My Alcohol Collection and The Shelf

It has only taken me nearly a month... but the shelf is completed. Anyone who saw the original plans will notice that during the cutting and putting together it lost a lot of the complexity... but I still class myself as a carpenter nonetheless. This is me following my granddads path!

The shelf was built partly to be the first non-flat-pack thing I have made, and to hold my alcohol collection! Anyway, here is the shelf, with special thanks to Neil and my dad for the help :D

Okay.. so I could have gave it another coat of paint, but I wanted it to be finished by January... and I was cutting it pretty fine as it was. But look.. it fits perfectly!!

Now for the alcohol collection. I think it is quite impressive, though I'm sure some don't.

For anyone who actually cares, here is the latest inventory take:

• 21 year old Bowmore whisky (70cl)
• Bannana Liquer (3x 50cl)
• Apple Sourz (2x 70cl)
• Apple Micky Finns (2x 50cl)
• Jack Daniels (70cl)
• Morgan Spiced (70cl)
• Morgan Black Rum (70cl)
• Bacardi (70cl)
• Southern COmfort (70cl)
• Apple Schnapps (1l)
• Karmasuitra Vodka (50cl)
• White Tequila (50cl)
• Gold Tequila (50cl)
• Absolut Peach Vodka (70cl)
• Jagermeister (50cl)
• Blue Curaco (2x 50cl)
• Malibu (70cl)
• Skittles Vodka (2x 70cl)
• Amaretto (70cl)
• Limoncello (35cl)
• Lemoncella (75cl)
• Cointreau (50cl)
• Baileys (1l)
• Cognac (70cl)
• Angostura Aromatic Bitters (20cl)
• Creme de menth (2x 50cl)
• Triple Sec (2x 50cl)
• Creme de cassis (50cl)
• White Sambuca (1l)
• Bells (1l)
• Moet Champagne (1l)
• Martini Dry (1l)
• Vermouth Bianco (1l)
• Sake (72cl)
• Irish Knights Cream (70cl)
• Scrumpy Cloucy Cider (2l)
• Wine (10 bottles)
• Fosters (crate)
• Carling (crate)
• Strongbow (crate)
• Grenadine Syrup (2x 75cl)
• Assortment of normal and foreign ciders
• Assortment of beers
• Assortment of alcopops
• Minature spirit bottles (13x 10cl)
• Crazy-ass Thai Red Bull

Cooking: Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

I left it right till the end of the month, mainly out of being lazy.. but managed to get myself to cook again. I couldn't decide what to make, but Ashlea gave me the idea of Spinach and Ricotta Cennelloni. I have never made, nor heard of it before... so I thought I would give it a go.

Recipe:

2 knobs of butter

2 cloves of garlic

Dried oregano

3 normal bags of spinach

Fresh basil

2 tins of chopped plum tomatoes

400g ricotta cheese

Parmesan cheese (four handfulls)

20 canneloni tubes

200g grated mozzarella cheese

500ml crème fraiche

1) Put sauce pan on high heat, with butter, oil, oregano and one chopped clove of garlic, until the garlic is soft.

2) Place all spinach in the pan, handful at a time, until it has condensed down into a spinachy mush.

3) Place the spinach into a bowl and leave to cool.

4) Put the pan back on heat, with a bit more oil and another chopped clove of garlic.

5) Add the two tins of chopped tomatoes and basil. Fill one of the tins with water and add this too. Bring to the boil, add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar, then lower the heat and simmer until most water goes and it becomes a tomato sauce.

6) While you wait for step 5 to finish, once the spinach has cooled grab it into a ball and squeeze out the excess water back into the bowl. Put the spinach onto a chopping board and chop it throughout.

7) Place the spinach back into the bowl (with the spinach water), and add all the ricotta and a handful of Parmesan and mix together.

8) Push the mixture into the cannelloni tubes until they are fully stuffed.

9) By now the tomato sauce should be finished. Place this on the bottom of a baking tray. Place the stuffed cannelloni tubes on top.

10) Mix together the crème fraiche and two handfuls of Parmesan cheese. No heat is needed. Add a bit of salt and pepper, and add water until it is loose enough to spoon over the cannelloni tubes.

11) Sprinkle with handful of Parmesan and the grated mozzarella.

12) Place in the oven, 180 degrees (gas mark 4) for 20-25 minutes.

Verdict: Although I stupidly waited for 5 to finish before starting 6 (which added ages), it turned out really nice! Everyone seemed to like it. The tomato and cheese sauces were really nice. There was more than enough for 4 people.

FFFF: British Women

Round two of Famous Fit Female Friday. This weeks category: British women!

Lucy Pinder (Glamour Model)

Gemma Atkinson (Actress, Hollyoaks)

Holly Willoughby (Preseter, Dancing on Ice)

Charlotte Jackson (Sky Sports News Presenter)

Kayleigh Pearson (FHM High Street Honey Winner, 2003)

Michelle Marsh (Glamour Model)

Thandie Newton (Actress, Film)

Roxanne Pallett (Actress, Emmerdale)

Kate Beckinsale (Actress, Film)

Susan Boyle (Singer)

Winner: Roxanne Pallett

Next week: Yummy Mummys [All photos must be with their child].

Dodgeball: Leicester Revisited

We have entered into the upcoming Leicester Dodgeball Tournament. It is an official one ran by the UK DBA. Some people may remember that Leicester was the place, exactly one year ago, where OMGLAN secured the much envied spot of 13th in the UK. Yep, thats right.. we were once 13th in the UK at dodgeball.

Times have changed, tournaments were missed, and we have now dropped rapidly. Hopefully with our new secret weapon, Jamie McEwan, we can reclaim our top spot... maybe one day even reach the top 10 (and in the process strike another thing off my 100 things to do list).

Anyway... here is a little show of what is in store for those who challenge us...

Liberality

I would class myself as very liberal. I have no issue with anyone's personality, beliefs, or actions, as long as they don't cause a noticeable negative effect for everyone else. I have no issue with homosexual people, and welcome people of any race to become English citizen, as long as they respect the country, its heritage, and class themselves as British.

I think being liberal is:

- being able to accept that some people have been brought up with closed-minded views such as disliking gay people or other races, and find solutions instead of just berate.

- being able to accept that some people may be screwed up, and become murders, rapists or paedophiles, and try and encourage help before it is acted on.

- being able to accept that some people may have values which may not be the same as your own, therefore leading to a different political view.

To be liberal to the point where anyone can do what they want would lead to anarchy, you have to draw a line somewhere.

"Better to be hated than loved for what you're not"

Every time I listen to 'Marina and the Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot', I always think about the line- and well known saying "Better to be hated than loved for what you're not", or "Hated for who you are than loved for who you aren't", however you want to word it.

A quick Google search brings up loads of Yahoo Answers posts, all the answers of which agree with the saying... but I really think I have to disagree.

A lot of the posts mention conformity, and staying true to yourself, etc, but I think if you are hated on a large scale then it is maybe an indication that you need to change your personality. Everyone changes how they act around some people to some scale. Most people wont swear around their nan for example. I adapt my personality when I think someone I'm speaking to won't like some things I do.

I'm pretty sure I would rather be loved by people, and hide aspects of my personality than be hated by everybody. I don't think that makes me weak or shallow.

I think it could only be murderers, rapists, paedophiles and goths that agree with this perhaps.

FunnyShat: The Memories

Leigh found old Funnyshat files today. FunnyShat was a website I ran in year 11 at school. Somehow, by about October after we left it had had around 30,000 visits. People that didn't go to our school (some outside England) had seen it somehow, though I have no idea how.

Here are a couple of files that were on there. I might upload a few more pics/videos in future.

The Ultimate McEwan

Neils 'Hammertime' flash movie.

My 'Leroys Sword in the Stone' flash movie.

Epic Edit: Thumb Boy

I thought this was blog-worthy. Dave did an epic edit of the quite well known thumb-boy picture...

Its 'omglan-thumb-boy'. Ah, it made me laugh hard.

FFFF: Famous Fit Female Friday

I have started a new feature, 'Famous Fit Female Friday', where selected people nominate a woman, and then vote on who is the best. Here are the women nominated today:

Arianny Celeste

Megan Fox

Pixie Lott

Fearne Cotton

Angelina Jolie

Katherine Jenkins

Scarlett Johansson

Mila Kunis

Zooey Deschanel

Winner: Arianny Celeste and Megan Fox (Draw!!)

Next weeks category: British Women

I'm a Star! Or at least, I have a star!

Today I registered the star my sister bought me for Christmas. I chose to have it in the coolest constellation known to man... Hercules (even though he kind of looks a bit like Thumb Boy with a sword)!

Not only is it in Hercules... it is the heart of Hercules, as shown by the Google Earth pin!

If we zoom in... you can even see it!! It's not quite the big bright one in the middle (who would want that one anyway... its tacky...), but the one slightly up from it!

And here it is! My amazing new star. Trionell 'omglan' Blackspeed!!

It is probably the coolest star in the sky. If ever our Sun blows up I can go and live on Trionell. For the star gazers of you, it is Hercules 17h 6m 49.08s 31 25' 44.17"

And as proof...

One in a thousand...

Apparently I look like everyone. Almost every day I hear "You look just like -Insert name of male with curly hair-".

This is with both the people I know, and people I see in clubs. You can almost guarantee that if I am standing outside a club, drunk, somebody will come over tell me how much I look like Johnny Borrell, or Luke Pritchard (both of which I think is mean :P).

I am pretty sure it's just down to whatever hair style I have at the time... here is a collection of the best.. and worst.

Mostly said by drunk guys with skin heads. Damn them.

Maybe the one I hear most. He looks like a rat.

I look nothing like Fearne Cotton.

Said by the drunk guy in the pub. See last post.

The hair isn't even that similar.

The only one I actually think looks a bit like me. I had to convince my dad it wasn't actually me.

Definitely not.

And finally... a guy who lost on the first question of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire...

An interesting, completely unexpected and quite embarrassing pub visit.

After work today I decided to meet Neil for a drink and an epic lasagne (and curly fries) in the Trocadero in Birmingham. After ordering and getting drinks... a well dressed Indian man, wearing a smart suit and carrying a guitar case (and looked a bit like M. Night Shayamalan) stood next to us for a second, turned to us and said "I should have listened. Everyone told me she's like that... I'm too trusting. She's gone". Already, the night has gone a bit unexpected.

I quite like talking to random people, so I questioned what he meant. Obviously drunk, he asked if he could sit down.. and started telling us about this woman who he really liked, who's ex boyfriend is really nasty to her, but she still likes him. He was meant to meet up with her today in the pub but her ex turned up, and when he went to the toilet she left. Me and Neil both had a bit of sympathy for him. And then he said "And hes a Paki. I'm Indian, hes a dirty Paki".. we watched in shock as he lifted his hand.. spat in it.. and said "And thats what I think of Pakis". Yep. It became quite weird.

The following conversation took many paths. He started telling us he is somewhat of a guitar prodigy. By this point I was a bit doubtful, unfortunately he was determined to prove us wrong. In a busy pub. Sitting on our table. He pulled out his guitar, and first made Neil try and play something. It was really funny. People stared. He then took it back and started playing different guitar songs. I'll be honest, he was really good, but more people stared. One person got up and asked him to stop playing, as his singing was terrible. Yep... he was singing too.

Then, although he had said he was meeting a girl, I was sensing a lot of flirting. He told me how good looking I was, and that in certain pubs all the girls would be after me.. then, in a probing sense, said ".. though is that what you want..? ... do you have a girlfriend?". And he touched Neils knee. He told us that he just got out of court, as his ex is losing her children. But it wasn't his fault (the fact he had to say that makes me question whether it was his fault..).

We started playing with him a bit then. He said he can tell I've lived an easy life, and that I've never had pain. He said Neil has, and then talked to him about how you can't teach someone real pain... so I told him my family blew up when I was 4. After a bit he realised I was lying... not because the sarcastic tone in my voice, no, it was the green flashes coming off me. He revealed he was a 'seer' too. A man of many talents.

It was getting quite awkward now. He had got slightly annoying, as he started trying to show off his academic knowledge. He said something like "You kids, I passed an O level, you are spoon fed now. I bet you don't know something like the square root of 64", I fired back the answer of 8. He then tried to give me an equation... "E equals-" ... I quickly butted in that E is already a mathematical constant (2.718..). He then tried to test me knowledge on the string theory, and failing that Schrödinger's cat, and failing that he revealed the bottle of vodka hidden in his suit jacket.

Looking back at the start of the conversation, I question what really happened with the woman that left while he was in the toilets... why he was really wearing a suit... if he really was a teacher, like he said he was. After all, you could tell at some point he was probably quite clever, but recently gone a bit tapped.

Anyway, it was quite an interesting, completely unexpected and quite embarrassing pub visit.

P.s. Obviously, the man pictured isn't the one who was actually playing the guitar in the pub.

Toilet Manners

There's shaking, and then there's wanking. When you're standing next to me in the men's toilets please try not to cross that line.

Also wash your hands.

Ps. Bit drunk.

Modelling: My Thoughts and Feelings

I haven't really said my thoughts on modelling... so here:

I don't class myself as a model, I am a programmer, which is quite the opposite end of the spectrum. Although it is something I enjoy while doing it, I still get quite nervous the day before a shoot. I don't see myself as being a model, and as such I have never actually perused it.

I have got quite fortunate in that it has always came to me. I got into it entirely through chance. After the first shoot, a photographer told me to send my pictures off to an agency, which accepted right away. Since then I have accepted any photo shoot that sounds interesting or fun.

I don't do it for the money, although when the right things come along the money is amazing. I do it for the interesting pictures, the experience, and that it is still something that makes me nervous. I am quite lucky in that the pictures I get would cost a lot of money for someone paying.

Having said this, I do get slightly annoyed with people who jump at any chance to call themselves a model, when they only do TFP (time for pictures) shoots, or things for friends. That doesn't make someone a model. These shoots generally don't include money, make-up/hair done, clothing chose, e.t.c. While I don't think these are the must-have ingredients to make a shoot 'proper modelling', I think if you only do the one off of these then you probably shouldn't make "I'm a model" your opening statement of anyone you meet.

The reason it annoys me is that most of these people are saying it as a way of saying 'I am good looking!' instead of 'this is my job'. It's not good to brag. It is one of those things that you need to handle things with a degree of tact. I often don't like talking about it, aside from saying that I have done a shoot. Even then I have been called 'attention seeking'.

Equally, I get annoyed at people who seem to insult any work I do, in a kind of jealous/whiny way. Yes.. there are a small few. It doesn't make me feel any worse about myself, it just makes you look immature.

Anyway. As it stands now, I shall just keep accepting agency work until they decide to kick me out. I finally got around to joining a website, which is usually the main outlet of jobs. As I've only done commercial/fashion, who don't often send photos, I don't have much of a 'portfolio', so I don't expect any more than occasionally being approached for a 'TFP' shoot.

Organising Photos!

I very much like things organised. I don't collect things because I hate the thought of throwing things that have spent too long with me away. I'm clingy. Anything I have had for more than a certain time cannot be thrown away, and must instead be put in the loft, which will hopefully (if it bares no significant meaning to me) be forgotten, and thrown away by somebody else. If I have had anything long, then I feel it must be protected as some kind of record of my life. Anyway.. I'm rambling...

A few months ago, I looked on my Facebook and saw I had less tagged photos than I'm sure I had before. This could just be me being paranoid... but if I do have less then those photos are gone forever. I didn't even have chance to say bye. For this reason, I felt I had to download and save all my tagged photos (I have over 2300). I had saved about 1000 when I started to think that just a couple of photos of me, from a night out, is out of context. It means nothing without the whole album, which put me in a pickle, and one I would have to try and ignore.

I put it off for a few months.. until today. While marveling at other Google things, and seeing how it could change my life, I remembered Picasa... something I once downloaded and deleted within seconds as I felt I had no need for it (after all, all the photos were on Facebook). After remembering my problem, I did a bit of Google searching and found Fotobounce. This amazing app will connect to Facebook, and download all the pictures you tell it to, albums and all. It will even tag people based on really clever facial recognition (a feature I was impressed with, but didn't need as Picasa also does it).

I am now downloading every photo I have ever been tagged with, along with the album it was in. Maybe a little obsessive, but in thousands of years time I could be grateful to be looking back at the photos.

Anyway, for those interested, Picasa looks at all your pictures and builds up some kind of biometric thing of people. This allows it to automatically know who are in photos, so you can find all photos by a certain person. It's pretty pro. Get it.

21) Cycle 50 miles; Post 1

Both my 100 things to do list, and 2010 resolutions have that I must do a 50 mile bike ride.

I started the year off well by taking my bike, which I haven't properly used in maybe 8 years, to have a service and repair. Keeping up the rapid progression, 4 days later I messaged my friend... and today I have finally decided on a cycle route! It already feels like it has been crossed off my list. Surely all the hard work is done now.

The route is Birmingham to Oxford, which you can see here. Hopefully it won't be too hard, and the 4 minutes I struggled to do on the bike at physio (because of cardio, not my knee!) was just me having a bad day :)

This post alone acts as progression! If I'm not dead by the end of it, I may add a '100 mile bike ride' to the list... :o

Svenska Helgen i England

This weekend my Swedish friends, Kristofer and Mikael stayed over. I met Kristofer in Thailand, where I drunkenly agreed to go to Sweden. Since I did a lot of travelling last year, I decided to stick to it (I don't like to make false promises...).

I had one of the best holidays I had staying at his place... so I had to try and make their stay just as fun. They had previously been to London, but felt it was too touristy, and wanted to see the 'proper' England.

On Friday I took them to Gatecrasher. Was such a good night. They met my friends, which included Joe (he will moan if he doesn't get a mention), and everyone got on really well. Their sense of humour is very in line with ours, which is quite uncommon even for British people.

Saturday was spent in Birmingham, then on the night showing them the '5th worst city in the world', Wolverhampton. We went to the Civic centre, which was very fun, and drunken. My highlight was probably the extremely slippy spot, that claimed about 5 people in as many minutes, at one point taking two girls down at once. How I love to laugh at others misfortune.

Sunday was more relaxed. We had an English Sunday dinner, and then we went to the Black Country museum (an amazing place). The people there were just leaving as nobody had came in due to the snow, so I felt really guilty when they had to stay, but they were nice about it, and showed us around some things. On the evening we chilled out with my friends again and played PS3.

I am sad to see them go :( and now really, really tired. I hope to go to Sweden again at some point this year.

Religion and My Polytheism

I am not religious. I have always questioned the inconsistencies, and even in year two didn't accept the priests answer of 'nobody made him, he was just there...'. In the same way, I don't believe in the Big Bang theory, as it also has too many holes. I haven't read enough about evolution, but I doubt it highly due to many of the unexplained areas.

I think people who blindly believe in creationism, discounting all fair arguments in favour of 'faith', are just as stupid as those who think our origins can be explained by any current theory (big bang, holographic theory, bubble universe etc), completely discounting any 'outside/higher' help.

There has been countless times in history when large people have had no doubt of something, only to find a phenomenal change in their beliefs (e.g. Earth not being flat, or the Arctic Highlanders who thought they were the only people on the planet). Learning from history, it would be stupid to think that will never happen again.

We have no more insight into religion now than there was 2000 years ago. Nobody now believes Apollo brings the Sun, and Poseidon controls the water, but there is nothing to say our 'god' is any more valid than these. And at least Greek mythology provided interesting stories.

I have always liked Polytheism. I find it nicer to think that aspects of things are controlled different, conflicting gods. It runs on the same principals of faith, superstition and chance, but allows for more interesting answers. When thousands of people are killed in a natural disaster, Christians find it hard to explain why 'God' would allow that... with Polytheism it could be a worse god who is punishing people.

I would like to develop my own Polytheism, a more modern Greek set up, though not as a religion to follow, but because the stories are more exciting.

Cover your face when you type to me

Today I had a funny revelation. I ocassionally speak to someone online, that I have never met. I had seen 10ish photos and she was pretty but not really my type, not that it mattered either way. I decided to Google her name, to see what I can find out (I would be an amazing stalker). She has quite an uncommon name, so it wasn't too difficult. I was quite shocked to find that the pictures I was sent wasn't actually her. She confessed, and said it's her friend... and thought I wouldn't speak to her again.

I am not shallow enough to not speak to people I don't find attractive. I understand that she was in a bit of a catch-22 (hard to explain, but the means of contact meant she needed the better pictures), so she wasn't directly tricking me... but I don't understand why people would feel they would need to use a photo of somebody else.

It hasn't really bothered me, I will still talk to her.. and without whining about trust issues... I just hope I don't come across as being shallow enough to care about how attractive people I speak to ara.