Monthly Archives: August 2016
Crikey, I’ve Never Seen That Before
You’ve never been so happy to be aboard a plane for hours and hours.
My family’s Christmas tradition, starting from when I was about 5, was to travel somewhere foreign and exotic. Broadening our perspective and soaring far beyond (and above) our preconceived horizons was always a thrill for me, my two older sisters and my parents. No matter what’s happening in our lives, good or bad, traveling somewhere new always proves to be a magical escapism.
From the New Year’s flight over Antarctica to standing in snow watching my sister ski down an indoor slope in Dubai to sleeping in the desert in Oman to enjoying dinner under the stars with Uluru (Ayers Rock) serving as the backdrop, venturing off to exciting places around the world is something I am eternally grateful to my parents for throughout my life. Thank you doesn’t begin to cover my appreciation for these priceless experiences.
And on equilibrium with the destinations are the memories of the journey.
Seeing the world unfold in ways we never thought possible is why we travel. To hear about a far off place is one thing, but to witness and embrace a new culture in-person is enlightening in the best ways imaginable. The sights, sounds and people far exceed what you anticipate. As divided as the world seems these days, one saving grace I’ve always kept close to my vest (not literally, but you know what I mean) is that everywhere I’ve traveled, the people, rich and poor, have been kind, helpful and inspiring.
Experiencing life’s wonder with friends and family, as well as with friendly strangers, is part of the beauty of it all. When you’re on vacation, anything can happen.
Like going on a spur-of-the-moment late night stroll along a riverbank in Kakadu National Park in the Australian Outback with Ranger Ted in an effort to spot crocodiles. And, for the record, we succeeded. Ranger Ted told us to pause our walk to focus our eyes on these two red dots in the middle of the river. From those two red eyes reflecting in the water to the tip of its tail, the crocodile’s length was ~15 feet.
True story.
That’s why we escape the daily grind for an overseas adventure, isn’t it?
The Weight of History
If Usain Bolt (9.58 seconds) or Andre De Grasse (9.91 seconds) ran the 100m at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, how would they’ve fared against the legendary Jesse Owens (10.3 seconds)? Too bad we’ll never know.
Well, as Marty McFly would say, “This is heavy, Doc.”
The time traveling dash took place shortly prior to this year’s Olympics.
The natural inclination for sports commentators and analysts is to hype current athletes and achievements with superlatives. At times, the compliments fly at a slightly exaggerated rate. How quickly we forget the results of the past…or even just the last year. Still, there are athletic performances (individual and team) that warrant lightning-in-a-bottle fanfare. But it’s important to introduce perspective whenever possible. The fact is that Usain Bolt is a sprinter we may never see again in our lifetime. If you were to design the perfect sprinter, that final concept would look a hell of a lot like the 6’5″ Jamaican.
Witnessing Usain Bolt sprint today is the closest feat of running dominance and wow factor fans can experience that compares to the “Buckeye Bullet” people saw take flight 80 years ago.
Mr. Bolt’s achievements are undeniably laudable. However, as the phrase, “The greatest of all-time” is being cemented with his legacy, the video above shouldn’t necessarily deny that illustrious label. Instead, the struggle and significantly slower time produced by the 2016 Olympic 100m bronze medalist Andre De Grasse (9.91 seconds) should provide historical perspective and weight to the conditions, resources and technological advances made between 1936 Germany and 2016 Rio.
Usain Bolt is a once-in-a-lifetime sprinting legend and one of the fastest runners ever.
That’s an accurate statement at any point in track & field history.
Rio’s Fun Run
You won’t see this everyday.
- Usain Bolt (19.78 seconds)
- Andre De Grasse (19.80 seconds)
The finish line of the second 200m semifinal heat captured above features possibly the two fastest sprinters in this event in Usain Bolt from Jamaica and Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse. “The Lightning Bolt” (29-years-old) has even said the latter (21-years-old) could one day take over the 200m crown, once the world’s fastest man retires, of course.
Running and jumping in Junior Olympics and AAU summer track competitions from the third grade through high school, I can say that track & field is an intense sport. An amazingly fun sport, absolutely, but intense. By intense, I mean that every second, split-second, inch and movement is micro-analyzed. All the training and blood, sweat and tears that drip in the summer heat during practice is meant to achieve the maximum results because every second, split-second, inch and movement matters.
Whether the stakes are qualifying for the next race, meet or making the medal podium, competing loose (yet with acute concentration) is the name of the game.
Keeping this sport’s competitive spirit in mind, that’s what makes the finish of the 200m semifinal heat with Usain Bolt and Andre De Grasse seen above a genuinely special anomaly. The two world-class sprinters were easily 1-2 in their heat to qualify for the final tomorrow night and, surprisingly, chose to showcase their friendly rivalry to the world in an unlikely setting.
Thankfully, this moment of playful sportsmanship was captured.
Usain Bolt said in an interview with NBC’s Lewis Johnson immediately following the race tonight that he was expecting Andre De Grasse to ease up at the finish line to save energy for the final. Makes perfect sense. However, the Canadian had an alternative plan and instead chose to sprint to the 200m finish line as fast as possible to remind “The Lightning Bolt” that he’ll have a serious challenge tomorrow night.
NBC was given a preview to an Olympics version of “Must See TV.”
Track & Field is such an incredible sport and, hopefully, the fun pic between Usain Bolt and Andre De Grasse will increase viewership for the 200m final tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. ET. and possibly inspire yet another striking moment in the event:
The unthinkable sub-19 second 200m.
We all know that a lightning bolt strikes with authority (and apparently a grin).
Alien Arrival with Amy Adams
2016 may see a thrilling movie about aliens arriving on Earth yet.
Arrival is the amalgamation of Independence Day, Contact and Gravity.
This new movie trailer (released just hours ago) previews intense action sequences involving a new kind of alien, while ultimately leading to a dramatic third-act revelation for Amy Adams’s character that will transcend the relationship between humans and aliens. That’s a sign of savvy writing with consideration for audiences yearning to see a new, creative take in an established film genre.
Arrival’s storytelling may reveal a close encounter we haven’t seen before.
Whether you believe in aliens or not, this movie is projecting a degree of realism with face-to-face interactions with aliens. That, in and of itself, is a fascinating and inclusive dynamic. Moreover, the potential for strong personal relationships, especially between the mother and daughter seen in the trailer, could be the defining quality that elevates Arrival to a must-see science-fiction thriller.
Independence Day: Resurgence didn’t deliver anything close to its 1996 original twenty years later (the writing cough cough), but cinema goers may be treated to a film with aliens that meets high expectations.
Making the release date of something supernatural arriving on the wish-worthy 11/11?
Seeing aliens is a wish for many people around the world, so well played Arrival marketing team.
P.S. Were you also expecting Amy Adams’s character to ask the alien about the letter “S”?
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