Ex Machina

If there's one movie that has freaked me out in the pat decade, that is Ex Machina! I do not watch horror movies the way Westerners do, though. That's part of their culture. They have Halloween which they celebrate that every year passionately and numerous horror movies have been made by Hollywood to keep the business going. Some good and some bad but I can't really judge because I haven't really seen many but what I can tell is the plot is most of the time the same: A person has turned to a Zombie and attacks other! 

If I wanted to name another movie, The Grudge certainly comes to mind. I watched it years ago with P. M. in this " discounted "(!) movie theater in NE Calgary which has been turned to a " discounted "(!) gymnasium now. Let me explain a little bit about these so-called " discounted " businesses in Canada (and perhaps it is the same in the US), before I get to the main point. This is for the people who have not lived in Canada ever. 

Canada is a semi-Capitalist country. It's not as bad as the US but generally it's run by the companies. Corporations control everything, most importantly the consumer price. You buy a pair of jeans from a retailer and if it's a brand name, you pay at least $60. If $35 or more was not profit, they wouldn't sell it to you. Now what happens to the people who have difficulty spending that much, say, they don't have? That's where the " discounted " business steps in. Dollarema is one of them. They copy the popular items and brands and they sell it for much cheaper price. That's how a majority of people live their life in Canada, or they would go partially hungry and dysfunctional! Some of these businesses have a suffix after their name, " for less "! It means you receive the same product/service with much lower quality and much lower price, of course. An example of would be " Fit for less "! It's a gymnasium that people go to to work out.

With that in mind we went to that theater in the notorious neighbourhood of the city, which by the way I didn't know about it (that was P. M.'s specialty!) and watched the movie which to this day freaks me out and can't watch it completely. I mean I have to skip scenes or it would be so uncomfortable. 

The Shining is another type of horrifying movie. It don't have much of stabbing and killing and other similar scenes that you usually see in the Zombie movies(!) but the combination of scenes and the theme with dialogue make it so intense.

Ex Machina is a completely different genre! It's in the new era of internet and apps and everything being controlled by them which is why make it so scary. You're in a house that everything is controlled by a " Smart System "and if that dies for any reason and there's no back up, you're dead too. This shows how fragile our daily life would be, if we carried on with this " app " and " online " thing. The movie has won an Academy Award for its screenplay. This probably is one of a few movies that they really deserved the award they got. The movie basically has three actors/actresses which are fine. The Venezuelan actor though, shines. Despite his looks, he's way away from the typical Latino actor. The Swedish lady is good in her role, although most of the conversation is between the Boss and the invited Employee. I've watched the movie twice and that's because I didn't get the story completely the first time and I will watch again to make sure I haven't missed anything, although it's not very likely. 

(Photo: The brilliant screenplay is the key to success for this movie. In this scene, the guest, the employee, suspects if he's a robot as well and cuts his arm! This was very unexpected and added intensity to the story)

The Long Pause

There was a time that I would go to any supermarket, mainly Safeway and Co-op and buy anything I wanted without being concerned about the bill or even looking at the price tags. Now I barely go to them. I destination is mostly either Wal-Nasty-Mart or The Real Canadian Superasshole for the difference between the price of the majority of the items. The only things that I don't buy from them is any sort of meat and most of fruits and vegetables from Wal-Nasty-Mart because it's poor quality.

I went to a Safeway near Downtown Calgary and walked around between the isles for nearly 15 minutes. Came out with a small bag of vegetables and fruits, only! I think that cost almost $15! I don't know how people live these days but I do know why some have multiple kids! The government's Child Benefit works really well for the ones who have two or more, even one. People like me and couples with low income have issues. Everyone was standing in front of the items, with a long pause, gazing at the price tag and calculating in the heads! I did the same with this difference that many things I wanted, I simply skipped. If Safeway prices a jar of Yogurt is $4.99 and I would pay for the same damn thing only $2.70, why the hell would I buy it from Safeway? If the difference was ¢50 or a little more, I would but more than $2.25 difference is too much and unreasonable. Would you think so?

(Photo: The fruit section in a Downtown Calgary supermarket. Everything is available in plenty but the prices scare you off! They blame it on the global inflation! Something that they made up to empty the people's accounts faster!)

A good number of Teslas on our Roads

The price of Tesla Model 3, the least expensive model of Tesla family, was reduced more nearly two months ago and shortly after that the Federal Government introduced a $5000 incentive for the RWD Model 3. Adding to that is a relatively lower interest rate of Tesla for someone who wants to finance a vehicle and I'm comparing to the other makes, for example Toyota (Not pick up trucks, mostly).

With that in mind, I see different models of Tesla on daily basis during my commute almost every day but what I noticed about most of them is that they drive very cautiously! I don't know if that's the fact driving a Tesla is different from a regular car (the difference between the accelerator pedal and how you reduce your speed by just take your foot off or the stick that causes the car go back and forth) or the fact that it's an expensive car in comparison with the majority of the cars on the road and they worry that they get into an accident and the aftermath troubles. One insurance company quote me almost $107 per month for a basic Model 3, which costs almost $58,000. That would be fine for me, in case one day I decided to go for it but my guess is that's not the case for many. 

Nikola Tesla in his lab. Both Serbia and Croatia, the countries which were both emerged after the Yugoslavia War, take credit for this scientist whose name is after the main electric car. He immigrated to the US and unfortunately went crazy in his last years in New York City. 

The other reason is that many believe that Tesla isn't generally a car of accident, if we can call it! By that I mean if there's any sort of accident, the car is crippled and generally speaking is " Totaled " or is a Total Loss due to the way it is manufactured, using light material to avoid unnecessary weight. That would be the case too but since the cost of repair is high as well, again, the fear of getting into an accident makes people of Tesla to be extra careful on the road. Overall Tesla has no financial benefit. It's an undeniable fact. You pay too much for a car to avoid gas station and the soaring price but your insurance is too high, you need to keep it in mind that your battery has enough power, you need to be extra careful about accidents and other issues. There're the benefits to it:

1) You feel good that you're driving a luxury car and it's comfortable. 

2) You don't have to do the weekly annoying habit of purchasing gasoline

3) The majority of periodical maintenance services are eliminated. Examples are oil change, coolant change, etc. Please don't curse here if you don't like what I wrote! 

(Photo, top: A Tesla Model X on the road. A basic model goes as much as $130,000 in Canada. I took it on a major highway around Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

Canadian Experience

When I first started career haunting, I was so naive about Canadian job market and made multiple mistakes which cost me thousands of dollar from the lost salaries which I could have made, had I gotten the positions. Is it something to ponder about now?! No! Just learn from the past mistakes and prevent them although I would've totally been in a different situation, had I found a proper position years ago. 

One of the nonsense I was told when they would turn me down was that " I had no Canadian experience "! Apart from the fact that you would never gain Canadian experience before you actually work in Canada (Egg or Chicken?! Which one was the first?), I found this an absolute bullshit, now that I have been working on different projects for years! 

Five people, all with Canadian experience, four Caucasians and one Caribbean, have been asked to leave their positions in less than 8 months that I have been working for this company! Four of them were Canadian born and educated! Canadian experience my ass!  

The first one was the Tout Lover whom I have told his story already. Then it was the P. M. and the other three were not very different. B. C. (I'm using his initials) was a so-called " Director " who spent most of his time at the site doing light labour work instead of being in his office. I had been told by a few guys that not many people liked him and he either resigned or was asked to leave by the managers! He always was nice, helpful and friendly to me. I can't tell why that happened to him. The Caribbean's guy's story is totally different. He was a real fool and by saying that I'm not looking down on him. I am just telling from my experience. Here's a few of his magic work examples:

1) We received our raw materials for processing at our warehouse. Delivery drivers and every one else needed to have full PPE on, while at the warehouse area and that includes hard hat, high visibility vest, safety glasses and safety boots. The drivers, mostly foreigners and particularly from Punjabi decent, barely followed the protocol unless they are told to. This fool came to me at least in two occasions and asked me what to do!? I have to mention that he was a so-called Safety Representative! I told him once that he had to do his job. I couldn't tell him what to do. He was the Safety Rep., not me. I once said " Approach them and talk to them politely and firmly. Explain to them what the safety requirements are and ask them to comply! " How hard is that?! 

2) We have a number of small office equipment, if I can call them, such as lamination machine, landline phone and similar in our office, like any other offices, everywhere else. Once I was going there to get a pen and saw him holding the door. I was going to enter and realized that he had a very big box, full of different item, and was trying to drag it out! I looked at him, in a sort of shock as why he was doing that! He asked me to hold the door so he could take the box out! I said that I could not help him because I was busy! Then I taught to myself: " What the hell is he thinking?! You can't take the items which is for everyone's use to your own office, you dolt! ". 

He got disappeared a few weeks after that, apparently there were too many complaint about him. No wonder why! The question is how could someone hire a person with this kind of personality and put him to work in the first place? Is this what Canadian experience is about?! 

Did I make my point or do we need more examples of the so-called " Experienced Canadians "?!

(Photo: Some immigrants are frustrated by hearing this statement over and over but I know people who got good and well-paid position without the so-called experience)

Screwed over the 2022 Income

I missed this past tax year's deadline for contributing to my retirement and saving account and the results is not so good! Got screwed over by the amount of tax I have paid and won't get back most of it: nearly $20,000! 

Who would benefit from this sort of revenue from the Federal Government? They say they build roads and schools. They open new hospitals and do many other good things! As a matter of fact these money goes to lazy, incompetent and pinhead Afghans whom are brought here in truckloads by the Federal Government and stuffed in the hotels! The money also would go to all booze mongers and weed and cigarette smokers of Ukraine that you increasingly see him here everywhere these days! 

In the meantime prices of everything is going up, there's more congestion and traffic and violence in the city (I know the municipality is responsible for that) and more misery! All I can do is to look for a better job with more money and keep my cost to minimum.  If there was a chance to go, this would be the time. Sell everything, take the money and go for good. No wonder why people risk their lives to go to Mexico to live! They say I, at least live comfortably for awhile without being worried about spending and if I get killed, then I get killed! 

It's not that easy any more. Mexico has been turned to a new Iraq post-Americans invasion and even worse! It is so bad that even the US Government has issued a warning and asked people not to go there. 

It reminds me of our plan to hike Pico De Orizaba, a beautiful mountain in eastern Mexico. This was my buddy's idea who is Mexican and then a couple of days after that he came to say that we would not be going because of the risks. He said that if the cartel people catch us and find no valuables on us, They will dismember us and leave us there! 

Go off the subject but cheap life style attracts many people although I always say: Cheap thing is not good and a good thing is not cheap!

(Photo: Pico De Orizaba, the tallest mountain in Mexico stands 5636 m or 18491 ft. I don't think my Mexican buddy really knew how tall the mountain was or he would not think of climbing it even if there was no risk from drug cartel)

Idiots on the Roads

Majority of people in Canada are good drivers and follow the driving rules and that's based on years of driving but there's one problem that most of them have: They can driver within the posted speed limit! Alberta RCMP issued more than 70,000 tickets to speeders last year alone! That is crazy! 

With that in mind, I was going home this afternoon, on a 110 Km/h Primary Highway and I was doing only 100 km/h when al of a sudden the front car's break light was on! I hit the break and because I always a safe distance, nothing happened and I kept going after reducing my speed. A mile or two up, while in congestion, I saw a car at its side away from the road while a police van was parked close to it! How could you lose the control, go out of the road and end up at your side unless you're driving fast and paying not attention to what you're doing! 

Same scene was witnessed on the same highway a couple of weeks ago with this difference that the fool was at its side on lane 3!! That makes me so angry as these idiots wastes other people's time buy driving carelessly. Imagine you have worked for 9 freaking hours and all you want to do is to get home and relax and a fool gets him/herself in accident and the road is shut! Wouldn't you want to punch that person in the head?! 

I was leaving Galveston in Nov. of 2021, heading to Austin on a Toyota Camry that I had rented and an idiot, driving a big truck and trailer in its back drove by very fast in the next lane and missed me by about a meter and got in front of me and then immediately hit an SUV in front of me! The good thing, for me, not for the poor SUV driver(!), is (or perhaps I should say was!) that I had left the lane by taking a steep right fork shortly before the accident. So when the SUV got hit, it actually rolled down the short hill between the road it was in and the road that I just had gotten in but stopped rolling all the way down to the road and in front of me. So I was safe. This again was the result of driving fast.

(Photo, top: This vehicle as you can see was on its side next to the guard rail of the median of the highway, I took it while driving by slowly and wile my window was up because it was cold!)

The party will soon be over

High cost of living in every aspect of life has been everyone's talk for the past year or so. Perhaps I should not say everyone. Most of the people would sound correct. I have been spending excessively on unnecessary things for too long, shortly after I got this position in last May but the party will be over soon! The project is scheduled to be handed to the client in Aug. and the majority of people will be on their own, including me. Imagine spending just $1.75 on a cup of coffee (which actually is more than that!) every freaking morning, which is the thing that many people do and even more than that and you work only 5 days a week, You would pay $35 a month for the damn beverage which equals to many people's 1 week of transportation. Mine is a little higher than that now that they have increased the Carbon Tax. 

Lewis Smith as Stuckey in a scene of Southern Comfort, a movie from 1984, another all time favorite of mine. The site is not as bad as this but you could get socked up to your ankle if you don't have proper footwear 

There's nothing more to post but misery! The entire month of Mar. was spent on the damn work, mostly outdoor in the temperature range of -20 ℃ to -5 ℃ (-4 ℉ to 23 ℉) where the ground condition resembles the Louisiana swamp in Southern Comfort! I once told one of the client representatives, a fat body, that there are only two challenges on this work-site:

1) Weather

2) People

You don't have to be much experienced or educated! Just cover yourself and avoid idiots and asshole and you'd be fine. That'd be my method to the end of the project. Adding to that is saving on everything possible. The thing is this time that is now available to us, will never be back. I read just recently that Stephen King said in an interview that " Time is like water which is dripping between our fingers! We never are able to hold it!

(Photo, top: Stephen King and his famous novel, The Shining, which a movie of the same name was made by Stanley Kubrick in 1980, one of my all time favorites)