The 2025 Plan: 2) Hiking

2024 was a very bad year in regards to hiking. I had at least 4 attempts and never reached a summit. Now with low dollar, I think I shall cancel the European trip and simply focus on local hiking but the first on the list would be the failed attempts

1) Abraham Mountain

2) Stegosaurus Mountain! (Known as Dolomite Peak in Canada!)

3) Thrift Peak (This one I have tried at least 5 times so far, if not more!)

4) The Wedge (Was attempted, probably before 2017 or sometime around that year, the last!)

5) Big Sister (Tried once dangerous and hard hike)

6) Black Tusk (This one is B. C. Need more funds for that. Was tried once back in 2016, I think)  

7) Boundary Peak (Nevada. I need to get this out of my head as well)

8) Mount Burns.

I think this is enough and if I can reach the summit of all, it'd be a big accomplishment but I know it won't be easy, especially solo. While most of my good hikes have been solo, having somebody at the side creates a sense of competition and at time security in case something happens. I was all by myself in six out of eight of the above hike. 

(Photo: A small herd of Mountain Goats. This was in 2015 and the air as might be able to see, in the background, was nasty. This is happens to the world where nasty animals who only think about money, take control: Motherfucker Capitalists of Western world) 

The 2025 Plan: 1) Food

I go to one of the Lina's location for some grocery shopping, at times. I don't by any Pasta, Cheese or Pizza. I only buy Olives, Eggs and at times Olive Oil. Yesterday's list was just limited to Eggs and Tomatoes and I realized that they had increased the price of the first item. No wonder why families struggle. I'm one person and I eat a little and I have problem when I go to supermarkets. I have decided to control my eating by following these simple rules in the new year:

1) No eating outside. This is not new but we went out a few times and it was extravagant. What you pay for two meals and service equals to what I pay for almost a week of grocery! 

2) Buy meat (of any kind) twice a month, only. 

3) Avoid or limit certain foods (mostly for health reasons but the cost is a concern as well)

• Pizza. Never bought in 2024. Made at home a few times. Making is okay but not too often.

• Ice Cream. must cut it out completely. Had it a few times, last year. Making Ice Cream at home is messy and expensive and is only a little better because you need Cream and Sugar and they are both bad for you. I have my machine and just for the sake of using it, I might make some a couple of times in summer! 

• High fat diary such as fake Cheese, homogenized Milk (3.25%), and high fat Yogurt.

• Ready-to-eat food. I used to buy Rotisserie Chicken, Potato Wedges and Hummus but I stopped the fist two and will hopefully never buy the latter either. 

• No outside Coffee and reduce home-made ones. I've written how stupid it is that the cost of Coffee is bigger than gasoline! While I've reduced buying outside coffee, significantly, it must be completely cut out. Home or office Coffee needs to be reduced to 2 cups a day. 

This is another type of salad that I make at time but the problem with this is the damn cucumber are fake!

It looks like it is very possible to have higher food prices, soon, unfortunately. If the tariffs are in place or the Canadian dollar stay as low as it is, then higher food prices is expected. 

(Photo, top: I try to eat more salad than any other meal, this year)

Кино (Kino)

I discovered this amazing Soviet/Russian band about a week ago: Kino. The history of the band and everything is available in the net and if you're interested you can search and read but as a fan of bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, I can say for sure that these guys have nothing less than the trio and other big Western bands.

Led Zeppelin in their early years! Bonham, the drummer of the band, sited, died at a young age after a night of heavy drinking

The band almost dissolved, unfortunately, after their vocalist and guitarist Tsoi died in a car accident. I can say that is the similarity they have with Led Zeppelin with this difference that Bonham died of overdose!

Pink Floyd with all his members, including Syd Barrett, second from left who got mentally sick rally badly later. Song Shine you Crazy Diamond was written for him 

Kino continues to perform to this day but mostly, as far as I know, regenerating the old 80's songs of the band. Now the question would be: Where to get their disks? I think their songs are available on popular music platforms, though. 

Here's the link to one of their excellent songs called Группа крови (Blood Type). 

(Photo, top: Kino was formed in 1981 in today's Saint Petersburg. Viktor Tsoi, 2nd from left who died in a car crash later wrote most of the songs) 

Out after 10 Years (22): The Japanese Society

Nothing happened on Christmas Eve. I just paid a short visit to Mom and my brother and brought them some baked goods and other stuff, chatted a little bit and went back home. I stayed home on Christmas Day did some home chores, some cooking and rested. So I thought I would post my last story about my recent trip to Japan, today.
Travelling alone is not so good especially if you are originally from where I am. I did not have any problems anywhere particularly in this recent trip to Japan but people always look at you differently. Do I care? No! I just got my ticket for the next year and I'm planning for a week of trip to Europe as well, although the latter might not be easy considering I need to take unpaid leave. When you travel alone some think of you as a Lone Wolf, if you know what that means. 
That aside I'm going to write about some of the Japanese habits and cultural norms and such that I experienced during my 15-day trip to the country. Perhaps this, as well as the other posts, helps the travelers, These have not been referred to in the previous twenty posts:
1) Respectful and Peaceful people.
2) Still deeply traditional in many ways while becoming modern. Emperor Meiji gets all the credit for this. You still can see traditional fruit and vegetable stands in major cities run by old men and women. 
3) Wearing sunglasses is not considered acceptable, socially! Japan gets lots of rain, that's why most of the hills and mountains are covered in green but it gets lots of sunshine but the entire time that I was there I barely saw anyone wearing shades and people were looking at me like I'm hiding something! Don't ask me why! 
4) Law abiding people. There is a sort of unwritten law about not talking on cellphones while in the public, particularly while on trains and everyone sticks to that. I only saw a filthy, nasty disgusting pig on the phone the entire time I was there. No need to mention who he was! He certainly was from the society and culture who has " Laws are made to be broken! ". 
5) I hate fast food. I hope it does not bother you, Happily this culture is still not sickened Japanese! Corporations such as McDonald's, KFC and Starbucks are seen and Japanese and tourists go there but they are not spread as much as you see in North America and I hope it remains the same.   
(Photo: This was bizarre. I saw a grave or at least this is what I think was a grave as a tombstone can be seen, at the side of a road in Hiroshima. It's possible that the person asked to be buried there but why and why the authorities accepted, are both questions)

Downward Economy

Everyone is in panic in Canada after Trump was re-elected as the next United States president and I think they shall be, including me! The only difference is that I'm careless and I'm not responsible for anyone but me! 

Now we're in the last days of 2024, I don't know if I did well or I could've done better because, again, I'm careless but I know 5 years have passed since the year that first I wanted to buy a vehicle to replace my old one and couldn't! Uncertainty is an inseparable part of North American society and they have adopted themselves to it for generations. Thanks to credit card companies! Micheal Moore briefly describes this situation in one of his movies and he says it started from the time J. Carter became the president.

The situation is so bad that in the entire year I only bought red meat once! I know many would say red meat is not good for you anyway but not being able to purchase some once in a while, I bet, everyone agrees it's not good and shows how high the prices might be.

I make steak in a frying pan and simply add The Keg mix, some red onion and garlic and absolutely nothing else. This came out so delicious that I ate them both while in fact I wanted to save the second for later and make a steak sandwich. The pan, by the way is not a normal one. It's one of the Cuisinart conduction skillets

The employer, I heard had some profit share last year and they're not going to have it this year because they have invested a lot! In response they gave everyone a lousy grocery store gift card for the amount that I'd be embarrassed to write it here! The Canadian dollar, at the same time, started a journey to hell! It's going down so fast that I haven't seen it so far. It is at US¢68! I think we all have to wait to see what the Government would do to repel the tariffs and other unpleasant things imposed by the economy! 

(Photo, top: This cartoon shows a few seconds after the failed assassination on Trump)

23 Years now

This past Nov. 29 was the end of the twenty-third year of my life in Canada. It's been mostly downhill and I barely achieved my goals but I live! I believe most of the people who came to this country as a legal immigrant, years after I did, are in much better shape. I know two issues led to my fall:

1) Lack of care about the future. 

2) Unsuccessful Marriage which was my fault, without a doubt! 

I was going to write the plan I had for this anniversary before getting to the details of the two above factors but It was late. I realized I really had no plan! What could I do? With the price of everything so high and then being just by myself, what can one person do to have fun in winter? Go to a bar? Get a massage? Invite friends over for a little party? Everything cost me and it costs dearly! I'm not a bar guy. I'm not much of a drinker. I get massages from time to time. So it wouldn't have been something special, although massage is always good. I don't have many friends and they either wouldn't come or couldn't come, if I had a party, let alone the fact that I never had said about the time I came to Canada, to anyone!
I eventually ended up doing nothing! I also thought if I was travelling overseas crossing the big two ponds  in Jun. and Oct., considering |the weak Canadian dollar (CAN$1 = US$ = 0.69 = €0.65 = ¥104.6), I might as well start saving! For example I went to Lina's, where I usually buy some groceries and I skipped the eggs! Yes! I decided not to buy the most basic and probably the least expensive source of animal protein because I had to purchase a sweater before that and that was a sweater probably after more than 15 years or so but because I had to pay $150 for that, I didn't think I deserved eggs! I also have a big fine: Unregistered vehicle. I have to pay that as well. I will probably buy it when I have the next pay!Long story short: I'm a loser! Don't be a careless and lazy person (not physically) and be careful in your relationships and you won't end up like me. 

(Photo: Lina's is an Italian grocery store with four locations in Calgary. They have everything from bakery to Pizza, packed food to produce. This is their cheese refrigerator. I don't eat these types of cheese as they have lots of fat and cholesterol but that's me. If you're into cheese, this place is where you want to be)