Link: http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2007-03-22/news_story.php

Hey everybody! Sorry about not posting anything here for so long but I've been pretty busy and just haven't had time for poor old Avoidinglife.com these days. At first I thought I'd write about all the big changes in my life these last few months, but on second thought I think I'll cover a much more exciting topic, namely train news!

Pictured above is mock-up of what Toronto's new low-floor streetcars are probably going to look like. It's part of a proposed $6-billion, 120-kilometre light-rail network for the city. The future of the TTC's rail network has been a hot button issue in the news these past few weeks. While the city wants billions to build a series of dedicated streetcar routes throughout the city, the province seems only interested in funding a subway extension into the suburbs, mostly to gain favor among voters.

I'm sure you're all wondering by now "What does Jamie think about this?". Well, let me tell you!

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To celebrate the Chinese New Year I headed to Chinatown and had some yummy overpriced egg puffs. Kate and I first discovered this tasty reverse waffle at Ocean Park in Hong Kong a few years ago.

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Link: http://www.beingfamous.com/blog/wordpress/?p=398

According to Amir of BeingFamous/CollegeHumor.com fame, Canada is "10% off" as in 10% different or 10% strange. At least that's what you might think if you are someone that calls the U S of A home. I have a few American acquaintances that are thinking of coming up here soon, so I thought that perhaps they could benefit from reading this before they arrive. I've spent a fair amount of time in the U.S. over the past 6 months and I too have found myself befuddled on a number of occasions by the 10% factor. One comment at the end of the article was particularly enlightening for me:

As a Canadian I’ve noticed in several States that when I say “thanks” or “thank you” the common response is “uh huh” or “yeah” instead of “you’re welcome”.

I was really confused by those "uh huh's" during my travels down south. I wasn't sure if it was a cultural difference or if everyone thought that my "thank you's" were somehow disingenuous. Also, the whole Delissio/DiGiorno thing had me worried that I was imagining things. Why does Kraft insist on giving so many of their products different names in Canada? Do they think we might have a problem pronouncing "DiGiorno" with all our strange "ehs" and "aboots" up here? I'm kind of relieved to learn that these were both just cultural misunderstandings. That's it for now. I think I'm gonna go have some french fries with vinegar, or maybe cook up some Kraft Dinner.

Footnote:
Unless folks in Vancouver name their dairy products differently, I think Amir is mistaken on one thing though. Most milk in Canada is called "2%" not "3%". There is such a thing as 3% milk, however it is normally called "Homo".

Was looking through Craig's List and found this ad. It's too bad I don't live with my parents anymore or I could be a TV star! I do have a friend or two that might qualify though. Perhaps I should secretly sign them up! To learn more about "Guess What - You're Moving Out!", you can check out this article in The Star. Looks like there's also a similar show in works for America hosted by Donny Osmond.

Now that everyone has had their fill of Hard Gay, it's time for a new face to take the Japanese wrestling world by storm! Pro-wrestling has become increasingly dark, mean spirited and less funny over the past 10 years or so. If there's one thing it needs right now, it's Happy Man!

Kate has been helping me collect as much information on former Salsero Takeshi Minamino's new alter ego. Apparently from what we can gather, Happy Man is an alien prince from the M77 nebula Happy Star. His goal in life is a rather lofty one, namely to bring about world peace. Beyond that, we don't know much about him. If only we could somehow be back in Aomori right now and catch him in action bringing happiness to a world that desperately needs it.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK-2laSYpII

This is Paro. Paro is a "Seal type mental commit robot for psychological enrichment" or STMCRFPE for short. It's supposedly "the world's most therapeutic robot" and is intended to have a calming effect on patients of hospitals and nursing homes.

From Wikipedia:

The robot has tactile sensors and responds to petting by moving its tail and opening and closing its eyes. It also responds to sounds and can learn a name. It can show emotions such as surprise, happiness and anger. It produces sounds similar to a real baby seal and (unlike a real baby seal) is active during the day and goes to sleep at night.

Paro isn't mass produced like its robotic cousins Necord or Nearme, so if you want one it's gonna probably set you back a few grand. A cheaper alternative are Sega's dream pets. While in Japan, Kate and I picked up a couple of Yume Inus (Dream Dogs) for about 1000 yen each. They are really cool! They can't walk, but they can produce a cute mechanical bark, stick their tongues out, as well as turn their ears and heads. They also have sensors in their eyes, feet and on their backs so that they can react to you. They were once pretty expensive, but soon after the Chihuahua fad ended the bottom fell out of the market for robot dogs. I think they have now been discontinued, however Sega Toys seems to still selling the Yume Neko. Grab one now before it's too late! Take it from me. There's no better way to calm your nerves after a hard day than playing with a furry robotic friend!

Link: http://www.local6.com/spotlight/10495777/detail.html

Eleven live wrestling matches, including some involving midgets, were moved into Mexico City's subway system Friday, according to a Local 6 News report.

As commuters moved through the Chabacano subway station and two other busy stations, wrestlers battled it out in a professional ring.

Exposition and event organizer Debroah Holmes said the unusual wrestling display was in honor of photographer Lourdes Grobet, who has been photographing wrestlers since 1975

Full article and video here

Attention sukebe otaku of Toronto... your prayers have been answered! Toronto now has it's first Maid Cafe at McNicoll and Kennedy.

It's called "i maid cafe" and it doesn't look any different from the scores of maid cafes dotting Akihabara in Tokyo. Could Meflexology be far off? [From BoingBoing]

Update: CBC's The Hour ran this story about iMaidCafe.