Prison Break Season 2, Episode 9

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: LJ is a moron. In this episode, LJ’s stupidity has first allowed an unsuspecting cashier to ID Lincoln so they had to ditch their Crossfire and later get both of them caught by the Feds. Other things that happen in this episode is Mahone learning about Michael’s secret stash of explosives stashed in the Utah botanical gardens which resulted in Scofield coming close to capture. After his escape he learned from the news that Mahone had killed Tweener and he had full access to his old hard drives. With those pieces of information in mind, Michael went to look up all the dirt he could find on Mahone on the Internet, including his previous addresses, his ex-wife and other information.

After extracting the relevant information on the internet, he visited Mahone’s ex-wife as an FBI agent under the pretext of a background check. From this discussion we learn that Mahone was obsessed with hunting Shales and snapped around mid-June, which forced his ex-wife and son to leave him. Based on the discussion of Mahone obsessively creating a backyard garden, Michael deduces that he had killed Shales and buried his corpse in his own backyard. He then steals the ex-wife’s cellphone and threatens the agent, but not before Mahone tells him he knows his rendezvous point.

C-Note is making a move to get his wife and daughter away from the Feds with help from his posse. After a frantic chase in the carnival and elementary school, C-Note is reunited with his wife and daughter but is uncertain what to do now that they are all on the run. Meanwhile, Sara has finally cracked Michael’s code and took an overnight trip to New Mexico to meet him in Gila.

T-Bag on the other hand, has the $5 million stashed in a bus terminal and plans to take revenge on his ex-girlfriend for turning him. But he arrives to an empty house, whose homeowner moved out the moment he escaped with the others and is met by Bellwick who knocks him out. The former prison then starts torturing T-Bag by stitchings his “bad” hand in the hopes of finding where the money is stashed.

LJ is still an idiot.

Rutgers Defeats UConn on ESPN HD!!!

OMFG! OMFG! Rutgers defeated UConn again live tonight and it was covered on ESPN HD!  It was amazing watching all the live coverage on my HDTV and seeing the Rutgers Stadium packed with fans.  It was unfortunate that Rice got injured near the end of the fourth quarter but Rutgers managed to win despite all the bold moves by UConn’s Freshman Quarterback.  The first half had Rutgers leading with 17 points with UConn gaining 13 points in the 3rd quarter.  However, Rutgers managed to end the game 23-13 against UConn and they are still undefeated.  It’s amazing what budget cut threats from Corzine and talented players can do for Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

It’s been a slow weekend today overall.  I made an attempt to install the multiplayer pack for FEAR, but the file downloaded form Sierra was damaged as is the demo version of Need for Speed Carbon.  The PS3 is coming out next week, so I will need to keep at least $1k to ensure I have enough to purchase the main console, accessories and launch games.  I honestly believe that Sony will have a shortage just as they did when the PS2 first came out despite the high price points and the lack of compelling launch titles.

I only wished that Dynasty Warriors BB was available in North America and on either the PC or PS3.  It would be nice to play as my own character in an MMO Tactical Action game alongside other players from Asia.  I had downloaded the demo and the game looks quite impressive and it is unfortunate that it is only available in Japan at this time.

I look forward to watching the Borat movie when it comes out this week.

Good Times at Halloween Party

Woke up today at 2:00 PM after a much-needed sleep from a long week at work.  Much of what remained of the day was spent watching channel surfing on the newly installed digital cable system.  One notable show was on PBS hosted by the author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” called Rich Dad’s Guide to Wealth with Robert Kiyosaki.  In it he makes the following points:

1. Start managing your finances with a balance sheet

2. Think of Assets as anything that provides passive income

3. Think of Liabilities as anything that removes income

4. Measure wealth in the amount of funds that will sustain you for a period of time

5. Ensure your expense are less than your incoming income

He also makes a point that 401(k) and Social Security will not help upon retirement.  Most of his advice is information every conscious individual should know and the bulk of the programme did not give any concrete advice on security wealth.  He insinuated that investing in real estate instead of equities, savings and bonds is much better than diversifying, which is just retarded in my opinion.  It appears that much of his recent success is motivating people to change their way of using money and cleverly using whatever channels to market his ideas such as a PBS seminar for one.

I then saw another advocacy documentary titled  “America: From Freedom to Fascism” question the legality of the federal income tax.  The documentary first explores the history of the federal income tax and talks with individuals that are against the income tax, who point out that there is no explicit law defining income or enforcing an income tax.  The findings in this documentary imply that it is voluntary to pay a federal income tax and it is not illegal to not file a 1040.  The movie then goes on about how the Federal Reserve System is actually controlled by an anonymous network of private American banks that produce money for the federal government for a fee, which is repaid through the federal income tax.  Then somehow, this documentary goes on to talk about National IDs destroying what little privacy remained for Americans and that the Federal Reserve System is a stepping stone for private bankers to achieve their quest of a One World Government.

With both programmes in mind, I will make it an effort to free myself from debt and ensure that private bankers will not control me by achieving financial independence.

The Halloween party came on really short notice when I received a message from Steven about it.  Made my way to New Brunswick where I saw Ian, Neelesh, Darren and Steven.  It’s been a while since I saw those guys since the last party in July.  Unfortunately, by the time I arrived they only had Coors light for a keg, and I didn’t know anyone who was there besides them and not even the host knew who some of the party goers were either.  I had a good time overall and it was good to see them.

Top Gear’s Hammond looks ‘fighting fit’ as he strolls with family

26/10/06 - TV & showbiz section

Top Gear’s Hammond looks ‘fighting fit’ as he strolls with family

Strolling in the sunshine with his wife and daughter it is hard to believe that only five weeks ago Richard Hammond was fighting for his life.

The Top Gear star showed he was continuing to go from strength to strength as he went on his first family outing.

An onlooker said: “He looked amazing. He looked fighting fit and as if he was back to his old self again.”

Hammond, who almost died after a high-speed car crash, took a shopping trip close to his home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire with his wife Mindy, 35, and one of his young daughters.

This week he revealed how he was left “utterly bonkers” by injuries from the accident, which happened as he was trying break the 300mph British land speed record.

The father of two said that the damage to his brain caused him “terrifying mental anguish.”

He told how he had “flatlined” in hospital as he hovered near death and has repeatedly burst into tears and suffered “private breakdowns” since the crash.

Hammond, 36, was left in a coma after the Vampire rocket car he was driving at 288mph suddenly careered off the track and flipped over several times at Elvington airfield, near York.

It is thought a tyre may have burst.

The television star was taken by air ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary where doctors battled to save his life.

However the day after the accident Hammond, who is nicknamed Hamster by his co-presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May, astonished friends and colleagues when he managed a smile.

And 30 hours after the accident he took his first faltering steps.

Hammond has attributed his speedy recovery to the brain-healing powers of Lego.

“The doctor was amazed at how good I am at it. It’s really good therapy for a brain injury. Brilliant for spacial awareness,” he said in an interview with the Daily Mirror.

That’s good news.  According to Jeremy Clarkson, they expect the new series of Top Gear to be on air around early to mid-January of 2007 assuming that Richard Hammond will be fully recovered by then after making the most of this situation.  I really do look forward to the new series as Fifth Gear’s new format is extremely disappointing and alienating me from the original Fifth Gear I followed during the college days.  They really need to get back on air soon before anymore show footage is leaked on the internet, now that I know the new Caterham has knocked out the CCX out of the top spot in the power board rankings.

Yep. That’s right.

So I’ve been dumped a research project to call up all Associate Members to find their lead sources and their views on the service so far.  Its mixed with some Members having problems while others are just loving it for our tech support.  Work is becoming routine to an extent where I train some clients, do minor admin work, random projects, and then go online during downtime.  After work, its the gym then home for downloaded films, shows and comics for that week.  I find that sometimes the weekend can be very random depending on the plans made at the beginning of the week and on others’ availability.

At times it does feel like I am isolated from the boredom that I am blocking off through leisurely activities and attempts to spend time with friends.  Other times, the fact that Rutgers is across the street from my office can get to me, knowing that the good bad and ugly are still just a block away.  When I first started work, I usually got up early, ate breakfast and caught the 9:15 train to work.  Now, I just squeeze as much time as I can in bed, skip breakfast and catch the 8:41 train to work.  Again, I feel the way I think; if I think my life sucks I will feel like crap.

There were people I can talk to about these matters; but they have either changed, went away or out of the country.  Kathleen is just dependent on me as a substitute for her Scott, Will is Willmon, and the rest are either changing or just off-the-grid.  I am bitter that my sister would actually have the nerve to give me false promises and then screw me over at the very last minute because of snap decisions.  She just tells me to go with the flow, but she has no fucking clue how much bullshit I have had to deal with in this jerkoff state.

On another note, my uncle has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy to treat it.  There is much more to this than most people know but I will leave it at that.

It is not recommended to go looking for love for it will lead to despair and dead ends. The best way to approach this problem is to just meet new people as much as possible.  Maybe something will click or not.  Looking for love will attract the wrong people who will use you or simply take you for granted.

New Jersey still sucks. Cannibal Holocaust the film is very disturbing on many levels.

Taiwan MP in ‘tear gas’ protest

Taiwan MP in ‘tear gas’ protest

By Caroline Gluck BBC News, Taipei

A Taiwanese legislator could face disciplinary action after spraying what appeared to be tear gas during a parliamentary committee hearing. Independent legislator Lee Ao, who was trying stop debate on a controversial arms bill, also pulled out a stun gun.

Mr Lee caused a commotion after putting on a mask and spraying gas from an aerosol canister into the packed room.

Although his actions worked to block the discussions, he could be suspended for violating safety regulations.

“I’m an old man and I can risk my life,” said Mr Lee, 71, who is also a candidate in the mayoral elections in Taipei in December.

He then brandished a stun gun, setting off a warning alarm.

‘Political maverick’

Some legislators were clearly shocked; others laughed, while more started coughing and began running towards windows and the exit doors.

After all the commotion, the committee then blocked discussion of the arms bill, which has been held up for the past two years.

The bill would allow billions of dollars of arms to be purchased from the United States.

The opposition parties have argued that the multi billion dollar arms purchase of submarines and anti-submarine aircraft from the United States is unnecessary and too costly.

Analysts have warned that Taiwan needs to boost its defence spending to prevent the military balance shifting further in China’s favour.

While Lee Ao’s antics appear to have succeeded, they have left some legislators furious.

He could now be referred to a parliamentary disciplinary committee, which has the power to suspend him if it rules that he has violated safety regulations.

Mr Lee is often described as a political maverick.

He is a respected writer and a popular television personality, well known for his acerbic comments and controversial views.

But his latest actions, which have now become headline news, are being seen by many as a step too far.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/6081738.stm

Published: 2006/10/24 16:59:58 GMT

© BBC MMVI

A Taiwanese filibuster is defined as a legislator blocking debate by simply attacking the entire legislative body with tear gas and a stun gun.  The Taiwanese filibuster is stopped when the said legislator is forcefully subdued by the opposition with fists and weapons, which is called Taiwanese cloture.  These are some of the interesting processes that define a Taiwanese parliamentary processes.

A fistfight between two Taiwanese legislatures is also known as a Taiwanese debate whereby the winner of the debate is the last man standing.

Prison Break Season 2, Episode 8

It was a cheap trick by Michael and Sucre to pocket most of the money away from T-Bag. It was a relief that Sucre is still the cool one and not a prick in spite of all the reverse psychology by that cop. However, Sucre stole the wrong pack, which allowed T-Bag to slip out of the house unnoticed with the $5 million. However, Michael and Sucre managed to get $5000 and are trapped in the town as police begin searching for them. They manage to after getting themselves out of a river and the episode ends with Sucre learning his girl rejected Hector.

Meanwhile, Lincoln has made his way down to Arizona to get LJ and avoid detection from the Company. He does this by paying the local druggie to pick a fight with his son, which would send him to the local hospital and give him a chance to finally retrieve him.

Sara, on the other hand was able to get away from the suicide attempt and fight her way out her apartment. She then contacts her father’s aide and gives out her location; only for a poor girl to get caught in a Company drive-by. Scared and realising they are all a part of it she begins cracking Michael’s puzzles and unfortunately she left the last crane at home.

T-Bag got away with all the money and is on his way to get revenge from that woman who turned him in while Belliwick starts tracking him down. All this happens while Mahone is getting grilled by Internal Affairs but is stopped by the Company. In this episode we learn that Mahone is a trained operative who quickly rose in the Company’s ranks for being a killer and is also serving under Kellerman under orders to kill all the Fox River escapees.

Cars, Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society and The Queen

Movies seen this weekend were “Cars”, “Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society”, and “The Queen”.  The movies rating from the best to the worst were “The Queen”, “Cars”, and “Solid State Society”.

Cars is a Pixar film detailing the importance of friendship, sportsmanship, and values through the eyes of an ambitious, and self-centered racecar who is stuck in a rural town on Route 66 after an accident.  There Lightning McQueen meets a Porsche 911, some old cars, and Paul Newman who later serves as his mentor in his major race.  Some interesting bits in the movie were Volkswagen beetles were bugs, Michael Schumacher makes a cameo as a Ferrari F430 along with some Maserati Quattroportes, one of the characters was actually a customised Isetta, and the only real villains in the movie were rival racer voiced by Michael Keaton and some riced up imports.  Overall, it was a fun film to watch and it was quite funny when they made Cars version of Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Monsters Inc.  For some reason, they had Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear voice Lightning McQueen’s agent in the UK version of the film…

“Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society” was a direct-to-DVD film that takes place after the second season of the TV series.  The movie takes places 2 years after the refugee crisis with Motoko leaving Section 9 with Togusa taking her place.  This movie largely dealt with the series’ version of the Puppet Master along with the subplot of abducted children, neglected pensioners, and the societal impact of changing technologies.  The national issues that were presented in the film were about the ongoing problems of Japan’s low birthrate, the growing burdens that pensioners have on the state, how to deal with neglected/abused children, and the impact of innovation.  Some technological issues explored in the film dealt with the concept of rhizomes where unconscious minds connected over cyberspace, the problems of cybernetic implants in young children and the dilemmas of personal privacy once one becomes permanently wired to the Internet.

The major twist of the movie was that the Puppet Master was actually a digital copy of Motoko that was influenced by her past experiences using the identity of a dead bureaucrat.  This warped copy wanted to resolve Japan’s issues after being exposed to the vastness of cyberspace and splitting off from Motko’s original ghost.  Batou and the Tachikomas later covered this fact up for Motoko’s benefit.  The fansub for the film was quite shitty in my opinion since they failed to translate every piece of dialogue and some of the words did not properly match the translation given the dialogue’s context.

“The Queen” starring Helen Mirren, gives a behind-the-scenes look of how Queen Elizabeth and the then newly-elected Tony Blair dealt with Princess Diana’s death in the summer of 1997.  In the film, the Queen decides to follow tradition by not delivering a public statement or response to Diana’s death since she was no longer a HRH and because the Spencer family wanted a private funeral.  Tony Blair with help from his aides, decided to publicly address the nation and tries to advise the Queen on how to handle the situation.  During this entire period, Prince Charles was portrayed to have been increasingly fearful of reprisals for somehow indirectly bringing about the events that led to her horrific death and spending time with his sons.

The film also explores the conflict the Elizabeth II has over royal tradition, represented by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen Mother, and the need to adapt to changing values as evidenced by Prince Charles and Tony Blair.  Additionally, the film also deals with the larger struggle over the influence of the monarchy versus the elected government over the British people with Tony Blair and the Queen struggling to find a proper solution to deal with Diana’s death.  The conflict eventually reaches its height when Blair directly informs the Queen that her approval ratings were at a point where 1 in 4 Britons wanted to abolish the Monarchy and with Blair acting on his Constitutional duty to protect the monarchy by giving precise instructions to the Queen on how to address the people.

“The Queen” also highlights Tony Blair’s strong loyalty and respect for Queen Elizabeth while his aides and wife supported abolishing the monarchy.  At the end of the entire ordeal, Elizabeth II become stronger person who is more open among her subjects and slightly more proactive in dealing with national affairs.  Ironically, the Queen informs Tony Blair that he will face extremely negative press that she experienced during Diana’s death at some point in his career over his actions. Other points the film makes are that Elizabeth II was a very strong and independent woman as a result of her experiences in World War II and is continuously torn between her duties as the Head of State and being wife,  daughter, mother and grandmother.

Fuck Noodle Gourmet

It was a rather uneventful day at work today except I woke up late and forgot to wear my belt to work.  Other than that it was relatively peaceful and I went to eat out with Kathleen late at night at Denny’s.  Scott just IMed out of the blue just now asking about my availability for Kathleen’s Surprise B-Day party in late November when it’s still a month away.  I really would like to see Amy Tan used for bayonet practise and burned alive because she did a great disservice to Asian-American males by portraying them all as wicked and feeble based on her limited experience with them while valourising the White Man as the White Knight that would sweep the exotic Asian woman away to a life of eternal bliss and great feng shui.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to meet new people.  This could be one of the reasons why I am always eager to get out of New Jersey to have a good time and I try to meet people who are as foreign as possible.  Scott still thinks I am a raging alcoholic, and I almost did thanks to my heart being pulverised by Kathleen last year and that bitch Jackie the year before.  I find this entry amusing because I am spewing anger without the need for alcohol and it is out of genuine anger and spite.  It looks like I really am tapping into my Inner Taiwanese to draw out all this spite, arrogance and anger.

Taiwan Province is indeed an unruly province and harmful to the Chinese spirit.

韓半島（한반도） – Hanbando

Yesterday, I saw a Korean movie titled “Hanbando” starring An Sungki, who plays the ROK President, in an action film set in the near future. In this world, Japan has completely scrapped the American Constitution and remilitarised with Koizumi is a bigger asshole who is still in power while the Koreas are making progress in unification talks. However, China is revising their history in response to Korean irredentism and to reflect their new vision of a multi-ethnic China. The conflict arises in this film when Japan stops the two Koreans from reopening the 京義線 which would not only reconnect the Korean peninsula but would increase regional trade/influence in China and Russia.

The Japanese government is able to stop the reopening of the Gyeongui line because it claimed perpetuity over the railway based on unjust treaties signed by the Joseon dynasty. The ROK at first refuses to recognise such a treaty until the United States officially sides with Japan due to their dislike of Korean unification and because China and Russia are reluctant to get into a fight with America over this Korean-Japanese dispute. The ROK President attempts to find a solution to this dispute which could allow Japan to claim other Korean economic assets due to this plothole (the Joseon-era treaties signed with Japan were no longer valid when Japan was defeated in the Second World War) but he is pressured by his Japanophilic Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers to give into Japanese demands.

The film advances as a maverick historian presents the President with allegations that King Gojong used a fake imperial seal to sign all the Japanese treaties, thus invalidating any Japanese claims. The scene is set for the maverick historian and his bumbling sidekick to find the real imperial seal to prove that all Joseon era treaties were signed with a fake seal against a Japanophilic rival who wishes to disprove the existence of such a seal at any cost. While this is happening, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force decides to move their fleet closer to disputed waters on the East Sea forcing the Korean president to dispatch the ROK fleet to intercept them and issue a presidential decree to besiege the Japanese embassy in Seoul.

All this action occurs with flashbacks to King Gojong’s final moments as the independent sovereign of the Korean Empire from witnessing the death of Queen Min to being pressured by royal officials into becoming a Japanese protectorate. However, the real villains are not the Japanese dispute all the historical rhetoric, but the Japanophilic Koreans who wish to continue being dependent on America and Japan. At one point in the film our Japanophilic rival manages to catch up with the maverick historian and tries to kill him until he hears his long lecture on Korean pride, what the seal represents for Korea’s future and Korean traitors, which then causes him to change his views. This was further reinforced when he starts questioning the nature of his objectives when he was having dinner with the Japanophilic Prime Minister and two Korean elders who were implied to have been Japanese collaborators during the colonial era.

Speaking of traitors, the Japanophilic Prime Minister had the President poisoned as tensions were escalating with Japan. After he is officially sworn in as acting President, the treacherous Prime Minister decides to hold a joint summit with Japan with the intention of recognising all Japanese claims to Korean properties in the Joseon-era treaties and place the ROK under martial law, effectively turning South Korea into a de facto Japanese protectorate. Several Korean ministers resign in protest and team up with our maverick historian to continue the search for the real Imperial seal, which they eventually find.

After finding the seal, they then restore the President’s health and blackmail the Japanese by first having their historians verify the authenticity of the seal and the validity of the Joseon-era treaties. Once they learn the truth, the President pressures the Japanese officials into publicly relinquishing all demands to Korea economic assets, acknowledging their wartime atrocities and for the need to make amends with all their East Asian neighbours. Now that the main conflict is resolved, the Japanophilic Prime Minister resigns in disgrace and warns the President that South Korea will have problems surviving without US-Japanese influence and of the dangers of reunification. The President tells him he is wrong and future generations will continue fighting over these opposing viewpoints. The End.