The Teachers' Pet.

Hello and welcome to my blog. A few of you may have noticed that there has been a few changes, one major change being the title. I thought that "The Worlds Through My Eyes" made the blog sound a bit more professional, give it more character. The difficulty was finding a HTTP that was free, but finally found this one. Please give me some feedback on the new look.

Today's topic is schooling. Many of you reading this are probably still in school, or have at least attended school at some time of your life. I myself still go to school, studying A levels at 6th form.

Now, all those who are still at school will know the dreaded feeling of exams. I myself am quite lucky, as I have finally finished all my exams for this school year, but many people will still have a couple to sit. I myself am one of those types of people who is quite calm around exam times; I know they are important, but I can only do the best I can do, no point working yourself into a frenzy. A couple of my friends are those type of people who panic that they are not going to do as well as they want, and cram hours of revision in each day. I personally feel that that is excessive, and that the best way to revise is in bits while having breaks to do the things you enjoy, for instance my escape was my guitar or the PlayStation.

"My teacher was rubbish! He/she didn't help me at all!" is one of the most popular reasons given by students when they get their results and find they don't live up to expectations. I feel that this can only be used in select cases. For instance, if every math lesson you turned up to you were taught history and nothing else, then sure, that is a valid reason. However I feel that there are more important reasons.

For instance, your own levels of effort are a major factor. If you want to learn a subject, learn it, don't just sit there and be taught rubbish by your teacher. "If you don't put the time in, you have to put it in elsewhere" which I think is a very good way of summing up school. If you don't put time into learning, your going to have to put extra time and effort in later down the line.

I also feel the art of teaching is a very difficult one to master. The balance between approachable and strict is a very fine laugh. Many teachers sadly are either one side or the other, either being too much of a push over, or punishing you for every little mistake. Like many others, I feel the best environment to learn in is one where you feel comfortable, and are able to have a laugh, but still are made to focus on work. Who would want to work in an environment where you are bullied into work and are constantly in fear of the dreaded detention?

Finally, where are the good school trips nowadays? My year were very unlucky. We missed out on not only Alton Towers, but also were made to go to The Rawson Centre, a decaying old house which I left my mark on, whereas every year after us got to go to France! where is the justice?!

Anyway, thank you ever so much for reading, and do leave some feedback in the comment section.

Andy*

One Mans Rubbish Is Anothers Art.

Hello readers!

Yes, I am still in the land of the living! I know it has been forever since I last wrote on here, and I apologise. This has mainly been due to revision for A levels, but also I haven't really had a good subject to talk about. Well today, I think I have found that topic.

So, as already mentioned, I have been sitting A level exams, and I am going to sit 4 more very soon. Last week, I sat two, yes, two law exams, a sociology exam, and a general studies exam. Now, I am sure that many people reading this sat the same general studies exam as I did, and I think the general thoughts of it was that it was very easy, and was more a politics/art exam. I myself quite enjoyed the exam, I thought it was quite refreshing to talk about topics that are quite important in today's society.

One of the essay questions was about art. It gave a photo of some controversial art, and then asked you to "describe why some people may not understand controversial art", which in other words means "explain to someone who dislikes art, why they should like art".

Now I used to be one of those people. I didn't really understand the point of art. I could only look at it at face value. If it looked good, then it must be good. Not only that, I also didn't understand why certain pieces sold for so much, when all they were basically splodges of colour, or just a circle. I am happy to say I have now changed my views on art.

For the exam, we learnt about Andy Warhol, A very famous painter who was very very controversial. If you don't know what he did, he would basically take known items like tins of soup and paint them. He was also fascinated with celebrities, painting portraits of people such as Marilyn Monroe. Before the lesson, I had only known he was an artist, and that he was very famous. I had no idea what he painted, or even what style he painted it. During the lesson however, my mind was totally blown by the works he had produced.

Marylin Monroe By Andy Warhol

Such simple things like a Coca Cola bottle, made to look fantastic. They truly were amazing. And what amazed me more was that he only really ever painted common products, that anyone can get their hands on. such a simple idea, made to be truly inspiring.

And that is what he has done. Inspired. I have totally changed my view of art thanks to him. His style was pop art, and that style really appeals to me. The idea of bold colours, using popular labels and brands is awesome in my mind. I now see art and can truly appreciate it. For example, if anyone watched last week's Jr Apprentice, I really enjoyed many of the pieces, especially the street styled pieces with the kimono girls Bye Tom Lewis.

One Of Tom Lewis' Pieces.

In fact I've even been inspired to give it a go myself. I already have an idea, and hopefully (if I'm any good at painting) it will look good enough to put on my bedroom wall. A piece inspired by my guitar, which should be good.

Anyway thanks for reading. How do you feel about art? Are you an artist yourself? Leave a comment :)

Thanks again!

Andy*

I Need A Hero.

Hello and welcome once again to Title Under Maintenance. Hope you enjoy your stay, and no, the soaps are not yours to take home.

You've guessed it, today's post is about Super Heroes and comic books, both of which seem to be a hit and miss subject. See, many people (usually girls) will argue that they are quite nerdy, and those who enjoy reading comic books are nerds themselves. I on the other hand believe that some comic books can involve super heroes, and still be pretty cool.

For instance, the new Kick Ass film is based on a comic book. although I haven't actually either read the comics or watched the film, I have heard very positive comments about both. Now I actually really want to see the film, but don't really have the confidence to buy the comics. The main reason is the stigma attached to comic books.

Many people will say that if you are seen buying a comic book you are uncool. Personally, I feel there is a fine line between acceptable and uncool. For instance, if you are one of those people who buys a comic book just to keep it in one of those plastic sheets, never to be read ever and only to be kept in "mint condition" then that is a little sad. If however you have bout a comic book to just read a couple of times, and don't really care what happens to it as long as it is still legible, then I think thats fine. It is no different from somebody buying a magazine to read.

Now onto Super heroes. They rock! well most do anyway. All the actually cool ones like Spiderman and Batman. But there are some really stupid ones. for instance, Aquaman. who wants to read about a man who lives under the sea and can speak to fish? No one, that's who. Infact, I would rather read about south park's "Seaman and Swallow" than Aquaman.

Seaman!!

Back tracking to Super Hero films, there have been many, and many have sucked. For instance, the most recent Spiderman film was terrible compared to the first two. Not only has Spiderman failed, but also "Superman Returns" was also a very poor film. If you want a good Comic book film, look at the two new Batman films. They are awsome. They are dark, and don't try to be too much like the comics. Even as normal films, they are two very good films, but in comparision to the rest of the comic films, they cetainly do justice to the fans. The next one is set to be even better. I feel more producers should take a look at how a real film is made, and take it from there.

Anyway, sorry for quite a short blog, got lots to do, including the challenges on "Batman: Arkham Asylum" (Y)

Arkham Asylum: "Nice Costume"

Now I must go, Lincoln needs my help!

Andy*

The Hills Are Alive.

Hello once again to Title Under Maintenance!

It has been more than a week since I last updated this. On one hand I feel really terrible because I really enjoy writing these, but on the other hand i suppose nobody reads it anyway so no real biggy :P.

If you had not worked out from the title, this post is going to be about music, not musicals (sorry, but I think i would struggle to write a blog about them without falling asleep).

I personally believe that i have a reasonably good taste in music. Now, of course I would say that, but looking at other people's ipods, mine seems very similar. I this this is mainly down to the fact that I enjoy a lot of genres of music. Whether it be pop, rock, indie, drum and bass, or techno, I very rarely find myself wanting to switch the channel or skip to the next song.

Now I personally do not find classical, folk, or death metal any good to listen to. Sorry for any readers reading this who enjoy these, but I cannot see the appeal. I am sure many other people are the same, but I find classical gets a bit monotonous and boring, whereas folk I seem to always have the image of an old man with a banjo, a piece of straw in is mouth, just sat there playing. Death metal on the other hand is the image of men in their 40s with long hair headbanging furiously and talking really deep into a mic.

So, some bands and musicians I like; Blink 182, You Me At Six, Motion City Soundtrack, Green Day, Foo Fighters, The Beatles, The All-American Rejects, The Hives, And Scouting For Girls. Now they are all quite a similar genre I know, and I know many of you will be like "why do you like such a S*@# band?" and to be honest, I really do not not know. All I that I would quite happily sit and listen to all of these bands for days on end and would only complain when the battery for my Ipod ran out.

Which reminds me of another point about music I find interesting. I seem to be able to learn lyrics very very easily. I am sure many of you reading are the same, where you hear a song you like maybe ten to fifteen times, and you are then capable of singing along should someone play it. Whether this is a gift or not, but if lessons were taught in song I would probably remember a darn sight more than i would now.

I have never been to a concert before. I know, 16 years old and never really heard a band play live (except for when I was collecting glasses at a pub and a band was playing). I think this is down to three main reasons; A. the tickets to bands I want to see are really expensive. B. I would struggle getting to many places the concerts are held. And C. I don't want to be let down. Now, A & B are both practical points, but C is more of a psychological problem. You see, I know that all songs are sorted out and are made to sound better in the recording studios etc. Also another problem is that all concert videos on sites like youtube are generally recorded on poor video cameras, with rubbish sound quality. Saying that though, I have been looking at tickets online just now, and may look to purchase one when i get some money :)

And finally, I have bought myself an acoustic guitar! It is a Westfield B200 (for any guitar nuts reading) and I am pleasantly surprised with the sound quality, especially seeing as I got it for £60. Furthermore, I am now getting guitar lessons, which start on Wednesday. I am really look forward to these, but I am also a little nervous, seeing as I am going to be really bad at it, but i suppose that is why i am getting lessons, and i probably will not be the worst he has taught. But, I was considering starting another blog that i would update after every lesson telling everyone how I had got on, which videos etc, what do you think? Please leave a comment either below or the status I posted this on on Facebook.

And that is all for today, gotta get ready for school, you know how it is. Thanks for reading, and goodbye!

Andy*

Time For an Egg-cellent Blog.

Hello and welcome to another egg-citing blog. Hopefully this will be a cracking good read and will leave you egg-stremely satisfied. Now enough with the bad yolks, lets begin.

So it's Easter. The four days where we remember Jesus and his sacrifices for the human race. Well supposedly anyway. Now it is more orientated towards a marketised holiday with the selling of chocolate eggs and rabbits and stuff. I swear that sweet companies lose out nearly all year round and simply survive off the money made during three holidays; Easter, Christmas and Halloween. But yes, I am sure if you asked children under 7 what Easter is about, at least a third would say it was about the Easter bunny (not to be confused with Nesquik bunny or the Energizer bunny).

Personally I have no problem with this. I know some Christians will complain and say that it is "taking away the meaning of Easter" but in all honesty, I do not see what the big problem is. I'm sure they wouldn't say no to a Cadbury cream egg if they were offered one.

And that brings me on the my next point; Cadbury Cream eggs. when I was about five, i used to be told that my cream egg contained a real chick, and that by eating it i was killing it. So whenever I was given one, I would hand it to my brother straight away. I now realise how foolish that notion is. I mean, a real chick in chocolate? Not only would that be impractical, you would also have to question Cadburys' morals.

Now for another type of Easter egg. The media variety. I may get many raised eyebrows at this comment, but hear me out. See, in media terms an Easter egg is "A hidden feature in computer software, a DVD, or a video game." For instance, many may or may not have noticed, but if you have watched "Austin Powers In Goldmember" there are Pokemon in it! http://www.eeggs.com/items/51843.html

Also, if you use Macromedia products, you have probably found many an Easter egg. We used to sit in IT with one of the program's Easter eggs (I think it was Dreamweaver or Flash but not sure) and it was like 6 little games you could play. Another egg was almost like pong, except when you missed, you screen would flash pink and would erupt in a god awful noise. Those were the good old days.

And finally, what did you guys get for Easter? see, I ask for money because at least then I don't end up stuffing my face with chocolate and end up making myself ill. I always steal my brother's though so it's all good :)

Anyway thanks you reading my blog, and may the rest of your Easter be merry.

Andy*

My Thoughts On Sports.

Hello once again readers.

Today is going to be about, you guessed it, sport. I kind of feel obliged to write about this after A. being in an argument about wages of certain sportsmen and B. because I was kindly linked to by a dear friend of mine, Mr Milnesy. If you would like to read his opinionated blogs (which are a real hoot) than just follow the link, I'm sure he will appreciate the viewers. http://milnesy4000.blogspot.com/

Anyway, on to my blog (which of course is far better :P). As previously mentioned, I'll be discussing sports today. I myself am not an overly sporty person. By this I mean, I will not go out of my way to find a game to play, whether it be football, hockey, rugby, or any other sport you can think of. Now that does not mean that I do not enjoy sport. On the contrary, I actually quite enjoy many sports, including football. I am quite a competitive person when I put my mind to it. But the problem is, I'm not actually any good at it.

That has always been one on my main problems when it comes to sport. I'm not a very confident player. No matter how good I am at a sport, there will always be someone who is better than me. I know that may sound silly and rather obvious, but it is fact. In other activities, for instance, blogging, you are always at competition with others, but at least you do not have to be in direct contact with them. In sport however, there is always the chance of the person playing against you being better than you, and I am a terrible loser at the best of times. For anyone who has beat me during a P.E lesson, you will know what I am talking about.

Now, playing sport I am fine with. I will quite happily kick a ball about or go canoeing for example, but I can no see the fascination of wanting to watch other people playing. I mean, this is not as bad if for instance, you are watching your mates play while you sit out. But people who sit down at home and watch a game of football baffle me. Why would you want to watch 22 grown men kick a ball about for 90 minutes? I would understand it if you actually went to watch the game at the stadium, but it just gets boring on TV.

Other sports like snooker bore me to death as well. If you are able to go and play snooker yourself, why wouldn't you? Its not even as if you need a massive team to play. It's just you and one other person. That surely must be more entertaining than watching two fat balding men playing it on the telly.




And finally, I'd like to talk a little bit about wages. As I said in my intro, one of the reasons I am writing this blog is because of an argument I got into with one of my fellow students. I personally do not feel footballers do not deserve the wages they do, especially when other jobs, and indeed other sportsmen deserve much more than they get. I find watching football boring. Now, fast paced, action-packed sports such as motocross and and snowboarding are far more interesting to watch, and they do not get paid half a weeks wages a footballer earns. why is this?

Both the extreme sports I mentioned are far more high risk than football, and extreme sportsmen require a similar fitness level to that of a footballer. The problem is, football is a safe bet for TV companies. You put footy on the TV, and there will be someone out there wanting to watch a match between Ecuador and Kazakhstan. You put snowboarding on, you are really only going to get a few views. I think this is a bit of a shame because I feel very strongly about extreme sports. As mentioned in a previous blog, I am an adrenaline junkie. I would love to go snowboarding, or bungee jumping, or white water rafting, but sadly do not have the money. But football is £5 for a footy and then using your jumpers for posts, so budget wise, I can see footy is a lot more appealing.




Anyway, thank you very much for reading, will post a couple of blogs during the holidays.

Andy*

Correct Me If I'm Wrong...

Hello again dear reader, oh how I have missed you.

I'm sorry I haven't written recently. This is partly down to sheer laziness but also due to the fact that I haven't had a very good idea to write about, but this morning I happened to stumble across one as I was leaving my house for school. This idea was massive, and there was no way I was going to leave without tripping over it. This idea, is game shows and quiz shows.

I am a great fan of this "genre" of TV shows. In fact I would be perfectly happy watching all the repeated old shows on "Challenge" for a whole day, even if they were repeated during the day. But there is one thing that really annoys me while watching shows such as this. Stupid people. The question will be something simple like "what colour is a banana?" and they literally spend half an hour considering the options and still end up getting it wrong. I often find myself screaming at the television the correct answer in some mundane attempt for them to have a random spark of genius or that maybe they will somehow hear me.

You have to wonder how these people got on the show in the first place. Its lucky there is no tests or special requirements for most of these shows, because otherwise there would be nobody participating in them. I suppose that for amusement and entertainment reasons these types of human beings were hunted down and personally delivered to the TV companies so that they could be made a mockery of. It's a pretty good system if you ask me.

But there is one amazing feeling you get from watching quiz shows. This feeling is the feeling of godly power when you randomly guess an answer correctly for a tough question not even the show itself must know. The sense of other-worldliness kicks in, and you start to feel you can take not only this show, but every other show that's out there. "Get in there!!" is one of my most popular outbursts whenever this occurs.

Now I want to show you some people failing at quiz shows, or indeed the show failing itself. Here are a of couple videos that may just bring a smile to your face :).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHUXaYilBxI (Catchphrase FAIL)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owd6M7UgHQs&feature=related (Countdown SWEAR WORD)

Sorry for that, thought you could do with a laugh. Finally, I tried to apply for a game show. Now I know I previously stated that they were for people of low IQ, but it wasn't specifically a quiz show. Oh no, it was something far greater. It was only "Total Wipeout"! But sadly I am not 18 so wasn't allowed. Sucks to be me.

Anyway, thank you for reading, I realise this was quite a lengthy one but thought I owed it to you seeing as I hadn't done one in a while. Have a good night all.

Andy*