may 2006
There really is nothing better than hearty bowl of soup on a rainy night. Now, I'm not much of a cook, but the last few days, I've been clearing out whatever I have in the fridge (before it goes bad), and it turns out that throwing things together to make soup is pretty easy. In my case, a tomato or two, a couple carrots, a few (for lack of a better word) strands of parsley, a couple cloves of garlic, chinese-like meatball(s), and chick peas or lentil beans, and pepper (+3/4 pot of water). Basically, everything which I had a little bit of left in the fridge. After boiling for a couple hours, it should be down to about half a pot full. Then just cool and eat! Yumz!
Pearl Jam last week was a blast; thanks Rhys.
With 373 coming up, I don't suppose I'll have much free time until the start of school!
Hope everyone else has a great summer!
Pearl Jam last week was a blast; thanks Rhys.
With 373 coming up, I don't suppose I'll have much free time until the start of school!
Hope everyone else has a great summer!
Life is pretty mellow at the moment, which isn't necessarily a bad
thing, but I certainly would not object to a little pizzazz any time now™. Some
things which I am looking forward to though:
+ The MacBook, which according to rumors should be out real soon now ... just like they said way back in January. Have been reading up on Apple and OS X, and am looking to take a break from the world of Windows if the MacBook fits the specs (at least WXGA, < 15", discrete graphcs (> X1300 or eqv), < 5lbs, and < $1800 b/t). It would be great to finally be able to work free of the chains of my desk at home :)
+ Grand Prix du Canada. Indeed, I was not a big fan of F1 until I caught the San Marino race, (and retroactively, the Malaysia and Australian GP). I'm more of a rally/touring care racing fan myself, but Formula One is really something else to watch. It seems to be a mix of the best qualities of all the other racing sports - the best engineered cars, a wide variety of tracks, strict regulations on cars dynamics (so teams like Ferrari don't obliterate the competition), numerous pit/start strategies, and races which are long enough for things to happen without being too boring to watch.
This season has been pretty good so far; lots of action, with Fernando Alonso leading in the points in the Renault. I'm personally rooting for Jenson Button (Honda) because he seems to just have the worst luck on race day - he's the only driver to have qualified in the top three for every single race thus far, but has yet to actually win one. Like when his engine blew out on the last corner of the last lap of the Australian GP. Simply terrible luck, which I am willing to bet is going to change any time now™.
~ Anyways, just finished reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card; great book, lots of great insight into war, and the psychology of people and their actions. Although, the twist at the end with the buggers was simply too predictable.
Next on the reading list:
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
(supposed to be much heavier on the social/political themes than it's film/game adaptations)
+ The MacBook, which according to rumors should be out real soon now ... just like they said way back in January. Have been reading up on Apple and OS X, and am looking to take a break from the world of Windows if the MacBook fits the specs (at least WXGA, < 15", discrete graphcs (> X1300 or eqv), < 5lbs, and < $1800 b/t). It would be great to finally be able to work free of the chains of my desk at home :)
+ Grand Prix du Canada. Indeed, I was not a big fan of F1 until I caught the San Marino race, (and retroactively, the Malaysia and Australian GP). I'm more of a rally/touring care racing fan myself, but Formula One is really something else to watch. It seems to be a mix of the best qualities of all the other racing sports - the best engineered cars, a wide variety of tracks, strict regulations on cars dynamics (so teams like Ferrari don't obliterate the competition), numerous pit/start strategies, and races which are long enough for things to happen without being too boring to watch.
This season has been pretty good so far; lots of action, with Fernando Alonso leading in the points in the Renault. I'm personally rooting for Jenson Button (Honda) because he seems to just have the worst luck on race day - he's the only driver to have qualified in the top three for every single race thus far, but has yet to actually win one. Like when his engine blew out on the last corner of the last lap of the Australian GP. Simply terrible luck, which I am willing to bet is going to change any time now™.
~ Anyways, just finished reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card; great book, lots of great insight into war, and the psychology of people and their actions. Although, the twist at the end with the buggers was simply too predictable.
Next on the reading list:
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
(supposed to be much heavier on the social/political themes than it's film/game adaptations)
april 2006
What an odd week; started out really long, but thursday and friday flew by much too quickly.
Anyways, was running upstairs and this great mv came on Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen).
Anyways, was running upstairs and this great mv came on Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen).
march 2006
Agh, what a harsh ending to 1984 - it's one of those things that you hope would turn out ok, even though
you know deep down that there's no possible way it could. The really interesting part is that the human nature
seems to be captured exactly in this book - had anyone else been in the same situation as Winston, the ending
would have been no different. Bah.
Anyways, I had a chance to reread The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time (I think Rhys recommended it last time), and it's a good book (though I'm still curious as to the rave reviews it has gotten thus far; is it because the author was autistic, or because the book was well written?) Also had a chance to listen to an audio book version of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (BBC radio version) -- it probably took eight hours longer to listen than it would have taken for me to read the book itself, but the British man trying to read the pieces for everyone, Hermione and Ginny included, was well worth the time spent :D. The only reason I didn't actually read this one was because the paperback doesn't come out till july, and I'm kinda particular about keeping my collections in order.
Anyways, work-eat-sleep, continues.
Come May, it'll be work-eat-373-sleep. Oh Joy.
As for the title of this article: Firstly, I think that there is a distinction between street people and the homeless, as the latter usually mind their own way, while the former have no shame in peddling for moola. Especially when working in the downtown core, it is not uncommon to see people sitting on the sidewalks wrapped in blankets, surrounded by cardboard, one of which is written in broken english explaining the series of unfortunate incidents which has led to them sitting on the street in the cold. Those who know me know that I'm a pretty malleable guy, and having someone who is less fortunate than me begging for spare change is pretty hard to ignore, BUT, I'm going to say that it's probably a really bad idea to give into this idea because it enforces bad behavior and their belief that they can survive in life by doing absolutely nothing but living off the generosity of others. I witnessed the best approach to to this problem a couple years ago, when some guy was buying them art supplies and teaching them how to draw (not on the sidewalk). And sure, they may not be Picassos, but at least this gives them something to do, and a means for improving themselves. There are also government programs to help these people - those who choose to be helped - and it should be obvious that if they really, really, really wanted to get back up, they would be able to do so without your dollar. Sure, exceptions do arise; I once gave a guy a ten as he had a pretty convincing story of trying to get a bus ticket back to Hamilton (I think it was). I'm not trying to be cruel, but as they say:
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life.
Site of the day: isolatr (for those who are tired of the social web :)
Anyways, I had a chance to reread The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time (I think Rhys recommended it last time), and it's a good book (though I'm still curious as to the rave reviews it has gotten thus far; is it because the author was autistic, or because the book was well written?) Also had a chance to listen to an audio book version of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (BBC radio version) -- it probably took eight hours longer to listen than it would have taken for me to read the book itself, but the British man trying to read the pieces for everyone, Hermione and Ginny included, was well worth the time spent :D. The only reason I didn't actually read this one was because the paperback doesn't come out till july, and I'm kinda particular about keeping my collections in order.
Anyways, work-eat-sleep, continues.
Come May, it'll be work-eat-373-sleep. Oh Joy.
As for the title of this article: Firstly, I think that there is a distinction between street people and the homeless, as the latter usually mind their own way, while the former have no shame in peddling for moola. Especially when working in the downtown core, it is not uncommon to see people sitting on the sidewalks wrapped in blankets, surrounded by cardboard, one of which is written in broken english explaining the series of unfortunate incidents which has led to them sitting on the street in the cold. Those who know me know that I'm a pretty malleable guy, and having someone who is less fortunate than me begging for spare change is pretty hard to ignore, BUT, I'm going to say that it's probably a really bad idea to give into this idea because it enforces bad behavior and their belief that they can survive in life by doing absolutely nothing but living off the generosity of others. I witnessed the best approach to to this problem a couple years ago, when some guy was buying them art supplies and teaching them how to draw (not on the sidewalk). And sure, they may not be Picassos, but at least this gives them something to do, and a means for improving themselves. There are also government programs to help these people - those who choose to be helped - and it should be obvious that if they really, really, really wanted to get back up, they would be able to do so without your dollar. Sure, exceptions do arise; I once gave a guy a ten as he had a pretty convincing story of trying to get a bus ticket back to Hamilton (I think it was). I'm not trying to be cruel, but as they say:
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life.
Site of the day: isolatr (for those who are tired of the social web :)
Indeed, it must be 'dictatorship week' as I just got back from watching V for Vendetta, and am currently two thirds a way through Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four! V was a fine movie, with pretty good acting from Natalie Portman (despite her off-putting british 'accent') and Agent Smith (haha, I don't think he can ever live that role down!), and a good storyline (which noticibly borrows heavily from 1984 itself). The only thing which I didn't like about the movie was the total lack of any implied fear, hopelessness, or dispair in the people of London (as often found in oppressive regimes and what I believe to be necessary requirements for the formation of a good coup d'état/revolution); especially when Evey talks about the lack of 'real butter' in the market when people are walking around outside as if it's 2005 outside. Other than that, I though it was a pretty good movie considering the point it was trying to get across in the limited it had to do so.
Whew, now 1984 on the otherhand, has thus-far been an incredible look into a bleak future (of which ours may one day turn into) where people are essentially prisoners of their own governments who have become so enamored with their own superiority and authority that they stoop so low as to keep their people (those in the outer party and the proles at least) in a state of constant war to dull their senses to their government's own atrocities. The book has great insight into the nature of humanity, war, and authority, some of which I don't quite understand fully first time around. I also could not help but notice the similarity between the backdrop of this novel and that of Half Life 2 (with the overwatch and such, minus the combine though), and Kane's reference (from Command and Conquer) to the brotherhood's workings -- "Those who control the past, control the future. And those who control the present, control the past." (something along those lines, which this book clearly takes to the next level). Fantastic read, can't wait to finish it up.
As for what I think: I certainly hope that there will never be a need for me to join a revolution in my lifetime. As history has unfortunately predicted correctly on numerous occasions, human nature is one thing we can not seperate ourselves from. We are but actors on the stage of life; history will undoubtedly repeat itself, and the revolutionaries will eventually replace exactly that which they were trying to overthrow. I suppose those who are truly lucky will be the ones catching the ride up (us?) and not the crash down.
On the other hand, maybe revolutions are like forest fires, essential for nature to clear up old brush and ensure that new life has the opportunity to grow. If that's the case, then I suppose V was right and "the only verdict, is vengeance!" :)
Whew, now 1984 on the otherhand, has thus-far been an incredible look into a bleak future (of which ours may one day turn into) where people are essentially prisoners of their own governments who have become so enamored with their own superiority and authority that they stoop so low as to keep their people (those in the outer party and the proles at least) in a state of constant war to dull their senses to their government's own atrocities. The book has great insight into the nature of humanity, war, and authority, some of which I don't quite understand fully first time around. I also could not help but notice the similarity between the backdrop of this novel and that of Half Life 2 (with the overwatch and such, minus the combine though), and Kane's reference (from Command and Conquer) to the brotherhood's workings -- "Those who control the past, control the future. And those who control the present, control the past." (something along those lines, which this book clearly takes to the next level). Fantastic read, can't wait to finish it up.
As for what I think: I certainly hope that there will never be a need for me to join a revolution in my lifetime. As history has unfortunately predicted correctly on numerous occasions, human nature is one thing we can not seperate ourselves from. We are but actors on the stage of life; history will undoubtedly repeat itself, and the revolutionaries will eventually replace exactly that which they were trying to overthrow. I suppose those who are truly lucky will be the ones catching the ride up (us?) and not the crash down.
On the other hand, maybe revolutions are like forest fires, essential for nature to clear up old brush and ensure that new life has the opportunity to grow. If that's the case, then I suppose V was right and "the only verdict, is vengeance!" :)
Just when you thought tv had been reduced to repetitive drivel, battlestar galatica comes on.
Season 2 finale was AWESOME!
Season 2 finale was AWESOME!
Q. Why is "AMBULANCE" spelled backwards on the front of the ambulance? (likewise for all emergency vehicles)
A. So drivers can read it correctly when they look in their rear-view mirrors.
That makes sense. :)
A. So drivers can read it correctly when they look in their rear-view mirrors.
That makes sense. :)
Gah, woke up a bit too early today (4:52) and can't seem to get back to sleep