Don Khuth Chronicles

Transformers 2 blew my mind! I don’t care what the critics say, or what the reviewers thing of it, the movie was so bad ass that it was super totally freaking’ awesome! Say what you want about Michael Bay’s directing style but the man knows how to blow things up. I haven’t read any reviews but from what I hear, people are saying that it received bad review. To anyone who gave Transformers 2 a bad review, I say to them, “Kekekekuke!”

If you’re afraid of spoilers, I would suggest that you don’t read this because I can’t guarantee that I won’t slip up. If you haven’t seen the movie before reading this, I would suggest you run out and watch it. And when I saw run, you run!

The movie opened Tuesday but there was no way that I would have made it to that show since I had an exam the next day. But at the same time, it was hard to studying knowing that the new movie was out and I was stuck at home studying for an exam. It’s hard to concentrate when your mind is elsewhere.

This movie was just insanely jammed pack with non-stop action. I can’t remember much of the dialog that went on but I remember the action sequence. When the DVD comes out, I can see myself watching this over and over and over again. I don’t think I can ever get sick and tired of giant robots walking around and transforming into vehicles.

If you’re not too familiar with the history of Transformers, the sequel doesn’t spend too much time explaining each individual characters. There were a lot of Autobot and Decepticons running around but very little time to introduce them. I knew a free from them from the series but since a lot of them have changed their vehicle mode form, it’s hard to tell who’s who. Heck, I’m so used to see Devastator in a certain form that I didn’t even recognized him in the trailers. When I saw the Contructicons in the movie combine to become Devastator, that’s when I realized that it was him. And Devastator has some huge balls in this movie. I couldn’t stop laughing at it.

Speaking of which, I think the robots had more human like traits this time around. When Sam was leaving for college, Bumblebee was crying windshield washer fluid. When each robot was being destroyed, they leaked fluid. They even went as far as given them breath. When Megatron was speaking, you can see his breath because it was so cold.

Before going to watch the movie, I read up on a few rumours that were running out. The one that caught my attention was the idea that Optimus will be combining with Jetfire. Optimus is my favourite character and I have a few of his figurines but the ones that I love are the ones where he combines with another Autobot. I was really interested in seeing how they were going to animated the combination sequence. But let me tell you, I was on the edge of my seat in awe when I saw it. Optimus Prime couldn’t look any more awesome than that. The movie could have ended like that and I would have gone home happy.

If you’re like me and love action movies because of the action, you won’t be disappointed. Maybe there were some plot holes in the movie but I didn’t remember much of it. I think Jenn had a lot of questions because the movie didn’t explain everything. The special effects were crazy awesome. I think they went all out on this one. The movie appears to be aimed more towards the older crowd this time. Heck, Optimus called one of the Decepticons a bitch after he destroyed him. Even the humour was more mature. It’s not something that every kid will laugh at. I’m sure that they’ll be in awe with the transformation sequence but they’ll stay quiet during the jokes.

My youngest brother recently graduated from middle school on Monday and will be going to high school in September. He’s the youngest of five boys so he gets spoiled rotten. I even find myself treating him a lot better than the other guys. But he’s getting to that age where he has to stop getting hand out from his older brothers. We give him many things from games to money but eventually he has to learn to get all of that on his own.

By the time I was his age, I was working the odd jobs here and there. I worked on the farm during the summer to earn spending money so I wouldn’t have to ask my parents for allowance. The jobs that I did weren’t hard but they were tedious. I would be up by 5:00am to get to work for 7:00am. I learned the value of hard work during those summers and I was proud that I was earning something on my own. Some of the jobs were piece work where you would get paid by how much you actually work. For example, picking strawberries. The owner of the farm would pay so much per basket so depending on how much you picked, you could earn quite a bit of money.

My youngest brother, Kevin doesn’t work right now. At least I don’t think he’s working. He spends most of his time outside playing sports with his friends or indoors playing Call of Duty on Xbox Live. I tried to teach him the value of a dollar but I failed at it because I was spoiling him too much. A couple of Christmases ago, I told him that I’d help him get an Xbox 360 if he did some chores around the house. If he took out the garbage every week, I would give him $5. I agree that $5/week is a lot for five minutes of work. I’m not sure what I was thinking but I might have to try this again with a lower amount.

Now that he’ll be going into high school, I’ve recommended to him that he starts saving for college now. Kevin’s a good kid and he understands the concept of saving up to buy things but it’s the concept of saving over the long run that he doesn’t quite grasp yet. Usually, he’ll save up for a video game and once he has enough, he’ll go out to the store and buy it. But lately, I’ve been conveying to him that the idea of gaming can be placed on hold when it comes to his education. Of course, he being a gamer made a remark that he could get a job as a game tester. If he’s lucky enough to find a job that will pay him to test games, good for him. But I told him that testing games should be a backup plan to finishing his education.

He has four years of high school and if he starts saving now, he’ll have enough to start post secondary. I’ve been putting a little bit aside for him and Tonee but my saving alone will not be enough to pay for all of his schooling. I’ve been saving for about two years now so Kevin has $2,383.70 allocated to him so by the time he’s done high school, I’ll have enough to help him out with first year’s tuition because after that, he’s on his own.

I’ll continue to hammer the idea of savings into his brain and I hope that he’ll learn to save now and more so in the future. Everyone knows that there will always be a case where you will need cash for emergency but hardly anyone is willing to save up for it. It doesn’t hurt to start saving young because compound interest is your friend.

When I dine in at a restaurants, no matter now fancy it is, I tend to leave a 20% tip to the waiter or waitress. I rarely get bad services at the restaurant that I attend so 20% is a fair amount for good service. I’m often tempted to leave nothing at all for bad service but some of the wait staff makes most of their money on tips so it’s best to leave a little.

In Hong Kong, there are a few restaurants that enforce a mandatory 20% tipping system. So no matter what you’re ordering or how bad your service is, you have to tip 20%. I disagree with that completely because it is not fair. It’s seems like the management team refuses to pay their employees what they deserve so they give the tab to the customers. I will pay for good service and so will a lot of other people. It’s the good service that will bring me back to that restaurant and the bad service that will steer me away.

I visited a few bars and pub while I was in Hong Kong and every one of them had a service charge. I don’t think it takes a lot of effort to open a beer cap but apparently some of them think that it’s worth a 20% service charge. That’s the lifestyle there and I guess that’s what everyone expects when they go to bars.

This past weekend, Jenn and I visited a restaurant in Olde Stoney Creek called the Village Restaurant. I’ve gone there once before but that was a long time ago. My first impression of it was that the customer service was great. We didn’t wait long to be seated and our food was promptly prepared. This time around, I’d have to say that the service was terrible.

Jenn and I had to wait about twenty minutes before were seated. There were a couple of seats available that could occupy two people but those seats were left unattended. And when we did get seated, we didn’t even get a menu. I had to get up and get a menu from the front counter. Luckily, it was within arm’s reach or else we wouldn’t have ordered anything for a long time. The lady that seated us told us to have a seat and then took off. If it wasn’t for the coffee guy, I would have probably left.

We arrived at the restaurant at 11:00am but didn’t get seated until 11:30am and didn’t give our order until 12:00pm. That’s a pretty long time to wait for breakfast. I understand that it was busy but it wouldn’t have been as bad if we were given the basic items as we were seated like a menu and a drink.

I’ve been there before but Jenn hasn’t so she doesn’t know what they’re offering. You can assume that they’re serving common breakfast items but with some places you can’t be sure. Even with a menu, it was another ten minutes before we could give our orders. I’m not sure what was going on but the waitress was tending to the other part of the restaurant more often than the part that we were seated in.

After we gave our orders, it would be another fifteen minutes or so before we received our food. I must have finished my coffee already before the food came. By then, I didn’t have much of an appetite. Part way through our meal, the waitress came back and took our ketchup bottle and she did it in a rude manner as well. She didn’t even bother to ask if we were finished with it. She walked over and as she was speaking with someone else, reach in, grabbed the bottle and took it somewhere. I had some fries left that I had planned on dipping into some ketchup but since I didn’t have any, I didn’t feel like eating the fries.

There’s a good chance that I will not be going back there for breakfast. I like to try new places to see what it’s like and I’ll return to those that provide good service but after what happened on the weekend, I don’t think I want to go back there again. It is a little bit out of my way to get there but I thought the drive and the atmosphere would be nice. Breakfast can be a pretty hectic time for restaurants but I’m sure that if they knew that, they’d be well prepared with staff. I think for now, I’ll stick with my regular restaurant where it’s nice and quiet.

It’s been a while since I’ve had a challenging puzzle to work on. I’m able to solve the Rubik’s Cube but I’ve been doing that since high school and I think it’s time for something new. I’ve always been a fan of puzzle and I’m always up for a good challenge. I like those puzzles that get your brain ticking so much that you can’t sleep at night.

I came across a puzzle while spending countless hours on The Awesomer. The shiny sphere got my eye but its purpose caught my attention. The sphere, known as the Isis Impossible Puzzle is beautifully crafted and appears to be a work of art rather than a puzzle. Hidden inside the puzzle is either a gold or silver coin so if you can open crack the code, you’re rewarded for it.

But the reward isn’t all there is to it. The Isis is only one of five puzzles. Together, they are part of a series known as the Isis Adventure. It’s a little pricey but it would be cool to own. Well, it’d be cool depend how much of a geek you are. So to me, it’s cool! You can get one from their website for $175 US or so. I want to get one but not right now. The pressure is on though because they have a limited supply. Last time I checked, they were down to 69 puzzles.

I like getting stuff, especially when I don’t have to pay for it. The Internet is a great source to get free stuff. You just have to know where to look for it. I get a few things in the mail, some of which are nothing to brag about but nonetheless, they’re free.

Today, I received a free t-shirt from Irish Springs. They had a new promotion for their new body wash and I managed to get onto their site in time for their promotion offer.

1/80 sec | f4 | 55mm

1/125 sec | f6.3 | 55mm

These are purple Alliums that are sitting on my front lawn. They bloom every spring which is nice since I don’t have to do much to take care of them. They get watered when it rains and that seems to be enough.

Hong Kong is starting to become my home away from home. I don’t spend enough time there to make it my home but Jenn’s here so it feels like home already. The life in Hong Kong is very different from that in Canada and I must say that things there is a lot better. Anyone who travels the world has to stop by Hong Kong because it has much to offer. There’s a lot of culture there so it seems like it’s giving you a taste of every other Asian countries.

My first impression of Hong Kong was that it was wet and foggy most of the time. I wanted to go around and take lots of pictures of everything but sometimes I couldn’t because the fog was covering everything. The smog was probably caused by all of the taxis, buses and cars. I couldn’t take pictures of landscapes because I could barely see them and maybe because they’re far away too but there were times when I couldn’t take my camera with me because it was raining. During my first visit to Hong Kong, it rained when my flight landed which I thought was a bad sign. Throughout that vacation, the weather was a bit chilly which was kind of odd. Usually, it would be cold for a day or two and then it would be warm again. People were saying that maybe I brought the Canadian weather over with me when I landed. When I left Hong Kong that time, the weather was warm again.

The longer I stayed in Hong Kong and the more I visit, the more I started to see that it was a lot better than Canada in many ways. The transit system is a lot more advanced because it’s geared towards convenience. Plus there are a lot of people on this island and you can’t have people just idling around doing nothing. I’ve noticed that it’s a very fast pace country where people are always on the move. My recent trip was for three weeks but we did a lot in those three weeks that the time just flew.

Even the shopping mall has a lot more to offer. The market is swarming with people looking for a good deal. I think Hong Kong is like one giant shopping mall. There are shopping malls everywhere. From the moment you step off the subway to the time you board the plane. Even the New Territories are starting to have shopping malls built.

The tourist attractions are enough to keep anyone busy for at least a week or so. Even though this is my third time here, there are still parts of Hong Kong that I haven’t seen yet. There’s always something new around every corner. The first time I was there, it was all about doing the tourist thing. The second time I was there it was more about getting to know people. But during this stay, I’ve had a chance to doing a little of both plus experience some of the night life. And the night life is just as busy as the day time. I think I must have drank more there than I’ve drank in the last five years.

From my understanding, it seemed like Hong Kong had a district for just about everything. If you wanted to buy flowers, you can go to the flower market to purchase flowers at an amazingly low price. I bought half a dozen roses for Jenn for $25 Hong Kong dollars which works out to be about $4 Canadian. If you wanted to buy computer parts, there’s a district that has computers parts at wholesale prices. There’s a place called Time Square were the stores sells… watches. Well, there’s a lot more there than watches but at least it stuck with the theme and sold watches.

The public transit system makes going to places a breeze. You can go from one side of Hong Kong to the other with ease. Taking the tram cost $2 HKD ($0.30 CAD). They have a subway system that will allow you to go just about anywhere. The wait for the next subway isn’t that long. Getting around Hong Kong is probably a lot easier than getting around in Hamilton or New York. Even if you don’t speak Cantonese, there are enough signs in English that you don’t need to speak Cantonese. Even time I got lost, I simply looked for the MTR logo and headed towards that.

The speed of operation in Canada is far below standard. Everywhere you go, you have to wait for things. Sometimes you wait five minutes and other times you can wait over an hour for things. In Hong Kong, the wait is kept to a minimum. After seeing how the two countries operation, I’d have to say that Canada is inferior to Hong Kong in a lot of different aspect. Anyone with ADD would be cured if they were here.

When I landed in Hong Kong, I had to make a stop at customs for them to check out my passport and stuff. The line was very long so I thought I was going t be standing around for an hour or so. To my surprise, I got to the front of the line fair quickly. From the time I got in line to the time my passport was stamp, it took ten minutes. If there’s a really long time, the workers will direct you to another area where the line is shorter. In Canada, I was waiting for an hour before I got to the front of the line and the line wasn’t even that long. There were at about ten custom agents working at the time but it still took a long time. The reason why they took so long in Canada is because they’re busy asking you questions. “What did you come from? Why did you go there? What did you bring back? Why did you bring it back?” In Hong Kong, they look at you, compare you to the mug shot on your passport and send you on your merry way. I wasn’t even a citizen of this country and they didn’t bother to question me.

By the time I was done with customs, my luggage was waiting for me at baggage claim. In Canada, it’s the other way around. I had to wait over thirty minutes for my luggage to get transported to the conveyor belt. I think that’s unacceptable. I waited in line at customs for an hour and my luggage hasn’t even arrived yet. In Hong Kong, I waited in customs for ten minutes and my luggage is already waiting for me.

While I was in Hong Kong, a lot of people were recommending that I move out to Hong Kong. It’s not an easy decision to make because there’s a lot at stake. Jenn doesn’t mine supporting me while I’m there but something about my tradition mind does’t want things that way. I know that Jenn can probably support me but I’ve always believe that the man should be supporting the woman. Finance isn’t the only reason that’s holding me back. I have a life and family here in Canada and leaving them is a hard decision to make. I know that I’m not actually leaving them since I can always fly back but in a way, it’s like I’m leaving a life behind. For me, moving out to Hong Kong is a life changing decision and every factor that I add to the equation will only make it harder to solve.

All in all, life in Hong Kong will suit just about anyone. If you’re ambitious and want to start a company, Hong Kong will give you that opportunity. If you want to party all night long, the Wan Chai district will give you that life. Hong Kong is the port to all other Asian countries so it’s your starting point if you want to see the rest of Asia.

1/60sec | f4.2 | 30mm

This is my collection of Optimus Primes. There’s one more that’s not in the picture but I was too lazy to get him in posotion. They’ve been sitting around on the shelf, collecting dust, as you can see.

I recently picked up a book called ‘This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Woman’ which is a collection of essays. It started out as being a radio broadcast back in 1951 hosted by Edward R. Murrow and now it has continued and turned into a book. It started with an “invitation to politicians, nurses, artist athletes, construction works, parents, student, the famous and the unknown, everyone.”

Everyone has something that they believe in. It’s like an opinion but I think it’s more on a deeper level. It could be something that divides us and makes us individuals. It’s sometimes hard to share your belief with others because there’s room for interjection by the other party. What’s nice about this book is that you are able to read about the beliefs of others without stopping. This gives you a chance to hear them out entirely and if you disagree with them, you can’t really argue back. The essays includes topic such as “conflict over moral standards, patriotism, family and issues of race and faith.” It is collection of over 80 essays and I look forward to read them all including the second book.

The purpose of the ‘This I Believe’ series is to write about what you believe in without saying something negative. If you want to say something negative, you have to try and word it so it doesn’t sound negative. Instead of say, “I don’t believe in god,” you’d put it like Penn Jillette and say, “I believe there is no god.”

After reading the book, I have decided that I’m going to start my own series of ‘This I Believe’ and I hope that it will compile a list of beliefs that I live by.