I love to travel. I also like to take photographs. And it's when I can combined the two when I'm most happy. My main camera is a Canon 60D which is getting long in the tooth, but the glass I own that goes on my camera is what makes the real difference in my shots. Therefore I don't really foresee myself updated the camera body anytime soon.

That beings said, I will every-so-often post some of my favourite pics from my travels right here on my blog. Just a warning... these will be embedded from my Instagram account and may appear a few days, even weeks, after I've posted them on there. So if you'd like to see these photos first, you should FOLLOW me on Instagram! Enjoy!

Full disclosure: I haven't seen everything this past year and for that I apologize. So if there might be something you feel I missed on my list please don't crucify me, it may be just that I haven't gotten around to seeing it yet. Sorry fans of 'Paul Blart Mall Cop 2'... anyways here are my favourite films of this past year:

5.5 = The Big Short: Great cast, touchy subject matter, uniquely told

5 = Creed: Sly Stallone brings it, fight scenes are some of the best, fantastic story that actually makes sense

4 = The Revenant: Probably this years best picture, outstanding cinematography, masterfully acted by both Leo and Tom, how the hell did they pull off that bear scene?

3 = Spotlight: Best ensemble cast of the year, minimalist in its telling, story is simple but one that needs to be told 

2 = Sicario: Most tense movie of the year, beautifully shot, brilliant score, Benicio del Toro

1 = Ex Machina: Simple, story isn't far off from becoming reality, unique, magnificent SFX, great ending

Again I haven't had time to see all 300+ movies released past this year so I'm sorry. This list is based on my professional opinion and if you disagree well that's too bad. 

The Oscar nominations were just announced and I must say... they didn't fuck it up. As a matter of fact this is probably the best list of nominations I've seen in a long time. I won't go into huge detail of who and what got nominated, for that you can click here, but I will breakdown some of the things I liked, and obviously disliked, about this years list.

LIKED
- Tom Hardy getting a Best Supporting Actor nomination
- Ridley Scott not getting a Best Director nomination
- The Best Actor category is perfect 
- Sly Stallone receiving a Best Supporting Actor nomination
- 'Straight Outta Compton' receiving a Best Original Screenplay nomination
- 'Mad Max: Fury Road' getting as many nominations as it did


DISLIKED
- 'Ex Machina' was not one of the Best Picture nominees
- Not enough 'Sicario' nominations
- No Aaron Sorkin for Best Screenwriter
- No 'Star Wars' for Best Picture (for ratings)
- Lady Gaga getting a Best Song nomination

So there you have it 6 to 5 in favour of the LIKED category. Not bad. Stay tuned to this blog for my official predictions that'll come closer to the event. I still hope to go see many of the nominated pictures and performances. Until then, you should treat yourself by going to your local theatre to check out one of the nominated films. I promise you won't be disappointed. Unless you're going to see CAROL. That was pretty terrible. 

- It was clear Ricky Gervais regretted taking the job at the 3 minute mark
- Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum's routine was quite painful to watch
- Lady Gaga winning was a joke right?
- I've never heard of 'Mozart in the Jungle' and I probably won't ever watch it
- I've heard of 'Mr. Robot' and will do my best to try and find it on a streaming service ASAP
- 'Wolf Hall' beating 'Fargo' for Best Limited Series was a joke right?
- Sly Stallone was worthy of winning the Best Supporting Actor award
- Denzel Washington was even more painful to watch than Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum
- Ridley Scott's speech was terrible, except the part when he mentioned his late brother
- Mel Gibson zinging Ricky Gervais was actually funny
- Ricky Gervais coming back and trying to top him wasn't
- Where was Tom Hardy in the Best Supporting Actor category? Here's hoping the Oscars get it right!
- Even though I usually bitch and complain about the show I will be watching it again next year for sure
- The Revenant was a great movie and was deserving of the Best Director and Best Picture Drama awards

Well there you have it! This Thursday the Oscar nominations come out. Let's hope they don't fuck it up as badly as Ricky Gervais, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Denzel Washington did the Globes this year. 

​For a full list of this years losers just click here. 

Let me start by saying that I am a BIG fan of George R.R. Martin. His novels are pieces of literary heaven, and let's face it, the fantastic HBO series GAME OF THRONES would not exist if it were not for him. His worlds are epic, and his stories are visionary. That all being said, it's not his work that I have a problem with, it's his work ethic.

Now before you start crucifying me for saying such a thing, hear me out. I know what it's like to write. I've written fiction, screenplays and even copy for both television and radio advertising. OK I get that it's nothing like what Mr. Martin needs to produce, but hey it's still writing. Writing is hard. It always has been and always will be. It's common sense that to become a better writer, you should work on your craft if not daily, then every other day. And if you're getting paid handsomely for producing work, then you should be able to meet deadlines.

By now, if you're a fan of George R.R. Martin, you probably know that he hasn't delivered a draft of the eagerly anticipated THE WINDS OF WINTER. He wrote a 1600 word essay explaining why. He cites many reasons, many are life related which I get. But the one reason he gives that really makes no sense to me, as an aspiring writer, is that he never has liked the idea of deadlines. Really? 

Deadlines are the lifeline of many writers. If you're fortunate enough to have deadlines then you shouldn't complain because that means you're getting compensated for your work. Congrats! Mr. Martin has missed not only his first deadline which was Halloween, but his publishers gave him another two-months to deliver, call it goodwill. Except he also missed his second deadline to deliver a transcript to his publisher and editors. I don't get that. To be clear, I'm not angry. What I am is confused. 

George R.R. Martin makes a lot of money for a lot of people, himself included. He has much more pull than many other writers have, but for him to miss two deadlines is unacceptable. There are many other writers who are just as talented as Mr. Martin who deliver when asked to. And there will be just as talented writers in the future who will deliver when asked to. What Mr. Martin has done is open a door to all these current and future writers to just ignore deadlines set by their publishers. Or so I think and that to me is sad. 

In closing I am going to reiterate that I am a big fan of Mr. Martin's work. And I'm not the only one, there are literally millions of fans, and from many comments I've read from his blog, not many of them are upset that he didn't deliver on time either. So really is it a moot point? I don't believe it is because, like I already said, deadlines are life. Heck, if I didn't set any deadlines for myself this post wouldn't have been possible. Right?