The Wandering Engineer

Settled In and Visiting Ottawa

2006-08-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a really busy week for me. I finally moved into my long term apartment. I now live in a Concord Pacific development called "Cityplace". It's literally right next to the skydome and in the heart of all the action of downtown Toronto. Now I have myself a car to commute to work and a place to call home. I can now focus on making the most of my time in Toronto.

I spent this past weekend in Ottawa. I've never been there before and I thought I should visit there being the proud Canadian that I am. Ottawa was nice. It reminds me of a bigger version of Victoria. I pretty much saw everything in one day; the parliament, Rideau Hall, etc. Not really much to do there after the sightseeing was over but it was nice to be in a relaxed environment for once.

I went with my European flatmate and we stayed in a charming B&B. It only cost us $35/night and we got breakfast, our own private room, TV, A/C, and warm hospitality. Considering the hostel would cost about $25/night, we thought this was a really good deal. During the day we saw the sights. At night, we went out for drinks. I did check out the nightlife briefly and all I saw were young girls in really short skirts. Normally, I'm not against that but these girls were far to young and I prefer to party with a mature crowd these days. On the next day, we drove out to Gatineau Park which is about 30 min from Ottawa. We kayaked across an entire lake and then spent the rest of the afternoon resting on the beach. Again, it was nice to get out of the city, see some nature, and be active. My flatmate loved the nature but I can't say it wowed me since Vancouver is so much more beautiful. It's funny because I'm starting to feel homesick. Thinking about the beauty of Vancouver makes me even more homesick.

Another 2 Weeks in the T.dot

2006-07-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

I've been living in Toronto for almost a month now and I'm still enjoying it. Some highlights from the past 2 weeks:

I went to Niagara falls last weekend with my flatmates. I thought the falls were beautiful but the area is one big tourist trap that it ruined some of the beauty. The highlight was definitely the Maid of the Mist tour since it brought you up close and personal with the falls.
I had my first visitor from Vancouver. We chilled on Toronto island and then sampled one of Toronto's sushi restaurants. I loved the restaurant since they give you samples of food "on the house".
I finally bought a car. 2002 Honda Civic LX. That should get me to and from work.
Eating sushi with my flatmates. My flatmates come from the following countries: Germany, Scotland, Netherlands, Mexico. Some of them never had sushi before and I was impressed when they jumped in and ate the raw stuff right away. Also, watching them try and use chopsticks was priceless.
Went to another nightclub on the weekend. The place was just okay (if it were awesome I would remember the name) but I like how in Toronto they have promoters on the street working for your business. The promoter got us into the club with no cover and no line. Since I had already done lots of pre-drinking at the house, it made for a cheap night.
Went to a bar called the Brunswick which is a few blocks from the house for a going away party for one of the flatmates. We went on Monday but considering it's a work day I tried not to stay out late that evening. However, as is always the case with these things I ended up drinking more and staying out later than I had originally planned. I was so tired at work the next day that it brings me to the reality that I'm not as young as I used to be.

On August 1st, I'll be moving into my new apartment and I'm excited about moving into a new place. The only problem my bedroom is not furnished so I might be sleeping on the floor for a few nights. I'm also making plans to visit Ottawa next weekend and then Montreal in early September. I'll hopefully get some pictures up soon so you can see the madness.

T.

2006-07-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'm having trouble understanding why everyone rags on Toronto since I'm having a really good time here. I can't say it's better than Vancouver since each has their own strengths and weaknesses. All I can say is the two cities are different. I'm currently staying in this dorm like housing right by UofT and I must admit this place is a dive. I've stayed in my fair share of dodgy hostels and this place ranks up there with the rest of them. I was almost tempted to leave until I saw all the good looking european women stayin in the place. That convinced me to "tough" it out for a month. I've gotten used to the place now so it's not longer that bad although I'm still annoyed people take your food and beer from the fridge.

Some highlights of my stay so far:

As soon as I got to my residence, I dropped off my bags in my room and joined a porch party that was going on. Seconds later I was talking to 5 English girls.
I found out the hard way my room didn't come with a pillow or linens. I was forced to sleep on my clothes on my first night.
Went to a bar called the Madison with my flatmates. It's 3 old Victorian homes joined together to form an incredible bar. I was amazed. Apparently, it's an institution in downtown and it instantly become one of my favorite bars... in the world.
Nursed a hangover the next day by going to Toronto island with my flatmates. It's quite pretty there with lots of greenspace and beaches. In the spirit of the world cup, we spent an afternoon playing beach soccer. I scored 2 goals.
Started my new job... I like it.
Walked around UofT. I didn't realize how pretty the campus is.
Went to my first Toronto night club called "Picadilly Circus". Felt like a grown up UBC Pit Pub Night. It was packed and at one point in the night the hot bartenders got up on the bar and did a coyote ugly routine for us. It was hot.
World cup final! I live with a few French people so we went to a french bar to cheer on France. I loved the atmosphere. It's too bad france lost since it would have been a really fun night that evening.
Coming home from work and drinking beer on the porch with the flamates.

The fun have been having really comes from having good flatmates. Many of them are travelers who are working/studying in Toronto for the summer. They come from all over the world: Europe, Australia, Africa, etc. I think I'm only one of a few Canadians living there and I love meeting and learning all these different cultures. They have definitely eased my transition into a new city and I'm almost tempted to stay another month... however, I can only stay in shared accomodations for so long and I've already signed a new lease starting in Aug. I move out on the 1st and then I would love to entertain guests since that place is 100x nicer.

Free Calling in the US and Canada

2006-05-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Every so often, there emerges a technology so disruptive that it shakes up the industry. Today, Skype just announced free calls to anywhere in the US and Canada. In short, it's an announcement worth blogging about. While I don't expect the masses to ditch their landlines for Skype anytime soon, I expect it will increase awareness of VoIP and make the traditional telcos think. Telcos have spent millions of dollars to create their networks and it's tough to compete against free. Skype's free calling is available until the end of the year so I look forward to see how this experiment turns out. The telephone landscape could change sooner than expected.

Moving To Toronto

2006-05-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

Everything is finally confirmed and I'm moving to Toronto on the July long weekend. I'm taking a new job there (still with the same company) and I will be living there for at least a year, maybe more if I like it. My original plan was to move in Feb 2007 and I've been keeping this news on the down low since I had nothing confirmed up to this point. However, on the recommendation of my boss, I've moved my plans up a few months and it's now finally starting to sink in. Some people think I'm crazy to leave Vancouver but I have my reasons. I'll offer the main ones:

I like the job. I'm moving into a sales roles which allows me to apply my technical experience in a customer facing setting. I feel this experience is the next logical step in my career.
I want to live in a new city. I've spent all my life in Vancouver and have never seen this great country of Canada. I've traveled a bit but traveling is different than living in a another city. I wanted to move out. If I'm going to think, I might as well think big so I'm moving to a whole new province.
I want a different work environment. Out east, I've heard the office has a small start-up feel with no union presence. It's a very different dynamic than in the west. I want to be part of that growth.
I want to travel. One great thing about the east coast is the cities are much closer together. Within 4 hours, I can travel to Montreal and Ottawa. With a short plane ride, I can visit NY and Boston. Across the pond is Europe. As a travel junkie, moving out east opens up many more travel opportunities.
I want a challenge. For me, Toronto represents a big challenge. It's the biggest city in Canada and probably one of the most unforgiving. I want to see if I can play with the big dawgs... and possibly even beat them.

The thought of leaving Vancouver for a new city with nothing but a few possessions is exciting and liberating. My decision to leave is motivated by career and personal goals. Anyone care to follow?

My Tivo Thinks I'm Gay

2006-05-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

My team at work has recently received a Tivo for evaluation. One of the features of the Tivo is 'profiling' where it extrapolates your viewing history and automatically records show it predicts you will like. Playing with the Tivo the other day, I noticed that it had recorded and suggested several gay shows in it's menu. First thing that came to mind was this is strange but it could be that someone in my group is gay and I just don't know it... not that there is anything wrong with that. However, after doing a simple search on Google, I found out that this problem is quite common and there are numerous articles on what to do if your Tivo thinks your gay. (BTW: no one on my team is gay.) I would say the most embarrasing part of having your Tivo think your gay is when you show other groups at work the features of the Tivo. Unaware of the Tivo problem, they often give you strange looks as they see a list of gay programming that one has to see to appreciate. The only solution I can think of to fix this problem is to record lots and lots of heterosexual porn. However, since that is not appropriate for work, this problem will probably be around for some time.

Vancouver Housing

2006-04-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

After doing some random internet surfing one day, I stumbled across this blog about Vancouver Housing. The author takes a bearish position on real estate but he offers many facts and data to support his arguments. Reading his blog resurrected my idea of getting into the real estate market. However, after talking with some people who are in a position that I would realistically be in I have found the following data (which is by no means comprehensive):

If I were to spend $250K for a condo in either kits or downtown, I would end up paying roughly $1500/month to live. That number is based on 25% down and includes mortage payments, strata fees, and property taxes. However, if I were to rent a place in either of those two areas, I could find a place anywhere between $800 - $1000.

Given those numbers, I am going to choose to rent at this point in time. My reason is primarily a lifestyle choice. I am very aware of my monthly cash flow and paying $1500/month to live would make me working poor. I would not have much money left for savings and I would not be able to afford to travel. Also, as a single income earner having a mortgage puts me in a slighly precarious situation. Should interest rates go up (which it looks like it will continue to do), or should strata fees go up (which they almost invariable do), or should the economy start moving downwards (possible since it's normally cyclic), it would significantly affect my cash flow. Finally, my final reason for choosing to rent is mobility. Having a mortgage effectively ties me down in Vancouver. It would be hard for me to rent my place for a price high enough to cover my payments. Why rent for $1500 when you can rent for $1000? Unfortunately, I do not have enough money to make a larger down payment to bring down my monthly payments and I can't afford to take a loss. Renting, however, allows me to live with fewer strings attached and I am free to move around the world which is something I would like to do because I feel gaining a global perspective is a valuable educational experience.

I do not know if there is a housing bubble in Vancouver. Even though the 'experts' say there is no bubble, the irrational behavior of some people in Vancouver (like who waits in line for the privilige of making an offer of over $250K for condo that borders the Vancouver East side - see Woodwards development) reminds of the greed of the Dot Com Era and leads me to believe there is a bubble. I will not try and predict the market and my inaction of not buying a place could very well price me out of the market. I also do not mean to sound pro-rent since I'd rather own and build equity. However, the numbers that I have crunched and the lifestyle I want to live tell me that renting is the way to go for me so renting is the option I will choose for now.

9/11 Conspiracy Theories

2006-04-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

My friend told me about this video found on Google Videos presenting an interesting conspiracy on the attack of 9/11. It's about an hour long but definitely worth the watch.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4692467109707634632&q=loose+911&pl=true

Illegal Immigrants

2006-04-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting interview on Anderson 360 (news show on CNN) on the subject of Illegal immigrants. The host of the show Anderson was summarizing the current popular position of the American People on how America needs to build more defenses along the Mexican border to prevent illegal immigrants from entering America and taking our jobs, blah,blah, blah and to stop the terrorists from Mexico. The interviewee had a interesting rebuttal in saying that 2 terrorists have entered from the Canadian border while none have entered from the Mexico side. Given those facts, how come America is not building a wall at the Canadian border if that's where all the terrorists are coming from? If you want to talk safety and protect America from the terrorists, how come Canada is completely left out of the picture. Anderson, knowing he wasn't going to win that argument, quickly changed the subject which was extremely entertaining since it was so obvious.

SNL had a funnier view on the subject of illegal immigrants. A character playing the Mexican President said that Mexicans don't go to America to take jobs away from American; Mexicans go to America to follow the "boobs" after they see American Girls flashing them on Spring Break.

New Apple Toys

2006-02-28T21:43:00.000-08:00

Apple annouced new intel mini macs today. I've been looking into buying a new computer and I'm really interested in buying a Mac. Yes, I've succumbed to the hype. I was hoping the new mini macs would double as a media center complete with PVR but after looking at the specs I believe the iMac to be a better value. Faster CPU, more hard disk space, better video card, LCD monitor, etc. I know I can build a cheaper PC with the same specs but with Windows Vista just around the corner I'd rather wait a year or so until the PC world re-stabilizes again. Lots of interesting PC technologies in the pipeline to exploit the ridculous requirements of Vista: Virtualization in chips, new sockets on motherboards, SATA2, etc. In the meantime, I can use my good looking Mac to do what I need to do and a Mac would complete my collection of computers. I would have 2 windows computers, a linux box, and a Mac. What else would I need?

House Party Etiquette

2006-02-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

So I went to this house party this past weekend. It was in an empty house in the British Properties so it was pretty pimp. About 50 or so people there and I thought the party was pretty good. However, someone stole my beers. I guess I've softened up a bit since the last couple house parties I've been to, I've stored my beers in the fridge and everyone respected each other's alcohol. This recent experience of someone taking my beers brings me back to my first years at UBC where I goto res/house parties where everyone would guard their alcohol like hawk. Hopefully, people will learn to follow house party etiquette or else I will be force to go back to my possessive ways or take someone else's beer so I don't sober up too fast.

Olympics 2006

2006-02-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

Another Olympics is upon us and I still don't understand the sport of Men's 2-Man Luge. One man on top of another each wearing spandex tights? Seems so Brokeback Mountain to me. Even if I got over the homosexual overtones of the sport, why stop at two? Why not have 3 man luge, or 4 man luge? Imagine... 6 man luge! I should point out that I have nothing against the sport of luge. The idea of going fast from Point A to Point B on a sled sounds like a very guy thing to do. However, I'm going to suggest a spin on this sport: (Hot) Lesbian Luge. Now that's alliteration at it's finest.

What Filipino Food am I?

2006-02-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

Pinakbet: A mixture of vegetables that include:

bittermelon, eggplant, and squash

Which Filipino Food Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Stupid is as Stupid does

2006-02-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

A Louisiana man has filed a lawsuit claiming that the iPod has damaged his hearing. This sounds strikingly similiar to the "McDonald's made me fat" lawsuit awhile back. Why is it that silly lawsuits such as this always seem to come from America? Can't people in America take responsibility for their own actions anymore? Last time I checked, there was no one forcing me to turn up the volume so loud on my iPod that it damages my hearing. But why stop with just the iPod? Why don't we sue the entire MP3 player industry instead since they are the greatest threat since Hitler! Efforts such as this are equally as important as the fight against circumcisions. See you at the next rally.

Keira Knightly for Best Actress

2006-01-31T19:33:00.000-08:00

The oscar nominations came out today. I was pleasantly surprised to see Keira Knightly nominated for Best Actress for her role in the movie Pride and Prejudice. Could there be a more natural role for her? In a perfect world, all movies would star Kiera Knightly (and Natalie Portman) so she gets my vote to win. In the words of Peter Griffin, I'd like to say to the academy when casting their votes.... "C'mon... C'mon... C'mon".

Another surprise to me was the popularity of Brokeback Mountain which scored a total of 8 nominations. I've seen this movie but found it very drawn out and dull. I do agree it's broken a few movie barriers since it's the first mainstream openly gay movie I've seen. It's more shocking that the gay couple consists of two actors who normally play very macho roles. I'll keep an open mind to any movie but I just found the story too slow that I couldn't appreciate the art behind the movie and I can't recommend it. To me, the only message I got was "Cowboys can be Gay too". In case you're wondering, it was not my choice to see this movie. I wanted to see King Kong but my friend (a girl) wanted to see Brokeback Mountain. To settle the dispute, we did rock-scissors-paper best two-out-of-three and I lost. Honestly, I didn't even know the movie was about gay cowboys. After several gay overtones, it wasn't until (pardon the pun) the climax that I figured what the movie was about. You better believe I'm choosing the next movie between the two of us and it's going to consist of many gun fights, car chases, and bad acting.

If I could suggest a modification to Brokeback Mountain, what if we changed the story to Lesbian Cowgirls starring Kiera Knightly and Natalie Portman? Now that would definitely win oscars.

Happy Chinese New Year

2006-01-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

Too all my chinese friends out there, Happy Chinese New Year. I'm jealous that I don't get those red envelopes.

To those who have wished me a happy new year because they thought I was chinese (in their defence, I look chinese), I hate to break this to you but I'm not chinese. My last name is Alfonso and there is nothing chinese about that. I do appreciate the greeting though. In case you're wondering what nationality I am: I'm Canadian. If you want to know what my background is, it's an asian country with spanish roots. I'll leave out the country as an exercise for the reader.

Bad to Worse to Just Plain Sucks

2006-01-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Do you ever just have one of those bad days? This was my day today...

I was on my way to UBC to assist with my company's booth at their annual tech career fair. As I was waiting for the green light at the intersection of Victoria and Marine Dr, my car engine died and I couldn't start it anymore. Not the best place to be during rush hour. Naturally, other cars tried to go around me since my car wasn't moving anymore. However, one car hit my back corner and took out my tail light so now I'm in a car accident. Thankfully, a police officer came by to help get the car off busy Marine Dr but after I had gotten all the information from the other driver I had to get my car towed. After my car was towed away, I called ICBC to make my claim and then headed off to UBC to recruit some students. I was late arriving at UBC of course. After the day was over, I had to get my car from the lot and towed to the mechanic. Unfortunately, I had left my registration papers at my house so I couldn't get my car released when I wanted. I waited about an hour before my Dad could get the papers to me so I treated myself to some McDonalds as I waited. Once we got the paperwork out of the way, I finally got my car towed to the mechanic where it sits waiting to be fixed and examined by ICBC. Because getting my car to the mechanic took much longer than I expected, I had to cancel my shift at GM Place so I missed a Coldplay concert tonight. That sucks.

Needless to say, I've had better days. But there are some positives to the day: No one was hurt in the accident. The lady I spoke with at ICBC was very friendly and I felt she gave me excellent service. I purchased this extra Roadside Plus package when I renewed my insurance and it paid off since it will the cover the cost of my towings. I qualified for an ICBC express claim which means I don't need to go to an ICBC center provided I go to a certified shop. The bodyshop next to my mechanic is certified so I can get all the necessary work done to my car without having to move it again. Finally, I was still able to go to UBC and meet some enthusiastic students.

Tomorrow is a new day. Anyone want to grab a beer since I can't think of a better way to end the day than by drinking the problems away.

Google Videos

2006-01-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

Do you need another way to waste time? Try out Google Videos. I don't mean to sound preachy but Google has come out with some great stuff over the past few years and it feels like they have another winner. I highly recommend the cartoon: Internet is for Porn. I haven't heard a song that catchy since "Scotty doesn't know".

Another good one is the parody of the "Priceless" commercials.

Thinking Outside the Box: Car Insurance

2006-01-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

Did you know that car insurance in Vancouver can be almost triple the cost than on the Island despite having identical coverage? It was a surprise to me and definitely a shock to those moving from the Island to Vancouver. Sounds like we're paying too much in Vancouver so during a stimulating brain storming session at lunch, we came up with some "outside of the box" fees to shift the expense from the good drivers to the bad ones.

"Ugly Fee" for any large Spoilers higher than 4 inches.
"Girth Fee" for every extra inch on your exhaust pipe that is larger than stock.
"Extra Ugly Fee" for every sticker on your car. Spoon stickers will be charged double.
"Poser Fee" for saying your car is Type 'R' when it's not.
"Richmond Fee" for every driver who lives in Richmond.

Hopefully these new ideas will generate enough extra revenue for ICBC that they will be able to lower the premiums for common driver. These new policies may also have the added benefit of making it too expensive for bad drivers (and ugly cars) to be on the road. Lower premiums and potentially better drivers? Sounds like Nirvana to me.

Happy New Year

2005-12-31T13:16:00.000-08:00

Overall, I would have to say this was a great year. I got to travel for 3 months, ended one career and started a new one, and still made enough money that I'm not under any financial stress. I'm going to remember drinking large bottles of beer on Roma's Spanish Steps and working riduculous crazy hours for 4 months. Yes, I had many contrasting experiences this year.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked if I could recommend anyone to fill a job position in her group. After some serious thought, I honestly could not think of anyone because I'm proud to say that all my friends are employed. I take that as a good sign that things are really positive in the tech sector right now and I hope that continues for the next few years. So to all us working for the man, I wish future success in the upcoming year!

Random Chuck Norris Facts

2005-12-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

Did you know that "Chuck Norris is not hung like a horse... horses are hung like Chuck Norris"?

Discover other amazing Chuck Norris facts here.

www.yourbodyinfocus.com

2005-10-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

One of my good friend's friends recently started a fitness and personal training company called 'Body Focus'. In addition, they just released their first book "The All Inclusive Fitness Guide" which can be purchased at Bond Books or on their website <http://www.yourbodyinfocus.com> for $19.99.

Help a couple of young Canadian entrepreneurs and check out their website and/or purchase a copy of their book. You might find something you like.

Canucks Hockey Blog

2005-10-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

With the Canucks on a roll... I'd like to plug my friend's Canucks blog. 
It's well written and I enjoy his fact based discussions on what is
good and bad about the canucks and how he dispels or supports
any rumors.

http://canuckshockey.blogspot.com

GO CANUCKS GO!!!

Attack of the Chinese Lesbians

2005-10-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

Everytime I open the paper or turn on the radio the first thing I see is some sort of strike happening in BC. One strike ends and then another begins... such is the climate in BC. I support our teachers getting a raise. It's long overdue. However, I do not support breaking the law to get their point across. The teachers can fight all they want but at the end of the day they will probably be legislated back to work and be in no better or even a worse off position from when they started striking. It's tough to work in the public sector.

On a lighter note, went to Bar None on Friday night where all our cute chinese female friends were grinding together on the dance floor. I had more fun than I expected that night.

Tojo's Japanese Restaurant

2005-09-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

I had the privilige of eating at Tojo's Japanese Restaurant this weekend. I went with my family and was looking forward to the meal since Ryan can't stop raving about their food and I value his opinion when it comes to good eating. In short, it was the best Japanese food I've ever had.

When I took my first glance at the menu, I knew it wasn't your average Japanese resturant when I couldn't find the California roll. Instead, I had to choose from items just as the Tojo Roll and the Tojo Sashimi all of which were foreign to me. Our family decided to go with the Chef's meal where the chef prepares a 5 course meal consisting of dishes that he/she chooses. They never really told us what to expect but we took a leap of faith and left our dinner to the expertise of the chef. It turned out to be a good move. We started with the Tojo tuna sashimi which consisted of tuni sashimi which melted in your mouth topped off with their own special sesame sauce. Then came a shrimp salad that was bursting with so much flavor that my brain couldn't process eveything that I was tasting. Next came a Halibut cheek in another one of their secret sauces. After that came the sushi which was the most unique sushi I have ever seen but also some of the best tasting sushi I've ever had. You have to experience it yourself to really understand what I mean. No California rolls here though; the common California roll is as welcome to this meal as Premier Campbell is to a union rally. Finally, we ended the meal with an ice cream dessert which, considering I don't really eat desserts, was a fine ending to a mouth watering experience.

On top of the great food we ate, the service was exceptional. Asian restaurants are not really known in this town for customer service but Tojo's had everything you'd expect from a world class restaurant. They warmly greeted you. Your requests were always serviced. They served you with a smile. After dining at Tojo's, it comes as no surprised that Tojo's is patronized by the rich and famous. You'll see several autographs from celebrities decorating the walls of the restaurant including one from American Idol's Ryan Seacrest. Now if Ryan Seacrest eats there, you know it must be good. 5 stars from this reviewer. Allan Out.

Edith

2005-09-23T19:56:00.001-07:00

My beautiful chinese friend wanted a shout out so I'm giving her one... in the title.

Last week, we went to a food festival last week and stuffed our faces with food from booths representing different restaurants in Vancouver. Gluttony is my new favorite sin.

Unfortunately, no chicken fried anything was available at the food festival.

Turning the other cheek

2005-09-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

I was surpried to find out that someone outside of my circle of friends actually read my blog. I was surprised since there is really nothing of interest on my blog. It's just a collection of insignificant random raves and rants. However, after reading a few of the comments left on some posts, it was pretty obvious that I had a new audience.

In response to this, I am going to turn the other cheek. I've deleted all my posts that had any negative comments. These are some stressful times for everyone and I wish not to fuel the hatred. I hear both sides of the propoganda but will not make any future comments about it. There will be no judging from me. At the end of the day, I want to believe that we are all decent human beings doing the job that is required of us.

That's some good cleavage

2005-09-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

I worked the Destiny's Child concert on Saturday. Saturday's show was supposedly their last concert together so it had a sentimental feel to it. I got lucky and got a position on the floor. Honestly, it's the best show I've seen all year. (Notice that I say show instead of concert.) They had great sets, lights, costumes, and dancing. They sang a great mix of old and new songs that they had everyone singing and participating early in the show. The audience didn't stop singing and dancing until it ended. It felt as if Destiny's Child transformed GM Place into one big night club.

Why do I think it's the best show of the year? 3 Words: Beyonce's Booty Dancing. Simply put, IT'S HOT! At the show's midpoint, they picked 3 guys from the audience to come on stage with DC. Each of these lucky bastards got a lap dance from one member of DC. Michelle did her thing. Kelly Rowland shoved her boobs in her guy's face. Beyonce booty danced between the legs of her guy. After that, each guy got to bump and grind with their member of DC. Staff were not allowed to go on stage but I would have no problems being fired for running up on stage to dance with Beyonce. What a way to go. For the rest of my life, when people ask me why I got fired from GM Place, I could reply proudly with a big smile on my face "I got fired for bumping and grinding with Beyonce".

At the end of the show, there was a shower on stage and DC proceeded to booty dance in the rain. As if the show couldn't get any hotter. DC put on a great show but the real star was Beyonce. No disrespect to the other 2 members because they were great as well but Beyonce literally stole the show. Not only did she steal the show, she looks even hotter in person than she does on TV. She's doesn't have the thin model look. Instead, she's got meat on her bones, great skin, and great curves. She could turn gay men straight and straight women into lesbians. She was flawless on Saturday night and the blue dress she wore showed off some great cleavage. (Her Spanish flamenco costume was equally beautiful.) I don't remember her boobs being that big and I kept wondering if she got them done. Whatever. She was yum.

Vancouver loses a famous Landmark

2005-09-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

I was driving down Kingsway and I noticed something was missing from the corner of Kingsway and Victoria Dr. Yes I've been away for 3 months but I didn't expect one of my favorite Vancouver landmarks to suddenly disappear. That landmark I'm talking about (which most Vancouverites know very well) is Vancouver's famous "Pho Bich Nga" restaurant. It's gone and replaced by some imitation with a boring name. What am I supposed to yell in the car now when I drive through the intersection of Kingsway and Victoria Dr? What are my friends in the back of my car going to yell when we all drive through the intersection of Kingsway and Victoria? Even though I never ate at the Pho Bich Nga, it will be missed.

I'm told it caught fire and burned down which doesn't sound too surprising considering how dodgy the restaurant looked.

R.I.P - Pho Bich Nga (??? - 2005)

Euro Trip 2005 Photos

2005-08-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

I've finally organized and uploaded my photos. I took over 1000 photos but I decided to only share about half of them so as not to bore you. I currently use Ofoto to host my pictures but if anyone knows of a better, faster host then please give me a shout.

Europe Photos Here

Back to Reality

2005-08-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

On my last day in London, my friend Justine and I watched Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical "The Woman in White". Being in London, it felt appropriate to see an Andrew Lloyd Webber show. It only came out in London last year and the Broadway premier is scheduled for this November. I won't say anything about the story except that it's a romance because I don't want to spoil anything but if you're a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's other musicals then I'm confident you would like this one as well. The music is very Webber-esque since you can hear similarties in the melodies from his other musicals. We got our tickets from the half price ticket booth in Leicester Square and you can find tickets to other good musicals there the day of for very good prices. Our seats were in the 7th row on the floor with a full view. For those who don't know I'm a fan of musicals and I'm always interested in the opportunity to watch a show. As for "The Woman in White" I can confidently say I highly recommend it.

The day of my flight home, I was feeling a little ill and didn't have much strength. It sucked that I had to carry all my bags to the train station (about a 15 min walk) and around the airport. I believe that Heathrow Airport is the world's busiest airport and all those people there didn't make me feel any better. Heathrow felt a little more crazier than usual because British Airways had grounded all their flights due to union problems. There were more people than normal in the terminal because literally people were stranded there and the first BA flights weren't scheduled to leave until 6 pm. Luckily, I didn't fly BA which I had originally thought about. It affected my flight a bit since some passengers got re-booked on my Air Canada flight. Being ill on a flight is not the best either I discovered but thankfully some extra strength tylenol helped ease the pain. Overall, my flight was really good. Very smooth with excellent take off and landing. Much better than my flight to London where the plane wobbled during decent and bounced on the landing. Must have been a better pilot.

I got home and felt much better after a shower. My first meal in Vancouver was sushi since I hadn't had sushi for 2.5 months since it was too expensive in Europe. That sushi tasted mighty good. The other food I've been craving is tacos. Europe could use some good Mexican food. The jet lag isn't too bad since I had been staying up late in Europe towards the end of my trip so going to bed around 10 pm in Vancouver would be equivalent to when I goto bed in Europe. The sunshine is really helping as well. I was so happy to see sunny Vancouver weather. I thoroughly enjoyed my ride home seeing how sunny and green and clean Vancouver was. That was until I saw the gas prices. Blimey! Over $1/L for gas. But Vancouverites can take comfort in that the cost of gas is still much cheaper than in Europe.

There's no place like home

2005-08-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Where did all the time go? I can't believe that I am finally at the end of my 2.5 month backpacking trip around Europe. It seemed like an eternity when I first started but the last month flew by so fast once I got into the swing of things. I've seen so many things and had so many great experiences but even then I've only scratched the surface of Europe. So many cool places to see that I'm eager to come back asap. I'm looking forward to seeing Vancouver again though since Europe all looks the same to me. I could use a different look and it doesn't get much better in North America than the Vancouver look.

Today, I just chilled in London and didn't really do much. My hostel is more like a hotel than a hostel so I've been relaxing with some TV and taking a short walk around some of my favorite parts of London. I think one reason I feel at home in London is because I've seen most of the touristy spots already that I don't have the urge to go out and sightsee. Instead, I can feel more like a local and chill out in areas where the locals hang out. Also, there is no language barrier so the only thing I need to worry about is not to be mistaken for an American.

I arrive Friday afternoon and I'll be spending the weekend recovering. I'll do my best to try and organize my pictures and post them online. On Monday, I start my job at Telus... but the interesting thing is Telus is on strike so I'm being temporarily reassigned. With all the union on strike, the rest of the staff has to pick up the slack so I won't start my official job until the strike is over. I thought my first week would be a typical slack first week of orientation and learning but my dad tells me I should look forward to 12 hour day, 6 days a week. Not exactly what I was hoping for after such a long trip but I'm told the overtime pay is so good that I may be able to pay for my trip within a month. We'll see how it goes. In any event, I'm looking foward to being back in Vancouver and seeing everyone again.

Feeling at Home

2005-08-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

I left Paris this morning and took the Eurostar across the chunnel back to England. For some reason, I've always wanted to ride that train and now I can check another thing off my list of things to do in life. The train ride was nothing special and the chunnel was dark but I still enjoyed the ride nonetheless. The trains that really impressed me were the France TGV trains that go up to 300 km/hr. Now those were some wicked fast trains and you could feel the speed.

Being back in London, I feel a sense of home here. Out of all the european cities, I've spent the most time in London and I consider it a home away from home since I feel very familiar with it. Also, the fact they speak english here is very comforting and I no longer have to worry about a language barrier. I've made the effort to learn the culture in England and all the slangs and expressions English people commonly use so I can fit in better. Again, all this helps me feel at home.

I don't have much plans in London except for buy a few souvenirs and chill before my flight home to Vancouver. I said I'm tired of traveling and looking forward to going home. As much as I love Vancouver, I wish home were London so I could rest up and easily start traveling around Europe again.

Pass me another glass of Dom

2005-08-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I decided to get out of the city for the day so I took the train out to the small town of Eperney which is THE city of champagne. For those who don't know, only stuff that comes from the region of Champagne is allowed to be called champagne. Everything else is considered sparkling wine. There are several towns in the region of champagne which all produce the stuff but Eperney is the home of the most famous labels. Conveniently enough, the big names are located on one street called Rue de Champagne or Street of Champagne. Champagne cost serious bling and each house has spent it handsomely on their own palacial mansion which doubles as their business center. I toured two Champagne houses. One tour was for the Mercier Champaigne house which produces champagne primarily for France. It was described in my Lonely Planet book as the most impressive but I found it gimmiky. I enjoyed the train ride which was part of the tour but the tour was really fast and our tour guide had a really thick French accent that I didn't learn much. At the end of the tour was a tasting which was easily the best part of that tour.

The second tour I went on was for the Moet and Chandon House of Champagne. This is the largest champagne producer in the world and they are the ones who produce the famous Moet and Dom Perignon brands. First off, their mansion is extremely classy. You get the impression this specific house is special from the image they project and the professionalism of their staff. The tour lasted about an hour and I thought it was excellent. Moet and Chandon have over 28 km of cellars with an unknown amount of bottles. From what I saw it's lots. Our guide educated us on the process of champagne making by walking us around the cellar showing us the different phases of the process. It was given at a good pace and our guide spoke very clear English and I was able to learn much more than the other tour. What surprised me the most was the history of this particular house. Apparently, Moet and Napoleon were good friends in Military school so Napolean would often come to the house and have a drink as friends. On several visits, he bought gifts to Moet from his military conquests which are on display on the tour. Also, the imperial room where Napolean used to drink with Moet is also on display. The champagne Moet Imperial Brut was created in honor of their friendship. On the tour, we caught a glimpse of the most heavily secured area of the cellar which contains the house's winest champagne. In this part of the cellar, they have champagne vintages from as far back as the 1800s and only the most important people are invited to drink there. Our guide said that cellar is probably opened only 4-5 times per year so I can only imagine how expensive the champagne is there. I also discovered why Dom Perignon is so expensive. Apparently, they only use the finest grapes, the champagne is created entirely by hand, and it is aged the longest out of all their champagnes. I must have walked by thousands of bottles of Dom so gansta rappers can rest assured they will have plenty of crys-tal to fill their chalices. Also, I got to see where they store all the bottles of Dom given to the winners of F1 races. We did get a tasting at the end of the tour but unfortunately no tasting of the Dom Perignon. I guess it's too expensive to give to tourists. The cheapest bottle of Dom Perignon I could find was at least $100 euros. I did buy a bottle of Moet and Chandon Imperial Brut Champagne as a gift/souvenir for my parents though which wasn't too expensive.

Today, I just walked around the streets of Paris trying to discover more of the city. It really is such a pleasure to walk around and everywhere I go I find something new. Each quarter appears to have its own character which I enjoy discovering. The weather todaywas absolutely beautiful as if Paris is teasing me to stay another day. It's almost as if Paris was designed to tell the world it's better than everyone else and I find it's hard to argue that after getting to know her. Paris is much more than a city; Paris is a lifestyle.

Tomorrow, I leave Paris and take the train to London where I have a day and a half before my flight home. This trip has been great but I can honestly say that I'm really looking forward to coming home.

The Latin Quarter

2005-08-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

Paris is divided into different sections called quarters much like downtown Vancouver is divided into different areas. Rather than give names like Yaletown or Coal Harbor, areas of Paris are simply called 1st quarter, 2nd quarter, etc. There is one quarter though that has a alternative name and that is the Latin Quarter which is also the area I have spent most of my time in Paris. I really like this part of Paris because it's the student area of Paris. The Sorbonne university is here and with a university comes a university atmosphere complete with cafes, restaurants, and bars. Out of all the areas I've visited in Paris so far, the Latin Quarter appears the most happening and I highly recommend anyone who comes to Paris to pay the little extra for the convenience of being in the heart of the action. Unfortunately, I didn't know this until I got to Paris so I'm a little further away but Paris has a really good subway system that it's very easy for me to commute there.

To my disappointment though, Paris doesn't appear to have the nightlife that I had expected. I've found Paris pretty chill and not really a party city like a Barcelona or even Nice but Paris is still a great city. Parisians all go on vacation in August so really the only people in Paris right now are tourists. The scene is similiar to Vancouver in that the bars close at 2 am and people prefer to stay in their own circles. This is a bit of a culture shock for me since I'm so used to partying until the sun comes up meeting so many friendly strangers at the bars/clubs. Maybe this is a warmup for when I get back to Vancouver because after partying in Europe for the past 2 months, I think I will have trouble adjusting to the Vancouver Nightlife. Vancouver is a great city but we could learn a few things about having fun from the Europeans.

Yesterday, I spent the entire day at the Palace of Versaille which is something I've wanted to see for a very long time. I didn't think it would take the whole day so I took my time getting there but in hindsight I wish I had made the effort to get there much earlier. The palace is huge and it needs a full day to do it justice. The only negative thing is are the hordes of tourists and the long queues. The scene was crazy there and I really didn't like the crowds. The French can learn a few things from the Germans on how to handle large crowds. If you ever goto Versailles, get there early to get their day pass since it's only on sale until 2 pm. It gets you priority access to all the sights which you will really appreciate once you see the lines. Also, it's cheaper than buying separate tickets. Basically, you can see the state appartments and the residence of the royal family but my favorite part of the estate were the gardens which I thought were absolutely magnificent. After seeing Versailles, all other palaces appear plain. The French kings really know how to build a palace and as one of my friends once told me "once you see Versailles, you'll understand why the French revolted." It really is that excessive.

Since it's Sunday today, I went to Notre Dame to hear Sunday mass. Going to church in these big cathedrals is pretty amazing since you're surounded by so much history and great architecture. The organ and choir also sound very eerie in such a big church. The rest of the day, I just did more walking around the city and took a boat cruise along the Siene to see all the famous monuments from the water. Weekends are always fun in European cities since there are usually festivities, street performers, and public markets. Paris is no different.

To add to a previous post, Belgium waffles taste great and I ate enough to get sick of them. Now I have a new love: French Crepes. I'm averaging a crepe a day since I found this one place that makes great crepes and they are equally great as the waffles.

Paris est tres Magnifique

2005-08-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Paris is as beautiful as I remember. After visiting Paris, one begins to understand why Parisians are so arrogant; I would be too if I lived in a city as beautiful as Paris. When I arrived in Paris, I met up with one of my univerisity friends who is also touring Europe and it just so happened that our schedules matched and we could meet in Paris. The weather was great so we decided to go for a walk around the city. We walked around the Montemarte area and visited the Sacre Couer Cathedral; its on a hill and appears to be the highest point in Paris. We found a quaint little bistro recommended by my lonely planet book in the area and treated ourselves to a nice meal. After dinner, we walked on down to the Louvre passing several famous monuments along the way. Finally, we walked from the Louvre up the Champs Elysee and visited a few shops along the way. It was a pretty tiring walk so we called it a night when we got back to the hostel.

Today, we visited the Louvre. We bought advance tickets from the tourist office which turned out to be a smart move since we to bypass the line and enter through a priority entrance. The advance ticket is pretty much the same price as the regular ticket so it with this added benefit so it made sense to buy the advance ticket. We spent 3 hours in the louvre looking at such famous works as the Mona Lisa and the Coronation of Napolean but after seeing so much art I started to get dizzy. After the Louvre, we decided to visit the man and visited Napoleans tomb. I've seen a lot of tombs in Europe but Napoleans is the biggest that I have seen so far and I must add it is very impressive.

Right now I'm in the university district hanging out. With all the students, the area has a really great vibe and lots of cool cafes. I hoping to find a cool cafe and chill tonight along with eating some delicous french food.

It rained a little today and the clouds are still around. Hopefully it is sunny again tomorrow since I would really like to visit the Palace of Versaille.

Belgium Waffles

2005-08-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

I had this craving for waffles qnd it dawned on me that I was in Europe so why not go to the source and try the real thing. I changed my plans a bit and now I´m in Belgium eating Belgium waffles. I'm staying in this city called Bruges primarily because its got a Europes Famous Hostel (EFH) and I've had good experiences at other EFH so I thought I'd experience this hostel as well. The city of Bruges is known as the Venice of the North because of its canals and the city is full of medieval architecture. I went on a canal cruise around the city and all I can say is its another beautiful european city. The only thing that really impressed me was the Church of the Holy Blood. Its called so because they claim to actually have a vile of blood from Jesus Christ. I saw this vile of blood and paid my respects but to whether the legend is true or not one must have faith. The blood is paraded around the city during a festival on Ascension day.

Belgium claims to have invented French Fries. I tried them too and they taste really good. Belgium is also known for its beer. I drank lots of beer and think it tastes really good as well. I even went on a brewery tour in Bruges to learn about the beer making process. I would have to say Belgium beer ranks highly on my list alongside Germany and the Czech Republic. Belgium say their beer is better than Germanys. I'm no beer conniseur and I cant decide which one I like better so drink em both I say.

On my other day in Belgium, I took a day trip out to Brussels; its also the capitol of the EU. Unlike several cities I've visited lately the sites in Brussels are fairly spread apart so I chose to do a bus tour around the city to catch all the highlights since I had very limited time. Victor Hugo calls the town square the most beautiful in Europe and its hard to argue that when you see it. Belgium has a royal family and the beautiful palace is located in Brussels. All the EU building are modern architecture with lots of glass which is a welcome sight after seeing so many old buildings. Belgians are known for eating out and there are plenty of restaurants around. There is even a whole street full of restaurants and I'm dying to try their national dish of mussels in a cream sauce served with a side of fries. Lastly, Brussels has a famous statue of a peeing boy. Legend has it that a boy peeed on a lit wick and put it out which saved the city from being blown up. I find the statue looks funny because it's so small and it's peeing.

The keyboards in France and Belgium are the worst I've used all trip. The keys are everywhere that I'm forced to 2 finger type and it's hard to get my thoughts across. I'm heading off to Paris tomorrow where I plan to spend a week there. Paris was my favorite city last time I visited Europe and I hope it will be as good as I remember. Now off to eat another waffle.

Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous

2005-07-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

My half day in Monaco was very pleasant and I saw pretty much everything that I expected. I spent some time standing in front of the famous Monte Carlo Casino watching all the cars drive up. One of the first cars that happened to pull up was a Ferrari Enzo. That car was so hot I was getting wet just looking at it. The engine sounded pretty sweet too and it was getting much deserved attention from the crowd. Besides the Enzo, you saw several other parked Ferraris, Porche, Bentleys, Rolls Royce, Lamborghinis... they made the Mercedes and BMW look rather plain and normal. To go along with the beautiful cars were many beautiful people dressed in some really nice clothes. In the backdrop, you can see the Monaco harbor full of yachts 3 times the size and price of my house. Monaco looks like a fairytale that should only exist in the movies but it's real. I wonder what it would be like to live there? I'm thinking my sense of reality would be completed jaded and I wouldn't be able to relate to common man if I grew up in that environment. Monaco is a really cool place to visit but I wouldn't recommend more than a half day since there isn't much to do there if you don't have any money. It's more a sightseeing town. One thing I highly recommend you do is flush the toilets in the famous Monte Carlo casino. It sounds corny but it's probably one of the best free shows you'll see in Monte Carlo.

My friends and I did go have a nice dinner at one of the restaurants close to the casino. It wasn't too expensive and I didn't mind spluging a bit for the experience of having a nice dinner in such a fancy city. We even dressed up a bit to blend in with the crowd. What was funny though was they kept playing 80 hits like Milli Vanilli in the background which seemed out of place for a restaurant in Monte Carlo. I would have expected something more classical but I actually prefered listening to the 80s music. If only some clubs I've been too had this good a mix. Overall, I thought my meal was good and it was the perfect ending to a great day that included sleeping in, lounging on the beach, and hanging out with the rich and famous at night in Monaco.

On my last day in Nice, I took a day trip with some roomates to the Italian town of San Remo. It's another beach town on what is called the Italian Riviera since it's in Italy. Not much to say but it's another beach town with an Italian look vs a French look. I will say that the women are gorgeous there. Italian women are gorgeous to begin with but put them in bikinis and they will blow you away. Out of all the countries I've visited so far (which is almost all of them in Western Europe), Italy ranks at the bottom of my list and this experience reminded me why I don't really like Italy. I was glad to leave Italy again but I do have a small soft spot for the country since it does have some pretty cool cities, beautiful women, and great food.

To all my poker friends, I could not find a game of texas hold-em in Monaco. I checked out a few casinos in town and the only poker game I could find was 7 card stud against the house. Same story for the casinos in Nice. I don't like playing any games against the house so I decided not to gamble. All the casinos there have the regular casino games though: blackjack, roulette, craps, bacarrat. To get into the famous Monte Carlo casino you pay only 10 euro as opposed to 20 euro I originally stated but I have a feeling the min bets would be pretty high that even if I did pay the cover I couldn't afford to gamble inside. That will still remain a mystery for me but maybe in the future I will have some money and be like James Bond and gamble some money on Bacarrat. If I still don't know bacarrat by then, I do know how to put $50 on black.

Nice is Nice

2005-07-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

My stay in Nice so far has been awesome. As I've mentioned before, I'm getting a little tired of traveling and sightseeing so I needed a vacation from my vacation. All I've literally done since I've gotten here is sleep, beach, swim, party, and looking at all the beautiful people. My hostel is literally 5 min walk from the beach and the hostel provides free beach mats. My room also comes equipped with an ensuite bathroom and kitchen. What has made my experience in awesome in Nice are my roomates. I lucked out and got put into the 'party' room and everynight my roomates and I have been partying till sunrise. Also, everyone keeps coming to our room at night to play drinking games and meet people.

On the first night, we partied until 3 am in the morning and then woke up at noon. The following night we partied until 4 am in the morning and then woke up at 2 pm. Last night, I partied until 6 am but woke up at noon to go rest on the beach. I probably would have came home earlier last night but a few of us ended up at the beach after the club with these drunk Danish girls who kept us very entertained. The wine here is very good since you can drink heaps of it without getting a hangover the next day. All the fun of being drunk without the negative consequences the next day. What a great idea! Each night, we've been to this pub that has a live band and I've discovered that the Europeans really go nuts for Nirvana cover hits. The bands thankfully have been really good and I will probably keep going there since it's pretty cool. Very touristy though since most of the staff can't even speak French.

Small world story, I was walking along the promenade and I noticed one of my old coworkers from Nokia Vancouver. I called out her name and it was her so we chatted for a bit. Of all the places to see an old coworker.

Tonight the roomates and I will be experiencing the rich life in beautiful Monaco. I look forward to seeing all the beautiful cars, yachts, scenary and maybe even win a few bucks in the casino. BTW: there is a cover charge (20 euro) to get into the famous monte carlo casino so I will try and visit one of the free tourist casinos that are in the area.

Switzerland

2005-07-27T12:28:00.000-07:00

I've spent the past 3 nights in Interlaken, Switzerland staying at this hostel called Balmer's Herberge. It's supposed to be a popular backpacker destination so I wanted to check it out. Interlaken means between lakes and sure enough the city of Interlaken is between two beautiful blue-green glacier fed lakes. The train ride from the city of Luzern to Interlaken was absolutely beautiful. It first goes through the alps and as you get closer to Interlaken the train goes along the rivers and lakes. Swiss trains are just as nice and punctual as German trains and I feel that riding trains around Switzerland is one of the best ways to travel around the country.

If you're into extreme sports such as skydiving, canyoning, paragliding, etc. then Interlaken should definitely be on your itinerary while visiting Europe. Personally, I went mountain biking one day to see the alps. I went to this town called Laterbrunnen which is in a valley surrounded by several waterfalls. Absolutely beautiful and it's someplace you have to see to really appreciate it. At night, other people would tell me their stories of skydiving and canyoning and I have to say there are much braver than me since I don't think I could do those activities. At night, Balmers has a great bar where everyone hangs out. It's probably the most happening bar in Interlaken surprisingly and not too expensive if you take advantage of the happy hour. If you get bored at the Balmers bar, then it's a short walk down the street to the other main hostel in town, Funny Farm, where they also have a bar, a camp fire, a beach volleyball court, and many hippies to chat with. All backpackers mingle inbetween the 2 bars.

On my other day in Interlaken, I was feeling pretty exhausted from all the traveling again that I decided to relax. I took the train to the neighboring city of Brienz, found a spot along the lake with a magnificent view, and simply read my new book "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown. I literally sat there for a few hours reading and enjoying my surroundings and the peace and quiet. When I was ready to go back, I took a boat back to Interlaken and got to see the mountain views from the water. Surprisingly, I found Interlaken to be the ugliest (in a relative sense of the word) of the towns I visited. Interlaken has the most action since it's the biggest town but if you want to relax I recommend either Laterbrunnen, Brienz, or one of the other towns in the mountain. Being from Vancouver which has lots of mountains, you would think that I'm used to the mountain views. It's true that I'm not as blown away as some other people I've met but seeing the original Swiss Alps, the inspiration for such places as Whistler, was still amazing.

The only negative thing about Switzerland is it's damn expensive. For example, a Big Mac combo at McDonalds cost 11 Cdn dollars. It rivals London as the most expensive place in Europe. Interlaken was my only stop in Switzerland since I knew how expensive the country was having been there before. Despite being really expensive, I still have to recommend going at least once in your life to see it's beauty. It also has a high standard of living that rivals Canada, one that you will appreciate after seeing some of the other European countries. Once you've visited Switzerland, you can go back to Austria to save money. Austria is just as pretty and offers pretty much everything Switzerland has but at a fraction of the cost.

My roomate situation was backwards I thought in Interlaken. For the first two nights, I roomed with mostly shy conservative Koreans who liked to sleep early and wake up early. I was the odd person in the room because I often came in late and wanted to sleep in. Unfortunately, they made lots of noise in the morning that it woke me up to but that is part of staying in a hostel. On my last night, I was expecting more quiet Koreans but instead I got party people. My last night was one where I wanted peace and quiet and I got the opposite. I guess it wasn't my lucky day.

I consider myself more of a beach bum than a ski bum so I've made my way to French Riviera to relax for a few days. I'm currently staying in Nice with no real plans except to lay on the beach and try and find a poker game in Monte Carlo which is about 20 min from here.

I met Tom Cruise in Munich

2005-07-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well... not the real Tom Cruise but the Australian Tom Cruise. I went on a beer crawl last night in Munich (it felt appropriate) and there was this guy who totally looked like Tom Cruise and had an Aussie accent. Needless to say, he was very popular with the ladies. The beer crawl was pretty cool. It was all-u-can-drink beer for the first hour in front of the train station... very ghetto I know. Afterwards, we went to the Augustiner Beer Hall which is considered the brew the best beer in Munich. Considering how much beer there is in Munich, that is a very bold statement. Afterwards, we went to the Lowenbrau Beer Hall to continue drinking. Lowenbrau is sold in Canada and I didn't realize Lowenbrau is considered the oldest Beer Hall in Munich. Finally, we ended the night at our hostel bar which served more Augustiner Beer. This was a pleasant surprise for me since I could simply walk back to room upstaires. The ghetto drinking tasted ghetto while the two Beer Halls served excellent beer. You really must come to Munich sometime to sample the beer since it really does taste better here and any description I write will not do it justice.

The previous day, I took a day trip out to a town called Fussen to see the Neuschwanstein Castle, aka the fairytale castle that inspired the Disney castle and the castle you've probably seen countless times in pictures. The castle is just as pretty as in the pictures and the bavarian alps provide breaktaking scenary. What I really appreciated about my visit the castle was the organization of the Germans. As you can imagine, the place is overwhelmed by tourists but the Germans have set up a system to keep things in order and keep queues to a mininum. Basically, when you buy your ticket you get an assigned time to enter the castle. You are required to go with a guide which I would have paid for anyways since I don't know much about the castle. My waiting times were kept to a minimum and I saw the castle without wasteing too much of my time. If only the Italians were as smart as the Germans.

On my first day in Munich, I went to the BMW museum. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see since the museum is under renovation. The new museum scheduled to open in 2007 looks awesome and I would make a trip back to see it. The real action though is the factory tour but you need to book a spot 4-6 weeks in advance. I'm not that organized so I did not see the factory but I heard from another person who went on the tour that it's awesome. Around the BMW factory is the old Olympic grounds so I took some time to walk around. At night, I got invited by people from the hostel to go to the HofbrauHaus beer Ball which is probably Munich most famous and popular Beer Halls. It's full of tourists but the beer still tastes great and it was still heaps of fun. Interesting to note, Hitler used to have meetings with the Nazi party at the HofbrauHaus so the beer hall has a pretty rich history as well.

What else is there to do in Munich? All I can think of is Drink Beer. That's all I've done in Munich. Since I'm tired of sightseeing, I thought I'll just take in the beer drinking culture of the Germans. I must admit I really like this culture. First of all the beer tastes great. Beer in Germany is brewed with no preservatives which gives it a better taste and fewer hang overs the next day. Second, I love watching how social the beer drinking is in Munich. Individuals and families all gather together and drink but unlike UBC where people drink to get drunk people drink to socialize and spend time with each other. I find it so interesting to watch. They even have a beer garden in the park where I took a walk today. I would love to see something like that in Vancouver where people are gathered in the park on a warm sunny day drinking beers and having a good time. Ironically, the park beer garden is called the chinese beer garden which I found surprising since I don't normally associate drinking beer with the chinese. I was told that on any given day, there are over 9000 seats available for drinking beer in the city. On a side note, the main park in Munich is also a nudist park but I didn't see any nudists there today. Only certain parts of the park are clothing optional so you don't have to worry about drinking beer next to a naked person.

After my experience in Germany, I must say that I really like this country. It definitely ranks high on my list because I find it has the best mix of laid back european culture and getting things done efficiently. German trains are modern and normally on time. Germany has a solid high tech industry. Germany is relatively modern but yet has such a rich history. I even like the food here. If you plan to visit Europe, please don't make the same mistake I did and overlook Germany.

Another Random Night

2005-07-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I was literally sitting alone at the hostel bar having a beer and planning my next day when some friendly Norwegians came and sat down with me to chat. Shortly afterwards, a Danish and American join the party. I had originally planned to make it an early night but then this Aussie invites us all out to go out to some bar in Salzburg and after a little arm twisting and I ended up going. Before we left, one of the Norwegians bought a round of tequilas and then I knew it was going to be trouble tonight. We went to an Irish bar in downtown Salzburg. Random people kept buying me drinks so I was feeling pretty happy the entire night. Also, I met a really cool girl from Toronto who started talking with me after she noticed my UBC sweater. As the night progressed, we ended up bar hopping around Salzburg to try and find a crazier party. Nothing was too crazy and we actually ended back at the Irish Pub since that appeared the best bar that night. I get home around 4 am and try my best to not wake my roomates. So much for my early night.

After a solid 4 hours of sleep, I took my morning and shower and started my full day of sightseeing. I bought this thing called the Salzburg card which gave me free admission to all the attractions in town. I definitely got my money's worth since I saw pretty much everything one would expect to see in town: the fortress (which is the oldest and largest remaining fortress in Europe), the Arch Bishop's residence, Motzart's residence and birthplace, the Schloss Hellbrun Palace, Schloss Mirabel (which is where the von trapp kids sang do rei me). I feel one can easily see Salzburg in a day and now I'm ready to head off to Munich but I'm still surprised there is more to Salzburg than the Sound of Music. If I ever come back to Salzburg, I'm renting a bike and simply going to ride around the city and countryside absorbing its natural beauty.

The Hills are Alive...

2005-07-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

... with the sound of music. The Sound of Music movie is the main reason I came to Salzburg. My hostel plays the Sound of Music everyday so I was able to catch more of the movie in the morning. Unfortunately, it was raining in the morning so I didn't feel like doing any sightseeing during the day but thankfully it cleared up by the afternoon so the weather for the tour was fine. After seeing the movie again (for like the hundredth time) many of the sights were fresh in my mind and I could appreciate the tour even more. You got to see pretty much everything in the movie: the mansion, the gardens and fountain where the children sung do rei me, the mountains where they had a picnic, the church where they got married, the abbey, the trees and lake where the children played in, the bike path, and the famous gazebo where Rolf and Leizl danced in. One interesting thing I discovered is the mansion in the movie is now leased by Harvard University and you can actually study there if you're a student. Like I needed another reason to want to go to Harvard University. My tour was heaps of fun and was full of great people. The people I went with from my hostel were equally friendly. At one point, our entire bus was singing along to Do Rei Me and other Sound of Music hits. Everyone got into the spirit of the movie and now I feel my trip to Salzburg is complete. Salzburg by the way is also a very pretty city.

After the tour, our guide recommended an old abbey (formerly run by Augustine Monks) that got converted into a beer garden. It's a really cool place to hang out, not many tourists are there, and they have great beer and food there. I just found it kind of strange that I would be passing through a house of God to go drink beer and while drinking beer I would see pictures of Jesus in the background. Maybe if religion were this cool, you would see more converts.

2005-07-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

Bike tour in Barcelona. (I'm the 2nd from the left). I'll try and get some pics of Greece up as soon as I can.

Vienna is Pretty

2005-07-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

I originally had not planned to come to Vienna since I've already been here before but I decided to stop a few nights since it was along the route I was traveling. I didn't really spend much time in the city and decided instead to take a boat cruise down the Danube river. I woke up in the morning and took a train to this small town called Melk about 1.5 hours outside of Vienna. There is a magnificent abbey overlooking the city and it looked very majestic from the train. I then walked to the docks and bought a ticket for the boat. The cruise lasted about 2 hours and I was able to see castle ruins, wine valleys, and small sleepy riverside towns. It was a nice change from being in the city. The boat cruise ended at this town called Krems where at the dock was a big beer garden full of beer and food stands. It was a great atmosphere but I decided to skip it and walk to the train station. On the walk to the train station, I came across a park where there was another beer garden and big screen showing the tour de france. Coincedently, the crowd was mostly cyclists most likely taking a rest from the scenic Danube River biking route. Again, I decided to keep on walking to catch a train back to Vienna.

I took the train back to Vienna and since my hostel was at the other end of the city and it was such a nice evening I decided to walk back to the hostel. I forgot how pretty the city is as I wandered around. I get to the museum quarter of the city and then I start hearing some live music. I followed the music and to my pleasant surprise I found a live jazz festival complete with beer garden and food stands. The festival was located in a park with a large gothic building as the backdrop. The area is also surrounded by a palace and several other large architectural beautiful buildings. This time, I could not pass on by so I decided to buy a beer and sit and listen to the music for awhile. I also decided to have dinner as well since I was enjoying it there so much. One jazz artist who performed was named Lisa White. She was fantastic and I will remember her name if she ever performs in Vancouver.

My next day in Vienna was a quiet one and all I did was walk around the city center looking at the buildings. The city is surprisingly very clean. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any free classical music performances. Last time I visited Vienna, the street performers were everywhere and it was one of the most memorable parts. It could be that it's a monday and people are working. Vienna has been great and once again I was blessed with some cool roomates who I was able to chill and talk with in the room. Got a good nights rest and now I'm ready for Salzburg.

Some Pictures from Venice

2005-07-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

This is the picture that Jim Houston took of me and my new friend Elizabeth in Venice on the bridge Accademia. Liz is studying engineering at UBC and we met at the campsite we were staying at because we were both wearing our UBC clothing.

The Search for the Czech Supermodels

2005-07-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

I mentioned before that I was starting to get sick of sightseeing so I didn't really spend too much energy in Prague visiting the sights. You can pretty much see all of Prague in a day. The big 3 attractions are the castle, the Charles Bridge, and the Old town square. Each are beautiful in their own right and worth seeing. Since I wasn't really in the mood to sightsee, what else can I do? The answer is drink and party. Thankfully, Prague is cheap enough to do both without breaking the bank. I had some cool roomates in my hostel so I was able to hang out with them. In the morning, we would go have breakfast and coffee in a cafe. For lunch, we would buy some fruits in the public market and eat in Old Town Square among all the beautiful architecture. In the afternoon, we drank beers in this beer garden on a hill which had a great view of the city and very few tourists. I literally sat there for a few hours enjoying my beers, the view, and the company I was with. At nighttime, we would find some bar or club and take in the Prague nightlife. I haven't ventured out of my hostel bar much while in Europe because of the cost but Prague is the exception. After the exchange, beer works out to roughly $1 Cdn so it's very cheap to party in Prague. (Beer is literally cheaper than water and pop so the city encourages you to drink beer.) ALso, I couldn't speak the language in the other countries I visited so it would be hard to start a conversation but in Prague they also speak english so language is not really an issue. It was cool to party in Prague but unfortunately the bars weren't too busy and they were mostly filled with guys. There is enough sausage in the city that I don't need to be at a sausage fest at night. Where are all the czech supermodels I keep seeing on tv? Nevertheless, we partied late into the night and when we came out the sun was rising. I got to bed one night at 6 am and by then the Sun was already up. Needless to say, I had a great time in Prague and I think the real attraction there is the city itself. I will be back to continue the search for the czech supermodels.

Hangin with the Locals

2005-07-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

I'm in Dresden, Germany staying with my former UBC roomate Steffi. She lives just outside the city and it's a nice treat to see some green again vs the grey concrete I've been seeing in the cities lately. Hanging with a local has been such a great experience as I finally feel like I'm experiencing real German culture.

The city itself is quite pretty. It's known for it's Baroque architecture and for being rebuilt after being carpet bombed in WWII. It sits along the Elbe river and it's pretty much your standard European city. I did do a quick walk around the city to see all the must see attractions but I've spent the majority of the time chilling at cafes and restaurants, basically wherever Steffi takes me. There is a real cool open air movie theatre here where they project movies onto a big screen while you see the city in the backdrop. Best part is it's also doubles as a beer garden.

Today, I just went for a short walk around the forest to look for mushrooms. Steffi's mom likes to cook wild mushrooms so I got a lesson in what is good and what is not. Now I'm just resting and killing time before I catch my train to Prague.

I feel I've really shortchanged Germany. I could easily spend another day in both Berlin and Dresden. I would love to stay another night in Dresden since I finally feel a sense of home here (being with a real German family and all), something I'm really starting to miss since I've been traveling for many weeks now. If you're thinking about Germany, definitely give it some time since its cities are cool and cheap.

Berlin

2005-07-11T02:19:00.000-07:00

Berlin is a great city. Originally, I didn't think much of the city and only planned to pass through it but then I heard many good things about the city from other travelers so I was excited to get to Berlin. Now I wish I had budgeted a few more days there. It's relatively modern since many things have been rebuilt since the war. Berlin has a rich history and many things to see. Since my time was limited in Berlin, I decided to take a walking tour of the city to see all the highlights. I lucked out this time since my tour guide was very informative and entertaining. I've taken several walking tours in europe and I find they can be hit or miss and the tour really depends on the guide. I've had a few guides who you could tell just didn't care anymore and they were tired of presenting the same speil to tourists everydaz. My Berlin guide was thankfully good.

I saw pretty much everything I need to see in Berlin: the Reichstag, Brandenburg gate, part of the Berlin wall, checkpoint charlie, the balcony where Michael Jackson dangled his baby, etc. I found it interesting that Berlin doesn't try and hide it's history but doesn't necessarily show it as well. For example, we visited Hitler's bunker where he spent his last days in the war but you probably wouldn't know it was there unless someone told you since there are no signs. It's just a parking lot now with a small discrete entrance surrounded by bushes. Also, I think Berliners really like Michael Jackson since in the Reichstag, among all these historical pictures was a picture of the Michael Jackson concert and how they were proud he performed in front of the Reichstag.

I don't recommend my hostel. It's in a seedy part of town and looks like Vancouver's main street right in front of the train station. Thankfullz I only stayed one night but there were some sketchy people wondering around the hostel. I made sure to lock up my bag that night.

The best part of Berlin is it's a city for young people and it's cheap. The best way I can describe it is it's one big yaletown. You can definitely tell the west had a strong influence in Berlin by the fast food and shopping. Surprisingly, Berlin has a variety of international cuisine and all I ate there was cheap chinese and indian food. I did meet 2 people living and working in Berlin temporarily and they both raved it was a cool and cheap city to live in. I think I could live in Berlin temporarily too.

Achtung Baby

2005-07-09T03:59:00.000-07:00

My flight from Athens to Berlin was very smooth and even arrived early. The Athens airport is very nice due to the renovation from the Olympics. Surprisingly, you had a panoramic view of the runway from the McDonalds which in Vancouver is normally reserved for those expensive business lounges.

I splurged a little and got myself a hotel room at a Holiday Inn. My flight arrived around midnight and I didn't feel safe trying to find my hostel in a new country where I can't speak the language (and I find German a very difficult language to learn.) The Holiday Inn was only 5 min away from the airport and there was a free shuttle bus. After spending the past month in campsites and hostels, I REALLY enjoyed being in a hotel again. The hostel I booked was also very conveniently located by one of the train stations and it was very easy there from the hotel. The hostel is in a very central area and has lots of amenities. However, there are lots of sex shops, drugs, and bums in the area that I think it will get pretty sketchy at night. I've been staying in relatively quiet areas recently so maybe I just need to get used to crowds again.

I only have one more night in Berlin and then I'm off to Dresden to visit my old roomate from UBC. (She was an exchange student from Germany and we lived together in Gage.) It will be nice to see a familiar face again and I'm looking forward to hanging out with a local. Hopefully, she will have her own computer so I can finally figure out how to post pictures online since I haven't had much luck in the internet cafes.

Back to the Mainland

2005-07-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

In a few hours, I'm taking a flight out of Athens to Berlin and now I'm just killing time before my flight. Athens is cool but I wouldn't recommend more than 2 nights here. I think I've pretty much see all I need to see in Athens and it's either head back to the mainland or visit the greek islands. One cool thing about my hostel is that it has a rooftop bar and you can see the acropolis and parthenon all lit up at night. It's quite a pretty sight. To make things even better, I was surrounded by a few friendly aussies who worked at Whistler.

Greeks are so Friendly

2005-07-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

The bus ride from the pink palace to athens was horrible. It was an 8 hour overnight bus ride with stops along the way which forced us to wake up at the worst time (2 am, 4 am, and finally 7 am). You couldn't get any sleep. In addition, I was in horrible shape that day since I had to wake up early to make a 9 am check-out. The pink palace is fiendishly clever in coming up with ways to make sure you don't leave their resort and you spend all your money there.I may have painted a fun picture of the pink palace but the staff will not help you with anything not related to their resort and they do try and guage you any way they can. I'm glad to have left after 3 days since the party scene gets repetitive and one's reality really starts to get distorted after staying there a few days.

My experience in athens has been very positive so far and the gyros taste great. Today, I took a walking tour of the Acropolis and other sites around Athens and yesterday I toured the Olympic village. Every where I go, the greeks are always giving me a helping hand and they are very patient with the language barrier. This came as quite a shock to me since I became very jaded with the hospitality I received in Italy. I was actually a little surprised they still use the old greek alphabet. All those funny symbols I used in math class are actually used to make words in greece. Unfortunately, I don't know how to pronounce the greek alphabet so I'm relying heavily on the english translations. I've had greek food the past 5 days so I finally broke down and bought some asian food. I ordered chow mein in greece which was cooked by a filipino guy. Not bad but of course not as good as vancouver.

On a sad note, I just found out that London was attacked. This hits home for me since I was just there, I have met some really cool people from London on this trip, and will be going back there before coming home to Vancouver. My prayers go out to those affected by this tragedy.

A Quiet Night

2005-07-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

You get a good feeling about a hostel when they give you a shot upon check-in and they play 'Scottie Doesn't Know' at the bar. I have to say that I did have fun at the Pink Palace but I think I would have had even more fun if I were 3-4 years younger. The hostel really knows how to cater to the budget traveler but it's full of kids. I really felt like I was in Totem Park and the Pit Pub again partying here. Age is nothing but a number and I had my fun but now it's time to leave for Athens to ponder where the greats pondered.

Last night was supposed to be a quiet night but then random stuff comes up. One of the people at our table buys us a round of shots. I go with a friend to my room to give him a book and as we're walking back to the bar we get invited by 2 Swedish girls to have drinks in their room. At the bar, we're chilling at a table and then some random American guy I don't know keeps buying rounds of shots for all of us in celebration of American Independence Day. I go back to my room but make a brief stop on the balcony to look at the stars. Next thing you know I'm chatting and having beers with an American, a girl from Whistler, and two Swiss girls. I go to bed at 3 am even though I was planning on having a quiet night. Not much of a quiet night and I felt horrible the next mornign since I had to check out at 9 am. That's the pink palace for you.

This is definitely where I parked my car

2005-07-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

The toga party turned out to be quite the gong show. The night was filled with pink togas (which we all rented), some traditional greek dancing, and lots of drinking. The greek dancing show was definitely the coolest part of the night. At one point, one performer carried a table with candles on top with his teeth while another person created a circle of fire. Also, this being a greek party, there was lots of plate smashing and I purposedly had a plate smashed on my head which I think did hurt but I was so drunk that it didn't hurt as much as it should. I originally thought it was some weak breakable plate used for special occasions but no it was a real clay plate. Drinks were really cheap. $5 euros for 8 shots and happy hour drink specials until 11 pm. I hung out with a bunch of friendly Brits that night so it was drinks all around. I did get ill halfway through the night but after a good hurl I got my second wind and kept on drinking. That night was definitely not one of my finer moments but I have no regrets and I paid for it the next morning.

The next day was spent on the beach recovering. It feels so great to sleep in again. At night, I just chilled with some friends at the bar. It's funny because there are several people at the Pink Palace who I have met earlier in my trip. It seems we're all doing a similiar circuit and apparently the pink palace is a popular stop for backpackers before heading to Athens and the other Greek Islands.

Today, I went on this island tour called the Quad Safari. Basically, for 18 euro, we get to ride ATVs for 6 hours with stops for lunch (lunch included), pictures, and a snack. The tour includes a guide around the island of Corfu and our guide took us on several coastal roads, city streets, and off-road trails. As you can imagine, the off-road trails were wicked fun. There were times where you could reach top speed on the straight stretches of road and the coastal roads were absolutely beautiful. I would say we were on the ATVs for at least 4 of the 6 hours and this is easily the most fun thing I've done all trip.

One last day at the Pink Palace before heading off to Athens. It's American Independence Day so there is probably going to be a good party tonight at the bar. I do have to check out early tomorrow so hopefully I don't get stupid tonight.

Second Time's a Charm

2005-07-02T03:29:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly, the first time I visited Rome, I just thought it was ok. Being there a second time and taking time to absorb the city, Rome has now become one of my favorite cities. There is so much to see and do in Rome that I couldn't see everything in 4 nights. I did see many of the highlights though: Collesium, Roman Forum, Palantine Hill, Parthenon, Vatican, Circus Maximus, etc. My hostel also made my experience very positive. It was in a great location near the train station, very close to a supermarket and cheap eateries, very clean, and had a kitchen to cook meals to help save money. I met a lot of great people too and one night we all bought big beers and went drinking at the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain at night. Very random but very fun.

I was having a lot of fun in Rome that I was sad to leave so soon but Greece was a calling. The trek to Greece was brutal. I took a 5-6 hour train ride from Rome to Bari early in the morning. This normally isn't bad but I couldn't sleep the previous night because of my loud roomates. One of them was talking in her sleep. Waited at the ferry terminal for a few hours and then took an 8 hour overnight ferry to Igoumenitsa. That was equally brutal since I had to sleep on some chairs using my small bag as my pillow. From Igoumenitsa, I took another 1 hour ferry to Corfu where I am right now. I spent my first two nights in a place called Sunrock Resort where for about $25 Cdn I got beachfront views, a relaxed fun atmosphere, and two home cooked greek meals by the family who run the place. It was a great break from all the sightseeing that I've done so far and I was able to read the Da Vinci Code which was given to me for free by two friendly Aussies I met on the ferry ride to Greece. Next on my reading list is Angels and Demons also by Dan Brown since that is another book everyone keeps recommending to me on my travels.

I've now arrived at the hedonistic Pink Palace where I'm not too sure what to expect. All I do know is that I'll be spending heaps of time on the beach. Apparently, there is a toga party tonight and I have my toga ready to go. Let the fun begin.

The Pope

2005-06-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Last night, I mentioned I went on a pub crawl but before the crawl started we were treated to a short tour of the city at night (It was part of the pub crawl package). Monuments such as the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps look really beautiful at night and I look forward to walking around the city again at night.

This morning, I can't say I felt the greatest but I got myself out of bed and made my way to the Vatican. It's Sunday and having been raised a Catholic, I was hoping to hear mass at St. Peters. There was no mass but the Pope came out and gave a public address at noon and I was able to see that. The Pope gave his address from a window in the papal appartments so it was a little difficult to see from a distance but you could easily tell it was the pope from the voice and white robes he was wearing. I thought it was a pretty cool experience to be in the presence of the pope and he got several cheers from the crowd as if he were some sort of rock star.

It's really hot in Rome. I'm talking about 40 degree temperatures. It's so hot outside that I returned to my air conditioned hostel this afternoon to wait until it got a little cooler outside. After spending a few nights in campsites, my hostel feels like a 5 star hotel. It's clean, has a great location, good people, and it's cold. That's really all I need right now.

The Etermal City

2005-06-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

My campsite in Florence wasn't great but itwasn't bad either. Since there was the festival of St. John the Baptist the day I was in Florence, there was a fireworks show at night. The fireworks were literally a few meters away from our campsite so we got wicked views from the campsite bar which overlooked Florence. The fireworks made it worth staying the 2 nights at the campsite.

I'm now in Rome and enjoying the comforts of a hostel again. My hostel is very close to the train station and close to lots of conveniences that I'm really enjoying it already. It's also air conditioned which is very welcome with this italian heat. Since it's Saturday night and I don't know anyone in Rome, I decided to go on a pub crawl. The pub crawl starts with a brief walking tour of Rome at night and then proceeds into the drinking portion. Not as good as the pub crawl in Barcelona but fun nonetheless. Rome feels much better the second time around so I'm looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow. Hopefully 4 nights in the eternal city will be enough.

Under the Tuscan Sun

2005-06-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

My few days in Tuscany have been up and down. I originally booked a place in a campsite about a half hour train ride from Florence in the Chianti Wine Region. The campsite is beautiful and more of a resort than a campsite. I had a 3 person bungalow all to myself with an ensuite bathroom. The campsite was complete with 6 pools, restaurants, a market, a disco, and a view to make you forget reality. The only problem was that it was full of families and not too many independent travelers that I got bored after 2 nights and then left. Luckily, I found another campsite really close to Florence that is full with young travelers. This new campsite is pretty crappy but at least I'm having more fun. Last night I drank and played cards with some Vancouverites, Danes, Americans, and an Aussie. If the other campsite had the atmosphere of this new campsite, it would be perfect.

While in Tuscany, I took a day trip out to Siena. It's a city famous for its horse race in the main piazza and often overlooked by tourists. I loved it because the city looked so pretty, it wasn't overrun by tourists, and they have great pizza there. I highly recommend a visit if you have the time.

Today, I'm in the city of Florence. It's a great city for the arts lover but I'm getting to the point where I've seen so many museums and churches that they are all staying to look the same. Florence is not as nice as I remember. It's very hot with hoards of tourists, it's expensive, and there are long lines at all the attractions. Thankfully, I made a reservation to see the statue of David otherwise I would have to wait 2-3 hours in line. I paid an extra 3 euro for my reservation and only waited about 15 min. Some of the best 3 euros I've spent all trip. The statue of David is an amazing piece of art and I highly recommend but I strongly insist you make a reservation if you want to visit anything in Florence. There is a festival today so there was a parade with traditional Florentine clothing highlighted by a Florentine soccer match. Coincedently, the last time I was in Florence, it was on the same festival so funny how things work out.

The Surreal Life

2005-06-21T02:29:00.000-07:00

Venice is as pretty as I remember it but it appears fake and feels more like a theme park attraction. Then you realize its a living working city and then you discover its charm. Its inevitable you will get lost in Venice so I just went with the flow. Unlike other cities where you can walk down a sidestreet and get back on track, Venice is a maze of canals where you can only cross at fixed points... the trick is to find those fixed points. Eventually, I found my way to the famous St. Marks Square where I was greeted by classical music. The weather was perfect so the moment was quite surreal that I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real. At night, I rode the boat along the grand canal and you could see Venice at sunset. Again, another surreal moment that makes you wonder where you are.

On another day, I took the ferry out to the islands of Murano, Burano, Torcello, and Lido. Murano is famous for its glass, Burano famous for its lace, and Lido famous for its film festival and beach. I actually enjoyed the islands more than the city since it was not as chaotic and not overflowing with tourists. I highly recommend visiting the islands if you visit Venice since they are a part of Venice often overlooked.

Small World Story: As I was crossing one of the main bridges in Venice, I looked for an English speaking person to take my picture. Coincedently, the person I asked was Jim Houston, one of the Canuck commentators. We chatted for a bit and then wished each other happy travels. Meeting him in Venice I thought was a pretty cool and memorable experience.

Im in Bologna for the day making my way to Florence and the Tuscany region. Im hoping to eat heaps, bike around Tuscany, check out a few of the museums in Florence, and of course continue to eat gelato. Even though I am very satisfied with my Venice experience, I can still see myself coming back. Venice is such a cool city.

Where for art thou Romeo

2005-06-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm in Venice, I've spent the past 2 days taking day trips out of the city. Yesterday, I visited the university town of Padova which is known for the tomb of St. Anthony (the patron saint of lost things). There was also a nice piazza but other than those 2 things there wasn't much else to see.

Today, I'm in the city of Verona and there is definitely much more to see here. Even just walking along the river looking at the villas and churches on the hillside is very enjoyable as Verona is a very pretty city. Verona is famous for Romeo and Juliet and sure enough you can actually visit Juliet's balcony. Romantic lore states that by rubbing the statue of Juliet's heart (the statue is located under her balcony) you will find a new love. In keeping with tradition, I rubbed the statue so I'm expecting some good lovin for the rest of my trip. Also, as I was having lunch by the balcony, I was entertained by an american family of tourists comedically acting out the famous bacolny scenes.

The other famous site I enjoyed was the roman amphitheatre. I'm amazed that something built over 2000 years ago is still in use today and is in great condition. Apparently the acoustics are still perfect and I would love to hear a concert here to really appreciate the amphitheatre. Roman engineering blows me away and it appears the Romans were far ahead of their time.

Surprisingly, I met a girl who studies at UBC (mechanical engineering) last night at my campsite. She's doing a coop term in Germany and decided to visit Venice for the weekend. We met because we were both wearing UBC clothing and so a conversation natually began. Small World.

Bonjourno

2005-06-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

I found a little sun in Barcelona before I left and did go on that bike tour. Surprisingly, my tour guide was from Vancouver. Small World. On my last day, I took a gondola up a hill and then hiked up to a castle overlooking the water and harbor. It was a great way to leave Barcelona.

Just as I'm getting sorta comfortable with Spanish, I took the night train from Barcelona to Milan and now I have to figure out Italian. After reading several stories about night train experiences I was pretty nervous but thankfully I found out I was sharing my room with two american guys who were the best possible roomates you could ask for. They were friendly and respected your space while cooperating to make a safe environment for all of us. The train trip went as good as I could have hoped.

I arrived in Milan in the morning and decided to take the metro into the heart of the city to have lunch. Honestly, I didnt find much to see in Milan except one really cool shopping mall with all the brand names and prices you would expect in Milan. I had pizza for lunch and I really do believe that pizza and pasta taste better in Italy. I think its the tomatoes which taste much more sweet and fresh. After a few hours in Milan, I took another train to Venice where I am now. I'm staying at a campsite on the outskirts of the city for a few nights and then I'll move into a hostel in the city itselt. I walked around Venice for a bit and it's as cool as I remember. I'm happy with my decision to stay here a few more days and I plan to eat gelato everyday I'm in Italy.

Ole

2005-06-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

After the gong show that was my first night in Barcelona, the majority of us woke up late with hang overs. Since we didnt´feel like doing much, a few of us went down to the beach to chill. I forgot the beaches are topless in Barcelona but before anyone gets too excited you must know that the only people who are topless are the ones you don´t want to see topless. And someone please ban the male speedo... it hurts my eyes! Stayed at the beach for a bit, had a nap, and then we walked around the harbor area taking in some of the street performers. The walk eventually took us to the main street where we took in more street performers and looked at the different merchant booths.

At night, we went to see a bull fight. It seemed like the thing to do in Spain. It was pretty cruel and barbaric but an experience nonetheless. The matador would keep taunting the bull and every now and then different people kept taking turns stabbing the bull with various sharp objects. Eventually, the show reaches a climax where the whole stadium goes silent and the matador is face to face with the beast. The bull charges at the Matador and the Matador moves aside thrusting his sword into the heart of the bull and after a few seconds the bull collapses and dies. The stadium erupts in cheers and the fans wave their white hankerchiefs and throw roses as their sign of appreciation. It appeared quite theatrical which makes it entertaining but killing 6 bulls in the span of 2 hours seemed a bit much. I don´t recommend this experience if you´re an animal lover.

After the bull fight, it was off to the hostel where I met up with people for drinks. To our surprise, many places were closing early. I didn´t think the words ´closed at night´ applied in Spain but apparently its pretty chill on a Sunday.

This morning I woke up after a good night´s rest and found it was raining. Boo-urns. I had my heart set on taking this bike tour around the city but obviously it´s no fun in the rain. I visited some indoor attractions instead and that is why I have time to write a lenghty post in my blog. I would love to post some pictures but I don´t know how to get my pictures off my camera and upload them using these public computers. But more importantly, I don´t know how to post pictures on my blog.

Saturday Night in Barcelona

2005-06-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday night and I'm in Barcelona so I'm looking for something to do. Our hostel advertises this pub crawl so myself and a few other people from the hostel signed up. Turned out to be one pretty crazy party. Four different bars, free tequila, girls flashing their boobs, and a nightclub along the water. The night ends at 5 am for me ~but the party was still going at the club~ and I'm lucky that I was able to walk home with 2 other girls from my hostel or else I probably would have never found the place in my drunken state. But passing out on the beaches of Barcelona at 5 am in the morning, that definitely would have been a story.

Barcelona

2005-06-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

I had a horrible experience on the Spanish trains yesterday. I got lost and ended up somewhere I didn´t know and because I couldn´t speak the language I had some difficulty getting help. Thankfully, I found my way back to Madrid where I felt safe but I was disappointed that I never got to see Segovia.

I finally checked into my hostel in Barcelona. A 5 hour train trip doesn´t sound too pleasant but it turned out to be much better than I expected. I was sitting next to an american girl so we were able to talk for a bit. The trip started off pretty ordinary but then we started to venture into the Spanish mountains which were beautiful. In the last hour, we traveled across the coast overlooking the beaches and the mediterrean waters. The trip was actually pretty nice.

I´m spending the next 3 nights in Barcelona. Now off for some Tapas.

Tapas, Tapas, Tapas

2005-06-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

Spending the past 3 days in Madrid has been quite splendid. I´ve done almost everything it recommends in my Lonely Planet and have met some cool people to boot. I was fortunate to meet a new friend on my flight from London to Madrid so we´ve been hanging out in Madrid. I must admit it´s much more enjoyable to share the experience with another person. I really enjoyed visiting the Palacio Real, the Prado Museum, and eating Tapas in the Plaza Mayor. For snack, jamon sandwich and churros are cheap and tasty.

I´m leaving Madrid tomorrow and hopping on the train to Barcelona. Madrid is a great city and I highly recommend it to everyone. The only problem I faced here was the language barrier. It can be very frustrating when you´re alone and can´t communicate with anyone for help. But that is a problem I will face in almost every country I will visit.

The hostel I´m staying at in Madrid is called ¨Cat´s Hostel¨. It´s really cool since it used to be an old palace but it resembles my first year residence ´totem park´ in so many ways. The other travelers here are very friendly and you can make heaps of new friends by simply stepping into the bar and introducing yourself. Travel stories are everywhere.

Madrid, Spain is...

2005-06-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! I didn´t know too much about Madrid before I got here but after taking a taxi into the heart of the city I was blown away by its beauty. The last time I was blown away like this was when I first visited Paris. This may sound kinda harsh but Madrid makes London look like Surrey. I only had an opportunity to walk around the area near my hostel but I´m loving everything I´m seeing. The food is great, the architecture and history is great, and the people are great. Life feels so laid back here that I´m really looking forward to exploring this city over the next few days. I only wish I could figure a way to upload a photo or two on this blog to show everyone Madrid´s beauty.

Strawberries and Cream

2005-06-07T01:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I met up a friend in London and went out to the Wimbledon Museum. Even though I don't really play much, I've always been a tennis fan so it was a treat to see the home of the most prestigeous tournament in tennis. The grounds were very beautiful and well kept and the tour I went on walked through court 1, the press rooms, the player lounge and center court. With the tournament starting up in roughly 2-3 weeks, there was lots of preparations going on and the courts look in great shape. It's too bad I couldn't hit a few balls on one of the courts since they were calling my name.

After Wimbledon, we went to Camden market. It's like a bigger version of the goth area of Granville Street. Very interesting place to say the least and at least there I was able to find the cheapest chinese food in London there. Two pounds for as many item you could fit on your plate and you could still bargain as if you were in Yoahan center. At night, I just chilled in the hostel and met some Americans while watching a pirated version of the House of Wax. Watching Paris Hilton getting speared makes it worth seeing the movie.

In a few hours, I'm taking a flight down to Madrid, Spain. As much as I like London, I'm looking forward to leaving this chilly weather and expensive prices. I've taken it really easy the past few days in London and slept relatively early to overcome my jet lag. This is my 3rd time in London now so I can't say I was excited as my first and second time. For me, my trip really starts tonight in Madrid.

I can recommend my hostel 'Ace Hotel'. It's very clean and the beds are very comfortable. Also, there is a cool chill out area and small bar area where I was able to meet some other travelers. My only gripe is it's a little far from central London (about 20 min by tube to central london). For someone visiting London the first time, I would recommend something more central (I personally liked the Hyde Park area) but if you're looking for a quiet place to stay away from the busyness of London to recover like I did, then Ace Hotel is a good choice.

Mind the Gap

2005-06-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

After 3 days of being in London, I'm now a master of the London Underground. I can navigate that beast like no one's business and not look like a tourist anymore.

Yesterday, I took the train out to see Windor Castle and Eton College. It was much more beautiful than I expected. Walking around the grounds gave you a sense of what it must have felt like during the medieval period. It's perched upon a hill where you can see miles out in all directions, a great defense against any attackers. I still can't believe it's a working castle and that several of the state apartments I saw are still used for state functions. Minus the tabloids, royalty appears quite nice. I even saw the Queen leave in a Rolls Royce which the staff told me is common since Windsor Castle is her weekend retreat.

After Windsor I visited Eton college, the highschool of Princes William and Harry. The school is over 500 years old and, as you can imagine, is steep with history. It looked really old and not as glamorous as I imagined but the facilities and academic programs appear amazing. For 22,000 pound per year, the facilities better be amazing.

Today, I took in some of London's FREE attractions to ease the pain on my wallet. I started the day by checking out Speaker's Corner at Hyde Park. It consisted of several people preaching about religion and condeming those who do not believe in Jesus. Quite entertaining. Then I went to the National Gallery to view their art collection and then spent the afternoon in the British Museum to see their Egyptian exhibits. Both of these museums are world class and it amazes me that they are both free. My favorites were seeing the paintings of Venice (I'll be there in a few days) and the Egyptian mummies. There was an exhibit on Japanese samurai swords a few days back but unfortunately it's over. Now that would have been a cool exhibit.

Happy Birthday to Me

2005-06-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well... today is my birthday and I made it to London. The Air Canada flight here was awful.... I blame the pilot since his take-off and landing was very poor. Since I'm pretty jet lagged, I took it easy and just walked around Notting Hill (the area made famous by the movie of the same name). There is a public market there which resembles Richmond night market to a small extent. You can buy everything from fruits to fake Burburry wallets. My hostel is really nice but it's a little ways from the heart of London. It's a little farther than I would like but the hostel appears to have all the amenities a budget traveler needs: bar, chill out room, happy hour, and a backyard BBQ area. Put this hostel around Hyde Park and it would be perfect.

Europe in a few hours

2005-06-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

I've been preparing and organizing my trip for the past few days so it has been a little hectic. I've done my research and have prepared for the worst and now hope for the best. I have all my flights and most of my accomodations booked so this trip is officially good to go. Pardon my keener-ism but my personality is one that like schedules and organization. While I hear many great stories of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants traveling around Europe, I know I wouldn't feel comfortable with that so I worked within my comfort zone. At the very least, having my hostel already booked is one less thing to worry about when I arrive in a city. I did, however, leave a little room for flexibility in case I do change my mind about certain places.

To research hostels, I used:
www.hostelworld.com
www.europesfamoushostels.com

I looked for things such as cleanliness, character, fun, location, price, and the ability to meet other travelers. Hostelworld.com is a great site. It has the ability to view hostel availability, book accomodations, and has ratings and comments from customers so you can get a better feel of what it's like to stay there. I found their site so useful that I even supported their site by buying a membership ($10 US).

Here is my itinerary. For the most part, it's pretty set but I do have some flexibility in both France and Italy. Here's to a safe trip!

London (June 3 – June 7)
Madrid (June 7 – June 11)
Barcelona (June 11 – June 14)
Milan (June 15 – June 17)
Verona (June 17 – June 19)
Venice (June 19 – June 21)
Florence (June 21 – June 25)
Rome (June 25 – June 29)
Corfu (via Brindisi) (June 30 – July 5)
Athens (July 6 – July 8)
Berlin (July 8 – July 10)
Dresden (July 10 – July 12)
Prague (July 12 – July 16)
Vienna (July 16 – July 18)
Salzburg (July 18 – July 21)
Zurich (July 21 – July 22)
Interlaken (July 22 – July 26)
Dijon (July 26 – July 28)
Avignon (July 28 – July 31)
Nice (July 31 – August 4)
Paris (August 4 – August 10)
London (August 10 – August 12)

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

2005-05-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

It's official. I signed my contract with Telus today so I am now an official Telus employee. I will be working with them for the next three years of my life and I'm looking forward to the opportunity. I start August 15.

What will I do before then?... I'm going to Europe! I've had this plan at the back of my mind for some time but I couldn't act upon it until I had ironed out my job situation which is why I've kept it on the down low. Now that Telus is confirmed in writing, I've booked a flight to London and bought a rail pass. I leave next Thursday and will be in London for my birthday. For the next 2 months, I plan to travel by train and stay in Hostels. I will be visiting England, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and anywhere else I can squeeze in during that time frame. I'm uber-excited because backpacking around Europe is something I've wanted to do ever since I had my introduction to Europe via my Contiki tour around 3 years ago. The travel bug has been let loose and this trip will probably just make it worse.

I will try and update my blog as frequently as I can while in Europe. This blog is to become my new travel journal.

It's Cold in Vancity

2005-05-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

The average temperature in the Philippines was about 35 degrees celsius so it was very chilly when I arrived home to a 12 degree Vancouver afternoon. Philippine Airlines had double booked our seats so my bro and I were bumped up to First Class for the trip home. I've never flown First Class before on such a long flight and needless to say it was a great.

Here is my brief summary of the Philippines:

Shopping: I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Phils is the new Hong Kong. Fake LV bags, Rolex watches, and DVDs are everywhere. However, if you want real name brand stuff it costs about as much as it would in Vancouver.

Borocay Beach: It's probably the most beautiful beach I've ever visited and I've been to Hawaii, the Carribean, and Cannes. Do yourself a favor and make some time to visit this place if you ever visit the Philippines.

Food and Drink: For the most part, food and drink is very cheap. And the food is FANTASTIC! As an example, we were able to have a feast for 11 people for around $20 Cdn by buying fresh food from the market and paying someone to cook it for us. Even going to a nice restaurant (something comparable to the Keg) would cost you about $10 for a meal. Beer was extremely cheap. I could get beer for less than $0.50 Cdn each from the local convenience store and for less than $2.50 Cdn in the bars. Beer is literally cheaper than water. On a related note: Coca Cola tastes better in the Phils for some reason.

Nightlife: Honestly, I was disappointed in the nightlife. The scene was very much like every asian bar in Vancouver and not like something you would see on the show 'Wild On'. I guess that explains why Asian bars are the way they are in Vancouver. However, the clubs right on the beach in Borocay are a great place to chill. Also, the whole Makati area in Manila has been redeveloped that it looks and feels like a nicer version of Yaletown. Go to Makati if you want to see and be seen.

The Provinces: These are the small town/farming areas of the Phils. Not my cup of tea I'm afraid. I discovered I had to kill my own food and get water from a well. To add to this, there was sometimes no running water and power and plumbing was very limited there. After 2 days in the provinces and seeing the relatives, I changed my flight and flew back to Manila.

Golf: For the first time in my golfing career, I had a caddy who would track my golf ball, keep my score, clean my clubs, drive me to my ball in the golf cart, and hold an umbrella for me to protect me from the sun. I literally didn't have to do anything except hit the ball. And I thought golf was a lazy sport before.

Driving: It's anarchy in the Philippines. No one wears seat belts, you drive really fast, you fit as many people as you can in one vehicle, and there is no such thing as a lane. You drive wherever you can find space. Despite the madness, I did not see one accident. If I could describe driving in the Phils: Amazing.

What surprised me the most was despite all the poverty and problems in the Philippines the people are generally very happy people who live very simple lives. Maybe its true: "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems"

Pictures Here

Please stop feeding me

2005-05-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

So I've spent roughly the past 2 weeks in the Philippines. I've actually enjoyed it more than I expected. Currently, I'm in Borocay Beach which is considered one of the world's most beautiful beaches. I will have to agree with that ranking since it's pretty nice here.

Filipinos are known for their hospitality and we've enjoyed our fair share of it. The only problem is that every day we visit a new family member and every day they feed us. I think I average the equivalent of 6 meals a day and if you've ever had 'real' filipino food, you'll know it's extremely fatty. (Take roasted pork aka. lechon for example.) I don't mean to complain because I love the food but I do have my limits.

Some vacation highlights:

Watched a Philipino Basketball Association (PBA) game
Baby Lechon
Jet Skiing in Borocay
Hanging out on the beach bars of Borocay
Red Horse Beer
Dirt cheap alcohol

I'm spending this weekend in my mom's village and then I should be back in Manila next week before I go home on May 22. I plan to do lots of shopping in Manila since I didn't realize how good the knock-offs look.

Farewell Nokia, Hello Telus

2005-04-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

Another chapter in my life has ended and now another one begins. Today was my last official day at Nokia. After working there for one year, I am leaving to pursue new career opportunities and I'm happy to say that I am leaving on good terms. Nokia is a great company to work for and I highly recommend it if you get the opportunity.

I will be starting a new job over the summer with Telus in their Graduate Engineering Program (GEP). The GEP is a three year program consisting of 3 one-year rotations within the company. (Think of it like co-op for full time engineers.) By the end of the program, the goal is to gain a breadth of experience within the company and obtain a PEng. What I like about this program is the variety they offer. You have the option of staying technical or moving into business. My interests lie in the business side of things and Telus is the only company I've found that offers this kind of work for new engineers. Needless to say, I am very excited about this new opportunity.

Before I start working agin, I will be going on vacation; I leave for the Philippines tomorrow and will be there for 3 weeks. I return on May 22. Hopefully, that should be enough time to recharge the batteries to start a whole new career.

LOT Graduation

2005-04-28T00:09:00.000-07:00

After weeks of planning, we finally had our LOT Graduation event. I'm happy to say it was successful and I'm proud of the product we produced. This event was to celebrate another successful year in the Leaders of Tomorrow Program. For our keynote speaker, we had Dennis Skulsky who is the President and Publisher of the Vancouver Sun and Province. We also had Darcy Rezac, managing director of the Vancouver board of Trade, offer his always useful networking advice. In between, we had some awards and we ended the formal program with a graduation video. As always, we had a networking session but this time it was more of a party with great food, drinks, and music. All the comments I heard were positive and the students did a fantastic job of organizing and running the event. Next year's grad will have some big shoes to fill.

Punching Bag 'O Fun

2005-04-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Would you believe I spent my Friday night out in Surrey? Normally, I would be enjoying the legendary Surrey girls but my attention this time was focused on a boxing bar game. You hit this punching bag and it gives you a score depending on how hard you hit the bag. Every guy in the bar took their turn while the rest of us watched and cheered. The girls looked at us funny but as a guy you know it's your duty to punch and show your machissmo. I wonder where I can find one of these punching bags for my house.

At the club, Cheers, we saw a fight in the bar. My night in Surrey was complete.

A New Pope

2005-04-19T23:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about the Cardinals and who were the front runners to succeed Pope John Paul II so I had to learn about the new Pope from the media. Some of the highlights:

Age 78
Extremely smart and considered one of the church's great minds
Old Skool beliefs
Doesn't recognize other Christian faiths or religions
Has tough nicknames such as "The Enforcer" and "God's Rottweiler"

Maybe that's what all future Popes need, cool nicknames to make them marketable to the public.

Arts County Fair 14

2005-04-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

"I've always said 'You hang out with losers you become a loser.'" - The Donald

Just when I thought last year was my last Arts County Fair, I'm back this year for an encore. Due to circumstances outside of my control, work has been really slow so I decided to make the most of this extra free time and go to Arts County. Thank goodness the weather gods decided to bless us with sunshine or else I would not have gone to the concert. A rainy Arts County Fair is as much fun as going to the Dentist.

With me being graduated and a year older and a little wiser, I thought I would be more mature this year and not get stupid as in previous years. That plan went out the window as soon as the first drop of beer touched my lips. As with every year I have gone to Arts County, the music became secondary and I got caught up in the madness. It was a great time and I even bumped into some people I knew.

Honestly, I only remember Matthew Good. He was good as always and I was happy he played several of his older hits. This year's lineup was the best I've seen since I started studying at UBC and I would have wanted to go to this concert even if it wasn't Arts County. For $24 to see these bands, you can't go wrong. Also, the organization was outstanding. There were no lines for drink tickets and no lines to get alcohol even during peak periods. Kudos to the organizers who learned many lessons from previous years and made positive changes. The one change that suprised me though was the front half of the field where the stage is located had been fenced off. You could only enter if you didn't have a drink. I think it drew some initial complaints but after thinking about this new layout sober, it makes a lot of sense and is probably safer.

Arts County Fair ends with us at the Pita Pit and me waking up the next day with a hangover.

Will I be back at Arts County? I honestly don't know. I've gone 4 times now and I keep telling myself I've outgrown this stage of my life. But can you ever really outgrow having fun?

A Break in My Routine

2005-04-07T00:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was honestly one of the most fun weekends that I've had in awhile. It was fun because it was a complete break in my routine and I was able to experience new things. On Friday night, I went ice skating with Bev and her friends at a local community center. After doing a few laps around the ice, we got some hockey sticks and proceeded to play some stick-n-puck. That was honestly the first time I've ever played ice hockey. I can now call myself a true Canadian. After hockey, Bev and I went to the Yaletown brewery and met up with some highschool friends of mine who were celebrating their birthday. Nothing like a beer and some munchies after a good workout. After the brief appearance in Yaletown, we met up with her friends again at some dodgy pub on the corner of Fir and 7th. The area was seedy and the place looked like it should be shut down but that bar was one of the most fun bars I've ever visited in Vancouver. It was very small and intimate with live music. Everyone was drinking and dancing and having a good time to classic cover hits. I originally planned to go home early since I had to wake up early the next day for a Whistler trip but I was having so much fun that I said f*** it and got caught up in the moment.

After a whopping four hours of sleep, I hopped on a bus that took me to Whistler for the annual Nokia Whistler trip. I helped organize this trip so it was mandatory I go. We were blessed with lots of fresh snow on the moutain and we had many positive comments most likely due to the great conditions. Once I reached the top of Whistler, the mountain air woke me up as it usually does and I had another great day of skiing. I arrived at home around 7 pm and then took a quick power nap so I could go out again that night. On Saturday night, I went to the Picadilly pub in downtown to watch some live bands. I was exhausted and started to fall asleep in the pub but I surprisingly survived the night. That is the power of positive thinking and possibly sheer stupidity.

Sunday, I recovered and went to a Wrestlemania party at my friend's place. Hulk Hogan and his "Real American" entrance music will never die.

Pope John Paul II, 1920 - 2005

2005-04-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

I've spent the majority of my life in Catholic school and have studied the colorful history of the Church so I can't help but be intrigued by the death of a Pope. In my life, I have only known one Pope and from what I've learned, he was a righteous man. And anytime the world loses a righteous man, no matter what their religion, we are all at a loss.

New Digital Camera

2005-03-29T22:26:00.000-08:00

I resisted the temptation to buy a PSP and a new pair of skis but I broke down and bought a new digital camera today. I bought the Canon SD300 and I'm happy to say that I am very satisfied with my purchase. This is one of the most beautiful cameras I've seen and it's perfect for my needs. I'm the kind of person who likes a simple point and shoot camera that I can carry anywhere and the Canon SD300 does just that. It has many of the same features as my old Canon S40 but with a form factor the size of a small deck of playing cards. I've read lots of good reviews about this camera on several website and when I saw it on sale at Future Shop I didn't hesitate to pick one up. The main reason I wanted a newer, smaller camera was for my upcoming travels. I'll write more about this later so stay tuned.

What job is right 4 u?

2005-03-29T00:26:00.000-08:00

You scored as Scientist.

Scientist

85%

Athelete!

85%

Cook

55%

Actor or actress!

45%

Model

45%

Musician

40%

Teacher

40%

Artist

35%

Singer

20%

Doctor

10%

What job is right 4 u?
created with QuizFarm.com

I must admit, this test is pretty bang on. My dream job is pro athelete but since I failed to make the NBA or the English Premiership I fell back on my education to become a scientist/engineer. Had I not done well in school, I always told myself I would become a chef.

Head to Head, Tag 'Em In

2005-03-28T14:08:00.000-08:00

First off, thanks to Matt for allowing us to stay at his place at Whistler for the weekend.

Life has been pretty hectic the past 2 weeks so I welcomed the opportunity to get away from the city and spend the weekend at Whistler. I left Friday afternoon and made a short stop in Squamish for some food. I have to comment about this small restaurant called "The Weigan Pier" right behind the Extra Foods supermarket since I thought they had some really good fish n chips. Friday night was pretty tame and all I did was drink and watch Dance 360. The dancers were more awful than normal on that particular episode.

Saturday morning, I awoke to the sweet sight of falling snow. I rented skis and picked up where my last ski lesson left off. There was lots of powder before lunch and it made for some great conditions. I'm seriously considering buying some skis now and making skiing my primary winter sport. I still enjoy snowboarding but I found skiing opened up so much more of the mountain for me and I prefer to look straight down the run as opposed to sideways on a snowboard. That night, my friends and I met up with my friend Bev and her friends who coincedently were in town for their Spring Break. We had some food and drinks at the Keg and then I took off to meet up with another friend of mine at Garfinkels. Garfinkels was a blur but I was surprised how many girls were there that night. Whistler in general is normally a sausage fest but thankfully not saturday night. My friend didn't last too long so she left early. I stayed with her cousin the rest of the night and eventually walked her back to her hotel making a stop at the Pita Pit before returning to the condo.

I woke up Sunday morning and everyone has disappeared except for our host Matt. We cleaned the place up and then I met up with Bev to do some shopping in the village. There were some good sales in the village, especially if you were looking for winter outerwear. I left in the afternoon to get home in time for an Easter family dinner. Now I need another weekend to recover from this Whistler weekend.

Shake It Like a Salt Shaker

2005-03-20T21:45:00.000-08:00

On Friday night I went downtown to a fundraiser-slash-social at Aqua-1066. My friend drove so I took every advantage of this opportunity and proceeded to get hammered. I probably embarrassed myself that night but I don't really care since I had heaps of fun. We had about 50 or so people at the fundraiser and when the place transformed from a lounge into a club there was no shortage of petite chinese girls, go-go dancers, alcohol, and good times. After the club, my friend and I got some late night greasy chinese food which I consider one of the best parts of living in Vancouver. The only things that come close to greasy chinese food are greasy donairs and Taco Time.

I spent most of Saturday recovering. The only thing I did was goto my baby cousin's birthday party. It was your typical Filipino party with lots of Filipino food and FOBs with the added bonus of a PPV boxing match between a Filipino and a Mexican. The Mexican won.

Spring Cleaning

2005-03-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

The paper shredder has got to me one of the most useful office item ever created. I started doing some Spring cleaning this weekend and had lots of documents to throw away so I bought a shredder. I thought it would be a good idea to shred all my papers since I can't have people looking in in my trash and finding my Swiss Bank Account numbers or stealing my secret rich playboy identity. Watching that first piece of paper being converted into small thin strips is quite hypnotizing and next thing you know you're shredding documents that you hadn't even planned on shredding. Now I have a full garbage bag of papers shreds and I plan on doing some more shredding this week since I'm still enjoying the novelty of this new found power.

On a poker note, I finally played some poker after a few week hiatus. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I was playing extremely passive. As Ryan tells me, "you don't have to have the hand, you have to represent the hand". This weekend, I played the hand I had. On a positive note though, I finished up in all games that I played but never really won big. I hope next time a more agressive style of play will translate into some bigger wins.

Newest Member of PETA*

2005-03-03T23:44:00.000-08:00

When you hear the acronym PETA, the first thing that normally comes to mind is "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals". However, I recently discovered there exists another special interest group that goes by the same name, a group that I would like to be a member of. That group is "People Eating Tasty Animals", a parody of the aforementioned group. The new PETA* supports eating meat, wearing fur and leather, and hunting. How did I come across such a random group? The group was actually mentioned in the Vancouver Sun. Apparently, there is this monster 10kg lobster found off the shores in Maine that is going to become a new attraction at a zoo because of its size. PETA wants it released back in the wild while PETA* has placed a bid to eat it. I'm not the biggest lobster fan but I'll throw in some money too for this worthy cause since he sounds mighty tasty. Someone please pass me the butter.

Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!

2005-02-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

I went curling for this first time on Friday with some people at work. For a casual social outing, it was pretty fun. I got to play the role of the "skip" which apparently is the shot caller. Considering I no nothing about curling, I just pointed my broom and yelled "Sweep!" as they do on TV. My instructor would say all this fancy terminology and tell us advance curling strategies but neither of us had the skill to execute anything he said so we just threw rocks down the ice whereever we damned well please. While curling, I kept thinking to myself "How does one get into competitive curling". It's not the sexiest sport (and I use that word loosely). It's like waking up one day and saying "I want to become a 2-man luge champion". Who says that?

This weekend marked a huge milestone in my poker development. I unlocked my first bonus from party poker. It was a 50% bonus up to $50 which I max out. I played 250 hands of 0.5/$1 and was up a whopping total of $10. Add that to the $50 bonus and I'm up a total of $60. Not a bad return considering how little time I spent.

Finally, this weekend I spent lots of time watching the NBA all-star festivities. Josh Smith had some amazing dunks in the dunk contest. Steve Nash was best of show in the dunk contest even though he wasn't one of the contestants. His passes using his head and feet prove how talented the man is. The game was alright with Vince Carter having the highlight of the game with his sick dunk after passing it to himself. I couldn't believe how far above the rim he got. I found the halftime show amusing since country music is the last music genre I expected at an NBA all-star game consisting of mostly gangsta-rap-loving-homeys from the hood. The country entertainment was probably meant for the Daytona 500 crowd.

Hockey Cancelled: Boo - Urns

2005-02-16T23:36:00.001-08:00

Did you know that the Hockey season was cancelled today? I don't think there was enough coverage in the news. Being Canadian, I'm very disappointed to see the hockey season being cancelled. With no big sporting events going on in Vancouver right now, who are we to cheer for? I find it very difficult to understand how players who get paid millions of dollars can argue about more money. There are so many people in this world who would trade places with any of the players in a heartbeat and play for a fraction of their salary. I really don't understand.

Maybe this cancellation can result in two positive outcomes. The first is the replacement of Gary Bettman as commissioner. Just looking at his numbers, any other CEO would be replaced by the Board of Directors if the CEO produced numbers such as his. Under better leadership, maybe the NHL wouldn't even be in this problem but it's too late to speculate now. The other positive result is that maybe some of the US teams will fold and hopefully we can move those teams back into Canada. Hockey crazy cities such as Winnipeg and Quebec deserve to have an NHL team. US cities that have never seen snow, such as in Phoenix, can probably do without. Canadians love hockey and I predict that Canadians will flock back to hockey once the dispute is over. However, the situation is much different in the states and hockey takes a back seat to the other major pro sport leagues such as baseball, football, and basketball. It will be harder to win those fans back since they have other options on where to spend their money.

I found a funny article on CBC.ca that satires Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow in Donald Trump's boardroom. Definitely worth the read if you have some time.

Link to CBC.ca Article.

SFU Career Fair

2005-02-09T22:56:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, I chose to get out of the office again and volunteer at the SFU career fair. It was a well organized event and we had lots of traffic throughout most of the day. I wish I could say that I met some quality talent but honestly I couldn't recommend any people today other than the people I already knew. To be fair to the students, I realize that there is only so much you can learn about a person in a few minutes but there wasn't anyone who was the kind of person you know is good from the moment you meet them. There is a strong possibility that many students I met today are outstanding but I couldn't gauge it from today's career fair. Again, I say I don't envy hiring managers since I'm learning again the talent pool is not as deep as I originally thought.

Because we talked with many more students today, we did come across some rude individuals. My theory is they have a small penis and they need to put Nokia down to make themselves feel important and overcome their insecurities. Some were weird as could be expected. Some were fake. Some thought we were there selling phones. One person was even quoting me Nokia financial figures and forcasts. While I was impressed this person could read and memorize information off a website, I started asking some questions of my own and found very little substance behind the facade. Overall, it was fun getting out of the office and I think all us volunteers had a good time. Kudos to the SFU students who organized such a professional event. In case you're wondering, Nokia is still hiring for full time positions.

www.orangeshirt.com

2005-02-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

On Friday night, I went out to Bimini's pub for a friend's birthday so I dropped a message to my other friend Chad who literally lives right behind the bar and asked if he wanted to come out. There was a long line around 9 pm so I had to sneak him in through the back door. We all get inside and it looked like mission accomplished but Chad happened to be wearing a bright orange shirt that night which is not the most stealth piece of clothing as you can imagine so the bouncers questioned him and eventually kicked him out. Burn.

Chad eventually ends up at the Royal that night and would you believe there actually exists a website called www.orangeshirt.com whose business is to go around to various Vancouver clubs and take pictures of people partying. The same bright orange shirt that got him kicked out of Biminis got him noticed at the Royal so now he has his picture on their website. www.orangeshirt.com. That's just so random.

RRSP Contributions

2005-02-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

RRSP deadline is right around the corner so I finally got off my ass and got my finances in order. Because of my fixed-term contract status at Nokia, I am not eligible to participate in the Nokia's RRSP program so I had to find my own options. This coincided with my thoughts to switch banks yet again so I scheduled a meeting with TD Canada trust and invested my money in one fell swoop.

Ever since I was a kid, I did all my business with Royal Bank. They have been a good bank but lately I've been very annoyed with their service charges which ultimately became the reason I switched. I first switched to President's Choice no fee bank account but after a few months found I needed the services of a branch. I did my research and found TD to be the best fit for me and now I have their full service account which has no fees provided I maintain a minimum balance. I consider this a fair trade-off considering all the services I can and will use. I find it surprising that Royal Bank will not waive their service charges and would rather lose their customers. Maybe they have a large supply of customers that they can afford to lose a few. Maybe there is something I don't know. However, if you think about it, the money the make off the service charges is peanuts compared to how much money they can make in the long run. Many of us new grads will eventually be looking into mortages, car loans, RRSPs, etc. The money generated from these vehicles is significantly more than any revenue generated from service charges but can only happen if the customer is happy and chooses to do business with a bank. Every other bank in town waives their fees with some conditions or charges no fees at all so I don't know why Royal Bank hasn't followed suit.

One thing I liked about investing my RRSP's with TD was you have the option of purchasing individual mutual funds yourself (personally managed) or having one of their professionals choose the mutual funds for you. I chose the latter and invested my money in a professionally managed portofolio since I consider my investment knowledge fairly weak and I wouldn't know which mutual funds to choose out of the many available. The trade off is a higher administration cost but it wasn't significantly higher that I felt the added cost was worth not having to spend time researching and thinking of where to allocate my money myself. All I care about is if the money is growing competitively and beating inflation.

The meeting lasted much longer than I expected but at least everything is done and I consider it time well spent. In addition, the girl helping me was kinda cute so that helped made the experience less painful. With all the deductions coming my way this tax season, I'm hoping that translates into one healthy tax refund. Vegas anyone?

The Apprentice vs The OC is over

2005-02-03T23:35:00.000-08:00

I don't know if NBC is reading my blog but I'm happy to write that the Apprentice starts at 9 pm now immediately following the OC. Thursday has once again become the night to stay at home, turn off the brain, and watch tv. Again, I'm very disappointed with the book smarts. I still think education can win over the street smarts. The tasks are fair but I'm still not a fan of the clowns the producers chose to form the book smart team. I'm not saying that I should be on the show but I'm pretty confident there must have been stronger book smart candidates out there who could crush the street smarts. However, that probably won't get good ratings so we're left with what you see on TV. The OC is getting spicier. The lesbian angle is slowly starting to develop with Marissa's character and Seth's girl. While I think the lesbian angle is cool, Marissa is still blah so I still have mixed feelings about this. If this angle involved Summer, I wouldn't hesistate to cheer it on.

On a poker note and on the recommendation of my experienced poker buddies, I purchased Winning Low Limit Hold'em by Lee Jones and Small Stakes Hold em by David Sklanksy et all on amazon.ca. It was cheaper if I bought both books simultaneously so I did which worked out to about $21 per book with free shipping. I should get the books next week and then I will hit the casino shortly afterwards.

RiverRock Casino

2005-02-01T23:01:00.000-08:00

My co-worker and I have been talking a lot about playing poker in the casino so we finally stopped talking, scheduled a meeting at the RiverRock after work, and played some poker tonight. I played some 2-4 and for the most part it's the same as Vegas with the exception of no alcohol. It's probably better that way since I still had to drive home. At the beginning, I got dealt some cold cards and on the advice of my experienced poker friends I played as tight as a virgin so I didn't play any hands. Then I ran into some bad luck where my high pocket pairs got busted on the River. I bet and raised where I could but I got called all the way down. With my stack dwindling, I went all in on one hand and won. My luck at the that point turned 360 and a few hands later my pocket aces held up to help me win another pot. The turning point of my night came when I got dealt pocket sixes. Another six comes on the flop so I keep re-raising until the dealer capped it. Got many callers. More action on the turn and then I get a full house on the river, sixes over sevens. I fired everything I had in each betting round and I won the pot which must have been over $100. Finally, I was out of the red and into the black.

My biggest weakness I find is that whenever I'm up I start to play really loose and I play hands I shouldn't be playing just because I'm under the mentality that I'm not gambling with my money anymore. It's the same problem I had in Vegas and it's the same problem I have in Vancouver. This is a horrible weakness since it seriously decreases the profits one makes in a sitting and one which I really need to fix. I stopped playing tight and lost the next few hands and most of my winnings.

My emotions went a roller coaster during this experience. I almost lost all my money ($100), peaked at about $150, and then ended the night up a whopping $2. Definitely not something to brag about but I'll take any win on my first trip to the RiverRock. Now I really want to read Lee Jones' low limit book since I think I can take away more from the book having played some real low limit (I don't know if I can consider the Xcalibur Casino in Vegas real low limit). Maybe next timeI can increase my winnings to a respectable $10, enough to pay for my weekly dim sum lunch with my co-workers.

Caesar's Palace

2005-01-31T21:19:00.000-08:00

There is a relatively new reality TV show called "Caesar's 24/7" on A&E. If you've ever seen the reality show "The Club", Ceasar's24/7 is similiar as they follow individuals around the casino and share their story. Naturally, you see stories about the high rollers, people winning the big jackpot, and showgirls. What I find very amusing about this show is how it is nothing like what my friends and I saw when visited Vegas not too long ago. The show portrays Caesar's Palace as this glamourous casino where beautiful people go to party and get rich. However, what my friends and I saw was a senior citizens casino where old people go to gamble before they die. It was nothing as cool as on TV. I guess reality TV is not so real after all. What a surprise.

Tsunami Relief Concert

2005-01-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

The Tsunami Relief concert at GM Place was honestly one of the best shows I've seen at GM Place and everything you would expect from an all-star line up. Performing were Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida, Barenaked Ladies, Sum 41, and Delerium. GM Place was sold out, the crowd was extremely diverse, and everyone was dressed to impressed. It was the place to see and be seen. Also, the stadium was full of drunk cougars on the prowl that you could have easily renamed the event to "Cougar Mania 2005". Each artist had only a half hour set so they were only able to sing their greatest hits. Even if you weren't a big fan of one particular artist, you would probably still be able to recognize the songs they sang since every song played tonight has been on the radio countless times. Here's the play-by-play.

Delerium, Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida: I missed these performances since I started my shift in the parking lot. Working the parking lot is more interesting than it sounds as you get to see really nice cars and the beautiful rich people that drive them. It's not uncommon to see the hot west van wife, hot girlfriend, hot daughter, or a car full of girls ready to party. In addition to the beautiful people, I got to meet Wally Buono and Mark Crawford as they came through my gate. This begs the question: Where was Lui?

Sum 41: Out of all the bands on the lineup, Sum 41 was the most out of place because of their punk sound. They were added to the bill at the last minute since they were already in town for a show and the lead singer is supposedly dating Avril Lavigne. I moved from the parking lot to the floor where I watched this set. They were LOUD. I had a feeling that grandma was feeling a little uncomfortable with the noise and when the young hooligans started moshing. However, Sum 41 was fantastic. Their high energy got the whole stadium rocking and I was really impressed. I will definitely have to catch their show next time they come to Vancouver.

Bare Naked Ladies: Before BNL hit the stage, Robin Williams made a surprise appearance and entertained the crowd for a few minutes with a stand up comedy act consisting of many hockey and hockey strike jokes. He's hilarious and the crowd was pleasantly surprised. Then BNL started their set and the energy at GM Place peaked. They have a great Canadian sound and they had the entire stadium dancing. At one point, they even had the 18,000+ fans of GM Place doing the chicken dance. Just when you think you've seen it all.

Avril Lavigne: When did Avril become hot? She has matured from sweet statutory to legal babelicous. I had moved positions again and I was working right by where they were doing the TV interviews. I was literally a few feet from Avril and she was smokin. She dyed her hair blonde and curled it, a completely new look from her usual straight brunette hair. I see girls all across Canada adopting the new Avril image. Avril is probably the biggest artist we have in Canada right now and she was good. She sangs her hits and did the "Avril hop". I must admit, there is something attractive about a girl who can rock on the guitar.

Sarah McLachlan: The star among stars tonight was Sarah and deservedly so. Her accolades speak for themselves. The mood at GM Place switched gears since Sarah's music is much more mellow than the previous 3 artists. For her finale, she sang her masterpiece "Angel" which seems to have become the anthem to overcome great tragedy. GM Place gave her standing ovation and then she invited all the artists back on stage for one last song. The night ends.

Overall, the concert was a success. They said the concert raised 2.5 million and everyone I talked to said they really enjoyed the concert. Had I known the concert was going to be this good, I would have made the effort to try and get tickets. Great concert, noble cause, lots of energy. I didn't know charity could be this much fun.

What Hit Song Are You?

2005-01-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

She Wants to Move by N.E.R.D.

"Her off beat dance makes me fantasize(Her curves) She's sexy!!Her ass is a spaceship I want to ride(Her ass) She's sexy!!"
In 2004 you got your groove on - and had the best time ever.

What 2004 Hit Song Are You?

The Apprentice vs The OC

2005-01-27T23:13:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to face a TV delimna on Thursday nights. The Apprentice starts at 8:30 pm which overlaps The OC by a half hour meaning that I'm forced miss part of one show. For the past two weeks, I've chosen to watch the Apprentice at 8:30 pm choosing to download the OC to catch the parts that I missed. In a perfect world, the schedule would follow last season where the OC started at 8 pm and the Apprentice immediately followed at 9 pm. Back then it was easy. I shut my brain off for two hours and entertained myself with TV. Nowadays, forcing me to choose hurts my brain. Will Fox please move the OC to 7:30 pm please? There nothing good on TV during that time.

I heard that Marissa goes lesbo and makes out with Seth's girl in tonight's OC. Her character has been so blah lately that maybe this might finally be the storyline to kickstart some life into her character. Otherwise, I wish she would die from the show. The Apprentice was very entertaining again tonight. I'm definitely enjoying season 3 much more than season 2. I'm proud to say the book smarts won and I was amused by the reference that all college students know how to party since that is all they did at school. For the most part it is true... unless you took engineering and studied too much. ;p

UBC Career Fair

2005-01-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

Today, I skipped work to help with the Nokia booth at the UBC Computer Science Career Fair. My manager thinks I went just so I could meet chicks; he's a sharp manager. I didn't meet any chicks but I did meet lots of students looking for jobs. I've always wanted to help out at a company booth and talk with students and it was an interesting experience to finally be on the other side of the table.

You meet all sorts of people at the career fair. Some students I met, let's just say they were your stereotypical computer scientists and engineers who could use some work on their personal skills. I felt uncomfortable talking with some students since they were plain weird. A few other students were extremely cocky and wore their arrogance as if it were going out of style. Thankfully, the majority of students were good people who wanted to know about Nokia, what we do, and if we are hiring. I'd still consider myself a new grad so I can empathize with them and I was happy to answer all their questions. There are a few of them that I thought had the potential to fit and succeed at Nokia. I hope to see their applications in our system.

I have a new found respect for hiring managers and what they go through. As I have discovered today, finding good talent is much harder than I expected. Because I think highly of all my friends, I'm under the impression that everyone else is equally impressive and there is lots of great talent out there. However, after doing mini-interviews with some students and reviewing their resumes I begin to realize the talent pool is not as deep as I had thought. I couldn't believe how many students did not have any work experience. Given two candidates with equal education and talent but one had relevant work experience (coop for example) and the other didn't who would you choose? We talked to a number of students today but I can honestly say that only about 5% could be considered for an interview. It was the same story from other companies. There are a lot of people out there but none who are a good fit for the job. Now I know why there are still jobs still unfilled at Nokia. If you have work experience and you think you would be a good fit for Nokia, give me a shout since we are hiring for full time positions.

This Ring Makes Me Powerful

2005-01-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

I can't make this shit up.

My Nerd Level

2005-01-22T03:05:00.000-08:00