Harry Potter's Hilarious

That Harry Potter kid sure is funny! Today, I watched my DVR recording of his interview from Jay Leno last night. Daniel "Mr. Radcliffe, if ya nasty" had me laughing so much. I've never seen him outside of the first four movies. In real life, the kid's a nervous wreck - but it's a funny "look-at-me-I'm-a-normal-goofy-teen" type of nervousness. He's able to poke fun at himself and notice the humorous details of life.

A Friend's Story

A friend of mine sent me an email detailing what happened on his recent trip to Vegas. I haven't seen him in a few years but I think he shared this story with me, and several others, because...well, if you read, you'll know why:

I have been fielding several questions about what really happened down in Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas - including my wallet, but I'm still going to tell the whole story. Well, this email will try and give you the long drawn out real-deal of what happened two weeks ago. Of course I have learned by now not to do anything with Paul, as bad things happen when we get together. I’m sure everyone remembers the story of me knocking out his two front teeth with an oar while shrimping last year, but on to the story at hand. Two weeks ago, Paul and I went down to Vegas to watch a UFC fight. Friday night we stayed up late playing Blackjack and drinking red bulls and Vodka. At around 3 he decided to hit the hay and I decided that I was way too awake for that. So, unfortunately I went for a walk on the strip. Also unfortunate was how comfortable I felt since it was still 75 degrees, well lit, and lots of people out and about. Paul and I had been at the pool earlier in the day, so I was wearing swimming shorts. So, when I had “cashed out” I put my money in my zipper pocket, but carried my stupidly big phone and wallet in my hand. As I was walking in front of Balley’s Casino a black guy walked straight up to my face and hit my wallet out of my hand. He bent over, picked it up and ran. Not even thinking (poor, key words there) I ran after him. He ran down some stairs in front of Balley’s and I followed. Unfortunately, I fell down the stairs trying to follow him. I did manage to catch up with him at the bottom, where he threw my wallet to the side. An accomplice of his showed up and ran away with my wallet as the first guy and I exchanged punches. I still don’t know if there was a third one or not, but I got rocked on the temple hard enough to stop the fight, especially since my wallet was long gone. I hurt my leg pretty badly in the fall down the stairs. So, I limped my way into the Casino and found two Security Guards. These less-than-helpful blokes did not call the police nor the ambulance for me, but they did call me a cab to get to the hospital. The hospital got me somewhat patched up and I called the police myself. Balley’s told the police that despite the fact that every inch of the inside of the casino was being taped, they didn’t happen to have a camera in that location outside. So, needless to say Balley’s really doesn’t impress me much. Unfortunately, I wish that was the end of the story, but it’s not. I got on an airplane 36 hours later. By the time I got home my leg was killing me; I do mean excruciating pain worse than when I hurt my leg at Balley’s, so back to the ER I went. When I got to the ER my blood pressure was 190/110 (It’s normally 120/80) because I was in so much pain. Somehow with my continued bad luck I got the worst ER doctor on the planet that told me the pain was from swelling from my knee continuing downward. Four days later after being in a lot of pain, I went back to the doctor (Thanks to my wife) and found out I had a life-threatening blood clot in my calf. The blood clot had been causing the pain and continued swelling and bruising down into my ankles. Had it been knocked loose I may not have been writing this letter to all of you. This could have easily happened, as my wife and I massaged the heck out of my calf because it was hurting so bad. So, I spent the next five days giving myself shots in the stomach and taking rat poison. Skip ahead a week to my surgical consult. My ACL is torn in half, and my is MCL partially torn. Due to the fact that I will be on Coumadin for the next 3-6 months, I won’t be able to have surgery until I’m off it. So, I am hobbling around the office on crutches in the meantime. I will of course have to undergo a couple of months of Physical Therapy after surgery, so hopefully I will be back to myself in less than a year! Anybody know a good personal injury attorney in Vegas? ;) I have been a health care provider now for six years and I can't say that I have enjoyed a single bit of being on the receiving end of it. Perhaps it's because I know how things should work, but I have very unimpressed with the quality of care that I have received. The radiology place hadn't even sent over the copies of MRI to my orthopedist, let alone the fact that the ER doc completely missed the fact that I had a blood clot despite me specifically asking about it. I hope this email finds you well...

SYTYCD

A familiar acronym? SYTYCD is back! Yes, So You Think You Can Dance - my favorite reality competition! I get so excited for this show. Hold up - I have an urge to jump and down for a quick sec.

... I'm back. Ala TRL: Whoohoo! [hands raised in high praise]

I couldn't even begin to predict who's gonna win but the females definitely stood out. Here are my thoughts on last night's performances:

1. I was a bit disappointed in Lauren Gottlieb's performance. I think her partner, Neil, is to blame. They don't compliment each other well enough and I think he's just cheesy, for reezy. But, hey, it's the first show

2. Jamie Goodwin, a dancer whom a fellow blogger [wink-wink] is already excited about, is GGGGGRRRRREAT! HipHop ain't her thang? Well, whooda thunk it! Once she gets into her element, she's gonna be baddddd-assss. And Hok? Impressed me more now than ever. What a nice, short couple!

3. Cedric is this year's version of Ivan. He really hit the choreography. Unfortunately, he's paired up with Faina. I hope she follows the same fate as her bro last year - being kicked out of the first round!

4. Jessi and Pasha (from Russia) looked superb! I was scared Jessi wouldn't be able to keep up but she showed some poise in a classy routine.

5. Sara, one of my new early favs, is a dancer who might turn out to be the most versatile. Labeled as a b-girl (is it always her birthday?), she performed last night's Wade Robson routine with much skill. I think her partner, Jesus, was off but the judges didn't seem to notice

6. Danny and Anya. Wow... I don't care much for this guy's personality but Danny showed how good he is. That jive was really suh-in

7. Lacey, the little sis of last year's champ, was lucky enough to be paired with someone as strong and solid as Kameron. Even better, the two were blessed to have the choreography of Mia Michaels. This performance, along with Wade's routine, contained the best choreography!

8. I guess I shouldn't forget Tice's routine for Shauna and... Jimmy? What guy goes by this name as an adult? I was making fun of this choice of name since I didn't remember the guy during the audition process. But... wow! I think the judges were a bit hard on Shauna. The two of them really put on a Broadway show!

9. I felt bad for Dominic & Sabra's disco routine. They performed "aiight" but there was no chance for either of them to really showcase their talents. Sure, Dominic ws able to throw in a breakdance move but it was simply a fun performance that failed to match the level of the rest of the competitors.

10. Ricky and Ashlee. Oh. For the love of... what the heck happened? Is there no other male who's tall enough to match Ashlee's height? That's a bit unfair considering Ricky's one of my favorite dudes. His excellentness was overshadowed by how he dwarfed in comparison to Ashlee. Even worse? Together, they can be called Ricky Ashlee. How tragic is that?

So considering various factors, here's how I rank the dancers:

Women
1. Lacey
2. Jamie
3. Sara
4. Anya
5. Lauren
6. Jessi
7. Shauna
8. Sabra
9. Ashlee
10. Faina

Men
1. Jimmy
2. Danny
3. Cedric
4. Hok
5. Pasha
6. Kameron
7. Jesus
8. Ricky
9. Dominic
10. Neil

That's just my opinion after the first show. I probably won't be able to blog much about these dancers the rest of the season. But while I'm on vacation, I thought I'd share a little suh-in... And, finally, here's a cool candid pic of three of the best SYTYCD performers, found on Jamie Goodwin's MySpace:

Fries or onion rings?

I'm behind on my new commitment to give up a food or drink item every two weeks. So what are my newest sacrafice? French Fries AND Onion Rings. I can no longer eat these items until after our wedding next August 2008. Wow. That's a long time. I can do it...

I can do it...

(Can I do it?)

I can.

Giving Up Coca Cola

Now that Lent's over, I've decided to give up eating certain foods or drinking certain drinks until after I'm married in August 2008. I know I'm a little late with the whole sacrificing for Catholicism ordeal, but I think it's best that I make little changes in my life in order to lead a healthier, less-heavy life.

Every couple of weeks, I will post a new item to give up. I will likely be very specific with the foods and drinks, since there will be lots to give up in a span of sixteen months. So here's number one:

Starting today, April 10, 2007, I will no longer consume Coca Cola. Yes, that is the actual brand/drink that I'm giving up. I haven't given up Pepsi or even Cherry Cola. Coca Cola is my soda of choice here at work and, therefore, I can no longer drink it. Pepsi will be an occasional drink at the in-laws and Cherry Coke is the drink of choice (for now) at theaters.

Stay tuned for my next post... I'm thinking some kinda of thinly sliced potato deep fried in a vat of oil...

Tax Time!

The two ads below are from last year, March 2006. They were in the same local Filipino paper but on two different pages. Can you figure out why I'm amused by them???

Spring Quarter - It's the First Day

I was so excited about school today. I dunno why. Last quarter was a bit blah-ish, having not applied myself as much as I should have. Yet, I pulled off very good grades. If I could do that with minimal effort, I think I can do better with a new attitude!

The drive to school was an easy one. I left work around 4:40pm, leaving downtown Seattle behind on my journey to class. Hwy 99 was clear, no traffic over the 1st Avenue bridge, Burien having hardly any cars on it, and Int'l Blvd had little stops. Sheesh, I reached the Des Moines CWU campus in no time! Such an easy drive! I was there twenty five minutes early. "I think I have time to go to the computer lab," I thought.

As I turned into the parking lot, ready for my first night of lecture, I thought, "Hmmmm... I'm so early, there's no cars here!" There were no cars.

... waaaaaait a minute...

There were NO cars.

I parked into the first of many vacant spots, ripped out the Spring schedule from bad, and read (in bold), "Classes start March 27, 2007." March 27th? TOMORROW????

I crumpled the paper into my bag and drove off as quickly as I could. [sigh] Another great beginning to a quarter!

Bad luck...

I've been having such bad luck lately. The most notable incidents:

-My car CD player is stuck on the same CD, at the same volume
-My passenger side sun visor won't stay up - it's permanently dangling
-I dropped our 27" TV, face down at the end of February, ruining the color
-I got a $35 parking ticket for being only five minutes over

...and several other little things. At least a few good things have happened during this same period:

-Bought a copy of the first comic issue of Buffy (Season 8). A friend of mine tells me it sold out the first day and is considered a collectible (the first printing).
-Finished my first quarter at CWU with a 3.85 GPA
-I got courtside tickets to see the Seattle Supersonics this past Saturday. You can actually see us on TV if you look carefully on the recording. I was able to film a great short clip on the digital camera.

I'll take the good with the bad. Hopefully, I'll have GOOD luck with today's protest filled traffic.
Happy Monday all!

Tim Hardlygay...

Oh, Tim Hardway... why did you have to say those things about the gay? Now you got Mr. George Takei on Kimmel with a fake PSA...

(That's public service announcement, 'kay?)

Jimmy... you make me laugh!

No Space

I did it. I got rid of my MySpace account. I was always logging into my account for nothing. I probably received a message only every once in awhile. My stalker days are over. It's best I just focus on school and all the other important stuff... like Blogs. :)

One distraction down... many more to eliminate...

You can post anything in You Tube

You can post absolutely ANYTHING in You Tube. Exhibit A:



How very UNEXCITING of a video clip was that?

SuperAds...

I had lots of fun watching the Superbowl yesterday. Usually the pressure of the big game gets to players, causing them to make mistakes which don't reflect their normal play. But the Bears vs Colts ended up being a genuinely good game despite it being for the NFL championship. Maybe the weather eased their nerves, having to deal with the rain and forcing them to focus. But I think the style of play from both teams was true to how they normally play. In any event, I'm very happy for Indy, Tony Dundy, Peyton Manning, and the rest of that class-act of an organization.

I pretty much watched the game all by myself. After an early morning-long day, my fiancee took a SuperNap, sleeping through the whole three hour event. In the first quarter, I paused some commercials and woke her up to watch some of the ads. But realizing she was extremely tired, I didn't bother for the rest of the game. Overall, the ads were just "okay" this year...but I still had some favorites:

5. CBS: David Letterman & his love: This was a commercial for Late Night with David Letterman. It started with a closeup on David Letterman watching the Superbowl at home. He was talking to his "loved one" saying, though he loved his Colts and she loved her Bears, they would still be okay because, together, they had love. Zoom out and who do we see? Oprah - with David's arm wrapped around her! Pretty funny considering the two had a public "feud" for 16 years before she finally appeared on his show in late 2005. Love Oprah for doing this with Letterman! [two chuckles]

4. GM: Robot Unemployment: This was a cute commercial featuring a robot arm working with humans in a GM auto factory. In attempting to place a screw on a car, the robot arm accidentally drops the screw and is laid off for his actions. The robot arm wanders sadly through the city, picking up odd jobs, like holding a "Condo for Sale" sign on a street corner & holding the speaker at a fast food joint. In each job, he is forced to see GM cars passing on the road. Overwhelmed by his mistake and his inability to contribute to GM, the giant robot arm decides to end it all by leaping from a bridge. Suddenly, the robot arm awakens back in the auto factory - it was all a dream... a nightmare. Gotta give it to GM for showing their commitment to quality. [three har-hars]

3. FedEx: Names: This commercial takes place in a small meeting for a fictitious company. It is announced that the company has decided to go with FedEx Ground in addition to the current FedEx Air services they already use. An employee asks, "How fast can they be with a name like FedEx Ground?" Another responds, "You shouldn't judge based on names..." and notes that others in the room agree. Ironically, the people who agree are: an extremely hairy guy (named Harry), a lady who literally leans on people (named Eileen), a happy, giggly girl (named Joy), a guy who bobs his head (named Bob), and a gigantic-necked boss (named Mr. Turkeyneck.) I watched this one a few times. Very funny. [four giggles]

2. Bud Light: Slap fight: All the Budweiser commercials were good. Some of my favorites were Wedding Auction (a groomsmen hires an auctioneer as the officiant in order to speed up the wedding, get to the drinking), It's a Bottle Opener (couple picks up a hitchhiker with an axe - but it's okay 'cause he had Bud Light), and Rock, Paper, Scissors (two guys play this game to determine who gets the last Bud Light - the guy who wins throws a real rock at the other's head, even though the other guy had Paper). But Slap Fight was my favorite of all the Budweiser commercials. This one starts off in a bar where one guy wants to "fist bump" his friend after treating him to a beer (fist bump: two guys form fists and bump them together; see "high five.") The guy receiving the "fist bump" says that fist bumps are out. "So what's in?" asks the curious friend? He's immediately slapped in the face - which is the new High Five! We are then treated to a montage of face slapping situations: people bowling, teammates in a pro basketball game, women at wedding, guys golfing. The timing of the slaps was perfect - it had me laughing out loud! [four laugh-out-louds]

1. Snickers: The Kiss: This was by far my favorite ad of the game. Two slob-type mechanics are working under the hood of a car. One guy pulls out a Snickers bar, unwraps it partially, sticks the unwrapped end in his mouth, and then removes the rest of the wrapper. The other guy, staring in obvious hunger, maneuvers his way to the exposed end and starts eating the Snickers as well. The two eventually meet in the middle of the bar, the candy bar no longer visible, leaving the two locked in a pseudo-kiss. They both immediately jump back, shocked that their lips were pressed together for a good amount of time.

Guy 1: "Dude... I think we just accidentally kissed!"
Guy 2: "Quick! Do something manly..."
Guy 1: [opens up shirt, rips a huge patch of chest hair, screams loudly]
Guy 2: [also rips open shirt, tearing hair off chest, screaming as well]

This one had me seriously laughing my arse off. Kudos on Snickers and the best commercial of the game! [one million roflao's]

Worst Ads: Doritos (really? that's the best contest winners could do?), Go Daddy Marketing (enough of that same cleavage revealing girl - she's not really that hot), Salesgenie.com (bad acting, unconvincing, they will be out of business within a year), Chevrolet "Sing a Song" (Mary J Blige to start? this will be good... horrible singing which followed? poor Mary J being associated with this ad)

Best Halftime Show: Prince. I liked. Very talented and entertaining. Sure was better than the Rolling "Zzzzzz" Stones.

Learning Piano...

Back in September, my fiancee's mother (my future mamma-in-law) gave us her piano. She lives right across the street so it wasn't too bad of move, with the help of several friends. In the past couple of months, I've been doinking around on it, trying to learn how to read/play sheet music. I'm kinda understanding some of the basic concepts but it's seems really tough. I am SO slow. I know It'll take tons of practice before I even come close to being able to play decent. But "my G" just came along and taught me a little warm up drill before playing. She taught me the whole-whole-half-whole pattern of the chords to practice on both hands. I just got finished practicing for about 1/2 hour and my fingers are SO warmed up. In fact, I turned on the computer to check some stuff out on the Internet and I just can't believe how fast and accurately I'm typing right now. It's incredible how those exercises are making me type like I've never typed before. Before I ever have to type a paper, I'm going to hop on the piano to get my fingers all ready...

Five things you REALLY wouldn't have known 'bout me...

After looking at what I posted for "Five Things You Might Not Know About Me", I was thinking, "Hmmm... that didn't really say much 'bout me." Here are some more personal tidbits about me:

1. (after reading Bossch's) After three months of stealing from various stores during my senior year in high school, I finally got caught at Rite Aid - stealing a radar detector. My life of crime started when a friend dared me to get something for him. It continued with me getting away with various items: CDs, food, clothes, shoes, and even a bike. And it was always for other people. I never kept any of the things I took. My parents grounded me for the remaining six months of senior year. Those "friends" who got me into it stopped hanging with me... which, in hindsight, was a blessing in disguise. Those guys got into tons of trouble...

2. Up until I was in kindergarten (or even first grade), I would pee in bed a lot. For fun. Okay, that's not true. There's nothing more irritating to the skin than dried urine. Looking back at that time, I must have had serious psychological issues. Because of my problem, my mom inserted a plastic covering under the regular sheets in my bed. I was SO embarrassed back then. But now? Yeah... still embarrassing.

3. The worst job I ever had was a telemarketing job in downtown Seattle. I used to make cold calls for the American Lung Society and, oddly enough, I was great at it. I used to rake in tons of donations, working along side the ex-psycho....errr... girlfriend. She used to get SO mad at me 'cause of my high numbers. I got promoted to informing Group Health customers about their insurance coverage in Eastern Washington. I left the job when the ex- was let go and didn't want me working there anymore 'cause of how they treated her. Yes, she had serious issues. But, hey, that's why she's the ex-.

4. I have aspirations of being a stand-up comedian. My realistic goal is to perform one time, just once, at an Amateur Night type show. I've been to one of those at Giggles - it looks REALLY tough. Personally, I'd consider myself to be only "somewhat" funny... and only in conversational situations... and only when I laugh in that way that forces others to laugh along... I'm not one of those people who thinks, "I could do that!" It's more like, "That looks like a lot of fun... I wish I could be funny like that." I'm going to make sure to invite all my friends to my amateur debut... (As a side note, I'd also love to be a professional dancer... hip-hop... but, I've let that dream go...)

5. At age thirteen, I was babysitting my little sister (who was four at the time) and I was bored out of mind. Seeing her LONG straight hair (to her back), I asked her, "Do you want me to curl your hair for you?" (uhhh...yeahhhh... please, don't ask) She said, "Sure..." so I took the curling iron (ol' school spikey kind) and practiced first without plugging it in. I quickly rolled a huge chunk of hair quickly from the bottom of her back up to her shoulder. I suddenly had problems unraveling it. Like, SERIOUS problems trying to remove the curling iron. OH SH*T! IT'S STUCK! I wanted to cry and was in full panic mode. My strict parents would be home any minute and their little darling daughter's beautiful locks were wrapped tightly around the curling iron. It was just dangling out of her head. Thankfully, my little sister, only four years old, felt my anguish and accepted my pleas for help. She ended up telling my parents that SHE (not ME) tried curling her hair and was unable to remove the tangled curling iron. They were so pissed but, feeling the loss of her hair was enough, never ended up punishing her. It took some time before her bob grew back out to its long length. My sister was SO loyal to me that she didn't end up telling my parents the truth until she was eighteen. I ended up being grounded for two weeks... at age twenty-seven. Sad... but true.

Five Things You Might Not Know About Me

So I've decided to accept Rebecca's challenge and post "Five Things You Might Not Know About Me." Or, as the Canadians would say, "Five Things You Might Not Know Uh-Boat Me." For those who DO know me, this is a little tough 'cause I'm pretty much an open book who talks about all my interests and aspect of my life (maybe, sometimes, a bit too much.) But let's give it a try:

1. I love tearjerker romance movies. Onscreen love is a beautiful way of reminding us never to take our special someone for granted. Same with love songs. Sure, it can be viewed as sappy & cheesy - but, to me, there's nothing wrong with getting into the moment and feeding off of that kind of energy. I consider it a turbo boost of romance in my own life. One of my favorite movies is "The Notebook." Wasn't it beautiful? [insert tears here]

2. My favorite athlete of all time is John Elway. In another lifetime, I was a HUGE Denver fan who LOVED the Broncos, especially Mr. Elway (as I addressed him in all my fanmail.) I started seriously watching the NFL in 1985 at age eleven while living in Colorado Springs where my dad was stationed. The team everyone watched in the area was the Broncos, led by the legendary quarterback. He was the master of the fourth quarter comeback and known for his arm strength. I watched a local story on him which showed his wide receivers, shirtless, with crosses imprinted on their chests (formed from the tip of the football.) Now that's power! But since he's retired, I've been a huge Seahawk fan!

3. The reality show I enjoy the most is "American Idol." I still consider it a fun show and I'm looking forward to next week's premiere. I enjoy the competition part more than the horrible auditions, unlike most of my friends who watch it more for the bad performances. After seeing only a huge handful of the first season's episodes, I've since watched every single episode. But, sadly, my favorite singers from each season have never won. Last year, I was hoping Katharine or Elliott would win. Instead, pepper-haired Taylor won. A better example would be my favorite from Season 3... it was Jennifer Hudson and she lost early on. But, hey, isn't she now the REAL winner of that season? Fantasia who?

4. My current top five celebrity crushes are (in no particular order):

--Jessica Alba (Invisible Girl? C'mon... Why would they do such a thing?)
--Leeann Tweeden (model, commentator on FOX Sports' "Best Damn Sports Show Period")
--Kristen Bell (the mystery solving "Veronica Mars")
--Moon Bloodgood (part Korean, Irish, Dutch actress from "Daybreak," a show that I loved but has been pulled by ABC...grrrr)
--Maggie Gyllenhaal ("Stranger Than Fiction")

Honorably mentions: Katherine Heigl (from "Roswell" to "Grey's Anatomy"), Rachel McAdams ("Mean Girls" and "The Notebook"), Maggie Grace (no longer lost on "Lost"), Sarah Shahi (1st season of "Alias" and "Wedding Crashers")

Would I ever leave my fiancee for any of these women? Like, if they just threw themselves at me and said they wanted to be with me forever? If in the heat of passion, we found ourselves... errrr... What was the question? Ummm... OF COURSE NOT! But they're all personalities who, on & off screen, come off as real, normal people...

5. When I graduated from high school in 1992, I was given an award recognizing me as the top math student out of our class of five hundred students. What did I do two years later? I dropped out of the University of Washington while pursuing a Civil Engineering degree. Heh heh heh... I have since triumphantly returned with a career in numbers, currently working towards a degree in Accounting. I just gotta live up to that award!

Now, I tippity tap tap Erwin and Bossch.

Bold Prediction...

I just posted a comment on someone else's blog... so I'll repeat it in here: I highly recommend seeing "Dream Girls." Oh my. What a movie! Loved it so much that I have to correct myself: I LOVED IT! Sure, I'm creating high expectations but I can't help it. I'm so hooked on every single song on the soundtrack. The actors were amazing...both the big ones and the newcomers. I saw the stage performance when it came to Seattle... French Davis played the part of Effie and her rendition of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" had me in tears. But... wow. In the movie, Jennifer Hudson was, as Simon Cowell has been quoted saying, "extraordinary." I was quite emotional for a few songs in the movie.

So, my bold prediction is... without seeing any other movie... Dream Girls for Best Picture for both Golden Globes and the Oscars. Yes, loved it that much!