Monday, December 31, 2007

Year-end Roundup: My Moments of 2007 [Update: Flickr Link Added for Photos from New Year's Eve]


What to say about 2007? It has been a wonderful year that I enjoyed. There has been ups and downs this year.

January: A favorable moment that I can tell was on January 10, 2007. I finally bought a Nintendo Wii. Here's the story, I waited for the whole morning at Carlingwood Mall and then I was close to leaving the mall until I saw the Purolator guy and then I finally got it. Due to my dumb thinking, I didn't go back home and instead went to Carleton University. I was totally worried having to carry the Wii but it was humourous too because I was carrying like a goof.

February: One "defining" moment was February 12, 2007 when the lion dance troupe had a performance at the National Gallery of Canada. It was for the 18th Annual CAO Sweetheart Lunch for the Arts. What happened later on was that the Mayor of Ottawa, Larry O'Brien made a bombshell announcment that he wouldn't be funding the arts in Ottawa. The new media made a big deal the next day when our lion dance troupe "scared" the Mayor. It was unbelievable that one of the lions was on the front page of the Ottawa newspapers.
Another thing was that I didn't know Jim Bryson (Amanda Putz's favorite musician) was at the event. I will explain Amanda Putz from the September section.

Aside from that, I finally went to Winterlude on February 18, 2007. It was the final day of Winterlude and I went along with my friends to Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau, Quebec. Before walking down to the park, we had a tough time walking from Byward Market to the park. It was pretty brutal. All in all, it was fun going to Jacques Cartier Park. Relive back a few images on here, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157601201590386/

April: Not much happened in March and semi-fast forward to April. A memorable moment was on April 28, 2007. That was when I stayed up so late to finish up a take-home exam. How is it memorable? Well, it was the final assignment to end off my term in university. I was kept company and listened to music all over in Hong Kong. I messaged Alyson Hau to play "All Good Things (Come to an End)" by Nelly Furtado because the song meant that all good things come to an end as I finally finish my studies at Carleton University. It was bittersweet to be finally done with university.

May: The only moment was on May 31, 2007 and it was the sold out Feist concert at Bronson Centre. I got a good view at the concert and the only downside was that my brother could not use the D-SLR camera. For whatever reason, I guess it had to do with copyrights because D-SLR cameras bring out a perfect image. All in all, it was an amazing concert and one of the precursors to getting into Canadian independent music.

The only down part was seeing a very close family friend pass away. It was in early May.

June: The big day happened and it was on June 12, 2007. That was when I had my convocation at Carleton University. The worse part was that I was sweating from waiting at the old gym at Carleton and to make things worse, the Field House was not cold too. It was nice to shake hands with astronaut and Carleton University chancellor, Marc Garneau. I finally get my degree in Political Science and a minor in Canadian Studies.

There were the usual things I have done like the lion dance performance at the Dragon Boat Race Festival in Ottawa. I also checked out Montreal on June 23, 2007 and I haven't been to Montreal since 2002 for Just For Laughs.

July: July 15, 2007 was when I went to the Kanye West concert at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest. It was a great concert but it was also a rainy night and ended up getting my hat soaked. It was great to hear old and new songs like "Touch The Sky" and "Stronger".

August: August 17-19, 2008, went to Toronto and on Saturday, August 18, 2007, checked out the Rogers Chinese Lantern Festival.
Links from Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157601564776079/. The lanterns were amazing to watch. I also got some Apple accessories at The Apple Store.

September: Starting off September, on the 2nd of that month, I went to Camp Fortune Aerial Park. It was a fun and challenging having to climb and swing down wires. I thought it was scary when gliding but overall it was just fun. Photos on this link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157601823891560/

On September 11, 2007, I finally met Amanda Putz at the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre for the second FUSE taping but I missed the "season premiere" taping from a week earlier. Why is it significant? Well, I got in contact with her via MySpace in early 2007. Originally, I did not know she left to Hong Kong in Summer of 2006. So, I left an email to CBC Bandwidth but it was too late. In the email, I told her to meet up this person in Hong Kong. What did surprise me in early 2007 was that Amanda did get in contact with Alyson Hau as I was skimming through her MySpace. I was totally astounded because it felt coincidental that Amanda would get to meet Alyson Hau. Amanda got to host a indie show by the same name from CBC Radio One (excluding Toronto on Saturdays) on RTHK Radio 3 for several months. The thing is that I am used to her as a radio host but it's different that she is a radio DJ as well as she is also a host for CBC Radio 3. Prior to her return to Ottawa, she was one of the benefactors to getting me into Canadian independent music. Another thing I forgot is that Amanda Putz is a Saskatchewanian. Since September 2006, I encountered a few graduate Journalism students from Saskatchewan. It was a feeling different having to hang out with them because I was the lone person from Ottawa and see a different perspective from those amazing people. I think Amanda Putz is the last person from Saskatchewan that I have encountered. Aside from the Saskatchewan Rough Riders winning the 2007 Grey Cup, it is time to end my experience of knowing people from Saskatchewan. Overall, she is a great person and without you informing about CBC Radio 3 on the Internet, I wouldn't get into Canadian indie music. It was also nice to have you mention me on-air during the Web Radio broadcast.

On September 30, 2007, I got to check Mont. Tremblant. It is a great place for skiing, but I went with no snow. Going to the summit was breathtaking.
Link to the photos, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157602215220552/.

Rounding out October through December:
- Several lion dance performance from Double Ten to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
- Went to several CBC Fuse tapings and one memorable taping was at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, QC. Maybe Smith and Christine Fellows. [Flick link]
- The Acorn concert at Barrymore's Music Hall. A funny moment was when I was sitting and watching, Amanda Putz taps my shoulder and she was taking photos.
- Ending off 2007 (December 31, 2007) was going to Major's Hill Park for the fireworks at 18:57pm. [Flickr Link from New Year's Eve]

Happy 2008 Everyone!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Holiday Wrapup - TV Viewing on Christmas - S3E8

Doctor Who © BBC MMVII


Of all the Christmas programming throughout December, I was more than pleased to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2007. The episode title called "Voyage of the Damned" and it also guest-starred Kylie Minogue. What did I think of the episode? As spoiler free as I can be, it was another excellent Christmas special for the Time Lord but it was last time that I felt sad watching the series since "The Girl In The Fireplace" from Series 2 in 2006. What a way to feel bummed out during the Christmas holiday in 2007.
How did I think of Kylie Minogue? She was great and overall, I found the cast and story to be strong on the third Christmas special.
I was more happy to watch Doctor Who Confidential at Christmas 2007 because they played clips from Kylie Minogue's hit songs. Songs like "Can't Get You Out of My Head", "I Should Be So Lucky" and "The Locomotion."

Here's another image from the Christmas special. I hope it is spoiler-free. Man, how many times has the Tenth Doctor snogged? :)
Doctor Who © BBC MMVII


I hope to get another year-end entry which will be about my favorite moments that I have done.

Year-end Roundup: Music 2007 [Update on Dec. 28: Links Added]


2007 has been an interesting year for music. Legal downloads from Apple iTunes, Amazon and other retailers continue to dominate the way music is being sold to the consumers. What else was groundbreaking was Apple finally come out with DRM-free songs. The only major record label to sign on to iTunes Plus was EMI.
- Other notable happenings were Kanye West's Graduation versus 50 Cent's Curtis on September 11, 2007. Kanye West beat 50 Cent in album sales.
- The horrendous performance by Britney Spears from the 2007 MTV VMAs, 'nuff said on Britney. Not going to explain about her current album.
- Madonna leaving Warner Bros. Music to Live Nation Inc.
- Live Earth happened on July 7, 2007.
- Feist becoming a surprise in the United States and internationally.
- The Spice Girls reunite and have a comeback concert.

Concerts I attended were Feist in May and Kanye West at Bluesfest in July. Those two concerts were amazing. Feist was one of the benefactors to getting into Canadian independent music. Kanye West was just fun but it happened in the soaking rain.
Near the end of the year, I enjoyed Canadian indie artists concerts like The Acorn and The Russian Futurists. Even though, tickets for big name artists are expensive, I found that going to a smaller venue like Barrymore's Music Hall felt more worth it. I felt more appreciative to Canadian indie artists.


My Top Songs of 2007 (Links from Wikipedia);

1. Umbrella by Rihanna. I chose Umbrella because it was 10 weeks on the UK singles chart and that I got hooked to the song. Plus, people kept singing "ella ella eh eh eh" where to the point it got annoying and overplayed. I even annoyed Alyson Hau on occasion.

2. Stronger by Kanye West. Even though the song was sampled from Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk. I found the song catchy and smart coming from Kanye West. I also liked the music video which featured Daft Punk and R&B singer, Cassie. Plus, it was filmed in Japan and gave a nod to the anime, Akira.

3. 1234 by Feist. Nuff said on this song because Feist accomplished her popularity. The iPod nano TV ad elevated her status in the United States.

4. No One by Alicia Keys. I know this song is almost a latecomer to 2007. It is still a great song coming from Alicia Keys.

5. All Good Things (Come to an End) by Nelly Furtado. This song meant a lot to me because it felt like things were coming to an end as I finished my academic term at Carleton University. Refer back to previous blog entry.

6. The Way I Are by Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson & D.O.E.). This song caught my attention because at first, Keri Hilson sounded like Jennifer Lopez. The rest is history as this song rose to the top 10 charts around the world.

7. When You're Gone by Avril Lavigne. This power ballad song grew on me when I was in Toronto in the middle of August. It was played a lot and it was the time when Avril Lavigne went to Hong Kong.

8. Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5. I still like this song because it seemed fresh coming from Maroon 5. It was also big jumper when it debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart.

9. My Moon My Man by Feist. This is my favorite song because it was the first released on The Reminder. The video made it one of my favorites to watch because Feist is dancing through the flat escalators.

10. Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) by Groove Armada & Mutya. I kept 'grooving' to this song from my iPod and that I haven't listened to a lot of Britpop songs lately.


Favorite Canadian Indie Songs. It's in no particular order. Since September, I have been enjoying Canadian independent songs from CBC Radio 3. I just hope none of the hosts are reading this as I've become fans of them. You know who you are. Hmmm, one being a guest host and the other being based in Ottawa.

1. Around This Town by Grand Analog

2. The Night Starts Here by Stars

3. Weighty Ghost by Wintersleep

4. Listened On by Lightning Dust

5. Melody Day by Caribou

6. Nothing More to Say by The Joel Plaskett Emergency

7. Your English is Good by Tokyo Police Club

8. Sweet Dreams by Pride Tiger

9. What You Want by Hayley Sales

10. Hearts Like Bears by Maybe Smith

11. Give It a Night by Bella

12. If I Live or If I Die by Cuff the Duke

13. Backed Out On The... by Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew

14. Take Me to the Riot by Stars

15. Let's Get Ready to Crumble by The Russian Futurists

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Another Fuse Taping I Attended... No Joke and Christmas Planning - S3E7


Yes, there was another taping for CBC's FUSE and it was an early hour than usual Fuse tapings. The performers were Michael Kaeshammer and Hayley Sales.
Photos are up on Flickr again, here's the link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603331125358/
Overall, it was a great performance from the two musicians.
*Spoiler* There was a bit of a Christmas feel when Hayley Sales sang Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon.

The holidays is approaching and I have been thinking of planning a Christmas get together at my place for the second year. That means I have to clean up the house, get a few gifts for the so-called gift exchange and think of food to make. I cross my fingers that the second year of my Christmas get together would be better.

A reminder that I am planning to have my picks of the top songs of 2007. What are my favorites of 2007. Wait and find out.
Aside from the Canadian independent music scene, I am still liking the current #1 song on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles, "No One" by Alicia Keys.

One comment I totally left out and I was suppose to write it on a previous blog entry. I am enjoying these kinds of concerts (mainly The Acorn and The Russian Futurists concert) because it is smaller and costs less to get tickets than going to a big-wig concert. Briefly chatting with independent artists makes it fun for myself because I find they are approachable and they don't leave right away. It gives me experience to socializing and mingling with these kinds of people.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Tuesday Night's Fuse Taping - S3E6


This might be a spoiler because the airdate for Fuse will be on January 12, 2008. I really enjoyed Tuesday night's taping of FUSE. The performers were Grand Analog and Dr. Draw. I was happy to see Grand Analog perform because the last time I went to a different CBC radio taping, they were in Ottawa. The funny thing was that I added Odario William on MySpace after the Glen Gould special for CBC Radio 2 and a few days later, he messaged me how he liked my display picture.
Overall, it was the best FUSE taping and a kind of a make up of sorts because I didn't get to go to The Sadies and Gord Downie fusing.
Link to the photos at http://flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603315126606/.

Another concert I went was on Saturday, November 24, 2007. It was The Russian Futurists w/ The Consecos and Tallships. Link to the photos at http://flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603288988525/.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Lion Dance Performance at The Brookstreet Hotel - S3E5


I had a great performance tonight at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata. What was the significance of the performance? It was for the COC (Canadian Olympic Committee)'s 2008 Media Summit. It was the first time checking the hotel and also the first time to perform there. It is a nice and elegant hotel. Very luxurious and regal since it seems high-end and located in the hi-tech sector in Kanata. I wish I had a chance to see which of the current Summer Olympic athletes was at the event.
I will have a second performance this Thursday but it is another Olympic related event but different from the event at Brookstreet Hotel because it's done by a different organizer. It will be at the Hilton Lac Leamy.
The photos via Flickr are posted up, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603244554801/
Enjoy!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Friday Night at Barrymore's Music Hall: The Acorn Concert - S3E4


It was the first time in my life that I finally went to Barrymore's Music Hall. When I went inside, I was stunned to see how decorative the building is like.
Friday, November 16, 2007 was The Acorn's concert and it was live to tape for CBC Radio One (Bandwidth) and Two (Canada Live). All I can say that the concert was great but the sound level was way too loud. My ears is somewhat at 80% in hearing range.
It was also convenient to see Amanda Putz at the concert. I told her I wished I went to the Fuse taping with The Sadies and Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip. She told me it was packed. I mentioned about how she talked about growing up liking New Kids on the Block on her web radio show. Why I find it funny? It was because she mentioned it back on April 30th's edition of The Morning Brew with Alyson Hau as fill-in hosts on RTHK.
Overall, The Acorn with Bruce Peninsula & Male Nurse concert was excellent. Another funny story, when The Acorn sang the second song, someone tapped me in the back. 'lo and behold! It was Amanda Putz and she was taking pics. I was surprised to see a former student from Bell High School.
Photos of the concert are up on my Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157603220359179/

I am trying to get used to the MacBook KB styled Apple Wireless Keyboard. I like the small and thin look. I need to get used to the buttons on the keyboard. I am typing fast at times and feel like I am making mistypes along the way.
If you are having web browser crashes getting to my blog due to the CBC Radio 3 Miniplayer playing Stars, leave a comment and I will take it out.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

WildWorks Extra For November 3-4, 2007

My total apologies for not keeping up the week in review. If you read my previous blog entry, you will know why.

Music - Well, it happened and the new album of Britney Spears was released. Even though, I downloaded on iTunes, I have not listened to the album yet.

Another surprise shocker was the music video premiere of the new song by The Spice Girls. Headlines (Friendship Never Ends) premiered on November 2. My opinion, it is a good song because it will be in my head probably until the Christmas holiday, but the video is left to be desired.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Blogger's Block(?) - S3E3

It has been an uneventful final two weeks of October. Minus the fact that there was excitement on October 26, 2007. Well, I got Apple's Mac OS X Leopard. All I can say that it's great and I have enjoyed the new look. Another was going to Saunders Farm with friends and some videos have been posted up on Facebook "exclusively" (for FB users).
For the lack of updates, I must be suffering from (pardon the pun) blogger's block. I couldn't think of a way to write an entry after the exciting first two weeks of October. I hope I can make up some ground for November.

I'm still enjoying CBC Radio 3 web radio. Still loving the hosts and Canadian independent music.

It's this time of year again and it's become my tradition as I got another toque from Roots for the Winter season. Although, it is a month early but I was too eager to use the Roots gift certificate from Air Miles. A pic of me (using Photo Booth, no duh) will be coming soon as I am still wearing my 2006-2007 toque. The toque will retire when snow drops on the ground.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

It's October! - S3E2

I like to apologize for the lack of updates on my blog. Reasons were that I was sick for the past few weeks in September. The unpredictable change in the weather caused me to get a cold, sore throat and a cough. I have recovered since but with minor coughing.
I hope to get back into blogging again and to get "Extra" into a weekly basis.
It has been an adventurous past week to start off October. Two liondance performances and then a radio taping.
Here's the link via Flickr
Liondance performance - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157602244531073/
CBC Radio's Fuse in Wakefield, QC at The Black Sheep Inn. - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157602264856666/

Kudos to Alyson Hau as she goes to Sydney, Australia and work at Triple J radio station. Good luck with it. I hope to listen to Triple J on the Web. I am unsure about the time zone difference. I will still support you! OH! Happy Birthday to ya! Though, not October 10 yet. :)
Note: Tagged you on Facebook.

Last thing, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Or to the people/friends/whatever/whoever I know. :)

Monday, September 17, 2007

WildWorks Extra for September 15-16, 2007

Entertainment - We all know what happened in the world of music. Britney flopped in her performance at the 2007 MTV VMAs. She was lip syncing, out of shape and out of touch. Her new song is catchy but whether I will get it is out of the question.
The other news being Kanye West versus 50 Cent. Graduation vs. Curis in the battle of Hip-Hop album. We all know that Kanye West would beat 50 Cent in album sales. Whether 50 Cent will own up to his word that he would "retire" if he loses to Kanye.

Around Ottawa - Coming up in Ottawa is the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Another event I will be going is the Benefit Screening - The Burundi Film Centre. That will be on Wednesday at Library and Archives Canada.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

A New Start... Not Entirely Yet, But a Brand New Season - S3E1

Not a new start in my life yet, but it's now "season 3" for my wonderful blog.
I had a jam packed week to officially kick off the new season.
From September 10-15, 2007;

Monday - I got a call from a friend and we watched Harry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix.

Tuesday - I finally went to a radio taping of CBC Radio's Fuse at CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre in downtown Ottawa. The host being the returning Amanda Putz, who recently returned from Hong Kong and did a stint for RTHK Radio 3, the English radio station in Hong Kong. I finally get to meet her because she got to hang out with a DJ that I usually talk to. It was an unusual link to who I know. The pic of Amanda and I is on this link, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/1362990675/. The pic is also on Facebook for FB users. Also, a new "look" for me because of the Roots jacket. What a way to start off the new season.
The performers were Andrew Cash and Jenn Grant. It aired this weekend and it was a good edited down broadcast.

Wednesday - It's the usual, go to the comic store and usually talk about what's happening in the news, pop culture and sports. One of the debates discussed was Kanye West and 50 Cent's new album. I won't get much into it because it will be covered on WildWorks Extra.

Thursday - Went to Avant-Garde Bar and Gift Shop in downtown. It is near Rideau Centre. What was happening? It was an event to celebrate Found Magazine's 5th issue. Even though I don't drink, I was interested in eating. What I had was crepés. For some funny reason, I was interested in ordering caviar. The crepés I chose was called Bliny 5, it was crepés with smoked salmon, salmon caviar and sour cream. It was delicious per se. All in all, it was a fun night going to the place.

Friday - I went to another radio taping at CBC. It was FUSE again and the performers were Wendy McNeill and Lori Yates. The crowds were not as packed at Tuesday's because it was a Friday night. That taping will be airing on the weekend of September 22-23 on CBC Radio 1 & 2.
Here's the link of the photos via Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157602021662857/

Saturday - Again chilled with my friend, Leo to watch some movies at AMC Theatre at night. We watched Mr. Woodcock and The Bourne Ultimatum. I won't comment much on the two movies.

Whoa, that was one crazy week to start of season 3.
Last thing, I forgot that "Free Hug Day" was on Sept. 10. It was promoted on Facebook and I wasn't even sure about "participating". I did hug a friend on Monday and then hugged another person the day later. I never expect to participate randomly.

Update - September 18, 2007: Added the CBC Radio 3 miniplayer on the blog. Hope you will enjoy the indie Canadian music picks I have.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Pre-"Season Premiere": Music Tastes As of Late - S3E0X

In a way to prepare my third season for the blog, I will explain about the kinds of music and songs I have been listening since the Summer. There were a change in phase in what I listen to. I would usually try to keep up to date with Chinese songs (i.e. Cantopop) but I changed around my listening schedule for certain Hong Kong radio stations on the Internet. Since the beginning of 2007, I did return to listen to Chinese radio programs but it has been the overnight program. I still listen to the Cantopop "classics" from the 1980s to early 1990s. Right now, I have phased back to listening to English songs.
Sorry, no "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston and "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's. They are not my cup of tea. :)

Onto the iPod, I've created the playlist called "Lenny Favorites." As of September 12, 2007, the list so far;
Miss Sarajevo - Bono, Brian Eno, L'Orchestra Filarmonica Di Torino, Luciano Pavarotti, Michael Kamen & The Edge from Pavarotti and Friends. I put it on because of Luciano Pavarotti's passing.
Stronger (Clean version) - Kanye West
No One - Alicia Keys
Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control) [TV Rock Remix] - Groove Armada featuring Mutya Buena
When You're Gone - Avril Lavigne
The Way I Are - Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson & DOE & Sebastian
LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Radio Edit) - Justin Timberlake
I Believe - Simian Mobile Disco - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Foundations - Kate Nash
Shut Up and Drive - Rihanna
Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) - Groove Armada
Umbrella (Cinderella Remix featuring Chris Brown & Jay-Z) - Rihanna
Do It - Nelly Furtado
1234 - Feist


My "picks" from iTunes Store

Friday, September 07, 2007

WildWorks Extras For September 8-9, 2007

People are back to work and kids going back to school. It is the end of summer holidays.
A brief Summer in review. The best was going to the Kanye West concert at Ottawa Bluesfest and the Feist concert.

Entertainment - The Toronto International Film Festival is happening and there seems to be lots of buzz for Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution."
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards is happening on September 9. There's so much talk about Britney Spears making her comeback performance.

Music - The world of music lost an important figure in opera, that is Luciano Pavarotti.
On the day he passed away, the first song I listen on my iPod when catching the bus was "Miss Sarajevo" with U2 from the Original Soundtracks 1.
Lyrics for the song has now resonated. Here's the part from Luciano Pavarotti in the song;
Dici che il fiume
Trova la via al mare
E come il fiume
Giungerai a me
Oltre i confini
E le terre assetate
Dici che come fiume
Come fiume...
L'amore giunger
L'amore...
E non so più pregare
E nell'amore non so più sperare
E quell'amore non so più aspettare


Around Ottawa

IMG_0001
Originally uploaded by Lenny W.

FestivAsia in Ottawa Chinatown. A new mural unveiled in Ottawa Chinatown.

Monday, September 03, 2007

One-Off Special #3 - End of Summer


IMG_0220.JPG
Originally uploaded by Lenny W.
Oh gee, what a way to avoid writing an entry for August. What a way to end Summer with this by going to an Aerial Park where I walked thru obstacles and gliding through the zip line. Here's a photo from September 2, 2007. It was at Camp Fortune Aerial Park.
I wished that people like Amal, Michael and Sarim came along to the adventure. Knowing me, there is bound to be laughs when dealing with the outdoors.
Here's the link to the Photo set. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenny-wu/sets/72157601823891560/

Sunday, July 29, 2007

WildWorks Extra for July 28-29, 2007

"The News" - Lots of scandals hitting the news. An NBA referee being corrupt, drug and doping in the Tour de France and Barry Bonds tying Hank Aaron's home run record.
The big one has to be Lindsay Lohan being arrested for DUI and possession of cocaine.
Drew Carey is the new host of "The Price is Right."

Music - Finally, a new #1 in the UK Chart. It is "The Way I Are" by Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson & D.O.E. Umbrella by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z has been dethroned to #3.

Movies - The Simpsons Movie was released on Friday. Overall, there are mixed reviews to the movie, but it did not deter fans from going out. The movie grossed approximately $73 million for the opening weekend. The Simpsons Movie was enjoyable and funny. It kind of felt like an extended episode.

Comic Talk - What a way to end July with some horrendous comics. I won't go into detail. The known culprits are All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder #6 and Wolverine #55.
Other comics coming were Batman #666, The Mighty Avengers #4 and Amazing Spider-Man #542.

Monday, July 23, 2007

WildWorks Extra for July 21-22, 2007

Music - There seems to be a lot of happiness because "Umbrella" by Rihanna got knocked off the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart. It has been #1 for 7 weeks. The new #1 is "Hey There Delilah" Plain White T's. Although, Umbrella is still #1 in the UK for 10 weeks. Now, it is the longest in the year 2000. There has been grumblings among casual listeners and even a few radio DJs. Let's just say that Umbrella has become annoying. "Ella, ella, eh, eh eh."

The Final Harry Potter Book - Yes! On late Friday night, the final installment of Harry Potter was released worldwide. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the 7th book. Which characters die? Just find out.
I still haven't read the Harry Potter books. I went to check out Chapters bookstore for the excitement of Potter-mania.

Around Ottawa - Ottawa Bluesfest is gone, another festival is happening, that is the Ottawa International Chamber Festival. This is for classical music fans. It's good to have festivals running in the Summer time.

Comic Talk - A new feature somewhat to keep the "week-in-review" interesting. It's still in the preliminary stages. Picks this past week were World War Hulk #2 (of 5), Justice League of America #11 and Captain America #28. All 3 titles were good. World War Hulk #2 was great because it was just heart pounding action. Justice League of America #11 was a breath of fresh air because the guest artist put in a different technique to the the art.

Note: Again, WildWorks Extra is mainly a "week-in-review" entry of things happening in the world and locally. Mostly pop culture talk within the web and television. My own blog entries will return in the Fall and it acts like a sort of episodes like on television.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

WildWorks Extra for July 14-15, 2007

Around Ottawa - The 2007 edition Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest has been exciting the crowd with performances from Bob Dylan, The White Stripes, Cat Power, Metric, Kanye West and etc.
Here are the photos from the Kanye West concert on July 15, 2007. It was rainy Saturday but it did not hamper the crowd.











Metric from July 13, 2007.





Sunday, July 08, 2007

WildWorks Extra for July 7-8, 2007

It has been a slow week except that Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest has started on July 4, 2007 with Van Morrison kicking it off.

July 7, 2007 was the big one with Live Earth. The cause is about the ever changing climate change.
Here's a badge from LiveEarth.org. It's not too late to watch the concerts.


Best performances in my opinion were Duran Duran, Madonna, Crowded House and Linkin Park. Linkin Park performing in Japan and Crowded House in Australia while the other 2 in London, UK.

Music - The day after Live Earth, "Umbrella" by Rihanna is still #1 in the UK. It has been #1 for 8 weeks. The longest in UK chart for 2007.

Movies - Transformers blew away in the box office with $152.5 million US for the week. It beat out Spider-Man which had $151 million US in its opening week back in 2002. The reviews for Transformers have been mixed with favorable reviews.

Friday, June 29, 2007

WildWorks Extra for June 30-July 1, 2007

July 1st, Happy Canada Day (Canada is 140 years old) and it is also the 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong Handover from Britain to China. A lot of happenings within the news for the past week.

Entertainment - Paris Hilton was released from jail on June 25. The media frenzy was abuzz. What's next for Paris? A clean image, possibly
June 28th was when The Spice Girls have finally reunited and will have a world tour.

Wrestling - The biggest shock has been the death of Chris Benoit and his family. The aftermath is whether the WWE can withstand the criticism from the media.

Movies - Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille released on Friday. Great movie. Good for the kids and it was funny all over.

Around Ottawa - Soccer has come to Canada. The FIFA U-20 World Cup is all over Canada. Ottawa had Czech Republic against Argentina.

TV - Chalk one up for another great season of Doctor Who. It ended Series 3 in the UK and was able to get the episode. In the words of the Doctor, it's "fantasic!"

Here's photos from another liondance performance. Taken on June 30.














Sunday, June 24, 2007

WildWorks Extra for June 23-24, 2007

Not much happened in the pop culture media. Another part to WildWorks Extra I forgot mention is a what's in Ottawa section. This past week, I checked out a hip-hop dance at noon time. It's b-boy and b-girl dancing.
On Saturday, The Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival happened and I took part in the opening ceremony part. Here are photos from the liondance performance.
Lots of events happening throughout Ottawa. There was the International Chicken and Rib Cookoff on Sparks Street Mall.
Canada Day is coming up on July 1.
Apology for the delay on this entry. There was a lot of things happening.

Photos from the Outdoor Bboy/Bgirl Cyphers. Although, it was indoors at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Taken on Thursday, June 21, 2007.














Photos from the Ottawa Dragon Boat Race Festival on June 23, 2007. The opening ceremony part.










Friday, June 15, 2007

WildWorks Extra for June 16-17, 2007

Finally, I decided to create WildWorks Extra. What is it? It is basically a week in review of sorts posted on Saturdays. It would be called the weekend edition. I try to write what happened in the media for the past week. I wish I had a video camera to cover topics and have it set in various locations in Ottawa. Although it would be difficult to do such tasks.
Let's start off with technology.
This past week, Apple Inc. launched their WWDC 07 and the big surprise happened to be Safari for Windows. Now, the web browser wars is really heating up.

Television
June 10 - It has been a buzz when the series finale of The Sopranos ended. Some people hated it and some people didn't mind it. I didn't really mind the ending except the silliness of Meadow having problems parallel parking.

June 15 - It's the end of an era for Bob Barker as he retired as host of "The Price is Right."

Not much to watch for the Summer months. The only TV show I would be intrigued would be "Hell's Kitchen" on FOX.

Wrestling
WWE Raw had their 3 hour special which dealt with the draft. The biggest surprise was Mr. McMahon "killed" when his limo exploded. How dubious can it be?

Music
Not much happening on the music scene as "Umbrella" by Rihanna is still #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Single and UK charts.

Happy Father's Day to any fathers enjoying the day.

As for myself, it was an important day back on Tuesday, June 12 when I graduated from Carleton University. Again, I like to thanks friends who have given me a lot of congratulations. It made me feel proud and happy but in a way still not sunk in that I got my degree. :)

Due to a delay, I went to Montreal to check out the Body Worlds 2 exhibit. Here are photos from Montreal.