Stuff to give away

Ikea entertainment unit




L-shaped computer desk ... has glass shelves/tabletop




Custom made coffee table - cherry. Has chip on corner that needs sanding and refinishing



Carpet - I think it is bamboo fibre ... very durable




Canon A2 plus speedlight flash, 28-70 fixed 2.8 zoom



Sony Mini System and Yamaha self-powered Sub - it thumps!



Wicker Door Cabinet

"Hello, is this Telephone Mtoko?"

Tired of March Madness already? Sick of hearing about bracketology and the like? Well, check THIS out...

It would be easy to go this gratuitous sexual reference way - hello Chew Kok and Glorious Johnson - but I have to go with my man, Nutritious Love.

And I must thank my parents for having the compassion to give me a normal name...

Catching up

Small talk is such a shallow thing sometimes. How many times have you been at a party where your conversation goes something like this:

You: "Hey, man... it's been a long time. What's new with you?"
Them: "Awww, nothing. Same shit, you know?"
You: "Yeah. Me, too. Working hard and hardly working!" (*forces laugh)

Well, there's plenty new with me, but for the life of me, I can't remember it all. So, in bullet form...
— Went to Vegas (again). Did THIS when I went HERE. Came home significantly lighter in the wallet.
— I have been freezing my ass off the past two weeks... Cold snap in Vancouver. Below freezing. Wind chill. But, it could be worse - I could live in Cowtown!
— The Province big-wigs are talking about creating a new position for me... apparently, I seem to be on the cutting edge of what's hot with young people on the web. The only problem with the new position: I'd have to wake up in the mornings. Ugh.
— Getting used to having Miceail live down here with me n' Dee. We're like the Three Amigos. I'd be Steve Martin. It's nice being able to go ball on the seawall courts in the sunshine...
— Went and watched the Watchmen with the other Dos Amigos a couple days ago. We couldn't believe how bad it was ... and that's not because we were put off by a glowing blue dong floating around for three hours. It was just stonily-acted, had meandering plot line, and gratuitous shots of glowing blue dongs. (OK, so the blue dong might have been a problem). Wait for the video, people. As Flava Flav once said... "Don't believe the hype!"
— Am really enjoying the proximity to Granville Island... I can take the little water taxi over there - and everywhere else along False Creek. I expect to do that a lot this summer...

Well, that's about all I can remember... but here is the Story of the Month to tide you over..



"OH. MY. GOD. Roy Jones Jr. is here!!," Steph screamed in my ear. "It's him, it's really him!!!"
With that, she practically dislocated my shoulder as she dragged me off the dance floor at Republic. Needless to say, I was unimpressed.
It was reggae night. I was dancing with a hottie. I didn't want to be dragged on some wild goose chase to see some dude who obviously wasn't going to be Roy Jones Jr., perhaps the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time.
Well, guess what? It wasn't Roy Jones. Nope. Not even his brother.

But Stephie wasn't COMPLETELY out of her head. It was one "Sugar" Shane Mosley, the reigning world welterweight champion. Stephie and Shaz were ushered into the VIP area, where they posed for pictures with the gazillionaire boxer. Me? I went back downstairs to dance. Hey - it was reggae night!

(And let this be a lesson to all as to what you put on the internet... I stole that there picture off of her facebook. Let that be a lesson to you. Or maybe let this video be a lesson to you.)

The Winds of Change are a-blowin

The mushroom cloud that is the doom surrounding the world's economic woes doesn't seem quite as threatening as it once did. Sure, you can look at all the money that you once had — "And poof! It was gone... " Doyle would say — but I'm viewing it more as an opportunity.
Canwest, the company that owns the Province, where I now work, is swimming in red ink. Bleeding, some would say. Being one of the more recent hires, I could find myself on the chopping block. It was a concern, for a while. I had seen what it did from one friend, who went from running multi-million-dollar developments to handing out resumes for serving positions at nightclubs. It was humbling.
But I have come to see it as an opportunity. Think of newspapers as a dinosaur, looking blankly up at the giant mushroom cloud on the horizon - the economic meteor of doom - with the realization that the inevitable shock wave will wipe them from existence.
I have to think about my future, and it's somewhat liberating to think I can start something new. But just what, remains to be seen. Broadcast journalism, maybe? I keep being told I would be a natural at it, but ... well, I just can't see myself as Cabbie on the Street. Maybe a skinnier version... ;)
I've sometimes dreamed of sailing a catamaran around the Cape, up the coast and across to the mediterranean, and financially, that's viable. So is becoming a beach bum in Hawaii. But I guess I have to figure out if I really like sailing or tropical beaches that much first.
Which brings me to this: the last seven months, more than any previous in my life, have heralded in change. Internal change. External change. A change in circumstances... geography... global issues. My life now is so far removed from the comfortable, insulated habitation I enjoyed in Kelowna, it almost feels like a rebirth.
However, instead of the pubescent anxiousness over what the future might bring, I feel only eager anticipation. And that, too, is a change.

Yes, I get paid to do stuff like this...

From our Super Bowl Sunday preview package...

And, if you want to take part in our online poll, click here!

SUPER SUDS!

If you like football, chances are you like a good beer, too. So we here at the Province sports department set out to discover the best refreshing brew to enjoy while watching today’s big game. Sure, it was a difficult task — but we could do no less than sacrifice ourselves to enduring round after round of blind taste-tests for our faithful readers. Sixteen beers were chosen in all — eight of the top sellers in B.C., plus some lesser-known but still tasty brands. Seeded from 1-16 by volume sold, we held a knockout-style bracket to determine this year’s ultimate Super Sud ...

The Contenders...

1. Corona
2. Molson Canadian
3. Kokanee
4. Budweiser
5. Coors
6. Stella Artois
7. MGD
8. Alexander Keith’s
9. Sleeman’s Honey Brown
10. Carlsberg
11. Grolsch
12. Innis and Gunn
13. Bowen Island Pale
14. Phoenix
15. St. Ambroise
16. Yanjing


ROUND ONE

1. Corona vs. 16. Yanjing
With descriptions like “bland” and “distinctly unimpressive” being bandied about, we had an upset right off the bat. Yanjing, the nosey, official beer of the 2008 Summer Games, knocked off B.C.’s top-selling beer.
Winner: Yanjing

2. Canadian vs. 15. St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale.
Hey, women watch football too. With that in mind, we included Quebec’s St. Ambroise, a beer quite popular with women, in the test. However, it was quickly stomped by the six-man, one-female panel. “This isn’t a Super Bowl beer; it smells like Katie’s perfume,” remarked one taster.
Winner: Canadian
3. Kokanee vs. 14. Phoenix
This match-up pitted the B.C. heavyweight and its furry mascot against a relatively unknown craft brew. It was as one-sided as Chewbacca wrestling an ewok ...
“This is a good, standard, hoser beer,” said one tester after quaffing some Kokanee.
Winner: Kokanee

4. Budweiser vs. 13. Bowen Island
Another heavyweight match-up, another one-sided victory. Though, curiously, after the test was over, the Bowen Island testers had disappeared. Budweiser quotable, courtesy of British expat and Province deputy sports editor Neville Judd: “It’s sassy!” Well, he’s British. What does he know about beer?
Winner: The King of Beers

5. Coors vs. 12. Innis and Gunn
The Silver Bullet took on the most expensive beer in our challenge, as I&G goes for around $3.50 a bottle at your local liquor store. It has a pleasant, oaky flavour — courtesy of six months of aging in an oak barrel. Said Katie, the lone female tester: “It’s smoking! And that’s a sexy bottle!”
Winner: Innis and Gunn

6. Stella Artois vs. 11. Grolsch
Chief Sports Editor Jonathan McDonald swears by Stella. In fact, it was a debate about its quality that sparked this little project of ours (“It’s swill,” declared Judd). So it was with great surprise when McDonald declared Stella was “rancid and awful” during the blind test.
Winner: Grolsch

7. MGD vs. 10. Carlsberg
A top-selling football beer against a top-selling footie beer. The domestic product won handily, sending the Danish ale back to Europe. Let’s hope the Liverpool fans don’t track us down.
Winner: MGD

8. Alexander Keith’s vs. 9. Sleeman’s Honey Brown
Two middleweights clashed in what promised to be a battle for the ages. Or, at least, a battle of the ages.
Whilst some younger tongues preferred the Keith’s, the elderly crowd had a penchant for the honey ale. Said the erstwhile Neville Judd: “It was like an angel crying on my tongue.”
Winner: Sleeman’s

ROUND TWO
With all the beers tasted, the second round went much quicker, with fewer comments — though that might have had to do with the pizzas arriving.

9. Sleeman’s vs. 16. Yanjiing
The Chinese beer couldn’t hold up to the amber manna; its strong nose put some out of joint.
Winner: Sleeman’s

2. Canadian vs. 7. MGD
The cold-filtered Miller was a cold-blooded killer in this one, dispatching its Canadian opponent in dominating fashion.
Winner: MGD

4. Kokanee vs. 11. Grolsch
Call Grolsch the Dutch “Budweiser,” as it is imported into North America by Anheiser-Busch. But they were not related to the King of Beers on this day ...
Winner: Kokanee, eh?

4. Budweiser vs. 12. Innis and Gunn
The smoky I&G had its hands full with Bud, though, thankfully, not one “whazzuuupp!” was heard during the test. Though a former CFLer who took part in the test did utter some choice — and unprintable — words after Bud advanced.
Winner: Budweiser

ROUND THREE (Semifinals)
By this point, the pizza and chips had been devoured, but our appetite to discover the truth for YOU, our readers, remained unsated. Undaunted by the lack of sustenance, we soldiered on.

Semifinals
4. Budweiser vs. 7. MGD
Some quick Bud facts: the King of Beers is descended from Budiwoyz in the-then Czechoslovakia, where it was called “Budweis”, or, “Of Budiwoyz.” It’s also brewed with rice, along with barley and hops, which apparently gives it a lighter taste.
Winner: MGD

3. Kokanee vs. 9. Sleeman’s
Sleeman’s was Canada’s largest owned and operated Canadian brewery until being sold to Japan’s Sapporo. The sweet honey nectar made sushi out of the Sasquatch on this day, advancing to the final.
Winner: Sleeman’s

ROUND FOUR
Final
9. Sleeman’s vs. 7. MGD
A note on Sleeman’s: Many of their products come in clear bottles. While this gives them a distinctive look, some have said that the taste can be affected by the exposure to light. Well, we didn’t think so.
By this time, having slogged through so many lighter-tasting beers, they all began to taste the same. But not Sleeman’s. It kept its refreshing taste throughout the marathon contest, meaning it should do you for the eight hours of Super Bowl coverage you’re going to watch today.
Winner: Sleeman’s Honey Brown

Yes, I am helping my building's property values plummet

I'd be interested to know what kind of reputation I am getting around the building here...
- Music thumping at 5:30 a.m. led to some thumping on my door at 5:30 a.m. ... whoops!
- Whipping in and out of the garage on my rice rocket...
- A dog that lets few people pet it, unless you have food. And even then, it's not a sure bet...
But I think this last one will definitely be making the rounds.
Scene: Saturday night. Just got home from work, mixed myself a little Van Gogh Espresso on the rocks while I get ready to head over to Dee's new night at The Bunker. I have barely touched it by the time I'm ready to go, and can't bring myself to just slam this drink. That would be an alcohol crime. It's made for sipping.
So, lacking any plastic cups, I settle for the next best thing- an empty yogurt container.
Merrily, I head on my way, press for the elevator, and merrily sip away.
(* door slams) Whaa? Oh, it's my neighbors, Terry and Dave .. and a few of their friends.
Nonchalantly slipping my cup to the side, I make idle chit chat, and joke about being "The New Guy" in the building.
"Say, what's that in your hand," says one, spying the conspicuously hidden container by my side.
"Oh, this?" I say absently. "It's just some (* ice cubes clink) trash. Garbage, you might say. Just going to, you know, toss it in the trash can. Where garbage goes. Outside."
"Are you SURE that's garbage?" he says pointedly.
Yeah. Busted. Drinking out of a yogurt container. Nothing quite as ghetto as that, methinks.
I was sure that, upon my arrival home, there would have been a stack of plastic cups with a little "welcome to the building" note.
Well, maybe there would have been, if it hadn't have been for that 5:30 a.m. music episode... but that's another story.

Oh, yeah...

And things like THIS are why I love non-North American sports so much. Hey Ocho Cinco... you listening?

Yes. He can.

The newsroom was empty, save me.
Just me, about 140 desks, and a tiny TV.
But the presence on this particular crappy Samsung was enough to fill the room.
"Yes, we can."
Yes, he can. And he did.
Obama is now president. A world breathes a sigh of relief. Change is coming... and change for the better.
There is no underestimating the massive scale of the task that now is at hand for Barack, and whether he can accomplish it or not, we cannot say. But his platform was built on inspiring the people, and the people are the ones who are going to bring an end to this era of despair.
This represents a real return to the ideals of democracy. Voter turnout was 90 percent in some states. Compare that to the apathetic nation I live in, where not even 60 percent made it to the polls.
Obama moves people. He inspires hope in them. He inspires them to be better.
Change has begun.

Wasssup?

Back in the day, the Whassup commerical was the biggest pop culture reference around. Well, they're back, all growed up, and not shilling Budweiser anymore...



In case you missed it: the original.. and Pt. II



And one for my Jewish brethren that never saw the light of day...