Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The Meaning of Truth
Comments:

Wensdays kitten: Apparently a fair number of people were annoyed that some of the smaller insects were left out, like the glow-worm and the slik worm (who didn't really do anything anyway, heh), but it was lovely and it got some really amazing reviews.

I think Ricky Gervais is the one from The Office, but I'm not sure; I've never actually watched it. I don't know that much about Eddie Izzard to be honest :p

Syk: Greg! Aah, thank you for stopping by. It's good to see you again ^_^

I'm not sure I want to push myself that deep into anything. I've queued at anime conventions to get autographs and have watched people in costume... and I don't know if it's just because this is England, but there's something much less involving about it all here. I guess it's a fandom that's still developing as opposed to one that's quite well established. And the problem is it's hard to find fans who are on the same casual level- because they involve themselves on the same level as you they'll naturally tend not to be in the forefront. But maybe I'm just rubbish :p

Transformers is amazing. You must see it! It's not as cheesy as the original movie (if you've even seen it) and it's not exactly a thinking movie but it's very well done.

Super Mario Galaxy is really good. It's one of the few games in recent years that I've felt I've wanted to complete it all the way to the end, as opposed to feeling I have to for completion's sake. It's just a very lovely game. very easy some times, incredibly difficult at others. There's a balance, but it's enjoyable all the way through.

*cheers* I'll drink to that ^_~

molly: I know, heh. And it's been forever again :p Sorry about that. Belatedly, happy holidays to you too. I wish you all the best for this year in everything you do and happens to you ^_^

Lilia: I didn't want to presume that I could just use your name without asking first; I always like to respect other people's privacy. But thank you ^_^ It is a lovely name.

I use Facebook pretty much every day, but obviously it's down to your own time and commitments. I'm never offended if people aren't online- it's just nicer to see them when they do turn up. That's one of the reasons I still stick around at myOtaku, because I have a lot of good friends here and even if they only come online and post once a year, I wouldn't want to miss that.

Thank you *^_^* I don't think I'm very handsome though, but then again I don't think many people think that much of themselves :p

And thanks for your support, too. It does mean a lot to me. I'm not trying to sound arrogant, but since I don't see people that often, it's nice to know they're rooting for me in whatever capacity. I have a tendency to get emotional or distracted quite easily and sometimes I just need a gentle nag or encouragement in the right direction. I don't mind being told off for not doing what I'm supposed to be, either :p

I'm so upset that Brawl hasn't even been given a release date in the UK yet. Out of all games I could ever possibly want, that is THE number one without a doubt. Damn Nintendo od Europe for being so bastard stingy.

---

So it's after our shows now... After James and the Giant Peach we went straight into Two, so I've had virtually no time for internets or writing since mid December. Last week I finally started revising the book again and a few days back I actually started adding new stuff. It was a great relief ^_^

And, yesterday... I broke the 60,000 word mark! It is officially novel-length! Whee! Sparklers and baloons all round. But it's still not finished, heh. I could finish it now with TO BE CONTINUED..., but that would be mean and unsatisfying.

In other news, very little else has been happening. Still single; I'll go onto that later. We're winding down the company now as Dan's off to Australia. We think our production of 'Two' made a profit, which is great as I didn't think we were going to get anything out of it. Do you think it's wrong to be pessimistic of your own show? Well, I say 'my'; it wasn't my idea- I just agreed to help because nobody else would have been able to do it. I did enjoy it, but almost all the way through I wanted to be writing. I could, possibly, have been a chapter or two away from finishing if I'd had that extra month to work on it. And because Dan didn't have a car I had to play taxi anyway... it did get in the way. But we're past that now, so let's leave it.

Oh, yes- I had a hospital appointment the other week to look at my left femur. The cyst is definitely still there, and it's been hurting a lot more. I don't know if that's psychosomatic just because I'm aware of it, but either way the X-Ray showed that it was still incredibly thin. The previous X-Ray taken was a bit blurry so the wals of bone looked a little thicker... this was clearer, and they aren't. I'm not sure what I should do. I'm certainly not going to give up anything I enjoy doing but it's just made me wonder... if anything happens that's it- bam. Hip replacement at 22. The doctor said I WILL need one by the time I'm forty, and I will suffer from arthiritis sooner rather than later. I'm trying to keep a positive outlook but I'd be lying if I said it didn't frighten me.

So, relationships, then :p This will be a fairly common topic as I update so infrequently, heh. They're just... not here. I had my three-year-no-physical-contact-or-anything anniversary in january, so we're going for three years and a month so far. I know that's nothing, really, considering a lot of other people are in the same boat, but... I've wanted it. Something. And I hate moaning about it even more because it really doesn't matter. I'm just being emo.

OtakuBoards is another bone of contention for me of late. I started posting again a short while back, and... it's very unsatisfying. I don't know what I was expecting, really, but everything seems so... boring. The activity levels have definitely decreased since I was last a regular, there's no doubting that. And it's s shame, because it's a great site with a lot of lovely people. But I just found it so disappointing to look around and see... very little. For those who know what I'm talking about I was thinking of finally finishing Enter the Net, but I don't think anyone would go for it. Maybe I'll put it up here as an exclusive, heh.

Anywhoos, I'm going to write some more book ^_^ I stopped last night because I'd discovered a continuity issue that I later solved while eating a chicken burger with some friends (it has nothing to do with a chicken burger, incidentally), so I can get on and do it. Once this segment's done it should, theoretically, only be about six chapters till the end. Mayhaps. There's a bucketload of story to be revealed in the next bit, though ^_^; Need to work out the technical bits...

Anyway, see you all soon ^_^ Take care!

P.S. 'THE MEANING OF TRUTH' is a song that's the main theme of the F-Zero anime. I watched the 'Falcon Punch' YouTube so many times I had to have the song too. It's good ^_^

P.P.S If you want to watch a really boring interview of me talking about our production, go to www.two.t83.net, our poorly-updated, now out-of-date website.
Comments (4) | Permalink

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

...And a Busy New Year!
Comments! (albeit quick ones as I don't know how much time I have left)

Roleni-Chan: Oh, the Dan situation was one big, big mess. but he's doing okay now for the most part and I think we've sorted our differences.

And you're welcome, by the way ^_^ Just look after yourself.

Azure: Unfortunately it's not my thing- the local news station put it up so I can't edit or do anything with it. They'd do better putting their news reports on YouTube, to be honest. Get a real computer :p

Mamma Vash: That was a pretty good shot, I must say! It's great when moments like that get caught on camera. It was a pretty fun couple of days.

I'm desperately hoping I can put together a costume for this year. I'd love to come to the London Expo on May as Toni Toni Chopper's Arm Point mode; whether I manage it or not is another matter entirely.

I bought a whole load of Ghost in the Shell soundtracks while I was at the Expo, by the way. They're very, very good.

---

So, it's Boxing Day! I'm currently at the Chichester Festival Theatre in the Production Office, because as of a few days before the show of James and the Giant Peach went up, I was asked to fill in as one of four Assistant Stage Managers. So that's taken up most of my time and left me very busy, but the people I'm on a team with are all lovely, so it's really nice. I'm not sure I could bear it if they were less nice than they are.

But anyway, when was the last time I updated? Bloody ages ago, I bet. Yeah, like... September time. Wow o_o;

Since then I've done a lot of stuff:

-I went to the London Expo, which was great fun, and expensive. I bought lots of stuff and now do not want to go to another expo without at least some form of costume. My sister really enjoyed it too, which was nice. She brought many friends, who also all enjoyed it. Although the guys were quite typical nerdy anime fans, which made me feel very conscious of the fact that I am not a typical nerdy anime fan. Maybe that's why I'm still single...

-So yeah, that's another thing. I'm still single, despite all my attempts. Relationships still scare me, though.

-I housesat for a friend of mine for a week and a bit. That was interesting. A whole house to myself with cats who would periodically vomit all over the lounge and stain the carpet. Mmm, fun! But I got a hell of a lot of writing done...

-...although I discovered I needed to completely rewrite the first four chapters- about 55 pages worth. But I'm at just over 55,500 words and am well into the last third of the story. Once I'm free of James and the Giant Peach and our next big project in January it shouldn't take too long before the first draft is finished.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas/holiday period. For the two days I had free, it was great. My sister's down from Bristol and it's been really nice seeing her again. And playing on Super Mario Galaxy :p But I haven't got a free day until Sunday, when she leaves, which is a bit disappointing. And a lot of family's coming over tomorrow and I won't be able to see them as I have two shows. But it's not the end of the world. They see my older sister far less than they see me anyway, heh.

Obilgatory Christmas Present List:

-Transformers movie DVD (YAY!)
-Entire series of Sharpe (Starring Sean Bean- ALSO YAY!)
-Eddie Izzard DVD box set (If you don't know who he is, search for him in YouTube)
-A Procrastinator's Planner
-A dice game
-A lovely black bowl
-And probably something else, but I've forgotten what they were! Eep.

So I'm doing well, in short ^_^ I hope to update more often in the New Year.

Take care, everyone!
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Monday, October 29, 2007

Ghost In The Shell
Dan crashed his car on Saturday.

He's okay, but it's thrust this whole big situation into the light and even though I don't want a part in it I know I'm going to have to orchestrate sorting it out.

But, it's possible he'll take a big step in the right direction soon anyway. That's what I'm holding out for.

In the meantime, here's something for you:

It's me, fighting at Arundel Castle! I'm the one in the black gown with the sword and axe.

Impressive, no? I've always wanted to show off me fighting, heh.

Take care. I'll update again soon.
Comments (3) | Permalink

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Aeria Gloris
Comments!

Roleni-chan: I was originally put off One Piece because I thought the style was too close to Dragon Ball, which I refuse to watch. I don't know why, but it's not something I can settle down to. A friend of mine has lent me the first bit of Sailor Moon and wants me to watch it, but I'm still not sure if I will, especially as he says it'll take a good ten episodes to get into. Ten episodes is a lot of time...

The minutes aren't that important; it's the words that matter more ^_^

Kei: Thank you ^_^

Answers lieth below.

---

I recently bought the entire Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex series, and it's annoying because I haven't much moey left but I really want the second series even though I've not even finished watching this one yet. It's really, really good. I'd always discounted it just because, which is always a bad reason to ignore something if everyone else seems to like it.

Anyway, the answers to the questions!

Kei: What do you feel is the most special thing about your country?

I suppose this country's history is what is most special to me about it. It's not always a pleasant history (especially where other countries are involved), but it's quite illustrious, and I always feel very proud of this country's achievements and how we've managed to get where we are despite being so small. I always get annoyed when people try to wipe over our heritage with historical inaccuracies or careful omission of certain facts. Not everything in a country's history is something to be proud of, but just pretending that it never happened is only going to leave the same mistakes to occur in the future. I think, on the whole, we're a very sensible country, if not being run as efficiently as we should be.

One problem the country does have, probably as a result of its history, is that people generally tend to keep to themselves and not spontaneously talk to anyone. I noticed in America that people weren't afraid to just strike up a conversation, but it's so hard to find an acceptable place to do that in England. Even if you're having a brief chat to a kiosk operator it almost feels like it's scripted unlessyou can pick on something very specific to talk about. I don't know; British reservedness is a funny thing. Whether it's to do with our history or not I'm not sure. Perhaps we've evolved to not speak unless absolutely necessary :p

Roleni-chan: What inspired you to act and write your own story?

Um... acting probably comes from the games I used to play when I was younger. My sisters and I (not together- first me and my older sister, and then me and my younger sister) would play a lot with our toys and construct these really elaborate games and stories for each of the characters we had. They were amazing, heh ^_^ And at any point we'd reached the end of a massive story campaign we'd start the whole story over again in a different way, perhaps changing a couple of the relationships, or the setting, or something like that. It's that kind of escapism and practice in character development and generally learning to play as someone else (and we had a lot of toys, so there were a lot of different personalities) that first got me into the habit of acting and forming a story.

Later on, I joined the school drama club as a result of wanting to follow a friend around, and learned that in terms of acting, I'd be up for almost anything and my inhibitions weren't actually that much of a problem when I was on stage. It was great for me as a naturally shy boy to find somewhere I could act really outward and not worry about the repercussions.

During this I was always thinking about my own stories and characters I admired (particularly Fox McCloud of the Starfox series- Disney's Robin Hood had a MASSIVE influence on me in childhood) and what situations I would put them in if I had control over what happened to them. Then I started writing fanfictions when I got in touch with my first penpal, whom I had a crush on. Through that I learnt about Pokemon, then Digimon, and then I joined OtakuBoards and only started writing more... and it goes from there, really ^_^

I finally decided that I wanted to write a book when I found a story I really wanted to tell, and just putting it on the 'net wouldn't have been enough. I'd had the story in my mind for a while, and every so often I'd think of a new scene to put in there and start to string it together. After about threeyears of story development, I wrote down a detailed plot outline and eventually started actually writing it. It's funny how these things turn out when you look at how they develop ^_^

Are you attending any conventions later on?
I'm going to the London Expo on Saturday, and I'll go to the one next May too, probably as well as another in July- the Japan Expo. Whether or not I go to another in the US I'll have to decide. I know I'd like to go to Anime Expo again. That would be cool ^_^

Before, you were talking about your pets in my site, what other pets do you own?

I have three dogs:

Romulus, a black standard poodle who's coming on for eleven/twelve years old. He's the boss dog, and loves playing when he's in the mood. He is getting very old for a standard poodle, though; although he looks well and appears young in spirit they only tend to live until they're twelve or so. He's been wonderful, though.

Merlin, another standard poodle, chocolate brown, who's about eight. He's a complete wimp, really, and acts a lot more like a cat than a dog in the way he comes up and rubs himself against you. He's... a little difficult- he doesn't always come when you call him and doesn't play as much as the other two. But he's very affectionate.

Taiko is our youngest- he's just about two, a crossbreed of mostly collie and golden retriever. He's hyperactive, but absolutely gorgeous ^_^ I love him to pieces. Funnily enough, he respects Romulus but won't listen to Merlin at all, so we may have some disagreements about hierarchy later on. I'll let you know how that turns out :p

Any more questions greatly received!

The CIA are coming to my house!
Yes, that's Christie's Intruder Alarms. We're having it all checked out.

In the meantime I'm going to write as much as I can today. I wrote another two pages last night, so I'm quite pleased with that. Overall progress:

Words: 42,790
Minutes: 26,906+

There's a lot more to come; I was worried that it was looking shorter the more I wrote, but I definitely think it'll be way over another 20,000 words till it's finished. Let's hope it's not too long, though, heh.

See you soon.
Comments (2) | Permalink

Monday, October 15, 2007

Warning: One Piece Spoilers!
Damn it! I had this whole post almost done and then it disappeared. Bloody typical -______-;

---

Comments!

Azure: I know what you mean! I've been working with some really gorgeous people during the show and it's been hard to keep my mind straight (although depending on the context of 'straight' you could say it's also been very easy :p)

Mimmi: Yes, and that is why I now know. I don't want to hurt anyone again.

Molly: Money's been good... although I know I've spent more than that in this last week. Bad things >.>;

You can be blunt without being harsh, but I find I try to over-justify things, so my original point gets bluntened by trying to be polite.

Roleni-chan: I am feeling better now, thank you ^_^ *hugs* I'm still trying to be mindful of what I eat, if only because I'm conscious of my stomach. I had a couple of funny moments and that same 'sticky' feeling back again for a short while, but it's okay now. I think I still need to eat more fruit, though.

---

I was due to do some more writing this evening but I've not been able to yet. Maybe it's the events of last night (not really to do with me, but it's a long story), or the fact that I've just had curry, or even more bizarrely, the fact that I've just read about the latest One Piece manga chapter. I'm actually, genuinely worried that Ace has been killed by Blackbeard, to the point where I can't actually think of much else. I can't remember a time where I've been that concerned over a fictional character's situation before. Let's hope we find out soon.

Anyway, I have a lack of substance for this edition of me, so in the stylings of Adam and Kei, please feel free to ask me any question(s) you want to and I will answer them in the next post ^_^

Hope you're all doing well. Take care!

'Nazreal' progress:
42,330 words
26,569+ minutes revising time (Although probably a lot more- I chose 'Save As' once instead of 'Save' and the original minutes were set to 0).
Comments (2) | Permalink

Thursday, October 4, 2007

All's Well That Ends...
Comments!

Roleni-Chan: She's still after me a bit, but at least she's not as persistant as my stalker was.

How long is Gears of War? We've just got to the bit with the Corpser and it feels quite near the end and hence just a bit... short. I don't know how far through we are yet, though, so I could be wrong.

Halo 3's been good fun so far. Not quite as engaging as the first game, but there have been some nice moments. Would be better on a bigger TV, methinks. We've only got it on a small one at the moment.

A friend of mine got the Legendary Edition; I just went for the standard as I'm not particularly bothered about the extras. All the background history and story stuff I can read on Wikipedia if I wanted to anyway, heh.

You're welcome, and thank you, too ^_^

Kei: I know. I get told that a lot, but it never feels like I'm overstretching myself at the time. I'm starting to recognise it a bit more now.

Azure: I shall explain below ^_~

molletta: Tell me about it :p It's been happening more often than I would like recently.

---

Well, I went to the doctor's on monday and told her all my symptoms, and the best reaction I could get was a sort of shrug and an I don't know'. The main thing is that it doesn't hurt any more, and I still have the medicine in case I get acidic again. My guess is that I caught a viral infection, strained something and wasn't eating properly all at once. The symptoms didn't really match up with anything specific. The problem is, once you hear of something you can sometimes try and make your illness fit the bill, which is always a bad thing. For the most part I trust the doctors I see, and doesn't feel serious any more. I will keep an eye on it, though.

Well, to answer one of my problems, the girl I really liked is now in a relationship with a guy from Bristol, so while I am disappointed on having missed out at least it means it's closed and I don't have to worry about it. She said she wanted to be free at University anyway, Bath is quite far away and blah blah blah... I'll keep an eye/ear open for if she becomes single again, though :p

And in the meantime, this girl who's interested in me is texting me every day asking if I'm free and I have to keep saying 'no'. Partly because I am actually not free, and partly because I don't want to give her any false impressions. I have learnt that it's best to be honest (or at least blunt) about these things, and while my physical drive is trying to tempt me into taking advantage of a situation I KNOW I can't do that. So it's a bit tricky.

And I have yet to ask this other girl out for a drink. Remind me to do so, please >.>;

In other news, I've just finished chapter fourteen of my book, after about two weeks of doing nothing to it. I have the plan of the next few chapters laid out already so it's just a case of filling that up. I think it's shorter than I expected, so I may be able to add more in. I'll try not to confuse myself too much at the moment, though.

Daniel is doing... I won't say well, but he's a bit happier today than he was yesterday. His moods can really affect my work, and while I know I should try and distance my work from his emotions, it's really hard to make that separation because he's my best friend and he's only in the next room when I'm working. That's probably the major reason why I've not done much these last weeks, aside from thinking I had a hernia and all.

Went to a car boot sale on Sunday with Dan, though, and we made £80 each! Whoo! That's paid for me to buy the whole Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series and the entire English dub of Zoids: Chaotic Century, so I'm very happy about that.

By the way, if anyone's on Facebook and wants to add me, feel free to send me a PM. Cause it'd be cool ^_^

Take care!
Comments (3) | Permalink

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Shout-Out... In My Pants
Comments!

Kei: Well, I think I may have succeeded. I was evasive and vague yesterday. She kept pestering me to come over and have dinner with her parents (I've known her for two days- ARGH!), and I kept saying no. It's just frustrating that things nevber turn out quite how you expect. Still, I'm off to a friend's house to run a One Piece marathon today, so I can relax ^_^

And *hugs* Thanks! I'll definitely look into that in a second. It shall be done ^_____^

Roleni-Chan: Hehe, I'd be alright with physical iolence- it's the emotional I'm not so hot with. I'm always fully prepared to have to step in and be rude if I need to. It's never a nice thing to have to do, but it's for your own good in the end.

Thank you ^_^

Azure: Aha, okie dokie ^_^; Still, there is another whom I want to get to know better. Need to act quickly, though, otherwise I'll get left in the dust again.

---

I think I'm developing a hernia. It's a bit of a bitch :p Basically, about a week ago I went up to London to watch Dan do some street art stuff an ended up having to join in on a four-hour walk pushing this great big shopping trolley with a willow and tissue-paper elephant's head on it, and then ate the pepperiest pasty in existance.

On the minibus on the way back (and for a few days afterwards) I had horrendous heartburn and massive pain around my left kidney, felt sick and weak, and now I've got a persisting pain in my left side just under my ribs that sends pain up me when I bend over, cough, burp, breathe too much, etc. My oesophagus feels acidic, I'm getting short of breath and I get palpitations when I bend down. I haven't got a lump yet, but the pain can develop later. Apparenmtly stress can generate similar symptoms but I want to get it checked out anyway.

Although saying all that I haven't felt that much of it this morning. Hmm...

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Sunday, September 23, 2007

Erm...
No no, that's not what I meant. I'm not in a relationship. A friend of mine's being screwed around by two past relationships and there's someone interested in me who I'm not really interested in and someone I like a lot who's just moved away and bleh.

It was all getting a bit much last night, heh. But I share all your sentiments exactly :p

Book's coming well, by the way. I have about 40,000 words so far (175 pages on Microsoft Word), and it's... been going okay but I've not been able to do that much this last week cause I've been ill and had problems with the second half of the story.

I really want to find a place to put up the first two chapters or so for people to read. But I don't want it public, or anything... Any ideas?
Comments (3) | Permalink

Saturday, September 22, 2007

ARRGH! RELATIONSHIPS AND THE LIKE!!!

That is all -___-;
Comments (3) | Permalink

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Lovers and Madmen...
Comments

Wensdayskitten: The shuttle landed this week, didn't it? Did it actually manage to get to the shuttle okay? I wasn't really paying that much attention, heh.

My car's runing fine ^_^ Although it needed its brake adjusted and the fan belt was slipping a bit, so was tending to make that horrible screeching noise in first gear when you move off. It's been fixed, though.

molletta: Yeah, I wanted a car that was going to last me, so I went for one of those. Otherwise I probably would have gone for a Toyota Corolla.

And thank you ^_^ I'll keep pushing on.

Mamma Vash: I've only ever had one bump in all my five cars so far, and that wasn't my fault and neither was it at all serious, so let's hope I can keep that track record! I'll be quite upset if anything happened to this one. It is insured, but even so...

Did that series ever make it to DVD, by the way?

Kei: Yeah, I like it a lot. It's in my top four, hehe ^_^

Roleni-chan: It's so bizarre that you sometimes don't notice things about your own body until something like that happens. I never remember having a mole there... but either way it doesn't matter because I have a scar there instead :p

I wonder how many pages it'll end at too >.>; Hopefully it won't be too long, or I'll have to send it to publishers in a box. And I've just reached one of those places where the main character is in danger of being overshadowed, so I'll need to take care writing this next bit.

Thanks ^_^ That means a lot to me.

I write stories and I act. I started writing first, technically, and was interested in stories before I was interested in acting in them. But now I love both, although writing at the moment is my absolute priority.

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How many times have you seen someone for the first time and just been completely blown away by them? And then you spend more time with them and just like them more and more.

It was only a few days, but she was so lovely. I was crushed when I found out she had a boyfriend. I hope he's nice. He better be, else I'll be having words.

I can only hope I'll either meet her again, or find someone just like her.

Damn it.
Comments (5) | Permalink