Make with the clicky

Clickity clickity click.

The Chronic(WHAT!)les of Narnia (SNL Skit)

The internet is for... **** (WoW machinime musical number)

Scorpion (Mortal Kombat) VS Ryu (Street Fighter) (cool flash animation)

Hilarious Patrick Stewart (Picard) skit from HBO show "Extras"

Damn you people, quit sending me web links! I'm trying to be productive (no I'm not. Keep them coming :D)

Yes, more highlighting required.

My Christmas weekend plans?

They involve the following:

• a farm,
• scarfing into a Tom (turkey),
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail,
• mountainous snow (or snowy mountains?), and
• me being out of Vancouver for about 96 hours

Hopefully this will let me clear my head, from images of Christmas past and Christmas present.

Some people know my issues with Christmas past. Forgive me if the season doesn't exactly fill me with cheer every year. Is it because I want what I don't have? No... I'm pretty sure that's not the problem at all. The problem is I don't know what I want... besides you.

OMGWTFBBQ!

The full series of Firefly is now on sale at HMV for $29.99, regular price $69.99. (Ignore what the website says, the price in-store is $29.99 and HMV Metrotown still had quite a few copies in stock today).

Add on to that the fact that the movie (Serenity) is selling for $24.99 and you have the perfect equation for a great christmas gift for any fan of great storytelling (hint hint).

And if you have already bought a gift for somebody, that's still no excuse not to buy this. Buy it, wrap it up, wish your loved one a Happy Wednesday, then relax in front of your TV and bask in the awesomeness that is Firefly.

Oh, and in case you couldn't guess, I love this series.

My Christmas Check List

• Shop for Christmas gifts ............... check
• Shop for Christmas cards ............... check
• Deliver Christmas gifts and cards ...... pending
• Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas ........ check
• Watch Monty Python & the Holy Grail .... Dec 23
  
• Watch It's a Wonderful Life ............ pending
• Read The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe. pending
• Read When Heaven & Earth Changed Places. pending
• Read How Murray Saved Christmas ........ pending
• Ski/snowboarding on Mount Baker ........ Dec 26
  
• Have Turkeytastic Christmas Dinner ..... Dec 24
• Attend Festival of Lights .............. check
• Attend Singing Christmas Tree .......... check
• Attend Winter Solstice Lantern Festival. Dec 21
• Attend Christmas party ................. check
• Get drunk at Christmas party ........... check
• Drunkenly hit on women at said party ... check
• Remorse that all I really want is gin .. check

Oh so much to do, oh so much to do.

Oh, and check out Najin's website. She's a local and modest artist, a friendly neighbourhood ninja, and quite the hot tomali. Just be careful not to ask her to marry you.

But they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!

What's your favourite?

Gin.

But you're drinking a daiquiri

So?

There's no gin in that.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer gin.

Alright. So what and gin? How would you want it?

Don't need anything else. Just straight-up, neat, gin.

That's pretty 'core.

I 'spose.

But what about freedom? Didn't you say you wanted your freedom?

We're not having one of those metaphorical conversations again, are we?

Is there any other kind?

You're making my head hurt.

Are you sure it's not the gin that's causing the pain?

Dude... seriously... shut up!

From my blog to your email

I've added an email subscription service for those that don't use RSS feeds but would still like to keep up to date with my blog.

Just enter your email in the form along the right side of the screen and you'll be emailed my blog posts as I write them.

True Story

Last night I was reading in bed. I shifted positions and felt a twitch in my neck which made me succumb to uncontrollable spasms for what seemed like forever but was more likely around 60 seconds.

I woke up this morning at around 7:30am. I didn't get out of bed for another 5 hours. I wanted to get up, but I couldn't.

I physically could not move.

Well, I could still move, but my neck was in such excrutiating pain whenever I tried that I chose to lay in bed for a few extra hours. It's like the muscles that support my head had gone on strike and cried out in protest whenever I tried willing them to work.

There's a metaphor here about support, expectations, and the lack thereof... or maybe prolonged build-up of tensions and unexpected consequences... whatever it is, I'm in no mood to find it.

I just want my support back.
(Is THAT the metaphor?)

To the memory of Lee Matasi

How will you be remembered after the fact?

Three memories stick out in my mind: Scratching on your ghetto blaster... smuggling booze in a pink flamingo prop into the prom... sporting a smooth looking top hat and cane at the prom.

I think it's safe to say that we were no more than acquaintences, really. Friends of friends who never really talked. But still, there's an impact when there is a passing of somebody you actually met and knew in person. Especially when that passing is unexpected.

Shock is what I'm feeling right now.

Rant about media spin and hidden agendas to be respectfully addressed another day.

Rest in peace, Lee.

Please join us this Wednesday, Dec 7, 2005 at Leeside
at 3:00 pm for a memorial for Lee Matasi.
Directions: Leeside is the tunnel under hastings and hwy 1
head down hastings turn right at the playland gates, make your first left go to the end
and park somewhere(its right close to the ecomm building).

There will be a Wake for Lee Friday, December 9th, 2005 at
Anti Social on Main Street.

Please join us for our Monthly Meeting
where there will be a meeting regarding a skatepark to be built
in honor of Leeside Lee - Lee Matasi.

7 PM - Wednesday Dec 7, 2005 at the
Round House Community Centre
181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC


Anybody who would like to share their memories and photos of Lee -
Please email them to - secretary@vspc.ca - and we will forward them to Lee's Family.

http://www.vspc.ca/

Bombs away!

Hey, look up!

No.

What do you mean, "no"? Look up, there's a patch of blue sky!

I'll take your word for it.

Dude, just look up.

No.

Why the fuck not?

Because the last time I started looking up... I had a bomb drop on me.

Well, in that case, that's why you should keep looking up. So that you can avoid these "bombs".

No, you don't understand. The only reason the bomb dropped was because I was looking up. It was waiting for me to do that.

Alright, what kind of bombs are we talking about here?

The kind that drop when you're looking up.

I'm looking up and not seeing any bombs.

That doesn't mean they're not there.

... Dude, I'm all for your quirkiness, it keeps things interesting, but seriously... you're fucked up.

Well what do you expect after you get a bomb dropped on you? That's why I won't be looking up anymore. No looking up = no dropping of bombs = this is as bad as it gets. Why would I be looking up if it will only make things worse?

So your goal in life is to not make things worse?

I suppose so.

With that line of thinking, you won't be making things better. If you look up long enough, you'll see that there is a lots more waiting for you than these bombs of yours. In fact, I'm looking up right now, and nothing bad is happening to me.

...

Dude, start looking up or I'm gonna kick your ass.

Fine. [Starts looking up] Oh you fucktart! Incoming! [slumps to the ground]

Dude... you're fucked up.

Contemplations

Keeping an open mind. A good philosophy? In general. But like most things, successful execution is tricky.

Keeping an open mind does not necessitate indecision or being "wishy-washy" with your choices and decisions. An open mind is the the ability and willingness to process new information on which to make better, future decisions.

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it"

-- Aristotle

When confronted with new information or a new idea, keeping an open mind does not mean that you accept the possibility or validity of this idea, keeping an open mind means that you will consider the possibility that it is valid. You have a choice of whether or not to accept or reject (or remain undecided about) this information. But keeping an open mind means that once more new information is received, you may choose to revisit old ideas and re-evaluate them. Choice isn't a single fork in the road of life. If you find that you have wandered off course, you can correct it at the next branch in the road... so long as you keep an open mind.

Keeping with this metaphor, your destination is not locked by the path you are travelling on (the same path can lead to many places). Likewise, your path is not locked by your intended destination (many paths can lead to the same place). You can change either the path or the destination, the trick is deciding what to change and when.

Or maybe the trick is realizing that neither the path nor the destination are as important as the journey itself, or how you choose to travel down said path, because, really, that's where all of your time will be spent.

I'm not sure of much, but I think I'll travel the next leg of my journey with a book in my bag, a song in my head, and a skip in my step. A book to learn from because I'm afraid of people. A song in my head to keep me occupied and my thoughts off of you. And a skip in my step to hurry me away from the past. I'm a coward; I don't want to travel alone anymore, but I believe that I will.

Moving On Up

As of 5 minutes ago the following points have been decided:

1. Will quit my current job (the world's local bank)
   
2. Will work a new job as Business Consultant (big blue)
   
3. Will be packing my bags for the T dot (damn you Shawn Desmond!)
   

Well, I'll just be in Toronto for a week for training. But if I say it like that, there's not as much dramatic tension.

And we all know I'm all about the drama.

I haven't seriously doodled since highschool

(Click the pictures for a larger image)

update: 1:19am - added links for absurdly ginormous sketches that nobody in their right mind should want to download.

I don't watch TV anymore, I just have it on the background while I doodle:


Ceramic figure (while watching Veronica Mars)
Ginormous sketch (ceramic figure)


Me and the brother. Vancouver 1983. (also while watching Veronica Mars)
Ginormous sketch (Bruce @ 1 year old)

I don't work either. I just sketch:


Sympathetic figure on the donation can on my counter at work.
Ginormous sketch (Child donation mascot)

(Don't have the can on me so can't do a comparison pic. I'll try to snap a picture next time I'm at work)

(That number in the corner? Part of one of the many bank account numbers and other data I have to jot down throughout the day. Why there's no copy-paste function in the software is beyond me.)


Picture in the HSBC Mastercard application pamphlet. (My favourite of the bunch)
Ginormous sketch (Child & Mother)


Another picture in the HSBC Mastercard application pamphlet. (The most popular of the bunch among people who've seen my recent sketches)
Ginormous sketch (Bridge)


And yet another picture in the HSBC Mastercard application pamphlet.
Ginormous sketch (Island)

A wet sack of crazy!

Do people change? Sure. But not very quickly. At least, real change deep down doesn't happen overnight. Superficial change happens all the time.

It's like trying to dye an onion.

Sure, you can change the surface colour easy enough, but peel back a layer and you see the change was only surface deep. Changing the whole takes a considerable amount of time. When talking of people, I imagine we're talking years.

If you want to change your life, you have to change both inside and out. Change how you think, and change how you act. The key here being the ability to change how you think, not just what you think.

What I think changes all the time. Sometimes it only takes a second. Changing how I think, I imagine, would be a much more profound and life-altering endevour.

(Which begs the question of why you would want your life altered... but that's a whole other jar of nutella.)

If you've always been a heavy thinker, try being more spontaneous. If you've always been quick to act, try being quick to think instead. I've always been a (hypocritical) advocate of change, as I believe there is so much more to learn and experience from new situations compared to old situations slightly altered.

10 years of experience is vastly different from 1 year 10 times over.

In my case, I have always been self-consious of how others think. Now I say fuck it. You suck and I won't care anymore.

I will be the second biggest wet sack of crazy you've ever seen.

The year in review

Test post follows...

"You need to re-evaluate your priorities."

Ironically, this statement has an underlying assumption that you had, at one point, evaulated your priorities in the first place.

Popular wisdom dictates that residing at the top of your priorities list should be your family, your career, and your future; not necessarily in that order. Of course your "future" generally consists of your family and your career. What happened to your dreams? Your desires, your wants, your drive?

My dreams always consisted of me being overwhelmed by an unrelenting horde of spiders. Make of that what you will.

-- First blog post. November 16, 2004

It's recently come to my attention that this blog has recently passed the one year mark with neither fanfare nor introspection.

So the year in review:

Word of the year? Transition.

I realize that I'm in a transitionary phase of my life right now in all aspects. From social relationships, to academics, to careers, to beliefs. In all these respects, I've witnessed an ending of sorts in the last year. In all these respects, I am witnessing hints of new beginnings.

But part of me realises that it's not really a new beginning. It's just a transition. Meaning it's the same, yet different. If it sounds like I'm being vague, that's because I am. Let's see if I'm going somewhere with this.

A new beginning would imply that there had been nothing prior to that point, or at least, nothing pertinent. A fresh start, if you will. But events DID happen before, and to ignore or dismiss them would be foolish. Instead, what you do is continuously build upon them. The transition phase comes into play when you change your building pattern.

Clear as mud? I'm afraid that's as good as it's going to get at this point.

I'm still in transition.

--Transition--

I had existed in complacency for a while. This summer I shook things up a little with various flights, fancies, and flops. I've never felt so wonderful yet miserable at the same time.

I have been unknowingly forming the mold from which to shape my next phase in life. That is a scary thought because as time passes, it grows more difficult to break out of the mold. I want to know what kind of mold I'm creating before I step into it.

-- Transition --

For a while, I lived for others. I had a sense of purpose, but was miserable.

For a while, I lived for myself. I had fun, but found this reckless abandonment of accountability and responsibility to be unfullfilling.

For a while, I tried to live with a balance. Respect for both myself and others. I just got confused and unproductive.

Now, I realize there are other ways to live. Other choices to be made. It's not an either-or world we live in. The current limit on our choices is our imagination.

Mine seems to be fizzing out.

-- Transition --

Of all my bloggings, very few are written with the intention of another person reading it. Well... that's not really true. Let me put it another way. Very few were written with the intention that another person will fully understand it.

In fact, a lot of the time I don't even fully understand it.

edit: I'm just a big ol' wet sack, aren't I? A wet sack of crazy! Wackawackawackawacka

The week in review

Saturday - promises
Made a promise.

Promises. There are two phrases that I am very careful about using. Their meanings are very specific to me and carry a lot of baggage with them. One of these phrases is "I promise you".

I don't make promises lightly and when I do, it is with the full intension to keep them. I'm just forgetful sometimes, is all.

Sunday - marriage
Got away from the kids and spent some time with the wife. Oh those triplets, love them to death, but they'll be the death of me.

Ever commit to something, then when the time comes you say "Oh HELL no!" Yeah, it happens.

And congrats to the lucky couple. Apparently "marriage" is the word of the day.

Monday - drinking pains
Busy at work when when all of a sudden at 1:10pm, "Oww... wtf is this? Oww!"

I only remember having this feeling one other time in my life. So whatever causes it must be very special. The thought then is that if it can cause inexorable pain, does it not possess the ability to do the opposite and cause the heart-bursting levels of joy?

It's a logical falacy. But I think I understand now.

Picked up the phone; decided to make the effort. Then figured the effort was too much and half-assed it.

And for the last time, no I was not drunk tonight... well, I had a nightcap, but that was later on.

Tuesday - wtf x 2
Finishing up a bowl of Bun Bo Hue at 5:55pm... it strikes again. An open window, the Art Institute of Seattle, The Ellen Degeneres Show... wtf is going on?!

Drinking only made it worse. Funny thing? I think I liked it when it got worse. At least it was something, you know?

Amazing cup of hot chocolate.

Wednesday - respect
You have none, yet demand it anyways.

I'm still young gorram it!

I'm beginning to wonder if I have any myself.

Thursday - growth
Free lift tickets at Grouse! Of course, it can't be that simple and they have to run out of both ski and snowboard boots in my size.

Wasn't all bad though. I found out that just like before, I'm still a sucker for a nice Aussie accent. The difference this time? I don't have the excuse of being in a different time zone.

Conversations. I still don't really understand it, but thanks for trying to explain it. I'm sure I'll get it someday. (Actually, I'm not so sure about that)

Took off the bandage. Instead of slapping another on and possibly creating a complication, let it go so that the wound can heal. I'm sure it'll leave a scar, but scars add character!

And so instead of giving in to tempations to regress, I made good on a promise; I picked up the phone.

Cheers

Making you way in the world today
takes everything you've got,
Taking a break from all your worries
sure would help a lot,
Wouldn't you like to get away?

Best TV show theme song in the world.

When I want to get away, where do I go? High up on the mountain tops to play in the snow.

Numbers

14
days until test results come in

9
days until job hunt progress is revealed / days since I made the decision... I think

4.95
dollars under my credit card limit for this month

2
opposing scenarios that I really don't have time for

1
time for your mind, two times if you're tense baby let it unwind

three counts let it bouce to da muthafucking ounce?

I'm no poet

It festered and grew over months
Without warning it bubbled over, and so
I told you.
Revealing myself for a moment
You could see my naked truth, and then
you cut me
And kept a piece for yourself
And now you ask me to wait, to wait
on your reply
Something something yadda doo
To find the what the when the how, the if
I WILL DIE!!!

Ahh, the wonders of modern science. You can pop in for surgery after work and be out before the traffic cop fines your car, but have to wait three freaking weeks for them to play with coloured vials to find out what's going on.

Waiting half naked in a room for what seemed like forever? Uncomfortably comfortable

Local anesthesia that let me witness the doc cutting into me? Very cool

New scar? TBA after I remove the bandage... but assumedly super cool.

Results? Pending.

Egads

Egads. It's going down tomorrow. Putting it all on the line. I need to believe.

BELIEEEEEVE!

They both missed it

What do you want to be?

I don't know. As a kid I wanted to be lots of things. An astronaut, a cowboy, a ninja, a fireman, an author. But as of right now? I haven't the slightest idea.

Let's look at it another way. How about happy? Do you want to be happy?

Well, of course.

Are you sure?

Yeah, I mean, doesn't everybody?

Not necessarily. The way I see it, some people want to be happy while others want to be "not miserable".

What's the difference?

In one, you will actively pursue certain situations in hopes of success. In the latter, you will actively avoid situations in fear of failure. A subtle, but I think important difference. So I'll ask you again, and really think about it this time. Do you want to be happy?

That's quite a loaded question isn't it? I think you're overly simplifying things and drawing presumptuous conclusions again.

I think you're missing the point.

Which is?

... Do you want to be happy?

Dude, shut up.

Deja Vu

Ever do something that seemed to make sense at the time, but in hindsight was the opposite of what you wish you had done?

--

When I first started this blog, it was mainly for myself. A record of thoughts that I could reference in the future. An effort to learn about myself and see the subtle changes that occur over time.

In my last post, I flippantly remarked how my writings from 1997 had the same themes of my current writings. Today, I started writing an entry that seemed eerily similar to one I had written about 11 months ago (My hindsite is 20/80)

Similar, but thankfully not the same. At least not yet. And if I have any say in the matter, things will go different this time.

I believe.

Literary Devices

Rifled through my largish archive of paper last night looking for a past midterm for a friend. Found it, but also found a collection of my poetry from 1997.

Love lost/scorned/won and faux-exoteric ramblings were the main themes. Nice to know I haven't changed much in the last 8 years :P

The thought of posting a sampling crossed my mind, but I think I'll spare you the horror (and myself the embarrassment) unless you really, really want me to (I'm no mind reader, let me know).

On the plus side, it was mostly free-form poetry, which I would like to believe came from a degree of sophistication rather lack of rhyming ability.

Come to think of it, I was given a rhyming dictionary at the time. She said it was to encourage me to keep up my poetry, but maybe it was a hint to write better poetry.

Oh come on, I was 15, what do you expect?
Wait, she was a year younger than me, who was she to judge?
Oh come on, I'm 23, can't I just let it go?

--

I hope I never find my short stories collection that dates back even farther. I remember them as being quite good. I was even published once... kind of. Part of me assumes that if I were to read them today, I'd see myself as quite the hack.

Hmm... looks like I need a little help believing.

Misguided Interpretations

• Richness of medium.

A picture is worth a thousand words. And face-to-face contact is worth so much more. Or rather than "worth" so much more, perhaps I should say "can mean" so much more. Just as the written word can have multiple and hidden meanings in the hands of an adept scribe, so too does face-to-face contact. Body language, tone, and other subtle signals can communicate so much more. But in this process, do messages get confused amidst all the signals? How do you separate the noise from the signal?

Noise is inherent in all communications. Vocal and behavioural ticks and overtones are typically much more difficult to convey in written communications than in person.

Acknowledging this, we need to take into account the medium as well as the audience in all communications in order to deliver a clear message. But what if you want to be subtle and possibly misunderstood? That's fine. But you should still take heed of the medium and audience so that you come off the way you intend.

• Intent.

Does intent matter? Or is it inconsequential to the actual deed? I would put intent secondary to the actual deed.

I only care about why you did it or did not do it after you did it or did not do it.

You dig?

Discussions

Quote of the day:

"Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities."
- Aldous Huxley

I interpret this quote to mean that you shouldn't chase happiness, you should discover it. Happiness in itself is quite a lofty and vague goal. If you can't see the finish line, how are you going to get to it? By chasing after it blindly, you may unknowingly run right by it.

But enough of allusions and metaphors, let's get down to the nitty gritty (sorry).

If you have already discovered what will make you happy, chase it. Chase it with all your might.

--

Speaking of discoveries, had a discussion about art recently. Talked of how artistic technique can be divided into two schools that we termed "expression" and "discovery".

Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime.

Watch this movie (Serenity)

As some of you may know, I am a huge FireFly fan and I loved the movie (Serenity). For those of you who haven't watched Serenity yet, here's a link for the first 9 minutes of the movie. I hope that it will pique your interest. And if you can't find anybody to go to the theatre with you, I'm not adverse to seeing it for a second time.

Although I've been bursting at the seems for a while, wanting to chat somebody up about the movie, I will continue to refrain from posting any spoilers on this blog. Call me up or msg me if you want to talk Serenity, because I certainly do. (I'm like a leaf in the wind... [sniff])

I will however raise some issues I have with the marketing of this movie. Put quite plainly, it sucked.

Edit: Moved rant to comments section. I don't like long posts. And no, I'm not subtley trying to get people to post comments; I'm trying to artificially increase my site hit numbers :P

So to end this overly long post, watch this movie. I guarentee it's better than the trailer implies. Previous knowledge of the tv show is not required for enjoyment, although it would make certain scenes more powerful.

Curby's Believe It or Not

Belief.

A strong belief in something, no matter what it may be, can be a great source of strength. If you watch people who have a strong belief in something, you will be amazed at the feats they are able to do in the name of that belief. Putting a man on the moon, uniting and/or overthrowing nations, even achieving celebrity-status could not have been done if somebody did not truly believe in something, whether an ideal, a goal, or a person.

But what happens when the foundations of your belief are shaken? Does your strength wane? Do you irrationally try to justify your belief? Have you now lost your strength and direction, wandering aimlessly now until you can renew your belief in something else? None of these scenarios is particularly ideal.

Following this way of thinking, one may want to put their belief to only that which is irrefutable, or that which if happens prove to be false... well... things would suck so much that wandering aimlessly doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

So what are these things that we can put undying faith in? How about yourself? Descartes' A Discourse on the Method talks of how when all uncertainties are removed, all that remains is yourself as a thinking... thing.

"I think therefore I am"

If you believe in yourself - truly and wholey believe in yourself, your existence, your worth - you will be able to accomplish amazing things by drawing on strength that can never be taken away from you.

Believe it.

Oh sh--!

You're a diaper.

Excuse me?

You're a diaper.

Alright... And how does that work?

You said that you'd support and help me whenever I came across a load that I couldn't handle myself.
You promised me no leaks; you said I could trust you with anything.
You promised to luvs me and said you would pampers me with huggies.
But now in the end I find that you are just full of shit.

True, I am just about full of your shit.

Add ice to salsa and a dash of vagueness

So after years of talk, I finally had my first salsa lesson from Karen last night. Had fun. Doing it again.

The goal? Eventually rid my inhibitions and work my way up to the hip-hugging goodness of bachata.

Art galleries, orchestras, and dancing... what's happening to me?

In other news, CANUCKS WON THEIR SEASON OPENER BABY!

[ahem]

In yet other news, I wrote a short essay on confusion that arises from attempts of subtlety. Then I deleted it. I decided that aside from the stated message of differing interpretations necessitating clarity in communication, my ulterior message was, ironically, too subtle.

So in plain language I'll say it.

Only a part of me doesn't want to lose.

(Irony!)

Remixed Movie Trailers

I don't know how some people can claim that The Shining is one of the best horror flicks around. It looks like a family friendly movie to me.

On the other hand, I'd say the frightful streets in West Side Story seems like a new take on zombie movies while Titanic is a standard horror flick.

(Apparently, all three come from "an assistants competition in recutting a trailer of a movie in a different genre". I've traced the links back to this blog (see Sept 29, and Sept 26). So credit where credit's due)

Bruce Lee & Cat Fights

Have you seen Bruce Lee's 1964 screen test? Dizzamn! Too fast for the camera!

Random Bruce Lee fact: Bruce Lee was the Cha Cha Champion of Hong Kong in 1958. He worked part time as a Cha Cha instructor for a short time when he returned to San Francisco in April 1959.

--

Kitten War! How can you people say dogs are better than cats?


The wonderful thing about Tiggers, is that Tiggers are wonderful things...


"I'd like it wrapped up, please"

New record?

Three days.

They say "nothing lasts forever," I know that and I'm fine with that. But who would have thought three bloody days (and 5 hours).

Fucking eh, eh? Eh.

Entertainment Value

There's a new Grow puzzle game over at Eyemaze called Grow Cube. Took me about 30 minutes to solve it, but I was loved it every second. I blogged about other Eyemaze puzzle games previously.

Speaking of games, I'm an adventure game junkie and one that I'm particularly looking forward to is Indigo Prophesy (AKA Fahrenheit outside of North America). Played the demo, and I'm very intrigued.

Still on the topic of awesome stuff, Serenity is coming out on Friday September 30th. It apparently continues the story of one of my all time favourite TV series, Firefly (which Fox in its infinite wisdom cancelled after showing only nine episodes out of sequence).

Let me make this clear now: If this movie isn't a resounding box office hit, and I find out that you did not pay for a movie ticket to go watch this movie, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND GUT YOU IN REEVER-LIKE FASHION! No power in the 'verse can stop me!

If you ask nicely, I may lend out my DVD version of the series.

And if you can sing the song of the Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne, forgive me if I say I think you're awful shiney and want to bear your man babies.

(Hooray for Firefly references!)

Teach a man to fish...

I keep talking to others about how you should not expect change to occur overnight, yet I'm guilty of doing the same. I suppose what I should be preaching is that only expecting change does very little to enact change. If you want the change to happen, you should be proactive about it; meet it head on.

-- Posted May 2, 2005 (link)

I don't need a helping hand so much as I need motivation. I know this. I want this. Yet I don't do it.

Could it be I don't exactly know how?

Somebody teach me to fish.

* * * * *

Why do you like dirty things?

It's not dirty, it's "rustic". I think it's cool.

Given a little more thought, a rustic appearance gives me the feeling that it's been lived in... used, if you will. As if it had a purpose, fulfilled it, and is now taking a well deserved rest from the pristine regulations and requirements that previously commanded it. I suppose I see it as the symbolic representation of an ideal progression through the various phases of life.

Where others see dirt and rust, I see analogies and opportunities for self-righteous philosophying.

I believe I've partaken of this fish too often; I need to learn to catch another kind.

Deliberate Deliberations

I'm tired.

You're always tired, man.

Yeah, but not for much longer, though. I think I'm started to get tired of it.

Get tired of what?

Of getting tired.

What?

Don't you ever get tired of being tired? You know... so tired of being tired all the time that you instead start to be energized?

Dude... what?

It's like when I get tired of eating Fruit Loops all the time, I'll switch to Raisin Bran or Frosted Flakes. I figure once I get tired of being tired, I'll switch to being energized.

Do you even listen to yourself speak anymore?

Of course, I suppose I'll eventually get tired of being energized and move on to being angry or irritated... maybe even switching back to tired if the others don't work out. Don't mess with what works, that's what they say, right?

Do you ever get tired of being a jerk-wad?

... Sometimes.

Crazy going slowly am I

Ever feel like just going crazy? Just because?

I feel like running down the street, greeting people with "Porkchop" and asking them, "Have your fingers ever tasted a cylindrical song that is quite tightly yellow?"

I imagine some people may look at me funny, or try not to look at me at all. While others would ask what is wrong with me.

To which I would reply, "Fish"

Then may then proceed to point at various things that my eye stumbles upon and rename their colours with words like "blellow", "grink", and "foosball".

I imagine that I would be quite fond of the colour, "foosball".

Foosball. Ever say a word so much that it loses meaning? Foosball. Foooooooosball.

Inner Monologue Exposé!

Sometimes people ask me what's on my mind. I usually reply with a "nothing, really" or a "don't worry about it."

Here are a few thoughts that passed through my head this last week:

Watching TV:

I hate Tweety Bird. I hate Tweety Bird with a passion and the only reason I watched Looney Toons as a child was for the small glimmer of a dream that Sylvester would finally get his paws on Tweety and him shut up for good.

On the road:

If I swerve off the road... would that shut him up? No, his bitching would probably just get worse.

Unless it's such a fantastic collision that at least one of us bites it. Then either he won't be able to talk or I won't be able to listen!

Genius!

Wait a minute... what if we both bite it and I end up listening to him for all eternity?

...

Better not risk it.

Over dinner:

I wonder if jamming this chopstick in my ear would be too subtle of a hint.

Over another dinner:

Don't stare at her breasts, don't stare at her breasts, don't stare at her breasts, don't stare at her breasts, don't stare at her breasts, don't stare at her breasts, don't stare at her breasts, don't stare at her breasts, don't stare at her breasts...

...

Okay, just a quick peek...

Rollerblading the seawall:

If I were a piece of wood, what kind of wood would I be?

Moving day:

[Rocking out to various songs in my head]

Is someone getting the best,
the best, the best, the best of you
(Best of You - Foo Fighters)

Mr. Jones and me tell each other fairy tales
and we stare at the beautiful women
She's looking at you...
Oh no no she looking at me
(Mr Jones - Counting Crows)

Dream on, Dream on, Dream on, Dream on,
Dream on, Dream on, Dream on, AAAHHHHHhhhHhhHHhhHhh!
(Dream On - Aerosmith)

At work:

...
...
...

I'm really not that bright or interesting.

Double Entendres of Ordered Randomness

I'm
missing the point? yeah, that happens.
Something has changed and Not for the better,
maybe
it's Nothing but
you should always read between the lines.

Water balloon mayhem

Control yourself people. I almost ruined a perfectly good pink shirt!

You heard me, PINK!

Float like a butterfly...

On Friday, I attended the free open-air VSO concert at Deer Lake with Najin. Good performance, although being an open-air concert, everything was played through speakers, which really can't compare to hearing an orchestra perform in an acoustically designed hall.

Of note (because these were the only ones I recognized) were their renditions of some Tchaikovsky pieces and a selection from Carmen.

Also, 16 year old Christopher Lee from Korea performed a clarinet solo punctuated by lots of bobbing-shadow-boxing-type movements. Just when you thought he'd stop... he'd bob again. Hehe, "bob". Took a video of it, I'll see if I get around to posting it later. All kidding aside, though, he was really very good.

And as a warning to you all, resist the temptation of "fresh cut french fries". They really aren't as good as they sound. Sure, I finished off one and a half large trays of them... but remember who's talking. That itself doesn't say much.

[Rant] Break a fu.cking leg

You know what annoys me? People who say "good luck" annoy me.

Not only is it cliche and shows no imagination and very little effort on part of the person saying it, but it also implies that if you should succeed or do well then it is a result of chance, not merit.

Whenever I hear, "good luck," I assume the stipend of, "you'll need it". The implication is that your abilities either aren't up to par or your abilities don't matter. With the former, it's just an insult. With the latter, your success or failure is a function of luck or fate and not any thing particular that you did. And as you may know, I am a firm disbeliever in fate.

So what do I suggest as an alternative to "good luck"? How about "go kick some ass".

Have an important game or test coming up? Go kick some ass!

Have an interview tomorrow? Go kick some ass!

Hitting up a girl at the bar? Go kick some ass!

Trying to train a stubborn donkey? Go kick some ass!

Go kick some ass!

Or for something a little more civilized, an "I hope you do well" would suffice. Sure, you can read some implications in that phrase as well (lack of understanding of the person's skills or situation, hope => pray => you need some outside help) but I think it's an improvement over "good luck".

Or how about "You can DO IT!"

That works too.

You're not "special"!

So I've been using my PocketPC (Dell Axim X3) pretty religiously for the last 4 months, keeping track of appointments, contacts, and whatnot. Well, for the last 4 months minus three days. Three days that my axim lay sitting on top of my desk... not plugged in.

And for the third time in a year (you'd think I'd learn) my axim ran out of battery power and I LOST ALL MY DATA!

Running out of battery power I can understand. Designing a device that stores information in volatile RAM when it's a mobile device that most assuredly won't have continual access to an external power supply is one of the most retarded ideas I can think of.

That's right, not "special". Just retarded.

Yes, I have a working, up-to-date backup of my data, but spending the time and effort to roll out the data is more than I'm willing to take. When I was backpacking through Europe, there were a few near scares when I had to sneak quick charges at trainstations for fear of losing my data. Well, no more I can tell you that.

Pen and paper. That's the shit.

(Anybody out there interested in a Dell Axim X3? Despite my glowing review, it's actually pretty cool and useful! Really!)

The Beautiful Country (Movie Impressions)

I saw The Beautiful Country yesterday at Tinseltown (which, by the way... on second thought, I'll save this rant for another day).

It follows the story of Binh (Damien Nguyen), child of a Vietnamese mother and an American GI, as he searches for his mother, and then for a life in America. And while some loose threads are unresolved by the end, the final scene is very satisfying.

I did, however, have 2 problems with the movie.

Being Vietnamese myself, I understood most of the Vietnamese dialog and can say with some authority that the subtitling was terrible. If it was only couple lines here and there I would have forgiven it, but for the majority of the first act, Vietnamese was the only language spoken. I understand that translations are inherently difficult, especially going from languages that are completely unrelated. Differing idioms, sentence structure, and wordplay wreak havoc when trying to do a translation true to the original. Often what you end up with is something that is either all too literal to the meanings of individual words, or something that has taken a few liberties to try and maintain the spirit and convey the same meaning of the original work. What we had in The Beautiful Country was neither.

Most all lines were streamlined and simplified to 2 or 3 word sentences. Some lines took a lot of strayed so far from the actual spoken words that I had to scratch my head. And other lines weren't subtitled at all.

I've heard of bad dubbing/translations before, but what I don't understand is how this could happen when the people credited with the writing and directed are all Caucasion.

The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that the writers had some brief notes that were given to a Vietnamese dialog specialist to flesh out, and through miscommunication or time/budgetary concerns, those brief notes ended up being used as the subtitles.

The other problem I had was with a certain plot element. What kind of crazy ship sails from Malasia to New York, fricken New York. Instead of going across the Pacific to some sane destination like Los Angelos, let's take the scenic route below Africa and across the Atlantic. If the writers really wanted to have Binh in New York (although the story didn't really need New York. Any major metropolitan city in America would have sufficed), have the boat land on a Pacific Rim dock and then have the slave trucks drive him over.

Okay, maybe a third problem is that I don't understand people's fascination with China-Doll type women. Don't understand it, probably never will.

Other than these two (and a half) points, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. A friend said it was too slow paced, but I thought the pacing was fine. It's a drama, not a popcorn-action flick. Be glad it wasn't Dragonball Z proportions of epic sucky pacing.

Global W(Arr!)ming...

Recently found a link to hilarious satirical open letter to the kansas school board that advocates teaching the FSM (Flying Spagetti Monster) theory of ID (Intelligent Design) alongside evolution and other ID theories in schools.

Now I'm not going to get into the debate of the merits of ID as a scientific theory to be taught in schools, but rather I'd like to focus on another issue that was touched on in this open letter.

The trend of global warming is inversely related to the number of pirates!



You know what this means, the pirates have been losing ground over hundreds of years to their mortal enemies... the ninja.

For the sake of the world... for the sake of the children, we need more pirates. And we need them now.

Arr, matey!

VS

Patterns in life

Looking over my SFU transcript, and alarming pattern emerged.

Every year, my marks would peak in the Summer semester before taking a drastic fall in the Fall semester.

Every.
Single.
Year.

I even made a chart to illustrate the point:


Okay, so 2004 doesn't follow the pattern exactly since summer semester isn't the highest that year, but that was the only semester that I only took one course, so let's consider it an anomaly. But the Fall semester is still my worst GPA wise.

Delving back, summer-time is when I had lots of distractions from my school work, and fall semester was always the semester I promised myself that I'd crack down and get serious about school.

So what have I learned from this? Don't try so hard. I do my best when I'm not trying. It's when I try my best that everything goes in the crapper. Best intentions and all that jazz?

In other words, motivated underachievement works!

(or it could be related to taking on a larger workload and more intensive courses during the Fall. Who really knows...)

[Rant] The 7 Habits of Highly Effective CSR's (or, "Would you like some bread sticks, too?")

Is it too much to ask for people not to half-ass their jobs?

When ordering a pizza, I've become annoyed with the CSR's too such a point where I'm sure there are nasty comments on my file. Call me crazy if it's not reasonable to expect a modicum of competency from people who's sole job is to answer the fucking phone.

In the past, I worked at a Pizza chain's call centre for three years. I heard it all; the horror stories CSR's have to tell about customers are endless and, sadly, mostly true. However, it goes both ways. While you can get a bad customer, there are also lots of poor CSR's out there.

Here's a few tips on how to be a decent CSR and not have customers bitching at you.

1) Don't answer the phone as if it's a terrible inconvenience.

Pardon me if I interrupted your reading time or your card game with the CSR next to you. Your job is to take calls, dingus. Your supervisor (should) have told you, "You can hear a smile through a phone," and believe it or not, it's not just corporate bullshit, it's true. Speech tones are infectious, so if you sound nice and helpful, chances are the customer on the other end will try to do the same. (Hmm... on that note, maybe I shouldn't have called you a dingus.)

2) LISTEN to what the customer on the line says.

If I ask what specials you have tonight, I don't want to have to give you my phone number and address before you answer my question. I understand that the order taking system you use may require that information before actually placing the order, but that's no reason for not being able to answer simple questions that have nothing to do with delivery time or price.

Also, if I order a pizza with capicollo and sun-dried tomatoes, that's what I want. If I end up getting a pizza with capicollo and diced tomatoes, I'm not a happy customer.

3) Know what you're talking about

If I ask you what size your large pizza is, your next sentence shouldn't start with "I think..." and it sure as hell better not have a "maybe" in it. While thinking is fine, guessing is not. If you don't know it off the top of your head, a simple "If you give me a moment I can find out," (with the intention of following through on it) can do wonders. "It depends," accompanied by a (mandatory) quantifying phrase is also acceptable.

4) Don't leave me in the dark

If it's going to take a minute or two to find the information to answer my question or process my order, tell me.

If you're going to put me on hold for over 5 minutes, tell me.

If there's a way to make things go smoother for both you and me, tell me.

If your quoted price doesn't include delivery, taxes, or other charges, tell me.

If you're going to call me back, tell me. Especially if the order won't go through until you get back in touch with me. It may be another number you need to dial to reach me, or the party/game/music may be too loud to hear the phone unless I'm expecting it.

Related to this, we have the fifth item...

5) Don't pass the buck

If you don't tell me that you're going to call me back, and you can't reach me because I turned off my phone or some other such business, who's fault is that? Any CSR worth her/his salt would not say it's the customer's. Did you tell me you were going to call back? Did you confirm the phone number? And when did the 30 minutes or less timer start? Common sense would indicate that, unless indicated otherwise, it starts exactly the moment you said it. Not 2 minutes after the call back confirmation.

And if I call back to complain about this or anything else, don't imply that it's my fault, don't say it's some other CSR, or the because of the computer. Just make strides to fix my problem. Chances are, I'm more interested in a resolution than playing the blame game.

6 & 7) Do your fucking job

It's your gad-damned job. You voluntarily applied for this job. Please, have some self-respect, pride, and common sense to do your job well. If not for my benefit or the benefit of the customers, then for yourself. It can make customers more helpful and your job easier. A good recommendation and employment history can result as well.

And if not to better yourself, then do the above to spite all those idiot customers you're bound to get. If I never hear somebody ask the price for a 2 topping pizza, then order a 4 topping specialty pizza and complain why it's more expensive than the price I quoted, it'll be too soon.

Or people trying to redeem coupons that they don't really have.

Or customers who think they're so smart and knowledgeable about the system.

God, customers piss me off.

(I'm aware of the irony!)

Grow RPG

Grow was a Flash puzzle game I stumbled upon a while ago. The basic premise is to keep adding gadgets to a ball for it to continually grow and evolve. Certain gadgets have more growth phases than others, and certain growth phases have prerequisites, so using a little bit of grey matter and a lot of trial and error, you have to find the precise order that will evolve the ball into it's complete form.

Confusing? Just give it a try, you'll understand.

But the reason I mention it is that the maker has made a semi-sequal titled Grow RPG. Same premise, different animations and objects, but still amazingly addictive. Maybe even more so than the original.



Figuring the right order is all of the fun, so try not to spoil yourselves by Googling the solution. If you want a bit of a hint, I've taken screen shots of the end solution for both games:

Grow end shot
Grow RPG end shot

Edit: Fixed up unfinished thoughts and half-completed sentences. I used to be able to write coherently on the first try, I swear!

Milky Way : Home Galaxy for the Hopelessly Addicted BBS'er

Press ESC twice to blast off to the Milkyway...

If you were in Greater Vancouver and a fellow BBS'er in the 90's, this phrase should bring up memories; it was the load screen for arguably the most popular local BBS at the time, The Milky Way. I spent a good chunk of the mid to late nineties playing LORD, that Lemonade Stand game, and posting away in the message boards. While I went under many guises, Padishar was the handle most people knew me as.

It made highschool a little more fun and added a little diversity into the mix, allowing me to meet many cool local people in the pre-internet boom era. Milky Way was probably also the main factor in my leaning towards computers and technology and away from soccer and sports. Good or bad? Well, while I claim to be half-decent at soccer (Junior Boys MVP, baby!) I doubt I could have made a career out of it.

The reason for this nostalgia is that the sysop of my once favourite BBS recently passed away. Should I mourn? Should I grieve? Would it be insincere to do so for somebody you barely knew? Instead I will choose to remember the joys that you made possible. Well wishes, Pdk. I hope you knew what joy your BBS and actions brought to many lives.

Gary Golf strikes again!

I was doing some cleaning when I happened upon my copy of SimGolf. I remembered loving this game way back when, so I decided to reinstall it for nostalgia's sake.

Now I remember why I uninstalled it.

This game has taken over my life.



Damn you Sid Meier! At the end of last year it was your remake of Pirates! that had me consumed. Let's just be glad I didn't pull out that other classic Sid Meier game I have in my closet, namely Alpha Centauri. I'd never see sunlight ever again. (never got into the Civilization series, but Alpha Centauri was pure turn-based heroin as far as I'm concerned)

SimGolf NEEDS a sequel. It DEMANDS a sequel. Or at the very least, a remake in the vein of Pirates!

Alright, now that I've gotten that off my chest, it's back to boozing and schmoozing I.M. Picky and Ivanna Richman. Gotta keep expanding my golf course and buy that snazzy airport!

(Somebody... for the love of all that is holy, help me kick this habit!)

Better late than never

I compiled all my Europe trip related bloggings here. I told some people that I would be doing this as well as annotating them with the appropriate pictures and comments... but what can I say. Look at the title of this blog!

I also added an RSS link to the right for those that are interested in such things and didn't know where to find it. I know I told some people that I was planning some significant changes in design and layout, but I think this is the extent of it for the near future. Once again, I refer you to the title of this blog.

Maybe I'll get around to all that extraneous stuff some other time.

Maybe.

Pot Committed

I'm all in. How about you?

A shiver races down his spine. While he likes how things have gone thus far, being forced to show his hand is giving him second thoughts. "Is she bluffling?" he wonders. "What if what I've got isn't strong enough to last?" He doesn't want to make the bet, and yet he's already pot committed. He has to go all in... doesn't he? He looks in her eye as the words stumble from his mouth:

I'm out.

What a doofus. Be a man. Do the right thing!

Street Fighter Salsa

Ever wonder if Ryu and Chun Li of Street Fighter fame ever got together? And if they did, ever wonder if they would take up salsa dancing? Well, wonder no more.

Just bike the stick to the east. Uhh... I mean, click on the link below.

Link (11 MB)

I'm BATMAN! (updated)

You must see Batman Begins. Now. Seriously, get off your ass and watch it. If you've already seen it, go see it again. It's that damn good.

• Best superhero movie I've ever seen? Yes.
• Best action movie I've seen in years? Yes.
• Best damned movie I've seen in years? Hell yes!

For all the people who looked at me weird when I said the first Spiderman wasn't a great movie, Batman Begins is what every superhero movie should aspire to be. This wasn't an action movie that happened to have Batman in it; this was The Batman movie. Also, this was the first movie since the original Matrix that made me want to grab the person next to me and exclaim, "This is fucking awesome!" but wasn't able to because I was too engrossed in the awesomeness of said movie. (Hope I didn't just jinx the franchise)

Christian Bale is such an awesome Batman (giving Keaton a run for his money), and by far the best Bruce Wayne of all the movie incarnations.

Johnny Depp was an amazing Scarecrow (although like Kevin Spacey, I have a genetic bias to love anything the man does on film); Liam Neeson was awesome (as expected) as Ducard, and Michael Caine as Alfred was almost too perfect.

(update: Thanks, Kare, for pointing out it's actually Cillian Murphy, not Johnny Depp in the role of Scarecrow. But I'll be damned if I'm the only one who thinks they could be twins)

I was, however, disappointed with Ken Watanabe's role as Ra's Al Gul. No major spoilers here, but I was hoping he'd get more screen time than he did.

The fight scenes, although jerky, I thought were great for their purpose. The quick cuts styling lent weight to the whole fear/chaos concept, although I wish the Batman/Ra's Al Gul fight scene near the end should have been filmed smoother and with the camera pulled back a bit as to showcase their mastery over their own fears. But maybe I was reading too much into the fight scene cinematography.

Biggest thing that irked me concerned the Batman / Rachel (Katie Holmes) dynamic. And no, it wasn't Katie Holmes' acting (although she was terribly outclasses by most everybody else). My beef had to do with one action Batman took that seemed against his believes. I did, however, like how their relationship was resolved in the end. Again, no big spoilers, just go see the movie for yourself.

The only other small quirk I had about the movie is that the Batmobile wasn't as cool looking. Although I can forgive it since the tank fit so well into the ethos and storytelling of the movie.

Bottom line? I loved this movie. And that's not a word I throw around lightly.




Oh, and the sequel better have a proper looking Batmobile.

There's always room to haggle

For anybody interested in a subscription to the Vancouver Sun, I just got the phone callers to drop their quoted rate to $9.99 / month which includes the Vancouver Sun and access to their pay online services.

Here's how it went down:

Dude calls me up and offers a promotional rate of $17 a month. I said no; the student rate I paid before was alot cheaper.

He then offered to match the price he had on file, $14/month, with the ability to freeze the rate at this price for as long as I continue the subscription. I still said no. There was a reason I dropped the subscription before at that price point.

As a last resort, he offered a price of $9.99/month which included access to their pay online services, also with the ability to freeze this rate for as long as I continue to subscription. While vaguely tempting, I still said no.

Now the person I talked to claimed he was one of the supervisors and so had the power to authorize these discounts. He also said that these prices are strictly only available with outbound calls (they call you, not you call them).

So keep the $9.99 price in mind if somebody from the Sun calls and you have an interest in receiving a newspaper instead of getting all your information through other means.

--

I suppose the lesson is that there's always room to haggle, especially for services. Just don't be a jerk about it; nobody likes to give a jerk a free ride. A few other situations where I was able to receive a lower price come to mind:

• Buying golf clubs? I got Riverside golf to give me what worked out to be about a 20% discount when I bought a set of clubs for Christmas. Granted, they were used clubs, so that may have made a difference.
  
  
• Going to the orchestra? When I was in Vienna I bought some tickets to the orchestra from a street vendor. Convinced him to throw in a free drink (wrote a note on the back of the ticket and signed it).
  
  
• Switching phone providers? When I left Fido some years ago, they offered to give me 2 months on my current plan for free as well as a new cell phone. I stayed with Fido for another 2 months before I switched to Rogers.

Johnson must bike this box.

After I biked this box, I was biking for seven hours. It's a purple stick! Purple I bike! Purple!

(Bike on the stick to the east.)

Stick

Polish girls and big butts (updated)

Apparently, if you put in:

poland girls americans

into Yahoo!, my blog is the first entry that appears.

If you put in:

"i like big butts and I cannot lie" +cd

into AltaVista, my blog is the second entry.

Is this representative of how people see me? Nothing on my mind other than Polish girls and big butts?

...

Okay, you got me there.


update: I'm also in the top 15 results in Yahoo! when you type in:

siofok and nude

Damn, the internet has disected the inner workings of my mind in horrifyingly accurate fashion.

Independent World Television

A friend recently pointed this out to me.

Regular cable subscribers don't get Fox News here in Canada, (although that may soon change) but with issues of corporate and political bias in media even in Canada (with CanWest Global's virtual monopoly) and the proported lack of investigative journalism in today's news coverage, this just may be what the doctor ordered.

http://www.iwtnews.com/birthofanetwork

Some info straight from their website:

The Problem

Serious news and full-spectrum debate -- on which democracy depends -- are disappearing from television. Across the globe, news media are concentrated in the hands of a few entertainment conglomerates whose interests determine news coverage. They promote superficial "infotainment" over tough investigation, context and holding authority accountable. Public broadcasters face shrinking budgets and growing political and commercial pressures.

The Solution

We need a news and current affairs network that defends the public interest and the highest standards of journalism. Independent World Television will be such a network, a non-profit broadcast service financed by viewers across the globe -- independent of corporate or government funding and commercial advertising.

I like the concept behind this, but it's much too early to tell if they'll be able to deliver on their promises. Something about the teaser video strikes me a little... off. I think it's mostly the editing and some of the visuals they decided to show. I hope it doesn't end up being a left-wing propaganda machine to counteract a right-wing bias perceived in other media.

Perhaps I'm being too cinical. I've browsed the site a bit and they do seem genuine and able to pull it off with the clout and credibility of the media personalities associated with it.

Time will tell. If nothing else, I hope it takes off as an example of community funded movement.

[What if] Changes

Everything changes

Everything? You've heard the cliches: The times have changed. Things change. People change. But does everything really change? What about the laws of physics? Will Heisenburg be able to one day not resent knowing the exact momentum of his car keys? (Quantum physics joke. See: Heisengburg's uncertainty principal)

What if the laws of physics, which form the very structure of our existence, are not constant but are changing over time? What would this mean? What once was deemed impossible, now is in the realm of possibility. On the flip side, things that were possible in the past may not be anymore.

What if these changes happened extremely rapidly? Instead of slight changes over millenia, what is possible changes daily. A tantalizingly chaotic world where each new day really is filled with unlimited possibilities.

Leap tall buildings in a single bound? Sure, why not?

Dance on rays of sunlight? Did it yesterday.

Walk through a wormhole to the other side of the galaxy? Maybe tomorrow.

A few years ago, I might have ran with this idea and develop it into a short story or essay of some kind. Today, I'll just blog it and file it in my mind under "pointless time waster" along with my plans of a pilot for a Friends spin-off based on Gunther (which they should have done originally instead of a Joey spin-off.)

You're missing the point

It's just like that, don't worry about it.

You don't have to worry about it, but if you see a deficiency or vulnerability, you should at least try to address it.

Of course, while inertia is nothing to rave about, neither is making assumptions.

Oh, and people should take their own advice, too.

Picture time (Updated)

I promised I wouldn't spam my address book about my Europe trip, so you'll have to get the links here. It's on ImageStation, so if you don't have an account, you'll have to sign up. Sorry, but this was the easiest way for me to upload over a gigabyte worth of pictures in one go.

London, England
Basel, Switzerland & Germany/France Road Trip
Interlaken, Switzerland & Surrounding Area
Lucerne, Switzerland
Zurich, Switzerland
Innsbruck, Austria & Swarovski Krystallwelten
Munich, Germany & Dachau Concentration Camp
Schloss Neuschwanstein (Disney inspiration castle)
Vienna, Austria
Cesky Krumlov & Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic
Dresden, Germany
Krakow, Poland & Salt Mines
Berlin, Germany


And as a bonus for reading my blog... a few shots of my Convocation this last Friday. Just a few since my camera died on me.

Update (2:57pm): Changed the links to "invitations" so that you don't have to sign up with imagestation if you don't want to.

Back in Canada

Well, I'm back in Canada now. Pictures are coming soon; there's about a gigabyte worth that I have to upload, so please be patient with me. But first things first, let me recap the last bit of my Europe trip:

Location: Krakow, Poland
Duration: 1 night, 1 day

Ended up sleeping at the train station when I couldn't find suitable (read: cheap and convenient) accomodations. I wasn't alone in my overnight vigil, surrounded by dozens of other campers. Having locked my bags up in a locker at the station and staked out a spot on an indoor benches with my pillow, I had no real complaints.

I decided that I didn't have enough time to tour both Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mines the next day while still making my overnight train to Berlin that night. Having already visited the Dachau concentraion camp, I figured I should vary my experiences by attending the salt mines. The salt mines were quite the spectacle (and a reprieve from the 35 degree weather) with statues and a large underground cathedral carved out of salt crystals.

Location: Berlin, Germany
Duration: 3 days, 2 nights

Berlin was great, even if the weather was rather poor (cloudy, rainy, windy). I wholeheartedly recommend taking the New Berlin FREE Walking Tour to start things off. It's a quick visit to most of the major tourist attractions, and the guides will give you great commentary on its historical and pop-culture significance... or at least my guide did. Jesse was his name, if you ever get the chance to try it. Apparently Munich has a similar free walking tour, but I didn't get the chance to go on it.

Being my last free night in Europe, I decided to go on one of those organised pub crawls. Met a bunch of Canadians (we're everywhere!) and we hit 4 bars and 2 clubs that night. Got shitfaced and woke up in a strange bed in a strange hostel.

Fun times.

Location: London, Great Britain
Duration: 1 night

I didn't have time to see the town as I did when I first arrived in Europe, so not much to say other than it cost me about $50 Canadian to take the train from one airport (Luton) to the other (Gatwick) at midnight. Of all the airports and trainstations I've slept at (Dresden, Krakow, Luton), Gatwick was the nicest and most comfortable.

The airport was packed with sleepers and all the best spots (on cushy couches and chairs) were already taken by the time I got there, but luckily I ran into somebody who had a 2am flight and gave me their spot. Two funky shaped soft cushioned chairs that formed an elongated bowl for me to sleep in, and the bottom made for great storage since the only way somebody could take my bags (or even see them) was to separate the two chairs that I would be laying on.

Shopped the duty-free looking for some last minutes gifts and souvenirs, but before I had a chance to buy anything, I saw the screens say that my flight was closing boarding. After a mad dash to my departure gate, I find that they weren't even to begin letting people on the plane for another 45 minutes.

Stupid lying TV screens.

Location: Wandering the wispy, westerly winds
Duration: 11 hours 15 minutes

Hitch, Spanglish, and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events were the films shown on my flight heading home.

Hitch was enjoyable enough, although some of the dialogue (especially near the beginning) was hard to swallow. I liked Spanglish - a story that had a focus around a mother-daughter dynamic - even though it was a total chick flick. Lemony Snicket's, however, has got to be one of the worst movies I've seen. From the poor dialogue, trite plot devices, unlikable characters (all of the adults), and an overall tone that tried to be clever but I saw as just plain stupid, the only redeaming quality of the movie would be the costumes and set design. I realize it's based of a children's book, but that doesn't mean I can't call it a bad movie.

I read the first few pages of the book it's based on when the movie first came out (as a potential gift to a grade-school teacher friend), and the writing style annoyed the heck out of me. I can appreciate the attempt at a more personable, conversational style, as if telling the story in person in front of a group of crowded children, but I hated the tone and style of the narrator.

I suppose I am in the minority since it is apparently a hugely popular series that will be releasing its 12th book later this year. All I can say is that if I paid money to see it in the theatre, I would demand it back with a little extra for wasting my time.

Location: Vancouver, Canada
Duration: A good while, but hopefully not forever

The strangest thing I saw when I got back home was my room. It hadn't changed since I had left, but just the fact that there was but a single bed, and my personal artifacts could be seen all over the room just struck me as being wierd.

After a month of staying in hostel dorms, train stations, and airports, having my own room just felt out of place.

In Krakow, Poland

Location: Krakow, Poland
Local Time: 11pm

Alright, here comes a recap. This may very well be my last update from Europe before I make my connecting flights back to Vancouver this Wednesday.

Location: Cesky Krumlov, Česká Republika
Duration: 1 day, 1 night

A great small city perfect for relaxing. Had all the quaint appeal of a small town with all the requirements of a backpacker. At the train station I bunch of us English speakers huddled together for security as we searched for a hotel. I'm not one to bash on Americans (except for fun) but the two American girls in our group personified the stereotype of self-absorbed, bitchy, "why-the-hell-don't-these-people-speak-english" tourists.

The first hostel we went to, which everybody besides me had made reservations for, was fully booked. Because everybody in our group got into town a lot later than anticipated (about 4 or 5 hours), all their rooms had already been given away to other people. Contrast the way the Americans dealt with it compared to the Canadian and 3 Australians in our group. After initial attempts at working a deal (which wasn't going to happen unless the receptionist kicked out somebody from there room... which quickly became apparent that he would not do), the Canadian and Australians worked with the receptionist to find other accomodations in the city. The American girls on the other hand, complained and complained and complained some more. Arguing that they shouldn't have to stick to the "time of arrival" field they filled out with the booking agent, and the 2-hour leeway advertised on the website should be a 1 day leeway instead. Because that's only reasonable that you don't stick to formerly agreed to terms :rolls eyes:

Now I can understand being annoyed at the situation, especially when the booking agent (hostelworlds.com i think in this case) charges your credit card for missing a booking. But come on.

After we all moved to another hostel with room, I didn't see the American girls again, which is fine with me. Had a great time with the Canadian (from Winnipeg who is part of the campaign to bring the NHL back to town) and an Aussie who works in the UK doing project management.

Good beers, good scenery, good times.

Location: Ceske Budejovice, Česká Republika
Duration: 1 day

Home of the Budweiser brewery. Not the piss-water Bud we get in North America, but a good tasting Czech lager. Went on a tour and tour guide let me pour my own beer straight from the storage kegs. She kept telling me to drink more. I think she was trying to get me drunk, which under normal circumstances would be fine because she was hot. But there were 6 other people in the tour and I don't perform for crowds ;P

Location: Praha, Česká Republika
Duration: 3 Days, 3 Nights

Did I end up regretting booking three nights at Travellers in Prague? Not at all. Met some great people in that dorm. Not everybody shared my appreciation as one night we had this one guy with what is described as sleep apnea, resulting in really loud, inconsistant snoring. I had been drinking and smoking Shisha (flavoured tobacco) the day before, so I slept right through it.

Made a day trip to Kutna Hora to see the Church of Bones. 40,000 bones - or the bones of 40,000 people, I forget which - were used as decoration inside the church. Quite a morbid, but uniquely interesting, site.

Also, being outside of Prague, we were able to get a good Czech meal for a fraction of the cost. Lunch for 4 people in Kutna Hora was about the same price one person paid for dinner in Prague.

Location: Dresden, Germany
Duration: 2 Days, 1 Night

The days I was in Dresden had to be the hottest days of my trip. Took the opportunity to sunbathe a while in the tall grass next to the river. I didn't realize how large Dresden is. I was prepared for a small town like Cesky Krumlov, instead I get a city where I go to beer gardens (sadly with no 1 litre beers like in Munich), shopping, and movie theatres.

Watching Star Wars Episode 3 in German with a couple of Austrailians? Priceless.

Of course it wasn't all good. I lost my Timmy Ho mug... and me and another dorm mate swear it must have been these other people in our dorm that "mistakenly" took it with them when they checked out.

To make matters worse, I meant to make Dresden my base as I made a few day trips to nearby cities and sites, but there was not a single dorm bed available in the entire city after my first night.

I then decided to have an adventure and jump on an overnight train somewhere. France, Italy, Greece, and Amsterdam all crossed my mind, but since I had to be in Berlin in a few days, I decided somewhere closer: Krakow, Poland, which was on my initial itinerary.

If you've been an avid reader of my blog, you'll know that I cut Poland from my trip because of passport reasons. Technically, I shouldn't be allowed in because my passport isn't valid for at least 6 months. At this point I didn't really care. Everybody I talked to said they don't check that closely, and I figured if I got turned back, I would head to Rugen Island, Germany, and chill out with a story to tell.

I got in Poland. And they stamped my passport (Switzerland, Austria, and France suck because they didn't).

Location: Krakow, Poland
Duration: 1 night and counting (probably just 1 day and 1 night)

Of course, Krakow being one of the most popular (if not THE most popular) tourist destination in Poland, there aren't any dorm beds available here tonight. Darned weekend tourists!

Throwing my money into a cheap hotel as I prepare for my Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mine trip tomorrow. Then it's on to another overnight train to Berlin... my last stop...