Un Puits

The Green Bin Arrives

2009-11-12T23:28:07Z

What's that truck?

Oh, it's making deliveries!

Army of green bins, ready to disembark!

Green Bin Get!

This is a story about how my garbage habbits got flip-turned upside down...

Actually, I never did watch Fresh Prince a whole lot, though everyone I knew did.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for me, but I think I'm passed the worst. Three days ago, I would have disagreed with that, and had started getting myself mentally ready to hear news of a need for surgery. Now, however, I'm thinking I can bypass such a procedure. Hopefully. I'll have to wait until Monday to go and find out for sure.

At the height of this ordeal, Halloween, I spent it in a half-inspired Mario costume, thanks to Club Nintendo's gift of an authentic-like Mario hat.

And a slight remix of said costume...

OC Transpo gives me a headache

2009-10-01T04:27:44Z

The conference room at NewCap radio, home of Hot899 and LiVE885, have very comfy chairs.I was there yesterday with my fellow group work team for a school project. It was a wonderful experience... I secretly wanted to see the actual offices and recording areas, though, possibly to make funny faces at John Moran while he's on the air. Or, you know, not.

I finally backed up my Disney photos to a dvd, so that I could finally delete them off my memory cards. I didn't want to risk losing them to technological snafus, even thought they are on two different hard drives. I did have a hard drive die on me, after all. But I bet losing all those pictures would give me a great reason to head back! Supposedly, Halloween is pretty fun 'round those parts, and then the next day, like magic, it's Christmas.

The other pictures, above, are various ones from the summer. Yes, I finally had breakfast at Cora's! It was quite delicious, and so big that it was worth my while to take the rest home.

Now I'm craving pancakes.

I read three OC Transpo-related articles today: One, Two, Three. I can't believe that deep into all these transit plans (that I personally think are taking far too long), the city never really got any formal approval from the NCC to expand on their land, especially given that the next leg of the transitway to be built kinda needs it. And the new bit that just opened to help save time and traffic actually uses up more time? Makes sense to me! And there won't be a Quickie at the new Baseline station. Silliness.

This city is so ineffective at getting anything done it scare me. Maybe everyone should go and learn how to make a plan and do research. I guess they should be in my classes!

It's like walking into your bedroom only someone else's stuff is there. And they repainted.

2009-09-29T03:50:39Z

Yesterday, I was at the mall when I was greeted by Mickey Mouse! I thought it was nice that Mickey was around the mall, especially since the store that replaced Disney had opened the day before. And that escalator that would take me there! It has been broken for a long time now. Just like The Bay with its broken door that doesn't open, Bayshore is kinda slow at fixing things. And then I eventually made it up and saw the new, open-for-business Ricki's. Walking in, I felt like it was familiar, but not. The pillars, now plain white, the ceiling, now way low, the wall bays now squarely recessed into space-maximizing walls... and a huge company logo where the projected screen once displayed Hannah Montana music videos and The Little mermaid singalongs. I'll have to go in and tell them to enjoy the scent of Subway bread and horrible fat vat smell when KFC cleans out their reserves. Oh, and that the place is haunted.

And pictured above is a guy who was rapping beside me.

TV in 10 syllables

2009-09-26T21:35:22Z

School + work + work is starting to get very crazy in those proportions. School + work + work + new tv season... I don't know how I'm still alive! I wonder if I can summarize what I think of the following shows in 10 syllables:

Heroes
Bryan Fuller put great things in motion.

How I Met Your Mother
Soft start to a funny season, I hope.

Castle
Less murder, more Beckett... ok for now.

Bored to Death
Have to see more to see where it will go.

Community
Strong pilot, funny could live, or could die.

Big Bang Theory
Oh no they didn't! Plus Star Trek spoilers!

Survivor
Season 19 started off pretty great.

I probably won't watch survivor anymore though because it gets boring after 2 eps. I'll need to watch Dollhouse everntually, too. Most of these shows I might have to just watch all at once in the winter, though, because school is going to be tonnns of work.

The Source, in my opinion, has the best mobile internet stick deal. You get the stick for $0 on a 1-year term. I wouldn't get a 2-year term (where it is everywhere else)... so I got it! We'll see how much I get to use it, probably lots because of all the downtime I seem to have when I'm going to work, or just after when I need to wait for the bus. Suddenly, the netbook just got a bit more valuable. However, The Source people told me they had the 21mbps stuck when the one I got was only 7.2mbps. Meanies.

Netbooks and Fanboys

2009-09-06T03:21:52Z

I've had one problem since my first laptop died on me a number of months ago - my mom would have to use my newer laptop when she would want to access the internet. To help remedy this issue, I bought a new computer! I use the term "computer" lightly - I bought a netbook. It's small, it's loaded with Windows XP, and my left shift key is half the size it should be... \when \i type, \i keep not hitting it. However, the increased portability that I'll get from this 10" device will more than likely make up for the need to adapt to a new keyboard. Hopefully.

I've spent the last few days trying to get over some sort of cold. Helping me to do so is Heroes Season 3. I bought the dvd set this week, hoping to refresh my mind on what's happened in the last year. I found the show somewhat annoying to watch it week by week, but viewing a few episodes at a time is much more fulfilling. In re-watching, I can see why some had been complaining about the show, but in the best spirit of many fans of various things, I think their idea of what the show should be is so high that any practical reality for the show seems to disappoint. All kinds of media outlets have had "what Heroes should be/do to be awesome again" articles (ahem 1, 2) prove my point. And it's not limited to our primetime mutants. Take a look at Joseph Mallozzi's blog comments to see fans up in arms over a show that won't even air for another month, or any Nintendo community that has become pretty much anti-Nintendo.

J.J. Abrams and co. have a huge task ahead of them for the next Star Trek movie. That's all I gotta say.

Oh, and Disney is buying Marvel. Crazy ducks. There's even more purists (on either side) who can't sleep at the thought of Snow White befriending Wolverine. All I know is that I have a cool Wall-E lunch bag and it wouldn't hurt Disney to learn how to attract a male audience. Maybe then Pixar won't have to be the boy's section all by itself.

Three words....

2009-07-19T06:22:02Z

Three words...

There's something too awesome about this picture. Is it Mary's (left) hair and smile-with-attitude? Is it the weird alphabet-ball-with-mouse-named-Mort that Ruth (centre) is holding? Is it David's (right) hurry-up-and-take-the-picture attitude?

This was taken circa 1967. Wonder what they look like now?

Ruth (mid-left), David (centre), and Mary (mid-right), with even newer brothers James (far left) and John (far right), July 2009.

Also, vintage MJ the first time it was cool to wear his face on a sweater. Oh and that's me, Dec 1984. The stylin' guy is my then-four-year old cousin, Matt.

Transition

2009-06-23T04:56:59Z

I never did catch up on the rest of my Disney trip blogs. I meant to, I just haven't yet found the time. Over the past month and a half (has it been that long?!), I've talked to many people about it, and I'm pretty sure I lit up each time, except where I talk about missing Carl and Russel (Up characters) by 6 days. Up, by the way, is fantastic. Go see it now if you haven't yet.

Time won't be an issue soon, so I'll catch up on all kinds of pictures. My last class for the summer is tomorrow. My last shift at Disney is Friday. It was a month ago I found out that the store is closing, and each day since then has been increasingly difficult. I may have only been with the company for two years - one of which was actually with Disney (the first year, the Store were owned and operated by The Children's Place), but in that time, I've felt I've found somewhere I belong. It's a company that I would love to continue working with, certainly in a position at an office if not in the field at a store level. The people have been fantastic, especially co-cast members, and especially the guests that I've come to know over time.

Thank you to everyone for being a family and for allowing me to enjoy being at work. For enjoying retail. It's mind boggling that I came so close to not accepting the job when Sharlene called me back about it. I've learned so much from everyone would do it all again in a heartbeat - even if it means hearing Hannah Montana's "Life's What You Make It" 30 times a day.

I once learned from a mediocre Disney movie to "keep moving forward" (clearly not Wall-E, or Up. Those are fantastic. Go see Up). As I look forward to the summer and fall, I have a new year of school (a last one, I hope... for now), a new job, a new position at CFFN, and a new Web site that I've gone back to creating. My life is a deck of cards, and someone is shuffling!

Disney Day Four

2009-05-08T13:07:28Z

On the first night, we checked out Downtown Disney, but only really went into a place to eat. Today, our first down day, we decided to take to the shops and, in a nutshell, spend a ridiculous amount of money. The stores here are crazy awesome! The World of Disney Store, the biggest character store in the world, is easily 20x the size of my store at home. If not more. And despite the heavy traffic, it was still very organized and neat looking. Imagine how many hours they get! And the stitch outside likes to spit on people. Not surprising...

Also, our store has been starting to get products made of recycled materials, reusable bags, organic cotton shirts, and the like. The same lines of product are here too. With cooler designs!

The candy store is amazing as well. I couldn't decide what to get because I wanted it all. Disney gummies are seriously the best ones I've had ever. If there are any pockets of space in my luggage (ha!), then I'm filling it with candy.

Another amazing store is the Holiday store - all Christmas 365 days a year. Unfortunately I dont' want to bring back anything breakable, so everything stayed there. But it's pretty cool. You could get a monorail set for the tree, instead of the more traditional train set. But It doesn't say "Por Favor Manténgase Alejado de las Puertas" (the monorail says to stand clear of the doors in english and spanish). If it did, I would seriously ship one home.

We had also checked out the Boardwalk, but sillily did so in the morning when it's pretty dead. Will have to scope out later at night - Jellyrolls, amirite?

I think this was also a swimming day. I can't remember, but I'm starting to get used to pools.

Disney Day Three

2009-05-08T02:13:12Z

After a long day at Magic Kingdom, Cat and I took a trip to EPCOT. You know, the park with the big expo-style ball? By the time the park closed, we had only really done the first half of it, doing Futureworld and just barely visiting the Canada part of the world showcase. We're going to have to go again.

Spaceship Earth was perhaps my favourite thing at Epcot. Inside the huge ball, there's an attraction that goes through the story of communication, from cave wall paintings to Matrix-style letters falling on the ceiling. And stars. And matrices of lights that look like they go on forever. We did it twice! My close-second fave attraction: Mission Space. Wow. Have you ever been to Mars? I went twice! Thanks, Gary Sinise! The simulated G-Forces were off the huzzle (bonus points if you just laughed there). Test Track was also amazing. It's accelerating in a car, round and round, dodging obstacles - basically human crash test dummies. It's a roller coaster that doesn't feel like a roller coaster, which is alright in my books!

I made my own paper, recycled lots, and got stuck in an ill-prepared house during a severe weather storm. The 3-D shows are tricky with their water and air effects.

NEMO! The Seas was actually a little disappointing, because there wasn't much to it, and it's nowhere near as exciting as the other shows at the Magic Kingdom. talking with Crush was was funnier than Mike's Laugh Floor, if only because kids ask the weirdest questions.

"how do you talk?"
"uh, with my mouth!"
"the turtles I know don't talk!"
"*blank stare* strange, all the turtles I know talk, dude!"

That one's probably very different each time.

"How do you swim?"
"uuh, in water, dudette! If I swam in the air, then I'd be flying!"

That one was funnier because one girl mentionned that she flew to Disney in a plane. Crush's rection? Priceless.

Soarin' is a hand-gliding flight over California. It was pretty exciting, and very convincing, but it would be better if it had seamless transitions though, lighting and locales change gradually. Honey I Shrunk the Audience was another 3D show. I thought it took too long to get to the good stuff, but it reminded me of how fun that universe is. Also the mice got me good!

And then the day was over. The Canada restaurant was reserved for a celebration of some sort of anniversary. And there's no Tim Horton's either. Seems like a missed opportunity!

And yes, there was more pin trading. And pin buying. I think I'm addicted.

Disney Day Two: Magic Kingdom

2009-05-06T05:14:00Z

Magic Kingdom

WOW.

Magic Kingdom is huge! The whole thing started off walking down Main Street USA from which you get a fantastic view of the iconic Cinderella's Castle. And from there, it just kept getting better and better. We somehow managed to see a lot of it... not quite everything, but a whole lot. The park wasn't that busy, so, in combination with Fastpasses, we didn't have to do a whole lot of waiting. I wanted to see everything - soak up every detail and become part of it. This being my first real theme park experience makes it even moreso overwhlming. The little details are what makes Disney so spectacular, and Magic Kingdom is no exception to that rule.

Adventureland

If you're going clockwise, Adventureland is the first main area. The Jungle Cruise was neat - animatronics is a big part of this place, and this is my first glimpse at this dying style of storytelling. The Tiki Room was a bit confusing because I wasn't paying attention to the story as much as I was admiring the detail of the room, but Iago did a great spin on the Friend Like Me song. The pirates show a great show too - tons of detail.

Frontierland

Here's where all the excitement is! Here, we made good use of Fastpasses and did two rides while waiting in line for one. First up was Splash Mountain. Now, if you know me, I'm not one for water - showering is as wet as i usually get, and not one for rollercoasters - I need to be dragged kicking and screaming on even the simplest SuperEx rollercoaster (ok, not the simplest. I'll do the kiddie one no problem). And here I am, in line for a water rollercoaster that drops 16m (50+ feet, about 5 stories)... with a character theme that I don't even know! But with much anxiety and some arm twisting from Cat, I go. And it wasn't bad! It was good preparation for the next ride.

Big Thunder Railroad. I was scared until I actually did it. After that, I wouldn't have minded going again. Maybe roller coasters are meant for more than computer sim games?

Liberty Square

There isn't much here unless you're big on US presidents. And Haunted Mansions. Haunter Mansion was really clever. I was more impressed with some of the effects tahn the actual ride itself. They made a movie about this?

Fantasy Land

This area is the tamer part of town. It's also where I experienced my first 3D show - Mickey's PhilharMagic. Very clever. And silly Donald. The Dumbo elephants were nice as well - how come I could easily do these when I was younger, but am apprehansive about the heights now? Mad Tea Party was awesome. I love anything spinney. I can do spinney all day!

Mickey's Toontown Fair

My first real character meeting! Cinderella. Belle. Sleeping Beauty. Minnie. MICKEY! The princesses were awesome. Part of what makes s them so great is watching them with kids. I threw out a couple of good questions, but to see what they say. I asked Cindy the question that has been plaguing me for over a year: why doesn't her slipper disappear when the magic is reversed at Midnight? If you wanna know what she said, you'll have to ask me. And meeting Mickey and Minnie was so totally awesome! Even though I'm a big Disney nut, these guys weren't really on my radar, until this day. Now I can't get enough of them! Fantastic! I also explored their houses.

Tomorrowland

This is the alst segment of the Magic Kingdom. Space Mountain was closed, but I did drive on the speedway. The car in front of me wasn't too great on the road, so I went slower than I probably could have. This little girl overtook me half way through and was so excited! I tried to catch up, but couldn't :(

The Buzz Lightyear Spin ride reminded me of laser tag with targets, and not other people. It built my excitement for Toy Story Mania. Stitch's attraction was neat, but kinda disappointed. He burped once, fowl!

Pin Trading

Pin Trading is absolutely cool! I made one kid's day by trading him my Bolt pin for sme random Pirates pin. Later that day, I ran into him and his brother again, and the brother traded me a cooler Pirates pin for his brother's old one. I also made a woman's day with my spinney Ursala pin. It was her first trade and was ecstatic! Trading with the Cast is easy, it's with the guests where its more interesting. This one little girl came up to me and asked to see my pins. Her mother was surprised by this and quickly told her that I didn't work at the park, which made her scared and run away. So, I went up to her and started talking, and showing her the pins I had, but she was too shy after the fact. Too adorable!

After getting back, we ended up watching some Nemo on the beach thanks to an inflatable screen they set up on some nights, and having smores around a campfire. Yes, my resort had an outdoor movie theatre and a campfire. Beach. Volleyball net. Hammocks. Hot tub. Pool. Even a nighttime light parade on the water!

Disney Day One

2009-05-01T11:56:28Z

This was my frist trip on an airplane! The take-off was a bit tense-ifying, but once I realised it was a bit like a rollercoaster without the down bits, I didn't mind at all. I also slept on the planes. Once I got to Washington DC, the first thing I noticed was pizza... at Subway? How crazy!

Then I got to the Orlando airport. It's a whole other climate. Sweater? Really?! Unnecessary. Palm trees and conifers alike populate the roadways, and there are Disney signs everywhere... at least on the path of the Disney Express. Once I arrived, I went and lounged on the beach at the resort. Surprisngly, it wasn't packed with people. A few kids here and there, and their parents, but plenty of room to sleep on hammocks and splash around (though I didn't because I was waiting for my luggage to arrive. And Cat.

Once Cat arrived, we took the bus to Downtown Disney to buy Star Trek tickets. I HAVE STAR TREK TICKETS! Aterwards, we went to Planet Hollywood where there was a 40-minute wait for a table... but no wait for the bar. Smartly, we went and ate at a table at the bar. Even after not having eaten since lunch at Subway in DC, I couldn't finish my burger. Not even close! I felt bad about it, but what can you do!

For those who work at Disney with me, I got my ID! After all that waiting and panicing. And you truly notice the Disney Difference here, from the moment you land at the airport. There is no comparison between the United people at the airport, and the even the Disney Express people at the Orlando airport. Night and day. I've been greeted with smiles and "what can I do for you" at every turn, and everyone has been so helpful. So far! I talked at length with one CM about Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus and all the other Disney Tween peeps. I couldn't do that anywhere else, haha!

Anyway, it's time to shower and head out to the Magic Kingdom. My camera is gonna die!

Heigh Ho, it's off to Disney I go

2009-04-30T04:17:36Z

I'm off to meet the Mouse! Follow me if you want stories and pictures on a daily(ish) basis!

Ads, Earth, and Booster Juice

2009-04-26T14:39:11Z

I've actually been noticing advertisements over the past couple of days, whether it's that Flint one (there's an ad on the radio right now, coincidence?), or this weird recycleme.org one all about organs (oh hey it's about organ donation. Well done, Government of Ontario!), or these new ones that are solid black with seemingly odd white copy... I should learn what they're about. Next time I get a change, I'll take pictures. All I know is that they're far more interesting than the plain ones I'm used to.

Dinseyworld is sooo soon! I started the check-in process! I have to get on a mass laundry schedule and start deciding what to bring. Jimminy "nobody ever listens to me" shirt? check. Red Mickey shirt? Check. Wall-E shirt? check! Princess Jasmine shirt? I don't have one, unfortunately. The next shopping day I get, I'm going to get all the little things I need for a trip. Sunscreen perhaps. Travel bottles (i prefer to not have to buy expensive travel sized products, but rather take travel portions of the home products I have. I also need to make sure I have my tickets. Where did I put them again?

Disneynature's first theatrical release, Earth, opened on Earth Day. And it's 90 minutes of awesomeness. James Earl Jones narrates the story of three families: polar bears, humpback whales, and elephants. Along the way, a few other supporting, er, animals pop up, including my now favourite superb bird of paradise shown above. From this angle, he looks like a Pokemon or something random. And the poor female just wasn't interested. Poor guy. The movie has had some criticism for focusing on family-friendly and for reusing some material from the Planet Earth series (they were both filmed at the same time to maximize budgets and save costs), but I haven't seen that yet, and most of those criticisms chalk up to "but Earth is still good and its worth it". I agree.

Plus Disney planted a tree for me. That the fourth one they've planted for me, if i do my math right. They also gave me a reusable water bottle for recycling.

And if that wasn't enough, Booster Juice finally has a new reusable mug! No more styrofoam for me!

Crisis Averted

2009-04-17T21:20:12Z

I had a presentation on April 1, and I brought my camera with me, thinking that I would record it for later playback. Just as it was my turn to go up, I chickened out of such a plan (ended up doing very well on my presentation... perhaps I should have but oh well), and after the presentations were all done, I came home. Over a week later, I go looking for my camera. It's not in my room, its not on the main floor... it's not under my bed (few things end up there, my skates being one of them). Is it at Prashanta's? Nope. Does Prabin have it? Nope. Is it at work? Nope. Mary's? Nah. Where could it have gone? I'm scratching my head, beofre I reluctantly admit that perhaps I lost it. I asked my teacher about it, and who teaches in that room next. This leads to a dead end, though with sympathies - nobody likes to hear a camera has gone missing. Because of the long weekend, OC Transpo lost and found isn't too easy to get hold of.

Do I really need to buy a new camera 2 weeks before going on a trip?

What kind of camera would I buy? A cheap n easy point and shoot to tide me over? A fancy high end point and shoot like I have now? Plan for the future and go DSLR? Would I even have time to learn a new camera?

I try OC's lost and found one more time:

Ben: Hi. I lost a camera about two weeks ago. I just checking to see if maybe it ended up with you guys.
L&F: Lemme check *hold*

As I wait, I know the next minutes will reveal to me my future. Whether I get my camera back, or whether someone is enjoying it somewhere and I need to go shopping.

L&F: Can you describe your camera? What make is it?
Ben: It's a pretty big one, Panasonic Lumix.
L&F: *hold*

Now my heart is pounding.

L&F: Is there any distinguishing features about it?
Ben: It's in a Lowepre case. I think the memory card is empty... The case has a Wall-E Pin on it.
L&F: What's a wallapin?
Ben: It's a pin. Of Wall-E. From Disney-Pixar's movie? Cute robot? Yellow. Has a pet cockroach...
L&F: Haha, I think I missed that one
Ben: It's an awesome movie. You should see it.
L&F: *hold*

Everyone should see Wall-E. And yes, I actually said "Disney-Pixar".

L&F: We have your camera here!

*heart skips beat*

Oddly I was slightly disappointed because I was warming up to the idea of going SLR shopping. But It'd rather have money for Disney. And I love my camera. And was excited to have it back. At my earliest convenience, I went all the way downtown and picked it up. Just as I left it, though more loved. I'd sleep with it under my pillow if it weren't so big and lumpy.

As celebration for not having to buy a new camera, I bought Rhythm Heaven for the Nintendo DS. It's so much fun. I'm so happy that Nintendo let this one be its own game and didn't shoehorn it into a WarioWare game with comical uses of Starfox and Mario and Zelda for the minigames. It's perfect as-is. It's also very old school arcade-like in the twitch-perfect mechanic you need to use to get high scores. My only disappointment with it is how long it took to come stateside.

Pictures: Me and my camera, finally reuinited (and a dusty mirror), Bayshore parking lot, wine Prashanta, Prabin, and I had a while ago (why I got to thinking my camera might have been there, but then remembered it was before my presentation), Evil Laurier, Shawn and Krystal, guiro lizards hook up after a mating call (yes, rhythm heaven is pretty random).

How to Cut a Cake

2009-04-12T09:11:42Z

In this video, we're celebrating three birthdays. I'm the youngest, having just turned 5. To my right is Michael, who is 8, and cutting the cake is Mathieu, who will have been 9 the following week.

Young Man, Old Man, Lost Boy.

2009-03-30T18:45:42Z

Me, right now. Tired and staring at my Web cam.

Me as an old man. Some lady's going to be real lucky to have a handsome guy like that fifty years from now. I'll be as lovable as Bill Cosby, with a better-than-Jell-o substitute! Wanna try? Click here

I've kept track of all my purchases over the last week, and have combined them into one image. And just for you guys, I'll post them so that you can see where my money goes. Two parts Booster Juice, two parts Subway, one part random Disney merch, one part computer accessory (or necessity, in the case of stupid printer ink), and the two purchases you don't see, 20 parts US currency exchange and 40 parts Disney resort payment. I'm sure that company made more from me on that payment than they did the Camp Rock USB key I bought - and only bought because I lent mine to my cousin who has yet to return it. Maybe today on our regular post-class Carlingwood Shopping Center outing.

[click for more detail]

Did I mention I'm running on close to no sleep? I did get about 4.5 hours over the 14 hours between work ending Sunday and the exam I had this Monday morning. If restfulness smelled like lilacs and vanilla in a field of freshly baked goods, I would smell like cheap, fuming gas exhaust from a car that's been burning rubber. In the middle of the summer. I am making the best of it though, counting down the minutes until I get home. 240. Maybe more if there's that aforementioned Carlingwood outing.

I am half an hour to breaking the 30 day mark on my trip, a trip I've been thinking a lot about lately. Excitedly so! My "to pack" list is nothing more than mental Post-Its scattered around my disorganized brain (which means I'm likely to forget something vital, like my camera battery charger). It mostly consists of Reactine, board shorts, Nemo towel, and camera battery charger. Within the next week or two, I'll write down as many things as I can and systematically eliminate the things that are absolutely absurd. Do I really need to bring Prashanta's trumpet that's been hiding in my closet for years now? Not really. Wii? That one I'm currently on the fence.

And my watch that I don't need to change timezones for.

I've decided that I like the new facebook layout. It's fairly streamlined and things are posted in such a way that it's easy for me to comment. That's all I need really.

Walking home from school the other day (yes I still do that on occasion, despite the buses running at near full capacity), I found this picture. Paul, 2007.

Disney's (second) Oldest to it's newest! Plus Money!

2009-03-26T00:13:21Z

The Canadian dollar is being my hero! It's been on an upswing for the past week, more or less. While i doubt it'll keep that pace, I would absolutely love it it went up a bit more and stayed there until mid-May. Analysis have been saying the dollar's good fortune wouldn't last too long, so I paid off half of the balance on the hotel and bought some US money for spending purposes. I also went through all my change and found 95¢ worth of US coins, plus another 50¢ in pennies. About 5% of my pennies were American!

This sudden interest in US currency prompted me to check out my quarter collection. I had been keeping US State quarters that I find at work, but wasn't sure how many I had. Turns out, I have 22 different states represented overall (and I scrounged up another dollar in duplicates). If anyone has ones that I'm missing, please can I have them? I'll give you my address and everything (just please don't come and stalk me).

[Click to view my collection]

The new American bank notes are awkward. The newest Canadian designs embrace the colours of the notes of the past. The American ones, are slowly moving beyond their Original Gameboy green-and-black look, and are stuck in a middle "look i have some colour!" state. A note to American currency designers: purple and green are not so nice-looking together.

I've had over 1000 visitors to my blog. I'm no Joseph Mallozzi, but I bet I could be if I ran sci-fi show, ate a lot of exotic food, and had scary, yet adorable puppies to show off. In fact, if that were the case, I would in fact be Joseph Mallozzi. I suspect most of them arrive via google image search finding pics of T'Pol from an entry I made way back. But thank you if you're one of the ones who follows the blog, whether on Livejournal, through my site, RSS feed, facebook links, or any other source that I just can't think about at the moment.

Recently, I watched two movies (in hi-def Bluray!)

I hadn't seen Pinocchio (1940) since I was very young, and I wasn't a fan then. I'm still not a fan. Even though I don't get excited over the movie, now that I'm older, I'm able to appreciate the movie a lot more. The animation is spectacular. The underwater scenes and the scenes inside Monstro are beautiful and detailed, to the point where I can't even believe this movie has been around for 70 years! Also, Figaro has become my favourite Disney cat (sorry, Berlios). He's just so amazing and expressive and little!

The hi-def transfer was very nice, but it wasn't as spectacular as I was expecting; Sleeping Beauty raised my expectations too high. It makes me wonder why Disney is re-releasing two huge old classics one after another (Snow White is due this fall) and not something more modern, like Lion King or Beauty and the Beast to really show off the platform.

Bolt, however, was a fantastic hi-def watching experience. It was just like watching it in the theatres, only on a smaller screen, and three people instead of 70. I actually think Bolt's a great movie, Disney Proper's best CG movie to date. It's not quite on par with a Pixar flick, but in terms of visuals, story, characters, and everything, it's much better than Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. I wonder how much of that is John Lasseter's influence.

The opening sequence, which shows the filming (with real-time editing and special effects I might add) of the Bolt show is spectacular, as is the set disaster bit. The region-specific pigeons deserve a lot of credit. They're all hilarious! Also, this movie boosts my love for Malcolm McDowell (Mr. Linderman, the guy that killed Kirk, for you sci-fi nuts), the voice of Dr. Calico, the green-eyed Man. Rhino, the little break-out hamster starlet from the movie gets an all-new short, much like how Pixar makes shorts for their feature releases. This one was pretty forgettable, but cool while it lasted.

Green Revolution Weekend

2009-03-24T15:51:16Z

Last night, I received an email from some random tech solutions company, giving me a user name and password. The user name was for an email address that I use for important business purposes, so I decided to log in. It was registered to my email address, but by a Brandon Wood from Alabama. Huh? So I edited his information to say "This is not your email address." But I quickly realised that if I have his password, he dosn't have it (it looked automatically generated). Fortunately, after being on their website for a few minutes, a CSR chat window popped up! Brilliant! I can just complain to her. It went a bit like this:

Please wait while we find an agent to assist you...
You have been connected to Cindy .
Cindy : Hi ! Thank you for your interest in Supportrix. You can chat with us now and let us know what you need help on, or you can call 1-877-787-8749 for free consultation.
Customer: hello
Customer: I just got an email with a username and password for your web site, but I didn't register for anything.
Cindy : Can I have your name, phone and email address?
Customer: my email address is [gives email address]
Cindy : Oh I see
Cindy : Let me check our database.
Customer: i just wanted to make sure that it's not spam and that if someone else registered, that he knows that i have his information.
Cindy : I do understand.
Cindy : We do apologized for the inconvenience.
Customer: no problem
Cindy : I've just check our database.
Cindy : Since you were transfer to us by Linksys Tech for OUT OF SCOPE concern you already have a record here in our database. Don't worry sir, since you did not avail any support package from us, there should be no problem.
Cindy : The email you received from us is because you already have a record but there will be no charge for that.
Customer: with linksys?
Cindy : No sir. with Supportrix.
Customer: I'm not sure it's me though. My name isn't Brandon. It's possible a client entered the wrong email address.
Cindy : Oh I see.
Cindy : Because what we have in our record is under Mr. Brandon Wood and the phone number is 215*******.
Customer: That's not me, My name is Ben and I live in the 613 area (Ottawa, Canada). That's why I'm looking into this email I received
Cindy : Ok
Cindy : We do apologized for the inconvenience. Don't worry, we will address this call so you will not received any email again.
Cindy : Is there anything else I may help you with?
Customer: no, that's perfect. thank you for your time!
Cindy : Your welcome Sir.
Customer: have a good night

Ok, it went exactly like that. Nothing out of the ordinary and Internet-post worthy, but now you're part of the experience. And being called Sir is kinda strange. I wonder if that will go away over time, or us cool young people who like to be called by their first names will grow to be all stuffy and want the title, regardless if whether the Queen (or King by then I'm sure) had anything to do with it.

Over the weekend, I attended the (first annual?) Ottawa Go Green Expo. The Aberdeen Pavilion was packed wall to wall with trade show booths, and people trying to peddle off their latest products and innovations, which ranged form green-like to next-gen green. I tried organic hemp beverage - don't ever try that. It's pretty gross, despite the "new and improved taste" label, and chocolate didn't help it at all. I also sat in a Smart car. It was black and white though, not Wii-ized or bumble-beeed. If I had an extra $14 990 in my pocket, I would buy one. And a bullet bill decal for the side. Or for a tenth that price, I could get an electric-assisted bicycle. I could bike to work and let the motor take me home... biking after 8 hours of work doesn't sound too appealing, but if the bike pitched in...

With the dollar quite a bit higher than it was last week, I should go and buy some money for my trip. IN 37 DAYS. Just saying.

Photos: One last snowfall, trying on swimwear, collapsable electric bike, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Susma in a Smart car, Segway, soup, kiss.

arold, Kumar, and Barack, all at once!

2009-03-20T17:02:11Z

I finally returned a movie to ZIP.ca, I think it was The Manchurian Candidate. I've had three titles for a long time now (it, along with Tron and The Prestige) and no desire to watch them... so I had to cut my losses somewhere and return one. ZIP, probably thrilled that I'm still alive, promptly sent me Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.

Harold and Kumar 2 was an enjoyable, but not-as-much-as-its-predecessor comedy. As Harold and Kumar hopped from one improbable disaster to another, I couldn't decide exactly what kind of movie it was, and I think that imbalance kept the movie from being better than it should have been. It around a lot from smart comedy, to slapstick comedy, to fart jokes, to a hilarious-yet-touching poem about the square root of three. I haven't seen White Castle in ages, though I'm pretty sure it's a better movie. Though Neil Patrick Harris with unicorns AND rainbows? That deserves some mention.

I still don't know what I think of John Cho as Sulu in the new Star Trek movie. He does make a great Harold, but Sulu? I'll have to wait until May 8 to find out, but I still think James Kyson Lee (Ando of Heroes fame) would have been my #1 choice. But isn't he cute as a 90s pre-emo?

Obama was fantastic on Leno last night. I think if all politicians had the sincerity and down-to-earth realness that he presented, then politics would be better off. We would be better off. Just hearing his take on presidential life and living in the white house was truly interesting. The poor guy wasn't allowed to walk 750 yards. But that quip about the Special Olympics, well I expect it to be headlines when I walk pass the newspaper machines.

Also, I don't get why so many people are complaining that he should be "at work dealing with the important issues, not gallivanting on talk shows." He was on for half an hour, and I doubt Leno was his only stop out West. Plus, haven't people heard of multi-tasking? I know women are better at it then men, but still. i should be doing homework right now, or getting ready for work. Besides, how much vacation time did Bush take while in office? It's not like things were less busy back then.

Race to Average Sci-Fi Kid-Friendly Movie Starring Not-The Rock

2009-03-12T06:30:46Z

I drew a landscape, and was told that I'm not all that disheartened by misfortune, that I'm peaceful, that I think life is about existance and co-existance, that I'm precise and meticulous, and that I have a cheerful disposition, among other things. All based on my landscape, which, for your information, is loosely based on the Mushrom Kingdom. It didn't tell me I was a gamer. That would have been my first observation! I guess it's pretty neat. Try it.

Tonight, I saw Race to Witch Mountain, starring Dwayne Johnson and a couple of alien kids. It was a decent watch, I might even say a fun film, but I felt there was something missing that kept it from being more than mediocre. The comedy was enjoyable, the visuals ranged from really cool to "10 years after the Matrix and this is the best bullet time they can do?" And there wasn't as much action as I'd expect from a movie with The Rock (which I guess he doesn't want to be called anymore, since he isn't billed as such). I guess to keep it a kids movie (and it's a good kids movie), they had to keep violence down to a minimum - or at least close to minimum. There was lots of glass breaking and shooting going on!

The kids were awesome! Wasn't a fan of the woman. Alex something.

Also, I can't remember any names from the movie.

I would choose it over The Game Plan, but barely.

Angus burgers Look Kinda Gross When Photographed Half-Eaten

2009-03-09T15:40:04Z

Usage Stats for the last month:
Text message sent: 1007
Picture messages sent: 64
Internet bandwidth use (60GB max): 60.95GB

I think the bill is available tomorrow, so I'll get more details. It's just a good thing I have MY5 because that many texts and picmessages could otherwise be very expensive.

Also, I should be in class right now, but I kinda slept in.

Photos: inspiring graffiti, waiting for prashanta, bus, wine, lights, burger.

Downtown Mini-adventure

2009-03-09T05:50:00Z

Pictures: Downtown adventure with Prashanta, Jen, and Mika.

This time going downtown, I didn't get thieved. No Eeyores were stolen, no backpacks taken, no car change missing. We had planned to go skating on the canal, which I enjoy for a short period of time, before it becomes a painful experience. But for that initial 10-15 minutes, it's a lot of fun! The weather was very warm, though, and the canal's last day simply wasn't.

Also, playing Mairokart offline is so much easier than playing it online. Never once have I bounced around in front of the finish line thanks to bullet bills, red shells, invincible stars, losing 8 positions in the process. That was almost as bad as that one time someone hit me with a red shell going over a jump in the final lap of Waluigi's Stadium, effectively knocking me out of the running for an arcade machine. I coulda taken them!!! I could have an arcade machine in my room right now! And probably nothing else.

Though those 150cc computer opponents, if memory serves, are a nightmare.

Wine ranking so far:
- Pinot Grigio
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Riesling
- Merlot

I know that Sola Nero wine I had over a year ago ranks high on that list. The sauvignon blanc I had the other day (which has a story, which may or may not be all that exciting. I'll tell it next time) was palatable, albeit strong. It didn't have that sour apple afterkick that the riesling did. Ick. My next wine will be a zinfandel-vidal. One, it's pink. Or should I say rose? Two, it's a blend of two different grapes, so maybe the taste will bounce. Or maybe I won't even notice. We'll see later this week.

Gloom

2009-03-06T08:28:47Z

Pictures: Pluto, wine, traffic accessories, ice photos from the gloomiest day ever

Today was the greyest day I've ever seen. With the melting snow, overcast sky, salted pathways... there wasn't a colour to be seen. It was enough to depress Winnie the Pooh, or to at least show him the gloom that Eeyore experiences on a daily basis. Instead of waiting 25 minutes for the bus, I chose to walk home surrounded by the dread that is Ottawa pre-spring. Musicless, I managed to take a couple of breaks along the way to take pictures. Of the dread. They turned out so grey that I used Photoshop to help them out a little bit.

Plans were to go skating tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be gloomier than today, 10C and raining.

On the upside of things, I'm off for the next 2 days! Disney is in less than 55 1/2 days! My sheets are a bright and cheery yellow! And Tigger is bouncing on the mug I was using earlier.

Mad Men is a compelling show. It doesn't hit you hard or fast, like other dramas might... but the slow burn is worth it. Here's hoping for a season 3, and sooooon! I recently watched all 6 episodes of Drive, an action character-based show that was cancelled well before it should have been. While I have my reservations of how a second season would have worked, it could have told a great story over the course of one season. I also feel bad for Nathan Fillion, who seems to be in these shows that get cancelled. Speaking of Nate, Castle starts soon!

March Bus Pass Get!

2009-02-26T00:53:04Z

To get from my house to Disneyworld, it would cost approximately $3920 by taxi.

Snowman from one of the first real snowfalls in Ottawa.

The Christmas tree at the Train Station on that crazy day when Prashanta and I got robbed, lost, parking-ticketed, and caught trying to sell a train ticket.

It was around this time when the car got broken in to. We're none the wiser!

A Wall-E Paddle ball! I forgot this one in my recent Wall-E post.

Deep Snow as the buses go on strike.

Milkshakes at The Works.

Poker Chips. I won that game.

Algonquin.

Buses are still not running, so there's nobody at the station.

First day back for buses!

Spinning around in a chair, getting ready for Disney rides.

Cousin Maya playing with Eve.

My ideal umbrella.

Hearts in the toilet. No, this isn't commentary on love. Sometimes, little hearts just end up in the toilet.

The wine I tried the other day.

Strawberry Pancakes

I got my March bus pass today, at a cost to me of $25.00, instead of the usual $62 n change. $62 is a ton of money now that I think about it - and that's just for students! The woman who served me at the Lincoln Fields station was cranky, and visibly frustrated... Might have something to do with the massive line up (they eventually opened a second till. Eyck). Or it might have to do with the I'm sure tons of dissatisfied people she's had to serve over the last month. Bu she shouldn't be short with me, or be rude to me when I ask about the December pass I had to relinquish. She should be mad at her company, and telling them what it's like working in the trenches.

I still think I'm being cheated, however. OC Transpo announced free service for December bus pass holders until the end of March. I just thought now about how it actually would have been cheaper for me to refund my December pass and then but the March one at full price. I didn't even consider that scenario until it was too late. I should call them about that.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart makes

2009-02-25T21:28:39Z

Imagineers, listen up! I had a crazy dream about Disneyworld just now about an awesome attraction. It was either an Earth-through-the-ages themed building, or an extreme-climates-of-the-Earth theme. I started off in the entrance room, and there layers of mats, that hung at the bottom of a huge spherical system. Each mat represented a different period or climate. When you changed the mat you were on, it transformed the room's look, walls, window views, humidity, and temperature to match. We went from a prehistoric-looking jungle to a lava theme.

The lava theme had OC-Transpo-style heaters (kinda like this but you can see the tip on one here) that heated the room quickly. I stood up on the semi-spherical mat and tried to charge my watch faster.... see when the watch interacted with certain elements, a special button caused the watch to display all kinds of things. In this case, I was going to become a lavaman or fire superhero of some kind. It was really fascinating.

Also form the windows, which somehow the views changed. I stuck my arm out to make sure it wasn't just a screen. Initially there was a view of a big Disneyland-style resort (not Disneyworld), then there was the sun setting over a body of water with icebergs floating around. Icebergs at disney!

The drag? I was with my cousin who had brought all of MY DS games with him, around Disneyworld. I had to carry them all in my red lunch bag. The whole family had gone, but it was just me and him for some reason. Also, we had Super Ex-style bracelets (you know, the fibery papery plasticy ones that you need to cut off to remove) instead of card passes for parks. Also, Kate and Kat from work were there, because they were in an elevator and I ran to ask them questions about the park. Poor Costa!! Cat was MIA... probably coming by smart car. Or taxi. How much would a cross country taxi trip cost, anyway?

Unfortunately, my alarm kept waking me up, so I didn't get to explore this place more. But it was spectacular. I'm just under 64 days away, and already I'm having crazy vivid (and perhaps unrealistic) dreams! And I will not bring my DS to that parks.