a line of sequels nothing beats the original (apart from the Lord of the Rings because arguably, ‘The Two Towers was better than the ‘Fellowship’…)

Barbie dolls

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Okay, the ‘Barbie’ era of toys still exists, but I must admit, it was the most awesome time ever when I was in that era. I didn’t want that era to end, I’d play with my Barbie’s for hours and hours and the possibilities were endless. Thanks to my family, I had tons of accessories and a beautiful handmade dollhouse where they all lived, I even had a Barbie pool for them all (that caused some unfortunate messy accidents with water going everywhere because I played with it indoors). It got to the point where my brother gave me some of his Action men toys, because I thought my Ken dolls weren’t muscular enough to be the Barbie’s boyfriends (LOL). I truly was a fanatic at one point!

Classroom-Milk

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This was a very short lasting fad-probably because of school budgets or something, but I remember this after school ‘treat’ where as youngens, before our parents arrived to collect us from school, we sat cross legged in class and were handed a small carton of milk. I remember I loved it because it was ice cold, and there’s something about cold milk from a carton that seems like a treat. It’s funny because, it wasn’t like we didn’t have milk in the fridge at home, but the carton made it seem all special…

Watching WWF (before they changed it to WWE & before I knew it was fake…)

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My brothers & I would gather round the TV probably later than we were allowed to stay up, to watch the WWF superstars battle it out in the ring. I had a major crush on ‘The Rock’ (I even bought posters of him & had them on my bedroom wall…*blush*…)  I remember how outrageous the skits were, (between fights there were marriages, surprise ambushes & the introduction of new characters.)

Anyway, at first there was a rumour that it was all acted and the battles were false (it’s actually ridiculous I ever believed it to be real when I look back now, but hindsight is a powerful thing.) – When reality hit home (no pun intended) – I was devastated. I quit watching it & slandered anyone that continued…LOL!

Ahh, good times! :-) Let them roll!

Category: I'm Just Sayin', Random Chit-Chat, Stuff I Like  Tags: barbie, cassette tapes, dollhouse, milk, penny sweets, skipping ropes, snake on nokia  

Amy Winehouse: A British Treasure…

23
Jul 2011

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It is very sad news that as of today, Amy Winehouse is no longer with us. Of course like many of you, I didn’t know her personally, but was, and will continue to be inspired by her amazing talent. She blessed the world with emotive, soulful and inspiring music and whilst treasured worldwide, will continue to be a British treasure and a reason to feel patriotic.

It’s unfair to try to speculate as to what actually happened, I’ll leave that to the tabloids. May God bless her close friends and family at this emotional time.

Category: News  Tags: Amy Winehouse, music  

8 of the most let-down movies I’ve ever sat through!

21
Jul 2011

Okay firstly I should say that I’m a movie enthusiast, so I’ve seen a fair few films. Now of course, how good anything is, is always subjective & this post is purely that. -My- views on films I’ve watched (through gritted teeth) and not really enjoyed…or enjoyed somewhat but for reasons probably unintended by the writer (like laughing at how bad the script is) … so here goes:

10, 000 BC

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Awful – this was hyped to be action-packed amazing-ness with hints of “300” and drops of “Braveheart” (or maybe that’s just what I wanted) – but it wasn’t. It dragged on for what felt like 4 hours, and seemed to travel through time-periods or something. I just remember thinking of other ways I could have spent that evening and other films that were playing that night.

Sophie’s Choice

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This film is quoted as being a classic, is referred to endlessly in popular culture and is generally one of those golden-oldies that will outlast time.

Emotional it is indeed, but it certainly isn’t something I’d sit through again. It seemed to keep me in suspense for hours on end about the peculiar nature of the relationship between Sophie (played by Meryl Streep) and Nathan (played by Kevin Kline).

I wont ruin the endling, and what I will say is that the cinematography and the actors’ abilities were stellar. That said, whilst the film translated well, I feel its length was far too long and I went from being in suspense, to wanting to press fast-forward.

The Ex

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I admire Zach Braff I really do. Scrubs was excellent while it lasted and while I certainly wouldn’t say he’s typecast, watching this film I couldn’t take seriously (and yes I know its a comedy bear with me) the fact he was acting as anybody other than John Dorian. However, it wasn’t really that that ruined the film…it just wasn’t good. *shrugs*

Tropic Thunder

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This was ridiculously annoying and I actually remember falling asleep mid-film. I didn’t find the silly-humour funny – at all.

The only parts that stood out were the ones they showed in the trailer to advertise the film in the first place.

Usually with a comedy, it’s hit or miss – but this had an A-star cast so I just didn’t (and still don’t) understand why people kept talking about it (positively) weeks after it was released.

Python

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Oh my goodness, this film was hilariously-irritating. Now I’ll explain why. The concept is clear, a vicious python creeps the dessert, pounces on unsuspecting victims and the outcome aint good!

From what I remember however, they used the exact same ‘pounce’ scene for each victim which was so funny it was annoying.

Now there is a possibility that I’m remembering this inaccurately as it was years ago I that I watched it – but one thing I’m certainly not forgetting is how cheap it looked and how tacky it was.

The Watchmen

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Some comic book fans might disagree with me but here goes – this film was so boring that again, I fell asleep.

Now, usually I’d give the film another try, but not this one. The storyline was predictable, the dark, neo-noir aspects didn’t translate well enough – and most annoyingly, they marketed it like ‘Sin City’ which, in comparison, was an awesome film that knocks this one out of the park.

Perhaps one of the biggest downfalls of the movie, was its length – it was far too long, or perhaps I’m just being hyper-critical but for me, this was a ‘once-and-once-only’.

Burn After Reading

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This movie had one main flaw and one only. It just wasn’t funny. Now call me hard to please, but if I buy something deemed ‘an outrageous spy comedy’ with an all-star cast, I’d like to think of it as funny – I didn’t.

Zoolander

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I was late to the game with this one, I bought it only last year (2010) firstly because I wanted to see it and secondly because I’m a huge fan of both Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

You have to bear in mind that my expectations were based on  films like ‘Meet the Parents’, ‘You, Me and Dupree’, ‘There’s Something About Mary’ and etc. I thought this would be laugh-out-loud funny like those were, and instead I sat through nearly 2 hours of annoying accents and absurd hair-do’s (which actually was kinda amusing) but just not funny enough.

Now, to me, a film can only really be a let ‘down’ if your hopes were ‘up’ in the first place. If you initially thought the movie would suck, then it isn’t really a letdown when it does, it just means you were right. In saying that, if you have anything to add, feel free to do so in the comments section below…

Category: I'm Just Sayin', Stuff I Don't Like  Tags: 10000 bc, boring films, burn after reading, films, let-down films, movies, python, sophie's choice, the ex, the watchmen, tropic thunder, zoolander  

4 trends you probably follow(ed) – but where’d they come from?

14
Jul 2011

We all enjoy trends from time to time in whatever form we find them in.

Some people enjoy a certain kind of style after seeing it on a celebrity (think Cassie’s half shaved head), some people eat and drink certain products because it’s the new “in thing” (think Moscato after Drake mentioned it) and so on.

Usually, following a trend goes un-judged as long as it’s done tastefully but there are those situations where people go completely ape over trends they care to know nothing about – just because they think it’s cool.

Well here’s some information you might find worthwhile…

‘Superman that Hoe’

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For those of you that don’t know, ‘Crank That’ was a catchy single released by rapper Soulja Boy back in 2007.

It did well in the charts, had me on the dance floor alongside my friends ‘cranking that’ knowing all the words, mastering the dance, getting hype in the club – but learning the meaning? Of course not.

It wasn’t until I found out that to ‘superman that hoe’ drew reference to a vulgar sexual act whereby a man ejaculates onto a woman’s back whilst she sleeps causing the bed sheets to stick to her back and when she wakes up it looks as if she is wearing a cloak (like superman), that I abandoned the song (and it’s dance) completely.

Totally gross!

Planking

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We’re told two Australian dudes created something called “the lying down game” which became a craze, whereby you lay stretched out, face down, arms by your sides in weird places, take a picture and Bob’s your uncle…but wait just a second there- ‘planking’ is also said to have cultural ties to slavery.

During the 16th century, people captured in Africa to be taken to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave trade were stowed away on ships. The ships carried planks of wood, and those that were enslaved lay on these planks of wood the same way people are doing today in those dumb photo’s they keep Tweeting.

Slaves did this in order to save space so that slave owners could pack as many on to the ships as possible (they were paid per slave so they were trying to make a profit).

It’s no secret that slaves were treated disgustingly throughout their lives – and while this trend has been argued to not be at all related to the manner in which slaves were transported, any relation is too close. Click here to read more (PDF).

Calling yourself a “PIMP”

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Pimping is a long time known illegal business activity and it’s not cool. Somehow the term that relates to a man prostituting women out for money has become the word some promiscuous men use to describe themselves.

Do they like the idea of shiny top hats and cheap looking suits, perms and silly shoes? – Not sure – but for some reason, they feel like a somebody when applying the term to themselves.

Blah – sure 50Cent’s track was catchy and fun back in the day – but honestly, taking this into the real world & trying to impress with it? No bueno. o(>.<)o

Arguing that the “N” word shouldn’t be offensive anymore (because the spelling has changed…)

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Okay so Kreayshawn & co. making the song ‘Gucci Gucci’ where the word was used, is indeed bad.

That ‘Purple Swag’ track by ASAP Rocky where the blonde girl at the beginning is miming the word is also bad – But ask yourself this, when was it ever really good?

Whether it’s used in music, film, theatre, food or whatever – any racial term that was once used offensively to a certain race will always have something negative about it – some people can tolerate it and laugh it off, others cannot.

At the very least, that view should be respected. You can’t pick and choose when something should and shouldn’t offend people, continue to add to the issue by using the whatever offence it is yourself, and then get annoyed when it’s used against you.
It’s like cussing at a growing child who learns the cuss word and starts using it on you, and then beating the child for doing it. Monkey see, money do, and do again. So, if offended – do better & if not, this doesn’t apply to you I guess.

As time goes by, I’m sure this list will grow but by all means, if you can think of anything to add, or just want to vent, feel free to do so below in the comments…

Category: I'm Just Sayin', Random Chit-Chat  Tags: ASAP Rocky, calling yourself a PIMP, crank that soulja boy, Gucci Gucci, Kreayshawn, lying down game, planking, Purple Swag, the n-word  

10 things I wish people wouldn’t do…

06
Jul 2011

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I’ll cut to the chase, the below 10 points massively annoy me. I wish people would stop doing them…

Phoning me using Private Number/Unavailable/No Caller ID…

Complete no-no. I don’t know why people STILL do this; everybody I give the time of day to, knows how much this irks me.

They also know that if I have no intention to talk to you, I sure aint picking up your call or phoning you.

Now the funniest point about this is that it’s rare that anyone I class as a true-friend would get the silent treatment. So if you know me but you choose to hide your number when you call me, re-evaluate our friendship maybe…

(Slyly) mentioning my name to gain credit with people that know me, but that don’t know you…

Brown nosing for friendships with people that have no real interest in you and doing that by “casually” bringing me up to them? Oh C’MON! Now please don’t get me wrong – if you & I are good friends then I have no problem with this at all, sharing is always caring – BUT, if I barely give you the time of day, please don’t fool others into thinking we’re best buddies, that’s a lie & you know it…

Ignoring the obvious…

You know those people that selectively see, hear and know things? Yeah I really don’t like that, at all. OH, so you ‘don’t remember’ that I told you something great & exciting that happened last week- but you DO remember something stupid & irrelevant from 2 years ago? Yeah okay “friend” I’ll erm, BRB…

Advice with no backing…

Me:
I could really use some help with (Insert issue here…..)

“Friend”:
Yeah, I can see how you need (repeat issue here…..)

Me:
Yeah, so far I’ve tried (insert attempt(s) here…..) but with no luck… :-(

“Friend”:
Yeah, I see – I mean I WOULD if I could but (strained excuse here…..) maybe you should try (insert insensitive and very unlikely suggestion here…..)

Me:
Gee, thanks I hadn’t thought of that…*o(>.<)o*

If you can help, but you don’t help – question your loyalty…that is all.

You talk but you don’t listen…

Everybody needs people – no (wo)man is an island. But sweetie, it’s a two way street. Some of the people I know are amazingly talented at telling me how helpful I’ve been to them , yet I bet it’d take them a minute to remember when I last said that same thing to them. Yup, I’ll wait… *crickets*, *tumbleweed*

Constantly complaining…

Your special, we all are. Our parents taught us just that. But if your mum taught you that the world is such a magical place that wherever you go, the earth revolves around that exact spot, she lied (& I’m sorry).

We all get annoyed from time to time, its human nature to get hacked off. However, it could be so much worse, because fact is, you’re here telling ME the issue you have, meaning you’re alive in the developed western world, therefore you’re blessed in a big way – so smile, I know you want to! :-)

Giving only to get? No bueno…

See I have a theory that I go by, if you aren’t doing it because you want to, then I probably don’t need it.

Now in business, of course its different, in business people are usually a**wholes. But in friendship, I get so annoyed at people that offer some sort of help only to expect something from me in return. Screw you.

If your smile isn’t real, and your time is too precious to share, then don’t even holler no more. It’s doubly worse, when that person has really bad friends they rant to me about, but they seem to offer those friends everything & more without complaining to them. I’m not a second class citizen, so don’t treat me like one.

Unhappy unless you’re happy…

If I have to hide my joy because you’re miserable and won’t truly be happy for me, then something is wrong with that picture.

True friends; appreciate the good things that happen for the people they care about. Too often, I have had to bite my tongue because (insert name here….) has had a bad day/week/month/YEAR and so probably won’t care – and will see anything positive I say as me bragging.

Get over yourself!

Judging me by your standards…

Just because you lie, b*tch or cheat does not mean that I do. Also, because YOU feel a certain way about a certain something, that is NOT necessarily how I feel about it. Stop assuming everything! – You know that saying “Assumption is the mother of all f-ups”? – well it’s usually  true.

Selective amnesia…

Please don’t wonder, or wait in vain with question upon question of why, when, how, what or where it was that caused a rift between us. You already know the answer. You can play dumb if you wish, hey I’ll leave you to play, I’m no into those types of games. I keeps it drama-free…

This list, although written in the first person, applies to any and everybody – not just me. Read it and remember than love is better than hate, and that everyone has feelings. You feel good when you do good, so if you can, do.

Category: I'm Just Sayin', Random Chit-Chat  Tags: ignoring, lies, private number, screening calls, self-centered, selfish, SMH