Castle Shima

I love cats. They taste like chicken
-- seen on a bumper sticker

Tower View
Aid Rage
Maybe I'm going to sound bitter here about the tsunami relief, but please keep in mind I'm Asian by birth so this is close to home. I also have many friends from the hit regions so I'm watching this very closely.

I'm in agreement with Elizabeth about giving too much US government aid. Our government has now agreed to give over $350 million in aid to the victims, which is very generous considering there are over 120,000 people lost.

But this comes after many countries have been called stingy for the amount of aid given by the government.

The first thought that came to mind was So what if the government is stingy?

If the relief amount was raised from $35 million to only 150$ million, wouldnt that be enough from the US government? We citizens (myself included) have been giving to the private organizations, but why should our government, which we fund with our tax dollars, give the highest amount in the world?

This means as taxpayers, we are donating twice. Even the people who didnt want to donate anything are now giving funds to the relief. And for our country, its their right to not want to give anything.

That other $315 million has to come from somewhere. That means funding for schools, education, defense, as well relief to our own people.

All this for what? Many of the nations that are crying that the US is stingy are the same ones that just a few months ago, didnt want anything to do with us, because we re-elected President Bush. These were the same sods that complained about the US influence in Europe, but then started crying when they found out the US would pull troops out of their country.

Two words for those people: F**k you.

The person you so despised is the one who signed off sacrificing a large amount of help for his country to help out others. If you dont want our help, then why should we give it?

This entry isnt meant to be a pro-Bush one, but more to vent at the hypocrisy of the others. The country many despise is the one offering the most amount of relief from its people and its government.

And what started this tirade? I saw this picture on Neal Boortz's site.



There was no direct link so I had to save the image, but note the man in the tshirt. Was it someone like this person that said "Where is America?"
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More Importantly...
Now that the venting phase is out, please donate what you can to the responsible charities. There are already those scumbags that are using this tragedy.

The two I went through were the American Red Cross and the Catholic Relief Services
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Its Deca 31, Buck...
If you understand where that title came from, then you are an old timer like myself. hehehe...

And if you have no idea what the heck, I'm talking about, watch the 80's version of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, which will be out in DVD soon.

And with that being said, Happy New Year's to everyone. Stay safe tonight and we'll see you next year.
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Out In The Yard
Linkin Park donates $100,000 to tsunami relief. And in the end, all of it really does matter...
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Bummer shows that the Washington Post screws up the facts of Memogate in a single paragraph. Today's lesson in journalism: fact checking. Hat tip to Little Green Footballs
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Jerry Orbach passed away. Jerry may be gone, but Lennie Briscoe will live on forever.
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Background Noise
Tim Allen is playing on Xm's comedy Channel (channel 150):

I just bought some duct tape. I figure if I cant fix it, duct it

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

I said he could throw the ball in the middle of the field. I didnt say he was supposed to throw it to the other team!
-- Joe Theismann during the Broncos vs Titans game

Tower View
The Christ in Christmas
Since I've been in the office so much lately, most of my observations come around then.

This past week, I've been hearing alot of people wonder about the blatent bias about Christmas. Most of the discussion revolved around non-Catholics saying that Christmas symbols, the tree, lights, Nativity scenes, are offensive to them. But then they have no problems with the Menora, Kwanzaa, and Hannakkauh (sp) symbols being everywhere.

My first comment was "Wtf?! If you dont like one, why the hell is the other any different? More importantly, if you dont want one showing, none of them should be showing."

The second comment was "And why the hell is it so offensive? Do these things make you less of a person because they exist? You would rather complain about it rather than get over it?!"

(Which was shortly followed by "Hey! Get your arses back to work so we can get out of here!" But thats another story...)

Even the Hindu guys I work with were confused by the "offended" comments.

They had been living in the US long enough to get used to the custom and even though they dont believe in the religious aspect, they understood it. One friend even bought his wife something just because he wanted her to have something in this "season of happiness" as he put it.

This conversation came to mind again when I saw the difference in these headlines today:
AP News - Troubles in Iraq
CNN.com - U.S. captures 2 key terror suspects in Iraq
Foxnews.com - Christmas Spirit Crisscrosses the Globe

No wonder I'm preferring Fox News more every day.

So is there a bias? Absolutely.

How are we going to get over it? Celebrate the day and be good to each other every day.

That is until I have to log into work tonight... Stupid after-Christmas deadlines. Some one needs to die for coming up with this schedule.
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Out In The Yard
Timmy Chang leads University of Hawaii to a win in the Hawaii Bowl. This was a great game especially with Chang being the one of the top Asian players in the NCAA.

Parents sell naughty kids' presents on Ebay. Yah! Thats what I'm talking about. We need more parents like this.
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Kevin Bacon is a sex offender. Its his newest role, people. Get your mind out of the gutter. Heh...
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Background Noise
Oh Shiela by Ready For The World

ew... I never liked this song, even when it came out in the 80s.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

That's right! Its Santa day!
-- Kasume from Ranma 1/2: Tendo Family Christmas Scramble

Tower View
And To All, A Good Night
Around this time is the mad rush for those last minute gifts. This is usually when you get the wierdest crap like the Chia pet or really bad perfume.

Hopefully, you wont get any of those in your stocking this year. I expect lots of coal in mine. Heh...

Merry Christmas to everyone! Have a good holiday and stay safe.
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Out In The Yard
The Jib Jab guys strike again with Grumpy Santa. I cant remember the last time I got... paid...
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The Other Final is an awesome film about a soccer game being played by the two lowest ranked teams in the world. They played for free with no sponsors simply because they love the game. Fat Bastard Moore could learn from this film about what is a real documentary.
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Background Noise
Merry F***ing Christmas by Mr. Garrison of South Park

Hey there Mr. Muslim!
Merry f***ing christmas!
Put down that book, the Koran,
And hear some holiday wishes....
In case you havent noticed
Its Jesus' birthday
So get off your heathen Muslim ass
And f***ing celebrate!

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

Get up! Its time for the Epcot death march! -- Jon Pinette

Tower View
So, In Review..
I got this from Laura.

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Bought Furniture. I dont buy furniture. That means people will want to come over.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No. I wanted to cycle 1,500 miles this year. Currently, I'm not close with my total at 955. I may be able to make 1,000 by 12/31, but that still is pale when compared to the 1,195 miles I did last year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, just some women I knew from work.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, but someone close to my brother did.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
Money. Heh...

7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Nothing really stands out at this time.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Completing the MS-150.

9. What was your biggest failure?
The Platform Product Project at work. I allowed another project to take up too much of my time and let this one lapse.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just plain exhaustion.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My TCR Composite bicyle by Giant.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Lance Armstrong. Sure, I'm biased, but the man broke the record and won his sixth Tour de France. I can barely ride down the street now.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I'm not depressed, but definately appalled with Michael Moore. This fat bastard claims to be just like the common man, but makes millions of dollars sponging off of the pain of others.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Computer and video games.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The 2004 election. Its the first time I've ever gotten truly political about anything. What the hell happened to me?

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
Breaking The Habit by Linkin Park

17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
Older.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Cycling.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Office Work.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Working.

22. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Not this year... And what the hell happened to #21?!

23. How many one-night stands?
None. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Notice a pattern here?

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Not really.

26. What was the best book you read?
Crisis On Infinite Earths by Marv wolfman and George Perez. This doesnt qualify as a standard novel, but its always been one of my favorite series.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Xm radio.

28. What did you want and get?
My TCR Composite bicycle by Giant.

29. What did you want and not get?
An AR-15 rifle or the Beretta storm carbine rifle.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King, Hero

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I worked; Cyber-ancient.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More money.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Really, really lazy.

34. What kept you sane?
who said I was sane?!

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Stephanie March. Yet another reason to watch Law & Order.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Rather-gate. I know this wasnt a real political issue but he should have been fired right on the spot. If you sent in forged paperwork to your employers, do you think they would have put up with that mess?

37. Who did you miss?
My ex. She ducked at the last second and the bullet just missed her. (That is a joke by the way)

38. Who was the best new person you met?
My buddy Robbie at work.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
I am seriously underpaid.
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Out In The Yard
Here is the list of the top 25 most annoying newsmakers of 2004. Once again proving the gene pool could use a little more chlorine.
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Man beats the hell out of his own car. That is one way to deal with road rage.
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Background Noise
Closing Time by Semisonic

So gather up your jackets
And move it to the exits...
I hope you have found a friend...
Closing time...
Every new beginning comes
From some other beginning's end.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

I found my girlfriend going down on a midget. I cant believe she would stoop so low. -- Dwight York

Tower View
Where Are My Priorities?
In two weeks, I've compiled roughly 130 hours of work.

When the hell did I start working so hard? More importantly, why am I working so hard?! Dont these people realized I'm just here for the paycheck?!

Two days ago, I wrote a 1,500 line Javascript code script using over 4,000 words. That was more than a couple of my chapters from Nanowrimo...

One good thing came out of all this mess.

If you like listening to comedy cds, I recommend Mitch Hedberg's Mitch All Together. This made me laugh throughtout this whole ordeal.
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Out In The Yard
Elektra is back for more action. Hopefully this will be better than Daredevil.
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Pro cycling teams agree on ethics code. Isnt that like saying that Scott Peterson agrees not to kill anyone?
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Background Noise
Sexual Healing by Soul Asylum

It's just wierd hearing these guys singing this song. I suppose I'm so used to Marvin Gaye's version.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************

We've tried psychology. We've tried time outs. None of its worked. Its time to get back to whipping ass. -- Alonzo Bodden on punishing kids.

Tower View
Random Thoughts Again?!
I worked throughout the supposed holiday and have been doing 13 to 15 hours every day since Sunday so I'm abit sluggish. I've been lucky enough to either catch a few hours of sleep and read my list of blogs. Other than that, its been living and breathing code development. I could have qualified as a video game programmer.

I'm finally down to a 12 hour day and am finally getting a chance to update the blog. So here are some things that came up this week:

1) Chocolate is not substitute for real food. It may taste good for the first few minutes, but after fifty candy bars, you tend to get tired of it.

2) Minnie Driver's cd, Everything I've Got In My Pocket is pretty decent, but definately not for everyone, especially when you are really tired. Its so mello that you may find yourself sleeping while behind the wheel of your car.

3) I was able to watch the episode of Overhaulin where Lance Armstrong's GTO was upgraded. It showed how Sheryl Crow is a really sneaky wench. The entire time the tv crew is working on Lance's car, he is paniced over it because he has been tricked into thinking the car was stolen. So what does Sheryl, who is in on the prank, do to this man? She chews him out several times for not having the car insured...

5) So much for Nanowrimo and 50,000 words. I ended with nearly 7,000 words. When time permits, I may finish this, just to say I did it.

4) While grabbing lunch with some of the team, we notice that the car in front of us has the license plate IMA-SPY. I'm still debating about calling Homeland Security...
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Out In The Yard
Fury remembers The Great Mountasia Event. After all these years, this story still makes me laugh.
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The latest sports incident: Water Polo Hooligans. I didnt even know they allowed beer at water polo games?!
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Background Noise
Robert Downey Jr is on The Tonight Show, promoting his new cd, and singing on the show. And he really sucks.

I dont know if its exhaustion or me being punchy, but I cant understand a word that Downey is even saying.

What is even worse is that he reminds me of William Shatner singing, just like he did for those Priceline.Com commercials.

At least I could understand Shatner.

***************************************
* Days go by
* And still I think of you
* Days when I couldnt live
* My life without you
***************************************