CeBIT, Final Fantasy and Fabric Softner

Generally a regular ‘nothing to report’ week for me this week. At work I was preparing for my trip to CeBIT in Germany next month. It’s only for three days but it should be fun. I ordered the printed shirts for me and the guys going with me that will have the company branding. Also with the help of the company sales guy, who was a graphics designer for the week, ordered the company business cards.

If your looking to get some business cards check out www.vistaprint.co.uk, a month ago I went to them and got 250 free business cards, which were great. They have a decent choice of designs and delivered super quick too and for free + postage cost was a real bargain. So when I was looking to get us some company business cards for our little trip to CeBIT I used them again. Their free offer paid off cause it got me to come back so big up to them.

When I goto CeBIT I will try to write a bit about it on my blog while I’m there, but I’m not taking my laptop because of weight limits on luggage with Ryanair, so I’m just going to take my Pocket PC so might be able to write to my blog using that if I can find a wireless point.

This weekend I couldn’t resist the pull of the new Final Fantasy game so traded in my GTA Vice City Stories game for it. I like GTA and thought it great to have on the PSP but it’s just so samey as all the previous games going back to GTA 3. With Final Fantasy I love the different story lines of every title and was looking forward to the superior looking graphics to see the limit of the PS2 before I move onto the next gen. I was also really interested in the new combat system.

I will try review the game after I have played it more but to start with the intros were stunning as per usual and the combat? Well its different and hard to get used to but I think I might be able to learn to love it although I still prefer the standard Final Fantasy battle sequences. The real world battles are a huge plus though, so goodbye to the random annoying battles of previous titles.

Finally this week just one thing I wanted to mention, not usually the sort of thing I review or recommend but since I left university and settled down it was probably to be expected sometime. So here it goes, I would like to personally recommend that if you wanna wash your clothes get Bolds Ocean Clear 2 in 1 fabric softener and detergent, its great. It smells so fresh, living as a student for so long it was a bit strange to get clothes so fresh. So go for it, go mad, buy it, get fresh clothes, and It was even on sale at Tesco so I saved money too, wow I’m like so sensible all of a sudden!

It’s suppose to be the Champions League not the Sunday League

Alex Ferguson was right when he said: “It’s a disgrace, what we’ve seen tonight. That’s not football”.

What happened last night in what was suppose to be the first leg of the last 16 of the Champions League was more like Sunday League than Champions League. The Lille players had no respect for the referees decision and although its perfectly fine to protest a bit and its very common, what happened last night went too far. You have to accept that when the referee makes a decision how ever much you protest their is not a snowballs chance in hell that they will ever change their mind.

The goal by Giggs that sparked it all off was totally legal and legitimate anyway. It’s happened to us plenty of times, I think I remember Henry doing the same to us not long ago and we didn’t leave the pitch in protest. You just have to accept that it was a smart bit of play and actually a great goal. Its Lille’s fault for not being better at defending free kicks. The goalie took too long lining up the wall, there was no Lille player near the ball to delay the kick while they took the time to get their defense right. One things for sure they won’t make the same mistake twice, just like we learned the hard way when it happened to us.

The Lille goal that was disallowed probably added to the problem and their players frustration but that was disallowed correctly as Odemwingie was pushing and leaning on the back of Vidic. That sort of thing happens all the time so they shouldn’t be surprised about that, its common to have a goal like that disallowed almost every other game, you just get on with it and try and score another.

The crowd was also a disgrace last night, how can something like that be allowed to happen now a days, after all the tragedies in the past every single ground should be up to strict standards especially for a Champions League game. Who ever is responsible for the trouble should be punished as harsh as possible, this can’t happen again, no one died this time, but they were lucky. The police firing tear gas into the stand was just madness too. It has got to be sorted. The amount of stuff that was being thrown onto the pitch was crazy too, Gary Neville was hit by several objects and the pitch was littered with hundreds of objects after the game.

I just can’t wait for the game at Old Trafford so we can really show them how to play football and how a proper game in a proper and stadium is organized. I really hope that we never see that sort of thing again and that we can just carry on with the football, oh and win the Champions League obviously.

Champions League – Last 16 First Leg
	0-1
		Giggs 83

Happy Chinese New Year

It was Chinese New Year this weekend, celebrating the start of the year of the Pig. In Birmingham there were some celebrations, shows and music. I didn’t get to see much of it but it looked great. If your ever in Birmingham check out the china town, behind the Bullring shopping centre, there are lots of neat shops and restaurants around.

I learnt to write some Chinese characters over the weekend. New year and good luck sayings in Chinese, I found them online and wrote them into a Chinese new year card. The Chinese new year is a lot about good luck, and wishing it upon people for the year to come.

If you know someone who is Chinese and want to wish them good luck for the new year check out some of the Chinese symbols and lucky sayings below.

Good Luck

 

Good Health

 

Happy New Year

 

Here is a good site for loads of information about Chinese New Year Traditions: Chinese New Year Information

Finally below are two more really nice Chinese sayings wishing good blessings for a new year. Try writing them out yourself, they are not that complicated to copy and make really great decorations. You could always cheat by printing them out instead.

HOTFUZZ Preview Screening in Birmingham

Last night I took in the glitz and glamour of a hollywood blockbuster movie preview screening in Birmingham of the new film from the makers of Shaun of the Dead, HOTFUZZ.

I have to admit it wasn’t hugely glitzy or glamourous, but Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright were all there, I even said hey to Nick Frost on my way to the toilet, now thats hollywood, yeah!

Anyway I got free tickets to the screening and free popcorn and there was even a Q&A session after the film, which was alright but I had already enjoyed the film so much previously that I didn’t care to much and didn’t even try to ask a question.

The film itself was brilliant, just as good as Shaun of the Dead, although I still prefer Shaun because it’s the original everyday man movie, has a great style to it and has Zombies in it. Anyway brief details for those not in the know. Simon Pegg plays a London cop called Nick Angel. He’s the best of the best London has to offer, unfortunately he’s too good, making the rest of the force look bad in comparison so they transfer him to a tiny little village where nothing bad ever happens.

There he joins up with Nick Frost who plays a not so bright villiage police officer. Obviously being the best cop in the world Angel finds it hard to cope in a place with no crime, until a serise of ‘accidents’ arrouses his suspision.

As you would expect its a really cleaver, very funny film. Nick and Simon make a great double act and the supporting cast is a serise of great british comic talent. Look out for the brilliantly funny Bill Bailey who probably gets the best comic part in the film and he’s barley in it for more than a minute or two.

The action in the end really stands out simply because of the setting, Edgar Wright described it best when he said it’s Miss Marple with really big guns. I also think a good description would be Midsummer Murders meets Bad Boys.

Timothy Dalton plays the bad guy in the film which was the one minor problem i had, he was good at being the buy guy but it was too obvious, although there is a strange twist in the end they could have been a bit more subtle. Anyway its the comedy you go for and thats top notch. I won’t say much else you just have to go watch it now for yourself.

I guess I should rate it now so I would probably give it a 9 out of 10 because I still think Shaun of the Dead was a better film, although HotFuzz is just as funny.

HotFuzz

9 out of 10

Tottenham 0 – 4 Manchester United

A very positive game against Tottenham, another 3pts to keep the gap to 6pts at the top and even more goals to increase the goal difference to +17 more than Chelski.

Ronaldo started it with well taken penalty moments before half time. Although the penalty claim was dubious in the view of a lot of people I think it was valid because Malbranque stuck his leg out and even though there was barely contact he shouldn’t have being sticking his leg in there no where near getting the ball.

Just after half time Vidic rose strongly to head a great goal from a corner to make it 2-0. In my opinion the best goal of the game because he was so determined and ran so far to get his head on the cross.

Ronalso agian did brilliantly to set up the third, a fantastic burst of pace got him past the tottenham defence to then cross the ball along the face of the goal for a simple Scholes tap in.

It was then left to Giggs to score a well worked goal to wrap it up just before Van Dar Sar got his face smashed in by the trailing knee of Robbie Keane. He had to go off with a broken nose and after using all three subs it was left to John O’shea to man the goal. He did a good job too, saving one on one with Robbie Keane in the final few minutes.

Over all though it was a game we mostly dominated and could have scored more but for some great one handed saves from Robinson. Tottenham did get a couple of shots at goal and Van Dar Sar also had to make a stunning one handed save to deny them. After this game its starting to look really good for our title hopes this season, I just hope Van Dar Sar isn’t out the team too long.

Premiership
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		Ronaldo 45 (pen) Vidic 48 Scholes 54 Giggs 77