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Showing posts from October, 2011

Passing Thoughts on OccupyVancouver Camp While Headed To Work on a Saturday

This is the scene on my way to work this past Saturday. I had hoped to not drive in to work because I end up paying an arm and a leg for parking everytime I go downtown, and also because its hard to take my whole family with me to the office any day of the week. This photo is taken at the corner of Hornby and West Georgia Street, outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, BC. I have nothing against the OccupyVancouver movement http://www.occupyvancouver.com/ but seeing the tent city made me think if the answer is to simply go to work. I definitely don't know enough about the movement but it's what crossed my mind as I headed in to work with my family in tow this past weekend. Thoughts?

Why Are Some Companies So Averse To Email Exchanges?

I just had a failed relationship with a potential residential mortgage broker. I just don't understand why the Senior Mortgage Analyst I was dealing with refuses to correspond via email and insists on phone conversations. I like email exchanges because it let's me document all the different options I'm entertaining with my upcoming mortgage renewal. It let's me put everything down into a spreadsheet for analysis, and is a great record-keeping method. I didn't have issues with my previous broker, who didn't mind answering my questions regarding specific calculations and amortization periods, all via email. I complained about this asking to get the Analyst's supervisor involved to get my questions in the emails answered, and guess what happens. That's right - the supervisor 'calls' me. She said that they have been in business for 20 years and that their preference is to conduct their transactions over the phone instead of email. Wha...

Go When Nature Calls But Be Respectful

How do you cleanup the Surrey, BC image when you get people like this relieving themselves in a high-traffic and public place. It's in broad daylight nonetheless. I'm in the strip of asian stores by the Central City skytrain station and this was happening in front of me while I was parked outside King Wood Market. I suppose people will treat the area as a giant pisshole if it looks like a dump. We simply have to keep the place cleaner and I'm sure people will react differently, maybe treat the place with more respect. My 2 cents.

Rondriso Farm in Cloverdale is run by Very Nice People

People are naturally good, especially Farmer Ron and his crew at Rondriso Farm www.rondriso.com , who found my lost camera in pumpkin patch. A week ago on October 13th, my little pumpkin had a school field trip to a farm to learn about cows and ride a truck to the pumpkin patch. We had a lot of fun, and probably a little too much because my wife dropped our camera filled with hundreds of photos saved on a 4GB memory card. We took turns looking for it but it was next to impossible, like searching for a needle in a haystack (or pumpkin patch for that matter). We eventually gave up and Farmer Ron said that they sometimes do turn up when his crew goes and clears up the patch. I thought it was a lost cause, until I got the call from Ron yesterday. Sweet. A family friend found it buried in the soil, so I was surprised it even turned up. I guess we must have trampled over it while making a sweep of the patch field. Farmer Ron and his crew are one of the good guys. (Rondriso Farm, 8390 172nd S...