May 16/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x7

Day 114
Mood: content
Weather: drizzling~
Quote of the Episode: "Let's go poke it with a stick."

In all honesty...I was not looking forward to this episode. I saw the preview and perceived it to be a case of 'memory loss'. I hate things that play with the concept of memory loss. I simply do not like them. I did not like the 'Family of Blood' arc in Season 3 simply because of this reason.

But overall the episode was better than expected. Really nervewracking.

And funny.

[the Doctor sees that Amy is pregnant]

The Doctor: You've swallowed a planet!

Amy: I'm pregnant!

The Doctor: Look at you, you're huge!

Amy: Yeah, I'm pregnant.

The Doctor: Look at you! Oh, when worlds collide!

Amy: Doctor, I'm pregnant.

The Doctor: Oh, look at you both, five years later, you haven't changed a bit! Apart from age, and... size.

Amy: It's good to see you, Doctor.

The Doctor: [pause] Are you pregnant?

I enjoyed the throwback to the ending lines of the previous episode where Amy refers to the men as 'her boys'.

Though the silly girl thinks she's the only one the Doctor trusts. The one he'll tell everything too. Sorry sweetie but there have been great gals in his life. I love Amy to death, she's the companion I would want to be. But she's not the only one.

I know this probably won't happen because RTD isn't head writer anymore...but I'd like Martha to come in and set things straight. He won't love you. He can't love you. Even the Doctor knows this and brings Rory along so the two can reconnect.

But Amy needs the reminder that, in actuality, she's not special.

But overall, amusing episode but not something I'll be keen on rewatching frequently.

Rory: Oh, a poncho. The biggest crime against fashion since lederhosen.

Amy: Ah, here we go. Oh, my boys, my poncho boys, if we're going to die, let's die looking like a Peruvian folk band.

And the ending was brilliant~

The darkness in the Doctor and everything.

:: Julianne ::

[no images, sorry. Not a visually stunning episode. Pretty normal. Either in a quiet town or a frozen TARDIS]

May 10/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x06

Day 108
Mood: pleased
Weather: sunny~
Quote of the Episode: "Funny how you say something in your head and it soun fine..."

So another Doctor Who episode under my belt and this one had Vampires in Venice. Or rather...aliens that appeared to be vampires but were actually aquatic lizard-fish things. XD


The plot was all together pretty well structured and had some pretty amusing exchanges of dialogue between Amy, Rory and the Doctor.

The Doctor: Can't see a thing.

Rory: Well, its a good thing I brought this then. [He produces a tiny torch.]

The Doctor: [Produces a rather larger light] Ultraviolet. Portable sunlight.

Rory: [Stares at the item] Yours is bigger than mine.

The Doctor: Let's not go there.

Rory: [sarcastically] Funny.

I enjoyed the Doctor bringing Rory around for some bonding. Usually the previous two Doctors were not too thrilled with having a boyfriend around to ruin the mood. While 10 did accept Mickey as part of the gang he wasn't too thrilled at the beginning. I think male companions have grown on him again~ I wonder if this has anything to do with the companion death of Adric back with Doctor 5... *ponders*

The villains were decent but not really scary. There was the whole creepy factor when all the girls spoke together but that's about it. I also found it very sad when Guido's daughter (whose name escapes me) was murdered for helping Amy and the Doctor out. Very sad.


The designs of the aliens were interesting and I like the gross looking fangs. That's what a vampire's fangs should look like! Really creepy!!

The Doctor was electrocuted and knocked out at one point and that was hawt~ Other than that there was a real flair for his dialogue. I enjoyed it immensely! Plus, he was the one to save the day and crawl up to the top of the tower. Bravo~

Amy: Hey, look at this. I got my spaceship, I got my boys... my work here is done. [struts into the TARDIS, head held high]

Rory: [scoffs] We are not her "boys."

The Doctor: Yeah we are.

Rory: Yeah, we are.

Very amusing episode overall. But I couldn't help but be reminded that some of the stuff had already been done. The whole 'climbing to the top of a tower to save the world' had been done before with Ten and done better! 11 just had to flip a switch and the problem was solved. Both times Ten had to climb up high he was in a race against the clock and got injured both times! Come on!!

I enjoyed Rory's character as well. I feel sorry for the guy though, you can really tell he loves Amy and she's absolutely cruel to him with disregard for his feelings. Geez girl, give him a break! I know the Doctor is fantastic but you're engaged! Respect your fiancee a little! Plus, Rory is hilarious!!

[It is Rory's first time in the TARDIS]

The Doctor: It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Tiny box, huge room inside; what's that about? Let me explain...

Rory: It's another dimension.

The Doctor: It's basically another dimensi... what?

Rory: After what happened with Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories. FTL travel, parallel universes.

The Doctor: I like the bit when someone says "It's bigger on the inside!" I always look forward to that. [The Doctor looks annoyed, then smiles]

And the bit with the Doctor's library card...flipping hilarious!!

In all it's glory!!

Lolz!!

Pretty good episode in my opinion but I'm not looking forward to the next one. I hate memory-loss themed episodes. Hate them.

:: Julianne ::

May 2/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x05

Day 100!!
Mood: n_n
Weather: mediocre
Quote of the Episode: The Doctor: Anyway, that's not the plan. River Song: There's a plan? The Doctor: I don't know, I haven't finished talking yet.

Here we have a conclusion to the awesome two-part story of the Weeping Angels. I was very impressed!! Moffat sure knows how to weave a story into a series with expert precision.

So let's dive into what I liked about the story, and spoilers be aplenty!


So we have the angels coming after our heroes in the ship. It's terrifying when you realize that Amy has been counting down without realizing it. Turns out the image of the angel in her mind is becoming a real angel and coming out of her. And the solution is this: close your eyes. When fighting against an enemy that you must look at in order to keep yourself alive...closing your eyes seems like a terrifying thing!! And it is!!


And we also have the return of the crack from her bedroom wall. We've seen it in every episode but here the Doctor really sees it and recognizes it. We now know what caused it, an event so big that it cracked the fabric of time and space! And the Stone Angels are scared of it because once you enter the light...you never existed.

Ever.

People forget you existed completely. You were never around. Ever.

Terrifying!!

The Doctor took much more charge in this episode and he was the hero I've been looking for. Amy couldn't solve the problems this time, he did. He solved all of them. Even when Amy had to walk to find him with her eyes closed he was the one in charge. He was guiding her. It was brilliant.


There was a scene that confused me. It was when Amy was returning to find the Doctor and she came across angels...frozen. And the Doctor told her to pretend she could see and they'd leave her alone. What? I thought angels ceased to exist when you saw them and came to life when you closed your eyes. I didn't know this was a game of 'What time is it Mr. Wolf?'. But I can forgive this because you finally get to see the angels move for real and it was freaky as hell!!

We save the day and there's something else I don't like. River Song admits to killing a man, the greatest man she's ever known. Wouldn't that be the Doctor? I swear to god Moffat, if this is the case you will have pissed off every Doctor Who fan in existence, including me! Let's hope it's not the case. You already angered me with the Tardis noise thing.

Now we finish off my plot synopsis with the best thing. I've finally fallen for the 11th Doctor. I am in love with him!!

They return to Amy's time, the night before her wedding. The Doctor realizes that there must be something significant about her wedding. The cracks follow her around through time and space. There's something going on. Why did she know the pond was a duck pond when there weren't any ducks? Why couldn't she remember the Daleks?

But THEN Amy makes a move on the Doctor. Not just a kiss, she's trying to get in his pants. It's the most hilarious scene ever! He's so flustered, trying to resist her. He can defeat Daleks and Stone Angels but when a girl wants into your pants...he's miffed on what to do.

Overall, great development!!

One of the best ones!! I love how Moffat has weaved the story line of the series throughout every episode. While I loved many episodes from the old series and they're near and dear to my heart...this series seems to have a much better flow.

Btw...a neat little note...the 'base code of the universe' is seen to be Amy's time. But it's a specific date: 26/06/2010. The air date for the finale for Season 5.

Also the episode ends with River Song commenting: "You, me, handcuffs... must it always end this way?", unknowingly referencing her own death in Forest of the Dead when she handcuffs David Tennant's Doctor.

:: Julianne ::

April 26/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x04

Day 94
Mood: Happy
Weather: Colder than it has been...but awesome nonetheless
Quote of the Episode: "Yeah? Well, it's boring now, isn't it? They're boring-ers! Blue boring-ers!"

All right so~ The Time of Angels is upon us and, I must say, it's been the best episode yet! This is what I love about Moffat, this kind of gritty and terrifying storyline. It's epic and bone-chilling. It was magnificent!

Here lies spoilers!!


So let's start off with a brief storyline along with all the great bits that I enjoyed. We find ourselves introduced to River Song once more, the second time we've seen her but definitely not the first time she's seeing the Doctor. She's quite a ways through their story together but he's still a little hard done by after her death in season 4. His first meeting of her along with her death. It was quite sad.

But here she's alive and well still and they've been tracking a stone angel. It is quantum locked so, when people look at it, it is made of stone. But look away, or close your eyes, and it moves and can kill you. Usually it sends you back in time and consumes the life force you could have used into the future. Really neat. But this time it's vicious...

Scary!!

It killed 3 characters by snapping their necks and then using their voices to communicate. It was absolutely chilling to have Bob, a sweet and innocent guy, tell someone that the angel snapped his neck...in the most nonchalant and casual way. Really eerie.

Another eerie and totally shocking moment happened in the catacombs. They're trying to find an angel statue amongst many, many statues. And I realized...the people of the planet they're on had two heads...why do the statues only have one head? As soon as I realize this the Doctor realizes it as well and we find out that every statue is an angel! It was so scary!!

Plus the ending was a very epic cliffhanger!

The Doctor: There's one thing you never put in a trap if you're smart. If you value your continued existence. If you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never ever put in a trap.
Angel Bob: What would that be, sir?
The Doctor: Me.

AWESOME!!


There was one thing I wasn't fond of and that was the whole 'the image of an angel becomes and angel' bit...and the whole business that we're supposed to assume Amy will become an angel. Meh. Not a big fan of the idea.


Character-wise I was super impressed!

River Song is so casual and up front with the Doctor. I love how she calls him sweetie and that we're positive now that she'll be his wife one day. Well...she already is but he isn't yet. The time line is super confusing but that's what makes it awesome. But I did not like that she could fly the Tardis better than the Doctor. The sound it makes when it lands is not a mistake! It's the proper sound! Don't you dare take that away from me Steven Moffat or I will hunt you down.

There's the Professor...or Doctor as the case may be in this episode.

Loved the Doctor in this episode as well. He got to be the hero a few times! It was awesome!! So very awesome! His ending line was so wicked that it gave me chills. Furthermore I realized that I really like how he examines things. He ducks around and is very tentative with touching things. He pokes and prods but doesn't grab. David Tennant's Doctor was very different. He grabbed, turned and licked anything when he was curious. He sure loved to use his sense of taste. He was very hands on while Matt Smith's Doctor seems to hold back a little and is very gentle with things.

Amy was awesome, again. I've finally come to the conclusion as to why I like her so much. She's the companion I would like to be. If I could be the Doctor's Companion I'd like to be like her.

The Doctor: A weeping angel, Amy, is the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life-form evolution has ever produced and right now one of them is trapped inside that wreakage and I'm supposed to climb in after it with a screwdriver and a torch, and assuming I survive the radiation long enough and assuming the ship doesn't explode in my face, do something incredibly clever which I haven't actually thought of yet. That's my day, that's what I'm up to. Any Questions?
Amy: Is River Song your wife?

Seriously? Hilarious!!

Amy: I don't need you to die for me, Doctor; do I look that clingy?

So awesome!

It was such a creepy and awesome episode and I can't wait for the second part. And I have questions that need answering.

Why did the angels snap the necks of those men instead of transporting them in time?

How did they originally get to the planet of the Aplans?

It'll be good to see.

:: Julianne ::

April 25/2010 :: 21 Years of Awesome

Day 93
Mood: Awesome
Weather: Yesterday was 20 degrees, today is cooler but still nice


Hello everyone! Welcome to my birthday post!

Yes, April 25th is my 21st Birthday! 21 years ago my awesome mom took the time to give birth to me. Very sweet of her and she couldn't have picked a better day. I love having this date as my birthday. Classes are usually ending up, it's ANZAC day -which means something to me as a history buff- and it's spring!! It's definitely spring by this point!

So this post shall be a long one today, going over what I've already done for my birthday. I might do something tonight but last night was the real party.

But before we do all that...let's look at a year in review.


My 20th Year

Good times, bad times, my 20th year was pretty intense! I've met new people and lost others.

My year started off with an awesome bowling birthday party with 6 of the most awesome people in existence. I had finished up school at Guelph and had a summer to look forward to. I took 2 summer courses and got a little promotion at work. The summer of 2009 was when I started working as a Deck Supervisor at the pool. I now had new found responsibility. That also meant some of the most challenging work experiences in my life occured.

But I handled them, I handled all of them.

I had outings with people from the pool, went to movies and held events at the pool like 'Pirate Day' and 'Hawaiian Day'. It was awesome.

My 20th year was also the year that I commuted to Guelph for the first semester, took the bus every Tuesday and Thursday to get to class. It was strenuous but it was fun. I enjoyed staying at home with my family.

My 20th year also had lots of stress on my as Oxford-Brookes continually sent me information late or didn't send enough information at all. I remember there being times that I considered dropping out of the whole program and just living at home. (I'm so glad I didn't though.)

My 20th year was also the year when I lost someone dear to me. A close friend from high school, with whom I had regretfully distanced myself from during my university years, passed away of a long term illness. It was a very intense time but I was able to attend the funeral and hopefully make amends. I was also able to bridge a friendship I'd never thought would be bridged -but always hoped to-. It was a learning experience and very difficult.

My 20th year also had me going abroad to England!! My 21st year will finish up that experience in 4 weeks. But my 20th year had me flying out to England and meeting new -and very awesome- people. In my 20th year I visited Wales and Dublin, visited London and Bath. Took new classes in a new country. Had a rocking time!

So overall, my 20th year has been a mixed experience but overall I've enjoyed it!


Now for what I did to celebrate my birthday. (Due to homework concerns of my friends I pushed most of the festivities forward to the 24th.)

We went on the bus to London and walked past Buckingham Palace. I hadn't seen it yet. It was gorgeous!!

We then had a picnic at St. Jame's Park. The weather was GORGEOUS! We could sit in the fields and admire all the pretty foliage. We brought our lunch with us and it was a very nice day. I enjoyed it immensely.

We then walked through a big party. Yesterday was St. George's Day (he's the one that slayed the dragon). There was a concert and performances. It was pretty wicked! Then we walked up to a comic store called 'Forbidden Planet' where I was able to buy something I'd been looking for. My life was then complete.

However, then VT and Syd took over and said there was a 'special location' we had to go to. I enjoy surprises as much as the next person, if not a little more. I played along, without a clue as to where we were headed. And then we arrived at the most awesome place ever!

The Maple Leaf! The only Canadian themed pub in the city! All the bartenders were from Canada and I had a lovely conversation with a girl from Kitchener and another from Guelph. Apparently Canadian girls tend to talk fast (with a strong accent) because the one girl's boyfriend had to stop us because he couldn't understand anymore. It was awesome! I had some Moosehead lager (which was okay but a little too much...I didn't finish the last mouthful). We also shared a platter of poutine. It was so awesome.

I'm so lucky to have such awesome friends here!

We then went to the London Eye. One of my best friends from back home was abroad last semester and for her birthday she went on the London Eye. I wanted to do the same. So we bought our tickets, watched the 4D prep show, and then got in line. It was a pretty short line and we were soon in the London Eye. It was awesome!

There I am!! Awesome view right!!

After that we went home and some other dear friends came over. They decided we would do cake that night. I have noooo problem with early cake. And I had been told it was an epic cake. It was quite curious. Turns out it was more epic than I could imagine! They had somehow managed to fashion a picture of David Tennant, the Tardis and a Dalek (from Doctor Who) out of icing! It was amazing!

Obviously,

I got the piece of cake with David Tennant on it. And Then I ate him. I look a little crazy in that picture but I assure you it was all because I was happy.

Then I skyped people from home and watched the newest Doctor Who episode [which was the best one yet]!

All in all an awesome day.

It's currently the morning of my birthday and I'm not planning on doing much. Perhaps going out to eat tonight or something of the like. But it doesn't matter because my birthday has already been awesome!!

Thanks to all my awesome friends!!!

:: Julianne ::

April 19/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x03

Day 87
Mood: School started again...how do you think I feel?
Weather: It's spring baby!
Quote of the Episode: "KBO: Keep Buggering On"

So, Doctor Who episode 3 from season 5. "Victory of the Daleks" was its name and that means we saw the return of the Doctor's long standing foe...the Daleks.

Ye be warned that spoilers be following.


I enjoyed the pacing of this episode. Having the Daleks working for humans was so unsettling for me so it was nice that it didn't take long for their true plans to be revealed. I don't like games and I wasn't too fond to see them pretending to be something they're not.

The setting was WWII England, a setting we've seen before in the first season with Doctor 9 and Rose Tyler. However they were viewing it through the eyes of the poor abandoned children during the Blitz and here we're focusing on the War Cabinet during the same time period. I saw the barrage balloons and couldn't help envisioning Rose hanging off of one and having good ol' Captain Jack come and save her.

Having the Doctor on their ship was also fun. That jammy dodger trick had me very, very amused. The Doctor threatened the Daleks with a self-destruct button but he was truly waving about a biscuit...the Daleks weren't the wiser for quite some time.

In this episode new Daleks were revealed, a great hail back to the original Daleks from the classic series. Boxy, smaller knobs and bright colours. Never thought I'd see a bright yellow Dalek. Not the most menacing you'd think...but a Dalek can pull anything off. They're just that intimidating.

Taste the rainbow!

The final twist of the episode sent me with chills though. Amy should know who the Daleks are. They've invaded the Earth on two other occasions in the series. They were there at Canary Warf...though I admit maybe they didn't get up to her little town. But in series four they stole the entire Earth. Everyone saw them. Everyone knew that they were there. But Amy doesn't remember...

Why?

I suppose we'll find out.

A few new characters this episode. First we had Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister. He had quite the chin I have to admit but he was fun. He had quite the personality but he was a tad pushy. I understood it though. He wants to win the war with the Nazis desperately. I can understand that feeling when things feel so desperate.


My favourite character of the episode was the scientist, Bracewell, who believed he had invented the Daleks. Turns out he was an android who had been created by them. The dynamics of his performance were riveting. Imagine finding out your whole life is a lie? Though in the end we found that his life was not a lie, that this was merely a hiccup and he shouldn't doubt his own human existence. It was very touching.

Bracewell on the left.

As usual there were parts of the episode that confused me and took away from the overall experience. First of all I want to know how the three original Daleks survived after the events of the Doctor/Donna at the end of series 4. The Doctor clone destroyed all of them, dissolved the entire fleet. How did 3 escape that? It wasn't explained. I know for convenience sake we must continue to revive the Daleks but still...I'm disappointed.

The next issue I have is with character development. I adore the character of Amy Pond, absolutely adore her resourcefulness and her innovations. She's quite the little genius. I know that, as the companion, she provides the human side to the equation and is supposed to pick up on human emotions better than the Doctor. But this is the second time in a row that the Doctor has utterly failed in realizing something and it ends up being Amy saving the day.

In the last episode she was the one to realize the Star Whale had volunteered to save the Starship UK. In this episode she realized the proper way to convince Bracewell of his own humanity.

It's not that I have a problem with the companion being the hero. I love it when it happens. I love having Martha save the Doctor in 42 or having Rose fly in to save the Doctor in the Pilot. I love those moments but they shouldn't be the norm...they should be the deviation, the one every so often. It makes me wonder if this Doctor can actually handle himself at all. That's twice now that he's failed to be the hero...

And he should be the hero.


Let's hope that, when the Stone Angels return, he has the heroic moment I'm waiting for.

But overall a strong episode with lots of enjoyable moments.

:: Julianne ::

April 16/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x02

Day 84
Mood: Worn out (I don't even remember how I fell asleep last night...)
Weather: Pleasant
Quote of the Episode: "Sorry, checking all the water in this area; there's an escaped fish."

I have a LOT to talk about with regards to my trip to Dublin. However, due to technical issues half of my pictures are on other people's cameras. Therefore I shall be waiting a little bit to write a blog because I require the pictures. Let's just say it'll be a 2-parter though: Dublin + the trip back home.

However, I wanted to do an update with my thoughts on Doctor Who Season 5 Episode 2, The Beast Below.

Okay, so I have rewatched the episode and I have my opinions.

Be warned...there be spoilers ahead!

So the episode focuses on the above, the Smilers. They seem to be running a ship out in space. It takes place after the sun expands and roasts the Earth. The people of Earth take to large vessels and move to space to find a new home. The UK is the ship the Doctor and Amy land on. But something seems to be wrong...there are no engines but the ship seems to be running.

There's some sort of conspiracy going on and every 5 years, when people vote, they always choose to forget the information they learned and continue their lives oblivious of the dark secrets of the ship.

This episode once again brings up concepts of human beings as a weaker species. So powerful and intelligent but capable of such darkness. It also brings up a dark choice in the end...who do you save? A single alien, the last of its kind, or a million human beings that chose to hurt this alien? It's an awful question that the Doctor has had to face many a time...this time though it's the humans that were the villains.

I found it riveting! The writing was amazing. There were moments of humour mixed along some really dark themes of torture, responsibility and memory.

On to characters.

In this episode we followed along with the Queen of the UK

Elizabeth the 10th. She is trying to find out the secrets of her country but it turns out she's been a part of it all and has chosen to forget about it time and time again for the sake of her people. She was powerful and very 'kick-ass'. I've probably mentioned this before but I really like my female characters to be 'kick-ass'. She definitely was!

Matt Smith further separated himself from David Tennant in this episode and solidified his position as the Doctor. At the end he's faced with a difficult choice and he does something I can't imagine Ten ever doing. He tells someone he's taking them home because they've made a mistake. He doesn't put up with crap and I like that...though it's a bit painful to watch sometimes.

It's Amy who saves the day in this episode and she's quickly becoming a favourite character of the entire show. She's fiesty and she's the smart one in this episode. She's the one who solves the problem. I was very proud of this.


I only had a single problem with this episode. Amy knew something she shouldn't know. She knew that the Doctor was the last of his kind and an alien, he told her these things. But how did she know he was 'very old'? I don't recall him telling her his age. Maybe I missed it but I don't think I did.

But that's a minor problem.

Altogether a strong episode and very enjoyable.

April 7/2010 :: Guilty Beauty Love

Day 75
Mood: Ecstatic
Weather: Gorgeous
Quote: "Mad-man with a box"

So, I've been basically alone since Sunday. Pan [my flatemate from Hungary] is still around but our schedules often mean she's asleep most of the day. So you might be thinking...you poor dear, you must have been bored out of your mind these past few days!

Quite the contrary!

This has been the best week ever!

You might be wondering how that could be...but I remind you that I often do well on my own. It's been great recuperation time from the overload of group activities. It's been absolutely superb!

So here are all the reasons for my great mood!

#1. Great weather! - Yup, the weather has been gorgeous. I've been walking everywhere! Screw the bus when the weather is so gorgeous you can wear a t-shirt. Surprisingly I'm the only one in a t-shirt but I suppose it's the Canadian blood that keeps me warm. Seriously, it's beautiful outside! Sunny, a little windy, and oh-so-clear. Perfect weather to really enjoy the weather.

#2. Despite losing the internet for 3 days [on two separate occasions] I've managed to entertain myself with great television. I watched the new Doctor Who episode, discovered the most hilarious movie in the history of the world and watched a delightful anime.

#3. This joy is something other people won't understand in the least. Walking around Oxford in gorgeous weather is understandable, good television is also acceptable. This...might not be as acceptable to people but I could care less. It's put me in the best of moods! And this component is my online roleplaying lifestyle which has unfortunately been lagging quite a bit since Christmas. One of my favourite partners returned and has spent most of the evening roleplaying with me textually. It's bliss.


So basically I wake up and wander around town from noon to late afternoon. Then I come home and watch some shows and finish off my evening with writing.

It's absolute bliss!

:: Julianne ::

April 4/2010 :: Doctor Who 5x01

Day 72
Mood: Pensive
Weather: Gorgeous
Quote: Happy Easter! (I want an apple...apples are my favourite.)

Today was the big day. I have watched the new Doctor Who episode twice. Once with a friend whose brother is also a fan and then another time on my own so that I can fully take in the entire affair. I'm one of those weird people that analyzes symbolism, character development and plot details.

Basically: I am crazy.

But Doctor Who has been a defining portion of my life the past few years. I've fallen in love with the characters (not to mention David Tennant).

Look how gorgeous he is...seriously...GORGEOUS!

But yes, it was a big deal for me when David left. He was what got me into the series and while I do watch episodes with out him...I didn't know if I could be won over enough to be as obsessed with #11. I'd say I was about 25% correct in that assumption. Here's why:

There's minor spoilers from this point forward.

Matt Smith is amazing. He is. He has all the flare of the Doctor, all the humour and all the absolute randomness. Seriously. He's hilarious! The opening scenes with him are side-splittingly funny and I was laughing quite hard watching him. He might not be as attractive as 10 but he's pretty good and it's the character that counts.

I wasn't too pleased though that, for most of the episode, he was wearing the clothes that he regenerated in. (>...< That's David's tie!)

Moving on~

I also enjoy how they changed almost everything. New sonic screwdriver, new Tardis, new opening theme. It lets Matt have his space to grow into the character. He might possess the same basic character traits of all the prior Doctors but he's still new. And he shouldn't be viewed as a mere replacement for David's spectacular Doctor. He should be allowed his own Doctor. Furthermore I don't think I could have watched him fiddle with the old Tardis. That hammer is such a...10 thing. It's David's hammer forever in my books. But that's just me.

Anyway!

On to the next character: Amy Pond, the Doctor's new companion. I like her. She's feisty and seems strong. Plus she's beautiful~

I'm sorry to everyone but I think she's the prettiest companion thus far.

Though she spent most of the episode skeptical and that just got a little tiresome. I like my female characters to be kick-ass cool.

And finally: the plot. Steven Moffat is a genius. His stories are inventive and dark. Russell sometimes had some pretty lame stories to start off a series. Adipose? Seriously? Walking blobs of fat? I love "Smith and Jones" but rhinos? Really?

This episode gave me chills. Fantastic plot. A little hard to follow at the 3/4 way mark but...a good ending.

So my conclusion is thus: 25% of me wants David back...NOW! He was just so perfect. But the other 75% of me is intrigued, fascinated and amused by the 11th Doctor, Amy Pond and the lovely stories that we're sure to hear. I still hate that 10 is gone, I'll miss him, but 11 will be enjoyable all the same.



And I'm done~

Oh right~

Happy Easter everyone!!

Mostly everyone here is gone. Etsy has returned home for the two weeks, Syd + bf + VT have left for Egypt, Southern Belle is now in Germany. *sigh* Ah well~ I'll get stuff done this week to be certain!!


Byeee

:: Julianne ::

March 1/2010 :: Blooming like a Blodeuyn

Day 38
Mood: Ecstatic!
Weather: Yesterday it rained in Oxford but Cardiff was clear, slightly windy, but beautiful! Today it is starting off sunny in Oxford
Word of the Day: blodeuyn [Welsh for flower~]

So~ Yesterday one of my lifelong dreams came true. And by lifelong I mean...over the past 3 years or so. I went to Wales yesterday, more specifically Cardiff the Capital. All the signs were in both English and Welsh. We were right on the coast, it was absolutely beautiful. I have decided that I must live in a coastal region because the energy there is just perfect. The view is amazing. I could have sat there forever and watched the water.

But we had things to do! More importantly a certain place to visit. A place I've wanted to see since I started watching Doctor Who. The Doctor Who Exhibit!!

oo~ Lookit how pretty it is!

Went inside with my neat little wristband and entered a place of wonders! Props from the show, costumes, audio, lights!

K-9 and me!!

When it was done I bought a few things, which I am in LOVE WITH! And then we moved on to the Bay and the location for filming for the show Torchwood. Torchwood is a spin-off of Doctor Who and also quite awesome. Most of my pictures need to be rotated so I can't post them here. No rotational powers.

Millennium Centre

Went and looked at the Bay, found a whole area pledging the return of Ianto Jones after his untimely (and not awesome) death on Torchwood.

Then we met up with others and went walking about to Cardiff Castle. Ridiculously expensive to get inside so we didn't go inside. Just took outside pictures.


Went for dinner, I simply bought a sausage pasty. It was quite delicious. Took the train home and then watched the hockey game! It was so awesome! A great end to a great day! Success for the men's team!! It was really awesome!

The Doctor was really rooting for Team Canada!

So basically it was an awesome day!!

January 30/2010 :: Bath - The Most Fashionable City Around

Day 8
Mood: Overwhelmed by the beauty of it all
Weather: Gorgeously sunny
Word of the Day: "Fashionable" as in "Bath is oh-so fashionable."

Today was freaking fantastic!!

We woke up early to catch the tour bus to Bath. After 1.5 hours of napping on the tour bus we arrived in Bath. It was so beautiful. The city of Bath was built upon by the Romans though it is said to be 7000 years old. The Romans built massive baths around the only naturally occurring hot spring in the UK. Until they were overthrown it was a huge center and meeting place for Romans and Britons alike where they worshiped a mixed goddess Sulis-Minerva. Until Christianity took over it was a beautiful site.


Going to see the baths was beautiful. They've rebuilt a great deal of the baths but many things were actually excavated from the remains of the site in the 19th century. I was literally drooling over the history of it all. I went through it all with Etsy who is still instructing me on the proper way to say her name. I'm totally embarrassed about saying it wrong though. >////< Estonian is a really tough language! But really interesting at the same time.

After going through the baths we were allowed some free time. VT and I went to the Jane Austen Center. Jane Austen lived in Bath for 5 years (and hated all her time spent here). She lived, for a few months, at 25 Gay Street...the center was at number 40 because number 25 is not a Dentist. XD We went through and I decided that, seeing as I enjoyed her books, I should get the complete series. I didn't buy it there though, I'm sure the set is available at home...it'd make a lovely gift from my sisters. *wink wink wiiiink*

We learned how to use a Victorian fan for signals. This one is definitely a "come hither" look. XD

After that we got back on the coach and had a tour around the mountains of Bath. We learned about how Bath was revitalized by a postman, a doctor and a gambler. The postman built a huge mansion on the mountain so we went up there and snapped an amazing view.


I'm so sorry but the picture just doesn't capture how stunning it was. Rows upon rows of Edwardian styled housing lining up and down the hills. Beautiful and grand. It was the best view I've seen thus far.

Back on the bus as we circled round back to Circus Street and to the most "fashionable" street from back in the Edwardian and Victorian period. This was the place to be if you wanted to be fashionable. Every house looks exactly the same, by mandate, and it's gorgeous. One of the houses here is actually a hotel but their forbidden by regulations to put up any advertisement. Here's the image of the most fashionable street, can you spot the hotel?


So yes, after this we walked around some more. Sat down in a Starbucks and, as usual, I couldn't bring myself to buy any food. I made my lunch today and it was delicious. We then got on the bus and I had a very good conversation with Citsy (another girl from Estonia...so her nickname is unfortunately a variation on Etsy my roomie...hopefully I'll come up with something a bit more clever in the future). She was teaching me about the Estonian language and I was intensely thrilled with it all. I couldn't bring myself to attempt to say anything for fear of completely massacring her language. For some reason someone speaking English with an accent doesn't bother me in the least but I can't bear speaking someone else's language with my own accent. Is that pathetic?

Perhaps. XD

But all the same it was so much fun! Talking with her was a real thrill and I learned quite a bit. We then got off the bus and walked back home. I made myself some food~

There's a trip next weekend to Wales and...*drumroll* CARDIFF! The spot we get off at is at Cardiff Castle, a 25 minute walk from the Doctor Who Exhibition. So, depending on how much free time is given, I will get a £31 ticket and go. Because seriously, the prices for tickets I've seen are much higher. *nod nod* But if I can't make it to the DWE then...it's not worth it in the least. I need to make it there! Have to!

Anyway, the pub right by my rez opens today so we're all going out tonight.

Byeee!!

:: Julianne ::

January 19/2010 :: Departure Impending

Day -3 (Cause I haven't left yet)
Mood: A whole mixy mess in my tummy!
Level of Excitement/Crazy: 8.5/10



Hello everyone! Welcome to my official travel blog for my impending trip to the UK for an exchange program with Oxford-Brookes University in (you guessed it) Oxford!! I'm basically all packed for now, save my MP3 player, computer and other essentials that I can't live without for a day.


Oh yes, my mood exactly!

So, beyond the fact that I'm all prepared...I'm also completely crazy. Yup. So in case anyone wasn't aware:

"Hello, my name is Julianne and I'm insane."

And don't deny the truth because YOU KNOW IT TO BE TRUE! Anyone who has hung out with me for more than 30 minutes knows that I'm crazy. Unless you're a coworker...in that case you've probably only seen my professional side. You might have seen crazy me but it's less likely to be true. You certainly haven't met the 'insane me' which is the one talking to you now. I must prove my insanity now by telling you that, while excited, my overriding emotion is that of worry.

Worry over internet once I'm there, finding classes, finances, shipping things back to Canada, finding my way around Oxford. Yada yada. I calm myself down with one of my own little pep-talks. The one where I talk to myself and make my mind aware of all the good things. Because the good things truly outweigh the bad. (Save the internet thing...seriously the internet is about 60% of my life.)

I'm going to meet new people, experience a new country.

I'll be able to to watch the new Doctor Who episodes on the day they air! Come on, I get to see the ragamuffin Matt Smith perform on the day it starts!


Look at this cutie~ I didn't think much of him when he was first interviewed to be the new Doctor but...I like him more and more with the more press he receives. He can never, ever replace the love in my heart for the (oh-so-sexy) David Tennant but I think he'll satisfy my cravings for the Doctor.

*giggles* He's in a cupboard and he's adorable! Drinking his tea. *giggles like a teenager*

*ahem*

Anyway, Doctor Who is awesome and I shall be excited to be over in the country where I won't have to watch it alone, in the dark of my bedroom on my computer screen. *thumbs up*

Other good things include meeting people who are British, meeting people from all over the world. Possibly making it to Cardiff as well as London. I should also very much like to take my courses over there and experience new teaching styles. Mostly I'm excited about meeting new people.


So yeah, that's my life right now. Wooo~ Ain't it grand to get a wee little insight into my deranged addled mind? It's not terribly off-putting I hope. : D I hope to be posting at least a couple times a week with updates of my life.

Departure is this Friday evening, arrival is Saturday morning. Hopefully I shall get a login for the shared computers or wireless and I can send an update to my family as well as update the blog with the TERRIBLY interesting info about my plane ride.

For those who do not often ride in planes it might be interesting. For all those who do ride in planes frequently...it will likely be boring. Skip it. XD

Until the next time I write!!


Ciao!!

:: Julianne ::