I C O N O C L A S T I C » awesome

Little Island Comics

Nutellaface — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 23:47:25 +0000

Well, if this isn’t an awesome idea! Glad this store is opening now that I have a 5 month old! Can’t wait to start taking her. Actually, I want to go just for me. It’s owned and operated by The Beguiling which is one of my two favourite comic stores in Toronto.

What a great way to start the school year. Comics were some of the first things I started reading and also a big reason why I got into art and drawing.

You can check their awesome site here.

Little Island Comics is the first kids comic book store in North America–maybe even the world! Owned and operated by international comics institution The Beguiling–celebrating their 25th Anniversary in 2012–the store features thousands of comics, graphic novels and manga, and a great lineup of programming and events with kids comic and book authors from around the world!

Little Island Comics
742 Bathurst Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5S 2R6
Phone: 416-901-7489
E-mail: mail@littleislandcomics.com

Elena Aurora at 4 and A Half Months

Nutellaface — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 01:24:43 +0000

Can’t believe how quickly time is flying. Elena is 4 1/2 months! She’s a cutie and keeps my wife and I busy. Looking forward to teaching her many things and watching cartoons together!

Boston Bruins and Lord Stanley

Nutellaface — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:53:41 +0000

Well, it’s been a while since I have posted on the blog. Baby Elena and work have been keeping me pretty busy. Something is happening tomorrow to has made me post tonight. Yes, the Boston Bruins will be playing the Vancouver Canucks in game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.

As a Canadian, I really should be cheering for Vancouver but unfortunately, I am a Boston fan. I like the style of hockey they play and they have outscored Vancouver in a huge way. Tomorrow, Boston needs to bring it and the cup will be theirs.

Really looking forward to tomorrow evening!

PS. I’ll be posting my thoughts on the NEW Roma soon.

Elena Aurora

Nutellaface — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:26:12 +0000

Hey all. I know I haven’t posted in a long time but little baby Elena Aurora was born March 31st. She is the most beautiful baby in the world (I can scientifically prove this) and mommy and baby are doing great.

Samurai Shodown!

Nutellaface — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:53:51 +0000

Ah, Neo Geo arcade games… they bring back memories. What I also remember is the cost for the home system and the games. Some of the games were going for $300 each. Crazy times indeed.

Anyway, now that I am reminded of my wasted youth spent in arcades, check out this cool video. It’s “Taichi Saotome, Special New Year Performance of Dragon and Peony, Sword Dance and Shadowgraph 2nd to the 5th of January 2011 at the Galaxy Theater Tokyo.”

I can only imagine how must coreographing was needed for this. Only in Japan. Enjoy and stay out of arcades! Oh wait… arcades died in the early mid 90s… by bad.

Must-See Animations: Grave of the Fireflies

Nutellaface — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 20:33:21 +0000

You just know an animation is good when you see these quotes about it: “Roger Ebert considers it to be one of the most powerful anti-war movies ever made,” or when animation historian Ernest Rister compares the film to Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and says, “it is the most profoundly human animated film I’ve ever seen.” I know a lot of people said that the aging sequence from Up was the most emotional they have become watching an animation but they clearly haven’t seen Grave of the Fireflies.

Grave of the Fireflies is about the relationship between two orphaned children, pre-teen Seita and his young sister Setsuko during World War II. Studio Ghibli (best known for movies such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro) was hired to to do the animation production work and you can tell. The animation is beautiful looking, like everything else Studio Ghibli makes.

I don’t want to say too much more about this movie but if you have any appreciation for animation, this is a must-see film.

Glamour in the Skies

Nutellaface — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 23:27:54 +0000

I remember watching Catch Me If You Can and thinking how exciting flying must have been in the 50s, 60s and 70s… now, we can’t bring any liquids, we have to take off our shoes, we wait in security lines for hours and recently, we even get the equivalent of an anal probing. Ah, to be back in the days when you could call flight attendants ‘stewardesses’… *sigh*

Check out this site which has a great collection of pictures from the 40s to the 70s… a better time for airlines and hot pants!

Teachers’ Pay Package Should Reward Merit

Nutellaface — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:28:13 +0000

Bloomberg has a great article that highlights how Gates and the Obama administration want to change the $59 billion teachers’ pay package so that it rewards results instead of seniority or advanced degrees. It’s no surprise that 87 percent of teachers supported awarding additional pay on the basis of an advanced degree such as a master’s or doctorate, and 82 percent said pay should be tied to seniority.

“Data show that smaller class sizes don’t necessarily improve student performance. If you reduce the number of teachers and provide money to the most highly effective teachers to take on five more kids, that probably ultimately is going to be the best utilization of those resources.”

Does that quote not hit the nail right on the head? Of course, the greedy teachers and teachers’ union will highly disagree. There needs to be some kind of change with the education system both in the US and Canada. Will it happen in my life time or my soon-to-be-born daughters’ lifetime? Doubt it… too much greed and red tape.

Bangkok Knockout Trailer Knocks You Out

Nutellaface — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:36:06 +0000

Twitch has an awesome trailer up for the new Panna Rittikrai film. All I have to say about this is “holy shit!” I wouldn’t even want to know the cost of insurance if such a movie were filmed in North America.

“The Thai martial artist, director and stunt coordinator rose to international prominence with the success of Ong Bak, a film he choreographed for his then largely unknown protege Tony Jaa.”

Head over to Twich to read more about this movie… I’ll be in line for this one!

Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition On GOG.com

Nutellaface — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:45:54 +0000

Oh boy… if I only had kept track of the amount of hours I played this game over the years, I would probably puke (it would still be less time than if I had to take a GO Train every day… thank god). I remember Bioware releasing it in 2002 and it quickly built up a vast community of people creating worlds, mods, etc. It was one of the more exciting RPGs made and kept very close to Dungeons and Dragons rules.

“Experience one of the most popular role-playing adventures of our time, a journey that has thrilled millions. Inhabit dreamlike worlds of myth and mystery. Boundless lands of deadly creatures, foreboding omens and bold heroism.”

Now, GOG.com has this the Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition available for $9.99. The Diamond Edition includes the original Neverwinter Nights and three official expansion packs: Shadows of Undrentide, Hordes of the Underdark and Kingmaker.

I had to download it.