I proposed to her on Friday the 4th of April and obviously she said yes.  We are so happy!

Anyway, that’s all the news at the moment, except to say I’ll probably get pretty busy with planning things so that will keep me from posting any more frequently than I already do.

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com

We also went down to the bike dealers and checked out all of the different bikes.  Well, not all, but quite a few.  One that caught my eye was the Suzuki B-King - it is a monster of a bike - the styling is just so way out!  It isn’t the sort of bike I would want, but it is quite impressive to say the least.  Check it out:

 So, I had a good time looking at the bikes and a good time cornering - I think I’ve got it well sorted now.  Which is just as well because the test is in two weeks time!

A colleague of mine also had a motorbike accident on the weekend - a timely reminder that it is a dangerous sport.

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com

After I get my licence, I won’t actually have a motorbike.  So I’m going to have to save up.  I think it will be quite a few months before I am ready to buy, and I will be buying second-hand when I do.

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com

My friend Nick, once again, organised the day.  He hadn’t told me where we were going, he just told me to be ready.  So he arrived to pick me up, and took me (pillion) on his 600 to another suburb, and as it turned out, that was for us to grab an extra bike - a 250cc roadified dirt bike.  (As a learner I can only ride 250cc class bikes on the road, and this bike was perfect because it was so docile and easy to ride.)

So then we headed off each on our own bike.  I had never ridden on the road or in traffic before, so Nick gave me the chance to ride around some quiet back streets before venturing onto bigger and busier roads.  The ride was broken up into sections, so it wasn’t too stressful.

But I gotta tell you, its hard to remember to turn off your indicators when you are used to cars that have cancellers.  Its dangerous leaving them on, because then everyone else doesn’t know what you are doing.

We rode for probably 3 or 4 hours, with many breaks.  We didn’t go onto the freeways, but we went on a variety of roads, including suburbia, main roads and country highways, even a shopping centre carpark.

Anyway, having ridden on the road now, and amongst a bit of traffic, it is a lot of fun.  Well, the traffic isn’t fun (its a bit scary), but riding wherever you want to is certainly great fun.  The freedom of a motorbike is a lot different than the freedom of a car.

Now the only problem is that I’m gonna have to save up for a bike!

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com

So anyway, here’s how my first road bike foray went down:

As I mentioned earlier, my friend Nick offered to teach me to ride a motorbike.  I’ve ridden dirtbikes (or should I say one dirtbike, once) on his property, but never anything on the road.

Now Nick used to have two bikes (forgive my ignorance about the topic, but I’m only just getting into it) - a Kawasaki Ninja 900cc in the obligatory bright green, and a Yahama Fizzer (FZR) 600cc.  He sold the 900, so the 600 was to be my first roadbike ride!

So we headed off to a quiet carpark and the lessons began.  I will admit that I did stall the bike once, but only once.

It was a great experience.  I had two hours of intensive training, learning everything from scratch (because the time on the dirtbike didn’t count for much).  It is an older bike, so it had a slightly tricky clutch, but pretty soon I was fine with taking off and changing gears up and down.

Emergency braking was another thing though.  I would approach the line at a decent rate, and about 2 or 3 seconds after I thought there is NO WAY the bike would stop before the line, Nick waved his arm and I would stop the bike as quickly as possible.  And then I’d put my foot down and realise I had stopped five metres short of the line!  And every time, I would check, and yes, I had remembered to downshift, and I was in first.

Bike brakes are truly incredible.  I guess I think that because I drive a 1700kg car with very poor brakes.  A 200kg bike with good brakes should stop a lot better, and it does.

Then Nick set up a very tricky “slow riding” course.  I had to weave in and out of the cones (witches hats (ok they were just spare gloves and stuff)) and do figure-eights and what-not.  It was very challenging.

It was an intense morning, heaps of fun, and I now have a much better appreciation of what a motorbike can do.  But I tell you, there is nothing like riding pillion to show you how vulnerable a bike can be.  I mean its one thing riding - that’s vulnerable -  but pillion, you don’t even have control:  you just have to hang on!

At the end of this month I should be going for my licence.  I don’t have any actual plans to buy a bike yet, but I can tell you I am keeping my eyes open!

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com

Now that is awesome! It sounds just like a full-size V-12 - I want one!

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com

That’s all - I’m too tired to blog this morning.  And too busy, because I’m about to go motorbike riding.

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com

Here is the list:

1. The Princess Bride (1987)
2. The Fugitive (1993)
3. The Sting (1973)
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
5. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
6. L.A. Confidential (1997)
7. Fight Club (1999)

Now here is a breakdown on why these movies should be on the top of your lists too:

The Princess Bride

This movie has it all - Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Revenge. Giants. Monsters. Chases. Escapes. True love. Miracles.

Basically, its the perfect movie - I really think they intended it as such.   It is the perfect blend of comedy, action, fairy tale and romance that suits all viewers and engages all audiences.  With an excellent cast including the late Andre the Giant and the beautiful Robin Wright, and with a fantastic script, this movie shines on all fronts.

This is, without apology and without a doubt, my all-time favourite movie, and I don’t think it will ever move from the top position in my list.

The Fugitive

In the Action/Thriller genre, you can hardly go past The Fugitive without agreeing that it is a brilliant movie.  In the days before I saw The Princess Bride, this was my all-time favourite.  It is placed a well-deserved second on the list.

Some people think that The Witness is Harrison Ford’s best performance, but I heartily disagree.  Ford’s Richard Kimble is so believable, from the emotion of finding his murdered wife, and his subsequent arrest and sentencing, to the change you see in him as he unravels the mystery.  Tommy Lee Jones plays an inspired Deputy Gerard, well deserving of the Academy Awards he received for the role.

With a delicate mix of tragedy, suspense, restrained humor, and riveting action, The Fugitive gets better each time you watch it.

The Sting

This classic addition to my list is a great con movie with a stellar cast of Robert Reford, Paul Newman and Robert Shaw.  It has a great ragtime score and enough twists and turns to keep the audience guessing right to the end.  Everyone loves a crime caper, and this is the ultimate crime caper to love.

In the end, this movie pulls off a great con on the audience, but its plot and characters have such dimension, and its 1930s setting has such colour, that you can keep watching it and find yourself surprised by something else each time.

The Shawshank Redemption

Prison movies have a great intrigue - noone wants to experience prison, but for 10 bucks you can - without the whole deprivation of liberties thing…  The Shawshank Redemption is probably the greatest prison movie of our time (No, don’t tell me it was The Great Escape - Escape From Sobibor was much better).  Aside from drawing the viewer into the prison with the inmates, Shawshank keeps the intrigue going with three questions - who really killed Andy’s wife, how does he escape, and what will become of Red?

The atmosphere inside the prison is kept light by Andy Dufresne’s antics with his gang of friends.  But behind those insurmountable walls, a feeling of hope is built.  The Shawshank Redemption is a great story, and an inspiring movie.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Another prison escape movie in parts, The Count of Monte Cristo is really a revenge tale, based heavily on Alexandre Dumas’ story (though it is simplified and shortened to make it palatable).  One cannot help but feel betrayed with Dantes when he is taken to prison, and likewise one feels exhuberant when he uncovers the great treasure of Spada.  Jim Caviezel plays Dantes with a passion and fury, and Guy Pearce is perfect as his nemesis Count Mondego.

With a greatly intertwined web of characters, this movie is filled with suspense, mystery and intrigue, but above all, revenge. 

L.A. Confidential

An all-star cast including Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Danny DeVito and of course Kim Basinger come together in a gritty, period film Crime/Thriller about police corruption and Hollywood glamour.  Fast-paced and hard-hitting, you are drawn into the conflicting world of the ambitious cop, the stylish cop, and the rogue cop.

L.A. Confidential is a great movie for its mystery, style and glamour.

Fight Club

Ever since I first saw Fight Club in 1999, I knew it would linger in my favourite movie list for ever.  Did I say L.A. was hard-hitting?  Well, its got nothing on Fight Club.  This is a raw, brutal, testosterone fueled binge of violence, but it is very engaging and even a little enticing.

I know I’m breaking the first two rules writing this.  But it is one of those movies that won’t let you ignore it.  It is probably David Fincher’s finest work, and for that matter, Edward Norton’s and Brad Pitt’s too.

Wrap

So what are the common things among these movies?  What makes them so great?

The first element is intrigue.  Each one carries with it, in its own style, a twist, a mystery, an intriguing element that creates interest and keeps your attention.

The next element is plot.  Without a good storyline, such as each of these movies have, none of them would be on this list.  They are all sweeping, expansive tales, and they meld the intrigue into the plot and present it in a flowing manner.

The last is character.  These movies all have solid, believable, relatable, three-dimensional characters.  From the neurotic insomniac Narrator of Fight Club (yes I know who he is) to the vengeful Dantes of Monte Cristo to the beautiful Buttercup of the Princess Bride, all of these characters have gone through some loss to find some form of redemption at the end.  And sharing their journey on the screen is an experience not to be missed.

Over to you…

What are your favourite 7 movies?  Remember the rules, no entries from series of 3 or more titles.  (Sorry, no Indiana Jones).  Why?  Its the rules, that’s why…

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com

It is important to remember the real meaning of Christmas - and that meaning is Jesus the Christ. (After all, it is Him that Christmas is named after).

I found this cute e-card explaining the symbology of Christmas from Santa’s point of view, which is rather a unique angle to write from, but it is the message that is most important.

At this Christmas time, I hope you are all with your families (where that is possible), that you are safe as you travel, and that if you haven’t ever considered what Christmas is about, you take the opportunity to do that today.  It really is the most important thing in life.

God bless you all, and have a happy Christmas and a happy New Year in 2008!

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com

It was (I don’t have it any more *sniff*) my Ford Falcon XR8.  5.4 litre (330ci) V8, six-speed manual, lots of leather -  it was such a comfortable car, and reasonably quick and powerful, and of course nothing sounds like a V8 (though a V10 or V12 probably sounds better, but I’m not that lucky yet).

I owned the car for 18 months, and it was awesome fun.  So now let me share some pics…

This post is from: AndrewMesser.com