Watched a few films lately. Not earth shatteringly good ones but some that I've not seen for ages or even at all. Of all the films, there seem to be a number that contain Ben Stiller which is quite surprising. Granted, he has been in a few stinkers - Along came Polly for example but you could argue that some of the funniest * films over the past 10 years or so have him in them to some degree or another.
* Funny in a relative sense!
Of course, There is something about Mary is up there. Not just the 'hair gel' incident but the whole 'zip' part is seriously funny. I defy any guy to watch it and not flinch to some degree. The hitchhiker part is great as well. Dodgeball was never going to win an oscar but there are parts in that which are certainly a joy.
Anyway, enough about him. Alice in Wonderland, whilst looking fantastic, wasn't all that great. Disappointing I felt. It was similar to bloomin' The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe with for goodness sake. Superbad was good in patches but a bit too long. Kick Ass started off really well but then suddenly turned seriously dark and violent. Very unexpected indeed. La Vien Rose - the Edith Piaf biopic was excellent. It has quite an unusual structure and at times it can be a bit confusing because you're not exactly sure who is who but certainly, it was worth its oscar for best actress. She was fantastic. Eh, Loch Ness. Hm. Interesting. Actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be believe it or not. Oh, and Angels and Demons. Ewan McGregor wasn't all that bad. Not sure he was cast correctly but he was OK...and from Northern Ireland?! Dare I say it, this film was better than Da Vinci. I'm not sure I'm a fan of Ron Howard films. The end of the film in which Ewan 'saves' the day in a helicopter wasn't the most realistic but there you go.
Next up, Chocolat.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Particles
So, was at the beach. Yes, the beach, in October.
It was quite nice. For a time. Not too hot, a little cloudy and a big parasol to hot the sun a bit. I even when in the water and it was niiice. Clear as well. But, then all of a sudden it got seriously windy, literally, within 2 minutes, there was sand everywhere and the afore mentioned parasol wouldn't stay up. The sea got all choppy and it was not longer clear. How did that all happen?
I was not very pleased about that. In fact, I'm still covered in sand. I don't like that feeling. And that is after having a shower. I might have even got a little bit of colour. Not too much and definitely not 'red' as I often get. In fact, I have a tan line. Actually, I have more than one but that is to be expected.
Speaking of tan lines, there were 2 women prancing up and down the beach. No big surprise that, however, they were wearing g-strings. In Dubai. In a muslim country. On the beach. In daylight hours. Let me say, that it appeared that it may not have been the 1st time in a g-string bikini - no pale white colour to be see. Apparently.
It was quite nice. For a time. Not too hot, a little cloudy and a big parasol to hot the sun a bit. I even when in the water and it was niiice. Clear as well. But, then all of a sudden it got seriously windy, literally, within 2 minutes, there was sand everywhere and the afore mentioned parasol wouldn't stay up. The sea got all choppy and it was not longer clear. How did that all happen?
I was not very pleased about that. In fact, I'm still covered in sand. I don't like that feeling. And that is after having a shower. I might have even got a little bit of colour. Not too much and definitely not 'red' as I often get. In fact, I have a tan line. Actually, I have more than one but that is to be expected.
Speaking of tan lines, there were 2 women prancing up and down the beach. No big surprise that, however, they were wearing g-strings. In Dubai. In a muslim country. On the beach. In daylight hours. Let me say, that it appeared that it may not have been the 1st time in a g-string bikini - no pale white colour to be see. Apparently.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Kick
Another day, another 'terror' alert. Well, it actually was. And quite a big one at that. No death or destruction but there could have been. There was definite intent.
This time, it came from Yemen which isn't all that far away from here. Should I be worried?
Not sure of the full details at the moment but it seems that 2 packages were posted in Yemen and addressed to some places in the U.S. Qatar Air took the packages as cargo and flew them to Doha, then to Dubai. When they got to Dubai, they were transferred to UPS and FedEx who have big operations at the International Airport. One of the packages was detected in Dubai whilst the other was flown to the U.K via Germany. It was detected once it landed in the U.K.
First, the 'Dubai' aspect. It seems that cargo packages are less stringently monitored compared to passengers. That surprises me because there is this big, massive manual called 'Dangerous Goods' that all airlines have to be aware of. It's over a 1,000 pages of items that are, well, dangerous goods that can and can't be put on a plane. Most of these items are cargo. So, why they are not more closely monitored is a bit of a mystery. Anyway, Dubai Police did something! That'll be a first. Well done boys, you did a good job. Between 3pm and 5pm at the cargo 'end' of the airport, police swarmed all over it. They were checking everyone's driving licence, ID, car, everything. It must have kicked off around then but not announced 'til later. The device was hidden in a toner cartridge. Hardcore!
Secondly, the 'U.K.' aspect. Hmm not sure.
Thirdly, the Emirates aspect. The Emirates flight to JFK was thought to have a package from Yemen on it. The Americans weren't overly impressed and the flight was intercepted by fighter jets and taken to JFK where it landed and was found to be OK. I would have kakked my pants had I been on that flight and I had seen 2 fighter jets escorting the flight to the airport.
Now, the companies that were targeted were UPS and FedEx. Both American. If you recall, an UPS 747 cargo plane crashed here in Dubai during the summer because, something caught fire on it. Coincidence? Hmm, not sure is the answer to that one.
Anyway, what's Yemen and it's people upto now. Is that another country to add to the list? Who can say. Either way, it's not looking good not only for them but for cargo companies and the searches that they should be doing.
In a related though, I wonder how long it would take to drive home to Scotland? I mean, it's 100% safe to fly these days. If I take a boat, I might encounter 'pirates' in the Indian Ocean. It's too far to cycle. There are no trains here. The only choice, is to drive. Might have to investigate that one!
This time, it came from Yemen which isn't all that far away from here. Should I be worried?
Not sure of the full details at the moment but it seems that 2 packages were posted in Yemen and addressed to some places in the U.S. Qatar Air took the packages as cargo and flew them to Doha, then to Dubai. When they got to Dubai, they were transferred to UPS and FedEx who have big operations at the International Airport. One of the packages was detected in Dubai whilst the other was flown to the U.K via Germany. It was detected once it landed in the U.K.
First, the 'Dubai' aspect. It seems that cargo packages are less stringently monitored compared to passengers. That surprises me because there is this big, massive manual called 'Dangerous Goods' that all airlines have to be aware of. It's over a 1,000 pages of items that are, well, dangerous goods that can and can't be put on a plane. Most of these items are cargo. So, why they are not more closely monitored is a bit of a mystery. Anyway, Dubai Police did something! That'll be a first. Well done boys, you did a good job. Between 3pm and 5pm at the cargo 'end' of the airport, police swarmed all over it. They were checking everyone's driving licence, ID, car, everything. It must have kicked off around then but not announced 'til later. The device was hidden in a toner cartridge. Hardcore!
Secondly, the 'U.K.' aspect. Hmm not sure.
Thirdly, the Emirates aspect. The Emirates flight to JFK was thought to have a package from Yemen on it. The Americans weren't overly impressed and the flight was intercepted by fighter jets and taken to JFK where it landed and was found to be OK. I would have kakked my pants had I been on that flight and I had seen 2 fighter jets escorting the flight to the airport.
Now, the companies that were targeted were UPS and FedEx. Both American. If you recall, an UPS 747 cargo plane crashed here in Dubai during the summer because, something caught fire on it. Coincidence? Hmm, not sure is the answer to that one.
Anyway, what's Yemen and it's people upto now. Is that another country to add to the list? Who can say. Either way, it's not looking good not only for them but for cargo companies and the searches that they should be doing.
In a related though, I wonder how long it would take to drive home to Scotland? I mean, it's 100% safe to fly these days. If I take a boat, I might encounter 'pirates' in the Indian Ocean. It's too far to cycle. There are no trains here. The only choice, is to drive. Might have to investigate that one!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Unease
I don't always believe a lot of what I read in the newspapers or whatever they have morphed into these days. As recipe books often say 'Take 1 table spoon of salt...' I do. And often a lot more besides. Misinformation and down right lies are my primary thoughts on what I read. It could also be said that the majority of people are 'played' by the news. News items are spun. People write what they want you to believe. Often now, people and/or organisations have agendas that may or may not be obvious. You have to be careful with everything these days.
That said, I did come across this. Essentially, it's an article about the 'Tea Party'. Yes, that political groundswell in the good old, U S of A. Even prior to reading the article, I had the impression that something wasn't quite right about this Tea Party. It seemed excessively right-wing and the public faces seemed to be 'somewhat' ill informed about some very important points. For instance, the American constitution whereby it states something along the lines of the state and religion will be 2 separate entities and not one and the same. It seemed that they were growing in popularity and could well do well in the upcoming mid-terms over there.
Anyway, the article 'exposing' them can be found right about here.
In keeping with what I said above, I don't always believe everything and that remains. Some of the things mentioned in the article however, are, well, scary. Let's not put too fine a point on it. Indeed, we might well be praying for George W to come back. And that is saying something.
Are people being manipulated and played by it? More than likely. The thing is, they probably don't even know it. Sometimes I wonder who the real bad guys are. The faceless ones that are far, far away or the ones closer to 'home'? It's hard to say. I think we might say that capitalism isn't working. Hell, I might extend that to say that 'democracy' isn't working. But that is a thought for another day.
That said, I did come across this. Essentially, it's an article about the 'Tea Party'. Yes, that political groundswell in the good old, U S of A. Even prior to reading the article, I had the impression that something wasn't quite right about this Tea Party. It seemed excessively right-wing and the public faces seemed to be 'somewhat' ill informed about some very important points. For instance, the American constitution whereby it states something along the lines of the state and religion will be 2 separate entities and not one and the same. It seemed that they were growing in popularity and could well do well in the upcoming mid-terms over there.
Anyway, the article 'exposing' them can be found right about here.
In keeping with what I said above, I don't always believe everything and that remains. Some of the things mentioned in the article however, are, well, scary. Let's not put too fine a point on it. Indeed, we might well be praying for George W to come back. And that is saying something.
Are people being manipulated and played by it? More than likely. The thing is, they probably don't even know it. Sometimes I wonder who the real bad guys are. The faceless ones that are far, far away or the ones closer to 'home'? It's hard to say. I think we might say that capitalism isn't working. Hell, I might extend that to say that 'democracy' isn't working. But that is a thought for another day.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Stage
Human after all. Kind of.
How cool would it be if you were at a Phoenix concert, when suddenly Daft Punk appeared and cracked on with 'Harder/Better/Faster/Stronger' then 'All Around the World'?
It would be very cool. Cool enough to wet your pants, I would have thought. And yes, it did happen. Here's the proof...
Daft Punk and Phoenix. Together. On Stage. Live.
This is itself is fantastic. You pay to see one, but you get another as well.
This kind of got me thinking as well. Who else would I love to appear as a 'special guest' if I were attending another bands concert. Like I ever go to concerts. Anyway, we can but dream. But for such a thing to happen, wouldn't each band need to be similiar in terms of the music they play? I'm not sure about that. Wouldn't they need to be 'on friendly terms' which would certainly mean that there is little chance of the Manic Street Preachers appearing during a Radiohead concert for example.
Ok, first and in the same kind of thing, I would like to see Justice and then a special appearance by Daft Punk. Yes, yes, I know. But, the reason for it would be to see if Justice and Daft Punk are actually different bands and not just the same people, rebooted, so to speak.
I'd also very much like to see LCD Soundsystem and the Juan MacLean together. It would be quite cool to see Hot CHip play with LCD also. I would secretly like LCD to play with the Rapture circa 2006 but I suspect that they aren't 'on friendly terms'.
Right, I suspect I've not really thought all this through very well. I might have to retire and collect my thoughts on this. More to follow. I think.
How cool would it be if you were at a Phoenix concert, when suddenly Daft Punk appeared and cracked on with 'Harder/Better/Faster/Stronger' then 'All Around the World'?
It would be very cool. Cool enough to wet your pants, I would have thought. And yes, it did happen. Here's the proof...
Daft Punk and Phoenix. Together. On Stage. Live.
This is itself is fantastic. You pay to see one, but you get another as well.
This kind of got me thinking as well. Who else would I love to appear as a 'special guest' if I were attending another bands concert. Like I ever go to concerts. Anyway, we can but dream. But for such a thing to happen, wouldn't each band need to be similiar in terms of the music they play? I'm not sure about that. Wouldn't they need to be 'on friendly terms' which would certainly mean that there is little chance of the Manic Street Preachers appearing during a Radiohead concert for example.
Ok, first and in the same kind of thing, I would like to see Justice and then a special appearance by Daft Punk. Yes, yes, I know. But, the reason for it would be to see if Justice and Daft Punk are actually different bands and not just the same people, rebooted, so to speak.
I'd also very much like to see LCD Soundsystem and the Juan MacLean together. It would be quite cool to see Hot CHip play with LCD also. I would secretly like LCD to play with the Rapture circa 2006 but I suspect that they aren't 'on friendly terms'.
Right, I suspect I've not really thought all this through very well. I might have to retire and collect my thoughts on this. More to follow. I think.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Polished
Fog. And lots of it. Heaps even.
Generally, in Dubai you get 2 types of weather. Very hot or just hot. There really isn't much else. The sun shines all day, everyday. It might be hazy at times, but the sun is out on a daily basis. It's predictable. However, we had fog. Yes, I know it really isn't all that newsworthy at all. Not in the slightest. But it is for us lot here. It enveloped the city in the wee small hours and stayed until mid-morning. It made everything really quiet. Eerily so. Yet, the prayer call still managed to be as loud as ever. I would like to say that driving in it was 'fun' but given that most drivers do not experience this kind of weather, they really don't have any great idea on how to drive in it. Most people would slow down. Not here. Most people would turn their lights on. Not here. Most people would leave a larger than normal gap between cars. Again, not here. Fools. The lot of them. Thankfully, I don't need to drive all that far so it's not a big issue. I do wonder how many accidents happened during the fog. I suspect the number went up. What am I saying? 'Suspect' - damn, I'd put a million pounds* on it definitely going up.
* please note, I don't actually have a million pounds!
No doubt the sun will be out tomorrow as normal. Wonderful.
Generally, in Dubai you get 2 types of weather. Very hot or just hot. There really isn't much else. The sun shines all day, everyday. It might be hazy at times, but the sun is out on a daily basis. It's predictable. However, we had fog. Yes, I know it really isn't all that newsworthy at all. Not in the slightest. But it is for us lot here. It enveloped the city in the wee small hours and stayed until mid-morning. It made everything really quiet. Eerily so. Yet, the prayer call still managed to be as loud as ever. I would like to say that driving in it was 'fun' but given that most drivers do not experience this kind of weather, they really don't have any great idea on how to drive in it. Most people would slow down. Not here. Most people would turn their lights on. Not here. Most people would leave a larger than normal gap between cars. Again, not here. Fools. The lot of them. Thankfully, I don't need to drive all that far so it's not a big issue. I do wonder how many accidents happened during the fog. I suspect the number went up. What am I saying? 'Suspect' - damn, I'd put a million pounds* on it definitely going up.
* please note, I don't actually have a million pounds!
No doubt the sun will be out tomorrow as normal. Wonderful.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Growth
Going home on holiday on the 13th December for 2 weeks!
Yes, that's the big news. Well, it's big news for me at least. Two weeks on coldness, perhaps even a bit of snow. But it'll be 2 weeks away from work and 2 weeks away from Dubai. It can't all be bad. I've not been 'home' since March, so it'll be interesting to see how things are back in Edinburgh. I suspect that very little will have changed but when does it ever. Still, I'll have Christmas there which will be good. I won't be there for New Year however. Back in Dubai for that. In fact, I've not had a New Year in Dubai yet. I wonder what that'll be like? I can't imagine that there will be drunkards of all ages on the street hankering for snogs. Instead, any activity like that is likely to be punishable by, well, who knows. A definite trip to the police station, that's for sure. I do hope that we don't need to go to work on the 1st. I'd better check to see if it's a 'working' day or not. Surely, they won't get us in then. That would be crap.
Anyway, 8 weeks to go.
Yes, that's the big news. Well, it's big news for me at least. Two weeks on coldness, perhaps even a bit of snow. But it'll be 2 weeks away from work and 2 weeks away from Dubai. It can't all be bad. I've not been 'home' since March, so it'll be interesting to see how things are back in Edinburgh. I suspect that very little will have changed but when does it ever. Still, I'll have Christmas there which will be good. I won't be there for New Year however. Back in Dubai for that. In fact, I've not had a New Year in Dubai yet. I wonder what that'll be like? I can't imagine that there will be drunkards of all ages on the street hankering for snogs. Instead, any activity like that is likely to be punishable by, well, who knows. A definite trip to the police station, that's for sure. I do hope that we don't need to go to work on the 1st. I'd better check to see if it's a 'working' day or not. Surely, they won't get us in then. That would be crap.
Anyway, 8 weeks to go.
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