Heads up for Voice Acting opportunity

Ok, real hush-hush like, know wha' I mean?

We'll be looking for the following voices in a couple of weeks:

1) Male: American accent but not heavy, maybe Brooklyn.

2) Female: Boston accent, "almost English" according to the writer.

Character voices:

1) Male: Gruff, deeper, Brooklyn (see Team Fortress 2's Scout but add the gruff in).

2) Male: Japanese accent but speaking American.

3) Male: Chinese accent, in America.

4) Female: Woo-woo hippie, maybe "big mama" maybe "flower power" + too much pot.

5) Male: Ned Flanders (ie The Simpsons) like.

Yes, generally light American accents (more global mah) but with various twists in it.

We'll be approaching a certain studio at the top of the hill in Bangsar. Take a turn up Cotton Road and you'll get there.

Good luck!

Claiming VAT refunds at Stansted Airport, UK

I'm back from UK with nary an update on it, so here's the first of what should be many. Boring topic but might be highly relevant for anyone going there. A quick summary of the trip:

1. London has REALLY cleaned up. It ROCKS.

2. Paris... REALLY needs to clean up. It SOCKS. (lol fail)

3. AirAsia is hot and uncomfortable. You get what you pay for. It... FLOCKS? PLOCKS? FOCKS you up? Bleh.

So here's what you need to know about claiming VAT (Value Added Tax lah, similar to General Sales Tax):

• You can claim for most things, except books.
• You can claim from a single receipt totaling over £50.
• Ask for it when you make your payment.
• The shop will charge you for it (it ranges, but should be in the region of 5-10%).
• Fill in the form they give you.
• I think that it doesn't matter how you want your money (doesn't have to be the same as how you paid for the items).

And here's what you need to know about VAT @ Stansted Airport:

• There's no physical VAT counter, just a mailbox.
• This mailbox is AFTER you check-in, and AFTER the security check.
• Make sure you have envelopes, one for each shop you're claiming VAT back from.
• Address them to the shop (or wherever they direct you to).
• No stamps needed.
• Pop each VAT claim form into their respective envelopes.
• Do NOT seal the envelopes.
• Pop them into the VAT mailbox.

Yes, there is NO check on the item. Dodgy behaviour possible, though not encouraged. W H Smith's does sell envelopes. In bunches of 50. Come to me if you want some W H Smith's envelopes.

On a side note, Stansted's not too far from London - it's not worth it buying a train ticket online from elsewhere (£2.50 credit card charge or something ridiculous). Just buy a train / bus ticket when you're there, it'll cost the same and the services are regular.

I haven't gotten my refunds yet, but it should come in by the end of the month. I'll update this if any crap happens.

Dreamt of my father

Driving me to school.

As an adult (me, that is).

Yeah.

I remembered lots of strange detail, and lots of "how things were", but now with adult and subconscious eyes.

His car was in a poor state - running so low on battery we had difficulty moving uphill and needed to "recharge" it by running without air-cond for a bit. Yes, it doesn't make sense, but it's my dream so whatever.

His driving was as scary as ever - I had to hold the steering for a while while he searched for some documents in his bag. I don't think he ever really did that, but he was a scary driver. Lots of close calls, I wonder what he really saw even though he seemed to always concentrate on the road.

Now a banal sidetrack before ending with decent emotional impact. I was late to school, which was in a huge, converted bungalow (recently moved); I remembered not knowing if I had PE that day, yet later pulling out my timetable from a bag that couldn't fit a file that big. I remembered thinking that I could sneak a smoke before going into school but didn't want to smoke in front of my dad.

I couldn't find my class (recently moved, remember), so I wandered around a bit. I saw old but not close faces: Aeric, Ramona. I was definitely an adult, with the confidence I never had 15 years ago. WTF I was doing back in secondary school, I have no idea. For double WTF impact, this was not an unfamiliar dream, which means that I've dreamt about being in school as an adult before.

What I remembered most was the care, concern and love in my father's voice, which I could never hear in my youth. Not that it wasn't there - it was constantly drowned out by all the noise. He almost never dropped me off anywhere, and we didn't get to spend much time together; what little we did tended to be distracted by selfish, attention-seeking third parties. And of course, I was too young and dumb to see.

Good to see you, dad.

I love you, too.

But no, thanks - I don't want to go back to school.