Stuck in Toilet

What would you do if you ever got stuck in a toilet? There're different ways to deal with this issue but not all lead to freedom and even if they do, you will smell like shit for a very long time. Some will be careful and stay away from unsafe toilets. Some are not wise enough and step in the same shithole again and again. The smartest one is who never steps in a stinking and smelling toilet full of cockroaches and at times, sewer rats. 

I'm not a very smart person but I always stay away from dangerous toilets. This Nov. will be the end of my 25th years of living in Canada and I've never set foot on one of the nastiest and filthiest toilets in the world: Mexico! The closest I've been to the toilet was when and Alphonso went to El Paso, in southern United States and we didn't even try to cross into that country after we were given a warning although we just wanted to see the city of Juarez for a few hours and go back to the other side.

Driving south on 375 or Purple Hurt Memorial Highway and getting close to the City of El Paso on a Sep. evening of 2019

Thousands of Canadians travel to Mexico every year and there always has been a problem but these guys never learn their lesson! Kidnapping, scams, explosions, you name it. Now the problem is bigger. What the hell is the point of locking yourselves in a gated community and only have access to sand and kitchen?! That's what these people do. Lie down on the dirt and get drunk while looking over your shoulder to make sure no one is jumping over the fence to rob you or having an eye on your phone to see if half of the country now is in chaos! Enjoy, you cheap idiots!

(Photo: Sometimes the only way to clear a stuck toilet is flushing. At times flushing doesn't work or if you keep flushing it break. It seems that's the situation in Mexico this time)  

Trains, Planes and Automobiles

I had no idea what Trains, Planes and Automobiles was when my realtor mentioned it to me a few years ago! I asked him to find me a quiet place and when she sent me a few addresses, I asked her how the neighbourhoods were. Her response were: You know? Like Trains, Planes and Automobiles! She meant that all these sort of vehicles could be heard during the day. However none have ever bothered me and the other thing that I like is the neighbourhood is not so crazy and noisy. There're of course, assholes, thugs and drunkards but where is the neighbourhood without them?! Not many! 

I then got a chance to watch the movie a few years ago for the first time and watched it a few more times after that, including tonight! I must say that it's a great movie and both John Candy and Steve Martin are brilliant but Candy was a Canadian gem which there will never be anything remotely close to him. He had roles in other movies such as Uncle Buck and Home Alone and he was great in both, mainly the first one. One thing that I am surprised by, is the fact about the Canadians who travel to the US to work and then stay in the US which are a lot. Many of them are the artist that many know: Singers, professionals athletes, actors and actresses, politicians, you name it. Examples would be Jim Carry, Wayne Gretzky, Daniel Powter, many more. They barely visit their home town. Some never. Yet the Canadians expect the foreigners to go to their country of origin every chance they have! I haven't been to my country of birth for over 11 years now and when I was talking to our HR person before the last Christmas, she asked me whether I would go back home! I was going to respond by saying that first of all this is my home now and there's nothing you can do about it! Even your Government isn't the fan of me leaving Canada after I retire as I have to be in the country for at least six month of the year to be eligible to get my Old Age Security! You're from eastern part of the country which is maximum 5 to 6 hours flight from here, considering the stops and layover and you never go there. You expect me to be on a plane and in airports for over 18 hours?! F _ _  you, you idiot! I'm not going to do that and I don't care if you like it or not! 

Martin and Candy in the last and one of the most interesting scenes of the movie. This is supposedly Chicago and is a beautiful neighbourhoos as seen. Just like Home Alone's

Nevertheless Trains, Planes and Automobiles is a great movie. Watch it, admire it and recommend it to as many people as you can. It shall be considered one of the greatest comedies of all time. 

I feel my life is similar to Candy's character in the movie. Not entirely or not identical but I always have had an issue controlling what I say, I haven't been able to be with a woman I love since my wife left me 10 years ago and I'm mostly alone! I don't know whose life is more f _ - ked up? Mine or Dale Griffin's?! 

(Photo, top: Candy's tombstone. This guy neither died nor is buried in Canada!)

What Women Want

I considered this file(!) closed so I'm writing about this funny occurrence now. I was approached by a lady neighbour when there was a major snow storm a few weeks back. She helped to clear the driveway and then it looked like it was the start of a friendship of some sort. I made some baked good the next week and delivered to her as a sign of appreciation. She invited me inside and gave me her number. I know nothing would come out of this but I kept the number and then she one day later said that she would like to invite me over for an afternoon tea of something. Never happened! I was not surprised because I know the type and the later encounters proved that as well. I decided to invite her for the tea and it was accepted. We ended up talking for a few hours and it felt nice and enjoyable. 

The returning invitation, to have something at her place never took place. In addition to that she said she would help with some an issue in my place through of one her relatives and that never happened. The interesting things are what she said she wanted in this potential relationship: " We (her and her little kid) were looking for something to be able to rely on ". " We knew everyone in the neighbourhood but you ". 

Women always are in need of something or they would never approach you. My first wife, whom I was married to for only a short time got what she wanted from that relationship in that period and then moved on! She wanted to be transferred from the town she lived in to a main city and that would have never happened, unless she notified her employer that she was married to a person in that city! My second wife married me so she could benefit from my immigrant status and save herself from the unknow future. Her family were on her shoulder to get rid of me and they eventually succeeded! She moved to British Columbia, then years ago this month (Time flies by!) came back in a very cold months to finalize the divorce! Then a few month later she realized that it was not such a wise decision! She called me and said that she wanted to come back to me(!) and stated that it was very expensive there! I was in CFLRS at the time and I was hoping to finishing the Basic Training but I didn't and didn't get her back either! She, I'd assume, married her boyfriend of the older days and I guess they're living in that province happily. 

I never liked M. Gibson. That's why I haven't watched this movie What women want. However, since the title of the film is the same as the title of this post I thought I should post a picture of Marisa Tomei who has a role in the movie

Then I received a message from lady one day saying that she felt depressed and sad. I'm not really good at situations like this. What should I have said? Sympathy? I told her that I was fine and added that she could contact me any time she felt like that, although I thought she would not need it. I think that was turn off for her. She never contacted me after that again. I, truly, believed this friendship as she had described, would go nowhere. We had nothing in common, neither culturally, nor emotionally. Let alone physically! A tall, young, Caucasian, pretty woman with high sex drive, starting a relationship with an old, ugly, foreign man. My theory is not to even start a relationship which you can easily predict that will not going much far after the start point! That's how you save time and money! I, at this age, don't want to invest on a short relationship or as she wanted friendship! I have plans which all are costly and adding people to them would be next to impossible. So sending a message of " You don't need me ", I think was a wise decision. She never contacted her and I easily could see that she was trying to shift her focus on other individuals who were able to satisfy her on the One Night Stand basis(!) or provide the service frequently as long as it's requested and needed by her! I don't care. Let see how she gets assistance when she really needs it! 

(Photo, top: Canadian Rockies in Kananaskis, Alberta. This is taken from Burstall Pass area, exactly 10 years ago. Why I used it here is because I apparently received a call from my wife who was in British Columbia at the time but I missed it because of lack of service in the region, of course. She had earlier left me and we thought we would work it out. It didn't happen. We both suffered a lot from the broken marriage. I know I did. I don't know who suffered more but I know it was my fault too. I was not innocent in it) 

The Future of London Drugs

I bought my first computer from London Drugs  back in 2002. Something very fancy for over $2500. I was a Sony desktop with all the accessories which I sold to a fella in 2006 or 2007. This was the London Drugs at the corner of 36 St., and 32 Ave., NE. I continued shopping from the other branches, mostly the one in Downtown on 8th St. That one is now closed and turned to a filthy toilet full of flies and rats: Dollar Store! Why? Two reasons: A Canadian Tire was just open across the street. Canadians, mostly are broke. So they don't go for good quality products. They go for shit!  

There still is a Canadian Tire in this town where I live. However, they moved to a smaller building now. I think it was probably hard for them to pay the lease in comparison to the money they made. That's only my assumption. I wonder if they have enough customers in this new location. Most of the shelves are not complete and there're not much merchandise. The place does not see enough customers and the staff don't stay long simply because they can't afford their lives on that wage. You barely see any (East) Indian in the store. They mostly are hired by Wal-Toilet-Mart or The Real Canadian Superasshole. Some at McDonald's and other fast food joints. My assumption is that they think communication skills are lacking. What else would it be? However there was a mid-age tall (East) Indian fella in the Downtown location and an old ugly, obnoxious, hostile, nasty woman in the old location of this branch! There were a number of good staff in the old location but They're all gone. The future of this retailer is now at stake. When life becomes hard, people rush to filthy toilets such as above to get what they need. Not many think of chocolate bars, fancy biscuits and exotic beverages. We'll see. 

(Photo: The candy bar section with all the discount tags in a London Drugs store)

Capitalism Finally digs himself in (6): Begging Communist China!

 Carney traveled to China to beg for forgiveness(!) and see the possibility of hooking up with the country that they always, or probably just from time to time for the sake of argument, only(!), condemn human rights violations, a week ago! The fact is with the power that the Western countries have been giving to China or to be exact the Chinese Communist Party, in the past 4 decades or so, it is very hard for any country, even the US to stand against and stop the beast! 

It was just a short while ago that two Canadians, known as the Two Michaels, were held in the country and one of the main country's executives was under house arrest in Vancouver. Then Canada imposed a 100% tariff on the Chinese EV which was retaliated by imposing tariff on Canadian agricultural imports. Canada did not have any choice to reduce the tariff to only 18% so the farmers could make some money on their products. The country is also letting as many as 49,000 Chinese EVs annually, which has pissed off Premier Ford a lot or I should say, the Ontario auto workers, in fact! 

This map suggests that China might simply block the entire island instead of an invasion which could be as effective or even more successful and less costly. Map courtesy of Yahoo Australia

This proves all this nonsense of human rights and the other crap that these people of, or I should correct myself, these politicians of the US and Canada say is useless. If China wants to take the island of Taiwan back, they can do that in 24 hours or less and the US or no one other country would be able to do a damn thing! The Westerners only confront non-Westerners when there is a temporary benefit! They turn to a friendly face right after that to gain what they can! The West is so addicted to the Chinese products that if they stop the flow, half of the people in the Western Hampshire will be naked and hungry! Go to, for example, Canadian Tire. There's basically not many things Canadian but a few store employees and the building itself which is founded on Canadian soil! Everything is either made in China or some Asian countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh. Even some employees are non-Canadians! The store shall in fact be called Chinese Tire and I would love to change the big sign on the top of one of these stores one day! I just have to look into the local Bylaw and The Criminal Code of Canada (in more than 1300 pages!) to see what the consequences were, if I did! 

(Photo, top: Robert Schellenberg was first tried and sentenced to capital punishment for narcotics-related charges in China in 2018. His sentence is now overturned after the PM's recent trip to that country. It shows that the Chinese like to work with Canadians as there are lots of benefits for them, more benefits than Canadians'!)

Another Wave of Stupid and Senseless Separatism

This is something that I wanted to write a few months ago but I got the chance today: 

My brother and I went to a local library as he wanted to check a few things and saw two ladies at a table with a bunch of papers and stationary items. It appeared that they were collecting signatures for a petition which basically opposed to the Province of Alberta's independence from Canada! We didn't think twice before signing. 

As a foreigner, who loves the country of Canada and its many people (not all of 'em!), and has been living here for over 20 years, I hate to see the country being mutilated and butchered! These filthy, nasty, disgusting, mindless, animals don't understand that people are strong when they're together and resolve their differences rationally and peacefully. 

Countries such as Yugoslavia and Soviet Union went through separatism. The first one was started with a bloody civil war which according to one of my training officers during CFLRS days, were too gruesome and inhumane. All the issues and battles within the Soviet Union started after the separation. Canada is different. There's not any ethnic differences but seems that people would like to separate for political and financial reasons. They claim that the Federal Government takes too much from Alberta's economy. I say that's no reason to seek autonomy, although there's enough autonomy with the province's political system now! What else do you need? 

The Premier has given these people to chance to hold a referendum, if the number reaches the required one, meaning somewhere some people are doing things that we were part of, to slice the country! I guess in a democratically elected system things of such are inevitable but should the stupidity of people  play a role in the future of a country?! I will look forward for the referendum to say a big no.

(Photo: Yugoslavia was divided to 7 countries, countries[!], after the stupid, meaningless, ethnic war with some still not recognized fully internationally!)

Snow Den on Christmas

It's Christmas season and I'm mostly stuck at home due to the extreme cold. It went down to -32 ℃ (-25.6℉) last night! I go to the windows every now and then just to watch snow. To see how much it has landed. Do I have to shovel or not? Then I said: I can't go out. It's too cold and dangerous. Why don't I watch Snowden, instead of snow? I always wanted to know what this guy's story was and now years later I'm about to find out. I guess I'm not very up-to-date with many things! People are going to laugh at me that I'm learning about this guy after more than 12 years! There're things that I follow closely and there are many that I pay not much attention. This did not catch my eye but I'm glad to watch the movie now. This is one of the Stone's but didn't sell much. One might wonder why. To me it's very obvious: The movie doesn't have any sex or violence in it! A movie like that would not sell much in North America but I liked it. Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, W, The Doors and JFK are the movies made by him and I enjoyed watching them, some, including Platoon and JFK, several times. I didn't know, first, that he had made this movie as well. It is very good and the main character actors were great. In a society that consist of many mindless dumb, it's not surprising that they don't like this movie. 
Stone decided once to make a documentary or biopic about the former Iranian president, Ahmadinejad who created lots of controversy during the two terms he was in the office. It appears that he, the president, accepted to take part, at first but the project got cancelled later for a few reasons which are not very clear and I'm not going to dig into it.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian President in the UN building.

All aside, Snowden is a good movie and I enjoyed watching it and most likely will, again. It's not as high as JFK, which I've watched several times and I like the dialogue but both Gordon-Levitt and the gorgeous Woodley play very well. Clint Eastwood's son, Scott, also has a small role. I'm not going to spoil the movie but highly recommend it, if you haven't watched. You'll enjoy it. As per the principals that Snowden stood behind and for them, later, he was charged with, I believe he was wrong! If your government has to monitor yours and everyone's conversations, e-mails, reading habits (as said in Se7en!), etc. to keep the country safe, they should. If you're not doing anything illegal, why would you care whether the government knows what you're talking about or not?! That, alone, is enough for me to abide by what the government does. Last thing: I know Snowden is written Snowden, not Snow Den!  
(Photo, top: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Oliver Stone. Edward Stone and his wife, Lindsay Mills live in Russia now. To me that is real love! The couple split once and then, according to the film, Snowden went back to her in the mainland States and after he had to leave to avoid apprehension, they were separated again until she joined her in Russia a few years later. That's a kind of girl you want in your life) 

The Supervised Consumption Sites!

I used to go Sheldon M. Chumir clinic when I lived in Downtown Calgary. Good service, most of the time. Long wait times which is normal everywhere in Canada these days. It's because of the sudden explosion of population without having the infrastructure available. Stupid or most likely careless Government of Canada! 

Going back to that clinic, I saw addicts, drunks and homeless poor people, from time to time. All around the clinic and the nearby streets and at time inside, escaping from the cold or simply hanging out. I also knew there was a Safe Supervised Consumption existed there! If you're not from Canada and don't know what that means, I can tell you it's the stupidest idea ever, in the entire world! The idea behind that is people can go register and get the doze of drugs they need from a clinic and consume it! These guys are so stupid and clueless that it's not easy to simply start to fathom what really their goal was by starting such a sick program! You basically tell the addicted people that hey don't worry about what has happened to you and now you're hooked up on this drug. We will provide you and even, in places, in British Columbia, provide you with clean facilities to do your drug of choice in a very relaxed environment! 

The result has been a total failure in British Columbia and everywhere else in a way that now they're going to close this place in Calgary! The fact is these guys don't think and plan for their action and use the society as a lab rat! The society is not the place for your Trail & Error games, assholes. Think. 

You dignify and glamorize the consumption of harmful substances instead of cutting the roots. One should ask if you're helping the addicted perhaps you should help the ones who seek prostitution by doing what the State of Nevada has been doing for such a long time! Is this not worse than legal prostitution?! You legalized consumption of alcohol and marijuana! Is prostitution not the same or is it less harmful to the society?! 

(Photo: An opium den in old China, circa, 19 century from the time consumption was legal. Canada is back to that time of the history)

Sanctions and Boycotts don't Work

The recent tensions between the US and Canada has led to many decisions both by the authorities and public, including for example boycotting the American products. The harshest of all have been the premier of Ontario, Doug Ford although he seems to backed of from some of his initials positions but people still keep holding their positions. Not all of them, perhaps. I was sitting next to a couple from British Columbia on my way to Harry Reid who said they were going there for gambling as they usually do. Many spots of the US are feeling the absence of Canadian tourists though and many American imports are replaced by the Canadian and other nations' versions. Citrus, vegetables, fruits are the last ones. I have seen oranges from Australia and some other fruits from South Africa but the question is are these boycotts effective? 

These only pains people and has no affect on the administration. I like travelling and seeing new places and I'd like to go where I feel safe. The US is the closest for me and I have a long list of places which I still haven't seen, I of course, avoid some urban notorious places but I will go to parks, towns and museums I like. I don't believe boycotting changes anything. It only hurts American people and the idea behind that which expect these people to pressure their government to change the way they treat Canada will, unfortunately work. Let's look at some of the most infamous sanctions in the world which has intended to pressure the governments to change their policies but in fact hurt the people and made room for other businesses to benefit from the opportunity, sometimes:

1) Cuba: An island in the Caribbean which basically has nothing but a couple of towns, a mine or two and some agriculture. You add to that some tourism although I can't think of anyone in the right mind going to an island which basically offers nothing but a smelly beach and some cheap food! This country has been under the US sanctions and been on its knees for decades. Poverty is the word. I haven't been there and will never set foot an island like that, even if it's another Australia but the decades of sanctions have done nothing to the government! They still insist on their policies and their beliefs. It's the people who have been suffering. 

The US embassy in Tehran, the capital of Iran, a few days before being stormed by the so-called students. The banners in Persian read slogans such as Death to America, the world predator! Some consider this as the starting point of the long hostility between the two governments. Most of the people who participated in the raid are now living outside the country or have a secure position in the government!

2) Iran: The conflict between Iran and the US and some other Western countries started in the 80's when some stupid, so-called students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran and held some of the people there for 444 days. The US imposed sanctions which stay even today and although there have been easements, now they have choked the economy really bad. The exchange rate is ridiculously low and people struggle for their daily needs such as food, fuel, electricity, clean and safe drinking water and heat in winter months. Has this resulted in any changes to the government's way of looking at things? Absolutely not. It might have had some affects on the support of the proxy groups, particularly Asaad was toppled and ran to Russia but the Islamic Republic  government still follows his domestic and foreign policies. 

3) Russia: Sanction on Russia were started after the country's forces started their Special Operation on Ukraine back in Feb. 2022. Many western companies pulled out of the country. To name McDonald's, Ford and Visa. What has happened. Has Russia stopped its so-called operation?! No! It actually intensified it! Are the Russian people dying to have McDonald's every day?! No! It has been replaced by a Russian company and everything is fine. The Russian automobile industry now is a good target for the Korean and Chinese auto makers! The American car companies are at loss like anywhere else in the world now.

Let's look at everything realistically and rationally, rather than emotionally! 

(Photo: A fruit and vegetable section in a typical Western style supermarket. Most of the items in this section comes from the US and Mexico. Replacing some with what is grown in south America, South Africa and Australia is nothing but stupidity. I personally, would never pay for a piece of fruit which has travelled half the world. I try to enjoy the most local and nearby produce)

Cultural Discrepancies (8): Cursing

There's no doubt that cursing exists in every language but the question here, for me, is who curses the most?! I don't know! What I know is some Canadians curse a lot and telling dirty jokes is not off-limit! Funny thing is they say Canadians are very polite! I think they are but perhaps when compared with Americans! It's hard to say unless you have interaction with many nationalities but when I say many nationalities I'm talking about the major ones, of course. Not any shitty, tiny piece of land who calls himself a country! Here, in Canada, you could be at work, in a party, listening to the radio show or watching something on television and people curse like it's a normal activity of the day and tell dirty jokes in front of women, children, elderly, everyone! That's the culture!

What's interesting in Western culture is they use the things that they like the most to offend others! One of the most popular(!) ones is the word co*ksucker! Fellatio is a normal act between two people who have sexual relationship, in many cultures but Westerners used that as a curse although they, even some men(!), are in favour of it, madly! I never understood this! Pig is the animal which is not consumed in many countries, particularly the countries with Muslim majority as it is forbidden to eat. Though I've never heard in any Muslim, Arab or generally Eastern culture using the work pig as an insult! Americans, mostly and Canadians and British, as well, use that word very frequently as insult despite the fact that they love pig! Pork Chop, Bacon, Pulled Pork, Sweet and Sour Pork, are all meals that people consume in the West, and then the poor pig is used as an insult! 

In Asia a few other animals are used as an offensive word: Cow, Donkey, Mule and Sheep, are mainly used to insult someone! Another animal which is frequently used as an insult is dog! I know it will drive Westerners wild as a dog is a member of the family but that is the fact although some countries have changed in the past couple of  decades. Koreans and Filipinos are dog-lovers but when it comes to eating them! They have been changed recently in the past few years as now they think having a dog as a pet is a sign of affluence and being Westernized! In Western Asia Dog-father and Dog-Mother!(!) are both an insult which indicates that the person's parents are dogs or at least one of then is a dog! While dogs are considered loyal and helpful animals to human beings for decades, it is not know why this poor animal is used as a curse word in those cultures. It could be the fact that dogs are considered filthy and dirty in Muslim faith! It makes no sense to Westerners but they use that although having a dog as a pet, these days, as I said about the other side of Asia, is considered a sign of being modern and Westernized! I think debate over the subject could be longer than this. I just wanted to have a hint.

(Photo: Dogs are members of the family in many Western cultures. They even sleep with them in their beds, have their food while the family is sitting for a meal, etc.)

Cultural Discrepancies (7): Eating inside One's Own Vehicle

For many years and form time to time I have noticed one habit of Canadian people: Eating in their vehicle in a parking lot of a fast food joint or their workplace. In the beginning I didn't know why they were doing this and it was really odd to me. It still seems very odd but at least I know why people do that. 
People are embarrassed to be seen eating alone in a food establishment, even a fat food restaurant. They get their food and eat in their car while parked and idling the engine! Why don't they go back to their homes? The answer is clear: They feel lonely at home! By coming out and seeing people and interacting with the business workers, for at least half an hour, they feel better. That works like a medicine for them and can survive the rest of their days. 
I saw two people at two different workplaces who would eat in their vehicles! Absolutely stupid! One of them was an old fella in his early 60s and the other one a young racist motherfucker from Red Deer County! I wanted to write this because everyone in that room was a non-Canadian and he did not get along with them very well. The Chicken Shit, I would like to call him here, eventually quit only a few months after I joined. I hope he reads this and realizes that it's known that he is an asshole and disgusting loser! I don't care about sewer rats like him but I despise them forever. 
Nevertheless I saw something this past Fri. at work which was stranger than all the above: An old fella, almost at retirement age, was sitting in his vehicle eating, smoking cigarette and playing with his phone with all the windows rolled up! The odd thing about this guy is he has a big office where he sits all by himself! So unless there's something seriously wrong with him, he wouldn't do that! 

(Photo: For this post I decided to use a picture from years ago: A lovely Meat Pie made by my lovely wife at the time! Since this post is about food and eating I'd like to add that Whole Wheat Flour was used to make the pie shell and the tops. The texture can easily show it)

The (East) Indian Version of the American Dream

The Trump's administration started shipping border jumpers out months ago and the action continues today. Most of this individuals go to a country in South America and work their way up to Mexico and eventually the US border and people of different backgrounds are amongst them. From all the Latinos to Chinese, (East) Indian, Iranian, you name it. 

For all this is reaching reaching the American Dream and they pay a lot to obtain that. The same issue exists within Europe. Germany and England, as well of Scandinavian countries are mostly the target. Not to mention France, Belgium and Italy.

It's said that now many of those (East) Indians, have been sent back to their country of origin alongside many other foreigners. The American Dream is dead for now. I thought what I should do, to my (East) Indian friends, whom I like a lot, is to provide them with the (East) Indian Dream which if materializes, would be much better than the American Dream. In order to achieve that, my good (East) Indian buddies must follow the followings: 

1) You have a massive workforce. Pay them the minimum wage or have them volunteered to clean of the mess. All the garbage, dirt, grim, filth, etc. Get it done whether it takes 6 months or 6 years. 

2) Stop scamming tourists. I will never go to India but I know people who would. Many tourist have complained about being scammed and lost money. That's disgusting. The funny thing is that I had a buddy from Chennai who said once to me  and I quote here: " India has nothing to see ". So it's been always a question for me why would someone ever go to India and only one answer came to my mind: It's cheap as hell! 

3) Eating like a cow and having a big belly like a pig or an eight-month pregnant woman is not something to be proud of. Stop being a cow or a pig. 

4) Stop raping female tourists and your own girls and women. 

5) If you're poor, you still can be clean and nice. You don't have to spread garbage around. Try to understand the concept of Garbage Bin. 

6) Familiarize yourselves with condom or other pregnancy prevention methods. Giving birth to multiple children in a country which already has passed 1.4 billion, is not an achievement. 

7) Stop fraudulent businesses which targets foreign countries. You eventually are caught and may face charges. 

This is Indian Dream which could turn the reality. It might take generations but you'll get there. What bothers me the most is all these poor sols who have to put up with you around the world! 

(Photo: An [East] Indian family tried to cross into the US from Canada in pursue of their American Dream. All four, husband and wife and two kids, froze to death. American Dream for them turned to chilly dream. Now the kids are resting and have no challenges in their lives. Mom and Dad are also happy. They're no longer responsible for the kid's future. The dream came true)

A Huge Help

One of the most annoying and dissatisfying experiences as a car owner is when you need a service or repair, especially these past few years. For me the Oil Change has always been the problem. I tried many different service providers but mostly have been to the dealerships simply because I thought I could trust them but the wait and the cost has been too much: Nearly $120! 

This, somehow, was discussed during work and one colleague suggested to help. I thought he was joking but he was serious. So one day after work we went and bought what we needed. We then went to his home where he had a couple of ramps. The process is easy unless you need to change the filter as well for which you need to purchase a special wrench. The other issue would be recycling the old oil but it seems many mechanic shops and recycling centers accept that. I don't exactly know because he did another favour and kept the old oil for later recycling!

The entire process does not take more than 20 minutes even for the least experienced and someone who is not a jack of all trades. He, I believe, is! There was a problem though that made us all and especially him, baffled: The engine uses more than 4 L but we only drained less than 2!! 

I checked the level the next two days and it was sufficient. The colour also indicated that it was freshly added oil. What added more to the already strange situation is that neither Oil Level or Check Engine lights went on! I will check again tomorrow just to make sure everything is normal and then I will have to plan for the next time an oil change is needed. I'm not going to take it to any of these fraudulent service providers. 

(Photo: Using a jack does not seem to be a very safe practice but some do. I plan not to!)

The Cockroaches of the Neighbourhood

I got into an agreement with one of the major banks to semi-possess a small property, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 5 years ago. It was a good time to buy. There were many properties available, not many buyers and I did have a job. Now five years later I'm looking to move to a bigger place in a better neighbourhood. Not easy. Prices are very high. If you're looking for a nice place, and not in a major city, don't look at anything less than $500 K! It would not be so hard for couples, if they both make reasonably well. It's hard for single people like me. One source of income and I've already cut down on many costs, as much as I could. But why would I want to move to a different place? The answer is simple: If I can reach the age of retirement, I don't want to live in this small place. I, also, would not like to live with all these cockroaches around me! They're very annoying, particularly during the summer when you need to leave the windows open. The last reason, which is as important as the other two is the lack of privacy! The neighbours eyeball you all the time, particularly if you're a foreign single in a house. My plan is to buy a house with two doors, at each end, just like our old and good house in the old country so all my coming and goings are not spied on! Here's what I have in this little sad street:

1) Fat Slop and Skinny B-tch: Interesting couple in the neighbourhood. They used to sit on folding chairs in their driveway and talk sometime until midnight, last summer. One week they had some guests, lowlife drunkard animals, just like themselves, of course and they sat outside and talked until 04:00! The next day I confronted the slop and asked him to quiet down. He complained. There's barely a day that I get home or leave home and I don'y smell Marijuana. How much of this crap can you smoke? What percentage of your income is spent on this? One thing I like about this couple is the way they cough! It's almost non-stop and they respond to one another! It means when he coughs, she responds with a cough and when she coughs, he approves with his own! Despite all the above, I must say that these are not bad people. They're just idiots who, most likely, never had good directions in their lives and ended up like this. I think either of them has kids from their previous relationships, like many Canadians do. This summer they never showed outside. Not even once. The woman sometimes waters the lawn or the vases. The man can only be heard by his coughing, from time to time! Much better for me! These couple are so inconsiderate and stupid that sometime I can hear their TV on the street!

2) Grandpa and Grandma, the big losers. We all know that most of the elderly are forgotten by their children here in Canada. Most of them are put in home care and never are visited. When I lived in White Rock with my ex-wife, we lived in a tiny apartment in Fir St. Now that I think of that type of living, I'm more thankful of my current situation. Nevertheless, there was this old lady next to us whom we never met but we knew she lived there. Her son would visit her once a week. The poor woman was all alone by herself in the small apartment and one day she passed. The son gave us some of her belongings that he had no intention to take and we accepted: Bed, TV Stand and a few more things, I guess. I distinctly remember these two because we used both and the TV stand or table is used to this date by my own Mom! 

These couple here spend most of their times inside the house and if the weather permits they, mostly the man, spend their time in their little front yard and the back yard that I can't see: Mowing the lawn, building little things, cleaning, you name it. I only saw they were visited by a bunch of people and that was during COVID-19 when people would go to their relatives to say Happy Birthday or something. The woman comes out and starts yelling hellos and having conversations with different neighbours! Sometimes she stands in the middle of the street! The man is too old to do that. He walks, or perhaps I shall say, slags and tries to find someone to talk to! It's interesting that the woman, at times, smokes at that age. 

3) The South Indian family: There's a family of four. I can tell from the colour of their skins. They're usually well-behaved, unless most of (East) Indians but considering their origin, stupid things happens being done by them at time. One of them was at my door one day! I think the boy was playing with his friends and had to hide or something! I told him he couldn't do that. He left and never saw him doing it. When there's one of these Indian festivals, usually people gather in their house or they cook and go to the other people's house. One night they were very loud and I asked them to go back in front of their house and yell! There's usually not much of a problem with these people. 

CAF peacekeepers in former Yugoslavia. Photo courtesy of Government of Canada

4) The other Indian family: There's another family of four with much younger kids. These guys, obviously, are from a different part of India which has some hostility towards the above family! I've never seen these two even say hello to each other but considering the status of Indian society, I don't think it's odd! There's a huge gap within different ethnic groups and people of different backgrounds in India. Remember the Balkan War when Yugoslavia was torn apart? One of my trainers when I was in CFLRS told us that he had not seen so much brutality and hostility anywhere else. Indian people hate each other so much with this difference that they have no guts to get really violent! It's not that they don't attack each other or they don't burn other people's houses and businesses. It's just the fact that they haven't gone that violent except the Sikhs whose stories have been told a few times. 

This guy is a true asshole and a bully. He drives in fast and makes noises. His kids scream and yell on the street and cry! What can I expect? Lowlife rubes have been given the opportunity to live in Canada and they do everything to do so. 

There're other neighbours in this little community, of course, but they're mostly okay. I, nevertheless, am planning to move out and get a bigger place but first I have to see what happens to my mortgage. I'd like to move to a better and bigger place so I can stay there as long as I'm alive. At least that's the plan. Whether it can be materialized or not is another question. 
(Photo: No! This is not my neighbourhood but it'd nice. Would it not?)

Washington Bullets and Trump

I used to follow a couple of professional sports: NBA and NHL. Not anymore. Don't have much time and interest. I remember that the basketball team in Washington D. C., used to be called Washington Bullets and then they decided to change the name and their reason was that it somehow shows the violence that the city has in. 

I was reminded of that just a couple of days ago when Trump decided to deploy the National Guard to the city to overcome homelessness, crime and gang violence. I personally don't think it's a bad idea although it has pissed off some officials in that District and some of the members of the public. I think Trump knows that if he really wants to clean the US, he needs to deploy the National Guard and the US Army to many major cities and towns in the country and with the stupid attitude that people and politicians have, mostly, he would face lots of criticism and attacks. As I wrote earlier, Western culture has sympathy and support for criminals, homeless and gang members! Is that because some have someone from the three named groups as members of their family, relatives and friends?! There're no doubt that the majority of the homeless people has had some entanglement with the law in their lives: assault, DUI, B&E, shoplifting, you name it. 

My vehicle was broken into twice when I used to live in Downtown Calgary. They took everything they could get their hands on: GPS, CDs, flashlight and some other things that I don't remember. This is okay to average Canadian and American public! Were these not the same people who poured into the streets and wanted the police to be defunded?! 

The very same people now are angry that someone is trying to put an end to the filth and grim that is about to devour the country! I don't know what's real intent it and it's not important. What's important is the level of the stupidity and arrogance that some, or perhaps I should say many, suffer from in West! 

(Photo: Washington's NBA team logo before it was changed to Wizards)

An Adventerous Purchase

This past weekend I decided to get some fresh Garlic. I had planned that since the spring of last year and never had the chance to do so. I found a farm near the town of Innisfail. I called them to make sure they're open. I wrote the address on a piece of paper and headed to the town. My experience with my old Garmin GPS has never been good and I don't have data on my phone! So either a paper map or notes! Everything is straightforward until Innisfail but when I got there I had several issues! 
First I was not able to find the road that leads to the farm. Then I went to a McDonald's and connected my phone to the web and got the address but the stupid Google Maps made me to do a loop, for absolutely no sane reason and then took me to someone else's property where I was told that the farm actually was at the other side of the river where we were talking near it! I turned around and went all the way back, looking at the notes and roads signs I was finally able to reach there. Now bear in mind that I drove an old sedan and many roads are not paved! It's possible in summer but next to impossible if there's rain or impossible totally in winter. 

This Highlander was gazing at me, wondering what the hell I was about to. I didn't get close as these animals are very sensitive to strangers. I've been to different parts Canada and this was the first time seeing this type of cow

The Garlic is really expensive and I haven't tried them yet but a few cloves which were given to me as samples. They didn't have that sharpness and heat. Since I got to bunches, I hope at least one of them has, if not both. The good thing is I was able to get Red Onions and Fingerling Potatoes, freshly taken out of the ground before my eyes! The potatoes were great! I made some Salad Olivier (It's called Russian Salad as well) and enjoyed it last night. I had left a little. The Garlic's price was shockingly very high: $12 per Pound(!) but I bought two bunches as I had driven all the way there for those! The good thing the other vegetable's prices were acceptable so I didn't mind much but next time I will probably negotiate before I go. I also need to give these ones a try to see how they taste. If they're not strong enough, I won't go there anymore. They also had a sort of cattle but nothing was ready to buy meaning nothing had been recently slaughtered. The cattle they grow is called Scottish Highlander. I didn't know Scotland even have cows! Nevertheless I will wait for the message from Garlic Goodness to go get some.

(Photo, top: The farm is located in a very lovely, quite and beautiful area. This was seen at the side of the road)

The Sloppy Fella

Do you remember I had a post about how Canadians might like you? If you don't, please refer to the link and read it. If you don't have time I give you a short version of that here: Canadians, most of them, the majority of them, don't like to see you driving a modern, shiny, new car, dressed nicely and well-groomed and in a nutshell, to look better than them. 
With that in mind I met this guy at my new job a few months ago and we talked about different things. You know how Canadians are. They like to chit chat while they don't really care. It's a gesture of being nice. I don't mind it. I go along. He, somehow saw my wristwatch one day and said that he liked it. I told him that I had purchased it in Tokyo and then when the conversation continued, he was told that I had been to different cities in Japan. He clearly didn't like it and he added that he had a watch collection. 
Another day we were talking and I told him my recent visit to a car dealership, as our usual casual conversation before we started the work. This time he jumped in and was clearly upset! He said: To buy a Rolls-Royce?! I ignored him and we went to work. 
He, in addition to disliking foreigners, whom he thought had done things that he had never been able to do or never possessed(!) he was a sloppy fella. What I mean by that is he was standing still and I had to point at the issues and then he would react very enthusiastically!  It was like this every time we worked together until finally one day, last week, I was told that he had been asked to leave by his employer and would be replaced by another guy. The guy whom is anticipated to replace him is short pretentious asshole whom I had to deal with twice and the last one was not so pleasant! He, despite the fact that I explained I was covering for someone else and the issue was originated by them, gave me a lecture! We'll see how I can handle this shorty! 

(Photo: Sloppy inspector is the nastiest creature ever. It reminds me of the dump[!] that I currently reside in. Yes it is a dump with lots of cockroaches around! I will have a post for that but the reason why I call it dump is the cheap material and poor workmanship used to build this house as well as the nasty city inspector and their stupid check-list that resulted in the acceptance of the place for habitation)  

Cultural Discrepancies (6): Sympathy for Criminals (Thanks Constable Stothard for your Service)

One of the cultural values which was shocking to me, when I first came to Canada, and I'm still baffled by that, to this day, is the Canadian society's sympathy and support for criminals. I have to go through the Criminal Code of Canada which I was good at, at least at parts of it, when I was in the CBSA College, to find examples of the law being soft on criminals but from what I've read and witnessed from generally the public and the Government, I have to say that both encourage crime and individuals aren't ashamed of committing a crime or supporting the ones who commit one! Quite interesting! Ha? I guess the American society is the same. Perhaps even worse! Remember the Insurance guy who was shot in New York City? Many people praised the shooter! And why has he done it? It looks like that his insurance claim was denied or some issue of that nature! The funnier thing is the time that they were demanding the police to be defunded! In the US! In some cities, there's police and people kill each other in daylight! Imagine what would happen, if there was no police? It would be worse than Iraq and Afghanistan at the time the US troops where there. Way worse! 

I think this mentality comes from the concept of everyone deserves a second chance. I don't disagree with that but it would depend who that person is. The person who kills an innocent bystander, because he is under the influence of substances and alcohol, shall not be given the second chance. Stories of criminals who go to jail after killing someone, coming out after a few years and then again take someone's life, are countless. 

The other funny thing is everyone knows that a person who is convicted of a crime and goes to the jail, has very little chance of going back to normal life after finishing his term. They cannot, most of the time, get a decent job. Let alone being accepted by the society and at times by the family, friends and the community. There are only a few jobs that the employers do not check the background of the person. What are those? Dishwasher, construction worker, cleaner, perhaps. These jobs don't pay much resulting, the majority of the time, in the person going back to the same business which resulted in being imprisoned. 

When I say the system is a joke and has nothing but support and sympathy for the criminals, the statement is not exaggeration. A good example of that is the trail of Constable Craig Stothard  of the CPS. The officer and a few more responded to a report regarding intoxicated driver in a the ghetto of Calgary. The officer had to discharge his firearm, resulting in the death of the two culprit. Now he has been charged with second degree murder! How could the police do their job while they're so restricted! Shall we let the drunkards, drug-addicts, drug-dealer, wife-beaters and terrorists roam freely the street?! Shame on you the Alberta Serious Incidents Response Team. You all shall be put behind the bars for the rest of your pathetic and useless lives and served one meal a day and order to do hard labour until you die from starvation and fatigue! You're just useless. 

(Photo: This fella was in jail for drug related charges in, I think, Manitoba, and now he is out, he not only asks for help but also threats the society that if he does not receive the assistance he is requesting, he will go back to his drug dealing old job! His appearance which is quite common within Canadians tells you a lot about his character, his family, his bringing up and his attitude: Cheap and fake jewelry worn like a dog collar[I still don't understand what this means! Someone shall have him under control, perhaps!], tattoos [Oh sorry Canadians! I forgot that it's a value within you! You starve and go to Toilet-Donald's to graze but you spend $400 to desecrate your body!], cheap big-ass ring on the middle finger[!], shaved head, gas station sun glasses, and of course, the inevitable and unavoidable big-ass SUV to make sure you pay at least $100 a week for simply going to the grocery store and coming back home)

Bad Habits Stick with you but do they Matter?

The price of food is so high these days that I have limited my meat, the most expensive food, consumption to, usually, once a week, or even longer period. Many people can't do that. Canadians certainly can't! The price is not the only reason that I cut on meat. Health reasons are another reason. Meat of any kind is strictly prohibited for the people whose their body produces excessive Uric Acid as it crystallizes at the joints and results in excruciating pain. This, as some might know, is called Gout. 

However McDonald's which claims to use 100% Canadian Beef, is not a healthy food. Yet people go there on daily bases, at all different ages. Why? The answer is very simple: It's the most affordable! What do they get? They don't care! As long as something is in their system and the stomach feels heavy, who cares what it is? Right? That's the majority of people's logic when they go to McDonald's and other fast food and restaurant-like businesses, everywhere in the world! Eating habits cannot be overlooked. If you are grown on greasy, sugary fast food, you won't feel good when someone serves you salad and poached Salmon!  

(Photo: I was at a local McDonald's for a coffee. There's no denial that their coffee is amongst the best and yes I prefer that to Starbucks, not because of the cost, because it's not as strong, and this old lady, possibly in her early 70's was there to order. I'm not even sure if I reach that age but if I do, I'm certain I won't be standing at a fast food joint counter to order!)

Who Dies Twice?!

There are many great actors and actresses across the world. Many of them become internationally famous through American movies. Many remain only nationally appreciated because they never get a chance to perform in an English language or Hollywood film. There are many non-English natives who have reached the top and there's no need to name any as all movie lovers know them but the thing I wanted to express here is what is said in Persian like a proverb or saying and it goes:

Actors and athletes die twice. What it means is that they are born like everyone else and there's a time they're famous. They're praised by everyone. Their pictures are seen in newspapers and magazines (when the paper newspapers and magazines were in full swing!), We see them on TV and hear them on radio. We might see them in public. When their years of athleticism or high performance are over, they are not seen or talked about that much and they slowly are pushed aside. New actors come in and new athletes with better records and performance go to the top of the chart. That is the time the actor or athlete dies for the first time! If they go to a supermarket or park in a shopping mall's parking lot, there're not many people to recognize them. As sad as it might seem to some, many deal with that logically. Some are not so mature and try to stay in the spotlight! They can't be blamed. They were on the top of their career, earning millions and loving the attention they received. It's not so easy to give that up! I didn't want to name anyone but one example is Throne whose picture is seen here. Why the hell a very good actress has to dress like this at the age of 50!? 

For the ones who have not seen Monster, it's a very strong and emotional movie which might not be the favorite of everyone. I still, to this date, have difficulty finishing the movie.

Throne, a native of South Africa, has some great performances. Her act in Monster was one of the most OSCAR worthy performances and she deserved that. I watched the movie when it came out and despite the fact that it's a very hard one to watch, no one can deny how magnificent she was. I didn't like The Fury Road that much. The story was poor but the performances, including Thrones, cinematography and design of the vehicles were superb. She had a small role in Prometheus and one can imagine how much she was paid to just simply say " Shit " or another longer line(!) but female actresses generally, and in Hollywood, specifically, have a limited expiry date! I hope it does not come across being rude but that's true. Many roles are not given to women past a certain age as there's always a younger actress. Many actresses past that age might feel forgotten or ignored. Going back to Throne, without targeting her or anything, she has adopted two Black kids! What does that mean? Is she trying to redeem Caucasian South Africans from what they did for years in the country?! Unbelievable! It's a gesture from Caucasian Americans. I think Madonna did something like that, years ago. These people might be good actors and singers but their brain only works for that purpose! I have nothing against Africans and Blacks, in general but why the hell would you go to an African country to help or adopt a kid while thousands of kids in the US need help!!?? Charity begins at home, you dickhead!

(Photo, top right: Throne wearing a fishnet-like cover in a photo shoot! It's not sexy. It's not elegant. It's not impressive!)