the.blog @scwleung

Wow…it’s been over half a year since I last blogged here. Seems like the months have come and gone as fast as the planes that fly our skies.

A lot has happened since the beginning of the year, and I feel like I’m slowly continuing my upward spiral into insanity…of the good variety. Let me share some of them with you.

• I picked up an iPad. It’s awesome and completely fits my mobile lifestyle more than a smartphone ever did. That said, I’ve also been sporting a Motorola Milestone, so I feel like I emit a personal EM field wherever I go.
• I’ve also started blogging for iPadinCanada.ca. It’s been a lot of fun so far. Feel free to check out my posts there too.
• I recently came back from Europe. A cruise trip that took me to Denmark, Estonia, Sweden, Finland and Russia. I’ll try to post a follow-up to that soon.
• I’m still continuing my voice lessons. In fact, I’ve got my lesson coming up in an hour or so.
• Here’s something that no one’s suspected. I’ve started taking dance lessons. Of the Latin and Ballroom variety. I even competed back in May. I have to admit that it’s pretty addictive and is one of the highlights of my after-work life.

So there you have it. a quick life update in under 300 words. Just wanted to make sure you know I’m alive and well, and I haven’t lost any love for you, my little blog. It’s just, you know, I’ve been busy. A life and all, I guess.

ciao. for now.

I saw this on the bus yesterday. I thought it was kinda funny.

Enjoy.

I always love open-ended questions, like the one that graces the title of this post and was asked Sunday at Games Day. The question burned in my mind for hours after I got home, and I may have come to a greater understanding of the scope of the question. The problem with this question lies with the timescale involved with the sitcom genre – that of over 40 years. During such a time, not only would socio-economic conditions change [the staple of sitcoms], but there would also be changes in technology and the way we entertain ourselves. As such, I am no longer surprised that we were unable to arrive at a common definition for this genre. Still, there is no reason not to keep poking at it and try to see what results.

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Over the weekend, a very very very close friend and I were discussing reality TV and how some [for example, The Mole], in her opinion, were better than other reality TV shows. As the discussion continued, it seemed that our very definition of reality TV differed quite a bit. This got me thinking…do we have a standard definition of what reality TV is or should be? How do you define reality TV and does that turn you [on/off] to the genre?

Insert Thought Here.

I’ll be honest. I am in no position to discuss television, the WGA strike, nor how I am personally impacted by what’s currently on TV. Afterall, even though I own a TV set, I’m too cheap to hook up cable, not to mention that the TV is safely packed away in a box in the living room. Hell, I’ll openly admit that I download certain TV shows from the intertubes, and I’m not ashamed of it. If the traditional media industry didn’t smarten up to new media or even the prospects of delivering programming in other ways, then I think they deserve to get burned, much like they are now. Read the rest of this entry »

With my current state [of joblessness], I have begun learning some tips and tricks to stave off my boredom and to fill my days with…well…things. While most of them is pretty innocent [building computers, learning about the stock markets, rekindling my love of marathon TV show viewings], there is one dark insidious act that I have previously avoided like the plague. “What is this darkness that has consumed him?” you may ask. Find out after the jump.

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A relative quick observation on UAE.

They like their things big. In all sense of the word.

They also tend to concentrate on the big picture, which unfortunately lets the details fall by the wayside.

That is all…please continue with your daily schedules.

In the past few days, I’ve had the opportunity to observe differences between North American and Hong Kong culture. Here’s a quick summary: Read the rest of this entry »

As mentioned before, Deputy Governor David Longworth of the Bank of Canada gave a talk on Inflation Targetting approach as the most sustainable economic policy. While I know there are PowerPoint slides floating out there, I’ve yet to find them. Once I do, I’ll post them here.

Here are my thoughts on the talk and the policy overall.

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But since I feel a little tired, I’ll let it slide into nothingness.

The weekend has been somewhat ok – wish I had gotten more work done. However, since a number of classes I’ve prepped for this past week has been postponed to this week, I find myself content with my current lazy state.

I decided to skip FASS again this year (like I do every year), and instead hit up the UpStart Festival. While I usually don’t try to be snobbish about things, I find myself being completely snobbish with theatre. I think I’ll blame my high school upbringing.

I attended the Saturday night show, which allowed me to catch a few good shows including The Wrong Play and my good friend Mike K’s work Interviewing Stu. It was a pretty good night of student productions. They still have another weekend left in production, so I encourage you all to check it out.