Update: I was right, Haley got CUTTT!
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Last night's mentor was J-Lo (I personally can't stand her but that's me) and all the contestants performed their renditions of their favourite Latin song. My personal favourite was Blake's version of "I Need To Know", originally sung by Marc Anthony. For once, I thought Sanjaya wasn't all that bad.
The Crown for the Worst Performance of 4/10/2007 has to go to Haley. She tries to compensate for her lack of musical talent by showing more skin each week. How long can this cabaret singer last? I think the Vote for the Worst site needs to set its cross-hairs on Haley instead of Sanjaya. I can sing better than she can :)
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Caffeine Abstinence
Today is the third day of my No Caffeine existence. I was miserable on Monday, had a severe migraine yesterday and started today groggy, but I think I have made it through the more difficult phase of caffeine withdrawal. The question that looms large now is - what drink is going to substitute my daily cup of coffee? This is a large cup to fill, I'll have you know! The beverage has to be as satisfying as coffee minus its addictive qualities. How am I going to find a drink like that? Crap!
The reason I started drinking drip was because I didn't want to drink milk. Which is the bigger evil, milk or coffee? Frak!! Why am I wasting my bandwidth on such stupid stuff?
The reason I started drinking drip was because I didn't want to drink milk. Which is the bigger evil, milk or coffee? Frak!! Why am I wasting my bandwidth on such stupid stuff?
Saturday, April 07, 2007
300 - The Movie
I saw 300 on Wednesday night after a most hearty dinner at Ristorante Machiavelli. I had only watched the trailer a few weeks ago; that it was based on a Frank Miller novel piqued my interest. Before I proceed, I'd like to say that I like ancient history; stories extolling the exploits of the Greeks and Romans give me goose bumps. A heady mix of valour, honour, and the epic canvases - go figure why I like such stuff.
300 is a guy's movie all the way, an adrenaline rush from the get go. The movie starts with the story of a young Spartan boy fighting with this father in the foyer of his house. The dad treats his young adversary with respect as he teaches him the subtle aspects of warfare, of the importance of having no mercy. Like other Spartan boys, this boy, Leonidas, is sent to warrior training, which is a Spartan boy's right of passage before he becomes a man. Upon his return, he is crowned King of Sparta, and it is his battle against Xerxes that is the subject of this movie.
The usual suspects make an appearance: the movie has its fair share of motivational speeches and there is enough gore to make those with weak stomachs throw up. The battle scenes, shot in gratuitous slow-mo, are ridic! The fountains of red blood spouting out of ever slain soldier seem to come right at you, with the screen acting as your shield. (Tarantino's work in Kill Bill is going to haunt movie-goers for years to come.) The screenplay has borrowed elements from other movies in its genre - the hunchback guy bears striking resemblance to Gollum; Leonidas is very much like Russell Crowe in Gladiator; the council of elders look like Orcs :); all the pieces fit well together and that's all that matters. As they say, imitation is the best form of flattery. 300 pays homage to past works in its genre, and dare I say, does them proud.
Leonidas and his battalion of 300 "body-guards" know at the outset that they are fighting a losing battle. They are up against a humongous army (the Persians); a juggernaut that had rolled over the rest of Eurasia. Their bravery, and the fact that they hold this unassailable army for a few days inspires the rest of Greece to come to their rescue and fight Xerxes. I am not one to draw parallels to the modern day but as I see it, Xerxes's army is a metaphor for the iPod Juggernaut. Can the plucky upstart, Zune, hold the juggernaut at bay? Upstage it even?
300 is a guy's movie all the way, an adrenaline rush from the get go. The movie starts with the story of a young Spartan boy fighting with this father in the foyer of his house. The dad treats his young adversary with respect as he teaches him the subtle aspects of warfare, of the importance of having no mercy. Like other Spartan boys, this boy, Leonidas, is sent to warrior training, which is a Spartan boy's right of passage before he becomes a man. Upon his return, he is crowned King of Sparta, and it is his battle against Xerxes that is the subject of this movie.
The usual suspects make an appearance: the movie has its fair share of motivational speeches and there is enough gore to make those with weak stomachs throw up. The battle scenes, shot in gratuitous slow-mo, are ridic! The fountains of red blood spouting out of ever slain soldier seem to come right at you, with the screen acting as your shield. (Tarantino's work in Kill Bill is going to haunt movie-goers for years to come.) The screenplay has borrowed elements from other movies in its genre - the hunchback guy bears striking resemblance to Gollum; Leonidas is very much like Russell Crowe in Gladiator; the council of elders look like Orcs :); all the pieces fit well together and that's all that matters. As they say, imitation is the best form of flattery. 300 pays homage to past works in its genre, and dare I say, does them proud.
Leonidas and his battalion of 300 "body-guards" know at the outset that they are fighting a losing battle. They are up against a humongous army (the Persians); a juggernaut that had rolled over the rest of Eurasia. Their bravery, and the fact that they hold this unassailable army for a few days inspires the rest of Greece to come to their rescue and fight Xerxes. I am not one to draw parallels to the modern day but as I see it, Xerxes's army is a metaphor for the iPod Juggernaut. Can the plucky upstart, Zune, hold the juggernaut at bay? Upstage it even?
How to punctuate a sentence
When preparing for my GRE, understanding when to use the ';' to punctuate sentences was the one thing I couldn't quite get my head around. That was 1999; after blogging for the last 5 or so years, I think I have a firmer handle on how to use the ';' to punctuate sentences. For all of you out there taking the GRE/GMAT, here is a the key rule (the others are useful too):
Good luck with the exam prep, your writing assignments ... life.
Rule five
Complete sentences that are joined without a coordinating conjunction need a semi-colon instead of a comma; the semi-colon shows the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next. Semi-colons are often followed by a connecting word or phrase; however, a connecting word or phrase is not necessary. Sentences joined with only a comma are called comma splices; they’re among the most common errors that come up in college writing.
Good luck with the exam prep, your writing assignments ... life.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Zune Job?
Interested in working on the Zune team? We are looking for individuals passionate about the music business, about creating an appealing device that has the potential to touch the lives of millions in the future. Every successful product started off as a simple idea, a singular vision, and had a humble beginning before it exploded into the mainstream. I know that the Zune is on that path; if you share my belief and have the requisite skills to be a member of the team, send your resume my way. Embedded in the pages emanating from this blog is my email address. Find it, email the resume and you've cleared the 1st hurdle. Where we go from there is ...
Monday, April 02, 2007
Microsoft extends empire with Vista coffee brand
Microsoft extends empire with Vista coffee brand: "Microsoft extends empire with Vista coffee brand
Watch out Starbucks. And no, this is no April Fool's"
What are the harebrained Vista Marketing folks going to think up next?
Watch out Starbucks. And no, this is no April Fool's"
What are the harebrained Vista Marketing folks going to think up next?
The Zune Chronicles - Chapter 1
Every weekend this past month is spent in a very similar fashion. I can't seem to get myself out of bed so I can eke out a few more minutes of sleep. The mental exhaustion overpowers the desire to do anything else; my eyes usually sore from having stared at the computer screen for hours on end. I wish it were physical exhaustion - I sparingly go to the gym during the week; the lack of a car means I rarely workout over the weekend.
When I eventually wean myself out from under the sheets, it takes me a few minutes to get out of my discombobulated state. The rigors of the week gone by are only partially behind me and it's only a matter of time before I am completely rejuvenated. A long shower followed by a warm meal and it's time to go back to office again. This time, it's to tie up some loose ends, catch up on personal email and spin some tunes on the fantastic DJ console in the atrium.
Working on the Zune has been exhilarating, strenuous, demanding and viscerally stimulating, all at the same time. The magical aah I experienced when I saw my feature finally work is hard to describe (here's what the console said - 1 Test SUCCEEDED). I had made a contribution to the release, a change that might seem small and inconsequential to the naked eye but one that heralds my passage into a new role. A role of creator and designer of future features, one that hopefully lends me the opportunity to better A customer's experience. Oh the possibilities...
When I eventually wean myself out from under the sheets, it takes me a few minutes to get out of my discombobulated state. The rigors of the week gone by are only partially behind me and it's only a matter of time before I am completely rejuvenated. A long shower followed by a warm meal and it's time to go back to office again. This time, it's to tie up some loose ends, catch up on personal email and spin some tunes on the fantastic DJ console in the atrium.
Working on the Zune has been exhilarating, strenuous, demanding and viscerally stimulating, all at the same time. The magical aah I experienced when I saw my feature finally work is hard to describe (here's what the console said - 1 Test SUCCEEDED). I had made a contribution to the release, a change that might seem small and inconsequential to the naked eye but one that heralds my passage into a new role. A role of creator and designer of future features, one that hopefully lends me the opportunity to better A customer's experience. Oh the possibilities...
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