When I was in Tokyo in 2009, I discovered the most wonderful thing on earth: mameshiba. Mameshiba is a Japanese cartoon based on various types of beans with doggy features that come to life and freak out people by stating rather obscure facts about various things, typically food and biology. If you’re familiar with mameshiba though, you probably just know the edamame bean, which is most famous for being an adorable keychain novelty where you pop him out of his pod and he’ll have a funny face:
But there are many other types including a peanut, black bean and coffee beans and they all have some random facts to give their unsuspecting “audience” (victim might be a more appropriate choice given the reactions the beans tend to get). In fact their name is a play on the Japanese word for trivia “mamechishiki”. Literally the name means “bean dog” (a shiba is a breed of dog) which is basically the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my entire life!
Mameshiba is so big now, apparently 78% of Japanese adults recognise the characters! It’s also infiltrated the USA and Canada and one can only hope it will make its way to Australia shores soon. You would not believe how much merchandise you can get. Personally I got a couple of bits and pieces while in Tokyo (notepads, stickers, keychains etc) but at Supanova last year one stall had a giant edamame pillow that I simply could not refuse!
If you’d like to get into mameshiba and their wonderful world, I suggest checking out all of their videos. Then once you’re hooked, you can get all of them as wallpapers! You’d better believe my work desktop now scrolls through all of them throughout the day!
Japan, have I told you lately how aesome and CUTE you are?
About Ruby
My name is Cara (but you can call me Ruby) and I like the colour pink, swearing, fist shaking, daggy dancing and 90s RnB music. Often all at once. I live in Brisbane which is always warm and is famous for its zombies.
I am so sick of the bitching and moaning people do about those who wear leggings as pants. GUESS WHAT? THEY ARE PANTS! They are pants by every definition of the word pants. They fit the description and serve the same purpose as any other style of pants, so why do so many people claim they aren’t pants? Just because you don’t like the look of them when worn as pants, doesn’t mean you can just proclaim and entire type of clothing is not what it technically is. Leggings are pants, end of story.
I applaud anyone who can wear leggings as pants. I only wear them under skirts or dresses as I hate my legs and don’t like showing them off. If I had the arse/thighs to wear leggings as pants, I’d be all over it. It’s not about being skinny, it’s about having the right sort of legs and bum for them (I’ve seen many big girls who look amazing in them, and some skinny chicks who look foul, it’s all about proportion and wearing them well). It’s also about styling them well, too. Wearing them with short t-shirt is trashy as hell. You’re showing off every bump and curve of your bottom half, so balance it out by covering up the top half a bit and you can pull it off. Ideally bottom -skirting tops (as in the cover most of your butt) are preferred, but not essential. It’s also about buying some decent leggings, your shitty K-Mart ones that go see-through when you bend over won’t do at all! They need to stay opaque at all times. I worked with a girl once who wore the same pair of leggings day in and out and basically they’d become sheer tights, it was awful. She’d bend over to pick up a box and BAM perfect view of her underpants through the worn out cotton leggings (how she got away with it was beyond me, given it was a corporate office). Invest in some good ones that won’t go clear after a few washes and as soon as they get a bit tatty, get rid of them. Also, don’t let them dag down as we all know leggings tend to do. Do you want to look like a slob? Or like you pooped yourself? I didn’t think so. There are some very basic standards for making leggings as pants work, so stick by them and show those people who say they ain’t pants!
On a similar note though, stockings are definitely not pants. They’re not even close. No matter how opaque they are, they’re not going to work as pants ever. By wearing them as pants out in public, you’re basically walking around in your knickers. It’s a fine line, guys, but an important one.
On a final note, I think I just found my dream leggings…
I recently bought Clinique’s Superbalanced Powder Makeup. I am a very big fan of all mineral foundations and have used a few different brands (such as Revlon, Natio and Loreal, which has so far been my pick). I was actually wondering if ever Clinique would get on the bandwagon and release their own version (they probably had already but had never noticed), and it was only recently that I discovered finally did. First and foremost, I am a massive fan of Clinique. While most bloggers go for the fancy, colourful and trendy MAC, I go for the slightly daggier Clinique. I have reasonably sensitive skin so I like how they don’t add perfumes and other irritating ingredients to their makeup. I also love how they give free stuff away all the time which means I rarely have to pay for mascara, moisturiser or eye creams!
The only reason I took as long as I did to buy this product was because of the cost, a whopping $65. I’ve always known this brand is more expensive than your Revlon-type brands, but even I was taken aback by the cost. But I kept gazing at it longingly, marveling at the excellent way you get product out (more on that soon) and eventually I had enough and bought it (and got some great freebies to boot).
First of all, you don’t get product out like the standard mineral makeups, you have to turn the inner white dial clockwise which kind of grates off some powder to use. That alone makes it almost worth the money in my opinion. It also seems to minimise waste and spillage and given the size of the container it will probably last me a lot longer than the typical mineral foundation. So far the money seems like it might be justified after all. The brush you get is a tad small but kind of thick so it does spread out a bit and gives you more coverage per swipe than you might expect.
When I first bought it, the sales attendant put the smallest amount on me which made it look as though I had nothing on at all. It almost put me off, but I had a good feeling I could work it better than she showed me. To be honest, this stuff is a lot lighter than the other types I’ve used and does need a lot more than a Clinique staff member might tell you to use. But if you do a good job and prep your face properly first, it does look great.
Steps to making the most of Clinique’s Superbalanced Powder Makeup:
Moisturise like you would any other day. Applying mineral makeup direct to dry skin will make it look splotchy and hideous.
Apply some sort of primer. I can’t get enough of primer, it makes such a difference. I use Clinique City Block which is mainly a skin protector from sun and nasty stuff that cities ruin your face with. But it’s also an effective primer and as I use the SPF30 one, I know it’s helping protect my skin while helping my makeup look better.
Use any other products that you’d normally use before putting your face on. I use a concealer as I get dark circles under my eyes.
Apply your first coat of mascara .
Start to apply the Superbalanced Powder Makeup. I brush downwards in large circles, starting on my cheeks, then going to my nose, chin, around my mouth, the forehead/temples and then my eyelids. Not to say this is the best way to do it, but I like to keep a routine and this works well for me. I especially do the area around my mouth as that’s where I lose makeup first because I am a slob when I eat/drink. Apply liberally until you’re satisfied all is covered evenly. I use about two twists (one twist means moving the dial about 10 degrees) for my face which is at least twice as what was recommended to me.
Apply some light blush as you will look washed out without any cheek colour, but make it light as this makeup is going to be a hell of a lot lighter than your usual foundation/powder look. Likewise if you fill in your eyebrows, as I do. You don’t need to go as dark because your makeup is not as heavy.
Finish with a final coat of mascara and colour your lips, and you’re done!
This is how I looked before, with only my mascara and primer on:
And here I am after:
Apologies for the crappy webcam photos, I am still yet to get my camera fixed. As a result the after photo is not crash hot and I actually seem to have more shadows on my face than in the before image. But let’s just assume the light sucked and that you get the general idea.
In conclusion, I like this product and will wear it to work everyday so I don’t feel overdone with a full face of makeup. I don’t think the coverage is a good as it could be, and the price was pretty steep considering I have to use more product than with other brands of mineral powder. But with a bit of experimentation it does look good. You still need to prep your face properly as with any other type of makeup, but overall I save a good five minutes every morning with this stuff than by using foundation with a translucent powder, and to me that is a HUGE plus.
Wow it has been a long time since I posted anything to do with my nails. In all honesty I stopped doing much with my nails for a while. I used up all of my kawaii Japanese nail stickers and I kept ruining any designs with jewels because I have a really hands-on job and I was lucky to have them last a week without half the jewels dropping off. But I have now discovered the fun and excitement of designing and painting my own nails! I just got my nails done at a new salon because my usual one was continually disappointing me. The new one I visited not only did an awesome job of refilling my nails, they have some awesome designs AND use the most fabulous nail polishes from the USA.
Naturally I am too much of a tight arse to actually pay to have them done, so I took mental note of their design and decided to try my own ones. I’ve never paints designs on my nails before so I went for something very simple: TIGER STRIPES. I thought I’d also do up a small tutorial in case you also want to try it out too.
STEP ONE
Paint your nails with a good background colour. I chose the most amazing holographic purple and silver when I got my nails done. The purple one is by OPI and the silver by China Glaze (I wasn’t clever enough to write down the colour names though, unfortunately). I went for alternating colours again as it’s simple but looks much more exciting than just one colour on all nails. Make sure your nails are totally, absolutely dry before moving on to the next step. I left mine overnight before I started the design, but you can probably just leave it a good hour or two.
STEP TWO
Get yourself some nail art lacquer. Now, nail art is still pretty small=scale in Australia (well, in Brisbane anyway) so the only brand I’ve found with a wide range of awesome polishes, including nail art lacquers is BYS. They have all sorts of colours and styles (like crackle, matte and UV) and they’re really cheap, about $5 each at shops like Cosmetics Plus. I’ve used a few of their polishes and find them to be pretty good, though I’ve not tested them extensively yet. I bought the nail art lacquer in black because they have super thin, long brushed specifically for this sort of thing. I’ve heard you can actually buy special paint brushes for nail art in the USA but am yet to find something in Australia without going to an art supplies store or find a fine makeup brush, so this is your best bet.
STEP THREE
Find a design you like, to get inspiration/copy! Unless you’re a fabulous artist, you need a reference point. I loved this design by Phresh Mentality so I used it, combined with the design I saw at my nail salon, to come up with my own version of tiger stripes. Google the hell out of what you’re going for and then practice it on the edge of a plate until you’re confident enough to move onto your nails.
STEP FOUR
Shake the polish really well, then slowly draw the brush out of the bottle, gently wiping the excess off one side of the brush. Take note of how the paint drips off, I found a great big drip would come down after about 10 seconds which would be disastrous while trying to paint a fine line. Once you’re sure you won’t have any nasty surprises, dip the brish in again and ripe off the excess as you take the brush out on one side of the brush only. You really only need a small amount of polish so if it’s looking too thick, wipe a little bit off the other side from halfway down the brush. The polish on the top half of the brush will run down and that should be enough to create a fine line.
Start up the top of the nail, flattening the brush ever so slightly on the edge of the nail then lifting quickly as you draw the brush across the nail. This is a very quick and delicate process because the tiger stripes are only going to reach about two-thirds of the way across the nail. You nat the loine to be at its thickest on the edge of the nail, taperin to nothing as the line nears the other edge. Repeat this pricess on the other side, just below the first line and continue down the nail until your nails are evenly striped.
Now, as you’re probably well aware, a tiger doesn’t have perfect little stripes all down it’s body. So, if you’re feeling confident, make it a bit more artistic by moving the brish side to side ever so slightly as you drag it across to make the edges more rough and tiger-ish. It also looks great to have two lines coming from one point and then have a line from the other side pointing to the middle of the double line . Here’s a close up of what I mean:
Simple but very effective! Likewise, you can fill any large gaps with a small line in the muddle of the nail, like up the top of that close up.
Repeat the process on each nail, taking EXTRA care on the hand which you normally write with. I actually did better using my left hand as I used less polish and went very slowly and carefully, which resulted in very lovely stripes. I did get a bit cocky as I was getting to the last three nails, but one fat or two fat stripes don’t look too bad at all.
STEP FIVE
Once all of your nails are done, let the stripes dry thoroughly. Even more so than what you did with the background colour. If you try and put a top coat on too early, you will end up dragging the stripes down the nail and ruining all of your hard work. Give it a few hours before applying the top coat, which will help keep the stripes on and generally make your nails look shiny and excellent for a lot longer. One top coat should be plenty. Please be careful with the top coat, no matter how long you let the stripes dry. Nail polish is an effective nail polish remover, so you’re best to dab the top coat on before lightly drawing it down.
Ohhh Facebook. You’ce got to be the most boring thing on the internet and yet we’re all so horribly addicted to you. Tell me honestly, how many people do you know who does not have a Facebook page, never has, and doesn’t even have a fake one to spy on people? I know just one person (and it’s a shame because she’s a cool girl and I don’t have her phone number). How sad is that? Just about everyone we know is on Facebook. Actually I don’t think my dad is, but dad’s generally don’t count when it comes to this sort of thing.
Aside from the fact Facebook is the king of all time wasters, it’s also a total cess pit of human despair. How often do you skim through the latest friends feed and think to yourself “Oh god, just SHUT UP ALREADY!” or “Holy shit you must be the most boring person alive”. How many times have you seen a breakup unfold in status updates or realised someone you thought was pretty cool types lyk a fukhed omg LOL.
I believe there should be classes in school for internet etiquette. It’s 2011 now and we’re ALL online, from little kids all the way up to our great grandparents. And yet it seems as though all of the basic rules for existing with other humans gets thrown right out the window as soon as you’re sitting in front of a computer screen. Well, in my ideal world where people are paid to tell children how to behave in cyber space, the first and most important lesson would be FACEBOOK ETIQUETTE 101. Here are some of the most important lessons I have come up with so far:
Learn to type. I know we can’t all be perfect at grammar and as much as it pains me to see they’re/their/there used in the wrong context, there is a far bigger problem at hand. People who can’t be bothered hitting this shift key, who use text-speak when they’re typing on a godamn keyboard and those who use terms LOL to punctuate a sentence when what they said was not even a tiny bit funny. Text speak should have gone out with the introduction of predictive text and qwerty phone keypads. It suited a time when writing the word “you” took five seconds and the letter “u” took two quick button presses. Using letters instead of words, abbreviating the shit out of everything and generally making everything you say unintelligible to most is so hideously daggy. A bit of correct spelling, grammar, and the occasional capital letter will always go a long way in most peoples books.
Stop airing your dirty laundry in status updates. OK so you had a fight with your boyfriend, best friend, work mate or whoever. Of course you want to write bitchy, vague things all over the internet to show them how much they’ve hurt you or pissed you off. But it’s pathetic. I say this as someone who has been a culprit of it more than a few times. No one likes a vague status update, and especially not a whiney, woe-is-me one. If you’re fighting with someone, keep the fight in private, where it belongs. And if you really need to vent, that’s what best friends and ice cream are for, dammit.
Post some damn captions! When you’re on a mad Youtube video posting rampage, please make the effort to mention why you’re posting the video. I don’t know what to expect when you post the video and nothing else, and quite frankly, nor do I care to find out. Even if it’s just something along the lines of “This is Amazing” or “HAHAHA”, give us SOMETHING!
Stop “Like”ing everything. FUCK ME DEAD! This is the bane of my life when it comes to Facebook. Certain friends and family members keep liking every shitty Facebook group there possibly is. Can’t you just think a thought without having to make a page about it? I can’t even comprehend how shit some of them are. I knew people were dumb on the internet but damn this shit is scary-dumb. I shall share with you some examples of the most recent ones I have witnessed (to prove that these really do exist, I even added links):
Don’t tag ugly photos. Man oh man some people are inconsiderate jerks. Why would you ever post a photo of a friend where they look like total arse? The only reason I can think of, is to make yourself look/feel better. And that makes you a shitty friend. I am against the idea of posting any bad photos of friends, but I’m always getting tagged in trash bag photos of myself (like the one time, while dressed like a chav, I fell into a bag of rubbish outside a hostel in London, I mean c’mon). If the photo is ugly as hell, have some consideration and don’t post it. IF you just have to upload it though, show some decency and don’t tag the ugly offender in it, I’m begging you!
Don’t pick fights or be excessively obnoxious in comment threads. OK so this is tolerable to an extent. But when the original poster is clearly getting the shits and you keep egging them on and starting new arguments and being a prick, you need to stop. Do you do that shit in real life? If you do, then how the hell do you have any friends at all??? You’re just being an arsehole to someone you must like enough to have on your friends list so back the fuck up and let them have their rant without getting all up in their face about how much you disagree with them.
Stop posting baby photos! Argh man, I am so over this. Look, I like kids and do find baby photos kind of cute. But you are NOT YOUR BABY! Don’t use a photo of your child as you profile picture. I’m sorry, but I want to see what my friends are up to, not how their kid looks in EXTREME CLOSE UP or in the bath. I know it’s your pride and joy, but you’re kidding yourself if anyone else (aside from like-minded parents who do the same thing) think it’s cute. Try having a photo taken of yourself WITH your child for once and leave the baby snaps for family get togethers. This also applies to photos of your ultrasound or of your pregnant belly.
Speaking of profile photos, start posting good ones! OK so I know ya’ll can’t look as fabulous as me all the time *cough* but have some dignity and post half decent photos of yourself. This especially applies to guys. No, you don’t have to make a stupid face in every photo. No one will think you’re “gay” for smiling at the camera for once. Also, posing for photos with your attractive female friends doesn’t fool anyone either, guys. We don’t think you’re some amazing chick magnet, you obviously just have some hot friends. And for the ladies, you can stop posting group photos, so that we might accidentally mistake you for the hot one, because we can just refer to other photos to work out you’re really just the plain one hovering in the background.
Stop being so down all the time. I admit I can be kind of guilty of this. I love to complain about stuff, and I often do so on Facebook. But I try to liven things up a bit with something funny or by using my excellent wit to make a whiney comment kind of funny. Chances are you’re just a friend of a friend I met at a party once, or someone I went to school with 15 years ago. If you’re going to be so damn moody/boring, I will never ever want to see you in real life again because I can only assume you’re a miserable sack of crap. Lighten up, it’s only the internet!
I know I have only just scratched the surface on this, so please feel free to share with me your own personal Facebook-related gripes and let us all wallow in self-pity knowing that we are all guilty of much of what we hate most about Facebook :D
OK so we all know about Rebecca Black and her unfortunate song Friday. I am actually of the opinion it’s not that bad, I mean it is pretty crap but it definitely is not the worst song someone has sung and posted on Youtube in all seriousness. In fact if she got a few singing lessons and wrote her own songs (I’m 100% sure a 13 year old could write better lyrics than the dick who wrote Friday) she wouldn’t be that bad.
So in defence of an innocent teenager who is the laughing stock of the enture internet, I would like to present to you all, the worst music videos on the internet as picked by me:
Treasure by Namata
This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest things to ever get uploaded to Youtube. It is so bad it’s AMAZING! The only bad thing about it, in my opinion, is how it can stay stuck in my head for days after listening to it just once. I really hope this guy gets a record deal one day. And that he never stops dancing like that because it is mesmerising.
Give It To Me by Madonna (feat Pharrell)
Bad songs and music videos aren’t just for the realm of the pathetic wannabe popstar, here we have a stunning example of how one of the most famous popstars of all times paired with one of the best urban producers can get it so wrong. The song itself makes me want to scrape my ears off with a soup spoon, let alone the eye-raping video. Good lord Madonna, they’re called pants, try wearing them for a change now that you’re 50 years old.
No Way No Way by Vanilla
How about this little treasure from the late 90s. Anything that samples Mah Nà Mah Nà that isn’t aimed specifically at kids has got to be bad and this is just about the worst. Actually, it’s been voted the worst music video a number of times. Check out those outfits… I was sure that sort of stuff went out of fashion in 1993 but clearly Essex is a good five years behind everything ever.
Je Suis Une Dolly by Dolly Rockers
Well I don’t even know where to begin with this little treasure, also a talentless British girl group. Sometimes Pommy accents make songs sound brilliant, but most of the time they make a song sound like complete arse. Uneducated, chavish arse. And look at how wacky they are, dancing on the tube! I find it amusing how 60% of the reaction shots are of people looking appalled, the rest of pervy men taking photos on their phones. Which incidently, appears to be how this clip was filmed. Oh and look, they actually got a budget and remade the same clip with a new song.
Party Like a Millionaire by The Millionaires
Want to know something really sad? Ke$ha wasn’t the first one who started trash-pop. Oh no, these young ladies were around before she got her big break with Tik Tok and before she ruined my eyes/eardrums with We R Who We R (seriously, that is not a song, it is autotune over the sound of a garbage truck with bad product placement scattered everywhere). I can’t even comprehend this song, I mean, what did their parents think when they heard the first line? As much as I hate Ke$ha, at least she keeps the tight-pussies and hard-dick lyrics to herself. Meanwhile, if you’d like to make yourself feel smart and extremely articulate, take a look at their Millionaires Dictionary video. Good god.
Bearforce1 by Bearforce1
OK so I’ve focused on the ladies way too much. How about something that is aimed so specifically at a certain target audience, it pretty much alienates about 99.9% of the entire world. I personally don’t think it’s that bad, in fact for a gay bear dance song, it’s probably the top of it’s game. Also, their pastel shirts and white pants are just adorable. But if you’re hoping to make your straight, male friends uncomfortable, this clip will do the trick.
Imma Be Rocking That Body by Black Eyed Peas
This clip just proves that no matter how much money you pour into a music video, the shittiness of the song still radiates through. Seriously, can someone explain to me what the hell is going on here? And then try and explain how the Black Eyed Peas became this bad? I don’t even think it’s Fergie’s fault any more, they’re all responsible for turning the group so shit. Someone needs to confiscate their SFX mic and explain to them songs don’t need to change style 7 times to keep the youth of today interested.
Because I could probably keep adding to this list forever, I will leave it with this hilarious version of Friday. Gang Fight!
So if you’re one of those Rebecca Black haters, please just think about what Simon Cowell said about her and her song:
He advised Black not to “listen to anyone over the age of 18. I’m being deadly serious. Whatever she’s done has worked. Whether you like her or not, she’s the most talked-about artist in America right now. Nobody over the age of 18 should understand her or like her. So she should just do it her way.”
Bad music videos ain’t anything new, there are millions out there far worse than anything a 13 year old Californian girl could ever hope to create. Instead of hatin’, celebrate how she is just adding to the list of hilarious awful tings we will all reminisce about when we’re old folks.
I recently read an amazing blog from a heavily tattooed girl explaining how getting tattooed may change your life. It’s great because this isn’t something anyone tells you before you trot off to get your first tattoo. You’re either told “you’ll regret it for the rest of your life” or “you’ll love it and regret it if you don’t”. There never seems to be any middle ground, explaining the pro’s and cons, so it was lovely to see someone explain it the good (and bad) ways it will change your life.
It was an especially interesting read for me, because I was made redundant recently and am in the process of applying for jobs. I’ve only had a couple of face-to-face interviews so far and have had to cover my tattoos with long sleeves and thick black stockings so that they won’t know the truth. Because I am currently applying for jobs in corporate environments, I pretty much don’t have a choice because I know I won’t have a chance if I turned up with any tattoos showing, even if I was absolutely perfect for the role.
I can honestly say I have never regretted my tattoos. I love them and am glad I got them in the first place. But I know they can act as a sort of “barrier” between people and the real me. Tattoos do not define me, but to the uninformed stranger that’s all they see and so, in a sense, they do define me. I have turned so many people around on their negative stance on tattoos by being a lovely person and not being the stereotypical deadshit covered in badly-done tattoos. But I have to work hard on some people, show them they’re just a small part of me that makes me a bit more colourful than the average person.
If you’re considering getting a tattoo, please understand it will change your life and you will forever be trying to prove to narrow-minded people that you’re a decent person. By getting a tattoo you’ve set yourself up for dumb questions, having random people touching them and thinly veiled insults (like “oh but you’re so pretty, why did you get so many tattoos for?”). It is up to you to then deflect any negativity by being patient with those who don’t “get” tattoos, explaining what they mean to you and proving you’re a normal person like they are, you just have some lovely, permanent decorations on your skin. And the sad reality is, you will probably have to cover them up for a lot of jobs which is a massive pain in the butt (especially if you live somewhere like Brisbane where you sweat half to death by just being outside for five minutes in the height of summer).
It’s not all bad though, a lot of people do love tattoos even if they don’t have any and you will encounter lots of positivity about them and if you’re really lucky, you will find a great job where they don’t mind your them and let you show the off while working. I am hoping I will one day find the perfect job where my pink hair, colourful tattoos and awesome personality are not only accepted but encouraged!
I love movies. I go to to see them all the time and prefer going to a cinema than downloading them and watching them at home as I love the whole experience. As such I’m not sure why I’ve never really bothered to review any of the films I go and see. I thought I might change that though and give you all a little run down of the films I’ve seen lately. I’m definitely not a film critic, in fact I am very easily pleased and find most film reviews kind of boring by getting too deep and intellectual about everything. I’ll keep mine shot and sweet and avoid spoilers as much as possible.
BLACK SWAN I wasn’t sure what to expect because of all the hype about this film. First and foremost I was more than a little bit curious about the alleged lesbian sex scene between the two main characters, after all both actresses are very attractive and it’s not something you hear much about in Hollywood (except for the occasional girl-on-girl kiss). I was quite surprised by how the film turned out. It was implied that Mila Kunis was the antagonist and was playing mind games with Natalie Portman when all along it was Natalie Portman just being crazy as hell. I loved that little twist, and I loved the end sequence when she goes nuts during the Black Swan routine and then the demise of the White Swan. Ahhh, I love crazy lead female characters.
TRON I hate to admit it, but I was kind of disappointed with this film. I loved the look of it (I was delighted by how the 3D only kicked in when he was in the game) and though the costumes were amazing but aside from that, it was kind of dull. I really need to watch the original again, I can’t even be sure if I’ve ever seen it in full, because I’m sure there was a lot I missed as a result of my ignorance. It was a little bit too complex at times and there absolutely could have been more action. I loved the character Quorra, as she has the best haircut ever (I am seriously contemplating getting it myself) and was all round very cute and sweet, but they could have probably developed her character a bit more. I’m still considering dressing s her for Supanova though ;)
127 HOURS I only just saw this and really liked it. Admittedly I have a soft for for James Franco, but I really think he did an awesome job. For a film where the character is trapped by a rock for most of the film, a surprising amount of stuff happens. I’ve done a little bit of reading up the film and am happy to hear the real Aron Ralston not only loved the film, but said “the film is “so factually accurate it is as close to a documentary as you can get and still be a drama.” I’d be pretty chuffed about that if I was Danny Boyle (the director who also did Slumdog Millionaire). The scene where he cuts off his arm is realistic but not as graphic or sickening as I expected. Definitely cringe worthy though! Go see it if you haven’t already.
I learned a very valuable lesson this week. While her suburb was flooded, my best friend had me look after her cat Seiko. Admittedly I was thrilled as she’s such a sweet little cat who I was very keen to cuddle as much as possible, plus I was helping out a friend in need. Getting her to my unit was tough as the nearest lift was broken so we had to go the long way to the other lifts, so by the time we got to my unit Seiko was petrified and managed to escape, which meant 10 minutes of chasing her around the building. OK so not a great start, but as my work was closed due to the floods, I had the chance to bond with the dear kitty. Except she refused to come out from under the TV cabinet until late that night when I manged to convince her to come out for a few pats. But she was back under the cabinet the whole next day and then under my bed for a bit too. Yup, definitely not off to a good start.
Every now and then I’d get her to come out and hang with me, I’d brush her lovely long fur and she’s talk to me with her squeaky little meow’s and would follow me around the kitchen begging for tasty treats. But as soon as one of the boy’s walked in she’s go and hide again. Two days later I had to go back to work and from then on I was so busy, I was barely home, which meant Seiko basically spent the whole time under my bed. She’d only ever really venture out at night and then would drive me mad meowing and following me around the place as I got ready for bed. One morning she was meowing so much I decided I’d sleep on the couch to keep her company (admittedly this was because I knew it’d take about 45 minutes to clear the clothes off my bed and I was way too tired for that crap). But she decided my face and chest were great places to curl up which didn’t suit me very well, so I was forced to clear my bed at 5am on a Saturday morning to give us both room to sleep, but she ended up going back under my bed anyway! Thanks Seiko, thanks a lot.
So after a week with a cat, I had to come to the sad conclusion that cat’s are not for me. I have grown up with dogs all my life and the last time my family had a cat was when I was about 7 years old. My lifestyle doesn’t suit that of a affection-hungry kitty and I just felt cruel for not being able to look after her properly when she’s such a dear little thing. Also, I could not get used to all the fur, I was constantly gagging and felt like I had a nose full of it, which really sucks when you just so happen to have a cold. Plus the fact she’s white and I wear mostly black was not a very attractive combination.
If you’re thinking of getting a pet of any kind (let alone a cat), please do your research and if possible, spend some hardcore one-on-one time with the animal type you want to get. As Seiko had been adopted and I had been very close to adopting her myself until my friend stepped in, I would have been stuck with an adorable but totally inappropriate pet. Don’t take pet ownership lightly, that’s a little life you’re taking into custody and they deserve all the love they can get. Plus there’s the vet bills, the grooming and/or exercise, the feeding and let’s not forget the pooping! I see people haphazardly getting new pets all the time and I wonder if they considered how big a deal it is to own a pet. That’s why I don’t have one, I love animals too much and know I am not yet ready to commit to one properly (also I rent a unit in the Valley which is no place for puppies to live). Please make sure you are full prepared when the time comes to get yourself a furry little family member.
I don’t know why I keep ruining my day by reading news.com.au but once again I have stumbled upon an article, which by itself isn’t too bad, but then you read the comments and the blood starts to boil.
Yeah, you can already picture the sorts of comments these white, middle-class idiots who have this over inflated sense of self importance and like to tell anyone who’ll listen why everything sucks make. As a matter of fact, some of these comments even shocked me, and I’ve read some pretty dreadful comments on that website. I admit the article was a bit lame (shock horror) and did make it seem like the types of Gen Y’s (fuck I hate this who Gen Y vs the world thing that’s happening at the moment) to get tattoos are all a bit daft and think they’re getting tattoos to express individuality when they’re really just following a trend. I get that and have always been annoyed at the idiots who get tattooed to be trendy, as they’re the ones who make those, like me, who really love tattoos look like idiots.
So apparently we’re now conformist whores (I’m not kidding, someone actually wrote that) and immature idiots who all get kanji and swirly butterfly, tribal tramp stamps who will undoubtedly want to have them all removed once we’re 35 because we changed our minds and don’t like them anymore. REALLY? I don’t even know how to respond to these sorts of ignorant opinions. Not without flipping my lid and calling them all a bunch of swear words, anyway. My mind boggles that people are so closed-minded about tattoos still. I mean, I’m not stupid, I know a lot of people still consider tattoos “rough” and employers consider them some sort of badge of unreliability so that you can’t get hired outside of JB HiFi if you dare show them off. But still, I thought that since its 2010 now, people might have stopped thinking like it’s 1985 and accepted the fact tattoos aren’t all that bad after all. HOW FOOLISH I AM!
So I am going to clear some of this up for any of those who still consider tattoos the mark of lazy, unreliable, crime-prone, conformist whores!
Not everyone who gets tattooed gets something off the wall or “just because”. Most of us put a lot of thought into tattoos, get them designed and spend a lot of time deciding what we want permanently inked to our bodies. Anyone who goes and gets a bit of tribal or a cherry blossom are usually the kinds of people who don’t know anything about tattoos and probably will regret it later. If they don’t, then they’ll probably move on to well-thought out and meaningful tattoos once they’ve gotten over the thrill of getting their first tatt.
Yes, there are a lot of crappy tattoos out there. Some are poorly executed or involve clichéd and “trendy” designs that will date pretty quickly. But if ever you see someone with what you consider a crap tattoo, that is your opinion. While that Ned Kelly sleeve I saw the other day made me cringe, that guy who had it probably loves it and has attributed a lot of meaning to it so you just can’t assume it was done on a whim or they’ll regret it when they’re older, because they probably won’t. Tattoos are subjective.
Most people do not get stuff tattooed on themselves that they will get bored of or stop liking in a couple of years. I wonder how fickle these people are who ask “what if you don’t like that in two years?”, do they go through their lives only half-heartedly liking things and then get sick of them and hate them for the rest of their lives? People always ask me this when they see I have Harry Potter tattoos for example, as though I could ever stop loving those books. Look, if in 10 years time I decided I don’t like Harry Potter any more, I will still love my tattoos because they represent a time in my life when Harry Potter was a huge deal to me and will always remind me of those times. The only time when I’ll accept this argument is when a name of a boy/girl friend is tattooed and even then I don’t think it’s a huge deal, as long as you got it for the right reasons and still have fond memories of that person then who cares?
Bad tattoos are kind of part of the fun of tattoos. If you’re really into tattoos and have a few of them, there will always be that tattoos that isn’t exactly great. You might not hate it and want it removed, but it’s definitely your least favourite and one you tend not to show to people when they ask to see your tattoos. Mine is on my forearm, of all silly places, and while it was done by my favourite artist in London, I’d been too shy to really tell him how I wanted it to look so it’s a bit crap in that sense and basically needs to be completely redone for it to look perfect. But I don’t hate it and would never get it removed. I wouldn’t even get it covered up either, because it now has a story behind it and I kind of love it in more of a sentimental sense than an aesthetic sense.
Most people understand perfectly well that tattoos are forever and most people do not get theirs removed, no matter how much they’ve changed over the years. The kinds of people who get tattoos removed are the kinds of idiots who get some shitty piece of flash from the wall of their dodgy neighborhood tattooist for their 18th birthday or while completely smashed, and usually on a dumb-arse spot like their upper arm, shoulder or chest. These are the kids of people who never really wanted a tattoo but got one anyone, whether they were drunk or dared to, it doesn’t matter. They’re the kind of people who don’t deserve tattoos and why tattoo removal was invented. Poor Rebekah probably should have thought about how her wedding photos with Shane were going to look before she got that tiny red rose/ying & yang symbol tattooed on her shoulder blade/bicep!
While I acknowledge that there are idiots out there who get tattoos for the wrong reasons, most people choose well and get something they’ll cherish forever and don’t ever regret what they got. We of Gen Y have leaned from the mistakes of previous generations and don’t go about getting tacky little things done for the thrill of it. Most of us think long and hard about what we want and don’t all rush out and get one on our 18 birthdays or make stupid, life-altering decisions involving too much liquor and a mate who has a tattoo gun. The people who left those nasty comments about how people with tattoos are rotten people need to wake up and get a dose of reality. Tattoos don’t turn you into a bad person, but judging people harshly for having tattoos makes you a bad person.
As the famous saying goes, The only difference between a tattooed person and a person who isn’t tattooed is that a tattooed person doesn’t care if you’re tattooed or not.
