Category Archives: Two Cents

Bad Apples

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It really pains me to watch this video.

I don’t live in Vancouver. I’ve never even been to Vancouver. In spite of this, I can truly empathize with Vancouverites who are deeply saddened, outraged and embarrassed by the riots that took place after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the SCF. I know how it feels. I’m from LA. Hell, there are even riots here when we WIN!. I know how it feels to be unfairly lumped into a category (i.e. LA fans are “classless”) based on the media’s over-sensationalized coverage of inexcusable acts by idiots who do NOT represent the majority of the city’s residents or fan base. I know how it feels to desperately want to deflect blame and protect the city that you love.

I get it.

But come on Vancity, let’s keep it real. To claim that the riots were caused by anarchists and criminals posing as Canucks fans, as VPD Chief Jim Chu did, is completely absurd. I clearly see people in Canucks jerseys, new AND old (yes, I’m talking about the hideous Halloween jersey), actively partaking in the destruction of business storefronts. And I’m not buying the ridiculous explanation that these people were actually hooligans who spent money on jerseys just to riot after the SCF. As easy as it is to rationalize the situation, it is also illogical to reason that the rioters were not “true fans” because if they were “true fans”, they would not be rioting. First of all, the definition of a true fan is subjective, but more importantly, being a true fan does not necessarily mean you are a good person/have good judgement and vice versa. There are bad apples in every group, in every city. It is unfortunate that the rest of us have to suffer because of them.

Kristen Stewart Took Acting Lessons

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I’m impressed. When I watched Eclipse, I didn’t feel an urge to slap Kristen Stewart in the face to evoke some emotions in her. She actually did a decent job this time around. And by decent, I mean reasonably better than her appalling performance in Twilight and her barely passable acting in New Moon. It only took 3 tries for her to get it right, or at least enough for me to think it was worth my $13.

♥ Team Edward ♥

Source: Twifans via heartkbitch

You Get What You Pay For

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Besides the apartment drama in NYC last December, I’ve had good vacation rental experiences. Maybe it’s because I thoroughly research my options or maybe I’ve just been lucky. Maybe it’s because I rely heavily on the pictures that the owners post up of their unit because if I don’t like how the place looks in pictures, I mostly likely won’t like it in person. I was hoping to continue my streak, but I can think of anything that can salvage the horrible experience we just had in our Mammoth condo this past weekend.

We stayed in a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo (Mammoth Point #106) located a little above the Canyon Lodge base area. A friend of mine secured this rental through Mammoth Reservations Bureau (MRB) for 2 nights. Total cost: $460 + $100 security deposit which works out to about $94 for 6 people – what a steal! I remember not being too impressed with the pictures of the condo, but I was hoping that the great price would equate to great deal. When we arrived, my first impression was that the condo was very dated, but I wasn’t going to dock points off just for that. I don’t need granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances and 600 thread-count sheets to be comfortable; all I ask for are clean conditions, a working heating/cooling system (depending on location, ex. Hawaii vs Mammoth), comfortable bed and a useable kitchen. Sadly, Mammoth Point #106 failed on all four of these requirements:

- There were lots of brown spots on the carpet and I know it’s a 70′s thing, but I will never understand why anyone would install carpet in the bathroom.

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- My mattress sunk in towards the middle, making it very uncomfortable for two people to sleep on. Also, I’m not sure if it was goose down, but feathers kept poking out of the sheets.

- The heater in my room did not work, causing the room the stay at a constant chilly 50 degrees.

- The comforter that I was supposed to use was stuffed into the top of the closet, which made me question whether the comforter was even washed or not.

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- Some pans were bent so cooking meats evenly was a challenge. The coating on the non-stick pans was clearly deteriorating.

- The oven had a mind of its own; I’ve been able to adjust to different brands and at different altitudes, but this time, the oven just would not cooperate!

The worst part of this whole experience was that part of our electricity went out WHILE I WAS IN THE SHOWER! Apparently, we overloaded the circuit, causing the circuit breaker to trip. Even though they supposedly “manage” this specific unit, the MBR provided no assistance in resolving this issue. I understand it was late at night, but you would think that they would do more than just tell us to look for the circuit breaker box and fix it ourselves. When we called back in the morning, all they did was send a maintenance guy over to get the Mammoth Point office manager, whose building is right across from us. Really, MRB? We could have done that ourselves. Thanks for nothing.

Now I know why this condo was so cheap!