blog.erwintang.com

LEFT 4 DEAD

2008-11-21T00:03:00.001-08:00

A video game came out this week entitled Left 4 Dead. The game has a simple premise. The planet has suffered a worldwide apocalypse. Most of the human population has been changed into murderous and ravenous beings that appear to be running dead, they are the "Infected". Game players are the "Survivors", people who have somehow avoid being turned into one of the "Infected". The "Survivors" now must fight for their lives in a world turned upside down. The game is best played cooperatively over the Internet with three other "Survivors".

If you know me even a little, this sounds right up my alley. Indeed it is, yet, I don't even own this game yet. I'm so busy with work, trying to get skate 2 out the door, I have very little time to do anything else other than eating and ensuring my ~~genitals~~ clothes are clean. The game will be done soon but even then, I have to do some prep work for L4D. First, I gotta make sure my video drivers are up to date. If we're gonna barricade ourselves in a warehouse, I need to have silky smooth frame rates. Second, I need to buy a decent headset for my computer. Communication is vital in L4D. If I'm going to screaming "reloading" every five seconds, my buddies near to hear it.

I'm not sure when I'll be joining the good fight but let's hope it's soon.

COAT RESISTANCE

2008-11-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

If you live in Vancouver, you undoubtedly have detected a definite chill in the air as low temperatures have been just one or two degrees above freezing in the evening. Despite this, I've been resisting the temptation or the common sense to break out my winter coat. I'm not sure why I'm against bringing it out. Maybe it's a sign that I acknowledge that the winter is upon us and that cold and dark days are here. It's interesting to note that I understand despite what I wear, that won't change the weather. Perhaps I just don't want to wear a bulky coat so soon. Maybe I'm just bored of my coat and need a new one.

In any case, because I'm still hanging onto my lighter coat, I've been forced to dress in extra layers to keep warm. I wonder how long I'll keep this up.

MY VERY FIRST LAPTOP

2008-11-19T00:26:00.000-08:00

For all the time I've spent using computers, very little of that has been on those of the laptop or notebook variety. When I was in first year undergrad, I actually moved into residence without owning a single computer. That year, I borrowed a laptop for three days to write up a report. It was the firs time I'd spent any real time using one of fancy things.

Ever since, I've never had any real requirement for a laptop. I don't travel for work and I really don't need to compute while mobile. I also never saw the appeal of sitting at a Starbucks with half-decaf latte and writing the next great novel on superslim notebook. In my over ten years of ~~surfing for pornography~~ buying computers, it's all been desktops for me.

Last month though, I had the opportunity to take a laptop from work with me to my trip to Ottawa during Thanksgiving. It was a real revelation to me having that piece of equipment along every part of the trip. Even before I left Vancouver, the laptop proved its worth. Sitting in an unused boarding gate, I was able to use the free YVR wireless to read my e-mail and find out one of the wedding guests was going to depart for Ottawa just twenty minutes before my flight. I was able to meet up with her before connecting again on the Ottawa end.

On the plane, I was able to a variety of TV shows and movies that I had chosen before I left my home. Though in-flight entertainment is pretty good these days, it's always nice to have your own material. While in Ottawa, I was able to check both my personal and work e-mail accounts, use Google maps, and get general touristy type info. It was all very convenient and handy, making my trip that much easier.

Before I even returned to Vancouver, I decided it would be nice to invest in a suitable portable computing device. After a tiny bit of research and some a slightly impulsive reflex, I decided to purchase a Dell Mini 9 netbook. The Mini falls under the relatively new class of netbooks, which are ultra-small and portable, and are supposed to be decently priced. You can get more details of about the Mini here but this is how I decided to spec out my own model. I went for Windows XP Home for my OS. You can get a Linux distribution but I wanted my netbook to complement my desktop which runs XP as well. I decided on the 16 Gb solid-state drive. It's an extra $40 over the default 8Gb but trust me, it's worth the money. You currently can't upgrade the SSD to anything bigger, so you can see it's value right there. I stupidly paid an extra $30 upgrade the RAM from 512 Mb to 1 Gb. Save yourself the cash and use it to buy a 2 Gb stick after the fact and install it yourself. I did so and it only cost me $20. I did not choose to get an integrated webcam. According to a friend, this was a good choice, as in his words, "a webcam is only useful if you're a hot chick." Exterior wise, I was able to pick between the black or white. I chose the glossy piano black finish.

I'll skip over the rest of the specs, except you should know the Mini 9 has a display resolution of 1024 x 600, small but most importantly (at least to me) that is in a widescreen aspect ration. I've had the Mini now for several weeks and I mainly use it while commuting to watch TV shows and movies which I have, ahem, legally acquired over the Internet. In that regard, it's excellent. In one day of commuting, I can usually get through one episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles or two episodes of The Clone Wars or just before the last musical act of an SNL. The Mini boots up in less than 20 seconds, so I'm ready to go without any appreciable delay. The 8.9" LCD screen is good enough for what it needs to do though I wish it wasn't glossy as reflections can be a problem on a bus or when Skytrain is above ground. The 1.6 GHz Atom processor is speedy enough for simple entertainment tasks but don't expect to play the latest games on the Mini.

I only have a few minor complaints with the Mini. First, I'm still getting used to a touchpad, so I'm not as nimble with it as a mouse. Perhaps, this is inherent to any touchpad but sometimes I touch-click when I don't mean to. I think it also helps to turn off the touch scroll bars as I always scroll by accident. The keyboard is also compressed to accomodate its small size. I understand the compromise here so maybe I shouldn't put this down as complaint though it is sometimes awkward to get at the function keys. Lastly, I recommend stripping down the Mini so that it can work as fast as it possibly can. The SSD comes compressed to save space but that really makes it slow. I suggest decompressing the drive so it's speedier. Also, try to uninstall as much crap as possible that you don't need. Dell preinstalls a lot of stuff for you that you might not want. I did so to save drive space and to free up more resources.

In summary, I'm quite pleased with my purchase. It makes my commute seem very short and I can forsee it helping when I go travelling as well.

EFC

2008-11-18T00:01:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, I'm working on a game called skate 2. For the first game, the artists put all the team members' names in signs in the fictional city of San Vanelona. In my case, I owned a series of lobster restaurants. For skate 2, they've again done the same thing but the artwork is much better and some people even have 3D signs rather than just flat billboards.

If you don't tell the artists what kind of sign you want, they'll just make something up for you. I found out that Jamie was the artist who had the block of names that I was in. When I came over to talk to him about my sign I discovered he had already mocked up a sign of some sorta vegetable stand I owned. This was probably due to some placeholder text I had inserted in the game early on somewhere. Anyways, I told him I really didn't want to own a series of vegetable stands in New San Vanelona, so I asked him if he could do something with a fried chicken establishment. Jamie said he'd do his best, so I let him do his work.

Weeks passed by and I got an e-mail from Jamie saying he'd finished the sign and that it had been placed somewhere in the city. It took a while to find but I eventually found my sign somewhere in the Old Town district which is the part of the city which most resembles Barcelona and evokes a bit of an European feel. Not only did I discover "Erwin's Fried Chicken", I also found out it's also a franchise! Look for EFCs all over Old Town with a distinct, large flagship location near City Hall!

I'm so happy that from the ruins of the destroyed San Van, I was able to rebuild and open up a series of seemingly successful fried chicken joints. I'd love to show you my stores but I can't do that until the game is out, which should be... soon. Stay tuned!

STUFF ON THE GO

2008-11-17T00:30:00.000-08:00

I've decided that I need a "About the Author" section for this blog. From the logs, I can see many people looking for the other Erwin Tangs in the world. To be sure, there aren't that many but I want the people of the Internets they got this ET, not some other ET. Look for this new but small section hopefully soon.

THE WARMER

2008-11-14T00:13:00.000-08:00

When you spend as much time at work as I do, you probably have plenty of opportunities to conduct "bathroom business". Luckily, on the floor where I work, there's a luxurious washroom where one can conduct such business. Deemed the "executive washroom", it's a spacious, single occupant palatial retreat. Featuring a large and stylish porcelain sink, wood paneling, and a wealth of reading material, it's the place to "go".

When I first started using said palatial retreat, I noticed something very odd. When I sat down, there seemed to be a genuine warmth emanating towards my posterior. I thought it was my imagination but sure enough, I wasn't imagining things. The water in the toilet bowl was so warm, it got to the point where it was actually conducting heat to my ass. To this day I'm not sure it's done on purpose as a matter of comfort but I'm not complaining. Also, the water isn't hot all the time, which is kinda weird. I have to admit, if you're gonna get splashed on the butt, it's better to have warm water than cold.

I strongly suggest you try it out at home, just so you can say you've experience it. The next time you gotta go, try boiling a sufficient amount of water beforehand. Then carefully and I mean carefully, take the hot water over to the bowl and dump it in there. Make sure it's enough to be appreciable. Then proceed with your business as usual. I'm not sure if it'll change your life but it might be a good ice-breaker for the next party you're at.

FOOD

2008-11-12T00:01:00.001-08:00

I had the opportunity to go food shopping this evening, which is a bit of a luxury these days given my work schedule. It'd been a while since I've been in a Safeway so it was a bit of a treat. I came away from the store with two items of interest.

The first picture you see above is two 12-packs of Kraft Dinner single serving cups. As I eluded to an earlier post, I've become quite fond, perhaps too fond of these things. They're delicious! I usually buy these things at Wal-Mart for about $1.15 each or at 7-11 for the outrageous price of $1.49 each. Well clutch the pearls, was it a surprise when I found these boxes of Kraft Dinner cups at Safeway. Not only were they in convenience box form, they were on sale for $7.99 for 12 cups! These were less than 70 cents per cup! I took little time in scooping up two boxes for myself. You can also see the 12 cups are divided into eight of the original recipe and four of the triple cheese variety. I'll be eating good for the next few weeks!

The second picture you see are some Aunt Jemima Griddlecake breakfast sandwiches which I found in the freezer section. Now, you may not know this but for the longest time, I've lamented the lack of hearty and quick breakfast items in the grocery store. Sure, you can get all the frozen waffles and pancakes in the world but what about a heartier kind of meal? For example, in the US, you can a whole variety of Jimmy Dean breakfast items. That's why I was so pleased to see the Griddlecakes at Safeway. Make no mistake, these things are a direct copy of McDonald's McGriddles, right down to the boast of "delicious syrup flavour BUILT IN". Note they mentioned "syrup flavour" as opposed to actual syrup baked into the griddle cakes. As you can expect, these thing aren't exactly healthy for you either, with 21g of fat in each approx. 125g sandwich. I will try these as an experiment as I won't let myself eat one too often.

Wow, what a sophisticated and refined palate I have!

ONE FAMILY'S EVENING LAST WEEK

2008-11-10T00:10:00.001-08:00

A lot of families post pictures on Flickr, so you can see what they're up to. One of those nuclear units just happens to be the family of Barack Obama, the next President of the United States. On election night, a photographer took an amazing set of photographs, detailing the family watching the returns to the moment before President-elect Obama took the stage to give his victory speech.

If you ever wondered what it was like to be in that room when he was declared the winner, you'll want to see these pictures.

PIMPIN'

2008-11-07T00:57:00.001-08:00

I'm still enthralled by all the US Presidential election coverage and could probably write a dozen more posts about it but that may have to wait for the weekend. I'm otherwise out of ideas tonight, so all you have for this post is the video above. Yes, it's about the game I'm working on but the first 20 seconds is interesting in that it actually shows my work environment. After it's just Brian talking but it's okay since he's a very cool dude.

Last but certainly not least, please indulge me in letting me write this one more time: US President-elect Barack Obama. Oh that's nice.

A MUCH NEEDED HAIRCUT

2008-11-06T00:02:00.000-08:00

The last time I received a haircut was sometime in early to mid-September. It's now November. For people who have seen me in person in the last two weeks, thank you for not making comments about my hair. My hair is ridiculously poofy now.

The picture you see above was taken on Thanksgiving weekend, about a month ago, when I was busy discussing politics with an acquaintance. You can already see some signs of poofiness then, just try to imagine what it looks like now.

I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow evening. It will be a glorious time.

WELL DONE AMERICA

2008-11-05T00:10:00.001-08:00

I extend my congratulations and thanks to every American who voted for Barack Obama and other Democrats today. Americans have finally steered their country in a new direction, one that I believe is filled with optimism and hope.

President-elect Obama triumphed over Senator McCain, in what I would call a stunning defeat. I'm not a political scientist but I believe the formal term for what happened is an "ass kicking". Obama's 338 electoral college votes compared to McCain's paltry 163 was something I could not even have envisioned in my most optimistic mood. Could it be that Americans would no longer accept eight years of bumbling, divisive right-wing rule? Whatever the reason, a near-decade long dark chapter of history is almost at an end. After Bill Clinton, Obama now becomes the second African-American US President.

I am amazed by the number of celebrations that spontaneously erupted through the US and beyond. There was very little such merriment in 2000 and definitely almost none in 2004. Tonight was so remarkedly different. From the catinas of Mos Eisley, the towers of Coruscant, to the marbled walkways of Naboo, people celebrated with a sense of optimism that has been so sorely missing in the last eight years.

The elation and joy will continue for the next several weeks, culminating in what promises to be a historic Inauguration Day on January 20, 2009. While the celebration is much deserved, I caution Americans and the rest of the world to be patient with President-elect Obama. He inherits from Bush a faltering nation, damaged militarily, financially, and socially. Even if his entire tenure as President is taken up with reversing the damage that Bush did, history will paint Obama in a kind light. I encourage all Americans to give President-elect Obama a chance and to support him through these difficult times.

Future challenges aside, this day has indeed been a good one. A little bit of my faith has been restored in America and that doesn't happen on any average day.

ONCE AGAIN WE STAND ON THE BRINK

2008-11-04T00:12:00.001-08:00

Nearly four years ago to the day, I wrote a post expressing my thoughts on the eve of the 2004 US Presidential election. I was realistically pessimistic about the chances of John Kerry winning enough Electoral College votes to become the next US President. It turns out, I was right to be pessimistic.

To this day, I still don't fully understand why American voters decided to continue to support Dubya. On November 2, 2004, the US was already mired in the conflict in Iraq. Bush lied to Americans about the non-existent weapons of mass destruction. He also never finished what he started in Afghanistan.

The American people could have held Bush accountable for his misdeeds but they tragically did not. They stunned the rest of the world by re-electing him. Bush thanked his people by mishandling Katrina and letting the US economy collapse.

Despite the massive criticism sent towards Bush and his Republican administration for Katrina, guess who is currently leading in the polls in Louisiana? Yeah, I am afraid so. Are the people of Louisiana just dumb or just really forgiving?

So tomorrow, US voters will again have a chance to elect a new President. Who will it be? In 2004, I had a tiny bit of empty, baseless hope that Kerry would win. It was the same type of hope you get when buy a lottery ticket. You know a win is a (theoretical) possibility but in your heart, you know it won't be there.

In 2008, I also have a tiny bit of hope but it's different. It's a genuine and real but albeit small amount of optimism that enough Americans will finally have that moment of clarity to make the right, sane, and logical choice on Tuesday. I'm desperately hoping that US voters will be courageous enough to vote for change and to steer their country to a better course.

There is a perceptible difference between Kerry's campaign in 2004 and Senator Obama's campaign in 2008. Somehow, there are many more people who seem willing to stand with Senator Obama and his platform. It could be just circumstance but it's my impression that many US voters want change and they want Obama to be the one to affect that change.

Despite the optimism I've seen, I still expect a close race, right to the end. Why will it be close? Who will be voting for McCain? You can thank the uninformed, the racist, the fundamental Christians, and your plain old, dumbass morons for that. The US is still far from a perfect place and for every state that will turn red on Tuesday night, you'll see an example of that.

For any of my US readers who might be reading this, I ask you to make the right choice on Tuesday. I ask you to consider where your country has been heading in the last eight years and if that's the right direction for it. Be brave and consider a change for the better.

On Tuesday night, I'll be at work watching the voting results. There probably won't be too much work going on as many people I work with are deeply interested in the election. Where ever you are on Tuesday night, let us all hope the US (and the world) gets the change it needs and deserves. I'll see you on the other side.

OTTAWA IN THE FALL

2008-11-03T00:18:00.000-08:00

I'm extremely busy so I haven't had time to properly document my trip to Ottawa. Nonetheless, I've hastily uploaded some of my pictures to a Facebook gallery. It's chock full of pictures of buildings and statues!

VARIOUS

2008-10-31T00:17:00.001-07:00

I'd like to mention a couple thing in this post. First, I'm happy to report I still have a job, at least in the short term. As some of you know, the company I work for, Electronic Arts, laid off 6% of its workforce today, amounting to 600 people worldwide. I was, thankfully, not included in that group of 600.

I should have known something was up when I arrived at the studio this morning to see an animator standing outside with a whole bunch of stuff with him, talking with someone. I was told the impact on Blackbox was minimal since we're still considered a profitable venture. Companies have axed entire game teams at once but nothing like that happened today at our studio. Though one of our designers was let go which was tough for me since he and I have worked together closely for about two years.

Such moves in the games industry are not unheard of. If you've worked at any of the big publishers like EA and Activision, such adjustments happen every once in a while. Just a few months ago, Activision canned two teams worth of people at Radical. I still feel bad for those let go though. I have heard, however, that the severance packages awarded today were quite generous. I don't know exact amounts of course but I'm hoping people will be taken care of well past the holidays.

For me, there's nothing else I can except keep on working to get skate 2 out the door.

Last but certainly not least, I would like to mention that this Saturday would have been the day I took possession of the top-floor, one-year old with view of the Fraser River apartment that I agreed to buy in late August. Had it been not for the shady seller who probably will reincarnate as a dog turd in his next life I probably would be positioning my rear surround speakers on the weekend in my new living room. As it stands now, I'll probably be working both days of the weekend instead.

NERVOUS ANTICIPATION

2008-10-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

I admit I am looking forward to next Tuesday, when US voters choose their next President. I also admit I feel a bit of shame in that I'm much more invested and interested in a foreign election as opposed to one that just occurred in my home country.

Just a few more days to go.

THE HEAT IS ON

2008-10-29T00:43:00.000-07:00

I relented last night and turned on the heat for the first time since last winter. It's been getting quite chilly at night and the evening before last, I tried sleeping without the heat. I woke up with the room seemingly colder than it was when I slipped into bed. I also had a headache. That was enough to convince me to at least turn the heat on in my bedroom.

Didn't I just put away my winter coat last week?

TAX-FREE

2008-10-28T12:30:00.002-07:00

A few evenings ago, I enrolled in one of them new fancy tax-free savings accounts. They technically don't exist until January 1, 2009 but ING has decided to get a head start on things. Colour me financially naive but I didn't know we in Canada got taxed on interest that we receive on savings accounts. So these new accounts won't tax us on that. Given that the interest rates on savings accounts are generally quite low, the gubberment doesn't take that much away from us. Every little bit saved helps these days, so I'm glad I got in on this early.

I suggest every Canadian who is eligible to open such an account to consider doing so. Saving money, if possible, is always a good idea and doing in a tax-free manner makes it even better.

THE MARKET

2008-10-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

On the weekend, I met with my real estate agent for the first time in several weeks. I wanted to hear her perspective on the current real estate market in Vancouver. I also value her advice since she's been an agent for over 20 years.

Having been through a couple of the ups and downs of the market, she told me I'm in great shape for the next several months. According to her, I have a job that pays me decent, I have no pressing nor dire need to buy immediately, and not all my financial resources are tied up in the stock market (I love you shoe box in the closet). Based on her experience, she believes it could be possible for me to buy a place in the area I really want to live in, as opposed to an area I'd tolerate living in. My realtor also foresees foreclosures starting to appear in the next several months as the stalling global economy causes people to be unable to pay for their homes. Her general and short-term advice is to just be patient and wait. How long I wait really depends on what happens to the economy and if there's something out there suitable for me.

While I don't envision myself picking up a new two-bedroom loft in Yaletown for a buck twenty, I am somewhat optimistic economic forces will finally bring reality back to some of those greedy mofos who turned Vancouver into an overpriced market.

THE WORKERS

2008-10-24T00:39:00.000-07:00

In the last several weeks, I've left work around 11:30pm. During those times, I've noticed something interesting. Right around that time, there is always a large group of people walking along West Cordova towards the Waterfront Skytrain station. At first, I thought it might be a night class that just ended. Then I realized that probably wasn't right since the group was rather large and 11:30pm is pretty late for a night class to end.

I also noticed these people weren't casually dressed but they also weren't in formal business wear. That told me they were probably working but not in an environment that had them directly interacting with the public. What kind of office job ends at exactly 11:30pm every day?

The answer I came up with was those people were call centre employees. It seems logical. They're located downtown, work into the evening (to possibly cover global calls), and they all end their shifts at the same time.

I could be wrong but I don't think most people grow up wanting to work in a call centre. I do, however, think it would be interesting to work in a call centre for about a month. Maybe I'm crazy but I believe it would be interesting (at first) to field calls from the public. What I couldn't handle though, is the immense amount of scrutiny some call centre employees are under. It's possible to track how many minutes a worker is on the phone, off the phone, or unavailable to take calls. I've even heard of a company that limits the amount of time a worker can be in the washroom. I may work long hours but no one keeps track of how long I'm in the loo.

I wonder what company those people represent.

SAD

2008-10-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

The above video is an excerpt from an interview with a married couple in the US. The husband is leaning towards voting for Barack Obama because he believes Obama will do more for the union worker. The wife, to put it mildly, is firmly behind John McCain. The sole reason for her choice is a matter of faith. She believes McCain is more aligned with her conservative and Christian values than Obama. She does not care about his McCain's policies, neither economic nor foreign, it's all about which candidate is closer to her brand of Christianity.

To listen to her speak about Senator Obama fills me with sadness. Though she never outright makes a racist statement, some of what she says would make most people uncomfortable. Though I would like to think she doesn't represent all Republican voters, one cannot discount that there are plenty more people like her out there in the US.

Listening to her statements, it's reinforces my belief as to why the US is where it is today and that is going in the wrong direction for the last eight years. A single-minded, laser focus on just religion and just the fundamental Christian religion blinds so many people to the vast array of other issues a US President must face. Asked if her voting for McCain would jeopardize the interests of her blue collar, working-class husband, she responds with:

"The Lord will take care of us."

She has every right to believe whatever she wants but I'm finding it very hard to come to terms with her beliefs. She's banking on God to take care of her family, instead of Obama because one thing is much more tangible to her than the other. I'm very confused.

On November 4, when the US goes to the polls, this woman and many others like her are the ones Democrats will have face, remember that.

ANNOUNCEMENT

2008-10-22T10:06:00.002-07:00

It's quite chilly outside this morning and I will most likely wear a jacket to work.

MILA KUNIS LOVES WORLD OF WARCRAFT

2008-10-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

Despite hearing about how more females are getting into gaming, it's still rare to witness a real, genuine female gamer in the world. Colour me surprised when actress Mila Kunis appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's show and expressed her love of the game World of Warcraft, more commonly known as WoW.

The co-star of the new movie Max Payne and the voice of Meg on the TV show Family Guy, admitted she was so caught up with WoW that she had to quit. It was slightly surreal listening to Kunis talk about her "kick ass mage" and "joining a guild" to do "raids" while using "Ventrilo". Now, I've heard those terms before but usually it's coming from dudes who certainly don't look like Mila Kunis. She also let people know she's part of a large guild that has no idea who she really is. I find it amusing there are a group of people out there who raided with Kunis and didn't realize the person who just cast that spell was Meg from Family Guy.

If you're interested, she starts talking about her WoW addiction starting at 3:50 into the interview above. Maybe we should send her a free copy of Warhammer Online?

A FALL WEDDING IN OTTAWA

2008-10-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

I spent last long weekend in Ottawa for the wedding of Adam and Kristina, two friends whom I met while I was living in SJC. After doing and still doing so much overtime at work, it was slightly surreal to be suddenly whisked away to another sitting for about four days.

My trip to Ottawa certainly started out pleasant as I met one of the wedding guests at the airport in Vancouver. Marcia was in town for business and was flying back to Ottawa on a flight just 15 minutes ahead of me. We agreed to meet up on the other end and cab together into town.

After a nice flight to the nation's capital, Marcia and I grabbed our bags and took a cab into downtown Ottawa. I got dropped off at the Sheraton, while Marcia continued onto her home in Sandy Hill. I'd see her and the rest of her family at the church the next day.

After checking in and unpacking, I grabbed a quick dinner before retiring early for the evening. I was extremely tired considering I'd be doing so much OT and I got about four hours of sleep before flying. Even though I was sleeping in a strange bed, I had a most awesome night of sleep. I got up at noon and only because I had a wedding to go. Had there been no where to go, I'm pretty sure I would have slept until 2pm.

Given that I had to be at the church well before the 3pm start, I had little time to explore the city. While getting some lunch, I managed to explore a two-block radius around my hotel, where I noticed I was just a quick jaunt to Parliament. There wasn't much time to look around so I headed back to my hotel. After suiting up, it time for the quick cab ride to the church.

Arriving at the church, I was seated with some of Adam's friends from Toronto. I also managed to sit next to Jamil, another former SJC resident who also played ball hockey in the much revered SJC ball hockey sessions. It was great to catch up with him while we were waiting for the ceremony to start. Minutes before the start, Adam the groom arrived up front flanked by another ex-SJCer, Tyson who was the best man. I hadn't seen Tyson since we were in Vegas last December and certainly not since his long journey on motorcycle across Africa.

As the ceremony started, I finally saw Kristina, as she marched down the aisle in her simple but elegant wedding gown. She was probably the third or fourth person I met when I was at SJC and six years later here I was at her wedding. At this point, the lady next to me, whom I believe was Adam's cousin started sniffling a bit.

As Catholic wedding ceremonies go, it was pretty standard stuff, though I found it weird that at one point I had to wrestle Adam in front of so many people. I also noted that Adam and Kristina did not slip each other some tongue when they kissed at the end. It was an appropriate and classy kiss.

When it was over, everyone streamed out of the church to congratulate the new bride and groom. I got to talk to all the ex-SJCers at the wedding including Adam, Tyson, Jamil, Marcia, and Nic. Pleasant conversation all around.

Soon it was time to head off as Adam and Kristina gave us just the right amount time in between the end of the ceremony and the start of the wedding reception. I headed back to the hotel to freshen up and then met up with Jamil for the cab ride over to the reception, which was held at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. For starters, it was hors-d'oeuvres and open bar! A few gin and tonics for me helped me get into a festive mood before sitting down for dinner.

It was at my table that I realized there were only three non-white people in the entire wedding and all of us were at my table. Other myself, Jamil, and a nice lady, it was all white folk. It didn't really matter but I knew the dance portion of the wedding wasn't going to be pretty.

Anyways, props go out to Adam and Kristina for keeping a brisk pace for the evening. Not once did I think I was waiting for food or feeling hungry. As soon as we sat down, dinner service began in earnest. I took pictures of all the courses and will post those soon. I was especially pleased with the prime rib served as I do enjoy them prime ribs.

The speeches during the evening were pleasantly short, touching, funny, and entertaining. At no time did anyone embarass themselves at all. Also, I did not feel like pulling out the "true love is hard to find" speech. I admit though, early at the church, I did want to say to Kristina's father "it takes a man to give away an angel."

During evening, I found out I was the lucky winner of the centerpiece at my table. The 1/2 scale sculpture of a goose made from pure whipped butter was mine to keep. Actually, it was a glass vase of roses but Marcia convinced me it would be hard to bring that back on the plane. I agreed so I gave it to her.

After the eating, it was time for more drinking and for the dancing to start. I didn't see much of Adam and Kristina's first dance but I've seen them eat at McDonald's together, so I assume it was pretty much the same thing. I also managed to "grade seven slow dance" with Kristina which was awesome.

Before long, the bar was closed and the staff started cleaning and packing up. Everyone said their goodbyes and for some reason Jamil and I were the last guests to take a cab out of there. After dropping him off at his hotel, I returned to the Sheraton where I ordered some porn on the pay-per-view. Actually, I checked my work e-mail but it's funnier if I said I ordered porn. "I was told the name of the movie would not appear on my bill."

Anyways, I managed to do some more stuff while in Ottawa but that will have to wait for another post. A & K, thanks for inviting me to your wedding!

FINANCES

2008-10-17T00:58:00.001-07:00

It may be the fatigue talking but I'd like to share with you some of my financial records. My main investments are through mutual funds purchased through EA's retirement savings program.

The RRSPs that I have purchased via that program offered me a rate of return of -18.61% between January 2008 and the end of September 2008. Taken over the last twelve months, my EA RRSPs offered me a rate of return of -20.20%.

EA also offers a deferred profit sharing program which is kinda like a pension which is also tied up in mutual funds. My DPSP investments between January 2008 and the end of September 2008 offered me a rate of return -15.98%. Over the last twelve months, my DPSP returned -17.18% in value.

These losses are partially my fault because I chose to invest in funds that were higher risk but offered the greater chance of higher return. Had I chosen to just invest in simple money market funds, all of my investments would have actually given me a +4% rate of return, which still factors in the huge drops in stock markets around the world.

Stupid.

OBAMA BRINGS HIS MESSAGE OF HOPE TO SAN VANELONA

2008-10-16T00:44:00.001-07:00

As some of you know, the US Presidential election campaign is in full swing, with tonight Senators McCain and Obama debating for the last time before election day. Senator Obama has run a 21st century campaign, not neglecting e-mails and blogs as forms of communication. To add to that, just this week, ads for Senator Obama started appearing in several EA games on the Xbox 360 platform. People first started noticing billboard ads featuring the Democratic candidate in Paradise City, the fictional locale for EA's Burnout Paradise.

Yesterday, I was speaking with our online producer (who is also an American). He told me he just authorized the use of Senator Obama's ads in the original skate. Unfortunately, the Obama campaign only bought ads for ten select states in which the Senator is still tightly contesting with McCain. A list of those states can be found in the article referenced above. If you live in California, Illinois, or New York, you're out of luck since it's a foregone conclusion those will go blue.

Look for the Obama ads in and around San Vanelona in the next day or so and only on the Xbox 360 version of skate.