I need to re-purchase Photoshop and some FTP software, so updates are limited right now, partly because I have lots of photos to upload (on which some entries depend). There will also be lots of photos from wrestling event, as I’ll be going to both Wrestlemania 25 in Houston and a WWE Smackdown! & ECW taping at the Garden in April. With this mind, it seemed good to focus on some WWE wrassling.

I could go on and on about the things in professional wrestling that I don’t like, but it probably wouldn’t accomplish a whole lot. So I thought I’d focus on my favorite things in the WWE right now:

• Chris Jericho: He’s gotta be the best thing in wrestling right now. There’s no one better on the mic and he’s such a convincing bad guy because a) he believes he’s the good guy and b) he’s got a strong, logical framework for his actions. His feud last year with Shawn Michaels was great because everything he said about Shawn being a liar and hypocrite was correct, even though Jericho went about his revenge like a scumbag. There’s no one more enthralling in pro wrasslin right now and while no one is quite sure who he’ll face at Wrestlemania, it’s safe to say he’s a contender to steal the show. Here’s an example of his promos:

• Randy Orton & The Legacy: This may just be the most compelling wrestling storyline I’ve seen in a long time. Randy Orton, a third generation wrestler, decides he wants to cement his legacy and “The Age of Orton” by aligning with two sons of legendary wrestlers: Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. The three accomplish a lot, including Orton winning the Rumble, till Orton snaps and attacks Vince McMahon. See it here:

  So, as it stands, this is now a personal feud with HHH, as his family has been threatened by Orton, who seems genuinely unhinged. It’s brutal, emotional and everyone is putting forth great performances. This is all about being the best in the business, about the lengths people go to in order to be the best and for sports entertainment, that’s a great story.

• Jack Swagger: the name won’t be familiar to you, but I urge you find a copy of his battle with Christian on ECW this past week and argue that Jack isn’t one of the most promising new talents in the business. He’s got a unique look, a good technical style and knows how to work match psychology. He’s supposed to be the bad guy, but his energy is infectious and he’s so damn talented in the ring that he warrants cheers. Here’s the first part of that aforementioned match:

• Miz & Morrison: While Tag Teams aren’t at the level of prominence they once were, the team of Miz and Morrison remind you why fans love tag action so much. They’re fun in the ring, with some of the most athletic moves you’ll see on any pro wrestling show and are a lot of fun on the mic. In an age of pseudo-real characters and very serious storylines, it’s nice to have a fun team who want to be the best—but also want to have fun, make money and get laid. Here’s one of their recent—and most exciting—matches.

If you’re a wrestling fan, you know Matt Striker from ECW and I recently had the opportunity to speak with him for Marvel.Com.

Click Here To Read The Interview

Folks, Arune.Com will return to regular programming soon– stay tuned for regular weekly updates. There’s a lot to write about, but for now, a few thoughts:

• How great is the Legacy storyline on WWE Monday Night Raw?
• College football is actually really fun to watch and I generally enjoy it more than NFL games.
• The newest Scott Pilgrim graphic novel is out in stores– get it NOW!
• I really haven’t much enjoyed Battlestar Galactica since the end of the New Caprica storyline.
• Meanwhile, 24 is firing on all cylinders
• Went on a few Hockey Trips– I shall update everyone on these soon, including my trip to this year’s Winter Classic in Chicago.
• I’m really excited for both G.I Joe: Rise Of Cobra and the new Star Trek films.

As many people probably know, the Montreal Canadiens lost to the Philadelphia Flyers, thus ending their playoff run. Yeah, it’s not fun to see your team lose, but I can’t be too mad. I know some people are probably livid, depressed or some other not-happy emotion, but I think this article sums it up well:

No one gave them a chance. Few expected them to even reach the playoffs. Even following a second-round defeat to the Flyers, the Canadiens couldn’t help but hold their heads high after proving so many critics wrong this season.

I’ve never been one of those guys to boo my own team or curse them for losing. Chances are they’re working hard and are hard enough on themselves without the fans giving them hell. Last night’s loss sure as heck didn’t make me happy– I haven’t been able to look at hockey websites till now– but it doesn’t depress me either. We gave it our all. We did our best. As a fan, my team gave me a great regular season, worked hard in the playoffs and lost to a team who played phenomenally. Only one team can win and it wasn’t our year. Doesn’t mean I don’t wish they weren’t going to win it all, but sometimes life happens and I don’t see an upside in trashing the same people you’ve cheered for when they’ve played their hearts out.

To everyone on the Canadiens, thanks for the great year and all the great memories– you’re the best to me. Next year, during the 100-year anniversary of the Canadiens, let’s bring the Cup back home!

Yup, it’s been some time since an entry, but I’ve got two good reasons—a busy time at work and the NHL. The latter has been especially all-consuming, as we’re almost done with the first round of the playoffs and my Montreal Canadiens (aka The Habs), have been exhausting of late. As of writing this, they’re heading into game 7 of their series with the Boston Bruins. They beat Boston eight straight times during the regular season, had a 3-2 series lead going into today’s game and lost in an exciting, action-packed 5-4 game.

It’s actually pretty amazing how exhausting it can be just to watch a sports game where you actually care about the outcome because the excitement is so high for that period of time. The NFL knows how to use this excitement well, keeping their seasons short and making sure fans are on their feet every Sunday, stocking up on team merchandise to celebrate each game…because every game is that important. When it comes to hockey, the 82 game season is really all about making it into the playoffs and then those best of seven playoff series become a “second season.” So not only do we cheer our teams for all these games, we’re also forced to realize it could all end really quickly if our team can’t win four games against a team they may have dominated in the regular season.

A lot of people probably think it’s stupid to get so worked up about sports since it’s just, well, sports and I can understand their perspective. “Stupid” is completely the wrong word, though the one I’ve heard most often, but when you look at the entirety of life, a sports team not winning a game seems rather meaningless. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not a natural human reaction given the joy we derive from these games and if kept in perspective, it seems like an entirely healthy escape to me. I could watch a movie and immerse myself in fiction. I could read a book and create a world in my mind. I could listen to music and surrender myself to the words & voice of another. Or, as I do, I could just spend a good two hours watching skilled athletes play a game for the glory of their adopted homes. I don’t see any empirical assessment that makes my choice any worse than the other choices. I’m not saying it’s better either—just that I believe it to be a valid, reasonable choice given my many options.

So, with that all in mind, I spent this evening watching my Habs lose and, I’ll admit it, being fairly pissed off when they lost. I didn’t yell or curse. I didn’t break anything or stomp around. I did, however, just feel really pissed off. It makes no sense because it’s just a game and supposed to be a nice diversion from reality. Everyone wants their team to win and 99% of will be disappointed, so I shouldn’t expect to be in that 1% each time the playoffs come around. In trying to understand this anger, in trying to rationalize my own response and find some peace, I discovered something else:

It’s really great to be pissed of by a hockey game.

No, really. If I’m able to spend two hours watching a game (on my Montreal Canadiens recliner—thanks Mom & Dad!), giving myself over to the passion of the game and ignore any other negative things in my life, that’s pretty good. If at the end of the game, all I really have to be angry about is the result of the game, well, that means I’ve got a pretty good life, eh?

This winter, I’ve spent a lot of time wearing my Montreal Canadiens hoodie, touque and hats at various times. Now that’s not because I’m so obsessive that I’ll only wear Canadiens related winter clothing during the hockey season, but the few items I own are pretty practical and the weather here has been pretty mild. But a strange thing happens when I wear these items– I’m always stopped by someone on the street who asks, “Are you a Canadiens fan?” or “Yo, Canadians!”

That’s something unique in New York, at least given my experiences wearing logos of non-NY sports team. When I wear Dallas Cowboys gear, I get razzed by strangers and get told I’m jumping on the bandwagon (never mind I’ve liked the team since I was a child, when my father brought home a Dallas Cowboys sticker for my door). If I wear a Toronto Blue Jays hat, I get Yankees fan (and I like the Yanks as well) fans making dismissive comments about the team.

But when I wear my Habs clothing? I get people giving me high-fives, asking me when I became a fan and acting like we’re old friends. It’s happened on the subway, in liquor stores, in bars and even just when I’m walking down the street. Sometimes they’re French-Canadian living in New York, sometimes they’re tourists, but no matter the origins, they’re always extremely kind. I’ve never encountered anyone in New York who’s felt the need to hassle me for showing I’m a Habs fan, even when the team’s in town to face the Rangers.

A lot of this probably relates to the lack of America interest in hockey, though cities like New York are exceptions (this place is rich with great hockey history). People seem far more passionate– or perhaps invested–in football, baseball and basketball, a theory strengthened by the pitiful ratings that hockey receives in the US. However, I’d like to think that just as hockey fans are generally far more respectful and restrained than in most other sports, perhaps hockey fans all feel a special connection in this country just because we’re a small group, leading to the general kindness I’ve experienced.

As for fans of the Montreal Canadiens, we’re the best hockey team ever, so perhaps the fans aren’t so different.

It’s game day! On my short list of life dreams, one of them was going to Texas Stadium for a live Dallas Cowboys game. With only one more season till the ‘Boys move into their new digs, this was a dream I wanted to make reality ASAP. I’d missed out on seeing my Canadiens in the old Montreal Forum so I didn’t want to do something similar with my football team!

Texas is beautiful. I’m not sure I’ve stressed that enough. While you see lots of open land and not the same kind of historic architecture you might see in somewhere like New York City, there’s something special about texture of it all. The way the houses line up against each other, the fields you just know are used for football by kids and the farms that hearken back to the whole cowboy image of Texas…it’s pretty awesome. While these pictures don’t tell the whole story, here are some images of the view from our hotel room.

Our hotel shuttle for the game didn’t leave till 1pm, so Nick and I had lots of time to relax before the game. Somehow we settled on watching Fellowship Of The Ring, the first Lord Of The Rings film, and took our time getting ready for the game. We did make it in time for the very impressive breakfast buffet and scarfed down some great eggs, fruit, pancakes, juice and more. All the pundits seemed to predict an easy win for the Cowboys over the Philadelphia Eagles, but I wasn’t quite buying into it, as the Cowboys seemed ripe for an embarrassing loss after some questionable recent performances.

I do wish I’d been able to stay in Texas for an extra couple of days, so I could’ve driven around the state more and really seen what it’s like during the week. I wouldn’t have become an expert, but I think it would be interesting to see everyday life and experience that instead of just being there for a busy football weekend.

At 1pm, we boarded the bus and headed for the stadium, the first thing I noticed is that the highways were packed. You couldn’t move an inch, cut in a lane or even see empty pavement—everyone was on their way to Texas Stadium.

Exiting the shuttle and walking towards our gate, it was impossible not to notice the passion of the Cowboys fans. From tailgating parties to face painting and a near one hour line-up at the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, these are the most devoted fans I’ve seen outside of Canadians during the hockey playoff season. I also realized I love that damn Texas accent—maybe it just reminds me of old cowboy movies or it’s just different than that New York drawl, but it’s also awesome to me.

Thanks to our father, Nick and I had great seats but we spent an hour walking around the stadium, observing all the different concession stands—Cowboys Cheesesteaks, Cowboy Margaritas—and the numerous merchandise stands. Since it’s a cash-only stadium, every ATM had long lines, so much so that even an hour early for games you could find yourself getting to your seat late if you didn’t bring cash.

We eventually settled at our seats, which weren’t too far from singer Jessica Simpson (below in a pretty crappy photo) who got blamed for distracting quarterback Tony Romo that day.

The NFL is an awesome spectacle. The game opened with fireworks, tons of cheerleader routine and our Cowboys sideline, midfield seats gave us a great view of all the action. The entire stadium came alive…but soon we bore witness to one of the worst football games I’ve ever seen. Both team played horribly, with only one touchdown scored between both sides and the Eagles winning 10-6. Beyond some women rubbing my hair all game (they said it was “perfect”), not much eventful occurred- but it was great for my brother and I to spend time watching the game together. At the end of the day, we made the trip to Dallas, went to the historic stadium and watched our team, cheering at every opportunity.

Now I don’t know what happened, but our shuttle didn’t show up for 90 minutes after game, leaving dozens of us from the hotel stranded in the cold. I can’t in good conscience not warn others about using Marriot’s shuttle service, as Marriot customers from other hotels had the same problem and I wished I’d just driven to the stadium myself.

Arriving at the hotel so late, we decided to get a quick dinner and I downed a couple more Shiner Bock beers, as I doubt I’ll ever find it outside of Texas. After packing everything into our now bulging suitcases, we watching Return Of The King and soon went to sleep, as the weekend was pretty exhausting. I also have to note that our hotel room had the Book Of Mormon and the Bible in the bedside table—I’ve never seen that outside of Utah.

The next day we returned to New York and while the Cowboys didn’t win, it was a real special trip, as I can now say I’ve completed another life’s dream and did it with my brother. I look forward to seeing the Cowboys in 2009, when their new stadium opens up, but it’ll never compare to this first experience of discovering Texas, my first NFL game and seeing this team of Cowboys. Of course, maybe next time they’ll actually play well, eh?

I wish there was something more profound, more enlightening I could say about this trip, but it’s just a great family trip to see our favorite team play at a historic stadium. Nothing crazy, no drunken escapades and no debauchery. We didn’t spend a lot of time there, but we had a great time and we’ll definitely make a return trip.

Fuckin Dallas, eh?

November has been a good month for a number of reasons, but last night WWE gave me one more reason to smile– the return of wrestler Chris Jericho (learn more about him right here).

So why does this matter?

For fans of wrestling in the nineties, or early 00s, you’ll remember Chris Jericho as not only a gifted pro-wrestler, but also one of the most entertaining performers to every step in the squared circle. He was funny, smart, spontaneous and never disappointed. Good guy or bad guy, he made you love him. And no one ever left a feud with Jericho looking like anything less than a million bucks. Jericho made sure everyone he worked with came out better for it and always put on the best show possible.

Now that’s he back, feuding with my favorite current WWE superstar, Randy Orton, it means the WWE championship scene is about to get interesting. There’s a reason to watch WWE on Mondays because RAW…is…JERICHO!

If you don’t know wrestling, this won’t mean anything to you. But if you do…you’re smiling right along with me.

There is no sport above hockey in my world. None. I love baseball and soccer– it’s been that way since childhood– but hockey is number 1. Of late, there’s one sport that’s earned the number 2 spot and it’s surprising– Football.

Let me say this– the NFL presents not only a compelling game because of the players but also because of the format. With only 4 months of regular season play and one more month of playoffs, every game matters, so there’s no wasted time. You know that Sunday is football day, and while we may get Monday or Thursday games, it’s easy to plan watching your favorite team in action. So for five months, fans of football are consumed with each week’s game, the fallout and preparation for the next game. There’s no “all star break” or anything other interruption of the season. There’s no best of seven series between teams in the playoffs. Those are all great things in other sports, but the lack of them in football makes the game stand out.

As a child, I remember my father visiting Dallas and bringing back a Dallas Cowboys sticker that remained on my bedroom door till I moved out of that house. While I flirted with being a San Fransisco 49ers fan (to be opposite of my brother) and a Minnesota Vikings fan (I lived there for three years), I’ve always loved the Cowboys. It helps that I got into the sport when Troy Aikman & Co put together a magical run with the franchise, but the Cowboys remain the one team my entire family agrees on. They’re the Singh family football team.

This year, thanks to a better managed schedule and less hectic weekends, I’m watching football each week. Now that I’ve learned the rules, understand the strategy and see it regularly, I’m realizing why fans are so rabid about football. It’s an exciting sport because you only get one chance a week to prove yourself. One chance to say your peace on the field. Yes, it’s a very physical, sometimes violent game. But the nuances of football strategy and beauty of a perfectly executed play raise it above any concerns I have about the brutality.

After spending the last three hours glued to my sofa, my eyes not averted from the screen, I’m glad to say it was time well-spent. My Cowboys won, I was thrilled the entire time and it’s made my whole weekend even better. While I’ve always love hockey the most, I gotta admit– when it comes to Sundays, it’s all about the football. Now I hope my neighbors aren’t concerned about my frequent yelling of “Get the damn ball!” and “Not another f—in penalty!”

A dream come true.

That’s what I thought about not only seeing the Montreal Canadiens live in Montreal, but seeing them play their rival Toronto Maple Leafs? That’s perfection. Walking out of the hotel, with both of us wearing our jerseys (Canadiens for me, Leafs for Nick), we weren’t surprised to see the streets swarming with fans of both teams. The Habs/Leafs rivalry is one of the biggest in pro sports and easily the most storied in hockey history. It’s the two sides of Canada—English and French—battling for supremacy in the Canadian pastime.

Not ten feet out the door, a group of Leafs fans spotted us and said “Wow, you two must be good friends,” since Nick and I wore jerseys of opposing teams. I replied, “We’re brothers,” to which the drunken group replied “no way!” I explained we grew up in Toronto but I got hit in the head and became a Habs fan. This facetious explanation would be used throughout the night by shocked fans on both sides.

I must admit, part of me was worried about the rowdiness of the crowd. Hockey fans aren’t nearly as violent or bloodthirsty as UK football or NFL fans, but they’re a passionate bunch and I had no interest in seeing people at each other’s throats. Besides the general pre-game ribbing and bravado, I’m happy to report that fans were very well-behaved. I’m generally impressed at the professionalism and politeness of Canadian hockey fans. Even after only half a dozen Rangers games at MSG, it’s clear that American fans are much more into the fights than the Canadian fans.

The Bell Centre is a great stadium. Thoroughly modern in offerings (even though the cash only stipulations for concessions are annoying) which range from Tim Horton’s to Pizza Pizza; a top of the line team store; and some really cool displays of Canadien history all around. Even more amazing is how old school the stadium feels. This is a stadium made for hockey. The City Is Hockey, as the signs proudly proclaim, but The Stadium is Hockey as well. Great seats, a good view from everywhere and that perfect hockey smell. Nick and I took our seats (thanks again!) along side a few Leafs fans, flanked by more of my Habs fans. Game on!

Before each game begins, there’s a superb video package examining the history of the Canadiens, with the faces of the great players projected on the ice. This quick package also included superstar goalie Cristobel Huet introducing the great team this year (is there a bad player on the roster?) and things were off! From the minute the puck hit the ice, both teams played their hearts out…even if the Leafs did score in the first 2 minutes.

It’s hard to describe the game. If you’re a hockey fan, you know what I mean when I say this was a competitive game where neither team ever let up on the pressure. It was just damn good hockey. For non-hockey fans, imagine the perfect sports game of your favorite sport with your favorite team in your favorite rivalry. Now, to be honest, The Canadiens lost 3-2 and I wished they’d won, but I can’t deny how much fun we had. Nick and I alternated profusely cheering at our teams’ successes, berating them for their failures and just having a damn good time. It helped that the fans around us were real fans of the sport, not mindless drunken obsessive fans who’d start trouble if someone cheered for the team they didn’t like. I can’t remember a time I’ve smiled more than during this game. It’s an odd feeling to have a dream come true unfolding in front of you because you’re so wrapped up in the happiness that you don’t realize how amazing it is to experience it occurring.

During one of the intermissions I explored the stadium and while I’d like to see more, I was impressed by how much there is to see on each level. I missed seeing team mascot Youppi (pictured below), so that’s my goal for the next time I visit (and there will be a next time). I made sure purchase the team Media Guide, which details each player and the team’s history. For anyone who sees a hockey game this year, I recommend purchasing a media guide– all the ones I’ve seen are invaluable resources for hockey fans.

There’s also the unfortunate French/English translation humor, as “Goal” translates to “But” in French. Since Canada is a bilingual nation, when a goal is scored, the following text appears on the screens “But Goal!” Yeah, I know, it’s a bit silly to laugh at it, but I couldn’t help but thinking it was a funny combination.

I’ve still got the ticket from the game, along with all my purchases and it’s amazing how much I still get attached to physical mementos of experiences. It’s silly to me, because I keep thinking that it’s the memories that mean the most and I never understood why I get attached to a ticket stub or hat. Maybe it’s because those items trigger the memories, but it’s always been a bit odd to me that I can’t get myself to throw away admittedly mundane things like a plastic bag from the Canadiens team store.

Once the game was over, Nick and I returned to the hotel, exhausted from the game and ready to relax. We turned on Hockey Night In Canada, watching the Canucks beat up the Avalanche, and read our books. I finished A Lion’s Tale, which I liked overall but felt was rushed by the end. I’d love to read more about Jericho’s WCW experiences and also about his time in WWE. I know the book’s about achieving his dream of making it to the WWE, so thematically the end of the book made sense, but I wanted more.

Canadian television offers some fresh, new ads (yeah, I generally enjoy television commercials for some reason) and one in particular stuck out in my mind. Mr. Sub, the Canadian version of the Subway restaurant, ran an ad featuring an old woman stealing a sub from a young guy and then lying ont he ground, claiming the young guy is attacking her. Thus, the old lady keeps the yummy sandwich and the young guy must buy a new one. There’s something wonderfully ludicrous about the commercial that made me laugh when I saw it.

So, there you have it– the trip. The next day was uneventful as we flew back into NYC, but this journey to Montreal (and all the events during the visit) will remain a favorite memory for a long time to come.