My year according to Twitter - November and December

I've reached the final two months of the year, which were just as busy as the rest, but my tweeting appeared to tail off a bit. There were still enough tweets though to make up my highlights of November and December:

My year according to Twitter - September to October

Continuing my look back at the last five months of 2012, here are the highlights from September and October:

My year according to Twitter - August

Today is New Years Eve. When I started writing the 'My week according to Twitter' blog posts in January I intended to write a new post each week of the year so that when it came to today I could look back at all the different things I had done over the year. I only managed to get to the end of July when I stopped. Probably due to a combination of reasons including the Olympics temporarily taking over my life and using my laptop a lot less than I used to after getting a tablet.

So here are the highlights from the last five months of 2012, starting with August:

My week according to Twitter - Week 30

This week the third and final Dark Knight film was out and the Olympics started! I've been lucky enough to get a couple of tickets and the BBC are going to be showing every minute of every sport. Can't wait!

My week according to Twitter- Week 29

This week it was the culmination of the last four years of university. It was graduation day! I am officially no longer a student. Going to miss those student discounts.

CONGRADUATIONS @mfaz!! instagr.am/p/NJjESQHz35/

— Luke Fazakerley (@lukefazak) July 16, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 28

This week I have trying to find things to keep me busy, but unfortunately that has meant I'm continuing to spend money. Ah well, just over a month until I start work now so my overdraft will just have to suffer for a little bit longer.

Euro Road Trip 2010 - Day 8 to 11

Part 2 of 3. Here is Part 1 and Part 3.

Day 8: Just entered switzerland. Surprised that passports aren't checked as you pass through the borders #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 27, 2010

Arrived at Tasch to get the train to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn, toblerone mountain. 2000 mile mark has now been passed. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 27, 2010

Waiting to get on the car train to italy and the car thermometer says its 42.5 oC! #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 27, 2010

That was more like a rollercoaster ride than a train journey! #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 27, 2010

Another night, another campsite near a lake. This time near Verbania in Italy. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 27, 2010

Day 9: Back in Switzerland this morning. Driving along the San Bernardino pass to go to Liechtenstein for lunch. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 28, 2010

In Liechtenstein and just had to decide if i was a Damen or a Herren. Turns out i'm a herren. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 28, 2010

Passing through Austria now on our way to Germany. Motorway vignette bought and stuck to window, so on we go. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 28, 2010

Been to Neuschwanstein castle in Germany tonight, which the Disney castle was inspired by. Now camping by yet another lake #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 28, 2010

Day 10: Heading to the eagle's nest today. Stopped at a shop and they had becks gold and becks ice. Will have to try some #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 29, 2010

There must be something about lakes that attracts us. We are camping next to a lake in Austria, near Salzburg, tonight. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 29, 2010

€25 per night and the ground is so hard the pegs don't go in! But swimming in the lake and becks gold makes it all better #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 29, 2010

Little things with glowing eyes/tails are flying around us. This is awesome #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 29, 2010

Day 11: After a slight delay we are now heading to Prague. First morning we have got up with some cloud around. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 30, 2010

Having a couple of days off from camping. Staying in a hostel in prague. First a chineese then exploring the cities bars. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 30, 2010

Was clearly in the middle of eating during my last tweet. We had a chinese and are now drinking budvar in the city's bars #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 30, 2010

Continue to Part 3.

Euro Road Trip 2010 - Day 1 to 7

During the summer of 2010 I went on a road trip around Europe with my cousin Dan. We drove nearly 4000 miles through 11 countries over 16 days. It was one of my best ever holidays and has given me loads of ideas of places to visit for a full holiday.
I documented the trip through a series of Tweets, and two years on I have collected them together on this blog and put some photos with them. This is part 1 of 3, covering days 1 to 7. Enjoy.

Going to be posting trip updates here for my #euroroadtrip over the next couple of weeks

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 18, 2010

With only 24hrs to go we have had to make some last min route changes due to the floods in south east france #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 18, 2010

Day 1: Leaving the wirral now, the adventure begins here. Long day ahead of us to start with, first stop dover. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 19, 2010

Waiting in the docks to board the ferry to dunkirk. Hope my sea-sickness doesn't kick in today... #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 20, 2010

Arrived in dunkirk without breakfast making a reappearance. Now onto paris!

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 20, 2010

Used toll roads to cut journey down by 2 hrs. All for the bargain price of £15 :-/ only 20 mins to paris now though :)#euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 20, 2010

Eventually got to paris after traffic jam central. Went on the metro to see the sites. Now thinking about where to sleep tonight #euroro ...

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 20, 2010

20 hours down, 600 miles driven, campsite found. Time for a well earned beer and meal #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 20, 2010

Day 2: Stopped at a police checkpoint for us and the car to searched by a dog for drugs. If you were wondering, it didn't find any. #eur ...

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 21, 2010

Left the campsite early then drove to the south of france stopping off at a couple of nice, stereotypical french towns #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 21, 2010

Now we r sitting by the pool in the evening sunshine looking out across southern france while our bbq cooks. Spain tomorrow. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 21, 2010

Day 3: Just past the spanish border after 1150 miles of driving. Currently 31 degrees. Heading to a campsite near Girona. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 22, 2010

quick swim in the pool this morning. heading towards monaco today with an overnight stop in south east france #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 23, 2010

Staying in a tiny campsite near Hyeres tonight. The woman who owns it speaks no english and we speak no french. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 23, 2010

Day 5: Just arrived in monaco, parking under casino square. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 24, 2010

Spent the afternoon in monte carlo where dan managed to win €200 at the casino! Heading into the alps for a couple of days now #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 24, 2010

At tiny campsite in the alps tonight next to an ice cold river. Its just been invaded by a woman taking about 50 sheep for a walk. #euro ...

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 24, 2010

Day 6: Went to the top of la bonette today, 2865 m above sea level. Now at another campsite in the alps heading to lake geneva #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 25, 2010

Melting marshmallows on the bbq. Mmmmm #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 25, 2010

Day 7: heading towards lake geneva today. Been following the tour de france route up and down the mountains. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 26, 2010

Had a refreshing swim in lake geneva now looking for a campsite near the swiss border #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 26, 2010

Watching the sunset over lake geneva. Last night in france before heading onto the rest of europe. Switzerland tomorrow. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) June 26, 2010

Continue to Part 2.

Euro Road Trip 2010 - Day 12 to 16

This is Part 3 of 3. Here is Part 1 and Part 2.

Day 12: Early start this morning, we are leaving the land of the skoda to go back to Germany. Going to Hannover via Berlin #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 1, 2010

Change of plans due to a large section of a czech motorway being closed. Missing out Berlin and heading straight for Hannover #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 1, 2010

Arrived in Hannover after 3000 miles of driving. Another hostel tonight. Bit of rain, first since paris, but still 30 oC #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 1, 2010

Went to a Mc Cafe for a cup cake, now having pizza and a becks green lemon. Why don't they have diff varieties at home!? #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 1, 2010

Seems like the full becks range is: normal, ice (lime and mint), green lemon, gold, chilled orange, level 7, non alcohol. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 1, 2010

Day 13: Change of plan for the next couple of days. Missing out luxemburg and brussels to cut journey time and petrol costs #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 2, 2010

Heading straight towards amsterdam instead and going to find a campsite somewhere halfway. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 2, 2010

Staying in a campsite in Osnabruck tonight, near to the dutch border. Found a bar to have cake and watch wimbledon #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 2, 2010

Day 14: in the netherlands now on the way to amsterdam, where we are staying 2 nights before heading home #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 3, 2010

Arrived in amsterdam at our wooden shack in the forest. There is currently a well needed thunderstorm to stop it being hot, sticky and c ...

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 3, 2010

Day 15: have had a relaxing morning in the sun after an expensive night out in amsterdam. Going to explore amsterdam by day this afterno ...

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 4, 2010

Day 16: Our last day today. Heading towards Dunkirk via Belgium to get the ferry home. Goingto visit Brugge for a few hours. #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 5, 2010

Sitting by dunkirk marina having sandwiches as our ferry isn't until 10pm. Back in england at 11pm, couple of hours sleep then night dri ...

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 5, 2010

I think i forgot to give my verdict on the diff types of becks. The nicest was becks ice (lime and mint) and bottom of my list is becks...

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 5, 2010

Arrived back to the wirral. So thats the end of #euroroadtrip. 16 days, 11 countries, 3933 miles. It's been amazing.

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 6, 2010

looks like some of my tweets got cut short,so to cut the suspense: worst becks was level 7 and not all ducklings survived #euroroadtrip

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 6, 2010

My week according to Twitter - Week 27

This week I had a last minute trip down to London, including a day out at Thorpe Park.

Just found out where and when I will be starting my graduate job. I have just under 2 months until my working life begins. Exciting times!

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) July 4, 2012

I'm going to be working in Widnes from the end of August so will have to start looking for somewhere to live in Liverpool soon. Anyone looking to house share in Liverpool from around then, get in touch.

My week according to Twitter - Week 26

My final week in Sheffield this week before my flat contract ran out. I have now officially moved away from Sheffield. Sad times. But I did get my degree result and see the Olympic Torch, which made things a little bit better.

My week according to Twitter - Week 25

I was back at home for most of this week. Now my summer has really started it seems that the sun no longer wants to come out to play and has been replaced by lots of rain instead. This has meant I've had a lot of time to stay indoors and master the Rubik's Cube!

My week according to Twitter - Week 24

My first week of freedom but one of my last few weeks in Sheffield. They only thing I needed to do this week was pack up my room ready for moving home. For the rest of the time I could do whatever I wanted, including a lot of doing not much. It was brilliant.

My week according to Twitter - Week 23

This week included the end of amazing four years at Sheffield Uni and one of best friend's 21st birthday party, which involved a trip in a Hummerzine.

My week according to Twitter - Week 22

Mainly a week of revision this week leading to my first and last Saturday exam of my university career.

My year at @sheffieldsu: Had An Amazing Year With Sheffield Friends I'll Remember Forever #SUYearbook

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) May 31, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 21

A hot and sunny week of revision with an unexpected night out.

Looks like today is going to be the first day of outdoor revision! #summerhasarrived twitter.com/mfaz/status/20…

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) May 22, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 20

It was my last ever week of Uni lectures this week before the final exam period starts, and it was quite a busy week.

My week according to Twitter - Week 19

Getting close to the end of my degree now, but not too close that I have to spend all my time revising yet. So this week a profitable pub quiz, a trip to the cinema and a Judo competition.

A Murder Mystery Dinner Party

Excited to host my first murder mystery dinner party tonight. But first there is a small matter of tidying, cleaning and cooking...

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) May 6, 2012

My week according to Twitter- Week 18

Now labs have finished but exams haven't started yet I've had lots more time to do things during the day on weekdays.

Monday:

Back to our winning ways in The Notty House pub quiz after the small blip last week. Five wins out of six now :)

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) April 30, 2012

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen - easy going and entertaining

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011):

A fisheries expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheik's vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert and embarks on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible.(IMDb)

I had heard of Salmon Fishing when the film was released a few weeks ago, but as I hadn't read the book and didn't know much about it, I had no intentions to make any effort to see it. That was until a friend went to see it and only had good thinks to say about it. I was meant to be going to see American Pie: Reunion with a few mates today, but due to a last minute change of plans I was the only one still free to go to the cinema. I decided to take the opportunity to see Salmon Fishing instead, and I'm glad I did.

My week according to Twitter - Week 17

This week there was a big landmark for my degree. Dissertation finishing day. There was also a trip to the races again and an afternoon and evening in Liverpool for Rhod Gilbert.

Monday:

Happy St George's Day and Happy Student Loan day!

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) April 23, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 16

My last week off before being back at uni was mainly spent writing my dissertation, watching films and playing random online games. Clearly an exciting week...

Best out of context tweet ever! "@Mattjamesrafc: @lukefazak also, my wand is 12.25 inches, unicorn core, maple wood. Surprisingly swishy!"

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) April 16, 2012

My week according to Twitter- Week 15

Another trip to races this week and I actually didn't do too badly this time.

Friday:

On route to Aintree for a day at the races. Hopefully I'll have better luck than at Doncaster!

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) April 13, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 14

I was home from uni for Easter this week so it has involved sorting my room out a bit, watching lots of TV and films and eating lots of chocolate.

Monday:

Sorting through my old folders and it appears I have printed off a complete copy of the internet from the early 2000s.

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) April 2, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 13

This week was full of sporting events, from Varsity to a day at the races.

Monday:

Tickets for varsity finals day bought. Hopefully I'll be seeing uni announced as winners! #suvarsity

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) March 26, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 12

More dissertation writing, the start of Varsity and the Chemistry Ball. It was quite a packed week!

Wonder years on @BBCR1 getting me through dissertation writing. Come on. #shouldbewritingintronotontwitter

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) March 23, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 11

It was a busy week of writing my dissertation and finishing off lab work, so there wasn't much tweeting during the week. However, that changed on Saturday when it was BUCS (British University and Colleges Sports) Judo Championships. Four of Sheffield Uni Judo club, including myself, were taking part and I kept everyone updated through out the day.

Down at @donvalleystad for @BUCSsport judo championships fighting for @sheffielduni. Going to be a long day #BUCSchamps

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) March 17, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 10

This week it was pizza jealousy, Kata at judo and pub quiz success.

Monday:

Every time I see someone walk past me carrying a Dominos pizza box I get really jealous. #wishicouldaffordone #largeTexasBBQplease

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) March 5, 2012

My week according to Twitter - Week 9

Highlights this week include a trip to Bristol, a night out in Sheffield and a very close pub quiz.

My week according to Twitter - Week 8

It has been quite a quiet week this week, mainly involving lab work, pancakes and films. However, there was also the exciting announcement that the World Cup of Crisps will be kicking off next week!

Drive - a true action thriller

Drive (2011):

A mysterious Hollywood stuntman, mechanic and getaway driver lands himself in trouble when he helps out his neighbour. IMDB.com

Last night I went to see Drive at the student union, which was being shown by the student film unit. I'm not sure how I missed this when it was first out in the cinema, or how I haven't bought it on DVD already. My tweet sums up what I think of this film:

Drive: Wow. #whoneeds140charactersforafilmreviewwhenyoucanusethree #longesthashtagever

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) February 24, 2012

Carnage - a slow burner that eventually delivers

Last night I went to the Shrowroom cinema. This time it was to see Carnage, the latest comedy drama from Polish director Roman Polanski starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C Reilley.

 Carnage (2011):

Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the evening into chaos. IMDB.com

My week according to Twitter - Week 7

Had a call from @Eggheads13 this afternoon asking us to go for another audition. Will have to try and get the team back together!

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) February 15, 2012

A couple of years ago I auditioned for Eggheads along with a team of some friends from uni. We were regularly going to pub quizzes and avidly watching Eggheads so we decided to send off an application form. We then had a trip up to Leeds for an audition. A couple of weeks after the audition we found out we had made the shortlist and were given a list of dates for the recordings. Unfortunately they were during our exams so there weren't many dates we could do and we weren't asked to go to a recording.

My Week According to Twitter - Week 6

After a couple of productive days in the lab where everything went well, it was bound to not last for a third day

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) February 8, 2012

This week was my first week back in the lab and in lectures after the break for Christmas and exams. I was repeating an experiment I had done before Christmas but on a larger scale, so I knew what I was doing and my first two days in the lab were really productive and everything seemed to work well. However, when it came to Wednesday things stopped behaving.

My week according to twitter - Week 5, Part 2

As I've been so busy this week I've split the post into two parts. This is Part 2, Friday - Sunday:

@scott_mills Thank you! It has been a great night! twitter.com/mfaz/status/16…

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) February 4, 2012

It was my brother's birthday on Friday and after a nice meal at Pizza Hut with a couple of friends from home, we went to Big Night Out at the student union. It was the last day of exams so they had the usual '5 venues' event. This usually involves losing people you came with and wandering around most of the night trying to find them, but this time there was thankfully none of that. After spending a short time in Foundry dancing to two of the ex members of 5ive, we headed up to the Octagon where we spent the rest of the night. Scott Mills off of Radio 1 was the guest DJ and he made it a really good night. We stayed until the lights came on then headed up to Broomhill for a takeaway. How every good night should end.

My week according to twitter - Week 5, Part 1

I have had a week of freedom after finishing my exams as term doesn't start again until tomorrow. It's been so busy I've split the week into Part 1 and Part 2. So here is Part 1, Monday - Thursday:

Heston is a genius. Two hours of boiling, frying and baking and I have two very tasty scotch eggs both with dippy yolks twitter.com/mfaz/status/16…

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) January 30, 2012

On Monday I spent the morning making Heston Blumenthal's Dippy Scotch Egg off of How to cook like Heston. It was incredible. I have written a separate blog post on this, along with photos and some tips. Check it out here.

Review of 2011

I've finally got round to looking back at 2011 and thinking about some of the many highlights. There are far to many to mention, but I'll give it a go.

Making Heston's Dippy Scotch Egg

Heston is a genius. Two hours of boiling, frying and baking and I have two very tasty scotch eggs both with dippy yolks twitter.com/mfaz/status/16…

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) January 30, 2012

This is the story of how I did it.

My week according to twitter - Week 4

Plug. Yes! Been far too long!

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) January 27, 2012

Finished my exams on Thursday so had a long over due night out at Plug. Jump Around at Plug on a Thursday night was one of our regular nights out in first year. We occasionally went in second year. I went once in third year and hadn't been at all this year. Even in fourth year I can confirm that it is still one of my favorite nights out in Sheffield.

The Artist - a feel good look at 1930s cinema

The Artist (2011):

Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.(IMDb)

I was a bit unsure what I would think of The Artist. It is by a relatively unknown French director (Michel Hazanavicius), the trailer didn't give much away and it is very different to the types of films I usually watch. But I had only heard positive things about it, so I made sure I went in with an open mind. And I'm glad I did.

My week according to twitter - Week 3

Only got my @grazedotcom box on Wednesday but I have already finished it all! This is what revision does to me.

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) January 20, 2012

That sums up most my week. I've not really done much as I'm in the middle of my exams now so have mainly been stuck in the flat doing revision and eating.

Shame - a hard hitting, thought provoking masterpiece

Shame (2011):

Brandon is a 30-something man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life. After his wayward younger sister moves into his apartment, Brandon's world spirals out of control. From director Steve McQueen (Hunger), Shame is a compelling and timely examination of the nature of need, how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us.
Written by Momentum Pictures (IMDB)  

I've just got back from watching Shame at the Showroom cinema in Sheffield. It's really a 5 star film but my rating method has resulted in it me giving it only 4 stars (One to buy on DVD). This is because of the girls who happened to be sitting in our seats. If that was all they had done then I wouldn't have minded, but no, there was more. Throughout the film they insisted on giggling at inappropriate moments and chatting with each other while there was silence on screen. To enjoy this film fully I feel you need to be able to watch it without any distractions, i.e. on DVD.

But now I'm torn.

My week according to twitter- Week 2

This week I've mainly been revising for my final year chemistry exams which I have got coming up over the next couple of weeks. I've decided I'm going to write my review of 2011 in the week off I have between exams finishing and uni starting again. Along with watching some DVDs I've had for a while and making a runny yolk scotch egg.

The Tweets:

My week according to twitter- Week 1

So its the end of the first week of 2012 and I still haven't got round to writing my review of 2011, but I am about to write a summary of my week according to twitter (@mfaz).

#thebankjob and #millionpounddrop. Two programmes that are only watchable with the ability to fast forward through the slow, boring parts

— Matt Fazakerley (@mfaz) January 2, 2012

On Monday a new show started on Channel 4 called the Bank Job. A few weeks ago Channel 4 launched an online version of the game (The Bank Job online) to get people for the show. I got quite addicted to it, answering questions, winning 'money' and trying to beat my opponents for a good hour, so I thought I would watch it on TV. Unfortunately it was very much in the same category as The Million Pound Drop. I liked it but it was very slow with 2 minute rounds taking nearer 20 minutes. This is definitely a programme I will only be able to bare if I record it and fast forward through the pointless chat and attempts to build up tension.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - one to watch at the cinema

The second thing I want to write about while it is still fresh in my mind is Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol.

I went to see Mi4 at 10.30am today meaning me and my brother were the only 2 people in the cinema! I think this was only my second ever 'private' viewing. 

Lets start with my '140 Character Film Review' that I posted on Twitter straight after leaving the cinema:

"Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol: fun filled, action packed adventure across the world, with a brilliant Simon Pegg"

For me, Simon Pegg was definitely the star of the film. Even though he wasn't involved in as much action as the other characters he made it humorous throughout.

It was a fast paced film with lots of action and some great tension sequences, enhanced successfully with the choice of music. Every time I heard the well know Mission Impossible tune I started to tingle all over.

I thought the four main characters went well together and were all had something to give, helping the story line move along well. (I couldn't stop wondering where I had recently seen the actor who was playing the analyst William Brandt. Turns out Jeremy Renner was in The Hurt Locker- should have just got on IMDB while I was there!)


Once again lots of amazing gadgets were used, particularity an 'invisibility screen' that came out near the start of the film.

Overall I thought this was a great film that kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat for the full 133 minutes. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, especially if you liked the previous Mission Impossible films, the Bourne series or the recent James Bond films. 

My star rating: ***** (explanation below)

Kik vs WhatsApp

Ok, so I haven't got round to writing my review of 2011 and look forward to 2012, but I wanted to write about somethings that are quite current.

Firstly, the Kik vs WhatsApp question. Which is better, Kik or WhatsApp?

I've been using Whatsapp for a while now, mainly to send free photos, videos and voice messages to my friends and for group conversations when organising something. However, yesterday I saw 'Kik' trending on twitter so I decided to investigate. After discovering it was another messaging app for smartphones I thought I would download it so I could compare it to WhatsApp.

After having it for 1 day this is what I have found.

The benefits:
- Kik is free to download on all phones (WhatsApp costs a small amount to download on an iPhone). 
- Kik takes up a lot less space on my phone compared to WhatsApp, which is a big benefit for me as my Samsung Galaxy Ace doesn't have much internal memory.
- You need to register for Kik and get a username, which then allows other people to add you as a contact without them having your phone number.
- You choose what name and photo is displayed to people you chat to with Kik, not the other way round like in WhatsApp.
- Kik has a better Sent/Delivered/Read notification system for each sent message than WhatsApp's tick system.
- You can block people who manage to get your username/ phone number so they can't contact you.

The disadvantages:
- It seemed to be slow to send and deliver my messages at first. Not sure if this was due to my data connection or a lot of people downloading the app and trying it out for the first time.
- There are a lot less emoticons available in Kik than in WhatsApp.
- None of my existing WhatsApp contacts were using Kik until yesterday. Now 2 of them are.
But that's all I have found so far.

Conclusion:
I've decided that the benefits definitely outweigh the negatives though as one of my friends uses Kik but doesn't have WhatsApp. I can now send him photos or videos for free which I could not previously do.

So for now I will still be mainly using WhatsApp still and occasionally use Kik. That might change though if more and more of my friends download and start using Kik.

Let me know if you disagree with anything or if you have found out any other benefits or disadvantages.

A new year and a new way of digitally recording my life

After a very busy and brilliant year, I sort of wish I had started a blog at the start of 2011 to document it and tell everyone who wanted to listen all about it. So as it is the start of 2012 that is what I am going to do this year, as hopefully it is going to be another busy and brilliant one.

Not quite sure how often I will update it or what I will actually write about, but ideas so far include any significant events in my life and expanding on my 140 character tweets from twitter (mfaz) at the end of each week. I'm just going to see what life it takes.

So that's the introduction of what to expect from this. I thing I'll start with a review of 2011 and a look forward to 2012. But for now I need to get on with revision for my impending exams.