Vintage may Rock, but its rubbish at parking.

Ah, the stupidity of some people. Last week a car parked rather inconsiderately between our drive and the drive next door meant we couldnt get onto our drive. Not to worry as their were plenty of spaces round the corner. Which in fact makes it more baffling as to why they blocked our drive in the first place. After inspecting the car, we discovered a great big sticker in the back advertising the hairdresser's on the high street - Vintage Rock (they even have an old car bonnet as their reception desk, how cool). So round we went requesting the driver move it - and she did, a metre in reverse, blocking our neighbours drive instead (she doesnt have a car, but the hairdresser doesnt know that).

Well today that same car appeared and blocked our drive. So round I went again to ask them to move. They've actually moved away this time. Possibly blocking a drive in Millers Lane instead.
Why continue to block a drive when your place of work is advertised in the back window - surely she knew we'd go and ask her to move again. We've done it once, we'll do it every time. Its no skin off my nose, but I'm sure customers will start to complain before long if she has to keep leaving mid-perm.

Forgotten Gems; Part 4

With only a few days before I leave, I'm almost certain I wont get all my CDs uploaded in time. So I have prioritised. All albums first, then compilation CDs, then singles. But I've been patiently going through them when I have the chance. So here's some more forgotten gems;

First up is a well-known Welsh rock band by the name of Lostprophets. This was the first band I saw live (excluding boybands) and they were awesome. I went on to see them a total of 3 times, making them my most watched band. This is my favourite track of theirs and the song they ended with the first time I saw them. Its from their second album, Start Something. Its called Burn Burn;



Next up, we have a track from another Welsh band, Manic Street Preachers. I was too young to appreciate it the time of release, but its now one of my favourite tracks. Its called Motorcycle Emptiness and is really moving when in the right mood. It wont allow me to embed the official video, so I will post a live performance;



We go now to another track from 1992, that is possibly more well-known. Its The Cure with the track Friday I'm in Love. Its just a song that is timeless and makes me smile every time. And reading on Wiki, its also apparently the opening track to a Swedish soap opera;



Finally, i'm going to end with a live track. Panic! at the Disco may have gone a little bland with the latest album, but their début, A Fever You Cant Sweat Out, is one of my favourite and most listened to albums. The band may have no credibility as the pin-ups for the latest emo generation, but at least they make good music while doing it. This is my favourite track off the album (although the album really should be appreciated as a whole). Its called Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks (you can tell they're from the Pete Wentz 'lets give all our songs the longest titles possible' school of thought);

5 Days to Go!

Ah, just a few more days before I fly out to Finland. In the meantime, the amount of people wanting to take me out for farewell meals means perhaps I should have booked two seats, as I'm sure I'll be huge by the end of it all.

Dealing with the little loose ends now. Paying rent, sorting out bank accounts, buying a suitable bag for my hand luggage etc etc. Had an email from the kind student who will be coming to airport to pick me up. She sounds friendly and helpful, so will be nice to have someone waiting for me at the arrivals lounge.

It all seems a bit surreal. cant quite fathom that in a weeks time I will have had a days worth of lessons and met a whole new group of people in a foreign country I've never been to before. I think in my mind I'm not worried or sad to be leaving because I'm thinking so much about Helsinki, I'm sort of forgetting that I'm going to Turku after that. I had such a good year in Guildford this year that I'm sad not to be going back.

In the meantime, heres a video of a choir in Helsinki singing about the daily irritations and complaints of the city's inhabitants. Its an ongoing project, that started in Birmingham. Check out the website (http://www.complaintschoir.org/) for all the videos including those from Hamburg and St Petersburg.

Film Review - Paris Je T'aime

Today, it was just too hot to move. So I ended up watching lots of telly and a DVD I've been meaning to watch for a while. I'd never heard of Paris Je T'aime, but found it in the HMV sale and thought it sounded like an interesting concept.

The film doesnt have a specific plot or main characters as such, but it does have 2 main themes. Paris and Love. A love for Paris, love within Paris, love despite Paris... You see my point. The film is actually made up of 18 or so short films of about 10 minutes. Each segment is set in a different arrondissement/district, filmed by a different director with its own characters and plot.

I think Paris was the perfect city to chose for this project and cant really imagine it working in London or New York for example. Its interesting to see the different directions each director went. Some choosing a typical love story, some choosing to be comedic, some really tugging at the heartstrings and some that are just plain weird (vampires anyone?)

Overall you get a pick'n'mix selection of all the different roles love plays in our lives, from simple arguments on the metro to painful loss. I would say its a film worth watching so long as you know what to expect. Its not a tourist advert for Paris (there's no product placement shots of major landmarks), and its not a complete film which can be a little frustrating. There were some stories where I would have liked to follow their story a little longer, and see some more character development. However, overall it is worth watching to experience these snipits of peoples lives, and to experience 'real Paris' perhaps.

My favourite segments were the ones set in Quais de Seine, Tuileries, Bastille, Faubourg Saint-Denis, and particulalry the one set in Place des fêtes which brought me to tears. But I guess the beauty of the film is that there is something here for everyone and if you dont like a segment (there was only one I really didnt care for - Quartier de la Madeleine) its only a few minutes before the next.

A Perfect Eurovision Song??

I've stumbled across a bizzare Finnish song. According to the video description, a programme called Täydellinen Euroviisu (A perfect song for ESC) gathered a group of musicians with the aim to compose a song that contained all the clichés that make up the perfect eurovision song. This is the result, called Party 4 Love.

Film Review - Hancock and more

I've realised that I havent written up any of the films thats I've seen recently, mostly because they've been a bit rubbish. Or not rubbish perhaps, but just typical summer films with not much to say about them apart from that they're alright for an evenings entertainment but I wouldnt watch them again. So I'll give a quick 1-2 sentence reviews of some of the films I've watched so far this summer;

• Indiana Jones; Predictable but enjoyable fun with Harrison Ford proving his worth. Story line was a bit weird, but its almost irrelevant.
• TMNT; My brother's childhood heroes. I got sucked into watching this, and although I've always preferred the cartoons I didn't think it was as bad as the reviews at the time made out - only watch to satisfy curiosity.
• Black Sheep; Very daft but a lot of laughs (if your into that sort of thing). Worth renting for an evening of popcorn with friends.
• Junebug; A slow paced film (not often seen from America) that's not great but it's alright. It doesnt really go anywhere, but the characters are interesting, one of whom is played by Ben McKenzie of OC fame, so worth watching to see him do a more 'serious' role.

Another film I've seen this summer was Hancock. I'm actually a big fan of Will Smith. Possibly due to my brother - we would often have the Fresh Prince on after school, and he was always listening to his music. Then of course came independence day, which my brother still watches quite often, not that I blame him, it is a kick-arse film. Anyway, I've seen Men in Black, both Bad Boys, Enemy of the State, Wild Wild West, Ali, I Robot, Hitch, and I Am Legend. So naturally I wanted to see Hancock. I must admit, its not one of his best. His performance is very good, he plays it with just enough comedy to keep everyone entertained. Its just the script that lets it down. Its almost like its two films. The first 45 minutes of the film are great, I really enjoyed that part, but then it runs it course and so the story takes a twist. This is where it all gets a little strange, and particularly the last 15mins, really test the viewers willingness to believe whats being proposed. Even Science Fiction has to make sense.

In conclusion, its a good summer flick to go see if your a Will Smith fan, simply because he plays it well. If your not to fussed about him and are after a good story instead, it might be worth steering clear and chosing something else. Or if not, rent I Am Legend because that is a quality film.

Let Yourself Drift

I came across this video on youtube today. It appears that Tokio Hotel have a new song. Its called 1000 Meere (or 1000 Oceans). This song does remind me a lot of Durch Den Monsoon (Through The Monsoon, another water-based theme - do you think Bill wanted to be a sailor as a child?), but its a lot less whiny and more mature, given that his voice broke a while ago. The lyrics arent half bad actually. I post the German version just because I don't like their English stuff, the way they translate the songs almost directly makes for some dodgy rhyming. But if you click the video you can read a translation in the video description.

Edit: Looking again at the video description, its been on youtube since November, so not a very 'new' song afterall. Still, its new to me :)

Pictures

While waiting up for my brother last night, I had a play around with Picasa. What with the main purpose of this blog being to share storys and photos from my travels, I thought I'd have a look at some of the photo-sharing programmes available. Well, its a bit complicated for my simple non-technological self, but I think I've got it sussed. So I've uploaded the photos from Vienna and Bratislava. If you want to have a browse, here are the links;

Vienna

Bratislava

I've also started a little link list on the right over there ---> for you to browse them at your leisure. I've got the paris ones up there, and will most likely put my ones from Cologne on there before long too.

2 Weeks To Go!

The countdown has really begun now...

Today has been a good day, in fact the whole week has been fairly productive. I've sorted everything with the people in Turku so turned my attentions to things here. Yesterday we went out and bought a huge suitcase. Its a good solid case in a very funky pink/red so hopefully will serve me well for the year. Today I decided to give my wardrobe a test-run and see how much the case weighted with all my stuff in it - 14Kg. Flying BA so have a 23Kg limit. So with just clothes, thats not too bad. Then we tried again with towels, shoes, books and a pillow - 20Kg. Its looking promising. Also, now that I've bought my suitcase, I'll stop going shopping and buying random clothes in the sales, because that's just not helping issues.

I've got a fairly packed week this week, going to see Stenka Na Stenku (or Hole in the Wall) with Rach on Thursday, which should be good fun, then Friday my friend is doing me a leaving dinner, and finally for my last Saturday in England this year, I'm going to London to meet up with friends from uni for the day. I'm also getting a haircut, which is long overdue (I havent been to the hairdressers since Christmas!) I think its all happening this week, and then next week will be a bit of an anti-climax. Although I plan to spend most of that week with my family, especially my brother who should be arriving home from Spain today. No idea when mind you, but I think I'll stay up and wait nevertheless. Knowing him, he'll just come in, check his email and go straight to bed.

Also, really need to finish uploading the rest of my CD collection to iTunes. Should be back later in the week with some more forgotten gems hopefully.

Lay Your Love On Me

I was just thinking yesterday about how I was neglecting the Swedish music a bit lately. Then today I switch to Smash Hits, the good old cheesy pop music channel. This week is their Perfect Pop Week apparently and lo-and-behold what are they playing - BWO! Hurrah. Sadly I only caught the end, but it always makes me happy to see them on the telly. In fact I first came across BWO on British music channels (possibly Smash Hits) when I watched the video to Chariots of Fire. I've since seen Sunshine in the Rain on their too. If only more radio stations/music channels were willing to show stuff from popular foreign acts. If other channels played BWO then I'm sure their popularity would really grow over here. Anyway, here's the video for Lay You Love On Me;

I Dont Wanna But I Gotta

I've discovered a song recently thats been growing on me. The other day, one of the generic music channels was doing an American Boyband countdown, and one of the bands they showed was O-Town. I dont know how many of you know them, they had a couple of good singles out over here - Liquid Dreams and All or Nothing. I had the album, and it was your typical boyband stuff really. I think they were one of the first 'reality boybands' winning Making the Band on MTV back in 2000.

Anyway, after seeing the song on telly I wiki-ed them to see what happened to them all. Turns out one of them, Ashley Parker Angel, released a solo album with the main single being Let You Go. This is the song that has grown on me. Its that pop-rock that saw Kelly Clarkson rise to fame, but that was being done by less successful acts like Nine Days and Yellowcard long before. It was released in 2006 and reached the top 20. See what you think, but I quite like it;

Glasses and Reflections

I got some new glasses today. I havent had an eye test in 3 years, and thought it was about time. Turns out it definitely was, as these new glasses are pretty strong. Had them on for a while, and now I've taken them off they've given me a real headache, ugh. Oh well, at least now I can see. They say i'm over (or under?) the limit for driving, so have to wear them whenever I drive now, so probably was a good thing I got my eyes tested.

Anyway, I finished work today (I've been working in an office for a couple of weeks) and am starting to realise how little time I've got left. I think I missed the excited stage due to all the stress of forms and now I'm not sure how to feel. I'm not worried or panicking yet. I think I'm quite sad actually. Leaving work today I had to say goodbye to a good friend and realise I wont see her for a year now. So I guess sad is a good way to describe it. I just hope my friends will be here for me when I get back, and that I'll be able to keep in touch while I'm away (hopefully the blog will help :]) I'm also missing my brother this week. He's been on holiday for nearly two weeks now. Then when he gets back, we'll only have two weeks before I go :( In fact, lets have a picture of the man himself, tehehe;


I'm sure once I get out there and start meeting new people I'll feel better, but at the moment while I'm not doing much I'm starting to think a bit too much, hehe.

Russian Widow?

Sergey has released a new video in Russia, for the song Зачем придумали любовь, which is the Russian version of Almost Sorry. I always found the lyrics to Almost Sorry a bit cryptic, and I have to say the video doesnt make much more sense. Reminds me of the Scottish Widow adverts, but in Purple. Oh, and leather trouser never were and never will be a good look...

3 Weeks Today!

It struck me last night that I only have 2 more weekends left in the UK after this one! Madness. I went to Hertford last night, my old haunt from sixth-form days. Was a bit fed up because of the rain, and because the two people I was meeting both managed to miss the train! But once they arrived, another old friend turned up too, and my spirits lifted. Ended up having a really nice night. Then tonight I'm meeting a friend for coffee and then heading to a BBQ (yes i know its raining) in the evening. So should be good weekend.
So I started thinking about going to Hertford again soon, only to realise that I have next weekend free, and then the one after that is my last weekend in the UK, where i've arranged with friends to have a get-together in London. I cant believe time has gone so quickly!

However things are getting organised - flights are booked, accommodation is sorted, bank accounts are prepared(ish). Next on the list is insurance and finding a suitcase!

We're Getting There

I feel like I'm starting to get a bit organised now. Today I took the big step and booked my flight to Helsinki. I'm going on saturday 2nd August. I'd been putting off booking my flight for some reason - probably nerves, now its booked it seems so final, no going back. My inexperience with flying might be another factor. Half the reason I went to Vienna was because I wanted to test myself on a plane, I had only been on a plane once before and that was a school trip 7 years ago. Now I know what to expect although I do wish the cheapest flight hadnt been going from Heathrow :S

All the accommodation is slowly getting sorted now. I confirmed the place in Turku, and am now feeling a bit better about it. Other than the distance, it actually seems like a good option. I didnt really like living in halls last year, so maybe a shared apartment is the best option. Guess it just depends on who I'm sharing with.

I've also confirmed all my Helsinki accommodation. To confirm the offer I had to send off a deposit (which was nearly 3 times the rent for the 3 weeks!), which went off friday. Now I just have to pay the rent itself and tell them when my flight arrives for them to come pick me up from the Airport (very handy). I can worry about paying for all the Turku accommodation, and how I'm gonna get to Turku (or more precisely when) later.

Nostalgia is Dangerous

Today, I've been doing nothing. Literally. So I ended up browsing the music channels, one of which was doing at rundown of the best 40 Kylie tracks. I watched for a while, hoping my favourite would come up, but then decided just to youtube it, since its not a very well-known song and so they probably wouldnt show it.

The song was called Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi (I dont know why) and was released back when I was just 2 years old. As a toddler, me and my brother had a childminder, Katie, for when my mum was at work. And one of my earliest memories was of me and Katie dancing round the dining room to I Should Be So Lucky (assuming this was at a later date than the initial release - doubt I could stand up, let alone dance). Sometime after that, my mum came across some Kylie videos at a car-boot that were just made up of her music videos. Those video were frequently watched (probably driving my mum mad). This song was on there, and it became a firm favourite for a while.

Listening to it again has brought back all these memories. I much prefer Kylies early stuff, and have never really got into any of her new stuff. So here I provide for you, in all its 80s glory, Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi;

All I Ever Wanted Was You And Me

Lookie at whats been put up on the Hard2Beat website - its a video of Basshunter performing All I Ever Wanted in London a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully the rest will follow soon :)

Argh!!!

Ok, since about Monday, all the uni email system has been down. Everything that I'm organising for Finland is through my email system. This is starting to stress me out. Every so often, I manage to get to my emails, such as just now, when I read an email offering me a room in a shared apartment in Turku. I only applied on Monday, so wasnt too worried that I'd miss something from them, but this email today was great until I realised;
a) its a shared apartment, not in halls as I'd hoped
b) looking on googlemap, its miles from where I want to be
c) I have just 3 days to decide whether I want it

Well, to be honest I dont want it. I want one in halls near the centre. But what choice do I have? I tried to email my tutor about it here, and thats when the email decided to stop working again! Argh!!! Of course, I could try using hotmail to email him, but he's probably having the same problems I am, and I only have his uni email. And again, what can he do about it really?

Girlfriend Released This Week

The release date of Sergey's track Girlfriend in the UK has finally arrived. In fact it was released on Monday (as are most tracks) but shamefully I forgot, what with everything else going on at the minute. Luckily EQ did a quick post reminding everyone, so I hurried over to check out the release. You can buy girlfriend along with 4 remixes from 7digital for just £1.79 - bargain! I obviously had the track already, but was intrigued by the remixes, and they are also pretty good, so I highly recommend buying the whole lot. Here's the link where you can preview the tracks;
http://www.7digital.com/artists/sergey/girlfriend/