auto show...

subaru
mitsubishi nissan bmw audi
susuki honda

It is almost like tradition. Every year, my friends and I would go to the Calgary International Auto & Truck Show and this year was no exception. This year however was somewhat different. I am no longer shopping for a new vehicle. I am quite satisfied with the one I currently have and I am not willling to trade it in just yet. Perhaps I will trade it in when the new Mitsubishi Evo X comes rolling into town next year. Who knows...

Since I am currently not in the market for a new vehicle, then what am I doing at the car show you ask? Well, the answer is simple. I am in need for a new wallpaper for my computer at work. And besides, I was really just looking for a reason to play with my camera. I think I took upwards of 400 photos in a whopping 4 gigabytes of memory. Good thing I was carrying my portable hard drive or else I would've ran out of memory. I think it is time that I purchase additional memory cards. Anyways, here are some of the pictures I took during the car show. These are the first set of pictures in which I edited using Adobe Photoshop. Not bad for a first timer eh? Enjoy!

Read the rest of this post.

drive-by shooting...

The weather was gorgeous today. The temperature climbed up to 15°, a stark contrast to the weather we had earlier this week when it was -10° and 5 inches of snow fell on my car. People were jogging by the river. Snow was melting away uncovering the winter scorned ground. Everywhere you look, spring is in the air. So to celebrate the 'early' arrival of spring, my friend invited me to drive around town in his convertible with its top down. So here we were cruising around town to the tunes of Celine Dion, please do not ask as to why we were listening to these artist. It is not my vehicle so I am not in charge of song selection.

And of course being a passenger and armed with a 17 - 85mm, I was able to do some drive-by shooting. It is very rare that I am the passenger in a vehicle. I am usually the driver of the vehicle 95% of the time. And out of that 5%, I am asleep 4% of the time. So given this opportunity, I did some drive-by shooting in the downtown area. It was a great opportunity to test the limit and capabilities of my camera and improve my photographing skill. It is quite difficult to achieve a good composition when doing drive-by shooting. Quick decisions or perhaps a firm hold on the shutter (burst shot mode) and hope that a good shot was made is the basics of drive-by shootings. Well enough of my blurbs, here are some of the 'better' shots I made today.

Read the rest of this post.

iRack...

Innovation? Originality? Modernism? These are challenges faced by many consumer driven companies in this day and age. It is quite true that consumers are bombarded with thousands of products everyday. There are products for pretty much everyone, and if a product does not exist, someone out there will invent, patent, and market it within the next couple of years. But what is the drive for innovation? Is it simply the opportunity for profitability? Or is it for the betterment and advancement of society through innovative products?

However, not every new product out there has a drastic effect in the way society thinks and functions. Not every new product opens up a new market for consumer ingestion. Not every product is comparable to the iPod or to Microsoft Windows, innovative products that has forever reshaped our society. But what happens when companies like Apple or Microsoft started producing brainless regurgitated rebranded products. What will happen to this consumer driven market? It remains to be seen what will happen to our society when such a thing occurs.

So I guess that I have yet to talk about iRack. Well it is better that I let you watch the video in order to understand. I found this video while surfing on Beyond. By the way, despite the commercialism leaning of this post, try to search the underlying message in the video.

Read the rest of this post.

sparta...

Amazing! Simply amazing! I just came back from watching the movie '300'. It is an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same title. It is loosely based on the Battle of Thermopylae which took place in 480BC. It is a story of courage, bravery, honour and glory. A story of a king who defied a mighty army. A story of a man who defied all odds to become a legend.

Ὦ ξεῖν’, ἀγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὅτι τῇδε
κείμεθα, τοῖς κείνων ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι.
Ō xein', angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti tēde
keimetha tois keinōn rhēmasi peithomenoi.

Go tell the Spartans, passerby,
That here, by Spartan law, we lie

I really enjoyed watching this movie. It has a great story line, great acting, and great special effects. Battle scenes were great to watch. The blood, the gore, the fierceness of battles of old are all depicted with great simulation. The scenes almost seemed authentic despite being created entirely from CGI. All in all, I really liked this movie. I am even considering watching it a second and perhaps a third time. So to my readers who have not seen the movie, go forth and watch it. Do not be surprised that at the end of the movie, you find yourself shouting "Sparta, Sparta, Sparta..."

Read the rest of this post.

turn back time...

It is that time of the year again in which we turn our clocks back for one whole hour. It is that time of the year again in which we lose one hour of our precious sleep to compensate for the 'thousands of megawatts' in saving. For those unfamiliar, most of the countries in the northern hemisphere as well as some in the southern hemisphere practice the art or time manipulation. If you are thinking time travel, then you are sadly mistaken. These countries simply adjust the time in order to gain more sunlight in the evening hours. In theory, the additional hour of sunlight in the evenings should decrease the need for electricity. In layman's term, the need for people to turn their lights on is delayed by one hour.

But does it really work? Does manipulating the time really save energy? Is my one hour of lost sleep justifyable? Do I really save energy despite the fact that this computer is turned on 24/7? There have been several studies proving the validity of the whole concept of daylight savings and frankly, I do not really have the time to go through some of them. I really need to sleep soon since it is technically tomorrow already. So good night! I mean, good morning! I mean, blah... who cares...

Read the rest of this post.

breakdown...

A slight change in an animal's habitat often lead to many complications and under some extremities a collapse in their social structure. This is true to humans as it is to most of the animal kingdom. Species become endangered and eventually phased out of this world. Just look at the infamous Dodo bird. The introduction of humans into their habitat resulted in the obliteration of the species.

So what happens when a television show goes on a six week hiatus in the middle of its current season. Will society destroy itself or will it endure this mild irritation in its normalcy. The question is difficult to answer because I can only take into account and observe what this disruption will or has done to me. While watching the preview for the next episode of Heroes this past Monday, a date of 04/23/07 was flashed on the screen. And at that instant, the world around seemed to have grounded to a halt and everything became a blur. Denial, disbelief, disappointment best describe that instantaneous feeling as that date was plastered across the television screen. Regardless, one fact remain, I will somehow need to find something to fill this hole, or my life will be derailed from its normal state and thrust me in a state of utter confusion. Which will then eventually leave me in a state of blahs and mindless nonsense.

Read the rest of this post.

he reigns...

He Reigns
Newsboys

It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir

It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns

Let it rise about the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this

And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word

When all God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
All God’s people singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns

Read the rest of this post.

trade...

What drives a person to depart from the confines of sanity and do unimaginable things? More so, what drives a mother from parting with her child for material things? What is happening in our society today? Have we stooped so low in the scales of human idiocy? Perhaps, but maybe not so.

So what exactly am I ranting about now? A few days ago, as I was having my morning coffee, I stumbled upon a news article over at CNN.com. For those interested, click here to read the news clip. The news article talks about how a woman traded her five month old baby boy as down payment for a Dodge Intrepid.

How could a woman do such a thing, to give away her child for a used Dodge Intrepid. I guess if it was a Ferrari Enzo, I could understand her rationale, but an Intrepid? Not many people buy an Intrepid as their means of transportation. In Calgary, Intrepids are used by cab companies because of its spacious interior and limo like exteriors. But for a regular everyday car, I don't believe that the Intrepid is at the top of people's list.

Regardless of her choice of vehicle, I am dumbfounded to her rationale. Was it desperation or just simply a craving a piece of the American dream? I simply do not understand why a mother would trade her son for down payment for a used ugly no-class stale-looking vehicle. Hmmmm.... What do you think?

Read the rest of this post.

bangkok rewind...

Land of the Emerald Buddha...

Enjoyable... Adventurous... Breath-taking... These are the words that best summarize my impression of the country. With its lush forests, clear blue waters, bustling metropolis, and serene temples, Thailand is an adventure filled country waiting to unravel for those thrill seeking tourist.

Bangkok, Thailand was a stark contrast from Seoul, South Korea. Gone were the towering sky scrappers. Gone were the inter-web subway system that we have grown accustomed to. Gone was the sense of security. Gone was the first-world nation feel. It was the true start of the backpacking trip. Adventure awaits...

For those unfamiliar, it is a strip of road where backpackers congregate. It is an open market during the day and party central during the night. If you heard stories about Thailand, then this is probably where most of those stories occur. Anyways, while my friends and I were enjoying our delicious meal and our 500mL beer bottles, a group of unattractive female strangers sat behind us. It did not take long before we experienced something unexpected and our lives quickly departed from a state of normalcy. They tried furiously to gain our attention. Perhaps it was the presence of our Caucasian friends that attracted their keen eyes. While my friend was in the washroom expending liquids, someone has gone and pinched his butt. My friend of course got a little excited of what has transpired and was all giggly coming out of the washroom. After he had told us the story, we patiently waited for this female to come out so that we can see what she looks like. Then out came this lady wearing tight jeans and a white top from the washroom. I knew for certain about the nature of this female but my friends remained oblivious. Little did my friends know that this female admirer was a man with physiological upgrades. After finding out the true nature of this individual, my friend started to ignore her and negate eye contact. But the lady was persistent. She started showing off some of her assets to our whole table. She stood there half naked for a good 5 minutes before storming out of the restaurant infuriated from my friend's lack of interest. "It was a great start to the trip" as we said.

Bangkok is also home to some of the most beautiful temples ever built, the best of which was the Wat Phra Kaew, home of the Emerald Buddha. It is located within the grounds of the Grand Palace. The splendor of its spires and the grandeur of its architecture has left me in awe and amazed. To think that such wonder can exist within the bustling streets of Bangkok was quite the thought.

Much like the story above, our travel throughout Thailand was filled with memorable stories. From leeched plagued jungle treks, to near death experiences, to a run-in with law officers, every moment was filled with great memories, both good and bad. And as usual, stay tuned for future postings.

Read the rest of this post.

rug hooking...

So what exactly is rug hooking? Is it the activity of putting hooks on rugs to prevent it from sliding? Or is it a cheap decoration that anyone could find to accentuate the appearance of their rugs? These were the first thoughts that came to mind when a co-worker suggested that blogging was as time consuming of a hobby as rug hooking.

This activity was foreign to me. In fact, today was the first time I have heard of such a thing. Could it be because of my ignorance towards everything simple? Or was it simply because of its unpopularity that it has somewhat existed without anyone's knowledge. Perhaps it was the ever expanding generation gap that is to blame for the disjointing of activities between different generations. Regardless of the reason, one fact remain, I was left clueless of everything rug hooking.

To feed my curiosity, I initiated a quick survey around the office to determine how many people have heard of this peculiar activity. To my surprise, a good portion of respondents knows about it or at least have heard something about it. This further my intrigue and curiosity and research was deemed necessary to expand my knowledge despite my complete lack of interest of the subject.

As it turns out, there is a huge following of the activity. A typical google search turned up thousands of links, although most of which were 404 links. Regardless, there were still numerous sites dedicated to the advancement of rug hooking. The authors talked about various techniques they use to do special braiding and designs. Techniques too complex for my simple mind to comprehend. And of course, much like anything material these days, many websites were dedicated to marketing these 'art'. Some of which were sold for ridiculous amounts of money.

In the end, after wasting all that time researching a topic I have no interest in, I learned that you can pretty much come up with anything, call it a hobby, then sell it for a lot of money. Perhaps I should research underwater basket weaving as well. Not only will I expand my horizons, but also gain an insight in what might be the next breakthrough product.

Read the rest of this post.