World of WoW-this-is-far-too-addictive-craft! Part 1

Do you have an interest in computer games? Do you have spare time you’d like to fill with something new and exciting? Do you wish you could feel like you’re worth something and that you're making a difference in the world, any world? Do you suffer from depression and possibly out of work, or on the sick from your current job? Do you want to throw away your life and waste away in the abyss of a cyber space fantasy land that is Azeroth? Then look no further, Blizzard Entertainment has just the thing you’re looking for!

World of Warcraft, the most popular MMORPG the world has ever seen and rapidly growing every day, is the home to some great, fantastical and imaginative creatures and adventures the gaming world has even seen but for me personally it’s just becoming too much, far, far, far too much, and it has to stop somewhere, somehow, some time soon.

WoWaholics Anonymous is now open, check in at your own discretion but please leave your pets and minions at the door. I’d love to see that sign somewhere! This game is the most single evil computer game I’ve ever played. In the days of the Super Nintendo, which I may add still has some of the best games of all time, I’ve been hooked on Super Metroid when I must get to the next area and obtain that awesome plasma beam. I’ve been knee deep in the Secret of Mana, but never have I been so addicted to a computer game until I met World of Warcraft. I can’t condemn the game completely as it’s brought me some great friends that have become real life friends (or RL friends as the lingo goes, not to be confused with RL that also means Raid Leader) but the game itself is far too alluring. This is especially true for people that feel something is missing from their lives. For those unfortunate souls and any that may fit any of the above criteria, WoW seems to be the place to hide out. Awesome and quite simply amazing on the surface, an outlet and an escape from it all, it doesn’t let you down and is dependable as long as you pay your subscription, it will always be there for you.

Continued tomorrow...

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

If there’s one thing history has taught us it’s that the pen is a mighty powerful instrument. This mighty, minor, majestic little implement has signed peace declarations, treaties, laws and much, much more and has truly been responsible for so much of history, a pioneer in the history-making field.

Everyone should have a pen that they’re proud of. It doesn’t have to be an 18 carat gold diamond encrusted monstrosity that makes writing feel like a muscle ripping workout every time you even dare to pick it up, but just something that you call your own. My utensil of choice is a simple yet elegant stainless steel Parker Jotter. I pride myself on it having an “original” top bearing the Parker logo. A couple of years ago I lost my silver Parker while on the train to work. As far as I know, it casually slipped out of my pocket into the abyss, never to be seen again. When I ventured to WHSmith to buy a new one, to my dismay I discovered that the tops of the “new and improved” Parker pens, had changed to a more rounded shape and lost their flat, dipped, ridge style. Later I also found that the colour of the blue ink had changed from a lighter blue to a darker, Bic-esque blue but that’s by-the-by.

After being missing for about 2 months, I had lost all hope of ever seeing my beloved Parker again and had resigned myself to using a regular scribbly pen that I found lying around my flat. Having searched my bags about seven or eight times each, as you do, thinking I MUST have missed something, but of course I’ve checked all of the secret hiding places that don’t exist every time I’ve looked in the bags and found nothing, well I had given up. It was pointless making a big deal about a “mere” pen as I knew that no amount of “Lost” or “Missing Parker” flyers were going to bring it back. That was until I was throwing clothes in the washing machine…cue a pair of pants I hadn’t worn in a good couple of months. Yes, you’ve guessed it…in the right pocket of said pants; there it was, gleaming in all its glory, Mr Parker himself! You can imagine my delight as I withdrew it from the prison of the pants’ pocket. The mighty pen lives on to write another day!

Do you have a favourite pen you take everywhere with you? That you sign your cheques with? That has written out every birthday card you’ve ever sent? If so, let me know! I’m interested to hear whether I’m one of a minority or if I’m not alone in the pen stakes. As far as I know it’s only the British that have interest in such matters, but I might be wrong…

Ads All Folks!

Much to my delight, the old Milky Way advert appeared on my TV screen today!! Well I’m guessing it appeared on a lot of people’s TV screens, or I hope it did because it’s a very strange thing to have visions or illusions about!

As I sung along to “The red car and the blue car had a race…” I thought how fantastic it was to see this classic ad making an appearance once more on the small screen. It’s safe to say they don’t make them like that anymore. I’m a bit of a retrospect or nostalgic or something about the past that describes people like me, so when I saw this classic piece of advertising on TV I was overjoyed.

What sets apart a great advert from a good advert from a terrible advert? I’m not in advertising nor do I claim to know very much about it but as a consumer I know what I like. Chances are I won’t rush out and buy the product anyway, but since we’re constantly spammed with advertising for everything under the sun at every opportunity, they could at least be entertaining or educational or both.

Songs with a catchy tune, or include a sample of a song are particularly good at drawing me in but not something that has me dum di dum dum-ing for the rest of the day and giving me nightmares or some such atrocity because of it becoming irrevocably etched to my brain. I’m happy to say the Milky Way advert does not fit this category.

As great as it would be for all adverts to be fun, light-hearted and or educational, without being boring, annoying or cringe-worthy, without leaving your mouth taste like soap or making you want to gouge your eyes out with whatever product is being drilled into your brain, then let’s face it, you stand a better chance of winning the lottery. If you already won the lottery, well congratulations and then I’d say the odds of my idea are slimmer than you winning the lottery AGAIN. If you’ve won the lottery twice, then you probably have enough money to have one of those fantastical magical TV sets that automatically removes adverts or a servant superbly well trained in the art of changing the channel at the perfect moment.

Until then I’ll settle for muting and changing the channel for the boring ads and will keep singing along to the tuneful ones with hungry cars and comical lyrics.

I may write more on this in the future so watch this space.

First Thoughts are the Deepest

Hello everyone and anyone that might have stumbled upon this. This is my first ever attempt at blogging so a quick intro. Here goes…

My name is Andrew, I'm 26 years old and enjoy travelling, cycling, writing, music, movies, and love seeing new places and trying new things.
Ok enough of that...anything else and you can ask me yourself!

My blogs will probably be anything from diary-type entries, to topical posts to random rambles of gibberish proportions but like it or loathe it it's my blog.

Today is the first step to my long and illustrious writing career I hope. After countless efforts of writing short posts in my own hand-typing but never actually posting anything I've decided to throw my ideas and thoughts out to the big wide world. Today blogspot...tomorrow the WORLD...or maybe another blogspot entry, then...well ok I'm already getting carried away Pinky and the Brain style. I love that cartoon...anyone that doesn;t like old cartoons is just not right in the head, imo. The theme songs are so funny for some of them...and have you ever heard Ducktales or Darkwing Duck in Dutch or German, it's awesome!! :) Also a quite unorthodox way of helping to learn a language, but I find it fun while practising learnng Dutch.

Until next time...