Super Bowl XLV- Flop or Not?

Source: bedandbreakfastdallas.com

On February 6^th, 2011, the biggest football game of the season is played. Super Bowl XLV,  or 41, played in Dallas, is thought of as one of the best Super Bowl games yet. The Pittsburgh Steelers, loaded with Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward and coach Mike Tomlin, take on the Green Bay Packers led by Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings and coach Mike McCarthy. At halftime, the Black Eyed Peas are performing and Christina Aguilera will be singing the National Anthem. I personally believe that this won’t be too good of a Super Bowl.

First of all, neither of these two teams did well in the regular season. The Steelers had a 12-4 record which isn’t too bad, but I don’t think they should be in the Super Bowl. Even worse, the Packers were 10-6 with some very embarrassing losses. Another thing; why is Christina Aguilera singing the national anthem? I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard one of her songs… she’s been out of the spotlight for years! I can understand the Black Eyed peas; they have been very successful in the past couple of years.

Where it is being held. Source: betting-superbowl.com

As you may see, I am a traditionalist; I prefer the two best teams going at each other. I would love to see a Patriots/ Eagles Super Bowl or something along the lines of that. I would prefer to see someone such as Beyoncé singing the national anthem, and personally I would want a rock band performing at half time. In addition, I don’t agree with the fact that it’s being held at the Dallas Cowboy’s stadium; the Dallas Cowboys had one of their worst seasons to date.

Just my 2 cents.                        

8 Mile

If you’re like me, the only movies you like to see are comedies. I personally have a hard time sitting through dramas, actions, or anything other than funny movies. In fact, at one point I didn’t understand why anyone would watch anything else. This all changed when I watched the movie, 8 Mile. 8 Mile is a drama/ semi-autobiography about Eminem and his story of rags to riches.  This movie is compelling, suspenseful, and proves that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

Source: eminem.net

Jimmy “Rabbit” Smith Jr. (Eminem) is a blue collar worker in the economically slumping city of Detroit, Michigan. His passion is rap, and his desire is to get out of Detroit and make something out of himself. He lives in a trailer with his alcoholic mother and his little sister, living in poverty and violence. He himself has his own problems, such as breaking the color barrier in hip-hop, “friends” and their betrayal, and relationships.

Source: Gaming Generations

As mentioned, Rabbit gets away from all of this by rap battling. To him, it is irrelevant as to where he spits his rhymes: at work, at home, in a parking lot. Another area is “The Shelter”. This is a club where upcoming rappers battle each other, and Rabbit goes once a week to battle. One week, he goes and “chokes” on stage- he doesn’t say anything, and eventually walks off the stage from all the booing. The next week, Jimmy comes back and proves everyone wrong, having 3 amazing battles against his enemies.
Along with this, Rabbit overcomes a lot more. This movie has taught me that no one is in the way of your destiny other than yourself- it is perseverance, determination, and excellence.

An Eventful Winter Break

Winter Break is without a doubt my favorite holiday. I can’t give you a real reason  why, but I think it’s got something to do with my birthday, Christmas, and 3 weeks of relaxation. For as long as I can remember, my family has gone skiing in Lake Tahoe, California. Now that I am living in Venezuela, I look forward to it even more. It used to be a 3 hour drive from my house in the San Francisco Bay Area, but now it is a daylong affair traveling through planes. I am always checking the weather, seeing if it had snowed over night or anything like that. For most people, waking up at 3AM for a flight is a drag; but for me, I couldn’t be happier, knowing that I will be in California that day. This break, I landed in California at 10PM Pacific Time. I ended up being so excited, knowing that the chairlifts were waiting for me, that I woke up at 5:30 that morning to go skiing. Although there were 80 MPH winds and not all lifts were running, I felt like a little kid waking up on Christmas morning.

Throughout the break, I got new skis and new ski goggles for Christmas. Volkl Bridges, the skis I got, are known for absorbing impact when going off big rocks and jumps. I also got Von Zipper Feenom goggles, which have been on my wish list for quite a while. After getting these, I knew that this was going to be an awesome ski trip.

I had a few goals I set for myself over the break. In the past, I have never had the guts to go off of big cliffs, mainly because of the potential consequences if I do not have good form. One cliff in particular that I have always wanted to do at my mountain, Squaw Valley, is the right knuckle off of “The Fingers.” I have heard about people going off and ending up paralyzed. In fact, there was one person a few weeks ago who ended up fracturing five vertebrae after going off the intimidating Fingers. I ended up getting through it fine, and also on video.

The Fingers. You better do these cliffs well... you're being watched by the entire chairlift.

Over the break, I got in about 16 or 17 days of skiing. To my liking, Lake Tahoe had been receiving record amounts of snow in as early as November! In fact, resorts such as Northstar or Boreal explained how they already had enough snow for the entire season by early December. With the downsides of this, conditions were horrible and people were getting injured left and right. Lucky for me, I only got a few minor injuries. On the other hand, I ended up taking my mom skiing and she ruptured her Achilles tendon 4 inches apart.  She in fact is still in California, getting her treatment. Hopefully she will be 100% by next winter.

As you can see, I have had myself quite the vacation. My family loved it. Only 345 days till the next winter break. My new goal is below...

The Palisades. Do not try this at home.

My Favorite Songs

If you’re like me, you find music not only enjoyable, but also helpful and almost enlightening. Many people listen to music because of a beat or some catchy chorus line. If you’re looking for a list like that, go somewhere else. For me, I like to be in my own world when I listen to music. I have a balcony outside of my room, and almost every night I will sit out there, with my iPod playing, looking upon the stars. It is really soothing for me, as I reflect and think about my life and everything around me. Other times, I will have it blaring through speakers singing along. Music depicts someone’s personality, lifestyle, and things they like. Overall, the following list explains my top songs.

In no particular order-

1-      Under the Bridge-  Red Hot Chili Peppers

This has been a song I’ve been listening to as long as I can remember. My dad really likes this band, and he always played it at home in the car. As I started to understand the meaning of the song and the flow it gave me, I fell in love with it even more.

2-      Kings and Queens- 30 Seconds to Mars

Kings and Queens is a relatively new song, coming out about 9 months ago. The vibe it gave me was really strong, and it makes me think about everything and it inspires me to do the best I can.

3-      Miss Me- Drake & Lil Wayne

I have really grown to hip-hop in the recent past. This is really energizing, and after a few times of listening to it, you can’t help but sing along. With Lil Wayne just coming out of jail a few weeks ago, I am listening to it even more.

4-      Beautiful- Eminem

Another hip-hop song, this really drives home the world. “Beautiful” came out in mid-late 2009, on Eminem’s comeback album of Relapse. This song gave me a lot of empathy for Eminem, as he had been having many personal problems at the time and I could feel his pain in this song. Eminem also talks about America’s economy. As he is from Detroit, he is definitely a primary source of depression and economical problems.

5-      Happy Xmas (War is Over)- John Lennon

I always try to be thankful of what I have and try not to ask for things I don’t particularly need. “Happy Xmas” helps me be grateful for every single thing and person I have in my life. I ended up seeing the music video for this song, and seeing all the war clips throughout the world made me feel obliged to give back and feel blessed for what I have.

My Cousin

For me, it is very hard to get close to people. I definitely try to be friendly and go out of my way to make a joke or make someone fit in, but being close to someone is on another level. I have very bad trust issues, and it takes an ample amount of time for me to finally warm up to someone and say whatever I want to them. Most people think of me as over the top and crazy, but I’m actually very shy. In the world, there’s really only one person I can say anything to- and that’s my cousin, W.

W is my best friend by far. I think of myself having a decent amount of friends, but I am never really that well-connected with them. W is different… While living in Canada for the first 5 years of my life, I saw him almost every day. When something very tragic happened in my life, I ended up staying with him all the time. This is when our friendship turned into brothers, and ever since I moved to California we have kept that relationship, knowing that we are one of a kind.

W and I, as mentioned, are the best of friends. We have a ton in common, and since he is just a few years older than me he leads the way. He teaches me the rights from the wrongs with just about everything- actually, scratch that; just women. Whenever we see each other, we have a hell of a time doing tons of things: sports, going out socializing, or just hanging out.

Now that I’m living overseas, it’s really hard for W and I to keep in touch. Facebook is the main way, but still, I wish I could see him more. Whenever he is in California for tennis or I’m up in Canada, we’re sure to hang out. Lots of my memories are with him, which makes me miss him even more; but not seeing him all the time makes me even closer to him. I cherish the moments when I’m actually with him, and I will never forget them.  W is one of the greatest role models, friends, and peers anyone could ever have. I’m blessed to have you in my life, W. If you’re reading this, I love you, man. 

Miami Heat?

As an avid sports fan, I always love to hear about new trades, new players, and just any news overall about professional sports. Throughout sports, there are those big-name teams with the big-name players. The New York Yankees of the 90’s, the 1970’s Steelers, and much more. One team that was supposed to dominate the NBA this year was the Miami Heat. But so far this season, they have been nothing but mediocre.

Over the off-season (summer of 2010) there were a lot of big names in the NBA that were finishing up their contracts and ready to go somewhere else. These included Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, all-caliber players that would be respected and followed wherever they went. They ended up signing with the Miami Heat, and as a result of this more and more players wanted to join them and maybe win a championship or two.

If you know about the NBA, you know about LeBron James. Here, we have a hometown 25 year old who has never lived outside of his birthplace, Akron, Ohio. He ended up playing 7 years for the Cleveland Cavaliers, before also signing with the Miami Heat this season. This damaged James’ reputation as a player and role model, as he destroyed his image as a hometown hero to someone that cared about winning. He ended up having a 1-hour special on just what team he would pick, and this damaged his morale even more; now, he was thought of as not only a traitor, but also an egotistical attention ****.

Cleveland's reaction to LJ's choice-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ7LaEJ83tg

But it didn’t matter for “The Big Three” right? Wade, Bosh, and James were going to win all of their games this year, break records, and get the championship. So far into the season, this has not happened at ALL. About a month into the season, the three are already fatigued heavily and have only won about half of their games. In addition, their individual stats have dramatically decreased. What went wrong? There’s really no explanation to that question.

Notice the writing on the jersey.

To me, I believe it is karma for LeBron. I can only imagine how heartbroken not only Cleveland and Akron are, but the entire state of Ohio. Ohio is not known for winning in professional sports, and LeBron may have changed that. Unfortunately, LeBron, being a young, inexperienced professional, took the money and promising road to glory; even when it meant leaving behind an entire state depending on you.

Me? I still respect LeBron James. Do I like him? Not really. But respect- oh yes. Look at him. He has dedicated his life to his work. He is without a doubt the most athletic person I have ever laid eyes on. Sure, that hasn’t resulted in a great NBA season, but I wish Mr. James the best as he begins his new lifestyle as a traitor and arrogant ___________.

Top Five Comedy Movies

Humor is a must in anyone’s life. It is ideal to laugh every day, and if you’re like me you do it more than just once every day. I try to look at the bright side of all things and as a result of this, I can be a little too happy and humorous at times. One way to make myself laugh is through comedy movies- in fact, they are probably one of my favorite ways. Some are just plain stupid, whereas others have a meaning and have humor along the way. Below, I have compiled a list of the top 5 comedies in my opinion.

NOTE: The links that I presented below are potentially explicit, and I am in no way responsible for an individual being offended. By reading this, you just agreed.

5- Get Him to the Greek

This is a new movie- as a result of this, it hasn’t been compared to many other hilarious movies. It is about Aaron Green (Jonah Hill), an employee of an LA music company. His boss, Sergio (P. Diddy), tells him to go to London to pick up Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), a famous rockstar. Aldous is actually a drug, sex and alcohol addict who does everything he is told NOT to do. Aaron is supposed to get Aldous from London back to Los Angeles in only 3 days to play a show. Easy, right? Well think again, because it is anything but that.

Many movies don’t make me laugh out loud- This was the exact opposite. From them smuggling heroin on to a plane to P. Diddy getting hit on the head with a guitar, Get Him to the Greek will keep you in stitches.

Sergio bashing Pharrell (this actually isn't that funny- it was just the least explicit thing I could find)-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMbqoI2rs-4

4- Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder has one of the best plotlines ever in my opinion- A bunch of high profile actors that are sent to Vietnam to make a war movie. Unfortunately, an unwilling attitude by the actors and an inexperienced director leads to the movie being delayed. As a result of this, the director decides to drop the actors in a Vietnamese war-zone and shoot it themselves. The director immediately gets blown up by a land mine, and the actors end up in grave danger. An extremely lethal and dangerous village ends up capturing them (thinking they are terrorists) while the actors think it is all fake and part of the movie. This combination leads to a hilarious result, giving you lots of laughs along the way.

Trailer-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyHuayjK7os

3- Caddyshack

This movie is a classic, as it has been around for decades. I actually saw it for the first time this year, but I found it really funny and compelling due to the whole storyline and the great characters. As I am used to recent movies, it was really interesting for me personally to see actors such as Chevy Chase and Bill Murray when they were in their prime.

The story is about a middle-class teenage boy named Danny (Michael O’Keefe) who works as a caddy for a very wealthy country club. He is always caddying rich tycoons that are full of themselves, placing extremely large bets on who will have the better round among many other things. There are many story lines in this movie, and 2 of them include Bill Murray setting up explosives throughout the golf course and a caddy putting with $80,000 on the line. If you want a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat along with lots of laughs, this is the movie for you.

Trailer-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrTqenN1SqQ

2- Talladega Nights- The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

When I saw the trailer for this movie, I knew that I had to see it. Talladega Nights- The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is about Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell), an egotistical NASCAR driver who lives by one rule- “If you ain’t first, you’re last!” Throughout his career, he has gotten everything he wanted. One day, a Formula One driver by the name of Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) comes to NASCAR to finish his career. Ricky gets mad and promises that he won’t let Girard win any races. Unfortunately, it is the exact opposite; Ricky loses every race and Girard becomes the king of NASCAR. Ricky ends up getting into a big crash, and falls out of NASCAR. What happens? Watch to find out! (that is if you aren’t cracking up during the entire movie!)

Ricky Bobby tries to prove he’s paralyzed-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2mCMF222IQ

1-     
Step Brothers

Step Brothers is another amazing and clever comedy that includes Will Ferrell. It is about two 40 year old men that still live at home (Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly). They soon become step-brothers after the mother of Brennan (Will Ferrell) and father of Dale (John C. Reilly) get married. This movie, as mentioned, is very quick witted due to its use of slapstick comedy and direction by Judd Apatow. The two brothers in the beginning hating each other, but soon after getting to know each other become great friends. Unfortunately to everyone else, they are only a nuisance to society. As they start understanding that they need a job and contribute to the community, they only find out themselves how annoying and immature they really are. To them, it may be sad, but to the audience it’s a great laugh and each time you watch it you find another thing funny.

Trying to build a bunkbed-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BlHY69ZsZ0