Category: ramblings

Fall Behind?

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

When you are in the habit of updating things regularly, you get into a habit. You can mentally check off the things you are doing, and get them done rather quickly. But when you fall out of habit, it is hard to start back up again. Well, not hard, in that the task it hard, it is finding the time to do everything.

This is a position I am finding myself in right now. Where I usually do so much online, that I find it taking up a large percentage of my day. Which is fine, until I began to pick up other things to fill my time, and the original activities kind of get pushed to the side. It is not that I am enjoying the tasks any less. It is more that I am finding less time to do what I want. Which is a pain.

Also, I have been in a much better mood than I have been lately, and I think that is a major factor in my writing and what I decide to do with my time. If I am depressed, I find nothing better than locking myself away, and writing away to myself. It is release. But when you have nothing to release from, and you want to be out enjoying the world, it becomes a different scenario. I think that is a big reason as to why June has been a quiet month on every website I go on. I have been doing things other than sitting in front of a computer all day. Which is sad really, because I have so much I want to talk about, either on here, or on YouTube, and I don’t seem to have the time to prepare them. So instead of a well thought out topic, you get an apologetic, ramble of  word vomit, thinly disguised as a blog attempting to make a point. Something which it fails miserably in.

Hopefully this is the last check-in post for a while, and things should be back to topical goodness as soon as I can afford to spend the appropriate amount of time on it. If I can’t, then I feel I should issue a warning about the word vomit. But, then I think, it is a blog, it is personal, and it is mine. So I shouldn’t really need to disclaim or apologise. But yet, I feel my grovelling is necessary. *sigh*

Lion King 3D- review

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

The Lion King. What can be said about a movie which has became one of Disney’s most famous creations? With a killer sound track, touching story and memorable characters, it became the movie that made so many people fall in love with animation.

I am going to take it for granted that most people know the story of Simba and his journey to become ruler of The Pride Lands. This special screening of the movie was a late addition to the Edinburgh International film festival, and so was missed out of much of the promotion material. But, none-the-less Ediburgh’s stylish Festival Theatre was filled with both kids and adults to see the 3D premiere of The Lion King. The 3D re-release is in celebration of the movie being released from the legendary Disney Vault, in October. The pressure was on, after Disney made a mess of the 2003 release on DVD, mostly by re-animating scenes and even adding an additional song, (Morning Report from the stage musical).

Thankfully, the added song was absent, although it appears that the animation includes the re-animated scenes from the 2003 release. The sound has been re-done, and it sounds spectacular. The 3D, something I normally have difficulty in distinguishing, had a few moments were it shone. Best moments for the 3D, for myself, was at the start (Circle of Life), the stampede and when Simba follows Rafiki through bushes to the lake. These scenes really popped out, and really are amongst the best 3D I have seen on the big screen.

It is still a magical movie, well worth seeing in the cinema whether you can distinguish the 3D or not. The movie is still breath-taking, and I still will say that Mufasa’s death is still one of the saddest scenes in modern cinema. In fact, I know I was not the only adult who cried at Simba’s futile attempts to wake his fallen father. As an avid fan of The Lion King, this screening made me fall more in love with my favourite animation franchise ever. And everyone in my screening came out happy and satisfied. Well done Disney, you have done it right.

Lion King 3D is released in UK cinemas on 1st October, for 2 weeks, with the DVD/BluRay release on the 14th October. I recommend everyone to see it, if you can. Its not very often you get a second chance to see a true masterpiece on the big screen, so make the effort to see it.

History: A Person’s Duty To Know

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

I am of the belief that people should go to the effort to understand history of the world, be it from a TV programme or books. It helps a person appreciate where they have come from, and the life that they live. Because without the people before us, the world would be different. And I think that everyone should learn how we got to this stage in civilisation. It really does bring about a perspective on what ever problems a person feels they have, when they watch how difficult people before us had things.

The reason this topic has come into my mind, is because I have been watching programmes on the Berlin Wall. Something which was almost used like a weapon in the Cold War. It is astonishing to think that a city could be split in two, and then a massive wall built around one of the halves. Families were split up, and hundreds of people were killed trying to breach the wall. And what is even more astonishing, is that this wasn’t that long ago. The wall was built in 1961, and started to come down in 1989. Can you imagine being separated from people you love for that long. Berlin has been a united city for only 22 years.

I don’t know about anyone else, but that makes me feel so privileged, and actually makes me feel guilty. People died so that we can experience the freedoms we enjoy so readily. And I feel, that people should at least, learn about such events, to learn where our freedoms have come from. And it does make you feel grateful for what you have in your life.

It doesn’t cost anything to learn, and people should employ the resources we have, to try and learn something everyday.

Watching Paint Dry Kinda Life

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

And I’m not kidding.

The very few pieces of opinionitive dribble I can post online is barely enough content for a Tumblr post, let alone a legit blog post. So, I have stayed away. Been stressing out over things which don’t work. Like technology, which as usual, has decided itself, that I do not require it to work. First it was the Blackberry screen breaking, then it was the Sky box perma-No Satellite Signal-ing. So I got fed-up with technology and just watched American Dad instead.

Except, I quickly became bored, so I left the computer alone. But most people haven’t noticed an absence, thanks to that wonderful thing known as a Tumblr queue, which makes it seem like I am NEVER offline. Basically my Tumblr Blog( here) is made to post 17 things in a 24 period. This means I can go on Tumblr in bits and just add things to a queue, and Tumblr will post till it runs out. Pretty straightforward, and pretty much the only reason I have the appearance that I am always online.

Other than confusing people, who think I never sleep, it has no other real purpose. It just allows me to bookmark things I like, and have a few sentences of rambling without feeling guilty that it isn’t a proper blog post. To me that is the point of Tumblr, and by any means, it is a perfect introduction to the world of blogging. So if you have started a blog before, and are struggling to keep it updated, start a Tumblog, and use it’s many tools to get you into posting regularly. Saying that, I don’t feel right lengthy blog posts on it. Maybe it’s because I have about half a dozen other blogs that I should update first.

And I think that I update 2 on a regular basis. Which is a rather appalling success rate, come to think of it.

Verdict: This post contained the word blog too much.

‘Your opinion is wrong.’

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Is the reaction I got from the previous post I did on here. *sigh*

It is opinion, someone’s thoughts an ideas on a situation, which they put into the wilderness to invoke discussion. Yes, discussion, a too-ing an fro-ing of thoughts on the topic in question.  And an important part of discussion, that whilst you should have your beliefs, you also need to accept the other persons opinion and be respectful.

I had 6 death threats, 4 accusations of being racist, and was told I was a member of the Taliban. This is from people I don’t know. Is this the punishment I get from expressing my opinion? It is hard trying to hold back retaliation, because then I would be a hypocrit. Also, I have always been honest when I have written on here, so I have no reason to change.

The fact that so many people wished me death for typing up words unsettles me more that the ‘Bin Laden death party’. Is this what the internet is becoming?  A place where the only safe thing to do is post tripe about ‘celebrities’ or hipster photos. Because if you actually say something of value, you will be opposed and actually regret sharing your thoughts. And that is not what the internet is, or not what it is to me anyway.

But what it does do, as it confirms what I have said before. To make people validate their righteousness, they vilify others. It is human nature that people beat others down, so that they seem better by comparison. It is bad enough that it happens over the internet, but the same behaviour continues in all human existence. I mean, that’s all war is, rather than sitting down and compromising, someone attacks someone else so they retaliate.  Yes, it is more extreme than internet hate, but the basic idea is the same. *shrugs*

I was trying to point out that there are similarities with parties at both sides of any war. But what people focus on, is the differences. And of course differences end up with conflictions of interest, and this ends up in disagreements which may lead to fighting. But if we look at the similarities, that people want freedom, they want to have healthy families, have a good life, there is little to conflict over. And any differences are just opinions, and they should be treated with grace and people should be allowed to live.

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”-Bertrand Russell

The Unpopular Opinion

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

I am preparing myself for a lynch mob over this, but I need to say something.

This morning I woke up to the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. The target for the Allied forces, their goal, had been achieved. The world’s most wanted man is dead. The news resulted in images broadcast around the world of people celebrating. And that unsettled me.

Why would the death of a mass-murder upset me? Well, at the end of the day, no matter how messed up he was, he was still a man. Still someone’s son. Still someone’s father. Still a human being. I’m sure all of us sitting in the Western world, like to think we are more civilised than the Taliban or whatever, but are we really? Our troups killed THOUSANDS of innocents just to get to one man. Hundreds of our own countrymen were killed trying to get this one man. Does that sound civilised to you? Are we really the ‘good side’?

It is easy to paint the West as the bad side, because, to be honest we seem to do a good job of it ourselves. The leaders spout that this is for the good of the world, that we are closer to having peace. No! We are nowhere near fixing anything. As long as the human race believes in ‘getting their own back’ on others, then no, there will never be peace. You blow up two office buildings in America, we will destroy entire towns with our bombs. That is not how you bring about peace.

To be honest, it really got to me, to see people celebrate the death of a man. Are people really that stupid? I don’t care who it was, or what he did, but having a party because someone died is disgusting. It makes you no better than them who have parties because their bomb plot was a success. It makes the West NO DIFFERENT to the Middle East. We enjoy the death of our enemies. Don’t deny it, because it’s the truth.

It started with Saddam Hussein, where his death was as praised as the recent Royal Wedding. And people celebrated because our armed forces killed a man. And since then, the target was Bin Laden, and people have waited for the day he’d be another trophy of oil-hungry war. And now he is, except this trophy is at the bottom of the ocean. To stop people using Bin Laden’s body as a shrine.

And now, we are about to get the aftermath. You killed your target, now deal with the consequences. Every Westerner is at risk, because we all represent the world that praised the death of Bin Laden. The man who wanted his own people to stand up and be counted. The man who wanted Western oil companies to give the land back to the natives. It doesn’t sound so foreign, so evil, when you look at it away from the misguidance of the press. The press has a duty, as propaganda for whatever the government in power decides to do. The UK press, although showed Bin Laden, were not as jubilant as they were with Hussein. It is maybe because they know, the ball is no longer in our court. This is going to lead to some serious retaliation. This is going to lead to the death of more innocents. The UK press seemed to meet the issue of Bin Laden’s death in a sombre fashion. As if, everyone is thinking ‘what now’.

For the record, I don’t blame troups. I have a brother in the army, and I know that if he were to go to war, they go to help people. They go with the idea to make things better. It is the men in power who send our troups over, to do their dealings. The army should be used to protect its perspective country, not start endless wars in other countries. *sigh*

This has come out as a muddle, but I have said what I wanted to say. I don’t EVER think a death should be celebrated, I don’t give a fuck who it is.

“People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes.”- Abigail Van Buren

Intelligence?

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Was having a thought today whilst watching The Simpsons. It is an episode where Lisa falls in love with her substitute teacher, because his passion for education. So much is the urge for her to bond with someone who matches her intellectually, that she thinks of her teacher almost as a father figure.

Throughout the continuing series of The Simpsons, Lisa is mocked for her intellect, which is abnormally high for an 8 year old. It clarifies how the world in general mocks intelligence. Yes, every school child is educated to go to University, and to be clever to a certain degree. But if they ever use their intelligence in a real situation, they would be ostracised and treated like a leper by their peers.

If people think intelligence is such a laughable quality, then why do so many people go to University and College? Then again, having a formal education doesn’t necessarily make someone intelligent. Its a persons thought patterns and opinions that make them appear to be clever. An age old method of measuring intelligence is if a person can show opinion and put across reasonings for that opinion. But opinion isn’t something that seems to interest a growing number of people. Why? Because it is easier and more convenient to agree with the masses and gorge on reality TV, rather than read into things and actually have to think about things. Which is sad really.

People also try to fake being intelligent. The art school, nerd is on trend right now, with the bookish dress-sense and over-sized glasses. Books and libraries are cool and trendy. But more people pose outside on the steps of library and post the photos on their Tumblr site. Because so many hipsters believe in style over substance. It makes me sad that things that mean so much to me, are used as nothing more as a accessory to some, as they try to appear smarter than what they actually are.

I don’t know why it bothers me so much. Maybe it’s because I was mocked when I was younger because I like the library. Maybe it’s because I made up my own mind about things rather than just go with what’s said by others. This left me alone, and I found my solace in books and music. Maybe it saddens me because I take great pride in learning new things, and to know that some people just mock it is sad.

We May Meet Again, In Some Long Forgotten Town.

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Friendship. That thing that makes a person feel they are not struggling through life on their own. They are like the family we can hand-pick. It’s the people who shape us into who we are.

But, sometimes, as people grow, friendships are lost, and people become strangers. In risk of  becoming all overly angst-ridden, I do think that it is sad that we lose contact with people as we grow.  In one way, it would be nice to keep friendships going throughout our entire lives. But that is something that can often be impossible.

I was talking to some friends the other day about relationships, and how they can start off well, and slowly fall apart. I believe that because people are constantly changing, relationships can’t always change with the people. Relationships tend to be static, they don’t seem to change, and as a person grows, they can out-grow the relationship. Yes, at the time we were talking about boyfriend/ girlfriend type of relationship, but friendship can be broken in the same way. I mean, I know many people, who, at one point, I would include amongst my best friends, but over time we have grown apart. It can be that as other things happen, you lose contact and don’t have much time for each other, and in no time at all, you can become strangers.

It is sometime inevitable, that this is going to happen, mostly due to our nature of blanking out things which are not directly in front of us. So people shouldn’t blame themselves. Actually, people will never blame themselves if a relationship falls apart, it is always the other person who has changes, the other person who made mistakes, the other person who broke things. Whereas normally, it is because both parties have contributed (or not contributed, as the case may be) to the destruction of the relationship.

But, as sad is the end of a relationship is, if you force the relationship to continue, where it is naturally coming to an end, you can just end up stunting your own growth as a person. And, yes falling apart from someone is hard, but it is so much worse if you end up deeply disliking the other person, because they stop you from being who you want to be. Which is why, I have decided, that it is better to go separate ways, rather than force something that will just create unneeded conflict.

Yeah, my decision is law, yo.

Writing Course?

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

I have been talking to people, and I have been told that I should do a writing course. Apparently, I am able to convey emotion well. :S Not that I am miffed about this, I just find it great that people don’t tell me this till now.

Have I written professionally? Kinda, on other blogs.

Can I write fiction? I’d like to, but unfortunately I can’t. I always seem to lack the depth required.

Am I skilled in complex writing skills? Not really, I say what I feel and stick punctuation where I feel it should lie. Most of the time, if it ends up correct, it is just luck, not skill.

Do I like writing? Yes. I find writing one of the best things to help me express myself. I just type what I think, and I enjoy the freedom it gives. It is one of my favourite hobbies, along with reading and drawing.

Did I achieve well at school? Other than Art, no. I flunked Higher English, and to date I believe it was because I was so jaded by the school system that I just wanted to leave. I really should have done so.

Did you ever think of a career in writing? No! I was thinking of journalism, but those ideas fell away as soon as my grades began to fall, and ultimately, my career prospects also fell.

So yeah, I really think it is because I am in a bit of the rut, that my brain is silently cursing every person who tells me I should be a writer. Yeah, because without an education in English, it isn’t going to happen. I have a very basic grasp at grammar and spelling, and I feel so inadequate, especially when I read the ponderings of other authors. They seem to have a fantastic way of writing, and I just feel so lax in comparison.

I guess I shouldn’t compare myself to other people, but it is only natural. It is like how we mentally evaluate ourselves is to compare our lives, with the lives of those around us. Because I think I would top myself if I compared my love life, or lack of, with other people. Because to be honest, that river of love running through my life, is as dry as a desert. So I focus on something I can directly influence. My work. Except, I can’t really influence my work, because I seem to be an underachiever by nature. Ok, not by nature, maybe by the way I have forced myself to continue education, because I had it cemented in my head that was the only way to be successful.

The result. I have spent more time at college that anyone I know, and I still work in a call centre. -.-  So the successful thing, didn’t really pan out. The thing is, I am not as miserable as I sometimes complain I am. I try and keep myself content by doing small things, that make me happy. Usually it involves the internet, but I may read or take a walk, I try to take deep breathes. Don’t get me wrong, this is recent. I never used to feel like this, and it has taken a long time to get like this. And a hell of a lot of practice. I am finally getting to the stage where I am okay with myself enough, to be able to push my life in the direction I want to.

That sounds strange, especially to most people, but it is true. It has taken almost 27 years, but I feel at peace with me. I know who I am. I feel comfortable about who I am. It’s great.

I just need to figure out how to control my rants. :S

 

Wut?

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Now, I know I am not the most distinguished writer, but I like knowing that I am making an effort with grammar. Even if I misplace a comma, or incorrectly spell a word by mistake, I don’t mind too much. And I think, that if you spent time learning how to write and spell, you should put what you learned into practice. But, I really, really can’t stand people who purposely type badly.

I mean, they know how the words should look, but they don’t actually write them out correctly. What is it that makes people want to make themselves appear utterly stupid. It is an insult to their education, their teachers and the parents, that they refuse to even try to spell.

Maybe it’s because I spent a lot of time online pre-facebook, and also didn’t use it for gaming. I guess, I spent time writing a lot of reading and writing fiction online, and that I started writing like that for anything I do. Also, because the most popular site is Facebook, people use it as an extension to their mobile phone and message each other in text speak. The common excuse is that, with texting, you are limited to so many characters, so people shorten words, etc, so that they can say more in every text message. Fair enough, but do you really need to continue it onto other services you use?

Not too long ago, I was accessing an email that was sent to me for work. And the email was just text speak. No vowels, no punctuation, and really hard to read. This was something about work. I was horrified that someone sent it out to someone that they want to work for them. I mean, what is the chances the person will be reliable if they refuse to write in simple sentences?

Maybe, it’s me that’s wrong. But I know a few people who have this problem.

music -MGMT- Kids
mood– chilled