Enjoying Suns blowout against the Lakers during Holiday season 2013

Last night, Rahulio went to the Lakers vs. Suns game in US Airways Center. The arena was packed with holiday cheer. The Lakers lost the game by 27 points. But, it was great to spend the game with my friend, Sabin M. We had not met in twenty eight years, until last night. He was one of my closest friends in Taiwan, during my time there. It was great to reminisce with him about Taiwan, and his present life. Since he is a medical doctor, RSG learned a lot about another profession. Back to the game, the Suns are playing like a playoff team already. They are sixth in the western conference standings. The Lakers are playing an injury depleted season. Kobe Bryant is out for another five weeks, Steve Nash is out for another month, and Steve Blake is out with an injury also. Hope the Lakers can turn around their season, while the Suns are playing really well. Check the picture above from the game. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

The end of 2013, and here's "what to expect in 2014?"

Today is the last “Friday the 13th” of 2013. There are only eighteen days left, and 2013 is over. It is hard to believe, that 2014 is almost upon us. Now, this post is about “the year in music” for 2013. RSG purchased some cds’ this year from the following artists: John Mayer, Jay-Z, and The Great Gatsby Original Soundtrack. Some other artists had new music, which RSG did not buy. Those artists were Drake, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, etc. For 2014, which current artist will have a new album? U2 is an artist, which should have a new album for the New Year. Currently, the rock/pop group has a new song titled “ordinary love.” This song is on the soundtrack for the movie, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.” Hope 2014 is another year of good music. RSG hopes to see a concert next year also. Keep Rocking, and rapping! Hope you like the image above for 2014. :)

Thanksgiving Day, or "Thanks For Shopping" Day?

Today, Rahulio saw a blue Lamborghini Aventador driving away on the 101 freeway. Yesterday, a black Ferrari F430 Modena was driving past me in Scottsdale. All these fast cars are great to see. Maybe, it's time to purchase a red Maserati on Thanksgiving night. Wait, there are no car dealerships open on Thursday night (Thanksgiving day). Perhaps, these dealerships should be open as Target, Macy's, and other stores are open on Thanksgiving night. Hmm, maybe the car companies need to join the retail fray for "Thanksgiving (or "Thanks for Shopping) day." This joke has become a reality in 2013. The TV networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) are calling Thanksgiving as "Thanks For Shopping" instead. Even though "Black Friday" is the start of the holiday shopping season, people continue to shop on Thanksgiving night. Here in Arizona, it is quite crazy that the Scottsdale Fashion Square Center will be open at midnight (12 am, Thursday night). In closing, people should spend Thanksgiving at home as opposed to roaming around Walmart. Check the picture above of Santa Claus arriving in NYC (at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012). :) It is a friendly reminder of the upcoming Holidays 2013.

Return of Basketball: NBA & NCAA Men's preview of 2013-14 season

It's November, and the NBA (plus the NCAA men's) season started recently. In the NBA, the Indiana Pacers are undefeated. The 2012-13 Eastern Conference finalists have won their first eight games. They are the best team in the Eastern Conference. The best team in the Western Conference is San Antonio again. The Spurs continue their dominance in the West, as the Lakers are without Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Kobe is rehabbing his achilles tendon, after surgery. Nash is out for the next two weeks, with back problems. The Lakers record is under .500, but hope they win some games to go above .500. In the NCAA Men's season, the young college ballers have opened play also. The U of A wildcats are ranked #6 in the country, and let's hope they make the Final Four this year. It has been twelve years, since they accomplished this goal. They will have to win the Pac-12 division title to make it far this year. If you are a fan of Kobe like me, you will like the picture above. Hope the NBA and the NCAA men's seasons are fun as usual.

Checking out Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale, AZ

Today, RSG went to "Butterfly Wonderland" in Scottsdale. It is known as "America's largest butterfly atrium." This place opened in May 2013. As you enter the building, the patron encouraged us to watch the 3d movie. The 3d movie was alright, and it's about butterflies. After the movie, it was cool to see butterflies in the atrium. The atrium is hot & humid though. The butterflies are cool, and the atrium is worth checking out. Next, RSG checked out fish and stingrays in the aquarium section. Finally, RSG had to check out the bees (& and ants, etc.). Overall, Butterfly Wonderland is a fun place for family and people of all ages. The picture above is butterflies, yet they look like bats. RSG is not a fan of bats, but the butterflies looked nice. Definitely, check out Butterfly Wonderland since Rahulio recommended it. :)

Some National Parks have reopened. Government shutdown fixed??

In 1996, the US government was shutdown for three weeks (21 days to be precise). Now, let's move forward seventeen years to the present year of 2013. The government shutdown is on day 16. When will the problem be fixed by Congress, the POTUS, and other parties? In related news, Arizona, Colorado, New York, North Dakota and Utah have decided to pay for their national park operations. Originally, national parks (like the Grand Canyon) were shut down in these states. Here's a rundown on some other federal agencies news: 1. The FAA asked 800 employees to return to work last week. It appears that airlines are not shutting down anytime soon. 2. Immigration court proceedings scheduled before the shutdown are being canceled, impeding green card applications. 3. Five states had to close their Head Start programs, while other states relied on contingency funding. This news affects the education of young kids. Recently, a couple in Texas donated $10 million to Head Start as additional funding. 4. More than 12 million people who requested automatic extensions on their spring tax return must still file their returns. The government has to collect on taxes always. In closing, the US government must come to a decision before October 17. This day is the final day for RSG, and his friends (taxpayers of the US). That last statement can be an ultimatum! If the government shutdown extends past October 21, the GDP will decrease further. If GDP drops, it could be another recession. Hope it's not as bad as "the last Great Recession."

Pinterest: Is it the next big social networking IPO?

Back in May 2012, Facebook went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange. It opened at $38. But, the stock price dropped for many months. Recently, the company is trading at $47. This social networking company has had a successful turnaround in the stock price. Next, Twitter filed for an IPO a week ago. The 140 character response company mentioned that it would go public in December 2013, or in early 2014. This company may have a market cap of $10 billion, after its IPO. Goldman Sachs is said to be the leading investment bank on the IPO. Now, Pinterest could be the next big social networking firm to file for an IPO in the next three months. The company is third only to Facebook and Tumblr for the amount of time people spend on the site, roughly 98 minutes a month. This statistic is compiled by Comscore, Inc. The San Francisco based company's website gets 28 million monthly visitors. Pinterest is a tool, in which, people can "pin" their interests (or likes). Finally, this company could be worth $7 billion after its IPO happens. If you have not been to pinterest.com, see the image above.

New words, new acronyms lead to being "au courant"

Since 2004, technology has shifted so much that new words are developed. It is more than new words, but file extensions also. Here is a good example: Phablet is a combination of phone & tablet. Today’s tablet computer is a combination of a phone, & a tablet. Hence, the more common word is “phablet.” Here is an example of a new file extension, .aac. It stands for advanced audio coding. It is a file format, which is going to be the successor of MP3 format. It achieves better sound quality than the mp3 format, at similar bit rates. A good source for learning file extensions is www.filext.com. This website teaches the average human about popular file extensions in today’s technology driven world. In closing, using the right diction can lead one to become more informed about technology. Hope, the picture above serves as “a device that a person should or should not have.”

2013 US Open preview: Last Grand Slam in Tennis this year

Well, tomorrow is the first day of the US Open. The men's side will feature Rafael Nadal as the favorite, as he has risen to #2 in the world. He is one of the favorites, and the others are Novak Djokovic & Andy Murray. Roger Federer is seeded #7 in this tournament, the last Grand Slam of the year. If Federer wins his first four matches and Rafael does the same, the two rivals would meet in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Neither one of them has played each other ever in this tournament. Let's head to the other side, the women's draw. Serena Williams is the #1 seed, and Victoria Azarenka is #2. Maria Sharapova is out of the tournament, as she has a right shoulder injury. Sharapova has not done anything great in the game of tennis since early June, when she made it to the finals of the French Open. Since June, she lost early in Wimbledon (2nd round) and in Cincinnati. She has parted ways with coaches, Jimmy Connors and Thomas Hogstedt. Sharapova had some success with Thomas, as she won the French Open in 2012. She lost in Wimbledon, Australian Open, and French Open finals. Regardless of the finals results, she had good success with him. Sharapova fired Connors after one match in Cincinnati, which was quite strange. Hope Maria can bounce back this year. On the ladies side, RSG thinks Victoria Azarenka may win the final major of the year. Rafael Nadal is the pick for the men's side. Hope the final major of the year is another spectacular one. Enjoy the picture above of the great men's tennis players (Rafael Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Roddick, and Andy Murray). Andy Roddick is out of the game, as he is on Fox Sports One Channel these days.

Upcoming Fall/Winter Movies 2013 preview

Everyone knows that RG enjoys seeing movies with friends & family. Yesterday, he saw "Elysium." It was a great movie. On a side note, "Elysium" means a place or condition of ideal happiness. Before the movie, there were some previews for upcoming movies. Of the previews which stood out as good upcoming flicks, Tom Hanks looks great as Captain Richard Phillips. The movie is called "Captain Phillips", and it will hit theaters in October. The upcoming movie is based on the true story of Captain Richard Phillips, and his ship's rescue in 2009. In addition, there were other upcoming flicks which fancied RG's curiosity. "Rush" is another movie based on a true story, and it is about fast cars. The future movie comes out at the end of September, and Chris Hemsworth drives Ferrari's with Daniel Bruhl. Bruhl is a new actor, and the movie is a biography of Niki Lauda (an Austrian Formula 1 champion driver). Finally, the last movie for RG to expand on is "The Monuments Men." This movie will be out in December 2013. Since it's a winter or christmas movie, it will be one of my favorites. The movie has the following cast members: Matt Damon, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, Richard Dreyfuss, and Jean Dujardin. It is based on a true story from World War II timeframe. In closing, there are other movies also. "Runner Runner" looks to be a good one with Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, and the sexy Gemma Arterton. RG looks forward to seeing all these movies, plus "The Counselor" too. The latest movie is with Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. This spanish couple is quite exquisite together, even in the movies. Ciao! Check the image above from "American Hustle", an upcoming movie for December 2013 release with Christian Bale (plus other actresses and actors).

Meeting a great Philadelphia Eagles QB!

Over 48 hours ago, RG1 met Donovan McNabb. The words, which were exchanged between the two great ones, were priceless. Gotta be covert on this topic. For shizzle! It was great for RSG to meet the ex-Philadelphia Eagle, Minnesota Viking, and Washington Redskin. Donovan deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and he should retire as a Philadelphia Eagles player in 2013. McNabb made it to the Super Bowl in 2005, and his Eagles lost to Tom Brady's Patriots. McNabb was a pure gentleman during the encounter with RG1 in "The Living Room" in Chandler, AZ. RG1 learned a lot about how celebrities can be so normal, from this experience. It had been more than 3.5 months since Rahul had met a celebrity. 2013 is coming to be a good year for meeting the stealthy wealthy! Peace!

2013's movie reviews from first six months

Well, everyone knows that G. Ripley is RSG. G. Ripley is a moniker that was devised from the movie, "The Talented Mr. Ripley." The G. is for Ganpule, and RSG is a huge movie buff. Half of 2013 is over, and the box office has had some great flicks. Here are some of the raving Hollywood critic's (aka yours truly) favorites: 1. The Great Gatsby 2. Now You See Me 3. World War Z 4. Man of Steel 5. Star Trek Into Darkness "The Great Gatsby" is at the top in my mind, because of the superb acting and movie sets. The cinematography was cool too. "Now You See Me" has a great story replete with mystery, magic, and heists. "World War Z" has a good story that is on a global level, but it did not make the list (according to Entertainment Weekly magazine). This list was the "15 most impressive box office performances of 2013, so far." "Star Trek Into Darkness" is good, and it was better than the last Star trek movie (from 2009). All in all, this year has not been a downer for the box office.

Miami Heat repeat as NBA champions in "The Finals"

Last night, the Miami Heat won the NBA title in an epic game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals. LeBron James won his second NBA Finals MVP award, as the Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs in Miami. It appeared that the Spurs were going to win the series with a series lead of 3-2, and a six point lead for them with 30 seconds lefts in game 6. But, the Miami Heat sent the sixth game into overtime by hitting a couple of late three pointers. In the overtime session, the Miami Heat came out victorious in their narrow three point win. After the sixth game, the Spurs appeared to be the more tired team. In game 7, the Heat were up by two points, 90-88, in the closing minute. Then, the Spurs could not convert on their final few possessions. The Spurs committed some costly turnovers, which led to Miami winning the game by seven points (95-88). Miami won the series, 4-3. Finally, it’s hard to believe that the NBA season is over.

Eight is not enough for Rafael Nadal

Well, life in Paris for tennis fans is over for 2013. The French Open ended today with Rafael Nadal winning his eighth title at Roland Garros. For the women, Serena Williams overpowered Maria Sharapova in the final yesterday. Serena Williams won her second title at Roland Garros. Sharapova won her semifinal in three sets over Victoria Azarenka, which made Maria less rested for the final. This problem hurt Sharapova in the final. For Nadal, he beat David Ferrer in a quick three sets. It was David's first final in Paris, while Rafa was playing in his eighth one in Paris. Next up for the tennis world is Wimbledon, the third major grand slam of the year. Hope this year's tournament is as good as last year's for Roger Federer & Maria Sharapova. Both of my favorite players (from men's & women's side) need to win this tournament. C'est vrai as the french would say!

Experiencing new adventures in New Orleans

Less than 36 hours, RSG left New Orleans. It was an incredible experience in "the Big Easy." During my three days/three nights journey, Rahulio went to the following places: 1. Tulane univ. in New Orleans 2. Pat O'brien's bar in french quarter 3. Blue Nile Bar in frenchman street Also, RG was at "club ampersand" in new orleans. By this nightclub, there was a film set for "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" movie. This movie comes out in 2014, and it is the sequel to "Rise of The Planet of The Apes." The French Quarter was a nice part of the city, and Bourbon Street is a snippet of the entertainment only. It was great to walk to restaurants/bars from the central business district. RSG recommends "the Roosevelt" hotel for getting an ostentatious drink at "Sazerac" bar. The vieux carre is "the french quarter" in french literally. If you have not checked out New Orleans, is it worth seeing.

Summer Movie Season 2013 preview from "raving Hollywood critic"

It's May 2013, and the summer movie season has started. Two days ago, RSG (aka "raving Hollywood critic") saw "Iron Man 3". It was a great movie replete with special effects. The movie had a great cast due to Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Rebecca Hall, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, and Ben Kingsley. It was hard to decipher the villain in the movie, since there was more than one enemy for "Iron Man" to defeat. Onto another movie, RSG can't wait to see "The Great Gatsby" on May 10. The movie is in 3d, but RSG wants to see it in regular format. The book, "The Great Gatsby", was a mysterious (& thrilling) novel penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The book came out in 1925, and the central character is Jay Gatsby. Furthermore, Jay Gatsby's real name is James Gatz. In the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio will play the title character. Also, this movie has Amitabh Bachchan starring as "Meyer Wolfsheim". Other well known actors/actresses are Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton. Finally, the soundtrack to the movie was exec. produced by Jay-Z (aka Shawn Carter). The soundtrack has some jazzy tracks, and it brings today's hip-hop, rock, & other genres together. RSG will have to make the transaction, by purchasing the cd. In closing, hope "The Great Gatsby" is not a flop. If you like Amitabh Bachchan like Rahulio does, the picture above is the Bollywood star.

1st Time @ Urban Wine Walk

This past saturday, RSG was at the Urban Wine Walk in downtown Phoenix. It was a fun event. Rahulio had good vino at "The Arrogant Butcher", "Steve's Greenhouse Grill", "Icon Lounge" (in Renaissance Hotel), and "Province" (in the Westin hotel). My favorite place for wine was "Province", as white wine from Tomero was the wine du jour. After three hours of walking to five different restaurants, it was time to call it "a day." Overall, it was a grand time. It was cool to see tons of people roaming around downtown Phoenix, with a map & and a passion to drink wine. Hope you like the picture of the margarita glass made out of anchors, and other abstract elements.

RSG checking out Phoenix Film Festival

Last night, Hollywood G. had a fun night with some famous celebs at the Phoenix Film Festival. He met D.B. Sweeney, Melora Walters, and Natalie Imbruglia at the film festival. It was great to meet them after Rahul G. saw their movie, "Underdogs." "Underdogs" was a good movie. RSG asked the director, Doug Dearth, a question of "how long did it take to make your movie?" during the Q & A session. Doug mentioned that it took 24 days to make a movie, which had a budget of $2 million dollars. The movie was filmed primarily in Northern Ohio. Natalie Imbruglia made her acting debut in the movie. She had sung hit tracks, "Torn" (1997) and "Wrong Impression" (2002). She did a fine job, as the pretty bartender in the movie. She serves as the love interest of D.B. Sweeney also. Overall, the movie & celebrity sighting experience was worthwhile. The picture above is from the movie, and it is the movie banner.

Happy for Masha & Delpo!

Today was the last day of the 2013 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA. This joint (men & women) tennis tournament is one of the most important non-grand slam tournaments. It has many ranking points and good prize money for winners & finalists as well. For yours truly, this tournament has been a fun experience both times. RSG went to this tournament the past two years, and this year's tournament was going to be quite difficult to attend. Nonetheless, it was great to see Maria Sharapova win the title on the WTA side. It was good to see Juan Martin Del Potro get the runner up trophy in the ATP side. During his six matches, Del Potro beat two of the top four players (Andy Murray & Novak Djokovic). Yet he could not beat the eventual champion, Rafael Nadal. Sharapova beat Wozniacki in the final today. Maria hit 33 winners to only two for Wozniacki. Sharapova has a few nicknames, and one common moniker is Masha. Juan Martin's common moniker is Delpo. Finally, Sharapova will move up in the rankings from #3 to #2 in the new WTA rankings. Del Potro may stay at #7, but he played like he was in the top 5 this past week. Go Delpo!

Experiencing RSG life in the Verde Valley!

Yesterday, a talented trio ventured to Verde Valley (hidden wine country in AZ!). This trio included Rahulio and his friends. First, we hiked in the beautiful red rock area of Sedona. Originally, we were trying to hike in "devil's bridge." But, this area was a far drive from our current trail. Instead, we hiked for two miles in secret canyon trail. Hiking this trail was a good form of exercise during the day. After the scenic hike, we proceeded to Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards tasting room. This tasting room was in Jerome. Both Jerome & Sedona are cities in the Verde Valley region of Arizona. At the tasting room, Rahul enjoyed drinking the three white wines on tap. The white wines were from Graham County, AZ; California, and Cochise County, AZ. In addition, Rahul enjoyed being the "sommelier" with friends. Towards the end of the wine tasting experience, Rahul noticed a beautiful statue of Ganesh, the Hindu god of good luck. It was towards the entrance of the winery. It was part of the RSG life on a manic Monday. Furthermore, the acronym of RSG stands for Resilient, Sommelier, and Ganesh. Resilient is for hiking a different trail, instead of the planned one. Sommelier for helping his friends with pairing wine & food together. Finally, Ganesh is for the god that gave Rahul a huge amount of good fortune & luck. Au Revoir, mes amis!

Seeing Paul Oakenfold spinning some fly tracks!

Last night, RSG saw Paul Oakenfold again. Paul is one of the best DJ's in the world for EDM genre. EDM stands for electronic dance music. Paul came on at 12 am at "Wild Knight" nightclub in Scottsdale. Overall, it was a pretty good show. Tranzit was the first DJ to start spinning. He spinned for almost 2 hours. Then, the next DJ was Jon Pletachy. He was on for only 1 hour. When Paul came on, the whole crowd was bumping. The bottle service b****es were busy giving a lot of alcohol to their patrons. There were really cute Skyy Vodka women giving free shots of Pineapple vodka & lemonade. That was a good combination for Rahulio. In closing, it was great to see Paul in concert again. It is quite hard to fathom that Paul is 50 years old almost. He does not look like he's lived for 5 decades. Hope to see some other EDM musicians like Deadmau 5, or The Chemical Brothers. It was a great night, and a great way to celebrate super bowl weekend.

Super Bowl XLVII (47) is "The Harbaugh Bowl"!

Well, people should get their TV's ready for 2-3-2013. On February 3, 2013, two brothers will coach against each other. The two brothers are John & Jim Harbaugh, and this is the first super bowl meeting between both coaches. This Super Bowl is a special one, and RSG is calling it as "The Harbaugh Bowl!" Jim Harbaugh coached the SF 49ers to 13 wins, 4 losses, and 1 tie (note: this record includes two impressive playoff victories for SF over Green Bay & Atlanta). John Harbaugh coached the Baltimore Ravens to 13 wins, and 6 losses (note: this record includes three stunning playoff victories for Baltimore over Indianapolis, Denver, and New England). But, the Ravens are undefeated against the 49ers in their last 3 (& only) meetings. In Super Bowl 47, the 49ers are favored by 3.5 points. With rookie QB Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers could pull off another thorough victory on Super Bowl Sunday. For RSG, hope the Ravens can pull out another victory. In terms of entertainment at the Super Bowl, Beyonce (& Destiny's Child) will perform at halftime in New Orleans. The commercials will be rocking as usual (thanks to hottie Kate Upton doing an ad for Mercedes Benz!), and Alicia Keys is doing her rendition of the national anthem before the game. Hope the game is a great one!

2013 Academy Awards nominations

Yesterday, Seth McFarlane and Emma Stone announced the academy awards nominees. The clear leader with 12 Oscar Nominations is "Lincoln." Next, the "Life of Pi" had 11 nominations. One of RSG's favorites, "Django Unchained", got 5 oscar nominations. But, Leonardo DiCaprio was snubbed for Best Supporting Actor by Hollywood. Another snubb was Ben Affleck not getting nominated for "Argo." The movie received 7 oscar nominations. As for other good movies, "Silver Linings Playbook" got 8 oscar nominations as did "Les Miserables." With the Academy Awards show happening on February 24, the awards season is in high gear in Hollywood. On Sunday, the "Golden Globes" will take place in Beverly Hills. This awards show is called "Hollywood's biggest cocktail party." For any movie buff, this time of the year is pretty exciting. Hope some of my favorite movies win some surprising awards. Au Revoir from the raving Hollywood G.!