Hi,
I know I haven’t used this blog in awhile. Why? Not sure why. But I have another blog that I created. It deals more with stuff I found in Japan that I thought was fun or unique. Check it out:
http://ozz78onlyinjapan.blogspot.com/
I will be updating that vlog much more so be sure to have a look!
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 2,700 times in 2010. That’s about 6 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 9 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 20 posts. There were 24 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 11mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.
The busiest day of the year was September 13th with 60 views. The most popular post that day was Religion vs. Science Pt. 1 Religion doesn’t make sense to me.
The top referring sites in 2010 were japanesemusicdream.wordpress.com, mixi.jp, facebook.com, twitter.com, and youtube.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for superbad, religions, dot matrix printer, religion, and superbad pictures.
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Religion vs. Science Pt. 1 Religion doesn’t make sense to me February 2010
1 comment
Tips on how to gain weight and be FAT March 2010
1 comment
Yui, the Japanese Avril Lavigne October 2009
2 comments
Woofstock 2010:Summer of Pug June 2010
1 comment
The fun and exciting world of Printers (not!) May 2010
1 comment
So I saw three movies in three weeks so I thought I would post my opinions on them all in one post. Enjoy!
Summary:
Alien balls of light that can turn into giant alien robots take over
the world by stunning people and sucking them up into their ships.
Best scene:
Its hard to pick with so many brilliant scenes (sarcasm) but the
chase outside the building when the bellman saves the group from the giant
alien comes to mind.
Best laugh:
To tell you the truth I laughed at the scenes that were supposed
to be serious. I laughed when the dirty whore was jealous of the young whore
for cheating with the gangster rapper.
Best cry:
I cried because I paid full price for this film
Cheesiest part:
Everything from start to end. But the ending (which I will
not ruin for you) is the cheesiest. True love overcomes all, even brain
sucking aliens.
Summary:
A busy guy gets stuck with a not so busy guy on a roadtrip to reach
busy guy’s wife in time for his baby’s birth. Chaos ensues.
Best scene:
Lots of funny scenes but I quite enjoyed the scene in the car when busy guy is trying
to sleep. Not so busy guy starts doing something that helps him sleep. The dog joins in. Busy guy is not impressed.
Best laugh:
The whole movie was jokes but the Mexican border crossing is pretty dope(pun intended).
Best cry:
Washroom scene when not so busy guy cries about his dead father. The dog’s face made me cry.
Cheesiest part:
Techically this whole movie is cheesy but in a good way.
Summary:
Harry and his amigos leave Hogwarts to search for the hoacrux, which are objects containing Voldamort’s (oh shit I said his name) soul. Harry is wanted by the corrupt Ministry of magic and a fugitive on the run.
Best scene:
The battle in the sky between death eaters and Harry and the Order of the Pheonix. Pretty sweet effects and fast paced action.
Best laugh:
The akwardness between Ron and Hermione when Ron returns after abandoning them while hiding in the forest.
Best cry:
Definitely the loss of my favourite and beloved house elf. Atleast his death wasn’t in vain.
Cheesiest part:
Great film and well done but the only cheesy part was the over-acting of the Malfoy family’s fear of Voldemort (dang I did it again!). They need to relax.
The movie this summer that everyone is talking about and seems to bring as much hype as Avatar did last year is Inception. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and sidekick Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I am not going to bore you with the plot, the money it has earned or even the records it has broken. For that, feel free to go to IMDB or some other review of the film.
If you are reading this then you have already seen the movie and love it or you are thinking about seeing it. If you haven’t seen it yet you can still read on. But, be warned I will be discussing specific scenes. I won’t give away the ending (although everyone seems to interpret it their own way) so if you don’t mind finding out some of the best and worst scenes than you might enjoy what follows.
So here are the categories:
Without a doubt if you ask most people the best overall scene will probably also be the one of a kind moment: The anti-gravity fight scene. How Leo didn’t fight to be part of it is beyond me. I think although the movie is great, story line is strong and visually it is incredible, without this fight scene people would have not considered Inception as a CGI achievement. Not only the fight sequence is well done but how smoothly the characters make their way across the hallway and battle with the weightlessness while still being able to make it look believable. Even adding little bits like tying all the people together with phone cords to transport them together made the situation so interesting.
Although Inception was a sci-fi, suspense drama it was still able to infuse a little bit of comic relief to keep everyone entertained. Most people will remember the European character (not sure if he is supposed to be German) always mocking others and having a synde remark here or there. But for me, the best laugh was when the character Arthur (Levitt) was sitting with Ariadne (Ellen Page) in a dream sequence. The subconcious was getting suspicious and Arthur pulled Ariadne close and kissed her. She questioned whether it helped diffuse the situation and Arthur answered with “It was worth a shot”. A kind of funny, akward flirtatious moment between the two made it cute and funny.
Now I hardly every cry at movies (except Stars Wars Episode I, at how bad it was) but the saddest moment was when Cobb(Dicaprio) was trying to convince his wife Mal (Cotillard) that she was not in a dream. She didn’t believe him and jumped out of the hotel window committing suicide. Not only did my heart sink as she dropped but seeing Cobb’s face red and weepy struck a chord. I was a little veklempt.
It is rare that a movie doesn’t have some cheesy waste of time moment put in to either indulge the advertisers or make the producers feel they are artists but this movie lacked cheese. The only part that could kind of be considered cheese is when the son of the CEO was at his father’s deathbed and opened the safe to find his father’s last will and testament as well as a small paper fan the father had kept as a memento of his son’s childhood. Tears ensued and I dug into my Reese’s Pieces.
The anti-gravity scene is definitely the unique scene this movie had to offer but another scene that could compare is when we first enter the dream world of Ariadne. Watching her play around with her subconcious and change the roads, create bridges, smash mirrors and finally get attacked by her own subconcious was both educational and a unique perspective on dreaming.
In Conclusion Inception was definitely worth the price of a movie ticket and will lead to great debate and discussion with your friends as everyone interprets it in a different way. Go see it if you haven’t already and pee before you sit as the movie is pretty long. But it passes by like a dream…bad pun, I know.
To watch my funny interview with Magibon go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIXohA2g6xU
You can watch her at http://www.youtube.com/user/mririan
Hi Everyone,
Do you know who Magibon is? Well if you don’t then you are not really into YouTube in Japan. And if you do, then you are a nerd like me and have watched most of her videos.
She is an “idol” on YouTube as she is the 3rd most subscribed person in Japan. The funny thing is she is not Japanese nor does she speak it…much. Her videos are basically her staring into a screen, smiling with her big doe eyes, saying her name and sometimes adding a sentence or two of random thought in Japanese.
Most people who would make these kind of videos would probably find they get about 30 views at most. However, for some reason the Japanese public have fallen in love with Magibon and now she averages a few hundred thousand hits per 40 sec. clip. I believe she is a YouTube partner, has had some of her videos hit more than 1 million views and there are dozens of parodies and/or replies to her videos. She even posted a video where her image was playing above a crowded department store somewhere in Tokyo ( i think).
After watching her and seeing my videos get lucky if they hit 200 views, I decided to make a video myself spoofing her. I am not sure if she will ever see the video since hardly anyone watches my videos but it would be fun to see her reaction to my video.
If you want to see the video you can watch it at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIXohA2g6xU
Thanks for reading and talk to you all soon.
And other dogs too…
If you want to see my video of the event check out my YouTube channel at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MKNx3mqesQ
So Maple was too young to go to last year’s Woofstock so we decided to take him this year. For those of you who have never heard of it, Woofstock is a huge festival for dogs. Along the St. Lawrence market area, there are rows and rows of vendors selling products, giving away free samples and offering everything from dog treats, clothing and toys to more customized services such as doggy day care and pet funeral services and urns.
Besides the shopping and free stuff, there was also a dog show, agility course and other events. Maple had tons of free treats, had his first liver flavoured sno-cone and even got to try an agility course. Ofcourse the best part was seeing all the different types of breeds of dogs. Mini tea-cup poodles, pugs, beagles, retrievers, german sheppards, Great Danes and even a few Sharpes. Saturday was rainy so the crowd thinned out but Sunday was packed with people and pets.
One of the groovy chicks at Woofstock
If you want to see my video of the event check out my YouTube channel at:
This post is dedicated to my friend/coworker Terry as we decided to give each other a topic to discuss for our blogs. I was lucky enough to receive the topic of printers. I’m sure it was payback for giving him the topic of Pumpkins. So the following is my input on the topic of printers.
I have decided to focus on one specific printer: the Dot Matrix printer. The one I believe has the coolest name and is sadly missed.
History
For those of you babies born after the 80’s you might not remember this printer. This printer uses the back and forth motion and a ribbon to punch ink into the paper using pins. Another key feature is that the plate that has the pins which punch into the ribbon are made of either ruby or sapphire. A printer with bling bling. How sweet is that.
Why I love the Dot Matrix
It is obvious that the dot matrix is almost all but gone. Ink jet and laser printers have taken over and set the standard. But don’t feel too bad for the dot matrix because it is still used in many data based duties such as banks, aviation and research as quantity is more important than quality. Also in movies where hippies living in the dessert pick up signals of alien transmissions always print out these findings using a dot matrix.
I am happy knowing that if there is ever a day when I am sad and need the nostalgic and familiar sound of print on tractor paper I will always have my Epson FX dot matrix printer at my parents home where they still use it.
Viva la Dot Matrix!
There are tons of resources available via television, internet and media on ways to lose weight and stay in shape. Gurus giving advice, yoga instructors bending and posing, personal assistants, fitness instructors and ofcourse stripteasing Carmen Electra with her pole dancing. All guiding and molding people into a healthier skinnier you. That’s great!
But what about those of us who rather look like a pear than a banana. Who is inspiring those who hope to sit on our couch wearing soiled track pants and t-shirts with ice cream stains watching Lost and laughing at the bimbos on America’s Next Top Idol Model Pimp Sell Out. Sure there is Jack Black and the fat guy from SuperBad but we need more leaders.
So that is where I hope to provide some much needed guidance. A strict ant-diet if you will. The following are some tips on how to let obesity flow over you like caramel over french vanilla ice cream.
There are many small things you can do like taking a taxi or bus instead of walking, taking the elevator, asking someone else to get something from the printer for you or just asking the waiter to add a little extra. These little things lead to big results. Literally. Goodluck and stay fat. If not for you then for the people around you.
Sweet!
The Board of Directors for God Co.
I know most of my blog entries have been about fun, useless topics about me. And ofcourse there is my dog who sometimes hacks into my account and posts stuff here and there. But recently I have been interested in religion. Actually, I am interested in all the science and history behind why religion is a lie.
I don’t want to offend people. Well actually, I don’t mind if I do so for those of you who don’t really enjoy this topic or are scared that after reading this you might doubt your beliefs than you should stop reading. But for those who don’t care either way and don’t know what to believe (like me) than maybe this might be of some interest.
Religion
I am not an expert nor do I have knowledge of all religions of the world. What I have heard from religion comes from the following sources:
I haven’t read the Bible, Quran, Torah, and all the other Holy books that describe what God is and what he wants us to do. Actually that is one goal I have this year. I want to read the Bible and the Quran. Not because I am religious but because I want to know exactly what both these books say before I totally disregard them.
I don’t want to say I am an atheist because nobody knows with 100% certainty that there is no higher being. But I don’t believe in a specific religion because I think it has been proven via science that most of what all the religions say can’t be possible. So does that mean I am agnostic? Maybe. But I am still not convinced whether there is a God.
Why I stopped believing?
These are a few examples that really hit home making me believe that religion had no idea what it was doing.
My earliest memory is of my mother talking to me and telling me about God. I love my Mom but as she is uneducated and has no understanding of religion except from what her mother told her, it is fair to say she was telling me fairy tales. She told me things like the rain is when God is watering his lawn, snow is when he is dusting and so on. And she always used religion when it was convenient for her view. I remember I wanted a kitten when I was young and my mom told me that the reason we couldn’t get a kitten was because for every hair it shed in our house, we would have to give a piece of gold to God in heaven. And she also said that alcohol was the devil’s urine.
When I was in elementary school and was forced to go to religious classes on Saturdays our teachers told us the most strange and ignorant ideas. I remember one day our teacher told us that the Quran predicted everything that was going to happen in the world from creation to destruction. He told us that the Quran knew when there was going to be disasters, wars, etc. He said that even Hitler was predicted. My first question was, then why didn’t someone do anything about it? His answer? Muslims knew but why would we tell the Jews about this? And I found it so strange that being muslim meant being humble, forgiving and loving was only if the person was muslim too. One of the students asked “so what is one of the predictions that will be coming soon?”. The teacher said that we should beware the Chinese for their will be a new Anti-christ like Hitler who will come from China and try to destroy the world with World War III. He told us not to trust the Chinese and to avoid doing business with them. This really made me realize that religion not only makes people hate each other’s beliefs but also promotes racism.
Who knew? Apparently the Quran did!
My teacher said he would come from China not Korea. Maybe they all look the same to him?
I was in highschool and had a part-time job. During my lunch I was sitting alone at a food court when a Korean guy approached me. He said he was from some Korean Christian church trying to spread the word of Jesus. First of all, I never think Asians are Christian. It kind of seems de-evolving. I mean originally Buddhism was the main belief of Asians was it not? And doesn’t Buddism stand for peace, tranquility, the belief in nature and one self? Isn’t switching to a religion where wars are fought because of differences of opinion seem as going backwards? Anyway, he asked me if I believed in Jesus and the Bible. At this time I had no knowledge of Christianity nor did I have any strong opinions. But that day I spent about 20 minutes arguing with him why I thought Jesus was being used and the Bible was not the word of God. I asked him if everyone believed in Jesus than why were there so many kinds of Christians. I also asked him if Jesus wrote the bible. He said no. I asked if God wrote the bible. He said that people who received messages from God wrote the Bible. Then I asked so if I was living in that time and I told people that God gave me a message it would be in the Bible? For example God told me that eating donuts would cause cancer. Would that have made it into the bible? Would Tim Horton’s be outlawed in Christian countries? He said I didn’t receive a message so it wasn’t possible. But then I asked how he knew those people long before his time were telling the truth. Why did he trust humans who alway lie about messages from God? There are tons of people who we classify as mentally insane that say God gave them a message. Why don’t you trust them but you trust people you never even met? Instead of answering these questions with some sort of logic, he resorted to the easy answer. “You must have Faith”. And that is what killed all Faith I had in any religion. The fact that nobody can give me a precise or honest answer. I should just have Faith.
And the book said "Thou shall not consume dough thath has been frieth for else suffer the plague named cancer.
I am sure there are many other reasons I stopped believing in religion but those are just a few that stood out. Then when I went to University and was forced to read books. I learned about Evolution, Astronomy, History, Literature and Communication. Through science, history and biology it became so obvious to me that there is no way religion could be right about anything in this world. There was no talking snake, 7 days to build the world, people who lived to be 900 years old. How could there be 72 virgins waiting for one man if he followed the word of Islam and believed in Allah. If God says he loves us all then why does he cause so much trouble on purpose. Is he that bored that he needs to make people suffer and then tell them believe Him and only Him otherwise He will make your life Hell?
If there is a God then I think it can’t be human, have emotions, get jealous or be nice to only a select few who believe. A Catholic priest who pretty much gets a free ride in life because he is a person of the cloth gets to go to Heaven. Whether he rapes little boys, takes money from people in the name of the Church and looks down on people who don’t follow his ways will always be a Son of God. But someone who doesn’t believe in religion and just lives every day to be a good person, do good deeds, try not to hurt people and live an honest life will burn in hell for not believing that God got pissed because Adam and Eve ate one stupid apple and threw them out of his paradise. Does he not believe in second chances? Or Forgiveness?
I was hoping I could write something positive about religion but after thinking and sitting in front of my computer trying hard to find one thing that religion gave me that made me happy I came up blank. I guess the only thing that I can thank my mosque for is giving me free food during special events. But when I think about it, the food was either donated by a rich guy who thought it would benefit his reputation as well as give him points with God to give us all food. Or it was paid for by the money the followers all chipped in every weekend to keep the mosque running.
I hope my parents don’t read this because even though I have told them time and again I don’t really believe in religion they seem to think it is just a phase I am going through. If they read what I wrote they would probably be heartbroken and think they let the devil take hold of their son. My parents go to mosque probably 3 to 5 times a week. I guess the only good thing that religion gave my family is something for my parents to do.
So I am leaving my (shitty) apartment at the end of February and moving into my first condo. I am excited, scared, nervous, confused and overwhelmed. Am I making the right decision? Can I afford to make this move? Will my life get better or will I become house poor? These are all thoughts that have been running around in my mind.
There are definite benefits for both living in a condo or paying rent in an apartment. Here are some obvious reasons why so far I have been living in an apartment and paying rent:
Basically it came down to we couldn’t afford to buy so we had to rent. I think it hit me that it was time to start looking to buy when I sat down one night with a calculator and tried to figure out how much rent I had paid since I was 19 years old. My parents charged me $400/month (i know!?), in Japan I was paying about $650/month and Vancouver and Toronto has been about $1000/month. So
3 years to my parents is about 14,400
5 years in Japan is about 39,000
1 year in Vancouver was 12,000
1 year in Toronto has been 10,800
So since I was 19 I have spent 76,200 dollars. HOLY CRAP!
Had I been putting that into a condo or house that would have been a pretty good investment. But instead I will never see that money again. =(
So this is when I decided it was time to buy my own place. I have heard the arguments against buying.
So I am confused and since I already made an offer which was accepted and will be moving out in a month I don’t know if I made the right decision. Some people also said the market will come crashing down next year and prices of land will drop. Did I screw myself?
Even though both Miho and I are working and should be able to pay the high mortgage and maintenance fees, the downpayment that is required has taken all our savings. So the first 6 months are going to be very tough adjusting to balance paying all these costs plus having a decent life. It is scary because now we will be in debt and not paying it back is not an option.
On the plus side, we live in downtown so everything is much closer. Since both of us work in downtown we are thinking we will save money on TTC which is easily two metro passes a month worth of savings. Our suite also includes laundry so we save on that. Our maintenance includes a pool and gym so that also saves on gym memberships. Although monthly payments will increase, other things around us will actually decrease so it might be an even trade.
What do you guys think? Do you rent or own? Why did you make that choice? When is the right time to rent or buy? Any advice for me? Am I missing any important information I should know? If anyone has any good advice or information please send me a comment. I need all the help I can get!
Coconutoz's Blog 
