My 2nd Covid Vaccine Update Blog

So last Saturday I received a letter asking me to contact my local surgery to set up my second Covid-19 vaccine. So I called them and It was set in stone for Friday 21'st May 2021 at 4pm and so as I write this, today is the day!

I am tired and aching from my return to work the past few days and I was going into the jab feeling bit apprehensive given how bad I felt after my last vaccine and of course both jabs I had the Astra one.

The jab once again was a sharp scratch and done and I was told since I was driving to wait 15 mins before driving home but I did not go straight to my car as I thought "15 mins before I can drive? Nah I'll go walk and nose at some shops." So I did that and immediately after leaving a discount bargain shop I felt a sharp twinge of pain in my head and then I felt slow and like lost and confused? I let myself just chill in the car til I felt bit more comfortable and then I set off home and got home safe no worries. 

As of writing this part, its 8pm on 21/5/21 and I feel tired like, really tired and warm in my face aswell as my arm feeling heavy and sore and I shall update this soon with more developments when I get them on how I feel. Through the night into the morning of 22/5/21 I had warm flushes and sweats and my head and arm pain was worse and my head was very warm and as we (as of time of writing) enter the end of 22/5/21 my head is warm but body is cold and I got no headache but still sore arm and all I have done is lay down most of the day and drink plenty of water and take pain killers regularly every 4 hours so not too bad. 

23/5/21 I got bit of inflammation in my chin and also a mouth ulcer has appeared inside on my lip. Unknown if these are related, most likely not and I have become just a bit unlucky.

25/5/21 - I feel fine, just stressed to go back to work but I'm sure I will be ok. 

21 Pilots - Scaled & Icy ALBUM review & thoughts!

Stop the press everyone because, It's 21 Pilots day as it's 21st May and Scaled and Icy the sixth studio album by Twenty One Pilots is OUT NOW!

This album presents a more upbeat 21 Pilots, the boys are currently in a different stage of their lives with Tyler now being a family man. Upon the initial release of Shy Away I felt like this was a different version of the band but upon additional listens and then following the release of Choker I enjoyed the content more and I could hear and see their universally genre hopping band are still present with their signature sound. Upon the release of Saturday from this album I also felt this is really popping and fresh and gets me in a mood to party because I'm sick of the pandemic and I can imagine they are too and the boys are just looking closer at life through their experiences of the past and of the present and are also looking ahead to the future. I also feel like of course this album they are continuing on from the story they told in Trench, there's many a fan theories about this album and other songs from the band BUT I won't go into them right now and instead I shall be listening now to the track and laying it out flat here and give my thoughts track by track, so sit back with a cuppa t and your finest vinyl player ready to strike the needle down and spin this new album up!

1. Good Day - This sounds very much like a working anthem and it's also a chill song, so you start the song waking up and getting up out of bed and as the track progresses I can just imagine being that guy rushing to work 9-5 in a suit and greeting people on a street because I'm having a good day despite how down the lyrics can also be such as the line "Lost my job, my child and wife, homie just sued me". It's basically a zero fuck's a given anthem despite the upbeat nature of the instrumentals. 

2. Choker - The second song and music video they put out for this album was this tune and it is a tune, literally one of my faves on the album. I find it relatable and deep and very catchy especially the "mmhmm's" 

3. Shy Away - It's a catchy upbeat instrumental track with the chorus also being very catchy, I always find myself singing it and as I mentioned in the opening paragraph, upon first listen I was not fussed and felt this was a different direction but further listens just proved to me how wrong I was and if anything there is a different change in their music as it is mostly upbeat for this album but it's not a bad thing at all, it's different and 21 pilots have always had a unique sound and it's still present here in all these songs on this album. 

4. The Outside - Oh god this is a bop, i had this blasting in the car and the bass on the chorus just made me feel totes gangsta, ya get me?! Seriously I like this one and then THIS HITS YOU WITH TYLERS RAPPING AND IT'S FUCKING SICK! Makes you feel like driving a low rider and popping that baby to the beats! 

5. Saturday - A pop-tastic party song here! So catchy, I can vibe to this with such ease.

6. Never Take It - The way this song grooves reminds me of a U2 song for some reason but hey this is pretty groovy. 

7. Mulberry Street - I really like this one, it flow's so good and it's so chill also the "Keep your bliss" is great and the chorus is just inviting you to sway so much with it. One of my faves on this album, there's a trumpet section that appears and it's just so blues like and it really compliments this track further. 

8. Formidable - This one sounds like an 80s/90s summer pop anthem in it's instrumentals it reminds me of a song or some songs from the past and I can't remember the names right now of those songs but if you know well you know but this is another totally chill windows down on a sunny drive kinda song. The guitar in this song is so just laid back it's lovely. 

9. Bounce Man - Oh man this is such a fun beat! The tune is such a standout and it's a lot of fun I find. I can imagine this being such a fun crowd interaction song too! It makes me smile! I enjoy this song!

10. No Chances - Ok this one sounds like a lost song from Trench. The ominous "we come for you, no chances." and the drop in the upbeat music and the rapping here is just like it should have been on the last album but hey this is a good and interesting track on this album. 

11. Redecorate - Another very interesting one much like the last sounds like it would have fitted to Trench album but still i appreciate this. To me this sounds like it's telling the story of a few people who may be royalty since they talk about making decisions for their people? I find the part with the covering the mirror most interesting as to me it flashes to the old mirror superstition of when a person passes away to cover the mirrors to avoid bad luck and there's a lot of  "i don't want to go" phrases used and the fact someone does not want to redecorate is interesting and this has been an interesting one to close out the album. 

FUN FACT: In 2019, Twenty One Pilots became the first act in US history to have every song on two separate albums certified gold, for 2013’s Vessel and 2015’s Blurryface.

I got a lot of love and appreciation for this album, the boys never disappoint and I feel, well for me anyway that this album came out at the right time when I needed it.

Overall I'd give this album

8/10

"Keep your bliss, there's nothing wrong with this."

Stay Shiny!

Demon Slayer: Mugen Train - Film Review - Thrill ride!

This film kicks off where Season 1 ended, Tanjiro and the group have completed their rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion, and they arrive to their next mission on the Mugen Train, where over 40 people have disappeared in a very short period of time. Tanjiro and Nezuko, along with Zenitsu and Inosuke, join one of the most powerful swordsmen within the Demon Slayer Corps, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, to face the demon aboard the Mugen Train. 

The 45 mins I would say felt like an elongated episode so it's what fans can expect from the animation and humour, set up, characters, music so on but then the rest of the film and even some moments in the first half just stand out completely in the beautiful scenery and fluid action shots and animation that demon slayer has inside its self to become a rising household megastar in the making. The animation, action, music, score, voice acting is all just a pure 10/10. 

There is one thing missing which fans have come to know and love and which has also made this demonic anime stand out and that's the villains or rather demons and their sympathetic backstories but hey maybe some villains are just evil and have no stories for why they are how they are and just because they chose to be and that is what we will learn and that is fine, not all evil can be sympathetically explain perhaps is my rational thinking here. Despite that one little loss of sympathetic villainy backgrounds, we do have great touching and emotional moments still. From start to end it's a thrilling ride aboard this demonic train with almost everything fans here have come to know and love from Demon Slayer! 

I was only introduced to this amazing anime series, quite recently and wow is all I can say, because this series is amazing! 

Seriously, do yourself a favour and boot it up on netflix and enjoy the series!

Anime returns to the big screen here in the UK with a HUGE BANG!

9/10

WATCH DEMON SLAYER ON THE BIG SCREEN IN THE UK FROM 26TH MAY!

Random Ramblin's 45 - May Rant 2021

 Rant time!!!!! 

I'm frustrated with some stories and so I'm going to just post my angry thoughts here about them to keep me sane and not from exploding in myself. It's mental health week and itv is good boy for always promoting "Britain get talking" yeah let's talk about all our feelings let's be humans and let's just rant too its normal and healthy. Anyway....

The uk gov can't keep us under their thumbs, it's like a soap TV episode where some baddie be plotting takeover to keep everyone quiet because if not they will pass flu on to everyone and kill everyone as they promised and made threats to, in order to control everyone and they  the baddie makes themselves out to be "The greater good" by trying to make themselves appear to be a good guy when really they are salt of the earth.

The UK gov are so stupid for Inviting other variants over by letting anyone from any country into ours because they care more about tourism or rather TEH MONEH! The UK needs to take note of New Zealand tactics and lock down borders ffs. This is getting ridiculous and I will not live my life locked up and restricted, if I wanted that life I'd go to jail myself and I'm not the only one in UK who feels this way and I'm sorry but I have to say it. 

Further more with the jail note. Reports on news was saying "Prisoners are campaigning for vaccine because they don't feel like they are being treated as human beings and a part of society" I'm sorry but they did bad shit and for a reason, are removed and not apart of society anymore and should just leave them there but vaccinate the staff working there because only way prisoners could get covid is from staff bringing it in, in the first place. Again I'm sorry but had to say something, I can't feel bad for people in jail unless they are falsely jailed. 

TV rant, the friends reunion for months has been built up on "it's a new episode" and then lots of pointless celebs announced for it and then people are saying "it's just a sit down chat" so they've falsely advertised this for months so pardon me for feeling resent towards this "reunion episode" now. 

Cardiff wanting to demolish motorpoint arena for a canal has me annoyed. RCT council wanting to destroy things and replace with houses which may I add are thrown up and tend to lack some safety checks and features is wrong too and annoys me. They want to get rid of a bridge to put another bridge in, further down in Aberdare, it's a bit daft so is the new Heads of the valley road proposal and don't get me started on how ugly the environment is looking with so many trees destroyed around RCT. And don't get me started on irresponsible people who are reckless drivers and the people who start forest and wild fires they are pricks.

All drivers just like all people have a duty of care, it's just a shame so many people are shallow and idiotic to forget about that duty of care.

Peace to everyone! Try to have a good day, I feel better for ranting haha. Thanks for reading!

Psycho Goreman - Film Review - A Psychotic Good Time!

The plot: Siblings Mimi and Luke unwittingly resurrect an ancient alien overlord who was entombed on Earth millions of years ago after a failed attempt to destroy the universe. They nickname the evil creature Psycho Goreman (or PG for short) and use the magical amulet they discovered to force him to obey their childish whims. It isn't long before PG's reappearance draws the attention of intergalactic friends and foes from across the cosmos and a rogues' gallery of alien combatants converges in small-town suburbia to battle for the fate of the galaxy.

This is such a cheesy, funny, entertaining, bloody horror comedy family film. I know that's a lot of genre's into one film but this is a lot and I had such a laugh and fun, thrilling time watching this film! I seen the trailer a few months ago and I was intrigued and it did not disappoint and if anything this film for me OVERDELIVERED! Cap's because I was so pleasantly surprised, the practical costumes and effects were epic, seriously this just made me wish for more practical effects again in Hollywood and in other films in general. PG is such a wickedly evil, violent, malevolent character but he is also weirdly fun and charming and dry and quick with his humour. Don't take this film seriously and you will have a blast of a time. Hell you may even enjoy it with seriousness going into it. It's a lot of fun! Highly recommend a viewing! 

9/10

Fan Art from Woody

Shout out and big thanks to James Woodward for this awesome drawing of me. 

Like and follow his pages on facebook by the links below:

Art Page: https://www.facebook.com/ArtbyWoodwardJ/

Music Page: https://www.facebook.com/acousticjames 

Photography Page: https://www.facebook.com/dunnwoodphotog/

Acting Page: https://www.facebook.com/Jamesmichaelwoodward

Nobody - Film Review - A Somebody!

The Plot: Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk stars as Hutch Mansell, an underestimated and overlooked dad and husband, taking life's indignities on the chin and never pushing back. A nobody. When two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch declines to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent serious violence. His teenage son, Blake is disappointed in him and his wife, Becca seems to pull only further away. The aftermath of the incident strikes a match to Hutch's long-simmering rage, triggering dormant instincts and propelling him on a brutal path that will surface dark secrets and lethal skills. In a barrage of fists, gunfire and squealing tires, Hutch must save his family from a dangerous adversary and ensure that he will never be underestimated as a nobody again.

I had a bloody good time watching this entertaining action flick, I must say! I hope we can get a sequel even a prequel because there's big potential here! Great acting, fight scenes were brilliant, music was epic and I have more appreciation and love for the Heartbreaker song now haha. 

This film is a hell of a fun ride!

8/10

The Mitchells Vs. The Machines - Film review! - Robotically Pleasing!

Oh my god so, ok this film is so pleasing, charming, warming, energetic, eye catching, entertaining, fun and funny and so self aware. The animation style, actors, music and well I just had such a blast watching this film, it's absolutely brilliant and I already can't wait to see it again and I wish I could watch this on the big screen where it would get the proper treatment it deserves as it's such a big production animated film!

The Plot: A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.

Funfact: This film was originally named Connected.

Sony's animation studios has done their magic again with the design and animation style very similar to Spiderverse and this film is as good as that!

I really enjoyed it! 

9/10

Mortal Kombat (2021) Film Review - Brutality!!!

Basically this film is about Cole Young who is an MMA fighter with a dragon birth mark and basically this Birthmark symbolises champions of Earth and they get picked by Raiden who is a Elder God to fight for the safety of the world in Mortal Kombat which is a brutal tournament which decides the fate of the universe. Hunted by the fearsome warrior Sub-Zero, Cole Young finds sanctuary at the temple of Lord Raiden. Training with experienced fighters Liu Kang, Kung Lao and the rogue mercenary Kano, Cole prepares to stand with Earth's greatest champions to take on the enemies from Outworld in a high-stakes battle for the universe.

I must say that Kabal, Kano, Sub Zero & Scorpion are the best characters in this film. Kano makes this film and every scene he is in, is just the best, his interactions with the other characters is a highlight and delight!

I kinda liked Cole Young in terms of if they added him to MK game, I think he would be an interesting character to play as. Every other character apart from the ones I mentioned just needed more fleshing out. They delivered when it was needed I would say.

The fights in this film are wicked! Costume and characters designs are flawless! Despite it's fault's, I had a fun time watching this and there's so much potential for the sequel so please let this film have a sequel!!!!

7/10

Top 10 Mortal Kombat Games

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!!

Dun dun dun da da dun dun dun dada dun dun dun dun da da

Welcome back to my blog and here and today's list is my top 10 fave MK games! 

Let's get a flawless victory here today!

10: Mortal Kombat 

The original Mortal Kombat's significance can't be ignored. The game revolutionized the fighting genre with characters that were digitized versions of real-life actors, and its shocking, gory Fatality moves were so controversial that they essentially birthed the ESRB game-ratings system.

9: MK 2

This expanded upon everything great with MK 1 and added in some new now iconic characters.

8: Shaolin Monks

Shaolin Monks is the third, and most recent, spin-off game of the series, and it’s no doubt the best. The plot is the most interesting of any of the action-adventure games. The beat ’em up aspect of the gameplay definitely adds some much-needed excitement to spin-offs that otherwise haven’t worked very well in this franchise.

7: Deadly Alliance

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance righted the ship after the disappointing Mortal Kombat 4, delivering a much tighter 3D combat system that introduced the ability to switch fighting styles midbattle. In what would become a tradition for the franchise, Deadly Alliance came loaded with content, including a single-player Konquest mode and a treasure trove of unlockable secrets known as the Krypt. Deadly Alliance felt both fresh and like a return to form when it released in 2002, and it laid the groundwork for future 3D iterations to come.

6: Deception

Mortal Kombat: Deception built on everything that was great about Deadly Alliance, beefing up the roster while expanding on the single-player mode and introducing online play to the series. Minigames such as Puzzle Kombat and Chess Kombat delivered some hilariously fun diversions from the fighting.

5:  MK 3

Mortal Kombat 3 was a major leap forward for the franchise, introducing the series'’ now-signature Dial-a-Combo system, upping the pace with a Run button and adding in the ability to uppercut your opponent through a ceiling and perform ridiculous Animalities. The roster expanded to include eventual favorites like Sektor, Cyrax and Kabal, though the exclusion of staples such as Scorpion and Kitana puzzled gamers. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 cemented its place as one of the finest in the series. In addition to bringing back the aforementioned key characters and adding some new stages, UMK3 introduced 2-on-2 and Tournament modes while adding new moves for much of the existing cast. This resulted in the most jampacked and fun Mortal Kombat yet, one that sent this classic trilogy off in style.

4: MK11

This game explored the furthest reaches of the Mortal Kombat lore, introduced another suite of memorable characters, and embraced the Mortal Kombat community in unprecedented ways. Whether you’re talking the nods to the series’ past or the massive Aftermath expansion that added an entire second story mode (featuring actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa reprising his role as Shang Tsung from the beloved 1995 film), Mortal Kombat 11 delivers full throttle on every front.

3: MK X

After MK9 returned the series to its roots, Mortal Kombat X began pushing the series forward in exciting ways. The awesome X-ray attacks returned in spades, with more gruesome how-did-they-get-up-from-that moves than in MK9, but the star of the show is the suite of new characters. Whether you’re talking the ice cold mercenary Erron Black, the new generation of kombatants in Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs, or the wildly unsettling D’Vorah, Mortal Kombat X delivered some of the most memorable characters since the original trilogy. Not only that, but the story mode weaves them together in compelling ways as they once again battle for the fate of the realms so this one really stands out for me.

2: Armageddon

What was supposed to be the ultimate culmination of the first decade and a half of the Mortal Kombat franchise gave players a lot to look forward to. Not only was every single Mortal Kombat character (at that time) included in Armageddon, but you could even create your own fighters to join the roster. We can't forget the story, the arcade endings and Kart Kombat!

1: MK 2011

NetherRealm Studios took the Mortal Kombat franchise back to basics in more ways than one. Not only did Mortal Kombat 9 return the series to its 2D fighting roots, but it also brought players back from the brink of Armageddon with a storyline that travelled in time to the beginning of the story, retelling a modified version of the events of the first three games. Aside from bringing together a collection of the series’ most iconic characters, Mortal Kombat 9 also introduced the beloved X-ray moves, where you could see the havoc being wreaked on the recipient’s innards. Perhaps MK9’s biggest legacy over the decade since its launch is its emphasis on narrative storytelling, which established the franchise as the best-in-class storyteller in the fighting game genre.

Do you agree with my list? Who is in your top 10?

What list would you like to see next? Let me know!

Thanks for reading, stay shiny!

FINISH HIM!

Top 10 Mortal Kombat Characters

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!!

Dun dun dun da da dun dun dun dada dun dun dun dun da da

Welcome back to my blog and here and today's list is my top 10 fave MK Kharacters! 

Let's get a flawless victory here today!

10: Shao Khan

The ruler of outworld and a wonderful evil villain also he is such a douche bag since he will stop brutally kicking your arse to tell you how much you suck.  

9: Shang Tsung

He can morph into other characters, he can steal souls, he can shoot multiple fireballs and is the first big bad of the series. 

8: Cyrax & Sektor

I know it's two separate characters but I love them so much I have to bunch them into one to put them here on my list. At first, Sektor and Cyrax were interchangeable outside of armor color and what kind of explosive device they liked more. As the games went further with Mortal Kombat Gold and Tournament Edition, we started to see some real contrast. Cyrax was an honourable warrior, but Sektor was a straight-up jerk. He insisted upon being turned into a cyborg and presumably didn’t even need to be given any programming. While Cyrax was reluctant and horrified, Sektor relished being a robotic killing machine, eventually even starting his own Lin Kuei offshoot to force more ninjas into becoming robots in the hopes of world domination.

7: D’VORAH

D’Vorah is a great new addition to the roster and is filled with all sorts of creepy surprises. Her various bug-based attacks, the way she’s always petting a larva that she keeps in her own stomach for safe-keeping, her tendency to describe herself as “this one,” and so on. I find her a hoot to play as in the games.

6: Kano

Kano is a special kind of scum, and the series is better for him existing. It’s fitting that he’s the cockroach of the series in that when you think he’s gone for good, he creeps back in and shows that he simply won’t die. He’ll be taken off the board or even be considered dead every other game, but comes back slimier than ever. His live action counter parts have also been quite standout and iconic for the character.

5: Cassie Cage

Cassie is the best of both worlds between her parents. She has Sonya’s military leadership and access to all sorts of fun government weaponry, but with Johnny’s swagger, sense of humour, and tendency to hit people in the bits. Cassie is everything you’d want out of a good female protagonist and it’s wonderful that NetherRealm was able to hit the potential on such a fun character design and fun to play and interact with. 

4: Liu Kang

In the earliest version of the fighting game, Liu Kang served as a traditional combat fighter, who was best known for his martial arts capabilities. He is a Bruce Lee copy and was always saving the day but as we progressed through the series we seen such a sudden impactful shift and the recent game instalments has given Liu a fresh breath of life. 

3: Johnny Cage

The funniest character in MK but also one of the most underrated underdogs I would say. People and other fighters look down on Johnny but he has some criminally underrated powers and martial arts and he has always been a fave of mine in the series, I always tend to play as Johnny. 

2: Sub Zero

Sub-Zero is on par with his rival, Scorpion. Sub-Zero is the master of ice manipulation. Kuai Liang is the current Sub-Zero and the younger brother to the original, who became Noob Saibot. Sub-Zero’s ice projectile is said to be one of the most innovative mechanics to have been enlisted into a gaming character. Furthermore, his Spinal Rip Fatality move is noted as one of the most morbid character actions, which gave Sub-Zero his merciless disposition.

1: Scorpion

Scorpion is all-purpose. He can be good, evil, in-between, but he’s always badass. He’s still a fire-spitting, demon ninja from Hell. Scorpion has served as a mascot to Mortal Kombat since its beginnings. This character is a human whose real name is Hanzo Hasashi. His family was killed, which led him into the life of an assassin. His skills are malevolent and gory, with ingenuity such as hellfire and teleportation serving as his powers.

Do you agree with my list? Who is in your top 10?

What list would you like to see next? Let me know!

Thanks for reading, stay shiny!

FINISH HIM!