Chase The Dragon

The L Word

2006-12-30T20:45:00.000-05:00

So I'm perusing a technology journal and I come across this advertisement:

Besides the (obvious) insinuation of the picture, is it just me, or is the entire text of this ad not subtlely (or perhaps not so subtlely) alluding to the whole lesbian/woman/sex thing? If I must point out the phrases that catch my attention:

- don't physically have...
- latent curiosity
- the box
- open slot
- (huge module to insert in aforementioned slot)
- Lick(ity)

The whole "L" thing is so fashionable these days.

Mune ni Saita Kiiroi Hana

2006-10-02T18:38:00.000-04:00

I have been haunted by the movie The Deer Hunter all my life (ok not all my life - it came out in 1978 which was after I was born - I know! I don't look a day over 25!)...I don't know why. Anyway, here are three songs I have been listening to a lot lately:

Stanley Myers: Cavatina
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne Op 15 No 3 (in G minor)
Frankie Valli: Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Snack Ham

2006-09-04T23:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, maybe, maybe, I have had a few too many a couple nights ago, but this made me laugh so much! (note: make sure you watch the whole thing!)

On a related note, I have sunk into YouTube Land every now and then since I heard of the site (anyone can upload and share their videos). There is a lot (and I mean a lot) of crap in here, and in general everything that has not been ripped from tv is pretty amateurish, but there is something compelling about some of the material (probably for the same reason I watch Showcase over network tv). Google Video is another cool site along the same lines. Of course all you internet people probably knew about all this already. Yeah, well you still are not better than me. So my methodology on these sites is to look at the "most watched", or "highest rated" sort of thing and start from there. Here is a great one (there are several episodes, this is just the first - since you are so smart you can find the rest of them).

Babel Moose

2006-09-02T18:06:00.000-04:00

I like the look of this blog - very nice graphic design.

Web (6.0/3.0)

2006-09-02T18:02:00.000-04:00

Aramaybalic

2006-08-31T14:18:00.000-04:00

Anyone need a house?

View from inside:

Someone Left The Cake Out In The Rain

2006-08-27T19:49:00.000-04:00

I have just finished eating an entire pizza and I am listening to a jazz rendition of MacArthur Park (BTW, this song was written in the summer of 1967 by songwriter Jimmy Webb as part of a 22-minute cantata. Richard Harris, who "sang" the song was actually an actor, not a singer. I think he just read the lyrics with a great deal of drama). I remember watching a band called "the Family Cruze" at the Manila Holiday Inn performing this song which I thought was neat. They also tried Bohemian Rhapsody - evidently a slow night appropriate for experimentation...

Given the weather, I watched a few movies this weekend:

Red Eye: Glad I didn't pay to see this one (it was on the movie channel). Not a complete waste of time, but almost.

Office Space: I watched this one when it came out in 1999 and I liked it and always thought to watch it again some day. This is a really good, under rated movie. Anyone who has ever worked in cubicle land will instantly get this movie. Some of the best parts are in the background (like the office workers unconsciously nodding at everything the manager is saying) and some great archtypes like the mentally unstable employee, the foreign IT guy, and the "consultants". I am glad I PVR'd this one.

Revenge of the Nerds: Yeah I know, but I have such a soft spot for anything so 1980's. The movie is so bad, so predictable, so stupid! but I totally enjoyed watching it. I don't care what you think.

Kill Bill Vol.1: This is the third time I attempted to watch it and I fell asleep again! Not because the movie sucks, but because I was really tired (I also fell asleep watching the Matrix at the Glorietta 4 and we all know how cool that movie is). This movie is f*&^n amazing. One day I will actually watch it start to finish.

Go forth and prosper.

Way Way Downtempo

2006-08-18T23:57:00.000-04:00

I discovered Vienna Teng blog surfing. Check her music out - very, very cool (warning: major party killer material - this stuff is definitely for winding down!). I really dig "Gravity".

Mind The Gap

2006-08-06T22:32:00.000-04:00

Old streetcars found in the farmland north of Toronto:

Cultural Narratives and Neoconceptual Marxism

2006-08-04T21:37:00.000-04:00

Ok! Because I select only the finest books, I offer you my summer reading list:

Fooled By Randomness: I love this book! I still have not finished reading it and I like it so much I am now reading it slowly so it won't ever end. The author (Nassim Taleb) has a great writing style. He is very sarcastic, and sometimes comes across as a dick (he doesn't like a lot of people it seems). However, I don't think he cares what I think about him, so he comes across as authentic anyway. In any event, it is the content of the book which is cool. Talking about dicks - have you seen the Crossfire episode with Jon Stewart? I love the Daily Show, but Jon came off as a righteous knob in this snippet. Maybe I missed something???

Freakonomics: Neat statistical inferences, although after reading Fooled by Randomness, I am not sure I believe any of it (or any economist for that matter) anymore! I still like the book even though it will be banned in Catholic countries (thank goodness the Da Vinci Code is taking all the Vatican heat!).

My Life As A Quant: Physicists being hired by Wall Street. I like this book - an autobiography by a not so famous guy. He also has a clear understanding that any model is perhaps useful but not reality!

Head First Design Patterns: I don't mean to come off elitist or anything, but there are really very few real programmers out there IMHO. Perhaps too many people buy the "Learn Visual Basic in 21 Days" book and get a job writing code. I am still amazed at how few senior programmers understand the concept of a pointer. Yes, modern languages like java, vb, c# etc. don't have "pointers", but you always access objects by reference - which is the same thing! Anyway before I digress too much, design patterns should be mastered by all programmers, and this is such a user friendly book to introduce the concepts.

The World is Flat: Seemingly about inter connectedness, the digital revolution and globalization...I don't know I have not yet started reading it yet. I will try to read it before the next protest.

The Black Book of Outsourcing: Just because...I haven't read this one yet either but it is on my shelf...lurking...

So there you go, you can now read what I am reading and be just like me.

Sari Sari

2006-08-04T21:22:00.000-04:00

I have been multitasking lately...work, exploring new opportunities, catching up with friends, etc. I also decided that I was uniquely qualified as a landscape architect and took it upon myself to reengineer my courtyard which has gone mostly untouched since I moved in several years ago. Fixing an existing deck became adding a new deck which became regrading which became adding a proper patio, and she told two friends, and so on, and so on...

Here is a picture from the early stages of my engineering miracle - new drainage around where the patio will go.

By the way, this has been a alcohol free summer for me (I am on medication which cannot be taken if one drinks). I have never been so clear headed before, nor got so much accomplished (e.g. my foray into landscaping described above). I have never spoke Swedish before, but I feel I could master the language with a couple weeks of study. I had a dream the other night about making a Manhattan. Clearly this period of enlightened sobriety will not last.

Mouth Watering Fat Bubbling Action

2006-07-29T23:55:00.000-04:00

I'm reading Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb. I have just started the book, so I am in no position to give a book report. I bought the book after hearing him give a talk which I thought was quite good (no one seems to ask me to give "a talk"...I wonder why?!?). Anyway, I digress...He mentions a phenomenon known to psychologists where most people would prefer to make $70,000 if everyone else was making $60,000 instead of making $80,000 if everyone else was making $90,000. Taleb was making a point about "pecking order". Money is important, but not in absolute terms, and even more to the heart of the matter, one's sense of self importance is a bigger motivator than money. So if you want to motivate someone to do something, think about how you can enhance their sense of importance...might not cost you a dime!

BTW, I feel The Game Part II coming on...

Satisfy The Groove

2006-07-21T21:16:00.000-04:00

Got back from Boston late (late) last night. A combination of weather, flight cancellations and delays gave me about 6 hours at Logan to meditate. Watched CNN in the departure lounge until Lou Dobbs started getting on my nerves. While he plays to the American isolationist crowd by advocating trade barriers and alarming us about all the outsourcing of (American) jobs offshore, few realize he founded a company that develops software in Canada and manufactures telescopes in China. Thanks for speaking out and protecting all those American jobs Lou!

Of course, maybe Mr. Dobbs' seeming hypocrisy is his brilliance. He acts the isolationist by fear mongering to his CNN audience to enhance his journalism brand, while simultaneously taking advantage of globalism to enhance his investments. Playing both sides of a game usually ensures success.

領域

2006-07-16T22:38:00.000-04:00

I have been reading about Fisher Black, the economist and originator of the famous Black-Scholes model. This model can be used to derive the Black-Sholes formula which gives the theoretical value of a stock option. This model and its many derivatives (get it?!? - hahaha) have been used to drive trading and hedging strategies. In one anecdote, Fisher Black insists that one fixed income pricing model be described in plain english for publication and without any mathematical formulas. The point being that there is a financial and economic intuition that underlies any good (pricing) model, and that the model is an attempt at description of some underlying economic reality.

This reminded me of my own little epiphany I had a few years ago. In university I specialized in physics and I became pretty adept at manipulating the mathematical models/descriptions that seem to embody physics. There is a saying in Neurolinguistic Programming that "the map is not the territory". I realized at that time that the "map" in physics - the mathematics - is not the "territory", the territory being the actual physics! I reread the Feynman Lectures on Physics, which as an undergraduate I hated because of the lack of mathematical rigour and manipulation typical of other physics textbooks, and realized that Feynman was really lecturing about the physics and I really got into reading these lectures for the first time. I wished then that I could go back to university and do it all over again. Then I realized I would probably drink more than I did the first time.

The Gluten Experiment

2006-07-16T21:54:00.000-04:00

Today, I boldly went where no baker has gone before. I prepared my ensaymada (a brioche-like pastry) for tomorrow's merienda. I thought I would try using whole wheat flour because I am used to living on the culinary edge. Here is a picture of them before being set aside to let them rise a second time.

I can already see that they will have a density similar to uranium. The original dough did not rise as much as expected. You want to know why? You think you are entitled to know? You want to know the truth??? You can't handle the truth!

Ok, if you can handle the truth, here is the thing about whole wheat flour: whole wheat flour is usually not the main ingredient in a baked good because it adds the aforementioned "density" which prevents the dough from rising as well as white (all purpose) flour. Basically, you get fewer and smaller air pockets trapped in the raised good. Turns out it is possible to make a high-rising bun using 100% whole wheat bread as long as you increase the water content of the dough (or milk content in the case of ensaymada). The bran and germ in whole wheat absorb more water than white flour. You also have to knead the dough for a longer period of time to develop the gluten properly and you must let the dough rise longer before shaping it. I did not do any of this, and therefore I will be eating rocks tomorrow.

Stick It To The Man

2006-07-14T00:47:00.000-04:00

Tonsil Hockey

2006-07-11T21:39:00.000-04:00

I read this post the other day about novel new methods of kissing your special someone (the blogger in question says she took it from an article she found online). I can sum most of them up in one word: CHEESE! However, for the sake of clarity, I will comment on each method separately:

ICE KISS: Celebrate the first day of winter with an ice kiss. Put an ice cube in your mouth until your mouth becomes cold. Remove the cube, track down your love and plant a kiss that will send chills!

MY COMMENTS: Ice cubes in the mouth add a unique aspect to another activity between a woman and her special someone, and it isn't kissing.

ELECTRIC SHOCK KISS The two of you shuffle your feet furiously on carpet. When you both have an electric charge, lean over and slowly aim for each other's lips. With your lips about one-half inch apart, move in even slower until a spark jumps between the two of you. Instantly after this happens, kiss one another.

MY COMMENTS: This seems dangerous. You want a shock - why don't each of you hold on to either terminal on a car battery?!?

POST-IT KISS Use 3M Post-It notes to make a trail through your house that leads to your lips. Put a lipstick print or lip symbol on each note with an arrow pointing to the next note. You, of course, are at the end of the trail with a Post-It note over your lips that says, "LIFT FOR KISS"

MY COMMENTS: Gay.

KISSING IN THE RAIN The next time it rains, grab an umbrella, rain coats, and your love. Then go outside and kiss in the rain. If the spirit of the kiss moves you, remove the umbrella and kiss 'till the two of you are soaked.

MY COMMENTS: Gay.

HERSHEYS KISSES Prepare a small bag of Hershey's kisses and slip it into your love's purse, briefcase, or lunchbox. Attach a note that reads "SORRY, I CAN'T BE THERE IN PERSON, BUT THINK OF ME AND DO THE FOLLOWING: Close your eyes and place the candy between your lips. Drop the candy in your mouth and roll it on your tongue until it melts.

MY COMMENTS: Gay.

KISSES IN A BALLOON Cut out small red tissue lips, and place them inside an opaque balloon filled with helium (any party store could do this for you) Tie the balloon to your love's chair at dinner. Desert is a shower of kisses delivered by a sharp pin.

MY COMMENTS: Gay.

TOLL KISS Next time you are driving your love somewhere, stop the car before crossing a bridge or going through a tunnel, and say the toll must be paid before you can go any further. Of course, the toll cost in one kiss.

MY COMMENTS: Lame. (Tired of saying gay)

MORSE CODE KISS If you know Morse code, great, If not, this is a great way to learn. Find a Morse Code chart. Using long and short kisses, spell out a message to your love and have him or her try to decipher them.

MY COMMENTS: This is wierd. If someone did this to me, I would hide from them forever.

KISSING METER KISSES We have parking meters, so why not kissing meters? Turn a box into your own kissing meter and wear it around your neck. Give your love kissing tokens to start your kissing meter. Have an "expired" sign appear when you need another kiss.

MY COMMENTS: This is very wierd. If someone did this to me, I would really hide from them forever.

STAIRWELL KISS This kiss is to be done at a party or at a gathering with your love. Steal away to a private location like behind a door or tree, or on the stairwell and passionately kiss each other. The risk of being discovered in the act is the key element.

MY COMMENTS: I can think of ways to make this way more interesting. I would strongly consider incorporating the ideas presented in my comments re: the ice kiss.

SCUBA KISSING Wearing a diving mask and fins, simulate swimming underwater. Snorkel across the room to your love and kiss him or her.

MY COMMENTS: This is very, very wierd. If someone did this to me, I would change my name, move and really, really hide from them forever.

EYE TEST KISS Make an eye chart like the ones that you see in a doctor's office where the letters get progressively smaller. Have the chart read, "IF you can read this you are standing close enough to kiss me." Now find your love and give an eye exam.

MY COMMENTS: Gay.

THYMELY KISS Thyme, according to the Greeks, is the herb which makes one irresistible kissable. Prepare a meal for your love using the herb. Moments after the first bite, rush to your love's lips with a passionate kiss. Come up for air, announce the Greeks were right, then rush back with another passionate kiss.

MY COMMENTS: The greeks were gay.

SHOPPING LIST KISSES Turn your shopping list into a scorecard the next time the two of you go shopping. The one who finds the item gets credit toward one kiss. Kisses are collected either on delivery to the grocery cart, or later at home.

MY COMMENTS: Really gay.

BAD HABIT KISS Offer to stop a bad habit if your love will pay you kisses. For instance, a kiss for each cigarette not smoked, putting the toilet seat down, and/or every phone call kept under three minutes is rewarded with a kiss.

MY COMMENTS: Lame.

CLOUD SHAPE KISS Take your love to the backyard or out in a field: lie down on a blanket, and together inspect cloud formations. When both of you see the same thing, reward each other with a kiss.

MY COMMENTS: Kiss anyway.

CHECK KISS With your personal check, make a check out to your love for 1,000 kisses. Tell your love he or she can cash it in any time.

MY COMMENTS: Gay.

TOE KISS Prepare a foot bath for your love at the end of a long day. After the good soak, you towel dry his or her feet, give a massage and seal each toe with a kiss.

MY COMMENTS: Elements of SM/domination fantasies...I'm not really into this sort of thing, but hey, if you are, maybe this is cool.

CHOCOLATE HEART KISSES Buy several boxes of little chocolate hearts that have sayings on them. Pick out all the "KISS ME" hearts and put them in a heart shaped box with the note "REDEEMABLE ANYTIME, day or night!"

MY COMMENTS: Really gay.

RENDEZVOUS KISS With a note or phone call, tell your love to meet you at a certain place and time (e.g. park bench, street corner, ice cream stand) for a present. When your love arrives, have a bow stuck to your lips.

MY COMMENTS: Starts off ok, but then degrades quickly into a situation where I would want to go into hiding again.

BATH KISS Surprise your love with a kiss while he/she is showering or in the tub.

MY COMMENTS: and the what?

MACHINE GUN KISS In rapid succession, plant 12 quick ones on your lover's lips.

MY COMMENTS: Wierd. Very mechanical...invented by Germans?

KISS-A-THON Passionately kiss your love for at least five minute longer than usual.

MY COMMENTS: Normal.

PINK PANTHER KISS Humming the Pink Panther theme, prowl toward your partner. On the high note, pounce and pucker. Suggestion-wear only pink!

MY COMMENTS: If someone does this to you, change your identity, go into witness protection program and disappear. This person is not firing on all eight.

THIRST QUENCHER KISS For no reason, stare at your love's mouth while licking your lips as though dying of thirst. Inevitably, your love will ask what you're doing. ANSWER: I want them! I have to have them! I yearn to drink from them! Then ask for a kiss to quench your thirst!

MY COMMENTS: Very weird.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS KISS Inform your love one morning that he or she will soon receive a fabulous kiss. Later, call you love with a reminder. When next you see your love, pull out the stops and plant a long, hot, passionate kiss.

MY COMMENTS: Over engineered.

GOODBYE KISS Send off your love in the morning with a quick kiss. As your love turns to leave, pull him or her back for a second, more passionate kiss

MY COMMENTS: This is a good start...

BREAKFAST IN BED KISS Slip out of bed early and prepare a special "Kissing" breakfast to serve to your love in bed. Pick foods that you can easily pick up and feed to your love. Kiss between bites!

MY COMMENTS: I don't know.

AUDIO STIMULATION Make a cassette of kissing noises and place in your love's cassette player (walkman, car or home) with a note attached.

MY COMMENTS: Very strange. Think seriously about dating someone else.

REWARD KISS Next time your love performs some disliked home chore like cleaning the bathroom, mowing the lawn, or taking out the garbage, show your appreciation by tucking a candy kiss in a strategic location.

MY COMMENTS: Lame.

CAMPING KISS On a beautiful cool night, you and your love crawl into a sleeping bag outside. Cuddle and kiss.

MY COMMENTS: Why not just do it inside?

Chan Thai Long's Overall Opinion: I suspect that whoever wrote this article (I am assuming a female) might have been charged with stalking. The article that was the source of this advice is not helpful and reminds one of Fatal Attraction. This whole thing freaked me out.

(972 - 9) / (82 + 18) - 7(10)

2006-07-11T17:34:00.000-04:00

I bought the first season of 24 on dvd - mostly to use up a lingering gift certificate, not because I was ever a fan of the show. In fact, I never really watched the show. Background: the series is about a (US) federal agent and the various bad guys (note the sexism yet general acceptability in the male oriented term "bad guys") he encounters. What makes the show ground breaking is that each season of the series has 24 episodes taking place in an hour of real time. This is also what makes the show only viable with a PVR(TiVo) or as a set of dvd's. If you don't start at the beginning, or miss a single episode you're screwed.

That being said, it is a really cool series! I have been averaging 3-4 hours of this show for the last few days and have come down with TV coma. Kiefer Sutherland is pretty cool but has yet to laugh (I am about 10 hours into the season). Since he gets a triple word score for his first name, I will not be critical of his over dramatized intensity. The fromage-o-meter has gotten dangerously high at certain moments, and given the "real time" nature of the format, one would think the fromage factor would be minimized or eliminated completely. Thankfully, it hasn't really hit red (yet). So far, I highly recommend watching the first season.

Just in case, all you english (pigs) should know that fromage = cheese, as in the following dialog:

French Soldier: Un cadeau.
Other French soldiers: A what?
French Soldier: A present.
Other French soldiers: Oh. Un cadeau. Oui oui.
French Soldier: Allons y!
Other French soldiers: What?
French Soldier: Let's go!
Other French soldiers: Oh.

We Love Ka-Boom!

2006-07-11T17:30:00.000-04:00

Picture from my backyard:

Angry Japanese Chipmunks

2006-07-05T22:12:00.000-04:00

Chicken bump
Fast, very fast train
Sushi head

Shangri-La

2006-06-25T23:23:00.000-04:00

I am on a mission to stay at every Fairmont Hotel in the world. This one is in la belle provence, and if I am not mistaken, made out of logs!

Another thing I have been thinking about lately are studies that show if we are given a choice between multiple things and asked which one we prefer (e.g. art, music) we will give a different answer than if we are given the same choice, but also asked to explain our choice. This speaks to our authenticity, or lack thereof. Why do you think this is? Discuss amongst yourselves...

Outaouais

2006-06-25T22:54:00.000-04:00

I have been listening to these lectures on human nature of late. One of them was given by Malcolm Gladwell, the author of "Tipping Point". In it he discusses a couple of interesting aspects of human nature. The first is that what we like, or how much we like something depends on context. For example, when I am at a nightclub and they are blaring some trance or techno, it sounds cool. So I like that music in the context of a nightclub. At home, listening on my headphones, that is the last kind of music I would listen to - in that context I dislike that same thing.

Ah context...this is all very similar to the Fundamental Attribution Flaw: a basic flaw in human thinking that means we ascribe the behaviour of others to their personality rather than examining the context. Which generally causes grief in difficult conflicts. In this case the flaw is that if we think "Sally" is lazy, we think that she is always lazy. In reality, "Sally" is probably lazy in certain contexts, and not in others...yet humans latch onto an attribute and ascribe it absolutely to a person's personality regardless of context. Gladwell touched on this in Tipping Point, but now extends it to people's likes and dislikes - they depend on context.

Sometimes we forget we have the power to simply change our mind. Our minds often insist that our own likes, dislikes, and attributes be absolute and that is simply contradictory to our very nature. Sometimes we tell the truth, sometimes we lie...sometimes we are focused and sometimes scatter brained. Sometimes we like someone's company, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we like Disco, sometimes we don't care for it. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...

On the road to Quebec this week, I stopped over in Ottawa. Here is a picture of Parliament from the other side of the Rideau Canal.

Game (Part I)

2006-06-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

I don't know why I feel compelled to write this, but now that I am out of the game (pursuing enlightenment and my other monastic duties under the watchful eye of my master and sensei), I would like to contribute in my own humble way to those trying to understand the game, and perhaps play the game a little better. Consider it a public service of sorts. Now, for the naive out there, the game I am talking about here goes by many names: pick-up, mixing, dating, social dynamics, etc, etc...

First things first, I am not some amazing pickup artist. I have only slept with perhaps a few hundred women (hey, I am just kidding! seriously, women don't like me...). I have simply been amazed at how bad some guys are at meeting women. They want to meet women in such a bad way, yet fail in the most basic of things. So what follows are some insights and helpful suggestions. Take them or leave them, I don't care. I am not suggesting I am an expert, but I have seen my share of what works and doesn't work. And finally, I don't know if what follows may be offensive to some women. This material is really a contribution to mankind...but hey, if you are offended, or agree with what I say, or would like to add your two cents, please comment. But quite simply, this is not about women, just a man's ability to attract them.

First my theory: for most of humanity's existense on this planet, we have been cave dwellers. We are biologically, mentally and socially evolved to best our chances for survival and procreation. All of this advanced civilization stuff, specialization of skills and intellectual thought as its own end (that distinction is important btw) is all recent stuff that has not really impacted the very nature of our being yet. What does this mean? It means that the fittest (in as broad a sense of the word as is possible) are also the most attractive (in as broad a sense of the word as is possible). This is more or less true for both sexes, but since we are discussing men wanting to meet women, I will concentrate then on what makes a man fit and therefore attractive.

The single, most important characteristic that makes a man attract women is confidence. According to my theory, women look for signs of the fittest male when partnering for survival, and the surest sign that a guy is fit is confidence. Not arrogance. Not self importance. Confidence - honest, calm, authentic knowledge that you are your own man and firmly in charge of your own destiny. Confidence speaks to a deep relationship with one's self, but for the purposes of meeting women (and therefore, perhaps building one's confidence), it suffices in the beginning that we appear confident. Appearing confident is a set of outward behanviours and so this is something practical, something anyone can do! So here is lesson number 1: confident guys smile. Seriously, confident guys do a lot of things that make them appear confident, but probably the biggest thing is they smile when they walk into a room and/or meet new people. Why wouldn't they? They are confident about themselves and are having fun!

You wouldn't believe how many guys I see at a nightclub, or social function full of available women, and they have the most serious looks on their faces! Seriousness indicates need and a confident guy doesn't need. And besides, what kind of woman wants to meet a guy who looks like they are in mourning or the middle of intense labour negotiations? When you smile, you look like you got it all together, and trust me, women find that very attractive. So your mission is simple: smile. Where ever you are, smile. smile until your face hurts. If you are at a funeral, you don't have to smile (but even there, an easy going smile can be comforting - of course, because confident people comfort us, make us feel like even in times of sadness and crisis everything will work out ok). Walk into a room: smile. Meet someone new (man or woman): smile. Shovel snow: smile. You get the idea...

That concludes Part I. I have no idea when I will post on this topic again, but keep checking as I am sure I will add more thoughts as time goes on.

Red, Yellow & Blue

2006-06-18T23:38:00.000-04:00

As I type, I am in the middle of a commercial break on tv. I am watching Primary Colors. This is a pretty cool movie. A lot of people don't realize I had my own (very) short stint in politics many, many years ago. After a gruelling campaign, I went down in defeat. Democracy sucks sometimes.

Mirror, Mirror

2006-06-16T14:38:00.000-04:00

Ok, for all you closet Star Trek fans, this post is not about my imaginary negotiations with the Halkans for dilithium crystals (conspiracy theory: the japanese already have dilithium crystals and are using it to power commuter trains that travel faster than the speed of light allowing you arrive at your destination before you depart and kill your grandfather). It is of course about something so much more important - my vanity.

After working out at the gym today, I happened to glance into the mirror in the locker room. Due to some deformity in the glass, it made me appear even more built than I already am! Don't get me wrong, I am already a near perfect physical specimen, but I looked fantastic! I started thinking, what if the effect could be replicated - for example, I could surround myself with some sort of magical mirror substance - and everyone who saw me thought I was so incredibly buff. But I am more than a body - I'm a mind too damnit!

But then I thought...no! I reflected (I am trying not to be so superficial these days - I think the intellectual thing is kind of attractive)...maybe we already surround ourselves with some sort of magical mirror substance. Of course we cannot change the visual aspects of ourselves, but perhaps by the speech and stories we tell, the attitudes we display and the mental states we have, we can deform or modify how other view us. Very deep. I still want everyone to see me through that mirror though.

No Mactan is an Island, Entire of Itself

2006-06-13T19:07:00.000-04:00

I have been reading Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel. The book is about "how blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers". I assumed that blogging was interesting and kind of neat (hence my own blog which you are reading now!), but was pretty much a phenomenon driven by teenage diarists and other attention whores. In fairness, a lot of them are funny, and hey, I read them! This book, however, has changed my mind. Obviously while reading about the fashion and relationship problems of some chick in Singapore (with great interest mind you), I was too shallow to understand the transformational changes blogging represents in business, public relations and media. I am so superficial!

So here's the thing...the authors contend that the blog is transformational because it:
- allows a company to continuously gather open and honest (and sometimes brutal) feedback
- allows the free sharing of knowledge
- builds word of mouth networks
- encourages communities (of customers) to meet and share
- perhaps gets customers to "bite" on offerings
- has a focus on making an industry better

The contention is that this kind of "conversational marketing" has not been so easily possible before. It is an interesting idea, and in truth, there are very good business oriented blogs out there that have become sources of "news" and insight for me over traditional broadcast media. And besides, the book is easy to read. Most blogs are abandoned after only a few months (almost like mine!), but now that I have a renewed sense of purpose, I have returned. Clearly, it is my duty to offer my thoughts to the world as an alternative to CNN.

Alembong

2006-06-12T20:07:00.000-04:00

Japan is a superior society. I offer two pieces of evidence to support this claim:

1. Folding a shirt.
2. Peeling a potato.

Lychee Festival

2006-06-11T21:50:00.000-04:00

I ate 10 pounds of lychee today after my sunday Tosilog brunch. While I recover, enjoy a picture from my yard.

Mangos

2006-06-11T01:37:00.000-04:00

I'm back!

You Got Royal In My Commoner

2005-11-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

You got commoner in my royal! Japan may discover that women are necessary: I just like this article.

Perma Wood

2005-10-25T23:04:00.000-04:00

THEOREM I.

Medium sized mid western American cities are boring, aesthetically lacking and devoid of culture.

PROOF (REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM)

We know Indianapolis is a medium sized mid western American city. I was not looking forward to it (because of THEOREM I.), but I went there last week and stayed in the downtown area. It was NICE. It had nice restaurants and nightlife in its own kind of way...there were people sitting outside of Starbucks on the street at 11 pm! Therefore it follows that THEOREM I. is FALSE. Which proves the negation of THEOREM I.:

THEOREM II.

At least some medium sized mid western American cities are nice, aesthetically pleasing and have a compelling (if not unique) culture.

THEOREM II. LEMMA

Why do people order tomato juice on flights (and no where else)? I am on aforementioned flight to Indianapolis, and on a plane of maybe 30 people, at least 3 order the tomato juice. When exactly was the last time you ever saw someone order a tomato juice at a restaurant for example? I vaguely remember a time when you might have served a tomato cocktail at the dinner table before a holiday meal - and I am talking pre 1975 here people! I am not the only one confused about the in-flight tomato beverage phenomenon. The only place tomato juice belongs is in a glass of vodka (and even then, cultured people use clamato juice instead).

The Good Earth

2005-10-24T23:28:00.000-04:00

How many people tried to comment on my posts since I changed the blog template? Sadly, we will never know. Perhaps some of you thought I just liked to talk and not listen. Despite that being a highly accurate conclusion, I am happy to report that I have fixed the comment problem, and I now look forward to your feedback. It is autumn now, my favourite time of year in this part of the world. As a one time bonus, I am providing pictures I took last weekend. Enjoy!

Bling Bling

2005-10-18T10:11:00.000-04:00

All 3 of you who actually read this blog will notice some changes! My attention whoring efforts have led me to release Chase The Dragon v2.0 with two significant new features:

A new "mysterious" look and feel.
An affiliate program so that everyone has the opportunity to make me more popular.

This all coincides with the "new me" - Chan Thai Long v2.0. After all the annoying unsolicited emails, mail server filters, inbox rules, etc. I simply gave into the spam. I decided to go for the penis enlargement and the order of viagara. Hey, I am JOKING! (or am I ?????????).

But seriously, why work when you can spend hours on your blog template??? As my forefathers would say: an ounce of time is an ounce of gold but you can't buy that ounce of time with an ounce of gold...ah, never mind...

Am I An Attention Whore?

2005-10-12T15:07:00.000-04:00

I have already made indirect reference to the "famous" Xiaxue blog in Singapore. Xiaxue belongs to a particular class of blogs - basically young adults, usually female, commenting/bitching about their makeup, friends and social lives while being very careful to implicitly reference sex at least once every 10 lines. Hell, sometimes they simply just blog about sex (like this one who feels compelled to take pictures of herself naked with her cell phone besides just writing about it). Not that there is anything wrong with that...but I guess I was reflecting on how some 20 year old girl in Singapore can talk about her makeup, clothes and sex life, i.e. HERSELF, and generate a 100 comments per post - to the point of creating on-line enemies! And then, in a moment of revelation, I realized these are Attention Whores!

I started to investigate this phenomenon. First, I considered simple economics - clearly a steady supply of attention whores is indicative of a large demand...but that's like saying the internet is full of horny guys downloading porn, and we all know that can't be true. Next, I figured it must be a lack of attention on the part of their parents, but that is equally silly - how can you blame parents when they are busy at work all the time trying to pay the $600 monthly lease on the BMW! Sometimes there is only one parent anyway, so how can you blame someone who isn't even there?!? Then I figured, who gives a sh&t! - this woman is taking naughty pictures of herself and posting them in her blog - who am I to question that kind of public service!

That being said, I do want to touch on a couple of points here before I am completely misunderstood by all you world-wide-web-do-gooders:

1. Attention whores are not always female. There are more than a fair share of male attention whores. This is not a sexist thing.

2. I don't think the term "attention whore" is necessarily negative. Kind of like, in the right context, the term "slut" might not be a negative, as in WOMAN #1 comments to her friend WOMAN #2 about the really sexy dress she is wearing: "Oh Xiaxue, you slut!". I am honest enough to admit that I love talking about myself and I am envious of someone getting 100 comments on their blog postings. You see, I think I AM an attention whore! Kind of like, in the right context, I think I am a slut.

Lastly, sometimes the greatest wisdom comes from the least likely source, and we appreciate the attention whore:

http://xiaxue.blogspot.com/2005/10/if-i-were-guy.html

m=E/c2

2005-10-10T16:14:00.000-04:00

B L O G F I C T I O N

written & directed
by
Chan Thai Long

stories
by
Chan Thai Long
&
Thousand Frangrance Child

THREE STORIES...
ABOUT ONE STORY...

October 2005
last draft

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BLOG (blog) n. 1. an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog, Web log.

v. 2. to author an online diary or chronology of thoughts.

Dictionary.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PROLOGUE

5. EPILOGUE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. INT. COFFEE SHOP - MORNING 1.

A normal Denny's-like coffee shop in Toronto. It's about 9:00 in the morning. While the place isn't jammed, there's a healthy number of people drinking coffee, munching on bacon and eating eggs.

Two of these people are a YOUNG MAN and a YOUNG WOMAN. The Young Man has a slight working-class Cantonese accent and, like his fellow countryman, eats rice like it's going out of style.

It is impossible to tell where the Young Woman is from or how old she is; everything she does contradicts something she did. The boy and girl sit in a booth. Their dialogue is to be said in a rapid-pace "KIDS FROM SHAOLIN" fashion.

YOUNG MAN
No, forget it, it's too risky. I'm not watching cable TV this year.

YOUNG WOMAN
You always say that. Same thing every year. But this year they have Craft Corner Deathmatch on HGTV.

YOUNG MAN
yeah, well, the days of me watchin' are over, and the days of me not watchin' have just begun.

YOUNG WOMAN
After tonight.

The boy and girl laugh, their laughter putting a pause in there, back and forth.

YOUNG MAN
(with a smile)
Correct. I got all tonight to podcast.

A WAITRESS comes by with a pot of coffee.

WAITRESS
Can I get anybody anymore coffee?

YOUNG WOMAN
Oh yes, thank you.

The Waitress pours the Young Woman's coffee. The Young Man eats more rice.

YOUNG MAN
Ho Ho (I'm doin' fine).

The Waitress leaves. The Young Man takes a sip of his tea. The Young Woman pours a ton of cream and sugar into her coffee.

The Young Man goes right back into it.

YOUNG MAN
I mean the way it is now, you're taking the same f&^%'n risk as when you write a blog in Singapore. You are takin' more of a risk, in Singapore blogs are easier! These blogs aren't supposed to be very meaningful anyway. Even if they have critics, why should they care? You don't even need good ideas for a blog in Singapore. I heard about this girl, started blogging in Singapore with a digital camera, handed the camera to her friend, and said: "I got no shame, and if you don't take some pitures, I'm gonna take some of myself."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. INT. COFFEE SHOP - MORNING 5.

Thousand Frangrance Child, who was never risen from her seat the whole time, takes a sip of coffee.

THOUSAND FRAGRANCE CHILD
(to herself)
It's cold.

She pushes it aside.

Thai Long appears next to Thousand Frangrance Child.

THAI LONG
I think we oughta leave now.

THOUSAND FRAGRANCE CHILD
That's probably a good idea.

Thai Long throws some money on the table and Thousand Frangrance Child grabs the book of sutras.

Then, to the amazement of the Patrons, the Waitresses, the Cooks, the Bus Boys, and the Manager, these two bad-ass monks -- wearing orange robes, more orange robes and packing begging bowls -- walk out of the coffee shop together without saying a word.

THE END

You Got Chocolate In My Peanut Butter

2005-10-03T17:07:00.000-04:00

I think some of my more possessive readers were offended by the comments I received in my previous post. Just so we are all clear, my religion strictly forbids dating of any kind. Anyway, these vile "comments" are not the thoughts of an actual individual, but the act of evil, malicious spambots on the prowl of unsuspecting, naive bloggers like me (I am so innocent!).

Here is another blog post that got spammed. I simply found this one at random (i.e. clicked next blog). BTW, I actually read the post and this "husband" is setting the bar way too high. Please return the iPOD before anymore damage is done.

Note: as of today, it would appear that the aforementioned blogger has deleted the spambot comments and addressed the spambot issue as I will outline below!

My blogmentor has suggested we all turn on the image-thing-a-ma-jiggy verification for comments. In your Blogger Dashboard, go to Settings | Comments and select "Yes" for Show Word Verification for Comments. He has also envisioned spambots evolving into communitybots - false people interacting with you on a website providing the facade of popularity and belonging. Very Deep. Of course he also suggested pornobots.

It's Hard Being A Male Super Model

2005-09-28T14:13:00.000-04:00

A lot of people ask me how I can maintain such a manly and well proportioned physique. Excercise and diet of course...but then the obvious questions arise: Which workout routine? Which diet? In today's installment, I will discuss diet (my workout routine is proprietary and patented...as soon as I can get it down to 10 minutes a week performed while sleeping I will come out with the long awaited infomercial).

Much has been written about the South Beach diet. Proponents go out of their way to point out it is NOT a low carbohydrate diet, else they be chastized by the politically correct anti-Atkins medical community which we suspect is secretly funded by the wonder bread people. In the South Beach Diet you only restrict your carbs in "phase 1" and afterwards (phase 2?) you consume only the "right" kinds of carbs (such as whole grains, only CERTAIN fruits, and tree bark). Hmmm...sounds a lot like a low carb diet...but I digress...

I like to call my diet the Manila Bay (tm) diet in acknowledgement of the location where it was devised. Its beauty lies in its simplicity - from noon on, one eats as much of the following as they like:

Lechon Kawali - A Filipino dish consisting of large pieces of pork belly. Pork belly is what bacon is made from, and a single serving of lechon kawali is like eating an entire package of bacon at once. For health reasons, this dish is often deep fried.
San Miguel Light -San Mig Light is the Philippines’ first and leading low-calorie beer. In North America, "Light" usually means less alcohol...In the Philippines it means less calories. The San Miguel people were able to keep all that healthy alcohol where it belongs - in your liver.

In the morning, one eats Tosilog which stands for Tocino, Singangag at Itlog (Tocino, fried rice and eggs). Filipinos are usually not fond of abbreviations and contractions, but they made an exception in this case. Tocino is cured pork, and for the health conscious, several (i.e. most) brands have at least 50% pork fat. But don't worry, it's that "low carb" pork fat. San Mig is optional, but encouraged in one's morning meals.

A serving of Halo-Halo following any meal guarantees a coma. And as we all know, sleeping is the best exercise our bodies can get, especially on a full stomach.

Although seemingly counter intuitive, the worthiness of the diet lies in the results. I pretty much lived on this diet exclusively for the past month when I was in Manila. During my stay I lost over 10 lbs! Of course the biggest problem, as anyone who has been on a diet is well aware, will be maintenance. With all that "organic", and vegetarian stuff at the grocery stores here in Canada, it is going to be hard to keep the weight off.

Hana's Mom Has Got It Goin' On

2005-08-08T23:33:00.000-04:00

As it were, Thousand Frangrance Child and I were at Daikanbo at night, laying down under the stars and admiring the heavens. My master turned to me and asked rhetorically, "Thai Long, for what would the stars move?"

Love en Francais

2005-07-24T23:11:00.000-04:00

How about a set of movie reviews? Here are some things I watched recently:

Heavy
A movie about a mother's boy who is overweight and desires a beautiful woman who has another boyfriend (i.e. younger and better looking). A nice predictable hollywood treatment would have been so much better than the, I suppose, artful approach. Reminded me of The Piano in its pointlessness. *

Spiderman 2
A little long, but really very good. Rent it, watch it, enjoy it...there are no "messages" to understand or reflect upon. Solid, mindless entertainment. ***

Becket
Ok, I did not watch this recently. It is a classic and was in the theatres in the 19th century...ok not quite, 1960 something anyway. Peter O'Toole and Richard Berton. Simply the bext movie ever (and even somewhat historically accurate). *****

Siamese Lizard

2005-07-24T22:52:00.000-04:00

While I suppose confusion about sexual preferences may effectively double one's chances of getting a date, I am fortunately (or unfortunately as the case may be for some I would rather NOT know about) unequivocably straight. My initial homophobe reaction was to simply delete the comments wrt the Trailer Park Boys from the last post, but hey it's the 21st century so whatever...

You see I love Americans, and they ARE TRULY our (i.e. Canadians') brothers and sisters. Canadians, of course, love to pretend they are so different, but they aren't really. It is funny that we seem to need to articulate our differences, when our similarities is what profits us the most. That being said, American TV is getting worse and Canadian TV is getting better. The comments from the last post are simply indicative of an ignorance of good TV. So for all my fellow american's south of the 49th parallel (technically ANYONE in the western hemisphere is an american - note that is is the United States OF America), it is my understanding that you can throw away the chains of your restrictive, censored TV programming and tune into the Trailer Park Boys on BBC America.

Supply and Command

2005-07-13T15:52:00.000-04:00

When I awoke, Thousand Fragrance Child was standing over me. It was kind of freaky! Anyway, as soon as I opened my eyes my master shared another deep thought: "Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny."

Well, moving on...I have decided to give a list of my top 10 addictions:

1. Trailer Park Boys - This show is almost as good as sweet and power chicken.
2. NeoCitron - Turns out this cold medicine is only available in Canada. Can be taken recreationally.
3. Gloria - My favourite Head of State. I guess it is kind of wrong to fix elections...too bad. I will miss you GMA!
4. Canadian Beer - The similarity between American beer and making love in a canoe? They are both f&^%ing close to water!
5. Toronto - A nice alternative to cities whose only culture is bacteria.
6. Kraft Dinner - I still love the stuff!
7. Not suitable to mention in this forum.
8. Also not suitable to mention in this forum.
9. Definitely not suitable to mention in this forum.
10. Coffee

I Know it's Kind of Wrong...

2005-07-11T22:12:00.000-04:00

But I want Stacey's Mom!

Hey! Long time no blog! Well, tradition dictates I start with a short koan from my master...as it were I was in the monastery's requisite Japanese garden where Thousand Fragrance Child was busy planting some rocks. Seeing me perplexed, my master said, "If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are."

Another mind f&^%. Thanks. Unfazed, I replied, "But master, I feel my blog has been inadequate! I have been posting the bare minimum."

Thousand Fragrance Child quietly answered, "If the minimum wasn't acceptable it wouldn't be called the minimum."

Ah! Enlightenment is nearly within my grasp!

So last week I was sick with a cold. Totally run down. At night I was taking NeoCitron to help me sleep. This stuff is AMAZING! Totally knocks you out regardless of your level of pain and discomfort. I mean a deep, deep sleep. You wake up feeling so drugged out - it is really quite relaxing. Of course it has enough acetominophen to take out half your liver, but that's why we have the other half people! By the end of the week with my cold safely cured, I was taking the stuff recreationally. If you have not tried it, you must check it out!

Lastly, tonight's meal was Kai Yang. This is a lesser known Thai dish which literally translates into "Garlic Chicken", but it is SO much more! Crush 6 cloves of garlic into 2 teaspoons of salt. Coarsely crush 2 tablespoons of black peppercorns and add to the garlic. I know it sound like a lot BUT DO IT! DO NOT BE AFRAID! Take 4 whole coriander plants, leaves, stems, roots - everything damnit - and finely chop it up and add to the garlic. Mix it all up and rub well into 2 pounds of chicken pieces (that's 1 kg for all you europeans). Cover and put in refrigerator overnight. Grill it and sprinkle with lemon juice. Eat with rice and chopped tomatoes. It has the most intriguing taste! Bon apetite mes amis.

(C'est incroyable! Ou est le sac pour mes legumes? Avec les animaux sauvages??? Attention!)

Straw Raincoat Contraception Appliance

2005-05-23T23:32:00.000-04:00

Today I found my master meditating under a tree and I asked, "If I haven't anything in my mind, what shall I do?".

Thousand Fragrance Child answered, "Throw it out."

"But if I haven't anything, how can I throw it out?" I continued.

"Well," said Thousand Fragrance Child "then carry it out."

Whoa! What has my master been smoking?!? However, perhaps if I pondered this "exchange" (for lack of a better term, let's call it a koan), it may help me on my quest for enlightenment! Yeah right...I T-H-to-tha-izzink my pimp is ridin' me...

Today is a national holiday, usually referred to as the "May 24th Weekend" (if you are cool, or immersed in beer cuture you refer to it as the "May Two-Four Weekend" - Yeah! F*&^%'n Eh!). Ironically, this holiday usually does not fall on May 24th! Why is this?

After obtaining an NSERC grant, I did a little research (inadequate funding = no charts, sorry!)...As any good Canadian may not know, today's holiday is also called "Victoria Day". May 24th, Queen Victoria's birthday, was declared a holiday by the Legislature of the Province of Canada in 1845. After Confederation, the Queen's birthday was celebrated every year on May 24 unless that date was a Sunday, in which case a proclamation was issued providing for the celebration on May 25. After the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, an Act was passed by the Parliament of Canada establishing a legal holiday on May 24 in each year (or May 25 if May 24 fell on a Sunday) under the name Victoria Day. An amendment to the Statutes of Canada in 1952 established the celebration of Victoria Day on the Monday preceding May 25, and hence the reason the holiday often does not fall on May 24th anymore!

Makes you wonder, why haven't we had any good proclamations recently? No one really does the proclamation thing anymore. I think it would be hard to pull off.

This made me think of some other uniquely Canadian holidays - like "Canadian" Thanksgiving Day which occurs in October and is not to be confused with the better marketed and more slick American Thanksgiving Day at the end of November. The first Thanksgiving Day in Canada after Confederation was observed on April 15, 1872, to celebrate the recovery of The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness (he had a bad headache). No record is found of a Thanksgiving Day between 1872 and 1879 as during this time there was nothing in Canada for which to be thankful. Starting in 1879 Thanksgiving Day bounces around a lot between October and November and at one point, Thanksgiving Day is equivalent to Armistice Day (i.e. Remembrance Day) and celebrated on November 11th. Finally, the old practice was resumed of fixing Thanksgiving Day by proclamation (I know what you're thinking!), and it has been since 1931 on the second Monday of October. In 1957, a proclamation was issued fixing permanently Thanksgiving Day on that day, thus eliminating the necessity of an annual proclamation.

This proclamation thing is cool! I am starting to think that there never really was any fixed public holidays prior to the 1950's and that the Governor General merely made a "proclamation" for one whenever he/she was too tired to get out of bed. Here is a cool idea for a proclamation: "The Holy Month of June"...

How's that for a digression! Anyway, today I baked ensaymada. It is basically a brioche with a dusting of sugar and grated edam cheese on top. Very yummy! (and you thought I couldn't cook!)

Indian Vapours

2005-05-16T23:02:00.000-04:00

Thousand Fragrance Child held out a short staff and said, "If you call this a short staff, you oppose its reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore the fact. Now what do you wish to call this?"

I hate it when my master gets all "zen" on me...oh well. Today I invented a new form of meditation where you do something for about 8 hours while thinking about everything and anything but what you are doing. I call it "work". So I have a motivation problem. Consistent with my scatter brain, I provide the following scattered thoughts:

Canadian Movies: Used to be that Canadian production was synonymous with crap. Not so anymore! I watched three movies recently which had I known beforehand they were Canadian, I would have passed on principle. All three of these movies were excellent. I mean REALLY excellent! I will not tell you anything about them. Just watch them! They are: "The Last Casino", "Foolproof", and "Steal". Ok, I am not completely sure if "Steal" is totally Canadian, but it was filmed in Montreal (yeah, the french signs in what is supposed to be an American city in the movie is always a nice touch!).

Japanese Music: In investigating the world of j-pop I have come across a few real gems. First, check out a band called "Spitz". Everything they do is great and I want all their CDs. "Jump" by "Every Little Thing" is also very cool. And how can you ignore a band called "Bump of Chicken"?

Englebert: Special lyrics for a special person...

Tell me when will you be mine
Tell me condo, condo, condo
We can share a love divine
Please don´t make me wait again

When will you say ´yes´ to me?
Tell me the capital of Congo, Congo, Congo
You mean happiness to me
Oh, my love, please tell me when

Ev´ry moment´s a day
Ev´ry day seems a lifetime
Let me show you the way
To a joy beyond compare

I can´t wait a moment more
Tell me condo, condo, condo
Say it´s me that you adore
And then, darlin´, tell me when

The D-to-tha-izzark Side

2005-05-13T21:55:00.000-04:00

I found Darth Vader's blog here. Someone has way too much time on their hands. Yet, at the time of me writing this, the last post on his blog has 92 comments! No wonder our planet suffers so much - most of the inhabitants are away in the Land of Make Believe! Just to put this all in perspective, one respondent to the "Tao of Sith" post writes in the form of a poem about her romantic tryst with the Sith Lord. To be fair, this is solid writing talent, even if not my thing. Maybe if I get a map from the CAA of the Galactic Empire I can navigate my way around this strange world. Or, I could just have a beer and watch television instead. Mind you, if we are Managing by Objective here, Lord Vader averages over 80 comments per post while I average about 2. Let me tell you about my nightclub in Middle Earth...

Cruise Control

2005-05-12T14:22:00.000-04:00

I spent the last couple days in Detroit on business, so you can think of this post as a trip report! One epiphany I had on the drive down was that a blog is really just an on-line diary. I have been trying so hard to be clever that I rarely post! But if it is just a diary of sorts, I can relieve myself of the responsibility of literary quality.

We decided to stay in Windsor overnight because, honestly, Detroit is a pretty depressing place. In case you don't know, Windsor is the Canadian suburb of Detroit. My colleagues from Boston flew into Detroit. One of them came with me in my car to the hotel in Windsor so we crossed the Canadian border together. Between switching lanes and him talking on the cell phone when we pulled up, we must have pissed off the customs officer.

Side note: I cross the border both ways at least twice a month and I must say, for all the tough talk of the Americans on border security, it is the Canadian customs agents who seem to have the biggest cop-wanna-be attitude problems. In general I find the American customs officers firm, but usually polite and respectful.

So robocop points out that my colleague has insufficient documentation. That is fine, and in fact is his job. What is offensive, however, is the condescending delivery and snide remarks. Yes, we know you have lots of power Mr. Customs Man, but a real man doesn't have to flaunt it. Besides, between the two of us, one is a taxpayer and the other a paying guest. Hardly an excuse to be rude. Anyway, we get pulled aside.

The full car search follows. Of course we aren't hiding anything so this is just a waste of time so that the officer, knowing it is a waste of time, can put us in our place, i.e. somewhere under him. Next, into the immigration inspection building where my colleague is to be interrogated for having insufficient documenation. However, while they are setting up for the inquisition, he simply tells them that he forgot to bring all his ID, that he understands they have to point this out and perhaps deny him entry, and if they will in fact not let him enter, to simply just tell him sooner rather than later so that he can go back to Detroit and make other arrangements for accomodation. No wind in the sails anymore. So in the end they let us in anyway. So what could have been a firm, yet polite yes or no at the gate taking all of 2 minutes turned into a condescending, patronizing and unnecessary 30 minutes - for the same outcome! I guess we can also expect a few less tourism dollars this year from my colleague...

Anyway, annoyances at the front door aside, Windsor was nice! My room faced the Detroit River with a view of the entire skyline. Very nice! We went for a nice dinner and then checked out the Casino. We will start a gambling addiction support group at work next week. I think the bartender was flirting with me. She said I looked 28. Went back to the hotel and had a great sleep (finally) and then back to Detroit for work the next day. As predicted, absolutely no hassles at the American border. God bless America.

007

2005-05-08T23:02:00.000-04:00

Nothing is what it seems. Sometimes you feel a little guilty about your behaviour, especially in relation to others (here is a good example). We are alarmed at a seeming lack of thoughfulness, kindness or altruism on our part to others. I have spent the last two weeks in serious study and contemplation on this issue. Full of genuine regret, we sometimes think we have a monopoly on thoughtlessness and selfishness. This is simply not true. The feelings of guilt for acting solely in our self interest is misplaced. Let me tell you why:

How we relate with others is a complex thing. However, it is not from the benelovence of the partner, the lover, or the friend that we expect to feel liked, but from their regard to their own interest. Even those attracted to another will not like them forever if they were not liked in return, i.e. if they are not compensated emotionally. I am not saying that people are motivated in relationships only by self interest. I am only saying that self interest motivates more powerfully and consistently than kindness, altruism and thoughfulness. Simply put, relationships cannot rest their futures on the noblest motives, but must use the strongest motives in the best possible way.

If all seek to promote their own interests in relating to others, the whole of relationships will prosper. In relating to others, one neither intends to promote the other's interest, nor know how much one is promoting it. One intends only their own gain, and one is in this, and many other relationships, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of one's intention.

We often feel guilty because (1) we assume others in a relationship are acting in our best interests, and (2) acting in our own self interest will not promote the well being of our relationships. Both of these assumptions are false. Until you understand the perhaps counter intuitive fundamentals that define the Economics of Relationships, nothing is as it seems.

You Say Tai Ryu, I Say Thai Long

2005-04-24T00:48:00.000-04:00

I have always wanted to go to Japan. It is the land of the freaky english speakers (see sign from Japanese hotel below):

I don't exactly know why I have always wanted to go there...maybe because my best friend growing up was Japanese, maybe because I studied Aikido, maybe because of bonsai trees. I really don't know why, but I have always felt the pull.

Anyway, I am still not feeling well, so to pass the time while I try to recover I have been reading books from the library. I got one by Ejovi Nuwere called Hacker Cracker. It is an autobiography of sorts, about how he grew up poor in a bad neighbourhood and got into computers which ended up turning his life around. Except this guy is still young (I figure he is in his 20's), and in general, I usually feel that someone that old has not earned a biography yet. In spite of my strict standards, this was a very good book. I really enjoyed reading it. By the end of the book, he talks about how he always wanted to go to Japan which really resonated with me because as I have said, I always wanted to go, and coincidently, have looked into it very seriously lately (e.g. I am poised to buy some airfare).

So, I will keep you all informed of my journey to the Land of the Rising Sun. Stay tuned!

Asian Eye For The Screwed Guy

2005-04-23T00:20:00.000-04:00

Some of you may know what I am talking about...

ADDENDUM: I changed the title of my blog. It is just, well, more fitting (yeah, I know what it means! but cleverly, that is not what I mean!). I am conscious of the fact that all actions have consequences and I was worried that this would cause concern to all two of you who link to my site. Then I got over it. You see, I have evolved since I started this blog. I changed my mind. Sometimes we forget that we can just change our minds whenever we feel like it.

Le Suisse

2005-04-17T23:50:00.000-04:00

I have been feeling a little under the weather lately, and unfortunately I am still not in top condition. Practically speaking, what this means is that I have had little appetite for formulating new universal laws, making keen insights into the nature of our world and drawing supporting charts. In fact, I have been chartless for weeks! Here are some of the things I have been thinking about in the interim:

1. I am reading a book about another book (this other book being "De Revolutionibus" written by Nicolas Copernicus the 16th century Polish priest and astronomer who advocated a heliocentric model of the solar system). It is written by a professor specializing in the history of science, a subject I have never really appreciated. I mean, what kind of new research does one do on the history of science? Hasn't it already been documented? I got the book because I knew I would hate it. I like to do that, because often one finds what they initially thought is simply not the case. So I test myself on my preconceptions, and they end up being wrong about half the time (I know, I know....the statistics here are screaming for a chart!). Of course we like remembering only the times when we are right and therefore we reinforce the idea that are preconceptions are accurate. I like the book.

2. So the whole historical aspect of (1) got me thinking about my history. I started to investigate my family tree. Despite the rumours, I have found no japanese branches to my family tree and a whole set of family anecdotes are out he window. However, I did find one branch that took me all the way back to 1550 with full names, dates of bith, dates of marriage, etc.! I then backtracked a generation and found another branch that goes back to about the year 800 AD. I am serious! The names and dates become less certain but there is documentation and records to prove that this branch is very probable back to around this date. My final line of inquiry along one branch took me way, way back, but the records become questionable if not non existant. The best I could do at the end of that branch was a first name, some guy named "Adam"...

3. The idea that some things belong in the public trust (like school boards, healthcare and utilities). I have to say, my capitalist tendencies make me skeptical but I watched a program where MIT's Noam Chomsky made a compelling case. This is just a rehash of (1) where I knew I would not agree with comrade Chomsky's ideas, but in the end agreed that economists conveniently leave out the role of the public trust in their models. I would like to suggest, however, that the potential benefits to the public will only truly be attained when both the management and labour components of such institutions are in the public trust. Why should the labour side of an organization in the public trust only be accountable to its own members? Doesn't this just give certain labour organizations a monopoly? We tolerate the monopoly on the management side because at least it is accountable to, well, the public!

Item (3) in particular demonstrates how ill I have been feeling. The fact that I came up with this insight is troubling. This is real party killer material people. Like playing Air Supply's Greatest Hits at your pool party. Life goes on, and the healing takes time. You are in my thoughts and prayers. It is that it is.

Yume

2005-04-10T21:15:00.000-04:00

Even though I fear my blog may start sounding like it is written by a restaurant critic, I feel compelled to write about another food experience. This time, our stomachs depart the cherry blossoms of the Empire of the Sun and head right across the Pacific to the wrong side of San Diego - Tijuana! You got it, today I ate Mexican. Not any ordinary Tex-Mex mind you. I'm talking the coveted chimichanga. For the uninitiated, this dish of, well, questionable nutritional value, starts as a burrito. Ah, but then something very, very special happens. They deep fry it!

It is an interesting corollary of haute cuisine that the simple act of deep frying doubles any dish's tastiness. You could say it is a Law of the Kitchen (I feel a chart coming on, but I will resist). Let's go over some examples we should all be able to relate with: chicken, potatoes, halibut, olives...they are all better deep fried! Ok, maybe not olives. Then again, have you tried deep frying olives??? Who's kidding who, I bet they are fantastic!!!

Anyway, all that goodness on one plate has made me rather lethargic this evening. The fact that my beverage of choice may have gone through a fermentation process at one point also does not help.

Did I mention I just got back from the Big Apple? Of course I haven't (one simply has to read the preceding paragraphs). Anyway, it was simply awesome! First time I have been in Manhattan in ages. Time Square has changed a lot and it was nice to be back. It was a great trip and it was really nice connecting with a few people I have not spoken to at length for a while. It's really all about communication.

Shinkansen

2005-03-27T13:46:00.000-05:00

I stayed home on friday. It was a good friday - actually it was the Good Friday. There are two things about Good Friday that kept me at home. First, despite the fact I am not religious at all, I was brought up under the Holy Inquisition and therefore remain haunted by the need to remain miserable on Good Friday. Second, Canada has never managed to completely implement the separation of Church and State, so everything is closed for a statutory holiday which only serves to negatively reinforce my superstition regarding Good Friday. I once heard that a superstition only has power when it is not a superstition! I.e. It only has power over us when we believe it to be true (and therefore as a truth for us, it is no longer a superstition). And then it makes us do things like feel miserable on a perfectly good friday. (Important philosophical note: perhaps all we hold to be true are in fact merely superstitions that have power over us. Discuss amongst yourselves...)

So I watched Jersey Girl on the movie channel. You know, Ben Affleck, J-Lo and other actors I recognize but do not care to remember their names. This thing gets a full score on the Bad-Sap-O-Meter. This movie had nothing going for it - it was over acted (Affleck put Shatner to shame at times), the story has been so overdone (absent father realizes he loves his kid more than anything, conveniently at the last scene), and the plot utterly predictable (you could see it coming on the GO train from downtown). Seriously, the ending was as predictable as the cameo by Matt Damon. But here's the thing - I liked it anyway. There is a reason these unrealistic feel good kind of redone stories keep selling - because they resonate with something inside of us. Even though you know they will live happily ever after, you want them to live happily ever after, and you want to see it!...There is also something deep here too I think. Discuss amongst yourselves...

Lastly, this post would not be complete without mentioning that it was also Japan Week on Daily Planet (see! I really stayed home on friday...how else would I know anything about the Discovery Channel's programming). As you may or may not know, Japan has the glorious bullet train (shhhh! don't tell them about our own transportation marvel - the GO train!). Anyway, for various reasons the thing goes something like 280 km/h and the trip from Tokyo to Osaka is only 2 hours. Furthermore, they have had this thing since 1964! Makes you wonder if they already had the internet at the 1890 Tokyo World's Fair. They have a new version of the bullet train coming out that will travel at almost 300 km/h. When asked why the need for this next generation train, one of the bullet train executives said it was obvious because it would shave 5 minutes off the Tokyo-Osaka trip! Seriously, don't tell them about the GO train! Anyway, I just think that says a lot when you need an extra 5 minutes that badly! I hope to go and investigate personally. I will let you know...

Sarate Karate

2005-03-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time there lived an accountant, who went every day to his cubicle inside the big corporation and posted debits and credits in the general ledger. He understood very well the kinds of journal entries required for the various accounts, and as he was a careful worker and had plenty of departments to support. For a long time he was quite happy and contented, and asked for nothing better than what he had.

Now in the employee lunch room dwelt a spirit which now and then appeared to the employees and middle management, and helped them in many ways to become rich and prosperous. The accountant, however, had never seen this spirit, and only shook his head, and absolved never to believe it when anyone spoke of it. But a time was coming when he learned to change his opinion!

One day the accountant carried the financial statements to the office of the Chief Financial Officer, and saw there all sorts of beautiful things, of which he had never even dreamed. Suddenly his daily work seemed to grow harder and heavier, and he conspired to himself: "Oh, if only I were a CFO, and could put my feet up on a solid walnut desk while I asked my secretary to order my lunch, how happy I should be!"

And a voice answered him: "Your wish is heard; a CFO you shall be!"

At the sound of the voice the accountant looked around, but could see nobody. He thought it was all his fancy, and picked up his calculator and went back to his office, for he was full of apathy and did not feel inclined to do any more work that day. But when he reached the little cublicle where he worked, he stood still with amazement, for instead of his cubicle was a stately office filled with splendid furniture, and most splendid of all was the desk, in every respect like the one he had envied. He was nearly beside himself with joy, and in his new position the old one was soon forgotten.

It was now the beginning of the budget season, and each day the company President outlined his strategy for the coming year with little constraint. One morning the demands were so great that the accountant could scarcely bounce back, and he determined he would stay in his office till the evening. He was rather dull, for he had never learned how to amuse himself, and was peeping through the closed blinds to see what was going on in the street, when a Rolls Royce passed by. In the car sat the Chief Executive Officer, happily abiding by antitrust legislation that protected him from his larger competitors' aggressive sales and marketing campaigns.

"Oh, if I were only a CEO!" said the accountant to himself, as the car vanished around the corner. "Oh, if I were only a CEO, and could go in such a limosine and have antitrust laws to protect me, how happy I should be!" And a CEO he was. Everything his heart could desire was his. But yet it was not enough. He looked around still for something to wish for, and when he saw that in spite of the innovative products his company developed, his larger competitors used predatory pricing to steal customers away, and that in spite of antitrust laws each day his client base shrank and shrank. He deplored in his anger: "These competitors are mightier than I; oh, if I only had a monopoly!"

And the lunchroom spirit answered: "Your wish is heard; a monopoly you shall have."

And a monopoly he had, and felt himself proud in his power. He quickly devastated all his competitors on earth; he put many companies out of business, established firms as well as startups. But in a short time he began to grow tired of his might, for there seemed nothing left for him to do. Discontent once more transcended his soul, and when a government regulatory body launched an investigation of his firm, and brought his monopolistic practices into question, he cried in his anger: "Does the government hold captive my business strategies, and is it mightier than I? Oh, that I were the Prime Minister, and mightier than any!"

And the lunchroom spirit answered: "Your wish is heard; the Prime Minsiter you shall be!"

And the Prime Minister he was, and lay between the monopolists and the consumer. He regulated the monopolist's businesses and set pricing, and to his joy the economy grew again and new markets blossomed. But that was not enough for him, and for days and weeks he poured forth needless legislation till the beauracracy overflowed their government offices, and the consumers stood deep in taxes. Many companies were destroyed by the excesses of government intervention, only the clever entrepreneurs remained unmoved. The Prime Minister was amazed at the sight, and cried in wonder: "Is the clever entrepreneur, then, mightier than I? Oh, if I were only a clever entrepreneur!"

And the lunchroom spirit answered; "Your wish is heard; a clever entrepreneur you shall be!"

And a clever entrepreneur he was, and gloried in his power. Proudly he stood, and neither the money of the monoplists nor the laws of the government could move him. "This is better than all!" he said to himself. But one day he heard a strange noise in his trendy offices, and when he looked into the finance department to see what it could be, he saw an accountant performing an audit on his books. Even while he looked, a trembling feeling ran all through him, and his off-balance sheet arrangements were deemed inadmissable under GAAP and caused him to restate earnings. Then he cried in his wrath: "Is a mere accountant mightier than an entrepreneur? Oh, if I were only an accountant!"

And the lunchroom spirit answered: "Your wish is heard. An accountant once more you shall be!"

And an accountant he was, and in the sweat of his brow he toiled again at his trade of debits and credits. His desk was pre-fab and his lunch packed, but he had learned to be satisfied with it, and did not long to be something or somebody else. And as he never asked for things he did not have, or desired to be greater and mightier than other people, he was happy at last, and never again heard the voice of the lunchroom spirit.

Oh My! A Sunset! Oh!

2005-03-19T20:04:00.000-05:00

Domo arigato, Mr. Mugato, Mata ah-oo hima de
Domo arigato, Mr. Mugato, Himitsu wo shiri tai

Oh yeah! I was back in the game last night. You know what I am talking about...It was inevitable that I would be back for the attack at the sushi bar after the unfortunate incident at Chek Lap Kok. First, I had to decide where to go: the downscale, yet accessible "Little Tokyo" or the more extravagant "Sagano" with its breathtaking rooftop vistas of Scarberia. Ok, nevermind the view. Oblivious to any fiscal responsibility, I went right up the elevator to yellow tail heaven. I should mention that a nice young lady gave me a free parking pass when I got there...such good fortune and I hadn't even started to eat!

It was busy, but a lot of people suits the place. Unfortunately, my order was taken rather abruptly, which caused me dismay because I like the whole ritual of eating at a nice restaurant: sitting down for a few minutes, the drinks order, mulling over the menu, and finally ordering the food. But it is what it is, so I let it slide in anticipation of the delights that awaited. After the requisite sushi, I was hardly coherent anymore as I drove down tempura highway - in the sunshine, where the days are longer and the nights are stronger than moonshine...

Regarding that ritual I alluded to earlier...one aspect of it which I do not enjoy so much, yet is prevalent in North America, is the excessive delay between asking for the cheque, and completing the payment. In my mind, I figure if you have asked for the cheque, you are ready to leave! Why must we wait? Are they clearing my credit card by telegraph back there?!? In many other countries (e.g. China, Philippines), they present the cheque and stand there in order to complete the payment immediately. That's the kind of efficiency I enjoy! Then again, maybe they are just afraid you will leave without paying. Alas, sometimes we live in a world of fear...What's cooler than cool? Ice cold.

Hey, I almost forgot to mention the wonderful conversation I had! Great night.

I want to know your secrets! (btw, I know the real words of the song! I'm just trying to be clever like the rest of these blog people!)

You, Me, Or Mushy

2005-03-17T23:01:00.000-05:00

Big puffy snowflakes today. I like those kind. Although I don't think we need any more snow accumulating! Spring already! But I digress...

Just an intriguing week all around so far. I guess we become inattentive sometimes to the subtly decadent nuances of our lives. But they linger...sometimes they manifest themselves at 2 in the morning. And you realize you need sleep. But you go to bed very happy.

Lotus Fragrance

2005-03-16T17:16:00.000-05:00

I have breathed in 1000 scents and I am captivated by the taste. I will inhale again at the source and in the Western Pure Land. Eternal happiness is mine.

Like Whiskey For Sushi

2005-03-15T00:37:00.000-05:00

A deceptively simple tale - a love story set in Asia, intermingled with recipes, related in unadorned, uncomplicated language. Yet when the ingredients are combined and simmer, subtle and unusual flavours emerge. On one level, this is the story of Hana, eldest daughter of the formidable patriarch Papa Omiai who forbids Hana to marry her true love Wo-Hu because tradition says that the eldest daughter must live with her mother forever. When Wo-Hu becomes a systems engineer in order to be near Hana, it begins a life-long conflict filled with passion, deception, anger, and pure love. Interwoven throughout the narrative are the recipes, which, like an ancient Greek chorus, provide an ongoing metaphorical commentary on the characters and their culture. Finally, there is the food itself that Hana creates as head cook on the family estate, food so vibrant and sensual, so imbued with her feelings of longing, frustration, rebellion, or love, that it affects everyone who eats it. The combination of all these elements, with a good measure of the supernatural thrown in, makes for an earthy, quirky tale, sad and funny, passionate, and direct, told by Hana's grand-daughter who follows in her footsteps, using her cookbook and continuing a tradition quite different from the one her great-grandfather tried to impose.

Adapted from a review by Erica Bauermeister in 500 Great Books by Women

Bababa Ka Ba?

2005-03-13T14:59:00.000-05:00

Hathead asks: "Is the look of the queen tied to the valuation of our currency? Was our currency worth more when she was hawt?" First, I want to acknowledge that this type of brave questioning is exactly what leads to intellectual breakthrough, and moves our human society forward. So, let us plot the exchange rate of the Canadian Dollar to the US dollar (widely accepted as one of two standard benchmarks - the other being Canadian Tire money). For convenience I have overlaid the looks of Her Majesty for the four periods discussed in the previous post:

As you can see, the correlation is obvious by inspection! The Canadian dollar remained highly valued through the Queen's pretty period and well into the HOT period, often being worth more that the US dollar (and why wouldn't it be - I mean look at her!). We should not be suprised, however, that it starts to fall as she approaches the stately period and into the lowest of lows as the scary period commences. Amazingly, this law that shows that the value of the Canadian dollar is set by the looks of Lizzy has gone unnoticed by the experts. History tells us that often it takes an unbiased outsider to make the big discoveries. So there you have it, the Law of Hot Sovereigns. I owe it all to Hathead (and I promised myself I wouldn't cry...).

Maehheeemaeahaaaa

2005-03-10T23:52:00.000-05:00

Look! more sleepy people!

My friends and I reviewed the state of Canadian currency the other night. Not silly things like its relative strength to the US dollar, but the important stuff like the pictures on it. We have noticed that since dropping the $1 and $2 bills, the Queen is now only on the $20 bill. We also noticed that Gene Wilder is on the $10 bill. Fortunately, she remains on all the coins, and given that coins last such a long time, you get a mini life story of the Queen just by pulling change out of your pocket:

1953-1964 1965-1990

1991-2001 2002-2005

From 1953-1964, you can see that Her Majesty is very pretty. However, by 1965 she is HOT! You even got that off-the-shoulder thing going on. What a tease! Things are not so exciting anymore by 1991, although adjectives like "stately" are appropriate. I am scared of anything since 2002.

On another note, can someone explain to me what is going on here: http://cologne0.blogspot.com/? I am pretty sure this could be acclaimed for the "WTF" award this year.

Green Is Not Your Enemy - Supplemental

2005-03-09T13:04:00.000-05:00

Leibnitz is not pleased! We shall need to review the derivation of the Law of Disappearing Cash. Empirically we know that the more you make, the less cash there is in your wallet. This is illustrated in figure 1:

figure 1

The exact amount of cash will depend on what you started with, but the shape of the graph will remain the same. You can see that for a time, the amount of cash actually rises as revenues increase. This represents your high school and college years. Now the amount of cash is given by:

Cash(at revenue level R) = Revenue - Consumption(at R) + Cash(at previous level of revenue)

In order to match the empirical data represented in figure 1, this equation implies that Consumption must increase faster than revenues. This situation is illustrated in figure 2:

figure 2

Now, the change in Consumption with respect to Revenue is given by the tangent to the curve in figure 2 (i.e. by the first order derivative of Consumption wrt Revenue). By inspection (the green lines!), we see that the slope of the tangent is ALWAYS increasing as revenues increases. This is shown in figure 3:

figure 3

The slope of the tangent will never = 0 or decline! Therefore the rate of change of Consumption wrt Revenue (the second order derivative) is always > 0!

QED.

Green Is Not Your Enemy

2005-03-08T20:59:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed that the more money you make, the more broke you seem to become? In college I had a part time job making next to nothing (I think I actually had to pay my employer for the priviledge of working there) and I always seemed to have extra cash. Now I have a full time AND part time job and my wallet is empty. Being the scientist that I am, I studied this phenomenon with statistical rigour (I asked a couple friends), and it turns out, unequivocally, that this is in fact a universal law! So, for the history books I would like to stipulate Chan Thai Long's Law of Disappearing Cash: The rate of change of consumption with respect to revenue will always increase:

Where C=Consumption and R=Revenue

You will notice a simplicity and aesthetic quality to the equation reminiscent of Eistein's Theory of Relativity. I am prepared to present this new law to the world's next great economic forum. I will wear protective clothing. I know it is hard to believe, but my last great foray into economics was also soundly ignored by my economist peers. I find my only consolation in the fact that the world's greatest minds are never truly appreciated in their own times.

Dance of the Freaky Circles

2005-03-07T10:57:00.000-05:00

Some people simply exude possibility. I find such people very compelling. (BTW for all you etymologists out there, exude is from the latin exsudare, from ex- + sudare to sweat.)

I have also continued my research of blogs. There is an awful lot of ranting going on people! I would have to say that satisfaction with the life product is a little low for a large portion of the current customer base. Don't dispair, there is talk of a new, improved version that is up to 50% better.

Big In Japan

2005-03-05T16:37:00.000-05:00

You should know that I, the Big Dragon, have dabbled in the music over the years. I was most serious during college when I played in "the band". We did the usual tour of the local bars, and oddly, were not "discovered" by the record companies. Well "the band" broke up (i.e. someone got a girlfriend), and I never got back to it. I have since redabbled (new english word © 2005 Me) from time to time, trying out the midi/digital angle amongst other things.

Yesterday, I was converting some music I had written and recorded from tape to mp3 format (I have heard a rumour that everything is going digital these days). I dug up one song I had recorded with "the band" back in 1988. That's right - authentic 80's! In hindsight it's a little embarrassing, but we are talking full on 80's glam-rock with the hair. I also provide the following visual aid:

I think he even has his foot on the monitor!

The Magic Words Are...

2005-03-04T12:11:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog! This is my first entry in my first ever blog. I was torn about whether to blog or not, I mean it is so 2004. I might as well go out and buy an iPod. But yesterday I spent a couple hours with HatHead and he convinced me once again that there is still value in the internet. For example: Red vs. Blue. A drama series acted inside a video game. Now this is the value I'm talking about! But alas, I digress...

I took it upon myself to do a thorough research of existing blogs (ok, I checked out like 5). I must say, the bar seems to have been raised in the blog domain...the really good ones have a "theme". Let's take HatHead. His claims to be "The blog of HatHead who, after awakening after spending a millennia in cryogenic freezing with his hat on, discovers he is the only living human musician and so returns to the present to save music from the machines". How am I supposed to compete with this kind of creative horsepower? Here's another one: "manicdepressivepsychogoddess". Hard to deny the interest factor there...ok, here's one "built for the advancement of Texas Hold'em". Ok, so this last one proves there is still hope for me in the blog arena. So I have been lying awake at night trying to come up with a "theme" of my own. Tossing and turning...surely my own creative prowess could match wits with my fellow bloggers (yeah, like I am part of an association now). But nothing. I have the old Blog Theme Creator's Block ("BTCB" as it is known in the industry for all you amateurs).

So that's where we stand. No theme. I can't even do a blog "about nothing" - like THAT isn't so overdone. Now back to work...