Gnaw On This

Since there's a couple day break in the World Cup... what do I do with my time?! The quarter-finals are going to be spectacular. Brasil versus Nederland is going to be UNREAL! Can't wait. But I'll get back to that when it actually happens on Friday. 

Anyways, I have a few things lined up here, but I won't post them/get started on them just yet 'cause I'm outta town again this weekend! But here's a wee little list of what's to come: 

1) Update on the job. I was painting at an NHLer's place this past week! Also, I met quite the odd character a couple jobs ago.

2) My summary of two concerts that I went to in the last two nights... Great Lake Swimmers and the JD Edwards band. Good stuff.

3) A Toon town wedding vlog! My trip to Saskatoon last weekend for my friend's wedding.

4) My boy, Lazy J from the Bode! The newest up and coming Californian rapper. Hilarious stuff.

5) Oh, and I cannot forget about my Red River Rising, The Making Of VLOG! Yikes! That's overdue.

OKAY, so I'll try to get these UP a.s.a.p. 

In the meantime, I'll give you a few little treats to gnaw on when I'm away...

First, this just in from Stars... these vids just keep coming! Oh and the album is out and it is fantastic.

Secondly, Royal Canoe's official CD release party for Co-op Mode is this Saturday at the WECC! GO! Library Voices will be opening. Here's a taste of what's to come in regards to new tunes from the boys... I'm EXCITED!



And lastly, check out this little tune that I've fallen in love with; B.O.B. has a unique hip-hop feel. I'm lovin' his debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray

B.o.B - "Magic" feat. Rivers Cuomo by ldrummonds

CHEERS

World Cup Reflections: Hup Holland Hup!

The flying Dutchmen are in formidable form. They are playing patiently and are seamlessly passing the ball around their opposition. In today's case they were up against Slovakia who took down the last champion, Italy (which was quite the shock). Slovakia are a solid side, and definitely had the chances to overtake the Dutch today. However, that was not the case thankfully, and Holland cruised to a 2-1 victory! Robben is the difference maker for the Dutch, FOR SURE! He started his first game today and it paid off. He scored the opening goal and made it look too easy. He can take any situation and turn it into gold. He amazingly cuts into the centre of the field with his almighty left foot so effectively! LOVE IT!

I have only seen a few Netherlands flags around and I am in fact one of those fanatics who have a flag on their vehicle. I was driving to my indoor soccer game last week when I noticed in the corner of my eye that the driver in the truck beside me was motioning for me to roll down my window. At first I was skeptical but then did as requested. Here is what immediately followed:

"IF YOU AIN'T DUTCH, YOU AIN'T MUCH!"

He had both his hands around his mouth shouting out of his window with his full attention on me. Now that's what I call reckless beauty. He then proceeded to gesticulate the "Shaka" symbol (Yes, I did Wiki it) and continued to do so all the way down the street! We were both loving it. I then answered with a yeah-that's-right point and a couple of proud fist pumps. He answered with a clasp of the hands and the "championship shake" out of his window! Wow, doesn't the World Cup bring out friendship in strangers!? UNREAL!

Next up is BRASIL! BRING IT!

World Cup Reflections: To England's Horror!

WOW, England has suffered a major blow today. I really feel for the team because they were literally robbed from a momentous swing in their Round of 16 game with Deutschland! Frank Lampard had a beautiful, finessed, volleyed chip from outside the box that hit the crossbar and landed a foot inside the line! The linesman was in no position to see it and unfortunately, same with the field referee. NO GOAL! Lampard could NOT believe it and he looked like he had seen a ghost! Actually, every England supported looked like they had because everyone knew it should have been a goal. It would have been tied 2-2 going into the half and a new game would have emerged in the second. UNREAL! AGAIN, FIFA, WAKE UP! This is preposterous. Get with the times and introduce video replay to get these calls RIGHT! SO FRUSTRATING! To get things started: Get rid of Joseph Blatter, the FIFA president... it's time for a much needed change.

Back in 1966, England beat West Germany for the World Cup title. England scored to win in the 11th minute of extra time causing today's same controversy, except flipped. The linesman gave them the benefit of the doubt and signaled the shot as a goal even though (the replay shows that) it never completely crossed the line! Now this has come back to haunt them in the present! Let's hope we see change soon with this football injustice, video replay is essential.

UNREAL, how did they not see and ultimately count this goal! See for yourself:



Check out this '66 final's footage of the goal that was gifted to Geoff Hurst of England that presented the nation with their only World Cup title:



Oh, and Argentina's first goal was offside too today... ridiculous.

Hopefully the Dutch can just plow through Slovakia and not have to worry about controversial refereeing.

World Cup Reflections: Pringoooals!

Wow, Peter Crouch who is my favourite player is just SO COOL! I'm being kind of sarcastic, but I think it's awesome that he's in a Pringles commercial. He of course displays his renowned robot celebration dance in this ad (he performed it for Prince William during training at the last World Cup) Check this out!

PRICELESS

p.s. He should be starting for England... I hope he does tomorrow!

Father's/Sister's/My Special Day

Alright, so this weekend was PACKED for me! I was in Saskatoon for a Wedding and it was a blast. It doubled as a Holsby Brunn Bible School reunion and I loved that I got to see friends that I hadn't seen in TWO YEARS! I also won at Settlers of Catan. Good times. A video log of that wonderful experience will be up and running shortly... hopefully! I still need to get going on that Red River Risin', The Making Of Vlog too! Yikes!

Anyways, Sunday was Father's day and I didn't even post a shout-out to my DAD! So here it is: You're awesome Dad. Thanks for everything and I love you A LOT.
I got him a sweet vibration guitar tuner and new (much needed) strings! Can't wait to try 'em out!

Life Lesson: An excellent gift is one that is also very useful for yourself! Remember that.

Sunday was also my older sister's birthday! So HAPPY BDAY Jessss! Check out her sweet fashion, designs, and ideas at her blog here: Silly Goose & here: Society6, Silly Goose!

Now today is my younger sister's birthday! So HAPPY BDAY Kirsti! Fun fact of her last week's California trip: She ran into the one and only Miley Cyrus in a Forever 21 store in Pasadena! UNREAL! They were wearing the same sunglasses (Miley didn't have the courtesy to take hers off though...)! Check it:

What an ungrateful celebrity. She meets a Goossen and she doesn't even take off her sunglasses?! COM'ON! Disrespectful youngin'.

As for my special day; when I was younger I was always upset that my sister's would get all my parent's attention around this time. It was their birthdays after all. So I claimed the day in between their birthdays as MY SPECIAL DAY (June 21st)! They didn't like that so much, but I have actually kept celebrating it to this day! So yesterday was my special day. Yessssss.

PEACE

World Cup Reflections: Disgrace to the Game

Kaka should not be BANNED! This is disgusting. For those of you who didn't watch the Brazil vs. Ivory Coast game, one of the Ivorian players came running into Kaka (one of Brazil's superstars and one of the world's most respectful players) late in the game. Kaka put his arm up to protect himself from a collision, but the Ivorian (Keita) ran straight into it and went down in a heap of pain while clutching his face! DISGUSTING! The referee ultimately gave Kaka a second yellow card and as a result he was sent off and will miss the next match. Kaka is a SAINT, he would never elbow a player in the face! The refs were cheated, conned and tricked in this football debacle! I've said this time and time again... VIDEO REPLAY IS ESSENTIAL! This sport will never get the respect it deserves because of dirty players like Keita who act falsely and idiotically on the pitch! This is disgusting. When will FIFA take their heads out of their asses? I'm sorry if that phrase offends you, but I believe it describes the situation perfectly. When will they realize that video implications are necessary for a fair game and are NEEDED to get certain calls RIGHT! I'm serious; I'm sickened with the bad reputation soccer receives because of the stupidity from unsportsmanlike professionals. This is a disgrace to the game.

Here is an article that sums it up nicely: Kaka Shouldn't Be Banned

World Cup Reflections: Inspired

Okay... I've played one soccer game since the World Cup and I had a feeling I would play with an inspirational fire because of it. However, approximately 15 mins into the game I tweaked my left ankle on an attempted cross... It didn't stop me. It did restrict my ability to run but since we had no substitutes, I was forced to continue. I moved myself up to striker because I couldn't run 100%, and at least I could maybe hold up the game and control it from the front.

It came to half time, we were tied 1-1 and I was still hobbling on my ankle. DANG! I hate being a gimp. I ran over to the stands at the beginning of the second half and told my "fan base" what had happened (my parents, grandma, and Danielle came out to watch). About 5 mins after that I knew that the defender (also last man back) would mishandle a cross and I pounced on the mistake. I had a mini breakaway, I took one control touch and then finessed it by the charging keeper! Just like FIFA 10, the finesse button works every time! I couldn't believe that I scored despite being injured. It was a great feeling. About 10 mins after that, I had another chance but ended up rolling my bad ankle and screwing it up more... BAH! So I ended up getting the GWG, but now I'm recovering from my injury and therefore have missed two indoor games, which is very frustrating.

I think since Danielle (D) came out and took the time to watch me play soccer, it's about time she get a SHOUT OUT! I know she's been waiting for this for a LONG time, so there ya go! Thanks for coming out and seeing me in my glory. A week before then, we went and saw a Manitoba Premier match. It was very sloppy but we had fun commenting on the game anyway. We decided we are going to start an alternate viewing channel of soccer games for those who want a comical commentary. Basically we just made jokes about the two team's horrible play and the players' bad decisions and of course their outer image. We were on fire with our remarks!

Anyways... back to my reflections of the World Cup.

FRANCE IS BRUTAL! Henry looked like he was depressed on the side lines during their game against Mexico. I know it's winter there, but he looked like he was suffering from the flu, it was that bad. Either that or he despises his coach (who doesn't?). France just played like selfish individuals and never really built up any team play. Just brutal. I was wrong about Mexico too, they've really shown themselves as a team because of their sheer perseverance. The fact that they take advantage of their opportunities, makes them successful; plain and simple. Good on ya Mexico! Both England and Germany have games tomorrow! Should be decent. I have a wedding ceremony during the England game though... too bad I don't have Rogers, I could have streamed the game on my phone! I kid, I kid (or do I?)!

~~~

One more shout out before I head out to TOON town in Saskwatchewan for that wedding I told you about. My bro Josh phoned me when he was driving up in Northern Alberta, he'll be without the Internet until August so his prowess of friendship kicked in and he called me! I didn't know the number, so I didn't answer during work... SHOOT! He left a lovely voicemail though and I really appreciated it. He was singing along and rockin' out to Red River Risin'! Good on YA!

p.s. Let me know if you want the song file of Red River Risin'!! I'll shoot you an email with it attached, NBD.

p.p.s. Stay tuned for another upcoming Vlog! This wedding I'm going to in Saskatoon is also doubling as a Holsby Brunn Bible School reunion!! I'll see what I can muster up...

World Cup Reflections with Manuel

The first round of matches are complete! I've watched ~85% of them and am loving it. With my new (yet tentative) main display picture, I shall now start a blog series on the World Cup entitled World Cup Reflections with Manuel (this title has the sound of royalty, or maybe just ESPN Classics material... I love it). This gives me permission to vent all my frustration, concern, excitement, and praise about what's going on in this crazy tournament! It'll be sweet to look back on my thoughts for this historic World Cup. So, like it or not, here we GO!

First topic: The VUVUZELAS!!!
Wow, these things are making headlines EVERYWHERE! At first I thought that people should just suck it up and deal with them because it's the culture of African football... I now disagree with my previous thoughts. They are ridiculously annoying. The players can hardly communicate and it disrupts the flow of the game for sure! Not to mention it drowns out any intriguing chants or songs by each nation's supporters! COM'ON! The focus of this tournament being Africa's first World Cup is quickly shifting to the nauseous, plastic, CHINESE horns. It doesn't help when the FIFA president won't ban them because he's trying to build his own fan base. He didn't even think to go down and speak at the beginning of the German World Cup because everybody would have booed him! Only Africans praise him, and he loves it. Those horns are said to have a decibel level of 116! That's not healthy; good luck with your bleeding ears out there! I saw an Italian toddler wearing industrial earmuffs... just ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the loud cheering of crowds. It's the drone-like, swarming killer bee sounds that annoy me.

Second topic: The Jabulani ball.
The ball's problem is that it's too bouncy. This factor pretty much eliminates any opportunity for accurate long lobbed passes! Either it bounces over them or it skips past them. The receiving player basically should never let the ball bounce when he's waiting to strike it. It may also be too light. There have been so many sailing balls. It shouldn't be this frequent... Though Ronaldo knows how to strike it, that's for sure.

Third topic: The Paraguayan keeper may have been paid off. Who knows?!
How could a world class keeper dive way too early with a lot of space and miss a routine punch clearance from a corner kick? Fifteen minutes later he pulls off an extremely difficult/more difficult off-balanced snatch from another corner. He also got slugged from behind and still caught it fearlessly... I rest my case.

Fourth topic: UPSETS, struggles, and flying form!
WOW, the Swiss have proven themselves! I was ecstatic at work when I found out they beat Spain today! I was delirious. I was running around with excitement, I couldn't believe what I had heard. Wow, it's anyone's tournament to win! Things just got really interesting with today's upset. Brazil is also looking a bit shaky, South Africa drew with Mexico (though lost today to Uruguay), and the Dutch and England need to pull it together. Those German young guns are firing on all cylinders too!!! Here's a fact for y'all: Eight of Germany's starting eleven are under the age of 25. UNREAL. Plus, the two players who stood out the most in that game are 20 and 21 (Müller and Özil)! It's weird to think that I'm their age, I could be playing in the World CUP!

Fifth and final topic: I can almost never get home without hearing the final results of the day's matches.
Since all three games finish before my work day is over, I somehow always find a way not to avoid the final scores even though I try so hard not to find out. Usually, I'm not thinking and listen in on the radio at the wrong time. However, a couple days ago, I was about to get into my car and head home to watch with out prior knowledge of results when I heard a boy yelling... "PARAGUAY and ITALY..." I plugged my ears and started to hum before I heard anything else. I fended off the inevitable that day. We'll see if I can keep up my effort of avoidance!

Waka, Waka...

The Five Ghosts is Streaming!

It's OUT and ABOUT! The Five Ghosts from Stars officially hits the shelves on June 21st now, HOWEVER, the entire album is streaming on NPR right now!!!!! I've been promoting this album ever since they announced the release date (could you tell...?)! . I should probably have been paid for it, but hey, I love this band and I'll do anything to make people listen to 'em! When I heard it live it was just spectacular, which means that it should be magnificent with the studio touch. So here you go, enjoy the album in it's ENTIRETY before it's release!



Hmmm... it doesn't seem to be streaming on my Blog. Check it out here if the technology doesn't work directly above: The Five Ghosts

Effect & Cause

I have a feelin' you may be hearing about the Brandon band Effect & Cause in the years to come. I'm not only saying this because my cousin is one of the guitarists, but they are literally UNREAL musicians. Seriously, three of them are still in grade 12 and have been rockin' hard with this band for a couple years now! I see a bright future for these lads.

A bunch of friends and I went down to Shannon's Irish pub to see them live last night. You could tell that they are hugely influenced by Kings of Leon. Their first set was all covers, and they ROCKED them. I was the only one that stayed for their second, original set and I'm sure glad that I did. Their new CD comes out July 3rd and they've completely revamped their style. They used to have a pure rock vibe, but now they've got a more alternative sound (it's hard to describe)! When a band can adapt to new styles of music, it really shows how musically inclined they are. I personally loved the use of the cowbell and the tambourine that they perfected.

That reminds me... I still need to acquire those two items for my drum kit (I said this way back in my Cowbells and Tambourines entry)!

Anyways,
Listen to these young lads for yourselves:



Check out more stuff about 'em here: http://www.myspace.com/effectandcausemusic

DO IT!

Making Of, Part 5!

WOW! They just keep coming! I love this. Check it OUT! Also, I can't wait till June 22nd! The Five Ghosts is phenomenal. Another summer album is about to be mine! Yesssssss.

It Has Begun

Well, I don't know about you... but my eyes have been glued to the television, watching some good ol' fashioned football in South Africa. The opening match (South Africa vs. Mexico) definitely set the tone for the tournament and was extremely exciting. However, the second game between France and Uruguay was sadly a dud. France really shouldn't be in the World Cup anyways, right!? I found it ironic when Henry (the one who was responsible for the double handball, playoff qualification winning goal) made a case about a non-considerable handball in the box late in the game! But on the other hand, you can't blame Henry in that playoff game. You have to keep playing until the whistle, and that's what he did. It's always the refs fault... When will their be crucial video replay in FIFA, let alone professional club soccer!? I believe there should definitely be some sort of challenge system like the NFL has. It just makes sense that the team who deserves to win, WINS. My theory is that FIFA (as long as Joseph Blatter is president) will never introduce video replay due to the nature of "game fixing". It would almost be virtually impossible to fix a game (manipulating, cheating, or rigging the outcome, if you will) with video replay installed! Though, a lot of gamblin' money would probably be at stake. Money may actually be the root of all evil... hmmm a Life Lesson maybe?

Wow, that was quite the tangent. Anyways, today was one of the highly anticipated matches between England and the U.S. It had so much potential to be an UNREAL game, but it just could not open up enough! My boy from Liverpool and England's newest captain, Stevie G, opened up the scoring just 4 mins in. However a messed up equalizer from American Clint Dempsey tamed the game quite a bit. England's keeper (Robert Green) did not fully get behind the routine rolling shot and bobbled the ball over that sacred white line! Have a look:

Yikes! I was truly shocked. This just drained all the energy from the game. And as a result, England never recovered; despite some late chances and a breakaway that they should have buried! COM'ON! There has been tonnes of criticism about the official Jabulani ball so far; people are saying complaining about how it's too unpredictable and how horrible it is to control. It does hugely bounce, but aside from that, just play with the dang thing! With a new ball, comes new and exciting goals! Deal with it, I say. As for this strange screw-up of a goal that Green let in, it was entirely his fault. Ah, poor chap.

Anyways, the game ended as a draw. Disappointing really. Meh, on to Germany vs. Australia tomorrow!

Just in case you were wondering, here is my order of support for nationalities based on my heritage:
1) NETHERLANDS! I can't wait for Monday's match vs. Denmark.
2) England. Yes, I do love Crouch; but first and foremost, I do have some English in me! My Grandma's maiden name is Genders; now that's awesome.
3) Germany. I proudly represent my kleine Deutschstämmige-ness, so to speak.

I hope you're enjoying this massive dose of the BEAUTIFUL GAME!

If You Ain't Dutch, You Ain't Much

... But I still love you.

It is now only a day and a bit until the WORLD CUP! I just can't believe that I was in high school the last time this tournament rolled around. That just makes me even more ecstatic about this next month's worth of FOOTBALL! So PUMPED!

Anyways, I headed over to River City Sports after work yesterday with my co-worker, Uncle Ray. I mentioned to him that I wanted to check out the World Cup selection of authentic attire they had; he was game to come along (I drive him home anyways, it's not like he had a choice). I was on a mission to purchase a Dutch kit. I never travelled to the Netherlands when I was over in Europe, so therefore never acquired their football kit. So now, I figured it was about time that I had my motherland's Oranje on my back. I gotta support my heritage, you know?! However, I struggled to choose which Dutch kit to pick! They had the more expensive new 2010 World Cup one (top) and the older 25% off 2008 Euro Cup one (bottom). Plus they had both the away kits, which are nice but do not represent the true Oranje way. I was perplexed with this dilemma... I had to make a final decision:

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

.............
........
....
.

I chose the older Euro Cup kit, even though it was an XL and didn't fit as snug as the (L) World Cup one! I like the design a lot better, plus the badge is way more patriotic, plus the collar is pretty sleek, plus it actually has a nice baggy fit, plus it just looks NICER! What say you? And according to their computer, this kit was the only one left in the city! I definitely think I made the right choice (I'm also a collector, right?).
Uncle Ray acted as my mediator and fashion consultant throughout my choosing process.
His words: "Hey, when I'm right... I'm right!" So, there ya go...

Life Lesson: When you're right... you're right!

OH BOY, IT'S WORLD CUP SEASON!

p.s. I wore it last night playing Settlers of Catan... and I WON (I never win)! It has already become my good luck charm. This must be a sign of things to come! ... Such as VICTORY!

p.p.s. Uncle Ray bought a Deutschland shirt and a Green Bay Packer's hat... I guess he had both kinds of football on his mind.

Jónsi - Go

Go Do by Jónsi

UNREAL! If you want to listen to some feel good, epic, majestic music... may I suggest that you purchase this album?! Go is a solo project of Jón þor (Jónsi) Birgisson's. Jónsi (if you did not already know or make the connection) is the headman of the popular Icelandic group known as Sigur Rós. They are celebrated and renowned for their divine, day-dreaming sound. They "rightly claim to bring you the beautiful landscape of their homeland with their music" (Sigur Rós website). I've always been a fan of Sigur Rós but I never collected any of their albums! After buying Go, I'm sure I'll be pickin' up more of Jónsi and Sigur Rós' work. One might say that their music is truly beautiful, and I am definitely one who would. Here ya go, enjoy a live performance of "Sinking Friendships":

jónsi - sinking friendships (live) from Jónsi on Vimeo.

If you're interested (and I know you are), I'm actually streaming the album at the BOTTOM of MY BLOG! Give it a listen. Let the soothing sound waves WASH OVER YOU! Just sayin'... you don't have to.

p.s. Shout-out to my only Latvian based reader: AGNESE! Here's the pseudo connection: The Icelandic language has roots with all the Scandinavian mother tongues. However, Latvia's language is actually a Baltic language and itself isn't really considered a Scandinavian country; so that doesn't really connect... BUT, Latvian does sound a lot like a Scandinavian language and is the closest thing to Icelandic, I find. So there ya go... just accept it!

p.p.s. Get this album.

Olympic Fever: A Podium for the Masses

Here is the third and final segment of my Olympic vlog mini series!! Wow, it took quite sometime to get myself to all the footage, but it's finally out and I definitely appreciate looking back on those times. Thanks to those who were a part of that epic adventure! It seems like years ago! A Podium for the Masses includes most of the free Robson Square concert we hit up; Hey Ocean! and Said the Whale rocked the house that night (it's hard to keep the camera steady when you're groovin' to the music...)! ENJOY!

Olympic Fever: A Podium for the Masses from MannyG on Vimeo.

Music:

Stars - We Don't Like Your Body (Stars Vs. Tom McFall)
Iglu & Hartly - Whatever We Like

p.s. Stay tuned for Red River Risin', The Making Of Vlog!!! Hmm, I should give myself a deadline for that project...

CHEERS

Shad - TSOL

I just picked up this fine new album today. After work, I headed to the mall on a mission: I NEED TSOL! Shad K. was on Q with Jion Ghomeshi yesterday, talking about his new album and his current happenings. While listening, I realized that he's such an awesome guy (listen to the June 2nd interview here). Shadrach Kabango was born in Kenya, but was raised in London, Ontario! Just like myself (well, I wasn't born in Kenya...)!! Sweet city, might I add. I only heard about him after the Olympics because (during a free Robson square concert) I caught that Hey Ocean! CD, and he was featured in one of their songs (Vagabond = so good)! After that, Shad was once again brought to my attention by I certain post from C-Flow, back in April. Much appreciated, I love his work.

I had the privilege of seeing Shad in concert last week. He was incredible. That night, the Pyramid held one of the weirdest crowds ever; it was quite the sight. All shapes, colours, and sizes were rappin' along with Shad. I loved it. Well, except for the times when the 7'0" beast of a man and his 6'7" girlfriend pushed their way to the front of the stage just to get a picture of Shad (and themselves, Myspace style)... For his encore, he spilled into the crowd and a massive, moshing crowd ensued. Good sweaty times, my friends.

Here's Rose Garden from his new album:



Shad's ability to write clean, witty, poetic and powerful lyrics is very impressive; plus, he can deliver them with a one-of-a-kind uniqueness. By listenin' to his music, you can tell that he's a genuine person. Here he is, humbly struttin' his stuff:

AMEN

Yet Another Stars Treat

I just want to say hello.

Check out this little treat from Stars...

Decent song, I guess. I wouldn't say it's all that great, but it's still FREE, RIGHT?! I totally wrote up this entry before I listened to the song. Meh, have a gander.

Also, you can now pre-order their new CD, The Five Ghosts, at their website already (youarestars.com)! You will receive a pretty sweet song from their new Seance EP called The Black House, The Blue Sky by doing so!! You can pre-order on iTunes too, where you can get the full Seance EP... I wasn't planning on doing this... but ya... I just bought it literally right now... I had to.

ALSO: Here's a captivating vid for their single: "Fixed". Enjoy!



p.s. Shout-out to Reims for her Sunday BDAY that I missed!

PEACE