Life as J

It's that time of year again. Time to get together with family and friends, and celebrate the spirit of the holidays. What is the holiday spirit these days, though? What are people embracing these days? What are they thankful for? I am thankful for my family - I'm glad that I get to spend time with them. I will also be celebrating all the success that 2007 brought - everything good that happened. They say this is the season to forgive and forget, be merry and giving. I always try my best to spread some cheer, be it dropping off candy canes at work or sending Christmas cards. I guess I have to admit, it's getting harder and harder each year to keep up the holiday spirit. I'm not sure if it has to do with getting older, and everyone else getting older and being laden with more and more responsibilities. Or perhaps it's because everything costs so much these days - there isn't much left over for goodwill. I've mentioned rising prices in a previous post...

Time certainly flies by. Thanksgiving passed in a blink - as did Halloween. Now, the festive holiday spirit is descending upon us. With the holiday spirit comes shopping. All around the world, retailers and merchants are gleefully adorning their stores with decorations to lure wallets to cash registers. The infectious spending is hard to avoid, especially with the Canadian Dollar at such a high against the US greenback. I think the close of business today brought the number to $1.09. I figured I'd stick in a mention about this historical event (even though it is a bit of old news), this promising parity, that has finally come after more than 30 years. In my lifetime, prior to this period, I had always assumed buying anything State-side would cost me more as a Canadian. Evidence was everywhere - the dual pricing for North Americans appears on books, cards, music, etc. Over the past year, the gap between the rival dollars diminished until they met on even ground. Despite the ...

It's funny - whenever I hear people talk about rain, they either love it or hate it. I think I'm on the fence, but I probably lean more towards appreciating the showers. Of course, that's if the rain doesn't ruin a long weekend or vacation, which seems to be a looming given for Thanksgiving. People always talk about the rain in Vancouver, and I never really noticed it until I went away, as I think I've mentioned briefly before. After being away, I didn't realize that Vancouver received more rain, I instead was kind of shocked at the lack of rain in other places. I found myself waiting for a rainy day, but never encountering the pitter-pattering of drops. In places where snow is a substitute for rain, I wished for wet instead of white. Then, there were places that seemed to be blessed with everlasting sunshine. Even then, I found the dryness to be too much - plants need rain even if us humans prefer the sun. Without Mother Nature's occasional sprinkle ...

Is hard work really its own reward? I like to think that I'm pretty diligent whenever I put my mind to it. I try to work efficiently and do my part, both to benefit others and also to keep myself challenged. I suppose the latter is another way of saying that I hate being bored. Hard work is certainly one way to battle doldrums. Of course, hard work doesn't necessarily lead to reward though. Yes, getting acknowledgement for your efforts is great - it's nice to be appreciated. But what if you slog for hours and don't ever get to enjoy the benefits? What then? Fortunately, this may not be the case in your life or mine, but it does happen all too often. What is a person to do if they're in this situation? We live in a country where, for some, there is recourse. In the form of strikes, which may or may not result in better conditions for the worker. This is only a privilege for those belonging to unions though. What about everyone else? According to a snippe...

No, I didn't forget to think of a title, I intentionally decided to label this post vaguely, with a hint of familiarity to add confusion. It's more that I'm not sure what I want to write, or what exactly is going to flow out of the keyboard from my brain. I realized a few days ago that I have too much on my mind, such that it's keeping me from my sleep. I want to sleep, and being able to do so should come easily when I'm tired, but it's just not happening. Instead, random incessant thoughts hammer at me while I'm supposed to be dreaming, so I figured I should start blogging regularly again. Perhaps that's the missing link - here's hoping that I'm right. Nothing too much has happened lately - this weekend was the first really rainy weekend, signifying that fall has indeed arrived. How better to while away the time than to watch films? Yes, films, not movies. Why the distinction? Because the Vancouver International Film Festival is upon us,...

Yes, you know that this post is going to be a hoot because the title is so exciting. Well, you'll see! I haven't been up to too much since my last post - just a couple of things to pass the time whenever I'm not at work. Work itself is actually going very smoothly; I had no trouble settling into a routine and stepping into the rhythm of the workplace. I guess the most surprising thing is that I don't have that itch to head back to school - which others warned me about. I suppose my overall comfort could be attributed to a decently-balanced life, in regards to work and otherwise. Over the summer, I was able to travel a bit (other than to Asia), and I finally got the chance to catch up on stuff I've missed in Vancouver during my university years. Of course, I went to see the fireworks in English Bay during the Celebration of Light . The event certainly has gotten bigger in the past few years, with an average attendance of 400,000 per show! As such, it was crazy ...

Literally. If you're in Vancouver, that is, courtesy of the Canadian Union of Public Employees ( CUPE ), who have been on a strike longer than some marriages. Thus, the uncollected garbage all over the city is sitting around developing a pungent stench. There are so many questions that could be asked. Why wasn't garbage collection classified an essential service, preventing any occurrence of a stinky strike? Who keeps walking away from negotiations, prolonging the strike? Should this much power belong to unions? If the majority of affected constituents are (understandably) angered by this strike, do they have the power to counteract? What is the government doing to ensure this type of long-term labour dispute doesn't happen again in few years? Let's try to address the first question. According to the Canada Labour Code Review : "In British Columbia, the provincial board can designate essential services that are deemed necessary to prevent immediate and seri...

After gaining valuable experience with a seasoned car salesman, I felt more prepared when the time actually came for me to buy the car I wanted. I was fairly sure that I wanted a 2007 Honda Civic as my first car, not just because the redesigned sedan is easy on the eyes, but also because of the model's fuel efficiency. I never really considered buying a hybrid car just because the cost savings (or lack thereof), as calculated by more than a few people, were enough to convince me against the seemingly eco -friendly vehicles. Besides, the extra cash involved in buying a hybrid was just not in my budget! I haven't been working for long enough yet. In addition to the Civic, I also tested a couple of other cars - but in the end, I discovered that the oft-stolen car's reputation was well-deserved. The Honda engine has been lauded in the past, and it didn't disappoint - the 1.8L engine was more than enough for me, and it had a cool feature that was quite enticing for the c...

Everyone talks about their sleaziness, their ability to cheat their customers. I never believed it until I had to deal with the worst of the worst. Lately, I've been going to car dealerships, seeking out the perfect automobile to suit my needs at a reasonable price. I had already talked to a few salesmen, but wasn't quite satisfied with the results. More determined, I decided to try my bargaining skills. It turns out I picked the wrong dealership to try this tactic. Apparently, the salesman I picked was a veteran - ten years in the business, with all the tricks you could ever dream of. After naming my seemingly ridiculous price, approximately one thousand dollars below the market value, I was prepared to be laughed at. True to my prediction, he said the deal couldn't be done, but that he would ask his manager, if I was serious. In the business, to show your solemnity, you are expected to hand over your credit card to prove you have a method of payment. I did. When h...

Sorry for the lack of updates. After returning from the trip to Asia, I attended my convocation, and have since been catching up on rest. Prior to the convocation ceremony, I was caught up in the excitement and anticipation of the event, alongside my family. I recalled little snippets of conversation I had shared with previous alumni about what took place and how they felt at the time. I was looking forward to showing my family the place I called home for five years, where I studied and created memories. When the day finally arrived, time became the most important factor. The ticking hands would dictate where we would go, what we could eat, etc. Instead of checking out the campus, extra time turned into frantic transit time. At least I was able to see some of my friends while waiting for the procession to begin, but I noticed that some things were missing. For example, we were never given hats. We didn't have the chance to move the tassel from one side to the other as we cr...

I know I promised to post pictures - so instead of creating new posts, I've edited the previous posts. Enjoy!

After the Penang trip, we headed back to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate a friend's birthday at the Shangri -La hotel. The buffet was as spectacular as the ones I saw in the other Shangri -La hotels - decorated with a modern theme and serving all different kinds of international cuisine. I myself went straight for the seafood, followed by dessert, then repeated that.. several times. Ensuring my stomach had all it could take, I proceeded to spend the rest of my brief time in Malaysia with family friends, shopping, and of course, eating some more. The last stop before we headed out to Singapore was the Pasa Malam in SS2, otherwise known as a night market. The difference between this night market and others is that it is much larger than normal markets and it has a huge variety of both shops and food. Pictured below are the shops, the covered eating area, and a freshly grilled plate of satay. On a satisfied stomach, we left for Singapore in style - that is, on an Aeroline coach. ...

I thought I had been eating a lot every meal until I experienced life in Penang . I've put major emphasis on food in Asia thus far, and I would say that I have now reached the climax of my trip. Each meal of the three days I spent in Penang consisted of sumptuous local specialties never to be found elsewhere. I know becoming civilized and developing a country is generally a positive thing, but in doing so, the culture is diminished. By culture, of course, I mean food. In Penang , thankfully, the law isn't very strongly enforced so generations of food-making can still be found on the sides of streets. Health officials don't disrupt the cooking process so the tastiest, artery-clogging ingredients are served to the hungry customers. It's a beautiful thing, trust me. It sounds terribly dangerous to your health, but the rich flavour of the food is worth a little bit of stomach pain. You could always cook your own food, but it would never taste the same. Almost every...

Sorry I haven't been updating for awhile! I spent a week in Singapore and thoroughly enjoyed the food and shopping. I ended up visiting a ton of different places including Esplanade (Singapore's new center of art), Marina Square, Suntec Convention Centre, and Bugis Street. We also took a day trip to Sentosa Island - home of the famous Singapore Merlion! I was finally able to eat my favourite dessert - the peanut pancake. Other than desserts, I was also able to try curry laksa (much better than what you can get in Waterloo!), fresh sugarcane juice, and grilled stingray. Yep, those flat fish you find at the bottom of the ocean. After feasting and padding my stomach, I headed to visit my mother's relatives in Malaysia. The first stop was Kuala Lumpur , but getting there was no small feat. Caving to family pressure, we secured bus tickets from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur with the coach company Sri Maju . This coach was supposed to take us on a five-hour journey to the...

It seems all of my flights associated with Taipei require me to get up at 5 in the morning. When it came time for me to fly to Singapore - I had to rise before the sun once again in order to catch my flight. One plus though - I was able to meet up with my mom at the airport! The travel time to Singapore was only 4 hours, so it wasn't long before I stepped into English territory. By that, I mean that by speaking English, I was no longer speaking a foreign language. Also, I could understand all the signs! Hooray! After a quick lunch at the airport, we dropped off our stuff at our temporary apartment and then went to visit my cousin's store. On the way, I was acutely aware that my memory isn't quite as good as it used to be! I remember certain places in Singapore (which, miraculously, have not changed much) but have absolutely no recollection of their surrounding areas! Of course, things have obviously developed in the seven years I haven't seen the country, but I ...