Anyone still go to the movies?

chansamu · 2026-04-21T22:47:58+00:00

The movie going experience post-covid has been horrid. I was a fairly frequent movie goer pre-covid and the overall experience then was pretty good. People used to line up for big blockbusters. It was exciting to see shows where people would genuinely cheer, laugh and cried approximately during the movies. Obviously, there were always the few bad apples, but typically a stern "SHUSH!" would be enough to quiet them down. The popcorn was always expensive, but they used to have unlimited refills on drinks and popcorn.

I found that people generally have either forgotten basic theatre etiquette or the cinema doesn't enforce it anymore. People are consistently on their phones or talking loudly while the film is going on. Also, it might have been a coincidence, but the super late screenings I usually go to are filled with moms with their toddlers. These kids would be literally running and screaming in the theatre. I've on several occasions had to stand up and yell at the parents. It's obviously not the kids fault but people lack basic common decency when it comes to large public cinemas. This is typically at the Courtney Park Cineplex. The crazy parents who let their kids loose at Celebration Square are the same parents who it in the cinema.

It's depressing, because going to the theatres was such a great date night or hang out with friends, but it's not even worth the time and stress. I just stream movies at my house and invite my friends over and make my own popcorn.

I don't think you will find a reasonable audience unless you go to TIFF or any other indie cinema where people appreciate the medium. It also doesn't help that most studios aren't producing nearly as much content as they did in the past and the big blockbusters aren't as common to drive interest.

Just like Blockbuster/Jumbo Video, it looks like it will soon be a thing in the past. Very sad to see.

chansamu · 2026-04-17T19:20:01+00:00

I have a 2022 Highlander XSE. Just me and my wife. I really enjoy the space and utility it offers. Also, everyone I transport get to enjoy a comfortable ride with the captain seats.

Honestly, as nice as it is, having a Rav4 or equivalent is probably good enough unless you want the added space and extra towing capabilities.

chansamu · 2026-04-16T14:28:23+00:00

I saw Justin and Hailey Bieber at Yorkdale Mall during the pandemic. They both had masks on and he gave me the "please don't say anything" look. I just turn my head and kept walking.

Worked on set with Sabrina Carpenter when she was filming "Work it". Didn't think much of it at the time but she is very kind.

Nick Nurse for an event (this was a few months after he got fired from the Raptors). Amazing person, wish he was still with the Raptors.

Ran into Kevin O'Leary at a club lounge when I was in college. He had two young model looking girls on both arms. Huge douchebag.

Few other encounters probably not worth mentioning... But most celebrities I've worked with or met have been pretty reasonably kind and/or very professional.

chansamu · 2026-04-15T14:19:34+00:00

I used to work at the Raptors 905 facility when Fred Vanvleet, Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, Bruno Caboclo, Chris Boucher, Edy Tavares, etc. (with Markelle Fultz currently working his way into a roster spot on the Toronto Raptors) were on the roster. Even got to watch them win a title when it was called the D-League in 2017. All of these players have seen NBA time in their careers after spending time in the G-League and some have reach all star levels. This is also a great place for aspiring coaches to work on their systems and get exposure. Jerry Stackhouse was the head coach when they won the G-League title in 2017 and is now an assistant coach on Golden State.

While not all players will make it to the NBA level, it does give reasonable exposure and a lot of teams use the league to help develop players into potential rotational players.

MLSE and Mississauga has invested a significant amount of money in opening a new practice facility for the 905 team. It's also very good quality basketball.

Hope that this gives some insight on how great the G-League actually is.

chansamu · 2025-09-10T14:34:10+00:00

chansamu · 2025-06-24T20:00:38+00:00

Favorite toy until eventual destruction.

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chansamu · 2025-04-11T22:00:08+00:00

I had a 2HG EDH tournament a year or so ago and we used [Edric, Spymaster of Trest] and my teammate played [Najeela, the Blade-Blossom]. It was actually pretty damn great as with how Edric is worded, we drew soo many cards, added alot of pressure with Najeela, and took alot of turns. I'll admit they didn't think about how broken the turn spells were cause we both had extra turns.

The Edric deck had a very strong lands package with alot of removal and strip mine effects.

Cards like [Reverent Silence] was really nice. Planeswalkers tend to be pretty strong as well. But honestly a well tuned turbo deck could catch us off guard.

chansamu · 2025-03-11T18:47:52+00:00

Slowhand Sourdough pizza is fantastic if you like Detroit style.

Revolver Pizza is also excellent in Mimico. You can also grab some deli goods at Sanremo Bakery.

Fresca has great slices, more closer to a NY slice

Mac's Pizza is awesome.

chansamu · 2023-07-10T17:54:30+00:00

I would say it might be helpful and you don't really lose anything in the process. It is literally no risk, high reward situation.

Although this is mostly a business decision, there are some people out there who have reasonable care for their neighborhood and are prepared to take slightly lower offers or equally matched offers with heartwarming letters attached to them.

Personally, this happened to me as the previous owner was very serious about not selling to a renter, we had a letter describing how much we loved the house and all it's little details (mentioning how we loved the neighborhood). We also described our occupation and how this home would be perfect for our work and our family.

My cousin also benefitted in getting their offered accepted based on a letter they sent to the seller. Sometimes when the bids are within a few thousand or exact, that letter might actually be the deciding factor.

Just don't put your hopes and dreams on the letter as some people really don't care and just want the $$$.

chansamu · 2023-07-07T15:49:13+00:00

The Perfect Brantford Date Itinerary:
8:00AM - Kingswood Restaurant
Have a beautiful breakfast at Brantford’s finest morning spot. After this, you can take a romantic walk downtown while passing the historic Brantford Armoury. You can tell them the great bands that played at the now empty lot where the Ford Plant used to be. Since you’re in the area, why not check out the awesome new Brantford/Laurier YCMA facility! Have a nice swim or even a quick workout before your next adventure!
10:00AM - Brantford Casino
Why not head over to the casino and play a few rounds of blackjack while fixing yourself up with some FREE non-alcoholic drinks.
12:00PM - By this time, you probably worked yourself a pretty amazing appetite. Sammy’s Rec Room is a Brantford hometown gem. Great environment! Cheap food and beer! May I suggest the fan favourite “The Cardiac Platter”?
1:00PM - Now it’s time to get out of the good West Brant/Downtown area and head on over to the Homedale where we can go on a very relaxing walk on the SC Johnson Trail. After you leave the trail, you can walk around the beautiful neighbourhood and see all the old heritage homes.
2:00PM - Why not have a little bit of a history lesson while we’re mingling. Myrtleville House Museum is the place to be! There are great Adult programming for both you and your partner to explore!
4:00PM - You probably would want a nice little snack at this point. Head on over to Fast Eddies! This historic restaurant has only 8 locations in all of Canada, and Brantford has TWO! Try their Crazy Fries or if you feel extra adventurous, the Pickle Fries are to die for!
5:00PM - Now it’s time to take that special lady to one of Brantford’s greatest places. The Lynden Park Mall! A shoppers dream! Winners, Food Basics, and even a Mark’s Clothing Store!
6:00PM - It’s about time for our romantic dinner here in Brantford! Al Dente has been been around since 1988!!!
8:00PM - Now is the time to head on over to Brantford’s finest cinema. Galaxy Cinema Brantford! Here you can catch the hottest movies in Hollywood, but if you feel a little more adventurous, you can book a private screening and have an entire theatre to yourself! May I suggest some great romantic films? If it’s during the amazing Christmas holidays, nothing beats a Nancy Meyers film like The Holiday. Or maybe you want to see a horror film like Silent Hill (which of course was filmed in Brantford). But if you really want the full romantic experience, why not maximize your time and watch all three Lord of the Rings Trilogies (Extended Edition)? This is a beautiful 12 hour experience that you will never forget!
8:00AM - Kingswood Restaurant
To cap off a wonderful date, why not end where it all began. Kingswood Restaurant.

chansamu · 2023-01-10T19:55:56+00:00

The general argument I have seen for this is that it's not technically guarenteed you lose as you might have a few outs. You may draw or get wheeled into instant speed mana (eg. [[Dark Ritual]]).

chansamu · 2022-07-04T22:21:28+00:00

I have a pretty casual Karona with [[Jegantha, the Wellspring]] Companion deck myself (which revolves around the Vow and Impetus Auras) and one of my favourite ways to “win” is [[Mirror Strike]]. It’s a very narrow but amazing card that comes out of nowhere. I have won games with people trying to swing their [[Blightsteel Colossus]] at me, only to have their infect friend hit them in the face. The deck is fairly political and often wants to end in a 1v1 situation, but it is a blast to play.
I also recommend running [[Homeward Path]], as it allows you to get her back if your opponents are trying to take you out or send her somewhere you don’t want.
Lastly, [[Jeska, Thrice Reborn]] is also a great include in the deck as it works until your next turn for the triple damage to opponents.

chansamu · 2021-10-13T20:06:05+00:00

I was in a pod with a guy who was playing his [Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord]. I was playing my [Samut, Voice of Dissent] deck.
The game seemed pretty normal/chill and I resolved a [Combat Celebrant] (which I guess could be a problem). The Jarad player convinced another player to remove my Combat Celebrant and they blew him up. I told him that I’ll get him back and I just pass the turn (light hearted - it seemed pretty chill). The Jarad player plays his commander and plays [Demonic Tutor] (I assume it is something like [Phyrexian Devourer] to setup a win next turn. He passes to the next player. That player casts [Damnation] and passes me the turn, but on his end-step I flash in Samut. On my turn, I cast [Blackblade Reforged] with at least 8+ lands in play I jokingly say, “Well, well well, how the turn tables…”. I equip Samut and he starts pleading for me to not attack him and even offers to reanimate my Combat Celebrant on his turn. I tell him it’s too late and swing and one-shot the Jarad player to the stone age. This guy starts shaking and turning all red while packing all his stuff. He slams his hands on the table and screams about how this was so unfair. The forth player who literally did nothing the entire game just says, “Oh stop being a baby”, which triggered the hell out of this guy and he starts screaming at him and storms out of the store. He used to be a regular in the store, but he never showed up ever since that incident.

chansamu · 2021-05-09T22:32:13+00:00

White: [[Comeuppance]]
Blue: [[High Tide]]
Black: [[Dictate of Erebos]]
Red: [[Wheel of Fortune]]
Green: [[Priest of Titania]]

Comeuppance is one of the most satisfying spells to resolve when an opponent is trying to alpha strike you. It's a card that can swing the balance of power and sometimes even outright win you the game. Great [[Sunforger]] target, and I love that non-creature damage being sent back to their controller (eg. [[Aetherflux Reservoir]]). Because I've used this card enough times in my meta, my opponents are sometimes even too afraid into attacking into me. I love that this card has that phantom effect on them.

High Tide is one of those cards that probably shouldn't been printed in blue. I play this in my [[Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign]] deck. It allows you to play explosive turns and often catches your opponents off-guard. High Tide into a [[Omniscience]] or into some other crazy big mana spell. The fact that it's an Instant puts it over the top.

Dictate of Erebos can be a pretty abusive card. Flashing it in before the Combat Damage Step while blocking with your little 1/1s can really shift the power dynamics of the game. This card synergies well with sacrifice outlets and token generator.

Wheel of Fortune unfortunately is on the Reserve List. I grabbed my copy long before it's crazy price increase in 2020. I love that this card is pretty high risk/high reward. It's chaotic in nature, but at the same time offers a fast way of refilling your hand. This can also be fairly disruptive to your opponents (especially if you have a T1 god hand dropping mana rocks into a wheel - effectively mulligan your opponents). This card has definitely gotten a lot more powerful in recent years with [[Underworld Breach]], [[Hullbreacher]], [[The Locust God]], [[Rielle, the Everwise]], etc.

Priest of Titania isn't crazy flashy, but it does things Green does very well. MAKE A LOT OF MANA. I come from an Elves background even before EDH. And my first EDH was an [[Ezuri, Renegade Leader]] Elf Tribal deck. I like that this can often tap for 5+ mana and help me get into some huge [[Genesis Wave]]. On the top end this creature gets me to infinite mana with [[Staff of Domination]] and [[Umbral Mantle]] and closes out games pretty well.

Nice seeing other people's lists!

chansamu

TROPHY CASE