Reincarnation of Air Jordan 1 in Silver

So in the spirit of true fanboyism, today’s list will be about Air Jordans. Sneaker addicts and basketball fanatics will  love this list from CoEd Magazine about the history of Air Jordans:

1. Air Jordan 1

First released in March of 1985. When Jordan brought these out for the first time they were banned by the NBA. Apparently the red and black were not a part of the color scheme of NBA regulation sneakers, but little did the management know that they would soon be worshiping the player wearing them as somebody finally made the NBA something worth watching and talking about.

Air Jordan 1 - The Shoe That Started it All

2. Air Jordan 2

Not exactly the most eye-popping of the Jordan brand, but he averaged 37 points per game and won his first dunk contest in these bad boys. Buying these shoes will not allow you to jump higher than usual, but you’ll certainly feel a spring in your step (it might come from being 2 bills lighter, but none the less.)

Click here to read about Air Jordans 3 to 12 from CoEd Magazine or head on over to sneakernews.com for release updates.

Yeah, yeah I know what you’re thinking. I didn’t really make this list myself but I couldn’t help it. Not especially after I thought back back to those fun times in high school when the toughest boys in class literally cried to their parents just so they can get their hands on the almost $200 shoes associated with His Airness himself, Michael Jordan.

I can hear a hundred grown men weeping with joy now. Ah, nostalgia.

My girlfriend thinks Peter O'Toole sort of looks like Colin Farrell in this poster.

Short and geeky post today. I have just seen Becket, a 1964 film adaptation of Jean Anouilh’s play and I cannot believe that I have not heard of this film before. It was almost easy to ignore the historical inaccuracies due to the brilliant performance of both Peter O’Toole as Henry II, sporting a Manchurian-like beard, and Richard Burton as Thomas Becket, Chancellor of England and later on, Archbishop of Canterbury. I probably sound like an overzealous fan right now but just take a look at these 5 Memorable Quotes from the movie and imagine really REALLY good old school acting (both O’Toole and Burton were nominated Best Actor for this film) to get an idea of what I’m talking about:

Henry II: Have you any idea how much trouble I took to make you noble?

Thomas Becket: I think as I recall you pointing a finger saying ‘Thomas Becket, you are noble.’ The queen and your mother became very agitated.

Henry II: (Laughs) They are always agitated.

Now if it were that easy to make things happen, the first thing I would probably do is point to myself in the mirror and say, “David Garcia, you are rich.” Unfortunately, no amount of begging has caused my reflection to grant me immense wealth yet. You’ll hear it here first when it does happen.

Becket: Tonight you can do me the honour of christening my forks.

Henry: Forks?

Becket: Yes, from Florence. New little invention. It’s for pronging meat and carrying it to the mouth. It saves you dirtying your fingers.

Henry: But then you dirty the fork.

Becket: Yes, but it’s washable.

Henry: So are your fingers. I don’t see the point.

I have had a similar conversation with my mother about my pile of laundry. Telling her that my clothes would just get dirty again only resulted to me doing my AND my entire family’s laundry that weekend. Incidentally, Richard II, another Plantagenet, had a different view on cutlery and required everyone in his court to use spoons in particular. Another bit of geeky trivia, Richard II was the first English king to use a handkerchief to clean his majesty’s nose.

Becket: England is a ship. The king is the captain of the ship.

Henry: That’s neat! I like that.

This one, I think, needs you to actually see how O’Toole’s face lights up when he says his line to fully appreciate it. It still sounds neat by itself though. Just imagine a medieval king mostly interested in battle saying “neat” when you show him your new iPad. Sucky example, I know.

Henry: I am suddenly very intelligent! Probably because of making love to that French girl last night. I’m subtle. I’m even profound. Oh, I’m so profound it’s making my head spin!

Probably one of the best things I like about the film’s idea of Henry II is that he constantly thinks himself an idiot. While I can’t really see any of the medieval monarchs admitting their own shortcomings, I find it hard to ignore the possibility that they might really have talked like this. Well, in French or Latin, anyway. It’s just so human.

And finally, we have this one line from Henry II’s mother who reinforces an idea that will inevitably pop up in viewer’s heads while watching the film:

Empress Matilda: You have an obsession about him that is unhealthy and unnatural!

Unhealthy indeed. Poor Thomas Becket was assassinated in Canterbury Cathedral AND voted the second worst Brit on BBC’s poll after Jack the Ripper.

Now isn’t that just neat.

Now, the challenge was to find somewhere well-known to avoid getting lost (or worse, getting mugged) but interesting enough to satisfy the curiosity and little geek heart of the girlfriend. True, we know a little bit of what we want to do in Hong Kong as she has been to China a few times (but surprisingly, not Hong Kong) and I have been to Hong Kong before — even though I was but a teeny weeny third grader called Davey.

Sadly but not surprisingly, a quick search for places to see in Hong Kong brought up the usual suspects that you often see included in those discounted travel packages. We might consider including these places in our itinerary (some might be required on the travel package we get) but for now, they remain on the museum and theme park list of the 5 Usual Must-See Places in Hong Kong:

1. Hong Kong Disneyland - The girlfriend is quick to point out that no one is ever too old to go to Disneyland. I agree, rolling my eyes. Four main attractions including Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Main Street plus the very idea of it being the first and only Disneyland to date makes it incredibly appealing even to, ahem, grown macho men who used to dream about going to the magical kingdom when they were much, much younger. What I don’t get is why it seems to be a required item in the itinerary of most travel packages now. As appealing as the prospect of hugging a life-sized Winnie the Pooh, I think a visit to Disneyland is a little too common an item in people’s itinerary.

Culture and History from the Hong Kong Museum of Art

2. Hong Kong Museum of Art – While a museum is easily one of the best tourist destinations, I admit that I have a soft geeky heart for anything that is old, artistic, and historical. With 14,000 items on exhibit related to Hong Kong’s history and culture, I think we just might be able to make time for a visit to the museum.

3. Water World – Who says water theme parks are only for couples with kids? If this place ever ends up on our final list of places to go to, the girlfriend and I plan to terrorize have fun with all the theme park patrons with a splash!

4. Hong Kong Space Museum – Now if I’m a nut for anything old and historic, I suppose you can call me another nut for anything modern-looking and shiny. Possibly the first place a geeky tourist would go to, the Hong Kong Space Museum offers hands-on interaction and operation of select items on display about robotics, physics, telecommunication, computers, and energy. If the people from the 1900s got some things wrong about the year 2000, the museum should offer a little bit more credible predictions about what the world would be like in the future.

5. Ocean Park - I remember that my parents and I planned to go to Ocean Park when we first went to Hong Kong but the visit never happened because it rained the entire time we were there. It sucked a lot especially since I was told I would see a whale in action. Later on, I realized they were referring to a killer whale, not the huge whale from Pinocchio. I will still probably drag the girlfriend to Ocean Park though when the time comes.

Not really a fan of museums or theme parks? Fret no more, watch out for List #39: The 5 Usual Must-See Touristy Places in Hong Kong!

1. Davey – I have mentioned this before in list #35, where I discuss my intention to revisit Hong Kong and future plans for this blog. I was particularly fond of this pet/nickname when I was much younger especially after I found out that it sort of had something to do with sailors and, by association, pirates. Incidentally, Davy Jones isn’t just another name for the bottom of the sea — it’s also the name of actor and Monkees member David “Davy” Jones. If you’re too young to remember him or know who The Monkees were, try Google.

2. Dave or David – basically a grown-up version of my childhood nickname. Sadly, due to an abundance of people called Dave or David, friend often end up attaching something else to my first name. The first letter of my surname, for example, or some odd quality to set you apart from the other kids named David. Saying Dave T or David P is convenient, admittedly. But when friends start attaching an odd quality to your name, there is always the risk of your first name getting dropped in favor of the odd quality. Which brings us to the third name on this list.

3. Bonehead – you know it’s an absolutely good nickname if a) other people have given it to you, b) it’s completely not related to your name, and c) you hate it. In this regard, Bonehead really is a brilliant nickname for someone who normally goes by David or Dave. Just ask my college buddies!

4. Hey – apparently, I share this nickname with almost 50% of the entire population in the world!

5. Garcia – if you have studied in an exclusive school, be it for boys or girls, you probably have been called by your surname so many times that when your classmates call you at home, it takes a minute before they remember what your first name is. I have had a lot of classmates ring me at home and look for “Garcia,” only to be picked on and told by my father that everyone in the house is a Garcia.

6. David Garcia – although reserved mainly for clients, formal events, and legal documents, I think the most time it has ever been used to refer to me was when I was in primary and high school. This fact seems obvious in retrospect and there should be no need to mention it under normal circumstances but I am not about to delete it. That would be like, cheating or something.

7. David P. Garcia – often in a shrill tone by angry parents and ex-girlfriends (not that there were a lot of the latter but you get the picture) as in, “You get your butt over here David P. Garcia or I’m throwing your computer out the window!” Fortunately, none of the computers I have ever owned have had the misfortune of being casually tossed out the window.

I’m pretty sure I’ve been called more names before but I’d really rather not count “Monkeyface” for obvious reasons. Don’t forget to leave a comment below or point back to this post as soon as you’ve come up with your own list. We’d looooove to know all about the names you’ve been called. *insert typical evil laugh here*

5. I will attempt to get back in shape. This has got to be on a lot of people’s list but I found myself joining the bandwagon one morning when I tried to squeeze myself in my used-to-be-favorite jeans from way back in college. Needless to say (but I am saying it anyway), it was a pretty hilarious sight. I could not get over the fact that not only don’t they fit me anymore, I couldn’t even pull them up half past my thighs. To add insult to injury, my girlfriend walked into the room and just stood on the same spot, lips twitching in an effort to compose herself. It took her five more seconds before she proceeded to point at me and laugh hysterically.

6. I will make an effort to reduce the number of my Red Bull consumption. The hype is good but the crash is really, really, really bad. After pulling an all-nighter, thanks to the help of this syrupy energy drink, things slow down a lot. Rather than the soothing voice of my girlfriend saying “Good morning, honey,” I hear a booming and scary man voice saying “Dave, have you been drinking red bull again?” in a style similar to records played back really slow. Mornings like these are never fun.

7. I will no longer decline invitations for me to go out and hang out with my friends. The next time I hear someone say “You free tonight, Dave? We’re having a couple of drinks over at…” on a non-work night, I am definitely going. I don’t get an award or a statue for working all day and night, so I might as well have fun a little every now and then. Plus, you know you should go out a bit more when you realize your mother knows more about drinks and hipster stuff than you.

8. I will remember that crisps are not a food group. More proper food, less air. Repeat after me, more proper food and less air.

9. I will make saving a priority… as soon as I get myself a pair of those upcoming Air Jordan 2010s.

10. I promise to use up at least half of my vacation leaves. I have already reserved a few days off work for the Hong Kong trip but some day trips to local sights should be fun. A vacation in other Asian countries or Europe isn’t a bad idea either. We can go to Italy, Paris, London… Prague!!! That is, if we ever get the money and time anyway hehe. But if you’ve got any non-mainstream suggestions or vacation ideas, let me know.

Aaaaand, that’s it for my New Year’s resolutions! Feel free to share your list with me, I promise not to laugh maniacally

1. I will stick to strict schedule when it comes to updating this blog. I figure since most of the items on this list will, as previously mentioned, be forgotten or ignored or broken down into tiny little pieces, I might as well start with the biggest and hardest to live by item. I don’t really need to stick to an updating schedule, it’s my blog after all. But as I am hoping to have  at least one regular reader (hi mom!)  before this month ends, it feels necessary.

2. I will return to Hong Kong for a visit, by hook or by crook! The last time I set foot in Hong Kong soil was when I was in third grade and I still answered to people calling me Davey the David Garcia (don’t ask). Although one of my most vivid memories from that trip is having to go into random restaurants so I can go wee-wee (it was cold as hell for poor little tropical me), I do remember how comforting the city lights looked like at night. That and the bargain district full of people offering to sell me a mountain of cool toys.

3. I will try and enclose less references in parentheses from now on.

4. I will learn to not be lazy and churn out a complete and proper blog post when I start it.

For the meantime, stay tuned for List #36: Resolutions Make for Bad Sequels.