Hi guys.
Thanks for the support Judy and Daren.
The news from the doctors at the hospital is bad though. They discovered a blockage in his intestines, and that he has pancreatic cancer. His family doctor has been suspicious that something was wrong for a while with his digestive track. My family didn’t want to have him tested, in case they “found something,” since there’s not much they can do for him at this age. Well, “something” is there after all.
I plan on visiting him on Sunday, so hopefully he makes it until then. I spoke to his wife, my Nonna Connie, last night and told her not to worry. I hope it doesn’t hit her too hard, she’s strong though.
Thanks again.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Hope for the best.
Today I spent most of my time working on my essay, thesis, and at the gym. Tonight I got some bad news about my grandfather (Nonno John) though. He’s been really sick the last few weeks, and the doctor said he had a stomach infection and flu. He’s been really weak, and can’t even stand on his own. Tonight he had to be hospitalised because he was too weak and delirious (as my Uncle said). I now found out that he was saying that his mother visited him. His mother obviously died years ago.
Before my other grandfather passed over, he said the same things, that his sister and mother came to visit him. He also said that he stated to remember a whole lot of memories from his childhood.
I hope my Nonno doesn’t pass over yet, but it’s good to know he has support in this time of need, one this level and the next.
To all those who pray, please keep him in you thoughts.
Thank you.
Before my other grandfather passed over, he said the same things, that his sister and mother came to visit him. He also said that he stated to remember a whole lot of memories from his childhood.
I hope my Nonno doesn’t pass over yet, but it’s good to know he has support in this time of need, one this level and the next.
To all those who pray, please keep him in you thoughts.
Thank you.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Music: Metric
This band is awesome. Totally awesome.If you haven’t ever hear of them, then shame on you! You will probably recognize their singles Combat Baby or Monster Hospital. That last song gets stuck in my head and then I can’t stop singing it!=)
Their videos are also great. Please watch the one for Monster Hospital, and their upcoming video for Poster of a Girl. Actually, I’ll make it really easy for you, and link to their media site where you can watch both videos. Aren’t I just the best to you all?=)
Enjoy!
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Bottled Water
I go out of my way NOT to drink bottled water.
Yes, you read that correct, I’d chose tap over bottled any day. Not because tap taste better, or because it is safer, but on principle alone. Look, we pay a ton of taxes to clean this water for safe drinking. Then we pay the water company for the water. Now, why the hell would I pay AGAIN to buy unregulated privatized drinking water from Pepsi or Coke? It amazes me that some people pay 2.75 or whatever it is for a bottle of water from a Pepsi machine. Do you realized that the company is laughing all the way to the bank? It probably cost them next to nothing to fill those bottles, but then they sell it as if it is shipped from the glaciers of Swiss alps.
Don’t even try to count how many plastic bottles end up in landfills and recycling facilities (which we AGAIN have to pay for!!!)
Give me a break. Read the above article for move info on bottled water.
“Don’t be a sap, drink tap”.
(how’s that for a marketing slogan?)
=P
Yes, you read that correct, I’d chose tap over bottled any day. Not because tap taste better, or because it is safer, but on principle alone. Look, we pay a ton of taxes to clean this water for safe drinking. Then we pay the water company for the water. Now, why the hell would I pay AGAIN to buy unregulated privatized drinking water from Pepsi or Coke? It amazes me that some people pay 2.75 or whatever it is for a bottle of water from a Pepsi machine. Do you realized that the company is laughing all the way to the bank? It probably cost them next to nothing to fill those bottles, but then they sell it as if it is shipped from the glaciers of Swiss alps.
Don’t even try to count how many plastic bottles end up in landfills and recycling facilities (which we AGAIN have to pay for!!!)
Give me a break. Read the above article for move info on bottled water.
“Don’t be a sap, drink tap”.
(how’s that for a marketing slogan?)
=P
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Work, Ice cream and nice people.
Yesterday I worked all day, lunch and night. It was a good day, not too slow, not too busy. Nancy gave me fruit and yogurt, and told me I could also eat her orange. Her orange turned out to be a grapefruit though, silly 9inch=)
After our night shifts, Mike, Nicole and I went over to Demitre’s. Mike has wanted a milkshake from there for a long long time. He finally got it last night, and we also shared cake and ice cream. The biggest surprise of our visit was that our server was actually good! Wow.
Mike told us about some of his travel adventures, some of which I’d love to experience. Maybe when I’m done school.
Oh, and I have a “nice person” story to tell. Last Saturday, I served two couples, and everything went well. When they left though, they didn’t leave me a tip. I was surprised, because they were really nice, and we were talking and that. Anyways, one women came in the next day and brought in a tip for me. It was a mix up, and they forgot to leave the tip. Last night Warren gave me the $7, and told me the story. How nice and respectful was that?!
Friday, February 17, 2006
Music: Agoria
I'm not even sure what to say about Agoria. I don't know much about them. I know that their sound is electronic and kinda new wavish, but I don't know much else. They're awesome though. The song "think different" is really simple, but really my style. Check out their site, it's cool. Pick up one of their cd's if you find one, I really want to....think different
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Funny Video?
Okay, I don’t usually get sent forwards through email (because I hate them), but I received this one. Please click the title (link) before reading the rest of this blog. You have to see it first.
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Okay, finished watching it?
So, here was my honest reaction to the first viewing: I laughed out loud. Then I watched it again, and laughed again. But, not at the end. Something about the little boy’s eyes filled with tears... Then I watched it again, and saw the depth of this little video that was just meant as a quick laugh. I went to school and the video stuck in my mind. When I got home I watched it again. Here’s why I now think it is more sad than funny:
-First off, the most obvious reason: The boy gets really scared from it. He tries beating the image but then runs away (he’s got guts for trying to fight it though!)
-The man (father?) set this up on purpose to film it. How does that boy feel about that now?
-The little boy is just too cute. He was really into the game and was asking the man questions (watch it again, and turn up the volume at the beginning). It seems to me like a “special moment” between him and the guardian. The boy had no idea he was being tricked.
-At the end, the boy runs to the man, fully trusting him to help. He’s been tricked, will trust be hurt?
-The boys face in the end ruins any reason to laugh for me. He is so cute, and I feel so sad for him.
-Did the man taking the video find it so funny that he wanted to share it with the rest of the world online? I wonder if the boy knows this.
This doesn’t mean that I find this video totally not funny. There’s something about human nature that likes seeing others be afraid. Maybe these types of events will help the boy later in life. It’s never good to blindly trust someone, and this could be one way of him learning that.
I think we are all guilty of laughing at things that we don’t really think about it the full context. Sometimes it’s good to think deeper.
What are your thoughts?
.
.
.
Okay, finished watching it?
So, here was my honest reaction to the first viewing: I laughed out loud. Then I watched it again, and laughed again. But, not at the end. Something about the little boy’s eyes filled with tears... Then I watched it again, and saw the depth of this little video that was just meant as a quick laugh. I went to school and the video stuck in my mind. When I got home I watched it again. Here’s why I now think it is more sad than funny:
-First off, the most obvious reason: The boy gets really scared from it. He tries beating the image but then runs away (he’s got guts for trying to fight it though!)
-The man (father?) set this up on purpose to film it. How does that boy feel about that now?
-The little boy is just too cute. He was really into the game and was asking the man questions (watch it again, and turn up the volume at the beginning). It seems to me like a “special moment” between him and the guardian. The boy had no idea he was being tricked.
-At the end, the boy runs to the man, fully trusting him to help. He’s been tricked, will trust be hurt?
-The boys face in the end ruins any reason to laugh for me. He is so cute, and I feel so sad for him.
-Did the man taking the video find it so funny that he wanted to share it with the rest of the world online? I wonder if the boy knows this.
This doesn’t mean that I find this video totally not funny. There’s something about human nature that likes seeing others be afraid. Maybe these types of events will help the boy later in life. It’s never good to blindly trust someone, and this could be one way of him learning that.
I think we are all guilty of laughing at things that we don’t really think about it the full context. Sometimes it’s good to think deeper.
What are your thoughts?
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Kaitlyn is born!
Congratulations Judy and Freddy!Judy had her baby on Sunday, in a labour that lasted 31 hours!
I can't believe that the wait is over, and can't wait to see her. She is soooo cute! 31 hours of labour, good god! Wow, that is really long Judy, but totally worth it.
Welcome to the world Kaitlyn Evangeline Gillis!
Filming (part 2)
Monday night:
I didn’t get a chance to post again on Monday night. We finished filming, and then ate dinner. Patryjca made some killer tacos and a hot and spicy shot: raspberry syrup, vodka and a slash of Tabasco. Yum.
For dessert, we had a very generous serving of vodka with some orange juice. We completed our screen caps after that (although, at a slightly slower pace=). Shayan and I watched Capote after that, but didn’t make it to the end of the film. It was too late at night to watch a movie with such a slow pace.
Tuesday:
The next morning we rose bright and early (...10am...) showered, and got ready. I made us some quick scrambled eggs, which we ate quickly, and ran out the door so that Patrycja’s husband, Chris, could drive us to Canadian Tire. We had to buy a new light bulb because we broke one the day before. After that it was off to school to meet Shelley for some more filming.
Shooting the host scenes:
This time it wouldn’t be Shelley under the bight lights, it would be me. Our professor, who had promised us to be our host in the video didn’t show. So, I had to fill in the role of George Summers. And what a George Summers I was! The group decided that I would look better with my sweater turned inside-out. That looked so good that they also got me to turn my shirt underneath inside-out as well. Also, I couldn’t ware my glasses, as they cast shadows, and I hadn’t brought my contacts. So, our great director, Shayan, had me memorize the lines, and look blindly into the 4 hot lights shining at me. We’re talking close to 600 watts in total, it was hot. Shelly had to hold my legs down underneath the table because my chair kept leaning back when I would sit with good posture. Patrycja helped with moral support saying: “Smile more! Look happier! Imagine that you’re getting a blow job.” It all worked, and I think we pulled off a great shoot.
Valentine’s outing:
After that I took one bus and one subway to Church. It took an hour, and I was feeling sleepy and nauseous. I think it was the combination of: sunstroke from the hot lights, nasty fried panzerotto that I had for lunch, and a chair that rocked and rolled. Thankfully it faded by the time I arrived at Zelda’s and met Daren and his friend Mathew. I order my mudslide, and it was time to relax. Veena arrived shortly after, map in hand. Then came Vickey and her brother. We ordered them both a mudslide, which turned Vicky’s cheeks pink. It was great fun. Sreng joined us after his class at Ryerson ended and we ordered food. I ate a chicken sandwich (not the Irma burger, which I couldn’t believe was off the menu!). After that I had a nice strong martini to cap the night off. Everyone left one by one. Veena, Daren and I were the last to leave, and we walked Daren to his place. After that Veena and I made our way home.
It was a great day and night. Happy Valentines to everyone too, hope it was great for you!
PS- Judy, is the baby out yet?? I can’t wait!
I didn’t get a chance to post again on Monday night. We finished filming, and then ate dinner. Patryjca made some killer tacos and a hot and spicy shot: raspberry syrup, vodka and a slash of Tabasco. Yum.
For dessert, we had a very generous serving of vodka with some orange juice. We completed our screen caps after that (although, at a slightly slower pace=). Shayan and I watched Capote after that, but didn’t make it to the end of the film. It was too late at night to watch a movie with such a slow pace.Tuesday:
The next morning we rose bright and early (...10am...) showered, and got ready. I made us some quick scrambled eggs, which we ate quickly, and ran out the door so that Patrycja’s husband, Chris, could drive us to Canadian Tire. We had to buy a new light bulb because we broke one the day before. After that it was off to school to meet Shelley for some more filming.
Shooting the host scenes:
This time it wouldn’t be Shelley under the bight lights, it would be me. Our professor, who had promised us to be our host in the video didn’t show. So, I had to fill in the role of George Summers. And what a George Summers I was! The group decided that I would look better with my sweater turned inside-out. That looked so good that they also got me to turn my shirt underneath inside-out as well. Also, I couldn’t ware my glasses, as they cast shadows, and I hadn’t brought my contacts. So, our great director, Shayan, had me memorize the lines, and look blindly into the 4 hot lights shining at me. We’re talking close to 600 watts in total, it was hot. Shelly had to hold my legs down underneath the table because my chair kept leaning back when I would sit with good posture. Patrycja helped with moral support saying: “Smile more! Look happier! Imagine that you’re getting a blow job.” It all worked, and I think we pulled off a great shoot.
Valentine’s outing:
After that I took one bus and one subway to Church. It took an hour, and I was feeling sleepy and nauseous. I think it was the combination of: sunstroke from the hot lights, nasty fried panzerotto that I had for lunch, and a chair that rocked and rolled. Thankfully it faded by the time I arrived at Zelda’s and met Daren and his friend Mathew. I order my mudslide, and it was time to relax. Veena arrived shortly after, map in hand. Then came Vickey and her brother. We ordered them both a mudslide, which turned Vicky’s cheeks pink. It was great fun. Sreng joined us after his class at Ryerson ended and we ordered food. I ate a chicken sandwich (not the Irma burger, which I couldn’t believe was off the menu!). After that I had a nice strong martini to cap the night off. Everyone left one by one. Veena, Daren and I were the last to leave, and we walked Daren to his place. After that Veena and I made our way home.
It was a great day and night. Happy Valentines to everyone too, hope it was great for you!
PS- Judy, is the baby out yet?? I can’t wait!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Filming
Right now I'm at Patrycja's house with Shayan and Shelley. We're filming our "Simple Connect" DVD that teaches seniors how to use basic computer functions and some Internet details. 
It's hot under all these bright lights on! 
Patrycja made us yummy food , and some coffee-Bayleys too(which is much better than coffee-cola). We're going to film the screen caps and some of the voice overs now too. The film is looking pretty good, I'm impressed with the quality of the picture. I'll make sure to make all of you try our DVD out when it is finished.
Back to work.
[edit: now with pics! Click on them to see full size.]
It's hot under all these bright lights on! 
Patrycja made us yummy food , and some coffee-Bayleys too(which is much better than coffee-cola). We're going to film the screen caps and some of the voice overs now too. The film is looking pretty good, I'm impressed with the quality of the picture. I'll make sure to make all of you try our DVD out when it is finished.
Back to work.
[edit: now with pics! Click on them to see full size.]
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Sex Clubs
I remember hearing about this a little while ago, but never really looked into it. But, it turns out that Sex Clubs are now legal in Canada, right from the Supreme Court of Canada.
What are sex clubs? Well, first off, they are NOT brothels with prostitutes. Those types of places are illegal.
Sex clubs are also known as "Swingers clubs". They are places that you can go to with your partner, or by yourself, and meet others to have sex with. Or, you could just watch. The other people there are people just like you, looking for something ‘extra’ in their sex lives.
Now you can see why they are obviously not against the law, nothing illegal happens there. Is it moral? That’s totally subjective.
What do you guys think of this? I’m cool with it, this stuff is part of the human race, and shouldn’t be thrown into the shadows like a dirty secret. As long as people are not being hurt, and things are safe, it's all those people's personal business.
What are sex clubs? Well, first off, they are NOT brothels with prostitutes. Those types of places are illegal.
Sex clubs are also known as "Swingers clubs". They are places that you can go to with your partner, or by yourself, and meet others to have sex with. Or, you could just watch. The other people there are people just like you, looking for something ‘extra’ in their sex lives.
Now you can see why they are obviously not against the law, nothing illegal happens there. Is it moral? That’s totally subjective.
What do you guys think of this? I’m cool with it, this stuff is part of the human race, and shouldn’t be thrown into the shadows like a dirty secret. As long as people are not being hurt, and things are safe, it's all those people's personal business.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Music: Frou Frou
Keeping with the love music theme, I have chosen the group Frou Frou. They also have a trip hop/pop type of sound. Here’s a lyric sample from their song “Breathe In”:
“What part of no don't you understand?
I've told you before,
To just get off my case, this isn't happening, stop this now
And i-where was i?
i have to be somewhere
Now where did i put it?
And i'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
And i'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
You really have to hear the music to these lyrics. It really is great. I think I love their song “Shh” the most though. I’m not really sure why, or what it’s about though, but it conveys something powerful to me. Click this link to hear the song, and here's some of the lyrics:
“Sunbeam stop tugging me.
Pull that door shut quietly
Darling what are you doing?
We don't have time for this.”
That’s some of “shh”.
Hey, how about I make you all some copies of cd’s with love song for Valentine’s? Sound good?
Hope to see you downtown on Tuesday night!
“What part of no don't you understand?
I've told you before,
To just get off my case, this isn't happening, stop this now
And i-where was i?
i have to be somewhere
Now where did i put it?
And i'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
And i'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
Can't help but love you, no...
Is this it - is this it - is this it?”
You really have to hear the music to these lyrics. It really is great. I think I love their song “Shh” the most though. I’m not really sure why, or what it’s about though, but it conveys something powerful to me. Click this link to hear the song, and here's some of the lyrics:
“Sunbeam stop tugging me.
Pull that door shut quietly
Darling what are you doing?
We don't have time for this.”
That’s some of “shh”.
Hey, how about I make you all some copies of cd’s with love song for Valentine’s? Sound good?
Hope to see you downtown on Tuesday night!
Friday, February 10, 2006
Common Values?
"What does the United States, one of the most powerful countries on earth, have in common with Cameroon, China, Cuba, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Senegal, Sudan and Zimbabwe?"
Click the link above to read the answer to that question......
Click the link above to read the answer to that question......
Time to rest a bit
Wow, what a crazy week this has been. Let me describe it to you:
Tuesday night, the Summer schedule went online for York. I nearly shit my pants when the two courses I need to take are being offered on the same night at the same time. I didn’t sleep too good that night.
The next day, I began my quest to fix the problem. There’s no way I’m going back for the Winter term, I must graduate at the end of Summer. So, many phone calls, visits, and meetings later, I think I have found a possible solution: take the course at Ryerson. I have given my request in at York to do so, now it’s up to them to see if Ryerson’s course can be used for my degree. If that passes, I still have to get into the course. But, it’s looking good.
Then today, in the student centre at school (more like a cafe), there was a sign with “free psychic reading, three free questions”. I just had to find out if he knew when I would graduate. So, I lined up, and came up with three questions. Here’s how he answered them:
1-when do you see me graduating?
“I can’t see that far into the future. I see you being around school always, always taking more courses, and doing academic stuff”
2- Where do you see me living in a year’s time?
“I see you still living in the Toronto area”
3- What do you see in terms of my love life in the next year?
“I see two sweeties for you. One you already know, and one that you haven’t met yet.”
Ya, so while it was amusing, I can’t say he was very precise and accurate. Good thing it was free, although I’m not sure why he was there doing this for free. He should have warned me for what I had coming that night....
I got back the grade from that horrible exam. Good god, the worst grade ever. I got a 51%! No, actually my true grade was a 40.5%, but he added 10% to everyone’s mark (bell curve!!). It was even worse than I had expected, but it’s not disastrous. It’s only worth 25%, and just shows that I have to learn how to study better for Marketing. The class average was 64% after the bell curve.
Thank God my school week has ended! Next week is reading week for me. I won’t be resting though, I will be filming with my Communications group at Patrycja’s house. It should be fun though, they’re a great group of people. And I’ve been promised vodka and Polish food. That makes this Ukrainian boy very happy=)
Tuesday night, the Summer schedule went online for York. I nearly shit my pants when the two courses I need to take are being offered on the same night at the same time. I didn’t sleep too good that night.
The next day, I began my quest to fix the problem. There’s no way I’m going back for the Winter term, I must graduate at the end of Summer. So, many phone calls, visits, and meetings later, I think I have found a possible solution: take the course at Ryerson. I have given my request in at York to do so, now it’s up to them to see if Ryerson’s course can be used for my degree. If that passes, I still have to get into the course. But, it’s looking good.
Then today, in the student centre at school (more like a cafe), there was a sign with “free psychic reading, three free questions”. I just had to find out if he knew when I would graduate. So, I lined up, and came up with three questions. Here’s how he answered them:
1-when do you see me graduating?
“I can’t see that far into the future. I see you being around school always, always taking more courses, and doing academic stuff”
2- Where do you see me living in a year’s time?
“I see you still living in the Toronto area”
3- What do you see in terms of my love life in the next year?
“I see two sweeties for you. One you already know, and one that you haven’t met yet.”
Ya, so while it was amusing, I can’t say he was very precise and accurate. Good thing it was free, although I’m not sure why he was there doing this for free. He should have warned me for what I had coming that night....
I got back the grade from that horrible exam. Good god, the worst grade ever. I got a 51%! No, actually my true grade was a 40.5%, but he added 10% to everyone’s mark (bell curve!!). It was even worse than I had expected, but it’s not disastrous. It’s only worth 25%, and just shows that I have to learn how to study better for Marketing. The class average was 64% after the bell curve.
Thank God my school week has ended! Next week is reading week for me. I won’t be resting though, I will be filming with my Communications group at Patrycja’s house. It should be fun though, they’re a great group of people. And I’ve been promised vodka and Polish food. That makes this Ukrainian boy very happy=)
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Bush's story
Hi all. School is crazy right now, and I’m having huge problems with summer enrollment. I hope to have that all fixed soon though.
But, I just had to post about this story on cbc.ca about George Bush. It’s just too funny. Please read it, and tell me if Bush isn’t getting desperate. Here’s one part of the article to entice you to read it:
"Bush portrayed the United States and its allies as winning what he calls the war on terror. He spoke of a succession of al-Qaeda figures killed or captured, and said a number of plots were thwarted. The Los Angeles plot was aimed at the tallest building on the West Coast, he said. He called it the Liberty Tower, but apparently meant the Library Tower, a 73-storey office building facing the Los Angeles Central Library. The building was renamed US Bank Tower in 2003. "
Anyone could be President. Anyone stupid that is.
But, I just had to post about this story on cbc.ca about George Bush. It’s just too funny. Please read it, and tell me if Bush isn’t getting desperate. Here’s one part of the article to entice you to read it:
"Bush portrayed the United States and its allies as winning what he calls the war on terror. He spoke of a succession of al-Qaeda figures killed or captured, and said a number of plots were thwarted. The Los Angeles plot was aimed at the tallest building on the West Coast, he said. He called it the Liberty Tower, but apparently meant the Library Tower, a 73-storey office building facing the Los Angeles Central Library. The building was renamed US Bank Tower in 2003. "
Anyone could be President. Anyone stupid that is.