Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts

Thursday, 2 January 2014

2013: The Year that Was

2013 was a year of many highs and, regrettably, many lows. For some, 2013 was just a year. Just 365 ordinary days. For others, however, 2013 was more than that. For some it was 365 extraordinary days. A lot did happen in 2013. Australia had three Prime Ministers (Julia Gillard (27th PM), Kevin Rudd (26th and 28th PM), and Tony Abbott (29th PM)) which, when you think about it, was quite the achievement. 2013 also saw the creation of this blog, the Daily Lukey (in case you were blissfully unaware). New Zealand also allowed Same-Sex Marriage and the United States of America abolished a few of their own anti-gay laws. 2013 was a big year for the LGBQTI community. Aside from the setback and prosecution (now legal) in Russia 2013 saw many strides forward for equality and 2014 is sure to offer some more. I started a VCE subject as well as receiving a literary award early on in April/May. I was selected to be a part of a surely life-changing leadership program culminating in a trip to Kokoda this April which I am very excited and nervous about. However, 2013 did not end on such a high note for everyone. There was a typhoon in the Phillippines as well as other disasters and accidents all around the world that resulted in the loss of family members. 2013 was a mixed bag but all in all it was a great year.

2014 is set to be a good year (hopefully). See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

2014: What May Be

Finally 2014 has arrived. Many doubted we would make it past 2012 but here we are now. As is to be expected at the end of a great year for many, we often find ourselves looking at what once was. Even though I am a big believer in "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it" I also believe that sometimes we need to take a look into our future and what this may mean for us. Personally, I am looking forward greatly to how this year will unfold because there is so much that I am looking forward to and so many new things I want to experience. We only get to live each moment once so we should always try to make them memorable. Carpe Diem (sorry, but I can not do accents on my phone). I wish that in 2014 I get the courage to do some things and the strength to do some others. 2014 is, like any future, a mystery but I can always hope for a great one.

Happy New Year everyone! See you tomorrow.

Tuesday, 31 December 2013

The New Year

I cannot believe that it is New Years Eve already! Just so you know, I am currently down at my family's holiday house in Phillip Island which is why yesterday's post was non-existent. It is also the reason why the following few posts will be short and phone-written. This will also mean a break from the weekly segments. Anyway, back to the year that was. 2013 was a great year. I started this blog, became a member of the Leaders of the Future program, started VCE Methods Units 1 & 2 and received a few awards along the way. As much as I have loved 2013, I am very excited for what 2014 will hold. I start VCE, have my first unit 3/4 VCE exam for Maths Methods and I will travel and complete the Kokoda Track. I cannot wait for 2014!

Thank you all so much for your great support this year. See you next year (tomorrow)!

Saturday, 13 April 2013

Oblivion Review


My Rating: 9/10

Synopsis (Click here for source): 
Tom Cruise starts in Oblivion, an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the director of TRON: Legacy and the producer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man's confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.

Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs. Jack's mission is nearly complete.

Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

My Review:
Oblivion is a huge success and is one of the best action/sci-fi movies out to-date. The action in the movie is not in your face and the suspense just keeps you glued to the screen waiting to see what happens. An exemplary writing skill is shown in this movie as you are left questioning right to the very end and the writers make you believe something at the start and then they show that everything is not quite as it seems. It is a cinematic success and the dystopian landscapes with constant hints to well-known Earth landmarks, such as the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge, add another layer to an already multi-faceted movie experience.

The acting of Tom Cruise (as Jack Harper), Morgan Freeman (as Malcolm Beech, one of the 'rebels'), Olga Kurylenko (as the stranger from Jack's past, a past he has no memory of) and Andrea Riseborough (as Victoria, Jack's partner [in work and bed]) is exceptional and adds yet another layer to the movie. The characters at the start seem entirely different to what they do at the end and this is partly due to the acting because no matter how good a script, if you don't have good actors playing the parts then the story is just unbelievable.

So that is another thing that provides this movie with some intrigue, it is believable. Despite the sci-fi aspect it is still a realistic futuristic Earth, ravaged by war of the greatest scale ever witnessed, that can be related to because of the use of famous landmarks such as the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge and they explain how the Earth got to how it did.

Overall it is a great movie which is why I gave it 9/10. I am not usually a fan of action movies but there isn't a lot of in-your-face action like Batman, or Iron Man, or any movie really where the last three letters are M-A-N. I really recommend this for teenagers and older (do not take your kids) and even my grandmother loved it and she doesn't like action movies, or sci-fi for that matter. So I urge you to watch this movie.

In other news: Today I had an award ceremony for the Fellowship of Australian Writers because I had submitted a selection of 10 writing pieces to a competition and my work got Highly-Commended (the one under Won) and there were only 4 people (out of hundreds) who actually got any recognition for their work. (1 person got Commended, 2 got Highly Commended and 1 won). Plus, this was an Australian-wide competition so it is really cool that I won.

Also, check out my friend Xavier's Awesome blogs! They are great because Xavier has just a natural sense of humour so you'll definitely enjoy them! Check them out here: Daily Xavier (wonder where the idea of that name came from [he made his after I showed him mine by the way]) and Xavier's Thoughts on Current Affairs

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