5.31 - The One with the Year in Review '08

If I had to label 2008...it would be "the Year of Change". So much has happened since the beginning of the year and it's been great. I got married, moved into our new apartment, started a new job and bought a new car...in that order. Here are some other highlights:

• got a new cell phone in January...Motorola Razr2
  
• went to the Michael Buble concert at the ACC
• my XBox 360 succumbed to the 3 Red Rings of death. I sent it back to Microsoft and in turn they sent me a new one within 2 weeks
  
• made my first turkey dinner during Easter. It was gooood
• the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup
• the gas price in June was $1.299/liter
• making huge holes in the wall at the apartment to hang our massive mirror. I can thank Chris for that
• watched 2 of the best comic book movies ever. Iron Man and The Dark Knight...if you haven't seen them...what are you waiting for?
• went to Cuba for our honeymoon. Fun in the sun...gotta love it
• the gas price in December was $0.633/liter...almost half the cost of what it was in the summer. Makes you wonder huh?

It's been a great year...and I'm thinking next year will be pretty good as well. Happy New Year and I hope 2009 is a fantastic year for you and your families!

5.30 - The One on Christmas Eve

From my family to yours...have a very Merry Christmas!

5.29 - The One with The Periodic Table of Awesoments

Chris sent this to me last week...but I haven't been able to post it until today...



Gotta love that Bacon is the first element of awesome!

[via Dapperstache]

5.28 - The One with the Blue Blob

As I look outside I see a blanket of white...then I take a look at the radar map...


See that big blue blob that's right over Toronto...ya...that's where I am...you think that's bad...take a look at this map...


Usually you can see the outline of the lakes and the land...it's a good day to be home curled up on the coach watching a Christmas movie. It's alright though...I'm off for 2 weeks after today.

5.27 - The One with the new blades

the Town opened up a new outdoor rink downtown...bought new skates...time to get my skate on. Who's in?

5.26 - The One with the Fog Machine

When Rock Band came out last year...it was THE game to have and to play. Everyone loved it and got right into it. It brought out everyone's inner rock star. I bet that's when the Rock Band people started brainstorming, trying to come up with a way to make the rock star experience even that much better...and this...is what they came up with...

The Rock Band Stage Kit (on sale now for $99.99)...and these guys at Bleep Bloop got their hands on one to test it out...

I still can't believe that people would go out to buy this...
[via College Humor]

5.25 - The One with more snow...

This is the first year that I'm not out shoveling a driveway in a long long time. It's an adjustment living in an apartment building. Someone else comes and plows the snow in the parking lot...and someone else comes and cuts the grass. I like it. But the downfall is that I have to clear the snow off my car...I guess there's some give and take there. I'm not sure which I would rather not do....shovel...or clear the snow/ice of my car...

5.24 - The One with the Hot Air

Tonight, PM Stephen Harper addressed the Nation. I can't remember any time that a PM ever addressed the Nation. I guess this time it was important enough to let the country know what was going on. Harper condemned the coalition that the Liberals, and the NDP were forming with the separatists Bloc Quebecois.

After the PM's speech Stephane Dion's taped speech was supposed to be aired...but the tape arrived late and didn't show until about 25 minutes after. By that time I was bored and didn't really want to watch it...but I sucked it up cuz I wanted to know what he was going to say. When it finally came on...the first thing I noticed was that the recording was badly out of focus. It didn't focus on Dion, rather, it focused on the bookshelf behind him. It also didn't help that I couldn't understand much of Dion's thick french accent. So...I found myself trying to make out what the titles of the books were on the shelf. One caught my eye...it was situated at the top left of the screen...take a look:



"HOT AIR"...pretty ironic huh?

I'm not sure if this coalition is good for the country. My first thought was a coup d'etat...almost bordering on treason. I don't really know all the ins and outs of politics...so I'm probably wrong. But what really bothers me is that the voters in Canada don't get a say. We went to the polls about 7-8 weeks ago and even though we voted in a minority government...that was the result. The coalition wants to step with no say from the Canadian voters. How democratic is that? Another thing that bothers me is that Dion is stepping down as the Liberal leader in May...so let's say this coalition goes through...who will be the PM then? Someone who we didn't elect? Again...how democratic is that?

5.23 - The One with the Ultimate Rick Roll

I'd like to preface my post with this...just in case you didn't know what Rickrolling was...

Rickrolling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rickrolling is an Internet meme typically involving the music video for the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up". The meme is a bait and switch: a person provides a Web link they claim is relevant to the topic at hand, but the link actually takes the user to the Astley video. The URL can be masked or obfuscated in some manner so that the user cannot determine the true source of the link without clicking. When a person clicks on the link given and is led to the web page he/she is said to have been "Rickrolled" (also spelled Rickroll'd). By extension, it can also mean playing the song loudly in public in order to be disruptive.^[1]

Happy belated Thanksgiving USA...I do enjoy your Macy's Thanksgiving parade. It's pretty spectacular. Even though I was stuck at work during the parade, this part of the parade did not go unnoticed:



[for all you Facebook viwers, click here]

Priceless!

5.22 - The One with the Spider Drawing

Chris sent this to me yesterday...it's pretty funny

Below is the complete email conversation that Adelaide man David Thorne claims he had with a utility company chasing payment of an overdue bill.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,
Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,
I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead. I value the drawing at $233.95 so trust that this settles the matter.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.07am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account

Dear David,
Thankyou for contacting us. Unfortunately we are unable to accept drawings as payment and your account remains in arrears of $233.95. Please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.32am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,
Can I have my drawing of a spider back then please.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.42am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear David,
You emailed the drawing to me. Do you want me to email it back to you?

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.56am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Dear Jane,

Yes please.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 12.14pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account

Attached

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 09.22am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Whose spider is that?

Dear Jane, Are you sure this drawing of a spider is the one I sent you? This spider only has seven legs and I do not feel I would have made such an elementary mistake when I drew it.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.03am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David, Yes it is the same drawing. I copied and pasted it from the email you sent me on the 8th. David your account is still overdue by the amount of $233.95. Please make this payment as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.05am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Automated Out of Office Response

Thankyou for contacting me. I am currently away on leave, traveling through time and will be returning last week.

Regards, David.

From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.08am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Hello, I am back and have read through your emails and accept that despite missing a leg, that drawing of a spider may indeed be the one I sent you. I realise with hindsight that it is possible you rejected the drawing of a spider due to this obvious limb ommission but did not point it out in an effort to avoid hurting my feelings. As such, I am sending you a revised drawing with the correct number of legs as full payment for any amount outstanding. I trust this will bring the matter to a conclusion.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 2.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Dear David, As I have stated, we do not accept drawings in lei of money for accounts outstanding. We accept cheque, bank cheque, money order or cash. Please make a payment this week to avoid incurring any additional fees.

Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles

From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 3.17pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

I understand and will definately make a payment this week if I remember. As you have not accepted my second drawing as payment, please return the drawing to me as soon as possible. It was silly of me to assume I could provide you with something of completely no value whatsoever, waste your time and then attach such a large amount to it.

Regards, David.

From: Jane Gilles
Date: Tuesday 14 Oct 2008 11.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?

Attached

David Thorne put the drawing up on eBay and it sold for $15,000. The best part about that? The winning bidder...is refusing to pay and David is ok with it, "The internet is a playground and I would not have it any other way."

[via ninemsn]

5.21 - The One with the NXE

Look! It's me! I've been NXE'd. Microsoft decided that they wanted to jump on the avatar making bandwagon a la Nintendo's Mii's, and I'm pretty sure that Sony has something similar to this with their PlayStation Network for the PS3.

So yesterday Microsoft luanched the "New Xbox Experience" which was basically a redesign of the XBox 360 interface. It looks really good...and it's prett user friendly. I still don't really know what these avatrs will be used for. I've got Scene It! Box Office Smash! that will take advantage of the new avatars...but I can't see what else they will be used for unless XBox games start looking like the Nintendo Wii games. In anycase...these avatars will keep me entertained for a few minutes every so often...

...side note...this is the second consecutive post about Microsoft...

5.20 - The One with the Vista ad

I work in the advertising industry...and I feel that it's extremely important when you are trying to sell something...you use images, words, whatever to enhance your product. Lately Microsoft has put out some TV ad's to combat Apple's "Hi, I'm a Mac" commercials. It's great that they finally are doing something about it...but it's a little too late. I'm pretty saw I saw one "I'm a PC" ad that said: "I'm a PC and I wrangle llamas..."

Anyways...check out these Vista print ads...Microsoft needs rethink their marketing strategy:


Can you spot the mistake? Look very closely at the laptop the happy family is using...tell me it doesn't look like a Macbook Pro. I know that there are other companies that make silver laptops...but I have yet to see one that has an illuminated keyboard like that Macbook Pro.

Still not convinced? How about this one?

Take a look at the picture of the kids playing the Sony Playstation 2...I'm pretty sure that Microsoft has their own gaming platform...FAIL

[via Royal HeHe2-ness!]

5.19 - The One with the Ultimate Comedy Skit

Back in the summer Chris Bosh and Baron Davis decided to hold a "skit-off", to see who can make the best comedic skit between them both. The two skits were release yesterday and are online for you to vote which one is better.



After watching them both, I'd have to give my vote to Bosh. It looked like he put a lot more time and effort into it...plus it's funnier. What do you think?

[via ibeatyou]

5.18 - The One with the Fanboys

What if there was a movie that was so highly anticipated, you had to be the first to see it? How far would you go? Camp out in front of the theatre? Buy advanced tickets weeks in advance? How about breaking into the editing studio and stealing it? Is there even such a movie that is worth all that trouble? Sure there was...A Long time ago...in 1998 when Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was set to be released.

Bear with me...pretend you never saw it...we now know that it wasn't really all that good...

Fanboys is a movie that is set in 1998 where a group of Star Wars geeks decide to break into Skywalker Ranch to steal an early print of the film...because one of them has cancer and wants to see if before he dies. This movie was supposed to be released in 2007, but because of stuff that goes on in Hollywood...if got delayed over and over again. BUT...it will now be released in February of 2009. Check out the latest trailer...it looks hilarious...and for the record...I'm not camping out, buying advanced tickets or even thinking of stealing an early print of this movie...



[via IGN]

here's a link to the first trailer...just as funny

[via IESB.net]

5.17 - The One with the 50 Skills Every Geek Should Have

Gizmodo put out a list of the 50 Skills Every Geek Should Have...many of them are straightforward, some are tough as hell. I've highlighted my geekiness for you...

1. Install a hard drive in a laptop
2. Perform a clean OS install on a machine with two OSes
3. Swap out the battery on your iPod/iPhone
4. Jailbreak an iPhone
5. Wire your house for Ethernet and Coax cable
6. Use BitTorrent and RSS to automatically download new shows from trackers
7. Use an A/V receiver to its fullest capability (every port is taken)
8. Calibrate an HDTV without the manual
9. Use a DSLR in full manual mode
10. Hack the encryption and mooch your neighbor's Wi-Fi
11. Solder cleanly enough to get around a circuit board
12. Use your 3G phone as a Wi-Fi access point
13. Shove the guts of a modern game console into a retro game console
14. Design a webpage in HTML by hand that features a picture of your cat
15. Use Photoshop to imperceptibly doctor a photo
16. Abstain from buying extended warranties
17. Know where to buy cheap cables and accessories
18. Fix your parents' computer over the phone without looking at a computer
19. Enter the Konami code
20. Comment on Gizmodo from your phone
21. Type quickly using T9 texting
22. Program a universal remote
23. Contribute code to the Linux kernel
24. Hide porn from your significant other (don't have any...but I'm sure I can do it)
25. Avoid DRM on everything
26. Know how to back up your data to networked storage—and actually do it (I don't do it...)
27. Watch TV shows on the internet for free
28. Edit together digital video ripped from YouTube
29. Play any SNES game on your computer through an emulator
30. Reset expired trial software by messing with the registry
31. Hackintosh your PC
32. Download pre-release movies from Usenet
33. Hack the Wii to play homebrew games
34. Get around web content filters on public computers
35. Get into a Windows computer if you forgot your password
36. Securely erase your data so it can't be recovered
37. Share a printer between a Mac and a PC on a network
38. Build a fighting robot
39. Write your own Firefox plugins
40. Navigate and reorganize the files on your computer in DOS
41. Get something on the front page of Digg
42. Get through to executive customer service
43. Rip a CD to V0 quality MP3s
44. Rip a DVD to DivX
45. Build your own computer from parts
46. Swap out the hard drive in your DVR for a bigger one
47. Get an NES cartridge working again by blowing in it
48. Calibrate a 7.1 surround-sound system
49. Play downloaded games on a Nintendo DS (what about a PSP?)
50. Talk about things that aren't tech related

How did you Rate?

• 0: You are from the past and somehow stumbled upon this list through a rift in time.
• 1-10: Someone read you this list from a printout sent to you via snail mail.
• 11-20: You are no longer intimidated by email or your DVR, but these are recent developments.
• 21-30: You play a lot of video games and read a lot of blogs, but that's about as far as your geek cred goes.
• 31-40: You went to computer camp when you were a kid and sort of wish you were Japanese.
• 41-49: You wear Linux shirts, argue about the merits of AJAX on forums and build custom handheld retro gaming consoles for fun.
• 50: We've just diagnosed you with Asperger's.

I scored a 37.5...I never went to computer camp and I never wished I was Japanese...I wonder if being Chinese has anything to do with my score?

[via Gizmodo]

5.16 - The One with Clementines

I bought my first box of clementines of the season last night...mmmm...Christmas season is upon us....although the weather doesn't want to co-operate. But I'll take all the warm weather I can get before the snow flies. I should really get onto doing some Christmas shopping soon. I have no idea what to get people...and I don't even know what I want...

One last thing...Raptors are 3-0 to start the season! Gotta love it...I still miss the Swirsk...

5.15 - The One with the CD Cleaner

The next day after I got my 6...the cd changer decided to spit out my cd's...but it was doing it randomly. Sometimes it would play my cd's...and sometimes it didn't want to. I couldn't figure it out...I read through message boards and my owners manual and none of the suggestions worked. I thought about running a cd cleaner for the player through it, but the manual said not to. But...since it's not really working...what's there to loose? Off to Wal Mart...got the cleaner and ran it through the player. It didn't like it at first...but after some persuassion...it took. The cd cleaner played in the player with some female voice telling me exactly what it was doing at the time. Once it was finished, I loaded my cd's back in the changer...and it worked...who knew? $7 vs $300 for a new deck...I think I won this round.

5.14 - The One with the zoom zoom

First week at my new job has been great. I'm really enjoying it here. I love working with a Mac...again. Yep...I'm an Apple fanboy. I'm working on a 24" iMac...it's pretty sweet. Now to get myself one of those brand spanking new MacBook Pros.

I also picked up a new car this week. 04 Mazda6 GTX...it's a pretty sweet ride. I don't have any pics of it yet...so this one will have to do...

Zoom Zoom

5.13 - The One with the week off

Gotta love having some time off work to just sit,relax and golf. After a weekend full of turkey...it's exactly what I needed. Too bad it's over now...and I have to work this weekend...BUT I get to start my new job on Monday. I'm pretty excited there...

5.12 - The One with the upside down Def guy

So last night's season opener for my Wings didn't go as planned. Sure we raised the Stanley Cup banner...but we lost to the Leafs...ouch. We played pretty sloppy though...solid game for those Leaves. Anyways, someone from the NHL thought it would be a great idea if they had Def Leppard concert after the game to kick off the new season. I think the concert idea was great...but Def Leppard? Not sure that they go well with hockey. Then when Darren McCarty & Kyle Quincey from the Wings came out on stage with the Stanley Cup...McCarty handed it over to Def Leppard's lead singer Joe Elliot who hoisted the Cup up...and proceed to place the holy grail of hockey upside down on the pedestal...



Note to the NHL...book a Canadian band next time...

5.11 - The One with all the Books

I stole this from Crilly...who stole it from Lesley...

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. Well let's see....

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE, and strikeout the books you read but didn't like.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare [I've read my fair share...]
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh .
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan .
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry .
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

27 is my final count...

5.10 - The One with the 08/09 Draft

Last night I participated in my second annual NHL fantasy draft. I've been locked away going through numbers, magazines, and forecasts to ensure that I would know who to pick and when...ok maybe not...but I did spend a couple hours making my wish list. Last season I came in 4th or 5th and I had the #2 pick. This year, I drew the #6 pick out of 11. Check out my team...

NHL 08/09 Fantasy Draft
Forwards		Defence		Goalies
Vincent Lecavlier	Lightning	Scott Niedermayer	Ducks	Martin Broduer	Devils
Daniel Sedin	Canucks	Sergei Zubov	Stars	J.S. Gigure	Ducks
Correy Perry	Ducks	Andrej Meszaros	Lightning
Andrei Kostitsyn	Canadiens	Brent Seabrook	Blackhawks
Markus Nasland	Rangers	Brad Stuart	Red Wings
Kristian Huselius	Blue Jackets
Sam Gagner	Oilers
Johan Franzen	Red Wings
Joe Pavelski	Sharks

I think I picked a pretty strong team, it's better than last years team by far. My goalies are solid and I'm hoping that my forwards will bring in lots of points for me...let's hope no one gets injured.

5.09 - The with not much...

not much to blog about...nothing exciting happening...I'm kind of upset that there will be no new episode of The Office on Thursday due to the Vice Presidential debate...that's about it.

This though...is hilarious...


[via Angela and Andy - Official Wedding Site for Angela Martin & Andrew Bernard]

5.08 - The One with the new "Knight"

I checked out the new Knight Rider TV series last night...and to be honest...it was pretty bad. I really was hoping that it would live up to the original series that was so good in the day (from what I remember). If I was a betting man...I'd take this show to be the first one canceled this season. They made this new character named Mike Tracuer and throughout the show his past comes back to haunt him...although he has no memory of it. So they fake his death and now he needs a new name. I think the writers need to be fired for this line, "Hi can we start over? I'm Michael Knight..." *FACEPALM* Very original guys...

Oh and what's up with John McCain? He wants to postpone the Presidential debate. Obama's camp says no...and now McCain says he won't show up? I don't get it. McCain said something about helping President Bush with the financial problem? Why? Bush is still the President...not McCain...this is why I don't get politics. WEAKSAUCE

One more thing...it's the Fresh Prince's 40th birthday today! Big Willie is 40! wow...I used to have the theme song memorized...then I googled it and found out that there's a lot more of the song than I knew...check it out...

Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I liked to take a minute
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air

In west Philadelphia born and raised
On the playground was where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool
And all shootin some b-ball outside of the school
When a couple of guys
Who were up to no good
Startin making trouble in my neighborhood
I got in one little fight and my mom got scared
She said 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air'

I begged and pleaded with her day after day
But she packed my suite case and send me on my way
She gave me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket.
I put my walkman on and said, 'I might as well kick it'.

First class, yo this is bad
Drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass.
Is this what the people of Bel-Air Living like?
Hmmmmm this might be alright.

But wait I hear there're prissy, wine all that
Is Bel-Air the type of place they send this cool cat?
I don't think sow
I'll see when I get there
I hope they're prepared for the prince of Bel-Air

Well, the plane landed and when I came out
There was a dude who looked like a cop standing there with my name out
I ain't trying to get arrested
I just got here
I sprang with the quickness like lightening, disappeared

I whistled for a cab and when it came near
The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror
If anything I can say this cab is rare
But I thought 'Now forget it' - 'Yo homes to Bel Air'

I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8
And I yelled to the cabbie 'Yo homes smell ya later'
I looked at my kingdom
I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel Air

5.07 - The One with the Unleashing Rock Band Force

So I picked up Rock Band 2 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and I've been playing both a lot lately...here's my reviews on the two games:

Rock Band 2
It's essentially the same game as the first one. Gather a bunch of people together and rock out on your pretend guitars and drums. The World Tour remains very similar...although there are more cities and venues for your virtual band to play at. Also you can hire people to help promote your band. Of course your first employee is your mom...always there to support you no matter how much your band sucks. The create-a-character mode hasn't changed...they added a few more items for you to buy, but again...it's pretty much the same.

The new things in the game include: challenges where you play a set and your scores are matched up to your friends who are online, a drum trainer, and online World Tour mode, and a No Fail mode for those who just can't figure out how to play these plastic instruments. You can also transfer 55 out of 58 songs from Rock Band 1 to play in Rock Band 2, as well as the songs that you downloaded.

The game play didn't change, it's a sequel to an already excellent game. I just bought the game disc and not any of the new instruments (which are all wireless)...if you have Rock Band 1, I'm sure you already have Rock Band 2...if not...go out and get this game...you and your friends will thank you.


Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
As you are all well aware, I'm a huge Star Wars fan...and to have a new Star Wars game come out that looks so good...I jumped on this right away.

The game play is pretty good, you play as Darth Vader's secret apprentice who's missions are so secretive he must destroy all evidence that he was even there by disposing of the all of the good guys and bad guys. Basically you run around with your lightsaber and force powers and destroy everything. It's a fun concept as the game attempts to show how powerful a Jedi can be. I haven't felt like I've been unstoppable in the game yet, but it still is really fun. The only major gripes I have about that are that it's glitchy at points...for example: I used my force push to knock a boss over the edge and he never came back up to fight me. He wasn't dead and all I could do was run around and I heard him taunting me. Also the game is pretty short. I believe that I'm close to the end and I'm wanting to play it more. I'll probably go through the game again on a more dificult level just to get my money out of the game.

But overall, it's a solid game...a must for any Star Wars fan...



...Lego Batman comes out tomorrow...that looks like a lot of fun as well...

5.06 - The One with the McCain-berry

I'm never too interested in politics...but with the American Presidential election coming up (not to mention the Canadian one as well...), you just can't avoid it. This is my favourite story so far about John McCain.

A top McCain policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin. Waving his BlackBerry personal digital assistant and citing McCain's work as a senator, he told reporters Tuesday, "You're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create."

...uh...FYI, the BlackBerry is Canadian...

5.05 - The One with the Tropic Thunder

Finally got my new home theater set up...and it sounds really good. I'm pretty happy with what I got, and I'm sure I'll get a few knocks on the door asking me to turn down the volume cuz it's too loud. They're all just jealous of it...

Naomi and I saw Tropic Thunder over the weekend...and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I went in expecting it was going to be stupid humour...which there was lots of...but Ben Stiller pulled it off and I enjoyed it. Tom Cruise was barely recognizable in it...and he did a great job...almost makes me want to convert to Scientology. Ok maybe not...

Picked up Rock Band 2 yesterday...new Star Wars: The Force Unleashed comes out Tuesday, Lego Batman next week...you might not see me for awhile...

5.04 - The One with great Facebook debate

New layout or old layout? It seems like there are a lot of people who just can't handle the changes that Facebook has made on their site. I'm getting tired of people who keep complaining about it. First it was a petition for them to remove the "is" from the status...and when they did...there was an outcry for it to come back. So...I'm going to take a look at the old layout and the new. Here's a screen cap of my profile page under the "old" layout.

Having the search bar and a quick look at you top applications is nice. But to me everything under your profile picture just seems too cramped. Having all your applications there just seems like a bad use of space. What happens if you have a ton of apps? Ads of the left didn't work well either. You're forced to look at it. Also all your information is over the news feed...it's the first thing you see. There's a lot of dead white space around that can be utilized...So...here's the new layout:

So Facebook took that dead white space and made the page wider while placing the ads on the right...where it is less intrusive and most of the time I don't even notice them. They also removed the apps and the non-sense that's under the profile picture...placed your info there to the side, out of the way. If people want to read it...it's there...but it's not the first thing they see on your news feed. I like how Facebook placed the apps under a drop down menu...clean and accesible when you want it. They also cleaned out all of your useless apps that you have on your page and placed them on the boxes page, not strewed all over your profile page. Not everyone wants to scroll down your page for hours to find your wall.

I'm not saying that I love all the changes that Facebook has made. There are a few things that I could do without...but it's a step in the right direction. Theses guys are on the cutting edge of technology and they are trying to share it with you. Could you imagine if none of the websites changed for the better? The changes made were to make the page load faster, and let you manage your page better. Remember it's a free service...I'm sure if Facebook wanted to charge a subscription fee...they could and they could make a lot more money. Facebook is the most user friendly social networking site around...and more and more people are joining it by the second. I'm sure the staff are working their hardest to make it the best user experience they can. If you can't handle the new layout...then stick with the old. But bear in mind...the internet is a fast changing environment in a fast paced world. Blink and you'll be left behind...

Oh...and one more thing...a note to Facebook...get rid of the spam messages!

5.03 - The One with Slap Face

I picked up The Office Season 4 on DVD last Tuesday and we're working our way through it before the new season starts. Check out the one of the promos NBC aired during the Olympics...



...oh I miss The Office...

[via YouTube]

5.02 - The One with the 'Cuban' Michael Jackson

Thriller is probably one of my favourite music videos of all time. I love the dancing in it...at the Resort we stayed at in Cuba, they had a show on Tuesday night that featured Thriller and the dance...check it out...they're really good...



click here if you're watching on Facebook...

5.01 - The One in Cuba

This is my first post as a married man. Crazy isn't it? The wedding day went by so fast. I remember waking up, going to the golf course. The next thing I knew I was married and in the limo heading to the honeymoon suite. From what I recall, the day was great. Couldn't ask for better weather. It was nice and sunny...quite a change from previous weekends in the summer where it must have rained 9/10 times. I'll have to look back on the video to relive it all.

We headed out to the Sol Melia Cayo Santa Maria all-inclusive resort in Cuba for our Honeymoon on the Monday. When we got there it was dark, so the 1 1/2 hour bus ride to the resort was pretty uneventful. The tour guide on the bus was trying to point out the different things but we really couldn't see much. One thing I did notice is that most of the Cubans houses looked all the same.

Anyways, the resort was great. The food...not so much. We ate well, but it's just not the same as the Canadian cuisine that we are used to. They tried to emulate the food, but it just wasn't the same. The cheese just tasted weird and didn't sit too well with my stomach. But it's not like we went hungry. The a la carte restaurants were pretty good. There was an Italian and a Mediterranean one. With only about 13 items on the menu, I'm sure they have perfected their dishes.

We spent most of our time hanging out in the pool and getting tanned. The pools were so nice and since it was the low season, they weren't too crowded. I loved the swim up bar...so much fun. The beach was nice as well...although since there weren't any reefs around the resort, the water was pretty rough. But it's the ocean...we don't get to see such clear and blue water much up here in Canada.


The night entertainment was pretty good most of the time...the best show was on Tuesday night where they had the 'Cuban' Michael Jackson perform for us. Everyone loved that show. I've never seen anyone do the Moonwalk live as good as this guy. It was unreal.

On Saturday, hurricane Gustav hit Cuba, mainly Havana. Since we were on the other side of the island, all we got was rain. We didn't even know that Gustav hit Cuba until the next day when CNN was covering it 24/7. I think we were pretty lucky weather wise all week. I think it only really rained once or twice. We did see lightning in the distance but it never hit us.

The journey home was an adventure in itself. Check out was noon and the bus was supposed to come pick us up at 3pm. But of course the plane was delayed until 10.30pm. So we were all let back into our rooms. We came out to check on the flight again and it was delayed another 4 1/2 hours. At least they kept us at the resort so we could hang out in our rooms and go eat at the buffet. Finally at 11.30pm the bus showed up to take us to the airport. Naomi and I paid for the VIP lounge earlier in the week (20 CUC each) and it was worth it. We sat in a nice air conditioned room and had our own bartender who served us food and drinks as we watched some tv and waited for our flight. The best part was that when it was time to board the plane, we were escorted to the front of the line. I'm so glad we did that because we didn't have to sit with all the other people who had kids who were obviously over tired.

Around 6.00 am we finally saw the familiar Toronto skyline. After an 8 hour delay we were finally back in Canada. Overall the trip was loads of fun. The resort was great, (even better because ours was an adults only one) but after a week away, it's nice to be home.

5.00 - The One with the Wedding

Wow...I'm getting married today...it's crazy how time has flown by so fast. Everything has gone somewhat smoothly. I'm going to start the day off right...by going golfing.

4.99 - The One with the cake : Episode III

So I've shown you the Death Star Cake, and the R2-D2 cake...now I present...the Millennium Falcon cake...



...could you imagine if I got to have this as my cake at the wedding? T-Minus 4 days

[via get the big picture]

4.98 - The One with the seating plan

Yep...less than a week. I think the hardest thing to do right now is the seating plan for the reception. You want to sit people with someone they know...but where do you put the odd ones? Like the friends that only you know? Somehow today I ended up with 4 people with no seats. But I think I figured it all out. We'll see...it's kinda like putting a puzzle together...

4.97 - The One with "So What Do You Do?"

Welcome to my job...

...that's pretty much what happens everytime

[via Monster-Munch]

4.96 - The One with the new phone...kinda

I got a new cell phone!! No it's not the iPhone...here's the story...

I wake up this morning to find that my cell phone didn't charge overnight. I checked to see if it was plugged in...nothing wrong there. Tried out another charger...same result. Great...my cell won't hold a charge. So I take it into Rogers and the guy does his tests on it. Nothing is wrong with my battery, and since it's past the 30 days so he can't just replace it, he needs to send it off to be fixed. Now I'm stuck with a loaner phone until mine get's fixed. I go from a Motorola Razr2 V9 to a Nokia 6061...fail

4.95 - The One with the rockstar

Ever see in movies or on TV where there's this rich guy who goes into a warehouse full of expensive items and buys everything? I've always wanted to do something like that...and it kinda happened the other day. I was at Pacific Mall on Saturday (an Asian mall in Toronto) picking up a few things for the wedding when I spotted the perfect groomsman's gifts. So I went to the vendor and asked how much the item was and if they had more. She directed me to another man who took me downstairs to the basement and lead me to a door. I assumed that it would be a small closet with some merchandise in it. But when he opened the door and turned on the lights, I was in shock. The room seemed like it went on forever and it was full of stuff. Think a treasure room or something like that. It was pretty impressive.

The man then showed me the different styles of the item I wanted and laid them out for me. I looked them over and said, "ya it looks good...I'll take them all." He looked up at me in surprise...and smiled. Yep...I felt like a rockstar.

4.94 - The One with the Wedding Favours

We've been working hard on the Wedding Favours for the last couple of days. My hands are hurting...but we've accomplished a lot. I think we've spent about 10 hours or so on them. Even had a Bourne marathon tonight...although I don't think I watched too much of it...it was on in the background. Anyways...here's a sneak peak of the favours...



...sorry that's all I can show you. But I'll leave you with this...the new Coldplay video of their self proclaimed "best song they've ever written", Viva La Vida.

4.93 - The One with the countdown

where did the summer go? 17 days until the wedding...scary. Oh just to let you all know...the ceremony is at 2pm...

4.92 - The One with more wedding prep

It's getting down to crunch time...lots of stuff is getting done...lots of money is being spent...and the bank account is running dry real quick. I still can't believe how much a wedding costs...and it's for ONE day. My honeymoon is so much cheaper and its for an entire week...in a different part of the world. Craziness...

Speaking of crazy...check this video out...

http://view.break.com/545919 - Watch more free videos
...I'm questioning if it's real or not...either way...it can't be safe...

4.91 - The One with Back to School

...excuse me? Back to school stuff? IT'S STILL JULY!!! Ya...went to Wally World and they have back to school stuff out already. I'm pretty sure the dollar store had Halloween stuff out too...

FYI just 26 more days...

4.90 - The One with The Dark Knight

We went to go see The Dark Knight last night...and it lived up the the hype. It was amazing. I think this will go down as one of the best comic book movies ever...if not one of the best movies ever. Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker was something else. He made the Joker what he is supposed to be...a crazy maniac killer...not that stupid clown that carries around hand buzzers and has squirting flowers. My only knock against the movie is that it could have been a little shorter...but it was pure Batman goodness...want to see it again.

...oh and one more thing. I broke down and got a 3G iPhone...

...ok maybe not...who's Anna Larson?

4.89 - The One with more wedding prep

...yep...

4.88 - The One with iPhone day

so today is "iPhone day"...I've been pretty excited about it. But then Rogers decided to come up with this ridiculous data rate plan. That turned me off. There was an online petition that went out and about 50,000+ would be iPhone buyers signed it calling for Rogers to lower the data rate plan. Rogers caved and is now offering a better rate plan for a reasonable price...but at a limited time. Plus you have to sign a contract for 3 years. That's all fine and dandy until you find out the 3G iPhone can only run on the Edge network (it's slower) in my town. I have to drive half an hour east to get 3G service.

I drove by the Rogers store in town on the way to work and I saw about 6-7 customers lined up outside ready to buy the iPhone. I bet that they only have about 5 iPhones in the store...too bad...so sad. I'll hold out until there is a data plan that I can afford.

4.87 - The One with the SDHC

I bought a new 4GB SDHC card for my camera the other day. The price was right for the capacity of the card. What I didn't realize is that my card reader won't read the HC format...so now I have pics on my card that I can't get off...yet...

Saw WALL•E on the weekend too...cute movie...good message in the movie too. I'm a fan...but not a fan of the movies that were previewed before WALL•E. They made a movie about Chihuahua's...seriously...

4.86 - The One with the mirror

ahh...they joys of moving into a new place. Over the last week we've been crazy busy moving stuff into the new apartment where Naomi will live. I'll join her after the wedding...but that doesn't mean I can't bring my stuff over and move it in. This weekend Chris came by to help me put a 30x65 inch mirror that we bought at Ikea at the end of the hallway. Should be simple enough right? Find the studs, drill holes, put the screws into hold the mirror up and then mount. So we found the studs, drilled a hole...and that's where it went downhill. Thinking that there were wood studs Chris drilled a hole and...oops...no wood. We rechecked the studs...and drilled another hole...nothing. Then it dawned on us...there are no wood studs in this apartment building. They were aluminum studs! So after making a few holes in the wall...we finally got the mirror mounted. There's just going to be a few holes to fill when we move out...

On another note...I still need to come up with a good nickname for the apartment...any suggestions?

4.85 - The One with the real story

So my previous post was about that guy that got arrested on Friday...here's what the local paper published on what happened...

On Friday, June 27 at 9:15 p. m., Cobourg Police approached a man walking in the area of the entrance to Victoria Park trailer park. He was swearing.

Police say they started to ask the man questions and quickly determined he had been drinking and was bound by a probation order which included a clause prohibiting consumption of alcohol.

As police attempted to arrest the man and take physical control of him, he ran from the officers. After a brief foot chase, police say, he was apprehended and charged with escaping custody.

Police say the accused be belligerent with officers, kicking and flailing about in an attempt to avoid being handcuffed. He resist the officers' attempts to restrain him and both officers were hurt, police report. The officers did not require medical attention, but both received abrasions on their arms, hands, and legs and one officer is suffering from a sore back.

A 20-year-old Cobourg man is in police custody. He has been charged with two counts each of assault with intent to resist arrest and failing to comply with probation orders and one count of escaping lawful custody.

...not as exciting as I hoped it was going to be.

[via Northumberland Today]

4.84 - The One with the mist

We were down checking out the opening of the Waterfront Festival tonight and an errie mist came over the beach...


On a regular day you're supposed to be able to see the pier...it was kinda creepy...then the night got even more exciting when we heard a cop yelling at some punk...then we heard the sirens from a few police cars speeding down to where the yelling was happening...

They flew down Division Street to where to Rotary tents are to arrest some guy who struggled and was cursing at the cops. I don't know exactly happened...but if I was to speculate...I'll guess that the perp was tampering with the ATM trailer in th picture.

But then again...he could have just had an argument with the first cop and it just got out of hand. In any case...I got to witness the first arrest of the Waterfront Festival...and Canada Day is still 4 days away...

4.83 - The One with the price to pay...

It's been awhile since I've posted something...I've been busy. In the middle of moving into the new apartment...among other things that are going on. Today Rogers announced their prices for the new 3G iPhone for Canada. Cheapest plan is $60/month and gives you 400 MB of data, 150 weekday minutes and unlimited evenings and weekends. Not too bad...but then you'll have to add Caller ID, text messages and call forwarding etc... that's another $15-20/month. And finally the monthly $7ish service access fee. So you'll be paying about $90/month plus taxes. That's about $50/month more than I pay now for my cell phone. I'm rethinking my stance on the iPhone...unless I get a sweet raise and somehow can afford it...I'll wait until Rogers offers something cheaper...

4.82 - The One with 2 months to go

in 2 months I'll be married...woah

4.81 - The One with Armin

Do you remember Sim City and how fun that was to make your own urban masterpiece? Then The Sims came out and you were able to live your own virtual life? Well the guy that created those games has out done himself yet again...introducing Spore. Now you have the power to create your own creature. Make it evolve and guide it through the 5 stages of evolution...Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization, and Space. Or just have fun creating stuff. The Creature Creator demo is out now and I've only had a few minutes to play around with it...let me introduce you to Armin:























[via Spore]