On a day to day basis, I do not see too many things that strike me as unique. Today, I saw not one, not two, but three things that I probably will not see again.
First off, the Michael Jackson Memorial at the Staples Center. I, along with presumeably over a billion people, watched at least part of the tribute. It was produced by the same gentleman who does the Grammy Awards and the Oscars, and the promoters were AEG. The tribute was touching (forgive the irony), with many performers singing and remembering Michael as arguably the greatest entertainer who ever lived. Short of having the President there, it was a heartwarming, solemn, and worthwhile show that every network carried live.
Secondly…I saw the Google car today! A curious little thing, I recognized the little tan Toyota Echo almost immediately due to the large four foot pole mounted atop its roof. The pole has numerous high speed cameras attached to it, filming for Google maps (the street view). There has been controversy over this initiative, as some people can be clearly identified (and likely, in places where they should not be). To me, if you are in public, the right to privacy is null and void. You can be photographed by anyone at any given time. Google is not singling you out, they are not out to exploit you or your perceived privacy.
Onto the third thing. I was emailed a link today to a Japanese game that even by their standards is bizarre. I never thought I would put the words Horny Nazi Tank Girls together. Yet, in Japan this is actually a video game, and they are porting it over to the X-Box 360 soon. Now, of all the concepts and ideas one could divine for a video game, I never would have thought of having semi-naked Nazi women pretending to be tanks and planes be one of them. The native title of the game is Moe Moe Niji Taisen Deluxe, for those who are curious to find some videos and photos online.
It is amazing to me how fast time flies by when things are going well. There’s no drudgery, malaise, or tearful sorrow. You wake up, you work, you come home (or go out), and all in all have a stress free day. Every day, that is what I strive for. I want to enjoy life for everything that it offers, be it good or bad.
Sometimes you encounter problems and little roadblocks on your journey. For me, I sit back, I analyse the problem, determine the best course of action, and go forth from there. Sometimes choices have to be made. They tend to be a little more difficult because sometimes the right course of action is not clear. From time to time, I make mistakes. Sometimes they are little mistakes, sometimes they are big ones. But, I learn from them and keep going upon my merry way.
The pessimist in me would say that because the future is not certain, it will not be filled with the happiness that I expect. The optimist would say must the opposite, that the future is what you make of it. The realist that I am realizes that the future will probably be right down the middle. The future will be full of new challenges and important decisions, but the outcomes of those decisions are what will make it fulfilling and rewarding.
Upon reflection, I changed the title of this entry to “The Seinfeld Post,” because it truly is about nothing in particular. I had originally titled it “Time Flies,” but a reference to Seinfeld seemed a tad more catchy.
First and foremost, a happy belated July 4th to all of my American friends.
I’m not much of a movie watcher. Ergo, when I do sit down to watch a movie I usually like to pick something that will hold my interest. Yesterday, I watched JCVD.
I truly was not sure what to expect going in. John and I just picked up an extra large Meat Amore pizza from Mamma’s Pizza (which are, hands down, bar none, the absolute best pizzas that I have ever had) and we threw that flick on. The movie is a crime-action flick starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as himself. He plays a down and out action star who somehow gets himself caught up in the middle of a bank heist.
As the majority of the film is in french, it has subtitles. Normally this would bother me, but in this instance it did not because the text was large and the dialogue was short. Some of the dialogue was ad-libbed, with Van Damme referencing real-life occurences throughout. In short, this movie is a fantastic piece of work that blurs the lines between the production and real-life.
Yesterday was Canada Day. As part of the festivities, the Mandarin Chinese Restaurant was offering a free buffet to any Canadian citizen. All that you had to do was prove that you were Canadian.
First things first. I think that what Mandarin did was awesome. A great way to show thanks to Canadians (and Canada) and to give back to the communites that support your business. The lineups were horrendous; up to six hours in some cases.
This is not a slam on Mandarin, but rather people who would wait in line up to six hours for a free (albeit filling and delicious) meal. I must ask them, “What is your time worth?” I love a free buffet meal just as much as anybody, but I would sure as hell not waste my day standing in line for it. To each his (or her) own, however. It just does not make a lot of sense to me.
Happy Canada Day to all!
The first offical Canada Day did not occur until 1983. Prior to 1983, the holiday was known as Dominion Day, as Canada was officially designated a Dominion as per the British North America Act. The holiday recognizes Canada’s birthday, and the country is 142 years old today.