Random Thoughts 8: The “Facebook-Related Grievances” Edition

It has been a while since I did a blog entry, let alone a Random Thoughts blog. Well I am back, and madder than ever, so let’s get it. This blog is about stuff I have encountered on Facebook recently.

I have tried to get rid of my Facebook account on two separate occasions this year, but I couldn’t even last a week both times. It is pretty sad that Facebook has that kind of pull on my life, but Facebook is the only way that I can keep in contact with my extended family in other countries. Anyways, let’s get to the real gripes.

I have a few Facebook friends that do nothing but post things like inspirational quotes and messages. Now it is okay to do this once in a while, but doing this all the time is just really annoying, like those few of my Facebook friends. It comes off as a bit elitist, and that you are basically telling everyone “I’m better than you because I post these quotes and follow them and that you should follow them too”. You don’t even know if that person is actually following those quotes that they keep putting up. Nobody gives a shit about your inspirational quotes.

Next thing, and let me paint the scene for you. A girl is uploading pictures of her drunken night out with her girlfriends. You look at her pictures, typical loose women holding alcoholic drinks making drunken poses for the camera, and then, you see a picture of a certain pose that you can’t really understand. Why is it that girls have that picture of a girl kissing another girl on the cheek? For the life of me, I can never understand why (drunk) girls do this. Are they trying to do their best lesbian impression? It seems like every time someone looks at a girl’s pictures of their night out, there is always that picture of a girl kissing another girl’s cheek. Now I’m not saying this should stop, I just want to know why this always seems to happen. You don’t see a guy kissing another guy on the cheek, unless they were gay. But seriously, I want to know why this happens.

Last thing, on the subject of kissing people on the cheek, a kind of picture that pisses me off is where the guy gets one or two women to kiss him on the cheek. If you are a guy who has to get pictures of yourself with women kissing you to make yourself look like some sort of “ladies man”, then you are a fucking douche, plain and simple. The guys who have to get pictures like that are basically trying to cover up their own insecurities. They are scared guys, if you think about it. I’m not being bitter about it, but it is a fact. These are the kind of guys who deserve to have their face burned by napalm, yeah let’s see what girls would kiss you now.

Well, there are some thoughts out of my system, if you want more of the same, follow me on Twitter @Randy_Narine. Bye for now… 

My Take on the GTA V Announcement and Some Speculation

A few days after I posted my tribute article to the 10^th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 3, Rockstar Games announced on Monday that they were developing a new Grand Theft Auto game, called “Grand Theft Auto V”. Obviously, I was very excited to hear this news, and it gave me something to look forward to. I’ve made it no secret that GTA is my favorite video game series of all time, and I cannot wait to see what direction Rockstar will be taking for this adventure.

There isn’t too much to speculate on GTA V, other than the logo. Looks like something out of a 5-dollar bill, in my opinion. That could be a clue right there, the 5-dollar bill there represents money, so money could be a bigger factor in this GTA game than in previous GTA games. I frequent the GTA forums quite a bit, and there is also speculation as to where the location will be set for this game. If the logo is anything to go by, the setting could be a place where money runs the city. My bet is on Las Vegas to be the setting of this GTA game. In fact, I will take this one step further. If anyone remembers GTA: San Andreas, the three major cities were Los Santos (Los Angeles), San Fierro (San Francisco), and Las Venturas (Las Vegas). I am fairly confident that the location of this new GTA game will be in a redesigned version of one of those cities in San Andreas. How confident am I? I will say 75%, but like all speculation, I could be wrong.

Of course, a lot of the game won’t be revealed until the first trailer comes out on November 2 (Wednesday). In the trailer, we would probably get an idea on the setting of this game, the main character of the game, and also have a basic idea of the plot, among other things.

One last issue, why did Rockstar have to call this one GTA V? The transition from GTA 2 to GTA 3 and from GTA 3 to GTA IV was massive. We went from a cartoony, top-down styled GTA 2, to an open world, sandbox styled GTA 3. We also went from that same open world; sandbox styled GTA 3 to a graphically robust, beautifully atmospheric GTA IV. What I am trying to say is that the change between GTA IV and GTA V won’t be that much of a massive change as the other two transitions. Of course, I could be wrong in what I have said, or the game could be a lot like GTA IV. Who really knows?

So, let’s wait until the first trailer comes out, then the speculative fun really begins…

The 10th Anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 3

This Saturday is a major milestone for one of the most influential and revolutionary games in our generation. Saturday marks the 10^th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 3, a game which brought the open world sandbox genre to the forefront of video games. It was a game that sparked an absurd amount of controversy with its violence, and had parental groups clamoring for the game to be banned. It was a game that, let’s face it, changed the landscape of video games for the better.

Obviously, one of the biggest selling points of Grand Theft Auto 3 was its open world, where it gave you the freedom to do whatever you want and please. It has been done before (ex: Zelda), but what set the open world of Grand Theft Auto 3 apart was that it mimicked real life. There never was a game before GTA3 that portrayed a real life world as well as this has, and to have this world open to you for your pleasure was absolutely brilliant. Want to go steal a car? Go right ahead! Want to punch a pedestrian in his head? Who’s stopping you! Want to run over some gang members? Of course! At the time of its release, the possibilities were nearly endless.

The first time I ever played Grand Theft Auto 3 was when I was 10 years old and went to my cousin’s house to spend the night. There I saw my cousin playing Grand Theft Auto 3 and awestruck at what he was playing. So we started playing the game and doing the missions and it was all extremely fun. We were killing the gang members, running from the police, and then shooting the police. I have never been so entranced by a game like this before, and it is a direct reason why I consider the Grand Theft Auto series to be my favorite video game series of all time and the most influential series as well. The first time I ever owned a Grand Theft Auto game was back in 2003 when I bought the Grand Theft Auto Double Pack for my Xbox, which had both GTA3 and GTA: Vice City. I consider it one of my happiest video game purchases ever.

Just yesterday, I went back to play Grand Theft Auto 3 just so I could get that feeling of nostalgia from the 10 years that this game was released. Obviously, this game did not age well, because the graphics were pretty blocky (what did you expect?). Other than that, this game still continues to put a smile on my face and I still experience a thrill in going around shooting cops, running people over, and speeding down towards a ramp where I fly off into the water and drown. Grand Theft Auto 3 had an impact on my life more than any other game I have played. It is, hands down, the most influential game in my life, and the most influential game of the new millennium. 10 years on, you will always be in my heart, and you will never leave it.

School Update

I head off to school in a couple days, so I don’t know if I will be updating the blog as often as I was during the summer, or at all. Obviously school will be my first priority, so writing for my blog or any others as a guest is out of my immediate plans, but if I do have some free time to write a blog post, I could probably do that.

I always used this blog to get some nagging thoughts out of my head, and to comment on the events around me, locally and globally. To be honest, I was shocked to see that so many people came to check out my site and that it got so many views. It was successful, that’s for sure.

I want to thank everyone out there for checking out this blog, commenting on the posts, linking it to other sites, and such. Without you, the reader, this wouldn’t be possible.

Like I said before, I don’t know if the blog postings will be affected. I could still be posting 2 blog posts a week, but I doubt that much. I have to be focused for school.

Cheers all, and have a good day.

Canada vs. St. Lucia: Post-Game Thoughts

Last Friday, I went out to BMO Field to see Canada start their campaign for the 2014 World Cup against St. Lucia, one of the Caribbean minnows of CONCACAF. Overall, the night was incredibly fun, despite my obvious drunkenness. Thankfully, Canada won the match 4-1, but I won’t be talking about Canada’s performance in the match (leave that to the media). Rather, I will talk about what I noticed while sitting in the south end watching the match, from a supporter’s perspective.

The first thing I want to talk about is the crowd. Overall, the crowd was very pro-Canadian, compared to other Canada matches that took place at BMO Field, where the away fans typically outnumbered the home support. There were a few St. Lucia fans around, but they were in very small bunches. My rough estimate on the St. Lucia fans that attended the match is around 500-750 people, out of the total number of 11500 people in attendance. Most of them congregated in the north stands, but there were a few St. Lucia fans all around the stadium. With that said, I was happy with the Canadian presence at this match, especially in the south end.

One thing that got me angry was the conduct of some of the St. Lucia players during the match. There was an unusually high number of St. Lucia players falling down and acting like they were injured. I counted at least six or seven stretchers coming out onto the pitch during the match, and they were all for St. Lucia. Obviously this was nothing more than a tactic by St. Lucia to waste time, especially when the match was tied 1-1. Still, this drew out the anger of the Canadian fans, and the insults were flying towards the St. Lucia players.

The thing that impressed me the most at the match was the atmosphere from the south stands. The east stands were decently full and the west and north stands weren’t as full as the east stand, but the south stands were the place to be for the match, it was very packed. It wasn’t just the supporters sections of 112/113/114 with the chants and songs, the rest of the south end got into it as well, which was awesome. There was a sense of unification in the south stands at the Canada match that you don’t get when going to a Toronto FC game. In terms of atmosphere, I would much rather go to a Canada match than go to a Toronto FC match. I remembered getting home after the match and watching the same game I was just at, and I heard the Canadian supporters sing their hearts out loud and clear. This was incredible.

I would love to go to the other Canada matches taking place in October and November, but I have school. Still, the match on Friday was quite the crazy match to go to. I was bummed to not meet anyone from Twitter, but it was still a great night.

Some Thoughts over the Weekend

The above picture says it all, really. On Sunday, I watched Manchester United absolutely destroy Arsenal by the score of 8-2 at Old Trafford. Wow, 8-2, that’s like a hockey score right there. Let’s start with United. Complete performance from the team, every attacking player was firing from all cylinders. Rooney had two pinpoint accurate free kicks along with a penalty for his hat-trick. Young had two outstanding shots bending straight into the side of the goal, breathtaking stuff. But I thought the critical moment of the match came when Arsenal were awarded a penalty while United were up 1-0. Up stepped Robin Van Persie, he shot the ball near the bottom-left of the net and United goalkeeper David de Gea bent down low to make the stop. It can be argued that Van Persie took a poor penalty shot, but that was a good save.

As for Arsenal, I’m not going to repeat what so many of the media have already said about Arsene Wenger and his squad, though I am getting pretty sick of constantly hearing about their problems. The media have always talked about it since near the end of last season. I don’t need to be repeatedly reminded about how Arsene needs to spend money and trying to get more experienced players and strengthen their depth. I already know this.

Switching gears to UFC last Saturday night, there is no denying the dominance of Anderson Silva, who retained his Middleweight title by beating Yushin Okami in the second round. After watching that fight, I kept thinking to myself “Who next?” Who can possibly stop this guy? I don’t think anyone can right now.

Apparently there was also the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night? Umm…I didn’t watch it. It's pretty much a costume party nowadays...

That’s all I got to say…

Random Thoughts 7: The “Earthquake” Edition

As I was writing tonight’s blog, apparently there was an earthquake that struck the east coast of the United States and was felt up here in Canada. The earthquake measured 5.8 on the Richter scale. I personally didn’t feel any kind of tremors, but other people did. I pulled out my phone to check the reaction on Facebook and Twitter. On Facebook, it was your typical annoying overreaction from a few of my Facebook friends. But on Twitter, when I clicked on the “#earthquake” hash tag on the Trending Topics list, I saw people acting like it were the end of the world going on. There were also people not making a big deal of this and posting pictures of the devastation (see the picture above), but generally the media was making a bigger deal than it actually was.

Here’s my message to those making a massive deal about this earthquake. Stop being such a pussy about it and man the hell up. If you want to take precautions after the earthquake struck, then do so, but don’t go around acting like the world is going to end, or the rapture was coming, or some other stupid shit. The west coast is used to this, and they pass this off as nothing. Maybe the east coast should do the same.

There was also some sad news that came yesterday, where opposition leader Jack Layton has lost his battle with cancer and passed away. He was an extremely likable guy, who had the best interests of lower and middle class Canadians, as well as Canada as a whole. He will be missed.

I planned to write up a post yesterday about trying to understand the hate and abuse on football (soccer) officials by supporters, but I had difficulty trying to present my argument. The thing that sparked me to try to write that was when I went to see my cousin’s soccer game on Saturday. In my opinion, the referee called a fair game, apart from a couple questionable calls. But that didn’t stop the other parents taunting the referee and the linesman and hurling abuse at them for calls that didn’t go their way.

It’s always the same story whenever I go see any kind of footy match. The supporters don’t like a decision the ref has made, then they taunt the ref for the rest of the match. Sometimes it is justifiable, but other times the things these people say is just mean. You know what I would like to see, I would like to see a random supporter picked at random to ref a match. I bet that the person wouldn’t have a clue. Referees are trained to ref matches, supporters are not (unless the supporters are all trained referees), and although the referees don’t see everything that goes on in the match, the officials have a better judgment than the supporters. Nowadays there are the advancements in technology designed to help the referee make the correct decision, but the human element of football will always be there, no matter what.

Random Thoughts 6: The “Niagara Falls Tragedy” Edition

Over the last couple days, I have been reading the story about a student from Japan who visited Niagara Falls. She climbed over a railing to get her picture taken, and when she tried to climb back, she lost her balance and fell into the Niagara River, and then she got swept over Niagara Falls.

It is a tragic story indeed, but I don’t exactly feel compassion for her. The reason why I don’t feel compassion for her was because she hopped the barrier in order to get a picture. The barrier between the water and land isn’t there for style; it is there for safety reasons and to prevent people from falling into the water. Everyone understands this.  If you hopped the barrier in order to get a picture or any other reason, you’ve effectively waived your safety rights and anything that happens to you while over the barrier at Niagara Falls is not the responsibility of anyone but yourself. I don’t understand how anyone could be so stupid, but this story is still tragic nonetheless.

Last weekend, I got suckered into seeing Final Destination 5 by my cousin. It is also worth noting that I also got suckered into watching Final Destination 4 by that same cousin. So we went to see Final Destination 5, and if you’ve seen 1 through 4, this was pretty much no different. It had your typical gore, had a couple entertaining bits as well, but for the most part it was a forgettable movie. It was exactly what I expected.

Going to see that movie lead me to another thought, I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to horror movies. What I mean is, I like to watch horror movies that actually make me feel scared and terrified, with suspense and will haunt me in my dreams. Nowadays, a lot of these mainstream horror movies are all about gore and how disgusted they can make the audience feel. I’m no expert on horror movies, but I think that nowadays, the benchmark on the mainstream horror movies made these days is blood and gore, and not the sense of proper fear that made horror movies popular in the first place. That’s how I see it at least.

That’s all I got to say. I would usually have more to say, but my head is in the clouds right now.

Random Thoughts 5: The “England Riots” Edition

Pretty saddening and crazy scenes over in England right now. There were widespread riots going on in cities such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Bristol. These riots stem from police shooting and killing a man in Tottenham. A peaceful protest was planned a couple days after the shooting, but it turned violent and the rioting began in Tottenham, and in the days that followed, spread across London, and then England.

First off, I want to say that I do not sympathize with these rioters because their actions are simply inexcusable and that I hope that they are arrested and punished to the full extent of the law. But there have been contributing reasons why these people have started to riot after that police shooting, such as tensions between the youth and law enforcement, poverty, and high unemployment. Many consider the police shooting a breaking point of the relationship between the considered “lower class” and the government, and now these people want to act out against them. Other rioters simply saw this as an opportunity to go get some free stuff. No matter what reason, this rioting needs to stop. This person sums it up best.

I also wasn’t impressed with the lack of police presence in stopping these riots. The initial response from law enforcement should have been a more aggressive one, but in this time and age, even police need to be careful of their actions, or they will be scrutinized by the media. Their response should have been firm, but not excessive. What I mean is, use the force necessary to bring down the rioters and arrest them, but don’t go overboard, such as this. Even with all this said, they are trying their best.

Next thought, this one is pretty random (hence the title). I was once good friends with this girl in elementary school, and we still kept in touch in high school. After that, I didn’t hear from her again. She was an exceptionally bright and intelligent girl, but she does make the odd dumb decision here and there. A while back, I talked with another of my good friends from high school (who is also good friends with her) and he mentioned something about her in one of our conversations. So I asked him how she was doing, and he told me about a party that he went to with her and all their friends. He told me that she had multiple boyfriends since she started going to university and has started to drink heavily. He also informed me that she has often had arguments with her parents regarding her “freedom”.

Mind you, this all happened around a year and a half to two years ago, so this could have all changed, but I’m still shocked that she was drinking heavily and apparently been with more than a few guys. When I was friends with her, she was always this goody-two-shoe, pure girl that wouldn’t think of doing anything wrong, and when I heard about all this from my other good friend, I didn’t realize how a good girl like her could turn so bad. I’m not saying drinking is bad, most of us do it, but the part that shocked me was the guys she apparently has been with. I don’t keep in touch with her (she removed me as her Facebook friend), but I wonder what she is up to now…

Random Thoughts 4: The “Casino Dreams” Edition

I went to Casino Rama yesterday, hoping to pick me up some extra cash. It didn’t work out that way. The casino tables kicked my ass up and down the casino floor and it only enforced a valuable lesson for me, don’t ever go to the casino, because most likely, your money will run away from you.

I’ve had a few of my friends from home and university talk to me briefly about their BlackBerry mobile phone, and I always ask them this question. Why did you get a BlackBerry? And for most of them, the answer is this…”Because it is Canadian”.

That is the dumbest answer anyone can give me. Why the hell would you go out and buy something simply because it was invented in the same country that you live in. It won’t have a noticeable effect on that country’s economy, so why? Personally, I think someone should go out and buy something, mobile phone or whatever, that is going to give them the most benefit and that he/she would be happy with (that’s how I have my Android). If someone wants go get a BlackBerry because it would be have the most benefit to them and make them feel the happiest, then go for it. But I don’t want to hear that “I bought a BlackBerry because it’s Canadian” shit. Those people would be better suited to living as sheep, than actual human beings.

Next thought, I’ll start by saying this, you should be able to listen to any kind of music that puts a smile on your face, even though others might think that the music you listen to is garbage. I was raised on listening to the 90s club jams and Eurodance songs, and I keep noticing a startling difference between that kind of music, and the mainstream music you hear in the clubs today.

The mainstream songs of today are insanely over-sexualized. To be honest, this doesn’t offend me, nor do I have a problem with it, but I find it really annoying that almost every song I hear in the club is mostly about how the male music artist wants to fuck some female, or the other way around. The 90s club jams I listen to are hardly sexual, but rather about love, dreams, and have this sense of fantasy about them. What I mean by “fantasy” is, it is like I am in another world when I listen to these tunes.  These songs take me away from reality and they make me feel good whenever I feel down. It’s a rarity when the clubs play these jams, but I would be extremely happy if I hear them whenever I’m in the club. It takes you back to a time when club jams truly meant something.

The Toronto FC – Sportsnet Fiasco

Yesterday night, I sat down and flipped the channel to Sportsnet One to get ready to watch Toronto FC play Real Esteli in the CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round. The only thing preventing me from doing that was that the baseball game was also on the same channel and it was going on. The baseball game had a rain delay, so it was certain that the baseball game would finish later than 10pm, which was the start time of the TFC match.  Sportsnet would air the TFC match on tape delay right after the baseball game ended.

I went on Twitter to see the reaction from TFC fans on what was happening, and the reaction was pretty vitriolic and hateful towards Sportsnet on their decision. I’ve seen “I’m never watching Sportsnet again” as well as “Fuck you Sportsnet” and I thought that was a bit excessive. The reaction of TFC fans was more emotional, rather than logical. My opinion on this whole Sportsnet thing is that I think they made the right decision in airing the baseball game in its entirety, and after the game was finished, they aired the TFC match in its entirety, even though it was on tape delay. My reasoning is this:

TFC fans, believe it or not, baseball has fans too. If I was a Detroit Tigers fan, watching the Tigers game on Sportsnet One and the game I was watching got cut off in the bottom of the 7^th inning to make way for soccer, I would be very angry, and I would be calling Sportsnet to let them know how I feel. If it was the other way around, meaning, a soccer game had to go into extra time and therefore cut into the start time of a baseball game on the same channel, then I’m 99.9% sure that channel would air the soccer game in its entirety. It doesn’t matter that the baseball game was considered “meaningless” by TFC fans and that the TFC match was considered important, or that Sportsnet was apparently being “anti-Canadian” by airing a baseball match featuring two American teams and not the Canadian soccer team. The fact is, there was a compromise, and unfortunately, some TFC fans took the decision the wrong way.

Another argument I want to address is this, “Sportsnet have 5 channels, Sportsnet Ontario, East, West, Pacific, and One. Why couldn’t they simply move the soccer game from Sportsnet One to one of the other Sportsnet channels?” By making this argument, people are making the assumption that everyone in Canada has access to all five of these channels, which simply isn’t true. Not all people in Canada have a digital box, and a majority of people only have access to one Sportsnet channel, depending on where they live in Canada. I don’t think most people from British Colombia who only have access to Sportsnet Pacific would be happy if they were forced to watch a soccer match featuring an Ontario team. An alternative for Sportsnet would be to air the TFC game live on Sportsnet Ontario, but it wouldn’t have been a good idea (or a good look) to replace the programming that was already slated to air on that channel.

For the most part, I was pretty disgusted with the reaction of TFC fans on Twitter, and I thought some people would be a little more understanding of the situation, instead of acting like spoiled children. Sportsnet is a channel for the sports consumer, not just the soccer consumer, and I think Sportsnet was just trying to satisfy both sets of fans. Most people found an online stream of the match, as did I. But if people didn’t have access to an online stream, they could have simply waited 30-45 minutes for the baseball game to end. TFC fans, it could have been much worse, the game could have been aired on Setanta, so be glad that you got to see the match, whether it was on an online stream, or on tape delay on Sportsnet One.

Random Thoughts 3: The “Pray For Norway” Edition

Really shocking what happened in Norway a couple days ago, when a right-wing, Christian fundamentalist bombed a building and then caused a shooting at a Labour-party youth camp leaving more than 75 dead. This obviously was a terrorist act and here’s hoping that this right-winger burns in hell where he belongs. I’m very disappointed that, in my opinion, the North American media decided to focus more on the death of Amy Winehouse than an actual disaster such as the one in Norway. I’m hoping that the whole of Norway recovers from this terrorist act.

Which leads me to this point, why do people think that terrorists are just Islamic extremists? It isn’t true. People who commit violent acts to instill fear in a country for some kind of goal are terrorists, no matter what religion.

This year’s Copa America tournament has been very interesting, to say the least. Uruguay has won this year’s Copa America by beating Paraguay 3-0 in the final. Sorry guys, I guess you won’t be seeing Larissa Riquelme parading down the streets of Paraguay naked. I know, I have been hoping for it too. I think it’s safe to say that Uruguay is the best team in South America now.

In Canada, we are a bit spoiled for choice, where we can watch the Copa America in either English or Spanish commentary. I have listened to both commentaries for a number of games. I like watching the Spanish commentary for the pure passion that the Spanish commentators spew out, such as their exuberant celebrations of a goal, as well as when the player misses by saying “Ce la perdio!” I also liked the English commentary, supplied by The Score, for talking about the tactics of the two teams, and what they need to do tactically to succeed. The English commentators are very intelligent people, and can identify potential problems in a team, which could result in a goal. Overall, I can’t decide between the two, as they both offer different experiences in the same game.

Want to end your drunken night quickly? Try listening to your completely wasted university friend break down and cry about all the issues surrounding him. To be honest, I don’t remember any of his “issues” from that night, and I’m beginning to think that he did this to screw me out of a good night of my own. If somehow this guy is reading this, let me say this to him…

Life isn’t fair. Shit happens and it is up to you to deal with it. You go around and act like you are better than everyone else and that whatever you do is the right thing, like a typical conservative and like a typical wealthy person. You put up this fake tough exterior, but when I saw you break down, I saw a boy that needed help. By knowing you for the past two years, I realized that you are a very pessimistic person, and only see the bad in everything. Maybe you should try to see the good in people and things. Maybe you should stop calling people names, and learn to encourage people in whatever that they plan to do. We are all not as fortunate as you…

That is all I got to say.

Random Thoughts 2: The “Mascot” Edition

Here is part 2 of my “Random Thoughts” series. It’s just more of my thoughts on the world. Hope you enjoy…

All hail the weird looking mascot in the picture. Actually that is the mascot of this year’s Copa America being held in Argentina. At first I thought it was kind of creepy, but the more I saw it, the more innocent and harmless it became to me.

I finally did it. I got rid of my Facebook account. It wasn’t easy, but in one of my previous articles, I described my annoyance with it. Well, I got so annoyed with the amount of bitching and narcissism in Facebook that I finally decided to shut it down.  Getting rid of my Facebook account has made me more of a happier person, probably because I don’t have to compare myself to anyone anymore. I don’t know if I will be coming back, maybe some time next year. Until then, good riddance Facebook!

So I was driving today, windows down, music blasting, until I see a quartet of really attractive girls walking on the sidewalk. Not surprisingly, and because I’m a guy, I look at them. One of them was wearing a sexy looking shirt with some really short jean shorts. Another one was wearing a cute tank top, with a short skirt. You all get the idea right? Well, because I was staring at these fine ladies, I fail to see the car in front of me and I stop just in time to avoid a fender-bender with the car in front of me. See, I’m fairly convinced that guys that are driving and watching attractive girls on the side of the road can cause an accident, simply because the girls are attractive. How can we solve this? Actually I have no idea, maybe not look at the girls next time.

I’ve only just now heard of this whole “planking” thing, and I think it’s really retarded. Why would you want to lay face down, arms on your side on something while someone takes a picture of you? I think this fad is really stupid and it only got stupider when there were pictures of Manchester City players doing it (See the idiot Micah Richards in the picture). Also, apparently planking has its origins in slavery.

Last thought: If the newspaper collection kid wants his collection money, DO NOT tell the kid to “fuck off”, unless you want his angry parents to come to your house…

Later…

Random Thoughts: The 1st Edition

Right now, I don’t have one big issue or event to write about, but I have a few present and past thoughts that I need to get off my chest. Some of these are completely random. You’ve been warned. Here we go.

So I finally got Google+ and I think it’s actually pretty cool. I like the whole idea of circles, where you can categorize your contacts into different circles including friends, family, acquaintances, and following. You can also direct your status updates for different circles, or you can just make it public for everyone to see. Another feature I tried out was “Sparks”, where you can follow a certain interest or thing, which I thought was pretty neat. I haven’t tried out other features on Google+, but I will be sure to soon. I don’t know if Google+ will be the “Facebook killer”, but I’m interested to see how Google will expand and improve this growing social network.

If a kid asks you to buy chocolates from him/her, just say no. I also won’t advise assaulting the kid.

I don’t ever want to hear the words “Cesc Fabregas”, “transfer”, or “Barcelona” in the same sentence, same paragraph, or same article. I’ve been sick of these stories since last year. Arsenal, you either sell him or don’t.

This is a strange thought, but I use to know this kid in elementary and high school, where anytime you pass this kid, this kid smells like dirty dog doo doo. It was unbearable at times. I feel sorry for the kids who had to sit next to him in class.

I always thought about trying to make my own twitter hash tag and trying to make it popular, mine’s would be #shesaho, so don’t try and go take my idea.

I missed the ending of the USA-Brazil Women’s World Cup quarter-final match live, but I managed to see a replay. At the time while I was missing the ending of the match, I got the impression that this was the greatest ending to a match ever, due to all the tweets I was reading. When I finally saw the replay, the ending didn’t disappoint at all.

One last thing, Hope Solo is hot…

Later

My Night of Clubbing in Trinidad, and how it compared to Canada

During my long break in late June, I went to Trinidad and Tobago for a week. I didn’t go on vacation, but rather for my cousin’s wedding, which was nice. On the one rare night that I had free, I got to experience the bar and club scene in Trinidad…and I wasn’t disappointed at all.

On that Friday night, I went with my cousin (the one about to get married in two days), and her stepsister. We all went to the bar first, and it was pretty much the same as in Canada, very relaxed, everyone in groups talking their chatter. I’m pretty sure we went to a more upscale bar, because the bar and the washrooms were all very clean and well-kept, probably because it was next to a hotel. When I was in Trinidad, I noticed a lot of the roadside bars on the main roads were all pretty run down and didn’t have the same kind of vibe as the bar we were at.

We downed some beers, and had a celebratory shot for my cousin who was about to get married (the shot was “Liquid Cocaine” if anyone wanted to know). The bar that night had karaoke going on, and it was funny listening to various liquored people sing songs from the likes of Lady Gaga, Akon, and others. I offered to sing some Barry White for the karaoke, but the waitress informed me that the wait was rather long, so I wasn’t going to sing (sorry ladies lol). After drinking some more beers, we were off to the club.

The club we went to was called “Space” and the club definitely lived up to the title. The exterior of the club looked like a giant spaceship and it was aesthetically stimulating with flashing colored lights and the smoke machine going off periodically. This was probably one of the best-looking clubs I’ve seen, and way better than the ones in Canada. The drinks were all inclusive, unlike the clubs I went to in Canada where you had to pay per drink, and I took advantage of this. The only thing we had to pay was cover, which wasn’t that much.

The club inside was crazy, with a lot of people having a good time. The club atmosphere was way better than anything I ever encountered in Canada. The music selection was also much better in this club in my opinion, with a lot more reggae dancehall, hip hop, and soca, rather than the shitty pop and house tunes you hear in most Canadian clubs. We got our free drinks and went up to the outside lounge. It was very nice, and offered a pretty good view of the surrounding area. We all pose for pictures, then we go back downstairs for more drinks.

Now I will say this, the girls in the clubs in Canada can’t dance like the girls in Trinidad do. In Canada, you’ll be lucky if you get a lazy grind from a half-willing girl. But in Trinidad, these girls go all out when dancing with a guy. If there ever was a class on simulated sex, then class was in session! It’s almost like there has to be a skill when you dance with a guy. I won’t get into details, but it was crazy stuff.

After the club, we all went out to get some grub at one of the various street meat stalls in the city. After that, we then went home for some much needed sleep. All in all, it was a really good night. I got to experience a different kind of club scene than the one I am used to back in Canada. What made it better was that I was accompanied by two ladies to show me around, instead of the usual full-of-themselves guys in Canada. This would probably be a night that I won’t forget, and I won’t look at the Canadian club scene the same again.

The Importance of New Fans in the Supporters Sections

On Wednesday (June 29), I went to the Toronto FC league match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, and I took my cousin along for the match. He already went to a couple TFC matches, but this was his first time in the supporters sections. In the first half, he wasn't feeling the singing and chanting going on (I didn't think a lot of people felt the singing going on in the half and wasn't really into it), but in the second half, the chanting and atmosphere was much louder and he, as well as the rest of us, were all singing, chanting, and bouncing around in the second half.

But one thing really bothered me. At halftime, I overheard a middle-aged lady complaining about how there were a lot of “tourists” in the supporters sections. I’ve also heard others complain about the same thing in previous matches that I went to. This hurt me a little bit, knowing that I myself have taken a first-timer into the section for this match. Well, I’m here to say that these “tourists” can potentially help the atmosphere in the stadium in the long run, and here is why I think this way.

If the first-timer didn’t like the experience in the supporters section, there is a high chance that the person wouldn’t come back there. That person would either find tickets in a safer section of the stadium, or not get tickets at all. On the other hand, if the person enjoyed the experience and contributed his or her part to the atmosphere, then that person would probably want to come back in another game, ready to support the team. I really don’t see the problem with taking new fans into the supporters sections for the experience, but other supporters see it differently.

As for the supporters who complain and whine about “tourists” and how they “kill the atmosphere”, I kindly advise that you take your grievances somewhere other than the stadium.

To shorten what I just said: Shut the fuck up and take it somewhere else.

If the “tourists” really bother you that much, then move to another part of the stadium. They are always going to be there, and it is up to us as TFC supporters to make them feel welcome and to positively encourage them to support the team for the duration of the match. If they like it, they will come back ready to support the team just like the rest of us. I don’t like people who have to complain about every single thing, especially about newcomers into a certain section. The only thing you should be doing is enjoying the match and supporting the team.

Update

I know I don't update my blog regularly, but I'll be out of the country for a while. I will write something when I get back. Peace...

The Mindset of a Hater: Why Haters Hate

Haters are everywhere. They are pretty much in every facet of life nowadays. If there is something you like, I can guarantee that somewhere in this world, someone hates on that same thing. There is constructive criticism, and there is blind hatefulness. We all do it from time to time, but there are other individuals whose sole purpose in life is to hate, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These are the individuals that I will dissect and find out what makes them so hateful.

First off, I want to differentiate between “stating your opinion,” and “being a hater.” For example, if you begin to listen to a song or watch a sport and after that, you say that you did not like it, then that is stating your opinion because you had a basic understanding of that thing. However, if you talk ill of something you do not know about or understand, or make a backhanded negative assumption about something you did not watch or listen to, then that makes you a hater.

One of the most popular reasons why haters love to hate is because they have no lives of their own. They find no happiness in the lives they attempt to live in, so they try to feel good about themselves by trashing everything that they do not like and do not understand. They love to be judgmental, especially about something they do not know about. They are also very insecure. Haters try to put up a fake, tough exterior about them, but inside, they are very troubled people that are fighting an internal struggle of their own. Haters are very mediocre people, and when they surround themselves with other haters, it makes them feel good, because they can look to each other for approval. It is unfortunate these days that many people are concerned with the opinions of others, especially the haters.

Another reason why haters love to hate so much is jealousy. It is human nature to compare yourself to others. When haters hear of or see a person having some sort of success, they take it upon themselves to bring them down a notch and make them feel guilty of their success. There is a bit of an inferiority complex. The hater feels inferior to the successful person, and attempts to bring them down to their level. Ultimately, how I see it, the hater secretly wants to be like the successful person, but they will not admit that, because of their fake, tough exterior.

Ultimately, what you have to do is just ignore it. It is a tough thing to do, but it is important to make the haters look like the fools themselves. Most cases, if you try to engage them, they will not understand where you are coming from and they will continue their hate. It is important to get rid of the negative influences in your life, and replace them with the positive ones. Instead of having friends who hate on everything, have friends who compliment you and encourage you in your endeavors. It is a way that you can be a more positive person yourself, as well as an independent individual.

A Look Back on MXC, as Well as a Brief Take on Wipeout

In my early teenage years, there weren’t a lot of shows that I truly enjoyed. But that changed when I started watching the show known as “Most Extreme Elimination Challenge”, or more simply known as MXC, which was aired on TNN (later called Spike TV).  The show was basically contestants competing in different challenges and hoping to succeed, though most of them fail miserably. MXC was a re-edit of an old late 80s Japanese game show called Takeshi’s Castle, where the American production company redubbed all the voices and added their own comedic English commentary. It was a smash hit in North America.

The things that impressed me the most about MXC was the witty and hilarious writing, as well as the dubbed voices of all the characters. It all came together so well. The script had a lot of funny puns, sexual references, and it was mocking the prominent people and issues at the time, and the voices of the characters delivered the writing very well. I also loved the interaction between the two fictional hosts, Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano (pictured below). Vic was the more serious commentator while Kenny was the joker of the two, and would often comment on the failed attempts of the contestants, especially the females. Vic would often disapprove of Kenny’s comments by hitting him over the head with his fan. The other main characters are also quite enjoyable, the field marshal “Captain Tenneal” as well as my favorite character, field reporter “Guy LeDouche”, who sounds like an impression of a creepy rapist and makes his share of sexual puns towards the contestants he interviews.

The main attraction of this show is the contestants trying to complete various challenges and obstacle courses, where the majority of them fail. Many of the more painful failures are looked at through the “MXC Impact Replay” where the failure is hilariously analyzed by the hosts. At the end of the show, the funniest and most painful failures are replayed by Kenny Blankenship’s “Painful Eliminations of the Day” in a top ten list. There is a lot of insanity and hilariousness packed into a roughly 20-minute show (excluding commercials).

More recently, a new show came out mirroring the same style as MXC called Wipeout. It doesn’t have the same wackiness as MXC; it’s a lot more toned-down, probably because the show is on network television. I think the failures are just as funny as those in MXC, but I think the script and writing is rather weak. The hosts are pretty stale, and they sometimes don’t deliver the funny material as well as the hosts of MXC. Don’t get me wrong, I think Wipeout is still a decent show, but I prefer MXC much more. I have also seen shows of the UK and Canadian versions of Wipeout. The UK version is an okay show to watch, if you’re completely bored and there is nothing else on television. The Canadian version, on the other hand, is mediocre. The hosts are garbage and the wipeouts are unfunny. I recommend that you avoid the Canadian version at all costs.

If you do a quick Youtube search on MXC, you’ll find many of the episodes on there, and it can easily take up a good chunk of your time. The last episode of MXC aired in 2007, so it is doubtful that more episodes will be made, but it will live on forever. MXC is often imitated, but it will never be duplicated.

Aussie Rules Football and American Football

Let me say this first, I like to watch American football and I have been watching NFL games for years. But I don’t like the conservative and ignorant nature of most American football fans. What I mean is a lot of them think that American football and other American sports are the greatest in the world and dismiss other sports and cultures as “for pussies”. Even though that is bothersome from time to time, I still think that American football is a fascinating sport. That is, until I discovered Aussie Rules football.

It was a cold Friday night/Saturday morning last year, and I got home late (probably from drinking). I go to the basement, turn on my TV, and start flipping through the sports channels, until I saw “AFL Grand Final”. Intrigued, I flip to that station to see that it was actually Aussie Rules football. I’ve never seen a match before, and I had time to kill, so after a quick read of the rules on the internet, I was ready to watch my first AFL game.

What I noticed in the AFL is that there are very limited stoppages in the sport, which I completely enjoyed. I was pretty annoyed of the constant stoppages whenever I watched NFL. I was tired of seeing 5 seconds of action then seeing 30 seconds of the players doing practically nothing, along with the constant commercials that go with an NFL game. Did you know that for a 3-hour broadcast of an American football game, the football is actually in play for a grand total of 10 minutes? It’s a real stat, look it up. Another thing I noticed is the limited equipment that AFL players wear, as opposed to the number of equipment that American football players wear. Also, the scores you see in AFL games are almost what you see in basketball games, while the scores in American Football games are significantly less. Other than that, both sports still have that rough nature.

Watching that first AFL game pretty much killed any interest I had in American football.  Aussie rules is a free-flowing sport, which is right up my alley. I don’t like sports to be interrupted constantly, because it doesn’t keep the watcher intrigued, and quickly leads to boredom. There isn’t a market for AFL in Canada, so the likelihood that I will end up catching another game is pretty slim, but it was incredible while I watched it. I will never look at American football the same way again. I probably won’t watch an American football game again.

My Annoyance With Facebook and My Revival With Twitter

I consider myself a late bloomer with social media. It wasn’t until the last year of high school when I started using Facebook to connect with others. Everything with Facebook was going okay when I first started using it, but as the years went on, I became annoyed with Facebook, more specifically, the constant complaining and the depression that was displayed by my Facebook friends.

At the beginning of this year, I wanted a change in social media, so I began to use Twitter. I was tired of having to hear the whining from my Facebook friends on my news feed, so I wanted to connect with new, happier individuals. Making the switch from Facebook to Twitter was the right decision for me, as I am able to follow and talk to those who have the same interests as me. Also, a lot of people on Twitter seemed to be much happier and cheerful than my Facebook friends, as I see it, and they are more comfortable with expressing themselves in a more positive way than those of Facebook. Others might see it differently, but this is just my opinion. I got a lot of stick from most of my university friends for switching to Twitter, but I’m sticking with it.

I am convinced now that Facebook is a hotbed for the insecure and those lacking in self-esteem. The vast majority of my Facebook friends are people that like shallow relationships and are concerned about how many friends they have on Facebook (because of the unspoken, and grossly untrue rule that the more friends you have on Facebook, the more popular you are). It’s quite depressing to go on my Facebook and see such things like someone bitching about how they broke a nail or lost some meaningless material thing and acting like it’s the end of the world, or seeing your typical girl talk those slutty-style pictures of themselves or her friends in front of a bathroom mirror. I am aware that this sometimes happens on Twitter too, but you see hundreds more on Facebook. Honestly, I can only laugh at these people.

There was an instance on Facebook last year where I would say around 75% of my Facebook friends changed their profile pictures to an image of a childhood TV show that they used to watch, in order to “stop child abuse”. I cannot believe the stupidity and idiocy of the people who changed their profile pictures for this. If you want to make an effort to stop child abuse, maybe you should actually go outside and physically do something about it. Sometimes, I think Facebook encourages you to be a retard.

I actually pondered deleting my Facebook account, but I have distant cousins who my only link with them is with Facebook, so I can’t do that. Twitter is now the main social media site I use now, and I’m going to stop using Facebook completely. Everybody has their own cup of tea. Well, I just vomited the tea from the Facebook cup and now drinking from the Twitter cup for years to come.

What Toronto FC Means to Me

Five years ago, I went to my very first Toronto FC game at BMO Field in 2007. The week before was a monumental achievement for the club as Danny Dichio scored the first goal for the club in the 24^th minute (cue flying seat cushions). What I could remember before going to my first match was the excitement that there was actually a professional soccer team in the city. Before that, I would only follow Manchester United, but I was happy that I can finally support the local club, instead of a club from another country for the longest time. Little did I know, but those 5 years would shape me as a person and an individual lover of the beautiful game. I became emotionally attached to the club.

I think a reason why I feel so attached to the club is because I like to read up a lot on footy culture around the globe. I like to read about the football culture in places like Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. I found it very fascinating, and when Toronto FC started, I think it was important that the supporters created their own football culture in the city of Toronto. It is very unique here, and even now when the atmosphere has died down a bit (mostly due to very high ticket prices), there still is that experience to enjoy. There have been some ups and downs (a lot of them) in the club’s short history, but the experience is still there.

Throughout the difficulties that faced me in high school and university, I can always grab tickets, head off to BMO Field and catch a Toronto FC match. I call it my getaway from the pressures of life. In high school and university, it’s so easy to be caught up in something that isn’t you or to do something that would make you uncomfortable. I can honestly say that BMO Field is the only place where I can truly be myself. Where I can just forget everything and have a good time, whether it is a win, draw, or loss.

I do realize that the Toronto FC owners have made some wrong decisions regarding the welfare of the club (or some supporters would say, have completely mismanaged the club). They have made some good investments (real grass on the pitch, new academy facility), but it’s just the bad decisions that stick out like a sore thumb, such as insanely high ticket prices, the revolving door of management, and miscommunication between them and the supporters groups. I personally don’t try to let it affect me that much. I just hope that the front office don’t make a fatal decision that kills the club for good, because if Toronto FC is lost, then a part of me is lost.

I could go to the most wonderful vacation spot in the world and not get the same happiness that I do from going to a Toronto FC game. If God came up to me and make me choose between heaven and Toronto FC, I would tell God…Toronto FC is my heaven.

Soccer Parents and Their Children

A few times during the summer, I would go and watch my cousin play soccer. I think he is a very talented player and if he continues playing well, it could be possible that he could play in a professional league in the near future. But all too often, I see parents of other children playing soccer constantly engaging in unacceptable behaviour, such as yelling at the referee, or other parents.

I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen parents yell at the referees, at the coaches, at other parents, and also at their own young children just for playing a sport that they love to play. I’ve seen ejections of parents from the field, as well as confrontations with the referee, and with other parents. I’ve even seen actual fistfights take place which had to have police involvement. Forget what you hear about “hooliganism” on shows like “The Real Football Factories”. These are the real nutcases.

Do these parents honestly think they are creating a positive environment for their children by constantly yelling and swearing at people?  They are only ruining the experience for the child. Seeing them get ejected from the field because of their behaviour is not only embarrassing for the parent, but for the child as well. Sometimes, when I watch confrontations occur between parents of opposing teams, I find it shocking that these people are acting like the children, rather than the real children themselves, over a meaningless soccer result. It’s just a game parents, it’s not the freaking World Cup Final. Let the referee and the coaches do what they are supposed to do, and more importantly, let the kids play.

A lot of these parents who would yell at other people on the field and confront others look at their child or children as “winning lottery tickets” rather than actual human beings with feelings. They are obsessed with winning and would look to profit off their kid’s potential success, and I find it utterly sad. I understand that it means a lot to parents to see their son or daughter play, no matter what sport. But at the end of the day, it’s just a game. There are lessons to be learned by all who participate and attend, whether if the team wins or loses.

My First “Patdown” Experience at BMO Field

A few weeks ago, during Toronto FC’s loss to DC United, there were incidents where there were flares being lighted and smoke bombs being set off in supporters sections at BMO Field. In response to this, the TFC front office enacted searches at all gates going into the stadium for all home games onward, because implicitly according to them, everybody, young and old, would bring a flare or a smoke bomb to the stadium. A bit of an overreaction by the front office? I think so.

Fast forward to May 4, TFC had a home game and I had tickets to the match. Now before the match, I was worried about how the security was going to pat me down, and it made me a little uneasy. I met up with my cousin who I was going to the match with and told him about the searches that the security was going to conduct. I think my cousin was worried about guys feeling on his ass or his testicles or something.

We take the train down to Exhibition Station and head to the nearby pub for a drink, keeping in the back of our minds that going to the stadium was like going to the airport in the United States, very unpleasant. After the drink, we start to head down to the stadium. When we got to the gate, there was a lineup, expectedly. Now I fully expected to get the patdown. It was engrained in my mind that in order to gain entrance to the stadium, I had to get searched.

So we are at the gate, and we see a bunch of the security guys conducting the searches, but on one of the lines, there was a woman doing the search. Frankly if it was up to me, I’d rather want her touching my ass than some guy, so we stood in her line. When it was my turn up, I already had my hands out to the side and my feet already spread. She let go the people in front of me without a search, but I expected her to search me because I had it etched in my mind. She only searched my sides and let me through. As for my cousin, he didn’t get searched at all!

I probably shouldn’t have made this a big deal, but damn, I found this experience very interesting, and weird.

Upper-Middle Class Suburbia and the Gang Culture

The above picture is an accurate representation of the most spineless, wimpiest people in high school.

I went to a high school where there were a lot of, what do you call it, privileged people where they could get pretty much anything they wanted if they whined and begged their parents enough. Throughout my years of high school, I felt more and more out of place, as students would show off their newest cell phone, or their shiniest jewelry, and I didn’t have any of that (I didn’t get a cell phone until Grade 12). But there was a bunch of people that I just looked at, and I don’t know whether to laugh at them, or feel sorry for them. These were the kind of people that would wear their uniform pants extremely low, have some sort of bandana on the back pocket of those pants, and walk like they have some sort of limp leg. That’s right, these were the wannabe gangsters.

At first, I never really understood why these White, Black, and Asian people would try to be someone they clearly aren’t. I know that certain people want to try to fit in, by not being their true selves, to be considered “accepted” by mainstream society. But these wannabes at my high school live very privileged lives, their parents make six-figure salaries, and these people have all kinds of material things. These people would all try to act “thug” and would ultimately try imposing themselves by threatening others into doing whatever they want. A few of these people realized that being “gangster” was only a phase and quickly stopped acting that sort of way, but there were others who acted like they came straight out of South Central Los Angeles (or to use a local neighborhood, Jane and Finch)and continued to act that way throughout their years at high school.

One day in Grade 11, one of these wannabe gangsters was causing trouble in the hallway with his red flag under his back pocket. Now I knew this kid, so I said something at him and this kid started talking shit to me. Dude then pushed me against the lockers. I knew that time that I had to teach this kid a lesson, so I gave him an ass-whooping. No teachers were around. It was just me, him, and whatever crowd that formed. It was probably one of my proudest moments in high school. After the scuffle, he said that he was “gonna get his Bloods after me”.

To this day, neither he nor his friends even dared to come after me.

I guess the moral of this story is to not to try to be something that you aren’t, but rather to forge your own positive path towards personal greatness by being your true self. Those punks who like to act “thug” will only see negativity and will end up in jail rather than the glory they seek. We are all good people; it’s up to us to realize it.

My Unfortunate Run-Ins with the “Soccer Haters”

I grew up in a family of soccer lovers, and it is in our blood. Throughout my life, I keep hearing that the general North American sports culture don’t take too kindly to soccer, though it is only recently where the “soccer haters” crowd has unfortunately become more of a prominent presence in my life. I want to say that I like all kinds of sports, and I do respect the athletes that play them, but others don’t have that same kind of respect. Its one thing to not like a sport, but its quite another to berate and trash the sport.

Back in elementary school, we would go out, every time the weather was nice, go out into the field and play a game of soccer. We never played American football; it was strictly soccer on the field. In high school, even though my high school was considered “an American football school”, there weren’t a lot of soccer haters there either. But high school was the first time I was introduced to someone that hated and berated the sport I grew up with. What shocked me about it was not what he said about the sport, but that he was of West Indian heritage like me (that’s another story). I thought nothing of it, and high school passed.

The real problems I had with the crowd of soccer haters was when I went to university less than a couple years back. It was nice getting to know my residence friends, but a few of them, just like the person in high school, expressed their hate for soccer and trashed the sport whenever they could. They would say the typical things the other haters would say, like “the sport is for pussies” or “the sport is gay” or some other tripe like that. At first, I tried to defend myself and the sport, but soon I realized that it’s impossible to explain myself to a bunch of idiots. Those were some very hurtful things they said.

I probably should have expected this to happen to me sooner or later, and thinking about those incidents in retrospect, I pity people like them. Ignorant retards do exist in life and it’s important to think nothing of them. Let them wallow in their own sorrows and negativity. Soccer is gaining popularity In North America, with the rise of Major League Soccer (MLS) and strong TV audiences at last year’s World Cup. I dream of a day where the people who trash soccer will disappear, but the reality is, that’s not going to happen for a while. One can dream though…

What’s good?

Welcome to my blog. I started this blog because, frankly, it was something that I thought of doing for the past few months, and now that the school year was over, I thought it was time to put my thoughts on the world out to people who accidently stumble upon this website (maybe because they were drunk). I need something to do (other than my job), so this is what I chose. I’m not doing this seriously; this is just a blog that I’m keeping for fun.

I’m not going to try to fill your head with bullshit (I ain’t no Conservative). I’m just going to talk about stuff that had some weird impact on my life and as well as other’s lives. I’m also a big fan of football (the proper kind, you know, where people actually play using their feet, I believe here they call it soccer), and the teams I support are Toronto FC (the local side in MLS, yeah I live in Toronto) and Manchester United (on a more global stage). I also love football/soccer culture around the world, but this won’t be just a soccer blog, I’ll talk about pretty much everything in this world.

So come along and ride on this fantastic voyage (thanks Coolio). If you have any kind of issue the world and everything in it, then you’ve come to the right place.