capturing colour...

My hometown

2007-01-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some random pictures I took downtown this weekend:

Parliament Buildings (Ottawa, Canada)

Parliamentary Library (Ottawa, Canada)

Alexandria Bridge across the Ottawa River (Ottawa, Canada)

Civilization Museum across the river (Gatineau, Canada)

Ice Sculpturing (Ottawa, Canada)

Inukshuk (Ottawa, Canada)

When english isn't just english

2007-01-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: North Central "North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
The West
The Midland
Boston
The Inland North
The South
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Penguin Island

2006-12-31T13:10:00.000-08:00

On the Saturday before I left Perth, Becks and I decided to make a daytrip to Penguin Island. Penguin Island is a small island, just off the coast, about 45 min south of Perth. Believe it or not, there's actually a colony of penguins that lives on this Aussie island.

Mainland Shoreline

There are 2 ways to get to Penguin Island: you can either take a ferry, or walk. The water between the mainland and Penguin Island is quite shallow, and the walk takes about 20 minutes. Becks and I were initially under the impression that the water was going to be knee high. Turns out it was actually waste high, and neither of us brought a change of clothes. We got totally soaked and ended up sitting on flattened cardboard box all the way back to Perth.

Walking to Penguin Island

Penguin Island Sign

Penguin Island is home to many types of birds, but most people obviously come for the penguins. Guess that's why nearby Seagull Island isn't a tourist attraction, hehe. The wild penguins, which were really hard to spot, live in small caves and under the island boardwalk.

Rock Formations and Caves

On the island, there is also a small habitat for penguins that were injured or orphaned. It was good place to see them up close. The Australian penguins are the the world's smallest variety of penguin, and they are a blue-ish colour.

Penguins in the habitat

And finally, one last shot of the Penguin Island coast...

I'm a lefty too

2006-12-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

I got this test on Elaine's blog. Looks like I'm a lefty... albeit a moderate one.

Left Brain	Right Brain
53%	47%

You are more left-brained than right-brained. Your left brain controls the right side of your body. In addition to being known as left-brained, you are also known as a critical thinker who uses logic and sense to collect information. You are able to retain this information through the use of numbers, words, and symbols. You usually only see parts of the "whole" picture, but this is what guides you step-by-step in a logical manner to your conclusion. Concise words, numerical and written formulas and technological systems are often forms of expression for you.

Your Left Brain Percentages
37% Linear (Your most dominant characteristic)
35% Sequential
27% Reality-based
14% Verbal
9% Symbolic
9% Logical (Your least dominant characteristic)

Your Right Brain Percentages
39% Intuitive (Your most dominant characteristic)
38% Nonverbal
20% Fantasy-oriented
18% Holistic
0% Random
0% Concrete (Your least dominant characteristic)

Highs

Linear Processing

Linear processing is a method by the left hemisphere to process information. In this process, the left brain takes pieces of information, lines them up, and proceeds to arrange them into an order from which it may draw a conclusion. The information is processed from parts to a whole in a straight, forward, and logical progression.

Your Linear Analysis

When processing information using this method, you will occasionally feel the need to see the "whole picture" before you are able to achieve results. At other times, you are able to piece all of the parts together in a straight and logical progression to form a whole, which then enables you to understand what you have processing. The information, your mood, and your level of comfortable are all factors that determine your response to a linear processing problem.

Intuitive Processing

Intuitive processing is a method that is used by the right hemisphere to process information based on if it "feels" right or not. For example, a right-brained person may choose an answer on a test because they had a "gut" feeling and often they will be correct. Another example of this is how a right-brained person will know the correct answer to a math problem but will not understand the procedure of how they arrived at the correct answer. A right-brained person will usually have to start with the answer and work their way backwards in order to be able to see and understand the parts and process that create the whole.

Your Intuitive Analysis

When processing information, at times you are able to go with your "gut" instincts. At other times you may doubt your instincts, or prefer to put information together piece by piece to form your conclusion. You should be careful not to ignore your intuition, but at the same time do not solely rely on it.

Lows

Logical Processing

Logical processing is a method that is used by the left hemisphere to take information piece by piece and put it all together to form a logical answer. When information is received through reading or listening, the left hemisphere will look for different bits of information that will allow it to produce a logical conclusion. This aspect of the left hemisphere is what aids you in solving math problems and science experiments.

Your Logical Analysis

Logical processing is not one of your strengths, so you may tend to rely on a "gut" feeling to help you make your decisions from the information you have received. For example, you will often choose an answer on a test because it "feels" right, and you may be correct. This is due to the fact of your tendency to look for the whole picture but not the details that create it. You can often start with the answer and work your way back to allow yourself to see the process and parts that create the whole. You may find math problems and science experiments difficult because of this.

Concrete Processing

Concrete processing is a method associated with the right hemisphere that is used for processing things that can be seen or touched. It processes much of the information you receive from real objects. For example, a right-brained person is not just satisfied that a mathematical formula may work, but will want to know why it works. A strongly concrete person often finds it easier to solve a mathematical problem by "drawing it out" because it allows them to visualize it. The more a concrete person can visualize something the easier it is for them to understand it.

Your Concrete Analysis

When you process information you have received, the real object is not important to you. You do not have to use the real object to make sense of what you have processed. For example, if solving a math problem you do not have to "draw out" the problem in order to find or understand the answer, and you do not have to visualize something to understand it. However, this also means you often neglect the physical information provided by a concrete example. In other words, you may miss the forest for the trees, trying to deduce something complex when the answer is plain to see.

Back in the True North Strong and Free

2006-12-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

Outside Canada Place (Vancouver, Canada)

Been back in Canada for a few days now. My flight from Sydney was delayed by 4 hours, and so I missed my connections in Vancouver. I ended up spending most of Thursday in the Vancouver airport, before taking a later flight home.

So yeah... back at home now. Some things have changed but most have stayed the same. Jet lag is still bothering me. It seems that for every step foward I make, I take 2 steps back. I'll manage to sleep in until 7:00am one day, and then the day after I'll be up at 4am! *shudder*

I was surprized to see that there's actually snow on the ground. Normally the snow doesn't stay until late December... at least.. I think. Temperatures have been hovering somewhere between 0 and -10... for everyone back in sweltering Perth. So far I haven't frozen to death... but the worst is yet to come.

Anyways.. .this seems like a really boring blog post to me... I'll try to post something more interesting soon...

bye bye Australia...

2006-11-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

Cottesloe Beach (Perth, Australia)

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. Been really busy and stressed with exams. Fortunately they all seemed to go quite well... thanks for all your prayers =)

Today's my last day in Perth... craziness! I'm heading for Sydney tomorrow, and then back to Canada later this week. Oh man.. I'm gonna freeze! It's been like 35 degrees with blistering sun here for the past week. Fortunately it doesn't seem too cold back home at the moment (7 degrees), although the temp may go below zero in the evening. At least I don't live in Calgary, where the current forecast is for snow and -24.... yes that's negative 24 for all my non-Canadian friends. You enjoying Calgary so far jh? =P

Well, that's it for now. I guess next time I update will be from the frozen north. See ya later Australia! It's been fun...

Beauty in the little things

2006-11-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

Changdeokgung (Seoul, Korea)

Racism at the grocery store

2006-11-12T04:47:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, in general, there's a lot more racism over here. This incident took place back in April, while I was at the grocery store. To understand this story, I'll have to explain a few things first. Perth has a reputation as being a great, and relatively inexpensive, place to study english. As a result, there are tons of asian students (mostly Koreans and Japanese), who study english here. Most of the english schools are downtown, and so there are always tons of english students at the grocery store in late afternoon. Another thing is that stores close REALLY early in Perth (5:00-6:00pm!), and so there's always a mad rush between 4-6.

Waiting in a long line at the grocery store, the lady behind me turns and says:

Lady: The market is so bloody crowded. It’s all these awful foreigners, taking up our space.

Thinking: Whoa… that wasn’t very nice. Hmm… I think I’m gonna have some fun with this.

Jason: (playing dumb) But… but… I’m a foreigner.

Lady: (realizing her mistake and thinking that maybe I’m a tourist) Oh, oh.. that't not what I meant. I meant the foreign students.

Thinking: The foreign students… right.

Jason: But, I’m a foreign student

Lady: Err… uh… uh……

Thinking: Oh, you meant the non-white people

Jason: (Waiting just long enough to make her feel awkward and then smiling) Yes, it’s very crowded today. Must be all the people on their way home from work.

Haha.. I'm such loser sometimes. I realize that this probably wasn't the most mature way to handle the situation.... but I must admit... it felt good to teach her a lesson. =)

Do you like bananas?

2006-11-12T02:57:00.000-08:00

There are 3 kinds of shortages that are regular news in Australia: the skills shortage, the water shortage, and (the topic of this entry) the banana shortage. Australia produces bananas in northern Queesland, somewhere near Cairns. They have protectionist laws that support the domestic industry by making it illegal to import bananas. This year, nearly the entire banana crop was destroyed by a cyclone, so this (see below) is what's passing for bananas these days.

The sad thing is, these aren't even the worst bananas I've seen. How does this personally affect me? It doesn't! I actually hate bananas! You couldn't pay me enough to eat one. Hmm... well.. maybe that's not true. Any offers? haha =)

Because of the crop destruction, and refusal to allow imported bananas, sickly bunches like this have sold for x5-10 what they used to. It's also spawned a new kind of crime... banana theft. I kid you not! I wish I'd taken a picture of this, but when I was in Sydney I passed by this small restaurant that sold 'interesting' sandwiches. Just like those notices at convenience stores or gas stations where it says that they don't keep much cash overnight; taped to the door was a notice saying that they don't keep bananas in the store overnight. I'm not making this up. I saw it with my own eyes. Guess the banana shortage has driven some desperate folk to resort to stealing to get their potassium fix.

This would make a great economic case study, on the elasticity of demand for bananas, and destructive effects of protectionism. Hopefully by the time I come back to Australia next year, the new crop will be ready, and the banana S and D curves will be at equilibrium. I also hope that I won't be sounding like my textbook anymore. =P

The food chain gone seriously wrong

2006-11-12T02:38:00.000-08:00

Check out this article

This is so messed up! I'm never going to look at a pelican the same way again. I think it's going to give me nightmares now, haha.

Guess what this is?

2006-11-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

City Beach (Perth, Australia)

So... any guesses as to what this is? I saw it rolling along the beach (Perth is very windy, haha). I'll buy dinner for the first person who tells me what it is.... or at least guesses what I think it is.
Just leave your guesses in the comment box. B, you're disqualified from guessing since I told you already. No annonymous guesses blogstalkers, unless you want to donate your free meal to me =)

Another side of Perth

2006-11-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

Old Power Station (East Perth, Australia)

I took this picture as part of a project last semester. G and I needed some harsh, ghetto-like pics for this assignment we were doing. Most of Perth has either a suburban or small-town feel to it, so we were really stuck at first.... then G remembered this place. Perth people... you wouldn't believe such a place existed unless you saw it with your own eyes. It's an old abandoned power plant, but it feels more like somekind of prison camp.

Old Power Station (East Perth, Australia)

Starting to feel a lot like Christmas?!!

2006-11-06T07:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas Decorations (Perth, Australia)

The Christmas decorations have gone up in downtown Perth. It feels so weird though... I don't normally associate 30+ weather with the coming of Christmas. As a Canadian friend of mine would say... this is really messing with my 'seasonal cues'. It never really occured to me that this side of the world experiences Christmas in the summer. Apparently it's not uncommon to spend Christmas at the beach, or hiding in the A/C, because it's usually unbearably hot. At least Santa won't have to worry about any fires in the chimney... but I really hope he's got a summer version of his big red suit. =)

Church Together

2006-11-05T07:10:00.000-08:00

Church Together (Perth, Australia)

I just got back from this really awsome worship service called Church Together. It's a yearly tradition where all the churches in Perth get together for this big service outside, to celebrate our unity in Christ. There were thousands and thousands of people there... some coming from as far away as Broome, just for this event. I'm sure most of you have no idea where Broome is.... so lets just say that it's very far. I think it would be like the equivalent of 8 trips from Ottawa-Toronto.

After the main service there was a concert "for the younger folks", with Hillsong United. During the last song, B and I decided to go all out, jumping, moshing, etc... which is probably a bit hard to picture knowing us, haha. Apparently I mosh like a Canadian... meaning hockey style. You know... just lower your shoulder and body check. =) Hmm.. maybe it's a good thing I didn't go all out until the end... I'd better save those body checks for the ice.

Hate on Sunday

2006-10-29T08:19:00.000-08:00

I decided to go to evening service with B on Sunday evening. Part way through the service something pretty shocking happend. This couple was at the front talking about their upcoming medical missions trip to East Africa. All of a sudden this guy raised his hand as if to ask a question. This guy had already yelled out some comment (that I couldn't understand) right before the offering. When the couple asked if he had a question, the guy started by saying something about there being need in Australia, and then finished by unloading this racist tirade about Africans and Muslims, making reference to recent events that took place in Australia. Needless to say, everyone in the congregation sat there stunned at what had just happend.

Pastor T handled the situation really well though, and was able to diffuse the situation without providing fuel for the fire. This was one angry individual, and that situation could have become even uglier very quickly. I guess the guy was disappointed that he didn't find any likeminded racists at church, because he walked out not long after. I don't think anyone really knew who this guy was. I'm assuming he wasn't a regular, but who knows... I don't usually go to night service.

As is probably pretty obvious, I'm completely appauled by this guy's racism. It completely disgusts me, and makes me wonder how someone can be filled with such hate. However, it's so easy for me to turn around and repay evil with evil by hating him. So what does that mean? Do I hate those who hate? I overheard this guy who was sitting near B and I say that he wished the racist guy had stuck around, intead of walking out, because he really wanted to talk to him. That really struck me. Instead of wanting to confront the guy in a hostile way, he actually wanted to talk with him, and listen to him, to find out why he's so angry. Honestly, I don't know if I would have been able to do that... to see him the way Christ would... as a man broken, and hurt, who needs God's healing.

While this event was definitely out of the ordinary, it's not the first time I've witnessed acts of overt racism and xenephobia here in Australia.. In general there's just a lot more racism here, in comparison to back home, but that will have to be the topic of another entry.

Look where I went to study today

2006-10-29T07:42:00.000-08:00

Cottesloe Beach (Perth, Australia)

Was that snow flurries that I saw for Ottawa?! Ah... beautiful sunshine. Yes... I am officially a jerk! =P

Reconciliation

2006-10-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Freedom Bridge (DMZ, South Korea)

1 month to go

2006-10-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

Somewhere over the South Pacific

Exactly 1 month from today I'll be leaving Perth. When you go away for so long, you kinda feel like you've put your entire life back home on hold. As great as this experience has been, it's time to go home.

I started studying for my exams this weekend. If today was any indication, it's gonna be tough to keep motivated to study. I've ended up with this really annoying exam schedule, with my exams on Nov.21, 22 and 23... the last 3 days of the break. So basically I've got 3.5 weeks for studying... and 1 take-home. I think I'm the type of person who needs the pressure of a looming exam to actually hit the books, haha.

I'm not too worried about 2 of the exams, or the take-home... but my banking exam... well... that's another story. I don't think I've ever sat through lectures where I've understood so little. I'll probably end up spending 3/4 of my study time just on banking. Seems a bit of a waste, since it's probably the most irrelevant class for my future plans. Ah well.. hopefully 3 weeks from now I'll be a master of capital adequacy and be calculating foreign exchange contracts in my dreams. Hmm... I second thought....maybe not =P

So funny...

2006-10-26T05:19:00.000-07:00

Bus shelter downtown (Perth, Australia)

This is funny for so many reasons! Maybe I should get me some bourbon! =)

Now I feel boring

2006-10-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

I saw my friend JA at church on Sunday, for the first time in quite a while. JA's studying medicine right now, and had actually just come from her practical placement. Things were quiet at the hospital, and so they let her take a break for an hour or 2 to go to church (which just happend to be close by). I asked her what she'd be doing that afternoon, and she so casually replied, "oh, I'll be delivering a baby". Say what?!!! I just figured that she was either performing medical tests, and working in a clinic... but delivering a baby! My afternoon was plans were to finish editing an econ assignment, and maybe start studying for my banking exam. Somehow the thrills of international banking don't seem to compare, haha =P

MSN conversation later that day:

Jason says:
Deliver any babies this afternoon?
JA says:
no...
JA says:
i mean i was supposed to deliver one.. but she ended up having a vacuum delivery...
Jason says:
Awww
Jason says:
Vacuum delivery eh? Since I'm a guy I have no idea what that is... and from the sounds of it, I don't think I want to know
JA says:
*sigh*
JA says:
hahaha
JA says:
hem.. its not as bad as it sounds tho. .. =P
Jason says:
I should hope not, haha

Mystery solved

2006-10-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

Wow! 3 blog postings in one day... new record!

I'm so happy with myself... I just solved a little mystery that had been bothering me. I've been going to the gym very faithfully this semester. Gym memberships are really expensive here, so the amount I'm having to pay has given me extra incentive. Guilt isn't a good motivator, but no one ever said it isn't effective. So anyways, when benchpressing I've noticed that my left arm is significantly stronger than my right arm. This makes no sense though since I'm right-handed. I must admit, I didn't spend many sleepless nights pondering this anomaly, but it certainly was a mystery. Well... today I figured it out. As I was cleaning my room, I saw my schoolbag and thought "of course, that's it!". My school bag, which is also my laptop bag, is the kind that you carry on your shoulder, and for the past year I've always been carrying that heavy bag on my left-side. Haha... simple as that... mystery solved! =)

It's recently been suggested to me that I start carrying it on my right side, to balance things out. I've tried it and it just doesn't work for me. I don't know why, but something feels so wrong about carrying it on the right-side. It's just one of those things. It's like people who always get up on the same side of the bed. Haha.. I know... I'm weird.

So anyways, next time you see me, you can gaze in awe at my mightly left-arm... j/k =)

Flight

2006-10-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

Another interesting bird shot...

Unknown park (Sydney, Australia)

Kissing cockatoos

2006-10-22T04:52:00.000-07:00

Reflection Pool (Canberra, Australia)

Lousy bird! Getting more action that I am! =P

Tranquility

2006-10-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Lac aux Castors (Montreal, Canada)

My adopted home

2006-10-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

Perth Skyline, from Kings Park (Perth, Australia)

Beware of stalkers

2006-10-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

TS, you've already heard this story. But for everyone else, I think I'm attracting stalkers.

Incident 1:

This girl tries to strike up a conversation with me in the laundry room the other day. She seemed kinda nervous so she started by telling me "she knows where I live" and that "she's watched me go into my apartment a bunch of times". Yikes! Granted, we live in the same building, so it's pretty normal to notice stuff like that. But PLEASE... Don't tell me that! That just makes you sound creepy, haha.

Incident 2:

Classmate drops me off at my apartment after group meeting. As I'm walking up to the building, I pass by this lady of 30 or so who is leaving another apartment....
Lady: (smiling at me) Hey! Haven't see you in a while!
(Thinking: I haven't a clue who this is! Crap! Better say something...)
Me: (smiling awkwardly) Uh... hey! How are ya?
Lady: I'm good. I didn't know that you live here
(Thinking: Ok.. who the %$&! is this?!!)
Me: Uh.. yeah.... I, errr.. uh.. I live here. Do you live here?
(Thinking: Ok.. who is this person, and how does she know me?!!)
Lady: Oh, no, I was visiting . I recognized you from when you were at my restaurant, T-------.
(Thinking: That's who it is! She's the owner of T------ (nearby restaurant). She must have seen me there a few days ago, with my friends)
Me: Oh, right. Yeah, I was there last Friday with some friends.
Lady: Oh, I didn't see you then, but it was really busy. I remember another time when you came in for take-away b-------p.
(Thinking: take-away b-------p? When was that? Wait a minute... that was in March! What the heck! That's a little scary)
Me: (lauging awkwardly) Oh yeah, I.. uh... remember that.

Wonder why I'm collecting all these stalkers? Must be the accent, haha... eh, TS? =)

Update

2006-10-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

I went to S's baptism yesterday. It's incredible to see the changes that have taken place in her life in such a short period of time. It was also awsome to hear her testimony, and to see how God has been working through so many people to impact her life. God can do amazing things when we surrender our will and allow Him to use us for his purposes.

I used to ask God to help me.
Then I asked if I might help Him.
I ended by asking Him
to do his work through me.
-Hudson Taylor- (Missionary to China 1800s)

Illogical and amazing

2006-10-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

It seems Elaine has already beat me to blogging about the good news. And before your minds start to wander, and the ladies start to panic.... relax!... Jason is still single, hehe =)

No, here's the deal. I found out that this girl I met, who I had the chance to share about my faith with, accepted Christ and is getting baptised tomorrow. The day we met, and I first shared with her, was probably the most wild, out-of-my-comfort-zone, wholly-depending-on-God, kind of day of my life. It was also one of the biggest learning experiences of my Christian life, and something that continues to impact me to this day. The way God works never ceases to baffle and amaze me.

Long-story short: You never know how God has been working in and through the people around you. God will put you into situations, and bring people into your life, in order to have an impact of them.

Read the full story here:

Part 1

Part 2

Perspective

2006-10-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sun Yat-Sen Garden (Vancouver, Canada)

"Life can only be understood backwards but it must be lived forwards"
- Soren Kierkegaard -

Swarms

2006-10-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

Recent conversation with my landlady:

J: There seems to be a problem with wasps "w-ă-spsss" getting into the apartment
M: With what?
J: Wasps
M: I'm sorry, what?
J: Wasps! Oh wait, maybe you have a different name for them here in Australia. They're a kind of insect, kinda like bees. In Canada, we call them wasps.
M: Oh, you mean wasps "w-awwww-sps" (in a thick British accent)
J: (thinking: isn't that what I've been saying?!) Uh yeah... that's what I meant!

Later that afternoon:

View from my apartment window (Perth, Australia)

This was the lovely scene out my apartment window on Thursday afternoon. It's a bit hard to tell from the picture, but all those black dots are bees (which I thought were wasps at first) . There were literally a thousand of them out there. I was just sitting at my computer when I heard what sounded like somebody throwing rocks at my window, along with this strange humming. When I went to investigate that's what I found.

Earlier in the day, I'd had an epic battle with several bees that had managed to make their way into my apartment. Hunting bees definitely isn't as easy as flies or mosquitos. Besides their obvious offensive (stinging) advantage, bees are also smarter and tend to land lot less frequently. These bees in particular sought to exploit the terrain of my apartment to their advantage.

Battle #1: My first battle was against this one particular bee that refused to leave the flourescent overhead light, even after I turned it off. This was really smart because there's no cover on the light, so I couldn't swat it there, or risk knocking the lightbulbs down. I found this ancient can of fly spray under my sink so I tried spraying the bee with that. It didn't kill it, but it was enough to disorient it, and forced it to land, and so I was able to get it.

Battle #2: This is the type of battle that legends are made of. This bee was a worthy adversary. Upon being detected by me, it found an ingenious hiding place. I knew it was around the window by my bed. I searched the window high and low. I could hear it, but I just couldn't see it. Realizing I need lay low, and take stock, I sat down and waited and listened. The buzzing.. it was coming from down beneath. I look, the bee was hiding in the window track. Realizing this was my chance, I hit it with the fly spray. No effect! Darn! Using my weapon of choice, a pen, I move in for some hand-to-hand combat. I was quickly outwitted, however, as the bee managed to hide just beyond the reach of my pen. Finally, I decide to go midevil on it and hit it from above with somekind of scalding liquid. Seaching my apartment, I settled on hydrogen peroxide. I moved in, and launched a volley (dropper full) of hydrogen peroxide on it. I then sat back, and waitied to see if this attack was successful. My adversary proved resiliant and held on for several minutes before sucombing to the hydrogen peroxide. I can say in all honesty, by the end, this bee had earned my respect. I actually felt a bit sad that it had to end that way. I was worthy opponent.

Update: The next day pest control came. Apparently bees were making a home in the vents in several apartments, including my own. They fumugated my vents, but they'll have to come back next week to finish some of the other apartments.

For the record: Just so you don't think I'm totally cruel, I don't support violence against animals. Bees on the other hand... *wink wink* =)

Sights of Sydney

2006-10-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia)

Harbour Bridge (Sydney, Australia)

I don't actually live in Sydney, but I thought I'd give a shout out to my adopted homeland and post pics of a few familiar Aussie sights. These pics are from my trip to Sydney in June. These were taken during the approximately 2 hours that it wasn't raining. All my other pics were completely washed out.

Hyde Park (Sydney, Australia)

Here's a picture of the rain I talked about. In this particular shot, I got caught in the middle Hyde Park when the clouds just burst open. Without warning, it just started to pour... no sprinkling, no drizzle.... out of nowhere, it just poured! There wasn't much shelter in the park, so I took cover under a tree. Even with the tree and my umbrella, the rain was coming down so hard that I got completely soaked. Besides soaking my clothes, it also drenched my backpack, ruining my Lonely Planet guide... and worse.... my ipod... which I forgot was in there. ARGH!!!!

I'll be spending a day or 2 in Sydney on my way back home next month, so hopefully I'll get some sunshine.

First Steps

2006-10-06T07:49:00.000-07:00

Mount Royal Hike (Montreal, Canada)

It all had to begin somewhere. In my case it was 2 years ago, on a fellowship hike on Mount Royal. Since that time, my love of it has only grown. I'm speaking, of course, of photography.
For me specifically, I've been captivated by nature photography, although I do occasionally like to photograph other sights. Some of my female friends (you know who you are, haha) have commented that I'd rather find my "pretty models" among the flowers and trees, than among them, haha... Well... that's probably true! People move, people get red-eye, trees don't, buildings don't! Don't take it personally though, I still think you're pretty =)

This is my 4th attempt at blogging. While my original blog survived for over 2 years, the latter 2 forays proved short-lived. My idea is for this site is for it to be a photoblog, where I can post some of the random photos I've taken. I've got quite a few saved up from the past 2 years, so hopefully that'll give me plenty to blog about for the time being.

Sorry to disappoint, but this probably won't be the place to catch up on all my deepest feelings, or personal gossip. I'll leave the Jason gossip to Elaine and her blog, haha. Yes Elaine... I like it when you post those embarrasing stories about me =P

Thanks for reading, and hope you like the photos =)