book movie television theatre game review

Books:
Between the Bridge and the River is one of the most well-written novels I have read. It may come as a surprise to you, but the author of this insightful page-turner is Craig Ferguson, host of the Late Late Show on CBS. You may remember him best as the acerbic Mr. Wick on the Drew Carey Show. He pulls together a story about different characters, different eras, different realities, and different religions, and makes it all come together into a tightly woven narrative. Highly recommended. Before the Vancouver civic strike put my reading addiction on ice, I read Tongue Fu, which talked about different ways to diffuse tense situations and angry clients. For anyone who deals with the public at their workplace, this is a concise instructional manual with great ideas for making the most out of bad situations. I am currently reading The Tipping Point, which likens the effective spread of a message to the spread of an epidemic. It delves into scientific studies, yet is easy to read, and gives a different perspective on the factors that need to be in place for a message to flourish.

Movies:
Since I’m reviewing things that I’ve read, let me also review things that I’ve watched. First, movies. I enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean 3 because I was not expecting high art. I was looking for fun swashbuckling action, and that’s what I received in droves. I did not enjoy Shrek 3 because I was expecting a witty comedy like Shrek 2, and that’s what I received in the quantity of a 1/9th drove. I liked Harry Potter 5, because it had a well developed story, and Daniel Radcliffe delivered a great performance of internal struggle with the evil growing within him. Transformers was a great movie, with fast action, quick dialogue, and fantastic CGI. The suspense movie Derailed is slow to start, but gains momentum as it goes along. Hot Fuzz was the funniest movie that I’ve seen this summer. That being said, I haven’t seen Superbad, The Simpsons Movie, or Knocked Up.

Theatre:
Cookin’ at the Cookery was a musical held at the Stanley, and told the story of Alberta Hunter, one of the pioneer soul/jazz/blues singers. Two actresses told the entire story, and sang from 7:30pm to 10:00pm. The singing performances were fantastic, and I could not fathom the incredible shape their vocal chords must be in to sing for so long on a performance night.

Games:
God of War II is tied for the best action adventure game I’ve played. What game is it tied with? God of War I. Guitar Hero II is fantastic fun. It gets progressively harder with each level you progress, and with each progressive success, it pushes you to get better at playing the game.

Television:
We’re watching Firefly, which is a show that I did not watch when it was on the air. I like the character development, the concise stories, and the world that Joss Whedon has created. It’s like a novel unfolding in front of my eyes. It’s a very detailed world that exists in Joss’ mind, and it shows in his creation.

those summer nights

It's August 23! 8 more days until the end of August. Where did the time go?

This summer, did you do anything fun, exciting and memorable? Probably. But if the days fly by like they have, you could do the most amazing things one week, but not remember it next week.

Name something you did this summer that was fun and exciting. Maybe you travelled somewhere, or watched a show, or had a memorable night.

This summer I travelled to Japan with Jennie and my high school friends, which was a fun time. It was a good group to travel with. I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain with my brother, which was exciting. The two of us have never travelled alone, and we had a great time in Los Angeles. I moved into a new position at work, which has been a diverse, challenging and non-stop learning experience. White water rafting with Josh was exhilarating, and whet my appetite for other adventures.

We live a life of constant stimulation, constant entertainment, constant duties, and constant movement. We move forward faster every year. We should not dwell on the past; we should focus on what we can do in the future. But once and a while... stop, turn around, and look at where you've been. Now you see how amazing it has been, to get to where you are now.

Sit on the grass, look at the sky, and thank God for everything that you've been through, because it makes you who you are now.