Funniest CSI intro ever

"The only thing you need to do is answer 2 simple questions." "Whoddunnit, and how?"

Hahaha. Seriously, tonight's intro was the funniest thing they've done in a while. I love the humor they're incorporating into the show now with the funnier quirky lab techs like Hodges, Archie, and Wendy.
These episodes make CSI:LV push it back to my fav list.
This ep (8x08) "You Kill Me", along with the ep of Hodges' lucky day are my fav so far. CSI's quirkiness now mixed with even more quirky just makes for brilliant comedy.

I lost my sandwich breakfast

Sigh.
I'm so sad. That was a really expensive breakfast.
I got a Smoked Ham with Honey Dijon sandwich from Starbucks. Except when I was walking to the office from my car, the sandwich ripped through the bottom of the bag. Sigh.
I guess it's lucky I got a Fruit, Yogurt & Granola Parfait which was supposed to be my lunch, but is now my breakfast since I really have eaten anything yet.

DAMN YOU STARBUCKS. GET SOME BETTER SANDWICH BAGS.

Beckham in Vancouver

Ah, last night was a pretty boring match, but a very entertaining game.

The biggest highlight: streaker on the field. Haha.

Winter Accessories

It's technically not winter yet, but it's really getting cold. It's reaching as low as 5 degrees now so it's definitely time to start wearing warm. With that said, I LOVE my scarf. It's a striped gray/dark gray scarf I got from Gap when I was down in Seattle. I almost look like a character from Hogwarts.
When I wear it, it's like my ultra accessory. +10 to cool, and auto casts Style Aura.

I'm really needing a haircut now, it's really long, but it's so cold. I need to find a nice toque before I get a haircut. Hehe

Premonition

This feeling is based more on coincidental milestones, serendipitous events, which by themselves, hold no significant meaning, but with all of them in sequence, it seems like there's some sort of synergy that's driving it towards me.
Although, I'd rather not name the specifics or I might jinx it.

I have had a certain name running through my head, although there was no reason that it should have been.
I recently came across said person's name in an article, and I had no idea of his previous history/success.
With my current project work focusing towards Facebook, it adds up. Somewhat. Or maybe I'm just hoping it all does.

Impulse Shopping

I always wondered what was wrong with people who couldn't help themselves buying everything in sight even when they knew they couldn't afford it, or it was a waste of money. I'm starting to get a glimpse into that world because I've been having ridiculous tendencies going to Red Flag Deals, a website for bargain hunters and sharing good deals in Canada. Refresh, refresh, refresh... Ooh there's something I want!

I haven't actually bought much, but I have been wanting to get stuff I've seen like discounted clothing from A&F (Hoodies & Tees), cheap gaming headsets (Sennheiser PC131), Bluetooth earpiece (Jawbone Silver Noise Shield), Video Games (Orange Box for PC).

There's been some good freebies I've found on the site as well like free Wii jackets.

Apple's new release of Leopard has me all excited. I've never been a fan of OS upgrades but the new features are blowing my mind, most notably Stacks, Spaces, and Quick Look. Now I'm actually hoping my computer dies so I have an excuse to get a new Mac with Leopard. :D
Something caught my eye on the Apple site too, the Samung SCX-4500 printer. Damnnnnnn it looks so nice.

Gotta keep resisting the urge to buy stuff

Technology in the electricity marketplace

There's been a test run of user-driven electricity-on-demand technology done in Washington, and I've got to say, this type of infrastructure could revolutionize the world in terms of energy demands. The framework itself could apply to other things and reduce consumption and be more dynamic to regional/national/world economics and force people to pay attention to supply and demand on a daily scale.

It may be more of a hassle to individuals in the short run, but I think people would eventually appreciate the higher level of control being able to shop the energy industry like a market or a grocery and consciously pay regarding on your own budget. It's a counter-point to having to pay something because you have no idea how much it's going to cost in real-time and so you blindly use it until you get the check. Real-time marketing, or as the article terms it, service-oriented architecture (SOA), is going to hit the market like a sledgehammer, people will not be adapt properly unless the technological model is done correctly.

Back from Seattle!

Now I'm sad, home alone.

I went with my sis and her husband down south on Wednesday night. I'm so exhausted driving the whole week. I had to drive all night considering we left as soon as I got home from work and it was raining heavy all night all the way down to Renton.

Our first stop was Boeing. We did the Boeing tour and it was awesome! The tour consisted of an hour trip around the factory. We could only see 2 of the 5 (or is it 6?) hangars of the factory, which is only about 1/4 of the entire complex. It is MASSIVE. It's 1/3rd of a mile deep. I don't think any words would be able to describe the immensity of the building. You have to see it yourself. The hangars we could see were the construction areas for the 777 and the new 787, also known as the Dreamliner.

Next stop was the SuperMall in Auburn. The mall has turned into a pretty quiet place. It's really crappy now, and it shows with the lack of people there. But, with slow business, comes GREAT deals! Even without using the discount card we got from the information centre, the prices were so low that I would feel bad not buying their merchandise!

We pretty much blew our allotment for our trip based on how much we spent that one day that we didn't buy anything when we went to Seattle Premium Outlets. I'm so disappointed when I realized that the personal exemption limit was bumped up.

My sister left yesterday and so now I'm home alone. =(

The Unit theme song

Give me your secrets
Bring me a sign
Give me a reason
To walk the fire

See another dawn
Through our daughters’ eyes
You give me a reason
To walk the fire

I love The Unit, and the theme music they have on the show as well.
The army style theme for the first season was good, but the new theme for the second season is even better. I was looking around to find the full version of the song, but apparently it's not even done yet.

VIFF: Deep in thought

I went for a double header tonight.
Both deep and foreign.
Secret Sunshine is a Korean film about a mother who is dealing with loss and tragedy. This movie made me scratch my head, and I'm still processing it. It's a very chilling drama and it's hard to fully comprehend it. Viewing raw, unfiltered grief and anger is a lot different than what you see in most modern films and this takes a look around that alley of what people could and do go through. The direction is all over the place and creates an atmosphere of the world passing by as I'm sure how a lot of people feel when they have something on their mind.

Beaufort is a psychological Israeli war drama about the pullout of the IDF from the Beaufort post in Southern Lebanon.

These movies are a lot to chew on. It's quite different than what I went to see on thursday which was For The Bible Tells Me So, which is still a relatively serious film with a sociopolitical debate on religion and homosexuality in current society.

I think I have a problem

I'm a serious tv addict. I didn't really realize how many series' I was following until I got hit this week with all the season premieres. Ungh.

I'm still trying to catch up from being gone at the beginning of the week...
My current week series/season premiere listing...
Finished:
Simpsons, Family Guy, Heroes, Prison Break, K-Ville, Chuck, Journeyman, House, Bionic Woman, Bones, The Office
Queued:
The Unit, L&O:SVU, NCIS, Criminal Minds, CSI, CSI:Miami, CSI:NY, Greys Anatomy, Numb3rs

There's a couple of other ones that are in mid/late season like 4400, Eureka, Psych, Painkiller Jane (which got cancelled), Sanctuary, Burn Notice.

Ungh, there's other shows that haven't started their season yet most that I can't remember off the top of my head, I really should cut my list down.
Still coming: 24, Lost, Dexter

Dining in San Francisco

I just got back from San Francisco last night. My little 3 day vacation was a nice break, I spent most of it stuffing my face full of good food.

Arrived in San Francisco on Sunday. Met up with Cam for lunch at Cheesecake Factory and then headed up to Sonoma Valley for a scenic drive. Cam rented a BMW 325i zipcar and we had an adventure trying to figure out how the car worked. We went for a wine tasting at Kunde Estate. The vineyard was beautiful! It was a massive estate of well-manicured vines sprawling across hills. There were also some interesting caves on the estate, but we didn't get a chance to. They also had a patio with a small lake with some decorative fountains. It was amazing!
After that, we headed over to St Helena in the Napa Valley and went to Tra Vigne by Cam's suggestion. Their pizza was excellent. The Arctic Char I ordered was damn excellent. I actually think it was salmon since it was pinkish. It was so soft it practically melted off my fork.

Went for lunch on monday at Scala's Bistro. Their lunch menu includes their staple "Earth and Turf" appetizer which is one of their popular dishes with a delish calamari. The Salsiccia pizza and Lamb Risotto we got weren't as stellar as usual. This trip to Scala's was a letdown.
Mmm dinner however, on the other side of town, also by Cam's suggestion, we dined at Foreign Cinema. The food was absolutely exquisite. I think this was my most favorite dining experience for the whole trip. The restaurant is a very expressionistic display of art and architecture. The dining area was split into 3 wings. The first is a standard indoor area with beautiful walls lined with classic paintings and a relaxed atmosphere. The second is an open air patio surrounded by concrete buildings giving it an artsy-urbanesque motif. Lastly, the third wing, which I didn't really get a chance to see, is an art hall with modernist paintings. The name of the restaurant stems from the fact that the hallway of the entrance leads up to the restaurant as if it is like a movie theatre; they also have a foreign film which they play(The English Patient, for that night) during the evening on one of the walls in the open dining area.
The oysters were a little on the small side, but sumptuous. We ordered a combination of Buckley Bay, Kumamoto, and Malpeque. We also tried the Steamed Mussels with Thai coconut curry sauce. The green curry sauce was very refreshing, I'm used to eating curry that's either creamy so that it's flavorful, or it's too watery and bland. The curry they served though, was a very light and mostly watery mixture, but gave enough flavor to give it a distinct kick without being creamy. It tasted great with the bread too.
I obviously had to go with the Hawaiian Tuna. I give their Seared Ahi a 9.5 rating. The sauce didn't have enough kick and wasn't at all flavorful. The slices of tuna also had just a bit too much seared. However, the slices were big enough so that the very soft Ahi could still be enjoyed with the its tender flaky texture.
Damn... the dessert! Lavender creme brulee is just a classic. The "Chocolate pot de crème with crinkle cookies" was chocolate diabetes in a cup, and boy was it MMM MMMMMMM good. I forgot what kind of crumble pie Cam got, some type of berry.... boysenberry? was just right. A little bitter, mixed with the vanilla ice cream and the crumble of the pie, is out of this world.
10/10 for Foreign Cinema. DAAAAAYMNNN!

I'm falling asleep here, I'm not done yet and i'll add on later.
Continued:

We went for lunch on the following day at the food court in Westfield San Francisco down on Market St. The choices were excellent. It had a good variety of different cuisines, but also the quality was above average. This is a more upscale, higher-end food court with good food. The steakhouse, Buckhorn Grill, gives out free samples and if I hadn't already ordered my BBQ Ribs from Asqew Grill, I probably would have gotten their Tritip Sirloin.
The food isn't all that's high quality, the rest of the mall is pretty upscale with a Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, and other smaller name brand boutiques.
OH YES! They have Beard Papa too! Best cream puffs anywhere!

My neck is broken

Well, not literally, but I have a pinched nerve. I could barely get up in the morning. I think I tried 5 times before I was able to get up since my neck was hurting so much I couldn't move.
I had to drive carefully and twist my body to do shoulder checks. Haha.

It's been 4 hours and it's still stiff. It's not as bad now, my range of motion has increased, but it's still hurting like hell.

Sleep disorders

An interesting article on sleep disorders at CNN. I think I probably have pseudoinsomnia, either that or just regular insomnia. Either way, I have trouble feeling like I'm well rested.

Dreaming darkly

I've been getting a little bit more sleep than usual this past week, so it's not from the usual tiredness.
I am experiencing some really disturbing dreams; from situations involving in appropriate relationships, crushed teeth, dangerous situations with motor vehicles, insect infestations, bullying, and some other less severe emotional experiences.

I wake up in a pretty pensive mood, equally mixed with shock and a tired state of confusion; unsure whether to try and go back to sleep and forget about the raw emotions or to think of a deeper meaning.

I'm also seeing shadows. I think something's moving in the corner of my vision and there's nothing there when I take a closer look.
I think I need more tea.

Got Wii?

I sure do! I'm surprised though since I just ordered it on Sunday (Sep 9th). That was damn fast. I ordered my Xbox360 last Monday and it hasn't arrived yet. But it's a little different considering it's supposed to be bundled with Halo 3. It's not supposed to be released until the 25th, so it probably won't be shipped before then.

My Wii is a good deal I guess.... 420$ CDN+tax for Wii (includes Wii Sports, controller+nunchuk) and bundles with an extra controller and nunchuk, and Super Paper Mario. Oh whatever, I don't have to spend time trying to go in early in line to get one, so whatever. Hehe.

Mmmm London Fog

I'm sipping on one right now. This is the first time I've had it and I'm not sure if I like it or not...
It tastes wrong somewhat...
For those of you who don't know what it is, it's Earl Grey Tea with milk. Basically, an earl grey tea latte.

Tournament finish!

It's a pretty pathetic tournament, but it's still a cash finish.

After almost 4.5 hours of playing in a $100 Freeroll on Full Tilt Poker. Out of a field of 2700, I survived long enough to make a cash finish in 26th. It's only $2. But what the hey, I haven't really played much tournaments so this is good practice for me. It was good fun though since I had my dad beside me watching. We had good debates of how to play, and let's just say I probably would have gone broke a lot earlier if I listened to my dad more. Hehe.

Ungh. My neck is cramped now after that long grind.

Reaching for the past

I've always had problems of letting go of things I really liked in the past. Especially with video games, I always get annoyed by the fact that I cant' find old NES or SNES games even though my old systems are still running. The old classics are the best. Who cares about fancy graphics, the gameplay was simple and addictive. I love how the old systems had a lot of co-op play where it's all about you and your best buddy trying to survive to the next level. Sadly, that genre has almost died out to the more popular First Person Shooters, Role-playing Games, and maybe still some Adventure games.

I've gotten used to the fact that I haven't been able to, and probably wont' be able to, find any old 8-bit games for the NES/SNES etc, anymore. However, I've recently been missing Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory for the Xbox. It's the first co-op game I've felt that has surpassed expectations and deliver a unique experience. I went for a walk in Lansdowne and I couldn't find a copy of it at Future Shop, or Best Buy. I was ecstatic when I finally found it at Toys R Us, until the guy scanned the box and wouldn't sell it. Apparently the game has been recalled. Now, I'm stuck trying to find a game that's just barely 2 and a half years old. Ungh. I really hate this industry.

Learning Italian with Star Wars

It's not really Star Wars I guess, but it's fan-based movies on the Star Wars universe. It's called Dark Resurrection, and so far it's pretty interesting. I've only seen part 1 of 2 and I'm pretty intrigued. It's filmed in Italian with English subs. The casting/acting is mostly solid and it's a pretty decent movie considering it's not a major production, although it didn't look quite low budget at all.

The special effects were good most of the time, but the blowing out of colors effect was being used a little too much. The casting was really intriguing, a lot of the actors/actresses were in the older range of 40-60's, and I think they gave a more experienced and believable environment. I still have a problem with the casting of the main character, but I could still relent depending on how she acts in the second part.