Majestic Garden 2
A few weeks ago Han, Tom and I went out to Wisconsin to visit my Dad and Step-Mom. It had been 2 years since I had made it out to visit my Dad’s place. We had a great time doing outdoor activities most of the weekend since he lives out in the countryside alongside the ...
The Alcohol Challenge and Icefields Parkway 2
I’ve decided this year to again challenge myself to abstaining from all forms of alcohol for an entire month straight (See last year’s announcement and interim results). My official abstinence started last Monday on St. Patrick’s Day and will end on April 18th. For some, going an entire month without any alcohol is not a ...
Canadian Rockies Adventure 2
I have just concluded my first week in Alberta. To be honest, I don’t see anything too special about Calgary that sets it apart from other great Canadian cities other than the oil boom, the high demand for workers, and the Stampede in the summer. I do find it interesting that most restaurants (Including fast ...
Greetings from Redmond! 6
If you didn’t already know, I’ve been in Redmond, Washington all week doing some top secret training at the Microsoft Headquarters, or the “Mothership” as my Microsoft buddy likes to call it. So far everyone has been very warm and friendly and helpful around here. Microsoft does an amazing job at keeping their employees happy. ...
China Trip 2007 4
Last weekend we returned after 22 days in China for me and 53 days for Han. I know some of you have been anxious to see some pictures, so I must apologize for the delay. It’s been quite the shift from vacation mode straight back into work mode; and work has been busy; hence the ...
5th gear at 20K
The next topic that has irked me since arriving in China is the way people drive with manual transmission. I don’t know why this is but 98% of drivers that I’ve come across seem to shift gears around 1000RPM. It’s not uncommon for a taxi driver to be driving 40KM/hour in 5th gear. I’ve even ...
Worry-Free Society 1
As some of you already know I’ve been visiting China for the last week. I spent 2 nights in Hong Kong and I’ve been in the Southern island of Hainan for the last 4 days, and we’re flying way up to Beijing in a few hours. Since arriving here, I’ve been making observations about the ...
Placid Nova Scotia 1
It’s been a while since I’ve written on The Urban Country. I spent last week settling into Halifax, Nova Scotia. For those of you who didn’t know, I’m working in Halifax until November on a work contract. I’ll normally be flying there on Sundays and returning on Fridays; while living out of a hotel during ...
Las Vegas Stag 4
Last week I returned from a trip to Las Vegas where we stayed at the Hooters Hotel and Casino for my buddy Mike’s stag party. Las Vegas has grown considerably since I was there back in 1999, and construction is under-way all over the city where they are building new grandiose casinos everywhere. Everything in ...
Vancouver, British Columbia 5
Today is the last day of my 6 day vacation in beautiful British Columbia. I have been visiting my friend Tim and over the last 6 days we have covered lots of ground. I spent the first two days wandering the city; I checked out Grouse Mountain, bought a used snowboard in Burnaby, rode the ...