For shame!

Yes, I know I'm low; the lowest of the lowest bloggers. It's been almost four months since my last post. I could promise I'll update more, but that'd just be a lie. But I knew this would not be an easy summer! It's full of trips abroad. Montreal to Munich to Chicago to Philadelphia to Boston. Whatever gaps in between were spent eating and sleeping. But I'm hoping things will calm down.

Or do I…

Clubbing

So many meanings, from going to a loud thumping bar, to hitting baby seals with blunt objects. In this case, it's to mean I've joined a club! An outdoor club to be exact. I'm not that out doorsy or anything but it's fun to get out on some new group events and meet some people.

For example, we just went to do archery! I don't know what the right word would be if I were to want to say I went ______, like I went biking, or I went fishing. What's the word for archery? Arching? Archerying? Archeryoihjawering? Yup, that must be it. In any case, it was really neat. Not sure if I'm into it enough to buy me an overly engineered compound bow and poison tipped arrows for hunting urban super-chickens. Yay!

Flashing at the Fringe

I started volunteering for the Fringe last year. Mostly because I wasn't working last August and just sitting around waiting to hear back from prospects. I mostly just worked on the Fringe Flash, a daily newsletter for the volunteers. It has games, annoucements, fun facts, etc. It was fun and gave me some practice using all the illegally downloaded Adobe software I had. Well, I'm back doing the same thing this year, with the exception that now my job is hectic and I didn't have as much time to volunteer for the Fringe. I did do all the Flashes this year in advanced, but only made it on-site once, and never even saw a show. It's a shame too since I'm officially a 'team leader' this year, which means among other things, I get to see shows for free. Well, at least I get to add to the stack of ill-fitting event t-shirts in my closet that I'll never wear.

Paddles up!

I got to paddle on the company dragon boat for the big Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival this weekend. It's the first time I've been in a dragon boat! And they did pretty well last year so the expectation was high!

This was of course after a month and a half of intense practices. It's hard to imagine paddling for 3 minutes would be so hard! But the practices definitely left me a bit nauseous every time.

Then came the big weekend! We started with a tough loss at a new site where the water was unkind and inconsistent between lanes. Such was the theme all weekend as teams pouted about the slow lanes. But that aside, it was still a blast, we won a couple races and ended up with a respectable ranking to build on next year.

Ganbare Goemon

I admit, I like Goemon an abnormal amount. It's just a Japanese video game character. I can't even read what goes on in the games. I just love the attitude in the game. Silly and wacky. What other game can you play two player cooperatively, and ride on each other's backs piggy back style? And now I finally have the latest incarnation on my DS!

Peotr the pineapple

With the recent success of growing an avocado plant, I decided to branch out and try a pineapple. Apparently, you it has the potential to give fruit in a few years, grown in a pot indoors. And it seems relatively simple. Twist the top off. Trim off the flesh, pull a few leaves off to expose the stalk. Place in water till it sprouts more roots, then plant. I'm at the sprouting stage and it's not going so well. The leaves are all turning brown and no roots are coming forth. Maybe it's just too cold. I missed the hottest days of the year for this. Oh well, maybe the next pineapple.

Chicken stuffed with semi-sticky rice

I've always wanted to debone a chicken. It just seemed like a useful skill. I didn't remove every bone, just the torso. Rib cage, pelvis, spine. Basically left the limbs alone. And I even did it without having to cut the chicken open too much! The hardest part was teasing the skin from the spine. It's amazing how much room is in there after it becomes a deflated chicken. It was then marinated for a while in soy sauce.

The rice was a mixture of 2/3 sticky rice and 1/3 normal rice. Not Uncle Ben's type though since that's white people rice. I added too much shitake mushrooms, corn, some parsley that never came through flavour-wise, and some chinese preserved sausage. I was quite surprised that it all cooked up well as a mixture in the rice cooker!

Then came the stuffing of the rice into the chicken cavity. As noted before, there's alot more room without the confines of the bones, so I had to prepare alot more stuffing material than usual. This also means a much denser chicken to be baked in the oven. So I even got a meat thermometer to make sure the center was well cooked. I tied the baby up with butcher twine and in it went at 375 degrees for about an hour or so. The aroma was just amazing!

I was very pleased with how it turned out. The chicken was a bit too salty becase of the soy sauce bath, but it was balanced out by the blander rice that didn't get any salt or flavouring during cooking. And it stayed together! No breaches in the chicken skin at all!

Curtains for mudskippers

Oh, that dark day has come. My mudskippers have died. It happened while I was away in Boston. As hot as it was there, it was hotter back home and my third floor apartment turned into a little oven, double roasting my mudskippers. That's the most likely culprit anyway. Another posibility is that I started using a new brand of carbon chips. This brand isn't as good and gives off alot more microscopic carbon particles. Maybe this built up in their gills and killed them. Maybe it was the combination. My dad flushed them before I got back so I couldn't get CSI on their corpses.

I don't know what I might keep now in the tank. I'll wait till I move. Maybe some crabs. A millipede colony would be nice. Some turtles would be nice. Or I guess I could go for more conventional fish. Hmmm...

Kidney pie, Boston style

As hopefully the last trip of the summer, I was in Boston for a conference on organ transplantation. There's a lot of stuff that can be transplanted. Even faces! I didn't do much in Boston this time since I've been there quite a few times now. I did manage to go to the Aquarium twice because of a big shin dig put on by a pharaceutical company, and then with my boss. I like the aquarium though. Fish are cool.

The meeting was innundated with Falun Gong protestors though. My gawd they were everywhere stuffing pamphlets in my face. It's interesting watching them look at me and try to guess if they should hand me the english or chinese versions. They were there to protest the Chinese goverment use of Falun Gong prisoners' organs. Killing them and harvesting organs. I suppose they're basically political prisoners in China, jailed for their beliefs, or so the story goes. I'm not sure what they expect me to do about it. First of all, I don't need convincing. I'm sure it's happening. It wouldn't surprise me at all that their claims of horror are true. But let's take it in context here. To use prisoners' organs for transplantation is a cultural difference. It's justified by the argument that they're gonna die anyway and it's a way they can do one good deed. Whether or not we think that's okay or not doesn't matter. It's cultural. Just like in Spain, organ donation is an opt-out system where you donate unless otherwise explicitly expressed. It's just a cultural difference in terms of what's acceptable. The other thing that bothers me is that I'm sure all sorts of prisoners get their organs taken, not just the Falun Gong. What makes them think their organs are particularly targeted? I'm sure the Chinese goverment dislikes their prisoners equally. Whether or not Falun Gong should be prisoners is another issue entirely, and totally on deaf ears for the audience at a transplant meeting.

I hate in your face protestors. It just pisses me off and want to eat their livers with fava beans.

Yogurt, mine enemy

I've always hated yogurt. It's rotting milk. It's sour. It tastes like puke. But I'm eating it now. I think I need to get a healthier GI tract. Maybe it's genetic, since my dad often has digestive troubles as well. But we'll see. Haven't seen any effects yet so I'm calling the bluff on Activia's two week challenge or my money back.

Virtual table tennis

From the people that brought you Grand Theft Auto, comes Table Tennis! Whodathunkit? And it's even fun! I love ping pong to begin with but this game captures well the excitment and reflexes in ping pong. AND, you get to unlock different shirts for your players! Yah!

All growed up

I guess I could have posted about looking to buy a home, chronicled the struggle, and write one last crowning post about buying the perfect place. But it all happened so fast! I went out the first day and put an offer on a charming carriage type condo on the south side. For those not in the know in terms of house sub-species, a carriage home is one of those two-storey dealies where each upper unit is accessible via its own outside stairs right outside of the bottom unit. Hmmm... look it up. Anywho, with the market so hot, I didn't get that place. That's okay though, it was mostly to see what was involved in terms of signing over my life. I think it ended up selling for 20k over asking.

After viewing the next set with the realtor, I put in another offer. This time on a cute little ground floor unit in a low-rise condo. The building was almost 30 yrs old, but was recently renovated. Neutral colours, modern styling and a nice open kitchen. It was pretty nice and I was amazed I got it by offering below asking, a practice unheard of in this crazy market! But there was an almost identical unit right next door asking for less so I felt I had solid grounds. But I couldn't just buy it condition free so we put in a minimal one; condo docs, basically a formality. But boy it was good I did. The condo docs showed they spent a ton of money on the foundation a year or so ago. So that can mean it's all fixed, or just hte beginning of more problems. So I decided not to risk it and withdraw the offer. Too bad too, it was such an awesome downtown location.

The third time out, I put another offer in for a condo in the west end. Sure, it's farther from everything, but it's practically new! At my price range, you can have location and a nice building. But it's in a nice quiet neighborhood with lots of amenities close-by. Even a weekly farmers market! I could describe it, but I wouldn't do it justice like the creative realtor:

Seize the day! Live in style! This hot and hip condo could be yours. Entertaining friends is a must, you'll want to show off this place! Decor is "Sex in the City" meets Retro Bliss. Hardwood flooring and upgraded stylish lighting make this place uniquely yours. When your friends are over, they can be sitting at the bar style kitchen counter enjoying drinks and appetizers with you as you prepare dinner. Need some time to yourself? Your bedroom beckons you to relax with its soothing atmosphere. Underground parking means no more scraping the windows when its -30*C. Love summer but hate melting in the heat? The window air conditioning unit will keep you feeling refreshed. The balcony is a great place to unwind at the end of the day. Great location with almost any service/shopping you can think of within a 2 minute drive. Jaime Platz YMCA is just minutes away with extensive workout facilities and just across the street is a schoolyard with a playground, soccer field and basketball hoops.

It is definitely nice and spacious, and underground parking is definitely nice. All in all, I went out three times, put in three offers of basically the same price. It all happened so fast, as is the norm in this crazy market. But I got this one now and I can't wait to move in! But I have to wait and wait and wait. Hopefully I'll be able to move the possession date up. Ah, it'll be nice to move out of this smokey building and into something new!

Hot Hot Heat

I remember why the third floor apartment was attractive. No idiot neighbors upstairs walking around, bouncing basketballs, having loud sex, etc. Little did I know the pitfall laid in the tar and gravel roof, soaking up all the sun in the day and saving it for me at night. I can practically see the glow of the ceiling through my closed eye lids. And for sure I could feel it force sweat out of every pore on my body. Oh, please let this end soon!!!

Smarmy Philly

After the reunion, it was off to Philly for a big pharmaceutical industry conference. Free swag was the order of the day. Every booth had warez emblazoned with their logos and trademarks. The meeting was huge and had lots of special events to butter up potential clients and customers. I entered my name for a million iPods, but didn't win anything. Oh, there were some talks about educational stuff too.

Deep dish and silver beans

And it sure was windy! Before hopping down to Philly for a conference, I went to Chicago to visit with some friends. A reunion of sorts of the ol' gang. We stayed at a prime central location. The hotel was old, but had 'character'. It was a scorcher though. But we were close to the Mellenium park, which had amoungst other things, a giant silver kidney bean. It's shiney in the picture, but pretty dirty up close. It needs windex. But it's pretty darned neat. It's supposed to reflect the sky, thereby being a cloud shaped piece of it on earth I think.

We also went on an architecture boat tour. Some kind of river runs through Chicago. A river that humans reversed the direction of to make it more esthetically pleasing. I wonder how many whooping cranes died for that. Lots of fancy properties in Chicago. We also went up the John Hanson tower for a panoramic view of the city.

What's Chicago without deep dish pizza and the Cubs? Amazingly enough, we got to see a baseball game without any planning. There were scalpers peddling their seats but the box office had six in a row in a beautiful section just above the plate, all for a reasonable price! Sure we sweated buckets, but it was cool. And the dogs were pretty good too.

Dark gray monday

Oh what a morning! Halfway to work I realized I forgot my phone. So I had to walk back to get it. Then I realized I forgot my laptop and had to go back for that. When I got to work, I realized I left my lunch on my couch. That wasn't important enough to go back for.

And then my grandma died. She had a stroke a week or so back. So it wasn't unexpected, nor necessarily bad that she didn't wake up into a vegetable. Sometimes it's just your time. And going suddenly in your sleep ain't bad at all.

And I also got officially hired off of my internship. Signed the offer and everything. Manager of Clinical Affairs. Fancy soundin' huh?

So, a bittersweet day.

Everything is spaceships

Have you noticed that everything is spaceships? Everything! Take this white-out dispenser for example. Does it not look like a small one-man scout with some sort of spinney faster-than-light drive at the rear? C'mon. Open your eyes!

And many other things look like spaceships. Especially remote controls. And computer mice. And certain types of side dishes like wedge-cut fries. Is there a conspiracy? Aliens trying to pave the way for acceptance or invasion? Am I just watching too much Battlestar Galactica? Nah, I'm just making posts that make me less dateable.

Off to Germany again

Direct from Montreal, it was across the pond to Germany. This time for a big meeting with investigators with a whole gang from my company. Of course we can't all fly on the same flights because if it went down, it'd take out too many employees at once. Seriously, it's planned! No more than three from the same department on the same plane. I've heard some crazy families do that such that the mom and dad fly separately with different kids. So weird.

This was a good trip though! I had to oversea the meeting and everything went smoothly except for a few necessary hiccups along the way. Many of the attendees even got little pieces of Canadiana to take home. Mostly pieces from my friend's dollar store, which is mostly made in China. But hey, I guess red is their colour too.

Back to Montreal

And right after the big wedding, I was off to Montreal! No break for me!

But by now, my memory has little recollection of this trip. I've been to Montreal a few times in the last couple years and it's all a blur. I think I was there for a few days. Of which, little work was done by me since my coworker had done most of it? Or was that the last trip? Oh gawd, move on to the next post...

This picture is from the Insectarium, on an ant colony display. My France-ese ain't so good but I think this one means free samples.

Inevitable wedding

After every bachelor party, a wedding is inevitable. Well, not after the really good ones I guess. And of course as the best man, my work was far from over. The whole day was a bit of a blur, but I think there was some isle, I produced a ring from my pants, there was dinner and some speeches. Mine was well received of course:

Version 2

[lights, cue scene]

It's great to see all the family and friends here tonight to help the new Hui's celebrate this big day. And it's an honour to have my five minutes up here to toast them.

I see that much of the audience here is from Bonnie's family so let me just tell you about who I am, and who I am to Tim. Tim and I went to highschool together, so we've known each other for well over ten years. And to Bonnie's displeasure, part of our friendship is about egging eachother on to buy things on impulse. Golf is a good example. "I'll buy a driver if you buy a driver. I'll buy a golf bag if you buy a golf bag. I'll buy shoes if you buy shoes." This tit for tat system worked very well for the retail industry. So I'm very surprise Tim didn't say to me: I'll get married if you get married!

But with my bad memory, maybe he did and he's expecting me to keep up my end of the deal next weekend!

[turn to bride]

Although if I do, I hope to do as well as he did. Bonnie, I can't imagine someone more perfect for Tim to start building a nest with. And I apologize in advance if the next time I see him, I'll say: I'll buy a car if you buy a car. But to your credit, it's a lot harder to play that game with him now.

[turn to groom]

And Tim, thanks for getting married so we'd have an excuse to have that wild raunchy stag last weekend. We promise what happened in Canmore stays in Canmore; as far as the police are concerned anyway. Seriously, congrats to you, my friend. From being something as specific as an aerospace engineer to finding the perfect gal, you've always known your goals and reached them. And I always admire that.

[turn to audience]

So let's raise our glasses for Bonnie and Tim: I wish you a lifetime of happiness and joy with each other! Cheers.

[applause, curtains]

Everything went off without a hitch... except there was a hitch. Hahaha, get it? Hitch, huh? HITCH!!! HAHAHAHAHA!

Golf weekend

I'm sorry. I had to kill it. It stole my apple right out from my golf cart. So I had to run after it, knock it off the tree and step on its little face until I can feel its tiny skull buckle under the weight of my human interference. A couple twitches later, I had justice.

Just kidding! Isn't he the cutest thing ever!? While I was teeing off, he jumped into my glove compartment and took my apple! I didn't even think he could lift something so large! But he did and scurried off. Not before I could get a couple pictures though! He must have heard about the loot when I fed his relative a part of my hotdog a few holes back. Or maybe it's the same one, looking for a more balanced diet.

I was glad to have him as a guest to my friend's bachelor's party at Kananaskis! Two beautiful courses intertwined into the Rocky Mountains. Even the hot dogs taste better at that elevation. And we got some lovely weather, with just a bit of a sprinkle. Couldn't have asked for a nicer two rounds!

Rekindle you love affair with zucchini

When my family first moved to Edmonton, we had a house in the west end. It had a huge backyard that even had a big sandbox and garden. My mom grew zucchinis. Lots of mutant gigantic zucchinis. Ones that haunted my dreams and fill my waking hours in zucchini-style meals. So many grew so big in so many yards we couldn't even give them away. I hated zucchinis.

But I've had a renaissance with this green squash of mine. I often cook things or use ingredients that I don't like because it "goes" with a certain recipe. Such was the case one stormy night when I put some zucchini in some pasta. Lo and behold, it turned out awesome! Everything I touch does. But in this case, the zucchini helped! I have used it again and again since. Is there anything it can't do? I've even put it on pizza! It's quite fleshy and has a mild fresh taste not unlike its slimier cousin the cucumber. Yum!

Avogadro the avocado

I never knew one could grow the seed of the common supermarket avocado. I guess it's not like the sterile domesticated banana. But put an avocado pit in soil, keep it moist, and poof! A month later, a sprout! And fruit flies. I like to think they're nurse fruit flies, taking care of the budding plant, but probably not. Much to the dismay of my co-workers, they have been migrating around the office to whoever wore the fruitiest perfume that day. But hey, what did they expect when they hired a geneticist?!

I've named him Avogadro. He's sitting in the loving shade of an aging Amy Amaryllis.

108

Ah, the first game of the season and I'm back in my usual mediocre form! I'm really quite happy with my 108. I'd like to keep it closer to 100, but 108's not that bad for me at all. AND I only lost two balls! One of them was basically in plain site, so that was frustrating.

Besides the game, the weather was probably the best I can remember ever for a game of golf. Perfect temperature, little wind and bright!

Movie review: Everything is Illuminated

I've been waiting for this one for like forever! I've wanted to see it ever since I saw the trailer before it came out. I thought it'd be another Amelie! Then when it came out, I couldn't find anyone to go see it with (sniffle)! Then I waited and waited for it to come out on DVD. And even then, it was so hard to find. Can you imagine going to FutureShop, flipping through the almost alphabetical listing of movies just to find the Everthing is Illuminated placard marking the void where my movie used to be. But finally I found it. Sure, it's stupid to buy a $30 DVD before having seen it, but I had faith.

But alas, all that anticipation was difficult to live up to. Not that I didn't like the movie, but it just wasn't quite as amazing as I thought from the trailer. There are definitely two phases to the movie, beginning with the comical part, and ending with the more solemn dramatical part. I suppose it is about a Jewish guy traveling to the Ukraine to trace his Grandpa's previous life in WWII. So it's still a very good movie and definitely worth seeing. Not sure if it was worth $30 bucks though...

Everything is Illuminated 7/9