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.  

Golf Can Be A Nasty Mistress... Kinda Like A Smart Hooker With The Clap

Golf is possibly the most fickle sport I play. Cricket is close, but it doesn't quite have the sheer annoyance that golf brings. I love playing both sports but they both bring me great euphoria and great disappointment. Unfortunately for me it's usually the latter. Both can be up and down, and are tough to find form in. Once you have form, its equally as tough to keep it. Where golf differs, is that there is nobody else to blame for your form and the outcome of your game, it is all down to you.

The aspiring golfer that I am, I have never had a lesson, and merely coach myself as best as possible. Only this year I have been able to purchase a set of clubs that are a) younger than me b) forgiving to use. Before I had a set of cast iron blades that would give me one good shot in 30. Still I can  hit a ball quite a long way when I connect and have been known to be quite deadly with the putter. (Truth is I need to be, my putter usually saves me from my horrific short game).

When all is said and done, golf has to be the most frustrating sport known to man. You can go from hitting the dream drive of your life, only to ruin the hole with the next couple of approach shots. Take today for an example, I played Earlswood Golf Course for the second time in 5 weeks with my Dad. It is peculiar how one shot can set you off on a good/bad run. I chipped in from the fringe today to card a 6 on a par 5, and that led me to a nice approach and a par on the following par three. The hole after I made a cawlach of my tee shot and ended up taking an 8. Told you it was weird. Last time out we shot quite poor totals of 121 for him and 116 for me. This time he improved by 15 shots whilst I struggled, having an absolute stinker. The funniest bit of it all was that I finished with 115, which for the mathematically retarded of you out there is one shot better than the previous time. I was baffled, as the original round I was pleased with how I'd played.

That is the weird thing with golf, it takes you by surprise and you never know how things can turn out. Your only ever one shot away from a great birdie or smashing it into the nearest hedge/water hazard/nasty bunker. It is fickle, but the challenge and unpredictability of it is what keeps you interested. It is a challenge I love. It is a challenge I will endeavour to continue until I can become a competent golfer that rarely embarrasses himself. Try golf out, no matter what the ability it is a tricky but rewarding mistress. It'll break your heart and wind you up but it'll keep you married and won't give you anything itchy. Now I'm off to watch The Open to see how its done properly, and so should you.

It's Funny How Things Change

I like to start every blog post with some humour, and because it's me and I usually can't think of  anything witty to say, I choose humorous cartoons or pictures. This family guy one is no exception, the show is a goldmine for comedy filled stills and gifs. This one really made me giggle as it shows change in an appropriate way to what I'm about to write about. It shows how the shows characters have changed over the years and how the writers have changed how they are perceived and act in the show. The worst part is, if most of you are completely honest, you wouldn't have noticed massive changes in the characters. But they are there and this image sums it up. Funny that, change. It kinda creeps up on you.

When I started writing this blog, I had a lot of things on my mind. Writing a blog seemed like the best way to get them out and to be heard. It has been fairly good, even if my writing needs work. The main reason for starting was because of the plethora of things I had to write about or felt I could write interesting pieces about. I started this blog just before Easter, and have been endeavouring to post regularly and interestingly. Endeavouring does not mean succeeding. At that time, I was busy socially, sporting and academically and had so much to write about I made sure I blogged regularly enough. I didn't always have the time to fit it into schedule.

The change has come post exams, once I have returned home to the wonderful hallowed town of Llanelli. (Sarcasm in parts but not as much as you think.) My life exists of breakfast,gym,lunch,job hunting, house, ps3, running and reading. These are all activities I quite enjoy apart from job hunting, but they aren't very exciting. This leads me to have loads of free time to do what I want. Blogging is high on the list, but the lack of excitement in my current lift means I have little to write about. Talk about catch 22 right? Not quite as harsh as the tale of Yossarian but essentially to find things to write about I have to take away the free time that would allow me to blog. Like I said before, change is weird.

On a passing note, if you've seen any of my tweets or status's lately you'll know I've been raving about and watching a lot of House. I will eventually shut up, but it is a genius of a program, a superbly played character and one of few TV shows that actually makes me think and become sharper. It's odd. Maybe I have a very similar sense of humour to the writer. Jesus, has that changed in me too?

These Days I Lead A Very Templar Hating Life

 

Since being home from university, my life has consisted of few things. These include (most but not everyday) job hunting, training, Ps3, deciding what food to eat in the evening, golf and cricket. Mixed in between go reading and TV watching. Yes, that's right it doesn't sound exciting and I can guarantee you it isn't. It was fun for all of 3 days, but everything gets old. Golf and Cricket becomes frustrating (18 bad holes Monday and a shit loss Wednesday), job hunting becomes unsuccessful and begins to get you down, and the others become boring once done to death. The main things that have kept me from getting to the point of writing this blog have been the ps3 game Assassins Creed: Brotherhood and the book "The Sword of the Templar's" by Paul Christopher. To be reading and playing Templar themed entertainments simultaneously came around by complete coincidence.

Now both items are written upon a certain layer of truth. The game was researched well and is based upon truth but then bends it a bit for the story. This made for a confusing but shocking end to the game. The book is based more upon truth and could feasibly be a true story as all events are real and don't delve into the realms of fantasy the creed games do. The book is not finished but already shows the Templar's to be evil, Nazi related catholic colluding nasty pieces of work.

The book and game are similar in that they both portray the Templar's to be deeply intertwined with the Roman Catholic Church. Now being a religion skeptic it's not very hard for me to hate the Templar's and by proxy the Catholics. The game is designed to make you hate them, and hate is a strong word and I'm not committing to it. I'm simply saying it'd be easy to hate them.

The game is enthralling, and no gamer I have spoken to has not enjoyed it. It takes plenty of time and the storyline running through it is superb. You feel like you become the assassin Ezio. Now Ezio is just a memory in the game from 15th century Italy , played through a simulator by a subject called Desmond. The more time in the simulator the more he becomes like Ezio. Desmond is a descendant of Ezio and is supposedly the true savior of the people. He is the chosen one to defeat the Templar's. The majority of the game is based in Rome and is realistic and believable as the story of the cerebral assassin Ezio. It takes a turn for the weird, like previous games, towards the end and this is where my mind exploded out of my ass.

The story uses religious mystery that strays away from reality. The assassin's of the past speak to Desmond in a hologram and advise him to make a decision that shocks every gamer who will have played this game, me included. It almost makes you feel sorry for the Templar's. Almost. Although I have rambled on about Templar hate and the very confusing story of a series of games (that I have tried and pretty much failed to cram into about 6 lines), the theme of this blog can be simplified. Theory's of ancient societies, be it Templar's, Assassins or The Masons interest me. They fascinate me, and I cannot get enough reading material on them. Stories breed strong feelings like hate and empathy and without them being a little based on truth they wouldn't be able to keep me interested and not depressed in my current life period. I am even tempted to buy the Assassins Creed books. Bet you can't wait for my rambling review on them...

The Most Important Time Of Day.... For Men

One of the stranger but greater things I learnt from my dad is the importance of knowing when to take a break from your day, and use the toilet. Yes, I am writing a blog about toilet time, which as most men out there know is the most important time of day. Toilet time is the only time in a day, when you can get away with doing what you want and have the perfect excuse. Now women or non-believers out there may think toilet time is limited but alas you are wrong. See the main thing I use it for is reading, to make damn sure I get through my books quickly, I always have a book close to the toilet in order to read whilst parked. You can also read the paper, do a sudoku, do the crossword or for the tech savvy you can use your laptop from the shitter. Twitter from the shitter, maybe I'll patent that one. (See that's four things there completely off the top of my head, take that non-believers).

Now we've established many things can be done during toilet time, I will go on to stress the importance of it. It is usually the only 20-30 minutes in a day (combined between or as one whole) that a man has peace, quiet and an excuse to do what he wants. In this day and age that is massively sought after. Peace and quiet is important to all men. We can ponder our thoughts over a good read, relieving any stress and all of this without having to provide any reason other than: I was on the toilet. The genius of toilet time is it's simplicity.

Lastly reader, I am not the only one who appreciates toilet time. My dad stressed it's importance to me and it wasn't until mature enough to appreciate it I realised so. Other esteemed colleagues of mine have shown a fondness of toilet time. Be it Steven Pettiford with his sometimes hilarious "Toilet Tweets" or Tim "Seppo" Macy who drafted his NFL fantasy team "Fried Stuff With Cheese" from the karsy. I'm sure there are many more out there who don't admit a liking for toilet time, and hopefully this article will show them that there are others who appreciate its genius.

P.s

Even slightly famous people appreciate toilet time as Sam Halpern is quoted in the book Shit My Dad Says “Son, you’re complaining to the wrong man. I can shit anywhere, at any time. It’s one of my finer qualities. Some might say my finest.”

My Gran Had Good Intentions, But Better Than She Thought

Having been filled with exams all that they bring, my life has been without books for a while (apart from those dreaded text books). Having not read since The Lost Symbol   I needed to get back into reading. My gran had suggested me a book before Easter and I had tossed it aside due to a) The Lost Symbol and b) lack of time to read in uni c) it was extra clutter I simply didn't need. Now my gran has suggested books to me before, including Playing For Pizza which turned out to be brilliant. It was a John Grisham book that was completely different to his usual law based crime thrillers. It was solely about American Football in Italy, and typically I loved it.

Before I continue, I feel I should tell you a little bit about my gran for those of you who don't know her or heard me talk about her. She is a 4ft 11 ex teacher who lived a quarter of her life in Hong Kong teaching the children of the British army contingent out there. She is well travelled and despite her old age still very sharp and intelligent. She is also completely pickled by gin and smokes at least ten cigarettes a day. How she is still going is beyond me, medical science and all dietitians anywhere, ever. But I love her and wouldn't change her for the world. She loves crime thriller books and buys them by the boatload as she has a passion for reading that far outshines mine. Perhaps where I got mine from, maybe it'll get deeper the older I get. Who knows?

Anyways, the book is called Accused and is written by this guy (--->) Mark Gimenez. He is a Texas born, Notre Dame educated lawyer turned author. Now upon further research thanks to the Internet, I have realised Accused is actually a sequel (I did wonder why they kept mentioning his previous case so much) and this is a bit of a shame because now we already know the outcome to what would I'm sure have been a good read. My gran suggested the book to me, due to it's gruesome murder, exciting plot line and interesting read. Unknowingly to her, it was a better book fit for me than I expected. The book is about the murder of a golf pro which would've done me just fine but also the main character is a poor mans lawyer named Scott Fenney, who is highly intelligent and skilled. He starred at football as a running back at SMU but never made the pro's so used his intelligence to study law. The book details his defence of his ex-wife who is accused of the murder of the man she left Scott for. Owing a duty to his daughter, he seeks to prove his wife innocent. The book leaves plenty of red herrings but the answer that solves the case is highlighted a little bit too much for my liking. This allowed me to spot it earlier than I should have. Though the twist that comes towards the end is completely unexpected and makes the book all the better.

After a slow start, I piled into this book and finished it in 4 days, reading the final 200 pages this morning as I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed reading it, and I'm hoping it starts another spell of frantic book reading for me. If it does, I will run out of books before the summer's end. My dads collection of books will take a hammering over the next few weeks. My gran may like her 3 gin's and multiple fags a day but she can't half pick a book!