Well I am sitting in the airport again (should really check, because a lot of my posts end up being done in the airport. Anyways, I am on my way to South Africa for Scott's wedding! Its been a long and twisty journey, but I will get there in the end.
I have really enjoyed my time in Scotland, met some great people, worked really hard, learned some lessons and generally just taken the entire experience in.
This past weekend I was down in London again. I got to stay with Kris and Ali on Friday night and just say cheers to them. Then I was able to have lunch with Casey and leave a bag with her (I'm only allowed one bag back to South), then I met up with Vera and got to catch up with her a bit, then went out to dinner, which was actually Nick's (my ex-boss) wedding dinner. From there I stayed the night with Maurice and his girlfriend Julia, before heading back to Aberdeen on Sunday night.
A quick couple of highly busy days at work and I am now done.
Its been crazy quick, but SO worth it. I shall always remember my time here, and I really want to visit again!
On that note, all people back home, I am heading there for Christmas, so I look forward to seeing you all!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Scotland explored
My sister came up this past weekend, and we rented a car. We decided to follow a similar route as I did with my cousin, as there is no way you could get tired of that scenery!
Its a lot warmer now than it was when my cousin was up, so all the snow that was there had melted and as a result there was some flooding. The scenery was just as breathtaking and it was awesome to spend some fun time like that with my sis... Think it has been many a year since we have been able to spend that long together!
The objective really wasn't to go and see something specifically, but more that we were exploring, and as such, if we saw something we wanted to stop for... we did... and how much fun was that!
The next morning we took a drive up the coast, and saw the angry face of the North Sea. We parked on a pier at one of the little towns, and it was actually scary coz the waves were crashing against the car and the wind was blowing it so much it felt like there were 5 big guys rocking it from side to side!
A good time was had indeed, and really the opportunity to spend time with my sister was just the best thing ever!
That afternoon I flew back with my sister to London, as I had to physically go into the Canadian embassy in London for visa purposes (I'm not going to get started on that story now). I stayed the night with Casey, and that was great coz we got to spend some time catching up. The next morning I jumped on a tube into London and found my way to the embassy and did my business. I then found my way to Buckingham palace and Trafalgar square for a quick "I was here" picture or two, and then i jumped on the tube out to Heathrow. N.B. I was able to find my way around London on the tube, I am quite proud of myself for that - coz I was a bit nervous to do that...
A lot done this past weekend, and another full one coming up (my last one in the UK).
Its a lot warmer now than it was when my cousin was up, so all the snow that was there had melted and as a result there was some flooding. The scenery was just as breathtaking and it was awesome to spend some fun time like that with my sis... Think it has been many a year since we have been able to spend that long together!
The objective really wasn't to go and see something specifically, but more that we were exploring, and as such, if we saw something we wanted to stop for... we did... and how much fun was that!
The next morning we took a drive up the coast, and saw the angry face of the North Sea. We parked on a pier at one of the little towns, and it was actually scary coz the waves were crashing against the car and the wind was blowing it so much it felt like there were 5 big guys rocking it from side to side!
A good time was had indeed, and really the opportunity to spend time with my sister was just the best thing ever!
That afternoon I flew back with my sister to London, as I had to physically go into the Canadian embassy in London for visa purposes (I'm not going to get started on that story now). I stayed the night with Casey, and that was great coz we got to spend some time catching up. The next morning I jumped on a tube into London and found my way to the embassy and did my business. I then found my way to Buckingham palace and Trafalgar square for a quick "I was here" picture or two, and then i jumped on the tube out to Heathrow. N.B. I was able to find my way around London on the tube, I am quite proud of myself for that - coz I was a bit nervous to do that...
A lot done this past weekend, and another full one coming up (my last one in the UK).
Here Nessie, Nessie, Nessie...
Well I haven't updated for a couple of weeks, but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing things!! A couple of weeks back my cousin came up to visit me in Aberdeen. She's across here on a working holiday visa, and is staying in Cambridge. Like far too many of my loved ones I had not seen her for years, so it was just fantastic that we could take this opportunity to meet up and spend time together.
She flew up on the Saturday morning and we rented a car, ready for a long day's driving! We drove across from Aberdeen to a place called Ballater, which is a town that supplies a lot of services and goods to Balmoral Castle (the royal vacation spot in Scotland). From there we really went into the middle of nowhere as we headed north towards Inverness. This took us through the deserted, mountainous area of central Scotland.
As we were driving we noticed that the frost on the ground seemed to be thicker and thicker... until we realised that it was actually SNOW! This was the first time my cousin had seen snow, so we HAD to stop and play with the snow a bit! There was one stretch where we stopped, which was rather spooky as it was so deserted and still, it really felt like the beginning of one of those scary movies...
We kept on through the mountains towards Inverness and arrived there after lunch and then found our way down to Loch Ness (ya gotta do it - don't ya). Nessie, unfortunately, was on sabatical, so we left there and drove into Inverness and looked around there for a bit, before heading back to Aberdeen.
That may sound a little mundane, but let me tell you that the Scottish scenery is really something else. Its so changeable and perfect, every corner brought a new picture that could have been on the front of a postcard.
The next morning we drove up the coast a bit from Aberdeen and stopped and a couple of small towns, and saw some amazing dunes and beach areas, as well as a really craggy shoreline which was our last stop before heading back to the airport to drop her off for her flight.
What a fantastic weekend - 350 miles of driving - 2 days of fun!! Pictures to follow soon!
She flew up on the Saturday morning and we rented a car, ready for a long day's driving! We drove across from Aberdeen to a place called Ballater, which is a town that supplies a lot of services and goods to Balmoral Castle (the royal vacation spot in Scotland). From there we really went into the middle of nowhere as we headed north towards Inverness. This took us through the deserted, mountainous area of central Scotland.
As we were driving we noticed that the frost on the ground seemed to be thicker and thicker... until we realised that it was actually SNOW! This was the first time my cousin had seen snow, so we HAD to stop and play with the snow a bit! There was one stretch where we stopped, which was rather spooky as it was so deserted and still, it really felt like the beginning of one of those scary movies...
We kept on through the mountains towards Inverness and arrived there after lunch and then found our way down to Loch Ness (ya gotta do it - don't ya). Nessie, unfortunately, was on sabatical, so we left there and drove into Inverness and looked around there for a bit, before heading back to Aberdeen.
That may sound a little mundane, but let me tell you that the Scottish scenery is really something else. Its so changeable and perfect, every corner brought a new picture that could have been on the front of a postcard.
The next morning we drove up the coast a bit from Aberdeen and stopped and a couple of small towns, and saw some amazing dunes and beach areas, as well as a really craggy shoreline which was our last stop before heading back to the airport to drop her off for her flight.
What a fantastic weekend - 350 miles of driving - 2 days of fun!! Pictures to follow soon!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Multiple posts warning
I had queued a whole bunch of posts to the blog, as I have been writing things down that I want to blog in a little book, and I managed to get around to actually typing them in and posting them today. Enjoy!
Glaswegian travels (click title for photos)
So I'm sittng on a train at the moment, on my way back to Aberdeen. I've just spent the weekend down in Glasgow with my friend Felicity and her husband Juan. Its really nice to be able to see her, because she and I actually met online a long time ago (4 years ago) and have met up down in Port Elizabeth (where she is orginally from).
I took the morning train down from Aberdeen on Saturday, getting into Glasgow around lunchtime. The train ride is quite beautiful, as it winds its way down the eastern coast of Scotland before heading inland to Glasgow. I tried to get some snaps on the trip down, but unfortunately it was raining, and my camera couldnt focus properly (just one more incentive to get a camera with manual focus capability).
Felicity met up with me at the train station, and then Juan picked us up and we went straight to their apartment, which is in a little village just by Glasgow called Barhead. They have a very nice little place, which they are in the process of emptying as they are heading back to South Africa in a couple of weeks.
We sat and watched a bit of the rugby which was on, and saw Argentina's defeat of England at Twickenham... Which is a story for another day!!
Saturday night was organised as Felicity's going away night with some of her work friends, so we went out to meet up with them. After meeting at a bar, we headed out to a greyhound racing meet. Very interesting, as its the first time I've been to one of those things. I had a good time, as I placed a couple of minimum bets, and it was good fun cheering on the dogs as they raced around the track! After the dog racing we went to a club, but weren't really feeling it there, so we just went home to get a relatively early night.
Sunday morning we woke up a bit late, and jumped into a car and drove across to Edinburgh. We went straight into Edinburgh castle, which was incredible!!! It is built on an extinct volcano (which I didn't know about) and is absolutely steeped in history. We only had a couple of hours really to get around it, but to really go through it properly you need a full day!! I got to go and see the Scottish Crown Jewels, and they are spectacular, it was amazing to see these intricately designed pieces which are so significant to the history of the country and have been around for hundreds of years.
Once out of the castle we took a walk down the Royal mile, which is a cobblestone street which leads from the castle down the the palace. As can be imagined there are a lot of touristy stores along the way, which we stopped in and looked at. I was thinking about getting a kilt, but then looking at the price to get all the right stuff i.e. the kilt and belt and spooren, woulc have set me back at least 150 quid... I just couldnt justify that right now, but I was thinking it might be a nice touch to wear that kit to Scott's wedding. I shall see if I can get some good deals back in Aberdeen.
Once we were done, we jumped back into the car and raced back to Glasgow, and I managed to just miss my train, but it wasnt a big issue as I managed to get onto the next train a bit later on. I had a great weekend, and would love to get back down to Edinburgh again while I am here, I just need to figure out if timing will allow...
Monday, November 06, 2006
LONDON BABY
This past weekend I caught a late flight from Aberdeen to London Luton. When I was booking the ticket I really did not have a clear concept of how FAR London Luton is from Wimbledon. May as well have landed in a different city!! I spent almost as long on the train from Luton as I did on the plane from Aberdeen!!!Anyways, it was definitely worth it, as around midnight I arrived at my destination, Maurice's appartment. He has a really nice little two bedroomed place in Wimbledon. Definitely one of the nicer apartments that I have seen while in the UK. It was so good to see him, as I don't think he and I have actually seen eachother since he left Zim 2+ years ago!! We stayed up talking, and partaking in a bottle of Black label until the early hours of the morning. I need not say the next day my head was not appreciating the abuse from the prior night!! Maurice and I just went for a cooked breakfast once we were feeling more human and then headed back to the apartment for a bit of a lazy day Saturday. After lunch Julia, Maurice's better half from Zimbabwe, got back and it was great to catch up with her too.
That night we had arranged to head out to a South African pub called Zulus which is just by Putney Bridge (sp) I believe...(I have no idea of where things are in the Greater London Area). We were meeting up with a whole bunch of Zim folks, including Derek & AJ, Sean and Casey. Derek caught onto the fact that we have moose in Canadia, and for the rest of the evening was asking about my pet moose... which really made me really miss Mike (my pet moose). Zulus is a really good pub/club, they were playing some really decent music, and also I was thrilled to be able to look around and just see friends... Something you sorely miss when you are in a strange place like Canadia. Maurice had told me about a drink called a "Snakebite", and Derek persuaded me to try one. I believe its a mix of raspberry liquer, cider and beer, and tastes pretty good, but certainly could hit you hard if you were not careful!! We were dancing and having a good time and ended up heading toward Maurice's place at about 1 or 2am, while making the obligatory stop at a BK for a burger on the way.
On Sunday morning I had to get going early as the cheapest flight I could get also meant I had a lunchtime flight out of Luton which is pretty far (see above!!!); it was over as quickly as it had started!! Maurice came with me on the tube to see me off at the train station in London as I had to transfer, and it was a good thing as I don't know if I would have actually been able to find my way if it were not for him. It was sad having to say goodbye, but I know I will be getting down to London again to meet up with him and the crew, so that was fine.
The strange thing while I was down in England is that they don't seem to be too keen to take Scottish currency, and some places just flat out refused to take it it all. Its meant to all be legal tender wherever you go in the United Kingdom, but the Scottish currency is so different from the English, so some of the tellers do not recognise it at all. I now know to try to withdraw cash down in England when I am there, rather than up in Scotland.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Remember, remember the 5th of November...
So, being the UK, they celebrate Guy Fawkes day, and in no small measures either. I got back into Aberdeen on the afternoon of the 5th and went down to the beach area where they were going to be having the fireworks display. I'm starting to enjoy photography, so along came my tripod with me and I set up to take some photos. Still not getting great pics, but c'est la vie. Enjoy! (click on title for link to all the photos)
Sunday, October 29, 2006
More randomness from the North Sea
I was talking to a friend the other day and he told me that it was time now; he needs to find a wife, settle down, have kids, and basically get on with the next stage of his life. I was pleased, becuase it is great when people solidify a plan for their lives. I would not be surprised if this past weekend he was been putting into place steps to meet that goal.
(If the above slideshow takes forever to load, please tell me and I will remove it from my blog.)
Now, in the past I've thought that I'm ready for a major shift into the next stage or possibly more aptly, MY next stage, as each person will have their own personal stages,metrics and doors they need to pass through.
The question I find myself posing is: Can we actively choose to follow the path to the next stage, to transition, or will this just come about more as a culmination of the development of a person on a number of different levels/fronts?
I'd like to, as an independant person, believe that I have to some extent control over my direction. I'm not sure how I would feel if my direction is majorly directed through the choices and results of the past, so like a large rolling boulder the best that one can do is nudge it from side to side, little by little?
Now you may be wondering why I am getting all philosophical on the crew, and its really because recently, and in the foreseeable future I have a number of big decisions to make, which requires a solidification of my plans, and also the cementation of my values into actionable steps and tangible boundaries.
As I said in an impromptu speech back in school, "Which road is the one to success? I can't say for certain, but what I can say is that I'll see you when you get there."(ad libbed a bit because I dont remember my exact words). Young. Arrogant. Optomistic... Perhaps even wise? Time will tell.
(If the above slideshow takes forever to load, please tell me and I will remove it from my blog.)
Now, in the past I've thought that I'm ready for a major shift into the next stage or possibly more aptly, MY next stage, as each person will have their own personal stages,metrics and doors they need to pass through.
The question I find myself posing is: Can we actively choose to follow the path to the next stage, to transition, or will this just come about more as a culmination of the development of a person on a number of different levels/fronts?
I'd like to, as an independant person, believe that I have to some extent control over my direction. I'm not sure how I would feel if my direction is majorly directed through the choices and results of the past, so like a large rolling boulder the best that one can do is nudge it from side to side, little by little?
Now you may be wondering why I am getting all philosophical on the crew, and its really because recently, and in the foreseeable future I have a number of big decisions to make, which requires a solidification of my plans, and also the cementation of my values into actionable steps and tangible boundaries.
As I said in an impromptu speech back in school, "Which road is the one to success? I can't say for certain, but what I can say is that I'll see you when you get there."(ad libbed a bit because I dont remember my exact words). Young. Arrogant. Optomistic... Perhaps even wise? Time will tell.
Ramblings from the North Sea (click here to see photos)
Sitting on some rocks overlooking the North Sea, listening to the constant, yet irregular flurry of waves, and I think what would I have done without this experience, this change to outflow and think about life and the direction I am going.
This is helluva dramatic as images go, sitting on the edge of a fatally compelling stretch of water. Only the other day I heard on the news of a fishing trawler going missing with all crew.
Although my line of work is nowhere near as risky, it does make me wonder; did those men love what they did? Were they the lucky ones who do something they loved, and so were the so-envious exception to the rule - don't live to work, but work so that you can live...?
I'm in no way in a position to advise anyone on this as I am currently going through the internal debate myself as to what do I want to do with my life? There are, as I can see it, two possible solutions (NOT outcomes, as many different outcomes do not solve the quandry)
The first is the more risk adverse, obvious response, which is to find a job which suits your basic skillset, and that allows you to live. (Work to LIVE)
The second is much more difficult as it requires one to look deep inside oneself and try to come up with creative solutions to allow you to do what you are passionate about as a career. Already I hear groans from people as I say this, because people are sick of hearing this and are saying "there are not many positions as flying kites <<>>" (I'm on a beach, and there are kites about, cut me some slack with the images ;) Possibly the true solution to all of this is breaking down the specific elements that you enjoy, and then try to find careers that allows you to match those.
I'm not a career guidance person, no matter what I may profess after a beer or two, so don't ask me for a customised, detail 10 step program. This may go into a book one day, this may not, I just wanted to ramble a bit, get some thoughts down onto paper. Let me know what you think, any suggestions or comments are appreciated!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Och Aye Laddie
Yeah, havent posted properly for a while, and sorry this isnt gonna be a proper post either. Just wanted to update everyone to let you know that I am currently in bonnie Scotland. I am up north in Aberdeen for work till December, then I head down to South Africa. If you are in the UK - GET IN TOUCH WITH ME PLEASE!
Friday, September 22, 2006
Calgary - take 2
Well this past weekend I was back in Calgary, spending time with Jen, Adam and Henry. I arrived on Friday night, only to be greeted with a light SNOWFALL... Winter is well and truly here!! It was a very relaxing weekend overall, with only one real PARTY night where we went across to Jason (a work colleague in Calgary) and Natasha's place for a BBQ.
I got to spend time with both Jen and Henry, which was really the main objective of going across, coz I'm likely not going to see them until next year now... I flew back to Winnipeg on Tuesday, and got straight back into the craziness that is my life.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Updates x 3
Ok so there were a few updates I posted today, apologies for posting them all at once, I had them queued for a few days, I just needed to press send!!
I'm in Calgary again this weekend, which is likely going to be my last break until December. Things are really starting to get tightly sprung in preparation for busy season and my trip to Scotland. I'll have to send out an email to everyone in the UK to try and find out where you are to see if I can coordinate meeting up with you while I am over there (bearing in mind that I will be based in Northern Scotland).
I'm in Calgary again this weekend, which is likely going to be my last break until December. Things are really starting to get tightly sprung in preparation for busy season and my trip to Scotland. I'll have to send out an email to everyone in the UK to try and find out where you are to see if I can coordinate meeting up with you while I am over there (bearing in mind that I will be based in Northern Scotland).
The Windy City
I've just been in Chicago for a couple of days for SAP training, which went really well. I only got told on Friday that it would be happening, so I booked my flights and got here on Monday. Its been really awful weather the entire time, but was still good to see another city. The people here seem really friendly and helpful, which I have to admit was a bit of a surprise. I had a good time and met up with a collegue from Calgary and we went for a few drinks on one of the nights.
We headed down to the beach which was a little surreal as you are surrounded by skyscrapers, yet you are on a sandy beach with waves and all.
There was apparently a bit of a weather problem yesterday, so my flight was cancelled, and the airline I was booked on has a clause that they are not liable for anything if they cancel a flight. All of the hotels in Chicago were full, so I ended up going to hotel in a little hole of a town 50km away. I'm sitting in the airport again today and my flight has been delayed 3 times already, who knows if I will get back to Winnipeg today. Its very frustrating because if I knew then I would just head to the office and get some work done. There is a lot to do, and when people see how little I have gotten done this week there will be questions.
Update:
So I got back to Winnipeg on Wednesday night only to find that they lost my bag en route. Seems as though that entire trip was jst doomed from the get go... I got my bag back from the airline only on Thursday night, and I am flying to Calgary on Friday!!
Jen, Henry, Braaiing in Calgary :o)
Well after my Edmonton trip I headed down to Calgary. What a welcome relief. I hadn't been to Calgary since April when I went skiing in Banff! I was greeted at the airport by an excited and enthused Jen and Henry - and damn was it good to see some friends. The whole weekend was kind of planned and I was really looking forward to the break. That night (Friday) we went for dinner together and then picked up Adam, Jen's other half and we went down 17th Ave, which is the "happening" street. I guess we took the places to go out in Zim for granted coz although there were _plenty_ of bars etc on 17th, none had a decent vibe. We had a couple of drinks out and about and got home at a reasonable hour.
The next day we woke up reasonably early and headed down to a shop called SA Meat Shops. They import a lot of South African goods and make their own boerewors, dry wors, and biltong. 
We grabbed a whole bunch of provisions for that evening, including boerewors, lamb, sadza, rusks, biltong, dry wors, koeksusters and got some castle lager at a local liquor store. That evening Jen had her friend and her other half over for a braai. It was really really great to be eating like a zimbo and be surrounded by friends from back home. Just what a home-sick man needed!
On Sunday we pretty much just hung out, went to Church and I tried roller blading down by the river. It was rather scary at first, as it is a completely un-natural feelign to have wheels strapped to your feet.
I had Henry and Adam supporting me for a lot of the time, and everyone had a good laugh at some of my first attempts, as it looked as though I was russian dancing, with my skates shooting back and forward as I tried to steady myself. By the end of the session I was basically able to steady myself without falling too much. Definitely want to give that a go again!
On Monday we headed up to Banff, which is just as beautiful in the summer as it was during the winter. We went to a lake and just had a picnic with a few people, took some pictures and waded around in the lake. Really good fun, got some great photos which I will try post here soon.
Leaving for my flight on Monday night was rather sad, becuase I had such a good weekend, it was a bit of a let down to know I was going back to my lonely little apartment back in Winnipeg. The consolation was that I was going to Calgary again in a couple of weeks (this coming weekend)!!
The next day we woke up reasonably early and headed down to a shop called SA Meat Shops. They import a lot of South African goods and make their own boerewors, dry wors, and biltong. 
We grabbed a whole bunch of provisions for that evening, including boerewors, lamb, sadza, rusks, biltong, dry wors, koeksusters and got some castle lager at a local liquor store. That evening Jen had her friend and her other half over for a braai. It was really really great to be eating like a zimbo and be surrounded by friends from back home. Just what a home-sick man needed!On Sunday we pretty much just hung out, went to Church and I tried roller blading down by the river. It was rather scary at first, as it is a completely un-natural feelign to have wheels strapped to your feet.
I had Henry and Adam supporting me for a lot of the time, and everyone had a good laugh at some of my first attempts, as it looked as though I was russian dancing, with my skates shooting back and forward as I tried to steady myself. By the end of the session I was basically able to steady myself without falling too much. Definitely want to give that a go again!
On Monday we headed up to Banff, which is just as beautiful in the summer as it was during the winter. We went to a lake and just had a picnic with a few people, took some pictures and waded around in the lake. Really good fun, got some great photos which I will try post here soon.
Leaving for my flight on Monday night was rather sad, becuase I had such a good weekend, it was a bit of a let down to know I was going back to my lonely little apartment back in Winnipeg. The consolation was that I was going to Calgary again in a couple of weeks (this coming weekend)!!
The City with the BIG mall
Well its been a little bit since I last updated this, and I've done a bit since. Last week but one I was in Edmonton for a few days for an audit. It was my first time across there, so I was quite eager to see what it was all about. I landed there only to be greeted with a rather dismal baggage collection area, undettered I headed downtown to my hotel. My hotel was downtown, and to my dismay after 5:45pm Edmonton downtown becomes Edmonton ghosttown. I spent a couple of days there and found a couple of places that were open.
On my last night there I headed down to West Edmonton Mall, which reputedly is the biggest mall in the world or something like that. Those who know me, know that I do not like shopping at all so I guess going there was a bit of a waste on me. It is massive and rather impressive overall (Indoor rollercoaster, wavepool and icehockey rink amongst others), but certainly not something that would bring me back to Edmonton as an attraction.
On my last day I headed down to the airport (boy is it far from Edmonon - about 50 minutes away, I think its over 40km away) and the departure lounge, thank goodness is much nicer than the arrivals. I then caught a quick flight down to Calgary (it was quicker in the air to Calgary than it was to drive from Edmonton to the airport, the flight is only 43 minutes).
On my last night there I headed down to West Edmonton Mall, which reputedly is the biggest mall in the world or something like that. Those who know me, know that I do not like shopping at all so I guess going there was a bit of a waste on me. It is massive and rather impressive overall (Indoor rollercoaster, wavepool and icehockey rink amongst others), but certainly not something that would bring me back to Edmonton as an attraction. On my last day I headed down to the airport (boy is it far from Edmonon - about 50 minutes away, I think its over 40km away) and the departure lounge, thank goodness is much nicer than the arrivals. I then caught a quick flight down to Calgary (it was quicker in the air to Calgary than it was to drive from Edmonton to the airport, the flight is only 43 minutes).
Monday, August 28, 2006
Another week gone
Not to sound too depressing but that is how things are going. The weekend is pretty much just designating that another week has passed, and I am 7 days closer to doing my bit of travelling to the UK and 168 hours closer to getting to South Africa for Scott's wedding and 10080 minutes closer to seeing my family in my native land. Ok that sounds all desparate and all, but when you are home-sick, thats jst the way things are. I don't have a calendar with X's all over it - I'm not that extreme! Still got some exciting stuff to do and see before December, so I am sure the time will fly by (or at least that is the hope)!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
The Chicks of Dixie
Well as the last post said, I went to the Dixie Chick's concert last night. Now when I booked these tickets I knew of a couple of their songs and knew they had a new album out. And also that I love going to concerts so I just booked straight away! I had a friend from work, Teresa, come along with me - so I wasn't all on my lonesome.
They started off with a couple of tunes that I recognised and then went into some awesome tracks that I've never heard but were really good. The entire line-up of tracks was amazing, and they delivered it with energy and enthusiasm. The lead singer (Natalie Maines) made a couple of references to "the incident" a few years ago where they made an outspoken anti-Bush and Iraq remark, which resulted in them being shunned by radio and the media. One of her opening remarks was "Sorry we are a bit late - we just got back from kicking Bush's ass in Iraq".
All three seem to be incredible musicians, most memorable was a fiddle solo by Martie during one of the songs. All of this was just amplified by the massive, well polished backing band they had along with them.
At the end they thanked everyone with the expected "Thank You Winnipeg - Good Night", and the crowd went wild. The encore went on for at least 5 minutes with chants of "D I X I E C H I C K S" and whistling and screaming (it was a mostly female audience). The Chicks came back on to do three more songs to end off the evening after what seemeed like an eternity.
Conclusion: Dixie Chicks in Concert - 10 thumbs up!
(P.S. If you are wondering where the pics are - we aren't allowed to take camera's into these events, so use your imagination - or do a search online for official press pictures)
They started off with a couple of tunes that I recognised and then went into some awesome tracks that I've never heard but were really good. The entire line-up of tracks was amazing, and they delivered it with energy and enthusiasm. The lead singer (Natalie Maines) made a couple of references to "the incident" a few years ago where they made an outspoken anti-Bush and Iraq remark, which resulted in them being shunned by radio and the media. One of her opening remarks was "Sorry we are a bit late - we just got back from kicking Bush's ass in Iraq".
All three seem to be incredible musicians, most memorable was a fiddle solo by Martie during one of the songs. All of this was just amplified by the massive, well polished backing band they had along with them.
At the end they thanked everyone with the expected "Thank You Winnipeg - Good Night", and the crowd went wild. The encore went on for at least 5 minutes with chants of "D I X I E C H I C K S" and whistling and screaming (it was a mostly female audience
Conclusion: Dixie Chicks in Concert - 10 thumbs up!
(P.S. If you are wondering where the pics are - we aren't allowed to take camera's into these events, so use your imagination - or do a search online for official press pictures)
I'm Batman baby, but you can call me Bob
Interesting title eh? Well it was one of the lines from the opening act for the Dixie chicks that I went to go see last night (Saturday). The opening act was someone called Bob Schneider, and while we has playing he sounded really really familiar, but apparently not, he's not well known outside of Texas. He was a great crowd warmer for what followed... The Dixie Chicks!
Fishin'
So on Saturday I went out with Rick et Fam to a spot on the Red river called Lockport for some fishin'. Its called Lockport because there is a lock there - coz back in the day they were trying to make river transport a viable option - so they had to accomodate a bit drop in elevation which caused rapids and they made a dam-type blockage to artificially raise the level of the river during the summer and allow free flow during winter. Needless to say river transport is a white elephant and all Lockport (or St Andrews Lock and Port which is the official name) is really used for these days is the occasional small boat.
All that said, the net result of that trip - no fish but much more relaxed after spending some time out of the city.
All that said, the net result of that trip - no fish but much more relaxed after spending some time out of the city.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Quote for y'all
So I heard a quote tonight, which I think is actually great:
"..you don't solve life, you live it.."
There are always going to be issues and obstacles in life that we have to negotiate, but its not a matter of solving all of the problems before you can get on with it. I'm just learning in this thing called life! I guess you could say that I'm coming out of that stage straight of school where I knew everything and could do anything. Its a constant learning exercise, and not necessarily small things either!
"..you don't solve life, you live it.."
There are always going to be issues and obstacles in life that we have to negotiate, but its not a matter of solving all of the problems before you can get on with it. I'm just learning in this thing called life! I guess you could say that I'm coming out of that stage straight of school where I knew everything and could do anything. Its a constant learning exercise, and not necessarily small things either!
Statues are great!
So I was doing a bit of surfing and came across a post about weird statues. One in particular caught my eye. This is right outside the Ernst & Young offices in Los Angeles. This is also how I feel sometimes. Coincidence - I think not!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Kilo-dollar
Well it has finally happened - Zimbabwe has devalued it's currency. Apparently they are dropping three zero's off of everything. Sounds good doesn't it? Not really!! I wonder what the guys in the ministry of finance are feeling because a devaluation such as this is an admittal of defeat (of which everyone and their goat knew a LONG time ago).
It likely will not make anything easier in everyday life. Quite the contrary I am sure it will confuse a large portion of the population, possibly causing riots as people realise that this is just facilitating further hyper-inflation. The other part of the population who understand the ramifications are likely trying to adjust current systems and practices to deal with a brand new currency. This is an administrative nightmare of note, as can be testified by a friend of mine's recent post on his blog about having to re-do his databases retrospectively so that when he shows sales for the year, they dont just drop by 100000% in August.
Interesting times for sure.
It likely will not make anything easier in everyday life. Quite the contrary I am sure it will confuse a large portion of the population, possibly causing riots as people realise that this is just facilitating further hyper-inflation. The other part of the population who understand the ramifications are likely trying to adjust current systems and practices to deal with a brand new currency. This is an administrative nightmare of note, as can be testified by a friend of mine's recent post on his blog about having to re-do his databases retrospectively so that when he shows sales for the year, they dont just drop by 100000% in August.
Interesting times for sure.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Scotland?!?!?!?!
Well, as you may have read one of the comments to my prior posts, something exciting may be happening soon. A while back I talked to my boss about doing a bit of a secondment type thing in the UK, so that I could see some people and check it all out. This was back in March-ish timeframe. I hadn't heard anything since, and I really thought it had all fallen off the radar.
I got an email in my inbox this past Monday; there may be an opportunity for an assignment in Scotland for a few months, starting soon!! So I jumped at it. Its all happening at the moment, looking to be 70% certain that it will happen. I'm really excited, gonna be doing more travelling, seeing more of the world. Its the right time for me to do this, I dont have anything tying me down anywhere at this point! So in early September I'll probably be over in Aberdeen for 3 months!! There may be opportunities to travel to Norway and London too - we'll have to see!
Stay tuned for further developments! (I'm travelling to Edmonton in a week or so, so thats another one checked off on the list!)
I got an email in my inbox this past Monday; there may be an opportunity for an assignment in Scotland for a few months, starting soon!! So I jumped at it. Its all happening at the moment, looking to be 70% certain that it will happen. I'm really excited, gonna be doing more travelling, seeing more of the world. Its the right time for me to do this, I dont have anything tying me down anywhere at this point! So in early September I'll probably be over in Aberdeen for 3 months!! There may be opportunities to travel to Norway and London too - we'll have to see!
Stay tuned for further developments! (I'm travelling to Edmonton in a week or so, so thats another one checked off on the list!)
San Fran Pics
These are a couple of sea lions just chilling down by Pier 39. Apparently this is a common sight, and something to see down at Fisherman's Wharf in San Fran. They started coming into the docs after an earthquake back in 1989 and have been a tourist attraction since.
This is a picture of a schooner in the harbour down at Fisherman's Wharf. I am not entirely sure of the details behind it, but I thought it was an awesome picture. Directly behind me in this picture is Ghirardelli Square, named after the world famous Ghirardelli Chocolate. There is a massive sign by the square which I found out later is clearly visible from off shore at night. Impressive!
This is me as we are heading down the road on Alcatraz island. That's part of the city in the background. It must have been terrible being in Alcatraz when the mainland, and freedom is so tempting and just out of reach across the Bay. Yeah I know I am terrible at posing for photos! No comments from the peanut gallery (Unless they are really humourous - keep it clean).
This is a really nice pic of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance in the fog. This was snapped out the window of a moving cab, I was surprised at how well it came out!
Yep... me in another cheesy pose at the Golden Gate Bridge - I got one of the guys in my group to take the pic, and he cropped off the top of the first tower on the bridge... sheesh - we just can't get the staff these days!
This is a view of the dock at Alcatraz. Rather imposing at dusk, especially with the birds circling and everything a little dark. Actually really glad I did Alcatraz in the end - I wasn't gonna bother in the beginning! (All the rest of the pics from this series were really blurred coz it was getting too dark, and I was on a boat so it just didn't work!)
This is a panoramic pic of Alcatraz in the Bay. Same program on the computer (rather impressed at distance panoramas with it) The fog which you can see here is just amazing. Apparently its really bad in San Fran specifically is because the hotness of the desert draws it in from the Pacific ocean, and as San Fran is a low point it all gets funneled through the bay. 
This is a pic of the Transamerica pyramid. Its a very distinct building, as can be seen, and its visible from a lot of the city, therefore had to take a pic of it!
For a lot more pics of my trip (not all of them though - you'll have to email me for those) click onto my Photobucket account.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
San Fran conclusion
Well I'm back in Winnipeg now, and realised I hadnt concluded on my posts about San Francisco! Well the rest of the time there was basically spent in training, which was actually not that bad as training goes. I was relatively impressed with it overall. Oh and in case anyone was concerned, I got my bag back from Air Canada on Monday night, so everything turned out ok in the end!
On the Monday evening we went to dinner as a group to a "Hawaiian fusion" restaurant, which was actually really good. It is just across the road from the office. On Tuesday, a couple of guys from Calgary and I went to a really good sushi restaurant near the Golden Gate park. I am really beginning to appreciate sushi more now, even though I would still call myself an amature!
On Wednesday night most people flew out to their respective home cities, however there was NO WAY a few of us would be able to get flights all the way home leaving after 5pm on the West coast. So a few of us went to go and see the rest of the sites of San Francisco. We went to see the Golden Gate Bridge (which BTW is amazing when u stand on it - it is SOOO massive) the Bay Bridge (another of the big bridges around San Fran), Lombard street (the crookedest street in the world) and the Coit tower (a tower from which you can see most of the city, but it was closed by the time we got there - remember we did all this in ONE evening). I will have to post pictures, as those will definitely describe themselves better than I could with words.
The flight home, contrary to most people's expectations after reading about my trip there, was rather uneventful - no delays or lost luggage and generally no issues at all (its a good 7 hours on the plane, which most people would complain bitterly about, but I know better after my trip home to Zim).
On the Monday evening we went to dinner as a group to a "Hawaiian fusion" restaurant, which was actually really good. It is just across the road from the office. On Tuesday, a couple of guys from Calgary and I went to a really good sushi restaurant near the Golden Gate park. I am really beginning to appreciate sushi more now, even though I would still call myself an amature!
On Wednesday night most people flew out to their respective home cities, however there was NO WAY a few of us would be able to get flights all the way home leaving after 5pm on the West coast. So a few of us went to go and see the rest of the sites of San Francisco. We went to see the Golden Gate Bridge (which BTW is amazing when u stand on it - it is SOOO massive) the Bay Bridge (another of the big bridges around San Fran), Lombard street (the crookedest street in the world) and the Coit tower (a tower from which you can see most of the city, but it was closed by the time we got there - remember we did all this in ONE evening). I will have to post pictures, as those will definitely describe themselves better than I could with words.
The flight home, contrary to most people's expectations after reading about my trip there, was rather uneventful - no delays or lost luggage and generally no issues at all (its a good 7 hours on the plane, which most people would complain bitterly about, but I know better after my trip home to Zim).
Monday, July 17, 2006
San Fran - The Rock
Well I woke up late today, just coz I could! I noticed that I did not have any messages from the concierge service so I gave them a call - and still no bag. This was about when I started to lose my patience with Air Canada. I called their baggage claims department, going through machine message after machine message to get to speak to someone who advised me that it should be delivered soon. Unconvinced I wandered out to go and buy some clothes, and I bought a couple of things, went back to my hotel and called Angie (one of my friends from Calgary) and met up with her for lunch (the other two were watching the SF Giants play - and although it would maybe have been nice to go, it really is not my sport, and I would not have appreciated it enough for the price of a ticket.
We mucked around downtown for the afternoon and then met up with Kelly to head back down to Fisherman's Wharf, which is where you catch a ferry to Alcatraz Island or "The Rock". Its a great ride out to the island and you get some amazing views of San Francisco City. When you got close to the island it just has that ominous, imposing feeling. We were divided into groups of about 60 for the walk up to the cell blocks, and we were told some interesting tidbits about Alcatraz (or "Pelican Island" as its name means). We then were given headsets and were guided through an audio tour of the cellblock with tons of amazing and interesting stories. I actually went into one of the cells in isolation, and it was incredible - complete pitch black - I am really not surprised people went completely crazy in places like that. We then went for a short video documentary about Alcatraz, which was very interesting. We then meandered around for a bit before jumping back on the ferry to head ashore. Just a note for anyone visiting San Fran/Alcatraz - be prepared, it gets rather nippy at night and you will likely need a jacket or something to keep you warm.
We caught a cab back to the hotel, and I got back to my room to find - no bag and no message. I checked with front desk and still no word of my bag. It is now beyond a joke so I phoned the Claims department to be told that they still have it marked as "in transit" between Calgary and San Francisco. While restraining myself I asked what I was meant to be wearing tomorrow as I have training and need to dress accordingly. I was then told they would compensate me up to $50, at which I laughed coz this morning I had bought a couple of t-shirts and a shirt which cost $50!! So the assistant let me know that he could let me have $100, as if that was a *big* favour - but they have not delivered my bag more than a day and a half later - c'mon guys lets get serious! So none-the-less I'm going to go shopping tomorrow and buy some stuff (I have to furnish them with reciepts).
Its only about 10pm now, but its been a busy couple of days so I am going to sign off now, and I'll provide further updates soon! (I'll also try put some pics up here to see once I get a chance).
We mucked around downtown for the afternoon and then met up with Kelly to head back down to Fisherman's Wharf, which is where you catch a ferry to Alcatraz Island or "The Rock". Its a great ride out to the island and you get some amazing views of San Francisco City. When you got close to the island it just has that ominous, imposing feeling. We were divided into groups of about 60 for the walk up to the cell blocks, and we were told some interesting tidbits about Alcatraz (or "Pelican Island" as its name means). We then were given headsets and were guided through an audio tour of the cellblock with tons of amazing and interesting stories. I actually went into one of the cells in isolation, and it was incredible - complete pitch black - I am really not surprised people went completely crazy in places like that. We then went for a short video documentary about Alcatraz, which was very interesting. We then meandered around for a bit before jumping back on the ferry to head ashore. Just a note for anyone visiting San Fran/Alcatraz - be prepared, it gets rather nippy at night and you will likely need a jacket or something to keep you warm.
We caught a cab back to the hotel, and I got back to my room to find - no bag and no message. I checked with front desk and still no word of my bag. It is now beyond a joke so I phoned the Claims department to be told that they still have it marked as "in transit" between Calgary and San Francisco. While restraining myself I asked what I was meant to be wearing tomorrow as I have training and need to dress accordingly. I was then told they would compensate me up to $50, at which I laughed coz this morning I had bought a couple of t-shirts and a shirt which cost $50!! So the assistant let me know that he could let me have $100, as if that was a *big* favour - but they have not delivered my bag more than a day and a half later - c'mon guys lets get serious! So none-the-less I'm going to go shopping tomorrow and buy some stuff (I have to furnish them with reciepts).
Its only about 10pm now, but its been a busy couple of days so I am going to sign off now, and I'll provide further updates soon! (I'll also try put some pics up here to see once I get a chance).
It continues... Saturday in San Fran
Well my flight from Winnipeg to Calgary ended up being 40 minutes late, so I arrived 5 minutes before boarding time in Calgary. I then had to literally run (like you see in the movies) from the arrivals gate to the US customs baggage claim, get through US Customs, drop my bag off, get through security check and to the departure gate. Amazingly I managed to do this, but I was running the entire time... It occurred to me when I got on the plane that the time between when I dropped my checked baggage in to the time when we took off was a bit too short for my bag to have made it, however I reconciled myself to the fact that my bag may be coming on the next flight. My suspicions were confirmed when we arrived in San Francisco, and I was informed it was on the next flight and would be delivered to my hotel.
We, and by "we" I refer to 3 of my colleagues from the Calgary office and myself, head straight downtown to our hotel, dropped everything off, and then went to the trams or "cable cars". We caught a cable car from the downtown "Market Street" station to "Fisherman's Wharf", i.e. from start to finish of the line. The entire experience was truly unique, being crammed into this little cabin, being joggled around as we went up and down all these hills, but altogether something that just *has* to be done in San Fran. Down in Fisherman's Wharf we just wandered around, and its a special sort of experience there, with the whole "docks" feeling, mixed with tourist-centric attractions, with lots of souvenir shops and restaurants. We ate dinner at a seafood restaurant at pier 39 (they have a number of piers all around the bay, all with specific numbers to identify them).We took a cable car on the way back and I got to hang on the outside of the car all the way, which really just made the entire experience.
We got back to the hotel at around 10:30pm, which is 12:30am Winnipeg time, so I was pretty beat, and ended up just going to front desk to check if my bag had been delivered or not; and it had not yet been delivered. I wrote it off to a mis-communication at the airport, and went straight to bed.
We, and by "we" I refer to 3 of my colleagues from the Calgary office and myself, head straight downtown to our hotel, dropped everything off, and then went to the trams or "cable cars". We caught a cable car from the downtown "Market Street" station to "Fisherman's Wharf", i.e. from start to finish of the line. The entire experience was truly unique, being crammed into this little cabin, being joggled around as we went up and down all these hills, but altogether something that just *has* to be done in San Fran. Down in Fisherman's Wharf we just wandered around, and its a special sort of experience there, with the whole "docks" feeling, mixed with tourist-centric attractions, with lots of souvenir shops and restaurants. We ate dinner at a seafood restaurant at pier 39 (they have a number of piers all around the bay, all with specific numbers to identify them).We took a cable car on the way back and I got to hang on the outside of the car all the way, which really just made the entire experience.
We got back to the hotel at around 10:30pm, which is 12:30am Winnipeg time, so I was pretty beat, and ended up just going to front desk to check if my bag had been delivered or not; and it had not yet been delivered. I wrote it off to a mis-communication at the airport, and went straight to bed.
The time has come
So I'm waiting in the airport, its a beautiful Saturday morning, the weather is awesome, people are smiling, the squirrels are doing their thing, and I am heading to San Francisco (Yeah I know, I think I said I was going to LA in a previous post, but I didnt pay much attention to whether it was San Fran, LA, San Diego or Timbuktoo)
I have to fly through Calgary for this, and it I think the travel person at EY booked everything a bit too tight, as the flight to Calgary is running 10/15 minutes late, so who knows if I will actually make my onward flight... <sigh> Nothing to worry about, its out of my control, so going to get on board and enhoy the flight!
I just overheard some Canadians here who were complaining bitterly that they now had to use passports to travel to the US, because only recently did the US impose this requirement - before they just had to present their drivers license or some other form of identification... I really felt like tapping them on the shoulder and telling them all the hassle that I have to go through to travel anywhere! I didn't as they likely would not be able to begin to comprehend!
Ah well I think I am being called to board now, so I'm going to sign off for now!
I have to fly through Calgary for this, and it I think the travel person at EY booked everything a bit too tight, as the flight to Calgary is running 10/15 minutes late, so who knows if I will actually make my onward flight... <sigh> Nothing to worry about, its out of my control, so going to get on board and enhoy the flight!
I just overheard some Canadians here who were complaining bitterly that they now had to use passports to travel to the US, because only recently did the US impose this requirement - before they just had to present their drivers license or some other form of identification... I really felt like tapping them on the shoulder and telling them all the hassle that I have to go through to travel anywhere! I didn't as they likely would not be able to begin to comprehend!
Ah well I think I am being called to board now, so I'm going to sign off for now!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Unhappy Planet
Some academic tree huggers have put together an interesting scale that was done showing a "Happy Planet Index". This was calculated by looking at the combination of how satisfied people are, the life expectancy and how well managed the ecological aspect of the country is.
Hardly surprising is the fact that Zimbabwe comes last in the list of 178 countries with a Happy Index of 16.6. Other "happy countries" like Fiji, the Philipines, Argentina come in with a Happy Index of over 50. The "happiest country" was a little island nation called Vanuatu. Perhaps it is time to ask for a transfer...
The link for this scale is here: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/list.htm
Hardly surprising is the fact that Zimbabwe comes last in the list of 178 countries with a Happy Index of 16.6. Other "happy countries" like Fiji, the Philipines, Argentina come in with a Happy Index of over 50. The "happiest country" was a little island nation called Vanuatu. Perhaps it is time to ask for a transfer...
The link for this scale is here: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/list.htm
Monday, July 10, 2006
Vancouver eh?
So as you read in my previous posts I was in Vancouver last week - and I love that city! It has an awesome vibe, and is very much geared to residents and the tourists that flock to the city.
It is a port city and as can be seen in this pic there are cruise liners docked beside the rather impressive convention centre. There is construction going on on the other side of the convention centre to expand its size to nearly half a million sq metres.... Which is HUGE!
I did a lot of walking around the city and some select pictures have been uploaded here.
One of my favourite pics was a panorama that I stitched together of the city. I used a program called Interactive Studio to do it and it worked really well. I have included this below:
There is also a massive state park right near the downtown core of Vancouver called Stanley Park. I didnt get the stats for it, but it is incredible and I included some pics I took in the link above.
It is a port city and as can be seen in this pic there are cruise liners docked beside the rather impressive convention centre. There is construction going on on the other side of the convention centre to expand its size to nearly half a million sq metres.... Which is HUGE!I did a lot of walking around the city and some select pictures have been uploaded here.
One of my favourite pics was a panorama that I stitched together of the city. I used a program called Interactive Studio to do it and it worked really well. I have included this below:
There is also a massive state park right near the downtown core of Vancouver called Stanley Park. I didnt get the stats for it, but it is incredible and I included some pics I took in the link above.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
I got it, I got it!
Its as if I won the lottery, well not quite... But close! I got my US Visa, and lo and behold I check it to see the number of entries, and I dont see a "1", I see something that I had to confirm with the security guard - a "M". That means I can come and go to the "land of the free" (sic) as much as I like for the next year... I think the Visa guy must have been charmed by my *unamused* conversational skills at the interview, where after getting to the consulate at 8:30am I eventually got into my face to face interview at 12:26, which lasted a total of 4 minutes, most of the time of which I was explaining how to identify controls in an IT environment (hey he wanted to know what I did...)
So I'm going to LA next week-ish, more on that in later posts!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Travelling to the US... Is it worth it?
So I have training that I have to attend in the US, and because I have the notorious green mamba (the Zimbabwean passport) I obviously have to get a Visa to travel there. I had to go last year and went through this process in entirety, from having to fill in complicated, convoluted forms, get a letter from my work to say that they are keeping me as an employee in Canada, paying USD100, proving that I have a valid work permit for Canada. To top it all off I have to travel to another major city for a personal interview as their is no US consulate in Winnipeg. It really feels like you are going through the 3rd degree, and all for a 3 or 4 day trip to the US for training, which although its likely to be interesting, could really be held in Canada somewhere. The crazy thing with this whole situation is that I have training again in the US in August. So I will likely have to go through this all again in a few weeks, as, because of my passport, they are unlikely to grant my request for a "multiple entry" Visa. I'm really going to try and convince them that I need this tomorrow in my interview, however the bureaucracy which these Visa agents follow could quite easily compare to most African countries (at least the waiting conditions in the consulate are better though).
I'm telling you all this because I am on a flight to Vancouver right now. My flight was delayed and I am sitting next to a rather inebriated man, so this is all adding to the whole annoyance factor.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Canadia day
Well it was Canada Day this past weekend. Everyone here seems to really take advantage of long weekends, and they certainly partied this one up. The street by my apartment actually closes down a few blocks for an all day/night street party which is pretty well attended. They have street performers singing and entertaining the crowds. I'll be updating this post with pictures when I have some pictures on this machine. There is also a big festival which takes place at the heritage site in Winnipeg called "The Forks". The Forks is actually just the place where the two main rivers running through Winnipeg join, and this is of significance because of this was a meeting place for fur traders of old. So the forks is also a family event where they have various different entertainment things going on from concerts to clowns and magicians. This past weekend was also the first weekend that they opened the new skate park there, which apparently is one of the best facilities of its sort in North America.
They also have a fireworks display on Canada day night, which everyone and their dog seemed to come to. I went to that, and it was pretty impressive, I was trying to take photographs of the fireworks, which just wasn't working without a tripod, but it was worth a try none-the-less.As Canada day occured on a Saturday they declared Monday to be a public holiday, which meant a long weekend. In addition, because of the close ties with the US the Tuesday (4th July) was also taken by many businesses as a holiday.
As a note for all those wondering why the title of this post appears to be mispelt - this was intentional. Canadia is the "backformation" of the word Canadian which describes people from Canada. Back formation works for America (American) and Africa (African) - why did Canadia have to be different?!?
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Life, she goes on
So I have been keeping myself relatively busy these past few months... Its been a bit of an effort, but it can be done! I am really creating this post as a brief outline, I will have to come back later and bloat each of these into a decent story, but until then.... deal with it!
We had our departmental retreat a few weeks back just north of Toronto in a place called Nottawasaga... It was mostly training, with a few good networking opportunities. There are some photos which I will try and upload.
I was then involved in a Cancer Charity walk, which lasts 12 hours. A team has to have someone walking around a track for the full 12 hours (its a symbolic thing) and we raised money. Was tiring as I had just finished a full days work and then I didnt sleep!! Anyways it felt good to do something like that.
On the charity side, my church small group is in the process of making blankets to help re-habilitate released prisoners... Old jeans are donated to this place and we cut them up and make a quilt. We are not very good at this and have yet to finish one!!
My office had its "golf day" the other day, which was fun. We went to an out of town course, at a resort town called Gimli. I enjoyed beating a few balls, losing a lot of balls and just generally having a good time. I think it is more of a firm sponsored drinking day, coz they were handing out baileys on the bus ride out there!
This weekend, I am probably taking part in my first rugby match, which is bloody scary, coz I am not fit enough, and I am pretty sure I will be one of the smallest players on the pitch. Couple that with the fact that a few of the players do not know the rules well, so they may assume you can just tackle whoever you want like i american football... Oh well, I'm just going to try not to break anything!
We had our departmental retreat a few weeks back just north of Toronto in a place called Nottawasaga... It was mostly training, with a few good networking opportunities. There are some photos which I will try and upload.
I was then involved in a Cancer Charity walk, which lasts 12 hours. A team has to have someone walking around a track for the full 12 hours (its a symbolic thing) and we raised money. Was tiring as I had just finished a full days work and then I didnt sleep!! Anyways it felt good to do something like that.
On the charity side, my church small group is in the process of making blankets to help re-habilitate released prisoners... Old jeans are donated to this place and we cut them up and make a quilt. We are not very good at this and have yet to finish one!!
My office had its "golf day" the other day, which was fun. We went to an out of town course, at a resort town called Gimli. I enjoyed beating a few balls, losing a lot of balls and just generally having a good time. I think it is more of a firm sponsored drinking day, coz they were handing out baileys on the bus ride out there!
This weekend, I am probably taking part in my first rugby match, which is bloody scary, coz I am not fit enough, and I am pretty sure I will be one of the smallest players on the pitch. Couple that with the fact that a few of the players do not know the rules well, so they may assume you can just tackle whoever you want like i american football... Oh well, I'm just going to try not to break anything!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Draining water & hemispheres
At one point this past weekend we had a heated debate as to whether the water drains in different directions depending on which hemisphere you are in.
The Coriolis Effect was sighted at one point as the contributing factor. After doing a little research online (as I was the only one who knew that this was bogus, but was unable to convince everyone at the time) I found that this is actually the case.... for perfectly circular, symmetric containers water will drain in different directions according to the hemisphere. However no-one's bath/sink/toilet has these characteristics. In everyday life the direction that a container will drain is dictated by other factors such as inherent spin in the water or simply design of the container itself.
The whole tourist attraction (in Kenya I think) where they take you to the southern hemisphere and the water spins one way and in the northern it spins the opposite way is nothing more than a cleverly designed scam - the initial spin is induced in different ways according to which "hemisphere" you are in.
I've included links to sites explaining this in much more detail:
Scientific American,Interesting Thing of the Day and Bad Coriolis
The Coriolis Effect was sighted at one point as the contributing factor. After doing a little research online (as I was the only one who knew that this was bogus, but was unable to convince everyone at the time) I found that this is actually the case.... for perfectly circular, symmetric containers water will drain in different directions according to the hemisphere. However no-one's bath/sink/toilet has these characteristics. In everyday life the direction that a container will drain is dictated by other factors such as inherent spin in the water or simply design of the container itself.
The whole tourist attraction (in Kenya I think) where they take you to the southern hemisphere and the water spins one way and in the northern it spins the opposite way is nothing more than a cleverly designed scam - the initial spin is induced in different ways according to which "hemisphere" you are in.
I've included links to sites explaining this in much more detail:
Scientific American,Interesting Thing of the Day and Bad Coriolis
Banff, Skiing & Fun!
Before I start explaining the happenings of the weekend - I have only included a few photos here, I have put a few more up here.
On the Thursday night Casey flew into Winnipeg from London. I had organised to go and watch a Manitoba Moose (Ice hockey) game that night, but I felt really bad cause she was suffering with the time difference, we ended up getting to sleep at like 5am London time!! We both enjoyed it none-the-less though! It was quite funny, coz no sooner had I finished explaining to her that they sometimes get into fist fights in ice hockey did one start up on the ice!
Casey at the ice hockey game
The next day we flew into Calgary from Winnipeg and then took a shuttle out to Banff. By the time we actually got into Banff we ended up just organising skiing for the next day and just having a look around the town. Its a very pretty town, obviously very tourist orientated, but the views in that part of the world are just plain mind-blowing!
View from one of the streets in Banff
On the Saturday we went skiing at Sunshine Mountain (one of the ski mountains in the Banff area). Neither of us had ever been skiing before so we decided to just book lessons and learn it properly! We had a full day's tuition inside the training area, with a magic carpet (a conveyor system to take you to the top of the training hill) and all. Our instructor, Kenji, was very good and decided we were all at the right stage to go down a "green" hill by the end of the day. That was awesome, the feeling is inexplicable until you actually do it! The entire day was completely surreal, fullfilling and tiring! We were both stiff and sore for the next couple of days, but it was completely worth it, and I think we'll both do it again!
Casey and I after skiing (it's bright and we are tired that is why we are squinting)
Jenny, Adam and Henry drove out on the Sunday to spend the day with us. We decided to go and see the sights in the area. The one place we were told we HAD to go and see was Lake Louise, so we went on a road trip out there. The weather got progressively worse as we drove out there, and by the time we got there it was pretty much just a white-out! What we could see what NOTHING like the postcards! It was rather sad as Jen had packed a picnic for us to have out there, but it was not pleasant at all outside, so we ended up just driving back to Banff and having lunch at a restaurant! One of the other things to see in Banff is the Banff Springs Hotel, which looks like a castle and is an impressive sight to see, worth the visit. We spent some time wondering through hotel as there is so much to see!
Me, Henry, Casey, Jen and Adam at Banff Springs Hotel
Those three then went back to Calgary and Casey and I went up to the hot springs on Sulpher Mountain. The hot springs are pretty much standard "Warm Baths"-type, but not as well done. Still very relaxing and theraputic, as we were both still suffering a bit from the skiing on Saturday!
Casey and I headed back into Calgary on Monday, where we spent the afternoon downtown looking around and shopping. Casey bought a few nice things, I am not a big shopper so was quite content to just follow the ladies around! We also went up the Calgary tower to check out the views.
The Calgary Tower
The views from the tower were amazing, you could see the Rockies quite clearly. There is a section of glass floor, just like in the CN Tower. Definitely not where you stand if you are afraid of heights!
Casey and I on the glass floor up the Calgary Tower
The whole crew from Sunday met up again on Monday night for a great dinner at a little restaurant in downtown Calgary. We were by far the loudest table there and were also the last table to leave - we were having a great time!!
Henry, Jen, Adam, Casey and I after dinner on the last night
Casey and I both flew out of Calgary at the same time. Casey was flying back to London through Montreal. It was very tough saying goodbye, as we had the most amazing weekend. We will defintely be meeting up again, however next time will probably be on the other side of the "pond".
On the Thursday night Casey flew into Winnipeg from London. I had organised to go and watch a Manitoba Moose (Ice hockey) game that night, but I felt really bad cause she was suffering with the time difference, we ended up getting to sleep at like 5am London time!! We both enjoyed it none-the-less though! It was quite funny, coz no sooner had I finished explaining to her that they sometimes get into fist fights in ice hockey did one start up on the ice!
Casey at the ice hockey gameThe next day we flew into Calgary from Winnipeg and then took a shuttle out to Banff. By the time we actually got into Banff we ended up just organising skiing for the next day and just having a look around the town. Its a very pretty town, obviously very tourist orientated, but the views in that part of the world are just plain mind-blowing!
View from one of the streets in BanffOn the Saturday we went skiing at Sunshine Mountain (one of the ski mountains in the Banff area). Neither of us had ever been skiing before so we decided to just book lessons and learn it properly! We had a full day's tuition inside the training area, with a magic carpet (a conveyor system to take you to the top of the training hill) and all. Our instructor, Kenji, was very good and decided we were all at the right stage to go down a "green" hill by the end of the day. That was awesome, the feeling is inexplicable until you actually do it! The entire day was completely surreal, fullfilling and tiring! We were both stiff and sore for the next couple of days, but it was completely worth it, and I think we'll both do it again!
Casey and I after skiing (it's bright and we are tired that is why we are squinting)Jenny, Adam and Henry drove out on the Sunday to spend the day with us. We decided to go and see the sights in the area. The one place we were told we HAD to go and see was Lake Louise, so we went on a road trip out there. The weather got progressively worse as we drove out there, and by the time we got there it was pretty much just a white-out! What we could see what NOTHING like the postcards! It was rather sad as Jen had packed a picnic for us to have out there, but it was not pleasant at all outside, so we ended up just driving back to Banff and having lunch at a restaurant! One of the other things to see in Banff is the Banff Springs Hotel, which looks like a castle and is an impressive sight to see, worth the visit. We spent some time wondering through hotel as there is so much to see!
Me, Henry, Casey, Jen and Adam at Banff Springs HotelThose three then went back to Calgary and Casey and I went up to the hot springs on Sulpher Mountain. The hot springs are pretty much standard "Warm Baths"-type, but not as well done. Still very relaxing and theraputic, as we were both still suffering a bit from the skiing on Saturday!
Casey and I headed back into Calgary on Monday, where we spent the afternoon downtown looking around and shopping. Casey bought a few nice things, I am not a big shopper so was quite content to just follow the ladies around! We also went up the Calgary tower to check out the views.
The Calgary TowerThe views from the tower were amazing, you could see the Rockies quite clearly. There is a section of glass floor, just like in the CN Tower. Definitely not where you stand if you are afraid of heights!
Casey and I on the glass floor up the Calgary TowerThe whole crew from Sunday met up again on Monday night for a great dinner at a little restaurant in downtown Calgary. We were by far the loudest table there and were also the last table to leave - we were having a great time!!
Henry, Jen, Adam, Casey and I after dinner on the last nightCasey and I both flew out of Calgary at the same time. Casey was flying back to London through Montreal. It was very tough saying goodbye, as we had the most amazing weekend. We will defintely be meeting up again, however next time will probably be on the other side of the "pond".
Thursday, March 16, 2006
An update - two months in coming - but an update nonetheless!
So I havent updated my blog in months, and no real excuse from my side...
Before I start jst wanted to send a pic which I took from my apartment the other week - I just thought it was a nice composition - this is just before dawn with the moon still visable... The resolution on this is much lower than the original, but you get the idea!
I've had a hectic couple of months with work, as there were a number of tight deadlines, and some of the work we were doing was new for a few people so that jst exasperated the whole situation to a point! I think (touch wood) that everything is going to start slowing down here now, as the major hump has passed... We'll have to see though! I can definitely say that in terms of work these have been the toughest months I have ever gone through, but overall I survived so thats the positive!
On a social front not much has really been happening, I have been going to a church small group/bible study type group every fortnight, which has been good, so have met a few people from there... But as seems to be the case with most people across here they have specific groups of people they meet for specific things, and those don't generally cross over...
One of the guys from the Zimbabwe office (Henry) recently joined the Calgary office, so the partner agreed to fly me over there to assist for a couple of days to help with his onboarding. It was a good time, awesome to see him, and just to hang out for a bit. He's a great guy, and I think he will do well in Canada! Also got to spend a bit of time with Jen and Adam over there, so that was really good too... Here's a pic of Henry out at dinner the night I got there!
Oh it was also my birthday here a few weeks back, but that was kept rather low key, got a number of birthday wishes which was great, and a couple of people bought me little gifts. I also received a parcel from home with a gift and card from the folks, which was awesome, I have that pinned up (the card) in my cubicle...
Looking ahead there are a few things which are coming up which the office has organised or people at the office are holding... I am going to a couple of "wedding socials" here soon - and these are basically parties where they sell tickets to try raise money for a wedding. So that should jst be a good party. Then the office has organised an evening where we are going for dinner and then to watch a hockey game, so that will be nice to chat with people outside of work.
For easter I am going skiing in Banff with Casey, who I met back in Zimbabwe over new year. Neither of us have been skiing so the one day when we were chatting we decided to go! She's flying across on the Thursday night and we are heading up for a few days over easter weekend. I am really looking forward to that coz it should be really good fun, I'll get to spend time with Casey, see Jen and Adam and probably Henry, and I get to try out skiing. Apparently it is really beautiful up there, so I will try take tons of photos and post a couple up here!
Other than that I can't think of much which is really happening, its a Thursday lunchtime and I just thought (after prompting from a couple of people recently) that I should update my blog... As I always say, I'll try and make this more regular (even though I think I have been pretty regular, if not frequent :P)
Hope everyone is well, and email me sometime, its always good to hear from everyone!!
Before I start jst wanted to send a pic which I took from my apartment the other week - I just thought it was a nice composition - this is just before dawn with the moon still visable... The resolution on this is much lower than the original, but you get the idea!
I've had a hectic couple of months with work, as there were a number of tight deadlines, and some of the work we were doing was new for a few people so that jst exasperated the whole situation to a point! I think (touch wood) that everything is going to start slowing down here now, as the major hump has passed... We'll have to see though! I can definitely say that in terms of work these have been the toughest months I have ever gone through, but overall I survived so thats the positive!
On a social front not much has really been happening, I have been going to a church small group/bible study type group every fortnight, which has been good, so have met a few people from there... But as seems to be the case with most people across here they have specific groups of people they meet for specific things, and those don't generally cross over...
One of the guys from the Zimbabwe office (Henry) recently joined the Calgary office, so the partner agreed to fly me over there to assist for a couple of days to help with his onboarding. It was a good time, awesome to see him, and just to hang out for a bit. He's a great guy, and I think he will do well in Canada! Also got to spend a bit of time with Jen and Adam over there, so that was really good too... Here's a pic of Henry out at dinner the night I got there!
Oh it was also my birthday here a few weeks back, but that was kept rather low key, got a number of birthday wishes which was great, and a couple of people bought me little gifts. I also received a parcel from home with a gift and card from the folks, which was awesome, I have that pinned up (the card) in my cubicle...
Looking ahead there are a few things which are coming up which the office has organised or people at the office are holding... I am going to a couple of "wedding socials" here soon - and these are basically parties where they sell tickets to try raise money for a wedding. So that should jst be a good party. Then the office has organised an evening where we are going for dinner and then to watch a hockey game, so that will be nice to chat with people outside of work.
For easter I am going skiing in Banff with Casey, who I met back in Zimbabwe over new year. Neither of us have been skiing so the one day when we were chatting we decided to go! She's flying across on the Thursday night and we are heading up for a few days over easter weekend. I am really looking forward to that coz it should be really good fun, I'll get to spend time with Casey, see Jen and Adam and probably Henry, and I get to try out skiing. Apparently it is really beautiful up there, so I will try take tons of photos and post a couple up here!
Other than that I can't think of much which is really happening, its a Thursday lunchtime and I just thought (after prompting from a couple of people recently) that I should update my blog... As I always say, I'll try and make this more regular (even though I think I have been pretty regular, if not frequent :P)
Hope everyone is well, and email me sometime, its always good to hear from everyone!!
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Friday, January 13, 2006
Back in Canadia
Well, I'm back in Canada and at the end of my first week of work. My time in Zimbabwe was absolutely awesome - I managed to spend time with my family and friends - something which I was sorely missing in Canada.
Went to Victoria Falls and threw myself off the bridge (I was pushed!!) and then went white water rafting with my dad! Some things I'll never forget - and the entire time in Vic Falls is one of those.
Spent a weekend with my friends at Mazvikadei just hanging out and chatting and catching up - good times!
Had the New Years party at my house, while my folks were still in Vic Falls (yes they knew about it and condoned it!), and it was pretty darned good! I actually managed to stay up until about 7 in the morning - at which point I excused myself from everyone and crashed!
The trip back was pretty bad - cramped in cattle class for more hours than I would like to mention, and then, because it is holiday season, managed to miss my connecting flight, and then missed the rescheduled flight as well (neither was actually my fault - planes arriving late and bad planning for check-in) .
Went to Victoria Falls and threw myself off the bridge (I was pushed!!) and then went white water rafting with my dad! Some things I'll never forget - and the entire time in Vic Falls is one of those.
Spent a weekend with my friends at Mazvikadei just hanging out and chatting and catching up - good times!
Had the New Years party at my house, while my folks were still in Vic Falls (yes they knew about it and condoned it!), and it was pretty darned good! I actually managed to stay up until about 7 in the morning - at which point I excused myself from everyone and crashed!
The trip back was pretty bad - cramped in cattle class for more hours than I would like to mention, and then, because it is holiday season, managed to miss my connecting flight, and then missed the rescheduled flight as well (neither was actually my fault - planes arriving late and bad planning for check-in) .
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