| ABOUT:
Richard
is...
an
engineering student, Chinese, getting old, sleepy, a Christian
Richard likes to...
eat good food, watch movies, eat, spend time with friends and
especially loved ones
Richard
doesn't know...
how to use HTML, how to post pictures,
what's good for him, the value of a dollar, anything about engineering
Things
that mean a lot:
God, Faith, the DHS, my Family, my Friends
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Sunday, November 14, 2004
So, what’s up? Grandfather My grandpa and step-grandma are over from Edmonton! This means that there’s lots of eating out and lots of family gatherings. I’m all for both of these so it’s all good! Gotta love it when the family comes together. We don’t do it enough now that we’re old and crusty… all living our own lives. Nice to get back to the roots. Bush Bashing and Pacifists Man, heard enough Bush bashing for a lifetime. And it really pisses me off how everybody assumes that everybody thinks that he’s an idiot. Guess what?! ALL politicians are idiots. The so called democratic (we’re a republic BTW) system our government is today BREEDS IDIOTS and IDIOCY. (It’s so caught up in campaign fundraisers and pleasing industries/interest groups that politicians fail to really make a difference) Freakin hell… enough of your whining, he’s the president, give it a rest. If you wanna complain, do something about it, don’t just whine. And I had some interesting conversations on why some people think Bush shouldn’t be president… stuff like “he’s an idiot… look at the way he talks.” And “you’d have to be a very stupid man to start a war…” Crap man. Sure Bush may be an idiot, but that’s got nothing to do with his mannerisms. A politician need not be charismatic, that helps to rally the people, but you could be the most charismatic person in the world and still be a dumbass leader. And that lil war bit. I’m sorry, I’m not a believer of pacifism or the whole hippie anti-war movement. There are some VERY good reasons as to why a nation should go to war. Whether or not the recent Iraqi war was called for… I dunno. There are reasons for and against. But to make the general statement saying that anybody willing to make war is stupid is a bit ignorant. I don’t disagree that war and the loss of life is bad, but it is sometimes necessary. I also found it funny that we can sit here, watch videos and complain about this godforsaken war in Iraq but at the same time, take no notice that our lifestyles are the result of countless atrocities, modern and past. Slave labor, child labor, environmental degradation, natural and human resource exploitation, etc. There’s a fine line between pacifism and apathy, between activism and pushing your own agenda. Being the sole (real) superpower of the world, America’s got a huge responsibility on its back. Please, don’t be so quick to bitch; you’d only be a hypocrite.
Richard 7:31 PM
Friday, October 29, 2004
So What’s up
Volunteering:
I’ve finally decided to stop hoping for a job and do something besides wait. So I’m volunteering daily at the Scott Mission now. Yay. Great huge bonus is that they supply bus tickets for unemployed volunteers like me! I can’t believe a sweeter deal… Helping out and I dun hafta pay for my own transportation! Perhaps God puts us in these “limbo” situations cuz He’s got something in mind.
Fishing:
Going fishing on Sunday! Man, I really want to get into fishing. It’s such a lazy man’s “sport”. You’re outdoors, not doing too much, just casting away and hoping for a bite. I’m a total beginner at this. Only been a handful of times and I think that this is going to be the last time this year. Going to be too cold after this, if it isn’t already.
Blood:
I totally forgot about my blood donation appointment last week. So I had to make up for it this week. But what I really wanna say is that if you’re not donating, you should. For most of you, there’s no real reason why you shouldn’t be! Give now or I’ll beat it out of you.
Richard 3:42 PM
Friday, October 22, 2004
Nothin much happening here. Job Search: Still looking. Not sure if this is going anywhere. Pretty much applying to 1~2 jobs a day. Not that I want to work, but I would like a job and everything that comes with one. Like the ability to balance my budget. =) So found a few really cool jobs around the world. (Scotland’s got a few really cool jobs) Honestly doubt that it’ll come to anything, but who knows. We’ll see. Board Games: Hahaha… ok, so we’ve been playing some board games lately. A bit geekish. Yea, but it’s fun and low cost if you already own em. Sure beats going out to a club (~$20+ per outing), movies (~$15 per outing) or coffee (~$7 per outing). And it’s more interactive then TV or computer usage. So we’ve been playing Lord of the Rings Risk and Diplomacy. =) Yea yea yea… geeky. Shuddup. But it’s a lot of fun! If anybody is interested in playing board games, we’re always looking for new players! Word of warning though, playing Diplomacy friends may break friendships. People and relationships: Sometimes I’m not too sure what I’m doing. Correction, I’m not sure what I’m doing most of the time. Feel like a bit of a jerk and hypocrite. I always say that the most dangerous person is the one who doesn’t know what he/she is doing and right now, that’s me. God: Reading Psalms 51. And it’s like me.
Richard 10:29 AM
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
And two months later
My trip to Europe was..
amazing. I still want to be back there. I want to go to Normandy which I missed. I’d love to spend more time in Switzerland, especially with my pal Albert in Geneva. I want to return to Spain. I want to be traveling, carefree. It’s fun being an outsider. It’s an adventure.
Richard and Kevin in France
Currently.. I’m looking, desperately looking for a job. My trip has set me back quite a bit and my school debts must be paid off. Before I do anything, I want to clear myself financially. I’m hoping that this’ll be a two year process. Maybe I’m naive in thinking that, but we’ll see in two years time. Ideally, I’d get a product design job. Not much for research, manufacturing, maintenance, quality, statistical or any other kind of engineering. I’m still fresh out of school so I guess I can be idealistic and picky. =) I haven’t got any “bites” yet, but I’m applying (on average) to two jobs a day. Mind you, I’m not really qualified for 1/2 the jobs I apply to. Most of these require experience, which I lack. No harm in applying anyways and praying. I thought that I’d apply for a retail job while I waited. But even they won’t take me. =P
Other.. then that, I’m now the house gardener. I’ve been weeding, mowing the lawn, dog walking, driveway painting while I wait for a job. Renovated my room at home. Also reading a lot. Just finished a bunch of books:
Shadow & Claw by Gene Wolfe, it’s been hailed as a Science Fiction master piece, it’s better then most sci-fi/fantasy schlock I’ve read, but I’m kind of confused when I read it (because of some of his abstract illustrations). It’s the first of two books in a surreal adventure. Very interesting.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. A very quick read. I really like the different take here. It’s a “murder mystery” written from the perspective of an adolescent savant. Got rave reviews, so I decided to pick it up. A bit disappointed because it didn’t live up to the hype, but a good read none-the-less.
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Her first book, The Interpreter of Maladies is probably my all time favorite book. This one isn’t nearly as good, but it still really touches the heart. It’s about a family of first generational Indian-Americans. Man, why can’t everybody write as well as Mrs. Lahiri?!
A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan. Another World War 2 book. This one’s the account of the failed Operation Market Garden. It wasn’t as good as The Longest Day because it kind of gets cluttered in details, but it really sheds light on one of the Allies greatest failures during the war.
The Davinci Code by Dan Brown. I’m afraid to say anything about this book because everybody and anybody’s read it and has an opinion about it. I was really disappointed with it. I’ve done a bit of studying of the Templars and other Christian mythology stuff in the past, plus I love good adventure/fantasy books.. based on these two things, I’d have to say that it was a horrendous read with an interesting (if not farfetched) plot. I read this after Shadow & Claw and so Mr. Brown’s writing stunk like a month old compost bin after I was spoiled with Gene Wolfe’s book.
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I dunno.. I thought that the Illuminati premise might be interesting, but much like The Davinci Code the book was severely marred by his writing and hackneyed plot twists.
I’m now reading Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin, Banana Boys by Terry Woo, To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis and Waking the Dead by John Eldredge.
Right now.. I’m not doing much. =) Just got back from London, ON. Went to visit Jesse, Joanne and Vicky. I miss the campus lifestyle. I even miss classes. Haha.. they kept me from being lazy. =) But it was great to see them and be with close friends in their environment. What would I do without my friends.
Richard 10:54 PM
Friday, July 30, 2004
Soooooooo...
Let's see...
I'm in Amsterdam right now. Tomorrow will be the last day of my 29 day tour with Contiki. It's been great, a lot of fun (perhaps too much fun), but I'm tired and a bit sick now. =( Sunday will mark the beginning of my backpacking adventures for another 11 days. =)
Dun have too much time, so I'll just hit the highlights:-Vienna & Austria in general... I love Austria. It's great. The people are so friendly, the air is crisp and clean, the scenery is breathtaking, the cities are SO clean! Austria rocks!-Greece: Athens was really good. The food... my goodness, the Food! So good!!! If I could do Europe again, I'd do Greek Island hopping!
So far, this trip has been a real eye opener. Can't really describe it, it's just like the world is big and Canada is cool and all, but there's also so much more. I've had a lot of fun too. Really funny costume party nights: Crazy hat night, Geeks and Freaks night & make your own clothes night. It's been very different, travelling with these crazy Aussies. They see life differently and sometimes, it comes into conflict with my beliefs and understanding... But it's been alright so far.
My time at this cafe is up, so I'll type more later.
-Richard
Richard 3:04 PM
Friday, July 09, 2004
I'm in Cannes right now.
So what's happened since?
-London is amazing, but it costs way too much to live there
-Went to a Canada Day celebration in a pub in London, they closed off the street for us to party in, there must've been 3000+ Canadians there, they had old replays of Hockey Night in Canada running and Canadian music and Canadian beer, pretty good time!
-The British Museum, Wow... so much to see, so little time! I love history so I had a blast there
-Paris, also amazing. Really didn't have enough time to see everything. Didn't even have time to go into the Louvre. And didn't see the Palace of Versailles. =( We did go into Louis Viton (sp?) and it was packed with Chinese tourists. hahaha
-Beajoulais wine region, we spent a day and a half in this picturesque region, living in a chateau. Wow... It's like a postcard, it's like the scenes they show you on TV about Tuscany. It's that nice and even better. I walked the whole day, through two tiny villages. the winding hillside roads are lined with vinyards.
-Last night went to Monaco. CRAZY. It's pure extravegance and money there. I must've spotted over 5 ferrari's and 2 lamborghini's, and the grand casino is pure bling, money flying around that place as if they were playing with marbles or something... "there goes another 10,000e"
-in Cannes right now relaxing a bit, taking the day easy
-And must say, the Australians that make up the majority of the tour are crazy. =) They party like there's no tomorrow, every single night so it gets a bit hard to sleep sometimes since my policy is to only party every other night. Met some really really cool people here though.
-Sorry about the spelling errors and mistypes, I'm in a rush and my time is running out
Wish you were here!
Richard 4:29 AM
Thursday, July 01, 2004
In London Right now
So...
a) don't take the bus =)
b) have yet to take the tube
c) so much history, so much to see, too little time
d) the hostel's great
Next stop, Paris... on Monday I think
Richard 1:46 PM
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