http://LaRamblings.blog.co.uk/

Michael Jackson

2009-06-29T20:56:51+02:00

I was shocked to hear of Michael Jackson's death as I grew up listening to much of his music and he was a great singer. It's sad to hear details about his dependence on painkillers and his frailty in recent months.

Fame and money come at a high price sometimes.

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The Strike

2009-06-10T20:05:28+02:00

Although the two day Tube Strike is a nuisance, I had the opportunity to take a leisurely bus journey past many wonderful sights in central London this morning while travelling to work, it was like a mini sighseeing trip. It certainly reminded me how beautiful London is.

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State of Play

2009-06-06T17:55:35+02:00

Based on the British TV series, State of Play stars Russell Crowe as veteran newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey who is teamed up with political blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdam) to investigate the death of a young Researcher. It soon becomes apparent that the Reseacher was the mistress of Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), an old friend of Cal's. As he investigates futher McAffrey soon uncovers a web of conspiracy and blackmail.

Crowe gives a terrific performance and his chemistry with McAdam is also very good. It has a good pace and is an engaging political thriller.

Rating: 8/10

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Atchooooo!

2009-05-04T20:22:35+02:00

It's not a good time to be suffering from a cold, my partner found it amusing the looks I got from some people when I started sneezing and coughing when we were out shopping on Saturday.

It's not swine flu, honest!!

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Careers Advice

2009-04-20T19:32:34+02:00

Over £60k per year,

Generous expenses,

12 week summer holiday.

Why didn't the School Careers Advisor ever suggest a career as an MP. Being a Member of Parliament is not such a bad career choice as long as you avoid being involved in any sex scandals and er.. passing comments on the quality of eggs.

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Silvio Berlusconi

2009-04-10T14:47:07+02:00

Is Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi after Prince Philip's title as the godfather of gaffes?

His remark about Obama being 'tanned', raised a few eyebrows. Just recently the Queen had to reprimand him after he got a bit overexcited by shouting Obama's name at the G20 photoshoot.

Now he has remarked that people made homeless by the Earthquake in Italy should view it as a camping trip...

I definitely think he's a contender.

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Crime pays, big time

2009-04-06T20:37:46+02:00

I was reading a story today about a serial bag thief who after serving a third of his sentence (does anyone serve full time these days?) was given £3k by the Government to fly back home to Algeria. Funnily enough, he came back into the UK days later (through our strict border controls.. ahem) and no one knows his whereabouts.

Hold on a second..£3k for a ticket to Algeria? Did they send him on a round the world plane ticket home via Los Angeles and Sydney?

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Northern Ireland

2009-03-14T19:01:21+01:00

I was really sad to hear about the murders of the two soldiers and policeman in Northern Ireland recently. I was in Belfast only a couple of weeks ago and had a fantastic time, it's a vibrant city and found the people there so friendly and welcoming. It was heartwarming to see both Catholic and Protestant politicians and citizens condemning the attacks and sending out a clear message to terrorists that they do not want a return to the violence. I sincerely hope they listen to this message and no more innocent lives are lost.

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Duff Duffy

2009-03-02T22:42:07+01:00

I saw the new drink advert with the singer Duffy, is it naff or what?

Why is she cycling through a supermarket?

Why is she warbling that terrible song 'Ive got to be meeeee'?

Dreadful.

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The Cameron's

2009-02-26T20:21:06+01:00

I found it rather distasteful that the press found it necessary to publish pictures of the Cameron's returning to their home from the Hospital only a few hours after the death of their son. It really makes you question whether the Paparazzi have any morals at all and Newspaper Editors too for that matter.

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What are the chances?

2009-02-20T17:06:42+01:00

What are the chances of hearing a Chris Brown song on the radio anytime soon...or ever again for that matter especially now since a picture has been leaked showing Rihanna's facial injuries.

What a lowlife.

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Grammy Awards

2009-02-09T21:32:52+01:00

Good to see British singers and bands doing so well at the Grammy Awards at the weekend. Coldplay fully deserved their award for their excellent album Viva la Vida. Also, Adele and Duffy as they both have amazing voices. Must admit when I first saw Robert Plant I did think it was Mickey Rourke for a brief second.

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BBC v Thatcher

2009-02-07T22:59:05+01:00

I think most people would agree that Carol Thatcher was rather stupid in referring to a french tennis player as a 'golliwog frog'. Although, I did find it slightly odd that Jo Brand and Adrian Chiles felt 'very offended' by the comment, it's not as if the comment was directed at their colour. Were they offended on behalf of the french as well?

It was a private conversation and not something that was broadcast live, unlike comments made by Jonathan Ross and Jeremy Clarkson recently which many people found offensive. I think a little word in Carol's ear to tell her that such a term was not acceptable would have been sufficient instead of the BBC's reaction to sack her.

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What is it about Russell Brand?

2009-01-26T21:29:29+01:00

I can't understand what attracts women to Russell Brand. Every time I open a newspaper he's pictured with a new woman in tow. He could do with a good shave, a haircut and a bit of fattening up and then there's his 'interesting' fashion sense. I know a sense of humour in a man appeals to some women, but surely it only gets you so far.

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Most depressing day of the year

2009-01-19T21:03:58+01:00

Today has been labelled the most depressing day of the year. Despite delays on the train this morning my day didn't turn out too bad, plus it's only four more days till the weekend again.

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Golden Globe Awards

2009-01-13T20:55:15+01:00

Nice to see Kate Winslet winning two Golden Globe Awards, though it was particularly amusing during her speech when she momentarily forgot that the final nominee was Angelina Jolie. The camera then screened to Angelina who was sitting there with a fixed smile on her face. What a consummate professional. She was probably thinking to herself
'It's me you idiot! The actress that should've won'.

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80s not so bad

2008-12-29T14:19:15+01:00

Watched Starter for 10 the other night. It's set in the mid 80s and it reminded me how bad the fashion was back then, but the soundtrack to the film is really good, so I might dig out The Smiths CD for a listen later.

Happy New Year all!

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Slurrrrp

2008-12-11T21:36:03+01:00

I sit near someone at work who has the tendency to slurp very loudly when drinking their tea. It was amusing for the first five minutes, but now it has become slightly annoying listening to this slurping 4-5 times a day and to top it off, they have now decided to start buying soup for lunch.

Fantastic.

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X - Factor

2008-12-02T22:40:42+01:00

Oh dear, how overhyped was Britney's performance on the X - Factor? She couldn't be bothered to sing live. She looked like she was just going through the motions and her heart wasn't in the performance at all. Crikey, I kind of feel sorry for her, she just looked so out of it compared to Miley Cyrus who was much better.

What's all this nonsense about Diana being original, she is trying to sound like Dolores O' Riordan from the Cranberries, but Dolores was a 1000 times better!

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Quantum of Solace

2008-11-30T21:11:24+01:00

The film picks up directly where Casino Royale left off and it's relentless action from start to finish; from car chases to plane crashes to boat collisons. Daniel Craig is excellent as the ruthless Bond who is out for revenge after the death of Vespa Lynd.

Olga Kurylenko is credible as Camille. Gemma Arterton is ok as Fields, but it did seem rather odd her character wearing a trenchcoat in hot and humid Haiti. Anyway, a great film all the same.

Rating 8/10

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Let down, by so many.

2008-11-12T21:44:46+01:00

Reading the newspaper today about the events leading up to the tragic death of Baby P, it was sickening to read how this child was let down by so many whose role it was to protect him. It's difficult to comprehend how his cruel 'mother' could allow this abuse in the first place and is ultimately to blame for his death (hope she rots in hell), but what about the absent natural father, he let his child down and this is something he has to live with. Social workers who made sixty visits (yes sixty!) yet failed to take him into care and a Doctor who wouldn't examine the child because he was 'cranky', (probably because he was in so much agony). It's quite staggering that the Council accept no accountability for their blunders and show no remorse whatsoever. An example of total incompetence by all the those involved. It's clear that Haringey have learnt nothing since the Victoria Climbie case.

God bless Baby P, at least your suffering is over.

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BBC

2008-11-02T19:28:28+01:00

Like many others, I was very disappointed by the conduct of the BBC this week.

Announcing that they will not be showing a Top of the Pops Christmas special this year. Outrageous!

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Woo hoo!!

2008-10-26T19:16:16+01:00

''Celebrate good times c'mon''.. or however the song goes. Tottenham have won. Hope it continues.

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Bus Drivers Not Wanted.

2008-10-20T21:20:56+02:00

I've just noticed recently how the majority of Bus Drivers seem to have developed an attitude. They appear to go on some sort of 'power trip' by closing the doors in the face of someone who they have just watched do a 100m sprint to try and catch the bus.

Also, don't assume that sticking your hand out to hail a bus at a bus stop indicates to the Driver that you would like to travel on that bus, oh no..not if the Bus Driver is in cruise mode and doesn't feel like stopping their half empty bus at the stop, instead preferring to see if they can swipe your arm off as they speed by.

They only realise the traffic lights are red at the last second, not giving a thought about any passengers they throw about, is colour blindness a pre-requisite for the job these days? They can't be bothered to tell people if there is room on the upper deck or to ask passengers to move down the bus anymore..too much effort involved in that. Hoodies getting on at the back on the bus for free..don't spot that either.

So Bus Drivers..if you dont like your job then for goodness sake...leave it or lose the attitude..'cos it stinks.:-(" class="middle" border="0">

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Cordon bleu.

2008-10-10T21:38:52+02:00

I was in France a few weeks ago, a country renowned for its excellent cuisine. Well, when I was there I ordered a Croque Monsieur one lunchtime and it was burnt black underneath and the surly waiter wasn't best pleased when I asked if it could be replaced. That said, wine was good though.

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Only by the Night

2008-09-30T21:47:23+02:00

It's finally out..Kings of Leon's latest offering, Only by the Night. It's probably their most accessible album to date..and hey you can nearly understand every word Caleb sings. It's an anthemic sort of album which would be perfect echoing around a stadium venue. Not sure yet if it will become my favourite KoL album. First half of the album is superb, second half is slightly weaker, which may be due to the fact it came out so soon after their previous album.

Current favourites are:

Closer
I listened to this opening track for the first time the other night driving along a deserted country road and it sounded so atmospheric. Brilliant.

Sex on Fire
Ok, the title is a bit corny, but this is such a catchy song. I've had the song on repeat for about a month now.. you can't resist belting out that chorus. Good to see them get a no. 1 with this song.

Use Somebody
When I heard a preview of this song I knew it would be one of my favourites. Love the vocal on this.

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A mixed bag...of thoughts.

2008-08-20T21:45:59+02:00

Working in McDonalds must be a crap job and not for the reasons you might initially think. I went into a McDonalds in a dodgy part of town recently, where the manager was being intimidated by a gang of about 10 youths who refused to leave and who were generally being a bit of a nuisance. It just made me think what a horrible job it must be having to deal with that group of arseholes.

I am really enjoying the Beijing Olympics, nice to see GB winning medals (better than the usual disappointment of the national football teams playing crap or not even qualifying). Maybe the 2012 London Olympics won't be such a bad thing after all.

As a Spurs fan, I got to say I can't wait till Berbatov leaves. He's a fantastic player, but boy is he one sulky dude.

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The Dark Knight.

2008-08-05T20:28:55+02:00

Director Christopher Nolan has done it again in this incredibly dark must see film. Bale puts in a another solid performance as Batman and Heath Ledger does indeed live up to all the hype and is worthy of an Oscar nomination. There are also brilliant performances from the likes of Oldman, Eckhart and Gyllenhaal. It's a film full of twists and turns which you don't expect and raises questions of morality midst the relentless chaos.

Best film I've seen this year. 9/10.

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Weekend Plans.

2008-07-19T14:31:11+02:00

Heading into town tonight for a meal with my other half, (yeh!).

Tomorrow, I'm starting back at the gym (boo!).

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A bad hair day.

2008-07-18T20:45:54+02:00

Oh crap! It means having to make a trip to the Hairdressers.

I dread this for various reasons. For starters you feel obliged to make small talk, when you just wish the Hairdresser would get on with cutting your hair. It's also guaranteed that you'll be sitting next to someone who has a really interesting job. Last time, I was sitting next to a girl who worked in the Theatre 'dahlings' and a guy who worked on Big Brother. I work in an Office ..it's just not that exciting, full stop.

Anyway, I was thinking of inventing a new career for myself specifically for hairdresser visits;

Cadbury's Chocolate Tester? (cripes..they'll be looking for freebies),
Secret Agent maybe? (Nope! I'll have to kill her once I tell her, to make it look realistic),

erm..will have to think a bit more on that one...

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