blog.erwintang.com

TEMPLATE REDESIGN UPDATE

2010-03-09T00:19:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back, I wrote about my desire to update the look of this blog by choosing a new template. The current template you see here is derived from a standard template that was available to the public from around 2002. I've made my own modifications to it since then and you can bet your ass she'll make point five past lightspeed.

I was still in the process of looking at new templates when I received an e-mail from Blogger, the blogging service I use (who are owned by Google). It turns out Blogger is removing the option to do FTP publication for blogs after May 1. If you're curious as to what "FTP publication" means, I'll let you in on how this little dog and pony show works. When I want to write a post, I log into Blogger and then type my grade school vocabulary words into my browser. I then hit the "publish" button. That causes files over at Blogger to be created and then those files are transferred over via File Transfer Protocol to my own web server. The great thing about this is that all my posts and my blog files are stored on my own server. Should anything happen to Blogger or Google, I have all the files in my control.

Blogger is now going to remove the option to do FTP publication. Instead, they want to publish all blog files to their own servers. Some of you may have seen blogs hosted on the blogspot.com domain. This is where Blogger wants me to put my blog now. All blog files going forward will now be stored on a server that I don't have any control over. Also, I'd have to go through some hoops so that blog.erwintang.com would still direct you to my blog. As you can see, there are some drawbacks to this development.

At this point, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I have two choices. First, I can go ahead with the Blogger migration and move my blog over to their servers and try to make the change as transparent as possible for my readers. Even if it is transparent to you, my loyal readers, I still don't like the idea of my blog files being stored elsewhere. My second option is to move my blog to another blog service which allows me to retain full control over my blog. This sounds great in theory but the change over requires a bit of effort. I'd have to setup up my new blog and also ensure that my old blog is still accessible. Ideally, I could convert all my old posts into the new format. If I were to go this route, WordPress would be the likely candidate for my new service.

I need more time to explore each of those options and weigh the pros and cons. Thanks for your patience. In the coming weeks, you might see some interesting changes around here.

THE 2010 OSCARS

2010-03-08T00:03:00.001-08:00

I usually don't watch the Academy Awards on TV but I tuned in tonight for final two awards. Those awards were "Best Director" and "Best Picture". The reason I decided to see who won those awards was because I wanted to be sure that James Cameron didn't win either.

Yeah, it's a pretty crappy thing to do, not wanting someone to win something but let me explain. There is no doubt Cameron is a truly talented and visionary director. I will always be in his debt for bringing to the world Terminator 2 and Aliens, both of which are among my favourite movies. Unfortunately, Cameron acts like such a dumbass sometimes. When he accepted the "Best Director" award for Titanic, he proclaimed himself "king of the world". Dude, for starters, don't try to shoehorn specific lines from your movie into your acceptance speech. Also, don't proclaim yourself better than everyone, because everyone already understands that. You just got the damn "Best Director" award, we get it, you're the best director for that year. Last but certainly not least, proclaiming yourself the king of world because you made a movie about hundreds of people losing their lives tragically is a douchebag way of going about things.

Ok, so maybe that was a long time ago and perhaps we can forgive Cameron for that. Whoops. Cameron just had to spice up his acceptance speech at the 2010 Golden Globes with a quote using his made up Navi language from his movie Avatar. That was dumb. It just makes him seems self-absorbed with his own creations. Things like that prevent people from taking fantasy and sci-fi films seriously. Consider this. How many times did Peter Jackson drop some Elvish lines the multiple times he went on stage for the Lord of the Rings trilogy? That's right, none. Is it coincidence that The Return of the King won "Best Picture"?

In the end tonight, Kathryn Bigelow and her movie, The Hurt Locker won "Best Director" and "Best Picture" respectively. This made me quite pleased. To be clear, I haven't seen either Locker nor Avatar but the fact that we didn't have to hear Cameron yammering on stage was good enough for me. Plus, she beat out her ex-husband at the very thing that he is so passionate about. Ha!

To be fair, I think Bigelow is a very talented director and her win tonight stands on her own, with or without the Cameron subtext. One last thing, if anyone can figure out how, at the age of 58, she manages to look like she's still in her late 30s, please let me know.

THE DISHWASHER

2010-03-05T00:24:00.000-08:00

The last time I used my dishwasher at home was sometime in June when I got all new dishware, utensils, and glassware for my new apartment. It was a lot of items to have to wash, so it made sense to load up the dishwasher and let modern technology do the work for me.

Since then though, I never really found any justification to use my dishwasher. As I live alone and don't have a wife and a brood with me, the number of dishes, cups, glasses, pots, pans, and utensils I use in a day is very limited. While I could use my dishwasher to clean four plates, two forks, three knives, and two glasses after one day of use, is that the best way? By washing by hand, I save water, energy, soap, and the environment. I suppose I could just wait until my sink just piled up with enough dishes that using the dishwasher would be the better way to go but I think that's kinda gross. At the rate, I use things, it would take a good five to seven days to get to that point. I really don't like letting my dishes sit any more than two days. Any leftover food starts to get funky at that point.

I am concerned, however, that not using dishwasher for long periods of time is not good for it. It contains many mechanical parts, some of the complex variety. Much like a car, I believe it's good just to run it once in a while just to keep things in good working order. I wonder though how many of you are like me who own a dishwasher but don't use it. Do you run yours once in a while?

Thanks for reading this entire post, which essentially described me wondering if I should use my dishwasher.

LETTERMAN STILL RULES

2010-03-04T00:22:00.000-08:00

On Monday, Jay Leno returned to The Tonight Show desk, after displacing Conan O'Brien in a move that cemented his reputation as a late night weasel.

Leno re-took his spot as host of The Tonight Show after his spectacular failure in prime time. His failure was of such magnitude it cost NBC millions upon millions of dollars in revenue because of his low ratings. NBC affiliates were screaming at NBC executives to do something about Leno. In a move that only TV executives could make, they rewarded Leno for his failure, installing him back on The Tonight Show. This would be akin to me gambling away people's retirement money then being rewarded for doing so with a truckload of money.

Sadly, middle America, with its bland sense of humour embraced Leno once again because they couldn't get enough of his underwhelming monologues. They clambered for his crutch, the Jay-walking segments, where the apparent source of humour is asking questions to people who are ironically, just a few IQ points lower than the people watching. Leno's ratings were good enough to beat David Letterman but we'll see what happens once the weeks go on and things settle down. I'm afraid that middle America will continue to reward Leno for playing it safe night in and night out. They wouldn't know real, genuine humour even if it hit them like a Ford Taurus SHO going at full speed.

I will always remain a fan of David Letterman and eagerly await Conan O'Brien's return to television. On Monday, Dave gave me a reminder of why he's still one of the best in my books, as evidenced in the video above.

WHO KNEW?

2010-03-03T00:52:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how quick the biggest party that Vancouver has ever seen can end. On Monday, it was almost as if the Olympics were never here. How odd it was to not see huge crowds in downtown Vancouver anymore. Didn't we always party on Monday nights?

I bet there are more than just a few people going through Olympics withdrawal right now.

WHERE YOU WERE

2010-03-02T00:59:00.000-08:00

According to reports, 80% of Canadians watched some part of the men's ice hockey gold medal game on Sunday. That's over 26 million people who tuned into watched one of the greatest hockey games the sport has ever put on.

As with such legendary games, people will remember for years to come where they were when Sidney Crosby scored the gold medal winning goal in overtime. For many people across Canada, that place was a packed bar. People got up early on Sunday morning, hours before bars even opened to line up to ensure a good seat once the game started. Some watched at LiveCity Downtown and LiveCity Yaletown, standing throughout most of the game, packed shoulder to shoulder with their Canadian brethren. Others made Robson Square their place to watch, again close to other Canadians.

I watched the game alone at my home, which surprisingly I found out later that a lot of other people did the same. The night before I had been downtown until quite late. I didn't get to bed until 4am and the thought of getting around 9am to go line up in front of a bar did not appeal to me.

I woke up at noon. Though I was still slightly groggy, the sheer importance of the game made me nervous from the minute I opened my eyes. I immediately turned on the TV. As the players warmed-up, I brushed my teeth and washed my face.

There I sat in my PJs on my couch until the end of the first period. I only made some breakfast during the first intermission. I quickly scrambled three eggs so as to not miss any of the action. I was on edge the entire game. It felt like I was writing a university final exam again.

When the US tied it up at the end of regulation, I was disappointed but not deeply so. Of course, I only became more nervous though. I've watched enough hockey to know that OT goals can be scored in the most surprising and seemingly harmless ways. It could end badly on the most innocent of plays.

As it stood, Crosby ended the game in such quick fashion that I did not even comprehend what I was seeing at first. Usually, the sight of a puck entering the net tells me a goal has been scored. This time around, it was the sight of thousands of red clad fans jumping to their feet that signaled to me Crosby had scored.

As the players from Team Canada piled around each other, I instantly became thankful I was alone at this moment as I shed the first of several tears. There would be more tears over the next few minutes, especially during the playing of our national anthem. Who knew I loved hockey and my country so much?

Over the last day or so, I've discovered where others watched the game. Some watched in bars. Some were like me, who watched at home. No matter where anyone watched though, for that one golden moment we cheered together. I wish we could have measured the elation of the entire country at that moment.

So where did you watch the game?

GO CANADA GO... NOW AND FOREVER

2010-03-01T01:01:00.003-08:00

I'm too tired to post anything coherent tonight as it's been a long and emotional day (plus I went to a party tonight). I will, however, congratulate all the athletes, officials, coaches, VANOC, the volunteers, the people of Vancouver, the people of Canada for doing their part in making these Olympics the best Winter Games ever.

It will take days, months, possibly years to understand what the last two weeks will mean to Canada. I'm hoping it will be good things.

THE PARTY IS ALMOST OVER

2010-02-26T00:23:00.000-08:00

As we head into the weekend, the 21st Winter Olympics will draw to a close, marking the end of an amazing two weeks here in Vancouver. Though the Paralympic Games are still to come, Sunday will definitely mean an end to some amazing competition and events. Some of the pavilions and venues will pack up and close, while the many visitors to Vancouver will begin their journeys back home.

If you live in Vancouver, I encourage you to get out and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere and spirit that has permeated throughout this city. At the risk of sounding like a cliche, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Vancouver so go out and enjoy it for one last time.

BRUSH WITH GREATNESS

2010-02-25T00:15:00.001-08:00

This evening, a co-worker and I decided to have a few drinks at Joey's on Burrard, just a few blocks from the Olympic cauldron and the international broadcast centre. While we were discussing the results of today's Olympic hockey games, I noticed a quiet and unassuming gentleman returning to his seat at a table not far from ours. The gentleman was Teemu Selanne, current player for the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL and even more currently, Finnish Olympian in the sport of ice hockey.

Selanne had just arrived at the restaurant/lounge from his team's 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic out at the UBC Thunderbird Arena. I guess the team didn't linger out at UBC because he was downtown well before 11pm. Selanne went relatively unnoticed for the most part. He shook a few hands and a few people gave him a thumbs up from outside through the windows. The most overt bit of gawking came from a few young Canadian males who cautiously came somewhat near his table and took some pictures, much like a person takes a picture of a deer in the wild. I tried to be discreet while taking the above photo of Selanne from my own table. My co-worker and I debated the merits of approaching him but decided he deserved to have his privacy.

We left before Selanne did but he appeared to be quite relaxed as he enjoyed a beer with his two companions. With the sheer number of athletes and celebrities in the city, I wish I've had more brushes with greatness over the last few days. The Olympics aren't quite over just yet, so let's see what happens.

AW SHUCKS

2010-02-24T00:08:00.000-08:00

We've been working really hard to get skate 3 out the door and to show their appreciation, management arranged to have a massage therapist come and work on our tense muscles. To be clear, we were offered 15 minute sessions so these are short intervals to help us quickly relax. Your usual spa type massages last much longer but with so many software engineers on our team, it's not practical to spend that much time with each person.

My first massage was on Friday and while I was on the chair the nice massage lady asked me if I played a lot of sports. I told her I hadn't participated in sports in many, many months. She then said she had asked because the muscles around my right shoulder showed the same amount of development as people who played racquet sports. I kinda laughed because I used to play lots of tennis but it's been a good year since I stopped that. I also mentioned that my mouse arm is my right arm. She said that could account for the muscle development, given the amount of time I spent at the computer.

The massage lady returned again today and I was fortunate enough to get another session with her. This time she had the full table so she was able to work on my legs a bit. This time, she asked me if I played soccer (football for you Brits) because according to her, my leg muscles showed signs that I participated in athletic activities. I again laughed because I'm essentially a sloth for nearly the entire day as I sit at my desk. I told her again that I just at my desk all day.

She explained to me that some people have muscles that retain their state to a certain extent after levels of exercise, even if a lot of time has passed since the last bit of athletic activity. That made me feel good about myself, even though I'm still quite tubby around the middle. I wondered out loud what would happen if I actually exercised on a regular basis. The massage lady suggested that maybe I should give it a try and find out.

I'm going to open a bag of chips, watch some TV, and think about that.

CANADA VS. SWITZERLAND PICS

2010-02-23T00:42:00.000-08:00

I finally found some time to upload my pictures from the hockey game that I attended last Thursday. If you're keeping score, this game was the start of the stumbles that Team Canada had that has led them to their current predicament. Had they just beat the Swiss in regulation but still lost against the US, they'd be facing Finland, not Russia, should get past Germany today. While the Finnish team is still quite good, I think Russia has an edge on them. Well, it won't matter if we don't even get past the Germans.

Click here if you want to see the pictures.

THREE DAYS OF HOCKEY

2010-02-22T00:33:00.000-08:00

Through luck and the generosity of others, I managed to go an Olympic hockey game for three straight days in a row starting on Thursday. The game on Saturday night was a complete surprise as I didn't even know I was going to that game until less than three hours before game time. A friend of mine suddenly got three tickets when someone he knew couldn't use them. He decided to give one ticket to me and another to my co-worker.

It turned out we had tickets to a women's ice hockey game out at the Thunderbird Arena at UBC. My two previous games were at Canada Hockey Place, so I welcomed the change in venue. The rink out at UBC is much smaller than CHP but it's much more intimate so you can really see the action up close. The concessions are also much more reasonably priced out at UBC. While you'll be ripped off for food and drink at CHP, the items out at UBC don't appear to have an "Olympic" premium placed upon them.

The game itself was between Russia and Slovakia. Both these teams aren't on the same level as the US and Canada but it was an interesting game nonetheless. Early on, it was clear that Russia had an edge on the Slovakian team which caused me to cheer for the Slovaks the entire game. In the end, Russia won 4-2. The Slovakian goalie was very busy and played very well. She was a victim of a few unlucky bounces.

After the game, we just left the campus as the arena is really the only Olympic thing out there. It's weird since if you exit CHP after a game, it's downtown and there's everything related to the Olympics around you.

My luck ran out today as no one offered me tickets to anything! Though to be honest, I'm kinda glad I didn't get to see Canada play the US today. It was disappointing enough to watch it at home, I can't imagine how much it probably sucked to watch it live at CHP.

WORRISOME VICTORY

2010-02-19T00:22:00.000-08:00

Today I attended my very first Olympic event as I had a ticket to the Canada vs. Swiss men's ice hockey game. At the game, I was going to meet up with my sister's boyfriend and a mutual friend of theirs.

Since I didn't know how bad transit and the security checkpoints would be, I left plenty of time to spare. Skytrain heading west was definitely crowded, especially for a Thursday afternoon. While it was crowded, it didn't prevent me from getting on the first train that arrived. I even had the luck of getting on the same car as Gordie Robertson, one of the members of the gold medal winning Canadian hockey team in Norway back in 1952. The 83 year-old was quite gregarious on the train and had his gold medal with him, allowing me to come closer to a gold medal than ever before.

It turns out that clearing security wasn't a big deal at all. Since I didn't have a bag, I was able to use the express lanes where I didn't even have to wait. I went straight to one of the many open lanes where I emptied my pockets into a tray, airport style. I then proceeded through a metal detector and then collect my belongings on the other side. I breezed through in less than 30 seconds.

What did take long was what awaited me afterwards. Spectators that cleared security are herded into a waiting area just outside Canada Hockey Place. The reason for this there is usually a game going on beforehand and officials needed to clear out the arena before letting spectators in for the next game. So I, along with many other people, waited. We waited for well over an hour on our feet. Once we were allowed to proceed, we were in for more patience testing procedures. Though there were hundreds of people in this waiting area, we all needed to go up a single, narrow staircase that crossed the street and then went back down to street level to the arena. It took me fifteen minutes to get to the staircase from the time people were allowed to proceed.

From there it was clear sailing into the arena as I didn't even have to wait to get my ticket checked. My seat was excellent, lower bowl, row 17 at one of the ends of the rink. During the warm-up, I remarked at the amazing job VANOC had done with transforming GM Place to Canada Hockey Place. Usually, GM Place is the home of the Vancouver Canucks. As such, the arena is decked out in everything related to the Canucks, from logos to signs to colour schemes. Canada Hockey Place, however, is now a completely neutral site. There is not a shred of Canuck materials visible anywhere. Everything inside and outside the arena has now been branded with Vancouver 2010 images and colours. If you didn't know any better, you'd be hard pressed to even guess which NHL team usually plays here.

I was also impressed with the business-like nature of conducting an Olympic hockey game. There are no national anthems to be sung. There are no pre-game ceremonies. There are no video introductions to be watched. There are no corporate sponsors to thank. After the warm-up, the starting lineups are announced and then the puck is dropped.

Now for the game itself. I got worried about five minutes into the first period and the worry never left me the entire game (even when Canada was leading 2-0). On the official scoresheet, it will read as a Canadian shootout win over the Swiss but let's face it, the real winners here are the Swiss. The Swiss team played a near perfect game for them that followed their strategy down to the letter. They needed to rely on a hot goalie, keep close to the Canadians, and capitalize on their chances if some came their way. That's exactly what they did. If I were the Swiss team, I'd be going to bed tonight thinking the Canadians were certainly beatable.

Whatever chemistry, flow, and confidence that Canada exhibited in the last two periods against Norway was visibility lacking in the game against the Swiss. Their passing was not crisp. Some defensive giveaways gave people like me in the stands fits. They passed way too often in situations that just called for a simple shot. Meanwhile, the Swiss did all the little things right, seemingly winning all the small battles for the puck. They also appeared to be in the right place on the ice, exactly at all times.

The Swiss are currently ranked 10th in the world in hockey. Canada made them looked potential world champions tonight. After I left the game, there was a lot of cheering going on in downtown Vancouver. I wasn't in a cheering mood as tonight's game made me realize there might be some difficult times ahead for the men's team. Canada will face the US on Sunday and let me be clear, the US are a far better team than the Swiss. If the same Canadian team shows up on Sunday as it did tonight, they will get a beating on the ice that will embarrass Canadian hockey throughout the world.

Despite my disappointment in the Canadian team, I was otherwise delighted to be at such a high-profile Olympic event, something I'll never forget. Thanks once again to my little sister for making that happen!

FIRST EVENT

2010-02-18T00:29:00.000-08:00

The Olympics in Vancouver are now nearly a week old and many people I know have been lucky enough to attend several events, ranging from hockey games, curling, figure skating, half-pipe, to the medal ceremonies. While I've been downtown three times in the last five days, I myself have yet to attend any of the ticketed events. That will change tomorrow as I will take in one of the Olympic ice hockey games.

Because I have the best little sister in the world, I am going to the game featuring the Canadian men's vs. the Swiss. I'd be thrilled to be going to any hockey game but considering this one features the very best Canadian players, I am super excited. Normally, people would go to a Canuck game just to see one superstar on an opposing team but the Canadian team is a team of superstars. Canada is expected to beat the Swiss but let's not forget what happened the last time these two teams met in Olympic competition. In 2006, Swiss hockey history was written when a Swiss team led by the goal tending of Martin Gerber defeated the mighty Canadians 2-0 in a game that embarrassed our nation. Since then, Swiss children are told the story of that day in between their watch and chocolate making lessons.

Team Canada is a very different team this time around though. While I expect the Swiss to not be pushovers, I think the odds of another miracle on ice will be very slim. It should be a good game. I am quite excited for my very first Olympic competition. Thanks once again to my sister for making this happen!

THE PARTY CONTINUES

2010-02-17T00:28:00.000-08:00

One of my cousins flew into Vancouver yesterday for a short two day stay to take in the Olympic city. We met up for a few drinks in Yaletown tonight. He was quite impressed with the party atmosphere that prevailed throughout the downtown core.

Since we didn't have a lot of time, we basically just walked through Yaletown, then down Granville, to Robson Square, and then to Burrard where the CTV late night newscast was going on. It was there we saw Bill Good and Pamela Martin. I was able to see Blake Price up close as he finished the sports. As soon as he was done, he ran out of that holding pen they have out on Burrard and quickly went back inside the CTV building. He's a lot shorter than I thought he would be.

After that I took my cousin towards the outdoor cauldron near Coal Harbour. I had to go after that. I'm still amazed by number of people who are downtown on a nightly basis. For the next two weeks, there are no real weekends, it's busy every night.

BELATED VALENTINE'S

2010-02-16T00:55:00.000-08:00

In all of this Olympic excitement, I totally forgot to make a Valentine's post on the weekend. As some of you know, it's been a near annual tradition where I write something about my Valentine's Day. Usually the post describes how I make a fine meal for myself, drink alcohol, masturbate, fall asleep, wake up, go to 7-11, and buy three litres of pop for myself. In any case, read one of my earlier posts here.

Just to finish up, if you're out and about in Vancouver taking in the various Olympic related events, do ensure you check out the Vectorial Elevation light show. It's free and best of all, there are no lineups, you can see it from many different places in or near downtown Vancouver. If you can't get to it, at least view it from a web cam. It's stunning even from your computer.

FIRST OLYMPIC WEEKEND

2010-02-15T00:53:00.002-08:00

Odds are that if you're Canadian, you know the Olympics started this weekend in Vancouver. The opening ceremonies on Friday night became the most watched television program in Canadian history. I thought the ceremonies were well-done for the most part. I really didn't have high expectations though, as I didn't think anything could turn BC Place into anything other than a block of concrete. I was wrong though, as the aging stadium was almost unrecognizable (in a good way). There must have been some crazy expensive projection technology being used because it quite impressed me (especially the whales). I also enjoyed the large bear whom I thought might actually animate. Props to the person who decided that a slam poet was a good thing to have at the Olympics. Shane Koyczan is going to be a popular guy going forward. I only wish two things could have been different that night. First, I wish that fourth arm of the cauldron would have worked. Talk about a logistical nightmare. Second, when Gretzky was on that pickup truck, someone should have held back the unwashed masses that tailed the Great One almost the entire way to Coal Harbour. Overall though, it was a good show.

If you've lived in Vancouver for any appreciable time, I must say if you can, you have to see what this city is like right now. It's unbelievable. Downtown Vancouver appears to be just one giant party now. There are people everywhere. The vibe and atmosphere is quite positive and nearly everyone is in a great mood. I've lived in Vancouver for many years and I don't think anything comes close to what I'm seeing now. While in any normal circumstance, it's fun to live in downtown Vancouver, it seems like such a special treat to be living there now. I'm quite envious of some of my lucky friends who make their home there.

The downside of all this activity is that there are long, long lineups nearly everywhere you go. The free pavilions, exhibits, and shows don't have just reasonable lineups, they have stupid long lineups. Some of my friends watch the entire opening ceremonies while waiting in line for the German Fan Fest tent. The consensus was it was not worth queuing up for three plus hours. That was a reoccurring theme that I heard from many people over the weekend. The waits were so long, what was waiting for you when you got in just wasn't worth it. Take for example, the free zip line ride across Robson Square. It looks super fun as everyone can watch people fly through the air over one of the most popular destinations downtown. Unfortunately, people are waiting up to five hours for 15 second ride! Five hours. That might be your entire day right there.

The key to seeing everything without lining up too much is to time it right. If possible, don't go at the busiest times. Yeah, that sounds too simple but it's true. Take for example the Saskatchewan pavilion. On Sunday night, the lineup was less than ten minutes. Go when people are at work if you can. It's in this regard that I envy a friend of mine who's currently unemployed. He gets to go to everything anytime he wants, without major hassles.

The city is alive with excitement and the actual events have barely started. Could this city become even more electric?

GO CANADA GO

2010-02-12T00:31:00.001-08:00

The Olympic torch entered Vancouver proper today and the excitement throughout the day was palpable. Just after the noon hour, the torch came along Willingdon, passing by the EA campus. It looked like most of the studio were out there to see it come by. I timed it pretty good with two other co-workers as we waited less than five minutes to see it go by. The torch bearer ran right by me. I feel pretty lucky to have seen it twice in less than a three days.

Once I got back to my desk, I continued to watch the torch relay via live web cam. It was amazing seeing the large crowds that came out to watch the torch go by. I felt sorry for the runners who had to navigate the steep hill up Willingdon towards Metrotown. If it wasn't for my dentist appointment, I would have been able to watch Canuck legend Trevor Linden carry the torch along Main Street. Instead, I had to settle for the video above which I found later.

In the early evening, I watched as the torch made its way out of UBC in rainy, wet weather. It was slightly surreal watching the torch being handed off on campus streets and walkways that I myself walked along so many times before, in very similar rainy conditions. Even though it was wet and cold outside, the crowds still turned out in force. I was constantly surprised at the large number of people who were waiting for just a glimpse of the torch.

As the torch made its way across the Burrard Street bridge, the sheer number of people made it impossible for the web cam van to continue. It had to stop and just let the torch go on without it. Unfortunately, that meant I couldn't see Michael Buble carry the flame towards Yaletown.

Today is the last day of the torch relay. The Olympics will officially begin this evening. There have been so many times in the past when I used to think about when the Games would start and my prevailing thought would be, "that is a long time away". It is no longer a long time away. Despite what you might think of the Olympics being in Vancouver, the reality is that there's no stopping it now. Someone will light the cauldron tonight and that will signal the beginning of the Games. The whole world will be watching Vancouver and Canada as a whole for the next two weeks. We might as well make the best of it. Let's cheer on our athletes. Let's show the world what Vancouver has to offer. You might even want to try to have some fun in the next two weeks.

I hope to see everyone around town in the next little while!

TRANSIT GAMBLE

2010-02-11T00:37:00.000-08:00

In the mid-afternoon tomorrow, I have to venture into downtown Vancouver to see my periodontist. This task isn't something I'm looking forward to for two reasons. First, the reason why I'm seeing a gum specialist is because my regular dentist thinks I'll probably have to have gum surgery in the same damn area again. I'm also a bit worried that transit might be stupid busy tomorrow afternoon. It shouldn't be, as I don't think anything large-scale and Olympic is happening. I lucked out as had my appointment been today or on Friday, I would been caught in some major crowds. Today was a midday dress rehearsal for the opening ceremonies. Friday will be the actual opening ceremonies itself.

I read that today's dress rehearsal caused transit to be very crowded as several thousand people tried to get to BC Place. I wonder if that's how busy transit will be going forward starting Friday. I guess by the end of day I'll know if they'll have to slice up my gums again.

THE OLYMPIC TORCH COMES THROUGH NEW WEST

2010-02-10T00:25:00.000-08:00

Of all people, it was actually a friend in Australia who let me know that the Olympic torch was coming through my community on this day. Bryan informed me about a week ago that this was the day the torch would be winding through New West. At the time, the exact route had not been announced, so I wasn't sure how easy it would be for me to see it. Then just before the weekend, the route was updated on the official Olympic web site. To my surprise, the route would be going by my apartment building just half a block away. Not only would it be close, it would be coming by at a reasonable hour, around noon. The torch has gone through thousands of communities and people have lined up for it, in the early morning and through bone-chilling temperatures. I figured it would be a mistake for me to not go see the torch bearer run by when the effort to do so was less than buying a loaf of bread at the corner store.

The night before, I decided the best place to see the torch bearer run by would be the corner he or she would have to turn to get off Columbia and head towards the quay. The schedule listed that time would be about 12:30pm. I left my apartment this morning around 11:40am or so. By the 11:45am, I was standing at the corner that I wanted to be at. There were already people lining the street. The crowds were pretty thin but it was easy to see that something out of the ordinary was about to happen. Also lining the street were balloons that the city had put up. A few volunteers were handing out Olympic flags branded by Coke. An energy drink company was handing samples to the people already waiting.

With the crowds being somewhat thin and the time plentiful, I decided to head off to the quay to see if the vantage point would be better there. The torch was headed there because it was scheduled to get on a paddle wheeler ship where it would taken across the Fraser River for the rest of the route. There were a lot more people at the dock and the sight lines weren't as good, so I headed back to my corner.

When I returned there still wasn't that many people waiting with me and I was able to reacquire my "front row" position. As I waited though, more and more people appeared out of nowhere. As the minutes went by the sidewalks began to fill with people. Because I was at the edge of the sidewalk, no one seemed to want to stand in front of me because traffic was still going at this point.

As time drew closer to 12:30pm, I witnessed the massive amount of logistical support that goes with running a torch relay through an entire country. First, I spotted a helicopter in the air. Then, the first of many support vehicles showed up. Some were specific vehicles carrying support personnel who needed to go ahead of the torch bearer. Others were sponsor vehicles from Coke and the Royal Bank. These vehicles had speakers and dancers on each side to pump up the crowd and get them into a celebratory mood. Most of these vehicles had RCMP escorts. No matter what jurisdiction the torch goes through, the RCMP are there to provide primary security.

At this point, regular traffic was still getting through but people were nearly spilling into the street waiting for the torch bearer. Not soon after, more RCMP vehicles showed up and these began blocking off traffic. People took this cue to now stand in the middle of the street. A minute later, RCMP officers on foot arrived on scene to move people back if they were in the way. The officers then just stood at strategic spots and they waited along with everyone else. Another minute went by and I could hear cheering up the street. The torch had to be nearby. A squad of RCMP motorcycle officers went by slowly. Behind them was the actual torch bearer.

He was running at a deliberate pace, not too fast but not too slow. I didn't recognize him but he appeared to be in his 40s and he looked genuinely delighted to be running with the torch. The crowd was cheering at this point and a lot of photos were being taken. The torch bearer had at least two escorts running with him to ensure things went smoothly. He ran slow enough that I was able several photos of him. My planning turned out pretty well as he ran by me with less than six feet separating us.

Though he wasn't running that fast, as soon as he went past me, I realized the moment was gone. He disappeared into the crowd down the street as he made his way towards the paddle wheeler. I guess other people thought the same way because a stream of people began following him. It was at this time that I met up with a friend of mine that I knew from grad school. She works nearby and she just happened to be watching the torch come by across the street from where I was. We decided to walk towards the quay to see if we could catch up with the torch before it left on the boat.

We managed to catch up to the torch as it boarded the boat and another torch bearer took responsibility for the flame. I managed to snap a couple more pictures of the torch on the boat before it took off.

In the grand scheme of things, it's pretty inconsequential to see some dude run by with something on fire in his hand. I admit though, I'm really glad I took the time out to see the torch. It's one of these once-in-a-lifetime things and I'll remember this for a long, long time.

The torch will make it's way through the rest of Vancouver during the rest of the week before it arrives at BC Place for the opening ceremonies on Friday. If it's at all convenient for you to see it, I think you should make an attempt.

BAD TIMING

2010-02-09T00:32:00.000-08:00

In the very early stages of making skate 3, we announced the release date for our game. This was surprising to me for two reasons. First, for the previous games, we waited much later on in the schedule before announcing a ship date. We usually get a fairly confident feeling about when the game could go out the door before letting the public know when it would be out. For our third game, we announced our ship date well before we knew how things were coming along with the game. This meant that we would have to avoid any major delays or else we'd have to publicly revise our release date.

The second surprise was the actual date itself of May 2010. Most people think that a game is worked on until close to the date that the game goes on store shelves. In reality, a game is done anywhere between one month to a month and a half before it appears in the marketplace. I remember the exact day I was told that we would be shipping in May of 2010. It was early in 2009 and I remember doing quick mental calculations as to when we'd be the most busy. I immediately realized that we'd be working like crazy during the end of February of 2010. Unless you've been hiding in a cave for the last few years, you know that the Olympics are being held in my fair city during that time. A year ago, I knew the timing would be bad and unfortunately, I wasn't proven wrong in the meantime.

We're extremely busy right now and with the Olympics coming up, it seems there's a lot to deal with. A lot of people on my team live downtown, so their commutes have been interesting. I know my co-workers also have tickets to several events, some of them in Whistler, so juggling work responsibilities with the desire to take in the Olympics is a delicate act.

I know that our game team and company isn't the only one going through this though. There's a certain team that works over a certain Yaletown brew pub that's racing to get their game done. Admittedly, they have a much more enviable position, as after a long day (and evening) of work, they can go down to the LiveCity venue there and relax. There's also another bunch of rock stars who are also trying get their game done. I bet they could slow down time so they can get more stuff done.

To everyone trying to final right now, I hope we all get a chance to take a breather in the next two weeks or so and have some fun.

THE OLYMPICS DRAW NEAR

2010-02-08T00:16:00.000-08:00

One of the many unfortunate things about no longer working in downtown Vancouver is that I haven't been able to watch the preparations as we approach the start of the Winter Olympics. Since I haven't been downtown in about two weeks, I decided to head on down this weekend for a look.

Even before reaching downtown on Skytrain I could see many places were already ready for or very soon to be ready for next Friday. By Science World, I could see that the Athletes' Village was already occupied by people as flags of many different countries could be seen hung out on balconies and in windows. The road closures by Canada Hockey Place which had begun several weeks ago were now fully in effect. Olympic fencing stretched around seemingly everywhere. I could also see some heavy-duty security checkpoints that police had setup.

Once in downtown proper, I decided to walk along Burrard, Granville, and Robson. It wasn't difficult to see that downtown Vancouver is a major hub for all things Olympic. It appeared that every third person on the street had Olympic credentials around their neck. The Olympic volunteers were also everywhere, easily visible with their bright blue jackets. With close to 20000 volunteers spread between Vancouver and Whistler, they'll be hard to miss for the next three weeks or so. I like their uniforms and I bet a lot of them will enjoy keeping them after the Olympics are over.

There also seemed to be a large number of tourists already in the city for the Olympics. I saw a lot of people decked out in gear representing their home nation, walking around and taking in the sights. I wondered where a lot of these people are staying and how expensive this trip must be for almost all of them.

I then wandered off to a few specific locations. I started off with the area near Canada Place because I used to work right next to it (and still have fond memories of working there). Canada Place and the new convention centre is where most foreign journalists and press will be working during the Games. Canada Place is home to the main press centre and the VCC is where the international broadcast centre is located. It was actually pretty neat walking around there. The streets surrounding the two venues have been closed to public vehicle traffic but if you're just a curious pedestrian, you're free to saunter right up either location. Getting into those locations is another story though. Entry to those places is access-controlled and I saw various checkpoints with heavy security. There was also a large concentration of blue jacketed people here.

Just for kicks, I went down into the food court in Waterfront Centre to grab a snack, just like old times where Black Box was downtown. Even the McDonald's there got a makeover for the Olympics with all the employees wearing bright red shirts with "Canada" on them. Strangely, McDonald's even had an "ambassador" of sorts, walking around chatting up food court patrons. Everyone else there seemed to be related to the Olympics in one fashion or another, either working as security, official, volunteer, or visitor.

My last stop was the LiveCity venue in Yaletown. There are two LiveCity venues and the other one is located near W. Georgia and Cambie. Each venue will be providing free entertainment each day and night while the Games are on. It's a great way for people who can't get tickets to events to experience the Games in a fun and free manner. The Yaletown venue is on the site of David Lam Park. There's fencing around the entire park now and the venue isn't ready until Friday. Nonetheless, I did a quick walk around the perimeter. I saw workers near the water setting up a water display. The venue looks to be quite large in size and I could hear music coming from the large tents that had been already set up. I think it's awesome that there will be two large venues that will allow people to party each night of the Games.

From my observations today, a couple things come to mind. First, I cannot imagine the organizational power that is required to prepare and setup a major, epic event such as an Olympic Games. There literally must be a million details that must be accounted for and taken care of. I'm actually quite impressed with modern society that we're able to pull off something this big without something major going wrong.

Second, I think that despite whatever anyone thinks of the Olympics being here in Vancouver, it's too late to stop it. No amount of protesting or dissent now will make the Games any cheaper or divert any money to social programs or programs any sort. Sure, you're free to protest it while the Games are on and if that's your thing, you should have the right to do so. I would suggest though that everyone try to experience and enjoy at least one little thing about the next two and a half weeks. There are a lot of free events being put on in the city. Hell, if you even just talk to one person from another country, I think that would be worth it. The number of times an event of this magnitude comes to your hometown is small.

Last but not least, it's clear to me that a lot of people are quite excited and ready for the start of the Games on Friday. Just from the vibe I was getting from being downtown on the weekend, it's going to be a very interesting next few weeks.

YEAR ONE: PART ONE

2010-02-05T00:36:00.000-08:00

It was exactly one year ago tomorrow that I took possession of my apartment. I could not have guessed that back then that in twelve months my apartment would covered in a layer of fine drywall dust. Time sure does fly.

GENERAL DISARRAY

2010-02-04T00:46:00.000-08:00

As I type this, I'm sitting at my desk which is currently crammed in between my two closets in my bedroom. The builders of my apartment building sent in contractors today to start repairs as part of their obligations to the new home warranty.

While the builders have to fix certain items, you can understand they don't want to do anything more than the bare minimum that's required. They already said they wouldn't fix a small section of my flooring that's uneven and they don't care about my blinds not blocking out all the light. What they do seem to care about are problems with my drywall which manifested itself as either cracks or uneven lines where the joints are located.

I had move a lot of furniture so that the contractors could get their work done. The living room had the most items to move, including my couch, coffee table, lamps, speakers, side table, and various pieces of plastic musical instruments. In my bedroom, I had to move my desk, my computer and all the wires that come with it.

Drywall repairs are never a small job, no matter how small the problem appears to be. I have nine individual drywall areas that they started repairs on. They'll be back tomorrow and then again on Friday. To top if off, they won't paint the walls when they're done. Apparently, the "industry standard" is to just leave warranty repairs in a "paint ready" condition, which is just another way of saying, "you gotta paint it yourself". It's good to know Degelder construction is ok with providing just the bare minimum level of service in the construction industry. After all, going above and beyond what's required might actually distinguish themselves from the rest of the builders in the city but they wouldn't want that to happen. I bet this is just a ploy to make people think twice about wanting repairs.

STUFF I SHOULDN'T TELL YOU

2010-02-03T00:44:00.000-08:00

Monday was an interesting day at work. First, I found out what game I'm supposed to be working on next. Of course, I was sworn to secrecy about what I was told. It'll probably be quite a while before I can reveal that info. Second, I was told about some Olympic-related events at work. Again, I was told not to tell anyone else outside the company. The good news is, in about a week and a half, I can say what that is.

Now you're probably thinking, if these things are all supposed to be hush-hush, why the hell am I writing about them now? The answer is that I have nothing else to write about tonight.