If you comment on this post, I will:

1. Respond with something random about you.
2. Tell you which color you remind me of.
3. Tell you my first memory of you. (Or, you know, make one up.)
4. Tell you what animal you remind me of.
5. Ask you something I've always wondered about you.
6. Tell you my favorite thing about you.
7. Tell you my least favorite thing about you. (Well, maybe.)
8. Challenge you to post this on your journal.
9. Do a jumping jack.
10. Drink more Tea.
11. Tell you the time.
12. Reply with an amusing Youtube video (or image, or story. I guess.)

  It's been a while since this journal had a sizable post fore anyone to read. I've not had the inclination to post and since I changed photo developers to one where I don't get a complimentary JPEG disc, it's not really been convenient for me to scan the photos I've talen and show them to you all.
  There is one sketch in here. I've not posted sketches for about a year or so. For one, a lot of the people that are likely to read this are interested in figurative, comic book style characters, which I still do, but not as much. This one is from life, as are most of my sketches now. They've become more of a tool to paint with than drawing for drawing sakes. Which is bad and is partly becuase of how my attitude to drawing has changed from being in university.

CLICKING MAKES THE PICK-A-TURES BIGGER!



  One of my university friends and I go walking after midnight (well, after 9pm and not in that sense, I just wanted to use a Patsy Cline line in here but I doubt any of you got it) in the city centre and do long-exposure photos. My favourites are from the Diana MIni, but theres some more photos from my new Blackbird, Fly. Personally, the BBF feels more like any other 35mm that has frame slots.

( photos gallore )

How ya'll doing btw?

Hmmm. So a dead body has turned up in the canal outside my window. Next to my local boozer. Never a dull day when your university has "demon" in it's name! 

tagged by wikivic 

A. List seven habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
B. Tag seven people to do the same.
C. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag "whoever wants to do it."

1. I smashed my front tooth in when I was 9, had a cap since then, got an abcess under the tooth when I was 14, had a root canal with no aneasthetic by a tiny little hand-screw drill and now have a crown on it. The root canal cost about £11 or something altohgether too: it was done in China haha. I have never needed braces though! :D

2. I lived in China when I was 14 and started to learn Chinese there. I learnt most of the language back in the UK though, and have travelled back during the summers since. I have a level 6 HSK, but am not yet fluent. I've been to Sri Lanka too.

3. I don't particularly like to eat seafood, but every so often to crave it. Masochist  :P

4. I figure that since I don't drink (heavily) or smoke, I can waste my money on film rolls. These are expensive and just as bad for my health.

5. I live within 3 miles of Wentworth Woodhouse, a big manor that hsas the longest facade in Europe. Overwise, it's a bit of a let down. My local town was featured in Jamie's Ministry of Food...

6. I am very faddy. I go from being mad about a subject for 2 weeks to mild interest pretty quickly.

7.My aunty's cafe is in a music video by Tony Christie, along with the rest of Sheffield Castle Market. "Walk like a Panther" should be watched with the audio turned off btw.

TAG YOU'RE IT: m_mcgonagall_65 , mangazebra , studio_withbits, theorah , major_kiki , wm_sketchpad , darth_mongoose 

20009 is nearly over, the same can be said for the earnings I have garnered over it. I decided to splash out and get an iPod Touch. I must say that so far I am very impressed, not only with the playback but with the amount of free material available on iTunes U. I'm downloading the Oxford Uniuversity set on Philosophy, since it's always beensomething that sounded worthwhile but I didn't want to get any dry books on. So I 'll get a dry podcast on it and see how we go if I can do something else while listening.

Which is one of the reasons why I got it; so  wont get so bored and then obnoxious in the studio. My concentration span has improved over the past month or so, the 5_for_five challenge has helped, but when I'm away from a computer or expected to do somethine that doesn't require speaking or reading or means being alone, I get really really really bored. So bored, that I literally run up and down the hallway pestering everyone in sight.

II might get a few language podcasts. Chinese is a given and maybe German.

I have work tommorow. Today is my day off thank God, although my aunt phoned to ask if I could do a few hours and I blew her off. I feel a jerk so I told her I could work tommorow if she so wished. On the other hand, I've worked pretty hard this holiday season and wont let this darken what wll hopefully be a bright day. Mum and I are off to the cinema to see Nowhere Boy!

How was Christmas for everyone else? :D

I'm sat at home, my feet freezing and my hood up, the cold temperatures outside seeping in from the walls despite central heating. It's a little late for me to be up since I have a 5:30am start in the morning, but I managed 10 hours sleep last night, despite noisy neighbours. I just felt like writing a little before watching some TV and calling it a night.

Today was the first snow of Christmas for me. I looked out my window one minute and then the next there was a massive salt shaker going off across the canal and park. this lasted about 3 minutes then didn't come back til 2 hours later. At that time, my Grandparents had come to pick me and we were sat having a pre-drive snack.

That snack was one of the highlights of my day. Grandad had heated some stew up, put it in a flask and brought two plastic bowls, spoons, bread and a can of coke that he'd wrapped up to keep cool. We sat at my computer desk and ate it while my Grandma made herself a coffee in my one cup with the handle broken off. Christmas shopping list: some mugs for uni.

There was light snow all the way up from Leicester to Rotherham. Up White Post and upper Nottinghamshire it was really coming down, but nothing like what was had during February. I brought my Diana Mini with me and took some photos of the epic sunset as we drove along. I hope they come out ok; great lumps of coal clouds circling a red sun. I ca get all metaphorical about it and everything :D 

Today I actually shared my 100 words for the day aka. 5_for_five challenge or whatnot. Hows my writing?

I'm sat in my uni flat with some coffee+rum, David Bowie and a chocolate yoghurt :D just 11 more days tils I'll be home for 3 lovely weeks with my family :D

Not sure what to get le familie for crimbo, but it's gonna be primarily from amazon.co.uk lol. the prices are pretty good plus its less farting about shop travelling and spending money at Starbucks.

I've been working at my Auntie's cafe on Saturdays, which is putting pennies back in happy places. Which is good; the bottle of rum I just bought cost £15. Salami was £1 though; I bought pickle to go with to sort out my Subway sandwich addiction.

Anyway, I wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone I know and watch on Livejournal! :D It'ss not just a one day thing, its a mind set haha.

Am sat in my room with the easel Grandad bought me for under £20 set up by the sink, a board and my sketchbook in prime position for some painting. So far the colours have come together very quickly. I have class in about 3 and a half hours. Then I have basketball, which is in the building next door.

Missing home but working through it. Listening to a documentary on Fleetwood Mac; never listened to them much before, but it's an interesting show :D.

Hope everyone is doing ok!

The way I like to draw is by using as many different materials as possible, so it's natural for that attitude to filter into my "photography". I used a 200 speed film for this batch. All these pictures were taken in Leicester, some of whihc were in the market. The market is fantastic and has old 1950's cameras (which I didn't know how to work and thus didn't buy yet) to Atari's and Sega Saturns. I need to get in contact with the elder bro' so he can get his filthy mittens on all the retro games, but for now I'll have to settle for showing you all my photos of cheapland!



This pic reminds me a little of my Aunty. She runs a little cafe in Sheffield Market, which funnily enough was photographed for an album cover by Sheffield born (I think) musician Richard Hawley. That's her behind the counter!


( waste of film behind here! )