Cutting the Corners

I was driving home today when I heard that the pay stubs will be smaller and the deductions bigger in 2011! Good news to start the new year! I'm already trouble, drowning in debt with this pay stub and what I did just a few days ago was canceling my caller ID! I know it sounds stupid but helps $7 a month! I mean the only reasons I didn't cancel the mobile phone itself are two:

1-I don't want to be listed in phone books.

2- I'm stilling waiting for telephone calls from the employers.

Rather than those ones there's nothing else to stop me from cancelling my mobile phone. It's so stupid to have something in the palm 24 hours a day. Just look at the idiots and losers who text or talk while driving and cause fatal accidents or the morons who live in a fake, imaginary world called Facebook! Why the hell should I pay to a company to put a photo of me posing somewhere just because I want the others know what I'm up to!? I know people who barely eat good food but never take that phone off them! Stupid!

Misled by Trailer

I wanted to see this new movie which there were a lot of talk about: True Grit. The trailers were very tempting, persuasive and attractive. We watched it last night: Not as good as it looks.

First of all the movie is in Southern accent which is hard to understand most of the time. Second of all the story was not long enough to be filmed and there were not so many conflict scenes that you expect to see in a Western. I mean this is a movie from Coen brothers with No Country for Old Men in their profile. What was the point of using these big stars with their all nominations and achievements? Josh Brolin has a role not for more than 15 min.! Anybody else could be used!

Nevertheless I will either buy(!) or rent the DVD just to get the more of the movie. It'll a little practice for me to have my ears more familiar with the accent too.

(Photo: The end of the movie where the girl grown up and is looking for the Marshal is pictured here in this behind the scene photo)

Noto: The movie doesn't even have a website. Isn't that stupid for a movie with bunch of stars!?

The Bunkers

I was in this online chess playing website early this morning or better to say after the midnight, not to mention how many times I lost ridiculously and I met a guy from Denmark who actually had a little chat with me for about 15 min. before we start a game.

He told me that his sister lived in Ottawa and how he was there to pay her a visit. I told him about my travel to Denmark as well and also told him about the German bunkers that I made aware of last year. I told him that I wanted to see them.

Long story short is that last year a number of German bunkers were discovered in north western cost of Denmark. Those ones had been built by Germans after they occupied Denmark in order to push Allies Forces back. I don't know if they were ever been used or what the story about them is and I forgot to ask the guy who's his screen name is Snooser (I have no idea what that means) but he gave me his e-mail address. I also can ask my cousin. I checked the map and Ringkobing Fjord (in Danish of course) is the opposite side of Copenhagen and Greve, where my cousin lives. So if I'm flying to Copenhagen, I will rent a car and the drive is about three hours and a half unless he has another idea.

I don't know when I'm goin' but I will and I combine that with Malmo trip that we have planned as well.

(Photo: This blur map doesn't show the territories under Danish Kingdom but shows how far Greve, beside the capital, Copenhagen in east is from Ringkobing Fjord in west)

Columbia House

I was going through the news last week and one thing caught my eyes: Columbia House went bankrupt. I felt bad for the company and it's guys of course but didn't get anything else from the news.

Then this morning when I woke up and was still in the bed for no reason it came to my mind again and remembered something: I bought a few movies from this Columbia House. It goes back to either 2002 or 2003. I used to receive their flyer amongst the other ones. CDs and DVDs as low as I don't know how much but very cheap. I still might have a few of those movies left in my archive of more than 250. They are gone and that so disturbing because it's a bad sign for the economy in general. That's it. I just wanted to bring this up.

The Penny

It has been lately decided by the Canadian financial authorities possibly in Bank of Canada not to make any Penny anymore. It is said that the authorities have studied a Penny-free monitory system in other English-speaking countries (Australia, perhaps) and found it possible to perform. Every Penny costs 2.5 cents to make these days and since nobody bothers picking up a Penny from the floor it's not useful any more.

What surprises me in this whole process of omitting the Penny from the system is the reaction of Canadians to the Queen on the Penny. Many Canadians respect her and the Royal Family but no one even cares about the Queen on the floor. It has not even been discussed once! They have never said even once that well you don't need that Penny, it's worthless but how about the Queen? The Queen that you admire. The Queen that you line up to see her. The Queen that you waves your little flags for her! Isn't that disrespectful?
(Photo: A Canadian Penny from year 2000)

A 42:18 Phone Interview

I had a telephone interview this morning with that company and spent more than 40 min. with them. It seemed alright at the end and there's hope. The company is involved in Oil Sands projects in Northern Alberta and I would be acting as a QA Coordinator if I was hired. I'm supposed to go there and talk to someone, this time a face to face interview. My answers were mostly sounded convincing to them and I think I have a good chance unless someone who's more qualified shows up. The project is defined for a period of 2 to 3 years. I'll be waiting for another call to go to Calgary.

(Photo: An aerial photo of an Oil Sands project field. I will post about what really oil sand mean after I study and understand it myself!)

Drowing in Debt

This recent global recession, lack of steady jobs, poor economic situation, under-employment or whatever you want to call it had driven many people in Canada to bad financial situations. It was said by the CBC last night that the debt to income ratio for Canadians rose to 148.1 per cent ending last Sep. alone which will go up for sure by the end of the fiscal year because of the Christmas and New Year. No doubt about that. It mean for every one hundred dollar that a Canadian earn, 148.1 dollar will be spent by him or her!

I myself was almost debt free until mid 2008 and not doing too bad in 2009 but while we're ending 201o in almost 2 weeks I owe almost $4800 only on my credit cards! And if I add the finances and penalties then the number will go up so high that the reader probably gets a hurt attack. And I'm not a type a guy who goes to restaurants every other day, smokes, drink or gamble or take cruise vacations!

nevertheless my near future plan is pay all the debts as fast as I can while looking for the ways to make more and pay less. I'll report in 6 months!

Good Performance

There's this job that I started a little more than 2 months ago. A period of 6 months has been set as probation by the management. So many people have been fired so far for different reasons. I've been one of the lucky ones so far. I've been trying hard to keep up a good performance and prevent from being terminated. I don't think I've been doing very badly. I use tricks and tips just to stay on track. That is why I was amongst the 7 top performers of the week two times so far in the last two weeks. I was the 2nd one in the first time the performance was measured and last week, the second time, I dropped to the 7th place!

So it means I have to focus more just to pass days until I get a better job or simply pass the probation.

Hit 10,000

I was driving home yesterday from work and I realized I hit 10,000 KM on my vehicle's odometer. It happened exactly after 1 year and 2 months and 28 days(!), almost 1 1/4 year. And that's because I drive back and forth to work every day which I hate a lot but have no choice as public transport is a disaster here. It's almost 20 KM every day, I believe. I hope I can get another job soon which I don't have to do driving every day especially because this Highway No. 1 that I have to take everyday is horrible. Big eighteen wheelers are driving really fast and no one seems to care about 80 KM speed limit in construction zone. I've seen to speed controllers in the last 2 months. The westbound is always congested in the morning. I never wish that I was on the opposite lane!

(Photo: The odometer when I was stopped at the lights yesterday just minutes away from home)

McDonald's Fair Deal

I don't eat fast food. I mean I stopped long time ago. I just try to stay away from fat, Cholesterol and all the chemicals and preservatives. If I want to get a burger I rather to go to Burger King, not to mention that I haven't been there for a long time. That's the only fast food I eat.

But McDonald's coffee is something else. It's just out of question not having that! You get a large cup of freshly brewed coffee and a Fruit & Fibre muffin for only $1.78! Isn't that amazing? You can get a free refill in the restaurant too.

Compare it now with the stupid Tim Horton's: It's coffee is smaller. They have all sugary, oil-dipped donuts. There's no refill and the most annoying one: They don't accept Visa!!

One more good thing about McDonald's: Check out the website for all the nutrition information. It's scary though!

An Opportunity after 2.5 Years

I received a call from a very well known company based in Calgary for a QA Coordinator position today and like many times before I have to make it there this Fri. because apparently one of the gentlemen who are goin' to interview me will go for his vacation next week! It's always like that. Every time you say something about the interview date they say that the interviewer will be on vacation. I remember once one of them said that he was on vacation and the position was filled when he was away!

Anyways I checked the flights and realized that there won't be anyway that I can leave early Fri. morning and come back the same day afternoon. At least that's what Westjet's site says. Nevertheless I have to check with this stupid current job of mine and make up a story.

When I think of all the opportunities that I've lost in the past few years and then think of all the misery of flying to Calgary and back, where to stay, how to pass the damn interview, is that a stable and secure job and everything else I really panic! I have to make a call tomorrow and ask if I can change the interview date or at least the job's duration and the other natures of it.

Keiv wrote me in his last e-mail that he would go to his stand-by mode again in a week or so just like last year and it's the worst time of the year 'cause Christmas is comin'! He was unemployed for almost 10 months in 2009 and showed his furry in his e-mail again about having the same situation. I wonder how I got this telephone call while Keiv's company, SNC Lavalin which is a huge one is very slow! I also checked the company's website and it looked very amateur with a UNDER CONSTRUCTION message in the main page! We'll see.

Gasoline Price

This damn gas price is goin' up again like a rocket. It's now 120.1 C for a liter here in this part of Brit"SHIT" Columbia which is more expensive than Alberta of course. The last time I bought some, I believe it was about 116 C something. I don't know how it's in the US but what I'm goin' to do is to make a table and compare the gasoline price and crude oil just for my knowledge and see how bastard these giant oil companies are! I heard that a few consumer companies have banned Oil Sand gasoline products but I don't think it might have any effect on this.

(Photo: Gasoline price has been always a concern for Americans as they mostly like to show off big ass SUVs and do lots of road trips. Thank God that I have never been that stupid to buy something like that!)

Karbalaeinematmoeeney(!)

You might say ' What the hell is that? ' by looking at this post's title. I was surprised when I read that word although it was not as much as you did. In fact it's somebody's surname! Yes!

There's this Basketball player of Memphis Grizzlies (the team which used to play in Vancouver) who's originally from Iran, named Hamed Haddadi. He's not a starter and has joined the league recently. I was goin' through today's news and I realized that the guy has just been charged with an assault in Memphis, TN. What the media says is Hamed and his gf who's surname is mentioned above get into an argument which leads to a physical altercation(!) and both get injured(!) The girls family name which is Persian of course is actually Karbalaei-Nemat-Moeeney, consists of three different parts and was even hard for me to understand and analyze it the first 2 times that I read it! Some people get so patriotic and nationalist that they don't want to change to alternate their names and family names here in North America. Iranians and East Indians are amongst them. Chinese and Korean are a bit more flexible.

Anyways the family name doesn't mean anything even in Persian. I can explain a bit but doesn't get us anywhere. But look at the parts of the news I've selected:

... the court orders were translated from English to his native language of Persian by a court interpreter(!) I don't blame the poor guy. He never had the chance to study English in his native Ahvaz and after that to be able to understand the complicated Judaical system terms.

... the court judge allowed Haddadi to be free on bond but ordered him not to have any contact with his gf. Haddadi's defence lawyer said the judge's order is for his client's protection(!) (She might beat the shit of him again!)

The two used to live in California where a large population of Iranians live before settling in Memphis.

(Photo: Hamed Haddadi looks really disturbed, stressed and terrified here in this picture taken from him outside the courtroom)

Flashback (21): Being Pulled Over in Calgary

I said that I would tell the story of me being pulled over, ticketed and towed in Calgary and here it is: It was a cold night like this in Dec. and I had just finished my exercises in Talisman Centre and was heading south on McLeod Tr. for home. It was chilly and the car's windows were frozen and it was not really easy for me to see around. I noticed a CPS cruiser on the second line shortly before I reach 58th Ave. I was driving slowly and made sure that I won't exceed the speed limit. I was hoping he passes me but instead I saw him behind me when I had a quick look in my rear-view mirror. It happened so fast. Then I crossed 58th while the light went amber and there he was putting his beacon on! I pulled over and two officers jumped down. The leader asked for my documents and of course my insurance had ran out long time ago. He called the tow truck. But shortly before the truck arrives there was another cruiser with two officers. When the truck came I allowed me to get out of the vehicle. I asked them something like what was goin' on and one of them said that they were there only for back up! I don't know what sort of back up was needed that 4 Police officer had been gathered together for a lone driver with a small car! One of them explained to me what was goin' on, handed me the violation ticket and asked me if I needed a cab! I simply said that the LRT station was not too far and started walking to Chinook Station. Now compare it with the tow I had just a few weeks ago by a RCMP member. You see a huge difference. I understand the jurisdiction difference but the severity of the penalty in Calgary was too much. I had to pay for the ticket, tow truck, parking and of course the insurance. Here I paid nothing to the tow truck driver and he never took me to the yard. I could simply driver without buying insurance again, which I didn't and never will again and the ticket has enough time to rest before it's paid!

(Photo: McLeod Tr. South in front of Chinook Centre, southbound where I had this wonderful memory of mine!)

Two Disastrous Weeks

The last two weeks were so bad that I barely want to write anything about them. I failed a major position first step and probably another position as well although I haven't received anything from the second organization.

The weather was horrible in a way that I got a bad cold last Sun. and still am not recovered. I certainly am not a good driver and don't like driving back and forth to work. The roads were so dangerous which I'm surprised that I was able to make it. This type of snow is not usual in British Columbia but it had been predicted. Then there was the work which got so physically demanding. I was mostly dead tired when I got home all day last week especially because I had to work overtime last Sat. and Sun.

Canadian Retarded

I went to a local Canadian Tire, which I'd like to change it to Canadian Retarded for an oil change and I don't know if the guys over there were drunk or sleepy but my next oil change was set to 138,590 KM(!) While I only have a little more than 8200 KM on my vehicle! I was goin' to see their service manager and ask him if they ever do drug test for their employees or not but decided not to. The stupidity is not just limited to that. They also put Feb.10 as the next next oil change date. That should be something really strong they consume!

(Photo:That might not very clear photo as I took it in a cloudy evening using my old cellphone but you can clearly see what I'm talking about)

Trapped!

I decided to give the stairs a try in this new building of ours that we just moved in less than a month ago and got trapped. It's a high-rise and everybody takes elevator and of course the elevator only stops at your floor when you use your fob. Our unit is passed the mid-building and I wanted to go all the way up but soon, before getting too high I realized that there's no way in. The doors open only from the lobby of the each floor to the stairs but you can't get from the stairs to the floors. So if you get in to the set of stairs there's no way to get out. I was lucky that someone was just passing the door after a minute or so. I banged on the window and he let me out!

(Photo: I don't know how this emergency door is supposed to help. There are doors behind the building which might open to these stairs but I haven't dared trying them yet!)

Remembrance 2010

The above photo is all that I can present for Remembrance Day 2010: Bunch of old planes flying over Lower Mainland, B. C. I believe the Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan has been the toughest among all they ever have participated in. The Canadians not only have to fight ghost-like enemies but also the weather condition, criticism of some people and at times scandals. Poor guys and gals. The mission was about to be ended in June 2011 but I just heard that the Prime Minister had changed his mind and the CF mission is being extended. I don't know any details but I will follow up.

(Photo: Last minute picture of planes before they hide behind the building)

Caught!

I was driving to work yesterday after a failed court appearance as a witness (the trial had been canceled while I had no idea) and I only were less than 3 minutes away from the place where I noticed a police cruiser on a street crossing the main road. I thought that I can get rid of him easily: I get before the big truck and hide myself until I get to the road that I had to turn right and then I'd be in the parking lot. I did that fast but he was a fast as me and apparently was waiting for me over there based on a tip. He quickly put his beacon and siren on and I had no choice but pulling over. I was sure that he pulled me over for my expired insurance but had no clue how he had known that. I remained in the car and the officer appeared at my window and told me the reason why I had been pulled over. That was the time that I was sure that somebody had reported on me but didn't know who, when and how?

Anyways I didn't waste time making up stories and fabricating lame excuses. So he handed me my violation ticket and called the tow truck. So here I was sitting in my car watching curious people who were driving by, waiting for a tow truck. I had waited for a tow truck more than 30 times in the past 2 years but not as someone who gets towed because of a violation but as someone has authority to do so! The good thing was as soon as the tow truck showed up the officer took off. He had told me that that would be up to me to where to go which was completely different from the last time I had been towed in Alberta! I don't think I have told that story but the cops over there were much tougher and stricter than the RCMP here in B. C.

Nevertheless the tow truck took me to the nearest insurance place and although asked for $70 first, he surprisingly charged me nothing! I quickly bought insurance and drove to work! But I still feel that I have to tell what happened when my car was towed in 2005 in Alberta.

Not So Early Bird

My wrist watch alarm went off at 06:00 and I started getting ready to go to work. I got the vehicle out of the parking and drove to the street. Seemed not busy at all. Made sense: Sunday morning, 06:15 AM. I carried on driving. The highway seemed normal too me. Then I passed the first Tim Horton's on my way: No line up. Lights off!? What the hell? Then I went to the McDonald's that I always get my coffee. Same scene over there! What's goin' on!? I drove to work, confused. Not as many cars as usually are parked there! Did they shut the site!? I parked and went inside: No one was in the gathering room. The security guard was standing in front of a board and reading something. I asked him if that was a working day. That was the only thing I though I could asked. His answer was yes. I asked him why there was nobody there then. He said that I made the same mistake that a few others had done: Day Light Saving had ended earlier today! Damn! I completely had forgotten! I, then, left and drove to the McDonald's parking lot waited until they opened. Got a coffee and spent the time there until it was the time to go to work! That had never happened before!

COPAT

I did COPAT this morning and that was a stupid test. I guess we were some 35 guys and gals and maybe only 2 failed! Such a fake test! What kind of test is it that everyone can pass it with just a little effort!? The time to beat was 02:50 and I did it with a big difference. But it was a piece of cake compare to the other physical tests that I'd done so far. Nevertheless I was dead tired at the end because I exert too much effort and at the end made a mistake two times! So I had to do the last exercise two more times! I believe this test was just a formality and the other steps make a difference. So if you're not in shape, did not have enough sleep the night before the test and drank too much, don't worry. You'll pass! There were guys who did the initial steps wrongly and the instructor took them back and let them start the beginning! What a dumb! They sent you printed material. They explain everything in detail and you watched the other guys doing that and you still make a mistake! What can I say!?

Dense Population

I have 3 government jobs lined up for me at the moment, 2 with the Federal Government and one with the Provincial Government. Not that I will get all of them or even one. I'll try my hardest. So I went to the municipality today for some application related work and Jesus I had to circle around for about 10 minutes and eventually I did not find a parking spot and I left parked in a nearby road and walked for about 6 min., something that most of people don't want to do simply because they are so freaking lazy. So anyways I went in and it didn't take long. There was a very helpful and nice lady over there and she did everything quickly and accurately without a charge of course and I was out of there in less than 20 min.

It was there that I found out why the municipality is planned to be relocated to a new place. Many major offices are gathered in one place and there is usually not enough parking spot for the people who have businesses with municipality itself, the court, the national police or so on. I hope the move will be a wise one, making life easier both for the employees and customers.

New Place

I moved to a new place, to a high-rise for the first time in my life. I get good sleep because the building is made of concrete of course and there's no noise from the floor above. We get a good view and everything is close. The rent is reasonable. It's been a good move so far, I'd say. I'd never bought such a place though, If I ever could. And there're lots of crackheads, assholes, nose in the sky and so on in the building which I'm not surprised. It's a huge population here compare to the last place. The last building had only 10 apartments. This one has over 350, I think. I met my buddy S. J. yesterday after almost a year a half and he told me that there had been a homicide in the tower once a few years ago! I think I remember that. I don't remember if that was the address though. He's a bit slow and you can't trust whatever he says after all!
(Photo: View from the apartment in the morning after a light snow yesterday)

Wrong Selection Methods

This recent scandal of a high ranking Canadian officer and all the other wrongdoings of the Canadian authorities, including many police officers, proves that the selection method of the government agencies is way too wrong. I remember this time that I was in a police recruiting centre when the policemen and policewomen kids were receiving special treatment from the recruiting crew, very different from us, the regular applicants: How's your Mommy constable?! How's your Daddy Sargent!?

If somebody's Dad or Mom is a police officer, does that guarantee that he or she makes a good one too!? It's like that fat fuck, M. W. that I used to work with. He used to make every police car stopped just to tell the officer that his that had been a police officer too!

I mean do I still live in Medieval Times that authority would be transferred to the next generation!? That's fucking daft! We have had so many cases of police officers selling illegal substances, involved in driving and drinking accidents, possession of stolen property and so more and nobody says that the selection process should be reviewed and modified and frequent evaluations should be put in place. One guess is the recruiting a new officer is too costly. But what about the disadvantages of the scandals and all the other related issues?

(Photo: Colonel Russell Williams (left)seen here with Peter McKay, the Minister of Defence, has been charged with 2 counts of first degree murder, 2 counts of sexual assault and more than 80 counts of break and enter was the commanding officer of CFB Trenton in Ontario. I'm very curious to see what McKay wants to say about this guy who is going to spend the rest of his life, very likely behind the bars. No comment has been published in behalf of him yet)

The Amazing Guys of Mark's

If you are not a person who wears fancy cloths or if you ever need working cloths, shoes and accessories I believe Mark's Work Warehouse is a very good place to shop at. I bought a pair of shoes in Aug. from one of Mark's locations in Calgary. It was nice, comfortable and cheap. I realized that does not meet the safety requirements of the new job. So I went to a Mark's location in the neighbourhood and by a pair of Caterpillar for almost $140 and returned the old one. They gave me a gift card for the original price although I had worn the shoe for over a month! Isn't that a fair deal!?

(Photo: The Cat pair of shoes are so comfortable that you can wear them for walking every day)

Thanksgiving

This year we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving by making a turkey dinner for the first time. We got a turkey from a local supermarket and since we're a small family, we got a small one which weight a little more than 3.4 Kg. We got the ingredients for stuffing, cranberry sauce and of course a pumpkin pie as the official desert of the dinner.

It took almost 3 hours to have the turkey ready. It was not bad but it was a bit dry and because we had no experience we could not say if it was bad or just OK. Of course tons are left which would make sandwiches and meals for the next few days. I finished the pie off as it was delicious but F. F. didn't like it very much. She was looking for her favorite, as apple pie but couldn't find one for obvious reasons! I'm gonna make the pie myself next time.

(Photo: The turkey might not look very good but doesn't taste bad at all. It's just doesn't have enough moist, nor does the neck!)

A Different Attitude

I started this new job which I don't know how long I'm goin' to keep(!) just a few days ago and I'm starting it with a completely different attitude. I don't want to be the same troublemaker who gets written up off and on and gets booted out. I'll be the Troublemaker though! But honestly I'm sick and tired of running around and also these f**king bills which get piled up every month. Not that this job pays better or is easier but I will try hard until I get something else. I have to re-do my medical with CF in the first week of Nov. and may be after that I'll be interviewed and move on. There're a few other options available which I'm hoping for. But that's all I'm goin' to be a good employee. Actually I start all of the job, well most of the jobs very calmly, I listen to sups and everything and as soon as I get good at it, I turn to a completely different person. I'm hoping that something kicks in in a short time but if it doesn't then I will have to remain a good boy!

A Big Mess or Mixed Up

I'm not telling the entire story of how I got into this mess but we're in the process of changing our place, I'm starting training on a new job this Mon., I have to do a medical exam for CF tomorrow and also Tue., in their recruiting centre, I have to attend an interview with them in less than 2 weeks, I have to attend an information session for a volunteer job, I'm waiting for a few calls from different employers, I have to get my exams done for my class 4 Driver's Licence and ... what else? These are all goin' to be done in the next 2 weeks.

The most important one of course is CF which although nothing is clear yet but it's goin' to be a huge change. I think I've written enough because nothing is clear yet. I don't know how I'm goin' to keep a job that I'm leaving it in the second day of training but I need it. Goodness I have to make up stories and sell them again!

No More Joy in the Coffee

I'm not a big coffee drinker but at times I like a hot cup of the drink with cream and sugar in it. I stopped using white sugar a long time ago regardless of the fact that many people say there is not a big difference between white and brown sugar. I know for a fact that there is. So I just consume brown sugar but as less as possible. And these days I go easy on cream specially because of the cholesterol and also its fat. My regular coffee if I'm not home is McDonald's and I don't like anything strong like Starbucks or similar. I started drinking Nabob at home, mostly for breakfast but it doesn't taste as well anymore. I even tried Van Houtte and Maxwell House but did not notice much difference. The reason could be that I use ground coffee and that type of coffee could have other things added to it. So may be I should get coffee beans and ground them myself or ... Any idea?

(Photo: Many people can't start their day without a cup of coffee. I'm not addicted like that)

Running Up and Down the Street

I have to low-paid jobs(!) interview experiences which I have to tell you here:

I had to be at the first interview at 13:00 hours and I was early on a bus. So instead of getting off at 200 Ave. I thought I'd better get off at 198 and walk for a few yards. I said I would get familiar with the neighbourhood and I might get a bite. So I got off the bus but instead of 198 or 199 it was 189(!) My mind was just paying no attention! So I started walking and time was ticking! Seemed like I was not even close. Then I realized that I had to run and started it and thanks to all those running and jugging practices. I wasn't sure where the address was. I ran and ran and then ask a fat guy in shorts and then ask another guy in an oil change shop and ran again. Then I threw me into a cab which was parked in a gas station and that was the time I was at 200 Ave. but didn't know where the address was! I asked the guy to take me to number 7634. He grabbed his pen to write it down and when finished it pointed at a building across from the street said: 7634 is there! I thanked him, jumped out of the cab and crossed the street. When I got there it was almost 12:55 and I had to wait for at least 20 minutes after filling out the form. I passed the interview and was sent to the HR for a bunch of forms to fill out!

An Idea (1)

Imagine that you're walking in a shopping mall, sitting at a desk in a coffee shop or waiting for transit in a station and a young girl hands you a flayer depicting a hair stylist. There is no address but there are telephone numbers. The papers offers a hair cut for only $10(!)

You call the number later and a guy tells you that he would meet with you at this time in a local fast food restaurant, a major one. The hour is sometimes between 10:00AM and 11:00 AM. You meet with the guy at the specific time and designated place. He says to you that he would see you in the restroom(!) You know that you're not homosexual but you give it a try. You are not afraid. You say: What is the most that could happen?

You go in there and you see a folding chair in front of the mirror and the guy standing aside with a pair of scissors, a comb and a towel. You sit and he cuts your hair in the same way you would get your hair done in a store. Two people visit the washroom during the operation(!) One rushes to the toilet and the other one gives you two a weird look! You don't. He doesn't either. You thank him and the end and he wishes to see you again and that would be about it.

Do you think such a scenario would ever become practical?

Nice View of the Premises

We went to Burnaby yesterday to see a few apartments to rent. This one, not an apartment just a suite was located in north side of the town had a nice view to Downtown Vancouver and the inlet. It was a rainy day yesterday like today but still could see the scenery. We didn't take the place as it was too small for us.

(Photo: Downtown Vancouver in front, the inlet, the harbour and the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge from the street in north Burnaby where we were trying to find a place)

The Bourne Series

I always believed, and that was based on facts, that whatever is happening in Afghanistan, Iraq and other conflicted areas is made by the US just to sell its airplanes, missiles and other guns and ammunition to earn billions. It's clearly stated in movies like JFK, Fahrenheit 9/11 and others as well and can be concluded with a little effort if a good thinking is given.
Watching the Bourne movie series practically proves how the US is capable of observing and monitoring everybody's moves and makes it impossible to believe that bunch of illiterate, non-trained Arabs could establish an organization which infiltrate high-tech American spy and control monitoring systems! There are also documentaries available on Youtube that you can refer to and see how the US makes up and name imaginary hostile organization and builds fear in Americans' mind so can benefit from that.
Anyways it was just a reconfirmation(!) to what I believe and also to say that if you like spy-action movies The Bourne Series are good ones especially the first and the last. Enjoy!
(Photo: Matt Demon as Jason Bourne in the first movie of three called The Bourne Identity)

One Year Deferral

I received a letter from the organization that I had applied a job from yesterday. That was after more than a week since I failed the interview. Now I'm deferred for 1 year! I wasn't expecting it to be this long but apparently it is which is not fair to me. It's says that it's a final decision and there won't be any appeal. I now that I didn't do well in the interview but still think that 1 year is too long. It's good that I won't have to write the written test again which is a disaster!

Flashback (20): The Grudge

I regret my life and the wrongdoings in the past few years. I should have worked and studied harder I think. Then I would be in a better situation now. I don't know may be not because there are people who had better situation that I did and they are in shit as well.

But the part I regret is hanging out with my buddies. I wish I still had that opportunity. This could mean nothing to many but is very amusing to me.

P. M. called me one night and said he wanted to watch a movie and named it as The Grudge. I told him that I did not know anything about that and also did not find it in movie listing. He said that it was showing in discount type of theatres now. I'm not sure about Brit"SHIT" Columbia but in Calgary there is (or may be was!) a theatre in NE part of the town that you could watch one week or longer movies in a small theatre with the almost same quality. So P. M. (not the Prime Minister) wanted to see me there. I looked at the address at the time and found it close to me place, may be only 10 to 15 Min. drive. I went there and waited and waited and I remember it was a cold and gloomy evening and he was late and I called him and his Dad picked up and I mixed him up with him which was very embarrassing! And he eventually showed up with his stupid and calm grim on his face and surprisingly we got there on time.

And what a movie! I could not watch it completely and had to cover my eyes at time! I don't recall much of that night. P. M. is still doing fine. He finished his 2-year program at SAIT after probably 4 years or longer! (He had as long as months off) got a job, got laid off because according to himself his boss told him that he expected more from him and then he got into another program, I guess an engineering one this one, a B. Sc., in Thunder Bay and that's where he is now. Now I believe people like P. M. are successful in life. People who are always calm and take everything easy, laugh and smile at everything. His ignorance and dumbness was (and I bet still is) significant. But should not forget that he always had the opportunity to stay with his parents the entire time that he did not have a job and was not doing well. I wish him better days. May be I envy him in some ways!

(Photo: A scene from The Grudge. I don't remember what was going on. I try not to!)

A Bad Day

Have you heard that song Bad Day by Daniel Powter? I had listened to it several times until today that I really had a bad day myself! I don't know if it was as bad as the one he describes in his song or was worse! Not that the other days are good! I'm still stuck to the crappy job after almost 2 years (It will be this Sep.) and receive shit on daily basis! So today the shit was completed(!): I got a warning! It means that I will be in a 90 days probation period and if anything happens I will be terminated! The contract itself will be expired in 4 months! just a month after the probation period and we don't know if it could be extended!

I left the office after signing the sheet as an acceptance of the warning and went to get the car. I was about to leave the parking lot when a gentleman told me that I had a flat tire! I don't know why I had not noticed! I looked at the panel and a sign showed the flat tire but it was too bright and hot (almost 30 degrees centigrade) that I realized that I had not paid attention. I pulled over and changed the damn tire! I still don't know what had happened! How would a new car get a flat tire in less than a year while it's parked in a public parking lot!?

Heritage Family

My time here's up as I failed the interview but I'd like to mention my experience of staying with D. H.'s family. I spent my first night at D. H.'s. It was him and his two sons, one of 'em an autistic boy. It's Ramadan now so for religious people like him fasting is a must. The poor kid was fasting too and he barely could walk! Fasting prevents you to do many things especially in the afternoon. The body is not able to function because of lack of food and water.

Anyways He wanted to make something ready for their feast, I would say! He asked me how many chickens were needed and asked me to help him with cutting the chickens. He started preparing the gravy by mixing different types of herbs and tastes.

When it was the eating time late in the evening around 22:00 hours or later the kid was dead! Then they started eating and that disgusted me! They were eating using their hands just like monkeys and of course they never washed their hands not even when he was preparing the food. This guy has been living in Canada and still eats like a Saharan Berber!

Then it was him delivering his regular speeches about religion, West, how he never became a slave here by not working! His wife was then back from a long trip and I saw her head wrapped in a scarf! It was almost 3 o'clock when I heard noise and I woke up. That was the bitch banging the dishes in the kitchen. Of course the entire house was a mess and she was pissed. She asked D. H. how he could have lived like that!! Not knowing that it was how he lived his most of life! Then she turned the light on and opened her suitcase up. Then they all lined up and started praying! It was began by the kid saying something as a preface and then D. H. took lead and prayed both in Arabic and English! The whole show was being played for about 20 min. with me laying just 3 feet away from them supposedly asleep! I don't know what kind of assholes let people in and then wake them up at 03:00 in the morning! The motherfucker could at least tell me what would be happening but the fucker is just a lazy, ignorant.

Standing Out

I went to Talisman yesterday to do a little exercises while I knew that they were working on its roof. Discussions about the necessity of a new roof for the complex was started in 2006 and earlier. So I went inside and started talking to the receptionist guy who said that he recognized me coming to do the exercises regularly! I remembered him too but wasn't expecting him to say so. I remember eyes were on me every time I would go there. I was amongst a few non-Caucasian. That's how remembers me!
Anyways he said the track, the main reason for me being there, was closed due to construction and would be opened in Jan. 2011! When I asked him about the daily admission he mentioned a $12 and few cents! I was taken aback! I paid that much though and spent about an hour in there doing a few pushes and pulls but it definitely not worth it.

GPS in 1988 Vehicle

I was surprised when The Chef told me that he drives back and forth to work. I remember the story he told me about his training session with a driving school trainer three years ago. This must be new. When I saw his car that was not exactly what I was expecting but was close enough: A 1988 Nissan Pulsar NX with several dents and scratches on the body and nice cracks on the windshield. The fuel gauge is not working! He said when the fuel level is low, then a light starts flashing! So when we wanted to get my stuff from The Brave's, I bought $10 gas before the start of the trip just to be sure.

The good thing about this car is it's GPS! When he told me that he had one, I barely believed him but then he showed me that and said it was not working. I realized that the system was switched off! So I turned it on, feed it the destination and it worked perfectly. He said that he had paid some $128 for that. May be I get one! But overall I don't like it because it makes you lazy and fool. If you're not familiar with the neighbourhood you're traveling in, it helps a lot though.

(Photo: A Garmin GPS similar to Hodani's is sold for $279.99 by Future Shop)

The 1st Step

I eventually passed the two exams yesterday with the skin of my teeth. I felt that I did better than the time before and was confident that I would pass if not with flying colours at least with a good score. But didn't happen. The important thing is that I passed it and it will be valid for the next 5 years. Not that I want to keep it untouched for that long!

Then I attended an orientation meeting for my physical examination. It was a good one. I think I'll be fine If I get enough rest before the exam. Overall it won't be an easy one but I will try my best.

A Job Forever

I remember a while ago the supervisor told S. T. that he could have had a permanent job there. That was a good news for him because he had just bought a condo and was really looking for a steady job that he could rely on. S. T. was asked to leave early this year by the supervisor as a result of poor performance! He was transferred to another job then got kicked out of that one as well after a few once. None of us ever knew what happened but I assume it was the same crap!Now the supervisor is gone himself! He was alleged of several misconducts including harassment. It was unbelievable to me when I was sitting with the other guys in a meeting room. There was somebody from the head office who had a thick file in front of him reading Confidential on the top! He told us all the allegations have been taken into consideration and the supervisor has been suspended. Then he wanted our opinion. I was sitting with wide open eyes hearing that people were saying they wouldn't be working if he's coming back! I was then said that he was outside the office wanted to come in and apologize but was held back by the investigator. Then it was that he wanted to come back and work desperately but when more of his wrongdoings were revealed he decided to resign! The problem was so big that the investigator even called a few guys who had recently quit their jobs. They thought the employees might have resigned because of the supervisor.

I didn't have much feeling for that. I was neutral. He helped me out a lot and at the same time deprived me of a very good position by giving a bad reference. I don't know if he was honest when he said that I was not a good team-player or was just being an asshole. He could give a positive feedback and I had a permanent well-paid job with excellent benefits and writing this stuff at the moment! It must have been hard on him losing the job. Otherwise he wouldn't have asked to come back and face the guys who basically hated him!

Returning to Canada

Hojam left Canada almost 3 years ago to go back to his homeland and start a new life with a little money he had saved here but he's coming back again, seems like it, empty handed and minded! I learnt from his former supervisor/friend that he had bought 1 or 2 properties: One was sold to a few other people at the time and the other one, for construction, a permit was never issued for it. So he decided to re-start his life again, he wrote me in an e-mail, that he was coming back.

It's really hard to start a new life here in Canada with no money and education and I doubt that he has either of them but seems like that he doesn't have much choice, poor guy. Hojam is a very nice, helpful and decent guy. He knows a lot about cars and how to fix them but at the same time he's lazy, I think. That's what keeps him back in life, like many other people, including me!

Hodani and His Troubles

I had lost the track of Hodani until a few days ago that I received my e-mail's reply and the new telephone number of his. I eventually called him this morning and tacked to him for about half an hour. I learnt that he had moved to a new place and the reason for that which is worth hearing although might be not very interesting to many but was to me:

Hodani has this bad habit of getting drunk and when he's really drunk he either fights with people around him or goes for prostitutes! Seems like a few weeks ago such a thing happened and he picked up a hooker on the street and got busy with her. The only difference was that he had a roommate this time who was very conservative. The woman left and just after a few minutes the pimp appeared in the apartment, according to Hodani, he climbed up the balcony, broke the window and got in. The Caucasian guy demanded money for his woman while Hodani had already paid her. The argument and smashed window led to CPS present at Hodani's apartment and eventually the roommate's complaints to the landlord in regards insecurity. Then another night while Hodani was at a friend's house the pimp guy showed up with the roommate in the shower! I knew Hodani's neighbourhood in Downtown is not a good one but I didn't know it was that bad. The pimp guy opens the door and demands money from the guy who's actually new to Canada. The guy says that he had no money on him and states that he would get him some from an ATM if he let him dress. They go to a nearby bank and the new immigrant gets $100 out of his account but it was apparently was not enough so he gets another $40 and is let go with the promise that he would be killed if he says anything to the police! That eventually leads to Hodani and the new guy both moving out of the apartment.

Now I'm not sure what part of the story is true and what part is fabricated but I know that Hodani is not a liar. That could be him, the new immigrant, who had exaggerated to take advantages from Hodani. If what Hodani says about the guys origin, Isfahan, I can say for sure that there are untrue parts in this story. I know the type.

After all it's quiet a story. Hodani sounded fine as usual, now sharing another apartment with someone else in another neighbourhood of the city. Good for him!

U-Pick Blueberry

We finally went to a blueberry farm in Surrey yesterday. It was a good experience. We spent almost 50 minutes over there, starting at around 05:50 and picked a little more than 8 Lbs. There farm, in case you want to have fun too, is located in 152 Street where all the farms are on your right when you're driving south. You'll see a sign which reads the title of this post. There must be other farms as well but this is the one we tried and was good. The first few rows of plants are for picking and are specified with signs. I assume they might be of a lower quality although it's not easy to say for a non-expert. There might be other reasons involved. The farm belongs to a Punjabi-Canadian family. The lady whom sounded that she was born here weighted the pint and charged us $1.25 for each pound. I asked her how many more weeks that might be available and her response was as long as a maximum of 2 weeks but added that it depended on the number of people who would visit.

(Photo: Like many Punjabi families the last name of this farm's owner is Gill as it can be read on the pint)

Poor Hungry People of Canada

It has been always said that people in Africa continuously have been suffering from hunger because of drought, famine and other reasons as well. But evidently Canada is worse. Just look at the above photo that I took in a supermarket yesterday. It's not Africa (as Oriental people could be seen!). It's not Vietnam, Cambodia or Lao during those years of horrifying war. It's right here in Canada, in a G8 country!

The only difference is many of these people you see in the picture make enough money to feed their family and do other stuff, even some of them pay mortgages but since they are born in the environment that always made them to look for cheaper stuff, they can't change themselves. They always go for the cheapest just to fill up the stomach. Doesn't matter what it is.

(Photo: People are gathered around in produce section of a supermarket for corns 28 cents each. They kept themselves calm and didn't get in to any brawl to the minute I left the supermarket!)

The Last Chance

I just was given another chance as I messed up the first one. I might be able to write the written exam and do the rest in Aug. but I have to see what F. F. says first, then I have to check with work to see if I can take those days off and then I will probably go. This is probably the last chance I have been given in this business.

I also checked with CF recruiting today, almost a month after I had another signature given to them and I was told that there was no problem with that security clearance forms and I should contact them in a month or so. What a progress!

Red Lobster

As this website is all about The Other Side of the Globe and everything of the daily life in here, I would like to say here that we went to a Red Lobster in Calgary last week and it was amazing: Neat and clean, quality and prompt service, nice environment, good staff. There's no Red Lobster in B. C. but if you go to other provinces and would like to eat out, don't miss that. It was a bit hard for F. F. to enjoy the meal as she had to struggle with it using a nut cracker. She had a whole lobster. Mine was not that bad. I had two different types of shrimp, lobster tail and crab legs. The point is you have to be an expert get the most of the meat out of the shell and fast before it gets cold. We had no drink, no appetizer and no desert and the food was quite enough which cost close to $70. That was not my first lobster as I have had it at home with Hodani. I feel more comfortable eating at home. Plus Hodani did all the cooking and preparation. May be that's why it tasted a bit better!

Predatores: Waste of Money and Time

We watched Predators last week and it was a total disappointment. It was the worst amongst all Predator franchise. There were a group of people with no relationship or connection with other in the past which are thrown on a planet to be hunted by Predators!! The cast are bunch of losers who had not been appeared in a hit movie probably for a long time including Adrian Brody whose his character is nowhere near a warrior. The dialogue is nothing but profanity and the characters get disappeared one by one and very quickly certainly because producers are not willing to spend too much money on the cast!

There a few questions which remain unanswered to the end of the movie:

1-Why are the two Predators fighting against each other instead of hunting the humans!?

2- Why does the lonely guy who wears the Predator camouflage help the human beings first and then tries to kill them?

3- ...

I think that's enough writing about this piece of shit. Just make sure you won't waste your time and money on this. Do something else instead!

The Best Place On Earth

This advertisement on the wall of the new Canada Line train car caught my eyes yesterday on the way home. That's funny but I think it contradicts with what the Government of British Columbia claims: The Best Place On Earth(!) Don't you think so?!

(Photo: Translink advertisement in train car from YVR to Bridgeport station)

Dramatic Changes In Calgary

I wander around and also checked the neighbourhoods in Calgary, where I used to live. There were significant changes in the city. The Future Shop on Macleod Trial was gone and instead there was a Co-op. That was where I bought my laptop. The McDonald's across from the street was an abandoned building and fenced around. The big GM dealer, Carter, was completely wiped out. The building and lots around where all empty. It was hard to believe all these changes. I guess it's true that it will take a few years, at least up to 2013 to recover from recession. I think I felt that in Stampede as well. I kind of believe that there were not as many visitors as it used to be although the statistics on TV didn't say that. While there were those negative (in a way) changes in the city there were good ones too: There are new buildings being built including the tallest one in downtown on 6th Ave. We went to Red Lobster and although it was a weekday we had to wait for about 10 minutes and the restaurant was packed. It's a good place to spend money. I saw new buses and new train cars as well as new train stations (track extension) and almost everywhere you park it'll be pay parking. I will write about this later.

(Photo: Former Carter GM dealer at the corner of Macleod Trial and 67 Ave. SW was a major car and truck dealer for a long time in Calgary now is the campaign headquarters for a Calgary mayor candidate. I later on learned that it had ben moved to a new place)
(Correction: The dealer has been moved to a new place. So it is not that bad. However the place with multiple empty yards not being taken over by any other business is not a good sign)

The Longest Calgary Stampede

This year I'm here in Calgary in July and I went to Calgary Stampede after 4 years, the longest one ever. We were there at about 10:30 AM and left around 11:00 PM. I was expecting a bigger crowed but it was a Mon., may be that was why. We were cut by a hail storm around 11:30 AM and got soaked! It's usual for this time of the year but looked like that it didn't want to end. We then spent a quite long time in Saddledome watching different Cowboy competitions, including one which was being held for the first time. We also spent some time in Nashville North listening to Country singers and watching drunk guys and gals. I had bought a Flames shirt from Fanatic store and had it on in the there. The Flames fans liked it a lot and appreciated that. Native dance in Indian Village was not as impressing and interesting as the other previous years that I had seen them. They had less number of dancers with less experience and expertise. For example the Hoop Dancer looked like a learner to me. It's a very difficult dance and I think requires long time exercise before a tremendous performance and this year's dancer lacked it.

(Photo: Cowboys have to do a series of jumps, runs, spins and walks in this new competition held for the first time in Stampede. This is one of them that the horse is being directed to walk on a wooden path with a 90 degrees angle at the beginning and a moving and shaking part at the end)

Warm Weather

It's July and It's getting hot. It's 18 C at 07:20 AM! Go(o)d help us all at 02:00 PM! I remember a few nights last summer that I hardly slept. The good thing is we're goin' to Calgary tomorrow and it's supposed to be rainy Fri. and Sat. over there. I'm goin' back after more than 3 years. I hope this trip can get me somewhere, eventually settle down! Tired!

30 Days or 30 Years?!

I received an e-mail last week from the Corporal indicating that he needed me to sign and initial a paper which had been back to him from Ottawa!? So I went there last Mon. morning to meet with him. I noticed a new booklet issued by CF gathering all the possible questions someone might have in the early steps of application. There was one asking how long the process would take and the answer was 30 days, approximately(!) and the other FAQ was asking about the four major steps in recruitment which are Aptitude Test, Medical Examination, Reliability Screening and finally the Interview.

I mentioned that 30 days and he jokingly called it 30 years! It expressed my frustration but the only thing he said was that sometimes there's something in the form, the hard copy which actually doesn't match what had been entered to the computer and that's the time which the correction must be made. I didn't argue with him because I knew that it wouldn't get me here but wanted to speak up. When I mentioned what I had heard on the news about The Navy patrols being canceled due to lack of budget and the employment of the staff is jeopardized, he simply said that they always receive they pay stub and encouraged me wait for it and call him in a month or so. What other choices do I have?

True Confections

We paid a visit to English Bay on Sun. and as it was almost 17:00 hours most of the businesses were not very busy and street vendors or entertainers were getting ready to leave. However we enjoyed a play of Jazz by a group of four on Denman. True Confections was close by and not very busy unlike the last time were in the neighbourhood. Thus we decided to go in and give it a try. We were shortly sited and a brunette girl with a strange accent appeared at the table to get our orders I asked her a couple of questions and she showed impatience and disrespect which was very rare in downtown businesses. We eventually ended up with ordering two cups of hot drinks, one of them coffee and the other one I don't know what it was plus a small piece of Fruit Trifle. The coffee was the worst I've ever had in my life! It was brought in an old, dirty, scratched, chipped mug! There was not enough brown sugar available and the cream was not as much as I liked. The other beverage was pushed away by F. F. and we just made ourselves busy with the Trifle which was not bad. Then quickly after that the girl who claimed to be from France brought our check while I still wanted to sit. So I said to myself that I should probably give her a good lesson while I knew it was not good for such an ignorant dumb! She gave me the portable machine to pay and you should have seen her face when she noticed I tipped her $0.01! I actually didn't see her face but I sensed rage when she ripped of the receipt and handed it to me!

So don't waste your time and money on such a carp place. I'm sure many just hang out in there because they want to say how cool they are and they want to show off to their girlfriends that they only drink top of the line but the entire cafe, I should truly confess, is a big lie!

Practice With A Weighted Belt On

I finally got my pair of Weighted belts from the Fitness Depot last week and practiced while having them both on a few times. They are not very comfortable but that's all you get. Each belt weights 8 Lbs. so I got two because I needed a total weight of 7.5 KG at least. That's close enough. I at times feel a bit of pain on my knees when I'm running but it's not bad overall. I wish I had them years ago. They for sure help a lot to increase the performance. I tried them on last weekend on a track and after just 4 laps in the first day and 5 laps in the second I was out of breath but then I tried a teardmill yesterday without having them on and it was like I was flying!

Greater Vancouver Zoo

We visited the Zoo Sun. morning. That was good especially because we started early, around 10:00 then it got really crazy. The stupid thing is they had that Telus Walk or whatever stupid thing it was and there were a huge line for free Hot Dog and stupid free crap! We didn't miss the Big Cats Show. A trainer fed three big lions and a Tiger from behind the fence and that was interesting. The Zoo had no elephant, Crocodile or Snake but there was a big Rhinoceros. Some of the areas allocated to the animals were so vast - and that's how it should be - that you could barely see the herd, group or individual. So taking a binocular is highly recommended.

If you're a photographer then don't forget your camera with a good zoom lens. Tripod would be helpful for distance shots. There's a cafe like everywhere else but since there are pic nick table available everywhere why not having your own food? Want to save more? The road at the north side of the Zoo is a place that you can park for free. The Zoo's parking is $5 for the day.

(Photo: This Lion has been born in the Zoo and has never left it. The trainer said that they never go to the other side of the fence but she bravely fed the big cat to its mouth with a piece of beef)

Prince of Persia

We wanted to watch something last weekend and F. F. suggested to watch Prince of Persia. That was the only movie sounded reasonable to be watched. It was not very bad, not as bad as The Clash of Titans but was a disappointment. I remember playing the game almost 15 years ago, may be more. One of the first PC games of the time and one of the most popular one but the movie has no historical credit. It's about a Persian guy who is accepted to the imperial family and becomes the prince and his name is Dastan. The city where the story begins in is shown with mosques and people are called Nezam, Sheik and they speak Arabic! Such a bullshit! And I don't know why the actors and actress speak with strong British accent which makes it almost impossible to understand when the background music and sound effects are loud! Sir Ben Kingsley is one of the main characters and probably that is him who makes the other ones to follow the British accent. Then they talk about the holy city of Alamut(!!!) I know Alamut Castle and I've been there but then again it was years after the Persian Empire! What a load of crap! Of course for North Americans who know nothing about history the movie doesn't seem wrong but does that mean the producers and directors can concoct everything and sell it as a movie?!

(Photo: This considered an exciting part of the old Prince of Persia game from late 80's and early 90's when you had to fight with a skeleton)

No Luck With The Last Hope

I didn't get the damn job that I was hoping to get. Disappointing. Now most of my focus is on that policing career, out of the province. I have been goin' to gym a bit regularly in order to do my best in the physical exam. Today I was too tired but I went and did part of the exercises. It's a result of not having enough sleep. I've been working since Sat. and have to work till next Sun., 7 days in a row. Not else much to say that we watched Shrek Forever After in 3D and it was amazing! The 3D was awesome, better than Avatar, the story was excellent and it was funny, lots of laughs. Don't miss it!