5 Things I Have Watched This Week That Have Amazed Me

Here is a list of video's that you need to watch. Trust me on this, some aren't new, but you probably won't have seen them. These video's show pieces of amazing skill that were lucky enough to be filmed/captured on film. Anyways here goes.

1. Firstly is a superb bit of handling in a game of rugby (Yes, I know it's league but still)..

2. This second one is a hype video from my favourite NCAA football team the Oregon Ducks. It shows ridiculous highlights from last season as well as getting you primed for the new year. We Will Be Back.

3. Third is a video I had as favourite on YouTube a few years ago. You've probably all seen it as Ken Block is pretty prominent in the world of YouTube and Top Gear. He is also a serious badass. That good at driving cars and co-founder of DC Shoes. This video is one of his gymkhana's, they are all ridiculous but this one is my personal favourite. Enjoy.

4. Fourth is a video I discovered shortly after visiting the city it is filmed in. Sick video showing supreme skill plus a cracking tune from Band Of Horses. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Inspired Bicycles.

5. The last video on this list is one that I saw less than ten minutes ago and what really inspired me to write this blog. If you follow me on twitter you may have just seen it but I felt it needed more than just a tweet. A brilliantly filmed video, showcasing skills that we thought were just make believe from any of the Tony Hawk games. Enjoy Kilian Martin, street skater extraordinaire.

I hope these videos will inspire you to watch others by the artists. I also hope they will have amazed and interested you like they have to me. Shows the amazing capabilities of humans in the sporting world.

P.s Just for the other NCAA fans, a little video to help get you in the mood. Boise State's hype video. Only just over a minute. Big Fan.

Laters.

It's Quite Simple When You Think About It

So England are now officially the number one test team in the world. It's been a long time coming and after two convincing wins it seemed a mere formality that they would wrap up the series in the 3rd test. I enjoy watching cricket, and for years didn't enjoy watching England play. I would love to see them getting a pasting from Australia every two years in the Ashes. Occasionally when players picked were home grown (Simon Jones started his career out at the same club that I play for, Dafen CC) I would hope for good personal performance but had never wished England well. This will not change until they recognise the fact that its the England and Wales cricket board. Now they are playing exceedingly good cricket, I still refuse to jump on the bandwagon, but credit when its due they do thouroughly deserve to be at the top of the test rankings. They have outclassed an Indian team that was previously dubbed the best in the world in the test format.

With the comprehensive series win that England have had, many people have been left wondering how India ever got to number 1 and how such a bad side could ever win test matches. The truth is quite simple when you actually think about it. Firstly they are an ageing side that seems to have a lot of players coming to the end of their wonderful careers. The great batsmen in their lineup (Dravid, Sehwag, Tendulkar, Laxman) have an average age of 36. Over the last few years they have led India to many victories and maintained their status as a top side. In those years since reaching the number one spot they have scarcely played in conditions that have not suited them. They have consistently played on batting pitches or complete dustbowls. Either way they massively suit the Indian batsmen and style of play. This year in England has been completely different. No other country in the world plays cricket in overcast, humid conditions that allows the ball to swing consistently for 80 overs a day. The english pitches are also like no other, bouncy, green and hard they provide an ideal surface to bowl and bat on if you know how to take advantage of them and can battle the conditions. This has been key as England have thrived where India have struggled.

India's bowlers have not been up to scratch as they are used to having teams be under pressure due to massive totals compiled by their own batsmen. The batting has made up for a mediocre bowling attack in the past. In England this hasn't happened and the bowlers couldn't pick up the slack. Kumar isn't a test match bowler when he barely struggles to make 80mph and is only effective when it swings a lot. Sharma and Sreesanth are young, inexperience and not actually that good. They pale in comparison to Englands superb bowling attack. India have had bad luck with Harbajhan and Zaheer being injured, had they both been fit some games could've been different, but its unlikely. India have been found out in England. To be the best team in the world you have to be able to win everywhere. That means mastering all conditions that this wonderful game is played under. England have managed to do that with a lot of strength in depth. Take Bresnan's impact on the series as a point for that. The bowlers are undoubtebly the best attack in the world. They are better than the fab four of Ashes 05 (Hoggard, Harmison, Jones and Giles) and are creeping up on the some of the best ever attacks. They are still a way off from the Aussie attack of McGrath, Lee, Gillespie and Warne from the early 2000's and even further away from the 80's West Indians but they are getting there.The batting is solid and is capable of piling on big scores wherever they play. The side have played well everywhere and completely deserve the title of the worlds best test team. Just a shame its with four South African's and an Irishman in the team. So much for home grown talent eh...

Peoples Was Wrong In This Film Too

Thursday Night Film Night rolled around again this week. Having been kicked off with a bang last week with Limitless, would another film be able to top that brilliance. We really didn't know, but after watching source code the answer is most definitely.. YES. What a brilliant film, Jake Gyllenhaal back to his Jarhead best coupled with the undoubted hotness of  Michelle Monaghan led to this being a great find. Jeffrey Right (Peoples from Shaft) plays the genius inventor of Source Code but he's not as clever as old Jake who proves that the Source Code is better than first thought whilst blowing the mind of the viewer as the story unfolds.

The film is centered around a soldier (Gyllenhaal) who wakes up in the body of a stranger and finds out he's part of a mission to discover the bomber of a commuter train headed for Chicago. The problem is that the mission is only 8 minutes long, and is based in the memory of the stranger who died on the train. The Source Code allows Gyllenhaal to use this memory to find the bomber and save people from further attacks in the future. Sounds intriguing right? It really is, I won't divulge anymore as you should now be searching for ways to watch this film.

What I will say is that as the title suggests, Peoples is in the wrong again. The film is exciting and even though is based on the same 8 minutes repeated, does not feel repetitive at all. It is a mind blowing story once it unfolds and your mind will explode, be it out of your ass or the top of your head. A superb performance from Gyllenhaal and the added bonus of how radiantly hot Monaghan is the added kicker. GO AND SEE THIS FILM.

The task for me apart from picking pieces of my brain out of the wall and carpet in Steve's is to now find a film to top this for next week. Will the streak continue or have we already peaked. Who knows? Stay tuned to this page to find out.

Can You Be Limitless?

Apologies for the lack of blog detail lately, i've been away on holidays to see Lucy and didn't have the time to write this blog. The idea for it has been in my mind since last week and now it is time for me to turn film reviewer once again. In an attempt to find more ways to increase productivity and decrease boredom, Steven Pettiford and I have divised a plan to have a film club once weekly on thursdays. The first film I wanted to watch was Limitless. I text Steve this and told him to get it downloading. He already had, as he predicted i'd want to see it. Combine this with a want to see it himself and you realise that we've known each other for way too long.

Everyone I had spoken to about the film had said it was brilliant and I had been desperate to see it myself. Having done so, I wholeheartedly agree. What a film. The idea is clever and blows your mind enough to keep you interested and confused without losing any of the plot or story. Bradley Cooper shows typical form with his portrayal of this role. He plays the insanely intelligent character in a classy and humourous way that not many others could achieve. He is also surprisingly good at playing the bum character before the limitless drug is taken.

The limitless drug is a peculiar entity. Is it possible in reality? Highly unlikely but if it can, I gotta get me some of that modified stuff. I would love a four digit IQ. My mind does need a bit of sharpening to return it to its younger self pre-alcohol, women and contact sport. All the want in the world could not help me atain it, but even without the drug, can limitlessness be achieved? With all the beliefs and studies on mind power out there, is it true that your mind can make you do anything. Is mind over matter true? Is the fact we only use 10% of our brain a myth or fact? I can't verify any of these facts, I don't have the time, effort, money or intelligence to conduct the research. All i'm here is to give my opinion. My opinion is that I believe the mind has extraordinary power and it does allow you to exceed expectations or act freakishly on rare occasions. To concentrate your mind properly does allow you to achieve better results but you have to be focused. It is not something that can be trained, natural physical talent usually helps. If your mind has better tools it will work better. To sum up though, to be limitless you need a boatlod of NZT.

The film is well worth a watch and can provide great entertainment as well as thought provoking themes. It was a brilliant start to thursday night film nights and hopefully the most solid foundation to continue the new found tradition. The film is filled with good points and the only drawback for me is the fact you have to wait until the last five minutes for the "ahhhhh He said it!" moment.

P.s This is also the first blog I have ever written on blogger that the spell check didn't pick up a single mistake on. Maybe I am getting smarter?

Yep, Your Right It Is Dangerous

Lately I have had a lot of free time. As stated in a previous post, I have not been able to fill this abundance of time with blogging. My days consist of waking up early, eating breakfast, going to the gym, eating lunch, watching TV programmes, eating dinner. In between these enthralling activities I have a lot of time to think. As I admit in the title, me with a) a cohesively functioning brain or b) lots of time to think, isn't correlated with good things. Today however I am blogging about what other people think of me and how I've thought about that. Complex and weird right? Wrong. Really simple when you give it some thought. Well if you had this much time on your hands with no money and no job and no social life and hardly anyone your own age to talk to apart from the gym for 2 hours a day four days a week you wouldn't think so either. 

Either way recently a good friend of mine gave me a list of 5 things that were the best part about me. They didn't have to be the best things about me that everyone would agree with, or the best qualities I'd ever shown as a friend. They were just the best things that sprung to mind, and therefore the best things about me my friend enjoys. They don't always make me the best housemate or friend, but they sure as hell make for a good laugh and a good bond between friends. The list in the order it was given goes as follows:

1. Always say the wrong thing.
2. Top cook. Especially Mexican and thanksgiving.
3. Smash people on an American football field.
4. Do maths
5. Take massive smelly shits daily.

Point number one is a given. My insatiable ability to always say the wrong thing is uncanny. It can only be appreciated if you've known me for a while. Most of the time i don't mean it to sound like it does. If your on the right side of it its often hilariously painful, if your not then you usually will hate me for at least a tiny bit.

Numero... two. Photos above show thanksgiving turkey and Mexican food. Notably my second favourite Mexican food H-Enchiladas with Peri Peri wedges and veg. If you've tasted my cooking you'll agree I'm not just bragging. I'm damn good and proud of it too. My cooking being appreciated is the most proud point for me on that list.

Number 3 is cool. I do like contact. It's what makes me miss playing so much more excruciating during summer months. Leading from the front is a big thing for me, and you've gotta light people up to show everyone else it can be done.

The fourth one. Hmmm now my ability to do maths would make you guys think I was really clever. Not so, I used to be too good for the level. But oh boy did I get taken down a peg, it started in college (but I got my A) and ended after my first year almost failure in uni. I can count, and I can do mental maths but it is way to hard and intricate at a university level. I can do maths, but I'm fairly simple. The fact that its one of my best parts in this person's eyes only sheds light on their own mathletic ability.

Five. The strange one, the odd one, the final point. This is the one that ends the list with a touch of humour. Its the one that makes me an awful and predictable housemate for 20 minutes a day. I can't deny it but this ability did help spread the word of toilet tweeting. Hence the appreciation, and simply because the smell is often unbelievable. Like clockwork.

After having thought about the list, and pondered whether to even bother writing a blog about it I've decided I may as well. Not like I have anything better to do. Its an insight into the silly world I live in in aber and what people do think about me in a good way. To go back to the title though, thinking is dangerous. It can lead to long winded blog posts about basically nothing. But who cares, I've enjoyed. Maybe you'll be on the end of me saying the wrong thing one day as I know there will be many more victims. Or like Benjamin Watkins will soon experience, the ability that was number five on the list. Your days are numbered boy. We never forget.