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 (hairy, slobbering ones).

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?