Welcome to
laptop confessions!
This site exists for me to share my thoughts and experiences with
whoever wants to read them.
Cuba!
08-May-2007
Colleen and I had the awesome opportunity to go down to Cuba this
year. Colleen's dad and grandma came with us. The purpose of our trip
was to meet her dad's new wife Odaly (who lives in Cuba), their 14
month old baby Lindsay, and Odaly's 13 year old son Diosbel. Aside
from the language barriers, it was a lot of fun.
I
have a new respect for Cuba and will definitely go there over Mexico
next time. The one disadvantage is the food, which is the same at any
resort in Cuba because they get the same rations from the government.
But the country itself is beautiful, and clean. There is no garbage on
the highways or on the streets. The trees are gorgeous, and the
landscaping beautiful. The ocean is the best I've ever seen. The
people are friendly (even in the cities).
With a population of 11 million people, of which 6 million are either
military or police, it's exceptionally safe. And unlike Mexico, they
police are not corrupt. I guess it's part from fear of the
dictatorship, but it's safe. The unemployment rate is 0, because the
government gives everyone a job. You may go to a shop or restaurant
and see 1 customer, and 6 servers standing around chatting... but
everyone's got a job. Because the government takes the profit and
allocates pensions to everyone, they don't try to rip you off either.
So the markets are a lot less work. If you try, you can get the price
down 10%, but no more. Quite unlike Mexico where you start bartaring
at five times the value.
And the Cubans are happy. Our misconceptions of communism from the
stories of Germany and Russia need to be erased. The Cuban people feel
that the communist government saved them when they came into power. In
the first half of this century, the Presidents of the Democratic Cuba
were all puppets for the US. So when the dictators came in to seize
power, they freed Cuba of it's ties to the US. I think they officially
became a communist country in 1959. The Spaniards tried to take power
during this time of Cuba's weakness, and this is when most of the
executions took place. But by no means was the Cuban government
killing it's own people. I know the history books are written
differently in Cuba, but at the same time, the US changes the story to
make the Cubans look bad and the US look good. The truth is probably
somewhere in between.
And funny enough, there are tons of old 50's Ford and Chevy cars,
beautifully restored and maintained. However, all cars after 1959 were
imported from Europe. So most cars we saw were either old 50's Chevy,
or a 2000 or newer Peugot.
A
beautiful, safe, fun country that I recommend for anyone. Good for a
party, or to just relax on the beach. I have posted the pictures under
the 'pictures' tab above. Hope you enjoy them.
Playoffs are Here!
18-Apr-2007
Well, between school and work I haven't had much time to update this.
And I have no doubt that this semester my marks slipped a bit from my
addiction to watching Canucks games. I've only missed a couple while
in class, but my studying definitely got interrupted a few times. And
for the record, it is impossible to study while listening to Tom and
Shorty. But alas, school is finally done, so now I can devote all of
my spare time to the playoffs!
I
have posted some Canucks wallpaper though under my new addition for
wallpaper collections. All wallpapers are in 1024 x 768 for desktops
and 240 x 320 for cell phones. Let me know if you have problems with
either.
I
won't bore you all with predictions and stats, I'll leave that to the
guys on TEAM1040
and Canucks.com. But I
will say:
GO
'NUCKS!
Engagement Announcement
25-Feb-2007
I
proposed to my girlfriend Colleen this past Thursday, February 22,
2007, and she said yes. Because we have been together for a long time,
and we live together, it was incredibly difficult for me to go about
any of this without her knowing. She knew I was having a ring made,
and we have been talking about this for some time. We both knew that
we'd get married eventually, we were just trying to find the right
time.
But
having found the woman I love and want to spend the rest of my life
with, it was time to show her what forever really meant. I had made her
wait long enough. And my goal was the surprise factor. We don't go out
for fancy dinners, so I knew if I told her to dress up for a nice dinner
out, the surprise would have been ruined. So I came home from work
with a dozen white roses and a ring, walked straight into the spare
bedroom (where she was watching TV), got down on one knee, and asked
Colleen to marry me. And of course, she said yes with the biggest smile
on her face and sparkle in her eye. I love you Colleen!
The
wedding is tentatively set for sometime at the beginning of August,
2008. This gives us all lot's of time to plan and get ready.
We
look forward to sharing a toast with all of you soon!
Sunrise and sunset
07 Jan 2007
I guess I should start by
saying how much I love this time of year because every morning as I eat my
breakfast before heading to work, I get to watch an amazing sunrise. Every day
different yet every day the same.
However, the apartment I
live in is in a construction zone, with over 40 lot's under development on our
street alone (before re-zoning). And right in the path of my coveted sunrises is
the foundation for an 18 story high-rise. I currently live on the 4th floor. So
my sunrise at breakfast is going to be short lived and by next year probably
non-existent, save for the silhouette of a concrete block.
So enjoy what you have while
you still have it. Those precious moments in life may not always be there to
greet you with the sunrise.
Talkin'
bout the 'good ole days'
07 Dec 2006
I've been
listening to a lot of people comment on the old days, and how much better they
were. A lot of sentences start with 'about 10 years ago...' or '... the way
things used to be' or 'when I was closer to your age...'. This triggered a vibe
in me, and I started listening for it. I even remember in my previous jobs, we
all would bitch about how work was now, and compare it to how much better it was
a few years ago. But this goes beyond work as well. Friends get together and
talk about old times, families reflect on past visits and holidays.
Does all of this mean that
life is going to progressively turn to shit? Does this mean that there's nothing
to look forward to? What in the hell am I working so hard for, if in a few years
I'm just going to look back and wish I was still here?
I'm sure this is intended as just a figure
of speech, or a way to introduce an 'exciting story from the past'. As Horace
Greeley (1811-1872) puts it:
"The illusion that
times that were are better than those that are has probably pervaded all ages."
Travel on business
28 Sep 2006
I've been in San Francisco for the last 5 days on a work trip, and I've determined that business trips really only give you enough 'free' time to preview the city enough to decide whether you would come back for a vacation. Don't get me wrong, I've had a great trip and I've been able to briefly see everything. The scenery and sites are awesome, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, California Street, the Cable Cars, F-Line trolley, Golden Gate and Bay bridges, the food, the bars, the foggy evenings. It's a great city to see! But I've really only had enough time to be able to decide that I would actually come back for a vacation. Because you're working until 5 or 6 at night each night, and being the end of September when it's dark by 7pm, it only gives about about an hour and a half to get where you need to, and snap a few pictures before the sun sets.
But I would like to say this: I definitely recommend San Francisco as a great place for a vacation, with tons to see and do. But don't come alone, it gets a little lonely!
Thoughts from The DaVinci Code
23 Aug 2006
Now doesn't this book prompt some thought provoking questions? I can't help but think about all of those issues regarding the history of Christianity. It seems entirely possible to me that the early Church could have re-written parts of the Bible to coincide with their own missions. Now, the important thing to acknowledge here is that although man may have altered certain aspects, I don't believe this discredits God, or the foundation of Christianity at all. The beliefs of the Church are still founded on the same fundamental principles, but acknowledging that the early Church may have 'emphasized' certain aspects, and neglected others, does bring a slight change to the way we think. Keeping in mind of course, that this is the same early Church that initiated shocking historical events, such as the Crusades.
So, what I'm really trying to say is not that I believe things one way or
another, but that I do think it is possible, and not unreasonable to think, that
the early Church could have manipulated the Bible the way we know it. This is an
error of man, and not of God! I believe that is important to point out. But the
early Church was entirely capable, and just as motivated, to be able to perform
such a task.
