Something kinda crazy - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. The supposed Fight of the Century was quite the letdown, wasn’t it? I’m hugely disappointed in Pacquiao’s inability to land any punches of significance on Mayweather; getting through Floyd’s vaunted defensive style was the only way Manny could’ve persevered in the bout. If Pacquiao wasn’t able to breakthrough, I’m not sure any other fighter out there can (don’t humor me with Amir Khan).

I completely understand the common fan’s complaints of the fight being uninteresting and Mayweather is a coward for the frequent evasion and hugs on to Pacquiao: they’re simply unfamiliar with the sport. Admittedly, Floyd’s style never made for fantastic fights, but from a pure technical standpoint, his display against Manny was an absolute masterpiece.

I for one don’t want a rematch. The result will be the same.

2. Avengers Age of Ultron was as spectacular and awesome as I thought it would be. There will definitely be many more viewings in theatres in the immediate future, a personal honor reserved for only the very best of films (the first Avengers film, Inception, Lord of the Rings trilogy, etc.)

It is slightly bittersweet that Joss Whedon will no longer helm the third Avengers film, though it’s a good bet he’ll have some input on certain macro elements. I’ve full confidence in the Russo brothers, and am already anticipating next year’s Captain America film, poised to be essentially Avengers 2.5.

3. I’ve completely fallen head over heels for Elizabeth Olsen. There was no character I adored more in Avengers Age of Ultron than her brilliant interpretation of Scarlet Witch. Forget a standalone Black Widow movie (blasphemous, I know); I now desperately want a Scarlet Witch movie. It won’t happen, of course, because Disney and Marvel have shown they aren’t particularly fond of female super heroes. I doubt we would’ve even gotten as much Black Widow screen-time in the previous films if not for Joss Whedon.

4. It’s almost guaranteed that Pietro Maximoff will not “stay dead” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so take heed, Avengers fans mourning the death of Quicksilver. It is no coincidence that a scene of his burial was conspicuously absent at the end of Age of Ultron. Don’t you think if Pietro had truly passed, there would’ve been be a proper funeral worthy of a fallen Avenger?  

I’d bet good money Quicksilver will return for the third Avengers film, if not sooner.

5. Judging from the size of the men in the Dear Future Husband video, Meghan Trainor is most definitely not all about that bass. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

6. The entrepreneurial spirit in me absolute applaud the company that’s offering a gold-plating service to Apple Watch owners. For a relatively cheap sum of $400 on top of the price of the watch, customers can own a timepiece that resembles exactly the insanely expensive Apple Watch Edition model. I certainly can’t tell the difference between the factory gold and aftermarket gold plating.

Face it, only the richest of the rich can afford to blow upwards of 10 thousand dollars on a watch that is a guaranteed to be obsolete in a few year’s time. Now, thanks to a few enterprising folks, you too can wear a gold Apple Watch for only 10 percent of the price. Fake rich never looked so good.

7. First person to invent clear or invisible brake pad material - so you don’t get those visually horrendous brake-dusts on your fancy aluminum wheels - will make a princely sum indeed. Due to the drought, I haven’t been able to do a proper wash of the wheels on the STI, and the resulting mess is not pleasing at all. The wheels were silver in color, but now they are a brilliant shade of matte brown. It’s okay, because like a well-worn pair of Chucks, Subaru cars look good dirty. At least that’s what I tell myself anyways.

It’ll be a splendid day when the Californian drought is over, though I’m not holding my breath.

8. Good to see the San Francisco Giants make it back to .500, not that I’ve got any expectations for this season or anything. It was a historically dreadful month of April for them, so perhaps the team is merely deviating back to the mean. Nevertheless, I simply want them to be somewhat competitive, so that when I attend games in the flesh, the product on the field is entertaining and worth my hard-earned (ha!) money.

9. I recently for the first time encountered a person with one of those brand new Macbooks. In the flesh the laptop looks impossible skinny, easily mistakable for an iPad plugged in to a keyboard dock. Unfortunately the guy who owns it chose to purchase the gold version, which I have to say, made him look incredibly douche. A golden laptop just looks altogether awkward and unnatural. Unless you’re a Prince from the Middle East, it would be wise to tick the box for either the silver or space gray option.

10. It’s inconceivable that in 2015, the LPGA tour can name a tournament the “Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic” and everybody is fine with it. You don’t see the PGA tour name an equivalent tournament the “Swinging Pants Classic”, do you? The fact the tournament was held here in San Francisco’s Harding Park is especially shameful. 

See some good vibe - 10 things I think

10 THINGS I THINK

1. Marvel Agents of SHIELD just keeps getting better and better. Ever since last year’s Captain America movie turned the show over to an entirely new tangent, plot development have come at a much more rapid rate, and the show is all the better for it. I hope Agents of SHIELD had got enough longevity to stay on television at the very least until it’s destined intersection with the Inhumans movie. The show’s tie-ins with the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe are a personal favorite of mine.

2. Looks like 2016 presidential campaigns are launching left and right (see what I did there?), all of which doesn’t remotely interest me. There’s still a massive amount of months to go before election night, and I think it’s way too premature to be discussing it already. Can’t we keep our focus on the current administration? Those ongoing discussions with Iran are a fairly huge deal, aren’t they?

Besides, I bet most of you can’t even name the person that represents your district in the state legislature. Those are the bureaucrats that have and will have an immediate impact on your daily lives, and not the president of these United States.

3. It’s always a lovely compliment when someone tells me that I’ve got the appearance of an 18 year-old instead that of a 27 year-old that I really am. It would appear those Asian genes of mine are doing a fine job at keeping the ravages of aging away from my face.

4. I don’t understand: what is the point of building and having hundreds of Apple stores but not a single person would be able to simply walk in and purchase an Apple Watch on launch day? It’s baffling to me that the vast Apple conglomerate, with enough cash reserves and economies of scale to bludgeon all, can’t conjure enough amounts of Apple Watch for people to buy in store.

Inventory shortage also plagued the newly released Macbook, with plenty of Apple stores not even having a model to display. What the heck is going on? Apple has been producing notebook computers for decades - it’s their core expertise! Something is not right in Apple’s retail supply chain.

5. Speaking of the new “retina” Macbook, my advice is to hold off on purchasing one until the next generation comes out. Much like the first ever Macbook Air product back in 2008, this completely redesigned retina Macbook is highly compromised in terms of function and power (you’ve got to be kidding me with that one USB port). The second generation will undoubtedly be vastly improved and a much more usable notebook - exactly like the revised Macbook Air that came out in 2010.

The new Macbook then is only good for early adopters and trust fund hipsters, because brand image to impress others is everything.

6. Steph Curry should (and likely will) win the NBA most valuable player award. The stuff he does night in and night out is simply spectacular, enough to have you question whether the moves and numbers he puts up can even be replicated in video game simulation. I get the chorus of James Harden supporters putting up protest  - and honestly I wouldn’t be at all mad if Harden wins the MVP - but come on: we all know Curry will win the award.  

Never thought I’d see the day a player from the Warriors will win the NBA MVP award.

7. It’s tax day, and if you’re getting or have received a sizable amount of money back from the IRS, then you’re absolutely doing it wrong. That is, unless you really do enjoy lending the government your money at zero percent interest.

8. We’ve got a little over two more weeks to go until the second Avengers movie hits the theatre. I’m not sure I will be able to last that long without internally combusting from anxiety and anticipation. Yes, it’s very much a first world problem. That said, I value my slumber hours too much to ever attend a midnight showing. The cheapskate in me will probably do an early Saturday morning matinee.

9. Every day I get increasingly resigned and disappointed at the glaring reality that I won’t ever be able to afford a home in San Francisco. How tragic is it that a kid that grew up here, and is now gainfully employed within the city, can’t afford to live in it. I don’t think that is what cities were designed to be. Certainly, cities should never be a haven for investors that don’t even live there (looking at you, rich Chinese nationals that buy up a tremendous amount of San Francisco’s housing inventory.)

10. I think Couchella is an infinitely better than Coachella. Thanks, YouTube!

Though I’m not sure I’d be willing to pay a monthly subscription for the rumored ad-free YouTube. Thanks to a certain widely known browser plugin, my Youtube experience is already advertisement-free.