University Challenge and Only Connect

Monday evenings are the evenings for clever tv, with programs such as University Challenge and Only Connect relying on wider knowledge and logic rather than something like The Chase with its general pop culture questions. Yes i don't tend to get most of the questions but when i do i get an answer i do feel oh so clever. And if i don't it doesn't matter so much, the questions aren't for me, they are for clever people. People who are too clever...hmm...

Drawing a Day 23/01/2012 - 30/01/2012

Over the past few months, I have started to use the library more and more and hence, I get a lot of library receipts when I borrow or return things. The more sensible of you might say that I should stop printing out these extra receipts. But I came up with the idea of drawing my sister a drawing every day in a bid to recycle them. I don't proclaim myself to be an artist or indeed interesting, some of these drawings border on boringness, but it is an exercise that I intend to keep up for some amount of time. You will notice that I have had to resort to line paper on some days, I could not find any library receipts yet I wanted to keep the drawing-a-day up. I will publish them on a weekly basis. Here is week 1...

23/01/2012 - Chinese New Year

24/01/2012 - Clouds of unhappiness

24/01/2012 - Just watched the final Sherlock on BBC. Apologies for bad drawings and writing. Speech goes like so...
Scene 1
Moriarity: I'm dead
Sherlock: Bye John
(Do do do do do - my favourite jaunty Sherlock musical interlude)
Watson: Noo...Sherlock I love you... (as a friend)

Scene 2
Crowd Members: Oh no! Eww. He's dead.
Man on bike: I'm on a bike
Watson: Oh no...He's gone!

OR IS HE?

Scene 3
Watson: Don't be dead...
Sherlock: Teeheehee I'm not dead John, but how did I do it? Tune into Series 3!

25/01/2012 Part 1. The wise deerstalker hat wearing hamster proclaims that "bad things happen to bad people, ever get the concept of Just Desserts?"
Cat: Come ere! I want to eat you!
Mice: AARGH!
Cat: Or this cake...

25/01/2012 Part 2 (intended to be 26.01.2012)
Mice: Eww! Haha!

27/01/2012 Johnlock
J: You are mad, dangerous...
S: Fine...if you don't want to follow me on this case, then fine...
J: No, I'll come!

S:I don't have friends. I only have one - that's you John!

S: I lied John, I am a fraud! Forget me! (I hope John will understand I do this in his best interests)
J: No Sherlock! I won't believe it!

J: Noooooo!

J:Before you, I was alone...and then you came along...Do 1 last miracle...don't be dead Sherlock. Don't be dead.

28/01/2012 Twilight Part 1
Bella, the new girl at Forks
Mike and Eric: Wow!

Edward:Grr.
Bella: Why does he look like he hates me?

Crowd: Gaspette!
Tyler: Oh M G! Soz Bella! Wanna go to the prom?
Bella: What's happening?

B: Tell me Jacob, what's going on?

E: SAY IT!
B: YOU'RE A VAMPIRE!

E:Are you scared? Are you? Are you?
B: No

E:What about now?
B:No.

E: What about now?
B:No

E: I love you (even though I haven't know you for that long)
B: (Edward, Edward) I love you too! To be continued

11.30 c4 show The SImpsons starting from the middle of the episode - D'oH

29/01/2012 - Kogepan: Life for a burnt bread (see Youtube)
Bread: Konnichiwa
Kogepan: Aiiiii...why am I burnt? Left in the oven too long

K:Why me? Lots of other bread is not burnt...It's not fair...I wasn't a bad bread!
Nice bread: Yippee! Urgh look...that bread is burnt!

Oh the shame
Kogepan: The only thing is to drink the pain away...Milk! More milk!
Bartender bread: You're crazy! Don't you think you had enough?
Kogepan: No! More!

30/01/2012 - Mameshiba
Girl: Yum! My favourite chocolate cake!
Eh?
Cocoa bean: Hello! Did you know that a kangaroo's pouch is really stinky? And Amy's hamster has a grey nose?
Waah!

Baked White Chocolate Cheesecake

Made this at the weekend, a rich,creamy cheesecake with a slight flavour of white chocolate.

Ingredients:
300g white chocolate
50g melted butter
225g digestive biscuit crumbs (recipe called for chocolate digestives but I prefer plain)
150ml soured dairy cream
400g cream cheese
1tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs lightly beaten

Recipe:
1. Add melted butter to digestive biscuit crumbs and combine well. Press into springform loose-bottomed cake tin, ideally 18cm diameter.
2. Melt white chocolate, and then add cream cheese, soured dairy cream, vanilla essence and eggs.
3. Pour onto biscuit base on level out on top
4. Bake in pre-heated oven at Gas Mark 3/160 C for 1 hour, until cheesecake is firm to touch.
5. Take out of oven, leave to cool in tin, and then eat and enjoy!

This is an easy to follow recipe and the cheesecake tasted great!

Only Fools and Horses US remake?

It's been announced that the makers of the hit comedy Scrubs are to remake the classic British sitcom but is this is a good idea? Take Teachers. In its heyday it was a prime example of great characters, great dialogue and great drama/subtle comedy. The US turned it into a "funny" family friendly 30mins episodes, devoid of any unique appeal and with canned laughter thrown into the mix. Life on Mars was inventive storytelling at its best, and the US transformed this by taking the title literally, the big twist being that the cast were actually on a spaceship to Mars! This is so absurd and robs the original drama of its cleverness in its story. Yet there have been some successes, The Office US, starring Steve Carell, has been a big hit, so maybe there is hope for OFAH US, altho i can't see how it would translate into America quite as yet...

The Sweetest Taboo pt2

Yet Gill never comes across as a credible rival for Sadie's love - he is too materialistic and selfish, and doesn't seem to put her first, and continously panders to Gina's neediness and crazy antics. It is strange as to why Sadie agonizes over the choice, between Gil & the handsome, caring Tavis, it's really no contest! However, this book was a fun and enjoyable to read, following Sadie's journey in LA, with a fantastic ending!

The Sweetest Taboo - Carole Matthews

The Sweetest Taboo follows Sadie, for whom life hasn't turned out the way she expected. Life is pretty bad for Sadie until she meets Gill, an American movie producer. After one date, they become smitten with each other but are separated when Gill returns to America the next day. Soon, he is offering her a ticket to LA to be with him but can they be together properly? This is no Hollywood happy ending and there are many obstacles, namely in the form of Gill's soon-to-be ex-wife Gina. Sadie later meets the handsome actor Tavis, who she assumes is gay but becomes increasingly attracted to him. How can she work out what she wants?
This book was really funny and the development and characterisation of Sadie was really well done. She is a character who is very likeable and real, with a good sense of humour that the reader wants her to find a happy ending. Matthews manages to strike the right balance of tones ranging from happy to romantic to sad.

Andy Murray loses the Australian Open Semi-Final 2012

And yet again, Murray loses and his bid for grand slam glory is over. Sure the match between Djokovic had moments of great potential. Murray was leading 2-1 before Djokovic rained all over his parade and looked certain to clinch an easy win in the 6th set before Murray made an inspired comeback, only to lose again. Typical isn't it...every year we have our hopes raised that maybe a Brit can clinch the grand slam crown only to lose it when they stutter on the court. I guess we should be used to it by now - e.g. Tim Henman, but it gets frustrating, especially as Murray as a great talent for tennis. The problem is that he can't capitalise on this to win a grand slam, especially as there are 3 better players that he can't seem to beat to get glory. Every year, Murray loses in a grand slam and tennis commentators say that it was the best match he has played and he will go on to win other grand slams - but this has been occurring for a while. I would like to see British success in tennis, but I don't think it will come in the form of Andy Murray. I don't think he can win a Grand Slam so long as Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are still playing, and by the time they retire or their game weakens, I don't think Murray will still be playing the same fantastic standard of tennis as he does today. I guess we have to look to the future for the next British hopeful, with James Ward's success in 2011 and Laura Robson being touted as one to watch for the future, or maybe resign ourselves to British failure at tennis.

Jon Richardson - It's Not Me, It's You

Jon Richardson,  the popular comedian who has graced our tv screens on STAND UP FOR THE WEEK & 8 OUT OF 10 CATS, presents his view on relationships. It's quite a cynical take on love but that makes it all the more funny and real. However, things soon change when he meets Gemma but can he find a way to pursue love. The book takes you on a great journey as he prepares to meet Gemma and along the way he describes events that happen to him in a comical fashion. It was also interesting to read Richardson's overthinking about what to do and the anxiety and confusion over Gemma. I hoped for a happy ending, so the book didn't end as i would've like it to have done, but there is no denying the comedian's talent for writing and the book was a great read. I look forward to Richardson releasing more books in the future.

Dancing On Ice

Similar to Strictly Come Dancing (and a lot like the SCD on ice special), for the past few years, ITV have tried to create the same success with Dancing On Ice. Does it measure up to the giant that it is SCD? Well, it has consistently high ratings, although one could argue that there isn't much competition in the Sunday evening slot. I feel that the format itself however has flaws. With SCD you have the different styles of dance and techniques, providing variety with each dance. With DOI, you only have skating...skating fast or slow. It feels like there is no structure, we just watch skating performances that are no different to any others. The judges on SCD are infinitely better - with the acerbic wit of Craig Revel Horwood, the traditional and granddad-like Len Goodman and the craziness of Bruno Tonoli. Compare that to DOI and you see that the judging panel doesn't really match up. This year, Louis Spence has made an improvement to the panel - bringing personality and his experience in dance to the show, but overall, the ice panel just doesn't sparkle. Katerina Witt was particular horrible saying that one skater should never attempt lifts because she is a "big girl", which is completely unfair, and lifts are part of the skating routines. They are the parts that wins over the audience, no celebrity would ever win because they skate around the stage for 2 minutes. Christine Bleakly doesn't suit the presenting role to DOI - she doesn't have the same chemistry with Schofield that Holly Willoughby used to have with him, and she often looks uncomfortable on screen.

DOI will continue to be a ratings success for ITV for a few years to come but it just doesn't match up to SCD. It feels like a poor man's version of the BBC extravaganza. There are some talented skaters in Matthew Wolfenden, Jorgie Porter, and Sebastien Moran (with his rolling around on the ice) but it lacks the spark that SCD has.

X Factor News

And yep...Simon Cowell and the X Factor is in the news again, this time, if we are to believe news reports (see Daily Mail article, he wants Cheryl Cole back on the X Factor.

Is it just me or are these constant stories in the press about the judging panel becoming a little tiresome. It only just finished and yet gossip is around concerning the judges for the next series. What I've heard so far is...

• Everyone could be axed
• Louis has a job for life
• Louis could be sacked
• Simon will return to the X Factor
• Cheryl Cole is back (altho after the US version, I would've thought that she would want to avoid the X Factor like a plague)
• Nicole Scherzinger will judge swap with Kelly Rowland. 
• Kelly quits.

All of these stories have been repeated more than once, whilst nothing has been confirmed. It's likely that these rumours will continue for some time and do I expect to see a change? Perhaps, and the newspapers and the media will gladly speculate on who will fill the empty judging slot/slots.

Strictly Come Dancing as it's own judging rumours space in the media after Alesha Dixon defecting to BGT. Possible judges include the return of Arlene Phillips (although I think the show has been different without her, and for her to return seems like a step backwards. I'm not supporting Dixon over Phillips, but I thought there was a freshness to the panel, and I didn't really care for Phillips much as a TV personality), Karen Hardy, Jennifer Grey and Darcey Bussell. In a similar vein to hiring Dixon, it has been reported that BBC bosses are looking to past contestants to fill the vacant slot. From talented dancers such as Kara Tointon and Chelsee Healey, to the odder contestants like Nancy D'ellio (who would be more than happy to replace Dixon, who she has strong words with on the show) and Russell Grant. This seems like an odd idea as there was a lot of furore about Dixon being hired for lack of dancing knowledge, to turn to past competitors, especially someone like Russell Grant, would only draw more criticism - or publicity for the show (cynical eye).

And don't get me started on Miranda Hart being touted as a possible replacement!

It seems like Karen Hardy seems like the best possible replacement - she has the personality and the expertise, she is popular with the audience and other judges and she deserves to be back on TV. The new judge will be announced later on in the year - if Miranda Hart or Russell Grant are hired, popular as they are, popularity does not a good judge make.

Sherlock

Having watched the final at last, thanks to things getting in the way, I think it proved to be a fitting way to end Series 2 - full of drama, emotion and deerstalker hats. One question on everyone's lips though is how Sherlock managed to fake his own death. Some I have read on the internet includes he jumped into an air cushion, and makes a swap with another body, another one includes using mind-altering drugs to confuse the situation or for Watson to just imagine the whole event up in his mind (but there were these assassins about to kill him so I doubt this - the assassins couldn't have imagined the whole thing too).

My theory when I was watching it was...well I had no theory - I had random ideas, such as Sherlock was the cyclist who knocked Watson over, or maybe Watson, feeling disorientated after being knocked over imagined the body (Moriarity's) to be Sherlock, and the viewer saw what Watson saw. Other theories I had was using face masks or drugs to mimic death, and then after Sherlock was carried away, he sprung back to life.

Hmm...whatever the answer, we'll have to wait to 2013 to find when Sherlock returns!

A Hopeless Romantic - Harriet Evans Part 1

Reading the synopsis for this, I was intrigued by this book so I headed off to get a copy from my local library. I have started reading this (so not finished quite yet) but I have to say I am not enjoying this book. The main character is very unlikeable - she is having an affair with another man, who tells her he loves her and wants to be with her - quite cliched. The main character, Laura, is so selfish and so obsessed with this man that it is hard for any reader to be charmed by her "wonderful" character. Usually what sells a chick-lit novel is the appeal of the main character, but in Laura, there doesn't seem to be anything redeeming, I feel sorry more for the pigeon that has an unfortunate incident than I do when things go wrong for Laura. At the moment, she is on an extended holiday with her family, which is utterly boring to read about.

Perhaps I am being too hasty, after all, I haven't read the majority of the book yet, but the problem is, I don't really connect with the story or the characters. With other novels, such as  You Drive Me Crazy  -see below, I can't wait to see what happens next and find it hard to put the book down. A Hopeless Romantic, on the other hand, does not bother me when I stop reading it, and when I am reading it, makes me sleepy. I will persevere nonetheless to see whether the story improves, and whether Laura has any redeeming features/ changes in personality...

You Drive Me Crazy - Carole Matthews

This tale chronicles the lives of two divorcees-to-be as they meet at a solicitor's office at the beginning of the book, and the lives become intertwined ever since. These two main characters, Anna and Nick are presented as likeable characters and as a reader, you get the sense that you really want them to end up together and find happiness with each other, but of course, there are always obstacles as the course of true love never runs smoothly, and yet fate brings them back together, in an event which was both funny but ends on a heartbreaking note. Paralleled with the love between Anna and Nick is the tale of Sophie and Sam, yet in comparison, their love is a relationship which is not fated to be. I thought the book was well written and I couldn't put it down. It is a funny, warm story yet from time to time we get dark glimpses from the past of these characters, which makes it all the more interesting, such as Anna's violent past. I would definitely recommend this - a fantastic read!

January

And so it comes to pass..the first month of 2012 (the end of the world supposedly, although I doubt this will happen. If I'm wrong, you can shout at me all you want, but I won't be able to hear you). January is nearly over but what makes it such a January so January-ish?

• A new start - the idea is that you begin the year in a new frame of mind, ready to transform yourself into a fantastic being be it giving up smoking, learning a new language, refraining from using so many  plastic shopping bags or liking the colour green. However, best intentions often go awry as your New Year resolutions often break down and split (like a plastic shopping bag) a week or two after they were made. One of my many resolutions was the generic "be more organised", and yes, I've been organised up to a point, where my memory is failing, papers are stuffed in drawers or scattered all over the floor and everything I need has always mysteriously disappeared. Ah yes, I appear to be sticking to that resolution quite well...
• The weather - I feel let down by the lack of snow in my town, seeing as several lorries full of snow was dumped all over where I live. And yet...the strong winds, heavy rain and frosty icy pavements...Spain or Hong Kong hasn't got anything on UK weather.
• News - as per usual, the news is full of bad news surrounding the economy, where unemployment is rising, our politicians failing to do their jobs, acts of crime and murders, and more recently, the tragic tale of the cruise ship crash which has so far claimed 12 lives. 

There are positive things in January too:

• Chinese New Year - the Year of the Dragon, another chance for a new start
• TV - Sherlock has been and gone on our screens - one of the best dramas for a long time.
• We have the 2012 Olympics to look forward to in 6 months. How can the public wait to see how Boris Johnson pulls this off!

So cheer up, you still have 11 months left of 2012 to enjoy, so long as the end of the world doesn't drop by in the meantime...

Is "POP" losing its popularity?

2011 was a good year for "the Boyband", or Pop music in general. It saw big number one hits from The Wanted, JLS and One Direction, and they went on to have great album success too. However, their new singles haven't fared so well in 2012, with The Wanted's Warzone reaching the heady heights at 21, JLS faring a little better with Do You Feel What I Feel? at 16, and One Direction's new release One Thing joining the Top 40 at no.22 (although the physical release of their single is yet to come - Feb 13th in case you are interested).

Normally, boybands tend to do well in terms of chart positions and sales due to their enormous fanbases, so why the lowly chart positions? It could be the timing; January is renowned for lowly sales numbers although that doesn't explain the low chart positions. Some highlight the lack of publicity, although their singles were still publicised on TV and radio, and very prominent on social networking sites such as Twitter, so it can't be wholly attributed to this. It could just be a blip, although more cynical people have suggested that there is a growing backlash against pop and X-Factorism. All of these acts are linked to Simon Cowell's company, and the public is starting to realise that Cowell doesn't control music. This is reflected in the growing variety of genres we see in current charts - from dubstep (Nero), to rap (Professor Green) to singer-songwriters (Adele), another thing that 2011 can be noted for.

Look at the past few years - Simon Cowell's acts dominated the music scene - Leona Lewis, Will Young, Shayne Ward (...) But at the end of last year, Little Mix, 2011 X Factor winners, were denied the Christmas No.1 slot by the Military Wives Choir. Does this mean that Pop is losing its popularity? Maybe not - the strong fanbases should be enough to keep these acts going, but it can only last for so long, and perhaps these pop acts should focus on the material that they are releasing. I am a huge fan of JLS, but their latest album, Jukebox, felt like the weakest effort so far. I am sad to say that a lot of their songs are too similar to each other, too dancey and the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. Their song 3D has the lyrics "I'm gonna turn you on just like a TV"...Some of the songs have been amazing - Beat Again was a sleek, smart, exciting slice of RnB/Pop and the lyrics of their slower songs Love You More and Take a Chance On Me are great. Their release for Sport Relief, Proud, is amazing and I would like to hear more of that kind of music on their next album - something heartfelt and which shows off their vocal range, as they are talented singers.

Pop music as we know it can survive, but I think it has to change the way it does things. It needs to adapt to the ever-changing market to avoid losing out to other styles of music which are becoming more prominent in today's music scene.

Elizabeth Noble - Alphabet Weekends

I loved the premise of this. Tom introduces an alphabet game to his friend Natalie, in which they do an activity for each letter of the alphabet, in order to get her to move on from her ex-boyfriend, Simon. Alongside this story, there are sub-plots including the marriage of Natalie’s parents, and Tom’s brother and his wife (Patrick and Lucy). Generally, I thought it was well done, although I think that Lucy’s story did deflect a lot of the focus from the main plot. It is also incomprehensible as to why Natalie is so in love with Simon given Noble’s description and why it takes her so long to notice that Tom is the one for her. However, readers of the story will be satisfied by the expected happy ending.

Richard Herring - How Not To Grow Up

I’ve become a big fan of Herring through his many podcasts – Collings and Herrin, AIOTM to name but a few – so I decided to take a chance on this book having hearing it publicised so many times in the Collings and Herrin podcast. I was pleasantly surprised – it still retains some of Herring’s humour that I have become used to over listening to his podcasts, but it is a well written, candid look at his feelings of turning 40, and realising what he wants out of life. It takes a deeper look at what it means to “grow up”. What is interesting is the way he introduces events from his past into his writing, such as his childhood events. The book also includes some of Herring’s deeper feelings and emotions, such as meeting Catherine, which was interesting as it is something that doesn’t really come across when you listen to his podcasts.There are a few issues, such as the editing – in one chapter, a woman switches name in the next paragraph from Julia to Yasmin, only to return back to Julia in the following section. If you are easily offended, there is a lot of strong language and adult humour so be warned before you start reading this book. If however, you don’t mind that sort of stuff, I would recommend this book for you.

Charlie Brooker - Hell of It All

A collection of Brooker’s best articles, with extra unpublished articles and featuring the writer’s additional notes and reflections on the ones that are published. This body of work goes to prove that Brooker is one of the most talented, clever writers who is clued-up on the news and events of today, and can easily switch the tone of the piece to get his feelings on the subject across.A collection of Brooker’s best articles, with extra unpublished articles and featuring the writer’s additional notes and reflections on the ones that are published. This body of work goes to prove that Brooker is one of the most talented, clever writers who is clued-up on the news and events of today, and can easily switch the tone of the piece to get his feelings on the subject across.

Are books dead?

Not literally dead. That would be some achievement seeing as the book was never living in the first place (unless you count that the paper the book was printed on was once a tree, a living tree, killed to make paper - then yeah, I guess that would count, but I digress...). I am talking about whether there is still place in today's world for the common paper/hard back piece of literature or text. With the increase onslaught of e-books, e-reader, audiobooks and downloads - moving towards a new digital format does so at the expense of the book.

Audiobooks and downloads are a good way of listening to stories and books, one which I favour as it gives me more freedom to listen to a book and is much lighter and easier than carrying around a book or two with you, plus I like the way the story is being told to you, like bedtime stories ha. However, the reading of the book can sometimes hamper your enjoyment and imagination of the book. For example, a recent audiobook I was listening to saw the reader attempt to mimic an Irish man's accent - this was embarrassing to say the least. It was a heavy Irish accent, too Irish to be Irish if that makes any sense, and another audiobook, the female reader's male voice was her normal voice but whinier (I don't know whether that is to suggest anything). Whilst if the story is good, one can usually work past this, but when you are given the text as it is, you are able to form your own impressions about the plot and its characters, and its voices.

E-books and e-readers are becoming more and more popular in this day and age. E-books can be easily downloaded onto your computer for free or for a cheap price and then transported to your E-reader, the Kindle being one of the more popular ones. This format has many advantages - easy to transport rather than carrying many books around with you, easy, and it suits the technological age that we live in. However, I still think that it is an over-reliance on technology - there is something soulless about reading a book of a slab, rather than seeing the book in its full glory. And the fact that the E-readers run on rechargeable batteries suggests that you can't read as much as you like. Say you were on holiday with your e-reader, which ran out of power and you had no recharger cable - then you couldn't read any more books. The book as it is stands for a popular object that can be used for entertainment at all times.

The digital format is still not without its advantages, don't get me wrong, but I think it is wrong to stifle the book as it is. People still love a good old book, and I'm talking about a real book, not an e-book.

Disappointments of Life

Life is disappointing. Depressing as it may be, it's the truth. From big time disappointments such as realizing life isn't what you expected it to at a certain time in your life, to smaller ones (but just as disappointing), when your scones don't rise as well as you wanted them too, it is hard to escape any form of disappointment. Even those who you would expect to be satisfied with life still experience disappointment from time to time. However, to make it through this long arduous journey of life, one mustn't get too attached to disappointments happening, or about to occur (and when they do, you are disappointed). Instead, focus on the delights of life - again these range from the big time achievements and pleasures in life, such as getting a promotion or graduating from university, having great family and friends and doing your favourite things, to smaller but just as delightful things like taking a walk through the park or eating cheese on toast. It is these moments of happiness - however great or fleeting they may be, that make one able to cope through the disappointment. One can only hope that with constant disappointment, a light of joy will be just around the corner...

So...

So...it's been a while since I've last updated this blog - I have started many others - there is a TV review blog at www.chocbutton.blogspot.com, a music and lyrics blog at www.littlemagentaturtle.blogspot.com and a news one (although it is very sparse) at www.itsallnewstomoi.blogspot.com . As for this one, I have no idea what to write next...this blog is feeling a little bit unloved...any ideas?