The New Horizon

If you watched movies as much as I do, and I admit this is something that losers do(!) you realize almost everything you have seen in movies, somehow reflects in your daily life! I have recently started a new job and it's too early to see how it will be but it has had ups and downs. One thing I can say is the ambiance reminds me of Aline 3! 

Run down and old place where many equipment seem they don't work! Some do. Signs from years ago which no longer apply! Old cranes. Many old cranes! Old people in shabby coveralls! If you must know Alien 3 was filmed in studios in England. The shore scenes were also filmed in that country. To be specific, the opening scene where Ripley is found and a few other ones are filmed in the east cost England where it's called Blast Beach. 

As I said it's too early to say how this place is but based on the salary and benefit, if I can get a better position, I will stay here for 3 to 5 years. I will post more about this new position as I go forward.

(Photo: The beach at Fiorina " Fury " 161, a maximum security prison where Ripley's EEV crash lands at the beginning of the movie. I purposely didn't use any picture of the facility itself in case someone recognizes that. Privacy is the paramount to me!)

The Loopholes

A large percentage of Indians (or as they're called in North America, East Indians or South Asians) are very rude, aggressive, hostile and racist people. No one can deny this. A recent example of that was last week when I went to a supermarket which is owned by a Sikh Punjabi Indian and the majority of the employees and customers are from the same region. I was looking for Wheat, not Wheat Flour. So I approached a young and ugly girl who seemed to be in her early to mid 20s. I asked her, politely, if they carry Wheat and her first reaction was frowning and yelling: What?! 

The ugly, repulsive idiot didn't even bother guiding me where she thought the product was. I forgot about it and left. In case you wonder what store it was, it is the Chalo Freshco supermarket near Saddletowne C-train station. I'm proud to say that I don't live anywhere close but I happen to be in the neighbourhood. So I dropped by to see if I can buy that. 

This is only one example of many that I can introduce about Indians. With that in mind, you can see where I'm getting at. The nation who, the majority of them have attitudes and manners like that, managed to put a suitcase of bombs in an Air India flight in 1985. The bomb detonated and killed innocent people. The Punjabi Sikhs. The very same people who had issues with Hindus last year and the very same people who are claiming Punjab to be a separate country called Khalistan! 

Going back to the Air India bombing, a number of these people were apprehended by the Canadian authorities and put on trail. They were mainly released without being convicted. Why? because there're loopholes in the system. Not only that, the Canadian Judicial System has the reputation of being soft on criminals! People commit an act of crime and they're out on bail! They get parole and violate that! Harper, at the time he was the PM, tried to resolve this issue and the new leader of Conservatives, Pierre Poilievre seems to have the same plans which will be great for Canada. It would change Canada from the Heaven of Criminals to somewhere a bit safer but we have to see the result of  the upcoming election. 

(Photo: Ripudaman Singh Malik was shot several times in July of 2022 near his business in Surrey, British Columbia where a large population of Punjabi Sikhs live. He later died of his injuries in a local hospital at the age of 75. He and Ajaib Singh Bagri were both acquitted of their involvements in the Air India Flight # 182 bombing which resulted in 313 people's death. I cant' say for sure to what extent they were both involved but we all know that lack of evidence could end a charge. An example of that is the trail of Michael Jackson for child abuse. He silenced a few of the accusers by paying them and for a few others no evidence were found! He never was convicted! A documentary came out many years after his death which in it, and I have watched it, it is called Leaving Neverland, a couple of people accused him of sexual acts on them, when they were young boys but what can be done now that he is dead! The accused always try to use the loopholes)

The Geniuses of Hideous-Mart (Wal-Mart!)

Some people are naturally born with lots of talent and are a genius. Where do you think, in Canada, you can see them? Engineering firms, trade schools, universities, government agencies and departments? No. You find them in Wal-Mart or as it actually has to be called Hideous-Mart! Don't worry, it's not difficult to find them in there! They either have navy blue or yellow vests with a big Wal-Mart written on their back, or easier to find, they're wandering around with shopping carts overflowing with junk food! Cookies, potato and corn Chips, Ice Cream, frozen Pizza (or Pitza! I think that's how it shall be written in English! We're not writing in Italian!), flavoured Yogurt, you name it! 

If you want to consider me amongst them, you're wrong. I'm not saying that I'm a genius or anything like that but I'm not so dumb to spend my money or much money for that matter in Wal-Mart. I was there tp buy a sort of less harmful salad dressing and when I realized they didn't have it, got the hell out!

(Photo: Taken from a nearby Hideous-Mart, this is proof who works and who does shopping at this place!) 

The Movies which never get Old

I first saw The Day of the Jackal in the old country many years ago. I remember I discussed that with my elder cousin, from my father's side. It was dubbed and of course a few scenes were removed but it was not too bad. I, then, purchased the DVD many years ago in Canada but don't remember from where. This is one of the movies that will never get old although it's the story of a WWII main figure being assassinated. I watched it a few days ago again for the many times and it still was amazing. 

What I didn't know is the assassination of Charles De Gaulle actually took place in 1963 and The Day of the Jackal which is made based on a novel of the same name by British writer (or novelist) Fredrick Forsyth, has only part of it and the rest is just fiction. 

Olga Georges-Picot as Denise in a scene of The Day of the Jackal 

I think there's a remake of the movie but it never gets even close to the original 1973 version with Edward Fox, Cyril Cusack and Olga Georges-Picot and a few other well-known actors and actresses.  

The sad thing I didn't know is the story of Georges-Picot, the French-Russian actress who played the role of a young woman who helps OAS (Organisation Armee Secrete) to transfer the information to Jackal so he can plan his assassination, accordingly, although he fails at the end. 

Olga Georges-Picot was the daughter of the French ambassador in China at the time that Japan had occupied part of that country. Her mother was Russian and all her relatives, from the father side were prominent people. She lived in different countries as his father was a diplomat, studied acting Paris and appeared in a number of movies but unfortunately committed suicide at the age of 57 in Paris. It's extremely heartbreaking to know a young talented and beautiful actress who took her own life at such a young age. What I read is her family has put a lid on the details of her suicide and even 

The Day of the Jackal is an amazing direction by Fred Zinnemann and of course because the story is very strong. Don't miss it, if you can't get it. 

(Photo, top: C. Cusak as a gunsmith, on left, and E. Fox as the Jackal in a scene of the movie when the custom made sniper rifle is being tried and delivered) 

Prostitution in Canada

Prostitution is illegal in Canada. It is indicated clearly in the Criminal Code of Canada and I will include the related part below later but let me tell you about my experiences(!) with that. Don't me judgmental and angry. I just wanted to tell the stories of more than 20 years ago when I first came to Canada and it used to be a different country, a different society. 

When I came to Calgary, I stayed in Downtown after staying at The Brave's for about six month and mostly hung out in the Downtown area and the majority of time with my buddy, Kevin. P. whom is no longer my friend. We had an argument back in 2005 and we haven't talked for nearly 20 years and never will. 

There's this Tim Horton's at the corner of 5 Ave. and 4 St., SW where we used to hang out, many days. Tim Horton's was a different place at that time. They had cakes. They owned by a Canadian company, you name it. It's turned really bad and I never spend a dime anymore.  I remember one day we were heading that way and it was a little bit and we were new. I approached one of the girls and asked her the address. She was a tall, blonde beautiful girl and answered my question very politely. That aside, just a block or two away to the west, there was this corner that the prostitutes would hang out. When I say that, I always feel bad for the women who have to do that because deep down we all know that no one would want to do that, unless they absolutely have to. It's a difficult topic to cover but I want to point at it, briefly, the question would be, who would want, or has to become a prostitution. I think movie Monster tells us a little bit about that: The girls who were deprived of parents attention and love and grow in poverty. That's one reason. Addiction is another one. Some get hooked on some really drugs and can't quit and have to have a job which pay them a lot and quick. Losing job and lack of support is another reason. I knew someone who resort to a sort of service during Corona-Virus pandemic because she had lost her job and had no one to support her. There might be other reasons.

Let us see what the CCOC says about this issue, in 286.1:

(1) Everyone who, in any place, obtains for consideration, or communicates with anyone for the purpose of obtaining for consideration, the sexual services of a person, is guilty of :

(a) an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years and a minimum punishment of:

(i) in the case where the offence is committed in a public place, or in any place open to public view, that is or is next to a park or the grounds of a school or religious institution or that is or is next to any other place where persons under the age of 18 can reasonably be expected to be present, (A) for a first offence, a fine of $2,000, and (B) for each subsequent offence, a fine of $4,000, or (ii) in any other case, (A) for a first offence, a fine of $1,000, and (B) for each subsequent offence, a fine of $2,000; or

(b) an offence punishable on summary conviction and liable to a fine of not more than $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years less a day, or to both, and to a minimum punishment of, (i) in the case referred to in subparagraph (a)(i), (A) for a first offence, a fine of $1,000, and (B) for each subsequent offence, a fine of $2,000, or (ii) in any other case,

(A) for a first offence, a fine of $500, and (B) for each subsequent offence, a fine of $1,000.

Section (2) of this clause talks about the same offence when it is committed while involving a person under the age of 18. We're going to scape that. 

Everything has become computerized and on the web now! Most of the massage places, where the Chinese stores are located, are a cover for prostitution or services in that range. I remember the previous mayor had a plan to clean the area up but it never materialized and now they are there. This is the oldest career in the history they say and no matter how you push people, they always come back from another side. 

(Photo: The Tim Horton's subject of this post, partially. We used to hang out in her at the time that Canada had not yet been invaded by these many border jumpers and freeloaders!)

Out After 10 Years (24): Car Dealerships in Japan

Japan is one of the main car manufacturers of the world. There's no need to elaborate on that. Everyone knows that, especially in North America where the life of the three main car manufacturers have been in danger since the Japanese (and Korean) car manufacturer's stepped in. I, however, do not like the latter and they are not subject of this post. 

With that in mind, one would think that there must be lost of cars and a lots of traffic in Japan. Wrong! Japan, in fact the cities that I visited last year, have the least amount of traffic and is very quite, peaceful and nice on the streets. That is because of the perfect and reliable public transportation available everywhere. Not to mention the Japanese culture. 

A small van in a Toyota dealership in Tokyo. These are very popular in Japan and many of them are fully electric. I do not think this one is. This vehicles goes for ¥1,874,500 which at the time was equal to CAN $17,683 and now is a little more expensive

I was not able to see all parts of Tokyo due to its size, of course, but didn't see many gas stations. Japan is a main importer of oil products and gasoline shall be expensive there. That could be another reason for not driving a car. Majority of the vehicles are either electric or hybrid. I also didn't see many car dealerships. I saw a few in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki but in comparison to a city like Calgary, there were not many and not as big. All of the dealerships were major Japanese car makers and most of the vehicles on the streets were Japanese but I also saw expensive BMW and Tesla. It would be interesting to know whether there are specific regulations or tariffs for imported cars to Japan. I mean why the hell do you need to import any vehicle to the country which is the third largest automaker of the world and has one of the most, if not the most, convenient and reliable public transportation systems? 

(Photo: Nagasaki is fairly small city compared to Tokyo and much less populated. This Toyota dealership displays a new model of Land Cruiser. It is sold between $80K and $90K, even more, here in Canada. I didn't see the price in there and I barely saw any SUVs or pickup trucks on the streets. Perhaps one only. Driving a pickup truck, if you don't do any business which requires a big box in the back is absolutely stupid, in my opinion and many more! Try to make Americans and Canadians understand!)

The Disgusting Cheap Homes of Canada

 

I've decided to move to a bigger place. Weather it happens or not and when, I'm not sure of it. The prices are still so high and most likely remain at this level. There might be a slight decline but not much. I'm not going to live in Calgary. A nice house in a good neighbourhood in Calgary could cost at least $650,000. I might be approved for that loan but at my age, I don't think it would be a good idea. A house like that, most likely would require lots of work or would not be located in a nice and quiet neighbourhood. My ultimate goal would be settling down in a nearby town and commuting. If I sell this house, I will be able to buy a nice car, either an EV or a hybrid and even save some money. In that case my loan would not be too much, something that I hate a lot and my commute will be comfortable. There still will be issues in winter but issues always exist. There will be two major issues with this plan:

1) The family would like to be in Calgary for social and service reasons. Physician and dentists, as well as friends and some businesses are located in the city. 

2) A new car would most likely cause an issue at work! 

You might wonder why. Here's the story: I met Ali G. in Cargill Meat Solutions. We used to hang out. We don't anymore. He lives in Ontario now. He might be reading this now! He had an old but running Mercedes and he told me he had been teased by Canadians a lot! I've written about this a lot. Canadians, generally, do not like to see foreigners to be well-off. They general attitude is this a poor, uneducated, hungry fella or he would not be in Canada. So if they see you dress, nicely, clean shaved, have a good car, they don't like it and they grow resentment. He at the time was not more than 25 and it was very difficult for Canadians to see a young foreign guy drive Mercedes, even if it was not a new and he only had paid $5000 for that! They didn't know. I'm sure this will be a problem for me as well, especially because I'm about to join an organization. If I move and have to switch to a new vehicle from my 15-year-old car, it will cause an uproar and I'm certain there will be people who exert any possible effort to have me canned. 

Having said that let's go to the problems with houses. Most of the houses do not contain heat, especially the cheap ones. The cost of heating is really always a problem and is too high. I paid $166 last month and I was uncomfortable and cold, most of the time. I must have paid much more, if I wanted to be comfortable and cozy but I have to watch my bills now that I'm our of work. I don't think it would be anything less than $200, if I was to crank up the heat. 

The second problem is with kitchens. They are majority of the time built stupidly(!), small and insufficient! I think perhaps because there's not much cooking in Canadian culture or it is simple and quick. When I cook, I need lots of room. The smell and noise is another issue. When I cook there's lots of noise (pressure cooker, clang and cling, you name it) and aroma which spreads around the house and sticks for a day or two, especially in winter. There's no hood over the range. There's a disgusting and stupid microwave which I have never used. Replacing it with a good hood and fan will cost at least $700. The cheap bastard who built this shity house stuck a $450 microwave instead. There's no wall or door to separate the kitchen in any room! Why? That's how the nasty motherfucker builders make millions! How the hell do you think these guys build a house in a couple of weeks: Cheap material, cutting corner, missing essentials, you name it. 

That'a another reason I'm moving. I plan to buy a place and redesign it the way I want. I can't ask for a custom made as it would probably cost so much that I can't afford but I can redesign it gradually.

(Photo: I was looking at some proprieties the other day and look how stupid this house is. The nasty drunkard cheap idiot has put a refrigerator at one side or the room and a series of cheap cabinets at the other side, in the middle of the room and call it kitchen!!! Only an alcoholic, nasty, drug-addicted loser would accept to live in this pigsty!)

Various Types of Misatkes

We all made mistakes in our lives. Some big, some small. I've made many mistakes which resulted in this misery that I'm! In this stage of life, where I am, most people have a family or at least a partner, a job that even if they don't like, they can manage their lives working it, a reliable source of transportation, you name it. I have neither of them and whose fault is that? Mine! Mostly mine and no one else's! 

With that said, just to say how big of a loser I am, and make sure that I'm not targeting anyone else, I would like to describe the four major types of mistakes that one would make during their lives:

1) The mistake that you can compensate for the loss with some cost. 

Examples of mistakes of this kind are seen easily on a daily basis. I use one that I've made myself recently. When I wrote my CWB Level I Inspector examinations, there were instructions for the practical exam. which I missed and led to my failure! The exam was easy and I had once passed it but there were special criteria to be followed and I had not! It means that I was lucky that I had passed it the previous time. This time I didn't make the same mistake. I followed the instructions and passed it.

2) The mistake that you cannot compensate for it. It would be too costly or next to impossible. 

Here, again, is an example from my pathetic life! I wrote an exam for ASQ in 2006. I failed. It was a very hard exam. It's not an excuse. It is but not impossible to pass. I, at the time, thought, I was spending enough time on studying but perhaps it was not. My other mistake was that I didn't have much in my resume and was not able to build a strong resume so I tried to get this CQE certificate to enhance my resume and then apply for a job! What a stupid mistake! All I had to do at the time was to work on my resume a bit harder. There was not much competition in 2005-06 and I had a handful of interviews but being careless, I didn't work hard enough and ended up where I am here. That, however, was not my only mistake! I wrote the exam again and got closed to the passing score but failed again. Here is the big mistake: Instead of study harder and write the exam the next year, I left it and now 19 years after I am without the damn certificate and it would be very difficult to write and pass it now! 

3) The mistake which results in the person ending up in prison! 

I, happily, have not done any mistakes to that level, although, I have to admit that I was close a couple of times, if not more than that! 

4) The mistake which results in the person ending up in the morgue! 

This also, is a kind of mistake, that I have not made, obviously. 

(Photo: The Quebec Bridge collapsed twice, once in 1907 and the second time in 1916! This could be categorized under type 3 and 4 mistakes but since I do not know the details, I leave it to decide which one would be the better match! Feel free to simply categorize it under both! It's considered an engineering and design mistake, if I remember it correctly)

The UN Convention against Torture

 

The UN convention against torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment is an international treaty that prohibits torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment. It defines torture as any act by which sever pain or suffering whether physical or mental is intentionally inflicted on a person by a state official or with their consent or acquaintance.

The funny thing is this convention or agreement, is not mandated and was only ratified in 1987! The other interesting thing is the US is amongst three other countries which have signed but not ratified the convention(!) but would that stop anyone doing so? Is anyone, particularly, a political prisoner, protected? What would the UN do, if someone complains about such an act being performed on their person? Is that why we have some international courts known as The Hague? This would be the subject of another post, if I would want to go deep in this subject. I just point at some examples of torture which I have come across in the past few years:

1) CAF was accused of torturing some Taliban detainees at the time the mission was on. It was at the time Harper was the PM, no offence to him or anyone at any rank but accusations, seemed proven, I think.

2) Russia and Iran, probably not in this order(!), I don't know exactly, are amongst the biggest violators of the convention. 

3) The US has been accused of torturing many suspects (of aligning with terrorism) in Guantanamo Bay prison and it was proven. I think that is why they wanted to close it and it hasn't happened, although there are not many prisoners left. It was even shown in a few scenes in Zero Dark Thirty.  

Now we're going to the main subject: Why do I have a post about torture?! This goes back to this recent job application. I was interviewed, or some might want to say, screened, over the phone once and then was interviewed by a panel, in person. I was supposed to have a formal chat, I'd like to call it, with one of the managers, and then it was postponed. I had then to go back all the way to the same location, in a few days. I had the conversation and then my buddy told me that I'd most likely am hired. 

If you ever have been laid off and have had a few interviews led to nothing and then you lived by yourself and had nothing to do and then had recently finished a certificate, passed the exam and received congratulatory message, you know what I mean by waiting when someone tells you that you'd be hired! 

Now the situation gets worse and I have this offer! I don't know what the hell to do and I don't want to be in a position that when the music stops, I'm the one with no chair, although this might not be applicable here! I started writing the thank you notes and after that and to my surprise, the said manager responded and said that he had instructed his people to process my file, meaning that I'm hired. Now I'm sitting on my butt and try to be calm until the damn offer arrives but this is a torture! The weekend passes without any message and I have to go through it with mental torture! 

Mon. is then the day. I check the e-mail twice, once around 08:00 and then around 09:00. Nothing! There in fact is a bad news! From someone else and there's no need to share it here! Now I'm really pissed and uncomfortable! It's shortly before noon that someone calls from their HR and says that the company would like to offer me a position! I finally am relived. Right? No! Because they say I would receive the offer within half an hour and when I check, it's not there! Now you probably feel what I feel! I check after another 15 minutes and finally see a few e-mails! 

The offer is in 11 pages and way more attractive than what I received last week, both in terms of the salary and benefits. In fact if I can manage my behaviour and keep up a good job, it might be easily a place to retire or in worst cases, work for at least 6 next years. However I will have to see how everything goes and what my friend says as he's a much ambitious person, in comparison to what I am.  I signed the offer and sent it back and now I will be starting soon, according to the terms of the offer. I have a lot to do. From planning for career advancement to trip and hikes. It looks like I'm back on the horse!

(Photo: A Canadian member of UN Peace Keeping team in former Yugoslavia. I could easily tell by the scope! Some of my trainers during the CLFRS days told me that they saw the most brutal fights, murders and rapes during the time they served in that regions in the 90's) 

K-19: One of the Best Movies I've Seen

I, and my friend, The Pika, have been fascinated by the USSR and Russia for many years. He had a chance to travel to the country, he said once, I have not. I know Russians aren't friendly people. My few encounters with them in Canada have proved that to me. Does that mean I won't ever go to Russia? No! In fact I'm waiting for the time that travelling to the country is easier. It's possible now but because of the sanctions there aren't many airliners who fly to Russia. Here are a few of my contacts with Russians: 

1) The IT guy #1: There was this really tough guy who ran our IT department or was one of the main fellas. I remember one day we got into this argument. It was probably 2012-13 so the details are not available! He was saying why would Iran want a nuclear power plant, while they have oil and gas for generations. They were saying the country has aimed to reach nuclear bombs. The same claim that Americans and his Western allies have, while it was in fact Russia who helped to finish Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant on the shores of the Persian Gulf. The story of that power plant is quite a long one but I'll have the short version here:

Iran's nuclear ambitions started at the time King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was in power. He got the Germans to work on this project and Siemens was the main contractor. The project was halted in 1979 and the Germans left the country. No Western company would want to continue the project on the count of now Iran was an anti-West nation(!) in the region! It was eventually it was the Russians who accepted to do that and the project took so long and so much money was given to them that everyone says it wasn't worth the amount paid! Iraq tried to destroy the facility while it was under construction in the 80's. Damages were sustained but the project was carried on and was completed in 2011. Weather Iran is in search of an atomic bomb or not is beyond this post. I just wanted to have a short presentation of the subject of I and the Russian fella's argument. The guy left for another company while I was still employed and never saw him or heard of him after that.

2) The IT guy #2: There was another Russian IT guy who was a little less bitter! I think his name was Andre and I sat with him a few times and asked him questions about Russia because it was my plan to travel there at the time, some 12 years ago! I remember he always sat patiently and answered every question but never saw a smile on his face. He still, I think, was there when I got laid off. 

3) The Russian hiker: I was once on The Middle Sister trail and saw a man on the other side of the stream. Once we merged I had a short conversation with him and he said he was from Volgograd. He actually was the one who told me how to get to the summit or I had gone the wrong way but he turned back. He was the only pleasant Russian I've ever met! 

With all that said, I know Russians are usually not pleasant people to be around, they're not hospitable and not welcoming but I still would like to go there and can't wait for this silly war to end. That's how Russians are but they're also very patriotic. They're proud of their nationality and they don't sell themselves easily. This movie is about that and for that, I admire them. That, but not that alone, could be the reason why the movie was not a hit in North America. It's about Russians, not Americans but everything is better than many movies and particularly a submarine movie that I've ever seen. The only submarine movie that I put next to K19, is Das Boot. 

Everything is great in this movie: Direction, acting (Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard, all of them), cinematography, story telling, you name it.

I found this picture which is a memorial of the real K-19 in Google Maps. The place is located in north of Murmansk, one of the most northern cities of Russia, somewhere I would love to visit one day.

This actually is loosely based on an actual event that happened to an atomic Soviet submarine. In my opinion it's way better than the known submarine movies such as Crimson Tide, The Hunt for Red October and The Abyss. I have watched all the named and as I said the only movie that come close and somehow match it is Das Boot. The main Soviet fleet was located in Vladivostok but I don't know what happened to all those submarine. I think I read somewhere a little while back that many of them are scrapped but there shall be some in service and I think it would not be very hard to get some basic information. Vladivostok has been on the top of my list for decades now and The Pika always teases me with that. The last time he did so I told him that I would one day go there. When he realized I was serious he suggested me to take tours from the old country. I know it'd be easier and cheaper but I'm not a tour guy and I have no passport rather than the Canadian. So that is scratched for now. To go back to the subject, make sure you get the movie and watch it closely. You will love it.

(Photo, top: Ford, on left, as the captain and Neeson as the X. O. of K-19 in a scene of the movie. Hackman and Washington, respectively, have the same role in Crimson Tide and despite their great performances, the movie never reached K-19)

The Manager's Interview

I was called back to the potential employer's facility for a formal chat, perhaps I can call it, with a top manager. It was supposed to happen the same day as the interview but I was told that something had come up and the gentleman had to leave!

I was there 10 minutes earlier because like the other day I was making sure that I was on time and do not make a bad first impression. The problem is the damn old Garmin GPS directed me from the east side of Deerfoot Tr., on the first day, which made me stop at, at least, 10 damn traffic lights! This was not the first time I was being screwed with this piece of garbage. 

That aside, the second day I simply took Deerfoot Tr. and avoided all the never racking lights! I waited another 5 minutes until the time that the guy I'm supposed to report to, directly, showed and invited me to his office. It was very kind of him. We chatted a little bit until an old gentleman whom I was told later would be retired soon, showed. The Mumbling Guy had briefly told me that he would replace an old fella who was a close friend of our colleague in the company we worked together! I immediately realized that was the guy. We chatted a bit and I suggested to have a coffee or lunch with the other old fella. He agreed and handed me his card. 

The manager finally came after 15 minutes and I was directed to a room and he started a conversation about the company, the position and other related similar stuff. It took a little over half an hour and that was the time I left, right after the the so-called chat. I followed the tradition (norm) the next day and sent him a thank you e-mail. He, surprisingly, responded to that and said that he had asked my file to be processed. Now I'm going to wait for this offer to compare it to the other one, while it seems the second would be more attractive. 

(Photo: I think I should not have called it an interview. He didn't even have my resume in front of him and said that he had seen it. However, I think, he could have overruled whatever decision had been made)

Recalled!

 

I received an e-mail from the young fella indicating he had decided to go with another candidate about a week after the interview. I think one of the factors contributing to his decision was the fact that I had told him I was still working! It sometimes works better because you don't seem desperate and pathetic! He said, during the interview, that one of the previous team members had come back and I and him were the last candidates. I think that is what he wanted to say in the e-mail: The other fella has been selected. 

I then received a call a few days back but before reaching the phone, it was hung up. Then I checked the e-mail the same day and saw he was saying that the selected guy had decided not to work for the company and he wants me back! Fair enough! I'd be happy to. It's just the fact that I need to settle with my current employer, I wrote. I received the offer letter shortly and I have to say that the benefits were attractive. He, however, I realized, that had slashed a dollar from what we negotiated(!), if I can say, during an interview. It is supposed to be an hourly job, with some overtime and a dollar will result in less $2000 annually! Now I'm waiting for the other job offer, if it comes, so I can make a wise decision.

(Photo: The term recalled usually is associated with calling some food items, which there is a possibility of contamination with some bacteria or something. It happens from time to time in North America and I've seen different things, from ground beef to Romaine Lettuce. I thought to use that for a post photo here. I couldn't think of anything else. I hope the food industry guys are not offended!)

Proactive Vs. Reactive

 Three of the concepts of Quality Control and Quality Management Systems, the areas that I consider myself to be an expert (I know you're laughing! It's fine) are:

1) Be proactive rather than reactive,

2) Cause and effect, and

3) Root Cause Analysis.

None of them are new concepts and have been introduced many years ago. You would be able to see some of them, if I refer to Juran's Quality Handbook, although some consider that old! My point here is I've barely seen any of these concepts to be used and implemented anywhere, especially in West where they originate from although the main source is Japan and then the Americans transferred them to the US and tailored them to use for their own. Maybe it is seen in a few high tech industries.  

I'm not going to teach the basics of the above but I'm going to refer to a recent accomplishment in Calgary that the authorities (perhaps the Government of Albert and AHS) are so proud of that and it has a long name (Perhaps they think it would be more effective and impressive at the same time): Arthur J. E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Center.

They have spent millions on this facility but would that be necessary, if instead, they looked into the causes of cancer and tried to eliminate them, or not?! 

I'm no physician but we all know that eating habits could contribute a lot. Do they not? Look at what people, including children, of course, eat here. There's no doubt that other factors are involved and I don't know what they could be. Some of them can be controlled but some can't. I don't know if genes are a factor but I think I read somewhere, that they are. The other factor is air pollution. So which ones can we control? And why do they not? Or perhaps I shall say why they have not being controlled? is this not why nations elect a government? To do the right thing for them? To make the right decisions on their behalf? It seem not! Everything is about money. There're people who benefit from this multimillion dollar facility and now they have it. It is not important to them whether sick kids are cured or not. It matters that this building is there and it provides its services so the business is going on! 

(Photo: The kids cancer center is built next to Foothills Medical Center in west side of Calgary)

Out After 10 Years (23): Fujiyama

 Climbing, or perhaps I shall say, hiking Mt. Fujiyama was part of my trip to Japan until I realized that I had to register and it was too late. Now I have my second ticket to Narita purchased but with the current employment status I won't be able to go until, the earliest, in 2026. Then after reading all the crowds and hassle about registration and booking a nice and comfortable place nearby, I thought I should perhaps to switch to another hike in that country as there're many available and all as beautiful or even nicer than Fuji.This mountain has always been the symbol of Japan and there's barely any picture, clip, book or advertisement that do  not contain a snow-covered mountain in it and the Japanese are proud of that. The recent climate change has resulted in this always covered mountain to lose its glory, recently! I read about it when I came back from my trip and then I went back to my pictures and looked. I passed Mt. Fuji four times and took a few photos while on Shinkansen. Why did I not notice that or mention it in my notes? 

Here it is, you can see it in the top photo and I will write whether I hike or not, the next time I go to Japan. Mt. Fuji is considered scared and has respect in Japanese culture. I think the climbing was banned at a point due to erosion and that's most likely why they require climbers to register. They not only intend to limit the number of hikers but probably want to screen them. I think there's a section in the form which asks about the experience and stuff of that nature. They even have built a website for that and there's lots of shit to go through to be able to do the climb but many do that just to simply say they have climbed Mt. Fuji! I even read that many start early to see the sunrise from the summit(!) something that I hate to do! I always start my hike early but not because I care about the damn sunset! I wonder what would happen when I'm going up and seeing flocks of people coming back down! The other thing is I would like to do it during the off-season and I hope there's no limitation. I would like to do it in late Sep. and then continue with the rest of my journey but all I need to do is to climb and hike as many mountains as possible this summer and fall. I haven't had a good ascend for a long time and that is the only way I can prove to myself and the Japanese that I can do Fuji as well, if I ever decide to. 

(Photo, top: Mt. Fujiyama without snow. This has been taken from the train and you can see the reflection in the window. I think it was taken when I was going back to Tokyo from Nagoya) 

The Afternoon Visit

 I was invited to attend the second, a face-t-face interview and then have a facility visit a few days ago. I was a little worried because I had seen two of the interviewers' profiles online and they were both welding guys! I anticipated a heavily structured interview based on the subject. It didn't happen! There were a number of questions but I had the upper hand! There were a few good ones, though. I, fortunately was able to answer them correctly and completely and I'm going to mention them here because you might be asked the same, one day(!) in an interview:

1) Where do you see yourself in five years from now? 

This is a typical question which is asked by many during the interview, mostly regardless of what the position is but I never thought it'd be asked for this low-level position(!) but considering there had already been an interview and this was the second one and there would be another one, it answers the concern!  The good thing is, for the first time, I had done my homework! And that was based on the advice The Mumbling Guy gave me when we met a few weeks ago. So I was ready. My answer was: I'd like to be in the same position with more responsibilities or if there was any opening, move to another position.

2) If you perform a PMI scan, can you tell if it matches the standard?! 

I got frozen for a second! A scan does not have anything to do with any standard! So it was a good question! I was caught unguarded! I looked at him after the pause and I said by scanning I can only say whether the components match the order's requirements and that would be it! 

It was difficult to say whether he liked the answers or not but he kind of confirmed them! 

The interview took longer than I thought. I think It took nearly 40 minutes. I was then escorted and taken to different parts of the facility. I didn't see much organization and cleanliness! I thought the previous worksite was bad but you never know until you work. I was supposed to see the guy who, probably, makes the final decision but he had to attend a sort of meeting and I was handed to The Mumbling Guy. 

He didn't say much about the interview which he joined after a few minutes of it but told me that when he gave my name to the company, at that point, I was hired! 

I, on the contrary, do not think so. Unless you have the offer letter in your hands nothing matters. All the praise and you did well in the interview and so are nonsense! The other problem is the salary which was never discussed. We discussed that briefly during the phone interview but the number is way lower than what The Mumbling Guy wants me to ask! He actually wants me to request nearly $15k more! It would make a big difference in my life! I don't know how much the tax is but it would be roughly $1000 extra every month! 

I'm supposed to go there again to see the big boss soon. We'll see how it goes.

(Photo: This shop is quite similar to what I visited)

Panic over Travelling to the US

 There have been issues for travelers to the US since Donald J. Trump has been selected as the President. Canadians have been detained and questioned. I traveled to the US exactly a year ago and missed my flight, due to being late a few months after that. My destination, on the second trip was Nevada as I had planned to summit the mountain that we, I and Alphonse, barely even started! 

Now this will be my plan for as early as I can: I'm hoping that as soon as I pass my probation period and things are a little bit more stable, I will travel to Nevada and will aim the same mountain. I don't care what CBP might ask me and I'm not afraid of being detained or anything. I'm planning to do that on Labour Day this year which is exactly 5 months from now and I will get the ticket two months ahead of the trip. I must conquer that summit and I've already made up a story to sell to my potential manager! I will write about the details, both the plan and the actual trip, when the time comes. I know many Canadians have boycotted travelling to the US and purchasing American made products. I 100% agree and support that but at the same time I would like to challenge Americans as a non-Canadian who lives in Canada for more than 23 years and have traveled to the US many times. I would like to prove that the US is wrong looking and treating everyone like a criminal and a potential threat, if that's what actually CBP and other authorities in the US do. Many Canadians and non-Canadian citizens, including Iranians, are afraid of crossing into the US and perhaps they're right. No one wants to go on a trip with the fear of being detained and not being able to go back to the family and work as a result of that. We will see. 

Here's a link to what Trump has ordered in case you need to refer to it:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-american-people-against-invasion/ 

(Photo: An A-6 Intruder on display in front of The Palm Springs Air Museum which I visited last year and it was worth the US $20 I paid. A-6 was retired in 1997. Look at the camera on the bottom of the cockpit)

From Cocky and Confident to Disappointed and Discouraged

 

I get cocky and confident every time I pass a relatively difficult examination! I know one shall be confident but not cocky! I remember when I got my P. Eng. license I thought: I would do this and I would do that! I will print a card so I can hand it in when I meet people! None of them happened! In fact it didn't take long to realize that many have the same! Some barely able to write and read properly and fluently! 

Many don't barely have any licenses and certificates and have more stability and income in their career! Why? First they are Canadians! Secondly they just do they work and question nothing the way I normally do and criticize almost everything! 

So this mode stays and then when I get nothing, it turns to discouragement and disappointment. I now have a new certificate which I have to see how it's considered. 

(Photo: A cock or a rooster is the only thing I thought I could use its picture for this post!)

Lie and Sell Garbage, Live Better!

Hideous-Mart is without a doubt one of the biggest thieves in the world: Cheap, low quality stuff, anti-union and staff, you name it. That's what Hideous-Mart is actually about. I have to go to a branch from time to time for a very limited number of items. Vegetables, Fruits, Meat, Poultry, Seafood, Cheese all are out of question! You get the worst from this retailer. There are a few items that I get from them rarely. One of them was, as no longer, this big piece of Chocolate Bar called Waterbridge. It used to be CAN $5.95 for different flavours. A few months back the thieves increased the price to CAN $6.97 or something in that range. I went just for that item to a store nearby and I saw the price had been jacked up to CAN $8.98 and I didn't buy and I will never buy it! 

Situations like this is very easy to control if people are together: Simply boycott the product. Either the retailer or the manufacturer has to adjust the price! The solution for the retailer might be to stop carrying them and replacing them with something cheaper. That would work because people go there for cheap stuff. The manufacturers use different approaches: Some like McDonald's decrease the size of the product for the same price and it mostly works. Some use lower quality ingredients. That might work too. It's difficult to call people to boycott a product here in Canada but I know the new Buy Canadian trend is on. Unfortunately it does not work for many products. I'm not sure about Chocolate Bars and Candies!

(Photo: The 400 g Waterbridge Chocolate Bar on the shelf in a store. This one is black chocolate with fruits and nuts but I doubt it is even dark. Dark chocolate means less sugar and more Cocoa. Some manufacturers use food colouring to make it darker. I'm not certain about this one)

The Eisenhower Interstate System

I've had one of my best trips in my life at the peak of the Corona-Virus pandemic: A road trip in Texas, in 2021. This state is the second biggest in the country. It would take a long time to travel it completely. Mine covered a big portion. It was on my way back that I saw a sign saying that I was on a part of the Eisenhower Interstate System. I remembered that I had heard about it in an episode of The Big Bang Theory and did some research about it. 

I-17 sign in Arizona. I took this picture when I was heading north nearly 10 years ago! 

President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Interstate Act in 1956 to become a law as a means to facilitate major urban area evacuation at the time of a possible war. I noticed an interstate highway first in my Arizona road trip in 2015. The interstate highways were considered crucial in that time when the Cold War was in full swing. The highways also intend to act as runway for fighter jets and bombers.  

FA-18 Jets of the Swiss Air Force have landed on a highway in the country as part of a practice in 2024. It's a surprise to me that Canada has the plan to change their FA-18 fighter jets and has been calling them aging. This has been in the news since Peter MacKay was the Defense Minister! I'll have a post for that later.

The Swiss Air Force started landing its jets on the country's highways as a practice. It's hard to believe that a country, as small as Switzerland, is as big as a small state such as Vermont has such an advanced highway system but it's Switzerland and it has! It will be my first European trip after my last which was in 2014! They claim the threat of Russia is the reason they're worried! It seems the whole Europe is felt threatened but that's beyond this post.

(Photo, top: The Eisenhower Interstate System sign on I-10 when I was going east)

The U of C Fella

I worked for Cargill Meat Solutions in High River for over 4.5 years! When I think about that, I think: what the hell was I thinking?! I quit in Aug.2026! That was the problem in Cargill: The job was extremely difficult, particularly for someone like me who had never done any physical jobs in their lives and then once you got used to it, it'd be a piece of cake! My rate when I started there, if I'm not mistaken, was $12.30. I don't remember what the minimum wage was but it's easy to find out. I had some serious issues with my hands a few times and had to see a physician and physiotherapist but despite the hardship, it was mostly fun, in a silly way! The cost of living was so low on those years so someone like me who made a little more than $40K annually, lived comfortably. One of my main mistakes, amongst many others(!) was not purchasing a property and I didn't do that because I didn't want to do that job for life and had to pay the mortgage. The other reason was that I sponsored my family and I think it was 2004 that I started the process. They were later able to join me in Canada in 2012. This was a little bit of the history of my tenure(!) in that company. Many people, mostly two groups, the ones who cannot find a job anywhere else and the ones who have a good position there, retire there.

William Wallace Cargill founded the company in Iowa in 1865, two years before Canada become a coutry!

 There are many stories about Cargill days and I've told some of them but this short one is about the fella whose locker was close to me and every day that I was leaving work, I would see him. He worked the evening shift. This guy had a University of Calgary T-shirt on and wore a pair of glasses. Looked early to mid. 30th. Caucasian fella. I had a chat with him a few times and since it was a very long time ago, the only thing I remember clearly is that he was saying that he was getting old for that, meaning studying in the university and working night shifts. Many people have to do that to be able to support themselves. Of course I left the company in 2006, again, if I'm not mistaken and never thought of him but I hope he's doing okay wherever he is. Cargill was a good company to work for, in those days. If I was not careless, I either would have left earlier or worked to get to the level of supervisor or something but my attitude, which resulted in being written up and suspended, a few times, was the biggest hinder! 

(Photo: A new U of C T-shirt available on their website and of course their store. Of course the guy's T-shirt, though, was not this one. I remember it was white!) 

Disgusting and Shameless Opportunists

When the situation gets bad, people do everything, they can, to get by. If you go to Kijiji, you'll see tight competition over everything: selling stuff, renting, even getting a job. I'm sorry for using this as an example but there's even a countless number of people who are ready to sell their bodies for some cash posting that into different websites. Do I blame them? Some have boundaries and some don't. We can't judge someone unless we know all of the aspects. I received several text messages from a woman (I won't reveal her identity and not even her ethnicity, of course) whom I had met a few times for massage therapy, asking me if I was going to see her!! I have seen different massage clinics but had never been approached, out of the blue, by any of them indicating they would like to host me!

With that in mind, we go to the US and millions of illegal border jumpers whom the Trump's administration has decided to deport and has already started to do. I watched a documentary late last year about a Chinese fella, his wife and a little kid who had traveled to South America and then reached the US through forests, streams and such! The Pika (a nickname for an old friend who lives in TX, legally) told me before his trip to the old country, about a month ago that one of his old friends, whom I know too, had done the same thing but he had lost contact with him recently! I understand people could be desperate but is that the solution? Most of the countries in Europe have already started implementing tighter laws against illegal immigration or to use the term that the Trump's administration use, invasion(!) but people always find ways to go around. 

One recent story that I read was about an Iranian woman who has been recently sent to Panama by the US authorities. This shameless piece of work has claimed that she had converted to Christianity in her country of her origin and for that reason if he goes back, her life would be in danger! That's an old trick in the book which is known by every immigration officer in every border-jumper desired country! 

There was this guy whom I met back in the days that I used to work for Cargill Meat Solutions, some 20 years ago who told me he had used the same story. This guy was a kind of crazy fella. I know he was a mess! Once we were talking and he got mad at me and punched me in the stomach! I didn't even move an inch! Just stood there and gazed into his eyes. He apologized to me a few years after that and we talked from time to time. He told me he had traveled to Thailand and there he was imprisoned with tens of other border-jumpers in a very small cell. He then was allowed to apply for asylum and the UNCHR sent him to the biggest toilet of the world, which is not good for anything else rather than accepting the feces of the destroyed countries, Canada! The guy then was given accommodations and permits to stay, like many others who come from different places. I then was looking for an opportunity to teach the lying asshole a lesson. One day I told him that I was going back to the old country and asked him if there was anything he wanted me to do for him. He asked me to take some medicine for his father. My answer was, not to his face of course, F--- you!

A group of Taliban soldiers with Russian and American rifles riding a Toyota pickup truck. The US left nearly US $7,000,000,000 worth of equipment when they left the country!  

You act like a maniac and then you expect me to do you a favour?! That was the time that I quit the company and never saw the asshole again! The Panama guys, including some Iranians and Afghans are still there but I have no sympathy for any of them. People shall not be able to gain what they are aiming for by making up stories and deceiving the authorities. I have a little doubt that the immigration officers aren't aware of these fake stories but I guess many of them don't want to challenge that, don't care or simply are told to let them liars in! Now under the new administration in the US and to some extent in the other countries, they're more vigilant as there have been so many issues everywhere. Germany's response to some Afghans who had fled to the country was this: We pay money to build homes and work on your infrastructures, so your people don't come here! Afghans actually are the worst. Their army and their leader simply gave up and fled the country by taking millions and handed the country to the Taliban. Now every lazy and asshole thinks they have the right to go anywhere they want in the world and other countries are obligated to accept them and host them!

One of my cousins was a real border jumper. I never wanted to degrade him by telling his sad and pathetic life story here but since 2018 he has turned into a major asshole! So I don't care anymore:

This cousin is from my father's side. His Mom who passed away about two years ago was my dearest aunt whom I miss even today. She's the only lady, after my Mom, whom I always loved and still do and she was the only one who always helped me, not counting my Mom. I needed some money in the last years of my life in the old country and she lent it to me. When I traveled to the old country last time in 2014, I stayed at this aunt's because no other relative even offered me to stay with them! This poor aunt's husband abandoned her and the two kids, my cousin, the border-jumper(!) and his elder sister when they were little kids. My father then took them under his wing. A duplex house was purchased where we, my family, and the aunt's family, she and her two little kids, lived. My Dad did everything for them. The border-jumper cousin even learnt the basics of driving from my father and drove his car to practice. When he grew he had difficulty even getting his high school diploma, he got lots of help from a relative to do that. He then was employed by the same relative, in his company, as a driver because he couldn't do anything else, perhaps! 

Guards at the Danish Royal Family Palace in Copenhagen. You can see two policemen or Politi, as it's said in Danish, on left

He spent his spare time hanging out with some friends but mostly what he did was gambling! I don't know if he was drinking or not but these two usually go together! There were many relatives who regularly got together and gambled and most of the time it ended in fighting! 

I remember we were at another aunt's one night and this cousin was talking angrily about a recent fight with that aunt's husband, who was not there at the time! 

He was once my father's partner for awhile when they were trying to run a grocery store. That didn't work well and then he took his money out. One day we were at the relatives and he and my father left and that was the last time I saw him in the old county (I visited him once in the country where he was accepted, later, back in 2008). We learnt later that my father drove him to a rendezvous point where he started his journey to the West. He later told me that he went to Tabriz and from there to the Iran-Turkey border where he crossed at night! My aunt sold her vehicle to pay for the human smugglers at the time. He was detained in Turkey on the allegations of espionage and then let go. He went to Sweden and Denmark after that. He was granted refugee status in the latter and has been living for the past 35 years or so! Time flies by! This example of a real person proves that the majority of the border jumpers are either assholes or incompetent and lazy dickheads, if not criminals! What do you think he would be doing in the old country, if he still was there?! He's near retirement in Denmark now. He drove a cab for years because that's all he could do. Why we're not in speaking terms now? It's because he's an asshole. I tell you this part of the story too:  We were communicating by phone and mostly e-mail for years. Once I wrote to him I would like to go to western Denmark, where he used to live, before moving to the suburbs of Copenhagen and named a small town, to see the nature and hopefully also The Atlantic Wall. He asked me why the hell I would want to see such a remote, insignificant and small place! I wrote back to him that if we're talking about insignificant and small places, then the entire country of Denmark pops in mind as the first example! This was considered offensive and he has not returned my calls, responded to my e-mails and not even accepted my condolences for his mother's passing, since! 

I will plan and I will go to see The Atlantic Wall when the time is right and I will contact his family from there despite the fact that it's proven that he's a lazy, incompetent asshole who got lucky to marry a Danish woman older than him, otherwise who knows what he has become know!

(Photo, top: The woman who has claimed she has converted to Christianity and illegally entered the US. She was kicked out and sent to Panama where she is at the time of this post)

An Ontario-based Interview

It's a bit strange to me that many recruiting agencies intend to find candidates for their clients outside of the province they are located in. I was directed to talk to a person in Ontario for a position in Alberta, by a friend. I had applied for that position earlier, later I found out but it was a difficult one and my resume was not good enough. I boosted it up and sent it to the recruiter.

The guy called me eventually a few days ago and asked questions for almost 30 minutes. I had not been interviewed, to that level, by a non-technical person and I did not know how to answer the questions to be considered satisfactory. I didn't have much hope but tried my best. I received no response after the interview, even after I sent him a follow-up note. It's obvious that the recruiters don't want to ruin their reputation by sending a unqualified candidate to their client but that job description was too demanding and I don't think there're many people who can cover all those requirements fully. I think I have to move on.

(Photo: Niagara Falls in Ontario is one of the main tourist attractions of Canada but I haven't been there! I've been to Toronto and Ottawa but nowhere else. I didn't think any other photo would be appropriate here!)

The CWB Level I Inspector Certificate Story

I received an e-mail from CWB, a few days ago, indicating that I eventually(!) have passed all of the required examinations and have gotten my CWB Level I Inspector certificate. I know it's not something to brag about but it really was a pain to go through the material and study, with all the mistakes and contradictions! It has been years since I wanted to do that and there was always something between me and the certificate! Once I did the practical exam without reading the provided instruction! I had passed it previously though but you have to pass all the three main exams within a specified time-frame. Other times I was busy with other exams and certificates! I did 2 courses and one certificate in 2023 and 3 certificates in 2024 and I know it's considered an excuse by many but believe me there were times that I'd go crazy by simply reading the textbooks! This is one of my many(!) issues that if I don't understand something, I can barely move on. It keeps bothering me. Now it's over! 
It's not expected from a national technical organization which administrates many major national standards in the country, in the welding industry, such as CSA W47.1, CSA W47.2, CSA W59, CSA W48, CSA W178.2 and CSA W178.1 to have major mistakes and spelling errors in their textbooks! I wrote to the organization and despite the fact that they responded to me a few times, on many occasions they were not willing to accept their mistakes and correct them! 
What can you do? There have been many positions that I simply was turned down or I didn't even apply in the first place because I didn't have the certificate but my general opinion is having a certificate or degree means nothing and I strongly insist on that. This shall be combined with understanding and experience. One Quality Inspector who worked as part of my team had a CWB Level I Inspector certificate with AMSE B31.3 endorsement but he barely was able to complete a simple Weld Visual Inspection Report! The Mumbling Guy, despite all his expertise in resume building and convincing recruiters(!), cannot do any design, I'm sure of it, although he has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering because he has no experience in that field and has never worked under the supervision of an experience designer. In general if we say someone is an expert, simply because they have a certificate or degree, it means we say that everyone is capable of driving well simply because they have obtained an Operator's Licence! I used this analogy for the sheep(!) I used to work with them, several times, but it didn't seem to get through their rotten heads! 
The funny thing is when I was talking to The Mumbling Guy the other day, he said he would help me to get my CWB Level II Inspector certificate, if I joined the company he works for! I was not sure, despite being positive, that I would have the certificate but I thanked him for that! Now if I join, I can get the certificate easily after two years, if not earlier. I also will aim for the ABSA Weld Examiner certificate as I was turned down last year by them! They told me that I simply don't have the qualifications! I will show them what qualifications mean! Now I'm also happy that I haven't turned The Mumbling Guy down! After all it was him who signed my application! 

Here are a few useful tips for someone who wants to apply for this certificate:

1) If you are an experienced welder, aiming for Welding Inspector is much easier and possible but remember this: Welders make much more than welding inspectors! I'm not an experienced welder but I have done TIG welding and I've done lots of studies and inspection which helped me.

2) Good understanding and deep Knowledge of welding consumables is very important. It's not just memorizing the codes.

3) Get comfortable using different tools and if you can afford them, buy a few. CWB sells a pack of tools for a reasonable price (CAN $250). If you don't want to spend that much, purchase the main ones. CWB allows you to use them during your practical exam. I only have a Telescopic Mirror and Bridge Cam Gauge and I haven't paid even a Penny for them! I used the ones provided by the CWB because I've used several different types of tools and I'm comfortable using them. I got 80%. I think I know what my mistake has been. 

4) Take your time and go through the questions of the closed-book exam calmly. You have plenty of time to answer all and that's the good thing about this exam. I had extra time at the end and I got only 83%. You need 70% to pass every CWB exam. 

I'm going to start studying for Level II and I have a long way to go! 

(Photo: UT or Ultrasonic Test is considered a very sophisticated non-destructive test which requires a very skilled operator. I just know the basics of it. This picture was taken many years ago when I visited a supplier in British Columbia. I won't reveal any name or other details but this was a n skilled and very nice elderly UT operator from Acuren who patiently answered my questions)