MEMORIAL DAY EDITION
Is it time for the BBQ's or just being thankful why we have a day off? Really, it is neither. The day should be a time of reflection for the freedom we have and give thanks for those who sacrificed to give us that. Unfortunately they only get a day out of the entire year, it should be more or more often. It shouldn't just be a day either to remember but to say "Thanks" as well.
Weekly Update:
So I thought it was going to be a semi-busy week but it turned out to be pretty mellow ... not bad at all. I was thinking the other day when I was outside in the backyard picking up dog poop ... how we train dogs OR are they really training us?? We show them how to sit, lay down, shake hands, stay ... but then we are the ones who feed them at certain times, walk them, pick up their poop ... who has who trained? Makes you wonder how smart these dogs are. They have us in a mind control! When they bark, we let them out to do their business. When they whine, we wonder what they want but all they want is us to pay attention to them which we do wondering what they want ... its a vicious circle.
At the movies:
A new king at the box office this holiday weekend but it was no surprise. New at #1 is the 3rd installment of the comic-book based action-comedy of
MIB 3 or "Men in Black 3" earns a nice 55 million for the weekend (not including the Monday holiday) for it's debut. Slight drop down to #2 is "Marvel's The Avengers" which earns an extra 37 mil as it passes the 500 mil cume mark for domestic box office. Sinking down to #3 is "Battleship" with 10.8 mil more. Slight drop to #4 is "The Dictator" earning an extra 9.6 mil for this off-the-wall comedy. Rounding off the top 5 is the horror film
Chernobyl Diaries with a debut of only 8 mil as no one is opening this book.
Quote of the week:
"The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another." - James M. Barrie
Other News:
This is both a funny and useful information list I happened to stumbled across ... Top 10 Hilarious Scam Products! Let's take a look ... 10) Premium Bottled Water - They aren't referring to regular bottled but the big names that offer a gourmet experience in your water and price them about $40 a bottle! 9) Canned Oxygen - This was made fun at in the film "Spaceballs" but they do have Oxygen bars with flavored air, what? 8) Balance Bands - I remember these, they were wrist bands you wore to improve your physical and inner balance ... yeah, right. 7) Crystal Music Healing - It was briefly believed that music was a form of medicine but it has been known to help plants grow a certain way. But go see a doctor than waste the $15 to $20 bucks. 6) Xtreme Fuel Treatment - this brand is suppose to help improve your car engine but turns out it was doing nothing. 5) HD Vision Wrap-Around Sunglasses - I remember these infomercials and they were really low rent. I think they were similar to the Blu-Blockers (?) and were just cheap sunglasses that easily broke. 4) BioDisc - I've never heard of this one, apparently it was a $560 glass disc that improves (and extends shelf life) of foods. 3) Water Activation Filter - it converts water into the necessary single-file alignment we need ... what? 2) Wattage 381 Audio Grade Duplex Receptacle Outlet (pictured) - This one is good, supposedly improves the sound quality of devices that are plugged into, now this is a good scam! 1) Magnet Slimming Patch - helps slim you down with the power of magnets!
Facts & Tips:
The number sign (#) is called an octothorpe.
"All you need is for one person to think you're cool, and you're in. Everyone
else will be scared to question it." - David Arquette as Rob Geller in "Never Been Kissed."
Eclipse Edition
Sunday we had a solar eclipse ... and I missed it! I think I was falling asleep and took a short nap. Well that is a bummer. Well the next one is in November which is suppose to be a total solar eclipse but still, I haven't seen one live since I was in elementary school and we had to make these special viewing boxes out of shoe boxes and having put pin holes in them. I guess you can get the same effect with two pieces of paper but I suppose with a shoe box it made it seem like a science project. Oh well, there is always November and around this same time next year.
Weekly Update:
What the heck did I do this week ... I can't seem to remember so maybe I did nothing? I know this week I have some stuff going on not to mention watching the dogs for the weekend solo. Huh, time sure does fly by either when you do nothing or when you are doing too much. Or maybe because I was in cyber-land? OH wait, I remember the big event of the week, I went to the launch event for "Diablo III," the newest game from Blizzard. It was insane, at least 3000 people there all waiting for the official 12AM launch of the game. But it was also interesting and fun. My friend gave me a copy that night and I had several people eyeing and some asking where did I get that from since you had to wait till midnight to pick it up. You could buy it but not get the physical game till the clock struck 12. CRA-Z!
At the movies:
No big surprise this weekend, almost everything fell into place as expected for the most part. Still at the top is "Marvel's The Avengers" with another 55.1 mil to add to its cume of over 450 mil. By the end of next it should be at, or close to 500 mil domestic box office. New at #2 is the action film
Battleship with 25.4 mil, not a good number considering the cost behind it. New at #3 is the off-beat comedy of
The Dictator with a decent 17.4 mil as this film also opened on Wednesday (this number only reflects the weekend). Drop down to #4 is "Dark Shadows" with 12.8 mil as it struggles along. Rounding off the top 5 is the rom-com of
What to Expect When Expecting debuts with 10.5 mil.
Quote of the week:
"The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another." - James M. Barrie
Other News:
Very sad news this week. Legendary disco singer Donna Summers passed away Thursday morning after a secret fight with cancer. The singer tried to hide her illness and in fact was working on another album while it was going on. Summers was often referred (and crowned) as "the Queen of Disco" and was best known for her hits "Last Dance" and "Bad Girls." Winner of 5 Grammy Awards, she was the first artist to ever score three back-to-back number 1 double albums and was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 (although not chosen). Her last album, "Crayons", was released in 2008 and she continued to make singer appearances with no signs of her illness. Although I am not a fan of disco music nor the era, I did like her iconic song, "Last Dance." Summers was 63.
Also hitting the music news is one of The Bee Gees, Robin Gibb, passed away Sunday after a long and hard fight with cancer. He had been struggling the past year and a half with it and just recently in the past few months, really hit him hard. Having been admitted in and out of hospitals, falling in and out of comas, he fought the good fight but was overtaken. Gibb is part of the disco-era rock band The Bee Gees and was originally formed by three brothers; Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. The first came on the scene in the late 1960's and were prominent figures of the disco-era much like Donna Summers. They were probably most famous for the soundtrack to the film "Saturday Night Fever" which gave them many no. 1 singles. They also starred in their own film in 1978, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" which had an ensemble of cameo star appearances not to mention being a solid rock opera. Currently, Barry is the last surviving Bee Gee from the original 3 brothers as Maurice had passed back in 2003 at the age of 53. Barry was 62.
Facts & Tips:
Hybrid cars produce up to 75% less pollution than other vehicles.
"I Googled it. It’s an Internet thing." - Michael Paul Chan as Lieutenant Mike Tao from the TV series "The Closer."
Starting to actually feel like Spring! The days haven't been too hot but warm with many breezes and the nights are chilly. This is what I imagine an actual season to be besides rain, summer or hot for SoCali. Did we miss something here because it is never like this when it's suppose to be. Well, hopefully it will last a little bit longer, I like this weather because it isn't freezing and most importantly, it isn't HOT! I always say, it is easier to get warm (or warm-up) then it is to cool down. I will say this though, we do lack the floral aspect for this weather but that can be a good thing because it brings a lot of pollen which induces allergy season for many.
Weekly Update:
Overall long and busy week but Thursday was interesting. I attended the LA Asian Film Festival opening gala event at the DGA and it was ... interesting and crowded. They were showing a movie that an interesting mix of both Asian and non-Asian actors but I actually didn't watch it. I just attended the event itself but skipped the film. I did run into some folks while there who I have not met before:
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Aaron Takahashi - I know him best from the movie "Yes Man" and a cool guy.
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Eliza Coupe - Best known from TV series "Happy Endings" and "Scrubs," also very sweet.
At the movies:
No surprise at the box office this weekend as the super hero team of "Marvel's The Avengers" holds on to the crown with an extra 103.2 million for it's 2nd weekend. It has a national cume of over 373 mil and the worldwide boxes surpassed 1 billion ... as predicted. New at a far 2nd place is the "comedy"
Dark Shadows as it earns 28.8 mil for its debut. Slight drop to #3 is "Think Like A Man" which earns another 6.3 mil as it comes even closer to breaking 100 mil cume! Drop to #4 is "The Hunger Games" with another 4.4 mil as it looks like it may fall short of 400 mil cume ... barely! Rounding off the top 5 is "The Lucky One" with another 4 mil which should be end of this film in the top 5.
Quote of the week:
"Show me a great actor and I'll show you a lousy husband; shoe me a great actress, and you've seen the devil." - W.C. Fields
Other News:
Forbes.com released a list earlier this week which I found pretty interesting ... the top 5 highest buildings in the world. I was also fascinated by this list because of the combination of uses some of these buildings represent instead of just a hotel or offices. Starting at #5: Petronas Tower 1 and 2 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I have seen these before (not in person) from the TV show "The Amazing Race" where one of the tasks had to be performed there. This stands 1,483 feet and it is all offices. #4: International Commerce Centre - Hong Kong, China. Height is 1,588 feet and it is both hotel and offices. #3: Shanghai World Financial Center - Shanghai, China. Stands 1,614 feet and is also both hotel and offices. #2: Taipei 101 - Taipei, Taiwan. Stands 1,667 feet and only has offices. And the tallest building in the world (currently) is Burj Khalifa (pictured) - Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This stands at 2,717 feet and has offices, hotel and residence all within.
Facts & Tips:
The archer fish can spit water up to 7 feet to shoot down bugs from overhanging leaves.
"Yes, I have a dream, and it's not some MLK dream for equality. I want to own a
decommissioned lighthouse. And I want to live at the top. And nobody knows I
live there. And there's a button that I can press, and launch that lighthouse
into space." - Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson in the TV series "The Office."
Super Moon Edition
Apparently Saturday was the Super Moon ... what does that mean? It is the point in which the moon is the closest to the Earth and will look extremely big and close but really isn't ... well technically it is. This would also fall in line with a New Moon because not only would it be a Full Moon (which is a Full Moon for the start of a new month) but all three terms can apply. But you have to wonder why almost every New (or Full) Moon is almost rarely not during the first week of a new month ... just goes to show you that Astronomy and our calendar are not aligned and will never be since the shifts and such through the many many years have caused things to be off ... and why astrology is not ... real.
Weekly Update:
Not a very busy week so that was nice. Got some much needed sleep and rest after the previous week of being in Vegas and the craziness that came along with it. I must say, I do love visiting Vegas but I can't imagine living there ... I can't imagine being there more than 7 days although I do come close sometimes! Sort of like other cities I love to visit like San Francisco and the whole bay area ... but wouldn't want to live there necessarily. Although there I could visit for a longer period of time and have. But looking ahead to this next week ... going to busy unless some stuff fall through which is both possible and welcomed. I guess time will tell but I know for sure the Wednesday stuff won't fall through and that will be a long day at best. Keeps one busy I guess which is good.
At the movies:
No surprise at the box office but the super-heroes take the crown! Opening big at #1 is
Marvel's The Avengers with a record-breaking 200.3 million for its debut! This film has already made over 100 mil overseas so no doubt enjoying its 350+ mil worldwide gross. Drop down to #2 is "Think Like A Man" with another 8 mil. Holding ground at #3 is "The Hunger Games" with another 5.7 mil as it continues to struggle to reach 400 mil but just may fall short. At #4 is "The Lucky One" with an additional 5.5 mil. Rounding off the top 5 is "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" earning 5.4 mil as it will fizzle out next week.
Quote of the week:
"Any man who has the brains to think and the nerve to act for the benefit of the people of the country is considered a radical by those who are content with stagnation and willing to endure disaster." - William Randolph Hearst
Other News:
Forbes recently put out a new and short list of the top 5 fastest growing cities in the United States. Amongst the many factors of why people are moving to these cities are simply basic things ... cost of living, cost of homes and jobs. Let's take a look ... #5: Salt Lake City, UT - The projected economic growth for the next 5 years is at 4.4% along with a 1.5% population growth (although I suspect that number might be under projected). The Current population is 1.16 million and median income at around 65k. #4: Houston, TX - Economic growth (5 years) is 6.1% with pop growth at 2%. Current population is 6.2 mil with income at 55k. I know Houston has been growing in business in general so not surprised here. #3: San Jose, CA - 4.7% econ growth rate with pop only at .9% Current pop is 1.9 mil and income at 83k. I would suspect this to be pretty accurate as San Jose is close to the tech world which everyone loves and is interested in especially single males which would explain the lower pop growth. #2: Dallas, TX - growth rate of 5% with pop at 2.2%. Current pop is at 6.2 mil with 55k median income. Again another Texas city is not surprising plus plenty of land to build with the growth. #1: Austin, TX (pictured) - Economic growth at 6.1% with pop at 2.8%. Current pop is at 1.8 mil with 56k median. Austin is actually small in comparison to the other two Texas cities but ... it is on the fast track for growth.
Facts & Tips:
The giant panda can eat up to 83 lbs of bamboo a day.
"I'm... still Big Red, / I sizzle, I scorch, / But now I pass the torch, / The
ballots are in, / And one girl has to win, / She's perky, she's fun, / And now
she's number one, / K-K-Kick it Torrance, / T-T-T-Torrance!" - Lindsay Sloane as Big Red in "Bring It On."
Weekly Update:
