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Life, university, music, concerts, Avatar n' Formspring! :)
16 years ago
General
Ok, it's been waaaay too long since I last journal'd anything, and since this is a great way of -not- studying (Despite the fact I reeeeally should be), methinks I'll update on any interesting things that've been happening since my last post (about 4 months ago X3 ).
For the most part, my final year of university has been going pretty well! My coursework grades have been higher than the previous couple of years and a lot of things finally seem to be clicking into place. I took on Neuroscience as a module this year which has turned out to be my favourite area so far, the nervous system is a pretty fascinating thing!
From Monday I'll be starting work on my final year research project, seven weeks spent in labs working on research which may end up published in a national medical journal. Since I'm enjoying it, neuroscience is the area I'll be going into, and the project I've been given sounds like it'll be pretty awesome from what little I know about it so far. Essentially I'll be treating cancer cells (which resemble brain cells, though unlike brain cells they replicate), to try and make them more like nerve cells, then carrying out various tests to work out the differences between the treated and untreated cells. I'm really looking forward to it, though it seems like I'm gonna have a lot of work to get through in those 7 weeks. =P
The only other University related thing is exams, though they're a bit of a sore spot at the moment so I won't dwell on them much. To put it simply, they're horrible. I mean REALLY horrible. I've spent HOURS studying for them, and I've written pages and pages of notes in that time, but so far none of it has been worth it, since the actual exams have asked about completely different topics. All three of them. I still have one more exam to go on Thursday, and I reeeeally wish I could clamber together some form of confidence about it, but I really can't. I'm dreading it.
Back to good stuffs!
This past few months have been extremely good for me music-wise!
My taste in music has always been pretty broad, covering pretty much anything from Nine Inch Nails, to Aphex Twin, to Jack Johnson, and even things like Enya or Mika. Though recently I think I've finally found my genre.... Industrial. <3
I dunno how it took me so long to get into it, but now that I've found it, maaaan I'm hooked. I've been listening to a few industrial groups for a while (Combichrist, Wumpscut and Front Line Assembly) but never really thought to look into things more than that until this last couple of months. I don't think any other music has gripped me like this before. I can't stop finding more and more that I love.
A couple of weeks ago this was firmly reinforced when I went to see Combichrist live. It was only a small concert at a local nightclub but... Wow... Not only was it the best concert I've been to, by a long shot (Even surpassing Nine Inch Nails and Tool), but probably one of the best experiences of my life. I got there early so I managed to secure a place riiight at the front, in the centre, leaning against the barriers. From the start of the first supporting act to the end of the main set, it was just amazing. I can't even describe the atmosphere there. I've never been to a concert before where -everyone- was truly just taken in by the music. There was no pushing or shoving to get to the front, and I had plenty of room to move despite being against the barrier in front of the stage. Everyone was too busy just dancing, and I mean everyone. Even me, and I -never- normally dance in public. X)
It was a long set, too! At least two hours, and that's not including the two support groups who were on for about an hour each! They played for ages, then managed to fit in two good length encores on top of that. <3
Oh man, and the drummers! They're both insane! It's awesome! They each had huge drum sets set up on either side of the stage, and spent the entire gig throwing things at each other, ranging from empty water bottles, to drum sticks, and then just picking up their drums and launching them at each other, much to the dismay of the staff who had to rebuild them between tracks. XD They're amazingly talented though, and the actual albums really don't do them justice compared to seeing them in action live. Some of the rhythms they were churning out as a pair just blew me away, especially when every beat of the bass drum felt like someone was smacking me in the chest... Purrrr...
So yeah, if you ever have the opportunity to see them live, take it!
I was at another gig earlier tonight as well! =D
I managed to go and see God Is An Astronaut, who've been one of my favourite bands for a good few months now. <3 Again, I managed to get front row centre (Exactly the same spot I was in for Combichrist), and it was a pretty amazing gig, though it kinda caught me off guard! All the time I've been listening to their albums they've struck me as a very chilled out, mellow instrumental band. On stage it's a totally different matter! It sounds sooo much more aggressive and energetic live it actually came as a bit of a shock for the first couple of tracks! The two guitarists looked like they were snarling whenever they were playing, whilst thrashing around the stage, head banging and jumping around. It really wasn't what I expected, but it was still a really good concert, and they played pretty much all of my favourites, so that was goooood.
I've always loved the drums for their music, so it was awesome being able to see the drummer up close. Though one thing that did kinda disappoint me was that whenever there was a drum solo, he didn't actually play it! He just sat there whilst a pre-recorded solo played, then carried on afterwards. X3
I also made a friend for the night, which was pretty nice since I'd have been on my own otherwise. :) I got talking to her whilst we were queuing outside, starting off with typical small talk with lots of awkward silences, though after spending the night next to each other for the entire concert, we were talking and laughing as though we'd known each other for years. XD She'd been trying to play it cool for a while to start with, trying not to look too overexcited about seeing the band, buuut by the end of the support act she'd cracked, and we were both shamelessly fanboi-ing/fangirling over them. XP
Right at the end of the gig, the lead guitarist jumped off stage to say hello and shake hands with the two of us and a couple of others, leaving us both with big stupid grins on our faces. XD
Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any contact details from her at the end of the night, since I ended up having to dash off to catch my bus before we got chance. :/ We've both agreed we're gonna meet up next time they come to Sheffield later this year though, at least!
Next topic to come to mind - Avatar!
Before the concert tonight, I managed to go and see it for the third time this month with a few friends from Uni, and it still managed to blow me away. <3 The story might be kinda cliché, there's no denying that, but the way the story is presented is -really- well done, and it still drew me in better than any equivalent films have (E.g. Animals of Farthing Wood or Pocahontas). I love pretty much everything about that film, and it's been a long time since I've been able to say that. The imagination that's gone into every fragment of the environment, creatures, technology, plants, the Na'vi themselves, and everything else is just incredible. A lot of people complain that it's all effects held together by a weak storyline, though with this film that doesn't really bother me.
Since my imagination is always so frustratingly stunted whenever I try and draw/write anything even remotely original, I tend to thrive on the imagination of others, whether through their art or through graphics on games/films. I'm totally in awe of what an active imagination can produce, and Avatar is a prime example of that, from the minute detailing of the marine equipment, to the beautiful bioluminescent scenes of night time Pandora.
One more lil update.
Since I sent of my med school application I've only heard back from two out of the four I applied for, though both of those were rejections. :P I'm still yet to hear from the other two, which could be any day now, though I'm not holding out too much hope. I don't really mind though, since if I don't get in this time around, I'm hoping to do a masters degree in Neuroscience, which could either boost my application for med school next year, or lead me onto a different career path that I think I'll enjoy. I'm definitely not giving up on my goal of studying medicine, I still want to get there eventually, but if neuroscience holds my interest like I think it will, it can at least provide me with interesting work until I get enough experience for Medicine later down the line. :)
Oh! I also decided to hop on the bandwagon and joined up here:
http://www.formspring.me/TorqueTiger
ASK STUFF! :D
Hmmm... That's about all I've been up to really, the rest of my time has been taken over by studying, so methinks I'll leave it here!
See ya later everyone, take care!
For the most part, my final year of university has been going pretty well! My coursework grades have been higher than the previous couple of years and a lot of things finally seem to be clicking into place. I took on Neuroscience as a module this year which has turned out to be my favourite area so far, the nervous system is a pretty fascinating thing!
From Monday I'll be starting work on my final year research project, seven weeks spent in labs working on research which may end up published in a national medical journal. Since I'm enjoying it, neuroscience is the area I'll be going into, and the project I've been given sounds like it'll be pretty awesome from what little I know about it so far. Essentially I'll be treating cancer cells (which resemble brain cells, though unlike brain cells they replicate), to try and make them more like nerve cells, then carrying out various tests to work out the differences between the treated and untreated cells. I'm really looking forward to it, though it seems like I'm gonna have a lot of work to get through in those 7 weeks. =P
The only other University related thing is exams, though they're a bit of a sore spot at the moment so I won't dwell on them much. To put it simply, they're horrible. I mean REALLY horrible. I've spent HOURS studying for them, and I've written pages and pages of notes in that time, but so far none of it has been worth it, since the actual exams have asked about completely different topics. All three of them. I still have one more exam to go on Thursday, and I reeeeally wish I could clamber together some form of confidence about it, but I really can't. I'm dreading it.
Back to good stuffs!
This past few months have been extremely good for me music-wise!
My taste in music has always been pretty broad, covering pretty much anything from Nine Inch Nails, to Aphex Twin, to Jack Johnson, and even things like Enya or Mika. Though recently I think I've finally found my genre.... Industrial. <3
I dunno how it took me so long to get into it, but now that I've found it, maaaan I'm hooked. I've been listening to a few industrial groups for a while (Combichrist, Wumpscut and Front Line Assembly) but never really thought to look into things more than that until this last couple of months. I don't think any other music has gripped me like this before. I can't stop finding more and more that I love.
A couple of weeks ago this was firmly reinforced when I went to see Combichrist live. It was only a small concert at a local nightclub but... Wow... Not only was it the best concert I've been to, by a long shot (Even surpassing Nine Inch Nails and Tool), but probably one of the best experiences of my life. I got there early so I managed to secure a place riiight at the front, in the centre, leaning against the barriers. From the start of the first supporting act to the end of the main set, it was just amazing. I can't even describe the atmosphere there. I've never been to a concert before where -everyone- was truly just taken in by the music. There was no pushing or shoving to get to the front, and I had plenty of room to move despite being against the barrier in front of the stage. Everyone was too busy just dancing, and I mean everyone. Even me, and I -never- normally dance in public. X)
It was a long set, too! At least two hours, and that's not including the two support groups who were on for about an hour each! They played for ages, then managed to fit in two good length encores on top of that. <3
Oh man, and the drummers! They're both insane! It's awesome! They each had huge drum sets set up on either side of the stage, and spent the entire gig throwing things at each other, ranging from empty water bottles, to drum sticks, and then just picking up their drums and launching them at each other, much to the dismay of the staff who had to rebuild them between tracks. XD They're amazingly talented though, and the actual albums really don't do them justice compared to seeing them in action live. Some of the rhythms they were churning out as a pair just blew me away, especially when every beat of the bass drum felt like someone was smacking me in the chest... Purrrr...
So yeah, if you ever have the opportunity to see them live, take it!
I was at another gig earlier tonight as well! =D
I managed to go and see God Is An Astronaut, who've been one of my favourite bands for a good few months now. <3 Again, I managed to get front row centre (Exactly the same spot I was in for Combichrist), and it was a pretty amazing gig, though it kinda caught me off guard! All the time I've been listening to their albums they've struck me as a very chilled out, mellow instrumental band. On stage it's a totally different matter! It sounds sooo much more aggressive and energetic live it actually came as a bit of a shock for the first couple of tracks! The two guitarists looked like they were snarling whenever they were playing, whilst thrashing around the stage, head banging and jumping around. It really wasn't what I expected, but it was still a really good concert, and they played pretty much all of my favourites, so that was goooood.
I've always loved the drums for their music, so it was awesome being able to see the drummer up close. Though one thing that did kinda disappoint me was that whenever there was a drum solo, he didn't actually play it! He just sat there whilst a pre-recorded solo played, then carried on afterwards. X3
I also made a friend for the night, which was pretty nice since I'd have been on my own otherwise. :) I got talking to her whilst we were queuing outside, starting off with typical small talk with lots of awkward silences, though after spending the night next to each other for the entire concert, we were talking and laughing as though we'd known each other for years. XD She'd been trying to play it cool for a while to start with, trying not to look too overexcited about seeing the band, buuut by the end of the support act she'd cracked, and we were both shamelessly fanboi-ing/fangirling over them. XP
Right at the end of the gig, the lead guitarist jumped off stage to say hello and shake hands with the two of us and a couple of others, leaving us both with big stupid grins on our faces. XD
Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any contact details from her at the end of the night, since I ended up having to dash off to catch my bus before we got chance. :/ We've both agreed we're gonna meet up next time they come to Sheffield later this year though, at least!
Next topic to come to mind - Avatar!
Before the concert tonight, I managed to go and see it for the third time this month with a few friends from Uni, and it still managed to blow me away. <3 The story might be kinda cliché, there's no denying that, but the way the story is presented is -really- well done, and it still drew me in better than any equivalent films have (E.g. Animals of Farthing Wood or Pocahontas). I love pretty much everything about that film, and it's been a long time since I've been able to say that. The imagination that's gone into every fragment of the environment, creatures, technology, plants, the Na'vi themselves, and everything else is just incredible. A lot of people complain that it's all effects held together by a weak storyline, though with this film that doesn't really bother me.
Since my imagination is always so frustratingly stunted whenever I try and draw/write anything even remotely original, I tend to thrive on the imagination of others, whether through their art or through graphics on games/films. I'm totally in awe of what an active imagination can produce, and Avatar is a prime example of that, from the minute detailing of the marine equipment, to the beautiful bioluminescent scenes of night time Pandora.
One more lil update.
Since I sent of my med school application I've only heard back from two out of the four I applied for, though both of those were rejections. :P I'm still yet to hear from the other two, which could be any day now, though I'm not holding out too much hope. I don't really mind though, since if I don't get in this time around, I'm hoping to do a masters degree in Neuroscience, which could either boost my application for med school next year, or lead me onto a different career path that I think I'll enjoy. I'm definitely not giving up on my goal of studying medicine, I still want to get there eventually, but if neuroscience holds my interest like I think it will, it can at least provide me with interesting work until I get enough experience for Medicine later down the line. :)
Oh! I also decided to hop on the bandwagon and joined up here:
http://www.formspring.me/TorqueTiger
ASK STUFF! :D
Hmmm... That's about all I've been up to really, the rest of my time has been taken over by studying, so methinks I'll leave it here!
See ya later everyone, take care!
... Let's call it Steve.
Bad news on the two med school replies so far :( Good luck on the next two and/or the Masters :)
Thanks man! Though I -just- got my third rejection less than 5 minutes ago. X3 Aah well! I'm still yet to apply for the masters route, though I'll be doing that pretty soon. :)
Life will shape up though man. Life has a knack for that.