ain't no tuition for havin' no ambition . ..

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Sat, 21 May 2005 21:05:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 17:38:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 20:58:00 +0000

"That's what you took from this world, Nina."

Jack and Nina are on an plane, minutes after she managed to kill a special agent with a gift card while handcuffed, seconds before the plane is hit by a surface-to-air missile and takes a nosedive.

"The Sunday before you killed my wife...

"Teri and I went to the boardwalk in Venice just watching all the rollerbladers and musicians, laughing at all the crazy people, spending time together. And Teri sees this sno-cone stand. She giggles like a kid. She takes off running, she wants to get in line, she wants one. I remember thinking I was watching her, I was just...

"I couldn't help myself. When I look up at her she's talking to this old lady in line behind her and the two of them are laughing, and I'm thinking to myself, 'how the hell does she do that?' How does she strike up a conversation with an absolute stranger? And they just started laughing. Like they'd been friends forever.

"That's a gift. I remember thinking, 'God, I wish I could do that'. But I can't. That was Teri. My wife. That's what you took from this world, Nina. That's what you took from me and my daughter.

"I just wanted you to know that."

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Mon, 14 Mar 2005 23:07:00 +0000

I think I linked this a while back, but it's worth doing again. Yay, they're finally updating!

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Mon, 17 Jan 2005 16:55:00 +0000

At the end of the day, when I'm lying in bed and I know the chances of any of my, or our, or whatever's theology being exactly right are what, a million in one? then I need to know that God has things figured out, that if our math is wrong we are still going to be ok.

Wonder is that feeling we get when we let go of our silly answers, our mapped-out rules that we want God to follow.

I don't think there's any better worship than wonder.

It's like, when I think of the sheer complexity of the Trinity, my mind cannot understand, but my heart feels wonder in abundance satisfaction. It's as though my heart, in the midst of its euphoria, is saying to my mind, Josh, there are things you canot understand, and you must learn to live with this. Not only must you learn to live with this, you must learn to enjoy this.

I'm an unabashed Christian mystic. I admit it.

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Tue, 11 Jan 2005 06:29:00 +0000

An intimate moment with The Beast

http://img97.exs.cx/img97/1060/bauertablebeasting2yx.gif

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Thu, 16 Dec 2004 07:36:00 +0000

WoW-A-Day

Yup, Ash is 30.

It's amazing just how fun the level-up process is. How does Blizzard do it? I figure it's cause they give you so many options in so many different cities, that once you're bored you can hop around to somewhere else and do something. Don't like the dreary Barrens? Chug over to dreamy Ashenvale. The scorched sands of Stonetalon Mountains getting to your eyes? Take a zep over to Tarren Mill (which is an extremely refreshing place to go to, considering most of us horde on Kalimdor have pretty drab places to hang out)

In the Charred Vale today, got 3 quick PvP kills on a Rogue and Warrior. Hehe. 2on1 can't faze Ashathor, baby! And I even ganked one as he was revived and resting his half-depleted body. mmmm, hope he has big repair costs.

And yeah, Ashathor is 30 now. To celebrate, I'm trying to pick up a pair of weapons for Ash from the auction house: an axe and a mace. For some reason, ever since around 20, I've had these exact same weapons; their age is really beginning to show . .. sigh . ..

But woo-wee, I can only drool about 40 . .. mmmm, kodo mount . . . . . . smashy smashy!

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Mon, 06 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000

Another Alliance raid on the town of Crossroads about a half hour ago. Amidst much fighting, we were finally able to drive the humans and elves and dwarves and gnomes off our Barrens and back into their Ashenvale forest. We celebrated a difficult and bruising victory, but for only a moment, as the knowledge that their reemergence would occur again was on the back of all our minds. For now, we licked our wounds, celebrated over cold glasses of troll concoctions, and relived our stories of valor and glory.

Ashathor, currently a Shaman of the 21st season, was able to drive off a Dwarven Hunter of the 19th season, and a Gnome Rogue of the 20th season. He also participated in the grand victory over a Human Paladin of the 31st season.

Glory to the Horde!

mmmmmmmmm, WoW. hehe.

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 08:09:00 +0000

And so it ends.

75 games.

$2,520,700.

Affable smile.

Dorky voice.

You officially retire, Mr. Jennings, as THE BEAST. For all the cases Gil Grisholm can solve, for all the world-domination heists Jack Bauer can thwart, for all the front pages Jon Cheng can make, as Alex Trebek said:

"Ken's one of a kind."

Quote of the year: "Ken Jennings just got zerg-rushed!"

hahahahahahahahahaha.

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Thu, 25 Nov 2004 02:30:00 +0000

Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S.

The Morgan Quitno Safest City Award is based on a city's rate for six basic crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.

Most Dangerous Cities
1 Camden, NJ
2 Detroit, MI
3 Atlanta, GA
4 St. Louis, MO
5 Gary, IN
6 Washington, DC
7 Hartford, CT
8 New Orleans, LA
9 Richmond, VA
10 Birmingham, AL
11 Baltimore, MD
12 Richmond, CA
13 Memphis, TN
14 Jackson, MS
15 Tampa, FL
16 San Bernardino, CA
17 Compton, CA
18 Springfield, MA
19 Miami, FL
20 Cleveland, OH
21 Dayton, OH
22 North Charleston, SC
23 Little Rock, AR
24 Oakland, CA
25 Cincinnati, OH

yeeeeh, Gary, Indiana, represent! lol. errr, I mean, I feel ya, Pete.

Maybe Artest can use this to plead his case.

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Thu, 18 Nov 2004 13:53:00 +0000

With the open beta servers closing today for World of Warcraft, I sat back for a second, and realized, dang this game is good.

Can't wait for retail.

I found myself creating characters named after people I knew in my Everquest days. Ironic how it still persists, even after 3-4 some odd years. Sometimes, it felt like aggravated assault when playing it. Then I think about the $ I made off my character, and all is well.

With 3 assignments due in less than 2 weeks, and having not started one of them, there's only one thing to do in this situation:

Half Life 2.

Speaking of which, the crowbar made #2 on Gamespy's list of top 10 melee weapons in FPS. #1? The good ol' impact hammer of past Unreal Tournaments. hehe. The hammer looks so . . .. naughty . .. .

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 03:31:00 +0000

Been watching this anime called Gakutsuou, and I gotta say, this anime's got me positively infuriated. Not cause it's bad, or annoying, rather, it's . ...

suave . ...

The most obvious bit of Gankutsuou is the art, in particular the colouring. The colouring really really takes some getting used to. Though it's exquisite, and reeks of artisanship, sometimes you just gotta close your eyes to prevent the seizures.

But my fave part is the blatent yet subtle juxtaposition that goes on. For instance, you have Albert and his friends, which have pale skin and are quite young, and then you have Monte Cristo, who's skin is blue, and he looks sooooo nefarious. Then, you have the main characters living in a dream world of nobility and red wine, and then you have the rest of the world barred from them and living in poverty, a slum world a la Final Fantasy VII. Then you have Albert's optimistic naivety vs. his friend's worldliness. Then you have . ... see? too good.

Now, if only Macross Zero would finish downloading . ...

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:56:00 +0000

virus my bum . .. darn you ITS . ..

see, I think Atlanta ought to scrap that "West Coast Offense" and devise, using 1 piece of paper and a yodle, the "Vick Coast Offense." Here's the premise: instead of looking to receiver 1, receiver 2, receiver 3, instead of all that balhooey, Vick "looks left, looks down the middle, looks to the right" and runs to whichever field he sees fit. Vick's main problem is that none of his receivers are much to write about . .. and for sure, none of them can do the Ray Lewis dance . ..

So looking forward to some MMORPG goodness once again. See, Mr. Antec wasn't built for Doom3. Rather, he's made for WoW and EQII. mmmmm...back to the days of phat l3wt...ownj00 niggaz!

by the way, anyone know the song RJJ walked down to the ring to before getting KTFO by Glen Johnson?

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Thu, 28 Oct 2004 12:30:00 +0000

THE TRUTH

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Sun, 24 Oct 2004 03:31:00 +0000

Uhhh Ernie, I might take up your offer for those spindles of anime CDs . .. .

Started watching a couple of brand-new animes: Bleachworld and Melody of Oblivion. If you watch, and wanna gab about em, I'm all aces. But haha, the girls in Melody are so . .. suggestive . .. and it's all about Ichigo's father in Bleach.

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Sun, 10 Oct 2004 03:57:00 +0000

Wind Waker for 29.99 baby! Finally, it has come down to Player's Choice level . .. so far so good . ..

Following the gaming tracks, I was talking to a buddy about UT2004, and we concluded that, based on the amount of people who follow/play the game, it's gotta be one of the most underappreciated FPS out there. It's physics and gravity are perfectly blended with the pacing of the game, not to mention the BEST balancing of weapons found in any shooter. And you know what? It's learning curve is rewarding! There's no other shooter that gives you the same adrenaline for knowing you "worked" for your kill. Not CS, not any of the Quakes, nothing.

And to finish up, I've been asked who the best characters are in the Naruto game. Yup, Shikamaru is good, Lee's gates are ill, it's fun to Sharingan supers with Kakashi, and the Hyuuga's have disgusting chains. BUT, so far, in the clutch, I'd have to go with "that Sasuke-obsessed freak Ino." Haha, good quote Naruto.

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Thu, 07 Oct 2004 12:31:00 +0000

Jump Fighters vs. game on Nintendo DS

Naruto vs. Goku! oooooooh man, *drool* who cares if on paper, it's the most imbalanced fight since Cable vs. SonSon.

Oh by the way, the Naruto game is the shitz, muahahahaha.

Currently using: Rock Lee. Trying to gate people is ill, but tough as heck.

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Tue, 05 Oct 2004 14:14:00 +0000

Guy, if you don't know, don't pretend like you do . ... makes things awkward, yet laughable!

Anyways, I think the R.I.P thing ought to be replaced. Not a hit against Grandma, of course. But it's good to keep moving forward.

Anyone else study with anime on?

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 03:25:00 +0000

Despite my reemergence from the weekend getaway at chez-Yo We in Muskoka (indoor bathrooms, BEAT THAT ACF), I'll instead blog about a hilarious narrative a friend wrote up regarding the current state of Naruto Manga. Ahhhh, makes me glad Kishimoto-san decided to make the anime character-driven instead of making Naruto and Sasuke DBZ-like world beaters. Note to everyone who wants Naruto anime to move faster: count your blessings that Kishimoto is taking his time to flesh out the cast with some nice side-stories and character building, instead of shoving two genin boys down our throats.

Oh, and of course, none of this would be possible without the fascinating world of SPOILER ALERT! sooo, buyer beware.

Naruto: Sasuke! Get your ass back to the village!

Sasuke: Nope. I'm gonna go seek Orochimaru and get a powerup.

Naruto: Okay, you asked for it! *kick punch*

Sasuke: *kick punch* Okay, I need to have a long and drawn-out flashback now.

Naruto: Sure. I'll be over here when you're done. *whips out Gameboy Tetris*

Sasuke: ....And that is why I have to kill you.

Naruto: ...The hell? Allright, I'll beat you back to the only semi-angsty Sasuke you used to be! *kick punch*

Sasuke: *kick punch* Okay, this is going nowhere. Chidori!

Naruto: Rasengan!

Kishimoto: The Ultimate Clash! Chidori Vs Rasengan! Who will win!

Naruto, Sasuke: ......

Sasuke: Well shit. That didn't work. There's no need for words anymore. Well, back to the basics. *kick punch* It's time for you to die! Chidori!

Naruto: Ow, my shoulder! ...The fuck? You really are trying to kill me!

Sasuke: Yeah. Dude, I said.

Naruto: It's time for...Super Kyuubi Power! *Kyuubi kick punch*

Sasuke: Ow, my resentment! There's no need for talking anymore! Ok, it's time for...Three Spinny-Thing Sharingan Power! *Sharingan kick punch*

Naruto: Ow, my lonliness! Ok, it's time for...Super Duper Kyuubi Power! *Super-Duper Kyuubi kick punch*

Sasuke: Ow, my anger! Ok, it's time for...Level 2 Curse Seal Moody Goth Power-up! *Level 2 Curse Seal Moody Goth kick punch*

Kishimoto: Sasuke has powered up! Naruto is powered up! Who will win! The conclusion! Coming! Soon! Eventually!

Naruto: Screw this, I'm still Kyuubified! *Super-Duper Kyuubi kick punch*

Sasuke: Ok, take this! Sephiroth TWO Winged Angel Attack!

Naruto: Whoa. Dude. Seriously, this is some Malice Mizer/Camui Gackt goth shit you've got going on.

Sasuke: My angst knows no bounds. The time for talk is over. Now let's finish this! Chidori!

Naruto: Again?! Ah hell. Rasengan!

Kishimoto: Chidori! Rasengan! Who will win! The final ultimate concluding ending struggle! Next! Probably!

Naruto: You know, I just don't believe you when you say that anymore...

Meanwhile...

Kakashi: *glomping down on a Big Mac* I get the feeling I should be doing something right now...

Chouji: You know, some medical attention would be *great* right now. Something? Anything?

Kiba: Some triage...?

Neji: Some eyedrops....?

Shikamaru: A band-aid...?

Rock: Some antiseptic...?

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Sun, 12 Sep 2004 18:11:00 +0000

The cult of Ken Jennings

Various news articles have stated that Ken Jennings, the Jeopardy contestant who has won 31 straight games and $1 million, is back in Utah after taping the currently airing episodes months ago, implying that he lost at some point (neither Jennings nor Jeopardy employees can reveal any details about future Jeopardy episodes).

But what if the show is just on a summer break from taping? Perhaps Jennings is still the reigning champion and will remain champion for years to come. The nerdy Mormon's appearance on television will become a part of normal life in America. Lincoln's on the $5 bill. Sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Michael Bay's movies suck. Ken Jennings is the Jeopardy champ. There are now three constants in life: death, taxes, and Ken Jennings.

In short order, the ratings of the now-live show go through the roof, singlehandedly propping up the dying network television networks. To placate the increasingly vocal anti-Jennings contingent of viewers, the producers start throwing all sorts of special contestants at him. Harvard professors, Disney Imagineers, Rhodes Scholars, a 10 yo genius from South Korea, Danny Hillis, David Foster Wallace, Edward Witten, and even Ben Stein. Jennings defeats them easily, deciding the games well before Final Jeopardy, much to the glee of Jennings' burgeoning fan club.

Jennings, now making hundreds of millions of dollars in endorsements (he's under exclusive contract to Nike, promoting their sportswear geared toward the "intellectual athlete") protests when -- starting in early 2009 -- contestants are allowed to use Google's new S4 (Synaptic Semantic Search System) interface during the show to research answers, but still defeats all challengers. In 2012, the first contestants sporting genetically enhanced "buzzer thumbs" appear on the program. In 2013, the first computer systems to pass the Turing test are allowed as contestants. Jennings handles them all, au naturel.

Inevitably, a Jennings-based religion springs up. A young Mormon living a few blocks from the studio where Jeopardy tapes, reveals he has recently discovered a previously unknown book of the Old Testament. The lost book, coincidentally entitled "Trebek", tells of a living God from "the land of salt, jazz, and many wifes Who shall smite His enemies with a magical rod and infinite wisdom for the amusement of His followers" and promises salvation and everlasting life for whosoever believeth in him. After the new religion's leader appears on Oprah, the Church of Jennings becomes the fastest growing religion in the world.

And then, on January 17, 2026, Jennings loses to a young woman from Ohio (they later marry) by $1 on a Final Jeopardy question about the short-lived talk show Cooking with JK Rowling & Jay-Z. Many die. Upon seeing Jennings' wager come up short, Alex Trebek suffers a massive pulmonary embolism on set. His last words were, "Alex Jennings...I like the sound of that". The elderly, always susceptible to harsh conditions, are hit hardest; Jeopardy becomes the third leading cause of death that year for the 80-100 demographic. Network TV almost collapses (saved only by Survivor: Mare Tranquilitatis), and Jeopardy ratings fall well below pre-Jennings numbers. Jennings retires to Utah, now wholly owned by the Church of Jennings, Inc. And very gradually, people adjust to a world without Ken Jennings as reigning Jeopardy champion.

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 05:47:00 +0000

Signs that you're out of shape:

- when you can't do a single rep of 3-pound weights
- when doing 10 sit-ups produces nausea
- when your arms feel like they've been to hell and back after a pushup

However, tennis was delightful as always. Odd how back in Toronto, I'm considered the blingy-type guy of the group, yet in London, I'm known as the biggest freeloader. It's the doppleganger effect . ....

Anyone else madly catching up with CSI now?

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Tue, 07 Sep 2004 05:50:00 +0000

UNLEASH THE BEAST!!

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=2262987&nav=3YeXQbZm

Here's a recap of what happened:

Ken semed rusty at first, but he went into overdrive during the 'Seans' category. No DDs at the 1st break though, $4800/1600/1800 before commercials. Wow, uh, J.D. is a nutcase btw. Of course Ken gets the 1st DD and pulls $4000 ahead of the lead (accompanied by his trademark "um.. what is.. the right answer?") J.D. pulled a little bit ahead of Betsy for a solid 2nd place, but Ken owned the fist half, $13000/800/3400 at the break. Ken gets the 2nd DD early, but MISSES it and is -$5000. He recovers quickly, as the two challengers are left speechless for half the duration of Double Jeopardy (until J.D. finally buzzes in correctly). Anyway, this round belonged to Ken and nobody else, as the two challengers correctly buzzed in on a total of 5 questions. Ken gets the 3rd DD and is +$4800. $13600/3200/5000 at the end of regulation. Everyone missed Final Jeopardy, but Ken made a huge wager, so he's -$21999 at the end of the game. Final score is $10001/1399/3599, adding to Ken's total of $1,331,661 over 39 days.

I gotta say though . ... After many weeks of that lame teen challenge, it's good having THE KEN™ back in action.

"Let the slaughter begin!"
--Megatron

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 03:38:00 +0000

Paul, Shaun, watching you guys p0wnd those drunk highschoolers in bball was classic. Love dishing out alleys to you guys ^^

The position of communications coordinator was bestowed upon me. Praise God for blessing me with this responsibility; hopefully I can dutifully honour His Holy Name in this endeavour.

Can't wait for Sept!

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Thu, 19 Aug 2004 03:59:00 +0000

Rants another day.

Hehehehe, http://www.infonegocio.com/xeron/bruno/italy.html

noreply@blogger.com (Joshua) — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 08:03:00 +0000

I've been doing some serious thinking on how Christians are viewed in western society. Why have we seemingly lost our place in society, why are we often seen as irrelevant? And before you go on thinking huuuuh, yes I'm making a hefty exaggeration. But, to a large degree, yes we've lost our place in society and are pretty much seen as being an irrelevant sect of society.

A lot has to do with, I think, how a normal secular human expects a Christian to behave. I'm not talking about how they expect us to sit in front of a Bible all day, praying to the heavens and what not. Rather, they expect us to behave/think a certain way, and if we don't, their view on us takes a dip. And yeah, for every 9 good ones, there's bound to be 1 bad apple to spoil the entire lot of opinion. But that's not an excuse for our own individual actions.

Admittedly, this is a pretty meaty issue, and it can't be answered properly, methinks. But, I'll at least give my take on some of the behaviours/actions we should try and actively engage in, in order to "better our standing" with this western world. And yup, I admit that I've engaged in/still am guilty of many of these actions and behaviours. So, don't hurt me.

1) Kindness
Because of Jesus' unbiased kindness for anyone and everyone, we're held to that code. Unfortunately, Christians can definitely be some of the most condescending and uncaring people on this earth. In fact, I'd say the majority of my personal friends who I view as true kind and caring people, are of the non-Christian variety.

We gotta put our pride down and realize it's NOT hard at all to be kind to mean people, nice people, poor people, egotistical people, different people, whatever! It's not hard at all. Open that extra door, wave that extra hello, give that extra smile, chuck him that extra dollar. Do what it takes to show the world that you're a kind Christian.

2) Go to class

If someone knows you're a Christian, yet you're a perpetual class-cutter, that does nothing for the glory of Jesus. Nothing at all. It shows that we have a lack of respect for the institution of education, and consequently, a lack of respect for our teachers, peers, parents who pay the money, and "this blessing that your God gave you." Yikes.

3) Don't dog who you are

The topic of religion comes up. You sit there, afraid to tell the world that Christ, the son of the Lord Most High, died for the bed of sins you shower in daily, so that you may realize eternal life. Nope, it's much easier to not defend this Christ.

For crying out loud, He is ours and we are His! Do Him a favour and give Him His due.

4) Stop clubbing

Gonna step on some feet here, but yup. Unless you have the purpose of evangelizing to clubbers (big props if you do), you're going to a club for the purpose of not only satisfying your own desires, BUT also, you're showing the world that Christians don't take their religion seriously. Think about it: non-Christians know Christians should be abstaining from immoral activities (again, clubbing = immoral is open for debate), yet you go and do something that's frowned upon by society as a whole.

These descriptions are admittedly quite vague, but it's late, AND I was hoping for some more feedback. Agree or disagree, hopefully you Christians can tell me, and you non-Christians can help me continually compile a list of what it takes for us to be seen in a positive light be society as a whole.

Oh, and remind me next day to talk about gaming. . ...