My Views-Like it or Not!

My New Phone

2011-10-10T09:19:00.003-04:00

So it has been about 2 years since I posted, so I thought it was time to start again.I could not think of a better time to come back than when my favorite smart phone company came back. I just picked up the new Blackberry Torch 9860. It is Blackberry's entrance into the all touch screen phone market. I was hesitant at first, but after the reviews and actually playing with the phone, I was hooked. I have used apple products and I know how loyal people are to Apple, but I am loyal to RIM, so when they came out with this phone I had to have it. It comes with Blackberry's new OS7. It is fast, smooth and allows you to do a lot more than on an iPhone. You can have multiple browsers open in tabs when searching the internet. It is easier to go from one app to another. The Liquid Graphics make it easy to slide through and find what you are looking for. It makes the phone more responsive and has a smoother interface than other BB. The look of it is thinner and lighter than the iPhone, has 5 mp camera, 720p HD video, 1.2 ghz processor, and of course bbm and all the other BB features. The screen is nice and wide (3.7inch) which makes browsing the internet and watching videos a joy. It is not as easy (as with the iPhone) to use the torch 9860 for heavy emailing or texting. If you want that, the Bold and Touch from Blackberry is your option. The voice activated Universal search is a great feature of the phone is 100% accurate. It is not perfect by any means, no phone is, but it is a giant step in the right direction for the company. A lot of good things, but still the battery is not the best. However, that could be said for the precious iPhone....The apps are coming, slowly but surely. They are being developed and there are already a lot of great apps for the phone. I am overall happy with the phone it has some bumps to get over, but I know BB will come through...

Istanbul

2009-09-20T09:47:00.024-04:00

So school still has not started and therefore Marlene and I went off to Istanbul...one of the places we have on our "list".

We were very lucky, we had amazing weather..hot and sunny every day, with nice cool evenings..but by that time we were very hot and tired from the day of walking that we did not spend much time outside at night...

We arrived early in the morning and managed to take the public transit to our hotel...which as it turned out was down a massive hill of a street...and then as the week went by, we realized that all of Istanbul's streets were massive hills...it turned out to be a tiring week of walking up and down hills and all over the city.

Our hotel was nothing special, but a good place to rest your head at night. The hotel was a bit inconvenient in terms of the distance it was (and the hill) to the major spots, but nothing too bad. It turns out that there are a million and one hotels in Istanbul and you really need to do your research on them before you book..some are good and some are terrible.

The food in Istanbul was very good...a lot of meats and olives...and bread, a lot of bread. Most of the food was relatively cheap, but well made..The only problem I had was every time you walked past a restaurant, there was some guy trying to hustle you into the place. It got really annoying when we would just look at a menu and they would be hounding you to come in to the restaurant. Even if we were just walking along they would stand in front of us and try to get us into the restaurant. It made me angry some times, but we still managed to eat some very good meals.

We also found that the Turkish people make great desserts. Marlene was in heaven:)

I enjoyed drinking Turkish coffee, but could only have so many of them throughout our trip.

We saw a lot of things as there is a very old history in Istanbul with a great mixture of religious history and monarchy history.

The Hagia Sofia was a great palace. It took a little time to walk around it, but it was worth it. The palace was filled with so many different religious pictures, paintings etc. that it made for quite an interesting journey. It was a mixture of Catholic and Muslim that blended together into one grand palace. There was a great description about how the Crusaders crashed through the main doors...

We visited the Grand Bazaar..it was very big and "grand" so to speak, but there was really not much to it..knock offs and tourist trinkets...so after a while it got boring, not to mention hot and stuffy...

We saw the Blue Mosque...it was a nice place, but too many tourists with their shoes off made the place smell like feet, sweaty feet...not all that pleasant...it was a wonderful structure and a site to be seen...

We found a nice park located near the Topkapi palace...we sat and relaxed there during our many days of walking and walking...it was a welcome rest.

We found some very nice cafes to have shisha and a tea...these were also nice places to relax our wary feet from walking all day...we did so much walking that any time we found a place to relax it became a wonderful spot. The shisha was much nicer than in Kuwait, not sure if it is different or if they clean the pipes better in Istanbul, but it was much more enjoyable.

Marlene's favorite place that we visited was the Basilica Cistern...it was the place where water was held for the palace during the Byzantine empire. Interesting enough, After not being in use the place got forgotten and it was not until a French explorer (decades later) saw some local fishing out of it, that he made the discovery. Inside there are two Madeussa heads on pillars...one facing side ways and the other facing upside down...there is no explanation as to why they are there and in that position as when this place was built, Madeussa statues were supposed to be placed at the front of buildings... the inside was dark, but very interesting and fascinating...

The Topkapi Palace was really nice..the harem section was the best part as there was much more grand designs and more interesting facts about it....the golden mile was a long corridor where the harem would line up and the prince would walk along and through gold coins or them to pick up and keep...the palace was a grand place with many luxurious spaces...there were many sections for people like the personal physician, the guards, and other people associated to the prince...the tile work in the palace was amazing...there are some tiles there that the color can not be replicated today...300 harems would live there for the prince. The views form the palace are tremendous...the prince made a good choice on location...

Marlene and I did a long, but with great views, boat tour of the Bosphorus...we stopped at the end of it and climbed a MASSIVE hill to get to a castle...it was nice, but the climb was killer...after that we made our way down to have a nice seafood meal, which was fresh and cheap...along the cruise we saw many important sites in Turkish history, including the princes summer home and fort used to topple Constantinople...We visited that fort a few days later and it took us about 4 hours to walk to it...it was worth it, a wonderfully maintained fort and great views of the Asian side of Istanbul...

We also got to see a Whirling Dervishes show...it was interesting to see and to know the history behind them and their relation to the Islamic faith....

It was a great a trip with lots of things to see and do...food was great with lots of choices if you got tired of Turkish food...there was a lot of tourists from Spain and England...one of the bad things was having to pay 45 Euro to get into the country...there seems to be some problem with Turkey and Canada letting each others citizens in their countries...

Overall it was a good time with lots of memories and pictures....hopefully I will have them up soon...

NBA Playoffs-First Round Predictions

2009-04-18T06:17:00.009-04:00

Well the real season will begin, unfortunately without the Raps, but next they will be there. Too bad Marion decided to play like he should a little too late...

The East:

Pistons vs. Cavs
The Pistons deserve to be in this situation. You don't trade the heart and soul of your team for a selfish me first player who is WELL beyond his greatest years. I am still not sure Joe Dumars has really defended that trade very well, but I would have to say a lot of the blame for this season would lay on him. The Pistons come into this series not playing well, but have a chance to make the games interesting because of great players like Rip and Tayshaun...but the most that will help them is with one win.

The Cavs come into these playoffs looking about as dominant as they can. And it is not just the LeBron show. Williams has been a great addition to this team. Really though, this is LeBrons team and he is the unquestioned MVP this season and will lead the Cavs very far this postseason. The only advantage the Pistons may have is in the back court, but that is slight. The Cavs have solid forwards who know their role and create a lot of space for Mr. James....

Cavs in 5

Bulls Vs. Celtics
The big question here is what kind of Celtics will we see without KG?
Now my hate for the Celtics is not hidden, but it really is not clouding my judgment in this choice.

The Bulls come into the playoffs with a young hungry roster lead by (I assume) the rookie of the year, Derrick Rose. He has been both a solid influence on this team who looked lost last year and a real floor general. He is going to be a good one for a long time. The Bulls front court with Noah, Salmons, Miller and Thomas they are stronger and more athletic then Kendrick Perkins and Paul Pierce along with Big Baby. Rose is head and shoulders better than Rondo, no matter what Rondo thinks. Thomas should be able to do as he wishes in the post without KG there.

The Celtics come into these playoffs without the Big Ticket and are a very weak team without him. The bench does not scare anyone, Mikki Moore?? Ray Allen still might be able to shoot, but he will have a harder time seeing the open three without the space KG would make for him. Paul Pierce will have to be unstoppable for the Celtics to get through this round. Remember with KG the Hawks pushed them to 7 games...

Bulls in 7

Sixers vs. Magic

The Magic come into the playoffs as the second best team in the East, sorry Celtic fans....Dwight Howard is virtually unstoppable, unless he is on the line. Foul shooting seems to be his kryptonite. Who would have thought adding Rafer Alston would have been a positive things, Raptor fans will know he may not have been the best decision. But he has worked out well for the Magic and did not really lose any momentum when Jameer Nelson went down. The magic are very strong and should dispose of the sixers with ease.

The Sixers do not have much to stop the Magic and this series will be over before it starts.

Magic in 4

Hawks vs. Heat

The Hawks come into the playoffs having dominated the Heat in the regular season. They have a year of playoff experience under their belts and solid, underrated pg in Mike Bibby. He leads this team on the floor, it also does not hurt to have a great player like Joe Johnson. (another good move by the suns)

The Heat are one of few teams that has a player who can win a series on his own, and that is Dwyane Wade. No matter how much you double team him, he still finds a way to beat you. He is that good. The Heat are solid throughout, nothing special though. Wade carries this team every night, and it will not change in this series.

Heat in 7

The WEST:

Jazz Vs. Lakers

As much as I love the Jazz and how they play the game of basketball, they do not have enough to match up with the Lakers. Deron Willimas will be a handful for the Lakers, but LA has some guy named Kobe to make life miserable for the Jazz. The Lakers look to be the most all around team in the West and will be a force throughout the playoffs. When you have a player like Lamar Odom coming off the bench, you've got something good going on.
Brewer and Kirilenko are going to have their hands full defending Kobe and for that reason will limit them offensively. This leaves the Jazz without much outside of Okhur and Williams. The Jazz will make the series tough and every game should be physical.

Lakers in five

Nuggets vs. Hornets

There are many reasons to love the Hornets: CP3, Tyson Chandler coming back to the team when it tried to dump him, and David West, but they do not add up to a victory in this series. The Hornets have underachieved all season despite the MVP play of Chris Paul. Chris Paul may very well be the best PG in the game today, but the Hornets bench really is just not where it should be in order to go deep in the playoffs. There is just not enough scoring coming in when the starters go out.
The Nuggets on the other hand come into the playoffs being the thir best team in the NBA. The trade for Billups was the best deal in years. It gave the Nuggets a floor general with ice in his veins, something you need in the playoffs. The nuggets have tonne of scoring, hello J.R. Smith, and play tough defense. This team will be going far in these playoffs. This will be a tough series, but the Nuggets will come out the winners.

Nuggets in six

Mavs vs. Spurs
The Battle of Texas...Should easily be won by the Spurs. As much as I love Dirty Dirk, the Mavs will not win until they get a young, good point guard. Jason Kidd is done as a starter and he will have a hard time keeping up with Tony Parker. The Spurs do not have Manu, and that will hurt. But there is enough veteran savvy on this team to over come this loss. I am convinced the Spurs will go far in these playoffs, but the more I think about it this series may wear them down.
Jason Terry has been a beast off the bench for the Mavs and should be named the 6th man of the year, he will be a tough assignment for the Spurs. Josh Howard could be a difference maker for the Mavs, but he has been too inconsistent to rely on in these playoffs. It will be tough and grueling series, but the Spurs do have Greg Popovich...

Spurs in Seven

Rockets vs. Blazers
Hands down the best series in the first round. The Blazers are the most underrated team in the West and have arguably the best bench in the NBA. What the Rockets did this year without T-Mac is amazing and Ron Artest has shown he is one of the better players in the league, when his head is on right. This series will be a dog fight. Brandon Roy is out to show his teams toughness. This team is far removed from the JailBlazer days and have the best young roster in the league. LaMarcus Aldridge is a force down low and has a nice outside shot that keeps the defense honest. The real match up though will be how Greg Oden can handle Yao Ming. Yao is a dominant center who can score at will. Oden has to stay out of foul trouble and pay Yao smart. force him outside more and not let him in the paint. If I were the Balzers I would be happy watching Yao shoot jump shot after jump shot then get down low for easy dunks and lay ups. Rudy Fernandez is great and should be hard to handle for the the Rockets. He drives to the basket with great quickness and without fear. The Blazers have to watch how they handle the ball and limit the turnovers.

The Rockets really turned it on after T-Mac went down, shows you don't need one player, you need a lot of good ones. Ron Artest has been the teams MVP and Von Waffer has been a pleasant surprise. Getting rid of Rafer Alston was a good move for this team, it really shortened up the amount of shots per game and focused the offense. The Rockets do have Yao still and he is about as a sure thing in these playoffs as Kobe. So what happens??? It will be a very exciting and tough series. The Rockets do not like getting out of the first round and I am sticking with that this year...

Blazers in Seven

enjoy the first round!

Life and Travels

2009-02-26T11:31:00.009-05:00

Hello All...Been a while.

First off, Marlene and I got the chance to visit Dubai. What a place...there is a lot to see and do there. It is like being in a big metropolitan city.
There were times when we felt like we were not even in an Arab country...
There are a lot of malls there and most of them are just plain huge...the Dubai Mall has an Olympic sized skating rink in it and the Mall of the Emirates has a fully functioning ski hill with four runs including a black diamond and a toboggan hill...you can also go there and build snow men and play in the snow...
We took a bus tour around Dubai and there are a lot of great sights...We got to go and see the Atlantis hotel and it is amazing...the mere size of it is a sight to behold...the inside has a small shopping mall and a giant aquarium in the lobby...they also have an aqua park that you pay extra for and if you are staying there you get access to it...
We drove by the Burge (sp?) hotel..the one with the tennis court on the platform..unfortunately we could not go in, you are only allowed to go in if you are staying there (cheapest room is like $1000 a night) or if you are someone important...and they just did not understand who I was:)
I got to enjoy my first drink in a while in Dubai...I enjoyed a nice vodka and soda...
There are a lot of nice shopping malls there, the interiors are nice and upscale...
Dubai has a ton of construction going on, but a lot of it was stalled while we were there....the money in Dubai seems to have dried up a bit and a lot of the construction is just sitting there...
It was nice to spend New Years there as well, although because of the war in Gaza, we were not allowed to say happy new year as the king decided to cancel all celebrations....
We got a chance to be with Marlene's good friend Lisa...she was in town visiting another friend...so it worked out great for us to see a familiar face in the Middle East...

So went back again last weekend to celebrate Marlene's and my birthday. It was nice to go back and have a drink our two...no more until June:(
This time we go to see the Emirates mall and the Dubai mall, both very big and elaborate. The skating rink in the Dubai mall is Olympic sized and we got to watch some hockey between some older Canadians and a local team called the Camels.
Fun to watch, but very slow hockey...

Marlene and I also traveled Hanoi and Bangkok for our spring break. Bangkok was nice...it was great to go back..eat and drink and shop until we were ready to go to Hanoi and really experience some stuff...
Hanoi was great, but very busy. The old quarter where we stayed has all the old French charm that you might see throughout Europe....old buildings and small narrow streets....there are about a few million motorcycles there...we were told that there are more motorcycles then people there...it was taking your life into your own hands when you crossed the street...

There was a wonderful small lake at the center of the old quarter that as a legend about a turtle and a sword....they say it has decedents living in the murky waters, and if you see a turtle in the lake it is good luck..Marlene and I managed to see one, briefly, so I guess we have good luck now....

Marlene and I took a city tour that stopped at the Ho Chi Minh memorial...it was very interesting to see the preserve body of Ho Chi Minh...he gets taken to Russia ever 6 months, I think, to get treatment...the interesting thing is they country went against Ho Chi Minhs's wishes..he wanted to be cremated...

Marlene and I traveled to Ha Long Bay...it was beautiful and the air was so clean...it was a nice change of place from living in Kuwait...
We stayed on a boat for 2 days and 1 night...it was great...the food was delicious and the area we anchored in was secluded and beautiful...we paid a bit more, but it was worth it...the pictures we got (they will be uploaded soon) are great...

We then took a day trip to the Tam Coc...it was a nice river raft and then got to one point and started to get hounded to buy drinks and snacks for the people rowing the boat...it would not be so bad, but we were made to feel obligate to buy stuff..good thing we read ahead of time and found out that a majority of the time it is a scam...the people rowing the boats keep the drinks and snacks and sell them back to make some money...they then hounded us to buy stuff on the raft...it was not a nice way to end the boat ride...

You can tell that it is a community country, but they try very hard to make it look like they are free....the people overall were very friendly there, but they are very aggressive in trying to sell stuff...we did buy some tea and nice chop sticks to bring home....

Well, I could write more, but pictures will be up soon...

March Madness has started and my bracket is not doing so well...:(
Overall, Hanoi was very nice and would love to go back to Viet Nam and visit Ho Chi Minh city...

I am trying to arrow down some music for the wedding and I am having trouble picking a Bon Jovi Song...so please help....

Entertainment City and the Desert

2008-12-11T07:13:00.008-05:00

First off I would like to say the Yankees are what is wrong with Baseball...I hope they get Burnett as well and he wins 5 games....C.C. will be good, but he is not a superstar pitcher and will only help them get maybe 6 more wins then last year....Boo Yankees and everything they stand for as a baseball team.

Anyway, we have spent our week off for Eid relaxing and going around Kuwait and eating out at some good restaurants....Eid is one of the biggest holidays in the middle east...it is a religious holiday, here is a breakdown:

http://islam.about.com/od/hajj/a/adha.htm

We ate some very nice Indian food, some middle eastern food (or , just food here)...that may be one of the better things here, since there is not a whole heck of a lot to do here, eating out is popular...and there are some good places if you look and try a bunch...some may look good from the outside, but that is how they get people in....

Marlene and I visited a nice museum that is only about a 15 minute walk from our place. It is full of antiquities, old jewellery, weapons and clothes form other middle eastern countries back in the 17th-19th century....it was one of the only museums untouched by the Iraqis when they invaded Kuwait...the owner of the museum managed to disguise the inside of the museum (which is located in a large house) to make it look like there was nothing there...so it was left alone by the Iraqis while they were pillaging anything worth money in Kuwait...

We traveled to Entertainment City, which is Kuwait's amusement park...we read about it before and things we read said it was one of the best amusement parks in the world...HA HA HA...it was not very good and the EX would be a better option than this place...very disappointing considering we paid about $20 to get in and then about $8 in games....the good rides you had to even pay extra, so we did not go on them...I did however ride a bull...it was much harder than I thought...I got knocked off within 15 seconds...Marlene and I went on one ride and that was it...we played some games and I won a silly little bear that can be stuck on to a window...

We traveled to the desert today with Cristina, a teacher that works with Marlene...we went to the Iraqi border and turned around...but we stopped to see camels...they were very big and actually quite tame...they did not spit on us which was nice....I was very surprised with how many there were, it was also funny that the men taking care of them (I guess their herd) were very much like the Desert people you would see in movies etc. and all of a sudden he busts out a cell phone..too funny...here are the pics from Entertainment City, the Desert and a fire that I captured from Marlene's window...the smoke was very thick and black:

http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x173/zackb66/entertainment%20city%20and%20desert/

Back to school this Sunday, and then off on the 24th until the 4th for Christmas and New Year's...cannot wait because Marlene and I are going to Dubai...where we are hoping to do a desert Safari and maybe some sand skiing and a drink...I cannot wait...

What is wrong with the Raps? I think they need a scoring wing man who can defend and a better back up point guard...they just look like they have no depth...once you get past the starting 5 and maybe the 6th, there is not much else on this team to get excited about..I hope Bryan has something up his sleeve to save this season...

So I have had more than one occasion when someone has come up to me and asked me where I am from...my most recent experience came in the mens washroom..I was washing my hands and I felt this presence leaning over me, I look up and there is this Kuwaiti man staring at me and asks me where I am from..I say "Canada" and he was just like "oh, alright"...I guess I disappointed him as they LOVE Americans here...

operas and reports...

2008-11-14T02:55:00.008-05:00

Mid term reports are finally finished and will be handed out on Monday...I am not looking forward to the Parent-teacher interviews over these reports...
I will have to explain to a lot of parents why their son or daughter is not getting an A+.....

I seem to be marking all the time.....I am marking right now as I am writing this..I am breaking every few science books to write something..

Is it me or did the refs let Garnett get away with something any other player would have been T'd up for????

Marlene and I got see an opera singer brought in by the Polish embassy to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Polish Independence...It was great, there was maybe 100 people there and she sang a slew of opera songs..ones I was not familiar with and other classic hits...she sang Don't cry for me Argentina very well...

I need to keep reminding my self that english is a second language for these kids...my favorite line I correct all the time is "Mr., he say for me bad word"...Bad words here are not like they are back home..their is no swearing, but calling someone a donkey, cow, horse etc. is very bad....

Getting ready for our grade 4 assembly...we are doing places around the world and their traditions etc...I need to teach a group of kids the French national anthem...can't wait to hear the outcome...

Marlene and I are very excited about spending New Years in Dubbai...should be a great place to visit...I will be taking pictures every second I am there...There is a lot of hype about this country so I am dying to know if it lives up to it...I was reading an article in the paper here that talked about how t is hard to be a Muslim in Dubbai because of all the temptations they allow and then all the things they do not...it talked about how you must pray and live life clean, but can go out and get drunk...how you are not supposed to be alone with women but there are prostitutes etc...should be a drastic change from what it is like here in Kuwait...

We are going to see the Phantom of the Opera being performed by the British School of Kuwait....maybe they are hiring...ha ha

People here are VERY excited that Obama won...they look at him as a savior and someone whowill fix what is wrong in the Middle East and the world...lots of pressure on him and I do not envy him...

It's been a while-and I am not talking about Staind...

2008-10-31T07:37:00.005-04:00

Sorry I have not been updating...school is taking up a lot of my time...

I am not only marking all the time, but I am planning a lot and writing tests and study guides, review sheets etc. etc....seems never ending...

I think honking your horn is just second nature here...people are always honking, either at each other, or people on the sheet who may need a ride...and heaven forbid you are going a bit slower on the roads, you will be honked at until you move out of the way, and that some times means moving on to the soft shoulder to get out of the way...when there is traffic, people will drive everywhere just to get around it..I know there are road laws here, but I am not sure if they are really followed...police are everywhere, but I rarely see them pulling people over for poor driving...

I have seen a lot of accidents here, but the worse one that Marlene and I saw had someone heads through the windshield and blood coming down from his forehead, but he was alright and was out helping the other car who the person had gone right through the windshield....like I said, 1/3 of all death here is from car accidents....

marlene and I have not done much in the way of touring around as we are both quite busy....but we have some winter vacation coming up and we are going to explore some more and this time take a trip outside of Kuwait...possibly Dubai for New Years...

The first quarter of the school year is quickly coming to an end and interim reports are due soon and then parent teacher interviews...can't wait...(sarcasm)

NBA t.v. is really paying off...they show regular season games the next day and they showed the Raps first game...man I could not have been happier...and boy did the raps look solid..except at the 3, but if things keep up they may not need much out of the 3 anyway....some of my kids like the NBA and of course they know all the popular teams and players, but I told them to go home and read about the Raptors and they told me that the Raptors are now one of their favorite teams...I am spreading the good news across the world....

I finally got my civil id, which means I am now a resident of Kuwait....I even now know the national anthem....

We visited the Kuwait Towers and they were nice...like the CN tower, we went up, saw the view and went down.....we also visited a fish market and bought some really fresh local fish which turned out to be great and I cannot remember the name...boo....we also bought some giant prawns...they were huge..all fresh and relatively cheap...going back again soon...I put up some pictures on my pic web site, if you have not seen them here is the link:
http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x173/zackb66/Kuwait%20Towers%20and%20the%20water%20front/

Marlene and I are finally going to go out and see a show, the Polish Embassy is bringing an opera singer from Poland here next week and Marlene and I are going to the concert...can't wait to do something cultural...I feel like I am being dumbed down...
I think my English is deteriorating talking to the kids all day..I really have to watch how I speak to make sure I am speaking proper English and not broken ESL English...

I must say that one of the bright spots here is the architecture...the buildings that are here and the ones they are building are very unique and have some interesting concepts...they are not the boring same old buildings that you see in every city in NA....they have no problem building something different, buildings that are unique....They are few that should be finished next year which I am looking forward to seeing the finished product...

Going out today and eating at the most Middle Eastern Restaurant....Hard Rock Cafe...

Peace out.

First Week off

2008-09-26T07:36:00.003-04:00

So I am on my first of many holidays throughout the year..one week to celebrate the end of Ramadan...

Going to explore Kuwait sine we are unable to travel until we get our civil id cards, as we will then get our passports back...we are looking at hitting museums, art galleries and maybe even a play if we can find one...pretty soon we will be ready for some visitors..hint hint!

a lot of the other teachers complain a lot...really annoying..

it is probably a good thing that Kuwait is a dry country, 1/3 of all deaths in Kuwait are from driving accidents...can you imagine the number if there was alcohol involved???Scary thought.

Some more pictures are going to be up today, if you are not able to see them and want to, please let me know...

The Tom Brady injury was in the papers here a lot...I am still in shock....but also glad to not be home to hear the taunts and jokes that I know I would be receiving on a more consistent basis then I am now...

The weather is starting to cool in the evenings and the mornings...the humidity is fading and now the "good weather" of Kuwait is starting to kick in...I am enjoying the nice heat and with it will come more outdoor markets and fun things to do...

Did I mention gas is 24 cents a litre???

some things.....

2008-09-05T12:54:00.003-04:00

This place is a smokers paradise...you can smoke everywhere...the malls, hospitals, you name it...trying to get used to it...
People who work at the mall just step out of the store for a smoke...
not sure if there is an age limit for smoking...

the first few weeks of school is done and went well...the kids are something else.....should be an interesting year...there is a mix of good kids and spoiled kids...I am enjoying the teaching aspect, but I am not sold on the subject based teaching...I have my first parent meeting on Sunday and hope it goes well...

so far have not been able to experience a lot of Kuwait, teaching consumes my life..I come home and plan and mark every night, then when the weekend comes around we have to wait till the evening to do stuff because it is Ramadan and things are closed for most of the day....once Ramadan is completed things will be open during the day and Marlene and I will be able to visit more things..it is coming up to the end of Ramadan here and there will be a holiday for a week that celebrates the end of Ramadan...on the 15th of the month there was Girgiann which celebrates the middle of Ramadan and it is like Halloween...the children give out candy bags to all the students in the class and kids also dress up in traditional costumes and go door to door getting candy...The bags given out at school ends up being more of a competition to see which parent has got the best bags for the kids...there are some interesting ones, some in nice baskets, little dolls, and like Marlene got a Camel figure holding the bag on the side...

We tried to go to the National Museum last night and the taxi driver had no idea where we wanted to go even though he said he did...we ended up at a mall and walked around...we asked a lot of different people where the museum was and nobody knew what we were talking about....too funny..We have a week off after next week and we are going to try and do a bunch of things...so more info then..

There is a lot of shopping in Kuwait, all pretty much like in NA, with some different styles of shoes, bags and clothes...

Taxis are very cheap, I am never going to be able to ride in a cab in Toronto again...it costs between 1 and 2 dinars to get anywhere...most is 1 dinar which is about $4....there is no point in getting a car, even though the price of gas works out to be about 24 cents a liter...
Marlene was in a car that filled up a 50 liter tank and it cost about $12...

The weather is still hot, but it is cooling down..not as humid, and I am getting used to the heat...this is good news since we can start doing more things outdoors..

We have been to the science center and aquarium...both were nice..the aquarium is filled with local fish which I have never seen and desert animals which are both cute and creepy...some weird things out there..hoping to get to the desert some way...

The science center was more of a kids place, but it was full of of ways oil is extracted and different sources of energy that can be used...quite interesting..

We have found some good Chinese food and we are still on the look out...have found a great middle eastern restaurant right down the street which is both cheap and great...there are tonnes of restaurants in my area and I cannot wait to try them all during the year...

We have a t.v. and the internet now..the internet was hard to get as we need our civil id card, so we had to ask for some help from someone who had there's already...we should have our some time in November...we cannot travel outside the country until we get our civil id cards...things move very slow here...

When we can go outside the country we are looking at going to Jordan or India or other middle eastern countries...we can fly VERY cheap...

All for now...take care and remember it is 40 degrees here today:)

My first week

2008-08-24T04:58:00.003-04:00

Kuwait is hot...I have quickly come to that conclusion...

Kuwait city is not a place to walk around, though we have, there are few sidewalks and little in terms of pedestrian crossing...
even if there are crosswalks, they are ignored....

We may have to purchase a car or take taxis everywhere...luckily where I am living, the area is called Slamiya, there is a lot of shopping and pharmacies etc. within walking distance...

the people seem very nice and tolerant of everyone...i have heard no American bashing nor do I expect to...
from the people I have spoken with, Obama is the preferred choice for the next president...

there are a lot of Americans at my school...and a lot come from Texas, Virginia and Florida...I have a hard time understanding some of their accents, I wonder how the kids will do...

I got my first classroom, 4Red and I am teaching 2 english classes and 2 science classes...

\i had the chance to visit the Grand Mosque yesterday and it was great..I will post pics when I have reliable Internet...this is the only Mosque in Kuwait where you can go and take pictures...it is blended right into the city and is surrounded by government buildings and bank towers...

Kuwait City is very much a big city and there is construction going on everywhere...it is part of their 30 year rebuilding plan...they want to get rid of everything old and make it new...which I guess the 4th wealthiest country in the world can do...although with all the wealth here, there is not much flash like in Dubai...people are very moderate, but they do like to shop...

i have yet to experience a local market, but in due time...

I love the head games the Patriots are playing with their "injuries"

I am very close, short cab ride, to the marina...went down the other night and it is lovely....there is a beach there too and at night is when people go to the beach...there are lights set up and it is like it is the middle of the day..people swimming and building sand castles, having picnics etc...really interesting...

like I said before, there are a lot of familiar things here in terms of food and clothes, but the sensitivity we need while living here would be the only culture "shock" I would say exists...I did break down and have a second cup tea as the teas here are quite bitter and I am still getting used to it...

I had my first cab driver try and scam us....he was trying to get more money from us and we were arguing with him and then he just gave up and told us to get out of his cab...too funny...

Take care all....

Here in Kuwait

2008-08-21T03:59:00.004-04:00

Well after a long flight...not as bad as OZ flight...I am here in Kuwait...

This country is more westernized then I thought..you cannot go more than 2 blocks without seeing fast food like Burger king, McDonald's, Krispy Kream etc...

They have second cup here!
There is also Starbucks every time you turn around.

The shopping is great...all the stuff you would have back home..I was at Ikea yesterday....they have H&M, Gap, etc...etc....

The heat is something else...when we got here it was 41 degrees at NIGHT! Air conditioning is everywhere, although not good if you are outside sweating and then go to air conditioning and then back outside...I have a feeling having a cold will be a normal thing...
Slowly getting used to the heat, I am hoping by the end of September I should be good...ha ha...

I have been told October and May are the best months here in terms of weather...Stay tuned...

Have not done much in terms of sight seeing, just shopping and getting stuff for my apartment and food shopping...they have small stores called Bacala's (sp?) all over the place so finding little food items or home stuff is very easy...

Doing some sightseeing tomorrow and the next day and then it is right into planning for the school year...

Did I mention it is about 45degrees today?

Basketball seems to be popular here and I will be looking to join a club....

The people are very friendly here...although the driving is something else...I will not be driving here...too many accidents and it is very aggressive here....

That is all for now...

It's Been a While

2008-05-16T09:07:00.003-04:00

If you love Basketball and even if you don't....you better be watching Game 7 of the Spurs and the Hornets...
Chris Paul is a Mega Star, and David West is playing like he's Tim Duncan..

Speaking of Duncan, has there ever been a more complete player (big man) ever in the league? I will argue with anyone who says there has been a better big man...

What is up with the Celtics? I have never seen a team lose every game on the road in the playoffs before....They are not a good team in my opinion, all flash and no finish.

The Pistons are in the Eastern finals...ho hum...

For most who know, I am not the biggest hockey fan any more, but these Pittsburgh Penguins are making me notice it again...fun team to watch.

Is summer here yet?

I am leaving in 3 months, where does the time go?

I think TTC bus drivers are some of the most aggressive drivers on the road..running red lights and cutting people off seems to be the norm recently...

anyone else curious about the LRT?

Swirsky left Toronto to go and do radio for the Bulls...family reasons? I know it may be a personal matter, but he was such a big part of the community in Toronto I would have expected more of a reason for why he was leaving all of a sudden...

Moon had is option picked up..good on him.

Man, weddings are expensive.

as a soon to be educator, why is it so bad to fail children?
If they can't or won't do the work, they should fail...plain and simple.
They will not learn if they are "progressed" through school...
The private school I will be teaching at requires elementary students to achieve 55% or higher to pass and the high school needs 60%...other wise THEY FAIL!

Teaching science and English is going to be blast...can't wait to do some electricity experiments and agriculture adapted to desert life....

I feel bad for those in Myanmar and China...both terrible situations...one whose leader is more concerned with how he looks than aid getting to his people.

Old school wrestling video of the day:

A lot of stuff going on

2008-04-09T11:37:00.003-04:00

What a great series with the Red Sox for the Jays....the opening game was great until stupid losers decided to start fighting in the stands and a man and woman decided to run on to the field near the end of the game...just idiotic!

Boy, did Burnett throw a stinker the other night...and then Acardo throws another terrible 9th....the bats have tried to keep up, but the light hitting...and I mean team average around .218...A's seem to have their number...

Do you think the Jays miss Rolen and Ryan?

Does anyone have a better beard in sports then Baron Davis?

I do not profess to be an expert in Hockey, infact most of the time I could care less...but all that hoopla about Mats Sundin not wanting to waive his no trade clasue because he wanted to stay a Leaf will all be for not if he signs with another team....he will look like an ass!

The Final Four is finished and Kansas surprised a lot by winning...they do not have the star power of some of the other number 1"s, but man did they play hard...

Derrick Rose is going to be a franchise Player!

I am no longer getting angry on the Subway....I still get annoyed, but I am trying to read so I do not notice things.

If people are pissed at China just from what the media tells them instead of doing research on their own then they need to wake up and learn for themselves...I am tired of people saying "what I saw on t.v." made up my mind....do people not realize that what is shown on t.v. or reported on is what they chose to talk about?
I am not saying China is innocent in anything over the years, but people need to start making up thier minds for themselves....

With all the deaths in recent days of teens, all I have to say is what is wrong with kids today? Killing for revenge? Please....the parents should be held responsible as well....if you did not hear: teen girls in Florida decided to beat up a girl so they could have a video to post on YouTube....a few of the parents were "shocked" their children would do this...maybe parents should be paying more attention to their kids and not let them do what ever they feel like...

Going to see the Pirates and Jays play in Pitt...PNC park is rated very high and I am looking forward to the last sports road trip for me for a few years...

Old School Wrestling Video of the day!

Peace out!

The Strecth Run, March Madness, "good" bad kids, and this and that...

2008-03-19T08:44:00.007-04:00

Welcome to another one of my ramblings...it will only be a few more months of nonsense coming from me, and then the real blogging starts after I move to Kuwait....

If you play guitar Hero you know how hard the expert level is...here is a video that will blow your mind...remember, it is an 8 year old kid...

So the Raps are finally home from the west....thank goodness we don't go back...and praise the lord that Chris Bosh is back..man do we need him.
Without Bosh, the Raps are a collection of complimentary players who seem to not know anything about defense...
All I can say is bring on the Heat...we need a win...

If I were Bryan Colangelo I would not be giving Delfino a big contract after this season...if he gets stupid money somewhere else, let him walk.

I love T.J., I have wanted him on the Raps ever since the 2003 draft...but I think his time has come in the T-Dot...mentally he is not right and he needs to be a starter in order to straighten himself out...it is not going to happen in Toronto..Jose is the perfect guard for Colangelo, which is scary cause it was Babcock who signed him...

I have a feeling T.J. is gone this off season...maybe back to the Bucks?

Did I mention I think Delfino stinks?

I love it when kids do bad things and the reaction from everyone is "she/he is such a good kid"..."they have never done anything bad"..well guess what, the kid is bad.
I don't care what the kid did before, if they steal, hurt some other kid etc...then they are bad...plain and simple.
here is the latest example of my kid is good, I swear....

http://www.thestar.com/article/347369

I guess parents have to stand by their kids, but I can tell you that if my kid ever stole something or got in the news for doing something wrong I will NOT be defending them..I will support them and love them, but never will I defend what they did...

March Madness is coming, I am sorry I missed it last year...My pick is UNC, they are too good...but it will come down to UCLA vs. UNC in an epic battle...Kevin Love is going to show how good he is, I am hoping that he falls to the Raps in the draft...with all the good players coming out of college this year, it is not unlikely.
Keep an eye on the following players in the tourney as possible Raps picks...
1) Kevin Love-UCLA-PF

2) Darrell Arthur-Kansas-PF

3) JaVale McGee-Nevada-C

4) Roy Hibbert-Georgetown-C

5) Tyler Smith-Tennessee-SF

6) DJ White-Indiana-PF

What Do People Think?
Why do people get annoyed and angry when they are blocking the door on a train that is not crowded and they get walked into by people getting on and off...What do you expect when you are blocking the ONLY path for people to come in and out from.....

Old School Wrestling Video of the day:

See ya next time.

NBA Draft recap one: 2000 first round first 10 picks.

2008-03-07T08:57:00.011-05:00

I have decided that since I think I know enough about the NBA, I have decided that I would do a recap of the drafts from this decade....starting with the 2000 draft.

This draft has been billed as the worst draft this decade and I would agree. The level of talent that went in the first round is laughable, although there were some good players to come out of this mess. Although, to sum up quickly, the best player to come out of the draft came from the middle of the second round.

Let's start from number 1......

And the New Jersey Nets take.....Kenyon Martin...???
Kenyon Martin, a force in his early college days and then knee problems began to set in. A problem regularly faced by players who play a physical game.
Martin suffered a major knee injury in his last year which kept him out for most of the season, yet the Nets still took him with the first pick...
He was a decent player for them in his first year, but the knee issues kept him out of a few games here and there and people started to wonder how long his body would hold up...His best season came in 2003-04 when he 16.7points and 9.5 rebounds per game..he parlayed that into a HUGE contract with Denver...and his averages promptly drooped...05-06, he had knee issue which caused him to miss a quarter of the season and then in the 06-07 season his knees gave out...and played 2 games. He has not played well since early in his career and has never really lived up to being a number one pick...he is a solid forward, but nothing spectacular. He is currently playing for the Denver Nuggets.

With the second pick, the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies take....Stromile Swift???
What to say about this pick, but that at least he is still playing in the NBA...cannot say that about most of the first rounders...
Here was a 2 year college player with a long "wing span" and could jump...In his first year he played in 16 games and then in his second got in 34...he played on a not so good LSU team and averaged 16.2 points per game...nothing to get too excited about, but Stu Jackson figured potential was better than being able to play basketball...something that still happens today in the NBA...but this was a young team who should have been looking to trade the pick or take a senior....He was a bust in Vancouver and has bounced around the league...he stays in the league still based on potential...but how long will that last?
He is currently playing for the Nets...I would say he is Bust number 1 from this draft...

With the third pick, the Clippers take....Darius Miles...HA HA HA!
Who? That is what most people were saying when this pick happened...he was a high school player that only got some press in the weeks leading up to the draft...here was another "potential" player and being out of high school you know he was going to be a superstar (insert sarcasm)...Not much to say on this guy, he has never played a full season...He was a part of the Jail Blazers, and may have been their poster child, at least shared with Rasheed Wallace...being charged for drugs, weapons and other things here and there are the highlights of this guys career...he has been injured all this season and is not missed from the league...he has however "starred in two movies...Van Wilder and The Perfect Storm..I guess he had to do something in his career...Currently on the DL and may never come back. Bust number 2.

With the fourth pick...the Bulls select....Marcus Fizer..?
WOW, what has happened to this guy? He was sort of big time at Iowa, but when the Bulls picked him, it was a head scratcher..I remember all the talk about the Bulls were going to trade him cause of Elton Brand, but that never happened...(brand was traded later, smart move ha ha)So he played with the Bulls for four less then spectacular seasons and has not been heard of since...In '04 was made available in the expansion draft, was picked up by the Bobcats...he could not even crack their roster and signed with the Bucks...one season later he was not in the NBA...In 2006 he was the NBDL MVP and parlayed that to a shot with the Hornets on a 10 day contract, but the team realized he could never play in the NBA..he is currently playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv...Bust number 3.

With the fifth pick...the Magic take...Mike Miller...
Finally a player is taken...although unspectacular, he has had a solid NBA career...the man can shoot and if you can do that, you will stay in the league a long time...He was rookie of the year in 2001...in 2006 he won the NBA 6th man award as well...he was the only rookie to ever play in all 82 games....Miller is a part of the USA basketball team and is a highly sought after player these days...he had a great college career at Florida and has turned out to be one of the best players from this draft....should have been number one....Currently playing with the Grizzlies...

With the Sixth pick...the Hawks take....DerMarr Johnson...?
Who you may ask is DerMarr Johnson...good question...
He was straight out of one year at Cincinnati and was a "potential" pick..his potential never came......After 2 season with the Hawks he crashed his Mercedes breaking his neck and almost causing paralysis...he missed the entire '02-'03 season and has never really recovered...he has bounced around the league and nbdl, but is currently a free agent and not too many teams are racing to sign him...

With the Seventh pick...the Bulls take...Chris Mihm...hmmmmm.
Another solid pick for the Bulls in this draft...they had 2 picks in the top 10 and blew on both of them....Chris Mihm, let us see....he was a junior coming out of Texas and was a 7 footer...that is why he was drafted here..never had great numbers in college...the scary thing was I remember the draft "experts" saying he could be number one....he has a solid if unspectacular career..traded to the Cavs on draft night for the player selected next, played with the Celts, traded to the Lakers where he had some success, signed by the Bulls, never really played and went back to the Lakers where he still sits on the bench today....not a complete bust, but he is nothing great.

With the 8th pick...the Cavs select (and then trade to the bulls) Jamal Crawford.
A nice scorer here...he is a bit of jerk and a complete knucklehead, but dude can fill it up...he was drafted as a freshman out of Michigan, and that was not by his choice...he was suspended by the NCAA for violations for taking money from a booster...so he had to go pro...the begining of his knuckleheadness....he played four decent years with the Bulls and was traded to the knicks..who else.
He is still a knick today and is still a part of the problem in NY...

With the ninth pick...the Rockets take...Joel Pryzbilla...

here is another guy drafted cause he was a 7footer..he did not last long with the Rockets and was traded on draft night to the Bucks for Jason Collier who was drafted later on...he is a Polish man, so that makes him the greatest centre in the league (JJ) he played 4 years for the buks, played one for the Hawks and went to the Blazers...he became a free agent and the Raps had a lot of interest in him, but the Blazers were actually offereing him a guaranteed contract, something the Raps and no other team felt he deserved...he has been nothing but a big body and six fouls...bust number 5...currently playing with the blazers...

With the tenth pick...the Magic take (and then traded)....Keyon Dooling...
For those who know, this is Greg Holland's favorite player...why you may ask? because he likes using him in video games...
I guess that is the best complement I can give this guy...He was traded along with F Corey Maggette, F Derek Strong, and cash to the Los Angeles Clippers for a future first-round draft pick. The best trade the Clippers have ever done....the funny thing is, he is playing with the Magic now...he is a "me" player looking for his shot instead of passing the rock....he was run out of LA, played for the heat and is now with the Magic...he is a bust...number 6.

Kerry Joseph, The Heat will cure all and turning 30.

2008-03-06T08:50:00.009-05:00

So the Argos pull off, unquestionably the biggest trade in the CFL in recent memory.
They get the Most outstanding player from last year, a Grey Cup winner and a very exciting quarterback that still has a lot left in the tank. After last seasons rotating qb situation, the Argos finally have some stability....for all those Michael Bishop fans out there, sorry but he will be the back up.
Joseph was brought in to score points, something Bishop could not do with consistancy, just look at the Eastern Final game....Jospeh scored 13, yes THIRTEEN rushing touchdowns last year and he was not even in a contract year.
With the Bills coming to town, the Argos had to do something to spark more interest in the team and this is it...Let's Go Argos!

Well I guess all it takes to break a losing streak is play the Heat...man they are a shell of their former self....I cannot believe this team won a championship 2 years ago...they stink....Wade plays with no passion, and looks like he could care less out there....Marion is just counting his money and waiting to cash in this off season...he knows he will get max money from someone...
I mean, it was a spanking last night....they are far from what they were and there is no one to blame, but Pat Riley...he built the team to win now, which it did, but had no future plans, now Wade is left in obscurity while the rest of the '03 class flurrish with their teams...

What I found disgusting was the lack of heart on the part of the Heat, but that has to come from the coach as well...did Riley even stand up last night?

Maceo Baston had 5 points and 3 rebounds...5 min of work....$22,317.07 is what Baston made for the game...not too shabby..no wonder the guy does not complain when he gets no playing time...

One last thing...what do the Heat have to build on besides Wade? Marion is not staying, Haslem is solid, but what else is there?

Do people shower in the morning? just asking.

This is hilarious...from the India vs. Australia Cricket match...the Argos should try and sign Andrew Symonds after that hit he laid out...

I cannot believe the Cricket Council is debating suspending him...he did what he had to do to stop some loser who was somewhere he should not have been...if someone was coming at me while I was doing my job, I would do what it took to stop him.
If he gets any punishment, it is rediculous.
So I am turning 30 next week...I think I have come to grips with it, but it is a quick reminder that life is short and you need to take everything you can out of it...I am using my time to travel these days, and I think I have decided that I must see as much of the world as possible...looking forward to my time in Kuwait, this will be a great oportunity for myself, I will be able to experience a completly different culture and lifestyle, plus I will be living in the middle east...can't wait...30 is the new 20, or so I am told..

What do people think?

Still have not understood why people lean on the middle pole in the old subways, and when they are asked to move people can hold on to it, they get upset...I was not aware that it was a personal resting place for people.

Old School Wrestling Video of the day.

This is my favorite heel turn of all time!

More Snow!, Favre Retires and what do people think? on the subway.

2008-03-05T09:47:00.009-05:00

When is this snow going to end? I am so tired of cleaning off snow, walking on ice, being cold and wet...it is March 5th, it should be starting to warm up...and "they" are saying more snow is on the way...

I love it when people say "they said" or "they have proof" etc......who is "they"???? In my opinion it is used by people who think they know something about a topic and are trying to make it sound like "experts" have agreed with them....it is also a useful tool if you can't remeber who it was that said something to support your argument, but also can't be backed up...I have used it, infact I would guess most of us have used it when talking....nothing really worng with it, just is funny how we use it.

So Brett Favre finally calls it quits....ABOUT BLOODY TIME! I am so sick of hearing about will he or won't he every off season....he had a good year and he is leaving on a sour note, or is it how he wants to be remembered? He was known for being a gunslinger, taking chances what ever the cost may be and that is exactly how he played in the overtime of the NFC Championship this year...that interception was a risky throw, but would you have expected less from Favre? With the pressure on, he did what he thought he needed to do to help his team win, and good or bad the Packers stuck with him....his win at all cost mentallity was great for the media and a lot of the fans, but costing your tema wins based on your idea that you need to win the game cost the Packers in the end...his last throw was in the gunslinger mold, but it was a throw that was not needed and cost his team a chance at the Super Bowl...

What is wrong with the Raptors? If I knew that I would be the coach...I personally think it is time to bench Moon and start Kapono again....Jason needs to get is groove back and the only way to do it by getting into the starting line up where he can get more shots.
The Magic are a good team, but they are a playoff bust waiting to happen...I do not hink they have what it takes to win a series and I can guarantee you will be hearing about Howard wanting changes or he will leave...Investing in Jameer Nelson was a mistake, he is average at best...although he does have the best tattoos in the league.
Here is what the Sentinal had to say about the game: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-magic0508mar05,0,582792.story

So I wonder if people see the irony of running to catch the elevator at don mills station.

What do People Think!-A new segment
When you stand in the door way reading a book or a news paper and the train is crowded, people are going to walk into your reading material to try and get on the train. Do you really need to get off the train that quickly that blocking the door will help?

Old School Wrestling video of the day!

This and that

2008-03-02T10:46:00.009-05:00

So the new budget came out, the third for the successful Stephen Harper Government.
In my opinion it was very responsible and will allow Canada to maintain its economic strength during a time of economic uncertainty in the United States.

some highlights:

Reducing Canada's Deficit (which leads to savings for Canadians in Taxes)
Giving more money to hire more police
Investing in manufacturing
companies will be given tax cuts for installing environmentally safe equipment as well as lowering greenhouse gas
the tax free savings account
increased personal tax relief

I give this budget a thumbs up and I feel that there will be no election based on this budget, cause the Liberals know that there is nothing to complain about. Now if we can only get Jack Layton to shut up, things would be great here.

http://www.budget.gc.ca/2008/plan/topics-sujets-eng.asp

I saw "there will be blood" last night....I can see why Daniel Day Lewis won best actor, he tore that movie up. It was a solid movie over all with some aspects that left you talking after the movie to see if you could figure it out.
It was long though, so I suggest going to the washroom before hand...I wish I gave that advice to myself.
The tittle does lie a little bit.

This could be my last week ever taking the subway....I am going to alternate between the Go Train and the Subway to see what is less stressful for me...I find that the subway makes me an angry person, and I am worried i may punch someone....I am sick of the rudeness, the pushing, the blocking of doors, the smelly people and the overall attitude of the people.

In my opinion the manners in this city have gone down the toilet....I am looking forward to moving away again for a couple of years, maybe Toronto will go back to be the good city it was before.....
I look at Toronto as a young New York, although we need to squash the Violence and Rudeness before it gets out of hand....New York is a great city now, but it was not always so good....

What is up with the Raps? Getting killed by the Pacers, maybe the wrong term to use when talking about the Pacers...man what a bunch of misfits on that team...a once storied team has a collection of Knuckleheads only rivaled by the Jail Blazers of the early 2000's...Marquise Daniles has a rape occur at his house, Shaun Williams hangs out with murders, Jamal Tinsely is involved in shootings at strip clubs, and so on and so on...Larry Bird needs to change the make up of this team and FAST.....

Carlos Delfino frustrates me to no end....
Example: Watch the end of it...where is he after Manu shoots?

This leads me into my final thought....why do pro athletes still act a fool when they get their millions? I understand the loyalty to your friends thing, but at the same time you are getting paid MILLIONS of dollars to play a sport and you should realize (if they have education or not) that hanging out with guys who shoot people, or deal drugs is not a good thing anymore...you need to distance yourself from those people.....smarten up!

Old wrestling clip of the week:

Nas-Hip Hop Is Dead-The Best Rap Album

2008-02-29T20:49:00.007-05:00

When Hip Hop aficionado's think about the best rap albums ever made, they generally look to the 90's to find them. Ready to Die, the Chronic, Doggystyle, The Low End Theory, Black Sunday and Enter the Wu-Tang.
These are albums that set the stage for hip hop to become the main stream success it today. They are filled with tight rhymes, meaning and excellent production. In fact, albums today need to use beats from these albums in order to make new songs, just sad that artists cannot think of anything new.

Rap has been on the down slope since the early 2000's, and has a lot to do with the popularity of the Southern rappers. I am not writing to show how "rappers" like Lil John and Birdman have ruined rap, but they are the reason, in my opinion, that rap has been terrible for the last 4-6 years.
The only fresh sounds have come from Kanye West. I thought that on a whole hip hop was dying and quickly. But I found new love for the music through Common, Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek, Jay-Z (my favorite artist), Ghostface and Inspectah Deck and lastly Nas.

Nas has single handedly brought back hip hop and has put all the other "rappers" out there that there is still life in the "old" rappers.
Why do I think Hip Hop Is Dead is the best rap album ever produced? Because it comes at a time when rap was fading away into crappy obscurity. When Nas and Jay-Z put their "beef" to bed, and teamed up to make this album it was assured of being a success, but nobody knew to what extent.

Nas picks apart the industry and includes himself in many lines discussing those who helped int the killing of rap. He freely admits that he sold out at Sony and was looking for the dollars instead of improving on his art form. He talks about the young rappers who show no respect for those that paved their way and think because they wear a gold chain and talk about hos and bling they are rappers. Nas confronts every rapper out there and their knowledge of the industry. One line stands out: "I got an exam, let's see if you all pass. Who can quote a Daddy Kane line the fastest".
The rhymes Nas comes with are thought provoking and yet still old school gangster. Like back in the day when rappers had something to talk about, Nas comes out with tracks like Carry on Tradition where he explains to the new school of rappers that they are nothing compared to those from back in the day. He talks about how he and a few other "old rappers" are the only ones who seem to want to keep hip hop they way it was back in the day.

Where are they now is a respect song that aptly follows carry on tradition. Nas gives props to all those MC's who made an impact, but have either faded away or were forced out of the business.

The crown jewel of the album is Black Republicans with Jay-Z....the beat for this song is infectious and both rappers are at their best, cutting out crisp lines about making it in the industry and how to maintain their stature as being "from the hood".....

The beats used in every track are old gangster with deep bass lines and head bobbing sounds. All new and original material, which is unusual in this day and age. Where the classic albums form the 90's were all new sounds, they had nothing to copy as rap was still new and raw. This album comes out when everything has been done and done again with all new sounds and production.

What makes this album the best to have been made is not just the tight production of the album, the consistent theme throughout every track or the fact that Nas is at his rhyming best, but it is the fact that it came out in an era where making a classic rap album was lost. The albums mentioned in the beginning all have classic status, but that is because they were all made at a time when rap was fresh. Rap is far from that and if anything is completely stale.

Nas reminisces about when Hip Hop was great and tries to remind people and also show all those who may nor know, what it was like back in the day when Rap was fresh and new. This album leads the charge in bringing hip hop back to life, although it may be too late.

Hip Hop Is Dead is very raw and different which is something that rap lovers never thought would come along again.

I may not have convinced you, but I think it is worth consideration with the group of classic albums listed in the beginning.

How to fix the TTC

2008-01-27T09:16:00.000-05:00

Being back home now and ridding the TTC again, and after experiencing a few different transit systems in my travels, I have come to realize that the TTC needs some serious changes.

First off: MAKING MONEY
This seems to be the biggest problem the TTC seems to have, or so the claim. Here is what I think they should do to generate more revenue and actually make it the "Better Way".

Bite the bullet and install "Met Card" Systems.
Most public transit I have been on in various parts of the world work on a card system that is both efficient and cost affective. I know the TTC has said it will cost millions to change everything and put this type of payment system in, but I feel they need to swallow the moeny and do it. The TTC looses millions in counter fit tickets and tokens, and they have to have to also spend millions producing these tickets each time they get counter fitted.
A Met Card system cannot be counter fitted, nor can it be manipulated in any way. You set up the machines on buses so you walk on slide your card in and go. Same with the subway. You keep the gates that are in place now, someone slides their card in and it comes out the other side. You also put in more gates at "high traffic" stations. You set up machines to sell them at all subways and "major intersection" bus stops. You also have convenience stores selling them and any other store or venue you think people will buy them. The cards can be stored in your wallet and a lot easier to keep track of then a ticket or a token.
In the Long run, the TTC will save money and earn a lot more of it.

Create Zones
Another way to make money would be for the TTC to create various "Zones" for the bus and subway system. Now I will not pretend to know the entire Bus routes, and I know there are a lot of them, but for this purpose I am going to stick to just the Subway system.
By creating Zones, you can charge different amounts for those that use it. If someone only uses the Sheppard line, they should not have to pay as much as someone who rides into downtown.
So the Sheppard line would be considered "Zone 3"
Now to the Yonge Line: From Finch to Eglinton would be considered Zone 2 as well as Dupont to Downsview. From Davisville to Spadina would be a Zone 1.
The Bloor line: From Kennedy to Donlands would be a Zone 2 as well as Keele to Kipling. The Zone 1 on this line would consist of Pape to Dundas West.
The RT would fall under the Zone 3 as well.

Now that the zones have been created it is time to create pricing structures and various travel options. The tickets can be purchased for one Zone, two of them or all three. I truly believe if you offered various travel tickets more people would ride the subway or bus. With that, the TTC would earn more money.
Start with a "2 hour" ticket. This gives the rider the freedom to use it and get off without paying the same price for someone who uses it all day or every day for that matter. Offer benefits to using it: ex-Stamp your two hour ticket at 1pm and it is good till 4pm.
Although if stamped at 1:45 it is still good till 4. You could also create a perk that if stamped after 7pm the ticket is good till 3am that night. This may persuade more people to ride the rocket instead of driving drunk.
With the 2 hour, once the time has expired the ticket is worthless...
Next offer day passes which can be used from the time you stamp till 3 am.
Have weekly, monthly and yearly passes as well.

Now in order to make sure people are paying the right fare for the Zones they use, they have to stamp on the way out and if they have not they will be told to go to a "fare adjustment" machine. At this point the will have to insert their ticket and pay the amount needed. I know this may be time consuming, but it may force people to pay the right amount.

I truly believe that even though the TTC will spend a lot of money initially to set up the system, in the long run it will help the TTC be profitable.

The trains and the People.
I know you cannot change the rude people that ride the train, especially those people who walk into a train and STOP at the door and turn around to stand. Often with a backpack on or some book they are reading and do not want to move to let people on or off....My way of fixing this is for the TTC to install flat panels that are attached to the door sides and when the doors open they fold back and allow people on or off and then when the doors close they come out and BLOCK people from standing in the door way. Nothing bothers me more on the subway then people who stand in the door way and make it difficult for people to get on and off...The sign says "Please do not block the door way"....LEARN TO READ PEOPLE....

Require all passengers to have bathed prior to riding the train...I know this could never happen, but I can dream can't I?

There are many other things I dislike about the commuters on the subway, but it will never change unless there is some sort of campaign done to tell people they need to change to make it the better way. People who wear their backpacks frustrate me as well....

That is all from me for now..I have many other ideas to improve the ttc which will follow in further blogs.

Radom thoughts

2008-01-16T09:40:00.000-05:00

This is worth a watch....this is a typical Bogan Aussie who happens to be on the biggest Bogan t.v. show, A current Affair...Sensationalized news program.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc3dHgIrvIE

And I am not surprised that he is being loved in Australia, very typical....this kid is such a loser...this is a big problem in Australia, the kids run wild especially the boys and nobody does anything about it...."boys will be boys" as so common referred in Australia.

Just watched Crank for a second time and all I can say is if you want a non stop action packed movie, this one wins...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEXsOqdzYhE

Catching up on a lot of t.v. from the 90's this week...and I have come to the conclusion that the coolest character on t.v. in the 90's was Dwayne Wayne from a Different world....those flip glasses clinch it...

Cannot wait for Sunday..not only will the Pats win, but Marlene comes home..finally:)

Sports

2008-01-15T09:58:00.000-05:00

The Raps have looked great since the beginning of last week...when I first got home I could not believe what I was seeing, they looked brutal.
Chris Bosh has been a man possessed and looks like the all star he is...he just needs to prove it in the play offs...

I am not sold on Carlos Delfino...he thinks he should be carrying the ball when he is out there..Sam needs to tell him he is not a point guard and that he is hurting the team by trying to create on his own...he is not that kind of player.
He shoots way too much...I can see why Detroit dumped him last year, he does not fit into a game plan..he seems to want to do things on his own...that is not going to help any team win unless it is Kobe, which Delfino is NOT!

How soon till teams figure out Jamrio Moon?

I am hoping the Raps make a run at Damon Stoudamire...I would like to see Mighty Mouse back in a Raps uni..he would be a great fit coming off the bench..

T.J. Ford, meet A.J Burnett.

Is there anyone playing ball right now better than Labron???

Brandon Roy is a beast...what a draft pick that guy has turned out to be...he has some serious onions.

Scott Rolen...well I think it is an upgrade, but last season Rolen was brutal...I hope he played crappy cause he wanted out of St.Louis..otherwise the Jays have now traded for an older version of Troy Glaus..and that is not a good thing.
While the Jays are bringing in St.Louis players why doesn't J.P. bring Carpenter back...oh wait he can't pitch any more right J.P.???

Roger Clemons is a Cheater..plain and simple...he is just worried that he will not get in the Hall of Fame cause that is all he cares about...

The PATS!...what can I say but they dismantled the Jags on Saturday...
Not once did I think the Jags would win that game..the Pats offense is soooooo good, they can score whenever they want.
Now the Chargers...HA HA....reading this morning, Chargers fans are all saying they will beat down the Pats...did they not watch the game against the Colts?
Their pass defense is leaky and really not that good..they got no pressure on Manning and if it was not for Harrison's fumble and Clark dropping the ball the Colts would have won easily..

Tom Brady will have his way with the Chargers defense and they will win by 17.

Moved from My Space

2008-01-15T09:46:00.000-05:00

I have finally moved my blog from Myspace and will be closing down my account...

I am sitting here waiting for my lie to begin again....quitting my job and moving to Australia was the biggest decision I ever made and a lot of good came from it, but there is some bad as well...I guess no decision is perfect....

I am very frustrated that the Victorian Institute of Teaching LOST original documents I sent them so that I can be registered in Australia and then get registered here...but since they freaking lost them I am now far behind in being registered here in Ontario which has hindered me in applying for teaching jobs...

So back to the bank I go.

As I have said before, my time in OZ was up and down, but now time to move on and start life all over again.

I have no New Year resolutions to keep which is nice, no pressure to do anything...
All I hope is I can get a teaching job somewhere in the world....
I really want to be overseas in September....

I am bored at home, I watch a lot of movies and feel like a bum...