Day 6: Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.

Due to my internet going down, work and my social life this is a few days late. Can't say I am that bothered but I definitely would like to continue this challenge. So stay tuned.

Lets get it on then!

1. I am a gamer through and through. I respect all genres of games but obviously better at some than others. But that doesn't mean I like all games. I hate a lot of them in fact. I have lots of problems with the industry but I am still passionate about some studios and developers.
2. My music taste is bland. I don't go to the extremes of genres and stick in the middle. However I do like 8 bit and video game soundtracks. No surprises there. None of that screamo stuff for me thank you. Otherwise most music pleases me.
3. Despite the previous statement I am actually quite musically talented I played the piano and the cello in the past. Unfortunately I don't have any instruments any more. I was never able to own a cello and my piano stayed in my house when I moved out. I miss my piano.
   
4. I am a fan of anime. Most anime is terrible and is not worth watching. I found this out the hard way. And mainstream anime is good but will make itself entirely unwatchable by going off on random tangents. Nothing worth any of your time. So you need to dig and find those golden animes. The ones worth watching.
5. I used to have long hair not so long ago. Then it got cut off. This was a surprising thing seeing as 98% of my friends had never seen e with short hair. When it happened you would have thought World War 3 had started.
6. I rarely hang around the same people long. When I say this I mean every year at school I had a different group of friends. I still talk to a lot of those people and have lost contact with others. I am sad about the latter but don't have anything against them. My real close friends are the ones who manage to hang around for more than a year.
7. I am never confrontational. Or I never start anything. I would stick up for a friend and I know I would be useless in a fight. But I would stand in the way regardless. There isn't any real proof seeing as the opportunity has never arisen but I do work in a bar and have thrown out people simply by not backing down.
8. I work in a bar. (Surprise) I like it there. Everyone I work with is great and the customers are also a good thing. It has really built me up from the quiet person I used to be. I may still like being quiet but now I have no problem talking to people I just met, making conversation and dealing with weirdos. The best part is telling people they are not getting served again.
9. I have a fear of aerosol cans. I hate them. They stink, leave a horrible taste in your mouth and are cold and hissy. I used to say I was allergic to them in PE just to avoid them. I think the fear stems from someone spraying one in my eyes on the school bus. I hadn't had much contact with them before that.
10. My sleeping pattern is weird. It really is. There are those folk who stay up all night and those who change it by sleeping strategically. Mine is always changing. Sometimes it is perfect and sometimes the opposite. Sometimes I will sleep once a day sometimes twice.
11. I help do a podcast and a radio show. As part of Let the Wookiee Win (LTWW, google it) me and my two friends keep up a podcast and try to get our website big. Who knows how that will go.
12. I have a problem with the media. I don't like how it works or how it reports stories. A lot of it is fear mongering over nothing and glamorising people who don't deserve it.
13. I have a crazy imagination. It goes all over the place. And you will never know more about it. Unless I write a book. I don't write though.
14. I have lived within Dundee my whole life. It isn't planned but that is the way it went. I say this as I have no problem leaving here if there was something better out there. I would miss everyone here but I don't expect many of my friends here to stay either. In fact I know some of them will leave and others are going to return to their homes. All of life has those goodbyes in it. Even the ones you love the most have to leave sometimes.
15. I have a little brother. He is a little shit if I am being honest but he is also very amusing. He isn't all that bad I guess. We get along well enough for siblings. Better than most.
16. I value my friends a lot. Really they are the only thing I do care about. I do my best not to take sides or alienate anyone. I hate it when two of my friends don't get along but I don't make friends who are superficial enough to make me choose. It may seem all nicey nice and cheesy of me to say that but I take it seriously. Sometimes letting people go is the cowardly thing and hanging onto those who need it is the difficult but right thing. I have a few friends who I have been told weren't worth my time and a couple (exactly two) who have made my life difficult in the past but they were all more than worth sticking to. So I hope Paul and Kirsty know they are stuck with me now.
17. I hate anonymity.
18. I hate corporations. Or at least the way the large, infamous ones work. I really hate how Apple work and how they hold back on purpose in order to keep a fresh stream of products with one new feature. I also hate Microsoft.
19. I have a macbook but Apple didn't see any money from me out it. The best thing about it is it runs firefox. That's it. Also it just does things itself. That I like about it. Windows has always died on me. I hate that there is a lot of ways I can screw up windows. I am that kind of user who knows enough to do fancy things but not enough to do them badly and fuck shit up.
20. Java is a soul devouring beast. Coding is the devil. And I am good at both. I did a complicated project in a couple of days that I should have spent a month on. Sure I got a little help to get going but all the problems people were having it seemed I could solve for all of us. I hate understanding such treachery.
21. I am an introvert. When it comes to talking to people I suck. There are a few people I can talk to about my problems but they are always removed from them. An outsider. When I have a problem with someone I would much rather just endure it. There are some instances however when you can not avoid it. Especially in relationships.
22. I can waste time on the internet like nobodies business. Sure people find those one or two sites that you can sit in front of a zombie for ages playing a silly game or something. But that is for zombies. When I am on the internet I make a point of reading things, moving around and following what is going. I hate sites like Reddit and Stumble as I have recently discovered that everyone elses opinion of an interesting site is usually a picture or a one page gimmick. The site needs to be able to keep me coming back.
23. I said already that I am a gamer. It may not surprise you that I love to collect games too. A lot of games I own haven't been played yet and I still want more. Actually I am starting to get through them now and have to say I have great taste. Go me. Wish I could afford a PC though. But that is money I don't have.
    
24. You can trust me. About anything. I wouldn't come out and say this normally because I don't like to attract attention to myself. I am a reliable friend above everything else. I can go well out of my way for someone even if I don't like it. Sure, maybe other things I would say not to rely on me for. But when it comes to peoples problems I have a knack of being that shoulder to cry on or being in the know about things I don't need to know.
25. I am a jack of all trades, master of none. I can quickly get the hang of things and understand them on a deep level. I am open to a lot of things so my interests can vary greatly. However I usually don't have the focus to practice and hone my skills. I guess if I did I could be great at something but I love the variety in my life.
26. I am not a vain or shallow person. To me looks are an obvious bonus but they bother me very little. I don't try to look after myself but I don't let things get out of hand either. I don't worry about fashion or how I look before going out. Sometimes this is downfall when I don't dress up enough to a nice occasion. The thing is I just don't care about myself all that much. I think if I was fat then I would still be happy.
27. I love drawing. It is sad though that I rarely finish a project or take it to the next level. I used to draw only in pencil but recently I like pen better. I would really like to take my drawing to the next level and be able to just doodle fantastic things. I don't have a great desire to create masterpieces but just to make lots of little things that are clear and in proportion.
28. I never save money. I don't ever spend too much or leave myself with nothing. I just spend it on little things all over. Really it is good of me to never be in need of money but I can never set it aside to buy something nice. I am always relying on sales and the like to get what I want.
29. I am critical of everything. There are things that are controversial and either you do or don't like it. Whichever side I fall on I still appreciate what it is and what it does. I always manage to look at things for what they are. Even if they are good I can still be critical of something if it has a stupid purpose. Like the whole transformers franchise is just to make money off toys. This is why some people don't understand some of my interests in things I don't even do.
    
30. Iain MacKinnon will never get rid of me. Nor will he ever stop receiving random gifts now and then. He will always have to put up with me and my potato scones. I may or may not let him know I plan to invade his flat. Whoever is with also has to deal with me by association. I will not relent.
    

Day 5: A time you thought about ending your own life.

Wow! This got serious all of a sudden.

First off I have never wanted to end my life. I am in fact very against such a thing. I don't understand how you can throw your life away. Sure maybe everything can go wrong but there is always places to start new. Okay, maybe not in the most extreme cases but the percentage of people who have killed themselves and had better options is probably in the majority.

If all my uni goes wrong then I don't need to go to uni. If I can't do any form of education I can focus on a job. If a relationship goes bad I can stop it. I think these are really obvious things and to think that a challenge that anyone can take would ask such a thing confuses me. Maybe people do think that more often than I think they do.

I have some sort of weird thing where I can't accept ending life. I have thought about it and it only gets me really worked up and optimistic about the situation. Maybe I watched too much anime and it has gone to my head. Although that can be depressing too.

I don't quite like this subject so I will stop it now. I will try harder tomorrow.

Day 4: Your views on religion.

Oh yay I missed a day! I only say this as it is past midnight. In my mind it is still the right day. Hey I was out all day so it is a plus I wasn't on the computer all day for once.

My views on religion. Well. I like to live by my own beliefs. Sure I ain't perfect but I don't see a problem following most of the good lessons from the bible. I don't believe it. But that is simply because I don't trust humans. I don't think people could have kept a sacred text pure for all this time. People are corrupt. People in power are corrupter. It just smells like a lot of it is written or re-written to control people.

I don't believe in god. I don't have a reason but I am not bothered by it. I am very down to earth and try my best to treat people right and act proper. I guess I am not afraid to be judged by people so if anyone or anything judged my life and all its secrets I hope they would be happy with the effort I put in. I have made mistakes, sure, but they are the best way to learn.

I really don't see how people can say god doesn't make sense though. Can a human mind understand a god? A being that is infinitely complex? There is however this idea: "God can do anything so he could create a boulder even he couldn't move. But then if he couldn't move it, he can't do everything." I like this idea because it is an obvious and simple paradox. But it is just humans that can't comprehend a god. I mean I wouldn't accept a god that I could understand. I have heard the comeback to this that people are made in the image of god so should be able to understand. I can make a dog understand the command "sit". If I made something in the image of a dog, say a painting or photo, I don't think this "understanding" will rub off on it.

As for my views on religious people. Some people say they are annoying. Well some of them ARE annoying. But so are some of the people who say they are annoying. Some people are annoying. I think that's what I mean. What I mean is they are people. And usually nice people as well.

I had a conversation about people who try to convince people god exists and those who tell others to not bother. The point was made that people who say the latter have no reason to do it. What if they are wrong? It is selfish.
To a degree that is true. More than anything people just want to be right. And they want their friends to acknowledge it as well. If anything both parties are guilty of this. It is greed but desiring friends isn't bad is it?

There are too many grey areas to cover for me. I could go more into it but I would never stop. And I don't mean in the getting wiser and wiser way. I mean the going round in circles way. If you disagree with my opinion just check again later and I will probably be at the other end of the cycle and agree with you. Unless you like cycles as well. You should talk to my friend Pete. He likes bicycles. I think they are his god.

In the end though, being honest, I think chaos is good. To destroy something is to only set the foundations for something greater. (That's not a quote, its all me. I impressed myself.) I am not saying destruction is the way but a balance is. And seeing as chaos is usually frowned upon so much I find it refreshing. People who simply destroy though are terrible. It isn't balanced at all.

If all else fails here is a quote:
"Don't judge me, we are all going to die. I intend to at least deserve it."

Day 3: Your views on drugs and alcohol.

Now here is the real test. I say this because I am writing blogs to look smart and at least slightly educated. Or if nothing else make me look learned in life. However when we talk about drugs and alcohol, we talk about our experiences with them. This is where a persons reputation falls to the ground and the person is left bear.

So like any "smart" person I will tell all without shame and act like it is the thing to do. Just like how us "smart" people quote Yoda, Optimus Prime or Lost when in fact the real smart people quote Philosophers. Yoda is a muppet! Smart people don't like muppets. And I LOVE Muppets Treasure Island. (Jimmy, Jim, Jim, Jim, Jimmy, Jim, Jim)

First, alcohol. I like alcohol. Not so much the chemical, I find that boring. Like chemists.
I drink in moderation. And I never forget what I have done the night before. My dad is the same. But I like to go out drinking with friends all the time. Being drunk with other drunk people just makes the funs happen.

When I am drunk I am not much different. Just more outgoing. People say they don't realise the difference sometimes. But then other times I can get really drunk and do silly things. Like talking. I talk silly things. I remember at one party not long ago I got drunker than ever. I was talking shite but at the same time so many wise things. It was my cousins 18th and I was about 2 years older than everyone else there so I thought I could out drink them. The life lessons they learned from me were invaluable. Also one little prick said to me, "I thought my life was shit but then I heard about yours". He was genuinely trying to relate to me and be a comfort. No surprises then as to how he is a prick and doesn't understand how.

What followed that night was a lot of throwing up and a bus journey I would rather not speak about. Otherwise I seem to avoid hangovers and throwing up. It isn't that I shy away from drink but rather it stops feeling good. So I stop. Does everyone else just ignore this or does it just escalate?

Now the drugs. I don't mind drugs. I don't do them. Occasionally I have been recreational. I don't like smoking but have a lot of friends who smoke. I would prefer they didn't but I am not going to lecture them. They know what it's all about and probably better than me. Actually to put it better I can't smoke. I know if I tried I could get past coughing and hacking but then again when I think about it I would rather not have the ability to smoke.

On one occasion however, I tried shrooms. I was with a group of people. We all did them at the time. Let me expand.

We were in a flat. Lets say it belonged to Mr Flat. And there was a few of us there. Lets call them me (duh), Mr Beard, Mr Hat, Mr Bore and Pete. Mr Flat had invited us for drinks and some gaming. But then he came into his room with a tub. In this was what I would guess was quite a lot of shrooms. He enthusiastically dished them out. It was after a few minutes that we decided to go out to the union. This quite a walk from the flat but we felt up to it. Except from the fact we are not dressed accordingly. So Mr Flat dished out his Hawaiian shirts. There was enough for all but me. So I got a Davy Crockett hat. You know the one made from a beaver and it has the beaver tail. This wasn't made from beaver however.

So we set out! It was admittedly clumsy. We were all singing and dancing down the street except from Mr Bore. He was not so affected by the drugs. He was a little worried about us but we bounded on none the less. It was then that Pete spotted a Tropic Thunder poster on a phonebox. He wanted it. He couldn't get it off however. Then I peeled of a corner a little. He ran over and took it in an instant. But when he did this he was struck with horror. Ben Stiller was on the poster staring at him. But he was off the phonebox. HE WAS GOING TO DIE!

Pete spent the next good hour running around screaming about having to get Ben Stiller in a freezer so he doesn't die. He ran back to his own flat to do just this. He took Mr Bore and Mr Beard with him. We did not see them again that night.

Me, Mr Flat and Mr Hat were left to go on to the union. But the lighting unsettled Mr Flat and he wanted to go home. The street lighting freaked him out and he just wanted to leave. Along the way Mr Hat refused to proceed unless I moved a hub cap off the pavement. I threw it in a bush somewhere. I then got pizza from a takeaway. This in itself was weird.

As I stood waiting for my pizza Mr Hat and Mr Flat stood outside staring at me. I stared back. All of us staring in amazement. I looked at two gawking men with Hawaiian shirts on outside in the dark and cold whereas they stared at me with my beaver hat waiting for a pizza. As soon as I got it and went outside Mr Hat asked for a slice. I refused and used this as a premise that nobody is getting pizza till we are back at the flat. This was a longer walk than I thought. And on the way Mr Hat was adamant that every passing van was the government and we are being watched. However this subsided as we got in the flat and ate cold pizza. Mr Flat thought it would be a good idea to watch a movie. A really arty one about a killer picking off a group of men for revenge.

As the film trundled on and we were bemused by its themes and story half way in Mr Hat remembered he had pizza left in his mouth from about half an hour ago. He reckoned the best scene from the film was a car going down a street. I am sure it was just an establishing shot.

And that was about all that happened that crazy night. I thought it was fun. Wouldn't mind to do something similar again but I' not really going to go out my way either. To be fair I am happy without drugs. I am happy without alcohol but it seems like a good thing for partying.

Day 2: Where you would like to be in 10 years.

Thank god this is where I would LIKE to be in 10 years. If it was where I would THINK I'd be then I would certainly have a problem writing it. That being because I am the type of person who would not think ahead enough for it to dawn on them that it has turned 8pm and no food has been eaten so far today.

But it is a great challenge because of the choice I have. I can go full bat shit crazy here and say my most mental fantasies because that IS where I would like to be. Yet I am somehow sensing I have to be semi realistic here. So I will be... but first for those of you who care:

I would LIKE to have somehow moved into the pokemon universe. Logically it is the best one to go to just because everything is so damn perfect. And I can legally own a dragon. After I have trained only the most badass pokemon (Dragonite, Gyarados, Charizard etc.) I would possibly then start eating other pokemon. Obviously avoiding the steel, rock and poison varieties. I do wonder what a pidgey tastes of, or a nice oddish salad.

In ten years I would like to be living off of my interests. Something which just now is a long shot but I think it is not a lost cause. Maybe go into the video game industry as a journalist and after 10 years, work my way forward into actually designing video games. Doing something different though, not working on an FPS or for Activision.

Failing that but still on the video game route, own my own video game based website. Something to inform people of what to expect from the industry. Not to take shit from some publishers and what we should really expect from games.

Video games are only one possibility however. Just now I am part of LTWW. If our podcasts and website got big then maybe in 10 years we could be on the radio or something similar. Then become celebrity presenters. The best part would be working with my two friends Daniel 'Bob' Taylor and Paul McCallum. And whatever other friends I make who join the LTWW team on the way.

I think maybe that last answer is the one the challenge is looking for. Something you are going for right now which can be exaggerated. But that is only for my job you see! The rest of my life in 10 years time would be as follows.

• I am no longer single. I don't have a perfect partner in mind but I like to adapt to life so that one can stay open.

• I keep in touch with my friends and see them still. I don't want to lose contact with the people I am close to. And of course do lots of crazy things with them still.

• Live somewhere with good internet. Seriously, that is the only big thing about where I want to live. As long as it is one up from my current flat by then and I have room for all my belongings I am good.

• I suppose I can wish my brothers band does well... I suppose.
• Complete operation Bill Murray.
• Speak Japanese and own property in Japan.
• To still not have a smartphone.
• Learn Piano like a boss.
  

I don't know what else I want in 10 years. I am going to say that that would suffice. But if I do find a way to the pokemon universe don't count on seeing me again.

Day 1: Relationship Status

Oh goody.

I like saying that phrase because:
a. When writing, I often find it hard to sound sarcastic. And...
b. Nobody ever says this without being sarcastic.

And THAT is how you set the tone for the rest of the post! Because of course I am single. And I don't particularly like it. And as I have now realised, the only single person I know writing this challenge is myself. So this should be a unique read!

So I guess there are two routes here. Either flaunt myself or wallow in self pity. Personally I can't imagine those making good reads. Lets just try and be honest then.

For me being in a relationship is very important. I have been single for over a year now. If I am being honest it has changed me a lot from who I was before. Since my first girlfriend I had very little time being single until my last break up. I have always tried to be down to earth with relationships and I would never cheat on someone. I am loyal and in the past maybe too loyal. In simple terms I just don't mess around. I go as far as the other person wants me to, I don't cross lines and I am honest.

Relationship wise I am scarred. I have had bad breakups and then terrible ones. I had times where I needed to work hard and times where I needed to put all I had on the line. Even though I put everything into those times, when it was over and I took a step back and, to be honest, the judgement of one teenage girl was never enough to cut me down.

I get along well with girls. In fact I say I usually get along better with girls. Most of my best friends are/were girls. It just seems I make a much better friend than a boyfriend. Now that isn't to have a go at girls saying I am unappreciated by them. In fact I made a conscious decision that I don't have to choose between having a girlfriend or having a best friend who is a girl. Because I can have both. I really appreciate having some friends as just friends.

On the down side I am incredibly easily put in the friend zone. There ain't nothing like being asked by someone to maybe sweep my feelings for them under the carpet and act like nothing happened. (Bad Euan, no bitching!) But at the same time I can make close friends with girls in months like we have known each other for years. That's always a plus!

So why does being single bother me that much? The vast majority of my friends are not single. I know virtually zero available girls and any male friends I hang out with regularly are all in relationships. Sometimes I feel like I go out of my way to see people but not the other way round. As I see it being in a relationship solves these things.

As for what girls I like. Well I am not fussy, and I don't say that in a "it doesn't matter to me" kind of way. Looks are always a plus, lets not pretend here, but I can easily look past them and find something attractive in anyone.

What interests me the most is just how different people work on the inside. So different personalities appeal to me in different ways. For instance I find girls who are quiet, shy and geeky cute. Whereas girls who are loud and opinionated are admirable to me. I think everyone is equal so there is a lot of people I can love equally once I know them on a deep enough level.

I think that is all I have to say on the matter that matters. I am sure it isn't an amazing read but maybe it can be interesting. Maybe people can see a different side to me. I am sure I have a lot of friends who haven't seen what I am like in a couple.

30 Day challenge

Like any average person I have a blog. Like most average folk if my blog was a tamagotchi and it was fed by me writing in it, it would have died several times. After being reset between every death with a renewed sense of purpose which lasted a full 10 seconds. No more. No less.

So why do I bother writing this time? Well my friends are doing it and the clever ones at that. I want to be included in that little group of people who appear clever but who have in fact just read a lot of wikipedia articles or reruns of QI.
Pro tip: When reading wikipedia never leave the article until you finished reading it or you lose interest. Whenever a link inside the article interests you open it in another tab and now you can generate 5 or 6 new articles to read from every one you do read!

So writing isn't something I can get excited about but fret not! I have a gimmick to hold my attention this time. I can get excited about gimmicks. You should too.



So this is the gimmick. I am sure you can read it so I won't explain it any further than each day for 30 days I post a blog according to the subject on the list.

Enjoy!