tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45919589604604284972024-02-20T16:24:10.730-07:00The Sanity DefenceThere exists a fine line between genius and insanity. Perhaps an eraser will help?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger272125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-28917398631305807602015-09-11T00:36:00.000-06:002015-09-11T00:36:02.734-06:00Retiring Sanity DefenceGentle readers, I am retiring this blog as many things have happened since my last entry. My life has taken so many twists and turns that have brought me to the next phase in my life.<br />
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I've started another blog that's radically different from this one so I'm doing a clean break between the two - ping me privately if you're interested but be aware that it's pretty mono-focused.<br />
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Thank you for following and reading my writings. I hope it's brought you at least one smile to lighten your day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-82523639263866846362013-05-23T08:12:00.002-06:002013-05-23T22:20:03.279-06:00Maturity and PowerWhen I was a little child, I would grab a pencil and start waving it joyously in the air pretending to be a conductor whenever a classical piece was playing on the family tape deck. It was mostly to annoy my eldest brother who was trying to enjoy the music and I usually got a thrashing for it but since I was going to get hit regardless, why not make it count?<br />
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For most of my life, moving into positions of power was a key factor in my life planning. It still is today but with a much lower priority. You see, I used to aim for positions with authority because I was under the assumption that authority means security. That's not entirely incorrect either - people in positions of authority can usually see the corporate change truck that hits them, either with a glancing blow like a reorg or a fatal one like a layoff. However, the whole Authority = Security equation fails in its raison d'etre - to retain a position and not be unemployed. You can usually duck the bullets for a short while but in the end it all comes apart.<br />
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Took me years to figure that out. If this blog just taught you something valuable and saved you years of painful discovery, please send your appreciation to... ;)<br />
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It's no secret that I'm aiming to be a chamber violinist sometime in the coming years. It's also very clear that I have at best only a very slim chance of being successful, if any at all. As I mentioned to a dear friend just last night, some people keep hope alive by buying lottery tickets. This whole chamber violinist adventure is my lottery ticket and no matter how slim the chances may be, it's still better than buying a lottery ticket.<br />
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I'm aiming to be good enough to be a second violinist in an orchestra and I'm not particularly fussy as to whether it's an amateur or professional band of musicians. All I know is that I come alive when I play and that's all I care about at this time. So far, I've only played in a very short duet and I loved it. To be in an ensemble of chamber musicians making music is definitely on my bucket list and if I can do so semi-regularly, it would be a dream come true.<br />
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Not interested in conducting though. Between actually making music vs. the person directing the flow, I'd prefer to be one of the nameless many in the strings section actually playing, thanks. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-74058500097434795532013-04-28T18:37:00.002-06:002013-04-28T18:37:58.630-06:00Leveling Up (part 2)I absolutely love the violin, far more than I've ever appreciated any other instrument. I think it's mostly because I'm just beginning to realize the full potential of the instrument, its complexity, richness and range. It's like upgrading my automobile from an automatic transmission to a manual gearbox only to find a hidden row of buttons marked "Turbo Boost", "Oil Slick" and "Espresso Dispenser".<br />
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I'm looking at the pieces I'm practicing and the pieces I hope to play someday. Then I'm taking a look at the pieces the <i>professionals</i> play. I'm never ever going to master this instrument. I'm going to try, gods help me.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-11092226209007019112013-04-27T17:04:00.000-06:002013-04-27T17:04:24.365-06:00Neutral buoyancyI've always contended that there is a "perfect" level of
intelligence, where one is smart enough to overcome most challenges in
life but dumb enough not to see too many of the flaws in the system.
Think of it as neutral buoyancy in terms of intelligence.<br />
<br />
I wasn't quite correct, not precisely. I'm extending it to knowledge as well as intelligence.<br />
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I've started learning the violin recently and one of the challenges for a beginner would be developing good <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intonation_%28music%29">intonation</a>,
a pretty big problem with a violin as it doesn't have frets (guide
lines on the fingerboard). I'm fortunate enough to have a good sense of
relative pitch, so I can tell when I've made a mistake. What I wasn't
prepared for was listening to other people's music and noticing the
flaws in the performance.<br />
<br />
Playing the violin gives me
great joy and reduces my stress levels remarkably fast. Unfortunately,
as I'm advancing in theory and practice, I'm also noticing the flaws in
the performances that I've listened to in my music library. It doesn't
mean I can play anywhere near as well as these violinists; chances are
very good I'll <i>never</i> play as well as they can. However, you don't
need to be skilled to spot a mistake, just skilled enough to know what
one looks like.<br />
<br />
I understand I'm advancing at an
unusually accelerated rate in my violin lessons. That's because I've
cranked my perfectionist side up to 11 when it comes to my practice.
This is the side effect of making me ultra-critical not just with my
practice but with everyone else's music as well.<br />
<br />
*sigh*<br />
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Someday, I'll find that perfect balance. Maybe.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-30874412055450340422013-04-04T01:36:00.002-06:002013-04-04T08:01:14.376-06:00Leveling UpAbout two years ago, I started working on my music. Some of you will have heard of my shenanigans involving <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpipes">bagpipes</a>. Well, I moved from my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Practice_chanter">chanter</a> and <a href="http://www.kilberry.com/kilberry_practice_pipes">smallpipes</a> over to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocarina">ocarinas</a>. There were many reasons for the move but the main one was this: the range of bagpipes / chanters / smallpipes are limited only to an octave plus one note. More than that, it's not a <a href="http://atzarin.com/eng/atzarineng/chromatic%20advantages.html">chromatic</a> instrument. I truly love the bagpipes and will continue to learn on it but it's very limiting.<br />
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So, I moved on to the ocarina, several of them in fact. I currently have a soprano, an alto, a tenor and something that's probably best described as a baritone ocarina. Ocarinas are an absolute pleasure to play on although my soprano can be a bit grating after a while. My primary ocarina is the alto and it's a double ocarina meaning that it has two chambers. This gives it a range of two octaves plus one note, which is enough to play almost anything out there and it's also a chromatic instrument.<br />
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There's one small problem with ocarinas though - they're considered "fringe" instruments. They sound heart-achingly beautiful but you won't see them in an ensemble anywhere. It gets a bit lonely after a while.<br />
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Let's take a quick detour here: over the 2012 Christmas holidays, I took a long hard look at my life. I've always known that music played a major role in my life and I've had several abortive attempts to get better at it. There's only been one chapter in my life where music has successfully being a major driving force, when I was in the Westwinds choir two decades ago. It was a fun time and the memory of it still brings a smile to my face. Looking over my Westwinds experience, I've come to realize that there are three factors that make music work for me:<br />
<ul>
<li>it must be a social (non-solitary) activity</li>
<li>the possible repertoire of music must be extensive</li>
<li>live performances must be an option (yes, I'm very goal-driven)</li>
</ul>
Bagpipes fit the 1st and 3rd factors but fails on the 2nd. Ocarinas fit the 2nd and 3rd but fails on the first. Singing fits all three but there will be complications stemming from my vocal range shifting over to contralto. Let's just say that I'd prefer to avoid those complications, so it effectively closes off choir as an activity.<br />
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I <u><i>need</i></u> music in my life right now. It's one of the things that allow me to destress effectively and my stress levels are high enough they're impacting my health. Besides, no music makes Kate a sad girl.<br />
<br />
This means that I must find something else to play. After quite a bit of soul searching and research, I've finally settled on the violin. I admit I was a little unsure about it - it sounded rather squeaky and annoying to my untrained ears. In the last few weeks, I've spent some time listening to violin concertos...and found that it's an amazingly expressive instrument. In the hands of someone who knows how to use it well, it's...eloquent at a level I've never noticed before. It fits all three criteria, so I Leveled Up (tm).<br />
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I registered for violin lessons almost a month ago. I haven't looked back. I had a rental violin that sounded <i>amazing</i> but I never got comfortable with it, mostly because I felt this very heavy responsibility taking care of something fragile that isn't mine. A couple of nights ago, I realized that this was also messing up my enjoyment of playing, so I took the plunge and bought one for myself. It's a <a href="http://ca.yamaha.com/en/products/musical-instruments/strings/silentviolins/sv-130/?mode=model">Yamaha SV-130</a> electric violin in black. I chose an electric because I need to practice late at night and even with a mute on, my rental violin (an acoustic) was too loud. The electric is about 15-20 dB lower than my acoustic which brings its volume down to very nearly imperceptible only a room away when there's walls in the sound path. It's only been two nights but I've put in nearly half a week's worth of practice on her already since I no longer need to be paranoid about the noise.<br />
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You know, I never bothered naming my chanter, smallpipes nor ocarinas. I had this discussion with my sis a few nights back - it's because they never seemed alive but were mere tools that I used to create music. When I got my rental violin and played it for the first time, it felt like as if it was more of a partnership rather than me just using a tool. My electric violin is no different - I sing through her, so she has a name: Sera. <br />
<br />
When I played for the very first time on my rental in the violin shop,
the sales associate (who is an experienced violinist herself) took a
step back and urged me to look in the mirror. I did...and saw that I had a huge grin on my face. She said, "You look extremely happy!" and you know, I was. I hadn't been happy in months, at least up to that point. I practice in front of the mirror these days (my violin teacher's orders) and I caught myself beaming away again.<br />
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Maybe this will work? I hope so. Joy is in such short supply these days.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-70752853555433403732012-07-22T23:29:00.004-06:002012-07-22T23:29:44.596-06:00Midnight drivesI've sold my SUV to my sister and bought another car recently, something a little more suited for my current needs. I love my car. Don't get me wrong, I've loved my previous cars too but none of them have inspired me to go for midnight drives just to be in her. She's <i>awesome.</i><br />
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I've been out late before, usually after a late session of amateur astronomy or returning home after a weekend out of town. I've never been out just for the heck of it - there's usually a destination in mind when I'm out past midnight. So, this time since I'm mostly out for the fun of it, I've a more relaxed mind and can enjoy the ride. It's interesting - the types of cars and the drivers change noticeably that late at night. For one thing, I saw quite few sports cars and custom jobbies, nifty-looking heavily modified cars in bright colours. I don't think that my city has a drag racing problem but one can't tell - those cars look <i>fast.</i><br />
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I've also been driving around with the windows down, feeling the night air stream across my cheeks - it's a very sensual feeling, mixed in with the very distinct smell that seems to only come at night. It brought back memories of returning late in the evening after a trip to a relative's home when I was a little child. I miss the glowing neon signs of my childhood, especially the ones that "moved". I remember looking eagerly to some of my favourite ones whenever we had a late night trip. It added a certain magic to the city that was absent during the hustle and bustle of daytime life.<br />
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I don't go very far on my night drives, usually just my normal route that takes me out and back in around half an hour at a very leisurely pace. It does wonders for my stress level. I never thought I'd love driving and now, with my new car, I think I'm starting to understand the special relationship that we North Americans have with our vehicles.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-89853078455065683442012-04-25T00:31:00.002-06:002012-04-25T00:41:40.277-06:00Back againMy dad worked in electronics. Having had his education rudely interrupted by WWII in the form of a surprise Japanese invasion followed by a brutal occupation that killed a fair chunk of my family, he didn't quite get the "normal" education that most of us take for granted these days. So, he studied for and received a correspondence certificate in electronics, quite a respectable certification back then seeing how most schools were in ruins from the war.<br />
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To say that my dad loved electronics would be an understatement. So, it was quite disappointing for him when he discovered that none of his offspring shared his interest. I can't say for my brothers but I was certainly interested, at least at first. However, the shouting and the abuse I received whenever I made a mistake got to be a little too much so I stopped trying.<br />
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So, I'm feeling a little odd going back into electronics again after a hiatus of nearly 30 years. I'm trying to program <a href="http://www.arduino.cc/">Arduinos </a>because I think it's time for the kids to get into something a little more challenging for their age. I've got an <a href="http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno">Uno<span id="goog_726597168"></span><span id="goog_726597169"></span></a> as a primary test platform and a <a href="http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardLilyPad">LilyPad</a> for fun. For the kids, I've got an <a href="http://www.earthshineelectronics.com/10-arduino-starter-kit.html">Earthshine starter kit</a> which should get them well on their way, should they have the interest to do so. If not, I'm sure I'll find some way to repurpose them later.<br />
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I'm still feeling around the capabilities with my Uno - part of being successful with my kids is to find lessons that pique their interest. Although most adults will find making the pin 13 LED blink to be of interest, it simply won't help with getting the kids started, so I'm working on a set of tutorials that will lead them (hopefully) to bigger and better things.<br />
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The LilyPad is fun. If the kids take a serious interest in this, I'm giving my Uno to them so that they each have one to program. However, I'm keeping my LilyPad! I take a far more playful approach when I'm tinkering with my LilyPad. I've got an idea on how to make a scarf into a sensor station but I'll need some time to play around with it first.<br />
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It feels good to come back to programming after several years of being management. I had forgotten just how much I miss it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-14535347694234725202012-02-04T17:46:00.001-07:002012-02-04T17:46:19.955-07:00ChangesNot surprisingly, things have changed quite a bit since the last time I posted. For one, I'm now seeing a gentleman from a nearby city and things are looking rather promising thus far. I admit that I wasn't too sure when he began courting me but it sorted itself out. We're well past the honeymoon phase - we've survived at least one major argument so neither of us are still wearing our rose-coloured glasses. We're also both still with each other, so I guess that's a good sign.<br />
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He also got between my coffee and me a week ago. He's still alive, so I must really love him. Or he's that he's too tall for me to really get a chokehold on his neck. One or the other, anyway.<br />
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Life's been very hectic. I've shifted divisions at work, quite a major thing. I'm now working downtown which is both good and bad. Long story short, I'm in a maelstrom of change...and I can't find the calm middle anywhere. Story of my life, really.<br />
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There are many things that I've sacrificed to make things work. Ballet and bagpipes (I got some smallpipes for Christmas - thank you, sis!) are now on a partial schedule as they demand a level of dedication that I simply cannot afford at this time. So, I'm working my ocarina, which has given me a lot of joy.<br />
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As I'm typing this, the kids are playing in the living room, my dear sister is out working and I'm listening to the Zelda-themed ocarina music by the St, Louis Trio. A really pedestrian scene, all things considered. I have a moderate fever as I appear to have caught some kind of bug and my to-do list is stupidly full.<br />
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Not a bad life. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-4612497685380402032011-10-10T02:00:00.005-06:002011-10-10T02:18:59.217-06:00Thanksgiving 2011For quite a while now, I've felt dissatisfied with my life, that I'm just existing rather than actually living. Being lost in middle age is quite common, apparently. In fact, as I look around me at my friends who graduated the same time as I did, I see them all grinding away at their jobs, taking care of their families and just...well, existing. Just as I was merely existing.<br /><br />Well, that was a few months back. Somehow or another, I must have decided to move away from that boring, mundane life because I have no recollection of saying to myself, "Enough is enough, let's start living!"<br /><br />Today, I'm looking at what I'm doing and I'm...content. I'm doing quite a lot now:<br /><ul><li>I've put myself out there with my bagpipe practice; in fact, I'm hoping to audition for a pipe band soon (where soon is sometime in a year or so).</li><li>I'm also learning the ocarina and will be performing in-game.</li><li>Oh, did I mention that I've joined a Live Action Role Play group? Yep, going to be performing in-game with my ocarina - should be glorious fun!</li><li>At work, I've received authorization to look for internal transfer positions and I'm enrolled in management training.</li><li>Professionally, I'm also working with a major organization in the States to open up an affiliate chapter for the branch of management I'm going to be involved in.</li></ul>For the first time in my life, I can feel music flowing through me. I picked up an ocarina and within a day, I was able to play a tune of mid-level complexity. Finally, I can breathe beauty into this world once more!<br /><br />I have a busy life. A crazy, stressful busy life but one where I'm contributing and where my contributions are valued for the most part. So for this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for my dear family and being able to be a part of their lives but I'm also thankful for the fact that my life is full. No, I won't cure cancer or make some amazing discovery. My name isn't going to be in the history books. But I would hope that it will be in the hearts of the people I love and care for.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-24075695020444120052011-08-30T00:14:00.003-06:002011-08-30T00:43:35.953-06:00Full immersion*** Note to my dear sis and possibly Susan - you may want to skip reading this post if you think you may want to join in sometime ***
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<br />Live action role-playing (LARP) folk don't get a lot of respect from the gaming community, mostly because of videos like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ04mfAY2BU">these</a> show things out of context. Even though I'm a geekette and proud of it, I've always found LARPers to be...well, kind of <span style="font-style: italic;">out there</span>.
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<br />This past weekend, a dear friend from out of town traveled halfway across the country to attend a LARP event with the local group. She invited me to come along and although warning bells were going off, I decided to be a good sport and agreed to come.
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<br />The event started off with me getting very lost trying to find the unmarked campground through some very vague instructions. It wasn't a good sign, that.
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<br />When I got there, I was shown to the cabin I was going to be staying in. My heart sank. Now, you have to understand, I'm a city girl. That means that if I'm too far away from wi-fi access or can't find a Starbucks nearby, I'd be lost. This...was a cabin. A co-ed cabin. With bunk beds. Yeah...not impressed but I was warned I'd be roughing it this weekend, so I plonked my stuff on a bunk and got dressed in garb.
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<br />Oh yes, you have to dress in appropriate costume, which in this case was something roughly medieval European-ish. There was a nice chap in a Roman centurion uniform but aside from him, most other folk were pretty much what you'd find on the set of Lord of the Rings. Pretty elaborate costumes too, so these folk take it seriously.
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<br />The game officially started and as a new player, we had to roleplay coming into town. A town under constant attack by the local denizens of the dark. Y'know what? I've walked down dark trails a million times before in computer RPGs and if I were beset by monsters, I'd just kill them and move on. This...this was different. I was on a dark path strewn with rocks, shrubs, fallen tree trunks with no real sources of illumination other than a dim lantern. There were noises all around us where every rustle, every movement of the leaves may herald a sudden attack by the enemy. And attack us they did. Over and over again. We lost several people (i.e. their characters were killed during the attacks, not that they were truly lost in the real sense) culminating in a run back to town when it was clear we couldn't win. Coming into town was interesting as well, because we nearly got skewered by the town guards who thought we were the enemy. Tired, weary and half-frightened out of our wits, we made it back to town. Only to be attacked over and over again - the town wasn't safe at all.
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<br />So began a glorious weekend of roleplaying. I wasn't playing a fighting character so RP is pretty much all I can do. During the course of the weekend, I nearly got killed once (in-game, not for real) and saved dozens of lives. After the first night, it became a full-immersion event, something I never thought was possible. Fog rolled in during one of the nights too, adding a very real sense of creepiness to the environment. Words simply cannot describe how one feels when you're all alone in the forest, separated from your group, in pitch darkness only to hear the moan of a zombie right behind you. Dear gods, I was frightened out of my wits that weekend, so much so that I was dreading the fall of night because that was when they came.
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<br />Would I go back? Absolutely. Do I feel silly LARPing? Only for the first couple of hours. It's so well run that when I say full-immersion, I *mean* full immersion. The folks were amazing as well, both in-game and out-of-game. Even though it's make-believe, after surviving a massive in-game onslaught, you can't help but like the person who saved your in-game life, regardless of whether that's who she is in real life or not.
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<br />The one thing I have to be careful of is to keep my sense of balance and moderation - the full-immersion factor can confuse things a bit.
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-8445232061586943532011-08-16T03:03:00.001-06:002011-08-16T03:03:16.838-06:00Mobile bloggingThis is a short test blog entry to see if my mobile blogging app has been properly set up.<br /><br />*makes odd waving gesture at you*<br /><br />This is not the entry you are looking for. Move along. :)<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-83607424594762772832011-07-31T10:42:00.007-06:002011-07-31T11:10:05.425-06:00When Googling failsI'm a knowledge worker. For most of my life, I earned my keep by herding electrons into specific configurations to make something-or-another work a certain way. It's a little weird when I stop to think about it - the majority of what I've done isn't tangible, not directly. Yes, I've written device drivers that will translate physical movement to useful data. I've enabled people to shuffle electronic proxies of their wealth around. Almost everything I've done in my adult work life has been virtual.<br /><br />So, when I recently discovered just how fun radio-controlled micro-helicopters can be, I dove into it with a passion. I am now the very proud owner of a red <a href="http://www.eflightwiki.com/eflightwiki/index.php?title=E-flite_Blade_mSR">E-flite Blade MSR</a> that I've named Anisoptera (dragonfly), or Ani for short. I'm having a hoot with it, although the kids are less enthusiastic as they quietly don their safety goggles and discreetly put away any high-value breakable toys of theirs whenever I throttle up Ani, usually with a giggle of delight.<br /><br />This morning, a strong gust blew in through the screen doors as I was hovering Ani and blew her into a wall. It's the hardest crash she's had so far and I couldn't throttle down in time. When I picked her up, everything seemed fine other than a minor scratch to one of her main rotors. Unfortunately, when I tried taking off again, she banked uncontrollably to the left. Trimming didn't help. Nothing I did helped.<br /><br />Even Googling didn't yield any answers. I had a horrible sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach. Now I knew I was in deep trouble. :(<br /><br />So, I decided to return to basic principles and started running tests on Ani. Upon inspection, I discovered that the rotor disc appeared off-axis under power. I knew from normal operation that she was supposed to have a slightly off-axis rotor disc. Unfortunately, I didn't remember which side it was supposed to cant towards. However, I'm pretty sure by now that it's a misalignment except that I had no idea how to fix it. Oh well, back to basic principles again - I started tracing the mechanism from the rotor blades down to the main gear and motor. I did notice an unnatural slant to the entire rotor assembly from the swashplate up, so that eliminated my original knee-jerk panic response of "OMG, WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE MAIN ROTORS!!!"<br /><br />I checked the main drive shaft to ensure it was straight; it was. The rest of the mechanism was pretty solid - it wasn't really meant to move and everything was screwed together quite well. Not finding any culprits, I started working my way back up, from the main gear to the rotors. Still nothing. Tired now, I took off my magnifying visor and made a cup of coffee. Returning to the worktable, I took a sip of my coffee, glanced at Ani...and there it was - the swashplate had popped out of alignment in the back with one of its very tiny securing nubby prongs completely outside of its seating fork. Very carefully and gently, I popped it back into place and went through power-up and takeoff procedures.<br /><br />Ani's flying again. And the kids are scattering in her wake. It's a good day. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-31996738929933093682011-07-08T18:28:00.008-06:002011-07-09T14:42:35.589-06:00Paradigm shiftI'm turning some (large) multiple of 10 years of age this year. My birthday isn't for quite a few months yet but I like to plan ahead. :) Regardless, I'm doing my once-a-decade review of my life, which has the longest time-horizon of them all, a lookahead of 20 years in addition to a decade's worth of review.<br /><br />Have I done as much as I had hoped to? Simply put, no. I lost sight of where I wanted my life to go when the kids entered my life and I've been merely existing since then. Of course, my life took a very strange sharp turn a few years back that was massively disruptive not only to myself but to my family. Thankfully, the paths we've taken has lead us to a stable and better place than where we were back then. It's been tough but we're there now.<br /><br />Which leads me back to the central theme of my introspection: what now? Well, the most urgent need is for me to figure out what I want to do, career-wise. I have the following options:<br /><ol><li>Project management</li><li>Program management</li><li>Product management</li><li>Product development</li></ol>Project management is what I had been doing previously. It's why I'm striving towards my PMP certification. Simply put, a project manager ensures that a project is successful and this is a lot tougher than it seems. Out of the lot, this is the most versatile option; there will always be a need for project managers. The detail-oriented side of me *loves* this role and it remains a very viable and solid choice.<br /><br />Program management is what I'm currently doing. Getting my PMP is the first step towards getting my PgMP certification. The two are not directly related but having my PMP first establishes the foundation for the type of work that a program manager will run. A program manager ensures that projects directed at the same or similar strategic goal are managed as a program, where each project and its deliverables are coordinated efficiently to achieve the best possible program outcome. I *love* this role. It's a blend of operational and strategic needs that makes my heart sing with joy; it's air traffic control with projects and anyone who knows me knows how much I enjoy juggling things like that. I love managing complex systems and this is about as complex as it gets.<br /><br />Product management was what I had been doing some time back. This is about taking a product and ensuring that it continues to delight its customers year over year, release after release. It deals with the needs of customer, understanding the market and staying one step ahead of the competition. When done well, it makes a product a household name, like 3M's Post-It notes, or Xerox machines or the iPhone. When done poorly...it can bring down a company. This tickles the part of me that wants to nurture and grow things. It gives me a nice comfy warm glowy feeling inside. It's still cerebral and detail-oriented but it also gives me warm fuzzy feelings.<br /><br />New product development is what I'm supposed to be doing at the moment but due to several factors, it's not something I'm allowed to run with yet. NPD is about understanding the needs of the customer before the customer even knows they have a need. It's about bringing revolutionary products to market, things that will change our lives as we know it. The microwave oven is one example. Remote entry/locking systems for cars. Personal video recorders. All the little things that we now take for granted that we could not have conceived of 20 years ago. This position is one of the hardest to find employment for but with the right person in the right company, has the potential to change the world. This is the good bits of all three of the previous jobs rolled into one plus it allows me to let my imaginative and innovative self to roam free. If I found this position in the right company, I'd relocate to the ends of the world to do it.<br /><br />So...what to do? Right now, I'm not sure but at least I have 4 options to choose from. I'm okay with where I am at the moment but this is not about the here and now, it's about where I want to be 20 years from now. I think I know but it'll be really tough to get there.<br /><br />In the past, I've always separated what I love to do and what I did for work, thinking that if I worked on something I loved, I'd get bored with it eventually and that love would go away. Looking around, the truly great people, the ones who make a difference are the ones who work on what they love. I've now come to believe that I've been mistaken about this, that I should be working on what I love so I can bring all that passion and enthusiasm to bear and make a real difference. A significant paradigm shift, one which if I'm mistaken, might destroy part of what I love. I've decided to take the plunge though - I've always believed that if one is to burn, one might as well burn as brightly as possible even for just a short time rather than smouldering dimly for a longer time before extinguishing into darkness.<br /><br />Stay tuned. I hope to make decent headway on my dreams over next few years.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-49744747317088417162011-07-05T01:39:00.004-06:002011-07-05T02:14:16.685-06:00Sneaking aboutI've always enjoyed playing at stealth. When I was a child, my dad would take afternoon naps and, being the stereotypical Head of Household (tm), he decreed that Everyone Shall Be Quiet so he can have his forty winks. This decree was enforced by corporal punishment so I had a very strong incentive to comply.<br /><br />Now, staying completely silent meant that all work and play stopped when my dad took his nap. Imagine me being a young, hyperactive sort - obviously, this didn't work for me. So, I learnt how to sneak about the house, tiptoeing quietly around, learning how to pluck specific toys out of whatever pile they were found in with nary a peep. I managed it quite well too and was only caught a handful of times, if that. Along the way, I learned how to be very nimble (good for sneaking around sleeping family members), how to muffle sound, how to open doors and drawers quietly and many other skills best suited for a career in cat burglary.<br /><br />Fast forward a couple of decades and you'd find me an avid gamer as I fritted my precious private time away playing computer games while I was a university student. My favourite games have always been <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_person_sneaker">first-person sneakers</a> and submarine simulations. I didn't really put it together back then but I really really REALLY derive a great deal of joy from sneaking about. Actually, as I'm typing this, I'm giggling softly to myself as I've just finished playing an old computer game that required a lot of tactical sneaking about to win.<br /><br />Fast forward to the present day. I still play some computer games but not as much as before. I do sneak up on the kids quite a bit (all in fun) and more often than not, I'm successful in popping up behind them unnoticed. I try not to sneak up on them when they're carrying liquids though as it gets...messy. Of course, they try to sneak up on me too although they've mostly abandoned that in lieu of outflanking me instead. My ballet has allowed me to <span style="font-style: italic;">increase</span> my level of stealthiness as I'm now almost back to where I was when I tiptoed around as a child trying not to wake my parents. However, where I derive the greatest amount of joy is in stealthily getting things done at work.<br /><br />You see, I'm in an odd role that most folks in the company don't quite get. That's not entirely true, it's more like this:<br /><ul><li>They understand that there are problems</li><li>They understand that I'm there to fix said problems</li><li>They know they can't fix their problems<br /></li><li>They know I can fix them because I've already fixed many long-standing issues<br /></li><li>They're not really comfortable with someone else (me) fixing their problems</li></ul>So, I've had to stealthily fix the stickier problems without being seen as the one fixing them. In fact, the really sticky problems require no one to fix them, i.e. no attributable source for the fix. It's a bit of a joke because everyone knows I'm the one who's pulling the strings to solve the issues, it's just that they'd feel more comfortable if it wasn't someone outside their team that's fixing them.<br /><br />Political stealthiness - it fills me with much<span style="font-style: italic;"> squee</span>! I'm not sure what all this says about me and how I tick but what the hey, my close friends already think I'm an odd duck so this probably won't shock them much.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-66625168230345589772011-07-03T20:13:00.003-06:002011-07-03T20:28:58.855-06:00SubculturesI used to be an amateur astronomer. We're an odd bunch of people, nervously glancing at the sky as the evening approaches, muttering imprecations at clouds and obsessively checking the meteorological sites to see if there will be clear skies for the night. We'd rush home, pack our beloved telescopes and kit into our cars and brave the last bit of rush hour traffic for remote sites far away from the annoying city lights and its photonic pollution. When we arrived on the site, we'd set up our equipment, dig out our dinners and dined on food even as the mosquitoes dined on us. Those of us who are early birds will chit-chat about our recent observations or equipment, still glancing up every now and then to pray that the clouds stay away. Then, someone will quietly comment, "Yep, there's Sirius up there" and we'd all slowly scatter to our own stations to calibrate our now-cooled scopes. We're a solitary bunch, we brothers and sisters of sky science. As night falls, conversations stop or at least tone down to a near-inaudible mutter. There is the sky and there is you; we are all intimately aware and in awe of the fact that photons that have traveled billions of years over unimaginable distances will end their journey upon our retinas that night. We, all of us, are mesmerized by the terrible beauty that is our universe. Slowly, ever so slowly, one by one will quietly pack up and leave the area, making sure that no white light leaks anywhere to spoil the night vision of those remaining behind. Eventually, the last one packs up too and the night's session is over.<br /><br />Our lives are intersections of the many subcultures that we belong to. Our workplace has a culture. Our families have our own cultural norms. Our hobbies have their own subculture. Each with its own rules, with its own rituals (whether we are conscious of them as ritual or not) and its own challenges and rewards. How many subcultures do you belong to? I suspect you may be somewhat surprised if you started counting...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-4967968115050641672011-07-01T19:21:00.003-06:002011-07-01T19:37:01.071-06:00HospitalsI had my surgery a little over a week ago. I spent the night in the hospital and I'm now back at home to recover.<br /><br />I've been in hospitals a lot. I'd really rather that I didn't. This time though, it was an elective surgical procedure so I chose to be there.<br /><br />Being in a hospital causes me to have mixed feelings about it. Generally, being in a hospital is a <span style="font-style: italic;">bad thing</span> and for the most part, it is. On the other hand, being in the hospital has also given my life back and in one case, gave me a whole new life. They're not places where I want to spend my summer holidays at but at the same time, I'm glad that when I needed to be there, it was there for me to be at.<br /><br />There is always a chance that my life will end in a hospital, as it does for so many others. I guess that if I had to choose a way to go, passing on peacefully in my sleep would be at the top of my list but failing that, dying in the hospital isn't a bad way to go either - at least there's someone around who has pain management solutions available.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-70426459989216180882011-06-22T01:59:00.002-06:002011-06-22T02:12:30.915-06:00SurgeryI'm undergoing surgery today. I'm already in that zone where I can't eat or drink anything at all until the surgery is over. Unlike the previous ones (and there have been far too many), this one is an elective, meaning that I'm choosing to go for it instead of it being medically prescribed. Come to think of it, this is my first true elective surgery. Assuaging my conscience that I'm not truly a narcissist is the fact that in some areas of the world, it is a medically prescribed surgery (just not where I live) for folks like me.<br /><br />I'm always nervous before I go in for surgery. I think everyone does. This time, it's weighing a little heavier on me because it's not strictly a necessity. Do I harbour doubts whether it's the right thing to do? Yes, but only a little bit - this is something I've been intending to do for years and it wasn't until recently that I realized that the dissatisfaction in not dealing with it was colouring other areas of my life and affecting my relationship with a few others.<br /><br />It's expensive as all surgeries are. I'm really looking forward to getting things corrected though. Thinking positive thoughts for me today, please?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-25537369863713232322011-06-16T01:57:00.003-06:002011-06-16T02:03:05.460-06:00DietingI'm back on a diet again, this time in an effort to rein in my weight as well as prepare for my start in aerial silks. Over the last few months, I've been under intense stress at work and haven't been eating well which resulted in me gaining a few more pounds that I cared for.<br /><br />It's nothing radical, a combination of calorie counting, portion management and exercise. In short, a general awareness of what I'm feeding myself with. It's served me well in the past as I'm not planning on dropping a lot of weight quickly but rather a gentle drop while my body adjusts. My goals this time are far more ambitious though so I'll be consulting my family doctor this time around.<br /><br />I've been cutting down on the amount of meat I'm consuming and upping my portions of vegetables, fruits and grains. I'm *starving* but it doesn't feel too bad - this is expected as I'm exerting control over how much I eat. Surprisingly, I feel happier despite being hungry most of the time. I'm assuming this is a good thing.<br /><br />I don't expect to be thin but being able to fit back into my dresses from 2 years back would be a nice goal, eh?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-23254681952786515002011-06-06T23:11:00.001-06:002011-06-06T23:20:26.224-06:00Courage (part 2)Some of you have been asking what decision I've made and as this isn't going to stay private very long if all of you are asking, I figure I might as well bite the bullet and discuss it here.<br /><br />I'm planning on doing some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_silk">aerial trainin</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_silk">g</a>, specifically with tissu and rope. It'll require a high level of fitness so it's a goal within a goal for me. If you're not familiar with this form of performance art, here's an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9pZVCb68rk&feature=related">example</a>. Of course, I'm not going to be able to do this anytime soon but it's my hope that I'll be able to do it eventually. Yes, I'm going to get proper training for it. No, I don't know if I'm fit enough to do it at all, so we'll have to see. This is a natural extension for me from ballet and I get to explore all three dimensions with it so it generates all sorts of *squee* feelings in me.<br /><br />If I'm able to do this and do it well, I can finally say that running away with the circus will be a viable career choice. ;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-44791187624390221542011-06-06T00:14:00.005-06:002011-06-06T02:58:56.687-06:00CourageI've been doing a lot of introspection lately, mainly because I know I'm just drifting through life at the moment. I need objectives in order to be happy, even if it's something as simple as meeting a friend for coffee or sitting down and watching a show with my sister. It's funny, ever since we got a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_video_recorder">PVR</a>, I've actually gotten less happy because I no longer had set times to watch a show as everything is now recorded for me. I've since realigned to the on-demand viewing model but it was rough until I figured it out.<br /><br />The hardest part isn't asking oneself, "What do I want to do now?" In fact, that's the easiest part. No, the hardest part is the question, "Can I afford to do what I want to do?"<br /><br />Cost in this case does not necessarily mean financial cost although everything costs money nowadays. Cost can mean many things. A few years ago, I took a less traveled fork on the road of life and ended up here. Along the way, I've lost a lot in making that decision but I've gained so much more in return. I'm far far happier for it, no regrets! Now, I'm on yet another fork on the road but this one's not anywhere near as dire.<br /><br />Sometimes, it takes a major nudge to switch one's life onto another track, one that will hopefully bring more happiness. I recently made a very private decision that will bring a significant amount of physical risk but if I'm successful will let me live my life to its fullest. It took me over a year to mull it over but now that I've decided, it's brought delicious anticipation into my life once more, an enthusiasm that's been missing for years. The tricky part is that it's going to be expensive both in time, money and other resources. It'll only last me for a few years before I can't physically take it anymore but the memories will be sufficient to last a lifetime.<br /><br />I'm refusing to take the safer road this time. I've done so repeatedly in the past and while I'm achieving my goals of having some semblance of financial flexibility, I've always wondered what would have happened had I taken the riskier path. Not this time. I want memories to brighten my last moments, occasional bursts of joy when my life was illuminated by being who I truly am.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-55109941409399894552011-05-18T01:59:00.002-06:002011-05-18T02:13:37.414-06:00Heroes (part 2)I've taken a closer look at who I hold in high esteem, who the heroes are at this present point of my rather turbulent life. There was a time when it was men and women of power and authority. However, I think I've seen through the lie that power equates to safety; it does not and in some circumstances, radically increases the risk of harm. So these days, I seek simpler things, happiness being one of them. Preserving what's left of my integrity being another.<br /><br />In that regard, I'm also coming to the realization that our heroes are far too human. Anyone we regard as a hero will fall eventually due to something they did. It's inevitable - we carry the seeds of our own fall within us as we are not perfect. So, do I have heroes? Yes...but they're not real ones. I'm discovering that as dangerous as it may be, the people I look up to simply don't exist in real life. They do exist in fiction and often in the most unlikeliest of places.<br /><br />As an amateur astronomer, I'm quite aware that a lot of the constellations of the night sky have stories attached to them for they are often figures from mythology. I'm beginning to understand why we have myths - it provides us the fiction of what heroes should be so we have a model to emulate. It's here that things get dicey. If we're not careful about our attachment to heroes (if we chose to have heroes in the first place) then we are certain to come to harm or failure. After all, if we seek to emulate Icarus, I'd worry less about the risk of flying too close to the Sun but be more concerned about proving that gravity works yet again.<br /><br />I have my own private heroes but I keep them behind a metaphorical pane of glass. I'm not perfect, they're not real and emulating them will just be plain stupid. Instead, I choose to draw strength and hope from the illusion that there are good people out there, that it is possible to go through life without compromising your integrity and that true love is out there, somewhere.<br /><br />Yes, folks - I'm willingly deceiving myself...but from where I stand, falling into the pit of despair from the grind of daily life is far, far worse than this.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-86119107991602537242011-05-08T15:36:00.002-06:002011-05-08T16:00:57.725-06:00HeroesI get teary-eyed when I watch movies these days. I didn't used to be like this but I've changed quite a bit from who I was not 5 years ago. There are two sentiments that always make me tear up: love and surmounting the previously-impossible. The final scenes in love stories where the two make up and kiss? I tear up. The launch scene in Apollo 13 when the Saturn V takes off from the pad? I tear up. Why? Not sure but someone accused me of being a hopeless romantic lately. Perhaps that's why.<br /><br />I was pondering the increasing complexity of our world the other day and although we humans are still dealing with the same problems our forefathers have always dealt with, matters such as having shelter, food to eat and other such concerns in the physiological layer of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, everything else above that has risen in complexity. It used to be that employment meant you clean rooms as a maid or you serve tables at the local inn; jobs that have clear outcomes. These days, it's not as clear-cut. In my job, what I do doesn't yield results until anywhere from 18 to 60 months in the future. I have no immediate gratification and patience does start to wear thin. The closest analogy I have is being a sponsor of exploration expeditions during the age of sail. You finance ships and crew then you wait for years before you find out what they've discovered, if they return at all.<br /><br />What has all this got to do with the topic of this post? Simple: we have no real heroes anymore. We have no heroes because our world has grown far too complex for any single person to be a hero. There was a time when you could earn a name for yourself as being an amazing software developer back in the days when you could code a game or application all on your own. These days, you'll be fortunate if you can code something marketable even with a full team of developers. The days when individuals can make a difference are gone. It doesn't mean that we can't do anything nor does it mean we should stop trying. It does mean that it's much harder to make a difference.<br /><br />We have no heroes also because we have become equally as sophisticated. There was a time when war heroes can command ticker-tape parades for killing the enemy or some act of valour. The fact that they may be alcoholics or that they beat their wife or that they're as racist as they come wouldn't matter because in the end, we adore them for the one thing they do best. That's not the case anymore. Our war heroes of the past have been replaced by sports heroes but even then, most of their adoration becomes tarnished over time by alleged drug use or some such affront to societal norms.<br /><br />We have no heroes because we've outgrown them. We've become a society where our confidence in ourselves no longer bear any resemblance to what we can really do. If you don't believe me, go talk with any teenager. We've gotten soft, become used to the comforts of civilization without ever having to earn it. Do you know how your car works? Do you know why your food heats up when you put it into the microwave? Do you know who your local government representative is? Do you know what your child is being taught in school? Do you know where your food comes from? Do you even know how to cook these days, where cooking does not mean dumping a box of KD into boiling water or sticking in a TV dinner into the microwave?<br /><br />Why does it matter? Maybe it's just the march of civilization. Perhaps this is the natural progression of a technological civilization.<br /><br />Perhaps.<br /><br />Or perhaps we've gone down the wrong evolutionary path in our societal growth.<br /><br />I need heroes. Even if that hero is my husband. Even if that hero is my co-worker. I need to believe that not all of us have succumbed to the mediocrity that is pervasive in our modern society. Why are heroes important? Simple: they give us hope.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-31415991508153767862011-04-17T18:07:00.002-06:002011-04-17T18:18:58.395-06:00MortalityEvery now and then, I'd get a little melancholy and ponder my place in the universe. Fact is, we're all here for far less than the blink of an eye as the universe goes. During that brief period, all we can do is impact those around us, being positively or negatively.<br /><br />When I was young, the days seemed plentiful. I looked eagerly to my birthdays, the only time in the year when I got presents of toys and whatnot (we didn't celebrate Christmas). All I wanted to do was for the days to pass quickly. Now, in the latter part of my middle age, I'm starting to face the fact that I'm mortal, that someday, Death will come to me and take me away.<br /><br />I'm not sure I'm afraid of that. I view it with some anxiety, of course. If we do disappear into nothingness, that wouldn't be too bad. If we get parsed into heaven, hell or some other place within the spectrum of good and evil, at least there is some closure. I suspect that death is something altogether different. Occam's Razor says that we simply...stop existing. That there isn't an afterlife. Once our time here has come and gone, that's pretty much it. I've experienced enough to know that science doesn't answer everything. While I'm not willing to believe in superstition lest they take away my status as a Handmaiden of Science (tm), I'm also not entirely willing to believe that oblivion awaits.<br /><br />It's hard to explain how I feel simply because my feelings are very conflicted. There is a part of me that welcomes the end of this hardship and toil we go through in this existence of ours. I don't discount that perhaps there may be other kinds of hardship and toil awaiting us after this life but I don't know what they are. My loved ones know what my ideal afterlife would look like, if there is an afterlife. All I can do is to hope that I end up there.<br /><br />Viewing one's mortality every now and then is a good thing, I think. It gives me perspective on what I'm doing. Does my job matter? Yes...but not in the long run. It pays the bills but it doesn't prepare my kids for the life they're going to have. Do my hobbies matter? Yes...but only to me, unless if I make some amazing new discovery that will benefit humankind, like solving the mysteries of the universe or at the very least, figuring out how to get the caramel into the Caramilk bar.<br /><br />Our existence matters...and it doesn't. All I can do is to make the best choices I can make for not only myself but for those I care for.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-82570286149378378932010-11-11T12:48:00.005-07:002010-11-14T18:55:01.806-07:00Remembering libertyI didn't grow up on this continent. I am part of the generation fortunate enough to have been born between major conflicts and was too old to take part in any of the recent ones. I count myself most fortunate.<br />
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However, there are still battles to be fought for today's war is not just with guns and tanks - the battlefield is also in the hearts and minds of our neighbours and friends. We have to fight ignorance from destroying the futures of our children by robbing them of the chance to have a balanced view of the truth (<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/06/02/alberta-human-rights-school-gay-education-law.html">Bill 44</a>). We have to fight prejudice (<a href="http://www.billsiksay.ca/default2.asp?active_page_id=621">Bill C-389</a>) from people who blindly condemn anything and anyone different, all in the name of their god. We have to fight the departments who are supposed to <i>help</i> people (<a href="http://www.calgarysun.com/news/columnists/michael_platt/2010/11/10/16080466.html">Jason and Bonnie Devine</a>).<br />
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Bill 44 is just wrong. The fact that the teachers themselves are opposed to it should be an obvious indication that it's wrong. Why would the teachers oppose something that would, in the end, cause less work for them because there's fewer kids to teach? Simple: because they care. They know that they are they primary change agent in the lives of the kids they teach. They prepare them for the real world. They also know just how unprepared the kids are to face the international area. It's not just in Canada either - do go and watch <a href="http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/">Waiting for Superman</a> if you can find it. I volunteer as a science teacher in the local classrooms not because I have delusions of grandeur that I can turn around the educational system. No, I go and teach in the ardent hope that I can inspire one - just one - student to go into the sciences. If I can do that, then all the hours will be worth it. One. I'm not asking for more than one.<br />
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Bill C-389 is a little tougher. On the surface, you might think that this bill covers a tiny minority who are psychologically disturbed. However, when you dig deeper past the fear and lies the religious right have thrown over it, you'll find that the thrust of this bill is to provide legal protection for this minority who are simply trying to heal. They're not interested in your kids. They're not interested in your washrooms. They're not interested in you or yours at all. They merely want to live and to have the protection that you and I enjoy. Right now, they have no legal protection: if they get beaten up, the perpetrators may or may not be charged. I ask you this: have we as a society sunk so low that we have to debate whether to provide protection to an often medically-challenged minority so that they have legal recourse should they be physically assaulted? So it's all right for a fellow Canadian to get beaten up because he or she is different from you?<br />
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Jason Devine is an anti-racism activist in Alberta. Racists broke into his home and beat him up for daring to take a stand against them. Alberta Child Services then swooped in and took his kids away because they figured it was an unsafe environment for the children. Yes, you can look at it that way. ACS, while you're at it, why don't you swoop in and take away the children of all the policemen who work in the anti-corruption departments? Or the anti-organized crime officers? Or the children of abortion doctors? Oh, because there's an incident for Mr. Devine whereas the others haven't? I see...so...colour me naive but wouldn't the right course of action here would be to perhaps provide police protection so that Mr. Devine <i>doesn't</i> get beaten up? Yes, the kids have since been returned to their parents but <i>come on</i>, how screwed up and incompetent can you be to come between a parent who is a <i>victim of assault</i> and his kids? Do note that this is <i>not</i> an isolated incident where ACS have acted in a manner more reminiscent of jackbooted thugs tearing kids away from good parents, all in the name of protecting the children. Unless if the kids are in clear and present danger from their parents (and there are those situations, as heartbreaking as it may be), kids should be with their parents. Not in the hands of strangers. This appears to be something that ACS doesn't understand.<br />
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Do note that I do not in any way intend to diminish the sacrifices of our veterans. They paid the ultimate price for our freedom today. However, I am ashamed as a Canadian and an Albertan to see how we have taken their sacrifices and started upon the path to becoming the very society they laid down their lives to prevent.<br />
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I'm going to go cry now. Then I'm going to have a chat with my MP, who has a dismal record on human rights in the off chance that he actually has any sense of right and wrong somewhere on him these days.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4591958960460428497.post-40054920814520645622010-11-04T23:56:00.000-06:002010-11-04T23:56:57.298-06:00Spin-offFYI, I've created another blog strictly for ballet and will be spending some time getting it up and running. I'm still posting to this blog so there will be posts in the future. I haven't been posting here consistently anyway, so nothing will really change except that you won't be hearing much about dance here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4