I keep on neglecting this journal; I feel so bad! 2 months and no updates, I'm getting too involved in my graphics journal. I've been a lot busier recently too, I had a mound of uni prject work to do for the end of the year, but even since then I've been working my guts out in overtime and then going out a lot too. It's odd how I can do this for weeks on end and then will suddenly stop and not want to anymore; I'm such a libra it's untrue.

It's so fricking hot here. Really, I think I should have been born in Greenland or somewhere; I'm just terrible at coping with heat. They said if it reached 32 degrees, it'd be a new record or something or other, and I know people probably have far higher temperatures than 32, but this is coming from a person who is happiest wearing a scarf and jumper when it's 12 degrees! Never thought I'd say it, but I hope the sun calms down for a bit!

Recently I've been debating my icon account status. Since this new sponsored account launch, the possibility of many more userpics has been luring me, and yet I really really REALLY don't want to emerse my pages in LJ ads. So I've thought about getting a paid account, but then I really haven't been bothered to check the FAQ for prices and terms, etc. Can anyone that has one give me some advice on whether they're worth it or not? I bet they are, and I just don't know what I'm missing. Oh well.

Oh and after reading my old rambles over here, I realised I hadn't updated saying I've since passed my driving test! Woo! Third time lucky! I went on the same test route as my first one and everything, and I really slammed on the handbrake when I got to that stop sign. Yay for independence! Was expensive to get here, but now hopefully my bank account will actually be able to increase with my earnings. I kept forgetting I was paying for all those tests and lessons, and getting seriously stressed over my lack of money.

I did see a cool jumper in H&M yesterday though which I may run back and buy tomorrow. Retail therapy, even when you don't need therapy, is the best thing int he world!

Right then well i am so not in a good mood right now.

Failed my driving test for the second time on wednesday and still feeling somewhat shitty over the whole thing. £45 per test, plus 2 x £20 for the 2 hours of car use is costing me a bomb, especially when i seem destined to pay this infinitely as i never pass. Had some bloke in the car who was there to observe my examiner too. Didn't help as all i kept doing was catching his eye in my main mirror. Every time i looked in it. Which is like, every time i so much as turn a corner cos i am so stressed already!

*Huffs some more to self*

Oh and my mood smileys have all decided to ignore their layout and congregate around the top of my page. That's kind of them. A new layout on the cards, i feel.

That's all from me, bringer of optimism and sunshine to the world.

It's been one of those weekends. Really, it has. Dear god am i glad it's over and i have May Day to sleep through! ^-^

And i've been abused at work again, abused i say! Tom decided it would be hilarious to squirt cream all over a saucer, and then come up behind me and squash it onto my nose. Right infront of a customer as well! I didn't know what he'd done it was so quick! Eurgh, so so gross! To be fair, it probably was hilarious to everyone else, but i was mortified!

Then ten minutes later he kindly opened a pack of butter and left a square of it on my shoulder. Grease all over my work shirt now, thanks Tom. Oh how Caroline will be impressed. She's the 'hygiene lady' who stomps around, and when she sees you, tells you everything that's wrong about you -- Tie your hair up! Where's your hat? Take your earrings out! Where are your safety shoes? -- &etc. Dodge her for an easier life, that's what i do, but a big lump of butter on my shoulder would probably send the woman into a spasmatic fit.

Went back to uni last thursday, but haven't actually had any new work set yet, since it's 'feeback week.' Ha - awesome. A.K.A. do-nothing week. That probably explains why i've made so many icons over the past few days they're popping out of my ears, but alas, no more. I'm considering making a post of awards i've won over at my icon journal, and maybe even making a new layout for this one, as it's currently in S2 mode and i want a banner damn it! Are awards posts a bit up-oneself though? Hm. And would i be bothered enough to update the thing? I struggle enough with my resource post!

Me and my brother pre-ordered Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children too, and it came this week! It was too exciting watching the thing. Really, really liked it. The music from the game had been reused (obviously, as it should have been) but it was such an amazing score. And the prettiness! Tifa was cute and Marlene was annoying yet also likeable. Reno was so so so awesome, though the front part of his hair reminded me of some kind of fat bird, lol. Oh, and Cloud has a very sexy neck, too ^_^ Some of the shots i was just like, how Tidus does Cloud look here?! Yuffie looked excessively Rikku-esque, and Tifa looked very much like Rinoa to me. It's odd how many of the main characters in FF have this moody, emo persona, and the female characters (love interests) all seem to be alike. Rinoa and Garnet and Tifa all look identical, especially with Tifa as she did in AC! And Sephiroth. It's odd how you say the names to yourself in these games, and are never corrected because there's no speech. Like listening to a Harry Potter audiobook and realising you've been reading a name completely wrong. Sephiroth with a soft 'ph' hm? Oh well. And in the intro, they subtitled 'Aerith' over 'Aeris.' I always thought the name 'Aeris' was the much nicer version. Luckily her name wasn't mentioned in the film so i didn't get annoyed. Aeris pissed me off though. She did in the game, too. I don't know why but she was just so so wimpy, with her crazy hair and pink dress and healing stuff and silly voice (which i imagined :p). Tifa kicked ass, though. She reminded my of Lulu in the film. Oh for god's sake, everyone's a reincarnation in the FF world!

Wow. I haven't updated this journal in like, FOREVER. Almost ^_^

I've been spending a lot of time updating my icon journal, though. I guess i should have expected this journal to get less attention as a result, but oh well. What can i say, i'm an iconning addict.

Got home a few hours ago after taking my driving test. Oh my god. I thought i'd done so so so well, but obviously not quite well enough. *Cries* I only got 2 minor faults, but unbeknown to me, apparently i didn't apply the handbrake when i came to a stop sign. I can't remember in all honesty; i guess that points towards me just completely forgetting once i reached the give way line. Hmph. But i only got 2 minors! 2! MINORS! *Wails*

I thought he was joking when he said i hadn't passed! He didn't write one single error down for about half an hour, so i assumed i'd got it in the bag. oh well, back to square one. Well, kind of, more like - back to booking lessons and stressing over upcoming driving test dates.

Have resorted to playing Mungo Jerry on loop in some vague attempt to lift spirits. It's failing miserably.

I'm such a fool for telling everyone i know. o_o

FFS I AM TOO PROUD OF MYSELF RIGHT NOW! Really, i'm so excited! I've just found a gorgeous layout by faceon and decided what the hell - i'm gonna go for it - i'm gonna make me a proper S1 layout for my icon journal! I've been wanting a banner here for so long but been afraid of launching into S1-ness; i'm such a newbie. Anyway first time i tried it screwed up, but when i re-customised it, all the links got sorted, everything looked fantastic and i was (and still am) ecstatic! Praise be to you, faceon for writing a wonderful FAQ as well as making and sharing such life-fulfilling codes. Okay so i'm going a little OTT here, but i am still very happy.

Still on the feeling of excitement, i decided i wanted a header for my layout, and i've always wanted to use my own; so i did! Searched me some gorgeous Kurt Halsey artwork and made a few simple banners from them (may post these later... hrmm...) and the coding worked first try. Woot! *Squees"

Scary how all this virtual stuff is making me so happy. Icons, banners, layouts. I mean technically, it's not real, is it? If i were to die tomorrow, no one could access it and see what i've been doing here, what work I've done, what icons i've made and stocked up over the months. Is this reassuring or concerning?

I dunno, i'm just glad my pretty links go yellow when you roll over them.

*Megasqueee!*

So i decided to make an icon journal. Sure, it's a little late, but necessary nonetheless. I feel that my icon posts and blog-ish entries were 'competing' with one another, and i can appreciate it must be annoying for users who are browsing for icons to have to sift through my garbage.

Therefore i've opened a new journal over atdashing_icons (check how the name relates, neat, huh!?) for all of my graphic work, and this journal will remain as my personal one. If you are interested in icon updates, please friend my other journal and not this one, as from now, no more icons will be posted here.

Thanks xxx

These icons were made using essentially the same style as my previous Disney entry; The Little Mermaid.

If you're viewing from behind the cut, each icon has a 4-pixel white border around it, which may not be visible. ONWARD!

[60] x Peter Pan

17.  42.  49.  ( When you leave your world behind...Collapse )

Right-oh; the ever-looming 100hp installment!

Subject: Goblet of Fire
Themes: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12-16, 19-21, 23-30, 32, 34-37, 40-42, 44, 47-50.
Number of Icons: 40
Total Icons: 40/100 

     ( onetwothreeCollapse )

Had my 'JL outing' today! Work outings are so fun. I just got home and i had a really good time; i think i really needed it! We tried to organise for everyone from the cafe to come, but in the end only 5 showed, including me. The best 5 though, but of course! We went to Zizzi's for an italian and i ate far too much, and then we went to see Lucky Number Slevin at the cinema. OH MY GOD I think Josh Hartnett is just too hot in that film. I fell in love with his hair alone, and don't get me started on his array of wicked jumpers!

Was a very good film, too. Witty, y'know? And lots of gore. Well not Sin-City gore levels, but still enough. The plastic bags were not pretty, though. Eurgh. Still, a good plot and twist at the end. I'd recommend it, if only for Slevin. Whew...

It's March already. It was pancake day yesterday. I forgot until about 11PM and so didn't have any. Lent began today but i was too lazy and/or depressed to think of anything to give up, or do so. I've been feeling pretty shitty lately really; suddenly everything seemed to pile up on top of me. I don't know why but i do go through these spells of pathetic self-pity. At least they do pass relatively quickly so i can't complain too much.

Some news to perk me up a bit though was an invitation from xxjaybabyxx and foxestacado to join elite_tutorial which was so kind. I think it's lovely when someone can do something like that, to just notice something you did because they like it, and tell you so. Hrmm, maybe i'm just in a see-the-good-in-everything kind of mood, fresh out of my pool of misery, but it was a lovely compliment anyway. And even though i haven't exactly posted, i'm very excited about that! My first tutorials went down well, too, which i was so pleased about. Sebastien is love and pin light is too, so a pin light Sebastien tutorial had to be good for one of my first tutorials!

Also claimed a topic over at 100hp which was 'Goblet of Fire' and also, more problematically, a potential mistake. It's only when i force myself into these corners i realise that i am a terrible person at self-motivation, and why-oh-why did i sign up for this? I could have been clever, or prepared at least, and made 20 or so icons before applying for a claim, but oh no, not me. Straight in the deep end. Oh well if all else fails i'll have to bow out, although i would really rather not. Thing is i take time over my icons and spend silly amounts of attention on colouring, selecting blend modes, etc. Yet when i made a few for this contest, i felt so obliged to mass-make that i realised i was just botching semi-skilled icons together to meet the criteria. I'd rather not sacrifice time and attention just to compensate for quantity.

Yay for icon contests, too. I got 1st and 2nd place over at losticontenders which was brilliant! So pleased! God if the world was about to be enveloped in macaroni, i'd still be excited at winning an icon award!