You remind me of the babe! What babe? The babe with the power! What power? The power of Voodoo! Who do? You do! Do What? Remind me of the babe!
I saw my baby crying hard as babes could cry... What could I do?...
Sunday night was a Jim Henson tribute night. Jim Henson had died 20 years earlier to the day and an underground theater in Toronto (186 Spadina Road) tributed the anniversary with a Jim Henson double header night. First they played The Muppets take Manhattan, then The Labyrinth with David Bowie.
Obviously it was amazing to see the Labyrinth on the big screen in an indy theater. It should also be obvious that all of the David Bowie crouch shots received an overly enthusiastic rise from crowd members of the female persuasion. Finally it goes without saying that Jennifer Connelly seems to have gotten a lot younger since the last time I saw this movie. But what was really cool (but less obvious), is that the show was introduced by one of Jim Henson's friends who helped him create Fraggle Rock. We got some inside stories about The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, The Labyrinth and other cool stuff that Jim did back in the day. Very cool! Here is a video of the Swedish Popcorn Chef... GOLD!
I also bootlegged the most memorable song of the movie for your viewing enjoyment.
Thanks to a certain friend of mine who I will refer to as Kat M, for years I was under the impression that she personally knew Jennifer Connelly. She failed to mention that it was not the Jennifer Connelly from the Labyrinth. I have been living a lie until embarrassingly recent times.
In another shout-out to another hard-core Labyrinth fan; Marc L. Do you know what this picture at the bottom is all about? If you don't recognize what I am talking about, maybe this picture of The Revelstoke Train Museum will jog the memory.
This tribute goes out to the band OK GO. I have never really been a huge OK GO fan of their music. Its just kind of filler music really, no disrespect but I never think to download their songs after I hear them on the radio. This is not because of copyright protection, I just don't feel that their will ever be a moment where I'll think to myself "Hey, wouldn't it be great to hear that OK GO song right now?". Not that I hate all/any of their songs, I just don't see that moment happening.
Does this look familiar to you? Maybe you are thinking: "Hey isn't that the same choreography my 10-12 year old sister, niece, daughter or grandmother use when her friends come over for that sleepovers?". You'd probably be right! But isn't it so much more entertaining when it is preformed by grown men who should normally be doing something more productive like working on a construction site, playing hockey or gambling?
The next video of the song "This Too Shall Pass" is the one that really caught my eye and made me think, (in my inside Rodney Dangerfield voice of course) "Hey, you guys are all-right! Now who wants to party?".
After Rodney's confetti disapears as mysteriously as it appeared, you probably start to wonder "Why is that video so much better than the last? The answer is simple: I love my elaborate Rube Goldberg machines. (BTW there used to be a video of one on display at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa which you could see for free if you go on Thrusdays between 5-8PM.) The song was better too but this was all about he Goldberg. So when I saw this video I wanted to see what else these OK GO fools may have in store. So I clicked on the related videos and came up with the second video for that song which includes a marching band. And who doesn't like marching band? In the words of Toronto mayor and cheap furniture pusher Mel Lastman "Nobody". Here is your marching band:
The next reason this band caught my attention is that they preformed "This Too Shall Pass" on one of my favorite fake news shows The Colbert Report. The reason this is kind of a big deal is that Colbert's format doesn't regularly include a musical piece. In fact the only other artist that preformed on the show and comes to mind is Willie Nelson (and Tobi Keith after a google search). I can't put those videos they are protected and get pulled.
Finally, the nail in the coffin for me was when I realized hat the Marching Band from the "this too shall pass" video was the Marching Band from the University of Notre Dame. Anyone who knows me would understand that from the ages of 14-16 about half of my wardrobe had some Fiighting Irish of Notre Dame logo on it. I can't think of any other sports team whose hat I ever wore either. Except for a red corduroy Chicago Blackhawks hat I bought in grade 5 at a Atom hockey tournament in Levis near Quebec City. But by grade 6 I had replaced it with my first Notre Dame hat. Fittingly the brand of the hat was called Starter, which was actually the top sports apparel brand at the time.
Even while writing this blog I found another cool video from this band, introducing Including my favorite k9s: Dogs! Here they are promoting this new YouTube feature called Musicians Wanted. This feature allow musicians to get paid when their YouTube videos get played. Isn't that amazing mon osti? It's another Festivus Miracle by OK GO (I now follow them on Twitter).
Finally here is a video of BadBoy owner turned mayor of the biggest city in Canada Mel Lastman. Yes, Canadian's have skeletons in their closets too.
Dear captive audience, Bear Hug 3, Billy Madison Triscuit Cracker sceen, Guiness World Record, municipal food supply, Ottawa Bear Hug, Sens Foundation Today was the 3rd Ottawa Bear Hug. I refer to this event a few posts ago when Billy Elliott donated some money to the charity. I participated because my dad is one of the organizers which deterministically implies that I am one of the volunteers :P. I took some photos and a video, the latter being much louder and more obnoxious than the former. I YouTubed it so you can all see what I mean. BTW I was at the "NOT cool person" post. That is to say; NOT the where the media, the sponsors, the Sens Foundation (including rising star Jesse Winchester) and other VIPs were. They were all up at the pedestrian bridge with all the food. I'm not saying that they ate the delicious Tim Horton's donuts. But I am saying that there were a lot less food in the afternoon than in the morning. What I am saying however is that those who I previously mentioned were the ones who ate them. I also don't want to hear how sorry they are because "sorry" doesn't put the delicious desserts into my stomach does it?
Also before I forget, hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised for charity and a new Guiness World Record may have been set.
I would like to thank everyone who helped make this event possible (present company included). And a special thanks to all our VIP who really made this event possible (despite allegedly demolishing the municipal food supply).
Update as of Jan 10th 2011:
Its official, the record was broken on that fateful day. So the Ottawa Bear Hug is now the biggest bear hug ever:
“I can see that your attempt was approved as a new Guinness World Record on 4 January and certificate has been sent to you already.”
I did it. I did what some people thought was impossible but more sophisticated people knew was just plain... I don't want to say "dumb"... stupid! What I did is I watched the "entire" 5 & 3/4 seasons of ABC's hit series Lost in a mega marathon crunched into 30 days. During this time I caught up on 110 episodes of the show in defiance of all logic. With episodes lasting 42-43 minutes, that's about 75-80 hours of genuine commercial-free network drama. Now, I'm not one to gloat, but I really took this thing to town. Devoting almost all my TV viewing efforts to this monumental task (NHL Playoffs being the exception), I caught up on almost 6 years of story line. Plus anyone who knows anything about Lost is aware that that story line is not straight, but is indeed looped, twisted and frayed.
During the first 3 seasons I was pretty intense. I analyzed things and came up with a bunch of theories and stuff as can be read in my piece entitled LOST - Season 1, 2 & 3 (Relationships, Characters and Plot) (which is just a run through of some of the ideas I had). From season 4 on, I really didn't try to come up with any new theories but just sat back and enjoyed the ride, occasionally eliminating a theory, but more often than not, confirming one. At this point my theory that they are in Hell was semi-confirmed by the character who is supposedly the devil. I don't consider anything confirmed until the show is over. Especially things that were stated by the one character you shouldn't trust.
Anyway, all theories will be confirmed or disproved over the next 3 weeks. As for me, tonight I will watch my first live episode! The episode is called "The Candidate" and according to ABC "Jack must decide whether or not to trust Locke after he is asked to follow through on a difficult task." I'm sorry, isn't that what happened in the first 110 episodes? At least they're consistent.
You know what? If it wasn't before, then this blog is now officially lame. I really need some new material or maybe some real writers...
Sleep tight, mates, in your quilted Chambray nightshirts.
Are you, or is anyone you know considering a Masters degree in one of the following engineering disciplines?:
Electrical Power Engineering
Engineering Systems and Management
Information Technology
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Microsystems
Water and Environmental Engineering
Are you also interested in sustainable communities? Are you really smart? Would you rather not spend any money on your Masters?
If you have ever answered "Yes!" to anything in your life, I may have the perfect thing for you. If you have ever answered "Yes!" to the questions I just asked, then I definitely have the perfect thing for you: Consider a degree at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
Masdar is a planned city in the near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The city will be:
Emission Free
Zero Waste
Fulled completely by Renewable Energy
The MASDAR Institute is located at the center of the city. As they build their reputation the University is offering more than free tuition, paying for practically everything you need including your flight there. They are doing this through the The MASDAR Institute Graduate Scholarship (for all nationalities to study at Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi)
Full scholarship is available to qualified talented students who meet its high admission standards which include appropriate TOEFL score, GRE and an excellent CGPA from a recognized university. A minimum CGPA of 3.0 (on a 4 point scale) or 2:1 in the British system, minimum TOEFL score of 577 (91 on the IBT) or academic IELTS (min 6.5), and a minimum GRE quantitative score of 700 are the basic requirements without which an applicant will most likely not be considered.
Students accepted into the Masdar Institute will be offered a full scholarship which includes the following:
100% tuition fee scholarship
Textbooks
Laptop
Medical Insurance
Housing
International students will receive reimbursement of travel expenses (economy class air-ticket) into Abu Dhabi and back home after completion of studies. Travel expenses (return economy class air-ticket) back to the student's home country at the end of the 1st year of studies will also be reimbursed.
Reimbursement of TOEFL and GRE exam fees (upon registration at Masdar Institute and submission of original receipts)
A competitive stipend per month (cost of living allowance).
The scholarship and benefits are subject to the student maintaining a minimum CGPA as determined by Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and satisfactory progress on their research.
Here are two Ottawa Senators videos that I filmed a couple months ago. I was on the Ottawa Senators bench during the beginning of a game against Boston (i think). Brian Elliot had been named Molson Cup player of the month (December 2009) and awarded $1000 which he was to donate to a charity. He didn't have any charity in mind so Nick Foligno suggested that he donate it to the Sens Foundation Bear Hug.
Short aside: Nick is the captain of The Bear Hug. The Bear Hug is a fundraiser that the Sens Foundation has adopted a few years back. Generally money is raised by high school students. The students raise funds door to door, then they come together on the day of the "hug" and attempt to beat a Guinness world record for largest bear hug ever. It was an organization called "The Force" that originally came up with the idea. Later they approached a group of people (mainly at St. Matthews high school, my dad included. They raised over $100,000 that year and they beat the Guinness record 5 117. Some Romanians came and beat that record so the Ottawa group tried it again raising $318 000, but failing to beat the record.
Anyway, they wanted to show Brian donating the money to the Foundation in a pre-game ceremony in from of all the fans and so my dad was asked to ceremonially accept it. He was also given two tickets to the game so I went along too. These videos are of me behind the Sens bench during the pre-game warm up. The first video is the national anthem which I enjoyed along with the likes of Pascal Leclaire. The second video is of Brian Elliott receiving an over-sized check from Molson then handing to my dad who accepts it on behalf of the Bear Hug.
A couple weeks ago on April 1st 2010, I decided that it is about time to start watching the ABC TV series phenomena known as LOST. I had been warned years ago that it was amazing but addictive, so I decided not to start watching until I know that the series is almost over. The two-hour series finale is scheduled to air on May 23 so that gave me over 2 and a half months to catch up and watch in suspense with everyone else. So far I am way ahead of schedule and have watched seasons 1, 2 & 3.
One thing that I was told about the show is that it has many layers to it. So apart from having complicated plots and twisted time-lines, the series is also packed with themes, literary and historical references as well as hidden plots and sub-plots. Knowing this when I began watching, I decided that I would dig into the details and try to identify themes, unravel plots and deduce the premises of the story. I would do this by attempting to identify references and allusions made throughout the show then research them to whatever depth I thought appropriate or interesting. The goal of all this is to be able to guess the plot and determine the premise on which the plot was imagined (I believe that the show was written with a premise in mind). The only rule I made for myself was to avoid reading any other material on Lost which could contain other peoples observations and theories. I wanted to be sure that everything I found I had done on my own.
Since the beginning, I have been successful at identifying references and predicting sub-plots. For example, the story seems to be loosely based on "Lord of the Flies". From people being stuck on an island, to wild boar, to a leader named Jack, to an unseen beast in the jungle; the parallels are numerous. So far however, the most meaningful references that I have found have come from Season 2 Episode 4 (Orientation). This is the episode during which Locke watches the orientation video left by DHARMA. This episode is important because it helped me validate one of my previous theories. The theory was not confirmed until about 40 episodes later towards the end of season 3. The most important clue from the Orientation episode is a book seen beside the Orientation video in the Swan hatch. This book is called "The Third Policeman". My theory is that this book is like an "Orientation" for TV viewing audience which foreshadows the entire series. It would be quite poetic wouldn't it? Anyway I researched the book and drew some interesting conclusions which served as the basis for my theories for the series. Here are some of the conclusions I came to:
1) There is a box on the island. This box contains anything you desire. 2) Characters must relive the suffering from their past. 3) Old laws do not apply (social law or scientific laws) 4) The Island is Hell (possibly Jack's personal Hell). 5) The main character is a healer and a killer. (probably Jack)
There are other clues in the book which predict: - the Russian dolls (box in a box) which contained the diamonds (not necessarily diamonds) - conflicts between Jack and Locke - the time warp - implosion of Swan Hatch
All of these seem to be coming true so I have begun to track certain things about the characters to figure out how it will all end. One of the most important things I feel should be kept track of is which of the characters killed someone before the flight. If they are actually in Hell this will probably matter. I made a chart to help store all this information.
If you click on this picture you can probably open it in a bigger window and be able to read it properly. I probably made some mistakes on this chart so feel free to leave comments. I also may have made some assumptions. One such assumption is that Jack was a killer in his former life. We know that he has often made choices that let some people live while others died. I believe that this is one of the most important traits about Jack; he makes life and death decisions (he will also always need to fix things). In my opinion the most critical moment in Jack's life is when he decides to try to save the lady with the crushed spine (his future wife). I believe that this moment is significant because there was another patient in the operating room who ended up dying. I think that other person is significant and that letting him/her die may be the reason that Jack is on the island (on in Hell, if there is a difference). But all that is just an unsubstantiated theory of mine based purely on intuition, which I am trying to fit into my other theories.
Also other literary references lead me to believe that the entire series may be a figment of Jack's imagination that takes place during the fraction of a second before he actually dies (possibly in the plane crash).
One last thing and this is a shout-out to Michael Johnson: In Season 2 Episode 21 (Two for the Road), Hurley tributes the scene from movie Say Anything where John Cusack hold ghetto blaster over his head playing Peter Gabriel music and the girl falls for him. Hurley wants to do the same thing with this awkward radio that Sayid build. Just thought that this was hilarious.
Some might say that I am a highly intelligent, modest, generous, irresistably good looking, powerful, confident, wise, ruthless and yet a gentle, heroic and thriving young man. Now I would have quite the uphill battle arguing against them, but they would be outright mistaken to leave out my caring and forgiving nature, which is the keystone of the Mike that loved and cherished by us all... not to mention a pillar of modern society, a gentalman and a scholar. I think that I've talked enough about myself for now. What do you have to say about me?
Basically I do things, then I write about them. Other times, I don't do things, then I write about them. I also don't care to make the distinction at the time of writing. Read at own peril.
"If it ain't broke, your not putting enough bicep into it." - Mike McNulty
