My Top 5 iPhone Apps

Today I was reading Scott Kelby’s blog, ‘Photoshop Insider’ (today’s entry here) and it mentioned yet another iPhone App site by his friend Terry White called BestAppSite.com. Of course, I went to visit and it had a number of handy new apps reviews, videos and his list of top apps. I found it interesting that our most use apps were related and in some cases the same. I would like to know which are your top five apps, because if a trend starts to develop maybe we should get one of my co-workers to build on currently existing apps and make them better, once he is done with the BG App of course.

Following are my top five apps, not counting the browser and texting app (although I would like some improvements on those apps as well).

1. Diner Dash – A pretty addicting game which gets you started with it’s simplicity, but keeps you intrigue with their expert score challenge. This is one of those games that does a great job when you need to kill some time while waiting for the doctor, waiting for your fiancé to finish getting dress or when she is watching ‘In The Middle.’ My alternative in the game category would have been Civ Rev, but it is a more involved game, it takes more time and sucks the life out of your iPhone battery pretty quick.

2.  Chase Application – If you think online banking is awesome then you will love iPhone banking. With the Chase application I can pay bills, check account balances, transaction history and find the closes ATM or bank. If you are concern with your security and privacy, web security standards are used during your connection with the bank. I don’t need to be close to a computer to pay my bills anymore, I can just log in my phone and set up a payment as I read the bill. There are similar apps for Bank of America and other banks.

3. Open Table – This a nice little app for making restaurant reservations. As you make more reservations and respond to a survey after every restaurant visit you gain points which could be use for a free dinner. V and I like going to restaurants locally, but also when out of town; the app does a good job at recommending restaurants to try and showing reviews. The big brother website is very helpful and they sync well. The only problem is that sometime the app gets a ‘bit sluggish and freezes, but I’ve notice that after the last upgrade it works pretty good.

4. Now Playing – This app has been the most complete app I’ve found for movie listings, buying tickets and reviews. Now if I could get an app that unites Open Table and this one in order to have the Dinner and a Movie combo all in one place…. Listening co-worker?

5. Best Camera – This fairly new app is my iPhone photo editing app of choice. It lets me crop and apply a number of filters to my iPhone photos, but where it shines is in the available options for sharing in social networking sites. The Facebook app would have been in this listing, but I only use it for updating my status and posting mobile photos, now I don’t need the Facebook App for updating the photos so it dropped out of the top five. Sorry Facebook freaks (mom)… Also, if you are looking for a free alternative photo editing app, then the Adobe Photoshop App is for your, PS Mobile.

Please, remember to comment on your top used apps. Thanks!

Five Steps to Make Your Holiday Guests Feel @ Home

It is holiday season and many of us will be migrating home to share our time with the rest of the family. In my case, my family is spread around the world; Oklahoma, Florida, Texas and Germany. If we don’t count Germany, my home in Austin, TX turns out to be the most central location for the rest of my family to get together.  Which gives me the honor to host the Holidays for the first time.

That also means that I have to host my parents, my brother, his wife and new baby, V and I in my two bedroom townhouse. don’t get me wrong, it’s a joy to have them home, but how will I make them feel comfortable?

I have made up a list of five steps to make your home more enjoyable, welcoming and Zen for holiday visitors.

1. Complete Un-Finished Home Projects

This is not the time to take on long projects that down deep you know you will not finish on time, but it is time to complete some of those unfinished projects. I know I had quite a few; unfinished entertainment system area as well as un-hanged frames, stuff I have listed in Craigslist and paint for ‘quick’ painting jobs that never got done, all just laying around the house.

I believe that finishing such projects will give the house a feeling of home instead of a building site as well as make you feel good about finishing something you obviously wanted at one point or another.

2. De-clutter

Once the materials for those projects finished in the previous step are either used up and/or put away, the next step is to step back and take a good look at your house and see where you can reduce the content of ‘stuff.’ If you have ever watched HGTV then you are familiar with de-cluttering… They recommend it for everything, you want to sell your house? De-clutter. You want fix a room? De-clutter. Your house is falling in to pieces? De-clutter.

In this case, do you want the feeling of a roomier house? De-clutter.

• A good way to decorate while de-cluttering is to group similar small items into inexpensive deco boxes which are found in Ikea (or similar store).
• Also, it is the time of giving, try to evaluate what you don’t really need and donated to local non-profit organizations; Clothes, books, furniture and so on.
• Try selling stuff you don’t need in Craigslist.

A small article on De-cluttering, ‘Declutter 101: Where Do I Start?’

3. Clean

“A clean home is a happy home.” Sadly my home is seldom really clean, but no one can deny how good it feels when in a clean home. If you own a large house, I believe that as a present to yourself and accommodations to your guest it is really worth getting a cleaning service to do a detailing cleaning job in your home. I mean we get our cars detailed every so often, why not our house?

4. Have Hotel Like Accommodations for Guest

I do not mean have a spa and a hot tub…. See the following list:

• Have a space for them to unpack and have their own area.
• If your guest will have their own room take some time to decorate it by getting matching sheets, maybe a reading lamp, art or picture in the wall, etc.
• If you have a guest bathroom, have a little basket with grooming essentials: shampoo, soap, tooth paste, tooth brush, deodorant, etc.

The point is to provide them with a sense of privacy and comfort.

5. Set the Mood

This events are optional to your guest, but they are meant to entertain, promote sharing and setting a joyful mood.

• In this case we are talking about a holiday visit, so have holiday decorations, holiday music, holiday food, etc.
• Keep your guest entertain by scheduling events… visiting the light show or local holiday events, family game night, cooking and sharing time, etc.

I believe that even if you have no guests, these steps will provide you with a more enjoyable home for the rest of the year and a great mood to launch the year to come.

Happy Holidays and Marry Christmas!!

My Top 10 Christmas Gifts Ideas

Hello everyone, it has been in forever since I write a post. If you look in the history it all started to go down hill since the UM lost to Virginia Tech…. ‘What a terrible day?’

Anyway, I’m writing this post, because I know how hard it is for me to buy presents for others. I usually want to get them something that will seem thoughtful and different, but that they would like and use. Sometimes, giving a present that would introduce the receiver to something new is good, but the giver has to be aware that not everyone likes the same things. Just because you like bungee jumping from trees, doesn’t mean your girlfriend would find it interesting.

In the spirit of making it easy for my friends and family to shop for me, keeping away some of the queries from V and giving ideas to others with friends with the same interests as I do; I have compiled a list of 10 present ideas. These ideas are categorized on six areas that I’m interested on: Health/Fitness, Cooking, Home, Home Entertainment and Photography.

Ordered by relative price:

1. Good Eats: The Early Years      Interest: Cooking      Idea: Give the gift of new cuisines (recipe books)      Info: $19.50 in Amazon.com (here)      Effort Level (1-4): 2, May want to know the receiver’s tastes and interest I like trying new stuff and experimenting in the kitchen, a recipe book is a good way to open the doors to different tastes, techniques and experiences. Maybe you’ll get an interesting dinner out of it :-). In this case I’m a fan of Alton Brown, but with recipe books you can experiment from exotic foods from around the world to local cuisines.

2. Smugmug.com Yearly Membership      Interest: Photography      Idea: Web Platform for Sharing, Storing, Printing & Selling      Info: $39.95 per year (here)      Effort Level: 1, May want to know if using a service already If interested in photography the odds are that they are sharing their work online and depending on their level, they may be using free services for this purpose. There are benefits to have a paid service like Smugmug or Flickr including:      - Unlimited Storage      - No File Size Limitations      - Ease of sharing      - Professional Groups and Collaboration      - Backups In my case I’ve been testing Smugmug.com the last couple of days and I like their following features:      - User Interface is very Nice      - Sharing Security Features      - Visitors do not need an account to see my pics They have three membership levels, basic for regular users like me, power for users with more visitor demanding needs and pro for professionals who sell their work from the smugmug platform and make profits.

3. Play On Software      Interest: Home Entertainment      Idea: Bring the web entertainment content to the TV      Info: $39.99 (here)      Effort Level: 1 PlayOn is a software program that runs on your Windows PC, giving you access to a wide range of Internet content on your TV -- Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon VOD, and many others. In my case it is particularly useful at allowing me to watch Hulu.com content through my PlayStation 3.

4. 100% Whey Gold Standard Protein Shakes      Interest: Health/Fitness      Idea: Supplement his fitness      Info: $42.95 for 5lbs (here)      Effort Level: 2, May want to know his needs Being ‘healthy’ is an expensive business, have you seen the prices in Whole Food lately? Keeping fit ain’t easy and fitness supplementation could be very expensive. Here is when you come to the rescue with a good protein product, vitamins or any product the gift receiver is in need of. This type of gift never goes to waste. Creativity comes in on taste, but don’t get too creative. Fitness supplements are notorious for their bad taste. This is one where you may want to stick to the classics Vanilla, Chocolate or Strawberry. In my case, I’m in need of some protein. My favorite taste is Double Chocolate.

5. Wedding Tux Rental      Interest: Wedding      Idea: Help With Wedding Preparations      Info: $60 - $100      Effort Level: 3, Here you may want a recon partner Planning a wedding is very stressful project and expensive. There are major and minor expenses all over the place…. Giving your time to help with wedding preparations is always welcome and highly appreciated, but not everyone has time to do it. So here is where you can give a thoughtful minor donation to the cause by paying for a small detail needed on the wedding. For example, the groom’s tux, a table arrangement, an extra song by the band, etc.

6. Neat Image Pro Edition Software      Interest: Photography      Idea: Add to his Digital Photography Toolkit      Info: $59.90 (here)      Effort Level: 2, What does he have? In this suggestion the question is more likely to be, What does he has? than, What does he need? Because in this area, we need it all of course lol. Neat Image is an imaging noise reduction filter, similar to Noise Ninja. They have four versions:    - Home – for 8-bit images    - Home + – for 8-bit images and Photoshop Plugin    - Pro – for 16-bit photos (RAW)    - Pro+ – same as pro with Phtoshop Plugin

7. Month of Aikido Classes      Interest: Health/Fitness      Idea: Introduce him to a different way of fitness      Info: $80 a month, (here)      Effort Level: 3 In my case I take Aikido, but this can be any other type of physical activity for example, a physical trainer, salsa classes, martial arts, rock climbing, etc. If he or she already practices something you can just buy the next month for them, but if they don’t you can buy a month to something where they can experience something new.

8. Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick Wok      Interest: Cooking      Idea: Facilitate his culinary experimentation      Info: $99.99 in Amazon.com (here)      Effort Level: 2 The point of this gift is to get someone a new kitchen tool that they would not normally have in a typical American kitchen. The gift becomes much more special if you are able to match the brand, style, or colors to their already existing set thus making it look like it should be there. In this case I have owned a wok before and know how (geeky alert) cool they are, but you may want to look into different countries kitchen essential tools, for example:     - Japanese – Sushi roll tools     - Spanish – Paella pot (can be use outside)      - Indian – Masala Dani (Indian version of a spice rack)

9. Wall Art      Interest: Home      Idea: Improve decoration with his taste      Info: Insert your price range here      Effort Level: 4, Where will it go? What does he like? Guys are notorious for having a bunch of empty walls in their house. Not because we don’t like art, but mostly because we can’t stand the thought of paying so much for something that looks like a kid could have done it and then hang it in a wall….. I can buy some sort of electronic with that money. Anything that plugs into the wall has to be more useful, right? This could be a very hard present to pull off, but if done right it can be a great one. The trick is to get him something that he likes!!! This art is going to be hanged in his wall for a long time, make sure that he has a nice thought every time he looks at it. You need to know what type of art (photography, painting, etc.), style and colors he likes. It is almost as important for the art piece to go with the already existing decor.

10. Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Zoom Lens      Interest: Photography      Idea: Add to his photo gear Toolbox (or tool bag :-) )      Info: $599 in Amazon (here)      Effort Level: 2, Need to know his camera brand and mount. Photographers like ‘glass’ (photographer’s lingo for camera lenses) and enthusiast like myself like to act like real photographers. That and the fact that this is a sweet professional level lens for the price makes it a great gift. But, if you feel more generous you can get the IS version for $1132.55 in Amazon (here).

IBM Works on Time Machine

J/K!!! But, there is a cool sighting of a DeLorean DMC-12 on the IBM Austin parking lot. The Irish car made famous by its appearance in the “Back to the Future” movies got some attention from fellow IBM’ers while in the parking lot.

Discada Styled UT Tailgate

Last Saturday I was invited to a University of Texas tailgate. This week the Longhorns were playing the Miners from UT El Paso. I have several co-workers from UTEP and some have mutual feelings for both UTEP and UT. Needless to say it was a good tailgate with plenty of good food and drinks, but one of the items that I’ve never seen in a Miami tailgate was an ‘apparatus’ people from El Paso call a ‘Disco’ (Spanish for disc or record). The disco, looks like an Asian wok, but it has its own stand and gas flame.

A typical ‘Discada’ (a Spanish play on words for something made  in the disco), is made with bacon (fatty meat), chorizo (more fatty meat), beef (not so fatty meat) and for all of you vegetarians out there tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Well, OK vegetarians did not have anything to eat on this tailgate, but that didn't affect me at all :-). Of course, as with any Mexican influenced meal, you eat it in a tortilla. The discada was great, I mean when you add so much fat into something it has to be good… proven by the time it took to be gone, approximately 15 minutes. A good meal when drinking on the Texas heat and screaming for your team at the top of your lungs.

Needless to say the discada will be added to my culinary repertoire when hanging with the boys, but I would skip the stand and use my old faithful wok. Thanks to Jacob and friends for introducing me to another of El Paso’s finest customs, which ranks up there with the Chuco Town Dance…. Also Oliver, who did some pretty fancy cooking on a very small space.

Sadly I did not stay to watch the game, since I had to watch my ‘Canes play… looking back, I should have gone to the game, but that is another entry.

ACC Week 4 Counter Predictions

Heather Dinich Predictions	My Predictions
Miami 24, Virginia Tech 21	Miami 27, Virginia Tech 17
North Carolina 24, Georgia Tech 14	Georgia Tech 24, North Carolina 14
Duke 35, NC Central 7	Duke 21, NC Central 10
Wake Forest 17, Boston College 14	Wake Forest 17, Boston College 14
TCU 14, Clemson 10	Clemson 24, TCU 17
Florida State 31, South Florida 10	Florida State 42, South Florida 13
Rutgers 20, Maryland 17	Rutgers 20, Maryland 17
NC State 24, Pittsburgh 21	Pittsburgh 24, NC State 21

The Return Of The U?

ESPN.com

University of Miami @ Virginia Tech Preview

The 2009 meet between these two teams is the 27th in the series, will take place at Blacksburg on September 26. The game will be televised by ABC and it starts at 2:30 Central.

Both teams come in ranked to this bout, Miami at number 9 and VT number 11. For more details on this game and other ACC matchups this weekend check out Heather Dinich’s blog post, ‘On tap in the ACC: Week 4.’

The U Makes The AP Top 10

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6		7		8		9		10

Starting the season unranked and playing four ranked opponents, many did not gave Miami a chance to win a game on their first four tries; Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma.

Today, after putting on a show in their first two games and winning (at No. 18 Florida State 38 – 34 and vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech 33 - 17) the Miami Hurricanes climbed up to number 9th in the AP Poll. ESPN’s ACC Blogger, Heather Dinich, posted the question; “Is Miami a top-10 team?” It is obvious that the coaches did not think so, because Miami made it at number 13th in the coaches poll, still a decent ascend from last week’s 20th ranking.

Postings and discussions about Miami going undefeated are already in the web and I have to admit that it is nice to be able to talk about your team in this situation, specially when living in Austin, in which all everyone ever talks about are the Longhorns. I also have to admit that I had a little chat/argument with one of my co-workers about who would be ranked on top if both Texas and the ‘Canes would go undefeated. But, the truth is that after just finishing week three non of it matters.

Is Miami a Top Ten school right now? I don’t think so, I do think that if they do what they are suppose to, they will be rank pretty high at the end of the season and if they do win out they will have a legitimate argument for the National Championship, but all that is a moo point if they don’t win next week, then the week after that and so on. I believe they should be able to win at Blacksburg, not easily, but they will be able to handle it. Their big test will come against Oklahoma and that is where they will really earn the Top Ten spot, at least in the eyes of the Nation. Although it is a wounded Oklahoma team (Sam may be back by that game), they still are a very respected national power.

Win or loose the next two games, Miami’s biggest challenge will be the next 8 teams. Teams that the ‘Canes should be able to handle easily. Why? You may ask, well game 1 at Florida State…. If you are a real Hurricane do you need anymore to get you hyped up than playing FSU? Maybe a lil’ Red Bull or ‘un cafécito,’ but not much more. Then, GT at home, a team which humiliated Miami a year ago, are the cheerleaders even necessary to get you hyped up? Then, the old buddy from the Big East, Virginia Tech, and pre-season pick to win the conference. Lastly, but definitely not least, the Oklahoma Sooners, Miami’s time to shine in front of a strong national stage…. if that doesn’t get you hyped up I don’t know what would.

The problem starts when they play the next 8 boring, ‘we are just playing you because we have to,’ teams… (except for maybe Clemson) Can they keep their tempo, electric atmosphere and swagger thru the end. Or, at least, will the desire to play FSU again in the conference championship keep them awake? This is where coach Shannon has to earn its keep and make them roar at Category 5 strength!

Who Needs Software Security & Code Reviews?

Georgia Tech 17 @ Miami 33

All I have to say is, ‘WOW!!!’ Yesterday, I mentioned that this game would be a though one, one in which both teams had a legitimate chance to win. I also mentioned that GT was not going to run as much as last year. Well, I was happily semi-wrong:

• The game was not as close as the score shows, Miami was in control most of the game until last few minutes on the 4th quarter where they had two missed field goals and a couple of defensive glitches, one which ended up as a GT touchdown. Their total domination over the line of scrimmage in offense and defense was incredible. Jacory Harris passing was incredibly accurate, completing 20 of 25 for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Rushing was a nice surprise totaling 184 yards. But, the biggest shock was Miami’s defense completely stopping GT’s rushing. A Yellow Jacket team which totaled 335 yards and 301 yards in their first two games of the season respectively, let’s not forget about 472 yards against Miami last year, was completely stumped by a defense that only allowed them 95 yards.
• I knew that GT was not going rush for 472 yards again, but only 95 yards was a very nice surprise.
• By the second half Georgia Tech looked beat and gasping for air while The U was more focus than ever.
• How hard is it to find someone to kickoff the ball? Miami’s kick off ability is terrible, GT had good field position the whole game. Then in the fourth quarter, two missed field goals…. I’m pretty sure that the kicking team will be practicing overtime this week.

Miami vs. Georgia Tech

The third week of the NCAA Football season is upon us… so  quick :-( … This week my beloved Hurricanes play Georgia Tech in Miami. Georgia Tech has beaten Miami four years in a row, but the worst part is that today is the only day V wears her GT jersey. V attended GT for her graduate studies and usually doesn’t care much about, the Jackets, ‘Canes or football in general. But, just to bother me, when Miami and GT play she has to wear the jersey and make fun of me any chance she gets. Sadly, she’s had many chances as of late, including last year when GT ran for 472 yards. :-(

Let me tell you about why I’m excited about today’s game. I believe this game is going to be pretty tight. I do not think GT will be able to run as much as they have against Miami in the last few year, definitely not as much as last year, but they will run a lot. The difference will depend on Miami being over it’s tendencies of playing down to their opponents level and giving up when the time gets though.

Miami fans have a new found aspiration for the stars since Miami’s earlier display of guts against Florida State a couple of weeks ago. The win over FSU did not proved that Miami was back to its heydays or that it is at the same level as today’s Gators and Longhorns, but what it did proved was that the team is willing to duke it out until the end. Also, that they are willing to let it fly often and be aggressive, something missing in the last few years.

Many did not think that Miami would win any of the first four games, so whatever we get is a bonus. What I'm anxious to see is if the ‘Canes have improved enough to take it to the rest of the teams in the schedule after Oklahoma. Teams that Miami should be able to handle easily, but they seem to find a way to loose.

As for V…. enjoy while you can!!! Although the ‘Canes will not be winning a national championship this year, I see them taking over the conference very soon. Finally!

Forget Drinking and Driving, now be worry about Texting and Driving.

Who said there are no useful iPhone Apps?

Tío Miguel Update

Good news… My nephew was born healthy on Friday, August 14, 2009. I will be flying to Tulsa, OK this upcoming Friday.

My Youngest Brother is Making Me an Uncle

It is Friday, August 14, 2009 at about 10:30 AM Central Standard Time and I just got the news that in about an hour my sister in law will be going into surgery and shortly after, my first nephew will be born. My brother seems very happy and radiating with confidence. A confidence that I have never seen on him and that I don’t understand. I don’t understand it because I’m not a father and I’ve never been through that experience. When people ask me about having kids my first reaction is NO! Not that I don’t like kids, I actually want kids (actually I want a kid), but I don’t feel nearly as ready to have one. It’s not that I’m being selfish and I want to enjoy my time…. it is more that I have this mental picture in which I give my kid a good life and at times I feel that I’m not in a position to do so. There is always a reason, economy, job, school, etc., to delay it, but I guess the truth is that you are never ready.

My parents are super excited about their first grandson; they have being buying clothes, sheets, bed and even Spider Man toothbrushes for Jr. I have a feeling he is going to be a very spoiled kid :-)

Anyway, I am very proud of my brothers, they have turned out to be a great men. J has been so responsible with his family and now his new baby. I am sure he will be a great father and I hope I can be just as confident when my time comes. Congratulations J/G!! I’m excited to see Jr’s pictures in about an hour or two :-)

Aikido

I have been practicing Aikido for about 4 to 6 weeks and it has been very interesting. Since I started I have gotten asked the same questions over and over… What is Aikido? Why you joined Aikido and not something else? Why not Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Can you fight in UFC with Aikido?

Some of them I had myself and to some extent I still do, but I’m going to try my best to answer these…. remember that I just started, so I have very little experience and most of my references are other students who have been practicing for a much longer time.

What is Aikido?

I will not give you the history or the text book definition of Aikido, if you want that information you are welcome to search in Google, check out Aikido in Wikipedia or visit your local Aikido Dojo. After practicing four times a week for around 6 weeks, I have develop my own opinion about Aikido which continues to evolve as I learn more and more about the art.

Aikido is not about fighting, is not about throwing and grappling, is not about breaking your opponents bones, is not about an opponent. In my opinion Aikido is about observing, which I’m not very good at. Yes, Aikido could be useful in a fight. Yes, Aikido could be very dangerous if done maliciously. Yes, there is an “uke” or attacker and you practice by completing techniques on each other. But, those are just tools and terminology to get you to that next step. Aikido, teaches you observe the situation. If in a situation that fight is imminent, wait, observe your opponent, wait for an opening, do not force an attack, let the attacker do that for you.

• Relax – Relaxing is key… I don’t seem to be able to do that very well either. In tense situations it is hard to stand back and relax, but when relax observing becomes easier limiting irrational moves.
• Aikido is reactive and for defense myth– I don’t think Aikido is as defensive as it looks, but it is about being smart. A point of Aikido is to be able to use your energy to guide your opponent's energy towards something positive (positive for you at least). In other words, don’t try matching your opponent blow by blow or try to out wrestle him with pure muscle, instead wait. Wait and observe your opponent, does he has any particular patterns, does he steps before punching, does he tenses up when attacking. Similar to poker. Use those observations to your advantage when he gives you room for an attack.

These are teachings that we can use every day… Relax, Observe The Situation, Make your Move Smart, Smooth and Efficient.

Why you joined Aikido and not something else?

There was no scientific reason for picking Aikido. Basketball was killing my knees, I was looking for a sport to practice which involved dealing with others, but also that would be easier on my knees and help me improve my flexibility. Most sports recommended for knee problems there is no interaction, for example cycling and swimming, which I find a bit repetitive.

A co-worker recommended me to go take a look at a class in his dojo and I did. I liked what I saw and figured I would give it a try.

Why not Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

I know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA is the craze right now, but honestly I am not looking to learn how to fight, competitive or not, and I have never been into wrestling. I know that Jiu Jitsu may be about more than just fighting and I admit that I didn’t visited any other martial arts dojos (I did get to practice Judo for two semester in my freshman year in college…not mentioning the year :-) ). Maybe one day I’ll get to practice another martial art.

I’ve always been interested in practicing Capoeira.

Can you fight in UFC with Aikido?

You can fight in UFC if all you know is Capoeira, I’m not sure how much that will help you in the ring :-) The ‘Only the Strong’ move and the chanting can only take you so far. I’m not sure how much help if any Aikido would be in a UFC scenario. In the other hand I went to engineering school… I doubt I would find any octagon shape cages around the IBM campus.

July ‘09 Round Up

I know, I know…. I have not been writing, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you. I figured I can give you more quality than quantity. So here are 8 blog entries at once, I hope you go through all of them. These are the events that occurred during the very exciting and very HOT month of July here in Austin, TX and an August entry that didn’t want to be alone.

• July 1st – Canada Day

OK, I don’t have much to say about Canada Day since I’m not Canadian, but I bet that many of us don’t know what it celebrates. Oppose to the general consensus, Canada Day doesn’t celebrate Canada’s independence since they have always remain part of the commonwealth of Great Britain. Canada Day does celebrates the union of the different provinces into one country in July 1st, 1867.

The following video is pretty funny, although according to some of my Canadian friends a bit inaccurate:

• July 2nd – I turned 29

My 29th birthday was a very nice surprise. I was born on July 2nd, 1980 exactly seventy years later than my grandfather. To save you from simple arithmetic, this year I turn 29 and my grandfather 99. Unlike previous years, I did not planned any birthday party and figured I would just go out to dinner with V.

It turned out much better than just a dinner. V surprised me, as a birthday present she took me to a Dinner Class at the local Whole Foods headquarters. It was cool, V and I accompanied by five other couples prepared a three course meal. We made a buttermilk dressing to go with a Wedge Salad, roasted herb potatoes, red snapper with a lemon garlic crab sauce and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Everything was delicious!

The class was located downtown Austin. Once the class was done I mentioned to V that we should go for a drink to one of the many bars around the area… she decline the offer alleging that she wasn’t feeling too well. So, we went home and once we opened the door I was super surprised when lights turned on and many of my local friends were in my kitchen whishing me a happy birthday. It was a great time!!!

• July 4th – My Last Anniversary in July 4th

  July 4th, 2009 was V’s and my 3’rd anniversary and, if everything goes according to plans, it will be our last anniversary on July since we are getting married next April. We went to dinner at Olivia’s, a great restaurant located in South Austin. They have a different daily menu which depends on the fresh locally grown ingredients available.

Due to > 100 degree weather, we did not do our planned picnic downtown. We did get to watch the fireworks from the hill top by the 360 bridge.

• July 12th – G turns 25

My brother’s 25th birthday, all the way from Germany.

• July 20th – 1 Month into My Six Pack Quest

Just wanted to share, about 4 wks ago I started training with winning this bet as my end result. Let me tell you what I have done, what my results have been and what I am planning of doing next.
Physical Training

• Workout - 3x/wk - I have been doing the "12 Week Beginner Weight Loss Program" and have noticed improvements in endurance and core.
• Basketball - 0x/wk - I was playing basketball in a weekly basis for about 4 wks, before the training for my goal started and although I did notice cardio improvements, my knees were not able to handle the burden for a day or two after. I had to stop and started looking for a softer team sport to play.
• Cycling - 2x/wk - I have been in and out of cycling for a while, since it is one of the recommended sports for people with bad knees. I have been doing it about 2 times a week for 45 minutes at a time (covering around 10 miles). I have notice solid improvement on my speed; initially around 14 mph to a respectable 18 to 20 mph, but more importantly I notice less aches on my legs in the hills and more endurance on the flats.
• Aikido - 2-3x/wk - A couple of weeks ago I joined a local Aikido club in search of a sport that would help me with my flexibility, and leg strength and that it would have some sort of people interactions. I like team sports, that's why I've always had a problem sticking to cycling alone. Although, I have not done Aikido long enough to see clear improvements yet, I have notice that it definitely works your legs in a softer way and it demands a limber body.

Diet
I have not gotten into any specific diet, but I have been putting effort into eating a little better and leaner. One big change was to stop going out for breakfast everyday (eggs, bacon, pancakes, hash brown, etc) and eating at home (cereal, oatmeal, Canadian bacon and eggs, wheat toast, yogurt, granola and fruits) more often. I have been eating more fruits, almost no fast food, cooking dinner (pasta with evoo, chicken, fish, rice and lean meats). Also, I am limiting my drinking, less beer/more wine :-) Lunch has been my sore spot, because I find it hard to cook lunch to take to work and most of the time lunch is when my team gets to socialize...
Results

• Category - 0 Weeks - 2 Weeks - 4 Weeks
• Weight - 230 - 228 - 225
• BMI - 30.3 - 30.1 - 29.7
• Estimated Fat% - 29.2 - 26.8 - 26.4
• Waist - 43.5 - 42 - 41.5

Future Plan

• Month 2 of workout program:
  http://www.trainwithmeonline.com/training-plan.asp?prn=97&pgtitle=12%20Week%20Beginner%20Weight%20Loss%20Program
• Continue cycling 2 to 3 times a week, but I would like to change it up some, because I am noticing that I am not working as much anymore on the same route.
• Attend Aikido classes 3x per week.
  
• July 25th – The Ugly Truth, wasn’t that ugly

This movie I was a bit excited to watch with V. It looked funny in the commercials and it seem like it would be the next Hitch. Not so much. It was OK, but most of the funny parts were shown in the trailer.  Semi-funny chick flick earned this movie 1 Miguelaso.

• July 4th – 26th – Tour de France

This was the first time I followed the Tour through all 21 stages and I have found a new sport to follow. I couldn’t believe the amount of strategy and team work involved in winning a major cycling event. The tour is composed of 21 stages which take place in 23 days and 5 countries. There are mountain stages, flat/sprint stages and time trial stages; most of the stages are over 100 miles long and incorporate multiple category 1 and unranked (so bad that there is no ranking for them) mountains in some of them. There are several races within the actual race, including the Sprinter’s Race (green jersey), the King of the Mountain (polka dot jersey), Young rider (white jersey),but the most prestigious price, the yellow jersey, goes to the overall race winner.

This year included the Astana Team which completely dominated the race. The team included Alberto Contador, the Spanish racer who won the Yellow Jersey for the second time and our beloved Lance Armstrong who came back after a 4 year hiatus and finished in a very respectable third place overall. 

I was so excited to watch this multiday race unfold that I couldn’t wait to watch each stage and some times would watch them multiple times. I will definitely continue to follow Cycling more closely. The next big event is la Vuelta a España and I’ll make sure to follow and post here.

• August 1st – Funny People, were kind of funny

Funny People was funny, that’s about it. Directed by the same as ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ and ‘Knocked Up’ but in my opinion did not translate to the same quality of funny as the other two. A lot of mediocre stand up scenes and super long length did not help. This movie earned itself 1.5 Miguelasos.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (IMAX)

Yesterday (Sunday, June 28th, 2009), a group of friends and I watched Transformers 2 (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) at Austin’s ‘Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum: IMAX Theatre.’ First, lets talk about the movie; I wasn’t expecting much going into it, since sequels to these type of movies traditionally  leave a lot to be desired. I was pleasantly surprise with Transformers, the movie is mostly CGI, mostly about big robots fighting and shooting, and the acting quality was not the greatest, but it was very funny, entertaining, and it had Megan Fox google images and for a few scenes Isabel Lucas google images (arguably hotter than Megan). Just the necessary elements for a good summer film.

The movie borrowed a number of ideas and scenes from famous SciFi/Action movies like Alice’s revelation to Sam is pretty similar Species, the idea of the extraterrestrials leaving in earth since pre historic times (like in Stargate), and others similar to Matrix and Aeon Flux, but it was cohesive and it flowed nicely. I do have a couple of complaints:

1. Was it me, or did it take forever for the robots to transform? Having the spotlight in the transformation was a bit pointless, because you can’t even tell where the different parts are going. Maybe if each transformation would have been made shorter, it would have cut 30 minutes of the movie making it a more manageable length to most people (yes, the movie is long).
2. When the robots were fighting, you couldn’t tell what was going on? All you see is CGI metal moving. It could have been the fact that the IMAX screen is so big I couldn’t absorbed the whole image at once, but still…

The pluses? The graphics were good, the sound was awesome! Oh, and did I mentioned Megan and Isabel? I think I did. The movie is funny and entertaining together with good special effects and great sound, make this film a good Blu-Ray candidate earning it 3 Miguelasos.

Domino, Domino, Domino

A simple game using rectangular tile pieces, split in half and each half has dot carvings adding up to a number from blank (0) to 6. Why is it that so many people around the world are so serious about this game? It is so simple, right? NOT!

We are not talking about the kids game where tiles are lined up in shapes and then set to tumble. I am talking about the game old people wearing straw hats and guayaberas play in silence as if it was chess in Domino Park, Miami. I am talking about about the game played in the Bronx’ sidewalks. I am talking about the game that generates such emotions that would drive anyone to slam that last domino so hard, like if breaking the table in half is the goal of the game. I am talking about the game that makes you feel like the Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World when you have that last domino, a slight smirk and just let that domino drop.  So, stay thirsty my friends and read on.

Heineken Domino Tournament
Uploaded by degreedaily. -

“OK, it sounds exciting I want to play,” you may say. The rules are simple: first get a set of double six dominos, unless playing Cuban style in which case it is played with a set of double nines. The game is played in teams of two and each teammate sits across the table from each other, unless playing cut throat. The highest number tile starts the game (the double 6 or double 9), but only on the first game of the match after the winner of the previous match goes out, unless playing in Miami in which case any member of the winning team can start the game. There are only two directions of playing, unless you play American style/El Paso style or my favorite name Yahoo! style in which case you use a spinner and have four options available. Points are awarded by adding the points left in your opponents hand at the end of each game, or maybe your opponents and any point left on the winning team’s hand, or maybe you add points along the way in multiple of fives. The match is over at 150 points or 200 points or 500 points which adds bonus plays like “Chuchazo” or “Capicú,” or you can play until a team reaches a certain number of winning games. Oh, I forgot, the game is played on a counter clockwise order, unless played clockwise.

Confused yet? :-) Welcome to the world of dominos. The truth is that every country has a set of very fuzzy guidelines. For example, in Puerto Rico the game is played with a double six set, the direction of play is not exactly clear, there is a way to play with awards or without, some play with a doubles rule, some don’t. Imagine if multiple countries are represented. The rule of thumb is to schedule about 30 minutes before the game in order to set the rules. It will save a lot of headaches during the game. If a Cuban is involved, then you may have to schedule about an hour and a half, in order for him to brag about how double nine is the way real man do it. Hmmmm!!! Once the rules are figured out, the rest is a piece of cake. Or is it?

Playing domino gives my friends and I a chance to talk smack about each other, have some drinks, be competitive and have fun. I urge everyone to try it out, just remember: smack talking about someone’s person, mom, country or city is part of the game, don’t get offended, but get even.

“OK, sale la gorda…”

Lakers Win It Again!

The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship yesterday after completing the series versus the Orlando Magic (4 to 1). I do not follow the Lakers and have nothing smart to say about their performance this season or their championship run, at least nothing that is not found on ESPN or any other sports site. My extent of following the Lakers is hating on Kobe and annoying my friend Jaco, who is a die hard Laker fan from El Paso and who has never stepped in the LA metropolitan area; I just find it weird.

Never the less it is an amazing feat what this franchise has accomplished, this championship is:

• The Lakers 15’th Championship (including when the franchise was in Minneapolis), second only to the Boston Celtics.
• Phil Jackson’s 10’th Championship – Is he really that good? or just in the right place at the right time? Either way he has been lucky enough to coach three or four of the best players ever and have organizations that are willing to spend the money on architecting complete teams.
• Kobe’s ‘N Fisher’s 4’th Ring – Is 4 (3 as a secondary star player) = 6 as the best player ever? No, don’t think so, but something tells me that he may still have a few more opportunities.

I hope this finally wakes teams up and make them understand that it can’t be done with just one player and one strategy (Cleveland, Miami and about everyone else in the NBA). The team has to be agile enough to change as the challenges change. Hopefully, today’s LA Lakers is the franchise which forces other teams to rise and maybe then we will watch great basketball again…

Rudo y Cursi

Bueno mi gente.. me disculparán otra vez pero el trabajo me ha mantenido ocupado en las últimas semanas. Sé que esa no es razón suficiente para no haber escrito por unas tres semanas pero también soy vago.

OK, that said I watched ‘Rudo y Cursi’ a couple of weeks back. It wasn’t a movie I would originally go to the movies for, but V wanted to watch it and I owed her for promising to watch the next few summer blockbusters coming up, Transformers & GI Joe. She is not into the GI Joe trailer, but does it really matters? It’s GI Joe! Any way, ‘Rudo y Cursi’ is a Mexican drama/comedy (dramedy?) and I got more than I was expecting from it. It is a simple funny movie, none of the ‘stupid funny’ comedy that’s so popular right now, of which I am not a fan (for example ‘Land of the Lost’).  It depicts sibling rivalry, so common in a house with multiple male brothers to an extreme, through the story of two brothers trying to make it as professional soccer players in Mexico. As their popularity in the league grows so does their problems, the story touches on many stereotypical human faults including gambling addiction, drugs, lust, content and the ever desire to be something else. At the end discovering that all they needed was each others approval.

I liked the movie, but it would definitely be a rental that’s why I gave it 1 Miguelaso. V had high expectations and she came out somewhat disappointed, but I usually do not have any expectations from foreign movies, like Forest’s mom used to say, they are like a box of chocolate…

Angels and Demons / Sunshine Cleaning

I am noticing that in the three/four weeks I have been writing this blog, I already watched four movies and will be completing their review in this blog entry. I have been told that I am a though and picky critic; for this reason I am setting up a “Miguelaso” ranking system. This system will help compared how I rank one movie against another in a more subjective way. Also, it will assist when comparing different movie genres, Star Trek and Sunshine Cleaning for example. Here is the legend:

• 3 Miguelasos
  • So good I just watched the movie and want to buy the Blu-ray
• 2.5 Miguelasos
  • Good, but only buying the DVD… The line between 2.5 and three can be a bit fuzzy at times, they may be equally good, but one may have better attributes to be in Hi-Def…
• 2 Miguelasos
  • Worth watching in the movies, but not buying.
• 1.5 Miguelasos
  • I have no idea… hove not seen a 1.5 yet, but will define when I experience it.
• 1 Miguelaso
  • Rent it
• 0.5 Miguelasos
  • Forgettable experience… if you happen to be sitting in front of the TV when it is playing, fine, 0therwise it is not worth it. Or, you can rent it from the middle section in the local Block Buster, usually free.
• 0 Miguelasos
  • Did not like it.

That said, the last two reviews:

Angels and Demons – This movie was entertaining, definitely better than the DaVinci Code. Did not excite me as much as other movies I have seen lately, but it is not bad enough to complaint about it… mostly blah, or how Joy would say; it is “Moo".” I’ll give it 2 Miguelasos, because it is entertaining and it doesn’t disappoint.

Sunshine Cleaning – This movie surprised me, I watched it because it was V’s birthday and she has been wanting to watch it for a while. But, it turned out to be funny, entertaining and touching, definitely not The Notebook thou. I sincerely can say that I liked it, but there is no need to go to the movies to watch it, rental yes. I’ll give it 1 Miguelaso.

In order to retrofit my previous two reviews to the new ranking standard here they are again:

Star Trek – 3 Miguelasos, see the review here.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – 1.5 Miguelasos, I think it is worth watching in the movies, because of the especial effects and sound, but I was very disappointed…. I am guessing, X-Man fans like myself will probably buy it, but as a movie it is not really worth buying. You can see the original review here.

Catching Up

It has been about a week and a half since I written any blog post and I have so much material to write about. Hopefully, I’ll be able to catch up with you guys during next couple of days. These are are some of the highlights coming at you soon:

• My top 5 pictures from the visit to the Austin Zoo.
• Monday (5/18/2009) was V’s birthday, but we had guests in town since Wednesday night. Have some funny stories to tell and the top quotes of the weekend. Put these three characters together and you never know what’s going to be said.
• Movie reviews and a new ranking format:
  • Angels and Demons, Watched it Saturday (5/16/2009)
  • Sunshine Cleaning, Watched it Monday (5/18/2009)

Keep posted!!!

Austin Aztecs Soccer

Friday night V, Dima and I went to watch the Austin Aztecs game against the Puerto Rico Islanders. We were so disappointed.

1. They Play in a High School Field. This team calls themselves a professional team and they play in a high school field with predominant American Football lines, I couldn’t  tell where the soccer lines were.
2. $20 Per Seat. Can you believe it? $20 for the cheapest seats in the house. Not that you can really tell the difference from the >$22 seats. Dima had a theory on the Aztecs business model, ‘they know that the people will not comeback, so lets charge as much as we can the first time.’
3. Level of Play. The level of play of both teams was not up to what was advertised.

There was another thing that I was not happy about, but this is not the Aztecs’ fault:

The game ended tied 1 –1. I am not a ‘soccer (or futbol)  person,’ so I do not understand how as a fan someone can watch a 90 minutes game and be happy with a 1 – 1 outcome. No winner, no looser, and then have the audacity of saying that the other team sucks.

There was a couple of points that I did like about the experience. The side of the stadium open to the public was crowded and they had lively followers, most wearing soccer jerseys from their respective countries (Mexico and Brazil) or from professional teams somewhere else. But they had their drums and trumpets and noise makers. It really seemed like a neighborhood activity. If the price wasn’t so steep I would be willing to attend a few more games, but with a $20 per game price tag, I expect more than just a couple of amateur teams having trouble scoring with barely any goalie skills.

Star Trek

Awesome!!!!

End Of Post

 

OK, I guess a few more words would be nice. This has been the best Star Trek movie I have seen, I find it to be a complete movie, with a purpose. Not just, ‘we are lost in space and we stumble upon a new mission.’ As you can tell I am not a Treky, but I think this movie would satisfied both. You would get the most out of it if you are familiar with the original Star Trek series , but if you are not; the action, complete story line and comedic relief will keep you entertain. Well worth watching.

Weekend Preview (05/08/2009 – 05/10/2009)

Coming up this weekend:

1. Star Trek – The movie premiers on May 7, 2009, but my department will have a day outing to go watch it on Friday. This is the first time I am excited to watch a Star Trek movie, I have never been into Star Trek and I don’t know the characters’ names (but I don’t know anyone’s name, fiction or not) or history, but this seems more exciting, modern and young. Wait for my review tomorrow.
2. Austin Aztecs vs. Puerto Rico Islanders – These two teams play in the First Division – United Soccer League and will be playing Friday (05/07/2009) night. Austin is an expansion team in this league which includes teams from Vancouver, Miami, Montreal, Rochester and many others. The league will also be adding a couple of more teams next year from NY and Tampa. Puerto Rico and Austin played already once this season and Austin won in penalty kicks 3 – 0. Will Puerto Rico be looking for payback? I will be there to watch, but if you can’t make it, the game will be televised through Fox Soccer.
3. Austin Zoo – V and I will be taking a little stroll through the Austin Zoo. Originally founded as a goat ranch and later an animal sanctuary; today, the Austin Zoo is home to over 300 animals across more than 100 species. We will be taking some pictures and practicing for our future visit to the San Antonio Zoo.
4. Ikea and Home Work – We have a couple of home projects we want to get done, before our visitors arrive next week. That means extended stays at Ikea and some ‘screwing around’ the house.

Cheap Meals Around Austin

Due to the poor economic situation people are eating in more often, causing a lot of restaurants to be heavily affected and making them compete for our hard earned dollars. Some restaurants have realized that people are looking for a good deal without sacrificing quality.  These are some of the restaurants that have stepped up to the plate:

• Subway – Subway’s $5 foot long has become a classic as well as a catchy jingle.
• Mangia – Has lunch and dinner for $5, options include spaghetti and meatballs or raviolis and soup or salad.
• Applebee’s – Offers a 2 for $20 menu, where a couple can share an appetizer and order two different entrees.
• Cafe Mangu – Offers 2 entrees for $19.95, you would get 2 entrees with sides each and an order of ‘mariquitas’ for appetizer.
• Carino’s – Has $8.99 all you can eat pasta and salad and of course Wednesday’s Wine and Dine (1/2 Price Wine Bottles)

Do you know of any other restaurants offering good deals in the Austin area? What about in your area? Please comment you recommendations.

Hawks turn off the Heat

Everyone who knows me is aware of my loyalty to the Miami area sports teams, including the Miami Heat. Sadly the heat were eliminated yesterday (05/03/2009) in the first round of the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks. But, who could decipher that series? A seven game series in which no game was closer than a 10 points differential (26, 15, 29, 10, 15, 26, 13).

Atlanta was the best team, but in my opinion not the strongest. Miami was seen as a one man team, D. Wade, and it is partly true. When Wade is in the game the attitude of the team changes completely, but I believe that this series gave them some definition and a foundation to work on for next year. In the first three games we saw the resurgence of J. O’Neal, sadly he got injured. The support of James Jones, Michael Beasley and at times Cook and Chalmers were also helpful.  They need work in consistency and leadership when Wade is not in the court.

Overall this is a fairly young team in which most contributors are rookies (Chalmers and Beasley), 1 year (Anthony and Cook) or 5 years (Jones, Haslem and Wade) with the exception of 12 years veteran O’Neal, is in a good position for growth and improvement. Let’s not forget their record improvement of 15-67 a year ago to 43-39 this year. Also, realistically speaking what would they have been able to do against Cleveland in the second round?

Thirty Out Of a 100 is Not Bad

Saturday (5/2/2009) Olive-R, V and I participated in the Shiner GASP (Greater Austin Shiner Pedal), a 100 mile cycling event from Austin to the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX, benefiting the American Cancer Foundation. Man, it was a though day. The day was a warm, cloudy and very humid. Keep in mind that I had not touch a bicycle since the 24 miles in the Spoke N Spurs event last March.

The day started with my knee being really tight and turning into a slight pain after a few miles into the event. And what was suppose to be a fairly flat road turn out to be quite hilly. The first rest stop, came 17 miles into the ride and when I got there the stop was already packing up to close. At that point I was ready to get on the van and go to the finish line. Sadly, the van available was the turtle van, which follows the last rider. A bit too slow considering the 83 miles left to go, so I figured continuing to the next rest stop at mile 33 and catching a faster van on the way would be best. Somewhere around mile 29 I saw a van passing by and I waved it down. Turning out to be one my best ideas ever.

About a mile down the road I waved down V and she decided to get in as well, and then convinced the driver, Matt, to go back for Olive-R. At that point we were three out of 4 in the van, but the following 70 miles would proof how valuable our seats were. On the way to Shiner, we stopped to aid a rider that had fallen off his bike, we picked up a number of people and squished in a few more bikes in.

During the van ride we stop countless of times to find people that wanted a ride and there were no vans available to help. That was a common complaint, they only had 3 regular side vans covering the hundred mile stretch; while doing double duty, mechanical help as well as picking up people. The vans didn’t have any bike racks, so the bikes would take valuable space within the van. A fully loaded van could only carry 7 people at a time. Not good!

The stops offered cookies, PowerAde Bars and oranges not much compared to the Spoke N Spurs ride which had PB&J sandwiches, cookies, an assortment of fruits, candies and cakes. The Spoetzl Brewery was cool and we each got an option of Bratwurst or Shiner Sausage, I as most people chose one of each. I found it to be not enough food, specially for someone who just finished a 100 mile ride. We also got to try a number of their beers, but my favorite was their 100 years commemorative beer, a doppelbock called the ‘Shiner 100 Commemorator.’

Overall it was an eventful ride, but one I would not do again. I would also like to thank Olive-R dad’s for waiting for us at the finish line, even if we were too blind to find him when we got there.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Spoiler Alert!!!)

Last night, at midnight, a few friends and I watched ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ and I have mixed opinions. The good news is: Action, Action, Action!!! From beginning to end the movie is  full of it. The bad news is: Action Scene after Action Scene after Action Scene!!! No real character development, no real character associations (even in the romance scenes), nothing different from the other X-Men movies, except it is worst. All you get is Wolverine hacking and slashing away, how is that different from all the other movies? Well, in this one you get to see him slashing as a kid and with bone blades.

There are three main characters in this movie (some may argue 4). Logan – Wolverine, Coronel Stryker (played by Danny Huston), the one responsible for Logan’s adamantium infusion and the creation of Bloodpool. Victor Creed (or is it Viktor? Sabretooth, played by Liev Schreiber). In this case Victor is Logan’s brother, which keeps consistent to the inconsistency in Sabretooth and Wolverine’s relationship. Through time they have been father and son, cousins, etc. Their relationships develops through from their child hood to ‘current times’ through a series of periodical style videos of the different wars they participated together. For no apparent reason Sabretooth grows up to be (believe it or not) more blood thirsty than Wolverine (not by much) that being  the reason of their big split.

The fourth character could be Bloodpool, considering that the majority of the destruction in the movie was caused for  Bloodpool’s creation as an end result, he himself played a very little part in the movie. So the government continues its ridiculous money spending; first the little trip of Air Force One over NYC and then the multi-billion dollar investment in the creation of Bloodpool, who turns around and gets destroyed (decapitated) in his first fight by two Canadians (it could only be worst if they were French).

The other gripes I have against the movie:

• The development of the other mutants was non-existence. I understand that it is supposed to be Wolverine’s story, but why is it important that he was hanging out with these guys?
• I never understood the the other guys’ mutant abilities. Agent Zero (played by Daniel Henney) and Wade Wilson (later to become Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds) seemed to have pretty much the same power, but one uses guns the other swords. And they all seem to have jumping and leaping abilities. WTF?
• Also, all the regular humans seemed to have a power as well… they are all bad shots… not even with a helicopter!
• Gambit… well, he was there.
• If Wolverine and Sabretooth were brothers, how come they didn’t really show this relationship in the first part of the X-Men trilogy. I understand Wolverine looses his mind, but what about Sabretooth?
• I agree with New York Times review by  Joe Neumair, when he complaints about the simplicity of Wolverine’s lab scene. I mean, this is the scene that hunts him throughout the rest of his life (a big deal considering he can’t die), but it wasn’t scary at all. He barely moved, oh yeah he also squinted. Ok, well his heart stopped for a second, but his heart stops in every movie.
• Oh, lets not forget about that stupid after credit scene.

I did liked:

• The cameo by Xavier.
• Is that girl Lady Deathstrike from X-Men 2?

Is it worth seeing? Of course; Wolverine is in it :-) Is it worth getting excited over it? Not really… I would be more excited about the future ‘Origins’ movies featuring Magneto and the young X-Man (‘First Class').

What did you think?