Random Brag, Exaggerate & Lie

don't transfer to another college commercial (video)

Disney to acquire Marvel Ent. for $4 Billion (link)

Stupid Game Show Answers - Dumb Luck (video)

Jesus of Siberia (pix)

Erection On The X Factor (video)

people of walmart (pix)

7 Websites in the future (link)

5 saddest deaths in childrens movies (video)

more questionable intuitive google searches (pics)

100 Famous Guitar Riffs (video)

25 Unintentionally Inappropriate Statues (pics)

Operation Repo - DUNGEONS & DRAGONS REPO (video)

Another year in Southern California, and another set of wild fire threatening the land. "Fire season" right? I guess. It's unfortunate that this happens more often than I wish it did in SoCal. It's such a common occurrence now, we may as well accept that this is a way of life here. It'll get to the point where people will eventually start having a nonchalant attitude towards wild fire, like people already are towards earthquakes in Southern California. For those of you who had to be evacuated because of the wild fire, good luck and stay safe.

Well, it's a good excuse as any to post this video below...

- satellite image of the fire (pic)
- google maps outlines the fire (pic)

- The Mega Millions Lottery jackpot for yesterday, Aug 28, 2009, was $333 Million! That's the third largest U.S. Lottery pay out (the first being $390 Million from 2007). If nobody won it, the next jackpot would have been the biggest at approximately $430 Million. Unfortunately it's being reported that there are two lottery tickets with the winning numbers. That's about $210 Million for the cash pay out after taxes. WOW. That is a lot of money isn't it. The rest of us normal folks just have to continue dreaming what it would be like to have that kind of money. What would you do if you won? Me, I would live my life like I do now. Get a modest house and car. Quit my job. Early retirement. Just relax. That's the dream isn't it?

- A more recent dream would be that the weather finally chill down. If u know me, then you know I prefer the cold weather to the heat. So these high 90s to low 100s days have been very uncomfortable for me. In fact this past night, me and the wifey had a hard time going to sleep because of how hot it was. Our home's Air Conditioning system broke years ago, so we've been making do with electric oscillating fans. They work more or less, but lately the weather really has been pushing it. We went to Fry's Electronics to check out the stand alone air conditioning units, but in the end we decided to go for the long term solution and will fix our home's AC.

- I finally tried a Jack N The Box Fruit Smoothie; Mango flavor in my case. It was actually real tasty and I really really liked it. Can't possibly be all that healthy, but yum yum.

Random Affliction

Loser: Literal Video Version (video)

if the internet named movies (pix)

so many people on the internet 2 (video)

Lego Arcade (video)

Bikini Cinema - Star Wars (video)

Twisted Disney Princesses (pix)

Senior Beer (video)

Bra toolbox (video)

5 species that seem to be trying to take over earth (link)

The Top 100 Search Terms Queried by Kids (link)

100 ways to use a stick of bacon (link)

10 Embarrassing Novelty Rap Songs (video)

Movies I've Seen Recently...

Inglourious Basterds (2009)  A

To say that "Inglourious Basterds" is a very dialouge heavy movie is quite frankly an understatement. Since this is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, that should come as no surprise however. I'm talking scene after scene of conversations with very minimal action here (in a 2 1/2 hours movie no less), which may be a turn off for some movie goers out there. It'll be their lost though, as I thought that this was brilliant film making here. It's incredible how the movie felt like I was reading a novel instead of watching a movie, because scenes were created with meticulous detail, with Tarantino allowing things to just breathe, and creating tension to the inevitable climax. Keep in mind that I'm talking about scenes where it's something like two people having a conversation in a span that lasts five to fifteen minutes. Doing so, I was just sucked into his vision of what a regular normal day life in Nazi occupied France could have been. I should also point out the fact that the movie is about 90 percent subtitled, and has four different languages spoken (English, German, French, Italian), plus added emphasis on the different dialects and accents in said languages. The action scenes that are shown are unsurprisingly violent for a Tarantino film, and when Lt. Aldo Raine says he wants his men to give him the scalps of dead Nazis, the movie does not shy away from actually showing them scalping people's heads.

As it is with a Tarantino film, there is a smorgasbord of many quality characters and actors here, that are able to meet his standards for drama and humor. Brad Pitt as the over the top Aldo The Apache is quite the crowd pleaser, Mélanie Laurent as the Jewish girl who was the only one to survive the massacre of her family was just captivating, and even dialog-lite roles like Til Schweiger's Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz was very entertaining to watch. However it's Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa who absolutely steals the movie, as the cunning "Jew Hunter," creating at the same time the sense of dread and awe whenever he is on screen. Waltz deserves all the awards and praises for his fantastic role here. "Inglourious Basterds" does have it's minimal share of questionable plot points, and there is a certain sense of self-indulgence by Quentin Tarantino here (no surprise), but this movie is a continuation of his unquestionable love of films; like spaghetti westerns, and it's hard to deny the fact that this is yet another masterpiece to add to his stable of work.

Paper Heart (2009)  B-

A combination of actual documentary work by director Nicholas Jasenovec; excellently played by Jake M. Johnson in the movie, as well as a mockumentary about the making of this fictitious documentary, "Paper Heart" is quite amusing. The main draw to this movie is of course the very eccentric and awkward Charlyne Yi, as the girl who does not believe in love. She is definitely a character that's very unique and memorable, and very much not the typical female lead of a movie. Charlyne comes to the attention of a certain guy named Michael Cera, who falls for her, and the two become a part of the documentary, much to the discomfort of having their personal lives be caught on film. If there's one fault I could say about their relationship as portrayed here, it's that while Michael Cera is shown to be somewhat of an eccentric guy himself, compared to Charlyne, his character was very one dimensional in the movie. It doesn't help that the movie tries hard to avoid the fact that Michael Cera himself is a successful actor in real life, and is only labeled as the Director's friend here. i feel that it's a discredit to the film in assuming the audience "gets" that inside joke. On the other hand, I thought the actual documentary parts where they interview different people and their opinions on what love is to be quite charming though. The puppet shows that reenacts some of the stories told in the documentary I thought were brilliant, and very much one of the highlights to the movie. "Paper Heart;" although slow moving at times, does have it's charms, and has enough quirkiness in it to keep you entertained (or annoyed, depending).

Funny People (2009) B

Written and directed by Judd Apatow, "Funny People" really did turn out to be a drama about comedians, more than another full on comedy. There is an underlining theme throughout the film of sadness and melancholy, which is understandable considering the story is about a celebrated comedian who finds out that he is dying. It can be somewhat of a downer for a story, but being that this stars comedic talent such as Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, to Jonah Hill, there are several lines of dialog that are pretty funny and lightens up the mood. While the story isn't exactly for everybody, I thought it was rather fascinating. Despite the "dying comedian" thread, it feels like we are getting an almost autobiographical peek into the lives of comedians who are living the celebrity lifestyle, and comedians who are still struggling to make a mark for themselves. True to Apatow fashion, that very human element of the story really grounds the film, and makes the pairing of Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen perfect for it. The movie also let's us see some funny stand up comedy moments, and even does social commentary on comedy in general. There is a game changer to the plot in the last quarter of the film (trailer spoiled it), which some can argue does not really work for this movie, and makes it longer than it has to be. "Funny People" may not necessarily be Judd Apatow's best work, but it really shows that it's probably his most personal film that he has made.

What Kind of Music Are You? You Are Classical Music

You are a somewhat serious person who enjoys studying subjects deeply. Art of all kinds interests you, and a good piece of art can really effect you emotionally. You are inspired by human achievement, and you appreciate work that takes years to accomplish. For you, the finer things in life are not about snobbery - they're about quality.

What I've been listening to lately...

1) She Screams Remedy - she screams remedy ep
2) R.E.M. - reckoning
3) Buzz Out Loud - 1049
4) Lacuna Coil - shallow life
5) Ingrid Michaelson - be ok
6) Fade To Bluegrass - the bluegrass tribute to metallica vol 2

You Get The Random Life You Choose

8 Things That Will Definitely Happen During Your First Week of College (link)

Honest College Ad (video)

Half-Birthday Sex (video)

Kid Catches Two Foul Balls in One at Bat (video)

this is why you don't friend your boss on facebook (pic)

Rough Patch (video)

Shinobi Warrior Crime Fighters (video)

Footprints (video)

country's first internet rehab center opens (link)

6 BullS*** Facts About Psychology That Everyone Believes (link)

The 15 Most Ridiculous Investigative Reports (video)

How does the internet see you? (flash)

Well, the last day of the 2009 Van's Warped Tour was pretty fun. It wasn't completely perfect, but I enjoyed myself a lot. Now, to expand on my twitter/facebook status updates from the day...

1:59 - Parked pretty far from Home Depot Center, but I'm here for Warped Tour! - I paid $20 for general parking. Do you know how much preferred parking was? $40! I'm sorry, but if you're too lazy to walk a block away from the Home Depot Center, then you deserve to waste your money.

2:22 - Finally in Warped Tour. Now waiting in line for Meg & Dia signing. - Thanks to Twitter, I found out that Meg and Dia were doing their signing at the Skelanimals booth at 2:30. They posted it a little over a half hour from the scheduled signing, so it's a good thing I checked my Twitter feed. I know some people who did not even know about it. Since I just showed up, clearly that was the first place I went to.

2:53 - Got autographs and a photo with Meg and Dia. Looking forward to see them close the Hurley.com stage at 7:45 - My friends were already in line, so I just joined them. My friends took the "boardie photo" with the sisters, but I had to take the picture. So what I did was that I went back in line, but apparently it was already cut off for some reason. I walked up the line and joined another group of my friends, so I ended up cutting the line AGAIN. lol. I got my photo with Meg and Dia, so I'm happy.

3:04 - Streetlight Manifesto!!!!!!! Great band - They really have a huge following and I can see why. Awesome band to see live. Very lively and gets the crowd moving.

3:20 - Hhmm, not that many bands that I really want to see besides Meg & Dia. Time to try out some new bands. -

3:40 - Watching "She Screams Remedy." Pretty rockin. - Walking by the Ernie Ball stage, I came across this band out of coincidence. At first I thought it was just another screamo band, with a lookalike of Hayley Williams from Paramore. I admit that I was in fact drawn to see the band because of lead female singer Kyrsten Gammon's energetic performance on stage, but I was actually getting into their music either way. Enjoyed myself, and even went to their booth to meet the band. Bought their EP, got it signed, took a photo with Kyrsten first, and then the rest of the band showed up so I took a photo with them. Cool people. lol, just realized how short I look in the photos, but it's actually because I was bending down (Kyrsten is actually shorter than me).

4:00 - Guys get to see girls in bikinis at Warped and we like it. Do girls enjoy seeing the shirtless guys here? Dunno. - I'm sorry but the girls DO know how guys see them when they walk around in a bikini at Warped Tour right? They better.

4:27 - Alexisonfire is owning the Hurley stage right now. Rowr! - Metalcore? Yeah, pretty much. I more or less enjoyed their show, but I don't know about following them.

4:57 - Innerpartysystem! Woot Woot! Loving it. - I have no idea whey I haven't seen this band live before. I have one of their albums because I like their music. It's good to know that they are also great as a live band, and wow were they able to get the crowd moving. Awesome band. See them live if you ever get a chance.

5:12 - The flying sand/dust isn't doing my camera any favors. - Because of the floating sand/dirt in the air, plus the sand/dirt that lands on my camera, the auto-focus hasn't exactly been cooperating 100% with the images I want. Now, not only was my camera's lens in need of cleaning (I did bring my lens cleaners for such a problem), but my glasses was also covered with lots of sand. It was pretty funny, because at one point in the day I was thinking "wow, the place looks very hazy," and then I noticed all these sand on my glasses, cleaned it, and "wow, that really cleared my vision up."

5:28 - Took a little break playing some Rock Band. Wanted to try The Beatles: Rock Band, but they don't have it on right now for some reason - Should have tried it earlier when I had a chance. I went by the Meg & Dia tent to find Carlo's girlfriend handling the booth all by herself, which became a running joke with me going "you're still all alone here!" to her whenever I go by (even at the end of the day). I also did go by and bought a Mocha Frappy from the food section of the venue, and that was pretty much all I had to eat/drink all afternoon. While kicking it, drinking my slushy, I also watched a little bit of the band Aiden performing.

5:42 - I have a feeling I'm going to be a little sunburned. At least I'm wearing a white shirt, so that probably helps a bit. - I have to admit that while it was scorching hot, I remember it being worse in past warped tours. This heat was nothing compared to what I've witnessed before.

6:44 - I'm literally just waiting for Meg & Dia right now. Just one more hour and two more bands (Big D, Hit the Lights) to go until then. -

6:58 - "Big D and the kids table" is pretty good. Fun stuff. - Woot! That was a really really good band. Impressed. At one point they had a group of the audience do a circle pit around one of the trees nearby. The lead singer David McWane has got to be one of the most animated front men I've ever seen in a band. Such an entertaining set, that I wish lasted longer.

7:24 - "Hit the Lights" is on right now. Meg & Dia is finally up next in less than half an hour! - Hit the Lights was "meh" to me, although I enjoyed their little cover attempt of Pantera's "Walk."

8:18 - Meg & Dia had a GREAT set, and the audience was pretty chill. I am a happy guy. - They were only able to play seven songs, and I think they could have pulled off an eight, but Hit The Lights went a little over their set time (bbooo!). Being that the sun pretty much set at the moment MaD started playing, it got dark really fast, and my camera was really really struggling to properly get the band on video. The lighting for the stage was horrible, and they may as well have been performing in complete darkness. My camera's auto-focus was going crazy, probably due to the horrible lighting, the sand/dust in the air, and the heads of the crowd in front of me, so expect a lot of out of focus shots in my photos/videos. Besides my technical problems, I thought they had a fun set list, with Dia being very lively, and played around on stage with both lead guitarist Carlo and Meg. By "boardie" standards, the audience wasn't as lively as we probably would have preferred, but I realize that they were all into the music, which I guess is what counts the most. Overall I thought that it was a good last gig for the band in this year's Warped tour.

After their set ended, Meg immediately went by the side of the stage to greet her fans, which was very cool of her. I did not go by, since it was a relatively good sized crowd that wanted to see her (I've had my turn many times in the past already I guess). It's a little disheartening though, to see the fact that the band can't hang out with their fans in a very casual way here like they did in the past (if you've read my past blog posts about Meg & Dia, you know what I mean). I suppose it could just be because Warped Tour isn't exactly an intimate venue for them to just hang out with their fans. The band's getting bigger as time goes by, and I congratulate them on their success.

8:35 - "Every Avenue" is rockin it out right now. Good stuff. - What's funny is that I forgot that I've already seen them live before, and enjoyed them enough that I have one of their albums. Good band live, although I thought it was hilarious of them to ask an audience dominated primarily by teenage girls to do a mosh pit (really now?). At least I ended my Warped Tour with a good band to finish it off.

8:56 - Walking back to my car. Another year of Warped Tour now over for me. - My friends were all dead tired, so no after concert meeting/dinner this time. I was actually still quite awake and energetic at this point, which is a far cry to how tired I was after the Pomona Warped Tour a few months ago.

9:04 - Seen horror films? I guess it can be kinda scary to use one of CSUDH's restroom, by myself, in a relatively isolated part of the campus. - I swung by to use one of the rest rooms in Cal State University Dominguez Hills before I arrive at my car, and realized that I was walking into a typical scene from a horror movie. Nothing happened of course, but believe me, I was prepared to throw some punches and kicks if I had to.

Warped Tour 2009 is over, and sadly this might also be the last time I see Meg & Dia in concert for the rest of the year. I haven't heard them commit to a Fall/Winter tour yet. Until next time then.....

* click here for the PHOTOS I took *

* click here for the VIDEOS I took *

Today is the last day of the Van's Warped Tour 2009; not counting the up coming 15th Anniversary concert of course. Before I take off to the Home Depot Center in Carson, California to attend it, I thought I'd say a few words here. People who have been going to the Warped Tour since the beginning has commented about how it isn't mostly about Punk bands anymore. Fine. That's change I suppose. New bands pop up and they aren't going to necessarily be punk bands to fill up the Warped Tour. Besides the "old timers" like Bad Religion or NOFX, it's mostly under the radar bands, up and coming bands, or unsigned talent, which is great that they are getting exposure. So the question I ask here is, how are these relatively unknown bands able to gather a "huge" following already? I'm talking fans from as little as 50 to as much as a couple of hundreds, and that's just one day out of a whole summer tour. In several cases I would see kids in their teens singing passionately along with some unknown unsigned band, as if they've been around forever. Incredible right? I wonder... was it the internet? myspace? Is word of mouth really so effective? or am I just out of touch.

That's probably it, I'm out of touch. I've noticed that there are far more kids out there today that are very open to listen to new music. They "discover" a band, and then they champion them by spreading the word to others, and follow them in their concerts as much as possible. In a way, I could relate. One of my current favorite bands; Meg & Dia, did start gaining their popularity via myspace. I personally discovered them by going to Warped Tour for the first time three years ago, at the myspace tent coincidentally enough. So maybe I'm not *that* out of touch, as I clearly do get what's happening here. People are looking for music that aren't necessarily on the radio, and I yhink that's really great. Of course kids are pretty fickle and are willing to stop being fans of a band just like that... but that's a whole other blog post.

I'm going to try and continue updating my Twitter/Facebook status as the day goes by. I should have my blog post on the event sometime tomorrow, which means I'm going to delay my regular "random links" Monday post for Tuesday. Alright, off to Warped Tour.

- check my Twitter for my Warped Tour experience - https://twitter.com/optimum5

It's Not Random Enough To Believe

The Window Phone (pix)

Barney Frank Confronts Woman At Townhall Comparing Obama To Hitler (video)

CBS Embeds Video Player in Entertainment Weekly Magazine (video)

Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? (video)

Put Pocketing (video)

Buffy vs Edward: Twilight Remixed (video)

Richard Cheese - Chop Suey! (video)

Jonas Brothers Death Metal (video)

Japanese Face Dancing (video)

Red Bull Energy Douche with Mandy Moore (video)

Patton Oswalt on the KFC Famous bowls (video)

Inglourious Basterds - The Graphic Novel (flash)