Author Archives: Nikki

Tipping for Dummies: Round 19

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After a heartstopper of an Origin decider, we are back to the usual comp in Round 19! The biggest story going into this round is Benji Marshall’s departure from league so the Tigers vs. Warriors game will be his last league game in the foreseeable future. I wish well Benji well in his future endeavours because he was an absolute charmer when I met him.

Welcome to Tipping for Dummies!

Everybody's favourite "Tipping for Dummies!"

Everybody’s favourite “Tipping for Dummies!”

SolSat’s Prediction Count from Round 18: 3 out of 4 (75%)

One off… ONE OFF! It’s an improvement from Round 17’s shocker. We’re in the Origin rest round so some teams have a bye, including my Broncos.

Friday 19th July, 2013
West Tigers vs. New Zealand Warriors
Kicking off this week’s league festivities is, as mentioned, Benji’s last game as the Tigers take on the Warriors. The Tigers, who have had a pretty bad season, have the home field advantage plus the motivation of Benji will drive the Tigers to put on a 150% game. The Warriors, needless to say, have wowed me with their solid and unpredictable form with notable mention going out to Shaun Johnson who doesn’t look a day over 16.

SolSat’s Prediction: New Zealand Warriors

I expect the Warriors to continue their roll with a solid victory over the Tigers. With all due respect to Farah and Marshall, they will have trouble dealing with the crazy offense of the Warriors and I predict they will lose because of that, even with the pressure of being Benji’s last game. #ThankYouBenji

Saturday 20th July, 2013
Canberra Raiders vs. Parramatta Eels
Campese’s Raiders vs. Mannah’s Eels at Canberra Stadium. The Raiders have been on quite a decent roll recently whilst the Eels have been on the opposite of a “roll”. The Eels haven’t won an away game at all this season; can they break the streak or will Shillington’s large, manly frame stop them dead in their tracks?

SolSat’s Prediction: Canberra Raiders

The Raiders, in my humble opinion, have this one in the bag. The Raiders have been too good to let another team dethrone that, let alone the Eels who are a shoe in for the Wooden Spoon. That’s all I really have to say about that.

Sydney City Roosters vs. Cronulla Sharks
The Sharks are down a handful of key players for this game as they go against Chookies who are a favourite to make the grand final this year. Roosters five-eighth Maloney has been absolutely incredible all season but so has Cronulla counterpart Todd Carney who, despite not being captain, has led the Sharks successfully, especially in a choice victory over my Bronx last week.

SolSat’s Prediction: Sydney City Roosters

The main reason as to why I predict the Roosters will win is because the Sharks are down too many players to put up a good fight against the Chookies and with the added homefield advantage, the Chooks have this one as they set their sights on the premiership which doesn’t seem too far from their grasp.

Sunday 21st July, 2013
Penrith Panthers vs. Newcastle Knights
Even though my Panthers favourite Josh Mansour is still out of action, the Panthers look to continue their impressive form as they take on the equally awesome Knights at Centrebet Stadium. This was the most difficult game for me to predict as both teams have had a parallel path up the ladder.

SolSat’s Prediction: Penrith Panthers

Because I found this match too hard to predict, I chose my tip based on personal feelings and because I like the Panthers a tinge bit more than the Knights (sorry Fraser), and that is all there is to that, even though there’s a home advantage as well but who cares about that? This will no doubt be an excellent game between both sides.

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles vs. Gold Coast Titans
I have a newfound affection for the Eagles… well, particularly, for one Brenton Lawrence after watching him on Perfect Partners on Footy Show last night. Moving onto the actual game, the Eagles clash with the Gold Coast Titans at the soon-to-be-newly-named Brookvale Oval. Will Lawrence do me proud?

SolSat’s Prediction: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

I honestly see the Eagles taking out a decent victory over the Titans this week; their momentum is almost unstoppable and they will continue their excellent form with a solid victory over the Titans. Also because I personally dislike Greg Bird.

Monday 22nd July, 2013
South Sydney Rabbitohs vs. St. George Illawarra Dragons
The no.1 Bunnies are going up against the Dragons who have the Sexiest Man in League returning from an injury that sidelined him from what seemed like forever. Will the return of Matt Cooper motivate the Dragons to pull out an underdog victory against the premiership favourites?

SolSat’s Prediction: South Sydney Rabbitohs

The Bunnies are too damn good to lose this time around even with the loss of Bunnies forefront man, Greg Inglis. The Dragons should put up a decent fight as Inglis is widely considered the Bunnies foundation player.

I’m glad my Bronx get a rest after their defeat at the hands of the Sharkies last week. Our season is on the line so we have no choice but to win for the rest of the season if we want a chance of being in the top 8. Here’s to a good week of league!

– by The Black Widow

EDIT: Apparently my facts were wrong in that it was only Benji’s last game at Leichardt, not altogether.

Queensland Make It 8

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I am on the highest of highs… of highs. QUEENSLAND TAKE OUT ORIGIN FOR THE 8TH TIME IN A ROW!!

This needs no caption.

This needs no caption. SOURCE: NRL Facebook page

Tension was running high as the players ran out onto the field for the ultimate decider of the Origin series 2013. This was it. This was the moment. This was the moment for the Blues to shut up their naysayers and stop Queensland’s dominating streak, and the moment for the Maroons to continue their momentum from game two.

Queensland made the first half count with some early points from Queensland playmaker Johnathan Thurston who racked up a converted try and a penalty conversion. The Blues mounted a comeback with a try from McManus and ended the half at 8 – 4.

I could not sit down during the second half because I can honestly say a game of footy has not kept me on my toes like this in a very long time. The gruelling second half was intense and was nearly too hard for me to watch until my Broncos boy Hodges scored a try at the 61st minute which wasn’t successfully converted. All was well in the Queensland department until SolSat’s Golden Boy Corey Parker let in a try from Merrin at the 71st minute. My poor Parker.

In the final minutes of the game, 10-12 to the Maroons, it was all coming down to whoever was in possession. Just as I thought one of my personal favourites, the underrated Matt Scott would score a try, a stupid, fat, ignorant streaker ran onto the field to disrupt not only the brilliant game that had been played but Scott’s try. An array of colourful language threatened to escape my mouth but I managed to stop it. Streakers – be ready to see an opinion piece on them.

Queensland managed to keep possession in the final seconds of play and seize the victory over the Blues for their 8th straight victory in what was an unforgettable defeat.

Now, it’s time for the SOLST-O-METER!

Solst-o-meter
Even with what I perceived to be shotty officiating from one Shayne Hayne and an absolutely horrendous try-ruining streaker, my boys still managed to scrape up the victory and make it #8inarow.

1. Billy Slater – still exhibits his fine footy finesse and shows why he IS the greatest fullback in the game, despite your personal feelings for the man. RATING: Satisfied.
2. Darius Boyd – bleh first half, somewhat decent second half. If he didn’t ground that ball, I would’ve torn him a new one. RATING: Neither satisfied or dissatisfied.
3. Greg Inglis – I was still expecting a classic GI moment from him but didn’t get any of the sort. RATING: Neither satisfied or dissatisfied.
4. Justin Hodges – my bucking Bronco played excellent! Now if only he could bring that back to the Broncos, that’d be great. RATING: Satisfied.
5. Brent Tate – excellent form here by the Cowboy Tate. RATING: Satisfied.
6. Johnathan Thurston – hands down Man of the Match. RATING: Very Satisfied.
7. Cooper Cronk – some great play from Cronk, nothing earth shattering like I’m used to from him but still good. RATING: Satisfied.
8. Matt Scott – my poor Scotty, his Origin moment was taken from him. Either way, he was still incredible tonight. RATING: Satisfied.
9. Cameron Smith – the Captain of the Squad demonstrated exactly why he is the greatest player in the game today. RATING: Satisfied.
10. Nate Myles – good ol’ Myles, no punch ups this time thank goodness. Wasn’t outstanding but wasn’t bad either. RATING: Neither satisfied or dissatisfied.
11. Chris McQueen – good ol’ McQueen and his green eyes also did not wow me with his performance but he still played pretty well. RATING: Neither satisfied or dissatisfied.
12. Sam Thaiday – Thaiday started off the game firing on all cylinders then kind of went down after that but finished the game on a high. RATING: Satisfied.
13. Corey Parker – SolSat’s darling Corey Parker played the whole game excellently keeping up his great form… until he let that try in from Merrin. You could see that he was tired so I may let that one slide. RATING: Satisfied.
14. Daly Cherry-Evans – DCE didn’t play as well as he did in the second game but he was still fired up keeping me impressed nevertheless. RATING: Satisfied.
15. Ben Te’o – some excellent plays there from the former Bronco. He let out a penalty but also kept up some great defense. RATING: Satisfied.
16. Matt Gillett – my Bronco played well tonight despite giving away a penalty. Deserves a good pat on the back. RATING: Satisfied.
17. Josh Papali’i – the soft-spoken gentle giant’s defense is damn unmatched. His heavy hitting tackles are cringeworthy and then he just gets up with a cute smile on his face. RATING: Satisfied.

Congratulations Queensland Maroons, a well deserved win from all of you. Keep up the good work and make it 9 in a row in 2014! Now to celebrate my victory by decking myself out in Maroon when I go to college tomorrow. Noah out!

– by The Black Widow

The Truth about Country Music

Posted in Entertainment, Music by

The genre of country music is, generally speaking, a path less travelled. It is a genre of music the regular Joe/Jill blow wouldn’t go out of their way to listen to. Many people view it as a genre of music that is difficult to get behind.

“Most young people don’t like to conform with society. In country towns like mine, country music is a big thing, but for every adult who likes country music, you’ll have 10 younger people who don’t,” Matthew Winter said when asked why he thought country was difficult to like.

As a country music fan and enthusiast, I can say that country music is probably the easiest genre of music to listen to because of its easy, uplifting sound and solidly-written lyrics.

The general stereotype of country music that is enforced in today’s culture is that of a toothless redneck strumming on a banjo on the front verandah of his outback residence singing about how fun it is to ride tractors, wear blue jeans and twirl around a lasso. This cringeworthy stereotype could not be further from the truth as the genre tackles a lot of different issues and angles other than horse riding and hat wearing.

Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles of Love and Theft.

Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles of Love and Theft (SOURCE: Taste of Country website)

Love and Theft, an American based country duo consisting of Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles, sing about a range of topics, none of which include “Yee-haw” or “Giddy up, cowgirl”. The song “Town Drunk” which can be heard on their self-titled album, is about the singer’s relationship with a girl “whose Daddy was the town drunk” and how both the singer and girl dealt with him. This song had even reportedly brought Stephen to tears when he first heard it.

Living in the city of Sydney, it’d be easier to find a purple tree sprouting pink leaves than it would be to find a dedicated country music fan in the ‘burbs, however I asked a friend of mine who is passionate about both metal and country (polar opposites on the music genre spectrum) why he loved country.

“Country music is more than just music. It’s a connection to life for many people out there, and not only does it relax the mind, but it puts a smile on your face, whether it be wanting to hang out with the guys and skull a couple of drinks, or just working hard in the backyard; country sets the mood for a hard working person who really does love life, family, friends, and country tradition. In many ways, I believe country music is the most influential genre out there today,’ Marcel Wehbe said.

I couldn’t have explained it better myself. Country music always sets the intended mood, whether that be happiness and a good time (‘Save Water, Drink Beer’ by Chris Young), sadness and grief (‘Over You’ by Miranda Lambert) or just plain country silliness (‘Honky Tonk Badonkadonk’ by Trace Adkins), country has no trouble eliciting any response from the listener and it does a damn good job of it as the listener can truly empathise with the mood being set by the music and lyrics.

I was born in a country town named Bathurst in New South Wales which is, unfortunately, not known for country music but for its car racing. Regardless, I asked one of my old Bathurst friends Heidi Luther what she liked about country music and what she thought set it apart from every other genre of music.

“I love that I can relate to a lot of country music. Whether it be love, heartbreak, loss, hard work, drinking, or being a proud woman.. I’ve been there! Nothing sets the dancer inside of us off, like a strong country beat! There is nothing quite like it in any other music,” she said.

While I am openly a “country head”, I am open to most genres of music and find myself listening to all kinds of songs, from old school RnB to alternative rock and even house. These popular contemporary songs can generally be found on the mainstream channels of music, if I may make a pay TV reference, while country has its own channel neatly tucked away in the form of the Country Music Channel. If I switch on one of the other generic channels, I could listen to a few songs in a row but then eventually one song will pop up that I’m not too fond of which will make me switch channels.

That isn’t the case with country music, or the CMC more specifically. I can leave that on and I am pretty much guaranteed that every song that will come on in a row, I will like and not have an issue listening to. Country is so dang easy to listen to; there is nothing too hardcore or too extreme about the genre that’ll turn off the more conservative and it’s not dull and bland to turn off the less conservative. If given a chance, country can appeal to most people out there because of its infectious nature.

The sad, unfortunate truth is just that, though: the general young adult will not give country the time of day because of the stereotypes enforced for the genre.

I’d like to think I’ve broken these stereotypes, put them back together just to break them again with a running bicycle kick by explaining the truth behind country music and why people should give it a chance. It’s really some great listening and the artists themselves are so damn loveable. I dare you to not like someone as down to earth as Lady Antebellum or as outrageously funny like Blake Shelton.

– by The Black Widow

Review: Last of Us

Posted in Entertainment, Video Games by

Welcome to “Solstice Satisfaction in Review” or SS in Review for short. This is going to be my first review of any kind – video game, restaurant, music album – so go easy on me if it’s not up to the standard of IGN or anything. The first item to be Solstified…

The Last of Us, exclusive to Playstation 3 (SPOILER FREE!)

The Last of Us follows the adventures of Joel and Ellie.

The Last of Us follows the shenanigans of Joel and Ellie. (SOURCE: Forbes.com)

The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic horror video game which details the adventures of Joel and Ellie, although the post-apocalypse in this game is very different to that of, say, the Resident Evil series.

The gameplay in this is simple enough for the casual gamer to pick up (such as me) pretty quickly but still not too simple for the intense gamers to be bored with. One of the main elements of the games action sequences is the choice of stealth vs. all-guns-blazing. In most of the action sequences, you have the choice of either sneaking around the enemies or barge in and gun them down with your array of weaponry. It adds a realistic element to the game when in a situation where your ammunition is limited, sometimes it’s best to avoid any confrontation when left with one bullet in a revolver and about 10 enemies waiting ahead of you.

The game in total will take hours for even the most expert gamer to complete and with even more special features like multiplayer awaiting (that I have yet to touch), it will undoubtedly entertain for ages.

What I found to be one of the most interesting parts about the gameplay was the special attention to small details. For example, in most video games, if you are playing a stealth mission, and you see a discarded newspaper on the floor, you wouldn’t think twice of it. In this game, however, you step on that newspaper and the papers will ruffle, therefore alerting the enemies of your location and breaking your stealth objective. I made this mistake several times unfortunately.

The graphics are high on the scale with, again, special attention to small details, like the greying hair in Joel’s beard or the worry you see in Ellie’s eyes sometimes. The visuals are almost realistic and it sucks you into the adventure of the game, making it feel real to the player. The views and scenery are absolutely breathtaking and so surreal – unless of course you are in a dark, underground area. The only nitpicks I can even remotely think of are the graphics and movement of Ellie’s hair but, let’s be frank, no video game designer wants to take 10 years of their life animating every single strand of hair.

The storyline in itself was captivating, so much that I found myself putting off finishing my college assignments so I could continue playing the game. Right from the get go, the intensity of the storyline grabs the player and it makes you wanting more, with several twists, turns and OMG! moments planting themselves throughout the game which elicited a fair few “Oh no you di-int”‘s from me. There were also several scares in the game which actually kept my heart racing which admittedly doesn’t happen a lot anymore these days.

The main feature of the game’s storyline that I found myself drawn to the most was the relationship between Joel and Ellie. I am an absolute gore lover with a special affection for the undead so it’d be weird for people like me to specifically comment on a sentimental part of the game like a relationship between two characters but it was without a doubt the most captivating element of Last of Us. Period. Without giving too much away, Joel and Ellie started off with a hesitant yet still friendly relationship which eventually developed into a sweet, father-daughter-like relationship whose bond was so noticeably strong that I could literally feel it. The moments where Joe would call Ellie “baby girl” specifically got me and I may or may not have shed a tear over that nickname. I actually forged a personal connection with both of the characters and that just goes to show you how excellent this game is.

Solst-o-meter
Gameplay: 9.0/10
Graphics: 9.2/10
Storyline: 9.6/10
Overall Experience: 9.8/10

All the hype behind this game is celestial for a reason – this game is the greatest video game I have played in quite some time, and one of the greatest video games I’ve played in my 20 year life… if you minus the first few years because babies don’t exactly play video games. Every aspect of the game was captivating in some way and while absolutely nothing is perfect, Last of Us was damn sure close to being so. If I fall into a funk after finishing a video game’s main storyline, then I know it was just that damn good. It is certainly a MUST have for current PS3 owners and definitely a reason for others to purchase a PS3 to specifically play this game.

I have to go cry some more now knowing that I’ve finished the game.

– by The Black Widow