Hello
Nothing is really happening today, just thought I would say hello to those who read this. I am somewhat bored right now, but I shouldn't be, since I have things I should do today. Its my day off, so I get to do some cleaning, some dishes, some laundry, and dangit, I intend to do some writing.
Been watching a lot of the videos from Nostalgia Critic and company recently. They are quite funny. All of the "that guy with the glasses", "the dudette", "spoony", and some of "linkara" are pretty good (though linkara - being a reviewer of comic books - seems to not like Garth Ennis or "the boys" - odd).
So I am writing a short story about giant monsters, known as Kid Kaiju. The specific story I am writing is entitled "Kingzilla vs. Mechakingzilla". It is a comedic parody, and damnables, I wanna keep working on it.
That's all for now - *Internet High Five*
- Andrew the Oates
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Multi-Culture
So I was reading my morning news sites, and I stumbled across an article on the CTV website that said some eastern Canadians were up in arms about the lack of bilingualism in the Olympics. One Quebecois politician apparently remarked that VANOC is treating the Quebecois culture as a "subculture". Which it is.
Now what they don't seem to understand, is well, many things. firstly, calling a limited regional culture a Subculture, and using the prefix "sub" is not calling it inferior (cue the wonderful remark "there isn't anything inferior about submarines."). Being that Canadian culture is literally an amalgamation of subcultures. I don't know if there is any major over-arching Canadian culture (which admittedly, is a bad thing), meaning that all the subcultures in fact combine to form our Multi-Culture.
Secondly, I take serious issue with the Quebecois advocated trying to make their culture literally more important than all the other ones in Canada. No culture is more superior than any other, since cultures aren't rated on a scale, nor can they be qualified as a few bad or good things. The age-old rationale for Quebecois culture being more important is that they were instrumental in founding Canada. So was Britain, the too-numerous-to-even-write-down native cultures (many of which in Quebec, are still not allowed to carry out their native traditions, I might add), Chinese immigrants, Japanese immigrants (there are Japanese villages on the coast that existed since 1800's, until WW2 when they were relocated to inland camps). Canada was made up of hundreds if not thousands of cultures, which when mixed together, amalgamate into one large thing we call our Multi-Culture.
Thirdly, and possibly fourthly, its Fricken Vancouver. Why would half the games be in Quebecois and half in English if its held in Vancouver. Around 8% of people in Vancouver can speak any french, let alone fluently. Now I can understand that the Olympics is supposed to represent Canada, but in the past when it has been held on the eastern side of this country, the Quebecois content has understandably been much more. Considering its being held in Vancouver (and seemingly paid for by only British Columbia, and for the next 20 years to come), maybe it should show the subcultures relevant to Vancouver and British Columbia, such as Coastal Natives (and there is a lot of them), Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian (from India), as well as numerous others - even white people (which are actually many subcultures, like Scots, English, Germans, Ukrainians, Italians, French, Scandinavians, and many more, but we all get clumped into "white", since our culture isn't important :P ). If Vancouver wanted to be Bilingual, maybe they should have been in English and Cantonese.
So why is it primarily in English (to the ear-burning anger of all Quebecois)? Well, because English has taken on a role as a somewhat universal language, indeed, itself being an amalgamation of hundreds of other languages, starting as a means for Roman soldiers to solicit Anglo-Saxon women. Thus, most people in Canada, nearly all of them, will understand English. Speaking Quebecois in the Olympics makes about as much sense as having major speeches spoken in traditional Gitxsan. many people would have no clue whats being said.
Now don't get me wrong, I generally don't support that massive over-spending and stereotyping incurred by the Olympics, but in the situation pertaining to not having enough Quebecois content, I can't blame them. As a British Columbian, the concept of "wait a minute, does this adequately represent the culture of a regional people who live 3500 km away?" just does not come to mind.
Well, that was a heck of a rant, I didn't mean to write all that, but oh well.
- Andrew the Scottish, English, North Thompson Indian, Gitxsan, Nisga'a, Viking, and Canadian
Now what they don't seem to understand, is well, many things. firstly, calling a limited regional culture a Subculture, and using the prefix "sub" is not calling it inferior (cue the wonderful remark "there isn't anything inferior about submarines."). Being that Canadian culture is literally an amalgamation of subcultures. I don't know if there is any major over-arching Canadian culture (which admittedly, is a bad thing), meaning that all the subcultures in fact combine to form our Multi-Culture.
Secondly, I take serious issue with the Quebecois advocated trying to make their culture literally more important than all the other ones in Canada. No culture is more superior than any other, since cultures aren't rated on a scale, nor can they be qualified as a few bad or good things. The age-old rationale for Quebecois culture being more important is that they were instrumental in founding Canada. So was Britain, the too-numerous-to-even-write-down native cultures (many of which in Quebec, are still not allowed to carry out their native traditions, I might add), Chinese immigrants, Japanese immigrants (there are Japanese villages on the coast that existed since 1800's, until WW2 when they were relocated to inland camps). Canada was made up of hundreds if not thousands of cultures, which when mixed together, amalgamate into one large thing we call our Multi-Culture.
Thirdly, and possibly fourthly, its Fricken Vancouver. Why would half the games be in Quebecois and half in English if its held in Vancouver. Around 8% of people in Vancouver can speak any french, let alone fluently. Now I can understand that the Olympics is supposed to represent Canada, but in the past when it has been held on the eastern side of this country, the Quebecois content has understandably been much more. Considering its being held in Vancouver (and seemingly paid for by only British Columbia, and for the next 20 years to come), maybe it should show the subcultures relevant to Vancouver and British Columbia, such as Coastal Natives (and there is a lot of them), Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian (from India), as well as numerous others - even white people (which are actually many subcultures, like Scots, English, Germans, Ukrainians, Italians, French, Scandinavians, and many more, but we all get clumped into "white", since our culture isn't important :P ). If Vancouver wanted to be Bilingual, maybe they should have been in English and Cantonese.
So why is it primarily in English (to the ear-burning anger of all Quebecois)? Well, because English has taken on a role as a somewhat universal language, indeed, itself being an amalgamation of hundreds of other languages, starting as a means for Roman soldiers to solicit Anglo-Saxon women. Thus, most people in Canada, nearly all of them, will understand English. Speaking Quebecois in the Olympics makes about as much sense as having major speeches spoken in traditional Gitxsan. many people would have no clue whats being said.
Now don't get me wrong, I generally don't support that massive over-spending and stereotyping incurred by the Olympics, but in the situation pertaining to not having enough Quebecois content, I can't blame them. As a British Columbian, the concept of "wait a minute, does this adequately represent the culture of a regional people who live 3500 km away?" just does not come to mind.
Well, that was a heck of a rant, I didn't mean to write all that, but oh well.
- Andrew the Scottish, English, North Thompson Indian, Gitxsan, Nisga'a, Viking, and Canadian
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The "What The Fuck" Scale
Measured in Hard Alcohol shots.
I estimated last night to be about a 2. I had a little bit of insomnia, so I was not getting to sleep all that easily. I was beginning to drift off into sleep when I thought I heard a knock at the door. I did in fact hear a knock, so I got up and cautiously opened up the door, to see some drunk short cigarette-smoking woman loudly asking "what are you doing in my sons apartment?". She also tried to get herself in the apartment by shoving myself and the door aside, but that didn't work.
She continued to ask "what I was doing in her sons apartment" (while slurring). I actually did quite well for sleep deprived and annoyed. I calmly told her that she must be mistaken, as only myself and my room mate lived there, and she was neither my mother or my room mates. I think at this point logic slowly caught on. She looked at the door number, and back at me, and asked if this was the third floor. I told her it was the second, and she just walked away.
So that was strange, and rightly deserving of a 2 on the WTF Scale.
And then it bumped to 4. about 10 minutes later, while I was still contemplating what was going on, there is another knock at the door, and when I answer the door, it is her again, this time coated up, and beginning with the statement "I just forgot my.... oh... wrong apartment again."
Apparently she confused the second and third floors again. I'm not sure how drunk she was, but as many who have visited this apartment would attest, it would seem to be very hard to mix up the second and third floors (for numerous reasons).
So that was pretty odd.
- Andrew the Ogre
P.S. Happy belated valentines to everyone, and also Happy Chinese New Year
I estimated last night to be about a 2. I had a little bit of insomnia, so I was not getting to sleep all that easily. I was beginning to drift off into sleep when I thought I heard a knock at the door. I did in fact hear a knock, so I got up and cautiously opened up the door, to see some drunk short cigarette-smoking woman loudly asking "what are you doing in my sons apartment?". She also tried to get herself in the apartment by shoving myself and the door aside, but that didn't work.
She continued to ask "what I was doing in her sons apartment" (while slurring). I actually did quite well for sleep deprived and annoyed. I calmly told her that she must be mistaken, as only myself and my room mate lived there, and she was neither my mother or my room mates. I think at this point logic slowly caught on. She looked at the door number, and back at me, and asked if this was the third floor. I told her it was the second, and she just walked away.
So that was strange, and rightly deserving of a 2 on the WTF Scale.
And then it bumped to 4. about 10 minutes later, while I was still contemplating what was going on, there is another knock at the door, and when I answer the door, it is her again, this time coated up, and beginning with the statement "I just forgot my.... oh... wrong apartment again."
Apparently she confused the second and third floors again. I'm not sure how drunk she was, but as many who have visited this apartment would attest, it would seem to be very hard to mix up the second and third floors (for numerous reasons).
So that was pretty odd.
- Andrew the Ogre
P.S. Happy belated valentines to everyone, and also Happy Chinese New Year
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Much Better
Well, I have started work at copperside 3, and it is very fun. I also seem to be getting a lot of work there.
Unrelated to that, I have been watching a bunch of Giant Monster Movies recently, and I really wish there was some place I could actually buy or rent them here. I am currently watching "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" (the smog monster), and its message is very environmental. Its also really strange, as it was made in 71, and has some cartoonish scenes.
yep, I wish a happy day to everyone reading this.
- Andrew of Workingtonshire
Unrelated to that, I have been watching a bunch of Giant Monster Movies recently, and I really wish there was some place I could actually buy or rent them here. I am currently watching "Godzilla vs. Hedorah" (the smog monster), and its message is very environmental. Its also really strange, as it was made in 71, and has some cartoonish scenes.
yep, I wish a happy day to everyone reading this.
- Andrew of Workingtonshire
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