Vancouver Canuck Dies in Motorcycle Crash

This just in from the Canadian Press: Luc Bourdon, a defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks, died in a crash between his motorcycle and a tractor-trailer in northern New Brunswick. He was 21.

RCMP in Shippagan wouldn't confirm the identity of the victim but said the driver of a motorcycle was killed at about 12:30 p.m. AT in crash on a road between Shippagan and Lemeque, N.B.

His sister, Eve Bourdon, and his stepmother, Maryse Godin, confirmed that the victim was Luc Bourdon. They declined further comment, however.

General Manager Mike Gillis, said this in a statement:

“We are deeply saddened by today’s news and on behalf of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to Luc’s family. Luc was an extremely talented player with a bright future. He brought great passion to the game and was a valued team member on and off the ice. He will be greatly missed.”

I didn't know him very well - as a Canuck fan anyway - but I cheered when he scored his first goal. He had potential, but this freak accident took him away. I'm sure God has a reason for this.

May he rest in peace.

Just an observation: my best friend's father died on May 15th (part 1 of the LOST season four finale was aired) and a promising defenceman from my favourite hockey team died today, May 29th (parts 2 & 3 of the LOST season four finale will be aired). Are those signs? Hmmm....

I Should be Writing, But...

I can't resist the temptation of anything LOST-related.

Because I should be rewriting Chapter 4 (it's the Numbers, man!). Yet here I am, blogging.

Anyway, for his penultimate LOST column, for the season anyway, Doc Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly gives us his theory on how John Locke and/or Benjamin Linus will "move the Island" (please re-watch/watch "Cabin Fever" on ABC.com or on CTV.ca if you do not know where that came from - shame on you.)

He also gives us the final tease (from The Powers That Be, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse), this time from Carlton Cuse:

''Our characters' fates and our story for the season all comes down to this: Who's right about the island? Jack the empiricist or Locke the man of faith?''

This was pretty obvious, since the Hurley-centric premiere, "The Beginning of the End," ended with two factions: Team Jack and Team Locke.

Judging from the flash-forwards, Team Locke wins, philosophy-wise (or loses, quantity-wise, as only Locke, Ben, Hurley, Sawyer, Aaron, and Claire - if she's still alive - remain from the original Team Locke). Off the Island, Jack, Hurley, and Sayid are haunted by it, while Kate and Sun become the Amazonian women (figuratively speaking) that they are on it. Chronologically, The final flash-forward scene shows us that Jack is desperate to go back to the Island. Well, "desperate" may be an understatement, but one look at Grizzly Bearded and Oxycodone/Booze Junkie Jack Shephard, and you'd know what I mean.

Also, EW.com also published Doc Jensen's 15 Best Moments of Season 4. That is, before the season finale. There should be a new list of Best Moments next week, Doc Jensen! Anyway, no one should doubt which moment had the best impact in the viewers. Most of us - heck, almost all of us - wept during that beautiful scene.

OK, now I will try and do some writing. Later, LOST geeks.

Today's the Day!

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

In 17 hours, the first hour of LOST's three-hour season finale event - "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1" - will be re-aired on ABC (in North America, anyway). There will be additional footage - i.e. the extended version of the Oceanic Six press conference scene. See you at 8/7 central.

And in 18 hours, the last two hours - "There's No Place Like Home, Parts 2 & 3" - will be aired on ABC and CTV (in North America). Please click here for ABC Medianet's press release for this episode.

Woohoo!!!

Were you able to resist the temptation of reading Lostfan108's spoilers (or anyone else's spoilers, for that matter)?

Good! Because it means you're strong and you value great storytelling. I personally tried so hard not to ready any spoilers because I want to be surprised. I didn't let Lostfan108 spoil the "rattlesnake in the mailbox" last year; why would I let him spoil the "frozen donkey wheel" for me this year?

Anyway, I won't do any live blogging, as I will be taking down notes and actually enjoying the finale while watching it. I may blog prior to the re-airing of TNPLH Part 1, but it is unlikely. I will, however, post my reactions, questions, and possibly a recap of the finale. Whether or not I'm crying my eyes out and/or my head is literally spinning a la Regan MacNeil, I will post. I was crying when I posted my recap/reactions for "Through The Looking Glass;" I can definitely do that again. I will probably do a recap for Season 4. That is, if I can find a good article (one that hasn't been on the usual fan sites) that was posted online on or before the premiere. I need to base the season recap on a previously published article, like I did last year. There's more relevance that way (imho).

Also, if you haven't seen it, DocArzt posted six clips - including an ultra gasp-worthy one. That major WTF moment should be resolved in the finale!

I'm excited! I'm excited! I'm excited! I'M EXCITED!!!...

Post-B'Day Issues

Today sucked.

Except for the new cut/highlights and the sun and my Amazon order, most of the day sucked. I cannot transfer the new pictures in my camera to my computer. Why? Because my brother-in-law borrowed my USB connector and hasn't given it back to me. I can't upload the pics from yesterday and today (my B'Day presents and the new look) and from 29th of March (my second cousin's wedding). Argh!

As a B'Day present for myself, I bought the LOST soundtracks for Season 1 and Season 3, as well as Gladys Knight's "If I Were Your Woman" with the iTunes gift card that my sister gave me. I also burnt Carrie Underwood's "Carnival Ride" and the LOST OSTs for Seasons 1 and 3. Unfortunately, I couldn't burn Disc 2 of the Season 3 OST! It just cancelled. I don't know why.

Crap.

5... 2... 7... B'Day

It did not rain today!

It was little cloudy and breezy in the morning, but it became very sunny and a bit breezy in the afternoon. Woohoo! God heard my prayer. Hallelujah!

I meant to go to the brand-spankin'-new Apple Retail Store in downtown Vancouver, but I got lazy. Hehe... Anyway, I got a few pairs of Capri pants, and a pair of jeans. Thank God! My waistline ain't what it used to be (yeah, it sucks), so I needed new jeans.

Then everyone (my extended family and the C's) went to Nando's Chicken and had a great meal. The server asked us a few times if we needed anything else - which is quite unusual for a server of any restaurant. Must be the 27% tip that I gave her. Haha. (Don't be so shocked; I'm generous when it's my birthday!)

I got a few gifts from my housemates. Got a necklace from my mom, an iTunes gift card and Hershey's chocolates from my sister and the kids, and a couple of shirts from the C's. I'll post the pictures that I took later.

Overall, my 25th birthday didn't surpass the awesomeness of my 21st birthday. But it's in my top three, so I guess it was pretty good.

Thanks to everyone who sent birthday greetings (The Fuselage, Lostpedia, Lost Forum, Kelly Clarkson fan community, several Facebook and Friendster pals, C. N., the Gurlash, L. D., my bro and his family, and my best friend A. G.). Got a pleasant surprise too. =)

For those who forgot... Nah, whatever. I forgive y'all. I'm generous in many aspects when it's my birthday. *Wink wink* Or I could sic Ol' Smokey on you. Hehe.

Rain Delays and Laziness

I'm supposed to be out shopping for clothes today. I had planned to buy summer clothes - like jeans and Capri pants - so I can have something denim or really casual to wear on Casual Fridays at work. I also wanted to get a haircut, and possibly some highlights, today.

Then the weatherperson forecasted that it was gonna rain today. And I only had three hours of sleep (wanted to sleep early, but couldn't; watched early morning broadcasts of Men in Black and Casanova, which finally made me fall asleep at five AM). So I stayed home and wrote.

Thank God, because I was able to write 850 words in two hours - which is good enough. Three hundred and fifty words more, and I will reach the word count that I had before I changed the conflict and had to revise most of what I'd already written. Hopefully this will help further the story, and hopefully I'll be able to finish it by my 26th birthday.

Anyway, I took a lunch break at 1:08 (it's the Numbers, man!). I went upstairs (I'm in the basement), and - lo and behold! - it was not raining! It's cloudy with sunny breaks.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is still rain, but I would really like the forecast to be changed to, at least, cloudy with sunny breaks. But, then, I will get out of the house tomorrow anyway - rain or shine. I just hope it would be the latter.

*Sigh* It's nearly 14:30, and I have to get back to work. Then I'll take a nap.

So much for the first day of my week-long (another sigh) vacation...

Vancouver Apple Store Grand Opening Update

It seems like Apple Canada was reading my mind while I was writing about the Apple Canada press release last night. Or did I just speak (write?) too soon?

On one of my little breaks today at work, I went to the Apple Canada website and - lo and behold! - the retail store page had been updated. The Pacific Centre store page is up and running!

It appears that the media preview venue is different from the exact address of the store, which is this:

Apple Store, Pacific Centre
701 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V7Y 1C6


View Larger Map

I've already programmed the phone number into my BlackBerry Pearl. Haha!

Anyway, I may not be able to go to the grand opening, but I'll see y'all there in the near future. See ya!

Vancouver Apple Store to Open Saturday

For my 100th post, I am announcing that the Apple Retail Store in Vancouver will open on Saturday, 24 May 2008, at 10:00 PDT.

Woohoo!

The Apple Retail Store is located at Pacific Centre Mall in downtown Vancouver. Here's the address for anyone who wants to attend the 10 AM Grand Opening:

Apple Store® Pacific Centre
910-609 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
V7Y 1G5


View Larger Map

There will be a preview for the media at 9 AM. For accredited journalists (exact words in press release), please call (416) 367-8251 to confirm your attendance. Anyway, after the media preview, the Apple Retail Store will open to the general public! Yay!

By the way, I don't think this location has its own page on the Apple Canada website. I've been looking for it, but the only locations that the drop down menu shows are the Toronto (Ontario) and the Laval (Quebec) stores. Maybe because it's brand-spankin' new?

I don't know if I'll get to go - I'm on vacation starting 16:30 tomorrow, hehe - but I will definitely check the store out. Maybe I can go there on my birthday... I think it's a great idea. (Wink wink)

Now I almost wish my iPod Nano malfunctioned so I could get it looked at there. Hi-hi-hi.

Ms Kelly's Writing a Children's Book

People.com reported today that Ms Kelly - also known as Kelly Rowland - is writing a children's book between albums.

Speaking backstage after performing in Cannes, France, she says, "Everything is confidential right now, but I'm really excited because I've talked to some different publishing companies and got some people interested." Apparently the book is in its early stages and is yet to be named. She also says her five god-kids are the reasons she's writing a children's book. "I love my god-kids," she says. "I love kids!"

I wonder what her book's about. I hope it's about kicking the butts of the mega-popular kids. Hehe.

Speaking of Ms Kelly being in Cannes, here's her video blog, or vlog, for Friday, 16 May.



I hope she comes back in the US soon! And I hope her new record will kick butt!

Paging Dr. Feel-Good!

I think tonight's LOST episode, "Something Nice Back Home," is Jack-centric. And while he's battling appendicitis, Entertainment Weekly included him - as in, Jack Shephard - in the list of best TV doctors. I don't know when the photo gallery was released online, but I just found it today. (What kind of a LOST fan am I? He-he.)

Is there a doctor on the plane? Thank goodness there was on Oceanic Flight 815. The survivors would definitely be lost (sorry; couldn't resist), without Dr. De Facto Leader.

Anyway, guess how many pictures there are? Twenty-three. Yep, 23. It's the Numbers, man!

The list also includes Hugh Laurie's Gregory House (House, M. D.), Neil Patrick Harris's Doogie Howser (Doogie Howser, M. D.), George Clooney's Doug Ross (E. R.), Alan Alda's Hawkeye Pierce (M*A*S*H), Zach Braff's John "J. D." Dorian (Scrubs), Patrick Dempsey's Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd (Grey's Anatomy), and my second-favourite TV doctor, after Jack, Chandra Wilson's Miranda "The Nazi" Bailey (Grey's Anatomy).