Superheroes need not fear the hazard signs!


Ache, Bumbaye!


Groupo Ache Brasil, Vancouver and Calgary academy


Cobra vs. Grandao


Nighttime roda


Mestre Eclison vs. Adam


Mulher-only Roda


Workin' the camera with Ballarina and Morena


King of the mat. I lost.


John C. vs. Superhomem


Barboleta (Bush Girl) vs. Toquinha (Charlie Brown)


'Round the camp fire


Fire...fire...FIRE...


outdoor roda


Costume roda (Sushi, Morena, Ballarina)

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I got my first real six-string / Bought it at the five-and-dime / Played it till my fingers bled / It was the summer of '69
-Bryan Adams, "The Summer of '69."


right thumb: Literally played guitar until my fingers bled (Sunday night).


left arm: rope burn from game of tug-o-war on Saturday. Our team, "The Hatchets," came second place.


left leg: multiple mosquito bites incurred on Sunday that didn't show up until Monday. Currently treating with Benadryl antihistamine cream. Not pictured: mosquito bites on right leg, right shoulder, back of head (!).


right leg: Saturday afternoon, attempted a backflip off of an inflatable floating platform into the Okanagan, but instead of landing in the water, bounced off the platform and THEN landed in the water. One witness likened it to a pinball. I made a small laceration on my leg, after which I proceeded to bleed on the PVC raft. I had to quickly wash it off because they might be returning it to the point of purchase.


face: Saturday morning, failed to realize how sharp the rocks are at the bottom of the Okanagan. Currently treating with a combination of topical antibiotics and wet bandages.

Not pictured:

left hand: blood blisters from gripping Maculele (Brazilian fighting sticks) too tight
back: sebaceous cyst, popped and drained (one fellow camper got the whole thing on video). Will likely have to go to a doctor to have it completely removed.

Conclusion: I am DEFINITELY going for next year's camping trip. More non-injury related photos of the camping trip to come.

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I'm heading out to the Thompson Okanagan area to go camping. Chances are that the weather is going to completely suck and I would've been better off staying at home, but that's not going to stop me from having fun. Photos to come.

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It's what I call the Brazilian equivalent of birthday bumps (see July 5th 2005 entry under archives).

In my Capoeira group, we have a tradition called the Birthday Roda. Roda (Portuguese for circle), which involves people (other Capoeiristas, observers, etc.) gathered in a circle while two players do their moves (kicks, sweeps, flips, etc.). In the Birthday version, you have to go against everybody.

My body frickin' hurts from being taken so many times. I probably spent more time on my ass than on my feet. I can barely type this because I fell on my right wrist and I'm probably going to be walking funny for the next day or two. And I've got a camping trip with my Capoeira group this weekend. More pain.

Speakin o' which, one of the traditions at the Capoeira camping trip is the Costume Roda. I designed a t-shirt as part of my costume (photos to come) and asked my mom to help, given her level of expertise (she makes a lot of her own clothing). After watching me painstakingly cutting out the patterns I wanted to attach to the shirt over the course of two hours, my mom got frustrated and took over. I will never, ever complain about the price of clothing ever again.

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RANT:

What's wrong with this picture?

Ever get the feeling that we're evolving ourselves to death?

We live in a bizarre world. A population that recently went past 6.5 billion people lives in extreme disparity between haves and have nots. The poor people live in conditions that Westernized nations refer to as squallor without basic needs while Westernized nations are driven by consumption, diverting further wealth from the so-called third world countries. Meanwhile, alarm bells from all directions are signalling that the so-called "American Dream" is non-sustainable, as population growth ensures that there is not enough to go around, oil prices threaten to collapse economies, and global climate change threatens everything else, but we all blindly follow our world leaders that assure us that everything is okay as they proceed to march us off the nearest cliff before they steal our wallets.

Look at the so-called "problems" that we face every day and compare them to the type of problems we faced hundreds of years ago, thousands of years ago, or even millions of years ago. We get bored, we have psychological problems, we fill the void by consuming more, we get fat because we aren't exercising enough or eating too much crap, we get old and wait for death to release us from the mechanical drudgery of our existences. There's nothing good on TV. Nice guys can't get laid. While I'm not necessarily advocating returning to an era where males used to club prospective mates across the head and drag them back to the cave for some neanderthal lovin', it's food for thought. Has progress really gotten us very far? Antibiotic abuse has left us succeptible to diseases while cheap food delivery has encouraged expanding waistlines of the people, while sedentary occupations (most of which are office or computer based) ensure that in order for us to remain physically healthy, we have to go hit the gym.

Within the animal kingdom, we no longer have natural predators, so nothing keeps the herd in check. Natural resources get consumed at a rapid clip while the population continues to expand, although it is slowing down. On the other hand, people aren't dying as fast as they used to, ensuring that the population won't be going down any time soon, unless the long promised Alaska-sized asteroid comes by and decimates a healthy portion of the human race. Best thing about natural disasters is that they don't tend to discriminate among the haves and the have nots.

Would've been nice if we got to reach the stars and discover life on other planets, but chances are that they wouldn't like what they see. Once peak oil hits and civilization crashes, the only ones to survive us will be the primitive bush tribes and any other people that have managed to maintain some level of balance with nature. Looks like it's time to go and rent The Gods Must Be Crazy to see if I can pick up some language tips.

A friend commented that I should've gotten into politics, but I suffer from an excess of personal ethics and idealism which makes it a dangerous occupation. That, and I came to the realization that as an individual, I can't save the world, but I can merely save myself and whoever's next to me.

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WARNING: RANDOM, POORLY THOUGHT OUT, AND PROBABLY EVEN MORE POORLY RESEARCHED WRITING AHEAD

After my mom came back from a 3-week European vacation coupled with news of oil inching towards $60/barrel, it suddenly occured to me that we have it way, way too easy here. We simply have become accustomed to the fact that we can just get water out of a tap when we get thirsty, crank up the heat when it gets cold, turn on the air conditioner when it gets hot, or just drive down to the local fast food outlet when we get hungry.

I'm not as well travelled as I'd like, the farthest I've ever ventured out being New York (something I intend to change really soon, before air travel becomes cost prohibitive). But, what I'm hearing about life in other countries leaves me wondering why we have it so easy.

Among the stories I've been hearing:
-UK: While people have laundry dryers, most of them lay dormant as electricity is expensive. In general, cost of living appears to be much higher (Debbie, if you're reading this, care to comment? You can probably lay on a little better insight than I can).
-Europe: Beer and wine is cheaper than water in most places, plus cars are much smaller, given the fact that gasoline is much more expensive.
-Hong Kong/China: "Westernized" toilets are restricted to hotels catering to non-Asians (ie: you gotta squat everywhere else). I'll leave out the details as to what you're supposed to do with toilet paper after you're done.

All this, and it's a small wonder why Americans tend to generate the most pollution and energy usage per capita on an international level (let's face it -- everything we do hurts). The price of gas shoots past $1/litre, and people complain, but it's still a fraction compared to outside of North America.

Once again getting back to the true cost of doing business, it very much appears to me that somebody is going a long way to ensure that we don't pay too much. All black-helicopter conspiracy theories aside, when the price of stuff goes up while wages stay the same, the economy slows down. But clearly, that isn't happening here (yet).

While I hestitate to say that there should be more rioting in the streets, we're not that far off.

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So, the King of Pop has just been cleared of all child molestation charges. I haven't quite decided what's worse: the idea of children being molested by a pop singer or the media circus that surrounds it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to play that Michael Jackson baby-drop game while we await the next big celebrity scandal.

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All the side effects, none of the fun.

As I type this, I have to mostly look away from the screen because it's way too bright for me to look at. Having made the decision to get all the health check-up stuff out of the way, I went to the dentist and had my eyes examined. Good news: my eyes haven't changed since last year, even though I've been spending a lot more time staring at a computer screen. Bad news: They discovered two cavities which I had repaired the same day. Five hours later, stuff still doesn't taste right.

Gotta love the stuff they put in your eyes to make your pupils dilate (although it might be kinda hard to tell from your monitor...it's a lot easier for those that don't have brown eyes). Makes it tough to read up close or looking at anything bright. This screen appears to be flashing and flickering (which it is, actually, it's just that your eyes typically filter that stuff out and then your brain fills in the gaps to make it look seamless). It's a good thing that I know where all the keys are so I can type this without looking at the screen. Three horus later, I still look like I smoked a whole bag of marijuana all to myself.

Good thing that I wasn't pulled over for speeding, or else I would've had DUI tacked on to that.

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"I have killed two people since midnight. I haven't slept in over 24 hours. So maybe you should be a little more afraid of me than you are now. " -Jack Bauer, 24

Having finally recovered from spending more than 24 hours awake between 10:30 PM on Sunday and Monday night midnight (20% of which was spent nodding off), I'm starting to realize that we could get so much more done if we didn't need to sleep.

No, I'm not masochistic. It all started on Sunday morning when I was called to the set of Live Feed, an independent horror flick directed by Flesh and Fantasy SFX guru Ryan Nicholson. Only there for a few hours wasn't enough to get good material (that, and I had to go to my other job immediately after), so I had to come back the next day. But, being that this is an independent flick, most of the people working on it are doing it solely for the love of the craft (ie: they're doing it all pro bono), so they're doing it outside of regular working hours.

So, after getting home from my weekend job, I immediately go to sleep (6:00PM, not an easy thing considering that it was a really bright sunny day) and wake up at 10:30PM, shower, eat breakfast, and hop on a bus. Not realizing that the Skytrain won't take me all the way to Vancouver before shutting down, I am waiting at New Westminster Station for the better part of 4o minutes, shooting the breeze with the locals while the bus takes its sweet-ass time showing up.

Upon arriving at the set, the Venus theatre on Main street (yes, where they show old porno flicks), I enter, making sure no one sees me enter. Getting interviews for the next few hours, I get some good soundbytes out of everyone, but two actresses aren't there, so I'll have to follow up at a later time. Running on barely three hours of sleep, I trudge off to UBC where I begin another 8 hours of work.

As I'm only semi-concious and running on about three cups of coffee mixed with hot chocolate powder, I request that I am given the most mindless administrative task imaginable. I also apologize in advance if I start nodding off during conversations, need to have things repeated, or if I go into shock if there are any loud noises.

For the first hour, I am photocopying. Nice mindless tedium. Sadly, this does not last long, as I am back to more stimulating work (NDA NDA NDA NDA). The rest of the day is a complete blur. After getting my requisite six hours of sleep that night, today I am still nodding off.

I wonder how I'm going to last with my new responsibilities at my weekend job. I swear, every time I contemplate quitting, my boss gives me more responsibilities and a pay raise. Perhaps I should start thinking more about getting promoted so the opposite happens.

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Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland of The Crystal Method


The Sonar @ 66 Water Street (experimented without flash)


What's up with the guy in the bunny suit?


Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, working the crowd.


Shake it, baby.


Self-portrait under the least optimal lighting conditions. L-R: Melissa Choo, Vince Yim


Scott Kirkland playing "Bad Stone" from the album Vegas, while politely asking everyone to make their way to the exit. "Good night, Van-City!"

Being that I had the foresight to wear earplugs this time, there is no equalization period for my hearing to return back to normal. Very kick-ass show at an itty-bitty venue with lots of great tunes played. Many tracks from Community Service 2 as well as some out-of-left-field surprises, such as remixed bootleg of Blur's "Song ^2". Open-toed footwear is not recommended.

Decided to show my stuff with the b-boys by mixing a little Capoeira onto the floor, pulling backflips and stuff (never mind the fact that my breakdance skills are minimal). Before I know it, someone shoves a ticket for the upcoming Hybrid show into my hands. He must know the promoter or something.

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Fangoria Magzine issue #244, on stands May 24th, 2005.



I've run out of clever, inventive, and political things to write about for the past week (that, and I'm a little burned out from writing every day because I didn't give myself a break between a grueling second semester at school and my work experience), so I'm just gonna plug the latest issue of Fangoria magazine because it's got my latest article in it.

I covered the direct-to-video techno horror flick, Devour, starring Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight's Tale, The Order) and Jensen Ackles (TV's Smallville and Dark Angel). Everybody go out and buy one. And no, I don't get royalties for it, but buy one anyway.

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Who? What? Where?: The Board Game

Gameplay: You are given three cards, each depicting a person (celebrity, public figure, or famous fictional character), an action, and a location. For example, if you are given "Albert Einstein", "Playing Football", and "On the Moon," you will attempt to draw a reasonable likeness of Albert Einstein playing football on the moon, but you can get creative. In three rounds, draw the person doing whatever action in the specific location. You have four minutes to draw. Upon completion of the drawing phase, pass your drawings around to the other players, who must guess who you are trying to depict.

Doing boardgame night at a friend's place, we got to put our drawing skills to the test. This is what I ended up drawing. Let's see if you can figure out what I'm trying to draw. Click on the image to see a larger version. Highlight the text to see the answer. Ready? Let's go!

NOTE: Answers are discussed below.


#1: Who? Michael Jordan. What? Rock climbing. Where? Statue of Liberty.


#2: Who? Snow White. What? Bobbing for apples. Where? Nuclear power plant.


#3: Who? Tina Turner. What? Doing a belly flop. Where? On an airplane.

(And just for fun, please leave a comment with your answers!)



Discussion: Psychology is not my area of study or expertise, so any analysis to do with the human mind remains speculative. Still, it's interesting to see how we tend to associate things, especially when we can't quite get images across due to limited art skills. Admittedly, my art skills aren't the best, even worse when I'm given an extremely short time span to come up with an image.

Drawing faces can be challenging, especially if you lack formal art training or practice. So, if you were to Bill Gates eating a hero sandwich in the Sahara dessert and your drawing skills are only slightly above stick-figures, what do you do?

The Sahara dessert is simple enough, just draw a few stick figure camels and a cactus, and you're done. Hero sandwich might be tough, but if you can figure out how to depict eating (e.g.: a long sandwhich with a bite out of it), then you got that nailed down too. But if your caricature skills are lacking, Bill Gates becomes tough to render. That's when associative skills come in handy.

A common technique in the game is to have a thougth-balloon depicting a few images that one can associate with Bill Gates. A big fat dollar sign would work (universal symbols are permitted by the game rules), a huge bag of money, a computer on fire, or whatever comes to mind.

Some players get fairly inventive. One guy had to depict "Julius Caesar," and not being able to get a dead-on likeness, simply had thought balloons coming from his head with two somewhat familiar icons: a drink cup (representing "Orange Julius") and a salad (representing "Caesar Salad").

It was easy enough for the second round - Snow White bobs for apples on a nuclear power plant. Being that I couldn't remember for the life of me remember what the Disney version of Snow White looked like, I drew seven little stick figures around her glass coffin with a guy coming up to her on a horse.

Some made some amusing visual clues where drawing skills were lacking. One player in particular depicted a male and female stick figure standing side to side, with a thought balloon from the male stick figure depicting the American flag...and a female stick figure on her hands and knees performing oral sex on the male stick figure. The connection is fairly obvious. Unfortunately, the player in question didn't have the foresight to have an arrow pointing to the right stick figure...her "who" card said "Hilary Rhodam Clinton," but everone else guessed either Bill Clinton or Monica Lewinsky.

I thought I was in for some real trouble with the third round. Not knowing how to properly depict Tina Turner's haircut, I just drew a music note coming out of her, to imply that she's a musician. Not knowing what else, I drew another music note with a heart next to it. Then it hit me. I then drew an stick figure giving the female stick figure a black eye while she's singing a love song (music notes next to a heart symbol). Almost everybody got it, although one player guessed "Whitney Houston."

It's somewhat amusing and sad at the same time that it's harder to associate famous people with what they're supposed to be associated with. We don't associate Bill Clinton with a American presidency during a robust economy and prosperity among the people, instead we associate him with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. We don't always associate Tina Turner with a successful music career that spans many years, instead we associate her with getting beaten up by Ike Turner.

I shudder to think of what people would've come up with for Michael Jackson (a stick figure man dropping a stick figure baby out of a balcony), Kurt Cobain (stick figure with a guitar in one hand, a shotgun in the other, and a head that's half-missing), or Courtney Love (strung-out-on-heroin stick figure with very obvious plastic surgery, standing next to a stick figure with a guitar in one hand, a shotgun in the other, and a head that's half-missing).

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Work-At-Home-In-Your-Underwear-And-Don't-Bother-To-Shower-Or-Shave-Day

This is probably one day of the week I look forward to the most because I can actually sit down and do some work and get some cleaning in at the same time. The basement I'm living in is an absolute mess and the only thing that looks remotely clean and organized are the shelves and racks on which I keep my CD and DVD collections. As it stands, the shelf I put my DVDs currently has an unopened skin moisturizer dispenser on it and I have no idea why it's there, except it's been there for months and months and I haven't bothered to move it. There is a half-centimetre thick layer of dust surrounding my action figure collection and I really need to crack my computer open to vacuum all the dust out of it.

Heck, I still have my notes from last semester scattered in all directions, even though the semester ended in early APRIL. So, here's my to-do-list.

-Complete first draft for Fangoria magazine article
-Write two passages and one page of dialogue for my day job
-Tidy up basement to reduce fire-hazard risk
-Go to local store to grab bag full of top soil so I can start planting green/red peppers on the porch
-Hit the gym

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http://www.rawstory.com/aexternal/conyers_iraq_letter_502

Well, if anything else, this only confirms what many people have already been speculating since the campaign for the whole "War on (T)error" began. Harkening back to a previous blog, you gotta wonder what would happen if everybody was aware this was going on. But of course, given the corporate sponsored media, it's no surprise.

Damage is done, though. It's not like they can simply go, "Hey, sorry, man. We kinda fucked up." Tell that to all those dead soldiers and their families. Tell that to all the people who are now homeless because they got their homes destroyed.

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The fruit(s) of my labour

Never quite looks as good as the picture, does it?

Having taken up a minor interest in home gardening, I've been maintaining a few pots of strawberry plants and romaine lettuce. After about two weeks, I have about one strawberry that is ready to pick and the romain lettuce has just sprouted, which means I'll have about a teaspoon of ceasar salad by the time the week is up. If I'm lucky, by the end of the month, I'll have enough strawberries to put over a bowl of cereal.

It's times like this that I realize that we all live a very subsidized lifestyle. Why wait two or three months for a head of romaine lettuce when you can go to the supermarket and buy it in less than fifteen minutes? Considering the time and expense that goes into each plant, it's not likely that it's going to yield the same results that industrialized farming does, when you factor in the cost. I mean, a single strawberry plant costs $0.88, but it's probably not going to yield the same number of strawberries as if you bought them at the supermarket, especially when you consider that the ones you get at the supermarket are specifically picked out for colour and size. Given the amount of fruit that tends to get wasted and discarded, that's a lot of strawberries.

Mind you, a single packet of romaine lettuce seeds costs about $1.59, whereas a head of romaine lettuce will cost you anywhere from $0.89 to $1.99, depending on where you get it.

A lot of this evokes notions of True-Cost Economics, where the final price we paid at the cash register reflects everything that goes into it -- environmental costs, transportation costs, marketing costs, manufacturing costs -- everything. I mean, where does all that money end up coming from anyway?

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"(September 11 was) an occasion to be brave enough to ask some serious questions about America's role in the world. Because it is always useful as individuals or nations to ask how we may have knowingly or unknowingly contributed to this conflict. Not to have the courage to ask these questions of ourselves is to betray the victims of 9/11."
-Maggie Gyllenhaal

These comments and others have been enough to cause angry users to force a Maggie Gyllenhall fan website into shutdown. I wouldn't consider myself a diehard fan of her movies (although I do recognize her contributions to Adaptation. and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), but I can't help but wonder what all the fuss is all about.

This definitely proves that nothing is truly black or white. Freedom of speech is one of the fundamental rights and freedoms that are granted by democratic societies, but it goes far beyond that. As it stands, judging from the hostile reaction that Ms. Gyllenhaal's comments have received, perhaps our notions of free speech should be re-evaluated.

I consider myself liberal in my leanings, so I'll accept (but not necessarily agree with) any speech or sentiment, just as long as it doesn't promote hate, violence, discrimination, or ignorance. So, blatantly ignorant statements on same sex marriages and the denial of the holocaust get the kibosh. Stuff questioning the War on (T)error? Go for it.

Using celebrity status in order to promote causes is important, although a slightly more informed opinion would be nice. How do we know that entertainers know anymore than what they're trained to do? But, I must say, seeing Brittney Spears' endorsement of the current Bush administration while chewing gum on Fahrenheit 9/11 is actually quite amusing.

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Lt. Dan Kaffee: I want the truth!
Col. Nathan Jessep: You can't handle the truth!
-A Few Good Men (1992)

It occurred to me one day that we spend the better portion of our lives being lied to. It happens from the beginning from the day one, where little boys and girls are taught that good behaviour will be rewarded. Give them a few years, and the teachers and parents will be telling them, "It's what's inside that counts" and "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game."

This follows them into their teenage years, where they are told that hard work and perserverence pays off in the long run. If they're part of the North American school system, they'll likely be told about the dangers of pre-marital sex and recreational drug use, especially with marijuana.

And then they'll go into their adult years. You'll have politicians promising bigger and brighter things if they're elected into office, television ads promoting the American dream, and people that you work with telling you that a task will be accomplished with a specific time frame.

All of these things work in theory, but not in practice. In the long run, people will generally gravitate towards those who are good of heart and kind in spirit. But more often than not, these people get swallowed whole by people with less than honourable intentions. Professional athletes have bad attitudes towards fans and the media, yet are awarded millions of dollars in promotions and contracts. People who are good looking generally make more money than more plain looking people. Products designed to make our lives better and brighter end up just making us fat and poor. Politicians send troops to foreign countries to war over false pretenses.

Lies and truths will eventually be uncovered, but by the time it happens, it's usually too late and the damage is permanent. But on the other hand, if everybody (and I mean EVERYBODY) told the cold, hard, and honest truth, the world would would not necessarily be a better place. As it is, it seems that it is in our nature to deceive each other and people would prefer to live in a lie than the cold hard truth.

If children were told the truth about everything, it'd be crushing. For children to have nothing to believe in would likely do serious harm to their development. What motivation would there to be a good, kind hearted person if they knew it wouldn't get them anywhere? Why would they want to even leave the house if they weren't pleasing to the eye, knowing that everybody would be judging them without even taking the time to know them?

If there was truth in advertising, the economy would shut down. We don't need the fanciest anti-bacterial soap, the biggest SUVs, the perfect body, or the latest fashion. But, the 500-channel universe tells us otherwise. People wouldn't be buying the latest and greatest, financial growth for corporations would shut down, and a lot of people would be unemployed.

If the government told the truth all the time, there'd be anarchy. The truth is tanamount to political suicide. History has proven this. Former US president Jimmy Carter's administration was in the middle of an oil crisis. He promoted conservation, wore a sweater on live television to set a good example among the American public and even had solar panels installed in the White House. Ronald Reagan promoted a Pollyana attitude of hope and optimism, and then would later go onto win the American presidency and then dismantle everything that Jimmy Carter had set in motion. Now we find ourselves in a bigger energy crunch than before. We had about 20-30 years to do something about it, but instead, we just bought bigger houses, bigger SUVs, and ended up with bigger waistlines.

If people told the truth in relationships...well, it's hard to say. There'd be a lot more trust, for starters. But would people take risks? Would people even want to be with each other if they knew the truth about each other? But, I can tell you one thing...women won't be asking men the ever dreaded, "Honey, do I look fat to you?" Plus, it would save the guys a lot of time because women won't be telling them, "I'm not really looking for a boyfriend right now."

But as much as our lives are built around lies, truth is necessary...even though it can only be administered in extremely small doses. But, it does keep the world in some level of balance, even though it is constantly teetering on the head of a pin.

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Today I started my new job with UBC's Applied Research and Evaluation Services as part of my job placement for the Print Futures program at Douglas College. After I signed my NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), I was free to work on ********* ******* * *************** ******** ****** ** ****** * *** **** ** *** ********* ********* ** **** ******.

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Survey Postmortem

Mortem is correct. After about a week, I have one single response. This leads me to the conclusion that someone has been repeatedly clicking on the "refresh" button on their browser whenever reading my blog.

Wandering Thoughts

Being that I ride the bus or walk to get everywhere now ($1.05/litre? I don't think so!), I now have a lot more time to myself. Some of that time is spent napping, some of it spent reading (almost finished reading The Bourne Identity...after about two or three false starts). But, given enough time spent alone, you start thinking stuff.

Like, has anybody ever noticed that there has never been any television advertisment for hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius or the Honda Insight? Partly due to my schedule and my newfound awareness of my energy impact, I've been watching a lot less television, I'll admit. But even still, I can't ever recall seeing a television commercial for a hybrid vehicle. I've seen lots of commercials for SUVs, trucks, minivans, and sports cars, all of which consume a lot more fuel, but never one for a more fuel efficient vehicle.

Sure, compacts like the Mini Cooper (which gets less mileage than a Hyundai Elantra) and the Pontiac Wave (which can be parallel parked by going in perpendicular to the sidewalk) have been getting a lot of air time, but not for hybrid.

The grassroots movement towards purchasing hybrids is promising, though, as there is significantly more demand than supply (as it is, the waiting list for a Prius can be months). This gives me some level of hope for an energy constrained future. It also gives me hope that I have yet to see a television advertisement for a Hummer, which swallows gas at 10 miles per gallon.

Meanwhile, I'm shopping around for a bicycle.

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In Memoriam: Victor Pui-Kay Yim
July 5, 1937 - April 16, 2004

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My photo and letter to the editor is featured in today's (Tuesday, April 12) Op/Ed page of The Vancouver Sun. As I've been writing about oil shortages in this space and been doing a lot of reading on the topic, I felt that an editorial reassuring us that the gas prices would go down eventually was doing a serious disservice to the readership and the general public.

Oh, and if you haven't done so already, please fill out my survey for my previous post. Thanks!

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Quick reader survey: Who's reading this thing anyway?

I've been seeing a few more hits than usual over the past week, which is great, because more people read my stuff. So, either I'm getting a lot more readers, people I know are reading this site more regularly, or I have an obsessed fan that keeps hitting the refresh button on the browser. So, a lightning fast survey...

1: Is this your first time reading?

2: If not, do you regularly check this blog for new entries? (eg: once a week, once a month, etc.)

3: If so, do you have a particular favourite entry?

4: What would you like to see me talk about? Name at least two things.

5: Demographics question: what is your age/sex/location?

6: How did you find out about this blog?

Please fill out by leaving a comment. Thanks!


Squeeky Wheels

Today, to finish off my last day of classes and exams, I went with my class to the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant. A member of my class ordered a Ceasar, which was not made to her liking, so she ordered another drink. To avoid wasting the drink, she passed it off to me. The server assumed I was paying for it and charged me for it, which I wasn't really prepared for (I ended up paying for it). So later, I write up a polite complaint letter and give it to the manager and ended up with a handful of gift certificates.

Now, if this only worked with the government...

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Random Thoughs: A Tribute to the Downfall of Western Civilization

"I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area, and you multiply, and multiply, until every natural resource is consumed. The only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet, you are a plague, and we are the cure."
-Agent Smith, The Matrix

Having really screwed up my brain for the past few weeks by reading news about doom and gloom from an impending oil shortage, global economic crash, and the fall of western civilization, I came to two conclusions:

1. It's affecting my productivity and my ability to concentrate.
2. I really have to stop reading this shit on the internet when I have deadlines.

Barring any sort of "Save-the-planet-kill-yourself" type heroics (I actually enjoy life and I think the world is an okay place, thank you very much), I've come to accept that the downfall of Western Civilization is going to happen whether I want it to or not, and probably within my lifetime. And why would that be such a bad thing? We've spent the past few hundred years destroying everything, eating everything in sight, wrecking the environment to the point that it would take an asteroid to wipe out a big chunk of humanity before Mother Earth can begin to reconstruct itself. Intelligent life? Sure, we've made some pretty neat stuff, but most of it's crap (the spray on toupee, the Ab-Tronic, the fast food restaurant). I think we peaked out with the pyramids and the moon landing.

It's been said that the higher you climb, the further you have to fall. Sadly, the quest for the almighty buck and the American dream has left us with nowhere to go but downhill. As holier-than-thou as we Canadians tend to be (I freely admit to it), we're not that much better. Most of the stuff I own is imported (electronic do-dads all made in China, digital camera made in Japan, exotic fruit from the Philipines...heck, even a souvenir Hawaiian piggy bank coconut, which was made in the Phillipines) and I to tend to eat a lot. But, having done a lot more reading about stuff I used to not care about, I'm a lot more cognizant about the impact I have.

With the knowledge that this planet cannot possibly support a population of 6 billion people without natural energy resources, I've tried to minimize my own personal impact by using less electricity, taking 5-minute cold showers instead of the standard 15-minute hot shower (does wonders for the sex drive and cuts your get-ready-for-the-day time in half, by golly!), and walking to the gym when I used to drive (refilled the tank at 93.9/litre, when up the street was $102.9/litre...ouch!). Mom's planning to get a hybrid. Haven't decided if I'm ready to go vegetarian or not.

Sadly, changing my own personal impact doesn't really do much when everyone else blissfully drives their SUVs like there's no tomorrow, buying their imported clothing, consuming their fast food burgers and filling the landfills with dead AA batteries, styrofoam cups, and plastic cups, all of which consume vasts amounts of unrenewable resources.

It seems like short term goals (profit margin, increased values for stocks, increased tax revenue) has blindsided the idiots at control who really have a chance to make a difference. Instead of keeping jobs at home, they farm out clothing manufacturing jobs overseas where workers are subject to inhuman working conditions. Factor in the added transport costs, and it actually costs MORE to get it overseas. But for some odd reason, these costs aren't factored into what you pay at the till.

While we may not be able to slow down the impending crash of civilization, we can slowly get back to basics and lessen the impact...grow more food at home, wean ourselves off of fossil fuels, and learn to be more self-sufficient. But then, that takes a lot of effort and sacrifice, that most people aren't willing to expend. All I have to do is get the word out...

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Area Man dies from Celebrity Overexposure
by Vince Yim

Kip Frost, 30, discovered by his girlfriend two weeks after his death. (photo by Kat Code)

Getting sick to death of seeing celebrity coverage has taken on new meaning as local resident Kip Frost was found dead in his apartment last Tuesday afternoon. His partially decomposed body was found parked in front of the television and was discovered by his ex-girlfriend who came by to return his engagement ring after not hearing from him for a month

Lana Weaver, 28, wasn’t too concerned about the lack of contact, being that they broke up the month previous. “I assumed that he just moved on with his life,” Weaver said in an interview. “Either that, or he was too busy following the Michael Jackson trial or waiting for the next episode of Nick & Jessica: Newlyweds.”

Evidently, much of the serious cooling off period was spent in front of the television, where Frost’s body was discovered. Apart from the fact that he apparently hadn’t bathed for two weeks, his eyes appear to have been clawed out with a ballpoint pen. Further details remain speculative pending a coroner’s report.

Being that the two of them had already started combining assets and had a bank account signed in both of their names, Weaver had an additional reason to contact him, so after a week, she started to become worried.

“It’s not like he was the most stable shelf in the furniture store,” Weaver commented, “He didn’t have much of a life outside of work and he spent a lot of his time parked in front of the television. He always went on and on about how he was getting sick of seeing Paris Hilton getting more news coverage than the current situation in the Middle East or how those parents were asking for trouble for letting Michael Jackson take care of their kids.”

Celebrity overexposure has been cited as a cause of many self-inflicted head injuries, which hit a spike during the infamous Janet Jackson Superbowl incident last year and caused several spikes around the verdicts of Scott Peterson and Robert Blake. More and more people have been admitted to the hospital since the beginning of the Michael Jackson trial.

Dr. Xavier Greene, chief neurosurgeon of Vancouver Memorial hospital for the past fifteen years, is not surprised. “You should’ve seen the people coming in when OJ Simpson’s white Ford Bronco was interrupting the airwaves,” he recalls. “But this would have been the first time that there was actual death from celebrity overexposure. There was a person who gave himself a concussion over the Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez engagement and subsequent break-up, but after he was admitted to our psychiatry ward, we cut off all media exposure for him and he’s about ready to re-enter society.”

When reminded that the whole “Bennifer” thing ended over a year ago, he shrugs. “For some people, the damage is a little bit deeper rooted. He’s one of the lucky ones. Some people end up requiring a lifetime of therapy, and some end up like Mr. Frost.”

Kip Frost was 30.



Oh, and by the way...April Fools.

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Out like a Lamb
(the title has nothing to do with this blog, but it's an appropriate way to end the month)

This blog has taken on a bit more of a political bent than usual in recent weeks, as I have written about racial stereotyping, sex education, black market organ trafficking, and the oil crisis. It's been suggested that blogs are the new political medium. Indeed, with these things popping up everywhere, it's not quite hard to get the message out.

But, when you consider how many messages there are to choose from, it gets a little more difficult. There are several blog provider services outside of this one, and the subject matter is scattershot in each one. The large majority of them are personal (talk about friends, family, and local going-ons), while an unhealthy portion of them are dedicated to advertising (just click on the Next Blog icon a few times and you'll find ads for cell phone ring tones, payday loans, and refinancing your home).

Given my number of hits, I can't see this blog changing the world any time soon, but if I can open the eyes of the one person who passes it onto the next...

Although I might need a little more T&A in this blog for that to happen.

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Deck Chair Arrangement on the Titanic

For a creative writing class, I created an 8-page short story on the parallels between driving and intimately getting in touch with people’s characters. I entitled it Truth Serum At 89.9 Cents Per Litre. As you might be aware, the title is now out of date. Time sensitivity is something that writers of fiction must be aware of, as to avoid dating their material. But, what you may not be aware of is the fact the story was written less than two months ago. Even worse is the fact that the price of gasoline was actually less than 89.9 cents a litre when the story was written.

Gas prices have seen a huge spike in recent weeks and motorists are getting their collective underwear in a twist over this. For some, it is a simple matter of abandoning the gas-guzzling SUV in exchange for a bus pass. However, in a metropolitan area where public transit is extremely lacking, this is problematic, especially if your job happens to take you everywhere. However, that’s just the beginning.

A quick glance around you will reveal the byproducts of a society heavily reliant on fossil fuels. The medium from which you are reading this (most likely a computer screen) has been made with energy from fossil fuels. The clothing you are wearing required energy to manufacture and transfer, and if it has any form of plastic in it (eg: the plastic buttons or the polyester fibers), then it was derived from petroleum based products. What you ate for breakfast was probably grown with the use of factory farming, which requires energy derived from fossil fuels to create. The insulation, wiring, and casing from your DVD player, MP3 player, computer, cell phone, and car are all derived from petroleum products. There’s also a good chance that you aren’t reading this by candlelight or sunlight. Therefore, more fossil fuels were involved. And then there’s our healthcare. Medication requires energy to manufacture and transport, hospitals require energy to run, and machines require energy to keep people alive.

Now, imagine if all of those things were taken away.

The thoughts of civilization set back about 200 years is a frightening one, as suddenly a lot of the things that we have become used to will become a thing of the past. While current research on alternative energy sources shows much promise, many of them require a boat-load of energy to produce, and none of these can be used to create plastic based products.

While no one has publicly gone out and admitted it, we are on the brink of an oil crisis, if we aren’t already. Many indicators are already in place, and this is not limited to declining oil production and rising gas prices. The general public seems to be generally unaware, as they blissfully drive their SUVs through suburbia and contemplate what they’ll buy on their next trip to the mall.

Sadly, no one bothered to realize that this would be inevitable at some point in time, so the safeguards to prevent any sort of societal collapse were not put into place. So, the theorists predict that we can expect to see more wars over energy based resources in order to hold out for an unsustainable rate of consumption. Following economic and societal collapse, we can see severe civil unrest, America becoming a society similar to modern day Iraq, severe food shortages, and a severe drop in population.

I'm curious as to what legacy we'll leave for the next civilization.

Things like this should be shaking alarm bells, but for various reasons, it’s not happening. Why is this? Is it because “they” know the collapse is imminent and blissful ignorance is the only thing that’s keeping people from rioting in the streets?

As it is, the only ones who would be unaffected by this are those completely detached from society, living in the bush and living off the land. I haven’t quite decided if I’m ready to start living like the Amish yet. And that's provided that the global wars over oil don't annihilate us all.

Additional resource:
Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash: A highly detailed description of the scenario at hand. Be prepared to not sleep after reading this.

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Spare Parts from Parts Unknown

Today, I was walking around Downtown Vancouver where I was stopped by CBC video news crew capturing word-on-the-street opinions on a recent court case in which a man requiring an organ transplant obtained (or attempted to obtain) a donated organ from a foreign country, but was denied permission. I was asked if that should be permitted.

My response was words to the effect of, "If the organ is needed, it shouldn't matter where it comes from, just as long as nothing unethical was done in order to obtain it."

Of course, it's only after I get about half a block away from the camera crew that I remember that foreign organ donation is a bit of a sketchy issue in some impoverished nations where individuals are selling their internal organs for money.

This is where ethics is no longer viewed as black and white. The practice itself is a fairly disturbing one for the medical ethical community, as it reduces human essence to a commodity with a dollar value attached. This gets even more disturbing when people are essentially coerced into donating their organs, sometimes with them disappearing completely, fueling speculation that they took more than just a kidney.

Many of the people who are going through the process are doing it out of desparation, as black market prices for a kidney are reportedly going up to $100,000 USD. Some do it to feed their families, some do it to pay for safe passage out of their countries. While it is clearly unethical to allow a family to starve, subjecting oneself to a medically unnecessary procedure for profit may not be.

Much of this evokes images from Larry Niven's The Jigsaw Man, a sci-fi short which deals with the technology to reduce the human body into parts for donation, a process which lead to the conied term, "organlegging." According to the story, this practice is typically reserved for convicted killers, although through the progression of the story, it gets used for progressively lesser crimes, until a character goes through the process for running a red light.

This may be closer to reality than we realize, as Chinese prisons have been said to be sources of harvest organs. It is widely known that the Chinese prison system executes the some of the most inmates internationally (often sending the bill for the $0.20 bullet to the family of the executed) and their human rights abuses are well known. However, no one will come out and say it.

I still stand by my statement of allowing organ transplants regardless of point of origin...just as long as it was not obtained through unethical means.

Additional links:

Organ Shortage Fuels Illicit Trade in Human Parts: Article from National Geographic
Black market kidney trade sparks ethical debate: Article from CTV.ca

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The poem:

"I am..." (excerpt)

I am nondescript

I go into a store where my friend works

I ask the guy behind the counter if he’s working today.

The guy behind the counter goes to the back to see if he’s there.

“Who is it?” my friend asks. “I don’t know,” the guy responds, “Some white guy.”

The prize

Having entered the President's Writing Contest on Diversity hosted by Douglas College, they decided to publish my entry in the 32-page anthology. Apart from the honour and prestige of being published in an obscure literature anthology, I am the proud owner of five copies of "Diversity 2005" and a Douglas College coffee mug (which was empty...d'oh!). Also, to help out with expenses, all published winners received a $20 gift certificate at the college bookstore. Given the current pricing of text books, I can expect that to pay for one chapter out of my next batch of text books.

Not that I'm ungrateful, by any means. After all, you know what they say about gift horses and mouths.

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We don't need no education / We don't need no thought control / No dark sarcasm in the classroom / Teachers leave them kids alone / Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone! / All in all it's just another brick in the wall. / All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

-"Another Brick in the Wall part 2" by Pink Floyd

It's incredibly ironic that America, the self-proclaimed leading country of the free world, can produce some of the most fucked up children ever. Just found a link to a study showing that abstinence among teens may lead to risky sex acts. It's clear that they never told us that in sex ed, nor were they expecting it.

The whole issue on teen sexuality has been a hot-button topic since day one, although the level of controversy seems to depend on who is serving his term as American president (don't get me started on that). However, it seems that despite all the sex education (read: fear mongering) that the kids are being subjected to, stuff like this should be no surprise to anyone at all.

While teen pregnancy statistics have apparently gone down as of late, sexually transmitted diseases in teenagers are on the rise. Still, these are ridiculously high compared to some European countries, where America will have 79 pregnancies per 1000 teens, while France will have 20.2 pregnancies per 1000 teens. In Germany and The Netherlands, it's even lower, at 16.1 and 8.7, respectively (source: Advocates for Youth: Adolescent Health in Europe and the U.S.: Why the Difference?).

Conservative approaches to sex education and attitudes towards sex in general are often cited as one of the causes. After all, countries in Europe have nude beaches and hardcore pornography on television, whereas America will get its collective underwear in a knot over Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" incident at the Superbowl.

When I was growing up, sex education consisted of conservative educators instilling fear into the students by showing graphic abortion videos, referring to condoms as being ineffective in preventing pregnancies and spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and telling us how bad pre-marital sex is (and I'm not even talking about the quality of the sex itself). I once had a 4th grade teacher telling us that sudden exposure to cold water after a long hot day would cause AIDS. I can only wish I was kidding.

Although abortion is a bit too touchy of a subject for me to discuss personally, I can honestly say that much of what teachers tell the kids today fosters ignorance and leaves them extremely vulnerable. Teacher says that condoms have a high failure rate? Then what's the point of using them? Oh, we don't want to get pregnant and have to go for an abortion? That's fine, we'll just have oral sex instead. Oh, we can actually get a disease from doing that? They just told us that condoms were ineffective!

Ninth grade religion class had our teacher explaining to us why condoms were such a bad idea. He proceeded to draw a condom on the chalkboard and explained how semen could leak out during intercourse. Never mind the fact that the way he was drawing it depicted improper condom use (eg: didn't have the end pinched off, etc.).

I still have memories of school assemblies where they had guest speakers talking about the evils of pre-marital sex and how you had a one out of six chance of getting pregnant on your first try. After all of this, it's no wonder why Catholic school kids get a reputation for being the worst hellions.

As it is, sex is considered "sinful." Despite the fact that monkeys do it without a second thought, we're taught that it's unnatural and something that we shouldn't be doing. We're taught that it should be something only practiced within the confines of "holy wedlock" and only for the purpose of creating children.

Admittedly, I'm not currently in a relationship that allows me to be doing sinful, unnatural things that should only be practiced within the confines of "holy wedlock," but I do know enough to realize that this is highly out of touch with the rest of the world. Let' s just face it. You tell kids not to do something, you should know damn well that they're going to go out and do it. If you don't arm them with the proper information, then they're going to get themselves in trouble in the process.

If there was a teacher today that were to tell kids the truth, even if it's appreciated by the students, the teacher probably wouldn't last very long.

The future does seem somewhat rosy, being that we're willing to legalize same sex marriages here in Canada, much to the chagrin of the religious right (and to many Americans). However, given the amount of controversy, it'll be a really long time until we have North American sex education and standards up to the level of the European school system.

additional links:
European Approaches to Adolescent Sexual Behaviour and Responsibility (.PDF file)
Technical Virgin: A satirical look at teen abstinence, with video clips.

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Then and Now

Even though I still don't have enough spare time to do spring cleaning (yet I have enough spare time to write about it), I managed to dig up this old relic from my childhood. When I was a kid, my sister and I used to play this all the time, although I highly suspect that we "made up" a lot of the rules back then.


Chinese Checkers tin


Chinese Checkers tin, close up detail

If you look at some of the images depicted on the board, this Chinese Checkers tin is about as Chinese as pizza. If you take a close look, you will find randomly scrawled characters that are supposed to look like Chinese words and stereotypical images of rickshaws and Chinese people that have almond-shaped slanty eyes, Fu-Manchu mustaches, and straw hats.

I wouldn't go all the way to refer to this as offensive, although it does make for some interesting discussion. As the global village gets progressively smaller, cultures become more and more diverse. Little things like these are reminders that it wasn't always like this.

If you look at some of the North American cultural values of the early- to mid-20th century, it's clear that they could get away with offending certain groups of people back in the day, partly because the WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) was not the visible minority that it is now. Stereotypes ran rampant in every sector of pop culture, ranging from comic books to popular films to cartoons. Some of them could be argued as relatively harmless, although some will really hit a nerve.

Some WWII era cartoon shorts were notable for this. In 1942, Paramount released a World War II propoganda cartoon entitled You're a Sap, Mister Jap, which depicted Popeye fighting the Japanese. This piece does have historical significance as it does reflect the times, but this cartoon will not likely be seeing the light of day any time soon, unless it is part of a retrospective that would feature Warner Brothers cartoons depicting Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck fighting the Nazis.

Today, old Dick Tracy cartoons featuring Go-Go Gomez and Joe Jitsiu won't see the light of day. Controversy over the Warner Brothers character Speedy Gonzales led to his cartoons getting pulled by the Cartoon Network, despite the fact that he is still hugely popular with Latin American audiences. Disney goes to great lengths to supress anything that would make the stockholders see them as less than family friendly by editing out racist images from Fantasia and denying all existence of them.

And then there's the stuff that's being produced today. The popular television show 24 is controversial among Arab-American communities due to the depiction of Middle-Easterners as terrorists. Possibly in response to that, the recent episode depicts the protagonist Jack Bauer going into an Arab-American owned gun store and getting help from the two proprietors. I haven't quite decided if pandering to ethnic groups is more offensive than reflecting the current news headlines.

How will we see this in thirty or forty years? If our reaction to culturally insensitive material from the mid-50s is an indication, we might see it even worse. But then, who really knows? It could be because the speed that information travels causes controversy to be stirred much faster, so it could very well burn itself out and be forgotten long before then.

As it is, when somebody does something particularly silly and puts up anything like an ad or a movie that features a negative stereotype, the response is immediate. Back when Disney's Mulan hit the theatres, it was praised for cultural accuracy by various Chinese communities (heck, I like it too). And then McDonald's went off and did a stupid thing by having a cross-promotion with the film and doing a commercial where a young girl forces her family to eat their lunch sitting on the floor, ending with Ronald McDonald karate-chopping something in half. "Hi-ya! Did somebody say McDonald's?"

After doing some research, I found that there are a lot of people who posess the same Chinese Checkers board and are trying to sell it on eBay, promoting it as a 1950's relic. My sister got it new in the early 1980s. The high bids hover around $5. Collector's item indeed.

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Technology-art project #3

This the latest in my series of weird technology art projects. Having already done two cellphone faceplates and a computer case, I used a 256MB flash drive manufactured by Kingston.


Stage 1: Unpainted

For best results, use 1000 grit sandpaper to remove the pre-existing finish so the paint will get a stronger grip on the surface.


Stage 2: Initial orange coat

The first layer of colours should be done in coats. I ended up using Testors' Model Paint which adheres to plastic quite well. I masked off some of the areas, partly because I wanted the logo to show through, but mostly because the green LED would be obscured by the paint if I didn't.

As I used a brush, the strokes came through. This is why multiple coats are necessary. Again for best results, 1000 grit sandpaper was used to smooth out the brush strokes.


Stage 3: Stripes masked off, painted in black

To create the tiger stripes effect, I tore strips of masking tape and wrapped them around. I decided to tear them rather than cut as I wanted a more organic appearance. I used a vice grip to keep the painted surfaces undisturbed.


Stage 4: All colours applied

After the tape was removed, there was some spill outside the lines, but these were touched up.


Stage 5: Final stage, with 2 coats of clearcoat applied

Clearcoat is good for smoothing out most of the lines and the texture. I ended up using Tremclad spray clear coat, which isn't necessarily the best applicator for smaller jobs like this, as it's harder to control the spray. But as model paint isn't intended to be repeatedly handled, it's important to do as it'll save the colours for a long time.

Next project: Will probably do another cell phone case.

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Bad guys: 1, Vince: 0.

You'd think I'd learn after all these years to never park at the Scott Road Skytrain station, but like a girl who you really need to stop seeing, I continue to leave my vehicle for upwards of 4 hours at a time when I go off to do my Capoeira classes.

Long story short. The driver's side lock was jimmied, so it doesn't quite work the way it's supposed to anymore. They left the stereo behind because it was secured and the faceplate was not in the car, but they took the stereo mounting kit (!) and my garage door opener (!!).

So, let's recap my day. I blew a midterm and my car got broken into. Bad things happen in threes. It's a good thing there's only 27 minutes left in the day. Maybe I should go to bed early, but I think I'll wait it out and see what happens.

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To do list, March 8th, 2005.

• Summarize articles for in-class presentation for next week on incorporating graphics in technical writing
• Read chapters 1-2 and Appendix E of Mark My Words
• Revise second draft of empirical research draft
• Study for Wednesday midterm exam
• Prepare oral presentation on professional writing website
• Prepare portfolio and resume for two job applications for Thursday
• Tear out hair (oh, wait, I already did that)

Note that sleep isn't on the list.

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Unfortunately, shaving my head doesn't necessarily
make me play guitar like the guy on the left.

It has yet to be determined if I inherit male pattern baldness from my father's side (+) or my mother's side (-). Still, I made the conscious decision to go cueball on my own accord. It took a lot of effort and I actually needed a lot of assistance. I first attempted to do it all myself and managed to get rid of the bulk of it, but I missed a lot of spots. Once my mom was able to nail the stray tufts, from there it was going from 1/8ths of an inch down to the scalp.

My observations are as follows:

• Most people who already know me reacted in shock. Reactions ranged from stunned silence to "Oh. My. God." In response to one reaction, I said, "Didja hear that? I got a 'woah,'" to which the person I talked to said, "And there's a good chance you'll get a 'wow' by the end of the day."
• I'm having noticeably less stress since doing the cueball treatment. While I can partly attribute this to the fact that I have a lot fewer assignments due this week, I'm also noticing a constant cool breeze going through my hair (read: stubble) even in a heated room.
• Showers take just as long, as the time that would normally be spent shampooing is now spent putting the electric razor to my scalp.
• Bald people can have dandruff too (who woulda thought?).
• Wool toques and hoodies are a lot harder to put on and removing them is almost like ripping velcro apart.
• People will not always rub a bald person's head for good luck.

I never had really great hair to begin with, which was part of my motivation for removing it. That, and I'm suspecting that it was coming out due to stress (although that was possibly due to me tearing it out more than anything else). On top of that, I was way overdue for a haircut. Besides, when the electric razor costs $30 and a haircut starts at around $15, after a few buzzes at the razor, it's already paid for itself.

I promised myself years ago that if I was going to take after my late father and develop MPB, I would shave it. Nothing is more sad than men suffering from MPB in denial and doing the comb-over. That's worse than surgical techniques and hair-pieces.

My only beef is that what I'm saving in shampoo I'll end up spending on moisturizer for my scalp.

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That's Good / That's Bad: The Day in Review.

Still in the middle of crunch time at school, I've suspected that I've had attention deficit disorder (ADD) as I've had difficulty concentrating on school work. So, I go to the doctor, and he tells me I don't have ADD. That's good.

However, it's not so much that I don't have ADD (no test was administered, because my doctor "didn't have time"), but I don't have a doctor that doesn't dispense pills like candy (I think that's good). Therefore, he only dispenses prescriptions for Ritalin if a parent comes in with their kid and their kid isn't sitting still and destroying the office. According to him, I'm "functional." Therefore, no Ritalin for me. And, therefore, I find myself blogging, watching DVDs, and goofing off when I should be studying. That's bad.

But, being that I was in my doctor's office (and I didn't want him to think that I was just pill chasing), I decided to have a bunch of other things done while I was at it, so I got my tetatanus shot upgraded. Therefore, I don't have to worry if I happen to step on a rusty nail. That's good.

Three scars, left leg

Back in 1994, I underwent a surgical technique called Ilizarov surgery, which involves having crooked or deformed bones corrected by surgically breaking them (via cortiotomy) and then straightening them through a network of wires pins and screws (click the link to learn more). This process also involves pins that are drilled to the bone through the skin. Since the pins were removed, the bone reacted and not only healed up the hole, but generated scar tissue and excess bone growth. Excess bone growth manifests itself as lumps under the skin. If I'm wearing functionally tight fitting footwear like snowboard boots or rollerblades for more than six hours at a time, I will be left with blisters or abrasions over the pin sites. I asked my doctor if I can do anything about that (eg: surgeon goes in and sands them down or something like that), but my doctor says it'll likely come back and even worse than before. That's bad.

"Fell in Love with a Girl" by the White Stripes,
transcribed entirely with my right hand

One of my goals of the year is to become ambidextrous, so I've taken steps by doing the daily morning crossword with my right hand while I eat cereal with my left (I'm left handed). So far, the results are somewhat mixed. Today, I got bored in class, so I wrote out the lyrics to "Fell in Love with a Girl" by the White Stripes with my right hand. Surprisingly, it's actually legible. Barely. That's good.

While I was at the doctor's office, when asking about options about what to do about the excess bone growth in my legs, he pulled out a catalogue of braces, supports, and tapes from an athletic medicine company. I mentioned off hand that I wear a wrist brace (actually a wrist guard for inline skating) during my martial arts classes. I then go into the story about how I crunched my left wrist after messing up a backflip. He asks to examine at the wrist. I stress it in a certain way that isn't painful, but causes weird crunching sounds (the other wrist doesn't do that). I also explain that certain movements cause pain while others do not. He then goes on to say that it won't get better on its own and will need surgery to repair. It'll take at least six weeks to recover, plus rehabilitation. He issued me an appointment card to get my left wrist x-rayed. I need that hand to write and my right-handed penmanship is not that legible. That's bad.

I submitted my portfolio for a summer work experience session through my school program. I submitted lots of eye-catching colour images, which I think will help, because I already talked to the person doing hiring and she indicated that she'd be interested in seeing them. I think I have a really good shot at that position. That's good.

Unfortunately, the summer experience is spread out over the entire summer, which means booking time off to get my surgery done will be difficult. Plus, it'll make finding paying work during the summer pretty difficult too. That's bad.

The school week is finally over. That's good.

I barely have enough time to study and work at the same time. That's bad.

If I quit my job, I'll have more time to study. That'll be good.

If I quit my job, I'll be broke. That'll be bad.

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To Do List, February Week 4.

Monday: 5-minute oral presentation on short story, theoretical research progress report draft.

Tuesday: 3 hours volunteer work for Adbusters magazine, copy editing assignment.

Wednesday: Oral presentation on job readiness website

Thursday: Final version of theoretical research progress report, technical manual planning guide, doctor's appointment, submit portfolio for potential summer work experience with Anvil Press (rewrite cover letter, revise resume, compile portfolio).

Non-dated, but must be completed by end of week:

-Query letters for Electronic Arts, Rethink Advertising, and Blast Radius Communications
-Clean room
-Review transcriptions for articles for Fangoria magazine

After all of this, it'll be nothing short of a miracle if I have all of my hair. I have a large stack of DVDs that are still in the shrink wrap while my XBox is beginning to rust due to lack of use. Tack on the fact that my deadlines are all skewed to hell due to rotating strikes from the BCGEU, it looks like I'll be well-occupied for the next two or three weeks.

Two weeks ago, my mom bought a case of a drink called "Red Rave", which is purported to be some sort of energy drink. My mom bought it thinking that it was supposed to help with my exercises. I had to explain to her the REAL use of it and pointed out the fact that it has a significant amount of caffeine in it. She was going to return it to the place she bought it, but I already cracked open a can. I will most likely mow through the entire case over the next two weeks.

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Plug time! The latest issue of Fangoria magazine containing my article "Angels and Devils" hits stands today. For that, I got to hang out on the set of Blood Angels (formerly known as Thralls) and hang with the cast and crew to get a behind-the-scenes report. Pick it up if you can!

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On yet another Valentine's Day that will likely spent by myself, I was seriously considering going into a rant into my frustrations on the dating and relationships, but it'd just come across as really bitter and depressing. So, instead, I'm digging up a previous gem and posting it for your pleasure.

The Top Ten Worst Valentine's Day Gifts Ever (revised)
(originally written for the Valentine's Day issue of Over the Edge in Feb. 1996)

10: A candle lit dinner for two...at McDonald's
9: A box of dead flowers from that guy you just broke up with
8: Personalized jewelry. That has someone else's name scratched off it
7: Red and white balloons filled with tear gas
6: A red and white teddy bear that says "I want to f*** you in the ass" when you squeeze its tummy
5: A Valentine's Day card that reads, "You will be my Valentine! You will! EVEN IF IT KILLS YOU!"
4: St. Valentine's dead rotted remains
3: A box of chocolates which are really chocolate covered laxatives reshaped into little heart shapes
2: Sexy underwear from some guy you don't really know, but he's been following you everywhere and leaving weird messages on your answering machine
1: A pair of handcuffs

Happy Valentine's Day to all of those who are fortunate to be with someone that they truly care for.

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On sit-down with my cousin at Mount Seymour

Today was yet another reminder that I'm not nineteen anymore.

Lethargic, exhausted, feverish, and sicker than shit. This is after three days straight of taking my cousin with me, hitting the slopes of Mount Semour, taking martial arts classes, and working out at the gym (and going shopping too). There was a point in time when I could do all of those things without needing so much as a nap and a can of cola, but since I wanted to make sure my cousin Kate's visit was memorable, I made sure that every day there was something interesting to do. I shouldn't really complain too much, because I brought this on myself.

This was mostly due to the fact that three years ago, when she came to visit us, a lot of what we were doing was just hitting restaurants, staying at home, listening to music, and watching movies. Sure, Vancouver has the infamous no-fun zone reputation (killjoy citizens trying to get rid of the yearly fireworks festival and probably not shedding any tears for the loss of the Molson Indy), but can't you do those things just about anywhere? So, I made sure this time would be different. It's probably a good thing I decided not to take her clubbing on Saturday night.

I dunno what was the most memorable moment of Kate's last visit to Vancouver, although it was possibly when I drove her and my mom to Peace Arch Park and inadvertently gotten ourselves detained at the border. Post-9/11, those guys don't mess around. That was pretty embarassing.

A couple years ago, I made the promise that I would go visit her in Australia before I turn 30 (I got at least a couple of years to go). I'll make sure I plan how I spend my time well in advance so I can at least deal with the jet lag and weird food, not to mention whatever I'll be doing while I'm there.

One thing is for certain, though. I have got to start acting my age.

But why would I want to do a thing like that?

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Artist Steve Skroce (The Amazing Spider-Man, The Matrix storyboards, Doc Frankenstein) at the Vancouver Comicon

Several weeks prior, I decided to indulge in the ultimate geek gathering, the Comic Book Convention. Harkening images of sweaty young to middle aged males that don't get enough exercise, debating as to who would win in a fight between Namor the Sub-Mariner and Aquaman, and the endless line-ups of people who want autographed comics, I went anways.

Things have certainly changed in the past twelve years.

The first comic book convention I ever went to was back in 1993, when Canadian alternative press artist Dave Sim (Cerebus) was doing signings at the Heritage Hall. I remember reading the comics years previous. While the serialized adventures of a talking aadrvark never got mainstream attention along the level of X-Men or Batman, the book enjoyed a fairly lengthy run (300 issues) and even managed to have some cross-over appeal, with his character making guest appearances in issues if Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Spawn.

It was the guest appearance in Spawn #10 that attracted all the fans, as the line-up to get his autographs and sketches was looooooong. This was all for a book that would almost never crack the top 100 selling comic books on a month-to-month basis.

Flash forward to 2005, where Vancouver-based artist Steve Skroce is doing signings. I go in and there is no lineup whatsoever. Remembering to bring my copy of The Art of the Matrix and my entire collection of Gambit comic books, I walk up to Mr. Skroce's booth, where he isn't doing much. Not really sure of who he is (I saw a photo of him published in an issue of Wizard, but that was years ago), I introduce myself and we chat. I get him to do a sketch of Trinity inside the Matrix art book, and then he signs all my comics, thanking me for buying all of those books.

The fact that a mainstream artist that has worked on many high profile projects is not nearly as a big a draw as an independent small-press comic book artist and writer tells me that the comic book industry is not nearly as profitable as it once was.

Ideas on how to save the comic book industry have been proposed by the handful. Put comic books in more locations apart from comic book specialty shops. More diversity in genres apart from superheroes. Make the books cheaper. Make them more accessible to younger readers.

Archie and Betty and Veronica repeatedly tell the same stories over and over again, with very few changes in the status quo, yet their circulation numbers are in the millions. In Japan, manga titles are accessible to audiences of all age groups and demographics, while you can get the latest issue of whatever hot title from a local vending machine. The top selling mainstream comic book, The Astonishing X-Men, moves less than 100,000 copies per month, despite the fact that Marvel Comics owns 37% of the market share, while Archie has a 0.38% market share.

Compare this to 1991, where X-Men #1 moves 8 million copies.

Whatever the industry needs to do to right itself, it must be done fast, as comic book stores are becoming an increasing rarity, as are comic book publishers (Dreamwave Productions, the Toronto based studio that produced the TransFormers comics, is the most recent casualty). At this rate, it will only be a matter of time until the heroes of the four colour world will only be seen in a theatre near you. And if the recent spate of comic book films is any indication (ie: Elektra, Catwoman), it won't be long until it's only seen at the video store.

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