McCain and Obama Yuk it up

It's surprising to see these two so lighthearted in the midst of a presidential election!





I think Mccain's is a little funnier, maybe it's because I didn't expect this out of him.

Election Time

Tomorrow is Canada's Federal Election. For me, the more local the election, the less interested I become. You may think that Canada's National Election is as big as they come, but I am 100x more interested in the American election.

I've been closely following the American election, watching debates, reading on the latest news and of course watching Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey is spectacularly hilarious as Sarah Palin. I just started Audacity of Hope, and really like what I'm seeing so far. When I was in California, I saw a really nice Obama T-shirt, but it was really expensive and poor quality so I passed. When I went to NYC, I looked for one as well, but couldn't find a good one. Maybe I'll eventually find one.

But what to make of the Canadian election? I have a hard time voting for Dion, and maybe the Conservative ads are getting to me, but I couldn't imagine him representing our country. Harper is pretty conservative for a "stereotypical" Canadian, but he has lowered taxes and instituted a tax-free savings account. Harper also went to the high school one block from where I live, but I'm not sure whether that's good or bad. I don't think a vote to any other party would be worthwhile. So I suppose I wouldn't mind a minority conservative government, which is difficult to know what to vote for to achieve.

If Harper wins a majority, I think Canada would become much more right wing. I get the impression that the Americans think we are all liberals in Canada. So as a result, you get funny spoofs such as the following:



But no matter what your opinion, remember to vote tomorrow!

Labour Day Weekend

I can't believe the last weekend of summer is already approaching! I had a busy summer this year, which resulted in almost no blogging. Back in May, I had already planned almost every summer weekend until September. Surprisingly, not too many conflicts occurred this year, which was probably helped by joining just one softball league this year instead of the two I played in last year.

This weekend I wanted to go down to NYC to watch a Yankees game because the Blue Jays were visiting and this is the last year before they tear down Yankee Stadium. I also considered attending PAX this year as well, but I would have convince some people to go with me (It's in Seattle). Penny Arcade is going to organize an East Coast one in the future and I would love to attend that one. But the trump card was being invited to a wedding. I'm excited to go since a lot of people from out of town are flying in and it'll be good to see them all again.

So instead of going to NYC this weekend, I'm going in the middle of September to try to catch a game. Any advice on getting tickets for a Yankee game? I really hope we will be able to get in. Otherwise, anyone interested in going to PAX with me next year?

Olympics

Even though I don't have TV in Waterloo, I've been watching as much as I can when I'm in Toronto (HD signal from the air is sweet). It's been an exciting games. I managed to catch some of Phelps destroying his competition in the pool and the electrifying run by Usain Bolt. I think the most exciting medal for Canada was Simon Whitfield's triathlon run, coming from behind to capture the silver. What an exciting race!

Also, I couldn't help to notice the cheerleaders. I didn't even know they had cheerleaders in the Olympics, and the most surprising thing is that there are Chinese cheerleaders! That's unheard of - especially in China - I think it's a new concept. And then the girls in the opening/closing ceremonies, the girls carrying the medals, leading the athletes in and out are all attractive. I never expected to see so many! Too bad the camera always shows them in passing and in the background :(

One last thing that's really cool for me personally. Remember during the opening ceremonies when the Chinese gymnast ran around the perimeter in the air before lighting the torch? The projected image was done with projectors made by my company on a projector I worked on. How awesome is that? My company provided all the projectors used in the Bird's Nest stadium - almost 150 projectors! Sweet.

7 Weddings and a Bachelor Party

So many weddings this summer! Three years ago, I had hardly ever attended any weddings in my life, but just this summer I have 7! Four are Kitty's friends and 3 are my friends, which is a pretty even split considering that girls are often married younger. I only have 3 more to go for the rest of the summer. The best part is that they've been friends getting married, which makes it extra enjoyable to participate in. The only negative is the expense of thousands of dollars in gifts! Well, at least it goes to a good cause.

I'm off to Montreal this weekend for Kevin's Bachelor Party. That means in the last 3 weeks, if you count stopovers, I've been to New York City, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Buffalo, Chicago, Philidelphia, Montreal and countless smaller cities. That's a lot of travelling, which is fun, but tiring. That also means tonnes of pictures - so many that I sometimes don't know what to do with them!

Vacation Time

I haven't been blogging much recently because I've been really busy. I find I blog less and less during the summer months, because I'd rather be outside or doing something instead of being indoors. I don't have a laptop yet, so I can't blog while outdoors.

This weekend I went to NYC to help move my sister into a new place. I had one free night, so I went to the 5th Avenue Mac store and picked up a Macbook Pro and an Ipod Touch. So far so good, I like what I'm seeing so far, but I'll know better when I have install more programs (eg virtualization).

Right now I'm preparing for my Dad's retirement party at our home. There is so much to prepare since there will be 40 guests in our tiny little townhouse.

The night of the party I'm leaving for California for 9 days. I'm attending a wedding in San Jose, and then driving down the coast to LA (catching a taping of Deal or No Deal). Unfortunately, there is a big fire at Big Sur right now, and I hope it clears up next week and Highway 1 opens again.

California, here I come!

Jermaine O'Neal to Raptors

The best news today was my realization that Calderon is a restricted free agent. That means we can match any offer made to him! We will likely be able to retain him, and it becomes even more important now that TJ is no longer with us.

I liked TJ, but when compared to Jose, Calderon is better. I still think TJ is one of the fastest guards in the league, but his poor shooting really hurts the offense. Also, uncertainties about his health really make him a question mark in the Raptor's long term plans.

O'Neal used to be a great player, especially in his earlier years (when I had him on my fantasy team :) ). The key is whether he can come back from injury, and play like before. Bosh and O'Neal have very similar games, where they excel in the isolation post, so hopefully they won't get in each other's way. I am hoping it will work out like David Robinson and Tim Duncan did, although Bosh and O'Neal can't be compared to those two.

But overall, I'm happy that Colangelo isn't afraid to make big trades. Now they just need a SG and SF, one of whom will likely be a defensive specialist. Go Raptors!

Celtics/Lakers

Well the best possible matchup (entertainment) has happened! Even though it took some bad officiating in the Lakers/Spurs conference final, my wish has come true!

I think the Lakers are a better team overall, since their big 3 of Kobe, Gasol and Odom match up quite well with Boston's big three of Pierce, Ray Allen and Garnett. Plus they have the best player on the court in Kobe with a killer mindset that no one on Boston can match. Ray Allen has been struggling and if he is a nonfactor, Boston's chances are even slimmer. I'm going to pick Lakers in 6 (they'll have to win in Boston since the series is 2-3-2).

Regardless, I think it's going to be entertaining, who wants to get together to watch some ball?

NBA Playoffs Round 3

Sorry, I haven't been blogging recently because I've been trying to get my star in MarioKart Wii, which I've finally achieved today. I also hit up Bomber last week, which brought back so many good memories. So many good times there :) I posted some photos on facebook.

But I wanted to get my predictions in before the series got far:

Boston vs Detroit: I think Detroit will win because they are the underdogs and they need something to motivate them to play their best. Boston has been really fragile mentally, and I have no confidence in their play down the stretch in a close game. Their road problems will eventually do them in. Unfortunate, because Boston is more fun to watch. Detroit in 6.

Lakers vs Spurs: A tough matchup for both teams, but I think the difference will be Kobe's clutch play. The Spurs keep on surprising me, so I suppose I shouldn't count them out yet, but I'm still picking Lakers in 7.

David Stern must be shitting bricks right now. On one hand he could have a ratings bonanza if the Boston and Lakers faceoff or he can have a complete bomb if the Spurs and Pistons advance. I, like Stern, will be hoping for a Boston/Lakers final.

NBA Playoffs (Start of Round 2)

They are starting Round 2 today, even though the Boston/Atlanta series hasn't been resolved yet. I haven't caught any of the that series' games, but the result is surprising. Boston was never challenged and they don't have a clear go to guy which is causing some problems. I still think Boston will be able to win at home tomorrow. If they do I'll be 6/8 in my predictions.

I watched most of the Suns/Spure series and it was hard to watch. The Suns couldn't execute and made numerous mental mistakes. Hack-a-Shaq was super effective and really broke the flow of the Sun's offense. It didn't help that Nash looked like he aged 5 years during that 1 week and made numerous mental mistakes. Like I mentioned before, not having Marion to use defensively really hurt them. The Suns couldn't stop Manu or Parker from getting into the paint, something Marion would have helped with.

The most exciting development from that series is D'Antoni might be leaving the Suns. And the perfect place for him to go is Toronto! It would be great to have a real coach in Toronto, not some impostor like Sam Mitchell. It's going to be an exciting off season.

Onto my predictions:

Spurs/Hornets: This will be an exciting series with Paul leading the way. He really made Dallas and especially Kidd look stupid and I think he can do more of the same with the Spurs. But the Spurs have Bowen to sic on him. I think that'll make the difference so Spurs in 6. If the series goes to 7, I think NO will win at home.

Lakers/Utah: Another exciting series that is going to be physical. I wonder if Gasol and Odom can handle Utah physically, and how much Deron Williams is going to dominate. But the difference will be Kobe in the end. Lakers in 6.

Orlando/Detroit: Probably a boring a series. Detroit will not show up to 1 or 2 games, so we'll likely see this series go to at least 6 games. If Howard gets into foul trouble, Orlando will have trouble scoring on Detroit's tough D. Detroit in 6.

Boston/Clevland: If Boston wins, I think they'll be able to handle James in 5. As long as they don't trash talk James.