Tuesday, August 31, 2004
First Day of School
Around Town News - London
Source @ ABC7Chicago.com
August 27, 2004 (London, England)
Monday, August 30, 2004
Chain Letters
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes.
We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and! there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said,"Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday! " He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for busin ess on a football
scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents,your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly
your friends...
I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill ! himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved." My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never under estimate the power of your actions. Withone small gesture you can change a person's life. Forbetter or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.
You now have two choices, you can:
1) Pass this on to your friends or 2) Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart. As you can see, I took choice number 1. "Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our! wings have trouble remembering how to fly."
There is no beginning or end.. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That The Reason It's Called The Present It's National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.
Do as you will
--Celi
Celebrity News - Dave Matthews Band
Celebrity News - Julia Roberts/Benjamin Bratt
"With Julia I saw up close what fame really does to a person, It sounds great but it comes with a terrible price. Getting too close to the light is a dangerous thing. But I needed to go through that to appreciate what I have now.It is so sad to see a grown man be so bitter. That is exactly what he sounds like. It would have been better to say: "It didn't work out, best wishes. I am very happy with my wife, who is my opinion is the most beautiful woman in the world inside and out.
My wife is the most beautiful actress in the world, but what makes her special is that she's beautiful on the inside too. She doesn't have an unbearable ego."
See full article @ e.online.com
Sunday, August 29, 2004
MTV's VMAs
I've seen Alicia & Lenny in their own concert performance, but all THREE on stage mixing it up together. Wonderful!!! I Love Alicia and Lenny, and Stevie common you owe this man major props. There are many many critics at MTV's 'sellout performers' and MTV's direction of music choices, but with that line up who cares.
Movie Revew - Suspect Zero **
I'm not sure if the actual actors selected fit the movie though. I would have gone with a different casting. Ben Kingsley might have fit the role of a dark frieghtful serial killer, at least so it seemed in the first five minutes of the movie. However, as stated earlier the movie went a different direction. Aaron Eckhart, who plays the other main character of the movie is bland. I found myself more irritated at his character more than anything else. The forced relationship between him and Carrie-Anne Moss, his partner seemed to be thrown and mixed together just to add some substance to the story.
This won't be the worst movie you'll see far from it, but wait until you've seen all the other movies you want to see. this one can wait. I'd say rent this one if it's the only one on the shelf.
Sore Spots
This morning was a bear to wake up. I have forgotten I had asked my sister to wake me up so we could prepare the deck for staining. The power washer did do most of the magic dirt removal but my we did our fair share of scrubbing. I am so glad of our results, te deck looks great. I'll post before and after pictures after it's stained. Maybe next week we'll have a deck staining party where 'BYOB' will mean 'Bring Your Own Brush' ;)
We were done with the deck and front entrance steps around 5pm. I decided to take a quick nap. I woke up an hour later so increadibly sore. I don't mind, over all a good weekend. Now I'm off to the movies.
Friday, August 27, 2004
I Miss My Sex
Energy Drain
Some people ask me how is it possible for me to be very tired if all I do at work is sit behind a desk and stare at a computer. My explanation for this is simple. The work I do requires me to use my head a lot and think and plan things out. This procees uses up my energy. This lack of energy strangely enough gives me similar symptoms as those people the do hard labor. I get weak, have headaches, sometimes body aches and ultimately become very tired. Time to go home, I'm going to take a nap on the train :)
Around Town News - Athens, Greece
... And the silver metal goes to Simon Diederik! Event: Getting trashed and losing your belogings...
August 26, 2004 (ATHENS, Greece) — One Olympic athlete better keep his medal around his neck.Source from: ABC7Chicago.coml
Greek taxi driver Ioannis Zavos found a surprise in the back seat of his cab -- an Olympic silver medal.
The medal had been won by Dutch rower Simon Diederik. He had hailed a yellow cab Monday night and left the medal behind.
Olympic officials notified Athens cab companies after Diederik realized what he had done.
There are about five-thousand taxis in Athens, but the medal was found after a two day search. The Athens Organizing Committee will be rewarding the cabbie for his honesty.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Miami Dream on Hold
IM Junkie
I use MSN, Yahoo and AOL instant messenger applications. Sometimes I bring in Trillian to maintain them all within one application. Trillian has it's drawbacks though. A friend from work sent me this link mapping out all the new extended AOL Instant Messenger smileys. AIM Smileys - BigBlueBall.com They are pretty cool. To use them though I had to upgrade my AIM. I was pleased to find that the site is geared to discuss all about instant messaging. I will be visiting this site often! BigBlueBall.com
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Celebrity News - Dave Matthews Band
In a post I made on August 9th It was believed that the tour bus belonging to the Dave Matthews Band had dumped smelly sewage onto unsuspecting tourist. Now the City of Chicago is taking action:
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- The state of Illinois sued the Dave Matthews Band on Tuesday for allegedly dumping up to 800 pounds of liquid human waste from a bus into the Chicago River, dousing a tour boat filled with passengers.
courtesy of: cnn.com
Celebrity News - Matt Damon
Apparently in reaction to the media circus that surrounded his long-time buddy Ben Affleck’s romance with J.Lo, Damon says that now he will only date “civilians” — i.e., not celebrities.See I told you guys Matt and I were dating ;)
Courtesy of MSNBC
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
My Next Trip - MIAMI
Celebrity News - Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise says he respects the right of entertainers to participate in political campaigning, but his vote in the upcoming presidential election will remain private. Courtesy of:yahoo newsHmmm.. Lets see
1. Scientologist
2. Actor
3. from Syracuse NY
4. Contribution History: Democratic 100% | Republican 0%
source: campaignmoney.com
What's the point of stating you are keeping your vote private? You don't have to be a psychic to guess where his vote is going.
Celebrity News - John Stamos/Rebecca Romijn Stamos?
Monday, August 23, 2004
Flash Movie - I Will Beat Pacman
Around Town News - New York
The pink ribbon means something different for everyone. For one it might be a memory of one lost to breast cancer. For another it might be a symbol of what the future could bring. For yet another, it could mean survival. No matter what it represents to each individual, it brings hope to the thousands of people who are affected by breast cancer every year. If you're one of these people, join Post-it® Brand in creating the World's Largest Pink Ribbon and "sticking up" for the cause that touches so many lives. Read more info @ www.3m.com/us/office/postit/research/largest_pink_ribbon.jhtml
Movie Review - Open Water **1/2
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Organization
Movie Reviews
Flash Movies
Around Town News (any town any where, but fun and interesting)
Celebrity News
Friday, August 20, 2004
Flash Movie - Woman Drivers
Check it out @ HolyLemon.com - Woman Drivers
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Celebrity News - Britney Spears
Simon Amstell of the U.K. show "Popworld" asked Spears what was the last thing she’d put in her mouth. Spears reportedly replied that it was a sex toy.Read the first article from MSN's Gossip Column
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Flash Movie - Alcohol Warnings
Flash Movie - Music Video: 59 Ways to Move Ya
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Celebrity News - Nicole Kidman/Sean Penn
"What's wrong?" Nicole finally fessed up. "His breath stinks," she wailed. "It smells like smoke . . . and it's making me sick!"I don't tend to feel sorry for celebrities, but this is a complaint by many women and even men. Don't be rude freshen up before puckering up! Read the full story @ My Way - Celebrity Gossip
Monday, August 16, 2004
Around Town News - Chicago
Oprah Winfrey reports for jury duty
The billionaire will wait with about 300 other prospective jurors. A jury supervisor says -- even if Winfrey isn't picked for a jury by the end of the day -- she'll still receive a 17-dollar check from the court for her time.What are the odds!?! I've served twice now and never has there been a BILLIONAIRE sitting next to me.
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Movie Review - Manchurian Candidate **1/2
Was it because I was tired? Doubtful, this movie wasn't as good as I expected. I think some scenes went farther than they should have been, to the point of complete disbelief and irritation. I expected an edgy film dealing with government conspiracy in a realistic modern day scenario. After all this was a remake of much older film. Without giving too much information about the movie, the outcomes and behavioral changes in the platoon could have been achieved by drugs and hypnotism alone. Spoiler here - NO NEED for brain probing and implants. I can forgive the implants, but the cheesy lines that surrendered the characters into a trance were more idiotic and funny than serious.
Many events were also too predictable. I mean common there was a woman who was overly friendly to Denzel's character. We later find out the reason, however no one is that assertive and persistant unless she's a hooker, even if it is Denzel. Movie dragged on, you are better off waiting to see this movie as rental instead.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Pictures - Baby Caps
More mini-me; cats come with hats - August 12, 2004
Apparently, babies don't always come with hats, but sometimes cats do..
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Click on Image to view larger size |
Flash Movie - BrainPop
BrainPOP - Educational Animation for Kids.
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Around Town News - Switzerland
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Celebrity News - Alicia Keys
I must admit everytime I heard that song I was tempted to call that number.ABCNEWS.com : Ga. Man Gets Calls for Alicia Keys
Now that I know there is a recoring for her fans I will leave a message.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Around Town News - Chicago
ABC7Chicago.com: Bus dumps waste on boat below
-I heard on the radio this morning that allegedly the tour bus that made the dumping belonged to the Dave Matthews Band.
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Movie Review - Collateral ****
To no surprise to me is the fact that Tom Cruise's charm transcends into his character. Playing a villain for the first time was a nice change of pace. You don't fall in love or have deep sympathy for him, but you can't help to chuckle a few times at his take for his profession. A hired assassin with a job of 5 people within a short period of time, Vince (played by Tom Cruise) hijacks a cab driver to transport him to these their various locations.
I enjoyed the pace of this movie. Some movies hit you off with action sequences off the bat - those are the action movies. Others build up the suspense till toward the last part of the movie, those would be the suspenseful thrillers. Now that brief lesson is over: Collateral eases you in developing the cab driver's character (Jamie Foxx) and builds a bond between you and him and then hijacks you as well in a smart impacting ride.
Jaime Fox adapted well to his character, although I can see why Cruise played the Villain in this film as his character has a stronger spark. This film hold it's plot and anchors it's story with great action sequences. This film has everything required in a summer block buster. The girl, the guy (although no cheesy romance - great omission in this film by the way) and superb action shots. Shooting, car chases, jumping, running, I was thrilled. If you like action go see this movie. If you like suspense movies, go see this movie. If you like either of the main characters go see this movie.
Visit this review & other movie reviews from me - celikins @ movies.com | Collateral
Friday, August 06, 2004
PICTURES - CV Summer Cruise 07/27/04
This year I was quite upset that I forgot to pack my trusty cam with to our second annual boat cruise at work. (wow that was a long name for an event)
Luckily, Michelle was nice enough to lend me her camera for a quick fix of that photography addiction I have. Well not like she had a choice ;) Check out some quick pictures I took or tried to take. I'm known as the Celi Paparazzi in that collection.
CV Summer Cruise 07/27/04
A Regular Day
I think back on those magazine articles that show the reader: "How to meet & where to meet men” I can picture them now, 'The train is a great way to meet men. Muscle up some courage & say something" - Yeah Right!!
The last thing anyone wants during a work commute is to be hit on. You would think it would be flattering but more than likely that person, who hasn't even looked at you once during the train ride, isn't going to suddenly realize what they were missing in Life. On that A.M. train that person is either sleeping, studying, whatever but he/she is not looking forward to their destination. Think about it!? All the fun places you go to, do you need to get on an early train to get there?
Anyway morale of the story, don't hit on anyone, mind your business and be quiet - some of us are trying to sleep.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Movie Review - Bourne Supremacy ***1/2
The story from this sequel was actually better than the first. It was an intense movie that had you and didn't give out it's entire plot as many blockbuster movies do within the firat 15 minutes of the movie. Within the first 15 minutes of this movie you actually get a surprise twist.
I agree with many of the other reviews for Bourne Supremacy. They story is Great the Acting is Great, Matt Damon NICE
The non traditional camera action could have been better if not used in the fighting sequences and the car chase. I can see how sometimes directors prefer this in order to get a closer look or a feeling that you are the one actually seeing things. When it comes to fighting and chasing cars though, I want to see everything, having snipets of the impact shots goes gar more instead.
Visit this review & other movie reviews from me - celikins @ countingdown.com | Bourne Supremacy
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Celebrity News - Lindsay Lohan
I love Lindsay, I really do. I'm a big fan. Something about this Girl just makes you want to watch her. NOT that perverted way either. She's just a very charismatic beautiful girl. BUT at AGE 18 EARNING 7.5 Million per MOVIE???! Lohan's price tag: $7.5 million Oy Vey America, this is just asking for trouble.