Top 5 The Office Best Moments

Whee! The Office is back! After being one of the first shows to get shut down because of the Writer’s Strike. Last week, something amazing happened: post-strike eps began airing, and all was right with the world!

Just to recap how The Office is one of the sharpest, funniest shows around, here are some “Top” Office moments from season 1. (And why I haven’t stopped shooting my dinner out from my ears from laughing since)

Dwight proudly showing off his “man-purse” – From season 1, with Jim’s pep-talk, Dwight approaches the purse salesgirl (Amy Adams) and tells him that his exit would be buying a purse. Guess what. (Oh, by the way, I never did get what Dwight was trying to do when he was trying to fit his shoe in a bag.)

Pam kisses Jim – From the “Dundies” episode, there were hints from the earlier season that these two have a thing for each other, (no one could’ve guessed they would take over as the central romance of the show!) and it was such a treat to fans to finally see them kiss. (Though, Pam was intoxicated at the time, while Jim was grinning after.)

The Dwight Bobblehead – In the Valentine’s Day episode, Dwight receives a present from a secret admirer (Angela, whom he was secretly dating) and what was inside the box? A bobblehead of Dwight. This was so popular, that they actually made one for The Office merchandise!

Michael Kisses an Outed-Oscar – After offending Oscar by homosexual jokes, Michael gives a seminar on accepting homosexuality and how it doesn’t affect the workplace. He exercises his comfort by … giving a smooch — right in the kisser! (According to Jenna Fischer’s MySpace blog, that kiss was improvised, and the shock from the cast was actually real. Brilliant!)

Michael and Dwight “Hug it out” – After a brief mention of the show Entourage at the beginning of the episode, it seemed like there was no way that Michael Scott was going to forgive the coup attempt of Dwight … until he says the famous line, “let’s hug it out, b***h.”

Those are just from some of my favorite episodes. And within the week, I’ll be catching a new one. What about you guys (any Office viewers out there?) what are your favorite moments from the show?

[Couldn't find clips of the actual things I listed, so here's a little sampling of The Office comedy:]

7 Items made better by Homer Simpson

The Simpsons — I could easily say that The Simpsons ARE pop culture. If satire was indeed an art form, then the hundreds(?) of awards and merit they have acquired since the beginning should be a fine measure for success. Along the way, of course, they’ve made a fortune from merchandising. I have a theory on it — add Homer to any product, and it will sell. (Probably)

Don’t believe me? Compare these products with their normal, run-of-the-mill equivalent, and see which one you prefer.

The Simpsons Talking Homer Operation – Take that, original Operation Game! Ailments include bowler’s thumb, rubber neck and trick knee. Pieces unique to the game are a donut, a pretzel and a bowling pin. Instead of the usual buzz sound when you make a mistake, Homer gives a funny one-liner criticizing your operating skills.

Duff beer and Flaming Moe’s Energy Drink – Red Bull? Bawls? Forget ‘em! Here’s the real energy drink you gotta have — both have a different packaging but are both energy drinks that contain ingredients of what constitutes an energy drink: Taurine, Inositol, Guarana, Ginseng, and, the stuff of legends, caffeine. The Duff can is especially interesting, since, save for the words “Energy Drink,” (it’s BEER in the cartoons) it looks exactly like the cans that Homer chugs on the show. (Did I mention they also have Buzz Cola?)

The Simpsons: Message Mate and Remote Control Holder – Okay, so you can’t get a TV station that has 24/7 Simpsons reruns, but at least you could keep your remote controls handy for when watching something else. The fun thing is, when you press your remote, the base gives out one-liner from the Simpsons, like, “TV respects me. It laughs with me, not at me.” You could even record your own messages — not that I’d think anyone would want to — I could hear it now, spouting, “Booooring!”

The Simpsons: 3 Piece BBQ Utensils Set – Who says you can’t take the Simpsons out for BBQ? Now you could have a matching set of Homer “Kiss the Chef” Simpson and Ned “Bishop of BBQ” Flanders spicing up that little picnic, for when you’re fighting off your Simpsons withdrawal.

“Kiss the Chef” Homer Figure – Okay, so I can’t find any “Kiss the Chef” aprons for the last item’s barbeque, but I found the next best thing: a figurine of Homer, still wearing the “Kiss the Chef” apron, (continuity, yow) suddenly realizing exactly how much gas you should put on your grill.

Simpsons Boxer Shorts – I dunno about you, but I like funny underwear – it amuses me that while under a suit, the Simpsons family is protecting me from chafing.

Simpsons DVDs – Come on! Who wants to watch any other show? I grew up doing “the Bartman” — I love this on-screen family. And who knows for how long they’ll keep entertaining me? To me, these were the first true adult-themed cartoons, only because they were satirizing what was true and real in our world. Now that I’ve grown up, I also find that certain jokes only apply when you’re older, thus rewarding repeated viewings of the material.

How to Not Die from Blogging

Okay, so you’ve heard about the three blog-related heart attacks that took some well-respected names out of the blogosphere. Scary.

Who could blame them though? Blogging is the new biz — people have built ways to get monetary compensation for their thoughts, and it’s an appealing concept, especially for kids who are still in school. Then there’s the professional blogging, which is systematically coming up with new content for a site on a schedule.

There are instances that the employees don’t make actual physical contact with their employers — which makes communication harder. So there’s VoIP, IMs and Message Boards, but will that equate to an actual face-to-face conversation? Miscommunication is rampant, and, since they don’t have to be in the same place, bosses can’t watch over the employed bloggers/writers — all they can do is just wait for the end-result, if ever the blogger delivers.

Stress has been known to take years off your life, and waiting for inspiration to come, waiting for a boss’ approval, putting up with a re-write request are all pretty stressful, if you ask me.

Though I have no idea how to remedy the problem professional bloggers are facing, all I can say is take some time off. You may be full of ideas now, but what about later, or tomorrow, or the day after that? That’s gonna cause an earlier burnout than expected.

Soak in some sun, because, even though professional blogging’s a hard job, it’s still a job, and you could always ask for some time off.

Here are a couple of TheBigLife-approved ways to relax:

1. Read the ‘jar‘ story - It’s just. Just go, read it!
2. Forestroom - If you’re in a city and can’t really take the time off to visit the woods, try the Forest Meditation Room online — it’s nature images and sounds without the insect bites and the tedious hiking. :) (Remember, looking at green objects is very relaxing for the eyes, especially after hours in front of a computer.)
3. Aquascape - Like Forestroom, Aqua Scape is a site with live feeds of actual water sounds — though the locations are kinda limited. It’s really trippy though.
4. Popping Bubblewrap - Digitally, of course, since it’s virtually infinite! It’s an excellent way to release stress.
   
5. Stumbleupon - Who could forget this one? Check out what others are doing in their free time. A stumble may even inspire your next post … who knows?

3 PSP Games A Newbie Can’t Live Without

So, in an earlier entry, I talked about getting a PSP modded. Here’s something that I didn’t mention: I just got a PSP. Yeah, yeah, I know – it’s been out for a while — I waited out ‘til the game library grew, ‘til I finally got one.

This’ll do well for those long trips, (got the idea from this article — I mean, on long trips I gotta keep myself entertained — yes, I’m my own kid, haha!) though I doubt if I’m gonna get to do any playing done once I get to where I’m going, as I like taking in new environments and taking pictures.

Obviously the PSP’s an impressive piece of portable gaming, and, with my bundle, I got Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Wayne Gretzky Hockey thrown in. I did grab a few games the other day, and so far, here they are:

God of War: Chains of Olympus – Okay, I admit — I haven’t played this one too much yet, but hey, I loved the PS2 games and am really contemplating on getting that PS3 for the third installment. The story involves our ever-intense anti-hero Kratos, roughly 10 years before the first game and … well, I haven’t played through it much yet. (I’ll follow up on this one in a later post.)

Tekken: Dark Resurrection – If I was to point out a game that made a couple of past controllers’ buttons floppy, it’d be Tekken. I’ve literally spent maybe weeks just looking forward to getting home for it! But now, no no no, I could bring it with me! If there’s a word describing any new version of Tekken, it’d be “MOAR!” The added characters + features guarantee a few months’ worth of replay value, plus, did I mention it looks great? (the PSP d-pad thing takes a bit of getting used to)

And now, for the game that truly occupies most of my PSP time — the one I didn’t see coming — the seemingly-simplistic Patapon! Both of the other games I bought mentioned above are kids of a franchise that spawned them — and this, a true PSP child, is one of the very unique reasons to get one. A rhythm-based strategy game (yes, you heard right!) that will have you chanting, Patapon truly is a unique experience. It’s just one of those, seemingly-simplistic-yet-truly-deep instant classics that won’t impress with words, but by actual gameplay. It has the same appeal as Pikmin, in my opinion, with the player actually developing concern for the cute little critters.

Gameplay is commanding your tribe by timing drum beats to the rhythm. Drum beats are different per button, and combinations of beats make up the commands, say, moving forward is “pata pata pata pon,” meaning you have to press square, square, square then circle. I just defeated the third boss, and learned a new song — plus, the light-hearted music and visuals make it appealing to both kids and adults alike. It will have you chanting “Pon Pon Pata Pon” in your sleep!

I heard the same studio that developed Patapon made another game, Loco Roco, and reviews online are positive, so I might pick that one up once I finish.

Any game recommends?

Gnarly Earth-Shoes That Make You High

Shoes that make you HIGH? Seriously? Of course, by “high” I would mean, uplifted spirits, what with the eco-friendliness and whatnot.

Ecosneaks is a line of eco-friendly sneaks from the Simple Shoes company that makes sneakers from PET (polyethelyne terephthalate - recycled plastics), recycled car tires and, well … hemp. Not to worry though, as in their site, they have this catchy phrase, “hemp isn’t marijuana; and a good thing too because I am pretty sure I’d be fired if I smoked all the ecoSNEAKS inventory.“

Hitting up their products page will show you tons of variety for eco-friendly foot wear. Not only will you be leaving an ecological footprint by using ‘em, you’ll also be doing it literally.

Not only do they have sneakers, they also make sandals and bags as well.

The thing that catches my attention though, is the Greentoe line. Clicking “learn more” shows you tons of information on the stuff they actually use to make the shoes with. And if you’re worried about the packaging, they make their boxes from 100% recycled paper. (Plus, they suggest using the box as a box to plant in, going that extra mile in preserving the greens that actually make this earth a beautiful place.)

The Cardinal Rules for Getting a Gadget Modded

Got that new PSP?

That brand new phone?

Ever wished for more functionality out of them?  I recently went to an underground gadget mecca (of which I won’t name) with a friend to get his PSP modified.  There were tons of merchants hawking mp3 players that are dead-ringers for ipods, mp4 watches (yes!  a tiny screen on your wrist for divx movies!), brandless digital cameras boasting of megapixels waaaayyy up there, and alas, the illegal console mods area.

He got one of those connect-to-TV things, which allows him to watch PSP videos on his HD.  While this is pretty amazing, and is pretty far off from a drastic mod, you gotta look at these safety tips:

Never attempt to D.I.Y. your way into mods – Especially if you don’t want to “brick” a gadget — (thanks iphone!) experiments are always fun, but not once you’ve destroyed your first gadget, leaving it a mass of useless plastic and metal.

Clarify the terms of getting your gadget modded – Since most of these underground operations void your warrantee for the product, ask if you can get a replacement (or free repairs) if things go wrong along the road.

Try the merch – If they have sample gadgets, give ‘em a try.  Do they provide the functionality they promise?  Does it impede the gadget’s other functions?  Is it worth losing a warranty over?

Remember, most of these operations are illegal and nullifies your agreement to the terms of usage.  If you destroy a gadget via modding, don’t expect a money back.

The Flight Attendant Safety Dance

There’s just something about StumbleUpon that gets me — I say, gimme the goods and it fetches something I’d really like.

I especially like this comic about the flight attendant’s dance.

 

It reminded me of a classic music box, you know, the one with the steel ballerinas? After quite a few flights, you’d begin to notice, that, if the flight attendant gave a really enthusiastic safety demo, you start feeling even more confident about the flight, compared to, say, a jaded attendant going through the motions.

There’s also the flight safety card — it’s a bit amusing when you create your own interpretation, especially ones without text, but neither are there for amusement.

“I am the reason.” I’m the reason that the flight attendant’s doing that. I’m the reason why the safety card has neat little drawings in ‘em.

That’s why I’m not all up for bomb jokes and making fun of the cards — this is a living centered on the comfort and safety of others, and it’s not worth it to annoy the service which, decidedly is for the passengers in the first place.

I salute the comfort and safety (save for the entertainment factor) that both provide. Not only do they make me feel safer about the trip-on-a-metal-giant, they also provide comfort in the mind of passengers everywhere, and who knows how many times a week they’d have to do the dance? Sit back, relax, and pay attention to the nice lady.

 

 

How Technology Could’ve Saved a Couple of Hours from My Childhood

I had this interesting talk with a couple of my friends – we were talking about, how, when as you grow up, a person tends to think in a higher level of abstraction. How, we were both post-appreciative of things that happen to us, good times start seeming like REALLY good times when we look back, maybe even years later.

Since I have this fondness for remembering things, it really resonated with me – how the “bad” times in my life could’ve been averted IF ONLY the appropriate technology existed at the time. Say, if consumer-digital cameras existed before the 2000’s, then I’d have tons more pictures that are e-mail ready, stuff like that.

I’ll give a couple of examples of some events in my life, and how they could have been, IF ONLY the tech existed.

Scenario 1: The Job Hunt

Looking for a job entailed buying a copy of the dailies (that’s the newspaper, see) and rummaging through classifieds for job openings. After that, you’d have to physically bring a copy of your printed resume to show that office for the very first time. (It wasn’t a sure deal either, you were never sure if the job’s still open or not.) I’ve wasted tons of man-hours getting lost in the city, only to find out that I didn’t have the right qualification, or, worse case scenario, I never find the office in time. (Plus, I always brought extra resumes with me, in case, well, you know, there were other offices nearby.) After that, of course, was the prerequisite waiting … for a confirmation phone call.

Imaginary Scenario 1:

Had Monster.com (or similar services) existed years prior, a job opening was only always an e-mail away, plus, it virtually eliminates all the bulletin-board-classified-ad browsing, since most of them match jobs to my qualifications. Plus, if it ever came to a point that I had to lug myself to an office, Wikimapia would be the easiest way for finding the most efficient route to that office.

Scenario 2: Losing My Way

Ever been to a family trip? I have, and, being the kid that I was, I would often wander off, not cross the street at the right time, etc. However that good that was in nurturing my curiosity, it has also made for some awkward getting-lost-in-a-foreign-land-lost-in-translation moments. Plus, I could remember, these trips were planned months in advance! (The longest, I think was a year before?) That involved all the paperwork, and lots and lots of phone calls.

Imaginary Scenario 2:

Had the family been carrying cell phones with roaming capabilities, it would be easier to coordinate when and where to meet, in case any member of the family got lost, plus, we have phones with GPS built-in now, beating that “stay-in-one-corner-‘til-they-find-me” tactic. Plus, the cool thing is, it would take like, a week to set up a nice trip nowadays, so, rather than sitting around waiting for phone calls, you could sit in your room and set something up, even on a whim! (God bless online reservation!)

Scenario 3: Bee Season

I hated doing book reports. I guess “study period,” the time allotted for library visits was just a way for the teachers to have a little time off. This entailed memorizing library catalogues, the Dewey decimal system, inner-workings of the library and copy forms for the photocopier.

Imaginary Scenario 3:

I could’ve done everything so much faster had Encarta and Grolier’s put out their discs a few years earlier. Plus, my absolute favorite — Google! This meant I could’ve spent more time polishing my paper instead of having to do rewrites. Plus, it would’ve done away with the paper waste, which satiates my need to put nature first.

I’m think that I’ve lost a fraction of my childhood to tedious tasks, but looking at the kids today, with all of this tech at their disposal, maybe they’ll grow up and wonder, “how the hell did we get anything accomplished with the DSLs, DVDs and whatnot, if plugging your brain directly to the matrix is possible?”

Club Dancing: A Survival Guide

Are you one of those guys who just can’t dance to apple-bottom jeans, soulja boy crankin’ and cyclones?

 

When people say, “just follow the beat,” do you resemble someone having a seizure? (Cue Elaine Benes’ dance moves from Seinfeld)

I used to be one of you guys — and I was lucky enough to have some close friends (who mock me) who taught me some basic moves anyway. Forget gettin’ crunk and whatnot, and pop-and-locking — here are a couple of tips for getting your “generic” dance on, so that you may learn the actual moves later.

The key to dancing is symmetry. If you’re a tall, lanky man, then we have a problem. (That’s me!) If you try to dance with people smaller than you, whatever moves you make, you’re bound to look awkward. So instead, form a dance troupe of tall, lanky men. The key is symmetry, so if you do your moves in unison — it won’t matter.

Don’t look at people. Notice how dancers look so engaged in what they’re doing? They’re not really looking at the eyes of the audience. They’re there to be seen, not to see. (Plus, if you don’t know the moves, it’ll look like you do.) Wear blinders — like cover your eyes with a hood, shades or the tip of a fedora. That’ll look fly.

The snap dance. Ever notice how most of the popular hiphop dance hits are from the South? Listen. Listen very, very closely — they all have the same beat. One-two-drum, one-two-snap. A snap dance is a filler move that works with that beat. Like the move in “Crank dat” – one-punch forward with right hand, two-punch forward with left hand, snap-lean to either left or right, tilting or twisting your head as you dance. Say, a different South song plays? Replace the punches with a steering motion, like with a steering wheel, then bend your body. Simple.

The footwork. People don’t mind the torso movement as much as the footwork. Make use of the heel and toe parts of your feet — look bouncy, and your body will follow.

Mix it up. So you have the basic snap + foot moves. As the songs change, mix ‘em up. Add spins to your moves, hand gestures, salsa moves and whatnot. Change up from the normal steps and you’ll stand out.

Practice, practice, practice. If your movements are too stiff, this’ll be remedied by warm-ups. You’ll look horrible at first, but then you’ll start looking really good. Hit up Facebook ads for dance lesson postings and join ‘em. They’ll save you. Watching a dance video is worlds apart from watching an instructional one.

As I’ve just experienced first hand, dancing is an awesome experience. Hopefully my tips’ll help you not become that guy in the bar just standing, trying to look cool.

 

another video you might enjoy:

Dance Moves: An Emergency Guide For Men

7 Not-So-Useful Things You Could Bring Along on a Trip

There are a couple of must-haves when traveling. (There’re even posts about things you SHOULD bring when traveling.) Forget cameras, cellphones, etc — what about the fun stuff? The stuff that eats up too much space in your bag — I’m here to remedy that. Here are the toys that would make certain trips a whole lot more fun, assuming, of course, that they make it through the airport. (I’m pointing at the knife/comb)

So the following items aren’t exactly necessity, big whup, they make trips a whole lot more fun!

The Sport Utility Comb – If you’re into versatility and modular design — forget that multi-purpose screwdriver/swiss knife/spoon — get the Sport Utility Comb! (Though admittedly, combing your hair with something that has both a comb AND sharp pointy things in the picture is scary.) The modular handle fits an ultra sharp knife, a quality compact saw, a steel file, a bottle opener, an interior ruler … and a comb.

Surf Board Towels – So you’re in some bad-ass beach … and the waves are killer! Time to show off your “mad” “skillz,” right? What if you can’t surf to save your life (or wife? or dignity? or pet?) Get one of these surfboard-shaped towels. You could always carve yourself some waves in the sand and play make-believe.

Natural Wood Effect Electronic Cigar – Face it, smoking’s a bad habit — but it looks pretty-darned cool! Before it kills you (and before you find out how much cigars are in some other country) try out an electronic cigar. It satiates the need for nicotine, so that you won’t snap into a nicotine-deprived rage, plus, it’s a whole lot more convenient to carry than bringing individual pieces.

 

Brad Pitt California Driver’s License novelty ID – You never know when the need will arise — to pretend to be the guy from Fight Club. To me, this serves two purposes that sound hilarious, but in reality, will get you into much trouble – one, it might piss off a police officer who’s just caught you speeding, and two, if ever your wallet gets stolen, you’ve given a thief street cred for stealing “Brad Pitt’s” wallet.

The Annoy-a-Tron – Given bad service at a restaurant? Your travel buddy steals your sandwich while you were sleeping? Place one of these bad boys in a concealed location and watch the insanity cultivate!

The Annoy-a-Tron generates a low-frequency beep noise at random 2-8 minute intervals and is fitted with a magnet for easy concealment. (Remember kindness once the insanity sets in. And mercy, too.)

 

Marshmallow Pop - Love the marshmallow-over-the-campfire, but hate setting up twigs and marshmallows and campfires? Try these out — marshmallow-flavored-lollipops that simulate the effect. It looks so much like a marshmallow-on-a-twig, it even screams it in the packaging!

…and for the last one, which I think is the most important!

15 Point Guide to Peeing in the City – The book was mainly written with NY in mind, but several of the tips there are pretty useful. Instead of learning how to deal with rude strangers, you could instead learn where the public restrooms are, which ones need pay, and, upon desperate, desperate need, you could learn covert tactics to taking a leak.

 

 

Most of the items spotted at NerdApproved.