Feeling much better now! July 29, 2006
Posted by Ken in Homelife, Me.5 comments
Well that was fun. Really, it was.
I just finished a week, training some new photographers. Long days with little sleep but they were a fantastic bunch. So hard-working and dedicated. I have to admit, I tried my best to wear them out and yet they kept coming back for more. I think I wore myself out more than I did them. Just happy to finally get some rest.
Without further ado, introducing the rock stars…
Hamish. A soft-spoken Kiwi who recently finished photography school and is embarking on a new career. Very hard working with high standards, he leaves on his first trip (to Wisconsin) August 1st.
April. She’s friendly with a great attitude. With a diverse work background, she’s accustomed to hard work. Her trip to the Chicago area starts August 4th.
Grace. Unassuming and contemplative, she can be hard on herself. However, that seems to drive her to work even harder. Learns from her mistakes and always strives to do better. Headed to Indiana August 6th.
Good luck to the three of you. I’ve got every confidence that you’ll all do extremely well. I look forward to hearing about your trips!
Chillin’ in the Heat July 25, 2006
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I’ve been working in the office the past couple of weeks and haven’t had much to report. Wake up. Get ready. Eat breakfast. Go to work. Sit in front of computer for 8.5 hours. Go home. Blah blah blah. As a result, there hasn’t been much to report lately. With the hot weather we’ve had this past weekend, that’s all changed. My condo is a sauna. Here’s a picture to remember me by after I’ve melted into a pool of kensludge (with my beautiful hometown in the background of course).
Good thing is, yesterday, I started training some new photographers. That means I got to spend my Sunday in an air conditioned office for 13 hours. Really. I’m not complaining. Didn’t I mention it was AIR CONDITIONED?
The trainees seem really keen, cool and friendly. Perfect attitude for when you’re out on the road by yourself, completely isolated from all friends and family. We’ll see just how perky they are after their first road trip to Indiana in the middle of summer. At least they should come back with a nice tan. But seriously. They’ve been great and I’m really enjoying utilizing my teaching degree. Those six years of university weren’t a complete waste after all. Dad will be glad to hear. Tomorrow (later today?), we’re setting off to Aldergrove to photograph a property. They’re gonna be doing all the hard work. Hopefully, there’ll be an air conditioned room for me to chill out in while they photograph the exterior of the building. “Come get me when you’re done.” Just kidding.
Grass is Always Greener (when you water the lawn) July 14, 2006
Posted by Ken in Homelife, Me, Ponderings, Travel.4 comments
Well, for a relative short time, you could say my office looked something like the above photo. Tom and Nicole were there once (when they were still faking a marriage). I can’t image they would have wanted to spend any time in the office where I’ve been working in this past week. Not that I’m complaining about being home and instead of being on the road living out of a suitcase. In a real way, it’s been nice to have the opportunity to do an office job for a little while… the stability, the socialness of being surrounded people I know, going out for lunch with friends, and of course, simply being able to sleep in my own bed. Part of it is about being able to build relationships rather than getting a brief glimpse of what could be.
But being on the road can be really nice too… meeting and interacting with new people, seeing places I’d otherwise not have the opportunity to see, living cheap because someone else is paying or because the hotel is so grateful, they treat you to an amazingly wonderful meal, one that I’d otherwise not be able to afford.
And yet, Vancouver is home – and home is so very beautiful. Playing with my nephews and nieces, walking around English Bay on a beautiful sunny day, sitting on a patio with friends drinking bellinis. What could be better?
If only I could find a way to bring together the best of both worlds. Guess there’s still lots more work to do.
Opening a Pandora’s Box July 11, 2006
Posted by Ken in Entertainment, Music.add a comment
So I just learned of this really cool online music service called Pandora (www.pandora.com). My old friend Cameron just introduced it to me. It’s created by a group of people who call themselves the “Music Genome Project”, which is actually a pretty good way to describe it. The site plays a music library that evolves depending on votes you cast for each song played. Nothing to download and all that is required is a high-speed Internet connection, a web browser and Flash Player.
What you do to start is to select the name of a band that you like. The site searches its database and plays a song from this band. You can give this song a “yay” or a “nay” to indicate if it is the type of song you enjoy. The site then continues to play addition songs of a similar genre and you can then cast a vote for each song. As it learns your preferences, it starts to play a very customized library of songs for you. On top of all the free music, you can create up to 100 different “music stations” and save them to your login.
Way cool. I can see this is going to be addictive.
Lazy days of summer July 9, 2006
Posted by Ken in Family, Friends, Homelife, Me.1 comment so far
What a nice and lazy weekend. Started out with pizza and drinks at my buddy Rob’s on Friday night, more alcohol (martinis, margaritas) with friends… again at Rob’s on Saturday night, and finally, hanging out at my sisters’ house with my mom, niece, nephew and brother-in-law. It’s so nice when there’s nothing urgent to worry about and you can just enjoy the weekend. And now I have a fan for my condo… YIPPEE! (thanks mom!) It’s no air conditioner but now that it’s cooled off a bit, it’s perfect. Life is grand. Only thing I didn’t get to was the gym. Can’t let that continue! Gotta work off that Japanese hospitality.
X-Men III: Wait for it… wait for it… July 7, 2006
Posted by Ken in Entertainment, Movies.6 comments
Well, over a month after it opened in theatres, I finally got the opportunity to see X-Men III – The Last Stand. I’d been waiting patiently as I had left Vancouver just days before it opened and it finally opened in Japan days before I left. I was never a big fan of the comic book but became a big fan after the first movie of the series. It was an intriguing storyline that parallels many of the issues in the world today and after the mixed reviews (some comparing it to the God-awful Fantastic 4), I was worried I’d be disappointed by Brett Ratner’s interpretation of the story (Bryan Singer had Superman to deal with). Well, after the long wait, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I quite enjoyed the movie. Yes, there was some bad dialogue and yes, there was a lot of potential that wasn’t fully realized. However, you would have required several movies to deal with the multitude of issues this movie brought up. The one thing that upset me during the movie was with the apparent demise/deaths of so many main characters. Having said that, I was very happy that in the end (wait for it… wait for it…), THE VERY END, only one main character is actually confirmed dead. And even then, with the powers that this particular character has and with hollywood story-telling, you just never know. I hope there’s a fourth movie.
So, it’s now been just over a week… July 6, 2006
Posted by Ken in Family, Friends, Homelife, Me, Ponderings, Travel.2 comments
I’ve been home for just over a week now, having just spent over a month in Japan. Two weeks in Tokyo, 5 days in Kyoto, 5 days in Osaka and 12 days in Fukuoka. This was my first trip back to Asia since I was 5 years old and my first long overseas trip. An experience of a lifetime, it was a trip filled with excitement, new experiences, stress, education, isolation, but best of all, new friends. A special thanks to the boys, Tom, Jeremy, Matt, Koh, Kris and Dwight… and the ladies, Miyuki, Yuriko, Karina, Maki, Rie, Minako, Asako, Makiko, Hiro and Mikako. I have memories and stories about all of you. Thanks for your hospitality and friendship. I hope to see you again one day.
Arrival in Vancouver was filled with anticipation as I went straight from the airport to see my new niece, Kalani Cox. My little buddy/nephew Aidan finally has the little sister he’s been asking for. I think he was hoping for one a bit bigger though… you know, one he could actively play with. Either way, it seems he loves it when she’s sleeping on his belly.
Ahhh. Vancouver! Home SWEET home!
Hello from my first Blog! July 6, 2006
Posted by Ken in Me.add a comment
Welcome to Perspectives of a Canuck, a blog of my daily life, thoughts, experiences and thrills. I hope you enjoy. Please be patient as I learn all the ins and outs of my new blog and what I can do with it.
