Thursday, June 26, 2014

My Lego Blue Jays Avatar

Let’s Go Blue Jays
Let’s Go Lego

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Adidas Argentina Football Jersey

This is the Argentina soccer jersey for the Brazil World Cup 2014.  It was first unveiled on November 15th 2013 during a friendly against Ecuador.  The jersey was made by Adidas and was manufactured in Thailand.  It uses ClimaCool polyester material, which keeps you dry and cool when you start to sweat.  The jersey also utilizes mesh material on the back shoulders to keep you ventilated.
Overall the jersey is beautifully designed, with the return of old favorites like black Adidas stripes on the top shoulders, narrow white and light blue stripes on the front and back, and individually stitched gold stars above the AFA crest.  Other design aspects that accentuate the beauty of this jersey are gold trimming of the sides, sublimation-print within the blue stripes that fade from light to dark blue, and an embroidered Adidas logo and AFA crest.
My only complaint about this jersey is the use of mesh material on the back shoulders.  This placement is bound to cause problems over time because mesh fabric isn’t as strong as having a solid piece of polyester.  I also don’t like that Adidas placed a screen printed Argentina logo on the mesh either.  With heavy use over time, this will also become fragile and crack.  While the jersey isn’t perfect, I still recommend it because it looks amazing when you wear it.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

José Reyes Blue Jays Bobblehead

The José Reyes Blue Jays bobblehead was the second bobblehead of the 2014 season.  20,000 of these bobbleheads were given out at Rogers Centre on Sunday, June 8th, 2014.  Just like the previous bobblehead of Dickey, the Reyes bobblehead comes packaged with a see-through plastic window.  This makes it a great collectible that anyone can display without having to remove it from its box.  This to me also signifies that someone over at BDA inc. (the bobblehead manufacturer) is getting the picture; people collect bobbleheads as art pieces.  The days of bobbleheads with cherub faces are long gone, replaced by pieces with intricate and unique details.
The Reyes bobblehead is a great example of how far we’ve come with bobbleheads.  Each of these bobbleheads is hand-painted, and made of polyresin.  The people over at BDA inc. don’t just create the bobbleheads, they’re also fans of baseball because they choose poses that are significant to each player.  They even go so far as adding details such as tattoos, and the name brands that players wear.  This to me signifies they go beyond expectations when releasing a bobblehead.
Reyes comes in a home white Blue Jays uniform.  He plays shortstop so he’s sculpted in a pose about to throw a ball.  Details that I like about his bobblehead are his tattoos (a koi fish, and a nautical star), the inclusion of his batting gloves in his back pocket, and his eyebrow slits.  The only flaw I’ve noticed in the bobblehead is the absence of the accent in the spelling of José.  Other than that this is a great bobblehead that I’m sure @lamelaza_7 should be proud of.
José Reyes Wiki:
YouTube:

Friday, June 6, 2014

Toms Shoes

Toms are shoes I never thought I would own.  First off, they just looked really uncomfortable and would probably make my feet sweat if I didn’t wear socks.  Second, the people that wore them were usually hipsters and females.   The combination of those two made me stay clear of wanting a pair for years.  But then the winter of 2013/14 hit Toronto, and I found myself having to wear heavy and hot winter boots all day.  This resulted in me having to remove my boots indoors in order to let my feet breath.  I also couldn’t stay in my socks all day either so I bought myself a pair of kung fu shoes.
I bought the kung fu shoes in Chinatown, and they were perfect for indoor use however I couldn’t stand the way they smelled.  They had this toxic smell that literally made me feel sick.  I tried everything to get rid of the smell but nothing worked.  That’s when I decided to replace them with a pair of Toms.  I was pleasantly surprised because Toms not only felt comfortable, but also lacked a toxic smell.  While the price tag makes them expensive the knowledge in knowing that for every pair sold, another will be donated to a child in need makes it acceptable.
Once I got up close with these shoes, I was impressed by how much detail went into making these shoes.  The creator of Toms was inspired to make the shoes on a trip to Argentina, so as a tribute he incorporated the Argentina flag to his logo.  I’m a fan of Argentine soccer and music, so I really like the logo.  Other great features about the shoe are suede insoles, funky animal print designs on the inner lining, and the use of canvas material on the uppers (allowing for breathability).  Overall I am impressed by Toms, and also proud to have a pair in my collection.
Toms:
YouTube:

Monday, June 2, 2014

Terms and Definitions for Binge-watching

Binge-watching TV Shows
Binge-watch or binge-watching is the process of watching an entire TV series or season within a short period of time.  This entails watching a group of episodes continuously one after the other numerically.  This process allows an individual to comprehend and be engaged with the plot, and characters.  Binge-watching is best suited for TV shows that have a complex storyline that continues throughout a season or entire series.

Because of the scarcity of quality TV shows to binge-watch, an unfortunate outcome of binge-watching is that you must allow current and new TV shows to run several episodes before you can binge-watch them.  This process I coin letting a show simmer.

Letting a TV Show Simmer
Simmer or simmering a TV show is the process of allowing a TV show to run several episodes, seasons, or be completed before you can binge-watch them.

Binge-catch-up on a TV Show
Binge-catch-up is the process of binge-watching several earlier episodes or seasons of a TV show that is currently being aired on television.  The logic for this is to be able to either watch new episodes when they air, or watch the last few or final episode.  The advantage of binge-catch-up is that you get to enjoy the hype and publicity of a popular TV series before it ends and also avoid any spoilers in case you overhear important information on episodes you have not watched.