Out of Control - Chemical Brothers

I love the Chinese, cuz they're so predictable.

Every single time I am using a treadmill in a gym and a Chinese person gets on the machine next to me...anihilation! Cuz no matter who it is and what country it is, the person from China is going to do the exact same thing every time. I will explain.

First they get on the treadmill and languishly look like they are doing torso twists and half-assed arm stretches while their eyes are conveniently transfixed on my treadmill. Making no effort to hide their dastardly attempt to one up me, they stare at you while they up their incline and target time to match yours, and then the "face gainer". This is when they up their speed to match yours exactly and then add one more. This is usually followed by a loud cough or some animated gesture to make sure you notice that they are now going faster than me. Never mind the fact that I have already been running for 30 minutes.

This is where the smile comes on my face, as I know the outcome already. They are going to run fine for 5 minutes as they keep staring in my direction so that I notice them. Ten minutes in, the dripping sweat and laboured breathing starts. 15 minutes in, as their irregular strides start pounding the belt as they begin to trip over their own feet, they realize they can't keep up. But with their pride still in check they will only go as low as my current speed hoping to pound it out. It never works, cuz within 2 minutes, grasping the handle bars they are scrambling to turn the speed down to a walking pace.

This is the fun part! Not content to just let them lose, I drop the hammer! 45 minutes in I up the speed which is usually followed by a loud cough or animated gesture to make they sure know not only did they just lose ,they couldn't even step up to the plate. Unable to deal with their utter loss of "face", they are then left to hang their head in shame and leave the gym with their tail between their legs. Meanwhile I turn on a Chemical Brothers song and let the music pound my feet. Same thing happens every single day.

So what is the moral of the story: Yah I'm competitive.

Infinity Machine - I Mother Earth

Who would have thought music players would ever become a social class distinguisher??

Today I was standing on the morning rush hour MRT train into downtown. Minding my own business listening to music on my trusty Ipod I happened to notice a kind of shady looking man listening to his tunes as well. One difference though, as I first got a look at him, he reached to his back hip and whipped out this black device the size of his hand. It was a freakin' cassette tape walkman that was clipped to his belt. Has anyone seen any of these things in use in the last ohhh 8 years? I sure haven't. I watched as he flipped the tape over and then spent two minutes rewinding and fast forwarding the tape trying to find the start of the desired song. I couldn't help myslef, I had to laugh, inside of course, when I looked at him and then thought back to when I got my first walkman. I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I do know that the tape I got with it was Corey Hart - I Wear My Sunglasses at Night.

Then a different feeling came over me as I watched this guy in his not quite white shirt, black tie, and scuffy black boots fumble with the archaeic device. I felt sorry for the guy, I wanted to give the guy money or do something to help him out. I mean living in a city where the mp3 player is almost obsolete because of all the brand new mobile phones here, he had to be an illegal worker here making a few hundred bucks a month. I mean really, carrying around a walkman that is 4 or 5 generations past due. Just think in 15 years we have gone from tape to the CD walkman, to mini disc, and mp3 players, now we're using mp4 and mobile phone technology.

So what did I learn today, well I ever take to panhandling in the streets I am going to make sure I am seen listening to my Corey Hart tape on cassette tape walkman...with FM radio function!

Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing

Okay my friend Jacinta sent me this picture the other day. Look at where my head is and look at the expression on my face. This is I think the funniest picture EVER!!

Song of the Day: I got the new Scissor Sisters song and video, great song...wicked video. Can someone please tell me where I can get one of those skin tight purple leather Bee Gees disco suits! I want to let the beer belly show and the chest hair flow.

Super Sugar Supreme - The Philosopher Kings

Last week in my early morning, post wake up urination, I found myself sitting at my computer staring at my empty mail inbox chomping away on some sugar fused chocolate breakfast cereal. Now I say chomping because the bite size ceral balls kept their original crispiness even after ten minutes in the milk. Why was I eating said chococalte flavoured styrofoam? Cuz it was on sale 2 for 1.

This week I was back to Corn Flakes which is bearable with cut up banana in it, and not so sugar filled either. I poured the milk in and every single last flake in the bowl was as soggy as George Bush's brain when he looks at the word 'intuitous', within sixty seconds. Now why if they can make the kids choco puffs crunch, can't they make the corn flakes "strong like bull"? Where is Clarke Griswold and his cereal varnish when you need him??

Music of the Week: The new Phoenix album, Its Never Been Like That. A very worth follow up to the classic United album, from this French electro-pop group. Probably never heard of the band, but they had a few songs off the last album in several high profile movies, like Shallow Hal and Lost in Translation. Its an album that right away I knew it was going to get better with repeated listens, and it hasn't dissapointed. Listen to the last song, 'Sometimes in the Fall'.

Run - Collective Soul

December 3rd, I can't wait!!!

That is the date that I have begun training for, the date of the 2006 Singapore Marathon. Although I don't think I'm quite ready for the whole 42km, but the half marathon and its 21km should suit me just fine. I figured that seeing as I regularly run 10km, that 21km is doable, and this way I still get the rush of running in the main pack of 20,000 runners!!

GO TEAM, well I guess there is no team, but there is an M and an E.

P.S. Mr.Luczka was the first to know that liter-a-cola came from the classic that is Super Troopers.

Marqee and the Moon - Sloan

Billy Bob strikes again!!!

As the years have gone by and the films are rolled out there, I have always looked forward to a good Billy Bob Thorton movie, and the guy keeps defying all pre-dispositions by picking some real head scratching roles. And even in the flicks where he is just inserting his face for a paycheck and the marquee name he still comes out looking golden. Why? Because he surrounds himself with talent!

Friday Night Lights...all Ihave to say is that it is the Best Damn Sports Movie EVER!!! The story is tight, top notch directing (from Peter Berg of Very Bad Things fame), impeccable acting with BBT and Tim McGraw as a drunken redneck dad, and the greatest movie score ever!!! The music is absolutely perfect in both its timing and mood. As soon as I finished watching this movie the first time the first thing I did is get the soundtrack to it, done by a Texas band, Explosions in the Sky. You notice I said the first time, as I immediately watched it a second time the next night, that was about two months ago. Last night I watched for a third time and guess what? I think I am going to watch it again today.

So there you have it, my movie and music picks of the day, Friday Night Lights the movie and the soundtrack. Now go get yourself some popcorn and a "litre-a-cola" 5 purple power rangers to anyone who can tell me what movie "litre-a-cola" comes from??

Panic Attack - U.N.K.L.E.

Yesterday was a big day for me, a big step towards the career that I have wanted. Yesterday I had an interview with ESPN Star Sports!

Unfortunately for me, I think I kicked the opportunity square in the nuts, both nuts. You see something really unusual happened to me half way though the interview. I GOT NERVOUS. I have done enough pitch sessions, presentations, and interviews that it is not really an emotion I have felt in a long time. I go into these things assured that I am going to knock them out of the park, and I usually do. The feeling is so alien to me that it wasn't the actual nervousness that bothered me, it was the shock and surprise. And when I get nervous I talk too much, and then I realize I am talking too much, so then I just abruptly stop talking. I'm sure if I could watch from a thrid person's POV I would find it all kind of funny. But for me it was a horrible feeling, for thirty minutes after I had that pit still lodged in my stomach. Its awful knowing that something you wanted so bad just floated by. But I realized one very important thing: that I haven't been nervous in a long time because I have not been pushing myself, this is the first thing in a long time that I have really wanted. Time to start pusing more!!

As the hours passed I realized that maybe the interview wasn't as bad as I have pictured it in my head, because I did connect on a personal level with the two guys I was interviewing. One of the guys had also done bicycle tours in Asia so we had stuff to talk about immediately. And the other was from Edmonton, so we talked Oilers vs. Canucks hockey.

Here is where things kind of get freaky though. That night at about 10pm, Simon and I headed downtown to Orchard Road to have some dinner at one of the outdoor food centers, and after ten minutes a group sat down at the table directly next to us, it was the Oiler fan that I had just interiewed with earlier that afternoon. So after another discussion with him, I actually think I maybe I didn't kick the interview in the nuts, maybe I glanced off the inside of the leg coming up a bit short of the nuts. Or as I am trying to say, maybe I still have a shot at The Dream Job, which is TV Event Manager, producing events like the Asian X-Games! I was the first of ten people to be interviewed over a two week period for two positions, so I have a couple of weeks to torture myself with the thoughts of my nervousness.