Halloween, Yes. But There’s Got To Be More To October!

image courtesy of oskay @flickr

As we all know, October is most famous for Halloween – the day and night at the end of the month historically known as a time for children (and some adults) to dress up in a fun costume and door-knock through their neighbourhood, asking the dwellers within to provide them with sweet, sweet candy. Failing to provide such sugary treats could potentially result in some kind of nasty trick being played upon the miserly confectionery Scrooge(s). Such tricks would generally be delivered in the form of TP or eggs, however one could never really be certain of what to expect, so it is always wiser to give the children what they want.

At least that’s what I learned from the movies and television.

The Dead Rise! (For A Good Cause)

You've been warned!

Yesterday saw the 6th annual shuffling of the Brisbane Zombie Walk. The event is run annually to raise money for the Brain Foundation and has become an incredibly popular and fun afternoon out. This year it was hoped that we little Aussies might have the honour of holding the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of zombies and we certainly came together to give it a fair go!

Comparative Cinema: Dawn Of The Dead

 
 

When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead shall walk the Earth.

 
 
 
 
 
It’s Halloween! Well, nearly so this comparison is naturally going to be drenched in scary! At my blog-buddy Thoughtsy‘s excellent suggestion I’m going straight for the big gun before the end of civilisation the month rolls around. I should mention that if you need info about zombies, Thoughtsy’s probably our foremost expert, having done plenty of research on the topic. I’m pretty sure you’ll find everything you need to know to survive a Zombocalyse amongst her pages.

BRAIIIINNNNSSSS…

Dawn of the Dead tells the story of a group of people who, whilst trying to escape the Zombocalypse that has erupted around the World, decide to hole up in a suburban shopping mall. With the zombies working their way into their stronghold, the survivors must cooperate to decide what to do next – before they are dragged kicking and screaming into the ranks of the undead horde themselves!

Hey, Gym Dude…

First of all, let me apologise for calling out rudely like that. I’m generally much more polite; especially when I’m trying to be diplomatic. I figured though that getting your attention would require some kind of macho taunt drenched in arrogance and testosterone. Now that the lines of communication are open, I’d like to talk to you about something.

I Made A Mistake – Give Me A Nobel Prize!

At the beginning of this month, an Australian Professor by the name of Brian Schmidt was one of three scientists to receive a Nobel Prize for Physics. He was heading up a team of astronomers who were exploring the results of supernovae explosions and their discovery led directly to a Nobel Prize. Naturally, one of our news programs interviewed Mr Schmidt and he explained the research that his team had been doing and the exciting (and galaxy destroying – in however many billion years) discovery that had gained them such enormous recognition.

While the details of the actual research and discovery were very interesting (to some), it was the introduction of the interview that struck me the hardest, clearly identifying me as a forerunner for the next round of Nobel Prizes that will be awarded. When introducing the story, the presenter mentioned that the winners of the Prize initially believed that they had made a mistake in their observations…

Guest Post: Adventures From Edmonton And Beyond!

Today I have the pleasure of hosting my first guest – The Edmonton Tourist! She’s a great blogging buddy of mine who currently resides in Canada; a place I’ve always wanted to visit. E.T. lives an adventurous and humorous life and her knowledge of sports (particularly ice hockey), history and Seinfeld is formidable.

E.T. has inherited her adventurous ways from her parents and she has been so kind as to share with us the latest in their adventures in Israel. You can read all about The Edmonton Tourist at her WordPress blog and if you want to catch her in real time, you can follow her on Twitter as well. Without further ado, take it away E.T.!

Comparative Cinema: The Karate Kid

 
  
 

No such thing as bad student. Only bad teacher.

 
 
 
 
 
This week’s Comparitive Cinema has been a challenging one. Much like the protagonists in these movies though I will not run from it.

The movies focus on a young boy who is relocated out of necessity and faces not only adjustment to a new environment but also the physical bullying of a group of boys at his school. He fortuitously ends up being trained by a martial arts master and learns more than simple self defense as he prepares to face his tormentors in a decisive competition.

Chinese Food May Well Be The Death Of Me

There may be a killer lurking at this table...

Everybody knows that Superheroes have their weakness. Whether it’s physical or psychological, it balances their immense power. One of the most important things about being a Superhero is awareness of this weakness, even if only to prepare oneself for exposure to it.

As a ninja WordPress psychic, I would say that I fall into the lower range of Superheroes. Certainly not worthy of working alongside the likes of Superman, Captain America, Wonder Woman or any of the hundreds of superheroes out there. However, it is important to note that even the lowly Superheroes are subject to the same laws as the big guns.

Japanese Adventures: Ghosts In The Night

Inspired by this coming Friday’s Comparative Cinema post, this week is dedicated to all things Asian. If you’ve read some of the very early posts on this blog you’ll know that I’ve got a special place in my heart and imagination for Japan. I’d also love to visit China one day and have some adventures there.

For now though, let me tell you of the time I came face to face with the Old Gods of Shinto on a night-time adventure many moons ago… *cue the wavy-line memory effect, a-la Wayne’s World* Diddluh-doo, diddluh-doo, diddluh-doo!