California - Santa Clara
No photos. I didn't feel inspired by anything I saw. Maybe Dalban will forward a few to me.
I came back from another business trip, this one for a major game industry company. While I was down there I ate out at a couple great restaurants, treated by our sales guy. I think it's true that it takes money to make money. How could a small company afford to send people flying around and buy them $200 bottles of wine?
One thing that has become very evident to me. Sales people can drink like frat boys. Like aggies even! Like aggie frat boys! I guess it goes with the territory.
I didn't mind being given a couple free drinks. But it was madness to try to keep up with these guys. Plus, I have to accomplish technical stuff before the next day, they just have to be full of confidence.
Parting sentiments: Cali is a sweet place. Amazing weather. Pretty girls. Google gives their engineers dual 26" LCD monitor display set-ups.
I might consider working down there some day.
PS - I have decided not to pay the money that I definitely do NOT owe Standard Parking.
PPS - I added "Las Vegas - Shibuya" but set the date in the past... so I can keep my different trips in order. Check it up if you want sake tips, or tips on how to get $30 tips.
Love Psychedelico - a relevant song "
California"
Labels: business trip
California - Standard Parking, I hate you
"Aarrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhh!!!!!!"
I don't swear for the heck of it. But I am so fucking pissed off right now.
I just got back from a nice business dinner with clients and coworkers.
Something wrong with the business meeting today? No.
How about the food, did someone forget to put sprinkles on your creme brule? No.
So what is your major malfunction Blight?
Hmm let's see. My coworker paid $7 for my vehicle to get all night parking. I parked for about 2 hours. My coworker forgot to give me the ticket... so I'm stuck trying to get out of the parking lot without a ticket. I don't have any American money so I can't pay EXTRA just to get out.
The very very annoying part is that the lady that is not letting me leave is the EXACT same one we paid a couple hours ago. She RECOGNIZES me. She KNOWS that I already paid. In fact, she GAVE ME A COPY OF MY RECEIPT for the $7! Despite all that, she won't let me go until I sign a "legal agreement" that states I owe Standard Parking another $7. Does that make ANY sense to you? The receipt shows the time I paid (and parked), and the amount ($7). How does it make any sense that I owe them any additional money??
Meanwhile they threaten to charge interest which "will accrue at the highest interest rate permitted by law".
My company will pay for parking, that is not the issue. The issue is that this is just the shittiest service (as if any "parking" company ever gave any kind of service anyway) I have experienced recently.
So
Standard Parking, I hate you.
Labels: business trip
Las Vegas - Shibuya
An alternative title would be: "How to drop $200 at a Japanese restaurant" with a subtitle of "and not regret it".
Every day during my stay at the MGM Grand, I would pass by this very chic looking sushi joint, thinking "damn I gotta get me some o' that". And each night I would end up toiling away on work after filling myself with free delcious morsels provided by my illustrious employer.
Finally, on the last day of my stay in Vegas, I made it happen. A voice in my head said "You're up at the roulette table right now, you have a self-imposed limit of $200, and there are still 3 hours before you have to go to the airport. " I listened to the voice intently. "Now let's say you start losing, that would make you sad, you'll chase your losses and lose all that $200 and have nothing to do for the next couple hours." I frowned all frowny. "Don't despair! I have a plan... you go to that Japanese restaurant, and blow all that dough on top of the line sushi and sake, spare no expense, enjoy the gluttany and by the time you're done, it will be time to catch your flight back."
That voice sure knew what it was talking about. I secretly wondered if it was the same voice that told me to drop $50 on red, which came up black for the sixth time. But hunger and the promises of delicious food prevailed.
So I hit "Shibuya".
2.5 hours and $200 later, I had finished the most delicious combination of sake and sushi (god how I love blue-fin tuna belly aka "toro") I could remember tasting. I gave the waiter a $30 tip. Now I believed that he did an incredible job, he was like my sushi kindred spirit, but it could have been that I was a little loose with money after the sake foreplay.
If you do get the chance to dabble in $150 bottles of sake, let me give you two personal recommendations:
- Gingashizuku (divine droplets) - Takasago Shuzo Sake Co. (bottle at the bottom)
Sometimes referred to as the Rolls Royce of sake, this sake is "made in an extravagant way in which the completed sake is separated from the fermenting mash by dripping out of cotton bags, with no pressure applied." Also, they make this crazy ice dome outside to use as part of the fermentation process. The taste? Very smooth, with what I imagine to be a traditional, authentic taste. My favourite of the two.
- Ken (sword) - Suehiro Sake Co. (5th bottle down)
Very smooth, but much more aromatic than the Gingashizuku. Floral elements highlight apple, peach, and strawberry aromas.
If you don't believe me,
even these guys rate these as #5 and #6 in their top picks for ultra-premium sakes.
Las Vegas - Ka
I had an amazing Thursday night after completing my conference session successfully. So much stuff happened that I couldn't possibly fit it all in one succinct post, so I'll devote this one to a major highlight of my evening:
Ka!
Ka is the Chinese word for fire, and is also the name of the new show by
Cirque du Soleil that just opened last year. No words will be able to convey the spectacle, and no images either for that matter. You really need to experience it for yourself if you get the opportunity to hit Las Vegas.
One critical piece of the magic that unfolded was the incredible 300,000 pound stage that raised, lowered, and rotated 360 on all 3 axis. The details behind this incredible feat of engineering can be found at both of these links:
Great stuff! For a taste,
check out the videos on the Cirque du Soleil website.
Labels: business trip
Las Vegas - Arrival
I arrived in Las Vegas mid Sunday, and took a brief respite before continuing my grueling preparations for the conference session I am running this Thursday. So I hopped on a bus, and headed off into the desert.
Nevada is a pretty beautiful state, in much the same way the Moon or Mars is. It is very barren, but the landscape is awesome. I even saw honest-to-god tumble weeds migrating down the valleys.
Yes I went out to the middle of the desert to engage in some dangerous and lung-destroying activities. I was inhaling fine red dust, sand, and exhaust - all while enjoying the comfort of my 4 wheel ATV.
The tour group had about 16 of us running through various crags and valleys, being every mindful not to run over the prized and endangered "Desert Tortoise". You can net a $25,000 USD fine just by *intimidating* a desert tortoise. Don't do it.
They gave us 2 breaks to restore our fluids. Our throats were parched from the never ending supply of red dust and sand that flew into our nostrils and mouths. Thank god they supplied goggles, but if I had known better I would have used a bandana at the least. It was a little chilly, but a fleece "jumper" (to you Brits aka CAB) and gloves seemed sufficient. When we were done with the water we walked around a bit to explore.
I took advantage of that and seeked out a nearby outcropping of red stone to climb up on. No safety equipment, and the rock cleaved naturally with too much force... but I made it to the top. It was a good view, and it wasn't long before others wanted to usurp my precarious spot on the rock to get their own shot of glory.
Nevertheless, I made it back - the night driving was exhilarating and my confidence on the ATV had grown so I was starting to take more risks - going off the path, darting between trees, and doing both the forbidden activities I has sworn not to do: "fishtailing" and "hot-dogging".
Actually I still don't understand what "hot-dogging" is.
So I leave you with the view from my hotel room - at the MGM Grand.
Labels: business trip
Condo Fire Richmond Hill
Last night I was working quite late (as I have been every single day this week... in fact I worked until 1am both nights last weekend as well), and my gracious manager was kind enough to give me a ride back to my condo.
Now I hadn't had time to eat a meal yet, and it was around 11pm, so I dropped off my laptop and bag, and headed off to the nearby Subway restaurant.
I get my food, start walking home, and I see a fire truck race north past me. Then I see another fire truck racing south up in the distance. I'm thinking, what the heck are they doing, going different directions? Well I soon realized that they were converging on my condo complex.
Great, I think, another stupid smoker lighting up in the stairway or hallway. We get this often enough - and it costs our complex $500 at least each time we have a false alarm.
Well I stopped thinking "stupid smoker" and started thinking "oh my god, what the hell?!" when I saw a huge plume of orange smoke lit up by raging flames. Yes, the top of a condo was on fire.
I started running...
The good news is many fold however. First, this condo was a new one under construction and not part of my condo complex - it is on the other side of a set of train tracks. Second, as it was night, I imagine that there were no construction workers, and as it was not a finished building, there were no residents - SO that means, no casualties! Third, and very importantly, it wasn't my condo!
The top was totally ablaze, but within 30 minutes or so it was taken control of.
Sucks to be whoever was waiting to move in there... I'm glad I bought a condo that was already DONE. I've heard horror stories of condos being delayed year after year.
Anyway, I am fine, my building is fine, and the wind was blowing the other direction so I didn't inhale any toxic fumes or get soot on my balcony.
Politics - Candidates for Richmond Hill
With only 10 days before the election, the time to make a decision is getting closer than the shave to be offered by a Norelco.
I had some political discussions with my coworkers at work today and I am still undecided. I know I really want to punish the Liberals for the scandals, but then again, Gomery did exonerate Martin and the other members of parliament still in government. Anyway I thought, why don't I learn more about the political candidates running in my riding, Richmond Hill? And then I thought, wow that's a GREAT idea, not as amazing as our esteemed "Hey guys... I've got a craaaazzzzy idea!" Canadian Attack Beaver, but still, pretty greatish.
I present to you, the candidates for Richmond Hill:
Ok, so we have
Joe Di Paola running for the
Conservatives. He has not been an MP before, but he has had solid experience in public service - serving as a city council member of Richmond Hill for the last 9 years. His website says that he has been attending lots of committees and helping to organize lots of community events. Great stuff. As you can see,
he still serves now, and has written some articles speaking out on community issues.
This one shows some no-nonsense common sense thinking. I think as an individual, Joe looks viable.
Moving right one head, we have
Bryon Wilfert, the incumbent candidate running for the
Liberals. I looked at his website, and I was really disappointed. Here I had received this promotional brochure in my doorway that professed he has a "personal record of achievement and contribution to the record levels of growth and prosperity", and there was nothing to show for it on his website.
At least this is what I saw when I went to his website:
Now I don't know about you, but that didn't strike me as terribly informative. I was pretty disappointed really. In fact, although I'm upset at the scandals, I still figure that the individual candidate can outweigh the party. So I sent him this email:
Hello Mr. Bryon Wilfert,
I have watched the election debates and I am still undecided on my vote for the upcoming election. I am positively dismayed with the scandals and waste of my hard earned wages. I feel that the only accountability a government has is to its voters, and the only opportunity to punish a misbehaving government is during an election. Unfortunately if the party whose platform you agree with is the same party that misbehaved, you have a dilemma.
In order to better educate myself on my choices, I looked at your website (
bryonwilfert.ca), but I could not find any information about your positions, opinions, actions, or otherwise.
Your promotional brochure boasts that you have an impressive "personal record of achievement and contribution to the record levels of growth and prosperity".
I would like to know what bills you have introduced, or other motions which concretely illustrate your recent achievements.
Thank you for your time, I appreciate your public service.
Regards,
Warren Rockman
Resident of Richmond Hill
Now I don't know if I should really expect a personal reply, but I did hope to get some answers to help me make an informed decision.
So let's move on to the next head,
Wess Dowsett, the candidate running for the
NDP in Richmond Hill. I read Wess's personal bio, and he sounds like he has done a lot of interesting jobs. Volunteer mine rescue, underground firefighter, owner of a pet supply store, owner of a restaurant, working in various capacities for unions... etc. I think that he definitely has the real world experience to know the plight of Canada's blue-collar workers and small business owners. I appreciate how he points out the following on his website:
Now more than ever, since the amendment of the Canada Elections Act, every vote counts in a very real way. Canadian political parties are no longer allowed to raise money from corporations or unions. To make up for this loss of revenue, each party will be given $1.25 for each vote they receive. Each vote will help the NDP promote progressive issues that are important to Canadians.
Looking at his website and the NDP website, one thing nagged at me. It was slightly odd to keep reading "Something something quote here" Layton said, "something something something else." all the time. They keep quoting Jack Layton (who I cannot think would be related to the infamous "Bob Layton" of Global TV in Edmonton - a very right leaning guy) in that odd odd way. Jack Layton does kick ass, I agree, but he can't be the party all by himself. I would prefer if they talked about the platform of the NDP, not necessarily the word of Jack Layton.
Ok, nitpicking. Sorry. Anyway, I wasn't satified with Wess's website. It doesn't really say where he stands on anything, so I assume he only has the NDP line to lay out there.
Next we have
Tim Rudkins from the
Green Party of Canada. He has an interesting bio as well. He graduated with an MBA and then went to Africa (Botswana) for 10 years to work with small businesses there. Then on to the Netherlands to start an IT company, and then finally back to Canada to become a project management trainer and consultant. He has been a member of the Green Party for 4 years (although
on the Green Party's website, it says he has been a member for only 2) etc but his website doesn't say too much about his stand on much of anything really. Yes he is interested in social justice... but what does it mean to him? What is he excited about changing? That is what I'd like to know.
So of the four, I have to say that Joe's website had the most information, and the best illustration of a potential candidate.
Still unsatisfied I googled more and then found
ANOTHER website for Bryon. This one actually has more information. It seems he gets to travel to a lot of asian countries and attended lots of things... Now to his credit, his website has a lot of useful information for his constituents. In fact I was impressed because earlier last month, I received an educational pamphlet from him explaining the parliamentary system of government. That was part of the kick that got me intrigued in this whole political thing.
Well we'll see if he replies to my email. I think I may just go vote tomorrow.
I'm interested in hearing about the candidates in your ridings. Please do yourself a favour and do a little research. Then share.
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EDIT: I wish I knew why Tim Rudkins decided we needed to see his mouth in super high resolution. This photo is the one shown on his website:
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EDIT 2: I found this
great link off of the CBC (thanks Lorenzo Oznerol) which informs you on your local candidates and provides a forum for the discourse of local issues. Find your riding and see what your fellow consituents are saying.
This post in particular gave me pause for thought after I had originally thought Joe was a decent candidate:
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Edit 3: I found this website mentioned on the CBC,
democraticSPACE, which claims to be able to predict the results of elections in your riding (based on last year's results I assume) and also claims to be able to identify ridings where "strategic voting" could be effective. According to
their analysis of my riding the Liberal candidate is the sure winner. We'll see I guess - on the 23rd.
Remember to vote!
Politics - English Debate #2
Tonight I watched the second English language debate, and it was much different than the last debate. How? Well, first of all, the structure allowed actual debate. As I mentioned in my previous post, I felt that there was a need for some time dedicated to rebuttal. This was added this go around, and it was very well taken advantage of. The leaders were asked questions by the debate taskmaster, and they would answer and then direct a pointed challenge to another leader. Then when that leader's turn came around, he would be given an extra 30 seconds to respond to the challenge in addition to answering the original question. Of course sometimes the leaders avoided directly answering an obvious "yes or no" question and opted to break out a canned political advertisement.
Jack Layton was most guilty of that this time. Very disappointing as I have perviously found him to be the most intelligent and eloquent speaker of the four. Tonight he came off very poor in my opinion. I know he is getting free TV advertisement time here with the public, but it's really annoying when you hear the same line over and over "You don't have to vote between corruption and the Conservatives. There's a third option, a better choice. Vote NDP." That would have been smart to use in the closing statements. I think I'm going to consider calling him Jack "Infomercial" Layton if he doesn't go back to being his usual passionate straight-talkin' self.
As expected, the Conservative leader, Harper, didn't relent on the liberal (har har) use of the words "corruption", "scandal", and "entitlement". He did a good job of staying clear above some of the snipes directed towards him. He came off quite well I think. His answers were mostly clear and frank. For example he made no pretense that he was at the debate for any other reason than to lay out his party's platform for the public to judge. He stood behind his frequent use of the words mentioned because he says that is the governing party's record and it is a fair and relevant issue to discuss. No ranting, or rhetoric, just stating his position.
Martin seemed troubled and at a loss for words at times. He is obviously under quite a bit of stress with the Conservatives so close on his party's heels. He made a minor, but funny, mistake when we said that on our west coast we have China, Japan and Australia, and on our east coast we have Australia... yeahhhh ok. I do give him credit for apologizing for his party's misdeeds and saying "Look enough is enough, we have brought out the issue, dealt with it, Gomery exonerated the government and pointed out those responsible. Let's discuss the (other) issues". He has a habit of furrowing his brow, looking really disturbed and confused when another leader says something bad about his party. It is as if he's thinking "Oh really? I wonder if my party did that..."
Duceppe. He's a sovereigntist, but at least he sticks by his guns and really believes in what he stands for and he isn't hiding anything. He made many sharp, witty remarks during the debate (although I wasn't impressed when he started shouting at Martin in French) - but the best had to be the one quoted in the image above. "The worst thing is not talking about corruption", he responded to a question about wasting time focusing so much on scandals, then paused trying to find the right words, finally he finished with "The worst thing is NOT talking about corruption". Truly spoken!
Did anyone else watch the debates? If you missed it and want the details, check these links:
The part I liked from that last link was something I noticed with a grin myself when I saw it:
The future of Canada was the fuel for the liveliest exchange of the evening, as Duceppe badgered Martin to describe Quebec as a "nation."
When Martin went into verbal contortions to avoid saying the word, Duceppe shook his head and pursed his lips.
With the final seconds running out on the clock, Martin finally blurted out the word, without directly calling Quebec a nation.It was so funny, Martin looking all bothered saying "Nation... nation, I say that word all the time!", how amusing.
My Political Compass
Inspired by Sirdar's last post, I figured I would try to determine my own
political compass using the online test. This is what I got:
Supposedly that places me in the same quadrant as Ghandi and Nelson Mandela. Note that George W. comes in far top right, and that is the same quadrant as our beloved Paul Martin.
I think that financially I'm personally quite conservative, and in office I would definitely be conservative from the "financially responsible" perspective. You can't spend beyond your means, and you have to prod some people to really contribute to society. It's funny that "socialism" is often thought of as a dirty word.
I think the media reinforces incorrect interpretations of the meanings of the various socio-polititcal terminology. For example, China is definitately not communist. It is an oligarchy where the divide between rich and poor rivals that of the United States.
Personally I would like the disparity between classes to be minimal. As a human being, what entitles one person to consume thousands of times (if not greater than that) more natural resources than another person?
Oh and I thought this comic I found was comedy gold:
Oilers WIN! 5-0
In an interesting coincidence, the Canadian Junior Men's hockey team also won 5-0 today over Russia.
Thanks for taking me to the game Lobo~! Too bad that guy didn't know how to hold the camera right side up. Geez eh?
That was a long night too, from Hockey win, to casino loss. Oh well, at least they didn't make us wear funny French maid hats like that other poor lady. The $40 was worth it just to learn how Black Jack works. I need the practise before I hit Vegas anyway don't I?
Jasper - Pete's is where it's at!
I went down to Jasper with Lobo, Indesin, and Dr. Phil (a new Faction Five initiate of sorts, under Lobo's wing) and had a great time. Indesin took on the task of driving, while Lobo took on the task of back seat driving. He's a great navigator actually. In fact, I often thought he would make a great taxi driver. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to be considering that career path - insisting on his 2nd choice of drug dealing. I guess the 1st choice of "Jeopardy Champion" didn't work out?
After setting up shop at the
Lobstick Lodge we headed out to check out the Jasper night life. Now remember, this isn't Banff. This isn't the STD capital of Canada. It isn't a party place. It's a fairly remote mountain town, insulated from real development thanks to our government (I really do appreciate the pristine nature of Jasper).
We walked down one of the 2 main streets and dropped by at the Atha-B. The only watering hole that we knew of. Dead described it pretty well. Lobo sweet talked the hot Australian import waitress and got the name of a better place to hit.
Pete's! In case you are wondering, that is Buffalo Wing Sauce on Lobo's sultry lips. "Saucy" the girl in black was heard saying. Right Lobo? "That's riiiight". Thought so.
The mountain was very icy. We all had sore bottoms and wrists for a couple days afterwards, but it was great. The air was clean, the view was incredible. The photos speak for themselves!
Happy New Year!!!
I just came back from
DJ Derelict's GOMP NYE party - REVERB! I was very impressed. I have been attending the annual GOMP NYE party since it started (I think) and this party really outdid all the others. There must have been around 200 revellers in attendence, and a huge chunk of those were part of a "new generation" of ravers. Candy kids, glow stick freaks, soother suckers, wiggers, hippies, Castro-Beards, tramp stamps, even good ol' SunBun, everyone was represented.
A lot more eye candy than before, in terms of both sweet young thangs, and impressive decorations. I really liked everything, from the simian grotto in the basement with paper-mache mushrooms that glowed under the black lights, to the wire-frame TRON room (made from glowing yarn), to the sexy and erotic mannequin display in the trance room, to the towering electroglyph egyption room with video streaming from "The Scorpian King" in the background.
The GOMP crew really outdid themselves this year, and DJ Derelict hooked Lobo and I up BIG TIME. Props to Derelict! They had champagne and fresh cut fruit being doled out by a pretty little girl walking around with an exuberant smile. Lobo liked it, he commented on how ripe her fruit was, or something. "Tastay" I think were his exact words.
After a stumbling count-down, I toasted with Lobo and Derelict, quaffed the champagne, and proceeded not to give out any New Year's Kisses. I know Lobo and Derelict were disappointed, but they survived.
Finally Lobo and I headed off to the Baccarat Casino downtown, but all the tables were closed except for the poker room. Since we don't know how to play Omaha, we declined to pursue the $30 buy in, and instead tried to guess which of the poker players had been there "for 3 days" as we had been told by the poker room manager. I figured it must be one of the more greasy customers, maybe someone with a hat. Lobo just couldn't stop laughing at the older Chinese woman who was wearing a huge French Maid costume style hat that said "Happy New Year" on it. She was obviously the arm jewelry of the older gentleman with a ton of chips.
Yes that was how we brought in 2006. It started off promising with eye-candy galore, rocking beats, and toasts with best friends, and ended with greasy gamblers, games we didn't know how to play, and a funny old lady in a French Maid costume donning a "Happy New Year" hat. What that says about what this year has in store, we have yet to discover.
All said, 2005 had its time to shine.
New job, new condo, bro got engaged, and business trips to foreign lands (including the unforgettably sweet topless beaches at Barcelona). Definitely a net thumbs up for this past year even including a recently broken down car.
I'm looking forward to a new year, a new government, and some new adventures.
Happy New Year!!!
Incredible.
Di Paola's still taking paychecks from the town while on an undeclared leave of absence.
He's missed most of his committee meetings since the spring and his attendence record for council is nil since novemeber. His inflated sense of entitlement also includes well publicized extravagent spending habits at the expense of Richmond Hill tax payers!
This candidate clearly reveals that CPC posturing on accountability and transparency is without substance and is motivated by political convenience.
Furthermore - and this is a bit scary- his campaign material says that "he doesn't care about jurisdiction," and will "fight for more frequent GO trains"!! Doesn't care about jurisdiction? Who says s**t like that?
He also says he'll appropriate the observatory and convert it into a grand national central park! I'm sure that UofT will be happy to just hand over their astrolab to Joey.
Funnier yet is his objection to urban sprawl whilst his family are the developers that created it!!! Done making money and destroying the local environment?