What a weekend! Returned from a fun weekend with my friends in Ottawa and Montreal.
We travelled up Friday evening after Simon and I picked up the rental cars. I managed to do something fun with my new notebook by burning a cd in the car to use for the trip (audio cd). We arrived in Ottawa to drop off items in our rooms then headed down to the market for some late night fun in a lounge. Pictures have been posted on image station (
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=3108995093).
Second day we were off to Montreal. First we headed to Laval to check into our hotel. Kel got us lost a few times, and we ended up going to a gas station for corrections but we survived. After we settled in we headed (back into) Montreal for some smoked meat and fun. To summarize, Montreal smoked meat, Driving on the Montreal Grand Prix track, scaring an old man nearly to death (thanks Sunny), Casino (To satisfy Gene's addiction), talk of foreign girls, nice dinner, clubbing in Montreal/HK style club, and free drinks luring us into a second club (thanks to the girls!).
Third and final day was a bit more relaxed. We were a bit late waking up on day 2 (the guys), but the girls got their revenge asking us to make certain we were down in the lobby at a certain time. They were nearly half an hour late. We had a very nice afternoon meal in downtown Montreal eating crepes. The French Onion soup there was to die for. Afterwards, a bit more time shopping down town on Saint Catherine street (rue). Coral watching the performers on my head, Shopping at Le Maison Simons, Kel's purchases, Sunny and his "Peace of Cake Sundae", and seeing multiple adult entertainment clubs. We then left, back to Ottawa for dinner at the Heart and Crown (big pub). After some confusion we left Jesse downtown Ottawa and headed back to eat late night snake in Toronto.
Phew! What a fun weekend! I'm so happy my friends did this trip, I really wanted to see Montreal before I leave Canada.
Note: You can log into imagestation using the password anonymous2/anonymous. The private password for the picture gallery is my first name in lower case.
Sickness and catching up on updates
My first posting after my unemployment. For some strange reason there is still plenty to do. Lets see, dealing with the court/trial information for my mother's car accident. Fighting off a cold that's been traveling around. I was out helping Tomoka buy souvenirs for her trip back before her trip to Buffalo. She'll be back today but I will be heading out to Ottawa tonight. Met up with Bonnie (보니) and Lilly the other night. Lilly has recently moved into Toronto from what I gather. I had eaten at the Congee Wong at Leslie and Finch two nights in a row.
The setup of my new notebook is going a long well. I really enjoy the wireless features. I'm convinced you can move around and not purchase internet if you have wireless built into your notebook. I'm surprised how it is everywhere. My neighbours have an open Netgear router and I get a very strong signal. Even at my grandmother's apartment I find wireless access to the internet.
So aside from fighting illness, setting up a trial date for my mother I met Rick for lunch at Seoul Garden. The food is just substandard. I'm not very found of that place, and I'm surprised it is still around. I find the Umi Sushi across the street to offer better Korean food. I signed up for my self-direct RSP through HSBC as well, so hopefully I will have that account information next week.
Last night I met up with Akira to pickup my 'inner case' for my notebook. It is just a protective case, like a cover, for the outside of the notebook. He couldn't find the grey that I wanted and ended up with a 'Zero Shock' brand that was coloured black. John happened to be over, and was loud but friendly, like his usual self. He provided me with a ride home last night, giving me a look into his 'Japanese' experiences. Akira seems to be doing well, I've given him a few screens to translate for me. He's attending night classes for French in preparation for him moving to Montreal.
Speaking of which, I need to pack for my trip to Ottawa tonight. Tomorrow we will be going to Montreal for shopping and touring. This should be fun, I wanted to go before I left Canada. I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after my trip.
Last day at CLA!
Today was my last day, though I'll need to return for some admin work. It was very nice, the weather turned out just perfect.
11:20ish am I got there, put a few things down, check some mail and Mimi Tsui (my team lead) presented me with a very nice pen as a parting gift. Following that I rushed to Il Fornello on King to meet with people. I was fairly excited because Coral meantioned that her meeting has been shifted and she could join us!
We all met, including my friend Peter Kroll. He brought me a little surprise, seasons 1 and 2 of Startrek Next Generation on DVD! These weren't a gift though, just to lend them to me so I can rip them. Dinner was pleasant all around, and fun. I had a big surprise at dinner, Kelly made it down to eat with us! I didn't have much of a chance to speak with that side of the table however, but I really do appreciate the effort involved.
The next step was for Tomoka to help me with my notebook. It has been a while since we've been together so it was nice to hangout again. I know I decided to leave the Japanese OS on my system, but it has proven more challenging then I thought, mainly because of the Kanji. Tomoka was a big help, and I discovered 3 wireless networks inside my company, just around my desk! One of them was at least unprotected and we could surf right away.
I'm enjoying the notebook so far, but I haven't done much yet. I'm waiting to ghost the note book first before I really start doing anything else with it. From this point on, I will have a lot of time to devote back to myself. I plan on going to the work a broad festival downtown to see what kind of information they have to offer tomorrow.
It still is a hard habit to fill out my blog, but it is nice to look back to see what I've written.
