New BlogSpot address!!!

new blog address is 'www.080288.blogspot.com'

Keep checking it for updates whilst i'm in America!!!

X

Doing everything but things rhyming with dissertation

Well I can't think of anything that ryhmes with dissertation, so its just my dissertation i'm avoiding...

I would say that I am at the point where I can pretty much say that I could sit in the hot-heat of mastermind with my specialized, (z = Americanism), subject being Maine.

Did you know...?

Maine is the largest producer of Blueberries... 25% of Americas' Blueberries come from Maine.

Wow i'm making myself fall asleep

How about this then... It is also the number one producer of toothpicks...

History lesson over. Although also Stephen King was born in Maine and the film The Mist (which is based on one of his novels) was filmed there.

But seriously... I need to be doing my dissertation, its due in 4 days...

So i'm going to set to and do it now... actually i'll do it once i've cleaned all of the, err... cupboards. Also i've left the paint drying with no one watching it, so I should probably go watch paint dry.

s'nuff said.

Liverpoop and Thai

"Walk on walk on
With hope in your heart
and you will never walk alone
The last 20 minutes were ours"

This was a text message I received from a friend after the dreaded United defeat of 4-1.
And I agree! Liverpool did deserved to win... The first 70 minutes, even being 2-1 down, showed a very good game of football. Until Vidic got sent off United were all over Liverpool. But they deserved it in the end.

Anway...

“My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people”.
Orson Welles

A couple of fellow course mates and I recently went to The Art Kitchen in Warwick. It is a Thai restaurant. I can safely say it was the nicest thai meal I have ever had.
Albeit the orange juice accident and their 'broken' calculator. It was very nice I would love to go back again.

However this whole experience has made me think about the food to expect at Camp in the summer. I have had a friend who went to Camp America last summer and he is now a vegetarian because of his experience... "All the meat they eat, is deep fried."

I just hope that they serve alot of seafood and fish

Rant...over.

Criminal Law and stealing penguins...

I had a criminal law exam earlier today... it went suprisingly well thanks.

Once I had finished, and getting bored of checking and checking the checking...(you get the picture) I was bored. I began to think of model answers that I had revised for said exam. And one in particular sprang to mind this was a question concerning theft. It made me laugh inside, at least I thought it was on the inside...

The question starts as follows: "Boris breaks into..."

Boris... haha, but thats no where near the punch line.

"Boris breaks into the local zoo and takes a penguin. Discuss"

I'm sorry but if that doesn't make you want to study law I don't know what would. Personally because of this question I now dream of going to Zoo Court and representing a Penguin in a case involving kidnap.


Oh and i've been given an Embassy appointment; 21st April =D
Also... for those that were wondering the Judge in Zoo Court was indeed a Bald Eagle

S'nuff said

Green Green Green Yellow Green Red Yellow....

"Nah not much, been doing a lot of studying"

Sorry just practising what i've got to tell my mum when she asks.

Right, tonight myself and my fellow housemate have spent a good chunk of the evening rocking out with our ***** out on Guitar Hero World Tour! We've been mostly playing a little song by the Foo Fighters, Everlong on hard. Myself on the guitar and John on bass. We were incredibly close to achieving 100%... I got my highest ever streak, 813 for all those who are shouting "please tell us Chris!" Our high score of tonight was about 545,000 =D

There comes a time in ones life where you feel compelled to ask yourself, why? I believe today, this standard, albeit sun-filled day early in March I have stumbled across the answer worthy of a million starfish, a high five from Ghandi himself or sharing a classic 80's air punch with, that guy from The Breakfast Club, you know, the cool one that you could imagine doing an 80's punch with. Anyway... So why? Well I have discovered the bane of many e-band members lives... probably. Getting through 90% of Everlong on HARD and then dropping a note; I couldn't imagine anything worse, except maybe giving yourself a hernia and repetitive strain injury in both hands... John, I need you to drive me to the hospital.

On a more serious note my eyes feel like they have been raped by the playstation, everythig I look at is in the shape of a 'gem' and is either tinted green, red, yellow, blue or orange....

My eyes hurt.

Pink Elephants in the Hospital

Hey,

Title got your attention right?
So Starbucks anyone? It seemed like the obvious choice once returning from a spontaneous trip to Birmingham to sample what sushi delights possible in an inner city... miles from any sea...
There were four of us who decided to ditch the library for a short train journey to Brum; I would say that it would have been a success if the majority enjoyed the sushi goodness, however it was only myself and one other that actually enjoyed the sushi (maybe its the high life in our blood? or that fact it is a step up from jellied eels...) The other two did not enjoy it as much. Although the braver, or more tolerent of the two indulged twice, the other had a mere lick and then attempted to throw up his entire hotdog stomach goodness...

So after sushi delights we decided to head for a little known 'vintage clothes shop' which is not quite as cool as it sounds. However it was better than any second hand/charity shop i've been into. There is nothing better than walking around trying on 'vintage' clothes; including MC Hammer's shell suits and Wham's whole wardrobe... with cowboy boots!

I can hear you screaming "get to the point!"

So what did I achieve yesterday?

• Yet again blanked the library
• Spontaneously got the train to Birmingham
• Stole the cherry of two sushi virgins
• Acquired a starbucks mug...

s'nuff said

The day I met Michael Jordan...

I just met MJ at the train station!!! Wicked-Sick!!!!



Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player and active businessman. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularising the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.
After a stand-out career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as one of the stars of the league, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness." He also gained a reputation as one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat." Though Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993-94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but he returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

"Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about, and valiantly, he chickened out."

Discover the secrets of the vicious man killing cave rabbit!

See the only holy grenade!

Learn how to make a classic comedy relying on knights on horseback without horses....

Perhaps the most original comedy - or at least the most ridiculously funny historically semi-accurate comedy spoof - of all time is Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

For those who have never seen the film, why not!?!! It is an epic-style medieval-ish (including the occasional '70s policeman) spoof on the whole King Arthur reign with a quest for the holiest of grail's on God's own request combined with lots and lots of facts about the African/European swallows and some pretty askew animations.




How often can you see the English being attacked by the French using cows?!!?



I'm going to be a bit of a geek here... I noticed a mistake so i'm going to reveal it! When Brother Maynard is reading the inscriptions on the wall Sir Robin is hiding behind Sir Lancelot and his own shield, and then whenever there is a shot from behind the group Sir Robin disappears... Turns out Eric Idol plays both Sir Robin and Brother Maynard... Coincidence? I think not!


s'nuff said.

1984, should it be re-named 2014?

I have just finished re-reading George Orwell's novel; no not Animal Farm but Nineteen Eighty-Four.
This time I read it I appreciated it more. And it is even more relevant today then ever.

For those who don't have a clue; it is set in 1984 and is a story following one man, who seems to be negligible in the sense of things, in a repressive tyrannical society. The man whom eyes you see through is a Civil servant named Winston Smith; who actually works for the regime, whilst simultaneously believing it is completely fallacious and unethical.

The novel has made the phrase "Big Brother" famous; meaning the ever growing invasion into the rights of an individual. It concerns the constant serveillance of Winston along with every other 'party' member. It occurs in London which is part of 'Oceania' formally Great Britain. The population are split up into three classes; the Inner Party: people working on the inside of the regime. The Outer Party: people working for the Inner Party (like Winston). And the Proles; everybody else who is not associated with the party at all. These classes could also be likened with upper, middle and lower class. Picture Big Brother at the top of a 'power pyramid' with the Inner Party members sat directly below, then the Outer Party members follwed by the Proles at the bottom.

The regime relies heavily on propaganda; as does any dictatorship; Nazi and Stalinist Regimes. All over the City there are posters reminding everybody that "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING!" There are the 'thought police' who effectively police thoughtcrime; which are any thoughts or signs of thoughts that go against the regime. This is mostly carried out by way of telescreens in peoples houses and hidden microphones all over the City. Winston's job involves the editing of historical documents; amending anything that could show the party has made an error, even in predictions. For example if a former party member has been convicted by the 'thought police' they will become an 'unperson' no longer in existence; seemingly never to have existed.

As I previously said the story follows Smith through his life and experiences in the City under this Big Brother regime; and not to spoil it for any future readers; the initial title Orwell went with; "The last man on earth" I feel fits well. The use of War comes up quite alot with Oceania always at war with either Eurasia or Eastasia; which changes a couple of times; but history is kept up-to-date so the enemy seemingly never changes. The regimes uses this war to keep power and hope in its people. Smith often questions the actuality of the war; if not to the end.

In my eyes the ending was rather weak; and unexpected. There was not the slightest twist, and I think it is the first story I have read that I have thought the often ridiculed ending of "and then he woke up" would have fitted better.

However the main question is whether or not Orwell meant to intentially attack on socialism. I will leave to you to decide for yourself. But in reading I have to remind myself that this was written in 1949 and it has never seemed so up to date. Although obviously a life that has been exagerated.

One thing that jumped out at me was something said, in the final chapters (Part iii; Chapter iii) of the book, by a character O'Brien; a member of the Inner party. Who stated;
"But always—do not forget this, Winston—always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face ... for ever."

This I feel will always be true, to a certain extent.

I'll get back to you in 2014.

Definitely worth a read.

s'nuff said.

Would you rather be too hot or too cold?

At the moment my answer would be too hot; because I am currently too cold. See our boiler is broken...
It is similar to being in America, except shit; where it is hotter outside than it is inside...

Rant over.

The wrath of God delivering us from evil presented us with a 'snow day'. You wouldn't think much of it, in fact you might see children outside playing outside making snowpeople.... However if you read a newspaper it explains the real horrors; "SNOW CAUSES CRIME, IMMIGRATION AND AIDs!!" That may well be a slight exageration of the truth; but it isn't as inaccurate as you think. One night of what is essentially hard water; or soft ice has resulted in the most of England closing. Over 75 schools closed; some of which are still closed... Most of London shut down, including all public transport in and out. And every imaginable train; overground or underground and aeroplane has been effected, either having been stopped or delayed.

It has been predicted that snow is due today, tonight and tomorrow. In my calculations this amount of snow, compared to what we had a couple of days ago, should cause armageddon.

Anyway... The snow did not stop me from venturing outside; mostly due our broken boiler. But the point i wanted to make was that it gave some good photo opportunities.

Of course I photographed Coventry Cathedral; being in Coventry it was either that or the bus station... So here it is; let me know what you think.




































"There is only one thing about which I am certain, and that is there is very little about which one can be certain."

s'nuff said



Each photo is the exclusive property of Chris Maddison; who owns every possible right you can imagine to them!
Not to be used or reproduced without my consent.

Why? 'cos it's the done thing

I've always thought about creating a blog.
So here it is; half-way into my final year at Uni, is there a better time to begin?


I always thought that 'blogging' would be easy; you do something and then write it down for the world to see...

So what do you write about when:

• Your 21st birthday is in 5 days...
• You have numerous pieces of coursework to do...
• Including a dissertation...
• You have exams to revise for...
• Not to mention to the want to achieve the accolade of Expert level on guitar hero; World Tour as the distinctive lead guitarist in, ''Shotgun-Not'', probably the best E-band in the world. Boasting the alter-ego of ''Jermaine'' (said in a New-Zealand accent; after watching 'The Flight of the Conchords') and the millions upon millions of options for hair-dress, piercings, hats, shoes and leather apparel.

Well i'm going to write about the fact that I have secured a Camp America placement at Camp Manitou situated in Maine. I have been offered the position of a general camp counselor and the camp photographer (camp as in 'The Camp', not camp as ''mummy why does our school photographer speak like a poof?'')

Having told various friends this achievement; many have laughed... ''Ha! Chris, photographer? Yeah, sure...''

Well here it is; i've decided to release my biggest secret since deficating in the bath at the age of 4 and blaming it on my younger brother... sorry bro. I see myself as an ametuer photographer, and have been secretly ''shooting [the] shit...'' for a number of years.

s'nuff said.