Hope;Spirit

2011 Year in Review

2011-12-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks,

It's been a while, but I figure the holiday break is a perfect time to check in and let the internet know how my life is going.

Highlights of 2011 include:

Catching the first powder in my life at Sunpeaks
Going to the UK, not once, but twice to help my company kickstart production for the Ford/Azure Transit Connect Electric.
While in the UK, visiting London and Edinburgh
Hosting a TON of friends coming to visit Vancouver

Roadtripping to Seattle and Portland with one of said friends

Leading a small group at my church, stepping down, then kick-starting a new small group
Hiking the West Coast Trail with an awesome group of friends
Vacationing in California with my parents and learning how to surf
Checking out Tofino, and renewing my newfound love for surfing
Learning how to Wakeboard
Discovering for myself Planetary Gearsets and applying them at my job. Best invention since sliced bread.
Catching the Foo Fighters in Concert
Cooking a Turducken

Common Answers to Common Questions about my life in 2011.

Career:

I'm a low-level minion working my way up at Azure Dynamics, a company that integrates hybrid and electric powertrains into automobiles, with a focus on the medium duty truck market. Practically speaking that means I design lots of bits and pieces made of steel and plastic so that other bits and pieces don't fall off the car while it jaunts to and fro. Lately though, I've been getting opportunities to work more on the architecture side of things...

Girlfriend?

No.

Potentials?

There was a swing or two at it in 2011, but didn't make any connections...

How do you like Vancouver? Any plans to go back to Ontario?

I love Vancouver. There's still a lot more wilderness I want to experience, namely hiking and snowboarding among the mountains. I wouldn't say I'm set on living here for the rest of my life, but things are pretty sweet.

Stay tuned for my 2012 Manifesto!

Surfin' in the USA!

2011-08-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of my Cali adventure continues....

So Monday evening rolls around - the good thing about eating with my mom is that I can choose to eat whatever I want. I heard there's a TON of Korean people in Cali, so I look up a place nearby called Hashingo. It's in a strip mall plaza, and pretty quiet at first, so my expectations are pretty low, but then they come out with this thing called the Korrito.

From California!

Yes. yes that is a Mexican burrito swimming in tofu and filled with oh-so-delicious Korean BBQ meat. What wonderful things can happen in this world when people come together and understand one another.

The next day the outdoor adventure day for my mother and I - we started off by visiting a university arboretum, this one specializing in cultivating rare desert plants.

From California!

I couldn't tell you what it is, but I was captivated by how this cacti contained such bright and vibrant colours, even without having flowers. My stereotype of prickly pitchfork cacti was definitely shattered that morning. For lunch my mom and I drove over to Laguna Beach based on a friends recommendation. It's definitely a different beach community for a different crowd. Most of the beach patrons were either extremely young, or extremely old. The shops were generally more refined in nature, e.g. art galleries, formal restaurants, massage and nail parlours, a far cry from the extreme sports crowd at Huntington beach. After grabbing a bite, we escaped the concrete jungle and took a 5 mile hike in a conservation area to experience some of California's natural desert ecosystem.

Day 5 of California was the obligatory Hollywood tourist spectacle. Right around the Kodak theatre is this amazing concentration of tourist shops, high end fashion and restaurants, all catering towards the photo-happy gawkers. Walk a little further out on Hollywood Blvd., and you'll see a grungier side of the town: tattoo parlours, burlesque houses, pawn shops. You could tell how famous a celebrity was or is, by how close their star is to the centre of the spectacle. Interestingly enough, there was a couple great examples of art deco architecture at the other end of the boulevard, along with a couple of theatres, built in Hollywood's golden heyday, some restored magnificently, others, just giving off a hint of their former glory, but looking all the more sad because of their dilapidated condition.

I think the highlight of the whole trip was on Day 6 though - surfing. Another gloriously sunny day dawned, and I didn't really feel up for much of anything, almost vacationed out in fact. Good thing my mum was bugging me to get off my butt otherwise I would've missed out. I called at about 11am and managed to grab the last session of the day, one-on-one with an instructor. We started out with some basics, how to lie on the board properly - this part is pretty crucial since it sets up how you pivot, and where the centre of balance of the board will be. After I ran through a couple of those drills, he took me out on the water and set me up for some incoming waves, so I could try it out while he positioned me. You've really got to paddle hard to get your speed up, but there's this incredible surge that comes with lying on the board just as the wave hits you. It's like getting shot out of a cannon, and then you've got to get a knee up and pivot around to stand and control the board. I basically got the hang of it on the 2nd try, and after that it was off to the races. I started positioning myself, jump starting with the waves, sitting on the board, picking my own waves, pivoting and going....it was a blast :D.

Can't wait to go back. Until next time Cali!

California, Californiiiiiaaaaaaaa, here we come!

2011-07-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a life goal of mine to visit California, probably since.....oh I don't know...(actually I know precisely when)...probably when the O.C. first started airing and I heard that opening theme song titled, wait-for-it......"California!" It's just a bit of nostalgia, mixed into an anthemic theme that makes you a little hopeful and wistful all at the same time, even if you have absolutely no ties to California. :P

SO, since my Dad had to attend a conference in Los Angeles this summer, bringing my mom along, I figured three wouldn't be a crowd at all. I've only been here three days, and that life goal to visit California has turned into a life goal to live here for a while. It's gloriously sunny, there are beaches and incredibly attractive women EVERYwhere, in addition to that fact that the state happens to be one of most progressive legislatures in North America, paving the way for tighter automotive emissions standards and renewable energy targets.

It's been quite a while since I've had to spend this much time with my parents, but it's been pretty good. The pace is definitely slower than what I would do with my friends, but it's a lot more relaxing this way. Case-in-point, I have the time to take a mid-day break and blog about our adventure. For starters, my dad's taken us on campus tours of the two universities he attended in Southern California (SoCal), California Lutheran University (CLU) in Thousand Oaks, and San Diego State University (SDSU). It's been about forty years since my dad's passed through those schools, so not a lot was the same when we visited. It was a little hard to imagine my dad among all the uber-preppy looking American college kids; it's one of those life-imitating-art or art-imitating-life things where all the students dress EXACTLY like they're depicted in the movies. One nice thing about the campuses though is that they looked gorgeous, completely unlike my alma mater, U of Waterloo, where it's sterile campus was only good for encouraging the students to stay indoors and study. My mother kept on commenting on how nice the weather was and how difficult it must be to study with sunny weather all the time.

Beach. Beach. Beach. They're lined up one after the other on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and they're all incredibly gorgeous and filled with incredibly gorgeous people. There must be some kind of unwritten rule where ugly and fat people aren't allowed, either that or they all get plastic surgery. I don't know if it's because I've lived in Vancouver (where everyone is pasty-white) for the last year, but everyone looks so unnaturally tanned. I guess with the sun beating down on you all the time, there isn't a choice. We've stopped close to Malibu beach, and walked around Huntington Beach so far. The waves look monstrous - I have an urge to learn how to surf now, and the gears in my head are already ticking on how I can come back and camp out on the beach for a couple weeks (or longer) to learn. We'll see what the future holds though...

On the stereo
Listen as we go
Nothing's gonna stop me now
California here we come

-excerpt, "California" by Phantom Planet

Summer Weekend!

2011-06-13T01:01:00.000-07:00

Friday

Canucks take game 5

Small group...

Night Market

Saturday

sleep in.

watch movie

sleep more.

eat breakfast/lunch

sleep.

groceries

sleep.

Sunday

Church

lunch

chill out

Water Mania

Steveston Pizza

Night Market (2 out of 3 days....muahaha)

UK redux, Scotland pt. 1!

2011-06-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

This post was originally started when I had just gotten back from my 2nd business trip to the UK. Didn't feel like going back and revising it, so enjoy as is...

It's been a couple weeks of non-stop action, and I've finally gotten a chance to catch my breath. Somehow I feel like I've missed the month of May. It's been 1 year, 1 month since I've moved to Vancouver and what a year it's been. My life has just been getting better and better - opportunities, experiences, friendships - they're all within easy arms' reach, or even fall into my lap. I just wish I had more of me to do all the things I want to do!

This past May alone I've had a friend visit Vancouver, with whom I road tripped down to Seattle and Portland. I've flown to England for several weeks to smooth over a project, driven to Edinburgh while I was there in the UK as well as going on a retreat camp with my church this past weekend.

A lot of people have been asking about England the second time I went; this experience was vastly different from the first time I went over. For starters, I was the only representative from my office and North America period. The maturity of the design and the manufacturing process was considered stable enough that a single person would be able to represent the interests of the design team as well as support the first build. I also would be taking care of myself, meaning I would be driving, route-finding, and deciding how to fill up my free time independent of any others. Driving on the left hand side of the road was quite the experience - I was initially terrified of damaging the rental vehicle or worse, getting into an accident or injuring a pedestrian or cyclist. Having one of the largest personal vehicles (Vauxhall Insignia = giant station wagon) on the narrow, winding lanes of English fields and cobblestone roads was also difficult to say the least. If you ever had the opportunity to drive on the left, keep in mind that your body is now on the opposite side of the vehicle, and your perception of "centered" is quite different. Several hedges and curbs back in England are now casualties of my driving.

While I was over there, it just so happened that the weekend I was staying over was a long weekend, or Bank holiday weekend. The extra day made it worth it to travel up to Edinburgh, Scotland (Ed-in-Bur-ah, not Ed-in-Burg) to visit my friend who's in school there. The drive up was a bit of a nightmare with the bank holiday traffic, but one section was particularly interesting - there was a "scenic" route that the GPS unit took me on, while it was pitch dark. This equates to rolling hills with a mind numbing number of blind curves and cliffs, all in perfect darkness. I've never had to be more alert while driving; it definitely pushed my limits, but was all the more rewarding because of it. I just wish I was able to drive it again in a more nimble vehicle.

more to come tomorrow....

UK Day 15: London Town

2011-03-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

I'm back in Vancouver - and glad to see that it's just the way I pictured home to be: cloudy and raining. I haven't gotten a chance to post on my last couple days in the UK and London, so I figured I'd do it now before I completely forget.

Sunday, March 6:

Yesterday was just one of those days that flowed. Not having my friend around I was tentative about going out. It was the accumulation of fatigue, combined with being more than a little nervous about exploring on my own, but I'm really glad I pushed past it. There was still so much to do and see in London.

Since I didn't have a real plan this morning I picked up a couple of brochures for walking tours, including a couple offered by this group called Sandemans. Apparently they offer tours all over Europe, and generally offer a couple of free ones to entice people into taking their other paid tours. I took up their "free" offer and went on a walking tour that covered the Royal palaces. I caught the views of Buckingham and St. James's Palace, learned about King Charles the first, Oliver "No-smiles allowed" Cromwell, the preservation of Horatio Nelson's body in Brandy after the battle of Trafalgar, etc. I was a little disappointed the public isn't able to poke and prod the guards at Buckingham Palace anymore, but it certainly makes sense (apparently it got so bad one time one of the guards snapped and took out a tourist). If you're wondering about security though, apparently the guards aren't very effective - a drunk Irishman (who else?) named Michael Fagan apparently climbed over the wall, stumbled around the palace and so happened upon the Queen's bedroom. The story goes is that he actually had quite the dignified conversation with the Queen.

Breaking for lunch after the tour I got to know a Spanish couple in the same tourgroup - we traded some stories about where we're from and where we'd like to go. I dashed off afterwards to catch the last bit of time at the British Museum - that's a pretty incredible place. Home to an incredible amount of culture and history, it houses one of the largest collections of artifacts and objects of human culture in the world. It's also quite controversial, having kept a number of objects plundered while the British Empire was at its peak, not the least of which being the Rosetta Stone.

Earlier today I had signed up again with a Sandemans' tour, this time it was the Grim Reaper tour - a tour that shadowed the misdeeds of Jack the Ripper, the ghosts of the Tower of London, as well as the dank docks where criminals were shipped "down under," as well as a recovered gravesite for as many as 15,000 victims of the black death. I think I crammed a week's worth of history lessons into a day at that point. While walking on the tour, I managed to strike up a conversation with a cute girl from singapore. Being both of the same mind we ended up having dinner on Brick Lane, not too far from Liverpool station. Brick lane is the heart of London's curry district, where you can find an active nightlife and hundreds of curry houses. The sheer concentration of curry is so amazing as soon as you get in the vicinity you can smell the curry wafting through the air. I developed quite the love affair with curry in the UK and I think I've been spoiled for life now, bar India or Bangladesh themselves.

PS. this is getting super long, so go and look up:

on youtube: pigeon eating pelicans
on wiki: jack ketch
google: quack doctors/bubonic plague

UK Day 14 Update

2011-03-06T01:21:00.000-08:00

I've kinda lost track of the exact number of days I've been here now. Feels like it's been quite a while. I almost have the look right then left thing figured out when crossing the roads, but I haven't gotten the accent down yet :P.

The work scene's going to be a little more demanding than anticipated - heading back there tomorrow to button things up and to make sure that the designs are carried through into reality. Got some really generous hospitality from my coworkers, who've driven me around and graciously allowed me to even stay over.

Yesterday was so amazing and yet so unplanned. I met up with a friend who I went to school with that's continuing their studies in Scotland. We met up in the morning with no plans in the day other than to sync up in the morning. We ended up shopping at the Portobello Market, sightseeing at Big Ben and the parliament buildings, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square; took a spin around the London Eye and even managed to catch the musical Wicked in the theatre district. Wouldn't have traded that day for anything.

I've settled into a Hostel near the Waterloo Tube station here, just about to set out for the city for the first day on my own. No company to share the experiences, but nobody to slow me down either. London, here I come!

UK Day 8 : Curry Curry Curry!

2011-03-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

hmm. The sleep deprivation is starting to get to me a little bit. We don't usually get dinner until pretty late these days after work, and then I've still gotta sync up a couple of emails with people back home before I can sleep. It's still progressing in fits and starts, but there's a key logjam or two still to be navigated before we can say we're done. The challenges are interesting though, and the small victories help with the morale.

This is an tired line, but the food I had tonight was amazing - Worcester's food gems are awesome to dig up and try out. We checked out an Indian place in down called Masalla. The selection was a bit overwhelming, so we decided to eat family style and just let our waiter select most of our dishes. In the end, it was the smartest thing we could've done because the food was delectable - sweet curries, spicy curry with fish, chickpeas, naan bread drizzled with honey and coconut, an excellent indian lager, lamb curry, spicy tamarind sauce...The group was pretty unanimous in declaring this latest place the best we've been to so far. I think the nice touches at the end just made it too -hot towels and the licorice candies (which I don't usually like) were tasty.

That's all for now folks.

UK Day 6: Have it!

2011-02-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaave it! - I think this is my favourite English phrase so far. It can capture impatience, (i.e. while driving behind a pensioner), or encouragement (like when someone is dribbling a football and you want them to shoot).

I missed out on yesterday because it I was pretty beat after checking out the town with the team, having a couple drinks and just unwinding after some long days. My friend took us to his hometown, and has been showing us to the local pubs. The beer is fantastic as usual, and each of the places we stop in have got a lot more character, a lot more of a community feel than most North American bars. For example, today I was recognized by one of the barmaids that served us yesterday while we were at a different place, who dropped by and said hi to our group. There's typically no cover at bars, and some at clubs, because English custom is to go to a pub, have 1 or 2 beers in 15-20 minutes, then move on to the next one. It's pretty cool because that way you have a much higher chance of running into some of your friends along the way, which my friend did.

Today was pretty fantastic though - took in a restored Roman outpost, complete with a Roman military research society, which promptly kicked us out. Also stopped by the milford aviation museum and just a general drive through the countryside. Dinner was fish and chips again, which are quite something in England, full of salt and grease and deliciousness, happy days. The quality of the chips and the battered cod is just exceptional, and although you feel pretty greasy near the end, it's heaven at the beginning. Great food for a night on the town.

England's definitely starting to grow on me.

signing out -

UK Day 5 - too tired today :P

2011-02-25T16:59:00.001-08:00

I'm pretty beat after a night on the town (in Rugby). I'll be posting a full report tomorrow morning.

UK Day 3: Brown Sauce Red Sauce

2011-02-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

Today felt like a blink of an eye - seemed like there wasn't enough time to get through all of the things we've accomplished. It's all moving forward, but our combined team hasn't completely gelled. We're lurching and lumbering our way forward in a herky-jerky sort of way. Still learning a ton though - just the change in environment, exposure to the end product of design and having to take ownership and responsibility for my team's designs is a huge step forward. Trusting a design that you've never seen, something your coworker designed and another coworker checked and telling someone else to just follow it to the letter is pretty disconcerting, but rewarding when it just works out. Of course, not everything is perfect, but it's a great learning experience for everyone.

The weather is uncannily similar to Vancouver, with the difference being that it's just a touch greyer overhead, and the cold tends to "seep into your bones." I've heard the expression before, but I never really understood it until now.

English marmalade is excellent by the way - also note that "brown sauce" refers to HP sauce in NA, and "red sauce" refers to ketchup. "Builder's Tea" is a macho english blue collar tea - supposedly the equivalent to a coffee.

For dinner we also happened to find this great thai place, and I had curry twice in as many nights. "Can't go wrong with Green curry!" or red curry or yellow, or any thai curry with coconut milk that is.

Apparently modern English society remains stratified, wealth and titles being subtle, but still very real and relevant to your social circle and advancement through life. As well, English people tend to look down on all other English people, at least until you get to the Scottish, and heaven forbid you happen to be Irish. It's this sort of friendly-and-yet-not rivalry that probably has its roots back into the historical wars and bloodshed between nations before the country became the "united kingdom." Poor Ireland gets blamed for a lot, from The Troubles to being an economic sinkhole whose greatest export is poor people.

I'll try and remember more "english english" phrases - my goal is to start recording them as I hear them, so I'll be able to construct a couple of sentences after I leave with the proper inflections as well as expressions. :D

that's all for now - tune in tomorrow for more!

UK Day 2: super awesome sports cars and Indian English curry

2011-02-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

So today was the first day of work - due to my incredible powers of ~~narcolepsy~~ being able to fall asleep easily, I was actually pretty refreshed today despite the 8 hour time difference. Like any large project with lots of people, there was some confusion and figuring out what to do, but we managed to be fairly productive in the afternoon, and tomorrow promises to be better. We're building at a facility that does crazy high end sports car chassis' - a completely different design philosophy than what I've seen before. I would love to do a project where they'd just tell me to design something crazy light and strong, and damn the costs.

So here's some more English Education with Jon:

clearing up a couple of stereotypes:

english food is actually pretty good - or at least at the place I'm staying at the food was exceptional.

I had this incredible chocolate danish fresh out of the oven this morning, fruit, yoghurt (YOG-hurt), and eggs on toast. Beats the pants out of any other complimentary breakfast at Holiday Inn or Best Western. Oh yea, take note hotel chain execs - they had REAL FRUIT JUICE, fresh squeezed and cold.

Indian Curry is a traditional English pub fare dish.

Warwick is pronounced 'Woorrik'

English people do say 'Blimey' or 'Crikey' - but I don't know what they mean yet.

They're also generally pretty nice so far, but they do have this general sense where they think that Great Britain is the centre of the universe , or at least the centre of human civilization, which doesn't help my Canadian inferiority complex at all.

You can order spotted dick with sticky toffee. Apparently spotted dick is REALLLLY good with cream in top....I'm going to let you work that out for yourself.

GMT's been pretty awesome so far - looking forward to day 3.

UK Day 1

2011-02-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

Heya folks,

I just thought it'd be fun to revive my blog while I'm working and travelling in the UK.

Right now I'm in the city of Worchester, home to Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce, pronounced WHAr-sher-ster, ending all debate to a question that's plagued me for quite some time now.

I'm here to train and meet with the manufacturing folks that'll be building the vehicles I helped to design, getting a lot of invaluable experience helping to put actual cars together, and to see how my designs work in reality with production parts and tools.

The architecture here is pretty interesting, a lot of the common buildings here are dominated by red brick, with some heritage tudor style and neo-classical civic and financial buildings breaking up the red monotony.

some things that I've learned:

Canadian money is more valuable in Canada (go figure) hence you'll get a better exchange rate within the country.
I can understand most people here (go figure), but that both of us have to talk more slowly than normal
cellphones are really darn cheap here (1 GBP for a phone with a calling card - 10GBP)
what an English Sunday roast, and a real Yorkshire pudding tastes like
the beer is really good here
they have a lot of pubs here that serve a lot of beer

until next time!

The Human Condition

2010-09-21T01:18:00.000-07:00

When can you say a person has reached their fullest potential? Is there a definitive point in a person's life, after they have been educated and groomed by society to be a productive member? It becomes a difficult question; at each stage of life, people serve different roles. From playing to learning, from doing to mentoring, each person seems to reach different peaks as they grow and mature.

I happened upon this train of thought while I listened to Kina Grannis sing a couple of days ago. It was wonderful. I felt like she was reaching into me and touching my soul with her voice. Here was this girl who knew what she wanted to do since elementary school. She pursued it, passionately. What potential could I reach, or anyone else in that room if we had taken it upon ourselves to singlemindedly pursue our dreams, and were given the proper support of our parents, teachers and peers.

How then could we determine that point, when society is best served by directing its resources in supporting the current generation, but rather the next? How can we as a society best utilize our resources to better improve the Human Condition as a whole, with our elders inspiring our youth, and our youth rejuvenating our elders?

How can we bring each and every person to the peak of the Human Condition?

Moment of Whimsy: Meeting Mr. Caterpillar

2010-07-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Life Lesson# 561: Wash your Vegetables.

I had a visitor the other day, turns out I had a caterpillar munching through my vegetables while they sat in my fridge for a week or so. From time to time when I'm in a rush I won't wash my vegetables or I'll just give them a quick rinse; this was one of those times. Luckily for me, and more luckily for Mr. Caterpillar here, there was this one tender shoot and flowers that fell to the counter as I transferred my vegetables from the bag to the boiling water. Yum.

Mr. Caterpillar was quite alive and well, albeit disoriented from his sudden eviction. For a brief moment I was tempted to throw him into the water as fate almost certainly should've dictated, but good judgment and compassion took hold and I released him to the great wilderness of my backyard.

RUN FREE MR. CATERPILLAR!

A new life...

2010-05-08T10:22:00.001-07:00

WARNING: The following post may contain just about every known cliche to recent university undergraduates. For those of you who care enough about my life to read the entire thing, thanks. :D

When I said that I'd be posting a a rate of one-per-month I lied. It's been just over 4 months since I've last posted at Christmas. Life has changed a lot since then. In the thick of my last year as an undergraduate, I had another 4 months of school to look forward to. Reading my last post, it seems like a blink of an eye, but there was a lot of hard work, pain, perseverance, pleasure, and joy in that time.

Turns out I can do school if I put my mind to it - I actually passed with flying colours. Before this year, I never imagined I'd have the expertise to be useful at the workplace, nor have the training and the theoretical background to succeed. Although I'm not an expert in everything, I think that I've actually put in the time now to have confidence in what I've learned, and to actually enjoy it.

The caveat to my academic revelations is that I happened to eat out a lot more, which added to my stomach, whom I've affectionately named "George." (The frequency of the undulations is too high now to count.) Strong correlation between plaza food and weight gain. This summer, and every summer for as long as I can remember I have resolved to get a six-pack, only to fail quite miserably as I enjoy my barbeque steaks, beers on the patio, and ice cream cones as I stroll around.

Speaking of steaks - I guess the era of McDougall is over for me. I've spent the last 4 or so years off and on living in the same house in Waterloo. It was a classy joint, hardware floors, massive driveway, a deck behind the house as well as a pond. I've bonded with the people I've lived with there probably to a point where I'll keep in touch with them for the rest of my life. Because of that house I was able to cook, entertain, and show hospitality to dozens if not hundreds of different people. It's been the cause of a lot of stress and grief (my marks also went up when I stopped hosting events and cleaning up), but there were definitely a lot of unforgettable memories living in that place. It was a place I called home.

Home? What a strange and shifting concept that is. Sometimes it'll feel just right when I'm back in Kingston, sitting in my room - looking out the window across at the church, tacky orange curtains from the 60's and all. Other times I'll be driving back into Waterloo after a long trip, pulling off the highway and feeling a sense of relief at coming back into familiar surroundings. This time? Strolling down the ramp at YVR, taking a look outside and seeing the mountains again.

Oh Vancouver! I've burned that impression into my memory, keeping it safe and treasuring its beauty every time I see it again. Biking up and down the hills, riding on the Skytrain as it hurtles around the city, breathing in the same scents, that clean crisp Vancouver air. All these things are precious elements that make Vancouver the gorgeous city that it is.

By the way - I hoped to have told most everyone by now, but it turns out I found a full time job in Burnaby. I've been here less than a week, and finished school just over two weeks ago. My life back in Ontario seems so distant now. It really is a new start, a new adventure, a new life...

Christmas Update!

2009-12-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

Ah, the Christmas season. Time for family, friends, food and fun.

It's been pretty busy, but good in that I'm not stressed about doing anything, because I'm only busy with things I take pleasure in, whether it be meeting up with old friends, or buying gifts, or going out skating.

I've managed to meet up with my high school friends, as well as my kingston asian "homies." Seems like we're all slowly growing up. Getting jobs, moving away from town, getting married. We all seem to come back together well though, things clicking, old jokes resurfacing, promises made and broken to keep in touch. It's a little bubble around Christmas where we're pulled in, a warm fuzzy blanket of carefree times, if only just for a moment.

In terms of school- I think I managed to pass everything. Most of you know that I ended up being held back a year, splitting time between Vancouver and repeating my 2nd half of my third year. This term was all new material, 4th year courses that I got to pick myself, which made life a lot more interesting.

I'm just waiting on marks from two courses, expecting one to be really good, and one to be.....kinda ugly. As long as I passed that last one though, I should be laughing my way through 4B.

I'm debating about taking 5 or 6 courses, 3 of them I'm set on, and the other 3 I'm really interested in taking to further my own development as a person and as a future engineer. I want to take all 6 courses, but I only need 5 credits to get my degree. Should I put myself in a position again to struggle, or should I just take it easy in my last four months as an undergraduate student? There are a lot of fun things I want to do: play sports, more friend time, rock out on guitar, get a girlfriend....

Oh the girlfriend issue. Lots of feedback came back on that last post, ranging from, "you know, sometimes it just happens and you fall into it without realizing..." to offers of introduction to female friends. Apparently I come across as a respectable sort of fellow. Who knew? Thanks for the advice folks. I'm still plugging away though, looking for the girl of my dreams.

The final item on my agenda for today is starting my career. Although co-op experience definitely has given me a leg up, and quite a diversity of experience, the real world is another level. When you're a co-op, you're expected to try new things and different experiences, and none of the employers will question your motives when you say, "I just wanted to try this out." We're expected to have a few more goals in mind, industries or roles we've picked out, and it becomes a lot harder to jump from position to position. I'm still looking at getting a job in Vancouver first, but I'll be jumping at any job that really gets me off on a solid footing in terms of the right career experiences and opportunities.

It's been a crazy half-year since I last posted, but that's a little piece of my life for those of you who are interested. I'll be aiming to post every month or so just to keep things fresh around here.

Thanks for reading!

Currently Accepting Applicants, Job Title: Girlfriend.

2009-07-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

Lately it feels more and more that I'm surrounded by couples. It's like all the single, attractive ladies of my peer groups are slowly getting snapped up. I meet the dudes, and it turns out that most of the time, the guy is not a dirtbag.

I grin and bear it, I wish them well, and then I wonder: "why don't I have a girlfriend?" If this rather bland joe-blow here can get a girl, why am I single?

It's gotten particularly worse, especially since I left Vancouver. At that point, even though all the young professional there were getting engaged, or starting new relationships, I could tell myself that they were at a "different stage of life," they're looking at careers and settling down.

I come back to my band of single brothers and all was well for a while. None of us had any drama going on, the world was serene.

Fast forward to the present. Right now, my social circle is filled with couples in stable, thoughtful relationships that look like they're going to last for a considerable amount of time, possibly even marriage. Problem is, they're all younger than I am. No excuses.

The breaking point was yesterday. Apparently every single girl at this wedding I attended was taken. It was shocking. Usually when the bride tosses the bouquet, the unwed ladies are a frenzied mob of nails and heels, Darwin's theory of evolution at its finest. Not this crowd apparently. They could've been in line at city hall to pay their parking tickets. It didn't help that my mom and family friends were constantly teasing me about ~~having~~ a girlfriend.

I'm asian.
I'm in engineering.
I like anime and manga!
I survive well without natural sunlight.
I judge my fitness level by how many times my stomach undulates when I slap it; twice.

Alright world, here I am. I'm single and available.

...Why aren't the girls flocking to me? :P

Have a nice life....

2009-04-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

"Have a nice life..." is a quip I've been popularizing these past few weeks. There's such a dualism in that phrase, and it's true intention can be easily lost, especially if it's only in print, as in this case. The intonation in person however, can carry worlds of meaning.

I first said it to an acquaintance that I met in residence in my first year. We were parting ways because of our alternating co-op terms and I really didn't know, if ever, we would see one another again. At the time, I said it in all earnestness, and I didn't realize how sarcastic it could sound until later.

How do you say goodbye? Do you prefer to avoid it entirely? Do you imagine that you might run into these friends sometime in the future, even across countries and continents? Is it just "ttyl" then?

Leave a comment below!

I wonder if...

2009-02-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

...my mom hadn't accidentally conceived me...
...I had gone to another high school...
...I had gone to Queen's instead of Waterloo...
...she had said no instead of yes...
...I didn't live with the guys I do...
...she had said yes instead of no...
...I hadn't failed school...

...what life would be like.

Sometimes the melancholy just washes over you when you hear of news from the past. I just heard today that a girl I had a huge crush on in high school is getting married. She's doing great, and her fiance is an all-star. I wonder...

Good old Disney. (Jon's feats of unmanliness #001)

2008-12-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

You know what? Disney has still got it. I am twenty-two years old and I am still thoroughly entertained by the stories and characters that come from this company.

I've just had the opportunity to watch WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class - whoot!) and I loved it. I could go on into all the thoughtful various running themes that tied into the story, (over consumption - Buy n' Large, disregard for the environment - skyscrapers of garbage, sentience of artificial intelligence - WALL-E/EVE, breaking out of stereotypes - mo!, Gender roles - Eve rescues WALL-E, overspecialization/over-reliance of humans on technology - captain) BUT, I'm really a sucker for corny movies. I think what really sold the movie for me was that the lowly garbage worker robot got the pretty girl robot who clearly outclassed him. (Looks like there's hope for me after all!) I think all good movies have a love story in there somewhere.

That brings me to the Beauty and the Beast. Classic story that doesn't get old. The theatre was packed with kids learning or seeing the story for the first time. I also loved the music from the original disney film. I really wish that they would bring back some epic songwriting (cues intro from Lion King). The production really brought me back and I almost started singing along a couple times, even though the lyrics were a little fuzzy. Gaston was my favourite actor - the actor totally captured the essence of the part, down to the chest hair and leather pants. Oh, the only downside of the live production is the actor playing the Beast's impersonation of a roar. It's quite literally like a rawr sound. Sadness.

Yay Disney. Makes me all mushy inside.

Jon's Feats of Manliness #001

2008-11-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

I was thinking today, "damn. I am such an manly man. no other dude can be as awesome as I am."

SO - I've decided to archive my feats of manliness for all to gawk at and admire.

For my first accomplishment, in preparation of visiting the Mecca of Mooliness, Cowtown, Calgary herself, I ate a steak. Not just any steak. A steak that was virtually unblemished by heat - The penultimate steak that is second only to stalking wild cows, tipping them over and sinking your teeth into their still-living flesh. I give you - the blue steak.

You can practically still hear it breathing......mooooooooooo

Motown - Day 19

2008-10-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

So. I've worked about ~~75 hours in the last 7 days.~~ 98 in the last 9 days (Day 21 edit). Surprisingly it's not as draining as one would think. (un?)Fortunately, I've also been eating out for every one of those meals for the past 168 hours. That means more time to work, and time to just kick back at the end of the day to unwind, turn my brain off or to reflect. I've successfully negotiated a return flight this Wednesday - marking 21 days in Motor City. That does mean setting myself up for a really intense 48 hours to try and complete two engineering drawings, both of which I've kinda not really started.

Being in Detroit does have its perks however. I cut Friday off at 8 hours, and took off with Larry (Lead Engineer in Detroit) to catch the Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena. What can I say about the wings? Sheer poetry in motion. I was astounded how they would predict each others movements such that they were able to string a series of 5-6 passes, each player only touching the puck once in that sequence. Telepathy. It must be the only way. I've caught some other games, and I was kinda disappointed at the level of play - This game was intense, a couple of highlight reel goals, with fantastic seats behind the home goal.

The above fellow in red is Henrik Zetterburg. Between him and another fellow named Marian Hossa, they tore up the Atlanta Thrashers for 4 goals.

Watch Hossa as he dekes the pants off the defenseman AND the goalie at the same time.

While this jaunt out of Vancity has been pretty culturally enriching, I'd really like to get back to seeing people I know.

That's all for today folks.

Motown Day 4

2008-10-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Just sitting in my hotel room winding down my day here in Detroit, it feels like it's been a week, but I've really only been here since Wednesday.

I've put in 2 full twelve hour days at work so far here - it's been a really good experience talking with the engineering team here, just developing those relationships and gaining insight from their expertise.

A couple points of general insight about Birmingham/Royal Oak that I've noticed so far.

Suburban Detroit really is a picture of what is, in my mind, middle-America. There are a ton of trucks being driven around my white middle class males. High school girls all look like cheerleaders. Black people here speak in ebonics
Of course, all these things are definitely perceived, and perhaps enhanced by my preconceptions.

The look and feel of the city though is vastly different than my experience in Boston, where the historical feel of the city was tempered with its sophistication and intellect. Boston's identity is also far more diverse and liberal and far less segregated. Metro Detroit, which is the area bordered by 8 mile and highway 24 contains an area where the population is 80% black. This city personifies the "white flight" from the inner city to the painted picket fences of suburbia. This polarization occurred so much so that at the height of the racial tensions, the mayor of Detroit, a black man, essentially declared the city proper off-limits to white people, and the mayors of the surrounding towns responded in kind.

History lesson aside, it's a pleasant yet lonely experience to be on this trip. I'm enjoying this opportunity to be in a new place, and I've already taken the opportunity to explore the downtown cores of both Birmingham and Royal Oak. Tomorrow marks my expedition south of 8 mile, into the heart of Detroit. I'm really looking forward to taking pictures of the art deco style of architecture. If I get a chance, I'm also going to try and check out the city's music scene. This city has, over the years, birthed some incredible talent.

I'll update this blog soon as I capture the essence of the city tomorrow.

In Rainbows...

2008-08-20T00:11:00.000-07:00

The best summer of my life got better. I've managed to catch one of my favourite bands in concert in Vancity. Even the story of how I got my ticket is pure genius.

Since I had heard that Radiohead was coming to town I'd been gazing longingly at Craigslist, tempting myself to buying from a scalper at an 150% premium - plus with no guarantee that I was going to get the authentic item.

I was chilling with some waterloo alums for a dinner & drinks sendoff and we were discussing music. When I offhandedly mentioned that I'd die for a ticket to the concert, up pops an offer - 4 days before the event itself. Talk about luck.

For the days leading up to the concert I listened to the four albums that I have, OK Computer, Hail to the Thief, Kid A and In Rainbows non-stop. I'm definitely going to buy the other ones (Pablo Honey, The Bends, Amnesiac)- just a matter of time. I can never remember the titles of the songs I'm listening too, but they're all so quality I just don't care. I can't usually sing along with Thom Yorke anyway.

THE CONCERT ITSELF...

...was amazing...simply the best music I've ever heard live. ever. John Mayer was good - but he just doesn't have the catalogue of great songs that Radiohead does. Although they played all the tracks from their latest album, they dipped into songs as far back as the Bends.

Thom Yorke's voice carries through much better live, with that ethereal and emotional impact hitting much harder. I found myself swaying to the music sometimes sooner than my mind could register it. The sound of the concert was incredible. Often times the band is limited or diminished by the quality of the technology or techs running the show, but not in this case. From the lighting, to stage effects to guitar switching, everything was done so crisply and professionally.

My impression of Radiohead is just that - a whole cohesive band. I think Yorke is the driving force for sure, but the music is so....together, rarely do I stop to think about how one instrument is overwhelming the others. At times I was amazed at Jonny Greewood on guitar - but for the most part I could just close my eyes and soak it all in.

Not all good things happened at the concert; we had quite a few jerks push their way through the crowd - and a couple girls who though they were special. A couple bad apples ruin the batch, but for the most part people were really civil and just were happy to be there and share the experience. I have to say though - I love being in a crowd when the whole stadium is singing "Karma Police" together. That and ending with "Paranoid Android" was just incredible.

Two things you can't get away from in BC. The marijuana and the rain. Both were in extreme abundance today. You would just see the rising puff of smoke and catch it in your next breath. Oh, and it rained throughout the entire concert. It wasn't so miserable until you separated from the crowd. Then you realized how terribly cold it actually was.

I wouldn't trade this experience for any other. I can check "seeing Radiohead in concert" off my life to do it.

Really - so many sensations and experiences, memories made in one day.

In Rainbows indeed.

Summer days drifting away...

2008-08-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

This is undoubtedly one of the best summers of my life. In any given week - I've seen, tasted, heard, felt- felt a whole collage of new and fantastic experiences. From climbing the coastal mountains to tasting the fresh pacific salmon to being enthralled at the celebration of light to enjoying the company of new and old friends alike.

I definitely don't have the words to encapsulate all of the things I want to share with you, but mayhap these pictures should be an aid.

Metrotown Foodie Update!

2008-07-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

SUSHI GARDEN! x2
Dish eaten - Spicy tuna roll, Spicy Tuna Sashimi, BBQ Eel roll, salmon sashimi, salmon creme roll.
Evaluation: madness! madness! quality sushi and sashimi for CHEAP! seriously mad good. You're in for a wait if you go - but only because it's that good and well worth it. $7-$10 will satisfy you and leave your tummy feeling saggy and your tongue thanking you. Jon Lo mad stamp of approval
Cost:$

Parfait-a-pia
Parfait eaten - some crunchy chocolately thing
Evaluation: everything tasted very store-bought - the parfait I had wasn't bad - but I really got the impression that I could have bought some ice cream, cake, vector and banana and done it myself.
Cost: $$

Daimatsu
Dish Eaten - Beef assortment boat
Evaluation - not too bad - economical place to grab a bite to eat at station square. Nothing too special about the food, service or decor.
Cost:$

Orange Corner
Evaluation: to be fair, I ordered a hard to make drink at a crepe place, but the avocado bubbletea I had really wasn't very good at all. tasted like syrup instead of avocado. I'll have to go back and try the crepes.
Cost: $

+100 Experience Points! You have gained a level!

2008-06-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

Haha, sorry for the really nerdy title today. It's a reference to RPG (role-playing games) where characters gain experience points for beating up baddies and performing certain types of actions.

Sometimes I feel like life is actually a little like that- all the experiences that you accumulate help your person grow and mature. Each smell, taste, touch, every new thought or perspective gained, every new relationship made, laugh shared.

I've been doing a lot of that recently, it really hit me when I went to see a Herbie Hancock show on Friday night. It. Was. Amazing. He was accompanied by Vinnie Colulaita on drums and Dave Holland on Bass. Incredible musicians. The kicker is that the opening act was even better. A group called the Lionel Loucke Trio. This dude from ~~east? Africa~~ Benin who lives in New York right now. His act was actually a lot tighter sounding and impressive than Herbie's (sorry Herbie - you're a living legend in jazz, just not that night).

The next day was pretty packed as well. I got a chance to hike up Black mountain - one of the peaks associated with Cypress Mountain (a local skiing hill). The trails were covered with snow so it was pretty hard to make our way up, but it kept you cool at the same time. Summitting just gives you a rush - a sense of accomplishment - "I conquered this place!" It was a good time to get to know the two guys I was hiking with too, Jason and Ian - a couple of friends that I met in the fellowship I go to here. If going up was fun - coming down was even better. The snow packed trail that made things difficult going up make the trip down a 30 minute slide fest. I wish I had ski's!

Later that day I also managed to catch a jazz act called "Empirical" at the steam clock. They're a bunch of younger guys based out of London in the UK. They're pretty classy - and I really enjoyed their live jazz. See their myspace page here.

One of the things I grew from that day didn't come from exerting myself physically, or listening to those extraordinary musicians, it came from attending the missions conference at Fraserlands. A medical missionary by the name of Dr. Ace Cheng spoke to us regarding his work in Africa. It just reminded me of how the Christian and Missionary Alliance is just that - a missions baseg organization whose purpose is to reach the unchurched peoples of our world. Usually when people ask me for support for their missions trips, it just doesn't seem to register with me - it's like - oh, another person on missions, that's cool. But seeing Dr. Cheng and others share about their work makes it all that much more real. When you hear the stories you can't help but be touched. I made a resolution to support my friends in missions, if not financially- definitely by praying for their work and for their well-being.

Level up!

My cup overfloweth.....

2008-06-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have decided to dedicate this particular post to all the vancity food places I've been to so far:
Cost ranges from $ to $$$$$ depending on how much I've dropped on the bill, and partially on the value of the meal. This takes into account portion sizes of each restaurant.

Mr. Ho's Wonton Noodles
Dish eaten: Wonton and stewed beef cubes
Evaluation: unexpected quality for americanized chinese food
Famous for: lemon chicken and ginger beef
Cost: $

place I went to with Bily and Calla and Johnny
Dish eaten: some fried rice dish
Evaluation: big portions for a little more cost; nothing special otherwise
Other options: nothing memorable
Cost: $$

Guu at Aberdeen
Dish Eaten: Okonomiyaki, Octopus balls, kimchi udon noodles, sesame ice cream, hot sake
Evalution: First Japanese restaurant I've ever been to run by Japanese people. Service is the best here, and started bantering with the waitresses a bit. Genkeikken sake is actually not bad, should try more kinds of sake. Holds the Jon Lo stamp of approval.
Other options: menu changes daily- should go back and try something new every time
Cost: $$$

Whitespot (chain)
Dish Eaten: The "double double" ha-ha, but just really a burger a fries
Evaluation: Kelsey's, but with more class, and more cost. Not someplace I'd visit often. The menu is kinda funny in that it reflects the mix of cultures here- includes stir frys and other eastern style dishes
other options: burgers, steaks and stir-frys - nothing special at all.
Cost: $$

Sammy J's
Dish Eaten: Panzaroti?
Evaluation: Not bad, but terribly expensive for something you can get at Morty's for half the cost. Has "woman scorned" hot sauce- note: is really hot.
other options: white chain restaurant food
Cost: $$$

Cactus Club (x2)
Dish Eaten: Calamari burger, Chicken quesadillas
Evaluation: You're not really here to eat, you're here to gawk at the waitresses and leave big tips.
But wow. I mean.......wow. Coincidentally, the decor is classy and the food is pretty decent. Note: do not bring a girlfriend here on a date.
Other options: everything on the menu is really freakin' expensive for what it is.
Cost: $$$$

Cattle Hot Pot
Dish Eaten: all you can eat hot pot, but you gotta pay for eggs.
Evaluation: decent food. nothing memorable though
Cost: I was generously treated by a friend, must return favour. I imagine around $$

Hapa
Dish Eaten: Tuna sashimi, Salmon sashimi.....darn, can't remember the last one. Oh and Shochu - a japanese potato based vodka like drink. As in, tastes exactly like vodka.
Evaluation: Classy, quality food, again, run by japanese people which is a plus. I liked the music- I thought they were going to break out the dance floor at any moment. Most impressive I'd say. Jon Lo Stamp of approval.
Other recommendations: some interesting Japanese alcohols I'd like to go back and sample, otherwise, everything on the menu
Cost: $$$

Mountain Shadow pub
Dish Eaten: teriyaki and honey garlic chicken wings + beer.
Evaluation: 25 cent wings on tuesdays, need I say more? Jon Lo stamp of approval.
Other options: Go on tuesdays.
Cost: $

Cumpari's
Dish Eaten: Lemon chocolate cheesecake
Evaluation: Decadent joy. Jon Lo stamp of approval
Other options: Gorgeous pastries, TONS of ice creams and gelatos to try.
Cost: $$$

I Love Sushi
Dish Eaten: all you can eat sushi/sashimi dishes
Evaluation: pretty decent, had a lot of different sushi rolls that I've never had before, but all you can eat is just that, lower quality for quantity- plus it makes you feel kinda gross.
Cost: $$

Sophie's
Dish Eaten: Western Omelette
Evaluation: O-k omelette, pretty good bread, but I'm jaded against breakfast places. Angie's in 'loo has spoiled me. It's supposedly famous, the interior decor has some random......stuff inside, but the food just doesn't make me go "wow" like Angie's.
Other options: pancakes, french toast and belgian waffles
Cost: $$

Gzoya's
Dish Eaten: Gyoza's, Kim-chi ramen, cheese and potato croquets, fried eggplant, hot sake
Evaluation: I've been spoiled by Guu and Hapa, so I was slightly less impressed with this particular japanese place. It again is run by japanese people, but the place was small, and the staff not as welcoming as the other two places. The place's specialty was supposed to be dumplings (Gyoza's), but I really couldn't tell this difference between the frozen ones I buy and the ones I tried here. They're also known for their ramen dishes, which was highly enjoyable by the way. The eggplant was excellent too. The croquets were very similar to poutine sorry to say, only that the sauce was japanese instead of beef gravy. This was also the place where I spilled sake pouring it into my cup - it truly does overflow
Other options: too many to list
Cost: $$$

~~Crystal mall korean place~~ Han Ju
Dish Eaten: #5 - korean bbq style beef
Evaluation: good cheap food. Best value in vancity so far. Jon Lo stamp of approval
Cost: $

So many good places yet to try! Boston definitely had the seafood and chow-dah downpat, but Vancity is like japanese food central apart from Japan.

Hope;Spirit

Fall/Redemption.

2008-05-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Blogging is like screaming into the void but not quite...

"Not quite"- is what happened to me this week. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers.

After i got that email, it just blew my world away. I had been expecting to hear bad news, but this was more than what I had been emotionally preparing myself to accept.

For a long time now, I was pretty settled on finishing my engineering degree and starting a career in my field. At the moment that email came, the shell of security I had been building around myself for the last 4 years evaporated and I was left with nothing.

I haven't prayed earnestly for a long time. Longer than I care to remember, but this selfish prayer to God was different. I poured the rest of my shattered self into it. It's a totally different experience praying like that. There is definitely so much more power in earnest prayer.

I recieved an email the next morning from the prof saying that he would try and work things out for me. As of today nothing else official has arrived, but I believe that prof will be good on his word.

God really does answer prayers- you just have to ask him for it in all earnesty. That's definitely something I've learned this week. God also has a plan for me, and I think is trying to tell me as much, to put more faith in Him, and to stop trying to plan for myself so much.

Nothing like a little divine nudge.

-Hope/Spirit.

broken.

2008-05-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

On 13-May-08, at 7:57 PM, Mike Collins wrote:

Jonathan,

It has come to my attention that you never showed up for your ME360 final exam, and have not contacted Prof Owen, Prof Fraser, or Lynn Crema with an explanation.

Faculty of Engineering rules (rule 10 on page 8:10 of the academic calendar) dictate that failing to write a final exams will result in dismissal from engineering at the University of Waterloo. When the E&P committee meets on Thursday afternoon, unless we have reason to do otherwise, you will be expelled from our program.

If you can provide me with an explanation for your actions, I may be able to help you. You need to contact us.

Regards

Michael R Collins
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering

Dr. Frankenstein's got nothing on me.

2008-05-05T20:58:00.001-07:00

I have recently discovered the secret to recreating life.

It involves 2 key ingredients: water, and radiation.

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.
.
.
.
.

Seriously, today I discovered how to resuscitate stale french bread. Who doesn't hate the fact that, while french bread is so soft and spongey, after 24 hours exposed you could probably stone someone with it.

Directions:
Take your crusty bread and slice it as desired.
Add 4-5 drops of water underneath the slice(s)
microwave for 30 seconds

voila. fresh warm bread.

I am genius.

hope-spirit.

Weekly Update - the light stuff.

2008-05-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna try and divvy up my posts so that people who want to read all the inane details of my life can do so, and those who want to peer into my brain a little bit don't have to be bored to tears.

I'll clearly mark the daily stuff with my "weekly update", and the others with whimsical, creative titles.

So. Vancouver.

This week, like any first week in a new place has been a whirlwind. Figuring things out, from how to get to work, buying groceries, even simple stuff like where to do my laundry all takes its toll.

As of now, I think it's been officially been exactly 7 days since I've arrived in the city.

The rundown goes something like this:

Saturday - pick-up and dinner with uncle and fam. my littlest cousin transcends cute. she actually knows my name now, and doesn't cry when she sees my face. whoot. The steak dinner was fantastic...mmhmmm filet mignon (mig-non?). There's also something to be said about bonding with your little cousins playing video games and watching the lion king for the umpteenth time.

Sunday - church with my sister at Dunbar heights. If there ever was a case where birds-of-a-feather-flock-together, this would be the case. My sister and her friends fit perfectly into the yuppie-vancouver stereotype that goes salsa-dancing and listens to jazz and choral performances. They're pretty cool though, different sort than who I usually hang out with but I definitely might go back. Oh, and Mr. Ho's Wonton noodlery is some of the best chinese-canadian stuff I've had.

later in the day I also get lost trying to get to metrotown mall, a major stop in my work commute (I actually head in the complete opposite direction). I feel more empowered for finding my way around

Monday, Tues-Wed-Th-F.- I start work! show up nice and early. work people seem nice. boss is cool. learn about bolts. Work on solidworks. -riday.

Fellowship on friday was interesting. I don't really have a rep at Souljourners, but Derek has definitely done some nemawashing for me. (nemawash - japanese for "preparing the soil"). It was skit night, to which I narrated a totally random story about a bunch of crippled hebrew people surviving the red sea after being captured by the Egyptians.

Saturday - I've never appreciate sleeping in on the weekends as much as I do when I work.
I met up with another co-op from work, James- called Matthew, and his girlfriend. We hung about vancouver downtown and had a grand time (more in the next post)

Lots of people have been asking me for first impressions- so here's a list of things that I've noticed that are unique about this city.

1. It rains. A lot.
2. Flashing green does not mean you have the right of way. It's actually an interim light signal before yellow (go figure).
3. It's darn cold here at night.
4. The bus system in Burnaby is awesome.

- 1st week complete. just 17 more to go.

Failure.

2008-04-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

The deepest human defeat suffered by human beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable of becoming and what one has in fact become.

- Ashley Monatgu

I failed.

I failed to achieve what I had the potential for.

I failed to acknowledge the fact that I was capable of applying myself diligently in my studies.

I failed 3B.

The reason why I failed was because I gave up. In fact, I didn't even show up to my last two exams.

I thought it would be easier to avoid reality. So I got out of 5 hours of agonizing over material I didn't know. Now I'm looking at 8 more months of paying the price.

I don't know what will happen in the future. I could get kicked out of school for a year, I could be back in 3B come september. The future is full of a lot of unknowns right now. I know I'm going to regret a lot of things that are going happen. I think the worst bit of it is going to watch everyone I entered school with pass me by and move on with their lives. Being left behind is going to suck.

One lessons learned though, is never give up.

Never. Never. Never.

There is always hope. There is always a chance. There is always a future as long as you don't give up on yourself.

My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny.

- Elaine Maxwell

Hope;Spirit.