Wednesday 27 October 2010

Java gives me the No feeling!

I was so angry at uni yesterday it was unreal. I had done the work for the hand in and the lecturer had put in some suggestions to tweak it over the reading week and then I went away and did those changes and further prototyping for it and he turned around yesterday and said it was wrong (the bits that were his ideas). I ended up shouting at him, which to be honest I quite often do with this guy, he's a tube to say it politely. He always contradicts what he says from week to week, he's got no idea what he is really asking us to do let alone how to tell us. But I just decided to forget about it till another time and deal with it when I come to it.. That other time is now, I'm SO not going to deal with it now. 


Last night I ended up spending hours on a new lino print to distract myself from how angry I was. Was pretty chuffed with the end product but I think it could be tweaked, so I bought better lino today and some other colours of paint to experiment with it some more.. I think i might produce a couple of different stencils of the same style and print a sheet of a pattern of cassetes of all different colours and types. If it works out well enough, I might even shove it on a canvas! 




Today at uni was in no way productive, the break between my classes on the other hand certainly was! Our class the morning was at 9am and was Java and something to do with how to code some thing about it.. Obviously I wasn't awake enough to take it in, never seem to learn any programming in lectures, only when I physically do it. So after that I HAD to get another hour sleep coz I'd only had like 5 and was exhausted. But after that wee hour long nap I got up and missioned into town to meet my flatmate Rod and our mate Jj to go see an exhibition of the 6 final designs of the V&A that might be getting built in Dundee in 3 years. It was SO interesting. We got the chance to view the models of the designs and the shortlisted designers process through their designs. All the design can be seen on the V&A at Dundee website, on which you can see the final 6 designs, with artist impressions, concept videos and more. You also have the chance to vote for your favourite one and provide comments to the designers. We were able to do this at the exhibition today so I took that opportunity to do so. I felt the 2 that could certainly be chosen were these two -



This one is designed by SnΓΈhetta, an architecture firm. The selling point for this one to me is that it essentially floats on the waterfront, rising and falling as the tide comes in and out. This would also be visible to visitors through the angle of the hinged bridge, if the bridge is an upward slope, the tide is in and so on. The thing i didn't especially like about this one is that it didn't create a presence, it didn't have a very exciting interior and the exhibition space was very mundane. I voted this number 2, 1 being my favourite, 6 being my least favoured one. 





This design was produced by an architecture firm called Rex. This was my favourite out the 6 and the one I voted number 1. I loved how the building is extremely modern but the use of mirrored glass on the exterior means that when the surrounding environment changes, the view changes and the reflection created changes. Yes, it will always stand out as a modern building but it's subtle design based on a budding flower gives it the intriguing shape and an exiting space to use and display art within. 

After our visit to the exhibition, we went to Rod's favourite place in Dundee, the chinese supermarket. We ended up spending a whole hour there looking around at everything, choosing the best noodles out of a HUGE selection, looking at the weird and wonderful fish they had and being a bit weirded out by the pigs ears and ducks feet.. (I was really the only one weirded out by it as Rod's actually chinese and Jj has been to China!). It was great fun though. 

We then headed back up to go to our 2 hour lab session to do our practical Java work and then got distracted by the prospect of the uni art shop. It's like a haven. Everytime I go I find something new and exciting that I just HAVE to buy. It's ridiculous. This then delayed us more for heading to labs, by this time we were an hour late! 

Finally we made it to labs and I ended up sitting there for 2 whole hours and didn't manage to look at the practical once. How bad. I still haven't and it's nearly 1am and I've got my next lab for the practical in 8 hours! uh oh. Luckily it's not to be handed in till friday. Don't even want to look at it. It gives me the no feeling... 

As a further distraction from general computing work, I came home and cleaned my room and bathroom for our flat inspection on Thursday and then decided to make a mess again by practising my halloween face paint for Sunday. It's just a wee trial without all the paint I'm using for sunday, need to buy some more.. 


What do you guys think? Scary enough? I couldn't decide on anything to go as for ages, was originally going as danger mouse but it was gonna cost wayyyy to much. Decided for the good ol' Zombie option. Always a winner. 

Sorry for the super long post, you probs guessed half way through that I definitely was avoiding doing work. Euuggh, just don't feel like it this week to be honest. Maybe next week will be my 'work' week! :P

What you guys all going as for halloween? 

Over and out! 
x

Sunday 24 October 2010

Finally!

I've eventually made it back to uni after reading week being a not so successful week of reading. Thank god for my brother offering to give me a lift, was SO not up for getting a bus up with all my stuff. After getting back I've realised I made a rookie mistake though and forgot to get my folks to wash all my clothes before heading back to save an extra couple of pounds! Oh well..

So I'm finally feeling a bit better, still got a stinking cough but thats like a normality for me in winter. Guess it means this year I won't need to get a flu jab seeing as I've already had it! Thats one less thing to worry about getting sorted. But anyway, I'm feeling better but unfortunately I've not managed to get a hell of a lot of work done during the week and I'm sorta meant to be handing some sketches and ideas in tomorrow... Whoops!! Last minute sketches are always good enough! Although, thats defo not the attitude I should have.

Was feeling pretty glum yesterday and for a couple of days before that.. don't know why really guess it goes hand in hand with the flu and the prospect of going back to uni to look after myself and still be feeling rubbish.. Also, it's probably something to do with the whole not seeing Tom for say another 2 weeks now! BOO. But it was a lovely week with him anyway, and surprisingly enough he didn't get ill (although my dad did..). My mum was out shopping on saturday and bought me an amazing big mug to cheer me up. I'm weird like that, silly wee things for my flat make me happy.. It's ace though. It's from Laura Ashley and is actually in the sale and comes in 3 different colours (red and white, blue and white and green and white).

I also am confident enough I look a lot less ill so I'm willing to let you guys all see me wearing my new glasses. I'm really happy with them! Took a few days to get used to the size of them but now I've worn them for a bit I'm confident with them on :)



What do you guys think of the glasses? 

I've also decided to take a break from drinking for the time being to save money, so not drank since last friday so it's been over a week now and I'm feeling good about it. I mean it's not like I'm an alcoholic or anything, I'm just a student who socially drinks! So not drinking till Halloween so I can maybe afford to actually find something to wear for my Danger Mouse outfit! Which I've not thought anything about.. Anyone know where I'll source some plain white shorts and leggings/tights? 

To keep me amused during the week I've watched loads of movies! This isn't too good on the bank balance though after me saving booze money I ended up spending it at the Cinema.. As you guys know, I went to see The Town which is a Ben Affleck movie, so I wanted to see the other movie he did, so I downloaded Gone Baby Gone. It's a great movie, defo worth watching! Please don't be put off by the fact that it's done by Ben Affleck, turns out he's found his calling in this whole directing thing. I also went to see Despicable Me in 3D. Such a feel good movie, so it was defo a hit with an ill fee. Went to see it with my mum and my older bro and felt a bit silly seeing a kids movie in the middle of the afternoon and the youngest person out the lot of us was 20! But it was worth it, it's great. Another one I'd recommend. I also went to see The Social Network, which was surprisingly good. Also the fact that I saw it from the front row at the very corner of the screen says a lot, I'm surprised I still enjoyed it. But all of these movies were ace! Think you totally should go see them. I think I like Social Network a lot coz I'm a bit of a geek for that kinda shit. Got any good movies I could watch? I've ran out of ideas.. 

Sorry for such a long spraff guys, think I just felt like typing stuff up today. Should really use this typing motivation on my uni blog as well!

Over and out.
x

Monday 18 October 2010

Fluey McFluerson..

So went to the docs today, not because of the illness, for something else, but was also informed I actually have the flu. Yuck. I guess it does make sense. I didn't sleep at all last night, not even exaggerating, absolutely no sleep. As a result I can't go canoeing! I'm so gutted. It's probably the last chance i'll get to go this year unless my dad drives up one weekend to Dundee and goes somewhere near there.. Was gonna be great fun.. BOO! 


Basically I'm just moping about feeling sorry for myself but I've managed to watch all the things I can physically think of watching online and do some uni related blog posts.. I should technically read our design book we were told to read but it ain't gonna happen. As a result though I am super bored and will probable post a shit load of pointless blog posts. Sorry if you get bored of my aimless spraffs. 


Reading week this year = sofa, tissues, duvet, daytime tv and my mac! 

Sunday 17 October 2010

DCA

The other night Tom sorta came up to Dundee as a surprise (he let the cat out the bag a day before after finding out I was heading back to Edinburgh for reading week!), it was absolutely lovely. We just hung out as I was starting to get ill and had like no energy. Also, I had a computing hand in for the friday so we couldn't do much on Thursday. Once the work was done we went for a few G+T's at the union and ran into a few guys from my class. Was great banter, tom got to know some more folk in my class and we had a cheap night out. But on friday once I'd finished class we went into town after some lunch at the union and then decided to head to the DCA for a movie and have a pizza.


We went to see 'The Town', a new movie directed by Ben Affleck, who also stars in it as one of the main men. Got to say too, he's quite the hotty in it as well. It's based around the novel by Chuck Hogan called Prince of Theives. It's based in Chalestown, Boston, an area of Boston renowned for bank robberies and follows a group of 4 guys who have become extremely skilled bank robbers over the years. It starts with a armed bank robbery which ends with the young bank manager, played by Rebecca Hall, being taken hostage by the masked and intimidating criminals. The story follows how she copes with the ordeal and what the robbers get up to next. It is stirred up by the unlikely relationship of the hostage and one of the robbers. Shit definitely goes down!  



Defo recommend it! 

Also, anyone in Dundee, get to the DCA for a movie if you've not done so before! It's so comfy! 

Movies to see next  = The Social Network and Despicable Me. 
Seen anything recently worth seeing? In need of some entertainment for my boring ill days ahead of me this week!! 
x

Yeugh!

Oh god, I'm SO ill.


It's probably a good thing that I'm home from uni for reading week but I feel SO bad. I have an awful cough, sore head and generally sore body. Poor me. Oh well. Means I won't be out drinking and wasting money on going out. Means I can't really go see folk though.


On another note, my beautiful new glasses arrived! They're ace. If I wasn't looking so rubbish I'd upload a photo but it'll have to wait till I look like a real person again. Need to get them adjusted though! The prescription is off on one eye.. boo.


I should be getting some sketching done over this week, bet I don't get any done till I head back up to uni. Think instead of doing that I'll go canoeing with Tom and my bro. Should be fun. Not been since my first try couple months back when my dad had only just bought the canoe.






Any of you guys off from uni or school? Getting up to anything exciting?


Sorry for the super boring post but you know how it is when you're all ill and can't think.


Yeugh!! x

Wednesday 13 October 2010

Blah blah blah.

Tom's been taking me to a bunch of beautiful new pubs in Leith recently, all of them turned out to be the same chain but they are so unique you'd never have guessed it. The trio were Joseph Pearce's, Boda bar and The Roseleaf. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone who's visiting Edinburgh or who lives there. I'd also recommend trying this amazing swedish cider I tried when I was at joseph pearce's and boda! It's called iDun's and comes in 2 different flavours, elderflower and pear. Yummmm! 





My favourite bar out of the trio was the Roseleaf, it's amazing! Definitely my favourite out of the trio. What drew me to it was the prospect of Pot-tails, (yes pot-tails, cocktails in tea pots!) they're legendary and rightly so. Another thing that sold it to me was that they also sold Thistly Cross! Amazing. We also had food, which very homey style food and very yummy!  Go there. It's brilliant and beautiful. It has a very old man pub exterior but inside it's got a very vintage style with lots of quirky bits and bob around the place. 


I know it's dark, but no flash on my phone. 



Last night I finally started to put together my uni blog and was getting on with it pretty well. As it's on wordpress it was pretty annoying learning another blog format, but I was just getting into it and THEN it just went Kaput. Suddenly it just totally disappeared. No idea what happened at all. I had to email my tutor franticly about it and then go into uni to see him to get it sorted, he managed to fix it which i'm super happy about, but he totally doesn't even know what I did and he's like a genius when it comes to that sort of thing. Anyway, it's back up and running so hopefully I can get my boring blog on the go tonight and tomorrow so I don't need to do as much over reading week! 


Every year I come back to uni and have the prospect of doing work I seem to fall back in love with tv and what I've not watched over the summer becomes my avoidance to work. But every year without fail, I watch come dine with me. It's like an addiction. I love Come Dine With Me. I've successfully watched the equivalent of 9 episodes this evening. How sad. 

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Lino Printing

I had a random idea the other day to buy lino to start printing and forgot about it till today. I've never done it before till today but luckily my good old flatmate Cassie did it at school so shoved me in the right direction. It was pretty easy in the end but pretty lethal if you're not careful! I managed to slice one thumb up in 3 different places, one being particularly deep! Damn cutting tool! But other than that it was a great success! Couldn't think of much to do after a huge day of sketching at uni my brain had gone blank but I did two.





It's pretty easy, all you need is some Lino, a roller, some water soluble block printing colour, and a set of cutting tools along with couple of bits of layout paper or tracing paper.. 




You need to draw out the image you want to make,


turn it over, place it where you want the image, 
and draw it again but over the previous lines
so it prints onto the lino in faint pencil lines.


Go over the lines so they're clearer, cut the sheet into a
smaller sheet and then carve out the surrounding lino
with the scraping tool. 


Cellotape a sheet of paper to a desk, put a line of paint
along the top and roll the paint till it's even and making
 a sticky sound (sounds weird but it means it's even!)


Roll the paint evenly over the stencil and place the
stencil down over your sketch pad and cover over with
a book or something so put even weight on it so that 
it prints okay.


Peel off carefully and you should have a neat print! :) 



Monday 11 October 2010

Lovely things.

I absolutely love this song..

Silent Shout - The Knife


and this mug (no matter how offensive it is..)



and Dmitry Ligay. I came across his stuff recently through Abduzeedo, a brilliant collection of visual inspirations; from illustration, photography, graphic design and typefaces.




and my soon to be new glasses! (They arrive on Thursday :)) Some beautiful new Ray Bans! 



and Dr. Seuss. His books are ace and remind me of my childhood SO much. Especially Cat In The Hat. It was my favourite, so much so that I now have my old copy with me in my flat in Dundee. It's pretty tatty but it's precious, my folks bought in when my brother was little and they lived in America and then they read it to me every night when I was little. Think my dad enjoyed it more than I did! 


Hey there

Okay, so I really amn't used to this whole blog thing.. I really should get into a routine because if I can't manage to get this one done how the hell am I gonna go my course one?! 


I've been really unlucky recently with phones (including incidents involving a hot tub and an iphone, booze and a samsung, a drain and a sony ericsson and just a broken replacement sony ericsson.. ) But my dad had a spare new phone in his office and I've been using it. It's ace, it's the new Samsung Galaxy S. It runs on the new Android and is pretty goddam good. Although, it ain't no iphone. I've really been enjoying an application I downloaded called Retro Camera. It's basically an andorid version of Hipstamatic but for a free app it has a load of stuff! It give the user a choice of 5 cameras and produces different grainy old school affects on your photos. Here's one I took - 



It's just a stella glass sat on our window sill but I thought it looked ace with the image of the other building within the glass :)