December 2011
1 post
1 tag
Oh Presto Card
You can be so lame. Particularly where the telephone support line can’t do ANYTHING to clear up something blocking my card.
One time I forgot to tap off as an out-of-service bus driver shoo’ed me off his bus. Had to get my card unblocked at the station, not by phone.
Thank you for letting me carry a small negative balance but why can’t my $50 reload over the Internet clear it...
October 2011
1 post
It was really nice to see Vancouver standing in for Seattle in a sweet movie, 50/50, which I highly recommend.
Stanley Park Seawall, view of downtown from Stanley Park
Finch’s Tea (great baguettes) stands in as a coffee shop
His house was #404, red stucco in east Vancouver, near McGill Street
He walked his dog in the laneways in east Vancouver/Burnaby
Vancouver rain standing in as...
August 2011
3 posts
1 tag
NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books
I am really not a fantasy genre reader. Really.
Bolded = Read the book
Italicized = Watched the movie
Source: NPR
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert (well, just the first book)
A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
1984,...
“Whatever your past has been, you have a spotless future.”
– Melanie Gustafson (heard this on Being Erica s3e08)
1 tag
National Book Week Meme
Something undeveloped, speaking the unformed tongue of an unformed language.
Instructions: Grab your nearest book, open to page 56, copy out 5th sentence as your Tweet or Facebook update. Don’t mention the name of the book.
July 2011
5 posts
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become...”
– Unknown source, read it in Jordan Christy’s How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World
He doesn't want to move
He may live a couple of hours away (or in Alaska, Pakistan, or Timbuktu, for that matter), but that absolutely would not matter to a guy in love—he will do whatever it takes to be with the woman he’s crazy about. If all this time you’ve been telling yourself, “Well, he’s really close to his family,” “He has a really great job there,” or...
Juliet/Sophie's letter to Claire
Dear Claire,
“What” and “If” are two words as non-threatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: What if? What if? What if? I don’t know how your story ended but if what you felt then was true love, then it’s never too late. If it was true then, why wouldn’t it be true now?...
“Children are the orgasm of life. Just like you did not know what an orgasm was...”
– Saw this on a Lululemon coin pouch.
June 2011
2 posts
1 tag
“Being fat is hard. Making permanent lifestyle changes is hard. Pick your hard.”
Wicked Thoughts
We saw the traveling Broadway production of Wicked yesterday. Although the main stars were the understudy/standby, it was still so highly enjoyable. Of course it would be. (Christine Dwyer played Elphaba instead of Anne Brummel and Tiffany Haas played Glinda instead of Natalie Daradich.)
I read Wicked many years ago and did not enjoy it as much as Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, the first...
September 2010
3 posts
(Almost) 10 Things Men Can Tell Instantly About...
From a Cosmo I flipped through a long time ago, but still true:
if you are confident
if you are insecure
if you are taken
if you like your body
if you like sex
if you are evaluating him
if you are happy
if you are competitive with other women
if you need him
“While in Thailand, I became powerfully aware of the contrast between the...”
– Jeffrey Steingarten in “Thailand” of It Must’ve Been Something I Ate
Wired's SciFi 101 Syllabus →
I just loved how in grade 11 or 12, we did sci fi for the whole year in English. It’s been 15 years now but I’m sure we read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Brave New World, 1984, and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. We may have read Animal Farm amongst a few others.
June 2010
3 posts
"Math was never your strong suit (you preferred... →
Haha, I get the attempt at humour, where I think “organic chem” is the writer’s euphemism for “getting along with boys”.
This was the opening line to an email newsletter of deals and new retail sites to check out that try to be have cheeky email subject lines and segue to the business of the retailer using the retailer’s name and what-not. But I HATE it when...
1 tag
“Many people with jobs have a fantasy about all the amazing things they would do...”
– Paul Buchheit, via @tammertron’s tweet
May 2010
2 posts
1 tag
Nicholas Cage reveals animal sex factor in diet →
Had a colleague who said he doesn’t eat mammals and that prompted the lot of us scientists to ask ourselves, “Is chicken a mammal?” No, it’s not.
Nicholas Cage has another take on how to decide which meat to eat (which boils down to fish and fowl are okay).
1 tag
“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”
– Jim Rohn
March 2010
3 posts
1 tag
“Running is different from most other sports. It takes no skill, it’s just...”
– John Hill, via TJ blog
1 tag
you know you're a runner when...
You have a favourite flavor of Power Gel.
You’re proud of losing toenails.
Saturday nights are restful sleeps before your Sunday run.
A neighbourhood pool is started on your daily running streak.
You put more time and work into your log book than filing your tax return.
Your running shoe collection fills half your basement.
You slip and fall, stop your watch and then check for...
1 tag
Why Run
Because I can
I run to go fast
I run to win
I run for the view
I run with friends
I run to help others
I run to lose weight
I run to keep it off
I run to feel the wind on my face
I run for the high
I run because, it is my time
I run to beat my personal best
I run to be an example to my kids
I run to make a difference
I run to enjoy nature
I run everywhere
I run all the time
I run...
February 2010
3 posts
1 tag
“I don’t believe in restricting calories, I believe in burning them.”
– Chanamalla Samagond, Indian National Chamption at 800m and 1,500m
1 tag
“Ultimately, the best runners are the ones who are willing to work very hard but...”
– Benji Durden, Coach
1 tag
“Free your mind, and your feet will follow.”
– Kevin Nelson, The Runner’s Book of Daily Inspiration
January 2010
4 posts
1 tag
“I think there is no better way to invite a human being to view their body...”
– Alanis Morissette, Singer/Actress
1 tag
“At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple,...”
– Benjamin Cheever, Strides
1 tag
“Don’t be afraid of risk and change, just make sure you’re running toward...”
– Carol Bartz? / Current CEO of Yahoo! (via World Wide Watercooler blog)
1 tag
“I know I can run a marathon, ironically something I couldn’t do in my...”
– Jim Miller
December 2009
2 posts
“Temptation may lean on the doorbell but opportunity may knock only once.”
– CSI:NY “Second Chances” (s06e11)
Chinese & Korean soap opera haul + 1 Japanese...
Purchased from three video stores in Parker Place
Women of Sun (K) ($15) Ponyo (J) ($5) Moonlight Resonance (C) ($20) Speech of Silence ($5) Dai Cheung Gum (K) ($5)
November 2009
20 posts
1 tag
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”
– Henry David Thoreau
1 tag
“Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life...”
– Joshua J. Marine
“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.”
– Hans Christian Andersen
1 tag
“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”
– Marie Curie
1 tag
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”
– Mother Teresa
1 tag
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
– Confucius
1 tag
“Life is more about embracing your imperfections. How else can we embrace anyone...”
– Kathleen Turner in Nip/Tuck’s “Cindy Plumb” (S04E01)
1 tag
“When we run, we are already so exposed, often nearly naked in our shorts and...”
– Amby Burfoot, The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life
1 tag
Words of wisdom from "Before Sunrise"
“You know what’s the worst thing about somebody breaking up with you? It’s when you remember how little you thought about the people you broke up with and you realize that is how little they’re thinking of you. You know? You’d like to think you’re both in all this pain, but they’re just like ‘Hey, I’m glad you’re gone’.”
~ Jesse: “Before Sunrise”
1 tag
“We don’t want people judging us by what we eat. It gives them ammo. The...”
– Rose McGowan in Jawbreaker
2 tags
Curating Archie Kao...
Pepsi commercial Nokia commercial (with Daniel Henney!!) Biore ad Telecom ad (at the beach)
The People I’ve Slept With trailer Featurette about The People I’ve Slept With Official video of “I Like Boys” (with clips from “The People I’ve Slept With”)
Trailer for Fast Money
People’s Hottest Bachelors 2006
1 tag
Abraham Los Dinos' rant in "Selena"
Abraham: They don’t accept us over there. They never have.
Selena: Hello, we’re Mexican.
Abraham: No, we are Mexican-American, and they don’t like Mexican-Americans. And they can be mean. And they can tear us apart over there. And Selena’s Spanish is ...
Selena: What about my Spanish? I’ve been singing in Spanish for 10 years. It’s perfect.
Abraham: Singing, yes. But when you speak it, you speak it a little funny. And down there you gotta speak perfectly or the press will eat you up and spit you out alive. I’ve seen them do it.
Selena: Overreacting as usual.
A.B.: Dad, the music will speak for itself, Dad.
Abraham: Listen, being Mexican-American is tough. Anglos jump all over you if you don’t speak English perfectly. Mexicans jump all over you if you don’t speak Spanish perfectly. We gotta be twice as perfect as anybody else.
A.B.: [Laughs]
Abraham: Why’re you laughing? What’s so funny?
Selena: Nothing.
A.B.: Nothing.
Abraham: I’m serious.
A.B.: I know you’re serious, Dad.
Abraham: Our family has been here for centuries. And yet they treat us as if we just swam across the Rio Grande. I mean, we gotta know about John Wayne and Pedro Infante. We gotta know about Frank Sinatra and Agustín Lara. We gotta know about Oprah and Cristina. Anglo food is too bland. And yet when we go to Mexico, we get the runs. Now that, to me, is embarrassing.
Selena: Oh, Dad!
Abraham: Japanese-Americans, Italian-Americans, German-Americans, their homeland is on the other side of the ocean. Ours ... is right next door. Right over there. And we gotta prove to the Mexicans how Mexican we are. And we gotta prove to the Americans how American we are. We gotta be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans both at the same time. It’s exhausting. Damn! Nobody knows how tough it is to be a Mexican-American.
Selena: Well, Dad, you know, it’s a good thing we have frijoles and tortillas to keep our strength up for the job.
Abraham: Now you’re making fun of me.
Selena: No, I’m not! And menudo ... mmm. Menudo.
A.B.: Eh, menudo.
Abraham: Now, you’re making me hungry.
Selena: Come on, Dad. I can do it. I know I can. Really.
A.B.: Trust us.
Abraham: Listen, guys, let’s get through with the tour in California and then we’ll talk about it. But man, being Mexican-American is really hard, man.
1 tag
From "A Trip to the Dentist," Veronica Mars s1e21
Dick: Dude, what the hell are you doing? Please tell me this is like, some new reality show called My Skank.
Logan: Goodbye, Dick.
Dick: What?
Logan: Get out of my house. If you have a problem with Veronica, you leave. Actually, if you have a problem with Veronica, you're pretty much dead to me, so just, like, evaporate or something. I don't know.
Logan: That's kind of a general invitation. If you don't like my girlfriend then... just start heading towards the rectangle with the knob.
1 tag
From Lipstick Jungle: Pink Poison (Reminds me of...
Nico: You must be hiding something.
Joe Bennett: Not really. I'm not that interesting.
Victory: Yes you are.
Joe Bennett: No I'm not. If you want me to talk about buying Japanese yen at 2% on the Singapore stock market, I'm your man. But if you were interested in talking about - when I'm not working -
Victory: It's call your personal life.
Joe Bennett: Yeah that. I'm really kind of a late bloomer - so, behind the curve. But I seem to be finding my footing....
1 tag
The Effort of Thesis-Writing ('Til Death pilot)
Girl: Thanks for a great night.
Boy: Oh, actually you know what honey? It's, uh - it's not over yet. I... saved the best for last!
Girl: Oh my god!
Boy: Yeah. See, I- I know how much you've been wanting that watch and now it's yours! Oh... I love you! I love you! I love you!
Girl: I should punch you right in your fat mouth.
Boy: Fat mouth. Very funny. Come on, cowgirl, let's get you some birthday sex!
Girl: Jeff! You knew that I wanted this watch as a gift for when I finish my thesis!
Boy: Oh right, yeah, I know. I just thought I'd give it to you early since -
Girl: Since you don't think I'm ever going to get my Masters since you don't believe in me and you never did! I swear to God since day one you've been all up in my grill just 'cuz I'm not done yet. Like I'm sorry Jeff that I'm not you - I'm not such a good speller I got to meet the president. Do you have any idea what writing a thesis involves?
Boy: Well after observing you for the past year, I'm going to go with waking up at 11, eating Cocoa Crispies, and watching old episodes of "Dallas" on Soapnet.
Girl: Do you think I'm not working every day on this thing? Here! Test me!
Boy: Oh come on Stella!
Girl: Do it! Ask me anything on the French Revolution.
Boy: Alright. Okay. Uhm. When is Bastille Day? Okay. Uhm. It's also my mom's birthday. It's also ten days after July 4th.
Girl: July 14th, I knew that! I'm finishing my thesis! And you can take back your slap-in-the-face watch and the girly box that it came in until I do!
Boy: Oh. Fine. You know what? I'll- I'll do this. I'll uh hold on to it until you finish. Maybe I'll even fly over in a jet pack and I'll give it to you because that's how long in the future it's going to be they're actually going to have jet packs in the future.
1 tag
Banged out 20 pages (From 'Til Death pilot)
Boy: Whatcha doin'?
Girl: Working on my thesis.
Friend 1: Yeah, suck on that!
Boy: Well, honey, that is great!
Girl: Yeah, I just banged out 20 pages on the social burdens caused by huge war debt made worse by the monarchy's military failures and general ineptitude.
Friend 2: My girl's wicked smart!
Boy: Oh honey! I am so proud of you! You know what? I know you were mad at me for getting you that watch but if that's what it took to light a fire under you, then I'm not sorry.
Girl: (Evil stare at him.)
Boy: I'm sorry.