Inception & The Hurt Locker

Haven't seen a good movie in a long time - this one - I think is definitely worth it - especially if you're like me and is fascinated by the dream world...



On a different note - The Hurt Locker - which won the Best Picture Award - bought it, saw it - was a "different" movie, but I'm not sure if it was worthy of such a win - though, I must say I did enjoy the complexities of the human psyche and the character development was very good - considering there hasn't been a movie out in so long that dives into character development - I would recommend it - as a rental (or borrow my copy)  :)  

Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles

Not exactly my era of music - but it was a lot of fun and enjoyable...
If you're a baby boomer - you'll love it...
If not - you'll enjoy what real music used to be like - today's "bling this and grill this and hoe this"
You get the point!

They are only here until August 1 - so check them out:  RAIN

A GREAT Update

OK Mr. C, my faith in you is slightly renewed.
Barbosa, Diaw & Chandler... for Turk & Jose - I like it!

A Response to B. Colangelo

Dear BRYAN,

What a spectacle indeed!  I think what we just witnessed were three players wanting a championship and who would blame them?  However, to clump Chris Bosh in as a superstar seems superfluous - but that's just my opinion - though I bet I'm not alone.  My prediction is that his numbers will now go from 20-10 to about 12-5 and maybe an assist or two more then before because he'll be drawing defense and dishing back out to the perimeter to Mr. James...

Whatever happens with this new and renewed Heat team - I wish them all the best.

Now back to the real issue at hand.  Now, Mr. C, your return for Bosh was less than spectacular... in fact we got more out of the VC trade than we did with the sign & trade for Bosh.  Did we even consider acquiring Beasley before he was traded?  Or take a look at David Lee - or ANY of the actual prospects out there that can make a difference on our team?  True, I'm a fan of Amir & Sonny, but they can't carry our team to a championship - or realistically even a playoff spot.  So what do you plan to do?  Are you going to use the exception and draw some talent to Toronto - or are you going to hope that Davis is going to turn out to be a super star and then have him carry the team for the next 7 years alone?  I think it's safe to say that this tactic has never worked or ended well for us, so how about building a team with at least 5 key players that will do more than 8-10 points each?

Sadly, I'm not looking forward to the 2010-2011 season because our future looks bleak without a single player on the roster right now that can be a consistent contributor.  I hope you believe in miracles, because that's all we've got so far!

Sincerely,
Me



Dear MANDY,



What a spectacle! What we have all just witnessed is something unprecedented in professional basketball and possibly even in professional sports. In a year where multiple NBA teams positioned themselves for the ability to sign a "maximum" contract player (or players) in free agency, three of the NBA's bright young stars are teaming together in an attempt to win an NBA Championship. Kudos to the Miami Heat for pulling off such a feat.


I'm sure that there is frustration and disappointment, possibly even resentment, upon hearing the news that Chris Bosh is leaving Toronto to join forces with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James in South Beach. Well that certainly is the feeling from this vantage point as we lose a player that has been the centrepiece of our franchise for the last several years. I can assure you every move/investment made in the last four years to improve our basketball team was designed with the belief that putting the right pieces around Chris would get us closer to our goal of winning an NBA Championship. In fact, Chris actively participated in that process as transactions and changes were contemplated because I have always believed that a franchise player experiences a sense of ownership in team building. Unfortunately, we fell short of that goal and must now move on to a post-Bosh era in Toronto.


In completing a Sign-and-Trade transaction with Miami, we were able to extract a very valuable Trade Exception and future draft picks that will serve as building blocks in the process of re-tooling our basketball team. The Trade Exception can be used to acquire players under contract with other teams via trade, or it can be used to leverage the acquisition of additional future assets. Speaking of the future, I can't tell you how energized we all feel to see the positive growth and development of so much young athletic talent on our roster including re-signing Amir Johnson and the recent first-round draft selection of Ed Davis. While more changes to the roster are possible, even likely, we can promise you now that this team will compete every night they take to the floor.


We believe we have the best fans in the NBA and we believe in the city and country that we play in. Your passion, pride and support has been tremendous no matter what the circumstances, and we cannot thank you enough for that. We all share a commitment to winning both on and off the floor and MLSE/Toronto Raptors ownership and management will do whatever it takes to WIN while also making the community a better place. Our franchise will evolve and emerge stronger than before, and I assure you that our combined efforts will produce the WINNER you are hoping for.


Sincerely,


Bryan Colangelo

Hope for 2010-2011

So Bosh is leaving... Don't hate him - not like VC, but he really isn't a super star, I don't care who disagrees...

Since Dirk Nowitzki and David Lee are unrestricted and we now have the salary.... There's a thought - doubt they'd come our way, but that would be nice.

Maybe, it's time to packages Jose Calderon in a trade - we need a "riskier" PG - one willing to direct the team more and make plays - like Nash!!

Anyway - looking forward to a new season - hopefully one of real re-building!!

On My Drive To Fern Resort and Here

Got hit with so much rain I could barely see the car in front of me.

Got cut off about 15 times in the rain though I was already going 110 km on the 404.

Thought about going to the woodbine track as I passed Georgian Downs but then remembered how boring horse racing is.

Listened to Usher's new CD and was beyond disappointed.

Stopped at the Mickey Dees in Barrie and remembered what it was like being a minority again - was stared at by a lot of white people.

Drove over one of those curb things that indicate the end of a parking spot scratched up the bottom of my car :(

Attacked by monster mosquitoes.

Couldn't figure out the air con in the room until just before I headed to bed.

Loving that I look out to the lake from my room. Could do this as a vacation.



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Things to Look Forward To!

Secretly looking forward to:

The Socerer's Apprentice

Life as We Know It

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows

Disney's Tangled

And a few I'm happily looking forward to:

X-Men: First Class

Green Lantern

The Smurfs - in 3D

My Newest Crush

His name is EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
But I would settle for his baby brother... EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

A New Phone

I called Telus to cancel my internet stick since I had no use for it - and I should know myself better or at least acknowledge my weakness when it comes to new techie toys.

Since I have NO control over wanting a new phone... I did exactly that - committed myself to a new phone!

Motorola Milestone

I'll pick it up next week... But at least, I only had to pay 2 more dollars to get a data plan and I can keep my existing plan with all its perks... No, I'm not even succeeding in convincing myself that it was necessary - but a new toy YAY!!!!

Sanity on a String

I thought it was impossible to visit hell before you die - given the fact that you belong there after you die??? Point is, I may not be 90, but in this short life, I went through a week of it... And let me tell you, not pleasant, lonely and a very, very dark place.


The learning I took away - you either truly know how to value those you love or you don't; you either know to tell them how important they are before they're gone, or you don't; You make every effort to make them first, or you don't; You remember to say a little thank you, or... well you get the idea.


I guess the bottom line of my non-sequential thought process is that you may go through hell and back, but to that other person, it's irrelevant and unimportant and really - has no weight in the grand scheme of things.... while you - you struggle with every waking day, battling the demons that now haunt you - hopefully not forever, but right now - sure feel like forever.


Something has changed in my heart and mind - just trying to pin point what it really is and figure out what to do with this change.

Fables 6-9 - Catching Up....

Fable 6: The Homelands
Boy Blue - kicked some serious ass....
Ghepetto... I'm disappointed in you
Fable 9: Sons of Empire

Fable 7: Arabian Nights (and Days)
I was bored...
Something about some cloud kingdom ya dee da...

Fable 8: Wolves
Bigby was hiding out in the forest somewhere amongst a wolf pack... "Vincent" finds him to return to do the dirty work
He blows up the sacred forest in the Homelands and gives Ghepetto an ultimatum....

Fable 9: Sons of Empire
Christmas - Bigby fights his big brothers while visiting Gramps...
Flycatcher is turned back into human form and given his memory back...
Santa Claus is a fable too!! Awesome

Sleepless and Movies

I hate the fact that I'm still up but I am... Cursed over-ability to care...

So I'll do my movie reviews since I can't sleep anyway!

Robin Hood
Slow
Chracter deficient
Story ok... Not very exciting.
Wasn't as much like Glasiator as I thought it would be - more correctly - not nearly as good.
Worth the gander on big screen for the scenery otherwise it's a rental.

Letters to Juliet
Sucker for romance so I'm biased.
Worst yet - I do believe in true love so makes this super cheese movie good to me.
However I hate those plot lines where 1 person is happily engaged and 5 days later realizes they've fallen in love with someone else - too white for me - the lack of meaning in an engagement and in marriage. I stand corrected it's not a white thing it's a North American thing to take something sacred and make it superficial and nearly meaningless. (excuse the mini rant)
Overall cute story now I want to go visit this place. Def beautiful landscape. Sadly there was mire depth in this movie than RH.



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Fable #5: The Mean Seasons

Bigby's time in the war...
The "7" children of Snow White and Bigby...

Einsteinium....

Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.

Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.

Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?

In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.


Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. 


Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. 


Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing. 


Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.


The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat. 


The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive. 


True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness. 


We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. 

Fable # 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers

Pinocchio is the man!!!
War in Fabletown...
Boo dies :(
Red Riding Hood... not so dead afterall....

Fable #3: Storybook Love

To say the least, not very impressed.
Was definitely not my favorite one of the Fables series so far.


On the plus note - I had to be in Newmarket for work the other day and we stopped into the Chapters to grab a coffee from Starbucks.


I found #4, 5, 6, 7 which I couldn't for the life of me locate here in Toronto!  $75 out, but at least I don't have to try and figure out how to order it on line...

The Zoo

At first - the puffy bear was asleep

But then puffy woke up and went splish splashing and dangling

The Orangutan was looking for a hand out...

The Tiger came a prowling...

And the jellies came a squiggling...

All in all... a good day to be a-zooing :)

What Do You Want From Me

Hey/Slow it down
What do you want from me
What do you want from me

Yeah/I'm afraid
What do you want from me
What do you want from me

There might have been a time
When I would give myself away
Oh once upon a time
I didn't give a damn

But now
Here we are

So what do you want from me

Just don't give up
I'm workin' it out
Please don't give in
I won't let you down
It messed me up
Need a second to breathe
Just keep coming around
Hey
What do you want from me
What do you want from me

Yeah/ It's plain to see
That baby you are beautiful
There's nothing wrong with you
(nothing wrong with you)
It's me
I'm a freak

But thanks for loving me
'Cause your doing it perfectly

Yeah, there might have been a time
When i would just let you slip away
I wouldn't even try
But I think you could save my life

Just don't give up
I'm workin' it out
Please don't give in
I won't let you down
It messed me up
Need a second to breathe
Just keep coming around
Hey
What do you want from me
(What do you want from me)

What do you want from me
(What do you want from me)

What do you want from me
(What do you want from me)

No, I won't let you down

So,just don't give up
I'm workin' it out
Please don't give in
I won't let you down
It messed me up
Need a second to breathe
Just keep coming around
Hey
What do you want from me

So,just don't give up
I'm workin' it out
Please don't give in
I won't let you down
It messed me up
Need a second to breathe
Just keep coming around
Hey

What do you want from me
(What do you want from me)

What do you want from me
(What do you want from me)

What do you want from me
(What do you want from me)

Things I Learnt This Weekend (And Two Days)

• Friendships are like stars, they can be far away but still touch the deepest part of your heart
• It takes self-understanding, self-realization, and self-acceptance to be all that you are yesterday... better today
• Unconditional Love may only be 17 letters long, but bear a meaning far beyond the letters can explain; it means giving all of yourself and that of which you didn’t know existed in you to show someone else how much you care for them and accepting that through their wrongs and detours you will still always be there caring
• Daffy Duck has a severely foul mouth and Bugs Bunny isn’t as funny as he used to be when I was a kid
• I really miss having a dog (well I didn’t actually learn that – but came to re-realize that watching Marley & Me)
• God may be there calling me again (thanks *friend*) and this time I might just be ready to listen
• I am counting to my 25th Timmy’s and it’s official that I have no luck
• Disappointment helps you to learn who you are and in turn, makes you grow and mature into a better person. Focussing on the disappointment will trap you in one place and that place is never a good one
• There’s a Taiwanese boy who can sing Whitney Houston better than Whitney Houston
• There are 300 calories for every 27 Cheetos – a bowl typically can hold about 81 which equates to about 900 calories
• There is 330 mg of salt in a hot dog (Shopsy’s Brand)
• Tomorrow will never come and yesterday will never return
• If there's fight left in you, keep fighting, even if the silver lining is not visible
• Sake is really deceiving, you won't feel it, until you stand up

All We'd Ever Need

Boy it's been all this time
And I can't get you off my mind
And nobody knows it but me

I stare at your photograph
Still sleep in the shirt you left
And nobody knows it but me

Everyday I wipe my tears away
So many nights I've prayed for you to say

[Chorus]
I should've been chasing you
I should've been trying to prove
That you were all that mattered to me
I should've said all the things
that I kept inside of me
And maybe I could've made you believe
That what we had was all we'd ever need

My friends think I'm moving on
But the truth is I'm not that strong
And nobody knows it but me

And I've kept all the words you said
In a box underneath my bed
And nobody knows it but me

But if you're happy I'll get through somehow
But the truth is that I've been screaming out

[Repeat Chorus]

I should've been chasing you
You should've been trying to prove
That you were all that mattered to me
Oh you should've said all the things
That I kept inside of me
And maybe you could've made me believe
That what we had girl
Oh that what we had, what we had
It was all we'd ever need
It was all we'd ever need

How Do You Title Longing?

I wonder if that cliche of "woman's clock" has any truth....
or maybe it's just that I'm seeing all my friends settle down and find that person they want to spend the rest of their life with...If that feeling isn't mutual do you count your losses and look somewhere else?  What if the heart doesn't want to look anymore.
It's starting to ache... to wonder if I deserve that stability; that commitment; the respect; the honesty; that other person wanting to spend the rest of their life with me....
Even the one most non-committal friend I have has now made the plunge.
Maybe it's just me... seems like there are 1000 reasons why it's me... 
I guess, at least if all else fails, I'll be there....

Fables: Animal Farm

Fables: Animal Farm


The struggle continues in fabletown this time between "New York" and "Animal Farm"


#1 was far more interesting, but I'm still very intrigued to read the next 10 issues.

Lost in Fables

Since reality isn't a pretty place I've recently found my new escape.


1. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
2. Fables: Legends in Exile


A series of graphic novels by Bill Willingham in which legendary fairy tale characters have taken human form and are hiding in exile since their lovely Homeland have been raide and overtaken.


A great twists to the classic characters and how each o their stories are somehow intertwined. Looking for the next 12 in the series... They're posing to be a harder find than expected.


If you like the classic tales and what graphic novels have to offer I highly recommend the series. Wonder if it'll succeed in becoming a movie series. Probably not though. Oh well...


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Avatared

Amazing CGI - check
Cool scenery - double check
Oscar winning plot - questionable
Deserving all Oscar animations - double questionable


Was it a good flick yah I'd say so. Is it the flick of the decade I wouldn't count on it. The whole bad guy seemingly straight out of Halo 3 wasn't impressive at all. I felt like I was momentarily playing star craft or something. Maybe it was the mind control avatar thing I felt severely disconnected with the tribe.
Pandora was definitely amazing however I'm a little sad to realize my basis for my fantasy world "the hanging city" is no longer
my best kept secret... I guess all brilliance does become reality one day.


Would I recommend it - yes and for the first time I actually would recommend it in 3D. Would I sit through it again - to be honest, probably not.


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Your Emptiness; My Despair

While I'm missing you
You're missing her
Faceless, nameless
Couldn't be bother with your heart's content.
Only cares where you sign
Dotted Line
And the next time you'll return.
Feels so cold
In your embrace
A nobody in my place
That you dream of now instead.
She'll scream your name
If you place
A credit line
To pay for her next expense.
We drift apart
Can't be whole
Argue tomorrow
Because you're no longer mine.
The energy you commit to it
Instead of time, to build what is
Lost in space, so meaningless
When you turn back it's nothing but 
Emptiness.
I'll be gone built a life
That could, should, would be yours
But in place
You took a short turn road
For a taste
Of 30 seconds of pointless bliss.