From the "Damn it's early" Dept.
Hey all,
Woke up at 5:30am today. Blah. There's snow on the ground. Blah.
I'll be back Sunday.
Hope things go well.
Happy Birthday Win.
Cheers,
Tai
From the "Choosing a Team Name" Dept.
I mentioned that the five of us needed a team name. I've been thinking long and hard about this, but nothing has come up.
From the "Team Profile" Dept.
Unfortunately I was too busy today to get this part of my blog up and running. I had to buy some stuff (Therm-A-Rest� Chair, trekking poles, whistle, etc) to round out my gear. Collectively with the addition of some new equipment, my bag weight has jumped 4 pounds to 36 lbs. Personally, I think I'm carrying too much, but oh well. I know for instance that my tent is 3 lbs too heavy, and that I could probably substitute to a lighter jacket--if I hadn't lost my 3-ply GoreTex shell in between France and Spain in last year's trek through Europe.
Hopefully, I'm fit enough to carry this weight.
The people accompanying me are (and I'd like to apologize if this is factually incorrect, I know I'm making some gross simplifications here):
- Anu Sharma, 25, a Sex Educator for the Ministry of Health.
- Jean Mack, 22, a professional Video Editor.
- Kenny Samoru, 25, a Network Technician.
- Win Toh, 25 (turns 26 in about 30 mins from the time I write this blog--so happy birthday big bro), a Graphic Designer.
Wish me luck, because it will definitely drop below 0�C this weekend.
Cheers,
Tai
From the "Mapping and Orienteering" Dept.
For those of you who are curious, I've scanned in some images of the route that me, my brother and his friends are taking.
We're leaving the house at 6:30 am, Friday. We'll be entering Algonquin's West-Gate (Red Arrow), just northeast of Dorset, Ontario.
Day 1: The team will hike 20 Km, traversing the Oxtongue River, which may be flooded this time of year--great, I don't know how to swim, but I sink very well--to the northwest point of Maggie Lake. (ETA 4-5 hours). We'll set up camp (at around 3:00 pm). Captain Win, my brother, will work on getting a fire started using the classic "bow and stick" method. If that fails, all of us are equipped with windless lighters. Since, this is his first time trying to do such a thing, I figure that it will take him the better part of the day. I will try to fish-out some protein from the lake for the night's meal.
Day 2: The team will pack up camp and proceed back where we came. The hike will take us Southeast to Maple Leaf Lake (I have no idea why it's called that--it doesn't look remotely like a maple leaf). (ETA 3 1/2 hours) The team sets camp again, marvelling at the wonders of Mother Nature.
Day 3: The team does the short 5 km hike back to the car portage, where we pack up and go.
From the "Yum, Yum , Dim-Sum" Dept.
Just want to make a quick note about what I'm bringing to eat. So far, I'm bringing 4.2 lbs of food. More than enough to keep me going.
Here's my list:
- 3 Cliff Bars (lunch for each day)
- 4 Chewy Granola bars (breakfast pick-me-ups)
- 4 packs of Lipton Cup-a-soup (chicken noodle)
- 4 packs of President's Choice Apple Cider
- 1 bag of Mini-Oreo Cookies (snack)
- 1 bag of instant mash potatoes (filler)
- 2 bags of Lipton Sidekicks (Pesto + Bacon Carbonara)
- 1 bag of Hamburger helper Beef Stroganoff
- 1 bag of home-made, unseasoned, dehydrated ground beef
- 1 ZipLock Bag of Gorp
- Kool-aid Cherry Flavour (to flavour the water)
- Gatorade (for that deep-down body thirst)
- 1 bag of Maynard's Winegums (sweet tooth pickings)
I also intend to catch fish, although I'm doubtful because of the relatively cold water.
All this will go into our "bear bag" (a 30L seal-line sack) and hung onto a tree like this:
Actually, we're too lazy for this set up, so we're just going to hang it across a branch.
Tomorrow, I'll put up a team profile. Hmm...we need a team name....
Cheers,
Tai
From the "Weather" Dept.
Looks like things are picking up for Toh-Bro Eco Challenge 2002. I got this from Environment Canada:��
Text Forecast from Environment Canada
Algonquin: Issued 11.00 AM EDT Tuesday 23 April 2002
Friday :: A mix of sun and cloud. Low 2. High 11.
Saturday :: Sunny. Low plus 1. High 12.
Here's some of my equipment:
- Sleeping Bag :: Jack Wolfskin Dakota
- Backpack :: LoweAlpine Skyline 75
- Tent :: Eureka MountainPass 2EXO
- Rest Mat :: Therm-A-Rest� Ultralite
- Shoes :: Garmont R2 Aroya Light Hikers
- Jacket :: Mountain Hardware Exposure II
I've excluded a lot of stuff, like pots and pans, what kind of food, pack towels, clothing, etc....
So far with food, equipment and clothing, my pack weighs 32 lbs. I'm going to try to shave off some weight by removing some clothing. In the end, I could shave off 3 pounds by just getting a solo-tent, but that would require some big bucks since most of the equipment (bag, mat, sleeping bag, and tent) I'm borrowing from my bro (he's hardcore).
Tomorrow I'll outline the route that I'm taking and the food that I'm bringing.
Cheers,
Tai
From the "Freeze my ass in Algonquin" Dept.
Hi all ('all' meaning the 10 or 12 of you who read this weblog),
I''ve actually planned a trip into Algonquin Park this coming weekend with my brother and his friends. It was suppose to be six of us, but Leo (my partner) backed out two days ago. No blood, no foul.
So I'll be carrying my tent, sleeping bag, Thermarest, pans, and water all by myself. Four others (my brother Win, his girlfriend Jean, and Kenny and Anu) will be accompanying me into the bush.
Looks like great weather (I say this with heavy sarcasm).
From Environment Canada:
Friday: A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of showers. Low 3. High 9.
Saturday (looks even better): Cloudy with 100 percent chance of showers and snow. Low 0. High 6.
I freaked when I saw snow this morning.
Jen unfortunately can't come with me. She's leaving for Japan next week, and can't afford to take any more time off. :-(
Well, at least Trout season opens this Saturday. So I plan to do some fishing.
I'll fill you in on more details of the trip as the week rolls on.
From the "TV Survival Guide" Dept
Two things:
- EcoChallenge 2001: New Zealand - The worlds premiere Advenure Race. I'd like to think that my trip into the bush will kind of be like that. ;-) The 2002 Race is set to be held in Fiji.
- Les Strauss and his survival series on the Discovery Channel. Les Strauss is a survivalist who did a summer and winter survival story on the Discovery Channel. It's a fascinating look into how to survive the elements if you're lost in Northern Ontario without any food or gear.
Fortunately I have equipment.
One thing that my brother Win and I are going to try is make fire. It sounds stupid, but we're going to try and make fire by rubbing two pieces of wood together.
From the "Wishing you well" Dept.
Just want to say Good Luck to Eric and Aniel, as they prepare to fly off to Asia.
Cheers all.
Tai
From the "So ERGOnomical, it hurts" dept
"UI Goodness" is an affectionate term for good User Interface Design that my former co-worker, Mike, would often say. I admire Mike; he's an artist and a geek. Unfortunately, I can only emulate the latter.
On the topic of UI goodness, I saw a few things on the "INTERWEB" that might be of interest to those, "in-the-know".
I know that this has been posted everywhere, but I finally took the time to read DesignInteract.com's developmental case study of the Herman Miller RED e-campaign. It's a good look at how a website should be designed, while showing the benefits that an interaction architect/designer/specialist can give.
The funniest thing about that article is that Herman Miller has an online magazine called "brightRED" -- a place for owners of HM RED to ruminate and predicate on how nice there furniture is, I guess. The colour of the e-zine, you ask? Green. Now, the only reason that I can think of this is that Green is the complementary colour for RED.
I just think it is an interesting juxtaposition.
Unlike Jen, I am not fortunate enough to have an office furnished in Herman Miller RED, but I can always dream. However, in one work-term I did have a BED where I used to take naps--so I'm not complaining. Right now my room is furnished with a lot of IKEA furniture (bed, table, a chair, and shelving), and one lone Walmart dresser. Actually, that's about all the furniture that I own. My room is pretty spartan.
From the "Jargon = Exclusion = Poor Usability" Dept.
BoxesandArrows.com is site dedicated to ""bringing architecture and design to the digital landscape".
It's a brand new site with lots of great IA-related content. The one article that I found interesting is
Now as a Usability Specialist, I use jargon all the time. Words like: meta-data, meta-navigation, salience, "UI goodness", were used all the time at Critical Path. It must be baffling to some people.
BoxesandArrows is a nice site. One of its objectives is to eliminate jargon where ever possible. It also has a clean design. If you look carefully, you'll find that the site's colour scheme uses blue with orange high-lights. Blue and orange? Those are complimentary colours!
Coincidence? I think not.
Cheers,
Tai
From the "high school flashback" Dept.
Went clubbing last night at Roxy Blu. Had a good time.
A lot of Waterloo people there. A lot of old high school chums.
Seeing all those people brought back a lot of memories from university and high school.
Back in high school, I was what some people, most notably Byron and Ha, would call a P U N K.
I'd like to point out, that I've always denied that particular accusation.
Anyway, it was a good time. I saw a lot of people I haven't seen in a while. Just plain ol' fun.
Ahh, the memories.
Cheers,
Tai
From the "I Love Jennifer So" Dept.
I just want to say that the past three years with Jen have been great. I am only so lucky to have found a girlfriend that understands me as well as she; how I love her so. To meet a person that I can love, and for someone who reciprocates with equal fervour--it's just an amazing thing, and I hope that all of my friends and family are as lucky.
With three years under our belts, Jen and I hope to see many more anniversaries together.
From the "The most expensive Take-Out food I've ever had" Dept.
I'll explain the above statement later.
For our anniversary, I made reservations at Terra Restaurant. This is an upscale restaurant in Thornhill, and is considered one of the best restaurants outside of the GTA. It was founded by Mark McEwan (head of North 44�º) and Stephen Perrin, a former apprentice of McEwan's who serves as head chef of Terra.
Now, I've seen the Iron Chef use Foie Gras before, but this is the first time I've ever tasted it! It melts in your mouth. I'm salivating right now when I think about it.
As for the Dining experience, I'll try to describe it.
Terra is the only restaurant that I have ever been where the waiters announce the food that is given to you, and that cutlery is changed with each course. Jen and I both opted for the "Chef's Tasting Menu", an 8-course meal which started out with:
- Raspberry Point, P.E.I. Oysters on the half shell - garnished with lemon, and fresh horse-radish
- Butter poached Nova Scotian lobster with saut�ed peas, shallots and honey mushrooms
- Pan-seared Quebec foie gras with calvados glaze, roasted apple, served on top of toasted brioche w/ baby greens dressed with a cider vinaigrette
- Lime sorbet (to cleanse the pallet)
- Grilled provimi veal tenderloin with wild mushroom risotto and roasted asparagus
- A selection of three cheeses with grapes, royal gala apple slices, walnuts, and a rasin and walnut brioche (bread)
- A plate of petit fours (some pastries, biscuists and confectionaries)
- Apple & almond linzer tart with caramel saucet
Now, I made TWO mistakes at Terra that I and my wallet sorely regret. The first mistake was that I neglected to fully read the contents of the Chef's Tasting Menu. The main course was Veal Tenderloin. I DO NOT EAT VEAL -- it's a political statement. The second mistake was that I volunteered to have a Sapphire gin and tonic (David Vu's drink-of-choice - "It takes off the edge.") with Jen's Cranberry Cosmopolitan. I figured that in the 3-years that I've dated Jen, it was fine-time for me to drink spirits with her.
I only got to through the first 4 courses.
Now, my friends know that I am a shit-drunk. I often lie to strangers and say that I am allergic to alchohol. However, the events of lastnight make me wonder if there is truth to that falsehood.
I had one piece of my veal tenderloin (I have to admit it--it was very good) and a fork-full of the mushroom risotto (which was overdone by my standards) before I could no longer eat. The alcohol was just putting my body through Hell-and-back. I walked to the washroom to throw up, but to no avail. I did not eat anything after that.
In fact, and I have no doubt about this, I went into shock -- a massive drop in blood pressure, drop peripheral blood flow, nerve tenitis w/elevated pulse and respiratory rate (no occlusion though). I almost fainted. I wasn't even listening to Jen as she spoke. All I could do was focus and keep everything together. I had to get our waitress to pack up my remaining main course and remaining courses (except the cheese plate -- damnit, I didn't even eat any of the cheese!
I paid the bill (in truth, Jen and I ended up splitting it), I stumbled to the coat check, and we left the restaurant.
I was under 2 duvets, noxious and shivering for about an hour after we got back to Jen's house (she lives about a 5 minute drive from the restaurant).
The kicker: I had less than a 1/3 of my drink.
At least they didn't charge me for the gin and tonic.
All in all, the total bill was $280.55 CDN.
That was the most expensive take-out I've ever had.
In the end, I left the veal tenderloin at Jen's house, and I never ever touched my plate of cheese except for the grapes.
Minus the alcohol-shock, Terra is tops in my books for its cuisine and service.
I can't wait for the next time I go there...this time sans alcohol.
Cheers,
Tai
From the "I Love Jennifer So" Dept.
I just want to say that the past three years with Jen have been great. I am only so lucky to have found a girlfriend that understands me as well as she; how I love her so. To meet a person that I can love, and for someone who reciprocates with equal fervour--it's just an amazing thing, and I hope that all of my friends and family are as lucky.
With three years under our belts, Jen and I hope to see many more anniversaries together.
From the "Terra - The most expensive Take-out take out I've ever had" Dept.
I'll explain the above statement later.
For our anniversary, I made reservations at Terra Restaurant. This is an upscale restaurant in Thornhill, and is considered one of the best restaurants outside of the GTA. It was founded by Mark McEwan (head of North 44�º) and Stephen Perrin, a former apprentice of McEwan's who serves as head chef at Terra.
Now, I've seen the Iron Chef use Foie Gras before, but this is the first time I've ever tasted it! It melts in your mouth. I'm salivating right now when I think about it.
As for the Dining experience, I'll try to describe it.
Terra is the only restaurant that I have ever been where the waiters announce the food that is given to you, and that cutlery is changed with each course. Jen and I both opted for the "Chef's Tasting Menu", an 8-course meal which started out with:
- Raspberry Point, P.E.I. Oysters on the half shell - garnished with lemon, and fresh horse-radish
- Butter poached Nova Scotian lobster with saut�ed peas, shallots and honey mushrooms
- Pan-seared Quebec foie gras with calvados glaze, roasted apple, served on top of toasted brioche w/ baby greens dressed with a cider vinaigrette
- Lime sorbet (to cleanse the pallet)
- Grilled provimi veal tenderloin with wild mushroom risotto and roasted asparagus
- A selection of three cheeses with grapes, royal gala apple slices, walnuts, and a rasin and walnut brioche (bread)
- A plate of petit forts (some pastries, biscuists and confectionaries)
- Apple & almond linzer tart
Now, I made a mistake at Terra that I, my wallet, and Jen sorely regret. I agreed to have a Sapphire gin and tonic (David Vu's drink-of-choice - "It takes off the edge.") with Jen's Cranberry Cosmopolitan. I figured that in the 3 years that I've dated Jen, it was fine-time for me to drink spirits with her.
I only got to through the first 4 courses.
with caramel sauce
Posted by taitoh at 10:31 PM
I saw my grandmother yesterday.
For those of you who don't know my grandmother, she is 87 years-old and underwent total-hip replacement surgery on Jan 11th to repair (well, replace actually) her left hip which suffered a spiral fracture after a fall in December.
I took her to the hospital for her post-operation checkup (she's blind), and looks like that will be her last visit. The hip is almost completely healed (although I doubt that she'll be able to walk again without assistance), but most importantly, she's in no more pain.
Just wanted to share one of the pleasant surprises that I have had this week.
BTW, did I mention that Jen and I are having our 3-year anniversary this Saturday?
Cheers,
Tai
Hey all,
I upgraded to the newest version of MovableType, the PERL-based engine that renders my weblog. Some headaches with the upgrade, although I think things work.
I'll eventually wipe the site and rebuild.
I finally seemed to have broken the inertia that has kept me from finishing this site, so you should be seeing a few pages beginning to trickle in.
Somethings:
- Listening to an old song by a British band called Ash -- girl from Mars
- Some weird dreams: Baseball. Thunderstorm. Several tornadoes landing in my backyard, threatening my family but resulting in the decimation of all the fences dividing my neighbhors and us; green grass after the storm--I guess that's positive, right?
- Jen and I are celebrating our 3-year anniversary tomorrow.
Well, I have to go cut the shag that is my hair.
Cheers,
Tai.
From the "I'm too bored to blog" Dept.
Hey All
Anyways, I've done a lot in the past few days. Saw Monsoon Wedding (the first "Bollywood" movie I've seen in the theatres), and damn, I need to get some more "brown" friends, because if that movie is any indication, Hindu (or is it Hindi..please correct me and I'll change that) weddings are a blast.
Jen was talking to one of her co-workers who is getting a traditional Indian wedding. Her cake alone is 12 tiers, but get this: it has a FOUNTAIN!
One of her co-workers was at a "brown" wedding and they had a professional camera man on a crane suspended up in the air video taping the event.
Crazy.
Oh yeah, and the groom is suppose to come in on horseback. Now tell me, how cool is that?
Perhaps when I get married, I'll do an Indian Motif.
I just want to dance behind a tree.
From the "Dave, you sneaky bastard" Dept.
Apparently David Vu has an AlterEgo; he's been moonlighting as a Super-villain while working for GE Biomedical. Now, I'm a pretty open minded guy, and what Dave does at night isn't my business, but it's obvious to me now, that when his plans for world domination by-way-of-GE were foiled, he turned to this alter-ego as plan B.
Women love men in tights, right?
I got a new game. It's called Freedom Force and it's about comic book superheroes--a favourite subject of mine.
Anyways, while flipping through the Characters' page of the game and I found out the above picture...
From the "Kevin Ng's HTML Kung Fu" Dept.
Keep an eye on Kev's page. He should be updating it soon. Although I doubt that this message will reach many people outside of Kev's normal viewing traffic...you never know.
Cheers,
Tai