Tonsu

Really, you're surprised? You can fight and die for your country at 17* (I think) in the UK...and have children at any age (if both the parents are under 16 - the age of sexual consent - at the time of conception no-one can be prosecuted). Drinking, to my mind, requires far less maturity than either of those...another topic perhaps?! But, thanks so much for bumping the topic at the very last minute, it would be great if more would like to join our happy little group tomorrow :) * As Paul Hardcastle pointed out, the average age of an American combat soldier in the Vietnam war was (allegedly) just 19 :( [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSGvqjVHik8]YouTube - Nineteen - Paul Hardcastle[/ame]

Final bump before I go to bed! I'll check my PMs in the morning so it's no too late to join us :)

Most of the UK has decent enough broadband for online play, I'm sure you do where you are Ian. I've had decent netplay ever since my 'headline' speed (tested) exceeded 1mb, you're surely well over that now. One thing that can impact lag is your wireless connection. Some routers perform way better than others in my experience (some 'drop' the connection more often). Wired's always a surefire way to connect. Other than that most lag these days is due to poorly optimised game netcode or bad servers (both increasingly rare on new games), or other people having poor connections when they are hosting (on p2p games). The simple answer if you find a poor host is leave the game and join another! The best online gaming for me is joining up with friends in the UK, but that's socially as much as anything. My connection's usually pretty silky smooth even for friends in the US or elsewhere (my tested headline Broadband speed is ~6mb now - pretty poor when you consider that when I left Japan almost seven years ago it was about 50 megs!!) What system have you got? We should play!

I've been playing Borderlands again (great game, SF FPS with online co-op and plenty of loot - weapons - scavenging) and just finished Uncharted: Drake's Fortune on Crushing difficulty. An absolutely incredible game, and a very daunting task. I'm being hassled a bit by some folks online to make and post a vid of my technique for a part of God of War so I'll do that on Sunday. After that I'll be playing Just Cause 2, perhaps Bioshock 2 (again) or Enslaved - borrowed from a friend who's a videogames reviewer - and Singularity again (interesting and derivative but unpolished SF FPS). Are you simply saying that you're an Xbox fanboy, or that you're having problems playing PS3 online? Apart from one or two games that have shonky PSN netcode every game of the last few years plays just as well online on the PS3 as the 360. Earlier online next-gen games like CoD: MW needed specific ports open on the PS3 if you don't have a router with decent UPnP, but I can point you to a place that will help you with that. Otherwise, afaik, PSN's just missing cross game chat and invites, (and possibly some sort of avatar nonsense?). Both are possible on the PS3 but have been blocked by a certain games publisher, so it's not Sony's fault. Those fairly useful features aside, PSN offers just as good a service as Microsoft, and for free, and can in no way be described as 'shit' :)

Many thanks guys :nice: Final bump for anyone else to join us :) Sofia and I were in Trafalgar Square today and there were ghosts and pumpkins running around, so the Halloween hijinks have already started! You have to be 18 to drink in pubs in the UK. Many pubs allow under 18s to enter and drink soft drinks, but it depends on the pub. I don't usually see children in pubs in central London, but if you look like you could be 18 it shouldn't be a problem :) Eek! We're being haunted from Canada!! :laugh3: Um, I bet it doesn't look pretty in the pitch black on Halloween. I certainly won't be venturing in there!! :wreck: :saw: :uhoh:

Thanks Maria! Ok, there are definitely six of us so far, maybe seven, meeting on Saturday, wonderful! Would anyone else like to join us? Although it's Halloween, we won't be visiting the cemetaries, promise, just a few nice pubs :P

Quite a few of us live in or around London - let us know nearer the time and we can arrange something for sure :)

Thanks to everyone for their interest, the group seems to be growing larger, let's hope even more can come and join our happy evening :) Aw, I wish all the foreign-based Coldplayers could come too, I miss you guys :hug: Again, anyone interested PM me for the details :)

It's late notice I know, but it looks like a few of us Coldplayers will be meeting up in London this Saturday evening to celebrate Halloween :) There are definitely four of us so far (two guys, two gals) and another lady may be able to join us :dance: It'd be great if others could join us*, you can bring friends too of course if you like, please PM me for details! (* There is only one member here who is not welcome, unfortunately, but he will know who he is.) :flutterby:

They can use camera trickery and/or digital effects for any height, it's not an issue these days. It just means different 'tricks' need to be played. Saying that, I completely agree, David's completely wrong for Bilbo, and would only fit facially as an elf. Martin would be absolutely perfect as Bilbo! :heart: If Holm's de-aged to make the appearance I won't watch it. I've always intensely disliked him (I probably have an extremely irrational aversion for some reason), and hated him in TLoTR. He ruined The Borrowers on British TV for me, I pray he doesn't ruin any more of my favourites!!

Awwwwwwwwwwww, I thought this was a serious thread about Oscar Wilde. So disappointing, I guess I'll go check on the painting in the attic and see if I've aged :P

Hi Katharine :) Nice to meet you! I visited your country a few times while I was living in Japan - Ulsan and Busan for the World Cup, and the beautiful Cheju island to stay with a friend. I like Korean food so much my old username here was 'kimchi' :P I live near London and hopefully there will be a nice meet-up of Coldplaying members there soon, so maybe you can join us? Anyway, have fun here!

Thanks so much to evryone for their very kind words :nice: Well Coldplaying lost and so did Coldplay.com so were we gutted :cry: but otherwise it was a really nice night :) I watched the highlights last night. They only showed the performances, and perhaps one or two speeches, 'live' from the show. Even the nominations and winners were given in parts recorded elsewhere (by the same poor presenters - still have no idea who they were!) along with some interviews. There was only one (maybe two) shots from the stage to the audience, and we weren't in it. Our awards weren't even mentioned I don't think, so nothing to miss if you don't see the highlights show :(

Lovely review Anna, you summed everything up perfectly!! :nice: And, great video and photos (some dodgy ones of me aside :P) The highlights are on TV tonight, 10:45 to 11:45 on ITV2. Yes Nancy, Anna did indeed wear a really beautiful dress :)

Nikki: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-G3UNXrTVo]YouTube - Big Brother | BB7 - Who is She?! | Channel 4[/ame] G'night!!

They weren't just polite - they were really, really nice about it, and so gracious :) We took a photo together with their prize and I said we'd post it on the forum but there might be some ribbing from our members here, and they just laughed and said they understood, and that it would be the same on their site. They even suggested we photoshop our winning name over theirs on the pic (OK they were drunk, but it was a good suggestion!!) The whole meeting was cool :nice: After chatting to them I'd like to think everyone will congratulate them on the win (but still we have to do better next year!!!) I'll probably be registering on there just to say 'well done, and you were good sports :)' Yep Anna must be exhausted already - I know I am, and she's flown in from Sweden this morning first thing just for this...is there any award she can be voted for (I'm not that up on the awards but Anna for sure deserves one after not only taking over the running of the summer meet-up but also doing this)? Will be off to bed soon...just letting the rest of the adrenaline wear off...almost gone, but it was an intense night!!

Thanks pretzels! It was really classy, yes, and terribly exciting until we lost...we were so gutted about that :cry: Aw thank you dear Lore :hug: Thanks so much!! I'm not sure exactly about where McFly are big, I think Pascale said England is the biggest place, so maybe I have the rest wrong. But, she said, that their fans are REALLY devoted, so maybe that was it? In any case, they didn't beat us (that we know of) and I think we were probably only second to Muse :D We just need a bit more effort next year!!

You're very most welcome my friend, it's the least I can do after all the votes you all gave this fantastic site :) I could continue and tell the full story of the whole evening, and I may well do so later on (so at least I have it for my memories) but I'm getting tired here now so will try to keep it to the most interesting parts for you all. Anna and I were first down to the table after Miller and friend, and asked if they minded if we sat next to them, and they didn't so we did :D Both were great company and really happy to chat. Of all the people in the whole venue there was no-one I'd rather have been seated near, and I was so glad for Anna, it made the night :) Cutting to the chase, well you know, Coldplay.com didn't win and neither did we :( So we felt crushed on our table, especially Anna and I I'm pretty sure. Next to me were Pascale (hi, sorry if I've spelled your name wrong!) and her +1 from the McFly site (my that boy can talk :D) They'd smuggled in a bottle of vodka so we knew they'd be good company :lol: They explained that McFly were big in the UK and the States (I think) but not so big in Europe, so I was pretty confident with our global support we might make it ahead of them...but we hadn't a clue about Muse. Well, they won both official fansite and our category too. I can't comment as I haven't seen either. I know of Muse of course but never listened to them (except from one track on the jukebox in The Dublin Castle from Anna (Sue) that I actually really liked). They could well be great, so fair play to them. What was really nice was that the Muse fansite guys came over to find us afterwards and say 'hi' and they were really gracious and kept on saying how it must have been really close (NOTE TO ALL - WE'VE GOTTA DO MORE NEXT YEAR!!) They were worried about us (and quite rightly!) The funny thing was, in all the excitement, I didn't get to see if they gave a speech (the sound in the venue was all screwed anyway and obviously geared to TV rather than the people there). When I asked them one of them didn't know if they had or hadn't :laugh3: The other chap did (sorry, forget your name) but couldn't remember what he'd said :laugh3: They were pretty drunken, in a good way, and it was a really nice gesture, much appreciated. Random things I remember before I crash: - Didn't recognise many celebs but then I don't follow that kind of thing. - Nikki Graham and Vanessa Feltz were on the table behind us with entourage (other Big Brother people possibly plus Dane Bowers (sic?) - most famous as ex of Jordan I think). - Nikki looked lovely (I'm far from any sort of fan of hers) - looking really well, and having a ball with her friends. Didn't hear Vanessa at all - perhaps she was drugged :laugh3:?? I very nearly went to introduce myself - it was that relaxed and they were throwing friendly glances, but the company and conversation was much better at our table :) - The after party looked like it was sucking before I had to leave - Anna and I were the only ones dancing at one point! - Miller is a lovely, engaging, and very kind guy...I could have talked to him all night (if Anna hadn't kept distracting him :P) Right, time to crash! So many thanks for everyone for the kind wishes and support, and most of all to Ian and Jen for the forum, which truly now deserves the crown, even if we have to wait till next year to get it :hug:

OK, some random thoughts as I wind down from what was a very exciting evening...sure I'll miss some stuff...and some stuff (and the pics) I'll leave to Anna...(after all, she was the one who had good Miller's ear for the evening :P) When we arrived there were various entrances. One had a red carpet with a bank of photographers...I've never seen anything like it. Anna and I were both very nervous so tried to sneak in the media entrance...no go :confused: Eventually we got in by another entrance but got offered the full red carpet treatment. 'No thank you sir' was the polite response from a very shy, and somewhat dazed, twosome :P Upstairs and we were still in a daze. Luckily Anna spotted the VIP drinks section - so off we went! 'Champagne sir and madam?' - yes please! Spanish lager to follow? Oh why not garcon...hmmm, this is tasty, think I'll have another :P We marvelled at how small the Roundhouse was from the balcony, and tried to work out where our table was - it was towards the back - fine by us!! We also tried to work out who else was on our table - obviously the McFly fansite but the other names we didn't recognise. Anna tapped me on the arm, I turned around and...it's Miller (and another Coldplay employee who I'll have to check it's OK to namecheck before I post on here - no-one dramatic, but he seemed pretty reticent about it and wouldn't have his pic taken so it's only polite. Lovely guy though). I was dizzy at this point but Anna calmly took the lead, and introduced us both and we had a bit of a chat, worked out we were on the same table (:dance:) and then it was back to champagne and 5* beer quaffing until dinner was served...it's a hard life :D tbc

Hi guys, just got back :) An absolutely amazing night, but completely crushing that we lost as well as our beloved Coldplay.com :( A brief report to follow as I need my beauty sleep (more than most, hehe) and am absolutely exhausted. First just some comments on some comments... He got it ;) Before I forget, we got some great chat about the globe (well Anna did so I'll let her pass that on), and I started to have a good natter with Miller about the first time I saw Coldplay (Fuji Rock Festival Japan 2003) until he was distracted by Anna's feminine charms (yet again...leaving me to ponder whether I should say hello to Ms Feltz). LP5 chatter Miller was guarded (mutual understanding there :)) but said the guys are working INCREDIBLY hard. I asked if it really was as good as it sounds and he couldn't put it into words. He said there's LOTS of experimentation going on but at the same time...and trailed off with a glimmer in his eye...(I read that, rightly or wrongly, as them going back to their roots in some way - maybe that was just what I wanted to hear?) The huge notebook stuffed full of ideas from the blog? There's not just one people!! So, it looks like our boys are working on something as big or bigger than Viva possibly. Is that the problem with the band? Too many ideas delaying releases? It is for me! I told Miller we'd take an album of half-finished ideas every couple of months!! We were sat just a few tables back from the last one there...it was really small. Hey Hogy, nice to meet you :) Maybe we can meet up sometime? After meeting Craig tonight it looks like another North London Coldplaying meeting will be on the cards soon :dance: Absolutely!! People were completely amazed that Anna flew in all the way from Sweden to represent the site (not least our competitors in the category). It shows just how much this site means to people and how it's brought so many from all around the world together. And that is all thanks to Ian and Jen (and to the great work of all the lovely mods) :kiss:

It's today??? :shocked2: :P :kiss: Good luck Ian and Jen!! :)

Oh wow, thank you so much for the bump Nancy, I had never read the original thread until this very minute - how incredible :nice:

Cheers Ian, that would make a great avi for someone with impeccable taste :whistle: We must have an incredible chance, thanks to all the lovely members here!! And it's all for Ian and Jen - even being shortlisted. I say 'even' but it's a great big thing to have got that far, and a huge compliment to them (and the mods) for all their incredible work and dedication over the years :) I can make Saturday, maybe Craig and others can too? Alternatively, if we do win, you'll be able to catch me doing the conga down Camden High Road after the after party finishes :D Indeed!! I am already practising. Depending on who else is with us on the table, I may spend the whole evening in the character of The Swedish Chef, um de dum de doooooo :P You may very well regret saying that Anna!! :lol:

Kind thanks to everyone for their well-wishes :nice: Speech-wise, I agree the 'they play so we're playing' has to go in! It seems like the drunken Swedish rant is the people's choice...so either Anna can oblige while I film from the floor, or I'll do my best Swedish chef from the muppets impression :D (depending on how drunk I am by then this may get messy, I am hoping that Anna's going to save my blushes/ejection from the stage/event by volunteering herself :P) I'm guessing we'll share the table with the other nominees? Good stuff -the McFly lot sound like kiddies so more wine for us!! :drunk:

OK guys, as promised, I ate the backstage pass that I don't have...so even though I wanted to clear this terrible mix-up up, that'll teach me to make such threads :cry: It took me half an hour to eat that terrible non-existent pass. Every mouthful didn't taste of anything, and as it didn't exist in the first place I couldn't tell when I'd finished it...so I kept on chewing for ten minutes for you all, just in case. I think it all has(n't) gone now :) Gah, well at least while I had to eat that dreadful thing that I don't have, one of my favourite people on here started me off :kiss: I've added it, but you won't be able to see it my friend - like the pass itself it doesn't exist (though I bet it tastes just as bad!!) At least the confetti tastes of something Lore, as awful as it is. In fact, I don't have much food in right now so I'm having some London O2 December 16th December 2008 confetti (toasted) as I type, and might move on to some Manchester 12th September 2009 later...possibly in an omelette, or gently sauteed with some garlic and mushrooms :wacky: Thanks Kerry (hehe) miss you here in London my friend :hug: Who and who Jen? Hello miss Natascha!! :) I'm not, honest!!