"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend..."

As most people who know me have found out, i am a certified bookaholic. Most of my time is spent reading or writing my own books and stories - they're rubbish but if you don't write you can't improve. I have decided that, over the course of my life, however long that might be, i will attempt to read all 1001 books you should read before you die!
(Download your copy of the list here - http://johnandsheena.co.uk/books/?page_id=42 )

Some of the books are things i would never pick up of my own accord (Aesop's Fables for example) while others are ones i've been meaning to read all my life (Ulysses, Justine, Madame Bovary, etc). I love to read trashy stuff too (Laurell K. Hamilton, i salute you) but this is the perfect list for me since i wan't to study English literature.

so far i have read 20 -

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
Everything is Illuminated – Jonathan Safran Foer
Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Tipping the Velvet – Sarah Waters
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis de Bernieres
American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
A Home at the End of the World – Michael Cunningham
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Perfume – Patrick Süskind
The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
The Shining – Stephen King
Interview With the Vampire – Anne Rice
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
Animal Farm – George Orwell
Lady Chatterley’s Lover – D.H. Lawrence
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

It doesn't seem very impressive when I list it but it's a start. I'm currently reading Atonement by Ian McEwan. Is there anyone else out there attempting this mammoth task? I shall report back once a month. Wish me luck...

Why do people lie?

I've been off school feeling crap which has made me feel incredibly guilty. I feel better now but yesterday and this morning it wasn't worth getting up. Yet all I could think about was how much school work I was missing and how I can't be taking time off because of the amount of work I have (see below). It was made much worse by some picture drama on Empire Forums. It got me thinking - why do people lie?

What on earth do they have to gain from it? I thought this girl was nice, friendly and really interesting. Sure, her pictures were a bit odd, but i look like a condor's arse in photos so i forgave her for that. Then i realised today, there is no way this girl is who she said she was. She put her face on a Keira Knightley photo then expected no-one to notice. I was ignorant which made me feel stupid. But now, i feel sort of betrayed. Yes, it's naive to believe that people on the internet are always nice (IMDb being the prime example of dishonesty and pure evil) but i'm a trusting person and I expect people not to be lying shits! If this girl wanted to lie, then she must be very sad indeed. Now she's deleted all her pictures from Empire...

Lying ruins so much. How many people have read 'Othello?' If that doesn't show you the sheer evil of lying, nothing will. Honesty costs nothing, it may not be the best thing in certain situations but it's the right thing. How can you lie about yourself and expect that lie to continue for so long? Even Iago's plan gave way. A lot of people lied on their personal statements (i too said i was an avid Jane Austen fan but i've only read one of her books) which may seem like nothing more than a fib, but what if such a fib blew out of proportion? Could you ruin your life because of it?

I am very bad at lying. If i lie, you can tell a mile off. I try not to lie, not just because i'm bad at it, but because of karma. I'm not religious but i do think that if you're a shit, then shittiness will happen to you. I've been a horrible person sometimes in my life but i've always paid my dues for it. I'd never lie about what and who I am, why should I do that? If you don't like what I am - a hysterical, over-emotional, obsessive, bookaholic, film loving Scot - then stuff it because i ain't changing!

For Your Consideration - Juno.

One of my most anticipated movies of the year, a hit in the festival circut, nominated for several Independant Spirit Awards, starring the lovely Ellen Page and hilarious Michael Cera, and a favourite for Oscars.

My school work.

English: A 5000 word dissertation, comparing and contrasting 3 books of similar topics. My books are Brokeback Mountain (Annie Proulx), Lady Chatterley's Lover (D.H. Lawrence) and Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov). My topic is how the authors allow you to sympathise with the different 'unconventional' relationships depicted in the books. My other work includes creative writing (character, scene description, building up to a short story), Shakespeare (Othello and Antony And Cleopatra. The Advanced Higher English exam will have an essay on comparing and contrasting the 2 plays) and Sylvia Plath (I can choose to do a Plath essay instead of Shakespeare. I have to study several of her poems, such as Daddy, Lady Lazarus, Medusa, Edge and Evening Song).

Geography: A 3000 work investigation. My topic is how the area around where i love has been affected by lowland glaciation. I also need to write a 1500 word report on a geographical world issue but i have yet to choose a topic. It will most likely be on deforestation in the Amazon.

Religious Studies: A 5000 word dissertation on a religious and ethical issue. My chosen topic is embryonic stem cell research and how the Christian belief that life begins at conception opposes the research. This is actually incredibly interesting. Half of the dissertation needs to be on 3 different viewpoints (Christian, another religion and secular) while the other half is pure evaluation, something i am terrible at.

French: Several different topics, such as the environment, racism, unemployment and poverty, the European Union and the Euro. All in French. Each topic contains tons of reading exercises, writing short essays, listening and speaking. Each Tuesday my class (all 5 of us) go to speak to the French assistant. It's so horrible. I completely embarasse everyone with my terrible linguistics. I'd better get very good very quickly as the speaking assessment in March includes a presentation and a 20 minute improvised conversation!

I'm also on the yearbook committee which includes some work with typing and counting stuff.

How is everybody elses work load? With my offers through (3 unconditionals and counting!) it is so hard to resist the temptation not to tell the SMT where to shove their school.

FYCs...Best Cinematography...

If these films are as pretty as their posters, i'll be impressed. Atonement is currently my favourite for Best Cinematography (mainly because it's one of the few front-runners i've seen). Focus has a lovely cinematography ad which i will be posting in due course. How stunning is There Will Be Blood? I must admit it's not a movie i was originally interested in but i think i'll be giving it a go upon it's release. Which poster is your favourite?

Nothing's gonna change my world...

The Arthouse cinema in Dundee finally showed Across The Universe on Sunday, so i dragged my friend to see it after we went shopping.

Most people would scream cries of blasphemy after hearing that Julie Taymor was going to make a musical based on songs by The Beatles. I loved Taymor's film Frieda and knew the film would be beautiful if nothing else. I wasn't disappointed. Across The Universe is a musical centred around Jude (Jim Sturgess) a man who moves from Liverpool to America, befriending Max and his gorgeous sister Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). He soon becomes involved in the growing New York boho scene and experiences life to the full, with a great soundtrack.

The film is a full blown explosion of colour and flamboyance. Frieda was much the same with it's artistic sequences and it fits well with the tone of the film. Some scenes are so out there, i felt like i was high (Bono singing 'I Am The Walrus' and Eddie Izzard's frankly bizzare sequence are what come to mind). It might be too much for some people (my friend had a clueless look on her face throughout the whole film) but i adored it.

The cast were wonderful, especially Evan Rachel Wood. She has a lovely singing voice and i completely sympathised with Lucy and her plight of peace. Joe Anderson playing her brother Max was also a treat, at turns silly and emotional. The songs have been wonderfully remixed and fit into each scene so well (While My Guitar Gently Weeps and I Wanna Hold Your Hand were my favourites). The soundtrack will be on my Xmas list.

While the story was totally predictable - simple boy-meets-girl tale - it's never anything but riveting and beautiful. 2007 has been a great year for musicals. Not only is Across The Universe a great musical, it's a great movie full stop.

Oh...my...god...

I logged onto my UCAS today and it says Glasgow and Dundee university have both offered me unconditional places...it's safe to say i have been screaming excitedly!

Finally!

I got a letter through from Dundee University, saying my application had been acknowledged!

Even more FYCs...

I do love my FYCs...


Haven't seen this but i love James Mangold, Christian Bale and Russell Crowe.


Not seen this either but looks impressive. If it's half as good as A History Of Violence then it deserves some awards.


I hate Paul Haggis...

My night with the Black Parade.

I must have one of the oddest dads i've ever known. Not only does he act like a teenager which bugs my mum a lot, he loves his XBox 360, listens to a lot of music i love and does things impulsively - like get tickets for My Chemical Romance in Aberdeen last Monday!
I'd barely recovered from Rufus Wainwright when he presented me and my sister with tickets for the gig. They were a band i have loved for a while now but never thought i'd get to see them live. It was a welcome distraction from school stress.

What an amazing gig. I moshed with the best of them that night and by the end of it i couldn't feel my legs from jumping up and down so much! Gerard Way was so gorgeous even when the sweat poured off him like water rumming from a tap. He put so much heart and soul into each song, especially Cancer (my favourite song on the Black Parade album - beautiful but depressing) and Mama. I sang along with half of the songs and tried to take pictures on my phone which was impossible. There is nothing as exhilirating as thousands of people screaming the words to Helena. We swayed, we screamed like fangirls, we sang Spice Girls (the support band, Mindless Self Indulgence, made us!) and we squirmed as all these guys took off theit tops! I'm still recovering now (i don't think my left foot will ever be the same again) but i'd go through it all again!

Things to be happy about...

What with all the stupid UCAS crap going on with me right now i thought it would be better to concentrate on the reasons to be hapy with my life, because there are a lot.

* I got great marks so i'm pretty sure i'll get into at least one course i applied for.
* I'm on the yearbook committee at high school, which is great despite all the problems.
* I'm going to see My Chemical Romance perform live tomorrow night with my sister and dad.
* Thanks to in-service days, i'll have a 5 day weekend!
* Only a few more weeks until Christmas!
* Next Sunday i'm going Xmas shopping with some friends which will no doubt end in a whole day in Borders discussinh trashy books.
* Awards season starts soon....let the obsessing begin!
* Scotland won the Commonwealth games and we play Italy next week.
* I am going to read all 1001 books you should read before you die (http://1001books.blogspot.com/ ) I've already read 20.
* Joaquin's new movie We Own The Night comes out next month and he's filming a new film - he always makes me cheery!
* This clip:



* My writing teacher loved my story, despite the typos.
* Despite everything, i have my family, my friends, my health, my computer, my brains, and my ability to make a sarcastic comment about anything. If that isn't a happy thing, nothing is!

More FYCs...

Huzzah for Reservation Road but why no acting campaigns?


Even the poster is pretty.


Focus have made some great films this year, most notably Atonement. Their chances this year are good so far...more buzz when i can think of it...

University application sucks!

Last night i went to check on my UCAS application to make sure things were going okay. A girl in my year has already received an unconditional offer to Dundee University to study art but she's an art genius - congrats to her. But when i went to see my own, it said it hadn't been submitted yet because my guidance teacher hadn't put up my reference yet - even though she's already written it! I was so angry because she get at us for weeks, hell months, to finish the first step and i finished it 2 weeks ago, yet she couldn't give a toss to even look at it.
So today i went to see her and she didn't even know i had put it up yet but i told her i bloody had! So now she's grovelling and saying it's her top priority to put up my reference and all i want to do is shoot her. This is the same woman who genuinely believes my family are neglectful and abusive to my sister and i. One time, she got a school nurse to call my dad and tell him she thought they were neglecting me - because i had bad acne! She's always asking how things are and 'how my situation is at home' like i should be put into care. Well, this time next year i WILL be in university and that cow's face will be a distant memory.