RE: Share your experience with UCAS

Customary email and password combination entry. Check. 

Bewildering array of banner advertising coupled with social networking updates. Spot on.

Seizure inducing .GIF announcing, 'You've won an iPhone!' Standard procedure.

Nigerian Spam scam involving a friend in dire need and/or a monetary inheritance. Very original.

Skimming down through the flotsam and jetsam slowly accumulating in my inbox, an email catches my eye. It's from UCAS. Subject: 'RE: Share your experience with UCAS'.

Here's my condensed overview of the UCAS experience:

• Researched courses, scoured prospectuses.

• Drafted, edited and trimmed a Personal Statement (PS). Tedious.

• Gratefully rallied my PS back and forth to an easy-going teacher. Tennis.

• United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT). Nice little computerized test in a not so nice location.

• Frantically submitted four strategic university choices before October deadline. Geography.

• Played the waiting game. Number crunching for BMAT keeping me occupied.

• BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT). Rigorous written test required by Oxbridge, UCL and Imperial. 

• Again, I played the waiting game. Anxiety setting in at this stage…

• GAME OVER: Interview offer from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. Christmas present.

• Booked cheapest, no-frills, return flight to Stansted, LDN. Aer Arann, no doubt.

• Eerily boarded first flight to take off the tarmac since Manx2 Belfast - Cork tragedy. Spooky.

• Challenging interview. Winding icy lanes and Romanesque architecture. Beautiful place.

• King's College London conditional offer arrives! Insurance.

• St. Andrews interview invitation! Bad timing; mocks & personal reasons.

• Rejection from Uni. of Bristol w/o interview. Considering its lax entry requirements, tad surprised.

• Accepted offers and 'firmed' my no.1 choice. Insurance offers used as scapegoats.

• Tore through thick envelopes concerning finance and accommodation rigmarole. S'all sinking in!

• Shared my experience with fellow prospective Undergrads and 'Freshers' over online student forums. TSR & NMMed.

That, was my experience with UCAS.

Late Skate

So, I went to a production of Sean O'Casey's 'The Plough and the Stars' that a few friends were involved in last month. I was very impressed to say the least! Here are some photos of a quick sesh on the Mardyke Road. The quality is terrible, I know. It was late, I'm dressed in dark clothing, the iPhone's night-mode is poor and sodium lamps and passing headlamps didn't do much justice. Thanks to @jealfak for his patience and photographic skills. 

'Me Whee!'

Did you get that?

Will: Ugh...yes.

Dunno?

Feet are all wrong
Learnin'!

 

   

Mongo Monkey

 Ended up completely destroying the board afterwards. Just wasn't built for insane popping. Moral of THAT story: Never buy mass-produced rubbish from Argos or Smyths. (The wheels just decided to fall off) For any skaters reading this, getting a friend to tape you as you skate is extremely handy. You can see what you're doing wrong, right, etc. and learn from it. Also, I'm not wearing safety gear and I'm skating next to a road with moving traffic on it. Please do NOT do that, unless you really, really want to...

Will try and get some more skate pics when I head off to Sudan.

-MusH

Prendeville's Return

"It took me 22 years to build a reputation but it took me just seconds to destroy it.”

You have to hand it to him. After the whole fiasco regarding his indecent exposure on board an Aer Lingus flight way back in October, the man behind Cork's 96 FM is back with, and I quote: 'balls of steel'. 96 FM's tagline 'playing the hits you can't get out of your head' only serves to echo the elephant in the room. Unfortunately for Prendeville, people tend to not let things go easily. Outside 96 FM's broadcasting house, sprayed onto an adjacent wall is his graffiti-stencil caricature done a la 'Banksy'.

'Hand Solo'

Wouldn't wish this on anyone.

-MusH

Note: They are now all around Cork City. I spotted one outside the Capitol Cinema, for example
-CircleGuy

Anybody Want To Know What Cynicism Is?

'Nothing' is the fourth studio album by the American, rock, funk and hip hop ensemble 'N.E.R.D' (No One Ever Really Dies). 
       On vocals, despite Pharrell Williams' vain attempts at falsetto, there's an element of ironic truth behind his glibly composed lyrics. What caught my attention on this album though, is the band's almost 'nouvelle vague' feature-track, It's In The Air'.
   It goes without saying that on this number, Orwellian dystopia gets the N.E.R.D treatment. The song opens with a sample of Rhode-Island congressman, Patrick Kennedy's infamous outburst of disgust at the US media's mixed up priorities: 
 http://crooksandliars.com/medialoader/12119/a1753/wmv/cl_cspan031010kennedy_afghan.wmv 
    Long story short, when they should've been covering the hard-hitting topic of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, the media's moguls decided to 'get-rich-quick' off of scandals surrounding politician Eric Massa. That sounds FAR too familiar. Need I say Iris Robinson, or even (non-political) Jade Goody? Further on down the track, sleek, quick-fire verses from Shay Haley accompanied by the iconic Chad Hugo on keys, create an upbeat tempo. Throw in a 'Big Brother' reference here  ('1984' George Orwell) and a 'woof' there and it gets as messy as the media.


Cadence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm6v7BkK6MU 
Doesn't sample the rant for some reason.


"You wanna know what cynicism is?" Kennedy shouted, his voice cracking. "There's one, two press people in this gallery. We're talking about Eric Massa 24/7 on the TV, we're talking about war and peace, $3 billion dollars, a thousand lives, and no press? No press? You wanna know why the American public is fit? They're fit [does he mean fed up?] because they're not seeing their Congress do the work that they're sent to do, it's because the press, the press of the United States is not covering the significant issue of national importance, and that's the laying of the lives down in the nation, for the service of our country. It is despicable, the national press corps right now."




Media:
When the shit hits the fan.
Get real, not rich.




-MusH

Walls

Walls

Tear down my Walls

Of Jericho, Berlin

and stifle this endless,

silent Wailing.

These walls riddled

with nooks and crannys

save face to the safest facade.

These walls that hide and shield

yield a jester's charade.

Raus, Ronald, Raus!

Tear down this wall,

All that is built must fall.

By: Mustafa Hamza

Edited by: Robert O' Sullivan

My entry to the 2011 Foyle Young Poets Comp.

Feedback of any shape or form would be highly appreciated!

"Wir wollen Raus!" - 1989 Protestors' chant at the Berlin Wall ("We want out!")

-MusH

Read This!

Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers

-Voltaire

Have you ever felt the sensation of being lost within nonsense? Puzzled by the quacks? That random tedious conundrum still racking your brain, eh? Make sure you get your hands on prolific writer and cynic Dr. Ben Goldacre's 'Bad Science'. Whether you are or aren't into science is regardless, you can rest assured it will make for a refreshing read.

There's a certain, distinctive panache to Goldacre's writing that will undoubtedly leave you with a Doubting Thomas' mindset with regard to everything you see, hear and read around you afterwards. 

What's more is Goldacre holistically dispenses fast and powerful relief from:

• scaremongering journalists
• pill-pushing nutrionists
• flaky statistics
• dodgy PR reps and pharmaceutical corporations

Be baffled by rushed responses and wild hand-waving, no more. Always voice your opinion; who knows, perhaps that fancy pants Prof. with a PhD has got it horribly wrong? -albeit highly unlikely. Having said that, it's back to the drawing board with so-called 'Dr.' Gillian McKeith and her mail-order degree. 

Feed your inner-skeptic, question absolutely everything (even my blog posts) and above all ARGUE. Excuse my preacher-esque spiel, but with today's generation being constantly fed with 'scientific facts' from tabloid journalists with nothing beyond the realm of kitchen science to their academia, there's frankly quite a lot to be worried about.

I got the book for a well-spent €10 at Vibes & Scribes on Bridge Street (stock an awesome music selection upstairs) and it's available from 'all good book shops' too. I've always wanted to say that... Anyways, if strapped for cash you can borrow it from the City library: http://www.corkcitylibraries.ie/

Be sure to check out Dr. Goldacre's daily blog as well over at: http://www.badscience.net/   

Twitter: @bengoldacre http://twitter.com/#!/bengoldacre 

Nothin' like debunking some whimsical nonsense.

-MusH

A Putrid Teen's Guide to the Upcoming General Elections

It's election time. I tend to not bother with my letter-box at this time of year. I try in vain to clear out the endless election leaflets, only to find that the box has miraculously replenished itself with more...leaflets. "Why?", you may ask. The letters TD, feigned faces of sincerity on canditate placards and my cynicism are all factors which steer me away from Dáil matters. And, I must admit, my ignorance. Some friends of mine plan on voting for the first time in the impending election. The new experience of voting coupled with residential constituent constraints inspire this sudden interest I'm told. Here goes my two cents:

Calling all game theorists, economic pundits and students! Restore the ancient title of "The Land of Saints and Scholars" to a country lost in grievance over the Celtic Tiger; the Golden Calf that we milked till' the cows literally went home. Now that that Bengal's gone, ghost-like concrete jungles lay deserted across the country, our economy in tatters and the finger is pointed at centrist party Fianna Fáil which recently dissolved Dail Eireann in stoical fashion. The Wall Street Journal calls it the "biggest shakeup of Ireland’s political landscape in modern history.”

Party: Fianna Fail (Left)

Leader: Micheál Martin

Aim: Real plan, better future.

Party: Labour (Centre-Left)

Leader: Éamon Gilmore

Aim: Jobs, Reform and Fairness

"Labour's vision is the vision of One Ireland. Where we are driven by what unites us, not what divides us - Le Chéile"

And fair dues to them for not falling into the 'cyber-hip' pitfall that Fine Gael so painstakingly did on Valentines Day. No I do not want to donate my Facebook status, thank you very much. Instead, Labour embraces the powerful capabilities of web campaigning and offers a more personal and private canvass message.

Party: Fine Gael (Right)

Leader: Enda Kenny

Aim: Change, Stability and Jobs

"To bring changes that will manage the economy, deliver value for money public services, create opportunities for employment and ensure people feel secure as they get older." Serious contenders for FF seats as polls already tell and continue to do so.

Party: Green Party (Left)

Leader: John Gormley

Aim: Equality, Energy and Jobs

Party: Sinn Féin (Left)

Leader: Gerry Adams

Aim: Little guy > EU +IMF. Jobs, Health & Education

Friday 25 February 2011.

-MusH

N64 Goldeneye and George Hook?

Taking a trip down memory lane with Goldeneye on the Project64 emulator. The music is still delightfully psychedelic from what I can remember and the triangular Russians stand testament to how far graphics have come in the past decade. The fact that you could pause in real-time and simultaneously check your in-game watch, scratch your head and adjust your inventory all whilst taking bullets to the head was brilliant. I sound like George Hook going on about how revolutionary Sky+ is. Wow! You're out changing the cat nip and all of a sudden you've become king of multi-tasking just because you can pause the live showing of "Strictly Come Dancing"?

*Handchop* to the face, you over-sized bag of wrinkles. JK love you big guy (said in a raspy, puffing voice)

Dropping into toilets and leaving the arms facility looking like an abattoir was definitely a highlight. That, and being hunted down by slightly annoyed Soviets down a run-down airstrip in the middle of nowhere. The game was apparently notorious for being politically incorrect- go, figure.

Point is, so what? It doesn't have to make sense, it was gaming suited to YOU at its best. That's what my five-year old self loved about it.

Hilarious parody.

"Fabulous, I have fallen in laaave":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QINzmRPfMCU&feature=fvwk

Childhood addiction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1z7F5BkyM

Shoddy graphics by the folks at Rare:

Go on, re-kindle that childhood passion (although you'll need a good video card and RAM in excess of 128MB) :

http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/n64/project64.html

Google the ROM.

-MusH

A Little Bird Told Me

Right so. This post will (hopefully) be straight to the point. Succinct.

We moan when the world's inertia seems to be concentrated solely upon our shoulders, when everything is just inexplicably wrong; don't we? I do. Overwhelming challenges are presented to us that are at times direly daunting. However, do we really have it THAT bad?

This little bird (I captured earlier) hobbled about a shop entrance for warmth and a chance to pounce on any scraps of disposed food. We're nearing the end of January, it's bitterly cold. Something tells me the Arctic-like snap we faced before Christmas isn't fully over. Anyways, Mr/Mrs Bird should be with fellow migrating fowl somewhere warm and tropical.

So when the going gets tough think of this little guy who just couldn't get going. 'LEG'-END.

-MusH

Musical Mutiny

Materialistic jargon, add a boisterous beat, increase the tempo to insane levels of Hz and crank the volume up. LOUD. Ladies and gents, boys and girls, I give you the formula to create a meaningless guaranteed chart-topper nowadays. Gone are the days of finding the meaning of something within something. That goosebump-inducing intrinsic message and no I don't mean the indoctrinating Illuminati kind..

I declare mutiny! To those musicians out there drumming to the beat of ingenuity, I salute you guys.

Check these*:

• Soul: The Electric Prunes - Holy Are You http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1QYJmf9WE
• Indie/Rock: The Walkmen - Juveniles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F0IjVvmnfY
• Jazz: (The late) Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkS169P_Eeo
• Hip Hop: Lupe Fiasco - I Gotcha http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64EwEc96Y24&ob=av2em The "Maharishi" of Hip Hop. Yezzir!
• Folk: Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrQRS40OKNE

*(NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST. SO DON'T GET ON MY CASE IF I DIDN'T MENTION YOUR "RAISON D'ETRE" OF A BAND/SINGER)

What would Che do?

Ah and these dudes: The Clientele - Bonfires On The Heath http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUfi5N1ypdU&feature=related

-MusH

Bored On Board

Blue Haze. Dawn 06:15

Over Amsterdam

A pilot's voice is heard crackling through the on-board radio.
In a feigned American-English accent he reassures us passengers in a suave yet amusing manner that we would certainly land on time. Wishful thinking. The customary seat- belt sign is turned off. We are now "free" to roam about. Already nestled in my chair, I don't bother with the sudden barrage to the lavatory. My attention quickly shifts to the 'sung' heroes of any flight - kids. Let's not forget the screaming children who rightfully whine as their ickle Eustachian tubes adjust to the changes in cabin pressure. They truly make a flight, a flight. It might sound far- fetched but on a plane you spend a lot of time staring at the back of people's heads. They sadly become your new found acquaintance over the long haul journey. Whatever you do however DO NOT pat the head. Resist the urge, Self control. Frizzy heads, bald heads, perms, the works! In the midst of all of this gazing a fierce nudging contest subconciously unfolds with your neighbour over the armrest in between you and said neighbour. Who would become rightful owner? (and why didn't manufacturers think this one through?) You'd swear we were fighting over the Gaza Strip. A nearby whistleblower informs the closest stewardess who, donning an ironic blue beret initiates peace keeping between us. I cajolingly tell her that Ban Ki Moon would be proud to which she replied in half Dutch/half mutter.. Afterwards, it turned out my neighbour was a cool jazz player en route to Cincinatti. This much, I learned from small-talk. Anyways I'm about to tune into this on board entertainment centre gizmo/ thingy majig..

-M

P.S I won the armrest in the end just in case you were wondering!

Division

Droaning, foreboding the threat looms
In our hearts apathy, myopic eyes veiled by
Ventriloquist-like political puppeteers
Indecision, an age old pendulum
Swinging with flagrant relentlessness
It is our nation tarnished by Red Coat, cut-throats
Our country reduced to a paltry fraction
Numerator, denominator or unity - choose one
So with that I say; what is North without South, night without day?


In a nutshell? My disenchantment with the current political turmoil in Sudan as the threat of full-scale division is on the cards for a referendum scheduled for the 9th of January, 2011. This is strikingly similar to the Irish dilemma of 1922 or any other Crown (or Non Crown) owned colony for that matter. In my opinion, the current coalition should heed the advice of history's caveats and avoid further bloodshed at all costs. However, political analysts and Western diplomats say the writing is on the wall in indelible ink - violence is inevitable...pretty much. As was the case with hmm Korea, Ireland and Vietnam to name a few.

-Mush