Testing, Testing. Is this thing on?

It's been a while, I know, but I only just remembered how I promised a few people that I would still blog occasionally and keep up with reviews. Well, let me just say that if anyone wants a Lush product reviewed, just ask me, because quite frankly there are far too many new Lush products to be writing about. This thing would turn into a daily blog again, which is something I really don't want!

Books, on the other hand, I will review as I read them. There are three main reasons for this.

1: I haven't been reading much lately and I really want to, so if I know people are going to be watching for when I finish a book I should end up reading more regularly again. Ahem.

2: I have a very bad memory. I think if I review books so that I have something to look back on in a few months' time I'll be able to say at least why I like (or don't like) the book I can't remember. Does that make sense?

3: About 90% of my friends like to read, whether it's one book a year or three a week. I get asked if there are any new books or good books that I think people might like. So, ta-daa, now I'm telling everybody.

Yes, I think that's an excellent idea. Don't you?

Edit: After a bit of thinking (I know... shut up...) I'm going to make a new blog specifically for book reviews. I think I'll move/copy all of the one's I've already done for this blog and stick them over there too. Don't worry, there isn't many. :)

Signing Out

I've decided to end this 365 project at the 5 month mark.

I was starting to feel weird about how anything I had to say to my friends usually got a "Yes, so I read." It meant that I was spending too much time stressing over something that did nothing but kill conversation 'in the real world'.

So, anyone online that read this and thought it was enough to call yourself my friend, get off your ass and talk to me instead, now. You'd be surprised how much more interesting what I have to say is when you actually hear it from me.

I'll keep giving reviews of things, mostly movies and books, because I realised that writing them helps my problem of memory retention. I usually read a book and forget it completely a few weeks later, which is a pain in the ass when I can't tell people why I liked a book... just that I know I did. So writing the reviews here has helped me with that for sure. I'm not completely dropping it.

Stay safe.

~Kit

153 - Twilight (Lush Review)

Lush have become quite creative and adventurous with their ballistics - thats bath bombs for the Lush-uneducated - where they've released four new ones. Two I like, and two I don't. The first one that I like (obviously) is called Twilight.

OK, roll your eyes and get it over with.

It smells very, very nice. "Lavender and Ovaltine", the website says, and I'm not too sure if that's what it smells like but it's very nice indeed. It's subtly sweet and relaxing. Idea for just before bed. It also makes skin very soft, which is always a good thing.

Where the magic happens with Twilight (and likewise with their other new ballistics) is when you drop it into the bath. Twilight turns the water pink first, and the bright blue before the two mix and make purple. It's very very pretty and a lot more exciting than the monotone you usually get with ballistics. Watch the video below to see what I mean.

152 - Soggy Situation

I was carrying a bottle of water in my bag. It was sealed and everything. But it exploded and poured half a litre of water into my leather bag, and my ipod, phone and the book I was reading went for a swim.

The worst part was that just an hour before I did something I never do. I bought a new xbox game at full price, because I had the money spare and thought I'd not need to buy anything major any time soon. Murphy's Law.

I was afraid to look in my bag until I got home, and then I tested everything to suss out the damage.

The only thing that stopped working were my earphones. How lucky was that? I guess I should be pissed off that they were SkullCandy ones and the best ever... but I sorta didn't care when everything else was fine. So I got new headphones. These ones are called Dots. They're tiny!

See, I've always had small ears and could most inner ear phones would hurt. Then there were those ones with rubbery mushroom shaped caps that were really flexible that they sold with three different sizes. The smallest ones were just about perfect for my ears. Then I got my tragus pierced and the smallest ones were verging on too big. I didn't have much choice though. I couldn't wear over-ear headphones because of other various piercings, either.

Dots are the best invention ever. Dots have the same sized rubbery bits as other earphones but the main body of the earphone is about half the size of regular ones. Yep, even SMALLER! They're perfect for my ears! The picture on the right show them with the smallest sized rubbery bud things.

So the moral of the story is, if you dun goof'd there's always something small to make things better.

OK, that's a crap moral of the story, but I'm so happy with my dots! THEY'RE PURPLE!!!

151 - Toy Story 3 (Review)

Oh. My. God.

Most depressing and tear-inducing kids movie I have ever seen. It is so, so sad! I even made my sister cry telling her about it. Every adult in the cinema was crying by the end too.

It may not have the same effect on someone who wasn't a fan of the Toy Story movies of 1995 and 1999, but I could say that it would still be enjoyable and bring a tear to the eyes. Oh, and you should also know that anyone that said they didn't cry is lying. Everyone I know that went to see it eventually admitted to crying like a slapped child.

Yeesh, I was just ten when the first one came out. That's almost as bad as Harry Potter!

Anyway, everyone has to see this movie, regardless of how old you are, especially if you watched the first two all those years ago. It will break your heart and it will make you pee with laughter, too. I want to go again.

150 - Resident Evil 5 (Game Review)

I have had Res Evil 5 sitting on my shelf for several months. I bought it on recommendation of a friend of an ex, I think, who said that the online co-op was brilliant and that said ex and I should play it. So I bought it, and shortly afterwards dumped said ex. Oops.

Anyway, I tried playing it by myself and didn't get very far. I am really bad at those types of shooter games and lose patience and interest quickly if it doesn't go my way. That's exactly what happened. So I shelved it.

A few weeks ago my boyfriend (the current one that I have no intention of dumping thankyouverymuch) said he played it through in co-op with one of his friends, and said that it was good that way and I should give it a go. He offered to play it through with me, and then it was forgotten about.

And then today (or, the date on this blog rather than the day I'm writing it. sshhh) my awesome friend from across the water - we'll call him ... uhm.... I was going to call him Bobby, but on the off chance he hates being called Bobby I'll call him The Chris To My Sheva. Chris for short... - Chris offered to play it through, because we had nothing else to play together and his copy was sitting idle for months too.

Lets just say that RE5 is very different in co-op as it is in single mode. It's so much better when there's two people. Granted, I still suck (a moment of "Give me your grenades....... the other grenades" comes to mind, or even 'Chris' screaming down the headset "DID YOU JUST PRESS THAT BUTTON?!?! DID YOU PRESS THAT BUTTON?!?!?!? I saw it and and thought nooooo, I'm not pressing that button!" and my answer of "you mean the big red button?" ), but luckily my awesome Chris is awesome and doesn't mind too much. Or at least pretends not to mind.

Of six chapters we completed four the first day, and one the next, so we only have one left to do. It's been a great laugh... for me at least... and I would recommend anyone looking to play the now-aged game of Resident Evil 5 go have a go at it with a friend. It's like the LEGO games; much better played with a friend.

So I just want to thank my Chris for letting me be his Sheva. :)

That wasn't much of a review, was it?

149 - Quotes of the Week

"I'm female. We're genetically engineered to suck.... Wait..."
Talking about how terrible I am at certain video games.

"Do ya wanna buy a banjo?"
A guy walking past a music shop asked his friend. I believe he was being sincere.

I would also like to show all ye long-time HP fans. It was uploaded just before the release of the last book. Most of you will be familiar with the topic... <3

148 - Better Than Then

More and more people are using 'then' and 'than' the wrong way around. Now, keep in mind that English was my worst subject in school, when I say YOU PEOPLE ANNOY ME!

So watch this video...

CLICK!

147 - Remember Me (Review)

I don't like Robert Pattinson. For that reason I didn't see this movie when it was out in the cinema, despite it appealing to my girl-hormones with it's promise of being a really good love story.

It was released on DVD this week and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised.

I can't tell you much about the story of it because it will spoil it, and I would recommend not going into reviews elsewhere in case they ruin the ending, because it would be very easy to do. If you haven't seen it and don't know what it's about, just watch it. Don't read up on it. Just watch it. Oh, and have a packet of tissues with you too. It's a heart-breaker.

What I can tell you is that it's about a guy called Tyler... or Taylor... or... we'll call him Tyler. He's a troubled fellow after losing someone close to him. He ends up getting arrested early in the movie and to get back at the police dude he decides to woo his daughter. And then he falls for her. I know it sounds like a dozen other things out there, and it seems very predictable, but the characters in this movie are so multi-dimensional that it really does stand out by itself.

It is very heartbreaking and - if you haven't read other reviews or developed an annoying ability to predict movie plot lines - it could be shocking too. My jaw hit the floor before I started wailing.

OK, so maybe not wailing, but there was a stack of use tissues beside me when the credits started to roll.

146 - Caca Rouge (Lush Review)

I think this might be a review in two installments. One now and one in a few weeks time after the hair has settled or whatever it is it might be doing.

Lush's 'Caca' range is simply henna hair colouring.

I know what you're thinking. Anyone who has heard of henna has heard the horror stories. Hair falling out or burning, disintegrating or turning green. And yes, that does happen, if you use the wrong kind of henna.

Yes, I've done my research.

The wrong kind of henna would be any henna that comes in bottles, packaged up with such things as a bottle of developer, or anything to mix with it, like regular hair dyes do. Those 'henna' dyes rarely even contain henna in the slightest amount. 'Henna' with added metallic compounds are the ones that do the most damage. If you're going to try henna make sure you know whats in it. For example, added silver compounds turns hair (especially already dyed hair) green, while added copper compound will actually dissolve your hair and burn your scalp. Not an attractive look. So DO NOT BUY HENNA WITHOUT CHECKING THE INGREDIENTS FIRST.

There are two safe ways of using henna, as far as I am sure of. You can buy tattoo-quality powdered henna, which is purely the henna plant all ground up. You have to add your own oils,etc, to make it work properly. Anyone that will sell this top notch henna will give you full instructions on what to do and how to do it. You're more likely to find such people on the internet, but do be very careful and check what they are selling. Remember you want the powder stuff, not bottles of developer.

Or if you want an easy, simple, cost effective way to do it, go to Lush. They sell their henna already mixed with essential oils and butter, compounded into a dry-but-slightly-oily brick. It looks like a giant chocolate bar, but really doesn't smell like one. They come in four shades...

Actually, that reminds me, henna ONLY comes in red and variations of red. If you see anything claiming to be henna that is blonde or blue or crazy non-red/brown then DON'T GET IT. It's one of those metallic compound ones. In fact, even black henna isn't 100% henna... but black henna is safe... allow me to continue...

Where was I? Oh, yes, four shades. Caca Brun is the mellow, subtle brown one. Caca Maron is like a chestnutty, mahogany, dark reddish brown. Caca Rouge is the red one, which they actually tell people to only get if they want their hair RED! And Caca Noir is henna and indigo (another plant) which can make your hair black with either purple/blue hints or red hints, depending on whether you let it dry or keep it wet and warm during the development time.

You should also know that Henna doesn't work like ordinary dyes. It stains the hair and the end result will be relative to your natural or previous colour. For example, Caca Rouge on dark brown hair will make it deep chocolate brown with reddish highlights in the sun. Caca Rouge on blonde or grey hair will turn it vibrant ginger. This works really great it you have a few stray strands of grey hair of old highlights on dark hair, as these will turn gingery red while the rest will go brown. I will, however, warn people with blonde or grey roots that it WILL turn your roots ginger, and leave the rest of your hair dark. It will look silly. So go for Caca Marun or Brun or Noir instead.

Henna colour is permanent.
Once you put the slop on your hair it takes AT LEAST one hour to develop, but they recommend 4 hours 'officially', but the majority of Lush Henna people will say to leave it on longer, or even overnight. Why? Well, because it's like a mud mask for your hair as well as a hair dye! It leaves your hair thicker, softer, less likely to tangle, easier to manage... it's really amazing stuff, so why wouldn't you leave it on for as long as possible? It's GOOD for your hair!

I will say that it is very messy and very tedious to prepare it. You will need help (thank you again, Laura) if your hair is longer than a few inches.

It is definitely worth it, though.

As with everything, if you are going to henna your hair, get instructions (provided by lovely Lush staff) and stick to them. Trust me.

145 - Oh, New Things!

I don't know when they introduced the new features on blogger but there they are!

The new share buttons across the bottom of each entry makes my life easier.

And now you who read these and never comment can at least click on the little boxes if you like what I write! I noticed that it's but these boxes on every entry in the past too, but I'd recommend not going through them unless you really liked a particular one. Hah. Like you need to be told not to.

144 - Bedtime Stories

I've been having trouble sleeping and didn't want to resort back to taking pills to knock me out for 8 hours at a time. So I tried a new approach. I found Harry Potter audiobooks as read my Stephen Fry.

They really work!

Imagine lying in bed, sleepy like, and being read your favourite book by a dude that has one of the most awesome voices ever. All right, so unless you're already a fan of Mr Fry it probably won't have the same effect, but anyone that thinks the man is a legend, give it a go. There are other versions out there, read by some other English bloke and an American one too. It really is whichever takes your fancy.

I mean, there has to be a reason we were read to as kids to put us to sleep, right? So logically it would work as adults. And I'm saying now that it really does.

I have no idea what I'm going to do when I run out though...

143 - Henna

I thought I'd be daring and try a Lush henna hair dye, which I'll review tomorrow maybe. I just wanted to let you guys know about the timescale. Today is Henna Day. It needs a whole day. All times are approximates.



15:00
Begin preperation of henna to be used, including just 2/3 of henna block needing to be grated up (it took 30 mins) and mixing it with boiled water before bringing it back to heat over a pot of boiling water.


16:00
Beginning application of whole head of henna.


17:10
Application complete.


22:05
Begin removal of henna and shampooing four times.


22:40
Hair finally clean!

00:45
Still not dry, but looking rather ginger-fade-to-brown. Interesting result. Not what expected. Will update tomorrow as henna can continue to develope for 24 hours after. I wouldn't mind if it stayed this way. I'm thinking I need a hair cut though. Maybe.

142 - Table Quiz!

Oh I am such a party animal. In fact, my whole family is so collectively exciting that firstly we went to donate blood yesterday evening, and then went to a table quiz in the local pub.

You're know you're jealous.

We came first in the quiz. It might sound obnoxious, but we usually come first or second any time a quiz night is hosted locally. I honestly think it was just pot luck at the very beginning. See, our ream usually consists of my sister and I, plus our dad and a family friend called Michael. It wasn't planned like this, but this is how it happened and we roll with the success. We all have our share of general knowledge but Michael is very knowledgeable in areas such as geography, history, Irish history and lore, and pop culture from about the 70's and earlier. Dad is good with sports, things from the 70's and 80's, some TV shows, regulations and some laws. My sister and I have the kids genre, movies, and visual and word puzzles down to a fine art. There aren't many usual pub quiz topics that come up that at least one of us has an educated clue of.

Most other teams have a bunch of people that know a lot about the same subject but not much about others. As in, they're all one type of person, while we're all very different. It works! It's like University Challenge; build your team wisely to cover most subjects and you're likely to prevail.

And yes, there have been Harry Potter questions in the past. And we have nailed them. Naturally.

Actually, I remember when one Harry Potter question came up and an old school friend of mine came to me and asked what the answer was.

141 - Inception (Review)

If you want to see a movie to get your brain working, go see Inception. You will not be disappointed. It is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and I have high standards. I'm even doing this at the risk of raising some people's hopes TOO high and therefore possibly ruining it for them. Unfortunately.... I DON'T CARE! IT'S AMAZING! GO SEE IT!

You really don't need to know much about it going in. The story is that there's this guy (DiCaprio) that can go inside peoples' dreams and extract information from their mind by trickery, delving into their subconscious, etc. Certain events happen and he's faced with having to plant an idea in someones mind rather than extracting it; a feat which we are told is near impossible. But, of course, we wouldn't have a movie if he refused to do it, would we? The movie follows the complicated and exciting (and dangerous) process of planting a specific idea's inception (hence the name) into one man's mind so that he believes the idea is actually his.

It's a simple concept but you really do need to have a thinking mind and a fair amount of awareness going into this one. I wouldn't advise going to see it to relax after a hard day at work. Your brain might break and you might cry. No, save this one for your day off, or an evening when you have too much energy to burn and can convert it into brain power. If you understand it, it is a fantastic film. If you can't/don't you'll sit there sighing and tutting and complaining the whole way through, like the woman that sat next to me in the cinema.

You'll love it if you...
Love: science, imagination, suspense, thinking, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the little guy from 10 Things who is now all growed up!), nerds, sci-fi.
Hate: mindless movies like Dude, Where's My Car and Scary Movie.

You'll hate it if you...
Love: such things as Paris Hilton, fake tans and believe education isn't important.
Hate: using your brain or find it difficult to eat popcorn and absorb information at the same time.

140 - Bulging?!

There's a new show on over here called Bulging Brides. The new thing from the States. They find women who have an upcoming wedding and need to lose some weight. I watched one episode.

It's disgusting.

The woman had a body to be envious of. A size TEN for crying out loud. And they told her she needed to shape up and lose a few inches to make her dress look right. So for six weeks they put her on a diet and a training regime and she lost something like 3 inches off her waist and one off her chest and hips.

I felt like throwing my TV out the window. And I don't mean in a hardcore rocker kind of way.

The girl was just over 150lbs and 5'6 tall. That's NORMAL. That's HEALTHY. And they told her she was chunky and she lost THREE FRICKIN INCHES! I'm all for losing weight to feel or look better but seriously? And they wonder why people have eating disorders!

139 - The Mist (Review)

Still running with my horror movie thing, I watched one this week. Yes, just one. the Mist.

Here's the dealie... if I had seen it from start to finish as was intended I would have found it amazing. Absolutely, without a doubt, despite the somewhat terrible CGI creatures.

However, many months ago I watched the last ten minutes or so without realising what I was watching or really registering who the actors were. So when I started watching The Mist from the start it didn't trigger any memory of having watched the final scenes. Not until the movie reached the final scenes and everything became very, very familiar. It would have been an excellent ending if I hadn't been able to tell what was coming.

I would still recommend other people seeing it. It's pretty good. Stephen King. Can't really go wrong with a Stephen King.

138 - Aahh!

Happy Birthday
to my Dad!!!

Yes, his and my sister's birthdays really are that close together.

Yes, it is annoying.

No, he probably wont see this at all, but it's worth the effort.

137 - More Anagrams!

For these ones, the clue is in the anagram... Some might be names! Some are just random phrases.

For example: "The eyes." = "They see."

I'll make a wise phrase. [person]

He'll mesh crooks. [person]

Moon starer. [profession]

Old west action. [person]

Death; it starts in ice. [event]

Bad credit. [object]

136 - Holiday! Celebrate!

We're going to Croatia!

When I say 'we' I mean my parents, my sister and I.

When? August 18th, for a week.

Excited? Yes!

Apprehensive? Very.

After all, family holidays rarely run smoothly. Especially for my family.

135 - Fresh Farmacy (Lush Review)

I've had a hard time with Lush facial washes in the past. I'm allergic to Angels On Bare Skin. I wanted to try something that wasn't going to give me a rash or turn my face to a grease machine. So I tried Fresh Farmacy. It's the peachy coloured solid soap they sell with the aim of reducing spots and redness of the face.

I don't really suffer from spots that often, so I can't really say if this works in that respect or not. I can't see why it wouldn't though, because this soap is very drying. It's super important to use a moisturiser afterwards, but that's the case with most spot- and redness-fighting cleansers out there.

It does leave the skin very very soft though, and very clean, so the temporary dryness is well worth it. It's inexpensive as it lasts a very long time. It smells slightly floral and calming.

To use, you lather it up like a regular soap and rub it over your face, scrubbing gently with your fingers before rinsing it off completely. Then use your moisturiser!

If you're not sure about whether this is the right product for you, ask for a sample in your local Lush. Most branches are more than happy to give your a little bit to see if it works for you. Go on, give it a go.

134 - Lowering The Standards

It's 4am and I can't sleep. My mind is too busy, so I thought I'd let it all out here. I'm guessing this will piss some people off but I don't mean it to. Anyone that reads this (all four of you) will hear it all sooner or later anyway, and I really need to get it off my chest now.

To cut a long story short, my boyfriend started telling me about a night out a long time ago that he referred to as "the best evening ever" because of all the "hot girls". I was fine with the part about partying with transvestites and crazy people with guns. I was even OK with the thought that a bunch of strippers - who happened to be colleagues of his friend's wife - got their tits out to show off their boob jobs.

My curiosity plummeted when his "best evening ever" ended with him getting laid with one of the sluts. I mean, strippers. Wait, what's the difference? Oh, right, one gets paid.

I know every person above the age of, say, 25 has been with a bunch of people in their lives, of course. That's not the issue. We've talked about exes before, extensively, without a hint of resentment.

Let me just add in here that the last few days my confidence and self esteem has been floating somewhere around my ankles.

Now, I know he didn't mean any harm by it and even said he wished he hadn't mentioned it at all (right before he fell asleep... lucky for some) but that doesn't make it easier on my mind. My mind has still drawn a spider diagram in a notebook, with the words "stripper", "laid", "hot girls", my boyfriend's name and the quoted "best evening ever" all circled and joined to each other, and if you turn over the page there I am, connected up with "fat", "inexperienced" and "sorry excuse for a female".

My self-esteem is now ground into the carpet.

I'm taking bets on how long it will be before I can look in the mirror and like or even accept what I see. This morning the running average was two weeks. Now, I'm not so sure.

133 - Saltimbanco!

For my sister's 21t birthday my parents wanted to do something special, so they bought her tickets to Cirque Du Soleil. She took me with her. Yay!

It was easily the most amazing show I have ever seen. It's funny, beautiful, has fantastic music and very talented performers. It was ten times better than I expected it to be, and I had expected it to be awesome.

I don't know how many times I've defended it now, saying it's not just a circus and not just for kids. It's a wonderful display of dance and powerful acrobatics, moving music and extremely appealing sets. I cannot fault it.

When it finished I didn't want to leave. I actually felt like crying a little, like a child who just finished the last ever episode of their favourite show.

I want to go again. Please?!

132 - I Am Number Four (Book Review)

I Am Number Four was another proof copy Waterstones sent me to review before official publication.

I knew before I read it that filming had already started for the book-to-movie, and the movie itself was already predicted to be one of the biggest hits - or at least the one of the most anticipated - of 2011. With this in mind I had high expectations before the book even came through my letter box. And I wasn't disappointed.

When you read as much as I do you tend to pick up on subtle differences between types of authors. For example, female authors tend to weight their books heavily with character detail and emotion while male authors load their books with history and back-story and concrete information. I Am Number Four was written by two men, and my biggest (and only) complaint would be that I was left hungry for more character development to sink my teeth in to.

Otherwise the book is fantastic.

Nine adolescent aliens and their guardians inhabit the earth having fled their home planet before it was destroyed. They have been in hiding, but they are being hunted. Slowly but surely the last of their species are being killed. This story follows one of the aliens, Number Four, and his guardian as they try to make Paradise, Ohio, their new home. Four - also known as John Smith - enrols in the local high school, and things seem to go downhill from there.

The book is riveting, packed with drama, mystery and plenty of romance and emotion, too. I might go so far as to say it is 'Twilight' for the guys and anyone else looking for a fantasy series of teens, danger and romance without the cliché mould of 'vampire & human'. Yes, series, as this is book one of six, or so I hear.

Will I reread it? Yes.
Will I recommend it? Yes.
Will I buy the rest of the series? Definitely.
Am I afraid that the movie will spoil the series' potential before it has a chance to break through? Unfortunately, yes.

Read it while you can still make up your own mind!

131 - Watch Out!

I apologise for the pun. I couldn't help it.

I go through watches like worn out knickers. Not by choice, mind! I just tend to lose them or leave them behind when I'm away from home or simply just forget to put one on. Generally I prefer my wrists to be free of restraints (teehee...) which unfortunately includes watches that hug the skin. As such, I usually wear them loose, which means they usually get smashes up or scratched quite easily.

Ages ago my sister bought herself a locket type necklace which when opened showed a watch face. How perfect is that? No more asking what the time is, no more tight band around the wrist. The problem was then that I could never find anywhere that sold them. I resigned to having to make one, but when I went to but the watch face from a craft shop, they had none left. I was thoroughly disappointed.

This week I went shopping with my sister and her friend. Almost every shop we went in to had some sort of watch necklace! So yes, I bought two. One is like an old style, tarnished pocket watch on a necklace chain (pictured above). the other is a white metal owl which you have to squeeze it's ears to open the wings to show the clock face. Both are excellent.

I think I have found my new favourite thing.

130 - Horror, Part 1

Slowly making our way through the list...

Checklist:

Changeling
Eraserhead
Event Horizon
Hellraiser (1987)
Jacob's Ladder
Ju-On (The original Japanese The Grudge)
Pet Sematary
Session 9
The Brood
The Fly
The Mist
The Mothman Prophecies
The Shining
The Thing
Videodrome

Event Horizon is a great movie. I remember watching it a long time ago and finding it very, very good. It's one you do need your thinking caps on for though. It's not jumpy but it is something of a psychological thriller. The Story: In 2047 Earth receives a signal from a starship and goes to investigate what happened. The answer? Weird and scary crap that will make you uncomfortable.

Hellraiser is surprisingly good. Both movie buddies agreed that even without using the excuse of "it was made in the 80's" it is a great, gory, scary movie. We were expecting something funny, like Exorcist, but were pleasantly surprised to find it more horror than the usual humour found with 80's "scary" movies. The Story: A man and wife move into a home that is possessed by the man's dead brother, who once-upon-a-time solved a puzzle that called forth demons/angels from hell to get him.

Session 9 was one I had never heard of. It's not jumpy, but it really does get into your mind - though probably not as much as Event Horizon might - and is well worth a watch. I'll be watching it again, I'm sure. The Story: A bunch of guys are hired to remove all the asbestos from an abandoned mental hospital. From the very beginning the project foreman hears a voice and starts getting a bit stressed...

The Fly... is crap. Come on. A guy gets 'merged' with the body of a fly. I watched this a long time ago and have no idea why I downloaded it this time round! If you want a giggle at silly 80's horror, then give it a shot. The Story: Uhm... fly + man = manfly?

Videodrome is just weird, and not scary or thrilling or at all engaging. It's awkward. The Story: The president of a TV station is shown a video broadcast of a show called Videodrome where people are beaten and murdered. He thinks it would be good viewing and wants to track it down to it's origin. As it turns out, the video has some sort of hypnotic virus thing that infects the president guy's brain and ultimately makes him insane via strange and awkward hallucinations. For example, the scene where the television wants him to whip 'her' all kinky like. Yes, he whips the TV, as the TV moans and groans like an excited lady...

129 - Woo!

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY
TO MY SISTER!!!!

128 - Oh, The Horror!

My sister is staying for a week. The choice of genre of movies for the week is horror. These include:

Changeling
Eraserhead
Event Horizon
Hellraiser (1987)
Jacob's Ladder
Ju-On (The original Japanese The Grudge)
Pet Sematary
Session 9
The Brood
The Fly
The Mist
The Mothman Prophecies
The Shining
The Thing
Videodrome

127 - Fail Lush, Fail

Lush recently released a lot of new products; 9 to 5 (cleanser), Summer Pudding (soap), Tuca Tuca

They all suck.

Tuca Tuca smells like violets (like Parma Violets sweets) but has a very heavy, musty (yes, musty, not musky) overtone. It smells like your granny's attic if she sprayed it with cheap air freshener.

9 to 5 just smells like your average baby lotion. It doesn't really smell like anything. Whether or not it cleans well, I don't know. I probably wont be trying it out for a very long time.

Summer Pudding is not what I expected at all. It just simply does not smell nice. I was expecting fruity, creamy, something. Instead, it just smells. Yup.
(perfume and massage bar)...

126 - Sakura (Lush Review)

Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom. Are you surprised I've picked this up?

For those of you that don't know, cherry blossom is my favourite scent in the world. Plus, it's very pretty!

Lush make a bath ballistic called Sakura, too, and if you like it - and I don't know why you wouldn't - you should give this a try. I will say now that as with all of Lush's solid perfumes, Sakura smells differently on different people. This happens when the body's natural oils mix with the oils and butters in the perfume and subtly changes the fragrance. It should also be noted that a person's 'scent' can change over time, especially if the person moves to a different environment.

What I mean is, when I lived in London and my skin was assaulted with pollution and grime 24/7, Sakura smelled really bad on my skin. American Cream and Champagne Snow Showers were better behaved. Now that I'm living in a much kinder environment my skin behaves differently, and so Sakura smells very nice.

Now, if you're thinking you don't want to smell all floral like an old lady, then reread what I just said, and also keep in mind that Sakura doesn't just smell like cherry blossom. In the tin it smells quite musky and sensual, almost mysterious, if a smell can be called mysterious. It doesn't smell "like" anything else. It barely even reflects the scent of the bath ballistic. It's as thought Lush took three or four familiar, identifiable scents and put them all together and my some miracle they worked out.

Out of the pot it becomes more subtle and, while I can't tell you what it would smell like on your skin, I can tell you that when I'm wearing it I can't stop smelling myself. I'll make the excuse of scratching my head just so I can sniff my wrist.

125 - Between The Cracks

At the risk of this blog turning into a constant "I'm just weird" ramble...

I made an observation today.

All my friends that don't drink are quite religious and/or American. All of my friends that do drink are more similar in my views and opinions. I don't drink and I'm not religious or American.

Therefore, to truly fit in with my friends, I have to get wasted and/or believe in God and/or move to America.

You know, I can't decide which of the three is most likely. I can say that being excluded from all three is surprisingly depressing.

124 - Boyfriend Cardigan

I just don't fit. I have no set genre or style I can be classified under when it comes to my usual apparel. Today I wore my black jeans, black suede boots, white 'vintage' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt, and a navy boyfriend cardigan. What the hell, guys? I look like I got lost in Oxfam!

Actually, while we're on the subject, why are they called boyfriend cardigans? They kind of look like cardigans I see some guys wear, and the guys that do wear them seem like the sort to have their own boyfriends rather than girlfriends. I would be worried if my boyfriend wore one of them.

Wait... did I just figure it out?

*thinks*

Nope.

Stupid name aside, boyfriend cardigans are the best things ever, so if any GIRLS out there read this and have never worn them for fear of being a fashion monkey, swallow your misplaced pride and buy one. Or, do what I did and buy seven. I have two great ones (one regular length and one long), two black ones (same; regular and long), a long navy one, a regular length cobalt blue one, and a green and cream striped one that my actual boyfriend told me I shouldn't wear because it has horizontal stripes. Put me in my place.

Anyone that says they're too thin/light to wear, remember you can layer them. And they come with the added bonus of never having to struggle pulling a jumper or sweater over your head, elbowing the poor bugger sitting beside you and throwing your glasses half way across the room.

Don't deny it. We've all been there.

123 - Pudding...?

On facebook, my boyfriend posted the kind of joke that you need a Bachelor of Science in Physics to understand (something about tec...ta... hang on, let me check.... 'tachyons'). I even googled what a tachyon is and I still don't get it.

Meanwhile, I posted this:



This might be one of those situations where if I don't laugh I cry. Well... they say opposites attract, I suppose.

122 - My New Hero

Having a bad day, guys?

121 - Thinking Caps!

While we’re on the topic of shows...

The Doctor Who finale was incredible too. I only started watching DW this season, and now I want to backtrack and watch the last few series. While I’m not a fan of Christopher Eccleston I do love David Tennant. Yes, I have heard of him without Doctor Who! Harry Potter or Hamlet, anyone?

I did recently tell my friend that she should watch this season too, but I did need one thing explained to me. Or, rather, one character, for whom an explanation just helped her story along a bit. So, Megan, if you read this and you’re going to watch this series, you should know that River – the black woman with highlighted-ish brown curls – was in the show before, briefly, and all we gathered from that was she knew the Doctor, but it was the first time he met her (get your time travel thinking cap on), and while she knows everything about him – having spent what we can presume is a large or at least important chunk of her life with him – all subsequent meetings with her in this season happen before the Doctor got/gets to know her, in his timeline. To make it more complicated River also time travels about, though not by the same means that the Doctor does (he has a Tardis, she has some bracelet gizmo thinger).

I’m afraid this is harder to explain than to understand...

It’s easier to think of it in terms of following the Doctor’s timeline...

So, the Doctor (in an episode before this series) comes across this woman called River. He slowly finds out that River knows him almost better than he knows himself, because she spent an unspecified amount of time with him in her past. She also kept a diary of everything they did – or, to him, ‘will do’ – together, which he (in his future, when they actually know each other) told her to never show him should she ever come across him on her travels (and I don’t mean to Hawaii) because, you know, finding out about your future before it happens is a bad thing. Oh, and, when he meets her for the first time (in that episode from the old series) she has a sonic screwdriver, of which there is only one in existence, and the Doctor owns it. Present Doctor, that is, since we don’t know what the hell is going on with future doctor, considering River has future Doctor’s screwdriver.

Phew.

I bet Megan won’t even watch it after all that anyway.

120 - Supernatural

It’s kind of funny... my internet is down and to pass the time before I can check my emails I decide to write a blog. This is the world that we live in, I suppose.

I just watched the season 5 finale of Supernatural.

I know most of my friends don’t actually watch this show, which is fine because there are plenty of other shows that we have in common to talk about instead. Why my friends don’t watch Supernatural and I do, I don’t know....

Actually, I do know. The people I used to watch it with are either in London or I don’t talk to any more. Oh well.

Supernatural is fantastic. I’ll push it on anyone that will let me. If there’s anyone reading this that wants a show to get in to and doesn’t want to have to wait forever between episodes, pick up Supernatural. You’re already a hundred shows behind.

Without spoilers, I’ll just say that it was written like a show finale, not just a season finale (you know what I mean?) I was bawling for the last 20 minutes, and when it ended I had to text my sister to ask her if they had actually finished totally or if there was going to be another season. It was amazing. It was heartbreaking. It was funny (if I ever call you an ass-butt you will know where I picked it up from).

Click HERE

119 - LEGO Harry Potter

It goes without saying that Harry Potter is a win.

LEGO Harry Potter is a match made in heaven.

The game was released on Friday and after two days of playing it we have just reached the beginning of the third year.

For those who have never played a LEGO game before, I'll just say that they're more fun than you would think, and each level can be played through several times before you stop finding new stuff to do. This game covers four years, and each year has six levels. That's 24 levels that can be played through at least twice. That's a lot of gaming.

Go on, buy a LEGO game! They're all really great, but Harry is my favourite. No prizes if you already guessed that.

118 - Re-meh-nder

I just got a text from the lady that runs the Weight Watchers meetings I recently dropped out of.

It made my eye twitch.

Not only did she use text-speak ("havnt cn u l8ly") but I really don't need a reminder that I 'gave up'.

1) I can't afford it.
2) I can't stand her whiny voice or total inaccuracy with pretty much everything.
3) Yes, I have had a really bad few days. Bite me.

117 - Suing For Damages

My housemate broke my glass.

I feel silly for wanting to make him replace it though.

Poor glasses. That's half of them gone.

I feel like writing some poetry now...

116 - Cock Block

I've discovered a whole new meaning to that term.

Most of you guys know I've had a book in my head for years and recently I started putting it on paper. My biggest fear was always never having enough ideas to keep going, but now that I've started I have reached a new hurdle.

My protagonist is a guy.

I'm a girl.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to write as someone from a different country let alone a different species? I mean... gender...

It's really tricky.

I had to do something before he started going gay on me, so I thought some manly music would help. That's where I reached another hurdle.

I'm a girl.

Most of my music runs along the lines of Whitesnake, Journey, Josh Groban, Maroon 5... you get the picture.

Hopefully Breaking Benjamin will be my saving grace on this one. Watch this space.

Note: Stephenie Meyer listened to Muse when writing the Twilight books. Look at Edward. I rest my case.

115 - How Russians Sell Car Insurance

I was going to embed it but I couldn't figure out how to turn off auto play. So here, click on THIS.

Warning: Possibly not suitable for work-place viewing. Maybe.

114 - Heard Me Coming

I have THE noisiest shopping bag ever.

Over here we don't get given plastic bags in shops any more, so we either have to buy heavy plastic or eco-material or canvas ones every time, or bring our own. I got tired of dying every time I did my weekly shop and carrying it home, so I got one with wheels. It was hard to find one that didn't look like it belonged to a seventy year old dear.

Yet find one I did. It's pink with big funky blue and white and green flowers on it.

And it sounds like a plane is landing when I drag it along.

Seriously, my roomie heard me coming from half a street away and laughed when he saw it was me. I actually had to stop walking so I could hear what he was saying. Embarrassing? No, because I know everyone wants my awesome bag and they're just jealous when they stare.

113 - Mint Julip (Lush Review)

Lush's lip scrubs are probably the weirdest thing they produce. They're basically sugar mixed with oils into a paste, that they put in little jars and sell as lip exfoliation. It's quite clever really.

They come in three flavours. Mint Julip (mint chocolate, made with vanilla extract, cocoa butter and peppermint oil), Sugar Lips (chocolaty, made with cocoa butter and vanilla extract), and Bubblegum (sweet, smells like Snow Fairy shower gel).

You take a little bit of the sugary stuff and rub it into your lips where the sugar granules scrub away dead and hard skin, the butters and oils leave your lips soft, and then you lick off the sugar. Yep, the only Lush product that's as edible as it smells. It tastes really, really good too! Of course, you can always get someone to kiss it off for you...

I'd recommend it as a treat, as a little pot costs almost €7 (£4.50). If you do use them be careful not to use yours too much, as more than once or twice a day makes your lips sore and sometimes the oils can just be too much if used often on sensitive skin. Use it wisely and you will love it.

112 - Good Old School Days

I miss board games.

In fact, I haven't typed 'board games' in so long that it just took me three attempts to spell it right.

I spent three hours learning and playing a board game this evening. A real one. With dice and counters and everything! It was so much fun and it got me thinking about the last board game I played. I believe the last one was Disney Trivia on Christmas Day with my sister and my cousin.

We were only playing because out cousin wanted to, of course. Yup...

Before that - and not counting TCGs (that's trading card games for those non-nerds, or those too cool to admit to knowing what TCG stands for) or chess or anything electronic - it was probably about ten years ago.

Oh, no, wait... does Harry Potter Scene It count? If it does this blog is pretty much void.

Alright, apart from Disney Trivia and Harry Potter Scene It and various TCGs, it's been a long while! I just miss the kind of fun we had when we were kids, lying belly-down on the living room floor at a cousin's or a friend's, playing The Game Of Life or Cluedo. It's made me want to start something like a weekly/fortnightly/monthly old school games night. Hmm...

111 - Picnic In The Park

The plan was to get loads of food and sit in the park in the sunshine with the boyfriend and a new friend (or an old friend, depending on who you asked)(Hi Nomi!).

We had the food. We had the perfect, quiet little park away from the crazy-busy tourist trap that most people go to. We had the sunshine.

And then before we could eat we were kicked out of the park by a short guy with a big bell. And he wouldn't stop ringing it! Oh, and we were pooped on. Maybe. If it was poop the bird exploded or had a bad case of the squirts. Otherwise it could have been some kid over the hedge that sprayed watered-down paint or flour and water. The jury is still out on that one.

We relocated to another park where everyone except me sat in gum and I discovered I'm not the only one who really appreciates a good pair of designer (ahem), quality sunglasses. We did, however, eat our way through six different flavours of crisps (bratwurst sausage is my favourite, and we were left wondering if BBQ kangaroo actually tastes like what we were tasting).

Also, vuvuzelas are really frickin loud! When the players are complaining they really have reason to!

The moral of the Saturday is, you can have picnic without much eating and plenty of bad luck and still have a really great time. Again, again! Though without the poop and gum next time, maybe.

110 - Oops?

Something you don't hear every day... this made me laugh. For the record, it's a joke!

Me: That's not awkward.
X: Are you un-awkwardable?
Me: Not entirely.
Me: I've seen you naked, so you can't make me awkward.
X: Yeah, sorry about that...
X: But then again, I've seen you naked.
Me: Yeah, sorry about that...

X: Well, there can't be all that many people who have seen you naked.
Me: 6? I think.
X: Plus all those people who logged onto that webcam I put in your bedroom.
Me: You mean the bedroom that my mum now sleeps in? Eeeewww
X: That camera isn't nearly as popular as the one I had in *my* room when you were over.
Me: Now now, just because you watch that video every day doesn't make it popular.

109 - The Natural Look

Specific make-up colours and textures, careful balances of neutral shades of layers of foundation, blusher, eyeshadows and so on. All to look like you're not wearing make-up?

I don't get it.

If I put on fifteen layers and a guy said to me, "wow, you're so naturally beautiful" I think I'd be offended.

108 - N'yaawww!

I'm a bit of a girl. By that I mean I like smelling flowers and soaps, I like candles, teddy bears, sparkly things... and I appreciate the sentimentality of my boyfriend giving me my own set of keys to his apartment.

Am I gloating? Oops, sorry! I really should get that looked at.

So now I have four sets of house keys; my own, the family's, the boy's, and one I misplaced years ago so it doesn't really count, that one of my best friends in London gave me to his apartment. I lost it when I moved back to Ireland.

For the record, you should know that Matt did say that he gave me they keys so he didn't have to get out of his chair every time I came over. Charming. It was also a joke.

107 - How You Doin'?

I realised today the effect this blog is having on my social life. It was unexpected and quite strange, but now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

My friends read my blog and to them, they're hearing from me as though I picked up the phone or sent an email and chatted to them for a while. That's fine really, but what happens then is that I don't hear from my friends for days or weeks at a time. They don't realise it, because they know how I am and what's on my mind or what I get up to, but I have no idea how they are or what's happening in their lives because it doesn't register on a conscious level that the blog as a conversation is completely one-sided.

It's a very strange feeling, knowing that all your friends know all about your day/week/life, but you don't know a thing about theirs, or don't even realise that they know everything you're saying. Half of the people that read this blog I didn't realise even read it at all.

It's like having a diary, leaving it on your front door step and closing the door, not knowing who is going to read it and who isn't, and people rarely knock on the door to talk back.

106 - Buffy (Lush Review)

I bought a box from Lush for €12.50 called the All-Inclusive Package [clicky!]. It really is fantastic value and is only "while stocks last"... which is a bit silly because you can buy all the items separately anyway. The Buffy body butter and Glorious Mud scrub together should cost more than €12.50, and then they go and throw in little tins of Fair Trade Foot Lotion and Ultralight moisturiser and A Token To The Forest Gods sauna tab AND a Stepping Stone foot scrub. Phew! You get about €18 worth of stuff for a lot less money. So even that is reason enough to buy it! I haven't used anything other than Buffy so far, though, so that's what I'll review.

Buffy was around when I first started buying Lush. It was then called Buffy The Backside Slayer, which is why it stuck in my head from the start. They had to change the name for some reason, probably because it offended someone at some point. Anyway, it's taken me this long to try it.

I wish I tried it sooner!

I love my moisturisers. My skin is really dry and I would have a shower in oil if I could. Actually, I remember when I used to bath in water mixed with baby oil. Hey, it worked!

What I don't love about moisturisers is having to get totally dry after a shower and then having to get all damp again waiting for the stuff to sink into my skin. I'm impatient and don't like being naked, contrary to what you might have heard. (That's a joke, guys.)

So you have your shower, and turn off the water. Then rub yourself all over with the bar of Buffy. It'll feel greasy and grainy at the same time, but that's the best part! The little pieces of rice, almonds and beans exfoliate as you scrub and the cocoa and shea butters get into the pores straight away to instantly moisturise. When you're all scrubbed up - and they tell you to give your butt an extra scrubbing because apparently it helps with all your lumps and bumps we call cellulite, hence the old name - rinse off the little grains, remembering all the nooks and crannies that might collect them. Pat yourself dry and voila! Super soft and yummy smelling skin that you don't have to moisturise. And for those lazy at heart - like myself - even drying yourself afterwards is faster, because the butters make the shower water sit on your skin like raindrops on wax paper. Yes, it is strange to watch. Yes, I stood in the shower watching water freak the hell out on my skin. You will too.

Oh, and there's no need to moisturise afterwards. That's the whole point! It's super softening, extra moisturising, little bit lazy. What's not to love?

105 - Fruits And Flavours

Why, oh why does cherry flavour not taste like cherries? And strawberry flavour is completely different to strawberries. Chocolate is different to chocolate flavour. Apples... lemons... cheese... none of them taste like what they're meant to actually taste like! I like cherries but not cherry flavour, chocolate but not so much chocolate flavour, strawberry flavour is great, strawberries are most often too sharp for me. Cheese, lemons... mmm cake.

This requires further investigation...

Flavour n. [ˈfleɪvə]
taste perceived in food or liquid in the mouth

Wait... so does that mean that everything tastes different to different people? Is flavour relative to individual perceptions?

*gasp*

Does that mean somewhere, someone actually thinks strawberries and strawberry flavour TASTE THE SAME?!?!?!?

104 - Shift The Blame

Recently I reviewed a book by Garth Nix.

Garth Nix needs to shoot his editor.

I forgot to mention that while his stories are fantastic and imaginative they are prone to typos, misspellings and even the occasional name change. My sister tells me in one book he switches from "Sylvie" to "Sylvia" and back again several times, for example, and I spotted "Witha..." instead of "With a..."

Has no one pointed out all of the mistakes to them yet? That is the editor's job, after all. The editor is there to comb out the kinks and tangles before going to print.

So you have been warned. If you don't usually pick up on small things like that while reading you might not even notice, but it it really drives you insane, don't read Garth Nix. Or just get used to it for the sake of his great stories.

103 - Aether (New Music!)

Normally I will force big artists down people's necks, but this time I can guarantee no one reading this has ever heard of Aether.

Until now! buahahahah....

*cough*

I only know of them because my sister is a groupie... I mean, a friend of the band members. They're from the town near where we grew up and she goes to uni with them. Or some of them. Or one of their girlfriends. Oh I can't remember.

They sound like... well... this...

They're instrumental kind of metal kind of rock kind of grr. I love them. If you love them and want an album tell my sister. OK, tell me and I'll tell her and fifty exchanges later you'll have their album (five extra-long tracks for €8). I've been told they want to go tin foil. Get it? Eh? Oh never mind. They're unsigned and did all of the work themselves, so as far as I know the only way to get their album is directly from them, or from a friend who's sister knows them... You get the idea.

Listen to them! Now! In case you missed the link here it is again.

102 - Never Say Never

I had a very good friend of mine run into some lady troubles. Very basically, he has been friends with her for a long time, he now wants to be more than friends and it's a mystery what will happen. At one point he said to me, "If this doesn't work I don't think I can be just friends with her..." or something to that effect.

He's not the only person I know to have ever said that.

I'm going to say this now; that is total bullshit.

Anyone with a strong enough will can change their perception and relationship with anyone else. I've done it before. Twice. Twice I've had friends that I've liked as more than friends, but for one reason or another it could never be. I forced my brain to think of them differently. It can be done. It is extremely difficult, especially if the person means a lot to you, but it can definitely be done. I'm not promising any relapses, but I can tell you that they get easier to deal with as time moves on.

Uhm... An example! Uhm... Ok, for this we will be a girl, and the other person will be a guy that was a friend that we now have swoony mushy feelings for. Remember, this works both ways if you swap the situation around.

So you like the guy. He likes you as a friend, or for other reasons (be it family, religion, distance, friends, other partners) you just can't be with him as more than a friend. You don't want to lose him entirely. So start treating him as a friend. Call him your friend, do friend type activities, go out with other friends and maybe limit hanging out where it's just the two of you, even distance yourself from him a bit and just remind yourself that he is a friend. Don't even tolerate thinking about even something as tiny as holding his hand or cuddling him. Imagine/see him with other girls and remind yourself that it's fine, force yourself to accept it and be happy for him and stay out of his love life.

Eventually you will see him (or her) as a friend and you will forget you even thought otherwise.

It can be done. You just have to want it enough.

101 - Lesser Of Two Evils

101 was my locker number in secondary school. Random, pointless fact of the day.

The FIFA World Cup has been on for a few days at this stage and I have to say, it's been pretty dull. I'm not usually a fan of football (that's soccer to ye Americano folks) but for some reason my sister and I have been glued to it from the start. When a match is on, ever TV in my family's home was showing it. You might think that sad but every room in the house has a TV and half the people were still in bed watching the first match of the day.

The best match so far has to be England v. USA. Not entirely because it was a good game but because of everything that went with it.

I'll admit that my family - or at least my sister, my brother and I - tend to be anti-England. Not anti-English, because I have friends in London and pretty much everyone I know has ties there, however distant, but anti-England. We really cannot stand English sporting teams or their lairy supporters. So when something is scored against them we're pretty excitable.

My siblings are somewhat anti-American too, so it was even more humorous to see them jumping and screaming on behalf of the USA team.

100 - Shade's Children (Book Review)

I borrowed this book off my sister about twenty months ago and the first night I started to read it I had a pretty bad nightmare involving the quite scary creatures in the book and a chase scene. Since then I've picked it up and put it down again so many times I almost gave up. The weird thing is, this book is very, very good. My sister reckons it took me so long to read it because on a subconscious level, because of that nightmare, I didn't want to. Believe me, on a conscious level I did.

This week the World Cup started and one of my new favourite things is watching a football match while reading a book. The book I had with me was Shade's Children. I was very, very determined to finish it before the end of the week. And I did.

And I wish I had read it sooner.

It's a fantastic book that I've already recommended to friends. Fans of Garth Nix's other work (most famously the Abhorsen trilogy) may already have picked this up. For those who haven't, or even those who didn't like his other stuff, give this a go.

The best way to describe it (with no spoilers) would be a young adult post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a tiny hint of romance... fighting big scary (believe me...) creatures to save what's left of humanity... which happens to be only children, because the apocalyptic event made all adults vanish.

If this sounds a little bit like Michael Grant's Gone, that's OK. It kind of does sound like it. But they two are very different stories. Read them both! Shade's Children is a beautiful little story (by 'little' I mean it's a stand-alone novel as opposed to the trilogies and series I usually go for) and despite the nightmare it's probably one of my favourites.

Garth Nix, I will be back...

099 - Backseat Gamer

For the record, I'm laughing writing this, so please, no one take this as a direct jab or anything. I'm pretty sure all gamers are guilty of this at some point anyway...

Years ago I was accused of being a backseat gamer. This weekend I discovered another one.

Let me explain to those non-gamers out there, because any gamers reading this will know what one is.

When you're playing a single-player video game in the presence of someone who is just as, or (as was the case this weekend) more gamer than you are, you might find that the gamer who is not actually playing sort of believes he is.

There are two types of backseat gamers. The good (helpful) type, and the bad (irritating) type....

Good Type:
"I think I just saw something to pick up there that you missed."
or
"Oh, don't forget to heal, you're going to die!"
or
"Careful, you missed one." (When you're about to charge headlong to your own death by a creature you didn't notice.)
or even (to a certain extent)
"They're synthetic, you have a biotic you can use against them."
and other, occasional suggestions and helpful hints for things you may have missed when focused on other things on the screen.

Bad Type:
"Duck! DUCKDUCKDUCK! Ok shoot him. SHOOT UM! GRENADE! USE A GRENADE! AHHHHH! HEAL HEAL HEALHEALHEAL! Oh, you're dead."
and
"Press 'x'. PRESS 'X'! LEFT TRIGGER! SHOOT! THERE'S ONE BEHIND YOU TOO! You're dead again. Why didn't you duck?"
It is at that point I just hand the controller over and wait for the ringing in my ears to subside.

It's why I like playing video games with my sister. She's of the good/helpful type. Mostly because she's the one carrying the walktrough and hiding behind a pillow when we play Silent Hill.

098 - Nerd Sunday

I had sort of planned to get some writing done today. Instead I went over the the boyfriend's and played video games all day and stuffed myself with ice cream, nuts, muffins, and a giant burger with chips. I think I've gained about four pound this weekend alone. And it was worth it.

What have I been playing, I hear you ask? No? Well I'll tell you anyway. I've started playing Mass Effect (the first one) again. This time with a female character, and I'm making her as nasty and evil as I possibly can. I never play females or bad characters, but I really wanted to see how things would turn out. As a good guy at the end of the second game, I had three people die on me (two in the first, one in the second), so maybe it'll be different when I just don't give a damn and start pissing people off. Teehee.

Anyway, more important than anything already mentioned this weekend, I've realised the importance of speaking one's mind and venting to at least one person. This blog is my way of doing it, and I know it can sometimes come across as me being bitchy or talking behind people's backs, but I assure you it's just me getting a load off my chest, because if I don't things can go very very bad. And I know most people will understand that.

097 - Dublin Docklands Maritime Festival

SO much fun!

Basically it was a giant market with loads of crafts and food stalls, and a bunch of big ships that looked like pirate ships. What more could you want on a sunny Saturday afternoon? We ate so much that I could barely move and Himself said "uuugh..." more often than actual words. Good times, good times.

The craft stalls were awesome too. Expensive as most festival stalls are, but a lot of the jeweller for example was very pretty. I'm fighting all urges to go get one of the necklaces I eyed up and consequentially fell in love with.

096 - Tingling In My Blood

No it's not diabetes.

My muse is coming back. Slowly but surely. And he brought a new story with him. This one might be better (in my head for now) than the other's I've been working on. Time will tell. And hopefully my muse will hang around this time for the long run.

I'll post up a first few pages and see what you think at some point in the next week or so. It also means any blog posts are likely to be very short. You have been warned.

Watch this space. :)

095 - Mass Effect (Game Review)

Just... just play it, alright?!

Mass Effect is one of my favourite games on the 360, despite it being neither new or the most famous. A few months ago they released Mass Effect 2 and it just got better.

Someone asked me what it was about. And without spoiling anything all I can say is, it's about a hell of a lot. Space travel, guns, explosions, biotic and tech abilities, aliens, relationships, good deeds, bad deeds, government missions, illegal money-making, saving the universe, keeping your pet fish alive...It's thrilling, fast-paced, funny, warming, but only if you want it to be. It is what you make it with your own choices. It's so diverse and multi-faceted it's stunning. It looks pretty too.

It's like Star Wars without the retro, Serenity without the horses, Star Trek without the boredom, Stargate with space ships, Battlestar with more people...

I'm a girl and if I'm saying Mass Effect is my favourite you know it has to be good.

094 - New (Lush Review)

I really did not like this at all when I smelled it. I don't like cinnamon or cloves, and that's what this smells like. Why did I buy it? Because I wanted it's scalp-friendly properties to work it's magic. And they sort of did.

I bought it specifically because - and I hate to admit it in public, but I've been on a roll lately - due to a medical catastrophe of hormones, treatments and medication, my hair has been falling out. It's not very noticeable right now but girl it a few years or ten and it may be a different story, if I can't slow it down. I've been trying to prepare myself for looking like a cancer sufferer (sorry, that is NOT in jest or bad humour, I assure you).

So, back to New. The cinnamon and cloves really do make your scalp tingle, which is what stimulates the hair follicles, or so I hear. So yes, it does it's job. It also moisturises which to me is a really big help too.

So, if you have thinning hair or dry scalp and don't mind the smell of spices, try it out. It's expensive (costs about twice or three times as much as a standard bottle of shampoo) but it lasts a long time (mine lasted almost four months).

093 - What Did You Say About My Friend?!?!?

I have weird friends. Or to be more specific, their friendships with me are strange, from the way we behave to what we would consider acceptable that most other people wouldn't.

I have Sunshine, Tiny, the Welsh One, the Cat-Lover, and before he was my boyfriend we were really good friends so The Boyfriend gets counted too. Things that are pretty standard with all/most of these friends include:

Cuddling in bed or under a duvet.
Holding hands (more specifically, playing with fingers, as I tend to do without thinking).
Sitting on laps.
Linking arms.
Head--shoulder resting.
Head--boob resting (and they're not subtle about it either).
(Also, let me point out here that not all of the friends listed are male).
Sleeping with (in the same bed, get your mind out of the gutter!).
Saying "I love you!" whether in text, on the phone, in person or yelled across the street.
Using terms like "hun", "darlin", "gorgeous", etc. in greeting and conversation.
Blowing kisses to.

Basically, they're like lovers/husbands/wives without the kissing and business time.

I also have one friend, C-Doll, who I have known for several years but have yet to meet, that probably knows me better than I know myself. And when we do finally meet (hopefully soon... hint hint), the world may implode with excitement/relief/happiness/love/awkwardness. But I know we will fall into all/some of the habits above too, so deserves a mention.

I can also count my sister into the above activities too, which may or may not be even weirder, but there you go. I'm pretty sure she's the same with her friends too, though.

So I was wondering if those friends (some of whom do read this blog and I hope they can tell they are mentioned despite the lack of name) are the same with their other friends, or if it's just me and my slightly strange attraction to cuddles and affection that they just don't fight off. Or... you know... if any of you don't like it now is the time to say so...

Also, I'd like to point out that I behave like that whether I have a boyfriend or not. Is that bad?

092 - Change of Pace

I removed my little weight chart thinger. Why? My head's just not in it right now. Mostly because I really don't like my Weight Watchers class leader. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard, and she gets her facts wrong all the time. Useless. So I'm not going to spend €10 a week just to weigh myself and listen to a woman that doesn't know what she's talking about.

I'm going to do things differently. I'm going to keep eating healthily, but I'm not going to obsess over it. I'll drink diet and zero drinks, I'll not eat chocolate or pizza or pop tarts.... sigh.... and I'll see where I am in maybe a month or so. Watch this space.

091 - Mass Effect (2) Lessons.

I've only played through half of the game so far, but here are some things I've learned already.

It’s easier to have a relationship with an alien than a human.

Good choices make you a fairy. Bad choices make you a prick.

Zombies are never out of style. In fact, centuries in the future, zombies are our heroes.

No matter how big and powerful you are, you will still get Viagra-toting emails.

“Probing Uranus” is funny even when you’re actually doing it. It's hysterical when it becomes depeleted.

Fish need to be fed every five minutes or they die, but space hamsters are immortal. (Zombie?)

When you’re a guy, all the pretty females want to sleep with you.

When you’re a girl, everyone wants to sleep with you.

You can’t date someone unless you tell the other one you’ve been chasing you’re not interested any more, but you can shack up with your assistant and no one minds.

Assassins don’t kill people. People kill people.

You can die, come back two years later with a different face, fly a different ship, wear a helmet and

keep different company, and people will still recognise you.

Letting the assassin live near the life-support part of your ship, and a giant killing machine near the
weapons is a perfectly logical thing to do.

Being assigned on a suicide mission makes you want to collect model star ships and keep small pets.

Sarcastic bastards can still give hugs.

Unless you have an actual countdown timer you can go through an ‘urgent’ mission with your slow motion walk and still complete it.

Even the most skilled scientists might overlook the fact that one killswitch does not satisfy two missiles.

It is possible to drink through a closed helmet faceplate.

You have unread messages.