If you haven't noticed by now, there's a huge ugly ad on the side bar under "Sponsor". I didn't design it so don't look at me. It's for a web forum, who's advertising agency contacted me to help them advertise. It seems the forum is all about people who are doing fine, which is actually kind of refreshing when you consider the majority of web forums out there are where people go to complain about something, argue with eachother, or sell things.
Anyway, these guys contacted me a week ago and I figured hey, why not. In return (if there are indeed folks reading this blog) they will give me a substantially huge reward, likely in the form of pennies. We're still in test stages to determine whether it is worth it for them -- so click it now!
*By the way, please don't abuse this. They do have ways of knowing if you are abusing it.
February 29, 2008
February 28, 2008
Amazing discovery
I made an amazing and shocking discovery yesterday. I'm going to do a little more experimentation, but I thought it'd be interesting to post my initial results below. As we've always done for the past few months, at 2pm, a co-worker and I went downstairs to get coffee in order to beat the afternoon food coma. We lined up at Tim Horton's as usual, and I ordered and received a medium regular coffee, with milk and sugar. We went back upstairs and parted ways as we arrived at my desk. I put my coffee down on the table.
I took off the lid of the coffee, and poured the coffee into a mug. The reason I wanted to do this was so that I could take an early peek at the rim, to see if I had won a prize. So I rolled up the rim.. and saw the words "Please play again".
Now here is where it gets really crazy. (Warning: Do not continue reading if you have a weak stomach.)
I grabbed my mug to take a sip of coffee..
...and discovered...
THE COFFEE DIDN'T TASTE AS GOOD AS IT NORMALLY DOES!!!!!
Possible conclusion: Tim Horton's coffee loses some taste when you already know you've lost!
February 27, 2008
Songs that remind me of..
Ina and I were trying to think of good romantic songs to use for our "first dance" at our wedding, but it seemed like every song I came up with, she said no to because that song "already belonged to someone else". I couldn't help but feel a little jealous about this...
Anyway, it got me thinking about how certain songs remind me of things, maybe not people in general, but of moments or milestones in my life. Over the years I could put together an interesting little soundtrack of my memories.
"One and One" by Robert Miles
This song reminds me of my 1st and 2nd years in university. My roommate (and highschool pal) Keith and I would always play this song just before every exam. At first it was more coincidence -- playing mindless dance music was the only type of music that mindnumbing enough that it didn't make us think or lose focus, but also repetitive enough that it kept us alert. But then as exams came and went, we'd play it more and more, until it became part of our ritual.
I heard this in a store a year ago and feelings of exam anxieties came over me. It was pretty eerie.
"Open The Eyes of My Heart" by Sonicflood
As overplayed as this song has gotten over the years, I will not forget this song because it was the song that motivated me into buying a guitar and teaching myself how to play guitar. I'd heard it many times before but there was this one time when we were in Ottawa at The Metropolitan Bible church. Every month they had worship night at "The Met" as they called it. Anyway there was just that one time when they played it there that it struck the heart of me, opened my eyes -- to the wonderful sound of acoustic guitar. I remember sitting in the front row, this guy Geordi or something, he played it, and as I sang and looked up (they had a skylight) I was looking into the sky -- it was pretty amazing. I would be forever changed by that one evening of music. I bought my first guitar a week later.
"Under The Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
I'm trying to think of a song that I've recited more times than this one.. I can't think of any. First time I heard it was at chinese school at Agincourt Collegiate, some kid had brought his ghetto blaster and were blasting this song in the hallway. It must have been grade 7 or 8. I'm trying to remember how I could have memorized the words to the song without having a tape of it.. but nevertheless I did memorize it and years later I still find myself singing it to myself.
It's one of those solitudinal ballads that you find yourself singing when you're bored, lonely or sad. Which to me seems like something I experienced a lot as a pre-teen and adolescent.
Anything by Mariah Carey
I learned to sing by singing along with Mariah Carey songs. Well.. maybe that not the full truth -- I learned to sing from being part of the T3C Children's Choir. That, combined with uber musical genes from my parents made me the singer I am today. Which isn't saying a whole lot.. but..
I remember many a night, broken hearted or "in love", where I would sit at my desk with my head phones on blasting Mariah Carey songs. Or when I was home alone, I'd belt out her tunes as her CDs played in the background. Showering I find is another great time to sing Mariah.
..
I guess it's just fun reminiscing of old days, and seeing how there's songs that just stick with you when they happen to be playing during certain moments in your life.
Anyway, it got me thinking about how certain songs remind me of things, maybe not people in general, but of moments or milestones in my life. Over the years I could put together an interesting little soundtrack of my memories.
"One and One" by Robert Miles
This song reminds me of my 1st and 2nd years in university. My roommate (and highschool pal) Keith and I would always play this song just before every exam. At first it was more coincidence -- playing mindless dance music was the only type of music that mindnumbing enough that it didn't make us think or lose focus, but also repetitive enough that it kept us alert. But then as exams came and went, we'd play it more and more, until it became part of our ritual.
I heard this in a store a year ago and feelings of exam anxieties came over me. It was pretty eerie.
"Open The Eyes of My Heart" by Sonicflood
As overplayed as this song has gotten over the years, I will not forget this song because it was the song that motivated me into buying a guitar and teaching myself how to play guitar. I'd heard it many times before but there was this one time when we were in Ottawa at The Metropolitan Bible church. Every month they had worship night at "The Met" as they called it. Anyway there was just that one time when they played it there that it struck the heart of me, opened my eyes -- to the wonderful sound of acoustic guitar. I remember sitting in the front row, this guy Geordi or something, he played it, and as I sang and looked up (they had a skylight) I was looking into the sky -- it was pretty amazing. I would be forever changed by that one evening of music. I bought my first guitar a week later.
"Under The Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
I'm trying to think of a song that I've recited more times than this one.. I can't think of any. First time I heard it was at chinese school at Agincourt Collegiate, some kid had brought his ghetto blaster and were blasting this song in the hallway. It must have been grade 7 or 8. I'm trying to remember how I could have memorized the words to the song without having a tape of it.. but nevertheless I did memorize it and years later I still find myself singing it to myself.
It's one of those solitudinal ballads that you find yourself singing when you're bored, lonely or sad. Which to me seems like something I experienced a lot as a pre-teen and adolescent.
Anything by Mariah Carey
I learned to sing by singing along with Mariah Carey songs. Well.. maybe that not the full truth -- I learned to sing from being part of the T3C Children's Choir. That, combined with uber musical genes from my parents made me the singer I am today. Which isn't saying a whole lot.. but..
I remember many a night, broken hearted or "in love", where I would sit at my desk with my head phones on blasting Mariah Carey songs. Or when I was home alone, I'd belt out her tunes as her CDs played in the background. Showering I find is another great time to sing Mariah.
..
I guess it's just fun reminiscing of old days, and seeing how there's songs that just stick with you when they happen to be playing during certain moments in your life.
February 13, 2008
Family vs fame
Over a month ago I pleaded with Roger Clemens to just be honest. Be honest to himself, his family, and America. If he had listened to me and done this back then, he might still have a respectable reputation. But now as he sits before a grand jury, with three different testimonies from different people that directly contradict with his own, you realize that it's no longer about his reputation -- it's about jail time. Perjury is a major offense. You can't just apologize and go home to live the rest of your life.
You almost feel sorry for the guy because he really just got in way over his head. He kept thinking about his reputation as one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball -- instead of his wife and 4 sons. That's right Roger, you are better off as a shamed pitcher than a father in jail. Think about it. You shouldn't have to think very long about this one.
--
Had this conversation while watching the movie "I, Robot" with some friends last weekend:
BY: Hey, isn't that the Transformers kid?
JT: Yea.
VP: Whoa, I didn't know he was in this.
[Will Smith comes flying in with his motorcycle and shoots some robot in the head. He tumbles around and suddenly there's a gun in his face.]
JT: Is that Ashley Judd?
VP: I don't think so..
BY: That's the mother of Tom Brady's child. Bridget Mona-something.
VP: What?? The mother of his child? Why don't you just say--
BY: .. the Patriots' quarterback. He's dating Gisele Bundchen now.
JT: Nice.
VP: Oh.
Anyway, this reminds me of the Superbowl. Which was just unbELIevable.
There's something to be said about the New York Giants, the team that I counted out in every round of NFL playoffs this year except for the game against the Bucs, of which I simply didn't care -- to come out and play a nearly flawless game, to beat the mighty New England Patriots despite their all-star lineup, perfect execution of NFL Salary cap exploitation, with the "best" quarterback and defiant cheating coach. And not just that, but to produce one of the highest rated football games in the NFL's history, and the most exciting Superbowl game I've ever seen.
The crazyier thing was I had just finished making a speech about how Eli needed to come out from Peyton's shadow, when he made that incredible scramble, escaping two potential sacks and then converted that incredible play to Tyree. At that moment in a game, to make such an awesome "Helmet Catch", it was simply amazing.
You almost feel sorry for the guy because he really just got in way over his head. He kept thinking about his reputation as one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball -- instead of his wife and 4 sons. That's right Roger, you are better off as a shamed pitcher than a father in jail. Think about it. You shouldn't have to think very long about this one.
--
Had this conversation while watching the movie "I, Robot" with some friends last weekend:
BY: Hey, isn't that the Transformers kid?
JT: Yea.
VP: Whoa, I didn't know he was in this.
[Will Smith comes flying in with his motorcycle and shoots some robot in the head. He tumbles around and suddenly there's a gun in his face.]
JT: Is that Ashley Judd?
VP: I don't think so..
BY: That's the mother of Tom Brady's child. Bridget Mona-something.
VP: What?? The mother of his child? Why don't you just say--
BY: .. the Patriots' quarterback. He's dating Gisele Bundchen now.
JT: Nice.
VP: Oh.
Anyway, this reminds me of the Superbowl. Which was just unbELIevable.
There's something to be said about the New York Giants, the team that I counted out in every round of NFL playoffs this year except for the game against the Bucs, of which I simply didn't care -- to come out and play a nearly flawless game, to beat the mighty New England Patriots despite their all-star lineup, perfect execution of NFL Salary cap exploitation, with the "best" quarterback and defiant cheating coach. And not just that, but to produce one of the highest rated football games in the NFL's history, and the most exciting Superbowl game I've ever seen.
The crazyier thing was I had just finished making a speech about how Eli needed to come out from Peyton's shadow, when he made that incredible scramble, escaping two potential sacks and then converted that incredible play to Tyree. At that moment in a game, to make such an awesome "Helmet Catch", it was simply amazing.
February 04, 2008
Life
When my parents moved away, my mom left some of her plants at the condo for me to look after while they were gone. There were at least half a dozen, including a couple of trees. At this time there are maybe 2 left of those group.
I'm pretty bad in terms of remembering to water them, and as a result most of them have died.
At work, we had a couple of potted plants, and when this guy Gary moved offices, he left his two plants in my care. I did my best to keep them alive. One of things I found that helped was that since I often get up to stretch my legs and clear my head, I walk over to the plants to give them some water.
Well that was about 2 years ago and one of them died. But two months ago, I was eating some clementines and found one particular clementine full of seeds. Anyway, I took about 8-9 seeds and planted them into the pot where the plant had died. I watered it every day, whenever I got up for a stretch. Sometimes I watered it 2-3 times in one day, just a little sprinkle.
Then two weeks ago, a couple of sprouts came out. It was awesome. I called over one of my colleagues who had seen me planting them months ago. We were both thrilled. Every couple days we've seen a new sprout -- there are 8 total now. The first couple are really doing well, almost 2 inches tall with a couple of leaves each.
This is the most exciting thing I have to look forward to every day when I go to work.
I'm pretty bad in terms of remembering to water them, and as a result most of them have died.
At work, we had a couple of potted plants, and when this guy Gary moved offices, he left his two plants in my care. I did my best to keep them alive. One of things I found that helped was that since I often get up to stretch my legs and clear my head, I walk over to the plants to give them some water.
Well that was about 2 years ago and one of them died. But two months ago, I was eating some clementines and found one particular clementine full of seeds. Anyway, I took about 8-9 seeds and planted them into the pot where the plant had died. I watered it every day, whenever I got up for a stretch. Sometimes I watered it 2-3 times in one day, just a little sprinkle.
Then two weeks ago, a couple of sprouts came out. It was awesome. I called over one of my colleagues who had seen me planting them months ago. We were both thrilled. Every couple days we've seen a new sprout -- there are 8 total now. The first couple are really doing well, almost 2 inches tall with a couple of leaves each.
This is the most exciting thing I have to look forward to every day when I go to work.
January 24, 2008
What Matters: WGA Strike is not one of them
From a software developer's point of view, here's how I would explain the reason for the strike from my understanding. Think of it as Oracle or Business Objects. They sell you their product for a few thousand (sometimes million) dollars , and then on top of that they charge you licensing fees per user or cpu. That's kind of what's happened with the writers. They want *more* royalties than before. To be precise, they are looking for 0.6% of DVD sales instead of 0.3%. And that's the gist of this entire 11 week strike.
The thing about the writers going on strike is that people are still getting scripts. If you watch CNN or any news, you'll see the anchor person is still reading his or her lines. Surely he or she didn't write all that herself, so there is still someone writing. If you take a look at the newspapers, you see no evidence of the strike. They are still coming out with pretty good articles, and I haven't noticed any change in the thickness of the papers.
Books as well continue to be published, unbeknownst to the striking writers who refuse to work. Just the other day we were at Mitchell's and there was a new book written by Brett Favre's wife about her struggle with breast cancer and her faith pulling her through. I guess she missed the memo about the strike.
It seems to me that the writers who decided not to come to work on November 5, 2007, are the ones who don't simply don't matter. No offense if you are a writer in the WGA, but in the grand scheme of things, you write about things don't matter a whole lot. I might not be able to watch my favorite TV show, or go see a movie actually worth the full $12, but life goes on.
These are people who write simply to entertain. They're sole purpose is not just to tell you something important that has happened, because if they did they'd be journalists. And they're not trying to tell you an important story, because otherwise they could have written a book. They are entertainers, nothing more.
While I'm not saying that it hasn't affect me -- I'll admit I like to be entertained -- the truth of the matter is the reason the strike has gone as long as it has, is because at the end of the day it doesn't affect you and me. I can do other things. I have options, like spending time with my future wife, reading a book, or playing video games. I could even.. work.
They've got a few actors on their side -- but again, no one cares. If you shave your head or have a run-in with the law, we'll read about you and laugh -- but generally we don't care about you either.
5 years ago public service in Toronto decided if they couldn't what they wanted, they would stop picking up garbage. Within a couple weeks, the public felt the full brunt. We were having a heat wave and you could literally smell the stench in the humid air. Every corner had one of those garbage bins filled to the brim and needless to say it was a germy disaster. We were days away from the Pope coming to town. That's the kind of strike people care about because it affects them directly.
This strike on the other hand, how does it really affect anyone besides the billionaire television network executives and movie moguls? So I have to watch American Gladiators instead of a confusing episode of LOST. I have to watch reruns of Two and a Half Men (I really like this show btw) instead of Heroes. Whoop-dee-doo, life goes on.
The thing about the writers going on strike is that people are still getting scripts. If you watch CNN or any news, you'll see the anchor person is still reading his or her lines. Surely he or she didn't write all that herself, so there is still someone writing. If you take a look at the newspapers, you see no evidence of the strike. They are still coming out with pretty good articles, and I haven't noticed any change in the thickness of the papers.
Books as well continue to be published, unbeknownst to the striking writers who refuse to work. Just the other day we were at Mitchell's and there was a new book written by Brett Favre's wife about her struggle with breast cancer and her faith pulling her through. I guess she missed the memo about the strike.
It seems to me that the writers who decided not to come to work on November 5, 2007, are the ones who don't simply don't matter. No offense if you are a writer in the WGA, but in the grand scheme of things, you write about things don't matter a whole lot. I might not be able to watch my favorite TV show, or go see a movie actually worth the full $12, but life goes on.
These are people who write simply to entertain. They're sole purpose is not just to tell you something important that has happened, because if they did they'd be journalists. And they're not trying to tell you an important story, because otherwise they could have written a book. They are entertainers, nothing more.
While I'm not saying that it hasn't affect me -- I'll admit I like to be entertained -- the truth of the matter is the reason the strike has gone as long as it has, is because at the end of the day it doesn't affect you and me. I can do other things. I have options, like spending time with my future wife, reading a book, or playing video games. I could even.. work.
They've got a few actors on their side -- but again, no one cares. If you shave your head or have a run-in with the law, we'll read about you and laugh -- but generally we don't care about you either.
5 years ago public service in Toronto decided if they couldn't what they wanted, they would stop picking up garbage. Within a couple weeks, the public felt the full brunt. We were having a heat wave and you could literally smell the stench in the humid air. Every corner had one of those garbage bins filled to the brim and needless to say it was a germy disaster. We were days away from the Pope coming to town. That's the kind of strike people care about because it affects them directly.
This strike on the other hand, how does it really affect anyone besides the billionaire television network executives and movie moguls? So I have to watch American Gladiators instead of a confusing episode of LOST. I have to watch reruns of Two and a Half Men (I really like this show btw) instead of Heroes. Whoop-dee-doo, life goes on.
January 22, 2008
Football is over; Learning Mandarin
I've counted out the Giants on several occasions now. First when they played the Dallas Cowboys, I didn't think there was any chance they could beat them and they did. Then against Green Bay in Lambeau in freezing weather, I thought they couldn't possibly win against the mighty Packers and Brett Favre.
Now against the Patriots, another heavily favored team, I still don't think they have a chance. Despite every reason to cheer against the Patriots, including that they are a flawless unbeaten team, with a cheating coach, an abusive wide receiver (or innocent until proven guilty?) and a quarterback who dates a supermodel despite having a bastard child with another woman -- I still cannot see any possible way that the Giants could pull off this upset, even though the Patriots appear to be Satan's team.
On a positive note, you non-sports readers finally get some reprieve. Football is over.. no more football posts.
Lately I've really felt a genuine appreciation for my parents forcing me to go to Chinese school to learn Mandarin. With the influx of immigrants coming here and speaking chinese, it's been such a blessing for me to be able understand and to communicate with these people.
Although I can't say I ever hated learning Chinese, I definitely felt at times like I was spinning my wheels since, in my earlier years, most Chinese people in Toronto were speaking Cantonese. But since about 10 years ago more and more it's been about Mandarin.
I've appreciated the ability to communicate through my limited pinyin with Chinese kids playing World of Warcraft. Or listening intently to conversations on elevators. I remember one occasion of a child speaking to her mother in Mandarin, it was a pretty comical conversation which I had to explain to Ina later. That little girl was very smart. Recently I discovered that there is a mom in my building who verbally abuses her little boy all the time. I never would have noticed that if I didn't know Mandarin. Also having the ability to communicate with some co-workers who; upon struggling to explain something to me in English, I ask to switch to mandarin to get their point across.
Further to this is an added opportunity of ministry being able to speak the language that over 1 billion people can speak. Considering that I'm fluent in both Mandarin and English means I have a possible mission field of approximately 3-4 billion people.
I think that's pretty neat.
Now against the Patriots, another heavily favored team, I still don't think they have a chance. Despite every reason to cheer against the Patriots, including that they are a flawless unbeaten team, with a cheating coach, an abusive wide receiver (or innocent until proven guilty?) and a quarterback who dates a supermodel despite having a bastard child with another woman -- I still cannot see any possible way that the Giants could pull off this upset, even though the Patriots appear to be Satan's team.
On a positive note, you non-sports readers finally get some reprieve. Football is over.. no more football posts.
Lately I've really felt a genuine appreciation for my parents forcing me to go to Chinese school to learn Mandarin. With the influx of immigrants coming here and speaking chinese, it's been such a blessing for me to be able understand and to communicate with these people.
Although I can't say I ever hated learning Chinese, I definitely felt at times like I was spinning my wheels since, in my earlier years, most Chinese people in Toronto were speaking Cantonese. But since about 10 years ago more and more it's been about Mandarin.
I've appreciated the ability to communicate through my limited pinyin with Chinese kids playing World of Warcraft. Or listening intently to conversations on elevators. I remember one occasion of a child speaking to her mother in Mandarin, it was a pretty comical conversation which I had to explain to Ina later. That little girl was very smart. Recently I discovered that there is a mom in my building who verbally abuses her little boy all the time. I never would have noticed that if I didn't know Mandarin. Also having the ability to communicate with some co-workers who; upon struggling to explain something to me in English, I ask to switch to mandarin to get their point across.
Further to this is an added opportunity of ministry being able to speak the language that over 1 billion people can speak. Considering that I'm fluent in both Mandarin and English means I have a possible mission field of approximately 3-4 billion people.
I think that's pretty neat.
January 18, 2008
Two interesting games left..
I've paid little attention to my Raptors the last few weeks because of the NFL playoffs, but as the NFL post-season winds down, I will slowly shift my attention back to the Raptors.
The Raptors are playing like crap, in my opinion. I haven't paid too much attention to them over the past month but I know that although they've won half their games, half the teams they've played sucked. There is no urgency or intensity in their approach to the game. When you watch a game, they look like they're expecting something to happen, as if the game will just come to them.
This is a really young team that is still learning what it takes to win games. They play hard very occasionally and half the time it works. Well the problem with this is that kids will work hard and if they don't see results, then why work hard? And then there are times where the hard work pays off, they win, and they play an easy game where they didn't have to work hard, and then the effort reverts to the old way.
The next frustrating part of the team is the misuse of players. Here are my suggestions to Bryan Colangelo and Sam Mitchell:
Kapono needs the ball to score. You're paying him almost $7M/year to shoot the ball but no one passes it to him. He's no good as a decoy if he doesn't score first.
Chris Bosh: If the lane is open, do not pull up for a jump shot. That is what small forwards and shooting guards do. You are the power forward. Note that first word "Power"? Your mid-range jumper has become your bread and butter, when it should only be your secret weapon. Use it when they've clogged the paint and you have no where else to go. I'm more impressed when you score 20 points in the paint than 40 points on jump shots. It helps everyone else, trust me.
Bryan Colangelo: Juan Dixon sucks as a point guard. You know it, I know it. I think even he knows it. Jose needs a real backup.
Since I've got your attention, here's another one: It's not that I've given up on him, but you need to sign someone to help us forget about Andrea Bargnani for a little while. Because Toronto fans expect instant success without any growth period, and it'll take Bargnani longer to reach his potential than fans have patience for. But see, if you don't do something now, media will be all over it and Bargnani will hear the word "bust" too often and it will ruin his confidence and eventually, his career.
In terms of the NFL, this past weekend was disappointing to say the least.
First, the San Diego Chargers beat my beloved Indianapolis Colts, preventing the possibility of watching two awesome games:
1) The most prolific quarterback in the past decade (Peyton Manning) vs the best clutch performing quarterback in the past decade (Tom Brady). And then following that game, we'd see
2) The most prolific quarterback in the past decade (Peyton Manning) vs the best quarterback alive ever period (Brett Favre).
Secondly, the San Diego Chargers lost key players LaDainian Tomlinson and Phillip Rivers, to injury, which means the Patriots have been given a free ride to the Superbowl to face the Packers.
Am I being too quick to write off the New York Giants? I don't think so. The Giants are a team that is required to establish the run before they can have any kind of effectiving passing game. Eli Manning is not a great 'under-pressure' quarterback. Unfortunately for Brandon Jacobs, the Packers are one of the best teams in the league at stopping the run. And then moving on to their offensive line, also formidable. The holes that these guys open up for Grant, Jackson and Jones. Unbelievable.
This'll be a great piece to write about next week when the Superbowl matchup has been set in stone, but can you remember a time when Favre has had the kind of talent he has around him today? I can't. Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Brandon Jackson and Ryan Grant. They're not exactly Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Laurence Maroney, but put them up against pretenders like Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Mark Chmura and Dorsey Levens.. that's a whole new ball game.
The same comparison can be made for Tom Brady who has never really had the offensive weapons that he has this year... although the comparison ends right there when you consider all the offensive records Favre holds while Brady, at least statistically, hasn't had much to offer until this season.
The Raptors are playing like crap, in my opinion. I haven't paid too much attention to them over the past month but I know that although they've won half their games, half the teams they've played sucked. There is no urgency or intensity in their approach to the game. When you watch a game, they look like they're expecting something to happen, as if the game will just come to them.
This is a really young team that is still learning what it takes to win games. They play hard very occasionally and half the time it works. Well the problem with this is that kids will work hard and if they don't see results, then why work hard? And then there are times where the hard work pays off, they win, and they play an easy game where they didn't have to work hard, and then the effort reverts to the old way.
The next frustrating part of the team is the misuse of players. Here are my suggestions to Bryan Colangelo and Sam Mitchell:
Kapono needs the ball to score. You're paying him almost $7M/year to shoot the ball but no one passes it to him. He's no good as a decoy if he doesn't score first.
Chris Bosh: If the lane is open, do not pull up for a jump shot. That is what small forwards and shooting guards do. You are the power forward. Note that first word "Power"? Your mid-range jumper has become your bread and butter, when it should only be your secret weapon. Use it when they've clogged the paint and you have no where else to go. I'm more impressed when you score 20 points in the paint than 40 points on jump shots. It helps everyone else, trust me.
Bryan Colangelo: Juan Dixon sucks as a point guard. You know it, I know it. I think even he knows it. Jose needs a real backup.
Since I've got your attention, here's another one: It's not that I've given up on him, but you need to sign someone to help us forget about Andrea Bargnani for a little while. Because Toronto fans expect instant success without any growth period, and it'll take Bargnani longer to reach his potential than fans have patience for. But see, if you don't do something now, media will be all over it and Bargnani will hear the word "bust" too often and it will ruin his confidence and eventually, his career.
In terms of the NFL, this past weekend was disappointing to say the least.
First, the San Diego Chargers beat my beloved Indianapolis Colts, preventing the possibility of watching two awesome games:
1) The most prolific quarterback in the past decade (Peyton Manning) vs the best clutch performing quarterback in the past decade (Tom Brady). And then following that game, we'd see
2) The most prolific quarterback in the past decade (Peyton Manning) vs the best quarterback alive ever period (Brett Favre).
Secondly, the San Diego Chargers lost key players LaDainian Tomlinson and Phillip Rivers, to injury, which means the Patriots have been given a free ride to the Superbowl to face the Packers.
Am I being too quick to write off the New York Giants? I don't think so. The Giants are a team that is required to establish the run before they can have any kind of effectiving passing game. Eli Manning is not a great 'under-pressure' quarterback. Unfortunately for Brandon Jacobs, the Packers are one of the best teams in the league at stopping the run. And then moving on to their offensive line, also formidable. The holes that these guys open up for Grant, Jackson and Jones. Unbelievable.
This'll be a great piece to write about next week when the Superbowl matchup has been set in stone, but can you remember a time when Favre has had the kind of talent he has around him today? I can't. Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Brandon Jackson and Ryan Grant. They're not exactly Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth and Laurence Maroney, but put them up against pretenders like Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Mark Chmura and Dorsey Levens.. that's a whole new ball game.
The same comparison can be made for Tom Brady who has never really had the offensive weapons that he has this year... although the comparison ends right there when you consider all the offensive records Favre holds while Brady, at least statistically, hasn't had much to offer until this season.
January 11, 2008
Can the Jags beat the Patriots?
Everyone is saying they can. Last week's game against the Steelers was one of the best games I've seen all year. The Jags almost blew a huge lead but persevered to win it. David Garrard calling his own number and rushing on 4th and out, that was an unbelievable play. But Pittsburgh isn't even that good. Roethlisberger had a great year by his standards, but overall he was just good. Willie Parker had a great year but he was hurt for the game.
One thing that did surprise me was that the Jags didn't just roll over at the end of the Steelers game when Pittsburgh had surged back. The Jags don't have a whole lot of playoff experience and I kind of saw that mini-collapse coming.. but that they stood their ground at the end, I think that builds character.
Next they play the Patriots who have had an extra week to prepare, and Belicheat says betted on the Jags so they focused on them even before they beat the Steelers, so really they've had nearly 2 full weeks to prepare. They've played only average in December but with those 2 weeks I think they'll be right on track again.
Looking at the matchups, the Jags sacked Big Ben a few times, but Ben pretty much led the league in getting sacked so it's not a huge surprise. I didn't think the Jags had a particularly quick pass rush which a few teams have found to be pretty successful because Brady's got to protect that pretty face of his. Do you see any supermodels dating toothless NHL players? I think not.
Secondly although the Jags also intercepted Big Ben 3(?) times, they were either pretty bad passes, most of them were almost like lobs, or they were deflected or batted down. This rarely happens with Brady's bullet-like passes.
Finally there is the run game. With Brady 'struggling' in December --- I use this term lightly --- Laurence Maroney finally showed why he was on this team of excellent players. He showed that the Pats can also run, when they feel like it. However they'r not great at stopping the run. Their rush defense looks like one of the best, the reality is teams just didn't run on them because they were down 2-5 touchdowns. No one runs when they're down 2 TDs.
So I think the key to this game, if the Jags have a prayer, is to keep the score close or low. The Pats do not want a close game here because it enables the Jags to run and I mean, you saw it last week, you can't stop Jones-Drew and Taylor. Either your defense lines up one way and Drew burns you, or another way and Taylor runs through you.
My prediction is the Pats come out with the mindset "Crush" and jump out to an early 14-3 lead, and then from there it's cruise mode for Brady and his awesome defense.
Key matchup to look out for are the Jags cornerbacks and Patriots receivers. You can't really compare Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes to Randy Moss, I mean these two combined aren't as good as Randy. And then there's still that pesky Welker.
I will be cheering for the Jags, but really I think this game is going to be won by the Pats handily. There is far more pressure on them to win because they're the best team in the league. They also want the privilege of trying to crack last year's champions, and get their revenge on the Colts next week. Unfortunately the Pats thrive on pressure, so this one is going to be a Pats win -- 31-13.
One thing that did surprise me was that the Jags didn't just roll over at the end of the Steelers game when Pittsburgh had surged back. The Jags don't have a whole lot of playoff experience and I kind of saw that mini-collapse coming.. but that they stood their ground at the end, I think that builds character.
Next they play the Patriots who have had an extra week to prepare, and Belicheat says betted on the Jags so they focused on them even before they beat the Steelers, so really they've had nearly 2 full weeks to prepare. They've played only average in December but with those 2 weeks I think they'll be right on track again.
Looking at the matchups, the Jags sacked Big Ben a few times, but Ben pretty much led the league in getting sacked so it's not a huge surprise. I didn't think the Jags had a particularly quick pass rush which a few teams have found to be pretty successful because Brady's got to protect that pretty face of his. Do you see any supermodels dating toothless NHL players? I think not.
Secondly although the Jags also intercepted Big Ben 3(?) times, they were either pretty bad passes, most of them were almost like lobs, or they were deflected or batted down. This rarely happens with Brady's bullet-like passes.
Finally there is the run game. With Brady 'struggling' in December --- I use this term lightly --- Laurence Maroney finally showed why he was on this team of excellent players. He showed that the Pats can also run, when they feel like it. However they'r not great at stopping the run. Their rush defense looks like one of the best, the reality is teams just didn't run on them because they were down 2-5 touchdowns. No one runs when they're down 2 TDs.
So I think the key to this game, if the Jags have a prayer, is to keep the score close or low. The Pats do not want a close game here because it enables the Jags to run and I mean, you saw it last week, you can't stop Jones-Drew and Taylor. Either your defense lines up one way and Drew burns you, or another way and Taylor runs through you.
My prediction is the Pats come out with the mindset "Crush" and jump out to an early 14-3 lead, and then from there it's cruise mode for Brady and his awesome defense.
Key matchup to look out for are the Jags cornerbacks and Patriots receivers. You can't really compare Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes to Randy Moss, I mean these two combined aren't as good as Randy. And then there's still that pesky Welker.
I will be cheering for the Jags, but really I think this game is going to be won by the Pats handily. There is far more pressure on them to win because they're the best team in the league. They also want the privilege of trying to crack last year's champions, and get their revenge on the Colts next week. Unfortunately the Pats thrive on pressure, so this one is going to be a Pats win -- 31-13.
January 07, 2008
Roger
Roger, just admit that you took steroids. We all know you took it. It's not like anyone was surprised. This whole drug case is not something that will just boil over. This is not just a fun report that people will talk about for a couple years and forget all about it. It's a federal case.
Admit you took steroids. It's okay. I still respect you for the amazing things you did earlier in your career -- so what, you stole a few Cy Young's from the league. America will forgive you. See how the media rarely talks about Mark McGwire and only attacks Barry Bonds? The media will be the same way with you -- they will give you another chance because you are white, because you've always been friendly with the media (well, at least most of the time), and because you're somewhat of a fan favorite and feel-good story. Don't be like Barry, digging his hole deeper and deeper.
Just admit what you've done and be over and done with it. You can retire with some dignity at least.
Admit you took steroids. It's okay. I still respect you for the amazing things you did earlier in your career -- so what, you stole a few Cy Young's from the league. America will forgive you. See how the media rarely talks about Mark McGwire and only attacks Barry Bonds? The media will be the same way with you -- they will give you another chance because you are white, because you've always been friendly with the media (well, at least most of the time), and because you're somewhat of a fan favorite and feel-good story. Don't be like Barry, digging his hole deeper and deeper.
Just admit what you've done and be over and done with it. You can retire with some dignity at least.
January 03, 2008
Flood!
whewt. whewt. whewt.
Crazy stuff happening today at Metro Hall. I came about 15 minutes late for work and as I scurried along the PATH, whewt-whewt-whewt-whewt! I discovered the hallway leading up to Metro Hall was closed off, a bunch of guys there were doing some mopping. So I had to turn back and take a detour into the Allstream building instead. whewt. whewt.
This unfortunately forced me to head outdoors, which of course I'm rarely ever equipped for and certainly was not today. Since I hadn't planned to go out I had just my thin black jacket on and a scarf. So anyway I ran quickly outside, whewt-whewt ducked behind as many walls as I could to avoid the icy -15C winds and ducked back into Metro Hall through the side door. whewt-whewt-whewt-whewt
To my surprise I was met by a wall of humidity as I walked into the building. It felt like I'd gone from the arctic tundra straight into the amazonian rain forest. My glasses fogged up immediately and I had to stop dead in my tracks since I couldn't see a thing. silence.
The smell. The smell reminded me of something that I had hoped for a long time to block from my memory. It was the smell of water soaked drywall, water seeping through floorboards, joists and concrete. Over to my right I saw a crowd of about 150 people lined up in front of the freight elevator with another 150 people standing around hoping to wait it out. Over to my left, I saw what had happened. It seems some kind of pipe had bursted, and was now pouring down into the main front entrance of the building. It appeared to be hot water, because it was steaming up the entire foyer. If you've ever seen Metro Hall, you'll know how much steam is required to fill the foyer.. it's huge. There had to be a foot of water, and it was pouring down, like a water fall. Metro Hall had turned into Metro Falls. You'd think with a building full of engineers, someone might have turned off the main valve by now?
whewt-whewtwhewt-whewt I gave my boss a call and he said to just grab a coffee and take my time getting upstairs. The alternative to lining up for the freight was to take the stairs, and I wasn't about to sacrifice my totally awesome physique to 27 flights of steps.
I took some pictures with my awesome 2-megapixel phone and went for coffee. whewt-whewt! whewt-whewt!
As it turns out what had happened is a heating water coil had become frozen due to low flow condition, due to the super cold temperatures. It bursted and unfortunately it was almost impossible to shut off because the leak was right beside the shut-off valve was, and the water was hot. No one could get in there to turn it off without scalding themselves badly. What a mess it turned out to be, I didn't get to my desk until about 10:30am, and the elevator power wasn't restored until about 12:30pm.
During the entire time that the elevators were down, the emergency strobe lights (found every few meters on the ceiling), were flashing non-stop every 3 seconds. Very very annoying. Almost as annoying as the whewt-whewt. They even have these things in the bathroom, so when I was doing my business, the lights were flashing. I felt like a celebrity with paparazzi all around me, taking pictures of me while I went pee.
What's worse now is that the hall leading down to the PATH is completely barred off. Apparently water seeped all the way down there and it's no longer safe to venture down there. I heard one guy say "the whole thing could collapse at any minute".
What a disaster.. I'll have to wear a thicker jacket tomorrow. whewt-whewt
Crazy stuff happening today at Metro Hall. I came about 15 minutes late for work and as I scurried along the PATH, whewt-whewt-whewt-whewt! I discovered the hallway leading up to Metro Hall was closed off, a bunch of guys there were doing some mopping. So I had to turn back and take a detour into the Allstream building instead. whewt. whewt.
This unfortunately forced me to head outdoors, which of course I'm rarely ever equipped for and certainly was not today. Since I hadn't planned to go out I had just my thin black jacket on and a scarf. So anyway I ran quickly outside, whewt-whewt ducked behind as many walls as I could to avoid the icy -15C winds and ducked back into Metro Hall through the side door. whewt-whewt-whewt-whewt
To my surprise I was met by a wall of humidity as I walked into the building. It felt like I'd gone from the arctic tundra straight into the amazonian rain forest. My glasses fogged up immediately and I had to stop dead in my tracks since I couldn't see a thing. silence.
The smell. The smell reminded me of something that I had hoped for a long time to block from my memory. It was the smell of water soaked drywall, water seeping through floorboards, joists and concrete. Over to my right I saw a crowd of about 150 people lined up in front of the freight elevator with another 150 people standing around hoping to wait it out. Over to my left, I saw what had happened. It seems some kind of pipe had bursted, and was now pouring down into the main front entrance of the building. It appeared to be hot water, because it was steaming up the entire foyer. If you've ever seen Metro Hall, you'll know how much steam is required to fill the foyer.. it's huge. There had to be a foot of water, and it was pouring down, like a water fall. Metro Hall had turned into Metro Falls. You'd think with a building full of engineers, someone might have turned off the main valve by now?
whewt-whewtwhewt-whewt I gave my boss a call and he said to just grab a coffee and take my time getting upstairs. The alternative to lining up for the freight was to take the stairs, and I wasn't about to sacrifice my totally awesome physique to 27 flights of steps.
I took some pictures with my awesome 2-megapixel phone and went for coffee. whewt-whewt! whewt-whewt!
As it turns out what had happened is a heating water coil had become frozen due to low flow condition, due to the super cold temperatures. It bursted and unfortunately it was almost impossible to shut off because the leak was right beside the shut-off valve was, and the water was hot. No one could get in there to turn it off without scalding themselves badly. What a mess it turned out to be, I didn't get to my desk until about 10:30am, and the elevator power wasn't restored until about 12:30pm.
During the entire time that the elevators were down, the emergency strobe lights (found every few meters on the ceiling), were flashing non-stop every 3 seconds. Very very annoying. Almost as annoying as the whewt-whewt. They even have these things in the bathroom, so when I was doing my business, the lights were flashing. I felt like a celebrity with paparazzi all around me, taking pictures of me while I went pee.
What's worse now is that the hall leading down to the PATH is completely barred off. Apparently water seeped all the way down there and it's no longer safe to venture down there. I heard one guy say "the whole thing could collapse at any minute".
What a disaster.. I'll have to wear a thicker jacket tomorrow. whewt-whewt
December 14, 2007
December 12, 2007
December 11, 2007
Pasta Sauce
I had been experimenting the last two times I cooked, on trying to make a meatless pasta sauce. You're probably thinking -- has Brian gone mad? No meat?!
I think generally pasta is kind of a very heavy, filling meal. But if you take out the meat, then it becomes this starchy by light meal if you do it right. I had this idea of making pasta where it was more pasta than sauce, which is something completely foreign to me, having grown up eating spaghetti *drenched* in meat sauce.
The first time I tried making it, the result came out completely different from what I had pictured in my mind. I had this idea of the spaghetti being dry, and covered in olive oil and oregano. That part I had down pat. But the sauce didn't work out quite so well. I wanted to have this super strong flavored sauce so you didn't need a lot, and fresh tomatoes cooked, but chopped and sprinkled over the sauce.
Instead, I basically ran out of garlic, for one thing, and then I got lazy and didn't put onions, so it was, in the end, a mushroom and tomato mixture with tons of oregano, pepper and salt. What's worse is I cooked the tomato first and it turned into a mush, and the shrooms shrank to almost nothingness. By the end of it I barely had enough for just one meal, feeding 1 person, me.
For the second try I put the tomatoes in last, but it still ended up a mush. I bought garlic but once again left out onions. I rarely ever cook without onions, so that part was already a mistake. I also picked up some basil and sprinkled that in.
What I had pictured in my mind was totally different, but the sauce ended up being pretty tasty. Ina didn't particularly like it (she likes saucy stuff whereas I had never planned to make my creation saucy) but Darryl and I both thought it turned out decent.
Tonight I plan to try yet again. I have been reading up on pasta sauce and people talking about using canned stuff, just because it makes life easier and it's still possible to make it home-style even with the manufactured ingredients. To me that's something I may try later on, but for now I want to try to make it myself. I'm thinking to add diced mango to add some new flavor tonight (because I have mango in the fridge and need to get rid of it), and of course onions.
Looking forward to it.
I think generally pasta is kind of a very heavy, filling meal. But if you take out the meat, then it becomes this starchy by light meal if you do it right. I had this idea of making pasta where it was more pasta than sauce, which is something completely foreign to me, having grown up eating spaghetti *drenched* in meat sauce.
The first time I tried making it, the result came out completely different from what I had pictured in my mind. I had this idea of the spaghetti being dry, and covered in olive oil and oregano. That part I had down pat. But the sauce didn't work out quite so well. I wanted to have this super strong flavored sauce so you didn't need a lot, and fresh tomatoes cooked, but chopped and sprinkled over the sauce.
Instead, I basically ran out of garlic, for one thing, and then I got lazy and didn't put onions, so it was, in the end, a mushroom and tomato mixture with tons of oregano, pepper and salt. What's worse is I cooked the tomato first and it turned into a mush, and the shrooms shrank to almost nothingness. By the end of it I barely had enough for just one meal, feeding 1 person, me.
For the second try I put the tomatoes in last, but it still ended up a mush. I bought garlic but once again left out onions. I rarely ever cook without onions, so that part was already a mistake. I also picked up some basil and sprinkled that in.
What I had pictured in my mind was totally different, but the sauce ended up being pretty tasty. Ina didn't particularly like it (she likes saucy stuff whereas I had never planned to make my creation saucy) but Darryl and I both thought it turned out decent.
Tonight I plan to try yet again. I have been reading up on pasta sauce and people talking about using canned stuff, just because it makes life easier and it's still possible to make it home-style even with the manufactured ingredients. To me that's something I may try later on, but for now I want to try to make it myself. I'm thinking to add diced mango to add some new flavor tonight (because I have mango in the fridge and need to get rid of it), and of course onions.
Looking forward to it.
December 10, 2007
Bogged down
On Saturday at 6:30am, I was sitting there in a circle with the rest of the Ishskwaday committee members, and we were sharing about each of our spiritual walks, how we felt Ishskwaday fits into the grand scheme of things, and what it means to us.
It was to me kind of a rude awakening of sorts. We've been going pretty much full on over the past 3 months, meeting every other week and taking care of business as business needs to be taken care of. Promotional kits had gone out to various churches who were interested in promoting the conference, marketing was being done. The website was ready, the video finished. Some of the speakers had been contacted and contracts were being drawn up.
But then we all kind of realized that although we were going full on.. was God with us? So for this week, we all kind of reflected on this and didn't do any administration stuff at all.
What was revealed to me after a bit of reflection, is that I'm totally bogged down by the busyness of life. Spiritually, I am near my wits end, the bottom of the barrel. I think the biggest thing for me has just been that I haven't given God the time of day. I'm stretched thin in different areas serving God, but not experiencing God. I've got this mindset of wanting to help people, but deep down I should be helping myself.
You know it's like you believe in something so strongly, but after awhile you lose sight of it. It's still there, still a goal you strive for, but the meaning behind it is lost.
It was to me kind of a rude awakening of sorts. We've been going pretty much full on over the past 3 months, meeting every other week and taking care of business as business needs to be taken care of. Promotional kits had gone out to various churches who were interested in promoting the conference, marketing was being done. The website was ready, the video finished. Some of the speakers had been contacted and contracts were being drawn up.
But then we all kind of realized that although we were going full on.. was God with us? So for this week, we all kind of reflected on this and didn't do any administration stuff at all.
What was revealed to me after a bit of reflection, is that I'm totally bogged down by the busyness of life. Spiritually, I am near my wits end, the bottom of the barrel. I think the biggest thing for me has just been that I haven't given God the time of day. I'm stretched thin in different areas serving God, but not experiencing God. I've got this mindset of wanting to help people, but deep down I should be helping myself.
You know it's like you believe in something so strongly, but after awhile you lose sight of it. It's still there, still a goal you strive for, but the meaning behind it is lost.
November 30, 2007
The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Reading Wil Wheaton's "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" really conjured up so many childhood memories for me. Several reviews I had read said that Wil's book has a nostalgic feel to it, making you think of your own childhood. They weren't kidding. I finished reading it just now, and I all I can think about are the little moments in life that are etched in my memory. He is definitely a great story teller, and because he's a blogger his writing flows as easily as reading a blog.. which probably explains how I managed to finish the entire book so quickly. I feel a little jipped actually.. wish it was twice as long.
I don't know Wil Wheaton nor do I care about him. I don't care about the things he faced or experienced in school and as a child. The truth is I couldn't care less. But he's such a great story teller and the way that he describes everything makes you think about yourself. About all the little things you did as kid, things that were so important to you but might not matter now as an adult. Rules to live by for a kid. And.. and being able to remember the things you really cared about, and mattered, and things you were so afraid of and things that annoyed you to your core as a child. And how innocent we all were, in our own little worlds.
I don't think I knew many kids who were as geeky as Willow Wheaton was. Sure I dabbled in Dungeons & Dragons during Chinese School, and yea I got picked on at school because I was puny. And yea I sucked at sports, and was constantly distracted by video games. I was also great at dodgeball, not so much because of my agility but because more because no one really paid much attention to me. I too, hated to be embarrassed in front of other kids, often hiding in a corner and crying about it. I too labored and gawked at the toy store, staring up at hundreds of action figures that I wanted but could only afford at most 1 per month, and considered saving up for a few months to get a big one. I too got board games for Christmas when all the other kids my age were playing Nintendo.
How do you play board games when you're an only child? You don't. So you develop an overly active imagination, start playing games left hand against right hand, invent different personalities in your brain so that you could pit one against the other. For 9 years, that's what I had to do. For years Wil played D&D all by himself.
I don't pretend to be the same as Wil. We're far from being the same, I was certainly not a child actor, although maybe a pretender. But reading his book really reminded me of things that I really loved and cherished. It's a great, short read and I look forward to reading more.
I don't know Wil Wheaton nor do I care about him. I don't care about the things he faced or experienced in school and as a child. The truth is I couldn't care less. But he's such a great story teller and the way that he describes everything makes you think about yourself. About all the little things you did as kid, things that were so important to you but might not matter now as an adult. Rules to live by for a kid. And.. and being able to remember the things you really cared about, and mattered, and things you were so afraid of and things that annoyed you to your core as a child. And how innocent we all were, in our own little worlds.
I don't think I knew many kids who were as geeky as Willow Wheaton was. Sure I dabbled in Dungeons & Dragons during Chinese School, and yea I got picked on at school because I was puny. And yea I sucked at sports, and was constantly distracted by video games. I was also great at dodgeball, not so much because of my agility but because more because no one really paid much attention to me. I too, hated to be embarrassed in front of other kids, often hiding in a corner and crying about it. I too labored and gawked at the toy store, staring up at hundreds of action figures that I wanted but could only afford at most 1 per month, and considered saving up for a few months to get a big one. I too got board games for Christmas when all the other kids my age were playing Nintendo.
How do you play board games when you're an only child? You don't. So you develop an overly active imagination, start playing games left hand against right hand, invent different personalities in your brain so that you could pit one against the other. For 9 years, that's what I had to do. For years Wil played D&D all by himself.
I don't pretend to be the same as Wil. We're far from being the same, I was certainly not a child actor, although maybe a pretender. But reading his book really reminded me of things that I really loved and cherished. It's a great, short read and I look forward to reading more.
November 28, 2007
Star Trek
I started reading Wil Wheaton's "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" today. For those who recognize the name but can't quite put your finger on it, Wil Wheaton played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. If you still don't know what I'm talking about, please go away and never come back. You are not welcome here and I do not want to be associated with you.
It seems that reading paper books is rather laborious at least for me. I don't seem to enjoy reading books as much as reading things online, like on a computer. It's a completely different feel. For one thing when reading a book, I'm usually in a fairly comfortable position, and what do I enjoy doing when I'm in a comfortable position? SLEEP.
So it's rather non-conducive for me to be reading a book while sitting comfortably. And even in uncomfortable arrangements, like on the subway for instance, what would I rather be doing? SLEEPING. No one ever believes me when I say this, but I have fallen asleep several times on the subway while standing. Every time I've done this, it was done while standing against the wall next to the doors.. except for this one time when I tried sleeping while standing in the middle with no support but the pole, which I was stretching out to reach and was hanging on by 2 fingers. When I fell asleep that time, and the subway stopped, I nearly ended up falling on top of someone. That time was pretty bad.
So back to Wheaton's book. His writing is actually a lot like blogs, and in fact a lot like my blog, except he has a way better vocabulary. And he seems to have a far more vivid memory than I do. I may have memories of my childhood, but do I remember the struggles I had deciding which kind of gum I wanted, or which toy I should get given my tiny 25cents/month budget? Actually I guess I do.
In the book he claims actually that all the entries were taken from his blog, and likely were not even properly edited beforehand. So it's almost like I paid $15 for something I could have found online! I've already found several typos. I wonder if that's because he was too cheap to get it properly edited, or did he leave them in there to prove that he'd just pulled them directly off his blog.
I used to hate Wesley Crusher. I don't know what it was about him that I hated, maybe because he was this annoy little kid on one of the best shows ever, he seemed more like a nuisance than anything, and then how he behaved, he was like a deer in headlights all the time, not cool like the other characters on the show. Plus he was just the biggest geek, completely awkward and socially inept. He was goofy. A total nerd and overachiever. I guess there was also a jealousy factor.
I still remember a few weeks ago when Pastor Daniel preached about something.. which I don't remember.. but what I do remember is that he mentioned Star Trek, and the line "Shakka.. where the walls fell." I think it was at that moment that Ina realized I was a trekkie, and that incredulous look she gave me when she said "You're a trekkie?".
It would have been so cool to work on that set.. to be part of that tiny pocket of pop culture, the Star Trek cult classic. To have the opportunity to work with so many great actors like Patrick Stewart, and, um.. right. To see all the neato costumes, or even to wear that awesome Federation uniform. To have met Marina Sirtis. To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life, and new civilizations. To boldly go where no kid had gone before.. vrrooooomm.. dooo do-do doooo, do-do dooo.. do-do-do-do-do doo doo doo do-do-do-doooo.. staar trek.. staar trek.. do do do do sta-a-ar trek.
It seems that reading paper books is rather laborious at least for me. I don't seem to enjoy reading books as much as reading things online, like on a computer. It's a completely different feel. For one thing when reading a book, I'm usually in a fairly comfortable position, and what do I enjoy doing when I'm in a comfortable position? SLEEP.
So it's rather non-conducive for me to be reading a book while sitting comfortably. And even in uncomfortable arrangements, like on the subway for instance, what would I rather be doing? SLEEPING. No one ever believes me when I say this, but I have fallen asleep several times on the subway while standing. Every time I've done this, it was done while standing against the wall next to the doors.. except for this one time when I tried sleeping while standing in the middle with no support but the pole, which I was stretching out to reach and was hanging on by 2 fingers. When I fell asleep that time, and the subway stopped, I nearly ended up falling on top of someone. That time was pretty bad.
So back to Wheaton's book. His writing is actually a lot like blogs, and in fact a lot like my blog, except he has a way better vocabulary. And he seems to have a far more vivid memory than I do. I may have memories of my childhood, but do I remember the struggles I had deciding which kind of gum I wanted, or which toy I should get given my tiny 25cents/month budget? Actually I guess I do.
In the book he claims actually that all the entries were taken from his blog, and likely were not even properly edited beforehand. So it's almost like I paid $15 for something I could have found online! I've already found several typos. I wonder if that's because he was too cheap to get it properly edited, or did he leave them in there to prove that he'd just pulled them directly off his blog.
I used to hate Wesley Crusher. I don't know what it was about him that I hated, maybe because he was this annoy little kid on one of the best shows ever, he seemed more like a nuisance than anything, and then how he behaved, he was like a deer in headlights all the time, not cool like the other characters on the show. Plus he was just the biggest geek, completely awkward and socially inept. He was goofy. A total nerd and overachiever. I guess there was also a jealousy factor.
I still remember a few weeks ago when Pastor Daniel preached about something.. which I don't remember.. but what I do remember is that he mentioned Star Trek, and the line "Shakka.. where the walls fell." I think it was at that moment that Ina realized I was a trekkie, and that incredulous look she gave me when she said "You're a trekkie?".
It would have been so cool to work on that set.. to be part of that tiny pocket of pop culture, the Star Trek cult classic. To have the opportunity to work with so many great actors like Patrick Stewart, and, um.. right. To see all the neato costumes, or even to wear that awesome Federation uniform. To have met Marina Sirtis. To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life, and new civilizations. To boldly go where no kid had gone before.. vrrooooomm.. dooo do-do doooo, do-do dooo.. do-do-do-do-do doo doo doo do-do-do-doooo.. staar trek.. staar trek.. do do do do sta-a-ar trek.
November 21, 2007
Heroes
One big problem with blogs I find is that if you don't write often, people stop reading your site and then when you finally have something important to say, no one reads it. This of course changes when you've got an rss feed, but not everyone has that.
Anyway.. Heroes.
Heroes has kind of been really crappy up until 2 episodes ago after creator Tim Kring came on and apologized for how crappy season 2 had been. Since then it's been pretty awesome, right back to how good it was last season. It's one of the few shows where Ina and I have an understanding that we just can't miss this show. Basically our schedules for Monday evenings is worked around the show to ensure that from 9pm-10pm, we are free.
I am really, really confused about Heroes these days. What confuses me is time travel. How one can go back into time, alter it, and what that means for the present day. How can two different times exist. With Back To The Future, Marty always carried around a picture and that would help him to figure out if his action had carried through to make a result in the present.
But with Heroes, because of the nature of the show requiring to show present time and past at the same time, things get confusing because you aren't always seeing the results right away, or even at all.
(Spoilers galore if you aren't caught up.)
Hiro traveled back to 1671 to the time of where his childhood hero, where a legend named Kensai existed. This was a story that his father told him when he was a boy. Circa 1985.
So he goes back and there he sees the coming of age of this hero, who discovers he too has an ability -- regeneration. So that explains how he was able to fight all those amazing battles and not die. He gets stabbed but the wound heals. Kind of like Wolverine without the adamantium. But during this time there is a girl involved and to make a story short, she falls for Hiro instead of Kensai.
Since Kensai is regenerative, his cells never get old and therefore he's immortal. But Hiro doesn't know this. Kensai vows to get Hiro back for stealing his girl.
So fast forward 400 years later, Kensai shows up a rooftop with Hiro's dad and pushes him over the ledge, completing quite possibly the longest lasting "grudge" in the history of the world. Imagine this guy waiting all those years, planning this one day that he could exact revenge on a guy who kissed his girlfriend 400 years ago. Turns out Kensai's name is now Adam Munro.
His role at this time eludes me but I'm sure it'll be answered soon.
But what happens now is even more complex. When Hiro returned to present time, he thought Kensai was dead and when he learned of his father's death, he tried to prevent it by going back a week in time and telling his father about it. But his father says basically that they shouldn't play God and just go with the flow. Fate, if you will.
So Hiro lets it happen, allowing the murder to occur, but he freezes time just before it happens so that he can find out who the killer was. Of course to his surprise it's Adam --err.. Kensai. And then later you see him at his dad's funeral.
You know what I'd do -- I'd teleport myself to NASA, steal an astronaut suit, then go back to 1671, grab Kensai, and teleport myself into space, somewhere near the Sun. Of course I'd be able to breathe and take the insane non-air pressure.. but Kensai would essentially implode on himself, and his body remains would burn into the sun. No more regeneration. Teleport back to 2007. Problem solved.
Or even better still, I'd travel back into time when I first met Kensai, not kiss the girl. Problem solved. Fast forward 400 years later to meet your good pal Adam, in a reunion of hugs all around.
Just doesn't make sense.
Anyway.. Heroes.
Heroes has kind of been really crappy up until 2 episodes ago after creator Tim Kring came on and apologized for how crappy season 2 had been. Since then it's been pretty awesome, right back to how good it was last season. It's one of the few shows where Ina and I have an understanding that we just can't miss this show. Basically our schedules for Monday evenings is worked around the show to ensure that from 9pm-10pm, we are free.
I am really, really confused about Heroes these days. What confuses me is time travel. How one can go back into time, alter it, and what that means for the present day. How can two different times exist. With Back To The Future, Marty always carried around a picture and that would help him to figure out if his action had carried through to make a result in the present.
But with Heroes, because of the nature of the show requiring to show present time and past at the same time, things get confusing because you aren't always seeing the results right away, or even at all.
(Spoilers galore if you aren't caught up.)
Hiro traveled back to 1671 to the time of where his childhood hero, where a legend named Kensai existed. This was a story that his father told him when he was a boy. Circa 1985.
So he goes back and there he sees the coming of age of this hero, who discovers he too has an ability -- regeneration. So that explains how he was able to fight all those amazing battles and not die. He gets stabbed but the wound heals. Kind of like Wolverine without the adamantium. But during this time there is a girl involved and to make a story short, she falls for Hiro instead of Kensai.
Since Kensai is regenerative, his cells never get old and therefore he's immortal. But Hiro doesn't know this. Kensai vows to get Hiro back for stealing his girl.
So fast forward 400 years later, Kensai shows up a rooftop with Hiro's dad and pushes him over the ledge, completing quite possibly the longest lasting "grudge" in the history of the world. Imagine this guy waiting all those years, planning this one day that he could exact revenge on a guy who kissed his girlfriend 400 years ago. Turns out Kensai's name is now Adam Munro.
His role at this time eludes me but I'm sure it'll be answered soon.
But what happens now is even more complex. When Hiro returned to present time, he thought Kensai was dead and when he learned of his father's death, he tried to prevent it by going back a week in time and telling his father about it. But his father says basically that they shouldn't play God and just go with the flow. Fate, if you will.
So Hiro lets it happen, allowing the murder to occur, but he freezes time just before it happens so that he can find out who the killer was. Of course to his surprise it's Adam --err.. Kensai. And then later you see him at his dad's funeral.
You know what I'd do -- I'd teleport myself to NASA, steal an astronaut suit, then go back to 1671, grab Kensai, and teleport myself into space, somewhere near the Sun. Of course I'd be able to breathe and take the insane non-air pressure.. but Kensai would essentially implode on himself, and his body remains would burn into the sun. No more regeneration. Teleport back to 2007. Problem solved.
Or even better still, I'd travel back into time when I first met Kensai, not kiss the girl. Problem solved. Fast forward 400 years later to meet your good pal Adam, in a reunion of hugs all around.
Just doesn't make sense.
November 06, 2007
Review: David Crowder Bands' "Remedy"
I've gotten a chance to listen to David Crowder Band's latest CD called "Remedy" more. I mentioned earlier that this was a bad CD, as several have pointed out I said "to avoid it like the plague", but after listening to it several times I think I can give it much fairer review. We had been cramped and frustrated in a car, waiting in line at the US-Canada border the first time I had heard the CD, and therefore my previous assessment may have been a little too harsh.
By the way, if you're looking for a more scathing review of the album, check out CCM's take on it here. His review sounded a lot like mine for "A Collision".
I would say the fairest comparison is Crowder's breakout album, "Illuminate". "Remedy" has a lot of upbeat songs and there is a heavy use of computer effects and electronics. Best way to describe most of his songs are that they are "busy". If you listen to track 7 you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're into that kind of thing you'll like this album a lot. They do a good job of not going too over the top with it, and mix it well with the usual band instruments. The first time you listen you might think it's a bit much -- but it grows on you.
One thing evidently missing from this CD are useless tracks of people walking up and down stairs, or whistling, or a phone conversation. That's a good thing. Little interludes like that bring no value to an album and fortunately for us, "Remedy" has none of these fillers. (Remedy is nothing like A Collision).
The music in "Remedy" sounds fresh because it doesn't follow the usual Christian Music formula that all the other worship leaders follow. It's very different and feels "new" -- although not necessarily ground-breaking -- but at least it's not that 'same old thing' feeling with some other bands. The caveat is you can't really play any of the songs at church for worship.
Creativity (8/10) - David Crowder Band pushes the envelope when it comes to creativity. There is no other band like these guys in the Christian music scene. There is a strong mix of electronic stuff in with the usual band repertoire, making their music much edgier than the other Christian bands out there. This however is the bane of the band, as CCM points out, you know these guys are capable of so much more but for some reason they prefer to just make really noisy songs.
Worshipability (7/10) - There aren't very many songs on this album that I could see our church ever using in worship. Personal worship is another story. Even singalongability is low on this album, I'm just starting to figure out the lyrics after hearing the album about 20 times.
Value (9/10) - I bought the CD in the US for $5 less than it would have costed me in Canada. So yea, it was a good deal. It loses one point because of a couple songs in the album that already existed in previous ones.
Longevity (8/10) - One thing I find interesting (or is it more annoying?) that David repeats himself in his songs, several songs he repeats the same line over and over to the point where I want to punch something. I can understand you want to emphasize a point by repeating it, but this is a bit too much for me. I could see myself becoming violent, but thank goodness for FastForward. Due to DCB's catchy tunes, I can see myself listening to this CD off and on for the next few months at least.
Intangibles (9/10)- It's a nice little case, and not a hard plastic one. It's paper but it's sturdy and it's thinner than the average CD case. It's also got a neat cover and a different slot for which the lyrics come out.
Overall: 41/50
By the way, if you're looking for a more scathing review of the album, check out CCM's take on it here. His review sounded a lot like mine for "A Collision".
I would say the fairest comparison is Crowder's breakout album, "Illuminate". "Remedy" has a lot of upbeat songs and there is a heavy use of computer effects and electronics. Best way to describe most of his songs are that they are "busy". If you listen to track 7 you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're into that kind of thing you'll like this album a lot. They do a good job of not going too over the top with it, and mix it well with the usual band instruments. The first time you listen you might think it's a bit much -- but it grows on you.
One thing evidently missing from this CD are useless tracks of people walking up and down stairs, or whistling, or a phone conversation. That's a good thing. Little interludes like that bring no value to an album and fortunately for us, "Remedy" has none of these fillers. (Remedy is nothing like A Collision).
The music in "Remedy" sounds fresh because it doesn't follow the usual Christian Music formula that all the other worship leaders follow. It's very different and feels "new" -- although not necessarily ground-breaking -- but at least it's not that 'same old thing' feeling with some other bands. The caveat is you can't really play any of the songs at church for worship.
Creativity (8/10) - David Crowder Band pushes the envelope when it comes to creativity. There is no other band like these guys in the Christian music scene. There is a strong mix of electronic stuff in with the usual band repertoire, making their music much edgier than the other Christian bands out there. This however is the bane of the band, as CCM points out, you know these guys are capable of so much more but for some reason they prefer to just make really noisy songs.
Worshipability (7/10) - There aren't very many songs on this album that I could see our church ever using in worship. Personal worship is another story. Even singalongability is low on this album, I'm just starting to figure out the lyrics after hearing the album about 20 times.
Value (9/10) - I bought the CD in the US for $5 less than it would have costed me in Canada. So yea, it was a good deal. It loses one point because of a couple songs in the album that already existed in previous ones.
Longevity (8/10) - One thing I find interesting (or is it more annoying?) that David repeats himself in his songs, several songs he repeats the same line over and over to the point where I want to punch something. I can understand you want to emphasize a point by repeating it, but this is a bit too much for me. I could see myself becoming violent, but thank goodness for FastForward. Due to DCB's catchy tunes, I can see myself listening to this CD off and on for the next few months at least.
Intangibles (9/10)- It's a nice little case, and not a hard plastic one. It's paper but it's sturdy and it's thinner than the average CD case. It's also got a neat cover and a different slot for which the lyrics come out.
Overall: 41/50
November 05, 2007
Foot in mouth?
I had been talking to Alf about how one of the Vice Presidents of Inter-Varsity Christian fellowship had contacted me, wanting to meet with me over breakfast or dinner -- the short version of this story is that I gave them a lot of money at Urbana last year, and they were hoping to wine and dine me into doing it again this year. I declined (I had given my lump sum tithing, which I supposed was considered a 'large' contribution. But again it was more 'duty' than me supporting IVCF -- not that I don't support them but.. I think you get the idea).
Anyway, Alf had this to say about my recent blogging: "You’ve been blogging about not wanting to tithe to an institution like church. I would hesitate to give to a church that subsidizes working people who can afford to fly to Urbana." Ouch, guilty as charged -- I applied for subsidy to go to Urbana, and thus was a direct contributor to the church spending their income on people who obviously didn't need it. On a personal note I'd call that money well spent, seeing as it helped me to find my future wife. :)
On the plus side it's given me an idea about a trick I can use to divert funds towards where they *should* be going. This is what I love about Alfred though.. he always keeps me honest.
In other news, I was also sadly mistaken in regards to the Patriots-Colts game. Although there was some half-truth to what I said. The Patriots finally showed a little respect to the NFL and its fans by not "going for it" on several the opportunities they had to do so. Apparently "taking a knee" is in Bill Belicheat's vocabulary after all. I guess you can't really mess around when you're playing a real team. The Pats' joke of a schedule had given them a 8-0 start, but I can't say I wasn't impressed by their win against the Colts, even if they were depleted by injuries. The Colts and Pats will meet again in a few months, whereupon I hope the Colts can exact revenge.. also next time, the Colts should really think about dressing more than 3 WRs.
Coming up next, I review David Crowder Band's latest offering "Remedy". The results may surprise you!
Anyway, Alf had this to say about my recent blogging: "You’ve been blogging about not wanting to tithe to an institution like church. I would hesitate to give to a church that subsidizes working people who can afford to fly to Urbana." Ouch, guilty as charged -- I applied for subsidy to go to Urbana, and thus was a direct contributor to the church spending their income on people who obviously didn't need it. On a personal note I'd call that money well spent, seeing as it helped me to find my future wife. :)
On the plus side it's given me an idea about a trick I can use to divert funds towards where they *should* be going. This is what I love about Alfred though.. he always keeps me honest.
In other news, I was also sadly mistaken in regards to the Patriots-Colts game. Although there was some half-truth to what I said. The Patriots finally showed a little respect to the NFL and its fans by not "going for it" on several the opportunities they had to do so. Apparently "taking a knee" is in Bill Belicheat's vocabulary after all. I guess you can't really mess around when you're playing a real team. The Pats' joke of a schedule had given them a 8-0 start, but I can't say I wasn't impressed by their win against the Colts, even if they were depleted by injuries. The Colts and Pats will meet again in a few months, whereupon I hope the Colts can exact revenge.. also next time, the Colts should really think about dressing more than 3 WRs.
Coming up next, I review David Crowder Band's latest offering "Remedy". The results may surprise you!
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