Generic Recap of an otherwise awesome BHH...

Last Thursday, as is the norm every month, the bloggers were at it again. Well, some of them. Glad the skies didn't fall on us this time. We would have been furious.

The first time I attended BHH was the last time I was there first. It's tough being there first these days. When I got there, the crew had already settled in and a fair round of 'oohs' and 'aahs' had passed. Those were in relation to Tipsyalco(etc)'s new look. I too expressed my sentiments, and was heartily rewarded. Yes, she looked fabulous, but threats of her leaving early were relentless. Almost took the fun out of it. She's forgiven, for she stuck around for a while. Or was I the one that came very late?

Found Nev there, having a blast chatting about graphics and all. Rev seemed to be paying close attention, but gave up when he could no longer resist showing us his baby's pictures. The baby looks nice (don't they all?), but his daddy claimed to have had a hard time getting him to pose for the pics.

Solomon King and Rhino seemed like an unlikely duo. Seemed. But they got by splendidly. Sibo and Ivan shared a joke about their hairstyles. Seeing as I had a similar one, I found it mildly amusing.

We were visited by a sight, nay, two sights, once familiar but now redeemed by their presence at such an opportune time. Boy, was Walkonby a sight for sore eyes! The lady was seriously outnumbered. And after a long absence, Basiks turned up! He got a round of applause and hi-fives. Yep, it was good to see some long lost faces. Walkonby reminded us about the Mega-BHH we had talked about. She offered her place (for/as the venue). There was some debate about who should be in charge of the music. When Rev suggested he do it, there was a chorus of disagreement. It seems we're yet to catch onto Malian music. Same went for Nev. The idea of playing Hillsong music all night long was disturbing the peace of some. Case settled. Ivan won. I think that was because he made no suggestion whatsoever as to what sort of music he'd play. Clever. I think he whispered something about having an artist (artiste?) sing live. I think. So, all ye bloggers be warned. Mega-BHH coming soon (rumoured to be in early Dec).

I must add that for a great part of it, it was only guys. This event drew a hearty laughter from Nev. No need to imagine in what direction the general conversation drifted. If you know these guys, you'd know.

The 'regulars' absent ought to be ashamed. Really ashamed. Or else they stand to lose the prestigious title of 'regular.' And that's a wrap!

Green Lantern's Light...

Yes, this is a review of the DC Comics movie 'Green Lantern' that I watched only last night.
For clear reasons, I avoided having to watch it in the cinema. I got a very clear (720p HD) copy. For those who don't know, it means this copy was so clear you'd see the sweat on a dog's nose!
Anyway, this is how it went down:

For starters, I began this movie at around 1am. I didn't dose off. A major plus.
The origin story is as cliche as they go, but the stunning visual effects did go a long way to cover that flaw. I think there was also a romantic side to it somewhere. Didn't surprise me, neither did it impress me. It seemed as though someone decided it would be nice to just fix it there. It didn't work.

As for the plot line... Ok, let me admit. It's tough to stretch this review.

Just as I was warming up to the movie, it ended! Just like that! It practically came to a screeching halt! That was an anticlimax to crown them all! In short, it had the potential to be a great movie, but it collapsed like a house of wet cards. The villain just wasn't 'villain enough'.

Maybe I just like the guy, but the presence of Mark Strong (Sinestro) helped the movie along. I think he has what it takes to give Hugo Weaving a run for the title of Mega-villain. (Mark Strong is the guy who played Lord Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes. He has that ominous voice, typical of the great movie villains.) He wasn't the villain in this one though. Sad indeed.

Well, apart from the awesome effects, there's not too many talking points really. Don't say you weren't warned.

Sucker Punch-ed!

Ok, I admit it wasn't the best idea to decide to do this, but there's so much I felt like saying that wasn't going to cut it in a 'mere' facebook status message.

Last night's movie in point was Sucker Punch. Despite the truckload of negative criticism attached to it, I decided to brave the movie. Brave it I did, for it was a tough test on my nerves. I can relax to the fact that it offered little to tax my mental faculties, seeing as I was rather exhausted by the time I started it. These are my findings.

First 5 minutes:
Found nothing wrong with the opening scene. At this point it looks like a sensible movie. The title sequence had me clap my hands in glee... Something about such movies and rain that just makes the whole scene tick.

Next 20 minutes:
Still not asleep, so I soldier on. Not having a problem with the soundtrack so far. And like the Russian accent. Hate the whole ballet thing. Then she 'dances.'

Some sort of Eastern temple. Old man offers advice, laced with corny quips. Amusing at first. Then the first battle. I'm impressed by the realistic tactics I notice in the fight, though I'm put off by the seemingly invincible sword. Two hits from those giants should have shattered that ka-sword. What's it made of? Vibranium? (Vibranium: fictional energy-absorbing metal. Used to make Captain America's round shield, and to power the Mark VI in Iron Man 2 - courtesy of wiki)

Hmm, so instead of watching some silly (and most likely erotic dance routines) we're treated to some awesome fight scenes?! Cool!

After an hour:
I gave up on following any story developments. Just waiting for the fights. The four items (around which the plot seemingly revolves) no longer bear any significance to me. And I'm also disappointed that the dragon died so easily. It must have had such a low self-esteem. At this point, I'm pretty sick of the old man's words of advice. Shoot him already!

At 1:14:05:
Fighting robots! Yay!!! This gets me seated upright. I like robots. Of course the ragtag band of soldiers comes through every mission without a scratch, but I can live with that. Though the robots put up a decent 'fight' it's the awesome sword-gun combo that does it for me. I've only seen that in video games. Ok, I think it would have been way cooler if it were a guy doing the shooting/slashing. But then again, it's a girls day out. So far, no girly cries so it's still ok.
Have been greatly enjoying the scenery.

Then, somehow the movie comes to a screeching halt! I run out of appropriate diss words before they even come out. Well, I can't say I didn't expect some disappointment.

In general, I managed to watch this movie while doing about 3 tasks simultaneously, so lost nothing in the way of plot. Of course I had to pay attention when the fighting started. Can't watch a fight and make an omelette at the same time.

I was admittedly impressed by the visuals and the soundtrack, only! In short, I agree it was a terrible movie. One I enjoyed watching. I did find the gems in the dirt.

UBHH Recap: Ain't no Sunshine!

I must admit that, unlike all other days, this Thursday was filled with mystery. My ID had mysteriously vanished from the security desk at work. I tried to harass the guard into telling me what had become of it. But seeing that it would have caused me to go unusually late for BHH, I decided to finish it first thing next morning. I told him to prepare himself for my wrath. For those of you who don’t know, I hate losing my ID. Under what circumstances would I lose one? Well, on many occasions, it has been at the hands of guards. There, that’s enough history on that matter.

So, off I go, and get to Mateos just in time to hear the punchline of one of Johnny’s jokes. I missed a monumental event, I must say, for I rarely hear the punchline to his jokes. I’m sure I would have laughed as well, had I heard the ‘joke’ from the start. In strength was, as usual (big ups man!) Solomon King, Dee, Kampire (it had been a while), Jhny23, Mildred (a.k.a Tipsyalc..mob things), Rhyno, who I later came to learn actually has a real name. I didn’t learn the real name.

Of course I was asked where Nev was. He had given me his excuse beforehand, but as I was telling them he wouldn’t be able to join us, the guy comes ambling in! Imagine that! I’m never speaking for that guy again. Well, if I’d checked my phone as soon as I’d arrived, I’d have seen that he’d sent me another message (after the one telling me he wouldn’t come) that he’d changed his mind and would be with us after all. Still, who changes their mind like that? And for some reason, Jhny23 kept insisting that I should try the intestine. It was a cocktail. I didn’t. I must have cost him a bout of laughter, or a bet.

UHF joined the band soon after (oba before? Details are misty). Apparently, she has something in common with Kampire. I’ll ruefully regret having not exchanged any words with her. Not even a customary ‘hi.’ In my defense, she was a good distance away and didn’t do the customary round of greetings. She’s forgiven. Oh, UHF-Unidentified Hot Female.

Angela Kintu was in force too! And she has jokes! She had SK laughing uncontrollably, or was that just one instance? If was just one, it must have been a very long one. Lorac, new blogger from last time, came in fashionably late. Somehow, she had Rhyno give up his seat. I asked her why ‘Lorac’ doesn’t end in q rather than c. I thought a q would be cool. As in ‘Loraq.’ She said I probably didn’t get it. I insisted that I had got it. It was just a matter of c against q. I don’t recall who won.

Just as I was about to conclude that this was a night of breaking records, Streetsider showed up! That means that there’s a ULK rep at almost every BHH I’ve attended. Almost. And he represented well, though it was more like a cameo for such a highly anticipated ‘performance.’ Yeah, the guy looks and dresses like a star, so you can expect words like ‘performance’ and ‘cameo’ attached to him.

The night was full of surprises, but hardly any more delightful than the ‘sudden’ appearance of Di Ncy (Hope I spelled it right). I saw many faces light up on her arrival. Some of us even welcomed her back. It’d been like forever since she was last seen.

The night was going on well until someone asked (suspected in mid-stupor) who still blogs. You should have seen people! Haa, fellaz were quick to defend themselves, as in those ones who were guilty. Mbu Facebook, simanyi Twitter oba has done what to them? Somewhere, someone said Baz said mbu those things of writers’ block are wolox. How can you call yourself a writer when you can fail to write? That one put many hands on respective chins (and foreheads). Some hands went as far as putting themselves on other people’s chins! It was a deep question, but the general conclusion was that Baz is probably very talented to not have blocks. Tut tut.

As people were warming up to Di Ncy, it decided to rain on us. I don’t recall BHH being rained out, so there was a record! And I got home soaking wet…obviously, but with a strange smile on my face. For a funny reason, I find being in the rain quite relaxing, especially when I’m going home. This time, the song in my head was ‘Draw You Near.’

Brown Wednesday

This is becoming more and more difficult. I didn't feel like red is really a good color for mid-week, but it's all about daring from now on. It wasn't so bad to begin with.
Now, for people like me, life doesn't get any easier when demands on your intellect increase without much financial promise. Honestly, I hate pressure without some sort of reward. And it's not like I owe them anything. However, that wasn't one of those times. I actually owed them this time, but I still wasn't enjoying the way they were going about it. And I told them as much, at least in my mind. The only words that came out sounded like, 'Please, give me some more time. I swear! I'm almost done!'
They believed me, so problem solved. At least for now. I am indeed almost done, but I'm not very good at demanding for stuff, even when it's rightfully mine. I've 'hired' a tough-as-nails law practitioner to teach me those skills. Make no mistake, this guy is far from soft! And this guy just loves to talk!

Then, at the end of the day, I decided to relax and unwind at a nice cozy spot. And a number of other people decided to relax and unwind alongside me at said spot. I didn't mind. They turned out to be a lively bunch. There weren't many jokes, but I think that's because some people find it hard to be amusing when it's chilly. Some people. I was firing on all cylinders until I realized that it's equally hard for said people to laugh under those same conditions. I fell back to one-liners.

The waiter kept coming to ask me for my order. I'd become pretty tired of it, but just to get on his nerves, I asked him for a cup. Yes, just a cup. He brought the cup. Then I asked him what good an empty cup is, and told him to hurry along and bring me a spoon. Spoon arrived pretty quickly too. I looked at him in disbelief! What am I to do with an empty cup and a spoon? I thought this was a coffee shop. As such, I thought coffee was the default choice of drink. He let out a deep sigh. You know, those long ones which show that you've finally understood something. Yeah, one of those ones. He did! I'm telling you! I also couldn't believe it had taken him that long. But what matters is that he finally brought the stuff. I thanked him so heartily that he looked back at me curiously. I bet he was wondering if I was actually going to pay for the stuff. I wasn't(wink). Why else would I be thanking him like that?

It was a lovely evening to end such a nervy day. And the coffee helped too. Oh, I had nothing against the waiter. The coffee was paid for. I just thought I'd humour myself, since my...um...table-mates had resigned from any more nonsense. I can always find humour when I need it, even if it has to come from 'unsuspecting' denizens.

P.S: This story is mostly fictional. I do not make fun of, tease, mistreat, or generally underate people working in important establishments. I don't. Really, I don't! Ask Edgar...

UBHH: Abduction

Let me start this 'speech' as though I'm an MC. First of all, I'd like to thank all the ladies and gentlemen who managed to attend UBHH yesterday. It was nice to see some blog-faces once again. Both old and new, young and...well... old. I must say some regulars were missing in this picture but we somehow managed without them.

Yeah, due to popular demand, I got there a little late. I arrived with the world-famous Nevender. We were quickly forgiven. It does help to move with world-famous people sometimes. Then I was in for a shocker. Rev's a daddy! Yay! He and Detamble were showcasing their latest creation. I checked. Yep, Rory does look like his daddy and mommy. I would have asked questions if I had reason to suspect otherwise. Didn't talk much with Rory though. He was too busy basking in his mom's attention. Perhaps we'll chat next time. Rev was so happy (to see us or to celebrate his fatherhood) that he got us drinks! Thanks...

I wonder what BHH is complete without either Dee or the King. This one was complete, for they were both there. Then there was a white chick whose response to my 'hello' was to hand me a thingy. Now, I'm a fan of noble causes, but that was swift! I told her as much. I think she laughed. Anyway, I moved on and stood face to face with (according to my books) a legend. The awesome Angela Kintu. I told her that I'm a fan. She said something that sounded like she's read about me (or my blog). Hey! I was excited, so forgive the fuzzy details. At least she'd heard of me. I went away smiling.

Rhino was in force too, and seemed to be deeply engrossed in some activity with a friend, whose name I've forgotten. Come to think of it, parts of that night have inexplicably vanished from my memory. Well, there was Johnny 23 and Normzo, who were similarly engrossed, but I was forced to interrupt them as well. They forgave me, and continued after I was done interrupting.

There was a delightful lady who told me she's Lorac. I wondered. She told me it's just Carol spelled backwards. I grinned sheepishly. We got along quite well. There was also a friend of Carol's, sorry, forgot the name. I really need my memory back. This is unusual for me. He was very entertaining. And yes, another legend was present. Sleek himself! Who'd have guessed he'd also be among us? Shya! Of course I would have guessed!

We were later joined by Dorene ('artist' formerly known as The Antipop) and still later, by Ivan M, another legend. It was getting crazy.
Having missed about 6 BHH's, this one was a good one to come back to. Let's keep up the 'blogspirit.'

A guy in black suit and shades is handing me a folder about my 'debriefing' earlier today. Let me run through it.

Oh! Well, this is beyond disappointing. Today's 5th of August! I slept on Thursday night on 28th of July. Did I sleep for an entire week?! I read on. Yeah, apparently, my disappearance was reported by my (um, how do I not make this sound ridiculous?) 'friend' Amanda. Mbu I missed an appointment with her on Saturday. I never miss my appointments with Amanda! No wonder she knew something was up. The suits are still investigating, but they tell me to report as soon as I start recollecting the 'events of that lost week.' Yeah, I might need to know what else happened. And I'd also want to know how on earth I ended up with a van dyke!



I'm off to the barber's to get this hideous thing off my face.

Red Wednesday

I'm wearing red shoes today, that's why I call it 'red wed' hehehe! Someone approached me on one of my lowest moments and advised me to 'add some colour to my life.' I'm doing just that. OK, I may have taken her a bit too literally, but this should be fun. I shall have colour-coded days. Like the Power Rangers. No, not like the Teletubbies. Even as a child, I detested those things. They always got in the way of Samurai X. I still detest them. My kids shouldn't be encouraged to even dress like them. As such, I should make a mental note to avoid those colours of theirs.

While I think of tomorrow's theme, I should catch you up on certain things. I had been deployed in the hottest corner of Uganda for quite some time and it's a surprise I didn't just evaporate on arrival. OK, it's not that hot, but it's pretty hot that side. In fact, it's so hot that tea never cools. I assure you! For as long as I can recall, my tea never cooled, not even once! You can imagine how hard it was to find cold water. You can't? What do you mean you can't? Of course you can! Try it. (Disclaimer: If I start to sound weird, it means the heat might have done a number on me. Fear not, for it comes and goes.)

Back to the colors. I realize I don't have many pairs of shoes, much less a colour for every weekday. So, find me wearing green shoes, don't imagine it's Green Sunday! It might be the hat! I don't wear hats much, but she said it wouldn't be easy. If you're wondering, no, she isn't monitoring my progress. If she is, that wasn't part of the deal. And if I find that I'm wearing way too many colours at once, I'll blame it on my over-enthusiasm.

I know, this isn't a major comeback from 'wherever I had gone and couldn't write from' but she's here to give me some pointers about 'adding a little spring to my step.'
(wink)

Give me a moment, please.

Kingdom Come...

Hello blogren! Yeah, it's been too long but finally the dark clouds lifted. I can finally write again! On that note, I guess I can attend UBHH without feeling misplaced.
I have been doing a little reading lately. Not newspapers, actual reading. Ok, not magazines either. Inspirational stuff. Needed to be inspired.

So, I set about reading some comics. One storyline i found interesting is the title for my blog. This is the review:

The Joker kills a couple of guys at the Daily Planet, including Lois Lane. Sick, right? So, he's arrested and is to face trial, but some super-dude comes and kills him. The community at large is more than pleased to see the Joker wasted. For some reason, they don't tell us if Batman is one of them. Superman is furious, of course! Why would anyone kill the Joker? What happened to justice? What happened to the system? Why are they praising a murderous super-dude? I think he's jealous. Either that, or he's hurt that Lois Lane died, and the people are happy about it.
Anyway, he flies off in disgust to the Fortress where he spends the next decade pining over his great loss. The superhero community at that time also parts ways.

A decade later, there's hardly any difference between superhero and supervillian. They fight at will, causing death and destruction of property and so on... The humans now detest the superhumans (kyoka DC Comics can also be slow!). Superman gets over himself and seeks out a now aged Batman for help, but Batman refuses. He has his reasons. He tells him those reasons. Batman sets up a faction of non-powered heroes to police the threat. Lex Luthor also puts up a team. So does Superman, after extreme cajoling from Wonder Woman. Factions fight. Superman wins, eventually, as usual. Heroes lose their masks and live as acceptable citizens. Batman retires, and so does Superman.

Moral(s) of the story?

Superman was soaked in anguish and decided to abandon his hero life. He failed to realise that his presence was a sort of moral compass for up and coming heroes. The ideals he stood for provided hope for those he saved and worked with. His absence inadvertently caused the conflict. So, before you think you're worthless, remember that you mean the world to at least one person.

Let not your pain blind you to your potential! We can all be useful one way or another...

The life of a hero is not an easy one, but it's a useful one. If you're going to be a hero, it's a lifetime occupation, until you find someone to replace you.

(Feel free to add if you learned something I didn't!)