Monthly Archives: October 2006

Boo! Our top 10 most scaaariest movies!

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With Halloween just a couple of days away, most TV movie channels have been playing a steady rotation of horror/thriller movies.

As E and I are both movie fans, this got us thinking as to what we would include in our top 10.  As an aside, I think this is an interesting exercise that everyone should go through because it may give some insight about yourself.

The bigger question is what scares us, and why?  Are there any common themes (supernatural, evil monsters, evil people, nature, aliens with fangs or worse)?  Another thing to look at is when the movie was made.  For our list, most of the movies were from our childhood, when I think our imaginations are most vivid.  Later in adult life, it takes an exceptional movie to give us a good scare.

The horror movies I most dislike is where the protagonist does something really stupid (trips while running in the forest, floods the car while trying to start it, goes into the basement to investigate “the noise”, etc).  To me, it’s just a cheap way to generate suspense. 

Anyways, onto our list!

  1. The Exorcist-  The perfect horror movie, especially if you come from a religious background, and are 8 years old.  It made me sleep with a flashlight and cross under my pillow… It has a great story, freakishly scary music and sound effects, horrifying visual effects, perfect casting, and there’s not a single dull moment.   
  2. The Omen- I remember watching this in grade 6, and going to school and asking my friends to look for 666 under my hair.  More sinister than the Exorcist, but just as fun!  The Omen II was a pretty good follow-up, but the rest are forgettable.
  3. Alien- I couldn’t eat crab for weeks after watching the face hugger do its work.  Honorable mention to Aliens, which I personally liked as much as the original.  The rest were just a travesty.
  4. The Shining- Remember the river of blood coming out of the stairwell?  Remember the wallpaper?  Everytime I walk into an old apt building with that wallpaper, I think “RedRUM!”
  5. Jaws- Wow, we talked about this movie for weeks at school.  In my mind, another perfect movie because it’s right on the line of plausibility. 
  6. The Sixth Sense- Yep, even as an adult, this one got me.  There’s no evil bad guy here, but it’s more about our fear of death and the unknown.
  7. The Silence of the Lambs- Outstanding story, casting, and acting.  Scary on many levels, mostly because the evil here is a very sinister and depraved serial killer.  I’m sure Chianti sales went way up after this movie.
  8. Salem’s Lot- Gotta have a movie about Vampires here… Again, I remember this from my childhood, and man did it ever creep me out.  Crucifix around the neck and everything.  I think the creepiest scene was having the boy vampire tapping on his friends second floor bedroom window in the dead of night asking to be let in.  EEeeyaaarrgh get away!!
  9. The Thing- Cool visual effects (for the time), fiendish alien… 
  10. Texas Chainsaw Massacre- Freaky, freaky, freaky…

Honorable mention- Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dawn of the Dead (and most Zombie flicks), Arachnophobia, Dead Calm, Dead Again, Psycho.

These days, there’s a lot of so-so, formula horror flicks that rely on special effects for thrills.  For me, it seems like the 70’s and 80’s produced the most chilling horror movies.  In any case, it’s a genre that’s great fun to watch with friends and family.  Everybody loves a good scare!  🙂 

Weekend visit

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For those who knew lester since childhood, I encourage you to compare the photos in the previous post.  One day I’ll figure out how to implement a polling feature.

We’re starting to get around a bit more these days.  e’s sleep/eat patterns are predictable, so we usually time our trips that way.  Sunday was a nice day, so we went out to N Van, and back to Costco/Safeway in Burnaby.  On the way back, we stopped by Forest Lawn to visit our Grandmothers and Goo Bak. 

I can’t describe how it was to introduce my daughter to her great-grandmothers, and great-great grandaunt.  Somehow I felt that introductions weren’t really needed… that in some way, our grandmothers live on through her.  Kinda like the Disney movie Mulan where all the family Ancestors know their decendants and look out for them.  🙂

But there was a tinge of sadness in that we know how beyond happy they would have been to meet her and hold her.  Imagine, seeing 4 generations of your family!   

As e grows older, one day we will begin to tell her stories about her great-grandmothers and the rest of the family.  One thing for sure, she’s got quite the heritage.  🙂   

Film and Digital cameras- I'm finally saying "Uncle"

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About 4 years ago, I got back into Photography.  I made the choice to go with the classic Minolta X700 and Minolta XD.  I got the 105 Vivitar S1 Macro, 24mm MD, 75-200 MD, 50mm 1.7 MD, and 28-85mm Tokina ATX lenses.  I felt at the time that for the best quality and color, you can’t beat slides.  I have to say that it was a lot of fun handling the manual Minoltas- the lenses were all metal and glass.  I liked having full control over the focus, DOF, and exposure… and there was no shutter lag.  For the most part, the cameras were very reliable, but being 20-25 years old, both had to have some repairs.  Since then, they’ve been solid.

I remember having a number of spirited discussions with friends who had DSLRs, and debating the pros and cons.  For me, it always came down to quality.  I bought the Canon A70, and although it did well, it had its limitations- the flash, the shutter lag, the power up time, the Autofocus, the AWB, etc.  But it was very convenient, and under certain conditions it took nice photos.

Back then, after I invested in a technology that one day will be phased out, I told myself that I would only upgrade when the DSLRs caught up to slide film.  I think that day is near if it isn’t already here- at least in prints up to 8X10, it’s hard to tell the difference.  With the older Canon 300D, you could tell it had problems with some of the higher contrast shots, but I think that’s much improved. 

The only thing that bugs me is using Photoshop to fix up problems.  Is that different that me going to the photofinisher and asking them to lighten up a certain area?  Is using Photoshop any different than using color and graduated filters or burning/dodging?  I’m not sure I can answer that one.  Maybe I’m having a problem with it because one day you could digitally manipulate a photo even further than you could with filters or getting the photofinisher to lighten or darken a stop.

But, there’s airbrushing that goes on with film…

In short, I have my eye on the Canon XTi.  The shutter is quick, lots of features, 10 megapixel, auto or manual mode, and very good quality.  This means I’ll have to get a whole new system of EF lenses and Speedlight flashes, but it will allow me to take a whack of pictures, and not have to wait for LDs to develop and print.  Not having to do that will save $$.  Plus, I’ll be able to use the EF lenses with an older Canon film body.  🙂 

 

 

Time…

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Lately I’ve been thinking about how people decide when to start a family.  This topic is close to me because 1) I turned 37 today and 2) I have an Infant.  To put things in perspective, when my Dad was my current age, I had just moved out of the house.  When I reach my Father’s current age, Erica will just be graduating from Highschool.  That’s quite the contrast.

For the past few years, E and I debated when to start a family.  For me, I saw having a child as a sign of having to finally grow up.  There were other ancillary factors- cost, lifestyle, travel, cost, sleeping in on the weekends, cost, space, etc.

Well time was the deciding factor- now was the time to start the family otherwise I’ll be collecting a pension while my kids are learning to drive. 

I try to take the view that there are no regrets in life.  Things happen, when they happen, for a reason.  I think E was ready sooner than I was to have a family, I needed the time to mature and understand what it means to be a good parent… in short, I needed to learn about sacrifice and giving.

As my earlier posts alluded- we’re tired, we have to look for a bigger (and more $$$$) space, we haven’t tried any new swanky restaurants, we won’t be travelling to Europe anytime soon, and Formula is more expensive than Rib Eye steak.

But… the joy e brings… not only into our lives, but the lives of our family… makes us not miss any of those other things we used to do, and probably will make us appreciate going out or travelling even more when we’re able to.

So regrets, there really are none.  E and e are both healthy, and that’s what matters, but I think we could have started our family a few years earlier.  In hindsight, a lot of the reasons I had for not starting a family earlier weren’t really all that important.  It just took time to see past those reasons.  One thing we couldn’t anticipate was how much happiness e brings into our lives. 

I remember my Dad and Mom teaching Vennie and I to ski, play tennis, go hiking, fishing, etc.  I think Vennie was only a few weeks old when we first went camping.  The point is I think some people take that active lifestyle for granted. 

Thinking about the future, I hope I can do the same for my kids.  For the sports I play now, I still got some semi-serious game, and I hope that’s the case a couple of decades from now.  I’m sure when the time comes, I’ll still be able to guide and help her through the difficult teen years, but it would still be nice to lay in a 100+ mph serve down the T as well.  heheeheh.  🙂

When I came home today, and I finally got to pick e up, no doubt in my mind, this is the best Birthday present I could ask for.  🙂 

Photos of Grandpa's house

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I added a Gallery of photos I took of Grandpa’s house before it was torn down last year.  It took me awhile to look at them again, simply because every room held so many memories for all of us.  It pretty much was home for all of us at one time or another. 

It’s the house I was born in and learned to walk.  It was there that all my cousins played hide and seek, and many other games throughout our childhood.  It’s the home where our family had many important conversations and celebrated many happy events.

It was hard to look at the pictures for sometime, and it still is.  In every photo, I can recall at least a dozen conversations that took place.  It’s a bit sad to see the house emptied out, but I hope it brings back some good memories for everyone.

  

 

2 Months old today!

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Today Erica turned 8 weeks old… and went for her shots and weigh-in.

For the weigh-in, she’s now 9lbs, 8oz, and has a double chin to show for it.  🙂

As for the shots, she was given a series of 4 shots- 2 on each thigh.  E couldn’t watch, so I had to hold her legs down while the shots were administered.  The first syringe was at least half full… and given the size of her leg in relation, it seemed like a lot.  e’s reaction to:

Shot #1 was “Hey, owww… what did you do that for?” 

Shot #2 “OW!  Hey you did it again!

Shot #3 “WAAAH! You poked me in that leg already!!”

Shot #4 “OK, OK that’s IT!  You want real tears, you GOT it!  BWAAAAHHHHH!!!!”

Thankfully she was ok taking the Infants Tylenol, but you have to wonder about giving so many injections to someone so young, especially when her immune system is still developing.  But that’s where trust with your healthcare provider comes in. 

So here’s something interesting we learned.  If you were born before 1984, chances are you got a smallpox vaccine- the one that leaves a round scar on the arm just under the deltoid.  Smallpox was “erradicated” in the early 80’s which is why kids nowadays don’t need the shot.  I remember growing up and seeing everyone with the mark, but I guess this is one example of how vaccinations actually work!

Fried Rice

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Yes, this seems like an odd topic to write about.  The story here is that it’s one of our main comfort foods… and my Mom isn’t here to make it for me.

So I went onto the internet just to see what exists in the way of recipes (I can hear my mom’s voice- “you don’t need a recipe, just use what you have!)

Yes Mom.

However there are variations and I like to see what other people are using.  Anyways, I think I’ve come up with a “base” recipe, to which you can use as a starting point and modify as needed.

So here goes, the secret unveiling to “Durwin’s fried rice”

  • 3 cups of uncooked rice
  • 4 chinese sausage
  • 5 eggs
  • lots of chopped green onions
  • 1.5 cups of frozen peas (or mixed vegetables)
  • cooked oil
  • sesame oil
  • Oyster sauce
  • light soy sauce
  • Tumeric
  • Salt and Pepper

The rice is made first earlier in the day, and set in the fridge to chill.  Heat up the frying pan and put in 3 or 4 tablespoons  of “cooked oil” (Not sure what it is exactly, but we have a jug of Corn oil that’s been heated up and cooled).  Dump in the rice and give it a good stir.  While the rice is getting up to temperature, beat the eggs in a bowl and dump that into the pan, stirring to mix well.  When the egg solidifies and browns a bit, dump in the Chinese sausage (which will give the dish a nice saltiness) and maybe 2 tablespoons of sesame oil.  Sesame oil smells yummy when heated.  Next, sprinkle in maybe a teaspoon of Tumeric.  Not too much, so watch the amount carefully as a little goes a long way, and give everything a good mix.  Now add a teaspoon of Oyster sauce, a decent amount of pepper, a little bit of salt, and the frozen peas.  After about a minute of stirring, add the chopped green onions.   When everything gets nice and hot, add Soy sauce to taste.  Again, a little goes a long way so maybe just start with a teaspoon and add until you get the right salt content.

By this time, everything should be nicely mixed and the dish is nicely sizzzzzling!  Have a final taste, adjust the spices as needed, and enjoy! 

 

 

a few new photos

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just uploaded a few new photos of before/after bathtime.  I’ll have to spend more time getting the AWB (white balance) right on the photos, and figuring out how to organize gallery better.  To view the photo gallery, there’s a photo tab at the top right of this page, and I’ll put a link in the link section.