Plays, And The End Of My Uni Journey

I will begin by saying hello to my first follower, hopefully the first of many. Bear with me, I haven't had time to check who you are yet, but I am thankful.

My biggest worry as a student, aside from money, is where do I go from here? It is the question that plagues my mind day and night. My subjects are somewhat selective when it comes to a career, and although I think if I commit myself I am more than capable of achieving what I want to achieve, my marks in one subject are continually low. This is demoralizing to say the least, especially since the praise for my work from my peers has been high and welcome. Maybe my tutor just doesn't like me very much.

Tonight, I went with some friends to see a play performed by some third year students called Testing the Echo. The play contained several interwoven stories based on a group of people trying to become UK citizens. Needless to say, it blew my head off. The set up was fantastic and a brilliant second half brought the plot full circle. I admit that after the first half I was a tad confused as to wear it was going, but the actors delivered performances that made their characters seem very believable and emotional. And in doing so, they answered my question.

I want to be an actor, and I didn't think that my course was taking me in the right direction. Now I see that quite possibly it is. Add to this the possible beginnings of my resume and I could be on my way. I may well be in a short film that is being shot over the next few weeks. Updates on that will be posted soon enough.

For now, good night. See you on the other side.

Videogame Nostalgia

I remember a gaming experience that I treasure, that I return to now and again to play for hours at a time. This game is currently on the Playstation 2, and by god it was difficult to get my hands on it. I had to go to three different retail stores to find it, and when I finally succeeded the copy I bought was pre-owned and the last one in stock. The game - Fahrenheit.
Or if you're in the US or Canada - Indigo Prophecy.

I warn you, this is a bit reviewy.

This game has possibly the most engrossing storyline of any videogame. The story takes place a couple of years in the future, and is told from the perspective of three main characters. It begins with a violent murder in a diner, and as the murderer you have to cover your tracks before the policeman in the diner goes to the bathroom. For a significant portion of the game you have to avoid the police as you struggle to prove your innocence, all the while plagued by visions. As well as this, you also play as two police officers tracking the murderer down, investigating the motive and investigating several previous unsolved cases that are inexplicably linked. There are moments of horror and thrilling chases, and every moment of climax is brilliantly executed and action packed. Fahrenheit is as well scripted as any movie.

In terms of gameplay, this plays out like an interactive movie. The control system is simple enough to pick up quickly and yet it offers enough challenging moments to keep you hooked. Graphically, this pushes the PS2 to its limits. The opening cutscene is breathtaking and bloody. There are countless moments where you will sit back and say to yourself "oh man, that was awesome". There are hours of fun to be had with this game, there are so many minigames and side stories that will keep you entertained.

A next gen version of this game would look astonishing, and the game creators Quantic Dream are currently developing a sequel, as well as "spiritual follow up", Heavy Rain. These will be fantastic if this game is anything to go by.

I can't wait.

Ramblings Of The Philosophical Sort

Communication is very important. I am a firm believer in verbal communication, and I believe that it is the most mature thing to do, voice your problems if you have them. The thing people do not realise is that other people are more mature than you think. Everyone is guilty of this. When humans are boiled down to their components, we are fully capable of taking criticism and using it to adapt and better ourselves. When this is realised, we become much more open people.

If that seems overly cryptic or pompous, it's because blogging is a dangerous game. I know of bloggers who have been fired for posting their blogs, and what prompted the above splash of verbal diarrhoea is an issue that may offend people I know. For the moment I am simply Sossij, in the same way that to many ordinary citizens of Gotham City Bruce Wayne is simply Batman. Those who know my real identity are few and far between.

It is difficult to know how much I am free to reveal in these early fleeting stages. I have been told that I revealed far too much information in my first blog post, whereas all anyone will gather is that I'm a student and I like the guitar. Heres another piece for you: I'm a film geek. I stayed up until six in the morning last night watching the Academy Awards and I'm tired as hell. It wasn't a bad result, aside from the obvious lack of nominations for The Dark Knight. It was the best film of 2008 and deserved to be recognised at least for direction and screenplay. Heath Ledger won for Best Supporting Actor though.

This raised an issue amongst the gathered audience: would he have won the award had he been alive? The answer is yes. Yes he would.

Look at how much I revealed there. Ooo, I've gawn mental!

I like ying yangs. Where did that come from?
The design is brilliant. It always reminds me of the battle of good vs evil, and how humanity is never black and white. There can never be a truly good or evil man or woman, even Hitler found love with Eva Braun.

See you on the other side.

Post 2

My man-flu is relenting, although I am still finding it difficult to get a decent nights sleep. I believe I have managed a meagre six hours this week. I have struggled to stay awake during the day and at night I feel terribly giddy. At least I'm not being sick! I haven't had much drink in the last 2 weeks, partly due to man-flu, but mostly due to an attempted health pledge. I am trying to be healthier and I'm sort of succeeding too.

My significant other is coming to stay for a couple of days, then we're heading back to my hometown. I'm looking forward to seeing her again, she will take my mind off coughing. Being in love is fantastic, but I don't want to use any cringeworthy cliches to describe it. I will settle for telling you that it is awesome. There you go.

I didn't get to see Slumdog Millionaire in the end because the queue was much too long and we missed a chunk of it. The lads are watching it online at the moment but I want to experience it in the theatre. Instead I saw Bolt, a rather amusing disney film about a dog. Worth it.

In a rush, so I'll update soon. See you on the other side.

New Frontier

...and I struggled, blinking against the brightness, into the world. Of blogging.

I'm doing a lot of new things lately. Yesterday I created an account on Twitter, and was promptly followed by Barack Obama. Needless to say I was deeply honoured.
A little later on I'm going to see Slumdog Millionaire, which appears to be winning pretty much every award possible. That hasn't really influenced my decision, I wasn't that keen on Benjamin Button which everyone seemed to be raving about. It has, however, prompted me to try and find the short story by F Scott Fitzgerald.
I'm still plodding through Odd Hours by Dean Koontz. I don't enjoy it as much as the previous books in the series, but I'm not entirely sure why this is. I suppose I'm waiting for the twist that seems to occur in every Odd story, none of which seem to top the first.


Apparently, it is now illegal to photograph policemen in the UK.
Wha...?
What if you photograph someone dressed as a policeman, post it on the internet, and people think it's a real policeman? Or what if you photograph a policeman off duty? What if you photograph an undercover policeman? Will he arrest you and blow his cover, or reluctantly turn the other cheek? What if a policeman takes a photo of himself, then accuses you of taking it? Bastard!
I find myself wondering how many people have become victims of this law, how many tourists are behind bars because of their itchy shutter-fingers. It is disturbing how paranoid our government is right now.


I'm going to start gigging soon. My guitar is yearning for an audience other than my flatmates through the wall. I don't think that my next door neighbour cares, she seems to be awake in the early hours, just like me.
Thats one thing that most uni folk have in common: insomnia. When you live in Liberty Park you don't really have a choice. The podium floor echoes with drunken song on most nights, and there is the occasional scuffle or shouting match.

Short blog I know, but I'm a slow typer, and I also have possibly the worst case of man-flu known in history. I'm having to juggle typing and coughing at the same time. Anyway, au revoir, I'll see you on the other side...