westminster 2010: sadie rules

in the recently concluded Westminster Kennel Dog Show 2010 in Madison Square Garden, NYC, a poised 4-year-old scottish terrier grabbed the top spot. Sadie, otherwise known as Ch Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot, bested hundreds of other canine hopefuls to land at the top of the heap. 

the runner-ups were Ch Grandcru Clos Erasmus (a graceful female greyhound) and Ch Foxcliffe Hickory Wind (a female scottiish deerhound).

as to be expected, most of the attention was showered on the winners (their trainers and owners basked in the reflected glory, too), but there are a couple of images there that struck my canine-loving soul (see below).

here’s a striking picture of a Komondor, which one commentator described as a “walking, running mop“

great balls of white fluff? i just love old english sheepdogs — they’re shaggy and irresistibly cuddly. and when they’re grouped together like this, it’s like looking at a mound of pillows.

nourish your inner "star"

the burgeoning impact of the Internet on our lives is both obvious and subtle. the way it has revolutionized our daily routine is so pervasive that i find it rather mind-boggling to imagine life without it.

just think of the big Internet-oriented buzzwords that litter our daily lives — Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, SEO, etc. most of us know what they imply, particularly how they shape our waking (and sleeping) hours and how we interface with the rest of the world. but it doesn’t stop there.

among the latest blips that have recently surfaced on the online radar is Yoostar, a video software from that allows users to act out their favorite scene(s) from a film of their choice — along with the original cast, too! — and then post it at the yoostar website. Yoostar will insert your “presence” in the scene, and with a few clicks you can actually actualize your fantasy of playing a character in your favorite movie. the tool even allows you to make ad-libs in case you feel like it. sounds cool?
i know. i thought it was crazy at first. but then again, i suppose trends/developments like this are bound to happen sooner or later. after years of using Photoshop (mostly to tweak images) and other similar tools, a software like Yoostar feels like a natural fit. (it’s basically karaoke for the movies.)

hmmm… right now, doing a scene from Pride and Prejudice sounds tempting — except that it will most likely come out like a self-conscious, angst-ridden parody or something. or maybe one of those frenetic scenes from The Pink Panther. now, that would be funny. LOTR?

the great White Way

here is a short clip of shaun white’s cool patented move, double McTwist 1260 (also known as Tomahawk), which he unveiled to great acclaim at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

of course, it goes without saying that he handily ruled the snowboard halpipe event. in fact, this marks the second time he won this event (he also won the gold the last time in the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics). shaun white — who is also called the “Flying Tomato” (Il Pomodoro Volante) because of his red hair, and the “Animal” (apparently some people think he looks like one of those muppets in the Muppet Show) — is easily one of the best-known brand names in the ongoing Olympics.

what i’m really looking forward to though is the final (for the gold) hockey match (men), which could well end up between Canada and the USA. hmm…

waiting for Alice (in Wonderland)

sometimes you have to wonder why some filmmakers opt to rehash classics that have been filmed and adapted for TV and the silver screen countless of times. while most of them have been basically great, you begin to think these folks have grown tired of their usual fare so they dig up something that’s been around so long, people wouldn’t care if they turn out to be lame variations of the same theme.

and then, there are times when the mere mention of the director and/or actor(s) alone could entice you to line up to watch a feature without a second thought — the irresistible tandem of director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp, for instance (you can expect me to be part of that line), tackling Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

i’m not sure about the final local playdate of Alice in Wonderland (most probably the second week of January), but i’m already excited.

aside from Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), the cast includes Mia Wasikowska (Alice), Helena Bonham-Carter (Red Queen) — now there’s a big surprise, Anne Hathaway (White Queen), Michael Sheen (White Rabbit), Alan Rickman (Catterpillar), Stephen Fry (Cheshire Cat), even Christopher Lee (Jabberwock), etc. With a stellar cast like this, what could possible go wrong?

see you at the movies folks.

a short year-end note

hmm…

we all know that 2009 has been a tough year in many ways (obituaries, stomach-turning news, calamities, economic downturn, gloomy projections, etc.). and like always, we steel ourselves for rough times, being fully aware that it won’t be the first nor the last time things have turned/will turn sour on us. 

so i was rather gloomy as the december rolled in. basically i have no high expectations; i just want to go through this holiday season with my equilibrium intact, and maybe just enough dough to buy something interesting to mark the occasion.

i suppose being ready for bad news ready does work wonders for your peace of mind. when something bad happens, you can always write it down under the heading of “Expected Misfortunes“, then shrug it off and muddle your way through the rest of year. and when something unexpected good happens, it lights up your life like a 10,000-KW beacon!

i wish i could say that something reaaaallly good had happened to me — like winning the lottery or winning something significant in our office chirstmas raffle for a change (fat chance!). naahh, stuff like that never happens to me.

and yet, for some unknown reason, a few things actually turned out better than i had expected, and i am quite grateful for that. and there’s also a feeling of gratification that you made somebody’s day because you were able to give him/her something.

also, i did manage to buy something nice for myself (a 32gb Ipod Touch, yay!) after going through my budget with a fine-toothed comb. it was touch and go there for a while, but i was able to able scrape through.

ok. i know i said this was gonna be short, but i still have one thing to add:

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone, and HAVE a GREAT NEW YEAR ahead!