The Gladstone Hotel

I had the chance to go for a tour at the Gladstone Hotel last week...and it was a lot better than I thought it would be. I've never seen a hotel like this. The whole hotel is full of artwork. This even extends to the individual rooms:
Each room has been custom-made by a different artist and there's so much detail put into each one.




I found this pretty cool too.

Definitely my favourite (by Eva Ennist & Kip Spidell). The first black line says: "One of the categories of this chart is the one with 20/20". The second black line says: "But it is not just your eyes that are categorized". TAKE IT IN.

Bonus?

For anyone wondering, it's on 1214 Queen Street West
Here's the site: http://www.gladstonehotel.com/

Peace,

- knowledge

Facebook & Its Implications On Our Generation

Have you ever realized how big of a part of our lives facebook has become?

It first struck me(more than a year ago) when I tried tagging a friend in a picture, and I got this:

It's almost scary how electronic we've become. Our interactions, our networking, etc. Everything can now be done through an online personas or account that we maintain (it's even questionable to say whether it's really "us"). People don't even chop for numbers any more...they chop for facebooks. Call me a traditionalist, but it doesn't seem right. Whatever happened to real-life interaction? We've got lava life, eharmony, and even facebook for hooking up with people. Have we really lost the backbone to just approach people? In a city like Toronto, it shouldn't be that hard to find someone that you get along with.

Every now and then, I feel the need to get off facebook. Why? Because it's so far from the real world, that it's almost scary. People maintain friendships through online posting when it's convenient for them, or when they have "nothing better to do". I'm sorry, but that isn't how I choose friendships.

Out of all the friends you have added, how many can you truly say were really friends at one point? I can honestly say that that about 50 are for networking, 2 are models which were just so damn hot that I couldn't NOT add them (:D), and about 20-30 are acquaintances.

I suppose being on my/having my blackberry on me all the time isn't much better - but at least it's closer to "real" than Facebook will probably ever be. I also suppose I'm guilty of maintaining friendships via phone...but I do try to see friends when I can find the time. What makes this a little bit more legitimate for me is that people answer as soon as they can, not as soon as they're bored.

With the introduction of facebook comes the intrusion of your privacy rights. Do a google search for lawsuits against facebook, and you'll see many examples. Have you guys taken the time to read the agreement (probably not...who does that, anyways?! Right?). You're exlusively signing over your information to them. When you delete your account, your information doesn't actually get deleted. In fact, there's actually no way to delete your account, unless you do it manually. Meaning: when you deactivate your account, all of your information stays on there. The only way to get rid of the information is to manually delete everything (your wall posts, your notes, your pictures, etc.) you've ever done, said, or posted. And who knows...maybe after all the manual deleting, it still might be there. A bit fishy, isn't it?

Who's to say that it isn't some tool to keep tabs on the population? Cops do have access to facebook, and I wouldn't be surprised if your network/privacy settings were by-passed by authorities. Students have gotten expelled, suspended, or charged based on information & pictures found on facebook. Cops in Toronto have facebook accounts (although they're HORRIBLE at trying to act like normal people...which reminds me of that time when there were undercover constables on the bus, but we all knew it was them. The TTC bus was a chartered bus ONLY for uniformed Neil students...and we look over and see 2 plain-clothed, grown-ass men sitting, trying to play it off like they belong there. Seriously? Who comes up with such witty strategies?! I wonder if they do stake-outs with their uniforms on too...)

BUT It goes to show that you should be careful what you put on there. A picture of you smokin' a big fat doobie might be taken into consideration when your employer 10 years down the road decides to do a background check on you. The picture of you passed out posted on the day you called in sick might end up screwing you over, too. So will the picture of you using "X's" body as a jungle gym at a jam 'cause everyone's drunk and trying to get their grind on. The possibilities are endless. It's not even about caring what people think about you...it's more about how it WILL affect you.

There's no denying that facebook has had implications on us students. Next time you go to a lecture, see how many screens are lit up with people perusing on facebook (nothing wrong with that; to each their own). I've used it to keep in touch. When I was doing the music thing & networking, I've managed to get in touch with people I would've never gotten in touch with. I've gotten in touch with lots of childhood friends that I lost contact with. I've even used the forums on facebook for Philosophy discussions (RIP original ATP). But, it's also distracted me way too much.

It has its draw-backs, but it also certainly has some good things with it, too. But on a larger scale, I urge you guys to think about how Facebook has changed society, or even just people you know.

For anyone who cares: I'm off it until probably around April (I think this would be an appropriate time to randomly yell out "FUCK THE SYSTEM!" & run around drawing anarchy signs everywhere).

Peace,

- knowledge

Erroneous Logic & kids these days...

To paraphrase a Chris Rock joke:

"Girls that don't give head Stupid people are like betamax players. I be like, 'damn...they still make you?!'"

Levi's wouldn't give me a refund on something that was clearly their fault...so I did what any other reasonable person would do - I tried to sell my jeans...my mistake was trying to do it on facebook:

Ray Demillia Han September 25 at 9:02pm

yo i'll cop ur levis for 50

Knowledge September 26 at 11:02am

60

Ray Demillia Han September 26 at 11:54am

55 i'll cop it today

Knowledge September 26 at 11:55am

nah. these retail for 80 + tax. If I waited a little bit I could probably find someone that'll pay 70. It's your call. 60's firm.

Ray Demillia Han September 26 at 11:56am

but are u dat patient for 5 more dollar?

Ray Demillia Han September 26 at 11:57am

bro let me just cop for 55

Knowledge September 26 at 12:00pm

Forget it man, I'll find someone else to buy it. It's that simple.

Ray Demillia Han September 26 at 12:01pm

"sigh" ur tough seller. iight den i'll giv u 60 if u can reach fairview

Knowledge September 26 at 6:45pm

I'll find someone else. You were tryna lowball, gtfo.

Ray Demillia Han September 26 at 7:44pm

5 dollarlowball? man u have no life

Knowledge September 26 at 11:34pm

Says the guy posing with a peace sign & a roca wear belt. Gtfo.

& learn how to spell while you're at it.

Honestly, quit catchin' e-feelings...it's the fucking internet.

Ray Demillia Han September 27 at 1:08am

ur the one dats causing drama online go bak to 5th gr and learn how not to talk shit online

Ray Demillia Han September 27 at 1:09am

all i gotta say is ur a fucking pussy so stfu

Knowledge September 27 at 1:10am

hahahahahahaha

Ray Demillia Han September 27 at 1:11am

stop msging me u faggot, get a fkn life

Knowledge September 27 at 1:12am

You've got more replies than I do.

Man, your logic's so faulty you should be embarrassed you're even still alive.

Ray Demillia Han September 27 at 1:13am

its sad how u actually took time to count that shit guess u got none bettr to do den talk shit online

Knowledge September 27 at 1:14am

What is there to count? You reply twice in a row, I've never done that.

Again, you'll be lucky to graduate from high school.

Quote of the day: "Some people will take every other kind of trouble in the world, if they are saved the trouble of thinking." - G.K. Chesterton

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The last time I checked, all you needed was common sense to realize who's answered more times. I also doubt that the jump from $55 to $70 is "just $5". Plus, what boggles my mind is why he'd expect me me to go to fairview(like he's doing me a favour) to give him a discount, especially since it specifically said "meet-ups at warden station".

What scares me is that at grade 9, I can't remember ANY of my peers being this stupid...and I went through 2 different high schools.

& I left dude's name 'cause anyone who's honestly that ridiculously dumb deserves to be shamed publicly.

Peace,

- knowledge

The American Terrorist

First off, I'm really sorry to anyone who was waiting on my weekly drop. I've been really busy. I originally had another topic planned, but I changed it up after seeing a movie tonight.

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I just finished watching "Crossing Over" and my mind = blown.

It deals with the issue of deportation, and more importantly, self-identification with a country as a minority. For example: I'm Filipino, but not very Filipino by any means. My closest friend's aren't Filipino, and unlike most of my race, I prefer not to stick with my race - I like a little diversity. Am I Filipino, or Canadian?

I'm digressing - so that's enough about me, let's get into a part of the movie that had my mind going off in different tangents:

A Middle-Eastern muslim girl shared her perspective about 9/11 to her class. Her stance was: (in a nutshell) "As a muslim, I can understand why they felt the need to be heard - but I can't agree with the way they went about it." She was then shamed by her whole class. It jumps to a scene where she's having supper with her parents and her two siblings. They hear a knock on the door. Guess who? It's the FBI, and they've got a warrant (and here I am thinking that my doormat was fool-proof...) They've been tipped off that she's a potential terrorist. They go into her room and find paper with writings about suicide; It's her school notes about whether suicide is moral, but now It's a diary for how she justifies strapping bombs to herself. They search her computer and find her debating on a Muslim forum about whole concept of the Jihad; As a conscious Muslim, she feels the need to be educated on her Religion, as well as take in different view points. That forum is now irrefutable evidence that she's a suicide bomber.

Let's keep in mind that she got to America when she was 3, can't speak her native language, and is 15 years old. Aside from the fact that she's a devout Muslim, she's about as American as it can get (...or can't. Zagga-zing!)

Her parents and her are actually illegal immigrants, so she now has 3 options:

- Risk deportation of the whole family

- Another option which she obviously wouldn't pick (sorry, I can't remember it)

- Voluntary departure with a parent, while the other parent stays with her 2 citizen siblings (that were born there).

This is where I went nuts. Now, assuming that she wasn't a terrorist before...what if she becomes one? I know I'd certainly be angry if a country promised me "freedom of speech & thought", yet deported me for it.

If she wasn't a terrorist before, then maybe she is now. Initially, she could understand 1)where the 9/11 bombers were coming from...but 2) she couldn't support what they did. Having her life completely messed up a country that she sought freedom in may have just provided her with a reason to identify with both parts.

If she became a suicide bomber in an attempt to get even with the government...who's fault would it be? Hers, or theirs? Was she innately a terrorist all along because she could understand where they were coming from? Or did the American government trigger it with their paranoia? If she were to come back in a decade or so and commit some act of terrorism, then did the government bring it upon themselves? Or maybe a couple more years spent living as a devout Muslim coupled with her open-mindedness would have made her do it anyways...

These are all just questions to consider. It had me thinking for a while about destiny, free will, and causality.

Keep in mind that this movie's like Crash. This is just one of the characters in the movie. It's a good watch - I'd recommend it. It tackles the subject of immigration, it's loopholes, and the things people have to do to reap the benefits of a developed or even relatively "free" society.

My life's been made easier just because I happened to be "born Canadian" - and believe me, it's something that I'm proud of.

Peace,

- knowledge

Incompetent Teachers

As I write this, I should be studying for a midterm that I have. BUT...I figure, why bother? I have a test that I know close to nothing about.

I have a professor that still moves the mouse over to the "x" button to minimize a youtube window. She also uses Microsoft Word for her lectures(I'm not sure she even knows what the powerpoint icon looks like). She literally reads her lecture notes verbatim from the projector, except she adds "Umm..."s in between sentences (how is that even possible?) She also actually presses the button to scroll down...through pages of size 22 font.

A student once asked her about the central concept of an idea that she was teaching...and she didn't know the answer.

One class, I gave up trying to understand what the fuck she was trying to say...so I checked to see what ratemyprofessor.com had to say about her:
"Who knows whats going on in that head of hers. Not her, thats for sure, and as a result, not me either."

Which leads me to my main point: if you're not qualified to teach, then don't. My class of 60 took the course hoping that it would be interesting, but she really doesn't do the subject any justice. I can understand sulking through a mandatory course...but an elective? A course which I chose?

I'm sure that this happens to a lot of students. From the stories I hear, I really don't even have it that bad. But I refuse to get shafted from a proper education which I rightfully paid for. The last time I checked, University wasn't a charity for people who can't teach.

I don't give a shit if she has 5 kids to feed, is putting her niece from (insert foreign country here) through education, and might be the only breadwinner of the family...if you can't teach, then don't.

Students don't shell out thousands a year (or in this case, hundreds for a course) only to get gipped. Much like reading the newspaper: before I took this course, I was un-informed...now that I'm taking it, I'm mis-informed. Tell me how that's right?

I've got a simple formula for society to follow: do your job as efficiently as possible, and make sure you're qualified for it. If people followed this, the world would honestly be a better place. Not only would it be better, it'd be less problematic. A less problematic world = a happy world. Can you imagine a world where neurosurgeons don't exactly quite know what they're doing? Or a world where engineers aren't sure if the building might collapse at any given moment? How about a world where a population's severely mis-informed? Do I really need to start busting out definitions of what "teach" means?

If I wanted to pay hard-earned money to teach myself from wikipedia, I would've done that, except it'd be for free. My teacher's getting the boot, and I'm going to make sure that I do everything in my power to make it happen - or at least get her into some workshops. Times are changing, professor - get with them, or get the fuck out.

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I'm posting this AFTER my test, but I decided to leave the tenses as they are.

If you know what I'm talking about, or agree with what I'm saying...post it in your status or something.

Peace,

- knowledge

Life-Changing events

I have a theory that events throughout your life determine who you are - they shape you.

In order to understand & appreciate who you ARE, you need to see where you WERE.

Here are what I think are the pivotal moments/developmental stages of my life:

2 years old - I would always stack phonebooks if I wanted to reach something on a ledge. Birth of my resourcefulness?

3 years old - My parents brought me to my first midnight mass at Christmas. People around me kept talking throughout the mass so I stood up and said(in Tagalog/Filipino): "Who's the dumbass that won't keep quiet?" It was a pre-dominantly Filipino area/church and my parents were SO embarassed. I guess this was the birth of my bluntness.

Junior Kindergarten - I tried to convince everyone in my class that the human heart wasn't shaped like this: <3.>The birth of my argumentative nature?

Senior Kindergarten - I made a girl cry. We had to make a display of what we wanted to be when we grew up. Mine was a computer designer. I laughed at her & told her that she was never going to be a princess. Birth of my rationality?
- I also remember throwing dirt in my cousin's eye for no reason whatsoever. I felt really bad about it for years.

Grade 1 - I was put in a split class where I could read better than any one older than me (even the older "reading buddies") I think this is where my passion for reading started.

Grade 2 - I moved. I had to make new friends all over again. Everyone in my grade each wrote me a letter after I moved (I still have them). I realized that it made more sense to embrace change instead of trying to resist it.

Grade 3 - I realized that I wasn't a lucky guy. One of the prizes for the school fund-raiser were hot wheel cars. We had to pick popsicle sticks to decide who got dibs on cars. For two years, out of 15 boys...I somehow managed to end up picking last. I also raised the most money both years. At this point, I decided not to let luck be the reward for how hard I work. I also decided not to rely on luck, even if it makes everything easier. Birth of my diligence?

Grade 4 - I went to Philippines and I saw poverty first-hand.
- This was also the birth of my motorcycle dream
- I passed the first gifted test, but failed the interview by 1 point. It was at this point that I realized that I was only a little bit above average in terms of intelligence. I didn't like that, so I decided to work on it.
- A teacher tested us weekly in random facts about the world. I always got perfect - the beginning of my interest in knowledge

Grade 5 - I joined the w5h team, which I found so rewarding - the affirmation of my interest in knowledge.

Grade 6 - I had my first depression: I realized how fucked up the world really was. It bothered the shit out of me that I couldn't do anything because I was only 11 years old. Oddly enough, hip-hop was my therapy & it's why I got into it.
- This was also the year where I realized that my parents were older than average and it saddened me to come to terms with how they're most likely going to die earlier than most die. I realized that kids my age took their parents for granted, which is why I try not to.

Grade 7 - I learned my first relationship lesson.
- My grandpa died. I learned not to take anything for granted.
- I lost faith in god & found it again

Grade 8 - I had my second depression: realized that I depended on other people too much. I became more independent

Grade 9 - I decided to give up any extracurricular activities to work
- My cousin taught me to aim higher when in came to girls.
- I Lost faith in god AND religion (most likely for good).

Grade 10 - I realized that I cared too much about what people think - this is the introduction of my indifference.
- A summer fling taught me that "time is the most valuable thing you can give someone."

Grade 11 - A friend convinced me that I shouldn't be so much of an introvert. He taught me a lot about confidence, too.
- I saw a video that changed my life. It was titled: "are you happy with who you are?" This was the final step in me becoming self-sufficient.

Grade 12 - I realized that blood isn't thicker than water - at the end of the day, loyalty isn't determined by who you're related to...but by who does what.
- Also most likely the beginning of the greatest years in my life. I've had the best batch of friends that I've ever had since then.

Socrates once said that "the unexamined life is not worth living", and I couldn't agree more.

Where you're at is only significant because of where you came from. I can only appreciate moving from a not-so-decent apartment to a nice house because I can remember what it was like not to.

If you can look back at pivotal moments in your life, and be happy with how you turned out...then good for you. If you don't like how you turned out, then there's always room for change.

(As cliche as it sounds,) I try to learn from everything I do wrong. We shouldn't have to learn lessons the hard way...but somehow, we always do. I can choose to try to prevent things from happening, or sit back and hope that it doesn't.

It takes a lot to become satisfied with who you are (I wouldn't even say that I'm even close, yet). It's always a work in progress. My life's always been foremost about self-improvement - If I'm at the same point in my life that I was last year, then I haven't spent that year well. For me, it's always about growth.

I'm not saying it's the right way to live (I really wouldn't know)...but it has worked for me.

Post your life-changing events. If it's personal, leave an alias and let me know who you are via e-mail/text/whatever.

I look forward to seeing your lists. Don't worry if you can't remember some years, post what you CAN remember - even if it's just a year or two.

Peace,

+ knowledge

The Box: A thought experiment

Seeing the trailer forThe Box got me thinking:

If you would instantly receive a million dollars with the trade-off being that someone you don't know dies...would you do it?

Does the likelihood increase if more money was offered? (Would you do it for 2 million? 3? etc...)

I have a theory that everyone has a price (myself included). I used to be idealistic, but not so much any more. Don't get me wrong - I have a really strong sense of loyalty...but everyone has a price.

To diffuse how I've made myself sound like a modern-day Judas, let's introduce another thought experiment I've put together:
Would you allow your parents to be killed for a million dollars? Probably not. They raised you and you can't really put a value on them.

But what if you were offered a billion dollars?

With that billion, you could either:

- cure AIDS

- cure cancer

- propagate world peace

- stop global warming

- stop world hunger

- buy real books for the haitian children in make-shift schools under a tree

- adopt the abandoned cat named Agnes who's missing two legs and now rolls around with a wheelchair as its hind legs

- pay to put people like Hervie in a grade 2 workshop/introductory course for very basic grammar (because apparently, at this age, "shit" styll has a y in it)

- buy Adrian a real car (because his Bimmer sucks...ha)

- devise a plan to meet Heidi Klum so you can ask her how the hell she fell in love with Seal

- (I should probably stop now before I get carried away)

- or any other worldly ambition for the quest of good that you might have

If you could find a way to resurrect your parents, would you do it?

• If no, then you're now responsible for the millions who will die from aids in the next couple of years.
• If yes, you've (somewhat) betrayed your parents and have betrayed your own principles.

What do you have to lose if you can find a way to resurrect your parents to the exact state that they were in before they died?

So now comes the idealism & integrity...and I'm just a kid trying to figure out where I stand.

- knowledge