Resolve
January 4, 2010 at 5:49 pm | In Narcissism | Leave a CommentIs it 2010 already? 2009 was only getting started.. For those of you who are interested in what I was up to, I was in my bedroom in BT38 (NI) watching the London celebrations on TV. I might have thought to watch the BBC Scotland version in Edinburgh on my parents’ Freesat but that thought never occurred to me. Even after 8 years in Scotland (admittedly only 3 of which I’ve spent Hogmanay there) I’ve never been particularly bothered about new year, although I will admit the extra bank holiday is pretty nice.
It’s always the way this time of year: new year, new start, new Labour.. well maybe not the last one, but January 1st is, for me, a day of contemplation as to what’s coming up this year. I intimated briefly in my 2009 review what would be coming up, and I guess I should expand on that.
Sadly for me, this will be the year I finally enter the “real world”, and so the next 6 months will be spent writing my PhD thesis, applying for jobs and ekeing out the last of my student discounts and snapfax offers. After that though, it’s hard to say what I want to do with my life. While any job offers for a guy with a PhD in mathematics and a love of Ulster produce will be welcome, it’s probably best that I take a long hard think and pray about such things. Staying in numbers would be pretty great, since it’s pretty much my life just now, but we shall see. And as to where….?
I am often asked if I’ll go back to Northern Ireland when I’m done. I’ve always said that there are only two ways this would happen, one of which is running out of money (which would be the result of a long period of unemployment and a lack of control on my part), and the other is for another time, but is arguably more likely (but still not probable). Don’t get me wrong, I like Northern Ireland a lot, but all my best friends are either in Edinburgh or moved on elsewhere now, so going back would be pretty much starting all over again (albeit with my family much nearer again). Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, it just doesn’t really appeal.
So what else is in store? I have other things I must do. One of them frightens me to death, but is necessary. Others include keeping promises, watching less TV, playing more football, finishing my big pile of books (still…), praying more and thinking more positively. If the last two things happen, then this will be a good year indeed!
Close of Play: the 2009 review
December 23, 2009 at 12:46 am | In Narcissism | 2 CommentsHas it really been a year? Why yes, so it’s time for another annual dose of narcissism. So instead of lists this year, there are some questions I will answer instead.
What was the high point of 2009?
Well, it would be remiss of me to ignore that I passed my driving test at the umpteenth time of asking and subsequently bought my first car, a lovely wee Ford Fiesta (which has no name, and will stay that way). It’s just a shame that driving is so expensive…
Any other highlights?
A few: I wrote a lot of my thesis; had a brilliant tutorial group; became a co-leader of a small group; got a brilliant new minister at church; completed a food hygiene course at church; sang in a choir at church; took part in an hilarious (?) sketch in church; drove safely home in snowy conditions;
What was the low point of 2009?
While many good things happened, a few dud things must also happen. There was no low point as such, but recent events have caused me to perennially cast doubt on things I’ve done and because I worry so much about these things, my quality of life has suffered as a result. But I guess this is a phase that will pass.
Anything else?
I did fail my driving test twice this year before I finally passed, but since I did ultimately pass, it wasn’t a problem. There were a couple of health issues, but they both passed. I can’t think of anything else..
Tell me some things you learnt this year:
1) Nature abhors a vacuum; but not as much as (some) married Christians abhor a single twenty-something Christian. This sounds like a complaint, but it’s not really, I just find it funny.
2) Sending messages in public (like in Facebook, Bebo,blogs or Twitter) is pretty much an open goal for anyone to read them, get the wrong conclusions and give you “helpful advice” when they next see you. Private messages are the way forward!
3) Writing a PhD thesis is HARD. Who knew?
Person of 2009:I think Robin Sydserff, our minister. He’s really re-energised the church (things were a bit stale during the vacancy) and the training we’re getting for evangelism, preaching and so on is both brilliant and invaluable. He’s a great preacher too…
Best Film you saw this year:
Slumdog Millionaire I would think: though I add the caveat that I only saw about ten films this year, so I’ve missed out on Gran Torino, Avatar, Moon and other things that were suppose to be brilliant. Honourable mentions to Frost/Nixon and District 9 too.
Worst Film you saw this year:
Terminator Salvation by a country mile. Terminator and Terminator 2 are two of my favourite ever films. This was awful and a complete abomination.
Best book I read:
I didn’t read enough books (again.. this seems to be a common theme). Of the ones I read, I think Casino Royale by Ian Fleming was probably the best. Take from that what you will..
Best Sporting Moments:
Andres Iniesta’s last minute equaliser for Barcelona against Chelsea to knock them out on the away goals rule in the Champions League semi-final; Jenson Button’s magnificent drive to win the championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix; Ireland winning the Six Nations Grand Slam; not being crap at fantasy football (for a change). All good.
Best TV Moment:
I guess since the best TV of the year (i.e. Christmas) hasn’t happened yet, it’s hard to say. But I did enjoy the Knitted Character’s adventures on Harry Hill’s TV Burp, and the last ten minutes of the last Doctor Who special (not that the rest of it was bad, it’s just that this bit was particularly emotive) when David Tennant was at his very best as the increasingly unstable 10th Doctor.
Best album you bought this year:
The problem is that I don’t often listen to albums all the way through more than once: however Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown was an exception to this rule, and gets my award this year. Even if Radio 1 was intent on ruining “Know your Enemy” by overplaying it. (And I didn’t buy many albums this year, truth be told)
What are you looking forward to in 2010?
Many things, amongst which I’ll be submitting my thesis and (hopefully) passing my Viva and getting a job. Eek!
I think that will do. If you have a blog, I’d be interested in reading your thoughts on this year too! Have a very merry Christmas, and an aweseme 2010!
I’m going to ask you a bunch of questions…
July 30, 2009 at 9:02 pm | In Narcissism | 4 Comments.. and I want to have them answered immediately. Yes, it’s another survey for 15 year olds I got tagged in on facebook, but I haven’t got anything else to write about. Do it yourself if you want. You know you want to.
1. What time did you get up this morning?
9 AM. Lucky me, eh?
2. How do you like your steak?
Rare-ish.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Terminator Salvation, and it was RUBBISH
4. What is your favorite TV show?
Probably Doctor Who, but I really like Futurama too
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Monaco. It’s awesome. Dodging taxes and having a major international sporting event at your door, who wouldn’t want that?
6. What did you have for breakfast?
I had some Honey Nut Cheerios which probably makes me a terrible person.
7. What is your favorite cuisine?
German sausages, mmm
8. What foods do you dislike?
Cauliflower, Lamb and Marrow. I feel sick just thinking about it actually.
9. Favorite Place to Eat?
There’s a place in Belfast that I can’t remember the name of for the life of me. It’s really good though.
10. Favorite dressing?
Blue cheese maybe.
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
I don’t have one. I’d love to though if anyone wants to give me a free car. If I had enough money and a free choice, I’d probably get a Zonda, or, more realistically, a Honda Civic.
12. What are your favorite clothes?
I don’t have any. Favourites, I mean. Not clothes.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
I’d go to a football match in the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. Apparently it’s an awesome experience.
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
This question irritates me because THEY MEAN THE SAME DAMN THING. Obviously that’s not the spirit of it, but if you put a gun to my head, I’d probably say empty.
15. Where would you want to retire?
Monaco, but more realistically probably County Donegal.
16. Favorite time of day?
around 9PM
17. Where were you born?
County Donegal, Eire
18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Football or F1, tennis when it isn’t Wimbledon.
19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
I’m not doing this on facebook, so it’s not relevant. Pretty sure Henry VIII won’t.
20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
William of Orange
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
The Alliance Party
22. Bird watcher?
No. Random question?
23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Depends what the day has in store. Usually, night.
24. Do you have any pets?
Non. We had a cat years ago that ran off (or it might just have died), perhaps in fear that in future I might take amusing photos of it and put them up on the internet.
25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share?
I completed the Times crossword today (with the help of two professors… but still, I had completed most of it before their input)
26. What did you want to be when you were little?
You know what, I never had an idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up.
27. What is your best childhood memory?
I remember my first day at Primary School, when I asked the same guy what his name was about five times. That was quite funny. I don’t really have a “best” memory though.
28. Are you a cat or dog person?
Cats all the way. Dogs are stupid and bite you. Cats hate you, but at least they generally leave you alone unless they want something to eat.
29. Are you married?
No. You offering? Gosh, this is awkward. Sorry, you’re not my type.
30. Always wear your seat belt?
Always always always
31. Been in a car accident?
I have been in the car when an accident was had, but I don’t really like to talk about that.
32. Any pet peeves?
How much time have you got? Wimbledon, the British sports media (please note that says British and not english), having to use Ulsterbus, being opinionated, the sex addict who lives below me, lame excuses, moths invading my personal space, drag queens, I could go on…
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
Anchovies, pineapple and chicken. Mmmmm
34. Favorite Flower?
Umm… you know, it’s something I’ve never considered. Why don’t you ask my favourite car or footballer or computer game or film or something?
35. Favorite ice cream?
They used to sell this thing called Romantica which was AMAZING but I can’t find it anywhere any more. Probably Phish Food.
36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test?
Hahahaha gosh sometimes I think these questions were put here to embarass me. More than once. Less than ten. I passed my theory first time…
38. From whom did you get your last email?
Lincoln telling me about plans to watch F1 (actually I’ve had plenty of faceless corporations send me rubbish, but I won’t count those)
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
I would rather avoid it all together to be honest, but if you forced me… PC World?
40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Nothing major, but I did decide to spend the afternoon working at metropole rather than in my office. It’s much more pleasant so I’ll do it more often I think.
41. Like your job?
Ha, it’s not really a job, but it’s okay, I guess.
42. Broccoli?
If I’m in the mood. Wouldn’t usually buy it for myself, but wouldn’t leave it on the plate if someone were to cook it for me.
43. What was your favorite vacation?
Gosh, I don’t know, maybe Munich in 2007.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
My parents and little brother for his graduation, I think.
45. What are you listening to right now?
Buzzcocks closing credits
46. What is your favorite color?
Blue
47. How many tattoos do you have?
None.
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?
….
49. Coffee Drinker?
Memory
July 13, 2009 at 11:44 pm | In Bible, Narcissism | 2 CommentsAs friends and identity theft fans will know, I recently turned 25, and I’ve discovered that getting older means that you start forgetting things.
My memory is, shall we say, not terribly selective with what it remembers. I remember things. Just the other night I was able to recount a story my flatmate’s fiancée told us that she (and the rest of us) had completely forgotten. If I know you (and if you’ve told me the approriate information!), I could probably tell you when your birthday was, if you have a driving licence, the names of at least four cities or football clubs in your country, the result of every football World Cup match since 1998 (Costa Rica 2 China 0 in 2002 wasn’t a great game), when we met, what we talked about and the eye colour of pretty much every girl I’ve had a crush on. I can even remember phone numbers of old friends I had in primary school! (To give you an indication of how old I’m talking about, the area code was 01247 and not 02891!)
It should be noted that I don’t try to remember these things. I just do, and sometimes people react negatively when I remember something about them (not necessarily a bad thing), but I promise you that it’s just because I’ve remembered and not for any nefarious purpose or because I somehow have some weird stalkerism about you!
But time takes its toll. I’ll probably remember these things my whole life, but now I’m struggling to remember more important things like getting milk and how much money I owe or am owed by my flatmates, or what I actually went in for when I went into the kitchen, or even if I meant to go into the kitchen in the first place!
Being able to remember stuff is, however, not especially useful unless you can somehow apply it, and I don’t just mean in pub quizzes. I got 100% in my driving theory test, so I obviously knew how to drive a car. But I failed my practical test seven times because I wasn’t able to apply properly what I knew to the rigorous testing in the driving test. Similarly, I know a lot about the Bible. But that’s absolutely no use unless I can apply what I read there to my own life. So it’s a gift, certainly, but it needs to be used well, and I guess the parable of the talents fits in here.
It’s late, so I’ll leave you with an extract from possibly my favourite Bible book, Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 good advice here for the young, and the young at heart:
1 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come,
And the years draw near when you say,“ I have no pleasure in them”:
2 While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
4 When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all the daughters of music are brought low.
5 Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to his eternal home,
And the mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,[a]
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
Remember what is important, while you still can!
25 random facts
April 19, 2009 at 11:14 pm | In Narcissism | 1 CommentThis has been doing the rounds on facebook (and has been sitting in my drafts for a while!), so I thought I’d do my own.
1. I won’t use abbreviations like “ur” “l8″ or “nite” in a text message or twitter unless I’m running short on space or trying to be ironic.
2. I used to fancy Baby Spice.
3. I was baptised in a place in Donegal called Ballylennon.
4. In my Uni building, I wonder if I should keep a crowbar handy… just in case.
5. My roast dinner order of preference is (best first): Chicken, beef, turkey, nut roast, lamb, pork
6. I probably don’t go home often enough
7. I can’t stand the thought of wearing odd socks. If I don’t have a matching pair (rare) I’ll go without
8. I won’t leave the flat without my keys, phone and wallet (and now my glasses)
9. I can’t stand Merseyside Red (my mother always told me not to swear), though I have relented and started picking their players in fantasy football
10. I live with four other boys. They are mostly harmless and not at all racist
11. I have a cousin who’s an international football referee. He sent an Estonian player off for taking his shirt off
12. My favourite Bible book is Ecclesiastes
13. I’m a middle child, which probably explains a lot
14. A student in one of my tutorials recently complained that my English wasn’t very good. Good to see my grammar school education came in handy
15. Sometimes, I wonder if anyone really knows me
16. I didn’t learn to drive when I was 17 because I didn’t really feel the need to and I had no money. Every time I thought about booking lessons while at uni, one of the guys I went to school with died in a car accident. I finally started not so long ago
17. I wish I could write more thought-provoking stuff than trivialities like this
18. I believe certain people read far too much into twitter conversations. Certainly, there are more than six, and none of them are women. (#DiscountSushi isn’t involved, sorry Dave)
19. I wish I could speak Irish, but I was raised in the wrong community for that
20. I don’t understand how old episodes of Friends or the Simpsons i’ve seen a million times already can still be hilarious while episodes of the Mighty Boosh i haven’t seen before barely raise a smile
21. I’m listening to Radio 5 live
22. I really hate it when you buy food and it turns out to be really spicy. I should probably read the labels
23. I deliberately (yes, it was deliberate!) failed my English Literature GCSE mock (or prelim, if you prefer) so I wouldn’t have to do the exam (a subject which I hated and never chose to do anyway)
24. I love the 10p late night bakery in Scotmid
25. Often, I use humour because I’m nervous and don’t know how else to react.
That’s yer lot!
Kirsty’s 100 questions for 14 year olds
March 6, 2009 at 11:56 am | In Narcissism, random | Leave a CommentSomeone tagged me in this on facebook, thought I’d do it myself, since I haven’t done so for about 8 years…
100 Truths
1. Last beverage: tea with milk. Alas it was too weak…
2. Last phone call→ Tom rang me to find out who the randomer who texted him was. ha.
3. Last text message→ Adrian informing me of din dins
4. Last song you listened to→ One Day Like This by Elbow
5. Last time you cried→ When I was really ill 6 years ago. Haven’t cried properly since, maybe I should see someone about that…
SIX HAVE YOU EVER:
6. Dated someone twice → As in dated, broke up and started dating again? No.
7. Been cheated on?→ No
8. Kissed someone & regretted it? Yes
9. Lost someone special?→ No
10. Been depressed?→ You don’t know the half of it
11. Been drunk and threw up? No
LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:
12. blue
13. red
14. yellow
15. cyan
HAVE YOU:
16. Made new friends → Er.. yeah
17. Fallen out of love → No
18. Laughed until you cried → Can’t recall ever doing so, though it’s good to make someone else do it!
19. Met someone who changed you → Very much so
20. Found out who your true friends were → Define “true” and get back to me
21. Found out someone was talking about you→ yes
22. Kissed anyone on your friend’s list→ No
23. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life → All of them, though perhaps contact isn’t as good as it could be in some cases
24. How many kids do you want to have→ 2?
25. Do you have any pets → Not now no
26. Do you want to change your name→ Not really, though if it stops people referring to me by my surname (something I hate) then I would consider it
27. What did you do for your last birthday→ Dinner and drinks with friends. I like low-key.
28. What time did you wake up today – 7:25 AM
29. What were you doing at midnight last night → Playing Street Fighter IV
30. Name something you CANNOT wait for → Submitting my thesis? In the near future, looking forward to London
32. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → I’d have sorted out my attitude problems in school
33. What are you listening to right now → Starlight by Muse
34. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom →Yes, several
35. What’s getting on your nerves right now? → If I have to put something, I’ll say the constant talk of economic downturn
36. Most visited webpage → BBC Sport
37. What’s your name→ ulsterscot84
38. Nicknames→ Don’t really have any
39. Relationship Status → Single and happy to be so
40. Zodiac sign → Cancer
41. Male or female → male
42. Elementary–> Newtownards Model
43. Middle School → Cabin Hill (yes I went to prep school, but only for two years)
44. High school —> Campbell College
45. Hair color → Brownish-fairish
46. Long or short — as short as I can humanly manage
47. Height → 5′7? Dunno
48. Do you have a crush on someone? → Yes, no, maybe, I don’t know, can you repeat the question?
49: What do you like about yourself? → my razor-sharp wit, though it’s got me in trouble a few times…
50. Piercings → None
51. Tattoos → No
52. Righty or lefty → Right
FIRSTS :
53. First surgery → Tonsils out
54. First piercing → None
55. First best friends → David Dixon, but we sadly lost contact after Primary School. Sad times.
56. First sport you joined → Football I think
57. First pet → Frostie the cat
58. First vacation→ Isle of Man?
59. First concert → Can’t remember
60. First crush → Claire in my primary school class. She’s all married now and everything!
RIGHT NOW:
61. Eating → Not eating anything at present.
62. Drinking → Ditto
63. I’m about to → Take an mi2 tutorial. Pray for me.
64. Listening to → How many times are you going to ask this?
65. Waiting for → 2PM, though I can’t say why..
YOUR FUTURE :
66. Want kids? → Yes
67. Want to get married? → Yeah sure why not
68. Careers in mind? → I’d like to get into sports statistics or something to do with data. I have an unhealthy obsession with spreadsheets
WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
69. Lips or eyes → Eyes
70. Hugs or kisses → I actually prefer hugs
71. Shorter or taller → shorter
72. Older or Younger → younger
73. Romantic or spontaneous → Not fussed
74. Nice stomach or nice arms → ?
75. Sensitive or loud → Sensitive maybe?
76. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship
77. Trouble maker or hesitant → Neither
HAVE YOU EVER :
78. Kissed a stranger → No
79. Drank hard liquor → Yes, but I’m 24 now, so that’s not really saying much
80. Lost glasses/contacts → No
81. Sex on first date → haha no
82. Broken someone’s heart → Not that I know of
83. Had your own heart broken → Only by myself
85. Been arrested → No
86. Turned someone down –> Yeah
87. Cried when someone died → Yes
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
89. Yourself → Thankfully I have no doubts about my own existence
90. Miracles → Yes
91. Love at first sight → No
92. Heaven → Yes
93. Santa Claus → No
95. Kiss on the first date? → Just depends I guess
96. Angels → Yes
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
97. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Not really no
98. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? → No
99. Wish you could do it over again? → Do what?
100. Posting this as 100 Truths? → Yes..huh?
La Vie
January 31, 2009 at 11:33 am | In Narcissism | Leave a CommentMore shameless Koala-based plagiarism. The idea is for you to just describe what you were doing or hope to be doing at the given time.
5yrs ago – I was in second year in my Maths degree and had started drinking (in moderation!) after I somehow managed to avoid drinking in my first year. I was getting just about scraping through the exams and struggling to settle into any particular church, and going through one of the longest crushes I’ve ever had. It was still good times though!
10yrs ago – I was in fourth year at school in Belfast and living in Newtownards, which was by no means a vintage year. I had not yet discovered my love of Maths, and I was kind of disillusioned at life (perhaps this is where my famous cynicism started to kick in). My dad’s ministry in Newtownards was nearing an end, and I was kind of looking forward to the new start in life that comes with moving which sadly turned out to be a false dawn. I had very few friends in school because of some of the things I had done (which I am deeply ashamed of), so I didn’t really have much of a life at all. My favourite subject at school was French, and I deliberately failed my English Literature mock exam so I didn’t have to sit the GCSE (which I never wanted to do in the first place).
15yrs ago -I was in P6 where the teacher often made fun of me for various reasons. I didn’t really have any ambitions at this point, as I was completely focussed on the present time. I remember that I really enjoyed the raft of 11+ practice tests (it wasn’t scrapped in NI) because I always got good marks in them (except for the English bits- I think I got an A solely because of Maths and Science!).
20yrs ago – I was still living in Eire, and you know things are tragic when you thought going to Strabane was exciting. Nevertheless, I had started school and was, curiously, in the same class as my (2-years older!) brother, but perhaps that’s not unusual in the country (by the way my brother’s not thick, he wasn’t kept back two years, I think this was because of staffing issues or something).
In the future
5 years from now – I’ll be 29, and by then I would have to have something resembling a job (and will hence have gotten over my chronic confidence issues) and I will finally have passed my flippin’ driving test and got my PhD! Where will I be? No idea! Hopefully still in Scotland.
10 years from now -We’ll all be laughing at Back to the Future’s description of the year 2015. I might or might not have a family (with a wife who understands Formula 1, preferably), and I might, finally, have finished reading Catch 22.
15 years from now – I’ll have turned into my Dad, probably, telling terrible jokes and having a receding hairline.
20 years from now – Your guess is as good as mine.
Close of Play: the 2008 review
December 22, 2008 at 10:55 pm | In Narcissism | 1 CommentNarcissism ahoy!
I dislike those “round robin” letters you get at Christmas. They are written by people who assume you care about what they’ve acheived and what they haven’t (the worst thing I ever read in one of these was “Susannah has finally got herself a boyfriend!”) even though you haven’t really conversed with them the rest of the year.
So with that in mind, I’m going to assume you care about what I’ve acheived and what I haven’t even though I haven’t really conversed with you (possibly) the rest of this year, in this, my review of 2008.
Without further ado, I start in typical style with 2 lists:
List I: ten good things that happened this year ( in no particular order)
I Susannah finally got herself a boyfriend I (possibly) got enough material to write a thesis
II Little Jonny passed his grade 8 piano and got 8 A*s in his A- Levels I moved into a new flat which has worked well, so far
III Tottenham won the League Cup
IV I discovered that Marmite is actually quite good (put it on your toast with beans!)
V St Catherine’s is getting a brilliant new minister
VI Going to visit my friend in Amsterdam
VII Successfully gave up facebook for lent (and then some, it was four months in total!)
VIII Dodged taxes for another year
IX Beat keepfishing at PES (though we didn’t really play often enough 
)
X Watched Scotland win the Calcutta Cup
10 not-so-good things that happened (some more light-hearted than others)
I My Grandad passing away
II A friend getting divorced
III Failing my driving test a further three times, one of which affected me really badly
IV The sky fell in on my world, semi-literally, when the ceiling collapsed above my desk in uni, causing me to lose a LOT of work.
V I got extremely upset by something that happened in May, but I’m not really at liberty to say what that was
VI I escaped death (?) when a lot of tiles fell off the bathroom wall while I was having a shower in my old flat.
VII I watched NI and Scotland play one of the worst games of football I’ve ever seen
VIII Four Christmases
IX Seeing friends lose jobs because of the economic woes
X Finishing well down the fantasy football table
And now categories:
High point of 2008:
In a year when morale was low, and the world ran out of money, it’s hard to think of an outstanding high point. I’ll go for two friends of mine getting engaged, and I’m very much looking forward to the wedding!
Low point of 2008:
Failing driving test #4. It was a complete disaster and it distressed me to the level that I couldn’t eat for a few days after it for fear of throwing it back up again.
Person of 2008:
My Mum for being so strong after everything that happened.
Best film you saw this year:
The Dark Knight. Enjoyed every minute. Worst film: Four Christmases.
Best book you read:
In traditional style I didn’t get through many books. I did, however, enjoy Of Mice and Men, although that was a re-read. I thoroughly recommend reading all the books they made you read at school, they ARE better than your english teachers would have you think!
Best sporting moment:
Lewis Hamilton going past Timo Glock on the last corner of the last lap of the last race of the season. I don’t even really like him, but that was something else!
What you are looking forward to most in 2009
Is it cheeky to suggest “submitting my thesis”?
Thing you will miss least about 2008
Probably Northern Ireland’s poor attempts at football, although I will miss the first six months when certain commentators were forced to accept that England were not going to win the next tournament they were in.
And that’s yer lot. Have a brilliant Christmas and a fantastic 2009! I would be interested in how your year went, so if you’ve done a similar thing please let me know. Cheerio!
100th post Narcissistic Extravaganza!
August 6, 2008 at 11:20 am | In Bible, Film, Music, Narcissism, TV, Travel, books | 4 CommentsNew format this time, instead of 100 arbitrary facts (I’m not that interesting) I present to you my top ten top ten lists. You can find other such posts here and here. This is a list of my favourites and may not be an indication of what is actually “best”. Booya.
List I: Top ten Bible books
I Ecclesiastes
II Gospel of John
III Revelation
IV Proverbs
V Genesis
VI Acts
VII Romans
VIII Ezekiel
IX Gospel of Luke
X Hebrews
List II: Top ten Non-religious books
XI L’étranger by Albert Camus
XII Lord of the Flies by William Golding
XIII La Peste by Albert Camus
XIV The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
XV Eureka! The Birth of Science by Andrew Gregory
XVI Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Snigh
XVII The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinnis
XVIII The Story of the World Cup by Brian Glanville
XIX Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
XX La Symphonie Pastorale by André Gide
List III: Top ten Movies
XXI Terminator 2: Judgement Day
XXII The Terminator
XXIII Serial Lover
XXIV Return of the Jedi
XXV A Beautiful Mind
XXVI Juno
XXVII The Dark Knight
XXVIII Batman Begins
XXIX Spiderman 2
XXX Casino Royale
List IV: Top ten TV shows
XXXI Doctor Who
XXXII Peep Show
XXXIII Torchwood
XXXIV Mock the Week
XXXV Have I Got News for You
XXXVI QI
XXXVII Match of the Day
XXXVIII Give My Head Peace (RIP)
XXXIX Futurama
XL Gavin and Stacey
List V: Top Ten Radio Shows
XLI I’m Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue (RIP Humph)
XLII The Now Show
XLIII The News Quiz
XLIV The Chris Moyles Show
XLV Sport on Five
XLVI The Scott Mills Show
XLVII Mark and Lard (I know it’s not on anymore, but still)
XLVIII Fighting Talk
XLIX Stephen Nolan
L Richard Bacon
List VI: Top ten Pet Hates
LI People standing at pedestrian crossings and waiting, having not pressed the button
LII Cyclists going through red lights & riding on Jawbone Walk
LIII Smug Mac users & Apple fanboyism generally
LIV People saying “3AM in the morning” or “5PM in the afternoon”
LV “Apostrophe’s” or, worse, “comma,s” where they aren’t supposed to be
LVI Windows Vista
LVII James Allen on ITV F1 coverage
LVIII People who shout “Come on [insert British player here]” at Wimbledon
LIX The general attitude towards Mathematics these days
LX The obsession with celebrities
List VII: Top ten music artists
LXI Muse
LXII Green Day
LXIII REM
LXIV Ting Tings
LXV Manu Chao
LXVI Arctic Monkeys
LXVII Amy MacDonald
LXVIII Snow Patrol
LXIX Blink 182
LXX Bloc Party
List VIII: Top ten countries other than the UK & Ireland I might want to live in
LXXI Canada
LXXII Monaco
LXXIII Germany
LXXIV New Zealand
LXXV Australia
LXXVI France
LXXVII Denmark
LXXVIII South Korea
LXXIX Luxembourg
LXXX Switzerland
List IX: Top ten on my iTunes most played
LXXXI Still Alive by GlaDos (from the Portal soundtrack)
LXXXII Machines by Biffy Clyro
LXXXIII Pork and Beans by Weezer
LXXXIV Folding Stars by Biffy Clyro
LXXXV Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day
LXXXVI Great DJ by Ting Tings
LXXXVII Imitation of Life by REM
LXXXVIII Supernatural Superserious by REM
LXXXIX Mr Rock & Roll by Amy MacDonald
XC From Despair to Where by Manic Street Preachers
List X: Random Facts
XCI I once played a former Romanian Olympic Table Tennis player. Surprisingly, I lost
XCII I’m currently watching “This Morning” in KB House
XCIII I like Roman Numerals
XCIV I couldn’t tell you exactly how long I’ve been a Christian for
XCV I don’t like it when it’s hot
XCVI My favourite Ice cream flavour is Mint Choc Chip
XCVII I don’t take as many photos as I used to
XCVIII The best thing to put on toast is peanut butter
XCIX Maps are great and I could look at one for hours
… and finally…
C Writing lots of things like this is really hard!
Thanks for reading, I don’t think I’ll be doing another one of these again somehow, but you never know! Cheerio!
50th post Narcissistic extravaganza!
May 8, 2008 at 10:28 pm | In Narcissism, Orion | 7 CommentsSo this is my 50th post and to celebrate I am going to steal an idea from a man known only as “Keep Fishing” and do 50 facts about myself that you may not know. Enjoy…
1. I was born in the Republic of Ireland
2. My first holiday was to the Isle of Man in ‘85 (probably)
3. I don’t think that the Mighty Boosh is funny
4. Breakfast is the best meal of the day
5. I tend to live with people who like to wear nothing under their dressing gowns and it displeases me
6. The last album I bought was the Wombats’ album
7. I am a Cat person
8. I have a dislike for Liverpool FC and tend to avoid picking their players in fantasy football
9. I suck at fantasy football
10. I would never go to a hairdressers over a barber
11. My favourite drink is Guinness
12. Futurama is pretty much the best programme ever
13. Doctor Who isn’t far behind
14. To date I don’t believe I have watched a movie rated “18″ in the cinema
15. I don’t believe tapping the side of a coke can actually makes a difference
16. My favourite sporting event is the Monaco Grand Prix
17. I don’t understand why people in Scotland call coke “juice”
18. I once asked a girl out by letter. She said no
19. I often use humour as an affront to how I am actually feeling
20. I tend to play as AS Roma in PES
21. Nothing is more annoying than cyclists going through red lights
22. I used to work for the NI department of Agriculture
23. I have been on Radio Five phone-ins three times
24. I find spam amusing more than annoying
25. I get embarrassed when people use long words when they aren’t really necessary
26. I get really self-conscious when I talk to people
27. I am a middle child and exhibit classic symptoms of middle child syndrome
28. My birthday is a local holiday
29. My favourite country is (currently) Germany (but it changes)
30. My favourite place I have been is Monaco
31. My favourite band is Muse
32. I actually quite like the smell of cigarette smoke, but I wouldn’t ever start smoking
33. Often I don’t take life as seriously as I should
34. I originally supported the Iraq war and now oppose it
35. The worst thing you can do is steal my cereal
36. I am currently listening to “Up in the Sky” by Oasis
37. I like spreadsheets, probably too much
38. I dislike horse racing
39. The worst film I ever saw was “Doom” starring the Rock (which might have been an 18 come to think of it)
40. I don’t like when mates start going out with somebody and you never see them again
41. I am quite lucky when it comes to pool
42. I don’t know where to stand in the creation/evolution debate, but don’t believe that it really matters
43. I enjoy the smell of sun cream in the summer (in winter it’s just plain weird)
44. I remember too many things, to the extent that people believe I am somehow stalking them, when I just remember little details
45. Despite this, my short-term memory is not so great
46. I have a poor record in PES tournaments (although I have won one)
47. The title of this blog is taken from an REM song
48. My dream car is the Pagani Zonda. The chances of my owning it are precisely nil
49. My favourite game is Half Life 2
50. I don’t get what’s so “sexy” about Paris Hilton
So there you go. I was struggling towards the end as you may have guessed. I strongly doubt I will be doing a similar thing for my 100th post but that’s a long way away.
Use RSS Feeds?
Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
