Tuesday 17 August 2010

Update

1) See a film at IMAX - DONE (07/08/10)
Inception at the Odeon at Metro Centre. Is there actually any difference between the IMAX and a normal screen? Seriously underwhelmed; it was a good thing that the film itself was amazing, otherwise I would've felt hard done by after parting with what seems to be an unreasonable amount of money. 


30) Go hiking 5 times - In Progress [2/5]
Met up with Jack and Sam at Lancaster Station then set off to Kentmere (after a quick stock up of munch). It took us a while to find a decent route, but when we did, it was a decent hike. Weather was great, scenery lush and plenty of great photos taken. Lunch in the shade by a stream, countless sheepish sheep, skipped stones at a reservoir, admired deep chasms and climbed mountains of slate. Decent hike indeed.


47) Win a bet on the football - DONE (07/07/10)
£3 at 22-1 on Spain vs Holland in the WC final. A few other lost bets on the WC brought the winnings down to £50. Not too shabby.


58) Watch 100 films I haven't seen before -  In Progress [30/100]
  • Avatar - One of the first films I have seen that lived up to the hype. Watched it on Blu-ray with my American cousin Hugo, his wife and two kids, and my sister; all of us crammed into my room. Visually stunning and a story which actually had a soul.
  • District 9 - A film which my cousin's kids had to miss out, much to their dismay (although they had 'Where The Wild Things Are' to entertain them). Not what I was expecting but still entertaining. Fookin' prawns.
  • The Princess Bride - An unknown gem recommended by Hugo. A simple, yet sweet fairy tale which had the kids sound like a stuck record afterwards. Inconceivable! Inconceivable! ...(many hours later)...Inconceivable! I didn't mind one bit.
  • Three Kingdoms - Resurrection Of The Dragon - Pretty much your run-of-the-mill traditional Chinese war story. Nothing special.
  • The Pursuit Of Happyness - Beautiful, powerful and inspirational. One of Smith's best.
  • Karate Kid - I had almost forgotten about Jackie Chan but he returns in a 'remake' of the classic. A less familiar role (in Hollywood) allowed him the opportunity to show what a great actor he is - along with the kicking arse bit. All in all, I didn't expect it to match the original; it didn't.   
  • Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - A parody of Walk the Line, a parody on so many levels higher than say Scary Movie or the like. Very funny without the use of idiotic gags and overall very entertaining.
  • Disturbia - Me, Kevin, Hamish and Andrew in a hotel room in Birmingham with nothing to do but eat pot noodles, drink beer, play cards and watch Robot Wars. Disturbia came on in the background but we were soon giving our attention towards it. Decent thriller but I just can't take Shia LaBeouf as a serious actor after Even Stevens.
  • Inception - As mentioned above, this film made the extortionate amount I paid worth it (just...). After being warned to pay attention the whole way, I can't see how else I would've watched it. I was captivated throughout and thankfully rarely got lost amidst the intricate plot. Would definitely watch again.
  • The A-Team - I had never seen the original series so I can't really compare it to that. Entertaining nontheless.
67) Buy 10 scratchcards - In Progress [3/10]
£1 scratchcard on the plane to Marmaris. Since when did planes start doing scratchcards?? £1 lost. 


68) Sit in a sauna - DONE (17/08/10)
In Marmaris we decided to go for a full-on Turkish bath with the works which we booked from one of them random excursion stalls on the street. A couple of hours later at our hotel, we were warned not to book one there and to go for the hotel package instead. We didn't have the heart to tell her that it was too late...(we still booked one with the hotel though). But I digress, the sauna was painful. Who would've thought they would be so hot! The heat itself was alright but I made the mistake of rubbing my eyes as sweat dripped from my forehead. God, it burns. It was an experience though.


84) Buy a Newcastle shirt - DONE (11/09/10)
As a reward for passing my theory (see below), I decided to treat myself to the new Toon home top. It just so happens that if you buy a top this weekend, you get a name and number on the back for free! It took a while to decide between the home/away then even longer for the name. So much so that I plucked for Nolan...then after waiting in the (massive) queue for printing, had a change of heart and went for Lovenkrands. Value for money right?


91) Pass theory test - DONE (11/09/10) 
50/50 on the multiple choice and 57/75 for the hazard perception (which I was a bit disappointed with but a pass is a pass! Incidentally, 44 was the pass mark). Now onto the practical!