Journey to the Past

People says that in life, there are only two things that are certain: death and tax. Well, I think "the need to clean the house" is also another certain thing in life. It feels like we are cleaning up the house nonstop. Just a few more days, and another batch of cleaning must be carried out again. Of course, I like a clean house. I don't like the process of cleaning, though. Hhhh... Yesterday we spent the whole day cleaning level 1 and level 3. Chris also automated some lighting so that our house is smarter. Too bad he cannot automate the floor to be self-cleaning.

So we went for lunch earlier, and accidentally did something that blew the front tire up (don't ask). As a result, we spent an hour changing the tire, and then drove to the nearest Discount Tires to get it changed. Should be done in an hour, they said. In the meantime, I am reading this very interesting book titled Adam by Ted Dekker . It really is a gripping novel. Although I know this is a Christian novel, it certainly doesn't feel preachy. On the contrary, it feels more like a suspense novel with philosophical side. Of course, I read it for the plot. ^_^ Now, back to my book...

Hey everyone! Just a quick note to say that Chris and I are currently out of town. Yup! We are taking another week for road trip. We don't know when is the next time we can take off like this, so while we can, we are. On that note, please don't call us if it's not urgent. And if it is urgent, you should definitely SMS us so that we know we should pick up the phone. We check email occasionally. Our current hotel does not have an internet connection, so it is kinda hard. But when we move to another hotel, we should be able to go online. Cheers and out!

After a month full of parties and lazing around in Indonesia. I came back and was ready to tackle my real life. I went to work and found that things were different. It was so different, that on my 3rd day coming back to work, the company decided to shut down the software department. About half of the Vancouver employee was let go. It came as quite a shock. But I found that I was okay. My co-workers were very supportive. this was my first lay-off situation, and they gave me encouragement by telling their stories. It took a while, but I found a job. It is a very interesting position (as Build Coordinator) for an auction company. I am looking forward to start working there. Vacation is almost over.

I hate waiting. I don't hate the time spent waiting. For example, if I am baking a cake that will take 1 hour, I am fine with sitting around waiting for it. Or if I have a project that needs requirement from some busy people, then I spend quite some time waiting for their answer. But the thing is, in the meantime I can do something else, whether it's productive or totally self-centered. I don't mind the fact that my creation will be delayed as a result of waiting. Except in some extreme cases, usually the time frame is still acceptable. I am also not bothered by the fact that I will receive a gadget later than I thought. Instant gratification was not part of my bringing, so ordering product online works for me best (no line-ups, cheaper price, no commuting time... what more can I ask for?) ^_^ But I hate the uncertainties that waiting entails. Sitting beside the phone waiting for news about a sick family member, or the result of a product launch, or a job offer... those ki...

Last Thursday, the government tabled bill C-61 that deals with copyright on the digital world. In a nutshell, the bill says that: you can only rip CD's that you own (ie. your sister / brother cannot rip it). you can record TV shows for later viewing, but you cannot build a library of digital movies on your computer. you cannot bypass technology that disallow you to rip/record. Technology to unlock DVD, cell phone, etc are illegal. I am not an expert on law. There are more to it than what I wrote above (including clauses for fines, etc). At first glance, though, I know that the third condition would make it almost impossible for the first and second rights to be carried out. If you have the right to rip the CD you own, but the big company decides to put a lock on it, then kiss your rights goodbye. I am not sure if this bill will ever pass. If the government does not listen to regular Canadians and vote based on their own experience, then there is a big chance it will. After all, th...

If you drive at all, you would have noticed that the price of gas climbs up steadily over the past few weeks. It has hit $146.xx everywhere, and some gas station has stopped the 3.5c discount. Yaiks! If this continues, I will have to really find a work-from-home job type... The gas price has really hit me hard. My only consolation is that I have a hybrid, and I even got a rebate from the eco-rebate program (which has since been dropped -- see the news here ). Hhhh... at least I can justify the purchase even more now. My area is a newly developed one, where buses run infrequently, and you need 2-3 transfers to get anywhere. Even if I want to take public transit, I have to drive and park somewhere first. There is no way I am taking only buses to work!

A handyman came to my house this morning. I bought a new house and it came with 1 year warranty. So he came and fixed all the little things that have been bothering me. The hot water did not run. He took the faucet apart, found the problematic part, and replace it with a new one. The electrical plug did not work. He did something to it that I don't understand. I am happiest about his work on my kitchen cabinet, though. There were huge defects on the cabinet, but the cabinet guy said that they could only paint it to hide the defects. Else, they had to replace the whole thing, which they wouldn't do. But this handyman fixed it by applying some putty to it, and add the stain. I don't understand the process, but it looks much better than what the cabinet guy did. All in all, this handyman did a very good job!