London 2012 Summer Olympics

I watched the rerun of the summer Olympic opening ceremony with my mum a couple of hours ago and we saw this flag:

Funny cause I've never seen this flag before. So I did a bit of research (wikipedia for once, wasn't too helpful surprisingly).

This is the Independent Olympic Athletes flag, a flag that represents athletes from countries who are currently in turmoil, internally or externally, and thus unable to represent their countries. This year, there are 4 athletes competing under this flag at this year's summer Olympics: athletes from the Netherlands Antilles and South Sudan.

Just thought it was something interesting to share. What's also interesting is that apparently, Myanmar and Libya have new and improved flags.

This post is brought to you by her Majesty's upside down happy grin:

Date night with Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Tonight, my friend and I watched the newest Batman movie: The Dark Knight Rises, which was released just recently, Friday, July the 20th, 2012. Directed by Christopher Nolan (Inception, Prestige, Batman trilogy), the movie had returning actors Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman ('runs' Wayne Enterprises and armorer), Michael Caine (butler extraordinaire) and Gary Oldman (Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department dude), along with newcomers Joseph Gordon-Levitt (!!!), Tom Hardy (!!!), Marion Cotillard and Anne Hathaway. Needless to say, it was a big budget movie with heaps of shiny expensive big named movie actors.

This was a long movie, which shouldn't come as a surprised since it was Christopher Nolan who directed it. He also directed Prestige and Inception, both relatively long movies with very intricately well thought out storyline. Also, just a word of advice: do not buy a medium sized drink. Like I just mentioned, this is a long movie, like 165 minutes long (which equals to 2 hours and 45 minutes). Let's just say that by the time the movie finished, I was in desperate need to visit the nearest restroom.

The movie itself however, was something else. While watching it, the movie gave off a very heavy Inception-esk feel, which certainly didn't help since Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard all starred in that movie together. Just like the other two Batman movies, this one contained numerous flashback shots, heaps of fighting, excessive use of explosives, fancy technology gadgets, Batman as the bad guy in Gotham City, continued mentions of just how filthy rich Bruce Wayne is, scenes of him struggling to get better and him getting all the brunettes (Katie Holmes, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Marion Cottilard). And really creepy appearances by Liam Neeson from time to time. Inception was definitely not the movie I thought of while I was watching it; the movie also had a very ...disturbing similarity to I Am Legend (remember that movie?) starring Will Smith and the zombie apocalypse. Batman's motorcycle also reminded me a lot of Final Fantasy VII. It'll make more sense after you've seen the movie.

Besides that, it was an enjoyable movie. Long but enjoyable. Definitely worth the watch, if only just to see how fit Tom Hardy has become after his Inception era. At the very end of the movie, there's also a little surprise. So go watch it!

Also, cheap movie Tuesdays. And then look at how much a regular admission ticket cost. (this movie theatre needs to clean up their theatres a little better)

Sunday Afternoon Baking

Sunday afternoon baking because the chances of me getting out of bed prior to lunch is rather impossible. 

My last stress-free week before my second job commences in under 3 days. And then my 3rd job will start the following week. Basically this is my farewell message to the rest of my summer. For those who are interested in meeting up with me, you will have to be very demandingly persuasive and forceful- and by forceful, I mean have a vehicle ready to pick me up. Texting or calling me and asking if I've got free time won't help you much.

Instead of publishing a 'Who Are They' post about One Direction, I decided to do some hardcore baking. This was purely because my mum and I bought some fresh blueberries from the market yesterday and they were glaring at me all last night.

Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies and Raisin Oatmeal Cookies (because I bought some Thursday night)

 

 Raisin oats on the left and blueberries oats on the top right hand corner.

I also bought some red hair dye yesterday. Hopefully next week this time, my hair will be void of ridiculous looking black roots.

Stampede

It's been a while hey? Anyway, I come bearing an update!

I was quite busy the last several days. This year is Calgary Stampede's 100th year anniversary and my mum's friends flew into town just for the occasion. Friends from out of town? Lots of sight-seeing and eating heaps of food and walking to plenty of places. It was very fun.

I had a friend's bachelorette party on Saturday and it was heaps of fun. I got to see a friend of mine that I haven't seen in 2 years (I went abroad for a year and then she went abroad while I was still abroad...so) and just some that I haven't seen in a while. It was heaps of fun, with endless amount of champagne, or sparkling wine -even the manager of the bar we visited treated us to a bottle haha- and amazingly tasty food.

Sunday involved me visiting Banff and Chateau Lake Louise. It was a beautiful day, albeit it being scorching hot.

That night was also Calgary's NTSA's concert (New Talent Singing Awards, basically Canadian Idol but localised and for Chinese only). And this dude was the special guest for this year's contest.

 (his name's 周柏豪, or Pakho)

The lighting was terrible so this was the best, up close might I add, I was able to get. And pictures do him no justice cause he was something else in person. So gorgeous, unfff.

And here is a picture of how my nails currently look like (the left was a before picture and the right was an after picture):

The sparkly jewels are actually no longer attached to my nails cause I started work on Monday, so I had to take them off Sunday night. Unfortunate but necessary.

Also, while I'm on the topic of work: I am currently in love with it. It involves me chasing after a bunch of boys/guys (11ish year olds to 15, 16 year olds) and just having heaps of fun with them. Some of them can be a bit of a handful at times but are generally really awesome to hang out with. I've also given some of them nicknames (I have to chase after 32 guys! Remembering 10's already pretty good I'd like to think) and in return, they've given me one: Stevie. Beauty.

New layout

Last night, I was complaining to a friend from Singapore at I don't know what time about how my blog was looking rather one dimensional. Don't get me wrong though, I love black but it was all very dull and didn't feel all that welcoming. And my mum has forever been on my case about adding more colours to my life. So I download a new fancy template that has heaps of colour in it.

And whoa. Whoaaaaa

I am by no means boring in terms of choosing colour to fit my life, but this has got to be quite the change. I see pastel colours everywhere. I can take the blue but the amount of whiteness and light pink. I tend to avoid pink whenever I can, so to have it on my blog.... ha ha We'll see how things will go from here.

Today is a national holiday in Canada because it was Canada Day yesterday (Happy Canada Day eh!) and this is what I spend my day off doing: house chores, read tweets from the Spanish National Football team as they parade around the streets of Madrid with their Eurocopa 2012 (hopefully Sergio doesn't drop this one under the bus too), download a new template and categorise my nail polishes into specific colour groups.

Feeling accomplished? I most certainly do.

Campeones 2012!!!

I had a crappy night sleep cause I was terrified of today's game's outcome (I was also a complete mess the night before the semi final's game between Portugal and Spain). Thankfully, it ended in my favour. :D So yes, a massive picspam is in order, and for the first time, I will be putting up a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: read at your own risk. There will be a ridiculously massive amount of fangirling taking place here today. Italian fans, I'd suggest you click on the back button immediately.

Final game of UEFA 2012 finally comes to an end.

16 teams, 24 days, 31 games, a ridiculously large number of yellow cards and even more fouls committed but surprisingly, only 2 red cards were given out.

Spain vs Italy July 1st, 2012, at Kviv, Ukraine.

Without me needing to say anything, a lot was riding on both nation's side. For the Spaniards, it was their need to defend their European Champions' title and to retain their position as FIFA's leader board's #1. For the Italians, it was their hunger to redeem themselves after a disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign. Sadly, only one team can become Europe's best in 2012.

Before you start scrolling down, let me remind you that until sometime during the second half when Silva made way for Torres, Spain played without an attacking forward. It was a 4-6-0 formation. Clearly, that worked out well for them.

 14 minutes into the game, this happens to the 1.70m David Silva (one of the tiniest!): 

then at 41st minute, this happens to Jordi Alba, a central defender, also a 1.70m, and has never scored a single goal for Spain:

which is followed by Torres proving the entire world wrong at 84th minute:

and then Iniesta makes way for Juan Mata at the 86th minute where less than 3 minutes later, Mata goes running:

Well, by the time the full 90 minute stoppage time came, it was pretty obvious who won the tournament.

 Defending European champions!!!

La Roja is now the first team to win 3 major tournaments in a row, 20 unbeaten games for the UEFA campaign, 16 clean sheets during Euro 2012 and winning the European Championship title back to back.

...and then for the more awesome stuff you find on twitter and on tumblr:

(the amount of cuteness in this picture...like, I can't even ... But I guess he's attractive to women of all ages, hey?)

Charles Puyol, a twitter fanatic, tweeted this at the beginning of the game, of him and his fellow Barça teammate, David Villa from the stands, where they were watching the game VIP style. I'm not really understanding Villa's attempting at growing a somethingbeard at the moment. I'd rather he stick with his soul patch.

Fernando and his ridiculously adorable children. Also, once the game ended, almost all of the players' children came onto the pitch. It was a field full of cuteness. 

David Silva trolling the Italians hardcore over twitter

Truthfully speaking, I felt immensely bad for the Italians cause losing sucks. I felt awfully bad when I saw the Italian team crying and Pirlo and Buffon almost bawling their eyes out. However, I didn't because of that one lone guy on the team: Balotelli. Maybe if he'd get his attitude and ego checked out and acted a little less cocky and more useful on the field (I've watched all of the Italian games, I'd know how useful he was during the tournament, even if he did provide the Italians the win over the German side), I might have felt more inclined to be a little more sympathetic. Next time buddy, you're still only 21. (and this is what happens when you think of yourself as a better player than club mate Silva)

Greatest achievements?

Fernando Torres: Golden Boot (3 goals and 1 assist, beating out Mario Gomez of Germany with 3 minutes less playing time (I think? correct me if I'm wrong)) winner and having scored twice in an European Championship final (2008 and 2012).

Iker Casillas: played 137 matches for Spain: 100 wins, 24 draws, 13 defeats and being the first captain to lift the Eurocopa two times in a row.

And so my annoying spamming period has finally come to an end. Thanks to all those who put up with me, seeing as how it was only 1 month every 2 years where I spam you with stuff. And to those who complained, glad to know we're such good friends. In two years time, hopefully, I'll be able to watch a game live. From Brasil.
  
[Source: as usual, thank you to tumblr and twit-ter and adidas]