Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Episode 2: Craig vs the sober week
Previously on Craig's blog:

An alcohol fueled weekend turned in to confusion and frustration for our hero, in what was originally a birthday celebration. Has Craig's week gone any better? Find out... now!

Stupid school forcing me not to drink or I'll go in with a hangover and won't be able to concentrate. Just to note, they haven't actually said anything to me, that's me being responsible. See, I really can quit any time I want... I just don't want to.

So... ugh... exams are over anyway, no more of them to put up with. Now just got to wait for the results to come in. Hopefully I've done well in them, or atleast some, so that Summer re-sits are limited.

I'm in a real good mood right now, and I ain't got a clue why. I feel like gettin' up and bouncin' about the place. You can all join in if you like, but if you're in a bad mood its probably not a good idea because you'll just end up breaking something.

Oh yeah, going to my friend's engagement party on Friday... bit young to be tying himself down if you ask me, but its his life. Usually an excuse for excess drinkage, buuuuttttt I've got a rugby game the next day and I promised I'd take some of the boys home from the party, so I'm taking the car. No DUI's for me.[/responsible]

Superbowl coming up anyway. Pats - Iggles. Should be fun. I think what's happening for that is me and my friends are taping the game and are then taking the day off school Monday to watch it, and we're going to drink and bet on what's happening. Not... so responsible but bah, I deserve a day off after all this study leave. ;)

To Be Continued...
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Sunday, January 23, 2005

Alcohol Vs My Liver... An Ongoing Conflict
Ok, so it was my friend Tom's 18th this week. 18 years old = legally allowed to consume alcyhol. Hopefully you now have some idea where this is going.

Lets start at the beginning; probably the most sensible place to start a story. We called off out rugby match this weekend because the 1st team (19 year olds and over) were playing Bridgend in some Cup... I forget which one. Bridgend are one of the top teams in Wales excluding the regional teams (clubs feed their best talent in to the regions based on their location; much like the Minor League teams feed the Major League teams in Baseball). Anyway, five coaches of our fans went along, and the whole Youth team were on the same coach, drinking and the like. When we got to Bridgend's ground, we went in the bar until kickoff... watched the game, then went back in the bar until the coach showed up to collect us again. By this point I am already fairly drunk.

Now, in the night we are going to town for Tom's 18th. I get home and get changed and then go out to meet the boys in the local pub. We get up to town in a minibus... your guess is as good as mine who booked that. It was full anyway with people I know from school, they were out for someone elses birthday I think... didn't bother to check.

So we get to town and end up as always in Judges, the big nightclub around. I think because they charge at the door it must make it more appealing to try and find out what's inside... in any case it works. Ssoooooo, by now I am nice and drunk, but not so much that it hinders me. There I am drinking and dancing about just like everyone else, and all of a sudden this girl makes her way over and starts dancing with me. Please excuse any loss of detail, I can only remember patches ala the alcyhol. So anyway, I'm dancing with the girl and things start getting a bit... heated, and then all of a sudden she whispers in my ear that she will come and find me later o_o... and then she disappears. Now, normally this would give me the sense that she didn't like me and was trying to get away from me lol, but for four things:

1. She came over and started dancing with me. I didn't make an advance at her.

2. I was drunk and at the time just thought "meh..."

3. This actually happened to me once before. On that occasion the girl did actually come back, and I got her phone number for my troubles.

4. I'm pretty. ;)

So anyway, I carried on in what now is just a blue to me... but once again she did show up towards the end of the night. She tapped me on the arm, then gave me a wink and a wave... and then she left again. That left me feeling a bit gutted, 'cause she was hot, plus I didn't see the point in her coming back and finding me just to say "bye". Maybe she's just gracious like that...

Today, now that I've sobered up and my brain can resume functioning properly, it occures to me that I have seen her up town several times before, so who knows what will happen in the future. Maybe someone can, in the mean time, explain to me why girls insist on leaving and then finding me later on...

To be continued...


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Tuesday, January 18, 2005

My My My...
So, there's basically a mumps epidemic going around these days. I'm doing everything in my power to avoid catching it. Apparently those MMR jabs they forced upon us as infants have become useless... Another triumph of the NHS.

Starting to get impatient recently waiting for May to roll around so I can finally watch Episode III; Revenge of the Sith. Once KOTOR 2 comes out next month though (February UK release), then that should satisfy me for a while. The Dark Side will rule once more. Then the Light Side. Then the Dark Side again.

Exams also going on in school now. All the people with the mumps are being put into solitary for everyone elses benefit. This morning I spent about 10 minutes laughing through the window at one of my friends who was in there. Its also his 18th on Thursday, and his plan is that if he isn't cured by then, he's going to go out anyway. Alcohol is a demanding mistress...

Hmm... Oh I will just mention that I had a good weekend dispite not going "out". Through fear of catching mumps me and two of my boys stayed in each others houses all weekend and got drunk. Good times. Its getting difficult for me when I drive somewhere with my friends, as, if we go to a pub or something, they will always have a drink when we get there, whilst I have to drink the heavy stuff (Coka-Cola). See peeps, I can be responsible when the occasion calls for it...

Oh yeah, that does mean I passed my driving test, for anyone I didn't tell or just didn't click on... Passed at the end of November. :)

All I got for now... Drive safe.
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Sunday, December 19, 2004

Hmm...
Having just moments ago deleted my last... embarassment (to say the very least) of an entry, I find myself in the mood to go on a ramble. Clear the mind and such...

Playing rugby yesterday I managed to develop several injuries that today leave me cut, scratched, and aching all over. I also have a left ear that is purple, swollen, and terribly sore. That is just the poor condition my external finds itself in. I am also suffering from a heavy binge last night. Headache, an upset stomach, lack of energy, and a constant ringing in my ears... Sundays.

Currently 11:30pm. I have to be in work at nine tomorrow morning for a double shift at work. Taking advantage now that I've broken up from school if you ask me. If tonight goes anything like the past five or six sunday nights, then I won't be able to sleep much. Another wonderful side affect I seem to have developed from drinking on a Saturday night. Anyone who belongs to a youth rugby team will understand, however, that stopping drinking is simply not an option. For those of you not involved in a youth rugby organisation... join one. The bonds you form and the experiences you have will be some of the best in your life. I'm having an awesome ride so far in any case.

That's all I've got for now. I haven't decided if this is a one off post or a come-back. I'll see how I feel in the future.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2004

   I love you mam, I love you dad...
Guns don't kill people, rappers do;
Ask any politician and they tell you it's true;
It's a fact; music makes you violent;
Like Michael Jackson tellin' little Timmy to be silent;
You don't believe me? Hears my hype;
Play me any record and I'll show you the type;
Of criminal, this rap shit is breeding;
It's a fact that MC Hammer left me bleeding;
Vanilla Ice made my mother say fuck;
If it was WB-40 then i wouldn't be involved;
But I didn't, I got involved;
Cypress f***in' Hill taught me to make a f***in' bong;
Well I started, I bought another tape;
The half Ice snap made my c**k and balls ache;
So remember kids, to the head double tap;
Guns don't kill people, it's just rap.

Guns don't kill people, rappers do;
I saw it in a documentary on BBC2;
Shot to death outside Hyper Value;
Guns blazin' like Michael Kain in Zulu;
Gun statistics are sometimes misleading;
The type of criminal rap is breeding;
Shot in the chest no wonder you stopped breathing;
Too hard to face over "are you recieving?"
Remember rap tracks in 87;
Scott Lerock's up in hip hop heaven;
Biggy and Tupac had ID;
Even Jam Master Jay's in the cemetary;

Guns don't kill people, rappers do;
I'm a f**kin' rapper and I might kill you;
As a rapper I'm teachin' you a lesson;
AK-47, to Smith and Weston;
Just say no, just like Sammo;
Bullet proof vest, to guns and ammo;
Hip hop gangsta' trippin';
Even Eminem's into pistol whippin';
It's like Cluedo murder one;
P.Diddy and J-Lo in a nightclub with a gun;
Heard Snoop Dogg wants a place to put a cap;
Guns don't kill people, it's just rap;

One two your face my shoe;
My name's Mike Balls and I'm comin' through;
Gun crime, stabbin' and burglarisation;
It's on the rise all across the nation;
The safeties off when the pistols' aimed;
The ally's and the mafia always get blamed;
Politicians are shamed, and they haven't got a clue;
Rap is more deadly than f**kin' kung-fu;

Guns don't kill people, rappers do;
From Bristol Zoo, to BnQ;
I wanna' rap, I wanna' rhyme;
Heard it in a song now I'm into gun crime;
It's a sign of the times like Prince changin' his name;
You gotta' have a shooter to be in the rap game;
Like Michael Ryan about the snap;
Guns don't kill people, it's just rap!

-Goldie' Lookin' chain.





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Monday, May 17, 2004

Don't... Stop... Thinkin' about tomorrow
OOh... Roy Jones Jr got knocked out. Never saw that coming... and evidently neither did he.

Anyway, I have stolen the stealable quiz thing...

Full Name: Craig Burke
Age: 17
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Hazel
Sex: ...Don't make a joke... woo-sah... woo-sah.

Favorite Anime: Dragonball Z
Favorite Manga: Guyver

Seven things that scare you...
1. Drowning
2. Idiots with projectiles
3. Failing
4. My mother (when angry)
5. My father (when not drunk)
6. My father (when drunk)
7. ...

Seven things that make you laugh...
1. Futurama
2. Family Guy
3. South Park
4. My friends
5. Band wagoners
6. Drunk people who dance
7. This is Hans Moleman in; "Man gets hit by a football."

Seven things you LOVE...
1- Myself
2- The family
3- Girls
4- Sports
5- My dog
6- Sleep
7- Looking in the mirror... damn, the guy who lives in there is pretty.

Seven things you hate...
1- Arsenal fans
2- Racists
3- Cricket
4- Cats
5- People who look at you funny because you can use words over seven letters long...
6- Soap Opras
7- Cider

Seven things you don't understand...
1- Women
2- Every language besides English and Welsh.
3- People who worry about everything.
4- Vegetarians...
5- Mood swings
6- Why some people look at you funny when you use words over seven letters in length.
7- Why people bother disagreeing with me.

Seven facts about you...
1- IQ 150
2- Never broken a bone
3- I drink... occasionally.
4- I can quit whenever I want...
5- Huge sports fan
6- I'm so fast that I switched off the light in my room, and I was in my bed before the room went dark.
7- A lover, not a fighter.

Seven things you plan to do before you die...
1- Get an engineering degree
2- Get married
3- Invent something useful
4- Eventually emmigrate somewhere
5- Have children to mould in my glorious image.
6- Go to Ireland to watch a Wales V Ireland rugby match.
7- Cook an adequate meal...

Seven things you can do...

1. Make people laugh
2. Sports
3. Get along with all canines.
4. Flirt
5. Drink.
6. Be laid back about everything.
7. Bust mad rhymes with an 80% success rate.

Seven Things You Can't Do or Can't Do Well...

1. Back down.
2. Admit defeat.
3. Put up with people who whine.
4. Take orders.
5. Understand why people stress so much about everything.
6. Ask for help.
7. Understand women...

Seven things you say the most...
1. I'm not playin' games.
2. I'm not messin' about.
3. I don't give a f**k.
4. Awesome.
5. Oh butter my arse.
6. Nutter.
7. Donkey.

Five Things you look for in the opposite Sex:

1. Looks (Say anything else and you're lying... because you always see someone before you talk to them. Nobody looks at a girl in a bar who they think is ugly and says "Hmm... she looks like she has a good sense of humour, I'll try and date her".)
2. Personality
3. Sense of humour
4. Intelligence
5. Lips
6. Legs
7. Breasts
8. Ass

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Saturday, May 1, 2004

   Caught in between spells of usefulness...
Currently sitting around, waiting for my friend Tom to get back from work so I can call him and go out. Will most probably end up just being us two, enjoying a few drinks and some friendlly gaming competition in his house. Everyone else is going out "on the town", but I'm broke, so meh...

This is the place I seem to like going to write down my complaints, so there's no point doing anything different this time. Today's complaint; boxing's ignorance of the legendary Joe Calzaghe... or rather, America's ignorance of him.

Joe Calzaghe has been the WBO Super Middleweight champion since 1997, when he opened 12 cans of whup ass on Chris Eubank (1 per round obviously). This is the man that scared the great Steve Collins into retirement. His record is 37-0-0. He has not lost, he has not drawn... and what's more, he is not one of those fighters that picks weak opponents to beat up on *cough*Tyson*cough*. Anyone who has ever seen Calzaghe fight knows how good he is... his Ali-esque quick hands and elusiveness make him a real pleasure to watch as he kills opponent after opponent. This is the man that Bernard Hopkins won't fight... and why? Simple, Hopkins is afraid of what Calzaghe's fists would do to his face.

Yet... with such prowess, why is Calzaghe not as revered as someone like Roy Jones Jr? They are very similar in principle, they destroy opponents time after time and can't get so much as touched by anyone else... but while RJ now finds himself on the cover of a new EA sports title, Joe will play the game to find he's not even in the damn game... why?

The answer is quite simple. No American fighter would give him a big fight, on a big stage. Hopkins would have been the one... everyone in the world would have watched as Joe murdered Hopkins in Ceaser's Palace, and Joe took his rightful place in the spotlight. But no, Hopkins made excuse after excuse... the biggest Middle Weight fight there would have been in years doesn't go down because "The Executioner" shit himself.

But now... now it's happening. Joe has moved up a weight into Light Heavy Weight, and has a shot at the IBF title against Glencoffe Johnson. Joe will go through Johnson like a freight train hitting a cardboard box. Then comes Antonio Tarver... then perhaps, just perhaps, Roy Jones Jr.

What a fight that would be... it would be the new Ali v Frazier. Jones is the only boxer in the world where I couldn't guarantee Joe would kill him...

Well, the road to Jones Jr leads through Glencoffe Johnson, and I am looking forward to June 5th, the day when Joe gets a new belt for the collection.

As usual, I feel a little better, and a little less bored now that I've had my rant. Any Bernard Hopkins enthusiasts can send their complaints in a stamped adressed envelope to someone who cares. No, infact, send them to Hopkins... maybe it'll give him the courage to actually fight Calzaghe, and in that case, make sure you make the letters spongy so he has something soft to land on when Calzaghe puts him on his ass.
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Saturday, April 3, 2004

Priority check...
Hmm... recently my interests have altered drastically. Including this place, which I have found suddenly to be nothing more than boring and dull. I apologise ahead of time, because I may go in to a rant before the end of my post here, but, as usual, I am writing off the top of my head about whatever I feel like.

Indeed, the only reason I am posting here now is because I am severely bored, and am waiting for my friend Tom to call so I know when to go out. If he calls me before I finish this post, then I don't expect I shall finish it... which means you won't be reading it. Hmm, that screwed my mind up for a second there.

I have begun to watch more sports than usual, as my school work has been relatively light of late. Yesterday my father and I went to watch a rugby game between the Celtic Warriors (my team) and Munster, an Irish team. We won, so I was happy.

Today, the all important Man Utd vs Arsenal FA Cup semi-final match. I was out at the time of the match, and so soon found myself sitting in a shop, watching the game on the 52" TV they were promoting. Man Utd won, which again pleased me... and when they scored the shop was treated to me standing up and yelling "Come on!" at the top of my lungs. My only hope was that every Arsenal fan in the shop heard it, and maybe now they'll shut up about their "unbeaten run".

Wierd now that I post on here not because I want to, but simply to consume time. I look at RPG's on Otaku, and as I'm about to sign up, simply think "What's the point?"... and then go do something else.

The strangest part of all this, is that this is generally the happiest I've been in quite some time. Free now of the Otaku which I used to love so much. Free of the "varied" and "interesting" community...

Perhaps it's the new found direction in my life, as I've actually found a career I want to do... or perhaps it's the heightened attention I've been getting from the female gender... or perhaps the fact that (and please take no offense) next to the friends I have in the real world, this place seems quite drole.

Now, I may have made a few spelling mistakes in this post... a few gramatical errors, which most of you, and I before, would frantically check for. But now, I simply couldn't care less.

Many of you have my thanks, it has been fun... but perhaps it's time to move on.

Anyway, maybe I'll see you the next time I'm bored like this. I can't make any promises though.

Actually, what I will say finally, is how much I have noticed throughout the Otaku's life, is the heavy bias on intelligence. Now, I am not saying this as a victim, from all the IQ tests I've taken I average roughly a 150. Still, I notice that any person that does not speak with the utmost focus on grammer and spelling will be patronised instantly, like a 5 year old whose lost his parents in a park.

All I'll say is this. Ignorance is the curse of the dumb. However, it is the sickness of the intelligent; who are all too arrogant to doubt themselves.

In the end people, it's only a website. Some of us need to keep that in mind.

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Saturday, March 13, 2004

   Ooh... My head...
I haven't updated in a while... sorry about that. Now, moving swiftly on...

It was my birthday yesterday, there was snow outside (that has never happened before), school was closed as a result, and everyone had organised a social gathering for me at "The Harp"; a pub. I'm sure a lot of you can see where this is going.

I spent most of the day playing Diablo II online with two of my friends, and that was fun. We got to act 2 before someone had to leave. I also played my new game; "Legacy of Kain: Defiance" for a while, and it's awesome.

Anyway, I got to the Harp at about 7:50pm, with £30 in my pocket. Somehow I managed to come home completely wasted, with £34 in my pocket. I can't remember much of the night, it's pretty much all a blur between drinking, talking to my friends, and talking to girls.

One thing I do remember, however, is that I woke up in a different place to where I fell asleep. This has happened once before too... it's obvious I must have gotten up in the night... but I can't remember it.

Anyway, now I sit here, the morning after, with a severe headache and the shakes, curtousy of a hangover. The snow has all but gone thanks to a rain storm during the morning, and now I have to sit around in my drunken state until my friends come online, so we can play Diablo again.

My friend Gareth and I have "series'd" Diablo once before... by which I mean installed, played online for ages, uninstalled. This is the third time, and now we have an addition to the team. Anyone who plays that game can appreciate how fun it is to go around killing endless swarms of enemies with your friends. Almost as much fun as going out for your birthday, having people buy you drinks all night, and getting completely pissed. ;)


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Tuesday, March 2, 2004

The history of Yoda's Otaku life...
I remember when one 14 year old boy stumbled upon Otakuboards completely by chance, after being introduced to theOtaku.com, because it had good Dragonball Z pictures. (This friend was Andrew, he and I liked to print off pictures and draw them... and we're both pretty good.) The boy, a newbie in every sense of the word, originally tried to join up as SSJ Trunks... but input a wrong e-mail address. Second attempt, and SS Trunks was born. After spending sometime in the Dragonball, Pokémon and Lounge sections exclusively, I came across the Arena...

This place was a new experience to me, and it was something I wanted to be a part of. I was the typical newbie though... I had imagination and enthusiasm, but no clue of structure or post equality. Through admirable veterans, particularly Sephiroth, my RPing talents were allowed to bloom, and I was lucky enough to witness what I call "The Golden Age of the Arena".

Every single RPG was guaranteed commitment, and the creator was certain to be spoilt for choice in his applicants. Final Flash, Warlock, Raiha, Sephy, Pyro, James, DBZman, DeathKnight and of course Chaos, would make and take part in so many RPG's, making such effort that each one was successful. A 100 post minimum on every RPG on page 1 of the Arena was a glorious thing to see. Sadly, those days are since gone.

Nearly 17 years of age now, and called Yoda, I look at the Arena, and I see RPG's dying with only 15 posts. Besides the rarest gem, each RPG I come across seems to have been thrown together on the spur of the moment. There was a time when people were simply passionate about making long, detailed posts that left you gasping for more. Now, every other post is three lines long, with a "I hope that post was OK" comment at the end.

Of the RPers mentioned above, only one posts regularly anymore, the revered Raiha. Thankfully, her posts are still as good and as abundant as ever. Perhaps it's because the veterans are so use to quality now, that newbie's seem to struggle so much, and are as intimidated as they are. But if this is so, why were some "newbie's", Boba Fett being a prime example, able to learn their trade as I did... and now flourish as greatly respected RPers?

New comers to the RPG world it seems, want to jump in the pool too quickly. They haven't even learned to swin yet, and they throw a sub standard RPG straight into the deep end... no-one joins, and it sinks. They climb straight out of the pool, and they never come back. Yes, it's harsh... but over eagerness is often a mistake.

All I would ask of new RPers, is to persevere. At your first rejection, don't get pissed off, take it as a learning curve. Next time, try harder. Look at the sign up's of people like Raiha, Boba, Ben, Drix and Lynx. See the effort and the quality of their posts. This is what you should be trying to emulate. Eventually, you'll get there. Everything requires practice, and this is no different.

This is what is required for the Arena to flourish as it once did. If there is to be a "Second golden age", it will need far more people with a desire to role play, not simply to win, or be accepted. The latter type are the ones who give up after one attempt. I'm going to be blunt with those people... look. Just look at your own sign up. You see that three line biography you just wrote, riddled with mistakes? Now look at the guy's above you, who has a three paragraph biography, detailed and, most importantly, relevant. Sure, you can say the guy with a 3 paragraph bio hasn't got a life if he's willing to write that much... but you both signed up for the RPG, you wanted it as much as he did... but he knew how to get it. So, instead of whining about how the board is unfair to newbie's... step up. Take your time, look about you at others' posts, take in as much as you can... and post a sign up that will blow the others away. Then, realise that every post you make must be of this quality. Dedication is what is needed for the Arena. Skill and maturity are a direct product of dedication. You don't have to know what iambic pentameter is to be a good, well respected RPer.

Magic Advise for the Day: Read the above rant, and follow it's advice.
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