...And From The Abyss of Hell I Write

Every once in a blue moon you encounter an album that just grinds your body with a chainsaw, dismembering and drowning you in viscera, leaving you to endure the infinite miseries of hell. In more 'friendly' terms, sometimes you come across an album that just blows you away from start to finish. Now a lot of albums in the past have impressed me in one way or another, but the following album impressed and impacted on me in a way that no other album has before. The following album is 'that' good, that it made me want to show some recognition through a blog post. This is by no means a recommendation post - I am writing about an album I like and nothing more.

The album I speak of is 'Diminishing Between Worlds' by DECREPIT BIRTH. It is their second full-length album. I don't want this to be one long kiss-ass tribute, so I'll be short and vague. The album features 11 gut wrenching death metal tracks that penetrate your skull like a jackhammer. Now what really impressed me was the songwriting. This is definitely huge step in front of their previous album. This album is much more melodic, chaotic and most importantly, memorable. They manage to incorporate some vicious melodies without sacrificing their technicality too. Now don't get me wrong, technicality does not make an album, but their song writing skills have definitely improved since their last record. To put simply, there's enough solos, harmonies and blasting in this new gem to shred you into fine paste. I mean, even for a death metal record the harmonies are just beautiful to listen to.

...And I'm Burning Red

Some of you may have noticed my last few posts talking about nothing but university, and this post is no different. Only kidding.

As part of our newly formed youth group which still remains nameless, we embarked on a journey to Coggee Beach as an opportunity to hang out before our secondary and tertiary studies commence. We all met up at my place for the mini-bus to pick us up. Despite the various e-mails I sent urging people to arrive at my place by 8am, some people still decided to show up filo-time anyway.

When the bus arrived at my place, we headed off to the Philippine Consulate Office in the city where we got to meet the Vice Consulate and ask questions about matters regarding the Philippines and whatnot.

After a most informative session at the consulate office, it was off to the sand and into the waves ! I actually lost my wallet on two occasions; once when I went into the waters with my wallet still in my board shorts and by leaving it in the change rooms before departure.

...And This Could Be Fun

I got a letter in the mail this afternoon from UTS containing information about an IT Orientation Camp next month. My eyes didn't have to do much reading for my interest to be acquired. I figured it would be an excellent opportunity to meet my fellow classmates and lecturers, plus obtain more information on university in general.

... And this time, I'm going to bring my pillow and sleeping bag just like it says on the registration form. Last camp I went to, I didn't bring a pillow or sleeping bag despite the permission form clearly saying to do so. I ended up having to use my towel as my pillow, with no blanket to guard me from the sub-zero temperatures of the cabin. You can fool me once, but not twice dammit.

Anyway, not much has been happening IRL. Today Jinno and Toby dropped by. I hooked up the old Nintendo 64 and played some Goldeneye 007. I can't believe how much lag those games produce. Back in Year 3 when I first got a Nintendo 64, those games looked super smooth ... but when you play it today, it just pales greatly in comparison to the smoothness of the consoles of the present. Other than that, I just got back from the soccer fields with the same guys trying to perfect our curls with the ball. I must say, the conditions of the turf, the weather, was perfect.

...And That's That

UTS Enrollment Registration? Tick!
UTS Orientation Registration? Tick!
eCAF Form Submitted?

...
...
...
...


Big Fat Tick!

My goodness that took a while. After many exhausting unsuccessful attempts of trying to access the HECS form on the UTS website, I decided to call my sister and ask her to complete it on my behalf. You see my Windows Vista does not seem to want to co-operate with certain parts of the UTS website, that being the 'My Student Admin'. (Vista is just way too advanced if you get my drift...) Therefore I was forced to consult an old-fashioned XP user that being my sister. After 24 hours of worrying, I'm glad to have got this whole HECS issue out of the way. Now I can just enjoy the rest of these holidays until enrollment day... though I do envy those USYD, Korean Guy and Macquarie kids who have jumped the gun by enrolling as early as next week. My late enrollment day has its benefits though, such as allowing more time to think of majors and subjects. With that said ...

... I'm in a pickle at the moment. I've spent the past couple of hours working my fingers to the bone, trying to decide on possible subject choices. Previously I thought I had decided on an I.T major with that being 'Internetworking and Applications', but after browsing through the handbook for the quadrillionth time, I'm yet to make a decision. As for a business major, well don't get me started. I thought I had my mind made up too, but after a random msn conversation with a friend of a friend, I'm yet to make a decision. There's 10+ choices dammit. Either way, bridging courses is one of my cards definitely on the table.

...And So It Begins

So after almost an hour of trying to login the congested UAC website, I've finally been able to crack the nut. My capped connection is amazingly reminiscent of my primary school days when I had the unfortunate possession of a 56k connection. That sound of a dial up modem use to drive me nuts !

As you 07' HSC'ers may know, the university offers for the main round have been released. I'm delighted to have got my first preference at UTS, doing Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Science in IT. Not too sure what to expect, though if I'm to survive in uni, my study patterns will need change dramatically. Anyway, to my close mates Julienne and Timothy, I'll be seeing you guys soon ! Be sure to visit me if you're ever in close range !

Congratulations to everyone else who got their first preference offers. Let our tertiary studies commence.

EDIT: Ok so one of my best friends is doing the same course as me. What a copycat huh? *hi five Nikki*.

...And Then Comes Lividity

Ok perhaps 'lividity' isn't the perfect adjective to describe my feelings towards the movie I watched today. I guess I've been listening to Gorguts in superfluous quantities (I tell you that stuff can drive you insane after a while). Anyway, the reason for this post is to give you, the public, an insight to the freshly released film 'CLOVERFIELD'. No, you're not alone. I thought it was a peculiar name for a movie too. What does it mean? If you must know, the name 'CLOVERFIELD' is named for the boulevard in Santa Monica where the Bad Robot offices were located during the making of the film. Now for those of you who are wondering 'WTF!?'... it is merely a codename. Let's spare the trivia while I take the time to share my opinion on this original gem of a film. Do not be concerned about reading on; I assure you that my post will not incorporate any spoiler material, or anything potential in ruining the movie for you.

First thing's first. Plot. The movie revolves around a monster running rampant on the streets of New York. You're probably telling yourself "Ok, great another Godzilla and King Kong". WRONG. Sure you've got your typical monster on a 'show no mercy' rampage, but Cloverfield shouldn't be compared to the aforementioned films. The monster's attack on New York is documented by small group of people as they try and escape from being infected. We are shown their every move as they record their experiences. Ok so I've given you a crash course of the plot. Let's elaborate on the inner elements of Cloverfield.

Cinematography is reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project, where you see everything from the cameraman's point of view. Now I don't know about you, but if there was a monster bigger than the Eiffel Tower destroying everything in it's path, I'd drop the camera and make a bee line to the nearest escape point. Obviously, a certain person of this group has felt the need to document everything that is happening. During the first 5-10 minutes, you may be concerned about the dizzying camera movements, but remember, you're viewing the world from the camera of a 'normal' person as he holds it in a 'normal' fashion. There's a price you have to pay for realism, and semi-dizzying camera movements are it.

Essentially, I like to view the film as two parts. You have your pre-attack footage of all the events leading up to the attack, and then you have your post attack footage of the main characters trying to escape. What grabbed my interest is that I was able to see the character's grow and change as a result of the attack. This concept is similar to the movie 'The Deer Hunter' starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and the lovely Meryl Streep. In 'The Deer Hunter' we see how the characters live their normal lives before the Vietnam War commences, and then we see how much they change as a result of the war. To be precise though, Cloverfield is simply a movie focusing on first hand experience, rather than direction and technique.

A definite positive of this film is that it keeps you on the edge of your seat every second. The film contains countless suspenseful moments like the subway scene. As we all know, suspense is critical for keeping your audience interested. I can safely say this film had every bit of my attention throughout. The special effects are top knotch, definitely more believable than that of Will Smith's 'I Am Legend'. I'm completely oblivious to the technical side of things, so please don't flame me if that's an unfair comparison.

Now to get to every film's main ingredient. Acting. While Cloverfield may not have your Al Pacino's or your Kate Winslet's, the 'no-name' cast definitely provides the film a 'good enough' service. Notice I said 'good enough' and not great. If you want to get extremely critical, you could say the actors could have been a bit more engaging. I felt that they were missing that sense of urgency and the physical and emotional exhaustions that a real group would possess. What surprised me were the informalities towards the physical well being of the characters. You know how when you watch a movie, when a certain event or scene occurs, you go 'AS IF!'. This film contains a few of those.

A lot of people have criticized the manner in which the film ends, because it does end out of no where. They're entitled to complain, and don't worry, I won't spoil anything, but I just want to say that this is a film coming directly from a particular group's perspective. While I was bemused, the incomplete ending just makes it that much more realistic. Overall, Clovefield was an enjoyable watch. It's not something I'd go out of my way and borrow for the sake of watching it a second time. I suppose on paper you could look at the plot and label it gimmicky and unoriginal, but don't count your chickens until they've hatched.

Lenny's rating: 7/10.

...And Time Begins

New blogspot. New post. New potential addiction.

Facebook was never really my cup of tea anyway; at least blogspot is much more personal, and I'm less likely to be spammed with those useless applications and inane comments offering me free ringtones and other crap I don't care about. Anyway, I got my HSC certificate in the mail today. I was trying to play some Final Fantasy on the piano when I heard someone open the front gate and beep their horn. At first I thought it was my mates, but it ended up being the mailman delivering my precious HSC certificate. On the subject of school, uni offers are released this Thursday. Come to papa UTS BBus/BsciIT !

Anyhow, I'd make this more detailed but I feel the need to pimp out this profile. Au revoir !