Turns out the flu wasn’t as bad as I planned it to be. Was only a light one that lasted about two days total, at it’s worst. Still a little sniffly, raspy, but not as bad. Probably cause I jammed a lot of pills, herbal teas, soups and other voodoo magic remedies down my throat the moment I realised I was getting sick. That… or I just lifted some weights and the flu got scared and decided to lead a life as my bitch instead. Take that.

But still in the middle of one quite busy period. Teaching, working. Dropped flatmate off in Auckland this afternoon cause he needed a lift up there for his work and me? I crave Fatimas like no other can crave. Seriously, that place, it’s pita meals, so… freaking… amazing. Just blogging about it makes me want to go back up and get some more.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to stick around and catch up with some people I’ve been meaning to catch up with, but all in good time. If all goes to plan, I should be back up next weekend. Hooray!

But filming stuff for freelance tonight and plan to film more stuff for fun this weekend. My body clock is so out of whack right now, I can’t even remember how much sleep I’ve been getting. Ah well. Tough like the ukelele.

Man, this post has been sparatic. Going the hell to bed.

Oh wait… heh… ninjas.

Turns out we can all literally see into the future and now know how optical illusions work. Sorta.

And magnetic movie is a totally awesome freaky cool vid. Article. Website. Sweet. This video isn’t the full one though, but hell, it’s still cool.

Winter has officially come along and for the last several years, every year, bar one, I get really sick during a season change. Don’t matter which season change, it just happens. The rest of the year, I’m immune to all flu and sickness that could possibly afflict me, which isn’t so much a boast, but more of a strange fact that I’ve come to appreciate and anticipate.

Woke up in the morning with a raspy dry throat. Figured it had something to do with pushing a goddamn car uphill for nearly half a kilometre. But over the day it got worse till near the end of work, I had a headache, rising temperature and sniffly nose (which is now blocked). Reckon I’m getting sick? I think so.

And this once again proves that karma, God, Jebus, Greyskull and the hobo down the street have such a wicked sense of humor about my life that I’m being struck down by that damn flu at a suddenly busy point in my year. Aside from work and teaching, I’ve got a couple of filming gigs to do, have to make some short mock-PSAs, mark some soon to be overdue assignments, attend a birthday party and do other various little things which I know I have to do really soon, but can’t recall off the top of my head cause my brain is spinning and this screen is starting to give me an eye-sore.

So thanks a lot karma, God, Jebus, Greyskull and the hobo down the street. I just love a challenge.

Hilarious comedy from the MTV movie awards. Another pointless ceremony, but there’s the occasional awesome moments like Robert Downey Jr kicking Jack Black in the nuts. link.

Bo Diddley has died. That sucks. But his sweet music lives on and I must familiarize myself more with it.

And finally, The Stripper Candle. “It’s a candle and an alibi all in one! You don’t smell like a stripper. You smell like a candle.” Genius.

Okay, I think its time to leave the internet alone for a while now.

48 Finalists have been posted. Looks like we’re on the list.

HAMILTON
BlindVision – Post Mortem – Drama
Bob – Just a Brush Stroke Away – Adventure
Bwod – True Bromance – Romance
Down there for 10 Years – I am Simon – Animal
Guerrilla Monkeys – Sum of all Parts -Horror
Hold Your Breath – Fresh Start -Time Travel
R.O.R.P – Hamilgone -Time Travel
Roving Eye Digital – Post Perfection – Crime
Spin Productions – One Way Ticket -Time Travel
The 18th Floor – Sweet Tooth – Mystery
The Western Periscope Institute – Le Belle Corne de Brume – Romance
Y’s Guys – An eye for an eye – Action

It’s a very interesting finalists list, some on there I didn’t think would make it, others that totally are and that’s awesome. It’s such an interesting list this year, I have no idea who’s gonna win what or whatever, but I sure am looking forward to it.

The finals screening is next Thursday at Chartwell cinemas. 8.30pm onwards. Come and support some sweet films. Tickets available now. Do eeeet.

On the way back from work tonight, I came across two very tired fellows and a run down car. A very heavy run down car.

Making sure all was okay (their gear box had given out), I offered to help them push their car to where they were going, not thinking twice about the fact I was helping them push it over 400 metres uphill.

Very exhausted now, but got plenty of rest when a couple of cops came around after getting reports that there were these guys that looked like they were stealing a car.

Well anyway, my leg muscles feel torn to shreds and I’m gonna have me a refreshing beverage that better damn well taste satisfying after tonight’s acts of kindness.

*update*: It sure did.

Less than 12 hours to go until the regional finalists are announced for the 48 Filmmaking Competition. As noted before, I’m not huge on thinking we’re grand ultimate winners or a huge awards sweep etc. All I care about at best is we make it to the DVD and that at least Ben gets big ups recognition for his musical contribution, which simply rocks.

The previous post was written in a very hungover haze and Sunday seemed to be a total write off. I’m still reeling from the fact its now Monday, when it feels like, well… not Monday.

But to recap Saturday properly… I spent the evening with some good old mates playing poker, having a fun time, winning some decent rounds, losing a couple, and eventually, the night and game boiled down to being between me and Scott. This happens often. Only this time I was a full bottle in, had the shorter stack and the clock counting down my eventual Circle Jerk appearance. It didn’t help I was being txt’d to my whereabouts, which caused me to rush my game and I still maintain that that was my sole downfall and in any other situation, I’d have kicked Scott’s arse. Well, anyway, he won (bastard) and I had to rush into town.

Now at this point, I had drunken a whole bottle of Southern Comfort during the game. This wasn’t intentional. This was simply a strong observation made as I poured a drink during the game and someone noted that the bottle was already below the halfway mark. Ah well. I got two of them for 60 bucks. A deal like that puts you or anyone in a good mood to drink and be merry right from the get go.

So, I’m now in town, still standing amazingly and getting more drinks at the bar waiting to go on. Now, I’m not really a person for the stage, not always and definitely not often. This was a musical performance and aside from the lame high school orchestra bollocks, I’ve not been in this type of situation before. Highly drunk and nervous for multiple reasons, this was not a good state to be in. Neither was dropping the candy I was given at the last minute upon first walking onstage.

Oh man, even now recalling it, I’m so embarrassed, I can hardly blog anymore about it. Well, not so much embarrassed, but more of a “what the hell was I doing?” overflow of thinking. I’m assured it was alright, but as I recall, I was throwing candy at people. I’m not that good of a thrower, even when sober, so drunk as I was, I’m pretty sure I remember some pissed off people being pissed off at having a drunk man in a mask, throwing lollipops right at them. So I’m gonna just pretend the night didn’t happen or I was totally awesome.

But I’m definitely sticking to filmmaking. Call that one night, where I drunkenly stood on stage, yelled some bollocks at people through a megaphone and suggestively humped a bag of sweets (or so I’m told I did), my one and only public venture into the music industry. I hope.

Horribly, horribly hungover. Smell of kerosene. Drank a whole bottle of Southern Comfort last night, bar two or three drinks for friends. Drank some more in town. Came second in poker. Never threw up, but threw candy at people. Keep feeling like I made a drunken douche of myself last night on stage. Possibly came off wrong on certain people last night. Vaguely remember firebreathing. Need food and to find car. Awesome times.

In what seems to be my new quest of posting weird things instead of blogging about my own personal weird things…

Some rare photographs from a helicopter of an uncontacted Amazon tribe and the subsequent photos of them freaking and getting pissed off at the sight of a helicopter. Article and photos here.

A Man whole loves cars. Loves, loves cars…

The 57-year-old Washington state native first had sex with a car at age 15, and says he has never been sexually attracted to people, female or male. And he feels no need to change.

“I’m not sick and I don’t want to hurt anyone. Cars are just my preference,” he told British newspaper the Telegraph.

His current flame is a Volkswagen Beetle that’s he’s named Vanilla, and considering a typical woman’s reaction to Smith’s spreading himself around, she’s very low maintenance (not counting trips to the mechanic or pricey imported auto parts).

Full article here.

And finally a tripping fruit that alters your taste buds and temporarily changes the tastes of things.

CARRIE DASHOW dropped a large dollop of lemon sorbet into a glass of Guinness, stirred, drank and proclaimed that it tasted like a “chocolate shake.”

Nearby, Yuka Yoneda tilted her head back as her boyfriend, Albert Yuen, drizzled Tabasco sauce onto her tongue. She swallowed and considered the flavor: “Doughnut glaze, hot doughnut glaze!”

The miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, is native to West Africa and has been known to Westerners since the 18th century. The cause of the reaction is a protein called miraculin, which binds with the taste buds and acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids, according to a scientist who has studied the fruit, Linda Bartoshuk at the University of Florida’s Center for Smell and Taste. Dr. Bartoshuk said she did not know of any dangers associated with eating miracle fruit.

I must get my hands on these sexy things. But not have sex with them like Car-lover-guy… well… maybe. Article here.

Tomorrow night is Circle Jerk and I shall be performing with 1 Fat Man by playing… I’m not even sure what. I do know I’ll be banging on various musical instruments, drinking a good few bottles of beer on stage and screaming through a megaphone ala Tom Waits style… sweet. But really, I have no idea what exactly is gonna happen, but I look forward to the apologies afterwards.

Have too many tabs open again, so… In other craziness in the world, a cat was aparently hit by a motorbike and then turned into a woman…

WHAT could be described as a fairy tale turned real on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as a cat allegedly turned into a middle-aged woman after being hit by a commercial motorcycle (Okada) on Aba/Port Harcourt Expressway.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that three cats were crossing the busy road when the okada ran over one of them which immediately turned into a woman. This strange occurrence quickly attracted people around who descended on the animals. One of them, it was learnt, was able to escape while the third one was beaten to death, still as a cat though.

Read the full crazy article here.

An awesome article on “The Street as Platform“, technology and it’s perceptions today… or something to effect, it’s a lot to take in, but a totally facinating read here.

And finally a news article on autistic people finding new freedoms using technology, the internet and Second Life. Very cool.

Found through the 48 forums, one part of me is thinking “holy crap that’s hardcore” and the other part of me is thinking, I wants that sexy HD adjustable fps camera.

Beware of slightly intense, but awesome head punching in slow mo.