A poem by Cindy Le

This is a poem my friend Cindy Le sent me this morning. I really liked it so I asked her if I could post it and she agreed. I have another poem posted by the same name its called 'In The End'. Enjoy...

Can't believe the mistakes we made..
Nothing more than a price we have to pay.
Matching tattoos of his and hers,
Our meaning of "eternal love" has gone away.
 
Many things were said and done
It was when I fell in love with you, 
swore in confidence i'd never leave, 
But there's nothing left for us to do.
 
Thanks to the blood and tears
Of all the promises, so hard to keep.
From this uncalled for fight,
Our pain and hurt will scar so deep.
 
As the months turned to years,
It seemed I would only love you more..
but now everything is a mess,
and my soul lays torn on the floor.
 
And now our love will fade,
Fade away and never, ever come back. 
I can't do this any more. 
My heart is down to it's last crack.
 
I said I would never forget you, 
And i swear this will always be true.
But our love, it's not the same.
You and I, "we" just can't continue.

My review of "Barney's Version"

Over the weekend I went to see Barney's Version and while overall I enjoyed the film it left me with some thoughts and questions.

Let me start by stating for those who don't already know, Paul Giamatti is one of the better actors of our time, he has mastered the art of dramatic comedy and in this film showed what a good actor can do with a mediocre script. His portrayal of Barney Panofsky is brilliant, he manages to layer his character and really convey the essence of a man that is of two minds and two hearts. Let the record also show that Dustin Hoffman who plays Giamatti's father in the film is subtly masterful, while its clear he drew quite a bit from his character in the "Meet The Parents" franchise, he still manages to compliment Giamatti very well and adds moments of real delight to the film.

Now, with that said there are aspects to this film that are less than spectacular. The first being the length, it runs 132 minutes and drags on at certain points. I'm usually a fan of length because I enjoy very detailed storylines but this one seemed to add length for no reason, if certain parts of the story had been resolved then maybe the time lags wouldn't have been so apparent, if at all. That leads me to my next issue, the film introduces certain things into the story that are never fully resolved, like how 'Boogie' played by Scott Speedman dies and its never actually revealed how it actually happened, disappointingly so because Barney was his suspected murderer. The film hints at an explanation but its a bit of a stretch and never confirmed. Near the end they seemed to want to just be done with the murder suspect part of the plot as the story had already developed into so much more away from that, the film really could have done without the whole accused of murder story.

There are many who may not like the dark and sad ending to the film but I actually thought it was well done, it showed an elderly Barney losing his memory and having to be taken care of by his ex-wife and kids whom he had hurt in the past, it presented the moral that in the end all you have is family. It really helped leave the audience feeling the effect it deserved and that which the writing otherwise did not provide.

Overall the cast was well put together and the roles well executed, in many ways it reminds me of "There Will Be Blood" whereby a less than award worthy film is carried by more than awards worthy performances.

Addiction...

So I was given this topic by Johanna (@JoOrellana) and I thought this was really something good to address, so here goes...

Addiction is something that is difficult to live through, yet even more difficult to witness. Addiction destroys lives, families, relationships and futures. It turns people with such talent and promise into nothing more than the dregs of society, this mostly applying to those with drug and/or alcohol addictions. However, there are other types of addictions, some not seen as seriously as drugs and alcohol but can potentially be just as dangerous. There are people who have addictions to food, candy, cigarettes, sex and adrenaline rushes just to name a few, all potentially life threatening if taken too far.

I would like to focus on drug and alcohol addictions though, drugs and alcohol give us the most extreme and dramatic examples of just what addiction can do to people. Now, unless having previously been addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, its nearly impossibly to fully grasp exactly what it feels like be held captive by something you know is killing you. Society dismisses alcoholics and drug addicts as mindless junkies but that couldn't be further from the truth, many are highly intelligent individuals and when clean possess the abilities to excel in every aspect of life. When looking at it from that perspective you have to think well don't they know what they're doing? The answer is of course they do, anyone who has been around an addict has heard the speech that they know what they're doing, they know they need to stop before they kill themselves, some go as far as to setting dates or a timeline for quitting. Its not that simple, most people lack the mental fortitude to overcome such a powerful addiction on their own and that has nothing to do with their level of intelligence. Another thing to consider is when an addict is drunk, high or under whatever effect they drug of choice may have, how lonely a place that must be. Imagine sitting in a room all alone, crying on the inside because you know you can't possibly get any lower than this, wanting to change but being incapable of it because on the outside you're paralyzed by you addiction. That is a level of mental anguish most will never experience and therefore will never be able to comprehend.

What is infinitely worse is having someone close to you, someone you love be addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. I keep saying drugs and/or alcohol because more often than not the two go hand-in-hand. Anyways, families are so often torn apart by a family member(s) that have an addiction, the feeling of helplessness experienced by mothers, father, sons, daughters and others as they watch a loved one destroy their life is physically and mentally sickening. Imagine being a small child, seeing your mother or father incapacitated by drinking or drugs, not understanding why they're like that, why you're crying garners no response, why your screams fall on deaf ears. Think about older children, you come home to a house with an unmistakable smell, the smell of an open liquor bottle, marijuana, cocaine fills the air. Its suffocating to breath in, and because you're older you fully understand the severity of the situation yet still seem unable to do anything about it. You look into the eyes of your loved one and see nothing, no soul, no passion, no life. All you see is bloodshot eyes with dilated pupils, no longer is there a person in there, merely a living corps. Withdrawal comes next, many addicts do what they do as a means to escape their reality, general unhappiness in life is a powerful force. Its not uncommon for addicts to incapable of living with their reality, wanting to die, wishing and willing death to come knocking. This is compounded when they verbalize these emotions to loved ones, the inevitable negative reaction to their sentiments will push them to feel even more confined to their unhappiness. imagine a mother coming off of a 2-day binge telling her daughter she feels like dying, or a father who spent a week looking for his missing son only to find him in a run down house laying in his own filth saying he can't deal with this life anymore. This manner of sentimental expression can be among the most visceral a person can offer, knowing this can lead to depression for those being forced to watch and live with someone in this vicious cycle.

For all the aspects surrounding addiction, one thing is for certain and that is if it is not stopped, the consequences are always tragic. Many would say that in the end addictions leaves the addict, family and friends with nothing, this couldn't be further from the truth. Addiction leaves all involved with one thing, DEATH. That's something you can never be rid of...

My earliest memory...

So again today I was given a topic to write about by my friend Arin (@arin00) who told me to write bout my earliest memory. So here goes...

I thought about it for a while and I couldn't be sure which of the two memories I remember is the earliest, so I'm going to share both. DEAL WITH IT.

The first is living in our apartment in Chalkfarm in Toronto and my mom playing "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward, with that said this is obviously the first song I ever remember hearing as well. I still love that song to this day.

The second memory is living in the same apartment and watching Lou Ferrigno transform into the Incredible hulk and being scared shitless, all the while forcing my parents to let me watch it over and over again. Can you say adrenaline junkie toddler?

So ya, I have no idea which came first but those are the two earliest memories I have in my life.

Good Times...

"The McGriddle Argument" an excerpt from "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell" by Tucker Max

It is early morning and I'm at work showing this McGriddle who's boss. So the only way I could think of to express my sentiments regarding this ingenious piece of culinary excellence was to share this hilarious excerpt written by Tucker Max. Enjoy...



Tucker: "Dude-that thing looks disgusting. It has to be nasty, with the syrup shit in it. What is that?"

SlingBlade: "I can only assume from your cavalier attitude that you have yet to partake in the wonderment that is the McGriddle. Let me enlighten you. What happens is the One True God grows them on trees in the Elysian Fields using a heretofore unused incantation. He then proceeds to magic them down to your local eatery where whatever Ghetto Bastard cook your McDonalds has rescued from welfare that week proceeds to wrap it in cellophane and pass it along to you, the fortunate consumer. You proceed to ingest this finery in the vain hope that your obviously overmatched taste buds can somehow grasp the delectable intricacies it is suddenlt faced with. Is that egg? Why yes it is, and bacon too. But wait-they didn't add... yes they did, yes they did indeed. They added cheese. And then, then my friends, they wrap it in a sumptuous pancake bun! As your taste buds try to process that amazing piece of information, IT hits them...the syrup nugget. THE MOTHERFUCKING SYRUP NUGGET! It announces itself with a burst of confectionery grandiosity the likes of which your palate has never seen."

Tucker: "So you like them?"

SlingBlade: If you EVER speak ill of the McGriddle again I will personally force-feed you one while I fuck you in the butt using the wrapper as a condom and then donkey punch you when the infused syrup nuggests explode in your mouth."

The end nowhere in sight for Apple inc.

In a challenge put forth by my friend at AUX TV and BITE TV Crystal Gibson (@CrystalGibson), I have chosen to refute the notion that Multimedia giant Apple Inc. has reached it’s limits and will struggle to reveal future innovations. I won’t go in-depth because I actually want people to read this so I’m just going to throw some ideas out there.

Let me begin by saying without much creative thought there are already a few ways that Apple can expand on what they have already established and even offer new innovative ideas to the world.

Off the top my head I first think to Apple TV, the opportunities for expansion are vast and expanding into Satellite television and internet service providing would be the start. Major service providers around the globe are for the most part limited to their own countries, Apple being the global brand that it is would have a distinct advantage. Imagine one company capable of offering television service to the whole world, what would this mean? Universal pricing and programming to go along with the online and other online media capabilities Apple TV already offers. The ability to offer everything to everywhere in the world is something no other cable, satellite or online company can come close to providing. Now before offering all of this we skipped a step. People need actual televisions to take advantage of this utopian multimedia wonderland. So what do they do? I’ll tell you what they do, offer a full scale of televisions from the small 10 inch screens to massive 72 inch and projector screens. So now not only are Apple competing and toppling television and internet providers worldwide, they are now challenging Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and others television innovation and screen design.

The next would be the world of video gaming. The trail has already been blazed by Microsoft with the Xbox. This idea needs no explanation, simply substitute Microsoft Xbox with Apple (insert name here).

Now for a fantasy land idea because you just know there has to be one. That of course would be the world beyond, the final frontier yada yada. SPACE TRAVEL. Once the privatization of the space program is complete, which it will be eventually, all major corporations will be competing to invest in private space agencies and/or develop their own. One would have to believe that in the coming years few will have the means that Apple possesses to make such a transition. Imagine Apple TV streaming live from space on you Apple TV, MacBook, iPhone, iPod or iPad…

Speaking of MacBook, iPhone, iPod and iPad, did I not mention those? Too easy! Only a dimwit wouldn’t be able to come up with a variety of ways for Apple to be creative and innovative with all of those products.

There you go Crystal, this was done on my lunch break at work while eating.

Challenge accepted! Challenge completed! On to the next one…