The comments are not working right now. The situation is out of my control, so there's really not much I can do. Thanks for your patience.

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The Internets have been a great place to look for cheap entertainment. Here are a few movies I've found on the Web that I thought were entertaining.

BATMAN: NEW TIMES



This is a short, computer-generated film made by film students using Lego-style characters. Now, before you take pass on this, let me list who they got to do the voicework: Adam West as Batman, Mark Hamill as the Joker, Dick Van Dyke as Commissioner Gordon, and Courtney Thorne-Smith as Catwoman. Believe me, it's not everyday you get such a diverse set of performers to do your student film. It's a quality short film that's worth a look. View the film here.


Rise of the Empire



Another Lego-inspired short film, this piece was done entirely in the traditional method of stop motion animation. This is one fan's guess at what the trailer to the third Star Wars prequel would look like. Done years before the title Revenge of the Sith came out, the creator entitled his trailer Rise of the Empire. This is worth a look only if to see a very pregnant Padme Amidala. Download the film here (14 Mb, be patient!).


The Clone Wars: Volume II



Last year's wildly popular Clone Wars cartoons, which were shown on the Cartoon Network, have returned with a second volume of chapters. These new chapters feature an extended running time, allowing for more in-depth stories this time around. The story arc will fill viewers in with details right up to the start of Episode III. Though people can view the new cartoons here, you might want to look for torrents which feature higher resolution versions.

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On Thursday, this site turns five years old. That's half a decade of erwintang.com. Well, not really since it took me a few months to get the site running. So technically, I've owned this domain for five years now. Still, that's a long time on the Internets.

It's been a lot of fun which has led to a rewarding five years. I do a lot of work on this site mainly because of you, the readers. If you're having fun, that means I'm having fun. Thanks for staying with me this long.

Every birthday needs a celebration and this one is no different. I've framed my celebration around a contest. Go take a look... enter... win stuff!

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Early this morning, I awoke because of a sharp pain in my left cheek. It felt like there was a lot of pressure in the area and it was very unpleasant. I was sure that something was trying to get my cheek to explode. I surmised it was a sinus infection, but that thought did not help the pain go away.

I tossed and turned, hoping to get back to sleep, but it was no use. After several minutes, I somehow got my head in a particular position that caused the problematic sinus to drain partially. It was sorta like a balloon with a slow leak in it. The pressure gradually decreased until a point where the sharp pain was reduced to a dull ache. It was then I was able to fall asleep.

When I awoke again, my sinus remained achy. Just opening my jaw caused the pain to flare up again. I was thoroughly unimpressed with my bad luck. Having no other choice, I had to get on with my day even though I was feel pretty crappy.

Luckily, the students in my tutorial finished their assignments early and I was able to steal away to UBC Student Health before they closed. I was just planning on making an appointment for the next day, but they were able to schedule me in 15 minutes before close. After her examination, the doctor confirmed that I did indeed have a sinus infection. Though she was concerned about the severity of the initial pain, she said it was a good sign it had drained partially on its own. She offered to give me a prescription for antibiotics, but told me it was my choice since the infection could clear up by itself. I decided to hold off on the antibiotics since I try to stay clear of the stuff unless absolutely forced to take it. The doctor did recommend that I use steam and a decongestant to aid in clearing up my sinuses.

With that, I thanked the doctor for her help and I was off. When I returned home, I took a long, steamy shower. After emerging from bathroom, I immediately noticed my cheek was less achy. I decided to take a nap before dinner. In the process of lying down, my sinuses drained even more.

I feel much better now and can only hope this will be the last thing to bother me from this horrible cold.

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I saw the doctor today. My chest is clear and I'm not pregnant. She says I'm still coughing because there's some residual irritation left over from the cold. She offered to fill out a prescription for a cough medicine with codeine in it. I accepted.

After returning home from the drug store, I looked at the recommended dosage, "1 tor 2 teaspoons, 3 times a day". Well, I certainly wasn't going to take 2 teaspoons right away. About a year ago, I took 2 teaspoons full of virtually the same medicine before going to bed. When I woke up, just waving my hand in front of my face was a psychedelic adventure. This time, I carefully administered to myself half a teaspoon. I then went to invigilate an exam. I think it certainly did help a bit.

When I returned home, I took another half a teaspoon before going over to dinner at SJC. The difference was more noticeable there. I was actually able to converse with people at my table without blowing chunks of food in their faces. Even Adam said I looked better.

I've been feeling pretty good all night, only coughing a bit, but still coughing. I'm going to hit the codeine once more before going to bed and we'll see how I am in the morning. I'm watching my codeine consumption because it can block up your pooper.

Hey, on a totally unrelated note, I saw Greg Williams today, he of the "Lunch at the Village blog" fame. He was in fact, just coming back from the Village with his lunch. I tried to be sneaky and asked him what was in the bag. He began to answer, but caught himself and said, "I guess you'll find out." The answer can be found here. One more thing. When I went to One More Sushi to get take out, I saw Greg's girlfriend leaving as I was entering. She was there without Greg... and with another man... who wasn't Greg. Shhhhhh.... don't tell Greg.

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I've been told now by two different sources there seems to be some sorta strain of super cold going around. Karen at Friday night's dinner told me about a rather nasty strain that she's seen making the rounds. Tonight, my sister informed me that her recent cold hung on for a few extra days, making her illness last a total of ten days. This might explain why I seemed to have gotten worse on Saturday night after thinking I was in the clear. It's a good thing I have a doctor's appointment on Monday. I haven't had a cold this bad in a long time.

While we're on the subject of being sick, why don't I list the illnesses I've had since the school year started? Let's start off with food poisoning, which I had at the end of September. After living with my parents and commuting to school for three weeks, my Mom decided to send me off in style by improperly cooking some sausage. That first week in my new apartment was an absolute trial. Worst case of food poisoning ever. Usually if you get food poisoning, you go to the can and provide a "liquid refund" of some sort and it should be over. Not in my case. Holy crap (pun intended). I also got a severe headache and it hurt to move any part of my body. That lasted about five days. And don't even get me started on my GI tract. For more than an entire week, my body's only purpose was to make poop. The whole experience bordered on life-changing or pants-changing, you take your pick.

So, a day after I finally felt recovered from being a brown machine, I developed a cold. It also lasted about a week and I was cursing my crappy luck by this time. Two illnesses back to back. It made a for poor start to the fall.

When I recovered from the cold, I noticed some itchy red marks on my skin. I thought I had hives. Turns out it wasn't hives, but that's not important any more.

I'll leave you with one more thought. If there was a Taco Bell within walking distance of my apartment, I'd be a happy camper. Good food at reasonable prices. And consider this, a Gordita Supreme with Chicken contains only 12g of fat, that's with cheese and sour cream. After eating undercooked sausage, I'd take that any day.

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