Summer Travel Plans

June:  Hawaii
July:  Winnipeg
August:  China
September:  LA

Leaving tomorrow for Hawaii. Hopefully my gps device works this time...

Random observations 2

• There are *way* more asians in Winnipeg then there used to be. It used to be that you'd go to a bar and you could literally count the number of non-white people on one hand. I don't know where all these people came from. It seems that the generation just a few years younger than mine is a lot more multicultural, even in Winnipeg.


• Girls definitely dress a lot skankier here than in Toronto. Even with a windchill of -40, girls wear super short skirts and dresses. Girls in Toronto seem to dress rather conservative in comparison.


• Tonight it'll warm up to -18 with a windchill of -28. I think we've finally seen the end of this cold snap! (This is *not* a sarcastic statement, this is the actual view of people over here)

Oh, and here are some amusing photos showing how cold it is:





Oh wait, these aren't actually pictures from Winnipeg where we've seen windchills as low as -49 in the last few days and there's permanently 2 feet of snow on the ground. My friend in Seattle took these and it was -3 outside and it had snowed a little overnight.

No more orthodontist!

I got my braces back in Grade 6... 1992! My orthodontist is in the Medical Arts Building on the 15th floor and I clearly remember the elevator being a novelty because it was the only time that I would ride the elevator. Nowadays, I ride the elevator every day in my apartment, but my elevator manners have Winnipeg roots.

I got my braces off after maybe a year and a half, but ever since then, I've still been going to my orthodontist every 6 or 12 months just for him to check on my teeth and how my retainer fits, which takes a whole 2 minutes. He tells me to just pop it in overnight once every few months or so just to make sure things stay where they are. The only reason I keep going to see him is that I haven't had to pay for the visits for the past 14 years! I don't know anyone that still wears their retainer, let alone still visits their childhood orthodontist!

I just went today and he told me that he's letting me go! After 16 years, I no longer have to go to my orthodontist!

Random observations

Actual flight path and door-to-door transportation as recorded by my GPS device
(This is just a screenshot b/c Google Maps couldn't handle that big of a file)

• The taxi driver was giving me career advice. He thought that I should learn Mandarin.


• Cabbie was talking to me in Cantonese. I hadn't heard that much Chinese for a long time.


• It's still harrowing walking through the airport metal detector carrying a cat without a leash or anything.


• Tiki didn't move or make a sound the entire flight. I don't think the woman on the aisle seat knew she was even there.


• During the initial announcement, the flight attendant tried to make a reference to the commercial where the guy thinks he's on a flight to Hawaii, but is actually on a flight to Winnipeg and goes "...going to Winnipeg..." No one laughed.


• When asked who was from Winnipeg, the entire flight went in an uproar. No one goes to Winnipeg at this time of the year unless they are from there.


• The games on the Zune are actually pretty fun.


• Upon arrival, the flight attendant neglected to notify us of the local time (one hour behind)


• When it was announced that the current temperature in Winnipeg was -27, it wasn't a big deal or Earth shattering news.


• While waiting for my luggage, I saw a woman drinking a slurpee. This is why Winnipeg is the slurpee capital of the world.


• I miss the feeling of the cold fresh air in your lungs.


• When driving here, if it's not a big road, you actually drive on top of snow since the roads aren't cleared right to the asphalt and salt doesn't work b/c it's too cold.


• There are 3 cats within arm's reach of me right now as I am sitting on my bed.


• Mi-Mi has reclaimed her spot on my bed and refuses to budge. Tiki is confused. Tiggy is indifferent.


• The fish is big now.


• The dog is big now.

Rediscovering Winnipeg

Strawberry picking

Ballet in the Park

Fringe Festival Improv Show

Ziplining group photo

Ziplining

Video I took while on the zipline

Wind turbines

More ziplining pictures and videos

People always ask me what there is to do in Winnipeg and I usually reply with "not much". That's a lie. On the surface, it's not a very exciting place, but as with every other place, it is just as much fun as you make it out to be. There are always interesting things to be found in your own backyard. My goal each time I'm back in Winnipeg is to do things that I haven't done before, whether it's watching a Manitoba Moose hockey game, seeing (hearing?) the WSO (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra), going bumper boating, snowboarding in a valley, or going to Folklorama.

This trip has been no different, as you can tell from the pictures above. I've gone strawberry picking (I got two of those boxes and they were quickly demolished by my family), saw Ballet in the Park (had no idea that it's been going on for 30 years), went to the Fringe Festival and saw an improv show starring one of Jill's coworkers (it was hilarious! I haven't laughed so hard in a while), went ziplining in rural Manitoba, and saw the wind power generating farm.

The fight for my room

Knowing that I'm back, Mi-Mi decided to come up to my room to pay me a visit. She sniffed around for a while not noticing Tiki hiding in the corner quietly growling. Then, the fight for my room began with Mi-Mi attacking Tiki. Then there was screaming and claws and growls and hisses. Not play fighting at all. Mi-Mi moves surprisingly fast for a 17 year old cat! I ended the fight by carrying Tiki away and Mi-Mi ran.

Things unfortunately, are basically picking up where they left off in January. Tiki is staking claim to my room because she sticks close to me and this is where she spent most of her time last time. Mi-Mi is attempting to regain her territory, which had been hers for 16 years. Sharing is not an option. Mi-Mi doesn't share. Mi-Mi doesn't like any other animals and Tiki doesn't like cats that are not friendly to her.

I'm not sure what to do. I can't really stop this unless I keep my door closed, but then Tiki would have no where to go or eat (Mi-Mi has been sleeping in the family room and eats downstairs). At least that would also solve the problem I've been having with Mi-Mi marking her territory, i.e. peeing, on my bed. I think I need Tiggy to act as a mediator, since he was friendly to Tiki last time and Mi-Mi is scared of him.

Inefficient travelling

I loved how I was sitting at the gate waiting for my plane almost twice as long as the actual flight. I got to the airport almost 2 hours early because I had Tiki with me. Then, I found out that my flight was delayed by 2.5 hours (the incoming flight from New Brunswick was delayed due to weather). I ended up sitting at the gate for 4+ hours for a flight that was only 2.25 hours. Factor in the 45 min. it took to get to the airport (stalled car on the Gardiner backed up traffic for miles) and then home from the airport and the efficiency of flying is rather low.

Tiki did well on the flight despite being stuck in the carrier for 8 hours. She's only explored the upstairs a bit so far and still hasn't used the litter box or eaten anything. She's pretty calm and relaxed now just lying on my bed. Tiggy has shown interest in her, but is not impressed by her presence. He'll come around just like he did last time. The puppies are rather antsy. I only saw them in their cages. Toby was not impressed and started barking at me. Yoshi was just excited. I shut the lights and they quieted down. I didn't want to wake every one up. I'll play with them tomorrow and maybe introduce Tiki to the dog species.

10 years of digital cameras

July 1, 1998. Me and Mittens (in my sister's room)

I was randomly going through some old photos today and realized that I got my first digital camera (the AGFA Photowise camera) just over 10 years ago! (I was an early adopter)

The photo above was one of the first pics I took with the digital camera. Gotta love the longish hair with the part in the middle, the old school Timex watch, Mittens at the youthful age of 7, and the Friends backdrop.

Living without a car

Living in downtown Toronto, I've managed to get by without a car. This is a far cry from suburban living in Winnipeg where I started driving at 15 and a half, got my full license (none of this graduated licensing crap) at 16 and one day (my 16th birthday was a Sunday), and I drove everywhere. I could have a car here, but it doesn't make sense practically, financially, or environmentally. I get by mostly by rollerblades, subway/streetcar/bus, and bumming rides off of other people (when going places outside of downtown). I'm actually quite adept at the latter. I got rides from 4 different people today :). I've also been able to get rides from people I only met mere hours before. I guess I have a non-intimidating appearance along with a look of desperation.


Why it's better not to have a car in downtown Toronto:

• Cheaper (no car, no insurance, no gas, no parking, no repairs, no maintenance, no car washes, no having to pay a locksmith to jimmy your car because you locked your keys in the truck). I keep my license though.
  • Money saved now means more money in the future because of the time value of money


• Less stress. Traffic aggravates me and having to find parking aggravates me even more.


• Reduced carbon and environmental footprint


• No need to worry about drinking


• You get to know people when they drive you around (outside of downtown)


• You get more exercise when you have to engage in human powered commuting


• Faster to rollerblade downtown since traffic, one way streets, and turning restrictions are irrelevant and you don't have to find parking or walk to your car

Why rollerblading is superior to biking:

• Cooler


• Funner (sic)


• No need to follow the street rules: do as a pedestrian would do, use the sidewalk or the street or both, no laws about wearing a helmet.


• Smaller profile so its easier to weave in between pedestrian and vehicle traffic


• Going over curbs is less jarring (just step onto the curb)


• Comparable speed when you take into consideration the time it takes to lock/unlock the bike (especially if you don't take off your rollerblades indoors)


• Cheaper and less maintenance


• Pant legs don't get caught in the chain


• Rollerblading inside of stores and buildings is like gliding on air


• You can carry more stuff (like 5 grocery bags in each hand)


• No need to worry about having your rollerblades being stolen (wear them inside, carry them with you, or even sneak them into a club and check them at coat check)


• I'm 5'10 with rollerblades


• Easier to blend in with pedestrian traffic (either on rollerblades or carrying them)


• One way trips are possible, where you rollerblade to the destination and bum a ride back home (subway/streetcar/taxi is also possible)

Tips for bumming a ride and being a professional hitchiker like myself (I can easily count 20 different people that I've gotten a ride from this year):

• Make nice with people that have cars, especially those that live near you or drive by your area


• Reduce the inconvenience imposed upon the driver (they should be going your way and if the ride is not for the immediate circumstance, you should be punctual at the pick-up location)


• Have no shame in asking for a ride (it's a common occurrence for me to ask everyone in the group if anyone is going downtown as we are about to leave to go home)


• Looking a bit hopeless or desperate helps


• Play hard to get by being a bit reluctant if it would overly inconvenience them (you need repeat drivers :p)


• Be good company in the car


• Show gratitude


• Don't think about how you're gonna get back, just get to where you need to go and figure out the next ride later (backup plans always include subway/streetcars/night buses/taxis

In all fairness, when I am driving, I do my fair share of giving other people rides, even if it is out of my way.

Still the same after 11 years

Around this time way back in Grade 10, the usual suspects (John, Kives, Kevin, Matt, and Tim) would come over to my house after school every day and we'd play Mario Kart 64. Our favourite was Battle Mode. There were only 4 or 5 different tracks for Battle Mode, but we'd play them over and over. It wasn't boring though because the more we played, the better we got and the more sophisticated our strategies. For me, video games has always been a social activity. Video games was however, far from our only source of socializing. We were a well rounded bunch. We did well in school and played video games, but we also played all kinds of sports together and spent countless hours playing cops and robbers on bikes (even with girls!) throughout the neighbourhood.

Fast forward 11 years and things are eerily similar. I just got Mario Kart Wii last week and I had some people over to play and then we went to go play basketball. Even stranger is that the new Mario Kart has a lot of tracks from the older games in the Mario Kart series, so that just really brings back the memories. Sometimes it's just great being a kid again.

Commonly overheard

Conversation commonly overheard while in line for a club:

Bouncer: Manitoba!?!? Haven't seen one of these

• for a while
• tonight
• before

Me: Ya...

Ok, here's an update

I'm backlogged in posts, so I've been delaying posting, but someone wrote on my blog wall asking for an update, so here it is. I'll now post some random comments.

• I'm back in Toronto


• New Year's was "interesting"


• I played a lot of Wii in Winnipeg


• There was another semi-annual engineering dinner


• I built my annual quinzee


• I went snowboarding in a valley in the prairies again


• Tiki's about 6 months and 5 pounds now and she likes her new cat tree as well as climbing to the top of my shelf and knocking books down


• There was snow here when I got back, but it all melted b/c it was +16 in January, so much for snow on the slopes...


• I managed to avoid the -46 in Winnipeg


• Instead of exchanging phone numbers when you meet new people, the new thing to do is ask if they're on Facebook


• There are too many birthdays in January and I wish that people would spread out their parties. April must be a fun month. I guess spring is not just mating season for bunnies.


• I managed to sneak my rollerblades into a club after the bouncer said I couldn't b/c they were a weapon


• Circa is a weird nightclub


• 90's teen movies throw me off because they don't text message, use the internet, or use pepper spray


• Plenty of fish


• I got my OLPC laptop!


• Volleyball intramurals and GSU league have started, so I'm back to my regular (at least) 4 days of volleyball a week, which will be bumped up to 7 in March


• I'm really pissed off at the door-to-door paper salesman that keeps giving out my cell number. This has been happening for over a year...


• I don't recommend rollerblading in the snow


• I'm tired of being the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th wheel


• I love that "A" Daily Show and the Colbert Report are back on the air, despite the lack of writers. I'm also loving the Mercer Report now.


• Barack Obama


• David Suzuki's talk on campus was awesome. I hope to have that much energy when I'm 71.


• I sometimes despair that the world will never see another man like Superman


• Do you ever finish showering, shut off the water, and still feel soapy, then you look around and one of your arms still has soap bubbles all over it? No? Well, I guess it's just me then.


• I watched all of Rome and was upset after finishing the second season to find out that there wasn't any more episodes. I then turned to Shakespeare to continue the Roman story.


• I still haven't unpacked and I'm going to a conference in Banff in mid-February, so it's getting to the point, where I can just close the suitcase and leave instead of unpacking and then repacking

Kitten on a plane!

Tiki in her carrier in the airplane cabin

Tiki's about to go on her first flight!

Tiki is ready for take-off...

...asleep

So about a week and a half ago, I took Tiki onto the plane with me to Winnipeg. She flew in the cabin with me in her carrier under the seat in front of me. Her ticket was $50 each way. We were sitting in a specially designated seat in that if the cabin lost air pressure, there would be an extra oxygen mask (in addition to the 3 for the 3 seats in the row) that come down from the ceiling that reached all the way down to the floor! I think aside from that, the only thing special about our seat (window seat, closer to the back) was that there was enough space for her carrier (as opposed to the middle seat where there is usually a box in the way for the tv screen stuff I think. We flew WestJet b/c Air Canada don't allow pets in the cabin anymore (they stopped last year I think).

Tiki was great during the flight. She didn't make a sound and didn't try and get out of her carrier. She just slept the whole time, curled up in a ball. I think she was just scared, so she went into a defensive position and just kept wishing that the nightmare would end :p. I periodically pet her, but I wasn't allowed to take her out of the carrier and I was told to keep her carrier on the ground after I tried to put her carrier on my lap.

The weirdest thing about the trip was that I had to take her out of the carrier when I went through security since they had to scan the carrier and it would've have been a good idea for her to be in it when that happened :p. It was kinda strange walking through the metal detector holding a kitten! I didn't have her on leash, so I had to just hope that she wouldn't struggle and jump out of my arms. Again, I think she was just scared, so she was basically a stuffed animal and didn't move. Luckily, we didn't beep, so we didn't have to endure any additional scrutiny.

Tiki's doing great here now. She likes the extra space to roam around, but still mostly follows me around. She's made my room her home base, much to Mi-Mi's chagrin, as it was previously her main sleeping quarters while I am here. Tiki and Tiggy get along quite well now, it took a few days, but they're fine together now. No unforced cuddling yet, but they still have another week and a half or so to work that out. Mi-Mi does not like the new addition at all and Tiki growls and hisses at her in return. The girls fight over me :p

Oh, and I'm up at 4am b/c I'm waiting for my laundry to finish since Mi-Mi peed on my bed again, just like old times... Fortunately, my pillow was spared this time.

Stop whining about the weather

All I hear are all these wimps in Toronto complaining about how cold it is. Please. -10 is not cold. Don't complain to me about the weather unless it's at least -30 outside before the windchill.

Let's compare the current temperatures in Toronto and Winnipeg:

People in Toronto think this is FREEZING

People in Winnipeg think this is normal

They didn't even issue a cold warning in Winnipeg for this (like they did in Toronto last week for something like -10) because they aren't wusses over there. You are in Canada and it's December, deal with the cold!

Chris and Dayna's Wedding

The happy couple tying the knot

The high school shot

The cool kids.... eating Popeye candy sticks :p

My mosquito collection collected in the last few min. of the reception. I had forgotten was it was like to get bitten so bad.

More pictures

I've been procrastinating blogging for quite some time and I'm gonna get back into it now. What always makes me stop blogging is when something big happens and there are a lot of pictures. I feel obliged to put captions on the pics and write about the event, but I get lazy and keep putting it off. More often then not, I then don't even post about it (like trips), but I'm posting at least something this time.

Way back on July 15th, Chris and Dayna got married. It was a very nice ceremony at a beautiful outdoor place at Bird's Hill Park, about 45 min. outside of Winnipeg. My story about Chris is that we went to high school together, but we didn't become friends until we were in undergrad together in computer engineering. He came across to me as arrogant in high school, I was told by this girl, who I may have had a crush on for a while, not to like him, and we did not hang out in the same crowd. But come university, I found out the kind of guy he actually was, and he's a good guy that I have much respect for, and we've been good friends since. My story about Dayna is that on New Year's 2005 (2004?), which I think is when I met her, we were at Rob's, had a little too much to drink and fell asleep on the couch together... right in front of Chris :p. Apparently that's why she doesn't drink with us anymore :p. They're a cute couple and I think they suit each other well.

Something I find interesting is the perspective that people have about me depending on how they know me. I was at Chris and Dayna's house in the morning after the wedding for brunch with a bunch of other people and at some point got to talking to Chris's mom for a bit. Although I hadn't talked to her before, she knew about me through Chris since we were friends and had schooled together for 7 years. She later proceeded to tell other people (relatives I think) when they joined the conversation that I had gone here and here to work and stuff. I found it a bit odd, but amusing at the same time. I guess I just haven't been around parents for a while, especially ones who's knowledge of me is almost purely academic. In Toronto, most people know me outside of academia and I think they have a different view of me.

After blading home after the brunch, I got caught up in some tar on the road and took a bit of a fall. I blame the bad roads in Winnipeg, my old rollerblades, and the fact that I wasn't paying attention. I should've used my concrete volleyball experience and rolled instead of just breaking my fall by sticking my hands out. Over two weeks later and my hand is still scabbed.

Semi-Annual Engineering Dinner Summer 2007 Edition

Vince, Greg, Debbie, Anthony (Debbie's fiance), and Andrew

Vince, Andy, and Florence

Vince, Vanessa, and Erlyn

Alfred, Alice, Becky, and Alvin

As per tradition, a couple of us engineers that went to undergrad together got together for dinner yesterday. This time, the crowd was quite different than usual and I saw several people that I haven't seen since we graduated! I think we had a new record this time with 11 iron rings! We would've had more, but a number of the usuals (Chris, Rob, Kevin, Fan, Nusraat, and Rostecki) couldn't make it for various reasons (out of town, fiance's birthday, baseball, illness).

It all started maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago. Debbie, who I haven't seen since undergrad, found me on facebook (everyone's on facebook now!) and we got to talking and it just so happened that I was gonna be in Winnipeg soon and I told her of the semi-annual engineering dinners that I have been organizing. We combined forces this time and got together a good crowd of 16 in total. We had some issues with the restuarant, Joey's at Polo Park, b/c they didn't take reservations (though they said ahead of time that they could handle us) and the tables were small and not together. People were even cliquier than usual b/c of the small tables. People just sat with people that they see all the time (a natural tendency). The one exception was my table where no one, aside from the couple, had barely even seen or talked with anyone else since undergrad. That's how it's supposed to be, reconnecting with people. It's not much better when we have a big long table b/c you can't talk to very many people. I think next time, I'll host a dinner at my house or something. Maybe do a potluck and get people walking around more. It'll be tougher though b/c it'll be near Christmas and I'll only be able to properly host it on a Saturday...

Today's amusing quotes

...and how old are you now? (as if talking to a 12 year old)

-- New girl at the dentist's office

Is this for a gift registry? (was it that obvious??)

-- Cashier

I have no idea what it is or what to do about it.

-- Periodontist

Can you review 4 conference papers for me by the end of the day?

-- Prof

What happens in Grand Forks, stays in Grand Forks, except what gets posted online :)

Chris, the stag

Rob, the driver and best man

Justin, the onion enthusiast

Vince, the light weight

Golf carts made it much easier to find balls

Cactus Blossom!

10:30pm

Second wind: Chris and the ladies. Too bad one was married and the other was engaged. I somehow got the married one to buy us like a dozen drinks :)

More pictures

We went on a road trip to Grand Forks, North Dakota (USA) for Chris's stag (bachelor party).

Things overheard during the weekend:

• Rob: "Don't you know you're not allowed to take pictures at a stag?"


• Rob: "What happens in Grand Forks, stays in Grand Forks"


• Vince: "This is going on my blog"


• Chris: "Baja Rosa?"


• Chris: "Did you know your Mom and sister were gonna be here?"


• Rob: "No..."


• Vince: "They're the entertainment"


• "Let's put Gatorade-vodka in our Nalgenes and bring them on the golf course"


• "Golf... or something like it. The sequel."


• Chris: "Maybe you are left handed"


• Vince: "Stop driving over my golf ball."


• Vince: "Where's the key?"


• Hotel desk: "This is the group that may have problems tomorrow morning"


• Justin: "This is my 3rd Nalgene"


• Chris: "Mystery shots!"


• Vince: "I've never been so drunk in a restaurant before"


• Justin: "Cactus Blossom!"


• Chris: "Sandy will be very disappointed"


• Rob: "I can't believe you fit in that shopping cart"


• Chris: "Hit me"


• Vince: "I won 5 bucks!"


• Rob: "I won 50 bucks!"


• Chris: "Lost $45"


• Justin: "25"


• Chris: "The guy could've given me 1's and I wouldn't have known"


• Girl: "If I buy your friends shots, will they drink it?"


• Vince: "I somehow got a married woman to buy us like a dozen shots"


• "What's in a Chuck Norris shot?"


• Chris: "She made me do it!"


• Vince: "Are you on facebook?"


• Mr Clean: "I'll show you a picture"


• Rob: "Sleep on your back"


• Vince: "The bathroom door was locked, I don't know how you got in"


• Chris: "I really had to get in"


• Vince: "I was half naked going into the shower"


• Rob: "Transformers is the best movie ever!"


• Chris: "My heart hurts"


• Rob: "Too bad all the women we met were married or engaged"


• Vince: "I've slept with the bride and the groom"


• Justin: "With copious amounts of alcohol, you all turn gay"

Losing my Winnipegness

I'm back in Winnipeg for the next week and a half for Chris's wedding, as well as to visit family, friends, and pets. I discovered that I'm losing my Winnipegness. I asked Jill whether she was getting Internet for her new home from Rogers or Bell. First, she pointed out her allegiance to MTS, which is the telephone company that provides DSL service in Manitoba, not Bell. Not sure how I missed that considering that I worked for them back in 2nd year (well, Bell and MTS have affiliations). Second, Shaw provides cable service in Manitoba, not Rogers. I would've fared better if I had said Videon :p. Jill said that I was "sooo eastern now". I've been in Toronto too long...

Things in Winnipeg are the same as always. Mittens hasn't fully warmed up to me yet. It usually takes a day for her to re-accustom herself with me, and then she is glued to my bed.

Going to Grand Forks tomorrow for the stag. My schedule's pretty free otherwise, especially during the day since I'm a bum and other people have "work". Let me know when you're free and we'll meet up.

The return of the number 3!

Shaftesbury High School Uniform

Toronto Warriors Uniform

After a nearly 8 year hiatus, the number 3 jersey is coming out of retirement!

I have my first 9-man volleyball tournament this weekend! It's the Canada Day tournament held annually in Toronto. All the Toronto teams participate and sometimes teams from Montreal. We're playing Saturday and Sunday in the parking lot of Rick Hansen Secondary School out in Mississauga. There'll literally be hundreds of Asian guys and girls playing volleyball on concrete. It'll be good times :). Come out and watch if you're in the area!