Highly Anticipated Films of 2014 (At the Movies with Daily Lukey)

Welcome back to another post where we look at some more highly anticipated films that 2014 has to offer. To view any of the other posts in this segment just search through the archive to the right, the first post in this series was from January 23, 2014.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The second installment in this highly-anticipated franchise sees Peter Parker at a busy point in his life. Between taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man and spending time with the person he loves, Gwen Stacy, high school graduation could not come quickly enough. Peter has not forgotten about the promise he made to Gwen's father to protect her by staying away, but that's a promise he just can not keep. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro, emerges, an old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, and Peter uncovers new clues about his past.

Adapted From: http://www.movieinsider.com/m8829/the-amazing-spider-man-2/

The Maze Runner

Source: http://www.hypable.com/2013/07/01/the-maze-runner-movie-launches-official-twitter-tumblr-and-facebook/

The Maze Runner is based on the first novel of The Maze Runner trilogy written by James Dashner. When Thomas wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organisation known as W.C.K.D. Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape.

Adapted From: http://www.movieinsider.com/m6784/the-maze-runner/

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1

Source: https://www.facebook.com/TheHungerGamesMovie

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice, but even though she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. President Snow makes it clear that no one is safe either -- not Katniss' family, not her friends and not the people of District 12. The first of the two-part finale in this trilogy is set to yet again be the talk of the town during its release.

Adapted From: http://www.movieinsider.com/m9160/mockingjay/

The Giver

Source: http://www.movieinsider.com/m1036/the-giver/

In a perfect world where there is no conflict, racism or sickness, every member of society has a specific role, and 16-year-old Jonas is selected to be the Receiver of Memories. As Jonas uncovers the truth behind his world's past, he discovers that many years earlier his forefathers gave up humanity in order to have a stable society. The Giver is based on the acclaimed book by Lois Lowry and features a star-studded cast including Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift.

Adapted From: http://www.movieinsider.com/m1036/the-giver/

How to Train Your Dragon 2

The sequel to the surprisingly successful How to Train Your Dragon sees the heroic Viking Hiccup and his faithful dragon Toothless having to protect the peace and save the future of men and dragons from the power-hungry Drago. The second installment in this trilogy is hoped to be as successful as its predecessor.

Adapted From: http://www.movieinsider.com/m7367/how-to-train-your-dragon-2/

See you next week for your guide on the highly anticipated films of 2014. See you tomorrow.

Random Thought Saturday is Back

That's right, Random Thought Saturday is back after a month-long hiatus. It was so hard to not go in all these weird tangents in some of my posts so far this year and so I am glad that this segment is back to normal. Speaking of segments, have you all seen the two new segments that started this week? Every Wednesday is now "Entertainment Wednesday" with all things entertainment and every Thursday is now "At the Movies with Daily Lukey". I was smart enough to not put the day at the end of Thursday's segment so it is not as noticeable when I post it on a different day. Come to think of it, out of the seven days in the week there are only two days remaining without a segment on them. This will stay like that for a while (or at least until I come up with some new idea) but I think that I will always have at least one day where any type of post is possible. Plus, some of these segments I come up with as I am writing the post. Seriously, "At the Movies with Daily Lukey" started out as just a highly-anticipated films of 2014 series. That is why the Frozen review went on Entertainment Wednesday instead. If I had of known I may have chosen a different topic to write about. Anyway, I can find myself getting off topic now.

Source: http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=4996

Tomorrow is Australia day and I would be writing about it tomorrow but it is Doctor Who Sunday and there is no way I am going to be able to write a whole post about Australia day anyway. Well I could but it would not be any good and who would want to read it? Besides, yesterday's post about the graffiti (and damage) done to Captain Cook's Cottage had a moment where I talked about Australia day. Still, what could I write about Australia day without coming off as weird or phony. Anyway, moving on from Australia day. There is just over two months until we fly out to Kokoda and there is still so much to do. We have started regular Tuesday and Thursday afternoon training sessions alongside our weekend hikes and other training as well as fundraising barbecues and events. It is definitely getting closer and more real by the day. It still has not fully hit me (but trust me, it has hit me a fair bit) what I am about to do. I guess I am just lucky that the others in the group are such a nice bunch of people. It would have been really bad if some of us did not get along. We are already going to do stuff we regret when we are tired, it would be a whole lot worse if there were people we did not like. Myself and the girl from my school who is going to have a joke about the amount of blackmail we are going to have on each other after the trip. Still, it is going to be a great and life-changing experience. Plus, in those surveys with "Your Greatest Achievement" sections I will be able to write about something really different and special. I also have to get on to writing some of the posts that are going to be scheduled to come out as I am away as well as some of the proceeding and preceding days to give myself a bit of a break. I think the majority of the posts are going to be about my experience leading up to Kokoda and then there are probably going to be several posts afterwards about my experience on the track. The annoying part is that I have a Piano exam when I come back from Kokoda. My teacher is going to try and get some of the later dates (the exam period for Grade 6 is April 28 to May 10 and I come back from Kokoda on April 25) so that I have time to rest up and get back into the practicing mode so I do not lose all my hard work right before the exam. You see, it is a bit difficult to practice the piano on the Kokoda track. Who would have thought? Moving on to some of the headlines of the week. Justin Bieber was arrested for driving under the influence and it just annoys me how, after all that he has done and been caught doing, people still stand up for him. I just can not believe all those "Beliebers" who stand up for him after all the things he has done. They even justify and down-play some of the stuff like drag racing. The best part is that they say the media is against him and yet as soon as they start reporting positive things the fans go crazy in support of the media. Seriously, some fan girls are just crazy. I am also excited because the new Hunger Games Mockingjay logo and poster was released. I used it in next week's "At the Movies with Daily Lukey" post about the highly anticipated films of 2014. If you missed it though, here it is again:

Source: https://www.facebook.com/TheHungerGamesMovie

I think that is enough random for one post, see you tomorrow!

A Productive Day but a Short Post

Today was actually a really good day and despite going out with friends for most of the day I still got a lot done. Let us start at the beginning. I had to be at Footscray station by 10:30 to meet up with friends so I caught the 9:50 train from Werribee which was set to get me there with time to spare. However, as the train arrived at Newport they made everyone get off because the train was defective. This meant waiting a few minutes to get a replacement train so I only managed to get to Footscray just on time, if not a little late. After this we went to get Pho (vietnamese noodle soup) and I embarrassed myself with chopsticks, then spoons (yes, plural) before my amazing friend had enough entertainment and went to get me a fork. After this we rushed into Melbourne Central to see Catching Fire in Hoyts Xtreme Screen. Luckily we prebooked tickets so we had the best seats. After the movie we walked around a bit before going our separate ways. This is when I went christmas shopping and bought everything I needed for my family.

All in all, it was a great and productive day. See you tomorrow!

Weird Inventions

Today I had no school due to correction day for teachers to mark exams and for students to complete make-up exams if they missed some for whatever reason. Anyway, so today I went to see Catching Fire (which is an awesome movie by the way) and at the end I had to go to the toilet, as you do. As I was relieving myself I got to thinking how weird inventions came about such as the "pee wall" (I could not find anywhere what the actual name was). Again, this is something you normally do as you pee. Anyway, so today I thought I would go through some of the inventions that would have seemed weird at the time they were conceived. Let us begin with the "pee wall". How did that even come about? Did someone want to make peeing on walls socially acceptable. Before this invention if you saw someone peeing on the wall you would call the police. Now, if you see someone pee on these "pee walls" you could congratulate them for not urinating in a public place. Seriously though, does anyone else think the conception of this idea is just a little weird?

Source: http://francis-moran.com/marketing-strategy/identifying-the-invention/

Next we have the odd yet incredibly popular "snuggie". Basically, it is a blanket that you can wear as clothes. Some people even wear it out (though why they would do that I do not know). It is great in that you have complete protection and do not have "cold spots" which the blanket did not cover. Like the pee wall, did someone think that they wanted to make it socially acceptable to wear a blanket in public? Well they definitely succeeded and have since made millions out of it. Such a weird invention but now the majority of people know what you are talking about when you say "snuggie". Now, what about those "Magic" 8 Balls that people set so much store in. We all know that it is merely chance and there are no supernatural powers working on that 8 ball. Still though, people set so much store in that toy. It just shows how much people do not want to have to make their own decisions. "Should I wear clothes today." "My sources say no." "Am I going to be forever alone?" "You may rely on it." "Will I ever feel better?" "Better not tell you now." Seriously though, all those replies are actually what magic 8 balls say (I Googled it and everybody knows Wikipedia does not lie). Who else hates those incredibly annoying singing fish? Who came up with that? Did someone want to feel like they could actually fish and so they made a fake plaque with a fake fish on it? Then, just for the hell of it, they added the power of speech and (most regretfully) of song. God, I see now what you mean by hell. You hath converted me. Now, for the final and creepiest invention of all I pass over to the furry "Furby". Did some lonely man or woman come up with that and realise that "Hey, there must be other lonely people like me out there somewhere. Let's sell these incredibly creepy dolls that speak their own language to other people like me. #Genius." Yes, I put a hashtag in a bit of dialogue. Do not judge me (I see you judging me).

Now do you see how weird some inventions actually are? See you tomorrow!

Relaxation at Last

Finally, after weeks of preparing for exams and studying for hours on end (obviously with some short breaks in between) my exams are over! Goodbye Year 10 and hello transition into VCE! I know that there probably should be a longer post tonight but I was out pretty much since I got home as we had a family event on. Still though, normal length posts should resume tomorrow. It is going to be such a great and relaxing weekend, I cannot wait. Excitingly, I am going to see Catching Fire tomorrow which is going to be AWESOME! It came out today in Australia by the way and I just can not wait to see this wonder on the big screen. Also in exciting news, I won a family pass to see King Kong Live on Stage in Melbourne again so hooray for that! I won it through Luna Park's Facebook Page. The competition was: "For your chance to win one of 5 family tickets to King Kong in Melbourne, simply comment on this photo with which ride you think King Kong would go on at Luna Park and why?" My submission was as follows:
"I would have to say The Spider. It would come from two instincts: One to be the king of the world (and a giant spider could really get in your way) and another to save his love, Anne Darrow. I can see how a Giant spinning spider could cause this giant ape to get a little territorial."

So much excitement in such little time! See you tomorrow!

Iconic Movies

We all have those movies that we never forget and that we watch year after year after year after year without regrets. I have compiled a list of these movies below that I watch repeatedly without regrets.

1. Love Actually

Source: http://www.israbox.com/2007/07/22/love_actually_ost_2003.html

Love actually  is such an iconic Christmas romantic-comedy movie. Filled with a star studded cast, a heart-touching story and hilarious scenes this movie is one my family shamelessly watches year after year. If you have not seen this British comedy, you really should because it is one of the best.

2. Pitch Perfect

Source: http://modsevprof.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/aw-yeah-djsdeaf-jews-the-dud-note-in-pitch-perfect/

This may be a recent film but within a week of receiving the DVD I had already watched it 3 times. Since then I have watched it a few more. It is one of those comedies you can come back to again and again and still not get bored with. I like it and so I put it on this list.

3. The Hunger Games

Source: http://www.superbwallpapers.com/movies/katniss-everdeen-the-hunger-games-12938/

Do not act surprised, you knew it was coming. I am talking about movies so of course this would come up. The Hunger Games is something I can watch over and over and over again. It is the dramatic representation of a world reeling from a dystopian world with a totalitarian dictator. Confused yet?

You guys should really check out all three of these movies, see you tomorrow!

Teasers

What is the point of teaser trailers other than leaving fans wanting more? Seriously, they show very few clips from minor parts of the movie and it just gets very annoying when they do not give any more. As you may expect I will be bringing in The Hunger Games (among other things) so be prepared! As I was saying, the Hunger Games are adept at this trick and make it worse by announcing a "big announcement" a week before so fans are left speculating. Sometimes it is just a picture or poster but other times they are even bigger like trailers or even exclusive songs from the soundtrack. Can someone please tell them how infuriating it is to be expecting something great and getting a picture? I mean, come on, I am totally not alone in this. #HungerGamesProblems is a real thing!

Source: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=38185

Do not even get me started on Doctor Who. First, they slowly 'leak' out quotes and sneak peeks at the 50th Anniversary Special The Day of the Doctor. They begin with a few Save-the-Date pictures, these soon turn into short teaser trailers where the only image is of the date and #SavetheDate. It gets really annoying after weeks of 'big announcements'. It was only Sunday when they finally released a trailer for the Day of the Doctor and even then it was just an 'animated' with real-life look representation of the first 50 years of Doctor Who. The only new part was Matt Smith talking about "The Day [he] has been running from all of his life. The Day of the Doctor." I guess it was a pretty cool clip though but it does get very infuriating after you wait months for answers and get next to nothing. Still, I suppose it is great advertising. Whet their appetites slowly so that by the time it comes out they will be hooked. Below is the aforementioned Day of The Doctor Teaser Trailer thing. Check it out!




It is horrible how they tease us like that, see you tomorrow!

Decisions, Decisions

You know how annoying it can be to make major decisions in a rush? Decisions like where to go, who to see and where to see Catching Fire are just impossible to make on limited time. The worst part is you can not stay silent and think about it first because then people just stare at each other in an awkward silence. Then this awkwardness just grows to an extent that by the time you have a decision it is too awkward to say anything and so the rest of the time is spent in silence. To avoid this you have to use filler words like "um", "er" or "uh" and after a while of doing this you just seem like a brain-dead idiot. It is just so hard to make decisions on the spot guys, do not put me under such pressure!

Source: http://9gag.com/gag/6866225

So think before you ask me these major decisions. How am I supposed to remember what my favourite movie is so that I can answer immediately after you ask? It just makes me look like an idiot when I go "Hunger Games... no! Catching Fire.... no! Hunger Games" and it gets worse once people realise that Catching Fire has not being released yet and they realise I am presuming this. When you ask me where I want to go do not expect a straight answer. Of the trillions of locations within our world how am I supposed to know where I want to go at that exact moment. Unless I need to go to the toilet really badly I will have no idea. Even then, when someone asks where you want to go "Toilet" is in no way a valid answer. It just leads to an awkward silence and a hasty change of subject. How should I know what I want from the store? I have literally milliseconds to come up with something and then I say something stupid that I will never need like tampons or a life. I mean, come on guys. If you ask me hastily you are going to get a hasty response. Now questions like what do you want to be when you are older, what are you going to study in VCE, do you want to be resuscitated should the need arise are ones that do not require as much thought. Just remember that where I want to watch Catching Fire is going to be a major decision and turning point in my life so do not expect me to answer you immediately, I need time.

So next time you ask any of these important questions, do not expect a responsible answer. See you tomorrow!

The Journey to 200 Posts Part 1

So we have come full circle and back to Random Thought Friday. Today's Random Thoughts are going to be a little less random as we take a journey back through the 199 posts that lead up to this, the 200th post. So let's get started shall we because it could be a long one. We began back in march with an introduction to me and my reasons for writing a daily blog (oh, how naive I was back then). Then I spent the next few posts complaining about schoolwork and my experiences over the first few days of the holidays. After this, my blog went on a bit of an hiatus over the Easter break when I went to Phillip Island and my first post back was a reflection of my experiences over the past few days. Then I went on to complain about YouTube's April Fools Antics and then explained my obsession with Beautiful Creatures (which I got over) and Catching Fire (never getting over that, but you can always hope). It then went on to the post about how much I enjoyed Oz the Great and Powerful and the annoying stereotypes of Kids Movies and how sometimes the older people enjoy it more than the children the movie is aimed for.

Source: http://hillsandheights.org/2013/08/12/oz-the-great-and-powerful-at-forest-hill-park-on-friday/

I then went on to examine my new found obsession with the wonder that is Doctor Who before, ironically, writing a post the next day on procrastination and how whenever I need to start something I find every excuse not to. The next day Mum was sick and I was still procrastinating (some things never change) and then I proceeded to complain about irresponsible parents and annoying children in the following post. Next I wondered at the amazing technology in shopping centre car parks coupled with my review of The Croods. Friends and Family was next reflective post which followed in quick succession with my review of Oblivion, which was awesome by the way. I finished off the holidays with a daily update and another post about Catching Fire and my clumsiness. I began the new term with my complaint on the amount of homework we had followed by my first post about the Kokoda Leadership Opportunity which was actually the day we found out about the program and we only had a night to think about it and fill in the form. Lucky I decided to apply. I then celebrated because I had finally caught up with all my homework before I reflected on New Zealand Legalising Same-Sex Marriage. The next two days were about Relay for Life and then I wrote about Community and how I gained that from Relay for Life. I continued with a post about the sacrifices we make before celebrating after my great parent teacher interviews. I then wondered at how little people used Google Plus, the catchy tunes of Dumb Ways to Die and finally the convenient skills of scheduling. Ironically, I did not schedule that post though I probably should have because I did not come home until really late. I finished off the Month of April by describing my quirks, analysing faith, watching reality television and how easy it is to cause offence.

So that was merely the first month and a bit of my blog and there are still so many more wondrous posts to discover on our journey through 200 Daily Lukey posts. See you tomorrow!

Facts about Me!

So as you should all know, it is currently the school holidays (between Terms 3 and 4) and I decided that, after much deliberation, I had nothing to write about except some other things I was saving. As a result I have decided to continue with the 800 questions I found in July. Click here to read the first part of this series of posts. As always, this is a sign of writers block. I was thinking of actually writing about this topic but, ironically, I had writers block. Let's begin!

Source: http://www.itpro.co.uk/strategy/20451/qa-jon-maddog-hall

31) Are you a good babysitter? I have not really had much experience other than my cousins so I do not really know.
32) Are you a good mechanic? Oh yeah, totally. You guys know me, always going on about the tools I have in the garage. Seriously though, I am not really and my expertise does not surpass changing and checking the oil and water.
33) Are you a good diplomat? Nope, never had the chance to try.
34) Are you a good employee? I really should start skipping the questions without relevance.
35) Are you a good dresser? The people in Milan model their clothes from what I wear. I am a fashion god so yes, I am a horrible dresser.
36) Are you a good swimmer? I guess so, I can swim. Not very fast but I can confidently swim.
37) Are you a good skier? No, I would probably fall over with each step.
38) Are you a good lover? Okay, these questions are getting really out of my experiences.
39) Are you a good musician? I can play the piano but beyond that my musical skills do not stretch so far. Even with Piano I am not that good but I am okay.
40) Are you a good comedian? Do you read my blog? Of course I am a horrible comedian.

Have my answers whet your appetite yet? Let's continue shall we?

41) Are you a good cleaner? Once I do clean I am good but the whole problem is starting.
42) Are you a good actor? Nope, I did a drama thing earlier in Term 3 but that was just pretty easy.
43) Are you a good writer? Well I write a daily blog. I may not be a good writer but I am dedicated.
44) Have you ever been bungee jumping? No, not my scene.
45) Have you ever been canoeing/kayaking? Yes, I actually own two canoes so we used to go along the Werribee River which was very nice on the right day.
46) What types of holidays do you prefer? Theme Parks or relaxation
47) Whats the furthest you've ever been on Holiday? America, specifically California and Florida
48) What was your favourite holiday? I would have to say America.
49) Where would your dream holiday be? It would be to New York City in America
50) Can you tap dance? No

Satisfied yet? I would not think so, shall we continue? Well it is my blog so I guess I decide.

51) What is your favourite zoo animal? Pandas because they are just so cute.
52) What is your favourite sport? I would have to say Tennis, sorry guys but that is my scene (not really, I just really wanted to say that)
53) What's your favourite food? Probably pasta or something similar.
54) What's your favourite pizza topping? Cheese, I like
55) What's your favourite film? The Hunger Games (#nojudge)
56) What's your favourite song? Rise Above 2 from Spider Man Turn off the Dark
57) What's your favourite alcoholic drink? I am a little too young for this question.
58) What's your favourite non-alcoholic drink? Probably some kind of flavoured milk (or even plain milk)
59) What's your favourite TV program? Doctor Who of course, I'm a Whovian until the end.
60) What's your favourite Boyband? Well, I do get all hot and bother by One Direction I mean they are so totally hot and all. I do not really know. But they are pretty hot.

Check back during my next writing block session for more questions and answers, see you tomorrow!

Great Discoveries

We may not realise it but we are all pioneers in our own lives. Everyday we make life-changing discoveries. These can come from the discovery that things have to actually go in the bin for them to be disposed or that money does not grow on trees. Sometimes these discoveries can change the course of our lives forever or, like in my case, they can be easily forgotten. The old adage "those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it" is entirely true in my case as I discover something, then I forget and discover it again the next day or week or month or year or decade or... well you get the idea. Today I made a number of these discoveries yet I know that in a few days I will forget all about it and then rediscover it later down the track.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/axis-experience/3187217030/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Before we continue if anyone could please tell me what the above picture has to do with discovery. I have absolutely no idea so I thought I should include it unless anyone else worked it out. Anyway, so today was a big day of discoveries for me! It began in the morning with the discovery that ABC iView, basically catch-up television for ABC online, had a lot of new and old Doctor Who episodes which were being uploaded in the lead up to the 50th Anniversary in November of this year (so many great things going on with The Hunger Games Catching Fire coming out then too). It was a great discovery to see this as I scrolled through my Facebook news feed this morning (yeah, I am on Social Media a lot). I then walked the dog after watching The Waters of Mars with David Tennant as The Doctor. I decided we would go somewhere a little different today so I took Sandy (there he is again) past an estate that went near the Werribee River. By the time we got there though it was already thirty minutes into our walk as Sandy was being distracted by everything on the way but we did do some exploring and I found a nice little private pier that was fenced off (but pedestrian accessible through a gate) which would be nice with more water and the day was nice but we continued on after a brief exploration. We discovered some wonderful plains of grass right beside the river and just hidden from homes so it seemed like you were in the middle of nowhere. It really was paradise on such a beautiful day as today and so I am determined to go back there with Sandy (hopefully we will get there a bit quicker now I know the quickest route) and do some more exploring because he loved it and by them time we got back he was tired (for once). There were also a number of minor discoveries today I will not mention in an effort not to bore you more than you already are.

Discoveries are discoveries no matter who makes them and what they are about, they are all just as important. See you tomorrow!

Characters we Love to Hate

Throughout history there have always been those characters in texts we have just loved to hate. These texts have include books, movies, television shows and even videos on the internet. No matter who we are we generally have those characters who we hate so much it becomes something we enjoy to do. A great example of this would be Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter Book series by J.K. Rowling. He is the sort of character we hate but, at times, have sympathy for. We love Draco for that as he is a character we can hate without feeling bad about it. Here are a few others I have come up with:

Ollie Dinsmore: Under the Dome

Ollie Dinsmore is a farmer in the new television drama airing on CBS (America) and Channel Ten (Australia) Under the Dome which is based on the book of the same name by Stephen King. Ollie is a farmer who owns the only pump with the only fresh water under the dome after the water tower was destroyed in an accident. He is just such an evil character who only cares about what is in his best interests and not in the interests of everyone else in Chester's Mill (the town stuck under the dome).

Source: http://www.globaltv.com/

President Corinalius Snow: The Hunger Games Trilogy

Suzanne Collins hit the jackpot with this series and President Snow is one character you just love to hate. At first he just appears as one of the rich and arrogant Capitol Citizens but it later turns out that President Snow knows a lot more than he lets on and is more guilty than anyone else in Panem. However, by the end of the trilogy Collins challenges your view of Snow in such a way that you think twice about how guilty Snow really is and whether there are others worth more blame than him.

Source: http://neversawsuchawoman.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/my-hunger-games-movie-review.html

Dwight Schrute: The Office

There is no other comedic character in television history that is as funny, naive yet smart as Dwight Schrute. He always thinks himself three steps in front of everyone else when most of the time he is either being tricked or just mistaken. He really is a hilarious character to watch in the American remake of this British Comedy hit. Dwight really epitomises the love-to-hate relationship.

Source: http://www.businessbee.com/resources/news/operations-buzz/fact-dwight-schrute-gives-the-most-amazing-business-advice/

Don't let the hated characters ruin your favourite shows, see you tomorrow!

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Can I just warn you guys that today's post is not going to be one of my sane-r ones (yeah, I made up that word, that's where we are at the moment). If you did not know the theatrical trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was released at San Diego Comic-Con yesterday (well, for us Australians it was really early this morning) and before I go on you guys just have to watch it. If the videos are not working for you, just click the hyperlink on "THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE" above.


I am actually pretty proud of myself that I worked out how to use this embed thing so I could legally post this video. Anyway, if you have not already just click play and you will not be disappointed. This trailer shows us a preview of all the good parts in the book we really wanted to see in the movie. You will even get to see Katniss' Wedding dress and it turning into the Mockingjay. In true Capitol Style everything is extravagant and over-the-top while the District 12 Victor's Village is portrayed as a place of sadness and emptiness which is basically what the place is as The Games do change you. Hopefully new Director Francis Lawrence creates something different to the previous movie which disappointed fans world-wide (myself not included). If this trailer is anything to go on then it should be a whole lot better. In this movie we get to see more of the Capitol and the other Districts which should provide for more interesting scenes and chances for the creative team to really "show-off" their skills and creative minds. I know it says the 22nd of November as the release date but as movies come out in Australia on a Thursday (compared to Fridays for America) we will be able to see it in our theatres on November 21st. The anticipation is really getting to me as there is only just over 120 days left. I do warn you though that as the date comes closer you may get sick of me going on about Catching Fire but after all the teaser posters and the teaser trailer I think this movie is going to be great. If you have watched the above trailer (which I am sure you have) then why not check out the earlier teaser trailer that was released in April of this year which includes some more scenes but, as teaser trailers generally do, does not give much away.




May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Facebook Games

Alright, I'll admit it. I have a bit of an addiction to Facebook Games when I am out of other things to do. Basically, when I get bored I tend to go on Facebook and when I get bored on Facebook I tend to click on the games. I used to stick to just The Hunger Games Adventures but once the Holidays started I found myself with so much more free time and you only have limited energy to use in The Hunger Games Adventures that slowly refills by one energy every five minutes. This means I finish what I am doing in that game and have nothing else to do. Then I decided I would just look through some of the other games that Facebook has and that is when it all started.

Image Source: http://www.androidauthority.com/facebook-gaming-shows-first-signs-of-weakness-95018/

At first I was just searching for some fun games and then the games I actually did find I stopped playing pretty quickly. I only really began to 'enjoy' the games I was playing when they were the recommended ones on the top-right corner of the screen when you are playing another game. From there I found a game called Airport City: Free to Fly which I still play today. Then I found another game I played a while ago and then came back to the other day. This one was The Price is Right which would be alright except I am horrible at guessing those American prices. Most of the time it is luck if I actually win anything but I think I am starting to get the knack of it. See what I mean? It sounds like I have been addicted to these games doesn't it? From there I found Car Town and another game called Fitness City which is basically just building and managing a gym as well as completing missions along the way. So these holidays have been great for the people who own these games but not for me. I have only mentioned a few of the games I actually went through but the only games I play now are The Hunger Games Adventures (obviously) and Car Town (just because I can). So as you can see I was addicted to these games as a release for me to get through my boredom but I have had to cut back because, well, I am becoming bored again. I have some really weird addictions but I am pretty sure that Facebook Games have become a part of it.

Facebook Games are a great way to combat boredom but be careful not to become addicted, see you tomorrow!

Fanfiction

Continuing on with the theme of writing I just want to point out fan fiction to you. Fan fiction is a story (often about well-known people like celebrities, books, movies or television shows) that is written by fans [just in case you did not get that from the prefix]. Some of them are really well-written and very descriptive. They can often give you an insight into someone else's interpretation of a book and may even shed light on something subtle you may have missed. Sometimes it even continues the story the way fans want it to. The best part about it is that these people who write it are doing it for free and so are writing what they are passionate about. It really is amazing.

Image Source: http://www.insomniverse.net/csifanfiction.html

Sometimes when I'm bored I might just Google Hunger Games fan fiction or something similar and thousands of results pop up. There are whole sites like http://www.fanfiction.net/ which are full of millions (literally millions) of stories written by fans. Sometimes they can continue a story you may have really loved. Sometimes they are good and sometimes they are really bad. Fan fiction is just one of many ways for people to get their writing out there and some of it is publishing quality. The best part about it, as I already said, is that these people are writing it purely because they want to and are passionate about it. It really brings out the true creativity of a person because it isn't a chore and they can stop whenever they want because it is their writing, their rules and what they want. Some people do not like writing blogs and so turn to the casual writing of fan fiction.

Image Source: 

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/random/articles/200526/title/harry-potter-hunger-games-fanfiction-d

In the world of fan fiction anything goes. There are no publishers or editors telling you to change anything. It is purely what you want when you want it. It also allows people to express themselves in writing and enjoy writing stories about their favourite book characters. Stories like this would never otherwise be published because it would be copyright on the original author of the source series. Some fan fictions out-shine their original counterparts and can even create a mix of two different series others would not think of. A great example of this is "The Potter Games" (as pictured above) which is a mix of Harry Potter and  The Hunger Games. There is actually a site called The Potter Games (I'm not sure if it is the same thing as pictured above) where you read a paragraph and at the bottom there are choices you make and each choice continues on to a different story line so it is like one of those choose-your-own-adventure books. That is one of the advantages of the online world, you can easily do this just by creating a hyperlink to a new page. It is also one of the reasons I love fan fiction. If you have not ever read any fan fiction then I really recommend you should because they are fantastic!

Image Source: http://www.outpost-daria.com/fan_fiction.html

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Let the Games Begin

It's that time of the year again! The Language Perfect World Championships are less than 50 minutes away from beginning. What? You thought I was going to talk about The Hunger Games? Well not today. Today is all about Language Perfect and the world championships. I started with Language Perfect last year and so in today's post I just want to discuss why I enjoy it so much and why it is such a great resource. This is also a great way to pass the time before it starts (just 48 minutes now).

Image Source: http://www.languageperfect.com

Language Perfect is a great resource for any LOTE study that you may have. It is a fun and interactive way to learn new vocabulary as well as revise some old ones. I have been using it for a year and have found that what I have learnt has stayed with me so much more then it used to. I started learning French last year and have learnt so much more so far than I ever learnt in Italian (all up I had learnt this for 3 years). The good thing with Language Perfect too is that when you get the answer incorrect it tells you the correct way of spelling it and if you're only one or two letters off the correct word or your accent is in the wrong place then it gives you a warning which means you can change it and then submit it. I know I would not be getting some of the marks I am in French if it wasn't for Language Perfect.

Image Source: http://www.languageperfect.com

I enjoy Language Perfect because it reminds me of flash cards except that it is online. The good thing about this is you cannot tell what the word/translation actually is until you guess it which means you have to actually think rather than just giving up really quickly. It is also a great resource as it is available on the Apple App Store (I wish it was on Google Play) for free which means you can play it on the go. I myself have it downloaded onto my father's iPad so that I can play it in the car on the way home from school or when I am somewhere I can't use my laptop. My friends also like to get involved, often just to beat me (wow, that sounded conceited), and it really provides a motivation to go and learn some new vocabulary just so I can get the points to come up front in my group. It also helps when they have milestones for which you are awarded certificates (participation= 500, Bronze=1000, Silver=2000, Gold=3000 and Elite=10000). Language Perfect really is a great resource and I wish those competing luck in the 2013 World Championships!

Image Source: http://www.languageperfect.com

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Books

Books open up gateways to other worlds and take us to places we couldn't dream of otherwise. Books are important in our world and provide us with entertainment as well as memories. We hold an emotional attachment to books, some more than others. Books are magical creations and it takes a skilled author to bring a world in a book alive.

Books are great sources of entertainment and can often remind people of fond times long since past. What do most people do when the power goes out or they get sick of watching television? They reach for a book. Books are always ready to transport us to far away lands and give us insights into cultures and people we otherwise have never experienced. Books are also good as they can contain information and vocabulary that will assist in education. Books are versatile and come in many categories, shapes and sizes. There are adventure books, comedies, romances and mysteries. There are large books, small books, round books and square books. Books that contain facts and books that contain fiction. There are so many different books around us and it takes a curious mind to uncover them (I totally just ripped off an advertisement just then, comment down below on what advertisement you think I copied). People often associate books with memories. Personally, I relate reading "Where's Wally" with happy car-trips with my family when I was young. Others may relate other books to past experiences in their lives. Books hold an emotional connection with people and it isn't until we look back that we realise this.

Often people hold emotional attachments to books and grow to love the characters within them. Sometimes these connections can stem out into obsessions (like Twilight or Harry Potter but not The Hunger Games [you can never be too obsessed with The Hunger Games]). These emotional connections can cause passion about a book and often we can begin to feel empathy for the character we are reading about. We may start to grow feelings of hatred against the antagonist, or feelings of love towards the characters families. Sometimes we even get upset when something sad happens to characters. Marley and Me is a great example of this. I grew an emotional attachment to Marley and so I got upset when, in the end, Marley got sick (especially in the movie, I was actually crying a little) and had to be put down. It is times like these that you realise how skilled the author must be to be able to hook a reader in and have them grow emphatic feelings towards the characters. Good authors are adept at doing this and a great book is one that hooks you in and doesn't let you go until the last word.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Excitement

We all get excited from time to time. Even the most serious of us have had one moment of excitement in their lives. Excitement can make us anxious and nervous but in a 'good' way. I put good in quotation marks because I can as this is my blog and I can write what I want. Why am I writing about excitement? Because tomorrow is my Birthday (YAY!) and I'm turning 16 (I can get a  Second Life account now!) which is super exciting. So in today's post I am going to talk about the things that excite me because I'm too excited to do a deep and meaningful post about excitement. How many times can I write excitement in this post about excitement? Check at the end for the final excitement count for this post (about excitement)!

One of the main things that excites me is THE HUNGER GAMES! If you don't know what the Hunger Games is where have you been? The moon perhaps. I just totally LOVE The Hunger Games and got super excited when the teaser trailer for CATCHING FIRE was released. In fact I wrote a blog about it where the whole first paragraph was a link to the trailer. Hell, let's do that again. Click anywhere on this paragraph and you can watch the Catching Fire Trailer again! Then watch it a few more times while you're there AFTER you finish reading my blog. I don't know why I like The Hunger Games I just do and I get really excited about it and I can't wait until November 22nd! If you don't know the significance of this date, click anywhere on this paragraph! I get so excited about The Hunger Games that anytime The Hunger Games Adventures (a Facebook game) updates I have a little fan-girl-ing  session for a little bit because I get to play it again! It's so exciting and I just love how it ties into the movies and books  and even has its own parts and adventures! PLUS it has a map of Panem! So yeah, I get pretty EXCITED when it updates and I get to play it. I guess I just get excited about The Hunger Games. I got the movie soundtrack from my cousin for being her Confirmation Sponsor the other week and as soon as I got home I was listening to it. I was so EXCITED! I'm sorry if I use caps-lock too often or too many exclamation marks, I'm just really excited!

Language Perfect! Need I say more? I just really love Language Perfect (but not in the love way but as in I really like Language Perfect, don't get any MORE ideas Xavier) and find it a very useful tool for my French Studying and it also makes it fun and I get my friends involved (mostly Xavier) who want to beat me. One of my friends tried to beat me last year but whenever she got ahead I got even further ahead of her. Language Perfect is really a great resource and I get really EXCITED when I get to 'play' it. For me Language Perfect equals excitement and one of my friends can tell you the story of my face when I couldn't access it one day last year, priceless. I was just so excited! Language Perfect, go check it out!

The final thing I am really super duper (did I just type duper?) excited about is King Kong Live on Stage which is the new King Kong musical premiering next month (well, actually the preview shows start at the end of this month) which I have been super excited about since October 8, 2012 when I saw the ad for it on Facebook and saw the announcement they did (on October 7, so I've been excited about it for almost the whole time it's being announced) and I just got really excited for it and can't wait to see it because I know it is gonna be awesome! I'm really excited about it and I know I'm getting tickets to go see it for my Birthday (which yeah, is tomorrow [EXCITED]) and I'm just so excited to see the musical that I have been looking forward to for so long. It's from the company Global Creatures who did the ones like Walking with Dinosaurs except this time they're doing a musical with its world premiere at the Regent Theatre Melbourne which is going to be awesome and I am just super excited about it! I can't wait, the excitement is killing me (figuratively of course).

So that's just some of the stuff that really excites me and I know today's post isn't as meaningful or as well-written as some of my previous ones but I'm just so excited I can't think straight!! I just can't wait for all these things and I am really EXCITED!!!! Now for the all exciting, word count for the word excite. The word excite (and all the words that can be made from it (i.e. excited)) has been used 38 times in this blog post, have fun finding them all or just be satiated by using the find (ctrl+f) function.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Addictions

Addictions can vary from person to person. Throughout our lives we will all encounter some form of it, whether it be through ourselves or those around us. Addictions are often associated with drugs and alcohol but can also include gaming, school, work or socialising. All have their own issues which can be devastating to the person themselves and those around them. Addictions are serious and come in many shapes and forms.

The most common thing people think of when it comes to addiction is drugs and alcohol. These are the addictions that we learn about in school, they can affect our health and those around us. Some of these addictions can also get us mixed up with dangerous people and can get us into dangerous situations. Sometimes with addictions such as these it is essential that they receive help and some people actively seek this out while others don't. It is sometimes the responsibility of those around the person that should help them seek help. However, some people don't accept the help and won't even acknowledge they have a problem. People just need to be a bit more patient with these people but if they begin to affect the people who are helping then they need to get away before their lives become as much a mess as the person's who they are helping. So drugs and alcohol are commonly associated with addiction and can affect both the affected and those around them.

Addictions do not have to be related to drugs and alcohol. People can be addicted to movies (except for The Hunger Games, that's understandable. Right? Right?!), television shows (I'm looking at you Joshua [even though you don't read this and probably never will]), games (looking at you Mum) and sports (Matthew, need I say more?). These can have just as big an impact as drugs and alcohol as it can take over their lives and override their inhibitions. They may soon lose interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and could soon waste away. Their relationships would suffer as the addiction would come first every time and those around them would feel powerless to do something. These people need help just as much as the alcoholics and the drug addicts. They won't accept they have a problem and it is up to those around them to persuade them (or even trick them) into seeking professional help for their problems. Some addictions are not as severe as others and some won't affect a person's life. There is, however, a fine line between a healthy addiction (if there are any) and an unhealthy addiction and sometimes it is the people around us that can tell which sort of addiction it is as they sometimes feel the effects more than those who are addicted do.

Addictions come in many shapes and forms and the severity depends on the person themselves. Addictions should not be taken lightly and are very serious.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!

Beautiful Creatures and Catching Fire

As I wrote in a previous post, for Easter Mum buys us books and this year she bought me "Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It's a great book and I am hooked. Once I pick it up it is hard to put down. I'm only up to page 250 and already there have been quite a few shocks and a lot of suspense. I really recommend this book and, guess what, it was made into a movie which was released in February of this year! It has some great cast but the damn trailer spoilt a part of the book for me I wasn't even up to yet! That's annoying but now I have something to look forward to when I finish the book. Which shouldn't be too far away! But the DVD is not out yet so I'll probably have to wait. So far Ridley is my favourite character (even though she hasn't been it very much so far). I just have to say that I hate how Blogger corrects my spelling using American English which has slight spelling differences to Australian English (the Americans love to drop letters) so I have all these red lines all over the place which makes it hard for me when I edit the post because most of the red lines are for American spelling or names which just really annoys me because I miss the real errors because of this (somehow). Anyway, Beautiful Creatures is a stunning book which I recommend you read (before watching the trailers, not even a damn spoiler alert! What they reveal is meant to be a shock, I'm halfway through and I don't know it yet except for in the trailer!).

The next thing I want to talk about is the new Catching Fire Teaser Trailer! The full trailer will be released on 14th April (JUST 10 DAYS) and this was a teaser trailer for it. It was all over my Facebook, Twitter and YouTube feeds this morning and I thought it was a hoax, but no, it was super real and super cool! I AM SO EXCITED!!!! (I warned you right in the first post that I would fan-girl all over Catching Fire, don't say I didn't warn you) You can check out this awesome clip by clicking here. I am so excited for Catching Fire to come out and so I was super excited to see this. Also, yesterday, I saw an image of Katniss' pre-Quarter Quell interview with Caesar Flickerman in which she was wearing her Wedding Dress which is awesome. Here is the photo:

So cool!!!! Can't wait for November 21st (Australia gets it before the US, YES!) and I am also excited because I got my Mum into reading the series and she only started on Monday and is already halfway through Catching Fire. I also inducted my cousin into Panem and she started on Saturday and has already finished the series. Just shows how addicting it is! So get ready for the April 15th Post (15th since Australia is ahead of America so when they get the trailer on the 14th it will be the 15th in Australia) because I will probably be fan-girl-ing like crazy over the new trailer!

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!