It was a gathering of B-Town's finest ... of B-Town's "Big 3" crews (LC, Triads and B'Hood) only 1 was missing in action last night ... (I don't include D-Pound because that was "slavery" LMFAO) ... there were quite a few (I haven't blogged about these guys before so the screennames I'm making up on the spot), among the guys making appearances last night: Anthro, Doc, "Harold", Mr. Brown, Jax, O and myself ... With the exception of Anthro, I've seen everyone else pretty sporatically over the past eight years, but really haven't hung out with any of them since high school ... so basically last night was our mini-High School reunion ... Obviously the interesting part was hearing about how far we've all come, but at the same time, how we're all pretty much of the same mindset, ie. transitioning into adulthood, dealing with adult issues ... There were never any dead points in conversation at all last night either, but at the same time, a million thoughts were goin' through my head ... tons of jokes as well, including Jax clownin' me for a comment I made, which became the punchline of the night ... I just enjoyed hearing about everyone's successes and how some have "lived the life" and have had fun over the past few years ... there was a time where I would've been envious about people: 1) having great jobs and making money, 2) livin' it up, gettin' women and partying ... but I've been there, done both, now, it's fun to me hearin' about other peoples' experiences ... It was just mad respect at that table, it really hit me that we're all grown men at this point ... at the end of the night, I went my way, while everyone went over to Jax's place for some Texas Hold'em ... I'm not really big on the whole poker thing, so I decided to call it a night ... Overall, it was a really fun night, a breath of fresh air actually, it was great seeing some familiar faces, I'm sure we'll all get together a few more times this summer, as Mr. Brown expressed interest in kickin' it with Anthro, Prophet and myself the next time we hit up a club and he also invited us out to run some pick up ball with himself, Jax and O ... With my planned vacations and spendin' time in the hometown, this summer should be one of my best in recent years ...
Speaking of "retro", how about the NBA Finals? ... don't get me wrong, I love Chauncey Billups as a player, but the chance at seeing a Boston Celtics - Los Angeles Lakers final is a treat for any NBA fan ... back to the days when basketball was great ... what more could today's fan ask for? ... The best team from the West versus the best in the East ... On top of that, this is a finals where I really don't know who's going to win ... I mean, Boston has been touted all year as the team that's destined to win ... then there's been this aura of invincibility around the Lakers since the Pau Gasol trade earlier this year, ala when Detroit dealt for Rasheed Wallace back in '04 ... something's gotta give ... Boston's strategy? I'm guessing against MVP Kobe Bryant, they'll be using a similar defensive scheme like the one they used against LeBron James ... The League's MVP and ultimate scoring weapon, up against the Defensive Player of the Year, Kevin Garnett ... Should be quite a series, I haven't been this pumped for a finals in a long time ... Lakers in 7, I'm looking for 7 close games ...
One,
- J -
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Plan B; Heartbreaking; Time Flies
my uncle phoned me yesterday to let me know that they're not driving down to NYC anymore in July, instead they will be taking a tour bus ... (my best Swirsky impression) Are you kidding me?! ... Tourbus?!, What are we, Japanese businessmen? ... He asked me if I still wanted to go ... my response, I'm not going to NYC and have someone else dictate what I do and when I do it ... I guess on to Plan B ... maybe I can bump up my Miami plans?, and go just for a weekend, Thursday to Sunday ... or maybe I can move up my trip to Jersey to hang out with my cousins ... we shall see ...
Speaking of Jersey, my aunt and uncle left this morning ... but last night we were doing a lot of catching up ... I just found out that one of their nieces, I guess I can consider her a distant cousin, died from leukemia last September, at the age of 5 ... man-oh-man ... I never got the chance to meet her ... apparently she had been symptomatic for 2 months prior to her diagnosis ... doctors were surprised that she survived that long untreated ... however, these were the same doctors that didn't even bother giving her a blood test when she initially came in for a check-up a month and a half earlier ... the survival rate for her form of cancer was 80-20 ... but I'm sure those chances decreased rapidly with the delayed diagnosis ... My aunt described her as a "vibrant little girl" ... I wish I could've met her ... it's just so sad to see how life can just be snuffed out like that ...
I did meet her older sister though back in '01, she was six back then, a really sweet child ... On a lighter note, I asked my aunt how she's doing ... she said that she's really smart and becoming a real teenager ... now she's got a $150 cellular phone and last month's bill topped $200, mostly from text messaging ... man-oh-man does time fly ... just yesterday she was a just a little girl that I laughed and joked with, now in what seems like an instant, she's a young adult with a more expensive cell phone than me ... before I know it, I'll have a family of my own ... but I plan to stretch out my bachelor life as long as possible ...
One,
- J -
Speaking of Jersey, my aunt and uncle left this morning ... but last night we were doing a lot of catching up ... I just found out that one of their nieces, I guess I can consider her a distant cousin, died from leukemia last September, at the age of 5 ... man-oh-man ... I never got the chance to meet her ... apparently she had been symptomatic for 2 months prior to her diagnosis ... doctors were surprised that she survived that long untreated ... however, these were the same doctors that didn't even bother giving her a blood test when she initially came in for a check-up a month and a half earlier ... the survival rate for her form of cancer was 80-20 ... but I'm sure those chances decreased rapidly with the delayed diagnosis ... My aunt described her as a "vibrant little girl" ... I wish I could've met her ... it's just so sad to see how life can just be snuffed out like that ...
I did meet her older sister though back in '01, she was six back then, a really sweet child ... On a lighter note, I asked my aunt how she's doing ... she said that she's really smart and becoming a real teenager ... now she's got a $150 cellular phone and last month's bill topped $200, mostly from text messaging ... man-oh-man does time fly ... just yesterday she was a just a little girl that I laughed and joked with, now in what seems like an instant, she's a young adult with a more expensive cell phone than me ... before I know it, I'll have a family of my own ... but I plan to stretch out my bachelor life as long as possible ...
One,
- J -
Monday, May 26, 2008
Inpromptu mini-Family Reunion
Tonight my dad's cousin and his wife (thus, my uncle and aunt) from New Jersey were over for dinner ... They brought along two of their friends with whom they're staying with while in Toronto, a couple of people maybe 4-5 years older than myself, maybe less, I'm not really sure ... One of them, is this girl from the Philippines, apparently she graduated kumlaude (meaning the top in her class) from the University of the Philippines (the top school in the country) ... thus, she must be some genius ... anyhow a very well spoken girl, her Filipino accent is so faint, she could pass for a white person if you spoke to her over the phone ... meanwhile, her friend is this guy from Germany, a student, who goes for training/to train others (I can't remember which) all over the world, this past week he just decided to visit Toronto because he was in Indiana for one of his training sessions ... It's always nice meeting new and different people, with different perspectives on life ...
Anyhow, back to the Fam Reunion ... a side note, I'm actually A LOT closer to my father's cousins and second-cousins (thus making their kids my second and third cousins respectively), as opposed to my father's siblings and their kids ... I consider them to be more family than my first cousins on my father's side ... they're all so spread out, anywhere from Quebec, to here in the GTA, to New Jersey and all the way to California ... great for me, because I have places to stay should I go on vacation ... At dinner time, the topics of discussion ranged anywhere from American Politics (Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama obviously), Canada vs. America (health care system, taxes, and of course I had to get my shots in regarding their dollar), Basketball, Boxing (Pacquiao baby!), Philippine politics (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's corruption and the dispair of the people under the current system), pop culture etc. ... Some points in the conversation expectedly shifted to what's going on with the "kids" (meaning myself, sis, and cousins Lax and Artist) ... With the other three absent, I took the full brunt of the jabs, there was no safe hiding place at all ... if you're Filipino, you can relate to getting these typical questions:
-"so what are you doing now?" (meaning school or work-wise)
-"when are you getting married?"
-"when do you plan to have kids?"
My parents let the cat out of the bag, announcing my intentions for leaving to Japan ... it also came up that my mother would like to become a grandmother ...
my response:
"hey if you want grandchildren, I could fix that right up ... but I ain't getting married and I can't guarantee that you'll like your grandkids' mother" ... LMFAO ...
my mother also commented on my lack of a significant other at this moment ... LOL, hahahaha ... she said told the table that I'd prefer to marry a Filipina or Latina ... gotta hand it to my mother to air out all my business, LOL ... my aunt was under the impression that there were a lot of Latinas up here in the GTA ... I informed her that wasn't the case, that they were a rarity up here ... She said she'd tell my cousin Lax to fix me up with some when I visit New Jersey, he apparently has a girl in Queens, NY, and she's got quite a few Latina friends ...
then conveniently my cousin Lax calls his mom on the cell phone at that moment ... she let him know that I would be down for the Labour Day weekend, I told him we should hang out ... him and Artist actually want me down there in the middle of the summer, so we can hit up some "beach" ... I let him know that I was going down to Phoenix, but he said to come to Jersey instead ... That's not a tough decision for me at all, Phoenix, no question ... Jersey and them Latina chicks can wait ... One thing I'd like to do in Jersey though, aside from White Castle, Labour Day shopping at Jersey Gardens, meeting Latina women and running ball is going to Six Flags Great Adventure and riding their roller coasters ... Last time I went was back in '01 so I already got to ride "Nitro", which is their equivalent to our new Wonderland coaster, The Behemoth, same drop height and similar track design ... but they've added two new coasters since then, "El Toro" (a prefabricated wooden coaster with a much higher and steeper drop than our Minebuster) and "Kingda Ka" (a steel coaster that instead of dropping you, launches you up 455 feet straight upwards at a top speed of 128mph) ... I'll be in both places (Phoenix and Jersey) this summer regardless, so I'll likely get to do everything I'm planning on ... The only thing Lax told me was to brush up on my salsa dancing ... I don't think too many people know that I trained in a whole bunch of Latin dances a few years back, everyone that's seen me perform said I killed it ... I'm in retirement mode right now, but meeting Latina women should be enough incentive to brush up on my skills ...
Can't wait to see my American cousins this summer: Zona, AVAD, Lax and Artist ... NYC, Phoenix, New Jersey and Las Vegas here I come ... Miami, I haven't forgotten about you, but I'm working on it ...
One,
- J -
Anyhow, back to the Fam Reunion ... a side note, I'm actually A LOT closer to my father's cousins and second-cousins (thus making their kids my second and third cousins respectively), as opposed to my father's siblings and their kids ... I consider them to be more family than my first cousins on my father's side ... they're all so spread out, anywhere from Quebec, to here in the GTA, to New Jersey and all the way to California ... great for me, because I have places to stay should I go on vacation ... At dinner time, the topics of discussion ranged anywhere from American Politics (Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama obviously), Canada vs. America (health care system, taxes, and of course I had to get my shots in regarding their dollar), Basketball, Boxing (Pacquiao baby!), Philippine politics (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's corruption and the dispair of the people under the current system), pop culture etc. ... Some points in the conversation expectedly shifted to what's going on with the "kids" (meaning myself, sis, and cousins Lax and Artist) ... With the other three absent, I took the full brunt of the jabs, there was no safe hiding place at all ... if you're Filipino, you can relate to getting these typical questions:
-"so what are you doing now?" (meaning school or work-wise)
-"when are you getting married?"
-"when do you plan to have kids?"
My parents let the cat out of the bag, announcing my intentions for leaving to Japan ... it also came up that my mother would like to become a grandmother ...
my response:
"hey if you want grandchildren, I could fix that right up ... but I ain't getting married and I can't guarantee that you'll like your grandkids' mother" ... LMFAO ...
my mother also commented on my lack of a significant other at this moment ... LOL, hahahaha ... she said told the table that I'd prefer to marry a Filipina or Latina ... gotta hand it to my mother to air out all my business, LOL ... my aunt was under the impression that there were a lot of Latinas up here in the GTA ... I informed her that wasn't the case, that they were a rarity up here ... She said she'd tell my cousin Lax to fix me up with some when I visit New Jersey, he apparently has a girl in Queens, NY, and she's got quite a few Latina friends ...
then conveniently my cousin Lax calls his mom on the cell phone at that moment ... she let him know that I would be down for the Labour Day weekend, I told him we should hang out ... him and Artist actually want me down there in the middle of the summer, so we can hit up some "beach" ... I let him know that I was going down to Phoenix, but he said to come to Jersey instead ... That's not a tough decision for me at all, Phoenix, no question ... Jersey and them Latina chicks can wait ... One thing I'd like to do in Jersey though, aside from White Castle, Labour Day shopping at Jersey Gardens, meeting Latina women and running ball is going to Six Flags Great Adventure and riding their roller coasters ... Last time I went was back in '01 so I already got to ride "Nitro", which is their equivalent to our new Wonderland coaster, The Behemoth, same drop height and similar track design ... but they've added two new coasters since then, "El Toro" (a prefabricated wooden coaster with a much higher and steeper drop than our Minebuster) and "Kingda Ka" (a steel coaster that instead of dropping you, launches you up 455 feet straight upwards at a top speed of 128mph) ... I'll be in both places (Phoenix and Jersey) this summer regardless, so I'll likely get to do everything I'm planning on ... The only thing Lax told me was to brush up on my salsa dancing ... I don't think too many people know that I trained in a whole bunch of Latin dances a few years back, everyone that's seen me perform said I killed it ... I'm in retirement mode right now, but meeting Latina women should be enough incentive to brush up on my skills ...
Can't wait to see my American cousins this summer: Zona, AVAD, Lax and Artist ... NYC, Phoenix, New Jersey and Las Vegas here I come ... Miami, I haven't forgotten about you, but I'm working on it ...
One,
- J -
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Flashback
I was driving in my car today and on the radio the DJ said a couple of things that brought back some good memories ...
-she said Carasauga is this weekend ... I remember seeing an advertisement for it a couple weeks back and I was actually thinking about going, but I forgot, ahh well ... for those of you who don't know, it's an annual multi-cultural festival held in Mississauga, with pavillions of various cultures in various locations all over the city ... For a couple of years, I was a part of the Phillipines pavillion, under two different dance groups ... For a couple of years our pavillion was held in Square One, then another it was at Mississauga Valley Community Centre ... Performing on those weekends was fun ... it was our Superbowl, all of our practises were to lead us to Carasauga, then a few guest performances to follow at other cultural festivals, ie. Caravan (Toronto), CHIN picnic (Toronto), one year a Filipino festival at the SkyDome in front of 60,000 (I was front-and-center stage, got my mug on the jumbotron!), even did a halftime performance for the Craptors ... Anyways back to Carasauga, what I remember is being there from Friday night all the way to late afternoon Sunday ... sure we were tired, but we got fed ... During breaks between performances, I remember being bogged down with homework, because I was such a slacker in those days ... Performing is what also brought me close to my old crew CPO, we were like a family back then, it was non-stop jokes, even messing with each other during performances ... boy do things change ... performing one year was even more hectic because I had "Grad Night", which brings us to the second thing the DJ on the radio mentioned ...
-"Grad Night" is held at Canada's Wonderland, for, yes you guessed it, the graduating class of all high schools in the Greater Toronto Area ... the DJ was saying thanks to everyone that made it out for "Grad Night" this past Friday ... What happens is that Canada's Wonderland keeps the park open Friday night all the way until the early hours of Saturday morning ... My Grad Night was fun, and tons of jokes ... I was rolling with my boys Sketch and Leash, while this guy Wong was taggin' with us ... Rode every roller coaster in the park, in the dark ... One of the things that made the night fun was seeing classmates intoxicated out of their minds, most on ecstasy (the drug of choice back then) ... It was funny even hearing them talk afterwards of how they didn't remember anything ... There were 'nuff people getting into fights that night as well, over stupid reasons, ie. giving dirty looks, LOL ... Oh and who can forget seeing classmates, that were in relationships, cheating on their significant others with total strangers in some cases ... gotta love the effects of ecstasy! ... I also ran into friends from Mississauga and Scarborough that I hadn't seen in years ... If memory serves the park closed at 7AM the next morning, then I got back home around 8-8:30, then I had to be up for 10 that same morning for Carasauga ... I remember just running on pure adrenaline for the rest of the weekend performances ...
Ahhh great memories, some which make me wish I had a videotape of it all ...
One,
- J -
-she said Carasauga is this weekend ... I remember seeing an advertisement for it a couple weeks back and I was actually thinking about going, but I forgot, ahh well ... for those of you who don't know, it's an annual multi-cultural festival held in Mississauga, with pavillions of various cultures in various locations all over the city ... For a couple of years, I was a part of the Phillipines pavillion, under two different dance groups ... For a couple of years our pavillion was held in Square One, then another it was at Mississauga Valley Community Centre ... Performing on those weekends was fun ... it was our Superbowl, all of our practises were to lead us to Carasauga, then a few guest performances to follow at other cultural festivals, ie. Caravan (Toronto), CHIN picnic (Toronto), one year a Filipino festival at the SkyDome in front of 60,000 (I was front-and-center stage, got my mug on the jumbotron!), even did a halftime performance for the Craptors ... Anyways back to Carasauga, what I remember is being there from Friday night all the way to late afternoon Sunday ... sure we were tired, but we got fed ... During breaks between performances, I remember being bogged down with homework, because I was such a slacker in those days ... Performing is what also brought me close to my old crew CPO, we were like a family back then, it was non-stop jokes, even messing with each other during performances ... boy do things change ... performing one year was even more hectic because I had "Grad Night", which brings us to the second thing the DJ on the radio mentioned ...
-"Grad Night" is held at Canada's Wonderland, for, yes you guessed it, the graduating class of all high schools in the Greater Toronto Area ... the DJ was saying thanks to everyone that made it out for "Grad Night" this past Friday ... What happens is that Canada's Wonderland keeps the park open Friday night all the way until the early hours of Saturday morning ... My Grad Night was fun, and tons of jokes ... I was rolling with my boys Sketch and Leash, while this guy Wong was taggin' with us ... Rode every roller coaster in the park, in the dark ... One of the things that made the night fun was seeing classmates intoxicated out of their minds, most on ecstasy (the drug of choice back then) ... It was funny even hearing them talk afterwards of how they didn't remember anything ... There were 'nuff people getting into fights that night as well, over stupid reasons, ie. giving dirty looks, LOL ... Oh and who can forget seeing classmates, that were in relationships, cheating on their significant others with total strangers in some cases ... gotta love the effects of ecstasy! ... I also ran into friends from Mississauga and Scarborough that I hadn't seen in years ... If memory serves the park closed at 7AM the next morning, then I got back home around 8-8:30, then I had to be up for 10 that same morning for Carasauga ... I remember just running on pure adrenaline for the rest of the weekend performances ...
Ahhh great memories, some which make me wish I had a videotape of it all ...
One,
- J -
Friday, May 23, 2008
6 Months; Monotony; Magazines
-To follow up with my last entry ... I asked the question, "what would you do if you were told you had six months to live?" ... the reason why I asked is because a close family friend was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and was given just that, six months ... Now it's a real tough situation because he has three kids, in university or just about to attend university ... I'm thinkin', first of all, what do I say to him? ... and of course, in these situations, it makes you think about your own life ... For me, what would I do?, two things: 1) spend as much time with those closest to me, 2) do as many things that I've always wanted to do in my life, within my time left ... My thoughts, prayers and much love go to my family friends in Chicago ...
-Getting to the Downtown Toronto core is one of my least favourite things to do, for one simple reason, it is monotonous ... for a while I strictly took the GO Transit bus all the way from home to downtown, but I felt like I was going crazy from the monotony, it also had to be the distinct stench of the bus ... then after that I decided to strictly make the drive to Yorkdale Mall and take the TTC train down from there, but after a while that also became monotonous ... So lately, I've been alternating between days ... Mondays and Wednesdays, GO bus, Tuesdays and Thursdays drive-TTC ... I'm sure if I continued this pattern over an extended period of time, it would become monotonous as well ... but thankfully, getting to the downtown core will only be routine for another four and a half weeks ...
-I went to the local newsstand last night (actually Indigo at Yorkdale) and picked up a few magazines ... I spent about $20 on three of them, yeah I know, I just spent $20 on junk, but I haven't bought a magazine (with the exception of the Dwight Howard issue in SLAM) in about six months, maybe more ... I picked up the latest issues of SLAM (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen cover), The RING (Joe Calzaghe cover), MAXIM (Shannon Elizabeth cover + MAXIM Hot 100 Edition) ... Of note in each magazine:
SLAM - Now on the cover, it said Chris Paul, so I'm thinking there's a feature article, but it's just a pull out poster ... CP3 is due for another cover ... After filtering through all the crap (shoe, clothing and performance enhancer ads) the issue was essentially an article on the Celtics and another on Kevin Durant ... The Celtics article spoke of "The Big Three" obviously and their impact on the resurrection of the Celtics, also talked about KG's impact on the team from a defensive perspective ... all-in-all, nothing new, and nothing I wouldn't of already heard from those so-called analysts and experts on NBA telecasts ... The Durant article talked about his struggles this season, how he was pretty raw, and making poor judgement decisions on the court ... But then again, he's a rookie, that should be expected ... he is an undeniable talent and he did win Rookie of the Year ...
The RING - had an inside look of Manny Pacquiao's home in General Santos City ... HUGE!, well for Philippines standards anyways ... It's guarded by a mini-army of armed guards, which is a given ... Pacquiao's wife is pretty hot, but then again, most girls from the south in that country are ... I wonder if he met her before or after his rise to stardom? ... There's an article on the upcoming Miguel Cotto - Antonio Margarito fight, it pretty much summed up what I said in my last entry, but the way The RING put it is its "A Gift From Mayweather" ... P*ssy Boy Floyd ducking both Cotto and Margarito, allowed them both to have to settle for a match with each other ... It's guaranteed to be more of an action packed fight than if either of them matched up with Mayweather, who's a defensive fighter ... Finally, there was a column on Bernard Hopkins' pre-fight comment to Joe Calzaghe on how he "ain't ever gonna lose to a white boy" ... Now I agree with the writer, because it was a stupid comment ... First of all, because he lost ... Secondly, not because it was racist, but because he made the statement publicly ... I've said it before, everyone has a bit of racism in them, to one degree or another, but you can't be saying this sh*t in public, because society and the media will eat you up, especially if you're in the public eye ...
MAXIM - The thing of note was their HOT 100 list ... That has got to be the worst compiled list of all-time, in any magazine, that was the last issue of of MAXIM I'm buying for a while, they've completely lost their credibility and my respect (that is at least until they come out with another Jessica Alba or Eva Mendes cover, LOL) ... The top 10 is as follows: Marissa Miller, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Eva Longoria Parker, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elisha Cuthbert, Eva Mendes, Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan and Ashley Tisdale ... perhaps the most telling thing for me is that Alicia Keys is ranked at 77, she's hotter than 9 of those top 10 ... And I am absolutely stunned that Jessica Alba didn't make the top 10 ... top 20? nope ... top 30? nope ... she's ranked at 34 ... This list had to be put together by a bunch of white college guys, thus I'm surprised that Jennifer Aniston didn't make the cut ... Ashley Tisdale?, how the hell is she ranked higher than Vanessa Hudgens (12) ... As for my only other notables on that list: Rachel Bilson (28), (Filipino by association) Fergie (35) and (half-Filipino, even though she's acting like a white girl) Vanessa Minnillo (69) ... I know I'm not gay and I know I'm not going blind, so there must be something terribly wrong if there are only 6 hot women on a list of the so-called "top" 100 ...
One,
- J -
-Getting to the Downtown Toronto core is one of my least favourite things to do, for one simple reason, it is monotonous ... for a while I strictly took the GO Transit bus all the way from home to downtown, but I felt like I was going crazy from the monotony, it also had to be the distinct stench of the bus ... then after that I decided to strictly make the drive to Yorkdale Mall and take the TTC train down from there, but after a while that also became monotonous ... So lately, I've been alternating between days ... Mondays and Wednesdays, GO bus, Tuesdays and Thursdays drive-TTC ... I'm sure if I continued this pattern over an extended period of time, it would become monotonous as well ... but thankfully, getting to the downtown core will only be routine for another four and a half weeks ...
-I went to the local newsstand last night (actually Indigo at Yorkdale) and picked up a few magazines ... I spent about $20 on three of them, yeah I know, I just spent $20 on junk, but I haven't bought a magazine (with the exception of the Dwight Howard issue in SLAM) in about six months, maybe more ... I picked up the latest issues of SLAM (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen cover), The RING (Joe Calzaghe cover), MAXIM (Shannon Elizabeth cover + MAXIM Hot 100 Edition) ... Of note in each magazine:
SLAM - Now on the cover, it said Chris Paul, so I'm thinking there's a feature article, but it's just a pull out poster ... CP3 is due for another cover ... After filtering through all the crap (shoe, clothing and performance enhancer ads) the issue was essentially an article on the Celtics and another on Kevin Durant ... The Celtics article spoke of "The Big Three" obviously and their impact on the resurrection of the Celtics, also talked about KG's impact on the team from a defensive perspective ... all-in-all, nothing new, and nothing I wouldn't of already heard from those so-called analysts and experts on NBA telecasts ... The Durant article talked about his struggles this season, how he was pretty raw, and making poor judgement decisions on the court ... But then again, he's a rookie, that should be expected ... he is an undeniable talent and he did win Rookie of the Year ...
The RING - had an inside look of Manny Pacquiao's home in General Santos City ... HUGE!, well for Philippines standards anyways ... It's guarded by a mini-army of armed guards, which is a given ... Pacquiao's wife is pretty hot, but then again, most girls from the south in that country are ... I wonder if he met her before or after his rise to stardom? ... There's an article on the upcoming Miguel Cotto - Antonio Margarito fight, it pretty much summed up what I said in my last entry, but the way The RING put it is its "A Gift From Mayweather" ... P*ssy Boy Floyd ducking both Cotto and Margarito, allowed them both to have to settle for a match with each other ... It's guaranteed to be more of an action packed fight than if either of them matched up with Mayweather, who's a defensive fighter ... Finally, there was a column on Bernard Hopkins' pre-fight comment to Joe Calzaghe on how he "ain't ever gonna lose to a white boy" ... Now I agree with the writer, because it was a stupid comment ... First of all, because he lost ... Secondly, not because it was racist, but because he made the statement publicly ... I've said it before, everyone has a bit of racism in them, to one degree or another, but you can't be saying this sh*t in public, because society and the media will eat you up, especially if you're in the public eye ...
MAXIM - The thing of note was their HOT 100 list ... That has got to be the worst compiled list of all-time, in any magazine, that was the last issue of of MAXIM I'm buying for a while, they've completely lost their credibility and my respect (that is at least until they come out with another Jessica Alba or Eva Mendes cover, LOL) ... The top 10 is as follows: Marissa Miller, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Eva Longoria Parker, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elisha Cuthbert, Eva Mendes, Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan and Ashley Tisdale ... perhaps the most telling thing for me is that Alicia Keys is ranked at 77, she's hotter than 9 of those top 10 ... And I am absolutely stunned that Jessica Alba didn't make the top 10 ... top 20? nope ... top 30? nope ... she's ranked at 34 ... This list had to be put together by a bunch of white college guys, thus I'm surprised that Jennifer Aniston didn't make the cut ... Ashley Tisdale?, how the hell is she ranked higher than Vanessa Hudgens (12) ... As for my only other notables on that list: Rachel Bilson (28), (Filipino by association) Fergie (35) and (half-Filipino, even though she's acting like a white girl) Vanessa Minnillo (69) ... I know I'm not gay and I know I'm not going blind, so there must be something terribly wrong if there are only 6 hot women on a list of the so-called "top" 100 ...
One,
- J -
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Random Shots
let's start off with some sports:
-Kobe Bryant's in top form, rallying his Los Angeles Lakers back from a 20-point deficit ... I know the conference finals are far from over, but I'm predicting and hoping for a Lakers-Boston Celtics final ... I'm sure the media would have a field day with a throwback/vintage final as well ... The Kobe Bryant/Lamar Odom/Pau Gasol vs. Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce/Ray Allen matchup would be something to see ... On top of that the MVP (Bryant) and Defensive Player of the Year (Garnett) in the same series ... I'll take the Lakers should that matchup go down ...
-Boxing ... hmmm what's coming up? ... Manny Pacquiao vs. David Diaz on June 28, and Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito on July 26 ... I'm always amped for a PacMan fight, but surprisingly I'm more looking forward to Cotto-Margarito ... Pacquiao is slowly but surely transitioning from fighter to attraction, ala Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya ... This fight with Diaz will be pivotal for PacMan and will reveal whether or not Pacquiao is still at his peak or past it ... This will be his first fight at 135 lbs (lightweight), but I still take Pacquiao ... I'm not going to predict a knockout, because this fight is tough to gage ... Sure Diaz had trouble against his last opponent (some no-name sparring partner), but I'm sure he'll be at his best (like Juan Manuel Marquez) in his fight against Pacquiao ... As for Cotto-Margarito, this fight in my opinion and the opinion of most people will decide the undisputed number 1 contender to Floyd "P*ssy Boy" G*yweather for top spot in the Welterweight Division ... Both fighters have taken out the best in the division (Cotto took out Zab Judah and Shane Mosley, while Margarito recently stopped Kermit Cintron, Paul Williams took himself out of the picture with his upset loss to Carlos Quintana) ... No matter who comes out on top, I still see G*yweather ducking the winner, he sees both fighters as clear threats to his title and undefeated record ... As for this fight, it'll probably end up being a contender for fight of the year ... both guys hit hard and throw punches with regularity ... I'll take Cotto, but I won't count out Margarito, Cotto's guard/defense is a bit lax at times and with Margarito's knockout power, if he catches Cotto, it may be lights out ...
-I just found out today that the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the Stanley Cup Final ... the only reason this interests me and the only reason why I even mentioned it on my blog, is that my Newman friend, Chipy, must be busting a nut over in Vietnam ... he is what you call a die-hard Penguins fan ... I'm sure the Penguins in the final makes the NHL very happy as well, it gives them an opportunity to p*mp their "golden boy" Sidney Crosby ... If there's anything I hate more than Soccer and Mixed Martial Arts, it's hockey ...
Elsewhere:
-again, another delayed J-Smooth reaction ... I just found out that Mariah Carey just got married to Nick Cannon ... Now there was a time: 1) where I would've actually cared, 2) where I would've given anything to be with Mariah Carey ... but that was a LONG time ago, things change, tastes change, back in those days I had spikey hair ... I was also a huge fan of her music ... In my opinion, her last hot album was Daydream (her pre-skank, pre-divorce days) ... the album Butterfly all the way down to The Emancipation of Mimi were all trash ... delayed reaction again, I just found out she released a new album as well, E=MC2 ... There was a time where I would've been first in line at the music store to pick up her new CD ... but this is the new age, UTorrent!!! ... But even still, I think I'll take my time downloading that one, I'm sure I'm not missing out on anything ...
-I was in the room, while my parents were watching the American Idol Season Finale last night ... I only caught the announcement of the winner, I didn't even know the two finalists' names until about a week ago ... David Cook and David Archuletta, man they both suck! ... The only Idol that produced music that I actually like is Chris Daughtry, while the only Idols (American or Canadian) that I think have any kind of talent other than Daughtry are Elliott Yamin and Kelly Clarkson ... As for last nights finalists, I just can't believe how people can support mediocrity (and that's being nice), but then again I see it all the time with people up here in Toronto and how they support their teams and players ...
-Finally, I'll end this off with a question ... what would you do if you were told you had six months to live? ...
One,
- J -
-Kobe Bryant's in top form, rallying his Los Angeles Lakers back from a 20-point deficit ... I know the conference finals are far from over, but I'm predicting and hoping for a Lakers-Boston Celtics final ... I'm sure the media would have a field day with a throwback/vintage final as well ... The Kobe Bryant/Lamar Odom/Pau Gasol vs. Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce/Ray Allen matchup would be something to see ... On top of that the MVP (Bryant) and Defensive Player of the Year (Garnett) in the same series ... I'll take the Lakers should that matchup go down ...
-Boxing ... hmmm what's coming up? ... Manny Pacquiao vs. David Diaz on June 28, and Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito on July 26 ... I'm always amped for a PacMan fight, but surprisingly I'm more looking forward to Cotto-Margarito ... Pacquiao is slowly but surely transitioning from fighter to attraction, ala Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya ... This fight with Diaz will be pivotal for PacMan and will reveal whether or not Pacquiao is still at his peak or past it ... This will be his first fight at 135 lbs (lightweight), but I still take Pacquiao ... I'm not going to predict a knockout, because this fight is tough to gage ... Sure Diaz had trouble against his last opponent (some no-name sparring partner), but I'm sure he'll be at his best (like Juan Manuel Marquez) in his fight against Pacquiao ... As for Cotto-Margarito, this fight in my opinion and the opinion of most people will decide the undisputed number 1 contender to Floyd "P*ssy Boy" G*yweather for top spot in the Welterweight Division ... Both fighters have taken out the best in the division (Cotto took out Zab Judah and Shane Mosley, while Margarito recently stopped Kermit Cintron, Paul Williams took himself out of the picture with his upset loss to Carlos Quintana) ... No matter who comes out on top, I still see G*yweather ducking the winner, he sees both fighters as clear threats to his title and undefeated record ... As for this fight, it'll probably end up being a contender for fight of the year ... both guys hit hard and throw punches with regularity ... I'll take Cotto, but I won't count out Margarito, Cotto's guard/defense is a bit lax at times and with Margarito's knockout power, if he catches Cotto, it may be lights out ...
-I just found out today that the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the Stanley Cup Final ... the only reason this interests me and the only reason why I even mentioned it on my blog, is that my Newman friend, Chipy, must be busting a nut over in Vietnam ... he is what you call a die-hard Penguins fan ... I'm sure the Penguins in the final makes the NHL very happy as well, it gives them an opportunity to p*mp their "golden boy" Sidney Crosby ... If there's anything I hate more than Soccer and Mixed Martial Arts, it's hockey ...
Elsewhere:
-again, another delayed J-Smooth reaction ... I just found out that Mariah Carey just got married to Nick Cannon ... Now there was a time: 1) where I would've actually cared, 2) where I would've given anything to be with Mariah Carey ... but that was a LONG time ago, things change, tastes change, back in those days I had spikey hair ... I was also a huge fan of her music ... In my opinion, her last hot album was Daydream (her pre-skank, pre-divorce days) ... the album Butterfly all the way down to The Emancipation of Mimi were all trash ... delayed reaction again, I just found out she released a new album as well, E=MC2 ... There was a time where I would've been first in line at the music store to pick up her new CD ... but this is the new age, UTorrent!!! ... But even still, I think I'll take my time downloading that one, I'm sure I'm not missing out on anything ...
-I was in the room, while my parents were watching the American Idol Season Finale last night ... I only caught the announcement of the winner, I didn't even know the two finalists' names until about a week ago ... David Cook and David Archuletta, man they both suck! ... The only Idol that produced music that I actually like is Chris Daughtry, while the only Idols (American or Canadian) that I think have any kind of talent other than Daughtry are Elliott Yamin and Kelly Clarkson ... As for last nights finalists, I just can't believe how people can support mediocrity (and that's being nice), but then again I see it all the time with people up here in Toronto and how they support their teams and players ...
-Finally, I'll end this off with a question ... what would you do if you were told you had six months to live? ...
One,
- J -
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
take on the NBA Draft Lottery results
This year's draft really doesn't intrigue me ... there are really no "program changers" within this year's class, but there are three really solid prospects in my opinion ... Man-oh-man, Chicago's had really good luck over the past decade as far as the lottery results are concerned ... I think the consensus 1-2 in this year's draft are Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley ... I think that Chicago should go with Rose, he is just solid ... an unselfish combo guard, should fit well within their system, I don't think that the Bulls can go with Kirk Hinrich moving forward, quite honestly I've never really been a fan of his ... reminds me of an American version of Jose Frauderon, over-rated! ... But should the Bulls go with Beasley, he should provide them with the low post scoring punch that they've lacked since they foolishly traded away Elton Brand ... Personally, I'm not a big fan of Beasley ... The team with the second pick, The Miami Heat, is apparently salivating over Rose, but they may get c*ckblocked by the Bulls ... A Dwyane Wade-Derrick Rose, all-ChiTown backcourt would be explosive and definitely something to see ... but, getting Beasley wouldn't be bad for them either ...
The prospect whom I'm most interested in his destination is The University of Arizona's Jerryd Bayless, (of course!) ... Should he fall to the Seattle, uh Oklahoma City, Supersonics at the fourth pick, they would instantly become my new team ... I've been searching for a new team to follow, and since Chris Paul and Dwight Howard won't be put on the same team anytime soon, this would be the next best thing ... A Kevin Durant - Jeff Green - Jerryd Bayless core would be absolutely s!ck ... A gifted scorer (Durant), playmaker (Bayless) and utility player (Green), they would compliment each other well ... The thing I like about them as well, is that none of their egos are through the roof ***cough, cough, LeBron James*** ... Hopefully, The Minnesota Timberwolves, who hold the third pick, don't c*ckblock the Sonics and wreck my hopes ...
Bet anything that the Craptors draft another soft-a** Euro with their pick at 17 ...
One,
- J -
The prospect whom I'm most interested in his destination is The University of Arizona's Jerryd Bayless, (of course!) ... Should he fall to the Seattle, uh Oklahoma City, Supersonics at the fourth pick, they would instantly become my new team ... I've been searching for a new team to follow, and since Chris Paul and Dwight Howard won't be put on the same team anytime soon, this would be the next best thing ... A Kevin Durant - Jeff Green - Jerryd Bayless core would be absolutely s!ck ... A gifted scorer (Durant), playmaker (Bayless) and utility player (Green), they would compliment each other well ... The thing I like about them as well, is that none of their egos are through the roof ***cough, cough, LeBron James*** ... Hopefully, The Minnesota Timberwolves, who hold the third pick, don't c*ckblock the Sonics and wreck my hopes ...
Bet anything that the Craptors draft another soft-a** Euro with their pick at 17 ...
One,
- J -
Sunday, May 18, 2008
J-Smooth's Summer Taking Shape
Yeah! ... I struck gold! ... I have a tentative verbal agreement with the higher powers, for my long-awaited return trip to Phoenix ... The only order of business left would be getting a flight booked ... As far as my excitement levels go, Zona and myself have already been talking about plans for when I'm down there ... The restaurants, places to go (including "Sin City" Las Vegas), things to do (D-Backs game, visit to U of A) ... I'm so lookin' forward to it, because I haven't been on a real vacation since the Philippines back in 06-07 ...
Speaking of Zona, it'll be great to chill with him and his sis this summer ... we barely kick it as is, due to geographic factors ...
Elsewhere, looks like I'm taking not one, but two trips to NYC ... first in the beginning of July with extended family, driving down for a weekend ... Then on Labour Day weekend, spend maybe about a week in the city and New Jersey as well with my cousins ...
All in all it promises to be a very eventful summer ...
But it would also be nice to "have my cake and eat it too" ... If I had an opportunity at another short trip, I would like to go to Miami some time this fall, after hurricane season ... Afterall, these may be my last few months in the T-Dot ... Maybe I can coerce Prophet and Anthro to roll with me down to "South Beach", then test our "games" there ... Yeah I'm calling you boys out, holler at me ...
But as far as the summer goes, one thing at a time ...
One,
- J -
Speaking of Zona, it'll be great to chill with him and his sis this summer ... we barely kick it as is, due to geographic factors ...
Elsewhere, looks like I'm taking not one, but two trips to NYC ... first in the beginning of July with extended family, driving down for a weekend ... Then on Labour Day weekend, spend maybe about a week in the city and New Jersey as well with my cousins ...
All in all it promises to be a very eventful summer ...
But it would also be nice to "have my cake and eat it too" ... If I had an opportunity at another short trip, I would like to go to Miami some time this fall, after hurricane season ... Afterall, these may be my last few months in the T-Dot ... Maybe I can coerce Prophet and Anthro to roll with me down to "South Beach", then test our "games" there ... Yeah I'm calling you boys out, holler at me ...
But as far as the summer goes, one thing at a time ...
One,
- J -
Saturday, May 17, 2008
A B-Town Friday Night
didn't really feel like heading to downtown so, Anthro and myself just kicked it in the hometown ... the usual suspects, running mates (Prophet and Roldy) were noticeably absent, while a returning Dumpling sold us out ... Anyhow, it was J-Smooth vs. Anthro, not in terms of "The Game" though, we put the "artillery" down for one night and settled our differences like men in a round of billiards ... The results? ...
8-Ball (Best of 7): Anthro 4 - J-Smooth 3
-notes: J-Smooth sunk the eight ball pre-maturely in the decisive 7th game, thus Anthro didn't "win", J-Smooth lost ...
9-Ball (Best of 7): J-Smooth 4 - Anthro 2
-notes: Anthro took the first game, J-Smooth took the second, Anthro the third ... Then J-Smooth in a statement of dominance reeled off three straight wins ... the highlight was definitely the 5-9 combo for J-Smooth's fourth win ...
I didn't want Anthro to be all bitter the rest of the night, so I said that we should play a sudden death game, winner-take-all, but I allowed Anthro to pick the game, and allowed him to break first, so he would have no excuses ... he picked 8-Ball ...
Results? ... It was pretty back and forth ... now fast forward to the later stages of the game ... Anthro had 4 balls left on the table, myself 3 (both including the final 8-ball) ... I missed my final shot, and in a pressure-packed performance, Anthro sunk his final 4 to win it ...
J-Smooth observations: Anthro needed his A-game to get that last win ... I've never seen him so focused and determined in any of our past games ... 9-Ball is J-Smooth's game, while 8-Ball is Anthro's, however, I'm slowly gaining ground in terms of 8-Ball ... That's right Anthro, "as you can see, my 'Jedi' skills have far surpassed yours", LMFAO ...
As for the rest of the night ...
-caught a bit of the Lakers-Jazz game ...
-headed over to Sonny's ... which Anthro is finding every reason to hate ... because he has a fix on this other Sonny's-type joint in the east end, North York, called Johnny's ... afterwards, Anthro claimed Johnny's superiority in terms of quality and price ... As far as I'm concerned prices speak for themselves, but it's pretty hard to top Sonny's as compared to other places in the GTA ...
One,
- J -
8-Ball (Best of 7): Anthro 4 - J-Smooth 3
-notes: J-Smooth sunk the eight ball pre-maturely in the decisive 7th game, thus Anthro didn't "win", J-Smooth lost ...
9-Ball (Best of 7): J-Smooth 4 - Anthro 2
-notes: Anthro took the first game, J-Smooth took the second, Anthro the third ... Then J-Smooth in a statement of dominance reeled off three straight wins ... the highlight was definitely the 5-9 combo for J-Smooth's fourth win ...
I didn't want Anthro to be all bitter the rest of the night, so I said that we should play a sudden death game, winner-take-all, but I allowed Anthro to pick the game, and allowed him to break first, so he would have no excuses ... he picked 8-Ball ...
Results? ... It was pretty back and forth ... now fast forward to the later stages of the game ... Anthro had 4 balls left on the table, myself 3 (both including the final 8-ball) ... I missed my final shot, and in a pressure-packed performance, Anthro sunk his final 4 to win it ...
J-Smooth observations: Anthro needed his A-game to get that last win ... I've never seen him so focused and determined in any of our past games ... 9-Ball is J-Smooth's game, while 8-Ball is Anthro's, however, I'm slowly gaining ground in terms of 8-Ball ... That's right Anthro, "as you can see, my 'Jedi' skills have far surpassed yours", LMFAO ...
As for the rest of the night ...
-caught a bit of the Lakers-Jazz game ...
-headed over to Sonny's ... which Anthro is finding every reason to hate ... because he has a fix on this other Sonny's-type joint in the east end, North York, called Johnny's ... afterwards, Anthro claimed Johnny's superiority in terms of quality and price ... As far as I'm concerned prices speak for themselves, but it's pretty hard to top Sonny's as compared to other places in the GTA ...
One,
- J -
Friday, May 16, 2008
ibeatYou.com "challenge the world"
another installment of J-Smooth's YouTube trolling adventure ...
so I hit up YouTube this morning and my eyes are immediately drawn to the "Featured Videos", one of Jessica Alba and a "staring contest" ... First of all, it's Jessica Alba, so obviously I clicked on it to see what it was all about ... She was answering the challenge of this Asian kid, going by the screenname kevjumba, to a staring contest ... Now I'm thinking What the hell? ... Why would Jessica Alba be doing this? ... then I read the description and it's all for this website ibeatYou.com ... kevjumba was originally challenged by Baron Davis, yes that one!, of the Golden State Warriors!, the one who had the nastiest dunk in last season's playoffs over Andrei Kirilenko!, yes THE Baron Davis! (I know you all like that build-up in my run-on sentence) ... So now I'm hooked, I had to find out what this website was all about ... so I checked it out, and the gimmick is simple, challenge anyone in the world, to any type of contest and put it on video ... call out anyone ... Steve Nash is also on there, he made a challenge for most free throws made in a minute ... Jessica Alba BTW, has in turn challenged Nash to the staring contest ... oh gosh, I have a feeling this website takes off as well, ala Facebook, YouTube and Myspace ... one final thing, I'm thinkin', that's all I needed to do, to get Jessica Alba to acknowledge/notice me?, a staring contest? why didn't I think of that? ... Secondly, Why couldn't I think of starting a website like this? ... I guess that's the feeling most people get when a new website gets big, the concept so simple and as a result, so much money in it ... Ahhh, what will they think of next? ...
oh, here are the vids:
Jessica Alba:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmzcKXsllWs
Steve Nash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMP3TVHhpFE
Baron Davis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDxPlvfjQ8Q
One,
- J -
so I hit up YouTube this morning and my eyes are immediately drawn to the "Featured Videos", one of Jessica Alba and a "staring contest" ... First of all, it's Jessica Alba, so obviously I clicked on it to see what it was all about ... She was answering the challenge of this Asian kid, going by the screenname kevjumba, to a staring contest ... Now I'm thinking What the hell? ... Why would Jessica Alba be doing this? ... then I read the description and it's all for this website ibeatYou.com ... kevjumba was originally challenged by Baron Davis, yes that one!, of the Golden State Warriors!, the one who had the nastiest dunk in last season's playoffs over Andrei Kirilenko!, yes THE Baron Davis! (I know you all like that build-up in my run-on sentence) ... So now I'm hooked, I had to find out what this website was all about ... so I checked it out, and the gimmick is simple, challenge anyone in the world, to any type of contest and put it on video ... call out anyone ... Steve Nash is also on there, he made a challenge for most free throws made in a minute ... Jessica Alba BTW, has in turn challenged Nash to the staring contest ... oh gosh, I have a feeling this website takes off as well, ala Facebook, YouTube and Myspace ... one final thing, I'm thinkin', that's all I needed to do, to get Jessica Alba to acknowledge/notice me?, a staring contest? why didn't I think of that? ... Secondly, Why couldn't I think of starting a website like this? ... I guess that's the feeling most people get when a new website gets big, the concept so simple and as a result, so much money in it ... Ahhh, what will they think of next? ...
oh, here are the vids:
Jessica Alba:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmzcKXsllWs
Steve Nash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMP3TVHhpFE
Baron Davis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDxPlvfjQ8Q
One,
- J -
Thursday, May 15, 2008
"Sniff of the Danforth"
Before I get to today's events and the premise of my blog, a little background info for those of you unfamiliar with the Greater Toronto Area ... We have this annual event called "Taste of the Danforth", held on Danforth Avenue (obviously), held over a weekend in the summer and it's where people have "booths" set up in front of the local businesses/shops/stores serving food (99% Greek Food as there is a high concentration of Greeks on the Danforth) ... There are also a lot of things going on around, like live musical performances, games, thus it's a family thing ... On a personal note (and it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone from here), "Taste of the Danforth" has really become over-commercialized in the past 5-8 years ... I remember going in 2000 or 2001 and gyros cost around $2, $2.50 at most, I went in '05 or '06 and (if memory serves) they were priced anywhere from $4.50 - $6 ... Some of my Greek friends that I used to work with, tell me they don't even bother going anymore, because they say, why buy food that they can prepare at home, if they do end up going, it's for social purposes ... Maybe I'll go again this year, if I have nothing better to do that weekend ...
Today I was on the Danforth conducting a study, with very tight time contraints ... Walking by you can just smell all the food coming from the restaurants ... I was thinking, "man, I wish I could stay and eat" ... Ahhh well, another time ... For those of you wondering, I was conducting a study on the cultural demographic and the types of businesses in the area ... My area covered about one block ... As for the cultural demographic, my task was to stand/sit in one area and count the number of pedestrians that walked by over a 15-minute period, based on their cultural demographic ... Results? ... Caucasian: 127, Visible Minority: 15 ... I'm not surprised at all, considering it is a caucasian (more specifically Greek) community, but on the other hand I never expected the results to be that staggering ... As for the business types, only 12 out of 71 businesses were retail chains (aka Franchises), meaning it's a strip of independent businesses ... Like a said in a blog entry a while back, I think most studies are pointless as relates to me ... As for the results of my study, they made me stop for a second and say "wow", but ultimately my lasting impression from today was the smell of the food ... hence, the title of this entry ... man, I'm hungry ...
One,
- J -
Today I was on the Danforth conducting a study, with very tight time contraints ... Walking by you can just smell all the food coming from the restaurants ... I was thinking, "man, I wish I could stay and eat" ... Ahhh well, another time ... For those of you wondering, I was conducting a study on the cultural demographic and the types of businesses in the area ... My area covered about one block ... As for the cultural demographic, my task was to stand/sit in one area and count the number of pedestrians that walked by over a 15-minute period, based on their cultural demographic ... Results? ... Caucasian: 127, Visible Minority: 15 ... I'm not surprised at all, considering it is a caucasian (more specifically Greek) community, but on the other hand I never expected the results to be that staggering ... As for the business types, only 12 out of 71 businesses were retail chains (aka Franchises), meaning it's a strip of independent businesses ... Like a said in a blog entry a while back, I think most studies are pointless as relates to me ... As for the results of my study, they made me stop for a second and say "wow", but ultimately my lasting impression from today was the smell of the food ... hence, the title of this entry ... man, I'm hungry ...
One,
- J -
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Smallville "jumped the shark"?; 90210 Back?
Some continuity with my previous entry ... another phrase that annoys me, albeit not a household/overused phrase, is "jumping the shark" ... it's a term used to describe when television shows have gone away from what made it successful in the first place, or in layman's terms when a show has peaked and started to suck ... Even though this phrase annoys me, it has some practical application for a show that I used to love, which is the basis for this entry ... Smallville, now I've been watching the show since its debut back in 2001, and for its first 3 seasons, it was undoubtedly my favourite show on TV, I don't think I missed an episode in each of those years ... Now over the past few seasons, I haven't been watching as religiously, but I still keep pretty up to date on what's going on ... Some of Smallville's purists or fanboys/girls may argue that the show has already "jumped the shark", but I've caught a handful of this season's episodes (including tonight's season finale) and I'd say the show is still somewhat intriguing ... But I've been reading up in recent weeks on various websites that series originals, Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor), Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) and Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan) are all departing from the series (at least as far as them being series regulars) ... Now that would only leave Tom Welling (Clark Kent) as the only original cast member remaining for next season ... I'd say that alone would merit the series as having "jumped the shark" ... but I guess there are only so many storylines that you can come up with for the original cast members ... it's also my guess that each of them have their own reasons for leaving the show, probably fear of being type-cast, hindering the rest of their careers ... Smallville has been around for so long, but it just seems like yesterday that it made its debut ... maybe producers decide to end Smallville after season 8 (next season), if that is the case it would be sad to see it go ... But continuing the series without Lex Luthor, that would be a huge void left indeed ... I personally would've ended the show after 7 seasons (considering all the departures), but we'll see what happens ...
Now another show, which I thought was dead and buried is apparently on its way back, Beverly Hills 90210 ... It's said that a few original cast members will be returning to reprise their original roles ... uhhhh! ... How many seasons did that show get?, I think 10 ... I'm not going to front and say I never watched it, but come on, let it go people! ...
One,
- J -
Now another show, which I thought was dead and buried is apparently on its way back, Beverly Hills 90210 ... It's said that a few original cast members will be returning to reprise their original roles ... uhhhh! ... How many seasons did that show get?, I think 10 ... I'm not going to front and say I never watched it, but come on, let it go people! ...
One,
- J -
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Annoying Words, Expressions
In my opinion, there are tons ... but here are just a few that stick out and come to mind first ...
"Noob", a variation of "Newbie" - in fact, both words are dumb ... used to ridicule someone of inexperience in one thing or another ... I hear kids use this and I also see it on the 'net as well ... I guess when intelligence is lost from generation to generation, language is unfortunately a casualty ... Call me a hypocrite, because I use slang all the time, but I'm sure people could've come up with better words than "Noob" and "Newbie" ...
"Pre-Drink" - perhaps the dumbest invented word, used to describe drinking before heading out for a club/bar/lounge for the evening, so that you already go with an inital buzz and to save some money from the ridiculous bar prices ... as for it's application, "yo, we're going to meet up at ______ place first for a pre-drink" ... first of all it sounds stupid ... second of all, the prefix "pre" means/implies before ... thus, the word "pre-drink" literally means before drink ... but that's stupid because you're not "pre" drinking, you're already drinking ... It's a stupid word, I hear my cousins use it all the time and it's annoying ... When I hear someone use it, it's like someone trying to be cool by using it, at the same time I think, couldn't you come up with a better word ...
"It is, what it is" - now this is dumb ... used when a situation arises, where there seems to be no control over it ... My problem with it is, what "is"? ... it also pre-supposes what "is" ... it transforms "is" into an implied or supposedly understood entity ... I used to hear this one a lot in my corporate office days ...
now my "all-time fave" ... "aww, for Pete's sakes" ... LOL ... who the f*ck is Pete? ... nuff said ...
I'm sure there are more words and expressions, but none come to mind right now, however, I plan to compile a list ...
One,
- J -
"Noob", a variation of "Newbie" - in fact, both words are dumb ... used to ridicule someone of inexperience in one thing or another ... I hear kids use this and I also see it on the 'net as well ... I guess when intelligence is lost from generation to generation, language is unfortunately a casualty ... Call me a hypocrite, because I use slang all the time, but I'm sure people could've come up with better words than "Noob" and "Newbie" ...
"Pre-Drink" - perhaps the dumbest invented word, used to describe drinking before heading out for a club/bar/lounge for the evening, so that you already go with an inital buzz and to save some money from the ridiculous bar prices ... as for it's application, "yo, we're going to meet up at ______ place first for a pre-drink" ... first of all it sounds stupid ... second of all, the prefix "pre" means/implies before ... thus, the word "pre-drink" literally means before drink ... but that's stupid because you're not "pre" drinking, you're already drinking ... It's a stupid word, I hear my cousins use it all the time and it's annoying ... When I hear someone use it, it's like someone trying to be cool by using it, at the same time I think, couldn't you come up with a better word ...
"It is, what it is" - now this is dumb ... used when a situation arises, where there seems to be no control over it ... My problem with it is, what "is"? ... it also pre-supposes what "is" ... it transforms "is" into an implied or supposedly understood entity ... I used to hear this one a lot in my corporate office days ...
now my "all-time fave" ... "aww, for Pete's sakes" ... LOL ... who the f*ck is Pete? ... nuff said ...
I'm sure there are more words and expressions, but none come to mind right now, however, I plan to compile a list ...
One,
- J -
Monday, May 12, 2008
Even more Randoms
-May God be with the victims of the quake in China ...
-speaking of tragedies, apparently the military-controlled Myanmar is not allowing humanitarian aid workers into the country (especially Americans) ... But they are allowing the aid supplies in ... What their government is doing is just criminal, if you ask me ...
-I have this inner conflict between Burrito Fresh (Downtown Toronto) and Mucho Burrito (local town) ... I declared a Mucho Burrito victory a few entries back, but Burrito Fresh seems to be inching its way back ... there's this hot latina lady that works there, she's probably in her early to mid 30's ... oh man, latino food + latina women = J-Smooth's paradise ... LOL ...
-Hugh Hefner is already planting the seed for Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, to pose in Playboy when she turns 18, quoted as saying, “She would be welcomed in the magazine. She’s a very pretty lady” ... it's kind of like how agents and scouts, trying to sign grade school ball players ... Hugh's one s*ck MoF*cker if you ask me ...
-so our Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to invest more of Canada's money into our military ... I guess those Liberal campaign commercials years back were right, about how the Conservatives want to slowly turn Canada into an American-like country ... what's next? privatized health care? making hand guns more accessible? ...
-I don't understand the fuss with the following video games: Grand Theft Auto, Halo, Rockband and Guitar Hero ... these seem to be the hottest games on the market for video gamers right now, I'm just not buying into the hype ... In my eyes, nothing tops Super Mario Brothers, Jordan vs. Bird and Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the original Nintendo Entertainment System ... For Super Nintendo, my games were Mario Kart and Street Fighter ... But for my Playstation 2, I've limited myself to sports games: NBA Street, NBA Live, NBA 2K, well anything basketball for that matter, Gran Turismo, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, WWE games and finally Fight Night ... Speaking of Fight Night, it's been announced that it's coming back with Fight Night Round 4, boy I can't wait ... the best news of all is that the game will feature Mike Tyson, for the first time in over a decade, well that's the plan anyways ... I told my father, who's planning to buy a blu-ray player, to just buy the PS3 instead, I think I got somewhat of a verbal agreement ... but if that comes to fruition, the first game I plan to get is Fight Night Round 4 ...
-on the topic of video games, when I make my move to the orient, purchasing a video game console is first on the agenda ... it'll most likely be the PS3, then I'll get "Rockband 7" LOL (it's Japan afterall, they're miles ahead in technology), then I'll take a picture just to spite everyone ... If I'm really bored, maybe I'll invest in a Nintendo Wii aswell ... F*ck the Xbox ...
-Price at the pumps $1.25/litre ... does anyone know the reason why?, I haven't been paying attention, I'm assuming the rising costs of food have something to do with this oil bullsh*t ... robbery if you ask me ... $2/L is looking more and more immanent ...
-So Google is planning to launch their own social networking website, Friend Connect ... But apparently this is different from your usual run-of-the-mill networking site ... Friend Connect, from what I understand, is designed to bridge the gap between the various social networking sites, thus it will save people the hassel of creating accounts for all of them ... Good for me, I guess, because I was actually considering starting a MySpace account the other day ... I've really been getting bored with Facebook and also "To fully understand 'The Force', you must learn all aspects of it", LOL ...
-Finally, I'm just wondering, where is Michael Jackson right now? ... The reason why I ask is that I read somewhere that his Neverland Ranch is up for sale ... that sucks that he lost it ... but a roller coaster in his backyard, now that was ballin'! ...
One,
- J -
-speaking of tragedies, apparently the military-controlled Myanmar is not allowing humanitarian aid workers into the country (especially Americans) ... But they are allowing the aid supplies in ... What their government is doing is just criminal, if you ask me ...
-I have this inner conflict between Burrito Fresh (Downtown Toronto) and Mucho Burrito (local town) ... I declared a Mucho Burrito victory a few entries back, but Burrito Fresh seems to be inching its way back ... there's this hot latina lady that works there, she's probably in her early to mid 30's ... oh man, latino food + latina women = J-Smooth's paradise ... LOL ...
-Hugh Hefner is already planting the seed for Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, to pose in Playboy when she turns 18, quoted as saying, “She would be welcomed in the magazine. She’s a very pretty lady” ... it's kind of like how agents and scouts, trying to sign grade school ball players ... Hugh's one s*ck MoF*cker if you ask me ...
-so our Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to invest more of Canada's money into our military ... I guess those Liberal campaign commercials years back were right, about how the Conservatives want to slowly turn Canada into an American-like country ... what's next? privatized health care? making hand guns more accessible? ...
-I don't understand the fuss with the following video games: Grand Theft Auto, Halo, Rockband and Guitar Hero ... these seem to be the hottest games on the market for video gamers right now, I'm just not buying into the hype ... In my eyes, nothing tops Super Mario Brothers, Jordan vs. Bird and Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the original Nintendo Entertainment System ... For Super Nintendo, my games were Mario Kart and Street Fighter ... But for my Playstation 2, I've limited myself to sports games: NBA Street, NBA Live, NBA 2K, well anything basketball for that matter, Gran Turismo, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, WWE games and finally Fight Night ... Speaking of Fight Night, it's been announced that it's coming back with Fight Night Round 4, boy I can't wait ... the best news of all is that the game will feature Mike Tyson, for the first time in over a decade, well that's the plan anyways ... I told my father, who's planning to buy a blu-ray player, to just buy the PS3 instead, I think I got somewhat of a verbal agreement ... but if that comes to fruition, the first game I plan to get is Fight Night Round 4 ...
-on the topic of video games, when I make my move to the orient, purchasing a video game console is first on the agenda ... it'll most likely be the PS3, then I'll get "Rockband 7" LOL (it's Japan afterall, they're miles ahead in technology), then I'll take a picture just to spite everyone ... If I'm really bored, maybe I'll invest in a Nintendo Wii aswell ... F*ck the Xbox ...
-Price at the pumps $1.25/litre ... does anyone know the reason why?, I haven't been paying attention, I'm assuming the rising costs of food have something to do with this oil bullsh*t ... robbery if you ask me ... $2/L is looking more and more immanent ...
-So Google is planning to launch their own social networking website, Friend Connect ... But apparently this is different from your usual run-of-the-mill networking site ... Friend Connect, from what I understand, is designed to bridge the gap between the various social networking sites, thus it will save people the hassel of creating accounts for all of them ... Good for me, I guess, because I was actually considering starting a MySpace account the other day ... I've really been getting bored with Facebook and also "To fully understand 'The Force', you must learn all aspects of it", LOL ...
-Finally, I'm just wondering, where is Michael Jackson right now? ... The reason why I ask is that I read somewhere that his Neverland Ranch is up for sale ... that sucks that he lost it ... but a roller coaster in his backyard, now that was ballin'! ...
One,
- J -
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Just Random J Stuff
-Happy Mother's Day to my mom ... Didn't always give me what I wanted, but ALWAYS gave me what I needed ... I am forever grateful and forever in debt to her ... I love you Mom! ...
-Friday for lunch I was around the area, so I made a quick pitstop to the hometown, B-Town ... Sonny's poutine baby! ... I've been punishing myself in workouts over the past couple days for consuming it ... I haven't been to Sonny's in months, so it was well worth it ... not many things compare to a Sonny's meal when your stomach's rumbling ... I also noticed that they have Sonny's merchandise now, caps, touques and t-shirts ... Now I have nuff love for B-Town and Sonny's, but not enough to rock the apparel ...
-Friday night, hit the billiards hall, JJQ's in O-Town (Oakville) ... First time I've been there in months as well ... for some reason there were more hot women there than normal ... and if y'all are wondering, J didn't go into J-Smooth mode ... just something about myself and sports, it just don't mix with women ... when I'm doing something sports related, I can't be distracted ... with the exception of the gym, seeing hot women may inspire me to get more reps in, or when I'm playing ball, I'll turn up the swagger a bit, but other than that I'm pretty focused ... there's nothing I hate more than when I'm watching sports (ball or boxing) than a girl that's watching with me asks stupid sh*t like, "what's happening?", "what does that mean?"... let me watch my sports in peace ... Back to the billiards hall, some dude asked if I wanted to play for money ... I turned him down, because my game, while I consider myself better than average, still has a few holes ... my cue ball control is inconsistent (some days amazing, some days embarrassing) and I still haven't perfected the bank shots ... the dude must've thought I was a pro, because I carry my own cue ...
-A few thoughts on the NBA playoffs ... The Orlando Magic (and Hedo Turkoglu) really let me down, I was like, "what are you thinking?", you're down one and you let that much time come off the clock, then Hedo misses and there isn't much time to get the rebound, apparently Jameer Nelson's guaranteed a Game 5 victory, we shall see ... Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers let me down in Games 3 & 4, now they've got themselves a dogfight, but Lamar Odom is playing out of his mind right now, I've always had love for Lamar, afterall he was a part of the All-Potential Team with the Clippers years back (along with Elton Brand, Darius Miles, Corey Maggette, Quentin Richardson), I still expect the Lakers to pull this series out ... Oh sh*t what time is it right now? I should be watching the New Orleans game right now ... O.K., I'll wrap this entry up quick ... Chris Paul, the true definition of a Point Guard ... I could care less about the Celtics-Cavs series, I just don't want to see LeBron and the Cavs advance ... headin' downstairs to catch the game right now ...
One,
- J -
-Friday for lunch I was around the area, so I made a quick pitstop to the hometown, B-Town ... Sonny's poutine baby! ... I've been punishing myself in workouts over the past couple days for consuming it ... I haven't been to Sonny's in months, so it was well worth it ... not many things compare to a Sonny's meal when your stomach's rumbling ... I also noticed that they have Sonny's merchandise now, caps, touques and t-shirts ... Now I have nuff love for B-Town and Sonny's, but not enough to rock the apparel ...
-Friday night, hit the billiards hall, JJQ's in O-Town (Oakville) ... First time I've been there in months as well ... for some reason there were more hot women there than normal ... and if y'all are wondering, J didn't go into J-Smooth mode ... just something about myself and sports, it just don't mix with women ... when I'm doing something sports related, I can't be distracted ... with the exception of the gym, seeing hot women may inspire me to get more reps in, or when I'm playing ball, I'll turn up the swagger a bit, but other than that I'm pretty focused ... there's nothing I hate more than when I'm watching sports (ball or boxing) than a girl that's watching with me asks stupid sh*t like, "what's happening?", "what does that mean?"... let me watch my sports in peace ... Back to the billiards hall, some dude asked if I wanted to play for money ... I turned him down, because my game, while I consider myself better than average, still has a few holes ... my cue ball control is inconsistent (some days amazing, some days embarrassing) and I still haven't perfected the bank shots ... the dude must've thought I was a pro, because I carry my own cue ...
-A few thoughts on the NBA playoffs ... The Orlando Magic (and Hedo Turkoglu) really let me down, I was like, "what are you thinking?", you're down one and you let that much time come off the clock, then Hedo misses and there isn't much time to get the rebound, apparently Jameer Nelson's guaranteed a Game 5 victory, we shall see ... Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers let me down in Games 3 & 4, now they've got themselves a dogfight, but Lamar Odom is playing out of his mind right now, I've always had love for Lamar, afterall he was a part of the All-Potential Team with the Clippers years back (along with Elton Brand, Darius Miles, Corey Maggette, Quentin Richardson), I still expect the Lakers to pull this series out ... Oh sh*t what time is it right now? I should be watching the New Orleans game right now ... O.K., I'll wrap this entry up quick ... Chris Paul, the true definition of a Point Guard ... I could care less about the Celtics-Cavs series, I just don't want to see LeBron and the Cavs advance ... headin' downstairs to catch the game right now ...
One,
- J -
Thursday, May 8, 2008
More YouTube ball vids; T-Dot Bias
And J-Smooth's YouTube trollin' continues ... more ball videos, but this time press conferences and/or interviews ...
Kobe Bryant's press conference addressing the sexual assault charges back in '03
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSamEqtPVao
-man, that seemed like just yesterday ... but after an 81-point game, clutch shots and a transformation into a team player, and finally an MVP Award, the basketball audience (myself included) forgave him ... But I remember watching this on the news back then, and laughing my a** off ...
Allen Iverson's infamous "Practise" press conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI
-like I've said before, I don't give two sh*ts how a player is off the court, I care about what they do on it ... A.I.'s never disappointed on the court in my book ... As for this presser, what can I say, "The Answer" is as real as they get ... at least you don't get those standard answers that most ballers give nowadays ...
"Cabbie on the Street" messin' with the NBA All-Stars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNdCPjeC2BY
-Cabbie makes me laugh sometimes ... but of note in this vid, check out LeBron's arrogance, he's too much of a Prima Donna to play along ... Check out A.I., the guy I'd expect to punk Cabbie off, played along just fine ... Chris Bosh seems like a nerd ... Cabbie seems to have a good rapore with Kobe ... Kevin Garnett and Steve Nash were good sports ... Tracy McGrady and Shaquille O'Neal, not so much ...
Finally,
This just has to be addressed ... I heard it over the radio that Frauderon mentioned in his blog, that he wants to be the starter ... but how does the Toronto media respond? ... sh*t like, "I don't blame him", "he would've put up better numbers if he played more minutes" ... essentially all of Toronto's media feels Frauderon is justified ... But when TJ Ford said that thinks he's a starter, he's "selfish", "not a team-player" ... I think that pretty much confirms that the Toronto media is racist, and Toronto for that matter ... best wishes to TJ, where ever he ends up, he deserves much better than this ... that would mean, the only players on the remaining squad I actually have respect for are Jason Kapono and Jamario Moon, pretty sh*tty team if you ask me ... to hell with: Frauderon, the Toronto media, the Craptors and the Toronto fanbase ...
One,
- J -
Kobe Bryant's press conference addressing the sexual assault charges back in '03
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSamEqtPVao
-man, that seemed like just yesterday ... but after an 81-point game, clutch shots and a transformation into a team player, and finally an MVP Award, the basketball audience (myself included) forgave him ... But I remember watching this on the news back then, and laughing my a** off ...
Allen Iverson's infamous "Practise" press conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI
-like I've said before, I don't give two sh*ts how a player is off the court, I care about what they do on it ... A.I.'s never disappointed on the court in my book ... As for this presser, what can I say, "The Answer" is as real as they get ... at least you don't get those standard answers that most ballers give nowadays ...
"Cabbie on the Street" messin' with the NBA All-Stars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNdCPjeC2BY
-Cabbie makes me laugh sometimes ... but of note in this vid, check out LeBron's arrogance, he's too much of a Prima Donna to play along ... Check out A.I., the guy I'd expect to punk Cabbie off, played along just fine ... Chris Bosh seems like a nerd ... Cabbie seems to have a good rapore with Kobe ... Kevin Garnett and Steve Nash were good sports ... Tracy McGrady and Shaquille O'Neal, not so much ...
Finally,
This just has to be addressed ... I heard it over the radio that Frauderon mentioned in his blog, that he wants to be the starter ... but how does the Toronto media respond? ... sh*t like, "I don't blame him", "he would've put up better numbers if he played more minutes" ... essentially all of Toronto's media feels Frauderon is justified ... But when TJ Ford said that thinks he's a starter, he's "selfish", "not a team-player" ... I think that pretty much confirms that the Toronto media is racist, and Toronto for that matter ... best wishes to TJ, where ever he ends up, he deserves much better than this ... that would mean, the only players on the remaining squad I actually have respect for are Jason Kapono and Jamario Moon, pretty sh*tty team if you ask me ... to hell with: Frauderon, the Toronto media, the Craptors and the Toronto fanbase ...
One,
- J -
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Random Shots
Before I get on with the entry, I want to start out by saying that my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and survivors of the Cyclone in Myanmar (Burma) a few days ago ... May the Good Lord watch over all who perished and guide those left behind in the re-building process ...
**********
-Read about this couple that just won $180M in the lottery ... just waiting 'til the stars line up and my 6 or 7 numbers match the ping pong balls ...
-I don't watch the show, but one of the stars from CSI, got caught with cocaine, heroin and ecstasy ... I thought that was all deadly if mixed ... too much money, don't know what to do with it ...
-Carmelo Anthony, WTF is wrong with you? do you ever learn? ... didn't you just get busted for a DUI, now a speeding violation ... Yeah, some role model that you claim to be ... My opinion of him went south since he sucker punched that Knick player (the name escapes me) and ran away like a b*tch ... another fake thug! ...
-So long Chuck Swirsky ... he was always a first class guy with me, whenever I ran into him ... but I started noticing that his passion for the Raps has really waned over the past few years ... I don't blame him ... listening to him call a game over the past couple seasons, you'd think that Kris Humprhies had a shot at the All-Star Game ... Anyhow, good luck in Chicago ...
-Hilary Clinton hasn't conceeded yet? ... might as well, she's done ... for those stupid comments about Iran ...
-Anyone got any ideas for a Mother's Day gift, with a limited budget? ...
-Just something to think about ... I'm sure I've heard it somewhere before, but apparently studies show that your keyboard is dirtier than your toilet ... Studies like this make me laugh, this one makes it sound like you can drink out of your toilet bowl ...
all for now ...
One,
- J -
**********
-Read about this couple that just won $180M in the lottery ... just waiting 'til the stars line up and my 6 or 7 numbers match the ping pong balls ...
-I don't watch the show, but one of the stars from CSI, got caught with cocaine, heroin and ecstasy ... I thought that was all deadly if mixed ... too much money, don't know what to do with it ...
-Carmelo Anthony, WTF is wrong with you? do you ever learn? ... didn't you just get busted for a DUI, now a speeding violation ... Yeah, some role model that you claim to be ... My opinion of him went south since he sucker punched that Knick player (the name escapes me) and ran away like a b*tch ... another fake thug! ...
-So long Chuck Swirsky ... he was always a first class guy with me, whenever I ran into him ... but I started noticing that his passion for the Raps has really waned over the past few years ... I don't blame him ... listening to him call a game over the past couple seasons, you'd think that Kris Humprhies had a shot at the All-Star Game ... Anyhow, good luck in Chicago ...
-Hilary Clinton hasn't conceeded yet? ... might as well, she's done ... for those stupid comments about Iran ...
-Anyone got any ideas for a Mother's Day gift, with a limited budget? ...
-Just something to think about ... I'm sure I've heard it somewhere before, but apparently studies show that your keyboard is dirtier than your toilet ... Studies like this make me laugh, this one makes it sound like you can drink out of your toilet bowl ...
all for now ...
One,
- J -
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Random Fam Stuff
Last night was a Fam gathering, for one of my cousin's birthdays ... What most of the Fam was anticipating was some pick up ball before the party started ... But again, Mother Nature screwed me up the a** again ... First, the unending shovelling, now the inconvenient showers ... F*ck Mother Nature, yes I said it, J-Smooth has a beef with Mother Nature ... Worst of all, I was looking forward to putting Carteron's "ball career" to bed for good ... About a week ago he asked me if I'd be interested in playing some organized ball, if he puts together a squad starting in August ... I'm thinkin two things: 1) If they are anything like him, that squad ain't winning one game, and I'm partial to winning, 2) I'll probably be the only person of colour on that team ... Anyhow, I guess my schoolin' of Carteron will have to wait ...
Back to last night's Fam thing, my uncle had a ping pong table set up in his basement ... Wow, now that's a game I haven't played in ages ... I actually forgot how much fun it was ... The only problem is that it's a game that requires two people ... At least with billiards, ball and golf, those are games that you can play on your own ... If anyone want to challenge J-Smooth aka Forest Gump to a game, anytime, any place ...
Finally, my cousin from my father's side of the family called me up ... now, I'm not close to my father's side by any means ... anyways, she asked me to be the godfather for her daughter ... now under normal circumstances, I'd feel honoured ... but considering, we don't even spend Christmases together, I haven't seen or spoken to them in years, and on top of all that I didn't even know she had a daughter, I was blah about the whole thing ... my only answer was "when?" ... She told me the 18th of this month ... I was like, "O.K.", but on the inside I was f*ckin' p*ssed ... First of all that's a long weekend, do they have any concept of people having social lives?, and maybe the thought should've entered their heads that hey, people might actually have plans on the long weekend ... Secondly, I was planning on heading down to Buffalo on that day, with Prophet and perhaps Anthro to see an old acquaintance, another Newman Alum ... I'll call him Benjamin, because that dude was RICH ... but he's made a success out of himself, with his own photography business, and on the 18th he's having an exhibition for his artwork ... now I was looking forward to that weekend too, because I would've been chillin' with "Fam", getting away from Toronto for the first time in months, done a bit of cross-border shopping and caught up with Benjamin who I haven't seen since 7th grade ... But this damn baptism scratched those plans right out ... there's one cousin in particular that I have absolutely nothing to say to ... when people talk about him and myself, I always respond "don't put my name and his in the same breath" ... Just because you share the same blood or last name, doesn't make you family ...
One,
- J -
Back to last night's Fam thing, my uncle had a ping pong table set up in his basement ... Wow, now that's a game I haven't played in ages ... I actually forgot how much fun it was ... The only problem is that it's a game that requires two people ... At least with billiards, ball and golf, those are games that you can play on your own ... If anyone want to challenge J-Smooth aka Forest Gump to a game, anytime, any place ...
Finally, my cousin from my father's side of the family called me up ... now, I'm not close to my father's side by any means ... anyways, she asked me to be the godfather for her daughter ... now under normal circumstances, I'd feel honoured ... but considering, we don't even spend Christmases together, I haven't seen or spoken to them in years, and on top of all that I didn't even know she had a daughter, I was blah about the whole thing ... my only answer was "when?" ... She told me the 18th of this month ... I was like, "O.K.", but on the inside I was f*ckin' p*ssed ... First of all that's a long weekend, do they have any concept of people having social lives?, and maybe the thought should've entered their heads that hey, people might actually have plans on the long weekend ... Secondly, I was planning on heading down to Buffalo on that day, with Prophet and perhaps Anthro to see an old acquaintance, another Newman Alum ... I'll call him Benjamin, because that dude was RICH ... but he's made a success out of himself, with his own photography business, and on the 18th he's having an exhibition for his artwork ... now I was looking forward to that weekend too, because I would've been chillin' with "Fam", getting away from Toronto for the first time in months, done a bit of cross-border shopping and caught up with Benjamin who I haven't seen since 7th grade ... But this damn baptism scratched those plans right out ... there's one cousin in particular that I have absolutely nothing to say to ... when people talk about him and myself, I always respond "don't put my name and his in the same breath" ... Just because you share the same blood or last name, doesn't make you family ...
One,
- J -
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Kobe's Vertical
I've become a YouTube troll in recent weeks ... check this ... Yeah! my boy Kobe Bryant with the mad vertical! Rising over an Aston Martin comin' full speed at him ... fake or not, this is sick!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yURa9T0-Rjk
Finally congrats to Kobe on his first MVP Award ...
One,
- J -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yURa9T0-Rjk
Finally congrats to Kobe on his first MVP Award ...
One,
- J -
Friday, May 2, 2008
Just A Kid At Heart
The other day a family member asked me how old I was turning this year ... I answered, then he gave me his reply back, "you're getting old man" ... My response, "naw, you're only as old as you feel" ... Quite honestly I don't feel a day over 21 ... my youthful mindset is perhaps why I'm at most times laid back and maybe also the reason why all of my little cousins, neices and nephews gravitate towards me ... one of my older cousins asked me once, "why do they like YOU so much?" ... my answer was simple "kids recognize the pure of heart", LMFAO ... but seriously though, I think they can identify with my child-like nature some times ... I don't "baby talk" any of them, I talk to them like I would anyone else ... on top of that, I can still think like a kid, so I know what would entertain and interest them and what they would find funny ... Just to give you an example of child-like nature, if I was given a choice: night club or Canada's Wonderland ... I'd choose Wonderland in a heartbeat ... The other day I was thinking, man, I feel like going to Disney World ... no, not the smaller Disneyland in Anaheim, California, but Disney World in Orlando, Florida ... I haven't been there since I was in kindergarden, I'm sure a lot's changed since then, and I'm sure the prices are up 200% of the 80's fees as well ... One of the few memories I have of that trip is walking into one of the gift shops at Disney World and seeing one of those Lion-O Thundercats swords ... now that's something I would love to have right now, I'd walk around downtown with that on my hip, then occasionally stopping to wave it, "Thunder!, Thunder!, Thunder!, Thundercats!, Hooooo!", LOL ... Back to Disney World, if I got the chance to go, one of the first things I'd do is run up to Winnie the Pooh, get a pic, I wouldn't care about bein' embarrassed ... Just to give you all an example, in 2006 during one of my annual New York City trips, I walked into Toys R Us in Times Square ... I'm sure you've all seen the store's mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe, well the character (guy dressed up in the suit) was there that day posing for pictures with the kids ... there was a Toys R Us employee beside him saying, "hey kids, who wants to have their photo taken with Geoffrey?" ... So I walk up, "what up Geoffrey?", give him a shake-hug, then walk off nonchalantly, this father with his two kids was laughing his a** off ... Yes J has some Carlton (from Fresh Prince) in him, ie. the "Dougie" episode, LOL ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvuFN2vfWY
LMFAO, well maybe not as fruity as Carlton ... Anyhow, I don't know how many people around my age would act like I do on occasion ... I think that's the problem with most people when they get older, they take things too damn seriously ... I recognize that as a flaw of mine that can work against me, but I also think it's one of my greatest strengths ... I just laugh my a** off when I hear people stress about work, school or life in general (ex. relationships) ... The world would be a much nicer and less stressful place if people weren't so serious all the time ... but if that was the case psychologists and psychiatrists would be out of work ... It's J's theory that stress is merely an internal state, something which everyone has full control over ... Sure there are external factors, but it's about how you deal with them ... Think back to when you were a kid, how much stress was there really in your life? ... I'm guessing next to nothing ... So maybe being a kid at heart or in a child-like state of mind, may not be so bad ...
One,
- J -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvuFN2vfWY
LMFAO, well maybe not as fruity as Carlton ... Anyhow, I don't know how many people around my age would act like I do on occasion ... I think that's the problem with most people when they get older, they take things too damn seriously ... I recognize that as a flaw of mine that can work against me, but I also think it's one of my greatest strengths ... I just laugh my a** off when I hear people stress about work, school or life in general (ex. relationships) ... The world would be a much nicer and less stressful place if people weren't so serious all the time ... but if that was the case psychologists and psychiatrists would be out of work ... It's J's theory that stress is merely an internal state, something which everyone has full control over ... Sure there are external factors, but it's about how you deal with them ... Think back to when you were a kid, how much stress was there really in your life? ... I'm guessing next to nothing ... So maybe being a kid at heart or in a child-like state of mind, may not be so bad ...
One,
- J -
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Weed & Racism; NBA Stories
A few days ago, the story came out about Mavericks' forward/guard Josh Howard admitting to marijuana use ... then he also said that most of the NBA smokes up as well ... a surprise to me? no, not really, but my reasoning is not the same answer that comes from society ... I didn't think much more of the topic, but then I got onto RealGM's forums, (I used to post on there, until I got fed up with the idiots that post, majority of which are Raptor fans, and most of them are people that have no f*ckin' clue on the game) ... there were people commenting on the issue, for instance (not exact quotes):
-"well that's black youth for you"
-"he's a black athlete, what do you expect?"
See now that struck a chord with me ... because of the blatant racism in some of the comments from a lot of the posters ... now, I say everyone has racism in them to some degree (as do I), and a certain "Prophet" says it's a matter of people actually believing these things about other races ... But regarding the weed issue, it's has absolutely nothing to do with race ... like it was said in one of my favourite movies The Wood, "weed is universal" ... sure, the character was high as sh*t when he was saying it, LMFAO, but it's true ... an ex-girlfriend of mine, who was in law school, told me a while ago, that on off-days, majority of her classmates, 85% white, mostly smoke weed ... now these are lawyers, or soon to be ... want more proof, a friend of mine in undergrad from first year, was dating a lawyer at the time, and at his house parties, right after dinner she said they always busted out the weed ... her boyfriend also told her that majority of his classmates in law school, also did it while in school and continue to do so, saying it's just part of the lifestlye ... now if I were to come out and say "all white lawyers smoke weed", I'd be considered a racist, now wouldn't I? ... But like I said, weed is universal ... maybe 50% of the Filipinos I was around back in the day smoked up ... but I'm sure if you look at all races, ie. Latino, Asian, Black and White, you'll find that they all do it ... thus, it's not a matter of race, it's about: what type of person you are, how you were raised, having access to it, having the means (ie. cash) ... NBA players and lawyers alike, are definitely not paying for stuff in food stamps, so the aforementioned fourth point (money) should not even be an issue ... I have to also go on record and admit that I've experimented with it a couple times in the past as well ... Not something I'm proud of now, I was at a point in my life where I wanted a different type of lifestyle, but then I realized hey "this isn't me", then I eventually came back to how I was raised, and a pothead is not the type of person I wanted to be ...
The racial attitudes about black athletes doesn't surprise me, there is racism coming from all levels ... I mean, look atop the NBA, commissioner David Stern ... He implemented the "dress code" a couple years back ... saying they didn't want their players looking like thugs and gangsters ... well, Washington Wizards player (I think he's still with the Wiz) Etan Thomas made a good point, "In old 70's movies, all the gangsters wore suits" ... I could rip on this racism issue for a 50-page dissertation, maybe more ... I mean, I have my own battle with racist people that's still ongoing ...
speaking of the NBA, on a lighter note, I'm sure you all have a pretty good idea on which players I like watching ... well after going through highlights on YouTube, I found more stuff on some of these players, I'm sure you guys may have seen these on TV "NBA Stories" ... well here are a few,
Chris Paul
-I'm posting part three, because it's truly a great story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnTOZ5v4fW0
Dwight Howard
-nice and refreshing to see a humble star
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVaJcq3Ywd0
Gilbert Arenas
-I had to include Arizona's greatest product
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc1psMeVrHQ
Lastly, if I were a GM of an NBA franchise, if I had both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard on my team, I would have the easiest job in the world ... All I would need to do is surround them with average players, and we'd be a championship contender for the next 10-12 years ... I guess that's just my fantasy GM talking, after seeing how dominant those two have been these playoffs, I'd like to see what kind of damage those two could do if teamed together ...
One,
- J -
-"well that's black youth for you"
-"he's a black athlete, what do you expect?"
See now that struck a chord with me ... because of the blatant racism in some of the comments from a lot of the posters ... now, I say everyone has racism in them to some degree (as do I), and a certain "Prophet" says it's a matter of people actually believing these things about other races ... But regarding the weed issue, it's has absolutely nothing to do with race ... like it was said in one of my favourite movies The Wood, "weed is universal" ... sure, the character was high as sh*t when he was saying it, LMFAO, but it's true ... an ex-girlfriend of mine, who was in law school, told me a while ago, that on off-days, majority of her classmates, 85% white, mostly smoke weed ... now these are lawyers, or soon to be ... want more proof, a friend of mine in undergrad from first year, was dating a lawyer at the time, and at his house parties, right after dinner she said they always busted out the weed ... her boyfriend also told her that majority of his classmates in law school, also did it while in school and continue to do so, saying it's just part of the lifestlye ... now if I were to come out and say "all white lawyers smoke weed", I'd be considered a racist, now wouldn't I? ... But like I said, weed is universal ... maybe 50% of the Filipinos I was around back in the day smoked up ... but I'm sure if you look at all races, ie. Latino, Asian, Black and White, you'll find that they all do it ... thus, it's not a matter of race, it's about: what type of person you are, how you were raised, having access to it, having the means (ie. cash) ... NBA players and lawyers alike, are definitely not paying for stuff in food stamps, so the aforementioned fourth point (money) should not even be an issue ... I have to also go on record and admit that I've experimented with it a couple times in the past as well ... Not something I'm proud of now, I was at a point in my life where I wanted a different type of lifestyle, but then I realized hey "this isn't me", then I eventually came back to how I was raised, and a pothead is not the type of person I wanted to be ...
The racial attitudes about black athletes doesn't surprise me, there is racism coming from all levels ... I mean, look atop the NBA, commissioner David Stern ... He implemented the "dress code" a couple years back ... saying they didn't want their players looking like thugs and gangsters ... well, Washington Wizards player (I think he's still with the Wiz) Etan Thomas made a good point, "In old 70's movies, all the gangsters wore suits" ... I could rip on this racism issue for a 50-page dissertation, maybe more ... I mean, I have my own battle with racist people that's still ongoing ...
speaking of the NBA, on a lighter note, I'm sure you all have a pretty good idea on which players I like watching ... well after going through highlights on YouTube, I found more stuff on some of these players, I'm sure you guys may have seen these on TV "NBA Stories" ... well here are a few,
Chris Paul
-I'm posting part three, because it's truly a great story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnTOZ5v4fW0
Dwight Howard
-nice and refreshing to see a humble star
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVaJcq3Ywd0
Gilbert Arenas
-I had to include Arizona's greatest product
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc1psMeVrHQ
Lastly, if I were a GM of an NBA franchise, if I had both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard on my team, I would have the easiest job in the world ... All I would need to do is surround them with average players, and we'd be a championship contender for the next 10-12 years ... I guess that's just my fantasy GM talking, after seeing how dominant those two have been these playoffs, I'd like to see what kind of damage those two could do if teamed together ...
One,
- J -
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