May 27, 2005
Starbucks Short Skate Film
As promised earlier in the week, here is my short skate film of the trip from where I'm staying to the local Starbucks. The trip is 2km each way, however since I was recording with a still camera with a Memory Stick that could only hold 2 minutes of video before having to download to the computer (and there was 17 minutes of raw footage) I think I skated a lot more than 4km today!
The movie is in Windows Media Format, so you'll need a recent version of Windows Media Player to view it. I'm pretty sure the version that comes with Windows XP should be sweet. Right-Click on the link below and click "Save As...", enjoy!
Street Skating Film - Southern California (Windows Media / 30MB)
Great hall locations: Travel , United States | Talked about by: 3 Fraggles
May 26, 2005
Oh Yeah!
Damn, am I feeling good today or what!! I seem to have the perfect mix of Endorphins and Caffeine in my bloodstream right at this very moment!
The weather's good, work's going good, I'm rocking-out to Def Leppard on my iPod, hehe, and dancing around in Mike's home-office, LOL, good god I'm such a freak, ehehehe...
For the last two days I've been skating the 2km to the local Starbucks for my daily Grande Caffè Latte, otherwise known as an oversized flat white. Surprising what a difference good coffee makes... I'm typing like a mad man at the moment :) And managed to spell "endorphins" right first time, lol, dyslexic, I think not! a-ha!
Great hall locations: Travel , United States | Talked about by: 1 Fraggles
May 25, 2005
Two Coronas Sitting In A Tree...
What do you get when two Corona's get together? Little baby girl Corona's, or "Coronita's" to be exact, cute huh! lol :) I've photographed them here beside a standard Red Bull can so you can see how small they are.
— US 7fl oz. is 207ml in metric.
The literal translation of "Coronita" from the Español is "Little Corona". The suffix "-ita" is the feminine diminutive (the masculine is "-ito") and is used to express smallness or affection/endearment. They also have big (945ml / Swappa Crate size) Corona's over here, but there doesn't appear to be an opposite to "ita/ito" so they are just called "Corona" like standard 330ml bottles.
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Great hall locations: Travel , United States | Talked about by: 0 Fraggles
May 24, 2005
Another Californism
Saw this in the entrance to the apartment complex while heading out to the supermarket today. I was like, "oh crap they've got Asbestos in here or something?!" That in addition to the front door access balconies (we're on the 3rd floor) that look like they'd fall off in a strong wind—there's a hole in ours that I always step over, scary shit I tell ya!
Nope, it appears in California smoking is classed in the same category as Asbestos, and they put warning signs where ever people might be smoking to warn you of the health risk (and probably cover their asses from being sued)! Puu, stinky smokers! lol
In other news I've perfected the art of skateboarding while carrying grocery bags over the slalom course, otherwise known as the pavement around here! There's quite a few trees on the street (if you can call three lanes each way a street?!) we're on, and the concrete slabs that make up the pavement are tilted on all kinds of funny angles and some have been pushed up to a foot in the air! Makes going shopping an interesting experience, I can tell you! lol
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Great hall locations: Travel , United States | Talked about by: 0 Fraggles
May 23, 2005
Top 10 Favourite 80's TV Shows
I was surfing the 'net today and saw in someone's blog a list of their top 10 favourite songs. Anyway, it got me thinking... wouldn't it be even cooler to list your top 10 favourite tv shows from when you were a kid?
* By kid here I mean under the age of ten, so no making fun of the entries, k :)
With the help of google, I've compiled the list of my 10 favourite tv shows from when I was little—complete with pictures, the theme music and my memories of that particular program...
The A-Team
1983-1987
The A-Team was the coolest program ever when I was growing up, with a good deal of gun fire, action and blowing stuff up. They'd often modify vehicles and jimmy stuff up during the episodes, usually involving a lot of welding and shit. The series was on too late for me to watch, since it was after my bedtime which was 8pm if I remember rightly. So my dad's friend would video it for me, (back then we only owned a small 14" TV), and lend us the video machine and the tape once a month so I could watch it. It was seriously ass when he decided not to lend us his video anymore, as I didn't see any more A-Team after that.
The A-Team Theme (MP3 / 1.2MB)
CHiPS
1977-1983
"CHiPS," stood for California Highway Patrol, followed two motorcycle cops Poncherello (he had like the coolest name ever) and Baker. This series was the usual TV cops show stuff, nothing particularly special but good entertainment all the same! I used to watch this back when we still lived at our first house on Bremworth Ave over in Dinsdale, back when my little sister had only just been born. We used to ride our bikes around Bremworth Park doing the whole pretending to be on motorcycles thing, one of my friends (I can't remember which now) crashed down a ditch whilst doing this, though he got away with only a sprained wrist. Hehe, good times!
CHiPS Theme (MP3 / 900KB)
The Dukes of Hazzard
1979-1985
I come from a family who are really into cars, so it's no wonder this show went down well. I sooo wanted a car with a Dukes of Hazzard horn when I grew-up, lol, (oh the shame), and to do all those cool jumps with the car. The closest thing I had though was an orange matchbox General Lee (the Dodge Charger from the series), and we used to make up jumps for it in the drive-way. As an aside, I have in fact done a Dukes of Hazzard style jump in my Familia—got the car about a metre airborne, though it tore the steel rear anti-swaybar mounts in half on landing! Was a lot of fun though, lol :)
The Dukes of Hazzard Theme (MP3 / 737KB)
Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
1972-1984
This show was neat, the opening credits "Hey, Hey, Hey..." was seriously good shit, lol. Back in the very early 80's when I was sporting a big blonde aff, a yellow t-shirt and brown stubbies, hehehe, comon' it was cool back then (wasn't it?). The kid on the show with hat that went right over his head with eye holes, was too cool for skool. I remember seeing a girl on K-Road in recent times with a tattoo of that character on her calf actually.
The Fat Albert Theme (MP3 / 882KB)
Fraggle Rock
1983-1987
Of course, Fraggle Rock couldn't be omitted from this list! With it's hellofa catchy theme tune who could resist. This series absolutely rocked, and it's also the reason this site has its title. My sister and I had a whole series of Fraggle Rock books, plus a number of episodes we'd recorded to video—by this time my family had got a VCR. I think one of main things that made this series cool, the range of characters and different areas they had in it—Doc and Sprocket, the Fraggles, the Trash Heap (Marjorie), the Doozers and the Gorgs. This is undoubtedly Jim Henson's finest work.
Fraggle Rock Theme (MP3 / 1.2MB)
The Gummi Bears
1985-1991
This show would have to be #10 on the list, and closely squeezed out Battlestar Galactica for this position. Battlestar Galactica was a cool series but I didn't see quite as much of in comparison, and I think I was too young to understand it properly. My little sister used to love the Gummi Bears, and hence I saw quite a bit of it too.
The Gummi Bears Theme (MP3 / 545KB)
Knight Rider
1982-1986
I think the only reason Knight Rider was cool, was due to the car KITT with its stealth-mode and turbocharger—which in retrospect after having owned/driven several different turbocharged vehicles sounded more like a vacuum cleaner than an actual turbocharger spooling!! But hey, to a 7 year old, it was one seriously cool car! I don't remember much about the series, though I do recall the storylines were often a bit so-so—good thing he moved on to Bay Watch, lol
Knight Rider Theme (MP3 / 889KB)
MacGyver
1985-1992
After the A-Team, MacGyver was my all time favourite TV series. By this time I was old enough to watch it at its regular viewing time, so no problems with VCR's here. I used to like making stuff, so this series really appealed to me—the improvising with stuff just lying around was cool. I really liked the trick he did with the cut-up credit card to change the traffic lights in one episode, though I suspect traffic lights probably don't actually work like that in real-life! lol and the first episode were he slid down the sand dunes on the map. Hehe, I even have a mini Leatherman (kinda like a Swiss Army knife) on my key-ring to pull out MacGyver styles when I'm out and about. The first season was by far the best, since after that one they decided the program was too violent / scary for younger viewers (it totally was not) and toned it back. However the following seasons were no-where near as good.
MacGyver Theme (MP3 / 408KB)
The Smurfs
1981-1990
For anyone that grew up in the eighties, the Smurfs was an all round favourite. Hehe, and I still say "Are we there yet Papa Smurf" to this day, lol. My sister and I had about a million of the Smurfs figurines when we were little, she had the Smurfette one and I had Papa Smurf, in addition to scores of the standard blue and white ones we had.
The Smurfs Theme (MP3 / 120KB)
Terrahawks
1983-1986
I'd so seriously forgotten about this show when I first did this post, well forgotten it's name to be exact. However, in a moment of enlightenment it just came to me this morning. In the same league as the Thunderbirds, both were made by Gerry Anderson, but way cooler. I had all the Zeroids figurines (the little round silver balls), and they were so cool. I didn't have any of Zelda's corresponding Death Cubes (that fought the Zeroids) so I used to make my own out of white ice cream containers and cellotape, lol. Man I loved this show!
Terrahawks Theme (MP3 / 377KB)
Great hall locations: Miscellaneous | Talked about by: 2 Fraggles
May 22, 2005
I Think I'll Swim
My iPod is a dog that drools all over the carpet...
The kind of dog that afterwards gives you this sheepish sorry adorable look that you can't help but forgive it, even though you know you'll be on your hands and knees scrubbing the floor again the very next day.
I've been feeling' pretty run down recently, that tried hazy worn-out feeling. I don't know if it's the heat, the smog, or a combination of both. My friend I'm staying with is out a lot, and his ex-girlfriend took the cable-decoder, so it's been pretty quiet around the apartment. It's surprising when you're in a city surrounded by 10 million other people just how easy it is to feel alone.
So I thought listening to a couple of my favourite tracks on my iPod would cheer me up. However my iPod (in it's infinite wisdom) delivered an entirely different song to the one I requested with a sheepish "I know this isn't what you asked for, but will this do?" look on its face... (If the iPod can't find song you asked for it will skip to the next track, even though the previous song was the one you actually did want to hear)
I've been looking out the window for a while now, watching the lives playing out the in windows across the courtyard as i dry the dishes, my iPod supplying the soundtrack...
The couple making-out in the upstairs apartment silhouetted against the curtains, the girl in the apartment below that spends all night every night on her computer when all other lights have gone out, and the guy that stands in a doorway and smokes a never-ending sea of cigarettes, while idly throwing the occasional remark into the conversation going on inside, all the while the city's ever-present low dull drone of air-conditioners and traffic in the distance continues.
I'm going down to Santa Monica to see a client tomorrow. Getting out of the valley will be nice, it's cooler down by the coast—I think I might even go for a swim :)
Great hall locations: Travel , United States | Talked about by: 0 Fraggles
May 20, 2005
Breathing Fire Out My Nose
Hollyeee, was that some good wasabi or what?! The kind of the burns all the way from the back of your mouth right through to the tips of your nostrils! As you might of guessed, I had some seriously good sushi for lunch today—Wasabi, Shrimp and Avocado [with extra wasabi] Sushi in fact, good shit!
I decided that I'm just going to be broke forever and went grocery shopping again today. In addition to my fire-breathing Sushi, I got Cantaloupe (which is rock melon's alter ego ;), Carrot & Bran Muffins (super yum, I'm seriously working hard to resist the temptation to the devour the whole box in one sitting, i.e. like right now, LOL), Weetabix and Bananas. Bananas are my new favourite food, as they seem to be the only thing that doesn't cost a fortune around here!
It's still incredibly hot there... I turned on the cold tap today and the water was warm [and i ran it for a while], the other tap was also warm[er]! Ugg. I think they should dispense with the "H" and "C" designations and go with "W" and "EWTO", for "Warm" and "Even Warmer Than The One", lol
Closing Words... crossing the road here scares the be'jesus out of me!!
Great hall locations: Travel , United States | Talked about by: 0 Fraggles
May 19, 2005
Arrival in Southern California
Well I'm back in Southern Cali again, and hot damn, it's well... it's really really hot actually! It seems a lot warmer than last year—and you have to worry when the temperature gauge in your friend's kitchen says 30°C when it's only 8:30 in the morning! lol.
The picture to the left is of downtown Los Angeles on approach to LAX, from the window of the Air Tahiti Nui A340. I have however photoshopped out most of the haze/smog to make it look a bit nicer ;)
Still getting over a slight case of jet-lag at the moment, and the cold I seem to have caught en-route thanks most probably to the recycled cabin air. Planes up until the early 70's actually brought in fresh air from outside the aircraft, which is better for you than mountain air and 100% sterile. However, to cut fuel usage and costs during the 70's oil crisis aircraft started to be designed that recycled the cabin air. The Boeing 727 incidentally was the last plane made that used 100% fresh outside air.
Intermission in Tahiti was good, (no Tangy Fruits though I'm afraid), what little of the place I saw was very nice—definitely want to go back there for a proper stay at some stage. The airport terminal is kinda funky looking, think a cross between island huts & gardens and the Hamilton airport from the early 80's, and you'll get the general idea. One thing I did notice though was Tahitian French is a lot slower than that used on the mainland. I could easily follow the conversations I heard, although I didn't understand all the words—really need to do some French vocabulary building before I head back that way!
Currently I'm staying over at my friend Mike's apartment up in Sherman Oaks which is north of Beverly Hills and in the San Fernando valley. It's the same suburb where the singer Pink lives, if you wanted some useless trivia, lol :) I also happened to see a squirrel running along power lines outside the window today, but he (or she) had scampered away by the time I got back with my camera! So I didn't bother posting my squirrel-less photo of the alley way behind Mike's house!
The place is fairly nice considering how expensive it is to live here, though the lack of air-con is a bit of killer. Food here is really expensive too, I don't remember it being this bad last year, although I was eating at friends' places a lot—it's about 3-4 times the cost of what the same item would be in a Pak'n'Save back home! Now where did I leave my "Will Work For Food" placard, hehehe, lol :)
The meat here there also carries the reassuring message: "May contain bacteria that can cause illness", good to know, not! ...needless to say, I'm cooking the meat I bought extra-well-done, lol!
I'd forgotten that the everything in American is big, and back to front—switches here are down for off, and up for on. The stove and fridge in the kitchen are huge, a good metre and bit wide. Amazingly though, Mike's fridge is remarkably empty. It did however contain a large punnet of mushrooms, LOL. In the week before I arrived, not knowing I was bringing my own, Mike also bought the small 50g jar of Marmite pictured beside mine; it cost him USD$8.00! (about $11.50 kiwi) ouch!!
Got quite a bit of work stacking up at the moment, so it'll be back into that tomorrow. Till next time, later and have a good one :)
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Great hall locations: Travel , United States | Talked about by: 0 Fraggles
May 9, 2005
Shitty MP3's Must Die!
With my next overseas trip just over a week away, I'm in the final mad rush to get everything ready, including breaking in my new Shure e3c Noise Isolating Earphones. These are the in ear canal style units that musicians use, and I have to say the sound quality and detail is quite extraordinary!
I used Sony active noise canceling headphones on my last trip. They helped a lot in reducing the aircraft engine noise, but were quite bulky, only worked on low/mid frequencies and need batteries. The Shure ones on the other-hand block about 25dB across all frequencies (the noise-canceling ones were 10dB) and are very compact, which will help my carry-on baggage only plan for this trip.
They take about a week to properly mold to your ear canal (or your ear canal to mold to the earphones as the case maybe, lol) and break-in the speaker drivers. We're at day 3 now and they're definitely getting more comfortable to wear—and the sound quality still blows me away!
However, this does cause one major problem— 128 & 160kbps CBR MP3's which previously sounded ok, now sound terrible. The encoding artifacts are clearly audible in all their hideous glory. The 160kbps songs sound flat and lifeless, and we won't even mention mangled state of the poor 128k ones, lol.
So, I've been on a mission hunting out all the poor quality songs in my collection with the help of Tag & Rename, which is an excellent program.
Tag & Rename can also tell you which encoder was used to make the file (this is separate from the ID3v2 tag's "encoded by" field), which is quite handy for generating a report of all the MP3's not encoded with LAME and are CBR 160kbps or less.
On a related note, I checked with the airline the other day and my skateboard is good to go as carry-on. It was the only piece of baggage I thought might possibility have to be checked, which would ruin my carry-on only plan. Apparently if my main carry-on bag isn't too big, it's all good ;)
Update: It appears I was missed informed, and the skateboard can only be taken on as checked luggage—which added just under an hour to me getting out of LAX the other day, arrrghh!
Great hall locations: Music , iPod | Talked about by: 0 Fraggles
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