At home and on the road

Wow. It's Been A While

2009-03-08T21:19:00.004-08:00

I can't believe I haven't post since August.

We had a fabulous trip to Chile and Easter Island over the holidays. I have to post pictures soon. Our next destinations this year are Mexico, Australia, and Maui.

Work has been crazy busy lately. It's always busy but this time is different. The economy has a big impact on people's morale. It's the first recession I experience as an adult and it's not fun.

I've never seen the City this quiet. Even on a Saturday night, restaurants are empty. It seems like people are cutting back in a big way.

In this spirit, I canceled my gym membership. If I ever have an urge to run, I'll go outside. My membership fee was a little excessive anyway.

On the positive side, my contract with T-Mobile is coming to an end. Hello i-Phone! Spring and Russian River Valley Barrel Tasting are here. Barrel wine is actually not that great but it's cool! And we've also been working really hard on something... which I can't talk about just yet. Stay tuned!

Gym Bunny, C'est Moi

2008-08-15T18:04:00.007-07:00

This past year has been intense. My job has been enjoyable for the most part but very demanding. A typical work week is at least 50 hours, too often 60 hours. I found myself exhausted and irritable with occasional mini anxiety attacks.

I had to break this unhealthy cycle so I decided to sign-up at the gym. The gym I joined has many locations around the City, including one across from my apartment and one in my office building. Perfect. The membership ($85/month,eek!) came with two free personal training sessions. Excellent, I was actually complementing getting a personal trainer. My first personal training session was a disaster and it took me weeks to recover.

The pain wasn’t physical, it was emotional. I made an appointment with a personal trainer recommended by a single female colleague of mine. She failed to tell me that said personal trainer was a 6’2 feet tall, 220lbs, ex-Marine Corps muscle man dude. That’s probably what she liked about him. Me, not so much.

My first session consisted of performing a fitness assessment. Calculating body fat was the first on the agenda. Let me tell you how unpleasant it was to have Mr. Ex-Marine Muscle Dude measure me. I had not been touched by another man in years. I was so uncomfortable that I was seriously shaking. What is wrong with me???

The second step was to measure my blood pressure which ended up being too high. No shit. Mr. Ex-Marine Muscle Dude was making me unbelievably nervous. Then we did some flexibility and balance exercises. The good news is that I am not fat. The bad news is that I apparently have “below average” balance. Euh, he was stressing the heck out of me so much that I couldn’t keep my balance! At the end, we talked about my goals and the next session.

I joined the gym primarily to relax. This experience was more stressful than work. For days, I worried about the session with Mr. Ex-Marine Muscle Dude until I decided to cancel it. I don’t need more goals, timelines and stress in my life. I have plenty at work.

So I’ve been going to the gym for a month now, on my own. I can run one mile in 9 minutes, not bad! According to US Army standard, I get an 81% score. In general, I think exercising has helped me remain sane. I feel much calmer. I have more energy and I am less irritable.

Soon Boarding Flight to Mexico

2008-08-07T19:38:00.008-07:00

I have the travel bug! Our Chile trip is just too far away so we booked a trip to ...Mexico!

We're going down for a couple of days in November. We booked one of the rare 18+ couples only resort.

I've been working 12hrs/day for the past year and I am exhausted. This is exactly what the doctor prescribed!

Saying Goodbye to My Carfree Lifestyle

2008-07-13T21:06:00.004-07:00

Until R got transfered to their other office down in Silicon Valley, we both worked in the Financial District, a short 12mins bus ride away. For two months, he tried this public transportation thing. His commute consisted of a 45 mins bus ride, a 40 mins train ride, and a 15 mins bus ride: 1.5 hrs/each way. The commute drove him nuts and his whining drove me nuts. So we bought a car. I was so sad to say goodbye to my car-free lifestyle.

Since renting a private parking spot costs $300/month, we opted for street parking. You'll understand that it is not an easy task to find parking on the streets of San Francisco especially on the weekend. The ideal parking spot is precious. Friday afternoon, we totally scored. We found a perfect parking spot right in front our building. Great success!

We haven't used the car since then. We even walked back from the the grocery store with a million bags. No way in hell we were going to give up this sweet parking spot!

Soon Boarding Flight to Chile

2008-06-22T19:09:00.016-07:00

It's no secret that I profoundly dislike Christmas. This year will be the fifth one that we do not spend Christmas at home with our families. In 2004, we went to Las Vegas/Grand Canyon. In 2005, we went to Cuba. In 2006, we did a South East Asia tour which included Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Last year, we went to Morocco and the Sahara desert. And this year, the winner is...

CHILE!!!

We're starting our trip with a 3-day self-drive wine tour in the Colchagua Valley.

On Christmas Eve, we will join a group in Santiago. Over the next three weeks, we're going to visit the following places:

Santiago de Chile

Valparaiso

Heading North to the Atacama desert

Valle de la Luna

Salar de Atacama

Heading South to Lake District

Heading even more South...
Glacial lakes and mountain ranges of Torres del Paine

And finally flying to Easter Island

Road Trips: Northern California!

2008-04-06T10:49:00.017-07:00

Over the past year, we have travelled all over Northern California. I haven't been great at updating my blog so here's my year-in-review, Northern-Cali style!

May 2007

Monterey/Carmel

July 2007

Camping in Yosemite National Park
October 2007

Wine tasting in Livermore (Harvest Time)January/February 2008

Skiing in Lake Tahoe
March 2008

Barrel Tasting in Russian River Valley

March 2008

Wine Tasting In Anderson Valley

March 2008

Mendocino

Marrakech, Morocco

2008-01-25T18:25:00.002-08:00

On our way to Marrakech from Ouarzazate

Marrakech was our last stop. It's a very busy/chaotic town, one of the only place on earth where I have actually felt somewhat unsafe. We were even told to "go home to America".

Our riad (Riad Dar Pangal) was an oasis of calm in this chaos. Julio, the owner, is an eccentric man from Chili who opened this hotel 10 years ago. It's simple but tastefully decorated.

We spent New Year's Even in Marrakech. Most restaurants were fully booked and grossly over priced. In addition, I did not feel like hanging out in the main square. I noticed that garbage cans have a tendency to blow up on NYE. As such, we ended up spending NYE at our riad with a couple of guys from NYC. We had cheese, Pringles, red wine, clementine and a Kit Kat. Fun times!

Erg Chigaga, Morocco

2008-01-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

From Ouarzazate, we drove in a 4X4 for five hours to M'hamid, had lunch and kept going for another 2 hours. That was a bumpy ride! This road is actually used for the Paris-Dakar rally.

Erg Chigaga is very different from Erg Chebi. I have affectionately renamed Erg Chigaga the "Disney Dunes". Our camp was much more comfortable than our tent in Erg Chebi. The 'bivouac' had mud walls which made the inside much warmer than camel skin with holes. It was more comfortable than a Best Western, seriously.

The dunes are much smaller. Quads reminded me of a sea-doo on a quiet lake in the summer. There are foot prints everywhere.

I was happy to see at least one desert creature! A little (I mean giant) beetle. I am glad I saw it on our last day otherwise I might not have slept that well. It's winter, all other insects were hibernating.

Ouarzazate, Morocco

2008-01-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

On our way to Ouarzazate, we got a flat tire! It happened during the call to prayer so it's was a bit of experience.
This is an oasis in the desert. I know, it's very different than the ones we have grown up seeing in cartoons. The truth is that people have built cities around oasei. I've only seen one oasis during the whole trip.
I don't have much to share about Ouarzazate other than it's like a little Hollywood in the desert. It's a relatively big hub for movie studios when they are out in the Sahara filming.
Ouarzazate actually hosts the largest movie studio in the world. The city itself, meh.

Erg Chebi, Morocco

2008-01-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

After a ten hour drive from Fes, we finally arrived in Merzouga where our two camels were awaiting our arrival. The drive was amazing in itself. I expected the Sahara to be all sand dunes. It's not. Most of it actually looks like Arizona. Large dune fields are known as 'ergs'. They are ancient lakes and seas. They suddenly appear in front of you like mountains do.

We left the bulk of our luggage at a Kasbah (hotel) nearby and loaded up the camels. It felt like a beautiful sunny day. Although we were only a few kilometers away from the Algerian border, it's still very much the most northern part of the Sahara.

We left the kasbah around 3:30pm.

Seeing the sunset in against 180 meter dunes was amazing. It was getting cold and dark and we were still riding. I was convinced our guide lost. Three hours later, we finally made it to the camp. A couple of tents made of camel skin with fashionable holes in them.

We had dinner with Ahmad, our guide. Tangine, of course. We fed the cat who had been brought there to chase the desert mice. Poor kitty. Judging by his hunger, my guess is that there aren't many mice there or he is not a very skill hunter. It was very, very cold at night. I am used to cold weather but I don't normally sleep outside when it's 2 degrees! I had a couple of layers on me plus five blankets. It was December 25 and we completely were alone in the Sahara desert.

We woke up early to see the sunrise next morning... a little too early. We were out by 6am. Little did we know the sun doesn't actually rise until 7am! We took our blanket with us and sat at the top of dune until the sunrise came. The sunset was amazing but the sunrise was incredible.

After breakfast, we decided to go hiking the dunes. They are much higher than they look!

After playing in the same, we rode back to the Kasbah before another long drive to Ouarzazate.

Fes, Morocco

2008-01-13T21:11:00.001-08:00

Fes is the fourth largest city in Morocco. It's famous for it's 'medina' and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
An annoying problem with guides in Morocco is the commission they make if you buy something from a store they brought you to. It's a huge commission -20%. You can imagine that all guides try to take advantage of this. As a result, we got to stop in a carpet store, ceramic store, leather store, and more. Some people enjoy shopping. We don't.

Fes is the center of Moroccan leather. We visited a tannery. Not that I want a leather jacket anyway, but I was certainly not going to by one from there after seeing how badly both animals and people were treated.

Meknes, Morocco

2008-01-13T21:01:00.000-08:00

Meknes is a small town between Casablanca and Fes. We stopped for lunch where we had our first tajine. Little did we know we were going to have tajine every single day from now on!

Casablanca, Morocco

2008-01-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Casablanca around 4pm after a 17 hours flight. I was not exactly feeling like touring the city! Casablanca is famous for two things: The Hassan II Mosque and Rick's Cafe from the movie Casablanca.

We checked out the mosque and then checked in our hotel. At check-in, we were told that the room had not been payed for. We called our guide and had him sort this out. To make up for the screw-up, we were upgraded to the executive suite. Sweet.

It was nice, but I'd never pay the $975/night for it!

After a good night of sleep, we visited Casablanca and hit the road.

Recommendations:
Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Casablanca

Now Boarding Flight to Casablanca, Morocco

2008-01-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

We spent our Christmas holidays in Morocco this year. It seemed like the safest country to visit the Sahara desert. Overall, I don't know that I would recommend Morocco as a destination. I have been to more than 20 countries on 5 different continents and it was the first time I was told to "go home". They probably thought we were Americans, but that's not an excuse. It is certainly not a way to increase tourism which is what the government wants to do.

I would go back to the Sahara in a heart beat though. I hadn't had that 'wow' feeling in a long time. The more I travel, the more I see similarities rather than differences in landscapes and cultures. The Sahara is unique, not comparable to anything else I have seen before.

Our itinerary

Proud Holder of a California Driver License

2008-01-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

California does not recognize foreign driver licenses - including Canadian ones. This means that to obtain a California driver license as a foreigner (or "alien" as they like to call us), one has to do both the written and driving tests. The pain.

R got his driver license a few weeks after we arrived. I waited until two days before my Ontario license expired. Although I've had a driver license for the past 12 years, I haven't driven much in my life. I actually did not need a driver license at all. I just needed a California ID! It was a little inconvenient to carry my passport everywhere.

I studied two weeks for the written test and I am forever grateful to know that "it is illegal in California to shoot firearms on the highway or at traffic signs". The Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) is just surreal. Where the heck do they find these people??? For a moment, I thought I was in The Simpson's faced with too many Pattys and Selmas.

Once I passed the written test, I signed up for professional driving lessons. Do not laugh. Practice makes perfect! And here I am, proud holder of a California Driver License.

Alive and Having Fun!

2007-12-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

I am alive! Corporate America has kept me away from my blog but here I am. This year has been the most eventful of my life. It was scary and stressful but worth every nervous breakdown. In a short period of time, we have made San Francisco ‘home’. There are no words to express how much I love this city. It’s young, vibrant, and entirely fulfills my urbanite needs. We eat out way too much. We drink way too much. We don’t sleep enough. But we are having fun!

Despite my heavy workload, we do manage to have a fun social life. We have a group of friends who enjoy wine, travel, and politics as much as we do. Funny enough, we have more friends in SF than we did in Ottawa! Demographically speaking, it’s much easier to find people ‘like us’. Most of our friends are single and it’s very refreshing to hang out with people who don’t care about un-matching dishware and furniture!

San Francisco feels much smaller than it used to. I don’t even need a map anymore! I feel like I am in Sex and the City every time I flag a cab when I get off work late.

My job is extremely demanding. However, I discovered that I really thrive in that kind of fast-paced environment. As crazy as it may sound, I heart deadlines! I enjoy seeing that my work is valued and used in a concrete way. My bubbliness even led to a comparison with the one and only Mary Poppins. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and SNAP! The job’s a game!” I have identified many differences between working in Canada compared to the US:

Outsourcing: The amount of outsourcing done in the US is insane. Account Executives get mad when we process a job in the US if it can be done in India for much cheaper.

Time Zones: My company has offices in multiple states and over 70 countries. This means that I have to deal with at least 5 different time zones every day (including India). As a result, I get in around 6:30am. I also have to check my emails before going to bed to make sure everyone is set and the job will get done throughout the night (India, for example).

The rudeness. I am trying hard not to take nasty emails personal. “Did you choose those colours cuz they’re horrible I am gonna change them”. Euh, how hard is it to say “Do you mind if I change the colours, I’d prefer them lighter”. People on the East coast are the rudeness. Blame it on my Canadianess, I am polite.

Impact: Some of the biggest companies in the world are among our clients. It’s so exciting to know that the CEO of a large retail chain is using my report!

Workload: Oye. I get in around 6:30am and leave… Well, whenever I can. It’s usually around 5pm. If I do leave earlier, that means I’ll have to work from home later.

This is me in a nutshell. We’re off to Morocco at the end of the week and will celebrate the New Year in Marrakesh. What do we have in store for 2008? Honestly, I’d be happy with status quo. I am so very content right now! We’re hoping to spend a month in Africa in the fall. We’re considering buying a condo but that will depend on the credit/real estate mess the US is currently experiencing. I want to finish the certificate I started for ‘fun’ last year. I have to say that my idea of ‘fun’ has evolved dramatically and studying while working over 50 hours/week no longer qualifies as ‘fun’!

Happy new year everyone!

Lights Out San Francisco!

2007-10-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

Lights Out San Francisco is a citywide energy conservation event that took place tonight between 8 and 9pm. Residents of San Francisco were invited to turn off their lights for one hour in oder to save 15% of the energy that is normally used on an average Saturday night and to encourage energy conservation.

I watched the lights of the Golden Gate go off from Greens, one of my favorite restaurant in the city.

On.

Off.

Even Google lit out in the Bay Area.

It's the Little Differences: The Umbrella Bag

2007-10-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Speaking of rain...

This is what I am used to seeing in the lobby of my office building in mid-October.

This is what I came to this morning.

Rain is the New Snow

2007-10-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

It rained today for the first time since we moved to San Francisco almost 6 months ago. Is it winter yet? Days are getting shorter, but it's not getting colder. Très, très bizarre.

Sold!

2007-10-02T19:03:00.001-07:00

Our preference was obviously to sell our condo before moving to SF. However, our contract prevented us from selling until the builder had sold all of their units in our building. In July, they finally did. We immediately put the condo on Grapevine (sale by owner site) and sold three weeks later for our asking price.

Once again, we have proven that real estate agents are overrated. We sold our ex-house through Grapevine in 2004 (picture) and saved ourselves big $$$. We did it again this time. I simply cannot imagine giving thousands and thousands of dollars away for something I can do myself.

The tenant moved out last weekend and the closing was yesterday. CRA is keeping 25% of the money (!!!) until they are sure we don’t owe them anything, bastards. The process takes about 8 weeks. The annoyance. As such, we were able to exchange only part of our money this morning. Hang in there loonie!

Thanks for the info but I am not American

2007-09-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Morocco is coming up fast. We’re leaving in less than three months. Last week, I got an email from the travel agency we have been dealing with over there. Due to “unusual behaviour towards Americans”, they can no longer place us at the hotel we were booked at. I am super disappointed because the place looks amazing.

I told the travel agent that despite the fact that we live in SF, we are not American so we don’t care. Second, being fluent in French we could even pretend to be French if needs be! They wouldn’t budge. The new hotel looks cute, but definitely not in a 5-star kind of way.

Curious Moi spent some time this weekend trying to find out what that “unusual behaviour” was. Great success, as Borat would say. What happened is that the hotel increased their price from 180 Euros to 720 Euros per night even for guests who booked months ago (like us). When an American traveler called to argue, he was told by the French manager: “If you Americans don’t like, you should stay home and do the world a favor!”

Now Boarding Flight to Honolulu, Hawaii

2007-09-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Aloha! It all started on Wednesday (Aug 29). I work 50 to 60 hours a week. I am exhausted and stressed out. After dealing with too many survey disasters in one morning, I decided I needed a break. I called R and said let’s go to Hawaii. Less than two days later, we were laying on a beach and soaking up the sunshine. What better way to spend the Labour Day weekend! Three and half days of paradise.

Choosing which island to go to was easy. On such a short notice, it’s rather difficult to be picky. Flights to Honolulu were the most convenient so Oahu we choose. It was the least amount of research I have ever done for a trip.

We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa on Waikiki Beach. It was much nicer than any Sandals I’ve been to. I am not sure if the beach is private or not but it is at the end of the strip which makes access difficult if you don’t stay at the resort. There were even African penguins and flamingos to keep us company.

Our flight was delayed (boo) so we arrived in Hawaii at 3pm. We hung out by the beach, had our first cocktail (those are addictive!), and relaxed.

Saturday, we walked along Waikiki beach and vegetated some more on the beach.

Sunday, we rented a car and drove around the island. Oahu is small enough that it is actually possible to do a full a circle in one day. Renting a car is the way to go. Organized day trips are grossly overpriced.

Dole Plantation

(Excuse the tackiness!)

Waimea Falls

If your time in Hawaii is limited, skip the Dole Plantation and Waimea Falls. It's nothing to write home about.

Now, here's the only reason I would go back to Oahu: Giovanni's shrimp truck in Kahuku.

Best. Shrimp. Ever. ($12)

North Shore (In-land)

North Shore (Along the coast)

Kailua Beach (East Shore)

South Shore

All good things must come to an end, apparently. More beach for us on Monday before going to the airport to catch the red-eye back to San Francisco. We got here Tuesday at 6am. Three days later and I need another vacation!

Veni, Vidi, Vici

2007-08-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

Ever since we decided to move to SF, finding employment has been my main preoccupation. I love research and the thought of not being able to work anymore was heartbreaking. I was worried that my visa situation, or my "all Canadian" education/experience, or my recent government experience would make an employer hesitant to hire me.

I was also very sad to leave DND. I loved my job and I loved my colleagues. The fear of the unknown made it even harder for me to finally make that decision. But sometimes, you just gotta look at the bigger picture.

Since I couldn't work until my paperwork was processed, I immediately started to volunteer at a small market research company. I knew that I needed to keep busy otherwise I'd go to the dark side (and that's not pretty). This was an eye-opening experience in many ways but the most important was to confirm that my motivation to excel is entirely intrinsic. In other words, being financially compensated has zero impact on my commitment, satisfaction, and happiness.

Now back to reality. Until I can pay rent with intrinsic rewards, I need to get paid! While volunteering, I was looking for a job. I was surprised to discover that my fears were not well-founded. After a month of searching and interviewing, I was fortunate enough to choose among several offers.

My priories were: Job responsibilities, career advancement opportunities, location, environment, and money. In the end, I accepted a Research Associate position with a large market research company. It's located in the Financial District; right in front of R's building! If I had time, we could do lunch together.

So welcome Moi to Corporate America! Corporate America has been hard on me to say the least. I work 60 hours/week, but I am having fun. I am either exhausted or drunk. We are part of two wine tasting groups here. Seriously, if I am not working, I am drinking!

Road Trip: Sausolito, CA

2007-08-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last week, R rented a car for his driving test. Not only Canadians need to take the written test, but the driving test is also necessary to switch to a Californian driving license. Since we had the car, we decided to go to Sausolito for dinner. Sausolito is a small coastal town right outside of San Francisco. We had yummy Italian food at Frantoio in Mill Valley (5 minutes drive from Sausolito).

Road Trip: Yosemite National Park, CA

2007-07-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

On our way to Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park -Half Dome

Yosemite National Park - Vernal Falls

Yosemite National Park - From Glacier Point

It's the Little Differences: Laundry & Parking

2007-07-17T19:56:00.001-07:00

In a city where the average square foot is $27.17 to rent (that’s $2,265/monthly for a two bedroom apartment) or $620 to buy (that’s $620,000 for the same two bedroom apartment), having space for your own washer/dryer is a luxury.

The pain of not having our own washer/dryer is compensated by the fact that Missing Sock Laundry is so conveniently located next to Bacchus, a trendy wine bar.

Here's a trivia question. How much do you think a parking spot costs in San Francisco? Here's a clue, it's about $27,000 downtown Ottawa.

... $100,000!

Toe Update

2007-07-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

My appointment was yesterday. The dermatologist looked at the architecture of the mole under a microscope and suggested the following: Take a picture of it every 3-4 month and observe any change in size/shape or remove it. The picture option seemed like a long and inefficient process. Although he estimated the likelihood of the mole being malign to 3% only, I chose the other option. Mr. Doc said it was no big deal. He said I could go jogging the next day.

Right, whatevah!!!

I nearly fainted when he froze my toe (and this is coming from a girl who had two general anesthetics and was hospitalized for a total of three weeks in a 6-month period). He removed the mole and stitched up the hole. R was there, holding my hand through the whole thing, as always. I don’t know what I would do without him.

I’ve been on Tylenol 2 since yesterday. I can’t walk, I am certainly not going jogging today!!! I have to go back next week to remove the stitches. The piece of skin (that’s it, I am fainting again) is being sent to the lab and I’ll know within 3 to 5 days if there is anything to worry about.

The infamous toe

Interesting Studies About Pregnancy and Autism

2007-07-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

Autism has increased dramatically in Canada and the USA in the past 10 years. This study links autism to a deficiency in vitamin D caused by a lack of exposure to the sun. According to Dr. John Cannell, the increase in autism coincidences with medical advice given to the public since the late 1980s to avoid all exposure to bright sunshine. This is a controversial study especially since it’s still a hypothesis. When faced with such an enigmatic disorder, I think any hypothesis is worth considering.

The risks associated with pregnancy over 35 years old are well-documented. This study, however, paints a more positive picture. Dr Wyatt is hoping to move the “high risk wall” from 35 to 40 in order replace nearly automatic amniocentesis with less invasive testing.
According to a team of Canadian doctors, age should no longer be the only criteria considered for genetic testing. Twenty years ago, that’s the only information doctors had. Nowadays, technology is allowing us to go beyond age. This conclusion contradicts most other findings in the field but it seems like a ground-breaking idea worth entertaining.

Tim Horton's Honey Cruller

2007-07-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

R went to Vancouver last weekend to visit his parents. He came back this morning at 10 am with a surprise for moi. He called when he got downtown and asked me to meet him outside.

He brought me back a Tim Horton's honey cruller. Heaven!!!

My Reproductive Strategy

2007-07-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am almost 28 years old (November) so it’s time to think seriously about my fertility. Scenario A, the Childfree Scenario, does not require much planning. Scenario B, the One Kid Scenario, requires a little more thinking and tada! This is what I have come up with:

July 2007 (27 yrs old) to July 2013 (33 yrs old): Work Hard, Play Hard

August 2013 (33 yrs old) to February 2014 (34 yrs old): TTC/be pregnant

April 2014 (34 years old) to October 2014 (34 years old): Have baby

I know the stats. It’s a tight schedule. If Scenario B fails, we’ll revert to Scenario A.

Our Electricity Was Cut Off!!!

2007-07-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

The joys of life without credit in the U.S.

Apparently, PG&E (electricity company) sent us a letter requesting IDs+ lease. We didn't receive the letter so we never submitted said documents. Because we have no credit here, they thought it was best to cut off our electricity even though we've been paying them for two months.

Un-freakin-believable.

1st Independence Day in San Francisco

2007-07-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

The American Health Care System Rocks

2007-07-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

And I don’t care what Michael Moore says. I haven’t seen Sicko yet, but I can just imagine his usual socialist propaganda and his blatant idealization of foreign health care systems.

We’ve all been touched by Sarah’s story. As I read Sarah’s blog, I became more aware of my own skin… And that brown spot on my toe. I’ve had it for years, but it seems to have gotten bigger recently.

I chose a family doctor and booked an appointment with him the following week. He examined the spot and decided he needed a second opinion. Without an appointment, I had a dermatologist (Stanford graduate) examine me within 10 minutes. The dermatologist seemed slightly concerned. I have a follow-up appointment with him next week. He’ll look at the spot with a microscope and maybe do a biopsy.

While I am (very) scared, it sure makes me feel better to know how efficient the American health care system is.

My Philanthropic Priority

2007-07-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

I received a letter from the Carleton Alumni association last Friday. It’s fairly common for Carleton to ask for donation but this time I am particularly aggravated.

The letter is signed by a B. Comm alumni living in the US.

“As a Carleton Alumni based in the United States, our lives and careers have moved us away from our alma mater, but I know many of us would still like to give back to our school. I’m writing to share with you how I choose to honour the time I spent in Ottawa by helping provide current students with the best resources to prepare them for their futures in Canada, the U.S. or abroad”.

New on campus is the Washington Center Internship Program. This program is designed to educate students from all disciplines about American politics, Canadian-American relations and the NAFTA relationship by giving them real-world experience in those areas. The internship is a unique opportunity for students to spend a semester in Washington –interning, learning, attending Congressional briefings and interacting with key players in the formulation of U.S. trade and foreign policy – and will be of incalculable benefits to Carleton students.

The kind of cutting-edge education offered by the Washington Center Internship Program is one of the reasons I choose to make Carleton a philanthropic priority. I know that my annual contributions will make a difference by developing critical and passionate thinkers who will have an impact in our ever-shrinking world.

Please join me in support of Carleton and make a gift of $500 to this new initiative…”

I find this plea for donation tactless on so many levels.

First, why would living in the U.S. make me sensitive to this cause?

Second, Canadian students are spoiled brats. People don’t realize how lucky they are to be born in Canada where there is minimal levels of corruption and poverty, free healthcare, and an almost free top-notch education system. Tuition fees account for only 20% of universities’ revenue. The real cost of tuition is over 20K/yr. Most teenagers living in developing countries would have been envious of my $25,000 student loan.

Third, I can think of many other programs that would have a bigger impact in the world. I literally gagged as I read that my $500 would go to develop “critical and passionate thinkers who will have an impact in our ever-shrinking world”.

Let me tell you why I am making Doctors Without Borders my philanthropic priority and NOT Carleton.

This is what Doctors Without Borders can do with $500:

Serve 4000 nourishing meals; or
Provide water for 40 refugees for 3 years; or
Provide 17 surgical kits containing essential instruments to carry out emergency examinations and basic surgery in the field; or
Provide nursing care for refugees from war or natural disaster for 8 months.

It’s a personal choice, but I rather feed 4,000 people than develop a G7 middle-class critical thinker.

It's the Little Differences: Maple Syrup

2007-06-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

Crepes A-Go-Go is a little restaurant down our street. The crêpes there are succulent but something is missing: the maple syrup!!! To be fair, it's buried somewhere in their menu, but it's certainely not on the table, between the ketchup and the salt.

It's the Little Differences: Garbage Day

2007-06-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

Waste collection is privately run in SF which means that "garbage day" is different for everyone. The entire street is never full of garbage!

It's the Little Differences: Trust Fund Babies

2007-06-24T16:41:00.001-07:00

Defined in the urban dictionary as a “young person whose parents are wealthy and have set up a trust for their son or daughter. The trust fund ensures that the child will be taken care of financially for life.” Paris Hilton is a prime example.

I am sure trust fund babies are everywhere, but the abundance in San Francisco is beyond belief.

Soon Boarding Flight to Morocco

2007-06-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is where we'll celebrate Christmas this year.

Why some people should not design surveys!

2007-06-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

I came across this question tonight as I was filling out a survey for "fun". They've gotta be kidding!!!

(Ok the screenshot is too small, argh. Click on it)

On a scale of 1 to 5 where "1" is absolutely critical and "5" absolutely somewhat important, how important would you say your computer is to the daily operations of your household.

1 Absolutely critical
2
3
4
5 Absolutely somewhat important

Dumber by the Dozen

2007-06-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here’s a good reason to limit yourself to one child: His/her sibling(s) will not be as intelligent.

This is the kind of theory that has been around for years. Robert Zajonc, a social psychologist, is famous in many fields for his birth order theory of intelligence. Benefiting from their parents’ exclusivity, firstborns interact with adults more than any subsequent offspring. Until a sibling comes along, firstborns grow in a highly intellectual family environment. Secondborns, on the other hand, interact more with their sibling than their parents and so forth.

This theory is obviously debated. But today, a Norwegian study confirmed that firstborns are indeed smarter. In fact, firstborns’ IQ is on average 2.3 points higher than their younger siblings. Like Zajonc, Dr. Petter Kristensen of the National Institute of Occupational Health in Oslo attributes this difference to social rank (and not genetics). Firstborns enjoy the undivided attention of their parents and do not have to share the family resources.

When I cited Zajonc as a reason why I did not want more than one child (if at all), my gynecologist laughed it off. Who’s laughing now, doctor!?!

It's the Little Differences: Clothing Size

2007-06-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

America's obesity problem is not just a myth. In fact, the

obesity rate (31%) is twice as high as

Canada

’s (14%).

To cater to their costumers, stores carry larger sizes more than smaller sizes. In order words, the bell curve one finds is Canada (relatively normal: few XS, some S, lots of M, some L, few XL) is skewed to the right in the US (No XS, few S, some M, lots of L, lots of XL, some XXL). When you oscillate between 0 and 4, it’s frustrating.

I’ve had some luck at Banana Republic. Banana Republic usually carries my size and it’s often on sale because no one else wants to buy it!

A Day At The Beach

2007-06-09T16:06:00.001-07:00

The Seven Wonders of Canada Are...

2007-06-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

CBC's Seven Wonders of Canada

1. The Canoe
2. Niagara Falls
3. Pier 21, Halifax
4. The Rockies
5. The igloo
6. Old Quebec City
7. Prairie Skies

Hé oui, le Vieux Québec is one of them! Quebec City being my hometown, I am a little proud even though I have nothing to do with the fact that I happened to be born there. Before the big move, we visited my family and stayed at Hilton Quebec. The views from our room were spectacular (wish I hadn't forgotten my camera!).

On the right, l'Assemblé Nationale.

And on the left, le château Frontenac.

Quebec City is full of amazing restaurants but my favorite by far is Le Saint-Amour. I wish it wasn't so far!

Picnic at the Golden Gate National Recreational Area

2007-06-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

Neither of us felt like cooking tonight so we grabbed sandwiches and cheese from the local deli store and walked to the Golden Gate National Recreational Area for a picnic.

Credit Hell

2007-06-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

I am starting to believe that no credit history is far worse than bad credit history in this country. I feel like a teenager. I am very frustrated that our Canadian credit history is not recognized in the

A couple of weeks ago, we needed to get cell phones (we have no landline). For each cell phone, we were asked for $1,000 deposit! It is outrageous for a piece of cheap plastic that is normally free. No credit and no social security number is apparently a bad combination. So when the husbter got a social security number, back we were at T-Mobile. The deposit was now $250 for each cell phone. It’s progress, I suppose.

Then we applied for a credit card which was promptly denied because of “Few revolving accounts opened long enough to establish credit history” along with “Not enough accounts opened long enough to establish credit history”. Even more frustrating is the fact that they don’t even look at assets or income. It’s solely based on past history.

Our solution was to get a US bank account, debit and credit cards through RBC Centura. Royal Bank recently bought an American bank, Centura. They are based in Florida (snow bird market) but recognize our Canadian credit history. This is a nice temporary measure until we build enough credit to exist in the US!

Road Trip: Napa Valley, CA

2007-06-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

We spent the day in Napa with our “Wine Enthusiast” group (yes, very geeky).

Our first stop was at the brand new Jacuzzi winery. It’s so new that’s it not even finished, but we got a sneak peak. The wine and the cheese were awesome, even at 11am. Among other things, the Jacuzzis invented the airplane propeller and, you guessed it, the Jacuzzi.

Then onto Yountville for the museum viewing and lunch. We had gourmet box lunches in a lovely little park in Yountville (next to John Yount's grave) and tasted a Pinot vertical.

We then parted way up Hwy 29, over to Silverado Trail to skirt the traffic in St. Helena, back to 29, and up into the castle winery on the hill where I met V.Sattui himself (more geekiness, he's the owner)!

Road Trip: Monterey, CA

2007-05-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

For the long weekend (Memorial Day in the US), we decided to do our first road trip. Our plan was to drive down to Monterey, CA and do the 17 Mile Drive. We rented a car Saturday morning and headed South.

As we got closer to the coast, the weather stopped cooperating. Monterey was windy, rainy, and cold. There isn't much to do in Monterey itself. We had a delicious dinner at Montrio Bistro and went to bed.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites Hotel which had a nice view but reminded me of an all-inclusive resort in Cuba. Bad food and poor service. When we woke up Sunday morning, it was still cloudy.

California in the rain is just not as nice so we changed our plans. We decided to make the best out of it and drive inland. We went wine tasting in Carmel Village and then drove back to San Francisco on Road 9 through Boulder Creek and Saratoga. Good times!

It's the Little Differences: Promotional cup sleeves

2007-05-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

San Francisco is full of independent coffee shops. To help them reduce costs and increase profitability, BriteVision invented ad-sleeves. The sleeves are paid for by the advertisers and free to BriteVision customers who no longer have to purchase their own cup sleeves. Although I have only seen them in SF, they are available in other states.

It's the Little Differences

2007-05-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

“It's the little differences. A lotta the same shit we got here, they got there, but there they're a little different.”

Inspired from Pulp Fiction, here's the “It's the Little Differences” series.

It’s going to be a mish-mash of observations on how life in the US is different than in Canada. Even though most people would agree that the Canadian and American cultures are very similar, I’ve been noticing little differences since I arrived...

Chez-moi à San Francisco

2007-05-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Let me preface by saying that people in San Francisco don't take as much pride in their home as people in Ottawa. The reason is simple: They live in the city, not in their home. The weather is always nice. People walk everywhere. Restaurants and coffee shops are packed every single day. The result is that apartments are old and outdated. However, they are perfect for urbanites and I am willing to trade all the stainless steel in the world for that kind of lifestyle.

Without further ado, here's our apartment!

Welcome!

Modest but functional kitchen

Living room/Dining room

Bedroom separated from living room with French doors

Bedroom

(Kinki's giant scratching post by the window. He loves it!)

"Office" in front of the bed

Bathroom (and my attempt at increasing storage space!)

(and me trying to add some colour)

Hours of Operation on Mission Street

2007-05-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

Since I can’t work yet, I’ve been volunteering for the past two weeks. My bus route goes through a not so nice part of town. From what I hear, Mission District has good and bad parts, but Mission Street itself is kinda sketchy.

This neighborhood has a large Hispanic population. The street is very colorful and most signs are in Spanish. In general, people seem relaxed. At 8am, the street is rather empty. As I was walking, I bumped into a sign that explained why that is.

My new grocery store

2007-05-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

Grocery stores downtown San Francisco are expensive. Spaghetti for $3. Juice for $5.95. English muffins for $5.00. Needless to say that we've been on the look out for a nice, affordable grocery store.

Last weekend, we walked over to Trader Joe's which was recommended to us by a friend of ours.

Wow. Doing the groceries was actually a fun experience. Not only their prices are great, but the products they offer kick all kinds of ass. The store is small, but full of products I want to eat. Even though Safeway/Loblaws/Sobeys are large stores, there isn't really much for me. I don't want fast food, 48-packs, kid's related products, clothes or furniture. I want variety and quality. I want exotic. I want small portions.

From Thai to Italian, they have it all. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Imported cheeses. Wine. The best part is their delicious prepared meals. I had their mixed greens with cranberries, blue cheese, & candied pecans with raspberry vinaigrette dressing at lunch today. Tonight, I had gnocchi al Gorgonzola with a bocconcini salad. Yummy.

Our furniture has arrived!

2007-05-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

*English to follow...*

Allo et bonne fête des mères! Nous ne sommes pas assez avancés pour vous montrez des photos de l'apartment mais en voici quelques-unes de notre journée. On est fatigué et on s'en va se coucher!

Our furniture was picked up in Ottawa on April 27. When we inquired early last week about the estimated time of arrival, we were told May 23rd. The shock! To our surprise, we got a call from the driver Thursday afternoon to let us know that he will be here Saturday at 8am (this morning). Yippee! Except that we needed a parking permit for the truck which required a 3-day notice. Oops. We asked what our alternatives were because obviously we couldn't give a 3-day notice. The police told us to double park and pay the fine. Hehe... We didn't get a fine and saved ourselves $125!

Living without furniture was an interesting experience. Plastic "China" and cutlery, air mattress, camping chair... It was like camping but indoor. I realized that I really don't need any of that stuff to be happy (except for my computer!). It does make life more comfortable, but it doesn't contribute much to my overall happiness.

The Frat Boys Are Back

2007-05-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

Russian Hill is a peaceful neighborhood.

There are no teenagers.
There are no drug dealers.
There are no prostitutes.
There are no beggars.

But we have our very own annoyance: Frat Boys. Drunk Frat Boys to be exact. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, they come back to haunt us.

I would be indifferent if my windows weren’t made of tinfoil. Oh Frat Boys, please party on another street and let me sleep!

My neighbourhood

2007-05-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Russian Hill is a trendy neighboorhood of San Francisco. It's filled with cool stores, restaurants, coffee shops, and wine bars.

My intersection

My street (Golden Gate Park in the background)

Our living room is right behind the tree.

Around the corner...

The Move

2007-05-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

What an adventure. The moving company picked up our furniture on Friday April 27^th. We packed until 1am the night before at which point we ran out of boxes and I had to be creative. Who knew a laundry basket could be such a great ‘box’ for pillows? Thursday was also the first night we started sleeping on an air mattress using towels as pillows (man, my neck hurts).

My last day at work was quite emotional. I’ve always been ready to move on whenever I resigned from a job. Not this time. I loved my job and the people I worked with. I was not ready to leave. My coworkers were so thoughtful. My immediate team prepared a “me” gift basket which included a beautiful necklace, a bed for Kinki, baby food (my favourite!), an electric toothbrush (I brush 6 times a day), and the soap my manager uses (to remember her!). I also received four books about San Francisco from my extended team. My manager and I were both crying like babies when she escorted me out!

We needed to vacate the condo for the tenant on Sunday so we went to a hotel. It was an interesting experience with Kinki. We wanted a convenient, cheap hotel that accepts cats. Let’s just say that it was yucky, but Kinki made himself right at home.

We drove to the airport Monday morning with our 9 luggages and Kinki. We’re usually light travelers so it felt quite weird. We had to reorganize the luggage at the airport because one was 35kg (limit 32kg). I think the computer and the three bottles of wine inside did it, oops. I was not leaving without my computer! Kinki was checked in and all was good.

I had the scare of my life in Toronto. Kinki was beyond traumatized. When they returned him to us, he was rolled up, hiding in the kennel as much as he could, not moving. I thought he was dead. It was the worse feeling in the world. R started yelling “Kinki” and he finally moved. He was shaking and not meowing. He was completely traumatized. I guess the flight training should have involved airport chaos, not just take off. He had peed all over himself. The water and food had spilled all over. The kennel needed a make-over, but I didn’t have time to fix it. We had to go through custom.

By the time we were done, it was 3 pm. Getting our visa was extremely stressful. We gave the paper work to a custom officer and waited until we were called. Two hours later, R was asked a couple of questions, his degrees and our marriage certificate. After that, it took about an hour to get our visa. It was a smooth process, but still stressful as the custom officer has the power to deny your application for pretty much any reasons. Although we had a strong case, there was no guarantee we would go through easily.

By that time, Kinki was feeling much better. He even ate a bit. I cleaned up his cage and we were off to US security. They asked that I take Kinki out of the kennel to X-ray it. Fine, except that the kennel was clearly too big for the machine and BROKE. I was almost in tears with a traumatized cat in my arms in the middle of the busiest airport in Canada. How the heck were we supposed to catch our flight to San Francisco without a kennel for Kinki??? Even if the kennel was fixed, there was no way AC would allow it on the cargo as it was not in perfect condition. I’ve seen a lot of incompetence in my life but the airport staff was by far the most incompetent people I have ever encountered. They were standing there doing NOTHING. They were like “oh well, too bad”. Needless to say none of us needed this extra stress. Thanks to wonderful Air Canada staff, we managed to buy another kennel. While I was holding Kinki as tight as I could trying not to burst into tears in the middle of the airport, R and an Air Canada person rushed out of the terminal to buy another kennel. The Air Canada person was so amazing. Once you clear custom, you are theoretically not allowed to come out. She escorted him to the store and back in 30 minutes. Then we had to put the kennel together. I felt like I was in a bad reality show. Kinki was so scared and I was about to have a nervous breakdown.

When the drama was over, there was about 40 mins left before boarding. We had a bite in the AC lounge (like I was hungry). The five hours flight went smoothly, but I was dead worried about Kinki and the condition I was going to find him in. When he came out, he seemed in a much better shape than he was after the Ottawa-Toronto flight. The kennel was a mess, he was shaking, but at least he was moving. If we have to move again, I don’t know what I am going to do with him. I never want to put him through that again.

We grabbed a mini-van taxi for our giant luggages and Kinki. We made it here at 20:45 pacific time (so 23:45 Ottawa time… about 15 hrs after we left Ottawa). I was nervous about seeing the apartment in real life. The location is awesome. The architecture of the place is very cool, but it’s a bit old (like 1920s old!). It’s got character, that’s for sure! I’ll post pictures after I am done with the make-over and we get our furniture.

We were exhausted. The air mattress had never been more comfortable! I can’t believe we’re finally here.

We're "home"!

2007-05-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

And getting here was the most stressful experience of my life. More details to come!

Hurdling our way to San Francisco

2007-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Now that the “big stuff” has been taken care of, I am taking a moment to update my blog.

Move: Our move is scheduled on April 27^th. More packing for us. Our one way flight will be on April 30^th.

Immigration: Not much on that front. We have an appointment with our lawyer next week to discuss the interview process.

Apartment in SF: We rented a one bedroom apartment in Russian Hill, a dreamy location downtown San Francisco (picture).It’s not stainless steal fancy, but it’s very charming and has lots of character (think Carrie’s apartment in Sex in the City).

Condo: As most people know, we just moved into our brand new condo. Our contract with the builder stipulates that we are not allowed to “advertise”, “offer to sale”, or “sale” our unit until they have sold all of their units up to a maximum of year after our closing. We were aware of that when we purchased our place. But between July 2005 and now, some called "life" happened. As of now, they have three units left for sale. We attempted, unsuccessfully, to negotiate our way out of this clause. The builder did not grant us permission but we did get something. Instead of allowing us to sell in February 2008 only, we can sell as of October 2007.

We were faced with the dilemma of leaving the condo empty for five months (and pay for it) or rent it out. We were concerned about renting it out for a couple of reasons. First, there are several tax implications (especially as non-residents). After studying the Canadian Tax Act thoroughly (oh the pain), it appears that renting it makes sense financially. We were also worried about the material damage a tenant could potentially cause.

After much consideration, we decided to rent. We advertised and signed a 5-month lease within 24 hrs. We believe that we have found the perfect tenant: 40ish, divorced, lobbyist. I still can't think of myself as a "landlord".

We’re still planning to sell privately as soon as we are legally allowed. Flying twenty times (round trips) between Ottawa and San Francisco is still cheaper than giving 5% away to a realtor. It’s going to be exhausting, but worth it in the end.

Car: Note to self, selling an Audi is not an easy thing. We had two very interested buyers. The first deal fell through because the idiot didn’t know that he had to pay PST, duh. He basically wanted the car with the PST included in the price we agreed on. Right. The second buyer had much more realistic expectations. We closed the deal this morning. Whee.

Job: Since I can’t work until my work permit is processed, I found a great place to volunteer at. I am starting as soon as we arrived. Keeping busy is the key otherwise I am gonna go to the dark side.

I think we’re all set!

Oh Belinda

2007-04-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

I am really trying hard to like that woman, but it’s not working.

The world needs more successful women in business and politics. No doubt. The double standard she experienced during her short political career was despicable. She stood up to Harper for what she believes in and that’s admirable (although I presume that a dangling cabinet position influenced her decision a little. Just a little, of course.)

I still don’t like her. She reminds me of Paris Hilton.

Annoyance #1: She dropped out of university in her first year. Too much effort, Belinda? You mean you can’t buy yourself a university degree???

Annoyance #2: How many twenty-two years old with a high school diploma become member of a twenty billion dollar company’s board of directors? Without family connections, my guess is none. As Warren Buffet would say, she is part of the Lucky Sperm Club.

Let’s put it that way, I have a lot more respect for successful Average Sperm Club members than successful Lucky Sperm Club members. Maybe she is exceptional at what she does, who knows? The fact is that there are millions of intelligent, hard-working people who excel at what they do. It takes them years to climb the corporate ladder while Belinda Stronach rode the private elevator next to it.

Four myths about travelling

2007-04-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

1. I don’t have money

It’s a matter of priority. People don’t realize that the little things they spend money on add up. We have no personal cell phones. We have no TV so no cable/satellite bills. We have one car. We have a small condo rather than a house so our gas bills/maintenance cost are low.

We assess the necessity of every potential purchase. It is one of the reasons why we don’t own a TV (beside the fact that is useless and ugly). There are a million places I would like to visit more than owning a TV. The average cost of a wedding is 22K. Now that's many trips!

2. It’s expensive

Think outside the box. Typical North American destinations (e.g. all-inclusive resorts, cruises, Walt Disney World, etc) are extremely expensive compared to less popular destinations. Our two-week trip to Peru a few years ago was much cheaper than a week at Sandals. Asia is super cheap. A meal is $3-5. Local transportation is very inexpensive (12 hrs overnight train =$16). The most expensive part is to get there, but once you're there it's dirt cheap.

Take advantage of your credit card. We get a couple of free flights per year with our CIBC Aeroplan.

Generally, company loyalty pays off (airline, hotel, car rental, etc). You accumulate points that you can redeem for free flights, nights, etc.

Travel off-season. If I did not hate Christmas so much, we would always travel in the Fall.

3. I don’t have time

Think red-eyes. Why waste your whole day flying when you can fly at night? Not the best sleep, but the best use of 24 hours.

Plan (itinerary, restaurants, hotels, etc) and book ahead.

Use a tour company.

4. It’s dangerous

It’s usually not unless we’re talking about Afghanistan or Iraq. Do your research.

My Easter Weekend

2007-04-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

I can’t say that I despise Easter as much as Christmas. It is, however, at the top of my list of most hated holidays. What is the most logical explanation to the disappearance of Jesus’ body? Resurrection, of course. And someone please explain what’s the link with the Easter Bunny again?

We drove down to Toronto on Friday to meet with friends we won’t have a chance to see again soon. We stayed at the Hilton and had a kick ass view on the CN tower. Friday night, we had dinner on Queen St. with a friend we met in South Africa in September 2005. His girlfriend is studying to become an osteopath. She explained that if an osteopath can release the scar tissue around the "c-section" I had last year, I may just get my abs back. I am sure going to give this a try when we are settled in SF. I kept an eye open for Foxy all night, but alas no renard for me!

We spent Saturday/Sunday with a couple extraordinaire. We met them on our South East Asia trip last December. P is a seventy-five years old man. He is the former CEO of a company owned by a large multinational corporation. Not that I hang out with CEOs on a regular basis, but I can totally understand how he became one. Beyond his intelligence and passion for his field, he is incredibly charismatic. Why is it that some people, no matter what they say, are interesting to listen to? We talked about his career, his travels, his family, and everything under the sun. Of course, we did get a couple of free career advices for ourselves!

Two steps forward, one step back

2007-04-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

There is so much going on right now, I really don't know where to start. My life is a real estate/tax/immigration/HR chaos. We've had many major, life altering decisions to make in the past few weeks. I am stressed out and exhausted, but I have to say that it has been an empowering experience.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most responsive to change" (Darwin) has never been more true.

More details to come...

Flying Lessons for Cats

2007-03-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

Some may think I am crazy. I am just applying my basic psychology knowledge to prepare Kinki for the Big Flight.

I started playing the sound of an airplane take off. If he hears the sound everyday, he will get used to it and won't hyperventilate when we actually do take-off. We just started his training. It will get louder and louder. I am planning to also add movement in a few weeks. Notice that I put the speaker right on the kennel - bulldog size kennel!

(Sorry about the lighting.)

CRA Lottery

2007-03-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

I don’t buy lottery tickets and I don’t gamble. Doing my taxes is as close as it gets to winning the lottery. Every year, I anxiously wait to find out how much we are going to get back. Today was a good day.

What are we going to do with our jackpot? Save it for next year, ah. Our accountant explained what is going to happen when we move in May. Among other things, we’ll have 60 days to either pay back the RRSPs borrowed as first time home buyers or pay taxes on it. Le joy.

The Move in Progress

2007-03-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

We’ve got some big things checked off our list, but there’s a lot more.

Done:

-Opened US account through RBC
-Cancelled our trip to Spain/Morocco as I am not allow to get out of the US for a while :(
-Received our immigration papers from the lawyer
-Booked a vet appointment for Kinki

In progress:

-Select a moving company. I never thought moving would be so complicated. I just wish we could sell everything and go! It’ll take approximately 2-3 weeks to get our stuff down there. Before the moving truck crosses the US, we need to be in the US with our visas in hand. What are we going to do for three weeks? Air mattress and sleeping bag it is!
-Research immigration requirements for Kinki

To do:

-Sell condo & car
-Talk to lawyer and prepare for immigration interview (3-5 hrs we were told)
-Booked our one-way flights
-Rent a place in SF (through email!)

Things to do before I move to SF!

2007-03-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

Since I can't come up with “100 things to do before I die”, I created another list of things to do before... we move!

Have lots of Tim Horton’s and Second Cup coffee
Go home to Quebec City to visit my family
Eat: Poutine (while in Quebec City), Shawarma (from the Shawarma King), and Gabriel’s pizza (never tried it)
Do wine tasting with friends at our favourite restaurant
Visit the War Museum
Shop at Simons
Get a haircut (I finally found a hairdresser I like, damn!)

Hmm, that’s it!

My college/university notes are finally gonzo

2007-03-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

For the past 10 years, I've been moving around with my five boxes of college/university notes. Now that we're moving to SF, every box counts. It's a waste of money to move those boxes with us, again. Today, my goal was to be down to one box.

Interestingly, I feel liberated. I don't feel one bit of nostalgia. I am slightly annoyed actually. I am annoyed at the ton of useless stuff I had to research, study, and write over the course of my student career. Now that I have been working for five years, I wish university would have prepared me more for "real life". I know liberal arts are meant to develop critical thinking and yada yada yada, but how much critical thinking does a person really need? Very few courses I took (like five) are useful to my career. I can't help but to think how much better I would be in my job if I had only studied relevant subjects.

I first felt annoyed, then bitter as I was reading some of the feedback provided by teaching assistants. Holy sense of superiority. Dude, it's just a graduate degree that you have (and not even a completed one for most!), not a Nobel prize. University is really good at making grad students believe that they are exceptionally smart. Once they start working, they realize that they really aren't all that. At best, they're among the smart ones.

So I am done. Down to one box, disillusioned, and with a very low tolerance for uselessness!

The sociology and psychology of urbanites

2007-03-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

I always knew I was the urban type, but I learned today that I am in fact an urbanite. The demographic and psychographic characteristics of the urbanite (as provided by Wikipedia) are totally me.

Demographics: 18-44 years old

Attitudes: They are time-poor, city-proud, media-literate, brand-centric, trend-sensitive and culturally-aware. They are affluent consumers with an optimistic outlook on life that is very different from those who live in “small town” or rural areas.

Motivations:
1. Expecting to live a meaningful and experience-rich urban life
2. Expecting to succeed in multiple areas of life (not just career)
3. Expecting to get substantial fulfilment from work (not just cash)
4. Expecting to be at the hub of a large friendship network
5. Expecting the traditional ideal of “true love” in the modern world
6. Expecting to have to “make time” in order to have and enjoy time
7. Expecting to avoid the use of debt to have what they need or would want
8. Expecting to have a progressive government that delivers results
9. Expecting to live in a pleasant “urban village” area of their city
10. Expecting to live a responsible life as an urban consumer.

Fits me to a tee!

Flying with a cat...

2007-03-10T17:49:00.000-08:00

One of my main worry about moving to San Francisco is having to fly with Kinki.

While Air

Canada

does not allow cats on the plane, United Airlines does. We're obviously going to fly United. There are no direct flights from Ottawa to SF. On United, we're likely going to have to fly through Chicago. Every time I have flown to Chicago there has been a problem (usually weather related). I hope there won’t be any delays.

Clearing custom is going to be enough of a delay in itself. If we go through Chicago, we’re going to clear custom in Ottawa which is a good thing. However, it will take more time than usual as we need to apply for our visas. It’s a fairly simple process, but Kinki will have to wait for an hour while we are being interviewed. He needs to go through custom too with his medical record!

He freaks out in the car, I can't imagine how much yelling he is going to do on the plane. I wanted to give him Gravol, but I read that it’s not recommended. He’s going to be starving by the end of the day… And won’t have any bathroom breaks!

I am so stressed out. Anyone has experiences to share?

Now Boarding Flight to San Francisco

2007-03-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

Hubby was in Las Vegas on business last week and he is San Francisco this week. We both despise Las Vegas so meeting in San Francisco was a no-brainer. In addition, we had to go apartment hunting, whee!

With the storm we got on Thursday/Friday, I was scared that my flight was going to be cancelled. All flights to TO and MTL were cancelled. Luckily, I was going West. It was delayed, but I got to Vancouver in time to catch my SF connection.

On Friday night, we met with R’s friend. We had dinner at First Crush. I was exhausted/completely jet lagged by 1 am. We were staying across the street at the Renaissance Hotel Parc 55 in Union Square. Union Square is definitely the place to be. I’d love to live there, but R finds it too busy. Nothing is ever too busy for me!

On Saturday morning, we were off to Napa Valley. The weather was fantastic: Sunny and 20 degrees. Our first stop was Darioush. Persepolis was the inspiration behind the architecture of the winery. The stone was quarried near the region of Persepolis (Iran). It made me feel like going to Iran…in a few (ok, several) years from now. Our second stop was Clos Duval. Not the most impressive winery, but definitely the best wine (Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2002) I’ve had during the whole day.

We had lunch at Bouchon. As usual, we were not disappointed. Bouchon is one of the best restaurant I know. After lunch, we drove to Sterling.

Sterling is famous for its tram car that takes you up to the winery. We were there about three years ago, but I still can’t get over how breathtaking the views are from the top. Our last winery was Luna. We had a complimentary tasting so we stopped by. The winery and the wine were nothing to write home about. We made it back to SF around 6pm.

We spent Sunday hanging out downtown. We had brunch in a little café in Nob Hill and checked out two apartments. One was an awful one bedroom for a mere $1650/month + utilities. The other one was great, but there was nothing in our price range available. Call me crazy, but I just can’t bring myself to pay $2,750/month for a one bedroom apartment even if it has ocean view (see picture)! We had a totally yummy dinner at 1550 Hyde Cafe and Wine Bar.

I went shopping in Union Square on Monday while DH worked. I am not a shopper. I don’t enjoy shopping aimlessly. I never liked Macy’s. Seven floors of clothing is just overwhelming. They should sort their stuff by price, it would make shopping a lot more efficient! I ended up with two lip glosses from Victoria Secret. I know, I am just wild. R left to Monterey after lunch. I headed to the airport. I took the red-eye back and was at work by 10am. That’s dedication.

It’s weird to think that my next trip to SF will be one-way. Ack… It seems to be more real now that I came out of the closet!

Extra, Extra! The Big Announcement

2007-03-06T13:56:00.000-08:00

I revealed The Secret at work today so it’s time to share with the world. Oh, and congratulations to those of you who have guessed already (*Waving at Phat and Foxy*).

Hubby and I are making the move, literally. We are moving to San Francisco in May!!!

We’ve had this project in mind for a couple of years now. We wanted to do it right in order to maximize our relocation success. The last couple of months have been crazy busy. His company has taken care of all the legal issues. The paper work is now completed. We’re going on an L1 and L2 visa (company transfer) which will allow me to work in the US. That being said, my EAD (employment authorization document) will take approximately two months to process. During those two months, I am neither allowed to work (in the US or Canada) nor leave the US. It’s an annoyance but I can’t complain. It could have been a lot worse. I’ll use those two months to find a job and finish my marketing research certificate.

As you all know, we just moved into our condo. Anyone needs a condo? It’s going to be for sale shortly. It’s a lovely condo, but at the end of the day, it’s just ‘stuff’. I live for experiences, not ‘stuff’. And we’re also selling the car. It’s a nice car, but we just don’t need one downtown SF.

We’re planning to buy a property as soon as possible, but we need to build our credit first. For the next six months, we’re hoping to rent a one bedroom apartment while we familiarize ourselves with the different neighborhoods. We spent the weekend in San Francisco looking at apartments. For anyone familiar with SF, we’re looking at Union Square, Russian Hill, Nob Hill, North Beach, and Embarcadero.

ETA: I am adding a map! We want an apartment inside that circle.

In the next month or so, I have a million things to wrap up at work. As mentionned, we have to sale the car and the condo. And the obvious, pack and move AGAIN! Thankfully, I didn’t unpack everything. We also need to get Kinki’s shot up-to-date for his arrival in the US.

I am excited and terrified (if that makes sense), but we live only once, right?!?

Hi, I am a Mac...And I am a PC

2007-02-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

You gotta give it to Apple. They know marketing.

15 short Ads = Apple Mac Guy -VS- PC Guy

Le condo en images

2007-02-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

Of course it couldn't go smoothly. The movers were an hour late. Arghh. We're here now so it's all that matters.

So here's our new place!

Kitchen

Living Room
Don't mind the headboard behind the couch. It has yet to be installed.

Bedroom
This window is quite amazing. I see the stars at night and a beautiful sunrise in the morning.
Where's the headboard?!?

Just in case you're interested in closets...

Office
R's work station (includes a cat)

Smarties's work station

"Cheater" bathroom

The ceramic was one of the most expensive upgrades but I love how it turned out.
It doesn't show too well on this picture, unforturnately.

Close-up. It's charcoal, not black.

Voilà!

Closing 2.0 launched (painfully)

2007-02-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

This closing/move has not gone smoothly.

As planned, I met the lawyer at 9:30 am this morning. After I signed the papers, they were couriered to the builder’s lawyer. Since both firms are located downtown, it was supposed to take about 30 minutes to get the keys back. With our luck, I waited for 1.5 hours, but I got them!

Our appliances were supposed to be delivered between 8am and 5pm. With our luck again, we got a call at 8am! We couldn’t even enter the condo at that time. We called the builder who graciously offered to open the door for them even though it’s not something they are responsible for. All was fine and dandy until the elevator broke down!!! The appliances were left in the lobby until 3 pm. To our surprise, the builder graciously offered to bring them up for us. Our builder rocks.

The place looks fantastic. I brought my camera, but didn’t realize there was no memory card in it. Duh. I’ll post pictures tomorrow.

Closing 1.0 failed to launch

2007-02-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

Our closing was scheduled today. The money from our investment account was supposed to be deposited into our chequing account by 1 pm. I was then supposed to get a certified cheque from our bank, run to the law firm, and close the deal before 5 pm.

Here’s how things went. We got an email at noon from our financial advisor telling us that the money had been wired “from their end”. Yippee, I was off to the bank. To my despair, the certified cheque could not be issued as the money had not been transferred yet. I guess our financial advisor did not realize that transfers from one RBC organization to another are not instantaneous. I waited until 3 pm. At that point, our lawyer was no longer available so I came home.

Thirty minutes later, I noticed that the money had, hallelujah, arrived. I immediately returned to the bank. I now have a certified cheque, but no lawyer. We have to wait until tomorrow morning to meet with her.

Wish me luck for Closing 2.0 tomorrow!

Our Elephant Ride (Thailand)

2007-02-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

We just received this picture from a fellow travel mate.

Census Gaffe

2007-02-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

As you know, the 2006 census was conducted last May. Population and dwelling counts were scheduled for release tomorrow, but that won't happen. Data collection in Western Canada was slower than expected. Due to the oil boom, finding people willing to accept $12/hr to collect forms was apparently challenging. Stats Can ended up way over budget and way late.

This compromised the integrity of the data collected. If you filled out the census like you should have, you will remember that you were required to provide your name...Unless you live in Western Canada that is. To save time and money, this question was skipped.

"At the end, they just said, 'We really don't care. As long as you can find out if there [are] three people that live in that house, put down Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck on it. We don't care about a name.' " (CBC Article)

Buah ah ah! That is the funniest thing I've heard in a long time (in a geeky way). It's especially funny to me as I know how much useless information is collected in surveys everyday at the expense of the respondent. Instead of asking useful information, researchers ask "interesting-to-know” information. "Interesting-to-know" is just that, interesting to know. It is usually not actionable which simply makes it useless. It's a sign of a mediocre researcher who really has no clear idea of what it is that he/she wants to find out.

If you filled out the census like you should have, you will also remember that you were asked a question for the very first time: Do you agree to have your census information made available to the public in 92 years, in other words in the year 2098? Your consent will be extremely valuable to historians and genealogists, except if you live in Western Canada. Without names, their job will be incredibly painful. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck's census files will drive historians nuts.

You're Hired!

2007-02-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

Every year, new researchers are hired at work. Last year, I was involved with checking references. I learned two very important lessons through the process.

#1 Pick someone who knows you. There are two streams in sociology: Theory vs Research. We’re hiring for a r-e-s-e-a-r-c-h-e-r position. Don’t pick a theory prof to describe your research skills. They can’t answer half of my questions.

#2 Pick someone who likes you. People were brutally honest. I had someone tell me “she is good, but not a star, know what I mean?” Ouch.

This year, I am on the hiring board. Not sure how I feel about that. First, I am not overly interested in HR matters. Second, I am extremely busy with my other projects. Of course, I had to accept otherwise it would have looked really bad. It shall be interesting.

Happy 3rd Wedding Anniversary

2007-02-11T09:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been three years already. Time flies! We're part of this very small group of people who got married in the winter. Good thing it was in Jamaica!

And you know what the best part is? It gets better everyday ;-).

My HoneyBunny Is Stuck!

2007-02-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

Rock slides are regular occurrences on the Sea-to-Sky highway connecting Whistler to Vancouver. R is stuck in Squamish right now, so close to Vancouver, argh. He had to reschedule is flight to 11pm tonight, but he may not be able to catch it depending on how long it will take to clean up the road. The police estimated 6 to 8 hrs.

And the highway cam is temporarily unavailable. No sh*t. It must be buried under a meter of mud or something!

They really need to do something about that highway before the Olympics.

THINKERs

2007-02-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

DINKs -Double Income No Kids- is so passé. My new favorite expression is THINKERs -Two Healthy Incomes No Kids Early Retirement!

I came across this website: dinksfinance. I haven't had time to check it out, but I thought the idea was a super cool one.

Home Alone

2007-02-02T14:50:00.000-08:00

R is in Whistler, B.C. skiing with his friends this weekend. I have enough work to keep myself busy all weekend, but it still sucks. I especially hate sleeping and eating alone. Ugh.

We’re moving in three weeks. My cubicle is full of empty cardboard boxes. My living room is full of empty cardboard boxes. My colleagues call me the “box lady” and my husband calls me “box bunny”!

We got our mortgage approved last week. We went with the CIBC AeroMortgage. I am a point whore, what can I say? RBC was not happy, but they deserve it. When we bought our first house in 2002, we were a tad clueless. Because the rates were so good, we opted for a seven year closed mortgage. We never even thought that perhaps we would sell before the end of the seven year period. Duh, seven years is a life time. What were we thinking?!? When the house was sold after less than two years, RBC charged us a $5,000 penalty. Oh, we tried to fight that one. Despite the fact that we invested the profit with them and a potential guarantee that we would get another RBC mortgage in the future, they wouldn’t budge. Last week, when we asked our RBC financial advisor to transfer money from our investment account to our saving account, he said: “that’s going to be for your RBC mortgage?” Let me think…noooo. Loyalty goes both ways, dude.

Five Facts About Moi

2007-01-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

Lexy has tagged me. Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 5 facts about yourself. Then choose 5 people you want to tag and list their names. Then leave a comment on their blog letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I love raw food (steak tartar, sushi, Pillsbury cookie dough).

2. I have been to 21 countries.

3. I have swam with dolphins, petted cheetahs, and rode an elephant.

4. I have been TVless for almost three years.

5. Something BIG is about to happen in my life. No, it's not a bébé. Stay tuned.

I'm going to tag:

Doctor T
Foxy
Daisie
Science Geek
Tabitha

Crossing the streets of Hanoi

2007-01-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

Traffic in Hanoi

Us crossing the street in Hanoi

Shopping for appliances suck

2007-01-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

I hate shopping for appliances. We're moving into our condo next month. As a result, we really needed to buy our appliances. We beat a record. We bought: fridge, stove, dishwasher, over-the-range microwave, washer, and dryer in fifteen minutes. It still wasn't fast enough for my taste.

Siem Reap & Ankgor, Cambodia

2007-01-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

Siem Reap's boat ride

Siem Reap's main attraction is Ankgor. Angkor is often compared Machu Picchu or the Pyramids. It's definitely something to see. It is a 155 square kilometres ruined city built between the 9th and the 13th centuries deep in the Cambodian jungle. It was discovered in the 1800s.

Us in a tuk tuk

The End.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2007-01-14T12:14:00.001-08:00

Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia. It turned out to be my favourite country. It's unbelievable that people can still smile after the events they went through. Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge killed 3 million Cambodians. It was one of the worse genocide in history. We visited one of the killing field. You could see bones and teeth in the ground. We also visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Our local guide, whose father was killed during the genocide, made the event even more real. It was a very emotional day.

Children near the killing field

Grand Palace (Cambodia has a king)

Recommendations:
Dining: Luna D'Autunno (Italian), #6c Street 29, Tel. (023)220 895

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

2007-01-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

I loved, loved, loved Saigon. Cosmopolitan with an asian touch. Moccacino, suishi, hot water, that's how I like it! We visited the War Crime Museum (very disturbing) and the famous Cu Chi Tunnels.

We drove to Cao Dai Temple at Tay Ninh to join the noon day prayer. This was just bizarre. Cao Dai is a religion created in 1926. It combines all big religions into one, has Victor Hugo as a Saint, and a governing body similar to the US. Très bizarre. If anyone is interested: Information.

Cao Dai Temple
(Looks like a cross between Walt Disney World and Las Vegas)

Recommendations:
Dining: The Sushi Bar , 2 Le Thanh Ton, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Tel: (84-8) 823 8042
Activity: For great views, drinks at the Sheraton, 88 Dong Khoi Street, District 1 Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam - Tel: (84)(8) 827 2828

Hoi An, Vietnam

2007-01-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

Hoi An is a 5 hours scenic drive across the spectacular Col des Nuages (the Pass of Ocean Clouds) from Hué. We stopped by the South China sea. Too bad the weather was aweful! I am willing to bet that Vietnam will be the next big beach destination in Asia. They have beautiful beaches and are starting to build resorts.

Marble Mountain

We participated in a Vietnamese cooking class. We first went to the market to buy our ingredients (squid below).

Making spring rolls.

Lanterns

We celebrated the new year in Hoi An, Vietnam. It was a quiet evening as we had to get up at 5am the next day to catch our flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Recommendations:
Accommodation: Vinh Hung Riverside Resort
Activity: Cooking class! Many different options, easy to find.

Hué, Vietnam

2007-01-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

We took the overnight train ("Reunification Express") from Hanoi to Hué. This train connects the North of Vietnam to the South of Vietnam.

Perfumed River in Hué

The monks are back!

Recommendations:
Dining: The Tropical Garden Restaurant, 27 Chu Van An St, Tel. (84.54) 847143, tropical gardent@vnn.vn

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

2007-01-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

Ha Long Bay ("where the dragon descends to the sea’ in the Gulf of Tonkin") is located in the Gulf of Tonkin, 4 hrs drive from Hanoi. We did a 5 hours cruise around the islands.

Hanoi, Vietnam

2007-01-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

Here we are, on Christmas Day, in Vietnam. Hanoi is another world. I had never seen so many motorbikes all at once. No rules, no traffic lights. It's controlled chaos. The only way to cross the street is to take a deep breath and go. Walk slowly, straight, and most importantly never stop. Motorbikes will go around you.

Merry Christmas! It was my best Christmas ever... surrounded by people who hate Christmas as much as I do. This is R infront of Ho Chi Minh’s austere mausoleum.

Streets of Hanoi

Recommendations:
Dining: Green Tangerine (European delights, Vietnamese spcices), 48 Hang Be, Tel. 8251286
Cyclo Bar, Restaurant and Garden (Spices of Vietnam, delicacies of France), 38 Duong Thanh, Tel.8286844

Vientiane, Laos

2007-01-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

Vientiane is the capital of Laos. Very quiet town, just like Luang Prabang.

That Luang stupa (said to contain a hair of the Buddha)

Monk hunting again! (Not sure why the pic is blurry)

Luang Prabang, Laos

2007-01-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

Luang Prabang is the old capital of Laos. It's a very peaceful town with a large monk population.

Monk

Monk doing laundry

Temple

Sunset views on top of Mount Phousi

Night market

Bangkok and River Kwai, Thailand

2007-01-14T08:55:00.000-08:00

Our tour started in Bangkok, Thailand. Here's our similar itinerary for future reference.

We only spent half a day in Bangkok and visited the major sites. I definitely would like to go back some day (when garbage cans don't have a tendency to blow up).

Tuk Tuk (best way to get around town)

Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)

Monks (First monks of my monk collection!)

Temple in Bangkok. We've seen so many I lost track.

In the afternoon, we drove to River Kwai (near the Myanmar border). You might recall the movie "The Bridge on the River Kwai". We spent 2 nights in bamboo raft houses floating on the river.

We did an elephant ride. We should get our pictures soon.

Mon Village School

Recommendations:
Accommodation: The River Kwai Jungle Rafts

Now Boarding Flight to Phuket, Thailand

2007-01-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

I am finally unjetlagged enough to post some pictures of our trip! We had such a great time. I miss our daily adventures. Before joining our Explore group in Bangkok, we spent a few days relaxing in Phuket. We stayed at the Katathani Beach Resort located in the Southwest coast of Phuket Island in secluded Kata Noi Bay. The secluded beach was essential as Phuket beaches can get quite busy. I posted pictures of the resort back in September. December weather in Phucket is great (~30C every day).

Well deserved holiday!
Kata Noi Bay
By the beach...

By the pool...

We did a 25km bike tour. It's a great way to discover the island. The resort is great, but it could be anywhere on the planet and it would make no difference. Our guide was Piti from Biketours Thailand.

Local people making chili paste. Just watching made my eyes water!

Rubber trees. Eh oui, rubber comes from trees just like maple syrup! People collect the liquid around 2 am every day otherwise it gets too hot. They bring dogs with them to scare the snakes away.

Actually making rubber. One third rubber liquid, one third water, and one third unknown chemical. It's unbelievable the amount of work involved in making rubber. Thai rubber is exported to China. It is used to make all sorts of things including condoms and tires.

Having homemade iced coffee. Thailand has a small Muslim population (2 millions).

Action Shot!

Resting

Taxi!

We had dinner on the beach one night. I forgot to put mosquito repellent. I paid for it. Fifty Thai mosquito bites the next day. Ouch.

He. He.

This was Phuket. Stay tuned for more...

Recommendations:
Accomodation: Katathani Beach Resort
Dining: Wine Spectator Award restaurant Mom Tri's Boathouse & Villa Royale. Great food, extensive wine list, beachview.
Activity: Bike Tours Thailand
Miscelleneous: Mosquito repellent at night

Back home (almost)

2007-01-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

I am currently in the Maple Leaf lounge of the Vancouver airport. We left Bangkok roughly 20 hours ago. After layovers in Taiwan and South Korea, we're finally back to Canada. I am totally jet lagged and sick with the worse cold ever. Another couple of hours and we'll be home. I'll post pictures soon, but the selection process is going to take some time. We have over 700 pictures!

Thank you all for your comments! I read your blogs religiously :-).

Happy New Year from Hoi An, Vietnam!

2006-12-31T23:10:00.000-08:00

Or Happy Next Year as some people say here! We arrived in Asia over two weeks ago. After spending some time in Phuket, we joined our group in Bangkok. We're having a great time so far. I am most impressed with the food. I am generally picky overseas but I haven't stopped eating since we arrived here. Not to mention all the beer the British and Australian people on our tour are getting me used to!

Today we went to a cooking class held in a local restaurant. We first went to the market to buy all of our ingredients (among other things very alive squids and shrimps). We then made spring rolls, squid salad (hmm not so good), fried rice (pronouced "flied lice" around here), and shrimp/cashew stir fry. It was great despite my 3 rd degree burn (ok, 1/2 degree burn) caused by the boiling oil.

Salut!

I passed, I passed!

2006-12-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

Looks like I still remember how to write a multiple choice exam.I passed my marketing research exam, whee!

Quebec and the whole nation thing

2006-12-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

Being born and raised in Quebec City, I’ve been asked a million times what I think about the new status of Quebec within a united Canada. The answer is… What’s a nation?

My preliminary thoughts:

#1 Before defining Quebec as a nation, shouldn’t the concept of nation be defined? Now we’re working backwards trying to come up with a definition that will make Quebec a nation. How silly is that? Very silly.

#2 It was a dumb, opportunist political move by the Conservative party. One aiming at stealing much needed seats from the Bloc Quebecois. Any party voting against the motion would have risked losing Quebec’s support. Who in their right mind was going to do that? Since all parties voted for it, we’re left with no winners and a big huge constitutional mess ahead.

#3 The “within a united Canada” part never made it to Quebec. Defining Quebec as a nation is only going to fuel the separatist movement. Thanks a lot, Steve.