Five Things on Thursday #2

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It's Thursday again! And because I, a) love the sound of my own voice (like the look of my own words?) and, b) will most definitely go crazy if I don't keep writing, here's my second go at this weekly round-up malarky.
This week was brought to you by the letter 'M' (for monsters), awesome graphic novels and body growths with adult/baby mutations inside them. Of course.


1. It's all about the money:

It feels like only yesterday that people were doubting crowdfunding and the general public's willingness to help bring others' projects to life. Now, everyone's bloody doing it! This week, I came across a total, thieving nutter who claims the sun (yes, that yellow fire ball in the sky - sorry England) has forbidden her from using donations to complete the intended project - the perfect example of dirty specimens that could become the slow-gnawing downfall of crowdfunding. On a lighter note, I came across the delightfully curious James Curcio and his upcoming campaign for a potentially incredible transmedia experience. Also, my naughty friends over at Daddy Cross hit their blasphemy-endorsing target (and then some), which makes me happy. However, with two days still to go, you can still help these dudes make these shorts even more... exploit-y?

2. Things that go bump in the night:

This week, I fed my obsession with monsters. Monsters are awesome. The furry ones, the creepy ones, the Lovecraftian ones, monsters with one eye, monsters with tentacled faces and heads shaped like churches (seriously - also Pale Man's cousin is pretty slick too).

3. Good words:

I found new words to fall in love with, including Sophie Chamas's brilliantly written account of life in the Gulf over on The State. There was also this incredibly poignant review of Ales Kot's graphic novel, 'Wild Children' via Adam Rothstein - an excerpt, "Suddenly, I was not reading a comic book anymore- I was silently gliding down a VALIS beam, shot from a drone, illuminating a target I had not noticed before, despite the hours I spent pouring over satellite imagery of our contemporary cultural terrain." Woah. Read it all, here. Akram Foad Khater spoke to Jadaliyya about his new (and much needed) book about Christians in the Middle East and I was introduced to the gorgeously stacked archives of Coilhouse Magazine + Blog - check out this insane piece on REAL Ukrainian interrogation photographs.

4. I believe:

Not in the stupid ass 'Requiem for a Dream' montage, but that they will come:

5. Random:

Yes, more random than everything else on this list. First, this creepy (and fairly disgusting) clip from bizarre Japanese scifi/comedy, 'Funky Forest: The First Contact.' Equally as strange, here is a slideshow of David Bowie doing normal things. Highly disconcerting. 



Music: The Universal Language

In light of everything that's happening around the world, be it the current situation in Bahrain, Libya or Japan amongst others, it's always important to feel like one has freedom of choice in at least a single element of their lives. Please do not mistake my statement, or this post, for belittling these harrowing events. On the contrary, with talk of the inhumanity of the internet intensifying and people in different regions of the world feeling increasingly alienated, it is important to extract whatever joy one can from life. There is often one constant that can bring us back together. To me, this is the universal language of music. In effect, I am revisiting a fun, old post, in the hopes that this will put a smile on your face and remind you that no matter what, music in any shape or form remains a global freedom. 

The Thunder from Down Under

Aspire Tower and Khalifa Stadium moments before the game

In spite of the AFC's ridiculous choice, opting for an Uzbek referee (Australia beat Uzbekistan 6 - nil in their last match) and the vuvuzela-competing, 'Honda' emblazoned plastic tubes, a brilliant night of football has marked the end of the Asian Football Cup, here in Doha. Playing to the beat of over 37,000 spectators' chants, the Socceroos and Japan took to the pitch for 120 minutes of pure excitement.