The Chef's Neighbour

The Chef narrated a story of a former neighbour of his, back to the time he used to live in 15th Ave. SW neighbourhood which I think it'll be interesting to read although translation might ruin parts of it! This is what he said a few days ago when we were walking after a lunch to help digest our food:

There was this guy, originally from Iraq, who used to live a few buildings away from ours in 15th Ave., SW. I knew him from a part-time job I had. We used to say hi to each other and at times have a chat. He seemed to be a nice guy, a, probably, supervisor, or perhaps an employee of a cleaning company. What else could he have been? Chevron's C. E. O.? The Home Depot's regional manager?! He was a poor, fucked up refugee who had to leave his devastated country to became a janitor or toilet cleaner to live his life!

I saw him once walking on the sidewalk and picking the wild plants which grow irregularly here and there. He had a bag in his one hand and putting the picked plants in it. I asked him what he was doing. He said he was picking the plants which are edible and very good for body! He said he would brew them and drink them! I told him that they are not clean! Dogs and cats pee and poop here, I said. Homeless people pee here, even I've peed here(!) several times and you picked them and eat them?! He goes: Oh! It's OK! I boil them and they'll be alright! There's so much health benefit into them!

PARE

I did PARE in one of Alberta's town as part of a Government job application last week. It was fairly easy for someone like me who has done POPAT, COPAT, FORCE TEST 1 and FORCE TEST 2 and tons of other physical activities and tests. However I should not ignore the age fact. There were 8 to 10 people in the session altogether and I think there was only one close to me or slightly better than me. 

Unlike always I was a bit nervous before the test and that was not because I thought I would not be able to do that. It was because of the silly injury I got in the stupid job I've taken. My left knee hurt a lot and I used Voltaren to ease it's pain. 

Except for one guy, all of the others were out of shape. There were two hot Caucasian girls who were amazing in shape and look but struggled in the test. I assume they passed both eventually. 

PARE is fairly easy fitness test to pass unless you're really out of shape. I got 03:36 and I had one mistake. The time to beat is 04:45! I had over a minute to waste on the damn test, if I wanted to! I'm sure I could get a result of even less than 03:15 easily but I didn't see any reason why I should push myself that hard. 

I submitted my online application the very same day and now all I have to do is to wait and keep applying for other jobs while I'm doing this silly one! The other thing I'm thinking about is perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea if I applied for as many jobs which require PARE as a requirement as possible since this result is valid for 6 months! What do you think?!

(Photo: Physical Abilities Readiness Evaluation test is a combination of running, jumping, going up the stairs, pulling and pushing weight and eventually lifting weight. For some reason it felt much easier to me compare to COPAT that I did more than a year ago. Readiness?)

CFLRS Notes (39): The Russians

The majority of recruits in CFLRS are of course Caucasian but here and there you can see people of other origins who mostly are born here or were brought to the country by their parents when there were a little child. I was probably the only one, in the entire school, who didn't fall under the two above categories. Chinese are the second most populated recruits and after them comes other race. I encountered 4 Russians during the entire time I was there: Two males and two females. One of the males was a Master Corporal and was a nice guy. I had a chat with him once. I don't need to mention where or when because I want his identity to be hidden as well as mine.

The other one was a nice and quite guy in our platoon. The females were both ugly, rude, aggressive and pretentious. I had a few encounters with the older one and she showed the real face of Russians as they mostly, and I insist mostly, are repulsive assholes! I mean that's in their nature, I guess! I remember a review written by a family who had visited Saint Petersburg. She wrote that she does not remember even one store they went in and the shopkeepers smiled at them! I know it's in the Western culture to be nice and smile at others, mostly if you're in customer service business. So I'm not surprised that they didn't see that. It's not in many cultures and Russians generally are hostile to non-Russians! They are even more racist than many Europeans!

With that in mind, I met that old fat, ugly piece of shit (she deserves all) Russian on a meal table with others. I told her that I was interested in visiting Russia, particularly its Far East region and to be specific Vladivostok. This truly has been on my mind for years. My plan is to go to the US, then Japan and then Russia in eats and fly back to Canada via Europe. This is probably a two months, or a little less, plan which I intend to execute and just by myself, in case no one accompanies me. She expressed her surprise by indicating that there is nothing to see there! She added that she was from somewhere in that area a little further north in Siberia. She also indicated that his son was in the Navy (not the Russian Navy of course) as an NCM and she intends to do the same thing.

This passed and one day I sat at the same table that she had already sat and was waiting for others to join. She grabbed her tray and displaced as soon as I sat at the table! This, I know that Russians don't like the people from south. During the USSR era, the Russians always looked down on the people of southern republics such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, etc. and of course the other neighbours such as Iran and Afghanistan. That what is indicated in No one Ages in Magadan although in another book by Dr. Nodooshan, who visited the USSR when it was a superpower, he shows his jealousy toward Afghan students who are seen off, at the airport, by their blond, pretty Russian girlfriends! Another side of racism which I pointed at in a previous post! Also all of the Afghans I've met here in Canada who have come from the USSR, they either were married to Russian girls or had Russian girlfriends! So I think the situation changed mostly after the collapse of the USSR.

Anyways this passed and on day she was at the same table that I had sat with some other fellas and she turned to me and asked a silly question. I said: Could we discuss that after we're done with the meal?! She agreed and shut up! I finished my meal and left after saying goodbye to the others without even looking at the nasty animal! I still don't think I had gotten her as hard as I wanted to but it was better than nothing. 

The other Russian repulsive ass was a young girl originally from Saint Petersburg who had a man-like voice. She was an ugly (both outside and inside) piece of crap, like most of Russians and the fact that she is born in that city had made her think that she was special! 

Now all of those miserable days of CFLRS are over and I'm trying to only remember the good parts, which were only a few but at the same time I want to document, for myself, what kind of disgusting human-like desperate assholes I had to deal with! I'm happy that I'm not part of CAF anymore and there's no chance in hell I go back. I'd rather to be a labourer with a low income and free rather than being a CAF member with all the restrictions and obligations they would impose to me. I believe having a low-paid job and working with nice, decent and polite people is much better than being in a prison with all sorts of asshole simply because I'm supposed to receive a decent PENSION after I retired!
Going back to the subject Russia has always been my favorite destination to visit, even way before the collapse, but with all the growing concern towards terrorism, I probably have to reconsider my trip and take extra precautionary measures as someone who's not Caucasian! 

(Photo: Port of Vladivostok, the most eastern Russian major city is the home to the Pacific Russian Fleet. In the meantime its a graveyard for the USSR submarines. There's also a submarine museum, that I intend to visit among the other possible places)

War for the Plant of the Apes

I was able to catch War for the Plant of Apes finally in the last day it was in theatres and I'm happy I did that. It's a very good movie and worth watching of course. I have to add that I watched that in 3D which intensified the joy. If you haven't seen it, make sure you get it on a disk. You'll be surprised. I don't want to spoil that for the ones who hasn't watched it but that's not what you think. It's completely different story! I remember I read it after watching it that cinematography had been done in Vancouver! I guess it wanted to say British Columbia because Vancouver has a park which doesn't have that much of room for a big budget movie of this kind. Maybe they shot it in Grouse Mountain area! I don't know but it's beautiful especially in 3D.

The funny thing is The Chef said he wanted to accompany me and I tool him although I knew he wouldn't understand much of it. He was humming his own favorite song half an hour past the movie(!) and I had to shut him up! He then asked me a couple of time how much more was left! I told him it's almost finished. He kept himself busy with his bag of Popcorn that he bought for nearly $7(!) but generally his presence didn't hurt me and the fun I got from the movie. 

If it's not considered a spoiler alert I must say that they finished the trilogy at the end and that's smart because it would be too much after that. This is recommended and I will buy the DVD when it comes out. I would say 3.75 out of 5.

(Photo: Apes are riding horses in a snow covered area. I don't know if it's décor or actual but seemed vey real)

Akward Situation Over the Phone

The Mumbling Guy told me to contact The Screamer last week. he said there would be a position and although temporary, I should contact and indicate my availability. I really didn't want to considering all the shit I had gone through in that disgusting company and its immoral and unethical management. Then I thought to myself that I'm doing a labour job that makes me feel like a corpse(!) at the end of each shift and now that this opportunity is available perhaps I should use it to make a little extra money without injury and agony! 

I was supposed to make the phone call on a Mon. morning and I didn't! There was a conflict inside of me and a dilemma outside! Then Tue. came and I, again, didn't call. Just imagining that repulsive turd behaviour threw me away! However I e-mailed The Mumbling Guy to see what he says. He insisted that I should contact. " ... to see how he can get you back in." he stated in his e-mail response to me. 

I finally contacted in the morning of the next day. He sounded that he had not recognized me first and then he got and asked, for the first time since I've known him, how I was! I told him what I had been told and he went: Then he knows more than me! I was a bit shocked and felt really bad. I explained to him in more detail and then he told me to talk to The Mumbling Guy! I thanked him and said goodbye but the asshole hung up without saying goodbye! 

I talked to the bastard, The Mumbling Guy, a few days after that. He said that he later received a call from him and was questioned for letting me know about the position! He said that there are people available to do that job and the company doesn't need to hire anyone! However he added that The Screamer had said that if anyone was required for the office, he would consider me!

That was the whole stupid story and now I wonder whether The Mumbling Guy does that on purpose to humiliate me or he's so stupid to tell me about the position without even consulting The Screamer who happens to be his boss, first! 

(Photo: It was really a bad feeling after my conversation with that maniac! Perhaps this randomly selected picture from the web could somehow tell my situation after he hung up!)

Dunkirk: A Disappointment

I finally decided to catch a movie last week. I usually prefer weekdays because the movie theatres are not very busy. This time I guess there was another reason why the theatre was not packed. Perhaps four reasons:
1. Enough number of weeks had passed since the movie, Dunkirk, was first appeared in theatres.
2. The movie was not such a big deal, despite the actors and director who are all considered superb.
3. It was not a superhero movie! Yes! People in North America, mostly the US, of course, are obsessed with stupid superhero movies and never get tired of them! There's already 682 Spider-Man movies and a few more are coming! Superman fought all criminals and now is facing Batman! They are everywhere and fighting everyone they can and when there's no villain, they fight each other! They even created Antman and the stupid Justice League and Galaxy!
4. There's no girl in the movies and there's no sex scene! Oh! So bad! I'm not gonna waste my hard-earning dollars on this movie! " One would have said "
Dunkirk is where the British's ass was kicked really badly and now Nolan tried to give the escape (or flee) of the British, an honourable vision but he fails! Despite from a few exciting scenes, the movie has got nothing! It's a disappointment.
My guess is this British guy, Nolan, has been trying to sell himself as new Kubrick by making films in different genres but he's nowhere close to Kubrick!

The movie has a slow start and then when it begins all you see is long shots of supposedly French beach where soldiers are awaiting withdrawal. I had difficulty understanding most of the dialogues, partially due to the British accent and somehow because I think the movie theatre's sound system had issues. However I have to add that there's not much conversation in the movie. I started looking at my watch just after 45 min. to the film and I have to admit that I tried really hard not to do that it!

I would give 3 out of 5 stars to this movie but as I've indicated previously it's not a film that I would watch again or buy its DVD. Not recommended at all!

(Photo: For this post the best picture that can depict this movie is what you see above! The movie is all about British and other Allies forces running away from France and not surprisingly has nothing much to offer. Not recommended unless you want to waste your money and time!)

An Unpleasent Encounter with an East Indian

There're two East Indian fellas in this place that I started a job almost 3 weeks ago. East Indian, unfortunately and according to my experience through all the years that I've been living here, and I'm not being racist or biased, are amongst the worst to work with, either directly or indirectly.

They brag about their education, home, family, food, you name it. I was once going to tell one of them that if he thinks everything is the best where he comes from, why doesn't he go back?! Why did he come here in the first place?!

East Indians always team up against non-East Indians in a workplace. They try to ruin their competitors (as they look at everyone who's non-East Indian in the workplace!) so they can be replaced by East Indians, mostly their family members, friends, neighbours and eventually people of their own village or town back in India! Why do they do that? It's simple: They're most comfortable around their own kind. But one thing also is very common within them; They fight and compete with each other a lot. The latter is fine but the fighting shows how immature and uncivilized they are. 

I asked a question from one of them the second day on the job and he said that I had not paid attention to my training! Asshole! And then once I told him why the given instructions are not documented and available for the employees. The piece of stinking shit said documents are for fools! Next time I asked him another question. He said: Don't argue with me!!

Then one day I saw him not sitting with his fella co-worker of East Indian origin! What a surprise! East Indians don't normally don't socialize with others. I realized that something was going one between them! Yes! They had a fight over the job. I saw them then arguing and spending their break time separately! They use lots of hand gestures while talking! Russell Peters actually has referred to a few of them in his stand-up comedy! 

Then the one who said all those stupid above things approached me once while we were going to finish the shift and asked me what I had done before joining. I told him a little bit. He at the end shook my hand and left(!) as a sign of friendship! I knew that he was feeling lonely not being able to hang out with his buddy! So I didn't want to disappoint him! The very same person did not talk to me for several days after I told him that he was the most impatient East Indian I had met! I told him that he should be patient with the one who asks him question and avoids laughing at him(!) and turning his head away! That was exactly what he did! Jerk! I kept the same behaviour of mine toward him after his childish and immature act! I always was polite. Ended my sentences with please and started them with Could you ... or Would you ... and showed him that his behaviour was disgusting but does not change me in a way to go down to the same level that he was. I did that until his was changed but I have to admit that his argument and hostility toward his buddy was a factor here. He just wants to replace him with someone, at least temporarily. I hope you, the reader, never have to work with an East Indian with such attitude or if you're an East Indian try to correct yourself, in case you act like the jerk I explained him here, although it would be extremely hard to be changed! 

Kebab with Traspassing Taste(!)

Different nations are obsessed with different food. Canadians and Americans love Stake and Hamburger! Orientals cannot live without Noodle (which I hate the most!), East Indians live for their Rice, Curry and other hot and spicy food and Iranians must eat Kebab off and on!

I'm happy that I have never been accustomed to any kind of food which lack of it might drives me nuts!

With that in mind I have to say that now and then The Chef insists that we should get out of the town for a hike and then make some Kebab! And now that his knee is shattered (As he refers to what happened nearly two years ago) he insists on light hikes only. Our last hike together was to Horsethief Canyon and we enjoyed that. On the way back, as I explained we realized that there was a fire ban for the area. We headed back to Calgary with the hope that we find a place on our way before reaching home! What a bad idea! We checked a few parts in Airdrie and Calgary on the way home and they didn't have fire pit. The I drove to North Glenmore Park where once we tried(!) to make Kebab. Fire ban was in effect there as well! I was losing it! I was so mad at both this freaking idiot who is so much in love with Kebab and myself who listened to him and agreed to pay $50 for the ingredients!

I drove back to The Chef's place then to see what we could do. There he told me to go the house he has recently lost! He and his partner were not able to pay the mortgage, and that was mostly the other guy's fault. The bank sent them a number of warnings and then eventually kicked him out! There while we were approaching his new place, which is a basement near his old house he goes: I've lost this $500,000 (It was actually around 420,000. Even that was overpriced by the damn mortgage broker so he [or she] could make better commission!) house. Can't I just have a Kebab in the back yard?! Of course you can't! I told myself. That house doesn't belong to you. In fact it never belonged to you. The bank owned it and you were paying the bank and they let you occupy it as long as you are paying your mortgage. Now that's you're not, you have no right to step in that property. I explained to him in simpler words but it didn't work! We went there and entered the backyard. As soon as we stepped in and got close to the fire pit I noticed a paper on the window of the basement stating the status of the house and warning about the possible trespassing! That woke me up! If I  don't see the note, I would be able to say that I don't know, if I get caught, although not knowing the law, does not justify breaking it! However the note is there and clearly warns trespassers! I told The Chef about that while he was working on fire and had half of the damn charcoal bag in the pit! I got out and parked the car just away from the house so in case we had to get the hell of there, we would be able to do that easily! As well it drew less attention. In the meantime one of the neighbours showed up in the back alley. It looked like he was putting some garbage away but he could also be checking us! I told that to The Chef and started collecting our stuff. He also, after seeing the guy, got a grip of himself and we got the hell out of the house before we get ourselves with the complicated law of trespassing! It's needless to say that even now that I'm typing these word we could be called and charged with Trespassing! It requires only someone who taped us! I strongly believe the tape could be used as a proof and the judge would charge us both with the crime!

Anyways we went back to the damn house were there already an old barbeque was sitting next to the door. The Chef started using skewers and make the Kebabs ready. I added some charcoal and we had the fire going on after a few minutes but it was a disaster. The Kebab mostly came out raw or burnt! However a few came out nicely and we ate them. It was late and I had to go to work the next work. I left and I guess by the time I reached home it was nearly 23:00 or even after that! I promised me not to involve myself with Kebab making especially when it's dark and after of hiking and tiring drives!
(Photo: This is a nice traditional Iranian restaurant where Kebab and other local cuisine is served. Food and beverages are served on the beds! Customers sit and lay back onto the provided cushions. You can see menu on the middle of one of the beds. However I don't even know where it is located and what the name is. Found it by chance in the web. Anyone with any information please help)

CFLRS Notes (37): Who Joins CAF, Normally?

I once wrote about the people who join military and how similar they are everywhere in the world. That seemed not enough to understand the situation until I got enrolled into CAF. There after awhile I realized what Charlie Sheen, playing Taylor, really means when he says the following in the beginning of Platoon:
...
Live up to Grandpa did in WWI and Dad did in WWII.
Well I'm here anonymously
With guys nobody really cares about
Most come from the end of the line
Small towns you never heard of
Pulaski, Tennessee. Brandon, Mississippi. Pork Bend Utah, Wampum, Pennsylvania.
Two years high school, about it.
If they're lucky a job waiting for them in a factory.
Most have got nothing.
They're poor. They're unwanted.
Yet they're fighting for our society and our freedom.
It's weird. Isn't it? At the bottom of the barrel and they know it.
...

The situation in CFLRS is not very different from that. I bring a number of examples here just to show. I'm not trying to prove anything or demote CFLRS. It specks for itself:

1. A graduate of History joined up to follow a trade in the Royal Canadian Air Force. No doubt his chance of getting a job somewhere is very low. He worked as a security once.

2. A Fitness Trainer joined up said she barely afforded her bills. I asked if she knew anything about her trade. She shook the head in response and looked me in the eyes! She has selected Logistics!

3. A Property Photographer tried to join Royal Canadian Air Force. The job is well-paid he said but it's not stable and permanent. Has many ups and downs, he added.

4- Many people from Atlantic Canada join CAF, mainly because first of all not many jobs are available in that area and there's a major naval base in Halifax. So majority try to settle their life by having a career with Royal Canadian Navy.
5- Many boys and girls come to CFLRS simply because their families are Farmer and they are tired of that life. They don't know that military life is not much easier! 

There are hundreds of these examples but I don't need to provide more. But why am I bringing this up here? It's simple. When you have nothing, it's actually a blessing joining military and the following wouldn't bother you:

1-Unnecessary, countless and useless rules of the school.

2- Mediocre, bland and in a nutshell crapy(!) food
3- Being confined in a prison-like environment.

4- Being shout or cursed at, almost every day.

5- Extremely low hygiene environment. 

6- Limited access to beverage and food outside the three meals a day.

7- High sleep deprivation.
8- Wasting money on unnecessary services and items such as $13 haircut every 2 weeks, purchasing lots of items from Canex, the military store, which actually takes the money that recruits are paid back to CAF! Many of the items are thrown out and never used.  

9- Spending the money received from CAF on Subway sandwiches and other food and snacks from vending machines and Canex and local fast foods and restaurants by feeding them crap food!
10- Bathing and showering in a bathroom as big as old telephone booths!

In a nutshell CAF has advantages and disadvantages. For me it was a huge disadvantage because I hated all the above. As well why would I waste my all life in such a controlling environment? Just because I'm being paid a reasonable pension?! What use does that money have for me when I'm old but paying for my medicine and other basics of life? I would rather being paid a little less or even a lot less but have my freedom! I would rather to have the following freedoms that CAF deprives you of them after being a member:

1- Freedom of going to any physician, dentist and in general any healthcare professional I choose, not the unskilled and inexperienced, mostly, people that military has and want me to see them. 

2- Travel anywhere in the world, any time I want to. Not writing to my superior and asking for permission and giving them a reason for my trip.

3- Living anywhere in Canada or any corner of the world, I desire, any time I want. Not being passed from this base to that base like a baseball! 

4- Eat whatever I want and whatever I cook. Not the disgusting food that CAF's contractors feed me. 

5- Wear whatever I want. Especially I don't have to wear the stupid woolen Beret of CAF ever again although I know most of the recruits don't have to wear the Beret after graduation. However the whole idea is extremely stupid because of the material that it is made of. 

You make your decision based on the above facts.

(Photo: Charlie Sheen, first from left and other main characters of Platoon having a picture taken in front of an armored personnel carrier)

Ranked Third and Second

I didn't want to do just nothing and sit around most of the day after I came out of the prison! I decided to get whatever job is available in order to not only make a few hundred bucks but also be out of the damn apartment. I went to a recruiting agency and they quickly hooked me up with a labour job! Why? Because not many people would like to do that. Simple as that!

Here, as usual and for the privacy of myself, I don't reveal the name of any of the involved companies but I must say that it's not that bad. I did similar job back in British Columbia for a short time. Only from Sep. to Jan. This one is quite similar with this difference that a more advanced system is used. Does it make the job easier? Yes. Indeed. But not for the poor labourer! It's easier for the office people and of course for the company. Since this is a part-time job, I did it for only 3 days the week before and the interesting thing is I was ranked the 3rd in terms of performance while the week after that I jumped up to the 2nd rank! The Supervisor congratulated me! There were issues during the shift including an urgent machine maintenance, previous station delay and helping others and a few more. Otherwise I would beat the first guy with a huge difference. It means that I have a chance to stay until I find a better position. However something else happened the first time! He called me and indicated to me that I had missed an item! I was surprised because I was sure I did my job correctly but I didn't argue just in the 3rd day of work! It wouldn't have a good impression on him. In the meantime I will ask him that what would happen if it's proved I was wrong?! Am I going to be rewarded for that?! It's because he said that error or mistake would stay in my profile! I need to know what if the mistake is done form their side!

(Photo: For this post I selected a cartoon which refers to a temporary job and mix it with the fact that some of the egg producers, deceivably, call their products free-range! Of course we all know that's a lie just to fool the customer)

Horsethief Canyon

I wanted to have a hike after my return from prison! Once I talked with this guy whom I've associate with recently. He wanted to start at 06:00 while I normally start at 05:00. So we couldn't get to an agreement. Besides I would have been the one who drives, had we been to a hike and I don't like that much although we share the cost of the gasoline.

I eventually saw myself with this crazy guy, The Chef! We decided to go to Drumheller on a weekend and do a light hike, considering his knee was shattered! Our time was set at 06:00 and that was because I would wake up at 05:00 in order to reach his place at 06:00 but the plan was torn apart because of the unusual interview!

I got myself home, changed and rushed to his place after the interview and we headed north to Drumheller. We had a short stop at McDonald's for a beverage and then went to the town's information centre. The place was busy despite the fact that we were there in a weekend. I got map and explanation from a young girl. Our destination was Horsethief Canyon in the northwest side of the town.

Being Horseshoe Canyon two years before that, it seemed that would not be something to consider but we went down and hiked to Red Deer River which took us some 01:15 hours. There were a number of people but no one was in the actual canyon. Everyone, mostly watches from the top, takes a few photos and leaves. We each drank a can of beer by the river and sat there for 10 min., maybe. The result of drinking that beer was not so good! The 8% can, which I don't remember what brand it was, made us both lazy and very slow but we dragged ourselves back to the parking lot! Thanks Heavens that we were not in a real hike! We would have had serious problem! For me it was probably the first alcoholic beverage in 8 months and the first beer in I don't know how long because Beer is in the list of forbidden drinks for me as someone who has Gout.

We headed back to the town after the hike and asked the information ladies if there was somewhere we could make our Kebab. We were advised that fire ban was in effect for the who county. We then decided to head back to Calgary and make our meal which The Chef had made its ingredients the night before, in one of the parks but a disaster happened which is the subject of another post!

(Photo: Unusual and interesting hills of Hosethief Canyon near the town of Muson [actually between Drumheller and Muson]. You can see the same terrain in Horseshoe Canyon and Dinour Provincial Park near Brooks)