I’ve got myself a backlog of things to talk about, so instead of busting out a series of posts about things that may not necessarily deserve their own URI, I’m going to give you the full meal deal all wrapped up in a tight little one-page package. We’ve got good food, an action-packed movie, charitable donations, and a new addition to the family. Are they related to one another at all? No, not really, but Beyond the Rhetoric is one-year old now, so it’s going to do whatever it wants… you know, because the blog is an entity completely separate from myself.

First off, the Hyundai-driving Stephen Fung is holding a contest wherein if he’ll donate $1 for each person that adds his blog to their Technorati favorites. What’s more, Derek Semmler of MyNewChoice is matching Stephen’s donation dollar for dollar. You know what, I’ll do the same, but I ask that you add Beyond the Rhetoric to your Technorati favorites too. Stephen extended the contest until April 10th.

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Last week, I had the chance to watch the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, appropriately called TMNT. Although I would normally do a full post for my movie reviews, I’m going to take the shortcut on this flick because, well, there’s not much that can be said about it. It’s got turtles, they’re mutants, and they’re ninjas. The CGI action was fun to watch and although the movie is getting not-so-favorable reviews, I enjoyed it. It’s far from revitalizing the TMNT franchise, but it was good for what it was. Three and a half stars out of five.

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Normally, Chinese restaurants don’t do much in terms of presentation unless they’re pretty high-end, especially here in Vancouver. Pictured above is one of the most elaborate-looking garnishes I’ve ever seen. Accompanying a plate of almond-covered shrimp balls was this display featuring a monkey sitting on a stoop, next to a gelatinous green lake in a nature setting. I forget the name of the restaurant, but it’s on Victoria and 34th, and it’s under new management. They’ve cleaned up the place really nice.

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Remember Nicholas? My cousin’s son? Well, Nicholas now has a younger brother. When I asked my cousin what his name would be, he told me that the little cutie would probably be Aaron, but they’re not completely decided yet.

Okay, whew, I’m more or less caught up.