I Do All My Own Stunts Shirt

Life is full of dangers and accidents, often famous people have “stunt men” stand in for them to save them from the threat of injury or pain.

But there are real men in this world, that take care of themselves, they don’t need a person paid to take the risk of pain or damage away from them.

Real men like me are not afraid of a little pain, thankfully I do all my own stunts.

A list of stunts I have done myself:

    I Do All My Own Stunts Flaming Sick Figure Tee

    I Do All My Own Stunts, Do you ? Click Image $17.99 USD

  • Being attacked by poodles – It is true this was a little scary at first, I would not recommend this for everyone, there is of course  pain involved, but doing so just made me a tougher man.
  • Falling off my bicycle – I came, I rode, I fell off. After the screaming, running around and crying ended, I was just that much stronger.
  • Scratched by kittens – This was very scary at first, but after years of kitten abuse, I am now so strong, I actually do this one for fun.
  • Stubbing my toes – I have done this so often I am not even worried anymore, I actually walk around the house barefoot these days.

I am quite proud of the stunts I have performed, and now wear this shirt as a badge to my braveness, you can click on the image to get your own if you wish.

America Has No Culture ?

I have been traveling or living overseas more on than off for almost two decades now, I have spent very little time with people of my native country of Canada, or native continent of North America. I have often worked overseas for Korean, Japanese, Thai, and quite a few British companies as well. Over halve of my adult working life has been spent as a stranger in a strange land.

I had a recent trip to Lao with a group of people, some of them I had met and talked to before, the majority were Brits. For some reason the first thing a group of Brits wants to know is if I am American, I of course tell them no I am Canadian.

For some reason at this point more often than not the Brits will start talking my ear off about how America has no culture, how they are always telling everyone what to do, and correcting my English. For some reason things like English Football being called Soccer in North America is a big deal. And how Potato Chips are actually Crisps not chips.

I actualy found this fascinating when I first started hearing all the opinions of America and Americans, but very often these things tend to touch a bit of a nerve about my home country of Canada also, the accusations of no culture, of being new, etc etc. Over time this has worn on me a bit. I became tired of this conversation a long time ago. I can pretty much predict what they are going to say all the time because I feel with some of these people this is the same list of things they say to every North American, and often with each other.

Now I have no problem with Brits, I have many British friends, and although we had this conversation once upon a time we eventually got past it and worked our way into truly interesting conversations and proper friendships.

But let me make a bit of a rebuttal here about North American culture.

First of all, games like Hockey, Lacrosse, Baseball, and North American Football did not come out of thin air, they were invented in North America, usually adopted from Native North American games and adjusted into our culture.

Halloween in North America is very different to what it is elsewhere, I dare say it is a unique North American culture.

Rock and Roll, Blues, Jazz, and Hip Hop as well as Country and Bluegrass Music were all invented in North America, this too is part of our culture.

North American Movies and Television are also part of our culture, although Americans have a much stronger influence on entertainment, you will find a large number of Canadians mixed up in the headliners for American music, movies, and television.

T-Shirts and Teddy Bears also come from America.

The problem is not that Americans have no culture, it is that you have adopted so many American cultures into your own you can not identify it anymore.

When I go to the stores in virtually every country in the world the Potato Crisps are called Potato Chips right on the bag, I guess the Americans just did a better job of marketing and selling their products, get over it. Same as too many people mistake Chips for French Fries, if there was a huge chain of fish and chips in the word, this wouldn’t have been such an issue. Yes, I realize that chips and french fries are not the same thing, I had my fish and chips wrapped in a newspaper when I was growing up.

Now I would like to take a look at Canada for a minute here, we have three official languages, English, French, and Inuit, but of course there are many other languages used and spoken. Often people only speak one of these three languages, they don’t generally live in the same neighborhood as each other, places like Vancouver on the west coast usually can not speak french, and 4000 odd KM away in Quebec City, generally they do not speak English, Of course there is the extreme north where there is the Inuit also. If you go all the way over to the east coast to places like Newfoundland, usually speak a mixed dialect of French and English, with some Scottish thrown in.

The US has a much higher population, with smaller gaps between settlements, causing more blending of cultures, but all together it can be called American Culture.

You see what happened is a long time ago now, 500 years ago now, and yes there are actually buildings that are almost 500 years old. People came to Canada, with their cultures intact, from many different places in the world, and generally did not settle together, keeping their culture intact until today, in fact I almost wonder if there aren’t more kilts and bagpipes in Canada today being worn then their are in Scotland.

Now I know 400 year old building aren’t that old, but there are an awful lot of them, and considering there have never been any great wars to destroy them, some of the cities like Montreal or Quebec City look very similar to what it must have been like walking around Europe around that time, even more so than Europe does today, with the exception of places like Austria.

I know England has a particular bar that is almost a thousand years old, but, I have actually been to Varanasi, and drank bang lassies in a lassie bar that has been there for close to six thousand years, so in the same way our 400 year old buildings don’t measure up to your very old buildings, yours don’t measure up to India’s.

There are building in New Mexico in the US that have been constantly inhabited for over a thousand years.

I am not sure exactly what culture we are missing, but we do have culture.

And to be honest, saying things like how rude Americans are is actually very rude of you.

I love Brits, I have had the absolute best times in my life with large groups of British friends, my mother is British, and I am also a citizen of Great Britain.

But just because a bunch of people packed up and went overseas together, it doesn’t mean they lost all their culture. Canada and the United states have just evolved over the last 400 years or so on a path of its own. As you have been evolving also in different directions.

No one however, has no culture.

As for Americans always telling everyone what to do, that is just the pot calling the kettle black, England used to tell 80% of the world what to do until recently, now it’s just America’s turn. England hasn’t been told what to do for many generations, it must be frustrating to be in a different position, the rest of us however are used to following orders already, and it doesn’t seem to bother us quite as much.

Where is the Karma ?

I am often pleasantly surprised when I open my e-mail and notice a new Facebook friend request from someone I knew in what almost seems like a past life to me. I left Canada pretty much about 16 years ago now. I have been back several times, but other than family, I don’t really have much contact with my “Old Life”.

Anyhow today I received a Facebook friend request from someone I did not accept. This person used to be my friend, I actually enjoyed his company, and found him to be a good laugh. We used to play on the same soccer team together and my father was the coach. We picked him up at his pretty much every Saturday for halve a decade through my childhood until I was about thirteen. At thirteen I had a nasty break of my arm that required multiple surgery, and was not able to do an sports for about a year. I did not see him for a couple of years because we attended different schools.

This changed a bit when we got older, we both were fifteen and in High School together. We had no classes together but would often pass each other in the halls. One day I was walking down the stairs to go to lunch and for a flash instant I saw his face, as he soundly drove his Knee into my balls. It was a direct hit, and one of the most painful memories of my life. He hit them so hard they receded into my body, inside the pelvis.

karma

I staggered my way to the washroom, and once out of sight of the herding lunch mass, I let my pain go, screaming in agony. Luckily there was a guy that was in the washroom that was helpful to me that actually knew of a cure for it, to drop yourself hard on your heels several times until they return to their rightful place.

So this asshole invited me as a friend, he must be a total psychopath to think that I wanted to be his friend after this event. I never bother to ask him why he did this, I had no interest in sorting out our relationship, I wished him ill, and at this point in my life I was not brave enough to pound him until he was really sorry for what he did. With a friend like this I would of course no longer need enemies.

What would possess a guy like this to ask for my friendship? This is just simply not right, what is wrong with his thought process to think he could do such a thing for no explained reason and then suddenly ask for my friendship twenty two years later.

So here comes the part about the Karma, after just ignoring him, and not accepting his friendship, I later went back to my deleted e-mail folder, and opened up his profile. He seems to be doing very well he is an accomplished international artist with a house near the beach, I now think he just wanted to possibly rub his apparent success in my face.

I wonder if the people who buy his art are influenced by his sociopathic paintings?

Shouldn’t a guy like be wearing an orange jumpsuit and picking up garbage with no pay on the side of the highway? Instead of living on the beach and successfully working for himself selling art of all things?

Now I am not disappointed in my life, I have traveled very extensively, have had lot of experiences that few have ever had, and have done this through my own economic gains, not handouts. I have dated beautiful women including several beautiful models that have appeared in magazines such as Elle, and Mcleans, I now have a wonderful child, am happily in love, and run my own business which I can live comfortably off of. I have never sucker punched or kicked or kneed anyone, let alone someone that was supposed to be a friend.

Still though I wonder where the Karma is in this, maybe he will get his just deserves in the next life, I don’t know. Maybe one day I will meet him on some stairs somewhere, and blindside him with a knee in the nuts to deliver his well deserved Karma myself.

Kings of Leon – Closer – Lyrics and Unofficial Video

This song has a really eerie sound to me, I when ever I listen to it I find myself filled with emotions. I was amazed to find out Kings of Leon are all family members,  three brothers and a cousin.

Anyhow its not so much about where they came from as what they produce, here are the lyrics, make sure you click on the video so you can have a listen to the incredible song.

Stranded in this spooky town
Stoplights are swaying and the phone lines are down
This floor is crackling cold
She took my heart, I think she took my soul
With the moon I run
Far from the carnage of the fiery sun

Driven by the strangled vein
Showing no mercy I do it again
Open up your eye
You keep on crying, baby
I’ll bleed you dry
The skies are blinking at me
I see a storm bubbling up from the sea

And it’s coming closer
And it’s coming closer

You, shimmy shook my bone
Leaving me stranded all in love on my own
What do you think of me
Where am I now? Baby where do I sleep
Feel so good but I’m old,
2000 years of chasing taking its toll

And it’s coming closer

Short Trip to Lao

Luang Prabang Lao Waterfalls

This beautiful waterfall is just outside Luang Prabang Lao

I just returned very late last night from a trip to Lao.

I have been many times to Lao, I love the country, it is a safe quiet little Buddhist country based between Myanmar, China, Thailand, and Cambodia. I would highly recommend it to anyone that already visiting a neighboring country, although it is beautiful, most of the country is inaccessible, and there is not really that much you can easily see.

The best way to view this country is by taking river boats up and down the Mekong river. There are some one or two week trips available you can book at the travel agents in Vientiane, you can usually get away with only spending about $20-$30 USD per day for food, travel and accommodation.

I visited the capital city, Vientiane, this week which is right on the Mekong river. Vientiane is beautiful, it is often referred to as Asia’s Paris. It has lots of large green trees all around the city, tons of beautiful Temples, and a lot of french architecture. The food is excellent,  and the people are very friendly. There are virtually no cars making the air fresh and the city quiet enough to listen to the birds.

If you ever go to Vientiane I would highly recommend visiting the Buddhist sculpture gardens just outside of the city, most people overlook this treasure, the monk that created this garden later went over the river to Nong Khai in Thailand and created a second sculpture garden.

There is also a nice little hippy community on a beach on a bend in a nearby river from Vientiane, I have not been there yet  but it does seem like my kind of place.

Nong Kai Thailand Sculpture Garden

Nong Kai Thailand Sculpture Garden Across the Bridge from Vientiane

I have added some images from the Thai version of the sculpture gardens, the Lao one is very much the same, ufortunatly I do not have my pictures with me from the Lao version, same artist anyhow and they are only about two KM apart as the crow flies.

Anyhow this is just a quick post, I am still very tired from the trip, I will likely talk more about it later. Though more about the people I met while traveling this time.

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