Weekly Photo Challenge: Simple

What is a simple photo? To me a simple photo is a photo you take to remember something. No special effects, or arty attempts to make it look good. To me a simple picture is like a memory. It’s not perfect but it still makes you happy, or brings back memories. The most common type of “simple” pictures are family photos. When you have a party and pose for a group shot. Or another type of simple photo is taken when you meet someone important or special like a celebrity.

This was taken when I got to meet Russell Peters at a DVD signing in Mississauga. In terms of how well it was taken, or the lighting, or exposure, or any of that stuff, it isn’t a good picture. But it is simple.

People from toronto will probably get this one. It’s a picture of the new “Toronto Rocket” that is clearly being used for training purposes. Someone wrote “gravy” in the dirt on the window above the sign and I snapped a pic. In case you don’t know, the current mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, used the phrase “Stop the Gravy Train” during his election campaign.

What’s The Stupidest Thing You’ve Heard This Week

Image via CrunchBase

I’ve heard some really stupid things. Mostly things I read on social networks. The best example of this is Twitter. All you have to do is look at the trending topics and you will feel sorry for humanity. Don’t even think of clicking any of them and reading some of the tweets associated with them. You will want to shoot yourself.

Then there are tweets related to Justin Bieber (or as I like to call him “He-who-shall-not-be-mentioned-in-a-tweet”). Whatever you do, if you value your sanity, DO NOT click his profile, or mention him, or search for people mentioning. You will feel so sorry for these people. The worst thing is when you @reply him. Then, one of a few things will happen. If you say something nice, you will get lots of retweets. If you say something mean, you will get angry people tweeting you. Finally, for either, you will get people saying “follow me” in a few different ways.

But,

The stupidest thing I’ve heard all week, was

Marry me Justin Bieber

A tweet sent to the aforementioned Bieber by a person who I will not name because they’ve embarrassed themselves enough.

The Amazing Pocket Contents and A Screwdriver

Image via Wikipedia

I found recently that I have an odd habit of putting most things in my pocket. Not shoplifting or stealing but stuff thats mine. Examples would be things like bus transfers, wrappers, recipts, and flyers. Little things that most people would throw out at the first possible opportunity.

This might sound like hoarding or some form of OCD but I assure you its not. I don’t keep these things for long. Only until I empty my pockets, which is usually when I’m going to wash the article of clothing. It still sounds weird doesn’t it? But I kind of find it interesting. Its a lot like getting incredibly drunk and then the next day looking at a camera you had with you and seeing all the pictures you took of things you can’t remember or cleaning your house/apartment and finding something from many years ago. You’d be surprised what things you forget.

Still sounding weird? But it makes a bit more sense though right?

Its not so great with everyday clotes that you wear for a day then wash but with things like coats which you might wear for a while or backpacks which you might use on many days for years can be full of stuff. I recently threw out an old backpack and before I did I went through all the pockets. I found an incredible amount of stuff. I found two packs of batteries each missing a battery, a barely used bottle of tylenol, a bubble gun, a bottle of bubble mixture, countless flyers and tickets from places and events I must have been to, and a phillips head screwdriver.

these things might seem a bit random but I remembered that I bought the bubble gun and bubbles for the bubble battle that was held in Toronto. I also bought the batteries so the bubble gun would work and the screwdriver was so I could install the batteries. This all bought back the memories from a great day I had a few years ago.

I know this is a bit of a rambling post but I recommend you try something like this. Go to your closet and look for an old backpack or an old coat, I’m sure you’ve all got one, and look in the pockets to see what you’ll find, you might just be surprised.

What Would Make You Riot?

Image via Wikipedia

After a few people destroyed Vancouver a few days ago, the question has been raised by quite a few people about what it would take for them to join a riot.

We all know the things we would definitely riot about. Things like what happened in Egypt. If I had been a citizen of Egypt, I definitely would have joined in. Anything that involves removing my basic freedoms and things like that… the list goes on.

But no one really asks themselves what kind of event would be sort of a starting point to get them to riot. Obviously anyone with any sense or an IQ higher than 10 wouldn’t riot if their hockey team lost game 7 of the stanley cup final. Most people wouldn’t riot during the G20. They will protest peacefully which is fine. It’s their right to protest. Although this is often ruined by the same dickheads (sorry, language) who smashed up Vancouver. The people who live in their parents basement because they can’t afford rent after they got fired from their minimum wage job at Wal Mart which was the best they could get because they never graduated from high school. (In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a big fan of rioters.)

The point I’ve been dancing around is that we all would do it. But as a last resort. There is a sort of progression of objecting to something. You start with a statement on a popular social network. Then maybe write a letter or email. Then attend a protest. Then a bigger protest. Then the protest grow and grow until it all starts. Just remember that I’m talking about objecting to a serious issue. Not just anything.

Because the problem with riots is no one really knows why people are rioting. All they see is the violence.

 

Thanks to Gwen Styles for the idea of this post

Time To Be Mature

Yet again Canada is faced with another federal election. This is thanks to the fact that no one can actually decide on who should be in charge of the country. The main problem is that no one is actually going out to vote but everyone is complaining about the decisions being made. But I think I can see some of the reasons why people are not voting.

I was looking though the options in my riding (Toronto-Danforth), an area that always elects the NDP candidate, who in this case just happens to be NDP leader Jack Layton. Only a few days into the campaign there was already a sea of orange signs with Jack Laytons name on them. That’s when it hit me. The reason people are not voting is because lots of ridings are naturally leaning towards one political party. In my riding, if i wanted to vote for any other party would it really matter? It has basically already been decided that the seat will go to the NDP. So why should I vote if I support any other party?

I’ll tell you why. If everyone thought like that, no one else would ever get elected. The parliament would never change and eventually democracy would die (although if you ask some people, it already has).

This doesn’t mean that you should vote just for the sake of voting. Really think about who you’re voting for. Do a bit of research about all the political parties. Go on the internet, watch some TV, read a newspaper (they are those paper things you see people reading on the subway). During the next month pay attention to what these people are saying. When its done you can go back to killing zombies in Call of Duty and watching videos and talking to your friends on FaceTube or TwitBook.

Its time to be mature about this. No matter who you are, young, old, fat, skinny, tall, short, as long as you are Canadian, GO VOTE! This is your chance to make the country the way you want it to be. If you don’t vote then you are leaving the decision in the hands of other people.

Do you really trust others to make the right decision?

Movie A Day: Day 41

Cover via Amazon

Todays movie is another con movie, Catch Me If You Can

An FBI agent (Tom Hanks) tracks down and catches a young con artist (Leonardo Di Caprio) who successfully impersonated an airline pilot, doctor, assistant attorney general and history professor, cashing more than $2.5 million in fraudulent checks in 26 countries.

This is one of my favourite con movies. Its fun, entertaining, and i really enjoyed watching how easy it was for the conman to just fit in to a new job that he wasn’t at all qualified for. Its actually based on the life of Frank Abignale Jr. who wrote a book about his life as a conman. If you haven’t read it, then do that too, right after you watch this movie.

Recommendation: Buy

Movie A Day: Day 39

Todays movie is another Terry Prachett book adaptation. Its the Colour of Magic

As Rincewind (David Jason) involuntarily becomes a guide to the naive tourist Twoflower (Sean Asitn), they find themselves forced to flee the city of Ankh-Morpork to escape a terrible fire, and begin on a journey across the Disc. Unknown to them, their journey & fate is being decided by the Gods playing a board game the whole time.

-via IMDB

If you are going to watch Going Postal then you should watch this first. It is after all the first of the Discworld novels. Its better then Going Postal but that’s my opinion, mainly because i like most of the actors in this better than in the other. Its a definite watch.

Recommendation: Buy

Movie A Day: Day 36

Cover of City Slickers

Todays movie is City Slickers

Mitch (Billy Crystal) is a middle aged big-city radio ads salesman. He and his friends Ed (Bruno Kirby) and Phil (Daniel Stern) are having mid-life crisis. They decide the best birthday gift is to go on a two week holiday in the wild west driving cattle from New Mexico to Colorado. There they meet cowboy Curly (Jack Palance) who not only teaches them how to become real cowboys, but also one or two other things about life in the open air of the west.

– Synopsis via IMDB

I had a great time watching this movie. It might not have been the best movie but you should enjoy it. Watch it.

Recommendation: Download

Movie A Day: Day 31

Image via Wikipedia

The last movie of January is RED

This movie is about a retired CIA agent named Frank Moses (Bruce Willis). He is living a boring retired life on his own. The best part of his life is the phone conversations he has with his case worker at the pension place, Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) but when assassins try to kill Frank, he and the reluctant Sarah (who is also a target of the assassins) try to find his old team members from his days as a spy. The team members are Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), Victoria (Hellen Mirren) and Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman). They all look back into their past to find out why everyone wants them dead.

I had fun watching this movie. It was great to see these older actors re-living their action movie days. I especially loved John Malkovich’s character.

Recommendation: Buy

Movie A Day: Day 21

Image via Wikipedia

Todays movie is Machete

This movie is about a mexican faderal agent who is known as Machete (Danny Trejo) who’s wife is killed by the big drug boss Torrez (Steven Segal) and flees to america. One day he is hired by a mysterious man (Jeff Fahey) to assasinate a senator (Robert De Niro) who is up for re-election. He is set up by the mysterious man and ends up finding links to the drug boss Torrez so he decides to take down the whole organization.

This is a really violend and bloody movie. The story is good and the charachters are cast appropriately (Other characters are played by Jessica Alba, Cheech Marin, and Don Johnson). If you don’t like violent movie, don’t watch this, if you do then this should be added to the top of your movie list.

Recommendation: BUY

I don’t know what tomorrows movie is going to be.